Hong Kong: Education chief to visit UK

Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin will depart on May 7 for the Education World Forum in London and conclude her UK trip on May 13.

To be held from May 7 to 10, the forum is the world's largest gathering for education and skills officials to discuss future education policy.

Ms Choi will speak at one of the keynote sessions and hold meetings with education officials from other places. She will also visit various education units and meet Hong Kong students in the UK.

During her absence, Under Secretary for Education Sze Chun-fai will be Acting Secretary.

This story has been published on: 2023-05-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Students in 'backyard' program aid farmers

08:48, May 05, 2023 By Zhang Yu in Shijiazhuang ( China Daily

Graduate students living in Quzhou county of Handan, Hebei province, are technically not farmers  but they do spend a lot of time in the fields.

They might be best described as consultants, part of a program to help local farmers work more scientifically to increase yields.

Driving an electric tricycle on a recent afternoon, one of the students, Hou Yulin, 25, went to a dark green experimental field about 10 minutes from his dormitory. Carrying a bucket of nitrogen manure fertilizer, he walked around spreading it over wheat sprouts, accompanied by several farmers, over about 6,000 square meters in Quzhou.

Hou is one of the newest graduate students to arrive from China Agricultural University in Beijing  part of the Science and Technology Backyard program launched by the university in 2009. Under the program, students conduct research in experimental fields and use the acquired knowledge to help the local farmers solve various agricultural problems.

A major in resource utilization and plant protection, Hou came to Quzhou in February after completing studies in Beijing for a semester last year. This is the first year of his postgraduate work.

Over the next two years, he will continue to research the effect of organic fertilizers on crops in the nearby villages, working alongside the farmers.

"I divided my experimental field into three parts, which will receive organic fertilizer in different amounts. Then we'll wait to see the results," Hou said, adding that the project was started by another student who has since graduated.

"The influence on the soil will accumulate over several years," he said. "We need to keep the research going to discover how to achieve higher yields."

Quzhou, which is about 400 kilometers southwest of Beijing, has more than 1,100 farms with some 9.5 million chickens. The chickens, in turn, generate about 300,000 metric tons of manure annually, according to the local government.

"We use organic fertilizer made of chicken manure to help improve the crop output. We help facilitate the production of high-quality feed for the hens," Hou said.

Six students currently live and work in the "backyard". In Quzhou, there are five such projects running concurrently with different research subjects.

The students were hailed by President Xi Jinping in a letter to those taking part in the program. He praised them for their work on the front line of agricultural production.

In the letter, which was published on Wednesday, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, encouraged the students to make greater contributions to rural vitalization.

So far, the university has developed 139 Science and Technology Backyard projects in 24 provincial-level regions across the country.

"The backyard model combines theory and practice, scientific research and extension, as well as innovation and service," said Shan Jiguo, the university's deputy Party secretary, at an inaugural ceremony of the Science and Technology Backyard on April 22 in Quzhou.

The model has also been introduced in Laos and eight countries in Africa, Shan said.

Another 780 "backyard" programs will be established across the country, according to a notice released last year by central government departments, including the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Photo: The Canadian Press Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters at the Liberal party convention in Ottawa on Friday, May 5, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday morning that no decision had been made yet on whether to expel a Chinese diplomat who allegedly targeted a member of Parliament and his family.

As China reacted forcefully to the accusation, Trudeau told reporters at the Liberal convention in Ottawa that removing another country's envoy from Canada is a major decision.

"This is a big step, not a small step, to expel a diplomat. So it's one that has to be taken with due consideration on all the potential impacts and all the very clear messages that it will send," Trudeau said.

His comments came as a Chinese government spokesperson in Beijing reacted with "strong protest" to the notion that its diplomat engaged in any wrongdoing and said that "serious demarches" have been made to Canada's ambassador in China.

"We deplore and reject the Canadian sides groundless smear of the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission in Canada, which is merely fulfilling its duties," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, according to a Chinese government translation.

Mao said reports that Beijing targeted Conservative MP Michael Chong are a "fabricated story" and a "political stunt," adding that diplomatic personnel abide by the law and international conventions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly summoned China's ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, on Thursday. In a statement, Cong said that "should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end."

Trudeau said Joly will make a decision "in due course" about any further actions, after "very carefully" looking at all the information.

Chong said Wednesday he learned that allegations China was targeting his family members in Hong Kong were shared with the prime minister's national security adviser in 2021.

In an interview that aired on CTV, Chong elaborated on the nature of the threats, saying he learned that the diplomat and officials in China were trying to collect information about his family members  something he saw as a clear intimidation tactic.

Trudeau has maintained that the information never rose to a political level, and reiterated on Friday that he has directed security agencies to change their reporting process so he is made aware of any future threats against MPs.

"Its obvious now that those processes need to be changed," he said.

"Information that was released on Monday through the media never made it to me, to my office or to the (public safety) minister at the time. Going forward, such information would absolutely have to be raised to the highest political levels."

Chong said this week that Trudeau's adviser was made aware of threats to other MPs, too, without specifying whom the targets were.

But Trudeau would not directly answer when asked in French whether other federal politicians were being targeted in 2021, when Chong and other MPs were sanctioned by China after they criticized its human-rights record.

He only repeated that any such threats will now be automatically elevated to the highest political level.

Bill Blair, who was the public safety minister in 2021 when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service first became aware of threats against Chong and his family, said he was never told that any MPs from any party were at risk.

"With hindsight, it would have been useful to have that information at the time," Blair said, speaking to reporters at the Liberal policy convention Friday.

"I have a lot of respect for Mr. Chong and for all my colleagues in Parliament, and none of them should ever be subject to threats or intimidation  and certainly not against their families.

"I think Mr. Chong needs to have appropriate answers."

The current public safety minister, Marco Mendicino, called it "a serious problem" that neither Blair nor Trudeau were briefed by CSIS.

"We're rectifying that by giving CSIS new instructions so that any case involving foreign interference and a parliamentarian has to be directly briefed to me, to the prime minister, so that we can be sure that there is accountability."

Mendicino avoided saying whether anyone would be disciplined for failing to tell cabinet or Chong at the time.

"We're on top of the situation," he said.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Catherine McKenna said on social media Thursday evening that it is appalling officials have faced "no apparent consequences" for failing to tell Chong about threats to his family.

She said in a tweet that this was "not surprising based on my experience," however.

"The idea that others get to decide whether a threat to you or your family is serious or not is bonkers. You get the information with whatever caveats they want to put on it. This has to change. Now."
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:

Long-term indwelling urethral catheter (IUC) use is associated with a higher incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) in people with spinal cord injury, according to a study published online March 27 in the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine.

Tsai-Chin Cheng, from the Taipei Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, and colleagues examined the association between type of urological management and urological complications in patients with spinal cord injury. The analysis included 207 individuals with spinal cord injury.

The researchers found that the most common management type was self-voiding (31 percent), followed by intermittent catheterization (23 percent). The IUC and suprapubic catheter (SPC) groups included more people with complete spinal cord injury compared with other management methods. The SPC and self-voiding groups had lower risks for developing UTI (relative risks [95 percent confidence intervals], 0.76 [0.59 to 0.97] and 0.39 [0.28 to 0.55], respectively), compared with the IUC group. The risk for epididymitis trended lower in the SPC group versus the IUC group (relative risk, 0.55; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.18 to 1.63).

"Given the retrospective nature of our study, the interpretation of our findings should be made with caution," the authors write. "Long-term trials are warranted to determine the optimal bladder-management methods for patients with various levels and types of spinal cord injury."

More information: Tsai-Chin Cheng et al, Complications of different methods of urological management in people with neurogenic bladder secondary to spinal cord injury, The Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1080/10790268.2023.2188393

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

For the past two decades, there has been a major resurgence in progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), (also known as black lung) among coal miners, leading researchers from National Jewish Health and across the country to examine what job duties might be putting them at risk. Current federal regulations require routine monitoring of dust levels in specific "high risk" jobs in underground coal mines, mainly jobs near the coal seam where coal is mined from surrounding rock.

During the study, crystalline silica, a component of coal mine dust, was found in the lungs of coal miners whose jobs had not been targeted for exposure monitoring based on current regulations during their working lives. Silica is a particular concern since it causes severe and irreversible lung scarring. These findings were published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Researchers examined lung tissue from deceased coal miners and compared findings across specific mining job duties to see which miners were at risk for severe black lung disease. They found that more recent coal miners with PMF (born after 1930 and working primarily with modern mining technologies) had worked significantly fewer years than historic miners (born before 1930) with PMF.

Flowchart of study sample selection. Credit: Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002746

They also found that scarring from silica dust exposure was more common in contemporary miners, even those whose job duties were not prioritized for dust sampling in current federal regulations such as electricians and foremen.

"Our findings show the importance of monitoring silica exposure in coal miners whose job duties weren't previously considered high risk," said National Jewish Health researcher Lauren Zell-Baran, MPH, who was the lead author on the study.

"Severe black lung disease is incurable, disabling and entirely preventable," said Cecile Rose, MD, MPH, occupational pulmonologist at National Jewish Health and co-senior author of the study. "This study underscores the need to control silica dust exposure for all coal miners."

More information: Lauren M. Zell-Baran et al, Mining Tenure and Job Duties Differ Among Contemporary and Historic Underground Coal Miners With Progressive Massive Fibrosis, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (2023). DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002746 Journal information: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

A study from Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago found that parents with children who were not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 were most likely to vaccinate their child after reading the following hypothetical scenario:

You hear from other parents you trust that they have vaccinated their children against COVID-19. Some of them say that they weren't sure at first about whether the vaccine is safe for kids. But they ended up deciding that it was the best way to fight COVID-19, and the vaccination went fine. They want to keep their kids protected.

This "trusted parents" message was particularly effective among unvaccinated parents and Black parents, who tend to be the most hesitant to vaccinate their children.

In another hypothetical scenario, parents read that their child's doctor or nurse delivered a different message that emphasized that the COVID-19 vaccine is safe and thoroughly tested in children. After reading this message paired with the "trusted parents" message, parents responded with significantly higher intentions to vaccinate their children.

Strikingly, all racial and ethnic differences in intentions to vaccine their children disappeared when parents received the "trusted parents" and "safe and tested" messages together. Findings suggest that these two messages were especially encouraging to unvaccinated parents and Black parents.

The study was published in the journal Pediatrics.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has had a disproportionately negative impact on historically marginalized racial and ethnic groups, and we wanted to understand if some message types would be better at reducing the inequities in vaccination intentions among parents," said lead author Marie Heffernan, Ph.D., Assistant Professor at Mary Ann & J. Milburn Smith Child Health Outcomes, Research, and Evaluation Center at Lurie Children's and the Department of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"In our study overall, Black parents were least likely to intend to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. Our findings that the 'trusted parents' and 'safe and tested' message types increased Black parents' intentions to vaccinate their children could inform vaccination campaigns and hopefully help to effectively reach these families."

One message typethat the vaccine was "well-tolerated" with few side effects, delivered by the child's doctor or nurse in a hypothetical scenariowas found to be ineffective. Intentions to vaccinate children among parents who received this message did not differ significantly from the "control" message, which simply provided information about the anticipated timeline for authorization of vaccine in children.

"Our study helps clarify how different types of messages influence parents' intentions to vaccinate their children against COVID-19. This is an urgent need because some methods to encourage vaccination, such as correcting myths about vaccines, have been shown to be counterproductive and inadvertently discourage vaccination," said senior author Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP, Chair of the Department of Medicine at Lurie Children's, Executive Vice President and Chief Community Health Transformation Officer at the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities at Lurie Children's, and Chair of Pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

"In addition to aiding public health campaigns, our findings may help guide clinicians' discussions with vaccine-hesitant families. Given the importance of effective vaccination among children in controlling future waves of COVID-19 illness, such messages may be some of the most important communications that pediatricians are currently providing."

Data were collected through the Voices of Child Health in Chicago Parent Panel Survey, a tri-annual survey of Chicago parents from all 77 neighborhoods in the city on topics related to child, adolescent, and family health. The survey was administered October-November 2021, when the FDA's emergency use authorization (EUA) for COVID-19 vaccines in children 5-11 years old was still new and the EUA for COVID-19 vaccines in children under 5 years old had not yet occurred.

In this study, any parent who responded that they had at least one child who was not yet vaccinated was randomly assigned to read one of four distinct messages about COVID-19 vaccines"trusted parents," "safe and tested," "well-tolerated" and "control."

Analyses were based on responses from 898 parents about 1,453 children who had not yet received a COVID-19 vaccine at the time of the survey. Parent and child demographics did not differ significantly between message randomization groups.

More information: Pediatrics (2023). Journal information: Pediatrics
OMAHA, Neb.  The slaughterhouse cleaning company that was found to be employing more than 100 children to help sanitize dangerous razor-sharp equipment like bone saws has continued to lose contracts with the major meat producers since the investigation became public last fall.

For its part, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI as it is known, said it has taken a number of steps to tighten up its hiring practices but it says the rising number of child labor cases nationwide is likely related to the increase in the number of minors crossing the U.S. border alone in recent years.

The scandal that followed the February announcement that PSSI would pay a $1.5 million fine and reform its hiring practices as part of an agreement with investigators also prompted the Biden administration to urge the entire meat processing industry to take steps to ensure no kids are working in these plants either for the meat companies or at contractors like PSSI.

Federal investigators confirmed that children as young as 13 were working for PSSI at 13 plants in Arkansas, Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, Tennessee and Texas. It wasn't immediately clear if any additional children have been found working for the company because PSSI declined to answer that and government officials haven't offered an update on the investigation since February.

The Labor Department said there has been a 69% increase since 2018 in the number of children being employed illegally nationwide, and it has more than 600 child labor investigations underway. Officials have said they are particularly concerned about the potential exploitation of migrants who may not even have a parent in the United States.

PSSI maintains that it prohibits hiring kids and the only way children could have been hired is through deliberate identity theft or fraud at a local plant. Regardless of the reason they occurred, it is our responsibility to address the problem.

As has been widely reported, the recent record rise in unaccompanied minors from abroad and rising prevalence of identity theft has clearly revealed new vulnerabilities in the area of underage labor across hundreds of different businesses including ours, PSSI spokesman Ray Hernandez said.

Companies like PSSI are put in a difficult situation of having to turn away applicants who appear to have a valid ID when they want to hire workers, and they also have to be careful not to discriminate by imposing extra scrutiny on immigrants, said David Bier, an immigration policy expert at the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute that advocates for more open immigration laws. The fact that more than half a million children have crossed the border without their parents since 2019 creates a large group of minors who may try to get jobs.

"Seventeen-year-old, 16-year-old or 15-year-old even gets an ID and a company needs workers, its difficult to police, Bier said. And the meatpacking industry is always desperate to find more workers. If youre willing to do the work and you have an ID, then youre going to be able to get a job.

Cargill, Tyson Foods and JBS have all terminated contracts with PSSI at at least some of their plants  particularly any plants where Labor Department investigators confirmed children were working  although Cargill went furthest and cut ties with the Kieler, Wisconsin-based company entirely. Another meat processing giant, Smithfield Foods, said only that it is taking a close look at its contracts with PSSI, which currently cleans about one-third of the companys 45 plants, to ensure that all labor laws are being followed.

Those four companies, along with National Beef, control over 80% of the beef market and more than 60% of the pork market nationwide. National Beef didnt respond to questions about its actions.

Cargill spokeswoman April Nelson said the company notified PSSI in March that it would end all 14 of its contracts because we will not tolerate the use of underage labor within our facilities or supplier network.

Tyson and JBS officials also reiterated their commitment to eliminating child labor in their plants, and they said each of their companies had ended PSSI contracts at several plants. But they declined to provide specific numbers about how many contracts they cut and how many plants PSSI is still cleaning for them.

Tyson Foods is committed to compliance with all labor laws and holding those we do business with to the highest standards of accountability, said Dan Turton, a senior vice president at Tyson, in a letter to members of Congress about their child labor concerns. He promised Tyson would step up its audits of contractors and continue cooperating with federal officials to ensure its own hiring meets all standards.

The major meat processors say they are looking to bring more of the cleaning work at their plants in house, but they will likely continue to rely on contractors in many places. Tyson, for instance, said that its own workers clean about 40% of its plants.

PSSI wouldn't say how many workers it has laid off after losing contracts, but the way it describes itself on its website hints at the job losses. PSSI now says it has about 16,500 employees nationwide working at more than 400 plants, down from the more than 17,000 it cited last fall before the investigation. Still, it remains one of the largest cleaners of food processing plants.

States where small businesses have the highest rates of survival States where small businesses have the highest rates of survival States in the Midwest had the highest 10-year survival rates
FRIDAY, May 5, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- In trying to untangle the mysteries of long COVID, researchers have found anxiety and depression may play a role for some of those with the lingering condition.

In the study from researchers at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), patients who perceived that they had thinking difficulties during COVID infection were also more likely to have lingering physical symptoms than those who did not report thinking issues.

About one-third of people with long COVID symptoms perceived they had thinking deficits, which have been found to be related to anxiety and depression.

These findings suggest that psychological issues such as anxiety or depressive disorders play a part in some people experiencing long COVID.

This perception of cognitive [thinking] deficits suggests that affective issues  in this case anxiety and depression  appear to carry over into the long COVID period, said senior study author Dr. Neil Wenger. He is a professor of medicine in the division of general internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

This is not to say that long COVID is all in ones head, but that it is likely not a single condition and that for some proportion of patients there is likely a component of anxiety or depression that is exacerbated by the disease, Wenger explained in a university news release.

To study this, the investigators surveyed 766 patients enrolled in UCLAs SARS-CoV-2 Ambulatory Program. They had earlier had confirmed symptomatic COVID-19 infection.

Patients were surveyed by telephone at 30 days, 60 days and 90 days following hospital discharge. For the patients who hadnt been hospitalized, they were surveyed at those intervals after the date of a positive COVID test.

The participants were asked if they were experiencing physical symptoms of long COVID. Some examples included: Could they complete activities such as running, moving a table or climbing one flight of stairs? Or did they continue to have fever, chills, loss of smell or fatigue?

The survey also asked questions related to thinking function, such as whether they had trouble getting organized or concentrating on activities, or had forgotten what they discussed in a telephone conversation during the last month.

Just over 36% of the participants perceived during their illness or in the following weeks that they had thinking and memory difficulties. These patients were twice as likely as those who did not believe they had thinking deficits to say they were also experiencing physical symptoms at 60 and 90 days.

The study was funded by the National Center for Advancing Translational Science of the National Institutes of Health and was published online May 5 in JAMA Network Open.

Study limitations included that the answers were subjective. The researchers also did not have data on participants possible depression and anxiety prior to COVID-19 infection. These findings may not apply to other groups of patients because these individuals were referred by physicians who thought they were at clinically high risk for thinking deficits.

These findings suggest a substantial psychological component for long-lasting SARS-CoV-2 symptoms for at least some patients," the researchers concluded.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on long COVID.

SOURCE: University of California, Los Angeles, news release, May 5, 2023
Here's some business news in the Missoula area:

The Partners Hope Foundation has announced a $15.4 million capital campaign to pay for the construction of a new facility for hospice and end-of-life care in western Montana. The campaign has already raised $12.5 million from donations from individuals and private foundations, so they only have $2.9 million left to meet their goal.

Enough money has been raised that the project is moving forward, and construction will start this year near Missoulas Reserve Street corridor on land generously donated by the Terry and Patt Payne family.

Partners Hope Foundation was founded in 2017 by a group of concerned community members and medical professionals who had a new vision for end-of-life care in western Montana. In collaboration with Partners In Home Care, the regions longest-serving and only nonprofit hospice care provider, they have planned for and designed a center for hospice and end-of-life care that will serve the six-county region surrounding Missoula. The nonprofits campaign steering committee has been quietly fundraising to build and sustain the center.

The campaign is called the Embrace Campaign, and based on community need the team has designed a modern 12-bed facility that would provide in-patient, residential and respite care with room to expand.

Our community never lost its long-term vision for a dedicated hospice facility after Missoulas hospice house closed in 2000, said Stan Seagraves, chair of the Embrace Campaign steering committee and a retired internist and hospitalist. Thanks to the dedication of the Partners Hope Foundation volunteer board members, Partners In Home Care leadership and the generosity of our community, this vision will now be realized.

Along with local service providers, including Tamarack Grief Resource Center, All Nations Health Center and veterans organizations, the center will also be a hub for end-of-life education and support services.

Care and compassion are needed from lifes first breaths to our last, said Amanda Yeoman Melro, Partners Hope Foundation executive director. We believe our community can embrace all stages of life and offer the highest level of care. We invite you to join this effort by giving to the Embrace Campaign.

Businesses looking for guidance about resources to improve their operations can attend one of the upcoming Assistance for Business Clinics sponsored by the Montana Department of Labor and Industry in partnership with local chambers of commerce and economic development organizations.

Assistance for Business Clinics provides new and established employers, accountants, bookkeepers, human resources professionals and attorneys the opportunity to meet with state workforce development experts to learn about state and local resources available to businesses, including:

Montana Minimum Wage

Unemployment Insurance

Workers Compensation Law

Using Independent and Construction Contractors

Overtime Regulations

Labor Law Posters

Using Labor Market Data

Montana Registered Apprenticeship

Job Service Montana

The State of Montana offers a variety of resources and tools for employers to grasp a better understanding of their requirements and opportunities, said Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner Laurie Esau. Were excited to work with our partners across the state to provide this information to Montana employers.

These clinics also provide continuing education credits for attendees.

For more information, visit dli.mt.gov/resources/abc-clinics.

Sterling Commercial Real Estate in Missoula has released its trends and projections for Missoula's apartment market.

According to Matt Mellott, the supervising broker at the company, the Missoula apartment market has experienced rock-bottom vacancy rates from 2020-2021, with apartment vacancy rates of less than 1%. That translated into an increase of 21.5% in asking rents from 2020 to 2021 and another 18% increase from 2021 to 2022. That's 43% in just two years. He said only about 400 new housing units were delivered in 2020 and 2021, which is well below the number of households that increased in Missoula, according to Census data.

"Missoulas multifamily inventory is increasing which is good for tenants," he wrote in a recent email from the company. "While this signals growing demand and interest in the market, the number of new deliveries is likely to decline in the coming years as apartment vacancy climbs and development deals become unworkable. To avoid perpetuating the unhealthy cycle of boom and bust in housing availability, developers and city officials should look at demand, population growth, and other factors to more consistently meter out housing deliveries."
Demographer Jerome McKibben predicts Missoula Countys housing woes are coming to a close  eventually.

The South Carolina-based researcher recently released the results from a 10-year population study of Missoula County Public Schools, and he said it appears the areas population and housing availability are trending in a healthy direction.

Housing, McKibben predicted, will be a huge factor in the coming years for MCPS. But he said, Missoulas in great shape.

McKibbens sunny outlook  which flies in the face of much recent consternation over housing prices and availability  derives from several long-term demographic trends.

Primary among those were changes in housing patterns among the baby boomer generation. As that population ages, its membership will shrink and individuals will downsize out of single-family residences in the district, according to McKibben. While the rate and size of that shift are hard to pin down, he said, the end result will be an opening of single-family homes throughout Missoula County.

Thats going to happen at different paces and magnitudes around the district, he clarified, pointing out that the various zones within MCPS have vastly disparate homeownership rates.

Lowell and Paxson Elementary schools have the lowest homeownership rates in the district, for example, with 25.8% and 38.5% respectively. Meanwhile, Chief Charlo and Jeannette Rankin Elementary schools, where homeownership is most prevalent, have 73.3% and 76.1% homeownership rates, respectively.

While the housing market opens up, McKibben added, the younger portion of the population will also slow. The speedy overall growth seen over the past 20 years wont be matched in the next 10, McKibben predicted.

As evidence, McKibben pointed to the U.S. overall population growth rate, which was the second slowest in the last decade out of all U.S. history, per census data. The under-18 population dropped by 1 million throughout that same time period.

Thats going to have long-range implications for education, McKibben said.

In Missoula, McKibben forecast, school-age growth will continue, but modestly.

Total district enrollment is forecast to increase by 112 students, or 1.2%, between 2022-23 and 2027-28. Total enrollment will increase by 228 students, or 2.4%, from 2027-28 to 2032-33.

In the short-term, however, MCPS high schools should brace for an influx of students as the children whose families moved into Missoula during the COVID-19 pandemic reach their teens. In Western states particularly, McKibben highlighted, high school students fold back into county districts despite attending lower grades outside the district, as is the case for schools like the Target Range School District.

Montana, according to McKibben, sees this rather unique system on a larger scale than any other state.

Of the high school wave, McKibben said, its comin.

The slowing growth trends are likely to bump up against an immediate need for more high school infrastructure in the coming years, McKibben pointed out. In spite of his optimism that the whole mechanism is well-designed in Missoula County, he nonetheless warned: Theyve got some challenges, no doubt about it.

In the mind of interim Superintendent Russ Lodge, those challenges need to be addressed soon.

For me, right now, where I sit, I think we do (have a housing problem), Lodge said.

Maybe, he ventured, that problem will ease in the second half of the coming decade, but the supply-and-demand dynamic presently is an issue for the district and its students.

Still, Lodge was optimistic, like McKibben, that housing will not be as dire in the 2030s as it is today. He was equally positive in evaluating the districts capacity to handle the population ebbs and flows.

Utilization of our buildings is going pretty well for most of them, he said. With the current spike in student numbers, he explained, its hard to be reactive. But modest growth, according to Lodge, is much more manageable.

Id like to stay proactive, he stressed, adding the school will look at determining whether to conduct a school boundary study at a work session on Tuesday.

And while the district has little control over housing inventory, Missoula County is taking various measures to improve countywide housing stock in the next few years.

Missoula County has been, I think, really aggressive in trying to address this and trying to get ahead of this as fast as we can, said Senior Planner Andrew Hagemeier. He pointed to efforts like zoning code reform, which wrapped up last summer, as well as infrastructure planning, like the $13 million joint federal grant secured to support the Sxtpqyen area.

Going forward, Hagemeier said, the county is eyeing infrastructure additions at the Wye and public outreach around the Bonner-Milltown areas future growth opportunities. In addition to these market-rate housing initiatives, the countys Housing Action Plan, adopted in winter 2022, also outlines avenues to support deed-restricted housing options.

With all of this momentum around housing from the county, Hagemeier sees reasons to believe McKibbens optimism. But he only cautiously agreed with the demographers forecast.

Weve certainly had this crazy exponential growth of housing costs, Hagemeier acknowledged. But growth trends, despite the COVID-related influx, have stayed remarkably steady throughout Missoulas history.

Missoula, if you look historically over decades, weve had crazy consistency, he said. The area has regularly maintained 1% growth per year for decades. Even including the surge around 2020, Hagemeier added, Missoulas period of most significant growth actually happened in the 1970s.

We can deal with that, he said of the modest growth rate.

Housing prices remain a concern nonetheless. Hagemeier explained increasing housing costs should, in theory, slow the rate of in-migration. But Hagemeier noted the soaring cost of housing hasnt limited in-migration in Bozeman, where the median listing home price was $825,000 in April 2023.

The economics at which Missoula might see slower growth is therefore hard to predict, said Hagemeier: Where that price point is, I dont know.
The tumultuous 2023 legislative session concluded on Tuesday and several bills that promote progress in Indian Country have advanced through the Legislature.

In a victory for Montanas American Indian Caucus, House Bill 317, which would codify parts of the federal Indian Child Welfare Act into state law, passed the House and Senate with some amendments. Notably, the bill includes a termination date of June 2025. A conference committee voted to remove a section in the bill saying that tribes must verify a childs membership status, and Rep. Jonathan Windy Boy, D-Box Elder, has been outspoken in his opposition to that omission.

He said several times that as sovereign nations, tribes determine their own membership and said it is not the business of the state to do so. He added the issue may end up in the courts.

Another one of Windy Boys bills, House Bill 338, which strengthens Indian Education for All, awaits the governors signature as well. Enacted by the Legislature in 1999, Indian Education for All (IEFA) requires recognition of Native American culture and a commitment in the state's educational goals to preserve Indigenous culture and heritage. HB 338 brings transparency and accountability to IEFA by establishing new requirements for both instruction and reporting. The bill states that if a district fails to file an annual report, it will be ineligible to receive funding until the report is filed.

Sen. Susan Webber, D-Browning, was a strong advocate of the bill and said IEFA has helped tremendously in revitalizing tribal languages.

House Bill 287, which would revise laws related to Montanas Indian Language Preservation program, also passed both chambers. The bill, also brought by Windy Boy, revises program guidelines and requirements and elevates the role of tribal governments in preserving their own Native languages. Supporters of the bill argued that revitalizing Native languages is critical to the growth and development of tribes.

A bill that aims to remedy a law enforcement agreement between the state and the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT) also passed both chambers. House Bill 479 concerns Public Law 280, which grants certain states criminal jurisdiction over some reservations. Since 1963, per an agreement between the state and tribes, Lake County law enforcement has collaborated with the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes under the law, but the county has alleged that it has not been reimbursed for its efforts.

HB 479 appropriates $2.5 million to the Department of Justice each year in the biennium to provide money to Lake County to offset costs for law enforcement activities on the reservation. And a new amendment would create a task force that will publish reports and provide recommendations to the governor and Legislature based on their findings. The bill has a termination date in 2025, and the CSKT have not issued a formal statement on the matter.

Several significant missing persons bills also progressed through the Legislature. House Bill 18, which became law, will bolster community-led searches for missing people. The legislation establishes a missing persons response team training grant, and local groups can seek financial support from the grant for formal training, resources, conference fees, travel expenses and more.

House bill 163, which extends the states Missing Indigenous Persons Task Force, also passed and awaits the governors signature. Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, R-Great Falls, brought a resolution requesting an interim study on missing youth. Her resolution passed in February.

A bill naming a Chief Earl Old Person Memorial Highway on the Blackfeet Reservation became law. Sponsored by Webber, the legislation honors the late Blackfeet chief, who was the longest-serving elected tribal leader in the country and one of the longest-serving elected officials in the world.

Webber also brought a resolution asking people to recognize, honor and support people who attended Indigenous boarding schools. The resolution was adopted in both chambers.

Bills that died

Several bills that would specifically affect Indian Country did not advance through the Legislature.

A bill that wouldve given tribal communities a say in broadband projects on reservations was struck down. Rep. Tyson Running Wolf, D-Browning, who sponsored the legislation, called it a courtesy bill and said, It was about relationship-building.

It just goes to show thats not on the agenda this session, he told Lee Montana newspapers last month.

One of Webbers bills to provide tax exemptions for tribal members who own fee land and are in the process of converting that land to trust died in the House. Webber had called the legislation a clean-up bill, slightly revising a law passed last session.

A bill brought by Windy Boy to expand access to tuition waivers to tribal descendants died in the Senate. Supporters of the bill argued it would improve access to higher education in Montana.

A bill brought by Sen. Shane Morigeau, D-Missoula, to replace Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day also failed. Similar bills failed in the 2017, 2019 and 2021 sessions. Several Republican lawmakers criticized Morigeau for saying that Columbus raped, beheaded and amputated people, blaming him for his bills failure. Morigeau responded saying he didnt know how to have a discussion about Columbus without talking about the atrocities he committed.

I was trying to merely talk about facts, he said in February.

Morigeau also presented a bill to improve lawmakers understanding of Indigenous issues. The bill wouldve made information on tribal affairs more accessible to lawmakers. That bill also failed. Morigeau said he was disappointed, calling the legislation a very small ask.
Human remains, suspected to be those of a missing Missoula woman, and clothing were found in the Gold Creek area on Thursday.

And on Friday, Mineral County Sheriff's investigators identified a body found in the Clark Fork River to tentatively close a second missing person case.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks employees were conducting research in the Gold Creek area when they stumbled on several pieces of womens clothing. They flagged the location and called 911, according to a press release from the Missoula County Sheriffs Office.

The researchers knew that Nefataree Bartell, 26, was last seen in the Gold Creek area on Feb. 21, 2023. Bartell was pregnant when she disappeared, according to her friends and family.

Missoula Search and Rescue, which was already in the area looking for Bartell, responded to the flagged location. They found human remains after a short search, according to the press release.

The remains and clothing were taken to the state medical examiners office for an autopsy to determine the persons official identity and cause of death.

Missoula County Sheriff Jeremiah Petersen thanked the county's search and rescue team, who in the last few weeks has been looking for both Bartell and a missing Missoula 18-year-old in the Southside Road area.

Also on Wednesday, Mineral County Sheriff Ryan Funke identified a body found in the Clark Fork River earlier this week as Joseph Thompson, who had been missing since April 11.

"These folks are volunteers who give their time, not only to conduct search and rescue missions, but to continually train to provide the highest level of service to Missoula County and surrounding areas," Petersen said in the press release. "We also greatly appreciate the attention to detail by Montana FWP employees and their immediate conveyance of information.
B(200530):2022 20230505 08:05:38  :

: B :2022 Short Form of the Stock: Bingshan; Bingshan B



Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. Notice on Holding 2022 Shareholders General Meeting



The Company and its whole members of Board of Directors ensure that the public notice is real, accurate and complete, and there are no any fictitious statements, serious misleading or important omissions carried in this notice.

I. Particulars about holding the meeting

1. The period of board session: The 2022 Shareholders General Meeting 2. Convener: The Board of Directors of the Company, holding the Shareholders General Meeting th th

after the deliberation of 14 Meeting of 9 Session of the Board. 3. The meeting is in line with the relevant laws and administrative regulations, departmental rules

and regulations, regulatory documents and relevant provisions of articles of association of the Company

4. Date of the meeting:

(1) On-site meeting: 3:00 pm, May 25, 2023

(2) Internet polling: the poll through network via trading system of SZSE will be at 9:15-9:25,9:30-11:30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm dated May 25, 2023; any time from 9:15 am to 3:00 pm dated May 25, 2023 will available for polling through internet poll system of SZSE. 5. Way of holding: On-site votes plus network polling .The Company will provide a voting as an internet form to whole shareholders through the trading system and internet poll system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) of SZSE. Shareholders should participate in voting any time in the network polling during the above mentioned time period.

6. Record date of the meeting

The record date of the meeting was May 18, 2023 B shareholders who wanted to attend the meeting should buy shares of the Company no later than May 15, 2023. 7. Attendance

(1) All shareholders of the Company whose names appear on the register of the Shenzhen Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited while the close of trading at noon on record date. The above mentioned shareholders of the Company have the right to attend the meeting, they can attend the meeting through proxy by trust deed and shareholder of the Company wouldnt be necessary as the proxy.

The shareholders who should avoid voting on the meeting, shall not accept entrustment of other shareholders to vote.

(2) Directors, supervisors and senior executives of the Company (3) Attorney engaged by the Company

(4) Other people the Board of Directors of the Company agreed to attend 8. Place of the meeting

The conference room of the Company

II. Particulars about examination of the meeting



Code of proposal The content of proposal The column can vote 100 general proposal ,including all of the following proposals  Non-cumulative voting proposal 1.00 2022 Work Report of the Board of Directors of the Company  2.00 2022 Work Report of the Supervisory Committee of the Company  3.00 2022 Financial Settlement Report of the Company  4.00 2022 Profit Distribution Plan of the Company  5.00 2022 Annual Report of the Company  6.00 Report on Authorizing the Chairman of the Board and the Companys Management to Apply for the Bank Line of Credit and Bank Line of Loan for the year 2023  7.00 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023  7.01 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with Bingshan Group Co., Ltd and its holding subsidiary.  7.02 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with the company directly or indirectly controlled by Panasonic Holdings Corporation  7.03 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with other related parties  8.00 Report on Engaging Auditors for the Company in 2023  9.00 Report on selling the Guotai Junan shares  10.00 Report on equity transfer of Panasonic Refrigeration (Dalian) Co., LTD  11.00 Report on the signing of the "Conditional Equity Transfer Agreement"  Among the proposals, proposal 7, 10, 11 belonged to a related transaction, and the related shareholders should avoid voting on the meeting.

The independent directors report on their work for 2022 will be heard in the shareholders general

meeting of the Company.

Details of the proposal could be found in the notice on resolution of the Board of Directors published in China Securities and http://www.cninfo.com.cn/ on April 26, 2023.and May 5, 2023. III. Registration way of spot meeting

1. Registration way

(1) Personal ID card accompanied by the shareholding certificates and stock account card must be taken for individual shareholders. If attended the meeting by proxy, the attendant must hold the ID

copy of the client, power of attorney, shareholding certificates, stock account card along with agents ID card for registration;

(2) For corporate shareholders, the copy of the business license, certificate of identity of the legal

representative, power of attorney, shareholding certificates along with ID of proxy must be necessary.

(3) The shareholders in other places can register in way of letter, fax or e-mail. (4) Registration time

From May 19, 2023 to May 25, 2023 until the host announced the end of the meeting registration on the spot meeting

(5) Place of registration

Fax: (86-411)-87968125

Contact Person: Ms. Du Yu

Contact Address: 106 Liaohe East Road, Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone Securities and Legal Affairs Department, Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd.

Post Code: 116630

The spot meeting will be a period of half a day. Transportation and boarding expenses for attendance shall be paid by the participants themselves.

IV. Operational process of network polling

In the shareholders general meeting, shareholders can participate in voting through the trading system and internet polling system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) of Shenzhen Stock Exchange. (More details please see the attachment 1)

V. Documents available for reference

th th

1. Resolution and Announcement documents of the 14 Meeting of 9 Session of the Board of the Company.

2. Other relevant documents according to the SZSE.



Board of Directors of Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. May 5, 2023

Operational process of network polling



I. The process of network polling

1. Voting code: 360530; Voting abbreviation: Bingshan voting 2. The proposal and vote opinion

The proposal is not the cumulative voting proposal. Fill the vote opinion for, against or abstention.

3. The shareholder vote for general proposal means the same voting result for all proposals. If the shareholder voted for general proposal and for individual proposal at the same time, the first

effective voting should prevail. If the shareholder voted for general proposal after relevant proposal voting, the voting result for relevant proposal should prevail, and other un-voted proposals would base on the result voting for general proposal. If voted for relevant proposal after

voting for general proposal, the result voting for general proposal should prevail. II. Vote via trading system of SZSE

1. Voting period: 9:15-9:25 am, 9:30-11:30 am, 1:00-3:00 pm May 25, 2023 2. Shareholders can participate in voting through the trading system. III. Voting via internet poll system

1. Voting period: The voting via internet poll system will start at 9:15 am and close at 3:00 pm on

May 25, 2023.

2. Shareholders voting via internet poll system, according to the regulation of Business Implementation of Network Service Identity Verification for Investors of SZSE, shareholders must choose the digital certificate or service password for identity verification. 3. The shareholders may vote on-line via logging in http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn with service password or digital certificate.



Authorized Letter of Attorney



Hereby entrust Mr. /Ms. to attend the 2022 Shareholders General Meeting of Authorized Letter of Attorney



Hereby entrust Mr. /Ms. to attend the 2022 Shareholders General Meeting of











The exercise of voting rights are as followsThe attorney should be filled by  in voting result



Code of proposal The content of proposals Type of voting result For Against Abstention 100 General proposal ,including all of the following proposals 1.00 2022 Work Report of the Board of Directors of the Company 2.00 2022 Work Report of the Supervisory Committee of the Company 3.00 2022 Financial Settlement Report of the Company 4.00 2022 Profit Distribution Plan of the Company 5.00 2022 Annual Report of the Company 6.00 Report on Authorizing the Chairman of the Board and the Companys Management to Apply for the Bank Line of Credit and Bank Line of Loan for the year 2023 7.00 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 7.01 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with Bingshan Group Co., Ltd and its holding subsidiary. 7.02 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with the company directly or indirectly controlled by Panasonic Holdings Corporation 7.03 Report on Estimating Routine Associated Transactions for the year 2023 with other related parties 8.00 Report on Engaging Auditors for the Company in 2023 9.00 Report on selling the Guotai Junan shares 10.00 Report on equity transfer of Panasonic Refrigeration (Dalian) Co., LTD 11.00 Report on the signing of the "Conditional Equity Transfer Agreement"

 Short Form of the Stock: Bingshan; Bingshan BBingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. Notice on Holding 2022 Shareholders General MeetingThe Company and its whole members of Board of Directors ensure that the public notice is real, accurate and complete, and there are no any fictitious statements, serious misleading or important omissions carried in this notice.I. Particulars about holding the meeting1. The period of board session: The 2022 Shareholders General Meeting 2. Convener: The Board of Directors of the Company, holding the Shareholders General Meeting th thafter the deliberation of 14 Meeting of 9 Session of the Board. 3. The meeting is in line with the relevant laws and administrative regulations, departmental rulesand regulations, regulatory documents and relevant provisions of articles of association of the Company4. Date of the meeting:(1) On-site meeting: 3:00 pm, May 25, 2023(2) Internet polling: the poll through network via trading system of SZSE will be at 9:15-9:25,9:30-11:30 am and 1:00-3:00 pm dated May 25, 2023; any time from 9:15 am to 3:00 pm dated May 25, 2023 will available for polling through internet poll system of SZSE. 5. Way of holding: On-site votes plus network polling .The Company will provide a voting as an internet form to whole shareholders through the trading system and internet poll system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) of SZSE. Shareholders should participate in voting any time in the network polling during the above mentioned time period.6. Record date of the meetingThe record date of the meeting was May 18, 2023 B shareholders who wanted to attend the meeting should buy shares of the Company no later than May 15, 2023. 7. Attendance(1) All shareholders of the Company whose names appear on the register of the Shenzhen Branch of China Securities Depository and Clearing Corporation Limited while the close of trading at noon on record date. The above mentioned shareholders of the Company have the right to attend the meeting, they can attend the meeting through proxy by trust deed and shareholder of the Company wouldnt be necessary as the proxy.The shareholders who should avoid voting on the meeting, shall not accept entrustment of other shareholders to vote.(2) Directors, supervisors and senior executives of the Company (3) Attorney engaged by the Company(4) Other people the Board of Directors of the Company agreed to attend 8. Place of the meetingThe conference room of the CompanyII. Particulars about examination of the meetingAmong the proposals, proposal 7, 10, 11 belonged to a related transaction, and the related shareholders should avoid voting on the meeting.The independent directors report on their work for 2022 will be heard in the shareholders generalmeeting of the Company.Details of the proposal could be found in the notice on resolution of the Board of Directors published in China Securities and http://www.cninfo.com.cn/ on April 26, 2023.and May 5, 2023. III. Registration way of spot meeting1. Registration way(1) Personal ID card accompanied by the shareholding certificates and stock account card must be taken for individual shareholders. If attended the meeting by proxy, the attendant must hold the IDcopy of the client, power of attorney, shareholding certificates, stock account card along with agents ID card for registration;(2) For corporate shareholders, the copy of the business license, certificate of identity of the legalrepresentative, power of attorney, shareholding certificates along with ID of proxy must be necessary.(3) The shareholders in other places can register in way of letter, fax or e-mail. (4) Registration timeFrom May 19, 2023 to May 25, 2023 until the host announced the end of the meeting registration on the spot meeting(5) Place of registrationFax: (86-411)-87968125Contact Person: Ms. Du YuContact Address: 106 Liaohe East Road, Dalian Economic and Technological Development Zone Securities and Legal Affairs Department, Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd.Post Code: 116630The spot meeting will be a period of half a day. Transportation and boarding expenses for attendance shall be paid by the participants themselves.IV. Operational process of network pollingIn the shareholders general meeting, shareholders can participate in voting through the trading system and internet polling system (http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn) of Shenzhen Stock Exchange. (More details please see the attachment 1)V. Documents available for referenceth th1. Resolution and Announcement documents of the 14 Meeting of 9 Session of the Board of the Company.2. Other relevant documents according to the SZSE.Board of Directors of Bingshan Refrigeration & Heat Transfer Technologies Co., Ltd. May 5, 2023Operational process of network pollingI. The process of network polling1. Voting code: 360530; Voting abbreviation: Bingshan voting 2. The proposal and vote opinionThe proposal is not the cumulative voting proposal. Fill the vote opinion for, against or abstention.3. The shareholder vote for general proposal means the same voting result for all proposals. If the shareholder voted for general proposal and for individual proposal at the same time, the firsteffective voting should prevail. If the shareholder voted for general proposal after relevant proposal voting, the voting result for relevant proposal should prevail, and other un-voted proposals would base on the result voting for general proposal. If voted for relevant proposal aftervoting for general proposal, the result voting for general proposal should prevail. II. Vote via trading system of SZSE1. Voting period: 9:15-9:25 am, 9:30-11:30 am, 1:00-3:00 pm May 25, 2023 2. Shareholders can participate in voting through the trading system. III. Voting via internet poll system1. Voting period: The voting via internet poll system will start at 9:15 am and close at 3:00 pm onMay 25, 2023.2. Shareholders voting via internet poll system, according to the regulation of Business Implementation of Network Service Identity Verification for Investors of SZSE, shareholders must choose the digital certificate or service password for identity verification. 3. The shareholders may vote on-line via logging in http://wltp.cninfo.com.cn with service password or digital certificate.Authorized Letter of AttorneyHereby entrust Mr. /Ms. to attend the 2022 Shareholders General Meeting of Authorized Letter of AttorneyHereby entrust Mr. /Ms. to attend the 2022 Shareholders General Meeting ofThe exercise of voting rights are as followsThe attorney should be filled by  in voting result
Jeffrey Epsteins former island residences off the coast of St. Thomas have been purchased by a billionaire investor.

The investor, Stephen Deckoff, paid about half of the price listed last year for the two private islands, according to the New York Times. Deckoff is the founder of Black Diamond Capital Management, an investment firm with $9 billion under management. It has offices located in Stamford, Conn., Mumbai, London, and St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The purchase was made through an entity called SD Investments.

More from Robb Report

Epstein died in 2019 while in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial. A portion of the sales will go to the $105 million settlement his estate reached last year in a sex trafficking and child exploitation case with the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands, a release about the purchase said. At the time of his death, Epsteins estate was valued at around $600 million, the Times reported. After the settlement, his assets were valued around $159 million.

With the purchase, Deckoff plans to construct a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort with the intention of boosting tourism, generating jobs and helping the local economy, according to the release. It also notes that in the past, Deckoff has built a successful career crafting and executing plans to turn distressed situations into successful enterprises.

Ive been proud to call the U.S. Virgin Islands home for more than a decade and am tremendously pleased to be able to bring the area a world-class destination befitting its natural grace and beauty, Deckoff said in a release. I very much look forward to working with the U.S. Virgin Islands to make this dream a reality.

Story continues

The islands new owner is currently hiring architects and engineers to turn his vision into a reality, with an anticipated open date in 2025, according to the release.

Sign up for Robb Report's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.
The trial for Kaitlin Armstrong, accused of killing pro cyclist Moriah Wilson in Austin last year, has been reset to Oct. 30, according to court records.

The trial initially was set to begin on June 26. Defense attorney Rick Cofer told District Judge Brandy Mueller during a hearing on April 20 that he and his team might need to request that the trial be delayed until later this year so they can secure witnesses and other evidence for Armstrong's defense.

Armstrong has been requesting a speedy trial. She is charged with murder in the death of Wilson, 25, who had once dated Armstrong's boyfriend.

More: Suspect Kaitlin Armstrong found, arrested in Austin slaying of pro cyclist Moriah Wilson

The trial date for Kaitlin Armstrong has been reset to Oct. 30. She is charged in the murder of star cyclist Moriah Wilson.

Wilson was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds on May 11, 2022, in an East Austin home on Maple Avenue. She had traveled from San Francisco and was staying in town at the house before riding in a gravel race in Hico, northwest of Waco, that coming weekend.

Police said surveillance video showed a dark SUV pull up to the house one minute after Wilson had returned from swimming with Armstrong's boyfriend, Colin Strickland. The vehicle had a bicycle rack and a luggage rack and matched the 2012 Jeep Cherokee that Armstrong drove, according to police.

Anna Moriah Wilson death: See the facts about the case, charges against Kaitlin Armstrong

Pro cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson was killed in Austin on May 11, 2022.

Investigators also said Armstrong owned a 9 mm handgun.

Authorities arrested her in Costa Rica 50 days after Wilson's death. Armstrong had fled there using a fake passport, investigators said.

Armstrong had split with Strickland for a short time in October 2021, according to an arrest affidavit. It said Strickland, a pro cyclist, then met and became involved with Wilson, but soon got back together with Armstrong.

A new name and new life: How Kaitlin Armstrong disappeared  and how she was found

Armstrong learned in January 2022 that Strickland and Wilson had a relationship while the two had broken up, police said. A tipster told police that Armstrong "became furious and was shaking in anger."

Strickland was not accused of any wrongdoing in the case.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Kaitlin Armstrong's trial in killing of pro cyclist reset to Oct. 30
Britain Coronation Not My King (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A friend of King Charles suggested the new monarch would be horrified by the public pledging allegiance to him.

Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a close friend of the King, said the idea was ill advised and not something the monarch would have wanted.

I cant think of anything he would find more abhorrent, Mr Dimbleby told the Today Programme.

Hes never wanted to be revered. Hes never wanted anyone to pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke.

He added: He wants, I think, to feel the people will share in the event and I dont quite know how this might have happened.

Lambeth Palace announced the new Homage of the People was introduced to allow a chorus of millions of voices to be enabled for the first time in history to participate in this solemn and joyful moment.

The Archbishop will call upon all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all.

Mr Dimbleby said it seems the initiative has come from the Archbishop who is strongly evangelical.

I think it was well-intentioned, but rather ill-advised, he added.

More follows...
A bipartisan bill that aims to give the administration the power to ban apps linked to foreign adversaries, including TikTok, is raising privacy concerns across the political spectrum.

The RESTRICT Act, led by Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), is touted by supporters as a way for the administration to review and potentially ban services without solely targeting the controversial video app, the way other GOP-backed bills do.

Although the broader scope may evade issues of targeting one company, digital rights groups, industry officials and privacy experts are sounding the alarm that the RESTRICT Act poses concerns that could limit Americans freedom online. Critics argue the proposal is overly broad about what companies it would target and who would be on the receiving end of enforcement.

Theres a risk of unintended targets. There could be consequences for businesses or individuals that inadvertently get swept up in this, said Darrell West, a senior fellow with the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution.

How the RESTRICT Act works

A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Sept. 28, 2020. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

The bill doesnt explicitly set out to ban TikTok or any app, but gives the Commerce Department power to identify and mitigate risks from technology linked to foreign adversaries including China, North Korea, Iran, Russia, Cuba and Venezuela  including by banning the technology.

TikTok is owned Chinese-based company ByteDance, which some lawmakers say poses national security risks involving the storage and sharing of U.S. user data. TikTok has pushed back on the allegations that the app poses any national security risks.

A chief concern raised by critics of the bill is that individuals who seek to use TikTok or any service banned under the rules it lays out would be punished.

The digital rights groups Electronic Frontier Foundation and Fight for the Future, along with the ACLU, have all come out against the proposal. The groups are among critics that argue the bill could potentially punish individuals that seek to gain access to banned apps, possibly through VPNs, or virtual private networks.

Story continues

Would the bill ban VPNs?

A VPN lets users search online without having an internet service provider or other third parties see what sites they visit or their data. By using a VPN, a user can also access sites that are banned, and is among the technical limitations of enforcing a TikTok ban. It is one way users in other countries that have banned access social media sites have been able to keep using those platforms.

The legislation does not explicitly ban the use of a VPN, but the broad scope of the bill could lead to it being interpreted that way, said Kayla Williams, chief information security officer at Devo, a cloud-native security analytics platform.

The debate centers on a portion of the bill states that no person may engage in any transaction or take any other action with intent to evade the provisions of this Act.

Theres not any clarification of what the implications could be to an individual versus a corporation, Williams said.

Its very concerning to me as a citizen, that I have VPN on my phone, to protect myself. Does that mean that I could potentially face jail for having that technology? Its too broad, in my opinion, she added.

Warner says the RESTRICT Act doesnt target individuals

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) addresses reporters following the weekly policy luncheon on Wednesday, March 22, 2023. (The Hill).

Warner has pushed back strongly on the criticism that individuals could be targeted.

When asked for comment, Warner spokesperson Rachel Cohen directed The Hill to a Twitter thread the senator posted last week that he said aimed to dispel some myths about his bill.

The RESTRICT Act is focused on foreign corporations, not on users. The 1st Amendment protects Americans right to share and receive information  and this bill doesnt alter that, Warner tweeted.

Let me say it again: there are NO criminal penalties in this bill for your free speech  youre even free to drag the RESTRICT Act if you want! I stand firmly with freedom of speech, and my bill doesnt affect or influence what Americans can say in any way, shape or form, he added.

Despite Warners comments, though, the text of the bill leaves it open to be interpreted in a way that puts individuals at risk, said Lauren Hendry Parsons, privacy advocate and global head of communications of software company ExpressVPN.

While the intent as spoken by Sen. Warner is clear, and the senator has assured us in the short term that individuals will not be prosecuted, the primary concern that we have is that this is a slippery slope with serious long term implications on privacy rights, Parsons added.

Brandon Pugh, policy director and resident senior fellow for cybersecurity and emerging threats at R Street Institute, said in an email that the ambiguity of the text combined with the large discretion provided to the secretary of commerce, creates concerns that this law could be used for reasons that extend beyond simply curbing applications like TikTok.

Other experts say those concerns are overblown.

Roger Cressey, former National Security Council member in the administrations of former President Clinton and George W. Bush , said the criticism that the bill could lead to punishment for individuals who try to evade a ban is a little hysteria.

The criticism always is rooted in the worst case scenarios. And that is the greatest consequence and least probability of happening. Its about foreign ownership of apps, about ownership of apps from countries that were worried about, Cressey said.

But if people are worried that you know circumventing what might be the Commerce Departments policy approach in terms of implementation is going to lead to this type of overreach, I just think its excessive and not grounded in what I would call reality, he added.

What about a data privacy bill?

Critics of the legislation and progressive lawmakers pushing against a TikTok ban have argued that Congress should instead be focused on a comprehensive data privacy bill.

The U.S. lags behind other nations without putting a comprehensive data privacy law on the books, despite bipartisan momentum and support for one proposal last year.

The best solution would be a national privacy bill, because it would address the confidentiality of peoples records, and create consequences for companies that violate that, West said.

He said it is clear from hearings in Congress that the problem is not just TikTok, but the whole social media ecosystem, he said.

Cressey, though, said it isnt an either-or choice.

The idea that, well, we need a comprehensive data privacy law and therefore, the RESTRICT Act is bad, is ludicrous. We need a comprehensive data privacy law, and we need something in place that deals with this issue of foreign owned apps in countries of concern, he said.

Pugh, however, said that acting on a measure directed at TikTok or the broader RESTRICT Act without a comprehensive data privacy and security bill would not solve the underlying problem.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Editors note: Calendar items must be submitted at least five days before an event. Email all items to news@morganton.com.

TODAY

Clothing sale

The ladies of Morganton First Baptist Church will hold their 12th annual Ladies Clothing Sale for U.S. Missions on May 5 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Donations will be accepted on May 3 and 4 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Swap meet

The Valley Hills Antique Power Club will hold its swap meet at Catawba Meadows Park from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Vendor spaces are $10. Free admission. The event will feature antique tractors and farm equipment, steam engines, lawn mowers and more. For more information, call 828-438-5354.

SATURDAY, MAY 6

Free comics

Timmy Macs Comics and Games, 902 W. Union St., Morganton, will participate in Free Comic Book Day from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Multiple sales will be going on in the store during the event. For information on which publishers and comics will be participating this year, visit www.freecomicbookday.com. Anyone with questions can call 828-391-8162.

Clothing sale

The ladies of Morganton First Baptist Church will hold their 12th annual Ladies Clothing Sale for U.S. Missions from 8 a.m. to noon. All items will be half price. Donations will be accepted on May 3 and 4 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Yard sale

Quaker Meadows Presbyterian Church will hold a yard sale from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call Mary Lou at 443-5569 to rent a table for $10 or space for $5. A full breakfast will be available at $10 a plate.

Hamburger, hot dog and bake sale

Nebo First Baptist Church, at the intersection of U.S. 70 and Harmony Grove Road, Nebo, is hosting a hamburger, hot dog and bake sale starting at 11 a.m. The sale is dine in or takeout, and funds raised will go toward medical expenses.

Swap meet

The Valley Hills Antique Power Club will hold its swap meet at Catawba Meadows Park. Vendor spaces are $10. Free admission. The event will feature antique tractors and farm equipment, steam engines, lawn mowers and more. For more information, call 828-438-5354.

Kinderpalooza and ChildFest

Kinderpalooza and ChildFest will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Drexel Elementary School, 100 Alta Vista St., Morganton. There will be 100 free backpacks distributed for rising kindergarteners, free hearing and vision screenings and door prizes will be given out. Cookie Monster will be flying into the event from New York City.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

Guest speaker

Justice Sam J. Ervin IV (Jimmy) will speak at the Burke County Democratic Headquarters at 6 p.m. It is at 310 S. Sterling St. Due to the recent NC Supreme Court decision on gerrymandering and voter ID this is a very timely topic. Dinner will be catered. A $10 contribution would be appreciated but not expected.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

Crime prevention council meeting

The Burke County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council will meet at 8:10 a.m. It will be held in the Club Room at the Collett Street Recreation Center in Morganton. To attend or for additional information, contact A.J. Coutu at jcpbcc@gmail.com or 828-403-1427

THURSDAY, MAY 11

The NC Pre-K Committee of Burke County Smart Start Inc., will meet Thursday, May 11, at 8:30 a.m. in person at the Partnership office at 304 W. Union St. NC Pre-K meetings are open to the public and are held in handicapped accessible facilities. COVID, flu and other health restrictions will be observed for in-person attendance. For anyone with a hearing impairment who may require the assistance of an interpreter or have other special needs, call the Partnership at 439-2326 or use the NC Relay System at 1-800-735-8262.

SATURDAY, MAY 13

Wreath-making workshop

The Mountain Gateway Museum & Heritage Museum, 24 Water St., Old Fort, will host a spring wreath-making workshop at 11 a.m. The workshop, led by Toni Jo McCoart, will cost $15 per wreath, and registration and pre-payment are required by May 10. For more information, call the museum at 828-668-9259 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, or email brittany.bennett@ncdcr.gov.

Glen Alpine UMC breakfast

The second Saturday Breakfast will be held May 13 from 7-10 a.m. at Glen Alpine United Methodist Church, 410 Linville St., Glen Alpine. The second Saturday breakfast is a popular fundraising mission by the GA United Methodist Mens group. Cost is by donation.

Run as One 5K

The third annual Run as One 5K will be held at Catawba Meadows Greenway. The event starts at 9 a.m. and is being held to support Mental Health Awareness Month. Entry fee for runners or walkers is $25 which includes a commemorative T-shirt, and medals for first, second, and third place in age divisions. After the race, there will be refreshments, a celebration, music and giveaways. For more information or to register, go to https://bit.ly/3ANchzO.

MONDAY, MAY 15

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

THURSDAY, MAY 18

Sons of the American Revolution meeting

The Col. Alexander Erwin Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution will meet at 6 p.m. at the Morganton Community House, 120 N. King St., Morganton. William Caldwell will present a program titled Rogues, Banditti & Crackers: The Southern Backcountry by the time of the American Revolution. The chapter also will recognize its youth middle school brochure and elementary school poster contest winners. The meeting is open to the public, but those who wish to attend must RSVP by contacting Robert Patton at 828-443-3720 or robert.patton1@icloud.com. Dinner is $13 per person.

Fundraiser

Carolina Caring will host the fundraiser Flights & Bites at the Morganton Community House, 120 S. King St., from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Cost is $75 per person and will include wine by Silver Fork Winery paired with food by chef Nathan Cromwell. Tickets should be purchased by May 8 but calling 828-466-0466.

Board meeting

New Dimensions will hold its monthly board meeting on at 4 p.m. in person on campus as well as via Zoom. Contact ckinard@ndschool.org for link information.

SATURDAY, MAY 20

Wilson Creek Cleanup

The Wilson Creek Faithful will be organizing a cleanup on Wilson Creek on Saturday, May 20, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Trash bags and beverages will be provided. For more information, call David Benner at 828-433-7932 or Leonard Baker at 252-289-0211.

Cow patty bingo

The bands of Draughn and East Burke high schools will host a cow patty bingo event at 10 a.m. at Draughn High School. The prize is up to $5,000 with donations of $20 per section or $100 per square. The event also will include concessions, face painting, music, raffle prizes and the Chick-fil-A Cow. Call 828-334-1756 for more information.

Support group

The Survivors of Loss to Suicide Hickory NC Support Group will meet from 9-10 a.m. at St Stephens Library 3225 Springs Road NE, Hickory. The group offers support for the families and friends who have lost a loved one to suicide. Each session will focus on a different topic on the complicated grief that comes from losing someone to suicide. The group is open to teens and adults. For more information, contact Leisa Bentley at leisabentley@charter.net or call 828-234-5822

MONDAY, MAY 22

Business marketing class

The Morganton Downtown Development Association, in collaboration with the Small Business Center at Western Piedmont Community College, will offer a business marketing training session on Finding Your Customers and Creating a Marketing Plan from 4-6 p.m. at the Morganton Community House at 120 N. King St. in Morganton. A second session will take place from 8-10 a.m. Tuesday, May 23, at the Community House called Dynamite Marketing for Small Businesses. The sessions are free to attend, but those interested must register in advance. To register for the first session, visit https://bit.ly/3ZTIPml. To register for the second session, visit https://bit.ly/3Fw3Hbb.

Remembering Our Parents event

Carolina Caring will hold a Remembering our Parents event on from 6-7:30 p.m. at the organizations Newton campus located at 3975 Robinson Road in Newton to honor the memory of our parents. Participants are asked to bring a picture that can be used in an activity. Registration is required. To register, visit CarolinaCaring.org/support, contact wspurling@carolinacaring.org or call 828-466-0466, ext. 3201.

TUESDAY, MAY 30JUNE 1

Bus driver class

Burke County Public Schools will host a bus driver class from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 30, Wednesday, May 31, and June 1 at Central Office at 700 E. Parker Road. Call the transportation department at 828-437-4770 for more information.

MONDAY, JUNE 19

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

MONDAY, JULY 17

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

MONDAY, AUG. 21

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

MONDAY, SEPT. 18

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

TUESDAY, OCT. 10

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

TUESDAY, NOV. 21

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.

MONDAY, DEC. 18

ABC Board meeting

The Valdese ABC Board will meet at 5:30 p.m. at the Valdese ABC Store at 1018 W. Main St. in Valdese.
The Morganton Department of Public Safety was recognized last week by the North Carolina chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving as its agency of the year.

MDPS Chief Jason Whisnant and Lt. Joseph Beaver attended a reception in Cary last week to accept the award.

The award looks to recognize agencies that show outstanding efforts to reduce impaired driving through enforcement activity, safety checkpoints, awareness and prevention efforts and other contributions, according to information from Sydney Tomko, a program specialist with MADDs North Carolina office.

We do consider ourselves fortunate to have that, Whisnant said. Were coming off the heels of Raleigh PD receiving that last year, and so a tremendous amount of effort on our agency to detect and educate our officers and prevent impaired driving. Not another single one.

Its Public Safetys training and dedication to stopping impaired drivers in the act that set them apart from the crowd of nominees, information from Tomko said.

Last year alone, the department conducted more than 44 checking stations and saturated patrols throughout the city, seeing more than 369 charges issued throughout the events, according to information from Tomko. In total, the department issued more than 427 driving while impaired charges last year, she said.

Thats just a portion of the nearly 1,600 DWI charges public safety officers have issued since 2018, Whisnant told The News Herald.

This recognition is in part from our efforts to deter drunk driving, Whisnant said at a city council meeting Monday night. It also reflects on our level of training that we give to every officer, all the way down to our newest-hired patrol officer.

All MDPS officers receive standardized field sobriety test training, and the department goes above and beyond state requirements by having officers take refresh trainings every two years, according to information from Tomko.

Officers also become chemical analysts as part of their career development, Whisnant said, and officers can take advanced roadside detection courses  a specialty course training.

Beyond the arrests, Whisnant said his department works closely with District Attorney Scott Reillys office and his assistant district attorneys for prosecution of the case.

Having the safest roads in North Carolina is our priority, Whisnant said. Our officers are out there day and night, every day of the week, to make that happen.
He walked in Jerusalem 1,800 years ago. His sphere was melody, flowing in wild native tones, took captive the ravished souls of men, and being of the sphere melody, still flows and sounds, though now with thousandfold accompaniments, through all our heart and divinely leads men. Those words pertaining to Jesus Christ were penned by Thomas Carlyle, perhaps the greatest essayist, historian and philosopher Scotland ever produced. From time to time during his fruitful literary lifespan, he frequently made such wonderful observations. Let me share just a few.

On the matter of miracles he wrote: We are the miracle of miracles, the great inscrutable miracle of God. Of religion in general he said, A mans religion consists not of the many things in which he is in doubt of and tries to believe, but of the few of which he is assured and has no need of effort for believing. As a man who prepared himself for pastoral ministry, he said to the church, Good Christian people, here lies for you an inestimable loan, take all heed thereof, in all carefulness, employ it: with high recompense, or else with heavy penalty, will it one day be required back. And the great wisdom of the genius writer summarized the truths taught by Jesus with merely, Mens hearts ought not to be set against one another, but set with one another, and against all evil only.

Born into a strong Calvinistic family, it was hoped that he would become a minister, and he went so far as to attend the Annan Academy and the University of Edinburgh preparing for such a career. In fact, his mentor and role model in life was Edward Irving, a famous Scottish preacher whom he met and remained in close friendship for the better part of his life. But for the balance of his life, Carlyle was uneasy with religion in general. He tried teaching (He was excellent in mathematics) but eventually turned to writing. His subjects spanned the world as he was interested in almost anything, but he eventually was recognized for his treatment of the French Revolution in his book, Sartor Resartus. Following that success, his literary production was vast and prolific.

But it was on todays date, May 5 in 1840, that probably revealed much about the inner turmoil rolling through this genius mind that misled him away from an equally great career in the pulpit. On that day, he began a series of lectures titled On Heroes. Most unfortunately, he summarized his thoughts with the simple expression, Great men should rule, and others should revere them. In truth, his thoughts were much more complicated, but the damage was done. Almost a century later, the likes of Adolph Hitler would often quote him to rationalize their authoritarian attitude.

Along with his biographers, I was puzzled by what must have occurred when he went to study for the ministry at the Annan Academy. It is obvious to many who have studied his life that he was often preoccupied with deep spiritual convictions. Some speculated he was bullied or that he had stage fright in the pulpit, or that he was simply too talented in mathematics. But lately, I ran across a small paragraph by one of Carlyles biographers, Hill Shine, whom I think nailed it on the head. He wrote that Thomas Carlyle was always conflicted between the romantic tolerance of the Victorian age in which he lived his adult life and the Puritanical intolerance of his heritage.

Almost everyone can identify with this spiritual quandary. Who does not feel that the way things were in the good ole days of our childhood were better than the new fangled ways of modern society? In church, that often gives way to singing hymns like Give Me That Old Time Religion. Everywhere my wife Sue and I travel, we encounter churches that in reality have two congregations: one called the traditional worship and the other referred to as the praise worship. I do not know the words to that other style of praise. In fact, I cannot even figure out the rhythm of the words.

There is nothing wrong with either the traditional or the praise forms of worship. In truth, I, like Carlyle, am conflicted between my heritage and this generations new style. What we old fogies genuinely need to appreciate is that these young folks are believers and are in church because the Old Tempter has many other places he would rather they be.
Spring in Montana means the return of outdoor recreation, greenery and bears.

Grizzly and black bears are now active in south-central Montana, especially along the Beartooth Mountain Front. As the busy summer recreation season approaches and as bears become more active, its important to keep bear safety tips in mind.

Bears are omnivores, meaning they eat plants and animals. Food sources and habits for bears change seasonally. Following emergence from hibernation in the spring, bears can be especially territorial over food sources. Be aware of your surroundings while hiking and recreating outdoors and use extreme caution if you find an animal carcass.

Seeing a bear can be an exciting wildlife viewing opportunity. However, human and bear safety must be prioritized above photographs and wildlife viewing. Never approach a bear. Respect and awareness are key components to keeping everyone safe  including members of the public, FWP staff and wildlife.

For many communities in Montana, bears are a common occurrence in town. Bear safety is not something to practice only while recreating, but a necessity for everyday life. Always make sure your home, property and vehicles are clean and free of potential attractants. Common attractants include garbage, barbecue grills, pet food, bird seed, horse pellets and livestock feed, which should be kept inside locked buildings. After grilling and outside cooking, clean decks and patio areas to remove any food odors.

Always remember, avoiding a conflict is easier than dealing with one.

For more information on staying safe in bear country, please visit: https://fwp.mt.gov/conservation/wildlife-management/bear.
By Natalie Copeland | May 5, 2023

Andriah Hawthorne (left) and Yannah Marrow (right) attended the National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing convention, where they met American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Chief Executive Officer Vicki R. Deal-Williams, MA, CCC-SLP, FASAE, CAE (center).

MURRAY, Ky.  The National Black Association for Speech-Language and Hearing (NBASLH) convention recently took place in Washington, D.C., and two undergraduate students in the Murray State University Center for Communication Disorders (CDI) program had the opportunity to attend.

Yanna Marrow of Lexington, Kentucky and Andriah Hawthorne of Paducah, Kentucky were supported by the CDI Diversity Council and College of Education and Human Services (COEHS) Deans Office to attend the NBASLH convention from April 20-22, 2023.

The convention provided an opportunity for the students to network with professionals, including American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Chief Executive Officer Vicki R. Deal-Williams, MA, CCC-SLP, FASAE, CAE. Additionally, they were able to gain insight into the world of speech pathology and audiology, specifically as providers of color.

Hawthorne expressed her enthusiasm for the event, explaining that "it puts you in rooms with people who have been on the path that we are currently on as students. It showed us how success is possible, and how much of an impact speech and hearing science has in academia, healthcare, leadership, and many other roles."

Marrow shared similar sentiments, adding that "seeing so many professionals who look just like me tell their stories and see them be so successful really lifted my spirits! I gained so much confidence and connections I will continue to build upon for years to come."

The students were grateful for the opportunity to attend the NBASLH conference and gain such invaluable experience to take with them as they further their education. The CDI Diversity Council intends to continue supporting students to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging in the communication disorder professions.

For more information about the Center for Communication Disorders, please visit murraystate.edu/cdi.
FRIDAY, May 5, 2023 (HealthDay News)  The United States needs to address a shortage of research monkeys by expanding breeding programs while also developing alternatives to monkey testing, an expert panel said in a report released Thursday.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine panel was focused on research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), critical for responding to public health emergencies such as COVID-19.

If the U.S. is to produce high-impact biomedical research and have a research infrastructure capable of responding to the next public health crisis, now is the time to strengthen the systems we need for nonhuman primate research, committee chairman Dr. Kenneth Ramos, assistant vice chancellor for health services at Texas A&M University, said in a news release announcing the new report.

Although the United States funds colonies of nonhuman primates at national centers, it also relies on imported primates raised for research.

Some of those primates historically have come from China, but in 2020 that country stopped exporting research monkeys, the Associated Press reported, leading to a 20% drop in imports of a particular species, cynomolgus macaques.

That was also when primates were especially needed for COVID studies.

Supplies were also impacted when the United States filed charges to stop a Cambodian smuggling ring that was accused of sending endangered wild monkeys for research, the AP reported.

Monkeys are helpful in lifesaving research, especially in infectious disease and neuroscience, because of their similarities to people.

Still, using them is also controversial. The NIH does not use humans closest relatives, chimpanzees, in invasive research any longer because of that controversy, the AP reported.

According to the report, about 64% of NIH-funded researchers had trouble getting primates for their work.

More information

The National Institutes of Health has more on animals used in research.

SOURCE: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, news release, May 4, 2023; Associated Press
Leonardo Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" is one of the best-known artworks in the world, famous for its beauty as well as the mystery surrounding the identity of the model and the location painted behind her.

A source of debate for centuries, the town of Buriano, in the Tuscany region of Italy, is so convinced the bridge behind Mona Lisa is the Ponte Buriano that they've made it a key feature of their local tourism campaign, even laying claim to the bridge on the town's welcome sign.

But now, historian Silvano Vinceti says that the bridge behind Mona Lisa is actually the Romito Bridge in the nearby Tuscan town of Laterina.

"The distinctive form of the Arno [River] along that stretch of territory corresponds to what Leonardo portrayed in the landscape to the left of the woman depicted in the famous painting," Vinceti said at a media conference at the Foreign Press Association in Rome on Wednesday.

Vinceti also made a virtual reconstruction of the bridge to show the similarities, and drew on documents from the state archives in Florence.

The "Mona Lisa" was painted in the early 16th century.

Between 1501 and 1503 Da Vinci lived with Cardinal Cesare Borgia near Laterina, Vinceti found. The bridge was in use and had four arches  as depicted in the artwork.

On the other hand, the Buriano bridge has six arches, Vinceti said, and Ponte Bobbio, a bridge in Piacenza that some say features in the painting, has more than six arches.

The Romito bridge linked Arezzo, Fiesole and Florence but is now in ruins. Vinceti said he studied drone images of the river banks, the ruins and photographs over the years to determine that the "Etruscan-Roman Romito bridge is unmistakably" the one in the background.

Laterina mayor Simona Neri was also in attendance at the press conference and is excited about the prospect of claiming the bridge to bring tourists to her town of 3,500 people.

"We really hope that this wonderful news will intrigue and fascinate local and foreign tourists, with the knowledge that it will be a great opportunity to relaunch the tourism of our territory on which we can work a lot starting from naturalistic, cultural and monumental valuation," she said.

"We need to try to protect what's left of the bridge, which will require funding," Neri said, noting that there are funds available for most areas tied to Da Vinci and other masters.

"There'll be some rivalry; we'll need to put a poster up, too," she added.

Da Vinci's 16th century masterpiece is now housed at the Louvre in the Paris, where it is seen by millions of visitors each year. But experts say it owes its global fame to the fact that it was stolen from the gallery by Italian handyman Vincenzo Peruggia in 1911, rather than any artistic singularity.

"If a different one of Leonardo's works had been stolen, then that would have been the most famous work in the world  not the 'Mona Lisa,'" Noah Charney, professor of art history and author of "The Thefts of the Mona Lisa," said in 2013, which marked the 100-year anniversary of when the painting was recovered.

"There was nothing that really distinguished it per se, other than it was a very good work by a very famous artist  that's until it was stolen," he added. "The theft is what really skyrocketed its appeal and made it a household name."

50 famous paintings and the stories behind them 50 famous paintings and the stories behind them Christinas World Arnolfini Portrait American Gothic Cyclops Death of Marat Frescoes, Villa of the Mysteries Girl with a Pearl Earring Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe Ophelia The Gross Clinic Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee Jack the Rippers Bedroom Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear Guernica The Scream Two Tahitian Women Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer Lascaux Cave Paintings Primavera Portrait of Madame X Untitled Flaming June At the Moulin Rouge The Ambassadors Girl With Balloon Judith Slaying Holofernes Myra Nocturne in Black and Gold, the Falling Rocket Salvator Mundi The Two Fridas The Ghent Altarpiece Juan de Pareja Manuel Osorio Manrique de Zuniga Demoiselles dAvignon The Persistence of Memory Young Sick Bacchus Dancer Making Points Portrait of the Boy Eutyches A Sunday on La Grande Jatte The Son of Man The Nude Maja Tennis at Newport Bride of the Wind Liberty Leading the People The Sleepers Washington Crossing the Delaware I and the Village The Blue Boy Campbell's Soup Cans Mona Lisa
A well-known residential development company based in Ankeny was recently fined $9,000 for failing to adequately contain soil runoff at a project site in Elkhart, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

It was the third time in three years that Kimberley Development Corp. has been fined for erosion at the sites, DNR records show.

Dennis Thielen, a DNR senior environmental specialist who investigated each of the incidents, said companies hired by Kimberley to prepare the soil for construction were at fault but that Kimberley is ultimately held responsible because it obtains permits for the work.

The most-recent incident involved the Kimberley Woods construction site on the north side of Elkhart. Stormwater runoff flows into an unnamed stream that eventually reaches the Skunk River, which lies about two miles away.

A DNR inspection of the site in October 2022 found a retention basin that was constructed to contain stormwater runoff from most of the site did not have proper controls to prevent soil erosion and that sediment was flowing from the basin into the stream.

If theres a failure in (those controls) that results in sediment reaching a water of the state, thats kind of our trigger for looking at additional enforcement with the penalty, Thielen said.

The inspection also noted that most of the dirt work was complete but that the site  along with stockpiles of soil  had not been stabilized to prevent erosion, which was readily apparent across the site.

Failure to properly manage stormwater runoff from construction sites degrades surface water quality and deposits excess sediment in water channels, according to a DNR order that recently levied the fine. Sedimentation of Iowas waterways is a serious problem.

Another fine of $8,000 last year resulted from erosion that was discovered at two Kimberley developments in Altoona and Mitchellville.

DNR inspections of Boulder Creek Estates in Altoona in October and November 2021 that were prompted by complaints found that much of the erosion controls at the site had either failed or were not installed. That led to a significant amount of soil eroding onto an adjoining property. Stormwater from the site flows into a stream that ultimately leads to the Des Moines River.

About that same time, an inspection of Deer Run in Mitchellville found silt fencing that had failed, steep slopes with no erosion controls and other violations. A DNR officer noted significant sediment that had eroded into a ditch. Stormwater from that site flows into an unnamed tributary of the South Skunk River.

The third fine of $8,000 was issued in 2020 for erosion at The Reserve at Jester Park near Saylorville Lake. Someone reported in February 2020 that eroded soil was going from the site onto Polk County Conservation land.

A subsequent investigation found that there were erosion controls missing along the perimeter of the site and that three stormwater basins were inadequately constructed to contain sediment.

A DNR officer saw sediment going from one of the basins into a stream that flows into the lake.

Kimberly Development has won numerous awards from the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines, including Builder of the Year, according to the companys website. The association gave its owner, Bill Kimberley, a lifetime achievement award in 2021.

Photos: UNI softball defeats Iowa, May 3 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 1 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 2 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 3 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 4 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 6 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 7 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 8 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 9 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 10 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 11 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 12 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 13 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 14 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 15 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 16 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 17 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 18 SBall UNI vs. Iowa 19
A therapist convicted of fraudulent billing has agreed to voluntarily surrender his license to practice in Iowa.

Court records indicate that In June of last year, the Washington Police Department was contacted about a therapist, JohnPaul Nganga of Iowa City, who was alleged to have submitted fraudulent bills for service through the Grace C. Mae Advocate Center in Washington. Police spoke to the director of the center who indicated Nganga, 43, was a therapist with the center and was credentialed to deliver telehealth therapy sessions.

The center had noticed some questionable billing practices involving Nganga, had questioned him, and Nganga had allegedly admitted to submitting false claims for payment.

The center was able to identify 63 fraudulently submitted claims for payment that were submitted between January 2022 and April 2022, for $4,814.

Nganga was charged with fraudulent practices in the second degree, a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, he agreed to plead guilty to the charge in return for a sentencing recommendation of five years probation; a $1,025 fine; $4,814 in restitution; forfeiture of his mental health counselors license for five years; and a deferred judgment that would wipe the conviction from his record after the successful completion of probation.

The sentence was imposed in January. In February, the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science ordered Nganga to surrender his license with the understanding he can apply for reinstatement in five years.

Other licensure board actions

Other Iowans who have recently faced professional licensing sanctions or hard their licenses reinstated include:

Mark Kimzey of Mount Pleasant  Kimzey was fined $500 by the Iowa Board of Mortuary Science, which had accused him of cremating a body with the authorization of only the decedents sister and brother in-law. Under Iowa law, the right to dictate the final disposition of a decedents remains belongs to a majority of the individuals siblings in cases where there is no surviving spouse, parent or child. In the case at hand, the decedent had four surviving siblings.

Angela Perkins of Cedar Rapids  Perkins is the subject of an emergency order issued by the Iowa Board of Psychology, stating that she may only use her psychologist license and health service provider certificate to complete and send out neuropsychological evaluation reports for clients who have already completed testing. She is barred from initiating any new evaluations or providing any clinical services while the restrictions are in place.

She is charged with violating of a regulation, rule, or law related to the practice of psychology, and with knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations in the practice of psychology or engaging in unethical conduct or practice harmful or detrimental to the public. The specific, alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges is being kept confidential pursuant to a 2021 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that bars the public disclosure of such information until a licensing case is resolved. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday.

Matthew Cohara of Ankeny  The Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy recently reinstated Coharas license, free and clear of any restrictions. In 2018, the board placed Coharas license on probation, citing a criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to child endangerment, possession of marijuana and possession of cocaine.

Court records indicate the charges were filed when Coharas 7-month-old child died at home of positional asphyxia after becoming wedged between a bed and a wall. The infant also tested positive for cocaine metabolite.

In addition to the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapys licensing restrictions, the Iowa Board of Nursing had placed Coharas nursing license on probation for one year beginning in 2018. In 2019, the nursing board indicated Cohara had fulfilled all the terms of his probation.

Lorra Gire of Ottumwa  The Iowa Board of Social Work recently issued Gire a citation and warning for violating regulations that prohibit a social worker from engaging in a dual relationship with a client within five years of the end of the social worker-client relationship.

PHOTOS: Nikki Haley campaigns at Port Neal Welding Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign Nikki Haley Port Neal campaign
Authorities say a gunman apparently firing at random killed eight people and wounded 14 in two Serbian villages. Thursday's attack shook a nation still in the throes of grief over a mass shooting at a school a day earlier. Police arrested a suspect Friday after an all-night search. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called the latest shooting an attack on the whole nation. He says the person arrested wore a T-shirt bearing a pro-Nazi slogan although he did not specify a motive. It came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in the capital. The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders.
Politician Ferdinand Baba Yao  Waititu has been dealt a blow after the High Court barred him from disposing of assets and vehicles valued at over Sh680 million.

The assets which include property and vehicles are the subject of a Sh1.9 billion asset recovery suit filed by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission(EACC). They include two prime buildings on Biashara Street and a hotel on the same street all valued at Sh662 million.

Others are properties in Kiambu and Kitengela that have been registered in his wifes name while others have been registered in the name of his companies- Saika Two Estate Developers and Bins Management Services Ltd.

Waititu has also been barred from selling 7 motor vehicles worth Sh24 million pending the determination of the suit.

The former Kimabu governor has also been prohibited from collecting income generated from Delta Hotel, listed as the fourth defendant in the case.

In granting the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission the temporary preservation orders, Justice Esther Maina said she is convinced there is a prima facie case made against Waititu.

She however gave the businessman the alternative of retaining his vehicles if he deposits Sh24 million in an interest-earning account.

Waititu is required to surrender the vehicles and log books within the next seven days failure to which the EACC shall be at liberty to seize them.

The matter will be mentioned on 24 May.
A salonist used in Mathare, Nairobi has been charged in court for allegedly assaulting another woman over a Sh100 debt.

Sharon Awuor was accused of assaulting Penina Mbiti by hitting her with a broken bottle, causing her bodily harm.

Police told the court that the accused attacked Mbiti, a tea and mandazi vendor, on April 06, 2023, after she demanded a debt of Sh100 that Awuor owed her.

A police report indicates that when Mbiti went to Awuors place of work to demand the money, Awuor told her that they go outside where she promised to pay but she instead attacked her with a broken bottle on her left side cheek leading to severe bleeding.

Mbiti reported the attack at Central police station and was referred to the Nairobi City Council health centre where she was treated and discharged.

She was later issued with a P3 form and took it to a police surgeon where it was filled by Dr Kamau and a copy of it was returned to the Central police station. The accused was later on arrested pending her arraignment in court today, police reported.

Appearing before Milimani Chief Magistrate Lucas Onyina on Monday, the accused denied assault charges.

The magistrate released the suspect on a cash bail of Sh10,000 with one surety. The case will be mentioned on May 04.
The Judicial Service Commission (JSC) has appointed Sophia Wanuna as the Deputy Director and Head of Directorate of Public Affairs and Corporate Communication at JSC.

In a press statement sent to newsrooms, the appointment took effect on 29th April this year.

Wanuna, a seasoned communications professional with 15 years of experience under her belt, has worked in various media houses.

She began her journalism career in the year 2008 at Kenya Broadcasting Corporation and moved to K24 (Mediamax Network) in 2010, where she worked for one year till 2011 before joining KTN (Standard Group) where she rose to the position of Deputy Managing Editor.

She brings a wealth of experience from media to the Directorate of Public Affairs and Communications as an established journalist and newsroom manager, said JSC.

Wanuna holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Daystar University, specializing in Public Relations.
Former Jubilee Vice Chairperson David Murathe says President William Ruto will serve for only one term. In fact, Murathe believes that Ruto will be lucky if he finishes his 5-year term.

It is a fact that they (Kenya Kwanza) were sworn in for a five-year term, but anything can happen.

You think this Maandamano has no end game! You wait and see. We have the numbers and Kenyans. We are the people, and Azimio wants what is good for this nation, not witch-hunts and threats thrown everywhere by Kenya Kwanza, Murathe told The Standard.

The confidant of retired President Uhuru Kenyatta also ruled out Jubilee working with Kenya Kwanza, saying the ruling party is a political grave.

Murathe claimed Kenya Kwanza is only focused on destroying the Constitution, political parties, and the Opposition so that it can stay in power for selfish gains.

We cannot get into Kenya Kwanza, which does not have the interests of Kenyans at heart. These people (Kenya Kwanza) found themselves in power after rigging elections and had no plan or strategy to serve Kenyans. Thats why you can see them everywhere shouting and blaming others who are not even in government, Murathe said.

Thats why they are unable to deliver and cant remove some peoples names from their mouths.

Murathe reportedly told Kenya Kwanza leaders not to be drunk with power since their days in government are numbered.

They campaigned and stole elections but did not have a plan to lead the nation. Even if they send emissaries for us to join them, we will not, he said, adding that Kenya Kwanza tried to take over Jubilee Party.

Even after failing to take over the party, Kenya Kwanza sent 20 police cars and hundreds of officers to push Jubilee officials out. Kilimani and Kileleshwa have only two police vehicles; why did they mobilise officers from across the country to grab the party? he posed.

Murathe said they are working to put Jubilee in order, punish rebel members, and then intensify grassroots mobilisation with a view to strengthening the Azimio Coalition.

Kenya Kwanza has done nothing for Kenyans, and they should be home like yesterday, Murathe said.

Additional Reporting by the Standard
The Shanzu Law Courts on Thursday released pastor Ezekiel Odero on Sh3 million bond or Sh1.5 million cash bail.

Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omindo dismissed an application by the State to detain him for 30 more days, saying the prosecution failed to prove relevant material evidence.

The magistrate however directed Pastor Ezekiel to report to a police station once a week or as required by State.

The New Life Church and Prayer Centre preacher is also not required to talk about the case or the Shakahola cult in public.

Magistrate Omindo said the set bond terms will remain in force until the investigations are done or until the preacher is formally charged.

Pastor Odero is being investigated for murder, aiding suicide, child cruelty, abduction radicalization, genocide, crimes against humanity, fraud, and money laundering.

Meanwhile, pastor Ezekiel has complained to the court that the State is threatening to freeze his bank accounts.

In court papers filed at the Mombasa High Court, Ezekiel wants the state blocked from freezing 15 bank accounts linked to his New Life Prayer Centre and Church.

In the interim and pending the hearing and determination of this application, this honourable court be pleased to issue a conservatory order temporarily restraining the respondents from taking adverse action against Odero or New Life Prayer Center and Church including the freezing of the church accounts in Cooperative Bank and NCBA bank, court papers read.

Through his lawyer Danstan Omari, Ezekiel also wants the court to compel the State to reopen his TV station and church.

The threats to freeze my bank accounts and the churchs bank accounts is a double threat to my right to property and freedom of worship and association since the operations of the church, including ongoing construction and development projects within the church premises will stand paralysed, he argues.

Pastor Ezekiel noted that some of the projects include a restaurant, and plans to establish an international school.

We have restaurants for all cadre of individuals, banking facilities and ongoing construction of modern facilities for visitors seeking spiritual healing and salvation, he said.

Pastor Odero also said the church has temporary accommodation for visitors who pay Sh500 for stay, which must not exceed five days.

Justice Olga Sewe on Thursday certified the application as urgent. She ruled that after perusing the notice of motion and the affidavit sworn by Ezekiel, she was satisfied that the application was indeed urgent.

She directed him to serve the application to the respondents and appear in court on Monday next week for an inter-parties hearing.
Nominated MP Sabina Chege has strongly stood by her decision to oust former President Uhuru Kenyatta as the leader of the Jubilee party.

The Jubilee Party caretaker leader said the party was on a downward trajectory under Uhurus leadership.

He has brought us down from 170 elected members in the National Assembly in the 2017 general elections to just 28 now, she said.

Sabina Chege accused the retired president of being an absentee leader who has been suffering from indecisiveness.

The Jubilee Party is owned by its members and its power is exercised by elected leaders. He (Uhuru) currently holds no position in the party, she said, adding that Uhuru should have resigned from active politics six months after President William Ruto was sworn in.

The law is not on his side. Six months outside State House disqualifies him from being our party leader. He is yet to write a letter to explain that he is still an active politician, she said in an interview on Inooro TV.

Sabina also stated that Uhuru Kenyatta is no longer the Mt Kenya region kingpin.

No ceremony is needed to know that Mr Gachagua is the kingpin of Mt Kenya by virtue of the political position he occupies, she said.

The former Muranga Woman Rep said Uhuru should concentrate on his international assignments and take a back seat politically like his predecessors as prescribed by law.

We gave him his two terms as president. He should be grateful. He should concentrate on being a statesman. His time in politics is over, she said.

Sabina also chided Uhuru Kenyatta for tainting his status by engaging in street politics.

We have seen him on board campaign vans in Nyanza region declaring Mr Odinga as his party leader. He is silent and comes out with thugs telling us to leave Jubilee. We are not going anywhere. Jubilee is us, not him, she said.

At this rate, you might see him on the streets participating in protests. He is eroding the dignity and respect that comes with his name, history and status, Sabina claimed.
All over California, cities are falling far short when it comes to providing enough shelter for their homeless communities.

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More than 69,000 homeless residents live in Los Angeles County, for instance, but that county has just over 21,000 beds in shelters and temporary housing programs.

Its a similar story in Sacramento County, which counted nearly 9,300 unhoused residents in its last census, but has just over 3,000 shelter and temporary housing beds.

Those massive gaps  which ensure thousands of people remain homeless  are visible in cities throughout California. But despite constant reassurances from Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers that getting people off the street is a top priority, theres no state requirement for cities and counties to make sure they have enough shelters or housing for homeless residents.

A bill working its way through the Legislature could change that, and potentially lead to sanctions against local governments that fail to plan for the needs of homeless Californians.

Senate Bill 7 would  for the first time  require cities and counties to plan enough beds for everyone living without a place to call home. It would go beyond just temporary shelter, also including permanent housing placements.

Q&A Napa County's Palmer talks about homelessness, housing Jennifer Palmer, director of Napa County's Housing and Homeless Services, talks about the county's response to homelessness and affordable housing needs.

Its author, Sen. Catherine Blakespear, a Democrat from Encinitas, called it a transformational idea that could help move the needle on homelessness where other attempts have failed.

Everything were doing currently, it will result in homelessness growing, Blakespear said in an interview. It will not result in homelessness going down.

California cities housing goals

Currently, the state makes sure every city and county plans for new housing through a process known as the regional housing needs allocation. In all, California requires cities and counties to plan for 2.5 million new homes over the next eight years  about 25% of which must be affordable for very low-income occupants.

But this method doesnt require cities and counties to plan any housing that is specifically for homeless residents.

If the bill passes, local officials would have to include homeless housing in their plans. How much is yet to be determined, but it would be based on each citys point-in-time census count of its homeless population. Ideally, Blakespear said, the plans would require a unit for every single person counted.

The idea comes at a time when the state is forcing local governments to take more responsibility for providing housing.

Newsoms administration sued the Orange County coastal enclave of Huntington Beach earlier this year for failing to adopt a housing plan. And cities that flout state housing law also are subject to the builders remedy, which allows developers to bypass local zoning laws for certain projects.

Blakespears bill has gained some early support from housing activists, and recently passed out of the Senate Governance and Finance Committee by a 6-2 vote. While some local leaders are sure to chafe under yet another state-imposed housing requirement, several big-city mayors are tentatively supportive.

The final details in the bill matter, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said in an emailed statement, but any bill that moves the state and cities closer to making housing and services for the homeless a mandatory obligation for government is a step in the right direction.

Data collected by Sacramento Countys homeless services agencies shows the county has 3,080 beds in its year-round shelters and transitional housing programs  6,198 fewer than its estimated total number of unhoused residents.

Los Angeles County has 21,100 placements in its temporary housing, safe parking and motel programs, according to a county dashboard  not enough to accommodate even a third of its unhoused population.

Advocates want more money for homeless housing

At a recent hearing, some bill critics wondered where the money would come from to build all this extra housing.

The fundings going to be incredibly critical, said Jason Rhine, assistant director of legislative affairs for the League of California Cities. If we do not have the money, we will not be able to house individuals.

The league hasnt officially opposed the bill, but says it has concerns.

Blakespear wants to pair her bill with a new state fund, which would help cities, counties and nonprofits build housing for people who are homeless or at risk of losing their homes. But it remains to be seen how much  if any  money the Legislature allocates, as the state faces a budget deficit of at least $22.5 billion this year.

Some aspects of the legislation are still up for negotiation. Its unclear what type of homeless housing cities and counties could use to fulfill the new requirements. Blakespear envisions it would include both permanent and temporary  meaning apartments, but also shelters, RV sites, single-room-occupancy hotels, and more.

Its also unclear exactly what each city and county would be on the hook for under the new bill, and what the penalties would be for noncompliance. The states current process requires cities to plan for housing, including zoning for it and removing roadblocks from its construction, but doesnt require them to get it built.

Much of the housing cities plan for during that state-mandated process never gets constructed. And low-income housing fares the worst. In the last eight-year planning cycle, just 20% of the very-low-income units needed statewide were permitted.

The California Building Industry Association opposes Blakespears bill, worrying money to fund it would come from raising taxes and fees paid by homebuilders. Furthermore, existing law already requires cities and counties to assess their need for emergency shelter, said Cornelious Burke, the associations vice president of legislative affairs.

Blakespear said she has no intention of using construction fees to cover the cost of her bill. And she disagreed the states existing shelter-assessment requirement renders her bill unnecessary.

Those are just words, she said. That is not an actual obligation to provide anything for people who are unhoused.

Ray Bramson of Destination: Home, a nonprofit that helps spearhead the homelessness response in Santa Clara County, said the bill could help get more homeless housing built. But it depends on how the details of the bill shake out, he said. For one thing, the bill should focus on permanent housing that comes with supportive services like mental health care  not on temporary shelter, Bramson said.

And, the bill must come with funding.

If not, he said, then its just another goal that were going to struggle to meet collectively.

PHOTOS: Napa County conducts point-in-time count of homeless population Point in Time Count 10 Point in Time Count 1 Point in Time Count 4 Point in Time Count 3 Point in Time Count 2 Point in Time Count 5 Point in Time Count 6 Point in Time Count 9 Point in Time Count 7 Point in Time Count 8 Point in Time Count 11 Point in Time Count 12 Point in Time Count 13 Point in Time Count 14
SACRAMENTO  Davis Police announced the arrest Thursday of a suspect in three stabbings that left two men dead and a woman critically injured in the past week, a 21-year-old former UC Davis student who may originally be from Oakland.

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Police Chief Darren Pytel said Carlos Dominguez, who was a student at the university until last week, was arrested Thursday afternoon on two homicide charges and one attempted homicide charge.

He is now at the Yolo County Jail and the district attorney will be reviewing reports in the coming days to determine charging decisions, Pytel said, adding that in his mind Dominguez meets the definition of a serial killer.

These horrific crimes have resulted in immeasurable loss to the victims families and friends and to the community, Pytel said.

The suspect was detained Wednesday at about 5 p.m. a block from Sycamore Park, after 15 separate callers phoned police to report seeing a man who matched the description of the suspect in two of the attacks: long, dark curly hair and wearing black Adidas pants with a white stripe.

Pytel said one caller followed Dominguez from Sycamore Park until police arrived and stopped him about a block from the park. Dominguez went with police voluntarily, Pytel said, and police later found a large knife in his backpack.

The arrest comes after a series of knife attacks that began April 27 in Davis with the stabbing death of 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, who was found dead in the citys Central Park.

Two nights later, on Saturday, UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, was stabbed to death at Sycamore Park.

The family planned a private service for Thursday, the same day police were announcing the arrest, and a public memorial was scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday at the UC Davis International Center on California Avenue.

The third attack came Monday just before midnight when an assailant stabbed a homeless woman multiple times through the side of a tent in a camp at Second and L streets.

The attacker was seen by witnesses at the camp and spotted running away toward downtown, but a massive search of the area and a shelter-in-place order for residents turned up no suspects. The woman survived the attack.

That week of attacks terrified residents of the normally peaceful community and students at nearby UC Davis, where security patrols were stepped up and night classes were being held remotely as police sought a suspect.

Some downtown businesses and restaurants began closing early, and a farmers market scheduled for Wednesday night in Central Park was canceled.

Davis Police have said they were hoping to use DNA evidence to pinpoint a suspect, and were using the resources of the FBI, state Justice Department and the Sacramento County district attorneys crime lab to analyze evidence from the scenes.

In an update Wednesday afternoon, police said biological evidence has been collected from each of the crime scenes and early returns are being analyzed to determine potential sources; no conclusions regarding source have been made at this time.

Pytel said Thursday that some of the victims had fought back and that Dominguez does have some injuries on his arms and hands.

Pytel also said that police were not aware of any previous criminal history for Dominguez.

He said during questioning that Dominguez was reserved, he spoke for a long time.

Initially, police were hesitant to link all three attacks, saying more investigation was needed.

But Pytel said Thursday that was no longer the case.

At this point, we believe that all three are connected, the chief said.

Dominguez was living in a rented home on Hawthorn Lane with roommates, and police and FBI agents were searching the residence Thursday.

Today in history: May 4 1904: Panama Canal 1932: Al Capone 1942: Battle of the Coral Sea 1961: Freedom Riders 1970: Ohio National Guardsmen 1998: Theodore Kaczynski 2001: Bonny Lee Bakley 2006: Zacarias Moussaoui 2012: Adam Yauch 2017: Buckingham Palace 2020: Don Shula
An associate professor at UC Berkeley known for her work on native food sovereignty is facing backlash for falsely claiming Indigenous heritage.

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In a statement posted on her personal website on Monday, Elizabeth M. Hoover, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, said she is white and "incorrectly identified" as Indigenous without researching her ancestry.

"In uncritically living an identity based on family stories without seeking out a documented connection to these communities, I caused harm," Hoover wrote. "I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms."

Hoover said in the statement that she had long identified as a woman of Mohawk and Mi'kmaq descent. She stopped identifying herself as Indigenous and a descendant of those tribes last year after her heritage came into question.

Her case is similar to that of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, who four years ago made a public apology to Native Americans over her past claim to tribal heritage.

Hoover's announcement this week caused widespread anger among the native and academic communities.

Desi Small-Rodriguez, an assistant professor of sociology and American Indian studies at UCLA, wrote in a tweet that UC Berkeley should fire her.

Adrienne Keene, author of Native Appropriations, an online forum, who claimed to be a close friend and colleague of Hoover, tweeted that she was devastated, enraged and exhausted over the issue for the last year.

"I have spent countless hours supporting her current and former students, trying to process my own emotions and having to continue on at an institution that gave her a PhD, her first job and tenure," she wrote.

In October, Hoover posted a statement in which she said she had conducted genealogical research to verify her connection to the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq tribes but found no records of her tribal citizenship for any family members in the tribal databases accessed.

"Now, without any official documentation verifying the identity I was raised with, I do not think it is right for me to continue to claim to be a scholar of Mohawk / Mi'kmaq descent," she wrote last year.

Her announcement at the time led to a letter publicly calling on her to respond to a list of demands including acknowledging the harm she had caused, to stop identifying as a descendant of the tribes and come out as white, to name a few.

As part of her apology, Hoover acknowledged she had received resources that were intended for students of color.

"Before taking part in programs or funding opportunities that were identity-related or geared toward under-represented people I should have ensured that I was claimed in return by the communities I was claiming," she said in her statement. "By avoiding this inquiry, I have received academic fellowships, opportunities, and material benefits that I may not have received had I not been perceived as a Native scholar."
Speaker of the Republic of Armenia National Assembly (RA NA), Alen Simonyan, on Thursday met with the speaker of the parliament of Turkey, Mustafa Sentop. After their official meeting, the heads of the parliaments of the two countries had a 20-minute tete-a-tete talk, RA NA reported.

The RA NA President noted that Armenia shows constructive involvement in the normalization process of the relations with Turkey. Alen Simonyan said that within the framework of the normalization process of the relations between Armenia and Turkey certain achievements were succeeded to record.

The Head of the Parliament of Turkey underscored that his country, in the framework of the presidency of PABSEC, tries to be neutral with all member states, adding that at this moment there are also conflicts among the member states.

The RA NA President, reflecting with pain to closing of the airspace for the Armenian airline companies by Turkey, expressed hope that this meeting in its turn will promote the solution of the problem. In response to that, Mustafa Sentop mentioned that the opening of the Nemesis Fountain-Memorial in Yerevan is a sensible and painful issue, by which is conditioned the abovementioned ban. The RA NA President opposed that many reasons can be pointed out, because of which numerous processes stopped, but his visit also in this respect contains an impetus for advancing.

Alen Simonyan noted that Armenia highlights the opening of the Armenian-Turkish land border for the citizens of the third countries visiting Armenia and Turkey and for the persons with diplomatic passports. He expressed regret that he could not cross the land border with diplomatic passport for taking part in this event.

Despite the difference of the positions of Armenia and Turkey on a number of issues, we hope that this meeting will serve as a basis for establishing Armenian-Turkish parliamentary dialogue and forming necessary bases on providing its continuity, the Head of Parliament stated.

According to Mustafa Sentop, Turkey seeks to normalize the relations with Armenia. To his conviction, the possible urgent solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict benefits not only the parties to the conflict, but also to the whole region.

Alen Simonyan reaffirmed that the Armenian side is being led by the peace agenda and will not be deviated from that agenda. He documented that Armenia has no territorial claims against its neighbors, reaffirming that the goal of our country is the establishment of continuous and peace and stability in the region.

At the meeting reference was made to Turkey-Azerbaijan allied relations, within the framework of which the RA NA President stressed that the approaches of Baku are not constructive, and the latter acts from maximalist positions. Issues regarding the return of Armenian prisoners of war being held in Azerbaijan and the post-war situation were discussed.
Russia, Turkey, Iran, Syria FMs meeting to be held tomorrow in Moscow

Car crashes into bank branch in Yerevan

Brigadier General Alireza Sabahifard: Iran army has worlds top missile, radar systems

UK charge d'affaires in Armenia lays wreath at Eternal Flame at Victory Park in Yerevan

US ambassador to Armenia lays wreath at Eternal Flame in Yerevans Victory Park

Catholicos of All Armenians visits Victory Park in Yerevan

Tens of thousands of Karabakh residents came out to capital Stepanakert main square (PHOTOS)

Armenia opposition party leader does not believe that any document will be signed with Azerbaijan at this phase

Sudan clash civilian death toll reaches 604

European Commission chief: Russia sanctions 11th package focuses on cracking down on restrictions circumvention

City hall: Yerevan authorities have no intention of dismantling Operation Nemesis monument

Pakistan arrests former PM Khan

Hurriyet: Turkey presidential election will end with incumbent Erdogan's victory in 1st round

Karabakh ex-minister of state: Azerbaijan will not be able to remove Russian peacekeepers from here

Karabakh ex-state minister: There can be no question of reintegration in this way, this is reoccupation

Armenias Pashinyan in Moscow, attends Victory Day anniversary military parade (PHOTOS)

Armenia ex-President Robert Kocharyan: Impossible to defeat united, organized Armenian people

shamshyan.com: There are injured after drunken prosecutor causes major accident near Armenia government building

NO to the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh rally kicks off in Stepanakert

Putin: War unleashed against Russia again but we will ensure our security

Armenia official: Operation Nemesis monument removal demand should be viewed from Turkey internal politics too

Armenia ex-President Armen Sarkissian: Freedom and victory are not gifts but are obtained through will and effort

Armenia deputy FM: Brussels meeting will be followed by Moscow meeting in trilateral format

Karabakh President visits Stepanakert Memorial

Armenia Security Council secretary: We have no progress on most important issues in peace treaty talks with Azerbaijan

Russia ambassador to Armenia: Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh are resolving issues facing us

Armenia official: Normalization of relations with Turkey should be without preconditions

Sergey Kopyrkin: Russia takes its allied obligations towards Armenia very seriously

Armenia official: Not decided yet whether peace treaty with Azerbaijan will be signed under West or Russia auspices

Armenia Security Council head: There will be Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels

Armenia army General Staff chief: Situation at Azerbaijan border relatively stable

Armenia PM: Our greatest obligation to martyrs who gave their lives for Motherland is strengthening of our statehood

Armenia senior officials visiting Victory Park

Armenia ex-President Serzh Sargsyan: Under these circumstances it is only struggle that must be glorified

Karabakh President: Artsakh has been, is, shall be Armenian

European Council: Armenia, Azerbaijan leaders will meet in Brussels on May 14

US State Dept.: Armenia, Azerbaijan have agreed in principle to certain terms

Russian peacekeepers record 1 ceasefire violation in Karabakh

Baku demands from Armenia to immediately release convicted Azerbaijani soldiers

Statement of Artsakh Foreign Ministry on the Impending Environmental Disaster Provoked by Azerbaijan

Armenia PM arrives in Moscow on working visit (PHOTOS)

Deputy Foreign Ministers meet with French Ambassador

RA Deputy Foreign Ministers and Russian ambassador discussed relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan

RA Deputy Foreign Ministers and U.S. Ambassador touched upon the Mirzoyan-Bayramov negotiations

Dollar, euro gain value in Armenia

Ex-PM: There is Azerbaijani-Turkish demand that Armenia be deprived of army

Sarsang Reservoir of Karabakh virtually empty (PHOTOS)

One of 2 Azerbaijanis who crossed into Armenia is sentenced to 11 years, 6 months, 15 days in prison

FlyOne Armenia: Dubai air traffic controllers did not allow aircraft to enter Dubai airspace

airBaltic to resume Riga-Yerevan-Riga flights after 12-year break

Iran MFA spox: Azerbaijani diplomats expelled in response to expulsion of Iranian diplomats

Cavusoglu: We are discussing steps to be taken against Armenia with president of Turkey

Opposition MP: Karabakh is just gateway for Azerbaijan toward Armenia

5G technology network to be launched in Armenia

Number of tourists visiting Armenia up more than 80% in 2023 first quarter

Bayramov: Progress of preparation of peace treaty with Armenia not met expectations yet

Turkey FM announces possible Erdogan-Assad meeting this year

Armenia PM Pashinyan to head for Moscow on working visit

Tatoyan Foundation: Checkpoint is mean by which Azerbaijan isolates Karabakh from outside world (PHOTOS)

Ex-governor of Armenias Syunik: Russian peacekeepers went out on 5km section, Azerbaijanis came and drove into

US Embassy in Armenia on winning green card lottery: Scam alert

Armen Khachatryan: Azerbaijan has recognized Armenia territorial integrity

Armenia ruling force MP: Premier goes to Moscow regularly, yes, maybe he did, I don't know

Armenia government has no information about possible Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting

Yerevan-Dubai flight lands in Iran

Financial Times: Armenia, Azerbaijan to resume peace talks in Brussels

India tourist boat capsize incident death toll rises to 21

South Korea woman holds press conference with her 2-year-old

Car falls into ravine in Armenias Kotayk Province, child among injured

Passenger sent 1,000km from destination due to airport error

2 women tear Karabakh flag in downtown Yerevan (VIDEO)

Truck carrying Azerbaijanis overturns in Karabakh, there are dead

Serbia education minister resigns over school shooting

Kishida sympathizes with South Korean victims of Japanese occupation

Russian peacekeepers deliver over 30 tons of humanitarian cargo to Artsakh

LAS members to vote on Syrias return

British anti-monarchists released from custody

'Dangerous manoeuvres' of Russian jet around Polish plane

Accused in a Tbilisi Hotel arson case sent into forced treatment

Iran plans development of Aravandkenar oilfield

"Armenia" opposition party members visit Tavush Province

Kyrgyz President pays official visit to Russia

Suspected fire kills gold miners in Peru

Japan PM makes historic visit to South Korea

Sevastopol Governor: Attack of over ten drones repelled

Iranologist: Turkish regime is well aware of the importance of Nemesis monuments symbolism

Talks held in Baku by Russian peacekeepers yielded no results

Newly adopted Codes discussed in RA Parliament

Thailand votes a week before parliamentary election

Tehran commemorates Armenian Genocide victims

Congo floods: death toll hits 176

13-year-old boy hit by car

All units stopped at Zaporizhzhia NPP

Man hit by car dies in hospital

US F-16 fighter jet crashes in South Korea

Artsakh State Minister: Azerbaijan disrupts electricity supply from Armenia to Artsakh

Iranian destroyers equipped with missiles

Casualties after road accident in Armavir Province

Israeli raid kills two Palestinians in West Bank

Fastex Named General Broadcast Sponsor of Armenia at Eurovision 2023
Hraparak daily of the Republic of Armenia (RA) writes: On June 1, the summit of the European Political Community will take place in Chisinau, in which the leaders of the RA and Azerbaijan will also participate.

There is information that on that day, on the basis of the document discussed in Washington, the peace agreement, which is called the Agreement on the Normalization of Relations, may be signed [between Armenia and Azerbaijan].

The previous day, [Armenian PM] Pashinyan stated in the NA [(National Assembly)]: "If it happens, I will be very happy. It is not bad, but good news.

Meanwhile, those in the [ruling] CC [(Civil Contract) Party of Armenia] who realize to some extent what could happen are praying that no document will be signed after Washington, as it will start a new world battle, opening a new front in the US-Russia conflict, from which Armenia cannot emerge victorious.
Ambassador James Warlick, former US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, considers reaching a final agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan unrealistic at this phase, VOA Armenian Service reports.

According to him, there are many unresolved issues, including communication, refugees, borders, natural resource management, and several others. Ambassador Warlick emphasizes the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, stressing that it is impossible to achieve lasting peace without a settlement of this status issue that will satisfy the parties.

Warlick says he is not talking about independence for Nagorno-Karabakh. He does not believe that this matter is on the negotiating table, especially from Azerbaijan's point of view, but there could be some degree of self-determination that would be acceptable to Baku,

According to him, the recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan by Armenia has been a very difficult issue until now, which means accepting that Nagorno-Karabakh is a part of Azerbaijan. Today, Armenia is moving in that direction, and what kind of wording it will receive in the document is still unknown, says the diplomat.

According to him, Azerbaijan must show that there will be a certain level of self-determination in Nagorno-Karabakh so that it is acceptable for Armenia. Warlick considers the issue of the Lachin corridor, which should connect Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, to be an important issue as well.

No one expects Nagorno-Karabakh and its de facto authorities to simply give up what they have fought for in recent decades Warlick says. He believes there needs to be some recognition that there is a community in Nagorno-Karabakh and that they should have a status that Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agree to.

Another important issue of the negotiation process, according to Warlick, is the issue of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, and this issue is related to Russia's engagement.

The Russian-brokered ceasefire cannot be ignored because it is the basis of where we are today, says the former American co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. But is that the only basis, and does it somehow give Moscow leadership or privilege in future negotiations? Of course not, Warlick says.
Eight people were killed and at least 14 injured in Serbia's second mass shooting this week, BBC News reported.

The gunman fired an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle near a village 60km south of Belgrade.

The interior ministry said the suspectwho reportedly fled the scenewas arrested after "an extensive search."

A teenager killed nine at a Belgrade school on Wednesday, the worst shooting the country had seen in years.

On Friday morning, Serbian media said that special police forces had arrived at the villages of Mladenovac and Dubona, where the latest shooting occurred.

Photos from the scene show police officers stopping cars at checkpoints as they try to locate the gunman. A helicopter, drones and multiple police patrols also searched for the suspect in the area around Dubona.

Reports on local media say a 20-year-old man started firing at people with an automatic weapon after having an argument with a police officer in a park in Dubona on Thursday evening.

The man is then said to have proceeded to shoot people from a car, killing at least eight people and wounding many more.
The Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Armenia (RA) issued a positive conclusion for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report of the construction of the Aig-1 photovoltaic plant, a joint project of the Armenian National Interests Fund (ANIF) and Masdar, an Abu Dhabi based leading renewable energy company.

Conditional requirements for the positive conclusion include, for example:

Safeguarding the stipulated environmental requirements and measures during the implementation of the work.  Maintaining the permissible level of emitted dust and generated noise and vibrations defined by RA legislation.  Fulfillment of the design norms and environmental requirements stipulated in the EIA report, implementation of the planned social projects, etc.

According to the EIA report submitted by the contactor responsible for the implementation of the EIA works, EA Energy Advisory, the duration of the construction of the station will be 18-24 months.

During construction, there will be practically no hazardous materials generation, as the maintenance of vehicles and construction equipment will be performed at specialized stations.

The solar plant is planned to operate for 20 years (unless operations are extended). Post operation all temporary structures will be dismantled, the construction waste will be transferred to the landfill allocated by the community. Parts of the station where earthworks were carried out during the construction phase, including the area of the substation, will be restored with vegetation typical of the local climatic conditions.

After the construction work is completed, the construction camps must be dismantled and the landscape must be restored.

The 200 megawatt solar power plant Aig-1 will be built on the administrative land of Talin and Dashtadem communities of the Talin agglomerated community and will become the largest solar power plant in Armenia. It will provide more than half of the renewable energy share of Armenias planned renewable capacity envisioned for 2030. About 200 million US dollars will be invested in the construction of the station. The project is expected to start operations in 2025.
The decision to install the Operation Nemesis monument in Yerevan was made by the local government, and therefore this decision should not be considered as a manifestation of Armenia's foreign policy or as an unneighborly step. The speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, said this at a press conference in the Turkish capital, Ankara.

"I regret that the installation of the monument received such a reaction in Turkey. I have discussed this issue with my Turkish colleague as well. The decision to install the statue was made at the local self-government body. I don't want it to be perceived here as a manifestation of Armenia's foreign policy or an unneighborly step. The national foreign policy of Armenia is run by the prime minister and the foreign minister, and all of you are witnesses to the decisions at that level," said Simonyan.

According to him, we should realize that if desired, it is always possible to find reasons to worsen relations.

"But I am here to tell the Turkish society: Armenia is ready for peace and the normalization of relations [with Turkey] without preconditions. Armenia is absolutely sincere in its efforts to normalize relations [with Turkey]. If there is a political will, a decision to establish relations, we must realize that the [respective] road will not be easy. But, nonetheless, let's move forward. I hope the Turkish colleagues will also go forward, and we will use this historic opportunity, we will open a new page for us and the region," said Alen Simonyan.

As reported earlier, Turkey has banned, without prior notice, Armenian aircraft from using Turkish airspace when flying to other countries. Armenian aircrafts direct flights to Turkey, however, have not been prohibited.

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu explained the closure of the Turkish airspace by the opening of a monument in Yerevan to the members of Operation Nemesis.

The fountain-memorial dedicated to Operation Nemesis members, who coordinated the assassination of the Turkish ringleaders who carried out the Armenian Genocide, was unveiled on April 25 in downtown Yerevan.
Establishing peace in this region is impossible without Turkey. This was announced by the speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, during a press conference in Turkish capital Ankara.

He expressed hope that Turkey will take practical steps to establish peace in the region.

At the same time, Simonyan assured that Armenia has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan.

"We [i.e., Armenia] are ready and interested in signing a peace treaty [with Azerbaijan]. In terms of trade, we do not see any problems with the opening of the region. The movement of people and goods from Azerbaijan to Nakhichevan and Turkey can be carried out without hindrance; of course, taking into account the legislation and sovereignty of Armenia," said Simonyan.

He recalled that Armenia has always proposed and proposes Azerbaijan to simultaneously withdraw all the troops that are currently on the border.
The Second Eurasian Economic Forum will take place in Moscow on May 24-25, the Eurasian Economic Commission press service reports.

Discussions on the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) priorities, customs regulation, energy security, climate, integration, and some other matters will be on the agenda of this event.

The theme of this forum is "Eurasian Integration in a Multipolar World." Its objective is the further development of the economic cooperation of EAEU member countrieswhich includes Armenia, the formation of reliable connections between economic entities, and the achievement of a synergistic effect from the combination of investment and innovation potentials.

The event agenda includes a plenary session as well as panel sessions, too. In total, around 35 events are planned. They will be attended by the leaders of the member states, as well as the leaders and representatives of the state authorities of the EAEU countries.
Fifteen NGOs have issued a statement in support of the "Charjoum" movement, which is being prosecuted by the Azerbaijani embassy in France. The statement runs as follows:

May 11, at 09:30 in the morning, the first court session of the defamation suit filed against "Charjoum" by the Azerbaijani embassy in France will be held in the Paris Nanterre court. The Azerbaijani embassy accuses "Charjoum" of defamation for making publications on social networks about people who serve the interests of Aliyev's dictatorship in France. The movement is demanded to remove the publications and be charged with compensation for damages and expenses in the amount of 16,000 euros. According to the movement press release, the publications of "Charjoum" are based on published, verifiable sources, with the aim of informing the general public about Azerbaijani influence networks. "Charjoum" is a civil initiative of non-partisan French-Armenian activists, which has been engaged in raising the issues of Armenia and Artsakh in France for years, as well as in providing consistent support to people and communities affected by the Artsakh war since 2020. By prosecuting the "Charjoum" and its individual members, Azerbaijan is thus trying to silence criticism of the Azerbaijani regime and weaken the influence of the Armenian voice abroad through the French justice system. With such steps, Azerbaijan is trying to export Aliyev's anti-Armenian racist policy to Europe through its diplomatic representation. We, the undersigned representatives of the civil society of the Republic of Armenia, assess this as an application of pressure on the Armenian initiative by the Azerbaijani regime known for countless violations of freedom of speech and other fundamental human rights and freedoms. We condemn this persecution of our compatriots and support "Charjoum" in their struggle to reveal the crimes and corruption schemes of the Azerbaijani dictatorship. All supporters who share our position can join and sign the statement.

"Charjoum" official website: www.charjoum.org
The main disagreements concern Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), but not only that, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan stated, answering RFE/RL Armenian Services question in Prague as to what the issues are on which the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan remained in disagreement after their Washington negotiations.

"Although it was recorded in Prague and Sochi that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity, we are still unable to reach an agreement on the draft peace treatys wording that will give us confidence that Azerbaijan recognizes Armenia's 29,800 square kilometers," said the Armenian PM.

Pashinyan emphasized that there are misinterpretations in addressing the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and these misinterpretations are maintained.

"Next, any treaty, even the most unambiguously written ones, have misinterpretations. How these misinterpretations should be resolved is a very important issue; ultimately, the issue of guaranteeing peace after the signing of the peace treaty. Both the international mechanisms and the local one are taken into account, particularly in relation to the withdrawal of troops; should we not have a demilitarized zone? There are misinterpretations regarding addressing the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and they are maintained. Of course, there is a certain movement; if before the difference between the positions of the parties was 1 km, now it is 990 meters; it is a movement, but there is still a huge difference," the Armenian premier noted.

To the question as to which option is Armenia moving to suspend the issue of Artsakh and the Russian peacekeepers leave, or should the West provide security guarantees to the Armenians living in Artsakh, Pashinyan replied that Armenia was working on the option that the issue of security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh should be discussed at a Baku-Stepanakert dialogue platform, which should have a certain international engagement. "Otherwise, that topic and agenda can be simply forgotten by Azerbaijan," he added.

The Armenian PM stated that the discussion that started in Washington can be continued in Moscow, dismissing the claims that there are Western and Russian projects that differ from each other.

"Sometimes I read materials, listen to interviews. I want to understand what people are talking about. If I were not the prime minister, I would think that I don't know something," said Pashinyan, adding that there were approaches from the West, but not an option written on paper.

"The approach is verbal. And if we put it [down], read it on paper, it may turn out that we misunderstood, it's not like that. In August 2022, the Russian side submitted a written proposal, we accepted [it], Azerbaijan rejected [it]. We have not seen a process of Russia putting that option on the [negotiating] table for the second time," the Armenian PM noted.

And when asked if there was a similar attempt in Sochi, Pashinyan repeated his answer that Moscow has never made such an attempt.

"Whenever it [i.e., the Russian version] is put on the [negotiating] table, we are ready to move forward with it. But to what extent does the Russian Federation pursue this option?" added the Armenian premier.
Preparations are underway to open the Alican-Margara border gate between Turkey and Armenia. The Minister of National Defense of Turkey, Hulusi Akar, stated this in an article, entitled The Caucasus region: A unique opportunity for peace and reconciliation, published on TRT World.

According to Akar, the aforesaid border gate was used in February for the passage of Armenian aid and rescue workers to the earthquake zone of Turkey.

We are grateful to the people and the government of Armenia for extending their help during this challenging time, the Turkish defense minister added.

As per Akar, a peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia will also contribute to the full normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia.

We have already taken positive steps, including the appointment of special envoys and agreed to open shared border crossings for citizens of third countries and diplomats. Additionally, direct air cargo transit is another concrete result of initial diplomatic contacts, the Turkish official added.

The full normalisation of ties between Armenia and its neighbours Azerbaijan and Turkiye [Turkey)] will create new opportunities for all the people of the Caucasus region and, hopefully, reversing historical enmities, will pave the way for lasting friendship and cooperation, Akar wrote.
When Sandra Bourdon has her heart set on something, theres no stopping her. She applied to school through the QuestBridge National College Match program and only had one place on her list: Emory University. She had visited campus twice on high school field trips to the Michael C. Carlos Museum, but wasnt sure shed be able to attend due to her familys finances. When Bourdon was admitted with a full scholarship, she was ecstatic about the opportunities that Emory would hold for her as a human health major with a concentration in health care innovation, but she was also ready to help others.

Bourdon grew up in Warner Robins, Georgia, seeing her parents volunteer at church and cook for the sick and needy. She brought that spirit with her to Emory, creating a new preorientation program for incoming students, helping students access menstrual products, researching clean water initiatives in Guatemala and mentoring high school students. Her commitment to service on and off campus has earned her the 2023 undergraduate Marion L. Brittain Award, Emorys highest student honor.

The youngest of five children, Bourdon says she was the first to move so far from home for college. As a first-generation college student, she stayed in the Empowering First residential community on campus and still serves as a mentor to high schoolers through the Emory Pipeline Collaborative. She also found great support through her roommates Jonna Austin and Jissela Flores, with whom she has collaborated on many of her service projects.

First-gen students are less likely to ask for help because theyre used to doing things on their own, Bourdon says. Its good to feel like youre not alone. In our classes, it can be frustrating when people ask where youre going for spring break or summer vacation. Not everyone can afford to go on vacation or decide to go out to eat  its a weighted decision for some people.

When Bourdon came to Emory, the first place she found a sense of belonging was in the Office of Spiritual and Religious Life. She has served as president and secretary of the Voices of Inner Strength (VOIS) Gospel Choir. As a leader, she helped promote the VOIS Forever fund, which established a $100,000 endowment to secure the choirs future.

In his support letter for her Brittain Award nomination, VOIS director Maury Allums wrote, Sandra is one of the strongest student leaders that I have had the pleasure of supporting. ... Sandras involvement with Voices of Inner Strength has been nothing short of amazing.

With the support of Austin, Flores and others, Bourdon increased her leadership capacity in OSRL by co-creating the Welcoming Interfaith and Spiritual Exploration (WISE) Pre-Orientation Program. In WISE, incoming students talk about, and explore, different belief systems and spiritual pathways before their first semester. To develop WISE, Bourdon visited faith and religious centers throughout metro Atlanta; trained other students in OSRL to serve as peer mentors; and became the programs first student coordinator. Since fall 2021, WISE has welcomed 50 students and counting.

WISE sparks conversations and allows students to understand their peers better, Bourdon says. Its okay to have questions about your faith. All of the conversations are in the spirit of asking questions and being curious.

Outside of OSRL, Bourdon served as co-coordinator of the Menstrual Product Initiative (MPI), a partnership with Emorys Office of Health Promotion and Center for Women to provide free menstrual products to students in need. Through a BeWell grant, she helped provide up to three months of products, and her mother helped with packing and shipping during the COVID-19 quarantine. To date, the MPI team has helped more than 100 Emory students who are facing period poverty.

Bourdons service also extends beyond campus. In her sophomore year, she earned a coveted Field Scholar Award from the Emory Global Health Institute to study water cleanliness in Guatemala. Due to the pandemic, the work was remote, but she was still able to contribute ideas to a distribution plan for water-filtration systems throughout the country.

As she looks toward graduation, Bourdon knows that her impact at Emory will be felt long after she graduates. Her hope is for other students to discover ways in which they can serve, connect and improve the world around them  something she will continue doing in her next chapter.

While were waiting for policy to be addressed, I want to help as many people as I can, Bourdon says. I want to find a career that allows me to serve my community.
Employees at REI march to the store to announce their intention to file for a union election on March 31, 2023, in Chicago. (Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune)

Workers at REIs only Chicago location voted to unionize with the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union in an election held by the National Labor Relations Board on Thursday.

Employees of the outdoor goods retailers Chicago location said yes to the union in a vote of 41 to eight, with five ballots challenged, according to RWDSU spokesperson Chelsea Connor. The stores staff include employees who sell outdoor gear and apparel, handle inventory and repair gear, including bikes and skis.

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The 905 W. Eastman St. store is the fourth unionized REI in the country. Since the spring of 2022, REI staff have voted to unionize at stores in Manhattan, Berkeley, California, and Ohio.

In a statement, REI worker and organizing committee member Sarah Diefenbach said the vote was a win for the people who REI has unfairly fired, denied transfers and promotions to, denied the opportunity to flourish in the proper department to and so many other grievances.

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We the workers of REI Chicago in the neighborhood of Lincoln Park all deserve to be paid a living wage with consistent predictable hours for the expert advice we provide to the community and have a say in the day to day running of our store, Diefenbach said.

REI said in a statement that it believes in the right of every eligible employee to vote for or against union representation.

We fully supported our Lincoln Park employees through the vote process and we will continue to support our employees going forward as they begin to navigate the collective bargaining process, the company said.

In March, REI staff asked company management to voluntarily recognize their union, which REI declined to do. The workers then filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board.

REI employees rally after presenting terms to unionize to the store on March 31, 2023. (Shanna Madison / Chicago Tribune)

Since the Chicago filing, staff at REI locations in Boston, Durham, North Carolina, Bellingham, Washington, and Eugene, Oregon, have also filed for elections with the NLRB, seeking representation with the United Food and Commercial Workers.

RWDSU represents employees at the New York and Ohio stores, while workers at the Berkeley location are represented by the UFCW.

The unionized stores make up a small fraction of the companys approximately 180 locations across the country, but represent momentum within the labor movement to organize employees of retail giants such as Starbucks and Amazon.

In March, some staff members at the Chicago store said they were seeking a union in part because they previously tried to raise concerns about their working conditions to store management to no avail. Staff said they were particularly concerned by reduced hours for shop employees, which they said caused economic hardship for workers and left the store understaffed.

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REI employees also said they hoped to hold the company accountable to its progressive image. The consumer co-op has long emphasized its commitment to the environment and sustainability.

During union campaigns at other stores, RWDSU has accused REI of making every effort to union bust coast-to-coast. RWDSU and UFCW have filed unfair labor practice charges against REI regarding union campaigns in other states; those charges remain under investigation by the NLRB. No charges have been filed regarding the Chicago union campaign, Connor said.

No union campaigns have been announced at REIs other Chicago-area locations, which are in Northbrook, Oakbrook Terrace, Vernon Hills and Orland Park.
It is rewarding to be a successful clinician and care for sick people. But all doctors experience failure. One has to find gratification in the often imprecise and messy process of helping care for people who are suffering and in pain.

Ira Schwartz grew up as part of a Jewish family in New York City. I was one of those curious and annoying kids who was constantly asking questions. A city kid who liked being out in nature, he says. My mom was a kindergarten teacher, my dad was a first-generation college student  after being in the U.S. Army during World War II, he went to law school and became an attorney. Im not sure they understood my fascination with science and medicine, but they were always supportive of me wanting to become a doctor.

Schwartz may have become a doctor, but his career has also encompassed teaching. He is this years Exemplary Teacher of the Year recipient because of his impact in the classroom and beyond.

He earned his bachelors degree in biology from Union College in upstate New York during the Woodstock era, where he read voraciously and enjoyed mucking about in ponds and studying ecosystems in the field. When he first applied to medical school, he wasnt accepted in the U.S. Taken aback, he regrouped and decided to go to Universite Libre de Bruxelles (Free University of Brussels) in Belgium, where he went to medical school for two years (at $150 dollars a year!)  and improved his French.

Life is seldom a straight line. And if it is, its boring, Schwartz says.

When he reapplied in the States, he was accepted to Chicago Medical School, where he eventually decided to specialize in pediatrics.

I found pediatricians to be my kind of people, he says. I thought that I would enjoy  and learn to be competent at  taking care of sick kids, working with families, teaching children and parents about illness and wellness, and providing longitudinal care.

Schwartz completed his residency in pediatrics at Childrens Memorial Hospital at Northwestern University Medical Center, followed by a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Chicago.

After reading the essays Annals of Epidemiology in the New Yorker magazine, Schwartz became fascinated by the work of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). He applied to become one of the agencys disease detectives of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), and was accepted  but for the following summer.

During the gap year, he started working at a neonatal ICU. Then he saw an ad in the New York Times saying that doctors were needed for refugee relief work in Southeast Asia, so he applied to the International Rescue Committee.

That became the next stop on his nonlinear life journey.

This was in the 1980s, and I was at a refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border, he says. My first day, I treated a 16-year-old with a fractured ankle from stepping on a landmine. I knew that I wasnt in Chicago anymore.

When it was time for his EIS training to begin, Schwartz moved to Atlanta and spent three years working in malaria epidemiology for the CDCs Division of Parasitic Diseases.

We were seeing drug-resistant malaria in Africa, so I was assigned to work in Kenya, Tanzania and the Congo, putting my infectious diseases fellowship to good use.

He returned to Atlanta, married a lawyer and took a CDC position in Nairobi, Kenya.

Our daughter was born in Atlanta, our son was born in Nairobi, he says. We eventually decided to make Atlanta home; thats how I ended up at Emory. (The children are now grown; their daughter is an architect and their son is a filmmaker.)

In Atlanta, as around the globe, AIDS had become an epidemic and, over the course of a few years, Schwartz became at some level, an AIDS doctor.

He spent part of every week at Grady Hospitals Ponce Clinic in Atlanta, seeing children with HIV/AIDS. During that profound experience, he realized that true, impactful health care involves not only the patient but the family and the community  and not only clinicians but also scientists, researchers, health educators and even caring politicians.

After he came to Emory as faculty in 1991, teaching at the School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health, Schwartz excelled at connecting with and mentoring students.

When he received the Evangeline T. Papageorge Distinguished Teaching Award in 2013, the most prestigious award given to medical faculty, his student nominators wrote, Dr. Schwartz has been critical in our evolution throughout medical school and will undoubtedly continue to be a role model for all of us not only in our medical careers but for our lives in general.

Ira is an amazing teacherin the lecture hall, small group room or in his office, says his longtime colleague Bill Eley, executive associate dean of medical education and student affairs at Emory.

Today, Schwartz fills multiple roles at Emory: associate professor of family and preventive medicine, assistant professor of global health and behavioral sciences and health education, associate dean for medical education and student affairs, and dean of admissions for Emory School of Medicine.

We aspire to have a student body that reflects and respects the diversity of our society. Our faculty are intentional about educating our students with this goal: Emory medical school graduates are prepared to practice excellent medicine anywhere in the world, Schwartz says.

That goal could be Schwartzs reason for asking thousands of students an important question during his 15 years as director of admissions at the School of Medicine: Why do you want to be a doctor?

And yet, when reviewing his own career path, he admits, You have no idea where your life is taking you. None of my life story has been planned. I have had the privilege of connecting with many different people, forming relationships and taking advantage of extraordinary professional opportunities when they present themselves. Its the gift of a life in medicine.
What do a neuroscientist, a political analyst, an entrepreneur-veteran, a dynamic journalist, an entrepreneur-investor, a legal changemaker, and a pediatrician all have in common?

They will share their words of wisdom with University of Miami graduates during seven commencement ceremonies over three days, May 11-13, at the Watsco Center on the Coral Gables Campus.

The ceremonies will be livestreamed for virtual viewing from anywhere, enabling everyone to celebrate the accomplishments of more than 1,300 new doctorate and masters degree holders and more than 2,100 who have earned their baccalaureates. More than 400 law students and approximately 200 medical students also will be earning their J.D. and M.D. designations from the University.

The following information offers a short biography about each commencement speaker, along with the date, time, and lists of schools that each will address.

Thursday, May 11, 10 a.m.Amishi Jha, Ph.D., neuroscientist and professor of psychology in the Division of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Miami speaks to the graduate degree ceremony for the Graduate School; College of Arts and Sciences; College of Engineering; Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; Miller School of Medicine; and the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Jha is director of contemplative neuroscience for the Universitys Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, which she co-founded in 2010. In her laboratory, she uses functional MRI, electrophysiological recordings, and behavioral techniques to understand how attention works, why it sometimes fails us, and how it can be trained for greater focus and less distractibility.

With grants from the Department of Defense and several private foundations, Jha leads research on the neural bases of attention and the effects of mindfulness-based training programs on cognition, emotion, and resilience.

In 2008, she launched the first-ever study to offer mindfulness training to active-duty military service members as they prepared for deployment. What she discovered was that without intervention, soldiers attentional lapses increased. Yet, with mindfulness training, attention was strengthened and protected. Jhas studies have illuminated similar benefits among teachers, students, first responders, athletes, and others.

She earned a B.S. in biological psychology from the University of Michigan and a doctorate in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience from the University of California, Davis. Jha completed postdoctoral training in functional neuroimaging at the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center at Duke University.

In her recent national bestseller, Peak Mind: Find Your Focus, Own Your Attention, Invest 12 Minutes a Day, which has been translated into more than 12 languages and published worldwide, Jha shares her discoveries regarding how attention can be trained for optimal performance and well-being, allowing individuals to function at their peak.

Thursday, May 11, 3 p.m.Chuck Todd, NBC News political director and moderator of Meet the Press addresses the graduate degree ceremony for the Graduate School, School of Architecture, the Miami Herbert Business School, the School of Communication, the School of Education and Human Development, and the Frost School of Music.

Todd is NBC News political director and the moderator of the networks flagship public affairs program, Meet the Press, the longest-running show on television. As primary anchor for the networks prime-time political and election programming, he spearheads NBC News political coverage across its various platforms and programs, including NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt, Today, and NBC News NOW, the news organizations live streaming service.

Known for his encyclopedic knowledge, quick wit, and sharp analysis of every facet of the political scene, Todd ascended to his current role at Meet the Press in 2014, the same year he received an honorary degree from the University.

A Miami native, Todd has been an avid Miami Hurricanes fan since childhood. He was inducted into the Miami-Dade County Public Schools Alumni Hall of Fame in 2018. A talented French horn player, he earned a scholarship to study political science and music at George Washington University.

Since assuming the moderator chair at Meet the Press, Todd has brought the iconic program into the modern age by expanding to streaming, digital, and podcasting.

Todd is a five-time Emmy Award winner for his contributions to NBC News election night and breaking news coverage. In 2012 he was named The Most Powerful Journalist in Washington by GQ magazine. In addition to the University of Miami, he has received honorary doctorates from The George Washington University, Marymount University, and Marist College.

Friday, May 12, 8:30 a.m.Eric Golnick, chief executive officer for Forge Veteran and First Responder Health doles out words of wisdom at the undergraduate degree ceremony for the College of Arts and Sciences and Division of Continuing and International Education.

Golnick, a double alum of the University, is co-founder and executive vice president of Forge Health and CEO of Forge VFR (Veteran and First Responder). Founded in 2016, Forge Health is a national behavioral health company dedicated to providing high-quality, one-stop-shop care for substance abuse and mental health issues to individuals, families, and communities.

A centerpiece of the enterprise is Forge VFR, created by Golnick to improve the mental health and well-being of active-duty service members, veterans, first responders, and their families. Golnick, a Florida native, grew up in a military family where service was important. After graduating with honors from the University in 2009, he attended U.S. Navy Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a naval officer.

After leaving the Navy, Golnick returned to the University, enrolling in its Master of Arts in International Administration (MAIA) program. But he also was struggling with alcohol and substance abuse, problems that are endemic among veterans coping with the stress and trauma of their service experiences. Realizing he was in trouble, Golnick reached out to the Veterans Administration and found a therapist who understood military culture and gave him the help he needed to become sober. The challenges he faced in his treatment journey inspired Golnick to co-launch Forge Health with close friends Eric and Jon Frieman, who are brothers.

Now back in South Florida after many years away, Golnick has led the creation of multiple outpatient facilities in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. He currently participates in Governors Challenge to Prevent Suicide working groups in several states, as well as board leadership positions on multiple nonprofit veteran organizations.

Golnick will receive a Doctor of Humane Letters, honoris causa, during the morning ceremony.

Friday, May 12, 1 p.m.Alberto Ibarguen, president of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation will be the guest speaker at the undergraduate degree ceremony for the School of Architecture; the School of Communication; the School of Education and Human Development; the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science; the Frost School of Music; and the School of Nursing and Health Studies.

Ibarguen was named president and CEO of the Knight Foundation in 2005, at a time when social media platforms and emerging technologies were altering the news business and transforming the dissemination of information. Amid thousands of newspaper closings and a drastic drop in the number of employed journalists, he made it a top priority to restore the credibility and viability of journalism by seeding sustainable, digital business models for the delivery of news and supporting innovative ideas for delivering high-quality and reliable information.

Under his dynamic leadership, Knight Foundation expanded its support for the arts, investing about $214 million into the arts in Miami. Its support to a broad array of Miami cultural organizations and programs has played a vital role in transforming the city into an international cultural destination.

Ibarguen was the first Hispanic publisher of the Miami Herald. During his tenure, the daily newspaper won three Pulitzer Prizes and El Nuevo Herald won Spains Ortega y Gasset Prize for excellence in journalism.

He is a graduate of Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania law school. He has been awarded honorary degrees by the University of Miami, Wesleyan University, The George Washington University, and Arizona State University. For his work to protect journalists in Latin America, he was awarded the Maria Moors Cabot Citation by Columbia University, an honor once also bestowed on Knight Foundation founder John S. Knight.

Ibarguen recently announced that he will step down from the Knight Foundation after 18 years.

Friday, May 12, 5:30 p.m.Manuel D. Manny Medina, founder and managing partner of Medina Capital headlines the undergraduate degree ceremony for the Miami Herbert Business School and College of Engineering.

A highly successful entrepreneur and investor, Medina is the founder and managing partner of Medina Capital. The firms investments focus on early-stage innovators in the information technology infrastructure, cybersecurity, software, and data analytics sectors.

Miamis rapidly increasing prominence in the global technology ecosystem has been propelled in large part by Medinas longstanding belief in its potential as a major tech hub for the hemisphere and beyond. He is founder and chairman of the board of Technology Foundation of the Americas and its signature event, eMerge Americas, which anchors the annual Miami Tech Month. The event convenes business leaders, government officials, investors, entrepreneurs, and innovators from across the globe to showcase, discuss, and invest in the evolving technologies that are transforming modern life.

Previously, as founder, chairman of the board, and CEO of Terremark, a Miami-based global provider of managed IT infrastructure services for Fortune 500 companies and federal agencies, Medina helmed the creation of Miamis NAP (Network Access Point) of the Americas. The six-story, 750,000-square-foot data center and internet exchange point, constructed to withstand the vagaries of South Florida weather, is home to 160 network carriers. A pathway for data traffic from the Caribbean and South and Central America to more than 150 countries, the facility also serves as a relay for the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Telecommunications Service. Terremark was acquired by Verizon in 2011 for an enterprise value of $2 billion.

Medina earned a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from Florida Atlantic University and began his career as a certified public accountant at Price Waterhouse. He has received accolades from many business and community organizations for his leadership and community service, including the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerces annual Sand in my Shoes award, which recognizes an individuals outstanding achievements and contributions to South Florida.

Saturday, May 13, 10 a.m.Deborah Enix-Ross, president of the American Bar Association and senior advisor for the International Dispute Resolution Group of Debevoise & Plimpton will counsel graduates at the School of Law ceremony.

Enix-Ross, a double alumna of the University, is a changemaker who has used her intellect, compassion, and commitment to make the world more equitable and blaze trails in the legal profession. During her 41-year legal career, she has broken through numerous barriers to become one of the worlds top dispute resolution lawyers and legal leaders.

In 2022 she began her term as president of the American Bar Association (ABA), the world's largest voluntary association of lawyers, judges, and other legal professionals. As the second Black woman and the third School of Law alumna to lead the ABA, Enix-Ross is focusing her presidency on civics, civility, and collaborationthe Cornerstones of Democracy.

The first high school graduate in her family, Enix-Ross chose the University for her bachelors degree because of its elite journalism program, with the plan to combine her passions for writing and public speaking into one discipline. She took those talents to the School of Law, where Enix-Ross was encouraged to join the American Bar Association, an organization dedicated to enhancing the legal profession and to which she would be elected to lead decades later.

Enix-Ross joined Debevoise & Plimpton in 2002 and is now the senior advisor in its International Dispute Resolution Group. Previously, she was a senior legal officer with the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center in Geneva, Switzerland. She also was a director of international litigation with Price Waterhouse.

In fall 2022, the School of Law Alumni Association presented her with its Distinguished Alumna Award.

Saturday, May 13, 3 p.m.Dr. Jennifer Arnold, program director, Immersive Design Systems, at Boston Childrens Hospital, the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School is the honored guest at the Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine commencement ceremony.

Arnold, who has a rare type of dwarfism called spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia, Strudwick type, is a board-certified pediatrician and neonatologist. Her unique perspective on medicine has been shaped by the various ways she has engaged with the field: as a pediatric and adult patient, cancer survivor, mother, and doctor.

A native of Orlando, Arnold received her undergraduate degrees in biology and psychology from the University of Miami. She completed her medical degree at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 2000 and attended a pediatric residency program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh in 2003.

Arnold was a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral scholar at the University of Pittsburghs Safar Center for Resuscitative Medicine from 2006 to 2007. During her fellowship in neonatology at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Magee-Women's Hospital, she also pursued a Master of Science in medical education, graduating in 2009.

A founding director of the simulation centers at Texas Childrens Hospital, Arnold also worked at Johns Hopkins All Childrens Hospital. Since 2022, she has served as program director for the Immersive Design Systems at Boston Childrens Hospital, the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. She also hosts the hospitals Kids Health Podcast.

With her husband, Bill Klein, and their two children, Arnold was featured from 2009 to 2019 on TLCs The Little Couple, an unscripted program that provided a window into the familys personal and professional lives. The shows popularity helped to break down barriers and educate viewers about people with disabilities.

Arnold will receive a Doctor of Science, honoris causa, at the ceremony.
Joint Agreement Enables Students from the Mount to Enroll in NDMUs Fast-track Nursing Degree Program After Graduation

Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) and Mount St. Marys University are partnering to address the critical nursing shortage in the state and nationwide by making it easier for students at the Mount to enroll in NDMUs fast-track Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

NDMU President Marylou Yam and President Timothy Trainor from Mount St. Marys will participate in a ceremonial signing of the joint agreement Tuesday, April 25 at 10 a.m. on the NDMU campus in the University Academic Buildings Center for Caring with Technology.



The new partnership between the two universities enables Mount St. Marys students in the Bachelor of Science in Health Science, pre-nursing track, to enroll in Notre Dames accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) once they graduate. Eligible Mount St. Marys health science majors will be accepted into Notre Dames ABSN program, which can be completed in as few as 15 months.

I am pleased for Notre Dame of Maryland University to partner with Mount St. Marys University to deliver our accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing to students with a passion for healthcare, said Dr. Yam, president of Notre Dame of Maryland University. Notre Dames ABSN program and our collaborative agreement with Mount St. Marys will strengthen the pipeline for more professional registered nurses to provide life-saving and compassionate care to patients around Maryland and in the nation.

In our traditional health science/nursing dual degree programs, our students have chosen not to leave the Mount to complete their degree at another university, said Dr. Timothy Trainor, president of Mount St. Marys. Through this innovative program, students will complete their health science degree at the Mount before moving on to Notre Dame to earn an accelerated, second-degree Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Completing their nursing degree at Notre Dame also ensures that Mounties will continue to be educated in the Catholic intellectual tradition as they complete the coursework needed so they can join the ranks of nurses providing top-notch and compassionate care to patients.

Once accepted in Notre Dames ABSN program, students can choose the pathway that works best for them: either in person at NDMUs main Baltimore campus or the hybrid option with online instruction and in-person clinical experiences at Notre Dames ABSN Learning Site in Elkridge. Students gain technical nursing skills through direct care clinical placements with the regions most prestigious healthcare providers, as well as through simulation-based learning with life-like mannequins in on-site labs at Notre Dames main campus and Elkridge location.

Notre Dames ABSN program in Baltimore enrolls new students in May, and the Elkridge site accepts students for September, January and May.
SIUs Paul Simon Institute to host virtual discussion with trailblazing Peoria mayor

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill.  Rita Ali, the first woman and first Black mayor to lead Peoria, Illinois, is the next guest in the virtual Meet the Mayor series hosted by Paul Simon Public Policy Institute.

Ali will join John Shaw, institute director, for a virtual discussion at noon Friday, May 12. They will discuss Alis career in education, civic affairs and politics, along with her vision and policy agenda for her community. They will also explore her focus on workforce and diversity issues at Illinois Central College, her service on the Peoria City Council and her election as mayor.

Mayor Ali is a trailblazing mayor of one of our states iconic cities, said Shaw, who was born and raised in Peoria. We are eager to learn about her career journey and the daunting challenges and big opportunities that she is confronting in Peoria.

Ali is in her first term as Peorias mayor. She served two years on Peorias city council before she won the April 2021 mayoral election by 43 votes out of more than 16,500 cast. Prior to her election, Ali was vice president of workforce and diversity at Illinois Central College.

Ali earned a bachelors degree in human services management from the University of Illinois Springfield, a masters degree in education administration from Bradley University, an MBA from Walden University and a doctorate in organization and management from Capella University.

The online event is free and open to the public; registration is required at paulsimoninstitute.org/events. Attendees are encouraged to submit questions for Ali on their registration form or email them to paulsimoninstitute@siu.edu.

Meet the Mayor is a series of virtual conversations in which the institute hosts interviews with Illinois municipal leaders and discuss the challenges and opportunities they face. The institute also has a list of past speakers and events available for review.
The Dawki land port, which is located in the West Jaintia Hills district, is an important project of the Central government aimed at promoting trade, commerce and tourism between India and Bangladesh.

The corresponding land port in Bangladesh is Tamabil, located in Sylhet district.

The Dawki land port, which has been set up over 23 acres of land at a cost of Rs 83.38 crore, will serve as a vital trade and transportation hub between India and Bangladesh, facilitating the movement of goods, people, and vehicles from across the border.

Addressing the inaugural function, Rai said that the land port has been made keeping in mind the requirements of the two neighbouring countries, adding that the main aim is to bring together all the agencies and stakeholders under a single roof.

The inaugural function was also attended by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma, Chairman of Land Port Authority of Bangladesh Mohd Alamgir, and other senior officials of the Meghalaya government.

--IANS sc/arm

( 218 Words)

2023-05-04-23:00:04 (IANS)
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], May 5 (ANI/NewsVoir): Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd (Chola MS), the joint venture between Murugappa Group and Japan's Mitsui Sumitomo insurance group, has ended the financial year FY 2023 with gross written premium (GWP) of Rs 6200 Crore, a growth of 27.6 per cent (as against industry growth of 16.2 per cent). Chola MS, in its 20th year, registered a Profit Before Tax of Rs 264 Crores (Previous year: Rs 106 crores). Chola MS ended March 2023 with a net worth of Rs 2160 Crore and a solvency ratio of 2.01 times (regulatory minimum of 1.5 times). The Company has grown its investment corpus to Rs 14715 Crores and enjoys high multiples of investment corpus to net-worth and GWP. Sharing details about this growth story, V. Suryanarayanan, Managing Director, Chola MS, said, "We are humbled by this growth and we would like to thank our policyholders, business partners, reinsurers, shareholders and the regulators for their continued trust, support, encouragement and patronage. In FY 2023-24, Chola MS will continue to grow ahead of industry to step up on its present market share of 2.87 per cent amongst multi line players." "It would strengthen all its distribution channels and embrace new lines of business to meet market expectation. The company has set an aspiring goal of strengthening its digital offerings and is embarking on a journey of transforming its legacy systems and investing on data analytics which would profoundly change the way it engages with its customers and partners," added V Suryanarayanan. Chola MS has a market share of 5.3 per cent in motor line of business and 4.9 per cent market share in personal accident line of business. In fire line of business the company grew by 33 per cent. The company has strong and long standing bancassurance partnerships with government owned banks, private banks, small finance banks and rural banks. It also operates on most major automobile OEM insurance programs and has an agent / POSP network of 50,000+. Over the years, Chola MS has grown consistently to expand its physical presence in 26 states with over 600+ touch points, serving over 34 million customers. We have settled over half a million claims in FY23 across lines of business through its network of 14,500+ network garages & 11,000+ hospitals as we continue to uphold our brand promise - #pledge2protect. In line with its brand message 'Simple Hai', the company recently launched a mobile app - 'Chola MS' - a unified customer app serving all insurance and wellness needs. It has also adopted the use of Artificial Intelligence in its motor claims servicing through its SAHAI application for motor damage assessment and easy claims settlement. 94 per cent of motor claims settled through this application stands testimony to hassle-free claim settlement. The last two decades of success is a testimony of expertise cultivated, experience enhanced and servicing a loyal customer base. The company will continue to focus on profitable growth and looks forward to many more milestones. Chola MS General Insurance Company Limited, a joint venture between the Murugappa Group and Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Company Limited, Japan, began its operations in 2002. The company has grown consistently to expand its 26 states with over 600+ touch points, and a network of over 14,500 garages and 11,000 hospitals. The company has grown to record a Gross Written Premium (GWP) of Rs 6200 crore in FY'23, with a growth of 27.6 per cent over the corresponding period. Chola MS operates with a solvency ratio of over 2.01 times. (regulatory minimum of 1.5 times). A leading and respected player in the General Insurance space, Chola MS champions the philosophy known as T3 -Trust, Transparency and Technology. Driven by a promise the company has taken - #pledge2protect - 'customer centricity' forms the essence of the brand. Guided by the values and beliefs of the Murugappa Group, the Five Lights (Integrity, Passion, Quality, Respect and Responsibility), Chola MS has been consistently recognised and awarded by the Government of India, international entities and ratings agencies for its insurance service and delivery innovations. For more details, visit www.cholainsurance.com. Founded in 1900, the Rs 547 Billion (Rs 54,722 Crores) Murugappa Group is one of India's leading business conglomerates. The Group has 29 businesses including ten listed Companies traded in NSE & BSE. Headquartered in Chennai, the major Companies of the Group include Carborundum Universal Ltd., CG Power and Industrial Solutions Ltd., Cholamandalam Financial Holdings Ltd., Cholamandalam Investment and Finance Company Ltd., Cholamandalam MS General Insurance Company Ltd., Coromandel International Ltd., Coromandel Engineering Company Ltd., E.I.D. Parry (India) Ltd., Parry Agro Industries Ltd., Shanthi Gears Ltd., Tube Investments of India Ltd. and Wendt (India) Ltd. The Group holds leadership position in several product lines including Abrasives, Technical Ceramics, Electro Minerals, Auto Components & Systems, Power Conversion Equipment, Transformers & Reactors for the Power T&D segment, Solutions for Railways in Rolling Stock & Signalling Equipment, Bicycles, Fertilisers, Sugar, Tea and Spirulina (Nutraceuticals). The Group has forged strong alliances with leading international companies such as Groupe Chimique Tunisien, Foskor, Mitsui Sumitomo, Morgan Advanced Materials, Yanmar & Co. and Compagnie Des Phosphat De Gafsa (CPG). The Group has a wide geographical presence all over India and spanning 6 continents. Renowned brands like BSA, Hercules, Montra, Mach City, Ballmaster, Ajax, Rhodius, Parry's, Chola, Gromor, Shanthi Gears and Paramfos are from the Murugappa stable. The Group fosters an environment of professionalism and has a workforce of over 59,000 employees. For more details, visit www.murugappa.com. This story has been provided by NewsVoir. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/NewsVoir)
New Delhi [India], May 5 (ANI/SRV): The Analytics Society of India's Kolkata Chapter recently held a two-day conference at CII, Salt Lake, Kolkata, on April 28th and 29th, with the support of NSHM Knowledge Campus and Bhawanipore Education Society College. The event was inaugurated by Rajeev Kumar, Principal Secretary of Information Technology and Electronics, West Bengal, and attended by various dignitaries such as Prof Dinesh Kumar, IIM Bangalore, Prof Indranil Bose, IIM Ahmedabad, Ambarish Dasgupta, Senior Partner, Intueri Consulting LLP, Cecil Antony, Chief Mentor, NSHM Knowledge Campus, and Dr Suparna Dhar, the Chief Convener of the conference. The conference aimed to promote collaboration between academics and industry, where research meets industry. Over 40 speakers from esteemed institutions such as IIM Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore, IIM Calcutta, ISI, IIT Delhi, Liverpool Business School, IIEST, Jadavpur University, Calcutta University, IISER, IIFT, Amazon, Google, IBM, Wipro, TCS, RS Software, Business Brio, PwC, LnT, Adani group, Intueri Consulting, Achievex Solutions, Ingram Micro, Ananda Bazaar Patrika, NASSCOM, Neuropixel.ai, Kolkata Police, and the Information Technology Department shared their insights and expertise over the two days. The discussions spanned different aspects of analytics, ranging from fundamental statistical theories to the technological aspects of data management and analysis, and applications of analytics across industry sectors. The conference provided a platform for scholars and practitioners to present research papers. The abstracts of the research papers have been published in a book of abstracts with an ISBN 978-93-5895-845-4, while selected papers will be published in Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) by Springer, indexed in SCOPUS, SC Imago, DBLP, JST, etc. More than 300 participants attended the conference, and the discussions enriched the audience with many ideas and most importantly ignited their minds. "The conference was aimed to motivate students and young scholars to engage in quality research and impactful projects in analytics that will help build a strong analytics ecosystem in the region," said Prof Dinesh Kumar, IIM Bangalore. The conference marked the beginning of an analytics culture in the region, and the NSHM Institute of Computing & Analytics played a crucial role in organizing the event. The institute offers new-age classroom techniques to impart knowledge and provides hands-on and real-time experiences to its students through internships and academia-industry interfaces, making education more worthwhile. The institute has also collaborated with the Analytics Society of India at DCAL, IIM Bangalore to form the Analytics Society of India, Kolkata Chapter, which provides guided analytics learning, webinars, masterclasses, workshops, and certification for students and professionals. This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)
Gurugram (Haryana) [India], May 5 (ANI/PRNewswire): FlowerAura, India's online gifting giant, has introduced Hippo Video, a new feature allowing users to send personalized video messages and gifts. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK2D2chaCk8&ab_channel=FlowerAura Hippo Video offers a simple and user-friendly interface that makes recording and sending video messages easy. Users can record their messages on the payment confirmation page, track order page, or my order page, adding an extra touch of emotion and personality to their gifts. In a media conversation, Shrey Sehgal, Co-founder of FlowerAura said, "We're excited to bring this innovative feature to our users, and we hope it helps them connect with their loved ones in new and meaningful ways. The joy of receiving a gift increases to many fold when there are special video messages from the sender. The excitement of knowing what the gifter has to say is what makes this feature a top-notch in uplifting the whole experience. As an online gift portal, we are en-route to the highest customer satisfaction and unforgettable experience; this newly launched feature is part of that journey." But that's not all. Hippo Video is also secure and private. It uses end-to-end encryption and OTP verification to ensure that only the intended recipient can view the video message. A QR code is printed on the message card that the recipient can scan to access the video, and they will need to enter their details and receive an OTP on their mobile number before they can view it. Recipients will also receive video links on SMS and WhatsApp. With its user-friendly interface and integration, Hippo Video makes sending video messages with gifts easy and convenient. Hippo Video is an innovative and personalized way to convey your emotions to the fullest and send them along with gifts. FlowerAura is quite positive about the upcoming response from the customers and firmly believes that this feature will give more to both the gifter and the receiver. FA Gifts Pvt. Ltd. (FlowerAura), a pioneer of the gift industry, has flourished in the Indian & International market with its gift range (flowers, cakes, indoor plants, decor items, personalized gifts, combos) for the special moments that can't be put into words. Starting in 2010, under the entrepreneurship of Himanshu Chawla and Shrey Sehgal, the company launched its first FlowerAura store in the city of Gurgaon. Today, we lead the gifting market in more than 600+ cities to deliver a delightful experience for every customer out there. Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AK2D2chaCk8 This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PRNewswire)
Mysuru (Karnataka) [India], May 5 (ANI/BusinessWire India): TECHgium, the popular academia-industry engineering innovation hackathon hosted by L&T Technology Services (LTTS), concluded its sixth edition on Thursday. More than 31,000 students registered from 481 engineering institutes across the country in the annual technology competition held at LTTS' Mysore campus. TECHgium is India's largest innovation platform for engineering students with a prize money of INR 20 Lakhs with the top winner taking away INR 10 Lakhs. The two-day event focused on the themes of Sustainability, UAVs, medical diagnostics, compute vision, analytics, EVs and EV infrastructure, and wireless transmission. It aims at encouraging aspiring engineers to gain exposure to real-world problem statements and showcase their innovative ideas and solutions to address industry challenge statements. Participants went through a rigorous process that lasted 9 months during which students were mentored by technical and subject matter experts from LTTS. After multiple rounds of evaluation and ideation, leading to the evolution of proofs-of-concept (PoCs), the final 25 engineering teams were shortlisted. The finalists exhibited and presented their working prototypes to a jury comprising industry veterans, academicians, and analysts who then shortlisted the top 3 winners of TECHgium. This year's TECHgium saw the finalists presenting PoCs on a wide range of cutting-edge technologies, including bio-composite material using alginate, autonomous warehouse robots, plug-in kit for ready charging, X-Ray based artifact detection and removal, and early detection of muscle cramps using Electromyography, among others. Speaking about the 6th edition of TECHgium, Abhishek Sinha, Chief Operating Officer & Board Member of L&T Technology Services, said, "TECHgium provides an opportunity for aspiring young engineers to exchange ideas and collaborate. This year the event is all the more special since it was held at our Mysore campus, one of LTTS' oldest campuses and a hub for engineering innovation. It is encouraging to see the level of enthusiasm and creativity displayed by young engineering minds. LTTS is proud to play a role in shaping the future of the nation with such innovative and out-of-the-box thinking." The team from Vishwakarma Institute of Technology, Pune was declared the winners of the 6th edition of TECHgium 2023, for creating an Alginate based Bioplastic for food packaging application. The first runner-up was students from Sri Krishna College of Engineering and Technology, Coimbatore for developing a plug-in kit for ready charging, while students from IIT Guwahati were adjudged the second runner-up for their solution on Electro-mechanical charging device for TPMS. There was also a special jury prize awarded to Sri Ramakrishna Engineering College, Coimbatore for engineering an Autonomous Warehouse Robot. TECHgium has been a popular forum among students and faculty of engineering institutes across the country since its inception in 2016. For more information on TECHgium and future competitions, visit the official website at https://ltts.techgium.com/ This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/BusinessWire India)
The tourism minister was speaking after proclaiming that the recently-concluded Arabian Travel Market 2023 in Dubai was a success for the Goa Tourism delegation, which was led by the minister himself.

The minister said, "Our meetings with the CEOs (chief executive officers) of prominent airlines, tourism authorities, and hospitality groups were productive and focused on investment opportunities, airline connectivity, and knowledge-sharing. We are confident that these discussions will result in increased tourist inflow and greater cooperation between various stakeholders."

The delegation also included Shawn Mendes, OSD to the Minister; Suneel Anchipaka, Director of Tourism; and Pradeep Binnar, Assistant Director of the Department of Tourism.

During the event, the delegation had a series of high-level meetings with CEOs of prominent airlines, tourism authorities, hospitality groups, and destination management companies, according to a release from Arabian Travel Market Dubai.

The discussions were focused on exploring investment opportunities for infrastructure development in Goa and increasing tourist inflow by aligning with various airlines. The Minister also discussed the possibilities of promoting Goa through their flight and hotel packages.

The delegation also met with Issam Kazim, CEO of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) to exchange best practices, and investment opportunities, and to discuss the exchange of events and festivals.

The Minister also had productive meetings with the CEO of Yas Island - Miral destinations, the CEO of IHG Hospitality, Saudi Tourism Authority - Red Sea Global and Neom, and Fatima Al Sairafi, Tourism Minister, Government of Bahrain. (ANI)
Nancy Hernandez organizes colorful bags made from recycled materials from Guadalajara at Colores Mexicanos on North Michigan Avenue in Chicago on April 21, 2023. The new mural above Hernandez, titled Mexico del Norte, is by artist Robert Valadez. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Monarchs are the only butterfly species to make a two-way migration  back and forth from Mexico to as far north as Canada. Chicago muralist Robert Valadez, a third-generation Mexican American who paints monarch butterflies, said that unlike many people in Latin America who try to come to the United States, monarchs can cross the border freely.

Large bronze and yellow butterflies dot the top of his latest mural, Mexico del Norte, in the Colores Mexicanos store at 605 N. Michigan Ave. Valadez is a Chicago-born artist who has painted murals across the city for over 40 years.

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The mural, whose title translates to The Mexico of the North, was celebrated at an opening event at the store Friday. It is the centerpiece of the downtown store, which sells artisan Mexican goods. But it tells a larger story about generations of Mexican Americans who call Chicago home and the need for the city to pay homage to that heritage, Valadez said.

People shop near the Mexico del Norte mural by artist Robert Valadez at Colores Mexicanos in Chicago on April 21, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

The mural takes up the entire wall to the right upon entering Colores. Its a hodgepodge of symbols, combining a depiction of the Virgin of Guadalupe, Louis Sullivan buildings, Aztec tile patterns and stylized torch-like flowers based on Mexican bordado, or embroidery. The images pop out of a bright red background, with purple cross hatching in the shadows at the bottom.

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Its a little bit tacky, Valadez said. Theres a place for that.

Colores Mexicanos is run by sisters Leticia and Erika Espinosa, who immigrated to Chicago over a decade ago, and Gabriel Neely-Streit, who worked for years in Mexico. Neely-Streit met Leticia while she was working for Hoy, the Chicago Tribunes former Spanish newspaper. They started the store to bring centuries-old traditions to the Magnificent Mile for downtown crowds to admire.

We feel that everyone can learn something more about Mexico and its culture by coming here. Its a country that has over 60 native languages, over 300 dialects, Neely-Streit said.

Erika Espinosa used to sell goods from Mexico on a plastic table outside of stores and in parks around Chicago. Her table was different from others because her products were high-quality and authentic, her sister Leticia said. With the help of COVID-19 relief funds from the citys Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection and the Magnificent Mile Association, the Espinosa sisters and Neely-Streit opened their store on Black Friday in 2021.

They partner directly with dozens of families across 13 states of Mexico and Guatemala, Colombia and Peru to sell embroidered ponchos, hot chocolate, clay mugs, weavings, beadwork and more. They spend most of their time on WhatsApp, they said, reaching out to vendors. They also highlight local Latino artists, such as Valadez.

[ How the 1st Mexican cultural store in the Magnificent Mile highlights the economic power of immigrant community during mayoral trip to Mexico City ]

Valadez started painting murals as a student at Pilsens Benito Juarez Community Academy in 1979. He said the school commissioned two artists from outside the city to paint a wall in the gym, and the 16-year-old was fascinated by their artistic process. Hed never seen anything like it.

I just started hanging out a lot and they noticed I wouldnt leave, so they let me paint, he said.

Andrea Perez, of San Antonio, is reflected in a mirror while shopping at Colores Mexicanos on April 21, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

For Valadez, art is collaborative and organic. It should be taken seriously, but not too seriously. As a youth organizer at what was then known as the Casa Aztlan center in Pilsen, Valadez engaged the kids he worked with on mural projects. He brought in several other artists  Bill Campillon, John Vergara, Deyni Venta, Mateo Galvez  to help with Mexico de Norte.

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He said he gets his projects mostly by word-of-mouth and they range from church restorations to subcontracts with Italian companies.

One of his favorite projects is a mural in Sterling, Illinois, called Silver City. Set in the early part of the 20th century, it depicts silver boxcars in a field that Mexican Americans lived in because local city leaders didnt want them living in town. The Mexican Americans had spray painted the cars silver to reflect the sunlight.

Now, Valadez said, Mexican communities are living in the center of Chicago, and painting with vibrant colors.

They gave us a little spot, he said of the city and Colores Mexicanos location. Weve arrived. Were downtown.

People of Hispanic or Latino descent make up 28.7% of the population in Chicago, according to most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Rene Flores, sociology professor at the University of Chicago, said this population is diverse. The majority is from Mexico, but also from countries across Latin America. He said Chicagos strong tradition of Latino art and murals isnt reflected in its cultural institutions.

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Chicago itself prides itself in being an inclusive city and ethnic tapestry, but how do you reconcile that with this profound underrepresentation of Latino culture  the fact that the histories, that the traditions of Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, are typically not included in our city institutions? Flores said.

Were such an important part of the population here, Leticia Espinosa said in Spanish. And there really isnt much representation in downtown Chicago. There are a few restaurants, but thats it.

In the right corner of the mural is Millennium Parks beloved Bean, but instead of its normal shiny exterior, its painted brown.

Its a pinto bean, Valadez said. Its a Mexican peanut. El frijol is a Mexican bean.

The murals mishmash of modern and traditional art forms speaks to intergenerational communities of migrants in Chicago, Leticia Espinosa said. It depicts the heart and the depth of Mexican culture, she said, but honors the way Chicago has become a place of work, study and play for so many migrant families.

Day of the Dead figurines are on display beside the Mexico del Norte mural by artist Robert Valadez at Colores Mexicanos. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Belen Martinez, who works at Colores Mexicanos, is originally from Oaxaca, Mexico, but came to Chicago 23 years ago. She feels a lot of pride working downtown at one of the only stores that sells such products from Mexico, she said in Spanish.

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Oaxaca has a variety of culture, places. The food is different. The traditions are varied, she said. The store represents that. Its a little piece of Mexico.

Martinez said she loves the symbol of the monarch butterfly on the mural. She loves the fact that as the butterfly migrates, it always returns to the place it breeds. Its incredible, she said.

Martinez wishes she, too, had the ability to return home. She hasnt seen her family in Mexico since she moved here. She said she misses the food the most, especially mole. She had three children in Chicago.

I really hope we can someday return to visit, she said.

nsalzman@chicagotribune.com
Ed Sheeran was acquitted on Thursday (US East Coast Time) in the Manhattan federal court in New York City on a charge that he plagiarised the Marvin Gaye '70s hit 'Lets Get It On' for his own 'Thinking Out Loud', reports 'Variety'. The verdict that found him not liable for copyright infringement came after just a few hours of deliberation, adda 'Variety'. The jury had officially begun deliberations after closing arguments on Wednesday evening, although, as it was after 5 p.m., the judge held them just long enough for a get-acquainted session before sending them home for the night. U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton had sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: "Independent creation is a complete defence, no matter how similar that song is." Stanton's instructions, according to 'Variety', left a high bar in the jury's minds for just how much evidence the plaintiffs' attorneys needed to prove that Sheeran and his co-writer actually copied Gaye's 1973 song 'Let's Get It On' when they wrote the 2014 pop hit 'Thinking Out Loud'. Stanton told jurors, 'Variety' adds, that the lawyers for the heirs of Gaye's co-writer, Ed Townsend, needed to "prove by a preponderance of the evidence ... that Sheeran actually copied and wrongfully copied 'Let's Get It On'" -- as opposed to the coincidental, negligible similarities argued by Sheeran's attorneys. --IANS srb/ ( 243 Words) 2023-05-04-23:22:04 (IANS)
According to a new study from The University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business, job searchers who want to work for altruistic organisations may feel too guilty to ask for a raise. Both for-profit and nonprofit organizations increasingly employ what has been termed "social impact framing" that emphasizes that their work has welfare benefits for society. Although companies might have entirely noble intentions when using social impact framing, a recent study by Texas McCombs Assistant Professor of Management Insiya Hussain illustrates how it may work against prospective employees during salary negotiations. Specifically, job candidates exposed to such messaging feel it would be against company norms to ask for higher pay. "This speaks to a broader social phenomenon about how we view money when it comes to doing good," Hussain said. "There's an implicit assumption that money and altruism don't mix. Money taints attempts to do good. Even if job candidates might not necessarily subscribe to this view, they're assuming that hiring managers will." The research is online in advance in Organization Science. Hussain and co-authors Marko Pitesa and Michael Schaerer of Singapore Management University and Stefan Thau of INSEAD found that job candidates who were exposed to social impact framing refrained from negotiating for higher salaries because they felt uncomfortable with that "ask." They were concerned that asking for a greater material reward when an organization emphasized altruistic goals would be seen as inappropriate by those with hiring power, and they might thus be viewed unfavorably. The researchers describe this attitude as a "self-censoring" effect, which Hussain said is a novel finding for research on social impact framing and wage demands. Prior work assumed that candidates sacrificed pay for meaningful work. Hussain and colleagues show this effect may be driven by job candidates feeling uncomfortable with such negotiation. Whether companies are intentionally using social impact framing to suppress pay is unclear. But, regardless, the researchers suggest managers should be aware of what it may be costing the company in terms of human resources. They suggest that if managers are educated about their motivation purity bias, they can better temper their approach to prospective employees who ask about material rewards. They also recommend managers create greater transparency about company norms and values regarding compensation, and that they offer job rewards based on objective criteria instead of salary negotiations. "Job seekers could consider whether companies that stress social impact take care of their own employees -- financially or otherwise," Hussain said. "And companies shouldn't assume that extrinsically motivated workers don't care about the job and aren't willing to work hard to perform well." (ANI)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday said it recently conducted searches at six premises in Thrissur, Kerala, belonging to Manappuram Finance Limited and its Managing Director V.P. Nandakumar and froze Rs 143 crore lying in various accounts. The searches were conducted as part of an investigation under the PMLA into the allegations of money laundering from the illegal collection of deposits from the public. The ED searches resulted in the detection of evidence regarding money laundering and large scale cash transactions in the form of public deposits, done by Nandakumar through his proprietary firm, Manappuram Agro Farms (MAGRO) without RBI approval. The deposits were illegally collected by him at various branch offices of MFL which is a Public Listed Company, through some of its employees. "The outstanding illegally collected deposits which is the Proceeds of the Crime have been detected to be Rs 143 Crore. When RBI detected the same and directed to return the amount to the depositors, the accused have responded to RBI that they have returned the money to the depositors but the ED investigation revealed that there is no proof of repayment or no KYC of the depositors," the ED said. The ED said that Rs 53 Crore of deposits are shown to have been returned in cash, but with no proof of repayment or KYC. During the course of searches, it was found that the proceeds of crime have been diverted and invested by Nandakumar into immovable properties in his name, and the names of his spouse and children and in the shares of MFL. "Hence ED has freezed the assets of Nandakumar totalling to Rs 143 Crore. The assets freezed includes 8 bank accounts, investment in listed shares and shares of Manappuram Finance Limited. In addition, various incriminating documents evidencing money laundering and property documents of 60 immovable properties were also seized during the course of search for further investigation," the official said. The role of the CFO of Manappuram Finance Limited and other employees, suspected to have assisted in the offence of money laundering, is being investigated. --IANS atk/bg ( 359 Words) 2023-05-04-20:20:06 (IANS)
In what is viewed as a softening of stance, the Maharashtra government on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that it will immediately withdraw prohibitory orders against 8 activists banning their entry to the villages where the proposed Ratnagiri Refinery & Petrochemicals Ltd project is being planned. By two orders of April 22 and April 25, the state government had barred the 8 activists from entering their villages till May 31 and also restricting them from social media posts against the proposed Rs 3 lakh crore RRPL project to come up with Arab help. The activists are Amol Bole, Nitin Jathar, Pandurang Joshi, Vaibhav Kolvankar, Eknath Joshi, Kamlakar Gurav, Narendra Joshi and Satish Bane, all residents of the villages that are strongly opposing the project with support of hundreds of other villagers and farmers since the past 10 days after the soil-strata testing started there. "The state government informed Justice Revati Mohit-Dere and Justice Sharmila Deshmukh that it will withdraw the orders immediately and the court disposed of the petition accordingly," said their lawyer Vijay Hiremath. The 8 activists had filed their joint plea on April 29, challenging the state orders, on various points, how their rights were affected and other grounds. At least six villages in Rajapur taluka are likely to be hit by the proposed mega-project, which will be barely 8 kms away from another giant, the proposed Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project that is also facing local opposition. Incidentally, the government's move came just two days before ex-Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is expected to visit the protesting villages on Saturday, meet and understand their problems. --IANS qn/vd ( 282 Words) 2023-05-04-20:24:02 (IANS)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over violence in the northeastern state. Manipur government has issued shoot at sight orders in "extreme cases" to deal with the law and order situation. Internet services continue to remain suspended in the wake of the violence that broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday. Amit Shah held two video-conference meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Union Home Secretary, Director IB and other concerned officials in the state as well as the Centre, sources said. Shah also spoke with the Chief Ministers of the neighbouring states of Manipur. Sources said several companies of BSF, CRPF and Assam Rifles along with the Army was deployed in the state and there will be more deployment of security forces. Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony in the state. "I am very pained with the violent incidents in Manipur over the past two days. I appeal to the people to maintain peace, tranquillity and harmony I appeal to the people to not take part in any violence or arson activity, and not to pay heed to any rumours. The people should bring up their concerns to the government and cooperate with the authorities. I pay condolence to those who died in the violence, and wish for the recovery of those injured," she said. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called for an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from Meghalaya. In the meeting attended by senior government officials, the CM highlighted that the safety of all students must be ensured. He also directed the officials to come up with a plan for the evacuation of students if the situation arises. Sangma said that over 200 residents of Meghalaya are studying in Manipur and that the government is putting in place a helpline number for students or family members to reach out to in case of emergencies. Biren Singh had a telephonic conversation with his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged him to appeal for peace in the wake of the recent violence. Mizoram Chief Minister's Office (CMO) sources told ANI that the two CMs spoke for more than 45 minutes on the violent situation in the state of Manipur. Urging people to maintain peace, N Biren Singh said, "Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate." He said the violence was the result of "misunderstanding" in the society. "The state government is taking all steps to maintain the law and order situation and additional paramilitary forces have been requisitioned to protect the lives and properties of the people. Central and state forces have been directed to take strong action against individuals and groups who are indulging in violence," he said. Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio informed about helpline numbers for the people from Nagaland in Manipur and Imphal City. "State Police Control Room: 0370 2242511, Fax: 0370 2242512, Whatsapp: 08794833041, Email: spcrkohima@gmail.com, NSDMA: 0370 2381122/ 2291123," he stated in a tweet. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the State government has suspended mobile internet in the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the State. In view of the situation, curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that he is deeply concerned about Manipur's rapidly deteriorating law and order situation. "Deeply concerned about Manipur's rapidly deteriorating law and order situation. The Prime Minister must focus on restoring peace and normalcy. I urge the people of Manipur to stay calm," he said in a tweet. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the BJP for the situation in Manipur. West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also expressed her concern over the situation. "I am deeply concerned about the situation in Manipur. It is not the time for politics. Politics and elections can wait but our beautiful state Manipur has to be protected first. Thus I urge the Prime Minister and Home Minister to first take care of Manipur, restore peace there. I also urge our brothers and sisters of Manipur to stay calm, uphold peace and harmony. If we burn humanity today then we will seize to be a human tomorrow," she said in a tweet. Sources said two issues have led to the present situation in Manipur including Biren Singh's move to protect the reserved forests that faces resistance from illegal immigrants and drug cartels. Also, the Manipur High Court's recent direction to the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in list of Scheduled Tribes has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are already in the category, sources told ANI. Last week, an open gym, which was supposed to be inaugurated by CM Biren Singh in Churachandpur, was torched by some miscreants. Following the incident, additional state forces were deployed to maintain law and order in the district. The recent steps taken up by the N Biren Singh government in Manipur to protect the reserve and protected forests in the State have faced major resistance from a section of tribal communities. Sources said there has been massive deforestation in the state due to poppy plantations and this has been happening for the last 15-20 years.The poppy plantations are known to have grown exponentially allegedly due to the huge influx of illegal migrants from Myanmar.Sources said steps have been taken up to identify the illegal immigrants in the state to counter anti-national elements.A sub-committee has been formed to carry out identification drives of illegal migrants in the various districts, the sources said, adding that Manipur Population Commission has been constituted to gather data and ground reports.The state government is also setting up temporary shelters for Myanmar nationals who have entered the state. (ANI) As far as the current situation is concerned, two issues in the State have led to the situation. First, chief minister Biren Singh's move to protect the forest faces resistance from illegal Immigrants and drug cartels, and the second is linked to the Manipur High Court's recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe category which has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST. Thousands of tribals -- who make up about 40 per cent of the state's population -- joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status for the Meitei. (ANI)
Expressing concern over violence-hit Manipur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to restore peace there. "I am deeply concerned about the situation in Manipur. It is not the time for politics. Politics and elections can wait but our beautiful state Manipur has to be protected first. Thus I urge the Prime Minister and Home Minister to first take care of Manipur, and restore peace there. I also urge our brothers and sisters of Manipur to stay calm, uphold peace and harmony. If we burn humanity today then we will seize to be a human tomorrow," tweeted Mamata Banerjee. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over violence in the northeastern state. Manipur government has issued shoot-at-sight orders in "extreme cases" to deal with the law and order situation. Internet services continue to remain suspended in the wake of the violence that broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the State government has suspended mobile internet in the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the State. In view of the situation, curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts. Following the incident, additional state forces were deployed to maintain law and order in the district. Sources said steps have been taken up to identify the illegal immigrants in the state to counter anti-national elements. A sub-committee has been formed to carry out identification drives of illegal migrants in the various districts, the sources said, adding that Manipur Population Commission has been constituted to gather data and ground reports. The state government is also setting up temporary shelters for Myanmar nationals who have entered the state. (ANI)
The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to entertain a plea challenging the validity of the provision mandating "blanket and automatic" disqualification of legislators upon conviction and sentence. Counsel for petitioner Aabha Muralidharan, contended before Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud that the provision restrains a lawmaker from freely discharging the duties cast upon him/her by the voters of the constituency. The bench, also comprising Justices P.S. Narasimha and J.B. Pardiwala, told counsel that the court is not inclined to entertain the petition and "let the aggrieved party come before us". The bench asked the counsel, "How are you as an individual affected? When you are disqualified due to the provision, then we can look into it" and asked the lawyer to either withdraw your petition or it will dismiss it. The plea prayed that automatic disqualification under Section 8A(3) of the Representation of People Act, 1951, should be declared as ultra vires of the Constitution, for being arbitrary, illegal, and violative of fundamental right to equality. The petitioner, a social worker from Kerala's Malappuram, sought a direction that automatic disqualification did not exist under Section 8A(3) of the Act, while citing Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as an MP by the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The plea said: "The grounds for disqualification ought to be specific with the nature of offences as specified under the Code for Criminal Procedure and not in a blanket form, as is currently in force under Section 8(3) of the RP Act". The plea contended that interpretation provided by the apex court in Lily Thomas case (2013) requires re-examination, to the effect of adjudicating the provisions of disqualification under Chapter III of the Act. "The operations of Lily Thomas case are being blatantly misused for wreaking personal vengeance against the political parties," said the plea. "If the offence under SectionA499 and 500 of the IPC, which just technically has a maximum punishment of 2 years is not removed singularly from the sweeping effect of the judgement in Lily Thomas, it will have a chilling effect on the right of representation of the citizens." --IANS ss/vd A A ( 368 Words) 2023-05-04-22:38:02 (IANS)
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday submitted a supplementary charge sheet before the Rouse Avenue Court in the national capital in connection with the alleged multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal, in which the central agency cited Trinamool Congress strongman Anubrata Mondal as a beneficiary to the tune of Rs 48 crore from the alleged scam. Besides Mondal, his daughter Sukanya Mondal has also been named in the supplementary charge sheet, sources said. Both Mondal and his daughter are currently in judicial custody in Tihar Jail for their reported involvement in the alleged cattle smuggling scam. The third name in the supplementary charge sheet is that of Manish Kothari, the chartered accountant of Mondal. Sources said that the charge sheet refers to two companies christened Neer Developer Pvt Ltd and ANM Agrochem Foods, where Sukanya Mondal is one of the directors, and Bhole Bholebam Rice Mill, where she is a partner. Though not mentioned in the charge sheet, sources said that the ED has traced multiple cash deposits at frequent intervals in amounts slightly less than Rs 50,000 in the different bank accounts held by Sukanya Mondal. The sources said the investigating officers believe that the transactions in amounts ranging from Rs 45,000 to Rs 49,500 were made deliberately to avoid mentioning the Permanent Account Number (PAN) in the deposit slips. As per banking rules, mentioning PAN in the deposit slips is mandatory in case of cash deposits of Rs 50,000 and above. Earlier on Thursday, Anubrata Mondal's wish to return to a prison in West Bengal from the Tihar Jail in the national capital was nipped in the bud after the Rouse Avenue Court turned out his plea on this count. --IANS src/arm ( 302 Words) 2023-05-04-22:40:02 (IANS)
Following the disruption of law and order in Manipur after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts, the Indian Army urged the citizens to rely only on content through official and verified sources. This comes after the Indian Army cautioned about several fake videos on the security situation in Manipur were being circulated. "Fake videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of the attack on Assam Rifles post are being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. Indian Army requests all to rely on content through official and verified sources only," tweeted SpearCorps.IndianArmy. https://twitter.com/Spearcorps/status/1654138180436897797?s=20 Earlier on May 4, internet services were suspended in the state amid tension over the move to protect forests in the face of resistance from illegal immigrants and also the High Court. The Manipur government issued a statement stating, "Internet services suspended in Manipur for five days amid incidents of fighting among youths, and volunteers of different communities as a rally was organised by All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur in protest against the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the ST category." Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over violence in the northeastern state. Shah also spoke with the Chief Ministers of the neighbouring states of Manipur. Sources said several companies of BSF, CRPF and Assam Rifles along with the Army were deployed in the state and there will be more deployment of security forces. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the State government has suspended mobile internet in the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the State. In view of the situation, curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts. Sources said steps have been taken up to identify the illegal immigrants in the state to counter anti-national elements. A sub-committee has been formed to carry out identification drives of illegal migrants in the various districts, the sources said, adding that Manipur Population Commission has been constituted to gather data and ground reports. The state government is also setting up temporary shelters for Myanmar nationals who have entered the state. Thousands of tribals -- who make up about 40 per cent of the state's population -- joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status for the Meitei. (ANI)
"A total of 130 people were arrested with fake voter cards, including a total of 60 women and 70 men," said SP, Sambhal.

According to officials, a total of five cases have been registered and legal action is being taken against the accused.

"Legal action is being taken against them by registering a total of five cases under section 419/420 at five police stations," said SP, Sambhal.

Further investigation is underway and details are awaited.

Earlier on Thursday, voting in 37 districts of 9 divisions and 10 municipal corporations took place. In 10 municipal corporations, voting will be held in 830 wards, 9,699 polling places and 2,658 polling stations are set up in Municipal Corporations.

According to officials, in the UP urban body elections, 2 crores 40 lakhs voters will use their right to vote to choose/elect 10 mayors, 820 councillors, 103 municipal council presidents, 2740 member municipal councils, 275 presidents including 3645 municipal council members in the 37 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

The first phase of voting was held in 37 districts Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Mainpuri, Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Hardoi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Jaunpur of 9 divisions of Uttar Pradesh i.e. Saharanpur, Moradabad, Agra, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Devipatan, Gorakhpur and Varanasi.

In 10 municipal corporations, voting will be held in 830 wards, 9699 polling places and 2658 polling stations are set up in Municipal Corporations.

There are 6303542 male and 5362151 female voters in Municipal Corporation.

The polling for the second phase will take place on May 11 to elect representatives for the posts across 760 local bodies in the state. The counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks to journalists during a press conference about the Global WHO on World Health Day and the 75th anniversary at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. (FABRICE COFFRINI/Getty Images North America/TNS)

The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide.

WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasnt come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The U.N. health agency says that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.

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Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, he said, adding he wouldnt hesitate to reconvene experts to reassess the situation should COVID-19 put our world in peril.

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Tedros said the pandemic had been on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries have already returned to life before COVID-19. He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, saying the virus had shattered businesses and plunged millions into poverty.

COVID has changed our world and it has changed us, he said, warning that the risk of new variants still remained.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadnt yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped many of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems he described as ill-prepared.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

WHO made its decision to lower its highest level of alert on Friday, after convening an expert group on Thursday. The U.N. agency doesnt declare pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway.

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WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the worlds response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded. In January 2020, WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the countrys lack of cooperation.

WHO also recommended against members of the public wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHOs reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agencys lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure by failing to share shots with poor countries.

Most recently, WHO has been struggling to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavour that has also become politically fraught.

After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as extremely unlikely.

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But the U.N. agency backtracked the following year, saying key pieces of data were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab.

A panel commissioned by WHO to review its performance criticized China and other countries for not moving quicker to stop the virus and said the organization was constrained both by its limited finances and inability to compel countries to act.
"Unaccounted cash of Rs 4,04,94,500 seized from a house and a car in Zion Hills by KGF Police under the direct supervision of SP Dr Dharani Devi," police said.

"It is believed that the money was kept allegedly to distribute among the voters," they said.

Further investigation is underway, the police added.

On April 14, the Bengaluru police caught two men with Rs 1 crore unaccounted cash in an auto-rickshaw near the city market.

The duo who were caught with the cash of two bags in an auto rickshaw has been identified as Suresh and Praveen.

When the police asked the duo to produce the documents related to the cash they failed to do so.

"Both didn't have any documents related to money," police said.

Similarly, on April 6, a total of Rs 50 lakhs of unaccounted cash was seized during from a car at Dundur check post in Gadag district.

Due to the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place in which moving a large sum of cash without proper documents is not permitted.

The Karnataka assembly elections will be held in a single phase on May 10, with the counting of votes scheduled on May 13. (ANI)
An Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter on an operational mission crashed while making a 'precautionary landing' on the banks of Marua River in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar, officials said on Thursday.

As per the statement, there were two pilots and a technician on board. The condition of two injured pilots was reported to be stable.

"#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & All Ranks #Northern Command offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during Operational flying of ALH MK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family," the official Twitter account of Northern Command of the Indian Army posted.

The pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a 'precautionary landing' at about 11.15 hours on May 4.

"Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing", the Army statement read.

The deceased aviation technician along with two pilots was rushed to the command hospital in Udhampur but succumbed to injuries.

According to officials, the Army ALH Dhruv Helicopter crashed near Machhna village in the Marwah area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar at around 11:45 AM. Following the crash, immediate rescue operations were launched by Army rescue teams who reached the site.

"Two pilots and a technician were on board. All three injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur," according to the statement.

A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the cause of the crash. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled all his programmes for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka in the wake of clashes reported in parts of Manipur, sources said. According to the sources, Shah who is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur, is expected to continue to hold meetings with authorities in the state, about the prevailing scene and measures being taken to restore normalcy. On Thursday, Shah called off all his election-bound meetings, and held multiple meetings via video conferencing and also spoke to chief ministers of the north-east states on maintaining law and order situation. "The Union Home Minister Shah had discussion late at night with Manipur CM N Biren Singh and other top officials in view of the situation in state," sources added. Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings via video-conferencing and spoke with the CMs of Manipur and neighbouring states including that of Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam in view of the situation in Manipur. Moreover, keep the situation in control, the central paramilitary forces were rushed to Manipur. According to sources, there was a speculation that Shah could visit the violence-hit state, but the speculations were turned down by the party leaders, who said that as of now, he will be monitoring the situation from Delhi. Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches were also taken out to keep the situation under control. Violence broke out on May 3, during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category. This prompted the state government to issue prohibitory order and suspend internet services across the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state. The Army asked people to be careful about rumours and fake videos. "Fake Videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of an attack on Assam Rifles post being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. #IndianArmy requests all to rely on content through official & verified sources only," the Spear Corps, Indian Army said in a tweet. A day after this, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from the state after violence reported in Manipur. (ANI)
Tripura government has opened helpline numbers for providing support to residents of Tripura in the backdrop of violence in Manipur. "Government of Tripura has opened the following helpline numbers for providing support on a 24x7 basis to the residents of Tripura with respect to disturbance in Manipur," tweeted Tripura chief minister Manik Saha. Meanwhile, the Arunachal Pradesh government has also constituted a coordination committee for the safe evacuation of our students from Manipur. "Government of Arunachal Pradesh is in touch with the Government of Manipur and our students to ensure their well-being. A coordination committee under the supervision of Commissioner CMO is also constituted for the safe evacuation of our students from Manipur," Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu tweeted. Moreover, Nagaland chief minster Neiphiu Rio on Thursday informed about helpline numbers for the people from Nagaland in Manipur and Imphal City. "State Police Control Room: 0370 2242511, Fax: 0370 2242512, Whatsapp: 08794833041, Email: spcrkohima@gmail.com, NSDMA: 0370 2381122/ 2291123," he stated in a tweet. Earlier on Thursday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from Meghalaya following reports of violence in Manipur. In the meeting attended by senior government officials, the CM highlighted that the safety of all students must be ensured. He also directed the officials to come up with a plan for the evacuation of students if the situation arises. Sangma said that over 200 residents of Meghalaya are studying in Manipur and that the Government is putting in place a helpline for students or family members to reach out to in case of emergencies. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state. (ANI)
Kerala High Court on Friday refused to issue a stay order on the release of the film 'The Kerala Story'. Asserting that secular Kerala society will accept the film for what it is, the High Court today asked petitioners how the movie, which it observed is fiction and not history, would creates sectarianism and conflict in the society?. The court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society. "Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer?," the court observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film. "So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in the society?" the court observed. The petitioners argued that the film would inject poison into the minds of innocent people. The petitioners argued that no agency has yet detected the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala. A Division bench comprising of Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Mohammed Nias CP has considered the matter. Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie. 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description. (ANI)
Ahead of assembly elections, Karnataka Congress party on Friday released a 'corruption rate card' depicting various 'scandals' of ruling BJP government in the state, including '40 per cent commission' charge by state contractors. While releasing the corruption rate card in both English and Kannada, Karnataka Congress party leaders alleged that the ruling BJP govt in state has "looted" Rs 1,50,000 crore in the last four years. "The cost for the CM post is Rs 2,500 crores while the cost of a ministerial berth is Rs 500 crore," Congress said in its 'Corruption rate card'. "40 per cent sarkara has looted over Rs 1,50,000 crore from the people of Karnataka in the last 4 years," it alleged. The rate card with specific mention about commission, read, "The government demands different deals. It begins with 30 per cent commission for the mutt grants, 40 per cent for road contracts and goes up to 75 per cent for the Covid-19 supplies." Karnataka Congress also took a jibe on BJP's claim about a 'double-engine government' in the state, and instead called it a "trouble engine government". Both Congress and BJP have geared up for the upcoming elections, there are words of war between the parties over several issues including Hindu Lord Hanuman taking centre stage in poll-bound state after the grand old party released its manifesto which talked of ban on organisations like Bajrang Dal and the Popular Front of India. The Congress manifesto said the party is committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred among communities on grounds of caste and religion. Accusing the Congress of hurling abuses at him, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said people of Karnataka do not support this "black culture" and that they should punish those making abuses by saying 'Jai Bajrangbali' when they cast their vote. Addressing a rally here, the Prime Minister said BJP wants to make Karnataka the number one state in India and has a roadmap and a plan. In Vijayanagara, on Tuesday, PM Modi had slammed Congress over its Karnataka election manifesto and said the party was attempting to lock up those who worship Lord Hanuman. "Today it is my great fortune to bow down to this holy land of Lord Hanuman. But see the misfortune, today when I have come here to bow down to Hanumanji, at the same time the Congress party has decided to lock up Bajrangbali in its manifesto. Earlier Shri Ram was locked up and now they have taken a pledge to lock up those who chant Jai Bajrangbali. It is the misfortune of the country that the Congress had problems even with Lord Shri Ram and now it also has problems with those who say Jai Bajrangbali," he had said. Polling for Karnataka elections will take place on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13. (ANI)
Following clashes in parts of Manipur, several families affected by the recent incidents have sought refuge in Assam, Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma said on Friday. "Several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam. I have requested the District Administration of Cachar to take care of these families. I am also in constant communication with the HCM @NBirenSingh and have pledged the full support of the Assam Government during this hour of crisis," Assam CM tweeted. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Earlier, the Northeast Frontier Railways cancelled all Manipur-bound trains. "No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement," Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway told ANI. Meanwhile, the Indian Railways have also cancelled the operations of four trains for May 5 and May 6 following violence in the State. "Manipur state authorities have advised to stop train operations in Manipur due to the prevailing Law and Order situation there. Four trains have been cancelled. The decision was taken initially only for May 5 and 6," the railways said. Moreover, Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches are being held to control the situation after violence erupted broke out on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over the situation in the northeastern state. (ANI)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi while addressing a poll rally in Karnataka on Friday launched an attack on the Congress and accused the Opposition party of opposing "The Kerala Story" film, which he said exposed the consequences of terrorism. "'The Kerala Story' film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes the design of terrorists", the PM said adding that Congress is standing with terrorists who are trying to ban the film. Addressing a rally in Ballari ahead of the upcoming May 10 elections in Karnataka, the Prime Minister also accused the Congress party for shielded terrorism for the vote bank. "Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank", PM Modi said. "The Congress has kneeled down before the terror outfits when in power. We have suffered because of the violence for very long and the Congress never protected this country from terrorism. I am surprised to see that Congress has succumbed to terrorism for the sake of its vote bank. Can such a party ever save Karnataka?," PM Modi said. Security system, law and order is the most important requirement to make Karnataka number one state of country, the prime minister said. "It is equally important for Karnataka to remain free from terrorism. BJP has always been tough against terrorism. But Congress gets stomach ache whenever action is taken on terrorism," PM Modi said. The prime minster also attacked the Congress manifesto released for the Karnataka polls which promised to ban organisations like the Bajrang Dal. "The Congress is shuddering to see the support we are getting. They get scared even if I say Jai Bajrangbali," PM Modi said. Lashing out at the Congress the prime minister said that the Congress had long back accepted that it's an 85 per cent commission party. "Congress' former PM Rajiv Gandhi himself told that his government sent 100 paise from Delhi, but only 15 paise reached the poor. In a way, he himself accepted that Congress is a party with 85 per cent commission," the prime minister said. Meanwhile, the Kerala High Court today refused to issue a stay order on the release of 'The Kerala Story'. Asserting that secular Kerala society will accept the film for what it is, the High Court today asked petitioners how the movie, which it observed is fiction and not history, would create sectarianism and conflict in the society. The court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society. "Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer?", the court observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film. "So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in society?", the court observed. The petitioners argued that the film would inject poison into the minds of innocent people and added that no agency has yet detected the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala. Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie. 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description. (ANI)
Mumbai police arrested a Nigerian national, who does not have a valid visa or passport, in the Taloja area of the city with possession of 116 grams of drugs named Methaquiline worth more than Rs 11 lakhs, the police said. The accused, identified as Boniface Emenike, was arrested for peddling drugs by Thane police in 2022, and having come out on bail four months back, and started the illegal activity again, said the Police. The arrest and seizure of the drugs were made in a search operation at his rented apartment in Shrikripa Residency in Taloja, sector 2 after the police got a tipoff regarding his drug peddling. In his interrogation, he told the police officers that he received the drugs from another Nigerian identified as Ogbona Paul, said the police adding that they started zeroing in on arresting Ogbona Paul. Meanwhile, Mumbai Crime Branch has arrested two drug peddlers and seized drugs worth Rs 71 lakh from them. The arrests were made in Andheri and in Jogeshwari East of Mumbai city, said the Crime Branch. A case has been registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS), and the accused was sent to Police custody till May 6 by a court in Mumbai, said the police. In Mumbai, on Thursday four people including a Nigerian national were arrested for allegedly selling drugs. Police said that narcotics with an estimated value of Rs 32 lakh in the international market were seized from their possession. The arrested persons were identified as Suraj Habib Sheikh, Zaheer Wahabuddin Qureshi, Riyaz Nasir Ali Sayyad and Sunday John Ambaze who was a Nigerian national, the police said. A case has been registered against them under the NDPS Act after which all of them were sent to police custody till May 6. (ANI)
Six people were shot dead while two others were seriously injured after a clash between two groups of people over an old dispute in Madhya Pradesh's Morena on Friday morning, the police said. The incident occurred in Lepa village under Sihoniya police station limits in the district around 10 am, and a video of the same also went viral on social media. Doctors at Morena district hospital confirmed the deaths. "Six people were brought dead, and two others in seriously injured condition. Both the seriously injured were referred to Gwalior for further treatment," Dr Kulshrestha of the hospital told ANI. On getting the information about the incident, the police rushed to the spot and sent the injured to the district hospital. Speaking to ANI over the phone, Chambal range Inspector General (IG) Sushant Kumar Saxena said, "Two groups clashed with each other and opened fire due to an old dispute in Lepa village in Morena district. The clash broke out around 10 am on Friday. There have been cases registered against both the parties in the past as well." Reacting to the incident, former Chief Minister Kamal Nath said, "The law and order is in disarray in the entire Madhya Pradesh. Every day some incidents happen here. Women are being tortured. It has become a routine and the identity of the state." (ANI)
Don Drucker, from left, Lisa Berman Drucker, Scott Berman and Ross Drucker of Superdawg Drive-In at their Norwood Park location on April 14, 2023. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Superdawg Drive-In, the historic destination hot dog stand with full carhop service in the Norwood Park neighborhood on the Far Northwest Side of Chicago, celebrates its 75th anniversary Tuesday.

The family behind the business is far from the only ones marking the occasion.

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U.S. Rep Mike Quigley entered the anniversary into the official congressional record on May 2. In addition, 39th Ward Ald. Samantha Nugent will unveil an honorary street sign for Maurie & Flaurie Berman Way on Tuesday. (A sign for an honorary Superdawg Way can still be found at the corner of Milwaukee and Highland avenues.)

Plus both Superdawg locations will give away $10 gift cards at random throughout May.

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Superdawg original owners Maurie and Flaurie Berman at their restaurant on July 19, 2011. The couple has since passed away but are memorialized as the hot dog couple above the eatery. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Flaurie and Maurie Berman opened their original stand in 1948, but it was only supposed to last one summer, said their daughter Lisa Drucker. She now owns the business with husband Don Drucker and her oldest brother Scott Berman.

Before there was Superdawg, it was the just story of one young couple.

They were high school sweethearts, said their daughter. North Siders who went to Von Steuben. They went to prom together, and we have their prom picture.

Young Maurie Berman and future wife Florence Miska graduated together from Von Steuben High School in 1943.

Then my dad went off to World War II as a young soldier, she added. And my mom went to Northwestern.

Miska graduated from Northwestern University in 1947.

He came back from overseas, and by then she was a schoolteacher, said their daughter. Then he went back to school on the GI Bill.

Berman studied to become a certified public accountant at the University of Illinois temporary campus on Navy Pier, opened to accommodate student veterans and nicknamed Harvard on the rocks.

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The couple married in August 1947.

A lot of the GIs at the time were coming back and opening hot dog carts or little stands, said their son-in-law. Maurie said, What can we do for the summer while I study for the CPA exam, and Flo was a schoolteacher?

They were only married for like six months when he came up with this idea, said their daughter. They rented a piece of land on the outskirts of the city at the time, at Milwaukee and Devon and Nagle. Then they used whatever little money they had scraped together in wedding funds, and built this little 12-by-20 building.

The newlywed couple opened Superdawg on May 9, 1948.

We were only supposed to be here for a summer, said their son-in-law. They closed about Halloween. But they had done pretty well that first year, so they came back for more.

In 1950, Maurie took the CPA exam, and Flaurie gave birth to the first of their three children.

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Then they decided to pursue Superdawg as a full-time endeavor, not just summers, said their daughter. And they raised us in the business.

The tradition of raising children in the family business has continued with following generations.

Maurie and Flauries granddaughter, Laura Berman Ustick, runs the second Superdawg Drive-in location in Wheeling. Opened in 2010, its a bigger, beefier rendition of the flagship, with the classic carhop service, but also with a drive-thru, full dining room and even Superdawg beer.

Superdawg Drive-In general manager Laura Berman Ustick wipes tabletops at the Wheeling location on Oct. 23, 2015. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

The neon-lit legacies are a far cry from the original summer stand opened by young newlyweds. Maurie died at 89 in 2015, and Flaurie died at 92 in 2018. But theyre immortalized atop both locations as 12-foot statues of a hot dog couple in love.

Or rather, a Superdawg couple.

We never say hot dog when were referring to our own, Lisa Drucker said. Everyone else has hot dogs; we have Superdawgs.

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The sausage itself is not made by Vienna Beef, the company that makes most Chicago-style hot dogs.

Superdawgs are made by a private manufacturer, and you cant get them anywhere else, Drucker said. And theyre larger than a traditional Chicago hot dog that you can get somewhere else.

A Superdawg with Superfries at Superdawg Drive-In in Norwood Park. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Each Superdawg sausage gets tucked into a steamed poppy-seed bun, before they add semi-traditional Chicago-style toppings: golden yellow mustard, neon green relish, chopped white onion, a kosher dill pickle spear, plus a unique green pickled tomato wedge.

Regulars say, give me one including, if they want sport peppers, she added, otherwise the staff will ask every time if you want the hot pickled peppers. But we dont put ketchup on it. I tease that we do have ketchup, but thats only for the fries.

Every Superdawg is placed in a signature paper box thats filled with housemade crinkle-cut fries.

Theyre crinkle cut on all four sides, Don Drucker said. We have a proprietary custom made slicer that makes them that way.

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Thats at both locations, where they only close three days out of the year.

We like to say were open 362 days of the year, he added. Were closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. So now we have a long time before we have a day off.

Or night off.

We have a policy: We NEVER  in all caps  close early. Our lights are on to 1 a.m., 2 on Fridays and Saturdays, Lisa Drucker said. When youre driving down the city streets, and you get to the corner of Milwaukee, Devon and Nagle at night, there we are, all lit up.

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The original flagship Superdawg Drive-in located in Norwood Park won our Readers Choice Award for Best Late-Night Haunt this year. Its a notable distinction after the pandemic disrupted late-night businesses.

[ Readers Choice Food Awards 2023: Your picks for Best New Restaurant, Chicago-Style Barbecue and more ]

We maintained our regular hours throughout the pandemic, Don Drucker said. We were also very proud that we were able to keep our staff employed with their regular shifts and pay throughout the pandemic as well.

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Ninos Ishaya, left, and Min Martinez receive their dinner order from carhop Mary French at Superdawg Drive-In, April 14, 2023, in Norwood Park. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Its quite a feat for a newlyweds stand that was supposed to last just one summer.

We do it with love, said their daughter. And were thrilled to keep doing it for another 75 years.

6363 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-763-0660; 333 S. Milwaukee Ave., Wheeling, 847-459-1900; superdawg.com

lchu@chicagotribune.com

Big screen or home stream, takeout or dine-in, Tribune writers are here to steer you toward your next great experience. Sign up for your free weekly Eat. Watch. Do. newsletter here.
National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) in association with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) organized the 'River-Cities Alliance (RCA) Global Seminar: Partnership for Building International River-Sensitive Cities' in New Delhi, an official release of the I&B Ministry said. According to the statement, the purpose of the RCA Global Seminar was to provide a platform for officials of member cities and international stakeholders to discuss and learn good practices for managing urban rivers. "The RCA Global Seminar witnessed participation from Embassies/High Commissions of select countries and their respective river cities in order to highlight objectives, achievements, and potential collaborative outcomes of RCA. State Missions for Clean Ganga (SMCGs) and funding agencies like World Bank, ADB, JICA & KfW also were part of the discussions", the statement read. The RCA Global Seminar was presided over by Director General (NMCG) G Asok Kumar. Addressing the gathering, G Asok Kumar expressed happiness about the increase in the number of cities joining the RCA and the immense interest NMCG has been able to generate on this issue. He noted that the trickle started with the Urban River Management Plan and has flowed ever since. Kumar emphasized the importance of issues related to climate change and urban water management, and how urban planners have a serious challenge at hand. "Climate change is a reality. We can see it now in Delhi where in the month of May we need blankets," he said. He informed that RCA started with 30 cities on the banks of the river and eventually, it was decided to expand it to all cities not restricting to the Ganga Basin. "During the DHARA 2023 event in Pune, we were enthused to see the response from the city planners, who viewed water as something not important," he said. Further, he added, "People and administrators are now waking up to the reality as they have realized that issues related to water such as floods, droughts, inadequate waste management etc. can shut down cities." The Director General hoped that urban planners incorporate water management at the planning stage and start giving the priority it deserves. Kumar said that under the leadership of PM Modi, the Swacch Bharat Mission and Jal Jeevan Mission are progressing well and creating a positive impact on the ground setting world-class examples in the water and sanitation sectors. "The stopping of Open Defecation ensured that the drinking water sources don't get contaminated whereas household water supply under JJM is easing the pain of women in rural areas who had to walk several kilometres to fetch water", Kumar said. "With urbanization, if we don't take care of the disposal of sewage then it is a major threat. The urban planners solely focussed on the infrastructure must take this into account to keep the rivers and other drinking water sources clean," he said. He noted that the theme of RCA resonated in the UN Water Conference 2023 held in New York in March 2023. "The timely success in the water sector in India is primarily because of people's participation (Jan Bhagidari) and whole-of-government approach," he said. "The time has now come, as envisaged by the Union Minister for Jal Shakti, is to move towards a whole-of-world approach to break the silos in which water has been divided", Kumar added. He called for the world players to cooperate, work together, pick from each other's best practices, share knowledge (Gyan Bhagidari), come up with transformational solutions and share in the success. On RCA Global, he said that cleaning rivers like the Rhine and the Thames in foreign lands is a lesson and inspiration for us and we should partner with international cities to create beautiful cities in India which can take pride in their rivers and people enjoy and have a pleasant experience at the riverfronts. "The experience of international cities in making their rivers clean, improving river properties, managing river flooding and increasing aesthetic value can be seen as fruitful lessons for us. RCA Global platform should leverage the experience of foreign countries," he added. He also said that it is not about aping anyone but taking the adaptable best practices as per requirements and using them to make our cities more beautiful. The Director General also informed that Namami Ganga was recognized as the 'Top 10 World Restoration Flagships to Revive the Natural World' in Montreal, Canada and Clean Ganga, which seemed impossible, is now happening. He said that NMCG has committed to the SDG goals of equity in water distribution, access to safe drinking water, democratization of water etc. "Session 1 of the event saw a presentation from the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) on 'Decentralized Urban Wastewater Management System in Japan', and an Embassy Round Table discussion", the statement read. According to the official release, Session 2 began with the context setting of RCA that incorporated an introduction to NMCG's Urban Agenda, Urban River Management Plan (URMP) Framework with comments on RCA and future goals/actions pertaining to river management. "Furthermore, there was a presentation from representatives of the India-Denmark Partnership, with a focus on the case study of Udaipur-Aarhus. Another presentation was made on RCA Cities - Ayodhya and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in this session", the statement said. The statement further added, "NMCG c-Ganga facilitated presentations from International Cities - Greater Manchester by Mark Turner (National Course GM Team Leader, Greater Manchester Combined Authority), City of Hamburg by Christian Ebel (Desk Officer for Implementation of EU Water Framework Directive in Hamburg for the Elbe River Free and the Hanseatic City of Hamburg), City of Copenhagen by Jan Burgdorf Nesilsen, Municipality of Copenhagen and the City of Aarhus, Gitte Nordmand Andersen (Aarhus Municipality). Session 2 also witnessed an open house discussion and ended with a vote of thanks from Dheeraj Joshi, Deputy Secretary, NMCG." According to the statement, DP Mathuria, Executive Director (Technical), NMCG delivered the special address and spoke about how India is hugely investing in the water sector, but staring at twin challenges of water security and climate change. "Both of these factors are interlinked in making water equitable. He noted the facets of water security being water management and water quality", Mathuria said. "NMCG has developed a large number of STPs that are able to address the issues of faecal contamination", he added and noted that nature-based solutions and decentralised systems shall be very important assets in terms of a solution to organic waste falling into rivers. As per the release, other participants included Mukul Verma (Senior Adviser - Infrastructure & Financial Services, Embassy of UK), Shayan Yousefi (Embassy of Austria), Beate Langset (Counsellor for Climate & Environment, Royal Norwegian Embassy), Anitha Sharma (Counsellor in Urban Development with focus on Water, Embassy of Denmark), RK Srinivasan (USAID's Senior Water and Sanitation Advisor, US Embassy), Dirk Steffes-enn (Deputy Head of Economic Cooperation and Development, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany), Martina Burkard (Head of Programme, GIZ), Nishi Pant (Senior Policy Advisor, Netherlands Embassy), Jun Tsumori (Counsellor, Economic Cooperation, Embassy of Japan), Kazushi Hashimoto (Consultant, ADBI), Prof Manabendra Saharia (Assistant Professor, IIT Delhi), and Prof. Ashish Pandey (HOD, Department of Water Resources Development & Management, IIT Roorkee). "The NMCG-NIUA collaboration has witnessed the historic establishment of the 'River Cities Alliance (RCA)' of 110 river cities across India with one international member city - the city of Aarhus from Denmark. RCA was a significant initiative at NMCG's Side Event during the 'UN 2023 Water Conference - Water Action Agenda' on March 23, 2023, which highlighted the importance of Germany as a key partner for the commitment related to 'River Cities Alliance: Partnership for Building International River Sensitive Cities'", the statement read. According to the official release, NMCG has been tirelessly working on a joint initiative to propagate river-sensitive development in our cities with NIUA. This is in response to the Prime Minister's call for new thinking in river cities at the 1st Meeting of the National Ganga Council (NGC) in December 2019. Hence, NMCG seeks to deepen the commitment through the inclusion of international cities as members of the RCA during the RCA Global Seminar. The intent is to facilitate knowledge exchange (online) for Indian cities to learn new practices and approaches for urban river management. Likewise, it will also be an opportunity for international cities to learn about experiences in Indian cities, which may be relevant to their contexts, the statement added. "The River Cities Alliance (RCA) is a joint initiative of the Department of Water Resources, River Development & Ganga Rejuvenation under the Ministry of Jal Shakti (MoJS) & the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), with a vision to connect river cities and focus on sustainable river centric development. Beginning with 30 member cities in November 2021, the Alliance has expanded to 109 river cities across India and one international member city from Denmark", the statement said. As per the statement, the first annual meeting of the RCA - DHARA 2023 (Driving Holistic Action for Urban Rivers) was held on February 13-14, 2023, in Pune. DHARA 2023 featured key sessions on international best practices and examples for urban river management. "DHARA 2023 was aimed to inspire members of the RCA to engage in progressive actions for urban river management in their cities. The event shone a light on the unaddressed issues and challenges for river management in cities, which helped NIUA and its partners formulate an effective work plan", the statement read. The statement added that the event also helped in developing a compendium of technological solutions that cities may adopt for enhancing the management of their local rivers. (ANI)
The spectre of terrorism surfaced again in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday with the Army engaged in an encounter with Pakistan-backed terrorists in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir with the incident taking place on a day Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is in Goa to take part in the SCO meet. Five soldiers lost their lives in the anti-terror operation in the Kandi area of Rajouri on Thursday. In his opening remarks at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa on Friday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed concern at terrorism including cross-border terrorism. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa on Thursday, the first such visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years. India has consistently raised the issue of Pakistan's continued support to cross-border terrorism and terrorist infiltration. India has also said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir have borne the brunt of this terrorism campaign for decades and continue to do so. The encounter with terrorists in Rajouri is taking place in a thickly vegetated area with rocky and steep cliffs. "On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3, 2023. At about 7:30 am on May 5, 2023, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs," the official release stated.As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in a terrorist group," the Army said. "Three more soldiers who were injured earlier have unfortunately succumbed to their injuries. A total of five soldiers have lost their lives in the joint operation in Rajouri, J&K," it added. On April 20, an Army vehicle passing Bhimber Gali and Poonch in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir was fired upon, by unidentified terrorists, which led to the death of five soldiers. As per sources, the terrorists were suspected to have been from the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). In his remarks at the SCO meeting, Jaishankar said that while the world was engaged in facing COVID and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. "Taking our eyes of this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," he said. Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. "Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO," he said. In his remarks, Bilawal Bhutto also talked about terrorism but said it should be "weaponised" for diplomatic point scoring He said terrorism continues to threaten global security and that collective security is joint responsibility. "Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said. India has said that talks and terror cannot go together and it is for Pakistan to create conducive atmosphere for bilateral talks. (ANI)
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha spoke to his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh over the phone on Friday and inquired about the situation in the violence-hit state. Saha said Chief Minister N Biren Singh has assured him that the situation in Manipur is under control. "I was informed about the overall situation in Manipur over the phone by Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Chief Minister assured that the situation is under complete control and security of students from our state will be taken seriously," tweeted Saha. The Tripura government has opened helpline numbers for providing support to residents of Tripura in the backdrop of violence in Manipur. "Government of Tripura has opened the following helpline numbers for providing support on a 24x7 basis to the residents of Tripura with respect to disturbance in Manipur," tweeted CM Manik Saha. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew has been imposed in several state districts. Earlier, the Northeast Frontier Railways cancelled all Manipur-bound trains. "No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement," Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway told ANI. The Indian Railways have also cancelled the operations of four trains for May 5 and May 6 following violence in the State. "Manipur state authorities have advised to stop train operations in Manipur due to the prevailing Law and Order situation there. Four trains have been cancelled. The decision was taken initially only for May 5 and 6," the railways said. Moreover, Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches are being held to control the situation after violence erupted broke out on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category. On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over the situation in the northeastern state. (ANI)
Amitabh Yash, Additional Director General of Police of Uttar Pradesh, Special Task Force on Friday, said that gangster Anil Dujana who was killed in an encounter by STF in Meerut on Thursday was a dreaded criminal and involved in numerous contract killing and extortions. Yash said that Dujana had also killed many witnesses in cases against him and used to threaten them as well. "He was a dreaded kind of criminal and was involved in numerous contract killings. He used to do extortions from businessmen and builders in Western UP and its nearby regions," the officer said. "Dujana also had killed many of the people who were witnesses in cases against him. Witnesses who managed to survive were threatened by him with dire consequences. Whenever he uses to get out on bail the witnesses had a sense of fear among them and because of that police also had given them protection," he added On clarifying how Dujana and police came face to face Additional DGP said, "As he was a dread criminal, STF used to keep a close watch on him. Yesterday when STF intercepted him, he opened fire on STF and in retaliation he got killed. During the search, two weapons and a huge amount of cartridges were recovered from his vehicle. It seems that he was planning to commit some incident." When asked about Dujana's family's allegation of police taking Dujana to the encounter site and then killing him. ADG said "Family might label such allegation but you people had witnessed the ground reality. We have recovered huge amounts of weapons from him." Notably, Dujana's killing comes weeks after gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed's son Asad, and his close side Ghulam were killed by the UP STF in an encounter in Jhansi on April 13. Two days after this, Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf were also shot dead by men posing as mediapersons on April 15 night while being taken for a medical examination in Prayagraj. (ANI)
Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Kumar Jha on Friday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu expressing deep concerns about the recent spate of violence in Manipur. He also urged her to consider imposing the President's Rule in the Northeast state, considering the prevailing situation. Jha, in his letter to President Murmu, said, "I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent spate of violence in Manipur, which has been alarmingly widespread and has resulted in loss of life and property." "As you are aware, Manipur has a complex ethnic and political landscape, with several communities living in the region. Ethnic conflicts with their roots in the colonial era have been a significant challenge for the state. The demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community has been a contentious issue, with other communities in Manipur opposing it," he said. "This issue has led to violence and protests in the past, and the recent escalation of violence is a matter of grave concern. The situation has only worsened recently due to the partisan attitude of the state government and its complete failure to maintain law and order," the MP stated further in his letter. "You might be aware that the violence has affected innocent civilians, disrupted normal life, and created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Majoritarian violence in one state of the country conveys impunity for similar violence in rest of the country and provides encouragement to destabilizing forces | therefore urge you to consider imposing the President's Rule in Manipur," he added. RJD MP urged President Murmu to consider the imposition of the President's Rule as a last resort. "But I believe that in the current situation, it is necessary to protect the lives and property of the people of Manipur so I urge you to ask the union government to take immediate action to address the situation and ensure that peace and stability are restored in the state," he added. Earlier, on May 3, violence broke out in Manipur during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district. The march was in protest against the high court asking the Centre to consider including the Meitei community, which inhabits the Imphal Valley, in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). (ANI)
With the murder of dreaded gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside Delhi's Tihar jail raising questions on security inside the prison, the jail administration is set to launch an investigation into the lapses. However, according to the sources, the team of Special Cell can go to Tihar Jail today for interrogation of the accused arrested in Tajpuriya's murder. Preparing needles by the inmates of the jail inside prison and carelessness by the jail authority has exposed the security system. The CCTV visuals from inside the Tihar jail showed Tillu Tajpuriya being brutally stabbed to death by killers. The CCTV footage provided by the Delhi Police shows the three killers pulling Tajpuriya out from his cell, and assaulting him. The killers can be seen stabbing and attacking him multiple times leaving him in a pool of blood. The footage is from around 6:10 am on May 2. In the visuals, no police officer is seen coming to save the gangster from the assailants. Some prisoners can be seen there, but no one was able to stop the attackers. According to sources, first, the leaves of the windows and exhaust fan inside the jail were broken, after that, they were sharpened by rubbing the leaves on the stone for several days. Meanwhile, the case has now been transferred to a special cell for investigation. The case was registered in Hari Nagar police station under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Members of the rival gang namely Deepak Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw. According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya. Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since. Sunil Balyan alias Tajpuriya was the main accused in the Rohini court shootout case in September 2021 which left his friend-turned-rival gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi dead. The shooters, alleged associates of Tajpuriya had come dressed in lawyer's clothes and gunned Gogoi dead inside a courtroom in Rohini court. The two gunmen were immediately shot dead by the police team. According to a source, the Jitendra Gogi gang had also provided automatic pistols to kill Tillu Tajpuria and the same guns were used to kill gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf. "This disclosure was made by the shooters in front of the Special Task Force (STF)," the source told ANI. Tajpuriya and his gang's rivalry with another gang led by notorious gangster, Jitender Gogi dates back to 2009 when the pair were friends but supported different candidates in elections in Swami Shraddhanand College in Outer Delhi. The attack on Tillu Tajpuria in Tihar is raising many questions at a time when the STF is interrogating the three shooters and connecting the links to Atiq Ashraf's murder. The killing of dreaded gangster Tillu Tajpuriya in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Tuesday marked the second such incident inside the high-security prison in less than a month. In April this year, Prince Tewatia, a Lawrance Bishnoi gang member, was killed in a gang war inside Tihar Jail. Lodged in Jail number 3, Tewatia was stabbed five to seven times before he succumbed to his injuries in Delhi's Deen Dayal Hospital. Earlier, another undertrial in Tihar Jail named Dilsher Azad, who had been lodged in the Delhi Jail since September 2019 was attacked to death in November 2020 by three other under-trial prisoners using an improvised sharp object. There are many big gangsters in Tihar jail including Hashim Baba, Kala Jathedi, Nasir alias Chhenu, Anil Bhati, Deepak Boxer, Sampat Nehra, Neeraj Bawania and Rohit Moi. Apart from Naveen Bali, Rohit Chowdhary, Chhota Rajan is also lodged in Tihar Jail. (ANI)
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader organised a special screening of the newly released 'The Kerala Story' for women in Madhya Pradesh's Indore district on Friday. The BJP leader, Deepak Jain Tinu, who is Madhya Pradesh BJP media co-incharge told ANI, "Today, women of various fields which includes doctors, social workers, chartered accountants, college girls and school girls, were invited to watch 'The Kerala Story' film. Women associated with RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parisad had also reached." "This film exposes a conspiracy like love jihad. The Madhya Pradesh government has also taken strict steps against love jihad in the state. But we should watch this film to avoid such an incident. This film should not be associated with any religion or section. If any such social cultural evil is pointed out then steps should be taken to correct it. We would like the Madhya Pradesh government to make this film tax free," the BJP leader said. The people of the country want to see the truth. Whether it is the Kashmir file, Uri, Kargil or The Kerala Story, the truth is being shown through these films, which is commendable, he added. After watching the movie, a beauty parlour operator, Rupali told ANI, "The film is very good. It taught us how women are being oppressed, girls are being manipulated. Boys are taking them on wrong paths. Girls living in hostels away from homes are being manipulated." Another woman Sapna Rathore said, "In the race of modernity, we are going towards western culture and forgetting our culture and civilization. We have to connect our children with our glorious history to save future generations." A college student Harshita Dave said, "We get news about love jihad and religious conversion every day, this film makes us aware about it." Another college student Mahi Manoj Sharma said, "After watching the film, it seems that we should not trust anyone and understand our religion." 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS. Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description. (ANI)
The Communist Party of India (CPI) on Friday expressed deep concern over the ongoing violence in Manipur saying that reports of violence and arson coming from the state are matters of serious concern for the entire nation. The party urged the central government to initiate dialogue to all stakeholders to maintain peace. The CPI, in a statement, said the ongoing turmoil in Manipur is a direct result of the policy of dividing the people pursued by the so-called 'double engine' government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). "Divide and strife between people were encouraged for electoral gains, resulting in strategically located State like Manipur being engulfed by all-encompassing violence. This violence has a background of divisions and it cannot be controlled enduringly by using force. This is testimony to the failure of the Manipur policy pursued by the Union Home Ministry and the state government," the CPI statement said. CPI further said many people have lost their lives and a greater number is displaced. Burning of houses and shops is widespread. Conflict reaching alarming levels of violence is disheartening and shows that the people of Manipur are losing their confidence in the state, the party said. The CPI demanded the Union Home Ministry and the state government reach out to all stakeholders and political parties for the immediate cessation of hostilities. "CPI understands the conflict as a political and social conflict and not merely a law and order issue. The CPI demands of the Union Home Ministry and the State Government of Manipur to reach out to all stakeholders and political parties for the immediate cessation of hostilities," the statement said. "A political solution to the crisis should be reached by taking all opinions and people into confidence and restoring normalcy and peace in Manipur. CPI appeals to all sections of the people of Manipur to maintain peace and tranquillity," the statement added. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew has been imposed in several state districts. Earlier, the Northeast Frontier Railways cancelled all Manipur-bound trains. "No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement," Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway, told ANI. The Indian Railways have also cancelled the operations of four trains for May 5 and May 6 following the violence in the state. "Manipur state authorities have advised to stop train operations in Manipur due to the prevailing Law and Order situation there. Four trains have been cancelled. The decision was taken initially only for May 5 and 6," the Railways said. Moreover, the army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches are being held to control the situation after violence erupted broke out on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category. On Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over the situation in the northeastern state. (ANI)
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday again reviewed the situation in Manipur through a video conference meeting with state Chief Minister N Biren Singh and top officials in the state as well as the Centre. A total of 10 more companies (nearly 1,000 personnel) of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) were also dispatched to the violence-hit state earlier in the day on Friday following orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). The Home minister was apprised in detail about the current situation in Manipur during a meeting via video conference, and Shah, who is closely monitoring each and every development in the state, asked officials to maintain peace as soon as possible however the situation is under control there, said sources. In the wake of clashes reported in parts of Manipur, Shah on Friday cancelled all his programmes for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka. On Thursday, Shah also held two meetings via video-conferencing and spoke with the CMs of Manipur and neighbouring states including that of Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam in view of the situation in Manipur. To keep the situation in control, five Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies of the Central Reserve Police Force along with other CAPF companies were dispatched to Manipur on Thursday too. Manipur faced violence on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category. The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the state's Meitei community in the ST category, following an April 19 Manipur High Court directive. This prompted the state government to issue prohibitory orders and suspend internet services across the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state. According to the Home Ministry and Indian Army, the situation in Manipur has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. In a video statement on Thursday, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said the incidents were a result of a "prevailing misunderstanding between two communities" and appealed to the people of the state to cooperate with the government in maintaining law and order. As the situation worsened on Thursday, the state home department asked the district magistrates to issue shoot-at-sight orders "in extreme cases whereby all forms of persuasion, warning, reasonable force, etc. had been exhausted under the provisions of law..." By Wednesday evening, the violence spread from the hill districts to other parts of the state, including Imphal Valley, which has practically been under siege since. Through Thursday, mobs went on a rampage, burning houses and vehicles allegedly belonging to a particular tribal group. (ANI)
Hundreds of Tibetan monks, Indian Buddhists and others gathered in Shimla to celebrate Buddha Purnima on the occasion 2,567th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. The Buddhist community in the region assembled to mark the anniversary of Lord Buddha here at the Dorje Drak Monastery in Shimla. The head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism Five-year-old boy monk Nawang Tashi Rapten, the reincarnation of Taklung Tsetul Rinpoche lighted the lamp to begin the celebration. The legislator of the Himachal assembly from Lahaul-Spiti, Ravi Thakur and the boy monk Yangsi Rinpoche unveiled Lord Buddha's Thangka painting. The Buddhist monks perform the formal consecration by chanting; they along with common disciples'. Monks also organized the morning worship and Kangyur (Pothi) and held a Parikrama in the Dorjeedak monastery here. The Buddhist monks of the monastery also held invocations of special mantras. The Chief Representative of the Central Tibetan Administration in Shimla Tesewang Phuntsok said that it is very important for both the Indian and Tibetan Buddhist community to celebrate the Buddha Jayanti. "Most of the Tibetans follow Buddhism; the celebration of Buddha Jayanti differs from country to country. It co-insides Buddha Jayant in three ways one Birth, enlightenment and Parinirvana (death) altogether, as per Tibetan lunar calendar we celebrate it in 4th Month of the Saka Dawa on the 15th full moon day. The Kinnaur Buddha Sewa Sang, Indo-Tibet friendship society and Tibetan community have gathered here. For us Tibetan it is important and we have a responsibility to preserve our culture, tradition and language. Inside Tibet, there is no freedom of religion and even the Dalai Lama's portrait is not allowed to keep," said The CRO of Tibetans in Shimla. The Indian Buddhist from Himalayan region of Himachal Pradesh is happy to celebrate after three years as it was stopped during Covid-19. "We are collectively celebrating the Buddha Purnima here and here to celebrate during the past three years due to Covid-19. The Tibetan Buddhist community and Kinnaur -Lahaul-Spiti Buddha Sewa Sangh and others are celebrating it here. The Sangh was also made only after the death of Taklung Tsetul Rinpoche, we are happy today that the reincarnated young Lama is with us and it is a coincidence to celebrate Buddha Jayanti with him," said CRO further. Buddhist monks in the morning offered Prayers in the Dorjee Dak Monastery here at Panthaghati near Shimla. These monks are very happy to celebrate the Buddha Purnima and are delighted to promote and preserve Rich Tibetan tradition and culture in exile. The Buddhist Lamas believe the teachings of Lord Buddha are very important for them to carry the non-violence preaching in life. These monks are happy to see all religious people mark the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha. "It is very important for all of us and Tibetan Buddhism; we celebrate, Birth, enlightenment and Parinirvana at the same time. We follow Buddhism and remember three things: mind, body and speech and we are celebrating this auspicious occasion here," said Shedup Mipham, a Tibetan Buddhist monk participating in the event. (ANI)
Painting exhibition from Chinese Australian artists promotes cross-cultural exchanges

Xinhua) 09:07, May 05, 2023

A visitor looks at an artwork at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

SYDNEY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.

Held at the China Cultural Center in Sydney, the exhibition was divided into two sections with the paintings of three artists, and also siblings. The first section includes more than 40 ink paintings by Ren Jianguo, who once learned from famous Chinese painter Li Keran, while the second presents the works of Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong with acrylic and color hand-painting as a medium.

Like being immersed in an artistic journey from past to present, visitors can not only sense the beauty of China's mountains and water scenery and street views in traditional Chinese painting styles, but also enjoy innovative combinations of Eastern and Western cultural elements, such as "Chinese New Year" in Ren Lihong's Visual Journal Series.

The show demonstrates the artists' persistence and promotion of Chinese traditional culture, and their aspiration of integrating Eastern and Western cultures against Australia's multicultural background, Xiao Xiayong, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sydney, said at the opening ceremony.

"The exhibition will further enhance the understanding of Chinese culture and art among the Australian art community and promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Australia," Xiao added.

The exhibition will run through June 8.

Visitors look at artworks at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. (Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
North Carolina Senate leader Phil Berger speaks with fellow Republican Sens. Amy Galey, left, Joyce Krawiec, center, and Lisa Barnes on the Senate floor in Raleigh, N.C., before the vote on new abortion restrictions, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Hannah Schoenbaum/AP)

RALEIGH, N.C.  North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved a ban on nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 20 weeks, in response to last years overturning of Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ban is one of the least onerous of a slew of bills Republican-led assemblies have pushed through in recent months since the high court stripped away womens constitutional protections for abortion. Other states have banned the procedure nearly completely or throughout pregnancy.

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Nonetheless, the 29-20 vote by the Senate was met with loud cries of Abortion rights now! from about 100 observers who had crowded into the gallery to watch the debate. Police quickly cleared the area, but protesters could still be heard yelling Shame! from outside the closed doors.

While perhaps less restrictive, North Carolinas bill has far-reaching consequences. Before its passage, many women from nearby states with restrictive laws had traveled to the state for abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

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Abortion-rights supporter Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has pledged to veto the bill, calling it an egregious, unacceptable attack on the women of our state, but GOP seat margins and assurances from chamber leaders indicate a veto will likely be overridden.

The Senate completed legislative passage of the bill Thursday afternoon after the House passed the measure Wednesday night on a similar party-line vote. Democrats unsuccessfully attempted several parliamentary maneuvers to get the measure sent back to committee during an hourslong debate. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue of Wake County said this was the first time all 20 members of the chambers Democratic caucus spoke on the floor about a single bill. He called the abortion vote one of the most consequential things we have done in this chamber.

State law currently bans almost all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Starting July 1, the ban would be reduced to 12 weeks. It also places limits on new exceptions, capping abortions at 20 weeks in cases of rape or incest and 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies, including certain physical or genetic disorders that can be diagnosed prenatally. An existing exception for when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger would remain.

The 46-page bill, which was revealed just this week after months of private negotiations by Republican legislators, also includes more medical and paperwork requirements for pregnant women and physicians and licensing requirements for abortion clinics.

GOP lawmakers also are promoting at least $160 million for such services as maternal health, adoption care, contraceptive services and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child.

Sen. Joyce Krawiec, a Forsyth County Republican who helped negotiate the measure, said during Thursdays debate that many of us who have worked for decades to save unborn babies for the sanctity of human life, we saw it as an opportunity to put forth a very pro-life, pro-woman legislation.

This is a pro-life plan, not an abortion ban, Krawiec added.

Cooper and other critics of the bill say the measure remains an attack on reproductive freedoms and denies women the ability to make their own health care choices by adding obstacles to abortions that would remain legal.

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This bill is an extreme and oppressive step backwards for our society and one that will deny women the right to make decisions about their own health care and future, Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch of Wake County said during the debate.

Batch and others cite in part the requirement for women to make an in-person visit to a medical professional at least 72 hours before getting an abortion. Under current law, the three-day waiting period can be initiated over the phone. The bill would also require a doctor to schedule a follow-up visit for women who have a medically induced abortion, increasing the hardship for those who travel to North Carolina from out of state.

Republicans have been more aggressive in advancing measures that Cooper has opposed or otherwise vetoed after GOP seat gains during the November elections. The party got veto-proof majorities in both chambers last month, when then-Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham switched to the Republican Party. Cotham, who had spoken out previously for abortion rights but had expressed a willingness to consider additional restrictions, voted for the bill Wednesday night.

The measure contains other restrictions that Cooper had successfully vetoed in previous years. One would bar women from getting abortions on the basis of race or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Another would require doctors and nurses to protect and care for children born alive during a failed abortion later in pregnancy.

Still, North Carolina Republicans stung by some 2022 electoral defeats in suburban legislative and congressional districts where abortion was an issue ultimately declined to push more stringent prohibitions as other states have done.

Meanwhile, at least 19 Democratic-dominated states have taken steps  through a law, constitutional amendment or executive order  to protect access to abortion.

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Last year, Cooper signed an executive order shielding out-of-state abortion patients from extradition and prohibiting state agencies under his control from assisting other states prosecutions of those who travel for the procedure.

Most of the states where the status quo remains are those where the political leadership is divided between the two parties.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar welcomed NCP chief Sharad Pawar's decision to withdraw his resignation from the post of party president on Friday. Ajit Pawar's reaction come soon after the NCP supremo announced the withdrawal of his resignation in a press conference in Mumbai. The statement from Ajit Pawar's office said the decision of the NCP chief will boost the enthusiasm of every party worker including he himself. "Sharad Pawar's decision to continue as National President of NCP by agreeing to the request of all party leaders and workers across the state and country will boost the enthusiasm of every worker of NCP including me, read the statement. Expressing confidence in the leadership of Sharad Pawar, Ajit appealed to the party workers to be more responsible and work together in order to make NCP more strong. "Because of the stubbornness of all of us, sir has decided to continue on the post of national president sidling his health, so it's our responsibility to take care of his age and health. I urge all of you to work together and add more strength to NCP with enthusiasm under the leadership of Saheb." In the press statement, Ajit also informed that from May 6 he will be on an eight-day visit to Daund, Karjat, Baramati, Koregaon, Satara, Phaltan, Osmanabad and Latur in the state. Earlier, Sharad Pawar has withdrawn his decision to quit as party chief after NCP's committee passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar's resignation and requesting him to continue to lead the party that he founded. Sharad Pawar had on Tuesday announced his resignation from the party president's post. While addressing a press conference, Pawar informed about the decision and said, "Because of your love and respect I am taking back my decision to step down as party chief." (ANI)
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi interacted with students at the Post Graduate Men's Hostel of the Delhi University in the national capital on Friday. Dressed in a white T-shirt and trousers and sporting a trimmed beard, Gandhi arrived at the hostel to interact with the students. According to the sources, the Former Wayanad MP visited the hostel to know about issues faced by the students and their career plans. On Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met UPSC aspirants in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar and heard their apprehensions over the lack of employment alternatives. "Do you know, more than 10 lakh youth apply for 1000 UPSC vacancies? The youth of the country do not have any backup! Our responsibility is to give them Plan B. Sitting with the students of Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi, listened to their hearts," the former Wayanad MP wrote on Twitter. On Thursday, in a major poll promise while addressing a rally in Mangalore, Rahul had announced that as soon as the Congress party comes to power in Karnataka after the upcoming state assembly elections, the women will be provided free bus services. With Rahul Gandhi having been disqualified from Lok Sabha following his conviction in a criminal defamation case and the election debacles Congress faced in 2014 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls, Congress is pinning strong hopes on Karnataka where it has strong state leadership. The party feels that a win in Karnataka will give it a massive boost to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the 2024 general elections and emerge as a fulcrum of opposition unity. Rahul Gandhi has so far held 17 rallies and roadshows in Karnataka, while his sister Priyanka Gandhi has done 19 rallies.The campaign for May 10 polls will continue at the same pace in the next four days as well. (ANI)
The Syro Malabar church on Friday said in a statement that they will support the stand of the Central Government on same-sex marriage. The church in its statement said that it supports the Central Government's stand that based on Indian culture, marriage happens between two opposite genders and family means a biological man, woman and their children. "The Syro-Malabar church supports the Government's stand that based on Indian culture, marriage happens between two opposite genders and family means a biological man, woman and their children. The Syro Malabar church that upholds the Holy Gospel, tradition and enlightenment follows the same moral view and opposes the attempt to legalise same-sex marriage", the statement read. According to the statement, the Syro- Malabar public affairs commission informed Sabha's view on the matter officially to the President after the Centre asked the society's opinion on legalising same-sex marriage. Earlier, the Supreme Court had asked the Centre to inform its stand on the matter. The statement further said, "Because same-sex marriage denies the children the right to take birth and grow up in a marital relationship. It is a denial of the nature that created man and woman. It is an injustice to the family system and society." The church in the statement also alleged that legalising same-sex marriage will lead to a demand for the legalisation of 'disruptional sexual demands'. "Legalising same-sex marriage will lead to the demand for legalisation of 'disruptional sexual demand' like attraction towards children, attraction towards animals, attraction between blood relation. So it should not be allowed", the statement said. The statement further said that the church opposes discrimination towards people who have 'physical and mental challenges in their sexual condition'. "But the church also empathizes with people who have physical and mental challenges in their sexual condition. We oppose discrimination towards them. At the same time, the Syro- Malabar church clearly announce their stand that marriage is between a man and woman only", the statement added. The statement of the Syro Malabar Church supporting the Centre comes in a significant move when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been stepping up its outreach to Christians in Kerala recently eyeing the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Meanwhile, The Centre on Wednesday apprised the Supreme Court that they will constitute a committee headed by the Union Cabinet Secretary to look into the issues faced by the LGBTQIA+ community. This was informed to a Five-judge Constitution Bench by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who was appearing for Centre. The five-judge Constitution Bench comprising of the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice Hima Kohli and Justice PS Narasimha is dealing with a batch of petitions pertaining to 'marriage equality rights for LGBTQIA+ community. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta apprised the Supreme Court that a committee headed by the cabinet secretary will be formed to look into the issues faced by the same-sex couple.SG Mehta further submitted that petitioners can submit suggestions so that the committee can apply their minds to it. The bench observed that it appears that the Centre is accepting that people do have a right to co-habit and basis of that there may be certain incidents of that cohabitation like bank accounts and insurance policies. SG Mehta submitted before the Supreme Court that the government is positive about the concerns raised by the top court for giving some social benefits to same-sex couples.He further said that this would need coordination between more than one ministry. In the last hearing on April 27, the Supreme Court asked the government to give a response on social benefits that can be given to same-sex couples even without legal recognition of their marital status. CJI DY Chandrachud has suggested that there are ministries dedicated to this purpose like social justice and empowerment such as Ministry for Women and Child Development. Solicitor General had expressed his acknowledgement that concerns such as having a joint bank account, nomination in insurance, etc are all human concerns and there can be deliberation to find a solution. Solicitor General had indicated that he could attempt to undertake this exercise since the suggestion has come from the Bench. The Supreme Court is hearing several petitions seeking legal recognition of same-sex marriage. One of the petitions earlier raised the absence of a legal framework which allowed members of the LGBTQIA+ community to marry any person of their choice. In one of the petitions, the couple sought to enforce the fundamental rights of LGBTQ+ individuals to marry any person of their choice. It said, "The exercise of which ought to be insulated from the disdain of legislative and popular majorities." The petitioners, further, asserted their fundamental right to marry each other and prayed for appropriate directions from this Court allowing and enabling them to do so. (ANI)
Former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday paid a courtesy call to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence on Friday. Koshiyari discussed various contemporary issues related to the state with the Chief Minister. Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand CM Dhami visited Dol Ashram, Almora and participated in the anniversary program of Shri Kalyanika Himalaya Devasthanam. Along with worshipping 1100 girls, Chief Minister unveiled the Nar-Narayan idols, He also offered prayers at Shreeyantra. Addressing the gathering, he said, "Param Pujya Maharaj Kalyandas ji did continuous spiritual practice for five decades as a seeker and created many such projects in the whole of India, through which the upliftment of people, born in ordinary homes, was done." "The way he has installed Shreeyantra in this ashram, in the coming times not only India but people from all over the world will come to this ashram to know peace, spirituality and culture," he added. The Chief Minister congratulated all those present on Buddha Purnima and asked them to follow the path of religion, peace and non-violence of Mahatma Buddha. The Chief Minister said that while this ashram is promoting religious tourism on the one hand, the great work of educating the youth about Indian culture is also being done through it. "To be born in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is a great fortune in itself. This ashram is a living example of our old civilization and culture. It is a grand and divine centre of meditation and spirituality. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government is continuously moving ahead with the resolution of the new Uttarakhand," Dhami said. He said that our government is committed to preserving culture in the state, and for this, our government has come up with a strict conversion law. (ANI)
Jammu and Kashmir Police, in a joint operation with security forces on Fiday, arrested three terrorist associates in Awantipora and Shopian. The police also recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition from their possession. Two of the arrested terror associates of the proscribed outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) were identified as Bashir Ahmad and Gulzar Ahmad. They were arrested from Awantipora while another, identified as Mohammed Asgar Dar, was arrested from Shopian. "Based on specific input regarding the presence of terrorists, Awantipora Police, with the assistance of Anantnag Police, Army (42RR) (03RR) and CRPF (180Bn) launched a joint cordon and search operation on May 4 in Tral, Awantipora. During the search operation, 2 terrorist associates of proscribed terror outfit Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), identified as Bashir Ahmad and Gulzar Ahmad from Tral, Awantipora were arrested," said an officer from J-K Police. According to the police, both were shifted to the police station where they will remain in custody. "On their disclosure, arms and ammunition, including 1 AK-56, 2 AK Magazine, 56 AK live rounds, 3 Pistols, 6 Pistol Magazines, 24 Pistol live Rounds and other incriminating materials were recovered. Accordingly, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered at Police Station Tral and further investigation has been initiated," the official said. He added, "The timely and effective action of police and security forces helped us avert a possible major tragedy as well as defeat the nefarious designs of JeM to recruit young boys for their illegal/unlawful activities." Meanwhile, in Shopian, during naka checking at Nagisheran, a joint party of Shopian Police, Army (34RR) and CRPF (178Bn) intercepted an individual, who attempted to evade the joint party. He was apprehended by an alert joint party, an official of the J&K Police said. The arrested terrorist associate was identified as Mohammed Asgar Dar from Nagisheran, Shopian. Incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including 1 pistol, 1 magazine and 8 live rounds were recovered from his possession, informed the police. "Preliminary investigation suggests that he was working as a terror associate of the proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Accordingly, a case under relevant sections of law has been registered at Imamsahib police station and further investigation is underway," the official added. (ANI)
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Prakash Reddy on Friday asked Congress leaders to apologise for their alleged anti-national, anti-social and anti-cultural activities. Reddy said that Congress equated the Popular Front of India (PFI), a banned outfit with Bajrang Dal, and called the move against the national interest and asked Congress to apologise to the people of the country for its anti-national, anti-social and anti-cultural activities. "Unfortunately, the Congress party equated the PFI with Bajrang Dal, which is against the national interest and against the interest of the national integrity. The Congress party has to say sorry to the people of this country for their anti-national, anti-social, anti-cultural activities," said Reddy. On the allegation of BJP reciting Hanuman Chalisa for votes the BJP leader further said, "Of course, the elections are ahead and any political party thinks about its vote bank. But why have you promised in your manifesto that you will ban the Bajrang Dal and why have you equated the Bajrang Dal with PFI. Is it not for votes? When you have mentioned it for votes in your manifesto, then why will BJP not do politics?" Chanting of the Hanuman Chalisa is a token program because "Bajrang" is one of the names of Lord Hanuman and Hanuman is very much linked to Karnataka. People have a sentiment for Hanuman in Karnataka, said the BJP leader. Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi attacked Congress ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections has begun his address in a rally by chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Bajrang Bali ki Jai" (chants to the glory of Lord Hanuman). PM Modi's remarks come in the backdrop of the Congress's Karnataka election manifesto, including banning right-wing outfits like Bajrang Dal. The Congress manifesto said the party is committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred among communities based on caste and religion. (ANI)
Hours after CCTV footage surfaced showing gangster Tillu Tajpuriya being stabbed in front of uniformed personnel inside Tihar Jail, former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Friday said that there is a need for reworking the training in the police system and policemen should rehearse how to intervene. "I think we need to rework the training... how to intervene, to have some rehearsals. We need to work on reflexes. We should have mock training," Kiran Bedi said in an exclusive interview with ANI. She also said that a prison intelligence system should be created. "The prison intelligence system will help in knowing a criminal's movements, inside a prison," she said. The former IPS officer's concerns came after another CCTV visual of the killing of Tillu Tajpuriya in jail premises emerged. The second CCTV visuals showed that fellow inmates continued stabbing the prime accused of the Rohini Court shootout in front of uniformed personnel, who did not intervene. The footage from the CCTV camera, mounted on the wall of Central Gallery inside Tihar Jail, is from around 6:15 am on May 2. The police personnel could be seen standing near Tillu Tajpuriya, lying on the floor, and watching three men stabbing the gangster with weapons, fashioned out of lockup grills. Earlier on Thursday, the first set of CCTV footage emerged. The footage was from around 6:10 am on May 2. In the visuals, no police official was seen. Some prisoners could be seen there, but no one was able to stop the attackers. Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in Delhi's Rohini court shootout case was killed by rival gang members in Tihar jail on May 2. According to the prison officials, Tillu Tajpuriya was immediately taken to Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Meanwhile, the case has now been transferred to a special cell for investigation. The case was registered in Hari Nagar police station under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Members of the rival gang namely Deepak Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw. According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya. Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since. Sunil Balyan alias Tajpuriya was the main accused in the Rohini court shootout case in September 2021 which left his friend-turned-rival gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi dead. The shooters, alleged associates of Tajpuriya had come dressed in lawyer's clothes and gunned Gogoi dead inside a courtroom in Rohini court. The two gunmen were immediately shot dead by the police team. Tajpuriya and his gang's rivalry with another gang led by notorious gangster, Jitender Gogi dates back to 2009 when the pair were friends but supported different candidates in elections in Swami Shraddhanand College in Outer Delhi. (ANI)
The mobile checkpost of 4 Bn BSF Meghalaya rescued 70 cattle from the bordering area of West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya on May 4, which were meant for smuggling to Bangladesh, the statement said.

According to the statement, both the apprehended persons are residents of Assam. The seized cattle and nabbed persons were handed over to Amlarem police station for further action.

"BSF Mobile Check Post deployed in Amlarem area intercepted 5 trucks crammed with 70 cattle which were approaching towards the bordering area. BSF chased the trucks for about 3 Km before impounding them when drivers accelerated even on being signalled by BSF troops to stop for checking", the statement said.

The statement further informed that the truck drivers tried to flee the spot taking benefit of thick vegetation and undulating ground along the road.

"The BSF party managed to seize five trucks and one Bolero pickup and nabbed two helpers from the spot," the statement read. (ANI)
Tihar jail, Director General (Prison) Sanjay Baniwal met Delhi LG VK Saxena on Friday and presented a detailed report on the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside the jail premises, said Delhi LG House sources. In this connection, nine staff members of Tihar jail, including the Assistant Superintendent, have been suspended after a CCTV visual of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya getting stabbed by his rival gang members inside Tihar Jail went viral on Friday. The second CCTV visual of the macabre murder showed that fellow inmates continued stabbing the prime accused of the Rohini Court shootout in front of uniformed personnel, who did not intervene. The footage from the CCTV camera mounted on the wall of Central Gallery inside Tihar Jail, is from around 6:15 am on May 2. The police personnel could be seen standing near Tillu Tajpuriya, lying on the floor, and watching three men stabbing the gangster with weapons, fashioned out of lockup grills. Earlier on Thursday, the first set of CCTV footage emerged. The footage was from around 6:10 am on May 2. In the visuals, no police official was seen. Some prisoners could be seen there, but no one was able to stop the attackers. Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in Delhi's Rohini court shootout case was killed by rival gang members in Tihar jail on May 2. According to the prison officials, Tillu Tajpuriya was immediately taken to Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he was declared brought dead. Members of the rival gang namely Deepak alias Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw. According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya. Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since. (ANI)
With just a few days to go for the May 10 assembly elections in Karnataka, the Congress on Friday targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the issue of corruption, and also released a "rate card" of alleged corruption in the southern state. The Congress first shared the rate card from the official Twitter handle of the party in a bid to scale up attacks on the issue of corruption. In the post, the Congress alleged that the Karnataka Chief Minister's post was up for grabs for Rs 2,500 crore and the rate of ministerial posts was Rs 500 crore. Sharing the post on Twitter, the party wrote, "Kannadigas! Here is the corruption rate card of the 'TROUBLE ENGINE' 40% Sarkara." The post also highlighted figures for "Appointment and Transfer Rates", "Job Rates", and alleged commission for government deals. Following the party's stand, even former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also shared the post and targeted the BJP, saying "trouble Engine BJP is in love with the number 40, people of Karnataka will give them 40 seats only". In a tweet, Rahul Gandhi said: "BJP's 40% Commission Sarkara's 'Rate Card'! 'Trouble Engine' BJP is in love with the number 40, people of Karnataka will give them 40 seats only!" The Congress and Rahul Gandhi has been attacking the BJP over the alleged corruption in the BJP government in the state. Last year, the Congress launched PayCM campaign in the state to highlight the alleged corruption. The Congress has been campaigning aggressively in Karnataka and has cornered the BJP on issues of corruption and several other matters. The Congress released its manifesto on Tuesday and also announced several promises for the people of the state. The party also promised to repeal, within one year of coming to power, "all unjust laws and other anti-people laws" passed by the BJP government in the state. To woo the voters in the state, Congress announced Gruha Jyothi (200 units of free electricity), Gruha Lakshmi - Rs 2,000 monthly to every woman head of the family, Anna Bhagya - 10 kg of food grains of their choice (among rice, ragi, jowar, millet) to every person in a BPL family. The election for the 224-member assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13. --IANS aks/pgh ( 401 Words) 2023-05-05-20:04:02 (IANS)
The screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Tyre Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards, Saturday, Jan. 28, 2023. Nichols, who had a passion for photography and was described by friends as joyful and lovable, was fatally beaten by police during a traffic stop in Memphis, Tenn., on Jan. 7, 2023. (Matthew Hinton/AP)

MEMPHIS, Tenn.  Tyre Nichols died of blunt force injuries to the head after he was beaten by Memphis police during a January arrest, an autopsy report released Thursday showed.

The autopsy said the manner of death was homicide. The report released by the medical examiner in Memphis described multiple contusions, brain injuries, cuts and bruises to the head and other parts of the body.

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Nichols was Black, as were the five police officers fired and charged with second-degree murder and other counts after his death. They pleaded not guilty Feb. 17.

Ben Crump, an attorney for the Nichols family, said they were briefed Wednesday on the autopsy report by the district attorney in Shelby County, which includes Memphis.

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The official autopsy report further propels our commitment to seeking justice for this senseless tragedy, a statement released by Crumps law firm said.

Nichols was stopped by police Jan. 7 for an alleged traffic violation and was aggressively pulled out of his car by officers. An officer shot at Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away toward his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city of Memphis and other police records.

Officers who were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

After the beating, officers stood by and talked with one another as Nichols struggled with his injuries while he was on the ground, video showed. One officer also took photos of Nichols as he was propped up against an unmarked police car, video and other records showed.

Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the site of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Nichols, 29, died three days later. His funeral was held Feb. 1.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video footage, and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers response. She disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols death.

In addition to the five Black officers fired and charged with murder, one white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. That officer will not face charges for his role in Nichols death. Another officer who has not been identified also has been fired. An additional officer retired before he could be fired.

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Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were at the site of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County sheriffs deputies who also were there were suspended.

Nichols family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department concerning issues related to traffic stops, use of force, improving transparency and other policies. The city council has passed an ordinance ending traffic stops based solely on a single secondary violation, such as an improperly placed license tag.

Nichols mother has filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city, the police department and Davis. The city has declined comment on the lawsuit.

Associated Press reporter Rebecca Reynolds contributed to this report from Louisville, Kentucky.
Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP in March this year following his conviction in a defamation case, held a discussion with the students at the PG Men's hostel here on the north campus of Delhi University.

A party source, who was present at the meeting of the Congress leader, said that he only discussed their careers and no political discussions were held.

Last month, Rahul Gandhi visited Mukherjee Nagar in north Delhi and met the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants.

"It is always a delight to listen to and engage with students," he had posted on social media.

Alongside many photographs of himself, he wrote: "They are the ones who hold the key to India's progressive future."

He had also visited the Bengali Market and the Jama Masjid area and tried several dishes.

Rahul Gandhi, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad Parliamentary constituency, lost his membership after he was convicted by a Surat court.

Following his conviction, he was disqualified as an MP on March 23 and was also asked to vacate his residence. He vacated his official residence on April 22.

--IANS aks/pgh

( 232 Words)

2023-05-05-20:12:04 (IANS)
Foxp2 gene mutations have been associated with apraxia, a speech impairment that makes it challenging to form sound sequences. A recent study from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University and MIT clarifies how this gene regulates voice production. In a study using mice, the scientists discovered that Foxp2 mutations impair the development of dendrites and neuronal connections in the striatum of the brain, which is crucial for the regulation of movement. The high-frequency sounds that mice use to communicate with one another were also less effective in animals with these alterations. Foxp2 mutations stop motor proteins from properly assembling, which results in those defects, the researchers discovered. "These mice have abnormal vocalizations, and in the striatum there are many cellular abnormalities," says Ann Graybiel, an MIT Institute Professor, a member of MIT's McGovern Institute for Brain Research, and an author of the paper. "This was an exciting finding. Who would have thought that a speech problem might come from little motors inside cells?" Fu-Chin Liu PhD '91, a professor at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, is the senior author of the study, which appears today in the journal Brain. Liu and Graybiel also worked together on a 2016 study of the potential link between Foxp2 and autism spectrum disorder. The lead authors of the new Brain paper are Hsiao-Ying Kuo and Shih-Yun Chen of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Children with Foxp2-associated apraxia tend to begin speaking later than other children, and their speech is often difficult to understand. The disorder is believed to arise from impairments in brain regions, such as the striatum, that control the movements of the lips, mouth, and tongue. Foxp2 is also expressed in the brains of songbirds such as zebra finches and is critical to those birds' ability to learn songs. Foxp2 encodes a transcription factor, meaning that it can control the expression of many other target genes. Many species express Foxp2, but humans have a special form of Foxp2. In a 2014 study, Graybiel and colleagues found evidence that the human form of Foxp2, when expressed in mice, allowed the mice to accelerate the switch from declarative to procedural types of learning. In that study, the researchers showed that mice engineered to express the human version of Foxp2, which differs from the mouse version by only two DNA base pairs, were much better at learning mazes and performing other tasks that require turning repeated actions into behavioral routines. Mice with human-like Foxp2 also had longer dendrites -- the slender extensions that help neurons form synapses -- in the striatum, which is involved in habit formation as well as motor control. In the new study, the researchers wanted to explore how the Foxp2 mutation that has been linked with apraxia affects speech production, using ultrasonic vocalizations in mice as a proxy for speech. Many rodents and other animals such as bats produce these vocalizations to communicate with each other. While previous studies, including the work by Liu and Graybiel in 2016, had suggested that Foxp2 affects dendrite growth and synapse formation, the mechanism for how that occurs was not known. In the new study, led by Liu, the researchers investigated one proposed mechanism, which is that Foxp2 affects motor proteins. One of these molecular motors is the dynein protein complex, a large cluster of proteins that is responsible for shuttling molecules along microtubule scaffolds within cells. "All kinds of molecules get shunted around to different places in our cells, and that's certainly true of neurons," Graybiel says. "There's an army of tiny molecules that move molecules around in the cytoplasm or put them into the membrane. In a neuron, they may send molecules from the cell body all the way down the axons." The dynein complex is made up of several other proteins. The most important of these is a protein called dynactin1, which interacts with microtubules, enabling the dynein motor to move along microtubules. In the new study, the researchers found that dynactin1 is one of the major targets of the Foxp2 transcription factor. The researchers focused on the striatum, one of the regions where Foxp2 is most often found, and showed that the mutated version of Foxp2 is unable to suppress dynactin1 production. Without that brake in place, cells generate too much dynactin1. This upsets the delicate balance of dynein-dynactin1, which prevents the dynein motor from moving along microtubules. Those motors are needed to shuttle molecules that are necessary for dendrite growth and synapse formation on dendrites. With those molecules stranded in the cell body, neurons are unable to form synapses to generate the proper electrophysiological signals they need to make speech production possible. Mice with the mutated version of Foxp2 had abnormal ultrasonic vocalizations, which typically have a frequency of around 22 to 50 kilohertz. The researchers showed that they could reverse these vocalization impairments and the deficits in the molecular motor activity, dendritic growth, and electrophysiological activity by turning down the gene that encodes dynactin1. Mutations of Foxp2 can also contribute to autism spectrum disorders and Huntington's disease, through mechanisms that Liu and Graybiel previously studied in their 2016 paper and that many other research groups are now exploring. Liu's lab is also investigating the potential role of abnormal Foxp2 expression in the subthalamic nucleus of the brain as a possible factor in Parkinson's disease. (ANI)
The United States denied Russia's "ludicrous" claim of being involved in the purported drone attack on the Kremlin, according to CNN. National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications John Kirby said, "I would just tell you Mr. (Dmitry) Peskov's lying. I mean, it's obviously a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this. We don't even know what happened here." "But I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever," he added. Earlier, Russia accused the US of being involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin and an assassination attempt against President Vladimir Putin, the latest in a series of extraordinary allegations over Wednesday's incident. "We are well aware that decisions on such actions and such terrorist attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington. And Kyiv is already executing what it is told to do," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, without providing any evidence. Russia on Wednesday, while releasing several footages, had claimed of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) strikes on Putin's Kremlin residence. The strikes were termed terrorist attacks by Ukraine on Russia. After two UAV strikes, Russia also released videos claiming attacks on an Oil Depot in Krasnodar and also on the Senate Palace. The Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin on the night of May 2, when it was targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in an official statement said that there was no doubt that the Kyiv regime is behind these attacks. "Kyiv has a long-standing record of intentionally supporting and employing terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and civilians, including the October 8, 2022, explosion on the Crimean Bridge, strikes against non-military targets in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions, as well as many acts of sabotage. Now comes Moscow. The terrorist activity and acts of sabotage by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been gathering unprecedented momentum," the statement said. "This crime is aggravated by the fact that the Moscow Kremlin serves as the residence of the head of state. What makes the actions of the neo-Nazi Ukrainian authorities especially cynical is that they made an attempt to assassinate the President of Russia ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where Great Patriotic War veterans, who had shed their blood in the fight against Nazism and fascism, including on Ukrainian territory, will be present," it added. In the overnight drone attacks, Putin did not get injured and Russia considers the drone attacks, an attempt on President's life, President's press service announced on Wednesday, Russia Today reported. According to Putin's staff, Ukraine launched two drone attacks overnight with the intention of hitting his apartment in the Kremlin. (ANI)
India and the United Kingdom carried out 'Casualty Evacuation' and 'Establishing Communication' practices during the ongoing Joint Military Training 'Ajeya Warrior' in the UK. "Exercise #AjeyaWarrior 2023 Contingents of #IndianArmy and #BritishArmy carried out 'Casualty Evacuation' and 'Establishing Communication' practice during the ongoing Joint Military Training at #UnitedKingdom," Additional Directorate General of Public Information of Indian Army tweeted. The bilateral exercise is being held at Salisbury Plains, United Kingdom till May 11, according to the statement released by Defence Ministry. Ajeya Warrior is a biennial training event with the United Kingdom conducted alternatively in the United Kingdom and India, the last edition was held at Chaubatia, Uttarakhand in October 2021. Soldiers of the 2 Royal Gorkha Rifles from the United Kingdom and Indian Army soldiers from the Bihar Regiment are participating in the exercise. The Indian Army contingent arrived at Brize Norton on April 26 in an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft with indigenous weapons and equipment. According to the Ministry of Defence, the aim of the exercise is to build positive military relations, imbibe each other's best practices and promote the ability to operate together while undertaking company-level sub-conventional operations in urban and semi-urban environments under UN mandate, in addition to developing inter-operability, bonhomie, camaraderie and friendship between the two armies, the statement read. The scope of this exercise involves a Command Post Exercise (CPX) at the Battalion level and Company level Field Training Exercise (FTX). During the exercise, participants will engage in various missions testing their operational acumen in various simulated situations; showcasing and refining their tactical drills, and learning from each other's operational experience. "Ajeya Warrior" is yet another significant milestone in defence cooperation between the Indian Army and British Army which will further foster the bilateral relations between the two countries, said the Defence Ministry statement. The exercise is part of an initiative to develop interoperability and share expertise with friendly foreign nations. Both nations' military forces take part in this combined military drill. It aims to provide pieces of training to the soldiers of both nations in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. It has proved to be an excellent strategy for strengthening the ties between them. (ANI)
A group of 9 stranded Indian evacuees from Sudan landed in Mumbai from Jeddah. After returning from the crisis-hit country, evacuees expressed their happiness. Salim, who returned to India, said, "I went to meet my relatives. I was stuck in Sudan for about 20 days. When I contacted the embassy there, they served me very well and quickly." Meanwhile, Mubarak, another evacuee that returned to Mumbai said that the Indian embassy in Sudan has helped him a lot. "The Indian Embassy arranged food and gave shelter in its office. The Embassy also gave the bus service to go to Port Sudan," he added. Another Indian evacuee, who used to work in Sudan, said, "We were in a very difficult situation. We talked to Embassy regarding our situation, and then they took us to Port Sudan. I am very thankful to the Embassy." Earlier, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed that nearly 3800 citizens have been successfully evacuated from crisis-hit Sudan. "IAF C-130J aircraft with 47 evacuees from Sudan is on its way to Delhi from Jeddah. Nearly 3800 persons have now been rescued from Sudan under #OperationKaveri," External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Earlier, on Thursday, 192 Indians, who were stranded in Sudan, landed in Ahmedabad.They were brought to Gujarat in Indian Air Force C17 aircraft from Port Sudan to Ahmedabad. On the same day, "20 evacuees departed from N'Djamena in two batches of 2 and 18 onboard flights destined for Chennai and Bengaluru respectively. These evacuees had crossed over from Sudan into Chad through the adjoining land border," Bagchi tweeted. A total of 3,584 Indians have been evacuated from the strife-torn Sudan under "Operation Kaveri" which completed nine days of operations on Thursday, according to the Indian embassy in Sudan. Nine days have passed since the Government of India launched its ambitious rescue mission, "Operation Kaveri" to evacuate stranded Indians in conflict-ridden Sudan. The operation was carried out using 5 Indian Naval Ships and 16 Indian Air Force aircraft including one from Wadi Sayyidna military airbase. The two warring factions in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, according to a statement of the foreign ministry of South Sudan on Tuesday, reported CNN. The statement added that the two sides also said that they would send representatives for peace talks "to be held at an agreed venue of their choice." Neither SAF nor RSF commented on the report on their official channels. Previous ceasefires haven't been able to put an end to the violence between the opposing factions across the nation. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF, failed to reach an agreement, and in the middle of April, there were violent skirmishes between the two sides that resulted in at least 528 deaths and large-scale migration of refugees from the country, CNN reported. Tuesday's announcement came after the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that more than 800,000 people may migrate to other nations as continuous violence impedes convoys to evacuate people from Sudan's major ports. (ANI)
As Afghanistan humanitarian crisis continues to remain a concern for the global community, Maximo Torero, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)'s senior economist said that the population of the war-torn country is currently "facing high levels of acute food insecurity, not only in magnitude but also in prevalence," reported TOLOnews. According to him, the DRC is the country with the largest food problem, followed by Ethiopia, and Afghanistan. Nigeria, Yemen, Myanmar, Syria Arab Republic, Sudan, Ukraine, and Pakistan were also on the list of nations facing a food crisis, TOLOnews quoted Torero as saying. According to WFP Afghanistan spokesman, Wahidullah Amani, the country's ability to provide relief has been hampered by the absence of female personnel from the NGOs. "WFP believes that aid delivery is better with women, and bringing back the women workers is the priority of the WFP. We will continue our efforts in this regard at all levels," he said, according to TOLOnews. In all of Afghanistan, poverty and hunger have significantly increased since the Taliban retook control of the country in August 2021. Approximately 28.3 million Afghans, or roughly two-thirds of the country's population, will require urgent humanitarian and protective assistance in 2023, according to the organization's (OCHA) findings, reported Khaama Press. The biggest and worst humanitarian disaster in the world at the beginning of the year was in Afghanistan. Both in terms of quantity and intensity, this signifies a drastic decline. Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly urged the international world to continue to stand in solidarity with the Afghan people and provide assistance to them during these trying times. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shangai Cooperation Organisation. Zardari is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and incidentally, the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years. The two-day-long meeting of SCO member states began here on Thursday. Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey", avoiding a handshake. On his arrival in the coastal State yesterday Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries. The Pakistan minister was received at the airport by Indian diplomat JP Singh (Joint Secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk). The Pakistan politician is attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. "I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson. Ahead of Day Two of the SCO conclave foreign ministers of the member countries began to arrive at Taj Exotica venue and Jaishankar also welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers. On Thursday, Jaishankar held a meeting with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The discussions focussed on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring "peace and tranquillity" in the border areas. "A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," Jaishankar said in a tweet. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, too folded hands and greeted his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar as he was welcomed for the Meeting of the SCO meeting. Jaishankar and Lavrov had yesterday held bilateral talks. Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were also received in Goa by the External Affairs Minister. India hosted a cultural event on Thursday evening ahead of the main meeting on Friday. The theme for India's chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022. The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. (ANI)
Religious minorities in Pakistan are currently engaged in a battle for their very survival, as the nation continues to lean towards Islamic conservatism. Shockingly, hardly a day passes without an attack being launched against those belonging to minority communities within Pakistan. Over the course of just two days, three targeted incidents led to the deaths of individuals hailing from minority communities in different parts of the country. In Peshawar, a Sikh shopkeeper, Dayal Singh, was gunned down by an unknown assailant on March 31, while on April 1, a Christian man by the name of Kasheef Masih was similarly shot dead by unidentified gunmen. In Karachi, the prominent Hindu Scheduled Castes (SCs) member, Dr Birbal Ginani, was deliberately targeted and killed on March 30. The failure of law enforcement agencies to apprehend the perpetrators of these murders has left religious minorities in Pakistan feeling frustrated, angry, and increasingly helpless. Both religious and political motives have prevented Islamabad's ruling governments from addressing the concerns of minorities who continue to endure daily persecution and humiliation at the hands of members of the majority community. Last December, Pakistan was designated by the United States as a "country of particular concern" under the Religious Freedom Act due to its flagrant violations. The Act mandates that countries be designated as such if they are found to breach religious freedoms systematically and consistently. Furthermore, the 2021 US Report on International Religious Freedom stated that local law enforcement in Pakistan failed to protect religious minorities and individuals accused of blasphemy. The Center for Social Justice (CSJ), an NGO, reported that 84 blasphemy cases were filed in 2021 and 199 in 2020. The drop in cases was attributed to the Covid-19 lockdowns rather than an improvement in law enforcement efforts in Pakistan. The CSJ's previous reports highlighted four key issues contributing to the subjugation of religious minorities in Pakistan: misuse of blasphemy laws, the prevalence of forced conversions, the underrepresentation of minorities in the national population census, and issues with education reform. The rising cases of targeted killings such as in Peshawar and Karachi prove that little has been done to address these concerns to protect the rights of religious minorities in Pakistan. Ranveer Singh, a spokesperson for Pakistan's minority Sikh community, told the media that the deceased Dayal Singh had no issues with anyone from the majority community. Ranveer also expressed that Sikhs are feeling increasingly unsafe in the country, as 11 members of their community have been killed in recent years. It is important to note that Pakistan attempted to take all credit for the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor in November 2019, with the intention of disturbing the internal religious environment in India. Islamabad has since positioned itself as a saviour of the Sikh faith, permitting extremist groups to operate from its borders and jeopardising Indian interests. On the contrary, members of the Sikh community and their religious places are getting targeted for practicing their religion in Pakistan. Like the recent incident, two Sikh businessmen were shot dead by the "unidentified armed men", reportedly belonging to the Islamic State, in Peshawar last May. Statistics from the 2017 Population Census reveal that while Muslims constitute 96.2 per cent of Pakistan's populace, Hindus account for just 1.6 per cent, Christians 1.59 per cent, Scheduled Castes 0.25 per cent, Ahmadis 0.22 per cent, and other minorities 0.07 per cent. Despite such small numbers and hardly any threat to the majority community, religious minorities in Pakistan continue to suffer from rape, forced conversions, murder, and destruction of their properties. As per the CSJ figures, the religious minorities in 2021 were affected by the abuse (over 46 per cent) more than their share in the population which is 3.5 per cent. Many analysts posit that religious conservatism in Pakistan has intensified following the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, is experiencing a surge in targeted attacks against religious minorities, such as the killing of Masih on April 1 by "unknown assailants" and the assassination of a prominent Christian priest in Peshawar last January. Notably, the safety and security of religious minorities in Pakistan has become even more precarious after former Prime Minister Imran Khan proposed to transform the country into a utopian "Riyasat-e-Medina". His conservative Islamic policies only compounded the hardships experienced by religious minorities and fuelled an uptick in attacks motivated by false blasphemy allegations or simply belonging to a minority community. According to the 2022 Amnesty International yearly report on Pakistan, "Blasphemy allegations continued to spark violence against both religious minorities and Muslims." Similarly, the 2021 US State Department report on International Religious Freedom averred that throughout the year, unidentified individuals and mobs targeted and killed Christians, Hindus, etc, in attacks "believed to be motivated by religion or accusations of blasphemy." Furthermore, perpetrators of such violence against religious minorities often face no legal consequences due to a lack of follow-through, bribes, and pressure on victims. Consequently, religious minorities in Pakistan will continue to face persecution and targeted attacks in the future. (ANI)
Dubai [UAE], May 5 (ANI/WAM): Ajman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) participated in the 30th edition of the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2023, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre, in collaboration with the Department of Tourism Development in Ajman (ATDD). The move is part of ACCI's efforts to establish a global economic network that supports business development, expansion, and promotion of Ajman as an ideal investment destination. According to Mohamed Ali Al Janahi, Executive Director of the Trade Development and International Relations Sector at the Ajman Chamber, the participation aims to promote the tourism sector in Ajman and highlight the emirate's efforts to increase and diversify sustainable development projects in line with the UAE's goals for the Year of Sustainability and preparation for hosting the World Climate Conference "COP 28". Al Janahi also emphasised the remarkable growth of the tourism sector in Ajman, which has increased the contribution of the emirate's gross product. The number of tourism establishments in Ajman increased by about 26pc in 2022 compared to 2021, while the number of tourists visiting the emirate also showed a steady increase. Jamila Kajoor Alnuaimi, Director of the Promotion and International Relations Department, emphasised the Ajman Chamber's commitment to diversifying its participation in international exhibitions to promote investment opportunities in various sectors and strengthen international partnerships. The Ajman Chamber pavilion at the exhibition showcased investment opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sectors and highlighted the advantages of investing in Ajman's economy. (ANI/WAM)
The United Kashmir People's National Party (UKPNP) organised an international conference earlier this week at the House of Commons in London. British legislators, well-known human rights activists, thinkers, lawyers, journalists, authors, and Kashmiri Diaspora in the UK participated and shared their opinions on the scourge of extremism and violence conceived and spread by Pakistan, reported Asian Lite International. According to a press statement, "The conference was rightly titled as "Growing Extremism and Violence in South Asia and how it will affect Britain and South Asia" because the impact of the violence and hatred nourished by Pakistani Establishment is affecting not only the region of South Asia but UK, EU and other regions too." One of the speakers emphasised that terrorist attacks in the US, London, Madrid and Paris prove that the threat of terrorism is not limited to its region of origin anymore. As per UKPNP, research has shown that the UK is especially vulnerable to this threat, due to its large Pakistani community. As per the British security services, "At least three in every four terror plots in the UK had their roots in Pakistan," Asian Lite International reported. Oxford University noted in 2018 that Pakistan hosts or aids most of the world's most deadly terrorist organisations. It can be observed that Pakistan is to blame for three times as many terrorist attacks against people as Syria, five times as many as Libya, and seven times the risk Iraq poses. The speaker also said that throughout the years, an interdependent relationship between state institutions and terrorist organisations has evolved in Pakistan and that it is possible for terrorist organisations to obtain nuclear weapons, Asian Lite International reported. The seriousness and persistent threat Pakistan's dynamic terrorist infrastructure poses to the UK and the rest of the globe has not received appropriate attention. This has forced the Conference to ask, "Why UK placed Pakistan on its list of high-risk countries for terror finances and money laundering in 2021, but reversed the decision, just a year later?" Fabian Hamilton, Shadow Minister for Peace & Disarmament, UK; Wood Green, Shadow Minister for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs, UK; MP Hillary James Wedgwood and MP Catherine West from Labour Party attended and addressed the conference. A resolution stating that UKPNP supports peace, harmony, and prosperity in the South Asian region was approved towards the end of the conference that was hosted by the organisation. "We condemn the propagation of inequality, violence and hatred that is premeditated, instigated and supported by the Pakistani Establishment. We state publicly that the J&K dispute is a creation of Pakistan's unprovoked and imperial attack on the State of J&K and since then the human rights and honour of Kashmiris has been violated by Pakistan. UKPNP urges Government of Pakistan to ensure Freedom of Speech for one and all living under its iron heels, irrespective of their faith, ethnicity, language and social status. We strongly stand for religious freedom for the followers of all faiths," the resolution stated, as reported by Asian Lite International. In the unanimously adopted resolution, UKPNP urged the esteemed guests to widen the area that is open to peace, tolerance, harmony, and respect for everyone; to reinforce and advance our ambitions for social order and world peace; and to leave no room for violence and hatred. UKPNP promises to keep fighting against those who support, excuse, or justify these evils, according to Asian Lite International. The UKPNP requested the authorities to take the necessary steps to stop individuals who promote radicalization, violence, and intolerance from engaging in their activities in their final statement, Asian Lite International reported. (ANI)
Luciano Rivas, 2, plays on the floor in the lobby of the 17th District Chicago police station on May 4, 2023. His family, from Venezuela, and other migrants are sheltering at the station. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Lori Lightfoots plan to house some of the citys surging population of migrants at a former high school in the South Shore neighborhood prompted shouts by frustrated residents who said they were left out of the planning process at a packed meeting Thursday night.

I have nothing against the migrants, said lifelong resident Marjorie Love, 85, who lives across from the closed South Shore High School, which the city proposed to house new arrivals. But if you have 250 people you need to house, you need to find another location.

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The meeting comes as the city moves dozens of migrants from police stations to temporary respite centers set up at public facilities, including Chicago Park District field houses where some spring programming has to be relocated to make way for the temporary shelter and a shuttered Streeterville hotel off the Magnificent Mile.

Hundreds of migrants seeking asylum have arrived in Chicago in recent weeks, adding to the thousands who are already here after they began arriving last fall. City officials say the most recent influx has exhausted resources and filled shelters to capacity.

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There were 207 families residing inside Chicago police stations Thursday morning, said Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez, 25th, citing an unofficial count shared with him by community groups. Dozens of migrants were shown sleeping shoulder to shoulder on the lobby floor of Rogers Parks 24th District police station in a photo shared on social media and confirmed with police sources by the Tribune.

These are families with children, Sigcho-Lopez said.

Mayoral spokesperson Ryan Johnson said 80 asylum-seekers are arriving per day, according to 311 calls. Sigcho-Lopez said the number might be even higher and will likely rise as Texas Gov. Greg Abbott resumes sending migrants to Chicago via bus and as Title 42 pandemic-era federal border restrictions expire next week.

[ Migrants, advocates rally on May Day as Lightfoot, Pritzker blast Texas governor for plan to bus migrants to Chicago By Nell Salzman ]

The migrant arrivals are part of a national humanitarian crisis, Johnson wrote in an email to the Tribune.

During a public meeting at South Shore International College Preparatory High School in Chicago on May 4, 2023, Marjorie Love expresses her displeasure with a plan to place migrants in the shuttered former South Shore High School. (Terrence Antonio James / Chicago Tribune)

We will continue collaborating with community-based organizations and local and community leaders to support those in need while also addressing the concerns of the local communities, Johnson wrote.

Over 8,000 migrants have arrived since Abbott began sending migrants to Chicago via bus last August, Lightfoot wrote in a letter criticizing Abbotts decision to resume the buses Sunday.

The wave of migrants arriving in Chicago in the fall pushed the city to find new shelter facilities. However, the housing efforts were at times met with opposition. When city leaders first sought to reopen the shuttered Wadsworth Elementary School in Woodlawn to house migrants in December, they faced pushback and protest from residents and leaders.

Many felt disrespected by the citys plan to repurpose a school local residents had fought to keep open, Ald. Jeanette Taylor, 20th, said at the time. Two residents blocked a bus as migrants moved into the temporary shelter in February.

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[ Woodlawn group welcomes migrants to community amid local and political opposition: We have a lot of space here ]

The city planned to house 250 migrants at the school as it opened the shelter, the Tribune reported then. Now, almost 500 migrants are staying at the repurposed elementary school, a spokesperson for Taylors office said Thursday. The shelters population has been at the higher level for the past few weeks, Johnson said.

The City has been planning for an influx of new arrivals since [being] given notice of the federal May 11 deadline, he wrote.

Ald. Michelle Harris, 8th, said the proposed shelter affects not just her ward but the entire South Side of Chicago. The meeting was supposed to be held at the shuttered high school, 7627 S. Constance Ave., but it was moved to International College Preparatory High on 75th Street because there were so many people planning to attend.

Community members raised their voices as city officials tried to speak. They lined up to ask questions.

We recognize this is a humanitarian crisis, but while this crisis may constitute an emergency for the city of Chicago, it does not constitute an emergency for the South Shore community, Harris said.

This community just doesnt have the capacity to help, said Ald. Anthony Beale, 9th.

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The mayors office is collaborating with city departments, aldermen, community organizers and leaders to identify new temporary housing sites where arriving migrants can wait for shelter placement, Johnson said.

The Magnificent Miles Inn of Chicago hotel building at 162 E. Ohio St. is being used to house migrants, he confirmed. The Streeterville hotel closed in 2020, according to its website.

City officials have repeatedly stated they have run out of available resources to care for the asylum-seekers amid a purported tenfold increase in arrivals.

We simply have no more shelters, spaces or resources, Lightfoot wrote in her letter to Abbott.

Migrants have sought shelter at police stations across the city. Dozens slept on the hard floors of Rogers Parks 24th District police station this week. In the photo shared on Twitter, they filled the stations lobby, wrapped in blankets.

[ Influx of migrants living at Chicago police stations as city, charity groups scramble to find them shelter ]

But in the early afternoon Thursday, the migrants were moved out of the station. They had been moved to the neighborhoods Leone Beach Park, officers at the station said.

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Migrants are now being housed at Chicago Park District field houses at both Leone Beach Park and Brands Park in Avondale.

The Leone Beach Park field house where migrants are staying, May 4, 2023, in Rogers Park. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

The Park District will move spring programming from Brands Park to other sites as asylum-seekers are temporarily housed in the parks field house, district spokesperson Michele Lemons said.

At Leone Beach Park on Thursday afternoon, migrants arrived on school buses and entered the field house. Families with young children, many from Venezuela, walked into the building with trash bags holding their possessions slung over their shoulders. They carried pillows, blankets, diapers and folders with their immigration papers inside.

Walk forward and find a seat, volunteers said in Spanish, quickly ushering them along.

Lourie Hasbrook, a member of St. Gertrude Parish, stood outside with a backpack of childrens underwear and crayons, but wasnt allowed in the building. She said she planned to call Ald. Maria Hadden, 49th, to see what could be done.

Its appalling, she said. Ive heard the conditions here are bad, but I dont know that theyre worse than the police station where everyone was just on the floor against walls.

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Hasbrook said she understands the city is overwhelmed, but she knows there are a lot of people who want to help. She wondered why migrants werent allowed outside, and why there werent tables and chairs set up in the lawn.

Its such a beautiful day, she said. This is just depressing.

Marianny Rodriguez, 34, said she was brought to the field house last night from a police station, though she didnt know which one. She said conditions at the field house are about the same as they were at the stations, but she noted that migrants are receiving food at the new site. There were about 48 people inside, she said.

Were under a roof at least, and were grateful for that, she told the Tribune in Spanish.

Jessica Chirino, 31, and her husband, Jhonny Caicado, entered the building with their 5-year-old daughter. The Tribune spoke to Chirino and her family at the 16th District police station over a week ago.

All media and volunteers were told to stay outside the caution tape strung up around the building.

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Women and children occasionally wandered outside to stare at Lake Michigan. They stayed a few minutes, then went back inside.

Enrique Villegas, 27, looks at his phone while lying down beside Maikel Lombano, 39, as the migrants from Caracas, Venezuela, take shelter in the lobby of the 17th District Chicago police station on May 4, 2023. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

Ald. Gil Villegas, 36th, said that many asylum-seekers first go to the Cook County health clinic in Belmont Cragin for checkups when they arrive in Chicago. They have often traveled hundreds of miles to get to the Mexican border before they arrive in the country, he said.

Theyre cared for in the border towns, but that care needs to continue when they come to Chicago, he said.

Housing and tending to the thousands of arriving migrants is a lot of work for the city, he noted as he praised Chicagos care for families and single individuals.

The city has never had to deal with a wave of new arrivals quite like this, said Ald. Felix Cardona, 31st. If aldermen dont continue monitoring the flow of migrants, he said, the situation will get out of control.

We all have to work together to address this humanitarian issue. Were all working on this on top of doing our aldermanic duties, Cardona said.

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Sigcho-Lopez said he knows city officials have said Chicagos shelters are at capacity. He questioned why the city didnt develop stronger plans to anticipate more arriving migrants after the wave of asylum-seekers ebbed in the winter.

They cannot say, These issues could not have been foreseen, he said.

The Pilsen alderman said people in his community have tried for months to develop proposals to house migrants in the area. The neighborhood is better equipped to handle migrants because of its many bilingual services, he said.

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But the mayors office hasnt worked with his office or the City Councils Latino Caucus to house migrants, he said.

To my surprise, the administration continues to push for areas where they continue to see backlash, he said, adding he hears that some areas where migrants are being housed are not consulted or prepared for the arrivals.

Many of the migrant shelters almost feel like detention centers, Sigcho-Lopez said. The migrants need schools, mental health services and bilingual support, he added.

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He called on the city to better coordinate with neighborhood leaders as it places migrants in shelters and for the state to provide more funding to the response.

This administration is not addressing this with a comprehensive plan, Sigcho-Lopez said. Were just reacting.

jsheridan@chicagotribune.com

nsalzman@chicagotribune.com
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the menace of terrorism continues "unabated" and must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. In his opening address of the Shanghai Corporation Organisation's Council of Foreign Ministers meeting here today, Jaishankar said that as the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. "Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests," he said. "We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO," Jaishankar said. "The channel of activities for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO," the external affairs minister added. In his address at the SCO-CFMs meeting, Jaishankar also pursued the support of member states for the long-standing demand of India to make English the 3rd official language of SCO. "I am pleased to note that the discussion on issues of reform and modernization of SCO has already commenced. I also seek the support of member states for the long-standing demand of India to make English the 3rd official language of SCO, to enable a deeper engagement with English-speaking member states," said Jaishankar in Goa. Joint Secretary (JS) ER Dhammu Ravi and MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, were sitting behind Jaishankar during his address. Joint Secretary (JS) SCO Yojna Patel was also present. "As SCO chair we've initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events," Jaishankar said. The foreign minister also made a mention of Afghanistan in his speech "Unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Efforts should be directed towards welfare of Afghan people," he said. "Our immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian aid, ensuring truly inclusive govt, combating terror," Jaishankar said. Earlier today, Jaishankar greeted Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" ahead of the CFM meeting. Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey", avoiding a handshake. On his arrival in Goa yesterday Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries. "I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson. On Thursday, Jaishankar held a meeting with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The discussions focussed on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring "peace and tranquillity" in the border areas. Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022. (ANI)
Bhutan government has been looking into incentives for travellers to come and stay longer in the Himalayan country. According to Bhutan Live, Prime Minister Lotay Tshering suggested granting promotional reductions on the sustainable development fee (SDF) for visitors who stay longer than their original reservation during a recent meeting with officials from several industries. In order to position Bhutan as a family destination for people, the Bhutanese PM also vouched for waiving the SDF for tourists under 18 years of age. The notion put up by the tourism sector that the SDF for foreign workers coming to Bhutan is waived was also put forth by the Prime Minister. Immigration regulations currently pose substantial challenges to recruiting foreign specialists to Bhutan to assist in employee training, Bhutan Live reported. The government intends to provide the suggested incentives, which may include waiving the SDF for the first five days of a visitor's stay, until December 31, 2024. While the Tourism Levy Act 2022 prohibits the government from waiving the SDF of USD 200 per night for tourists, the Department of Tourism can offer exemptions or concessionary levy rates. According to Section 9 of the Act, the competent authority may provide for an exemption or concessionary levy rate on the applicable SDF, subject to any conditions prescribed in the rules. The government is proposing a triple seven policy for lengthier stays, which would mandate payment of the SDF for the first seven days, 50 per cent of the SDF for the next two weeks, and no SDF for the third and final week, reported Bhutan Live. (ANI)
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on July 14 in Paris this year. PM Modi has been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Parade in Paris. According to the official statement, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts. PM Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the official statement read. India and France defend the goals and tenets of the United Nations Charter, which serve as the cornerstone of collaboration between the two nations in the Indo-Pacific region, and share a vision for peace and security, particularly in Europe and the Indo-Pacific This historic visit of PM Modi will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 Presidency, the official statement added. (ANI)
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the venue for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa on Friday. Jaishankar's traditional 'Namaste' was reciprocated with a traditional 'fist and palm' salute by Qin Gang. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart had on Thursday held bilateral talks here on Thursday. During the talks, Qin Gang dwelled on "drawing experience and lessons from history" while pointing out that the current situation on the border is "generally stable" and that the two neighbouring countries should maintain "sustainable peace and tranquillity" in the border areas, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China. The Chinese foreign minister also stated that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernization. "We should draw experience and lessons from history, grasp bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, respect each other, learn from each other, achieve mutual success, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development, and common rejuvenation among neighbouring major countries, and provide assistance for the rejuvenation of our respective nationalities," he added, the Chinese foreign ministry said. The official statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Qin Gang also talked about injecting stability and positive energy into world peace and development. "China is willing to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues, and push China-India relations back to the track of healthy and stable development," it added. Qin Gang also pointed out that the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable and that the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements and agreements, promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation, and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas, as per the official statement. Meanwhile, Jaishankar introduced India's views on India-China relations and said that India and China need to strengthen cooperation in many aspects. The Indian side hopes to continue to seek to maintain peace and stability in the border area through consultations with the Chinese side. Qin Gang also said that China supports India in hosting the SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating presidency, will play an active role in making the summit a success in the spirit of unity and cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. The two foreign ministers also held detailed discussions revolving around SCO, G20 and BRICS, said Jaishankar. After he commenced bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Jaishankar tweeted, "A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. The focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border area. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS." The Chinese Foreign Minister had arrived at Goa airport on Thursday to attend the two-day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that began yesterday in the coastal State here. This is the second time that the Chinese Foreign Minister is in India this year. He was in New Delhi this March for the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting.(ANI)
People of the Shia community in Kashmir held a protest on Friday here against the target killing of Shia teachers in Pakistan. Several people from the Shia community staged protests in Alamgari Bazar, Zadibal area of Srinagar expressing anger against the targeted killings of the Shia community in Pakistan. On Thursday, Tehreek-e-Taliban, an umbrella group of several Sunni Muslim terrorist groups, claimed responsibility for killing the Shia teachers in a government-run school in Pakistan. Seven teachers were killed in the Kurram district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The protestors at Srinagar's Alamgari Bazar, Zadibal area alleged that Pakistan Government is behind the killings of Shia teachers as it has not taken any steps to stop such killings yet. "Today we have gathered here to protest against the killings of seven Shai teachers. We stand in solidarity with them," one of the protestors said. "Pakistani government is behind the attacks. Today we have gathered to show that we stand strong with the Shias of Pakistan," he added. Similar protests were also held in Meri Bhari Dal Area of Srinagar. Sajjad Kargili, a political activist tweeted, "Shia target killing is not new, the takfiri terrorists are roaming free and the security agencies in Pakistan are failing to ensure safety and security to the community. While sending my deepest condolences to the bereaved families, I strongly condemn this brutal attack". Sajid Yousuf Shah, a writer and activist said, "The horrific killing of Shia teachers in Pakistan is a truly devastating sight. It's disheartening to witness the Pakistani state continually failing to provide security and justice to ethnic and religious minorities. We urge @BBhuttoZardari to speak up and take action. Let's condemn such senseless violence and stand up for human rights." The tribal district has a majority Shi'ite population often attacked by Sunni militant groups from the local Taliban movement. Sunni militants regard Shi'ites as heretics. Senge Sering, a political activist from Gilgit Baltistan condemned the incident and tweeted, "Mehdi Hassan was one of eight Shia teachers killed yesterday in Pakistan's Kurram district. The lives of his children will never be the same". The incident came within a week of several attacks by terrorists, including an assault by a suicide bomber who drove into a military base camp just outside Pakistan's rugged, lawless tribal district, killing three soldiers. The Pakistani Taliban have been behind attacks against the state that have become more frequent since last year after it revoked a ceasefire and peace talks with the government in Islamabad collapsed. The government says the peace talks allowed the release of hundreds of militants and their leaders from prison, enabling them to regroup and launch fresh attacks. (ANI)
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Covid-19 pandemic is over as a global health emergency. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, made the announcement while addressing a media briefing on Covid-19 and global health issues. "It is therefore with great hope that I declare #Covid19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat. Last week, Covid-19 claimed a life every three minutes - and that's just the deaths we know about," he said. "As we speak, thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units. And millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post-#Covid19 condition," the Director General of WHO added. The WHO had declared Covid-19 as a global emergency in January 2020. "1221 days ago, WHO learned of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China. On the 30th January 2020, on the advice of an Emergency Committee convened under the International Health Regulations, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of #Covid19 - the highest level of alarm under international law," Tedros said. "At that time, outside China there were fewer than 100 reported [#Covid19] cases, and no reported deaths. In the 3 years since then, Covid-19 has turned our world upside down. Almost 7 million deaths have been reported to WHO, but we know the toll is several times higher - at least 20 million," he noted. "What this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing #Covid19 alongside other infectious diseases," he added. (ANI)
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who arrived in India on Thursday to attend the SCO FMM, met with relatives of Dr Dwarkanath Kotnis, and representatives of China-India friendship organisations and Chinese and Indian young people in Goa, India. State Councilor Qin Gang and relatives of Dr Kotnis visited the photo exhibition of Dr Kotnis' life. Qin Gang said that Dr Kotnis, a great friend of the Chinese people and an outstanding fighter in the anti-fascist war, devoted his precious youth and life to the Chinese people's war of resistance against Japanese aggression.The spirit of Dr Kotnis is a humanitarian one of saving lives, a heroic one of daring to struggle and not being afraid of sacrifice, and an internationalist one of advocating peace, friendship and a shared future.Qin Gang pointed out the need to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr Kotnis, firmly safeguard peace and friendship between China and India, inherit and promote people-to-people friendship, continuously enhance communication and exchanges between the 1.4 billion Chinese people and the same number of Indian people, and explore a path of peaceful coexistence, friendly interactions, and common revitalization between neighbouring major countries. He also pointed out the need to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between China and India, enhance mutual trust, strengthen cooperation, jointly safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and uphold international fairness and justice. Noting the occasion of China's Youth Day, which falls on May 4, Qin Gang said that Chinese and Indian young people are full of vitality and are the main force of development in both countries. He called on them to contribute to the people-to-people and cultural exchanges and mutually beneficial cooperation between China and India, and pass on the China-India friendship from generation to generation. Relatives of Dr Kotnis and representatives of China-India friendship organizations and young people from both countries said that the spirit of Dr Kotnis, embodying the common values of humanity, will always shine in human history. They stressed the need to inherit and carry forward the spirit of Dr Kotnis, promote people-to-people ties between India and China, and continuously advance friendly cooperation between the two countries. (ANI)
Nepal Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal would need to go for another round of floor tests in a month as Rastriya Swatantra Party -- one of the coalition members -- withdrew its support. The parliamentary and central committee meeting of the Rastriya Swantantra Party (RSP) led by Rabi Lamichhane decided to withdraw the support forcing the Prime Minister to go for another round of floor tests. "The Prime Minister had expressed desire that we join the cabinet but the performance of the government and works being done aren't encouraging. In the by-election also, the voters voted in our favour sending a clear message to not join the ministerial portfolios but remain in opposition. Honouring the mandate, we have decided not to join the government and withdraw the support," Lamichhane told reporters after the meeting. Now, with the decision of RSP, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal would need to go for the third round of vote of confidence within a month. As per Article 100, Clause 2 of the Constitution of Nepal, a Prime Minister would again need to take a vote of confidence provided the situation- in case any of the political parties broke off or withdraws support to the government. In such a condition, the Prime Minister would require to take a vote of confidence within 30 days. In case the Prime Minister fails the vote of confidence, he would lose the post. In two months of its formation, the Rastriya Swatantra Party had deserted the government but continued its support. Prime Minister Dahal would again need to test the floor by the early five days of June 2023. Dahal in his first round of vote of confidence on January 10 secured a staggering 99 per cent votes. Dahal, at that time, secured whopping 268 votes in favour. It was the first time in Nepal's parliament history that any of the Prime Minister had secured more than 99 per cent votes in the parliament. On March 20 he was able to secure 172 votes in favour from 10 parties. The hung parliament and excessively overcrowded ministerial enthusiasts from the coalition partners have proven to be an arduous task of forming a 25 membered cabinet as he is still struggling to complete his council of ministers. (ANI)
High Commissioner of Sri Lanka Milinda Moragoda thanked Mishra for the support India has extended to Sri Lanka in the context of the present economic crisis and updated him on the current developments in that regard, including the debt restructuring process.

The High Commissioner stressed the vital role economic integration between the two countries could play in Sri Lanka's economic recovery.

The Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister also recalled India's close civilizational links with its southern neighbour.

High Commissioner Moragoda also followed up with the Principal Secretary on a range of issues pertaining to the bilateral relationship that had been discussed during their last meeting in February.

The matters discussed included further economic integration between Sri Lanka and India, enhancing Indian investments and tourism in Sri Lanka, ways and means to promote further bilateral trade, cooperation in the power and energy sector, and aspects relating to Rupee trade. A cabinet rank official, Mishra has been serving as the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi since September 2019.Joint Secretary at the Prime Minister's Office Ambassador Deepak Mittal and Sri Lanka's Deputy High Commissioner in New Delhi Niluka Kadurugamuwa also attended this meeting. (ANI)
WSCC hosted the event on Sunday. The event primarily aimed to provide a unique networking platform for Sikh entrepreneurs, businessmen, and intellectuals to come together, discuss, and promote the Sikh principles of 'seva' or charity.

According to Khalsa Vox, the laying of the cornerstone was presided over by WSCC worldwide chairman Parmeet Singh Chadha, while Rajinder Singh Marwaha was chosen to lead the Amritsar branch as president.

13 charitable Sikhs who have made significant donations to various charitable projects intended to improve the lives of poor Sikhs were also honoured during the occasion.

Renowned philanthropist Inderjit Singh Gogoani, retired teacher Navtej Singh Novelty, journalist Jaswant Singh Jass, and Hemkunt Builders Harinderpal Singh Chugh were among those honoured.

Other honorees included Principal BS Ball, Additional Sessions Judge PS Rai, Surinderpal Singh, Parvinder Singh, Amarjit Singh, Dolly Sarabjit Singh Raju, Surinder Kaur, Inderbir Singh Walia, and Satinder Singh, reported Khalsa Vox.

The group was established in 2020 with the goal of giving Sikh businesspeople and philanthropists a forum to network, exchange ideas, and further the Sikh values of altruism and community service. (ANI)
Annette Prince holds a dead indigo bunting along Wacker Drive on May 11. 2022. Volunteers with Chicago Bird Collision Monitors hunt for dead and injured birds as millions of birds migrate across Chicagoland. (Stacey Wescott / Chicago Tribune)

Migratory bird movement is in full swing, and experts are urging Chicagoans to turn off their lights at night to help protect the birds over the next few days from fatal window collisions.

Thousands of birds carpeted the sky last night, according to Annette Prince, director and president of Chicago Bird Collision Monitors, a nonprofit dedicated to the respite and protection of migratory birds through daily rescue efforts, when on Thursday Chicago experienced a drastic shift in wind patterns moving up from the south, prompting waves of birds to pass through downtown looking for green space to settle.

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Chicago is located on the Mississippi flyway, and birds pass through the city on their journey north toward Canada in search of a good place to nest and breed for the summer.

On her way to work this morning, Prince found a little bird in the street, stunned.

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He couldnt even move, he just sat there blinking and hurt, she said. It would have been just a matter of seconds before a car came and ran him over.

Birds fly at night to protect themselves from predators. They navigate using the moon and stars, but artificial light from city buildings can skew their flight and make them crash into glass.

This morning, the CBCM hotline was swamped with calls from people around the city. Prince said after a night like Thursday, its not uncommon for people to look out onto rooftops from their downtown offices and find them littered with dead and dying birds.

During key migration months  spring and fall  CBCM leads volunteer groups ranging between eight and 20 people to walk around skyscrapers and scoop up fallen flyers. They take the injured ones to the Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn for rehabilitation and care, and take thousands of dead birds each year to the Field Museum, where they are added to the collection for documentation and research.

Using weather surveillance radar techniques, real-time bird migration numbers can be found online at BirdCast. Researchers from the Field Museum are now also going out across Illinois to conduct a spring species count from the ground.

CBCM volunteer groups collect up to 7,000 birds each year, about a quarter of which are injured, said Prince.

And thats just the tip of the iceberg. Thats just what weve found, and what people report to us, she said.

A study published in June found that bird collision mortality could be reduced by about 60% if artificial light was cut in half. This would have global implications, as birds are a critical part of controlling insects, distributing seeds, and pollinating plants.

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These birds are doing a really hazardous thing, and we make it even more hazardous by putting buildings along the lakefront, said John Bates, curator of the division of birds at the Field Museum.

Chicago has been ranked as the most dangerous city for migratory birds in North America by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

[ Chicago is the deadliest city for migratory birds. A city ordinance that would protect them is still in limbo. ]

In July 2021, Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Bird Safe Buildings Act, requiring bird-safety building features to be implemented in construction and renovation of state-owned buildings in Illinois.

But Prince said she has heard bird strikes are increasing in the West Loop, as skyscrapers, stores and restaurants bring more glass to downtown Chicago. Thrushes, orioles, woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers and herons are among the species of birds she and her volunteers pick up on any given morning.

The glass confuses them  because its clear and they think they can fly into it, or they think its a tree and its really the reflection of a tree, said Prince.

Prince said sometimes she finds birds that weigh as little as two pennies. Theyre spectacular, she said. Bright orange, yellow and red.

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Jaishankar met Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyz Republic, Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan and Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan and held bilateral talks on various issues such as trade, connectivity and multilateralism.

"Nice to meet FM Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyz Republic. His warm words for our SCO presidency are greatly appreciated. Discussed development cooperation, connectivity, trade, S&T and our partnership in multilateral forums," Jaishanker tweeted.

"Good meeting with FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan. Appreciate his support for Indian SCO presidency. Agreed on increasing the frequency of meetings of our institutional mechanisms. Discussed connectivity, energy & digital cooperation. Exchanged perspectives on the region," Jaishankar wrote on Twitter after meeting the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan.

"Warm conversation with DPM and FM Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan after SCO CFM in Goa. Thanked him for supporting our presidency. Discussed broad-basing our economic and political cooperation and increase engagement with the region," the EAM tweeted.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members.

India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. (ANI)
Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday downplayed External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar not shaking hands with him at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Foreign Ministers meet in Goa and said "we do not need to complain about it". Interacting with the Pakistani media in Goa he said, "India, as a chair's responsibility as far as CFM is concerned, Dr Jaishankar completely stood in his responsibility. He met everybody the same way. There wasn't any distinction. The way that Pakistan was treated and anybody else was treated, if it is the case, we do not need to complain about it." Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey", avoiding a handshake. The Goa meeting has generated much interest because the foreign minister of Pakistan is in attendance. He is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India since 2011 and also the first by a senior Pakistani official since 2016 when Sartaj Aziz went to Delhi. Speaking about the dinner hosted by EAM S Jaishankar, Bilawal said, "Whenever there are such SCO meetings, all the Foreign Ministers host such dinners. When the CFM was done in Tashkent, there was too an unofficial and casual dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers. Similarly, it was hosted here. I really appreciate the way the cultural show was done here that including Pakistani participation as well. At any time, he didn't make me feel that due to our bilateral ties, there is any impact on our engagement at the SCO conference." He further said that as per rules, at this multilateral forum, "we cannot raise our bilateral differences." He said that most Pakistanis and all Indians want to live in peace. "In 2026, when Pakistan will be the chair of SCO, I believe that on the basis of a diplomatic reciprocal arrangement, India decides to participate in the SCO. At the heart of heart, every Pakistani and most Pakistanis and all Indians want to live in peace and peace is our destiny. We won't be held hostage by history. We will make our own history," he added. However, Bilawal said that there is no change in Pakistan's policy on Kashmir while talking with the media in Goa. "India-Pakistan relations have been affected by India's unilateral actions, and it is imperative that the August 2019 unilateral actions on Kashmir be ended," said Bilawal. Bilawal also met China's FM Qin Gang on the sidelines of SCO-CFM at Goa. "Delighted to meet China State Councilor & FM Qin Gang @AmbQinGang on the sidelines of SCO-CFM at Goa. Pakistan & China are iron brothers & will continue to work together for regional peace & prosperity of our peoples. Looking forward to welcoming him in Islamabad," he tweeted. While wrapping up his India visit, Bilwal informed that he will address a press conference tonight upon his arrival back in Pakistan. "That's a wrap from the SCO Conference in Goa. I will address a Press Conference tonight upon my arrival back in Pakistan. Tomorrow the FMs of China and Afghanistan will be visiting Pakistan where we will engage in bilateral meetings, followed by a trilateral meeting between our three countries," he tweeted. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari returned home after attending the meeting of the Foreign Council of Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Friday. (ANI)
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar interacted with King Charles III during reception hosted by him for Commonwealth leaders at Marlborough House, London. King Charles III will be crowned on May 6, eight months after he ascended to the throne. Jagdeep Dhankhar also interacted with leaders of various nations during a Commonwealth reception hosted by King Charles III at Marlborough House in London. In the pictures shared on the Vice President of India's official Twitter handle, Dhankhar can be seen meeting with Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. While sharing the pictures, the Vice President of India in a tweet stated, "Hon'ble Vice-President, Jagdeep Dhankhar interacted with leaders of various countries during Commonwealth reception hosted by King Charles III at Marlborough House, London." "Hon'ble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar interacted with King Charles III during reception hosted by him for Commonwealth leaders at Marlborough House, London," Vice President wrote in a tweet. Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in a tweet stated, "VP Jagdeep Dhankhar @VPIndia joined leaders of the Commonwealth countries at a special event hosted by H.M. King Charles III at the Marlborough House, London. Exchanged views with Commonwealth leaders on making the institution of the Commonwealth stronger and more focused." Vice President Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar arrived in London to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III. The Coronation of The King and The Queen Consort will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The event will mark almost seven decades since the last coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. He will be the 40th monarch to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The Service will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The event will mark almost seven decades since the last coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953. King Charles III and Camilla will arrive at Westminster Abbey in procession from Buckingham Palace, known as 'The King's Procession', Buckingham Palace announced in a statement. After the Service, King Charles III and Camilla will return to Buckingham Palace in a larger ceremonial procession, known as 'The Coronation Procession'. Other members of the royal family will join King Charles III and Camilla in this procession. The King and the Queen Consort accompanied by the members of the royal family will appear on the balcony to conclude the day's ceremonial events. During his two-day visit to the United Kingdom, Dhankhar will join a gathering of about 2,000 dignitaries, including heads of state and government at the coronation ceremony. Recently, the UK extended an invitation recently to the international community, including India to attend the coronation ceremony. On May 2, British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis called on Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to discuss preparations for the coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey. "Honour to call on the Vice President before he attends the Coronation - a momentous occasion and an opportunity to further deepen UK-India ties," the British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis tweeted. (ANI)
A 15-year-old has been arrested in the fatal shooting of a convenience store clerk, a case many people felt was unsolvable,Arkansas police say.

Chanell Moore, 28, was shot and killed during a robbery of Dougs Eastside Convenience on March 24, according to the Fort Smith Police Department.

The suspect, who was only recently identified, was wearing a black mask that covered the entirety of his face except his eyes and mouth. He stole several items from the store, and a Black SUV was revealed to be the vehicle the suspect was driving, police said.

The SUV, police explained in a news briefing Friday, May 5, was a key in the arrest of the suspect. A gun used in a December robbery in Barling, a neighboring town of Fort Smith, belonged to the owner of the Mercedes SUV, police said.

Kemuel Mark Andrew Stucki, 15, was identified as the suspect in the December robbery, Fort Smith police said. He is the son of the Mercedes owner.

Fort Smith Police Chief Danny Baker said Stucki wore the same clothing in both robberies. Evidence found during a search warrant linked him to the March robbery and killing, Baker said during a news conference.

Stucki was charged as an adult with first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and terroristic act for shooting at a citizen in the Dougs Eastside parking lot.

Baker said officers worked tirelessly since the night of Chanells murder to solve a case many feared might be unsolvable.

Certainly a troubling situation, Baker said during the news conference. Its bad anytime a crime like this happens. When the perpetrator is a young person, it makes it even more difficult to process.

Moore was a mother of four who worked at the convenience store for two years, her father told KHBS.

She did everything she possibly could for them and then more. And what she didnt do she asked me, Charles Moore told KHBS.

Ashley Franks, who had known Chanell Moore since she was 16, told KFSM that Moore was planning on getting married soon to the father of her children.

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He is so destroyed right now, he doesnt even know what to do, Franks said, per KFSM. Hes stuck with four kids that he didnt plan on raising by himself.

Fort Smith is about 160 miles northwest of Little Rock.

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A 15-year-old has died after a hunting accident while out with another teen, North Carolina officials said.

The 15-year-old and a 17-year-old were hunting early in the morning on May 5 near Belvidere in Perquimans County, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Lieutenant John Beardsley told McClatchy news in an email.

The 17-year-old stood up to look across a field with binoculars, Beardsley said, and while he was standing, he heard the 15-year-olds gun shoot.

Beardsley said a preliminary investigation showed the 15-year-old had been trying to stand up when his shotgun accidentally fired, shooting him.

The 17-year-old called 911 and tried to save his hunting partners life, Beardsley said.

Officials received the call around 8:30 a.m., but by the time emergency personnel arrived, the 15-year-old had died, according to The Daily Advance.

Officials did not release the identity of the teen who died.

Perquimans County is about 150 miles east of Raleigh.

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Mounds of pasta were found near a stream in Old Bridge, New Jersey last week. Nina Jochnowitz

Authorities found hundreds of pounds of pasta dumped near a stream in Old Bridge, New Jersey.

The motives behind the mysterious pasta dump are not publicly known.

One local resident billed the incident "Mission Impasteable."

During the past week in Old Bridge, New Jersey, weather reports forecasted rain, cloudy days, and temperature lows hovering at 30 to 50 degrees  not 500 pounds of spaghetti.

But locals were flummoxed that week when they learned that about 15 wheelbarrow loads of pasta, according to a local official, were mysteriously dumped near a stream in the New Jersey township of about 65,000 people.

Now, the incident has grasped national attention, and online spectators were quick to dish out their best pasta puns.

"We should send the perpetrators to the state penne tentiary," one Reddit user wrote.

"It was pasta expiration date," another user said.

Some joked that the incident was the clear markings of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, a satirical character that pokes fun at religious movements. Users responded: "R'amen."

The motives behind the pasta dump are unknown. The Old Bridge Township Police Department did not immediately return a request for comment.

According to The New York Times, Himanshu Shah, a town official, said in an email that the local public works department found "what appeared to be 15 wheelbarrow loads of illegal dumped pasta along a creek in a residential neighborhood."

Nina Jochnowitz, who previously ran for council in the township and posted now-viral photos of the pasta, told the newspaper that the stream is common grounds for dumping old furniture and construction materials. But this time, someone thought it was an appropriate place to leave behind about 300 to 500 pounds of spaghetti, macaroni, and alphabet-shaped pasta, she said.

Jochnowitz told the Times she eventually found out who dumped the pasta  it was not a restaurant, she said  but that she would not reveal their identity given the attention the incident has received.

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The incident appeared to come straight out of a page of Tomie DePaolo's children's 1975 classic, "Strega Nona." In the book, a local doofus named Big Anthony catches a witch named Strega Nona using a spell and a magic pasta pot to cook large amounts of spaghetti. Determined to prove his discovery to the rest of the town, the young man tries to use the pot and spell and accidentally conjures up enough pasta to nearly flood the entire town.

Jochnowitz wrote on Facebook that town employees cleaned up the pasta dump, along with other garbage in the basin.

"As my friend called it, a 'Mission Impasteable'!!!" she said.

Read the original article on Insider
The exterior of the A-frame home. 360 Productions

An A-frame home that dates back to 1956 in Honolulu, Hawaii, is on the market for $3.75 million.

The 0.21-acre property is located near Diamond Head, Hawaii's famous volcanic landmark.

Unlike typical A-frame houses, the four bedrooms are not located in the loft.

It took Sophia Lin three tries before she finally managed to buy the 4-bedroom A-frame home in Honolulu, Hawaii, that she's had her eye on for over a year.

The exterior of the A-frame home. 360 Productions

Constructed in 1956, the 0.21-acre property was designed by famous local architects George Wimberly and Howard Cook, per the listing.

"The third time's the charm with this house," Lin, a designer, told Insider. The first time she came across the listing was in 2020. It was in the early months of the pandemic, and Lin and her family were planning to move to Hawaii.

"I reached out to the owner  an aging gentleman  and he said that I could go take a look at the place, but there was a tenant inside that did not want to show it and did not want to move," Lin said. "I forgot about the house. I thought it wasn't meant to be."

Lin ended up moving to Hawaii in August 2020. A year after, in 2021, the home  which she refers to as the Diamond House  was up on the market again.

The Diamond House comes with a wraparound deck and a hot tub (pictured in the far right of the image). 360 Productions

"That was when I was able to go see it in person," Lin said. "We put an offer in but they accepted another offer."

But luck was on her side: Barely a month later she got a call telling her that the property fell out of escrow  and asking if she was still interested.

Lin ended up getting a third chance to buy the home, and she paid $2.5 million for it in September 2021, per listing records.

"I felt it was meant to be since it came back around into our lives after three times," she added.

After a complete restoration of the A-frame home, Lin is putting the property for sale for $3.75 million. It's located near Diamond Head  Hawaii's famous volcanic landmark.

A bird's eye view of the neighborhood, with a blue arrow indicating where the A-frame home is. 360 Productions

Location-wise, listing agent Noel Shaw with Hawaii Life told Insider that the neighborhood  Kahala  is an upscale area.

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"Because of this, many of the original homes in the area have been torn down to accommodate modern luxury properties," Shaw said. It's rare to find a newly restored mid-century modern house like this, she added.

The wider area of Waialae-Kahala has a median listing home price of $2.5 million, per real-estate platform Realtor.com. There are currently 35 single-family homes for sale in the area, with prices ranging from $1.1 million to $26.99 million.

"The neighborhood this home is in we call Kaikoo, off of the street name and the popular surf break that sits in front of the street with dedicated ocean access. It is located right on the side of the famed Diamond Head State Monument and a short walk to the start of the hiking trail," Shaw said.

During the restoration process, Lin kept all the original Hawaiian architectural features, including the lava stones and timber beams.

The open living and dining area. IJfke Ridgley

"All of the big architectural elements, like shoji screens, the lava rocks, and wood beams, are original to the house. I didn't want to mess with anything that was the heart of the home," Lin said.

The roof, in particular, is a marvel, she added. It's made from large timber beams that start from the outside of the house and they connect right at the tip of the roof.

"It's one long piece," Lin said. "Architecturally, it's a super cool design, especially considering that it was from 1956."

The A-frame home is being offered turnkey, including all the furniture and decor items as shown in the listing, Shaw said.

The kitchen. 360 Productions

One of Lin's favorite architectural styles is an A-Frame, and she had always been looking for an opportunity to fix one up.

"When I saw that there was one here I was really surprised. I didn't know they existed in Diamond Head," Lin said.

She furnished the entire place on her own, sourcing furniture locally as well as from other parts of the US.

"I had to figure out who would ship to Hawaii and how to get stuff here," Lin said.

Even with the high ceilings, what makes the A-frame home unique is that the main bedrooms are not located in the loft space, Lin said.

The loft space has some sofa beds. IJfke Ridgley

"I think traditionally in A-frames, people try to stick a bedroom up there and you end up getting a bedroom with weird walls," Lin said. Instead, the A-frame roof is over the kitchen and shared living space, while the main bedrooms are in the back.

"You get the best of both worlds  you get an A-frame without the weird pitched roof over your bed," she said.

Lin says she bought the home with the intention of moving in when she was done with the restoration, but changed her mind.

One of the four bedrooms in the house. IJfke Ridgley

"My family and I have our main home where we're living. This A-frame was a project that I was going to fix up, rent out, and then eventually move into when my husband and I become empty nesters, which is in four years," Lin said.

However, the couple, who has two teenage sons, fell in love with their current home  which is also in Honolulu  and decided to stay put.

"We spend our time between California and Hawaii, so we're not actually here full-time," Lin said. "It made sense to just sell the home instead of trying to keep it around."

Due to the house's close proximity to the ocean, an ideal buyer would be somebody who enjoys surfing and entertaining, Lin said.

One of the bathrooms in the house. 360 Productions

Not only is the house "right across from one of the best surf spots in Honolulu," the outdoor deck overlooking the ocean is also ideal for those who like to entertain, Lin said.

Future owners can also turn the home into a rental if it meets the minimum stay duration, she added.

In April last year, Honolulu mayor Rick Blangiardi signed a bill that would require a 90-day minimum stay for Airbnbs and other short-term rentals located outside of resort areas, per Lonely Planet.

However, in October, a judge stopped the enforcement of the 90-day minimum ban by granting a preliminary injunction, per the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

May 5, 2023: This story has been updated to reflect the current state of Hawaii's short-term rental rules.

Read the original article on Insider
A fire in an abandoned Long Beach building Thursday night killed two people and left one in critical condition. (KTLA-TV)

Two people are dead and a third is in critical condition after a fire Thursday night at an abandoned commercial building in Long Beach, fire officials said.

Firefighters with the Long Beach Fire Department responded to the 1700 block of Long Beach Boulevard at 8:52 p.m. after receiving reports of smoke and fire coming from a commercial building, officials said.

Heavy smoke and fire were coming out of the boarded-up building when firefighters arrived, said Brian Fiske, spokesperson for the Long Beach Fire Department.

When firefighters searched the building, they found three people inside.

One person, identified as a man, was determined to be dead at the scene. Two women who were also found inside were taken to a hospital in critical condition. One of the women died Thursday night, Fiske said.

Fire officials are still investigating what caused the fire.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
A view of the Supreme Court in Washington, Friday, March 15, 2019. Associated Press/Susan Walsh

On two occasions, the Supreme Court has declined to take on cases involving publishing conglomerate Penguin Random House.

Both Sotomayor and Gorsuch have reported earning large paychecks from Penguin Random House for publishing books.

Gorsuch failed to recuse himself from one of the cases. Sotomayor didn't recuse herself from both.

Two Supreme Court justices did not recuse themselves from cases that arose before the court involving their book publisher, Penguin Random House, according to a recent CNN report.

There have been two cases that came before the Supreme Court involving publishing conglomerate Penguin Random House. In both situations, the Supreme Court declined to take on the copyright infringement cases, allowing the publisher to win at a lower court level.

Liberal Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who was confirmed in 2009, was on the high court during both cases, which occurred in 2013 and 2019-2020. Conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch was confirmed in 2017 and was also a member of the Supreme Court during the second case.

Sotomayor and Gorsuch had both signed major book deals with the publisher before the cases occurred, and both justices declined to recuse themselves from the cases involving Penguin Random House. Former Justice Stephen Breyer, who had reported receiving royalties from the publisher, recused himself from each of the cases.

According to Sotomayor's financial disclosures, as CNN reported, she's made approximately $3.6 million in royalties and advances for the several books she's published under Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, which is part of Penguin Random House.

As for Gorsuch, his financial disclosures note he's made at least $655,000 from Penguin Random House over the past few years from his book, "A Republic, If You Can Keep It."

Gorsuch and Sotomayor's decision not to recuse themselves from the two publishing cases has received fresh scrutiny after a series of reports from ProPublica revealed that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted numerous lavish vacations and gifts from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow.

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A key difference between the revelation about Gorsuch and Sotomayor compared with the recent news about Thomas, however, is the manner in which the news was collected. In Sotomayor and Gorsuch's case, the impropriety was discovered due to the diligent record-keeping of their earnings in their financial disclosures. In Thomas' case, however, his accepted gifts were only discovered due to whistleblowers and leakers coming forward to ProPublica.

Prior to the news of Sotomayor, Gorsuch, and Thomas' mishaps, a group of 15 Democratic senators declared they want to withhold $10 million from the Supreme Court's funding until the group high court institutes a public code of ethics, an idea that Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen  the chair of a subcommittee in charge of the Supreme Court's budget  has encouraged.

"It is unacceptable that the Supreme Court has exempted itself from the accountability that applies to all other members of our federal courts, and I believe Congress should act to remedy this problem," Van Hollen told the Washington Post.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Take your pick of hilltop castles, sunny beaches, and time-worn villages.

Roberto Moiola/Sysaworld/Getty Images

France and Spain have long taken center stage, with Portugal as a less-visited destination for in-the-know travelers. The tides are slowly turning and the small Iberian nation is, at long last, enjoying its well-deserved moment in the sun. The drawback to this increased attention? More tourists. Though its not like contending with a few crowds is going to put anyone off seeing Pena Palace or Jeronimos Monastery. And, of course, there are countless beautiful places to visit in Portugal, from the Azores and Madeira to the sun-splashed Algarve and even popular cities like Lisbon and Porto. This is to say that despite its relatively diminutive size, Portugal offers a treasure trove of natural, historical, and cultural wonders.

Cabo da Roca

Stefano Briccola/EyeEm/Getty Images

The westernmost point in continental Europe, Cabo da Roca exudes a wild, edge-of-the-Earth mystique. Waves crash against the rocks, tourists standing atop sheer cliffs stare out at nothing but blue to the horizon, and a historic lighthouse guides boats sailing along the rugged coast.

Lagoa das Sete Cidades

dangrytsku/Getty Images

The majesty of Sao Miguel never ceases to amaze. Topping the list for many travelers visiting the volcanic main island in the Azores archipelago are the famous and impossibly photogenic twin crater lakes, Lagoa Azul ("blue lagoon") and Lagoa Verde ("green lagoon").

Pena Palace

chechele/Getty Images

One of the most beautiful places in Europe, Pena Palace is a hilltop Romanticist castle and the crown jewel of Sintra. Its candy-colored facade and sweeping terraces draw shutter-happy tourists from near and far. The stately interiors are filled with antiques, while the surrounding park provides tree-shaded pathways.

Levadas da Madeira

Simon Dannhauer/Getty Images

The Levadas da Madeira is a system of historic irrigation canals built across the island to carry water from the high-altitude slopes to sugar cane fields, farmlands, and cities. Hiking trails that run along the waterways give travelers a close-up look at the UNESCO-listed laurel forests.



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Jeronimos Monastery

LUke1138/Getty Images

One of the most-visited landmarks in Lisbon and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the late Gothic Manueline-style Jeronimos Monastery stands tall as an enduring symbol of power dating back to the Age of Discovery. The block-long complex continues to impress with its magnificent maritime details, cloisters, and tombs.

Algar de Benagil

Bkamprath/Getty Images

This fantastical seaside cave thats reachable by boat doesnt even look real. Sun beams in through the hole on the top, bathing the enclosed beach in light, and turquoise waters lap the sand.

Clerigos Church

mtcurado/Getty Images

Clerigos Church is a must-see on any trip to Porto. While the artifacts and organ concerts certainly wow, both are overshadowed by the iconic 75-meter-tall bell tower, which visitors can climb for 360-degree views of the city (and a serious workout).

Nazare

Karsten Simon/EyeEm/Getty Images

Nazare lures fearless surfers and attracts many curious tourists thanks to the larger-than-life swells that were the subject of the documentary 100 Foot Wave. The huge breaks mean youre likely not going to paddle out, but its worth the drive to see the enormous waves crash into the rocks and grab lunch at one of the local restaurants.

Vila Franca Islet

aroxopt/Getty Images

Located off the coast of Sao Miguel, the Vila Franca Islet looks otherworldly from above and just as pretty up close. The circular saltwater lagoon, which was formed by the crater of an ancient volcano, is ringed by lush vegetation. In the summer, its popular for swimming, snorkeling, birdwatching, and cliff diving (if you dare).



Comporta

LuisPinaPhotogrpahy/Getty Images

Situated about an hour from Lisbon, Comporta is a low-key fishing village turned in-the-know summer hotspot with cork trees, rice fields, and blissful beaches. During the warmer months, its well worth vying for a spot on the brilliant white sand of Praia Comporta.

Douro Valley

Colors Hunter - Chasseur de Couleurs/Getty Images

The oldest demarcated wine region in the world and the birthplace of port, Douro Valley wows viticulture enthusiasts and casual sippers. A mix of rolling vineyards, historic quintas, boat rides along its namesake river, and excellent restaurants means theres plenty to appreciate besides incredible pours.



Peneda-Geres National Park

Denis Kabanov/Getty Images

Set in northern Portugal near the Spanish border, Peneda-Geres National Park spans yellow-tinged hills, granite peaks, high-flowing streams, mixed forests, and Roman relics. Native wildlife  including the Pyrenean desman, Iberian frog, and Barrosa cattle  also call this protected land home.



Cachalote Natural Swimming Pools

Benoit BACOU/Getty Images

The north coast of Madeira brims with beautiful spots to take a dip, none more iconic than Cachalote Natural Swimming Pools. The Mother Nature-made lagoons off the shore of Porto Moniz were formed by volcanic rocks and filled with the tides of the Atlantic Ocean.



Poco da Alagoinha

CarolinaGNP/Getty Images

Majestic waterfalls are one of the many enticements of the Azores. Poco da Alagoinha on the island of Flores is a stunning example with multiple cascades that gush from lush, vegetation-covered cliffs down to a pristine lagoon.



Parque Natural da Arrabida

Americo Lopes/Getty Images

Parque Natural da Arrabida shows off many of Portugals best assets. Fine sand beaches fade into blue waters, towering cliffs rise from the sea, verdant vegetation covers the mountain peaks, and scenic hiking trails wind through the spellbinding scenery.



Azenhas do Mar

Igor Tichonow/Getty Images

Of all the charming coastal towns in Portugal, Azenhas do Mar deserves special mention. Small in size, with just 800 inhabitants, whitewashed houses, and commanding sea views, its a postcard-worthy setting to sip local wine, savor regional seafood dishes, and swim in the natural rock pool.



Castelo de Guimaraes

LuisPortugal/Getty Images

Mystery and legend still swirl around Castelo de Guimaraes. A major presence in Portuguese history, the castle was built under the orders of Mumadona Dias in the 10th century to serve as a place of refuge from and protection against attacks perpetrated by Vikings and Moors.



Sagres

Jamie Ditaranto/Travel + Leisure

Sagres sits on a windswept headland at the western tip of southern Portugal. Sunny skies, dramatic sea cliffs, and uncrowded beaches make this tiny fishing village deserving of a detour. Its also a surfers paradise that provides plenty of both beginner-friendly breaks and expert-level barrels.



Quinta do Barbusano

Roberto Moiola/Sysaworld/Getty Images

Tucked away in the mountains on the north side of Madeira, Quinta do Barbusano invites visitors to savor the flavors of the island with wine tastings and traditional espetada (beef skewer) meals overlooking the Sao Vicente Valley. Its also possible to do a short hike to nearby Nossa Senhora Fatima Chapel for even more breathtaking vistas.



Livraria Lello

SOPA Images/Contributor/Getty Images

Livraria Lello shows off opulent staircases, an ornate stained-glass ceiling, and towering shelves packed with tomes. Harry Potter fans might notice a connection between the magical interiors of the historic bookstore and some Hogwarts scenes. Its widely known that J.K. Rowling frequented the shop during her time in Porto.



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A federal judge on Friday set sentencing dates in January for the ComEd Four, a group of utility executives and lobbyists convicted by a jury earlier this week in a yearslong scheme to bribe then-powerful Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Convicted on Tuesday were former ComEd contract lobbyist Michael McClain, Madigans longtime confidant; former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; former ComEd executive John Hooker, the utilitys top lobbyist for years; and ComEd contract lobbyist Jay Doherty, the ex-president of the City Club, a civic forum for Chicagos elite.

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In an order posted Friday afternoon, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber set the first sentencing for Jan. 11 for McClain, followed by Pramaggiore on Jan. 16, Hooker on Jan. 25 and finally Doherty on Jan. 30.

If the date holds McClains sentencing hearing will come three months before hes set to go on trial along with Madigan on a separate indictment charging them with racketeering conspiracy.

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Typically, federal defendants are required to report to prison within a couple of months of being sentenced, but McClains attorneys could ask Leinenweber to extend that date so he wont have to prepare for his second trial from behind bars.

After deliberating for about 27 hours over five days, the jury of seven women and five men found that the ComEd Four conspired to funnel $1.3 million in payments to ghost subcontractors, largely through Dohertys company, who were actually Madigans cronies.

The utility also hired a clout-heavy law firm run by political operative Victor Reyes, distributed numerous college internships within Madigans 13th Ward fiefdom and blatantly backed former McPier boss Juan Ochoa, the friend of a Madigan ally, for an $80,000-a-year seat on the utilitys board of directors.

The most serious charges carry up to 20 years in prison, though all four defendants would likely face far less given their lack of criminal history and other mitigating factors.

Madigan and McClain are set to go to trial in April 2024 on the separate racketeering charges that allege an array of corrupt acts, including the ComEd scheme as well as a similar but smaller set of allegations involving AT&Ts Illinois affiliate.

Meanwhile, state pension officials suspended the $1,686 monthly benefit for McClains decade in the Illinois House that ended in 1983. His friendship and political alliance with Madigan dates to their time together in the House starting in the 1970s..

Over the years, McClain has received $313,693 in pension payments, according to pension authorities.

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 >

State policies require the suspension of a legislative pension following a felony conviction.

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The issue now goes to Attorney General Kwame Raoul, who will review the matter after sentencing and issue an opinion on whether McClain should lose his pension permanently.

A legislative pension panel will then review the attorney general opinion and make a final decision on whether to cut off McClains pension payments completely.

In general, decisions are based on whether the crime can be directly tied to an officials conduct in office.

Given McClain left the House more than 40 years ago, a direct tie to his legislative duties may be difficult to prove despite working on legislative matters as a lobbyist

rlong@chicagotribune.com

jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
Phoenix Police Department

The man accused of murdering a woman as she hiked a popular trail in Phoenix, Arizona, last week has been identified as a 22-year-old felon who was only released from prison on probation in Novemberand was reportedly fired recently for being aggressive toward female employees.

Zion William Teasley made his first court appearance Friday morning, and a judge ordered him to be held without bail for breaking his probation and allegedly ambushing Lauren Heike, a 29-year-old esthetician (a licensed skin-care technician), from behind on April 29 before fatally stabbing her.

James Hester, a homicide lieutenant, said Friday that the attack was random and without provocation. He said authorities dont believe Heike was sexually assaulted, adding that her wounds suggest she fought her attacker and fled, but couldnt overcome her injuries.

Her injuries were just too severe, Hester said.

A LinkedIn profile for Teasley said hes an ex-U.S. Marine, but a military spokesperson told ABC15 Phoenix that he never finished bootcamp. Citing authorities, the TV station reported Teasley was recently fired from another gig for being aggressive toward female employees and for possibly stealing from the company.

Zion reportedly denied the murder allegations, telling detectives, If I was going to do something like that, it wouldnt be premeditated, ABC15 reported. Cops allege he also said thats me when shown a picture of security camera footage taken from near the site of the attack.

Prosecutors said in court on Friday that Teasleys attack was premeditated, and that he left DNA at the scene, on top of photographic and phone evidence tying him to the crime.

Prosecutors cited the alleged murder and his 2020 convictions for armed robbery and disorderly conduct as reasons to keep Teasley locked up before trial. They also said Teasley bought a plane ticket this week to flee to Detroit. Public records show he has relatives in Michigan.

Teasleys arrest on Thursday ended a week-long manhunt for the man seen on grainy security camera footage running from the trail shortly after Heike was killed. Prosecutors said people who knew Teasley recognized him in the footage and alerted authorities.

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A motive, however, remains unclear.

He is the person that we believe to be responsible, or in connection to, the murder of Lauren Heike, Phoenix PD Sgt. Melissa Soliz said at a Thursday press conference. Were hoping that the community can rest a little easier knowing this person is off the streets.

Reached by phone, a relative of Teasley declined an interview with The Daily Beast. Others could not immediately be reached.

Heikes family appeared alongside cops at some press updates, describing her as beautiful, inside and out.

She had such a kind heart, her mother Lana Heike said. Everybody who met her loved her.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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The body of a 22-year-old man was found in a North Texas lake on Thursday evening, the Grand Prairie Fire Department announced.

At 5:55 p.m. Thursday, Grand Prairie fire crews responded to a report of a possible drowning at Joe Pool Lake.

A witness told fire officials that the swimmer was last seen near location marker LC11, but the man did not resurface.

The Public Safety Dive Team conducted a search and recovered the mans body.

The swimmer was not wearing a life vest, according to the fire department.

The identity of the man will be released by the Dallas County Medical Examiners Office.

This is the first drowning at Joe Pool Lake in 2023.

As the lake season continues, GPFD strongly encourages the public to wear a life vest or an appropriate personal flotation device while near or in the water, the fire department said in a news release.
The Federal Highway Administration approved the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys plan to add a controversial toll around Manhattans central business district, just hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy rubbed shoulders at a Regional Plan Association event where they discussed their partnership on transportation issues.

The tolling plan, which the two governors don't agree on, would charge New Jersey drivers more to enter Manhattan. It was not mentioned at the event  and Murphy is now "closely assessing" legal options over the decision.

The New Jersey governor called the decision "unfair," "ill-advised" and a "money grab," in a statement released Friday afternoon.

"Since Day One, Ive stood against the disproportionate negative impacts of congestion pricing on New Jerseyans  a greater financial burden on New Jersey commuters, double tolling, toll shopping, a lack of revenue for NJ Transit, outsized environmental burdens on certain North Jersey communities, and financial impacts on the Port Authoritys capital budget," Murphy's statement read.

March 18, 2020; Weehawken, NJ, USA: Aerial view of the helix leading into the Lincoln Tunnel during a sparse morning commute as the coronavirus outbreak has led many people to work from home.

"As a conceptual matter, I support congestion pricing, but it must be structured in a way that is fair to all sides. UntiI New Yorks congestion pricing plan is fixed, I will keep working closely with partners from both states and both sides of the aisle, including Congressman (Josh) Gottheimer and our congressional delegation, to halt implementation of this misguided tolling plan. Our administration is closely assessing all legal options.

Murphy has in the past threatened to veto Port Authority of New York and New Jersey minutes over the matter.

The FHWAs decision about the plan  which could charge drivers as much as $23 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street  was announced about four months after a decision was expected.

This will be the first congestion pricing program in the country, following other countries, like Singapore and Sweden.

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"Congestion pricing is a generational opportunity to make it easier for people to get around in, and get to, the Central Business District, by reducing traffic and funding improvements to the public transit system," said John J. McCarthy, the MTA's chief of external relations. "To do it right, environmental equity has been an integral component. We are grateful that the FHWA has acknowledged the Project Sponsors efforts to date and has found the document has met the standards for legal sufficiency."

Earlier this week, seven members of New Jerseys congressional delegation penned a letter to Hochul calling on her to cancel the plan. They urged her to come to the table with Gov. Phil Murphy and NJ Transit to develop new plans to reinvest in affordable public transit options in our region.

Gottheimer, the most vocal New Jersey elected official against the plan, told reporters on a call Friday afternoon he found the decision completely outrageous.

For folks who are struggling to make ends meet, this is a devastating blow, he said. Every single nickel that the MTA will literally pilfer at the pockets of Jersey families will go to the MTA.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer talks about how New York City's congestion pricing will affect New Jersey commuters, in Paramus, N.J., on Monday May 10, 2021. In the background are N.J. Assemblyman Chris Tully and N.J. Assemblywoman Lisa Swain.

The seven members of Congress argue that New Jersey commuters who go into Manhattan already contribute a great number of dollars to New Yorks economy through income tax and hefty tolls on the Lincoln and Holland tunnels and George Washington Bridge, crossings operated by a bistate agency, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The MTA would use the money generated from the tolling program to fund its capital plan to improve subways and buses, while also reducing pollution and congestion in the most trafficked part of the region. Last year, the agency released a 4,000-page environmental assessment that provided seven scenarios outlining different ways to charge vehicles and weighing whether some vehicles should be credited, like buses or those that use crossings that already have tolls, like the Lincoln and Holland tunnels.

Among the reasons New Jerseyans have taken issue with this is because they were largely kept out of the agencys planning for the toll program and because none of the money would be used to improve New Jerseys public transportation network, which could see more riders if people choose to avoid the extra toll.

Last year, Murphy called on the U.S. Department of Transportation to require the agency to do a more thorough environmental review and slow down the approval process for the plan.

Murphy has also noted in the past that the tolling program could have severe consequences without capacity improvements at New York Penn Station and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, the main portals for the vast majority of New Jersey commuters who already use public transportation to get to Manhattan. Improvement plans are underway at both facilities, but years away from completion.

The FHWA, in its letter to the MTA, said its environmental review mitigates the adverse effects from the preferred alternative and must allow 30 days for public review. After that, a toll board will be assembled  which does not include representatives from New Jersey  that will decide how the tolling program will work, what vehicles and crossings (if any) get credited or exempt, and when the program would go into effect.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Congestion pricing NYC approved, Murphy seeks legal way out
NEW BEDFORD  A 23-year-old New Bedford man was fatally shot in a Philadelphia parking lot on Wednesday, May 3, according to Philadelphia police.

According to police, New Bedford resident James Cundiff was shot in the chest and shoulder while in a car out in back of a shopping plaza in the 6200 block of Bustleton Avenue around 4:55 p.m. Wednesday.

Cundiff was then taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead at 5:52 p.m., according to police.

On Wednesday, Philadelphia police said 23-year-old New Bedford man James Cundiff was fatally shot in a parking lot behind a shopping plaza on this block of Bustleton Avenue, in the city's northeast section.

In a press release, police noted investigators had not recovered any weapon, and the investigation remained ongoing with the Homicide Detective Division.

On Friday, Jane Roh, a spokesperson for the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, said she was not aware of any arrests relative to this case.

Read the latest local SouthCoast news: Parking meters are boring. Here's how SMEC student artists changed that in New Bedford.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: New Bedford man James Cundiff, 23, shot to death in Philadelphia
Known for using cryptic messages that he sent to the media as well as taunting police and reporters with ciphers, the Zodiac claimed to have had 37 victims. However, authorities have only ever identified five confirmed victims.

According to USA Today, "The Zodiac was known to target couples, attacking three separate young pairs in his killing spree, although two of the male victims survived. In 1969, after his second attack, The Zodiac called the police to report the crime himself and to claim responsibility for a previous double homicide. Though The Zodiac was never caught and the official investigation remains open but public interest has remained high. Countless theories have gained traction over the years, pointing a finger at various men who share physical markers or specific interests with the famed killer."
A CMV-22B Osprey leads an E-2D and F/A-18s in formation over the Bay of Bengal in October 2021. US Navy/Ensign Mallorie Miller

Since its first flight in 1989, the V-22 Osprey has provided a unique capability to the US military.

Despite its development over the past three decades, the Osprey still faces mechanical issues.

The Marines, Air Force, and Navy plan to fly Ospreys for decades, but they don't plan to buy more.

The US military is the largest aircraft operator in the world, with more than 13,000 manned planes and helicopters of all types in service.

From cutting-edge stealth jets to heavily armed attack helicopters, as well as versatile cargo planes and voluminous tankers, the Pentagon has something for every type of aerial mission.

But the emergence of more capable rivals and the arrival of new technology mean some of the US military's go-to aircraft are running out of time.

One of them is the V-22 Osprey, a unique and controversial aircraft that has carried conventional troops and special operators around the world for two decades.

The V-22 Osprey

US Marine Corps parachutists jump from an MV-22 over Virginia in January 2000. US Navy/Vernon Pugh

In the three decades since its first flight, the V-22 Osprey has brought a distinct capability to the US military's aviation fleet, despite its troubled development.

The US military began the development of the Joint Services Advanced Vertical Lift Aircraft project in the early 1980s. The aim was simple but ambitious  create an aircraft that could fly with the speed, endurance, and operational ceiling of a fixed-wing aircraft but with the flexibility to take off and land vertically.

The project produced, at first glance, a weird-looking aircraft. It has two main rotors that swivel, rising upward for takeoff and landing and turning forward for horizontal flight.

Sailors prepare two CMV-22s to be chocked and chained to the flight deck of USS Carl Vinson in April. US Navy/MCS3 Emily Claire Bennett

The first of six prototypes flew for the first time in helicopter mode in March 1989 and in fixed-wing mode in September 1989.

The program suffered setbacks, including several fatal crashes, as its development continued in the '90s and early 2000s. It was also marred by rising costs and the aircraft's complex maintenance needs. In 2001, the US Marine Corps fired a V-22 squadron commander over allegations of falsified maintenance records.

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The Marines received their first MV-22 in 1999 and deployed it to combat for the first time in 2007. The US Air Force began accepting its CV-22 variant in 2006 and deployed it for the first time in 2008. Not to be left out, the Navy got its variant, the CMV-22, in 2020 and deployed it for the first time in 2021.

Conventional and special-ops missions

US Air Force special-tactics operators fast-rope from a CV-22B during an exercise in the UK in April 2021. US Army/Staff Sgt. Brandon Nelson

For the Marines, the MV-22 replaced the CH-46 Sea Knight, a heavy-lift helicopter that had carried Marines and supplies since the mid-1960s. With a crew of four, the Osprey can carry up to 32 troops, which translates to almost an entire Marine rifle platoon or two Navy SEAL platoons.

The Air Force's "C" variant has been a staple of the US special-operations community. It differs from the conventional V-22 in several ways, packing extra fuel tanks, a terrain-following radar, and a countermeasures system to increase its survivability.

The CV-22 has two primary mission sets  long-range infiltration and exfiltration and special-ops resupply  and it has played a key part in several known special-operations missions.

In 2013, CV-22 Ospreys carried Navy SEALs to assist the evacuation of US citizens from South Sudan, where a civil war had started. When they were preparing to land in the South Sudanese capital, insurgents opened fire and damaged one aircraft, seriously wounding four SEALs. The Osprey was able to fly straight to Kenya, where a special-operations surgical team was standing by to assist in the evacuations.

Sailors load an F-35C power module onto a CMV-22B aboard USS Carl Vinson in February 2021. US Navy/MCS Seaman Jeffrey Kempton

In 2021, SEALs from the elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group  formerly known as SEAL Team Six  used CV-22s to rescue and evacuate an American hostage from Nigeria. The aircraft flew from Nigeria all the way to Spain after completing the rescue.

Despite its maintenance problems, the CV-22's operational range, lift capacity, and speed make it a useful asset in the US special-operations arsenal. Recent upgrades to some of the CV-22 fleet are meant to ensure they can continue operating a high level for decades to come.

The Navy's CMV-22 is the newest variant. It's taking over the carrier onboard delivery role from the C-2 Greyhound and ferrying people, supplies, and cargo to aircraft carriers at sea. It demonstrated its capacity in early 2021, when it delivered an F-35 engine to a carrier in the Pacific Ocean.

"We're very bullish on CV-22," Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, told lawmakers in March. "It's been another example of one service leveraging what's been going right in another and at economies of scale, buying these aircraft as quickly as we can to replace an airframe."

End of the line

Crews work to remove a CV-22 that was grounded in nature preserve in northern Norway after a clutch issue. Norwegian Armed Forces

Now more than 400 Ospreys are in service, with more than 600,000 flight hours since becoming operational. The V-22 is also in service with Japan's military, the first foreign force to operate it. Despite its progress and achievements, the Osprey has still struggled with mechanical problems.

In August, Air Force Special Operations Command said it grounded its CV-22s over issues with the clutch, which had caused several "safety incidents." In February, all three services said they would ground some of their Ospreys to replace a component related to the clutch.

The problem is not new, with 15 such incidents over the past dozen years, but the military has struggled to determine its cause. The Pentagon is working with the manufacturer, Bell Boeing, to address the issue, but it may end up being the Osprey's final chapter.

While the Marine Corps, Navy, and Air Force plan to fly their Ospreys for decades to come, budget documents released by the services in March show that none plan to buy more of them, a sign that military leaders think they have as many Ospreys as they need.

"I don't see us actually going to additional CV-22s," Gen. Charles Brown Jr., the Air Force's chief of staff, told lawmakers in April, "because once you shut down a production line, it's very expensive to start back up."

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate. He is working toward a master's degree in strategy and cybersecurity at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cristhian Zapata, 23, of Connecticut, arrives at Daytona Beach International Airport on Thursday, May 4. Zapata is one of three men charged in recent months with threatening Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood.

The third out-of-state man accused of threatening Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood in recent months is now in Volusia County.

Cristhian Zapata, of Ansonia, Connecticut, landed Thursday night at Daytona Beach International Airport, according to social media posts from the sheriff's office.

Unlike the other two suspects, Zapata, 23, upon his arrival, wasn't greeted by Chitwood.

4chan: Online platform where 3 men are accused of threatening Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood

What we know: 3 out-of-state men accused of threatening Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood

"Sorry I wasnt able to join the welcoming committee this time. Enjoy your stay," the sheriff tweeted.

Zapata was booked into the Volusia County Branch Jail about 11:20 p.m. Thursday on a charge of making a written threat to kill or do bodily injury, court records show. Zapata is being held on $100,000 bail.

The Connecticut resident is accused of writing "I WILL KILL CHITWOOD, MARK MY WORDS" on 4chan on April 7, according to law enforcement.

This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 3rd man accused of threatening to kill Volusia sheriff lands in Daytona
(Editors note: This article was first published in HigherEdMilitary.)

In this day and age, its not uncommon to be ghosted by prospective employers and for higher ed job searches to take longer than a year. A higher education job search isnt for the faint of heart, but staying positive can be difficult, especially when youre left wondering if your application materials are standing in the way of your success. Is your resume or curriculum vitae even getting through the applicant tracking system and seen by a recruiter or human resources representative? Is your resume lacking something essential?

I recently spoke with Casey Kipple, talent acquisition business partner at Stanford University School of Medicine, who has over a decade of recruiting experience (seven of those specific to higher education). She shares her process for evaluating candidates and key areas to focus on when crafting your application materials.

1. Quantify your skills and achievements

It may sound obvious that your resume and cover letter should be detailed, but Kipple cant stress this enough. The devil is in the details, she says. A lot of the feedback I give candidates is tell me how many employees were on the team you managed, how large was your company, how many events did you plan? It just gives us more information to go further in the evaluation process but also helps to mitigate any assumptions.

This idea of quantifying your results and achievements isnt a new one, but incorporating measurable results can be challenging depending on your role(s). Consider some of these numbers:

Revenue or sales generated (were you responsible for $200,000 in product sales?)

Budgets managed (did you manage a budget of $1,000? $10,000?)

Percentage change (did you play a part in 5% enrollment growth or in reducing your departments spending by 8%?)

Workload (were you responsible for creating and sending 100 newsletters in a year or advising 400 students?)

Its always so helpful on the front end if there are some quantifying items just because of how competitive the market is, Kipple says. A candidate who has some more details on their resume may stand out more.

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However, it doesnt mean the other candidate is less qualified. Kipple operates under the idea that she can always reach out for more detail, but not all recruiters and hiring managers share that spirit. So, dont wait to be asked about the scope of your experience  quantify as much as you can on your resume and cover letter for the best chances of an interview invitation.

2. Be precise

Another common issue I see [related to detail] is when candidates are not specific about their employment dates and just list years versus months, Kipple mentions.

If you were at an institution for 20 years, this wont make a huge difference. However, if you worked in a role from December 2021 to February 2022 (3 months), listing 2021 to 2022 on your resume could imply youve been there for a whole year, which is a big disparity. Whether intentional or not, misleading a prospective employer about your work experience is not a great way to start a relationship.

3. Ensure readability

Its helpful to take a few minutes at the beginning of the application process to put yourself in the employers shoes. When it comes to identifying good resumes, Kipple says, I know it seems really simple, but how easy is your resume to read, and how quickly can I figure out if youre qualified for the position?

So, how can you achieve this goal?

Kipple and her colleagues have seen an influx of resumes lately that are text-heavy and have unusual fonts. They caution that these resumes are particularly difficult to read. Instead, choose a plain font that you find easy to read and make your resume skimmable by using concise bullet points.

A skills or qualifications section can also be helpful to include, Kipple advises, or a professional summary that highlights your total years of experience and areas of expertise, especially if it highlights specific skills that relate to the minimum qualifications and the responsibilities of the job. Employers will often use preferred or desired qualifications to help narrow the pool of applicants, so I always encourage candidates to see if they can highlight preferred qualifications from their experience on their resume or cover letter.

4. Explain your position fit

Youve probably heard some iteration of the claim that men apply for positions when they meet 60% of the qualifications whereas women only apply if they meet 100% of them. A Medium article speculates that the claim is more anecdotal and that the gap is actually much smaller. Their study found that men apply when they meet 52% of the qualifications and women apply when they meet 56% of them.

Regardless of which is accurate, these statements make it clear that candidates often apply to positions without actually meeting all the qualifications. It doesnt hurt to throw your hat in for the job if you really feel it is a great fit, but remember that minimum qualifications are listed for a reason. Recruiters and hiring managers are first looking to make sure you meet those requirements. If you dont meet them, its possible you wont make it through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS), but not all colleges and universities set up automatic disqualifiers. Stanford School of Medicine, where Kipple works, does not. However, when asked for the top reasons for bypassing a resume, Kipple lists failure to meet the minimum qualifications, lack of clarity about whether the candidate meets them, or lack of related/transferable experience. So, if your candidacy relies on equivalent experience (vs. meeting minimum qualifications), be sure to address this upfront in your resume or cover letter to give you the best chance for consideration.

Remember

Finding a job takes time, but you can improve your chances by putting yourself in employers shoes, writing a detailed resume or CV that is easy to read, and demonstrating measurable results. Beyond that, Kipple advises candidates to be thoughtful and intentional with their search and to avoid rage applying and resume-bombing.

Its hard, right?, she admits. If youve had a bad day at your job and you think, Im going to go and apply to all these jobs, but I think especially when youre looking for a new job, its a little bit of soul searching too. Its a competitive market, and Im very empathetic to candidates in it, but the right opportunities are out there. Dont get discouraged. If youre trying to find that path on your career journey, find an institution that aligns with your values and your mission, because thats going to bring you more joy every day.

Disclaimer: HigherEdJobs encourages free discourse and expression of issues while striving for accurate presentation to our audience. A guest opinion serves as an avenue to address and explore important topics, for authors to impart their expertise to our higher education audience and to challenge readers to consider points of view that could be outside of their comfort zone. The viewpoints, beliefs, or opinions expressed in the above piece are those of the author(s) and dont imply endorsement by HigherEdJobs.
On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Proud Boys, including leader Enrique Tarrio, guilty of seditious conspiracy for Jan. 6

Several Proud Boys have been found guilty of seditious conspiracy for the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Plus, banking anxieties continue, USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard reports on protests over proposed reforms in Israel, an autopsy reveals Tyre Nichols was killed by blunt force trauma to the head, and USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer looks at the latest debate around artificial intelligence.

Podcasts: True crime, in-depth interviews and more USA TODAY podcasts right here

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 things you need to know Friday, the 5th of May 2023. Today, a verdict for the Proud Boys. Plus, more bank anxiety, and we hear the latest from protests in Israel.



Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three lieutenants were found guilty yesterday of entering a seditious conspiracy against the US government, leading to the January 6th, 2021 Capitol attack. A fifth Proud Boy was acquitted of the charge. Prosecutors said Tarrio was the leader of the plot, despite not being in Washington that day. His arrest two days before the insurrection on unrelated charges and the stabbing of several Proud Boys at a protest in December 2020 served as motivators to try and stop the certification of the 2020 presidential election, according to the government. Tarrio's attorneys argued that he was just the government's scapegoat. They said the true culprit of January 6th was former President Donald Trump.



PacWest Bancorp saw its shares plunge earlier this week, dropping more than 39% at one point. The bank said yesterday that it was considering asset sales and has been approached by several parties about a deal. The bank insists that it has not experienced a high number of customer withdrawals in the wake of the failure and sale of First Republic Bank after a modern day bank run. But anxiety over regional bank stability appeared to spread late this week. Comerica slumped more than 8% and TD Bank Group and First Horizon called off a planned merger citing regulatory hurdles.

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Months long protests for and against proposed judicial reforms in Israel will continue this weekend, with tens of thousands expected on the streets of Tel Aviv and elsewhere. Many of the protests are accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right wing coalition of using the reforms to get around the checks and balances of government, and of turning Israel into more of a religious state that could even amount to a dictatorship. Others say they just want their views reflected by a parliament they elected. I sat down with USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard, who recently traveled to Israel, to learn more. Kim, thanks for hopping on 5 Things.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

Protests have erupted across Israel over these proposed judicial reforms. Some folks opposed to the reforms have said if they're enacted, Israel will not be a democracy anymore. Others even suggest the reforms would make Israel a dictatorship. What's your general perspective on that?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

My general perspective is that Israel is a pretty healthy democracy. Like all democracies, it's not perfect. Constitutional legal scholars say there is space for reform. And this is one of the things that the people who are leading these reforms are saying, look, we can't get laws passed that sort of reflect what our constituents want. The ability to, for example, have separate concerts for men and women, or we can't get laws passed that would allow us to kind of sufficiently build the infrastructure of settlements in the West Bank.

However, it's kind of problematic because if you look at something like a settlement in the West Bank, these things are not legal by international standards. They're often built on Palestinian land.

One of the things about these proposed reforms that the protestors are so angry about has to do with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He's in the middle of a corruption case and he's on trial for it. He's suddenly taken an interest in these reforms because they kind of essentially enable him, through a majority in parliament which his government controls, to kind of get a get out of jail free card a bit. So let's say Netanyahu's convicted, there is the possibility that he can't be removed from power. So the protestors are kind of saying this is just not a healthy thing for a democracy.

Taylor Wilson:

Kim, you mentioned the international community. What is the US government's stance on these reforms and on all of the protests that have happened in recent months?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

US government, as some listeners may be aware, is Israel's biggest source of foreign military aid. The US was the first country in the world to recognize Israel as a country, and the Biden administration has expressed quite publicly, quite loudly, that it does not like the look of these reforms. It feels that they are not democratic, that they're problematic for various reasons.

Taylor Wilson:

And finally, Kim, what's next for these reform proposals and the protests in the coming months?

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Well, things have kind of been stalled since before the Passover holiday, which was last month, when essentially the Parliament went on recess. And Netanyahu, he was kind of faced with this growing escalating insurrection from the Israeli public. There was a series of kind of walkouts from different labor unions, teachers, airport workers went on strike. And they kind of reached this moment where Netanyahu was like, whoa, he needed to calm things down before all of Israeli society kind of unraveled. And so he paused it.

Parliament came back last week. The protestors are still there. The political establishment in Israel is kind of talking about how they're going to try to reach some kind of compromise on this. And nothing has really changed, and it is a kind of standoff where both sides are digging in. But over the last couple of weeks, pro-reform people have started to protest in bigger numbers. A week ago there was about 200,000 of them that showed up outside of the Knesset, which is the Israeli parliament.

So I think everyone in Israel, as far as I can tell, is kind of scratching their heads going, this is not getting any better. In fact, it's getting worse. And one of the places where it could go is another election. And Israel has had five elections since 2019, I believe it is, because they couldn't agree with each other about exactly how to move this country forward. So who knows where that would end up.

Taylor Wilson:

All right. USA TODAY World Affairs Correspondent Kim Hjelmgaard. Thanks so much.

Kim Hjelmgaard:

Thanks for having me.



Taylor Wilson:

An autopsy revealed yesterday that Tyre Nichols was killed by blunt force trauma to the head. The 29-year-old motorist died earlier this year after being brutally beaten by Memphis Police Officers. Nichols' family viewed the autopsy report this week, some four months after Tyre's death. Their attorney, Ben Crump, said the manner of death was homicide. Attorneys said the report was similar to an independent January autopsy that found Nichols suffered extensive bleeding.



Artificial intelligence. No matter how you feel about it, the technology is here. That includes chatbots like ChatGPT, which recently passed a hundred million monthly active users, according to Reuters and others. I spoke with USA TODAY Domestic Security Correspondent Josh Meyer to learn more. Hi there, Josh.

Josh Meyer:

Good to be here. How are you?

Taylor Wilson:

Good, thanks. Thanks for hopping back on. Josh, the Biden White House is concerned about AI being developed by the tech sector and then unleashed on the public with little to no guardrails on how it might be used. What did they say this week?

Josh Meyer:

The Biden administration did have a meeting at the White House, led by Kamala Harris, with some of these tech leaders to talk about some of the reforms that the White House says are needed, including more transparency in the way these companies develop these technologies, giving access to the work in progress by critics and the public, just so they can weigh in on what's happening.

And also, the Biden administration last October released what they called the AI Bill of Rights. That's designed to sort of put more safeguards in place. Right now, that's just a recommendation. And so some critics that say the Biden administration hasn't gone far enough say that that needs to be mandatory, that these companies aren't going to really do much on their own, and that they're going to have to be forced to comply more and to do more in terms of protecting the safety, security, and the privacy of Americans as we go forward.

Taylor Wilson:

And there have been several prominent tech leaders warning about this recently, including the so-called godfather of AI. So Josh, who is the godfather of AI?

Josh Meyer:

The godfather of AI is a guy named Geoffrey Hinton. He's a renowned researcher, vice president at Google. He's also a Toronto professor, and he's spent the last couple of decades at the forefront of innovating and research and development into artificial intelligence and related topics, including ChatGPT.

Taylor Wilson:

And what are some of his concerns about this technology?

Josh Meyer:

He said that his concerns have mostly come about in the last few months, and one of the concerns is that it is becoming so advanced so quickly. One of the things that it's learning to do is simple reasoning. He said that he's concerned that somebody could actually take over the world and push humanity toward extinction.

He was at a seminar yesterday and one of the things that jumped out at me, and everybody else that was there, was he was asked by the panel's moderator, "What's the worst case scenario that you think is conceivable?" And without hesitation, Hinton said, "I think it's quite conceivable that humanity is just a passing phase in the evolution of intelligence."

Taylor Wilson:

Strong words, I would say. Geez.

Josh Meyer:

Yeah. And then he went on to say that even if we think that we're in control of the technology and we can just turn it off, he said it could easily be brought back to life again on another machine if given the proper instructions. And this is another quote from him at the MIT Technology Review conference yesterday. Hinton said, "And it may keep us around for a while to keep the power stations running, but after that, maybe not." So food for thought.

Taylor Wilson:

Yeah, food for thought. So do other experts agree with this pretty pessimistic outlook?

Josh Meyer:

Actually, after he said that, I wanted to find people that would take exception to it, and I talked to a lot of people. I looked around and a lot of people share his concerns. I did find some people that are a little bit more skeptical, including a longtime trusted source of mine who said, "I think that it's overstated. People need to take a step back. Take a deep breath."

I talked to a guy named Michael Hamilton, who's the co-founder of Critical Insight Risk Management. He's a former advisor to the Department of Homeland Security on tech issues. And he said that computer assisted machine learning, including artificial intelligence, will never be the kind of sentient, self-aware and all-knowing technology that people are afraid of, and that created the Terminator of movie fame. He said basically, artificial intelligence is an extremely sophisticated programming platform that can only go as far as humans allow it.

Taylor Wilson:

Josh, one concern is that AI could wipe out thousands, maybe millions of jobs by making them obsolete. What does he say on that point?

Josh Meyer:

Oh yeah, he's very concerned about that. And so is the White House, as a matter of fact, when they rolled out this new initiative. They said that's one of their biggest concerns. And they want to make sure that the developers of AI, which include Google, Microsoft, and some other companies, that they keep that in mind and make sure that there's guardrails there to prevent that kind of thing from happening.

But we do live in a capitalist economy. According to Hinton, he actually spoke very specifically about it, and he said that, we live in a world where profit comes first and the rich could get richer and the poor get poorer because of ways in which AI is used to do menial tasks that are often done by human beings at a lower range of the pay scale. He said, "It's going to cause huge increases in productivity. My worry is for those increases in productivity to put people out of work and make the rich richer and the poor poorer. And as you do that," Hinton said, "you make that gap bigger and society gets more and more violent."

Taylor Wilson:

Josh Meyer, thanks so much.

Josh Meyer:

Sure.

Taylor Wilson:

And happy Cinco de Mayo. The date marks Mexico's victory over the French empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

Thanks for listening to 5 Things. We're produced by Shannon Rae Green, and our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Special thanks to Cherie Saunders and Alexis Gustin. I'm Taylor Wilson back tomorrow with another episode of 5 Things.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 4 Proud Boys found guilty, dire AI warning: 5 Things podcast
Around 45 minutes of video deposition given by former President Donald Trump was released to the public Friday as the civil trial brought by writer E. Jean Carroll began winding down in a New York federal court.

Carroll says that Trump trapped her in a dressing room and raped her at the luxury Manhattan department store Bergdorf Goodman in the 1990s after a chance encounter. She was able to sue for battery in addition to defamation under a recent state law that gave sexual assault victims a one-time chance to bring lawsuits in spite of any relevant statutes of limitations.

Although Carroll does not recall the precise date of the alleged assault, not having filed a police report out of concern for the negative attention it would bring, she has been able to narrow the timeframe to late 1995 or early 1996.

Her lawyers rested her case Thursday. Along with the advice columnist herself, they called to the stand friends whom she says she confided in, and other women who say Trump sexually assaulted them.

Trumps side is not expected to call any witnesses  nor has the former president appeared in court  but U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan is giving him until Sunday in case he changes his mind. Trump has consistently denied the allegations and dismissed Carroll as a political operative.

Written excerpts of his deposition have already been made public in the course of the lawsuit, but the video had not been seen outside of the courtroom until several news outlets successfully petitioned for its release.

It is certainly something. Watch below, and read on for key takeaways.

Trump confused Carroll for second wife Marla Maples in a party photograph.

One of Trumps main defenses has been saying that he would not have raped Carroll because she was not his type. He doubled down on the argument in his deposition.

The only difference between me and other people is Im honest, he told Carrolls attorney Roberta Kaplan.

Trump was then shown a black-and-white photograph from a late 1980s event showing himself and then-wife Ivana speaking with Carroll and her then-husband John Johnson, an NBC news anchor. He pointed to Carroll and said it was Marla, referring to his second wife, Marla Maples.

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The person you just pointed to is Carroll, Kaplan told him, as he was shown where his then-wife, Ivana, was in the photo.

She asked: I take it the three women youve married are all your type.

Yeah, Trump replied.

Trump defended his infamous grab em by the pussy comments.

Kaplan played the 2004 Access Hollywood tape for Trump where he infamously says, When youre a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab em by the pussy. You can do anything.

Well, historically, thats true with stars, Trump told Kaplan afterward.

Its true with stars that they can grab women by the pussy? she asked.

Well, thats  if you look over the last million years, I guess thats been largely true. Not always, but largely true, Trump said.

Unfortunately or fortunately, he added.

He claimed he could not remember whether he dated Maples while still married to first wife, Ivana.

Kaplan asked Trump to affirm that he dated women outside of his marriages and official relationships, given that part of Carrolls story is that Trump told her he was at the store to pick out a gift for an unspecified female friend.

Kaplan asked if he saw Maples while still married to his first wife, Ivana Trump.

It could be a lapover, but I dont really know, Trump said.

His failing marriage and relationship with Maples was thoroughly chronicled in tabloids at the time; a 1990 feature in Vanity Fair reported that Trump had moved [Maples] onto his luxe yacht in the summer of 1989. Trumps divorce from Ivana was finalized in 1991.

He told Carrolls lawyer that she was not his type, either.

Trump appeared to grow frustrated with Kaplan as she pressed him with questions about some of the other women who have accused him of sexual assault.

He responded with comments on the womens appearances before shifting focus to the woman in front of him.

You wouldnt be a choice of mine either, to be honest with you. I hope youre not insulted, Trump told Kaplan. I would not under any circumstances have any interest in you. Im honest when I say it.

And suggested that Carroll enjoyed being sexually assaulted.

Trump brought up an interview Carroll gave to CNNs Anderson Cooper in 2019, shortly after coming forward with her rape accusation. At one point, she argued that people tend to think of rape as being sexy due to sexual fantasies, but said that her experience was simply very painful.

She actually indicated that she loved it, Trump told Kaplan. In fact, I think she said it was sexy, didnt she?

Kaplan replied, Sir, I just want to confirm: Its your testimony that E. Jean Carroll said that she loved being sexually assaulted by you?

Well, based on her interview with Anderson Cooper, I believe thats what took place. ... I think she said that rape is sexy, which its not, by the way, Trump said.

Asked whether he knew Carroll had been speaking about other peoples views, Trump told Kaplan she would have to watch the interview to see for herself.

Correction: An earlier version of this post said Marla Maples appeared in a late 1980s photo with Trump and Carroll. While Trump referred to Maples being in the photo, the image showed his then-wife Ivana.

Related...
Chicago police officers patrol on foot outside of Millennium Park in downtown Chicago on April 22, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Leaders from Chicagos first-responder agencies on Friday sought to reassure city residents and visitors that plans are in place to ensure public safety during the historically violent summer months.

The (police) department has a comprehensive summer safety plan that addresses all concerns that were seeing across the city, from the central business district to the beaches to the violence we experience in the neighborhoods, Brian McDermott, Chicago Police Department chief of patrol, said at a news conference at the Office of Emergency Management and Communications in the West Loop.

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Jose Tirado, the interim executive director of OEMC and a former chief in the CPD, told reporters the city had activated its Summer Operations Center to better coordinate efforts among various city departments.

Since January, OEMC has held multiple planning meetings on events happening this summer, attended by city departments including the Chicago Police Department and the Chicago Fire Department, to ensure we have plans in place to manage the additional crowds and increased traffic in large events to ensure the safety of residents and visitors, Tirado said.

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Tirados predecessor at OEMC, Rich Guidice, was recently selected to be chief of staff to Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson.

The announcement came a few weeks after hundreds of young people descended on the downtown area as part of a teen takeover organized on social media. Many of the youths got into fights, obstructed traffic and destroyed property.

Two teen boys were shot near the Chicago Cultural Center, and police arrested more than a dozen people.

The announcement comes days before Johnson is set to be sworn in as mayor and the same week Johnson named a new interim police superintendent, Fred Waller, a former CPD chief.

The chaos in the center of the city last month was seen in some corners as raising the stakes for the mayor-elect, who was not endorsed by the citys largest police union and whose response to the situation included suggesting it was kids making silly decisions.

For the last decade, large youth gatherings in the downtown area have proved difficult to manage, befuddling two mayors and three CPD superintendents. The recent events downtown only brought renewed criticism of the citys response to violence.

Police sources previously told the Tribune that several high-ranking CPD officials who are typically responsible for the downtown area were not available to work on April 15, when the youth gathering occurred in the Loop.

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A curfew was imposed at Millennium Park after a teen boy was shot and killed near The Bean last summer. Meanwhile, strategies to handle the youth meet-ups are among the criteria being used to grade candidates for the CPD superintendent job.

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The summer season typically brings an annual uptick in gun violence, felt most acutely in a handful of neighborhoods on the South and West sides.

McDermott said Friday that CPD will continue its tier-deployment strategy, in which patrol district officers are temporarily reassigned to other parts of the city where violent crime is most active.

Police typically cancel officers days off around the Memorial Day and Fourth of July weekends in a further effort to tamp down shootings. McDermott said each of the departments five police areas has an individualized plan to address specific needs in the warm-weather months.

Through late April, the number of murders and nonfatal shootings are both down 9%, according to CPD data.

The Police Departments response drew some criticism last month as well, particularly among aldermen whose wards were affected. That appeared to continue Friday.

Ald. Raymond Lopez, 15th, tweeted Friday after the news conference that it would be nice if they shared the comprehensive plan with City Council.
President Joe Biden is expected to nominate Gen. C.Q. Brown to succeed Gen. Mark Milley as his next Joint Chiefs chair, POLITICO first reported on Thursday .

Brown, who had been seen as a frontrunner for the position, currently serves as Air Force chief of staff, a post for which he was unanimously confirmed in August 2020. He will have to face another Senate confirmation hearing before he is able to assume his new role as the nations highest-ranking military officer.

Here are five things to know about Brown:

Brown would become the second Black Joint Chiefs chair

If confirmed, Brown would become the second Black Joint Chiefs chair in the nations history, following the late Colin Powell . Brown became the first Black person to lead any branch of the military when he became chief of staff of the Air Force in 2020.

He would also lead the Pentagon alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief, making it the first time in history that the top two jobs in the Defense Department would be held by African Americans.

He would be ending an Air Force drought

Brown, if confirmed, would also become the first Air Force officer to become Joint Chiefs chair since retired Gen. Richard Myers, who held the position until 2005.

The chair position typically rotates among the military branches. Since Myers, the job has been held by two Marine generals, two Army generals and one Navy admiral.

Brown spoke out about his experience with racism in the military during the George Floyd protests

Days before the Senate was set to vote on his confirmation to be Air Force chief of staff, Brown spoke out about his own experience navigating racial tensions in the military.

Those experiences didnt always ring of liberty and equality, he said in an emotional video.

Im thinking about wearing the same flight suits, with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and then being questioned by another military member: Are you a pilot? Brown said in the nearly five-minute video . I can't fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination, he added, calling on viewers to let him know how together we can make a difference.

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He didnt plan to stay in the Air Force  and almost quit ROTC after one semester

Brown did not plan for a life in the Air Force, and when he was an ROTC student at Texas Tech University, he didnt expect that one day he would be leading the branch.

Im simply in awe today, Brown said during a ceremony marking his transition into the Air Force chief of staff role. Im in awe that Im even standing here as the 22nd Air Force chief of staff, considering I had only planned to stay in the Air Force four years, and I almost quit ROTC after the first semester. Yet here I am, in a position I never thought imaginable.

Brown has served in the Middle East and the Pacific

Before he was confirmed as Air Force chief of staff, Browns most recent command experience was in the Pacific, as chief of Pacific Air Forces  a background that makes him distinctly qualified to address tensions between China and the U.S. and its allies. He also commanded troops in the Middle East, as head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
A $50,000 winning Powerball ticket remains unclaimed in Arizona after Wednesday night's drawing.

Arizona Lottery officials said the ticket, purchased from a Phoenix QuikTrip at 4015 E. Cottonwood Lane, hit four of the five numbers as well as the Powerball, narrowly missing the then $71 million jackpot.

The winning numbers for Wednesday's draw were: 21, 26, 30, 45, 47 with a Powerball of 23. The Power Play was 3x.

When is the next Powerball drawing?

The next Powerball drawing will be held on Saturday, May 6 with an $87 million pot up for grabs.

How to play Powerball and win a prize

In order to win a prize, you only need to match one number, but it has to be the winning Powerball worth $4.

Each ticket costs $2 to enter the drawing. If you add the Power Play option for an additional $1 you can win up to 5 times the amount of your non-jackpot winnings.

The Arizona Lottery has a "Where to Play" map that folks interested in participating can use to find the nearest store to purchase tickets.

What is the Powerball cut-off time in Arizona?

You can buy a ticket for the Powerball up until 6:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights, from the second Sunday in March to the first Saturday in November. That changes to 7:59 p.m. Arizona time on draw nights from the first Sunday in November through the second Saturday in March.

This is due to daylight saving time, which other states participating in the Powerball observe, unlike Arizona.

Reporter Raphael Romero Ruiz contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: $50K Powerball ticket purchased at Phoenix QuikTrip
So far, 83 former patients have come forward as part of a medical malpractice lawsuit against an Indiana OB-GYN accused of inappropriately touching, examining, and photographing his patients. BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A group of 83 patients are suing their former OB-GYN alleging medical malpractice.

The women allege Dr. William David Moore performed inappropriate and unnecessary exams and photographed their breasts and genitals.

Moore's medical license was suspended earlier this year following an investigation from Indiana authorities.

A group of 83 women and counting are suing an Indiana obstetrician-gynecologist, alleging that Dr. William David Moore got away for decades with performing "lingering and sensual" examinations that were clinically unnecessary.

The women  who range in age from 15 to 73 years old  also allege that Moore often did not wear gloves during such examinations, and photographed their breasts or genitals under the guise of medical and gynecological care.

Most of the women included in the medical malpractice lawsuit felt uncomfortable with Moore's procedures, but assumed they were either medically necessary or part of standard gynecological care, their attorney, Stephanie Cassman, told Insider.

Only after the Indiana Attorney General's Office began investigating Moore  resulting in his license being suspended in January at an emergency hearing  did many of the women realize their former doctor had treated them inappropriately and violated their trust, Cassman said.

"Many of these women are just now seeing a new provider after his practice closed, and are learning that things they had been told by him, such as, 'You have cancerous cells on your cervix,' that they just accepted, were not true," Cassman said. "You can imagine their horror to hear that."

Neither Moore nor an attorney representing Moore responded to Insider's requests for comment. Marion General Hospital, where Moore occasionally saw patients, told Insider in a statement it cannot discuss details of the allegations due to patient confidentiality and privacy laws. The hospital referred to Moore as "a physician who formerly held medical staff privileges."

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"Marion Health is currently reviewing the allegations of malpractice made in the complaint. It is our mission to provide high quality and compassionate care to our patients," the statement said.

Allegations against Moore first caught the public's attention after the attorney general's office filed a petition for Moore's suspension, citing complaints to the Indiana State Police by several former patients, and an interview with a nurse who worked with Moore.

Dr. William David Moore's medical license has been suspended. Shutterstock

Moore touched and examined his patients in a 'sexual' manner, and took photographs without patient consent, court documents allege

According to the attorney general's court filing from January 13, one patient alleged that Moore once rubbed her genitals "in a manner that she felt was sexual" and announced, after inserting a speculum, that he would take photographs. The patient said she assumed Moore would use a device to take internal images, but then heard the distinctive shutter sound of an iPhone or iPad.

Another patient didn't realize Moore had taken photographs of her vulva until detectives showed them to her, the court documents said. A third said Moore called her "so pure" when she told him she was a virgin, and suggested manually breaking her hymen "because it's hard for me to see."

A fourth patient told investigators Moore would perform breast and pelvic examinations that were "very slow and lingered," and often caused pain, including pinching her nipples and inserting fingers into her vagina and anus.

The court documents also cited a nurse who sought to report Moore to the hospital, after she was told by fellow nurses they had to cover Moore's lap because he "often had erections" during vaginal deliveries.

In a January statement to the local Fox affiliate WXIN, Moore's attorney denied all the allegations contained within the attorney general's court filing, and said patient confidentiality laws prevented Moore from commenting any further on the allegations.

"Dr. David Moore was a practicing obstetrician/gynecologist for more than 40 years before retiring at age 76 in December, 2022. His medical license was never subjected to any disciplinary action by any state licensing agency during his long career," the statement said. "He cares about his patients and worked very hard to provide them with excellent care."

The lawsuit says some of Moore's patients were treated by him as far back as the late 90s, and others were treated by him as recently as 2022.

As the news of the lawsuit and the attorney general's investigation has spread, more of Moore's former patients have reached out to Cassman's firm with the same allegations, she said.

"They're humiliated. They feel used and abused. Many have a fear of physicians now, and getting the type of examinations that are needed for women's health," Cassman said.

Read the original article on Insider
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Kate Middleton has been in the public eye ever since she started dating Prince William while they attended University of St. Andrews together. Since then, they married in a historic royal wedding watched by millions, became the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and have grown their family to include Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.

While there have been numerous fictional books that have drawn inspiration from Kate's story, leaning into the trend of modern royal romance novels, there are fewer nonfiction books on Kate that exist than other members of the royal family. Yet, that doesn't mean none existhere are the nine best books about Kate, plus one bonus book that includes an introduction by the Duchess of Cambridge herself.

Kate: The Future Queen

Royal correspondent Katie Nicholl has authored one of the few definitive biographies of Kate Middleton up to this point: Kate: The Future Queen. It was published in 2013, and covers her early life, courtship with William, royal wedding, and the birth of Prince George. If you want a more current portrait of Kate, this is not quite it, but The Future Queen gives a solid overview of her formative years.

More: Good Books to Read About the Royal Family

Shop Now Kate: The Future Queen $25.22 amazon.com

William and Kate: A Royal Love Story

Published ahead of William and Kate's royal wedding in 2011, William and Kate: A Royal Love Story covers their decade-long relationship. As Christopher Andersen explains in his acknowledgements, "William and Kate is the culmination of nearly thirty years spent covering the Royal Family." His knowledge of the royal family is clear, and this is a comprehensive overview of the pre-marriage relationship between the future Duke and Duchess.

Shop Now William and Kate: A Royal Love Story $13.95 amazon.com

HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style

Elizabeth Holmes began sharing her thoughts about Kate Middleton's style on her Instagram stories; soon, that became the inspiration for HRH, which dives into the royal fashions of Queen Elizabeth, Princess Diana, Meghan Markle, and, of course, Kate Middleton.

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"It will be a beautiful picture book, one I hope that readers will want to display in their homes. But that style will be paired with plenty of substance; I expect it will be something people take the time to sit and read, too," Holmes told T&C.

Shop Now HRH: So Many Thoughts on Royal Style $11.12 amazon.com

The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor--the Truth and the Turmoil

Tina Brown's The Palace Papers was one of the biggest royal books of the year, and it's the most current look at the Duchess of Cambridge out of any book on this list. It doesn't exclusively focus on Kate; rather, Brown dedicates chapters to key members in the Queen Elizabeth's family, and all the drama that's occurred since Princess Diana's death. It alleges that Meghan and Kate both cried at a bridesmaid dress fitting for Meghan and Harry's royal wedding, and explained why the "Fab Four" (Prince Harry, Prince William, Meghan, and Kate) only appeared together once. Extremely juicy stuff!

Shop Now The Palace Papers: Inside the House of Windsor--the Truth and the Turmoil $18.99 amazon.com

The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style

This style book primarily focuses on 2011 through 2021, and addresses specifically Kate's fashion choices. "I prefer to see fashion not as something that has obscured her real character, but a vital and potent device that she has learned to deploy with huge success," Bethan Holt writes in the introduction. One of the most interesting chapters is on the "Kate Effect," the impact Kate has had on the British fashion industry.

Shop Now The Duchess of Cambridge: A Decade of Modern Royal Style $19.99 amazon.com

Kate: The Making of a Princess

This was published before Kate and Prince William's engagement, so it completely focuses on her pre-royal life. One interesting part of Kate is that Claudia Joseph dives deep into her family history, looking at the Middleton and Goldsmith family generations into the past.

Shop Now Kate: The Making of a Princess $15.00 amazon.com

Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne

Game of Crownsalso one of the best books about Camilla, Duchess of Cornwallfocuses on three women: Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, and Kate. Andersen, who also wrote William and Kate, dives into the relationships between the Queen and the two future queens. Per the publisher, "Andersen reveals what transpires within the royal family away from the public's prying eyes; how the women actually feel about each other; how they differ as lovers, wives, and mothers; and how they are reshaping the landscape of the monarchy in this addictive read that will shock even those who are spellbound by the royal palace."

Shop Now Game of Crowns: Elizabeth, Camilla, Kate, and the Throne $12.99 amazon.com

Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family Today

Photographer Chris Jackson has covered the royal family for nearly two decades, and his 2018 book is a behind-the-scenes look at some of the biggest moments of those years. Included is Kate and William's fairytale wedding, the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte (Louis wasn't born at the time of publication!), and so much more from the Cambridges' royal life.

Shop Now Modern Monarchy: The British Royal Family Today $33.30 amazon.com

Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge: A Biography for Children

This book is targeted to be a kid-friendly biography of the Duchess of Cambridge, focusing on her early life through the birth of her eldest child, Prince George. A must read for any young fans of the royal family!



Shop Now Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge: A Biography for Children $13.99 amazon.com

Hold Still: A Portrait of our Nation in 2020: Sunday Times Bestseller

Last is not technically a book about Kate, but rather, a book she contributed tojoining a long list of books written by members of the British royal family. During the pandemic, the Duchess of Cambridge launched a photography project, and then turned that project into a book.

Read more: Kate Middleton Publishes a Photography Book
A close up of King Tutankhamun's golden mask at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo after its restoration on December 16, 2015. MOHAMED EL-SHAHED/AFP via Getty Images

Ancient Egyptian culture has drawn the attention of humans throughout the centuries.

But some of the most repeated facts about ancient Egypt don't have scientific backing, experts said.

Here are nine common misconceptions about ancient Egypt, debunked by experts.

The mystique of ancient Egypt has fascinated humans throughout history.

With their impressive architecture, scientific knowledge, religious cults, and beautiful artwork, the ancient Egyptians continue to impress historians long after the end of their reign.

But some so-called facts about the ancient culture repeatedly infuriate Egyptologists. Here are nine of the most common misconceptions.

The pyramids were built by slaves

The Sphinx at Giza in Cairo set against the Pyramid Pyramid of Khafre. Getty Images

In the 1956 movie, "The Ten Commandments," enslaved people are seen dragging blocks across hot desert scenes to build the pyramids while being whipped by their masters.

But most archaeologists don't think that's true to reality.

"According to contemporary scholars, people who were building the pyramids were free," Wojciech Ejsmond, an Egyptologist from the Warsaw Mummy Project, told Insider.

In this scene from "The Ten Commandments", an enslaved woman begs her master for relief from her pyramid-building work. Paramount Pictures

Ancient Egyptians didn't have a currency, so Egyptians would likely pay their taxes in services rather than money. That meant some would give grain or products, and some would be pyramids.

Cleopatra was extraordinarily beautiful

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra AP Images

Ejsmond said there's no solid evidence to support the idea that Cleopatra was physically remarkable in any way.

"We do not have any grounds to think that she was extraordinarily beautiful," though she may have been charming and intelligent, said Ejsmond.

He said the myth of her beauty could have been part of Roman propaganda.

"Romans wanted to show her as a femme fatale seducing good Roman citizens and dragging them into the lustful and debauched lifestyle of an oriental despot," he said.

Ancient Egyptians thought the pharaoh's mummy could rise from the dead

Antique travel photographs of Egypt: Mummy of Rameses II Getty images

Though mummies rising from the dead are a staple of the horror genre, Egyptians likely didn't believe this would happen in real life.

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"Symbolically, the pharaoh is never dead," said Ejsmond. "But let's be honest, of course, it's symbolic. In reality, people see he's decaying."

Nevertheless, Egyptians did believe that the dead could affect the living.

"For example, if the body of somebody was badly treated after death, or didn't receive the proper burial or funeral rights, this person can cause accidents, or numerous bad things to members of his or her family," he said.

Human sacrifices were common

The great temple of Abu Simbel. Getty Images

A common trope about ancient Egypt is that servants were buried alive or killed to be with their pharaoh so that they could accompany them in their death.

It's possible that this did happen at some point in ancient Egyptian history, but it was likely for a very short period of time.

"During the first dynasty, there probably was a human sacrifice," said Ejsmond.

Tombs of the first dynasty pharaohs are surrounded by hundreds of smaller tombs of people aged between 14 to 25. That they would all die at the same time as the pharaoh is indeed very suspicious.

Still, "no obvious marks on bones or anywhere were ever found to verify this. So it's still an open topic," said Ejsmond.

Whether there were sacrifices "during the second dynasty, it's debatable, but still convincing. After that, there is no evidence of human sacrifice," said Ejsmond.

That means there may have been sacrifices over a period of about 400 years, while ancient Egyptians ruled for about 3,000 years.

Mummification was meant to preserve the body

A CT scan allowed scientists to digitally dissect this mummy while keeping it intact. Sahar Saleem

A common idea about ancient Egypt is that mummification was meant to preserve the body because it was connected to the pharaoh after death.

But there is a group of Egyptologists who argue that mummification was not meant to preserve the body. Instead, they say it was meant to restore the pharaoh's body to its rightful shape: the shape of a statue.

These Egyptologists say that statues may have been seen as extensions of the gods on Earth.

In this view, "producing a life-like image, recognizable image, actually was never the intention in the first place," but making the body look like an idealized god-like statue was, Campbell Price, a curator at the Manchester Museum in the UK who published a book about this theory, previously told Insider.

That would explain, Campbell said, why so many mummifications of pharaohs were later found to have been "botched." Egyptologists from this new school of thought argue that preservation was never the embalmers' goal.

But this view of mummification is controversial, and not all Egyptologists agree.

Pyramids were booby-trapped

Tunnel entrance to the pyramid of Giza. Getty Images

Egyptians didn't booby trap their pyramids.

This misconception stems from the discovery of vertical shafts in pyramids that were found to go straight down in the middle of corridors descending to royal chambers.

"Some scholars were thinking that these were traps, like the robber would suddenly fall down," said Ejsmond.

"Well, such a robber would have needed to be extremely stupid!" he said.

Another explanation for these shafts is that they were meant to catch water during heavy rain to keep them from harming the royal chamber, he said.

That being said, the builders did try to protect royal remains from grave robbers by, for instance, using red granite to block the corridors. But thieves simply carved around the granite block into the limestone walls of the pyramid, said Ejsmond.

There were labyrinths inside the pyramids

A diagram of the Giza pyramid shows that there are only a few corridors  rather than a labyrinth  leading to the royal chamber. Procureur, S., et al, Nat Commun 14, 1144 (2023) doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-36351-0

Ejsmond said that the idea that people needed intricate treasure maps to navigate a labyrinth inside a pyramid is "completely false."

"When you look at the plans of the pyramid, usually the corridors are quite going straight to the burial chamber," he said.

However, labyrinth-like corridors could be found under some temples, he said.

"There were some really complex systems of corridors, so-called crypts, where it's like in the movies," he said.

"Sometimes you need to press one stone block so another door on the opposite side of the same corridor will also be free to push," he said, adding: "You need to know what is the sequence of pushing the rocks so you can open a secret passage."

There was such thing as a pharaoh's curse on the living

The mask of King Tutankhamun, which was found to have been damaged and glued back together, is seen at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo January 24, 2015. Reuters

It's been the inspiration for many movies: An adventurer who desecrated a pharaoh's tomb sees terrible things happen to them in life.

But this idea isn't grounded in archaeological evidence, Ejsmond said.

"In some tombs, especially dating to the old kingdom and the first intermediate period, you can find inscriptions, usually by the entrance, saying that whoever will enter and do harm to this tomb, his soul will be brought to the great God and he will be charged," Ejsmond said.

But what that means is that the pharaoh, the god incarnate, will judge the person's actions after death, not in life, said Ejsmond.

There is one exception: an inscription that reads that the gods would cut out the 'hepesh' of anyone who harmed the tomb, said Ejsmond.

"We have some problem understanding what he meant by the word 'hepesh'. It could mean vital force, but it could mean strength, or it could literally mean that the person's arm will be cut," said Ejsmond.

Eating parts of a mummy's flesh could confer mystical health properties

A 1898 monochrome photo showing the last mummy in Britain to be unwrapped under scientific conditions, at Manchester University, led by Dr Murray (3rd left), the first Egyptologist and her deputy Winnifred Crompton. | Hulton-Deutsch Collection/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images

It's not just modern-day misconceptions that have Egyptologists reeling. There was a bizarre health fad in Victorian times: people believed eating parts of a mummy's flesh could confer mystical health properties.

"Till the 1920s, you can find mummy powder in catalogs of some pharmacies in Germany," said Ejsmond, adding: "It's probable that our grandfathers and grandmothers could have been eating mummies."

For Ejsmond, this misconception dates back to the 12th century when Arab physician Abd-al Latif wrote a treatise about the wound-healing properties of a type of resin called mumiya.

When the Crusaders returned from the East in the Middle Ages, "they spread the information about the mumiya, which was thought to be a panaceum  medicine practically from everything from headache to impotence to healing wounds," said Ejsmond.

As years went on, the word was misconstrued for "mummies," and people started seeking out powdered mummified remains for their healing properties.

Many of these misconceptions may date back to the Greek historian Herodotus

Statue of Herodotus in front of Austria parliament in Vienna Getty Images

Greek historian Herodotus visited ancient Egypt in the fifth century BC, toward the end of ancient Egyptian history. His book detailing the life of ancient Egyptians was extremely influential.

"For many generations, he was the primary source about ancient Egypt," said Ejsmond.

Most of his book is remarkably accurate, and some of the information provided has stood the test of time. But on occasion, Herodotus "had a very liberal approach towards truth," said Ejsmond.

For example, "there's a very weird passage when he says 'the hippos took the pharaoh'," said Ejsmond.

Many misconceptions that have survived in the lore about ancient Egypt to this day may have found their origins in Herodotus's work.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Cinco De Mayo is much bigger in the US than it is in Mexico. Don Ryan/AP

Cinco de Mayo has roots in Mexico, but it's become more widely celebrated in the US.

In Mexico, celebrations are smaller, and the day typically focuses on a military win.

But in the US, the day's festivities have become commercialized and focus on drinking and eating.

Cinco de Mayo doesn't celebrate Mexican Independence Day as many in the US believe.

It's not the equivalent of the Fourth of July. Anthony Vazquez/AP Photo

Though many Americans assume Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day, that's not true. But it does have a military history.

On May 5, 1862, French troops  about 6,000 in number  led by General Charles de Lorencez attacked a small town in east-central Mexico called Puebla de los Angeles. In response, Mexican President Benito Juarez sent around 2,000 of his men to fight.

In the short battle, the French were losing far more soldiers than the Mexican army, and they withdrew. The win didn't end Mexico's war with France, but the victory did become a symbol of resistance against French imperialism.

The actual Mexican Independence Day is September 16.

In the US, Mexican-Americans started observing Cinco de Mayo during the Civil War as a way to celebrate their heritage.

US celebrations started in Southern California. Getty Images / Kevork Djansezian

Although many use Cinco de Mayo as another day to party today, the holiday is an opportunity to celebrate Mexican identity, promote ethnic consciousness, and build community solidarity.

In the 1860s, some Americans of Mexican heritage in Southern California took inspiration from the victorious battle to fuel the Union's efforts in the American Civil War.

The fifth of May was originally celebrated with festivities like parades, dances, banquets, and bullfighting by those Californians.

Today, some of the largest festivals take place in Chicago, Denver, Portland, and St. Paul.

In Mexico, the holiday is pretty much only celebrated regionally.

The holiday honors the Battle of Puebla. Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo

Today, Cinco de Mayo isn't observed throughout all of Mexico. It's primarily celebrated in Puebla, where the battle the holiday celebrates took place.

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In America, it's become a pretty commercialized affair.

The holiday is an excuse for many to eat and drink. Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

Throughout the early- and mid-1900s in the US, the holiday was largely community-based and centered on celebrating Mexican heritage. But by the 1980s, the day of festivities started to become commercialized.

Several alcohol companies also started taking advantage of the opportunity to capitalize on the holiday, expediting this shift.

Some children get off school for the holiday in Mexico.

But it isn't a federal holiday in the country. Shutterstock

It's not a federal holiday in Mexico, so banks and other establishments aren't closed. But many students in Puebla get the day off from school.

The day also isn't a federal holiday in the US, and schools don't close.

In America, many have started celebrating it as a drinking holiday.

The day has been co-opted by Americans. Bryan Steffy/Getty Images

Cinco de Mayo is reportedly one of the top five drinking holidays in America, with many celebrations including tequila, beer, and margaritas.

Parties might include Mariachi bands and even traditional Mexican dancing. But just like other holidays in the US, it's led to a lot of cultural appropriation, like wearing ponchos and sombreros to take tequila shots while totally ignoring their important role in Mexican culture.

In some parts of Mexico, it's seen more as a holiday around the military.

It's seen as an observance of the Battle of Puebla. Shutterstock

Military parades, recreations of the Battle of Puebla, and other festivities take place in the Mexican city.

The Cinco de Mayo Parade is one of the main events for that day in Puebla and usually boasts over 20,000 participants, featuring Mariachi bands, colorful costumes, dancing, and fireworks.

In America, it's often celebrated with Mexican-inspired food.

Food has also played into the commercialization of the holiday. Thomas Barwick/Getty Images

People in the US have also used the holiday as an excuse to eat Mexican-inspired food like tacos, enchiladas, and chile rellenos  though how authentic the food people celebrate with is certainly up for debate.

In Mexico, festivities sometimes intersect with the Mole Festival.

Mole is a sauce that's popular in some Mexican cuisine. Shutterstock / JuanSalvador

Alongside Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the city of Puebla has also held the International Mole Festival in late April and early May for several years.

The festival celebrates mole poblano  a dark, red-brown sauce typical in some Mexican cuisine  with culinary discussions; exhibitions; and tastings from international, national, and regional chefs.

Read the original article on Insider
Adidas Yeezy. Christian Vierig/Getty Images

Adidas doesn't know what to do with its mountain of Yeezy stock.

The company estimates this inventory would cost it $1.3 billion in sales.

Experts say Adidas is in a lose-lose situation with no clear path out.

It's been six months since Adidas severed ties with Kanye West, but it still doesn't know what to do with the mountain of unsold Yeezy inventory that was in its wake.

In a statement alongside its first quarter earnings release on Friday, Adidas Bjrn Gulden said that the loss of its Yeezy partnership is continuing to "hurt" the company. Sales in North America, its core market for Yeezy, dropped by 20% during the quarter.

The company cut ties with Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in October after a string of controversies, including numerous antisemitic comments.

Adidas said it has already factored a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion), sales loss into its annual guidance if it were not to sell the stock. It expects to take a 500 million euro ($552 million) hit on profits because of this.

But Gulden reiterated sentiments that were shared in its fourth-quarter earnings call in March on Friday  namely that Adidas still has no plan of action in place to handle the issue.

HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg laid out Adidas' dilemma in a question directed at Gulden during the March earnings call.

"You cannot sell Yeezy for reputational risk reasons. And at the same time, you can't destroy the product for the planet. So, I'm just wondering what options do you have?" Rambourg said.

Gulden was quick to admit that he didn't have the answer.

"We could sell the product at cost ... We could sell it with a small margin and give the margin away for different donations ... The goal that we have is to do what the probability is that it damages us the least, and that we do something good," he said.

He told analysts that he has been presented with around 500 different business proposals from people who want to buy the stock. "But again, that will not necessarily be the right thing to do so," he said.

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And, donating to charity isn't as straightforward as it seems. The value associated with Yeezy products means these items could end up in the wrong hands and be resold on secondhand platforms for a profit.

Experts say that way around this could be to deface these products before donation to curb their resale value, though it would cost Adidas more.

"This looks like a no-win situation for Adidas, and a reminder of mama's caution to be careful who you associate with," Dion Kenney, COO of e-commerce platform Mondofora, wrote in a discussion post on RetailWire.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Africas continent-wide free-trade area if successfully implemented could significantly boost economic growth and improve living standards at a time of rising geopolitical tensions and climate change, the International Monetary Fund said in a study.

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Greater trade openness would help countries adapt to climate change and to strengthen food security, including by improving the availability and affordability of food supplies, the IMF said in its Trade Integration in Africa  Unleashing the Continents Potential in a Changing World report. More diversified and broad-based trade would reduce the impact of disruptions in specific markets and products that could result from shifts in global trade patterns.

The lender warned earlier this week that Africa could suffer a permanent economic hit if tensions splinter the global economy into opposing trading blocs around the US and China. It estimated that sub-Saharan Africa could see a 4% decline in gross domestic product after 10 years under a severe version of this bipolar world.

Read more: Africa to Be Biggest Loser If Global Tensions Mount, IMF Warns

To obtain the full benefits of AfCFTA, which could be the worlds biggest free-trade zone by area when the treaty becomes fully operational by 2030, large cuts in tariff and nontariff trade barriers among African nations will be needed, the IMF said in the report. These reductions could increase the median merchandise trade flow between African countries by 15% and median real per-capita GDP by 1.25%, or more if combined with substantial improvements in the trade environment, the lender said.

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The IMF also found that comprehensive reforms along with the AfCFTA implementation could increase the median merchandise trade flow between African countries by 53% and the rest of the world by 15%. That could raise the median per-capita GDP in Africa by more than 10% and lift as many as 50 million people in the worlds poorest continent from extreme poverty by 2035, it said.

Policy actions recommended in the report include a modernized social safety net that supports the most vulnerable during the transition to a higher growth trajectory and investment in human capital.

All but one of 55 nations recognized by the African Union have signed to join the AfCFTA and 46 have ratified the accord. Eritrea, which has a largely closed economy, is the holdout.

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Political leaders, neighborhood residents and the UC Davis community celebrated what Chancellor Gary May called the next big chapter of the Aggie Square story on Thursday morning as they marked completion of the framework for the first two buildings at the Sacramento innovation hub.

As we transform this site into a thriving hub where we can collaborate and innovate together, theres really no limit to what we can accomplish, May said. This transformative development will push us forward on the right path, so that the local communities can prosper.

This first phase of development will generate millions in revenue for the city of Sacramento, May said, but the overall project, when complete, is expected to generate $5 billion in economic impact for the city and region.

On tours around the exterior of the construction site, representatives from the university, development company Wexford Science & Technology, architecture firm ZGF emphasized the diverse local workers and regional companies contributing to the project:

UCD Community Engagement Manager Sumiko Hong shared how she was working a table at a community event when she ran into a young young Tahoe Park resident who was doing quality control for the company making the glass panels lining the exterior of the buildings. Hed been working as a Starbucks barista, where he served Chris Bagatelos, the chief executive officer of Sacramento-based Bagatelos Architectural Glass Systems.

They got to talking and this young man said, Im really into woodworking. I love to build things and make things. Hong said, and Chris said, Oh, you should apply at my company. Now this young man  works in the quality control part of Bagatelos. He said, I could afford to get married because I have (had) a transformative economic opportunity working on Aggie Square.

May said the equivalent of 52 full-time workers at Bagatelos are making the glass panels that at the new buildings. Local brickmaker HC Muddox, located on Bradshaw Road in Sacramento, is supplying the stonework inside and outside the new buildings, tour guides noted, and prefabricated systems builder Clark Pacific, based in West Sacramento, is delivering pre-cast framework for the parking garage next door.

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Located just across Second Avenue from the UC Davis Health campus, the two buildings are still very much active construction sites and wont be ready for occupation until 2025. Two construction cranes hover overhead, but glass panes, concrete pillars and open spaces between floors now reveal some of the character of the project.

What companies, institutions will occupy Aggie Square

Facing Second Avenue will be the Life Science Technology Engineering East building, or LSTE East. Roughly 60% of the space in this building will be occupied by the University of California, Davis, and 40% will be leased to industry. The focus has been on creating a makerspace, she said, a place where people with shared interests can work on their projects both separately and collaboratively.

To that end, ZGF has integrated lots of active walls where people can write their ideas and glass partitions so people can see the research going on in different makerspaces, said Amanda Hills, a principal with ZGF Architects, and they have also tried to make the building a bit porous.

Every two floors,  the floors are actually connected with an open stair to really encourage people to move through the building for those serendipitous collisions of intellect in research, Hills said. We also have some amenity spaces towards the north end involving a space to sit on a lounge or enjoy break room spaces where people can kind of just gather and focus.

David Lubarsky, the chief executive officer of UC Davis Health, said the wet lab research space in this building will primarily be occupied by faculty working in the academic health system.

It is the first new Class A wet lab research space built on this campus in 40 years, he said. Our researchers are finally going to have a building as fine as the research that they do. That, to me, is incredibly exciting, and (so is) the ability of providing a hub for a really emerging group devoted to intellectual technology and intellectual property and spin-off companies which we really havent had the right environment for. This is really going to jump-start those efforts on this campus.

The Lifelong Learning Building, or LLL, sits behind it and is connected by walkways on the first and second floors. John Marx, the vice provost for academic planning at Aggie Square, said UCD leaders hope to see learners from age 18 and into their 80s taking courses in the building.

UC Davis Chancellor Gary May talks about the progress of Aggie Square on Thursday during a topping off ceremony for the projects first phase of construction, which includes the Lifelong Learning and Life Science Technology and Engineering East buildings dedicated to classrooms and public programs.

ZGF architect Blake Coren said members of the public will be able to reserve spaces inside a civic lounge space in the LLL known as Innovation Hall. The area will have workspaces, conference rooms and sitting areas, and it will open up near the outdoor plaza known as Aggie Square, the namesake for the project.

On the ground floor of the two buildings, designers created a covered exterior walkway around the perimeter of the two buildings by recessing the glass walls to give pedestrians protection on hot or rainy days in Sacramento. Slender concrete pillars rise to the second floor, spaced evenly beneath the overhang of both buildings.

In the future, trees also will sit between the building and a wide footpath, known as The Paseo, that will be the outdoor link to Aggie Square. ZGF, Wexford and UCD plan to use some mature trees in this courtyard to immediately reap the benefits of an urban canopy in the space. They studied trees in nearby neighborhoods to decide which ones to plant.

Politicians praise construction progress

US Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, said she was happily dancing up the steps to the podium to celebrate the latest construction milestone for a project that has only scratched the surface of its potential. Future additions to Aggie Square, she said, can take advantage of climate funding that Congress has set aside.

Aggie Square is going to be a monumental achievement for our region and our residents, she said. It is about the people. research programs, private industry partners, classrooms, lab facilities, student housing. Were talking about all that right here. Now as Sacramento continues to grow, as it will, we have to create opportunities for local innovators, attract new economic drivers, and give our students and our surrounding communities the tools to succeed.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg greets Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, as they attend a ceremony to see the progress of Aggie Square innovation hub next to the UC Davis Health complex in Sacramento on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Matsui, May and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg all also alluded to the challenges they had to overcome to get the project off the ground as skeptical neighborhood residents voiced concerns that such a project would gentrify neighborhoods and price them and their children out .

Then-councilmembers Eric Guerra and Jay Schenirer met weekly with residents to tackle concerns, and slowly all parties negotiated what community benefits they expected to reap from the deal. Neighborhood groups continue to evaluate how communities are faring as a result.

I love the term struggle because its only through struggle, and through challenging one another, that we achieve greatness, Steinberg said. Yeah, there were a couple of lawsuits, dare we say, and some challenges in some contentious moments. But man, you talk about turning lemons into lemonade and taking that controversy and creating something even greater. Thats what we did together.

It was a project that both Steinberg and May wanted to realize, but the mayor credited May for not only having the vision to see what Aggie Square could do for the region but also for leaning into negotiations with all his skill, talent and ability.

Guerra said the project has to continue lifting all boats as it moves into future phases: The big proof in the pudding is, as this gets built and as we fill it with new tenants, that we continue that path to make sure that were recruiting locally, that were upskilling workers and that were supporting the communities around it.
Air Canada's stock surged on Friday after the airline upgraded its 2023 outlook thanks to stronger demand and lower fuel prices. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

Air Canada's stock (AC.TO) surged nearly 12 per cent on Friday after the airline upgraded its 2023 outlook, pointing to stronger demand and lower fuel prices.

The Montreal-based airline says it now expects adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) in 2023 to be in the range of $3.5 billion to $4 billion, up from its previous forecast of between $2.5 billion and $3 billion.

Shares of Air Canada surged on the Toronto Stock Exchange on Friday, jumping as much as 14 per cent. The stock closed the trading day at $20.46 per share, an increase of nearly 12 per cent compared to Thursday's close.

"AC is capitalizing on very solid near-term demand trends that are allowing the company to raise prices in excess of rising costs, while benefiting from the drop in fuel prices," RBC Capital Markets analyst Walter Spracklin wrote in a note to clients on Friday, increasing the price target for the stock from $20 to $22 per share.

"While we remain concerned regarding the post-summer demand and pricing, we believe management efforts to regain its footing post-COVID are commendable."

While Air Canada's capacity guidance remained relatively unchanged from its previous expectations, the airline did alter its forecast for adjusted cost per available seat mile (CASM), an industry measure of operating costs. Adjusted CASM, which excludes fuel expenses, is now expected to be between 0.5 and 2.5 per cent below 2022 levels, an increase from its previous forecast that compared it to 2019 levels.

National Bank analyst Cameron Doerksen says in a note to clients "while investors have been concerned over higher costs, we stress that higher prices are clearly offsetting these costs."

"Furthermore, unit costs should trend lower in 2024 as Air Canada brings capacity closer to 2019 levels," Doerksen wrote. He is maintaining an "outperform" rating on the stock, raising his price target from $29 per share to $32 per share.

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CIBC analyst Kevin Chiang also hiked his price target for the stock from $30 to $31 per share. He says that even amid an uncertain economic backdrop and consumers feeling the pinch from rising interest rates, there are so far no signs of demand deterioration for air travel.

"We continue to expect Canadian air traffic to remain resilient," Chiang wrote in a note to clients on Friday.

"Air Canada is in the earlier innings of this recovery ballgame, and we believe this reduces the risk around its near- to medium-term earnings trajectory."

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

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In his comments after Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson announced his appointment as interim police superintendent, Fred Waller described himself as old school. Presumably, this was meant to reassure the departments rank and file and city residents concerned about crime. In this fraught moment, as summer approaches, its easy to imagine that Johnson was drawn to Waller as a calming, seasoned presence able to address challenges in the days ahead, while conveying to officers under his command that he has their back.

In the context of the long struggle to advance meaningful police reform, however, old school has other, more disturbing connotations associated with the code of silence within the department.

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Often used loosely to characterize police culture, the term code of silence is at once imprecise and inevitable. So its important to be clear: I intend it to refer to a set of tools, central to the operation of the department, that are deployed in response to incidents of misconduct, criminality, errors of judgment and other regrettable events. These tools are used to impose a narrative solution rather than to engage the problem at hand. This is less a matter of discreet cover-ups than the ongoing operation of narrative machinery by which the institution seeks to protect itself from scrutiny and accountability.

[ Susan Lee: Chicago police reform hangs in the balance. Where do we go from here? ]

Central to the operation of the code of silence is the art of not knowing what one has the means to know. Such willed ignorance is not an absence or a vacuum. It is, rather, an active process by which observable reality is held at bay, and it requires a massive investment of institutional capacity to maintain a world of appearances at odds with reality. The upshot is failure to learn from experience.

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In the short term, these practices have a stupefying effect; in the long term, they metastasize into a condition of institutional helplessness. The result is a debilitated department lacking resilience and incapable of responding to obvious challenges or acting on clear diagnoses. This dynamic makes inevitable the recurrence of avoidable harms.

As I have previously argued in the Tribune, the primary contemporary example of such self-inflicted institutional blindness is the so-called Watts scandal a human rights disaster in plain sight that the city has yet to reckon with.

For more than a decade, Sgt. Ronald Watts and a team of officers under his command preyed on vulnerable public housing communities in the midst of the citys Plan for Transformation  the demolition of high-rise public housing and forced relocation of residents.

Among other crimes, the Watts team has been accused of operating a protection racket  exacting a tax from drug dealers  and crew members extorted residents who came within their rapacious grasp. In pursuit of their criminal ends, they allegedly routinely planted evidence and fabricated drug charges against anyone who did not cooperate with them. To date, 183 individuals have been exonerated in this ever-expanding scandal, which may in the end prove to be the largest in Chicago Police Department history. For most of this period, Watts and his team were under investigation by the departments Bureau of Internal affairs and the FBI.

Early in his career, Waller worked alongside Watts in CPDs Public Housing Section. When that unit was disbanded in 2004, Watts and his team were reassigned to the 2nd District. From 2010 to 2013, Waller was commander of the 2nd District, and the Watts team was under his command.

In view of the scale and duration of Watts criminal enterprise, to say nothing of the open official investigations, its all but inconceivable that Waller was not aware. And if he was genuinely unaware  as opposed to complicit through willed ignorance  that raises other questions about his leadership.

In any case, the only action Waller is known to have taken  after Watts and his partner, Kallatt Mohammed, were caught in an FBI sting in 2012  was to recommend the promotion to sergeant of Alvin Jones, a key member of the Watts team. Jones would later resign from the department after the Civilian Office of Police Accountability recommended he be terminated.

Asked about Wallers role in the Watts matter, Johnson talked past the question, saying that he had extensive conversations with Waller about his career and was confident he was the right person for the job. Waller was silent. When I asked CPD about Wallers connection to Watts, a spokesperson said to refer to what was said at the news conference yesterday. Once again, the citys leadership denied public acknowledgment to Watts victims of what they have suffered.

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This was in sharp contrast to the public apology Waller offered for an offensive remark he made in a meeting at police headquarters that included Maggie Hickey, the federal monitor under the consent decree, and Christina Anderson, a police official helping shepherd the reform process at the time. Commenting on proposed redeployment of officers from the districts to other units, Waller remarked, Grope me. Dont rape me. When Anderson filed a complaint, he received a 28-day suspension.

[ Editorial: Quiet quitting cannot be an option for Chicago police ]

While it is of course important to call police leaders to account for their own behavior, it is equally important to hold them accountable for the conduct of officers under their command and to render unacceptable the excuse, I didnt know.

The failure to do so has been a chronic weakness of the reform process. Having made his choice to lead the department until a permanent superintendent is selected, it is incumbent on the mayor-elect to make clear to the public what his expectations and performance metrics are during this critical interim period that will be, for better or worse, the bridge to CPDs future.

Jamie Kalven is founder of the Invisible Institute, a nonprofit journalism organization on the South Side. He received the 2022 I.F. Stone Medal for Journalistic Independence from Harvard University.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Yesterday on 4 May the Russians launched two drones in the direction of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, but they were shot down by Ukrainian Air Force personnel from Air Command Skhid (East). The Russians also hit the city of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, using heavy artillery.

Source: Serhii Lysak, Head of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Military Administration

Quote: "Last night, the aggressor launched two drones on Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Members of Air Command Skhid (East) shot them down."

Details: In addition, the city of Nikopol was attacked with artillery.

Due to the Russian attack, 10 private houses, an outbuilding, fences, a power line and two gas pipelines have been damaged.

"There were no people killed or injured," Lysak reported.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
An emergency room physician in a local Akron hospital has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a co-worker and faces five years in prison.

Summit County Prosecutor Sherri Bevan Walsh said David Meranda, 34, of Akron, pleaded guilty Thursday to one count of sexual battery, a first-degree felony, in Summit County Common Pleas Court, where his case is being heard by Judge Kathryn Michael.

The judge is scheduled to sentence Meranda at 10 a.m. June 15.

Attorneys for Meranda could not immediately be reached for comment.

Prosecutors said Meranda was a contracted emergency room physician at a local hospital system who sexually assaulted a co-worker at a Summit County home.

He was initially charged in Barberton Municipal Court in January 2022 on a charge of rape and sexual battery, then indicted by a Summit County grand jury in February 2022 on two counts of first-degree felony rape and two counts of third-degree felony sexual battery.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Akron emergency room doctor faces five years on sexual battery charge
Alabama Department of Corrections officials began searching for an inmate who went missing from the Elba Community Work Release Center early Friday morning. By late afternoon on Friday, law enforcement located him.

ADOC investigators said Jonathon Lamar Bundy, 30, escaped from the minimum-custody facility in Coffee County at around 5:20 a.m. He seen on Friday wearing a brown khaki state uniform and traveling on foot in Brundidge, about 30 miles from the facility, according to a news release from Central Alabama CrimeStoppers.

Law enforcement officials said he was back in custody by 3:14 p.m.

Bundy is serving a 22-year sentence for first degree theft of property.

Hadley Hitson covers the rural South for the Montgomery Advertiser and Report for America. She can be reached at hhitson@gannett.com. To support her work, subscribe to the Advertiser or donate to Report for America.

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Alabama Department of Corrections search for fugitive in Pike County ends
CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Albaneses comments Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old Assange, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the United States.

Before that, Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Albanese said Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is, Albanese added.

Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Albanese said there was a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Albanese has said he has advocated for Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials. On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Assange with Biden when Albanese hosts the U.S. leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

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The way that diplomacy works  is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, Albanese said. Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr. Assanges mental health, Albanese said.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  Alex Murdaugh may be serving a life sentence for killing his wife and son, but the legal system is far from done with him.

As he sat in his South Carolina prison cell this week, Murdaughs lawyers dealt with large financial claims against him.

They told an insurer looking to force him to repay $3.4 million it awarded in a wrongful death settlement over Murdaugh's housekeeper that he lied about the circumstances of her death. Murdaugh's first version of events was designed to force the insurer to pay, the lawyers said. The imprisoned Murdaugh now says he doesn't remember the events of five years ago.

Meanwhile, Jim Griffin, who helped lead the defense in the murder case, is asking Judge Daniel Hall to release an additional $160,000 from Murdaugh's retirement account to pay for his appeal of his life sentence because the six-week trial exhausted the $600,000 they were initially given.

Murdaugh, 54, was convicted in March. Prosecutors said he stole millions of dollars and found himself teetering on financial disaster, which led him to shoot to death his 22-year-old son, Paul, and 52-year-old wife, Maggie, at their Colleton County home.

Also pending against Murdaugh is a lawsuit filed by the family of Mallory Beach. They say she was killed when Paul Murdaugh drove a boat into a bridge piling while he was drunk in 2019. Her family sued the Murdaughs and the owner of the convenience store that sold the underage Paul the beer.

According to media reports, Greg Parker's lawyer argued Wednesday that he and his stores should be dismissed from the lawsuit because Paul Murdaugh had a duplicate of his older brother's driver's license and the clerk did quickly glance at it. Parker also showed footage from a Netflix documentary that showed Paul's friends discussing how he liked drinking when driving the boat and that Beach knew the risk when she hung out with them.

Almost all of Murdaugh's assets are frozen as courts sift through claims from the clients whom he allegedly stole from and others who have sued. But he was allowed to pay his attorneys though $600,000 out of his 401K retirement account since that money was legitimately earned.

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The officials appointed to control Murdaugh's money are against giving his lawyers more. But Griffin said the six-week murder trial was more complex and longer than expected.

Murdaugh's lawyers are also fighting a lawsuit against him filed by Nautilus Insurance Co., which paid out nearly $4 million to settle claims in the aftermath of the death of his longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield.

Satterfield's family said they never received the money. Eric Bland, the family's attorney, said Murdaugh never told them about the settlement and pocketed the money after convincing Satterfield's sons to use a lawyer as their representative who was a family friend. Nautilus is suing in federal court to get the money back.

Murdaugh's lawyers suggested Nautilus take legal action against Satterfield's family members, saying they collected more than $7 million in settlements and other fees. However, Bland said Nautilus has no claim against the family because they didn't receive the insurance money.

Its investigators should have looked more thoroughly into Murdaugh's account of Satterfield's death  which changed recently  before paying, Bland said. Murdaugh previously said Satterfield died in a fall but now says he doesn't remember.

This is nothing but noise, Bland said. Just gutless people trying to continue to victimize Glorias siblings and children.

Murdaugh is awaiting trial on over 100 other criminal charges, including insurance fraud for trying to arrange his own death and money laundering. He also is charged with tax evasion. From 2011 to 2021, Murdaugh made about $16 million as a lawyer, while stealing about $9 million from his law firm, settlement money for clients and other places, according to indictments.
Barbara Moore Cota cant let this go. Not this. The solid gold cuff bracelet that belonged to her late father, the one she hardly ever took off her left wrist, carries too much meaning.

I know this sounds silly, Moore Cota said, but at times in my life Id touch it and feel like hes right there with me.

The heirloom cuff bracelet is now missing, along with two other pieces of jewelry (a gold chain bracelet and a gold necklace with a heart-shaped diamond pendant) the 67-year-old had on when she collapsed March 24 inside her north Fresno home.

Richard Hartman, after finding his fiancee unconscious on the floor of the second-story master bathroom, called 9-1-1. Paramedics employed by American Ambulance soon arrived at the house to transport Moore Cota to Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno.

One of the paramedics, Hartman said, asked him to provide the prescription medications Moore Cota was taking for a variety of ailments including fibromyalgia, an irregular heartbeat and respiratory distress. So Hartman handed over a gallon-sized Ziploc bag containing several prescription meds, including a full bottle of the opioid painkiller hydrocodone-acetaminophen.

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During her eight-day hospital stay, including two in intensive care, Moore Cota discovered that her medications were missing. The hospital had no record of any bag being checked in through security when the paramedics delivered her to the hospital.

Only then did it dawn on Moore Cota that the three jewelry pieces she swears she was wearing when she collapsed were missing as well. Most significantly, her dads gold cuff bracelet.

When my dad passed, my mom took it off his wrist and placed it around mine, the Fresno native said about her father, George Moore, who died in 1980. I rarely ever take it off. I planned to give it to my oldest granddaughter.

Ambulance company, hospital pass blame

Moore Cota and Hartman have made numerous inquiries with American Ambulance and Community Medical Centers concerning the missing items. Through in-person conversations and more than a dozen phone calls with company officials and hospital staff, theyve gathered several clues and inconsistencies, but no hard evidence.

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For example, the couple says an American Ambulance supervisor told them one of the paramedics who treated her reported checking in the Ziploc bag of meds at the hospital wrapped inside a bundle of clothes. The problem with that story is Moore Cota didnt have any extra clothes  only the black tank top and leggings she was wearing.

Another story they heard is that one of the paramedics told a supervisor that he handed the bag of meds back to Hartman.

Thats absolutely false, I swear to God, Hartman said.

American Ambulance and Community Medical Centers, it seemed, were eager to play the blame game.

American Ambulance blames everything on Community Hospital and Community Hospital blames everything on American Ambulance, Hartman said. A patient is stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Barbara Moore Cota, right, with her partner Richard Hartman, left, holds a photo of her father George Moore Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Fresno. A bracelet that belonged to Moore Cotas father went missing last month after she required emergency medical services.

Internal investigations & a strange text

Theres one more interesting piece to this puzzle: Moore Cota said there is a witness, a neighbor, who saw her being loaded into the ambulance with bare arms folded across her chest and no bracelets around either wrist.

To Moore Cota, this strongly implies one of the paramedics removed the jewelry before she was carried downstairs and outside strapped to a backboard.

Per the couples request, Community Medical Centers conducted an internal investigation. On April 25, Moore Cota received a letter from the hospitals patient relations/lost property department informing her that the jewelry and bag of meds have not been located within our facility.

So too did American Ambulance, Fresno Countys exclusive 9-1-1 emergency services provider.

Weve done a full investigation  I just cant discuss that, said Mike Estrada, the companys countywide operations manager. But Ive been working with Barbara to help figure this out.

Last week, an unusual event prompted Moore Cota to file a police report. Shortly after posting a Facebook message about what happened, she received an anonymous text message offering their return for $800.

The anonymous texter (with a Texas area code) then claimed to be the brother-in-law of a Fresno paramedic.

However, a Fresno Police Department sergeant to whom Moore Cota spoke at the northeast substation advised her she was being scammed by someone who saw the post and used the internet to mine her cell number. Police gave her a case number and conducted a follow-up interview where she gave police all the details regarding the disappearance of her jewelry.

Barbara Moore Cota talks about the missing bracelet, a family heirloom, she suspects was removed from her unconscious body by paramedics. Photographed Wednesday, May 3, 2023 in Fresno.

They picked on the wrong person

Moore Cota, a former Fresno County probation officer, understands its unlikely the missing jewelry will ever be recovered. (Her dads bracelet is the only piece she truly cares about getting back.) However, she cant let this go or be silent.

They picked on the wrong person this time, said Moore Cota, who receives oxygen from a breathing tube she totes around the house. Her left arm is also in a sling as a result of a fractured thumb.

And if they did this to me, how many other people have they done this to? It just breaks my heart.

I did a little checking of the Fresno County Superior Court records and could not find any similar judgments or complaints against American Ambulance. It should also be pointed out that background checks are required for certified paramedics.

Moore Cota is grateful for the emergency medical services she received, saying she probably wouldnt be alive without it. Both her pulse and blood pressure were dangerously low when the paramedics arrived. But that doesnt salve the anger and shame she feels over losing a family heirloom she believes was removed from her unconscious body.

I feel like Im going to die, she said, like my heart is going to stop beating.
Mexicans representing indigenous soldiers and the French army, re-enact the battle of Puebla during Cinco de Mayo celebrations in Mexico City. AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo

Many Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but how many actually know the story of the holiday?

Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo doesnt mark Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on Sept. 16. Instead, its meant to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, which was fought between the Mexican and French armies in 1862.

In Mexicos long and storied history, the Battle of Puebla is generally considered a fairly minor event. But its legacy lives on a century and a half later, particularly in the United States.

Beating back an empire

After Mexico won independence from Spain in 1821, other nations were reluctant to recognize the autonomy of the fledgling country. In the ensuing decades, Mexico lost a large portion of its land to the U.S. and entered into a period of economic and political instability.

This was punctuated by a civil war in the late 1850s that resulted in Benito Juarez, Mexicos first indigenous president, taking power in 1861.

One of Juarezs first acts was canceling repayments on foreign loans in an attempt to protect Mexicos struggling economy. This angered Britain, Spain and France, and prompted them to send a joint expeditionary force to Mexico. However, Britain and Spain quickly withdrew as it became clear that French ruler Napoleon III was more interested in overthrowing the new Mexican government.

The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862, when the Mexican Army, led by Commander General Ignacio Zaragoza, repelled attacks by the French army on the city of Puebla, located about 70 miles southeast of Mexico City.

It was a small but inspirational victory for Mexico, and four days later, on May 9, 1862, Juarez declared Cinco de Mayo a national holiday.

Even though the French would eventually defeat the Mexican Army and take control of the country under the short-lived Second Mexican Empire, which lasted from 1864 to 1867, the victory in the Battle of Puebla sent a powerful message to the rest of the world.

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The Mexican Army was outnumbered two to one by seasoned French troops, so Mexico proved itself to be a formidable opponent worthy of international respect. And the fact that the country was led by an indigenous president held a special symbolic significance.

An inadvertent impact on US history?

The Battle of Puebla may have also had an inadvertent impact on the United States, which, at the time, was embroiled in its Civil War.

Sociologist David Hayes, author of El Cinco de Mayo: An American Tradition, has argued that by defeating the French at the Battle of Puebla, Mexicans prevented the French army from continuing northward toward the U.S. border, where they would have likely aided the Confederacy. So its possible that Mexicos victory at the Battle of Puebla changed the course of American history.

The Battle of Puebla was reportedly celebrated in the state of California, which still had strong ties to Mexico; aligned with the Union, the states citizens viewed the victory as a defense of freedom.

For almost a century, few in the United States celebrated Cinco de Mayo. But it reemerged as an important holiday in California in the mid-20th century, sparked by the growing Chicano movement. The David versus Goliath story fittingly mirrored the struggle for civil rights.

Mexican-American labor activist Cesar Chavez served as Grand Marshall of Los Angeles 1991 Cinco de Mayo parade. AP Photo/Chris Martinez

Companies cash in

The widespread commercialization of Cinco de Mayo occurred during the 1980s and 1990s. Beer companies, in particular, targeted Mexican Americans, exhorting them to celebrate their heritage with Coronas, Bud Lights and Dos Equis.

Commodification of Mexican and Mexican American heritage soon followed, and todays revelers purchase pinatas, Mexican flag paraphernalia, sombreros and costumes that can veer towards the offensive.

While more and more Americans  regardless of their ethnic heritage  take part in the festivities, few know what Cinco de Mayo commemorates. One survey found that only 10% of Americans could describe the holidays origins.

Miami Marlins baseball fans don sombreros and hold up placards to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

The complicated legacy of Cinco de Mayo serves as a reminder that the past is made meaningful in different ways by different people.

For Mexicans  especially those living outside of the modern city of Puebla  the holiday is of minor significance, dwarfed in comparison to much more important national and religious holidays, like Mexican Independence Day and Day of the Dead. However, reenactments of the Battle of Puebla still take place in modern Puebla as well as in Mexico Citys Penon de los Banos neighborhood.

For many Mexican Americans, the day holds a special significance as an opportunity to celebrate their shared heritage. But given the creeping commercialization of the holiday, some Mexican Americans have expressed ambivalence about celebrating it.

And for Americans without Mexican ancestry, the holiday seems to simply serve as an excuse to drink margaritas.

This article is republished from The Conversation, a nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. If you found it interesting, you could subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Kirby Farah, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.

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Kirby Farah does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
An Anaheim dance instructor was arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting six young girls who were students at the studio he operated, according to the Anaheim Police Department and reports.

Mark Chavarria, 40, was taken into custody Tuesday on 18 counts of sexual misconduct, according to City News Service. The alleged assaults came to light when multiple girls between the ages of 12 and 14 reported them to the police, the department said.

The girls were students at the Chavarria Institute of the Arts.

Mark Chavarria was booked on numerous sexual assault charges and was being held on $5 million bail. (Anaheim Police Department)

Chavarria was booked on numerous sexual assault charges and was being held on $5 million bail at the Orange County Sheriff's Department's Central Jail. As of Thursday afternoon, he was in jail, according to Orange County court records.

Chavarria's dance studio offers classes for students at different levels, according to its website.

"We are committed to providing a comprehensive and dynamic approach to dance with an emphasis in consistency, creativity, and collaboration," the studio says on its website. "We're not just a studio, we're a family!"

A call to the studio Thursday went unanswered.





This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Arshad Mohammed, John Irish, Jonathan Landay and Parisa Hafezi

WASHINGTON/PARIS/DUBAI (Reuters) -Even as the United States and its European allies grapple with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with China, the smoldering crisis over Iran's nuclear program threatens to reignite.

In a sign of European concern, Britain, France and Germany have warned Iran they would trigger a return of U.N. sanctions against Tehran if it enriched uranium to the optimal level for a nuclear weapon, three European officials said.

The threat, made last year in a previously unreported letter sent by the countries' foreign ministers, underscores Western fears that Iran could produce bomb-grade uranium of 90% purity.

Those concerns intensified in February after U.N. inspectors revealed their discovery of uranium particles of 83.7% purity at an Iran nuclear facility built deep underground to protect it from air strikes.

"Worrisome possibilities include that Iran tested a way to produce near-weapon grade uranium without. . .detection," said a report by the Institute for Science and International Security, a think tank that closely tracks Tehrans program.

A renewed crisis over Iran would come at a bad time for U.S. President Joe Biden who is focused on maintaining allies' support for the war in Ukraine and on rallying Western countries to push back on China's military and diplomatic ambitions.

But while some White House aides may prefer to keep Iran off the president's desk, officials and analysts suggested they may not have that luxury.

"They are busy with Ukraine, Russia and they don't want, for the time being, to open another front," said a Western diplomat on condition of anonymity. "Therefore, they want to do everything in their power to prevent this (90%) from happening."

'SNAPBACK' OF U.N. SANCTIONS?

Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel, Gulf Arab oil producers, and spark a regional arms race.

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Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

U.S. and European officials have been searching for ways to curb Tehran's program since the breakdown of indirect U.S.-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United States.

The accord, aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, required Tehran to accept restrictions on its nuclear program and more extensive U.N. inspections, in exchange for an end to U.N., U.S., and EU sanctions.

The deal, which had capped Iran's uranium enrichment at 3.67%, was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who argued it was too generous to Tehran.

Trump reimposed broad U.S. sanctions, many of which have the secondary effect of forcing non-U.S. firms stop dealing with Iran or risk losing access to the U.S. market, but UN sanctions were not reactivated.

The deal had set out a procedure for the veto-proof "snapback" of the U.N. sanctions on Iran  including an oil embargo and banking restrictions  in response to Iranian violations. Any of the states who signed onto the original deal can trigger the snapback.

U.S. sanctions - even with their secondary effects - have failed to keep Iran from producing ever-purer levels of uranium and China has flouted them by buying Iranian oil, making it unclear if the U.N. measures would be any more effective.

But Iran might refrain from enriching to 90% to avoid the public rebuke implicit in the return of U.N. sanctions.

A senior Iranian nuclear official said Tehran would not take the revival of U.N. sanctions lying down.

"If the other parties under any pretext trigger it, they will be responsible for all the consequences," he told Reuters. "Iran's reaction could range from leaving the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) to accelerating our nuclear work."

Leaving the NPT would free Iran to develop nuclear arms.

The Iranian official's threat was more explicit than comments by an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, who on Monday said only that Iran had told Western powers how it would react.

It remains unclear if the 83.7% particles were created deliberately. But Western officials and analysts say that Iran's production of 90% uranium would demand a significant response.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said Biden "is absolutely committed" to making sure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

"We believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal, but President Biden has also been clear that we have not removed any option from the table," the spokesperson added, hinting at the possibility of military action.

'FACE A CRISIS AT SOME POINT'

While Western officials want to leave the door open for diplomacy, tensions with Russia and China make that harder.

Divisions over the Ukraine war, which has seen Iran provide military aid to Russia, and rising Sino-U.S. tensions further reduce the odds of resurrecting the deal because it is unclear how hard Moscow or Beijing might push for its revival.

If the deal is dead, the West has three broad options: deterrence, military action, or a new negotiated arrangement.

Deterrence has a downside: it could give Tehran time to creep toward a nuclear weapons capability.

Dennis Ross, a veteran U.S. diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, suggested Biden may have to do more to make Iran fear the consequences of enriching to higher levels.

"If you don't do enough to persuade the Iranians of the risks they are running, you will face a crisis at some point because they will go to 90%" or move toward weaponization, he said. "What you are seeing is an effort to walk that tightrope."

(Reporting By Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay in Washington, John Irish in Paris and Parisa Hafezi in DubaiEditing by Don Durfee and Alistair Bell)
Andrew Delaplaine  store salesman, South Beach nightclub owner, publisher, mayoral candidate and author, probably wasnt the first personality to wear shorts to black-tie occasions.

We imagine Jimmy Buffett has done the same, and in flip-flops, too.

And like Buffett, who branded Key West as a barefoot paradise dubbed Margaritaville, some give Delaplaine his due for doing the same for South Beach in the late-80s and 1990s.

The birth of South Beach was an extraordinary time in history and social evolution. Miami Beach, and South Beach in particular, quickly became a destination for music, fashion, parties, clubs, famous people buying properties, recording studios, filming of motion pictures, etc. It was a decadent playland and Andrew Delaplaine had a unique front row seat, said director/producer Richard Jay-Alexander in an email to the Miami Herald after Delaplaines death Monday.

Delaplaine died at his Miami home on May 1, his niece Sophie Delaplaine said. He was 73, and had undergone treatment for stomach cancer.

A SoBe pioneer, he entered the scene when South Beach was redefining itself with a cast of characters that had flocked in from all over the world, said Lisa Cole, director of Americas Communications-Hilton. It was magical when I think back of how so many came together to create a fun, entertaining place, where the vibe was as carefree as the swaying palms in Lummus Park.

From Warsaw to Wire

A file photo from 1981 of an earlier version of the Warsaw Ballroom on Collins Avenue in South Beach.

Delaplaine was born in Coconut Grove on Dec. 16, 1949, and he earned his bachelors at Wofford College, a liberal arts school in South Carolina.

His resume reads like that of a character in a Carl Hiaasen novel.

Delaplaine sold underwear at the now-defunct Lincoln Road Saks Fifth Avenue, published tourist guides and opened Scratch restaurant and its black box nightclub, Backscratch.

He also founded Wire, a weekly newspaper chronicling South Beachs nascent gay community. He ran for mayor of Miami Beach, wrote the 2011 film, Meeting Spencer, and ended his career conceiving a Broadway-bound musical about beloved jazz legend Louis Armstrong.

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But it was the Warsaw Ballroom, where muscled men and celebs partied all night long at the club at 1450 Collins Ave., that Delaplaine made his mark.

He re-imagined the 1940s space  the buildings Art Deco nautical lines standing sentry on Collins and Espanola Way  as a big version of a small club, he told the Herald in February 1989.

Fans remember how the Warsaw, which Delaplaine relaunched in 1989, was famed for its foam parties, drag queens and Gianni Versace-hosted bashes with his celeb pals Elton John and Sylvester Stallone. Who can forget Madonna grinding with go-go boys on Warsaws oversized dance floor or the underwear parties the club hosted under new ownership until it closed in 1999?

(Warsaw reopened as Jerrys Famous Deli and then a Senor Frogs bar/restaurant before the property was sold for $10 million in 2022 to a Miami Beach developer who plans to convert it into a boutique, Real Deal reported.)

The former Warsaw Ballroom at 1450 Collins Ave. in a file photo from July 12, 2005. The building became a Jerrys Famous Deli on Miami Beach after Warsaw closed in 1999. It later was a Senor Frogs restaurant until 2020. The property was sold in 2022.

Broadway bound

More recently, Delaplaine dreamed up A Wonderful World, a musical about Armstrong, with Tony-nominated British director Christopher Renshaw. Michel Hausmann, co-founder and artistic director of Miami New Drama at the Colony Theatre, ran previews of the $1.5 million production in 2020. Hausmann opened it again at Miami Beachs Colony Theatre nearly two years later after a COVID break. Reviews were strong.

KNOW MORE: Miami New Dramas A Wonderful World gets its long-delayed opening

Gavin Gregory as King Joe Oliver helps change Louis Armstrongs life in Miami New Dramas production of A Wonderful World in 2021. The musical was conceived by Miami Beach writer Andrew Delaplaine and Broadway director Christopher Renshaw.

According to Broadway World, A Wonderful World will open runs in New Orleans and Chicago in October 2023, en route to Broadway, producers hope.

Delaplaine seemed on the mend and anticipated attending the Broadway opening, his niece said. He died in his sleep.

His friends will share his Broadway dreams.

The Louis Armstrong musical, A Wonderful World, will be a legacy of remembrance for him, said Jay-Alexander, who has directed Barbra Streisand, Bernadette Peters and Kristin Chenoweth.

Wire founder

To spread the word about his and others endeavors in a pre-internet world, Delaplaine founded and edited Wire in 1991, a free South Beach weekly that chronicled the colorful celeb South Beach scene. It was a time when dance mixes of new Madonna, Cher and Crystal Waters songs would break first out of gay clubs like Warsaw and Twist, their rhythms spilling onto sidewalks at 3 a.m., luring locals and the causeway crowd to see what the fuss was about.

Writer, photographer James Cubby was one of Delaplaines first hires at Wire, lured from a similar publication in Virginia in 1995.

He started the whole scene with his clubs, Scratch and Warsaw, and Wire magazine at that time was the magazine to read to find out where to go, what to do and what was happening. It was their connection to the nightlife, Cubby said. He brought the whole community together when there was nothing to do and nowhere to go and then Wire magazine would have weekly parties.

Cher promoted her comeback worldwide smash Believe single at nearby Liquid in the predawn hours in January 1999. Two months later, Bette Midler brought her Bathhouse Betty album to the streets of South Beach, including a post-1 a.m. Winter Party stop at Club Salvation off the Venetian Causeway.

Delaplaine ran Wire for 10 years. Today, owner Rafa Carvajal publishes a revamped Wire as a glossy print and digital publication.

South Beach pioneer

A file photo circa 1988, taken at the former Scratch nightclub on South Beach on Fifth Street. Pictured (L-R): Newton Parks, Andrew Delaplaine, Dorothy Combs, and Renee Delaplaine.

Delaplaine and his sister Renee, who survives him, opened Scratch inside a former Rolls Royce garage at 427 Jefferson Ave. in South Beach. The club didnt last long  just 1988 to 1989  but it was hot and a forerunner of the genre, the Herald reported.

Scratch was a comet that goes through the sky; it wasnt meant to last long, Delaplaine told the Herald in 1990. For a while, everybody who came through town had to stop here.

Scratch had a rough, industrial look. We couldnt afford anything else, Delaplaine told the Herald. Through the next decade, offshoots of that style dotted both sides of Washington Avenue.

He was a Walking Cocktail Party and never failed to entertain accordingly. He was and forever will be one of the real originals who put South Beach on the map, Jay-Alexander said.

Party scene

Cole remembers an over-the-top surprise birthday party for Delaplaine on South Beach in 1988 that featured a three-tier papier-mache birthday cake built specifically for one of his friends to pop out of in a red ball gown.

Delaplaine, clad in shorts, naturally, arrived at his soiree with his Mom on his arm, the Herald reported.

Andrew was smart and fun and loved a cocktail hour. More importantly, he loved what a cocktail hour would bring, people together to have fun and tell stories, Cole said. ... He showed up, in his shorts, of course, but with that smile that sometimes looked a bit more like a smirk.

Unconventional mayoral race

Monty Eckart (left) talks to Andrew Delaplaine (right) who was running for mayor of Miami Beach in 1995. Delaplaine was considered the hip, controversial editor of Wire Magazine who was is running against the more traditional, conservative incumbent, Seymour Gelber. Gelber won re-election.

In 1995, at age 45, amid all the frivolity nightclubs and risque publications can bring, Delaplaine got serious.

Kind of.

Delaplaine ran for mayor of Miami Beach against the incumbent: Mayor Seymour Gelber, then 76, and a retired juvenile court judge who was running for his third consecutive term.

READ MORE: Prosecutor, judge and mayor Seymour Gelber dies at 99

I got in this race because I saw another situation where an entrenched mayor representing an entrenched power structure was running unopposed. Thats unacceptable. There are just huge issues, Delaplaine told the Herald then.

To run his campaign, Delaplaine had assembled his team: an Australian producer turned South Beach nightclub scribe, and a 20-something cinematographer, to film spots for his cable television commercials. Neither had worked a campaign before. In fact, there was no real campaign manager, Miami New Times reported.

Delaplaine, reportedly the citys first gay candidate, tossed about his pitch to voters. New Times documented a moment in his office with his ragtag team:

Im taking the issues seriously. I have real solutions ... Delaplaine started.

The Aussie producer finished his sentence, ... for real problems.

Gelber won another term in office.

Delaplaines family plans to celebrate his life privately.
A Sudanese evacuee waits at Port Sudan before boarding a Saudi military ship to Jeddah, on May 3, 2023. In the country's capital, Sudan's army and the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces have battled in the streets with automatic rifles, artillery and airstrikes. (Amr Nabil / AP)

The war unfolding in Sudan is an internal conflict in danger of going global. Finding a sustainable peace will require convincing many countries with a stake in Sudans future that they are better off with a partner at peace than one at war.

The conflict is a power struggle between Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, and Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, who heads the Sudanese army and is the countrys de facto leader. Each leads a sizable armed force and, since Omar al-Bashirs ouster in 2019, the two have oscillated between consolidating military power and negotiating a civilian transition. This came to a head last month when they couldnt agree to terms for integrating their armies into a single national force.

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Neither is eager to forgo the power theyve accumulated, which enables them to exploit Sudans wealth of resources  from gold deposits and croplands to mercenaries and port access on the Red Sea. A cease-fire that was supposed to begin Thursday did not appear to stop the fighting.

These strongmen secured their power not through public legitimacy or governance but through force fortified by the many countries that provide them wealth, support and legitimacy.

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[ Bincheng Mao: How the US can help safeguard human rights and restore peace in Sudan ]

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates both provide millions of dollars in direct budget support, payment for mercenaries to fight wars abroad and other unaccountable business dealings that benefit the military leaders directly.

Several neighboring countries have strong ties with one or both of Sudans warring generals. Elements in Libya, which itself has no controlling authority, have thrown in with Hemedti, while Egypt is likely to support Burhan given long-standing close ties with the Sudanese army. Most, however, are cautious to keep cordial relations with both as insurance for manageable relations in case either one prevails.

All seven of Sudans neighbors  which also include Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Central African Republic and Chad  have a stake in Sudans status. Each will suffer from continued conflict due to refugee flows and trade impediments. Most of them seem genuine in calling on both sides to end the violence. But the longer the conflict goes on, the more likely neighbors start choosing sides, raising the risk of sustained fighting in the long term.

The United States and the European Union have less directly at stake but are engaged in peace talks out of interest in broader regional stability. Their greatest leverage is humanitarian and economic assistance, though these two generals dont seem particularly concerned about the welfare of the countrys people.

[ Daniel DePetris: The US and world were naive about Sudan leaders commitment to democracy ]

The Wests role in helping negotiate a transition after Bashirs removal inadvertently helped lay the groundwork for todays conflict, since it was instrumental in pressing civilian activists to accept a joint military-civilian transitional government. This was done in the interest of expediency, but it ultimately helped legitimize the position of the generals at the helm.

The doomed transitional arrangement was, in many ways, the inevitable outcome of unaccountable foreign interference that boosted the fortunes of these generals in the first place. Western influence might not have been able to prevent the militarys dominance, but to pretend they would lead a democratic transition was an unnecessary mistake.

No discussion of foreign influence would be complete without addressing China and Russia. Though they arent the most important players in Sudan, each could play a role, for good or ill.

Russias Wagner Group is believed to have connections with both the UAE and Hemedti through gold trade, suggesting it could be a potential spoiler. China is Sudans largest trading partner, so it has a greater stake in stability.

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The question now is how to turn extensive outside interest into sufficient pressure for peace.

Partner countries and neighbors can help mitigate conflict, and often seek to do so, as violence and victims easily spread across borders. In our interconnected world, more actors also have a financial stake in more countries, which had enhanced expectations that globalization would bring greater peace.

But exploiting resources of conflict-prone countries often means capitalizing on chaos instead, so outside parties too often act as instigators, tag-teaming with one side or another to take a countrys wealth and resources while citizens pay the price.

Recent history has shown that, when outside actors driven by greed help strongmen hoard power, it makes for longer, deadlier wars and record numbers of people fleeing violence. Sudan can only avoid this fate if interested countries see their interests met better by its peace than its war.

With no dominant influence, this conflict has no quick fixes. The best answer is the slow, painstaking effort of diplomacy, leveraging the influence states have not only on Sudans actors but on each other. And while ending the fighting is the first order of business, that will be just the start.

Only greater investment in diplomacy over the long term, and patience to seek sustainable solutions, can help ensure that widespread foreign entanglement in places like Sudan fosters stability instead of conflict.

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Elizabeth Shackelford is a senior fellow on U.S. foreign policy with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. She was previously a U.S. diplomat and is the author of The Dissent Channel: American Diplomacy in a Dishonest Age.

Submit a letter, of no more than 400 words, to the editor here or email letters@chicagotribune.com.
Two Walmart Supercenters in Fort Worth are getting a new addition: health clinics, where people can get an annual physical, a sick visit, or a blood draw.

Walmart announced it would open 10 health clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The first five will open in 2024, and the remaining five will open at a later date.

The clinics opening in Tarrant County include ones adjacent to the Walmart Supercenters at 7451 McCart Ave. and at 8701 Anderson Boulevard in Fort Worth, as well as one near a Walmart at 6401 NE Loop 820 in North Richland Hills.

The new health centers will be about 5,750 square feet and near Walmart Supercenters, according to a news release from the company. Services will vary by location, but could include primary care, lab tests, behavioral health, dental, hearing, and more, according to the news release.

A Walmart spokesman declined a request from the Star-Telegram to discuss the new clinics and what services would be available at them.

Walmart already operates four health centers in Texas, according to its website. Although Walmart Health Centers accept health insurance, they also post the list prices for basic services for patients who pay in cash. At the clinic in Palestine, an annual checkup costs $90 and a COVID-19 test costs $40.

The expansion is part of a push by major retailers, including Walmart, CVS, Walgreens and Amazon, to expand into the health care industry. There are now more than 2,000 of these retail clinics throughout the U.S., operated in or near stores and pharmacies. An analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics found that almost all of the retail clinics open as of 2020 were in metropolitan areas, and roughly half of the clinics were in the South.

More companies are following suit: In January, Dollar General announced it would have mobile health clinics at three of its stores in Tennessee.

The retail clinics are also part of a larger shift in where Americans get medical care. More and more people are seeing doctors and nurses outside of hospitals, and instead turning to urgent care centers, health clinics, or other outpatient settings.
For the fourth time in less than 24 hours, a horse in the field for the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby has been scratched from the race.

This time, there are no horses left to replace him Saturday night at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

On Friday morning, it was announced that Skinner  trained by John Shirreffs and set to be ridden by Juan Hernandez  would be scratched from the 2023 Derby due to an elevated temperature.

This is the same reason why Practical Move was scratched from the race Thursday afternoon.

Additionally on Thursday, Lord Miles was scratched from the race after his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., was suspended by Churchill Downs.

On Thursday night, Continuar was also scratched from the race due to fitness concerns.

Thursdays three announced scratches brought all three also-eligible horses  Cyclone Mischief, Mandarin Hero and King Russell  into the Derby field.

As such, the Derby field is now down to just 19 horses with Skinner no longer taking part.

The last time four horses were scratched from the Kentucky Derby was in 2015. The last time the field started with less than 20 was in 2021, when 19 went to post.

In the last two weeks, five horses that were at one point projected to race in the Derby have been taken out of the event.

Last week, expected Kentucky Derby contender Wild On Ice was euthanized after suffering a leg injury during training at Churchill Downs.

Skinner only moved into the projected Derby field after Wild On Ice dropped out of the race.

Skinners scratch takes away trainers lone entry, jockeys Derby debut

Skinner was set to start Saturday nights race from post position No. 9 and had been given morning-line odds of 20-1 during Mondays post-position draw.

Shirreffs, his trainer, won the Kentucky Derby in 2005 with 50-1 long shot Giacomo.

Hernandez, his jockey, was to make his Kentucky Derby debut aboard the horse.

Skinner was 19th on the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard with 45 points. The California-based horse ran third in both the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes and Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park this spring.

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A son of Curlin  the legendary horse who won 11 of 16 career starts, including the Rebel Stakes, Arkansas Derby, Preakness Stakes and Breeders Cup Classic in 2007, as well as American Horse of the Year honors in 2007 and 2008  Skinner has a 1-0-3 career record in six starts.

Kentucky Derby

When: 6:57 p.m. Saturday

Where: Churchill Downs

TV: NBC and Peacock

Purse: $3 million (Grade 1)

Distance: 1 1/4 miles

For: 3-year-old Thoroughbreds

Kentucky Derby field, with odds:

1. Hit Show (30-1)

2. Verifying (15-1)

3. Two Phils (12-1)

4. Confidence Game (20-1)

5. Tapit Trice (5-1)

6. Kingsbarns (12-1)

7. Reincarnate (50-1)

8. Mage (15-1)

9. Skinner (SCRATCHED)

10. Practical Move (SCRATCHED)

11. Disarm (30-1)

12. Jaces Road (50-1)

13. Sun Thunder (50-1)

14. Angel of Empire (8-1)

15. Forte (3-1)

16. Raise Cain (50-1)

17. Derma Sotogake (10-1)

18. Rocket Can (30-1)

19. Lord Miles (SCRATCHED)

20. Continuar (SCRATCHED)

21. Cyclone Mischief (30-1)

22. Mandarin Hero (20-1)

23. King Russell (50-1)

A third horse is out of the 2023 Kentucky Derby. And the also-eligibles are all used up.

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Von Sellers, a transgender college student in Miami, was planning to have surgery this summer in the next stage of her transition schedule. But the operation has been canceled, unless she can find another doctor willing to perform it and $50,000 to pay for it.

Her life, the one she has desired since she was born into the wrong body, is on hold, perhaps permanently now that a ban on gender-affirming treatment for minors designed by Floridas surgeon general was passed Thursday by state legislators and is likely to be signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Our states public health policies have sent the LGBTQ community into a panic, Sellers said. They are trying to erase us. Were scared of genocide and suicide. Im scared of walking down the street. Will I be shot, or arrested? And Im scared of never being allowed to grow into the person I am.

Fear is one word often cited by patients, doctors, public health experts, vaccine advocates and abortion providers when asked about the prospects of the second term of Dr. Joseph Ladapo, who was hand-picked by DeSantis 19 months ago during a coronavirus pandemic wave and reconfirmed Thursday by the state Senate in a 27-12 vote along party lines.

Yet Ladapos mantra is freedom from fear in the free state of Florida. His memoir, Transcend Fear, is endorsed by anti-vaccination activists Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Dr. Simone Gold. In it he writes about an abusive childhood and how he and his wifes profound experiences with healers just before the pandemic  she was also abused as a child  shaped his anti-mainstream views on COVID and health issues.

In a premature Tweet last week that was subsequently deleted, Florida Department of Health spokesperson Nikki Whiting announced that Ladapo had been officially reconfirmed by the Florida Senate and will continue to lead @HealthyFla by making decisions rooted in facts, not fear.

The Tweet included a montage of video clips from Ladapos first term: Standing at podiums labeled Let Them Choose and Prescribe Freedom, Ladapo said vaccines and lockdowns didnt save lives, accused Dr. Anthony Fauci of lying, told Tucker Carlson he wouldnt stay silent about harmful federal health recommendations, and dangled a mask from his left hand, chuckling with DeSantis as he said, Its hard to find these in Florida.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a press conference before newly appointed state Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo at Neo City Academy in Kissimmee, Florida, on Sept. 22, 2021. A day after being appointed, Ladapo instituted his first rule giving parents sole discretion over whether their child wears a mask at school, and also allowing students who come in contact with the coronavirus to attend class if they remain asymptomatic. The Florida Senate reconfirmed Ladapo to a second term as surgeon general on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

Ladapo, who declined an interview request from the Herald, is concluding a first term during which he and DeSantis took actions contrary to standard public health guidance and defied recommendations from national and international agencies. They prohibited COVID mask mandates in schools and discouraged COVID vaccines as dangerous, especially for young children and young men. Ladapo directed the states medical boards to ban established treatment for transgender minors not already under care and deny state funding for trans patients. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration reprimanded him for fanning vaccine hesitancy. His study of COVID vaccine heart-related death risk was debunked by his peers, who denounced him for violating research ethics rules by removing data.

University of Florida faculty committee members who said Ladapo was given preferential treatment on the basis of his political opinions when he was hired by DeSantis-appointed trustees as a tenured medical school professor, and who blasted his COVID research as careless are concerned about the consequences of his reconfirmation. They expect more public health threats in the future and question how he will confront them.

Whats dangerous about Dr. Ladapo is, he is violating his Hippocratic Oath, said Dr. Michael Haller, a UF pediatric endocrinologist who specializes in diabetes but also treats kids with gender dysphoria. He will continue to cause harm as long as our state leadership wants to win the presidency.

During his first term, Ladapo promoted his and DeSantis policies by appearing on Fox News and the platforms of anti-vaccination activists such as Cleveland osteopath Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, who claims COVID shots interface with cell phone towers and make recipients magnetic. Ohios medical board is trying to suspend her license.

Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements in history, so what happens when their value is undermined by an expert? said Richard Carpiano, a public health scientist at the University of California-Riverside who has studied the anti-vaccination movement and how doctors touting unorthodox theories become celebrity pundits. Hes poisoning the well of settled science. Will we see vaccination rates decrease for all diseases?

Floridas COVID vaccine rates are among the worst in the country. As of April 26, only 44 percent of Floridas vaccine-eligible population  aged 5 and up  had completed a two-shot or single-shot vaccine and booster, ranking the state 45th out of 50 states, Puerto Rico and Washington D.C., according to CDC data.

READ MORE: As COVID begins its fourth year, heres how Florida fared in cases, deaths and vaccines

Ladapos reconfirmation by the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee sailed through 6-3 along party lines as it did in the full state Senate. Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, opposed Ladapo during the April 24 hearing, asserting he lacks public health expertise, disseminates false anti-vaccine evidence and advances DeSantis political ideology.

It was chosen for us that we would have a politician in this position and that, to me, is what he has become, she said. Polsky recalled how Ladapo refused to wear a mask during a 2021 meeting with her while she was undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer that lowered her immunity. If she had caught COVID, her treatments would have been suspended.

So Im scared for my life and getting the right treatment,she said during the hearing. This is the top doctor in our state. The way he treated me is so symbolic of who he is and how he treats all of our public health crises. God forbid we have another pandemic or another situation when he is there. I do not believe that he will take our health into consideration over politics or just being contrary.

Florida state Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton, said Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo refused her request to wear a mask when visiting her office in October 2021 while she was being treated for breast cancer amid the COVID pandemic. Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, called Ladapos behavior unprofessional.

Republican senators at the hearing praised and thanked Ladapo.

I cant think of anything more cruel than masking little kids, said Sen. Jonathan Martin of Lee County. There are many people who have suffered tremendously because of arbitrary and frankly ridiculous rules that were put in place by what we call public-health professionals.

Admonished by CDC/FDA

What can Floridians expect during Ladapos second term?

He earns $437,000 in his dual roles as surgeon general and UF professor of internal medicine.

He hasnt laid out his plans, but his critics worry he will broaden restrictive policies working with the Republican-controlled Legislature and health boards at a time when DeSantis accelerates his anticipated campaign for president.

As Arcturus, the latest COVID subvariant considered more infectious than Omicron spreads across the country, Floridians might be wondering what Ladapo recommends as as chief of an agency with 17,000 employees. The Department of Health oversees everything from immunizations to drinking water quality to tattoo parlors. It issues birth, death, marriage and divorce certificates, regulates pharmacies and pain clinics, and provides services to substance abusers, rural residents, disabled people, pregnant women and hungry children.

The CDC and FDA urged Ladapo in their March 10 letter to stop giving the public misleading information about isolated adverse reactions to COVID vaccines and acknowledge that 13 billion doses have been administered throughout the world with little evidence of harm.

READ MORE: Florida surgeon general slammed for fueling vaccine hesitancy. Its not the first time

It is the job of public health officials around the country to protect the lives of the populations they serve, particularly the vulnerable, the two agency heads wrote, chastising Ladapo for using a data reporting system incorrectly and for being derelict in his duty to Floridians, especially the elderly. Fueling vaccine hesitancy undermines this effort .... This has led to unnecessary death, severe illness and hospitalization.

Research debunked

Ladapo staked much of his anti-vaccination argument on his Department of Health study of myocarditis risk in men aged 18-39. His study was first discredited by Matt Hitchings, a UF epidemiologist and assistant professor of biostatistics, and three of his colleagues, then by a nine-member University of Florida faculty task force that said Ladapo relied on a small sample and cherry-picked data to produce a report of highly questionable merit.

Politico and the Tampa Bay Times examined Ladapos revisions  or Dr. Ls Edits as a document reads  showing he took out language stating there was no significant risk of death from COVID vaccines and replaced it with language declaring a high risk.

We can see what Dr. Ladapo removed, without explanation, so were left to guess at why he did it  that it did not fit his narrative, Hitchings told the Herald. There is no way this analysis would have been accepted by a peer-reviewed journal. Were all trained how to do this properly and ethically, but hes working counter to the spirit of science, coming in from the back end to manipulate data to fit anti-vaccine  I dont want to say propaganda  but a political agenda.

Because Ladapo is in a position of medical authority, he poses the danger of lending legitimacy to the idea that vaccines kill people, Hitchings said. Whats that going to do to the next 5-10 years of policy, or when another virus hits?

Ladapo did not present a defense of his conclusion that young men should not get vaccinated. Instead, he posted this response to the Politico story on Twitter: PhD-trained physician revises report based on his scientific expertise = scandalous altering of result. Fauci enthusiasts are terrified and will do anything to divert attention from the risks of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines especially cardiac deaths. Truth will prevail.

READ NEXT: Floridas surgeon general is no stranger to controversy and clashes. A second term is imminent

Ladapo scares many doctors, said Haller, who led the faculty investigation of Ladapos study and found his intentional omissions were highly disturbing and behavior that no one would expect of a tenured professor or surgeon general.

Ladapo is not only having a chilling effect on treatment for certain patients but on hiring at the states medical schools and teaching hospitals, Haller said: Hes hurting recruiting of the top pediatric trainees. They see the persecution of our patients and providers. They see how the state took over New College. They are choosing to go elsewhere.

Haller said doctors fearful for their jobs have stopped speaking out.

If we treat transgender kids now we can lose our licenses, but no doubt it will become a crime and we could go to jail, and the same thing will happen with abortions, he said, referring to Floridas new law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, one of the most restrictive in the country. Clinics have shut down. Transgender refugees are going to other states for treatment. We see harm to mental health. We will see more suicides.

Memoir sheds light

How did Ladapo, a Harvard-educated M.D. with a Harvard Ph. D. in health policy who has held professorships at the New York University and UCLA medical schools become an anti-vaxxer?

Ladapo, 44, was born in Nigeria. At age 5, he moved to North Carolina, where his father, a microbiologist, taught at North Carolina Central University.

Ladapo and wife Brianna have three sons. She earned her masters in English at Harvard, according to her Facebook account. She describes herself as an intuitive spiritual healer, movement therapist, teacher and author who has studied shamanism, herbal medicine and naturopathy.

Like Ladapo, Brianna has written a memoir, entitled Emerging from Darkness, in which she says she grew up in a religious family who believed her extraordinary intuitive gifts to be the work of the devil. She suffered from depression, migraines, a near-fatal illness, dark visions of tragedies she could not prevent, and countless sexual traumas and abuses. A healer reawakened her gifts and taught her her how to truly free herself from her trauma.

Ladapo wrote about his wifes illnesses and their struggle to find adequate care in a 2016 column for The Washington Post.

A description of Ladapos book on Amazon says that after being abused as a child, he was incapable of connecting emotionally with other people. He was dissociated from virtually everything in his life and numbly powered through college, medical school, and residency to become a doctor and professor. It wasnt until he fell in love with his wife that he was forced to come face-to-face with the enormous emotional and spiritual disruption caused by his deeply buried trauma.

Just before the pandemic, Dr. Ladapo worked with a former Navy Seal who used a mix of ancient disciplines and modern techniques to help free him from this traumaand subsequently, his fear.

Ladapo writes that his emotional clarity enabled him to approach the pandemic differently than most health professionals and see that it was too late for vaccines, masks and lockdowns to stop the spread. While hospital care was critical for the most vulnerable, herd immunity was the ultimate solution.

The memoir by Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Floridas surgeon general.

Ladapo gained national attention in July 2020 when he spoke on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court as a member of Americas Frontline Doctors, a group sponsored by the Tea Party Patriots and organized by Gold, a physician from Beverly Hills who called the COVID vaccine an experimental biological agent.

A dozen doctors wearing white coats  most of whom had not treated patients on the front lines of the pandemic; one was an unlicensed ophthalmologist  spoke about hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin cures and their anti-vaccine, anti-mask philosophy. Dr. Stella Immanuel, who runs a strip-mall clinic in Houston and has preached about body-invading spirit wives and husbands, mocked the foolishness of vaccines and pushed zinc and Zithromax. A video went viral when President Donald Trump Tweeted it. Then Twitter and Facebook took it down, calling it misinformation.

Gold, who has a law degree from Stanford, influenced Ladapo with her belief that lockdowns cause collateral physical, mental and economic damage. Gold was later arrested, pleaded guilty and served 60 days last summer in Miamis Federal Detention Center for trespassing at the U.S. Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

Dr. Simone Gold speaks to a large crowd in Jenks, Oklahoma, during a Frontline Doctors Uncensored Truth Tour on June 30, 2021. Gold, an anti-vaccine medical doctor, pleaded guilty to illegally entering the Capitol in the Jan. 6 insurrection and served 60 days at Miamis Federal Detention Center.

Shes since left the communist nation of California, got her medical license in Florida and opened GoldCare Health and Wellness, which promotes medical freedom without interference from the government or insurance companies. Private memberships are available for a fee.

I searched the nation for ethical and honorable physicians to tell the American people the real public health truth, Gold says in her endorsement of his book. Dr. Ladapo was different because he refused to delegate his personal responsibility to think criticallyeven in the face of overwhelming pressure to follow the herd.

Ladapo wrote op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. His profile rose on social media and podcasts. He caught DeSantis eye.

I remember thinking that COVID would suck the life out of anti-vaxxers but instead Republicans built a politicized partnership with them and blew it wide open, Carpiano said. They wear the white coat that gives them cred, and opportunistically play to public sentiment, build a name, build a brand, and then theyre writing books, hosting shows, selling products, running for office.

Concerns over his influence

Carpiano, who serves on the Lancets Commission on Vaccine Refusal, Acceptance and Denial, said the repercussions of Ladapos growing influence are troubling: Will more parents seek vaccination exemptions for their school-age kids? Hepatitis? Polio? Then well see measles outbreaks. Vaccination rates are the canary in the coalmine for major health threats.

DeSantis appointed Ladapo as surgeon general in September 2021 despite a negative reference from his UCLA supervisor Dr. Carol Mangione, who wrote in a background check to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement: In my opinion the people of Florida would be better served by a surgeon general who grounds his policy decisions and recommendations in the best scientific evidence rather than opinions. Ladapos views caused concern among a large number of his research and clinical colleagues and subordinates who felt that his opinions violated the Hippocratic Oath and caused stress and acrimony among co-workers and supervisors.

When Ladapo was first confirmed in February 2022, he recommended people stop living ones life around testing and discouraged boosters. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz told Florida senators to reject him. The governor hired a quack, said the Broward Democrat.

About 1.1 million Americans and 87,100 Floridians have died of COVID, and are still dying  1,052 Americans died in the week ending April 26, according to The New York Times tracker. But while fear of COVID has subsided, its been replaced by other fears, said Scott Galvin, who works with LGBTQ youth as executive director of Safe Schools South Florida.

Kids are freaking out and so are their parents, Galvin said. Theyve been under steady assault by one new law after another as our state government tries to rewind the clock and make all minorities disappear.

One of Ladapos initiatives has been to deconstruct the American Academy of Pediatrics longstanding standard of care for children with gender dysphoria and implement a separate one for Florida, arguing children arent mature enough to know their identity and could suffer irreparable bodily damage by taking puberty blockers or hormones or having surgeries.

Nor should counselors or psychiatrists encourage kids to change their names, pronouns or clothing under Ladapos guidelines approved last year by the Florida Board of Medicine, whose 14 members are appointed by DeSantis.

Ladapos positions contradict those of the pediatric academy, the American Medical Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association, which have supported gender-affirming treatment for years.

The AMA opposes the dangerous intrusion of government into the practice of medicine and the criminalization of health care decision-making, AMA board member Dr. Michael Suk said in a 2021 statement. Gender-affirming care is medically-necessary, evidence-based care that improves the physical and mental health of transgender and gender-diverse people.

Seven Florida parents filed a complaint in U.S. district court last week, asserting they have the right to choose what is best for their trans children and asking a judge to halt the ban on care because their childrens medical treatments are being canceled abruptly.

Von Sellers, a 20-year-old Miami college student, has had her gendering-affirming surgery and recovery plan canceled since Florida now bars Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care.

Von Sellers, 20, the Miami college student studying social work, is scared. Her surgery and recovery plan have been canceled since Florida now bars Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming care, instituted under Ladapo. She is confounded by the Department of Healths mission: To protect, promote and improve the health of all people in Florida.

This is the state that promotes guns and bans pride parades, Sellers said. This is the state of hate.
A 15-year-old has been arrested in connection to a shooting that left another juvenile male injured Thursday afternoon in Amarillo.

Through joint investigations between Neighborhood Police officers, Patrol officers, School Liaison, PACE, and Juvenile Investigators, a suspect was identified and arrested, police said. The 15-year-old boy was booked into jail at the Youth Center of the High Plains on a charge for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

On Thursday, May 4, at 4:06 p.m., Amarillo officers were sent to the area of 800 South Belleview on a shots fired call. Several residents in the area called in on the same incident, the Amarillo Police Department (APD) said. When officers arrived, they found a juvenile male who had been shot and had non-life-threatening injuries. He was treated at the scene.

The APD's Juvenile Investigation Unit is assigned to the case.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo shooting leaves juvenile injured; juvenile suspected
(Getty Images)

Apple surprised the market with better than positive results on Thursday  even as it reported a rare decline in revenues.

It said that its overall business had improved and that sales of iPhones had continued to stay solid, beating expectations.

Some parts of Apples product line had suffered more, such as its Macs. But they were helped out by newly expanding other products, such as services, which encompasses offerings like its Music streaming service and Apple TV.

The surprisingly strong results saw Apples stock go higher in after-hours trading.

The earnings call also saw Tim Cook, Apples chief executive, address artificial intelligence. The company has stayed largely quiet about AI  amid rapid expansion at many of its rivals, and questions over whether Apple is doing enough to build it into products such as Siri.

The latest numbers come after the company in February posted its first quarterly revenue drop in nearly four years after pandemic-driven restrictions on its China factories curtailed sales of the latest iPhone during the holiday season.

Apple earned 24.16 billion US dollars (19.2 billion), or 1.52 dollar per share, in the three-month period that ended April 1.

That was down slightly from 25.01 billion dollars (19.9 billion), also 1.52 dollar per share, a year earlier.

Revenue fell 3% to 94.84 billion dollars (75.4 billion) from 97.28 billion (77.4 billion).

Analysts, on average, were expecting earnings of 1.43 dollars (1.14) per share on revenue of 92.91 billion dollars (73.9 billion), according to a poll by FactSet.

Apple said iPhone sales brought in 51.33 billion dollars (40.8 billion) in revenue in the first quarter.

Analysts expected a more modest 48.66 billion dollars (38.7 billion). Revenue in its key services division was 20.91 billion dollars (16.6 billion), slightly above Wall Streets estimates of 20.66 billion (16.4 billion).

The company said its board has also approved a 90 billion dollar (71.6 billion) share buyback programme and raised its regular quarterly dividend.

Shares of the Cupertino, California-based company climbed 1.93 dollars to 167.72 dollars (132.98) in after-hours trading.

Additional reporting by agencies
April brought million-dollar land sales across York, Lancaster and Chester counties that combined for more than $40 million.

A single sale the first day of May dwarfed them all, combined.

A company with the same address and contact as Knightvest Capital in Dallas bought the Brayden apartments, between Fort Mill and Tega Cay, on May 1 for $70 million.

The 17 sales for $1 million or more in April cant compete with that price tag. They include a mix of activity  apartment units, a quarry, former restaurant sites, auto spots and car washes. Plus, high-end homes that sold in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.

Heres a look at the biggest sales for April, according to county land records.

 A 10-acre Lancaster County property at 1000 Millers Ridge Lane sold April 12 for almost $7.2 million. A New Jersey company bought the Millers Ridge office and apartment buildings in Lancaster built in 2001.

 Two East Main Street properties in Rock Hill sold April 10 for more than $4 million. The commercial property combines for more than 4 acres. A company affiliated with Pittsburgh-based Kamin Realty Co. bought the 1252 and 1250 East Main Food Lion shopping center off Albright Road. It includes a 42,000-square-foot unit built in 1983.

 A 348-acre property at 1910 Benfield Road in York sold April 13 for $4 million. The new owner, based in Fort Mill, bought the property from Langham Branch Creek Quarry. The same property sold early last year for about $3.5 million, and the year prior for almost $2.4 million. The property also has significant frontage on McFarland Road, west of Park Place Road.

 Four acres of commercial property at 840 N. Anderson Road in Rock Hill sold April 6 for $4 million. An owner out of Columbia bought the JTs Kia of Rock Hill auto dealership site.

 An almost 2-acre Indian Land property at 9931 Charlotte Highway sold April 3 for $3.8 million. A Mount Pleasant company bought the Carolina Crossing shopping center across U.S. 521 from Red Ventures Drive, not far south of the North Carolina line on land that once belonged to S.C. Rep. Raye Felder.

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 The Mavis service garage at 419 Silver Ridge Drive in Fort Mill has a $3.2 million sale listed for April 19, but its a name change transaction involving the same ownership company.

 A 14-acre residential property in Fort Mill sold April 14 for $2 million. The Beckenham subdivision lot at 449 Hendon Row Way borders the Catawba River, toward the Lancaster County side of Fort Mill.

 Bubble Car Wash bought five properties from D&J Property Management on April 28 for $2 million. Sites include 1344 Saluda St., 653 N. Anderson Road, 1222 and an unaddressed parcel on Mt. Gallant Road and 1712 Celanese Road  all in Rock Hill.

 Four Rock Hill properties sold April 24 for almost $2 million. Three are residential parcels, and one is commercial. They are along Ebenezer Avenue, Ebenezer Avenue Extention, Union Avenue and College Avenue Extension. Betterplace out of Rock Hill bought the properties, near Knowledge Park redevelopment in downtown. The sites include homes and an apartment building.

 A Lake Wylie home on Montgomery Road sold April 14 for almost $1.7 million.

 Two commercial properties, at about 2 combined acres, sold at 1029 and 1031 N. Anderson Road in Rock Hill on April 7 for almost $1.5 million. The new owner of the former Golden Corral site is out of Monroe, North Carolina.

 A Courtney Road home in Lake Wylie, in Allison Creek Estates, sold April 19 for $1.3 million.

 A Water Oak Drive home in Lake Wylie sold April 12 for almost $1.3 million.

 A Holden Court lot in the Arden Mill subdivision of Fort Mill sold April 28 for $1.2 million.

 Norstar Industrial bought two Chester County properties April 26 for $1.2 million. One is at 1259 Armory Road. Theres an industrial building on 5 acres, with almost 15 acres behind it of undeveloped property.

 A Terrapin Lane home in the Carolina Coves part of Lake Wylie sold April 28 for more than $1.1 million.

 An Irongate Drive property in Indian Land, in the Bent Creek area near Twelve Mile Creek Road, sold April 27 for almost $1.1 million.
(Bloomberg) -- The army has been called in to patrol the streets across large parts of Indias northeastern Manipur state and the government has shut down access to the internet to quell violence that erupted over access to affirmative action benefits.

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Anger first erupted between the areas largely-Christian tribal groups and the majority Meitei Hindu residents Tuesday over a demand that Meiteis also be granted access to jobs and university seats set aside for tribespeople under Indias affirmative action guarantees.

Since then, there have been reports of widespread arson and clashes between the two groups and thousands of civilians have been evacuated from the worst-hit areas. The states Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, who belongs to Prime Minister Narendra Modis ruling Hindu-nationalist party, has appealed for calm and said precious lives have been lost in the fighting.

Indias northeastern states lag behind most of the country in terms of development and government jobs are the main source of employment. The anger highlights the challenges for Modis administration to generate more employment, especially as he seeks a third term in office in national elections due next year.

The government has so far given no details on fatalities. Senior officials in Manipur, which shares a border with Myanmar, couldnt be contacted immediately. Federal Home Minster Amit Shah has been in touch with Manipur administration, a spokesperson for the ministry said.

On Thursday, the state government allowed local district officials to even issue shoot at sight orders in extreme situations and when there were no other options to control the violence. Internet services have been shut down across the state until Monday.

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A month-long art exhibition at Olympia City Hall featuring photos of artwork created by immigrant youth who were detained in El Paso, Texas, in 2018, opens Friday afternoon. And although the art was made 2,000 miles away, it has a direct connection to Olympia as a sanctuary city.

The Uncaged Art exhibit will open at 4:30 p.m. May 5 at Olympia City Hall, 601 Fourth Ave. E., followed by a presentation at 6 p.m. The exhibit will end with a panel discussion by local organizations Friday, June 2.

There also will be a series of related presentations throughout the month of May. They will feature organizers of the original exhibit in Texas, as well as local leaders in protection and support of minority groups.

Anne Fischel is one of the people who brought the exhibit back to Olympia, after a brief stint at Arts Walk and the Timberland Library. Shes a member of Thurston Countys Strengthening Sanctuary Alliance and the Uncaged Art Planning Group.

Fischel said the planning group wanted to bring the exhibit back in a larger capacity to emphasize the importance of being a sanctuary city. She said Olympia has taken in refugees from around the world over the years, including unaccompanied minors and separated families.

Olympia passed a resolution in 1985 declaring itself a City of Peace, where people who are politically persecuted can find safe haven, according to the citys website. In 2016, the city became a Sanctuary City for people regardless of immigration status. Gov. Jay Inslee declared the state a sanctuary state the following year.

In 2018, it came to light that border agents had been holding thousands of Central American children at a detention facilityin Tornillo, Texas, outside El Paso. By the end of 2018, nearly 15,000 migrant kids had been detained across the country, according to previous reporting.

Fischel said the detention center in Texas was a focus of deep concern by local residents because there was very little access to it. No one could check in on children, and a black tarp covered the fence around the facility, making it impossible to see in or out. Kids had no sense of time in the facility, she said, and they lived in tents.

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Fischel said a group of local teachers in Texas were approved to enter the facility to make art projects with the children. They had construction paper, pipe cleaners, some yarn and other simple materials, she said. When the conditions of the facility were brought to light, it was set to close in 2019, and the art was going to be thrown away. Then the facilitys priest stepped in, she said.

The priest asked to receive some of the artwork, Fischel said, and he then passed it on to Dr. Yolanda Chavez-Leyva, who teaches at the University of Texas-El Paso. The two worked together to build the first exhibit to bring attention to the condition of the children, Fischel said. It has since traveled around the country.

Strengthening Sanctuary Alliance

Fischel said Strengthening Sanctuary Alliance started in 2016 while the Olympia City Council was discussing increasing its sanctuary status. She said having the official designation was a wonderful step, but someone had to ensure people were actually receiving support.

Since then, Fischel said the group has conducted Know-Your-Rights workshops in community centers and churches. And theyve worked in schools, too, to address the needs of immigrant children. Some members even stayed with a Guatemalan family seeking refuge at a local synagogue while they were under a deportation order. That family was able to stay in the city.

People should not have to feel different or stigmatized or at risk because their families made the choice to try to make that dangerous trek to be somewhere where they can raise their families in safety, Fischel said.

But how people benefit from the citys sanctuary status isnt always so obvious. Fischel said it comes down to day-to-day response, such as how a teacher should respond to the needs of an immigrant child in their classroom, or a community leader ensuring everyone is represented and treated equally.

Were focused on policies that ensure all residents, no matter of immigration status, are treated the same, City Manager Jay Burney said. We dont cooperate with entities who seek to identify people by immigration status.

Burney said part of the citys role includes working with local groups such as Strengthening Sanctuary Alliance to ensure policies are equitable. He said bringing the Uncaged Art exhibit back to the city brings more visibility to the issues many people face when trying to enter the country, and it gives the city a chance to show its an ally.

Its not our role to be policing people who came here because theyre seeking the safety and the opportunity that our own parents, grandparents and great-grandparents sought when they came, Fischel said.

Presentation schedule

All presentations will be at 6 p.m. on Fridays at Olympia City Hall.

May 5: The Landscape of Immigrant Detention and Social Justice at the Border

Dr. Yolanda Chavez-Leyva will present through Zoom alongside members of the Uncaged Art planning group. Dr. Chavez-Leyva teaches at the University of Texas-El Paso and is co-director of the Museo Urbano. She curated the Uncaged Art exhibit in 2019 and will share the history of the exhibit, as well as efforts in El Paso to care for immigrants who continue to cross the border.

May 12: When a Right to Stay is Disrupted: Unaccompanied Minors Pursuit for Dignity & Life

Dr. Maria Isabel Morales, director of the North Central Washington Educational Opportunity Center, will present alongside leaders of Community for the Advancement of Family Education in Wenatchee, as well as a NW Equity Alliance board member.

Dr. Morales will focus on the stories of children and youth who migrate from Mexico and Central America, as well as some of the reasoning behind migration. According to the schedule, she also will discuss the racialized and adult centered contexts that deeply inform the criminalization of brown and black unaccompanied minors in the land of opportunity.

May 19: We Are Seeds: Familia

Members of The Evergreen State Colleges Latinx student group Familia will speak about their passion for learning, the connections to their communities of origin and more.

June 2: What We Can Do: Panel discussion with local organizations

Kindra Galan, educational director of CIELO (Centro Integral Educativo Latino de Olympia); Dianna Torres Angulo, president of the Hispanic Roundtable; Diana Perez, TOGETHERs Community Schools Program Manager for Tumwater schools; and Strengthening Sanctuary Alliance members will participate.
The former location of Ashland's Farm Bureau was the corner of South and Luther streets.

As I mentioned in my last article, the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation organized in 1919 and Ashland established a local affiliate in 1921. The first office was on Main Street, in the Farmers Bank building. E.T. French served as the Ashland County agent from 1921-1925, and Norman Shilliday took over and served until 1958.

In the 1920s, membership dues were $10 a year, but that was cut in the early 1930s to $3. During the Depression, membership fell from nearly 2,000 to fewer than 300. Membership later rebounded, and by 1965 dues were $15 and about 750 out of about 900 farms in Ashland County were members.

More: Ashland Memories: Farm Bureau started in Ashland County in 1921

In 1923, the Farm Bureau Service was established to provide economic services to farmers, and Ashland joined in 1925. The services included grain storage and marketing, as well as procuring agricultural supplies.

Farm Bureau building built at South and Luther streets

Ashlands Farm Bureau moved into new quarters on the corner of South and Luther streets the week of Jan. 8, 1932. An open house was held for the new building that featured music, party games and refreshments.

Construction had begun the previous November, starting with the demolition of an old building on the site. Architect Lawrence Russell designed the building, and general contractor C.F. Kopp oversaw its construction.

More: THIS WEEK'S PERSONALITY: Donna Spreng looks back on 73 years as a farm wife

The 67- by 70-foot building comprised a large warehouse for supplies, an office and an adjoining meeting room. It also contained a commodious basement. The building contained not only the local office, but also the Farm Bureau Service under direction of John Fluke. The warehouse held feed, fertilizer and other supplies.

New equipment included a 13-inch grinder and a half-ton mixer. According to Fluke, this would allow grinding of homegrown grains and mixing with supplements to create custom livestock feeds.

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Enter the Farm Bureau Cooperative Association

In 1934, the Farm Bureau Services was replaced by the Farm Bureau Cooperative Association.

In 1935, Lemmar S. Walton became manager of the newly organized cooperative association, and served until 1945. He was succeeded by Charles McQuate, who was followed in 1952 by Don Bettac.

From $50,000 in business the first year, the cooperative grew to more than $2 million in 1964.

A branch of the cooperative opened in Jeromesville in 1945 and a Loudonville branch opened in 1953. Facilities opened in Polk and Sullivan in 1957. However, the Jeromesville and Polk branches closed in 1960.

In 1941, operations moved to Clark Avenue, having outgrown the South Street location. The Ashland County Farm Bureau Cooperative Association bought property on the east side of Clark Avenue that had been the Ashland Lumber and Supply Company.

The grain terminal was built at the Clark Avenue location in 1962 for $300,000, providing the farms in Ashland and surrounding counties with grain storage.

The farm bureau played a key role in rural road development, rural electricity, phone service, and schools. As the Times-Gazette noted in its Sesquicentennial edition in 1965, from Farm Bureaus years of service has come an informed and active rural citizenry, working through Farm Bureau to increase their participation and influence in the affairs of county, state and nation.

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Becoming a cooperative was a changing point for Ashland Farm Bureau
A banner that activists raised above their main campsite is shown in the South River Forest in DeKalb County, Georgia, near the site of a planned police training center on March 9. Activists have been protesting the center's planned construction for more than a year, derisively calling it

A banner that activists raised above their main campsite is shown in the South River Forest in DeKalb County, Georgia, near the site of a planned police training center on March 9. Activists have been protesting the center's planned construction for more than a year, derisively calling it "Cop City."

Georgia lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the death of an activist killed while protesting a controversial law enforcement training center set to be built in Atlanta, increasing scrutiny on the project and the treatment of its opponents.

The facility, derisively dubbed Cop City by opponents of the project, is set to be built on 85 acres of Atlantas historic South River Forest, an area deeply entwined with the plight of Black and Indigenous people in the area. The City Council pushed forward with the plans despite 17 hours of public comment in September 2021 when a majority of community members disapproved of the project.

In January, Georgia State Patrol troopers fatally shot 26-year-old Manuel Tortuguita Esteban Paez Teran 57 times, giving rise to national media coverage and community outrage. Paez Teran, who used they/them pronouns, was living in the forest as an act of protest and in an effort to stop Cop City from being built.

Their death marks the first time an environmental activist has been killed by authorities, according to The Guardian, and has been a focal point throughout the movement against the training center, fueling organizers, lawmakers and community members to demand accountability and transparency.

Family members of Manuel Esteban Paez Teran embrace during a news conference in Decatur, Georgia.

Family members of Manuel Esteban Paez Teran embrace during a news conference in Decatur, Georgia.

In an April 26 letter addressed to Attorney General Merrick Garland, six Georgia state lawmakers urged the Justice Department to conduct a more in-depth investigation of Paez Terans death.

We believe it is essential that a credible investigation be conducted that gathers and releases the necessary information to ensure public confidence in the investigatory and law enforcement process, the letter reads.

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As such, we respectfully request that the U.S. Department of Justice conduct a thorough independent investigation into the persistent pattern of misconduct within state law enforcement agencies, to include but not limited to the January 18, 2023 incident.

The letter was signed by Sen. Nabilah Islam, Sen. Jason Esteves, Sen. Nan Orrock, Rep. Ruwa Romman, Rep. Jasmine Clark and Rep. Kim Schofield, all Democrats who represent Atlanta or suburbs of Atlanta.

The arrests of other protesters has also drawn attention in recent weeks. Earlier this week, The Intercept reported that three people were arrested and charged with felony intimidation of an officer of the state and misdemeanor stalking after placing flyers on mailboxes pointing out the name of one of the officers that killed Paez Teran. The protesters were placed in solitary confinement for days.

Lyra Foster, an attorney representing the three people arrested for the flyers, told HuffPost the charges faced by her clients are not typical.

Most protest crimes are misdemeanors or ordinance violations, like a traffic ticket, Foster said. Weve seen many of those cases since the George Floyd protests. People need to understand the actions of protesters havent changed, the crimes theyre charged with have. This isnt an escalation in protest, its a crackdown on those same First Amendment protected protests as before.

Other protesters and community members have also faced harsh punishments: More than 40 people with domestic terrorism since last year.

The Stop Cop City movement, however, remains largely undeterred.

Micah Herskind, an organizer in Atlanta, told HuffPost that the movement has been gaining steam despite the challenges they have faced.

Obviously so much the severity of the repression, including both the literal murder of a forest defender and these incredibly severe political prosecutions, I think that theyre devastating, and theyre traumatizing, and they are also galvanizing, Herskind said. It has literally taken a human toll. And also, I do think that it makes people more determined to fight than ever and to stop Cop City in Tortuguitas name and to free all of the political prisoners.

The Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney declined to comment. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to HuffPosts request for comment.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified Paez Turan, who used they/them pronouns, as he. The name of the lawyer also was initially given as Lyra Graham. Her last name is Foster.

Related...
Like many terrible ideas, this one probably began with the best of intentions. As part of the coronation Saturday of King Charles III, British citizens have been encouraged by Buckingham Palace to recite a wonky kind of pledge of allegiance: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors, according to law. So help me God.

The idea was to involve ordinary folk in the historically elitist festivities, and strike a blow for democracy and equity by replacing the traditional Homage of the Peers with an Homage of the People.

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Nobody would face arrest for disobedience. But the idea still was a bridge too far for most of subjects of the new king, who, generally speaking, either like both the guy and the idea of the monarchy or consider themselves agnostic on the subject. Those in the latter category usually ascribe to the theory that someone has to cut ribbons and open new buildings, and it generally is better when that person can at least claim to be able to rise above the political fray.

But a pledge made by royal decree, that must be uttered out loud? Dont they realize were British? We leave that kind of guff to the Americans, wrote columnist Allison Pearson in The Daily Telegraph, one of the last true media bastions of monarchical support. What a gift for republicans. (Not the American kind, of course).

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That has not been the only gift. On the negative side of the ledger, you have the disarray in Charles family, replete with two brothers who at least appear not to speak to each other, and a famous American daughter-in-law with a knack for personal branding, close pals in the U.S. media and no compunction when it comes to hurling public accusations at her own in-laws, unconcerned that they have no real way to fight back.

And you have Charles own complicated marital history. To global fans of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, the new Queen Camilla was a third wheel in a troubled marriage, even if most reasonable people have come both to like her and to believe the two septuagenarians are entitled now to some happiness.

A more significant question for Charles, though, is how much of his mother Queen Elizabeth IIs domain he can continue to at least nominally command. Barbados already has left, and more of the old realm is nearly certain to follow.

Australia already has said Charles will not replace his mother on its bank notes, and it is considering a republican future. New Zealands former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, famously said she believes her nation will become a republic during her lifetime. Jamaican officials say the island nation could be a republic as early as 2024. Prime Minister John Briceno of Belize told The Guardian it was quite likely his nation would do the same, relatively soon.

Even Canada has seen diminishing support for continuing with its constitutional monarchy, despite the costs and the hassles. Many of these countries likely would remain in the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of friendly countries made up mostly of former British colonies that was beloved by the late queen. But even that group is likely to de-emphasize any Buckingham Palace leadership over time.

Why all this unease? Some of it, especially in the Caribbean, has to do with a painful history and the British governments reluctance to apologize for its role in the multination Atlantic slave trade or to pay reparations. On Thursday, Briceno specifically cited British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks position (Sunak said that trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward) as grist for the republican mill in Belize.

But the other factor is, of course, the enormous affection generally felt for the late queen, noted for her unprecedented decades of service, her lack of pretension and her global point of view. In essence, an archaic institution was grandfathered, or rather grandmothered, into its own survival abroad and at home.

Even staunch republicans in countries like Australia and New Zealand knew that their chances were much better once she was gone. And now here we are. The longer the respectful distance from Elizabeths death, the more all bets are off.

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On the other side of the ledger, fans of Charles point to his many liberal ideas: his early environmentalist stands, once the subject of considerable ridicule; his interest in multiculturalism and strong communities, innovation and ordinary people; his willingness to go to Barbados at the birth of its republic, honoring the wishes of the Barbadian people by his own attendance as they shook off the institution he represents.

He has insisted that Saturdays ceremony will reflect a multifaith nation, even if he is head of the Anglican church. He also, even at considerable cost to his own family relationships, has insisted that the new monarchy be more streamlined and cost-effective.

To a large extent, Charles has embraced the job of being the CEO of a declining business. He just has to extract what profit can be drawn for the good of the people and the planet, and avoid having to declare bankruptcy.

That will mean a new level of public humility, and requiring no pledges of allegiance either abroad or at home, but then hes hardly an arrogant man. Hes well suited for the new job. And well prepared. Good health and good luck to him.

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.
Jurors in the public corruption trial of Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks wanted overwhelmingly to return not guilty verdicts on most counts in the 19-count indictment, according to a defense attorney in the case.

The jury found Gillum not guilty on the first count, making false statements to the FBI, but deadlocked on the remaining conspiracy and wire fraud counts against both defendants.

Mutaqee Akbar, one of Lettman-Hicks's attorneys, spoke with three jurors after the trial concluded Thursday afternoon, with each providing similar accounts of what happened in the jury room.

Jurors voted 10-2 to find Gillum not guilty on counts two through 19 and voted along the same margin to find Lettman-Hicks not guilty on most of the wire fraud counts. The jury voted 9-3 in favor of acquittal on at least one count against Lettman-Hicks.

"I bumped into two jurors on my way to my car, and then one other reached out to me as well," Akbar told the Tallahassee Democrat. "They were just saying it was 10-2, and at least one was not willing to move from Day 1. And the other pretty much had their mind made up as well. But the rest were not guilty all the way down."

VERDICT: Gillum not guilty of lying to FBI as jury deadlocks on other charges

'Call my mama': An emotional scene in the courtroom after Gillum found not guilty

After a two-week trial and nearly five days of contentious deliberations, the jury reached agreement on only one count, finding Gillum not guilty of lying to the FBI about "Hamilton" tickets and other gifts he got from undercover agents nearly seven years ago in New York.

After U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor declared a partial mistrial, federal prosecutors announced plans to retry Gillum and Lettman-Hicks.

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and his defense team speak with the media after a jury found him not guilty on making false statements while deadlocking on all other charges Thursday, May 4, 2023.

A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Florida could not be reached immediately for comment.

Gillum, the Democratic nominee for Florida governor in 2018, and Lettman-Hicks, his close friend and adviser, were indicted in June on charges that they illegally routed more than $200,000 in campaign donations to him through her firm, P&P Communications. Gillum alone was charged with making false statements  an allegation that made up roughly half the government's case.

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Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum and Sharon Lettman-Hicks embrace one another after a jury found him not guilty on making false statements while deadlocking on all other charges against them on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

David Markus, one of Gillum's lawyers, and Akbar both urged the government not to proceed with a second trial

"We'll be meeting with the government and explain why they shouldn't go forward with this case," Markus said outside the courthouse Thursday. "It would be silly of them to do so."

Akbar said federal prosecutors should "take a second look and really reconsider whether they want to spend the time and money" on a second trial.

"I hope they really sit down and look at the evidence and take into consideration that it was ten people from across the Northern District  some Republicans, some Democrats, some men, some women, some white, some Black  who thought that the government did not prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt," Akbar said. "Its a circumstantial case with no smoking gun."

CHRONICLING THE CASE

Contact Jeff Burlew at jburlew@tallahassee.com and follow @JeffBurlew on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Andrew Gillum trial: Jurors were 10-2 in favor of acquitting, lawyer says
Lenny Henry in August in England (Tristram Kenton)

Lenny Henry could have picked a less complex subject for his first play than the Windrush generation. To turn it into a comedy monologue seems like a different feat altogether. Yet, somehow, he pulls it off. August in England puts a name to the political scandal  the name of August Henderson, a fictional British-Jamaican man. Having arrived in England (or HInglan, as he pronounces it) using his mothers passport, August tells us the tale of his life. The stand-up comedian and Comic Relief co-founder imbues the character with his own quick wit and impeccable comic timing. At times, the script struggles to smoothly link the laughs with the trauma of the situation, but Henrys performance is a thing to behold.

From the moment he swaggers onto the stage, handing out shots of unspecified alcohol to the front row, he asserts August as a loveable rogue  a ladies man getting himself into (and swiftly out of) scrapes. This is Shakespeares Seven Ages of Man told through a 90-minute stand-up set: the show tumbles through Augusts life in West Bromwich, his accent flipping from Jamaica to Midlands with consistent inconsistency. You root for August so deeply that, when Lynette Lintons production takes a turn  letters from the Home Office falling from the ceiling and tumbling out of cabinets  your stomach drops too.

Henry isnt a Windrush baby himself  although his older siblings could have been  but August is undeniably a version of himself. The Seventies time capsule of his living room, complete with crushed red carpet and orange wallpaper, is the setting from which Henry riffs with the audience and squeezes every last line of comic potential. The performance is unrelenting, with song and dance peppered throughout. Henry cha-cha-chas, gyrates against a pillar and even gives a particularly creepy recreation of Theresa Mays robot moves. Now thats a hostile environment! he quips, to roars of laughter.

The jokes are so tight they leave you reeling, with the one-liners forming the fabric of August in England. The king of similes, August describes toddlers running around his shop, teefin frozen fish out the freezer an licken em like a choc ice, and explains that he wont marry because his parents was as miserable as Nigel Farage at Notting Hill Carnival. He delivers the lines with total nonchalance, the audience laughing on a delay as they only realise their genius seconds later. That, after all, is Henrys skill. He makes it all look so easy.

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Henry as August Henderson (Tristram Kenton)

What lets August in England down is the material linking the jokes. Great gags are reconnected to the story by clunky so, anyways, pulling us out of the laughter and back into the plot. Serious subject matter is no bother for Henry, but you can hear the difference in the writing between the more improvisational comedy moments and the denser monologues. Occasionally, he struggles to capture the right tone for each section.

While ricocheting from comedy to tragedy and back again can give the audience whiplash  the saddest moments interspersed with big laughs and vice versa  it doesnt downplay the emotional heft of Henrys performance. He talks about love and grief with a lyricism and pain, shedding tears in the shows final moments. While the final 10 minutes feel like a dramatic gear shift (marked by a huge flash of light and cacophony of noise), what follows is punchy, powerful and poignant. August in England may begin with Henry at his showman best, but to simply write him off as a funny man is a mistake.

Bush Theatre, until 10 June
Collins Class submarines

Australia is set to become the latest customer for the U.S.-developed Surveillance Towed Array Sensor SystemExpeditionary, or SURTASS-E, a passive submarine detection system. The move to acquire SURTASS-E is the latest step in Australias ambitious undersea warfare modernization effort, the flagship program of which will see the Royal Australian Navy, or RAN, introduce its first nuclear-powered, conventionally armed submarines, against the backdrop of increasing concerns about the Chinese submarine threat.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) yesterday announced that the State Department has approved a possible Foreign Military Sale to Australia of an undisclosed number of SURTASS-E systems, at an estimated total cost of $207 million.

A basic diagram showing the SURTASS systems components. The SURTASS-E is a further development of the SURTASS, in containerized form, but lacking the low-frequency active (LFA) sonar array. U.S. Navy

So far, its unclear what specific ships the systems will be installed in, with the DSCA statement mentioning only that they are intended for Vessels of Opportunity (VOO). However, SURTASS-E was always intended to be packaged in standardized shipping containers, or ISO-Vans, which can be readily installed on various suitable ships, as required.

As well as the SURTASS-E mission systems themselves, the declared price tag also includes a shore-processing mission system, a spare SURTASS passive acoustic array, containers, communications parts and support equipment, software, publications, training, U.S. government and contractor engineering support, and other related logistics and program support elements. Lockheed Martin will be the primary contractor for the program.

The original SURTASS system was developed during the Cold War. It comprises ship-towed passive and active sonar arrays and provides long-range detection [of submarines] and cueing for tactical weapons platforms or other vessels of interest, according to the U.S. Navy.

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The U.S. Navys SURTASS was updated in the late 1980s to include a low-frequency active (LFA) sonar capability, which provides an active adjunct capability for IUSS [Integrated Underwater Surveillance System] passive and tactical sensors to assist in countering the quieter diesel and nuclear threats of the 1990s and beyond, according to the service. The LFA is especially useful for detecting slow-moving quiet threats in littoral waters.

Originally fielded by the U.S. Navy on its Stalwart class ocean surveillance ships, SURTASS was then switched to multiple different catamaran-style vessels with the introduction of the LFA upgrade. After the end of the Cold War, the SURTASS system became a much lower priority and, today, the SURTASS towed array is found only on the USNS Impeccable and the four ships in the Victorious class, although it has also been exported to Japan, for use on the three Hibiki class ocean surveillance ships. Australia will be only the second foreign customer for SURTASS, further emphasizing the significance of these plans.

The SURTASS-equipped Victorious class ocean surveillance ship USNS Able. U.S. Navy

Compared to SURTASS, the SURTASS-E system, the development of which began in 2017, does not feature an active sonar capability, although it offers greater flexibility thanks to its containerized, modular nature. As mentioned, we dont yet know what ships the systems will be installed in and whether they will be fitted to existing ships or a new class of vessels. Bearing in mind the kinds of surveillance ships that are outfitted with the original SURTASS, one candidate might be the RANs two remaining Paluma class of hydrographic survey motor launches. These share the catamaran hull form also found on the USNS Impeccable and the Victorious and Hibiki classes.

HMAS Shepparton, one of the two remaining Paluma class of hydrographic survey motor launches. Australian Department of Defense

Work on SURTASS-E was carried out under a so-called Rapid Prototyping, Experimentation, and Demonstration, or RPED, effort, which led to a first-ever operational patrol of an appropriately equipped vessel in the Atlantic in 2019.

Since work on the SURTASS-E began, the U.S. Navy has also embarked on developing a new, more rapidly deployable, fixed, persistent, deep-water active anti-submarine surveillance system. This is known as the Affordable Mobile Anti-Submarine Warfare Surveillance System, or AMASS, and you can read more about it here.

For the Royal Australian Navy, or RAN, the SURTASS-E promises to enhance the services ability to detect and track submarines, also at extended ranges, including the advanced new submarine designs coming from China.

The PLANs Type 039A Yuan class submarine. U.S. Navy

This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States, the DSCA declares. Australia is one of our most important allies in the Western Pacific. The strategic location of this political and economic power contributes significantly to ensuring peace and economic stability in the region. It is vital to the U.S. national interest to assist our ally in developing and maintaining a strong and ready self-defense capability.

More specifically, the DCSA states that the proposed sale of SURTASS-E will improve Australias capability to meet current and future maritime threats by providing tactical platforms with the detection and cueing of enemy submarines. The ability to provide acoustic wide-area surveillance and generate indications and warnings to Australian commands will significantly improve shared maritime security. Australia will have no difficulty absorbing this equipment into its armed forces.

The Los Angeles class submarine USS Santa Fe transits in formation on the surface with Royal Australian Navy Collins class submarines HMAS Collins, HMAS Farncomb, HMAS Dechaineux, and HMAS Sheean in the West Australian Exercise Area in February 2019. Australian Department of Defense

The fact that the planned Australian deal will bring more SURTASS systems to the Asia Pacific region will clearly bring benefits to U.S. and other allied anti-submarine capabilities, too, while the ability to potentially deploy these systems on different vessels will only help with coverage and being able to deploy them with greater flexibility  and unpredictability.

The growing submarine threat posed by both China and Russia is something that U.S. officials have been very vocal about. Both countries are working to expand their submarine fleets and are developing more advanced nuclear-powered and diesel-electric designs that are quieter and therefore harder to detect.

For Australia, the threat posed by Chinese submarines, and the expanding size and capabilities of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), more generally, is at the center of current military modernization initiatives.

The nature of the Chinese maritime threat to Australia has been made more manifest in recent times, with high-profile incidents both close to the Australian coast and in the hotly contested South China Sea.

In May last year, Australian officials reacted angrily to the appearance of a PLAN intelligence-gathering vessel off the coast of Australia. Although the Type 815 Dongdiao spy ship Haiwangxing apparently remained in international waters throughout the incident, Australias then Defense Minister Peter Dutton described the actions of the PLAN vessel as an aggressive act.

An official Australian Department of Defense photo of the Type 815 Dongdiao class auxiliary intelligence ship, or AGI, Haiwangxing operating off the northwest shelf of Australia in May 2022. Australian Department of Defense

Significantly, the route of the Haiwangxing down Australias west coast seems to have brought it close to the Naval Communication Station Harold E. Holt, or HEHCS, a joint Australian and U.S. naval communication station. This highly sensitive installation provides very low frequency (VLF) radio communications that are vital for operations by Australian, U.S., and allied submarines operating in the western Pacific Ocean and the eastern Indian Ocean.

A month later, in June 2022, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8A was damaged by countermeasures launched by a Chinese J-16 Flanker fighter jet over the South China Sea, according to the Australian Department of Defense. The department accused the crew of the J-16 of conducting a dangerous maneuver while the P-8 was operating over international waters. Chinas Ministry of National Defense responded by saying the P-8 had seriously threatened Chinas sovereignty and security and the countermeasures taken by the Chinese military [were] professional, safe, reasonable, and legitimate.

A RAAF P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. Australian Department of Defense

These episodes bring into sharper focus the military and strategic challenges to Australia posed by China. As part of a more robust maritime posture, the Australian military is set to work increasingly closely with the United States and the United Kingdom under the AUKUS agreement, as well as to introduce the aforementioned nuclear-powered submarines.

Australian officials have specifically pointed to the growing maritime challenge from China as the driving force behind the nuclear-powered submarine program. Last year, Australias then Defense Minister Peter Dutton said that the RANs current diesel-electric submarines would not be able to compete against the Chinese in the South China Sea beyond 2035.

As well as these submarines, Australia is also working on developing extra-large drone submarines and, late last year, unveiled the Ghost Shark testbed that will help inform these future designs. Under the overarching Extra Large Autonomous Undersea Vehicle (XL-AUV) program, Australia is seeking to rapidly produce an affordable, autonomous, long-endurance drone that can be tailored for a variety of military and non-military missions. Ultimately, drone submarines are expected to undertake dull, dirty, and dangerous missions in support of crewed submarines.

The Ghost Shark testbed that will be used to develop the RANs future extra-large drone submarine. Anduril Australia

However advanced, hunter-killer submarines are only as effective as the targeting information available to them. By acquiring the SURTASS-E system, the Royal Australian Navy will be in a better position to get the most out of these submarines, as well as greatly enhancing its anti-submarine warfare capabilities in a broader sense.

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com
SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday he was frustrated for not yet finding a diplomatic fix over the continued detention of Julian Assange and that he remained concerned about the mental health of the WikiLeaks' founder.

"I know it's frustrating, I share the frustration," Albanese told ABC television from London where Assange is being held pending a U.S. extradition case.

"I can't do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government's position is. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration."

Assange, an Australian citizen, is battling extradition from Britain to the United States where he is wanted on criminal charges over the release of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables in 2010. Washington says the release of the documents had put lives in danger.

Albanese said Australians were failing to understand the reasons for freeing the source who leaked the documents to Assange while he still remained in prison, referring to the release of former U.S. soldier and WikiLeaks source Chelsea Manning.

Assange spent seven years holed up in Ecuador's embassy in London after being offered refuge but was dragged out by British police in 2019. He has been staying in a prison in London while his extradition case was decided.

Albanese has been advocating for the release of Assange, who faces a sentence of up to 175 years in a maximum security prison if extradited to the United States.

"Enough is enough, this needs to be brought to a conclusion, it needs to be worked through," said Albanese.

In November, Albanese had raised the issue in meetings with United States officials but did not confirm on Friday if he would raise it with President Biden during his visit to Sydney on May 24 for the Quad leaders' summit.

"The way that diplomacy works ... is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have," he said.

(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)
Family and friends are remembering the man who was killed in a violent explosion at the Newburyport manufacturing facility early Thursday morning

The family of 61-year-old Jack OKeefe of Methuen describes him as a die-hard family man and an Army veteran.

O-Keefes friend and neighbor, Gregory Kaelin, spent the day with OKeefes two adult children while crews were searching for his body. They are stunned as we all are, said Kaelin who also has family who works with OKeefe. My brother was there. He got hurt. All four ran from their different stations. With the chemicals taking air away. It is hazardous, said Kaelin.

OKeefe was one of five who were in the building at the time of the explosion. Four other workers were taken to local hospitals, where they were treated and released.

Firefighters in Newburyport responded to Seqens, a pharmaceutical manufacturing facility at 9 Opportunity Way just after 12:45 a.m. on Thursday.

Upon arrival, crews saw heavy fire and smoke coming from the building. They saw an industrial-sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion and caused it to land in a nearby parking lot.

There was major structural damage to the building, preventing firefighters and rescue crews from going inside until Thursday evening. Newburyport firefighters and Hazmat workers remained at the scene throughout the night and removed dangerous substances from inside the badly damaged building Friday morning.

Around four dozen large barrels containing acetone, methanol, and isopropyl alcohol were taken out of the building Friday morning.

Video obtained by Boston 25 News captures the moment the building exploded, blasting roaring flames that lit up the night sky.

A crane operator was brought in Friday morning to help shore up metal support beams as crews worked.

This is the same building where a series of explosions happened in February 2020. Several explosions occurred at PCI Synthesis. No injuries were reported in that incident.

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25 Investigates has found that Newburyport pharmaceutical chemical company Seqens has racked up at least $168,000 in federal fines for its lengthy record of violating safety laws dating back to 2015  including for failing to meet federal standards for emergency response and safe handling of hazardous materials.

We are deeply saddened to report that a long-time member of our PCI family died during the accident. The entire group and its employees are extremely shocked, said the parent company of Seqens, PCI Synthesis. The safety of our employees has always been, and continues to be, our top priority. We strive to follow best practices and regulatory guidelines and have implemented safety protocols and procedures to prevent incidents like this from occurring. We are fully committed to working closely with the authorities and relevant agencies to determine the cause of the incident.

Local and state crews worked all day securing the building and testing nearby water and soil to make sure anything hazardous was contained. The air quality was a concern initially, but it faded fast. The wind was blowing strong, said Acting Deputy Fire Chief Barry Salt.

The company said they are working with investigators to try to figure out exactly what went wrong.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Local lawmakers are sounding off on a pharmaceutical company with a history of safety violations after an explosion at one of their facilities in Newburyport on Thursday morning.

The explosion killed one worker and injured four others.

The facility is owned by Seqens North America, which specializes in contract manufacturing services as well as pharmaceutical synthesis and specialty ingredients for the medical device industry, according to their website.

Worker killed in violent explosion at Newburyport manufacturing facility

However, the company was repeatedly fined by federal regulators for safety failures at the site in 2015, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Now, Congressman Seth Moulton, Senators Ed Markey, and Elizabeth Warren say theyve seen enough.

This explosion is only the latest avoidable disaster at this facility, following years of serious safety violations, multiple fines, and other explosions, the lawmakers wrote in a letter to Seqens. This is an unacceptable and tragic outcome  every worker is entitled to a safe workplace and the knowledge that they will return home unharmed after a shift at work.

The letter states that over the past three years alone, two incidents at the Newburyport facility resulted in serious OSHA violations.

It is now painfully apparent that your company has failed to create any meaningful or effective safety culture, they wrote.

As a result of the latest tragedy, Congressman Moulton and Senators Markey and Warren are calling on Seqen to answer a list of questions in writing by May 9.

The questions are as follows:

To the best of your current understanding, please detail the timeline and cause of the explosion on May 4, 2023, including identifying the systems and chemicals involved in the explosion. Did Seqens personnel or anyone else knowledgeable about the chemicals that may have been present in the facility and dispersed by the explosion alert the first responders about those chemicals?

Other questions include explanations for the four previously mentioned safety failures from 2015 to 2021 and what, if any, steps were taken to remediate the hazards and protect the health and safety of its workers.

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Newburyport and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts deserve to understand how this history of repeated OSHA violations could have led to tragedy, the lawmakers said.

Boston 25 News reached out to Seqens for a response and has not yet received an answer.

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.

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Bahraini foreign minister pays first visit ever to Ukraine

It was the first such visit to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in July 1992.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Bahrain for its "unwavering support of Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty while resisting full-scale Russian aggression," the presidential office reported.

Read also: In The Hague, Zelenskyy calls for and tribunal and trial for Putin, Russia to pay compensation to Ukraine

Zelenskyy proposed Bahrain cooperate with Ukraine in implementing some points of the Ukrainian presidents Peace Formula, and invited Al Zayan to the upcoming Peace Summit.

Zelenskyy highlighted the problem of the children's abduction from Ukraine to Russia and the need to search for ways to return them home to their families.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy and Al Zayan discussed Bahrains participation in post-war reconstruction, joint humanitarian and economic projects, the demining of Ukrainian territories, and the need for equipment.

Zelenskyy paid a surprise visit to Finland on May 3, where he took part in the Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Helsinki.

Read also: Zelenskyy to visit Berlin on May 13 to visit Chancellor and receive Charlemagne Prize

The next day, he traveled to the Netherlands, where he met with the Dutch prime minister and the king.

The president also gave speeches at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the Dutch parliament.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
On the evening of 5 May, Russian occupation forces used phosphorus and incendiary ammunition in the city of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: video of the Special Operations Forces and the press service of the Special Operations Forces (SSO) of Ukraine in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda

Quote: "The enemy used phosphorous and incendiary ammunition in Bakhmut, trying to wipe the city off the face of the Earth.

However, the soldiers of the SSO and other units of the Defence Forces continue to courageously defend the city. And in these conditions, we continue to destroy the enemy."

Background:

On 5 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), wrote a letter to the Russian Defence Ministry, stating that he will withdraw the Wagner PMC mercenaries from Bakhmut after 10 May.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are sceptical about the claim made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group. According to Ukrainian military personnel and intelligence, Russians will try to put pressure on the defenders of Bakhmut until 9 May.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A new documentary coming to Max (formerly known as HBO Max) will take viewers into the complex world of sororities.

Bama Rush follows several young women behind-the-scenes during the convoluted sorority recruitment process at the University of Alabama.

In the summer of 2021, #BamaRush went viral on TikTok as social media users were captivated by the week-long engagement, known as rush week, in which undergraduate women mix and mingle with current members of various sorority houses.

In a nutshell, things got messy when rumors began swirling about alleged hidden cameras and microphones being planted on girls rushing the universitys sororities.

Naturally, Twitter users had plenty to say once the documentarys trailer dropped on Thursday.

Theres a Bama rush HBO documentary. I AM READY  Bri Schwapp (@brischh) May 4, 2023

the bama rush documentary is basically the Kardashians meet the hunger games and I am so intrigued by the chaos and drama  Ella Madison (@Ella_binder333) May 4, 2023

Bama rush documentary kinda the biggest movie event of the year for me and my people  GnocchiBaby General Headquarters (@gnocchibb) May 4, 2023

THE BAMA RUSH DOCUMENTARY IS REAL pic.twitter.com/0Z2AwBO4f8  logan roy funeral parade attendee (@meatprison_) May 4, 2023

The new Bama Rush HBO documentary yikes id be embarrassed to be on it but ya know get yo bag sis  TheLibraryofMadison (@madison_burford) May 4, 2023

THEYRE REALLY MAKING THE BAMA RUSH DOCUMENTARY IM SCREAMING   arya  29 (@dilfrrie) May 4, 2023

In August, the University of Alabama officials confirmed reports of unauthorized recordings of students involved in sororities, calling it deplorable.

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Shane Dorrill, a university spokesman, said in a statement to AL.com at the time: The University is aware of reports that outside parties have facilitated unauthorized recordings of our students involved in Panhellenic recruitment.

He added that the university does not condone surreptitious filming or recording of students, some of whom are minors, without their consent.

According to Dorrill, the recruits were also not allowed to film each other as the Alabama Panhellenic Association recruitment rules prohibit potential new members from filming or recording inside any chapter houses.

Directed and executive produced by filmmaker Rachel Fleit, Bama Rush will hit Max on May 23. Though the documentary is unscripted, film and TV writers are currently on strike against companies including Max over issues like fair pay and better working conditions.

Watch the trailer below.

Related...
Woman looks at phone

Banks have warned of a large increase in fraud in 2022, with much of this originating online.

Barclays told the BBC that 77% of scams are now happening on social media, online marketplaces and dating apps.

TSB said a large increase in cases of impersonation, investment and purchase fraud were the main drivers of this.

It found impersonation scams on WhatsApp had tripled in a year, while fake listings on Facebook Marketplace had doubled.

And it said there have been "huge fraud spikes" on platforms owned by Meta, such as WhatsApp and Facebook.

A spokesperson for Meta told the BBC it believes fraud is "an industry-wide issue".

"Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to defraud people in a range of ways, including email, SMS and offline," they said.

"We don't want anyone to fall victim to these criminals, which is why our platforms have systems to block scams, financial services advertisers now have to be FCA (Financial Conduct Authority)-authorised and we run consumer awareness campaigns on how to spot fraudulent behaviour."

'Epidemic of scams'

Liz Ziegler, Lloyds Banking Group's fraud prevention director, told the BBC banks are facing an "epidemic of scams".

"With more than 70% of fraud starting with contact through the main tech platforms, these companies must be held responsible for stopping scams at source and putting things right for innocent victims," she said.

Previously, NatWest chief executive Alison Rose told a Treasury Select Committee that three million people in the UK were victims of fraud in 2022.

"We have seen an 87% increase in fraud," she said, adding that NatWest estimated 60% of frauds originated on social media and technology platforms.

Meanwhile, TSB said 60% of purchase fraud cases of which it is aware - where a scammer sells an item they never intend to send to the buyer - happen on Facebook Marketplace, and two-thirds of impersonation fraud cases it sees are happening on WhatsApp,

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The bank says it issued 2,650 refunds covering these cases last year.

Paul Davis, TSB's director of fraud prevention, said he believed social media companies "must urgently clean up their platforms" to protect consumers.

"It's high time that social media and telephone companies took financial liability for the rising levels of fraud taking place on their platforms," he said.

Funds returned

According to the most recent figures from UK Finance, which represents the banking and finance sector, 56% of the total amount lost to scams was returned to customers in the first half of 2022.

Many banks, including NatWest, Lloyds and Barclays, are signed up to the Contingent Reimbursement Model Code, which aims to reimburse people if they fall victim to an Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam "and have acted appropriately".

An APP scam is where a person is tricked into transferring money into an account operated by a fraudster.

But TSB says it reimburses people in 97% of all fraud cases it sees, and is campaigning for others to follow suit.

Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer group Which?, said the statistics "expose the worrying scale" of fraud on social media.

"The Online Safety Bill has been going through Parliament for more than a year and progress has been much too slow, with people still being scammed every day," she said.

"The government must take a vital step in the fight against fraud by ensuring the bill includes the strongest possible protections for consumers and is passed into law without further delays."
Guests sip sparkling wine before sitting for an afternoon tea on May 4, 2023, in Chicago, hosted by the British Consulate at the Drake Hotel, leading up to the May 6 coronation of King Charles III. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

King Charles IIIs coronation will take place in London on Saturday morning, and some Chicagoans arent going to let 4,000 miles of distance from the crown stop them from celebrating.

Tasha Kreft, who moved to the United States in 2010, said shes planning to watch the coronation live from R Public House in Rogers Park. She said the pub will open at 4:30 a.m. The ceremony begins at 5 a.m. Chicago time.

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Kreft said shes interested in the occasions place in history. She said many Brits have been mourning the loss of Queen Elizabeth II and anticipating the reign of the new king.

We never know what a monarch is going to be like, Kreft said. To be able to witness the start of it is a very rare thing in British history.

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Still, a recent poll by BBC News found that 70% of British people 18 to 35 are not at all interested in their countrys royal family. U.K.s YouGov polling company sought to capture attitudes toward the monarchy in Britain ahead of the coronation.

Lucy Pask, who moved to the U.S. over 10 years ago and founded the Brits in Chicago Facebook Group, said she grew up pledging to do her duty to queen and country, but the idea of royalty never sat right with her.

I think thats why I always wanted to live in America, Pask said. You wouldnt put up with this. This would not fly.

She said Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pretty universally disliked by her British friends and family back home. She credited a combination of anti-Americanism, stupidity and British media bashing for their opinions, but also said that from the perspective of someone who has moved to the U.S., some of the comments Harry has made about the differences between living in the U.K. and the United States have resonated with her.

Anybody who decided to get away from the U.K. probably has a soft spot for that, she said.

While shes marking the occasion this weekend, Pask said shes not planning to wake up early and watch the coronation as it happens. Instead, shell watch the highlights.

Given the economic and political environment of England today, with National Health Service nurses striking and the growing number of anti-monarchists, Pask said shes curious to see what will happen this weekend.

[ Not my king: UK republicans want King Charles coronation to be the last ]

She also said times are tight in her home country. Watching the coronation doesnt feel right considering how her family is living at the moment, she said, and shes definitely not feeling celebratory.

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It doesnt feel right to be clapping, Pask said. I dont feel right being excited about such an ostentatious show of wealth.

Nevertheless, Pask said shes a bit homesick going into the weekend. Shes making herself a full English breakfast when she wakes up Saturday.

She said shell let the meal lead the morning and will focus on connecting with home and talking to her family in the U.K. about the day. Shell also try talking to her children about the coronation if theyre interested, but theyre American, without any connection to the royals, she said.

They will also likely see other kings crowned in their lifetimes, she said. Saturdays ceremony will be for them just another talking point such as the Met Gala or the finale of Love is Blind on Netflix, she said.

Colin Cordwell, owner of the British-themed Red Lion Pub at 2446 N. Lincoln Ave., said he expects to get a few people in the door this weekend wanting to watch or discuss the coronation.

A server holds glasses of sparkling wine before guests sit for an afternoon tea gathering hosted by the British Consulate at the Drake Hotel on May 4, 2023, leading up to the May 6 coronation of King Charles III. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

Marketing manager Verna Hartley displays a guest book with Prince Charles' signature during his visit to the Drake Hotel in 1977 in Chicago, shown May 4, 2023. It was shown during a tour of suites where British royals stayed, before an afternoon tea gathering in celebration of the upcoming coronation of King Charles III. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

He said the bar will hold an observation, not a celebration, of the event. The Red Lion wont be opening earlier in the day, but Cordwell will mark the occasion with a special cocktail, he said. The drink, an Entente Cordiale, is made with gin, white vermouth and St-Germain liqueur with juice from oranges, limes and lemons, he said.

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It wont be a tremendously exuberant celebration, Cordwell said. Although I am a bit of a royalist myself.

Cordwell said he last held an observation after the queen died. Although he was a big admirer of Queen Elizabeth and quite sad when she passed, he said that Charles is attempting to connect with the people.

[ Chicagoans react to the news of Queen Elizabeth IIs death: She represented dignity ]

He said the new king has long searched for his place within the royal family and the universe.

I think its taken him a long time to do it, but hes done it, Cordwell said.

The Globe Pub in Irving Park will open at 5 a.m. Saturday, according to a Facebook announcement, for those looking to watch the coronation in real time.

For others, though, the coronation celebrations are already underway.

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On Thursday afternoon, the British Consulate hosted an afternoon tea at the Palm Court of the Drake Hotel, where both Queen Elizabeth and Princess Diana have stayed.

[ Vintage Chicago Tribune: King Charles visits the city in 1986 ]

On Sunday, St. James Cathedral in River North will hold a celebratory service. Monday will be a day of service in the United Kingdom, so the consulate will be volunteering with students, some of whom are refugees of the war in Ukraine, at the St. Nicholas Cathedral School in Ukrainian Village to honor Charles commitments to working with children and diverse communities, Alan Gogbashian, British consul general for Chicago said.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 28 Prince Charles is led to a receiving line of dignitaries by British Ambassador Peter Jay, center, after the prince arrived on a regularly scheduled flight from London on Oct. 18, 1977, at OHare International Airport in Chicago. Chicago is the first stop on the prince's 10-city, nine-day visit to the United States. (Don Casper / Chicago Tribune)

He said opportunities to celebrate the coronation in the city are many because of King Charles connection to Chicago. Hes visited the city on two occasions, and he cares greatly about the issues that matter most to Chicago residents, he said.

When it comes to climate action, when it comes to sustainability, when it comes to caring for the environment, when it comes to celebrating and supporting diversity  these are all issues that Chicagoans care about, Gogbashian said. I think a lot of what Charles represents in terms of things that hes passionate about resonates with Chicago residents.

And for the Daughters of the British Empire, celebrations will continue through summer.

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Jackie Lewin, the organizations state president, said that one of the chapters held a British fair on Wednesday in Naperville to promote English goods. To celebrate the coronation, though, the group is planning a tea for the month of July, she said.

The day of the coronation  we just felt that people really wanted to sit down and watch it themselves, she said.

The tea will feature a life-size cutout of King Charles and decorations. She said there will be raffles with baskets of British items.

Lewin said shes also attending a gathering Saturday evening to watch a recording of the coronation. She said she chooses to celebrate British occasions to connect with other Brits living in the U.S.

Im British, and its part of me, she said. Its wonderful to celebrate these events, even though I live here now. I guess its the feeling of camaraderie with other British people.

oalexander@chicagotribune.com
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra confirmed in a statement Thursday that an employee at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was one of the victims of a shooting in Atlanta on Wednesday.

Last night, we learned the tragic news that Amy St. Pierre, an HHS colleague at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, was the victim of a senseless shooting in Atlanta, Georgia, Becerra said in a statement. Our hearts go out to her husband Julian St. Pierre, her children, and all her loved ones at this difficult time.

He said that her work was focused on improving maternal health at the CDC, and declared that gun violence has become a public health crisis in America.

We are all still trying to process this heart-breaking news, he added. But there is no escaping that gun violence is tearing the American family apart and has become a public health crisis.

On Wednesday evening, police arrested 24-year-old Deion Patterson, who is accused of shooting and killing St. Pierre and injuring four others at a medical facility in Atlanta. Four women between the ages of 25 and 71 were hospitalized as a result of the shooting.

CDC is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed yesterday in the Midtown Atlanta shooting, the CDC said in a statement Thursday, posted to Twitter. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss.

St. Pierres family also issued a statement saying that she was a mother to two children and a sister to two brothers, according to ABC News.

Our beloved Amy was brilliant, kind, big-hearted and simply the best of the best,' her family said in a statement. Loving wife and mother of two, middle sister to two brothers, and cherished daughter, she was truly our pride and joy.

An Emory honors graduate and Georgia State MBA, Amy traveled the world with curiosity and courage, her family continued. She was driven by compassion, both in her work in the field of maternal mortality, and in her everyday life. Amy was selfless always, she wanted more for others but never for herself. Generous supporter of worthy causes, she was the social conscience of our family.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Two weeks after Fort Worth toddler Melissa Highsmith vanished in 1971, her mother wrote a desperate, heart-breaking plea to the unknown kidnapper who had pretended to be a babysitter.

Open letter to a kidnapper appeared on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sept. 8, 1971. I beg of you to call me, Alta Highsmith wrote. Ive been going out of my mind.

But no one ever called  at least not the mysterious woman who responded to Highsmiths newspaper ad for a babysitter for Melissa and showed up at her Seminary Road apartment early one morning, well-dressed and wearing white gloves. Highsmith was still asleep, but the woman told her roommate, Ive come to pick up the baby. Melissa, wearing a pink dress and white sandals, was never seen again by her family.

That is, until last fall when the familys DNA sleuthing remarkably found a match. On Thursday, police confirmed that Melanie Brown was indeed Melissa Highsmith, solving one of Fort Worths oldest unsolved missing children cases.

Melissa Highsmith was reunited with her parents, Alta Apantenco and Jeffrie Highsmith, 51 years after she was kidnapped in Fort Worth, Texas, the family announced on Nov. 27.

The toddlers kidnapping on Monday, Aug. 23, 1971, was front-page news.

Two weeks later, after police had exhausted leads, Highsmith penned her open letter to the kidnapper.

Whoever has my baby, please bring her back to me, the letter began. Ive pleaded with you so many times before on television, radio and by the papers. So far you have not even tried to call.

Im begging you again for the return of my little girl. You must realize that Ive been going out of my mind with worry, wondering where my baby is and how shes doing. You could have at least called to let me know shes okay.

A photo of Alta Highsmith that appeared with her open letter to her daughters kidnapping in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sept. 8, 1971.

Highsmith offered a bargain for the safe return of her child.

I would forget about your kidnapping Melissa in a minute if you would just bring her back.

I dont understand why all this has happened to me, but the sooner Melissa is back the better. Im begging and pleading with you for my baby. Please read this and understand that what youve done is wrong and know that you must return Melissa to her mother.

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Please let me hear from you. ... We can arrange for you to send the baby back to me without anyone knowing.

I beg of you to call me.

Open letter to kidnapper

Melissa Highsmiths family members say they dont know what happened to the woman who took the child and that they expect police will investigate.

Although the criminal statute of limitations expired 20 years after Melissas 18th birthday, the Fort Worth Police Department Major Case Unit continues to ask for the publics assistance with any additional information concerning Melissas abduction that occurred over 51 years ago, police said in a statement Thursday.

Melissa Highsmith hugs her mother, Alta Apantenco, after being reunited in Fort Worth, Texas, 51 years after Melissa was kidnapped as a toddler.
Viktar Babaryka, who ran against dictator Alexander Lukashenko in the 2020 presidential election and is now a political prisoner, was hospitalized with a punctured lung and signs of physical abuse.

Belarusian authorities continue to crack down on political activists, as a Minsk court sentences activist Raman Pratasevich to eight years in prison.

Belarus neighbors continue to strengthen their borders with Belarus amid continued fear of another Minsk-engineered migrant crisis.

Pressure on ethnic minorities in Belarus continues as a Lithuanian association is dismantled in court.

Belarus makes plans to build a radioactive waste storage facility by 2030.

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Former presidential candidate Viktar Babaryka hospitalized

Viktar Babaryka, who ran against Lukashenko in the 2020 Belarusian presidential election and is currently serving a 14-year sentence for politically motivated charges, was reportedly hospitalized on April 27.

Babarykas relatives confirmed that he was admitted to a surgical ward with a collapsed lung. He also allegedly has traces of severe beating. A spokesperson from the penal colony said on April 29 that Babaryka is alive and well.

His former campaign members said he is unable to be transferred from the hospital as it could pose a real health risk, noting that they are unaware of his whereabouts and are not permitted to visit him. They noted that, before his hospitalization, Babaryka was sent to a closed prison-type facility for prisoners who commit violations.

We ask all international organizations and diplomatic missions in Minsk for assistance in obtaining information about Viktar Babarykas condition, his former team said.

Babaryka was considered one of Lukashenkos main political opponents during the presidential election campaign in 2020.

He was arrested in 2020 and sentenced to jail on alleged corruption charges, which he and human rights watchdogs call politically motivated. The move is widely considered an attempt to take Babaryka out of the presidential race, and the ongoing crackdown on those who oppose Lukashenkos regime.

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Until his recent hospitalization, Babaryka served his prison sentence in one of Belarus harshest prisons, rumored in numerous testimonies to witness beatings and torture of inmates. In a letter sent months ago, he said that he barely had time for reading as the system was fighting him as it was fighting Ukraine.

The European Union, the Czech and French Foreign Ministries, and the U.S. State Departments Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Affairs expressed their concerns over the situation and called on Minsk to provide further information.

On Nov. 28, 2022, Maria Kalesnikava, Viktar Babarykas staff coordinator, was admitted to intensive care after suffering severe health issues. She has since been returned to serve her sentence in a penal colony.

Belarus hands activist Raman Pratasevich 8-year prison sentence

The Minsk regional court sentenced Raman Pratasevich, a former editor for Belarusian Telegram channel Nexta, to eight years in prison on May 8. His co-defendants, Yan Rudzik and Stsiapan Putsila, who were tried in absentia, were sentenced to 19 and 20 years in prison, respectively.

Nextas founder and editors are accused of allegedly participating in a so-called extremist group, undermining national security, and other politically motivated charges.

Belarusian prosecutors have also accused Pratasevich and Rudzik of repetitively forming and leading an extremist group for heading another Telegram channel  Belarus Golovnogo Mozga (Belarus of the Brain) which is critical of Lukashenkos regime.

Pratasevich fled Belarus but was detained when his commercial flight from Athens to Vilnius was forced to land in Minsk while flying over the country.

On July 19, 2022, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) found Belarus guilty of orchestrating the forced landing of Ryanair Flight FR4978. According to the ICAO, forced landings constitute an offense under the Montreal and Chicago conventions.

Pratasevich has been called the regimes hostage, appearing in official press conferences and on state-owned TV as an alleged remorseful opposition activist that is now loyal to Lukashenko.

The Nexta Telegram channel published videos that criticized Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenkos regime on topics like the countrys elections, the death penalty, and protests over various government policies.

It extensively covered the protests that followed the fraudulent Belarusian presidential election in 2020.

From Aug. 9 to 16 that year, Nextas Telegram channel audience grew from 427,000 to over 2 million subscribers, becoming the mouthpiece and coordinator for protests across the country.

Army of hired guns: How Russias PMCs are becoming the main invasion force Private armies are illegal in Russia, so naturally, Moscow has been using them for decades. Now, its making them the main invasion force. The rate at which Russia creates new private military company-like units sped up after 2014 but it really took off during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov

Lithuania, Poland continue to strengthen border with Belarus

Lithuania lifted the state of emergency on its borders with Belarus and Russia, its Interior Ministry announced. It will end at midnight on May 3.

Lithuanian authorities introduced the state of emergency in November 2021 in response to the migration crisis engineered by Minsk, which saw thousands of refugees forced into the EU by Belarus.

Lithuania lifted the state of emergency in response to its parliament adopting a law that allows border guards to send illegal migrants back to Belarus.

Latvia extended the state of emergency at its border with Belarus until Aug. 10, 2023.

Meanwhile, Poland completed the construction of an electronic barrier at a 206-kilometer section of its border with Belarus, which complements a previously built fence. In April alone, Polish Border Guard officers registered 2,400 attempts by migrants to cross the Polish border with Belarus illegally.

The migrant crisis engineered by Minsk reached its peak in November 2021 when Belarus forced thousands of asylum-seekers to cross the border into the EU. Dozens of crossing attempts by migrants are registered daily, which prompted Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania to build walls along their borders with Belarus.

Reuters: Putin, Lukashenko not invited to King Charles coronation

Putin and Lukashenko did not receive invitations to King Charles coronation ceremony on May 6, a British source told Reuters.

According to the source, the heads of Iran, Myanmar, Syria, Afghanistan, and Venezuela also did not receive invitations, although senior diplomats from North Korea and Nicaragua did.

On March 30, King Charles III called Russias war against Ukraine a threat to Europes democratic values in a historic speech at the German parliament, the first ever by a British monarch.

He said the scourge of war is back in Europe; the war of aggression against Ukraine has brought unimaginable suffering on so many innocent people.

Pressure on Lithuanian minorities mounts in Belarus

On April 28, the Hrodna regional court ruled to dismantle Gimtine, a Lithuanian association in Belarus.

Gimtine, which translates to homeland in Lithuanian, was active in Belarus for over 20 years, becoming a local cultural hub for Belarusian-Lithuanians. In Pelesa, the Belarusian village where the organization is based, 80% of residents are ethnic Lithuanians.

To justify its decision, Belarusian authorities claimed that the association had violated the law, although they did not specify further.

Earlier this week, Lithuanias Foreign Ministry handed a diplomatic note to a Belarusian representative expressing disapproval of Belarus decision. It noted that Lithuania will raise the issue with international institutions.

Lukashenkos regime considers Poland, Latvia, and Lithuania unfriendly nations.

Since 2020, the Belarusian regime has routinely persecuted ethnic minorities, destroyed their mass burial sites, and shut down minority schools.

Belarus plans to build radioactive waste storage facility

As the world marks the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl nuclear disaster that contaminated 23% of Belarus territory, Belarusian authorities announced plans to build a radioactive waste storage facility by 2030.

While Belarus sends some used nuclear fuel to Russia for reprocessing, some of it that does not have strategic value will be returned to Belarus for long-term storage.

It is believed that Russia will return only the cesium and strontium fractions, which have to be stored for 300 years for the substances to decay into imperceptible concentrates, a Russian radioactive waste safety expert said.

The potential sites for the facility include the regions surrounding Astravets, where the Astravets Nuclear Power Plant is located, or the contaminated territories near Chornobyl in Ukraine. The decision will reportedly be finalized by 2025.

Since the Chornobyl disaster in 1986, contaminated areas in Belarus have halved, although Belarus will not be completely rid of radioactive contamination for many years to come.

Russia tries to conceal its dwindling nuclear stockpile The main rule of Russias power diplomacy says: If something goes wrong with their war effort in Ukraine, reach for the nuclear intimidation card. Thats what the Kremlin did two months ago, when Vladimir Putin announced Russia would suspend its participation in the New START, the only remaining Kyiv IndependentIllia Ponomarenko

Destruction of opposition: Case of Viktar Babaryka

The Spotlight segment provides readers with the historical context of contemporary events in Belarus.

Viktar Babaryka, one of Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenkos main opponents in the 2020 presidential election, was hospitalized mid-prison term on April 27.

The former head of Belgazprombank and a philanthropist, Babaryka, is currently serving a 14-year sentence for politically-motivated charges, accused of alleged corruption.

Babaryka is known for having headed Belgazprombank during its transition into becoming one of Belarus largest banks, as well as for having helped to finance the publication of books by Belarusian Nobel laureate Svetlana Alexievich. He also helped return original paintings by Belarusian artists to Belarus, such as by Marc Chagall, Chaim Soutine, and Leon Bakst.

In May 2020, he began a short-lived presidential campaign, running against Lukashenko  some polls even indicate that his presidential bid received more support than Lukashenkos did.

Babarykas campaign appealed to young, progressive city-dwellers, Belarus middle class, and creatives. He is known for having said that Lukashenko had forgotten that Belarusians are Lukashenkos employers, not his employees.

A month later, authorities raided Belgazprombank and arrested Babaryka for allegedly conducting a decade-long money laundering operation and dishing out bribes worth over $12 million.

In July 2021, Babaryka was sentenced to 14 years in prison. He claims the charges were fabricated by Lukashenkos regime to prevent him from participating in the presidential election.

His sham trial is an example of the ongoing crackdown against those who oppose Lukashenkos regime in Belarus.

Until his recent hospitalization, Babaryka served his prison sentence in one of Belarus harshest prisons, rumored in numerous testimonies to beat and torture inmates.

International human rights groups have condemned his arrest, calling him a political prisoner.

Amnesty International has called Babaryka a prisoner of conscience, prosecuted solely for the peaceful exercise of his human rights, including freely expressing his political opinions.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  An anthropology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose identity as Native American had been questioned for years apologized this week for falsely identifying as Indigenous, saying she is a white person" who lived an identity based on family lore.

Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, said in an apology posted Monday on her website that she claimed an identity as a woman of Mohawk and Mikmaq descent but never confirmed that identity with those communities or researched her ancestry until recently.

I caused harm, Hoover wrote. I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students, and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms. This hurt has also interrupted student and faculty life and careers. I acknowledge that I could have prevented all of this hurt by investigating and confirming my family stories sooner. For this, I am deeply sorry.

Hoovers alleged Indigenous roots came into question in 2021 after her name appeared on an Alleged Pretendian List." The list compiled by Jacqueline Keeler, a Native American writer and activist, includes more than 200 names of people Keeler says are falsely claiming Native heritage.

Hoover first addressed doubts about her ethnic identity last year when she said in an October post on her website that she had conducted genealogical research and found no records of tribal citizenship for any of my family members in the tribal databases that were accessed.

Her statement caused an uproar, and some of her former students authored a letter in November demanding her resignation. The letter was signed by hundreds of students and scholars from UC Berkeley and other universities along with members of Native American communities. It also called for her to apologize, stop identifying as Indigenous and acknowledge she had caused harm, among other demands.

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As scholars embedded in the kinship networks of our communities, we find Hoovers repeated attempts to differentiate herself from settlers with similar stories and her claims of having lived experience as an Indigenous person by dancing at powwows absolutely appalling, the letter reads.

Janet Gilmore, a UC Berkeley spokesperson, said in a statement she couldnt comment on whether Hoover faces disciplinary action, saying discussing it would violate personnel matters and/or violate privacy rights, both of which are protected by law.

However, we are aware of and support ongoing efforts to achieve restorative justice in a way that acknowledges and addresses the extent to which this matter has caused harm and upset among members of our community, Gilmore added.

Hoover is the latest person to apologize for falsely claiming a racial or ethnic identity.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren angered many Native Americans during her presidential campaign in 2018 when she used the results of a DNA test to try and rebut the ridicule of then-President Donald Trump, who had derisively referred to her as fake Pocahontas.

Despite the DNA results, which showed some evidence of a Native American in Warrens lineage, probably six to 10 generations ago, Warren is not a member of any tribe, and DNA tests are not typically used as evidence to determine tribal citizenship.

Warren later offered a public apology at a forum on Native American issues, saying she was sorry for the harm I have caused.

In 2015, Rachel Dolezal was fired as head of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP and was kicked off a police ombudsman commission after her parent told local media their daughter was born white but was presenting herself as Black. She also lost her job teaching African studies at Eastern Washington University in nearby Cheney.

Hoover said her identity was challenged after she began her first assistant professor job. She began teaching at UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2020.

At the time, I interpreted inquiries into the validity of my Native identity as petty jealousy or people just looking to interfere in my life, she wrote.

Hoover said that she grew up in rural upstate New York thinking she was someone of mixed Mohawk, Mikmaq, French, English, Irish and German descent, and attending food summits and powwows. Her mother shared stories about her grandmother being a Mohawk woman who married an abusive French-Canadian man and who committed suicide, leaving her children behind to be raised by someone else.

She said she would no longer identify as Indigenous but would continue to help with food sovereignty and environmental justice movements in Native communities that ask her for her support.

In her apology issued Monday, Hoover acknowledged she benefited from programs and funding that were geared toward Native scholars and said she is committed to engaging in the restorative justice process taking place on campus, as well as supporting restorative justice processes in other circles I have been involved with, where my participation is invited.
Teachers can be some of the most important individuals in our lives. Whether you had one this past year that truly inspired you, or one that just made getting through the daily grind of classes easier, nows a great time to show them your appreciation. If you want to skip the standard gift basket or bouquet of flowers in favor of something a bit more personal (or perhaps practical), these are some of the best gifts for teachers that you can surprise them with this year.

Hario cold brew bottles

Hario Hario Filter-In Cold Brew Tea Bottle We recommend the Hario cold brew tea maker in our gift guide for tea lovers because it makes a beautiful, functional gift for anyone who likes loose-leaf iced tea. $34 at Amazon

We recommend the Hario cold brew tea maker in our gift guide for tea lovers because it makes a beautiful, functional gift for anyone who likes loose-leaf iced tea. The heat-proof glass exterior has a wine bottle shape and the green silicone top houses a mesh strainer that keeps tea leaves where they belong. If the teacher you know is more into coffee, you get them the equally attractive cold brew coffee maker from the same Japanese manufacturer. It brews up a batch in the fridge overnight and has graduated milliliter markings that make it look a little like a chemistry class beaker.  Amy Skorheim, Commerce Writer

Ember Mug 2

Ember Ember Smart Mug 2 The second generation of Embers smart mug, the Mug 2, doesnt just keep tea or coffee hot  it keeps it at a steady temperature for a long time. $100 at Amazon

Many of us rely on caffeine to get through the day and teachers are no different. But dealing with students, lectures and other classroom activities may mean their beverage of choice grows cold before they can drink it all. The second generation of Embers smart mug, the Mug 2, doesnt just keep tea or coffee hot  it keeps it at a steady temperature for a long time. The app integration lets you set the temp of the mug, while interior sensors shut the heat off when the mugs empty or hasnt been touched in two hours. The 10-ounce size has a battery life of up to an hour and a half and the 14-ounce capacity adds another 20 minutes. They can also stick the mug on the included charging coaster to keep their java warm all school day long.  A.S.

Aura Mason

If your teacher is a sentimental type, a digital photo frame like the Aura Mason can let them easily add and look back on their favorite snapshots. The Mason itself has a crisp, nine-inch, 1,600 x 1,200 resolution display and a minimalist design that should look normal on a work desk or a side table back home. It can display photos in portrait or landscape mode, and uploading photos (or videos) through the Aura app is uncomplicated. Just note that it can sometimes add black boxes around photos that dont match its 4:3 aspect ratio.

If you want to save $50, the Aura Carver is a larger 10.1-inch frame with similar benefits, though it has a lower resolution (1,280 x 800) and only works in landscape. You could also gift a multi-function smart display like the Google Nest Hub, but those usually have lower-quality screens and arent as simple to mount on a wall.  Jeff Dunn, Senior Commerce Writer

Book of the Month

Book of the Month Book of the Month subscription If you know a teacher whos still a champion of the printed word, they might appreciate a Book of the Month subscription. $60 at Book of the Month

If you know a teacher whos still a champion of the printed word, they might appreciate a Book of the Month subscription. I like how BOTM does the hard work of figuring out whats new and good in fiction so all I have to do is read. The club selects seven or so books each month for members to pick from, and the selection is diverse enough that most readers will find something to meet their tastes. And if nothing looks good, they can always pick something from the back catalog or skip the month altogether. At first I thought it would be too much pressure to contend with a new book every month, but the option to skip effectively just extends their subscription, so theres no pressure. You can gift a three, six or twelve month membership for $60, $100 or $200, respectively.  A.S.

Belkin BoostCharge Pro with MagSafe

Belkin Belkin MagSafe Wireless Charger Pad A pick from our guide to the best wireless chargers, Belkins BoostCharge Pro is a compact charging pad that should be a useful addition for any iPhone-owning teachers desk. $48 at Amazon

A pick from our guide to the best wireless chargers, Belkins BoostCharge Pro is a compact charging pad that should be a useful addition for any iPhone-owning teachers desk. Its MagSafe-compatible, so it can snap magnetically onto the back of any recent iPhone, and it delivers up to 15W of power, which is the fastest rate available for this class of device. It wont be as quick as using a cable, but theres a certain pleasure to simply plopping your phone down on it to recharge, and it can still deliver about a 70 percent charge to an iPhone 14 in an hour. The BoostCharge Pro also has a built-in kickstand for propping up a phone to watch videos and the like. This is far from the cheapest charging puck around, but as a gift, its a convenient way to top up. Just try to get it with a power supply, if possible.  J.D.

Blue light blocking glasses

Gaoye Gaoye Blue Light Blocking Glasses Blue light blocking glasses can be a great gift since theyll make it easier for them to get work done while (hopefully) reducing eye strain, headaches and other ailments. $10 at Amazon

Your favorite teacher or professor probably looks at a screen for just as long as you do every day. Blue light blocking glasses can be a great gift since theyll make it easier for them to get work done while (hopefully) reducing eye strain, headaches and other ailments. These are probably best bought for educators who dont wear prescription glasses already, since you dont want to impede their actual eyesight with non-prescription lenses. Plenty of eyewear companies make stylish blue light glasses, but you dont have to spend an arm and a leg on a pair. Prive Revaux has a ton of options priced as low as $30 each, or if you have a feeling your teacher would like to swap styles more often, Amazon has a number of multi-packs to choose from.  Valentina Palladino, Senior Commerce Editor

Headspace

Headspace Headspace The most tenured college professor and the newest preschool teacher could likely use a little more calm in their day, and Headspace is one way to get it. $6 at Headspace

The most tenured college professor and the newest preschool teacher could likely use a little more calm in their day, and Headspace is one way to get it. The brightly colored app has a slew of meditations, guided breathing sessions and inspirational talks to choose from and each one lists its duration. I often just have a minute or two before I have to get back to what I was doing, and following even a one-minute-long breathing exercise can noticeably change my mood (and posture and general awareness). Headspace includes sleep programs too, like wind-down sessions, stories, white noise sounds and soundscapes. You can gift one year of the service for $70, or three months for $39.  A.S.

Kobo Clara 2e

Kobo Kobo Clara 2E The Kobo Clara 2E is our current favorite e-reader because its easy on the eyes, comfortable to hold and offers the right amount of customization. $120 at Walmart

We dont want to make generalizations, but if theres a segment of the population who likes to read, its probably teachers. The Kobo Clara 2E is our current favorite e-reader because its easy on the eyes, comfortable to hold and offers the right amount of customization. The waterproof design makes it a good candidate for vacations and pool-side reading, and the warm lights make it easy to read late into the night. Considering Kobo now has an unlimited read and listen subscription in Kobo Plus, the company's well-built devices are even better equipped to compete in a space where Kindles have dominated for years.  A.S.

Bellroy Desk Caddy

Bellroy Bellroy Desk Caddy They say an organized desk is an organized mind. Bellroys Desk Caddy has pockets, pouches and loops to keep cords, plugs, earbuds, and dongles in their place. $59 at Bellroy

They say an organized desk is an organized mind. Whether thats true or not, it can certainly be difficult to keep track of all the tech you need on a regular basis. Bellroys Desk Caddy has pockets, pouches and loops to keep cords, plugs, earbuds, and dongles in their place. The structured shape stands up when you load it, but is flexible enough to fit into a crowded backpack if you need to take it with you. We also like that its water resistant and made from recycled materials.  A.S.

Trade Coffee subscription

Trade Coffee Trade Coffee subscription A Trade Coffee subscription can help the teacher in your life shake up their morning cup of joe. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. $40 at Trade Coffee

A Trade Coffee subscription can help the teacher in your life shake up their morning cup of joe. It offers a curated selection of more than 450 coffees from across the US and smartly personalizes which ones it recommends to each subscriber. Upon redeeming their gift, your teacher will be prompted to take a brief quiz that asks about their flavor and brew preferences, information Trade will use to suggest a specific bag catered to their taste. They can then give a thumbs-up or thumbs-down to any coffee they receive, which the company considers to hone future recommendations. Managing all of this online is straightforward. You can gift anywhere from two to 24 bags, and Trade says any gift subscriptions will not automatically renew, so nobody will have any surprise charges to deal with down the line.  J.D.

Purist Mover

Purist Purist Mover bottle The Purist Mover is the closest thing to a premium water bottle that Ive tried, with a clean, minimalist aesthetic and a satisfying textured finish. $48 at Purist

The Purist Mover is the closest thing to a premium water bottle that Ive tried, with a clean, minimalist aesthetic and a satisfying textured finish. Its biggest hook, though, is the ultra-thin layer of glass that lines its interior. Apart from insulating your drink, this is designed to keep fluids from gaining a metallic taste or unwanted odors as quickly as they might with other bottles. The whole thing will still need washing every so often, but in my experience, this has actually worked.

The Mover is an 18oz bottle, but there are different size and lid options to choose from (the Union spout top is my preference, though it can be somewhat noisy, if that matters). No Purist bottle is especially cheap, but it should make hydrating a little more convenient for your teachers day-to-day, on top of providing a nicer piece of design for their desk.  J.D.

Tribit StormBox Micro 2

Will Lipman Photography for Engadget Tribit StormBox Micro 2 For audio-related lessons in class or just enjoying music while out and about, the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is a highly portable Bluetooth speaker that pumps out good volume for its compact size. $60 at Amazon

For audio-related lessons in class or just enjoying music while out and about, the Tribit StormBox Micro 2 is a highly portable Bluetooth speaker that pumps out good volume for its compact size. Its playback controls are simple to operate, and its built-in strap lets it connect to things like a bag or bike handlebars on the go. It can also double as a power bank and charge a smartphone in a pinch. A speaker this small will never be the fullest sounding, but for what it is, the Stormbox Micro 2s audio quality is fine as well. If you like the idea of gifting a portable speaker but want something that sounds richer, though, you can check out our Bluetooth speaker buying guide for more recommendations.  J.D.

Criterion Channel subscription

Criterion Channel Criterion Channel If your teacher is a film buff, they'll appreciate a Criterion Channel subscription. It bundles many films into helpful collections, from Afrofuturism to Foreign-Language Oscar Winners to Short Films by David Lynch. $11 at Criterion Channel

If your teacher considers themselves a film buff, a Criterion Channel subscription might suit their tastes. This is the streaming service of The Criterion Collection, a video distribution company that restores and preserves a carefully curated selection of acclaimed films that span genres and languages. It doesnt have the same deluge of content as a Netflix or Prime Video, but it also has a lot less trash.

The service bundles many films into helpful collections, from Afrofuturism to Foreign-Language Oscar Winners to Short Films by David Lynch. Various titles come with bonus features like cast interviews as well. Unfortunately, not every film in the Collection is available on the Channel at any given time. (There are gift cards that can go toward films that are only available in physical form.) Nevertheless, for movie-loving teachers who feel like theyve watched everything on the usual suspects, the service should still provide hours of stimulating works. Gift subscriptions are available in one- to 12-month increments.  J.D.

The Sill plant gifts

The Sill The Sill Money Tree plant gift You cant go wrong with a gift of greenery to show your appreciation for a beloved teacher. Instead of a standard bouquet, something more unique like a plant from The Sill could be a gift theyve never gotten before. $68 at The Sill

You cant go wrong with a gift of greenery to show your appreciation for a beloved teacher. You could pick up a flower arrangement locally or send them a fancy one from Bouqs or another online service, but something more unique like a plant from The Sill could be a gift theyve never gotten before. The site has a bunch of options that will appeal to all kinds of people, from those who have never taken care of a plant before to green-thumbed veterans. There are even pet-friendly plant gifts you can buy for those teachers you know have little creatures in their households. The Sill also has regular deals on plants that you can snag (be it for someone else or yourself), so you dont have to sacrifice even if youre working with a tight budget.  V.P.

Amazon gift card

Amazon Amazon gift card If youre at a loss over what to get your favorite teacher to show your appreciation, an Amazon gift card is a good catch-all solution. $25 at Amazon

If youre at a loss over what to get your favorite teacher to show your appreciation, an Amazon gift card is a good catch-all solution. Whether its supplies for their classroom, household essentials for their family or just something theyve had on their wish list for themselves, most teachers will find a way to spend a few extra dollars at Amazon (or Walmart, Target or another retailer they prefer).  V.P.

A relaxing video game or two

For teachers who like to wind down with a video game after an aggravating day of work, a recommendation from our list of good relaxing games could make for a gift thats both thoughtful and fun. A couple of standouts: PowerWash Simulator is a game about cleaning grimy environments that has a similar soothing effect as those deep-cleaning videos on YouTube, while Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is a delightful puzzle game from Nintendo about exploring and reexamining diorama-like levels from new angles.  J.D.
The Biden administration is rescinding its threat to strip a Catholic hospital system in Oklahoma of federal accreditation if it didn't remove a sacred candle in a hospital chapel.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) informed Saint Francis Health System on Friday that it was backing down from its prior threats and that it was free to keep the sanctuary candle lit, according to The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a law firm representing the hospital system.

"The government has seen the light and has abandoned its attempt to force an Oklahoma hospital to blow out a small candle or stop serving elderly, disabled and low-income patients," said Lori Windham, a vice president and senior counsel at Becket. "[HHS] has told Saint Francis that it can keep its living flame  a sacred candle housed in the hospital chapels."

"The government knew it was playing with fire  today it announced its decision to allow the living flame so Saint Francis can continue to serve God and its community, as it always has," Windham added.

FBI SOUGHT TO DEVELOP SOURCES IN CATHOLIC CHURCHES TO COMBAT DOMESTIC TERRORISM, DOCS SHOW

Barry Steichen, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Saint Francis, said the sacred candle represents their faith in God as they help patients.

HHS' decision Friday to abandon its attempt to punish Saint Francis Health System came days after Windham sent a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and other senior agency officials, warning that Becket was prepared to file a federal lawsuit on behalf of the hospital to defend its use of the candle.

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BIDEN DOJ RECOMMENDS NO JAIL TIME FOR TRANS VANDAL OF CATHOLIC CHURCH: F--- CATHOLICS

Becket was forced to intervene after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an HHS subagency, stood by its determination in April that the candle posed a fire threat and that, if it wasn't removed, the agency would strip Saint Francis Hospital System of its ability to accept Medicare, Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program.

"You have threatened to deny accreditation because Saint Francis keeps a candle  an eternal flame  in its hospital sanctuary," Windham wrote Tuesday.

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"For 15 years, that flame has burned without problem or concern in Saint Francis Hospital South in Tulsa; and for 63 years, the eternal flame has burned at Saint Francis Hospital Yale Campus, the largest hospital in the state of Oklahoma, without problem or concern," she continued.

A CMS spokesperson said that the agency ultimately decided to back down after it met with hospital officials on Thursday.

"On May 4, CMS hosted a meeting with the hospital and the independent accreditation organization that made the safety finding," the spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "The parties agreed on mitigation steps so the hospital can maintain the sanctuary candle."

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra testifies before the Senate Finance Committee on March 22, 2023

Saint Francis Health System, the 12th-largest hospital in the U.S., takes in about 400,000 patients on an annual basis, has given away more than $650 million worth of free medical care in the past five years and employs more than 11,000 Oklahomans. The system is composed of seven different facilities across the state.

And a delegation of Oklahoma lawmakers  including GOP Sens. James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin and GOP Reps. Kevin Hern, Tom Cole, Frank Lucas, Stephanie Bice and Josh Brecheen  cheered the Biden administration's decision Friday to back down.

"CMS inexplicably threatened to revoke Saint Francis Hospitals accreditation because of a religious eternal flame, which is unrelated to healthcare," the lawmakers said in a statement. "St. Francis is a Catholic hospital seeking to serve all who need care in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was a violation of religious freedom  a bedrock of our nations founding."

"Our Oklahoma Delegation immediately worked to stop this injustice and was thankfully successful," they continued. "The sight of an eternal flame is to give hope we will not allow any federal agency to extinguish Oklahomans right to exercise their freedom of religion  especially in a time of need. Well now get to work to ensure this doesnt happen anywhere or to anyone else."

HHS didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Joe Biden has a vision for the next stage of his administrations pandemic response  if only he can find someone to lead it.

A week before Biden is set to declare an end to the nations public health emergency and dissolve his current Covid team, the White House still hasn't found a director to run the new office charged with keeping up the fight, four people with knowledge of the matter told POLITICO.

The fledgling Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response was intended to serve as a permanent command center for federal efforts to keep Covid under control, coordinate pandemic work across the government and guard against future public health threats.

The team would be central to the development of next-generation vaccines and, critically for Biden's campaign prospects, responsible for preventing a Covid resurgence that could spoil his reelection run.

But the White Houses search for a top official to lead the office has been hindered by concerns over whether it will have the influence within the administration and the financial resources needed to fulfill its broad mission  especially as Covid plummets down the list of political priorities.





They approached everyone, said one of the people with knowledge of the matter, all of whom were granted anonymity to discuss the search process.

The slow progress now threatens to dash Biden aides hopes of orchestrating a May 11 handoff from the current Covid team to the incoming pandemic preparedness chief, a way to reassure Americans that the White House is still closely monitoring the virus even as it dismantles its emergency response apparatus.

Its also alarmed outside public health experts who worry the Covid teams dissolution will create a vacuum at the governments highest levels, increasing the odds of strategic missteps and further diminishing political will in the White House and on Capitol Hill to continue the battle against Covid. While Congress authorized the creation of the new pandemic preparedness office late last year, it did not put any new funding behind it.



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I dont know what the plan is going to be, said Ezekiel Emanuel, a bioethicist who advised Bidens transition team on Covid. So many things are going away, and its not clear either side  the Republican Party or the Democrats  are really sussing out what the whole situation will require.

In a statement, spokesperson Kelly Scully said the White House is standing up the office "as required by law" and that the office would work with the Department of Health and Human Services "and other agencies on continued COVID response work  including prep for future surges." It will also be the White House's lead division for other pandemic preparedness efforts, she said.

Among the candidates that Biden officials have pitched on the job is Food and Drug Administration Chief Medical Officer Hilary Marston, who turned down the role, the people with knowledge of the matter said. Marston had previously worked on the White House's global Covid response and directed the National Security Council's medical and biodefense preparedness efforts.

The White House currently is in talks with Tom Inglesby, a former White House Covid team member and current director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. Officials also have discussed the possibility of promoting Dawn OConnell, who runs the preparedness and response office at HHS.

Others floated senior Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Demetre Daskalakis as a candidate on the strength of his largely successful turn helping coordinate the administrations mpox response  though he remains a long-shot candidate.

FDA spokesperson Michael Felberbaum declined to comment on Marston's behalf. Inglesby and Daskalakis did not respond to requests for comment. HHS referred questions about the search process to the White House.



In the interim, a few of the remaining Covid team members are expected to transfer to the pandemic preparedness office to function as a skeleton crew. But Covid response coordinator Ashish Jha plans to resign later this month, raising the prospect that the White House could temporarily be without a pandemic czar for the first time since Biden took office.

White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and his deputy Natalie Quillian have personally led the effort to shape the pandemic preparedness teams structure and ambitions, mindful that administrations rarely get the opportunity to create an entirely new White House office.

Zients, who was Bidens first Covid response coordinator, has also emphasized the need for the White House to stay involved in the pandemic response effort even as it declares the public health emergency over. There is fear the government may otherwise miss signals of a resurgence that could plunge the U.S. back into crisis  as well as undermine Biden's case for reelection.

In addition to supervising the ongoing Covid response, the new office is charged with advising Biden on other pandemic and biological threats and ensuring the administration maintains the supplies and procedures needed to respond to future public health crises. Rather than hurriedly appointing a czar to grapple with emergencies like Ebola, mpox and Covid, the pandemic preparedness director would serve as the de facto coordinator for whatever new threat might emerge.

"This is a critical resource to ensuring there is awareness for biopreparedness at the highest level," said Saskia Popescu, an epidemiologist and assistant professor in George Mason University's biodefense program, adding that among its chief jobs will be breaking "a cycle of neglect in preparedness efforts."

Still, the top job is proving a difficult sell amid worries the director will get stuck with a long to-do list and little influence to get it done.

Biden's distance from the pandemic issues that once drove his candidacy may even end up being physically apparent too, officials have noted. In the administration's initial discussions, the preparedness office was tentatively slated to be housed not in the West Wing or even the Eisenhower Executive Office building next door, but in the New Executive Office Building across the street.

The new office also has no funding of its own, meaning its success will depend on wrangling cooperation out of a health department whose leaders have previously bristled at the White Houses heavy-handed role in setting the administrations pandemic priorities.



And in an ominous early sign, the White House offices most immediate Covid goal  overseeing the development of next-generation vaccines  is tied to a $5 billion pot that health experts worry Congress could end up clawing back as part of a compromise deal on the debt ceiling.

So much of what theyre looking toward in terms of preparedness is through next-gen [vaccines], said Michael Osterholm, an epidemiologist and former Biden transition Covid adviser. If we have a misstep in trying to get early work done for new vaccines then thatll be a big challenge  and that again will fall back on being their responsibility.

It all amounts to a job with few clear advantages  and all of the blame if Covid comes roaring back or the government is caught off-guard by a public health emergency once again.

"The challenge for the office going forward is, is the next big one 100 years from now or two years from now?" said Bob Wachter, chair of the department of medicine at the University of California at San Francisco. "And of course, you have no idea."
NEW YORK  The Biden administration on Friday cleared New Yorks congestion pricing plan to move forward, approving an environmental review that suffered such significant delays many doubted the first-in-the-nation tolling system would ever happen.

The Federal Highway Administration issued a letter approving the New York Metropolitan Transportations Authority environmental assessment and issued a draft Finding of No Significant Impact that will now be up for public review for 30 days, according to a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO.

The news means the agency has been given the green light to start charging drivers entering central Manhattan at peak times in an effort to cut down on gridlock.

MTA officials have said they would need almost a year to set up the new tolling infrastructure once it obtains federal approval, putting it on track to meet its current target of launching congestion pricing in the second quarter of 2024.

A spokesperson for Gov. Kathy Hochul said the finding is a critical step that will allow our Environmental Assessment to be publicly available for anyone to read, and we will continue to work with our partners to move congestion pricing forward.

Governor Hochul is committed to implementing congestion pricing to reduce traffic, improve air quality, and support our public transit system, John Lindsay, a spokesperson for Hochul, said in a statement. Weve worked closely with partners across government and with community members over the last four years to develop a plan that will achieve these goals.

Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy condemned the approval as "unfair and ill-advised," and said it undercuts the Biden administration's own environmental goals. He also said his office is "closely assessing all legal options" because the current plan burdens commuters, state agencies and the environment.

"Everyone in the region deserves access to more reliable mass transit, but placing an unjustified financial burden on the backs of hardworking New Jersey commuters is wrong," Murphy said in a statement. "Simply put, it is a money grab."

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However, the Federal Highway Administration said it determined the environmental assessment addresses public input and considers the impacts in the 28-county area in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

"Congestion pricing is a generational opportunity to make it easier for people to get around in, and get to, the Central Business District, by reducing traffic and funding improvements to the public transit system, said John McCarthy, a spokesperson for the MTA.

The public transit authority hasnt determined how much to charge drivers, but has considered fares ranging from $9 to $23 for passenger vehicles and between $12 and $82 for trucks. The scenarios contemplate different combinations of potential discounts, credits and exemptions.

A six-member Traffic Mobility Review Board will recommend a final pricing structure for the MTA board to approve. Members include major real estate and business leaders such as Kathy Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City that represents area corporations, and John Banks, the former president of the Real Estate Board of New York.

The state approved congestion pricing in 2019 to raise $1 billion annually for the MTAs capital plan. But officials waited more than a year for the Trump administration to determine what kind of environmental review they had to conduct before launching the program. Federal approval is required because the plan involves placing tolls on highways that have received federal funding.

Transit officials said the Trump administration held up the process amid political infighting with New York, with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo once stating it was retribution for the state's refusal to hand over driver's license records to federal immigration authorities. In 2021, the Biden administration said New York could conduct an environmental assessment, instead of a more rigorous environmental impact study.

The new tolling system  which will come on top of existing charges for the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln and Holland tunnels  has also drawn opposition from a bipartisan coalition of suburban lawmakers in New York and New Jersey. Its expected to face legal challenges, as Murphy suggested.
President Biden is expected to recommend Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff as Army Gen. Mark Milley's four-year term approaches its end.

If nominated and confirmed by the Senate, Brown, who currently serves as the chief of staff of the Air Force, would become the second black man in the position. Army Gen. Colin Powell, who was appointed to the post by former President George H.W. Bush in 1989, was the first.

Though Brown was long expected to become the 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Biden also interviewed Gen. David Berger, the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Brown's expected nomination was first reported Thursday by Politico, the WSJ said.

SENATE CONFIRMS CHARLES BROWN AS AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF, MAKING HIM FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICAN SERVICE CHIEF

Though the chairmanship does not follow a strict rotation between branches, it was unlikely that another Army general would be nominated to succeed Milley. It also appeared to be unlikely that a sailor would be nominated for the position since the current Joint Chiefs vice chairman is Navy Admiral Christopher Grady.

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As expected, the White House and defense officials have been quiet on Brown's potential nomination, releasing limited details in statements to media outlets.

"When President Biden makes a final decision, he will inform the person selected and then announce it publicly," the White House said via the WSJ. "That hasnt happened yet."

If confirmed, Brown would be sworn into office on Oct. 1, the day after Milley's term ends.

CHINA ON DISTURBING PATH TO ECLIPSE US MILITARY BY MID-CENTURY, MILLEY WARNS

Brown's resume includes 26 assignments during his nearly 40 years of service in the Air Force. He was promoted to his current rank as a four-star general on July 26, 2018, according to his biography on the USAF website.

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During his decades in the military, Brown has commanded a ghter squadron, the U.S. Air Force Weapons School, two ghter wings and U.S. Air Forces Central Command. He is also a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 combat hours.

Prior to becoming the Air Force Chief of Staff in August 2020, he was stationed at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii in the following roles: commander of the Pacific Air Forces, air component commander for U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and executive director of Pacific Air Combat Operations Staff.

As chairman, Brown would inherit a Pentagon facing notable domestic and foreign issues, including its submersion in Russia's war on Ukraine, competition with China in the Indo-Pacific and challenges within U.S. military recruitment.

The last time an Air Force general served as the Pentagon's top officer was in the early 2000s when former President George W. Bush appointed Gen. Richard Myers to become the 15th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He sworn into office in October 2001.
President Biden and Vice President Harris took a quick jaunt to Northeast Washington to pick up tacos for Cinco de Mayo on Friday.

Their surprise and unplanned trip outside of the White House was to Taqueria Habanero, a Mexican restaurant in the Bryant Street shopping mall.

The president ordered a chicken quesadilla, churros and an assortment of tacos for White House staff, according to the White House.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris pose for photos with the staff at Taqueria Habanero restaurant, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Harris ordered mole enchiladas with chicken and an assortment of food for staff, as well, according to her office.

Biden and Harris took photographs with staff behind the register and in the kitchen when they arrived. They spent a few minutes inside the restaurant mingling with guests, including two young children and their parents.

On his way out, Biden waved to the crowd and held up the to-go bag when asked about his order.

There are no plans for the White House to host a Cinco de Mayo event this year, but they hosted a celebration last year that involved Beatriz Gutierrez Muller, wife of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.

President Joe Biden speaks with workers at Taqueria Habanero restaurant on Friday, May 5, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

The president also visited a local restaurant in D.C. to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in 2021. At the time, he used the visit to Taqueria Las Gemelas, a restaurant in Northeast D.C.s Union Market, to highlight a restaurant assistance program as part of his coronavirus relief package.

 Updated 2:11 p.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Jet trainer in field carrier landing practice

China Military Online) 09:13, May 05, 2023

A jet trainer attached to a training regiment of the PLA Naval Aviation University takes off in an assessment on field carrier landing practice (FCLP) recently. (eng.chinamil.com.cn/Photo by Lan Pengfei)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Rochelle Walensky, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, speaks during the COVID Federal Response Hearing on Capitol Hill on June 16, 2022, in Washington, D.C.. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images North America/TNS)

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition.

Walenskys last day will be June 30, CDC officials said, and an interim director wasnt immediately named. She sent a resignation letter to President Joe Biden and announced the decision at a CDC staff meeting.

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Walensky, 54, has been the agencys director for a little over two years. In her letter to Biden, she expressed mixed feelings about the decision and didnt say exactly why she was stepping down, but said the nation is at a moment of transition as emergency declarations come to an end.

I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career, she wrote.

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The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, and the U.S. public health emergency declaration will expire next week. Deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest point since the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020.

The CDC, with a $12 billion budget and more than 12,000 employees. is an Atlanta-based federal agency charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats.

Walensky, previously an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, had no experience running a government health agency when she was sworn in on the first day of the Biden administration.

She came with a reputation as a prominent voice on the pandemic, sometimes criticizing certain aspects of how the government was responding. She was brought in to raise morale at the CDC, to rebuild public trust in the agency and to improve its sometimes-bumbling response to the pandemic.

She started a center for forecasting and outbreak analytics, took steps to modernize data and improve the public health work force. Last year, she began a reorganization designed to make the agency more nimble and to improve its communications with the public.

But there have been stumbles during her tenure too.

In the spring of 2021, Walensky said fully vaccinated people could stop wearing masks in many settings, only to reverse course as the then-new delta variant spread. And in December 2021, the agencys decision to shorten isolation and quarantine caught many by surprise and caused confusion.

In a statement, White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients praised her performance.

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Her creativity, skill and expertise, and pure grit were essential to our effective response and an historic recovery that made life better for Americans across the country, Zients said.
President Joe Biden announced on Friday that Neera Tanden will serve as the next head of his domestic policy council.

Tanden, a longtime prominent Democratic operative, will replace Susan Rice, who plans to leave the administration later this month. Tanden has spent the last year-and-a-half as senior adviser and staff secretary in the White House, after her initial nomination to run the Office of Management and Budget faltered in the face of Senate opposition.

"While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as Domestic Policy Advisor," Biden said in a statement announcing the move. "I know those insights will serve my Administration and the American people well."

In addition, the White House announced that Stef Feldman, a longtime Biden aide dating back to the Obama administration, will replace Tanden in the role of staff secretary.

The decision to elevate Tanden comes as Biden prepares a reelection campaign that will rely, in part, on the effective implementation of a slate of domestic policy accomplishments spanning infrastructure, climate and health care. The Domestic Policy Council under Rice had also played a central role in devising the administrations strategy for replacing Title 42, the strict Trump-era border policy thats set to lift next week.

Tanden has extensive experience in Democratic policy circles, having previously run the sprawling progressive think tank Center for American Progress. She also did a stint as a senior health official in the Obama administration, where she played a role in crafting the Affordable Care Act.

Still, her selection is likely to be met with trepidation from Republicans and even some Democrats who found themselves the targets at times of her once-combative Twitter account.

It was her tweeting that led to staunch opposition from Republicans and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) to her initial nomination to run OMB. The Domestic Policy Council role does not require Senate confirmation.

Tanden did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
President Biden announced Friday that Neera Tanden will be his new domestic policy adviser, replacing outgoing adviser Susan Rice.

Tanden, who has served as assistant to the president and staff secretary, will be replaced by Stefanie Feldman. Feldman, a longtime Biden adviser, is deputy assistant to the president and senior adviser to the White House domestic policy adviser.

I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education, Biden said in a statement.

He noted that Tanden will be the first Asian American to lead any of the three major White House policy councils in history. Tanden was previously president and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund.

Biden had nominated Tanden to head the Office of Management and Budget in 2021 at the start of his administration. She withdrew her nomination after not getting support from centrist Senate Democrats amid controversy, which stemmed from her time at the Center for American Progress. She had written risky tweets, including one comparing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to the Harry Potter character Voldemort.

Tanden previously worked as senior adviser for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services under former President Obama.

She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform. While growing up, Neera relied on some of the critical programs that she will oversee as Domestic Policy Advisor, and I know those insights will serve my Administration and the American people well, Biden said in his statement.

Tanden also has had her hands in campaigns, and her promotion to domestic policy adviser comes a week after the president launched his reelection bid. She was director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign and policy director for Hillary Clintons presidential campaign.

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The president announced last month that Rice would step down from her role. She has been domestic policy adviser since the start of the administration and has handled politically charged issues from gun violence to student loans.

Feldman worked for Biden when he was vice president, after the Obama administration at the University of Delaware, on the Biden campaign in 2020, and then at the White House. Biden noted she is one of his longest-serving and most trusted advisors.

Biden also announced Friday that Zayn Siddique will be promoted to principal deputy of the Domestic Policy Council. Siddique was previously deputy assistant to the president for economic mobility.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said Friday that former President Donald Trump's presidency would be a "horror show" if he were re-elected because his former boss lacks the "discipline" as well as the "ability for strategic thinking" needed to get things done.

"It is a horror show, you know, when he's left to his own devices," Barr said in remarks at the City Club of Cleveland in Ohio on Friday.

"If you believe in his policies, what he's advertising is his policies, he's the last person who could actually execute them and achieve them," Barr said to a reporter who asked if Trump is fit to be president again.

The reporter noted that some voters say they want Trump re-elected for his policies and are willing to overlook his mistakes as president in his last term.

FOX NEWS POLL: TRUMP STILL TOP 2024 REPUBLICAN PREFERENCE, DESANTIS SLIPPING

Former Attorney General Bill Barr said former President Donald Trump lacks "discipline" and "ability for strategic thinking."

"He does not have the discipline," Barr replied. "He does not have the ability for strategic thinking and linear thinking or setting priorities or how to get things done in the system."

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BILL BARR: TRUMP AND I HAVE OUR 'DIFFERENCES' BUT PROSECUTION IS 'UNJUST TREATMENT' LIKE RUSSIAGATE

Attorney General Bill Barr and President Donald Trump attend a signing ceremony for an executive order establishing the Task Force on Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 26, 2019.

"And, and so you may want his policies. But Trump will not deliver Trump policies," Barr said.

"He will deliver chaos, and if anything lead to a backlash that will set his policies much further back than they otherwise would be."

BILL BARR SET TO BATTLE BIDENS BUREAUCRACY THROUGH NEW LEGAL PROJECT FOCUSED ON EXCESSIVE REGULATION

According to recent Fox News polling, Trump is the favored candidate for the Republicans in 2024, even ahead of popular Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to announce his candidacy but is widely rumored to be considering a run.

Barr served as attorney general under Trump from 2019 to 2020. He was also attorney general during the George H. W. Bush administration.
(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia is the largest democracy in the world without a law to protect its domestic workers. That may be about to change, with a bill that also paves the way to better rights for millions of Indonesians in places such as Hong Kong and Singapore. But at home, many domestic employees will miss out on the laws protections completely.

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Almost 5 million domestic staff serve as the invisible backbone of Southeast Asias largest economy, looking after upper-middle-class homes and freeing richer Indonesians to pursue more lucrative careers. But they are often physically and socially isolated, leaving them particularly vulnerable to exploitation, assault and modern slavery.

The Domestic Workers Protection Bill, which President Joko Widodo aims to pass into law this month, gives household employees  three-quarters of whom are women  more of the rights afforded to formal workers.

Without it, slavery will be much more entrenched in Indonesian mindsets, said Lita Anggraini, the countrys leading activist on domestic workers rights.

She sees the bill as an important protection against the idea that anything is acceptable for a domestic worker.

Siti Khotimah, 24, is an example of just how bad things can get. She was just four months into working for a family in an affluent southern Jakarta neighborhood when her employer chained her, beat her and doused her with boiling water as punishment for a minor theft.

In the months that followed, she was forced to work up to 21 hours a day, her mobile phone was confiscated and her monthly pay of 2 million rupiah ($134)  less than 50% of Jakartas minimum wage  was withheld.

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I want to forget everything, but I cant, Khotimah said in an interview. The treatment she received during her eight-month stint as a domestic worker left her limping and desperate to return to her home, more than 300 kilometers away.

I no longer want to work outside the village, she said. Im traumatized.

Khotimahs case is an extreme one, and her employers have been charged with domestic violence and deprivation of liberty. But household staff currently have little or no recourse if employers fail to pay the agreed salary or expect round-the-clock service.

For nearly two decades, a bill to protect them has languished in parliament. Local customs that blur the line between employment and honorable service have been a stumbling block. Ngenger, for instance, is a Javanese tradition in which wealthy families take care of poorer relatives children. In return, the children carry out household chores.

Many policymakers have expressed concern that the bill will criminalize employers who engage in such practices, which advocates say helps poorer children to climb the social ladder through association with their richer relatives.

In no other country will you find this culture of employing nephews as domestic workers, said Law and Human Rights Vice Minister Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej. We have some local cultural practices that differ with other countries, and its important to accommodate those.

Policymakers are usually members of the upper-middle class themselves, Anggraini says, and may have four or five household staff of their own.

In reality, the majority of lawmakers are employers, she said. They see themselves more as employers, rather than representatives of the people. So there is a conflict of interest.

After months of pressure from workers, activists and the president himself, the latest round of discussions about the bill began in late March. For Jokowi, as the president is known, passing a law before he steps down next year would fulfil a campaign promise he made back in 2014.

Read More: Indonesian Ruling Partys Presidential Pick Seen as Natural Successor to Jokowi

The bill requires employers and agents to uphold promised wages and working hours, and punishes physical assault with up to eight years imprisonment or fines of as much as 125 million rupiah ($8,233), according to a draft reviewed by Bloomberg. It also recognizes domestic helpers right to training, health insurance and social security.

For the employees it applies to, the bill meets many of the terms of the International Labour Organization Convention on Domestic Workers. Regulators and workers expect other policies  such as Indonesias existing commitments to end child labor and eradicate domestic violence  to fill some of the gaps.

However, the bill falls short of setting a minimum wage and working age, or capping working hours. Issues such as unionization also remain uncovered.

And theres another, bigger catch. Domestic workers who are hired directly by a household, rather than via an employment agency, are not covered by the bill at all. Direct employees account for roughly 40% of all domestic staff, according to Anggraini.

Lawmakers felt it would be very difficult to enforce stringent labor regulations on direct hires given the informal nature of their employment, said Willy Aditya, who is leading the parliamentary team drafting the bill.

Direct hires must be reported to the local neighborhood head, Aditya said, but their living conditions are dependant on an approach of mutual help and humanity.

Many lawmakers, including Indonesias first female parliamentary speaker, Puan Maharani, initially resisted the bill citing concerns about customs such as ngenger. Maharani said she wanted to avoid controversy.

Vice Minister Hiariej did not respond to requests for comment about the issue of direct hires.

Still, the bill is a first step to improving protections for domestic workers in Indonesia. And as the countrys middle class expands, the number of household staff is expected to grow too. Around half a million joined the sector between 2008 and 2015, according to the ILO.

New regulations may also become a useful governmental bargaining chip in negotiating better conditions for Indonesians overseas. The nation is one of the worlds biggest sources of domestic staff, with 3.6 million of its citizens employed in wealthier homes around the world, mainly in Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

Were sending a message to the world that Indonesian domestic workers get proper protections, Vice Minister Hiariej said. We always ask other countries to protect our domestic workers, and to ask that, we need a law ourselves.

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A Binghamton man who admitted taking part in a home invasion robbery last summer in which shots were fired will spent more than a decade in prison.

Johnathon R. Aldrich was sentenced Friday in Broome County Court to 14 years in state prison, followed by five years of post-release supervision.

The sentence comes after Aldrich pleaded guilty to felony counts of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree robbery, first-degree burglary, and other related charges.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred July 31, 2022, in the Town of Dickinson.

Aldrich and another individual forcibly entered a residence on Bevier Street, threatened the occupants, and stole money and handguns, according to prosecutors.

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During the course of the robbery a firearm was discharged, but nobody was hit.

Aldrich, who police said was known to the victim, and the other man fled the scene. They were apprehended shortly after by New York State Police in the City of Binghamton. The firearms were recovered.

"The minimum sentence under New York state law for this crime is five years, however, the severity of the crime warrants this lengthy state prison sentence," Broome County District Attorney Michael Korchak said.

The Binghamton Police Department assisted in the investigation. Senior Assistant District Attorney Elizabeth M. Chirco prosecuted the case for the District Attorney's Office.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Bevier Street home invasion: Binghamton man sentenced in armed robbery
A man on Tuesday was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the killing of three people at a Birmingham church dinner in June.

Robert Findlay Smith, 71, pleaded guilty to capital murder and waived his right to appeal, AL.com reported.

Smith was indicted in the June 16, 2022, shootings of Walter Bart Rainey, 84, of Irondale; Sarah Yeager, 75, of Pelham; and Jane Pounds, 84, of Hoover. They were killed during a potluck dinner at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, a community just southeast of Birmingham.

FILE - This booking photo released by the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Ala., shows Robert Findlay Smith, who was charged with capital murder on June 17, 2022, in a shooting that killed three people at an Alabama church. On Tuesday, May 2, 2023, Smith was sentenced to life without parole in the shooting deaths. He entered his plea before Jefferson County Circuit Judge Kandice Pickett and waived his right to appeal, AL.com reported. (Jefferson County Jail via AP, File)

I relive the night of June 16 over and over and over, and I probably always will, said Linda Rainey, whose husband was killed. My heart tells me the shooter will also relive that night over and over.

Defense attorney Emory Anthony apologized on behalf of Smith: Were so thankful to the families of each one of those victims because they agreed to allow him to plead to life. He could have been facing the death penalty. So they did not just talk about being Christians, they acted as Christians. I know its hurtful to each one of the family members, but we say thanks to each one of them.

Neither Anthony nor the prosecutors office said they knew why Smith opened fire that night.

I believe hes remorseful, Anthony said.

Police responded to St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Vestavia Hills, one of Alabamas two most populous cities, on a report of an active shooter. There were about 25 people at the Boomers Potluck, including Smith, who had previously attended the church and at least one of the dinners.

Smith was sitting alone, and a longtime church member approached him and invited him to sit at a table, said the Rev. Doug Carpenter, who founded the church in 1973 and retired in 2005. He identified himself to victim Rainey only as Mr. Smith and refused to join them.

Smith then pulled a handgun and shot three people, according to authorities. Jim Musgrove, a church member, hit the shooter with a chair and wrestled the gun away from him.

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Rainey was pronounced dead at the scene. Yeager and Pounds were taken to a hospital where they later died.

This type of senseless murder of three innocent people is certainly a case our office would typically try in front of a jury and seek the death penalty, however, that was not the wish of the three families in this case, District Attorney Danny Carr said. After much discussion, thought and prayer, the families were unanimous that they would prefer a plea of guilty to capital murder and a life without parole sentence.

This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: Birmingham church gunman who killed three receives life sentence
Snake bite season has begun, and local emergency department doctors have already been treating bites for a few weeks.

Dr. Charles Gerardo, emergency medical specialist with Duke Health who specializes in snake bites, has already seen four patients this year. As temperatures climb and we start spending more time outside, the number of snakebites will increase, bringing three to four snakebite patients to hospitals per week.

Copperheads, a venomous pit viper that calls North Carolina home, will do most of that biting here.

Treating these bites can be expensive. But international snake experts who work at Duke Health and WakeMed want to make one message clear: Always seek care.

Costs aside, purely medically speaking, the risk-to-benefit ratio clearly favors treatment, even for mild bites, Gerardo said.

Some people say, Because of the cost, Im going to wait and see if it progresses. Theres good evidence that the vast majority of the time, early treatment is better.

Only about 25% of patients require antivenom as part of their treatment, said Dr. Ryan Lamb of UNC Health Rex, through a spokesperson.

The News & Observer spoke with emergency medical professionals and billing experts at Triangle hospitals to understand how much snakebite treatment, including expensive antivenom, costs this year. Heres what we learned.

How much does snake antivenom cost?

The N&O spoke with UNC Health, Duke Health and WakeMed to learn the market price of antivenom:

 At Duke Heath: The N&O reported in 2020 that a 12 vials of antivenom  double the typical initial dose,  cost $200,000. This figure is no longer accurate, said Kuldip Patel, Duke Healths senior associate chief pharmacy officer, through a spokesperson.

There is a distinction between any medications market price and what might be billed. Ultimately, the market price for antivenom is not what a patient pays, Patel said.

Like any medication or health service, factors like insurance, ability to pay and charity care are all considered before a patient is billed.

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 At WakeMed: The charge price per vial of CroFab antivenom is between $11,000 and $14,000. But patients rarely, if ever, pay the full amount, said spokesperson Kristin Kelly.

The term charges is not interchangeable with payments, as charges do not reflect the out-of-pocket or co-pay cost that a patient is ultimately expected to cover. Out-of-pocket costs can vary greatly, she said.

 At UNC Health: A typical charge would range from $40,000 to $70,000 for the typical initial dose of four to six vials, said spokesperson Alan Wolf. The charge per vial ranges from $11,000 to $13,000.

Is antivenom covered by insurance?

Yes. Blue Cross Blue Shield, North Carolinas largest insurance provider, covers copperhead snake bite care and the antivenom, as do most carriers.

Its typically considered emergency care. Co-pays and deductibles according to a members plan apply.

Theres evidence that most snake bite patients, over 75%, have some sort of insurance coverage, Dukes Gerardo said.

This large copperhead snake was spotted by Theresa Westerman in her backyard.

Do hospitals offer discounts to patients who receive antivenom?

Yes. Heres how Triangle hospitals manage patient payments:

 At UNC Health: Most insurance plans cover antivenom treatment. Uninsured patients are able to work with the hospital systems financial navigators for help with payment programs that result in a significantly discounted cost, Wolf said.

For UNC Healths financial assistance program, visit unchealth.org/records-insurance/financial-assistance-programs.

 At Duke Health: Patients can connect with financial care counselors to help evaluate qualifications for financial resources, Patel said.

For details about Duke Healths financial assistance program, visitdukehealth.org/paying-for-care/financial-assistance.

 At WakeMed: The hospital has a Financial Assistance program designed to help many patients who are unable to pay (or uninsured) handle their medical bills, Kelly said.

Plus, uninsured patients are offered automatic discounts for physician services and hospital services that arent covered under any other pre-arranged discount.

For details about WakeMeds financial assistance program, visit wakemed.org/patients-and-visitors/billing-and-insurance/financial-assistance.

How much will I pay for antivenom treatment?

On average, a patients out of pocket cost for an antivenom medication is significantly below the market price, Duke Healths Patel said.

A patients financial responsibility depends on several factors. This can include:

How much antivenom is needed.

A patients co-payment, coinsurance and deductible obligations.

A patients maximum out of pocket responsibility.

Whether the insurer contracts with the hospital and details of the negotiated discount.

A couple of real life examples:

 In 2020, a teenager was bitten by a copperhead in Hillsborough. He needed 12 vials of antivenom, which cost about $200,000, The N&O reported at the time. His fathers insurance brought the out-of-pocket cost to $175.

 Last year, a Raleigh woman received a copperhead bite on her finger. Her copay for her Emergency Room visit came out to $1,250 with her insurance.

While the cost of treatment is still relatively high, the advent of two competing antivenoms available  CroFab and Anavip  has dropped the cost of the treatment to most facilities by more than 50%, Gerardo told The N&O last year.

At Hilton Head Island Hospital, the black line on her hand was used to measure swelling over time from the copperhead snakebite on Carolyn Bivens Cotes left index finger.

What makes snakebite care so expensive?

Snakebite care can require more than just antivenom. If youre checked into the hospital for a venomous snake bite, heres what you may require:

 Strong pain medication: An envenomated copperhead bite can come with impressively severe pain. Theres a significant amount of venom in the tissue, which is attacking and destroying it, said Dr. Ben German, WakeMed emergency physician and medical professional with the international Snake Bite Foundation.

It often requires strong pain medications in the emergency department. Antivenom can do the job, but its common to take additional medication to cope with that pain.

 Overnight visit(s): A venomous snake bite is at its worst between the 24 and 48 hour mark, German said. This means you may need to stay in the hospital for treatment and observation for one full night, though you may need two or more.

 Labwork: X-rays and other additional testing may contribute to your hefty hospital bill, German said.

What to do if bitten by a snake, copperhead

IF YOU HAVE BEEN BITTEN BY A SNAKE, YOU SHOULD:

Sit down and stay calm.

Gently wash the bite area with warm, soapy water.

Remove any jewelry or tight clothing near the bite site.

Keep the bitten area still, if possible, and raise it to heart level.

Call the NC Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222.

Note: If a snakebite victim is having chest pain, difficulty breathing, face swelling or has lost consciousness, call 911 immediately.

IF BITTEN BY A SNAKE, YOU SHOULD NOT:

Cut the bitten area to try to drain the venom. This can worsen the injury.

Ice the area. Icing causes additional tissue damage.

Apply a tourniquet or any tight bandage. Its actually better for the venom to flow through the body than for it to stay in one area.

Suck on the bite or use a suction device to try to remove the venom.

Attempt to catch or kill the snake.

(Source: NC Poison Control)

Ask the N&O

Have a question youd like answered? Or maybe a tip or story idea youd like to share? The News & Observers Service Journalism team wants to hear from you. For useful and practical information from our staff, reach us by submitting questions to our form or sending an email to ask@newsobserver.com.

Its copperhead season in NC. Heres what to know about the common venomous snake.

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Next Sunday, May 14, the Dunns Josephine Hotel at 1028 NW Third Ave. will have a Mothers Day Brunch to honor the Sunlight School of Beauty Culture and the generations of young Black women who attended it. The school in Overtown opened in 1936 and had closed by the mid-1970s.

The brunch will be at the Overtown Performing Arts Center, 1074 NW Third Ave.

We are doing this brunch to recognize the contributions of Black beauty culture. And the impact that it has in our community, said Metris Batts, chief operating officer at the hotel.

Our theme is, Black Beauty as an Act of Resistance. We chose the theme because we learned that back in the day, many Black domestic workers wanted a better life. Many of them could not afford to go out of town to college, so Sunlight School of Beauty Culture was their way out.

The brunch is only a part of the event. Inside the hotel, we have created a 1940s-style beauty salon to honor Sunlight, Batts said.

Imani Warren, the creator of the project, said, The mission of this project is to educate, engage, and contribute to the local community regarding the Sunlight School of Beauty Culture and its overwhelming efforts of supporting Black commerce, Black economic and Black womens businesses through exhibition, programming and archiving.

Memories of Sunlight School

When I was a child skipping along Northwest Second Avenue in Overtown, one constant landmark was the Sunlight School of Beauty Culture. Back then, it was located at Northwest Eighth Street and Second Avenue, just east of Greater Bethel AME Church.

It was the place where young Black women, who wanted a career in beauty, went to learn from the masters, David and Lurel Julius, founders of the school. One of those young women was the late Doris Rogers Dorsett, who was one of my late moms best friends.

A souvenir program for the Sunlight School of Beauty Cultures graduation ceremony in 1960.

Doll, as we affectionately called her, was the one who did my hair at Easter time and on other special occasions. I can still hear her saying to me, Hold your ear so as not to burn it with the hot comb she used to straighten my kinky hair.

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I am still friends with Dolls surviving children  Nellie Dorsett Green, Floyd, Nathaniel and Virginia Dorsett Payne.

Lydia Walker is another graduate of the school.

An enterprising young woman, Walker, now 102, devised a plan to help fund her education at what was then Florida A&M College in Tallahassee, where she studied nursing. She did this by learning the beauty trade at the Sunlight School.

Later, at FAMC, Walkers dorm room was one of the more popular on campus. It was where the female students went to get their hair done.

Lydia Walker

I spoke to my friend Lydia recently. At 102, she is still sharp and eager to talk about the days when he was in the Womens Army Corps (WAC).

It was during World War II, and Walker was stationed at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania.

The army was segregated, and the Black women had no beauty parlor on base. They had to go into town on their own time off. Often that created a problem, Walker said, because of transportation and time restrictions: The WACs needed to be back on base at a certain time.

Because she was already doing the hair of some of her WAC friends in the barracks, Walker said that she went to her commanding officer and told the officer about the lack of a place on the base for Black women to help keep up their appearance.

The white WACs had a fully equipped beauty salon on the base. There was nothing for us, Walker said. After explaining our plight, the commanding officer made it possible for the Black WACs to have a room on base and set it up with shampoo bowls and stoves to heat straightening combs and curlers.

Walker was then in business  one that she took with her when she served in Germany before receiving an honorable discharge and returning home. In Miami, she also went to work as a nurse at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

A page from A Well-Groomed Beautician, a manual used by students at the Sunlight School of Beauty Culture.

I met Walker more than 40 years ago. We became great friends, and it was Walker, then a nurse at Jackson, who gave me the tip that the late U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., was a patient there. She arranged for me to see him. Although the congressman was in too much pain to be interviewed, he was polite and promised me an interview when he felt better. He died a few days later.

Walker  along with Dr. Gwen Robinson (daughter of David and Lurel Julius), Dr. Enid Pinkney, Dr. Bertha Sneed and LuElla Grayson  will be given special recognition at the Mothers Day Brunch on May 14.

Tickets to the event are $50 each and can be purchased by calling the hotel at 877-571-9311.

Charmettes name scholarship winner

Congratulations to Nadleen Laleau, who is the 2023 recipient of the Charmettes Miami Dade Chapters scholarship award. The annual award was to be presented May 6 at the organizations scholarship breakfast held at the Marco Polo Resort in Sunny Isles Beach.

Laleau earned an associates degree from Miami Dade College and will graduate this spring from Florida International University with a degree in business administration and human resources management.

The theme of the event: Celebrating Generational Excellence. I was honored to be named a co-host along with my goddaughter Joy Oglesby.

In addition to the scholarship award, The Charmettes, Inc. also acknowledged the accomplishments of several humanitarians who have served the community for several generations.

The honorees are Lori Hadley Davis, mortuary science, Hadley Davis Funeral Home; Heather Pascal Binns, retired educator, and Agenoria T. Paschal, educator, Broward County Public Schools.

Also, the Rev. Dr. Alphonso Jackson Sr., pastoral care, Second Baptist Church; the Rev. Alphonso Jackson Jr., pastoral care, New Shiloh Baptist Church; the Rev. Arthur Jackson III, pastoral care, Antioch Baptist Church; Elder Kenneth Duke, mission work, New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church; and the Rev. Dr. Kelon Duke, missions, New Jerusalem Primitive Baptist Church.

Also, Arthur Nelson Sr., travel and tourism, longshoreman; Arthur Nelson, travel and tourism, longshoreman; and Thomas Nelson, travel and tourism, longshoreman.

Alvena Johnson was honored as Charmette of the Year.

The Charmettes is a national civic organization with 20 chapters throughout Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In 2022, the organization donated $50,000 to the University of Miami/Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in honor of Dr. Sophia George and her breast cancer research.

Klezmer concert with the Heavy Shtetl Band

United Jewish Generations, a Chabad organization based in North Miami Beach, will present a Grand Klezmer Concert at 1:30 p.m. on May 9, at the Hallandale Cultural Community Center, 410 SE Third St., in Hallandale.

The concert will feature Zevy Steiger and Aryeh Leib Hurwitz, both world- renowned cantors, and the Heavy Shtetl Klezmer Band. The cantors and the band will delight the audience with authentic klezmer and other great Jewish music.

The Heavy Shtetl Band is the brainchild of Alexander Mikhaylovsky, a violinist from Odessa, Ukraine.

He was only 4 when he learned to play the violin. He graduated from music school with a gold medal and entered the Odessa Music College, where he earned a bachelors degree in music. He later attended the University of Music and Pedagogy in Russia, where he received a masters degree in music in 1990.

Mikhaylovsky has performed with various musical groups including The Miami Symphony Orchestra, the Latin American Chamber Orchestra, the Florida Grand Opera, and the Miami Ballet.

We want everyone to be able to enjoy this beautiful music with the highest-caliber musicians, said Rabbi Menachem Smith, director of United Jewish Generations.

Tickets for the concert are $10 per person and up, and can be purchased online at, www.UnitedJewishGenerations.com/Klezmer, or by calling 954-458-6000.

Reach out to Bea.hines@gmail.com with news for this column.
Black women are nearly three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. (Photo-illustration by Aisha Yousaf; Photos: Getty Images)

When Shalon Irving, who lived in Atlanta, got pregnant in 2016, her mom, Wanda Irving, says was overjoyed about becoming a mother and threw herself into preparing for her baby. As an epidemiologist at the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and a lieutenant commander of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, Shalon didnt fit the bill of being a Black woman at risk of maternal death. At 36 years old, she was relatively young, healthy, educated and had excellent insurance  what could possibly go wrong?

However, as a recent CDC report illustrates, maternal death rates are on the rise in the U.S., spiking significantly in 2021. Black women in particular are nearly three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.

Although Shalon was aware of the national maternal mortality rates prior to having children, Wanda tells Yahoo Life that Shalon felt confident that being healthy and educated, with access to excellent care, would mitigate her risk. She chose her providers based on perceived medical competence and did everything right, Wanda says.

Within four or five days after giving birth to her daughter Soleil, however, Shalon wasnt feeling well. She developed severe headaches, her legs began to swell and her blood pressure skyrocketed. Despite repeated visits to her health care providers, Wanda says her concerns were brushed off since shed just had a baby. But just 21 days after giving birth, Shalon suffered a sudden cardiac arrest at home and died.

Black maternal mortality by the numbers

According to the CDC, in 2019, the maternal mortality rate was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 live births in the U.S. Instead of decreasing, the rate rose to 23.8 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020 and then spiked to 32.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2021. These statistics are even more grim when broken down by ethnicity. For Black women, the maternal mortality rate in 2021 was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births. This is 2.6 times the rate for white women.

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The biggest impact on peoples health and the health care system in the past three years has been the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic also uncovered health disparities at astounding rates.

We saw a lot of maternal deaths from COVID during that time period, Dr. Carol Major, director of maternal fetal medicine at the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine, tells Yahoo Life. COVID was a huge factor in the overall maternal deaths because not only did Black maternal mortality increase, the maternal mortality of all races increased.

Major explains that pregnant women got COVID more easily and they were more likely to become very sick and more likely to die. COVID vaccines, however, improved those outcomes, and even though pregnant women who were vaccinated still got infected, they stopped dying at such high rates. But vaccine hesitancy among Black and brown women kept unvaccinated pregnant women at risk of serious illness and death.

COVID isnt the only factor in maternal mortality rates. These rates are typically centered around three primary health issues: hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders such as preeclampsia and gestational hypertension and preterm birth.

Rochelle Townsend started hemorrhaging after giving birth to her third child in Palm Beach, Fla., in January 2020. This was due to a complication called retained placenta. Townsend shares with Yahoo Life that, other than having a pre-diagnosed blood-clotting issue, her third pregnancy proceeded normally. She recalls being terrified after being rushed off to the emergency room on the brink of a hysterectomy, having lost half her bodys blood volume. Townsend believes that the blood that was initially earmarked for her due to her clotting disorder ultimately saved her life.

She remembers the anesthesiologist at her side. He just reassured me and he kept on rubbing my eyebrows and saying, You're OK, you're gonna be OK, we have you, she says, and he just kept on being at my eye level.

But that level of care is something many Black mothers dont typically experience. Major says that she often senses fear when treating Black expectant patients and makes a point to stay in labor and delivery with them. Theres a lot of hand-holding for a long period of time, she says. I want to make sure that they don't have a bad outcome, and I want to make sure that those patients are treated with respect.

Why Black mothers are at risk

Black women are historically more at risk for maternal death because of systemic racism and how that influences social determinants of health. Redlining, for example, affects where people of color typically live, reflected by poor housing conditions, businesses polluting the air and water, poor-quality hospital health care systems, lower employment opportunities and pay, and underfunded school systems.

Patients who represent these demographics have higher adverse perinatal outcomes, Dr. Kecia Gaither, director of perinatal services/maternal fetal medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx, tells Yahoo Life. Gaither says that air and water pollution increase respiratory illnesses, food deserts contribute to poor nutritional choices, thus poor nutritional status, and poor housing and employment opportunities increase stress  all impact maternal outcomes.

Research also shows that health care providers are the least likely to listen to Black mothers and, according to another study, are more likely to diminish their ability to maintain autonomy and make health care decisions for themselves and their children.

Support for Black expectant mothers

Gaither says that when celebrities of color like Serena Williams share the life-threatening complications they experienced giving birth, it helps raise awareness about the risks Black expectant mothers face.

It can also help influence government officials to consider policy changes that recognize and decrease adverse perinatal outcomes. One such policy is the Black Maternal Health Momnibus act, a proposed federal legislative package sponsored by the Congressional Black Maternal Health Caucus, that would build on existing legislation to make critical investments in social determinants of health that influence maternal health outcomes, like housing, transportation, and nutrition.

Having more Black health care providers, nurses and doulas can also improve patient outcomes. Major says that, in her experience, I have found out that most patients want someone on their team to be a person of color. They feel that they will be better understood if that person taking care of them looks like them.

Another initiative proven to reduce maternal mortality rates for Black women is having a doula. In New York, California and Florida, research shows that Medicaid coverage of doulas improved birthing outcomes. Pregnant people who used doulas had fewer inpatient hospital admissions during pregnancy, lower odds of cesarean delivery, lower overall costs and less likelihood of having babies with low birth rates.

Experts say that advocating for yourself is also crucial. Townsend, who says she is fortunate to have survived, encourages pregnant Black women to ask questions, even when youre afraid. Wanda Irving, who is raising Shalons daughter Soleil by herself and honors her daughters legacy through the work of Dr. Shalons Maternity Action Project, agrees. She advises all expectant Black mothers to listen to their bodies and not be afraid to seek treatment elsewhere if youre not being heard.

Wellness, parenting, body image and more: Get to know the who behind the hoo with Yahoo Life's newsletter. Sign up here.
By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations on Friday failed to authorize any new ships under a deal allowing safe Black Sea exports of Ukraine grain, which Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18 over obstacles to its own grain and fertilizer exports.

Daily inspections of previously authorized ships continue, deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq told reporters. Officials from the four parties make up a Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) in Istanbul, which implements the Black Sea deal agreed in July.

In an excerpt of a letter seen by Reuters, Russia told its JCC counterparts last month it will not approve any new vessels to take part unless their operators guarantee the transits will be done by May 18 - "the expected date of ... closure."

Ukraine has been putting forward daily a list of ships to be authorized. Once approved those ships are then inspected by the JCC officials near Turkey before traveling to a Ukrainian Black Sea port via a maritime humanitarian corridor to collect their cargo and return to Turkish waters for a final inspection.

According to JCC data there is currently one ship authorized for inbound inspection and 25 ships awaiting an outbound inspection - all in Turkish waters; there are 13 ships in Ukrainian ports and there are 5 ships in transit toward Ukraine and 2 vessels in transit heading back to Turkey.

There are eight vessels seeking authorization from the JCC, according to the Ukrainian sea ports website.

The United Nations and Turkey brokered the Black Sea grain export deal to help tackle a global food crisis that has been worsened by Moscow's war in Ukraine. At the same time, Russia accepted a three-year deal in which the U.N. agreed to help try and remove any obstacles to its grain and fertilizer exports.

While those Russian exports are not subject to Western sanctions imposed following the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Moscow says restrictions on payments, logistics and insurance are a barrier to shipments.

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Russia has said it will not extend the pact beyond May 18 unless its list of demands is met to remove those obstacles.

Top U.N. trade official Rebeca Grynspan met with Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Vershinin in Moscow on Friday to discuss U.N. efforts to "to facilitate the unimpeded export of Russian food and fertilizer, including ammonia," Haq said.

The deputy defense ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkey are due to meet next week to discuss the grains agreement.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; editing by Grant McCool)
For decades, Chicagos business community enjoyed a cozy relationship with City Halls fifth floor. So Brandon Johnsons mayoral victory  after a campaign promoting unabashed progressive, pro-worker initiatives and an enthusiasm to tax big corporations and the ultra-rich to pay for those measures  was cause for worry in some of the citys boardrooms.

Johnson during his campaign proposed hiking a tax on hotels, reinstituting a city head tax, tripling the tax on high-end real estate transactions, taxing jet fuel and levying tolls on securities trading. Business leaders also expressed concern about Johnsons positions on policing following two rounds of civil unrest that ended in wide-ranging theft and property destruction that also diminished the citys downtown and other commercial corridors.

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[ Brandon Johnson is about to becvome Chciago's next mayor. What you need to know. ]

But just days before he is set to take office May 15, Johnson has extended olive branches to the downtown business community and given signals that the lines of communication between them and his office will remain open.

Shortly after his April 4 win against former Chicago Public Schools CEO Paul Vallas, Johnson reached out to leaders from the citys public-private development arm World Business Chicago, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Retail Merchants Association and other industry leaders. And the nonprofit Civic Consulting Alliance, which has strong ties to the citys biggest corporations, is assisting Johnsons transition just as it has helped previous mayoral transition teams. In recent weeks, Johnson has also attended a number of dinners with groups of business leaders, his campaign confirmed. Just Thursday, he had coffee with a members of the Illinois Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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Jason Lee, a senior adviser to Johnsons transition, who previously worked in corporate finance and investment banking at Morgan Stanley, declined to disclose who else Johnson has spoken with but said the conversations were focused on mutual, shared interests, particularly around growing the economy and making sure young people have opportunities this summer and future summers. Talks have been with a broad range and a significant number of leaders, Lee said.

[ Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson tells state lawmakers funding for schools, youth jobs tie into mandate to tackle crime with investment ]

Short of a warm embrace, Johnsons moves have led to cautious optimism in the citys business community.

IMA President and CEO Mark Denzler said hes been encouraged by his conversations with Johnson. The two had a 10-minute call the day after the election and a 30-minute sit-down during the mayor-elects recent visit to Springfield.

We talked a lot about manufacturing jobs, workforce development, about how we get particularly young people in disinvested communities engaged in manufacturing, Denzler said.

Johnson made no promises to back off any of his campaign pledges, Denzler said. But like other business leaders the Tribune spoke with, Denzler said he is encouraged that the door is open and hopes that applies to discussions about Johnsons campaign vow to create environmental rules that would likely affect new and current manufacturers IMA represents in the city.

Ultimately, the proof will be in the pudding, he said. Well see what regulations and policies will be put forth. Clearly hes an impressive individual; he clearly has an open mind right now, it seems like.

Lee confirmed the Civic Consulting Alliances involvement in the Johnson transition. The nonprofit is closely tied to the citys powerful Commercial Club and has long provided pro bono services to mayoral transitions, including document management, tracking resumes and unfilled positions, and formatting organizational charts.

Locally, the CCA has consulted on special government projects, most recently working with the city and state on asylum-seeker resettlement, a revamp of the Police Departments reform communications strategy and Chicago Public Schools back-to-school COVID-19 mitigation for the 2023 school year, according to its website.

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Historic partnerships between the mayors office and groups such as the CCA demonstrate the many direct lines Chicagos downtown businesses community has had with the mayors office. While acknowledging the important role downtown plays in the citys economy, critics have hammered the overemphasis mayors in the past have placed on the city center, often at the expense of business corridors in Chicagos neighborhoods, particularly those on the South and West sides.

Mayor Richard M. Daley described his alliance with the downtown business community as key to the citys success. Though he was a Democrat, his tenure was characterized by a willingness to sometimes challenge unions and privatize city services. Mayor Rahm Emanuel, a veteran of the investment world, was known for cajoling corporations to relocate to the city, courting foreign investors, bolstering the citys tech community and bragging about the number of construction cranes dotting the skyline.

Mayor Lori Lightfoot was not as ingratiating, and like her other relationships, sometimes alienating. Her business legacy was made more difficult to measure because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But her tenure does include a continued strong corporate relocation record  notwithstanding the losses of headquarters for Boeing and Citadel  and close ties with some industry leaders such as Ariel Investments Mellody Hobson and Morningstar founder Joe Mansueto.

But, in part because of Daleys and Emanuels emphasis on downtown, Lightfoots public focus was often on smaller neighborhood businesses through her Invest South/West initiative, and she made a point of expanding protections for domestic workers, boosting the citys minimum wage and passing a new mandate for predictive scheduling.

Lightfoots leadership spurred concern among some business leaders during her reelection bid. Ahead of the Feb. 28 election in which Lightfoot placed third, executive chair of the investment firm Duchossois Group, Craig Duchossois, described Lightfoot as well intended, but  not effective, according to Bloomberg.

Duchossois also was one of several business leaders who worried aloud about the citys public safety plans and continued leftward bent heading into the elections first round. He told The Wall Street Journal in February he couldnt see our city becoming more progressive or socialist than it already is. And, describing the possibility of a progressive mayor as a scary prospect, he gave Vallas campaign $760,000, according to state records, some of the millions of dollars Vallas received from leaders in Chicagos financial services and investment community.

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Vallas also won the endorsement of the Chamber of Commerce, which said the city could not afford leadership that supports higher taxes and is not committed to keeping our businesses open and our streets safe.

The opposition came in part because during the campaign Johnson promised to raise $800 million in various taxes aimed at some of the citys most powerful industry interests. The proposed hotel tax would raise $1 per room per night; the head tax calls for charging $4 per worker for larger corporations; the real estate tax would hit property sales over $1 million; the jet fuel tax is aimed at raising $98 million annually; and the traders tax would levy a $1 or $2 tax on each securities trading contract.

Despite that, one of Johnsons early transition hires gave business leaders some assurances his administration will have a balanced approach, including on addressing public safety.

Though a handful of his early picks included progressives and union stalwarts, Johnsons choice for chief of staff, Richard Guidice, won plaudits from the business community. A fixture of Daleys administration, Guidice rose through the ranks at the Office of Emergency Management & Communications through Emanuels term before taking the agencys top position four years ago and remaining under Lightfoot.

In that time, Guidice managed the citys emergency call center and coordinated with the Police and Fire departments on crises and major events such as Lollapalooza, storms and civil unrest.

Guidices appointment was a signal of Johnsons commitment to prioritizing solutions to some of the most pressing concerns facing our city, including safety and security, the Illinois Restaurant Association said in a statement the day of the announcement.

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Across the board, hed do excellent. Thats a great security blanket, said Farzin Parang, a fellow veteran of the Daley and Emanuel administrations who is now executive director of the Building Owners and Managers Association of Chicago.

Thats not to say folks are super comfortable with where we are, Parang said. Weekend youth gatherings in the Loop that ended in shootings last month have reignited nerves among tenants of downtown buildings, he said. But to the extent the business community mightve been worried about early statements about police hiring, I think (Johnson) walked that back a lot, Parang said, noting Johnson also made repeated promises to promote detectives, though hes been less specific about Police Department staffing levels.

At a Joyce Foundation forum this week on public safety and police reform, Johnson said along with community groups, he has engaged business leaders on plans for summer safety. CEOs continue to ask, How can we help? he said, claiming that some corporations had committed to doubling youth summer employment. A spokesperson declined to provide specifics on the corporations or how many jobs.

Johnsons choice to permanently lead the Police Department will be closely watched by business leaders, as will leadership of the Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection, Finance, Planning and Development, World Business Chicago and any deputies overseeing economic development.

On Wednesday, Johnson named Fred Waller, a 34-year veteran of CPD respected by supervisors and rank-and-file officers, as his choice for interim superintendent. Two former CPD leaders are on Johnsons transition committee: former Chief of Detectives Brendan Deenihan and Robert Boik, CPDs former executive director of constitutional policing and reform, who was fired after pushing back on plans to divert his staff from training to patrol. Another team member is state Sen. Robert Peters of Chicago, a main supporter of the states Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, and Tanya Watkins, a community organizer against police brutality.

If Daleys and Emanuels executive board rooms had a long table with business leaders seated close by, Lee said Johnsons table would be a round table, where your proximity to the mayor isnt as important as your ability to kind of be equal at the table.  Its less about kind of the proximity and the seating location than it is about the ability to have your allotted time to communicate. Well try to give everyone a fair hearing on that front.

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Of the roughly 50 people Johnson named to serve on his transition committee and chair its subcommittees, just a handful are high-profile business leaders, including Martin Cabrera of Cabrera Capital Markets, Mesirow Executive Chairman Richard Price and World Business Chicago CEO Michael Fassnacht. Many others are labor figures or progressive organizers or elected officials.

Johnson spent most of his career as an organizer, an educator, Lee said. He knows how to facilitate engagement. His model may look different, but the goal is that people who have an interest have the opportunity to participate and bring the best of themselves to bear in a way that makes sense and actually is effective and not just perfunctory.

[ The hardest position to fill: Finding a new Chicago police superintendent amid mayoral transition and crime uptick may be no easy feat ]

Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson outside the Illinois State Capitol on April 19, 2023, during a visit to Springfield. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

On fiscal issues, two key areas where Johnson would need help from lawmakers in Springfield are increasing the real estate transfer tax to pay for homeless services and the traders tax, which Gov. J.B. Pritzker has poured some cold water on.

Parang was relieved Johnson did not use the Springfield trip to push for an increase in the real estate transfer tax to pay for homeless services. He didnt lean into that publicly yet, which to me, again, Im cautiously optimistic thats a signal theyre going to sit down and give everyone the opportunity to advocate for themselves. Parang and other business leaders hope Johnson also sticks to his pledge not to raise the citys property tax levy.

Not long after, however, Johnson appointed a key backer of the transfer tax hike to his transition committee. Julie Dworkin, policy lead for the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, will lead Johnsons housing subcommittee alongside Sendy Soto, who previously worked in the Department of Housing under Lightfoot, as well as Jonathan Jones of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council.

Johnson preached a unity message and talked about the importance of business in his address to state lawmakers in Springfield.

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No one has to lose at the expense of someone else winning, he said, noting rural Illinois provides the crops that feed Chicago and that areas just outside of Springfield would soon be delivering solar power to the city as well. Chicago, as you know, is the economic engine of Illinois. When our economy grows, it drives widespread prosperity across our state. Businesses of all sizes, small to large, are essential to that prosperity. We must work with the entrepreneurs and the business community to grow the industries of today and attract the industries of tomorrow.

Denzler said hell be looking to see whether Johnson lives up to those promises of unity, and thinks others are too.

While companies make location decisions for many reasons, and the citys educated workforce, airports, cultural offerings and access to water and shipping routes have long been draws, theyre going to sit back and say OK, who is the mayor? What are their policies going to be? What are City Councils policies going to be? That can make a difference, that may be the tipping point.

aquig@chicagotribune.com
A cargo ship waiting for inspection to enter the Bosphorus Strait, October, 2012

While the parties have failed to reach an agreement on extending the deal, UN representative Farhan Haq stated that inspections of previously authorized grain ships will continue. The current agreement expires on May 18.

Read also: Zelenskyy speaks with Chinas Xi, Russia blocking grain corridor, whats up with agro ban?

Recently, tensions have been rising between Russia and Ukraine over the grain agreement. On April 24, Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of violating the agreement by attacking Sevastopol (in occupied Crimea) with naval drones, allegedly launched from the port of Odesa. Russia, which has routinely sought to undermine the agreement in the past, has warned of a potential threat to the deals extension beyond May 18.

In response, Ukrainian Military Intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov denied the accusations, saying that any Ukrainian operations in Crimea are focused on exclusively military targets.

Read also: Whats the deal with the grain ban by Ukraines allies?  expert analysis

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged the UN to assist in the renewal of the grain agreement.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Black parents look at sonogram of their baby.

Assisted conception is a growing part of the maternal landscape. Whether it is a need because of infertility or a choice to parent independently, utilizing cryobanks (sperm banks) is no longer a taboo topic.

Cryobanks and clinics are not required to report birth figures; however, CNN reports that since 2018 roughly 30,000 to 60,000 babies have been born annually by artificial insemination.

Within the last few years, clinics have seen more Black women as patients. But, unfortunately, they cant say the same for Black donors.

There are 41 cryobanks located in the United States.

California Cryobank, Fairfax Cryobank, Seattle Sperm Bank, and Xytex are the largest, with more than 100 donors each.

In 2022, The Washington Post found that fewer than 2 percent of their sperm supply was from Black donors  less than 12 out of 748.

These disproportionate numbers have led Black women to choose donors outside of their race. Or give up on their quest to have a child.

One would think the lack of supply is due to Black men choosing not to donate. However, several factors in the insemination process set Black women up for failure. First, the donor applications and criteria could be seen as discriminatory. While the add to cart race for recipients is another hurdle.

The supply of Black donations does not meet the demand. Also, consider that Black women are not the only ones looking for Black donors.

Within The Washington Posts study, only one of the 15 women the outlet spoke with obtained sperm from a Black donor.

One woman recalled her cart by a faster consumer while buying her vial.

Along with the race to pay, the race against time is also a factor.

The Post mentioned one woman in the study had to wait almost two years for a Black donor to be presented to her.

This timetable can be discouraging to possible recipients who are also dealing with the diminishing health and infertility rates that plague Black women between the ages of 35-45.

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Before the frenzy takes place on the website, the process of acquiring Black sperm donors is even more daunting.

CBS News spoke with Dr. Tia Jackson-Bey, a fertility doctor in New York City, about the lack of Black donors.

She pointed out that cryobanks are usually located in areas with a low population of Black men and are not marketed to attract them.

Some cryobanks also reject donors who do not have at least a bachelors degree.

Donors are also sometimes asked to provide health records dating back three generations, which can be hard to obtain for some.

One of the most controversial factors of the application process is rejecting gay men.

Business Insider states, FDA regulations prohibit men who have had sex with men in the past five years from becoming anonymous donors.

The FDA does allow gay men to donate directly, meaning they know their recipients.

According to the outlet, the FDA implemented rules in 2005. The reasoning was attributed to dated medical data from the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which said that gay men were at a higher risk of HIV.

The odds are stacked against Black women seeking a donor with the same cultural background.

Angela Stepancic was one of those women and chose to do something about it.

A recipient herself, Stepancic was inspired by her difficult journey to find a Black donor, which ultimately failed.

Its America, were supposed to have all the choices that we want, but we really dont have any choices in this process, and this is the one process that really impacts our legacy the rest of our lives, you know our future. As, as a family and as a people, she told CBS News.

In 2022 she opened Reproductive Village in Washington, D.C.

The cryobank prioritizes Black donors and recipients and intentionally has drop-off locations in minority-majority cities, including Houston and Atlanta.

Stepancic said she wants to give them access to the same amount of options that every other couple has going through this process.
Vela is a sea wolf in sheeps clothing. It might look like an early 19th-century wooden phinisi used to transport spices and textiles across the Indonesian archipelago, but the vessel is an eclectic mix of traditional and modern. The ironwood hull and off-white gaff-rigged sails are mated with smart frosting glass and a Nitrox dive center. Vela, as Robb Report discovered during a week-long cruise around Komodo National Park, is a yacht where old meets new, and east meets west.

Hand built by Sulawesi craftspeople to an authentic Indonesian design, Vela (meaning shoreline) is a labor of love. The two hotelier owners, Dimitri Tran and Adrien Porter, first stepped aboard a liveaboard phinisi in 2016 during a family charter to the Komodo National Park. Two years later, they cruised the crystalline waters of Raja Ampat, yet both charters left them underwhelmed and feeling like they could do it better.

More from Robb Report

The foredeck.

We realized that most high-end phinisis lack a quality of finish and attention to detail, Tran told Robb Report. We wanted to build a boat that feels like it belongs in Indonesia but to standards that are more comparable to a superyacht in the Mediterranean.

At 164 feet in length, Vela is one of the largest phinisis on the water. It is also one of the narrowest, with an elongated sleek hull and double keel that gives the boat weight under the waterline. Designed by naval architect Tresno Seeryson of the late Patti Seery who is credited with pioneering the luxury phinisi charter industryVela is hydrodynamic, efficient and stable.



Wood from stem to stern. The traditional boatbuilding method is supplemented by a comfortable cruising layout.

We held a lot of respect for Tresno from the beginning, says Tran. The two boats created by his mother, Silolona and Si Datu Buathe second of which he spent a year living in Sulawesi following the progress of the buildare hugely impressive. He has hands-on experience of indigenous craftsmanship and yet is an American educated naval engineer.

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Velas weight and stability are reinforced by its masts and rigging, among the tallest of all phinisis, while boasting the largest sail surface of nearly 7,000 square feet of sail.

Modern phinisis are powered by an engine with the sails kept for their aesthetic beauty, says Tran. We wanted Velas sails to be more than just decoration and for the boat to be able to sail whenever we wanted.

Raising the sails, the old-fashioned way.

While the owners approach to design pushes into the contemporary, their choice of build process was wholly authentic, eschewing modern shipyards in favor of the traditional Bugis-Makassar boatbuilding technique. Vela was custom built by hand on the beach in South Sulawesi with only limited tooling. Once complete, the boats are pulled by hand into the water using chains. It took one month to splash Vela.



When you build a wooden boat in the west, the ribs are constructed first and then you add the skin, says Tran. In Indonesia, they build the outer skin first and add the ribs. The technical skills required to balance the boat and ensure port and starboard sides match exactly, without having the ribs to guide your work, is incredible.

Diving is an integral part of life on board Vela.

Indonesian teak is used for Velas decking, ironwood for the hull, while the traditional twin masts are made from carbon. Typically, phinisis dont feature a boom for the main sail, yet Vela bucks the trend, doubling as a convenient crane to lift the yachts toys and tenders in and out of the water.

Inside is a refined and contemporary interior. A formal salon is the yachts only indoor dining option, with nearly all meals taking place outdoors on the main deck forward and aft. Two master suites on the main and upper decks are joined by four generously sized guest cabins on the lower deck, all with ensuites that feature white marble and green tiles made by Balinese ceramics specialist, Gaya. White linen and fabrics by Italian brands, such as Dedar and Rubelli, are paired with hand-woven plant fabrics, traditional kimonos and decorative throw pillows made from natural plant-based indigo.

Velas cruising grounds.

For the 15 pieces of art on the walls, the owners collaborated with three of Indonesias leading contemporary galleries. Our mandate was to showcase up-and-coming talent and highlight what Indonesian contemporary art is today, says Tran.

Vela adopts a zero-plastic policy on board, providing guests with personal water bottles, sustainably sourced toiletries and bamboo toothbrushes. The yacht cruises throughout Indonesia, where guests can make the most of the onboard Nitrox compressor and 14 sets of diving gear, under the expert guidance of Velas dedicated diving instructor.

The main suite is a mix of traditional Indonesian with western amenities.

In calm waters when the yacht is at anchor, guests gather on the top deckor stargazing deckwhere low balustrades and lounging sofas connect them with the beauty of Indonesias cruising grounds.

Since recently taking delivery, Tran and Porter have enjoyed a 10-day Indonesian cruise with friends, with fireworks and beach barbecues to celebrate. As Vela is built with charter in mind, the pair now have their sights set on more phinisi builds, smaller in size to accommodate couples and families, but always striking a careful balance between old world and new.

Click here to see more images of Vela.

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Bodycam footage has captured Bryan Kohberger being pulled over by police almost exactly one month before he is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in an attack that sent shockwaves across America.

In the footage, the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD student is seen going on the defence when a female officer carries out a traffic stop on 14 October.

The video, released by WSU on Thursday, shows the officer approaching Mr Kohbergers white Hyundai Elantra  the same vehicle which was at the centre of a six-week manhunt to find the college killer.

She tells Mr Kohberger that she pulled him over for running a red light at the intersection.

The 28-year-old accused killer is somewhat argumentative, pushing back on the officers version of events and asking a series of questions about the law in Pennsylvania.

What actually happened is I was stuck in the middle of the intersection, he says.

So I was forced to go to the left.

The officer tells him that drivers are not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then youre stuck in the intersection.

Mr Kohberger tells the officer that he is not familiar with driving in Washington state as he is from a rural part of Pennsylvania and asks her to explain the rules to him.

Can you explain that to me a little bit further? he asks.

So in Pennsylvania, when youre stuck in an intersection, you have to make the left. What would the appropriate thing for me to have done been?

The officer explains: Youre not supposed to block an intersection like that in Washington.

At the end of the minutes-long interaction, Mr Kohberger apologises for asking too many questions.

Bryan Kohberger goes on the defence as he is pulled over by female officer (WSU Police)

I do apologise if I was asking you too many questions about the law, he says.

The officer says she is letting him off with a warning.

Almost exactly one month later  on 13 November  Mr Kohberger allegedly murdered Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

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The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, that the three women shared with two surviving students.

Over a month later on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania and charged with their murders.

WSU police also released bodycam footage on Thursday of the search warrant being executed on the suspects apartment in Pullman, Washington, on the day of his arrest.

The footage shows officers stating their presence outside the property and serving the warrant but does not capture the search once the officers enter.

Mr Kohberger was not present at the time as he had travelled cross-country with his father in the white Hyundai Elantra in mid-December to spend the holidays at his family home in Albrightsville, close to the Poconos Mountains.

New details also emerged about what was found during that search of his apartment and at a storage unit rented by Mr Kohberger.

The newly-released court documents show that two items found in his apartment tested positive for blood.

The two items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which had visible reddish brown stains.

The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (Jazzmin Kernodle)

Multiple other items seized from the apartment were also tested for blood but came back negative.

Investigators seized a string of items from his home including possible human and animal hair strands, a disposable glove and a computer.

The murder weapon  a fixed-blade knife  was not recovered during the searches and it has still never been found.

However, the affidavit, released in January, revealed that Mr Kohbergers DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the scene of the murders.

It also revealed that his white Hyundai Elantra was caught on surveillance footage at the crime scene and that one of the surviving roommates came face to face with the killer  masked, dressed in head to toe black and with bushy eyebrows  as he left the home in the aftermath of the murders.

It is still unclear what connection the WSU PhD student had to the University of Idaho students  if any  prior to the horror attack.

As a criminal justice PhD student at WSU, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there that summer, having just completed his first semester before his arrest.

Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves pictured together before their murders (Instagram)

Before this, he studied criminology at DeSales University  first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022.

While there, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

He also carried out a research project to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.

Now, the criminology PhD student is set to appear in Latah County Courthouse in Idaho for his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

He is facing life in prison or the death penalty for the murders that have rocked the small college town of Moscow and hit headlines around the globe.
Amid a statewide and national push to restrict minors access to library books, conservative candidates are now eyeing seats on library boards across the Treasure Valley. Some support removing books from collections.

Voters on May 16 will elect library trustees for seats in Meridian, Ada County and Kuna. In Meridian, where the library district recently survived a dissolution petition, two candidates said theyll seek increased scrutiny over books accessible to minors. A candidate in Kuna said she would be open to removing material from the library.

But beliefs among Ada Community Library candidates are less clear-cut. Two candidates for the board, referred to as the Ada County Free Library on the ballot, have signaled their political leanings but remained silent on book restrictions.

The board recently voted to remove a handful of books, and one trustee hopes to reclaim her seat.

Challengers propose new policies for controversial books

David Tizekker and Xavier Torres are challenging Meridian library board incumbents Destinie Hart and Josh Cummings.

Tizekker, a financial broker, told the Idaho Statesman that the library board needs new leadership. He said the board should be more transparent about its expenses, and he hopes to curb what he considered extremism, by residents who tried to dissolve the district earlier this year as well as among trustees themselves.

Tizekker pointed to the boards decision to restrict public comment and ask law enforcement to attend its meetings as they grew increasingly contentious last year. Board chair Megan Larsen credited the decisions to defamatory language, a threatening tone, very disruptive yelling and shouting by activists seeking to restrict access to library books.

Both of these actions, although legal and things that those groups can do, I dont think should be done, Tizekker said. It shows the lack of people working together or lack of communication. I would work to bring some cooperation back between the trustees and citizens.

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Regarding scrutiny over books, Tizekker proposed a rating system, similar to the way regulatory bodies rate movies and video games based on their suitability for certain audiences. An advisory group of parents could be responsible for rating the material, he said.

I think its a reasonable request for parents to say, Hey, we would like some sort of filter or some sort of guidance to know about this book, Tizekker said.

Similarly, Torres, a sales and marketing specialist, said in an Ada County Republican Party voter guide that district finances should be more transparent, and that he would advocate for a citizens group to review library policies and books to ensure minors access age-appropriate material.

Torres said he would support and optimize existing library programs, while also applying conservative community standards to create an exceptional experience for everyone that visits the library.

Torres did not respond to an interview request for this story.

Whats Meridians book complaint policy?

The Meridian Library District has a policy that governs reconsidering a book in its collection that a patron objects to. Such a complaint triggers a thoughtful, deliberative process for reconsideration of the library materials by the library director, according to the districts website.

You have the right to object to an item, and you have the right to recommend a reconsideration of an item that you dont like, Director Nick Grove said during a November board meeting. You do not have the right to ban books or segregate access to books that you do not like.

In the GOP voter guide, Tizekker called the districts reconsideration policy inconsistent and subjective, and questioned whether parents can take responsibility for what their children read if they cant review books before theyre in the library.

Libraries refuse to mark or segregate these books, he said.

Tizekker in the voter guide also praised cooperation between library officials and community members in Boundary County. Last year, Boundary County Library Director Kimber Glidden resigned amid a petition to recall board members and what she called a political atmosphere of extremism, militant Christian fundamentalism, intimidation tactics, and threatening behavior, the Spokesman-Review reported.

Tizekker later told the Statesman that he misspoke in his previous statement.

I do not agree with the citizens harassing directors and trustees to the point of resignation, he said by text message. Citizens need to be able to have their voices heard, but no one needs to be berated.

Meridian incumbents defend library material, reconsideration policy

Hart and Cummings, who were appointed to the Meridian board and are facing their first elections, defended the districts book collection and reconsideration policies.

Hart, a business owner, said the district has a solid collection policy and effective challenge process for books in its collection.

Censorship has no place in our public libraries, she said in the Statesmans voter guide. Free access to information is foundational to a healthy democracy. It is a parents role to make decisions regarding their childs access to library materials based on their own family values and parenting philosophy.

Harts campaign has collected nearly $8,000 in donations, according to the secretary of states campaign finance tracker, a relatively high amount for a library board race. Donors include Boise Democratic lawmakers Sen. Carrie Semmelroth and House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel along with Meridian City Council member Liz Strader, a Republican.

No other candidates in the race have collected donations, according to the secretary of state data.

Cummings said the districts collection management policies have served our community well and offers a breadth and depth that is something to be proud of.

We serve every member of our community and develop our collection with that in mind, Cummings wrote in the Statesman voter guide. Nobody has the right to dictate what is or isnt available to their neighbors in our library.

Indefinite stances among Ada County candidates

A crowded Ada Community Library trustee race has two candidates who have been silent in public forums on the debate over restricting books.

Deborah Pogue and Renee Trommler, both business managers and Star residents, are running as a slate for two vacancies. On a shared campaign website, the candidates describe themselves as the conservative choice for Ada County.

According to a flyer shared by the Idaho Liberty Dogs, the group that organized protests of the Meridian Library board, Pogue and Trommler  along with challengers in the Meridian and Kuna Library board races  were endorsed by ConservativesOf: Idaho. The group is the state arm of a national political action committee that endorses politically conservative and religious candidates in nonpartisan local races, like library boards.

Pogue and Trommlers goals include spending transparency and accountability, according to their website.

We are committed to promoting public education, assisting in creating a library policy that fits the needs of you, the citizens and taxpayers! the website says.

Pogue and Trommler could not be reached for comment.

Pogue is challenging incumbent Sandra Taylor. Taylor, a Hidden Springs resident, told the Statesman that trustees are bound to follow the Idaho law regarding materials and their access to minors, but that doesnt mean we automatically ban or remove them.

I welcome ideas from patrons for ways we can protect kids from harmful materials and still have books available for the adults who choose to read them, Taylor said in the Statesmans voter guide. It truly takes a village to make this happen.

Last month, the Ada County board voted to remove from its collection a handful of books Idaho law would classify as harmful to minors, even though libraries are exempt from the law. The decision later was nullified because board members voted in violation of Idahos open meeting law.

Taylor declined to say whether she supported the vote to remove the books and told the Statesman she would not answer any further questions about board meetings.

The minutes of all board meetings are posted on the librarys website, Taylor said by text message. I realize that newspapers like to publish inflammatory stories, but Im not interested in focusing on just one of the many matters our Board of Trustees deals with on a regular basis.

Board meeting minutes published online dont include a vote tally. A majority of board members voted in favor of removing the books, but a tally was not recorded, Ada Community Library Director Mary DeWalt told the Statesman by email.

Mary Anne Saunders, of Star, and Melodie Huttah, of Boise, are running against Trommler for an open seat on the Ada County board. Both said the onus is on parents to educate their children and know what theyre getting from the library.

In the Kuna Library board election, incumbent Barbara Powell took a firm stance against removing books from the librarys collection.

I dont believe its libraries responsibility at all to question what kids are taking from the library, Powell said in response to a Statesman questionnaire.

Challenger Teresa Haldorson said shes open to removing books after a critical analysis of the material and its purpose.

Library resources and materials need to be in age-appropriate areas and access to questionable materials needs to be in accordance with state laws, Haldorson said in the Statesman voter guide.

Reporter Rachel Spacek contributed to this article.
Secularism is just another faith

There is no such thing as religion-free education, as Mark Davis discussed in his April 28 commentary Commandments, Bible bills for Texas schools misguided. (15A) Secularism is a religion (essentially the basis of humanism/atheism) just as is Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and any other faith. The question is never whether to present a religious perspective, but what perspective to present.

Davis writes: The best argument for religious neutrality in education  came from people of all faiths who recognized that religious teaching should come from parents and churches, not from government schools. I submit this was because they were naive to the effects of secularizing all education.

Early public education in this country used the Bible as a primer. Most believed it. Having the Ten Commandments in schools is not a violation of the First Amendment, nor does it establish a particular religious perspective. It is a view the U.S. has honored since before its founding.

- Mark Carter, Benbrook

Navigates a complex district

The votes at our house will go for Rick Herring in Fort Worth City Council District 11. We vote for Rick because of his experience working with the voters and because of his ability to collaborate to work on the issues this mixed-up district faces.

The fact that he doesnt speak Spanish in a Hispanic-majority district is irrelevant. Jim Lane was a wonderful representative for the north side, which has a large Hispanic population, and he was not bilingual.

We appreciate all the candidates who chose to run, but Rick Herring is head and shoulders above the others in ability to coalesce an almost impossible district. If the establishment candidate wins, the majority of council members will still live west of Interstate 35W. Once again, everything will tilt to the west.

- Don Boren and Wanda Conlin, Fort Worth

Keep momentum in Haltom City

Haltom City voters, join me in keeping An Truong in the mayors office and Marian Hilliard on our City Council. Consider that during their time in office, the property tax rate is almost 6 cents lower in the last two years and down almost 9.2 cents since 2017. More than 1,000 residential units with more than 2 million square feet have been added, signaling a sustainable increase in our local economy. While accomplishing this, the council has funded street improvements, a new fire station, a senior citizens center, a law enforcement facility and a much-needed new City Hall.

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Truong and Hilliard have more than earned our trust for another two years.

- Bill Lanford, Haltom City

A place for deputies to train

Commissioners might accept a plan to build the sheriffs office a $45 million training facility. (March 7, Star-Telegram.com, Tarrant County explores new law enforcement training center for sheriffs deputies) But it would save taxpayers millions of dollars to have sheriff recruits, deputies and jailers train at Tarrant County Colleges Northwest Campus.

It offers a comprehensive law enforcement academy. It has a 20-lane indoor firing range. It has simulators to give trainees experience in making quick decisions in dangerous situations. It has a vehicle driving pad for trainees to practice.

The only thing TCC Northwest does not have is an armory, but it might have enough land to build one. Why not increase enrollment by having this academy serve the sheriffs offices needs?

- Doreen M. Geiger, Fort Worth
Nelson County, home of some of Kentuckys biggest distilleries including Heaven Hill and Jim Beam, voted Thursday to temporarily block new bourbon warehouse construction in and around Bardstown.

The fiscal court approved a halt for 30-60 days while the joint city-county planning commission reviews all regulations for distilled spirit storage facilities in areas zoned for agriculture. Bullitt and Marion counties also have signaled they also will not welcome new bourbon warehouses now.

Nelson County Judge-Executive Tim Hutchins said Friday the pause will go into effect on May 16. He said they plan to have public meetings on potential changes for where and how bourbon warehouses can be built.

We want to address impact of aesthetics, to make sure they dont devalue neighboring properties, he said. He said the county hopes to establish guidelines for buffers and other measures to protect homes and county roads. Water supply and fire and safety issues also will be addressed, Hutchins said.

Residents in several Kentucky counties have opposed distillery warehouse expansions because the alcohol vapors from aging barrels fuel the growth of a black mold-like growth known as whiskey fungus.

According to the policy passed Thursday, the fiscal court has concerns that the increase in distilled spirit storage facilities has resulted in a loss of agricultural land, may become a burden on public services and infrastructure, has altered the character of Nelson County, and may potentially create challenges for our citizens.

Nelson County plans to review and recommend new regulations that, among other things, will minimize the burden on public services and infrastructure, encourage the protection of the character of the community and allow citizen input through the public hearing process.

Nelson County previously made it possible for bourbon makers to build warehouses on 100-acre tracts of agricultural land without any zoning approval.

Hutchins said he and other county officials met with representatives of Jim Beam and Heaven Hill, who agreed to support the policy change.

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Construction projects that have already been approved will not be impacted, according to the fiscal court.

The move comes just over a month after the Kentucky General Assembly voted to give distillers another tax break that will end the taxes paid to counties and cities on aging bourbon.

The barrel tax was repealed over the objections of the leaders of counties like Nelson, Bullitt, Marion, Woodford and Franklin and cities like Bardstown, who told lawmakers that local budgets for fire protection, water and sewer lines and other items would be gutted.

The bill was approved on the last day of the legislative session and Gov. Andy Beshear signed it into law March 31.

The tax will begin to sunset with the 2026 tax year and end entirely by 2043.

Bourbon distilleries paid $40 million in state taxes for aging barrels in warehouses in more than two dozen Kentucky counties. The Kentucky Distillers Association, lobbying on behalf of the distillers, argued that the tax was unfair and hurt growth, although the bourbon industry reported record growth and new investment in recent years.

It isnt clear what the total impact of the tax break for bourbon will be for the counties or for the state.

According to one version of a fiscal note prepared for the bill, the reduction in state and local tax receipts is an estimated $249 million; the bill also allows distilleries to claw back another $192 million in taxes from the state, according to the fiscal note.

And the state will have to pay millions to shore up school budgets once the barrel tax sunsets completely.

Hutchins said he has proposed setting up a rainy day fund using $400,000 a year for the next 10 years from the barrel tax receipts, which could be used to offset future losses.
A week of violence and fear in the quiet Northern California college town of Davis began with police responding on a Thursday morning for a welfare check at a downtown park.

It ended seven days later with police announcing the arrest of a 21-year-old man accused of brutally stabbing three people in a span of five days, two of them fatally, in what police Chief Darren Pytel said fits the definition of serial killings.

Carlos Reales Dominguez, a student at UC Davis up until last week and a native of Oakland, was arrested Thursday on two counts of homicide and one of attempted homicide. Police detained him Wednesday evening, near the scene of the second of three stabbings.

Yolo County prosecutors on Friday announced the filing of murder charges.

Authorities believe Reales Dominguez is the lone assailant in a string of stabbings that killed a 50-year-old man at Central Park on April 27; killed a 20-year-old UCD senior at a different Davis park on April 29; and seriously injured a homeless woman, who was attacked the night of May 1 through the side of her tent at a downtown encampment.

Here is a timeline of key events in the attacks and the apprehension of a suspect.

April 27: First body found at Central Park in Davis

The first public communication by the Davis Police Department on the stabbings came in text messages, email alerts and social media posts sent shortly before noon on Thursday, April 27.

The alerts advised of unspecified police activity and warned people to stay away from Central Park. The park at 401 C St., less than a quarter-mile from the northeast corner of the UC Davis campus, hosts twice-weekly farmers markets and, during summer months, holds family-friendly picnic days.

A Davis Police Department spokesman confirmed early that afternoon that authorities were investigating after a body was found at the park, following a 911 call around 11:20 a.m. reporting an unresponsive man. Officials later said he was found slumped over on a park bench.

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Shortly after 3 p.m. the department released a statement announcing the death was being considered a homicide. In an update the following morning, police revealed the man had been the victim of a significantly violent attack with multiple stab wounds. Pytel would later describe the stabbing as particularly brazen and brutal.

Authorities identified the first victim as 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, a beloved community figure known by Davis residents as the Compassion Guy who frequented Central Park.

Breaux earned that nickname by asking passersby over the years for their definition of the word compassion, penning a self-published book on the topic and spearheading the installation of a ceramic Compassion Bench, at Third and C streets, kitty-corner from the park.

A memorial set up at the compassion bench in Davis on Monday, May 1, 2023, remembers David Henry Breaux, 50, who was found stabbed to death Thursday in Central Park.

City leaders immediately began to mourn Breaux. Mayor Will Arnold in a statement called his death utterly and completely devastating.

Alarmed by a gruesome crime in one of the citys busiest public spaces, Davis police on April 28 deployed additional bike and foot patrol officers to Central Park and the downtown corridor.

Violent crime is exceptionally rare in Davis, a city of about 67,000 people. The Davis Police Department reported one homicide in 2022, according to Sacramento Bee records, and just nine between 2012 and 2021, according to the California Department of Justice.

As it turned out, a violent streak had just begun.

April 29: UCD senior stabbed at Sycamore Park

Karim Abou Najm, a gifted 20-year-old computer science major with an impressive resume of internships and paid university research work, went to the UCD campus Saturday evening, April 29, for a student research project presentation, his father said.

Majdi Abou Najm said his son then hung out with friends before deciding to head home. Karim took a path hed taken many times before, his father said, through Sycamore Park, which is about a mile north of the university campus and is close to Abou Najms home.

Abou Najm planned to graduate this June. He had software engineering jobs lined up to begin his post-college career.

He never made it home.

Police found Abou Najm with multiple stab wounds in the area of Sycamore Lane and Colby Drive, after a nearby resident heard a disturbance and called 911 around 9:15 p.m.

Law enforcement initiated an exhaustive search of the area surrounding Sycamore Park, using drones and canines, but could not locate a suspect.

Davis Fire Department personnel declared Abou Najm dead upon arrival at the scene, police said. As with Breauxs death, Pytel called the UCD students stabbing brutal.

He was just six weeks away from graduation, his father told The Sacramento Bee in an interview. Its devastating. Instead of attending his graduation, were making arrangements for his departure.

UC Davis professor Majdi Abou Najm looks up Monday, May 1, 2023, toward the bedroom of son Karim Abou Najm, who was fatally stabbed at park in the city over the weekend. A recent photograph of Karim, a UCD student, sits above his father on the fireplace mantel.

Unlike the first stabbing at Central Park, police were able to collect statements from eyewitnesses and compiled their first description of the alleged perpetrator: a light-skinned man with long and curly hair, about 5-foot-7 to 5-foot-8, between the ages of 19 and 23.

The suspect took Abou Najms bike during the stabbing, Deputy Chief Todd Henry said in Thursdays news conference announcing the suspects arrest. Police found the bike later Saturday night, abandoned near Sycamore Park.

Police could not immediately draw a definitive link between the deaths of Breaux and Abou Najm, and there were no known connections between the two victims.

But the crimes had similarities, officials noted: Both were stabbings, both occurred at parks and both involved male victims.

With two homicide deaths including a student, campus police joined city police in boosting patrols. UC Davis police enlisted private security, and added vans and extra personnel to the universitys Safe Ride program, which gives students, staff and faculty rides home from the campus. UCD also expanded Safe Ride services with earlier hours, starting at 8 p.m.

City police urged people to be vigilant, particularly at night, and to report suspicious activity to the authorities.

May 1-2: Manhunt ensues after homeless woman is stabbed

Pytel, the Davis police chief, acknowledged during a Tuesday, May 2, city council meeting that his department was being flooded by a large volume of community tips after the two deadly stabbings.

This led police not to prioritize a likely sighting of the suspect  about two hours before he allegedly struck again, stabbing his third victim, 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory, the Monday night in a tent near Second and L streets.

Pytel confirmed a report from earlier in the day published by the Davis Enterprise newspaper: two friends of Guillory reported seeing the suspect about two hours before the third attack, which happened around 11:45 p.m. May 1. They called 911, but authorities did not respond.

The description that was provided was rather vague and the information was rather vague other than the person was near their camps and appeared to be hiding behind trees at times, Pytel said at Tuesdays regularly scheduled council meeting. Based on the information provided, being less so than information provided in other calls and the number of tips that were coming in, it wasnt prioritized at the highest level.

As it turns out, its likely that the information was accurate and that probably was the suspect who ended up stabbing the third victim (Monday) night.

A couple of hours after the initial 911 call, the attacker returned to the camp around 11:45 p.m. and exchanged words with three people before stabbing Guillory multiple times through her tent, Pytel said. Guillory herself called 911 after being stabbed.

Those four witnesses, including the victim, provided a suspect description that was substantially similar to the suspect sought in Saturdays deadly stabbing at Sycamore Park, the police chief said.

Guillory was rushed to Sacramentos UC Davis Medical Center in critical condition and underwent surgery for multiple stab wounds. Pytel at Tuesdays council meeting said she was awake, alert (and) talking.

Police said the attacker fled the homeless encampment, which is about a half-mile east of Central Park, westbound on Third Street near L Street.

A manhunt followed, lasting into the early hours of Tuesday. Officers combed through yards, alleys and parking lots while ordering downtown Davis and the nearby UCD campus to shelter in place.

No suspect was located, with the search perimeter ultimately broken down and the shelter orders lifted shortly after 5 a.m.

Davis Police investigate on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, the site where a homeless woman was stabbed several times through the side of her tent near Second and L streets before midnight. The city issued issued a shelter in place order that was lifted around 5 a.m.

May 2: Fear after third stabbing; UCD puts evening classes online

The stabbing of Guillory at the homeless camp sent shockwaves of fear through the Davis and UC Davis communities, including the many university students, staff and faculty who walk or bike to and from the campus.

Student Nikki Moreno, a UCD student who bikes to campus, said Tuesday morning that she was freaked out by the attacks.

Chancellor Gary S. May announced Tuesday afternoon that all UC Davis classes ending after 6 p.m. would be moved to remote learning indefinitely. Following this weeks arrest, May said evening classes will return to campus next Monday.

UC Davis Police Chief Joseph Farrow speaks about the recent stabbings in Davis, one of which killed student Karim Abou Najm, as UC Davis Chancellor Garry May listens on Tuesday, May 2, 2023.

Aggie Transfer Day, an all-day informational event for admitted transfer students that had been scheduled for Friday, was canceled.

A number of other businesses and local institutions shortened their hours or otherwise adjusted schedules. Wednesdays farmers market at Central Park was canceled out of an abundance of caution. Woodstocks Pizza downtown closed early and cut off delivery service after 8 p.m.

Certainly seems reasonable that were dealing with the same person

Criminal experts told The Bee that the three stabbings were likely the work of a local serial killer.

Pytel during his remarks at the city council meeting that it was more probable than not that the three stabbings were connected.

It certainly seems reasonable that were dealing with the same person there, he said.

But the police chief also said authorities could not rule out the possibility that the attacks were not connected, or that two but not all three were connected.

We have to explore all different options, he said at the time.

Davis police enlisted the help of homicide detectives from the Sacramento County Sheriffs Office and Sacramento Police Department, as biological evidence retrieved from the crime scenes was taken to crime labs for analysis.

May 3: Suspect detained near scene of 2nd stabbing

Police detained Reales Dominguez, initially taken in as an unidentified person of interest, Wednesday at about 5 p.m. a block from Sycamore Park  the site of the second homicide  after 15 separate callers phoned authorities to report seeing a man who matched the suspect description: long, dark curly hair and wearing black Adidas pants with a white stripe.

One of the callers followed Reales Dominguez from Sycamore Park until police arrived and stopped Reales Dominguez about a block away from the park.

After the questioning on a residential street started to become what Pytel called a neighborhood spectacle, the person of interest went voluntarily with officers to Davis police headquarters for further questioning.

A witness at the scene, Michael Shearer, said police talked to the person near Pine Street for about five to 10 minutes before putting him in a police car and driving away.

Davis Police investigate home on Hawthorne Lane in Davis, Thursday, May 4, 2023. Today they announce an arrest in the series of three stabbings over the last week that left two men dead and a woman critically injured at the Davis Police DepartmentThe knife attacks began April 27 with David Henry Breaux, then April 29th withUC Davis student Karim About Najm and May 1 with a homeless woman who survived.

May 4: Reales Dominguez arrested as suspect in all 3 stabbings

Pytel announced at a 2 p.m. news conference Thursday that the 21-year-old man detained Wednesday evening had been arrested in connection with all three stabbings, facing two charges of homicide and one of attempted homicide.

Reales Dominguez was booked at 2:20 a.m. into Woodlands Monroe Detention Center, the Yolo County main jail, online booking records show.

The police chief during Thursdays news conference said police are confident they have the correct suspect in custody, and that based on the information that we have, the definition of a serial killer would apply.

Pytel said Reales Dominguez during questioning was reserved, he spoke for a long time, but he would not divulge details of whether Reales Dominguez confessed or expressed remorse.

What I can say is he was out wandering a neighborhood where the second homicide had occurred, Pytel said. He had a large knife and a backpack wearing the same clothes from the third stabbing.

Thats highly unusual and unique. I think everybody will have to draw their own conclusions on that.

Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel gives a statement at a news briefing Tuesday, May 2, 2023, less than 12 hours after a man attacked a homeless woman by stabbing her several times through the side of her tent near Second and L streets  the third stabbing in less than a week in the city. Davis Mayor Will Arnold stands at left.

Pytel described the weapon found in Reales Dominguez backpack as a hunting-style knife.

UC Davis confirmed the 21-year-old was a student until April 25, two days before the first stabbing, when he was separated for academic reasons. The university said Reales Dominguez was majoring in biological sciences and was in his third year at the school.

Pytel said detectives were still determining whether Reales Dominguez may have known Abou Najm from any potential interactions at the UCD campus.

We have no information that he knew any of his victims, Pytel said.

Reales Dominguez was living in a rented home on Hawthorn Lane with roommates, and police and FBI agents were searching the residence Thursday. The Hawthorn Lane home is about a half-mile from Sycamore Park, where Abou Najm was found dead; about a mile from Central Park, where Breauxs body was found; and about 2 miles from the homeless camp at Second and L streets.

The chief said investigators had spoken with the roommates, but declined to address whether they realized that Reales Dominguez matched the description of the suspect they were seeking.

Davis police said they were hoping to use DNA evidence to pinpoint a suspect and were using the resources of the FBI, state Justice Department and the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office crime lab to analyze evidence from the scenes.

May 5: Murder charges filed; not-guilty plea

Yolo County prosecutors on Friday morning filed a formal criminal complaint against Reales Dominguez, charging him with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

District Attorney Jeff Reisigs office also filed special circumstances of for multiple murders, in that Carlos Reales Dominguez murdered more than one person, according to court documents.

Those special circumstances and enhancements for premeditation in the alleged murders could lead to a death penalty prosecution.

Ex-UC Davis student Carlos Reales Dominguez appears in Yolo Superior Court on Friday, May 5, 2023. He was charged with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder related to three recent stabbings in Davis.

The defendant has engaged in violent conduct that indicates a serious danger to society, the court filing says.

Reales Dominguez pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday afternoon in Yolo Superior Court.

He stood behind plexiglass in the Woodland courtroom, accompanied by his attorney, Yolo County public defender Dan Hutchinson.

Judge Daniel Wolk granted prosecutors request to have Reales Dominguezs bail, previously set at $4 million, revoked. He is next due for a May 22 hearing in Woodland before Yolo Superior Court Judge Samuel T. McAdam.
Yanne Cezario survived a shooting at her high school

"It still affects me. To this day, whenever I go out, I catch myself looking for places to hide and for escape routes, in case something happens."

Yanne Cezario is a survivor of a 2019 school shooting in the Brazilian city of Suzano.

The assault on the Raul Brasil school, in which two young men stormed the building, killing eight people and injuring 11 more, was one of the worst ever to have taken place in Brazil.

The trauma from that day has stayed with Yanne ever since.

She was 17 years old at the time, in her final year. Yanne remembers running from the killer and, as she turned around, seeing him shoot one of her friends dead. She had to hide under bodies in her struggle to survive and was stepped on by other pupils who were desperately trying to escape.

"When I finally got out, I had blood all over my clothes - mine and other people's."

The reality of what had happened only hit her the day after, she says, when she came home from the collective funeral organised by local authorities.

Five teenagers were among those killed in the attack on the school in Suzano, near Sao Paulo, in 2019

"I lay beside my mother and started screaming from the top of my lungs, shouting that I wanted my friends back, that I didn't understand what happened."

Since then, Yanne has been taking antidepressants and doing therapy. Her anxiety attacks are not as bad as they were at the beginning, when she used to faint in crowded places. But she still feels shortness of breath at times.

Some of the effects, however, are irreversible. Now 21 years old, the tragedy has made Yanne choose distance learning instead of going to a university. For years she had wanted to become a teacher, but did not feel ready to go back to a class full of people.

She thought she would be ready by now, as the time for her first mandatory placement in a school approaches. But a recent spate of further school attacks in Brazil has worried her.

Read more about recent attacks:

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"The day I got the email about the internship I remember going to my room and thinking to myself: 'I can't believe this is all happening again'," she says. "But this is what I chose, so I'm going through with it."

Much to the horror of families and Brazil's government, these attacks, which used to be one-off events, are becoming more common across the country. Over the last two decades there have been 22 attacks in schools carried out by former students, with 13 of these taking place in the last two years, according to data gathered by the Moral Education Study and Research Group (Gepem) at Campinas State University (Unicamp).

Rhyllary Barbosa de Sousa, another survivor from the Suzano school shooting, was 15 when the attack happened. She has experienced severe depression ever since and even attempted suicide.

"To be honest, the only good thing I still have from that time is my Jiu-Jitsu practice," she says.

Rhyllary Barbosa was 15 when her school was attacked

She had been practicing Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since her early teens and, she says, it was these martial arts skills which helped her to avoid being knocked down by the killer during the attack and to open one of the school's doors so that other students could escape. She still attends Jiu-Jitsu classes every weekday.

The most recent series of attacks - two occurring in the first three months of 2023 - has made Rhyllary reflect on why these assaults are increasing and what more could be done to prevent them from happening in the first place.

"They [the parents] need to comfort their kids, to create a safe space for them to talk about their problems," she says.

She also feels there is a need for society to start paying more attention to what happens on the internet. Rhyllary constantly receives threats online from teenagers who say they are inspired by the killers who invaded her school. She says that social media is playing a role in radicalising young people in Brazil.

This is backed up by the research done by expert Cesar Nunes. He is part of the Gepem group at Campinas State University, that studies these attacks, and has been monitoring social media platforms used to plan them.

He says right-wing extremist content that years ago was restricted to the deep web is now widely available on social media. That has made it easier for groups promoting Nazi, white supremacist and misogynistic content to co-opt teenagers who feel isolated or rejected at school.

"They teach them how to use weapons, how to be one of the greats in their 'Hall of Fame' - they have these kinds of things. It's terrible."

Schools in Suzano now keep their gates closed at all times

But Mr Nunes believes the internet is just one factor.

He says that the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many teenagers to spend more time online and helped weaken their social ties with family and friends, has played a role.

A divisive presidential election campaign which saw left-winger Inacio Lula da Silva challenge the far-right incumbent, Jair Bolsonaro, further polarised Brazil and fomented violent political rhetoric, which in turn created an environment that negatively impacts young people, he argues.

In October 2022, Lula won the election by the narrowest margin in Brazil's recent history.

Lula has been in office since January, but some of the policies brought in during Mr Bolsonaro's time in office - such as the loosening of gun restrictions - are having a lasting effect, according to an extensive report prepared by a group of specialists during the government transition.

The report links the surge in school violence to the growth of far-right extremism in Brazil over recent years and the spread of hate speech online.

It also lists the attempts by the Brazilian Congress to ban subjects such as diversity and racism from being discussed in classrooms as one of the factors negatively impacting students.

The response to the attacks varies throughout the country. Each of Brazil's 5,572 municipalities controls its own primary education, while secondary schools are run by state-level governments.

Some school areas have focused on beefing up security, especially after a recent wave of online threats in the build-up to 20 April, the anniversary of the 1999 Columbine shooting in the United States.

Yanne - the survivor of the Suzano school shooting four years ago - had never heard of Columbine before her own school was attacked by two teenage assailants who had told their friends that they wanted to "copy" the US massacre which left 12 children and a teacher dead.

Since then, school authorities have been on heightened alert around the time of the Columbine anniversary.

Municipal schools in Suzano are now patrolled by the police

Some Brazilian schools try to tackle the problem before it develops, hiring psychologists to tackle bullying and hostility among students.

At the federal level, the ministry of justice has launched a hotline so authorities can get information about school violence, and has ordered social media platforms to take down profiles that encourage school attacks.

Almost 800 were removed before 18 April this year, ministry of justice figures suggest.

The city of Suzano is trying a dual approach. On the one hand, local authorities have introduced tougher security measures. The 74 municipal schools in the city are now monitored by more than 1,000 closed-circuit security cameras and regularly patrolled by armed police with dogs.

The city also runs a programme training teachers to identify and deal with bullying and violent behaviour among students, which it hopes will prevent troubled children from becoming attackers.

Teachers have been trained to identify bullying and violent behaviour in students

In Mr Nunes's view, working inside schools to create a welcoming environment and investing in conflict resolution is key to efforts to tackle the problem.

"It's a long term solution," he says. "We have to learn how to share space with others, how to compromise. If we don't do it in our schools, we won't be able to do it as a society."

He says boosting security should be restricted to more extreme cases, where there is a specific threat. "When you look at what's happening to the United States, they're investing heavily in security, and still they have more school attacks than any other place."

Adriana, a nurse who lives in the city of Vitoria, in south-east Brazil, is the mother of a teenager who in August 2022 attacked the school he once attended.

The then 18-year-old stormed the building carrying a crossbow and a knife, but fortunately was stopped by school employees before he could carry out his plan.

Adriana says there were some warning signs that something was off - and has a stark warning for others.

"My advice to parents is: Pay attention to your children, be aware of their online activities, who they're talking with.

"The radicalisation process can start at a very young age. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Brian Dowling was subjected to a tirade of hate from trolls over his surrogacy decision. (Getty Images)

Former Big Brother host Brian Dowling faced a backlash from vicious trolls online after he announced his plans to become a father.

Dowling and his husband Arthur Gourounlian found themselves being subjected to a tirade of abuse online by people who believed they were taking advantage of poor or mentally challenged women.

Dowling welcomed his first child, Blake, in September last year via surrogacy with the decision attracting a lot of negative attention online, especially from women.

Read more: Brian Dowling says homophobia on his surrogacy journey is from 'uneducated' people

It was only when the couple confirmed their surrogate was in fact Dowlings sister Alice that the abuse died down, but they never received an apology for the hurtful outpouring.

Talking to RSVP Magazine Dowling said: "The subject of surrogacy is still very taboo and everyone has an opinion on it. Before Aoife was announced as the surrogate we were accused of taking advantage of a poor woman, a mentally challenged woman or a woman in a country where there is no legislation.

"Peoples assumption about surrogacy has always been dark and menacing and they see people like Aoife as a victim. This comes from other women.

"My sister is not a victim. We have never met our donor but with the clinic we used and how it was done shes not a victim either.

Read more: Brian Dowling: 'I'm glad I was naive about being first openly gay kids' TV presenter'

The Irish born TV star also admitted that they were compared to nuns who stole babies from their mothers in the Magdalene Laundries with some even commenting that with enough money and a dark heart you can do anything.

The star - who recently landed his own radio show on Dublins 98FM - also admitted his concerns for his baby daughter when she grows up to see some of the horrible comments made to her parents.

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Watch: Brian Dowling on how Big Brother helped him come out to his parents

Talking about his move to radio Dowling admitted that it is his first full-time job since he was a cabin crew member with Ryanair prior to finding fame on Big Brother.

He also admitted that he just hopes he can play Britney Spears every day as he embarks on the new venture.
Advocacy groups hold a banner reading "elected representative school board" as they rally outside Chicago Public Schools headquarters on May 26, 2021, to demand a vote on the elected school board bill. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

The transition to an elected school board in Chicago moved a step closer to becoming a reality Friday, as the Democratic caucuses of the Illinois Senate and House released a draft of the boundaries for 20 districts in which voters will begin to elect school board members in 2024.

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According to a Friday news release from Illinois House and Senate Democrats, the map reflects feedback gathered from citywide public hearings, including requests to keep communities of interest as whole as possible and to ensure the maps reflect the diversity of Chicago.

The lawmakers said they welcome additional input on the proposed map, which can be viewed here. The boundaries must be finalized by the General Assembly by July 1.

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Opportunities for feedback on the map include an in-person hearing at 10 a.m. Saturday at Curie High School, 4959 S. Archer Ave., held by the Illinois House. A virtual meeting is also planned for 5 p.m. Tuesday at www.ilga.gov, at which the Senate Special Committee on the Chicago Elected Representative School Board will receive testimony regarding the proposed map.

Constituents can also email feedback to RedistrictingCommittee@hds.ilga.gov and ChicagoERSBCommittee@senatedem.ilga.gov.

The boundaries for the 20 districts must meet the requirements of the Illinois Voting Rights Act and must be drawn in a way that preserves clusters of minority voters if they are of size or cohesion to exert collective electoral power, according to the Senate Democrats announcement.

Moving to a popularly elected board is about equity for all Chicago communities, giving everyone a say and a stake in the future of our neighborhoods. Delivering on this goal starts with districts that reflect our unique and diverse communities, state Rep. Ann Williams, leader of the House Democrats CPS districting working group, said in the news release. People in neighborhoods across our city deserve a voice in our schools, and using their insight to help shape the districts can make that a reality.

State Sen. Robert Martwick speaks during a press conference on Sept. 15, 2022. Martwick was a sponsor of the legislation creating an elected school board in Chicago. (Erin Hooley / Chicago Tribune)

As of his inauguration May 15, Chicago Mayor-elect Brandon Johnson will have the power to appoint all members of the currently seven-person board. The group will triple in size to become a board of 21 members following the November 2024 election, when 10 members will be elected, and 10 members and the board president will continue to be appointed by the mayor. Then in November 2026, voters will chose the first fully-elected board, one from each of 20 districts and a president elected at large, under a measure Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed into law in 2021.

State Sen. Robert Martwick, a sponsor of the legislation creating an elected school board in Chicago, said in the news release that the transition will bring much-needed accountability and transparency to Chicago Public Schools. With the release of the draft map, he said, We are another step closer to our goal of community-led education that puts students first.

smacaraeg@chicagotribune.com
Corey Mylchreest plays a fictional version of King George III in "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story." Netflix / GraphicaArtis / Getty Images

Warning: Spoilers ahead for episode four of "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story."

In season one of Netflix's "Bridgerton," King George III (James Fleet) has a mysterious illness.

The new spinoff series delves further into the king's disorder, loosely based on the real monarch's illness.

"Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" depicts the real illness that King George III experienced, though it has been debated by historians.

While the first two seasons of "Bridgerton" hinted that the king (James Fleet) is not entirely well in 1813, "Queen Charlotte" goes further into the past and portrays a full picture of the king (Corey Mylchreest) struggling with a mental disorder and the weight of the crown.

After Charlotte marries the king, he separates himself from her, causing tension in their new relationship.

Episode four of "Queen Charlotte" reveals that the king is suffering from some sort of mental health disorder, causing him to black out and hallucinate.

"Queen Charlotte" is loosely based on history, and it seems the show's writers are pulling recent discoveries about the real monarch into this plot. Here's what to know.

While records show that the real King George III was mentally ill, historians debate the cause of the illness.

A portrait of King George III of Great Britain and Ireland, who reigned from 1760 to 1820. Stock Montage / Getty Images

George has always been described as the "mad king who lost America," and there are recorded moments in history that indicate the monarch was mentally ill, including the fact that his eldest son, George IV, had to step in to rule as prince regent in the last few years of the king's life because he became too mentally unfit to rule.

A theory arose in recent years that the king was actually suffering from porphyria, a genetic blood disorder that can cause confusion, hallucinations, and paranoia.

Other historians theorized that the king was suffering from mental illness after analyzing his journals.

The BBC reported in 2013 that one study based at St George's, University of London, found that the monarch's letters had similar symptoms to patients experiencing the manic phase of psychiatric illnesses like bipolar disorder.

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While "Queen Charlotte" never explains what exactly is wrong with King George, it appears to be following the mental illness theory with the way the series presents the monarch, who only hallucinates when he is nervous and under a significant amount of pressure.

In addition, "Queen Charlotte"  which takes place between two timelines, one in 1761, and the other in 1817  follows history by portraying the king's deterioration in later life and introduces Charlotte and George's son as the prince regent in the scenes set in 1817.

"Queen Charlotte" star Corey Mylchreest says the writers never gave him a proper diagnosis for the king.

Corey Mylchreest as young King George. Liam Daniel / Netflix

Corey Mylchreest, who plays the young King George, told Variety that the writers did not diagnose the character, but he came up with his own explanation while working with director Tom Verica and a specialist.

"As a show, we don't diagnose him, but as an actor, I simply had to make a decision. Otherwise, the work is going to be nonspecific, and it can be offensive. I did a lot of research and I had an idea of what it was, learning about his childhood and how that can affect stuff," said Mylchreest. "It's a gift as an actor because it's such a challenge but it doesn't afford you anything other than permission to go 100%."

He added: "If you don't commit fully, then you're going to almost offend the honor of the character  both that Shonda has written, and the real guy that I fell in love with when I did my research. It's a man who is dealing with the subsequent shame and self-hatred that comes as a result of that affliction."

Golda Rosheuvel told Insider in 2020 that the writers of "Bridgerton" season one didn't narrow down a diagnosis either.

James Fleet as older King George III in "Bridgerton." Netflix

When older Queen Charlotte actor Golda Rosheuvel spoke to Insider in 2020, she said that former "Bridgerton" showrunner Chris Van Dusen "never discussed" the specific condition of King George.

The actor told Insider that she and Van Dusen "never discussed" the specifics of her onscreen husband's condition.

"It was just from Chris' mind," she said before pointing out that the show isn't a biopic, but rather a reimagined version of history. "Back then in the 1800s, they wouldn't have known what bipolar was. The unknown of that would be terrifying, I think. The outbursts would be terrifying."

The king's condition is a mere subplot in "Bridgerton" season one, which revolves around the high-stakes social season of 1813, but Rosheuvel felt like there was a "real importance" to show the royals' dynamic in order for viewers to better understand the queen.

"In public, it's very lavish. It's very fun. It's very naughty. It's very regal. There's a position of power. In private, I think you see her as a real human being who desperately, desperately, desperately loves her husband and is having to deal with the unknown," Rosheuvel said. "She's a rounded character."

Rosheuvel added that the most memorable scene to film in "Bridgerton" season one was between her and Fleet.

In episode five, the couple shares a rare interaction over dinner. Charlotte tells her husband that both she and his subjects "miss" him, and he reacts with confusion, explaining that he's right in front of her.

When George asks about their daughter, Amelia, Charlotte gently reminds him that she died several years prior. (In real life, Amelia, who was reportedly the king's favorite child, died after contracting tuberculosis.)

The king then lashes out and throws his dinner plate to the ground, accusing Charlotte of killing Amelia.

"That was the first scene I did with him," Rosheuvel said, referring to her costar. "Before then, it had been balls and balls and tea parties and tea parties. It was the first time that I could show her intimate side and her private side and I was really excited for that to be seen by people."

"Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" is available to stream on Netflix.

Read the original article on Insider
Its Kentucky Derby week and Louisville officials have shared the citys security plan for the roughly 155,000 people expected to attend the event this year.

Heres what to know about security and safety procedures the city and Churchill Downs have in place if youre planning to attend Saturdays big race.

Public safety is a priority

The Louisville Metro Police Department held a Kentucky Derby safety briefing Tuesday to discuss what patrons should know leading up to Saturdays event.

Officials are encouraging patrons to have a personal safety plan. In such a plan, officials recommend you refresh yourself with all the exit and shelter locations, know your way around the facility and have a meet-up place for your group.

Be sure to also refresh yourself on all the road closures ahead of attending.

Two streets are closed all day Wednesday through Saturday: Fourth Street starting at Haywood Avenue going to Oakdale Avenue, and Oakdale Avenue starting at Fourth Street to the alley at the backside gate of Churchill Downs.

There are 21 other road restrictions in place Wednesday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.,which can be found on Louisvilles website.

You should also pay attention to any no parking signs. The LMPD says it will strictly enforce parking rules this week, as illegal parking can impede the flow of traffic and delay emergency response times.

Emergency medical services personnel will be onsite at Churchill Downs, as well as 50 Louisville Division of Fire personnel, 45 of which are fire suppression workers. The fire department will have a presence to respond to fire alarms, emergency incidents and assist EMS when needed. There will also be about eight fire trucks onsite.

Assistant Police Chief Steve Healey said with big events like the Derby, human trafficking becomes a major concern. If you see something alarming, Healey said to report it to officials right away.

You can also call 502-636-4526 to report anything unusual. To keep up to date with any emergency notifications this week, text DERBY to 67283.

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Dont bring these items to Churchill Downs

All 2023 Kentucky Derby attendees have to go through a metal detector prior to entry and can only bring one bag no larger than 12 by 6 by 12 inches. If any attendee has a prohibited item, they will be required to leave them at the entrance or return them to their vehicle. There is no clear bag policy.

Once you leave the facility, you can not re-enter on the same ticket.

Prohibited items Saturday slightly differ from the usual list of banned items at Churchill Downs. Here are some of them, from Kentucky Derbys website:

Alcoholic beverages

Large bags

Unapproved banners and signs

Cameras with detachable lenses

Canopies and tents

Cans

Glass bottles

Containers

Fireworks

Noise makers

Air horns

Laser lights/pointers

Mace/pepper spray

Selfie sticks

Tripods

Umbrellas

Wagons

Weapons

To see the full list, visit Kentucky Derbys website.

Do you have a question about horse racing or the Kentucky Derby for our service journalism team? Wed like to hear from you. Fill out our Know Your Kentucky form or email ask@herald-leader.com.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Britain's free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia will come into force by the end of this month, the leaders from the three nations said Friday.

The announcement came while the prime ministers from the two Southern Hemisphere nations are in London for the coronation of King Charles III.

The deals are part of Britain's efforts to expand its economic ties after it left the European Union. Both deals were first agreed to in 2021.

New Zealand officials say its deal will help boost sales of products like wine, butter, beef and honey, and will increase the size of its economy by up to 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($629 million).

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a gold-standard agreement.

"The market access outcomes are among the very best New Zealand has secured in any trade deal, Hipkins said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal with New Zealand reflected the close relationship between the nations.

This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, drive growth, boost jobs, and, most importantly, build a more prosperous future for the next generation, Sunak said in a statement.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it would mean more market access for its exporters.

So for beef, for our sheep products, for our seafood, for our other products it will mean much greater access to the British market, Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview.

Albanese said it would also mean greater access for younger Australians to work in Britain and vice versa after the terms of a working holiday arrangement were expanded.

A similar scheme between New Zealand and Britain has also been expanded, increasing the length of working visas from two years to three years and the maximum eligible age from 30 to 35.
LONDON (Reuters) -British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday he had "made plain" Britain's views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during the latter's visit to London for King Charles' coronation.

"Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan," Cleverly said on Twitter. "We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links."

The rare meeting between senior government officials from Britain and China comes during a low point in relations.

London has restricted Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern at Beijing's increasing military and economic assertiveness.

In a speech in London last week, Cleverly urged China to be more open about what he called the biggest military build-up in peacetime history, and said Britain should engage constructively with China despite its "revulsion" over the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

A host of foreign dignitaries and heads of state are visiting London for Charles's coronation on Saturday, and British ministers are using the opportunity to hold meetings with foreign leaders.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sachin Ravikumar)
A 35-year-old British citizen living in Australia was killed in a brutal shark attack last year in what researchers are calling a "provoked incident."

Simon Nellist, a diving instructor and former UK Royal Air Force serviceman, died after being attacked in February 2022 by what witnesses described as a 15-foot great white shark at Buchan Point, near Little Bay, southeast of Sydney,

The incident, Sydney's first fatal shark attack in decades, shocked the world. Extremely graphic video of the attack emerged online . The video shows thrashing in the water and a pool of blood about 50 yards off the coast.

Simon Nellist died in Sydney, Australia from a 15-foot-long great white shark in Febuary 2022.

A witness, Kris Linto, said the swimmer was in the water when the shark "came and attacked him vertically."

VIDEO OF SHARK ATTACKING SNORKELER IN MALDIVES RESURFACES; TOURIST WAS LEFT WITH 6-INCH WOUND

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF), a global database of all known shark attacks which is run by the Florida Museum, has classified Nellist's death as a "provoked incident." The database classifies "provoked incidents" when a "human initiates interaction with a shark in some way."

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A great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) baited by the animal guide, Andre Hartmann, surfaces with an impressive open mouth on December 02, 2007 in Gansbaii, South Africa, Atlantic Ocean.

Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Program for Shark Research, told The London Times that Nellist was "in no way intending to provoke" the shark but had been swimming in an area where people were fishing.

"We find that a large fraction of bites that are reported to us occur where people are fishing and there is chum or bait in the water. Fishing brings bait fish closer to shore than they might otherwise be, and sharks often follow," he said.

SYDNEY SHARK ATTACK VICTIM IDENTIFIED AS BRITISH EXPAT ENGAGED TO MARRY GIRLFRIEND

He explained that these circumstances might have "excited" the shark or induced "atypical behavior."

As a result, ISAF classified the incident as "provoked," Naylor said.

The number of unprovoked shark bites fell in 2022, potentially reflecting a global decline in shark populations.

In 2022, ISAF investigated 108 alleged attacks worldwide in 2022. It confirmed 57 attacks of unprovoked shark bites on humans and 32 provoked bites.

The organization shared that in 2022 there were nine shark-related fatalities worldwide, with the U.S. leading in unprovoked shark attacks.
A month before the Republican primary election for Broome County District Attorney, the question of how cases have been dismissed by prosecutors in recent years has taken center stage.

During a press conference Thursday, Republican candidate Paul Battisti, joined by Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar and City of Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham, claimed the current Broome County District Attorney's office under Mike Korchak has failed in its handling of cases, citing state documents indicating more than 7,000 being dismissed.

Mike Korchak has completely and utterly failed at keeping Broome County families safe, Battisti said Thursday at a press conference outside Binghamton City Hall. Victims are not getting justice. Offenders are not being held accountable. Those that are broken are not receiving the help that they so desperately need.

Broome County Republican District Attorney candidate Paul Battisti, flanked by Broome County Sheriff Fred Akshar and Binghamton Mayor Jared Kraham, addresses reporters at a news conference Thursday, May 4, outside Binghamton City Hall.

However, Korchak later called Battistis comments irresponsible and fearmongering, in a subsequent news conference streamed live on Facebook, pointing to the difference between cases and charges  in a multi-count indictment, certain charges may be dismissed in satisfaction of other charges if a defendant pleads guilty and is sentenced to one or more counts  and referencing state statistics regarding the number of felony cases leading to prison sentences in Broome County.

"The Broome County District Attorney's office is doing a great job," Korchak said, "working hard every day for the members of the community."

2019 Broome County DA race: Where Paul Battisti, Michael Korchak stand on the issues

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Battisti claims crime victims 'have not seen justice served'

The June 27 Republican primary will see a rematch between Battisti and Korchak. Korchak was elected in 2019 by a margin of just 55 votes, running as a Libertarian after losing to Battisti in the Republican primary.

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The 7,000 dismissals, Battisti said, represent potentially 7,000 crime victims who have not seen justice served." He referenced cases including about 600 controlled substance offenses, 100 offenses relating to children, or individuals who are disabled, vulnerable or elderly, 30 sex offenses and 200 assault cases.

Ill make sure that the brave men and women of law enforcement dont see their work go to waste because the district attorneys office doesnt prosecute, doesnt even evaluate their case, or in so many instances, doesnt even read their police reports, he said.

Both Akshar and Kraham characterized Korchaks record as a slight against those in local law enforcement.

Referring to Broome Countys special investigations unit, which he dubbed the most effective law enforcement unit in Broome Countys history, Kraham said its officers were frankly appalled that all of the good police work that theyve done is wasted because we have a DAs office that fails to prosecute major cases on time that leads to their dismissal.

Akshar said many cases were not just dismissed by a signature on a piece of paper.

Many of these cases timed out, meaning Mike Korchak, as the district attorney, did not fulfill his obligation to keep this community safe and make sure crime victims got their day in court, Akshar said.

Korchak: 'Crime is not up in Broome County'

"The Broome County District Attorney's office sends felons to prison at double the state average," Korchak said Thursday. "Crime is not up in Broome County."

The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services statistics show that in 2021, the most recent year for which data is available, Broome County reached convictions in 28.1% of felony cases, more than double the state average of 13%.

Korchak said the county prosecutes 1,500 felonies a year, "but we but we have two county judges, so cases have to be resolved through plea bargains or dismissal-in-satisfaction."

[Battisti's] just placing politics over public safety like hes done since the beginning of this campaign and like he did four years ago, he said.

A Republican primary for Broome County District Attorney will be held June 27.

This article originally appeared on Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin: Broome DA race: Battisti, Korchak at odds over case dismissals
Thieves are targeting high-end homes in south Charlotte and heading straight for valuables in master bedrooms, police said.

Officers with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department have been holding meetings in neighborhoods warning residents about the trend.

It only takes the burglars 10 minutes to steal jewelry, guns, cash, and other expensive items that cant be tracked, police said.

ALSO READ: Police investigate multiple south Charlotte home break-ins; search for thief

Tim Rush oversees a homeowners association at one of the targeted neighborhoods in south Charlotte.

The HOA and CMPD have held meetings to talk about ways to protect residents and their homes.

At the end of the day  every family needs to have a plan, Rush said. And if someone breaks in my house, my wife has specific duties. She knows where to go. Who to call, and what to tell them.

Police said homeowners should install one-inch deadbolts and keep exteriors well-lit. Residents should tell trusted neighbors when going out of town.

Police believe the burglars are from other countries, including Colombia and Chile, and there are similar crimes across the U.S.

Homeowner Steve DeRose takes home security seriously and added cameras as a deterrent.

We built our home and put in  14 to 15 cameras, said DeRose, who lives in Foxcroft.

However, the cameras didnt deter burglars from breaking into his home.

DeRose said his family was out to dinner when they got a call from their security company.

I can hear my wife over my shoulder, looking on her phone at our cameras, and I can hear her say, Oh my God. Theyre in our house, he said. And so we watched it unfold as they broke into the house.

The thieves got away empty-handed.

Make sure you use your alarm and that its being monitored, DeRose said. Make sure that you have a plan for safety in case you are in the house when somebody breaks in.

CMPD also advised you should blur your home on Google Maps.

*Blurring Google Map images:

Enter address in Google Maps and go to street view

Find your house and click on the three dots in the upper-right corner of the address

Click Report a problem in the dropdown box.

Follow prompts to blur your house. Explain its for security purposes.

Requires an email and it takes one to two days to process.

Its a permanent setting.

*CMPD

VIDEO: Police investigating string of home break-ins in Ballantyne
State investigators said theyre looking into fraud allegations against the chair of Cabarrus Countys board of commissioners.

The North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation said back in January, the Cabarrus County district attorney requested an investigation into Steve Morris.

ALSO READ: Feds to seize of 2 homes owned by NC woman accused of healthcare fraud

The agency said they were investigating potential collusion and fraud allegations involving the chairman, but didnt give any more details.

Now, Morris is pushing back against the claims. He told our partners at the Charlotte Observer he believes the SBI investigation will vindicate him, and called it a politically motivated malicious vendetta.

The SBI has not released details about claims against Morris, and he said the agency has not contacted him.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

(WATCH BELOW: Chester Arbys employee accused of committing fraud with customer credit cards)
Its pretty much a miracle that Ron Nessman, 52, was at A1 Hand Car Wash in Hesperia, Calif., when he saw a baby stroller heading straight towards a busy street Monday afternoon.

Surveillance video from the car wash has now been seen by millions of people. The baby was clearly headed for what Nessman described as the roaring traffic on Bear Valley Road when he runs into the video frame and grabs the stroller. But he easily couldve been elsewhere.

He has recently moved back in with his sister, Donna Gunderson, who had the time to take him to his job interview at Applebees Grill + Bar that day. She decided to get her car washed, and Nessman didnt want to be seen in his dress clothes.

I'm wearing a tie and slacks, and I really don't want to go out in public because I'm not that type of person, Nessman told Yahoo News. I'm a Levi's and a sweater [type]. And so I'm like, Donna, look at me, I don't want to go to the car wash. Then she goes, No one's going to see you, Ron. So 56 million views later, I guess everyones seen me.

It was a windy day, and Nessman was sitting on a bench near the street while he waited for his sister.

The baby, caught on security camera, was heading towards the road, and his great-aunt fell over in her rush to stop the stroller. (CCTV via A1 Hand Car Wash)

I'm facing a car, and I see a stroller getting blown by the wind, and by the time I start running, when I catch the stroller, it's just at the top of the driveway, right next to traffic, Nessman recalled. On my way over there, the lady, she had started to run and she had fallen, and I heard her yelling, My baby! And I'm already on it by that point. I catch it and I hold my hand up, like I got it, I got it, Nessman said.

What was going on in my head was: 'Get the stroller, get the stroller!' Nessmans sister Donna Gunderson told Yahoo News.

Gunderson spoke to local Los Angeles media after the rescue. She said it was a busy time of day, when cars are usually traveling at 50 to 55 mph.

The great-aunt of the child is seen in the video turning toward her car for a moment when the stroller starts to take off. Then she stumbles as she tries to run after it herself. Nessman said she was hysterical and crying, with bloody knees.

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She did everything in her power, its just sometimes your body doesn't do what your mind wants it to do, he said. The last thing she's seen, there's nobody in her vision that she could see that can assist her with a stroller and so I can just imagine what's going through her mind.

Nessman has gone through some hard times. Although he obtained a license to drive trucks in 2008 and worked in trucking for a while, in 2018, his girlfriend died. That sent him into a downward spiral, leading to homelessness. He eventually stopped driving and downgraded his license. He also had previously been in prison.

His sister has always looked out for him, he said, and he moved into her home in Victorville, Calif., which is why she was taking him to his interview at Applebees.

Nessman said he hasn't heard from the establishment, but he told Yahoo News that he has since gotten four job offers from people who have seen the video, which include painting and driving a truck, with more offers rolling in, according to CBS in L.A.

The only thing that's holding me back is transportation, Nessman said. I'm trying to get something where I don't have to depend on anybody. I'll take a bus, I'll ride a bike. But some of these job offers are down the hill, and I have no way to get to them. I have to call these people and thank them for their generosity, he said.

As for the viral video, Nessman and his family joked about him being seen in his tie and slacks by so many people online. A tweet of the footage posted by one Twitter user has garnered more than 68 million views at this point.

Ron Nessman walking the baby boy back to his great-aunt, whom he hugged. (CCTV via A1 Hand Car Wash)

After securing the baby, he also hugged the great aunt and met the baby's grandmother. He never did find out the childs name, but if he could say anything to the boy in the future, it would be: I got you.

I am very proud of Ron, Gunderson said of her brother, but Im not surprised he did this. He is definitely a hero. I didnt realize how close the baby was to the street until I rewatched the video.

Nessman said that people online should stop shaming the great-aunt for what happened and posting mean comments. It could happen to anybody, so he hopes the video serves as a reminder to anyone with a small child.

Its an eye-opener. People see that, and I hope that they go, Oh, I remember, Ive seen that video. I'd better set the brake if it's windy and my child's in the stroller. That's all I'm hoping for. One person notices this and sets the brake. It can change everything in their life. Just that simple, Nessman said.

What I did was what anybody else wouldve did if they had the opportunity, and I'm thankful today that it worked out the way it did, he added. I couldn't imagine if anything would have been a little different. It worked out good, I mean, for everybody.
A 21-year-old former college student who faces two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in connection with a brazen spree of stabbing attacks was arraigned Friday afternoon in a Northern California courtroom.

Carlos Reales Dominguez, who police and prosecutors believe is responsible for the killings of two Davis men and the attempted murder of a third woman, was formally charged in the slayings that paralyzed the college town.

He entered not guilty pleas to all the charges.

The legal quest to what may have motivated Reales Dominguez to allegedly commit the brutal spree began inside Department 1 at the Woodland justice center.

In Judge Daniel Wolks courtroom, the young man accused of the terror that gripped Davis for days stood behind plexiglass, eyes fixed to the ground behind a stringy veil of black hair, wearing a protective vest, as the charges were read. He faces two counts of murder; one of attempted murder. The crimes, in the words of prosecutors, indicated cruelty, planning and sophistication.

A half-dozen Yolo County Sheriffs deputies were posted inside the half-empty courtroom. Soon after the courtrooms clock struck 1:30 p.m., three deputies escorted Reales Dominguez into the defendants holding bay.

Carlos Reales Dominguez  is that your true name?

Yes, he answered from behind the glass.

Reales Dominguez answered in the affirmative three more times:

Yes, he understood his right to a speedy preliminary hearing within 10 days of arraignment.

Yes, his attorney  Yolo public defender Dan Hutchinson  discussed the option of waiving that right.

Yes, he would agree to waive time.

Reales Dominguez, the judge said, presented a serious danger to society.

The former UC Davis students bail, once $4 million, was revoked, Wolk agreeing with prosecutors requests to hold Reales Dominguez without bail. He now awaits a May 22 hearing before Judge Samuel T. McAdam.

Wolk, a Davis resident who served as a mayor and city councilman, revealed he and wife live a short distance from where one of the crimes took place. His wife was walking the familys dog a quarter-mile from the site of the second attack April 29, he announced from the bench.

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Meantime, the questions that haunt Davis remain. If Reales Dominguez is the man who brutally took the lives of two and tried to end the life of a third, what led to his rage?

What led him to the victims, 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, whose moniker the compassion guy, told of his love for his Davis community; UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, weeks away from graduation, as he bicycled through the citys Sycamore Park; and the third, 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory, among the citys vulnerable, stabbed through her tent in her encampment?

Bruce Hansen of Davis sat through the afternoon hearing. He was at the vigil for the citys first victim, David Breaux.

He felt today, as much of Davis feels after a week that shook the city: I feel generally relieved, he said outside the courtroom. Im not as apprehensive walking around Davis. The whole community has that feeling.
Customer Zack Johnson inspects an R Guns-brand TRR15 model rifle at R Guns in Carpentersville on April 29, 2023, during the injunction blocking the states January ban on military-style firearms. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

SPRINGFIELD  A federal appeals court in Chicago on Thursday put a hold on a ruling by a lower-court judge that blocked the enforcement of the states ban on many higher-powered firearms and large-capacity ammunition magazines.

The U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals decision stops last weeks ruling by U.S. District Judge Stephen McGlynn from being in effect until further notice. Appellate Court Judge Frank Easterbrook, though, allowed lawyers in the case to file more briefs in response to the decision.

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McGlynn, who sits in the Southern District of Illinois, on Friday granted a request from gun rights groups including the Illinois State Rifle Association for a preliminary injunction against the ban.

The Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed the sweeping gun restrictions in January, in response to last years deadly mass shooting at Highland Parks Fourth of July parade.

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McGlynns decision came after two federal judges in Chicago hearing separate legal challenges declined to issue injunctions. One of those rulings, by Judge Virginia Kendall, was in a lawsuit filed by Naperville gun shop owner that challenges both a local ban and the state law.

The 7th Circuit appellate court upheld Kendalls ruling, and the gun shop owner has appealed the decision to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul cited the conflicting decisions in his motion for a stay against McGlynns injunction.

State Rep. Bob Morgan, a Deerfield Democrat who sponsored the weapons ban legislation in the Illinois House, welcomed Easterbrooks decision.

We know the fight isnt over the gun lobby will continue to try and block any common sense efforts to keep assault weapons off our streets, Morgan said in a statement. But we arent backing down, and this ruling only strengthens our resolve and confidence.

David Sigale, a lawyer for the Illinois State Rifle Association, indicated that he and other lawyers challenging the gun restrictions will be responding to Easterbrooks decision in the coming days.

We are hopeful that when the Judge fully considers the issue in a few days after we have formally responded to the Motion for Stay, he will reconsider todays ruling, Sigale said in a text message. At the same time, we will be seeking to expedite the Appellate process so that the matter may be heard in full as quickly as possible.

In granting the injunction that the appeals court has now put on hold, McGlynn wrote that a constitutional right is at stake, and found that the gun rights groups had shown the weapons ban caused an irreparable harm by denying them the ability to purchase their firearm of choice and exercise their right to self-defense in the manner they choose.

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McGlynn found unpersuasive arguments made by the attorney generals office that various accessories subject to the ban, such as detachable magazines capable of holding more than 15 rounds of ammunition, are nonessential and should not be considered as arms protected by the U.S. Constitution.

The judge also didnt find persuasive the attorney generals offices argument that the weapons ban was consistent with the U.S. Supreme Courts ruling last year in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, which established a new constitutional standard holding that gun laws today must be historically consistent with laws on the books in the 18th century.

More specifically, McGlynn didnt agree with the offices assessment that the weapons ban was consistent with Bruens historical tradition clause, in that neither large capacity (magazines) nor assault weapons were in common use when the Second Amendment was ratified in 1791.

In its motion to delay the implementation of McGlynns ruling, Raouls office argued that the judge failed to decide whether assault weapons are bearable arms commonly used for self-defense.

Raouls office also argued that McGlynns ruling failed to meet the burden in Bruen that the banned weapons were covered by the plain text of the Second Amendment protecting the rights of the plaintiffs to carry firearms for self-defense.

Raouls office argued that many of the banned weapons, such as AR-15 models, have similar capabilities as military-issued firearms and are, therefore, unnecessary for self-defense in a regular civilian setting.

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The massive amount of energy imparted by AR-15 rounds is far more than needed, and counterproductive, for self-defense, Raouls motion states. In fact, assault weapons are inherently dangerous in a home defense scenario because they pose substantial risks to individuals in adjoining rooms, neighboring apartments or other attached dwelling units.

Raouls office also argued that the magazines are accessories and not arms that fall within the scope of the Second Amendment.

The motion argued that McGlynns ruling relied on questionable research that justified how AR-15-style rifles could be used for self-defense.

McGlynn also failed to acknowledge previous 7th Circuits decisions that upheld materially similar restrictions on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines in two other cases, according to the motion from Raouls office.

Other legal challenges against the weapons ban have been filed in state court, alleging that the measure violates the equal protection clause of the Illinois Constitution. One of the those cases is scheduled to be argued before the Illinois Supreme Court later this month.

jgorner@chicagotribune.com
Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, right-wing activist Ginni Thomas, in 2019. (Patrick Semansky / Associated Press)

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas should resign. But he wont.

Nor, insiders believe, will the supine Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. nudge Thomas to go, as another chief pushed a scandal-scarred colleague to exit 54 years ago.

And neither will our tribally divided, calcified Congress remove Thomas from office. Republicans who run the House Judiciary Committee reacted to this weeks revelations involving Thomas ethics problems by tweeting a goat emoji suggesting that Thomas is the greatest of all time.

Yet this, too, is certain: Inaction is not an option at this point.

No, not after the spate of reported outrages and allegations involving Thomas as well as his wife, longtime right-wing activist Virginia Ginni Thomas. Not if the nation is to stanch the bleeding of the publics trust in its highest court, a trust already at historic lows in national polls and yet essential to the citizenrys acceptance of the courts rulings.

We are way beyond a critical mass of reasons for action against Thomas, the courts longest-serving justice.

The public is still digesting ProPublicas continuing investigations of Thomas relationship with conservative Texas billionaire Harlan Crow. In April, the nonprofit news site revealed that Thomas had taken luxury vacations over more than 20 years, paid for by Crow, as well as Crows purchase and renovation of Thomas family properties in Georgia, almost none of which Thomas disclosed on federal financial reports, as required by post-Watergate law.

On Wednesday, ProPublica reported that in 2008 and 2009, Crow had paid the tuition for Thomas grandnephew at two boarding schools, one of which charged $6,200 a month; the Thomases were the boys legal guardians. That gift also went unreported on Thomas annual financial disclosure forms.

Then on Thursday, the Washington Post dropped its bomb: Conservative activist Leonard Leo, the longtime Federalist Society leader who has steered right-wing judges to the Supreme Court to form the courts conservative supermajority, funneled possibly up to $100,000 to Ginni Thomas for unspecified consulting work just over a decade ago. (This was not long after she had formed an advocacy group called Liberty Central with an unreported half-million dollars from Crow.)

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The conduit for her cash from Leo, according to documents the Post reviewed, was Kellyanne Conway, a pollster who would later become Donald Trumps advisor in the White House. The cost was billed to a conservative nonprofit organization that Leo and Conway advised, and that was involved in a voting rights case then before the Supreme Court.

Leo directed Conway at one point to give Ginni Thomas another $25K, adding that the paperwork should have no mention of Ginni, of course.

Of course.

What are they trying to hide? Well, Leo told the Post, Knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni.

If Thomas wants total privacy, he should get off the court. But so long as hes got the lifetime job, hes subject to a federal law requiring that officials like himself annually report their sources of income and that of their spouses. Hes violated the spirit if not the letter of the law before, repeatedly, including by omitting income streams totaling $700,000 and $200,000 that his wife got from conservative groups in past years.

All of this willful disregard for the appearances of conflicts of interest comes on top of another outrage unrelated to finances: Thomas refusal to recuse himself from cases involving the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection despite his wifes documented involvement in the efforts to overturn President Bidens election.

The justice, in keeping with his very apparent sense of impunity, refused to talk to the investigative reporters who wrote the latest pieces. Of his extravagant vacations at Crow's expense, Thomas dismissed any suggestion that he should report the gifts, saying they were simply hospitality by Crow and his wife, who were among our dearest friends.

They may be dear friends, but Crow and Thomas met when Thomas was a justice, already passing final judgment on cases including those in which conservative groups that Crow bankrolls had a stake.

So many unanswered questions, so little accountability. What we have here is a scandal. If neither the court nor Congress will address Thomas transgressions with the seriousness they deserve, we must fall back on the only other institution with any sway over justices.

The Judicial Conference of the United States, a committee of federal judges whose responsibilities include policing federal financial disclosure reports, must rouse itself to thoroughly review Thomas reports through the years and see that he corrects all omissions. And then it should refer its findings on his unreported income, gifts and real estate deals to prosecutors at the Justice Department.

We cant have one of the nine Americans who are the last word on the law be immune to the law.

@jackiekcalmes

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Workers including this man were recruited to a licensed cannabis farm in Trinity County and said they felt trapped on a freezing mountain, working behind locked gates without heat, water, shelter and, in the end, their pay. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Acknowledging growing concern over the mistreatment of cannabis workers, California regulators have quietly assembled a team to pursue labor exploitation in the state's burgeoning weed industry.

The new unit, housed within the Department of Cannabis Control, recently solicited help from law enforcement agencies statewide to investigate cannabis operators who coerce or threaten workers, subject them to hazardous conditions or deny them pay.

The April 13 bulletin, obtained by The Times, said the unit seeks to create a "central repository" of cannabis-related human trafficking investigations.

Its launch followed the December publication of "Dying for Your High," a Times investigation detailing the plight of cannabis workers who are cheated, threatened with violence or even die because of unsafe working conditions. The newspaper identified abuse allegations against nearly 200 cannabis farms or contractors  half of them licensed by the state since legalization. It found 35 cannabis workers killed on the job in a five-year span, a toll that has since risen to at least 37.

The story spawned a legislative town hall in March to gather information on exploitation in the cannabis industry, with the promise of additional hearings this fall. It has been taken up by others pushing for a centralized state agency to pursue labor trafficking investigations for workers in all industries. Though California banned human trafficking in all forms in 2005, a state watchdog agency found enforcement of the law is haphazard and often lacking, with no central agency for victims to turn to.

There is a growing awareness that California's cannabis explosion  a dramatic escalation by both legal and unlicensed cultivators seeking to capitalize on the nation's rapidly expanding weed markets  has put many workers in peril.

Sheriffs in five Northern California counties last year began training narcotics officers on human trafficking intervention. Initiatives by the state attorney general and the governor's office to combat illegal cannabis operations are also billed as having the potential to disrupt human trafficking.

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A remote cannabis operation deep in the Trinity County forest. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

For the state cannabis agency, which licenses and regulates commercial businesses, the new investigative squad is a step further, the first to tackle exploitation of cannabis workers specifically.

The Human Trafficking/Exploitation Assessment and Response Team  or HEART  is based out of Fresno. Formed in March after months of discussion, it includes six detectives already in the field on other duties, a sergeant and an analyst.

It marks a notable expansion in the mission of the Department of Cannabis Control, which previously said that it had never taken action against a state cannabis license holder for how it treated workers and that it forwarded worker complaints to state labor agencies.

A spokesman for the cannabis agency, David Hafner, said the sworn officers were free to work cases and refer the results to prosecutors or federal agencies. The team is also poised to provide police training on trafficking investigations. Hafner would not provide further details or discuss outreach to crime victims or worker advocates. He said publicizing the crackdown on exploitation "would not deter crime" but would instead warn criminals to better conceal their activities.

The cannabis agency verified the squad's existence only after The Times said it had obtained a copy of the bulletin.

It has refused to discuss its handling of worker exploitation since before September, when The Times published an expose on the state's runaway illegal cannabis market. Lawmakers communicating with the department on ways to address worker exploitation said they were unaware of the new unit. The cannabis agency keeps no records of cannabis employment, including the size of the workforce.

Meanwhile, the number of cannabis workplace fatalities continues to rise.

A cold snap in the Mojave Desert in late 2019 led to the deaths of two workers. Lucio Aguilar Rodriguez, 30, of Solano, Mexico, was found Dec. 29 inside an Adelanto greenhouse warmed by a gas heater. The air within the greenhouse was rank with exhaust fumes. An autopsy by the San Bernardino County coroner showed carbon monoxide poisoning.

A little more than a week later, a worker discovered the body of 18-year-old Rey de Jesus Antonio Osorio in a greenhouse near Lucerne Valley, poisoned by carbon monoxide from a generator.

As is the case with nearly all cannabis workplace deaths identified by The Times, the fatalities were not reported to state workplace safety officials. Carbon monoxide poisoning is the leading cause of death, claiming the lives of 22 workers.

With no organized outreach, the grievances of cannabis workers about substandard conditions and threats of violence often show up in California's wage claims system, run by the Department of Industrial Relations. A labor official in March told lawmakers that case agents can refer allegations to a field enforcement division, but they are limited to enforcing work and hour laws.

Pending wage claims against a licensed Trinity County farm include photographs of freezing working conditions, with one worker reporting he sought shelter inside a steel shipping container, without access to drinking water, a bathroom or light.

In interviews, two workers told of laboring on the farm for 11 days behind a locked gate, under spartan conditions. They provided copies of work logs that showed as many as 21 workers who put in 13- to 14-hour days gathering the harvest. They shared videos of a makeshift work camp, with a single-burner propane stove for outdoor cooking, a wood pallet that served as the food prep surface, a portable toilet, and the shipping container where they worked during the day and some slept at night.

The container was unheated to protect cannabis that was to be fresh frozen, but workers said on the last two days, as temperatures fell below freezing, they secretly brought in a propane heater. According to interviews, the majority of workers were from Argentina, recruited by a compatriot who met them at a grocery store parking lot, then led them up the twisting dirt road.

The owner of that farm, Samuel Elias Schachter, made no reference to how workers would be accommodated on his remote 12-greenhouse farm atop Browns Mountain, files at the county planning office in Weaverville show.

But neither was there an expectation he should house those working on the 3,200-foot ridge, nearly an hour from town, his bookkeeper told The Times. It has long been common practice for cannabis workers in Northern California's Emerald Triangle to sleep in their cars, or bring tents.

"I'm not quite sure why they're saying they need housing," said Jeannine Greenslade, who said she was asked by Schachter to respond to The Times' questions on his behalf.

Nor did Greenslade see an issue with the padlocked gates on the long mountain road leading up to the farm. Cannabis operations, by their nature, require security, she said. "Anybody can come and go," she said. "Nobody's holding them."

Workers interviewed by The Times said they did not know the padlock combinations. "No podiamos salir," one worker said: We couldnt leave.

In our case, its not like [human] trafficking," another said, "but we dont like that they closed the gate ... because we want to stay free.

Where Schachter's bookkeeper and his workers most disagreed was the matter of pay.

Two workers from the 2021 season and four from 2022 allege they were promised payment after the harvest, then were told there was money enough only for partial pay  as little as $900 for 117 hours work. The 2021 workers filed a federal civil suit seeking $160,000 in wages and damages. The 2022 claims, filed with the state labor department, averaged $9,400 apiece. One of those claims was dropped, without details of how it was resolved.

"He has paid everyone," Greenslade said, contradicting the workers' signed statements that they are owed wages.

Schachter took the labor condition allegations seriously, said Greenslade. "We're doing what we need to do legally to comply."

She said, though, that California regulations in regard to cannabis cultivation workers are vague and contradictory. She said it was unclear, for example, if the bands of workers who move from farm to farm at harvest time are "employees," "independent contractors" or "just trimmers."

Weaverville, from where cannabis workers said a recruiter led them up mountain roads to an isolated farm. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Workers speaking to The Times said Schachter threatened to report them to federal immigration authorities, or castigated them.

You can play the victim all you want," he told a worker in text messages shared with the newspaper. "No one is going to care that its taking longer than expected to get paid.

Another worker who filed a federal civil suit against Schachter over wage claims described a similar exchange.

He was like, Come on, bring it on ... nobodys going to hear you,'" the worker told The Times. "'Nobodys going to help you to do that to me. Nobodys going to listen to you.'

A criminal lawyer representing Schachter on unrelated domestic violence charges said he was unaware of the labor violation allegations.

That attorney, Thomas Ballanco, is himself a licensed cannabis grower and in separate matters is representing five workers who seek $105,000 in unpaid 2021 wages from a licensed operation in Hayfork. He said labor issues are a facet of California cannabis' long history of operating underground, hidden from the law.

This is how employees were located, how they were treated and how they were paid, Ballanco said. Nobody wanted anybody to know anything. It was all cash. Nobody was on the books.

Thats not to excuse misbehavior, he said. Its a partial explanation of why its so rampant.

Lawmakers said the formation of a state cannabis exploitation team does not deter their own efforts to create a statewide labor trafficking division.

A bill by Assemblymember Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) would put that unit within the Department of Industrial Relations.

"Labor trafficking is a severe aggregated form of wage theft," Arambula said, and because of that, many victimized workers already turn to the agency for help.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last year vetoed identical legislation, saying he preferred to see a labor trafficking unit within the state Civil Rights Department. Assemblymember Blanca Rubio (D-Baldwin Park) said she is working with Newsom's office on a bill to do just that.

The Civil Rights Department typically handles civil matters, such as workplace discrimination. In 2020 it was faulted by the Little Hoover Commission, the state's independent watchdog, for failing to pursue labor trafficking investigations even when it had legal authority to do so.

The commission found that 15 years after California banned all forms of human trafficking, no agency was mandated to combat it, no data on trafficking were kept, and even departments authorized to pursue criminal cases did not do so. In its series of reports, the commission faulted the state for a scattered, "siloed" approach that focuses on sex trafficking, with little heed paid to workers across all industries exploited through force, fraud or coercion.

California closely regulates the environmental impacts of cannabis, but the Times investigation found worker protections were mostly relegated to labor unions, which negotiated a state requirement for cannabis farms with 20 or more workers to enter into contracts allowing organizers access to employees.

Those so-called labor peace agreements have largely left cannabis field workers unprotected, said Kristin Heidelbach, a labor lobbyist and organizer.

She sat on the state's original cannabis regulation advisory panel and since legalization has dealt with workers in the field, first for the Teamsters, now for the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

While there are exceptions, she described "evasive" cannabis employers who under-report the size of their workforce to skirt regulatory requirements. She said it was emblematic of cannabis' underground culture, in which growers historically distrusted authority and structure and to this day sell on both legal and illegal markets.

"We're still pulling this industry into the light," she said.

Immigrant cannabis workers like this one say they endure substandard conditions and exploitation. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Many immigrant workers live on the margins and have little choice but to labor on farms that provide few safeguards from outside threats, let alone bathroom facilities and lunch breaks, Hernan Hernandez, executive director of the California Farmworker Foundation, said at the March town hall.

"Everything that we as a society have built for our workforce," he said, "goes out the door the second they step onto these cannabis grows."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Tom Hanks in Asteroid City, and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon which will all play at Cannes. (Lucasfilm/Universal Pictures/Apple TV+)

Cannes Film Festival is back for its 76th edition in 2023, and once again it is the place to be for all the best films that are most likely to generate early awards buzz over the coming year.

Taking place from May 16 to 27, the French film festival will see the top creatives of the industry present their films to an audience for the first time, with several vying for the coveted Palme dOr award.

Read more: Every Baz Luhrmann film ranked from Strictly Ballroom to Elvis

From the biggest blockbusters to more serious arthouse films, there is something for everyone at the festival and there will certainly be a number of movies that cinephiles will need to keep an eye on.

Here are the most interesting films to debut at Cannes.

Asteroid City

Scarlett Johansson in writer/director Wes Anderson's Asteroid City. (Focus Features/Universal Pictures)

Wes Andersons latest film will have its world premiere at Cannes ahead of its release in June, and the drama is screening in competition at the event.

The filmmakers latest is another star-studded production with actors like Tom Hanks, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzmann, Scarlett Johansson and many, many appearing in the sci-fi caper.

Read more: Everything we know about Asteroid City

It follows a group of teachers, students and their parents attending a Junior Stargazing Convention in the titular Asteroid City, and promises to showcase Andersons quirky, whimsical style once more.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio in Killers of the Flower Moon. (Apple TV+)

Martin Scorsese returns to the Cannes Film Festival with his hotly anticipated film Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars his regular collaborators Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, as well as Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone.

Read more: Everything we know about Killers of the Flower Moon

The drama is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by David Grann, and it depicts the real-life events surrounding a series of murders that took place in Osage Nation, Oklahoma, in the 1920s, as well as the FBI investigation into the deaths.

Kaibutsu (Monster)

Director Hirokazu Koreeda at the 71st Cannes Film Festival in 2018. (Invision/AP)

Hirokazu Kore-eda is no stranger to Cannes, his 2018 film Shoplifters won the Palme dOr that year while his most recent drama Broker also premiered at the festival last year.

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It seems the Japanese director has kept very busy as he is already ready to present his next film: Monster. Not to be confused with the manga of the same name, Kore-edas drama follows single mother Saori (Sakura Ando) who is forced to come to terms with a dark truth about her son.

Monster was selected to compete for the Palme dOr at Cannes, but even if it doesnt win the prize it is most likely to be a film to watch out for.

The Old Oak

Ken Loach and Paul Laverty attend the UK Premiere of Sorry We Missed You. (John Phillips/Getty Images)

Ken Loachs film The Old Oak will also have its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and it is also being screened in competition, his 15th film to do so and his 18th to be shown at the event overall.

The award-winning director, 90, recently shared in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter that the drama may well be his final film because of his age. He told the publication: Films take a couple of years and Ill be nearly 90. And your facilities do decline. Your short-term memory goes and my eyesight is pretty rubbish now, so its quite tricky.

The Old Oak is centered on a pub in northeast England which is at risk of closing down in a former mining town. Much like his previous work its a film not to be missed, but this is especially true if it really will be the swansong of the acclaimed filmmaker.

Strange Way of Life

Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal in Strange Way of Life (El Deseo D.A. S.L.U.)

Pedro Almodovars short film Strange Way of Life, starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal, is being shown at Cannes as part of the festivals special screenings section.

The queer Western sees Pascal and Hawke portray Silva and Sheriff Jake who reconnect after 25 years apart and reflect on their relationship.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

(L-R): Teddy (Ethann Isidore), Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) in Lucasfilm's Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. (Lucasfilm)

In contrast, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, which is arguably the biggest blockbuster of the year, will also be shown at the festival out of competition.

James Mangolds take on the franchise will see Harrison Ford take up Indys iconic fedora and whip for another adventure that will put him against Mads Mikkelsens menacing Jurgen Voller.

Read more: Everything we know about Indy 5

Ford has stated that Dial of Destiny will be his final outing as Indiana Jones, and he told Total Film in April that it would end [his story] not with a whimper, but a bang.

Hwa Ran (Hopeless)

Korean actor Song Joong-ki during a press conference in 2022. (Getty Images)

Korean cinema has certainly cemented its position in the West with the success of productions like Parasite, which won the Palme dOr in 2019, and Netflixs Squid Game around the globe.

Read more: Why 2021 was the year pop culture finally overcame the subtitle barrier

Cannes will screen a few films of note from South Korea, but the most exciting is Hwa Ran, known as Hopeless in English.

The noir marks director Kim Chang-hoons first drama to be selected for the festival, and it has been shortlisted for the Un Certain Regard award.

Starring K-drama heartthrob Song Joong-ki, Hopeless will see the actor's mobster character Chi-geon help teen Yeon-gyu (Hong Sa-bin) by introducing him to the world of organised crime.

Watch the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
(Getty Images)

Centers for Disease and Control Prevention Director Dr Rochelle Walensky announced that she would resign from her position after managing the agency throughout the first two years of the Biden administrations handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden made a statement on Friday praising Dr Walensky upon her announcement: Dr. Walensky has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American. As Director of the CDC, she led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity. She marshalled our finest scientists and public health experts to turn the tide on the urgent crises weve faced.

Ms Walensky took the reins of the CDC as Mr Biden took office and began to marshal efforts to vaccinate much of the general public. During that time, she also oversaw the development of both the delta and omicron variants of Covid-19.

At the same time, she and the center received intense criticism for her management of the pandemic. In 2022, the American Medical Association criticised the centers shortening the advice for quarantining from ten days to five days.

A negative test should be required for ending isolation after one tests positive for COVID-19, the association said in a statement early last year. Reemerging without knowing ones status unnecessarily risks further transmission of the virus.

Dr Walensky also received criticism when she said on Good Morning America that deaths from Covid-19 among vaccinated people occurred in people who had at least four, so really these were people who were unwell to begin with. She later apologised in a meeting with disability rights advocates. But many disability rights activists continued to criticise the administrations policies.

Dr Walensky will reportedly step down by the end of June, The Associated Press reported.

Her announcement comes the same day the World Health Organisation announced that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
WASHINGTON  Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who has played a vital role in the administration's pandemic response over the past two years, is leaving as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a job she has held since President Joe Biden came into office in January 2021.

Her departure was confirmed on Friday by the White House in a statement from Biden that said Walensky "has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American."

"As Director of the CDC, she led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity. She marshalled our finest scientists and public health experts to turn the tide on the urgent crises weve faced," Biden said.

The president continued, "Dr. Walensky leaves CDC a stronger institution, better positioned to confront health threats and protect Americans. We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter."

In a separate statement, the CDC said that Walensky would officially leave her role at the end of June.

"Walensky has led CDC through a transition to greater normalcy across the country, after two years of COVID-19 related closures and waves of dangerous, new virus variants," the CDC said.

The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid is no longer a global public health emergency. The WHO issued the declaration more than three years earlier, on Jan. 30, 2020. The U.S. is also planning to let its Covid-19 public health emergency expire on May 11.

Walensky signaled that now is the right time to leave as the nation turns the page on the Covid pandemic.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director, Walensky wrote in a letter to Biden, according to the CDC on Friday. "I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC  and public health  forward into a much better and more trusted place."

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The announcement of her departure comes a few days after a 39-year-old CDC employee, Amy St. Pierre, was shot and killed Wednesday in a shooting in midtown Atlanta, where the CDC is located.

It was not immediately clear on Friday who would take over as director at the CDC once she leaves next month. The position does not require Senate confirmation.

In her role, Walensky oversaw the Biden administration's efforts to combat the Covid-19 pandemic including the rollout of vaccines to the general public. In August 2022, she outlined changes for the agency to respond better and faster to public health emergencies  following missteps during the pandemic  which included an overhaul in how the agency analyzes and shares data.

She acknowledged at the time that the CDC failed to meet the public's expectations in its response to Covid as the virus spread throughout the country, which first happened under the Trump administration. The agency was widely criticized, for example, over its slow responses and often confusing messaging on masking and other mitigation measures.

There are going to be headlines that praise you and headlines that slam you, Walensky told NBC News in October. It was going to be hard for the agency however it shook out. I can tell you numerous times where Ive had these big decisions... many nights Ive lost sleep.

Before joining the administration, Walensky was the chief of the division of infectious diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was on the front lines of the pandemic. She also was a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Rochelle Walensky resigned Friday from her position as the head of the CDC, citing the end of the Covid-19 pandemic as an optimal transition point to turn over the reins to a successor.

Walenskys last day will be June 30. An interim CDC director has not yet been announced.

I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career, Walensky wrote in a statement announcing her resignation.

Walensky, 54, came on to run the CDC two years ago as the country was navigating the latter half of the Covid pandemic. A career infectious-disease specialist, Walensky had no experience running government agencies when she was tapped by President Biden.

Walensky quickly became the face of the CDCs reluctance to jettison Covid-mitigation measures that were initially sold to the public as emergency measures when the pandemic emerged in March 2020.

Shortly after taking the helm, Walensky made headlines for confessing during a public presentation on Covid that she felt a sense of impending doom about the trajectory of the virus and the countrys ability to respond.

In the spring of 2021, Walensky told vaccinated Americans they could stop wearing masks in public settings, only to reverse course when the Delta variant emerged.

Numerous studies have since emerged which suggest that cloth or surgical masks of the kind most Americans wore throughout the pandemic provide little to no benefit  and Dr. Anthony Fauci, who led the White Houses Coronavirus task force, admitted in a recent New York Times interview that their effect is marginal.

Walenskys tenure at the CDC was also marked by a particularly cozy relationship with teachers unions, which pressured the agency to make their school reopening guidelines more stringent. Emails obtained by a watchdog organization in May 2021 revealed that the CDC adopted verbatim reopening guideline language proposed by the American Federation of Teachers.

While the CDC was preparing to declare that all schools could provide in-person learning regardless of the degree of community spread of coronavirus, AFT senior director for health issues Kelly Trautner proposed adding new language stipulating that the guidelines could be revised in the event of high community spread. That language, along with a section exempting high-risk teachers and staff from in-person work, was ultimately adopted.

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Walenskys resignation comes on the same day the World Health Organization officially declared an end to the pandemic.

White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients praised Walenskys performance in a statement marking her resignation.

Her creativity, skill and expertise, and pure grit were essential to our effective response and an historic recovery that made life better for Americans across the country, Zients said.

More from National Review
The Central Bucks School District has dropped its reported gag order on a middle school teacher who alleged the district ordered him and his attorneys not to speak about allegations contained in an internal report presented to the public last month.

In a petition to withdraw its motion for a temporary restraining order filed Friday, the ACLU of Pennsylvania, who represent teacher Andrew Burgess, stated the district has provided their client with a revised version of an April 21 employment letter without language that it described as a de facto gag order on Burgess and his attorneys.

ACLU of Pennsylvania spokesman Andy Hoover confirmed Friday that the civil rights organization can now speak freely about Burgess and the reports allegations against him. He declined to confirm if Burgess has been suspended without pay, which Duane Morris recommended in its investigation.

District spokeswoman Angela Linch was unavailable for comment immediately Friday and Duane Morris attorney Michael Rinaldi, who lead the district's internal discrimination investigation, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

From left, students, Julien Jones, Rowan Hopwood, Cameron Davis, and Oscar Morpurgo, march with a dozen others students outside Lenape Middle School in Doylestown Borough, on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, protesting the recent suspension of Lenape Middle School teacher, Andrew Burgess. The rally drew a small group of students from Lenape and other area schools, chanting phrases like, "Protect trans youth" and "Bring back Burgess."

What the Duane Morris exhibits show Central Bucks discrimination investigation exhibits appear to contradict report findings

On May 1 a federal judge ordered attorneys for both parties to work out an agreement on the reported gag order and set a May 17 hearing on an ACLU petition seeking court intervention if one wasnt reached.

His attorneys say that Burgess wants to respond to false allegations made against him in an April 20 public presentation before the school board of the investigation into allegations the district is a hostile environment for LGTBQ+ students.

The report, which looked into allegations of LGBTQ+ discrimination in the district, alleged that evidence showed Burgess manipulated LGTBQ students into not reporting bullying allegations to administration, as part of a conspiracy to derail efforts of a new Republican-majority school board whose policies he disagreed with.

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Central Bucks School Board

Duane Morris attorney Michael Rinaldi gave a presentation on the $1 million ACLU complaint investigation

More on Andrew Burgess gag order Central Bucks teacher, his lawyers ordered not to talk about $1M internal investigation

The ACLU alleged the district warned Burgess in an April 21 letter that it would take additional discipline including termination if he or his attorneys talk publicly about the findings in its 151-page Duane Morris report.

The letter was part of an undisclosed April 21 change in Burgess employment status with the district.

The removal of the gag order language is the second victory for Burgess, who is suing the district and Superintendent Abram Lucabaugh alleging they retaliated against him after he helped a transgender student with unaddressed bullying complaints file a federal discrimination complaint last year.

Senior U.S. District Judge Timothy Savage also ordered the district to turn over a full transcript of a Jan. 12 interview Burgess gave to Duane Morris attorneys related to its district discrimination investigation.

The district posted approximately 84-pages of the 204-page transcript on its website as part of the investigation exhibits, but it refused to provide the full document to Burgess, the ACLU said.

The district maintains that Burgess, a social studies teacher and teacher union vice president, was suspended with pay for three months last year for allegedly failing to report bullying allegations to administrators and interfering with district efforts to review the appropriateness of certain books in classroom libraries.

His suspension last May resulted in four days of student protests at Lenape Middle School where Burgess worked for 14 years.

Burgess, a vocal LGBTQ+ student advocate, and his supporters believe the suspension was related to his filing a discrimination complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights on behalf of a transgender student who alleged unaddressed bullying.

The Duane Morris investigation, which cost an estimated $1 million, concluded that there is no evidence the district discriminates against LGBTQ+ students and that its administration has quickly and appropriately handled the "few" complaints involving student harassment and bullying.

The district has been embroiled in controversy over the last 18 months over allegations that its policies have negatively impacted LGBTQ+ students and other marginalized groups.

Board majority members and their supporters have denied their actions are anti-LGBTQ+ and blamed the discord in the community on misinformation spread by community activists.

More on CBSD internal investigation Judge orders CBSD and ACLU to resolve "gag order" against middle school teacher or he will.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Central Bucks ends teacher 'gag order' in LGBTQ investigation
A proposed law, known as the "Stupid Motorist Law," is currently under consideration by officials in Volusia County, Florida, that would levy a hefty fine to deter drivers from attempting to cross flooded roadways during severe weather.

The law, which has already been enacted in several other states, including Arizona, Texas and Ohio, would allow law enforcement to issue fines to motorists who drive around barriers and get stuck in floodwaters or need to be rescued.

The proposal comes after several instances of motorists becoming stranded and requiring rescue due to driving through flooded roadways in the county. This puts not only the drivers at risk but also the emergency responders who are called to rescue them.

"Imagine going down that road as a first responder or as a victim or someone that needed a service... and your first responder can't even get to you because of other people's poor decisions or lack of responsibility when it comes to just using good judgment," Volusia County Councilman Danny Robins told AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

Crews help rescue a stranded motorist from flooding caused by Hurricane Ian on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022, in Naples, Florida. (Naples Fire-Rescue Department via AP)

If enacted, the law would only be enforced during a declared state of emergency in the county. Law enforcement officers would then have the power to make a case-by-case decision, citing and fining drivers who go around road barriers during floods without a good reason.

A monetary fine of up to $2,000 would be issued for motorists who break the law. And, like in Arizona, the fines and rescue fees collected would be used to offset the cost of emergency services in the county.

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Volusia County is located on Florida's Atlantic coastline, northeast of Orlando. Robins represents this area and says it was hit hard by flooding during Hurricane Ian in 2022. During that time, Robins says there were at least 15 to 20 cars stuck in deep water on roads that had "do not enter" signs. He says if the law is passed, it would be just in time for the height of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, and it could potentially save lives and taxpayer dollars this year.

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A car is submerged in floodwaters in North Port, Florida, on Sept. 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Adriana Gomez Licon)

"All this would have to do is deter one, one person from making a poor decision. And it could potentially save a life," said Robin. "It can also save taxpayer dollars where maybe equipment or emergency vehicles weren't ruined or submerged in water to go save that person."

But not everyone in the county has the same feeling about the proposal. Some county residents believe that the law will unfairly punish drivers who find themselves in unexpected circumstances.

Niceie Bullock told WFTV9 that she is not in favor of the proposal. Last fall, she didn't think her Daytona Beach home would flood, but when it did, she didn't have a lot of time to react.

"That is absurd," Bullock told WFTV9. "Be fined for what? Because I am stuck? I need help? That is really crazy. They need to stop that."

Additionally, at-large representative of the Volusia County Council Jake Johansson said he's worried about law enforcement deciding who gets fined and who doesn't.

A man uses his hand to measure how high water is reaching on a pickup truck, as the vehicle navigates a flooded street after Hurricane Ian, in Fort Myers, Florida, Sept. 29, 2022. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

"I'm going to have a hard time coming to grips with the 18-year-old in the four-wheel-drive having fun and screwing up and the mother who's just scared to death and makes a bad decision," Johansson said at Tuesday's county council meeting, according to FOX35 Orlando.

On Tuesday, the council voted 4-2 to send the proposal back to staff for more research. According to Robins, if the law is passed, it will likely get a new name.

Correction: This story previously misstated the location of Volusia County. It is northeast of Orlando, not to the northwest.

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The first thing one notices when looking up at the five sculptures that are The Five Pillars of Freedom tribute to each branch of the U.S. military is that one cant see all of them at once.

Thats because the $1 million unique sculptures use metal slats that are separated about an inch from each other to form the 12-foot-tall images that were unveiled at 3-week-old Gateway Park last Saturday.

One statue will always be invisible.

It was meant that way, said sculptors Paul West and Tylur French of Memphis-based Youngblood Studio..

They seem solid from most angles, but every once in a while they turn transparent, said French. That was the goal. We designed it to embody that sense of loss, and the parts of those people that still remain with you if youve lost somebody like in the line of duty.

Retired Marine Sgt. Randall Clemons joins other veterans in unveiling the Marine statue that is part of The Five Pillars of Freedom veterans memorial at Gateway Park in Corcoran on April 29, 2023.

West, who has created dozens of more memorials in 20 different states, said none of them are like this.

Former Marine Corps Cpl. Arthur Escobedo loves the statues.

Its nice. It has a different statue representing each branch of the service, said Escobedo, who served in the Gulf War. Coming from a small town, its really nice to have something like this.

Escobedo, 55, lives in Corcoran and works at a state prison in nearby Kern County.

The statues honoring the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard face out from the Star of Freedom at the park. Each sculpture was based on a real veteran, and two of them are female.

Spotlights will shine on the statues, which will be visible to travelers on Highway 43 and those on Amtrak trains that whiz by parallel to the roadway.

High speed rail donated $1 million for the monument

These soldiers are going to be on point, on guard, and theyre telling you, Enjoy the freedom. Were on post, said Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle, who spearheaded the project.

The High Speed Rail Authority provided a $1 million grant for the project.

A closeup of a statue that is part of The Five Pillars of Freedom shows the spacing between slabs of metal. The monument was unveiled at Gateway Park in Corcoran on April 29, 2023.

I believe this is the only monument in the United States where the Marine is represented by a woman, said Valle, who insisted that women be included because he saw female Marines fight like hell when he was a Marine in 1993-96.

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Another woman represents the Navy on The Five Pillars of Freedom. A Latino and an African American are also represented.

Valle said the high speed rail alignment resulted in a need for Corcoran to be beautified.

We approached the High Speed Rail Authority with an idea, and they were more than happy to fund it, said Valle, whose district includes Corcoran.

He located the Memphis artists. They came up with a concept that you see today that is unlike any other memorial in the U.S.

Kings County Supervisor Richard Valle (in red) salutes next to VFW District 3 Vice Commander John Hernandez during the unveiling of The Five Pillars of Freedom veterans memorial at Gateway Park in Corcoran on April 29, 2023.

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo drove three hours to attend the festivities. He approved of the veterans monument.

Being a son of a Vietnam-era veteran, this is really touching, said Alejo. We know that so much work and planning and a vision went into this beautiful monument that will now be here forever.

This is a proper tribute.

Tom Richards, chair of the high speed rail board, said Corcoran is what America is really about.

I cant imagine an event like this occurring in a big city across America, said Richards, who predicts the monument will draw people from throughout the country. This is nothing like this veterans memorial in the country except in Washington, D.C.

About 400 people showed up for the unveiling of The Five Pillars of Freedom veterans memorial at Gateway Park in Corcoran on April 29, 2023.

Marine Corps commandant Randall Clemmons, one of three keynote speakers, noted that monuments, memorials and statues are designed to honor someone notable  or to remember a deceased person who died in an important past event.

All can be applied here, said Clemmons. But there is one more that applies to a pillar. A pillar is a tall, vertical structure or statue of wood, stone or metal used to support a building or something that needs support.

As a United States Marine veteran and on behalf of all veterans in the future, when you see this park, know that we need your support.
By Kate Abnett

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The political party behind the European Parliament's biggest lawmaker group on Friday opposed two of the EU's main policies to protect the environment, threatening to block the laws which the group says would hurt European farmers.

In a resolution adopted on Friday, the centre-right European People's Party (EPP) said it rejected a proposed EU law requiring countries to restore damaged natural ecosystems and another to halve chemical pesticide use by 2030.

"In too many regions or member states the implementation of existing nature legislation has led to a bureaucratic nightmare and planning deadlock, endangering food security, renewable energy production, crucial infrastructure etc," said the resolution, seen by Reuters.

It urged the European Commission to first help countries address issues caused by existing EU nature laws. The proposed pesticide targets are "simply not feasible" for farmers, it added.

The EPP has the most lawmakers of any group in the European Parliament - 176 out of the assembly's 705 members. A source from the EPP group said it stood ready to reject the two laws, if its views were not heard.

That could block the policies, if lawmakers from some other groups in the parliament also reject them.

The Commission, which proposed the policies, says restoring soil and habitats' health is vital to protect farmers' livelihoods, and cope with increasing climate change impacts like drought.

A Commission spokesperson declined to comment on the EPP resolution, but said it would work with lawmakers and EU countries to address the issues raised.

"The need to reduce the use and risk of chemical pesticides is scientifically clear. Not acting fast enough now, will have long-term and potentially irreversible effects on our food security in the future," the spokesperson added.

A third of bee and butterfly species in Europe have declining populations, with intensive farming among the drivers of pollinator loss.

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The EU has earmarked some cash from its farm subsidy programme to support greener farming measures.

But other proposals to tackle the 10% of EU greenhouse gas emissions produced by agriculture have faced resistance - including emissions limits for livestock farms, which member states are trying to weaken.

(Reporting by Kate Abnett;Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan arrives to his office in Chicago on Oct. 18, 2021. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

Third-term U.S. Rep. Sean Casten called on indicted former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to resign his post as a Cook County Democratic committeeperson Friday following the convictions earlier this week of a top Madigan ally and three others on bribery conspiracy charges.

Mr. Madigan will have his day in court, but the corruption has come too close to his office for him to claim ignorance. Public service is a sacred trust. For the good of our democracy and the Democratic Party, he should step down at once, Casten said in a statement.

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Casten, of Downers Grove, is the highest-ranking Democrat to call for Madigan to give up the 13th Ward Democratic committeeperson post. Its the last position he has kept since his once powerful stature was diminished by a federal investigation in which Commonwealth Edison agreed to plead guilty and pay a $200 million fine for trying to curry influence with Madigan for legislation it backed.

Madigan gave up the speakership in January 2021 after facing a challenge from his caucus. He had held the post since 1983 with the exception of two years when Republicans held a House majority in the mid-1990s. A month later, Madigan gave up the House seat he had held since 1970 and days later resigned as chair of the Illinois Democratic Party, a post he took over in 1998.

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On Tuesday, a federal jury convicted Madigan top confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd executive John Hooker and lobbyist Jay Doherty on charges of illegally using contracts and other favors to try to gain Madigans favor. The verdicts set the stage for the trial of Madigan on racketeering charges next year.

Casten said his primarily west and south suburban 6th Congressional District, redrawn after the 2020 federal census, represents thousands of Illinoisans in the 13th Ward of Chicago.

Records on file with the State Board of Elections show the 13th Ward Democratic Organization political fund, which Madigan controls, ended March with nearly $2.6 million in cash available.

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David Zaslav



Warner Bros. Discovery president and CEO David Zaslav speaks onstage during the Warner Bros. Pictures Studio presentation during CinemaCon on April 25, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The nerve of Warner Bros. Discovery will never cease to amaze me. Todays personal grievance comes from none other than the companys CEO and president David Zaslav, who shared a curious point of view regarding the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.



When asked, what will bring [the production companies and the writers] back together, on CNBCs Squawk Box (via Deadline), Zaslav said that the strike will end because of a love for the business and a love for working.



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Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav explains how it turned a $50 million streaming profit in Q1

What is this man talking about? Writers cant pay their rent with love! They cant eat love, mortgage love, or pay for childcare with love. Easy for Zaslav to say this, to be honest; his salary is, all beans counted, north of $35 million. Adam Conover, one of the striking writers, talks about this exact sentimenthis love of writingin this TikTok viewed on Twitter.

.@adamconover on the unique power of strikes is some of my favorite messaging and I've been doing labor messaging for almost 20 years. #WGAStrong pic.twitter.com/WPGDDFYhe2  Brett "Solidarity 2023" Banditelli (@banditelli) May 5, 2023

Zaslav continued, saying that We all came into this business because we love storytelling.  Thats whats going to bring us together. Thats partially right, but it also underestimates the power of a living wage. Zaslav also said in the segment that in order to create good storytelling, we need great writers. Its clear that at the very least he wants to present himself as pro-writer, but he says he wants writers to feel like theyre valued, which they are, and compensated fairly.

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Good news, Mr. Zaslav: you can read what the WGA is demanding from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) right on the unions website, which explain what its members are asking for in order to feel valued and be compensated fairlyincluding those who work for WB, which made nearly $50 million dollars in Q1 alone. In the era of streaming, which has seen writers scrambling to secure financial stability, they arent going to just come back to work because they love it. Writers dont want to go on strikethey want to write. But until the AMPTP negotiates in good faith for a living wage, writers wont write.





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The St. Clair County States Attorneys office filed multiple felony charges against 25-year-old East St. Louis woman in connection with a shooting that injured an 11-year-old boy on April 14.

But Breona A. McClain, who police have said shot the child during a dispute with his mother, remains at large. She has been charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm, and mob action.

Bond for McClain was set at $75,000.

East St. Louis Police Chief Cantrell Patterson said at the time that the shooting occurred while two women argued with the victims mother over clothing they wanted returned. The shot was fired from outside the boys home but apparently went through a wall and struck the child, Patterson said.

The boy survived the shooting.

The shooting occurred in the 1400 block of North 39th Street shortly after midnight, Illinois State Police said.

Three juveniles also were charged in connection with the shooting:

A female, 15, faces one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and one count of mob action.

A male, 16, was charged with one count of aggravated battery with a firearm, and one count of mob action.

A male, 15, was charged with a single count of mob action.

The incident was investigated by the Illinois State Police Division of Criminal Investigation Public Safety Enforcement Group. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of McClain is asked to contact PSEG agents at 618-571-5094.
Charles and Camilla are both divorced but their relationship dates back to the early 1970s

After decades of devotion and 18 years of marriage, King Charles III will finally see his goal realised when his "darling wife" Queen Camilla is crowned at his side on Saturday.

She was the non-negotiable part of his life, despite their long relationship challenging Britain's institutions and triggering strong public resistance.

But at London's Westminster Abbey, Camilla will be anointed and crowned as queen, in the presence of world leaders.

Never truly in her element in the public eye, is the woman who lived for so long in the shadows worried about the global spotlight of the coronation?

"Anyone would be anxious on an occasion of this sort of importance," her son Tom Parker Bowles told The News Agents podcast.

"I'd be terrified if I had to sort of walk out wearing ancient robes," the food writer said.

"She's 75, it's hard to do it. But she never complained."

Parker Bowles said the couple were "doing amazingly".

His 74-year-old stepfather was a "good, kind, intelligent man who cares deeply about his roles", he said.

However, the road to the coronation has not been easy.

- Vilified -

In the 1990s, Camilla was the most hated woman in Britain, blamed by Princess Diana for the break-up of her own marriage to Charles. Diana nicknamed Camilla the "rottweiler".

Charles and Diana's younger son Prince Harry, now estranged from the monarchy, branded her a "villain" who played the long game to get the crown.

But Charles never wavered in his devotion to her.

The couple first met in the 1970s. Close to aristocratic circles, Camilla Shand was relaxed in his company, amusing and reassuring the then-insecure prince.

However, while Charles went off to serve in the Royal Navy, Camilla fell for the playboy army officer Andrew Parker Bowles, tying the knot in 1973, leaving Charles feeling empty and devastated.

Their marriage crumbled amid Parker Bowles' extra-marital affairs.

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In 1981, Charles wed Diana Spencer, the daughter of an earl, in what was branded a fairytale marriage. He was 32; she had just turned 20. Camilla was among the wedding guests.

Hopelessly mismatched, Charles and Diana soon drifted apart. Prince William was born in 1982 and Harry in 1984.

As the marriage disintegrated, Charles fell back on Camilla and they rekindled their relationship.

- Home and dry -

Britain's tabloid press went to town, in 1993 publishing transcripts of intimate phone conversations secretly recorded four years earlier.

The conversation veered between being reincarnated as a tampon and discussing motorway directions. After that humiliation, some wondered whether Charles would ever become king.

Camilla divorced in 1995; Charles in 1996. Diana's death in a 1997 Paris car crash saw Charles's popularity plummet. Camilla retreated further into the shadows.

It took years of carefully orchestrated public relations work to pave the way towards even public acceptance of Camilla -- let alone the possibility of marriage.

Queen Elizabeth II was long hostile towards their relationship, but ended up accepting she was the right one for Charles.

A compromise was found allowing the couple to marry in April 2005: a civil ceremony followed by a religious blessing.

At the wedding reception at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth -- in a speech peppered with horse racing references -- said: "My son is home and dry with the woman he loves."

- Soulmates -

Charles and Camilla are "soulmates", said royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams.

"Similar age, a similar sense of humour, similar friends... everything that he and Diana did not have in common," he told AFP.

He said Camilla had a "strong sense of duty" and "regards her role as to support Charles".

Having come through a barrage of attacks and never spoken out, "she's tough", Fitzwilliams noted.

Tom Parker Bowles added: "My mother has strong views on many things but she keeps them quiet."

At the time of their marriage, it was announced that Camilla would eventually take the lesser title of princess consort rather than queen.

But seven months before she died, Queen Elizabeth said it was her "sincere wish that... Camilla will be known as Queen Consort" -- putting that issue to bed.

The coronation invitations mention "Queen Camilla" for the first time.

Despite her dedication, hundreds of public engagements a year and numerous charitable patronages, Camilla's approval rating remains mixed, at 48 percent positive, according to pollsters YouGov last month.

Only 14 percent of Britons want a "Queen Camilla", according to another poll.

bd/rjm/phz/jj
Charlotte-area chef Awo Amenumey wants to see Americans as comfortable with Ghanaian foods as they are with Asian and European staples. Red red stew is instantly familiar, with black eyed peas as its starring ingredient, and soft, tangy balls of banku are fun to eat by hand. But nothing beats the appeal of jollof rice.

Jollof is just that celebratory dish. You will not go to any occasion in Ghana  a wedding, an engagement party, naming ceremony or a funeral  without some type of jollof on the menu, said Amenumey, who lives in Concord.

Jollof rice is ubiquitous across West Africa. Though originating with the Wolof people of Senegal, most of the coastal nations including Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon have some version. At its baseline, its a richly fragrant rice stewed in a broth of tomatoes and other pureed vegetables, palm oil and warming spices. Filling, delicious and communal, its the kind of dish that can feed a crowd, making hosts generous and guests happy.

Going viral

While Ethiopian food has been popular in the US for decades, jollof rice is the first West African dish to break the mainstream barrier  thanks to a couple of factors.

In the early aughts, when social media allowed users from across the world to connect, a friendly competition sprung up across the diaspora. Children of Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cameroon, living abroad in the US, UK and elsewhere, began boasting on who had the best version. The hashtag #jollofwars surged in popularity, drawing outside attention and piquing curiosity. Aug. 22 was declared World Jollof Day in 2015. And food historians laid claim to a centuries-old American version, connecting iconic Louisiana jambalaya to its jollof rice lineage.

Amenumey puts her own stamp on the dish, utilizing smoked shrimp, ginger and coconut milk, and pairing it with greens and protein. She started cooking when she was 7 years old, with her grandmother and mom back in Ghana.

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No one came to our house and left empty-handed or on an empty stomach. You eat and take more food home with you. Its something thats always been a part of me, she said.

Upon coming to the US 17 years ago, she began introducing neighbors and friends to Ghanaian food. As their dinner parties grew, her husband encouraged her to enroll in culinary school. She started catering and in 2022 launched her company Eh Vivi, which means tasty in the Ewe language.

Where to try Amenumeys jollof rice

Want to try it for yourself? Amenumey instituted a series of sit-down dinners and now holds a regular pop-up at Free Range Brewery in Charlotte every second Tuesday of the month. Pre-orders are required and sell out fast.

May dinner at Free Range:

When: May 9 at 6 p.m.

Cost: $25 (plus $5 each dessert).

How to order: Place your order online by May 7.

She is also hosting a full West African feast later this month at Old North Farm in Shelby.

When: May 28 at 5:30 p.m.

Cost: $85

How to order: Tickets are available online.
Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has said that he was prepared to send Kadyrovites [Chechen forces subordinate to Kadyrov and fighting as part of the Russian army  ed.] to Bakhmut, to replace Wagner Group mercenaries who allegedly want to leave the city. Bakhmut remains the hottest spot on the front, and hundreds of Russian soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries are being killed there. Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has previously accused Russian military leadership of failing to supply ammunition to his fighters, resulting in high rates of fatalities.

Source: Kadyrov on Telegram

Quote from Kadyrov: "If elder brother Prigozhin and his Wagner [Group] withdraw [from Bakhmut], the General Staff will lose an experienced combat unit. But younger brother Kadyrov and his Akhmat [Battalion] will replace it in Bakhmut.

If this scenario prevails, our fighters are ready to set out and take up positions. This is a matter of hours."

Details: Kadyrov addressed Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu, and Chief of Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov, and urged the three of them to make peace.

He said public squabbles made both Russian forces and civil society less motivated.

Kadyrov further said that he was "disappointed to hear Prigozhins claims" and "twice as disappointed that the Russian Defence Ministry leadership has not responded to or met with Wagner Group leaders".

He said that when Kadyrovites requested five tanks from the Russian Defence Ministry during the siege of Mariupol, they were only given one.

He claimed that that tanks crew fled during their very first battle, and the Kadyrovites allegedly caught them, "put them back into the tank", and told them to shoot the targets the Chechen forces pointed out to them.

Kadyrov criticised both the state of Russian military equipment, and Prigozhins decision to show images of Wagner Group mercenaries who had been killed in battle.

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Quote from Kadyrov: "It is wrong to film the bodies of ones killed brothers-in-arms to make a public splash. Lets never do that."

Details: In an attempt to shame Prigozhin, Kadyrov said that Kadyrovites also face daily problems in the areas they are responsible for, and yet his commanders never take it to the Internet to complain, but rather raise any issues "via internal channels of communication with the leadership".

The Chechen leader claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defence and General Staff always helped and supported his units.

Previously: On 5 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin wrote to the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defence to say that he would be withdrawing Wagner Group mercenaries from Bakhmut on 10 May.

He claimed that the reason for this was that the Russian Ministry of Defence was not providing his fighters with enough ammunition, and he did not want his people to be "doomed to senseless death".

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are sceptical about the claim made by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, that his fighters will supposedly start leaving Bakhmut on 10 May.

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Recently released investigative records shed new light on how a welfare check in Spanaway early last year resulted in a Pierce County sheriffs deputy shooting a 39-year-old motorist dead after he tried to flee a parking lot and his open door forced a deputy to the ground.

The incident involved three early-career sheriffs deputies and Jerome Holman, who fell asleep in a minivan at the OReilly Auto Parts off Pacific Avenue on Jan. 27, 2022.

In early descriptions of the shooting, officials said the incident involved a suspicious subject and referred to Holman as a suspect. The deputies involved later said through a union attorney that they feared for themselves and others in the parking lot that night.

Investigative documents show a woman leaving the store had reported the gentleman of color was slumped over in his drivers seat, and she worried he was intoxicated or having a medical emergency. She wrote in a police statement that an OReilly employee seemed frustrated about her request to check on him. A manager called 911 and said he was fearful of trying to open the car door due to recent crime in the area.

Eyes are closed. Phone is on, the manager told a South Sound 911 call taker and emergency medical dispatcher, a recording shows. But theres absolutely no movement. I cant tell if hes breathing or not.

A dispatcher told the call taker to have sheriffs deputies respond and report back if medical treatment was needed. A dispatch log shows deputies Jordan Williams, Timothy Tan and Devin Ditsch arrived about three minutes later.

All you, chief, said Tan, then 24, giving the go-ahead for Ditsch, a 25-year-old trainee at the time, to approach the minivan.

Holman was leaning against the center console with his cell phone alight in his hand, body-worn camera video shows. The engine oil filter he later told deputies he needed to exchange lay in his lap.

The rookie announced, Police department, after rapping on the minivan door, according to his body-worn camera recording. As Holman jolted awake and looked around, Ditsch followed up, Hey, everything OK?

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, Holman replied calmly before allowing the deputy to open the car door.

Three minutes later, Holman writhed on the ground screaming in agony with five bullets in his body. He later died at the hospital from wounds to his torso, according to the death investigation.

For reasons which remain unclear, Holman abruptly reversed out of his parking space after a deputy reported over the radio that his cars license plate and VIN number didnt match  an indication the car could be stolen. The trainee got caught in the crook of the open minivan door and fell to the ground before rolling out of the cars path.

As Holman finished the turnabout in his van, deputy Jordan Williams, then 34, shot at him six times. Department policy advises deputies to fire at moving cars only as a last resort due to safety risks. Williams later told his colleagues on body-worn camera video that it was the first time hed shot someone during four years on the force.

I dont know what the process is going to be, Williams told Ditsch, his trainee. So were not going to chat any more about whats happened here. Well talk to whoever we need to talk to from PCFIT.

The Pierce County Force Investigation Team, known as PCFIT, is a consortium of local law enforcement tasked with independently investigating one others deadly force incidents.

Investigators, led by Lakewood police detective Jeff Martin, LPD forwarded the case to Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney Mary Robnetts office in June. The prosecutors office has not yet released an opinion on whether the deadly force was justified. A spokesperson said the case remained under review by a deputy prosecutor as of Friday afternoon.

All three deputies were cleared to return to duty in February 2022, within a few weeks of the shooting, according to Sgt. Darren Moss, a department spokesperson.

Holman remembered by family

Holman grew up in Lakewood and graduated from Lakes High School, according to a Sarah Findley, a former girlfriend and mother of his child. Findley said Holmans parents were highly involved in his and his brothers lives. They were devastated by his death and did not want to be interviewed.

We dont even feel right to have a service until some sort of justice is done, Findley told The News Tribune in February. I cant even believe its been a year.

Holmans grade-school-aged son, an admirer of police who dreams of being a firefighter or working on Naval submarines, doesnt yet know how his father, who is Black and mixed race, died. Findley said she cant imagine the conversation

Hes such a good ol boy, she said. Hes 13 and wishes he was born in the 50s.

When Findley looks at her son, she said she sees Holman.

He just looks exactly like him, Findley said about her son, who wears a necklace of his fathers ashes and made candles that smell like his cologne.

Holman and Findley met about 15 years ago while she was tending bar in Lakewood. Holman was tall, handsome and charming.

And he knew it, Findley said.

Holman could fix everything he touched, excelled at any sport he tried and seemed to always live in the moment, Findley recalled.

I always say cooler than a fan, said Findley.

Findley became pregnant early into their relationship. She was through her first trimester by the time she realized. She said Holman almost passed out from excitement when they heard their sons heartbeat for the first time.

As birthdays passed and Findley worried about their son growing up too fast, Holman always reassured her, Dont be upset about it. Be excited about it.

Holmans run-ins with law enforcement before his death were limited to mostly low-level misdemeanors.

In September 2017, he pleaded guilty to taking a motor vehicle without permission, his only felony offense. A judge sentenced him to the three days hed already served in jail and handed down reduced fines due to financial difficulties.

Court documents showed Tacoma police spotted him at a Walgreens parking lot inside a 1992 Honda Accord that had been stolen recently. Holman allegedly had a shaved key in his hand and told police he tried to hide because his license was suspended.

Holman most recently worked in HVAC maintenance and was excited about the future, according to Findley.

He was doing really good in his life and hes not a person to give up, Findley said. No matter how far down he would go, hed get back up.

Findley said she thought emergency medical personnel should have responded to the welfare call rather than law enforcement.

To think that you could be doing that and not be safe, its terrifying, said Findley. Were they just scared? If thats the case, then way more training needs to be implemented.

Investigative documents detail shooting

Body-worn camera footage shows that while Ditsch, the trainee, casually spoke with Holman on the drivers side of the minivan, Williams and Tan noted seeing a hammer and a pocket knife while shining their flashlights on the cars passenger side.

Hes got some tin foil with some brown stuff on it underneath him, said Tan, who had two-and-half years of experience. After a pause he added, I remember when we could pull people out of cars for that.

Though a subsequent toxicology test showed Holman had methamphetamine and fentanyl in his system, investigative documents do not show deputies reported signs of impairment. Investigators recovered a glass pipe and foil but did not document finding drugs.

I just fell asleep, yeah, Holman told Ditsch after giving permission to open his door. Sorry.

Holman handed over an ID card shortly thereafter, but it wasnt a drivers license, video shows. Holman said his driving privileges had been suspended for a couple of years. The deputy advised him to have someone pick him up so he didnt get cited for a misdemeanor.

Just been a long day, Holman said again about being tired and falling asleep. Im sorry about that.

While Holman answered more questions, Tan illuminated the minivans VIN number with his flashlight.

Thats going to be negative, I have 0019, Tan said over the radio, according to video footage.

As Tan repeated the license plate number to dispatchers, video shows Holman start up the van and attempt to close his door as he threw it into reverse. Ditsch ran alongside the van struggling with Holman.

After reviewing body-worn camera video, a PCFIT statement stated Holmans van struck the deputy with enough force to drag and throw him to the ground a distance of approximately thirty feet.

Mr. Holman then executed a high speed u-turn, narrowly missing the downed deputy and subsequently collided with a marked Pierce County Sheriffs patrol vehicle, a PCFIT statement said. He then positioned his vehicle in such a way, that had he accelerated, the deputies were at risk of being struck.

Thats when Williams opened fire, the PCFIT statement said.

The Sheriffs Departments use-of-force policy generally discourages deputies from firing at moving vehicles unless necessary to protect against an imminent threat of serious bodily injury resulting from the operators or a passengers use of a deadly weapon. A vehicle is not considered a deadly weapon unless the driver is using it as one and gunfire is the only reasonable option to avoid harm.

When feasible, deputies shall attempt to move out of the path of a moving vehicle rather than discharge their weapon at the operator, the policy states.

Body-worn camera footage shows Ditsch was not dragged; he almost immediately rolled back to his feet and ran behind a curb. Holmans door bent backward as he swiped the patrol car in reverse.

The minivan continued rolling straight backward as Williams fired at Holmans torso, video footage shows. No deputies appeared to be directly in the path of the van, which then rolled forward about one car length and came to rest against a patrol SUV.

Martin, the lead detective, concluded Williams body-worn camera footage shows Holman may have been shifting the van into drive as the deputy fired. The most viable option for Holman to escape would have been back toward Tan and Ditsch because of the angle of the car at that moment, Martin opined.

After he was shot, Holman fell from the van and deputies surrounded him at gunpoint, screaming to show his hands, video shows. Shifting his legs back and forth as he tried to pull his arm out from under him, Holman moaned back that he couldnt.

Deputies eventually handcuffed Holman and rendered first aid while firefighters were en route, video shows. Holman was rushed to surgery and died.

A firefighter evaluated Ditsch for injuries at the scene.

I took a tumble, Ditsch said on his body-worn camera footage. Im sore but I think Im OK.

The firefighter prescribed ibuprofen and ice. He was later treated at an emergency room, investigative documents show, after department supervisors at the scene insisted upon further evaluation and documentation. Images included in a PCFIT presentation show a slight red mark on Ditschs rear days after the incident.

Weeks later, PCFIT investigators hit a dead end tracking down the registered owner of the minivan Holman was driving that night. According to investigative documents, records of a purported sale in September 2021 were not filed with the state and an Olympia police report showed Holman had possession of the car in December 2021.

At this time I have been unable to determine who had ownership of the vehicle, wrote Lakewood police detective Richard Barnard. The vehicle has obviously changed hands multiple times from May 2021 until January 2022.

Each of the deputies submitted written statements through a union attorney before returning to work. The deputies did not make changes to their statements after viewing their body-worn camera footage. None submitted to a recorded interview.

When the force stopped rolling me I continued to move in order to avoid being run over and killed, Ditsch wrote about being hit by Holmans car door and rolling on the ground. I was in pain and dizzy. I was afraid for my life and I was afraid that my safety, my partners safety, as well as the safety of the people who were in the parking lot were in danger of great bodily injury or death.

Williams wrote that he first began running toward his car in case a pursuit was authorized to pursue Holman for DUI. He noted seeing a roll of unused foil in Holmans car and Tan telling him he saw burnt foil in the car, indicating potential drug use. Williams did not describe other evidence of a DUI.

I saw (Ditschs) body rolling on the ground, Williams wrote. ... I believed (Ditsch) had just been crushed.

Williams wrote he was afraid for Ditschs life and couldnt see Tan.

As Holman finished a full turnabout, It appeared to me that he was getting the vehicle set up to come at us again and try and hit us with the car, Williams wrote. I was afraid for my life, but more importantly I saw (Ditsch) on the ground and I believed the car was going to hit him.

Both Williams and Tan wrote they believed Holman was using deadly force against them.

Williams wrote, There was no feasible option to stop the threat.

The car stopped moving and I stopped firing.
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will make its debut only on Netflix in 2023. (Aardman/Netflix)

Chicken Run sequel Dawn of the Nugget promises to re-introduce us to Rocky and Ginger as they face off against a new danger that threatens their feathered way of life.

Its been 23 years but Aardman Animations is finally returning to the coop for a follow-up to one of their most successful and fondly remembered features.

Released back in 2000, Chicken Run was the Bristol stop-motion studios first feature film and emerged as a huge hit with audiences both in the UK and abroad.

Read more: Julia Sawalha claims she was 'unfairly dismissed' from Chicken Run 2

Its success paved the way for Aardman to release a number of other animated features including Wallace and Gromit in Curse of the Ware-Rabbit in 2005, and 2012s The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists!

Now, with a few casting tweaks in tow, theyre returning to the world of their debut movie for another farmyard heist set to debut on Netflix.

Heres everything we know about Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget so far, including its release date, plot and star-studded cast.

Chicken Run 2 release date

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget is due to debut on Netflix in late 2023, so perhaps these chickens will fly again around Christmas time?

Chicken Run 2 plot

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget brings back some familiar voices. (Aardman/Netflix)

The first Chicken Run introduced us to a group of chickens living on a Yorkshire farm that better resembled a prison camp. As the farms owners, Mr and Mrs Tweedy, took any excuse to eat up any chicken that falls out of line, the inhabitants of the coop, led by the courageous Ginger, dreamed up ways of escaping their pie-shaped fates.

Thankfully, things changed when an American rooster named Rocky crash landed on their farm.

He may have had a broken wing but Rocky claimed he can fly  and better yet, he was willing to teach the coop how to do the same so they can escape to a better life. While things dont exactly go to plan, this animated prison-escape movie delivered Aardmans smart humour and slick animation style in droves.

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Chicken Run was Aardman Animation's debut movie. (Aardman/StudioCanal)

Cut to 2023 and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget picks up years later with Ginger living a comfortable life away from any table-top threats in an idyllic island retreat.

However, when she receives word of a new nugget-shaped danger facing all of chicken-kind, her saviour nature kicks into gear and together with the rest of her bird pals  including rooster Rocky  she devises a plan to break back into the mainland and put a stop to this new evil.

Chicken Run 2 cast

Peter Lord, Mel Gibson and Nick Park at the premiere of Chicken Run. (Getty)

The biggest change in this sequel is the recasting of its two primary leads.

Fans will no doubt remember that Mel Gibson led the way in the first Chicken Run as the voice of Rocky, while Absolutely Fabulous star Julia Sawalha voiced Ginger.

Read more: Mel Gibson not returning for Chicken Run sequel

Here, these two characters are played by different actors, with Shazam! star Zachary Levi inheriting the role of Rocky and Thandiwe Newton taking the role of lead hen Ginger.

Zachary Levi takes over the role of rooster Rocky. (Photo by Alberto Pezzali/Invision/AP)

Together, theyll be joined by The Last of Us breakout star Bella Ramsey as Rocky and Gingers plucky young daughter Molly, while Jane Horrocks returns to the role of avid knitter and gravy hater, Babs.

Also returning from part one is Imelda Stauntons no-nonsense, champion egg-layer Bunty AKA the muscle of the coop and Lynn Fergusons big-brained Mac, wholl no doubt be helping to put Gingers plans into action.

The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey joins the Chicken Run sequel. (HBO/Sky)

Newcomers to the Chicken Run world include Josie Sedgwick-Davies as Mollys wildcard friend Frizzle and David Bradley who takes over the role of elder-rooster Fowler from Benjamin Whitrow.

Romesh Ranganathan and Daniel Mays round out the cast as rodent pals Nick and Fletcher, respectively, with Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed due to play Dr. Fry.

Chicken Run 2 trailer

Rocky and Ginger on the (chicken) run. (Aardman/StudioCanal)

Unfortunately, a trailer for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget isnt available just yet. Stop-motion films do take quite a while to make, after all.

However, with a late 2023 release date looming, were sure well see something soon - so watch his space.

Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget will debut on Netflix in late 2023.

Watch: Shaun The Sheep returns from his mission in space
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  Chile will vote Sunday to choose 50 delegates to a council that will draw up a new Constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed charter last year that was widely described as one of the worlds most progressive.

It's the latest step in a process to replace the countrys dictatorship-era charter that began with massive protests in 2019. For the most part, though, Chileans appear to be greeting this latest phase with a collective shrug.

Im only going to vote because I dont want to pay the fine, said Patricia Borzone, a 45-year-old architect.

Borzone is hardly alone as surveys have shown theres a general apathy in this South American country regarding the vote while many seem to know little about who is on the ballot. Polls conducted by Criteria and Cadem in late March and April, respectively, indicated that nearly 70% of those surveyed said they had little or no interest in Sundays vote.

The election Sunday will be a key step in the effort to come up with a new proposal for a Constitution after 62% of voters rejected the previous proposed charter in September, which was the first in the world to be written by a convention split equally between male and female delegates. Critics had said the document was too long, lacked clarity and went too far in some of its measures, which included characterizing Chile as a plurinational state, establishing autonomous Indigenous territories, and prioritizing the environment and gender parity.

The overwhelming rejection of the first document is one of the reasons theres so much disinterest in the process now because it led to frustration, discontent and a sense of hopelessness, said Gonzalo Muller, head of the Public Policies Center at the University for Development.

In addition, theres been little political mobilization from the candidates, who have not done much campaigning on the streets, leading many to not know any of the 351 people who will be on the ballot Sunday, said Carmen Le Foulon, who coordinates the public opinion division of the Public Studies Center, a local think tank.

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For many Chileans the idea of rewriting the constitution takes a back seat to more bread-and-butter issues.

The problems our country is facing in terms of public safety, a profound migration crisis and an economic crisis have led the urgency of the day-to-day to overshadow the interest in constitutional matters, Muller added.

That is precisely why Borzone is less than enthused about heading to the polls Sunday, saying that she doubts the constitutional process will guarantee concrete improvements in education and healthcare, which are fundamental for the country to truly develop.

People want to know how theyre going to be able to buy things, how they can have a better quality of life. And the Constitution, after all, is just a piece of paper. Its not something that can solve personal problems for you, Savka Pollak said in Chiles capital.

Voters will choose delegates for their part of the country, with more populous districts sending more delegates to the council.

Voters generally will choose between five competing political parties or electoral coalitions: the leftist bloc of President Gabriel Boric, a center-left group, a center-right group, the populist Party of the People, and the conservative Republican Party, which has long been opposed to changing the constitution that was imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Numerous polls have shown that the opposition, and in particular the Republican Party, is likely to come out on top.

Even some close to Boric appear to be getting ready for disappointing results.

Sen. Juan Luis Castro, who is a Boric ally, said its inevitable that the government will suffer a setback because theres no interest, theres distrust and there is a high level of disapproval of the government. Borics approval rating is around 30%.

Once elected, the councilors will not start from scratch, but rather work from a preliminary document drafted by 24 experts who were approved by Congress.

The experts are working on 12 constitutional frameworks, including Chile as a unitary state, the recognition of indigenous peoples as part of an indivisible nation, the separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers, and the guarantee of respect for rights and freedoms, including the right to life, property, and equality before the law.

The councilors will receive the draft on June 6 and will have to submit their final version in October. The document will once again be put up for a plebiscite on Dec. 17.

Chile embarked on a closely watched effort to rewrite its Constitution after the country once seen as a paragon of stability in the region exploded in student-led street protests in 2019. The unrest was sparked by a hike in public transportation prices, but it quickly expanded into broader demands for greater equality and more social protections.



Associated Press journalist Daniel Politi contributed to this report from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
A Houthi fighter patrols an area during Yemen's civil war. Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images

After nearly a decade of grinding conflict, Yemen looks to be inching toward a peace deal.

Talks between the Houthi movement controlling much of the countrys north and Saudi Arabia, the regional power backing an anti-Houthi coalition in the war, are ongoing and being encouraged by international observers.

On May 1, 2023, the U.S. announced that it had sent Special Envoy to Yemen Tim Lenderking to the Persian Gulf to advance ongoing efforts to secure a new agreement and launch a comprehensive peace process.

But the U.S. has far less of a role in steering negotiations than Washingtons great global rival: China. The recent breakthrough in Yemen has been undergirded by a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, facilitated by Beijing in March 2023.

As an academic who specializes in U.S. and Chinese strategic engagement across eastern Africa and the Middle East, I appreciate that the diplomatic breakthrough brokered by Beijing has implications for the region. It has the potential to reduce rivalries and strengthen stability in Yemen, along with other countries prone to sectarian violence, including Lebanon and Iraq.

But it has also led to speculation over Chinas emergence as a major regional player in the Middle East. The development not only challenges the United States long-established dominance in the Gulf, but it also raises questions about Beijings strategic agenda and motives.

Fragmentation and regional dynamics

It remains to be seen whether the Saudi-Iran breakthrough might contribute to a lasting peace in Yemen.

But given the role that the rivalry between the regional powers has had in fueling the fighting, international observers have expressed optimism.

The disintegration of Yemen began with the collapse of its central government in 2011 after the Arab Spring uprising. In 2014, the Houthi group, a Shiite militia backed by Iran, took control of the capital, Sanaa, and forced transitional President Abdo Rabbu Mansour Hadi to flee to Aden. Hadis government struggled to establish itself in Aden and eventually relocated to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he resigned in 2022.

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Viewing the Houthis as an Iranian proxy, Saudi Arabia intervened in the Yemeni conflict, backing those loyal to Hadi and bombarding Houthi areas from the air. These Saudi-led attacks contributed to a massive humanitarian crisis. The conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 377,000 Yemenis, the United Nations projected in 2021, many through indirect causes such as starvation and disease. It has also led to widespread displacement of civilian populations and the breakdown of infrastructure.

The country remains fragmented, with militias controlling separate territories and no functional central government.

Chinas path through Saudi Arabia

So where does China come in? Beijing has no formal diplomatic, economic or political ties with any the numerous militias that currently govern parts of the country. But before 2014, China had a healthy trading and economic relationship with Yemen. According to the World Bank, in 2013 China was Yemens second-largest trading partner after Saudi Arabia.

Since 2014, trade between China and Yemen persisted, albeit in a mostly informal manner. Data from the international trade-tracking Observatory of Economic Complexity indicates that China imported US$411 million worth of products, mainly crude oil but also copper, from Yemen in 2021. What remains unclear is which rebel factions have received revenue through the trade.

Meanwhile, China has maintained formal diplomatic and economic ties with Iran, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates  each of which back militias involved in Yemens war. In fact, China has been intensifying its economic and political connections with all three regional powers.

In recent years, Chinese leader Xi Jinping has visited both the UAE and Saudi Arabia to underscore Beijings growing role as a partner in the region. Xi also recently hosted Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi during a state visit to China.

Whats to gain from peace?

This expanding relationship with key players in the Yemeni conflict puts China in a unique position as a potential peace broker. Yet uniting the three regional powers around a common peace plan has to date proved difficult.

The UAE can influence Yemeni factions it has provided military and financial support to, including the Security Belt forces affiliated with the transitional government. However, the Emiratis goals may differ from those seeking a unified, independent Yemen. Since the conflict broke out, the UAE has displayed a tendency to undermine Yemens territorial integrity through, for example, taking control of some Yemeni islands, such as Socotra.

Similarly, Iran may be reluctant to accept any peace agreement that would diminish its influence in Yemen. Tehrans relationship with the Houthis has not been as consistently solid as some outside observers suggest, but ties have grown as a result of the conflict. Should hostilities cease, the Houthis military dependence on Iran would decrease, diminishing Irans leverage.

Saudi Arabia, of the three, stands to gain the most from peace in Yemen. Cessation of conflict would likely halt Houthi attacks on the kingdom, save the Saudis money and resources dedicated to the Yemeni war, and potentially restore an international reputation tarnished by alleged war crimes in the conflict.

To broker peace in Yemen, China would presumably need to concentrate efforts on working with the Saudis.

The Chinese-backed rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran could be a first step to this end. Although no direct mention of Yemen is made in the language of the agreement, it does talk of both sides support for the non-interference in internal affairs of states and keenness to exert all efforts towards enhancing regional and international peace and security.

And since that agreement in March, there has been progress toward peace in Yemen. A Saudi delegation led by the kingdoms ambassador to Yemen held talks with Houthi leaders in Sanaa on April 9. The talks were the first direct negotiations between the two sides on Yemeni soil since the war began in 2015.

The thinking in Beijing

But why is China invested in what happens in an ongoing conflict far from its borders  especially when it is already consumed with perceived strategic and military threats closer to home?

The argument that a cessation of hostilities in Yemen would grant China economic benefits by providing access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait  a key strategic channel on the Arabian peninsula for commerce and trade, with an estimated 4% of global oil supply passing through it  ignores some critical factors, I believe. Rebuilding a war-shattered Yemen and establishing a stable government may take time  and the investment required to do so might outweigh short-term economic gains.

Moreover, China already has a military base in Djibouti, giving it access to the Bab el-Mandeb Strait even without peace in Yemen.

It could be that China is seeking to be seen as a global peacemaker as part of a strategy that has been referred to as diplomatic whitewashing  that is, making friends overseas and playing the nice guy to distract from Chinas treatment of its Uyghur minority at home and Xis increasingly confrontational posture on Taiwan and the South China Sea.

But it also fits a wider geopolitical trend. The counterbalance to Chinas growing role in the Middle East is the declining influence of the United States in the region.

Priorities in Washington have shifted to strategic concerns in East Asia and Ukraine, leading to a diplomatic opportunity for China  one Beijing is seemingly keen to exploit.

Meanwhile, U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia have cooled, in part due to the Yemeni war. And Washington has had no formal diplomatic relations with Iran for decades.

As a neutral player, China can engage with Tehran and Riyadh in a way the U.S. simply cannot. That was evident in Chinas role in the rapprochement, and it could be the case in resolving Yemens war.

For China, it provides opportunities for another diplomatic success from which it could emerge as a reliable partner in a changing geopolitical landscape.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Mahad Darar, Colorado State University.

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Mahad Darar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
By Greg Torode, Eduardo Baptista and Tim Kelly

HONG KONG (Reuters) - When China sailed one of its two active aircraft carriers, the Shandong, east of Taiwan last month as part of military drills surrounding the island, it was showcasing a capability that it has yet to master and could take years to perfect.

As Beijing modernizes its military, its formidable missile forces and other naval vessels, such as cutting-edge cruisers, are posing a concern for the U.S. and its allies. But it could be more than a decade before China can mount a credible carrier threat far from its shores, according to four military attaches and six defence analysts familiar with regional naval deployments.

Instead, China's carriers are more of a propaganda showpiece, with doubts about their value in a possible conflict with the U.S. over Taiwan and about whether China could protect them on longer-range missions into the Pacific and Indian oceans, the attaches and analysts told Reuters.

China's Defence Ministry did not respond to questions about its carrier program, though dozens of articles in state-linked journals reviewed by Reuters reveal awareness among Chinese military analysts about shortcomings in the country's carrier capability.

While some regional press coverage, partially based on Chinese state media reports, portrayed recent drills around Taiwan as active patrols and a military challenge to the U.S. and its allies, the Chinese carriers are effectively still in training mode, eight of the experts said.

Landing of aircraft at night and in bad weather, for instance - crucial to regular offshore carrier operations - remain far from routine, several of the attaches and analysts said.

And in a conflict, China's carriers would be vulnerable to missile and submarine attacks, some of the experts said, noting the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has not perfected protective screening operations, particularly anti-submarine warfare.

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"Unlike other parts of their military modernisation, there is something politically theatrical about their carrier deployments so far," said Trevor Hollingsbee, a former British naval intelligence analyst.

"Carrier operations are a very complicated game, and China's got to figure this out all by itself. It still has a long, long way to go."

At times, China's carrier pilots have relied on land-based airfields for takeoffs or landings, as well as for extra air cover and surveillance, the attaches told Reuters on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak publicly.

And though China's Liaoning and Shandong carriers have each sailed into the western Pacific in recent months, approaching U.S. bases on Guam, they remained within range of coastal Chinese airfields, according to Rira Momma, professor of security studies at Takushoku University's Institute of World Studies, who reviewed Japanese defence ministry tracking data.

Both the Liaoning - a refitted ex-Soviet vessel - and the Chinese-built Shandong have jump ramps for take offs, which limit the number and range of aircraft on board.

Anti-submarine helicopters operate from both carriers and China's Type 055 cruisers but the carriers have yet to deploy an early warning aircraft, relying so far on land-based planes, the 10 experts said.

A new plane, the KJ-600, designed to perform a similar role to the E-2C/D Hawkeye launched from U.S. carriers, is still in testing, according to the Pentagon's latest annual report on China's military.

FROM SKI JUMPS TO CATAPULTS

As the Liaoning and Shandong gradually increase the tempo of their drills, China is preparing for sea trials of its next-generation carrier, the 80,000-tonne Fujian, state media reported last month. The Fujian is significantly larger, though conventionally powered, and will launch aircraft from electromagnetic catapults.

The ship, which the Pentagon report said could be operational by 2024, is expected to carry new variants of the J-15 jet fighter, replacing the existing model that foreign analysts consider underpowered.

"The Fujian, with its more modern capabilities, will be just another test bed for a good few years," said Collin Koh, a defence scholar at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"It won't be until we see the next generation of carriers that the Chinese designs and the PLAN's intentions will really settle down."

The carrier program reflects the ruling Communist Party's aim of making the People's Liberation Army (PLA) a "world class" military by 2049, part of President Xi Jinping's vision of building "a great modern socialist country".

One indication of China's ambitions, the attaches said, will be if carriers built after the Fujian are nuclear-powered like U.S. ones, allowing global range.

A study published in December by the non-partisan U.S. Congressional Research Service noted that China would use its carriers to project power "particularly in scenarios that do not involve opposing U.S. forces" and "to impress or intimidate foreign observers".

Several countries operate aircraft carriers but the U.S. remains the most dominant, running 11 carrier battlegroups with global reach.

China, by contrast, could use its carriers primarily in the Asian theatre, working in tandem with submarines and anti-ship missiles to attempt to control its near seas.

The Shandong's appearance off Taiwan's east coast to stage mock strikes last month surprised some analysts, given the island's proximity to land-based airfields. But, in the short term at least, China's military would struggle to defend the carrier out in the western Pacific in a clash with U.S. and allied forces.

"China's objective with the deployment of the Shandong is clear, it is a symbol of its political anger" over U.S. engagement with Taiwan, said Yoji Koda, a retired admiral who commanded the Japanese fleet.

In a battle, he said, it "would be a very good target for U.S. and Japanese forces, and they would take it down at the very beginning."

A U.S. defence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to talk publicly, said while China had made progress with its carriers, it had yet to master operations in difficult conditions or how to protect the vessels.

One question was how the ships would be relevant in a conflict, the official said.

HOPES AND SHORTCOMINGS

Chinese military and government researchers appear aware of the challenges, according to a Reuters review of over 100 recent articles published in dozens of publicly available Chinese defence journals.

The official PLA Daily in October published an interview with an aircraft carrier aviation unit where the deputy chief of staff, Dai Xing, acknowledged "many shortcomings in preparing for war", and a gap between sailors' training level and combat requirements.

A September editorial published in a magazine run by a PLA weapons manufacturer, titled "Four great advantages the PLA has in attacking Taiwan", did not mention the role of Chinese carriers. Instead, it said, China's land-based ballistic missiles would be enough to overwhelm potential intervention from U.S. carriers.

Two earlier editorials in the same publication, Tank and Armoured Vehicle, noted that China's carriers would remain in their infancy for the foreseeable future and that other surface ships would be more useful in a conflict in the East China Sea.

Other articles in similar publications outline pilot recruitment and training problems, vulnerabilities to submarine attack and command issues - which some foreign analysts say is a problem for a navy that still sails with political commissars with executive authority.

When at sea, U.S. carriers fly almost constantly, routinely operating fighter, electronic-warfare and surveillance aircraft to create a protective screen around the battlegroup.

Beyond the expense and danger of such operations, one key element is mastering devolved command systems, particularly in a crisis such as a fire or crash onboard when planes are airborne and the flight deck is disabled.

The U.S. has spent decades perfecting such systems, having expanded carrier operations after their importance was highlighted in the Allied victory over Japan in the Pacific in World War Two.

"The continuous operation of its carriers sits at the very core of what makes the U.S. military absolutely preeminent," said Singapore-based defence analyst Alexander Neill, an adjunct fellow with Hawaii's Pacific Forum think tank.

In the medium term, China is likely to start sending battlegroups into the Indian Ocean, where China's presence is minimal beyond routine submarine operations, the attaches and defence analysts said.

Operating far from the security of land-based airfields would test China's capability, but preparations are underway.

The pier at China's first major offshore military base in Djibouti was recently extended, and could now fit a carrier, the Pentagon report noted.

(Reporting by Greg Torode in Hong Kong, Eduardo Baptista in Beijing and Tim Kelly in Tokyo; additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart in Washington; editing by David Crawshaw and Gerry Doyle)
Shein's sales grew 60 percent in 2021

Chinese cut-price fast-fashion giant Shein defended its business model in an interview with AFP, saying demand-based production accounted for its low prices and not forced or cheap labour.

Founded in China in 2008, Shein has swiftly claimed a top place in the global fast-fashion marketplace, offering young social-media-savvy customers low-priced collections that turn over at a steady clip.

The Singapore-based firm's strategy chief Peter Pernot-Day told AFP that Shein is "an on-demand manufacturer... the global pioneer of this technology" during a visit to Paris to attend the opening of a Shein pop-up store.

Testing products with a small run and spooling up production if there was demand meant Shein has eliminated "inventory risk", Pernot-Day said, wiping out "the most significant component of garment cost".

Shein's sales rose 60 percent in 2021 to $16 billion worldwide, Bloomberg reported -- just behind Swedish high-street name H&M.

With 11,000 employees worldwide and counting, Shein has big plans for further expansion.

"It's important to have teams that are in the countries and geographies and regions where we are doing business," Pernot-Day said.

The "localisation" strategy includes building a 40,000-square-metre (430,000 square feet) new warehouse in Poland allowing faster deliveries to the European market.

"There will be more," he added.

Online, Shein plans to create a digital marketplace that will allow shoppers to buy other products from other brands through its platform.

Pernot-Day said the fashion and lifestyle shopping experience would resemble a "digital grand magasin", referring to Paris' swanky department stores.

- 'Still learning' -

But relentless expansion of sales and production is exactly what NGOs and some governments hold against Shein, saying its low costs cannot be compatible with fair treatment of labour or the environment.

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Pernot-Day insisted that doing away with the risk of being left with unsold inventory and warehousing accounted for its ability to offer extremely low prices, such as T-Shirts for just 4.99 euros ($5.50).

"We are able to accurately measure... demand and only produce enough garments to meet that," he said.

Shein's efforts to green its image include a second-hand clothing business in the United States, materials research and integrating recycled materials in its products.

While acknowledging "fair criticism" that its product pages offer consumers little detail about recycled content and other traceability factors, "we're trying to enhance how we describe and categorise our products," Pernot-Day said.

He insisted that Shein is "very connected digitally" with suppliers' information about sourcing.

The company carried out up to 300,000 chemical tests this year alone, Pernot-Day said, adding that it worked with Oritain, a product analysis firm that also works with the US government.

"We're still learning," he added. "The challenge is that we have a lot of suppliers, lots of products".

Pernot-Day also maintained that Shein has "no suppliers in Xinjiang" in northwestern China, where aid groups have accused it of using forced labour by Uyghur people.

US lawmakers recently asked the SEC financial watchdog to require an independent investigation into allegations of forced Uyghur labour at several brands including Shein.

But the company uses a US government forced labour blacklist "to look at our supply chain and understand whether or not the companies are in there," Pernot-Day said.

And when allegations are made of copied goods being sold on Shein, "if it is (proved), we remove it from sale, if not, we won't," he added, although "this is a difficult legal question".

"We've seen a reduction of the number of complaints against us" for intellectual property violations, Pernot-Day said.

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(Bloomberg) -- Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. Chief Executive Officer Brian Niccol said Californias business environment is slowing the companys ambitions for growth in the state.

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Unfortunately its getting harder versus being easier, Niccol said on Bloomberg TVs California C-Suite special, examining the states challenges. Theres a lot of other places where we operate restaurants where its a heck of a lot easier.

The remarks contrast with the optimism that Chipotle showed over California five years ago, when it announced plans to move the companys headquarters to Newport Beach from Denver.

Niccol said he still plans to expand the restaurant chain beyond the more than 400 locations it has across the state, but it would be even more growth if it was a little bit easier to open the stores and run them.

While California is a hub for technology innovation and industry, some business leaders have expressed frustration with its regulatory burdens and high taxes. Ongoing battles with the states strong labor movement have also been a point of tension.

Niccol spoke in Los Angeles, where bankers, dealmakers and celebrities gathered this week to attend the Milken Institute Global Conference in nearby Beverly Hills. The annual confab came amid high financial angst as renewed bank turmoil, recession fears and mounting concern over commercial real estate loomed over attendees.

California, the most-populous US state and home to the worlds fifth-largest economy, has been the epicenter of the regional banking crisis and the downturn of technology industry thats led to thousands of layoffs. This week, a writers strike has halted Hollywood production for networks and streaming companies.

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Really Expensive

Niccol said that Chipotles growth in California is also limited by labor relations, along with a high cost of living, which affects employees and potential customers.

Its really expensive for folks to live in some of these areas where we want to open up restaurants, he said in a separate interview after the show.

Chipotle is a backer of a voter initiative to block Californias FAST Recovery Act, a law that Governor Gavin Newsom signed last year to increase wages and improve working conditions for fast food and restaurant workers.

The referendum to overturn the act will be on the ballot in November 2024.

(Updates with more comments from Niccol in eighth paragraph.)

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Should California hold a special election to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy, instead of having Gov. Gavin Newsom appoint someone to fill the seat?

Some states leave the choice of a successor to voters and a California congressman is pushing to have all states proceed that way.

One downside of special elections is that they are expensive. The unsuccessful effort to recall Newsom in 2021 cost California an estimated $276 million.

And because turnout would likely be low  meaning that highly motivated activists would be more likely to vote  the chances of a political novice or a Republican winning in California would increase.

I dont think a Republican could win a Senate race in California, but a special election might crack open the door ever so slightly in the way a regularly-scheduled election might not, said Kyle Kondik, managing editor of Sabatos Crystal Ball, a nonpartisan political site.

Sen. Scott Brown, a Republican, won a 2010 special election in Massachusetts to succeed the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, the Democrat who held the seat for 47 years.

Brown lost the general election three years later to Democrat Elizabeth Warren. Hes the only Republican to serve in the Senate from Massachusetts since 1979. California last elected a Republican senator in 1988.

Should voters decide?

In a closely divided Senate like the current one  split 50-50 last year and Democrats now with 51 of the 100 seats  a gubernatorial appointment could be a game changer.

The evenly split Senate means that even a single governor could, hypothetically, determine which party controls the chamber, said a report from the nonpartisan Pew Research Center last year.

Rep. Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, argues Gubernatorial appointments are a vestige of a bygone era that has disenfranchised millions of Americans and been subject to repeated abuse.

Kiley has proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution requiring special elections in case of a vacancy. The Constitutions 17th amendment, which provides for direct election of U.S. senators (prior to that state legislatures chose) also allows a temporary appointment if theres a vacancy. How that seat is filled is up to the states.

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In 37 states, including California, governors make interim appointments to the Senate, and the new incumbent serves until the next general election, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

The other 13 have special elections to fill the seat as soon as possible. In some cases the governor can name someone to serve in the interim.

States have tried to move in both directions in recent years. Utah and North Dakota have made it easier to hold special elections.

Others have tinkered with the appointment process. Maryland and Kentucky now require an appointee to be of the same political party as the departing senator, joining five other states.

When Vice President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, took office in January 2021, Newsom appointed Alex Padilla, then the California secretary of state.

Padilla then was on the ballot twice last year, once to fill Harris unexpired term and then for a six-year term of his own. He easily won both elections. Other states usually hold a special election as soon as possible.

Appointed senators

The Senate currently has one appointed member who has not stood for election, Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Nebraska. He was named in January when incumbent Sen. Ben Sasse resigned to become president of University of Florida.

Ricketts, a former Nebraska governor, would have to run in 2024 to fill the last two years of Sasses term. He was appointed by his successor, Jim Pillen.

Eleven other current U.S. senators were first appointed to the job and then won elections. Two appointed senators, Martha McSally, R-Ariz., and Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., lost in 2020.

Newsom has said that if a vacancy occurs, he will name a Black woman to the seat. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Oakland, is currently seeking to succeed Feinstein when the senators term ends in 2025. Among those also vying are Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff of Los Angeles and Katie Porter of Orange County.

Kileys idea has been proposed before. In 2009, the Senates Constitution subcommittee backed the plan after a hearing, but it went nowhere.

Even if Kileys plan gained momentum, its highly doubtful it could take effect before 2024, when California voters will choose a senator to serve a six-year term.

Amending the Constitution takes time. The last amendment, ratified in 1992, said any pay raises Congress voted itself were only effective after the next election. It was the first to be added since 1971 when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. Usually, Congress must approve an amendment by a two-thirds majority, and the measure would need the approval of the legislatures of 38 states.

Congress can also call a constitutional convention if two-thirds of the states approve.

Feinsteins support

Feinstein is expected to return to the Senate soon, though no timetable has been set.

Though four House Democrats and dozens of California liberal groups have urged her to resign, no senator has done so.

Almost all have expressed hope that she will return soon, as she said she plans to do.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, a Senate Judiciary Committee member who rarely agrees with Feinstein on policy, spoke warmly of her and was not eager to see her replaced.

He criticized what he said were calls for her resignation from the radical left trying to throw Dianne Feinstein out of the Senate is driven because they want to ram through the most extreme, radical nominees who cant even get a single Republican vote.
Cinco de Mayo (or 5th of May) is celebrated, as the name implies, each year on May 5. There are a lot of misconceptions about the day and what it represents, in large part because the celebration has quite a different meaning in Mexico than the United States.

Cinco de Mayo is not largely celebrated in Mexico and is not a federal holiday in the country. In fact, the day is much more celebrated in the United States.

The United States' Cinco de Mayo celebrations and traditions are very different compared to those in Mexico in many ways. First, the reason for celebrating differs between the two countries as well as how celebrations occur.

Cinco de Mayo is more of a celebration in the United States than it is in Mexico.

10 DRINKS TO ENJOY ON CINCO DE MAYO

Read on for facts about Cinco de Mayo in the United States vs Mexico.

What does Cinco de Mayo represent in Mexico? What does Cinco de Mayo represent in the United States? How is Cinco de Mayo celebrated in Mexico? How is Cinco de Mayo celebrated in the United States?

Cinco de Mayo is often confused with Mexican Independence Day, but the two are very different.

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In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo celebrates the country's victory over France during the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862.

RECIPES FROM THE PROS TO THROW A PERFECT CINCO DE MAYO PARTY

Tacos are popular Mexican cuisine eaten on Cinco de Mayo.

Mexican Independence Day, which takes place each year on Sept. 16, celebrates Mexicos independence from Spain in 1810, according to NationalToday.com.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo has become a day that celebrates Mexican culture. The holiday gained popularity in the U.S. in the 1960s, according to History.com.

The rather ironic truth about Cinco de Mayo is that it really is not celebrated in Mexico, and it is a much bigger celebration in the U.S.

The day is not a federal holiday in Mexico, so all businesses are open and operate as usual. For Mexico as a whole, it is a pretty minor holiday and throughout the country the natives in Puebla are typically the people who celebrate most.

Lots of tequila is consumed on Cinco de Mayo, whether it be in a shot or in a margarita.

HOW TO DECORATE YOUR HOME FOR CINCO DE MAYO

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In Puebla, there are often recreations of the Battle of Puebla and military parades in celebration of Cinco de Mayo.

In the United States, the Cinco de Mayo parties go late into the night. The day is celebrated with traditional Mexican food and drinks like tacos and margaritas. People all over the country dance to mariachi music, host enormous parties and throw packed parades.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations occur in states all across the country, but especially in those with large Mexican-American populations.

In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is often celebrated with Mexican music and dancing.

Los Angeles is home to some of the biggest Cinco de Mayo events in the country including Fiesta Broadway. Cinco de Mayo is also commonly celebrated in Texas, especially in the south-central part of the state with the Fiesta San Antonio. Chicago is also a popular city filled with Mexican culture.
(Bloomberg) -- Businesses in Northern Ireland said theyre pushing ahead with investments, despite a stalemate thats paralyzed the regions political institutions for the past 15 months.

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Sentiment has been boosted by US President Joe Bidens pledge in Belfast last month that scores of major American corporations want to plow money into Northern Ireland. But his appeal for the restoration of the regions power-sharing government went unheeded as the Democratic Unionist Party, which has blocked formation of the executive since February 2022, stuck to its demands for further changes to the UKs Brexit deal with the European Union before it will co-operate.

It is not a constraint for our business growth if the executive doesnt sit, Leigh Meyer, Citigroup Inc.s lead in Belfast, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview. His view was backed by Joe ONeill, CEO of Belfast Harbour, who told Bloomberg the political freeze hasnt stopped his company pushing ahead with our investment plans.

The views of the business figures illustrate the sea-change in sentiment in Northern Ireland in the 25 years since a peace agreement largely put an end to decades of sectarian violence. Biden on his visit said that the regions economic output had doubled in that quarter-century helped by $2 billion generated by American business in the past decade. And he predicted that if things continue to move in the right direction, it will more than triple.

Bidens special envoy for Northern Ireland, Joe Kennedy, has pointed to the more than 230 American firms employing over 30,000 people in the region already, with the cyber-security industry particularly looking to expand there. The US is preparing a trade delegation of companies to visit Northern Ireland later this year.

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ONeill at Belfast Harbour cautioned that the political support from Biden and the EU needs to be translated into policy and opportunity. He said he sees interest from technology and food firms, including biomedical and manufacturing companies.

Kennedy signaled an end to the political stasis would bring an even bigger boost. Some sectors are more resilient to political instability than others, he told reporters last month. Having government up and running  the stability and clarity that provides  will certainly help make the case for investment, he said.

Biden himself said that peace and economic opportunity go together.

The DUP argues the post-Brexit trading rules weaken Northern Irelands place in the UK, even after Prime Minister Rishi Sunak brokered changes to the original deal that are now enshrined in a new agreement called the Windsor Framework. Theyve continued to refuse to join a power-sharing government, meaning that a year on from the last election in the region, and weeks before local elections, the region lacks a sitting executive  as it has done for about 40% of its lifespan.

We would like that to change. We would like to have a sitting executive, we are very engaged when they are sitting because we discuss the development and the initiatives that were working on, Citis Meyer said.

That chimes with ONeills view. Political stability goes to the heart of most foreign direct investment decisions, he said. I think we cant hide that if we were able to signpost an offer, that reassurance to foreign direct investors, that there is a sitting Assembly, that is clearly beneficial.

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Yelyzaveta Nevara, a 16-year-old girl who was wounded by Russian shelling in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 29, died from her injuries in the hospital, the Kramatorsk City Council reported on May 5.

"The death of such a young person is a terrible tragedy for the entire community. Lisa was a fragile girl, quiet and very modest. She was not only an excellent student, but also a friendly and kind soul who could always cheer up her friends and teachers," the city council wrote.

According to the Kramatorsk City Council, Nevara was set to celebrate her 17th birthday this summer.

Yelyzaveta Nevara, 16 years old, succumbed to her injuries following a Russian attack on Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast, on April 29, 2023. (Photo: Kramatorsk City Council / Telegram)

The United Nations reported in early April that at least 501 children had been killed by Russia's war since the start of the full-scale invasion, acknowledging that the actual number was likely much higher.



The United Nations also reported that around 1,000 children from Ukraine had suffered injuries due to the attacks launched by Russia, and a significant number of those injuries were permanent in nature.
A nonprofit that provides legal representation in environmental cases has filed an appeal with Tacomas hearing examiner over a recently approved mega-warehouse development in South Tacoma.

Attorneys with Earthjustice of Seattle are representing environmental group 350 Tacoma and the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council in the appeal, filed Friday with the city.

An LLC connected to Chicago-based Bridge Industrial gained conditional approval last month from the citys director of Planning and Development Services for its plans to redevelop the approximately 150-acre property, 5024 S. Madison St., with a multi-building warehouse-distribution site, including about 2.5 million square feet of buildings.

The appeal relates to the projects Mitigated Determination of Nonsignificance and Critical Area Development Permit.

The appeal contends the permitting decision violates Washingtons State Environmental Policy Act and asks the citys hearing examiner to reverse the SEPA determination and issuance of a land-use permit, and order the city to do a full review of the projects environmental and health impacts.

The filing, a copy of which was made public by Earthjustice representatives, states that the appellants challenge the City of Tacomas decision not to require an Environmental Impact Statement for applicant Bridge Industrials project to build one of the largest warehouse complexes in the world in a neighborhood that is already overburdened by air pollution and other environmental harms.

The filing contends that many of the documents from the developer that the City relied on in issuing its MDNS were submitted after the public comment period closed, meaning that the public did not have an opportunity to evaluate or respond to those materials.

It added, The Citys issuance of an MDNS under the circumstances here undermines SEPAs core purposes of transparency and public engagement.

Megan Snow, media representative for the city, said via email in response to questions Friday, At this time we can confirm that an appeal has been received.

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In regards to further response, Snow wrote that to ensure the integrity of the process, the Hearing Examiners Office will not comment or provide information about the appeal while the matter is pending.

In September 2021, Bellevue-based Bridge Point Tacoma LLC, representing Bridge Industrial, purchased an assemblage of vacant parcels in the South Burlington Way area from BNSF Railway of Fort Worth for $158.3 million. The purchase followed a pre-application developers filed with the city in February 2021.

The project has attracted its share of critics as it has worked through city permitting. Opponents have included residents near the site, as well as others concerned with the environmental ramifications of such development.

In a statement, Bridge Industrial told The News Tribune via email Friday that it agreed with the citys decision on its SEPA determination, which reflects the many measures that will be implemented to improve the existing site and guard against potential impacts.

The project will vastly improve upon the current conditions of this contaminated site, utilizing best practices to remove polluted soil and protect both the on-site waterways, as well as the South Tacoma aquifer, while also substantially advancing the Citys tree canopy coverage initiative, Bridge said in its statement.

In addition, the project will achieve a LEED Silver level of sustainability, create bicycle and pedestrian pathways, implement measures to reduce air quality impacts from vehicles, and contribute traffic improvements to benefit the surrounding neighborhood, it added.

Details of appeal

The filing states in its introduction, Appellants will demonstrate, even with the proposed mitigation, the project is likely to have a probable, significant adverse environmental impact on many elements of the environment covered under SEPA, including traffic, air quality, climate and energy, environmental health, water and public water supplies, fish and fish habitat, housing, aesthetics, noise, light and glare, and recreation and parks.

Molly Tack-Hooper is supervising senior attorney for Earthjustices Northwest Office in Seattle and one of the representing attorneys in the appeal.

In an interview Thursday, she told The News Tribune that her office had been monitoring the projects status since last year, and have been in touch with advocates in the community and 350 (Tacoma) and the South Tacoma Neighborhood Council pretty much since then.

One of the biggest things that had not been submitted at the time of the public comment period was the air quality study, she told The News Tribune. So last spring, when folks were working on public comments, there had been no analysis of the air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions that the project would produce. That all came in after the public comment period closed, which we think is really problematic.

She added, When youre talking about one of the biggest warehouses in the world, thats going to attract many thousands of heavy duty diesel trucks, there are obvious significant air pollution and climate pollution impacts.

In the citys report, it lists an air-quality study dated July 15, 2022, and an addendum dated earlier, May 24, 2022. The projects public comment period closed April 21, 2022.

Public calls for an Environmental Impact Statement on the project have come before this latest appeal.

In addition to comments at numerous City Council meetings and during a separate public meeting about the project, nonprofit environmental group Communities for a Healthy Bay issued a release in April 2022 calling for residents to submit comments to the city requesting an EIS for the project.

The property sits above a remediated Superfund site and is in the South Tacoma Groundwater Protection District, which is also a portion of Tacomas aquifer recharge area.

The citys permit report stated that a Review by the Tacoma Water Division of Tacoma Public Utilities indicates no probable adverse impacts from the proposal related to water supply or water quality, provided surface water regulations are complied with.

The appeal contends that the MDNS and Critical Area Development Permit decision fail to account or mitigate for impacts to the South Tacoma Aquifer from paving over 75 percent of the approximately 150-acre project site.

Besides air quality, Tack-Hooper said, the MDNS was just so dismissive of the projects climate impacts.

This project does feel like the city missed the big picture, Tack-Hooper said. I was really hopeful that after the outpouring of public comments, and the alarm that it caused when the city announced that they were planning to do a mitigated determination of nonsignificance, that theyd rethink that and just do a full environmental review.

But thats not what they did, even though it took them a year to essentially double down on that original decision, she added.

In a news release Friday from Earthjustice, South Tacoma Neighborhood Council said: In South Tacoma and throughout the state and country, people of color and low-income people are disproportionately exposed to harmful air and water pollution and other environmental burdens. ... It is high time for the city to start taking a closer look at industrial projects in overburdened communities before greenlighting them.

350 Tacoma said in its statement: Washington desperately needs to be cutting back on greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector to meet our climate targets and minimize devastation to our communities. Were confident that a full environmental study will show that the proposed project is incompatible with the progress that the state, county, and city need to make on climate.

Bridge, in its statement Friday, said, We remain committed to finding additional ways the project can reflect a high standard for environmental responsibility as we move forward.

As for a timeline on the appeal, city representatives explained that in general the time from filing to a decision is 6 months or less, though it could take longer depending on parties need for preparation, discovery, motion filing in advance of the hearing.

The hearing examiners decision on the appeal could later be challenged in Superior Court.
Clarence and Ginni Thomas Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted from Texas billionaire Harlan Crow at least $100,000 of private school tuition for his legal ward and did not include the gifts on his financial disclosure forms, ProPublic reported Thursday. Hours later, The Washington Post revealed that conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo had arranged at least $80,000 in secret consulting payments for Thomas' wife, Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, in 2011 and 2012.

The newly uncovered payments add to ethical and legal concerns about expensive, undisclosed financial arrangements the Thomas' have accepted from powerful friends over the past two decades, especially Crow.

According to documents obtained by the Post, Leo funneled $80,000 to $100,000 in payments to Ginni Thomas through GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway's company. He told Conway to bill a nonprofit he advised, the Judicial Education Project, then pass the money on to Thomas' Liberty Consulting firm. The billing paperwork should have "no mention of Ginni, of course," Leo wrote Conway in instructions to "give" Thomas "another $25k" in 2012.

Leo, who has used a network of nonprofits to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on getting conservative judges on federal courts, said Ginni Thomas' "long history of working on issues within the conservative movement" is "no secret," and her work for him "did not involve anything connected with either the [Supreme] Court's business or with other legal issues." He kept her name off the paperwork, he said, because "knowing how disrespectful, malicious, and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni."

Crow, meanwhile, paid for at least two years of private boarding school for Mark Martin, a grandnephew of Clarence Thomas that he and his wife raised as legal guardians from age 6 to 19, ProPublica reports. Mark Paoletta, a longtime friend of Clarence Thomas, confirmed that Crow paid for a year of Martin's tuition at Randolph-Macon Academy in Virginia and another year at Hidden Lake Academy in Georgia, which would have cost about $100,000, ProPublica calculated. If he paid for Martin's other two years at Randolph-Macon, that would add another $50,000.

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Crow said in a statement that he "has long been passionate about the importance of quality education and giving back to those less fortunate," and has "supported many young Americans" at a "variety of schools."

Legal ethics experts disagreed on whether Thomas was required by law to disclose the gifted tuition or whether he should have be forced to recuse himself in cases where his wife's clients issued briefs. But they agreed these undisclosed entanglements further undermine public confidence in the court's independence, impartiality, and ethical standards. Read more about the financial arrangements at ProPublica and The Washington Post.

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Clarence Thomas, US Supreme Court Associate Justice, in December 1993. Marcy Nighswander/AP

Clarence Thomas's financial dealings have come under scrutiny following a series of reports.

In a 2001 speech, Thomas said serving on the Supreme Court wasn't worth it for the money.

A group of Democratic lawmakers wants to withhold funding from the court until it adopts a code of ethics.

Justice Clarence Thomas  who has accepted lavish vacations and other financial benefits from GOP megadonor Harlan Crow for years  said in a speech in 2001 that serving on the Supreme Court wasn't worth it for what it paid.

"The job is not worth doing for what they pay," Thomas said during a speech in 2001, The New York Post reported at the time. "The job is not worth doing for the grief. But it is worth doing for the principle."

Thomas was speaking to the Bar Association in Savannah, Georgia, according to the Post. In the speech, which was resurfaced this week by The Nation writer Jeet Heer, Thomas discussed his efforts to gain custody of his then-10-year-old grandnephew. The Post reported Thomas cried during the speech and thanked his lawyer who worked on the custody battle.

In 2001, the salary for an associate Supreme Court justice was $178,300, while the chief justice made $186,300. As of 2023, the salary for an associate justice is $285,400, while the chief justice makes $298,500.

ProPublica reported this week that Thomas in 2008 sent his grandnephew, the one referred to in the speech, to Hidden Lake Academy, a residential program in Georgia, and that Crow covered the $6,000 per month bill. The outlet previously reported that Crow had paid for Thomas and his wife, Ginni Thomas, to take extravagant vacations, and that Thomas has sold his childhood home to Crow but did not disclose the sale.

A group of 15 Democratic lawmakers now wants to withhold $10 million from Supreme Court funding until the court adopts a code of ethics, The Hill reported.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Virginia Ginni Thomas at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on February 23, 2017. Susan Walsh/AP

A conservative activist helped Ginni Thomas rake in nearly $100,000 for consulting, The Washington Post reported.

Conservative lawyer Leonard Leo reportedly ensured Ginni Thomas' name was kept off the paperwork.

The nonprofit that was billed filed an amicus brief before the Supreme Court that same year.

A little more than a decade ago, a conservative judicial activist helped Ginni Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, secure consulting work that yielded her nearly $100,000  all the while asking that her name was left off the financial paperwork, according to a new Washington Post report.

Leonard Leo, a lawyer and conservative legal activist, told then-GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit he advised, Judicial Education Project, and give that money to Ginni Thomas in January 2012, the outlet reported, citing financial documents.

That very same year, Leo's nonprofit filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in a key voting rights case in which a 5-4 majority  that included Thomas  ultimately opted to strike down a component of the Voting Rights Act.

The Post highlighted an opinion that Thomas wrote for the case, in which he favored the same outcome that the Judicial Education Project pushed for alongside other conservative organizations. However, he did not mention the amicus brief submitted by the nonprofit.

The latest scandal comes amid a flood of judicial misconduct allegations against Thomas in recent weeks. A series of ProPublica reports alleged that the longest-serving justice sold his childhood home to GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow without disclosing the sale and accepted decades of expensive  and undisclosed  vacations from Crow.

Ginni Thomas has previously courted controversy with her public, pro-Trump activities, and other conservative activism.

The Post said documents show that Leo instructed Conway at the time to "give" Ginni Thomas "another $25K," noting that the billing information should have "no mention of Ginni, of course."

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"When you funnel tens of thousands of dollars to the wife of a Supreme Court justice and go out of your way to specify that her name must be kept off all records of the transaction, that means you know you are doing something wrong," Sarah Lipton-Lubet, president of the Supreme Court advocacy nonprofit Take Back the Court, said in a statement shared with Insider.

Leo told The Post in a statement that Ginni Thomas' work at the Judicial Education Project "did not involve anything connected with either the Court's business or with other legal issues."

"Anybody who thinks that Justice Thomas is influenced in his work by what others say or do, including his wife Ginni, is completely ignorant of who this man is and what he stands for," Leo's statement read, per The Post. "And anybody who thinks Ginni Thomas would seek to influence the Supreme Court's work is completely ignorant of the respect she has for her husband and the important role that he and his colleagues play in our society."

The conservative activist said he kept Thomas' name off the financial paperwork "knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be," per The Post.

"I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni," he told the outlet.

Leo and Thomas first met when the justice was a clerk in the District of Columbia Circuit, and have been friends for decades, per The New York Times. Thomas is the godfather to one of Leo's children and has spent time at the activist's vacation home, The Times reported, while Ginni Thomas considers Leo a mentor, per The Washington Post.

Leo himself has been under recent scrutiny. Politico reported in March that Leo's personal wealth soared as he started playing a key role in political fundraising and assisting then-President Donald Trump in 2016 with creating a conservative Supreme Court majority.

And on April 6, a nonprofit watchdog organization in Washington accused Leo of acquiring $73 million over six years from nonprofit groups that illegally sent money to his businesses.

Representatives for Ginni Thomas and the Supreme Court, did not immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment sent outside regular business hours. Leo's firm, CRC Advisors, and Conway's website did not immediately respond to similar requests.

Previously, SCOTUS experts have said that a main issue is the lack of enforcement of ethics standards; justices are tasked with policing themselves.

This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A father of two young children hopes a lawsuit will lead to more transparency and improve student outcomes in Baltimore's embattled public school system.

"I'm all for funding schools," Jovani Patterson, told Fox News. "However, you don't just keep giving money without investigation on where the money has gone, especially with the amount of corruption and misuse of funds that have taken place for years in Baltimore City."

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

Patterson and his wife allege the school system misused taxpayer funds, reported ghost students  children not actually enrolled  in order to gain more funding, falsified pupils' records to push failing students through to graduation and more. Their suit names Baltimore City School Board of Commissioners, city council and Mayor Brandon Scott as defendants.

"It's all about power and control," Patterson said of the school system. "There's a lot of money in education."

That's $1.62 billion a year in Baltimore City Public Schools, to be exact. Baltimore has the fourth-highest funded large school system in the nation, behind only New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. Charm City's school budget increased 16% this school year, according to the city.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

All that money  approximately $21,600 per student  isn't adding up to better outcomes. Baltimore had the lowest graduation rate across Maryland during the last school year. At one high school, 77% of students read at an elementary or kindergarten level.

And in February, FOX45's Project Baltimore broke the news that 23 schools had zero students score proficient on a state math exam. The state then removed the data and re-uploaded a heavily-redacted version.

"I think that they're trying to hide that the public school system is in worse shape than we thought," a whistleblower who previously worked in the Maryland State Department of Education told Project Baltimore.

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Patterson agreed, telling Fox News "there's clearly a cover-up going on here."

Jovani Patterson is suing the Baltimore City School Board of Commissioners, city council and Mayor Brandon Scott, alleging the schools have misused taxpayer funds.

WHY BALTIMORES THOUSANDS OF VACANT BUILDINGS ARE A CRISIS OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

"There's clearly things that we see that they don't want the people of the public to know when it comes to educating our kids," he said.

The question is simple for Patterson: Should Baltimore City students receive a good education?

"If you believe the answer to that is yes, then you should be joined in with this lawsuit as well," he said.

Baltimore's education woes are uniting people across the political spectrum. Patterson made an unsuccessful bid for city council president as a Republican in 2020. But prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump has joined his lawsuit.

"If you dont get a quality education, often times you find yourself a victim of the school-to-prison pipeline," Crump told FOX45. "Hopefully, with this lawsuit, we can get it right and that way it can help make  not just Baltimore better  but it can help make cities across America better."

A spokesperson for Baltimore City Public Schools called the Pattersons lawsuit "meritless because it fails to identify a current controversy justifying judicial intervention" in an email to Fox News.

"Even if the plaintiffs lawsuit identified current concerns with City School policies or procedures, there is a robust local, state, and federal infrastructure to handle these types of issues," the spokesperson continued, adding that "City Schools stands ready to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to providing a quality education to all students."

The legal process could drag on for years, according to Patterson's attorney. A judge allowed the case to move into the discovery and deposition phase late last year after denying the city and school system's request to dismiss the suit.

Baltimore has the fourth-highest funded large school system in the United States, but students have low proficiency rates in core subjects like math and English.

But Patterson said he's in it for the long haul.

"Someone has to stay and fight," he said. "I met my wife here, [had] both of my kids here, I was born here, bought my first house here. I planted my flag. So I'm going to fight as long and as hard as I can."

To see the full interview with Patterson, click here.
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, has called for an National Labor Relations Board investigation into an Apple Store in Country Club Plaza amid allegation that the store fired five people who were attempting to organize a union.

In a letter coauthored with Rep. Sylvia Garcia, a Democrat from Texas, the lawmakers called for an investigation into the Country Club Plaza store and a store in Houston Texas. The Communications Workers of America filed unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB on March 28.

The NLRB already found Apple infringed upon worker rights earlier this year, and we are concerned about this recurring pattern, Cleaver and Garcia wrote. We respectfully request the NLRB thoroughly investigate these serious allegations.

The National Labor Relations Board already has a case open to investigate the allegations. The NLRB issued a ruling against Apple in April that the company broke federal law with policies that discouraged employees from unionizing.

In Kansas City, the former employees said they were fired for being late and calling out of shifts. One worker was disciplined for being an average of 1 minute late for their shift, according to the letter. The workers were fired for their attendance, but said it was rare before the union drive started for anyone to be fired for that reason.

Apple management said I was fired for a typo in my timesheet that I had documented and tried to correct, said Dlite Xiong, a former Kansas City, Mo., Apple retail worker, in a March press release by the Communications Workers of America. Yet, it is clear the real reason I was fired was for exercising my right to organize and win a protected voice on the job.

There have been increasing unionization efforts at high profile companies in recent years, including Amazon and Starbucks. The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions brought in former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz to testify about his former companys labor practices last month, which resulted in a showdown with Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Vermont Democrat who chairs the committee.
Millions of college seniors are donning their caps and gowns this week to walk across the stage and grab their hard-earned diplomas.

Theyll also be walking into a labor market that is very much in flux, with some bright spots for employment opportunities alongside some toppling of expectations.

Jobs growth last month beat analysts expectations in numbers released on Friday. Nonfarm payrolls increased 253,000 for April, more than the estimated growth of 180,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The low unemployment rate edged even lower, from 3.6% to 3.4%.

But the report was the latest in a host of mixed signals about the health of the job market awaiting new graduates. Earlier this week, the latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for March showed new positions in the U.S. falling for the third consecutive month. Openings were down 384,000, the lowest level since April 2021.

In an April survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, an industry group for recruiters and higher ed professionals, businesses said they expected to hire 4% more graduates from the class of 2023 than they did from the class of 2022. But that was a drastic decline from the groups December projection of about 15%.

Then, the ADP payroll report said private businesses added 296,000 jobs in April, more than double that of the previous month.

Experts said a combination of factors got us here. Some industries, like the tech sector, have felt the brunt of the 10 interest rate hikes the Federal Reserve has implemented since March last year. In other areas, while the economy has generally recovered from the pandemic disruption, employers cant find enough workers.

There still are sectors and enterprises that are having trouble getting the workers they need, and all one needs to do is travel in the United States to experience that, said Mark Hamrick, senior economic analyst for Bankrate.

Those sectors include health care and leisure and hospitality, which posted gains in Fridays job report by about 40,000 and 31,000 openings, respectively.

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Gabbie Ferron, 22, will have a position waiting for her when she graduates from the University of Portland in Oregon on Sunday with her nursing degree. Ferron applied for the nurse resident opening at nearby Legacy Emanuel Medical Center one day in mid-April, received a call to interview for the role, and was hired the day after her interview. The process lasted all of two weeks.

It is, like, shocking, said Ferron, who will participate in an 18-week apprenticeship at the hospital before becoming a registered nurse. It was the only job application she completed, and she agreed to take the night shift for an additional $6 per hour.

Gabbie Ferron. (Courtesy Gabbie Ferron)

A report released Tuesday by the recruiting software company iCIMS found that the class of 2023 expected an average salary of about $66,500, more than $8,000 higher than what employers expected to pay entry-level employees but lower than the previous years expected pay of $70,000.

Ferron declined to say what her full pay rate will be, but said it was more than I was expecting and was very comparable to all the other hospitals around here.

I was stressed because every week in class, my nursing professors would be like, OK, who has jobs? said Ferron. And even in February, March, like half the class already had jobs.

A recent state-commissioned study showed that Oregon, like much of the country, is contending with a shortage of registered nurses. It would need to fill at least 13,500 positions to meet the need, the report said.

Figures that ZipRecruiter shared with NBC News showed steep demand for roles in health care and education. Openings for nursing jobs increased by more than 12% since April 2022, while posts seeking high school teachers, for example, spiked 64%.

Listings for jobs in the technology industry plummeted by more than half.

We dont want all of the talk around layoffs in tech companies to dissuade students from entering the workforce, said Daniel Voloch, chief program officer at Girls Who Code, a nonprofit group that trains and advocates for young-to-early career women and nonbinary people to enter the tech industry.

Working in the tech industry can mean so many different things, and that can mean working in health care, art or government, said Voloch. They can take all of the skills and experiences that theyve been developing and apply it to a career in tech, even if its not at one of the big tech companies.

Some blue-chip brands have continued to invest in tech hiring amid the now-regular cadence of the industry itself hemorrhaging employees. Walmart recently subleased 21,000 square feet of office space in midtown Atlanta  populated by Georgia Tech University and its pupils  for what the company called its Global Tech Atlanta Hub. It will count Cisco and WeWork among its new neighbors.

Another sector where graduates are finding difficulty landing: communications. In the Labor Departments report, openings in the information industry  which includes publishing and telecommunications  posted only 1,000 new positions. ZipRecruiter data shows that openings for positions in the media industry have decreased by nearly 64% over the last year.

Carly Wood, 22, will be graduating from Ohio-based Marietta College on Saturday. The graphic-design and strategic communications double major described her job search as the opposite of Ferrons swift recruitment: After applying to 180 jobs, shes only had about six interviews. None of them have materialized into employment.

I got to a point where I was literally kind of like anxious if I wasnt actively applying to jobs throughout the day, said Wood, who works as a barista at Starbucks. She said the roles shes applied to range from graphic designer to social media manager.

I think that this field, particularly, is a little more saturated than people realize, she said. I think Ive actually applied to every single job posting in the greater Columbus area at this point.

Economists emphasized a message of adaptability for students graduating into a shifting landscape.

There are opportunities. They may just not be exactly where you would have wanted to find them, said Julia Pollak, chief economist at ZipRecruiter.

Pollak said industries where first-time job seekers tend to start their professional journeys  positions that might not require a college degree, for example  are adding headcount, which could translate to getting promoted quickly.

According to data from the N.Y. Fed, the underemployment rate for the U.S. job market  meaning the share of college graduates working a role that doesnt require a college degree  is at 40%, the lowest in two decades.

I think it is forcing some students to keep an open mind about where they start their careers, said Pollak.

Eric Christensen, 26, graduated from the University of Utah last week with a communications degree. Despite applying to at least 10 full-time journalism positions in the Salt Lake City area, Christensen received only one callback. The company hasnt followed up, he said.

Eric Christensen. (Courtesy Eric Christensen)

Christensen said, for now, hell wait out the economic uncertainty and stick with his part-time student services work at a local community college. He was married in February, and he and his wife recently got an apartment with a friend to split the rent.

In the meantime, hes applying to other positions in higher education where he can put his new degree to use, such as managerial positions similar to the part-time work he does in student services.

Its been a relatively long search, said Christensen. And Ive certainly felt the need for that full-time job compared to what Im doing with my life right now.

CORRECTION (May 8, 2023, 2:30 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article mischaracterized the U.S. underemployment rate. At 40%, it is at its lowest in two decades, not highest.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Columbus police said this vehicle, a Honda Accord between model years 2018 and 2022, is believed to be responsible for the shooting of a 69-year-old woman in East Linden on Thursday.

Columbus police have released an image of the car they believe was involved in the fatal shooting of a 69-year-old woman Thursday night.

Linda Johnson, of the Northeast Side, was shot around 8 p.m. Thursday while walking into her daughter's house on the 1900 block of Aberdeen Avenue, also on the Northeast Side.

Police released an image on Friday afternoon from a nearby home's surveillance cameras that shows a white sedan, believed to be a Honda Accord. The car is believed to be between model years 2018 and 2022.

Someone inside the car fired multiple rounds during a drive-by shooting, police said. Family members at the scene were told that detectives believe the shooter's firearm was equipped with a Glock switch, a device that allows semi-automatic firearms to fire much more rapidly.

Johnson was taken to OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital where she died at 8:22 p.m. Thursday. Three other people that were at the home at the time, including Johnson's daughter, were not injured.

Anyone with information is asked to call detectives at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. Callers can remain anonymous.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Police release photo of car in fatal shooting of 69-year-old woman
Maggie June Gates with carrots she grew and harvested in Monroe County in the summer of 2022.

In March, The Herald-Times reported on the arrest of Bloomingtons Maggie Gates at the Cop City protests in Atlanta, which oppose the clearcutting of the Weelaunee Forest to build a $90 million police training facility. The military-grade facility, proposed after the 2020 BLM protests, is so-named because it includes a mock city to practice anti-protest urban warfare. The article repeated an inaccurate police narrative that Gates, and other demonstrators charged with domestic terrorism, were arrested while destroying construction equipment. A follow-up article revised that demonstrators were arrested at an outdoor concert about a mile from the construction site, on the flimsy grounds that they had mud on their shoes.

ICYMI: Terrorism charge keeps Bloomington woman jailed as friends seek her release

The Herald-Times discrepancy did not stem from a simple error, but from a pattern that afflicts both local and national news desks. After the George Floyd protests, news platforms purportedly reconsidered how they report on the police, challenging a history of relying exclusively on biased police accounts to tell stories about crime. While journalism about blatant police brutality has perhaps evolved, this new skepticism has not extended to other functions of policing; journalists are still likely to accept depictions of protesters as dangerous radicals, and take at face value stated motivations for expensive investments in policing.Last month, for example, The New York Times covered the Cop City protests on its podcast The Daily. The segment attempted an evenhanded reporting style as it framed the story, but went on to relay details that align closely with police narratives.When describing the police killing of a protester named Tortuguita, the Times noted that accounts differed, but provided only the police narrative  now proven false by the states own standards  that Tortuguita shot first, and police opened fire in response. They omitted the results of an independent autopsy, which found Tortuguita sitting cross-legged with their hands up when shot 14 times, and body camera footage which suggests that the sole gunshot wound sustained by an officer resulted from friendly fire. Recently, after a conspicuous three-month delay, the official autopsy was released, revealing 57 gunshot wounds and no gunshot powder on Tortuguitas hands.The Daily describes the fight [coming] to a head when activists burned police and construction vehicles in early March. Narrating this event as the point of escalation also closely echoes the police narrative, ignoring several watershed moments that preceded it: a dozen protesters were arrested on domestic terrorism charges in December and January; officers killed a protester in their tent; crews began clearing the forest. Why is the destruction of machines considered less tolerable, more eventful, than the destruction of an ecosystem or the death of a person?The climax of the podcast is a lengthy narrative account, ominously soundtracked, of these protesters destroying equipment in the forest. It then describes protesters sneaking into the festival before being arrested, leaving ambiguous whether the group of arrestees (which included Gates) was the same as those at the construction site.These unfounded charges, which carry sentences up to 35 years, are a grave civil rights violation, enabled by a dramatic expansion of the scope of domestic terrorism charges. The state of Georgia has an especially flexible definition, an example of what the ACLU called a highly problematic trend of the government  both state and federal  using domestic terrorism powers to punish dissent.If domestic terrorism charges become standard responses to protests, what kind of recourse do citizens have to challenge the governments failures to correct police abuses or the destruction of our natural environment  both quite literally life-or-death issues? The Daily did not comment on their broader significance of these charges, nor on the fact that there is no evidence to link the arrestees to the property destruction action. Furthermore, it portrayed a diffuse group of activists as a powerful, organized force  camouflage-clad warriors ripping through fences like a hot knife through butter, turning machines to smoke  a key rhetorical strategy used by law enforcement to brand even peaceful protesters as members of a conspiracy or terrorist organization.Relying on police narratives to provide the factual basis for stories about police-citizen disputes is insufficient at best, propagandistic at worst. It narrows the narrative frame, concealing important questions: Why is a $90 million investment intended to fight crime better spent building a mock city than investing in real communities? Why are some protesters condemned by police and denied bond for their out-of-towner status, while the Atlanta Police Foundation accepts funding for the training center from private entities unconnected to Atlanta, like the Koch brothers? How do these dramatic policy choices unfold with so little scrutiny from media and politicians?Now is a crucial time for newsrooms to rethink their approach to reporting on the police. Not only are protesters hearings unfolding in Georgia, but the role of police is evolving: reactionary policies like Indiana Senate bill 187  which requires state police to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of people who damage public monuments, and [enhance] penalties to the crime of rioting  make the mandate for officers to protect property over human life increasingly blatant. In addition, precincts nationwide continue to push for costly expansions of police infrastructure, including a proposed new jail in Bloomington. News desks must look beyond the police reports or miss the real issues at stake.

Eva Rosenfeld is a writer and journalist in Bloomington.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Column: Official accounts aren't the complete story in 'Cop City'
Duleep Singh, deposed from his throne in India, and Sarah Bonetta Forbes, called the 'Lost Princess of Africa,' were among Queen Victoria's godchildren. Universal History Archive/Getty Images; Grafissimo/Getty Images; Public Domain

Queen Victoria had several wards and godchildren from British colonies, including Africa and India.

The godchildren were treated like family, but also subject to strict control, according to historians.

They became symbols of the British Empire's projected image of civilization and assimilation.

In 1850, a naval captain named Frederick E. Forbes landed on the shores of England with a present for Queen Victoria: a 7-year-old girl from Africa.

The girl had been a gift from King Ghezo, the ruler of Dahomey, who had defeated her tribe two years prior. Forbes had sailed to the African kingdom as part of an antislavery mission for the British Empire in an attempt to convince Ghezo to end slavery. In 1838, the British parliament under Queen Victoria had abolished slavery throughout the Empire  a reversal of its history of enslaving and trading people, particularly during the transatlantic slave trade.

Though King Ghezo refused to end slavery in his kingdom, he gave the girl to Forbes as a symbol of goodwill. Forbes, who delighted in the girl's brightness, renamed and baptized her Sarah Forbes Bonetta after himself and his ship, the HMS Bonetta.

Lithograph of Sarah Forbes Bonetta, after a drawing by Frederick E. Forbes, from his 1851 book about Dahomey. Public Domain

In England, Queen Victoria welcomed Bonetta, who stayed with Forbes' family and regularly visited the queen. Queen Victoria affectionately called her Sally and wrote fondly of her in her diary: "After luncheon Sally Bonita, the little African girl came with Mrs. Phipps, and showed me some of her work. This is the fourth time I have seen the poor child, who is really an intelligent little thing."

But Bonetta was more than just a companion for the queen. Both Queen Victoria and Forbes saw a way to use Bonetta to promote Christianity in Africa and its other colonies.

"God grant she may be taught to consider that her duty leads her to rescue those who have not had the advantages of education from the mysterious ways of their ancestors," Forbes wrote.

Bonetta was just one of Queen Victoria's several colonial godchildren, who became the faces of the royal family as it attempted to project a new image of benefaction and inclusion across its growing empire.

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Symbols of 'civilization'

The British Empire saw its peak in the mid-19th century, dramatically expanding its reach by establishing new colonies in places like India, Africa, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. By the end of the 19th century, the British Empire comprised approximately a quarter of the world's land surface and more than a quarter of its total population, according to estimates by scholars.

Amid this rapid expansion, godchildren and wards from British colonies were not only gifts of goodwill, but also symbols of Western civilization and acculturation, according to historians.

The historian David Olusoga described Bonetta as someone who became "biographic shorthand for the perceived accomplishments of Britain's civilizing mission."

When Bonetta married James Davies, a West African businessman who was the descendant of freed slaves, in August 1862, national and colonial press lauded their wedding: One newspaper suggested the wedding of two successful, Anglicized Africans was proof of the royal family's philanthropy. Another report suggested the "marriage of a lady and gentleman of color" was a "ceremony of particular interest to those who have watched the progress of civilization caused by the influence of Christianity on the negro," Olusoga said on BBC.

With royal permission, Bonetta and Davies named their daughter Victoria after the queen, who became her godmother. The queen presented the baby with gold cutlery engraved with the message: "To Victoria Davies, from her godmother, Victoria, Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, 1863."

After Bonetta died of tuberculosis in 1880, at 37 years old, her daughter Victoria attended Cheltenham Ladies College, her education paid by her godmother, the queen.

Control over the royal family's image

The queen's colonial godchildren were often subjected to strict control to maintain the royal family's image.

In 1852, Princess Gouramma landed in England with her father, Chikka Virarajendra, the last ruler of Coorg. Virarajendra had been exiled from his kingdom in southwest India by the British in 1834, and sought protection for his daughter in the country that had deposed him.

Portrait of Princess Gouramma in the Royal Trust Collection. Public Domain

Gouramma is said to have become the first Indian royal to convert to Christianity, taking the name Victoria in her baptism, which also made the queen her godmother.

Though Gouramma was given fine clothing and jewelry, and often seen with the royal family, her life was tightly controlled by the queen. She was forbidden from seeing her family, supposedly to prevent her from slipping into "native" and "heathen" ways, according to historian Priya Atwal.

"Victoria doesn't allow Gouramma to see her father again, and Gouramma eventually loses the ability to speak Hindi, her mother tongue. It's really cruel," Atwal told Time. "The lens through which Gouramma is seen is through this colonial mindset. It's all about making sure that what she does and how she behaves fits with a way that will protect the royal family."

Gouramma attempted to run away several times. Queen Victoria unsuccessfully tried to matchmake Gouramma with another of her wards, Duleep Singh. Singh, too, had converted to Christianity and settled in the United Kingdom after the British deposed him from the Sikh Empire in 1843.

An illustration of the submission of Maharaja Duleep Singh to British forces in 1843. Getty Images

In the 1860s, Queen Victoria brought in two more godchildren: Prince Alamayu, son of the emperor of Abyssinia, and Albert Victor Pomare, the son of Maori people who traveled to England as part of a tour organized by a preacher.

The queen treated her godchildren as kin, providing for their education and behavior training. But they were also a way for Britain to advance Christianity, and also for the British royal family to project a new image of themselves across the Empire, according to Atwal. Photographs and the press presented them as an inclusive, tolerant family  but when the godchildren fell out of favor, they would also incur the wrath of the newly-emerging popular press in a prescient echo of Meghan Markle's treatment by British tabloids, Atwal said.

"The problem remains that the culture of royalty and the way the institution operates to protect its own image is actually very problematic. It tries to assimilate these people, because ultimately, it doesn't care about those people to the same degree as it does about the crown," Atwal told Time. "And if the interests of the crown are being messed with, then it doesn't really matter what collateral damage happens to the lives of those people that are being assimilated. They are expendable."

Read the original article on Insider
2024 CAImpaign

Legislators are seeking to regulate AI-generated political advertisements ahead of the 2024 presidential election. As The Washington Post reports, representative Yvette Clarke (D-NY) has authored a bill that would require political parties to disclose if they used AI-generated content in their ads. "Our current laws don't begin to scratch the surface with respect to protecting the American people from what the rapid deployment of AI can mean in disrupting society," Clarke told WaPo, adding that her legislation is part of a collective effort to "get the Congress going on addressing many of the challenges that we're facing with AI."

Baby Steps

The need for rules governing the use of AI in political ads has already become apparent as of late. Clarke's bill is in response to the Republican National Committee (RNC)'s recently released ad, which featured fictional, AI-generated scenes of China invading Taiwan and hundreds of banks shutting down.

Then there were the many AI-generated images of former president  and current presidential candidate  Donald Trump getting arrested or praying. In short, synthetic content is already making a big splash in the 2024 presidential race. Although Clarke's bill wouldn't protect against all kinds of citizen-generated AI disinformation, attempting to get ahead of synthetic content now is likely a wise move. "I think there are really important uses of AI," Clarke told WaPo, "but there have to be some rules to the road, so that the American people are not deceived or put into harm's way."

Trudging Forward

That said, it's certainly worth noting that the RNC did feature a small AI disclosure in its ad that read: "Built entirely with AI imagery." But as Clarke told the WaPo, there's no guarantee that everyone putting out political ads will follow the RNC's lead without the risk of legal retribution. "There will be those who will not want to disclose that it's AI-generated," Clarke continued, "and we want to protect against that, particularly when we look at the political season before us."

READ MORE: Bill would require disclosure of AI-generated content in political ads [The Washington Post]

More on AI and 2024: Republicans Release AI-Generated Ad of Chinese Invasion
Conor Benn has apologised for his bitter handling of his ongoing drug-test saga.

Benn, 26, failed two drug tests in the lead-up to his scheduled fight with Chris Eubank Jr in October, leading to the cancellation of the bout. Benn has maintained his innocence ever since, and the WBC has cleared the Briton of intentional doping. However, the British Boxing Board of Control stripped Benn of his licence, and the welterweight was suspended by UK Anti-Doping in April.

Speaking to Seconds Out on Thursday (4 May), Benn  son of British boxing icon Nigel  apologised for his reaction to the episode.

I was a little bit bitter towards the public, I was a little bit bitter towards the boxing community, Benn said. I was angry. Im emotional  I cant help it, people know Im emotional. Its just the way I am.

Im an emotional guy, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I say what I feel like I want to say. Maybe it wasnt the right thing, maybe the way I dealt with it wasnt right; I know it wasnt right.

I apologise to the public. They deserved more from me, but in my head Im bitter and angry, because Im seeing this every day: Hes guilty, hes guilty, thats it, hes done it.

I responded with a cold shoulder, and I never shouldve responded like that, but how do you tell a 26-year-old how to respond? [...] It was a hard period, I didnt deal with it great, but I apologise. I do regret the way I felt  the bitterness and the anger.

Following the cancellation of Octobers planned bout, Eubank Jr went on to box Liam Smith in January and suffered a TKO defeat. The Britons are now scheduled to clash again in June.

At the time of his failed drug tests, Benn was accused by some of trying to harm Eubank Jr, but the 26-year-old told Seconds Out: I would rather lose a fight than seriously hurt someone, because I dont think I could live with that.

Chris Eubank Jr (left) and Conor Benn ahead of their cancelled catchweight fight (Steven Paston/PA) (PA Wire)

Id rather lose a fight than know Ive put someone in a coma whos got family, because Ive seen the damage; Ive seen it cause pain, Ive seen it hurt people.

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Benn also said in recent months that he had no intention of fighting in the UK in the near future, but he retracted that suggestion on Thursday.

Id like to fight back home. Me saying in an interview, I have no plans on returning to England immediately, I take that back. Thats my home. Theres a lot of supporters there, and Im not turning my back on them.
Loved ones are marking one year since their family members life was cut short.

Tinikia Hodges husband, Donald, is accused of killing her on May 5, 2022. He has been on the run since her death.

Federal marshals are offering a $10,000 reward in the case.

Conover police told Channel 9s Dave Faherty they recently found the couples car. Police had been looking for Tinikias Nissan Altima since her death, but it turns out the car was abandoned in an apartment complex in Salisbury and had sat there for nearly 10 months.

PREVIOUS: Armed and dangerous: US Marshals post $10K reward for wanted Conover man accused of killing wife

On Friday, her family gathered at a park just down the street from where she was killed to remember her and to pray for justice.

Tinikias mother, Diane Bender, found her shot and killed at her home one year ago after she didnt show up for work.

Hes still out there and I just cant figure out why? Bender said.

Police believe Tinikias husband, Donald Hodges, committed the murder and then left in her car for Charlotte.

Investigators shared photos of Hodges leaving the home around the time of the murder. Hours later, police got a call about a disturbance at a motel in Charlotte involving Hodges, but at the time, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police had no idea his wife was dead at the couples home in Conover.

PREVIOUS: Family raises reward money for Donald Hodges capture

Despite a nationwide manhunt and a reward in the case, Hodges still has not been found.

Every day, me and my wife pray that they catch Donald, the Lord to reveal him, said Tinikias father Bobby Bender. Its hard. Its an emotional day for us.

Police are asking for the publics help so the family can have closure. Diane Bender believes Donald Hodges is still alive and possibly getting help.

Somebody is hiding him, she said. But you know what? God is going to reveal him. He will. Hes going to make that mistake. And were going to be right there to get him.

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Authorities said Donald Hodges has connections in New York, Pennsylvania Georgia and North Carolina.

The victims family told Faherty that they, too, are offering a $10,000 reward in the case.

(PREVIOUS: Police searching for man accused of murdering 48-year-old woman in Conover)




The Okaloosa County Commission has hired a consulting firm to help the county develop a comprehensive plan to increase its stock of attainable workforce housing.

Thomas P. Miller and Associates will be paid $92,697 for its work. The money will come from a $100,000 Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund (LATCF) grant that the county received from the U.S. Treasury Department, according to county government.

The American Rescue Plan, passed by Congress to help the nation get through the COVID-19 pandemic, gave Treasury $2 billion to disburse to counties and Tribal governments. Recipients could use the money "on any governmental purpose except for a lobbying activity," according to the Treasury website.

Earlier coverage: White House rewrites rules to push more affordable housing with COVID-19 rescue funds

Opinion: Biden wants cities to spend American Rescue Plan cash on police. We wish they wouldn't.

In Okaloosa, the governmental purpose is to help the county find ways to provide more attainable housing for the local workforce, which includes first responders, teachers, enlisted personnel and workers in the retail and service industries.

County government said it tried to get a study funded through a state local support grant, but it was vetoed in July 2022.

The consultant "will work with county staff and the Affordable Housing Advisory Committee to perform economic research and analyses, conduct engagement sessions, and formulate recommendations designed to promote the development, preservation, and access to housing to help meet the need of Okaloosa Countys resident workforce and families," county government said in a news release.

The consultant and its partners will consider new strategies and measure the effectiveness of existing ones, the release says. The consultant's work should be completed by the end of this year.

Elliot Kampert, director of the Okaloosa County Growth Management Department, said that when it comes to attainable housing for the workforce, the county has a deficit of several thousand units (single-family homes/apartments/condos/townhomes.) There's plenty of building going on, but most of it is aimed at the higher-end market.

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"A rapidly-growing and high-cost community, Okaloosa County is facing a shortage in attainable housing for its residents," county government wrote in its Request for Proposal for the consultant. "As indicated by high prices and rents, there is an unmet demand for housing, as supply has not kept up with demand.

"This is a growing problem that is projected to escalate in coming years due to anticipated growth in military missions stationed at the Eglin Reservation, the influx of new residents who do not need to wait until retirement to come to Florida due to the advent of 'Zoom towns' and tele-working, and the general attractiveness of Florida due to its generally relaxed regulatory climate and lack of state income tax," the document says.

The effort to attract more attainable workforce housing can't be left just in the private sector's hands. Kampert said local government can and should play a role by finding effective incentives.

The consultant will help assess the effectiveness of existing incentives, such as tax credits and regulatory incentives for builders who commit to increasing the stock of attainable housing. The consultant also will use its experience and knowledge of other local governments to suggest strategies that Okaloosa isn't currently employing.

"What else is out there that might work?" Kampert asked. "We're keeping a very open mind."

jross@gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: Okaloosa: Consultant will find ways to boost attainable housing stock
Shoes similar to these will be worn with the bow replaced with a buckle

The man who measured the King's feet for the shoes he will wear at his Coronation said it had been "an amazing experience".

The bespoke bow pumps were made by Gaziano and Girling based in Kettering, Northamptonshire, a year ago and have been adapted for the ceremony.

Company co-founder Tony Gaziano has measured the King's feet several times and described them as "delicate".

The King made an official visit to the firm's factory in 2019.

He has since made several purchases. The shoes to be worn for the Coronation cost about 3,500.

The bow has been replaced by a family buckle for the occasion.

Tony Gaziano founded the firm with business partner Dean Girling

Formal comfort

Mr Gaziano said the shoes were designed to look formal but "have the comfort of a trainer or a sneaker" for when the King spends long periods standing.

"I don't think it will sink in until Saturday and hopefully we see them on his feet," he said. "The likelihood is I will be looking at his feet more than him."

Shoemaking has been taking place in Northamptonshire for hundreds of years, but Gaziano and Girling was founded in a garage in 2006.

It specialises in bespoke shoes which can cost up to 20,000 a pair and are mainly sold in the United States and Asia.

Each pair involves 96 hours of labour.

Chelise Porter is one of 25 employees at the Kettering factory

Chelise Porter is an assistant supervisor who has been with the firm for nine years and worked on the King's shoes. She said she was "privileged and honoured and very proud to say I have worked with them".

Polisher Roger Smart, 55, said it was "marvellous" and an honour for the staff. "Everyone is quite proud and excited," he said.
The World Health Organization said Friday that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

>>Coronavirus: WHO declares end to global public health emergency

The emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public emergency of international concern, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director. I have accepted that advice.

It marks a symbolic end to the pandemic that triggered lockdowns, upended economies worldwide, and killed at least 7 million people.

News Center 7s Kayla McDermott spoke with a physician at Premiere Health. He says even though the emergency phase is over, the pandemic has not come to an end just yet.

The doctor said it has been several weeks, but they still treat Covid patients which is nothing compared to the peak of the pandemic.

>>Life with COVID-19: Latest News

McDermott says a few years ago, Premier providers treated at least 6-10 patients a day with Covid-19.

They were also testing hundreds of people in cars for the virus and giving vaccines to thousands daily.

Doctor Joseph Allen said it was a struggle to make space for people in the hospital, but they were never overwhelmed like other hospitals. He is relieved we are moving past that time.

How is it to get back to a more normal? This is one of those steps and kind of one of the big steps, Allen told McDermott. Its a big deal.

>>RELATED: CDC Director Rochelle Walensky resigns

He said our area did a great job of taking the pandemic seriously and getting vaccinated, which has cut down on the number of patients he is treating.

As well as the fact that any time a virus enters a community like Covid did, it hits those that are most at risk first. As the virus runs its course, people build up immunity and fewer people are at risk.

We have a group of people that here that are tolerant of that virus and so that makes it a little less impactful than it was previously, said Allen. Certainly, unfortunate for the folks that are unable to fight it off.

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>>RELATED: COVID-19 national emergency ended with Bidens signature

The global health emergency has ended, but people will notice here in the United States when the government said the emergency would officially stop.

The World Health Organization said even though the emergency has come to an end, Covid is still a global health threat for people to still be mindful of.
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks at an EU Africa summit in Brussels in 2022. The health group announced on Friday that the emergency status of the COVID-19 virus has ended, and long-term management is the new focus. | Johanna Geron, pool, Asspcoated Press

The World Health Organization announced on Friday that the emergency status of the COVID-19 virus has ended as the organization focuses on the long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic, per a statement.

It is with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, per The New York Times.

Many countries have already withdrawn the virus emergency status locally, and with WHOs withdrawal, its considered a celebration of science for the great effort made for vaccination, by masks, by a number of public health measures, said Dr. K. Srinath Reddy from Indias Public Health Foundation, per the Times.

The United States plans to end the emergency measure on May 11.

WHO personnel have said that although there is no longer an emergency, the virus is still deadly and dangerous. Now its just considered an established and ongoing health issue  meaning that its not going away anytime soon.

The emergency phase is over, but COVID is not, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHOs technical lead on COVID-19, said, per the Times.

Since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020, the official death toll is close to 6.9 million people globally, per this weeks WHO report.

But its believed the unofficial count is significantly higher, closer to 20 million deaths, Tedros told the Times. While rates are declining, the death toll is still rising, with 17,000 more deaths reported in the last 28 days.

Many more are still suffering long-term side effects, like Utah teacher Blake Bockholt, who finds his health highly impacted even a year after contracting the virus.

Dr. Margareth Dalcolmo, who is a respiratory physician and member of Brazils National Academy of Medicine, told the Times that the change shouldnt be seen as a milestone, but more like a lesson and a warning to be prepared for the next pandemic, because respiratory viruses are going to increase.

Related
You could call it the long goodbye.

The World Health Organization on Friday ended the global health emergency for COVID-19, in place since early 2020. In the United States, the federal government has set May 11 as the end of the national public health emergency for COVID-19, first declared also in early 2020.

On Friday, the Washington state Department of Health held a briefing to offer guidance on what all these endings mean.

First off, officials made clear that one thing not yet ended is the pandemic itself.

COVID-19 will be here for the foreseeable future, said the states chief science officer Dr. Tao Sheng Kwan-Gett.

Were heartened to see that despite new subvariants circulating in the community, hospitalizations have been trending down since the beginning of the year, he said. However, dozens of deaths still occur each week, and the most vulnerable are the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

Kwan-Gett also cautioned that long COVID, where patients do not recover in the usual time frame, remained a concern.

Long COVID is a real disease that is estimated to affect more than 300,000 people in Washington state, he said, many of whom have suffered enormous impacts to their quality of life.

He recommended people take advantage of the states supply of free COVID tests, available online at the Say Yes! COVID Test website, which ends May 11, and through the federal governments free test program available via the U.S. Postal Service, which is also winding down.

DOH will continue to support schools with access to testing supplies into the 2023-2024 school year, Kwan-Gett noted.

Another feature ending May 11 is Washingtons phone notification system regarding COVID exposure.

More than 235,000 people use WA Notify in the state to anonymously alert others of possible exposure to COVID-19, generating over 2.5 million exposure notifications. Just under 4 million activated the system on their phones.

Our state was one of the first states to implement exposure notifications and has had one of the highest adoption rates, said Lacy Fehrenbach, chief of Prevention, Safety & Health for the state.

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After May 11, if you test positive, please take care in your community and notify the people youve been in close contact with that theyve been exposed, she said.

While the state emergency is ending, in Washington state COVID remains a workplace hazard, and employers have a responsibility to protect their employees related to that, Fehrenbach said, so employers may choose to still require vaccinations or masks as part of their mitigation of COVID-19 in the workplace.

Changes to some Medicaid recipients are also on the way. Apple Health coverage also will be affected.

Upwards of 300,000 to 500,000 people may lose their Apple Health coverage because the pandemic protections that were in place in terms of eligibility and coverage will end, said Jason T. McGill, assistant director, Medicaid Program Division, Washington State Health Care Authority.

The first group affected will see coverage end by the end of May. Letters were sent to those affected on April 1, he noted.

The good news is weve been preparing for this since the beginning of the pandemic, McGill said. Most people will have coverage such as employer coverage or they will have aged out of Medicaid and then to Medicare and have Medicare coverage at age 65. So most people will be covered.

For those at risk of losing coverage, he recommended going to the states online Health Plan Finder, where they might still find coverage at near-zero cost, made possible through significant subsidies from Congress, he added.

Right now in Washington, we have historic uninsured rate of about 4%. But that will go up. And we need to be prepared, he said.

Medicaid will continue covering all vaccines, including COVID vaccine, he noted, and that will be free of charge at any participating network, pharmacy or clinic. And well continue doing that after the end of the pandemic as well.

COVID test costs also will be covered at least through September 2024, he said, for those on Medicaid.

The officials on Friday looked back at the numbers of COVIDs toll.

Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah called on everyone to remember the more than 16,000 Washingtonians, more than 1 million Americans, and more than 7 million people across the globe who have died from COVID-19.

In Pierce County, the state lists a death toll of 1,635.

In terms of vaccinations, Shah praised the states efforts.

We had more than 16 million doses of COVID vaccine that had been given in the state of Washington, said Shah. And just about 75 percent of Washingtons population completed a primary series and thats for ages over 5 and above.

He added that over 60 percent of eligible people received at least a booster of some sort again over the age of 5.
By Jennifer Rigby and Bhanvi Satija

LONDON (Reuters) -The World Health Organization ended the global emergency status for COVID-19 on Friday more than three years after its original declaration, and said countries should now manage the virus that killed more than 6.9 million people along with other infectious diseases.

The global health agency's Emergency Committee met on Thursday and recommended the UN organization declare an end to the coronavirus crisis as a "public health emergency of international concern" - its highest level of alert - which has been in place since Jan. 30, 2020.

"It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, adding that the end of the emergency did not mean COVID was over as a global health threat.

During a lengthy conference call to brief the press on the decision, some WHO members became emotional as they urged countries to reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic.

"We can't forget those fire pyres. We can't forget the graves that were dug. None of us up here will forget them," said WHO's technical lead on COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove.

The COVID death rate has slowed from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 in the week to April 24, 2023, according to WHO data, reflecting widespread vaccination, availability of better treatments and a level of population immunity from prior infections.

Ending the emergency could mean that international collaboration or funding efforts are also brought to an end or shift in focus, although many have already adapted as the pandemic receded in different regions.

"The battle is not over. We still have weaknesses and those weaknesses that we still have in our system will be exposed by this virus or another virus. And it needs to be fixed," said the WHO's emergencies director Michael Ryan.

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The WHO does not declare the beginning or end of pandemics, although it did start using the term for COVID in March 2020.

"In most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins," Ryan said.

Last year, U.S. President Joe Biden said the pandemic was over. Like a number of other countries, the world's biggest economy has begun dismantling its domestic state of emergency for COVID, which officially ends May 11, meaning it will stop paying for vaccines and testing for many people and shift responsibility to the commercial market.

The European Union also said in April last year that the emergency phase of the pandemic was over, and other regions have taken similar steps.

'SIGNIFICANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEM'

The WHO's declaration comes just four months after China ended its prolonged severe COVID restrictions and was ravaged by a big surge in infections.

The decision also suggests that WHO advisers believe a new more dangerous coronavirus variant is unlikely to emerge in the coming months, although the virus remains unpredictable.

"I will not hesitate to convene another emergency committee should COVID-19 once again put our world in peril", WHO chief Tedros said.

In many parts of the world, testing has dwindled dramatically, and people have largely stopped wearing masks. In some countries, mask-wearing mandates have resumed during COVID outbreaks. The WHO published a plan this week advising countries on how to live with COVID long-term.

COVID will continue to challenge health systems worldwide long term, including long COVID, infectious disease experts say. "No one should take (this) to mean COVID-19 is no longer a problem," said Mark Woolhouse, an epidemiologist at the University of Edinburgh.

"It is still a significant public health problem and looks likely to remain one for the foreseeable future."

(Reporting by Jennifer Rigby in London, Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber in Geneva, Bhanvi Satija and Raghav Mahobe in Bengaluru; Editing by Josephine Mason, Shinjini Ganguli and Bill Berkrot)
Little was known about Negro Creek, located in Kansas, before the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.

Negro Creek is here to stay.

According to the Shawnee Mission Post, a local advisory council has decided that the unassuming Kansas stream, which flows 6.5 miles in Johnson County, will retain the name to better inform the public about the regions painful history with slavery.

After more than two years of research, an informal group made up of area activists, including those in the NAACP and the Advocacy and Awareness Group of Johnson County, have decided its crucial to remember the past.

A Kansas advisory council has decided that Negro Creek, which flows 6.5 miles in Johnson County, will retain the name. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/KCTV5 News)

The state that we are in now, we have people trying to erase our history  not only ours but indigenous peoples, said Johnson County NAACP president Jay Holbert, according to the Shawnee Mission Post. Theyre trying to wipe out history and make another race look predominantly happy like they didnt do any wrong. Thats not right.

Little was known about Negro Creek  which appears on a few maps  before the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd and the subsequent Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020, which included marches in Johnson County.

The committee started working in 2021 and looked into several stories about the origin of the name, including those that claimed it was named for Black pioneers or that it was a path of escape for those seeking freedom  claims the group could not verify.

Diane Mutti Burke, with the University of Missouri-Kansas Citys history department, said the most believable account came from an 1879 article in The Western Progress.

The newspapers story contends a man who was afraid of being captured in the stream by pursuers decided to cut off his throat rather than return to enslavement. Even though it reportedly was dubbed Negro Creek from that day forward, the Western Progress writer observed, a racial epithet was frequently used as a substitution.

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The Best Times, a magazine published in Johnson County, requested recommendations for a new name and received 63 responses representing a wide range of opinions with which, Holbert said, committee members didnt always agree.

The older ones felt if we kept the name it would raise more awareness, he said, according to the Mission Post. The younger ones felt it was more offensive to keep the name than to change it.

Since the U.S. Geological Survey must approve any change to a geographical name, renaming the creek would have required a lengthy process. However, the federal government could still opt to do so anyway.

The decision to keep the name includes a strong recommendation to erect historical markers along the creek. The officials of Leawood, Overland Park and the county must now choose the markers design, placement and wording.

History should be history, said Holbert, the Shawnee Mission Post reported. You cant learn if you dont know the truth.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Creeks controversial name to stay as slavery reminder appeared first on TheGrio.
Czech president gifts Zelenskyy legendary CZ 75 pistol

"In February 2022, Russia struck hard at the resilience of the people of Ukraine, Pavel wrote.

From the very beginning, Czech weapons have also been helping them in their fight. As a sign of respect for their heroism, I handed over a legendary CZ 75, serial number 22, to Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He also published a photo of the pistol and of the presentation of the gift.

Zelenskyy was awarded with the highest Czech state honour  the Order of the White Lion  on March 7, 2022 for his bravery and courage in the face of Russia's invasion.

Read also: Ukraine, Czech Republic to produce arms jointly, President Pavel says

Petr Pavel/Facebook

Read also: Czech Republic to send $30 million in additional military aid to Ukraine

The CZ 75 is a semi-automatic pistol first produced in 1975. About a million such pistols were produced.

It is in wide use throughout the world. The Czech police, in particular, are armed with them. In Ukraine, the Cobra special forces under the Ministry of Internal Affairs used to use CZ 75, but the unit was disbanded in 2014.

The Czech president visited Kyiv on April 28 for the first time since being elected to the post on March 9.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic have developed six joint projects for the production of weapons and ammunition, for pilot training, and for tank repair.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A video still shows three men, including Daniel Penny, either restraining or standing near Jordan Neely in a subway altercation that ended in Neely's death. Juan Alberto Vazquez/Reuters

Penny is the man who choked Neely on NYC's F train, a former senior law-enforcement official said.

The surfing enthusiast and former Marine squad leader was first identified on Twitter.

Penny, his lawyer, and his family members did not respond to messages from Insider.

The former Marine who's seen choking a homeless Michael Jackson impersonator in a subway killing that shocked New York City and the nation this week is Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old surfing enthusiast from West Islip, Long Island, Insider has confirmed.

Penny can be seen on video with his arm around the head and neck of Jordan Neely, who was said to be behaving erratically on the F train Monday about 2:15 p.m.

Penny's name circulated Thursday on Twitter. The Daily Mail briefly included his last name in a photo caption on its website Thursday, and the website published an article Friday morning naming Penny.

A former senior law-enforcement official confirmed to Insider that Penny was the man seen on video placing Neely in a chokehold before his death.

Penny, his family members, and his lawyers didn't respond to phone calls or messages sent Thursday night and Friday morning. He has not been charged with a crime.

The encounter was partly captured on video by the independent journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez. The video shows Penny and two other men holding Neely on the floor of the subway car until Neely stops moving. New York City's Office of Chief Medical Examiner ruled Neely's death a homicide by compression to the neck on Wednesday.

Police questioned but did not arrest Penny and declined to release his name. Several media accounts described him only as a Marine or former Marine. Stories published by New York City's two tabloids were far less flattering to Neely, whose lengthy arrest record they highlighted.

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For years, Neely was a familiar face to Manhattan commuters who would see him impersonating Michael Jackson in subway stations. The New York Post reported he experienced severe mental-health challenges after the murder of his mother in 2007. Neely's aunt told the outlet that he sought help at Bellevue Hospital but couldn't get the treatment he needed. (The hospital's press office did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.)

On Monday, he began behaving erratically on an F train in Manhattan, media reports said. Penny put Neely into a chokehold for several minutes. Neely appeared to stop moving as Penny applied a chokehold on the floor of the subway train as it idled at the Broadway-Lafayette station. He was taken to a hospital, where he died.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Penny joined the Marines in 2017 after graduating from West Islip High School. Photos and videos of him show him playing on his high-school lacrosse team. The Marine Corps confirmed to Insider that he joined the Marines as an infantryman and rose to the rank of sergeant. Penny's last assignment was at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, according to the Marine Corps. That description matches Penny's LinkedIn profile.

Penny, shown here accepting a lacrosse trophy as a teenager after a US Marine Corps-sponsored match, grew up in West Islip, Long Island. Cpl. Elizabeth Thurston/U.S. Marine Corps

On Harri, a recruitment tool for the restaurant industry, Penny described himself as an "adventurous, charismatic, authentic" New Yorker interested in bartending jobs. His profile photo shows him carrying a surfboard. On the day of the altercation on the subway, Penny was wearing a sweatshirt from a Long Island surf shop and a hat with the logo of an Australian surf brand.

"While serving as squad leader on two deployment, I began to realize what I was passionate about. I loved helping, communicating, and connecting to different people from all over the world," Penny's Harri profile said.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A judge will hear later this month the arguments of a man convicted of fatally shooting a Fort Myers Police officer nearly five years ago as he seeks to reverse the verdict.

Wisner Desmaret, 34, of Fort Myers, was convicted April 12 of fatally shooting officer Adam Jobbers-Miller, 29, on July 21, 2018.

Court records indicate that Desmaret will have a motions hearing before Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning on May 30. His sentencing is slated for June 5.

Lee Hollander, who remained standby counsel for Desmaret, 34, during his capital murder trial, filed the motion. He's now Desmaret's attorney for appellate purposes, Hollander confirmed.

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The motion, filed April 26, claims the court made a mistake by finding Desmaret competent to stand trial on two occasions  Jan. 22, 2020, and Feb. 16, 2021; allowing Desmaret to represent himself despite admitting on record during trial he was hearing and listening to 'voices;' and denying Desmaret's pretrial motion for change of venue filed Aug. 16, 2022.

Hollander now requests either a new trial or a judgment of acquittal on the charges.

A Lee County jury recommended April 14 life in prison without the possibility of parole for Desmaret.

Desmaret had represented himself in the trial. His family had expressed concern, citing Desmaret's mental health.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Judge to hear Wisner Desmaret's argument for new trial, acquittal
This week, State Sen. Dave Min, D-Irvine, joined a select group of California lawmakers who have been caught driving drunk.

Min apologized and vowed not to let it distract from his work in Sacramento, or his campaign to replace Rep. Katie Porter, D-Irvine, in Congress next year.

According to a photo shared on Twitter by Sen. Angelique Ashby, D-Sacramento, Min had been attending an event with firefighters and construction industry figures the night he was busted for driving over the legal limit.

How could Mins DUI have been avoided?

The lawmaker could have called for a Lyft or Uber, or asked someone to give him a ride. There was also a time when he could have enlisted the Senate sergeant-at-arms.

In 2015, after a string of lawmaker DUI arrests, then-Senate President pro Tem Kevin de Leon set up a 24-hour ride service for members through the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms Office. Senators all received a business card with the office phone number.

A plastic card issued to members of the California Senate in 2015 offers 24-hour transportation and includes the phone number of Debbie Manning, the Senates Chief Sergeant-at-Arms at the time, telling members to call her an emergency. Mannings number was obscured by The Bee.

This followed the arrests of then-Sens. Ben Hueso and Roy Ashburn and then-Assemblymen Roger Hernandez and Martin Garrick for driving under the influence; all four arrests occurred over a five-year period.

Hueso ultimately pleaded guilty to a wet reckless charge  a DUI reduced to reckless driving with alcohol involved. Ashburn and Garrick pleaded no contest to DUI charges. Hernandez was found not guilty following a hung jury.

But whither that ride policy in 2023?

Niesha Fritz, spokeswoman for Senate President pro Tem Toni Atkins, told The Bee that while the Senate does maintain a day-and-evening ride service for members, it is for legislative purposes only.

John Casey, of Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendons office, said that the Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms Office provides transportation into the evening, subject to availability of drivers. The service is for assemblymembers headed to the airport or legislative functions, not to private events like fundraisers.
Yolo County prosecutors filed formal charges Friday against ex-UC Davis student Carlos Reales Dominguez, charging the 21-year-old with two counts of murder and one of attempted murder, with enhancements for premeditation and other allegations that could lead to a death penalty prosecution.

District Attorney Jeff Reisigs office also filed special circumstances of for multiple murders, in that Carlos Reales Dominguez murdered more than one person, court documents say.

Such special circumstances can be used in prosecutors pursuing a death penalty case, although no such decision has been announced.

The filing, which comes in advance of an arraignment for Dominguez at 1:30 p.m. Friday, also includes enhancements for great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness.

The filing also alleges Dominguez used a weapon during the three knife attacks that began April 27 and that the manner in which the crime was carried out indicates planning, sophistication, or professionalism.

The defendant has engaged in violent conduct that indicates a serious danger to society, the court filing says.

Dominguez, a biological studies sophomore who was kicked out of UC Davis for academic reasons on April 25, is accused of two fatal stabbings and a third that left a homeless woman in critical condition over a week-long siege of the college town 15 miles west of Sacramento.

David Henry Breaux, 50, a local fixture known as the Compassion Guy, was the first victim. He was discovered with multiple stab wounds in Central Park on April 27.

The second victim was Karim Abou Najm, 20, who was killed the night of April 29 as he was walking through Sycamore Park in Central Davis, not far from where Dominguez lived with roommates and the same park where Dominguez was spotted Wednesday afternoon.

Phone calls from 15 area residents who saw him at the park led to his detention about a block away and his eventual arrest. Police later discovered a large hunting knife in his backpack that they beleive was used in the attacks.

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Najm, a UC Davis senior and the son of a university professor, also had been stabbed multiple times. A public memorial service for Najm is set for 4 p.m Friday at the UC Davis International Center, 463 California Ave., Suite 3140.

The third victim on the weeklong series of stabbings was Kimberlee Guillory, who was living in a tent near Second and L streets when someone slashed open the side of the tent just before midnight on May 1 and stabbed her repeatedly.

Guillory survived and is now recovering at UC Davis Medical Center.

Dominguez is being held at a Yolo County Jail and has refused all media requests for interviews.
Carlos Reales Dominguez was arraigned Friday afternoon in Yolo Superior Court.

The 21-year-old former UC Davis student, who police and prosecutors believe is responsible for the killings of two Davis men and the attempted murder of a third woman, was formally charged in the slayings that paralyzed the college town.

He entered not guilty pleas to all the charges.

The legal quest to what may have motivated Reales Dominguez to allegedly commit the brutal spree began inside Department 1 at the Woodland justice center.

In Judge Daniel Wolks courtroom, the young man accused of the terror that gripped Davis for days stood behind plexiglass, eyes fixed to the ground behind a stringy veil of black hair, wearing a protective vest, as the charges were read. He faces two counts of murder; one of attempted murder. The crimes, in the words of prosecutors, indicated cruelty, planning and sophistication.

A half-dozen Yolo County Sheriffs deputies were posted inside the half-empty courtroom. Soon after the courtrooms clock struck 1:30 p.m., three deputies escorted Reales Dominguez into the defendants holding bay.

Carlos Reales Dominguez  is that your true name?

Yes, he answered from behind the glass.

Reales Dominguez answered in the affirmative three more times:

Yes, he understood his right to a speedy preliminary hearing within 10 days of arraignment.

Yes, his attorney  Yolo public defender Dan Hutchinson  discussed the option of waiving that right.

Yes, he would agree to waive time.

Reales Dominguez, the judge said, presented a serious danger to society.

The former UC Davis students bail, once $4 million, was revoked, Wolk agreeing with prosecutors requests to hold Reales Dominguez without bail. He now awaits a May 22 hearing before Judge Samuel T. McAdam.

Wolk, a Davis resident who served as a mayor and city councilman, revealed he and wife live a short distance from where one of the crimes took place. His wife was walking the familys dog a quarter-mile from the site of the second attack April 29, he announced from the bench.

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Meantime, the questions that haunt Davis remain. If Reales Dominguez is the man who brutally took the lives of two and tried to end the life of a third, what led to his rage?

What led him to the victims, 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, whose moniker the compassion guy, told of his love for his Davis community; UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, weeks away from graduation, as he bicycled through the citys Sycamore Park; and the third, 64-year-old Kimberlee Guillory, among the citys vulnerable, stabbed through her tent in her encampment?

Bruce Hansen of Davis sat through the afternoon hearing. He was at the vigil for the citys first victim, David Breaux.

He felt today, as much of Davis feels after a week that shook the city: I feel generally relieved, he said outside the courtroom. Im not as apprehensive walking around Davis. The whole community has that feeling.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.  In the mid-20th century, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were competing to see who could send the first human into space.

According to NASA, in 1958, the U.S. initiated Project Mercury with the goal of accomplishing that mission. NASA put together a select group of astronauts to begin training for the trip to space the following year.

The man ultimately chosen for the mission was Alan B. Shepard Jr.

Born in New Hampshire on Nov. 18, 1923, Shepard had a military record that included serving in World War II and serving several tours aboard aircraft carriers with Fighter Squadron 42.

WATCH ASTRONAUTS COMPLETE FIRST SPACEWALK OF THE YEAR

In 1959, Shepard became one of 110 top test pilots invited by NASA to volunteer for a manned space program called Project Mercury. Of the 110, only seven were chosen to undergo training. Shepard not only became part of the cohort of seven but he ultimately was chosen for the mission.

The mission was set to take off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. It was originally slated for May 2, 1961, but due to unfavorable weather, the launch attempt was scrubbed.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

On May 5 at 9:34 a.m. ET, Shepard was launched on a spacecraft named Freedom 7. He flew for 15 minutes and 28 seconds, traveling 116 miles up and becoming the first American to reach space.

While the Soviets had won the space race just a few weeks earlier, on April 12, 1961, when they sent cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into a 108-minute orbital flight, Shepards flight still paved the way for other Americans to reach space.
On July 4, 2013, Hanna Harris of Lame Deer, Mont., went out with friends to celebrate Independence Day. But she never returned home.

Her family reported her disappearance to local law enforcement but felt the response was insufficient, so they organized their own search party. Three days later, Harriss body was found  she had been raped and murdered. She was 21 years old.

Harris, a citizen of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was born May 5. Since her death, thousands across Indian Territory spend her birthday recognizing and honoring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).

Around 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native persons have been reported missing to the National Crime Information Center, according to the U.S. Department of Interiors Office of Justice Services. Approximately 2,700 cases of murder and nonnegligent homicide offenses have been reported to the governments Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

In total, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) estimates there are some 4,200 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous and Native people that have gone unsolved. Murder is now the third-leading cause of death among Indigenous and Native women and girls.

This issue has been going on for such a long time, and over the years, weve seen that its gotten totally ignored by the powers that be in our government, by local law enforcement, by federal law enforcement agencies that are supposed to have jurisdiction over these cases, said Natalie Bullion, executive director for MMIW USA.

But she acknowledges theres been some change over the last few years.

In 2018, Hannas Act was passed in Montana, authorizing the states justice department to help local law enforcement in all missing persons cases.

After his inauguration, President Biden declared May 5 as Missing or Murdered Indigenous Awareness Day. For the third year in a row, he recognized this day of awareness.

Indian Country has been gripped by an epidemic of missing or murdered Indigenous people, whose cases far too often go unsolved, Biden said in a statement Friday.

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Families have been left investigating disappearances on their own, demanding justice for their loved ones, and grieving pieces of their souls, he continued. Generations of activists and organizers have pushed for accountability, safety, and change. We need to respond with urgency and the resources needed to stop the violence and reverse the legacy of inequity and neglect that often drives it.

The history of violence against Indigenous women can be traced back to the arrival of Europeans and Christopher Columbuss attempted genocide of Indigenous peoples and their culture through murder, the sex trade and rape.

To acknowledge the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women is to reckon with a dark legacy of American history, said Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.).

Its the remnant of an ugly part of colonialism, Grijalva told The Hill. It has been about a paternalistic attitude toward Indigenous people in this country and tribes thats historic. And I think that that history sometimes is the impediment to moving things forward as urgently as they should.

The whole tragedy is, I think, symbolic of a relationship within the country that reminds many people, and some it makes them very uncomfortable, that that is part of the history, he said.

Grijalva and Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-Wash.) on Friday introduced a resolution to designate May 5, 2023, as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The resolution honors the missing and murdered and draws Congressional attention to the violence against them.

Indigenous women and girls living on reservations experience murder rates of more than 10 times the national average, and more than 4 out of 5 Indigenous women have experienced violence. These rates are unacceptable, Newhouse said in a statement.

We must do more to ensure these crimes are solved and no longer under-reported or under-investigated, Newhouse continued. Designating May 5th as National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls will help shine a light on these heartbreaking tragedies and serve as a reminder to Congress that we must continue to support our indigenous communities as we work to bring them the justice they deserve.

But Grijavla credits the rising awareness of the crisis to the women of the community.

In 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland announced the creation of the Missing & Murdered Unit within the BIAs Office of Justice Services.

Violence against Indigenous peoples is a crisis that has been underfunded for decades. Far too often, murders and missing persons cases in Indian country go unsolved and unaddressed, leaving families and communities devastated, said Haaland, the first Native American to lead a cabinet-level agency.

Still, the solution to the crisis doesnt rest solely with the federal government, said Paula Julian, senior policy specialist at the National Indigenous Womens Resource Center. Instead, systemic barriers that lead to the missing and murdered need to be addressed.

One of the most palpable barriers, Julian told The Hill, is failed law enforcement responses.

When you talk to families of missing and murdered Indigenous women, their experience of reporting their daughter or their relative going missing is, Well, how old is she? Oh, shes of age. Shes probably out partying, lets give it a couple of days before we do anything, Julian said. Theres nothing written in laws that say they cant take a missing persons report immediately and start searching.

There are also times when law enforcement keeps families in the dark about progress on the case, she said  including when a loved one is found, as was the case of Kaysera Stops Pretty Places.

When Kaysera went missing Aug. 24, 2019, in Hardin, Mont., her family had no idea. When her body was found five days later, the family wasnt told. Then, her body was cremated against the familys wishes and religious practices.

Theres very little accountability, Julian said. When you sit and you visit with people, its like, none of this is a surprise. And its not a surprise because these are problems that theyve been dealing with since contact.

Meanwhile, laws such as the Major Crimes Act of 1885 give federal authorities oversight on prosecuting Native citizens for felonies.

I think that was one of the first major gaps in eroding local tribal governmental authority to respond, Julian said. These federal policies and laws, while it may have been intended well, Indigenous peoples and Indian people know that it wasnt. The effect was really to result in all of the disparities we see.

Those types of barriers have led to other barriers, such as a lack of preventive action.

A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found that more than 84 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56 percent who have experienced sexual violence.

Overall, more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime.

Still, despite 574 federally recognized tribes, there are fewer than 50 Native womens shelters in the country and less than 300 tribal domestic violence and sexual assault programs, Julian said.

Some places are working to provide preventative resources for women.

MMIW USA offers safety services, helping victims escape a dangerous living situation, find safe places to move or paying to have locks changed on homes.

The organization also works to provide services for families in the midst of the crisis, from putting up fliers to helping raise funds to providing counseling services.

For Julian, working on the ground is also an important way to build hope and remind many in the community things can still change.

Indigenous communities [have] resisted forever and a day, she said. They have organized and created safe spaces for women in their homes before there were shelters. The grassroots provides the political will to the policymakers to do the right thing. The changes that theyve made at the federal and at the state level is not solely from the goodness of their hearts, it is because the grassroots has organized and created a groundswell that you cant continue to ignore.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
6th Annual Metal Hall Of Fame Charity Gala - Credit: Elyse Jankowski/Getty Images

Twisted Sisters Dee Snider insisted he remains an ally of the LGBTQ community and argued those with moderate views should not be labeled as transphobes after he was dropped from this years San Francisco Pride event for supporting Paul Stanleys transphobic tweet.

I was not aware the Transgender community expects fealty and total agreement with all their beliefs and any variation or deviation is considered transphobic, Snider wrote in a statement shared on social media (emphasis his).

More from Rolling Stone

He added later, The Transgender community needs moderates who support their choices, even if we dont agree with every one of their edicts. For Some Transgender people (not all) to cause supporters, like me, of transphobia is not a good look for their cause.

In a statement shared with Rolling Stone, SF Pride president Nguyen Pham said, Dont get it twisted, Dee Snider was not dropped from this years San Francisco Pride celebration. It was a mutual decision after a productive, educational conversation with him.

Suzanne Ford, the organizations executive director, added, Like any ally, were glad that Dee wants to continue learning about the issues that affect the transgender community. As a trans woman, I can tell you that no two stories are alike  this isnt a black and white conversation, which is why educating the public is so critical. By donating to SF Pride, youre creating a safer space for that scared trans child who was brave enough to stand up and tell the world who they really are  receiving the support they need from their parents, a medical professional, and their community.

The whole dust-up began last weekend when Stanely issued an unprompted statement where he called the expression of gender identity among children a sad and dangerous fad, and suggested adults are encouraging kids to take their experimentation with presentation beyond the innocence of what they are doing. He also appeared to erroneously conflate gender with sexual orientation, which medical researchers say develop separately.

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Stanleys statement was amplified  and in some cases exaggerated  by the usual anti-trans suspects and across right-wing media. (Stanley ultimately appeared to walk his words back yesterday, writing, While my thoughts were clear, my words clearly were not. Most importantly and above all else, I support those struggling with their sexual identity while enduring constant hostility and those whose path leads them to reassignment surgery. Its hard to fathom the kind of condition that one must feel to take those steps.)

Snider was among those not on the far-right who did voice his support for Stanleys original statement, tweeting, You know what? There was a time where I felt pretty too. Glad my parents didnt jump to any rash conclusions! He added, Parents need to be less reactionary; Right and Left. No need to steer the child in either direction. Let the kid figure it out for themselves knowing their family is supportive. I had a vet/cop hardass dad who, while he shook his head A LOTlet me do my thing.

In response, SF Pride decided to call off Sniders planned performance at its event this June, where the musician was set to perform Twisted Sisters hit, Were Not Gonna Take It. While SF Pride acknowledged that Snider has always been a vocal supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, the organization said it was heartbroken and angry when it learned about Sniders support for Stanleys comments.

The message perpetuated by that tweet casts doubt on young trans peoples ability to self-identify their gender, SF Pride said, adding: Transgender people, particularly transgender women and children of color, are disproportionately affected by hate and violence. And with transphobia proliferating and becoming more and more enshrined in law throughout the country  we have to stand up for the most impacted among us.

In his new statement today, May 5, Snider stressed his lifetime of supporting the Transgender communitys right to identify as they want. He also tried to clarify his thoughts on childhood gender expression.

Ive recently stated I do not believe young children are ready to decide their gender allocation, he said. I believe their choices should be supported and accepted by their parents, but I do not think kids have the mental capabilities to make rational, logical decisions on things of a magnitude that will affect them for the rest of their lives. I do not believe they are mentally developed enough.

Going on to declare himself a proud moderate, Snider said at the end of his statement, Dont reject people who are willing to march, sing and stand with you just because we dont perfectly see eye-to-eye. We are still your allies. I, Dee Snider, will continue to support the Transgender community and their right to choose even if they reject me and moving forward, I am open to educating myself so I can be a better ally.

This story was updated May 5 @ 3:48 p.m. ET with statements from SF Pride.

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Click here to read the full article.
Former North Carolina congressman Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday for bringing a loaded gun into Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

A trial was set to begin Friday in Mecklenburg County, but Cawthorn instead entered a guilty plea for a third-degree misdemeanor charge. Channel 9s Hunter Saenz was in the courtroom when Cawthorn was sentenced to a $250 fine. Prosecutors had asked to confiscate the gun, but the judge agreed the city ordinance doesnt grant that power.

The Transportation Security Administration said they found a gun in Cawthorns luggage as he traveled through the Charlotte airport in April 2022. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police said Cawthorn was cited for possession of a dangerous weapon on city property.

Cawthorn told Saenz he forgot the gun was in his backpack.

I was not aware that we had the firearm in the bag, Cawthorn said. I always try to follow TSA guidelines and I think everyone should abide by safe gun ownership.

He said he had learned lessons from the arrest.

I think that more firearms make places more safe but when youre on an airplane, Im OK with that being the dictatorship. I want the captain to be in command of that plane and get to where were going.

In Mecklenburg County court this morning. Madison Cawthorn is here with his attorney. Hes charged with violating a city ordinance. Police said he took a loaded gun to Charlotte Douglas International Airport in April 2022.  Hunter Saenz (@Hunt_Saenz) May 5, 2023

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Trial delayed for Rep. Cawthorns gun citation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport

A photo obtained by Channel 9 shows that a loaded Staccato C2 was recovered at the airport. Officers confirmed the gun was Cawthorns and said he cooperated with police. The case was delayed in January after the charging officer was not available.

This was the second time hes been investigated for bringing a gun to an airport.

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In 2021, police caught Cawthorn at Asheville Regional with an unloaded gun.

Cawthorn now lives in Florida. He previously represented the 11th district of North Carolina in Congress.

(WATCH BELOW: CMPD: Rep. Madison Cawthorn cited for having gun at Charlotte Douglas Airport)
Brandon Presley doesn't want to be compared to Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear or any of the other Democratic governors elected in recent cycles to serve in reliably red states like Kansas and Louisiana.

"Let me be clear about this  I'm my own man," Presley in an interview with ABC News.

Presley is a Mississippi public service commissioner and former mayor of Nettleton, Mississippi, who happens to share a paternal great-grandfather with Elvis. And he's battling in one of 2023's trio of gubernatorial races.

Looking to flip a seat for the first time in two decades by defeating incumbent Republican Tate Reeves is a tall order. But the challenge has excited some Democrats in and outside of the state, where party strategists maintain that a path to victory, however narrow, does exist.

"I think statistically, one of the hardest races to win is against an incumbent governor," Marshall Cohen, a former political director at the Democratic Governors Association, told ABC News.

"In order to beat an incumbent, you kind of need three things," Cohen said. "You need a flawed incumbent, you need an above average, good challenger and you need an issue environment that is favorable to the challenger. And I think what you have in Mississippi is really all three of those things."

Reeves' flaws, as Cohen described them, include a scandal involving how millions of dollars in welfare funds were used by a state department under the previous administration, when Reeves was lieutenant governor. ("If you look at the initial forensic audit that was done, there was a group of individuals that were identified as being fraud, waste and abuse," Reeves has said in response to the controversy. "We are going to go after every single one of those.")

Reeves was elected governor in 2019 by about 5 points, or 45,000 votes, over Democrat Jim Hood.

Another potential boon, as political experts see it, is Presley's base of support so far: Over his four terms serving on the Mississippi Public Service Commission and as mayor of Nettleton before that, he has repeatedly been elected in the rural northeastern region of the state, which Donald Trump swept in both 2016 and 2020.

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"Brandon's from a good part of the state to be from, he's obviously got a golden last name and he's a campaigner and Bennie Thompson is really squarely in his corner, which I think can help," said James Carville, a longtime southern Democratic strategist, referring to Presley's early support from Rep. Bennie Thompson, Mississippi's only elected Democrat in state or federal office.

Thompson did not endorse then-Attorney General Jim Hood when Hood ran against Reeves in 2019.

"I think we have a real chance," Carville said. "I really like our candidate, I really don't like the incumbent. I've got a lot of friends in Mississippi, I'm trying to help him win anywhere I can."

PHOTO: Northern District Public Service Commissioner Brandon Presley, speaks on June 23, 2022, in Jackson, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP, FILE)

Reeves' record includes cutting taxes, increasing teacher pay and boosting job development. He has also touted his efforts to improve education in the state, though his tenure in elected office is more complicated, observers say.

He abruptly changed course on one signal issue that divides him from Presley, however: expanding Medicaid in the country's poorest state. In February, he said he would support the Legislature allowing women to use Medicaid for a year after giving birth -- though he did not change his position on expanding Medicaid to working people with low-wage jobs that don't provide private insurance.

Presley has said that on "day one" of his tenure as governor, if elected, he would "expand Medicaid and give 220,000 people health care that today Tate Reeves does not care about."

He has also said that one of the first things he would do in office would be to call a special session of the Legislature for ethics reform to "scrub and sanitize this infected system and clean it up."

MORE: Can a Democrat hold on as governor in deep-red Kentucky?

The Reeves campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment for this story. Earlier this week, he linked Presley to out-of-touch Democrats.

"This is a different governor's campaign than we have ever seen before in our state because we are not up against a local yokel, Mississippi Democrat," Reeves said at an event on Wednesday for his formal reelection launch on the Gulf Coast. "We are up against a national liberal machine. They are extreme. They are radical and vicious."

"They believe that taxes are good and businesses are bad," Reeves said. And, "They think they can teach all of us Mississippians a lesson. They do not like who we are and they do not like what we believe. They look at all we have accomplished as conservatives and they hate it."

Presley pushed back on that in his interview with ABC News. "Principles that are totally true to me are not true to national political issues, but true to Brandon Presley and true to the average Mississippian that just simply needs a governor on their side," he said.

On Wednesday, Presley's campaign released their first round of fundraising numbers and said they had brought in $1.35 million, "more than any other Democratic gubernatorial candidate ever in this period" -- and nearly twice as much as Hood in 2019.

Even so, such a sum is dwarfed by Presley's rival: According to records filed with the Mississippi Secretary of State's Office, Reeves began the year with nearly $7.9 million in campaign funds.

PHOTO: Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves speaks at a news conference on April 19, 2023, at a state office building in Jackson, Miss. (Rogelio V. Solis/AP, FILE)

The Democratic Governors Association has been clear that their priorities in 2023 are to see Beshear reelected in Kentucky -- where he won, narrowly, in 2019 against an unpopular incumbent and with his own locally famous last name -- and to try and maintain control of the governorship in Louisiana after term-limited Gov. John Bel Edwards steps down. But in Mississippi, they see a real shot at picking up a seat.

The DGA has a strong record of beating incumbent Republican governors in some of the toughest environments - including Kentucky, North Carolina and Wisconsin - and Mississippi is a real opportunity to do that again in 2023," said DGA Communications Director Sam Newton, echoing DGA chariman New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy's calls for attention on the "sleeper" race.

Republicans, though acknowledging the race could be more competitive than it might seem, given Mississippi's history, have said the state is safe for Reeves and that any buzz around it is manufactured.

"The Democrats are desperately trying to create a mirage in Mississippi. I think that they are more focused on a national narrative than on what's actually happening on the ground in Mississippi and what Mississippi families care about," said Daniel Scarpinato, senior communications adviser to the Republican Governors Association.

"The reality is, this is still a conservative state," Mississippi GOP strategist Austin Barbour said. "This is still a race where Tate Reeves is the favorite."

MORE: NAACP calls on Justice Department to investigate Mississippi welfare fraud case

Ahead of the general election on Nov. 7, Reeves will have to defeat two long shot primary challengers, despite previous rumblings from others -- including state House Speaker Philip Gunn and Mississippi Secretary of State Michael Watson -- as he's faced some disagreements with members of his own party that have since abated.

"You have a strong conservative element here, and they're going to fight for what they believe in," said one of Reeves' previous detractors, state Sen. Chris McDaniel.

"Ultimately, in November, despite subtle differences, the party is going to unify around conservatives. And I think when they do that, I think that's going to lead the Democrats out," McDaniel said.

Who is Brandon Presley?

Presley, 45, is a resident of Tupelo, Elvis' birthplace. He is planning to get married to his girlfriend, Katelyn Mabus, next month.

He's said he was raised in poverty in nearby Nettleton by a single mother after his father was killed on the first day of his third-grade school year.

"I'm probably the first man elected to the government that has ever gotten a shutoff notice and had their electricity cut off growing up," Presley said. "I know where people are because I have lived that life ... I think that's what makes me a much different type of candidate than what's been seen in Mississippi and many other places. I've been there, and I am not the least bit ashamed of the abject poverty that I grew up in. It's made me who I am."

He was elected mayor of Nettleton at the age of 23. In that role, he has said he's most proud of his work cutting taxes.

In his time as a public service commissioner, he boasts of how he was able to open up and livestream otherwise closed meetings and expand internet access across his rural district.

Presley describes himself as "pro-life" Democrat, "with the exception of rape" and "life of the mother," which is in keeping with the convictions of some other red state members of his party like Bel Edwards.

Still, for Presley, many people may first learn about him in relation to the rock 'n' roll legend known as "the King."

"I can sing a little bit, but I'm scared too, because I might lose votes," he joked.

But he quickly pivoted back to his platform, including his support for Medicaid expansion, an issue compounded by the specter of rural hospitals closing across the state.

"Our state takes a lot of pride in being the birthplace of Elvis," Presley said. "And so I'm proud to tell those stories -- and then get right back to talking about, through those same voters, what a corrupt system we have and what expanding Medicaid would mean."

Can a Democrat named Presley -- a relative of Elvis -- win deep red Mississippi's governor race? originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
Leopard 1

Poulsen noted that Denmark would hand over tanks that had been in storage since 2005 after being decommissioned.

According to the minister, the Leopard 1 tanks will be ready for use in Ukraine by June 1.

The training of Ukrainian tankers will last for about a month, he added.

Read also: Spanish Leopard tanks arrive in Poland, destined for Ukraine

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on April 28 that Ukrainian tank crews had already started training on Leopard 1 tanks.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 27 that 98% of the promised combat vehicles had already been delivered to Ukraine and Kyiv now has the military capabilities it needs to recapture territory.

On April 21, the 11th meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group took place at the U.S. Air Force Ramstein base in Germany. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced the participants had agreed to intensify supplies of air defense systems and ammunition to Ukraine.

Read also: Denmark to allocate EUR 1 billion for Ukraines reconstruction

The Pentagon chief also reported that over the past several months, Ukraines partners had transferred over 230 tanks and more than 1,550 armored vehicles, considerably bolstering Kyivs ability to counter Russian aggression.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  On the day he took office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to pursue an agenda that would heal the state's political divisions.

In an op-ed, he pledged to prioritize environmental protection, the economy, education. He highlighted the diverse, bipartisan group of qualified individuals he hired for his administration.

It is time for our state to come together, he declared in the January 2019 piece.

On Friday, more than four years later, DeSantis concluded a legislative session that establishes him as perhaps the most aggressive and accomplished conservative governor in the nation's bitter culture wars  just as he prepares to enter the 2024 presidential contest as a top rival to former President Donald Trump.

Intensifying his hard-right shift that began during the pandemic, the 44-year-old Republican governor in recent weeks has pushed the limits of divisive cultural battles over abortion, LGBTQ rights, sex education, guns, immigration and diversity. And in most cases, backed by Republican supermajorities in Florida's Legislature, he won.

DeSantis in recent weeks signed a law to ban abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and another to allow people to carry concealed guns without a permit. He expanded what critics call his Don't Say Gay law that now blocks classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades. And in the coming days, he will sign a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state colleges, along with another bill that prevents students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that dont correspond to someones sex.

The governor has also used the power of his office to seize partial control of Disney World, one of his state's largest employers, which spoke out against the Don't Say Gay law.

And as the 2024 presidential contest heats up, he's eager to celebrate his accomplishments.

When I became governor, the first day, sat in the office, I kind of just looked around and I thought to myself, I dont know what SOB is going to succeed me in this office, but they aint going to have much to do because were getting all the meat off the bone, he said during a Thursday news conference about fishing dates.

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DeSantis' unapologetic conservative shift, an evolution years in the making, positions him well among GOP presidential primary voters, who tend to be fiercely partisan. But it has sparked concerns among others, including donors, GOP officials and even some moderate Democrats, who initially welcomed DeSantis' approach but now fear that his crusade to champion conservative culture may alienate as many people as it attracts.

His unrelenting focus on the cultural issues more than the economic issues gets to be tiresome, said longtime Republican donor Bobbie Kilberg. I think people over time will want someone who does not add to the scenario of pushing people further and further and further apart."

DeSantis is poised to launch a presidential bid as soon as next week, though allies believe that a formal announcement, which could begin with an exploratory committee, is more likely to come around the end of May. For much of the year, he has sidestepped questions about his national ambitions, insisting that he was focused on Florida's legislative session.

DeSantis' team is optimistic that his conservative accomplishments will strengthen his appeal among primary voters who may be willing to move on from Trump.

Hes got a lot done, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a fierce Trump critic, said of DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is more of a conservative than Donald Trump has ever been.

Still, would-be supporters like Duncan are concerned that DeSantis' fight with Disney has gone too far and that he should be zeroed in on more important issues.

Hes focusing on the wrong Disney character," Duncan said. "Instead of picking on Mickey, you need to pick on Donald.

Those who know DeSantis best trace his emergence as a leading voice in the nation's cultural divisions to the pandemic.

After initially agreeing to COVID-19 shutdowns, DeSantis soon established himself as one of the GOP's most aggressive critics of public health measures. He became a conservative hero of sorts as he promoted what he called the free state of Florida.

Before the pandemic, he followed through on his promise to focus on education funding and environmental protection. He dedicated billions of dollars to Everglades restoration and other water protection projects over his first term, and he continued such efforts into the early days of his second. He has also consistently pushed for and secured pay raises for teachers in the state budget.

Democrat Bob Buckhorn, the former mayor of Tampa, said he was pleasantly surprised at the governor's first months in office. But he said his hope faded soon after the pandemic exploded in the spring of 2020.

I think we all knew he was ambitious, but I dont think all of us knew how far he would go and the extent to which he would go to build credibility with an audience that doesnt represent Florida, Buckhorn said.

DeSantis' team rejects the notion that he has fixated on red meat policies. They note the governors spending on education and the environment in addition to recent moves to cut taxes on household items such as diapers.

DeSantis' super PAC, which already has a half dozen paid staffers on the ground in each of the first four states on the Republican presidential primary calendar, did not mention his bipartisan achievements in a statement touting DeSantis' incredible success.

Gov. DeSantis robust record of legislative accomplishments includes enacting a Parents Bill of Rights and standing up to draconian COVID mandates to supporting law and order and pursuing the death penalty for child rapists," said super PAC spokesperson Erin Perrine. "Ron DeSantis will never back down from pursuing strong conservative policies.

Indeed, as 2024 has grown closer, DeSantis has done as much or more than any other Republican governor in America to use the levers of government to lean into cultural fights. Along the way, he embraced a new catchphrase: Florida is where woke comes to die.

In other legislative wins, DeSantis has made it illegal for state and local investment funds to consider companies' environmental, social and governance stances in his fight against woke corporations. He also signed a bill allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned capital punishment in such cases. And he signed a bill to end a unanimity requirement in death penalty sentencing.

Another new law to harden the state's immigration policy and add millions of dollars to his controversial migrant relocation program awaits his signature.

It's all red meat, Kilberg said. I think a Republican would have a better shot getting elected in the general election if they were less divisive and more willing to work together with people for the common good. That clearly is not his mantra.

Still, Kilberg said she would most likely vote for DeSantis and help him raise money if he becomes the Republican nominee in a general election against President Joe Biden.

I say most likely, because it would be important to me to see DeSantis soften his image, have a more caring image, have a more inclusive image, she said. DeSantis is not the only alternative to Trump.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report.

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Follow the AP's coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis.
Naples Republican Kathi Meo has been thrilled by Gov. Ron DeSantis record as governor.

Yet if forced to choose between DeSantis and former President Donald Trump, there is no doubt who Meo will support, saying: Trump needs to finish what he started.

And nothing DeSantis does as governor can shake Meo from that view, not even a legislative agenda filled with policy wins that delight conservatives.

DeSantis v Disney: Top Florida Republican votes against DeSantis' latest Disney bill as feud strains GOP

Tough penalties: Illegal immigration crackdown approved by Florida House, sent to DeSantis

DeSantis can do everything he wants but Trump has proven, he over-delivered on what he promised in his campaign, said Meo, the Collier County GOP secretary, adding: Theres just no arguing with that. Its not like a hypothetical; he proved it.

Florida's 60-day legislative session wrapped up Friday, and DeSantis is emerging with a long list of new laws he championed that are aimed straight at the hearts of GOP primary voters such as Meo.

Legislators served up measures that make it much more difficult to get an abortion in Florida and easier to impose the death penalty. They loosen gun regulations, outlaw certain medical care for transgender minors, force transgender people to use bathrooms corresponding with their birth sex, provide taxpayer-financed vouchers for any student to attend a private school and crack down on drag shows.

Tougher penalties for illegal immigration, limits on diversity programs on university campuses, and a ban on socially conscious investing by the state and local governments also sailed through supermajorities in the House and Senate.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis walks onstage to give remarks at the Heritage Foundation's 50th Anniversary Leadership Summit at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on April 21, 2023 in National Harbor, Maryland. During his remarks DeSantis spoke on policy and social issues his administration has taken on in the state of Florida including education in schools, funding law enforcement, and gun legislation. DeSantis pushed through a strongly conservative legislative agenda this year as he prepares to challenge former President Donald Trump in the GOP presidential primary, but it's not clear that policy wins can pry voters away from Trump.

DeSantis and GOP leaders in Tallahassee showed they are willing to unleash government to craft a state that reflects the way Republicans say they want citizens to live. And for the governor, the sessions conservative, culture war roster of accomplishments is certain to play prominently in his campaign to wrestle the GOP presidential nomination from Trump.

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Almost $1.3 billion in tax breaks also burnishes the governors claim that Floridas economy is on fire. Long-sought business-backed restrictions on lawsuits against them also are uniting the states industry associations behind DeSantis.

All told, the measures may help power DeSantis self-portrayal as a MAGA warrior in Trumps image who actually gets things done and has the receipts to prove it.

I think weve delivered major, major victories on so many different fronts, said House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. And the governor can rightly claim credit for having one of the biggest sessions, certainly in Florida history."

But look around the country and ask which state has done more in a 60-day session than we have this year. I think that can only benefit him, Renner added.

Can policy power DeSantis past Trump?

Whether Trump voters can be wooed away from the former president with a message centered around governing competency and conservative policy wins remains to be seen.

Trump became president talking about issues such immigration, crime and trade, but many conservatives are drawn more to his pugnacious personality than any specific policy.

Fox News poll: Donald Trump up on Ron DeSantis; RFK Jr. has 19% support against President Joe Biden

2024 preview? Ron DeSantis does a book tour to discuss his Florida record - not Donald Trump

Trumps celebrity and boundary-pushing persona excited his supporters and bonded them to him in a way that DeSantis appears to be trying to duplicate. But severing those relationships and replacing Trump in the hearts of the GOP primary electorate is a mountain DeSantis is struggling to climb.

Theres a visceral emotional connection they have to Donald Trump and no policy is going to break through that connection, said Ron Filipkowski, a former Florida GOP activist who broke with the party.

Filipkowski closely monitors GOP leaders and trends within the party, chronicling everything to his 729,000 Twitter followers. He believes DeSantis will struggle to develop the same connection as Trump with the right wing of the party.

They love Donald Trump, Filipkowski said. They dont love Ron DeSantis as a person. They love that he owns libs and he talks tough, they love all the Trumpy stuff hes copied.

DeSantis agenda seems to be built around peeling off some Trump voters who are extremely conservative but may be turned off by the former presidents antics, or simply believe he cant win.

Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives Paul Renner spoke during Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' visit to Ocala February 8, 2023. Renner said this week that 'the governor can rightly claim credit for having one of the biggest sessions, certainly in Florida history."

The question is how large a pool of voters that represents, and whether DeSantis has the right formula to reach them.

While much of Trumps appeal to conservatives is about personality, Florida GOP Vice Chair Evan Power believes policy still matters.

President Trump has been a different kind of leader in that hes led a lot on his personality and being outspoken with the megaphone, but I think if you look at primary voting Republicans they care about policy and winning the war against the left, Power said. If you look around, the left is trying to fundamentally change America and I think people are ready to fight back and our base cares about some of these policy positions.

Power pointed to DeSantis push for universal school vouchers and other major laws he passed this year as landmark pieces of legislation that will play well on the campaign trail.

I think it makes him a player on a national stage, Power said. Everyone looks at COVID as what made the governor, but if you look at the policies under his leadership theyre transformative.

DeSantis' pitch to voters starts with what he did in Florida

Florida Gulf Coast University political science professor Peter Bergerson said DeSantis pitch to voters always was going to rest on what he did in Florida, so having a strong legislative agenda is important.

Hes going to be introducing himself, most of the country has no idea who he is, Bergerson said. He has to have a story, and the story is going to be look what Ive done in Florida.

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush had a similar message when he ran for president in 2016 touting his governing record at the state level, but was thrashed by Trump as an establishment figure.

DeSantis is trying to appeal to the type of conservatives who shunned Bush by signing legislation outlawing abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and allowing people to carry concealed weapons without a permit.

Filipkowski believes its a flawed strategy.

DeSantis figures I need to get to the right of Trump, which is clearly his strategy, but hes not going to get the far right, Filipkowski said. The far right are Trumps people. Hes not going to get them.

Trump also nodded to social conservatives when he ran for president the first time, releasing a list of conservative picks for the U.S. Supreme Court who were likely to overturn the Roe v Wade decisions protecting abortion rights, which they eventually did.

Evangelical voters eventually became some of Trumps strongest supporters, despite some of his personal baggage.

Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser, acknowledged that some of DeSantis legislative agenda could play well in a primary. Stone believes the governor overstepped, though, pointing to his effort to rein in Walt Disney Co., after it opposed parental rights legislation last year that was dubbed Dont Say Gay by opponents.

Disney vs. DeSantis timeline: What happened when Florida's governor took on the Mouse

Trump vs DeSantis: In Trump vs. DeSantis 2024 culture war, Black and LGBTQ people will pay the highest price

The prohibition on discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in early school grades was recently expanded through high school by the states Board of Education.

But DeSantis continues to battle Disney, drawing mixed reviews from many voters. The matter now is in federal and state courts after the company sued, accusing the governor of retaliating against it and violating its constitutional right to free speech and the governors appointees on the special district overseeing Disney property countersued.

While these issues may be marginally helpful in national Republican primaries, I think his tussle with Disney now just looks petty and most voters have long forgotten the origins and reasons for the fight, Stone said.

Some Trump supporters have aligned with Democrats in criticizing DeSantis' record as governor, citing the Disney clash and the soaring property insurance rates paid by Floridians.

But the two-month legislative session also has been marked by protesters converging on the Florida Capitol outraged over the six-week abortion limit, restrictions on universities and the cascade of measures aimed at the transgender community.

This is not what the American people want, said Rep. Hillary Cassel, D-Dania Beach. What hes doing is not popular on a national scale.

She noted that a majority of Floridas 20 Republican members of Congress have endorsed Trump  not DeSantis.

When you look at the people in Florida who are not endorsing him, I think that says something, she added.

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell of Tampa also saw DeSantis support waning. While polls show DeSantis support sagging under a steady barrage of political attacks and personal insults from the former president, Driskell said the congressional delegations stance is clearly a troubling sign for the governor.

If they thought that DeSantis was strong and they thought these things were helping him, you would not see so many defectors to Donald Trump, Driskell said.

Meo, the Collier County Republican activist, said she is bothered by DeSantis taking on Trump after the former presidents endorsement helped make him governor in 2018. Shed like to see DeSantis serve out his final term as governor and continue to push conservative policies.

We love what hes doing, she said. We want to keep him for the four years.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Legislature gives Ron DeSantis policy wins to use against Donald Trump
Is ancestry history? The U.S. Census Bureau is contemplating getting rid of a question about a person's ancestry on its most comprehensive survey, saying it may duplicate a newly-revised race question that allows respondents to write from where they or their antecedents came.

The Census Bureau is conducting research to determine if they get fewer responses, if data quality is compromised and what similarities or differences there are between the race and ancestry questions on the American Community Survey. The ancestry question has been asked since the 1980s.

Preliminary findings show that respondents are more likely to answer the race question than the ancestry query and that the data pulled from the race question covers 88% of the 126 ancestry groups the statistical agency lists, Census Bureau officials told an advisory committee on Friday.

Some civil rights groups, though, are worried the changes are premature and want the bureau to wait until detailed race data from the 2020 census is released for comparison. They also say proposed changes to the federal government's race and ethnicity categories by the White Houses Office of Management and Budget could impact the way people respond.

The OMB's proposed changes, currently under review, would combine the race and ethnic origin questions into a single query because some advocates say the current method of asking about race and separately about ethnic origin often confuses Hispanic respondents. It also would create a new category for people of Middle Eastern and North African descent, also known by the acronym MENA, who are now classified as white but say they have been routinely undercounted.

It is possible, for example, that respondents view their ancestry  and the ancestry of their household members, including children  differently than they view their race or ethnicity subgroup or national origin, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said last month in a letter asking the Census Bureau to pause its research on the matter.

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The Census Bureau's decision on whether to eliminate the ancestry question likely won't come for another year or two, well after any changes to the federal government's race and ethnicity categories are decided next year.

The American Community Survey is the bureaus largest survey and asks about more than 40 topics ranging from income, internet access, rent, disabilities and language spoken at home. Along with the census, it helps determine how $1.5 trillion in federal spending is distributed each year, where schools are built and the location of new housing developments, among other things.

Starting in 2020, the Census Bureau has allowed respondents to write detailed information about their background for the race question. For instance, the race question now allows a respondent to check a box for Black and then write in Haitian, Nigerian or other backgrounds in a blank box. The ancestry question asks What is this person's ancestry of ethnic origin? and allows respondents to fill in a blank box with answers like Brazilian or Lebanese.

During the 2021 American Community Survey, estimates from the race question were larger or no different than estimates from the ancestry query in 87% of the 111 ancestry groups available from the race data, Census Bureau officials on Friday told members of the National Advisory Committee.

However, it was lower for respondents with ancestry in several Caribbean nations as well as those with Azerbaijani, British, Celtic, French Canadian, Guyanese, Pennsylvania German, Romani and Scotch-Irish backgrounds. Census Bureau officials said Friday they want to study the reasons for that.

Moving forward, the Census Bureau needs to consider how the questions are worded and what race and ancestry terms mean in people's everyday lives, said Iheoma Iruka, a committee member and research professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

They are social and political, meaning they can change over time, Iruka said.

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Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP
Detectives are investigating a shooting in Belltown that left one person injured.

The Seattle Police Department said the shooting happened shortly after midnight on Thursday.

Police got multiple 911 calls about a person shot in the 1900 block of 2nd Avenue. When officers got there, they found the victim on the ground with a gunshot wound.

Police gave aid until Seattle Fire arrived and continued lifesaving care.

Officers collected evidence and did an area check, but didnt find the suspect.

The victim was transported by medics to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.

Anyone with information is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.
Editors note: This book excerpt was first published in KFF Health News, a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. It is one of the core operating programs at KFF  the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.

In 2019, federal lab regulators ordered the prestigious U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, or USAMRIID, to halt all work with dangerous pathogens, such as Ebola and anthrax, which can pose a severe threat to public health and safety.

Army officials had assured the public there was no safety threat and indicated that no pathogens had leaked outside the laboratory after flooding in 2018. But in a new book released April 25, investigative reporter Alison Young reveals there were repeated and egregious safety breaches and government oversight failures at Fort Detrick, Maryland, that preceded the 2019 shutdown. This article is adapted from Pandoras Gamble: Lab Leaks, Pandemics, and a World at Risk.

Unsterilized laboratory wastewater from the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases at Fort Detrick, Maryland, spewed out the top of a rusty 50,000-gallon outdoor holding tank, the pressure catapulting it over the short concrete wall that was supposed to contain hazardous spills.

It was May 25, 2018, the Friday morning before Memorial Day weekend, and the tank holding waste from labs working with Ebola, anthrax, and other lethal pathogens had become overpressurized, forcing the liquid out a vent pipe.

An estimated 2,000-3,000 gallons streamed into a grassy area a few feet from an open storm drain that dumps into Carroll Creek  a centerpiece of downtown Frederick, Maryland, a city of about 80,000 an hours drive from the nations capital.

But as the waste sprayed for as long as three hours, records show, none of the plants workers apparently noticed the tank had burst a pipe. This was despite the facility being under scrutiny from federal lab regulators following catastrophic flooding and an escalating series of safety failures that had been playing out for more than a week.

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***

Before the outdoor tank failed, there had already been breaches of other lab waste storage tanks inside the sterilization plant.

On May 17, 2018, in the wake of devastating storms, workers at Fort Detrick discovered that the plants basement was filling with water that would reach 4 to 5 feet deep. Some of it was rainwater seeping in from outdoors. But a lot was fluid leaking from the basements long-deteriorating tanks that held thousands of gallons of unsterilized lab wastewater.

As basement sump pumps forced floodwater into these tanks, the influx disgorged lab waste through cracks along the tops of the tanks, sending it streaming back toward the floor.

The steam sterilization plant, referred to as the SSP, was built in 1953. It was designed to essentially cook the wastewater that flowed into it from Fort Detricks biological laboratories, ensuring that all deadly pathogens were killed before the water was released from the base into the Monocacy River.

The first lab waste storage tanks to fail at Fort Detrick's steam sterilization plant in May 2018 were located inside this brick building, flooding its basement with a mixture of wastewater and rainwater. (Maryland Department of the Environment)

The research institutes safety protocols called for a two-step kill process for lab wastewater. Before it was sent down drains into Fort Detricks dedicated laboratory sewer system for heat treatment at the plant, lab workers were supposed to pretreat potentially infectious liquids with bleach or other chemicals.

But chemical disinfection can be tricky. To be effective, it requires workers to use the right kind of disinfectant at the right concentration and, importantly, to ensure that the disinfectant remains in contact with the microbes long enough to kill them.

Any living organisms left behind could multiply.

Despite the plants importance to protecting public health, by May 2018 it had become a rusting, leaking, temperamental hulk.

It was 65 years old and was supposed to have been torn down already. But a replacement plant completed at a cost to taxpayers of more than $30 million had suffered a catastrophic failure in 2016 and couldnt be repaired, records show.

So even though the sterilization plant was in significant disrepair, the institute still used it, with a much smaller amount of waste coming from a U.S. Department of Agriculture lab that worked with weeds and plant diseases.

On a typical day in 2018, state records show, these facilities sent about 30,000 gallons of laboratory wastewater into the plant, which had five 50,000-gallon storage tanks in its basement, plus an additional nine interconnected 50,000-gallon storage tanks outside.

Fort Detrick officials had been aware for some time that the tops of the aging basement storage tanks had multiple leaks caused over the years by chlorine gases accumulating on the surface of the wastewater, according to a state investigation report of the incident and the Army garrisons responses to questions.

It was so much of an issue that the garrisons Directorate of Public Works employees, who operated the plant, had to make sure the tanks didnt ever fill up completely or else the potentially infectious water would spill out.

Their workaround was to try to limit the amount of waste in each basement tank to about half capacity. But the flooding in May 2018 made that impossible because the sump pumps were sending so much water into the sterilization system.

Lab inspectors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had apparently failed to recognize the plant was in such disrepair. The CDC offered no explanation of how the problems were missed, but after the incident it created a new policy and task force for overseeing labs wastewater decontamination systems.

Samuel Edwin, director of the CDCs select agent regulatory program, did not grant an interview. Two years before the plant flooded and failed, the CDC had hired Edwin from USAMRIID, where he had spent eight years as the biological surety officer and responsible official in charge of making sure USAMRIIDs labs complied with federal regulations.

Edwin, in an emailed statement, said he wasnt aware of any corrosion or leak issues while he worked at USAMRIID.

*** photos got the bases attention.nUSAMRIIDs leadership.ors from the CDC inspected the plant annually, Edwin said, adding: FSAP did not observe, and I did not report, any issues with the SSP during this time.n vz

Four days after the plant flooded, CDC inspectors arrived at Fort Detrick and spent May 21 and 22, 2018, inspecting the facility. As the CDC inspectors left Fort Detrick, they allowed USAMRIID to resume some research activities.

The long Memorial Day weekend was coming up, and the weather forecast showed more rain headed toward Frederick. To protect the plant against further flooding, a decision was made to pump the water inside the basements waste storage tanks into the auxiliary tanks outdoors. The hope was to free up an additional 80,000 gallons of capacity, Fort Detrick said in response to questions.

Things didnt go as planned.

Somewhere along the way, an automatic shut-off feature designed to keep the outdoor tanks from overfilling was deactivated, Fort Detrick officials later said in response to questions.

***

No action was taken to address the release of unsterilized lab wastewater out of this storage tank at Fort Detrick on May 25, 2018, until days had passed, and a worker provided this photo  obtained by the author via a records request  documenting that the safety breach had occurred. (Army)

It was an employee of the National Cancer Institute, which has a research building at Fort Detrick near the plant, who spotted wastewater spewing from an outdoor wastewater tank, over the containment wall, and into a grassy area with an open storm drain inlet that sends runoff into Carroll Creek, according to records and Fort Detricks responses to questions. The person called it in to the trouble desk of the garrisons Directorate of Public Works on that Friday morning, May 25.

But nobody checked on the tank until noon, Fort Detrick said. The dispatched workers reported back that they didnt see any leaking fluid. They checked the tanks again at 2 p.m. and still saw nothing. So nothing was done.

If not for the persistence of the unidentified National Cancer Institute employee, the leak would have been ignored.

On the Wednesday after the holiday, that person contacted the Fort Detrick safety manager. They wanted to follow up on their previous report  and this time they provided photos proving the tank had been spraying wastewater nearly a week earlier.

The photos got the bases attention.

The Fort Detrick Command was immediately notified. So was USAMRIIDs leadership.

But another day passed before anyone alerted state and local authorities.

***

A significant question remained: What was in the lab wastewater that spewed out of the tank?

If viable organisms like anthrax bacteria had been sent into public waterways, the consequences could be disastrous for USAMRIID, Fort Detrick  and the CDC regulators who allowed them to keep operating despite the jury-rigged sterilization plant.

The risk that people or animals would become infected was probably low, with any organisms likely reduced below infectious levels as the waste became diluted by the floodwaters still surging through the areas streams and rivers. But public backlash and headlines were certainties.

So, what was in the wastewater?

Nobody seemed to be looking very hard to find out.

USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials offered only generalized assurances that their tests hadnt detected any pathogens. But they would not release copies of testing reports.

Rather than serve as watchdogs in the public interest, all levels of government seemed to largely defer to USAMRIID and its expertise  despite the organizations egregious safety breach and potential self-interest in damage control.

In the weeks before the tank started spewing wastewater, USAMRIID had been experimenting with 16 organisms, and lab officials said they had tested the concrete pad and the ground adjacent to the tanks and hadnt detected any of them. Anthrax was the organism of greatest concern because of its ability to persist in the environment, something many pathogens cant do for very long.

Other organisms that were possibly in the wastewater were Ebola virus, Lassa fever virus, Junin virus, Marburg virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, eastern equine encephalitis virus, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Nipah virus, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Burkholderia mallei, Francisella tularensis, western equine encephalitis virus, Dobrava-Belgrade virus, Seoul virus, and Chikungunya virus.

But all test results were negative, USAMRIID officials said.

This open stormwater inlet was near where an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 gallons of unsterilized lab wastewater sprayed from an outdoor storage tank at Fort Detrick. The inlet sends water into Carroll Creek, a popular waterway that flows through downtown Frederick, Maryland. (Maryland Department of the Environment)

How meaningful was USAMRIIDs testing?

USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials didnt do any environmental tests until May 31 and June 1  about a week after the tank overflowed. By then, it had rained, which, in response to questions, USAMRIID acknowledged would have had a dilutional effect if any pathogens had been present.

Did USAMRIID test two samples or 20 samples or 200 samples? What were the detection limits of the testing methods used? How might the rain  or wind or sunlight  have affected the ability of the tests to detect organisms a week after their release?

USAMRIID and Fort Detrick officials would not release copies of the testing reports. For months, they wouldnt even say how many samples were tested.

The test plan was reviewed and approved by the CDC, USAMRIID said in a written statement.

CDC lab regulators said USAMRIID developed and conducted its own testing.

USAMRIID test results indicated the public health risk associated with any potential release was negligible; however, you would need to contact USAMRIID for full information about the testing methods and results, the CDC said.

Eventually, after months of requests, USAMRIID said its testing to determine whether pathogens had escaped involved just five swab samples collected from various locations at the plant.

As further evidence that no deadly microbes had escaped, records show that Army officials noted to state and local officials  without providing reports or details  that they had done additional validation testing inside USAMRIIDs laboratories that showed lab drains contained sufficient disinfectant to kill anything poured down them. The implication was that there was no risk from the plants unsterilized wastewater and that the heat-treating process was nice, but not necessary.

Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that these drain tests werent performed under real-life conditions. Instead, the Army acknowledged, they were done in empty labs where no work had been occurring and no animals were present.

Of perhaps greater concern: The drain tests were performed solely in response to the regulatory and public relations crisis from the lab leak in May 2018. It was the only time  from January 2015 through at least March 2022  that USAMRIID had checked the adequacy of the disinfectant in its drains, the Armys FOIA response said.

Excerpted from Pandoras Gamble by Alison Young (Copyright 2023). Used with permission from Center Street, a division of Hachette Book Group Inc.

Alison Young is an investigative reporter in Washington, D.C., and serves as the Curtis B. Hurley Chair in Public Affairs Reporting for the University of Missouri School of Journalism. During 2009-19, she was a reporter and member of USA Todays national investigative team. She has reported on laboratory accidents for 15 years for news organizations that include USA Today, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and ProPublica.

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Visalia detectives arrested a 15-year-old Dinuba boy in connection with a deadly shooting reported nearly two months ago.

He's been wanted by police since the evening of March 13, when officers were called to the 2900 block of South Fulgham Street for reports of gunshots heard in the area. Minutes later, officers learned that a man had been shot in the 1700 block of East Mineral King Avenue.

The victim was identified as Isaak Sedillo, 20.

Sedillo was taken to Kaweah Health Medical Center, where he died.

Violent Crimes detectives started an investigation and were able to identify the Dinuba boy as the suspect. What evidence led to the boy being fingered as the shooter is unclear.

Around 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Visalia and Dinuba police departments found the teenager with a friend at the intersection of Tulare and I streets in Dinuba.

The boy ran from detectives but was eventually arrested. While the boy was being captured, the 16-year-old friend became "uncooperative" with officers, said Liz Jones, Visalia Police Department spokeswoman. He was also arrested. It's unknown if he's been linked to the homicide.

A search warrant was later served in the 300 block of North Lyndsay Way in Dinuba. The home is linked to the suspect, Jones said.

Both teenagers were booked into the Tulare County Juvenile Detention Facility. The 15-year-old was booked on suspicion of homicide, conspiracy to commit homicide, and resisting arrest. The 16-year-old was booked on suspicion of resisting arrest.

Tried as an adult

The California Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that 14- and 15-year-olds can no longer be tried as adults in court, which could result in a lifetime prison sentence, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

The ruling came after a 2019 state law prohibiting youth younger than 16 from being tried as adults was challenged by prosecutors who argued that the law violated the 2016 Proposition 57, which allowed 14-year-olds to be charged as adults if a judge decided so based on the crime and the youths record.

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Currently, the maximum confinement for juveniles is up to age 25. However, courts can place a safety hold after that threshold requiring placement in a medical center. The recent ruling makes California the first state to prohibit adult prosecutions of children under 16, the Chronicle reports.

Tough sentences for youth disproportionately affect Black and Latino youth, according to the Sentencing Project, a group that works to reduce imprisonment.

Now the state will focus on rehabilitating young people, Elizabeth Calvin of Human Rights Watch told the Chronicle. Youth who are sent to the adult system miss out on the treatment, education, and services offered in the juvenile system. Youth kept in the juvenile system are less likely to commit new crimes.

Ed Source contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Dinuba teenager arrested in connection with Visalia homicide
A screenshot from a news report shows the JetBlue plane being evacuated at Los Angeles International Airport after a bomb threat was made. ABC 7

A JetBlue passenger missed his flight from Las Vegas to LA, with his bag onboard the plane.

Airport officials said the "disgruntled" passenger then called in a bomb threat, per KABC-TV.

Firefighters, police, and bomb squad personnel gathered on the tarmac at LAX. But there was no bomb.

A passenger who was angry that he missed his JetBlue flight from Las Vegas, Nevada, to Los Angeles, California, called in a bomb threat on Thursday, authorities said.

Airport officials told ABC News affiliate KABC-TV that the passenger, who has not been publicly identified, missed his flight from Las Vegas but that his luggage remained onboard the plane.

The man then phoned in a bomb threat, saying his luggage contained explosives, resulting in firefighters, police, and bomb squad personnel gathering on the tarmac at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), KABC-TV reported.

"At approximately 2 p.m. today, May 4th, a disgruntled passenger who missed his flight made a statement indicating that his luggage contained a possible bomb on the JetBlue flight number 879 from Las Vegas," an air traffic official said, according to KVVU.

Passengers onboard were stuck on the plane at LAX for more than an hour, the news outlet reported.

They were then evacuated via a truck-mounted staircase and transported onto shuttle buses, with the aircraft moved to an isolated spot on the far end of the runway, away from the gate, per KABC-TV.

LAX Police Department investigated to ensure the luggage was bomb-free, with police determining after a couple of hours that there were no explosives found in the luggage or on the aircraft, per KSNV.

The passenger who missed his flight was taken into custody by Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, with KVVU reporting that police took "enforcement action against the subject."

Las Vegas Police, JetBlue, and the LAX Police Department did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Distributor Novo Nordisk has decided to limit low doses of obesity medication Wegovy in the U.S. as demand outpaces supply.

Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare and pharmaceutical company based in Denmark, is limiting the supply of Wegovy to conserve supply for patients already using the drug, the company said Thursday.

The company is still supplying limited quantities of 0.25-, 0.5- and 1-milligram doses to wholesalers for distribution to different retail pharmacies.

Wegovy was approved as a weight management treatment medication by the Food and Drug Administration in 2021.

The medication belongs to a class of drugs called GLP-1 agonists that have become popular in the weight loss industry, according to CBS News. Endorsements by celebrities on social media have only further fueled shortages nationwide.

Today we are serving hundreds of thousands of U.S. patients with Wegovy, the company said in a statement. However, trends indicate that demand for Wegovy in the U.S. will exceed our current supply capacity.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
3D illustration of a fetus in a womb. (iStockphoto/Getty Images)

In a first-of-its-kind procedure, physicians performed a successful in utero surgery to repair a rare and potentially deadly prenatal condition in a fetus. In utero surgery has been used for other conditions, but this is the first time it has been attempted to treat vein of Galen malformation  a rare blood vessel abnormality inside the brain that can cause a rush of high-pressure blood into the veins.

Details of the procedure, which was performed in March, were published on Thursday in Stroke, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association. In a two-hour procedure, when the fetus was at 34 weeks and 2 days gestational age, doctors used ultrasound imaging to guide a needle through the uterus of the mother and into a vein in the back of the fetuss head. A catheter in the needle was then used to insert tiny coils to decrease blood flow in the vein.

The tiny patient was the first in a clinical trial currently underway at Boston Childrens Hospital and Brigham and Womens Hospital, performed with oversight from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and was delivered by induced vaginal birth two days after the procedure.

The babys parents, Derek and Kenyatta Coleman, told CNN that they learned of their child's condition during a 30-week ultrasound, and that the doctor told them that something wasnt right in terms of the babys brain, and also her heart was enlarged. Although Kenyatta said she was aware of the possible risks of joining the clinical trial, the Colemans felt there was no other option for them, CNN writes.

Weeks later, doctors say the Colemans baby daughter, Denver, is thriving.

In our first treated case, we were thrilled to see that the aggressive decline usually seen after birth simply did not appear, lead study author Dr. Darren B. Orbach said in a press release. We are pleased to report that at six weeks, the infant is progressing remarkably well, on no medications, eating normally, gaining weight and is back home. There are no signs of any negative effects on the brain.

Orbach added that this is only their first treated patient, and that its vital to continue the trial to assess safety and efficacy in other patients. Still, the results are promising.

This approach has the potential to mark a paradigm shift in managing vein of Galen malformation where we repair the malformation prior to birth and head off the heart failure before it occurs, rather than trying to reverse it after birth, Orbach said. This may markedly reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, disability or death among these infants.
The agency said Thursday that the Alabama Department of Public Health showed a consistent pattern of inaction and neglect regarding health risks linked to raw sewage.

The U.S. Department of Justice has found evidence that the public health departments of Lowndes County and the state of Alabama discriminated against its Black residents, putting lives at risk with their sanitation practices.

The agency, along with the federal Department of Health and Human Services, released the conclusions on Thursday, stating that the Alabama Department of Public Health showed a consistent pattern of inaction and neglect regarding the health risks linked to raw sewage, the Montgomery Advertiser reported.

For generations, Black, rural residents of Lowndes County have lacked access to basic sanitation services, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who is with DOJs Civil Rights Division, the Advertiser reported, and as a result, these residents have been exposed to raw sewage in their neighborhoods, their yards, their playgrounds, their schools, and even inside their own homes.

A federal investigation found the public health departments of Lowndes County and the state of Alabama have sanitation practices that discriminate against Black residents. An agreement aims to address the problems. (Photo: Screenshot/YouTube.com/NBC News)

The DOJ started investigating Lowndes County in November 2021. It was the first time the department had filed an environmental justice investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which relates to programs that receive federal funding.

After 18 months, the agency found that Black residents were disproportionately affected by ADPHs negligence. Many of these individuals need help remembering when they had access to efficient sewage disposal techniques. Prior research in Lowndes County revealed that 80 percent of its residences lack dependable sewage systems.

Clarke noted that residents have endured disease and sickness that result from their reliance on straight piping, a low-cost, illegal disposal technique that uses PVC pipes and ditches to send sewage out of homes, frequently resulting in waste puddles close to residences.

Residents questioned the effectiveness of government agencies attempts to address the sewage problems, as the issue persisted for decades despite receiving national attention.

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The Justice Department will halt the federal inquiry in exchange for the state and county public health departments making immediate improvements to policy enforcement and developing a long-term strategy by May 2024.

The agreement calls for ADPH to stop imposing fees, fines and penalties on residents who cannot afford working septic systems.

ADPH must also stop threatening to place liens on peoples homes because of sewage problems and cooperate with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to increase public awareness of health and safety information related to exposure to raw sewage. Increased door-to-door outreach is also expected.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who represents Lowndes County in Congress, expressed her hope that her state would completely abide by the DOJ and HHS agreement.

She maintained she would continue to fight to pass legislation and obtain additional funds at the federal level to address this situation, calling access to adequate wastewater infrastructure a fundamental human right.

The disproportionate impact that this crisis has on the Black residents of Lowndes County is completely unacceptable, said Sewell, the Advertiser reported. This agreement represents a step forward in our continued fight for equitable and safe wastewater systems in the Black Belt  though the fight is far from over, she added.

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Suranne Jones has commented on the ongoing debate around straight actors playing queer characters.

In 2021, Doctor Who showrunner Russel T Davies declared that gay roles should be left to gay actors in a move towards greater authenticity.

Jones, who recently played two gay characters in the BBC series Gentleman Jack (2019-2022) and Vigil (2021).

Asked about the debate in a new interview with The Times, Jones said: I dont agree with that, having done Vigil and Gentleman Jack.

She added that she wasnt aware of the discussion around authentic casting, saying she responds to opportunities instinctively.

I dont look at it in any other way. Maybe Ive not had the right training. I dont know. Im totally instinctive like that, she said.

Suranne Jones (Getty Images for Sky UK Ltd)

In 2021, Davies told The Independent: Im trying to avenge hundreds of years of inequality.

[Its A Sin] has also unashamedly cast gay people in straight roles. I think thats fine because, believe you me, from the age of eight we are studying straight people and how to fit in with them.

Jones previously defended her role in Gentleman Jack, which chronicles the real-life love story of Anne Lister (Jones) and Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), 180 years before same-sex marriages were legalised in the UK.

Actors are just the face of a project. On this job, there were a lot of gay, lesbian and straight people giving their input, and I think people forget that when they point the finger at actors and say that only straight actors should play straight parts, Jones said about the series.

No one ever points the finger at directors and writers, which I find odd. I think thats because were the face.

If people thought about it a little more intelligently, the question wouldnt come up so much.

Jones next stars in Maryland on ITV1 and ITVX, out later this month.
A video of a deposition given by former US president Donald Trump as part of his civil rape trial has been released by the court.

The roughly 48-minute video shows Mr Trump, 76, mistaking his accuser E Jean Carroll for his ex-wife Marla Maples in a photo.

It also shows him repeating his denial of Ms Carroll's allegations by claiming she is "not my type".

Lawyers for both sides rested their case on Thursday.

Mr Trump has not been present in New York for the trial and his lawyers called no witnesses before resting their case.

But, on a judge's orders, the former president formally provided sworn evidence on camera last October over Ms Carroll's claim that he raped her inside a New York City department store in the mid-1990s.

Video of the deposition was shown to jurors on Thursday and publicly released for the first time on Friday after a petition by media organisations.

During the deposition, Mr Trump is shown the leaked Access Hollywood tape, which was published by the Washington Post during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mr Trump can be seen shifting uncomfortably in his seat as he is heard on the tape saying "you can do anything" to women "when you're a star".

The footage also shows him describing Ms Carroll's allegations as "the most ridiculous, disgusting story. It was just made up".

When he is shown an old photo of him with his first wife Ivana, Ms Carroll and her then-husband John Johnson, Mr Trump misidentifies his accuser with the words "it's Marla".

Still looking at the picture, he says "That's Marla, yeah. That's my wife" before his lawyer corrects him. Mr Trump then replies that the photo is "very blurry".

At another point in the video, Mr Trump is unable to recall the date of his marriage to Ms Maples, his second wife and mother to his daughter Tiffany.

Ms Carroll, a writer and long-time advice columnist, is suing the former president for battery over the original incident, as well as for defamation over his adamant denials of the incident.

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In the deposition, Mr Trump repeated a comment he has made since Ms Carroll first came forward in 2019, saying: "I say it with as much respect as I can, but she is not my type."

"Physically, she's not my type, and now that I've gotten indirectly to hear things about her, she wouldn't be my type in any way, shape, or form," he adds.

He goes on to tell Ms Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan: "You would not be my choice either, I hope you're not insulted."

During their combative exchanges, he calls Ms Kaplan a "political operative" and a "disgrace".

Lawyers for Mr Trump have said he will not testify in person, but the former president told reporters he might cut short a trip to Ireland and the UK to "confront" Ms Carroll in court.

In light of the comments, the judge granted Mr Trump until Sunday afternoon to decide if he will take the stand.
Drone attack hits oil refinery in Russia's Rostov region

Xinhua) 09:30, May 05, 2023

MOSCOW, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out at an oil refinery in southern Russia's Rostov region after a drone crashed into the plant, the region's governor said Thursday.

The fire broke out on Thursday morning at the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery after an unmanned aerial vehicle crashed into a facility at the plant that was under construction and exploded, Governor Vasily Golubev said in a Telegram post.

"The fire that occurred following the explosion was immediately extinguished," the governor said.

No casualties were reported following the incident, and the fire caused minor damage to the plant.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Friday it was ending its declaration of COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), more than three years after it was first declared.

For more than a year, the pandemic has been on a downward trend, with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection, mortality decreasing and the pressure on health systems easing. This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press briefing Friday.

Yesterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice, he said. It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency.

Didier Houssin, chair of the WHOs International Health Regulations Committee for COVID-19, cited three reasons for the organizations decision to end the global public health emergency.

Houssin said the criteria to warrant a transition from an emergency phase had been met.

The situation has markedly improved with less mortality and an increased immunity against the virus immunity  which is vaccine induced or naturally induced  and the better access to diagnostics, vaccines and treatment, Houssin said.

Houssin also said the PHEIC declaration had served its purpose in helping to combat the COVID-19 pandemic, but it should not be overused and that it was not designed for situations involving subacute or chronic situation, such as the endemic phase of the coronavirus outbreak.

Lastly, Houssin said the emergency committee believes the WHO can effectively provide messaging on the transition away from the emergency while still advising member states and the public to not lower their guard regarding the virus.

After more than three years, now is the time to confront COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused so much suffering, with new tools and new ambitions, one of them being also to prepare for future pandemics, Houssin said.

Updated at 10:57 a.m.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A former production assistant has filed a civil lawsuit against drag performer Shangela, accusing the RuPauls Drag Race alum of raping him in a Louisiana hotel room following a wrap party for the stars HBO reality series Were Here.

Daniel McGarrigle, 39, filed a civil suit in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday alleging Darius Jeremy DJ Pierce, who performs as Shangela, raped him in the entertainers hotel room on Feb. 25, 2020.

First reported by the L.A. Times, McGarrigle is also alleging sexual harassment, false imprisonment, and violation of the Ralph Act, which bans threats of violence against a person based on their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, or religion.

Pierce adamantly denied all charges in a statement to the media, saying the accusations had been fully investigated and found baseless by investigators.

According to court documents viewed by People, McGarrigle alleges Pierce raped him at a party for cast and crew at the conclusion of the first season of Were Here, which stars Shangela, Bob the Drag Queen, and Eureka OHara. McGarrigle claims Pierce plied him with alcohol and was heavily flirtatious with him. McGarrigle claims Pierce later asked him to accompany him to his room to help pack for a flight the following morning. McGarrigle claims he felt sick from the alcohol, and Piece let him lay on his bed fully clothed. He says he later awoke to find Pierce had poured poppers onto him and was attempting to penetrate him. He says he screamed no but was unable to stop the assault.

I tried to fight him off, but I was weak and he was stronger than me, and he held me down, McGarrigle told the L.A. Times. Several people who worked with McGarrigle told the paper that McGarrigle had told them about the alleged rape previously.

McGarrigle says in the suit that he also informed the shows co-creators, Steven Warren and Johnnie Ingram, in September 2021. In November of 2022, he filed a report with police in Ruston, Louisiana, where the assault is alleged to have occurred. McGarrigle says in the lawsuit he did not come forward sooner as he feared the loss of his job as Pierces assistant. He continued working for Pierce until July of 2021 when he says he quit following repeated instances of verbal abuse.

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In a statement released to the LA Times, Pierce denied all of McGarrigles allegations, saying they had been found baseless by an external investigation.

I cant begin to explain how hurt and disgusted I am by these totally untrue allegations, Pierce said in the statement. They are personally offensive and perpetuate damaging stereotypes that are harmful not only to me but also to my entire community. An external investigation into this embittered individuals claims previously concluded that they were completely without merit. This newest filing is nothing but an attempt to shake down both me and a well-regarded television company. No one should be fooled: It has no basis in fact or in law, and it will not succeed. As a hardworking and outspoken drag entertainer for more than a decade, I know that I am far from alone in battling ignorance, bigotry and prejudice, all of which played a role in the filing of this complaint. That is why I will fight this entirely meritless lawsuit and not allow it to destroy me and those I love, or harm the causes we all stand for.

Buckingham Television, which produces Were Here and was also named in the suit, echoed Pierces denials and claimed the allegations were found to be without merit.

Buckingham Television, the production company for Were Here, received a complaint late summer 2021 regarding an incident that was alleged to have occurred in early 2020. Buckingham and HBO take the safety and well-being of personnel on our shows very seriously, and Buckingham immediately launched an investigation. The investigation concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support these allegations.

Shangela still stars in Were Here. The three drag performers document their visits to small towns across the U.S. where they introduce the locals to the drag experience.

"To be a part of a show like We're Here and give an opportunity to tell the stories of these people around our country, it feels right. It feels right and it feels purposeful. I say that this season is going to be the best season of We're Here so far," Shangela told The Advocate last year.
They attended Florida public schools and grew up undocumented in different pockets of the state after being brought to the country by their parents as children.

For nine weeks in a row, dozens of these young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers, traveled to Tallahassee to meet with Florida lawmakers. Every week, they traveled hours by car, from cities like Miami and Orlando, to urge legislators to protect a 2014 law that has allowed them to pay in-state tuition at state colleges and universities.

Their goal was to share their stories with lawmakers  mostly Republicans  to convince them to counter an effort led by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who earlier this year sought to repeal the law, saying the state should not subsidize the education of non-U.S. citizens.

When I spoke to legislators, I explained how us Dreamers are really just trying to better ourselves, contribute to the communities we grew up in and achieve our American dream, said Murilo Alves, 25, who came to the United States from Brazil when he was 3.

The effort worked  at least for now.

READ MORE: Florida Legislature goes big for DeSantis  with record spending  and then goes home

Florida lawmakers concluded the 60-day legislative session on Friday without repealing the in-state tuition law. House Speaker Paul Renner and Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said the decision to protect the in-state tuition waiver, while also pursuing other immigration initiatives backed by DeSantis, was a balanced and fair approach to dealing with the issue of illegal immigration.

I am comfortable with where we landed, Renner said. I think it is a fair place to land, it is tough on immigration and also fair to the students.

Dreamers lead effort to protect in-state tuition law

Several Dreamers who came to Tallahassee and Republican lawmakers who backed their efforts are hopeful that the results of this session will have long-term impact.

DeSantis, who has more than three years remaining in his second term, has embraced hard-line immigration policies and is using his legislative agenda as a political springboard into the race for the GOP presidential nomination. He is expected to announce a run for president in the coming days.

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Although we stopped it this year, I feel like I have to continue to fight the battle to make sure it doesnt happen next year and the years that follow, state Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Miami Republican, told the Herald/Times Friday.

Among Republican lawmakers, there was a mix of vocal and quiet opposition to repealing the in-state tuition waiver, Lopez said. The Miami-Dade delegation was key in fighting it, she added.

The law is part of the legacy of DeSantis own lieutenant governor, Jeanette Nunez, who championed the policy in 2014 when she served in the Florida House. That dynamic added another reason for some Republicans to oppose the repeal effort.

But Lopez said the Dreamers were instrumental in defeating the proposal.

You could talk with them about their lives and how hopeful they were with seeking a higher education and what their dreams were for themselves and their families. Once you humanize an issue it is hard to not see it through their perspective, Lopez said.

Fighting until the end of session

On the last day of the legislative session, four Dreamers were still roaming the hallways of the Capitol. Mostly, they were hand-delivering tokens of appreciation to the lawmakers who helped their cause.

Britney Ortiz, a 20-year-old Orlando student who is poised to graduate from Valencia State College on Sunday, said she traveled to Tallahassee every single week during the legislative session. She met with dozens of lawmakers. She came to the United States at the age of 3.

I learned about the power that our voices hold, Ortiz said. Since we cant vote, sometimes it is hard to get our voices heard. But we cant be hiding, we have to speak up.

Aquiles Barreto, a 21-year-old studying communications at Florida International University, said it was so important for him to come to Tallahassee that one week he took an online midterm exam for one of his college courses on the drive back to Miami.

Barreto, who came to the country from Venezuela at the age of 11, said he decided to study broadcast journalism because he values the freedom of the press, more so after seeing those rights restricted in Venezuela.

Bela Morcas, a 21-year-old who came to the United States from Colombia at the age of 13, is a year away from graduating as a psychology major from FIU. When she learned about the in-state tuition law as a high school senior, she said it was the biggest blessing.

While she was lobbying lawmakers, she worried that she would have to stop studying for a while if in-state tuition was repealed.

Morcas is not sure that their effort will be effective long-term, but she said she is proud that she and dozens of other Dreamers were able to put nuestro granito de arena  our grain of sand  meaning we made our contribution.

Maria Tinoco, a 24-year-old Dreamer who last week graduated as a mechanical engineer from FIU, said the fight is not over.

Although we were successful, she said, there is still a lot of work to be done.
White House officials announced Friday morning that Stefanie Feldman, who has ties to the Triangle, is now assistant to President Joe Biden and staff secretary.

Feldman, who has worked with Biden for more than a decade, is a Duke University graduate and her parents live in the Triangle.

The White House considers the staff secretary position the nerve center of the White House. Feldman will oversee Bidens decision-making process and manage information flow.

If someone wants memos, briefs, intelligence reports, a list of potential nominees, speeches or correspondence in front of Biden, they will have to go through Feldman, who will decide if, when and how the president receives those items.

She will also travel with the president.

Feldman replaces Neera Tanden, who is taking over for Susan Rice as Bidens senior domestic policy advisor, The White House confirmed to McClatchy Friday morning. Rice announced last week that she would leave her position on May 26.

Feldman currently serves as deputy assistant to the president and senior advisor to the White House domestic policy advisor.

She has spent her career working for Biden, beginning with an internship in his domestic and economic policy office when Biden served as vice president.

Feldman previously served as national policy director for Bidens presidential campaign, the inaugural policy director for the Biden Institute at the University of Delawares Joseph R. Biden School of Public Policy & Administration and in various policy roles in his office during his vice presidency.

She holds a bachelor of arts degree from Duke University and a juris doctor degree from Yale Law School.
Eboni K. Williams speaks on stage at the 2023 Pan African Film & Arts Festival for the

Eboni K. Williams speaks on stage at the 2023 Pan African Film & Arts Festival for the "Bet On Black" discussion and book signing with Devyn Bakewell at Malik Books on Feb. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles, California. The attorney recently found herself in hot water for her response to a question during an interview with Iyanla Vanzant.

Lets get this right out of the way: I dont have a problem with Eboni K. Williams not wanting to date a bus driver.

The Real Housewives of New York stars insistence that shed only date a bus driver if he owns the vehicle during her one-on-oneinterview with Iyanla Vanzant caught a lot of undeserved flack on social media  unsurprising considering her response is the equivalent of throwing a Molotov cocktail on Black Twitter.

Understandably, a woman in her tax bracket has established a lifestyle that shed want her partner to compliment, not hamstring: Someone with, say, a mid-five-figure income might not be able to keep up with the lifestyle of someone with a mid-six-figure income, leaving the latter to pull the weight and likely fomenting animosity in the process. In a patriarchy that still demands that men outearn their women partners, this is especially an issue if the man is the lower earner.

Also, successful Black women of the zeitgeist are often expected to lower their partnership expectations for Black men, who are often intimidated by them yet are expected to take the lead in relationships with them. This could also lead to animosity on both sides... because, again, the patriarchy.

The backlash Williams, an attorney, received for expressing her personal dating proclivities is another of countless examples of men channeling their insecurities into ad hominem attacks on the internet. So she was justified in using her platform to respond to it.

I do, however, have a problem with how she chose to do so.

Williams released a video Tuesday, essentially doubling down on her position. In doing so, Williams suggested that owning a bus reflects more aspiration than someone whod simply drive someone elses bus. In addition, she drew a direct line between a bus driver and a person who made Cs and Ds in school.

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Could it be that Black America has been sold a narrative of average, regular, and typical being good enough for us? Williams said in Tuesdays video. Hmm, well, see, thats called white supremacy. In this case, it takes the form of conditioning Black Americans to happily accept being a permanent American underclass.

Above all else, theres a sad irony in Williams using white supremacy as the reason Black people happily accept the mediocrity of working-class careers, considering that mindset serves as the linchpin of white supremacy. Its the quotidian message of Williams former colleagues at Fox News: If only Black folks got off their collective asses, they could have everything their hearts desire. Its the Bill Cosby pound cake argument all over again.

Iyanla Vanzant asks a sister, would she date a bus driver pic.twitter.com/R9aIoPzzgs  Be cool64 (@DEJACKS43492044) April 29, 2023

Williams rightly acknowledges that Black people are capable of great things despite systemic racism, and shes made it a point to drive that home in her response to the controversy her initial statement created. But if she simply said, Hey, I want to see Black people create more power through ownership and partnering with a bus driver is just not for me, I wouldnt be writing this.

In her reduction of the working class, she fails to acknowledge that, even when Black people are thriving, we arent really aheadof our white counterparts.

The wealth gap between Blacks and whites remains persistent. The policies that stoke multigenerational poverty keeping us in food deserts and impacting our physical, mental and emotional health, are institutional. The gun homicide rates in Black communities are higher than in white neighborhoods of the same socioeconomic status. The anecdotal successes of upwardly mobile Black Americans do not negate the systemic realities we endure daily.

This is not an acceptance of being the permanent American underclass. Its us working harder to keep up in a 5,000-meter run with bad knees and a bullet in the hip.

The roots of Williams and Vanzants original discussion are based on the fact that Black women are lapping Black men in formal education and, by proxy, earning power. But, this wasnt the case with our parents and grandparents generation, so now both sides are working to reconcile this newer reality often poorly and on social media.

My Black parents were raised poor and managed to earn a Master of Science in Nursing, an MBA and a Juris Doctor between the two of them. They raised me middle class in Detroit, stressed the importance of education, and positioned me so that attending college was an inevitability.

As a former educator of Black youth who realizes that most Black Americans werent raised with my opportunities and influences, Ive seen firsthand that the issue is far more complex than Black men sitting at home, PlayStation controller in one hand, lit joint in the other, completely apathetic about having a better life.

Theres also irony in Williams employing white supremacy in her argument while demonstrating unabashed elitism: Intentions aside, she essentially suggests that bus drivers and other service workers who are the gears of our society are losers. Ill bet folding money that if Williams toilet starts backing up, her luxury whip is rendered immobile in the middle of nowhere, or if she just doesnt feel like cooking on a given weeknight, her first phone call will be to mediocrity.

Even if you aspire to something different for yourself, your child or your partner, service workers should receive more grace and understanding than most because they encounter people like Williams daily who look down on them and treat them accordingly.

(Also, has anyone stopped to acknowledge that maybe, just maybe, the bus driver enjoys their job? In a world full of suicidal bankers and Am Law 100 attorneys, theres nothing mediocre about doing what you love and making a living that satisfies you.)

This seemingly interminable internecine battle between Black men and women regarding expectations in dating and partnerships was tired decades ago and is often framed around unreasonable expectations. (Eg. Women are expected to stay fit, but men can proudly rock the bird chest/dad gut combo; women can insist on a high-earning husband, but its sexist to insist that a wife keep house.)

These conversations are rarely had in good faith. Instead, they are often defined by bitterness, finger-pointing, absence of compassion and failure to recognize that Black folks of both sexes are still combating a system that begets the problems we have with each other. White supremacy is the first enemy... not each other.

Williams shouldnt be condemned for defending herself from internet trolls. But I dont know how any self-respecting Black person could consider a working-class profession that was used to raise Black families mediocre. Coming from someone who espouses a pro-Black platform, it was the anti-Blackest thing Ive heard from a Black person in some time.

Related...
Lawyers for failed Republican Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake on Thursday were fined $2,000 by the state Supreme Court for making unequivocally false allegations about Novembers election.

Lakes lawyers will have 10 days to comply, according to The Associated Press.

Sometimes campaigns and their attendant hyperbole spill over into legal challenges. But once a contest enters the judicial arena, rules of attorney ethics apply, Chief Justice Robert Brutinel said.

The ruling came in response to a request by Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) to sanction Lake and her lawyers for falsely saying that over 35,000 ballots were sent to a third-party processing facility to be included in the final tally for Maricopa County, the states most populous county.

Hobbs defeated Lake, who has yet to acknowledge her 2022 loss, by over 17,000 votes.

Brutinel did not grant Hobbs and Fontes request for Lake to pay their attorney fees. The judge added that Lakes lawsuit challenging the verification of signatures in Maricopa Countys early voting is still moving forward.

We respectfully disagree with the Courts holding but look forward to presenting our case at trial on the claim of illegal signatures and any other claim the trial court may consider, Kurt Olsen, a lawyer for Lake, told NBC News.

The state Supreme Court in March struck down the majority of Lakes lawsuit challenging her election loss, but overturned a lower courts decision dismissing the Trump-supporting extremists challenge over early voting signature procedures. That case will be decided by a trial court.

Lake, and other GOP candidates in Arizona races in November, also claimed election printer problems. A report by a retired Arizona Supreme Court justice found the issues arose from paper changes and didnt affect election outcomes.

Lake, who still claims Trump won the 2020 presidential election, is in Budapest this week for the Conservative Political Action Conference.

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It was an honor to have @KariLake join our American delegation at #CPACHungary



She always tells it like it is. pic.twitter.com/H0rzBaAKYn  CPAC (@CPAC) May 5, 2023

Related...
With electric cars becoming more common, should you get one too?

Electric vehicles (EVs) have been around for a while now, but only in recent years have they become more mainstream. With the rise of climate change concerns and the need for sustainable transportation, more people are considering switching to electric.

But with different alternatives out there, it can be overwhelming to know where to start. Are EVs truly worth the investment? What are the climate benefits, and how do they compare to gas-powered cars? How do we navigate the political landscape surrounding EVs? And what should we consider when purchasing an EV? Well take a deep dive into the world of EVs and answer these questions and more.

Electric vehicle options

There are a few different types of electric cars to consider. The most common ones are Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs), Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs). Each type has pros and cons, and its important to understand these differences before deciding.

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs)

BEVs are fully electric vehicles that rely entirely on a battery for power. These vehicles have no internal combustion engine and are powered solely by an electric motor. BEVs have become increasingly popular recently as battery technology has improved and charging infrastructure has expanded.

Pros

They are environmentally friendly. Battery electric vehicles do not have an exhaust and therefore reduce harmful tailpipe emissions.

They have a low operating cost. The cost of electricity is typically lower than that of gasoline, meaning BEV owners can save a significant amount of money on fuel.

Cons

They have a limited range. While newer models can travel 300 miles on a single charge, this range can be reduced in colder weather or when using features such as air conditioning or heating.

Charging infrastructure is still limited in some areas, meaning long-distance travel can be challenging.

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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)

PHEVs combine an electric motor with an internal combustion engine. These vehicles have a smaller battery than BEVs and can operate on gasoline when the battery runs out of charge. PHEVs are an attractive option for people who want the benefits of electric power but need the flexibility of a gasoline-powered car.

Pros

They are flexible. These cars usually use electric power for short trips and then switch to gasoline for longer distances. This means PHEV owners can take longer trips without worrying about charging infrastructure.

PHEVs typically are less expensive than BEVs, making them a good option for budget-conscious buyers.

Cons

They have a limited electric range. Most PHEVs can only travel around 20-35 miles on a single charge before switching to gasoline power. This range can be limiting for people who frequently travel long distances and want to limit their emissions.

PHEVs can be less efficient than BEVs, meaning that their operating costs may be higher.

Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs)

FCEVs use hydrogen fuel cells to power an electric motor. These vehicles are less common than BEVs and PHEVs but offer some unique benefits.

Pros

One of the biggest advantages of FCEVs is their long range. These vehicles can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, making them a good option for long-distance travel.

FCEVs produce zero emissions, so they are an attractive option for people concerned about the environment.

Cons

They have limited availability and currently have limited infrastructure for refueling.

FCEVs can be more expensive than BEVs or PHEVs, making them less accessible for budget-conscious buyers.

An electric vehicle is attached to a charging hose during a 2021 display at Washingtons Union Station before a news conference on White House efforts to increase spending to support EV production and usage. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Political and environmental aspects of electric vehicles

The electric vehicle industry is not just driven by consumer demand. Political and environmental factors play a significant role in the growth of the industry. Governments worldwide have been implementing policies and incentives to encourage the adoption of electric vehicles to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.

In the United States, for example, the federal government offers tax credits of up to $7,500 to purchase new electric cars. Some states offer additional incentives, such as rebates or free parking for electric vehicles. These policies have helped to make electric vehicles more accessible for consumers and have contributed to the industrys growth.

The environmental benefits of electric cars are also significant. In the U.S., transportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, and electric cars can help to reduce these emissions.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the emissions from an electric vehicle are significantly lower than those from a gasoline-powered vehicle. Additionally, electric vehicles produce no tailpipe emissions, meaning they can help improve air quality in urban areas.

Vice President Kamala Harris (right) talks with Mahl Reddy, CEO of Sema Connect, an electric vehicle infrastructure company. They were next to a charging station in Marylands Prince Georges County Brandywine Maintenance Facility in December 2021. While charging infrastructure has expanded, it is still limited in some areas. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Things to consider when buying an electric vehicle

If youre considering buying an electric car, there are several factors that you should consider. These include range, charging infrastructure, battery life and cost.

Range: The range of an electric vehicle is one of the most important factors to think about. If you frequently travel long distances, youll want a vehicle with a longer range. However, a shorter range may be sufficient if you primarily use your vehicle for brief trips around town.

Charging Infrastructure: While charging infrastructure is expanding, it can be limited in some areas. Before purchasing an electric car, consider the availability of charging stations in your area and along your typical travel routes.

Battery Life: Over time, the capacity of the battery will degrade, meaning the range of the vehicle will be reduced. Consider the warranty on the battery and the expected lifespan before buying.

Cost: The cost of an electric car is of course an important factor. While electric cars can be more expensive than gasoline-powered vehicles to purchase, the operating costs are typically lower. When comparing the cost of electric vehicles, consider the total cost of ownership over the vehicles lifespan, including fuel costs, maintenance and repairs.

Conclusion

Electric vehicles are an exciting and rapidly growing segment of the automotive world, offering an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles. Whether youre a first-time EV buyer or just curious about the technology, its important to know the different types of electric vehicles available and the pros and cons to consider. Understanding these factors will let you make an informed decision about whether an electric vehicle is right for you.

The post Electric vehicles: Is it time to make the switch? appeared first on TheGrio.
Vinod Khosla and Elon Musk. Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch; Theo Wargo/WireImage

Elon Musk has purchased 10,000 GPUs to build an AI model at Twitter, Insider reported.

That came just after he signed an open letter calling for a six-month pause on powerful AI development.

A VC founder said he suspects Musk just wants to catch up with the competition, per Bloomberg.

Elon Musk's calls to slow down AI development could just be a ploy to help him catch up, the tech entrepreneur venture capitalist Vinod Khosla told Bloomberg.

The Twitter CEO was one of over 1,000 people to sign an open letter in March, which warned that AI companies were "locked in an out-of-control race" and called for a six-month pause on more powerful developments.

Earlier this week, Musk supported the "Godfather of AI" Geoffrey Hinton, who quit Google and told The New York Times about his regrets around creating a technology that could threaten humanity.

But Khosla suspects that Musk is only speaking out to give himself an edge in the race.

"Elon is behind," he told Bloomberg. "I 80% suspect his call to slow down AI development was so he could catch up."

Last month, Insider's Kali Hays reported that Musk had bought roughly 10,000 graphics processing units, or GPUs, for Twitter. Tech companies often use GPUs to work on large AI models.

In 2015, Musk cofounded OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT which is largely considered to be leading the new boom in AI technology. But Musk quit in 2018 after his cofounders, including Sam Altman, rejected his offer to take over the business, Semafor reported.

Musk reportedly feared OpenAI was falling behind Google in the race towards new developments, and believed he had a greater chance of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) at Tesla.

And when an OpenAI intern questioned this decision, Musk called him a "jackass"  and the junior staffer later got a trophy to commemorate the dispute, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Even before Mus took over Twitter, he has been warning about the threat of AI, however.

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At a 2016 conference, he said humans could become "house cats" for AI  and suggested we need an implant like Neuralink to combat it.

Insider contacted Twitter for comment. The company responded with an automated message that didn't address the inquiry.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Enbridge workers weld pipe just west of Morden, Man., Thursday, Aug. 16, 2018. Enbridge Inc. says it expects its earnings per share to grow at a compounded annual rate of four to six per cent through 2025.THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

A top Enbridge (ENB.TO)(ENB) executive says the flow of oil through the company's massive North American pipeline network will barely take a hit from the start of the federal government-owned rival Trans Mountain pipeline expansion (TMX) project, due in part to its new deal with shippers.

Colin Gruending, Enbridge's executive vice-president and president of liquids pipelines, told analysts on Friday that his conviction on these points has strengthened since the company's Investor Day in March.

"Since then, let's reflect on what all happened here. TMX announced another delay," he said on Calgary-based Enbridge's first-quarter earnings call. "We understand the TMX is likely to have higher tolls with cost increases. We've seen the Keystone incident, and subsequent pressure restrictions invoked by firms. It's questionable if or when those will come off."

Gruending adds that Mexico is looking to refine more of its oil domestically, a bullish factor for bids on Canadian crude by U.S. Gulf Coast refineries. At the same time, he sees deteriorating economics for moving Canadian oil south by rail.

Enbridge's toll agreement with oil shippers for its Mainline crude pipeline system announced Thursday aims to adds a new risk buffer for the company. It "provides downside protection in the event of supply or demand disruptions or unforeseen cost exposure, a feature that did not exist in the previous Competitive Tolling Settlement," the company said. Once finalized and approved by Canada Energy Regulator (CER), the new deal will be in place through 2028.

"We've got a couple layers of defence here," Gruending added on Friday. "Will we need them? Maybe not. But it is Enbridge's preference to have them."

The Canadian pipeline giant has been trying to reach a deal with oil shippers on a new tolling agreement since November 2021, when the CER rejected its proposal to lock oil producers into long-term contracts.

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Enbridge's Mainline network is Canada's largest oil pipeline system, providing about 70 per cent of the total oil pipeline transportation capacity out of Western Canada.

After years of running full, Gruending predicts Mainline will maintain a 95 per cent utilization rate once the much-delayed TMX project comes online. Trans Mountain Corporation's latest estimate is for the project to enter service in early 2024.

"Going forward, our incentive to maximize barrels on the system, combined with our new more competitive toll and our unparalleled market access, increases the attractiveness of our pipeline compared to others and ensures the Mainline will be well utilized by our customers for decades to come," Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel said on Friday's call.

Jeff Lagerquist is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow him on Twitter @jefflagerquist.

Download the Yahoo Finance app, available for Apple and Android.
Oleksii Khabatiuk

Oleksii Khabatiuk, a Ukrainian energy expert and sergeant in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was killed on 4 May.

This was announced on Facebook by Andrii Kobolev, former chairman of the board of state-owned oil and gas company Naftogaz.

"I was first told yesterday that Oleksii Khabatiuk had been killed. I didn't want to believe it and I didn't tell anyone else... Today I began to receive confirmation from mutual acquaintances," Kobolev wrote.

Oleksii Khabatiuk

Photo from Yaroslav Demchenko's FACEBOOK

Khabatiuk's daughter Yulia later wrote that, according to the latest information, Oleksii Khabatiuk was killed by a fragment from a mine during a mission in Bakhmut.

"The burial will take place in Kyiv. His body has not yet been recovered [from the front - ed.], so we will provide the details later, when we know ourselves," she wrote.

Khabatiuk announced on Monday, 1 May that he was returning to Donetsk Oblast and posted a photo.

Oleksii Khabatiuk worked in the field of renewable energy at the State Environmental Investment Agency and headed the Environmental (Green) Investments Fund. In 2016-2021, he worked in the energy efficiency department of Naftogaz.

He became a sergeant of the Armed Forces in May 2022.

Khabatiuk wrote columns and articles for Economichna Pravda, and EP journalists often asked him for comments.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
(Reuters) - Engineers have reduced the risk of a dam bursting and damaging a large Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station in Ukraine, a senior Russian official was quoted as saying by TASS news agency on Friday.

Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of energy engineering firm Rosenergoatom, said specialists had begun discharging water from the Kakhovka hydroelectric dam on the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine, according to TASS.

"As we anticipated, a technical solution to the problem has been found," Karchaa told TASS, quoting regional officials in Kherson region, where the dam is located.

"A gate of the Kakhovka hydropower plant has been opened and repair works have begun at the Kakhovka canal. Pumps and pipes are being repaired. Water is being discharged. The risks of flooding have reduced considerably."

The risk would be eliminated once water levels returned to normal, Karchaa said.

He had earlier told TASS that a possible breach of the dam owing to high water levels could flood the cable line for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant further east and cause nuclear safety risks. Nearby towns could also be affected.

Russian troops seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear station, as they invaded parts of Ukraine last year. It is the focus of a nuclear security crisis due to frequent nearby shelling, which Kyiv and Moscow blame on each other.

Last November, after Russian forces withdrew from the nearby southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, satellite imagery showed significant new damage to the dam.

Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of planning to breach the dam using explosives, which would flood much of the area downstream and likely cause destruction around Kherson.

Karchaa's comments contrasted with warnings made in March by Ukrainian officials, who feared the Zaporizhzhia plant could run short of water to cool reactors by summer as Russian forces had let water out of a reservoir that supplied the station.

(Reporting by Ron Popeski; editing by Grant McCool)
An Alabama inmate who escaped from jail with the help of a sheriffs official and led police on an 11-day manhunt that ended with the officials death took a plea deal Thursday, the district attorney said.

Casey White pleaded guilty to escape but not a murder count in connection with the death of the sheriffs official who helped him, Vicky White.

We consulted with Vicky Whites family prior to entering into this agreement. They approved the settlement and are relieved to get the case resolved without a lengthy jury trial followed by years of appeals, Lauderdale County District Attorney Chris Connolly said.

First-degree escape was the lesser of the two counts Casey White faced. He agreed to a life sentence, which will be imposed on June 8, Connolly said.

Whites already serving a 75-year sentence and faces trial in another murder.

Things happened really fast today, unexpectedly, Casey Whites attorney, Robert Tuten, told reporters after the hearing, according to video from NBC affiliate WAFF of Huntsville.

The escape on April 29, 2022, sparked a nationwide manhunt and intense media coverage.

Vicky White, then the assistant director of corrections at the Lauderdale County Jail in Florence, helped White escape, telling others she was taking him to a mental health evaluation, officials have said.

Authorities have said Vicky White was in a two-year relationship with White, and the sheriff called her the mastermind of the escape at the time. Vicky and Casey White arent related.

Police caught up with the pair in Indiana on May 9, 2022. Vicky White died at the end of a police chase in which the vehicle she and the escapee were in crashed. The coroner said she shot herself and died by suicide.

Casey White was charged with murder in July on the allegation that he caused her death while committing first-degree escape.

He was already serving a sentence handed down in 2019 for unrelated attempted murder, burglary, kidnapping and robbery convictions when he escaped.

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Casey White also faces a capital murder charge in the 2015 killing of Connie Ridgeway, who was fatally stabbed in her home.

White was awaiting trial in the Ridgeway case when he escaped from the Lauderdale County Jail with Vicky Whites help.

He has also been charged federally in Indiana in connection with the escape. After the chase, police said they found several firearms.

In July he was charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm and a fugitive in possession of a firearm, the U.S. attorneys office for Southern Indiana said at the time.

That case is pending, according to online court records. The charges stem from Whites allegedly being in possession of five guns, including an AR-15 rifle, as a convicted felon while he was on the run last year.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Prince Alemayehu Jabez Hughes/Victoria and Albert Museum

Following the Battle of Magdala, orphaned Prince Alemayehu was taken by British soldiers to Britian.

Taken under the wing of British nobility, Alemayehu was entirely severed from his life in Ethiopia.

He is buried at Windsor Castle, but Ethiopian advocates are calling for a proper repatriation of his remains.

In 1861, Prince Alemayehu was born in Magdala as the only legitimate son to Tewodros II, Emperor of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).

Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In 1868, around 13,000 British and Indian troops and additional auxiliary workers arrived in Magdala to rescue British hostages who had been held captive by Emperor Tewodros II.

Illustration of the Battle of Abyssinia, 1868 Photos.com/Getty Images

The Emperor had held the hostages after asking the British government for a military alliance, hoping to have support against internal rebellions he faced in Ethiopia and from neighboring rivals. The British never answered his request.

Source: The Guardian, National Army Museum

The battle concluded with the release of the captive British missionaries and the death of the Emperor, who took his own life to evade surrender or imprisonment.

Portrait of Tewodros II, Emperor of Ethiopia from 1855 until his death in 1868 mikroman6/Getty Images

It is thought that 700 Abyssinians died and 1,000 more were left injured.

With a war victory on their side, thousands of British auxiliary workers committed the largest looting of artifacts in Ethiopia's history.

Source: The Guardian

In the midst of the looting, British soldiers also took Prince Alemayehu, who was 7-years-old at the time.

Captain Speedy and Prince Alemayehu Jabez Hughes / Royal Collection Trust

Tristram Speedy, a British officer in the Battle of Magdala, took the prince and his mother, Empress Tiruwork Wube, to Britain. The prince was orphaned after the empress died on the voyage to Britain and all other Ethiopians on the ships were sent home.

Source: The Guardian

The prince was taken to Speedy's home in Britain and presented to Queen Victoria, who took a special liking to him. Speedy was given a stipend for Alemayehu's education and served as his guardian.

Captain Speedy and Prince Alemayehu V&A Images/Getty Images

Speedy would often imitate Ethiopian warriors by wearing traditional lion skins in his home of the Isle of Wight.

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Source: The Royal Collection Trust

While studying at elite preparatory schools, Alemayehu was ostracized and condemned as a "royal savage."

Jabez Hughes / Royal Collection Trust

Portraits show him as a frail and stoic figure  written accounts portray him as a deeply unhappy boy, perpetually scarred by the severed ties from his homeland and forced acclimation to Britain.

Source: The Times of London, The Royal Collection Trust

At the age of 18, Prince Alemayehu died from pleurisy.

Prince Alemayehu HUGHES & MULLINS / Royal Collection Trust

Queen Victoria, upon learning of his death, request for him to be buried in Saint George's Chapel at Windsor and expressed her mourning in a diary entry:

"Very grieved & shocked to hear by telegram, that good Alamayou had passed away this morning. It is too sad! All alone, in a strange country, without a single person or relative belonging to him."

Source: The Times of London, The Royal Collection Trust

In recent years, Ethiopians have campaigned for the Prince's rightful burial in his motherland.

HILLS & SAUNDERS / Royal Collection Trust

A 2007 request from then-President of Ethiopia, Girme Wolde-Giorgis, was flatly rejected by Buckingham Palace. The Ethiopian Embassy in London has committed to "redouble efforts to realise the repatriation of the remains of Prince Alemayehu."

Source: The Guardian

Despite the crown's hesitancy, the calls for a proper repatriation of the prince, the looted items of Magdala, and other culturally significant items around the world continue to grow.

Prince Alemayehu Julia Margaret Cameron/Getty Images

Source: The Times of London

Read the original article on Insider
Josep Borell

The diplomat said that there was only one thing that can be called a peace plan, and that was Zelenskyys proposals.

At the same time, Borrell said Chinas Feb, 24, 2023 position paper was not a peace plan, but merely a set of wishes.

The EU official also said he believes that the West must continue supporting Ukraine in the war unleashed by Russia.

Read also: NSDC head calls for 'enough weapons' to defeat Russia, not peace initiatives

Borrell said he is sometimes urged to stop helping Kyiv. However, if this happens, the war in Ukraine will end, but Russia will soon be near the Polish borders, he said.

He added that it is Moscow, and not the West, that should be called upon to cease hostilities.

Zelenskyy presented a 10-point peace formula at the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia in November 2022. Its key points include the restoration of Ukraines territorial integrity, Russias complete withdrawal from the whole of Ukraines territory (including Crimea), the freeing of all prisoners of war, punishment for all war crimes, and security guarantees for the countrys future.

Read also: EU slaps tenth package of sanctions on Russia, Borrell says

Chinas 12-point position paper calls for a political settlement to the conflict and a resumption of peace talks, an end to unilateral sanctions, and stresses Beijings opposition to the use of nuclear weapons.

At the same time, nowhere in the paper does China condemn Russias full-scale invasion of Ukraine, or Russian war crimes. Neither does it call for a withdrawal of all Russian troops from all of Ukraines territory, including Crimea.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union wants international gas suppliers to offer to sell gas on its newly created purchase platform in order to prevent spiraling prices from battering industry again this year, according to Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The EU is in the middle of its first round of joint gas purchases, a plan to make sure that the regions storages are filled, without the kind of extreme price rises seen last summer. A window to capture demand from buyers closed this week and will now be aggregated to match it with buyers offers. There has been skepticism over whether the plan would actually result in gas deals being signed.

All international suppliers of gas should come and bid, Sefcovic said in an interview with Bloomberg TV. We have to be vigilant, the situation is still very fragile, he added, referring to Europes energy security this year.

Goldman Sachs warned this month that Europes gas market crunch could return next winter, with prices potentially more than doubling. It comes of the back of similar warnings by the International Energy Agency that global demand could pick up, especially from China, leaving Europe competing for scarce supplies.

It remains to be seen if major buyers  such as Germanys Uniper SE or Frances Engie SA  will actively use the mechanism and how big the collective buying might be. The EU plans to organize more joint purchases every two months, mandating that buyers pool demand for 15% of their storage-filling obligations. That target equates to roughly 13 billion cubic meters this year, or about 3% of the EUs total demand for the fuel.

Story continues

More than 100 companies are participating on the platform, with 65 wanting to buy gas, according to Sefcovic. The goal is to help push prices lower, he added. They have already fallen significantly in recent months.

Prices are still too high, this is clearly not acceptable for us, he said. Last year was the year of survival. We want to go back to normal.

(Updates with details on gas buyers and prices from penultimate paragraph.)

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Peter Ackerson has departed from his role as general partner at fintech-focused venture firm Fin Capital and started a new firm, Audere Capital.

According to his LinkedIn profile, Ackerson -- who joined Fin Capital in August of 2019 -- stopped working at that firm in January of this year. While his profile shows that he became a general partner of Audere Capital in February 2023, it appears that he only updated his online presence to reflect his new position this week. There is not much public information about Audere other than its listed under the Financial Services category on LinkedIn and its tagline is championing American innovation through early-stage technology investment.

A source with familiarity of internal happenings at Fin Capital alleges there was tension between Ackerson and managing partner and founder Logan Allin around portfolio company alternative financing startup Pipe -- an investment into which Ackerson led and on whose board he sat. The exact circumstances around his departure are unclear.

For a while, Pipe was quite buzzy, catapulting to a $2 billion valuation on the premise that it helped SaaS companies generate non-dilutive cash with a model that provided upfront capital for recurring revenue.

But last November, Pipe announced that its three co-founders were stepping down from their executive roles and that a search for a new, veteran CEO had commenced.

Soon after that announcement, several sources who wished to remain anonymous  including one investor who says he passed on investing in the startup in its early days  told TechCrunch that they heard that Pipe had made roughly $80 million in loans to one or several crypto mining companies. The outfit or outfits have since gone out of business and the $80 million is believed to have been completely written off, said these individuals. Pipe denied the claims and Luke Voiles was named its new CEO in February. Fin Capital (called Fin VC at the time) led Pipe's $60 million financing in June of 2020.

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When asked if the management shakeup and alleged preceding circumstances at Pipe had anything to do with Ackersons departure, Allin told TechCrunch in an emailed statement:

Peter was integral to the early growth of Fin Capital and we greatly appreciate his contributions. Peter departed the firm to pursue other opportunities and remains a close friend and ally of the firm. With respect to Pipe, our team is collaborating closely with Luke Voiles, who is a terrific CEO and has our full support as the team focuses on the next phase of growth for the company.

Ackerson declined to comment on the record.

According to LinkedIn, Maggie Sprenger joined his new firm, Audere Capital, in April. Both she and Ackerson are Kaufmann Fellows, according to their LinkedIn profiles.

Founded in 2018, Fin Capital invests in the B2B fintech sector with a focus on enterprise SaaS across the United States and Europe. According to Crunchbase, it has over $1 billion in assets under management. Fin was an investor in SoFi, and has backed the likes of Figure, Hummingbird and Elevate.

While at Fin Capital, which appears to have been his first VC role, Ackerson served on the boards of companies such as Maxwell, Teampay, Pipe, SamCart and Ternary. He previously served as CFO of SymphonyAI and sat on the board of numerous other companies.

Prior to SymphonyAI, Ackerson worked at McKinsey & Co. in the fast growth tech practice; with Wells Fargo in the global technology equity research group, including working on Facebook, ServiceNow, Marin Software, and Groupon IPOs; and with Merrill Lynch in the technology investment banking group.

Want more fintech news in your inbox? Sign up here.

Got a news tip or inside information about a topic we covered? Wed love to hear from you. You can reach me at maryann@techcrunch.com. Or you can drop us a note at tips@techcrunch.com. Happy to respect anonymity requests.
ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP)  A wealthy attorney who made a name for himself in the nations capital before returning home to Maine to run for governor vowed to seek redemption Thursday after he pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.

Eliot Cutler, who came close to being elected governor in 2010, sat stone-faced at times in court, but his voice cracked with emotion when he addressed the judge. He apologized first to the victimized children and their families.

My behavior helped to support an industry built upon their abuse, and I hope with all my heart that they can find healing and dignity, Cutler said.

The plea agreement, accepted by the judge, calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail for four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.

It marked a remarkable fall for a man who once served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the top energy and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and launched a powerful environmental law firm in Washington, D.C.

His attorney, Walter McKee, said all of Cutlers life achievements will now be nullified in many peoples opinions because of his possession of so many images of children being hurt  a punishment that goes beyond the jail term.

The 76-year-old Cutler, meanwhile, made no excuses for his addiction and said he would devote his remaining years to redemption.

He told the judge that he had opportunities to reach out for help but neglected to do so and was embarrassed, ashamed, and deeply, deeply sorry for his actions. I failed to meet my obligations to myself, to my family, to my friends and to civilized society, he added.

Afterward, Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger acknowledged many people outraged by Cutler's actions will be unhappy with the sentence, but he said the penalty falls in line with similar cases over the past decade.

Theres a lot of commentary from folks in the public that are enraged by the conduct. But unfortunately, we just cant jump to a maximum sentence in these types of situations, Granger told reporters afterward.

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Law enforcement officials said they found thousands of images of children under 12 on Cutler's electronic devices, and his lawyer said Cutler acknowledged downloading hundreds of images at a time of children being sexually assaulted.

After his arrest, Cutler spent some time in a residential treatment center for sex offenders, and his attorney said Cutler never engaged in inappropriate conduct with children. His attorney said the likelihood of recidivism was virtually nil.

But advocates for child sexual abuse victims were having none of any attempt to downplay Cutler's crimes.

Paul Kendrick, a critic of the Roman Catholic Church during clergy abuse scandal, said Cutler's actions supported sexual violence against children. The otherwise healthy lives of victims of child pornography are wrecked forever," he said.

Cutler used his personal wealth to bankroll two campaigns for governor as an independent. He narrowly lost  by less than 2 percentage points  to Republican Paul LePage in 2010 and lost again by a much larger margin in 2014.

In 2021, Cutler sold his oceanfront mansion in Cape Elizabeth for $7.55 million to a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush. After his arrest, he sold another home that he owned in Portland, Maines largest city.

Cutler was freed after his arrest last year at his waterfront home in Brooklin, a coastal community 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Portland.

The terms of probation prevent Cutler from possessing sexually explicit materials, require his online activities to be monitored and limit his ability to be around children. He also must register as a sexual offender for life.

Judge Robert Murray said he is hopeful that something good could still come from the shame that has accompanied Cutlers fall from grace.

The good which comes from this shame depends entirely upon you and how you respond. Youve alluded to that in your remarks. I cant measure your sincerity in that regard. That will only be proven with the passage of time, Murray said.

___

Follow David Sharp on Twitter @David_Sharp_AP
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP)  Former North Carolina U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor after his loaded gun was found last year in his carry-on luggage at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Mecklenburg County District Court Judge Cecilia Oseguera ordered a $250 fine but allowed Cawthorn to keep the 9 mm handgun that Transportation Security Administration agents seized at a checkpoint in April 2022, news outlets reported.

Prosecutors had wanted Cawthorn to have to relinquish the gun, but Oseguera said she saw nothing in the charge of possession of a dangerous weapon on city property that required him to give it up.

Im very happy and thankful that the judge gave a really clear ruling that sides with the law, Cawthorn told reporters after the hearing.

Cawthorn, a Republican who served one term representing the 11th Congressional District in the mountains, previously admitted to having the gun at the airport and wrote on social media there was no excuse for his mistake.

Cawthorn also was found with an unloaded gun in 2021 while trying to get on a plane at Asheville Regional Airport. Airport police confiscated the gun but allowed him to board.

Cawthorn, from Henderson County, won election to Congress in 2020 at age 25 and became one of former President Donald Trumps strongest supporters on Capitol Hill. He lost his 2022 GOP primary to Chuck Edwards, who went on to win the general elections.

Cawthorn told reporters Friday that he thinks hell return to politics one day but has no definite plans.

I enjoy the position Im in now, said Cawthorn, who now has a home in Florida. The world really is the oyster for the young.
Davis police announced the arrest Thursday of a suspect in three stabbings that left two men dead and a woman critically injured in the past week, a 21-year-old former UC Davis student originally from Oakland.

Davis police Chief Darren Pytel said Carlos Dominguez, who was a student at UC Davis until last week, was arrested Thursday afternoon on two homicide counts and one attempted homicide charge.

He is now at the Yolo County Jail and the district attorney will be reviewing reports in the coming days to determine charging decisions, Pytel said, adding that in his mind Dominguez meets the definition of a serial killer.

These horrific crimes have resulted in immeasurable loss to the victims families and friends and to the community, Pytel said.

He added that detectives still are investigating a motive for the attacks.

The suspect was detained Wednesday at about 5 p.m. a block from Sycamore Park after 15 separate callers phoned police to report seeing a man who matched the description of the suspect in two of the attacks: long, dark curly hair and wearing black Adidas pants with a white stripe.

Pytel said one caller followed Dominguez from Sycamore Park until police arrived and stopped him about a block from the park. Dominguez went with police voluntarily, Pytel said, and police later found a large knife in his backpack.

Pytel said police do not know whether Dominguez may have been planning another attack when he was detained.

What I can say is he was out wandering a neighborhood where the second homicide had occurred, Pytel said. He had a large knife and a backpack wearing the same clothes from the third stabbing.

Thats highly unusual and unique. I think everybody will have to draw their own conclusions on that.

The arrest comes after a series of knife attacks that began April 27 in Davis with the stabbing death of 50-year-old David Henry Breaux, who was found dead in the citys Central Park.

Two nights later, on April 29, UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, was stabbed to death at Sycamore Park.

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The family planned a private service for Thursday, the same day that police were announcing the arrest, and a public memorial is scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday at the UC Davis International Center, 463 California Ave., Suite 3140.

The third attack came May 1 just before midnight when an assailant stabbed a homeless woman multiple times through the side of a tent in a camp at Second and L streets.

The attacker was seen by witnesses at the camp and spotted running away toward downtown, but a massive search of the area and a shelter-in-place order for residents turned up no suspects. The woman survived the attack.

That week of attacks terrified residents of the normally peaceful community and students at nearby UC Davis, where security patrols were stepped up and night classes were being held remotely as police sought a suspect. UCD said night classes likely will resume Monday.

UC Davis confirmed Dominguez was a student until April 25 when he was separated for academic reasons. The first stabbing happened two days later.

The university said Dominguez was a major in biological sciences and was in his third year at the school. A listing for Carlos Reales Dominguez in the UC Davis directory shows a sophomore student majoring in biological sciences.

We are partnering with law enforcement to provide access to any and all information as part of the investigation, the university said in a statement. We are providing support to any students who may have interacted with him.

As we learn more and are able to provide updates that do not interfere with the ongoing investigation, we will do so.

As a result of the stabbings, some downtown businesses and restaurants began closing early, and a farmers market scheduled for Wednesday night in Central Park was canceled.

Davis police have said they were hoping to use DNA evidence to pinpoint a suspect and were using the resources of the FBI, state Justice Department and the Sacramento County District Attorneys crime lab to analyze evidence from the scenes.

In an update Wednesday afternoon, police said biological evidence has been collected from each of the crime scenes and early returns are being analyzed to determine potential sources; no conclusions regarding source have been made at this time.

Police added Thursday that evidence recovered includes blood evidence, fibers and trace evidence.

Pytel said Thursday that some of the victims had fought back and that Dominguez does have some injuries on his arms and hands.

Pytel also said that police were not aware of any previous criminal history for Dominguez.

He said during questioning that Dominguez was reserved, he spoke for a long time.

Initially, police were hesitant to link all three attacks, saying more investigation was needed.

But Pytel said Thursday that was no longer the case.

At this point, we believe that all three are connected, the chief said.

Pytel said detectives were still evaluating whether Dominguez may have known Najm - the second victim - from classes or interactions on campus, where both were students.

Dominguez was living in a rented home on Hawthorn Lane with roommates, and police and FBI agents were searching the residence Thursday.

The chief said investigators had spoken with the roommates, but declined to address whether they realized that Dominguez matched the description of the suspect they were seeking.

Were still going through the information they provided, Pytel said.
(Heather Vaughan / For The Times)

Anthony Soderberg was wounded, no longer armed and positioned precariously on a steep embankment when Los Angeles Police Lt. Ruben Lopez radioed to the surrounding SWAT team that the mentally ill man they'd just flushed from a nearby home remained a threat and must not be allowed to leave.

SWAT Sgt. Tim Colomey, a crisis negotiator standing next to Lopez in the command center, was stunned  interpreting the remark, as he knew other officers would, as a kill order.

"What the f did you just say?" Colomey asked Lopez, just before the barrage of gunfire erupted.

"It was like pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop," Colomey recalled. Officers outside "just started blasting away."

In a frank and far-ranging legal deposition in March, the former SWAT sergeant offered extensive new details in support of allegations he first made in 2020 that the LAPD's most elite tactical unit  a model for similar units across the country  is deeply corrupt and controlled by a violent inner circle known as the "SWAT Mafia."

The 27-year LAPD veteran, who speaks quickly in a thick Boston accent, provided the deposition under oath as part of a lawsuit against the department and the city, in which he alleges he was transferred out of SWAT as retaliation for whistleblowing about the violence. He is seeking unspecified damages.

The city has denied Colomey's claims in court; Lopez declined to comment on the allegations.

It is the SWAT team's job to confront the most dangerous situations, and its members are specifically trained to end threats to the community. They are equipped and armed accordingly  and, department officials have said, rarely use force.

The Los Angeles Police Department as a whole has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years, including over its multibillion-dollar budget and its use of force. Colomey's allegations and other recent scandals involving SWAT members have intensified the spotlight on the team.

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In his deposition, Colomey explained at length why he views Soderberg's death and two other incidents as examples of a "culture of violence" in the unit. He also alleged "SWAT Mafia" members controlled training and tactics, decided which younger officers got selected to join the team, showed up to incidents drunk and ensured lucrative overtime was given to them and their allies  for years making them some of the city's highest paid employees.

Last year, LAPD Chief Michel Moore ordered an internal review of SWAT operations over the last decade after one officer was caught on video saying "happy hunting" to fellow officers before the team fatally shot a suspect downtown. The review rejected Colomey's claims of a violent internal culture and found the team used deadly force in a small fraction of incidents.

Colomey has identified several lower-ranking officers as being members of the "SWAT Mafia," and several unit supervisors and police commanders as being complicit in the group's hold on power.

He described a period when he oversaw the SWAT training school  and "SWAT Mafia" members allegedly undermined him at every turn to assert their own power over the team  as "absolute hell."

It was "the SWAT Mafia machine trying to run and control who they take into SWAT," Colomey said, and "me trying to keep control of that machine."

This story draws heavily on Colomey's March deposition, a nearly 200-page partial transcript of which Colomey's attorneys allowed The Times to review. Colomey and his legal team otherwise declined to comment. The city had tried to block The Times from seeing the transcript.

It also draws on court filings in Colomey's case and other lawsuits against the city; interviews with current and former SWAT team members; and police and prosecution records from several SWAT incidents in which Colomey alleges that excessive force was used.

The Times also sought comment from those Colomey accuses of wrongdoing, but they either declined to comment, did not respond or could not be reached. City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto's office, which is representing the officers named in Colomey's lawsuit, also declined to comment. A police union official said an attorney for the city had advised the officers to not speak to The Times.

Colomey left SWAT for another LAPD assignment at Los Angeles International Airport in 2019, and the SWAT team he describes in his lawsuit is not the same one that exists today. Some SWAT members whom Colomey accuses of misconduct no longer work in the unit or for the department at all, while others are headed for retirement, department sources said. Top brass also have revised SWAT policies based in part on problems Colomey flagged, to bring the vaunted unit in line.

Still, Colomey's deposition suggests that corruption in the unit is deeply rooted and far from rooted out  perpetuated through excessive force in the field as well as through insubordination, sabotage and cover-ups.

Controlling the unit

The "SWAT Mafia's" power derived mainly from two things, according to Colomey: its influence over the team's two lieutenants  Lopez and Lt. Lee McMillion  and its related ability to control which younger officers made it into the elite unit.

The "SWAT Mafia," he said, is led by older officers with the rank of Police Officer III +1, or "+1s," as well as other "senior operators" with tenure on the team. Although sergeants such as Colomey outrank +1s, he said the +1s in SWAT  who often doubled as its tactical experts  were protected and given vast leeway by the team's two lieutenants.

Lopez, Colomey alleged, "bows down to that group of SWAT operators," allowing them to get away with policy violations and protecting them from scrutiny from other department leaders.

McMillion was incredibly close with the "SWAT Mafia" members and constantly protected them, Colomey alleged in his deposition. McMillion did not respond to requests for comment.

Another former member of the SWAT team, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said McMillion protected the "SWAT Mafia."

On calls in the city, McMillion would ignore sergeants and speak almost exclusively with the +1s on scene, Colomey alleged. He would also "badmouth" younger officers seeking to join SWAT and even defer to the +1s directly when considering appointments to the team, in violation of the LAPD's standard process for promotions.

Worse, Colomey said, were the "SWAT Mafia's" more covert attempts at sabotaging certain SWAT applicants in favor of others, which Colomey said occurred during SWAT schools he oversaw in both 2016 and 2018.

Officers looking to join SWAT must meet certain qualifications, have a relatively clean disciplinary record, and go through the school, where they must show additional physical and tactical proficiency  including in simulated scenarios.

The team's most senior officers, including the +1s, often run those simulations. Part of their job is to evaluate the candidates, flag those who are under-performing or breaking rules and make suggestions as to who should be removed.

Colomey alleged that the +1s in the "SWAT Mafia" would intentionally give an applicant they didn't like misdirection on what to do in simulations, then ding them for acting accordingly and flag them for removal.

They would also flat out lie about the performance of candidates, he alleged in the deposition.

In one example from 2018, Colomey said, two SWAT applicants  one favored by the "SWAT Mafia" and one disfavored  were running through a hostage simulation in a downtown building. The officers, armed with paintball guns, ended up shooting both the suspect and the hostage. Afterward, it was obvious from the paint markings on the wall that they had fired a huge  and inappropriate  number of rounds.

"The hostage and the suspect were all shot up," Colomey said.

When Colomey asked what happened, he said in his deposition, Officer Rick Anzaldo  a current SWAT +1 whom Colomey accuses of being a "SWAT Mafia" leader  told him the officer the "SWAT Mafia" favored had fired only three rounds and the second officer had fired the rest.

Anzaldo could not be reached for comment.

Colomey said he wrote up paperwork to remove the disfavored officer from the school based on Anzaldo's claims. But on his drive home, he said, he started having misgivings; he called the disfavored officer  whom he knew from an LAPD jogging group  and asked him what had happened.

The officer told him that he had fired only two rounds, while the officer favored by the "SWAT Mafia" "was just coming across spraying," Colomey said.

The next day, Colomey accused Anzaldo of lying and demanded Lopez remove Anzaldo from the school, Colomey alleged in his deposition.

"I'm like 'Ruben, this should be a 128,'" Colomey recalled saying to Lopez, referring to an official complaint that can lead to an internal investigation. "He's interfering with another officer's career."

Colomey said Lopez told him he wouldn't remove Anzaldo, who was the most senior +1 in SWAT. Instead, Colomey said, Anzaldo received a warning to correct his behavior.

Incidents in the field

At the request of Police Commission members, department officials presented data to the public Tuesday showing that SWAT officers used force in about 9% of incidents they responded to over the last decade  or 95 out of 1,031 incidents.

Capt. Mario Mota, who gave the presentation, said the team's 70 or so officers are "highly professional and dedicated to what they do."

Colomey's deposition tells a far different story. Worse than the "SWAT Mafia's" actions in training, he said, was its influence in the field.

Colomey pointed to three specific incidents in which he alleged the "SWAT Mafia's" influence led to excessive force being used  and then covered up, ignored by higher-ups, or both.

The first occurred in May 2014, he said, when SWAT officers were called to bring a mentally ill homeless man named Carlos Ocana down from a billboard atop a downtown building.

After coaxing Ocana down the billboard's ladder with a cigarette, Officer Stephen Scallon shot him with a Taser, causing him to fall off the building to his death  missing an airbag that firefighters had inflated below, according to LAPD records.

(Heather Vaughan / For The Times)

Scallon told investigators that he believed Ocana was "probably going to fight with the officers" and that Tasering Ocana would cause him to "just fall onto the roof"  not off it.

An LAPD force review board found Scallon's use of the Taser was reasonable, but then-Chief Charlie Beck overruled the board, finding that a reasonable officer with the advanced SWAT training that Scallon had "would not have discharged the Taser" under such circumstances, according to LAPD records.

Given Beck's ruling, the department issued Scallon an official "reprimand" for breaking department policy, which limits the use of Tasers to those who represent a threat and discourages their use on people at risk of falling from elevated positions. Scallon maintained, including in unsuccessful court challenges to his punishment, that Tasering Ocana was part of the tactical plan that day.

Scallon, now a reserve officer, could not be reached for comment.

Colomey in his deposition identified Scallon as a member of the "SWAT Mafia," and said his decision to Taser Ocana had "outraged" other SWAT members because Ocana "was not threatening the officers in any way."

Colomey alleged that Sgt. Mark Jackson  the supervisor on the day of Ocana's death  during a meeting had blasted Scallon and Officer David Keortge, who was with Scallon on the roof, for lying about the incident by suggesting that Tasering Ocana was part of the tactical plan.

"Mark was like, there was never a plan. Steve acted on his own, rogue, and just Tased this man off the roof," Colomey said in his deposition.

Keortge is no longer with the LAPD. Neither he nor Jackson could be reached for comment.

Colomey said Scallon was transferred to the LAPD's underwater dive unit, "a coveted position such as SWAT that comes with bonus pay."

Pete White, executive director of the Los Angeles Community Action Network, said community members in skid row had told officers that day that Ocana was known to climb buildings and trees when he got nervous. The officers could have de-escalated the situation by waiting for a "SMART team" behavioral health clinician, but instead chose force and Tasered Ocana off the roof for no reason, White said.

"We didn't get SMART, we got SWAT, whose actions led to the loss of his life," White said. "You can probably guess our outrage."

The second incident Colomey raised was the May 2017 killing of Soderberg.

Soderberg had broken into a home in Sunland, then exchanged gunfire with officers before being shot and wounded. After officers shot tear gas into the home, Soderberg was spotted lying in a ball with his hands at his face at the side of the home. Officers then deployed "stinger grenades" that forced him farther from the home and into the ravine, Colomey said.

It was then that Lopez allegedly told the surrounding SWAT officers to not let Soderberg leave, and a number of officers  including three led by Anzaldo  opened fire once more, Colomey said in the deposition.

Even as Soderberg was skidding down the ravine face down and "clearly dead," Anzaldo radioed that he was still moving and ordered his officers keep firing, Colomey said.

"And then his three once again all fire into this guy's back."

After the incident, the Los Angeles Police Commission found a dozen officers had violated rules governing the use of deadly force, and Soderberg's mother received a $1.15-million settlement from the city.

Prosecutors in the Los Angeles County district attorney's office who reviewed the case concluded that there was "insufficient evidence to prove beyond a reasonable doubt" that Anzaldo's three officers had acted criminally when they opened fire at the end of the encounter.

They quoted Anzaldo as saying just after the shooting that Soderberg had "started to move" and that the three officers had "put him down."

Colomey said the incident was even more out of control than those who had reviewed the case knew.

Three officers were struck by friendly fire during the incident, Colomey alleged, though only one reported being struck, by a ricochet bullet in the leg. Anzaldo was struck in his gas mask and another officer was struck in his tactical belt, but neither reported it to investigators, Colomey said in the deposition.

Colomey said higher-ranking officers knew about the bullet strikes, but also failed to report them.

When Soderberg's family sued the city over his death, officials didn't initially disclose Colomey's internal complaint about the incident, according to their attorney, Greg Kirakosian. After Colomey filed his lawsuit, making his claims public, Kirakosian asked to depose him and the city promptly decided to settle the case out of court.

Kirakosian said Soderberg's death was a prime example of the SWAT team's "egregious" reliance on force.

"From every which angle and distance you could imagine, [Soderberg] was fired upon while he was choking on gas," Kirakosian said.

The third incident Colomey flagged occurred the month after Soderberg was killed, in June 2017, when SWAT officers surrounded a suspect named Jose Rauda as he holed up in a backyard shed after exchanging gunfire with officers during a chase.

At some point during the encounter, Colomey said, Sgt. Mike Porter had Officer Rene Gonzalez move up toward the shed to pull down a shade that was obstructing the sightline from the team's armored vehicle parked nearby. Gonzalez was shot in the helmet.

Police said Rauda fired the shot; Colomey said there was some dispute as to where the round came from, and whether it could have been fired by another officer behind Gonzalez. Either way, Gonzalez was able to retreat and the standoff continued, with multiple lulls between subsequent gunfire.

(Heather Vaughan / For The Times)

Colomey said in his deposition that Porter should have immediately removed Gonzalez from the scene, because officers who are wounded "get emotionally involved." Instead, Gonzalez, who had a concussion, was allowed to remain on scene, where he went on to fire a barrage of bullets at Rauda, probably causing additional "contagious" gunfire among the other officers on scene, Colomey alleged.

While seven other officers fired two or three rounds a piece, Gonzalez fired an entire "30-round magazine clip of his assault rifle and then [used] his second clip," Colomey alleged in the deposition.

Miraculously, Rauda was not hit. He was later struck by a beanbag round and taken into custody. He has since been sentenced to life in prison for attempted murder of police officers, and could not be reached for comment.

Gonzalez and Porter also could not be reached for comment.

Colomey said there were zero "command-and-control" protocols applied during the response, none of the department's guidance for avoiding "contagious" fire was followed, and Porter and the other involved officers should have been heavily disciplined.

Instead, he said, the entire squad was awarded the Medal of Valor.

"The involved officers are commended for their unflinching courage, commitment to duty, and superior tactics in the face of an armed assault," the department said in a video it posted to YouTube after the incident. "Their valiant actions in defense of life, and the community at large, reflect the highest traditions of law enforcement and of the Los Angeles Police Department."

Deciding to speak out

Colomey served in SWAT for 11 years, many of them alongside his brother. Earlier in his career, he survived getting hit by a car while on duty and endured 13 surgeries to get back to the force. He has long considered being a police officer  serving Los Angeles residents  a calling, he said in an internal LAPD podcast years ago.

In his deposition, he said he had tried for years to confront the "SWAT Mafia" and the violent culture it was perpetuating from within.

Colomey said he repeatedly complained to Lopez and McMillion, to captains above them and to other LAPD leaders, to no avail. He also shared his concerns with internal affairs starting in 2018, he said, when an internal affairs investigation was launched into an anonymous complaint alleging Colomey and Lopez had shown preferential treatment and submitted false paperwork during SWAT schools.

Colomey said an internal affairs officer told him that "the chief"  presumably Moore, who had just been appointed to lead the department  "wanted to find out the inner workings of SWAT."

So, he said, he told him about the "SWAT Mafia" and how they controlled who was selected into SWAT; about the specific incidents in which he felt the team had gotten away with using excessive force; and about his belief that the alleged corruption was sanctioned by higher ranking officers.

He said he also told the internal affairs officer that he fully expected the "SWAT Mafia" to retaliate against him for exposing them.

"I said, 'I know what SWAT is. It's [a] train moving and I just stood in front of it."

Colomey alleges he was subsequently retaliated against as predicted. He said he was bullied and forced out of the SWAT team and transferred to a position at LAX  which he referred to in his lawsuit as an example of a specific form of internal LAPD retribution known as "freeway therapy."

Looking ahead

How Colomey's case will play out is unknown.

The city could seek a settlement to avoid the additional scrutiny of a trial, or keep fighting. If the case does go to trial, it could further divide the department's most elite tactical team  with some members testifying in support of Colomey's claims and others disputing them.

While the department has rejected Colomey's allegations of a violent SWAT culture as unfounded, others in the unit have said they hold some truth.

One former SWAT team member, who requested anonymity to speak candidly about internal dynamics within the department, said "the SWAT Mafia is very much a real thing."

The person said the belief among many older members of the unit is that SWAT comes before everything else, loyalty is paramount and problems within the unit should never be revealed to outsiders.

The person also agreed with Colomey that McMillion protected the "SWAT Mafia."

A former LAPD commander with knowledge of the situation, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal personnel issues candidly, said much of what Colomey has alleged is true  including that the unit's +1s had excess power and essentially ran the unit.

However, once Colomey started complaining to higher-ups, changes were made on a dramatic scale, including to the SWAT manual, the former commander said. And he questioned Colomey's claims of being forced from SWAT, saying top brass had asked Colomey to remain in the unit.

In his deposition, Colomey said far too little has been done over the years to reform the SWAT team, in part because commanders don't really want to know how bad things have gotten.

"The command staff on this department all the way up to Chief Moore know that if they looked  if they had to make a change in SWAT  the brutal facts that would come out would be too overwhelming," he said.

"I had chiefs directly say that to me, that they know things are wrong," he said. "And Ive seen them start the process of trying to make change and then seen them stop and literally disappear and change their tune, including Chief Moore."

An LAPD spokeswoman said the department cannot comment on matters of pending litigation. Moore did not respond to a request for comment.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Freedom has always informed my thinking on trade. Our country was founded on the promise of freedom, and history shows Americans excel when given more freedom. We can promote freedom around the world and for the American people by improving trade opportunities and enforcement.

The Declaration of Independence attacked King George, among other reasons, for cutting off Americas freedom to trade with the world, and time has proven the value of fair trade. From 1950 through at least the first 16 years of this century, trade expansion proved to increase U.S. GDP by $2.1 trillion or more than $18,000 per household.

Over this same period, we strengthened relations with allies and enhanced our economies. Today, we need no foreign monarch to cut off our freedom to trade. We are losing that freedom ourselves, by simply sitting on the sidelines of the international trade arena.

This is a huge mistake. Meanwhile, China is aggressively negotiating new agreements to secure better access for its producers.

Assertive American trade policy unleashes Idahoans talent and productivity by removing foreign barriers through tough negotiations and enforcement. The potential of the American people is staggering. However, what the Biden Administration proposes as trade negotiations and an enforcement agenda are strikingly limited. A few examples are indicative:

Agriculture: American ranchers and farmers produce the worlds best and safest food, and exported $196 billion in 2022. The Idaho State Department of Agriculture reports more than $2.6 billion of Idahos produce, grains, meats, dairy and seeds are sold worldwide. Agriculture producers can accomplish even more if we eliminate the high tariffs and unscientific restrictions posing as safety measures erected by other countries to prevent American agriculture from outcompeting in world markets. The administration is unfortunately doing far too little to challenge foreign tariffs and nonscience-based safety measures.

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Workers: In the same vein, American workers are highly skilled at manufacturing and have drawn nearly $1.9 trillion in foreign investment. That kind of investment coupled with American workers talent should make us an export powerhouse, but unreasonable product specification standards continue to keep our manufacturing out of many markets. The administration should be pursuing a technical barriers to trade chapter to remove these trade barriers.

Innovators: Innovators and artists develop life-saving products and films and music that spread American values. Copyright industries alone generate $1.8 trillion in economic output. Yet, instead of working to strengthen U.S. intellectual property rules, the administration waived U.S. intellectual property rights for COVID vaccines and is even now considering expanding that waiver to diagnostic and therapeutic products. And, while Chinas most pernicious mercantilist policy is the theft of American intellectual property  the administration has not pursued any IP rules that could prevent China from benefiting from its theft through sales in other countries.

Digital Economy: U.S. digital firms are a major contributor to U.S. economic growth, with the digital economy now comprising 10 percent of U.S. GDP. The administration has yet to press the European Union on measures that unreasonably target the U.S. digital economy.

We must do better. Our country should be actively engaged in removing high tariffs and unscientific restrictions that penalize Americas farmers and ranchers; breaking down barriers that stifle manufacturing exports; bolstering rather than waiving U.S intellectual property rights; and shelving measures that unreasonably target the U.S. digital economy.

The administration should be consulting Congress, as U.S. trade policy is strongest when the administration and Congress work together. The American people deserve a better trade policy. As ranking member of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee, I will continue working with my congressional colleagues to achieve it.

Mike Crapo, a Republican, is the senior U.S. senator representing Idaho.
Defense Express received a photo of the wreckage of a Russian missile shot down over Kyiv on the night of May 4

The missile in question is the hypersonic X-47 Kinzhal, the journalists said in a report dated May 5.

One of the images shows the damaged nose cone, which bears a maximum resemblance to the one used specifically in the X-47 Kinzhal missile, wrote Defense Express.

The fragments without the warhead fell on a stadium in capital city.

Read also: Over 23,000 people thought to be missing since Russias full-scale invasion

Defense Express

Ukraine had not previously had the capability or an opportunity to intercept this type of missile.

As reported by the journalists, X-22 missiles have a different nose cone with oval transitions; the nose cone in the photo also differs from the Iskander missiles, where it is thicker.

Read also: Ukraine receives first Patriot air defense system from Germany  what to know

The debris shows that it received penetrating damage, which allows us to evaluate the thickness of the material necessary to withstand high temperatures during acceleration to hypersonic speed, Defense Express wrote.

It also indicates that the interception was quite effective, with the destruction of the warhead still in the air. This is associated with the powerful explosion that Kyiv residents heard on the night of May 4.

The Ukrainian Air Force said that it would not comment on the report.

Kyiv authorities announced on May 4 that all hostile targets  drones and missiles (likely ballistic)  had been destroyed in the area surrounding the capital.

However, the Air Force did not confirm information about the use of Russian ballistic missiles, stating that it would take several days to confirm this definitively.

On March 9, Russia launched 81 missiles at Ukraine, including six X-47 Kinzhal missiles, which are missiles that fly on a ballistic trajectory and strike their targets at enormous speeds.

Kyiv in April received Patriot air defense systems from the United States, the Netherlands, and Germany, which can successfully combat such targets.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
In this episode of the Explore Oregon Podcast, host Zach Urness talks with Smith Rock State Park manger Matt Davey about big changes coming to one of the state's most iconic places.

The park's master plan is being developed to bring changes to parking, hiking, camping and drone use at a place increasingly popular for rock climbing and hiking.

Davey outlines plans for a new visitor's center at the park and how the new parking areas will reshape the experience for rock climbers, hikers and anyone else who travels to the park.

Never miss an episode: Listen to the episode at statesmanjournal.com/outdoors/explore and find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, SoundCloud or Amazon Music and subscribe on your platform of choice to get future episodes.

Find every episode: Find all 99 episodes of the Explore Oregon Podcast online

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 15 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. Urness is the author of Best Hikes with Kids: Oregon and Hiking Southern Oregon. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or 503-399-6801. Find him on Twitter at @ZachsORoutdoors.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Explore Oregon Podcast Smith Rock State Park Central Oregon
An explosion and fire have occurred at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in Russias Krasnodar Krai for the second time in two days, allegedly due to a drone attack.

Source: Baza; RIA Novosti (Russian news outlets) on Telegram

Details: The Baza Telegram channel reported that there was another explosion on the territory of the Ilsky Oil Refinery. Allegedly, a drone attacked the plant at 08:30, hitting one of the installations and causing a fire to break out.

And RIA Novosti, citing emergency services, reported that the cause of the new fire at the Ilsky Oil Refinery was "spontaneous combustion of a previous fire after a drone attack."

The staff have been evacuated. According to preliminary reports, no one was injured.

At 09:39, RIA Novosti reported that the fire had been extinguished.

Previously:

The Ilsky oil refinery caught fire on the night of 3-4 May. It was alleged that 4 drones took part in the attack, which lasted for almost an hour.

UK Defence Intelligence suggested that Russia would have to change its fuel supply system due to regular attacks on storage bases in the areas bordering Ukraine.

UK Intelligence believes that Russia will continue to have incidents on its railways in the areas bordering Ukraine.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
PAPEETE, French Polynesia  More than 5,000 extinct-in-the-wild and critically endangered tropical snails were recently reintroduced to their French Polynesian homes of Tahiti and Moorea.

The nocturnal Partula snails, also known as Polynesian tree snails, had helped maintain the health of the island forests by eating decaying plant tissue and fungi but were wiped out nearly 30 years ago.

A Partula snail.

At the time, the predatory rosy wolf snail was introduced to the islands to combat an invasive snail species. However, according to the Zoological Society of London, the rosy wolf snail themselves became invasive and attacked the native Partula snails instead.

SOGGY DAYS ARE WONDERLAND FOR SLUGS, SNAILS

Due to efforts by conservationists, the story of the Partula snails did not end there. The last surviving snails were whisked away thousands of miles in the early 1990s by London and Edinburgh zoos as part of a breeding initiative to repopulate the islands.

Partula snails prepare to leave London Zoo.

The reintroduction began nine years ago. With this latest batch of more than 5,000 snails bred at the conservation zoos, the number of Patula snails brought back to French Polynesia has risen to more than 21,000.

ZSL said this years batch of snails was the largest reintroduction so far. They noted that this years conservation efforts saw eight species and subspecies reintroduced, classified as Extinct-in-the-wild, Critically Endangered or Vulnerable.

Before their arrival, the 1 to 2-cm-long snails were individually marked with a dot of red UV reflective paint. The dots will glow under ultraviolet light, allowing conservationists to monitor the nocturnal snails at night.

Partula snail with a dot of red UV reflective paint on its shell.

HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER

"This collaborative conservation initiative is, without a doubt, helping to bring these species back from the brink of extinction and shows the conservation power of zoos to reverse biodiversity loss," said Paul Pearce-Kelly, curator of invertebrates at ZSL.

He added, "With nature across the world increasingly under threat, these little snails represent hope for the worlds wildlife."
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves from the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London in March. (Justin Tallis / AFP via Getty Images)

For the record:

1:03 p.m. May 5, 2023: An earlier version of this column said Prince Harry and wife Meghans son, Archie, was born in California. He was born in London.



There won't be a HarryCam at the coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey on Saturday  even though much of the world may be tuning in for a glimpse of the Duke of Sussex.

On the day of Charles' long-awaited glory, the man whos had the longest wait to become Britains king may have to share the front pages with every little twitch and shrug of his own discontented younger son sitting somewhere in the church  but where? And sitting with whom? Is Harry catching his fathers eye? Avoiding his brothers? Shades of Charles late ex-wife, Diana, whose glamour and drama overshadowed Charles the prince.

In a TV interview, Harry recalled that Charles once begged his sons: Please, boys, don't make my last years a misery."

But isn't that part of the public's fascination?

More than three years after Harry and Meghans uncoupling from the royal family, and their launch of charitable undertakings and money-making projects  a tell-all book, TV programs, and launching it all, that Oprah Winfrey interview  the Sussexes are now self-exiled in Montecito with their children, Archie and Lilibet.

Their fans and supporters regard them as heroic figures  wronged by a racist family and nation  for revealing ugly things about the royals, naming names and incidents.

Their critics find them to be whingeing  that British word for whining  and acting impetuously, putting the worst spin on things, when they might instead have used their global profile to leverage change within the family and the institution that is the House of Windsor. They might have become a kind of viceroy and vicereine to the British Commonwealth nations, whose populations are largely people of color, and which are deciding whether to stay in the British family under King Charles III.

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But two things are simultaneously possible: that the Sussexes are right in many of their critiques of retrograde ideas and practices in the royal family and the royal firm, and that their critics are also right about them being tiresome, preachy, impatient, and oversharing."

There's more polling about the popularity of Harry and Meghan than about some presidential candidates. One week their positives are up a bit; the next week, they're down. At the moment, that percentage is consistently below 50% except among some Americans and younger people in general. Among senior royals, only the disgraced Prince Andrew ranks lower, significantly so.

Joe Little, the managing editor of Britains Majesty magazine, said that Britons over 40 are deeply disappointed in the Sussexes and think they were disrespectful to the elderly queen, but the under-30s think the Sussexes were treated badly by the royals. As a consequence these younger Britons think less of the monarchy itself, a red flag for the new king. Still, Little says, it's a wise move on Harry's part to be there on his father's big day. Whether that leads to further restoration of normality, who knows. It's a step in the right direction."

Prince Harry will be attending Saturdays coronation without his wife, who chose to stay home for the fourth birthday of their son, Prince Archie.

Andrew Morton, the author of the original explosive royal tell-all, Diana: Her True Story and The Queen: Her Life, says the birthday party is a way of absolving Meghan from coming to the function. I think its one up from Shes washing her hair. 

What Harry does or doesnt do at the coronation affects the family, but not the monarchy, Morton says. The chain-reaction that Queen Elizabeth IIs sister, Margaret, set in motion at Elizabeths coronation in 1953 was far more dangerous a precedent than the fact that Harry said his brother was not nice to him one day.

The photo of Princess Margaret flicking a piece of fluff off the lapel of the divorced commoner she was secretly in love with put the young monarchy in crisis: Should the young princess be allowed to marry the man she wanted against the beliefs of the head of the Church of England  her own sister? Or keep Margaret from following her heart? (The couple did not marry; instead Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, who was later created Earl of Snowdon.)

Millions will be watching Harry  his arrival, his precedence, whether he bows to the new king and the queen he accuses of throwing him and his wife to the media wolves, whether hes invited onto the Buckingham Palace balcony and if he is, whether he will take a pass. There always will be people who think that Harry was done badly by, says Morton, but there will also be people who think Harry and Meghan went too far in the criticism of the individuals and the institution.

Comparisons have been made to the Duke of Windsor, who was King Edward VIII when he abdicated in 1936 to marry a twice-divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. But that was a shattering constitutional crisis because he was the king, something Harry will never be. Wallis was not invited to the funerals of the abdicated kings brother, George VI, nor his mothers, Queen Mary. Windsor did attend, and hurried right back to his wife afterward, as Harry is expected to do. Meghan was invited to both the Queens funeral and the coronation.

If anything, Morton says, Harrys whistle-stop presence is a sign that Great Britain Inc. is very much in the rearview mirror of TRH Meghan and Harry.

Sally Bedell Smith is the bestselling biographer of Queen Elizabeth II, and of Charles as Prince of Wales, and her current book is George VI and Elizabeth: the Marriage That Saved the Monarchy. People will be watching for Harry, she says, "lip-readers, body language experts. He wont be going anywhere near William and Kate and the kids.

But Smith, adds, "Therell be a shock at his arrival, but hes not going to be coming in the Great West Door with the King and Queen and the Waleses. That procession is for working members of the royal family. "Instead, hell likely come and go with his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Smith said.

Even as a nonworking royal, Harry is still a counsellor of state to the new king, part of an advisory group/ cabinet. Hell be part of the family, but he will have no special role," Smith says. "Even if he were still a working royal he wouldnt have any particular role in the coronation. She expects a bigger fuss over Prince George as a royal page, and whether his mother, the Princess of Wales, wears a tiara or a crown of flowers, and whether other ladies follow suit in one of these few big opportunities to get out the wonderful headpieces locked away in their vaults.

Special correspondent Christina Boyle in London contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
President Joe Biden is expected to name Air Force Gen. C.Q. Brown as the nations next militarys next top officer  but first the Senate must sign off.

If confirmed, the current Air Force chief of staff would succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley, who retires in the fall, as the presidents military adviser.

A low-key fighter pilot who commanded forces in the Pacific and the Middle East, Brown found a deep well of support on Capitol Hill and was confirmed 98-0 to the Air Forces top job in 2020, becoming the first Black officer to lead a military branch.

Brown, who POLITICO first reported is Bidens choice to succeed Milley, is likely to survive his confirmation battle in the Democratic-led Senate.

But the process probably wont go as smoothly as it did three years ago, with the four-star general potentially facing tough questions about Chinas possible invasion of Taiwan, the future of Ukraines fight to repel Russia and diversity policies conservatives have derided as distracting the military from its main missions.

Previous hearing room exchanges offer clues about how Brown will perform at his confirmation. By all accounts, hes a cool customer: even-tempered, serious, succinct and direct. But the questions he faced were about the Air Force, well within his comfort zone.

Heres a breakdown of some of the issues you can expect senators to focus on, and how Brown might answer:

Diversity and other Biden policies

Brown could see harsh questions by conservative senators on a variety of Pentagon policies they regard as a distraction from the militarys mission of fighting the nations wars.

Republicans have largely opposed efforts by the Biden administration to promote diversity and root out extremism in the ranks as well as combat the effects of climate change. Milley and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are routinely pressed on those and other personnel issues in their appearances on Capitol Hill. Milley made waves in the House for his defense against criticism that the military is distracted by those programs.

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Brown, who is the highest-ranking Black military leader since Colin Powell chaired the Joint Chiefs in the early 1990s, spoke out about his own experience as one of the few Black pilots following the murder of George Floyd in the summer of 2020. In an emotional video , Brown reflected on "my own experiences that didnt always sing of liberty and equality."

Brown could also face pressure from Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) or others over policies implemented by Austin to shore up troops access to abortion following the Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade. Democrats have praised the move, but Republicans want it reversed, arguing it politicizes the military and undercuts laws that bar taxpayer funding for abortions.

After the ruling in 2022, Brown was asked in an interview at the Aspen Security Forum how it would affect the Air Force.

We have a responsibility to comply with the law. But we also have an obligation to take care of our airmen and their families, Brown said.

Russia and Ukraine

While Milley has weighed in extensively on the Ukraine war, Browns views have been aired far less frequently  and when they have, theyve made headlines.

Brown has Europe experience: Just before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, he was headquartered in Germany as the lead for strategic deterrence and nuclear integration at U.S. Air Forces in Europe.

At the Aspen Security Forum last summer, Milley said no decisions had been made to offer Ukraine Western fighter jets and pilot training, a hot-button issue rippling through Washington and the NATO alliance.

But Brown  who has a history in the cockpits of the F-16, B-1 and B-52  offered some much-discussed speculation that such training was a possibility, and he riffed on what types of aircraft Ukraine might eventually receive.

I cant speculate what aircraft they may go to, Brown said, but the U.S. has a responsibility to train its allies and, when it comes to Ukraines needs, meet them where they are.

There's U.S. [aircraft], there's Gripen out of Sweden, there's the Eurofighter, there's [the French] Rafale. So there's a number of different platforms that could go to Ukraine, Brown said, adding with a smile: Maybe not MiGs. Itll be a lot tougher to get parts from the Russians in the future.

Two Ukrainian pilots came to the U.S. in March for a fighter skills assessment at Tucsons Morris Air National Guard Base.

Senate Armed Services members Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Tuberville, may push Brown for his views about sending F-16 jets to Ukraine, after they queried the Pentagon on the topic . And what about an Air Force plan to send uncrewed aircraft?

Top civilians have said fighters would take too long to deliver and that the emphasis should be on ground-based air defenses such as Ukraines S-300s, German IRIS-Ts or newly arrived Patriots.

Months earlier, Brown credited Russias lack of dominance over Ukraines skies to Kyivs use of those defenses, both donated and indigenous.

Air superiority cannot be assumed, and one of the things that the Ukrainians have been able to do based on their air defense capability is actually threaten Russian air power, he told Senate Armed Services member Joe Manchin at a hearing last year.

China and Taiwan

Brown will meet a Senate thats grown more hawkish on China and hell face questions about what more the U.S. must do to deter Beijing from launching an invasion of Taiwan in the coming years.

Democrats and Republicans have pushed for more funding to better position the military in the Indo-Pacific region as well as to pump up arms sales to Taiwan. But lawmakers are also concerned the Pentagon isnt moving fast enough to arm the self-governing island. Top Senate Armed Services Republican Roger Wicker of Mississippi has argued the window is closing for the U.S. to buy the weapons and equipment that might be needed if a conflict breaks out before the end of the decade.

Browns main competition for the top job, Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger, is hailed for retooling the Corps to focus on a Pacific fight. Brown, meanwhile, commanded Pacific Air Forces before taking over as the services top officer. Hell likely draw on that experience in his pitch to senators.

"He is literally on the front lines in implementing the National Defense Strategy, which has a focus on great power competition, particularly China as the pacing threat to our nation for the next 50 to 100 years," Sen. Dan Sullivan, (R-Alaska) who previously delayed a vote on Brown over a decision on basing aerial tankers, said before his confirmation as Air Force chief of staff in June 2020. "Gen. Brown is in that battle right now, front-lines every day."

Arnold Punaro, a former staff director for the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Brown's experience will give him "credibility" to spur the military to adapt to the Pacific.

"We have not yet made the needed adjustments to deal with the threat posed by China," he said. "As chairman, General Brown will be in a position to drive the joint force and joint operations to deal with the threats posed not only by China, but also Russia, Iran, and North Korea."

But will China invade?

Top leaders testifying before Congress have given a broad range of answers when asked if, and when, China might invade Taiwan.

But Browns response to one particularly fiery prediction offers clues as to how soon he thinks the threat may actually come.

Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command head, made waves in January following news reports of a memo showing he predicted war with China in two years.

In the memo, he told the officers in his command that I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025. He added that his leaders should aim for the head.

Brown, when asked about the memo, told reporters there were aspects of the missive that disappointed him. It detracted from the key message of the sense of urgency that is required, he said.

Caught in a promotions logjam?

Regardless of how he does before the committee, Browns nomination will land in a Senate thats mired in a partisan deadlock over confirming military promotions, which have typically been approved with little opposition.

Tuberville has blocked the speedy confirmation of all senior military officer picks over policies implemented by the Pentagon in February that allow troops to be reimbursed for travel expenses and take leave to obtain abortions or other reproductive care.

The resulting standoff has meant that no nominees for general or admiral ranks have been confirmed in months. Its a stalemate that Pentagon leaders say will hurt military readiness as commanders leave their posts or retire and arent replaced by permanent leaders  even uniting nearly all living U.S. defense secretaries this week in opposition to the blockade.

The backlog is building and could ensnare Bidens picks for the Joint Chiefs if it drags on.

There are ways to slip through the blockade and ensure there are no vacancies at the most senior military posts. Once Brown clears the Armed Services Committee, Majority Leader Chuck Schumer could hold a cloture vote on Browns nomination, a procedural tactic to escape holds in the Senate.

Its a road Democrats may not want to wait to take until its absolutely necessary. Tuberville has argued that he isnt preventing anyones confirmation, only forcing the Senate to take time to vote on nominees.
(Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will be visiting South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol on Sunday in the latest effort to improve bilateral ties.

However, the trip will be overshadowed by historical issues and other disputes between the two countries - in some of which progress has been made, while others remain intractable.

- Relations between the two North Asian U.S. allies have been strained over disputes dating to Japan's 1910-1945 occupation of Korea. Koreans accuse Japan of forcing women to work in wartime brothels for the Japanese military and using forced labour, among other abuses.

- Various measures have been taken over the years in attempts to resolve the issues. Japan says the matter of any compensation for wartime labour was settled under a 1965 treaty normalising diplomatic ties and providing South Korea with economic assistance.

- In 2015, South Korea and Japan reached a settlement under which Tokyo issued an official apology to "comfort women" who say they were enslaved in wartime brothels, and provided 1 billion yen ($9.23 million) to a fund to help the victims. But then-South Korean President Moon Jae-in decided to dissolve the fund in 2018, effectively scrapping the agreement as he said it did not do enough to consider victims' concerns.

- In 2018 South Korea's Supreme Court ordered Japan's Nippon Steel & Sumitomo Metal Corp and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to compensate some wartime forced labourers. Tokyo has warned of serious repercussions if the orders are enforced.

- Relations deteriorated in 2019 when Japan restricted exports of high-tech materials for making chips and display panels to South Korea. At the time Seoul threatened to pull out of an intelligence-sharing deal with Tokyo, but backed down at the last minute under pressure from the United States, which has pushed for its two allies to mend ties.

- In March, Yoon's administration proposed establishing a public foundation to compensate the plaintiffs in the Nippon Steel and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries cases. As of early May, 10 out of 15 surviving victims have accepted the plan, but are still calling for an apology from Japan.

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- In mid-March, Kishida and Yoon met in Tokyo, in the first visit by a South Korean leader to Japan for a bilateral working meeting in 12 years.

- In late March, Japan's trade ministry lifted export curbs to South Korea on the high-tech materials, while South Korea withdrew its complaint filed at the World Trade Organization on Japan's export controls.

- There is concern in South Korea over potential environmental contamination from waste water at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, which was badly damaged by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

As Japan is expected to discharge the waste water into the sea around this summer, the issue of verifying its safety may be discussed during Sunday's summit, South Korean media reported.

- Seoul regularly lodges complaints over the way history is recounted in some Japanese textbooks, and there have been flare-ups over the "Rising Sun" flag seen as a symbol of imperial Japan. Tokyo has accused South Korean leaders of exacerbating tensions to score political points.

- The two countries also have a territorial dispute over a cluster of windswept volcanic islets, known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan. The islets are controlled by Seoul with a small contingent of coast guards, and are also claimed by Tokyo.

- The United States has pressed both countries to resolve the disputes to better counter rising threats from China and North Korea, among other regional challenges. Under Yoon, South Korea has resumed trilateral military drills and agreed to more intelligence sharing on issues like tracking ballistic missile launches from North Korea.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)
King Charles III famously waited a lifetime to wear the crown. With his coronation this weekend, the real royal work begins, and it involves navigating scandals and tricky family relationships that could tarnish his reign and the monarchy itself.

Past and ongoing issues with Prince Andrew, Prince Harry, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and even his wife, Camilla, could overshadow the new kings rule if they are not carefully managed, royal experts say.

The royal family is one of the most visible and tenuous aspects of the crowns overall brand, said Cele Otnes, co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture. Its hard to manage people, she said.

Andrew

Top of the list of people to be managed is the kings younger brother, Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, who has been tainted by allegations of sexual abuse related to his long association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his confidant, the British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, who was found guilty of child sex trafficking in 2021.

Allegations by Virginia Giuffre that she had been trafficked to Andrew and forced to have sex with him dogged Andrew for years and, in November 2019, a high-profile BBC interview with the royal that was clearly intended to push back on the claims backfired spectacularly. Soon after, he stepped back from his public duties.

Despite a widely circulated picture of the pair together, Andrew maintained that he never met Giuffre, who said she was 17 when the British royal sexually abused her.

In August 2021, a judge in the United States allowed a civil lawsuit brought by Giuffre to proceed. Buckingham Palace said in a statement that Andrew would fight the case as a private citizen. Andrew and Giuffre would later reach a legal settlement in which he agreed to make a substantial donation to her charity in support of victims rights. He also declared that he never meant to malign her character.

In a brutal and humiliating exercise in damage control, in 2022, Queen Elizabeth stripped her second son of his military titles and patronages. As a result, Andrew can no longer use His Royal Highness in any capacity, a royal source told NBC News at the time, and gave up a dozen military titles and more than 100 patronages.

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Follow coronation ceremony live updates here

Andrew, 63, has also been marred by his alleged associations with Middle Eastern dictators and corrupt leaders, and by accusations that he was part of a cash for access scam with his former wife, Sarah Ferguson. Both have vehemently denied the allegations.

Charles ability to keep a tight lid on his younger brother is essential if he wishes to maintain the respect of the British public, David Haigh, CEO of Brand Finance, a London-based consulting firm, said.

Andrew is a disaster, Haigh said. For years, hes had a reputation as a playboy and a very entitled guy. King Charles has done the right thing by freezing him out.

Virginia Giuffre (then Roberts) with Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell in a photo released with court documents.

Harry and Meghan

Andrew is not the only prince whos been a source of controversy in the royal family in recent years. So has Prince Harry, Charles youngest son.

Harry and his wife, Meghan, stepped down as working royals on Jan. 8, 2020, in what the U.K.s tabloids colorfully dubbed Megxit.

The couple, now relocated to California, has given a series of high-voltage interviews in which theyve explained their move and taken aim at the monarchy and the countrys tabloid press. Harry, 38, also published a tell-all memoir, Spare, in which he claimed his older brother, Prince William, physically attacked him, alleging that members of the royal family were cold, out-of-touch and exhibited unconscious bias.

In a March 7, 2021, interview with media mogul Oprah Winfrey, Meghan said that in the months leading up to their son Archies birth, a royal insider expressed concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when hes born.

A rare comment responding to the furor released on behalf of the queen was released two days later on March 9:

The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. Whilst some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.

On March 11, Prince William answered a reporters question during a school visit in London by saying, We are very much not a racist family.

Harry and Meghan have also taken aim at the royal family in their Netflix documentary series, accusing them of actively fueling negative media coverage that they said helped drive Meghan to suicidal thoughts and resulted in the couple leaving the country.

Harry has alleged that Meghan was forced to withstand bullying and racist coverage without support from the royal household while Camilla, his fathers former "mistress," was rehabilitated in the public eye. In fact, he claimed that the royal communications team would plant negative stories about him and Meghan. He reserves much of his anger at what he describes as an unhealthy relationship between the royals and an intrusive press.

Prince and Princess of Wales And Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Walkabout Outside Windsor Castle Windsor (Mark Kerrison / In Pictures via Getty Images file)

This airing of grievances and the familys dirty laundry has come at a crucial time in Charles life.

One thing that lots of people will find difficult is  the breakdown in the relationship, according to historian Alice Loxton. It is tragic on all sides that that relationship has fallen apart.

But while Spare and various Megxit interviews made international headlines, going directly against the royal familys reputed maxim of never complain, never explain, the complicated relationship between Charles and Harry may have actually boosted Charles reputation, according to Haigh.

I think there are a number of people who have sympathy for King Charles because of the Harry situation and because of his handling of it, Haigh said.

Rather than publicly taking Harry to task for his tell-all book and interviews, Charles has refrained from making any formal comment. He has also invited Harry to the Saturday coronation. Harry will be there but Meghan will not -- it is unclear whether Meghan was also invited.

Prince Harrys on the sidelines, throwing bricks, and King Charles is trying very hard to hold out an olive branch, said Haigh. I think Charles is doing the right thing, marginalizing him, but trying to maintain a relationship with his son.

It is a balancing act that may play well with the public, Otnes said.

I think his ability to express empathy is one of the pleasant surprises of King Charles reign, she said.

Thats not to say that Harry and Meghans allegations against the royal family wont continue to make headlines, but polls indicate the couples popularity has waned: Meghans favor fell from 40% in the third quarter of 2020 to 23% in the first three months of this year, and Harrys dropped from 45% two years ago to 25% earlier this year, according to a recent YouGov poll.

Theres so much turmoil around them that I think a lot of their allegations are losing credibility, Otnes said.

Kensington Palace, which represents William, and Buckingham Palace, which represents Charles, declined to comment on the allegations made in Spare.

Camilla

Beyond Harry, Meghan and Andrew, Charles also has to convince the public that his own scandals are things of the past.

Charles famously carried on a long-term extramarital affair with his current wife, Camilla, when he was still married to Princess Diana. This prompted Diana to say in a bombshell 1995 television interview, There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

Charles and Camilla went on to get married on April 9, 2005, in a groundbreaking event, since it entailed the heir to the throne marrying a divorcee  something previously taboo.

The relatively low-key civil ceremony at the equivalent of a town hall, the queens absence from the wedding (but not the subsequent blessing) and the inclusion of vows to earnestly repent the manifold sins and wickedness of the past fed the perception that the couple were under a cloud.

Camilla Parker Bowles, left, and Lady Diana Spencer at Ludlow racecourse in England on Oct. 24, 1980. (AP file)

But some continue to hold Camilla at arms length. An April poll by Ipsos shows shes tied with Meghan on the list of the least popular royals.

You will always see people who loved Diana who are resentful of Camilla, said Otnes. With the coronation, there will be a lot of talk about who might now be queen, had Diana lived.

Crucially, Camilla appeared to have won the support of the late queen.

Her transition from the other woman to royal insider can be charted by the changes in her title. When the couple got married, it was announced that she would be called princess consort when her husband became king. In 2022, Elizabeth made clear that Camilla should instead be queen consort upon Charles ascension. And in recent weeks, it was confirmed she would simply be titled Queen Camilla.

Image: Britain's King Charles III inspects graduating officer cadets march during the 200th Sovereign's Parade at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, southwest of London on April 14, 2023. (Dan Kitwood / AFP - Getty Images)

As Charles prepares for the coronation, surveys showed that he is not as popular as his wildly popular mother, Elizabeth, was. An Ipsos poll conducted in the spring of 2022 found that 86% of those surveyed were satisfied with the job Elizabeth was doing.

Meanwhile, 49% of Brits surveyed said Charles was doing a good job as king, and 32% said he is doing neither a good nor bad job, according to a survey by Ipsos conducted last month,

Still, Charles may be doing better than many expected.

King Charles authority has played an absolute blinder, royal commentator and broadcaster Afua Hagan said, using a sporting term to describe something extremely well done. I have never in my life seen someone have an image overhaul  as we have seen from them, Prince Charles and now King Charles III.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Whats good for the goose isnt always good for the gander, or in this case, the goslings.

Members of the Animal Rescue League of Boston (ARL) and Brookline Animal Control Officer Brian Bridges became concerned when they noticed a family of geese had settled on top of a condominium building at 33 Pond Avenue.

Although the rooftop seemed to be a perfect place for the geese to nest, officials say the goslings would become compromised if their parents were injured because the babies cant fly and there was no immediate access to food or water.

On Wednesday, ARL Field Services helped the family relocate to a more suitable habitat.

Video shows the team using a net and box to capture and transport the baby geese as well as their mother to Leverett Pond, with the father goose looking on. The male goose was also put in a carrier and later rejoined the family in their new surroundings.

Once on the water, the ARL said the geese began looking for a new place to nest.

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A key road to Yosemite National Park will be closed well into the summer for repairs, cutting access to Yosemite Valleys popular waterfalls and cliffs.

Big Oak Flat Road, a continuation of Highway 120 west into Yosemite, is closed from just inside the parks boundary to Merced Grove until possibly July, the U.S. National Park Service wrote in a statement. Repairs to the roads 200-foot-long, 4-inch deep crack are scheduled to begin in mid-May.

It is not safe to open the road even to limited traffic, Yosemite National Park wrote on its Facebook page and doing so would likely lead to additional road failure.

The roads surface has shifted between 2 inches and 3 inches both vertically and horizontally and continues to move. The embankment, built to hold back water and raise the road, settled 15 feet downslope and water is flowing through it.

Yosemite National Park will work alongside the Federal Highway Administration to complete the repairs, officials said.

Not only is the road the quickest and most scenic route to Yosemite from points north, including Sacramento, but it winds travelers right into the heart of the park.

The earliest Big Oak Flat Road could reopen is in mid-June, according to the statement, which would be enough time to travel to Yosemite Valley to catch a few waterfalls before they completely dry out in August.

Visitors can still reach Yosemite National Parks Hodgen Meadow and Hetch Hetchy through Highway 120. But for those looking for the main attractions, namely Yosemite Valley, motorists should use Highway 140 through Merced and Mariposa via Highway 99  the difference in drive times isnt significantly different.

Once inside the park, motorists can travel from Yosemite Valley up to Big Oak Flat Road to reach the parks Tuolumne and Merced Groves of Giant Sequoias.

Big Oak Flat Road closed

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
Former White House Chief Medical Adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci and teachers union boss Randi Weingarten are furiously trying to rewrite history on their role in promoting the disastrous school lockdowns that paralyzed the U.S. during the COVID-19 pandemic and left a generation of children behind.

"Show me a school that I shut down and show me a factory that I shut down. Never. I never did," Fauci told New York Times Magazine last month. "I gave a public health recommendation that echoed the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) recommendation, and people made a decision based on that. But I never criticized the people who had to make the decisions one way or the other."

"We wanted to be in school. Ive said that over and over again today," Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), one of the nations most powerful teachers unions, said during her congressional testimony about the school lockdowns last week.

But history shows that both Fauci and Weingarten vehemently pushed for COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions that led to prolonged school closures across the country.

Randi Weingarten and Anthony Fauci.

LOCKDOWNS, MANDATES AND SCANDALS: HOW GAVIN NEWSOMS COVID-19 RESPONSE BROUGHT CALIFORNIA TO ITS KNEES

At the start of the pandemic, Fauci, then-director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), expressed outright support for a federal lockdown to contain the virus.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"Whatever it takes," he told CNN on March 15, 2020.

Just one week earlier, Fauci said there was "no reason to be walking around with a mask," and that wearing one could even make people sicker, because it causes them to touch their face more frequently. He and the CDC reversed course within weeks and started pushing universal mask mandates for everyone age 2 and older.

A study released this January found that that widespread masking may have done little to nothing to curb the transmission of COVID-19, and myriad questions still remain about the negative impact that prolonged masking has had on childrens speech and social development.

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Still, Fauci was featured in a PBS documentary this March saying he regretted not supporting mask mandates and quarantines sooner.

"Maybe I should have done that," he said. "Yeah, I was wrong."

Anthony Fauci, former director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks with fellow guests during the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner in Washington, DC, US, on Saturday, April 29, 2023.

DEMS, UNION LEADERS RESPONSIBLE FOR SCHOOL LOCKDOWNS FACE FEW REPURCUSSIONS, DESPITE EVIDENCE THAT KIDS HARMED

Masks werent the only reversal by the countrys public health experts. In March 2020, Faucis NIH published a study saying COVID-19 is "stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces."

"Wash hands, avoid close contact, use a face covering, clean inanimate objects," Fauci said in August 2020.

The CDC later determined the risk of surface transmission of COVID-19 was "low," and Fauci admitted that wiping down groceries was unnecessary.

While some schools started reopening as early as August 2020, like in Florida, many local playgrounds remained closed for over a year due to the inanimate object theory. It wasnt until April 2021 that the CDC said sunlight and weather factors could destroy the virus on outdoor surfaces.

White House Chief Medical Officer Dr. Anthony Fauci attends a reception for the 2022 Kennedy Center honorees at the White House on December 4, 2022 in Washington, DC.

RANDI WEINGARTEN SAYS BIDEN TRANSITION TEAM WAS FIRST TO SOLICIT UNIONS ADVICE ON SCHOOLS REOPENING

In the summer of 2020, Fauci and the CDC insisted children needed to remain six feet apart in order to prevent the virus spread, making in-person learning near impossible.

"The minimal thing that you should do is the kind of things that we've been talking about constantly: wearing a mask, maintaining six feet of distance, avoiding crowds," Fauci said at the time.

The 6-feet standard became one of the largest hurdles schools faced as they struggled to reopen to in-person learning in accordance with the CDCs guidelines in the spring of 2021.

On March 10, 2021, a study in Clinical Infectious Diseases found that there was no significant difference in coronavirus spreading in schools where there were six feet of distancing versus three feet of distancing.

Fauci said he supported the study, and days later, the CDCs guidance was reduced to three feet.

In August 2021, Fauci endorsed vaccine mandates for school children, teachers and school staff, in addition to the mask mandates. During a White House press briefing, he stood alongside CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky as she slammed schools in states like Florida for reopening without implementing mask and vaccine mandates for staff and students.

Fauci told CNNs Jake Tapper at the time: "I have been of this opinion, and I remain of that opinion, that I do believe at the local level, Jake, there should be more mandates."

Despite Fauci's support for mandates, there is still no definitive evidence that current COVID-19 vaccines prevent transmission of the virus. Further, the World Health Organization (WHO) determined in March that healthy children between 6 months and 17 years old dont need the vaccine at all.

While the science surrounding COVID-19 remains ever-changing, Fauci routinely demonized those who questioned his assumptions and created an environment where conflicting ideals were dismissed as conspiracies.

"Its very dangerous," Fauci told MSNBC in June 2021. "A lot of what youre seeing as attacks on me quite frankly are attacks on science, because all of the things that I have spoken about consistently from the very beginning, have been fundamentally based on science."

"Misinformation and disinformation is really hurting so many things, including people's trust in science," he complained in December.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat whose restrictive COVID-19 policies were routinely cheered by Fauci, went so far as to sign a law punishing doctors who espoused alleged "misinformation or disinformation" related to COVID-19 that was not in line with the mainstream. A federal judge blocked the law in January following a pair of lawsuits challenging it on free speech grounds.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom visits a mobile COVID-19 vaccination center on March 10, 2021 in South Gate, California.

Fauci worked closely with teachers unions in 2021 in an attempt to fulfill President Bidens promise to reopen "most" schools in his first 100 days in office.

Fauci and Weingarten argued at the time that billions in funding through the America Rescue Plan would give the teachers the resources they need to get school open safely.

$15M IN AMERICAN RESUCE PLAN FUNDS WENT TO ANTI-RACISM, SOCIAL ACTIVISM PROGRAMS FOR KIDS

Fauci said during a teachers union event in January 2021 that he had a "personal interest" in keeping teachers safe because his daughter was teaching 3rd-grade science at the time.

"We need the CDC guidance," Weingarten said at the event. "We need these rapid tests, we need to make sure we have the accommodations and the vaccine. I hear that a lot."

But even after the American Rescue Plan passed in March, without any Republican support, Weingarten demanded billions more in order in order for teachers to return to the classroom safely.

$825K IN AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS WENT TO ORAL HISTORIANS RESEARCHING ANTI-RACISM, LATINX HISTORIES

Weingartens pandemic response came to the forefront last week after she appeared before the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic to address her unions role in influencing public policy on school lockdowns.

"Republicans on the House Covid subcommittee want you to think I wanted to keep schools closed. Heres what I actually said over & over again," Weingarten tweeted after the hearing.

Fox News Digital previously reported that the AFT and the National Education Association (NEA) were discovered to have corresponded with the CDC in 2021 to make last-minute changes to school reopening guidance, which included a phased reopening approach for K-12 schools based on coronavirus cases in the area.

The New York Post further reported last week that the AFT was even more deeply involved than previously understood, with Weingarten holding two phone calls with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky in the week prior to the guidances release.

Randi Weingarten, President American Federation of Teachers, holds an informational packet condemning Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his alleged role in insurance costs skyrocketing for Floridians on May 3, 2023, in Tamarac, Florida.

Communications previously obtained by the New York Post through a Freedom of Information Act request by conservative group Americans for Public Trust showed numerous emails between top CDC officials and the AFT just days before the Biden administration released the school reopening guidelines in February 2021. The lobbying efforts were a reported success, as the Post found at least two instances when "suggestions" were used nearly word-for-word within the CDCs guidelines.

The CDC had been prepared to allow in-school instruction regardless of transmission rates, but at the suggestion of the union, the guidelines were adjusted to include a provision that said, "In the event of high community-transmission results from a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, a new update of these guidelines may be necessary."

The union further requested that teachers be granted remote work access for those "who have documented high-risk conditions or who are at increased risk." Similar provisions were included for "staff who have a household member" that is considered high risk to the virus.

Emails reviewed by Fox News Digital showed that the AFT and the NEA also received a copy of the guidance before the CDC released it to the public.

Responding to the backlash over the correspondence, Weingarten suggested it was routine procedure.

"This is normal rulemaking, frankly," she told C-SPAN in May 2021. "This is what every administration used to do. The problem with the last administration is that they didn't do it."

BIDEN ADMIN KEEPS GIVING TEACHERS UNIONS POLITICAL VICTORIES

In the video Weingarten tweeted last week in an attempt to prove she supported reopening schools, Weingarten repeatedly says in a number of news clips, "We want schools to reopen." What she left out of the video is that her union was demanding a wide range of mitigation requirements at the time, like 6-foot physical distancing, contact tracing, retrofitted ventilation systems, and that schools only reopen in places where the government had the authority to "trigger" school closures in the event of an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

"Theres no way that youre going to have full-time schools for all the kids and all the teachers the way we used to have it," Weingarten said in July 2020.

At the time, Weingarten slammed the Trump administrations guidelines to reopen schools by fall 2020 as "reckless," "callous" and "cruel." She later called on Congress for more federal funding for schools and threatened a strike if they reopened without implementing her union's demands.

Randi Weingarten, President American Federation of Teachers, speaks during a press conference condemning Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his alleged role in insurance costs skyrocketing for Floridians on May 3, 2023, in Tamarac, Florida.

While many school districts across the country, like in Florida, reopened for the Fall of 2020, Weingarten was advocating for improving remote learning.

"We have an obligation to make remote better, because until we can really decrease community spread throughout the United States, distance learning and distance working is going to be a fact of life," she said in August 2020.

In July 2021, Weingarten said "millions" would die from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis handling of the pandemic, but she later walked back her claim.

RANDI WEINGARTEN SCREAMS ABOUT STUDENT DEBT OUTSIDE SCOTUS: THAT IS NOT FAIR!

Weingarten signaled the potential for future school lockdowns as recently as January 2022, tweeting, "There are very real logistical decisions schools are making. We know kids do better in person, but the spike is real. We need adequate staff & the safety measures in place including testing, masking ventilation. There is a lot of stress."

Weingartens tweet came on the heels of her announcement on CNN that she "personally" supported mandating the vaccine for school children five and older.

Weingarten testified last week that President Biden's transition team was the first to contact her union for guidance on school closures during the pandemic, not the CDC.

"Did the AFT first engage the CDC or did the CDC reach out to you?" Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, chairman of the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, asked the union leader.

"So what essentially happened, sir, was that we were talking to the Biden transition team before he was sworn into office," Weingarten responded.

"Did they reach out to you or the CDC?" Wenstrup asked.

"The Biden transition team reached out to us," Weingarten reiterated.

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN FUNDS WENT TO LGBTQ CENTER THAT HOSTED DRAG STORY HOUR FOR KIDS AT PUBLIC LIBRARY

School closures in the U.S. have had a devastating impact on childrens mental health, development and future earnings potential. According to data released last year by the National Center for Education Statistics, 70% of U.S. public schools have reported an increase in students seeking mental health services since the start of the pandemic. A study published by the conservative think tank Just Facts reported that the mental stressors brought about by school closures will destroy seven times more years of life than lockdowns saved.

A study by the American Enterprise Institute also found that nearly 1.3 million students have left public schools since the pandemic began, and schools that stayed remote longer saw even more students leave. The World Bank reported that the school closures will cost this generation of students $21 trillion in earnings over their lifetimes, which is far more than the $17 trillion estimated in 2021.

A working paper first released in October 2020, which examined over 10,000 school districts across the country and their reopening plans, found that partisan politics and teachers union strength in a particular area had far more influence on schools reopening than science or local health guidance.

Despite the numerous studies saying school closures had catastrophic effects on one of the nations most vulnerable populations, the leaders responsible for the lockdowns have not been recalled or fired in the more than three years since the pandemic struck.

Weingarten was reelected to serve an eighth term last year at AFTs convention in Boston.

Fauci now does the media rounds defending his pandemic response after stepping down as Biden's chief medical advisor in December.

Fauci told Fox News in August that he still doesnt believe the lockdowns went too far.

"Well, I don't think it's forever irreparably damaged anyone," he said, adding, "People selectively  pull things out about me."
It is disturbing that our government officials are pushing to build a federal prison in Letcher County under the guise of economic development.

Several years ago a proposal for a federal prison in Letcher County was turned down by Letcher residents. The idea was revived as the county struggled to recover from a major flood and became more economically vulnerable. These renewed attempts to push the prison project are disrespectful to Letcher County residents who already said no. Pushing people around when they are vulnerable is something bullies do to get their way. Im disappointed that our elected officials would behave in this manner.

The emphasis on economic development is misleading. Data on the economies of Martin, McCreary, and Clay Counties tells us that those countys economies are worse, not better, since Federal prisons were installed there. There is nothing to suggest that Letcher County would fare better. As per a 2018 JAMA article, poverty is a leading cause of death in America. Prisons that create more poverty are neither healthy in terms of economics nor the well-being of the people involved with them.

They are not even healthy for those who find employment there. Research shows higher than normal rates of domestic violence, divorce, human rights violations, and addiction in the prison guard population due to PTSD from witnessing traumatic events that occur during a prison guards typical day. This collateral damage no doubt adds considerably to health care costs, court costs, and to economic losses as family affairs are disrupted. The claim of economic value appears to be nothing but self-sabotage.

The idea that the proposed prison will create forever jobs in Letcher County is not supported by the experience of other states. In rural NY, similar to rural Eastern Kentucky, many prisons have closed. Some of those prison buildings have sat vacant for many years because their original structure makes them difficult and expensive to renovate. It would make more sense to skip the step that is more problematic and instead to begin working to design a more sustainable project.

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If Letcher County citizens cannot benefit from the proposed prison, then who stands to gain?

Our KY State Constitution (Section 25) and Federal 13th Amendment contain an exception clause that permits slavery when someone is convicted of a crime. While most of the world views slavery as a crime against humanity, our justice system capitalizes on that exception clause by requiring labor for little or no pay and with no recourse for abusive or poor working conditions. For example, in Federal prisons, inmates are paid $0.12 cents to $0.40 cents per hour, which is not nearly enough to cover basic hygiene supplies, phone calls, and emails to loved ones. These conditions meet the definition of slavery.

Kentucky already incarcerates 40% more people per capita than the national average and Eastern KY is known across the nation as the nations jailer. Is this an identity KY citizens want to foster? Surely we can claim more positive attributes as identity markers!

Ethical, moral, health, economic, and social concerns demand that we abandon the federal prison proposal and find a more viable and appropriate way to support Letcher County.

Patricia Gailey is an educator, coach, and author of Fundamentals of Well-Being: Four Qualities You Cant Live Without. See www.patriciagailey.com for more information.
The New York Times editorial board called on Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) to resign from the upper chamber on Friday if she continues to remain sidelined from Senate business, having been away from Washington since late February due to illness.

The board wrote that despite Feinsteins distinguished three-decade Senate career, her ongoing battle with shingles that has kept her away from Washington for more than two months is forcing Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to make a painful choice.

If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor, the board wrote. If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so.

The Times added that the call coincides with a stretch where vital legislation and judicial nominations are hanging on a knifes edge.

The editorial boards call comes after Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) all called for Feinstein to step aside.

It also comes days after Schumer confirmed to reporters he spoke with Feinstein on Sunday and that he is hopeful that she can return next week.

Feinsteins absence has been most acute on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where her absence has left Democrats at a 10/10 split and without its usual majority. After the panel canceled three markups during March, it has in the past two weeks advanced eight judicial nominations, including one more on Thursday.

More from The Hill

The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week. There has been no slowdown, Feinstein tweeted on Thursday. Im disappointed that Republicans are blocking a few in committee. Im confident that when I return, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees to the Senate floor for a vote.

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As she noted, Republicans have continued to put up a blockade against four nominees for a number of reasons. The most prominent is Michael Delaney, a nominee for the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals, who remains stuck over his handling of a sexual assault case at a boarding school in New Hampshire.

Prior to the Senates return from recess in mid-April, Feinstein called on the chamber to temporarily replace her on the Judiciary Committee, a move that would have required GOP cooperation. However, Republicans declined to do so and argued that the committee could continue its business without her.

Feinstein announced in mid-February that she would not seek a sixth term in the Senate.

The decision not to seek reelection came after years where she has rolled back her responsibilities, having stepped aside as the leading Democrat on the Judiciary Committee after she was criticized for her handling of Justice Amy Coney Barretts nomination.

She also declined to take on the role of Senate president pro tempore, which is third in line for the presidency and typically bestowed to the most senior member of the majority party. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) instead filled that position.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Washington  Will she or won't she be back? That's the question swirling around the Capitol as lawmakers ponder 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein's potential return this month amid questions about her health.

The longest-serving female senator has not cast a vote since mid-February after her hospitalization for shingles.

"I hope, just as she does, that she can come back as soon as possible," fellow Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla of California told CBS News.

The junior senator, who once served as a field representative for Feinstein, keeps in contact with his former boss-turned-colleague through messages and calls while she recuperates at her Northern California home.

"She appreciates the check-ins," Padilla said. "She's eager to get back and just waiting for the doctors to clear her to travel, frustrated that the recovery is taking longer than expected."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told reporters Wednesday he recently spoke with Feinstein and is "hopeful" the California Democrat could return to the Senate next week. Her office confirmed the call but cautioned that no date has been set for her to come back.

"Senator Feinstein continues to make progress in her recovery. However, we don't have a timeline yet for her return to Washington, which is dependent on her medical team saying it is safe to travel," a spokesperson said.

Feinstein's absence has ignited a political firestorm on both sides of the aisle. This week GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, a proponent of mental competency tests and congressional term limits, joined liberal Democrats in demanding Feinstein's ouster, although her argument was one that questioned Feinstein's mental fitness, rather than her physical fitness.

"I agree with several congressional Democrats who say Feinstein should resign immediately and let someone else who is able to do the job take over," Haley wrote in an op-ed. "At 89 years old, she is a prime example of why we need mental competency tests for politicians.

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The New York Times editorial board also weighed in Friday, calling on Feinstein to step down if she can't fulfill her obligations to the Senate and her 39 million constituents: "If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor. If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so."

Bay Area Rep. Ro Khanna has led the push for Feinstein's resignation, suggesting the senator's prolonged leave is costing Democrats votes on legislation and judicial nominees. Several "Squad" progressives have sided with Khanna, including New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

"Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the Judiciary," Ocasio-Cortez posted this week on the private social media app, BlueSky.

Feinstein issued a lengthy rebuttal Thursday dismissing claims that absence has impacted the pace of judicial nominations.

"The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week," Feinstein said in a written statement her office released. "There has been no slowdown."

Twenty-one district and circuit nominees have been confirmed by the Senate, 19 nominees have advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and four are awaiting a vote in committee, according to Feinstein's office.

"I'm confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote," Feinstein said in the statement.

Last month she requested a temporary replacement on the panel but it was blocked by Senate Republicans.

"I think that some people made some statements not realizing that the Republicans were never going to cooperate with the committee," said Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi. "So, why were they, why were these other people saying she should resign? That's up to the senator."

Pelosi hailed Feinstein as an "icon" and told CBS News "it's just a matter of when" she may return to the Capitol.

"With all due respect to all of the people who have served, and we owe them respect for when they are sick, for them to get well and to take the time to do it. That should apply to her as well as to all the others," said the San Francisco Democrat.

Feinstein announced in February she would not seek reelection at the end of her current term in 2024. If she stepped down before then, California Governor Gavin Newsom would appoint her replacement.

California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis declined to say if she has had any conversations with Newsom about the possibility but told CBS News she does not want the position if a temporary vacancy arises.

"I think first and foremost the governor is deeply respectful of Senator Feinstein and I am sure is in contact with her team and everyone is very much at this point expecting and hoping that the senator will return to Washington," said Kounalakis, who called Feinstein a "dear friend".

In March 2021, Newsom pledged to nominate a Black woman if Feinstein resigned.

"It's her decision, that's the bottom line," said veteran Rep. Maxine Waters, of Los Angeles. "If she steps down, he has made that commitment and I'm supporting Barbara Lee right now, who is running for the United States Senate, and I would suggest he appoint her."

Lee, a Bay Area Democrat, announced her Senate candidacy earlier this year and has tried to distance herself from calls by her campaign co-chair, Rep. Khanna, for Feinstein to resign.

"The congresswoman's primary concern is for Senator Feinstein's health, and she is wishing the senator a full recovery," a Lee campaign spokesperson said.

Democratic primary opponents Reps. Adam Schiff and Katie Porter also wished Feinstein well and have not spoken with her or her team.

"I'm mostly concerned about her well being and hope she comes back soon," Schiff said.

Porter told CBS News "voters will decide for themselves what to make of calls for Senator Feinstein's resignation" in next year's Senate race.

"My campaign is going to continue all the way to Election Day," Porter said. "I do think Senator Feinstein's absence, as with other situations that we've had, whether it's someone having a child, whether it's someone needing mental health care, all raise this larger question, structurally, institutionally, are we as a Congress able to adapt and accommodate foreseeable things?"

A dominant force for decades in Golden State politics, Feinstein was elected to the Senate in 1992 during the "year of the woman" after serving as mayor of San Francisco. While members of the California delegation remain largely deferential to the four-term Senator, some lawmakers are growing anxious as major votes approach in the narrowly divided Congress.

"I hope she gets better very quickly and gets back in the Senate because we've got to get those judges confirmed," Los Angeles Mayor and former Congresswoman Karen Bass told CBS News.

Rep. Judy Chu, of Southern California, said she is "very concerned" about the confirmation of Labor Secretary nominee Julie Su. Su's nomination cleared the Senate HELP committee last month but several Democrats have not committed to supporting her.

"That's one where I know every level vote will count," Chu said. "That's just one of many decisions though that are going to be taking place that need her vote on the floor."

Congress also faces an end of the month deadline to reach a deal on a debt limit increase before the U.S Treasury is projected to reach default in early June.

"Our expectation as House Democrats is that every senator is going to need to participate as we stave off House Republican attempts to get closer to default," said House Democratic Caucus Chair Rep. Pete Aguilar.. "So I look forward to her coming back and I look forward to her service."

Ellis Kim contributed to this report.

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FENNVILLE  In addition to choosing its next police chief, the Fennville City Commission approved and discussed several other ongoing city matters during a meeting Monday, May 1.

Commissioners approved a zoning variance that would see a duplex converted into a four-unit building, agreed to terminate a contract with a wireless provider over unpaid bills and held off on awarding a contract for building a partition wall at city hall for the relocation of the police department.

More: Fennville City Commission chooses new police chief

Zoning appeal approved

While acting as the Zoning Board of Appeals, commissioners voted in favor of a zoning variance for a property at 303 W. First St.

A prospective buyer for the building is looking to legally convert the duplex into a four-plex. At some point prior, the building had already been converted into a four-plex without getting proper approval.

In addition to choosing its next police chief, the Fennville City Commission approved and discussed several other ongoing city matters during a meeting Monday, May 1.

Commissioners voted 6-1 to pass the variance, with Jim Hayden voting against. He said it didn't meet all four criteria for a variance as required in the citys ordinance.

The buyer, Andrew Starring, is planning $170,000 in renovations at the property. During the meeting, he said he plans to live in one unit and rent out the other three as long-term rentals.

Contract termination

Through a unanimous vote, the commission agreed to terminate its contract with West Michigan Wireless, which had allowed the company to rent space on the citys water tower to place equipment.

The company is months behind on payments, according to a memo in Mondays meeting packet, and this isnt the first the agreement has been a problem.

In November, the company agreed to pay an outstanding bill of more than $2,300. As part of the agreement, the company was to pay $245 per month.

So far this year, the city has received just one payment of $245, with invoices for February, March and April still unpaid as of May 1.

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Commissioners instructed staff to give the company a date by which their equipment must be removed or the city would remove it for them. West Michigan Wireless still owes the city $2,155 in back rent and $120 for 2023, which the city will send to collections if not paid.

Police department move

Commissioners opted to delay selecting a contractor to build a partition in city hall that would allow the police department to move into the building. The move was approved in early October, but the commission has held off on approving a contract amid the ongoing police chief search.

With its next chief identified, commissioners will wait for his input on how to best integrate the department into city hall before moving forward.

 Contact reporter Mitchell Boatman at mboatman@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter @SentinelMitch.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Fennville OKs zoning variance, ends contract with wireless company
First Lady Jill Biden has touched down in the United Kingdom with her granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, ahead of the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

The First Lady of the United States is expected to attend the coronation ceremony tomorrow (6 May) at Westminster Abbey with her 23-year-old granddaughter. Ahead of Saturdays coronation, the daughter of President Joe Bidens son Hunter Biden joined the first lady during a meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks wife exploring veterans affairs and education.

For the outing, the 71-year-old university professor dressed in a hot pink coat and matching dress, while the first granddaughter opted for a navy blue suit. On Friday evening, Finnegan was again by her grandmothers side for a reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by the King. There, the two were seen chatting with the Princess of Wales inside the Palace.

According to the DailyMail, Finnegan is simply attending coronation weekend as her grandmothers guest. There is no official US delegation. Finnegan is a plus one, the White House said in a statement. As weve noted before with other family travel, historically, family members of Presidents have frequently joined them during travel. Current practices are consistent with those used by prior Administrations.

Finnegan Biden is one of President Bidens seven grandchildren. She is the second child of his eldest son, Hunter Biden, and his ex-wife, Kathleen Buhle. She was born on 9 September 2000 and is named after her paternal great-grandmother, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden.

Finnegan has an older sister, Naomi Biden, who was married on the White Houses South Lawn last November, and a younger sister named Maisy, who went to school with Sasha Obama. Her parents separated in 2015 and divorced in 2017.

In 2018, Hunters fourth child was born to Lunden Alexis Roberts in Arkansas, with a judge signing an order declaring Hunters paternity in early 2020. He married South African filmmaker Melissa Cohen in May 2019 and had a son with her in March 2020, named Beau Biden Jr.

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First Lady Jill Biden and Finnegan Biden arrive for reception at Buckingham Palace hosted by King Charles III for overseas guests attending his coronation (Getty Images)

Finnegan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2021 with a degree in history with a concentration in American studies, and a minor in art history. Her older sister Naomi celebrated her graduation with a touching Instagram post. BURSTING WITH PRIDE AND PERPETUALLY IN AWE OF MY FIRST LOVE AND LITTLE SIS, she capioned the post. Meanwhile, Finnegans Instagram account (@finneganbiden) is private.

As a student, Finnegan led a successful petition to extend the universitys pass/fail deadline in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. I was talking with a lot of my friends, she told UPenns student-run publication 34th Street Magazine at the time. They were expressing this sincere anxiety about the pass/fail deadline being in a different time zone, and not knowing if their families are going to get sick.

I was thinking of ways to enact change and to talk about it productively [so] the school might respond, and [the petition] seemed like the most productive [way] to show the school that the students really did care about this, she said.

It wasnt her first time getting involved in school politics. In high school, Finnegan fought to change her schools dress code. I started this campaign where all the girls came into school and surprised the faculty, which they hated, wearing T-shirts saying: Im not the distraction. That was the first time I actually saw sincere impact [from] something I did because we got rid of the dress code and had a forum at our school about it, she also revealed to the publication.

Finnegan Biden meets with Akshata Murty, wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at 10 Downing Street on 6 May 2023 in London, England (Getty Images)

Finnegan also joined her grandparents on the campaign trail around the US during the 2020 presidential race, and even encouraged young Americans to vote by hosting an event with the Young Democrats of America.

Its not unusual that Finnegan has joined her grandmother in the UK for the Kings coronation. Last June, she and her sister Maisy accompanied the president and first lady in Spain for a meeting of NATO countries.

In addition to Finnegan, President Joe Biden is also a grandfather to Naomi Biden, 29, Maisy Biden, 21, Natalie Biden, 18, Robert Hunter Biden II, 16, Beau Biden Jr, two, and Hunter Bidens daughter Navy Joan Roberts who he fathered with Lunden Roberts in 2018.

The Bidens appearance in the UK comes after President Joe Biden received criticism for sending his wife to the coronation in his place. Former president Donald Trump hit out at Biden for his disrespectful decision to not attend the service. I was surprised when I heard that he wasnt coming, said Trump. I think its very disrespectful for him not to be there.

No American president has ever attended a British coronation. Instead, the White House confirmed that Biden would travel to the UK for a state visit in the near future.
First lady Jill Biden on Thursday kicked off a trip to the United Kingdom for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday.

Headed to the U.K. for the Coronation of King Charles III  the first in 70 years! Biden wrote in an Instagram post, sharing a photo of herself waving from a planes boarding stairs.

Its an honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries, she added.

The impending coronation of King Charles comes seven decades after the coronation of his mother and royal predecessor, Queen Elizabeth II. The queen died last September, ending what was the longest reign for a British head of state in the nations history.

King Charles is now set to be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London this weekend alongside his wife, Camilla, who will be made queen consort. According to Buckingham Palace, the pair will be attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 people, including members of the royal family, the representatives of 203 countries, and roughly 100 heads of state.

President Biden spoke last month with King Charles, according to the White House, to congratulate the monarch on the impending coronation and announce that the first lady would be attending on behalf of the U.S. He also stressed the U.K.-U.S. friendship and conveyed his desire to meet with the King in the United Kingdom at a future date.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
First Lady Jill Biden will attend King Charles III's coronation on Saturday, representing the United States in the historic event despite President Joe Biden's absence.

"Headed to the U.K. for the Coronation of King Charles III  the first in 70 years!" the first lady wrote in an Instagram post Thursday. "Its an honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries."

Over 2,000 guests including many heads of state, will gather at Westminster Abbey for the coronation, scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6 and starts at 11 a.m. in London, which is 6 a.m. Eastern Time.

The First Lady posted on Instagram her arrival in the United Kingdom for King Charles IIs coronation.

The White House commented on President Biden's absence noting that no U.S. president has attended any of the seven coronations of a British monarch since the country declared independence in 1776.

WHITE HOUSE'S KARINE JEAN-PIERRE STUMBLES WHEN PRESSED ON BIDEN ABSENCE AT KING CHARLES' CORONATION

In June 1953, former President Dwight D. Eisenhower did not travel to Queen Elizabeths crowning. Instead, he sent a delegation on his behalf including the former Secretary of State George Marshall; Gen. Omar Bradley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and then-California Gov. Earl Warren.

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U.S. President Joe Biden, accompanied by the First Lady Jill Biden signs a book of condolence at Lancaster House in London, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 18, 2022 in London, England.

Queen Elizabeth II and First Lady Jill Biden at Windsor Castle on June 13, 2021 in Windsor, England.

At a Wednesday, May 3 press conference, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stumbled while responding to why the president was not attending the anticipated event. The press secretary touted the presidents "good relationship" with the King and assured that he plans to meet with King Charles in the future.

"The president had about a 25-minute, 30-minute call with the King Charles III, during which he congratulated the King  I think we put that out last night  to his upcoming coronation, and they had a very friendly conversation," Jean-Pierre told one reporter who asked why Biden was not attending as head of state. "They have a good relationship with the King. He talked about how he enjoyed meeting  visiting  the Queen, I should say, back in 2021  he and the first lady, at Windsor. And he hoped to visit again soon."

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PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE'S LAST-MINUTE POWER PLAY AHEAD OF KING CHARLES' CORONATION: EXPERT

The Bidens were last in London together in September for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II after her death on Sept. 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Buckingham Palace shared the invitation for the Coronation, which will have 2,000 guests in Westminster Abbey on May 6.

Last month, the royal family released the official coronation invitation featuring exquisite details.

The coronation invitation was designed by Andrew Jamieson, hand-painted in watercolor with gold foil detailing, and printed on recycled material. Details of the invitation include the floral emblems of the UK, a British wildflower meadow and wildlife, alongside the official coat of arms.

Central to the invitation is the motif of the Green Man, a figure from British folklore, symbolic of spring and rebirth, to celebrate the new reign, the Royal family's website announced.
A Go First airline preparing to take off from Mumbai on Tuesday

In India's bustling airports, the counters of one airline are conspicuously empty.

Earlier this week, budget airline Go First abruptly filed for bankruptcy protection and cancelled its flights for a few days. While the airline has assured refunds to customers, its agents are busy fielding calls from irate passengers.

Reports say that lessors of 20 aircraft to Go First have also asked India's aviation regulator to deregister them, paving the way for their return.

The chaotic scenes bring back memories of 2019 when Jet Airways, which was India's biggest airline at the time, went bust. Go First is the first major Indian airline in four years to follow Jet.

The National Company Law Tribunal heard its bankruptcy plea on Thursday - the airline has asked for interim directions from the court to allow it to function, and also sought restrictions on any adverse action from the regulator.

Go First says its woes are not due to financial mismanagement but rather, because of engine issues. The company says in its bankruptcy filings that it has not missed a single debt repayment deadline so far.

It has blamed US engine maker Pratt & Whitney for having had to ground many of its planes "due to the ever-increasing number of failing engines" supplied by it - this, the airline says, caused a severe cash flow problem.

Go First says it was forced to ground 25 aircraft - about half of its fleet of Airbus A320neo planes - leading to about 108bn rupees ($1.3bn; 1bn) in lost revenue and expenses. According to aviation analytics firm Cirium, Go First was scheduled to operate 6,225 flights in May, equating to over 1.1 million seats.

The airline has accused Pratt & Whitney of not following an order by an emergency arbitrator, which included supplying "at least 10 serviceable spare leased engines by 27 April 2023".

Pratt & Whitney said in response that it was "complying with the March 2023 arbitration ruling" and it could not comment further as "this is now a matter of litigation".

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Around 90% of Go First's fleet is made up of A320neos with Pratt & Whitney engines.

Since 2020, the planes have been grounded due to non-availability of spare parts and a delay in the supply of retrofitted engines from the engine maker. Having almost half its fleet unavailable had affected flight schedules and led to frequent cancellations.

Go First was the fifth largest airline in India based on scheduled departures. Its management has said that the airline's owners - the Wadia Group - have no plans to exit. The insolvency proceedings are aimed at reviving the airline and not selling it, Go First's CEO Kaushik Khona told Reuters news agency.

India's domestic air traffic is expected to rise to 350 million passengers by 2030

The Indian aviation sector has grown at a fast pace. But several airlines have also been grounded or forced to consolidate due to financial distress from increased competition, excessive debt and rising costs - Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Air Deccan, Paramount Airways and MDLR airlines to name a few.

Jet Airways has so far been unable to restart operations despite getting approvals as it is facing a lengthy insolvency process.

Mark Martin, founder and CEO of aviation consultancy firm Martin Consulting, says this is the first time an India-based airline is collapsing due to a component supply issue.

Go First says that it was a consistently profitable airline with a gradual expansion strategy till 2020, when it was hit by the problem of serial engine failures.

The deterioration in the company's financial performance was also exacerbated by the pandemic, which hit air travel, the company said in its bankruptcy filing.

Some of Go First's leased planes have been repossessed by leasing companies due to non-payment of rental dues. Oil marketing companies had sought an immediate payment model and as revenues shrank, it was finding it hard to make daily payments for fuel.

Jet Airways went bust in 2019

Despite consistent investments from the Wadia Group - 32bn rupees in three years - and an emergency credit line from the government (set up to help businesses cope with the impact of the pandemic), the airline's operations stalled.

Go First's collapse underscores the fierce competition in the country's airline sector, which has seen one of the strongest air traffic recoveries post the pandemic.

Domestic airlines carried more than 37.5 million passengers in the first three months of 2023, up 51.7% compared from a year ago.

According to CAPA Centre for Aviation, India's domestic air traffic is expected to rise to 350 million passengers by 2030.

The Go Air crisis may help rivals such as IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and new entrants like Akasa Air grab a larger chunk of the market share.

But customers won't have such a good time. Fares on Go First's routes are expected to jump sharply by as much as 50-60% in the next three-four months, reckons Mr Martin.

"If Go First shuts down, more than 50 aircraft will be grounded. Other airlines are also strapped. The demand is quite high and existing airlines do not even have the capacity to cater to that," he says.

The Go First crisis may help rivals such as IndiGo, India's largest passenger airline

Experts say the industry will also have to contend with engines and aircraft supply chain issues.

IndiGo, the country's biggest airline by market share, has also been affected by the Pratt and Whitney engine glitch.

Between IndiGo and Go First, 60 aircraft have been grounded due to lack of spare parts. But IndiGo is in a better place as it has a fleet of more than 250 aircraft, many of which run on other engines.

SpiceJet has been battling financial distress and posting huge losses every quarter. It has also been plagued by an unusually high number of snags in the past year, with the airline regulator keeping a close watch.

However, the overall growth story of the Indian aviation market is still intact, and will mostly be driven by two or three players, experts say.

In November, the country's second and third largest carriers - Air India and Vistara - announced that they planned to merge. In February, Air India also set a global record by ordering 470 aircraft from Europe's Airbus and US-based Boeing.

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BOGOTA (Reuters) - Flights returning Colombians found by immigration officers at the U.S. border with Mexico to their home country will resume beginning next week, Colombia's migration agency said on Friday.

The agency said this week it had temporarily suspended the program, citing cruel and degrading treatment and last-minute flight cancellations.

The number of Colombians trying to migrate north to the U.S. has soared in recent years, with more than 125,000 apprehended at the United States' southern border in 2022, according U.S Customs and Borders Protection (CBP), up from around 6,200 in 2021.

"The agreements that we have reached with the North American authorities are the following: the flights for returning people will restart from next week and there are two working groups, with a human rights perspective, which will create two protocols to guarantee the integrity of returning travelers," migration agency director Fernando Garcia said in a video statement.

(Reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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A city synonymous with the destructive effects of poverty could soon teach America a lesson in how to fight it.

The city is Flint, Michigan. You may remember the horrific circumstances that made it a focus of national attention: In late 2014, the city changed its drinking water source and failed to follow safety protocols. Water started corroding the citys lead pipes, exposing residents to toxic levels of a substance that can have particularly devastating effects on the developing brains of children.

The tragedy was entirely preventable, as my colleague Arthur Delaney documented at HuffPost and as journalist Anna Clark later detailed in an award-winning book. Right after the switch, many of Flints relatively poor, majority Black residents had complained about water with a foul taste and smell. The state officials in charge ignored them, until scientists provided overwhelming evidence of the contamination.

One of those scientists was Mona Hanna-Attisha, an acclaime Flint pediatrician who was caring for some of those children and is still doing so today. Although tests now show lower levels of lead in the citys water, she worries about all of the other hazards the kids in her clinic face, and in particular the hazards that come from growing up in deep poverty.

Hunger. Poor access to health care. Toxins from old, dilapidated housing. The list goes on  and the effects linger, poisoning Flints children just as surely as lead in the water did. Research over the last two decades has linked these conditions to health problems later in life, and even to premature death.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha testifies during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 2016.

Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha testifies during a committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., Feb. 10, 2016.

Weve known that growing up in poverty is bad since the days of Charles Dickens, Hanna-Attisha told me. But now we know the science of why it is bad. We know how it messes up the brains of children, how it is implicated in chronic disease and injuries and life expectancy.

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Hanna-Attisha says she would like to protect her patients from poverty in the same way she protects them from infectious disease, malnutrition and other health hazards. Now she has teamed up with a high-profile researcher on a proposal to do just that, by providing direct, unconditional cash payments for every expectant mother and newborn.

They hope the program could be a model for elsewhere in the U.S.  and, eventually, the country as a whole. But first they have to prove it works in Flint. And they cant do that until they get enough money to launch it.

A Simple Proposal: Money For Newborns

Their project traces back to last year, when Michigan State University asked faculty to submit proposals for one big idea to promote better health. Hanna-Attisha, who is an MSU professor and author of her own award-winning book on the water crisis, decided to propose a child cash allowance for Flint, modeled on payments that other economically advanced nations have long provided for families.

The concept of offering child allowances (or similarly structured guaranteed basic income payments) was already familiar in the U.S., with experimental programs underway in cities like Atlanta, Denver and Los Angeles. But those were smaller, narrowly targeted initiatives. Flints version would make payments to all expectant parents and newborns within city limits, something feasible because of the citys relatively small size.

Hanna-Attisha didnt win the MSU competition. But she kept working on the proposal, refining it based on feedback from community leaders and parents, and eventually reached out to H. Luke Shaefer, a University of Michigan professor shed seen quoted in articles on poverty.

Shaefer runs the universitys Poverty Solutions project, which both studies and develops anti-poverty initiatives, and hes the co-author of a widely cited book on low-income Americans called $2.00 a Day. (Hes also an associate dean at Michigans Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, where I teach a one-semester class.)

Im really excited about ... the opportunity to do something that makes a statement that raising kids is expensive  and that society has a reason to come alongside parents in that work.H. Luke Shaefer, director of the Poverty Solutions project at the University of Michigan

As a longtime advocate for unconditional cash grants, Shaefer had watched with delight as a temporary version of the idea became reality as part of federal COVID-19 relief efforts, contributing to a dramatic and historic decline in child poverty. Then he watched with dismay as the initiative ended when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) refused to support an extension, effectively killing it in the Senate.

Shaefer was eager to find a way of reviving the idea  and now Hanna-Attisha was approaching him with one.

The two got together with Eric Finegood, an MSU developmental scientist, at the downtown Flint farmers market that shares a building with Hanna-Attishas clinic. Over a lunch that included a Greek salad and a vegetarian Rueben half-sandwich, they hashed out a more detailed version of the concept with calculations that Shaefer made on the back of a napkin.

That discussion became the basis of a full-blown proposal for a program that would provide every expectant mother in Flint with $1,500 during pregnancy, followed by $500 a month for the first year of a newborns life, for a total of $7,500 per child.

A Prescription For Fighting Poverty

They have named the initiative Rx Kids (Hanna-Attisha likes to call it an anti-poverty pill) and have been pitching to funders intensely since January, in the hopes of raising enough money to start the full program in January 2024.

The proposal has gotten some attention in the local and state press, including a feature piece that just ran at the Michigan Advance. Last month, Hanna-Attisha and Shaefer landed a massive financial commitment when the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation, which is based in Flint, pledged $15 million.

Motts contribution would provide about half of what Hanna-Attisha and Shaefer say the program needs to run for three years. But its in the form of a matching grant. To get the money, Hanna-Attisha and Shaefer have to raise at least that much from other sources, and more still if they want to reach their goal of funding the program for five years.

They say theyve already identified some prospects, both private and public. The first time I heard about their efforts, in early March, theyd just returned from a whirlwind trip to Washington, where they met with White House officials and four Michigan lawmakers on Capitol Hill. But every prospective donor has other potentially worthy projects to fund, and theres only so much money to go around.

The Flint Water Plant tower is seen Jan. 13, 2016, in Flint, Michigan, following revelations of lead contamination in the water supply.

The Flint Water Plant tower is seen Jan. 13, 2016, in Flint, Michigan, following revelations of lead contamination in the water supply.

When making the pitch for Rx Kids, Hanna-Attisha emphasizes the importance of reaching expectant parents and newborns  and how, in a world of limited resources, it makes sense to focus initially on that first year of life.

Babies need stuff  theyre expensive, Hanna-Attisha said. Child care is expensive. Parental leave policies are limited. So this is when poverty spikes and, once again, this is maddening as a pediatrician, because this is when child development is the most critical. It is in this year of life that the brains double in size.

She and Shaefer also point to the connection with health care specifically. Expectant and new parents would have a variety of ways to enroll, but the hope is that most would sign up through their primary care doctors, providing extra incentive to get prenatal and newborn care.

One other selling point is that Rx Kids would provide an opportunity to test the concept at a scale not available through the smaller, more narrow pilot programs already in operation.

Im really excited about not doing a lottery, and having the opportunity to do something that makes a statement that raising kids is expensive  and that society has a reason to come alongside parents in that work, Shaefer said.

Im just really grateful to be able to do something like this in Flint, he added.

A New Idea, Some Old Debates

Theres a trade-off to making an allowance available to all families: Some of the benefits will end up going to relatively affluent households.

But in Flint, at least, that percentage is bound to be small, given that 60% of kids live in poverty. And with no income test, giving out the money becomes a lot simpler, both for whoever is giving out the money and for whoever is getting it.

That is no small thing. Research on other government assistance programs has shown consistently that people eligible for benefits frequently dont get them when government agencies make it difficult to declare and verify eligibility.

Theres no means test, Shaefer said. People dont have to worry, Am I above or below the [income] line?

A more fundamental criticism of the concept is one conservatives in particular have raised over the years  namely, that unconditional cash payments to poor people will discourage them from working.

Living in poverty has been normalized, and I really feel like a lot of families do not believe that they are worthy of living a better life.Alison Littlejohn, Flint social worker and parent

The Wall Street Journal editorial page raised this possibility in 2021, warning that Democratic proposals to extend the temporary COVID-era payments would lead to a life of diminished opportunity for children. They cited, as evidence, projections from University of Chicago economists showing a decline in labor participation.

But even that study found a modest reduction in child poverty. It also assumed that new cash assistance would replace some existing programs, altering work incentives. Subsequent studies of the effects of the COVID-era assistance, including one that Shaefer co-authored, found no major effects on labor participation.

Rx Kids could provide more definitive evidence of what unconditional cash payments would mean in practice. The proposal sets aside a small share of funding to conduct ongoing research into the benefits effects, not just on metrics like income and health care utilization but also on community-wide measures like economic development and even faith in government.

If the results line up with the evidence from smaller pilot programs and the temporary pandemic assistance, they would provide some of the most compelling arguments yet for introducing similar initiatives on a broader scale, even nationally.

New Possibilities For Flint

Still, the most immediate and maybe the most important impact would be on the residents of Flint.

Ive been sharing the idea with patients, which is so hard because it hasnt started yet  I feel guilty sharing it with babies already born, Hanna-Attisha said. But theres this reaction of, Oh my gosh, this would help me pay for my groceries and my rent. I would buy books and we would sign them up for summer camp and then child care. Theres just real joy.

Ashley Dozier, a lifelong Flint resident who works at a nonprofit service organization, agrees with all of that  and says the assistance can be especially important when families face a crisis, as hers did when her youngest daughter was born premature at 25 weeks.

Dozier had to take an early and extended leave from work, which meant less income, while she and her husband took turns commuting to the University of Michigans childrens hospital, an hour away in Ann Arbor, where their baby was getting intensive care. Suddenly they were dealing with reduced income and new expenses, including gas and extra care for their three older kids.

This is when poverty spikes ... This is maddening as a pediatrician, because this is when child development is the most critical.Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, Flint pediatrician and Michigan State University professor

Dozier said they got by with help from family and friends. But as she conveyed to Hanna-Attisha as part of the group providing feedback, many parents cant depend on that kind of support.

Any extra help makes a difference, Dozier told me. The program is a great asset for those that have it all together. And its extremely helpful for those that are struggling.

Alison Littlejohn, a Flint social worker and parent who also offered feedback on the proposal, said she thinks it could have broader, more psychological effects, especially for Black families like hers.

Living in poverty has been normalized, and I really feel like a lot of families do not believe that they are worthy of living a better life, Littlejohn said. I think that this is an opportunity for a lot of families to experience what its like to have money to be able to be responsible, to take care of their basic needs  that elevates their confidence, and their self-worth and their value.

Related...
(Reuters) - Florida's Senate on Thursday passed a bill that will allow a tourism board appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to cancel development agreements its predecessor body signed, the latest salvo against the Walt Disney Co from the conservative leader.

Under the bill, which now goes to DeSantis for signing into law, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board, appointed by DeSantis to oversee development in and around Disney's theme parks, can cancel agreements that were signed up to three months before the board's creation.

The board was formed by Florida's legislature in February. It replaced the Reedy Creek Improvement District as the body overseeing the 25,000 acres surrounding the Walt Disney World resort.

Disney did not reply to a request for comment on the bill.

Disney, the largest employer in central Florida, and DeSantis, a Republican, have been feuding since last year, when Disney criticized a state measure banning classroom discussion of sexuality and gender identity with younger children.

DeSantis, who is expected to soon declare his candidacy for U.S. president, has repeatedly attacked "woke Disney" in public remarks.

Disney last month filed a lawsuit in federal court, accusing DeSantis of illegally using state power to punish the company for exercising its free speech rights.

The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District board responded with its own lawsuit in a state court this week, saying it sought to void "backroom deals" favorable to Disney.

(Reporting by Brad Brooks in Lubbock, Texas; Editing by Mary Milliken and Sonali Paul)
In a mostly party-line vote Thursday, Florida senators approved a bill to dissolve a development agreement struck between Disney and the former Disney-controlled Reedy Creek Improvement District board that handed much of the districts powers to the company.

The two-part agreement gave Disney maximum development rights on its own land for 30 years, and granted the company veto power over changes to other properties within the district for roughly the next century.

SB1604 never mentioned Disney specifically, but didnt hide what it was designed to do  the governor even mentioned that during a press conference previewing the bill in April.

READ: New Reedy Creek board looks to reverse control deal with Disney

An independent special district is precluded from complying with the terms of any development agreement which is executed within 3 months preceding the effective date of a law modifying the manner of selecting members of the governing body of the independent special district from election to appointment or from appointment to election, lawmakers wrote.

On paper, Reedy Creeks new board can resume business as usual once DeSantis puts his pen to the bill, but legal analysts say in practice that wont be the case.

First, Disney will most likely use the courts to block any actions the new board tries to take, whether it be donating land to a competing theme park or telling the company it cant build whatever it wants. There are two lawsuits currently at play, one filed by each side. This bill was already cited in Disneys federal lawsuit claiming unconstitutional government retaliation.

READ: DeSantis: Legislature will revoke development agreement passed by former Reedy Creek board

Second, while the government has the power to override development agreements, lawyers say it doesnt have the authority to target one specific document.

Its something that governments and corporations do all the time, attorney Jacob Schumer said.

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Third, attorneys agree Floridas government doesnt have the power to override restrictive covenants, which are the official name for the restrictions Reedy Creek bound itself to for the duration of King Charles descendants lives, even though SB 1604 made an effort.

The governor has not indicated when or where he will sign the bill. Disney representatives did not return a request for comment Thursday.

READ: Disney v. DeSantis: Heres a timeline of the battle between Floridas governor, theme park giant

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Gov. Ron DeSantis has presidential-size ambitions this year, and state lawmakers are giving him a budget to match.

With the governor potentially days away from announcing an anticipated run for president in 2024, legislators on Friday approved a record $117 billion spending plan that gives DeSantis another political springboard into the race.

On the final day of the legislative session, lawmakers assigned tens of millions of dollars to pursue DeSantis political goals  from reshaping New College of Florida to flying migrants around the country. Theyre assigning millions more to fend off the inevitable lawsuits that will follow.

Lawmakers also continued to expand the executive branch, which has seen its budget grow nearly 600% since DeSantis took office.

DeSantis big-government conservatism has prompted Republican lawmakers to open up the checkbook, spending billions to expand social programs, preserve the environment and give state workers pay raises.

The spending even has the approval of Democrats, who voted unanimously for the budget on Friday.

READ MORE: Monorail system is the latest target of DeSantis campaign against Disney

Republican leaders have justified the spending by pointing to the states booming sales tax revenues. They are required to pass a balanced budget, so if the revenue is there, they can spend it. The state has also been helped by billions of federal dollars from the Biden administration.

People say were spending money left and right, said Sen. Debbie Mayfield, R-Melbourne. But our economy is growing and we have the money to spend, and were spending it all in the right places.

Gov. Ron DeSantis gives his assessment of the 2023 Florida legislative session, in the Cabinet room of the Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday, May 5, 2023.

DeSantis agenda

Lawmakers funded nearly every DeSantis agenda item this year.

They approved another $12 million to continue DeSantis migrant flights, even though the current program has only done one trip with 49 migrants to Marthas Vineyard last year. Theyre assigning $109 million to expand DeSantis Florida State Guard, although Republican senators were doubting a few weeks ago that the fledgling organization could spend the money.

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Lawmakers are also supporting DeSantis wish to impose conservative ideology on the states education system.

A plan to offer every K-12 school-aged child in Florida a voucher or education savings account, regardless of family income, comes with a projected total cost of $2.2 billion.

New College of Florida is receiving $25 million in state funds to help recruit faculty and students and offer salary increases to its top deputies. The influx of money comes months after DeSantis picked a group of hard-line conservative loyalists to shake up the liberal arts college.

READ MORE: Anti-vaccine Florida surgeon general confirmed for second term. Concerns about whats next

We are investing in New College, House Higher Education Appropriations Subcommittee chairperson Jason Shoaf, R-Port St. Joe, said Thursday. The governor has put a lot of emphasis on making sure that all of our institutions are at peak performance.

DeSantis has said that he wants to remake the university in the image of Hillsdale College, a private Christian school in Michigan that is highly influential in the conservative world.

Lawmakers also assigned $30 million to the Hamilton Center for Classical and Civic Education, a new conservative school affiliated with the University of Florida. The center is meant to educate students on issues such as the principles, ideals and institutions of the American political order.

While the governor asked for the additional money this year, the centers creation last year was pushed by a mystery group affiliated with conservatives and religious groups.

The sergeants-at-arms complete the traditional hanky drop that signifies the end of the legislative session in the rotunda of the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday, May 5, 2023. At left is House Speaker Paul Renner, and at right is Senate President Kathleen Passidomo.

Lawmakers are also assigning tens of millions of dollars to support DeSantis decisions.

After his administration this year banned local governments from using Chinese-made drones, lawmakers assigned $25 million to help police replace the drones.

DeSantis Department of State, which has been bombarded by lawsuits over Republicans many changes to the states voting laws, is getting another $2.8 million for litigation expenses.

The Attorney Generals Office is getting an additional $5 million for legal expenses related to COVID-19 vaccines. The university system Board of Governors was assigned $2 million for litigation.

We want the governor to be in a comfortable position to be able to speak his mind, said Sen. Doug Broxson, R-Gulf Breeze, when asked about the litigation expenses.

Democrats pointed out that the spending flies in the face of historic GOP beliefs.

The days of the Republicans being the voice of small government are long gone, said House Minority Leader Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa.

Limited government?

In his latest book, DeSantis makes no mention of the need to reduce the size of government but instead elaborates on his strategy of using expansive government power to protect individual freedoms against what he called the woke mind virus.

DeSantis philosophy is a shift from two decades ago, when Jeb Bush was governor and the Republican-led Legislature proudly cut over $1 billion on a $50 billion budget.

I dont think government grew back then as much as its probably grown now, former GOP House Speaker John Thrasher said in an interview with the Herald/Times in March. And it seems to be growing more because the budget seems to be getting bigger, and the economy is getting bigger.

The Executive Office of the Governors budget has been by far the fastest-growing of any state agency since 2017, the year before DeSantis took office, although it includes the Division of Emergency Management, which has received hundreds of millions of new dollars since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Although Democrats were critical of some of the priorities, they praised the new spending across state government.

Every state worker is getting a 5% pay raise. Lawmakers still refuse to expand Medicaid, but they are spending more than $20 million expanding the health insurance program for low-income children this year. Theyre spending nearly $80 million to serve several hundred people waiting for Medicaid services, although thousands remain on the wait list.

Senate President Kathleen Passidomo remarks on the success of the 2023 legislative session in the Capitol in Tallahassee on Friday, May 5, 2023.

The state is spending $7.7 million to study food insecurity and more than $2 million to boost the call center to apply for state assistance, noted Esteban Leonardo Santis, a policy analyst at the progressive Florida Policy Institute.

And legislators are spending a record $711 million for affordable housing projects and $1 billion for environmental programs and land purchases.

Local projects requested by House Democrats, who make up less than a third of representatives, are just 5.6% of the $2.8 billion in House member projects, according to Democrats analysis. But every Democrat in the House has at least one local project in the budget, Republicans noted.

There is fabulous consensus when it comes to this budget, said Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando.

How much of the budget survives DeSantis veto pen remains to be seen. Last year, DeSantis touted record vetoes on his way to cutting $3 billion from lawmakers $112 billion budget, including some of the top priorities of Republican leaders. This year, he indicated he wouldnt have to make so many cuts.

And he indicated the budget will give him plenty of headlines over the next several weeks.

Buckle up over the next days and weeks, DeSantis said Thursday. Therell be a lot of good stuff that well be highlighting based off what weve been able to do working with the Legislature.

Miami Herald staff writer Grethel Aguila contributed to this report.
According to recent U.S. Census data, there were 22,244,823 people living in Florida as of last July.

However, on numerous occasions during this years legislative session, lawmakers seemed to target their efforts toward pleasing one person: Gov. Ron DeSantis.

At least in some cases, they could claim the people they were elected to serve would benefit collaterally from measures aimed at padding the governors political resume ahead of an expected 2024 presidential bid. Not so with a law tweaked for the apparent benefit of DeSantis and DeSantis only.

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Opinion DeSantis dooms Dems; unicorn, leadership way back, ex-Treasure Coast reps say

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks at a Prescription Drug Reform Act press conference at Florida Atlantic University's Town of Jupiter campus in Jupiter, Fla, on May 3, 2023.

Buried deep within a 96-page Senate Bill 7050, approved by the Legislature and awaiting the governor's signature as of this writing, is an exception to the state's "resign to run" law for anyone running for president or vice president.

There was some debate about whether the provision was necessary, but a reading of the plain language of the law suggests state or local officeholders would need to resign their posts to seek either of the two highest federal offices.

There is good reason for having this law in place. It's difficult for someone to do an effective job of representing constituents at one level of government while actively seeking election to a different office.

In 2022, for example, Vero Beach Mayor Robbie Brackett resigned from his city post to run for a seat in the state House of Representatives. (Brackett's just one of many elected Treasure Coast officeholders who had to resign their seats in search of another office.)

It would be difficult if, for example, a governor tried to juggle the numerous responsibilities associated with managing the nation's third most-populous state while running a national campaign for the better part of two years.

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Florida House Speaker Paul Renner, at left, watches as Gov. Ron DeSantis signs legislation cracking down on use of environmental, social and corporate governance policies. Duval County School Board member April Carney, third from left, was among those at the bill signing ceremony in Jacksonville on May 2, 2023 at the JaxPort cruise terminal.

DeSantis hasn't officially announced plans to run for president, although it's been widely expected for months that he will. At times over the past few months, when he's been traveling to politically important states like Iowa or going on overseas "trade missions," it has felt like we've already lost our governor to the campaign trail.

He's also taken some actions, like shipping a bunch of immigrants from Texas to Martha's Vineyard, that seemed directed more toward winning national Republican primary voters and donors than improving lives of people in his home state.

DeSantis was re-elected in a landslide last November. Presumably, a fair number of the people who voted for him did so with expectations he would serve a full four-year term. Instead, he seems poised  maybe within days of the Legislature's adjournment  to end all the speculation by officially launching his campaign.

It'll ultimately be up to the voters, in Florida and elsewhere, to let DeSantis know if they approve of his planned job hopping. In the meantime, Floridians of all political stripes will suffer if his attention is divided.

Florida has been down this road before. The state repealed the "resign to run" law for federal office seekers when Charlie Crist, then a Republican governor, was on a short list of potential running mates for John McCain. The prohibition on running for federal office while holding a state or local office was reactivated in 2018.

It was sensible to reinstate the restriction then, and it would be sensible to keep it in place now. Changes in state law shouldn't be made to benefit one person, even if most legislators really like that person and maybe think he could help them with their own political careers down the road. ("An ambassadorship to Malta? Why, thank you, Mr. President.")

Imagine the fits Republicans would have had years ago if then-Gov. Lawton Chiles had decided to challenge politically vulnerable President George H.W. Bush in 1992. Given the way the state has trended politically in recent years, Republicans might have a hard time imagining a Democrat ever being in that position again.

Political fortunes often change suddenly and unexpectedly, though. And anyone serving as Florida's governor will automatically be considered a top presidential contender by whichever political party he or she represents.

Do we really want the highest office in Florida government to be held by a succession of presidential wannabes who care more about pleasing Iowa farmers than Floridians struggling to find affordable housing and insurance? Of course not.

Ron DeSantis certainly has a right to run for president. But he and any future Florida officeholders shouldn't have the right to do it at the expense of constituents who have already given them their trust.

Editorials published by TCPalm/Treasure Coast Newspapers are decided collectively by its editorial board. To respond to this editorial with a letter to the editor, email up to 300 words to TCNLetters@TCPalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: 'Fixing' Florida's 'resign to run' law for DeSantis a big mistake?
Florida voters could take abortion policies out of the Legislature and Supreme Courts hands next year if activists successfully get a proposed referendum on the 2024 ballot.

On Monday, Floridians Protecting Freedom, a Planned Parenthood-backed group, will formally announce their effort to write protections into the state constitution, which would keep abortions legal until a fetus viability, rather than the 15 weeks or six weeks that conservatives have pushed.

Activists believe they have the voters on their side, citing polls that shows 64% of the states voters believe abortions should be legal in all or most cases.

The decision to have an abortion belongs to Floridians, their families, and those they trust  this campaign is an opportunity to ensure those protections remain in our state constitution, a press release said.

Read: Florida House passes 6-week abortion ban; when it should take effect

The activists behind the effort told Politico they will put millions of dollars into the campaign, which is starting relatively late for a ballot initiative. A proposed referendum on marijuana legalization has already collected almost all of the more than 800,000 signatures needed for consideration.

The backers of the referendum will have until Feb. 1 to gather the required number of signatures from each corner of the state.

Read: Orlando abortion clinic faces fine over waiting period

The referendum will undergo a review by the Florida Supreme Court to make sure the language is not unconstitutional or confusing to voters.

According to a Planned Parenthood spokesman, the proposed language will be:

Read: Record number of women traveled to Florida for abortions in 2022, data shows

No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patients health, as determined by the patients healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislatures constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

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Idaho stargazers have plenty to look forward to in May, including a festive full moon and a chance to see meteors potentially.

The Flower Moon will peak at 11:34 p.m. local time Friday and appear full from early Thursday morning to early Sunday morning, according to NASA.

As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full moon, NASAs website states. Enjoy the flowers of spring!

If youre hoping to glimpse the Flower Moon while it appears full and dark enough to shine, Saturday night might be your best bet, according to the National Weather Service Boise offices forecast.

Unfortunately for Boiseans, most of southern Idaho will deal with rain through the weekend. The Treasure Valley has a 60% chance of rain on Friday night and a 30% chance on Saturday night.

Heres what to know about the Flower Moon and more upcoming sights to see in the night sky.

Where does the Flower Moon get its name?

The name Flower Moon is attributed to the Algonquin peoples, according to the Old Farmers Almanac. As you might expect, it celebrates the flowers springing across North America in early May.

Mays full moon also goes by these names, according to NASA:

Corn or Corn Planting Moon

Milk Moon (old English name)

Hares Moon

Vesak or Buddha Purnima (Vesak is a Buddhist holiday.)

Full moon rises behind cross on the steeple of the Church of the Nativity, Episcopal in Huntsville, Ala. Friday, April 6, 2012. Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday following the first full moon following the vernal equinox. (AP Photo/The Huntsville Times,Bob Gathany)

More full moons in 2023

Heres the rest of this years full moon calendar, with information from Space.com:

June 3: Strawberry Moon

July 3: Buck Supermoon

Aug. 1: Sturgeon Supermoon

Aug. 30: Blue Supermoon (appears biggest and brightest of the year)

Sept. 29: Harvest Supermoon

Oct. 28: Hunters Moon

Nov. 27: Beaver Moon

Dec. 26: Cold Moon

These moons have multiple names, and many come from Indigenous cultures. The Old Farmers Almanac uses Indigenous moon names and monikers from colonial America and other North American sources.

In addition to the Flower Moon, there will also be a meteor shower in May. The Eta Aquarid shower began activity on April 19, will peak on May 6, and will end around May 28, according to Astronomy.com.

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Seeing the Flower Moon & meteor shower in Boise

The flower moons peak is expected to interfere with the meteor shower, so only the brightest meteors may be visible. Astronomy.com recommends observing in the early mornings during the first few days of May.

Plenty of locations a short drive from the Treasure Valley will offer great viewing spots. The website Light Pollution Map shows where exactly you can escape light pollution. Brian Jackson, an associate professor at Boise States Physics Department, also gave the Idaho Statesman his own recommendations.

Camels Back Park in North Boise is a spot to put the light pollution behind you and look out toward the Boise Mountains. Jackson also recommended the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve in the Sun Valley.

Theres a big region between Stanley and Ketchum where the light pollution is as dark as anywhere in the United States; its actually one of the darkest places in the world, Jackson said of the Dark Sky Reserve. So thats a great place to go.
The city of Folsom has hired a new director of parks and recreation.

Kelly Gonzalez, a former division head at the Cosumnes Community Services District in the Elk Grove area, will start on Monday, according to a news release from the city.

Gonzalezs hiring follows the retirement of Lorraine Poggione on April 28. Poggione worked with the city for 21 years, the last five of which she served as parks and recreation director.

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Gonzalez put in 16 years in both administration and parks and recreation at Cosumnes CSD and holds a bachelors degree in recreation administration from Sacramento State. During her time at the district, she also served as a stakeholder for the districts Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Kelly joins our leadership team with a wealth of experience in parks, recreation, leadership, and administration, as well as a proven track record of cultivating a strong sense of community, said City Manager Elaine Andersen in a news release. I am confident Kellys leadership and expertise will serve the Folsom community extremely well by providing abundant opportunities to learn, play, grow and do.

Serving Folsom, she will oversee the operations of 48 parks over 50 miles of paved trails, facilities and programs.
A Folsom student earned approximately $1,100 through a Skin Grip diabetes scholarship.

Grace Gurley, 17, graduates from Vista Del Lago in a month. She was one of 25 selected individuals that won a scholarship from Skin Grip, a company that makes adhesive tape for those with Type 1 diabetes to secure monitoring devices to the skin to improve their quality of life.

Individuals living with diabetes deserve to be recognized for their resilience and determination to keep going even when things get tough, said Dror Liebenthal, the chief executive officer of Bold.org, an independent scholarship platform that promotes the Skin Grip fund, via email.

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Sign up here to receive our free weekly Bee Connected newsletter, where we catch up on news in Folsom  dining, shopping, real estate, schools, events and more.

Gurley said she plans on attending Samford University in Homewood, Alabama, and her goal is to earn a bachelors degree in secondary education to become a high school math teacher.

Ive always been interested in teaching, she said. I have helped tutor my younger sister. I just love teaching. I love math and so Id love to teach it for my career.

Gurley said she was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when she was 8 months old, and no one else in her immediate family suffers from the disease. For most of her life, however, she said she has fought to find a cure for it.

Right after I was diagnosed, my parents became involved with (the) Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, and weve created our own team called Graces Gang, she said. Weve raised money from friends and family and throughout garage sales. Ive spoken at auctions and galas.

Gurleys mother, Christy Gurley, said that she is proud of her daughters hard work academically and of the responsibility she has in managing her diabetes. She said such an early diagnosis benefited her daughter because she established healthy eating habits early on, and she didnt have habits to break.

She was diagnosed at 8 months old, which is extremely difficult when a child cannot talk or tell you how they feel because we did not have the continuous glucose monitor and technology that we have today. So, there was a lot of guessing, Christy Gurley said. Its just so nice and its neat for us to see her be rewarded for something that she has dealt with her entire life.
Food and water supplies are being stockpiled in temporarily occupied Crimea in case of isolation of the peninsula.

Source: Ukraine's National Resistance Center

Quote: "The occupying authorities have begun the process of stockpiling water and food in Crimea due to the possibility of blocking Crimea and the southern part of Kherson Oblast."

Details: In addition, according to the National Resistance Center, Russian forces are preparing the evacuation of collaborators in the temporarily occupied territories of the south in case of a Ukrainian counteroffensive.

In particular, a plan has already been developed to evacuate employees of the occupation administration and their families to Crimea from Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The situation is similar in Kherson Oblast. Most collaborators from the settlements on the Arabat Spit have already left the region.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
a Japanese bomb-carrying paper balloon in the air in 1945

This photograph of a Japanese bomb-carrying paper balloon in the air was taken over North America on July 2, 1945. The balloons are supposed to blow themselves up after releasing anti-personnel and incendiary explosives. Credit - AP

In late January, a mysterious balloon was spotted floating over U.S. waters and later hovered around Montana above missile sites. The balloon, which turned out to be a surveillance balloon from China, was shot down when it was safely off the coast of South Carolina. Last week, another unidentified balloon was tracked over Hawaii, raising apprehension and curiosity yet again. On Tuesday, a defense official said that balloon posed no danger to aviation or national security.

This is not the first time balloon incursions have been of concern to the American public. In fact, a balloon floating into U.S. airspace once caused fatal consequences: May 5 marks the 78th anniversary of a relatively unknown tragedy caused by balloon bombs at the tail end of World War II, when one set off a deadly explosion in the pine forests near Bly, Oregon.

It was a beautiful spring day when Rev. Archie Mitchell, the new minister at the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church in Bly, Oregon and his pregnant wife Elsie, invited five Sunday school students on a picnic and fishing trip. That halcyon jaunt would end as the only lethal attack by an enemy on the continental United States during World War II.

While the pastor parked the car, the children and Elsie Mitchell got out of the car and headed toward Leonard Creek. He heard his wife call out, Look what we found. It looks like some kind of balloon.

What Elsie and the children didnt knowbut Archie Mitchell didis that the Imperial Japanese Army had developed an incendiary balloon bomb. This bomb was transported by jet stream 5,000 miles across the Pacific Ocean by hitching a ride on a balloon, and they had launched about 9,300 of them toward the Western United States.

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Just as Archie was about to issue a warning, there was a fierce explosion. He was spared the brunt of the blast, but was slightly injured when he rushed to the scene and tried to extinguish fires on his wifes clothing. His wife and the children were all killed.

Graphic for TIME by Lon Tweeten

TIME talked to Dr. Ross Coen, who teaches history at the University of Washington and is the author of Fu-go: The Curious History of Japans Balloon Bomb Attack on America, about this relatively unknown chapter in American history.

The following conversation has been lightly edited.

What are your thoughts on this anniversary of the Bly explosion?

First of course, we must remember the victims. Five were children, and their adult chaperone was pregnant with her first child. What happened in Bly is a tragedy for those families. In a larger historical sense, the Bly incident was in some respects the first time global war had been brought to the shores of the continental United States. It heralded a new era in which any corner of America could be attacked, an era that would come to include threats as varied as nuclear war and global terrorism.

Are there things about the recent incursion of our air space by the Chinese surveillance balloon that are reminiscent of the Japanese balloon bomb episode during World War II?

What is clear is that the balloons themselves, despite their seemingly low-tech nature in a high-tech world, remain an important tool of espionage and warfare.

The U.S. government has said that the Chinese surveillance balloon did not pose a direct threat to Americans. But during World War II didnt balloons pose a very significant threat?

The intent of the Japanese balloons in World War II was to cause material damage to the United States and even loss of life, which sadly it accomplished. The main difference between the Japanese balloons of World War II and the recent Chinese balloon is that the Japanese balloons were offensive weapons. Ive seen nothing to indicate there was any such intent with the Chinese balloon.

When were the first Japanese balloon bombs spotted?

Probably the first Japanese balloon that was observed in flight was in Thermopolis, Wyoming in early December 1944. There were some coal miners who were working that night and they stepped out of a mine and they looked up at the sky and saw the balloon in flight. But they had no idea what they were looking at.

The Japanese balloon story is so fascinating for many reasons, not the least of which is because no one really knew what these things were. For several weeks in late 1944, more than a dozen had arrived before the War Department started to figure out what they were.

When did the U.S. government become aware that these balloons were weapons of Japanese origin?

The awareness dawns on the government in December of 1944, and by January 1945, the War Department knows that it is a Japanese weapon. A few days after that sighting in the first week of December 1944, another balloon is found, this one not in flight but its already on the ground in Kalispell, Montana. This balloon has a tag on it that has Japanese writing like a factory production tag.

The balloons had a ballast release system that would keep them at altitude as they are crossing the Pacific. There are thirty odd sandbags, each one weighing about 5 or 6 lbs. Two balloons recovered in Alaska in late December have these sandbags still attached. The sand was sent to the U.S. Geological Survey. And it is determined, due to the composition of the sand inside the bags, that its beach sand that really could only have come from handful of beaches around the world that have those specific characteristics, and all of the beaches from which this sand could have been taken were on Honshu, the largest of Japans islands.

What were the greatest concerns about damage from these balloon bombs?

From the perspective of the War Department and Army intelligence, the thing that they feared most was biological warfare. They inspected all balloons for any presence of biological agents, something that might spread disease among humans or livestock. Ultimately there never was any biological component to the balloons.

Secondary to that was that these incendiary devices would ignite wildfires in the Western states and the Americans would have to divert resources that might have been used in the Pacific theater. Also, there was the possibility that these balloons would create panic, leading to a weakening of the morale of the American people.

Was the American public informed about the arrival of these offensive weapons in the U.S.?

Word of the very first balloons that arrive, the ones in Wyoming and Montana, did make its way into the press. Small local newspapers covered the arrival of these balloons, but there were very few details. In the first week of January, stories appeared in TIME and Newsweek.

[A January 1, 1945 TIME story disclosed some details about the balloons: A 70-foot fuse connected to a small incendiary bomb and the FBI discovered that the Japanese had obligingly printed a good deal of information on the bag. It had been completed only a few weeks before, on Oct. 31, at a Japanese factory. Japanese characters also revealed the number of hours spent in its manufacture, data regarding work shifts.]

Once the War Department knows that this is a Japanese offensive weapon in the first week of January 1945, the Office of Censorship institutes a voluntary censorship policy asking all media outlets not to say anything about these balloons. The War Department believes that if information about balloon landings is publicized, it provides a source of intelligence for the Japanese about where and when these balloons are arriving, and it would provide them with an intelligence they could use to modify their launching strategy to maximize effectiveness.

Obviously, there is a dangerous downside to keeping this information from the American public.

The flip side of that is when youre not telling Americans about these balloons, no one knows how dangerous really are. If a balloon lands in a farmers field, who are the first people on the scene? Its going to be 10-year-old boys who start poking at it with sticks, right? There are instances where townspeople started picking these things up, carrying them into town, stuffing them into the trunks of their cars. Its remarkable that there wasnt a fatal incident until the explosion of the bomb in Bly, Oregon in May 1945.

What happened in Bly?

What probably happened is that one of the kids reached down to pick the balloon up and the bomb detonated and six people, Elsie Mitchell and the five children, were all killed.

The six individuals killed in Bly were Elsie Mitchell, who was five months pregnant with her first child; Dick Patzke, 14; Joan Patzke, 13; Jay Gifford, 13; Edward Engen, 13; and Sherman Shoemaker, 11. These were the only fatalities on the continental United States that resulted from enemy action in World War II.

In many ways, the tragedy in Bly, and indeed the Japanese balloon offensive more broadly, showed that the mainland U.S. was not immune from the effects of war. It was nothing compared to the devastation in Europe and the Pacific theater, of course, but it still demonstrated the United States could be attacked from an enemy far beyond its borders.

The Japanese balloons were intercontinental missiles by definitionand that term would take on a whole new meaning in only a few years with the nuclear missiles the U.S. and the USSR pointed at each other. The Japanese balloon attack may have been relatively insignificant by itself, but it heralded a new type of warfare that defines our world to the present day.

Why are we so fascinated by these balloons?

I think there is something mysterious about them. The fact that they are unmanned. That they cannot be steered. They are just sort of free floating up there. There is something about knowing there could be something up there that you cannot see, that you cant understand, and you dont know why its there. There is something even a little terrifying about that.

Are people still finding remnants of these balloons?

Balloon recovery continued after the war. There were several that were found in the ground in 1946, 47, 48, a couple in the 1950s another one in the 1960s. Just in the last six or seven years there have been two balloons found on the ground in Canada.

We learned after the war, that the Japanese launched about 9,000 balloons from November of 1944 to April 1945. It was estimated both by the Japanese and U.S. military that probably as many as 10% of the total launched would survive the transoceanic crossing and arrive in North America. If 9,000 were launched and 10% made it, that means as many as 900 balloons may have arrived in North America, but there are only about 300 documented recoveries. I would say its almost certain that there is still balloon material out there in the wilderness, just laying on the ground.
After five days of rocky deliberations, jurors on Thursday acquitted former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum on charges of lying to federal investigators but were unable to reach a verdict on conspiracy and fraud charges.

U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor declared a mistrial on charges that Gillum, a former Tallahassee mayor, and his political mentor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, bilked political contributors out of money and illegally steered it to Gillum for his personal use.

Federal prosecutors told the judge they intend to pursue a second trial.

Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse, an ebullient Gillum expressed gratitude for his legal team, his family and supporters and for second chances.

Gillum said he and his family have been under attack on all sides for the past seven years.

Theyve quite literally tried to take everything from us. And the beauty is that in our system, the powers that be dont always get to decide, said Gillum, accompanied by his wife R. Jai. Everyday people like you and me sometimes get our swing at the ball and today the jury took it.

Read: This case is about deceiving donors: Trial begins for Andrew Gillum, man who almost beat DeSantis

Gillum, 43, sprinted into the national spotlight after winning the Democratic gubernatorial primary in 2018. Gov. Ron DeSantis defeated Gillum by less than 33,000 votes in the general election.

The charges against Gillum and Lettman-Hicks are related to activities between 2016 and 2019, as Gillums political stature blossomed. Gillum and Lettman-Hicks were accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and committing wire fraud. Gillum also was charged with making false statements to federal investigators about his dealings with undercover agents who posed as developers during his time as mayor.

Gillum has steadfastly maintained his innocence and asserted that he was the victim of a political witch hunt, in part because he is Black.

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RELATED: Andrew Gillum corruption trial to start today

I just got to believe that, through this all, maybe one of the things that needed to be revealed to me is that this system is in desperate need of reform. And Ill just say, to be continued, he said Thursday.

As the not-guilty verdict was announced in a crowded courtroom shortly after 3 p.m., Gillum wiped away tears. His wife, seated a few feet behind him, silently wept. She and other family members tearfully clung to each other as a courtroom deputy announced no verdict reached on each of the 17 other charges involving conspiracy to commit wire fraud and committing wire fraud. Thursday also was R. Jai Gillums birthday.

A similar scene unfolded among Lettman-Hicks family members and allies as they heard no verdict reached on the 17 charges against her.

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Thank God Andrew Gillum is not guilty. And the rest, you know, is just theater, Lettman-Hicks told reporters.

Attorney Mutaqee Akbar, who represents Lettman-Hicks, said his client was a victim of the effort to nail Gillum.

The whole thing was based on these false ideas that Andrew Gillum was crooked, Akbar told reporters.

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Akbar said prosecutors should drop the case because they failed to prove that either defendant had done anything wrong.

And it was politically charged. I think we cant hide from the fact it was politically charged, and Ms. Lettman-Hicks got caught up in this whole thing, he said.

It was clear in recent days that jurors were struggling to reach a verdict. They sent a note Tuesday to Winsor saying they had reached agreement on the false-statements charge but were unable to come to a unanimous decision on at least one other charge.

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Sheriff Alex Villanueva speaks to a reporter during an election night rally on Nov. 8 in Los Angeles. (Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Former Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, who lost his bid for reelection last year and whose single term in office was mired in controversy, plans to launch a new radio show.

Villanueva's show, "The Resistance with Sheriff Alex Villanueva," will air Monday through Friday starting May 8 on CRN Digital Talk Radio, according to a news release from the station. The show will address crime, public safety, homelessness, law enforcement and elected officials.

I am very excited to connect with the public on this new platform, Villanueva said in the release. Even though I am out of office, the fight continues. We are at a crossroads at which many of our elected officials are no longer serving the public. They are serving themselves and their individual interests."

Listeners can tune in through the CRN website and mobile app.

Villanueva faced heavy scrutiny as sheriff. His department grappled with a litany of scandals, including $47.6 million paid by the Board of Supervisors to settle lawsuits alleging excessive force or negligence by sheriff's deputies. The payouts included $8 million for the family of Andres Guardado, whose 2020 killing by a deputy sparked protests.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva tells supporters not to get caught up in the early results during an election night rally. (Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Villanueva's tenure was also defined by his combative approach. He attacked elected officials and accused them of being part of a liberal "weaponized political machine" that allowed crime and homelessness to spread. Villanueva clashed with county supervisors, who control the sheriff's budget.

He lost reelection in November by 20 percentage points to Sheriff Robert Luna.

While holding office, Villanueva had a weekly radio show on KFI-AM called "Live and Unscripted with L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva" but was accused by a rival candidate of violating election and broadcasting rules and using the radio show "for political purposes."

Before becoming sheriff, Villanueva was a lieutenant in the department, and also served in the U.S. Air Force and the California Air National Guard.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Twenty-six-year-old Kyle Spitzer, a former St. Augustine High School chemistry teacher was arrested Thursday.

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He faces three counts of transmitting harmful content to minors and one count of illegal use of a two-way communications device.

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This all comes after reports of Spitzers alleged inappropriate behavior with a student surfaced last December.

A letter notifying the schools principal alleged that Spitzer exchanged Snapchat messages and offered to buy a student vapes.

The school district document also said he sent a student multiple inappropriate photos of a sexual nature, in which he was nude.

Thats when the St. Johns County Sheriffs Office was notified.

According to the sheriffs office incident report, the victim was 13 years old, and she had 26-year-old Spitzer as a teacher.

Read Story: New documents reveal former Douglas Anderson teacher had several complaints prior to recent arrest

It also said, she and other students were given vapes by the defendant to smoke during school hours, which resulted in him being very popular amongst the students, and the defendant also invited students over to his residence to just hang out.

The report said Spitzer stated he wants to be a mentor to the students and sometimes oversteps the boundaries by discussing sex and drugs with the students.

Jerrod Webster has a 15-year-old student at the school and said behavior is more than unprofessional.

Its Despicable, Webster said. We entrust our educators to teacher our kids and theres a line of professionalism in place that, we expect them not to develop any inappropriate relationships.

Another letter from the districts superintendent sent out on Jan. 5th said Spitzer was placed on administrative leave. On Friday, Spitzer was notified he will not be re-appointed for employment.

Action News Jax also learned that Spitzer posted bail and was released Friday.

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He is due in court on May 31.

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A former student at the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) has been arrested in connection with three stabbings that took place near the campus over the course of the last week.

In a statement on Twitter, the university said police of the city of Davis, UC Davis police, and the FBI identified and arrested a suspect in all three stabbing incidents.

The person has been identified as Carlos Dominguez. Dominguez was in his third year at UC Davis until April 25, 2023, when he was separated for academic reasons, it said.

Authorities at the university said they are partnering with police and law enforcement officials and providing support to students who may have interacted with Mr Dominguez.

At a news conference on Thursday, Davis police chief Darren Pytel said Mr Dominguez was arrested on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder.

At this point we believe that all three (stabbings) are connected and we have evidence and information that they are and have one person responsible, he was quoted as saying by CNN, linking the three attacks for the first time.

The person has been identified as Carlos Dominguez. Dominguez was in his third year at UC Davis until April 25, 2023, when he was separated for academic reasons. (2/5)  UC Davis (@ucdavis) May 4, 2023

The arrest comes three days after the latest stabbing took place on Monday, when a woman reported being stabbed more than once through a tent near 2nd Street and L Street.

While the woman is believed to be in a critical condition, the other two stabbings were fatal.

One man was found dead after suffering from multiple stab wounds from a violent attack on 27 April near Central Park in downtown Davis, according to law enforcement.

Then on 30 April, another man who was a student at UC Davis, died after being violently attacked with a knife at Sycamore Park.

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The stabbings had sent fears in the community of there being a potential serial killer.

Police said a search warrant had been issued for where Mr Dominguez lived with several roommates and where it appears he had been in between the stabbings.

The roommates have been interviewed, Mr Pytel said.

He said that while officials believe Mr Dominguez is from Oakland, they are still working to ascertain more information.

He is being held at the Yolo County Jail.
Tucker Carlson speaks during 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida. Jason Koerner/Getty Images

Fox News' lawyers sent a cease and desist letter to Media Matters over coverage of Tucker Carlson.

The letter demands Media Matters stop publishing behind-the-scenes videos of Carlson.

Media Matters has shared videos of Carlson making sexist remarks and complaining about Fox.

Fox News' lawyers have sent a cease and desist letter to Media Matters for America over its publication of leaked videos showing Tucker Carlson making offensive and embarrassing comments off-air.

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati sent a letter on Friday to Media Matters' President and Chief Executive Officer Angelo Carusone demanding the immediate "cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Fox's misappropriated proprietary footage," according to a copy obtained by Insider.

"That unaired footage is FOX's confidential intellectual property; FOX did not consent to its distribution or publication; and FOX does not consent to its further distribution or publication," the letter said.

In a statement shared with Insider, Carusone said: "Reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they're a news operation."

He added: Perhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and Hunter Biden's laptop, it will alleviate their concerns."

Attorneys for Fox News declined to comment further to Insider.

Over the past week, Media Matters has published multiple behind-the-scenes videos of Carlson, including one in which he asks his makeup artist if his female colleagues have "pillow fights" in the bathroom.

In other videos, Carlson complained that "nobody watches Fox Nation because the site sucks" and said he'd rather put his interviews on YouTube than on Fox's site.

Carlson, once Fox News' star host, left the company late last month days after Fox News and Dominion reached a $787.5 million settlement in the voting machine company's defamation lawsuit.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Several scaleless fish with fanged jaws and huge eyes that can be found more than a mile deep in the ocean have washed up along a roughly 200-mile (322-kilometer) stretch of Oregon coastline, and it's unclear why, scientists and experts said.

Within the last few weeks, several lancetfish have appeared on beaches from Nehalem, in northern Oregon, to Bandon, which is about 100 miles (161 kilometers) from the California border, Oregon State Parks said on Facebook. The agency asked beachgoers who see the fish to take photos and post them online, tagging the agency and the NOAA Fisheries West Coast region.

Lancetfish live mainly in tropical and subtropical waters but travel as far north as areas like Alaskas Bering Sea to feed. Their slinky bodies include a sail-like fin, and their flesh is gelatinous  not generally something humans wish to eat, according to NOAA Fisheries.

Ben Frable, a fish scientist who manages the Marine Vertebrate Collection at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, said it's not uncommon for lancetfish to wash up on beaches, particularly in California and Oregon and in other parts of the north Pacific.

It's unclear what might be behind the deep-sea fish washing ashore, Frable said, calling it an area of open research." He added that it's not clear if these incidents are happening more frequently or are just noticed more often in the social media age.

Reports of finding the freaky looking lancetfish on beaches date back to the 19th century, he said. The collection he manages includes lancetfish from beaches, including one that wound up on the beach near the institution in late 2021.

In that case, the lancetfish shot out of the water, where it was mobbed by seagulls, Frable said. It's possible the fish had been chasing prey, such as small fish, and got too close to shore  or that it was pursued by a predator, such as a sea lion, he said.

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Some have also hypothesized that such incidents could be related to weather or climate patterns in the Pacific Ocean, he said.

According to NOAA Fisheries, lancetfish can be more than 7 feet (2 meter) long and swim to depths of more than a mile beneath the surface of the sea.

Last week, Miranda Crowell happened across a lancetfish on a beach in Lincoln City, Oregon. At first, she thought it might be a barracuda but that didnt seem right, so she posted a photo of it on Twitter and asked what it could be. She quickly got a response.

The fish, which she saw April 28, was more than 4 feet (1 meter) long and seemed to have just washed ashore.

I have never seen anything like that on that beach, she said.

Frable encouraged people to report any sightings, saying it could provide useful information for researchers.

He also said that incidents like these provide an opportunity to kind of highlight the true diversity of life on the planet and how there are things that you just dont think about  but they're out there.
A federal rule requiring insurers to reimburse policyholders for up to eight at-home COVID tests per month ends Thursday. But in California, state lawmakers have taken steps to avoid that. (Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

The expiration of the national COVID-19 public health emergency Thursday will mean the end of free at-home tests for some, though many Californians will still be able to get their hands on screening kits.

At the end of the scheduled May 11 sunset date, a federal rule requiring insurers to reimburse policyholders for the cost of up to eight at-home COVID tests per month will end.

This tightening of the testing tap will affect some Medicare beneficiaries and threatens to limit or cut off access to no-cost testing across a swath of the country.

But in California, state lawmakers and Gov. Gavin Newsom have taken steps to avoid that scenario.

Here's what you need to know:

How will testing access change?

For many in California, there won't be any near-term changes. State legislators have already ordered health insurers to continue reimbursement for eight monthly at-home tests for most health plans.

What are the details?

Following the passage of Senate Bills 510 and 1473, health plans regulated by the California Department of Managed Health Care will still be required to cover the costs of eight over-the-counter rapid tests a month for each person insured.

Besides employer-based healthcare coverage, this includes Medi-Cal-managed plans and Covered California plans.

Starting Nov. 11, insurers regulated by the state Department of Managed Health Care still must cover COVID tests if theyre provided in network, but can charge for tests purchased out of network.

This covers most insured Californians, including those with plans through their employers  but not everyone. For instance, it's possible Medicare beneficiaries in the state could lose access.

What's the situation with Medicare?

Medicare has said its beneficiaries' access to free over-the-counter tests will end on the evening of May 11, so there's still time to stock up before then. Some pharmacies allow walk-in customers to request no-cost tests.

However, Medicare beneficiaries may have other insurance that will still cover at-home COVID tests.

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Additionally, Medicare will still cover, for free, coronavirus lab tests that are ordered by a healthcare provider, even after May 11.

"If you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, you will continue to have coverage with no out-of-pocket costs for appropriate laboratory-based COVID-19 PCR and antigen tests, when a provider orders them (such as drive-through PCR and antigen testing or testing in a providers office)," Medicare said in a statement. "If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, you may have more access to tests depending on your benefits. Check with your plan."

How can I claim no-cost tests?

Contact your insurer for details on getting reimbursed for at-home COVID tests. You can buy tests, submit a claim form for reimbursement and get a check in the mail. The federal rule that expires May 11 reimburses up to $12 per individual test (some test kits include two tests per box).

Kaiser Permanente is giving California members an option to receive up to eight tests per month for free through the mail, which will continue not only after May 11, but also after Nov. 11.

Free at-home tests tests will continue to be available in a host of locations, including Los Angeles County libraries, vaccination sites run by the county Department of Public Health, food banks and senior centers.

Residents also can use the state's portal, MyTurn.ca.gov/testing, to find a COVID-19 testing site near them.

L.A. County seniors 65 and older or people unable to leave their home can request two free tests be mailed to them.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(Bloomberg) -- The French National Assembly adopted a text to prevent dismantling Electricite de France SA, despite opposition from Emmanuel Macrons government.

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The legislation was pushed by the left and obtained backing from conservatives and the far-right. It was approved by 127 votes while 89 opposed, but still needs to go through the Senate.

The move is a blow for Macrons government, who has said it doesnt plan to split EDF after its full nationalization. Still, opposition lawmakers fear Macron could revive a plan under which more profitable parts of the business would be partially sold off. The French president lost his absolute majority in the lower house during legislative elections last year.

The French government, which already owned 84% of EDF before the nationalization proposal, is taking the company into full state ownership.

Frances 9.7 Billion Plan to Buy EDF Gets Court Approval (1)

It has long been exploring ways to reorganize EDF. The companys management previously developed a plan called Hercules, under which nuclear and hydropower assets would be delisted and become fully owned by the state, while as much as 30% of its renewables, power distribution and retail operations would be publicly listed. Hercules stalled in 2021 after more than a year of discussions.

The proposed legislation also extends regulated electricity tariffs to small and medium-sized companies.

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By Horaci Garcia and Albert Gea

BARCELONA (Reuters) - An urban stunt climber known as the "French Spiderman" for his daring ascents conquered another landmark by scaling a 166-metre (381-foot) Barcelona skyscraper on Friday in a bid to raise awareness about climate change and drought.

Sixty-year-old Alain Robert crawled up the exterior of the glass and steel-covered Melia Barcelona Sky Hotel, the Spanish city's fourth-tallest building, with just a bag of powdered chalk and climbing shoes to aid his ascent.

"I would like to pass on a message on climate change and the problem of soil dehydration in Spain (for it) to be resolved quickly" by the government, he said after reaching the rooftop. The climb was not authorised and police detained him at the top.

Spain is facing a persistent drought and parts of southern Europe are in the grips of unseasonably warm temperatures that scientists say have been exacerbated by global warming.

Before the climb, Robert told Reuters the structure was "quite aggressive", and half-joked that he would be feeling the effects of climate change and drought himself due to the heat.

He draped his fingers with climbing tape to prevent burns from the sizzling surface - heated by strong sunshine even through the maximum temperature in Barcelona on Friday was a relatively balmy 23 Celsius (73.4 Fahrenheit).

Dozens of onlookers gathered outside, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of Robert, sporting a bright-red suit and a cap, as he made his way upward in about half an hour.

Robert began climbing in 1975 on the cliffs near his hometown of Valence. Two years later, he took up the high-risk "free solo" feats, climbing alone and unaided by ropes or harnesses.

Since then, he has climbed more than 150 structures including the world's tallest building, Dubai's Burj Khalifa, Paris' Eiffel Tower and San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.

(Reporting by Horaci Garcia and Albert Gea; Writing by David Latona and Elena Rodriguez; Editing by Andrei Khalip and Frances Kerry)
A motion by two Fresno City Councilmembers seeking to dismiss a lawsuit by the county over the how much money political challengers can transfer into their pending campaigns was denied by a Fresno County judge on Thursday.

But the ongoing legal battle over the constitutionality of the countys ordinance is far from over.

Judge Jonathan Skiles said in his tentative ruling that the motion filed by Councilmembers Garry Bredefeld and Luis Chavez did not apply under the states anti-SLAPP (strategic lawsuit against public participation) law.

Bredefeld and Chavez filed the motion after being sued by the county for allegedly violating an ordinance that put a $30,000 cap on transfers or contributions from a candidates campaign account for non-county elective offices into their campaign for county offices  including the county Board of Supervisors.

The two councilmembers have announced their plans to run for seats on the countys Board of Supervisors in 2024  and to use their hefty City Council campaign treasuries to help bankroll their respective election runs.

Their attorney, Brian Hildreth of Sacramento, called the countys lawsuit against his clients de facto enforcement action.

In his tentative ruling, Skiles made it clear the county was going to have to do some heavy lifting to defend the ordinance.

After the hearing, Chavez said he was encouraged by the judges comments.

I think the judge highlighted something very important which is the constitutionality of what the county has tried to do, Chavez said. This has always been a question of fairness.

Bredefeld has referred to the countys rules as corrupt and an incumbent protection scheme.

Bredefeld said Thursday he has already transferred about $223,000 from his existing city council war chest and Chavez transferred $110,000. Bredefeld is challenging Supervisor Steve Brandau and Chavez is going after the seat held by Supervisor Sal Quintero.

Bredefeld pointed out that the county is allowing Supervisor Brian Pacheco to use almost $420,000 from his 2022 campaign for his 2026 re-election run.

But they want to restrict Luis Chavez and Garry Bredefeld to $30,000 in transfers, he said. Does anyone in Fresno think that is fair?

Both parties return to court on July 6 for a status conference.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.

In a funeral service at Kyiv's St. Michael's Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.

After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell's Ukrainian wife.

The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.

The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.

It is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side has said how many. Russia now has possession of most of the city.

Campbell served with the International Legion of Ukraine, a unit of foreign volunteers with prior military experience formed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sanina, herself a volunteer to provide aid to the frontline troops, said she had first met him at an event for volunteers earlier in the war.

I asked him, Why are you here? It was our first meeting, and he said, Because it is right, she told reporters tearfully, calling him the bravest man I've ever known.

She last saw him two days before his April 6 death in Kharkiv, when he had a short respite from the front lines. She said she could tell how hard the fighting in Bakhmut had been on him.

I saw that he changed a lot, she said. Every man, the horrors which they see, it's awful.

_____

David Rising contributed to this report

_____

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
A man was arrested after officials say he threatened his coworkers.

Floyd County sheriff officials said they received reports of someone threatening workers at the Bekert Steel & Wire plant on Darlington Drive in Rome.

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Investigators determined that Kodi Jashad Keith, an employee at the plant, threatened to shoot up the plant.

Authorities added that while making the threats, he named several coworkers.

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Deputies did not specify what the threats that were made toward his coworkers were.

Investigators did not specify what led to Keith making these threats.

Keith was charged with terroristic threats.

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Gateway High School students evacuated and were dismissed early due to two threats received this morning.

The school received a Safe to Say alert this morning indicating a social media threat was circulating across western Pennsylvania that didnt specify a district or school, according to a notice on Gateways website. That threat was determined to be a swatting incident.

The Gateway High School principal then received a follow-up Safe to Say alert indicating a bomb was placed inside the high school.

The building was then evacuated.

Monroeville police searched the building and did not find a bomb or any explosive device.

The district said they must take necessary precautions regardless of the threat.

Law enforcement is assisting Safe to Say authorities with identifying the IP address and finding the individual who submitted the hoax.

Gateway High School students were dismissed at 11 a.m.

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WASHINGTON  Gen. CQ Brown stared directly into the camera.

It had been several days since Minneapolis police officers murdered George Floyd. Protests and civil unrest over racism and inequality had spread across the country.

Brown, then commander of Pacific Air Forces, was days away from a Senate vote that would determine whether he would be the Air Forces next chief of staff  and become the first Black person to serve as a service chief in U.S. history.

He began to describe how full I am with emotion for Floyd and many other Black people who suffered similar fates. Known for his reserved countenance, his lower lip quivered  but only for an instant, before his usual demeanor returned.

He was initially on the fence about what he should do or say. His youngest son Ross was also struggling. And when Ross called his father and mother, Sharene Brown, to unburden himself, he asked his father a question that crystallized the matter.

 Hey Dad, what is Pacific Air Forces going to say?  Brown told NPR. As the commander of Pacific Air Forces, that was kind of code to me of: Dad, what are you going to say?

Over the next few days, Brown made a video the Air Force ultimately posted in the early hours of June 5, 2020. In it, he spoke for nearly five minutes about his experience as a Black man in the United States and its military. It was a rare commentary among senior leaders  and for someone still awaiting Senate confirmation.

Im thinking about wearing the same flight suit, with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and then being questioned by another military member: Are you a pilot?  Brown said. Im thinking about how I sometimes felt my comments were perceived to represent the African American perspective, when it was just my perspective informed by being African American.  Im thinking about being a captain at the [officers club] with my squadron and being told by other African Americans that I wasnt Black enough since I was spending more time with my squadron than with them.

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In his video, Brown also challenged himself to meet the historic moment, which he called a heavy burden.

I cant fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force, Brown said. But he also thought about how I can make improvements personally, professionally and institutionally, so that all airmen both today and tomorrow appreciate the value of diversity and can serve in an environment where they can reach their full potential.

The video went viral online and brought the nations debate over racial injustice squarely into the military community.

That took a lot of guts, retired Air Force Gen. Larry Spencer, a former vice chief of staff who is also Black, told Defense News. He hadnt been confirmed yet. He made a video that was very heartfelt, knowing probably some people werent going to like it.  It was something that needed to be said at the time.

Brown, 60, could soon have another historic opportunity: He has reportedly been selected to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Two sources confirmed to Defense News that President Joe Biden has chosen Brown to succeed Army Gen. Mark Milley as the nations top military officer. On May 4, Politico, the New York Times and others reported Biden had selected Brown over Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger for the top job, but several outlets added it was unclear when the president would announce the pick. A National Security Council spokesperson said in an email Friday that the final decision on a chairman has not yet been made.

For months, observers have considered Brown a front-runner to be the next chairman. And in a March 7 speech, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall hinted Brown is under serious consideration for a new role.

Gen. Brown is an exceptional leader with broad strategic perspectives, and a thoughtful, measured approach to any problem set, Kendall said. I would hate to lose such a great partner. But there is a chance someone who outranks me considerably might see those same attributes in CQ.

Brown is widely respected by service leaders and outside observers as one of the militarys most thoughtful and transformative leaders. In his two-and-a-half years leading the Air Force, Brown sought to rapidly reshape its structure, move off old and outdated aircraft ill-suited for a future war, and change how the service prepares for a possible war against China  an effort he calls Accelerate Change or Lose.

If nominated and confirmed, Brown would be the most senior ranking member of the U.S. armed forces. He would advise the president on military matters, including the defense of Taiwan. Some in the Pentagon believe China will invade the island, which Beijing considers a rogue province, within the decade.

Brown would also collect top military leaders opinions on matters such as strategy, operations and budgets in order to present a range of advice to the president.

Over the last year, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has rallied allied nations and their militaries to support Ukraine, which is fighting off a Russian invasion. Brown would surely continue Milleys efforts supporting Ukraine, if confirmed for the position.

In interviews with Defense News, former military leaders who served with Brown said his years in command in Asia, Europe and the Middle East prepared him well to advise the president and guide the military as it transforms.

Browns quiet and thoughtful personality, sharp intellect and professionalism, they say, makes him the ideal person to advise Biden on military matters and build relationships with other nations military leaders around the world.

Browns style is also markedly different from that of the blunt, tough-talking Milley.

A skilled F-16 pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours, including 130 hours in combat, Browns self-described introverted demeanor contrasts with the stereotypical image of the brash Maverick-esque fighter pilot from popular culture.

Former Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson described a 2018 meeting of senior Air Force leaders  shortly after Brown took command of Pacific Air Forces and received his fourth star  where a sensitive topic was debated at length without agreement.

He was very quiet until well into the conversation, Wilson said in an interview with Defense News. Then he spoke up, and he spoke for probably less than 60 seconds. And the debate was over.

He changed the course of the discussion by not jumping in and trying to make his points early, but by synthesizing and then suggesting what the best path forward should be, Wilson added. He was able to get others to agree with him and not feel left out. He found the consensus and was respected for doing so.

In a March 7 interview with Defense News, Brown said he tends to listen more than I talk and absorb information, then uses his engineers mentality to break down tough problems and find a solution.

Then-Brig. Gen. CQ Brown, his wife Sharene, and sons Sean and Ross at the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base in Italy in 2011. (Courtesy of the Brown family)

And in a July 2022 discussion at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado, Brown joked his reticent nature sometimes gets him in trouble at home.

Im still an introvert, Brown said. My wife gets upset when I come home, and says: Did you use all your words at work today? Yeah, pretty much I did.

But John Venable, a defense policy expert at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation and a retired F-16 pilot, said in an interview that Brown has not been aggressive enough to challenge the services ingrained attitudes and mindsets, and to make significant changes in preparation for a potential war.

In Venables view, Brown has not done enough to turn around aircraft readiness shortfalls, insufficient flying hours to keep pilots sharp, and the lagging procurement of fighter jets and other aircraft that might be needed to win against China.

Instead, Venable said, Brown has gone along with the services instinct to spend more money on research and development of future weapons that likely wont enter service until well into the 2030s  if they even work  which might prove too late.

Hes a corporate guy, Venable said. When you take the helm of an organization, you can go with the flow of the organization [and] continue propagating [its] core tenets. Or you can lead it in a direction like youre watching [U.S. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David] Berger do right now with the Marine Corps. Thats kind of the way Air Force leadership has run for a while  and youre watching CQ right now not cause any ripples.

A family in uniform

Brown grew up in an Army family, the oldest of three children and the son of a now-retired colonel who served in Vietnam. His grandfather, Army Master Sgt. Robert Brown, led a segregated unit during World War II.

Like many military families, the Browns frequently moved, but he spent some of his elementary and middle school years in San Antonio, Texas, and considers the state home.

Instead of heading to the Air Force Academy, he attended Texas Tech University on an ROTC scholarship. But as a young man, Brown never thought his military career would last as long as it did  or even get off the ground.

Speaking at the ceremony where he assumed command of the Air Force, Brown said he originally planned to only serve four years in uniform, and that he almost quit ROTC after his first semester.

Im in awe that Im even standing here as the 22nd Air Force chief of staff, Brown said during the August 2020 change of command ceremony at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.

CQ Brown at key moments throughout his career. Clockwise from top left: His father, retired Army Col. Charles Q. Brown Sr., and mother, Kay Brown, pin wings onto his uniform as then-2nd Lt. CQ Brown graduates from pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, in 1986. Then-Capt. Brown, lower left, poses with his class of F-16 Fighting Falcon graduates from the U.S. Air Force Fighter Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada in 1991. Then-Lt. Col. Brown pilots an F-16 in support of Operation Southern Watch in Iraq in the early 2000s. Then-Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett administers the oath of office to Brown at the change of command ceremony in which he became the service's 22nd chief of staff. (Courtesy of the Brown family; Wayne Clark/U.S. Air Force)

His father  who Brown called the most influential mentor in my career and originally encouraged his son to apply for the ROTC scholarship  talked him out of quitting the program. He ended up sticking with ROTC, and that decision set him on a path to become a pilot.

During a summer camp, he took an incentive flight in a T-37 trainer that sparked his love of flying. He became a distinguished graduate of the program in 1984 when he received his civil engineering degree. And his father was there to commission him as an officer.

The next year, he began undergraduate pilot training at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. In 1986, he began learning to fly the fighter that would define his career  the F-16  at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

Brown excelled as an F-16 pilot. He spent a year and a half flying at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea before returning to the U.S. to become an F-16 instructor pilot. In late 1992, he became an instructor at the Air Force Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada  a job reserved for the best pilots.

Retired Gen. Hawk Carlisle, former head of Air Combat Command, first met Brown at Nellis around that time. Carlisle recalled being immediately struck by the young pilots talent and confidence.

In the cockpit, Brown was able to think and make decisions swiftly, Carlisle said. And when students struggled to learn something new, Carlisle said Brown knew how to simplify the concepts.

In a March 7 interview with Defense News, Brown said he still tries to lead others by helping them break down problems in that way. Thats often the only means to achieve stretch goals, such as the Accelerate Change or Lose transformational effort, he noted.

Im not afraid of a big challenging problem, Brown said. If you try to take down the whole elephant at one time, youre not going to be able to do it.

Then-Lt. Col. CQ Brown is shown here deployed as an F-16 squadron commander in support of Operation Southern Watch in 2001. (Courtesy of the Brown family)

Browns skill in the cockpit was put to the test in the skies over Florida in January 1991, when a suspected lightning strike to his F-16 ignited and exploded his fuel tank, sparking a fire that started to engulf the aircraft. Brown punched out and parachuted safely to the ground, and he was back in a cockpit the following week.

In late 1994, Brown first came to the Pentagon to serve as aide-de-camp to then-Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ron Fogleman. Brown attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama from August 1996 to June 1997, then the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1997. Afterward, he served as an air operations officer for U.S. Central Command and then again as an F-16 instructor pilot.

Gaining a wider perspective

Brown returned to the Pentagon in 2004 as a lieutenant colonel, where he worked directly for Carlisle in the Air Forces programs directorate to build the services classified budget.

You could tell he had matured in the way that he carried himself and interacted with the most senior levels of the Air Force, Carlisle said. There was no doubt in your mind that he knew how to be at the Pentagon.

From then on, Carlisle said, Brown broadened his worldview beyond the fighter tribe. Brown grew to understand how to manage the dynamics among different major commands, the nuances of dealing with Congress and international relations, and the varying components of the Air Force, such as mobility, space and acquisition, Carlisle added.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., speaks with airmen at an all-call during his stop at Travis Air Force Base, California, Aug. 4, 2022. (Senior Airman Alexander Merchak/Air Force)

That broadening of Browns perspective will pay off as chairman, Carlisle said, where the general would have to take into account the bigger picture encompassing the entire military.

Brown returned to the Weapons School in 2005  this time as commandant  and then led F-16 fighter wings at Kunsan and Aviano Air Base in Italy.

He next began to take on senior roles with U.S. Air Forces Central Command and U.S. Central Command. He assumed command of the former in summer 2015, directing the air war against the Islamic State group. The following year he became deputy chief for U.S. Central Command under Army Gen. Joseph Votel.

The stakes were high, as the war against the Islamic State group, dubbed Operation Inherent Resolve, was coming to a head. The anti-ISIS coalition of American and allied troops, the Iraqi military, and the Syrian Democratic Forces were planning major campaigns to drive the militant group out of the critical cities of Mosul, Iraq, and Raqqa, Syria. With the campaigns to being in a few months time, and Votel often traveling, Brown became a vital partner to the general.

Votel said that Brown managed Central Commands headquarters in Tampa, Florida, and represented the organization in major National Security Council meetings and other sessions to plan operations and strategy.

Hes a steady hand, Votel said. Easy to get along with, calm on the surface, but theres tension underneath. Theres a sense of urgency.

In summer 2018, Brown made his next move, taking command of Pacific Air Forces; in March 2020, he was nominated to succeed Goldfein as chief of staff.

What would Chairman Brown do?

Brown has the right personality to run the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to Arnold Punaro, a retired Marine general and former Senate Armed Services Committee staff director.

As chairman, Punaro said, Brown would need to play a key diplomatic role  not just building and strengthening alliances with the militaries of friendly nations and dealing with potential adversaries, but also with the American people.

With the military struggling to recruit and public trust falling, Punaro noted, it will be important for Brown to talk to the nations population about the role the military plays in todays democracy.

The world is more dangerous and unstable than [it was during] the peak of the Cold War, Punaro said. Hes going to have to try to help educate the American people of the challenges that we have with China.

While Brown regularly emphasizes the need to prepare for a possible fight against China, he speaks carefully and avoids hyperbolic language that could be seen as saber rattling  and he expects his subordinates to take similar care.

At the Warfare Symposium on March 7, Brown delivered an unusually public rebuke of one of his top officers, Air Mobility Command head Gen. Mike Minihan. The general wrote a memo that predicted war with China in 2025. In the document, leaked online in late January, Minihan used provocative language such as aim for the head to describe the need for unrepentant lethality in preparing for conflict.

Theres aspects of that memo I was disappointed in, Brown told reporters in a roundtable at the conference. It detracted from the key message of the sense of urgency that is required.

Spencer, the former Air Force vice chief of staff, said that if Brown is nominated and confirmed as chairman, he would likely make himself more visible to the public than Milley or other previous chairmen. Brown would also be an effective diplomat to represent the military services for the American people, particularly as they try to solve lingering recruiting challenges, Spencer added.

The reality of it is, of course, he represents that anyone  regardless of your ethnicity, your background, your race or your gender  if you have the kind of talent and drive and initiative and leadership capability and warfighting credentials that he has, it doesnt matter what you look like, Spencer said. You can go to the top job.

But Brown brings much more to the table, Spencer noted, because he speaks his mind and doesnt sugarcoat things, while his amiable personality when delivering hard truths means the media will flock to him.

I dont think most people you stop on the street know who the chairman of the Joint Chiefs is, Spencer said. I predict that he will be more visible and more recognizable [than previous chairmen], which I think will go a long way to improve the recruiting challenge that some of the services have. I think he will be viewed by parents and folks on the Hill as: This is what the military is all about, and I want my kids to be like him.

But before Brown took command of the Air Force in 2020, becoming the first Black person to serve as a U.S. service chief, he felt compelled to speak out. As a result, he found himself drawn to the spotlight in an unexpected way.

The right thing to do

On May 25, 2020, Minneapolis police killed a Black man named George Floyd during an arrest for allegedly using a counterfeit bill to buy cigarettes. Officers pinned the handcuffed Floyd on the ground, and video later showed that one white officer kneeled on his neck for more than nine minutes. Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe, but the police did not let him up.

Video of Floyds death swept across the country and generated outrage, prompting mass protests against police brutality and igniting a nationwide conversation about racism and inequality.

The debate spread in the military as well. Then-Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Kaleth Wright, who is Black, on June 1 posted a lengthy message on social media on racial injustice. At one point in his post, Wright wrote: I am George Floyd.

In his own video, Brown spoke about what it was like living in two worlds  both as a Black man and as an officer in the U.S. military.

His speech invoked the ideals of equality in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that I have sworn my adult life to support and defend. But he also spoke about the history of racial issues in the country he loves and serves, and discussed my own experiences that didnt always sing of liberty and equality.

To Spencer, what made Browns video strike a chord was precisely the plain-spoken nature for which the general is known.

He comes across [in the video] as, Im telling you facts here,  Spencer said.  Im just telling you how I feel, how a lot of folks feel. 

After the video went viral, Spencer said several retired three- and four-star generals he had served with called to ask about it, wondering whether Spencer has similar experiences to Browns.

Absolutely I did, Spencer told his white counterparts in those calls. Brown opened up, even though it was a short window  a dialogue that I thought was very healthy.

Four days after the video hit the web, the Senate unanimously voted to approve Brown as Air Force chief of staff.

In the December 2020 interview with NPR, Brown acknowledged the video could be challenging for his career, but said even if he had sacrificed his chances of becoming Air Force chief of staff to speak out, it wouldve been worth it.

I thought it was more important than, in some cases, confirmation, Brown told NPR. If confirmation had been withheld for some reason, I knew in my heart of hearts I did what I thought was the right thing to do. And thats the way I approach life.

Bryant Harris and Rachel S. Cohen contributed to this report.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine posted a photo of the Iris-T anti-aircraft missile system operating in Ukraine.

Source: the General Staff on Facebook

Quote from General Staff: "The Iris-T air defence system is on combat duty. Together we will win! Glory To Ukraine!".

Background:

In April, the German government handed over another package of military assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which includes the second IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system.

The first air defence system IRIS-T Ukraine arrived from Germany in October 2022.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20, he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the U.N secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Rutos mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country, he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important, he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONEs Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholzs statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage, he said in a statement.
Ammunition near the positions of Ukrainian defenders in Bakhmut

Papperger made the statement following a visit by EU Commissioner for Industry Thierry Breton to a Rheinmetall factory in Unterlu. Breton reiterated EUs pledge to supply Ukraine with artillery ammunition to repel the Russian invasion.

Read also: Estonia sends military assistance package for Ukraine, including 155 mm artillery munitions

"This goal must be achieved quickly, as intense fighting puts Ukraine at risk of running out of ammunition," said Breton.

Read also: EU to produce 1 million of artillery rounds per year

On May 3, the European Commission decided to allocate EUR 500 million to increase the production of weapons  both to assist the Ukrainian forces and replenish the stocks of EU members.

On March 20, EU countries agreed to purchase one million of 155mm artillery rounds for Ukraine within one year.

Read also: Germany to produce 250,000 artillery shells for Ukraine, media report says

Financial Times reports indicate that Ukraine has asked the EU to send 250,000 artillery shells every month to Ukrainian forces to address the deficit, while Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated that millions more are required.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The lyrics to the national anthem were changed when Charles became King. (Getty Images)

The national anthem, God Save the King, will ring out after King Charles is crowned at Westminster Abbey today.

Well-wishers lining London's streets are expected to sing the anthem when the monarch leaves the historic coronation ceremony at around 1pm.

Some of the song's lyrics were changed when Charles ascended to the throne last year, upon the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The line "God save the Queen" became "God save the King", while "send her victorious" was replaced by "send him victorious".

God Save the King lyrics

First verse

God save our gracious King!

Long live our noble King!

God save the King!

Send him victorious,

Happy and glorious,

Long to reign over us,

God save the King.

Saturday's coronation ceremony is part of a three-day celebration. (Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Second verse

Thy choicest gifts in store

On him be pleased to pour,

Long may he reign.

May he defend our laws,

And ever give us cause,

To sing with heart and voice,

God save the King.

Who wrote God Save the King?

Historians are unsure who wrote God Save the King, although its melody may date back to a Tudor chant.

It was first publicly performed in 1745 to show support for George II during the Jacobite Rebellion, then adopted as the UK's national anthem at the start of the 19th century.

It is also serves as the royal anthem for most Commonwealth countries, including Canada and Australia, although they have their own national anthems. Norway and Liechtenstein are among other countries which also use a variation of the music.

There is no definitive version of the lyrics, and extra verses have been added over the years. However, it is customary for only the first verse to be sung at official events.

Watch: The ultimate guide to the King's coronation
The 200 videos analysed in the report garnered 73.8 million views (AP)

Google and ChatGPT creator OpenAI are facing a major threat from open source artificial intelligence researchers, according to a leaked Google document.

The two companies have spent time squabbling and looking over our shoulders at each other, while missing the real threat to their dominance in artificial intelligence, the document warns.

That comes from open source researchers, working as communities on the internet, who are building artificial intelligence technology that is more powerful than those big companies are developing, it says.

The uncomfortable truth is, we arent positioned to win this arms race and neither is OpenAI. While weve been squabbling, a third faction has been quietly eating our lunch, it reads.

Im talking, of course, about open source. Plainly put, they are lapping us.

Open source researchers are creating systems that are able to do things with $100 that Google struggles with for $10 million, the report warned. And they are doing so in weeks, not months.

Neither of the companies has a moat or secret sauce that means others are not able to overtake them, it notes. As such, the document warns that the best thing to do is to try and learn from and collaborate with people who are working outside of Google.

It also notes that people are unlikely to pay for a service that they are able to get similar offerings for free and without restrictions through those open source researchers.

And it warns that the size and complexity of the AI systems that are being worked on by Google and others are actually slowing it down. That complexity means that it is difficult to update them quickly, it notes.

Google has repeatedly said that it has been relatively slow to release AI technology publicly in part because it is working on a principle of responsible release, where it will ensure that systems are fully safe before they are made widely available. But the report warns that has become obviated, since rival models to make images or text are available widely on the internet with no restrictions whatsoever.

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Some of that open source work is being built on top of research that has been done by companies. The open source community has been working with LLaMa, made by Facebook parent company Meta, which was leaked onto the internet in March and has been tinkered with by the public since.

The leaked document was originally made available on a Discord server, published by an anonymous account. It has since been made available publicly by research firm SemiAnalysis, which said it verified its authenticity and that it had originated from a researcher within Google.

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report or its claims.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., at the Capitol in January. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is calling on her GOP colleagues to adopt a more centrist approach to abortion ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

I know that if were going to win hearts and minds, we cant be assholes to women, Mace said during an interview with Yahoo News this week. She argued that Republicans should, instead, embrace a more compassionate and compelling message that is both pro-woman and pro-life.

They can do both, she said.

Mace, whose district includes much of South Carolinas East Coast, including Charleston and Hilton Head Island, has been an outspoken proponent within the Republican Party of reproductive rights. She pointed to a string of abortion-related defeats for the GOP since the Supreme Courts decision last spring to overturn Roe v. Wade as proof that abortion is an issue that we have to address head on.

First, there was the wave of successful ballot measures on abortion rights that passed during the 2022 midterm elections, even in traditionally conservative states.

Then last month, Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who campaigned on her support for abortion access, won a hotly contested race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by 11%, giving Democrats a majority on the bench in the key swing state and showing, again, that the issue of abortion is top of mind for many voters.

And just last week, South Carolinas state Senate voted 22-21 to reject a near-total abortion ban. It was the third time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that a near-total abortion ban has failed to pass in the states GOP-led chamber.

The only five women in the state Senate  three Republicans, one Democrat and one Independent  joined together to lead a multi-day filibuster against the bill. State Sen. Penry Gustafson, a Republican, said that while she is pro-life, she opposed the bill because it left no room for empathy, reality or graciousness.

Its this kind of position that, Mace argues, Republicans would be wise to adopt if they want to win in 2024.

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If we just bury our heads in the sand and ignore the issue, we're going to lose and we're going to lose big.

The issue of abortion access is personal for Mace, who was raped when she was 16.

Mace first revealed her traumatic experience to the public in 2019, during a debate over South Carolinas fetal heartbeat bill, when she was serving in the state Legislature.

She told Yahoo News that she hadnt planned to share her story, but she felt compelled to speak out on behalf of victims of rape to ensure that the bill, which banned abortion after six weeks, would include exceptions for victims of rape and incest.

Since then, she said, her own trauma has made me a different type of lawmaker because it really informs everything that I do.

Its why shes currently working on legislation to address the massive backlog of untested rape kits across the United States, and why shes been critical of a recent abortion ban signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that requires a pregnant person to show proof of rape or incest to qualify for abortion exceptions up until 15 weeks.

Based on her own experience, Mace said thinks the restrictive strings attached to the exceptions are unrealistic.

In terms of reporting it to the police or getting evidence from a hospital, by the time I told my mom I was raped, it was too late, Mace said. Theres no way in hell you wouldve been able to get me to go to the police, no way.

Mace advocating for moderation on abortion issues within the GOP, July 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The South Carolina congresswoman has championed other issues related to reproductive rights, like access to birth control, and shes been an outspoken critic of a Texas federal judges decision to overturn the decades-old Food and Drug Administration approval of widely used abortion drug, mifepristone.

While she may be a singular voice within her party, Mace notes that shes not alone, pointing to legislation that conservative South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law last year, that would give women access to the birth control pill from their pharmacist without having to see a doctor.

She told Yahoo News that shes now working on legislation to cut the time in half and reduce the pricing for self-administered birth control and contraception.

In addition to her own experience, Maces views are shaped by the attitudes of her constituents, which, she said, have shifted in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision on Roe. While she was willing to support her states six-week abortion ban with exceptions in 2019, she now says she thinks the gestational limit on abortion should be 15-20 weeks.

Recognizing this shift is a key part of the approach that Mace argues her party must follow: Be compassionate to women, be pro-life and win resoundingly.

We have to be able to read the room, she said. People arent where they were five years ago.
A Kentucky man paid more than $450,000 in an effort to keep another person from exposing their online sexual relationship, according to a federal indictment.

The indictment charges Austin Michael Genay with wire fraud, using interstate communications to make threats and cyberstalking.

Genay lived in or near Philadelphia during the time he allegedly committed the crimes, according to the indictment returned Thursday in federal court in Lexington.

The victim, a man identified in the indictment only as T, lived in Scott County. He was married and he and his spouse were active in the community, according to the charges.

Genay and T engaged in an online sexual relationship beginning in late 2015 and continuing into early 2016, the indictment says.

Genay allegedly demanded money from T in amounts ranging from $20 to $5,000.

The victim in Kentucky sent Genay money through services such as Apple Cash, Square Cash, Google Wallet and Western Union, according to the indictment.

T tried to break off contact with Genay in 2017, but Genay threatened to expose messages and screenshots that he had saved of their relationship if T didnt keep paying, the indictment charges.

Genay allegedly sent the threats by text.

In response, T frequently sent money to Genay in an attempt to avoid potentially significant harm to his reputation, his familial relationships and to his business interests, the indictment says.

Genay made up various needs and expenses to justify his demands, including saying he needed money for legal fees, bail, car repairs, school and rent, according to the indictment.

T paid Genay about $468,418 from August 2015 to July 2019, the indictment says.

Genay faces eight charges. The most serious, the wire fraud charges, are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

In an interview with the Herald-Leader Friday, Genay confirmed he had a relationship with a man in Georgetown, but denied illegally pressuring the man for money.

He was sending me money to be with him, but in the meantime he had a wife the whole time, Genay said.

Police seized his phone as part of an investigation several years ago, Genay said.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Matthew A. Stinnett issued a summons for Genay to make his initial court appearance in federal court in Lexington later this month.
Christian Black/Hulu

Deliberately ahistorical period pieces are generally empty and useless (Im looking your way, Bridgerton), since they obscure rather than reveal the truth about our pasts and ourselves.

Nonetheless, The Great is the exception to that reliable rule, as Tony McNamaras manic Hulu hit employs its inaccurate vision of 18th-century Russia for delightfully daffy comedy that speaks directly to the issues at the heart of its, and our, era. Its yesteryear reimagined as a theater of the absurd, and all the more winning for the way in which its ridiculousness is rooted in enduring personal, social, and political dynamics.

When last we left The Great, which returns May 12 on Hulu, Russian empress Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) had just tried to kill her husband Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), only to learn that her knife had repeatedly penetrated his body double Pugachev (also Hoult)at which point Peter had walked in on the scene and discovered his wifes intentions.

Once again writing (or co-writing) each of Season 3s 10 episodes, whose action is infused with infectious rapid-fire wit, McNamara picks up with his protagonists as they come to grips with this awkward turn of events, which is complicated by the fact that its reenergized their passion for each other. Still, old wounds heal slowly, not simply when it comes to Peters hurt feelings over Catherines attempted murder, but with regards to Catherines still-burning fury over the act that precipitated her homicidal action: namely, Peter sleeping with her mother (Gillian Anderson), during which the matriarch accidentally fell to her death.

Christopher Raphael/Hulu

"The past must be dead or we cannot go on," claims Catherine, and The Great is a show about the tensions between the old and the new, progress and tradition, reason and faith, and attachment to the monarchy and unequal convention. Catherine and Peter are on opposite sides of that divide, and their push-pull encapsulates the storys underlying ideas, which also manifest themselves in Catherines persistent desire to bring the Enlightenment to a Russian court, whose refined airs are as over-the-top as their base impulses are primal and uninhibited.

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Everyone thinks highly of themselves in this arena and yet lusts thirstily for bloodshed and sex, the twin engines and pleasures of their lives, and McNamara generates lunatic amusement from the ubiquitous juxtaposition of arrogant entitlement and sophistication, and unapologetic crassness and savagery.

The Great Star Nicholas Hoult on How to Make Even a Nasty Narcissist Charming

As before, The Great wrestles with these concerns through a variety of plots that are twisted up in knots, beginning with Catherines efforts to modernize Russia by outlawing murder and, with it, duels. The latter is a problem for Peters oft-humiliated yet loyal right-hand man Grigor (Gwilym Lee), who finds himself violently at odds with his lover Marials (Phoebe Fox) adolescent husband Maxim (a scene-stealing Henry Meredith).

Grigors love triangle with Marial and his treacherous wife Georgina (Charity Wakefield) is a running thread thats made wilder by his simultaneous rivalry for Peters affections with deposed Swedish king Hugo (Freddie Fox), as well as Georginas cunning labors to ingratiate herself with Catherine by promoting the empress feminist agenda.

As if this werent enoughand it most certainly is not, given McNamaras correct belief that the more madness, the betterCatherine also eventually realizes that idealism alone wont beget change, and thus aligns herself with Archbishop Archie (Adam Godley) and Peters aunt Elizabeth (Belinda Bromilow), having them school her in the ways of wheeling-and-dealing scheming.

Christopher Raphael/Hulu

Catherine and Peters screwy marital strife is the early focus of The Greats third season, but its merely the first of numerous cataclysms to befall them. Chief among those later troubles is Catherines refusal to ordain her infant son Paul, which undermines Peters familys divinely mandated grip on the throne.

Catherines longing for independence and liberation mark her as the forward-thinking counterpoint to Peter, whose boorish entitlement naturally aligns him with the established institutions that grant him his privilege, and their domestic war proves to be a microcosm ofand catalyst forthe tumult that engulfs the country at large. For McNamara, these farcical frictions serve as vehicles for rat-a-tat-tat silliness, and excellent ones at that, as the series always spins like a mad top, teetering on the edge of disaster and yet refraining from collapsing.

Additionally training its sights on General Velementov (Douglas Hodge), who thinks hes dying and covets Hugos wife Agnes (Grace Molony), and sycophantic aristocrats Arkady (Bayo Gbadamosi) and Tatyana (Florence Keith-Roach), whose sole goal is maintaining their position, The Great is bursting with colorful characters, hilarious subplots, and superb performances. Fanning and Hoult continue to make for an ideal yin-yang couple, her Catherine a bold revolutionary whos alternately resolute and insecure, and his Peter a daft, hedonistic egomaniac with a tender heart.

Did Catherine the Great F*ck a Horse? Inside TVs Surprisingly Fun New Binge

Theirs is a love of endless (and potentially irresolvable) conflict, and its mirrored by everyone elses relationshipsthereby creating a narrative thats in a constant state of warlike flux, awash in duplicity, selfishness, greed, and horniness.

The Great hurtles along at a confidently zany pace, its attitude as finely honed as is its perspective on these alternately reprehensible and admirable individuals. While McNamara lets no one off the hook, he refrains from schoolmarmishly condemning them for their faults, instead using their failings and foibles as fodder for his flights of fancy.

Some of that even comes from actual history books, such as Catherines creation of the Nakaz, a set of Enlightenment-inspired principles designed to usher in a new age of logic, discovery, and invention. Still, McNamara has never held himself accountable to the specifics of the past (if he had, Peter would have perished early on in season one), and his materials main engines are the idiosyncratic fictionalized personalities hes crafted, each one loopier than the last.

Christopher Raphael/Hulu

A midseason bombshelland its tumultuous ramificationsleaves The Great ending on a note that could function as either a series finale or a jumping-off point for a fresh start. Considering how sharp and delirious McNamaras gem remains, one certainly hopes its the latter, although if its not, at least fans can be content with knowing that its rocking closing scene more than lives up to the shows title.

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A conservative group is accusing Decatur Superintendent Chad Jones of using tax dollars to weaponize the school district against two candidates who are running for seats on the school board in Saturdays election.

The group, Wise County Conservatives, posted on its Facebook page that Jones used district letterhead in his April 26 message to parents and staff in response to a campaign text message calling on voters to support Sandra Schneider and Jeremy Duncan. The text accused the district of teaching woke politics and encouraged Decatur to get back to the basics when educating students.

In his response, which was also posted on the districts website, Jones wrote: Decatur ISD teachers do not teach woke politics nor do we indoctrinate children. We teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) that are approved by the Texas Education Agency and these educators do it with a deep passion and genuine desire to make your children successful.

Jones also said in his statement that the text message was sent during STAAR testing week, a stressful time for teachers.

When our district and teachers come under fire, I want every staff member and citizen of Decatur to know that they have a superintendent who will back them when they are unjustly called out as a group for actions or activities that are false and damaging to their personal reputations and that of Decatur ISD.

Jones declined to comment on the groups accusations, other than to refer to his statement.

The Star-telegram asked the Wise County Conservatives if it had filed a complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission, which handles election-related concerns, and received a message that said: Wise County Conservatives has not filed a complaint with the TEC regarding the DISD Superintendent. Thanks and have a great day!

The group wrote in its Facebook post that Jones insinuated that the candidates hurt the school district. The candidates were not named in the Wise County Conservatives post, but they were named in the campaign text message.

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Schneider and Duncan did not return messages fseeking comment, but they addressed the text message on their Facebook pages.

Schneider wrote, I DO NOT believe that DISD teachers are woke. I do not believe that DISD is a woke district. It was never my intention to make teachers feel villainized and or accused of teaching woke politics or indoctrinating our children.

Duncans Facebook post stated that he wanted to recognize the superintendent for advocating for educators.

I never had, or will, have ill intentions towards our educators. I want to advocate and support you all! Words have been twisted and misconstrued, and I whole heartedly want all educators to know that I am here for you and I invite anyone to please reach out to further discuss this matter.

The post from the Wise County Conservatives also accuses the school board of failing to protect students and teachers from radical woke agendas such as allowing kids identifying as a gender not on their birth certificate to use opposite sex bathrooms or policies to protect teachers and students from having to use preferred pronouns.
Rocket appears prominently in one of the "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" end-credit scenes. Marvel Studios

Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

"GotG: Vol. 3" contains two extra scenes after the movie ends. The first teases a new character.

The second scene, mostly meant as a gag, teases Star-Lord's return to the MCU in the future.

Make sure to stick around if you head to theaters to see "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

The James Gunn-directed sequel contains two extra scenes after the movie ends, one of which teases a new character to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

If you ventured out of the theater early before catching both end-credits scenes or weren't sure about the identity of a mystery girl, we have you covered.

What happens in the first end-credits scene: We meet the new Guardians of the Galaxy

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 new lineup

"GotG: Vol. 3" teases the future lineup of the Guardians.Marvel Studios

Some time has passed since the events of "Vol. 3." The scene opens with Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), Kraglin (Sean Gunn), Cosmo the Spacedog (Maria Bakalova), Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), the alien creature Blurp, and a mystery girl who was first seen with the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji).

Rocket's leading the group on a mission, but, before they begin, they each reveal their favorite music to one another.

As the group lists off tracks, Rocket takes out Yondu's Zune and starts playing "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone.

Peter Quill first played the song on his Sony Walkman near the start of 2014's "Guardians of the Galaxy" during his first appearance in the MCU.

As the group gets up to fight off some creatures and go to work, we learn that Rocket was leaning against Groot (Vin Diesel) the entire time. When the tree-like creature stands, he's more enormous in size than any version of Groot we've ever seen.

The scene ends with this new group of Guardians prepared to fight.

What you should take away: 'GotG Vol. 3' sneakily introduces a new character, Phyla-Vell

Rocket's new lineup of Guardians plucks from characters who have appeared in Marvel's more recent 2008 run of "Guardians of the Galaxy" comics.

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Rocket (far left), Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Phyla-Vell are all a part of the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy lineup.

Rocket (far left), Adam Warlock, Cosmo, and Phyla-Vell are all a part of the 2008 Guardians of the Galaxy lineup.Marvel Comics

In addition to revealing the new group, headed up by Rocket Raccoon, the sequel teases a new character, Phyla-Vell.

First appearing in 2004's "Captain Marvel" comic series, Phyla-Vell is half-Eternal and half-Kree.

She's introduced as the daughter of Mar-Vell, a character whose gender was flipped in the MCU and played by Annette Bening.

Phyla-Vell as seen in the 2008 run of "Guardians of the Galaxy." Marvel Comics

In the comics, Phyla-Vell has assumed the role of Captain Marvel, but has also been known as the superhero Quasar, known for wearing a pair of Quantum bands.

The Phyla-Vell we meet at the end of "Vol. 3" may have been wearing a version of these bands as cosmic, quantum energy appeared to radiate from their wrists at the scene's end.

We may learn more about the character in November's "Captain Marvel" sequel.

What happens in the second end-credits scene: We return to Earth with Peter Quill

"Guardians of the Galaxy" comes full circle with Peter back home on Earth, reunited with his grandpa. Marvel Studios

Peter and his grandfather, Jason Quill, are sitting around a small kitchen table. Peter eats cereal as his grandfather reads the news.

A headline on the front page reads: "Alien Abduction: Kevin Bacon Shares All."

Peter complains in a joking manner about how he, a 45-year-old man, has to mow a lawn as his capable grandfather watches him.

The scene ends.

The words "The legendary Star-Lord will return" appear on a white background as the sounds of Peter eating his cereal close out the movie.

What it means: 'Vol. 3' likely takes place in early 2026. We probably won't see Quill again for a while.

Peter Quill spills his age in the second end-credits scene, giving us an idea of when it takes place in the MCU. Marvel Studios

This is a mostly humorous scene with fun banter between the Quill men.

The biggest reveal is that Peter states his age.

Since "Vol. 2" shared that Peter was born in 1980, we know "Vol. 3" takes place in at least 2025, two years after everyone returned from the Blip in "Avengers: Endgame."

However, 2022's "Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special" takes place during Christmas 2025. This is when Drax and Mantis kidnap Bacon. (According to Disney+'s MCU timeline, the holiday special occurs after "Ms. Marvel," which takes place in 2025.)

The newspaper Jason reads places "Vol. 3" after the holiday special since it mentions Bacon's abduction. Peter's from Missouri and we bet his grandfather didn't relocate. Since the weather's relatively nice and not wintery, it's likely spring 2026.

But most surprisingly, the final scene says Star-Lord will eventually return to the MCU. We have a few guesses as to how Peter might decide to get back into the action.

Maybe he gets bored with life on Earth and his grandpa tells him it's OK to return to his space adventures.

Or maybe Peter's grandfather dies, and he uses traveling the galaxy as a coping mechanism.

It's also entirely plausible that someone Peter loves ends up in trouble and he's recruited to help.

Whatever happens, it's most likely we'll see Star-Lord in action again when the galaxy needs saving once more. That may not be until 2025's "Avengers: The Kang Dynasty" or 2026's "Avengers: Secret Wars."

Read the original article on Insider
We've finally reached the highly anticipated release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (now in theatres), but we'd like to dub this Friday "Sean Gunn Day."

Not only does the actor have the release of this film, but Friday also marks the ex-Gilmore Girls star's return to working with that show's creator and producer/writer Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino in the latest episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

While the worlds of Maisel and Gilmore Girls seem like a far cry from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Gunn says that his brother, James Gunn, and the Palladinos are actually quite similar in the way they work. He added that he would say yes to a project with any of these individuals at the helm, without even seeing a script.

#GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 is out today! We spoke to @seangunn about working with James Gunn and Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino. pic.twitter.com/YvX9DyKdxt  Yahoo Canada News (@YahooCanadaNews) May 5, 2023

"I would say that my brother's style as a writer and creator is more similar to the Palladinos than it is different," Gunn told Yahoo Canada during an interview in Toronto. "Of all the people I've worked with, James and Amy are more similar than probably a lot of other people because they're so exact as creators. They know exactly what they want and their writing is so precise, the rhythm is so precise."

"The same is true for for Dan. ... Another great writer. I always love doing the things that they write together. They get it and and that's just the greatest thing about being able to work with those guys."

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HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 27: Sean Gunn attends the World Premiere of Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" on April 27, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

'I knew how important Rocket's part of the story was'

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is easily the best film of the trilogy, with much of the story focused on learning more about Rocket, after he finds himself in a dangerous situation and the Guardians have to come together to save his life.

"The whole idea of the Guardians is that they are this found family and you're bound to find some tricky pasts when you dig into everyone's history," Gunn said. "We've seen Rocket in all these previous movies where he has such a chip on his shoulder, and as much as we love him, and as funny as he is, he's an angry guy."

"That doesn't come from nowhere. So going into his past and finding that comes from somewhere real. It packs a punch."

While the Rocket character has been voiced by Bradley Cooper, Gunn is actually the on-set Rocket, which gives his fellow actors a human to work off of while creating the film. Gunn stressed that Rocket takes "an entire team of people to create."

"There's the writing part of the process, I do my part, the visual effects team does so much and then Bradley does the heavy lifting," Gunn said. "But I've been doing this for six movies now, in my piece of the puzzle, and it's really nice."

"I've always known that my brother James saw himself in Rocket more than any other character in the movies, and I knew how important Rocket's part of the story was. ... I've been really happy to kind of do my part. There's an element of giving when you're an actor. Ideally, when you're doing it right, you're trying to understand other people and then you're giving that of yourself, and I do that with Rocket as much as I can."

Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. (Marvel Studios)

'There's nothing I love more than a good villain'

In Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, the Guardians have to face one of, if not the, cruelest villains in the MCU, The High Evolutionary played by the incomparable Chukwudi Iwuji.

"There's nothing I love more than a good villain, Iwuji told Yahoo Canada. When I think of some of my favourite actors like Gary Oldman and Alan Rickman and Peter O'Toole, and sometimes Denzel [Washington] when they let him be a villain, those are the roles that Im drawn to.

There was never a part of me that liked The High Evolutionary, but I certainly loved playing him.

The High Evolutionary, played by the incomparable Chukwudi Iwuji, is one of the cruelest villains in the MCU. #GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3 pic.twitter.com/SlyAI5rkaH  Yahoo Canada News (@YahooCanadaNews) May 5, 2023

The High Evolutionary has a brilliant grandiose element, a character who's listening to space opera and speaks with a lot of exposition. He's a frightening being but someone you also feel you could listen to him speak for hours.

Iwuji was also able to tap into his Shakespeare acting experience for this role.

I tapped into my background with Shakespeare, I really thought a lot about Henry IV," Iwuji explained. "That gave me an idea of, OK this guy doesn't sleep, ... so he's uber aware of himself during the day."

"Then, of course, it was the thing of putting on the costume.  It's purple. It's regal. It's dangerous, essential, it's arrogant. All those things came together.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 23: (L-R) James Gunn, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Chukwudi Iwuji, Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, Will Poulter, and Maria Bakalova speak onstage at the Marvel Cinematic Universe Mega-Panel during 2022 Comic Con International: San Diego at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

'He brings his heart into the work'

One thing that both Iwuji and Gunn are very much aligned on is the brilliance of writer-director James Gunn in crafting these Guardians movies.

Hes one of the most prepared people I've ever met, Iwuji said. He does all this storyboarding. He brings his heart into the work."

What I love about him as a collaborator is that as prepared as he is, as structured as he is, as ready as he is, there's always a moment in filming where he then goes, OK we've got it, now do whatever you want. He's genuinely watching what you do there, because he understands there's a chance that you, as this X factor that isn't him, that has come and met this material, might give him an idea he didn't think about, ... and that's the scene you end up with.

Sean Gunn added that the Guardians movies, in the way his brother crafted them, exemplify where there has to be a great mix of comedy with the darker, more dramatic elements of a story.

"The whole idea of the Guardians is they are a found family, that they found one another because they didn't have families of their own," he explained. "If you're going to dig into character stories who don't have families, you're going find some darkness and some drama."

"We can't just have all the joyful stuff. In order to get to joy, we have to go through some work."

(L-R): Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Dave Bautista as Drax, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Karen Gillan as Nebula, and Pom Klementieff as Mantis in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. (Marvel Studios)

Guardians movies and the characters have always stood out from the pack of Marvel movies and Marvel heroes, and much of that can be attributed to this group of misfits, who all at one point or another have felt like they were outcasts.

"My favourite thing about the movies, people come up to me and they're like, 'Hey I felt like that. I've been an outsider. I've had to find my own family outside of whatever experiences that I've had,'" Gunn said. "That's what people connect to and it's really important."

The role of the hero in culture, not just American culture but worldwide culture, is so huge, Iwuji added in a separate interview. To be told that actually, the misfit and the outsider, and trodden upon and the surprising, could be a hero, is something that we all want to hear, we all need to hear.

Guardians is slightly more domestic,  these guys care for each other, they'll do anything for each other.  I think in our lives, we want to believe that we'd be there for a best friend or a family member or a dog.  Guardians embodies that, it embodies camaraderie and in its purest form. That's why it's both always exciting and very moving, because I think we slightly see ourselves there, more than in the other movies.
Gwyneth Paltrow reflected on how the public turned on her after her Academy Award success in 1999. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images, Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

Gwyneth Paltrow reflected on how the public turned on her after her Oscar win on "Call Her Daddy."

She won the Academy Award for best actress for her role in 1998's "Shakespeare In Love" at 26.

She said the press was "horrible" to her, but didn't know she was crying over her father's cancer.

Gwyneth Paltrow has reflected on taking home the Academy Award for best actress for her role in the period drama "Shakespeare in Love" in 1999 when she was just 26 years old  and how the public turned on her shortly after.

On the latest episode of the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, the Goop founder said she experienced an "identity crisis" following the big night because "people were so mean" about her crying on stage.

"Once I won the Oscar, it put me into a bit of an identity crisis, because if you win the biggest prize, like, what are you supposed to do? And where are you supposed to go?" she told host Alex Cooper.

Paltrow said the experience was "disorienting" and "really unhealthy," adding: "I was like, 'This is crazy. I don't know what to do. I don't know which way is up.' It was a lot."

She continued: "Not that I would give it back or anything. It was an amazing experience, but it kind of called a lot of things into question for me."

After beating her fellow nominees, including Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett, Paltrow took to the stage and delivered a tearful acceptance speech, something she continues to be mocked for over two decades later.

Gwyneth Paltrow holds her Oscar after winning for "Shakespeare in Love" during the 71st Academy Awards in 1999. Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images

"I felt a real pivot on that night because I felt like up until that moment everybody was kind of rooting for me in a way," Paltrow said. "And then when I won, it was like too much, and I could feel a real turn."

The "Iron Man" actor explained that part of the reason why her emotions were so high was that her father Bruce Paltrow  who, along with her mother, Blythe Danner, had accompanied her to the ceremony  had been recently diagnosed with cancer. He died in 2002.

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"He was really debilitated," Paltrow said. "It was just this totally overwhelming moment."

She added that she had to endure the vitriol of the British press when she found herself working in England in the weeks following.

"I remember the British press being so horrible to me because I cried," she said. "And they didn't necessarily know that my father was dying of cancer."

"And, you know, I was 26," she continued. "I cried and people were so mean about it and I just thought, 'Wow, there's this big energy shift that's happening. I think I'm going to have to learn to be less openhearted and much more protective of myself and filter people out better.'"

Elsewhere in the interview, the actor also opened up about her famous exes, including Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, describing the latter  whom she was dating at the time of her Oscars win  as "technically excellent" in bed.

Read the original article on Insider
Apple Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow. Foc Kan/WireImage/Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Goop

Apple Martin had a hilarious reaction to mom Gwyneth Paltrow talking about her sex life.

On the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, Paltrow spoke about sex with her exes Ben Affleck and Brad Pitt.

Apple was with her mom while she recorded the interview.

Gwyneth Paltrow caused a stir online earlier this week when she opened up about her sex life with her ex-boyfriends, Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, in the 1990s.

The "Iron Man" star and Goop founder appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast to talk about her life and career with host Alex Cooper when she compared what her two exes were like in bed. She called Affleck "technically excellent," but said that Pitt was "love at first sight."

Paltrow started dating Pitt in 1994 after they worked on David Fincher's "Seven" together, and they also got engaged before she called it off in 1997. Shortly after, she dated Ben Affleck for three years until 2000.

The actor's daughter, Apple Martin, was present for the podcast recording and was clearly mortified by hearing her mother talk so openly about her sex life.

The "Call Her Daddy" Instagram account posted a reel of Apple covering her ears while listening to Paltrow being interviewed.

On the podcast, Paltrow told Cooper, "I can't believe my daughter's listening to this."

Paltrow also explained that she wasn't prepared for her daughter to learn sex education at school when she was 11.

"I remember my kids both went to this fantastic elementary school here in Los Angeles after we moved back from London, and they taught them sex-ed in the sixth grade. I was really not prepared with the information they came home with," she rec

The "Shakespeare in Love" actor added: "I will never forget Apple and her best friend Emily sitting at our kitchen banquet in shock, the color drained from their face. They taught them everything. Everything. Anything you're thinking, they taught the 11, 12-year-olds. They're like, 'Do people do this?'"

As well as talking about Affleck and Pitt, Paltrow also revealed that Leonardo DiCaprio tried to make out with her when they were younger, although she wasn't interested.

Read the original article on Insider
Harrison Ford at 80: A celebration of an actor whose career has seen many highs, and few lows. (Lucasfilm/Warner Bros.)

If rumours are to be believed, Harrison Ford  who recently turned 80  might be making his last movie appearance in 2023's as-yet-untitled Indiana Jones 5. If that turns out to be the case, it would be an incredible end to an unparalleled Hollywood career  one that Steven Spielberg himself has already praised.

For a whole generation of VHS movie kids, Harrison Ford has been our pilot, adventurer, and now pop-culture archaeologist. As he turns 80 his rich career and granite cool poise have been both our fortune and our movie glory across six decades.

But it nearly did not happen. With small roles in TV fare The Virginian (1966), Ironside (1967), The Mod Squad (1968), Gunsmoke (1972) and Kung-Fu (1974)  the jobbing actor Ford almost saw his career shrink away on the small screen before it even started.

"It's not the years, honey. It's the mileage"Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

After a very brief stint as a tour technician for The Doors, Ford famously learnt carpentry in-between acting work to keep the bills paid. Having already starred in George Lucass American Graffiti (1973) in a breakthrough moment as competitive rogue Bob Falfa  and a precursor role for Han Solo  Ford was now back fitting a wooden floor for the films producer Francis Ford Coppola.

Read more: How Harrison Ford landed the role of Han Solo

It was there that he caught the attention of Coppolas American Zoetrope pal George Lucas who was readying a B-movie space caper called The Star Wars.

Many actors tested solo for Han Solo. Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Kurt Russell, Nick Nolte and John Travolta all got within fourteen parsecs of the role. But it was Ford who completed the Kessel Run first.

Harrison Ford, as Han Solo, on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

As galaxy-weary smuggler Solo, Harrison Ford gave Star Wars its adult swagger, attitude, and improvised pluck.

It was a jump to lightspeed that propelled Ford into the A-list at the global box-office and a genuine movie star idol for a whole generation. From the outset, Fords Solo cut through the heraldry and sometimes spiritual pomp of the Skywalker saga with a great make-do-and-mend bluster.

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Ford is always the audience in a Star Wars movie  passing comment with barfly put-downs, wild improvisations, and a warm cynicism.

Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark. (CBS via Getty Images)

By the time the 1980s arrived and became the decade that defined him, Harrison Ford was straddling three key roles across an un-challenged box-office triumph annually from 1980 through to 1984. Han Solo (The Empire Strikes Back, 1980), Indiana Jones (Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981) and Rick Deckard (Blade Runner, 1982) represent a striking trinity of a game-changing moment in effects driven cinema.

And Fords pop-culture legacy was forever assured. Never absorbed by the burgeoning artistry around him  even amidst Ridley Scotts masterpiece dystopia that is Blade Runner  Fords success lies in how his most famous roles succeed amidst such technological bombast.

Harrison Ford on the set of Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Empire Strikes Back is easily his best flight in the Millennium Falcon: a surprisingly sparse epic with almost European cinema overtones and a pared down narrative that positions Solo as the emotional soul and cliff-hanger anchor of the original saga.

Read more: How to watch Star Wars in the right order

Like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), Fords second stint in a galaxy far, far away sees him at his most resourceful, handsome, and agile. And when Fords stellar seadog and a rare non-Skywalker pulls a kneejerk pistol on Darth Vader in Cloud City, it becomes one of the actors greatest career beats. Whereas the parentage of Luke Skywalker is The Empire Strikes Backs plot cliff-hanger, the carbonite freezing of Han Solo is its vital emotional one.

Harrison Ford on the set of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back. (Lucasfilm/Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

1981s Raiders of the Lost Ark represented the moment when the two gods of the 1970s blockbuster  George Lucas and Steven Spielberg  were no longer the marquee name stars. That instead belonged to Harrison Ford.

If Solo, Deckard, and Indy are very separately pitched characters, Ford is the one who realised all we need to know about them has already happened.

Fords Raiders of the Lost Ark co-star Karen Allen told Yahoo how Harrison created the perfect hero in Indiana Jones, and it is standing the test of time. Instead of Spielberg and Lucas trying to re-wire the Hollywood system as they did in the 1970s, Ford helps Raiders become a brilliant celebration of everything the movies should be.

The film is a striking lobby poster in itself  with an open-shirted Ford whip-cracking his way to movie immortality in that original Richard Amsel poster art.

Kate Capshaw says goodbye to Harrison Ford in a scene from the film Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom, 1984. (Photo by Paramount/Getty Images)

In the time immediately after 1984s Temple of Doom, Ford was interviewed about the scope for a third Indy movie. Later quoted in a tabloid 1988 biography, Ford purportedly asserts how "Ill be back, but its one at a time for me. If theyre talking five, they must be talking to Roger Moore."

Cut to 2023 and an eighty-one-year-old Harrison Ford is gearing up for the release of his fifth crack of the Indy whip for director James Mangold.

Read more: What we know about Indiana Jones 5

As the fifth Indy chapter could well suggest, time is indeed a strange thing in movie land. And wouldnt Roger Moore had made a great Indy professor colleague?

Harrison Ford in the first look image from Indiana Jones 5. (Lucasfilm/Disney)

Fords only Academy Award nomination to date was for possibly his best non-franchise, non-effects driven work. With the simple tale of Philadelphia cop John Book helping an Amish boy evade murderous gunmen after witnessing a police murder, Peter Weirs Witness (1985) was exactly the title the box-office did not want Ford to do after Temple of Doom and Return of the Jedi.

And yet it is one the 1980s and Fords greatest cinematic works  a synth-poetic, perfect romance where the academia patience of Dr. Jones, the gangland cynicism of Deckard and the pluck of Solo strikingly combine.

Like the Millennium Falcon itself, Fords career needed two pilots  one was the franchise rogue cousin casting a cool eye over proceedings. The other was the everyman father figure often  as Family Guy later spoofed  looking for or protecting his family.

Anne Archer is thrown to the ground by Harrison Ford in a scene from the film Patriot Games, 1992. (Paramount/Getty Images)

If his franchise, action work was evident in Jack Ryan actioner Patriot Games (1992), its 1994 sequel Clear and Present Danger, and Air Force One (1997), then the eco drama The Mosquito Coast (1986), Euro thriller Frantic (1988) and The Fugitive (1993) all pitch Ford as the non-franchise man out of his depth.

Such was Fords success in The Fugitive, the action film was nominated for a Best Picture Oscar because it had been a massive sleeper hit at a time when mainstream hits were barely honoured.

Ford later adopted a third character trope. That of the gruff corporate old timer. Working Girl (1988). Presumed Innocent (1990), Morning Glory (2010) and even Cowboys and Aliens (2011) all pitch Harrison as snarly, almost unpleasant grouches. But are these roles maybe just what Han Solo and Rick Deckard might have been had they become morning TV anchors, dodgy lawyers, or banking moguls?

Melanie Griffith and Harrison Ford on the set of Working Girl directed by German-born American Mike Nichols. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Despite working with some WW2 era directors  Guy Hamilton in Force 10 from Navarone (1978) and Robert Aldrich in The Frisco Kid (1979)  Fords greatest career streak was pinned to the greatest directors from his own baby-boomer, post WW2 generation.

Francis Ford Coppola (Apocalypse Now), Steven Spielberg (E.T The Extra Terrestrial), George Lucas (American Graffiti), Mike Nichols (Working Girl, Regarding Henry), Peter Weir (Witness, The Mosquito Coast), Roman Polanski (Frantic), Sydney Pollack (Sabrina), Ridley Scott (Blade Runner), Ivan Reitman (Six Days Seven Nights), Kathryn Bigelow (K19  The Widowmaker), Alan J. Pakula (Presumed Innocent, The Devils Own), Philip Noyce (Patriot Games), Robert Zemeckis (What Lies Beneath), and Wolfgang Petersen (Air Force One) are all key players from that new, post golden era Hollywood generation. And all of them had a non-expected sleeper hit when casting Harrison Ford.

Harrison Ford on the set of The Mosquito Coast based on the novel by Paul Theroux and directed by Australian Peter Weir. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Later, the next generation likes of JJ Abrams (The Force Awakens), Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) and James Mangold (Indiana Jones V) all achieved the unthinkable. They collectively got the often-strong-minded Ford back to that original trilogy of roles that made him.

Alongside Carrie Fisher and Mark Hamill, Ford was part of the returning triumvirate that purportedly supported the Disney/Lucasfilm deal even happening. In turn, Harrison Ford could well have held the very genesis of TV hits The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi in his Solo utility belt.

Chewbacca and Han Solo (Harrison Ford) in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. (Lucasfilm/Disney)

Some suggest that Indy V could well be his last movie. Yet, when Mark Hamill can appear in The Book of Boba Fett (2021) as his Return of the Jedi self forty-years later, Carrie Fisher can star in at least two Star Wars movies after her death and James Earl Jones continues to voice Vader half a century on, I would not bet all your Corellian credits on Ford never being part of Star Wars again.

Besides, forty-five years on it is Harrison Ford that remains the only Star Wars actor to become a true movie star from the franchise.

For now, Ford is curiously returning to the TV western world he started out in six decades ago by starring in 1923 opposite his Mosquito Coast screen wife, Helen Mirren.

After the shooting tribulations, delays, and injuries of 2023s Indy V, Ford is currently not veering back to the big screen. I would say I have a bad feeling about this, but Ford has always marked the spot, grabbed that last minute fedora hat, and rarely disappointed.

Happy 80th birthday to the godfather of all VHS kids' movie memories and the pilot, adventurer, professor and rogue of cinema we still all want to be.

Watch: Kathleen Kennedy pays tribute to Harrison Ford
Grayson Sherrill on Friday apologized for his actions during the Capitol riot, particularly when the-then 21-year-old Gaston County man struck a police officer with a broken metal pipe outside the building.

I really want to say that I recognize that what I did was wrong, Sherrill, now 24, told U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan in her Washington, D.C., courtroom.

Ive had two years to really think about it. At the time, I let the chaos control what I did.

Chutkan made sure Sherrill will have some additional time for self-reflection.

She sentenced the Cherryville man to seven months in federal prison after he had earlier pleaded guilty to a felony charge of assaulting a police officer.

Sherrill also will serve 12 months of supervised release and must pay a special $2,000 fine for damaging the Capitol.

He is one of at least 28 North Carolinians federally charged in connection with the violence, during which thousands of supporters of Donald Trump attacked the Capitol to stop the transfer of presidential power.

The riot has been linked to as many as seven deaths; 140 police officers were injured; more than 1,000 arrests have been made. More arrests in North Carolina are expected.

The judges punishment was only a fraction of what the government said Sherrill deserved.

Prosecutors argued for 41 months, the mid-point of the sentencing range of 37-46 months calculated for Sherrills case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Manning said Sherrill, who initially claimed he had picked up the broken rod as a souvenir, swung it at Metropolitan Police Officer Daniel Hodges when Hodges was most vulnerable  separated from his fellow officers in the middle of an angry mob while being attacked by another rioter.

According to court filings, Hodges, who later was badly beaten with his own baton, was not injured by Sherrills blow nor even recalled the incident.

But Manning told Chutkan that Sherrill had been an extensive participant in an unprecedented domestic assault on U.S. democracy. Government documents allege that Sherrill later entered the Capitol with two York County, S.C., companions, pounded on an office door with his rod; and joined a mob chanting Nancy, Nancy as it hunted for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

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Afterward, on the return trip to the Carolinas, Sherrill bragged to Elliot Bishai and Elias Irizarry, a student at The Citadel, that he had struck a police officer, government documents claim.

In response, defense attorney Joanne Slaight said Sherrills one blow at Hodges was her clients single act of violence the entire day.

The Washington lawyer cited Sherrills age, his level of remorse, his lack of any criminal record, his support from his community, even his burgeoning art career, in recommending that Chutkan place Sherrill either on house arrest or send him to a halfway house in Charlotte.

Chutkan, an appointee of President Barack Obama who had earlier sentenced Irizarry and Bishai to 14-day jail sentences for misdemeanor offenses, would not go that far.

But while she said Sherrill had committed serious crimes carrying significant consequences, she concluded that they were out of character, and that the governments sentencing recommendation was excessive.

Chutkan said she will recommend that Sherrill serve his sentence in the Butner federal prison north of Durham so he could be closer to friends and family. She also allowed him to voluntarily report when summoned by the Bureau of Prisons.

Nonetheless, she criticized Sherrill for attacking a police officer, even if it had been with only one swing of his arm.

Theres a lot of rhetoric around (Jan. 6) about patriots, she said. The only true patriots that day were the law enforcement officers working to keep the mob from hurting members of Congress and their staffs ... just trying to stay alive ... slipping in their own blood.

In his earlier remarks, Sherrill said he had come to realize that he was not just a spectator to the violence but had allowed himself to join in.

He said he has apologized in writing to Hodges.

Im very thankful that he wasnt hurt, he said. I completely misunderstood the situation. I saw him wrestling with another man. I know now that the other man was in the wrong. I helped the man instead. I immediately regretted that.

I hate what I did two years ago.

Mother cries out in court after youngest NC defendant in Jan. 6 riot gets 3 1/2 years
This article was originally published in Civil Beat.

Open Doors currently gives priority to 4-year-olds who are a year away from enrolling in kindergarten, but HB 961 mandates that 3-year-olds also be prioritized. Nearly $39 million to expand Open Doors was included in the new state budget lawmakers finalized last week.

Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, who wants Hawaii to provide universal preschool access over the next decade, said the extra money will increase the state subsidy for the Open Doors program from $12 million per year to $50 million.

That will take care of a lot more families, she said. Supporters hope the extra state money will qualify the program for extra federal funding as well, and they aim to increase the number of small children who can participate from about 1,400 per year to about 4,000.

Experts say young children who attend preschool are better prepared for kindergarten than those who dont, and preschool is often most beneficial to poor and disadvantaged children.

About half of Hawaiis young children are not attending preschool because their families cannot afford it, so this will go a long way in taking care of the unmet need in our state, Luke said.

Subsidies for the preschools that serve children in the Open Doors program will increase from an average of $900 per child per month to $1,500, she said.

The measure now advances to final votes in the House and the Senate.

Mizuno said he does not expect the larger community will grasp the importance of the bill until years from now.

This is probably the most important bill for the 2023 session, he said. I think this is a win. Its an investment in people and the economy.

This article was originally published at Civil Beat.

Civil Beats education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy.
Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Courtesy of the Andrews Family

Former U.S. Marine Cooper Harris Andrews, 26, died trying to help Ukrainians save their countrya final act of a life laser-focused on helping people, according to his family.

He was a see something do something person, his mother, Willow Andrews, told The Daily Beast.

His motivation to fight with Ukraine through the Foreign Legion was no different, she said.

Cooper did what Cooper thought was the status quo in treating each other and people well, his mother told The Daily Beast. We look at it like Cooper went above and beyond. But in Coopers eyes, Cooper did what Cooper did because this was what we all should be doing. This is like the bare minimum that we should be doing.

Cooper was killed by a mortar attack in April near Bakhmut, his mother said. Russian forces have been trying and failing for months to seize Bakhmut, while Ukrainian forces prepare for a spring or summer counteroffensive, according to U.S. intelligence. When reached for comment about his death, the State Department confirmed his death, but declined to elaborate on the circumstances.

Two American Citizens Killed Fighting in Ukraine

As his family works to piece together what happened to him in the war-torn country, already, Willow has been able to video call some of his colleagues in Ukraine to sort through his personal effects from afar.

Social media posts indicate that Cooper was a member of Popular Front, a grassroots organization. He joined forces with the Foreign Legion in Ukraine, a group of foreign nationals helping Ukrainians fight, and decided to stay in Ukraine after his contract ended, according to his mother. She told The Daily Beast that Andrews was killed on The Road of Life, a key route Ukrainians have used to evacuate civilians, roughly a month after his 26th birthday.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Courtesy of the Andrews Family

He was supposed to be home by the end of March, Willow said. They were trying to get people to safety and they were under fire. And he did not survive.

Looking through his personal belongings has provided some emotional moments, with some tearsand even some moments of light-heartednessshe told The Daily Beast.

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Peanut butter, for example, is one thing she never expected to bawl over.

Cooper never liked peanut butter. They found a packet of peanut butter in his backpack, Willow Andrews said. I just laughed and started crying my eyes out that Cooper had peanut butter, which I understandprotein and everythingbut Im like, oh, Cooper had peanut butter.

His mother has decided to donate some of his other belongings left behind to the Foreign Legion, including a small stove and a raincoat, she said.

As anyone who has lost a loved one will understand, his mother is hoping to bring his other clothes home to smell him and remember him by.

Americans have been jumping into Ukraine to try to help Ukrainian fighters defend their territory against Russian takeover since the beginning of the war. Several other Americans have died trying, including another former Marine, Grady Kurpasi.

Cooper originally went to Ukraine in November in the hopes of fighting off Russian fascism, his mother said.

What really motivated Cooper to try and help Ukraine was the stories he heard about what Russians were doing to upend Ukrainian childrens lives, his mother said, recalling numerous conversations with Cooper about the impact of war on children. The news coming out of Ukraine wasnt just about operational or battlefield updates, like where battles were happening or which country sent which arms, but about the real atrocities being committed in Russia, she said.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Courtesy of the Andrews Family

The stories we were getting werent just based on war, they were based on actual people, she said. He found that disturbing because he wanted to help the peoplenot fight in a war, but help the people and do his part any way he could.

We would have conversations like, Did you see what happened to the kids? Can you believe, this is whats happening to the kids? Willow said. He was really disturbed what was happening to the children in Ukraine especially.

Coopy

His desire to jump in the fray in Ukraine reflects the same sense of urgency he applied to his work as a Marine and in volunteering throughout his life. He joined the Marines because he wanted to be involved in humanitarian relief efforts, Andrews said. He volunteered in Ohio, working to provide kids food in the summertime when school meals dried up, his mom said.

He just thought the Marines was more people-oriented I think part of it is they send the marines in for humanitarian efforts. He was very much into humanitarian things, she said. He looked at it in terms of, he could go someplace [and] show America doing humanitarian things. Its one of the reasons he chose the Marine Corps.

Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Courtesy of the Andrews Family

Cooper maintained his sense of humor throughout his time in Ukraine, his family told The Daily Beast. His cousin, who is also named Willow, said Cooper was constantly sending memes to a group chat she was in with other cousins. While volunteering in the war, he adopted the nickname Harris, which his colleagues began calling him since he used to use Harris communications systems that he didnt have in Ukraine. His mother said she never really adopted the nickname, but continued to call him Coopy.

As for the road ahead, his family is working with his friends and fellow volunteers in Ohio to raise funds to keep his volunteer work going in his absence. In the meantime, the family is still working to get Coopers belongings to the embassy in Kyiv, his mother said.

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv did not respond to a request for comment.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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HHS and its subagency, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), have dropped their attempt to force Saint Francis Health System in Oklahoma to extinguish the sanctuary candle in its chapel.

The issue first arose with the Joint Commission (TJC), a hospital accreditor through which Saint Francis is able to gain the ability to serve Medicare, Medicaid, and Childrens Health Insurance Plan patients. After being unable to address the issue with the accreditor, Saint Francis had its appeal for a reasonable accommodation waiver rejected by CMS.

Saint Francis then sent a pre-litigation letter Wednesday through their legal representative, Becket, to both agencies and the accreditor, claiming a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. On Thursday, representatives from CMS and the hospital met and the agency decided to provide the waiver.

This waiver is contingent upon the hospital providing a plan of correction to TJC that includes taking some simple, appropriate steps to mitigate fire risks, explained a CMS official in a letter to the hospital. Once these agreed upon actions have been implemented, CMS will consider this particular matter closed.

In a Friday statement to National Review, Becket senior counsel Lori Windham, who is representing the hospital, said its a good day when a federal agency sees the light.

This should be a reminder that religious freedom is the law. Service to God and the community go hand-in-hand for Saint Francis, and they will continue that service, Windham added.

#BREAKING: The government has seen the light and has abandoned its attempt to force an Oklahoma hospital to blow out a small candle or stop serving elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. @HHSGov has told Saint Francis that it can keep its living flamea sacred candle housed pic.twitter.com/1bkpjqi19M  LoriWindham (@LoriWindham1) May 5, 2023

The sanctuary candle with a living flame had been approved in the past by the local fire marshal. However, this last year, HHS took a different interpretation of the fire-safety regulation, citing a rule having to do with open flames in patients room or near medical equipment.

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Windham explained in a previous interview that there isnt a patient room nearby and the candle is not near any medical equipment. Its behind two glass candleholders and has a brass top on top of it, she said.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act prohibits the federal government from imposing substantial burdens on religious exercise, absent a compelling interest that is furthered through the least restrictive means available.

Windham and her colleagues at Becket were confident they had an airtight case. In the letter they sent earlier this week, the group argued it would constitute a substantial burden on the hospital to choose between worship and serving the elderly and the poor. The living flame is required because the chapel offers the Eucharist.

The letter said that the federal government will fail to prove they had a compelling interest as flames are allowed elsewhere and federal regulators had never brought up concerns before. The letter also noted the government hasnt considered pursuing less restrictive actions at that point, instead threatening severe financial consequences.

More from National Review
[Source]

In celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Google Doodle is honoring the legacy of Corky Lee, a Chinese American photographer and activist who highlighted discrimination and racism against the AAPI community.

Lee, who died in January 2021 at the age of 73 due to COVID-19 complications, is notably known for his photograph of Peter Yew, a bloodied young Chinese American who was beaten and dragged away by police in 1975.

The photo, which he sold to the New York Post, inspired thousands of Chinatown residents to protest the rampant police brutality in their neighborhoods.

Lee, who was born in Queens, New York City, to Chinese immigrant parents in 1947, was first inspired to become a photographer after learning about how the transcontinental railroad was built in school.

More from NextShark: Supreme and Takashi Murakami are Releasing a COVID-19 Shirt for Charity

When Lee was shown an 1869 photo celebrating the completion of the railroad, he realized that it failed to depict the Chinese laborers who helped build it.

Lee, who taught himself photography, later went on to recreate the photograph in 2014 with descendants of the original Chinese railroad workers. He called the image a photographic justice.

In a statement to Google, Corkys brother, John Johann Lee, honored his brothers legacy:

More from NextShark: Yankees Starting Pitcher Masahiro Tanaka Returns to Japan Amid COVID-19 Spread in US

Throughout our childhood, our parents expounded upon the importance of doing the right thing. Simply because it was the right thing to do and carried with it an implicit call to action. Perhaps they were prescient in giving Corky his Chinese name (Lee Young Kuo). Loosely translated it means, to praise, uplift the nation, and so he did. Through his lens, he gave Americans of Asian descent their history, pride, and dignity and reminded all Americans of Asian contributions to the national American mosaic. Corky raised the consciousness not only of his camera's subjects but that of the nation as well.

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In 1988, May 5th was designated as Corky Lee Day in honor of Lees lifelong contributions to New York Citys communities.

His celebrated life was also made into documentaries, including Not on the Menu: Corky Lees Life and Work (2013) and Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story (2022).

More from NextShark: Dance Instructor Accidentally Films Military Moving in During Coup in Myanmar

E. Samantha Cheng, founder and executive producer of Heritage Series LLC and APA Legacy, told Google:

Although Corky is gone, his lifes work and passion live on in his photographs. Through his commitment to raising the visibility of all Asians and their contributions to America, his images have become tools to combat racism and bias and proof that we are all Americans.

More from NextShark: NY Congresswoman Grace Meng Endorses Andrew Yang for Mayor
A mentally ill homeless man was annoying people on the New York subway, so a couple of people held him down while a third choked him until, well, we could all be sure hed never annoy anyone ever again. Nobody intervened. And now, The New York Times reports, the city is divided over what happened.

We have come to that moment in human devolution when we are divided over the merits of what I certainly see as a murder in plain sight. If Flannery OConnor came back to life, shed have to put her pen right back down again, because the grotesque has now become ordinary.

If a dog, or a squirrel, for that matter, had been snuffed out on the F train while posing a threat to no one, wouldnt all non-sadists be appalled? A screaming homeless human, though, were not so sure about.

After the recent spate of shootings over nothing, in Kansas City and elsewhere, at least we all agreed that little girls shouldnt be left bleeding over a ball that oops, got away from her and rolled into a neighbors yard. And for all of our differences, nobody said that a young man should by all means be shot in the head for ringing the wrong doorbell.

We do not, however, all agree that someone like 30-year-old Jordan Neely, who was held down for a good two minutes before he stopped moving, and then was held down for another 50 seconds more, ought to be breathing still even if we didnt want to see, hear or smell him.

Maria Castano, a 64-year-old interior designer in Brooklyn, told The Times that she sees the 24-year-old former Marine who killed Neely as a hero and Neely himself as someone who was, as the paper put it, the recipient of justice.

I feel sorry for the man, Castano said, but he was acting threatening.

New York Mayor Eric Adams, a former transit cop, was no more humane: We need to be extremely clear that from Day One of this administration, I focused on (the fact that) we cannot have people with severe emotional illnesses on our subway system, he said. Be sure and let severely ill New Yorkers know exactly where it is that they are supposed to be severely ill without being subject to strangling, Mr. Mayor.

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I spent much of the last year listening to unhoused people in California, and when they and their loved ones cry that they are seen as less than human, they arent exaggerating.

Neely was a subway performer and dancer whose act was canceled permanently because, as a witness told The Times, he had been yelling, I dont have food, I dont have a drink, Im fed up and ready to die. Right after that, someone took him at his word.

He was frightening, the witness said, but had not assaulted or threatened anyone.

As it turned out, of course, Neely had more to fear than anyone else in that subway car did.

That no one moved to help him makes me think of that woman who was raped on a train near Philadelphia two years ago, while her fellow passengers sat and watched a man rip her clothes off and attack her for a full eight minutes.

Maybe they froze, I dont know, but it shouldnt have taken a lot of courage to call 911.

This latest attack, though, may be worse, because even after the fact, we can no longer so much as agree that the attacker was in the wrong.
By Jessie Pang

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong police seized an exhibit on Friday in connection with what they said was an attempt to incite subversion, with media reporting it was a statue commemorating Beijing's Tiananmen Square crackdown on democracy protesters in 1989.

Media reported the exhibit was the Pillar of Shame, an eight-metre (8.75 yard) tall statue depicting dozens of torn and twisted bodies that commemorates protestors killed in the crackdown in and around Tiananmen Square more than three decades ago.

Police did not give details of the exhibit that they said they had seized in the Yuen Long district of the former British colony.

"The National Security Department ... conducted searches with a warrant this morning. An exhibit related to an 'incitement to subversion' case was seized," police said in a statement.

They did not say who was suspected of wanting to use the statue, which was being kept in storage, to incite subversion.

The seizure comes weeks ahead of the June 4 anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown.

Hong Kong had traditionally held the largest annual vigils in the world to commemorate the crackdown.

The crackdown is taboo in the rest of China and Hong Kong's vigil, traditionally in a city park, was banned beginning in 2020, ostensibly because of coronavirus restrictions.

The two-tonne copper Pillar of Shame was first exhibited at a Tiananmen Square commemoration in Hong Kong in 1997, the same year Britain handed the city back to China.

In 2021, the University of Hong Kong dismantled and removed the statue "based on external legal advice and risk assessment for the best interest of the university". It has since been kept in a cargo container on university-owned land.

Danish sculptor Jens Galschiot, who created the work, said he had not been informed about its seizure by police.

"This is outrageous. This is my sculpture and nobody has consulted or informed me about anything," he said in email response to Reuters.

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A Hong Kong Security Bureau spokesperson said on Saturday that some organisations had attempted to "confuse the public, demand the return of relevant evidence under the guise of artistic freedom, and unreasonably condemn and maliciously smear" the legitimate actions of the police.

The statement did not name the organisations.

It is not clear if the Tiananmen Square vigil will take place this year.

The city's government said this week sections of Victoria Park, where the rally is usually held, would be closed for maintenance.

The vigil organiser, the Hong Kong Alliance, was disbanded in 2021 after its leaders were arrested and charged with inciting subversion under a national security law imposed by China in 2020 after anti-government protests.

Authorities have been using the law to clamp down on pro-democracy activity in Hong Kong and about 250 people, including opposition politicians, lawyers and journalists, have been arrested for suspected national security offences.

Authorities say they are maintaining order necessary for the financial hub's prosperity.

(Reporting by Jessie Pang; Editing by Anne Marie Roantree, Robert Birsel, Greg Torode and Kim Coghill)
FIRST ON FOX: House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer is requesting former White House Counsel Dana Remus testify before the panel and provide documents and information as part of its investigation into President Bidens alleged mishandling of classified records.

Comer, R-Ky., told Fox News Digital that the White Houses "narrative" regarding Bidens retention of classified records "is unraveling."

REP COMER CLAIMS TESTIMONY BY BIDEN'S FORMER ASSISTANT ON CLASSIFIED DOCS 'UNDERMINES' WHITE HOUSE'S NARRATIVE

"The Oversight Committees investigation has obtained several facts that do not support the claims asserted by the Biden team, and we have learned that President Biden has a history of not properly storing classified documents," Comer said. He added that GOP lawmakers on the committee have questions about "why the White House Counsels Office tasked a Department of Defense employee on May 24, 2022the same day as the subpoena return date for former President Trumpto complete a personal task for President Biden by packing up Penn Biden Center."

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 13: White House Counsel Dana Remus (L) and Deputy Chief of Staff Jennifer O'Malley Dillon depart the White House on July 13, 2021 in Washington, DC. Center.

Comer was referring to testimony from Kathy Chung, a former executive assistant from Biden's time as vice president, who currently serves as an employee for the Department of Defense.

Chung testified before the committee earlier this week, revealing that Remus contacted her in May 2022 on her personal phone, and tasked her with retrieving and packing boxes of documents from the Penn Biden Center.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

The White House and the presidents attorneys, though, have said classified documents were not discovered until November 2022.

Chung testified that Remus called her in May 2022 on her private phone regarding the packing of boxes of records at the Penn Biden Center. Chung testified that she did so on June 28, 2022.

Chung explained that she was unaware that there were alleged classified documents at the Penn Biden Center until November 2022, when counsel for the president discovered their existence. The existence of those classified records were only revealed to the public in Januaryafter the 2022 midterm elections.

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MAR-A-LAGO STAFFERS SUBPOENAED FOR TRUMP CLASSIFIED DOCUMENT INVESTIGATION

"The Oversight Committee needs information from Dana Remus to further inform our investigation about President Bidens mishandling of classified documents in order to deliver answers, transparency, and accountability for the American people," Comer told Fox News Digital.

Fox News Digital exclusively obtained the letter Comer sent to Remus, demanding her testimony. He said the committee obtained information that "contradicts important details from the White Houses and President Bidens personal attorneys statements about the discovery of documents at the Penn Biden Center, including the location and security of the classified documents."

"The Committee has learned that you were a central figure in the early stages of coordinating the packing and moving of boxes that were later found to contain classified materials," Comer wrote, noting that Chungs testimony has raised questions, and has led committee investigators to identify Remus "as a witness with potentially unique knowledge" about the matter.

President Biden Speaks At The House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference In Baltimore.

Comer wrote that the committee specifically is seeking clarification regarding the timeline of events prior to Nov. 2, 2022the day the White House and Bidens personal attorneys claim classified documents were first discovered at the Penn Biden Center.

Comer also questioned Remus timing of first contacting Chung, flagging that the first contact on May 24, 2022, was "notably" the same day the Justice Department had dated a subpoena return date for former President Donald Trump to turn over any classified records being held at Mar-a-Lago.

WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR: TIMELINE OF BIDEN'S CLASSIFIED DOCUMENTS DEBACLE

Comer, in the letter, also used Chungs testimony to allege Bidens "haphazard handling of classified materials," saying it could lead to "possible threats to national security."

Comer demanded Remus turn over all communications with Chung; employees of the Penn Biden Center; and all documents and communications regarding Bidens documents and items stored at the Penn Biden Center.

"The Committee requests that you make yourself available for a transcribed interview with Committee staff," Comer wrote, noting that Remus should contact the committee by May 30.

Remus left the Biden administration last year and joined Covington & Burling LLP as a partner.

Remus did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.

The White House declined to comment.

Attorney General Merrick Garland, in January, appointed former U.S. Attorney Rob Hur to serve as special counsel to investigate Biden's alleged mishandling of classified records.

Garland, in November, appointed former DOJ official Jack Smith as special counsel to investigate the issue of classified records allegedly being held by Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

In January, former Vice President Mike Pence informed Congress he had also discovered documents bearing classified markings in his Carmel, Indiana, home from his time in the Trump administration. Garland did not appoint a special counsel to investigate the Pence records.
Uros Blazic in the back of a police car after his arrest over the mass shooting - www.novosti.rs

A monster who murdered eight people and injured 13 more in Serbias second mass shooting in a week will never be free from jail, Aleksandar Vucic, the countrys president, pledged on Friday as he unveiled tough new gun control laws.

The suspect was named by local media as Uros Blazic, who was captured after a nine-hour manhunt involving more than 600 officers, elite anti-terror units, dogs, drones and a helicopter after launching a string of bloody random attacks on Thursday night.

It came a day after the worst school shooting in Serbia's recent history, in which 13-year-old Kosta Kecmanovic killed nine people, including eight fellow students at a school in Belgrade.

Authorities have said Kecmanovic, who has been placed in a mental institution, is too young to be charged and tried.

There will be justice. These monsters will never see the light of the day, neither the little monster nor the little older monster, Mr Vucic said as he addressed a shocked nation, where thousands have flocked to memorial sites and others queued to donate blood.

Masked policemen secure an area in the village of Dubona near the town of Mladenovac, about 37 miles south of Serbia's capital Belgrade - ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP or licensors

Photographs of Blazic in the back of the police car showed he was wearing a generation 88 T-shirt, which has links to Nazi and white supremacist beliefs, as Serbia began three days of national mourning for those murdered in the school.

Blazic was arrested after a gunman armed with an automatic rifle opened fire from a car driving around a town and two villages south of Belgrade.

The youngest victim of the random attacks was just 15. A 21-year-old off-duty police officer, named as Milan Panic, and his younger sister are also among the dead.

Danica Grujicic, a Serbian health minister, said the wounded included a teenage girl who was hit in the head and another teen who had to have a kidney removed. She said their wounds had not been seen since the Balkans war.

They are stable for now but you can never tell for sure with gunshot wounds, she said.

Mr Vucic said the killer told police he felt disparaged before going on the rampage.

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He was involved in an altercation in a school yard late on Thursday in the village of Dubona, 26 miles south of Belgrade, according to the state broadcaster.

He left and then returned with an assault rifle and a handgun, opened fire and continued to shoot at people at random from a moving car.

The suspect also fired at people in the town of Mladenovac and the village of Malo Orasje before fleeing.

It was terrible. He shot without mercy. He stopped the car and fired in bursts, a resident told the Informer newspaper. It was as if we were in a horror movie.

The last mass shooting in Serbia before this week also took place in Mladenovac, when a 60-year-old war veteran called Ljubisa Bogdanovic killed 13 people in April 2013.

In Dubona, blood stained a schoolyard where some of the shots were fired and also a piece of ground by a bench where residents often sit to share a beer and chat.

I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds, said Milan Prokic, a resident, who first thought villagers were shooting to celebrate a childbirth, as is tradition in Serbia.

But it wasnt that. Shame, great shame, Mr Prokic said

Blazic was reported to have made his escape by kidnapping a taxi driver and forcing him to drive by threatening him with a hand grenade.

A manhunt is underway near Serbia's capital where a gunman has killed at least eight people and injured 13 - ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP or licensors

Police found the gunman hiding in his grandfather's house in the village of Vinjiste, where they also discovered hand grenades, an automatic rifle and ammunition.

Officers also arrested the suspect's grandfather and uncle. Local media reported that more weapons and ammunition had been found in Blazics home, which was searched when the suspect, who reportedly has a criminal record related to violations of firearms and ammunition laws, was still on the run.

Mr Vucic said the latest shooting, which was described as a terrorist act, was an attack on our entire country.

He said he suggested the restoration of the death penalty to the prime minister but added he was overruled by the government because it would make Serbia the only country in Europe, apart from Belarus, to have capital punishment.

I guess we can't do that according to those very smart conventions, he said.

In Serbia, the president is largely a ceremonial figure but Mr Vucic wields considerable power as he also heads the ruling party.

Forensic police at the scene the schooting in Malo Orasje, Serbia - ANTONIO BRONIC/REUTERS

The government ordered a two-year moratorium on short-barrel guns, tougher control of people with guns and shooting grounds, and tougher sentences for people who enable minors to get hold of guns and fierce punishment for those with illegal weapons.

Police will first offer an amnesty for illegal guns, which has had limited success in the past in a country where weapons are common after the Balkans war of the 1990s.

Mr Vucic called on Serbia to change its gun culture in the same way England cracked down on football hooliganism after the Heysel stadium disaster

We have to continue working despite all the sadness and pain, but we will have to fundamentally change ourselves. We have reduced the number of weapons, but even that is not enough, he said.

If the English managed to deal with crime after Heysel, the Australians after mass murder, we will have the strength too. Let's save the country and do it for those who suffered, for these wonderful children and wonderful people.

We will disarm Serbia, he added.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained two more members of the Federal Security Service's (FSB) extensive network of assets who were conducting reconnaissance and sabotage activities in the contact line areas in Donetsk Oblast, particularly in the Kramatorsk district.

Source: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU); Prosecutor General's Office

Details: According to the investigation, in 2022, residents of Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast, and Krasnohrad in Kharkiv Oblast deliberately joined a Russian network of assets and informants.

Five of their accomplices were detained during counter-sabotage activities of the SSU in December 2022 and early spring 2023.

The Russian secret service remotely recruited these two residents of Donetsk and Kharkiv oblasts at the beginning of the full-scale invasion. They maintained communication with Russians through one of their relatives, who lives in Moscow and is "in touch" with regular employees of the Russian FSB.

The defendants collected intelligence about the locations and movements of Ukrainian Defence Forces units in the Kramatorsk district. First, they tried to detect the combat positions of HIMARS rocket artillery systems and transmit the corresponding coordinates to Russia.

The data was transmitted via a mobile app. Representatives of the Russian Federation used the information received to attack the Ukrainian positions.

The SSU officers promptly exposed and documented criminal actions and detained both perpetrators while they were performing tasks for the Russians.

During searches at the place of residence of the detainees, mobile phones and other material evidence of illegal activities were found.

Based on the evidence collected, investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine served both defendants with notices of suspicion under Art.111.2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (high treason committed under martial law).

At the request of the Prosecutor's Office, the court remanded both men in custody as a measure of restraint.

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Residents of Kramatorsk and Krasnohrad were taken to Vinnytsia Oblast for further proceedings.

The SSU officers carried out the operation in Vinnytsia Oblast under the procedural guidance of the Vinnytsia Oblast Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the crime.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Polarization. Lack of trust in our institutions and each other. Disinformation. Culture wars. Apathy.

Its hard not to be concerned about the state of our civic life, which could be defined as how we think and act together about things that affect all of us. The situation prevents us from addressing the many challenges of our time, let alone working toward a more perfect union. One of the powerful ways that we can address this is through more, and better, civics education. But what kind of civics? To what end? And how can it best be educated for?

Since the 1950s, civics education has formally focused on little more than knowledge of the principles of American democracy and the mechanics of American government. Idahos addition of the citizenship test requirement for graduation several years ago contributed little to addressing the real need.

But what is that need? Civics education, if it is to have any real meaning, should do nothing less than cultivate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions needed for active and constructive engagement in the civic life of our community and society.

A committee at the Idaho Department of Education has been tasked with creating a set of standards for civics that is distinct from the rest of social studies. This is the result of a legislative resolution passed last year, driven by Idaho having receiving a grade of D by a national think tank concerning itself with civics.

The scoring, however, was based primarily on the clarity and consistency of civics standards, and the state committees response to our D grade will do nothing to help us answer the questions of what we want from civics and how best to get there.

So how can we best address those questions? To answer this, Ill begin with a quote from 1940: It is not likely that schools will make great progress in civic education without the understanding and support of at least that portion of the public which is deeply concerned for the future of American democracy.

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More than any other subject, civics is based on ideas about the nature of a good society. No committee or specialist in education is in the position to define that on behalf of the stakeholders. It is therefore essential that we start broad and work inwards. Specifically, we should start by defining the civic life we ultimately want; this will provide our why of civics. And the defining can only be done by the broader community, or at least a representative cross-section of it.

Once that shared image of a desired civic life is created, we are ready to define the knowledge, skills and dispositions that our future graduates will need in order to reach for that vision. And based upon those, we can design the civics experience itself, including content and activities both inside and outside of the classroom, from K through 12. That design should build upon the good practices already being done while removing obstacles to civic learning.

This process  inclusive and open, yet also disciplined and focused  would take time and commitment, but would be well worth the effort, helping make our schools national leaders in civics education for the 21st century. The fact that civics is a battleground in the false culture wars strengthens the case even more for a process that is inclusive, participatory and transparent.

What Ive described above has a name: Learning to Create Together. It was developed in Boise and recently presented to Boise Schools by a local group called Boisevolve, which invites help and is willing to working with any district who wants to pursue it.

Ill close with a question posed a century ago, one that remains relevant today as we think about how to design civics: How shall boys and girls who for years have had most of the details of their lives arranged by adults be expected straightaway to adapt themselves to the life of responsible adult citizenship?

Matthew Shapiro is a 30-year Boise resident, a former Idaho-certified teacher, and founder of Boisevolve.
Senator Ike Ekweremadu is a prominent Nigerian politician

A wealthy Nigerian politician, his wife and their "middleman" have been jailed for an organ-trafficking plot, after bringing a man to the UK from Lagos.

Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, and his wife Beatrice, 56, wanted a new kidney for their 25-year-old daughter Sonia, the Old Bailey heard.

The pair and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were previously convicted of conspiring to exploit the man.

It is said to be the first such case under modern slavery laws.

Ike Ekweremadu, who was described by the judge as the "driving force throughout", was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison.

Dr Obeta was sentenced to 10 years after the judge found he had targeted the potential donor who was young, poor and vulnerable.

Beatrice Ekweremadu was jailed for four years and six months due to her more limited involvement.

Their victim, a poor street trader in Lagos, was brought to the UK to provide a kidney for the Ekweremadus' daughter.

He fled in fear of his life and walked into a police station exactly a year ago to report what had happened after the Royal Free Hospital called a halt to the private 80,000 procedure.

Speaking of the way the case is being seen in the Ekweremadus' homeland, Nigeria-based BBC journalist Nduka Orjinmo says people are used to seeing the rich and powerful having it their own way in a country where laws are flagrantly flouted.

While some have expressed feelings of sympathy for a father trying to help his sick daughter, he says many are satisfied that a powerful politician who heartlessly exploited a poor street hawker is facing justice.

'My body is not for sale'

During a televised sentence hearing, Mr Justice Johnson recognised Ike Ekweremadu's "substantial fall from grace".

He described the politician as someone of high office with multiple properties, domestic staff, maids, chefs and drivers, compared with the victim who could not afford a 25 ticket to travel to Abuja.

Obeta, he said, had lied to doctors and falsely claimed the young potential donor was a cousin of the senator's daughter who urgently needed a transplant. The three had left the potential donor facing a "substantial and long term impact on his daily life", he said.

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"People-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery," the judge added.

Sonia Ekweremadu was cleared of wrongdoing and watched her parents being sentenced from the public gallery

In a victim personal statement, the 21-year-old Nigerian market trader, who cannot be named for legal reasons, told the court he used to "pray every day" to be given the opportunity to come to the UK to work or study.

He said to "make it happen" he agreed to medical tests in Lagos and meetings with doctors in London, believing they were required for his UK visa during the Covid pandemic.

The 21-year-old said he only realised what was planned when he met doctors at the Royal Free Hospital in London who began discussing a kidney transplant.

He told the court he would not had have agreed to it, adding: "My body is not for sale."

The victim is now being helped by a charity in the UK, according to his lawyer in Nigeria.

In his statement the 21-year-old said he "can't think about going home to Nigeria", as "these people are extremely powerful and I worry for my safety".

He is also said to have refused to apply for financial compensation from the Ekweremadu family, telling a detective he "did not need or want anything from the bad people".

'The law is clear'

Lynette Woodrow, deputy chief crown prosecutor and national modern slavery lead at the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), said it had been "our first conviction for trafficking for the purposes of organ removal in England and Wales".

She said it highlighted an important legal principle which made it irrelevant whether the trafficking victim knew he was coming to the UK to provide a kidney.

"With all trafficking offences," Ms Woodrow said, "the consent of the person trafficked is no defence. The law is clear; you cannot consent to your own exploitation."

In the wake of the case the Metropolitan Police and CPS have been working with hospitals and the Human Tissue Authority about actions they should take when concerns about organ trafficking are raised.

Additional reporting by Nduka Orjinmo in Abuja

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to hellobbclondon@bbc.co.uk
Gareth Cattermole - Getty Images

I'm a Celebrity... South Africa has bought back some of the show's most legendary contestants for its All-Stars series.

But what about the man who famously wrote pop hit 'Insania' in the jungle?

Appearing on Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden's Heart Breakfast show, Peter Andre explained why he didn't return to the ITV reality show for the new series.

Gareth Cattermole - Getty Images

Related: I'm a Celebrity viewers entertained by disgusting trial

"I loved it, but once you've done it... I went in twice so I have been in again when Fatima Whitbread was in it," Andre said (via MailOnline).

Andre first appeared on I'm A Celebrity in 2004, where he wrote 'Insania' and met future wife Katie Price. He then returned to the show in 2011 for a special visit to the camp, which included current contestant Fatima Whitbread.

Andre continued: "You experience things that are amazing, but I don't think I could go back."



When asked what he thought of the current series, Andre said: "I haven't seen it, but I think it's a great line-up. They've got some good people on there."

ITV

Related: Coronation Street's Andy Whyment gets new nickname on I'm a Celebrity

Andre has previously said that, while he has no interest in returning to the show, he would like to present one of its spin-offs.

"Those I would love to do and present, but no I wouldn't go back in the jungle," Andre told The Sun last year.



"I mean, how many times do you do the same thing? I wouldn't, but it is one of the best shows on TV. I think people would be like, 'Mate, get over it. You've been on it too many times'. I would like to present it though."



I'm a Celebrity South Africa airs on Mondays-Fridays at 9pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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Far from the madding crowd, here lies Lawrin  the brown colt with four white socks who was lucky to be born at all and bred in the Kansas City area largely because of fortune ... and who implausibly in every way won the 1938 Kentucky Derby.

The improbability of both his nearby birth and final resting place in a placid Prairie Village cul-de-sac is an apt reflection of the indulgences of fate that enabled a moment trumpeted on the front page of The Star as ITS OUR DERBY.

At the subtle yet striking monument to Lawrin and his sire, Insco, on a grass island in the middle of the circle, there were zero other passersby in a nearly 30-minute period on Wednesday. The only audible noises were chirping birds, the occasional bark of a dog and a U.S. flag and rope clanging on a flagpole adjacent to the wrought-iron fence around the headstones.

The hushed, dignified setting was in stark contrast to the pomp and decadence, as Hunter S. Thompson famously put it, that was sure to again seize Churchill Downs on Saturday, when some 150,000 people were expected to attend the 149th Derby.

Subtle yet striking monuments to 1938 Kentucky Derby winner Lawrin and his sire, Insco, sit on a grass island in a small cemetery in Prairie Village, Kan.

And it was a galaxy away from May 7, 1938, when Lawrin became the first and only locally bred horse to win the Derby  and one of the most charming and underappreciated underdog tales Ive come across.

Perhaps the story of Lawrin, who was bred and owned by clothing retailer and horse aficionado Herbert M. Woolf, is familiar to you.

But in 10 years here, Id never heard of him until my friend Ben Warner of Prairie Village casually made mention of him. So I started to read up and quickly became enthralled with all the unlikely aspects of Lawrins journey, which was stunning in itself but also a springboard to the legendary futures of jockey Eddie Arcaro and trainer Ben Jones.

By a late twist after a near-fatal injury to the jockey who had been riding Lawrin and Arcaros preference to ride another horse, Arcaro rode Lawrin to the first of his five Derby triumphs, a record matched only by Bill Hartack. And Lawrin was the first of six Derby winners trained by Jones, the Parnell, Missouri, native whose record was equaled only by Bob Baffert.

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But those landmark careers will forever be entwined with their first breakthroughs.

Despite infinite factors that made it preposterous  including the mere existence of Lawrin.

Chance, ruler of racing, smiles at Kansas City, led one of The Stars multiple stories the day after the Derby.

A $500 investment

Founded by Herbert Woolfs father and uncle and enhanced when Woolf took over in 1915, the Woolf Brothers operation would become one of the Midwests classiest and most successful mens clothiers, as described in a Missouri Valley Special Collections biography of Woolf.

But Woolf also was passionate about horses, beginning with riding and ranching during an extended stay in Arizona as a youth sent there to recuperate from an illness.

He made a hobby of showing horses before becoming disillusioned with that world: He felt cheated out of a state-fair prize as he determined one judge was a part-owner of the winning horse.

He wanted to be where the horse that stuck his nose out and finished first was first, Alfred Lighton, the nephew of the life-long bachelor, told The Star in 1987.

A Kentucky Derby trading card featuring racehorse Lawrin, the 1938 winner at Churchill Downs who was bred in Kansas City.

So Woolf turned more towards racehorses in 1929 and to the training of Jones and son Jimmy in 1931  the year that Insco finished sixth in the Derby. He began purchasing thoroughbreds for breeding and racing, and he built a track on his 200-acre Woolford Farm that featured bluegrass and white wooden fences in what is now Prairie Village.

(While Lawrin generally is understood to be a native Kansan, the farm straddled the Missouri state line. So there remains some question as to where he was conceived and born. J.A. Felton, a cousin of Jimmy Jones and attorney at Lathrop GPM, said Jones considered Lawrin a Kansas City horse. And wherever he was conceived and foaled, he surely trained and grazed on both sides of the border. The only other horse from either state to win the Derby was Elwood, from Maryville, in 1904.)

As his interest intensified, Woolf in 1933 set out for an auction in Lexington intent on purchasing Insco, whose bloodlines made him coveted despite reports he had been hobbled by training injuries.

The day after the 1938 Derby, the International News Service put it less delicately: Insco actually had suffered a broken leg that would have led most veterinarians to euthanize him; Lawrin thus was fortunate to even be alive.

Still, Woolf only was able to purchase Insco for $500 because he had arrived early and escaped being blocked by a cloudburst that tore at bridges and blocked traffic, The Star reported. With only one cash-in-hand customer in front of him, the auctioneer reluctantly accepted a bid that was a fraction of the horses value.

Later that night, Woolf was offered $7,500 for Insco and declined.

And am I glad, he said after the Derby victory three years later.

Tender-footed and gluttonous

Insco was mated with Margaret Lawrence and on Jan. 30, 1935, begot Lawrin  a fusion of their names.

By disposition and early performance, anyway, his future was inauspicious. As described on the American Classic Pedigrees web site, Lawrin was a gluttonous eater who required a lot of work to stay fit and had a fractious personality.

But trained by Jones, Lawrin in 1938 won four races and finished in the money in all eight races before the Derby.

Even so, uncertainty loomed over his ability to perform in the Derby.

To protect what The Star called his tender feet, Lawrin was in 10-pound bar plates in his previous two races and still wore high white bandages on his front legs as he was being saddled on Derby day.

So Lawrin, one 1938 report said, might as easily have spread himself like a bed sheet in two strides that day.

That horse was never completely sound, Lighton said in 1987. It had a problem that was common: a tendency to have bowed tendons. They never bowed, but that is why they raced him so selectively. They could tell that if they ran the horse too much, he would break down.

Meanwhile, he suddenly was being ridden by a new jockey.

Only weeks before, Sammy Roberts, Woolfs contract jockey who had regularly ridden Lawrin, fell from his mount at Oaklawn in Arkansas and was severely injured and unconscious for days. He recovered at least well enough to attend the Derby as Woolfs guest, but the jockey-to-be remained uncertain until the final days.

Subtle yet striking monuments to 1938 Kentucky Derby winner Lawrin and his sire, Insco, sit on a grass island in a small cemetery in Prairie Village, Kan.

Arcaro was under contract to another stable that didnt have a horse in the Derby. But he vacillated about riding Lawrin because he initially had wished to ride Menow, another Derby horse, according to news reports from the era. Ultimately, though, he signed on with Woolf and Ben Jones, who suggested walking the track early the morning of the Derby.

In the foreword to the book, In The Winners Circle, Arcaro wrote I learned a few things that proved valuable that afternoon, and Ben was right as usual.

A four-leaf clover

Before he left for the Derby that morning in Louisville, Lighton told The Star, a neighbor walking her dog found a four-leaf clover and gave it to Woolf  who put it under Lawrins saddle pad before the race.

It didnt seem to be a factor at the starting gate, though, where Lawrin began in the No. 1 post position at 8-1 before an estimated crowd of 60,000.

Phrasing varied in accounts of what happened, including one that said Lawrin broke through the stall gates four times. But one way or another, he clearly delayed the start with his antics and was in fifth place at the first turn.

But with Arcaro whipping him furiously  which I cringe to write  Lawrin worked his way to the lead before he was swerving with what seemed to be exhaustion down the stretch.

The Bloodhorse, though, wrote that Arcaro later told Woolf he almost blew the race because he thought the finish line was in front of the new presentation stand in the infield.

Somehow, after all the bizarre zigs and zags and oddities along the way, it was Lawrin by a length over Dauber.

Afterward, wrote Time magazine, Woolf was so elated that he pranced like one of his colts, swung his binoculars above his head in circles and pumped Arcaros hand again and again.

Alas, the career of the horse who won more than $100,000 for Woolf that year proved fleeting. It ended two races later when a tendon issue rendered him unable to continue.

That fleeting time frame, though, is part of the story of a supernova  who died in 1955 and was buried on the farmland sold that year.

And even from his remote and serene final resting place, Lawrin still represents a phenomenon you could hardly make up  and one to be remembered.
BENGALURU (Reuters) - India's federal investigating agency is searching the premises of Jet Airways and the residence of founder Naresh Goyal in Mumbai as part of a probe into a 5.39 billion rupee ($66 million) bank fraud case, a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) source said on Friday.

The searches came days after Canara Bank filed a complaint against the airline, Goyal, his wife and a former airline director for "causing wrongful loss" to the lender, according to a May 3 first information report seen by Reuters.

Jet Airways did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Goyal could not be immediately reached.

Canara Bank alleged that funds were diverted for purposes unrelated to the airline's operations.

Once India's biggest private airline, Jet ran out of cash in April 2019 and filed for bankruptcy. It was supposed to resume operations by the first quarter of 2022 under its new owners. However, it is deadlocked with creditors over the resolution plan to lift the airline out of bankruptcy.

($1 = 81.7570 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Hritam Mukherjee and Chris Thomas in Bengaluru; Editing by Dhanya Ann Thoppil and Anil D'Silva)
By Krishn Kaushik

GOA, India (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday called for a representative government in Afghanistan and the protection of women's rights, almost two years after the Islamist Taliban swept to power in Kabul.

They were speaking at the day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa, just ahead of a meeting scheduled over the weekend in Pakistan between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.

"The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people," Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.

"Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities," he said.

No country has recognised the Taliban who took over Afghanistan in August 2021, after a 20-year insurgency against U.S.-led forces, with a speed and ease that took the world by surprise, following which President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Russia's Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected the Taliban leadership to "deliver on their promises to come up with an inclusive government".

"The assurances that were given in regards of human rights, security in the territory of Afghanistan, and the eradication of terrorist threats, drug trafficking, we are keeping an eye on this," Lavrov said.

Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities.

"After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past," he said.

"A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls right to education."

Story continues

Concerns over the stability of Afghanistan are growing as the country struggles with its economy and humanitarian crises under Taliban rule.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week warned of a severe shortfall in financial pledges for its humanitarian appeal this year, which is just over 6% funded, short of the $4.6 billion requested for a country in which most of the population lives in poverty.

The Taliban have also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools.

The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India, Pakistan and Russia, and is seen as a counterweight to Western influence in Eurasia.

The meeting in Goa is expected to finalise the expansion of the group to include Iran and Belarus.

It will also prepare the ground for an SCO summit in India in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to attend.

(Reporting by Krishn Kaushik; Writing by YP Rajesh; Editing by Nick Macfie)
The flag of India

Read also: Putin may attend G20 summit in India, Bloomberg writes

Indian Defense Ministry reported that the ministers discussed the participation of Russian military-industrial complex in the economic initiative of the Indian government Make in India, aimed at increasing domestic production.

India relies on Russia for 60% of its weapons purchases, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government is trying to establish joint ventures with the Russians to grow the Indian industry.

Defense ministers of India, Rajnath Singh, and Russia, Sergei Shoigu, met on April 28 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit and discussed military ties, as well as industrial partnerships between the two countries.

Read also: Putin cancels his official May 9 reception in Kremlin for veterans for fourth time

On March 24, a representative of the Indian Air Force reported that Russia, as an aggressor country, cannot fulfill its obligations to supply weapons to India due to the war it wages against Ukraine.

Read also: Image of Indian goddess Kali posing like Marilyn Monroe leads to MFA apology to India

In December 2022, Bloomberg reported that Modi decided not to hold his annual personal summit with Russian dictator Putin in 2022 after Putin's nuclear threats to Ukraine. India refuses to condemn the Russian invasion and has increased its purchases of Russian oil over 2022.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
By Arpan Chaturvedi and Siddhi Nayak

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian airline Go First's effort to start insolvency proceedings has become ensnared in a tussle with aircraft lessors after they asked the aviation regulator to deregister some of its planes as a step towards taking them back.

India's first major airline collapse since 2019 underlines the fierce competition in a sector dominated by IndiGo and the recent merger of Air India and Vistara under the Tata conglomerate.

Some lessors opposed Go Airlines (India) Ltd's plea at the first hearing of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Thursday, after the airline had blamed "faulty" Pratt & Whitney engines this week for the grounding of about half of its fleet.

The cash-strapped airline wants the tribunal to accept its plea and is seeking an interim moratorium to save its assets, a move the lessors oppose.

GY Aviation Lease, SMBC Aviation Capital, Pembroke Aircraft Leasing and some others have submitted requests to take back at least 20 planes on Thursday, the regulator's website shows.

Go First did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lessors' bid to deregister the planes.

Go First had to ground more than half its 54 Airbus 320 neos fitted with Raytheon owned P&W engines by April, according to a filing seen by Reuters.

Engine failures have cost the airline 108 billion rupees ($1.3 billion) in lost revenue and expenses, it said.

Amid the dispute between the lessors and the troubled airline, banks with exposure to it are awaiting the tribunal's decision to decide their next course of action, two people involved in the talks told Reuters.

"Since individual bank exposures are not high and some portion of it is guaranteed by the government, banks are preferring to wait it out till the NCLT order is out," said one of the bankers.

The bankers sought anonymity as the talks were private.

Central Bank of India Ltd, Bank of Baroda, IDBI Bank Ltd and Deutsche Bank are among Go First's financial creditors, a court filing shows.

Story continues

Although the government has not yet nudged the involved banks to take any specific action, one of the sources said the banks were open to the idea of restructuring.

Central Bank of India has said its exposure to the airline, at 0.91% of its total advances, was 13.05 billion rupees by the end of March, with an additional 6.82 billion sanctioned under a government-backed emergency credit guarantee scheme.

The company owes financial creditors 65.21 billion rupees ($798 million), its bankruptcy filing showed, and had not defaulted on any of those dues by the end of April.

($1=81.6900 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Siddhi Nayak in Mumbai, Arpan Chaturvedi and Tanvi Mehta in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Varun Vyas in Bengaluru; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
Meesho cut 15% of its workforce, or 251 roles, on Friday as the Indian social commerce startup pares its expenses to improve its financial health and confront the "economic reality."

This is the second round of job cuts at Meesho, which eliminated about 150 roles a year ago. The Bengaluru-headquartered startup -- backed by Fidelity, Prosus, SoftBank, Sequoia India and Meta -- said in a statement that it is looking to "work with a leaner organizational structure to achieve sustained profitability."

"We are committed to ensuring all those impacted have our full support and will be provided a separation package that includes a one-time severance payment of 2.5 to 9 months (depending on tenor and designation), continued insurance benefits, job placement support and accelerated vesting of ESOPs. We remain grateful for their contributions in building Meesho," a Meesho spokesperson said in a statement.

The job cuts follows Meesho aggressively trimming its cash burn in the last year. The startup is "nearing zero cash burn" and is targeting to achieve EBIDTA breakeven in 2023, its leadership team recently told brokerage firm Jefferies.

"We grew by 10X from 2020 to 2022, helped by Covid tailwinds and aggressive investments. Even as we tracked to our plans, the macro climate undeniably and considerably changed. As a result, we have had to accelerate our timeline to profitability as part of Project Redbull, while readjusting our GMV growth goals to 30% YoY. While our cash reserves buffer us well for these harsh circumstances, we need to stay highly prudent on the cost front," Meesho co-founder and chief executive Vidit Aatrey told employees in an email seen by TechCrunch.

He added: "As leaders, we made judgement errors in over-hiring ahead of the curve. At the same time, we could have run our org structure in a more effective and lean manner overall. Our spans and layers were inflated, and this could have unintended consequences on our speed to execute. While we are confident that Meesho business will stay strong, the economic reality is here to stay. We are now faced with the hard truth of aligning our people costs with the new projections for our business."

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The seven-year-old e-commerce startup, whose sellers are predominantly based in smaller cities, drove a GMV of $4.5 billion in 2022, a nine-fold growth over a year, the startup told Jefferies.

Meesho is attempting to serve an audience that is too sensitive to price and don't mind unbranded products. This value proposition has "resonated well with the low to mid income customer cohorts from tier 2+ markets, forming the bulk of the consuming class in India although there is traction seen in metro/tier-1 as well," Jefferies wrote.

Compared to traditional platforms, where the average order value by a customer is about 1,000 Indian rupees, or $12.2, Meesho's AOV stands below 350 Indian rupees, according to Jefferies and people familiar with the matter. This small basket size presents unique challenges and opportunities and unlocking it is key to expanding the e-commerce market in India, analysts say.
China calls for avoiding escalation in Ukraine crisis after Kremlin drone attack

09:33, May 05, 2023 By Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi ( Global Times

Ukraine denied Russia's accusations that it had tried to attack the Kremlin with drones in an attempt "to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin," prompting even more speculation over the incident. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China has noted the relevant reports, and China calls on all parties to avoid any action that could further escalate the situation.

"China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation," Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press conference on Thursday.

Some Chinese experts considered the attack as likely to be linked with Ukraine extremists who advocate prolonging the Russia-Ukraine conflict and coercing high ranking Ukrainian officials to continue the fight, while the odds are that there was support or even encouragement from international hegemonic forces for the operation.

Online footage showed a flying object exploding in an intense burst of light near the dome of the Kremlin Senate building. The Russian government said early Wednesday that Kiev "attempted a drone strike against the residence of the President of the Russian Federation" at the Kremlin.

The aircraft were downed using electronic warfare measures and caused no casualties or damage, RT said, citing a presidential administration statement. Moscow considers the incident an act of terrorism.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denied the Russian claims, saying that "we don't attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory and defend our towns and cities," the Guardian reported on Wednesday.

But on Thursday, Russia accused the US of being behind of the drone incident. "Attempts to disown this, both in Kiev and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kiev but in Washington," Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

When asked about whether the incident would affect the visit of the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine, the spokesperson said we will make further announcements in due course. China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis..

On the battlefield in Ukraine, both sides have paid a heavy price but neither has fully achieved their purpose in the war, and now both sides' willingness to continue the war is undergoing a great test, some Chinese experts said. Ukraine has been the defensive side, unwilling to see a large area of its land being controlled by Russia, but it has been unable to launch a large-scale counteroffensive, they noted.

"With divergences growing inside Ukraine, the conflict between those advocating for peace and those advocating for war has escalated," Wang Xiaoquan, an expert with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European &Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The drone incident is likely to be the work of extremists advocating for war in Ukraine, with the aim of suppressing those pro-peace forces and coercing Ukrainian senior officials to continue fighting the war, Wang noted. "Also, there may have been support or even encouragement by international hegemonic forces," Wang said.

In response to the drone incident, Russia said in a statement on Wednesday that it "reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate," which leads Chinese experts to believe that Moscow will retaliate in a massive way.

The incident crossed the new red line of the Ukraine crisis. After more than one year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, neither side has attacked the other's government residences and leaders. [After this incident] Ukraine's government buildings could be targeted in the next phase, experts said.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
A visitor looks at an artwork at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

A painting exhibition opened in Sydney on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.

Held at the China Cultural Center in Sydney, the exhibition was divided into two sections with the paintings of three artists, and also siblings. The first section includes more than 40 ink paintings by Ren Jianguo, who once learned from famous Chinese painter Li Keran, while the second presents the works of Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong with acrylic and color hand-painting as a medium.

Like being immersed in an artistic journey from past to present, visitors can not only sense the beauty of China's mountains and water scenery and street views in traditional Chinese painting styles, but also enjoy innovative combinations of Eastern and Western cultural elements, such as "Chinese New Year" in Ren Lihong's Visual Journal Series.

The show demonstrates the artists' persistence and promotion of Chinese traditional culture, and their aspiration of integrating Eastern and Western cultures against Australia's multicultural background, Xiao Xiayong, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sydney, said at the opening ceremony.

"The exhibition will further enhance the understanding of Chinese culture and art among the Australian art community and promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Australia," Xiao added.

The exhibition will run through June 8.

Visitors look at artworks at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)
Indonesia Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Jakarta is using "quiet diplomacy" to talk with all sides of the Myanmar crisis

Indonesia is using "quiet diplomacy" to speak with all sides of the Myanmar conflict and spur renewed peace efforts in the violence-racked country, its foreign minister said Friday.

Myanmar has been riven by unrest since the military putsch that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's government in February 2021, with the junta's bloody crackdown on dissent sparking social unrest and an economic crisis.

Indonesia, Southeast Asia's biggest economy and this year's chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc, is hoping to kickstart a five-point plan agreed with the Myanmar junta two years ago after mediation attempts to end violence failed.

"In the early stages of its chairmanship, Indonesia decided to take a non-megaphone diplomacy approach," Retno Marsudi told a press conference.

"The aim is to provide space for the parties to build trust. Quiet diplomacy doesn't mean Indonesia doesn't do anything."

She said Jakarta's diplomacy since the start of the year included 60 engagements with all sides of the conflict that would "hopefully become capital for further efforts" to solve the crisis.

Those included Myanmar's shadow government made up of mostly ousted opponents of the junta, the military-appointed government and ethnic minority armed groups.

A foreign ministry official told AFP that every ASEAN member was informed of the talks with all parties.

Her comments came ahead of the first of two annual ASEAN leaders summits hosted by chair Indonesia -- with the first taking place next week on the island of Flores, to which Myanmar's junta has not been invited.

The five-point plan calls for an end to violence and for talks between the military and the rebels but the junta has largely ignored it, resulting in it being barred from top-level summits.

The bloc, criticised for its inaction over the deepening crisis, condemned the military last month for air strikes in the central Sagaing region that reportedly killed dozens of people.

agn/jfx/dva
An infant was left alone and drowned as a bathtub filled with water inside a Texas home, police told news outlets.

Officers responded at about 7:30 p.m. on May 4 after a call about a drowning at a Houston apartment, The Houston Chronicle reported, citing the citys police department.

Investigators said a mother stepped out of the room to cook and left a 14-year-old in charge of watching the bathtub as it filled, according to KTRK. The teen started the water but then got on a computer, leaving the baby unattended in the tub, which began to overflow, police told the station.

Authorities were called after the child was found unresponsive, KRIV reported. The baby was brought to a hospital but later was pronounced dead.

McClatchy News reached out to the Houston Police Department and was told additional information wont be released at this time.

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In an unassuming office on a quiet, mostly residential street in Mountain View, California  located eight minutes from Googles sprawling headquarters  a couple of ex-Googlers and their team of 50 are trying to build a search engine they hope will someday rival their former employers.

The company, Neeva, was started in 2020 by Sridhar Ramaswamy, who ran Googles $162 billion advertising arm before stepping down in 2018, and Vivek Raghunathan, a former Google vice president who worked on monetizing YouTube and other parts of the company. For a few years, the startup, which has raised over $77 million from some of Silicon Valleys top investors, focused on differentiating itself from Google by shunning invasive advertising and allowing power users to pay for extra features.

Then, around the end of last year, the team at Neeva watched as a chatbot called ChatGPT created by the San Franciscobased startup OpenAI went viral. ChatGPTs ability to divine answers to nearly every question with an eerily humanlike sentience made it an instant hit, unleashing a modern AI wave. Suddenly, people around the world were talking about replacing Google search with ChatGPT. After all, if a chatbot could instantly answer any question for you, why would you need a search engine that simply spat out a bunch of links for you to trawl through?

For the team at Neeva, the popularity of ChatGPT was an aha moment, Ramaswamy told BuzzFeed News in an interview. Sure, OpenAIs bot did answer peoples questions, but that didnt mean it was a great search engine. It couldnt access the web, which meant that some of its answers were obsolete or completely made-up, and it didnt provide citations for where its answers came from. Neeva, Ramaswamy reckoned, could weave AI into its search engine and address ChatGPTs weaknesses.

Neeva co-founder Sridhar Ramaswamy.

Neeva co-founder Sridhar Ramaswamy.

In December, the team went into overdrive. By January, it had launched Neeva AI, a big update to its existing search engine that not only provided instant answers to peoples questions synthesized in real time from the web but also included citations. We are harnessing the power of AI to transform search from a game of 10 blue links to an experience that combines the best of ChatGPT with the authority and timeliness of search, said Neevas launch day blog post.

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Meanwhile, 50 miles north of Neevas headquarters, a team of 10 twentysomethings headed by Angela Hoover, a 24-year-old college dropout from Miami, is also building a search engine. Hoovers startup, called Andi, is located in a charming green Italianate building in Cerebral Valley, the new name for San Franciscos Hayes Valley neighborhood thanks to thriving hacker houses filled with people who work in AI.

Andi, which Hoover co-founded with longtime entrepreneur and technologist Jed White in September 2021, has raised $2.5 million through Y Combinator, the Silicon Valley startup incubator once headed by OpenAI founder Sam Altman. The company reimagines search as a friendly and helpful personal AI assistant, Hoover said in an interview. Is it still search or are we moving into, you know, J.A.R.V.I.S. from Iron Man or Samantha from Her?

In February, Andi added a feature that uses AI  a combination of GPT, the same tech that powers ChatGPT, as well as tech it developed on its own  to provide summaries of articles from the web. A month later, it started using AI to synthesize a single answer to peoples questions, using information gleaned from multiple sources, along with citations.

AI is turning search engines into answer engines, and its unlike anything weve seen in search.Reid Hoffman, partner at venture capital firm Greylock

Andis search function is a mashup of the old way of searching and the new. Once you ask a question, the system will try and give a direct answer. But it will also show you traditional, Google-style results. If Andi thinks it can generate a summary of those web pages, it will let you click a Summarize button. In the future, Hoover wants to take Andi a step further and let you book an Uber, reserve a table at a restaurant, or place an order on Instacart.

Search hasnt changed in the last 20 years, Hoover said. But things are changing now. Its a huge shift from 10 blue links to this conversational interface. You can feel the energy in the air.

Over the course of a quarter decade, Google  which was started by Larry Page and Sergey Brin, two Stanford computer science dropouts, in a Menlo Park garage  amassed 90% market share, an apex predator at the top of the search engine food chain. But in 2023, the search engine space is suddenly in flux again.

Neeva and Andi are among more than half a dozen search startups that are using the mainstream explosion of generative AI, the term for artificial intelligence technology that generates text, images, and other media from simple prompts typed in plain English, to reimagine an online act so fundamental it has become a gerund  googling.

Flush with cash at a time when raising funding is especially challenging for Silicon Valley startups, AI-powered search engines like You.com (founded by top AI scientist and former Salesforce executive Richard Socher) and Perplexity AI (whose investors include former AI researchers from Google and its subsidiary DeepMind) are racing against each other  and giants like Microsoft, which has put AI chat features into its search engine Bing  to fundamentally change how we all search for and find information online.

No one wakes up and says that today would be a great day if there was another search engine, said Yusuf Mehdi, Microsofts chief marketing officer and a 30-year company veteran. But they do say that search is getting worse. Theres a lot of spam. There are too many ads. They cant find what they want.

Modern-day search powered by generative AI is about fixing such problems. But it is no longer merely about finding a relevant item, said Chirag Shah, an information school professor at the University of Washington who specializes in online search. Shah wrote a high-profile 2021 research paper with colleague Emily Bender in which they criticized the use of large language models (LLMs)  the term for the foundational tech that makes products like ChatGPT possible  for searching the web.

Today its about going to the all-knowing oracle and asking a question, and getting this oracle to construct an answer for you, Shah said. Thats very different from how weve thought of search so far.

Google is the last company in the world thats going to reimagine search. Theyre entrenched in bureaucracy.Angela Hoover, co-founder of Andi

This all-knowingness is precisely what investors are betting their money on. Everyone wants a search query to get answered as quickly and with as much authority as possible, Reid Hoffman, partner at venture capital firm Greylock, one of Neevas early backers and a founder of OpenAI, told BuzzFeed News in an email. AI is turning search engines into answer engines, and its unlike anything weve seen in search. (BuzzFeed Media Enterprises, Inc. has a commercial relationship with OpenAI and uses ChatGPT in some quizzes and other posts.)

Google knows that things are changing. Caught off guard after ChatGPT took the world by storm, the company reportedly declared a code red internally and vowed to stuff AI into all the products it makes. Google is now racing to build a brand-new search engine powered by AI, in addition to upgrading the current version of Google Search with AI features, a New York Times report published last month said.

To us, search is about so much more than just text or conversation, said Liz Reid, Googles vice president of search, in a statement to BuzzFeed News. Over the last 25 years, weve been able to unlock knowledge for billions of people through our deep understanding of information in all its forms, including images, video, voice, text, and the world around us.

Googles younger competitors, however, think that their smaller size is an advantage when it comes to competing with the search giant. We can be quicker and ship faster, Neevas Ramaswamy pointed out.

It may sound counterintuitive, Andis Hoover said, but Google is the last company in the world thats going to reimagine search. Theyre entrenched in bureaucracy. Small companies like hers, Hoover said, were on the edge of what AI can be. That is who is going to change things, she said.

In Andis Cerebral Valley headquarters, the air was brimming with excitement. It was an unusually rainy morning in March, and, after working remotely for months, a handful of Andi employees had flown in from around the country to be here. They were sitting on benches around a long, wooden dining table in a cozy living room at the back of the house.

In Hoovers office, set inside a spacious room with high ceilings and windows that look out onto the street, an oversized $5,000 Apple monitor loomed over her desk.

I decided to splurge, she said with a laugh.

The idea for Andi, which stands for artificial neural directed intelligence, was born out of dissatisfaction. Hoover was on a backpacking trip in Europe a few years ago and kept running into Google ads and SEO spam while using her phone to look up things around her. I realized that searching the web didnt quite fit into the rest of the ways I use my phone, where Im always in visual feeds in TikTok and chat apps, she said.

Andi co-founder Angela Hoover.

Andi co-founder Angela Hoover.

Hoover wasnt alone in her thinking. In recent times, top executives at Google have expressed similar concerns about younger people using social media apps as search engines instead of typing keywords into Google. In our studies, something like almost 40% of young people, when theyre looking for a place for lunch, they dont go to Google Maps or Search, Googles search head, Prabhakar Raghavan, admitted at a conference last year. They go to TikTok or Instagram.

Andis users, which numbered around 220,000 in April, are Gen Z early adopters who like the service because it saves them time by giving them a direct answer, Hoover said. What people want out of a search engine has changed.

Indeed, Socher, the founder and CEO of You.com, described his product as more of a do engine in an interview. At some point, we can say that weve been pushing the term search engine so far that maybe its time for us to drop it and call this your ultimate digital twin or personal assistant, he said.

Like Google, You.coms homepage is sparse, featuring just its logo and a search box. Typing in a search term will get you a handful of links, just like Google. But you can also jump into YouChat and ask questions, create images with a built-in image generator, or ask You.com to write essays, emails, and blog posts. The service also connects to more than 250 apps that let it answer questions from third parties like Reddit, Wikipedia, and Yelp.

Socher, 38, is a German-born computer scientist from Stanford who is known in Silicon Valley as an authority on neural networks and natural language processing. He served as the chief technology officer at Salesforce, the San Francisco juggernaut that makes business software, before stepping down in 2020 to start his search engine. The You.com domain name was reportedly a gift from Salesforce founder Marc Benioff, who bought it in 1996. Benioff and five other venture capital firms led a $20 million investment round into Sochers company, which has raised over $45 million to date.

Richard Socher, founder and CEO of You.com.

Richard Socher, founder and CEO of You.com.

When Socher started developing You.com in 2020, the idea of building a search engine that would compete against Google seemed foolhardy to many. When we started a new search engine, people were like, Why? he said. How could you be better than a list of blue links?

But to Socher, using AI seemed like the natural way forward. Chat is the future, Socher said. Theres too much information on the internet. You need summarization engines to help you make sense of the world. The advances in generative AI finally made this possible.

On a Zoom call, Socher showed off You.coms prowess by searching for the Fibonacci function in Python, a programming language. On Google, his search turned up a bunch of links containing blog posts about the Fibonacci sequence and links to YouTube videos for Python tutorials. You.com, on the other hand, showed code containing the entire Python function, and helpfully included a copy and paste button for programmers.

Right now, search is controlled by a monopoly, Google, said Tomi Poutanen, founder of Radical Ventures, one of You.coms lead investors. A monopoly, Poutanen said, had little motivation to change. Sometimes, its easier to disrupt from the outside rather than inside.

Socher was more blunt in his appraisal of Google. He referred to it as my grandfathers search engine.

Ramaswamy, the co-founder of Neeva, started the company after quitting Google out of frustration with the very business he had helped build. Google Search had become much more about advertising than search, Ramaswamy said. And Search, the organic product itself, was stunted because of this heavy reliance on this ad model.

Like other search engines in the space, Neeva scours the web and tries to synthesize an answer from a variety of online sources. It was one of the first modern AI-powered search engines to provide inline citations, something that Ramaswamy feels proud of. When Microsofts Bing search also started providing citations with its responses, they looked similar to Neevas.

Bing has a good product, Ramaswamy said. So our lead is going to be short-lived. But I feel proud that at least for a while, we are defining what an innovative search engine can and should be.

Despite having spearheaded Googles advertising business for years, Ramaswamy thinks that the old way of searching the internet, where sponsored links live cheek by jowl next to the ones you actually want, is broken.

A fundamental aspect of search is that the act of returning links is a historical accident, he said. No one in their right mind said, I want a bunch of links to ads and a bunch of links to search results when I put in a search term. We just accepted it because there was nothing better. Nobody woke up and said that they wanted to click on a link to find out whats behind it. Your mom and my mom? They prefer answers.

Neeva gives its product for free to casual users and charges power users $5 a month for advanced features like access to a password manager, plus the ability to participate in a community and ask questions of the companys founders.

Last month, Neeva launched another product that truly puts a Gen Z spin on searching the web. Instead of links or an answer presented as a block of text, Gist uses generative AI to write up answers to your questions and lays them out as stories you can tap and swipe through, just like Instagram or Snapchat.

Ramaswamy called Gist an experimental product that is probably not going to get millions of users. To me, this is like pure innovation at work, he said.

Racing to beat Google alongside Silicon Valleys small AI-powered search startups is a large company whose own search engine has been languishing on the internet since 2009. Microsoft Bing, for years the butt of jokes, is now used by more than 100 million people each day and has clocked over 100 million chats in the last few months since Microsoft souped it up with the same generative AI tech that powers ChatGPT. A third of all the people who now use Bing have never used Bing before, according to Microsofts Mehdi.

Among those users is Ricardo Cordero, a 30-year-old pricing analyst based in Philadelphia who has switched to using Bing from Google at his workplace. Bing chat is stellar, Cordero said. I would not believe it if you told me that I would willingly be using Bing in 2023.

Mehdi called Bing a copilot for the web and said that it was the next generation of search. Typing in a search term into Bing will still return a bunch of links, but it will also give you AI-generated answers right alongside them, unlike Googles Bard, which still requires people to go to a separate website accessible only by signing up on a waitlist  at least until the company integrates it into Google search, as Pichai promised.

The pace of Bings growth after the company added these features is proof that this is what people want, Mehdi said. No one woke up saying, I want an iPhone, he said. I think its the same thing here. No one knows that they needed to search while chatting, but now that weve shown it, I think its amazing people, and people are loving it.

Not everyone, in fact, is loving it.

In February, Nick Diakopoulos, an associate professor of communication, computational journalism, algorithmic accountability, and social computing at Northwestern University, decided to test the new Bings ability to search for news, an activity that millions of people currently use Google for.

As part of his test, Diakopoulos selected keywords from the top five news events in the US on a single day from Google News and asked three types of questions about them to both search engines. The results werent encouraging. Diakopoulos found factual inaccuracies in nearly half the responses that Bing returned. Several responses also provided citations that did not support the claims made by Bings AI-generated answers.

In an FAQ about the service, Microsoft states that Bing will sometimes misrepresent the information it finds, and that people who use it may see responses that sound convincing but are incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate. Use your own judgment and double check the facts before making decisions or taking action based on Bings responses.

Recently, news-rating group NewsGuard tested Googles Bard and found that the bot generated more than 70 essays full of conspiracy theories and made-up citations when it was asked to write in the style of far-right websites.

The potential for misinformation here is immense. These search engines are already dribbling information pollution into our ecosystem, and its going to get so much worse as they scale up.Nick Diakopoulos, Northwestern University associate professor

It is irresponsible of search engine providers to integrate AI technologies that are known to generate falsehoods, placing all responsibility on the end-user for assessing the quality of the information, Diakopoulos told BuzzFeed News. The potential for misinformation here is immense. These search engines are already dribbling information pollution into our ecosystem, and its going to get so much worse as they scale up. He added, [They] should pay an environmental cleanup tax that goes toward funding fact-checking initiatives and perhaps journalism more broadly.

A Google spokesperson told BuzzFeed News that Bard isnt perfect. It could present real-world biases, stereotypes, and false information with an air of confidence because it learned from a wide range of info available on the internet. People could click a thumbs-down button available with Bards responses to provide negative feedback, they added.

Sometimes, the answers these services generate can have devastating real-world impacts. Recently, ChatGPT fabricated a sexual harassment scandal about Jonathan Turley, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and attributed it to an article in the Washington Post that didnt exist. When Turley wrote an opinion post about his experience, Microsofts Bing repeated the lie and cited Turleys own opinion piece by way of attribution.

Such issues are a major concern to experts.

People inherently trust what they see on search engines, said Shah of the University of Washington. So when they start giving you answers instead of giving you a choice of links based on rankings, that can be problematic. Were now putting too much trust and power into a handful of companies and their products.

Andis Hoover, however, thinks that search engines powered by AI provide the best of both worlds. I dont think that being able to access and go deeper into search results is going away, she said. Humans still need to do their own research, and depending on the query, theres not always one direct answer.

Even if the startups remaking search dont become the next Google, theyre already reshaping what it means to search the web. Theyre training us to expect instant answers to questions that may not have any, and forcing publishers to alter business models to stay afloat. And AI, more broadly, is changing the nature of the web itself, letting people generate an infinite amount of garbage to populate websites with.

This is hard, said Neevas Ramaswamy about AI-powered search engines. Theres lots of change. Its a bit like dropping a bomb right at the center of the information nexus.

Pranav Dixit was a tech reporter for BuzzFeed News and is based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He can be reached at pranavdixit@gmail.com.
A short flight between Oahu and Molokai on Tuesday scared passengers when one of the two planes propellers went out mid-air.

The incident occurred shortly after taking off from Molokai in a Saab 340 twin-engine turboprop at around 4 p.m. Passengers on the Mokulele Airlines flight reported hearing a loud boom that sounded like an explosion, one passenger told HawaiiNewsNow.

The aircraft suffered a loss of power in its left engine shortly after takeoff from Molokai, the company said in a statement.

Owned by Southern Airways Express, Mokulele Airlines is the lifeline between the islands of Molokai and Lanai. Major airline carriers like Hawaiian Airlines no longer fly to the smaller, less populated islands.

The plane had just departed Molokai and was headed toward Oahu  a 41-minute-long flight  carrying students from Molokai Middle School.

A Mokulele Airlines aircraft.

You can't be what you can't see: 2 female pilots share their experience being among the few

Is it expensive to island hop in Hawaii? Here's how to save money and fly between islands.

I didnt want to freak out, Iolani Kuoha, the vice principal for the middle school, told HNN. I didnt want to stress out the students, so I tried to be as calm as I could.

The one-year-old aircraft managed to fly over 20 minutes and land safely in Honolulu with one propeller with no injuries to flight or crew.

Southern Airways maintains all its fleet to FAA standards, and we have already begun our investigation into the cause of this incident, according to the company.

Passengers on the flight will receive a $400 credit in addition to a refund of the flight.

In late March, Mokulele said it will invest $10 million in expanding its fleet after Molokai residents said they have been frustrated with frequent delays and cancellations caused by weather and mechanical problems. Many people rely on flying to Oahu for medical appointments but end up flying a day later than when they were scheduled to.

Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. You can reach her at kwong@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawaii flight lands safely after engine gave out mid-air
Crimea

In Crimea, the occupation authorities have begun the process of creating reserves of water and food due to the possibility of the blockade of Crimea and southern Kherson region, the NGOs statement said.

The center also noted that the occupiers in the temporarily occupied southern regions of Ukraine are preparing to evacuate collaborators in the case of a Ukrainian counter-offensive advancing on the territories.

Read also: Military base on fire in occupied Crimea, photos show

Read also: Russian invaders move most warships to Russia after blasts in occupied Crimea

They reported that an evacuation plan has already been drawn up in Zaporizhzhya Oblast to move the occupation administrations staff and their families to Ukraines Russian-occupied Crimea.

A similar situation is being observed in Kherson Oblast, and it is reported that most collaborators from settlements on the Arabat Spit have already left the region.

On May 5, the Kremlin-appointed governor of Zaporizhzhya Oblast Yevhen Balytskyi announced a partial evacuation of residents from 18 occupied settlements in the region.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Six years after ruling Iowans could bring suit against the state over violations of their state constitutional rights, the Iowa Supreme Court reversed itself Friday, holding that plaintiffs can seek damages for constitutional violations only where specifically permitted by the Legislature.

Friday's decision, which involved an Iowa City-area garbage truck driver arrested for refusing to cooperate in a police inspection of his truck, overturns the 2017 decision known as Godfrey II. In that case, the court considered what to do with violations of Iowa constitutional rights for which no statute, such as the Iowa Civil Rights Act or Iowa Tort Claims Act, explicitly authorized lawsuits against the state.

The court in that case ruled that such lawsuits were permissible, even without legislative authorization. But on Friday, the court, which has seen more than 50% turnover since 2017, held that decision and all its successor cases were decided wrongly.

Justice Edward Mansfield wrote for the now-unanimous court that Friday's decision will "restore the law as it existed in this state before 2017."

For subscribers: Godfrey discrimination lawsuit against Branstad brought big changes for Iowa constitutional law, attorneys say

Plaintiffs' attorneys, including those from the current and original Godfrey cases, say that's a step in the wrong direction.

This decision is a major setback in the fight to protect the constitutional rights and freedoms of individual Iowans against the vast power of state and local government," Andrew Mertens, executive director of the Iowa Association for Justice, said in a statement.

2017 case opened new door for constitutional claims

Godfrey II  the court eventually had three decisions arising from the same lawsuit  involved former state Workers' Compensation Commissioner Christopher Godfrey, who alleged the administration of Gov. Terry Branstad had retaliated against him for being gay by trying to force him out of his job. A jury eventually found for Godfrey and awarded him $1.5 million.

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In their 2017 decision, the justices considered claims Godfrey brought directly under the equal protection and due process guarantees of the state constitution, which a lower court had dismissed. It ruled that the Iowa Constitution could directly authorize claims for monetary damages "when the legislature has not provided an adequate remedy."

More: How much did the discrimination lawsuit against former Gov. Terry Branstad cost Iowa taxpayers? $2.8 million and counting

The opinion cited a number of cases dating back more than a century that the justices believed demonstrated early courts and legislatures had envisioned a "self-executing" Iowa Constitution that would allow those wronged by the government to seek relief with or without legislative authorization.

Since 2017, the court has issued a string of decisions clarifying and expanding on that decision, including deciding what forms of immunity state officials might be entitled to in Godfrey cases and what statutes of limitations and procedural requirements might apply.

New case brought by arrested truck driver

The Supreme Court later overturned that verdict for Godfrey in a third ruling and ordered the case dismissed. But the rights granted under Godfrey II remained.

Friday's ruling overturning that decision came in the case of Cory Burnett, a driver for Waste Management, who was pulled over in 2019 after an Iowa Department of Transportation officer saw his windshield was cracked. The officer decided to conduct a vehicle inspection, and asked Burnett to assist by turning on the truck's lights. Burnett refused, saying he was "fine going to jail" for not cooperating. He was arrested for interference.

A judge eventually dismissed the charge against Burnett. He then sued the officer and the state, accusing the officer of unreasonable stop and seizure that violated his due process rights under the Iowa Constitution. A district judge dismissed Burnett's claims, and he appealed.

Before Godfrey II, cases like Burnett's often were dismissed under the principle that government officials had sovereign immunity for their official actions, even when they may have been wrongly undertaken. Opposing his appeal, the Iowa Attorney General's Office raised several arguments, including that Godfrey II had been wrongly decided. It was on this basis that the court ruled Friday, affirming dismissal of Burnett's suit.

Court rejects 'tension, conflict, and uncertainty' of 2017 ruling

Mansfield wrote the dissenting opinion in the deeply divided Godfrey II decision, and his majority opinion Friday repeatedly cited that 2017 argument in explaining why he believes the prior court got it wrong.

Delegates writing the state's 1857 Constitution considered and rejected language explicitly permitting the state to be sued on the basis of constitutional violations, Mansfield wrote. He argued that several precedents pointed to by the Godfrey majority had really been for simple violations such as trespassing, rather than being brought as constitutional violations.

And he pointed to several pre-Godfrey cases in which the court had explicitly rejected constitutional damage claims under sovereign immunity, which holds the state cannot be sued outside of narrow areas authorized by statute.

The state's experience since Godfrey II reinforces the need to change course, he wrote in Friday's opinion. The court has been inconsistent and divided in its rulings on follow-up cases testing the limits of the new Godfrey claims, and the Iowa Legislature has voiced its disapproval of the ruling, noting in a 2021 law that legislators continue to believe sovereign immunity should apply against Godfrey claims.

Mansfield also pointed to federal law, where a similar U.S. Supreme Court case, known as Bivens, likewise created a direct claim for violations of the U.S. Constitution even where not permitted by statute. Since that 1971 decision, the Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed the scope of Bivens claims, and in a 2022 decision the court explicitly called Bivens claims a "disfavored" judicial remedy, preferring instead to let Congress take the lead in deciding how such claims should be addressed.

"Once a court begins constructing damages remedies for constitutional violations  without the rich history of thecommon law or the clear direction of a statute  tension, conflict, and uncertainty result," Mansfield wrote. "... These inevitable and unpredictable forays by each branch into the others territory violate separation of powers."

Attorneys call decision a step back; government officials praise it

Marty Diaz, Burnett's attorney, said in an email that the decision is "disappointing on many levels."

"Hopefully the court will protect Iowans from municipal officials, but Iowans need to understand that the Iowa Constitution can only be used defensively from this day forward against state officials  and it will require that you pay a lawyer on an hourly basis for that 'privilege,'" Diaz wrote. "Hopefully, the legislature does the right thing and fixes this problem but Iowans should not hold their breath. Elections matter.

Roxanne Conlin, who represented Godfrey in his lawsuit, voiced even stronger disappointment with the ruling. Conlin said she had worked for decades, across multiple cases, to try to see the court establish a direct constitutional cause of action.

"My heart is broken," she said, to see that victory reversed just six years later.

"That they did that is perhaps not surprising, but it is devastating," Conlin said. "... They've had their axes sharpened for this case ever since this court took office. They'd hinted at it along the way. We all had our fingers crossed in the hope that justice would prevail, and it didn't."

While plaintiff-side attorneys condemned the decision, it was lauded by those representing government entities. The Iowa League of Cities filed a brief in Burnett's case supporting overturning Godfrey, and League attorney Elizabeth Craig said Friday that the court reached the correct outcome.

"The Godfrey decision in 2017 was a huge change in Iowa law, made by the court without giving the legislature the chance to consider whether these new types of claims were desirable," Craig said in an email. "Godfrey put Iowa courts in the position of making new law every time a case was brought for money damages under the Iowa Constitution. ... The Iowa Constitution was never meant to be a stand-alone source for new money damage claims."

William Morris covers courts for the Des Moines Register. He can be contacted at wrmorris2@registermedia.com, 715-573-8166 or on Twitter at @DMRMorris.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa Supreme Court rules no direct lawsuits under state constitution
Despite restrictions following the diplomatic break in 2016, Qeshm's tradition of business, traffic and trade in the Gulf has not stopped

Years of sanctions on Iran have taken their toll, but on the strategically located island of Qeshm, people can still find goods from major global brands otherwise out of reach.

Off Iran's southern coast, some 150 kilometres (93 miles) from the United Arab Emirates' commercial hub of Dubai, Qeshm's merchants have been closely watching regional shifts since Tehran's landmark rapprochement with Saudi Arabia in March.

"The main thing in life is to have good relations with your neighbours," said 50-year-old retailer Mohammad Bazmandegan, who imports electric appliances from Dubai.

He has been following the diplomatic developments since his government resumed ties with Riyadh after a seven-year freeze, a shift affecting the entire Gulf region.

Along with Saudi Arabia, Tehran is also seeking to mend relations with other neighbours including the UAE and Bahrain, which also severed ties in 2016.

"If relations with our neighbours improve, they will also improve with other parts of the world," said another trader in Qeshm, Hassan Ebrahimi, 52.

Located in the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf's key maritime corridor, the island of 150,000 residents has long served trade with the Arabian Peninsula, South Asia and Africa's eastern coast -- but this has also made Qeshm sensitive to the vagaries of geopolitics.

- 'Trust' in face of instability -

For 40 years, Hassan Rostam has plied the waters between Qeshm and the UAE in his lenj, a traditional wooden ship synonymous with the ports of the Gulf.

The weathered-faced captain loads vegetables in Iran's ports and returns from Dubai with "dried fruits and other products", he said.

Despite restrictions following the diplomatic break in 2016, the tradition of business, traffic and trade in the Gulf has not stopped.

The retailer Bazmandegan said that even if "the market has become more unstable... relations of mutual trust, the fruits of years of cooperation", allowed Iranian and Emirati traders to continue their exchanges.

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He imports fans, coffee makers and washing machines from Western manufacturers like Philips, Tefal and Toshiba.

The goods arrive "thanks to our Emirati intermediaries", Bazmandegan said, adding that "90 percent of the products come from Dubai".

But the international sanctions and diplomatic ruptures have meant Qeshm's traders have struggled in recent years, pushing some of them into bankruptcy.

"One competitor died after a heart attack due to daily price changes," Bazmandegan said.

- Tourism on the horizon -

Nooradin Tata, who owns a guesthouse in central Qeshm, said the personal lives of islanders have also suffered amid the diplomatic troubles.

Hundreds of thousands of Iranians live in the UAE and Tata said people from Qeshm with family abroad are "stressed" by the onerous administrative and logistical hurdles to "bringing or going to visit family members" living in Gulf countries.

With improving relations, Iran is expected to relaunch flights to Gulf countries. Iranian authorities have already said three weekly flights will operate on the Riyadh-Tehran route.

Tehran also hopes to benefit from renewed development of free trade zones, initiated some three decades ago to attract foreign investors and tourists to Iran's south.

Along with the small, luxurious island of Kish and the Indian Ocean port of Chabahar, Qeshm is one of the main areas boasting tax exemptions and other special import and export regulations.

The island hopes these advantages will attract Iranian tourists to its shopping centres, offering foreign products from chocolates to designer clothes.

"The stores no longer offer as many varieties and are less frequented" since 2016, Tata said, but like many islanders, he hopes improving ties across the region would help put Qeshm on the map.

ap-jri/noc/ami
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi prays at the holy shrine of Sayyida Zaynab in the southern suburbs of Damascus during a two-day visit to Syria

Iran and Syria agreed to boost ties and develop economic relations, with a focus on reconstruction, as the Islamic republic's President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday concluded a landmark visit to Damascus.

Tehran has been a key ally to Damascus throughout Syria's long-running civil war, offering vital economic and military assistance that has helped the Syrian government claw back most of the territory it lost at the start of the conflict.

During late-night talks Thursday, Raisi and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad discussed "ways to develop and strengthen bilateral relations" and "emphasised existing cooperation in the field of reconstruction", according to a joint statement released Friday.

Raisi concluded his two-day trip early Friday and had described the visit, the first by an Iranian president to Syria since 2010, as a "turning point" in bilateral relations.

The visit positions Tehran in a leading role in Syria's reconstruction, with Assad seeking to focus on reviving his country's devastated economy and infrastructure, despite Western sanctions on both countries.

The pair also expressed a "willingness to take any action to develop commercial-economic relations".

On Thursday, Raisi said Iran and Syria had signed 15 "cooperation documents" that would allow "both countries to open a new chapter in economic relations".

He also praised Syria for "achieving victory" in the country's war and invited Assad to officially visit Tehran.

The Syrian conflict was sparked by the repression of peaceful protesters in 2011 and has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

Large parts of northern Syria remain outside government control.

- Diplomatic shake-up -

Raisi's visit comes weeks after Iran and arch-rival Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties, prompting regional capitals to re-engage with the internationally isolated Damascus and Tehran governments.

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"Iran and Saudi Arabia are two great nations," Raisi said during an interview broadcast on Syrian television on Friday evening, according to an official Arabic translation provided by state news agency SANA.

The restoration of ties between the countries would change and "bring order" to the region, Raisi said.

"We refuse to consider Saudi Arabia as an enemy or be hostile to it".

On Sunday, Arab League foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting, discussing the conflict in Sudan and Syria's readmission to the bloc, after it was suspended in 2011 for its brutal crackdown on protesters.

Raisi also said during his interview that Iran was playing a mediating role in Russian-facilitated talks aiming to normalise ties between Syria and Turkey.

Moscow has encouraged renewed diplomatic relations between its Syrian ally and Ankara, which has supported rebels and the opposition in a bid to remove Assad from power.

A meeting of Syrian, Iranian, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers is scheduled in the next few days in Moscow.

rkh-lar/imm/ach
Binance app photographed off an iphone 8 pro.

The Israeli government is taking action against crypto accounts it has deemed suspicious, closing down dozens on one of the largest platforms for the digital currency.

Israels National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) has seized around 190 accounts on Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange platform, for alleged ties to the Palestinian organization Hamas, according to a report by Reuters based on documents released by the countrys anti-terror authorities. Israel also claimed that two of the accounts belonged to the extremist group ISIS.

Read more

Israeli authorities recently announced that they confiscated over half a million Israeli shekels in digital currencies from accounts it claims fall under currency exchange companies in the service of Hamas. Under Israeli law, the ministry has the right to seize and confiscate property it deems could be linked to terrorism activities.

One of the documents states that the Israeli foreign ministry deemed this necessary to thwart the activity of the terrorist organization the Islamic State (ISIS) and impair its ability to further its goals.

The crypto firm Binance responded to Reuters report, claiming that the news organization was leaving out critical facts to fit their narrative. In its statement, Binance claimed that it had been working closely with counter-terrorism authorities to support their investigations and seize the allegedly suspicious accounts. The company also stated that its policies comply with anti-money laundering and counter terrorism financing requirements.

Binance does not want to be associated with the groups mentioned by the Reuters report, clarifying that bad actors dont register accounts under the names of their criminal enterprises. Therefore, the company wouldnt have known who the accounts belonged to.

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The cryptocurrency platform has been under fire recently after being sued by the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for allegedly breaking price trading rules.

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Click here to read the full article.
By Alvise Armellini and Elizabeth Pineau

ROME (Reuters) - France must apologise to end a dispute over over what Rome considers insulting remarks, including some over its handling of immigration, Italy's foreign minister said on Friday, while also signalling the spat might be short-lived.

The minister, Antonio Tajani, called off a visit to Paris at the last minute on Thursday after French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said Italy's right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had been "unable to solve the migration problems on which she was elected".

Darmanin, whose own government is under pressure from the far right over immigration and a deeply unpopular pension reform that will see the French work longer, added that Meloni was "lying" to voters that she could end the migrant crisis.

Tajani called the remarks "insults" against Italy and Meloni.

"If someone offends in a gratuitous manner, the least they could do is apologise," Tajani told Il Corriere della Sera newspaper. "In this case, he offended all Italians, as well as the government and the prime minister."

Immigration is a hot-button topic between France and Italy, partners in the European Union whose visions of the world were similar under under Mario Draghi's leadership but have diverged since Meloni took office in October at the head of a nationalist, conservative government.

Darmanin is close to French President Emmanuel Macron and lashed out at Rome last November, accusing Meloni's government of being "selfish" for refusing to let a charity rescue ship dock in Italy, forcing it to head to France instead.

Darmanin on Thursday compared Meloni to far-right French leader Marine Le Pen, a political foe of Macron. "The extreme right has a vice. That of lying to the population," Darmanin said.

"That's typical Darmanin. Macron likes to have someone who can play bad cop on the right so he can play good cop on the European stage, and because it allows him to show centre-right voters that you can be pro-European and hard on immigration," said Bruno Cautres of the Sciences-Po university.

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France was swift on Thursday to issue a statement in which it sought to reassure Rome of its willingness to work closely with Italy, but that was not enough to persuade Tajani to travel to Paris.

Government spokesman Olivier Veran sought to defuse tensions, telling CNews on Friday he was sure there had been no desire on the part of the Darmanin to ostracise Italy.

Tajani later told RAI public television that Paris appeared to have understood that "a serious mistake was made".

"On our part there is no intention to break off relations or have negative relations with France," he said. "I hope this polemic may soon be over."

(Reporting by Alvise Armellini in Rome and Elizabeth Pineau in Paris; Editing by Robert Birsel and Frances Kerry)
The Chinese version of the most celebrated Shakespearean tragedy Hamlet will premiere on May 11 at the Shanghai Culture Square.

Directed by Xu Jun, the musical will go on a six-month tour across the country after the first round of 10 performances in Shanghai that will run until May 21.

In 2021, Xu had adapted The Orphan of Zhao, a play about sacrifice and revenge written by Ji Junxiang in the 13th century into a musical.

The production, which was accompanied by music by Peter Kam Pui-Tat from Hong Kong and lyrics by Liang Mang, earned critical acclaim and went on tour to dozens of cities in China.

Xu and the same creative team later decided to make an original Chinese musical production of Hamlet.

Xu says this modern version of Hamlet will feature symphonic music and a touch of rock 'n' roll. The modern feel of the production is also reflected in the outfits and stage settings, which he describes as "an abstract style that reminds people of the grand xieyi style of classic Chinese ink painting". Xieyi means to convey an idea in a free form.

Renowned movie costume designer William Chang Suk-Ping, who also worked on The Orphan of Zhao, is the man behind the sartorial creations.

The Chinese lyrics are based on the translation of the play by Liang Shiqiu (1903-87), who was the first person to translate Shakespeare's complete works into Chinese.

In writing the most important number, To be or not to be, Liang Mang says he had to read through as many different Chinese translations as he could find to best determine how each word is placed alongside the music.

Luo Huaizhen, a veteran playwright, says that The Orphan of Zhao is a shining example of how Chinese artists today are capable of creating musicals with international standards while also showcasing Chinese aesthetics and storytelling techniques.

"I believe the upcoming Chinese version of Hamlet will also have a unique Chinese interpretation that retains the essence of the literary classic," says Luo.

Actor Zheng Qiyuan, who was nominated for a Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award for his role in The Orphan of Zhao, will take on the role of Claudius, while Jin Shengquan will play Hamlet.

"I was invited to have dinner with Xu a few months ago  it was my first meeting with him," said Jin, 29, at the news conference in late April.

"I was surprised when he handed me the script and offered me the role of Hamlet. I feel very lucky and humbled to be able to play a role coveted by all male actors in the world. It is a big production with complicated characters. You have to constantly adjust your voice and use different singing techniques to portray the multiple facets of Hamlet."

Xu says that even though there are already many adaptations of Hamlet for theater, movie and ballet, there is still much potential for musical expression to be explored.

"I want to highlight the dramatic conflict between Hamlet and Claudius. I believe Claudius is a character with hidden depth that needs to be explored. He is a schemer and acts irrationally. When Hamlet pretends to be mad, his pretense convinces everybody but Claudius. There are lots of dramatic tensions between the two," he says.

To Xu, Hamlet is a noble and learned man instead of a flawed persona who is unable to make up his mind.

"He is like a philosopher pondering issues of significance to all human beings. I hope his way of thinking will still resonate with today's young audiences. My version of Hamlet is a person who is proactive and ready to take the initiative."
Homeowners are receiving property valuations in the coming weeks  and yours may be higher than expected.

The average increase in property values around Jackson County since owners last assessment in 2021 is around 30%, with some values rising by even more, according to Jackson County Assessment Office director Gail McCann Beatty.

I dont think anyone anticipated that we would see these kinds of increases, she said at a media event Wednesday. But with COVID, as more people went remote, we found more people started moving to the Midwest in general, which really pushed property values up.

The county expects between 20,000 and 30,000 homeowners to appeal their property valuations this year. The department is now offering in-person review meetings with assessors at its new downtown location at 1300 Washington St.

We do want (homeowners) to know that we are here to help, and were trying to give them all of those tools that we can to make this a simple process for them, Beatty added.

If you have received a valuation that you disagree with, heres how to get it reviewed and potentially adjusted.

A new way to challenge your property valuation

The assessment department already had several ways to officially dispute your property valuation. But this year, it is adding a new option that it hopes will be more accessible and less intimidating for homeowners.

Its called an informal review  and despite its name, it can lead homeowners to a binding agreement with assessors on the correct value of a property. Residents can make an appointment online to speak with an assessor at 1300 Washington St.

Appointments open on Tuesday, May 9, and can be conducted in person, virtually or over the phone.

At your appointment, you will have the opportunity to speak with a real estate broker about the average value of similar houses in your neighborhood. You can then take this information, along with any documentation you brought along, into your meeting with an assessment department employee.

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By the end of this meeting, the goal is to reach an agreement with the assessor on the most accurate value of your home. The adjusted value will be finalized on a pink form that both you and the assessor will sign.

Gather documentation of your homes correct value

A document called your market value notice is the first place to look when determining whether your valuation is accurate. This document should arrive in the mail in the next few weeks, and it will appear online later in the spring.

The notice will include basic information about your home like the year it was built, its square footage, its number of bedrooms and bathrooms and other details like whether it has a porch, pool or finished basement.

Check to see whether all of these details are correct  if you find a mistake, it could help your case that your home is worth a different amount than the county claims.

Homeowner Edna A. of Raytown told The Star that her property value rose by around 11% since the last county assessment two years ago. But her notice stated that she had a finished basement and a back deck when in reality, both of these are unfinished.

Based on what is in my home, I think I still could get it lowered, she said.

Other documentation you can bring to your review meeting include photos of any damage to the interior or exterior of your home, appraisal documents from a private realtor, a recent bill of sale or proof of recent renovations or upgrades.

Be sure to bring hard copies of photos and documents, as assessors may want to scan them into their system. You will get the original copies back.

What can I do if I dont reach an agreement during the review meeting?

If you cant reach a consensus on your homes value during the informal review process, there are several additional steps you can take to appeal the valuation.

The first is to file an official appeal with the countys Board of Equalization. This appeal process will involve a hearing before three board members when you can present evidence that your assessed value is incorrect.

The deadline to file an appeal is Monday, July 10. You can start the process online here.

After your appeal is scheduled, you can also request an interior inspection of your home if your property value has risen by more than 15%. You can do this on the countys website here.

Weve probably got about 20 to 25 people that we can deploy for the inspections, Beatty said. The best suggestion is to apply early, but we will not let you get to a BOE hearing if youve requested an inspection without getting your inspection done.

An interior home inspection can reveal more about your property that may impact the countys assessment of its value. For example, structural damage only visible from inside the home could help your appeal to lower your valuation.

Inspections are not done on newly built homes or those with recent improvements.

If neither the informal nor the formal county review processes lead to a valuation you agree with, there is one more avenue to try: filing an appeal with the Missouri State Tax Commission. Learn more about that process here.

How do I know what my property tax will be?

You wont know for sure what your property taxes will be until your local taxing authorities set their tax rates in the fall.

Taxing authorities include your local schools, fire departments, libraries, cities, counties and special funds like the mental health fund, the disabled services fund and the blind pension.

The tax rates set by all of these groups combined will add up to your final property tax rate  but that wont happen until all property value assessments are finished later this year. Thats because each group can only collect an amount of money determined by its budget.

Right now, everyones values are going way up, said Christi Johnson, a real estate broker who is contracted by the county to consult with homeowners about their property valuations. How you level that out is you lower your levy rates a little bit.

This means that having a significantly higher property value doesnt necessarily guarantee that the amount you pay in taxes will be higher than it was in 2021. Instead, some taxing authorities may collect a lower percentage than in previous years because property values are so high.

Levies will be set around September, and your property tax bill should arrive afterwards.

Do you have more questions about the property value assessment process in Jackson County? Ask the Service Journalism team at kcq@kcstar.com.
[Source]

"She Hulk" star Jameela Jamil called out the Met Gala and its celebrants for commemorating controversial fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Jamil, 37, wrote, "Last night Hollywood and fashion said the quiet part out loud when a lot of famous feminists chose to celebrate at the highest level, a man who was so publicly cruel to women, to fat people, to immigrants and to sexual assault survivors."

"Its not just Hollywood here," "The Good Place" actor continued in her post's description. "The general public online participated and were entirely complicit in the erasure of the truth last night."

Jamil also noted that "some of his greatest harm was against Muslim refugees, and the disgusting way he spoke about people fleeing their homes for fear of their lives."

"Why is THIS who we celebrate when there are so many AMAZING designers out there who aren't bigoted white men? ... Sorry, but no. This isn't the 90s. We didn't fight all this sh*t just to throw it all away because some white guy made some pretty clothes for people's skinny faves... come on now," she concluded.

More from NextShark: Rush Hour fans celebrate the franchise's 'healthy racism'

Jamil, who previously expressed her objection to this year's Met Gala theme in October 2022, was one of the fashion event's many critics.

The theme Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty was chosen to celebrate the legacy of Lagerfeld, who died in 2019.

Numerous celebrities walked the red carpet in extravagant outfits inspired by the fashion titan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday.

More from NextShark: Chinese tea, Vietnamese pottery, Cambodian martial arts: Asian cultural practices granted UNESCO world heritage status

Lagerfeld began his fashion career in the 1950s, working with popular names such as Balmain, Fendi and Chloe.

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However, the German designer is best known for his work at Chanel, with many crediting him as responsible for revitalizing the French luxury brand. Lagerfeld served as Chanels creative director from 1983 until his death.

Despite Lagerfelds significant contributions to the fashion industry, the designer has faced backlash for his controversial views.

More from NextShark: Hellbound co-creator Yeon Sang-ho reveals new character explorations for possible second season

In addition to mocking body positivity movements, he was accused of being Islamophobic and fatphobic, which Jamil mentions in an Instagram post she shared in October 2022.

The actor included several screenshots of Lagerfelds previous statements from interviews. In a 2009 interview with German magazine Focus, Lagerfeld stated that no one wants to see curvy women on the runway. He also said, Youve got fat mothers with their bags of chips sitting in front of the television and saying that thin models are ugly. The world of beautiful clothing is about dreams and illusions.

In 2018, he told fashion magazine Numero, "If you dont want your pants pulled about, dont become a model! and suggested that they instead join a nunnery. Several people accused him of opposing the #MeToo movement due to such statements.
James Bond author Charlie Higson has said that if an actor is talked about as being considered as the next 007, you know that theyve been rejected.

Higson is best known for his Young Bond series for teenagers, and has recently been commissioned by Ian Fleming Publication to write a new Bond story for the Kings coronation.

Speaking to the Press Association, Hugson was asked if he has heard anything about who the next actor to play Bond could be following the departure of Daniel Craig after 2021s No Time To Die.

As soon as the papers say, So and so is being considered as the next James Bond, you know that theyre not going to be the next James Bond, you know that theyve been rejected, he said.

Eon (Productions) who make the films play their cards very close to the chest and a lot of times they really surprise people in particular, Daniel Craig, nobody had any idea at all that he might be Bond.

He continued: If youd been asked in advance, youd have said, Daniel Craig, James Bond, surely not. But then hes just so good in Casino Royale any doubts you might have had immediately go out the window.

So theyre pretty clever on that front and they will inevitably wait to make the announcement at the right time to get the maximum amount of publicity.

Personally, Higson said that he would like to see Happy Valley star James Norton play Bond.

On Thursday (4 May), the author unveiled his new 007 adventure novel, titled On His Majestys Secret Service.

Set two days before the Kings coronation, it tells the story of Bond being tasked with thwarting a last-minute attempt to disrupt the ceremony by a new villain, the eccentric Athelstan of Wessex.

His book comes 60 years after the publication of James Bond creator Ian Flemings 10th novel, On Her Majestys Secret Service, which was published in 1963.

Flemings first novel Casino Royale was published in 1953, the year of the late Queens coronation.

The royal family have continued to be associated with Bond, with the late Queen famously featuring alongside Craig during a skit for the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.

Additional reporting by Press Association
Jenny Craig employees are seeking to join a class-action lawsuit alleging the company violated federal and state WARN Acts, which require companies to give employees a 60-day notice ahead of any mass layoffs or facility closures.

The lawsuit was filed in the New Jersey District Court on May 4, two days after the company sent an email to its employees announcing it would fully close. The WARN Act requires companies with 100 full-time employees or more to notify both the local and state governments, as well as its employees, 60 days before mass layoffs or closures. The complaint estimates hundreds of employees could be covered by the lawsuit.

Some Jenny Craig employees received a WARN Act notice on April 25. One week later, Jenny Craig told its employees it would close the entire company by May 5.

In an FAQ note sent to Jenny Craig employees and obtained by NBC News last week, the company told the staff, Legally, per the Warn Act, employees reporting to the Corporate Office and NJ centers are entitled to pay for the full Warn Act notice period. However, as the financial status of the company is still in flux, it is not clear whether the separation date may be before 6/24 for Corporate and 7/24 for NJ centers and could be as early as next Friday 5/5. If it is before the full Warn Act notice date, we may not be in a position to continue payments to the employees for the full warn notice period.

The FAQ note also told employees that they may not be paid for the full 60 days from the WARN Notice if the company chose to shut down before then, which the company ended up announcing a few days later.

In termination letters sent earlier this week, Jenny Craig told employees they would receive full compensation earned through your last day of work and all accrued, unused paid time off but, according to the FAQ and Jack Raisner, one of the attorneys for the employees, the laid-off employees are owed pay through the 60 days. Raisner said the notice Jenny Craig sent to employees was essentially a head fake that didnt guarantee the company would remain open for the full 60 days after the notice, as required by the WARN Act.

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Its important to people, Raisner said of the remaining money not paid to employees because of the earlier-than-expected layoffs. It throws people into an enormous upheaval and free fall actually.

No one at HIG Capital, the $55 billion private equity firm which acquired the weight loss company in 2019, or Jenny Craig could be reached for comment on the lawsuit.

The employees are seeking pay for the full 60 days since the original notice was sent, as well as the monetary value of the benefits they would have enjoyed during that time. The WARN Act has been adapted to have stricter requirements in some states. In New Jersey, a new version of the WARN Act requires laid-off employees receive one week of severance for every year of service.

Employees and legal experts said all signs of layoffs and closure notices point to a bankruptcy filing soon from JC USA, Inc.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Jeremy Renner attends a premiere for the television series Rennervations (REUTERS)

Jeremy Renner has shared an update on his recovery following his horrifying snow plough accident, saying he is making great progress.

The 52-year-old actor posted a photo of his lower body during a physical therapy session, stating that he was in less pain than before.

The Hawkeye star wrote in the social media post: Lower pain levels mark great progress.

In another post, he said his body was miraculous for how it was recovering, although conceded: Even though I feel like the Tin Man, needing oil for all my new joints.

It comes after Renner used a cane and a motorised scooter as he attended his first red carpet event since the accident.

He appeared in person at the premiere of his new Disney+ show Rennervations in Los Angeles on Tuesday, and was cheered by fans as he arrived.

Renner was crushed by his own six-tonne snowploughing machine on January 1 as he tried to help his nephew near to his US home.

The actor broke over 30 bones in the incident and was air-lifted to hospital in Reno, Nevada.

Speaking to US outlet Variety, the actor admitted he looked a little beat up right now but said the show was propelling him to get better.

I set out a goal to be walking this carpet. And here I am enjoying it, he said.

Otherwise it would have gone to an abyss with no date and lost traction and excitement and I would have been very, very, very frustrated.

Im very excited right now because were here.

Speaking about his plans to return to acting, he told The Hollywood Reporter: Ill always be busy doing things I love to do.

Ill be a little bit more focused on the things that really have value and matter to me  and Ive got to appreciate my amazing fans because they end up loving the things that I do.

It comes after the actor appeared on his first late night television programme, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday, in which he was given a standing ovation by audience members.

Kimmel described him as indestructible and said there was now no question as to who the toughest Avenger was.
(KOTV-DT)

A man who shared a prison cell with convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden has revealed the deviant sexual behaviour he exhibited in jail, as outrage mounts over the alleged Oklahoma killers early release and how he was able to remain free despite facing charges of soliciting a minor.

Oklahoma authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the property near Henryetta where seven bodies were found earlier this week was the scene of a murder-suicide. Investigators determined Jesse McFadden, 39, shot dead his wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13.

The childrens friends 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 15-year-old Brittany Brewer, who stayed at the home over the weekend for a sleepover, were also killed. McFadden then staged the grisly scene and turned the gun on himself. He was set to stand trial over child porn charges on the day authorities made the gruesome discovery.

McFadden, a registered sex offender, had already served 16 years in prison following a conviction for the rape of a minor. He was released in 2020, three years before his sentence was set to end, despite being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor.

Now, a man who claims to have been McFaddens cellmate at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in 2015 has come forward with shocking details about McFaddens disturbing behaviour in prison.

He [was] a very sexual person, you know, like everything that he talked about was just always sexual, James Fleming, who was jailed at JHCC on drug charges, told The Independent in a phone interview. Every time we had a conversation, he would always try to lead it up to something sexual ... the way that he tried to push it on me was just very uncomfortable.

Fleming also recounted often being awoken in the middle of the night by McFaddens deviant dreams. Fleming, who has since been released on probation, said that McFaddens odd behaviour left a negative impression on him for years after they were sent to different facilities.

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I remember telling my [new] cellmate ... just how weird he was, Mr Fleming said. Like he would say stuff in his sleep. And excuse my language, but hed be like, Come here, bi***. Give me that . you know, you can elaborate on it.

It comes as local news station KFOR revealed on Wednesday that authorities left behind a trove of stomach-churning evidence at McFaddens property after releasing the scene and reportedly claiming that part of the investigation was over. While touring the residence with the owners authorisation, a crew of reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia that have since been seized by Okmulgee Police.

Fleming said that he didnt initially know McFadden was in jail for a sex offence, but shortly after they were paired together, he realised that McFadden was consumed by sexual thoughts. When reached by The Independent, a spokesperson with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections confirmed that both McFadden and Fleming were jailed at JHCC in 2015. The state agency declined to confirm or deny they were cellmates citing protocol over security concerns.

Although he first thought the arrangement was a success because they had the same prison job and schedule, Fleming said that learning about McFaddens previous offences completely changed his mind about the rapist and would-be mass killer.

[He talked about sex] all the time. I mean, it wasnt once a week, it was all the time, all the time, Fleming told The Independent. And I talked to somebody yesterday and I told him, If I wasnt mentally and physically strong as I was, I believe that he would have tried to molest me in there.

When you find out that about somebody, it just changes the way you think about them because its so horrific, he added. He tried to justify the rape but I knew that he got sentenced to 20 years in prison for that and you dont get sentenced to 20 years if its statutory rape and youre 18 and shes 17 and the parents got mad at you and called the cops on you.

A crew of KFOR reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia at McFaddena home (KFOR)

The evidence has since been seized by Okmulgee Police (KFOR/Screenshot)

Fleming, who was released in 2021, said that he tried to warn Henryetta Police Department about McFadden back in February of this year. Screenshots of what appears to be a conversation between him and the departments Facebook page show that Fleming described McFadden as a predator with multiple offences.

A spokesperson with Henryetta Police Department told The Independent that McFaddens address was located in an unincorporated part of Okmulgee County, where his registration was up to date, and deferred to Okmulgee Police Department.

Due to his home address. Henryetta Police Department would have no records kept of his registration, Henryetta Police said in a statement.

After his release in October 2020, McFadden was arrested the next month and then released on a $25,000 bond pending trial, which was repeatedly delayed, partially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Relatives of the victims have expressed disbelief after learning about McFaddens early release, especially in light of the seriousness of the new charges against him.

Ivy and Brittanys parents have said they did not know McFadden had been convicted of raping a minor, while Guess mother has said she only found out very recently. McFadden was on the states sex offender registry, but it is unclear whether local registries are readily available for the public.

According to Oklahoma law, registered sex offenders are not allowed within a 2,000-foot radius of schools or facilities caring for children. The Independent has reached out to Okmulgee County Sheriffs Office.

Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17 (Associated Press)

McFaddens 2003 rape victim Krystle Strong also told The Independent earlier this week that she had tried to stop his early release.

I called the jail, Ms Strong said. I believe I left a voicemail and tried to get transferred and I kept getting the runaround. I told them, Look, Ive called you guys over the years several times trying to get updates and Ive seen that you guys are still going to let him out even after you found contraband child porn on his phone. If this doesnt show that somebody isnt rehabilitated, then I dont know what else would.

Ms Strong said she was violently attacked by McFadden at knife-point when she was just 16 years old, and he was 19. Guess family told NewsNation on Wednesday that McFadden reportedly paid a woman to impersonate Ms Strong and tell Guess that it was all a misunderstanding and she was 19 when the rape took place.

He paid people to lie to her. He literally found somebody, whoever, and he paid that person to go to Holly and say that I made up the whole story, Ms Strong said. And I dont believe the knife that he held in my throat was ever brought up either.

Brittany Brewer, 15, and Ivy Webster, 14 (Brewer family / Webster family via Facebook)

Defence attorney Lee Berlin told the Associated Press on Wednesday that hes shocked by what he described as a panoply of errors in the McFadden case. He said they include releasing McFadden from prison despite serious charges pending against him as well as low bail for McFadden once he was arrested on the new charges.

Im a sex-crimes defence attorney  this is all I do all day every day  and Im like, how the hell does that happen? Mr Berlin told the AP.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? Guess mother Jannette Mayo also told the AP. Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children, my daughter and my grandchildren are all gone ... Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

McFadden had vowed not to return to prison in a series of ominous messages with the teenager whom he had allegedly been texting while behind bars. According to screen grabs of the messages by KOKI in Tulsa, McFadden said his great life was crumbling and blamed the teenager for the latest set of charges against him that could put him back in prison for decades. A solicitation conviction can mean a 10-year sentence, while a pornography charge could mean 20 years behind bars.

A memorial is placed at the home of Brittany Brewer in Henryetta, Okla., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 (OKLAHOMAN)

Now its all gone, McFadden texted. I told you I wouldnt go back.

This is all on you for continuing this, he said.

The victims all suffered between one to three shots to the head. McFadden used his wifes gun to carry out the attack.

The outrage sparked by the handling of McFaddens case has prompted local residents to create a Change.org petition demanding for harsher sentences and no early release for convicted sex offenders. More than 700 people have signed the petition as of Friday morning.

We are also asking that it be mandated that all city police stations and schools in Oklahoma have a board set up with all local sex offenders pictures and information on them and kept up to date, the description of the page read.

This is so important so we can help our local people, police, and school staff [stay] aware of offenders in our area because the man responsible for these horrendous murders, like other offenders, [was] able to manipulate people into believ[ing] false information.
Correction: An earlier version of the story incorrectly listed how police resolved the case.

An "irate" JetBlue passenger traveling from Las Vegas was issued a misdemeanor citation after airport police say he missed a flight, got separated from his luggage and made a bomb threat Thursday, according to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

The passenger was trying to catch a JetBlue flight from Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport to Los Angeles International Airport Thursday.

Shortly before 1 p.m. local time, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department was contacted because he was irate, wrote a police department spokesperson in an email to USA TODAY.

The passenger made "concerning comments about his luggage after missing his flight" but investigators looked into the comments and realized there was no real threat. The passenger made the comments out of frustration, a police department spokesperson said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said the passenger was issued a misdemeanor citation for violation of airport rules.

What happened leading up to the bomb threat?

Airport officials told ABC affiliate KABC-TV the man missed his flight in Las Vegas but his bag was on the plane. He then made a phone call and said his luggage may have had a bomb in it. The flight the man's luggage was on landed at Los Angeles International Airport around 2 p.m. and remained on the tarmac for more than an hour.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department began investigating to make sure there were no threats and Los Angeles Airport Police were notified.

Both firefighters and police went to the scene and by 3:20 p.m., passengers were let off the plane, KABC-TV reported.

Sgt. Rob Pedregon from the Los Angeles Airport Police said passengers were forced to wait about two hours due to the threat.

"A search of the plane, passengers, and contents revealed that there was no threat," he wrote in an email to USA TODAY. "Passengers were released to continue with travel plans."

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More coverage from USA TODAY:

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: JetBlue passenger calls in bomb threat after missing flight in Vegas
Netflix

For anyone looking for a tantalising Bank Holiday Netflix watch, look no further. Jewish Matchmaking has just dropped on Netflix, following quests for love within the Jewish community.

The show was inspired by Indian Matchmaking, which first aired in July 2020 with a similar premise but focusing on the arranged marriages of Indian couples in the US and India.

We've just been treated to a third season of Indian Matchmaking, showing that there's a huge appetite for matchmaking TV right now. Love is in the air, and all that.

So when are we getting a second season of Jewish Matchmaking? Here's what we know.

Netflix

What is Jewish Matchmaking about?

The clue is in the name, we guess. Essentially, the Netflix show follows the journeys of Jewish singles across the US and Israel who are looking for love, with matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom supervising the process.

Jewish Matchmaking depicts the universal search for true love, executive producer Aaron Saidman told People in an interview. The show is a funny, heartwarming, and always unpredictable journey that unfolds right in front of our cameras. As we do in Indian Matchmaking, we take an ancient tradition and document it in a modern context. Sometimes there's undeniable chemistry between two singles, and sometimes its just awkward ... and hilarious.

Has season 2 of Jewish Matchmaking been confirmed?

Not as of yet, no. Netflix is yet to call for a renewal, but fans are keen to see more and the popularity of all three seasons of its sister show Indian Matchmaking suggest it could happen. We have everything crossed.

Who would be in the cast for Jewish Matchmaking season 2?

We would assume that Aleeza would return as the matchmaker. Possible returning members from season one's cast are as follows: Dani Bergman, Harmonie Krieger, Ori Basly, Noah Del Monte, Noah Dreyfuss, Fay Brezel, Stuart Chaseman, Cindy Seni and Nakysha Osadchey.

Netflix

No casting has been confirmed though, so if the show were to return for season two, there might be a whole new cast. You never know.

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Is there a trailer for season two of Jewish Matchmaking?

Alas no, as a second season has not yet been confirmed by Netflix. However, we will update this article as soon as anything develops.

The first season of Jewish Matchmaking is available to watch on Netflix





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Dame Joan Collins has recalled a naughty thing that King Charles wrote about her.

The actor, 89, appeared on Fridays instalment of Good Morning Britain, where she discussed the charming King Charles III.

Recalling the moment he presented Collins with her damehood in 2015, she told hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shepard that Charles said: And about time, too.

She said: How charming [Charles] was when he gave it to me. And you know, he has the most fantastic voice, very mellifluous and deep.

The Dynasty star added: Id met him a few times. In fact, he wrote about me in his book, I cant say what it is on morning TV because its a bit naughty.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

Joan went on to say that on one occasion that she met Charles, she was wearing a very low-cut dress.

It comes days after Collins praised the King for his skills on the dancefloor in a tribute to the monarch ahead of his coronation.

Joan Collins said that King Charles was charming when he presented her damehood (Getty Images)

The actor recalled a fond memory of meeting the King for the first time in the Eighties, when he was the Prince of Wales and, at the time, married to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

She met him at a charity ball held by Armand Hammer in Palm Beach, Miami, where they had a little dance together that Collins said was very nice.

Hes quite a good dancer! she told British Vogue, and described the King as charming, as well as having a wonderful voice and a dry, dry sense of humour.

The actor shared another time that she met Charles at the Safeway Picnic concert in aid of his charity, The Princes Trust, in 2002.

She said that the King loves modern music and was jiving along to performances by Diana Ross and Shirley Bassey.

Collins predicted that Charles will be a very good leader as he prepares to be crowned alongside Queen Consort Camilla tomorrow (Saturday 6 May).

Follow the latest coronation updates here.
John Legend says Megyn Kelly, right, is 'desperate' after she dissed Chrissy Teigen's White House Correspondents Dinner dress. (Jose Luis Magana, Associated Press, left; Evan Agostini / Associated Press, right)

Did John Legend just drop the mic on Megyn Kelly?

Kelly went after Chrissy Teigen on Mondays episode of Sirius XMs The Megyn Kelly Show in a post-White House Correspondents Dinner rant aimed at Teigens choice of attire for the event.

The awards and fundraising dinner was a star-studded event that took place last Saturday. Game of Thrones actor Lena Headey, Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan and Succession actor J. Smith-Cameron were among the many celebrity guests who suited up to hear former broadcast journalist and comedian Roy Wood Jr. poke fun at President Biden and the state of American politics, and to honor the press.

Legend, who sang Feeling Good at a celebration of the Biden-Harris inauguration in 2021, was also in attendance, and his supermodel-turned-cookbook author wife turned a few heads when she arrived at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Teigens sheer draped lilac gown by designer Georges Hobeika particularly became a point of discussion, both for its high slit and because three assistants followed after her carrying the train as she headed into the event.

Kelly appeared to be especially perturbed, saying Teigen showed up like she was literally going to the coronation and that she had three minions following her.

I can see London, I see France, I see Chrissy's underpants, Kelly continued. Nobody shows underpants at the White House Correspondents Dinner. OK, Chrissy, they just don't do it. And nobody shows up with serfs to carry their train, which there shouldn't be on your White House Correspondents Dinner dress anyway, because it's barely a formal event.

Well, TMZ caught up with Legend on Thursday at Mirame in Beverly Hills and asked how he felt about Kelly dragging Teigen, and the Grammy-winning artist didnt mince words, saying Kelly should just shut up, and calling the conservative media personality desperate.

She likes attention, Legend quipped. She needs it after she got fired from Fox. (Kelly actually left Fox for NBC by choice, then she and NBC parted ways by mutual agreement before her contract was up.)

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He added that he thought Kelly had pissed off conservatives when she asked former President Trump a tough question, and now she's trying to figure out a way to win them back.

He then praised his wife as "very kind, loving and down to earth" before admitting that its not necessarily normal behavior to have someone help carry a person's dress. When asked if Teigen felt bad about it, Legend said, No, why should she?

Teigen also took a moment on Twitter to address the uproar over her dress, posting a video of herself from the event and writing, Im all for some good s talking but this is a legitimately great dress.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Marvel Studios' newest superhero flick, "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," is poised to lead Hollywood's summer releases in China, offering fans a humorous and heartfelt farewell.

The premiere event for "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" takes place at the Walt Disney Grand Theatre, Shanghai Disney Resort, in Shanghai, April 28, 2023. [Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Studios]

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3," written and directed by James Gunn, is a superhero film based on the Marvel Comics team of the same name. The ensemble cast features Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, and Sylvester Stallone. The plot follows the Guardians as they embark on a dangerous mission to protect their comrade, Rocket, a genetically engineered bounty hunter with a tragic past. The team of misfits must confront the High Evolutionary, a villainous scientist from Counter-Earth who seeks to forcibly enhance all living beings into a "special race" and who also happens to be Rocket's creator.

The film is the third installment in the "Guardians of the Galaxy" franchise and the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), falling within Phase Five. Boasting an action-packed storyline, stunning visual effects, and a mix of hilarious, quirky moments and emotionally poignant scenes, the film premiered in Beijing and Shanghai on April 28, with Walt Disney Studios hosting advanced screenings, receiving rave reviews from audiences. To generate excitement for the new chapter and delight fans, the first two movies, along with "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," were re-screened during the 13th Beijing International Film Festival prior to the premiere events.

However, the film is not without its dramatic backstory and a sense of melancholy. In April 2017, Gunn announced he would write and direct the third installment, but Disney fired him in July 2018 due to the resurfacing of controversial tweets. The studio later reversed its decision in October of the same year, reinstating him as the director. While Gunn initially planned for a fourth "Guardians" movie, plans shifted continuously. In September 2019, he confirmed "Vol. 3" would be his final "Guardians" film, which he reaffirmed in May 2021. In 2022, Warner Bros. Discovery hired Gunn and Peter Safran as co-chairmen and co-CEOs of DC Studios, Marvel's rival, making his return to the franchise unlikely. Additionally, in April 2023, actress Saldana stated "Vol. 3" would be her final portrayal of Gamora, while actor Bautista also revealed "Vol. 3" would be his last time playing Drax. All these factors contribute to an emotional goodbye to the original Guardians of the Galaxy cast and crew, who have endeared themselves to audiences.

"Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" will be released simultaneously in China on May 5, along with North America and many other markets, demonstrating that China has once again embraced synchronous releases after pandemic policy adjustments. Furthermore, 100 advanced screenings were organized across the country on May 3. However, unlike before the COVID-19 pandemic, the casts and crews of recently released Hollywood movies have not planned any visits to China for promotional tours. Instead, they are sending recorded videos to the Chinese premieres.

The superhero film is one of the most highly anticipated releases following the national Labor Day holiday and is the precursor to a wave of Hollywood blockbusters set to hit the Chinese market this summer. Some of the already announced titles include "Fast X" on May 17, "The Little Mermaid" on May 26, "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" on June 2, "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts" on June 9, and "The Flash" on June 16.
Politicians and lawmakers are demanding accountability after a 24-year-old New York City subway rider was seen on video putting a homeless man in a fatal chokehold.

Jordan Neely, 30, was a subway busker who performed dance routines in costume as Michael Jackson. He was homeless when he was killed Monday after an altercation on a northbound F train, police said.

Neely suffered from mental illness which began at age 14 when he experienced the brutal murder of his mother, a law firm hired by his family, Mills & Edwards LLP, said in a statement Thursday.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Neely "was a New Yorker, a son, and a performer, and he should still be alive," in a statement Wednesday.

Adams, a Democrat, said Neely's death is another reminder of how far Black people "remain from an equitable and just society."

State Sen. Zellnor Myrie, a Democrat, said that the incident should not have ended in Neely's death and that it highlights the struggle to combat mental illness and violence on city subways.

Mr. Neelys death reveals the shortcomings of our approach in both areas and should be a moment of great anguish for this city, not a time for equivocation or tacit approval of vigilantism, he said in a statement Thursday. I stand ready to work with my partners in government towards healing and solutions during this time of great pain for Mr. Neelys family and everyday New Yorkers.

Neely said he was hungry and thirsty

Officers responded to the Broadway and East Houston Street subway station around 2:27 p.m. Monday after they got a 911 call about a fight, a spokesperson said.

"Further investigation revealed the 30-year-old was involved in a verbal dispute with the 24-year-old male and it escalated into a physical altercation," the spokesperson said. "During the physical struggle between the two males, the 30-year-old male lost consciousness."

Cellphone video taken by passenger Juan Alberto Vazquez showed the 24-year-old man on the ground with his arm around Neely's neck. Two other subway riders appear to help restrain Neely, who was Black.

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New York police officers respond to the scene where Jordan Neely died on a subway train, Monday, May 1, 2023, in New York. (Paul Martinka / AP)

Vazquez told NBC New York that Neely got on the train and "began to say a somewhat aggressive speech, saying he was hungry, he was thirsty, that he didnt care about anything, he didnt care about going to jail, he didnt care that he gets a big life sentence."

Vazquez said Neely was held in the chokehold position for about 15 minutes.

Neely was unconscious when police arrived, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital. The manner of death was homicide, the city chief medical examiner's office said, and the cause was compression of neck (chokehold).

Attorney Lennon Edwards, who was retained by the Neely family, said Thursday that he took the case, because 15 minutes is too long to go without help, intervention and without air. Passengers are not supposed to die on the floor of our subways.

"We understand our current times have created a heightened sense of fear," the law firm's statement said. "However, there has to be a clear line of when lethal force can be used by anyone, including civilians."

Attorney Donte Mills, of the same firm, said he would be surprised if charges were not filed in the case in an interview that aired Friday morning on the TODAY show.

It would be incredible to me if the outcome of this was no charge, because how can you say that its okay for someone to strangle someone, he said.

'He deserved help, not a death sentence'

Adams said Neely's death and the responses to it have been "difficult to absorb."

"Racism that continues to permeate throughout our society allows for a level of dehumanization that denies Black people from being recognized as victims when subjected to acts of violence," she said in her statement."The perceptions of Black people have long been interpreted through a distorted, racialized lens that aims to justify violence against us."

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, said that police were banned from using the chokehold and that therefore "there's no excuse for a civilian to use such a deadly maneuver, especially on someone experiencing a mental health crisis."

"While we don't know all the facts, we know this: Jordan Neely should still be alive," he said in a statement. "I trust the @ManhattanDA Bragg will use his best judgment in pursuing justice for Jordan and his family."

Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey, a Democrat, tweeted Thursday: "Jordan Neely was simply asking for food and water when his life was brutally taken. No one should lose their life because theyre experiencing a mental health crisis. He deserved help, not a death sentence."

No charges have been filed, but case remains under investigation

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters that the video was "horrific" and that the subway riders response to Neely was "very extreme," while Mayor Eric Adams said he will let the district attorney's investigation play out.

"There are many layers to this. Im gonna let the process follow its course, and so I wont get engaged with comparisons on where we are, where we arent. Im not going to do that. Im going to let the investigation run its course," he said.

The 24-year-old man, who has not been publicly identified, was taken into custody Monday, questioned by police and released. The Manhattan district attorney's office said it will review the medical examiner's report, review video and conduct interviews before it makes a decision.

Rep. Summer Lee, D-Pa., said she believes he was released "because dehumanizing & hating poor folks has been normalized."

"There MUST be accountability," Lee tweeted Wednesday.

In a series of tweets, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a Democrat whose district is in the Bronx, said it was "disgusting" that charges have not been filed and questioned why officials have not condemned Neely's death.

"Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?" she tweeted Thursday.

She went on to discuss the challenges faced by many people who have been incarcerated or struggle with mental illness. There have been reports that Neely had an extensive criminal history.

"Neelys last words were literally about how going to jail was easier than accessing the social safety net support to get back on his feet and lead a life," Ocasio-Cortez wrote.

"I cannot tell you how many times Ive heard from both COs and the incarcerated that there are people who commit petty crimes because their easiest way to get a bed and doctor. For many vulnerable communities  especially the mentally ill  we make living in jail easier than living out of it," she added.

Protesters gather at NYC subway station

Residents convened at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station Wednesday, holding signs and chanting "Black lives matter" and "the homeless matter," Gothamist reported.

Protesters march through the Broadway-Lafayette subway station to protest the death of Jordan Neely, Wednesday afternoon, May 3, 2023 in New York. Four people were arrested, police said. Neely, a man who was suffering an apparent mental health episode aboard a New York City subway, died this week after being placed in a headlock by a fellow rider on Monday, May 1, according to police officials and video of the encounter. (Jake Offenhartz / AP)

Harlem resident Kyle Ishmael, 38, told NBC New York that he felt "disgusted" after having watched the video.

I couldnt believe this was happening on my subway in my city that I grew up in, he said.

More demonstrations were planned for Thursday and Friday across the city.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
New York City Subway Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images

The killing of 30-year-old Jordan Neely by a man identified as 24-year-old Daniel Penny on a New York City subway has shocked and galvanized the public, as amateur footage of Neely's final moments spreads, showing him struggling for breath while held in a fatal chokehold on the train car floor.

Neely, a well-known local subway performer, was seemingly in the throes of a mental health crisis when he boarded a northbound F-train in Manhattan where, according to witnesses, he began screaming "I don't have food, I don't have a drink, I'm fed up."

"I don't mind going to jail and getting life in prison," Neely reportedly added. "I'm ready to die."

Speaking with The New York Times, freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez described the situation as "very tense." Vazquez, who filmed the encounter, also noted that Neely hadn't physically attacked anybody when Penny  reportedly a former United States Marine  grabbed him by the neck and held him down with the assistance of at least one other passenger. "He wasn't conscious, he wasn't responsive, and the man still had him in the headlock," one witness told the New York Daily News, calling their struggle "very disturbing to watch."

Neely, who reportedly had a history of mental health challenges, was unhoused at the time of his death, and had been arrested dozens of times for various offenses, including public lewdness. "He should not have been on that train in the first place, he should have been housed," activist Krys Cerisier, with the advocacy and organizing group Vocal NY, told ABC 7. Penny was reportedly detained, questioned, and ultimately released from police custody without being charged, although District Attorney Alvin Bragg has said that an investigation into the incident is "ongoing."

"Because what people are constantly given is this narrative that homeless people are dangerous, people think they can take matters into their own hands and view a Black man being upset that he's hungry as a threat," Cerisier said.

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'It wasn't acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now'

Cerisier isn't alone in seeing Neely's killing  officially ruled a homicide by the New York City Chief Medical Examiner's office  as more than simply an isolated event. Rather, there is a growing chorus of critics and advocates who have placed the incident on a broader continuum of extrajudicial killings and racially influenced violence.

"Thirty years ago, I fought the Bernard Goetz case and we cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable," civil rights leader Rev. Al Sharpton said in a press release calling for a criminal investigation into Neely's death. "It wasn't acceptable then and it cannot be acceptable now." In 1987, Goetz was acquitted of attempted murder after shooting four Black teenagers he alleged were attempting to rob him in a New York City subway car. At the time, Sharpton criticized Goetz's conviction on a simple illegal weapons charge, saying "If Bernie Goetz had been Black, he would have gotten much more than six months."

As The Washington Post's Philip Bump has noted, this comparison to previous instances of vigilantism can cut both ways  often along partisan lines: "When Fox News host Sean Hannity described the incident on his show Thursday night  framing Neely in terms that highlighted his purported danger  someone in the studio audience whooped with approval after a mention of the passenger's military record," he wrote in an essay expressly exploring the link between Goetz and Neely. Conservative broadcaster John Catsimatidis made his endorsement even more explicit, sharing a clip from the vigilante-approving 1974 film Death Wish, saying "If the police don't defend us, maybe we ought to do it ourselves."

In its coverage of the various responses to Neely's death, the New York Daily News placed the very method by which he was restrained and killed in the broader history of force used against unarmed Black men in the city, noting that "years ago, the NYPD banned cops from using chokeholds like the one seen in the video after outrage over the chokehold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island during a bungled arrest helped spark the Black Lives Matter movement." And writing in the Times, opinion contributor Roxane Gay made a slightly different historical connection, contextualizing Neely's death in terms of the recent instances of pubic violence instigated by "people who deem themselves judge, jury and executioner" acting without thought for the bigotry that "colors even the most innocuous interactions" and absent any "regard for due process."

Maurice Mitchell, national director of the progressive Working Families political party, framed Neely's death in the context of America's longstanding history of racial violence, calling it "a modern-day lynching" in a statement criticizing the responses from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D).

Adams, in particular, has been targeted by many for his statement that focused on the "serious mental health issues in play here," seemingly blaming Neely's death on his own actions. "This honestly feels like a new low," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) tweeted in response to Adams' statement. "Not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem 'too low' to care about." New York City Comptroller Brad Lander struck a similarly combative tone against Adams, first decrying Neely's death as the work of a "vigilante" and then, after Adams criticized his use of the term as "irresponsible," tweeting the dictionary definition of the word.

In an essay for New York's Hell Gate, journalist Max Rivlin-Nadler struck a similarly adversarial tone against the existing balance of power that contributed to Neely's death, writing in a city "where millions are squeezed out of stability, the answer to who killed Jordan Neely isn't singular. The finger points right at the top."

As Bump stressed in his Washington Post essay, any comparison between Neely's death and Bernie Goetz's shootings is "imperfect but obvious." Not only when it comes to the details of each respective incident, but in how New York City  and the public at large  have already begun the process of historical contextualization as a means to explain, and in some cases justify, why a man died on the floor of a subway car, as people stood by and watched.

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Jorge Masvidal was reportedly not present when a shooting occurred at his Miami home. (Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Jorge Masvidal Sr., the father of retired UFC fighter Jorge Masvidal, was reportedly taken into custody and charged with second-degree attempted manslaughter Thursday after a shooting at Masvidal's home in Miami, according to a police affidavit obtained by ESPN.

Masvidal Sr. is accused of shooting a man, Luis Lencioni, at least twice. Lencioni was reportedly taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds in both arms. Lencioni said he engaged in a "verbal argument" with Masvidal Sr., which led to the shooting.

The shooting was reported Thursday, though the suspect and victim's names were not initially released by police. At the time, the incident was reported as a possible domestic dispute. One report claimed Lencioni was in stable condition.

Masvidal, the former UFC fighter, was reportedly not present when the shooting occurred, per ESPN.

Upon securing a search warrant, police reportedly found a gun in a kitchen cabinet. Masvidal Sr. invoked his right to remain silent, according to ESPN.

After losing to Gilbert Burns in April, Masvidal announced his retirement from UFC.

The arrest comes a day before Masvidal is set to host a Gamebred Bareknuckle MMA event on his YouTube and Facebook pages. Masvidal is the founder of Gamebred Promotions. The Bareknuckle event is still scheduled to begin Friday at 8 p.m. ET. It's unclear what role Masvidal will play, if any, during the event following his father's arrest.
As the delayed trial for the man accused in a double 1990 Cape Coral homicide looms, the accused is asking the court to declare the death penalty unconstitutional and requests additional DNA testing.

Jury selection in the capital murder trial for Joseph Zieler, 61, of North Fort Myers, is set to begin Monday, with attorneys Kevin Shirley and Lee Hollander representing him.

Assistant State Attorneys Daniel Feinberg, Stephanie Russell and Abe Thornburg will prosecute the case.

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Lisa Story, 32, was watching Robin Cornell, 11, in Cape Coral. Cornell's mother was at her boyfriend's home May 9, 1990, watching TV when she fell asleep. When she returned home, she discovered the pair had been killed in the apartment.

The case went cold for 26 years before authorities caught a break.

Zieler was charged in the slayings of Cornell and Story after a grand jury returned an indictment on two counts of first-degree murder in November 2016.

Lee Circuit Judge Robert Branning heard several motions Thursday afternoon concerning the case. Zieler at one point requested to represent himself, but later withdrew that motion.

Joseph Zieler questions the legality of the death penalty in his case

According to two motions filed Wednesday, Zieler, of North Fort Myers, through Shirley, is asking the court to declare the death penalty unconstitutional, citing the recent case where the man accused of fatally shooting 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018, received a sentence of life without parole.

"It wasnt in effect in 1990 and [it] wasnt in effect until now," Hollander said. He added the ruling became effective "long after" the murders.

The state argued that procedural changes in the death penalty haven't affected capital murder in cases in other states in previous decades.

Story continues

"Now were competing with Texas and Virginia to see who can do better putting people on death row," Shirley said.

Branning reserved ruling on the death penalty motion.

Recent motions sought to block the use of DNA evidence

The latter of Wednesday's motions alleges that Cape Coral Police seized several items related to the bedding of one of the victims.

One of the items allegedly contains a sperm fragment or substance that could be tested for DNA, according to the motion. The sample contains a mix of several individuals' DNA.

Throughout the case, the state retested several samples from the scene and compared them with other samples, records indicate.

Hollander on Thursday addressed the DNA match that initiated the investigation and said it's hearsay, adding that it violates the Florida and U.S. constitutions.

Prosecutors on Thursday said the match 26 yeas later is relevant in the case because he was arrested for an unrelated charge in 2016 and his DNA was collected then.

Zieler was in Lee County jail already on a felony aggravated battery charge for shooting his son with a pellet gun that August. After he was convicted of shooting his son, law required he submit DNA to the database.

That sample is what matched him to the Cape Coral murder scene and what he wants removed from trial.

Branning denied the motion relating to the DNA.

Zieler requests that it be tested from an independent laboratory.

Earlier this week, Zieler had asked the court to prohibit prosecutors from presenting evidence or testimony that a comparison between his DNA profile and evidence from the crime scene resulted in a match that provided investigators with a lead.

According to that motion, the state will use the DNA match as the justification for its investigation and arrest of Zieler.

He has remained in Lee County Jail since Aug. 27, 2016, held without bond.

The state said it expects to rest the case by May 19, while Hollander said he would need an additional day.

Tomas Rodriguez is a Breaking/Live News Reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. You can reach Tomas at TRodriguez@gannett.com or 772-333-5501. Connect with him on Twitter @TomasFRoBeltran, Instagram @tomasfrobeltran and Facebook @tomasrodrigueznews.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Joseph Zieler heads to trial Monday in 1990 Cape Coral cold case
Felicity, with its Museum of History in Granite, was founded in 1986

Every morning, Jacques-Andre Istel has breakfast in bed at the center of the world.

Istel is founder, mayor and postmaster general of Felicity, a stretch of California's Sonora Desert where for nearly four decades he has been building a museum of, y'know... the whole of human history.

"This doesn't exist anywhere else on this planet," the 94-year-old told AFP.

What started in 1986 with two small houses has grown into an amphitheater of Istel's dreams; 2,600 acres (1,052 hectares) where the passage of time is marked by a sundial that uses the arm of God -- as painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel -- to cast its shadow.

Nearby sits a bit of an old staircase that used to be part of the Eiffel Tower, its steps ascending into the void.

The town's post office, which Istel has operated since December 1987, collects and distributes mail for a handful of residents and tourists. The $1 stipend checks sent by the US Treasury every year are uncashed and framed.

Istel was elected mayor of Felicity shortly after it was founded in a three-vote landslide.

The ballots were cast by Istel, his wife Felicia, after whom the town is named, and the invisible dragon that stars in Istel's storybook about the center of the world.

(A supervisor from Imperial County, in which Felicity sits, declared all three ballots valid, noting that a dragon's vote was recognized "for the first and only time in California history".)

- The 'center' of the world -

Visitors to Felicity -- dozens of tourists stop by every day between October and April -- enter between symmetrical houses and are faced with a pyramid.

This is -- officially -- the middle of, well, everything. Honestly. There's paperwork to prove it: Supervisors in Imperial County declared it so.

Istel acknowledges with a twinkle in his eye that he's using a bit of creative license.

"The center of the world can be anywhere," he smiles.

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Beyond the pyramid, 723 red granite panels stretch out in thematic branches, exploring history, geography, politics, science, fashion and culture.

Here, a panel tells the story of slavery in the United States; there, one examines the life of Alexander the Great.

One slab deals with the sacrificial rites of the Vikings, while another logs America's eating habits.

- Skydiver -

Istel was born in 1929 into a privileged family in the French capital.

He left the country as the Nazis were preparing to march on Paris, and wound up in the United States.

"I'm here thanks to the Germans," he says.

"My family fought against them for three generations. My father left for England with [Charles] De Gaulle, my brother left the French Army for Canada and enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and eventually died, and my mother and the rest of us kids came to America."

After a degree in economics, the young Istel went into the family banking business on Wall Street.

But in a seemingly emblematic bit of topsy-turviness, he wound up as a professional skydiver, the kind of career swap disappointment that usually seems to happen the other way around.

Seeking thrills outside of a job he did not really enjoy, he got his pilot's license, and did his first parachute jump.

A trip to Europe introduced him to the then-unnamed activity of skydiving, an idea Istel brought back to the United States, where the company he cofounded helped popularize the idea of recreational skydiving, becoming known in some quarters as the "Father of American skydiving."

Contracts with the military and a roaring civilian business made the firm a success, and provided the nest egg for what later became Felicity.

In a study lined with memories from a very full lifetime -- a diploma from Princeton, pre-war furniture and family photographs -- Istel says his museum is not a legacy for himself, but a gift to all of humanity.

Perhaps it will become a place of pilgrimage for generations to come; or maybe in seismically-active California it will be destroyed in a catastrophic earthquake, he muses.

"The silver lining in that case is that archaeologists of the future will unearth a great find," he says.

And if they never find it? Well, that's just how things work out sometimes.

"Everything is forgotten," he says.

Now well into his tenth decade, Istel shows no sign of slowing down (breakfast in bed is a decades-old custom for him, not a sign of old age). He swims daily and skips jauntily up the 49 steps that lead to the chapel in Felicity.

There is, after all, still so much to do -- almost 200 panels are yet to be carved. And who knows? There's still all that desert space to fill.

The magnitude of the task might keep a lesser man awake at night.

But not Istel.

"I sleep well. But I do think about the next panels," he says.

"At Felicity we don't do things by halves. We do them properly or we don't do them at all."

pr-hg/jh/ec
After a short judge trial Friday, a Pensacola mother who intentionally overdosed her child on prescription medication was found not guilty of aggravated child abuse by reason of insanity.

Alexandria Weinrich, 30, was found to be legally insane when she intentionally caused her child to overdose Sept. 10, 2022, on Abilify and Clonidine pills that were prescribed to Weinrich.

"Obviously, the parties have stipulated to all of this, but I do actually have to review it and make sure the evidence does support it and there is no contradicting evidence in this case" said Escambia Circuit Judge Jennie Kinsey during the trial. "Therefore, I am going to find that Ms. Weinrich is not guilty by reason of insanity."

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Alexandria Pauline Weinrich talks with her attorney, Ted Stokes, during a break in her trial on May 5, 2023. Weinrich was on trial for aggravated child abuse and was found Weinrich not guilty by reason of insanity.

Weinrich's attorney, Ted Stokes, referenced a psychological evaluation report that stated Weinrich truly believed she was doing what was right by overdosing the child so they both could "go to heaven" and to "see Jesus."

Assistant State Attorney Nathaniel Sebastian told the court that the state would not seek to disprove the psychological evaluation deeming Weinrich was not aware she was doing something wrong.

During the trial, Sebastian called Escambia Sheriff's Deputy Brian Allaire as a witness for being the responding deputy to the hospital the day of the incident.

While on the stand, he said Weinrich's child needed her stomach pumped to "save her," before she was discharged the same day. He also said medical staff couldn't find pills in her system because Weinrich had the child chew up all the pills.

Allaire was the only witness called during the trial.

After Kinsey made her ruling, she determined what would happen next to Weinrich. Under Florida law, there a three things a judge can do after a defendant is found not guilty by insanity: commit the defendant to the Department of Children and Families, commit the defendant to an outpatient facility or discharge the defendant.

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Stokes told the court he believed Weinrich could benefit from moving to an outpatient facility since she's continued to take her medications while in Escambia County Jail, but Sebastian said she ought to be committed to DCF.

"There's no evidence (she's stabilized). In Dr. Benson's report he recounts an incident in 2017 that's very similar to this," Sebastian said. "The court also (saw) that she went off of her medications of her own will."

Kinsey noted that Weinrich overdosing her child was due to a "severe psychotic incident" and rules Weinrich should be committed to DCF for the next six months. According to Stokes, Weinrich's daughter is moving in with relatives in a different state.

Weinrich will return before Kinsey on Nov. 17 for a checkup to determine future steps.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Pensacola woman Alexandria Weinrich not guilty by reason of insanity
MOUNT HOLLY  A judge has ordered a man accused of trying to kill two Evesham police officers to remain in jail, saying the release of Marc Ferraiolo would pose an extreme risk of danger.

Superior Court Judge Terrence Cook also denied release to Ferraiolos wife, Ruth Patton, who also was charged after a chaotic incident outside the couples home on April 30.

You will remain in custody until your underlying criminal case is fully concluded, Cook told Ferraiolo, 23, who stood motionless throughout the virtual hearing.

Patton, 42, who is being held in Atlantic County Jail, frequently shook her head and frowned during her session.

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Neither suspect addressed the judge.

The ruling came three days after neighbors at a community meeting expressed fear over the suspects possible return to the Heritage Village area.

Evesham incident disrupts Heritage Village neighborhood

The couple were arrested around 2 a.m. on April 30, after Ferraiolo allegedly sped past police officers at an unrelated traffic accident and fled an attempted traffic stop.

He then repeatedly rammed police vehicles and drove across lawns outside his Marlborough Avenue home, forcing two officers to jump out of the way of his vehicle.

Ferraiolo, who was arrested after a collision disabled his car, is charged with two counts each of attempted murder of a police officer and attempted aggravated assault of a police officer.

In all, he faces 14 accusations, Cook noted.

Patton is charged with making terroristic threats and obstruction of justice after allegedly interfering with her husbands arrest.

Prosecutor: Ferraiolo sought suicide by cop

In arguing for continued detention, Assistant Prosecutor Cori D. Green said Ferraiolo told his wife "that he wanted to crash his expletive car into the cops and that he wanted to kill at least two cops that night."She also noted Ferraiolo in September 2022 was reported as a missing and endangered person who wanted to commit suicide by cop.

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Green noted Ferraiolo was previously charged with simple assault in August 2017, with simple assault and harassment in March 2023, and with resisting arrest and eluding in December 2022.

Defense attorneys argued the couple should be confined with restrictions at the home they share with Ferraiolo's mother and grandmother.

Phil Jon, Ferraiolos public defender, described his client as a high school dropout whos unemployed due to mental illness and whos been medicated under a psychiatrists care for three years.

He has no other place to go, Jon said in arguing Ferraiolo would not flee prosecution.

Ruth Patton, expectant mother, to stay in jail

But Cook found Ferraiolos alleged actions showed no respect for the law or for life."

The weight of the evidence is strong, he said.

Ryan Newmyer, representing Patton, said she's expecting a child and would receive better healthcare for a high-risk pregnancy outside of jail

Patton, also the mother of a child, formerly worked as a registered nurse, the public defender said.

But Green noted Patton was charged on April 24 with terroristic threats and disorderly conduct after allegedly yelling obscenities and vowing to kill a neighbor.

She was free on pretrial monitoring in connection with that case when the April 30 incident occurred, Green noted.

The charges against Ferraiolo and Green are only allegations. They have not been convicted in the case.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Judge rules on release for Marc Ferraiolo and wife Ruth Patton
Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo urged that there be no mention of Ginni Thomas in an arranged payment to the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Leo told Kellyanne Conway, a GOP pollster who would later serve as an aide to former President Trump, to give Virginia Thomas another $25K in January 2012 but emphasized that there be no mention of Ginni, of course in the paperwork, according to documents viewed by the Post.

That day, Conways Polling Company sent the nonprofit, then known as the Judicial Education Project, a bill for $25,000 for Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting.

Later that year, the Judicial Education Project submitted an amicus brief in a case before the Supreme Court that would ultimately overturn portions of the Voting Rights Act.

In total, Conways Polling Company paid Thomass Liberty Consulting firm $80,000 between June 2011 and June 2012, the Post reported. It was expected to pay another $20,000 by the end of 2012.

More coverage of the Clarence Thomas ethics scandal from The Hill:

Leo said in a statement to the Post that Thomass work in this case did not involve anything related to the Supreme Courts business.

It is no secret that Ginni Thomas has a long history of working on issues within the conservative movement, and part of that work has involved gauging public attitudes and sentiment, Leo said. The work she did here did not involve anything connected with either the Courts business or with other legal issues.

Knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni, he added of his effort to keep the name of the Supreme Court justices wife off paperwork.

Justice Thomas has recently come under intense scrutiny following several reports by ProPublica about his relationship with GOP megadonor Harlan Crow. A new report Thursday showed that Crow had paid thousands of dollars in tuition to private boarding schools for Thomass great-nephew.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez stands in front of the White House AP photo/Evan Vucci

When President Biden announced his intention to seek re-election last Tuesday in a short, three-minute video, he also revealed his campaign team. His new campaign manager will be Julie Chavez Rodriguez, who was a deputy campaign manager on the Biden-Harris 2020 run. It will be her first time in charge of a campaign, which she will head up from Wilmington, Delaware. She will be the first Latina to lead a major party presidential campaign.

A family legacy of change

The 45-year-old Chavez Rodriguez is the granddaughter of legendary organized labor icon Cesar Chavez whose parents involved her in organizing from a young age  as a 9-year-old she says she was arrested at a protest while handing out fliers in New Jersey. She received her B.S. in Latin American Studies from the University of California-Berkeley while spending the summers working for the AFL-CIO (where her mother Linda Chavez Rodriguez was an executive vice president). She also helped organize strawberry pickers in California for the United Farm Workers, where her father, Arturo Rodriguez, was the president. That long campaign culminated in success when pickers signed their first union contract in 2001.

A longtime White House aide, Chavez Rodriguez served as special assistant to the president and senior deputy director of public engagement in the Office of Public Engagement under former President Barack Obama, after working in the Department of the Interior. She later served as the California state director for then-Sen. Kamala Harris before joining Harris's short-lived presidential campaign in 2019. Chavez Rodriguez joined the Biden campaign as a senior adviser in May 2020 after months of insider recriminations about the campaign's outreach to Latinos and fears that Biden would under-perform with this critical group.

She is currently the senior adviser and assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs  an executive office that serves as liaison and coordinator between the White House and state, county, local, and tribal governments. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) told The Washington Post that it's "an enormous job, incredibly complex, that she's done really well for 2 years." The position took on additional importance and complexity as the Biden administration rolled out COVID-19 vaccines in 2021 and battled the pandemic in conjunction with state and local officials.

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An 'unflappable' behind-the-scenes organizer

Chavez Rodriguez appears to be highly regarded by Democratic elites, who praise her organizational skills and ability to stay above the fray of political infighting. Cristobal Alex, another senior adviser on Biden's 2020 run, referred to her as "an honest broker" in an interview with The New York Times. Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser to former President Obama during his time in the White House, said that Chavez Rodriguez has "an ego-less quality, which is, let's say, unusual oftentimes in high levels." In an interview with Yahoo News, former White House chief of staff Ron Klain and senior Biden adviser said that "She's great as a leader, and she's great as a manager." An unnamed Harris campaign staffer said that Chavez Rodriguez is "unflappable and constantly focused on the task at hand." A search for negative appraisals of Chavez Rodriguez's skills would be in vain.

President Biden, who has kept a bust of Cesar Chavez on his desk throughout his presidency, will need a keen strategist heading the campaign. Assuming he secures the Democratic nomination, he will be by far the oldest person ever to secure a major-party nomination, and he will battle either former President Donald Trump or another Republican nominee in an election that is perceived to have enormous stakes for the future of American democracy. As campaign manager, Chavez Rodriguez will be tasked with coordinating the various aspects of a presidential campaign, including fundraising, strategy, media relations, and staffing.

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Jurgen Klopp has suggested James Milner will leave Liverpool when his contract expires in the summer.

The veteran is a target for Brighton and is expected to join Albion on a free transfer after eight seasons at Anfield.

Klopp has tried to persuade vice-captain Milner, 37, to stay but seemed to admit defeat.

He said: Milly, I can say over the last few months I had really good conversations with him. He knows how highly I value him, hes an incredible part of the team and I would have loved to work together with him even longer.

But the exact outcome of his decision, I think Milly will say that  I dont know if it happened yet or not. Nothing else to say from me. Nothing in the last seven-and-a-half years of the positive things would have happened without James Milner.

Milner could feature in Saturdays game against Brentford when Thiago Alcantara will be absent after undergoing surgery on a hip injury. The Spain international should be fit for pre-season.

Jordan Henderson is also a doubt while Diogo Jota has a problem with his back that could keep him out.

Hendo, I have to see. He had a scan yesterday will not be a big thing but maybe enough [to rule him out], Klopp said. Diogo has his back issue, he could train yesterday but didnt do a lot.

Roberto Firmino could be back in training next week while Stefan Bajcetic is out for the remainder of the campaign and Naby Keita is still missing.

Victory against Brentford would put Liverpool just one point behind Manchester United but Erik ten Hags team would have two games in hand and Klopp remains sceptical about their chances of a top-four finish.

He added: Other teams are in much better positions, as long as they win games we have no chance, he said. We have to keep teams behind us. We have 59 [points] so United has 63 so we can get 71 maximum. United needs for that eight points in five, from [a possible] 15. I think they will do that.
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Chinese archaeologist Fan Jinshi on Thursday donated 10 million yuan (around 1.45 million U.S. dollars) to Peking University to promote its Dunhuang studies.

An education fund named after Fan is expected to be set up with her donation, aiming to support studies of the manuscripts and a wide variety of art treasures discovered in the millennium-old Mogao Grottoes, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Dunhuang, northwest China's Gansu Province.

The fund includes the previous award-winnings and personal savings of Fan, who is the honorary president of Dunhuang Academy.

Fan, who graduated as an archaeology major in the History Department of Peking University, started to work in Dunhuang in 1963 and made it a lifelong career to protect and study the cultural relics in Mogao Grottoes.

She was awarded the Lui Che Woo Prize in 2019 and the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize for Scientific and Technological Achievements in 2020.
A Department of Justice investigation into former president Donald Trump is shifting into high gear as prosecutors look to the twice-impeached ex-presidents inner circle for answers on his handling of national defence information after he left office in January 2020.

The departments probe into whether Mr Trump violated US laws against unlawfully classified documents after his term expired has reportedly expanded to examine the possibility that his associates assisted his efforts to conceal those documents from prosecutors.

Earlier this week, a pair of Trump Organization executives gave evidence before the Washington DC grand jury that has been hearing testimony in the documents probe.

The DOJ prosecutor supervising the probes into Mr Trump, Special Counsel Jack Smith, had issued a round of grand jury subpoenas to Matthew Calamari Sr and his son, Matthew Calamari Jr. The Calamaris are both longtime executives at Mr Trumps eponymous real estate and hospitality company, where the elder Mr Calamari serves as executive vice president and chief operating officer and his son serves as director of security.

Prosecutors working for Mr Smith are believed to have questioned both men about how the Trump Organization handled surveillance footage which the Department of Justice subpoenaed as part of the ongoing probe into whether Mr Trump unlawfully retained national defence information at Mar-a-Lago, the Palm Beach, Florida mansion turned social club where the twice-impeached ex-president maintains his primary residence.

The CCTV camera footage from Mr Trumps club played a key role in prosecutors decision to seek a search warrant for the property last year. According to court documents, investigators used the footage and other evidence to determine that it was likely that Mr Trump had not returned all classified documents in his possession despite having been served with a subpoena compelling him to do so.

Mr Smiths team has also questioned other Trump Organization employees about the security footage, including how the footage was handled and whether it could have been tampered with before it was handed over to the FBI.

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They have also pressed witnesses about a text message from Walt Nauta, a former Navy Chief Petty Officer who served as Mr Trumps White House valet and has continued working for the ex-president as a civilian. The text message reportedly was sent to the elder Mr Calamari and pertained to the surveillance footage. Prosecutors have also asked about conversations between Mr Nauta and Mr Calamari on the same topic.

Mr Nauta previously told investigators that Mr Trump directed him to move boxes containing classified documents after he was served with a June 2022 subpoena compelling him to turn over any such documents in his possession. But the former White House valet, who is currently on the payroll of Mr Trumps political action committee, reportedly ceased cooperating with prosecutors after he was told he could face charges if he did not give evidence against Mr Trump.

In his stead, prosecutors have reportedly developed another source of evidence about the ex-presidents handling of documents that he took with him near the end of his time in the White House.

According to The New York Times, prosecutors have elicited cooperation from an unidentified person who has been employed by Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

This insider has reportedly given evidence to prosecutors depicting how Mr Trump stored the boxes in which FBI agents discovered many of the classified documents when executing the search warrant at his property last year.

Specifically, the Times reported that the confidential witness turned over a photograph of the storage room where the boxes were stored.

The use of this previously-unreported witness and the subpoenas for the Calamaris indicate that Mr Smiths probe is focusing on what Mr Trump may have done after he received the grand jury subpoena at issue last summer.

Besides the Calamaris, prosecutors have reportedly issued subpoenas to four other Mar-a-Lago workers, along with one other person who the Times described as having visibility into Mr Trumps thinking in early 2022, when he returned 15 boxes of documents to the National Archives

The Times also reported that nearly every person employed at Mr Trumps club has received a subpoena and some who hold fairly obscure jobs have been asked to give evidence on more than one occasion.

In addition, one of the subpoenas issued to Mr Trumps eponymous company pertains to the Saudi-backed golf tour, LIV Golf, which has held tournaments at many of Mr Trumps golf courses. Its not known why prosecutors are examining his relationship with the PGA Tour competitor, but its possible that Mr Trumps business is under scrutiny from prosecutors as well.

In a statement, a representative for the ex-president said Mr Smiths probe is a targeted, politically motivated witch hunt that is concocted to meddle in an election and prevent the American people from returning [Mr Trump] to the White House.
WASHINGTON  In pushing back on recent charges that Justice Clarence Thomas is guilty of ethics lapses, Republicans and allies leaping to his defense have been quick to cite examples of liberal Supreme Court justices they say amount to similar misjudgments or nondisclosures.

At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday, Republican senators pointed to the conduct of liberals like the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, now-retired Justice Stephen Breyer and serving Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson.

I think the more you peel back the onion, the more you realize the ethics issues at the Supreme Court are not solely the purview of one justice. There are issues all nine justices have in upholding their ethical responsibilities, said Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, which has called for ethics reform.

Each of them has some ethical blind spots, he added.

In highlighting how justices across the ideological spectrum have at times had their own ethics questioned, Republicans are in some ways making the case for why bipartisan ethics reform might be needed, advocates for reform say.

After Thursdays revelations, Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., told reporters in the Capitol that perception is a problem and suggested the Supreme Court should take action itself.

If were honest with ourselves, at either end of the political spectrum, there are patterns of behavior here that may not abide. They didnt violate a law, they didnt violate any ethical standard, but they dont really sit well with people who want the integrity of the Supreme Court to be really the gold standard, he said.

I do think that theres work that the Supreme Court should do to address those perception problems, he added.

Republican defenders of Thomas have been highlighting what Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., at Tuesday's hearing called a concentrated effort by the left to delegitimize the court, which Republicans say has been aided and abetted by media outlets like ProPublica that have focused largely on stories concerning Thomas.

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ProPublica in April reported that Thomas repeatedly enjoyed expensive foreign vacations paid for by conservative billionaire Harlan Crow. On Thursday the nonprofit publication reported that Crow had also paid some of Thomas grandnephews tuition at a private school. This came after another ProPublica report that Crow bought Thomas' mother's house, where she still lives. None of these payments were disclosed by Thomas. Crow has said the purchases and tuition were above board and defended them. Thomas has said the vacations, home purchase and tuition did not meet the requirements for disclosure.

Other stories reported elsewhere have concerned a real estate transaction involving Justice Neil Gorsuch and the role of Chief Justice John Roberts' wife, who is a law firm recruiter whose clients have business before the court. Both justices are conservative. Gorsuch has previously declined to comment on the sale. Roberts responded to questions about his wife by saying he followed all disclosure requirements.

At Tuesday's hearing, Graham noted the many trips that liberal justices have taken that were paid for by others.

Graham also pointed out that Kagan, the former dean of Harvard Law School, did not step aside from a case pending at the court challenging Harvard's consideration of race in admissions. Kagan did not provide a comment and had left the school 13 years prior to the case coming before her. (Jackson, who served on the university's board of overseers, did step aside.)

"Im just saying theres a very selective outrage here," Graham said.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, focused on Breyer, saying he had repeatedly traveled abroad while serving as a judge for the Pritzker Prize, a prestigious architecture award that was founded by the prominent Chicago-based Democratic family of whom current Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker is a member. Breyer had disclosed his role with the prize.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., weighed in by pointing out that the American Civil Liberties Union had once paid for Sotomayor to visit Puerto Rico when she was in her previous role as an appeals court judge  which required her to disclose it at the time and was raised by critics. Kennedy also brought up omissions in Jackson's financial disclosures, which she revised last year after leaving out information on consulting income her husband, a doctor, receives from medical malpractice cases. She said the omission was inadvertent.

Meanwhile, conservative media has started to publish stories taking aim at the liberal justices. The Daily Wire, for example, revived previously reported details about how Sotomayor did not recuse from cases in which Penguin Random House, publisher of her autobiography, was involved. The story did not note that Gorsuch, a conservative justice, has the same publisher and did not step aside from a copyright case that reached the court after he was appointed in 2017. Neither justice has commented on their decision not to recuse themselves.

The advocacy group Fix the Court had in 2020 remarked on the fact that Sotomayor and Gorsuch had not stepped aside and recommended that they reconsider their decision to hear cases in which their book publisher is a litigant.

Conservative former appeals court Judge Michael Luttig, who supports reform, said the Republican focus on liberal justices suggests an opportunity for bipartisan consensus.

"The hearing was bipartisan confirmation of the need for at least greater transparency from the Supreme Court, if not bipartisan confirmation of the need for ethical standards for the Supreme Court," he said.

Legislation has been introduced that would require the Supreme Court to adopt a code of ethics similar to the one that binds lower court judges. Proposals have also been made to strengthen disclosure requirements.

Another former federal judge, Jeremy Fogel, who testified at the hearing, said a code of conduct would respond to concerns raised by lawmakers from both parties.

"It wouldnt eliminate partisan disagreements about the actions of particular justices, but it would provide a common framework for assessing those actions," he added.

Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who chairs the Judiciary Committee, said Thursday that he believes that "all justices should be held to the same ethical standards as every other federal judge" and renewed calls for legislative action on a code of conduct.

The code that applies to lower courts requires judges to avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities. If judges breach the code, they can be investigated and reprimanded through a separate complaint process.

The justices say they follow the spirit of that code, introduced in 1973, but they have never formally adopted one of their own. There is also no procedure for complaints to be investigated short of the drastic step of impeachment.

Roberts declined to attend Tuesdays hearing, suggesting in a letter that it would threaten the independence of the judiciary.

He attached a statement signed by all nine justices stressing their commitment to ethics principles, which was heavily criticized by ethics experts who said it did little to address recent concerns.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Ramzan Kadirov

Read also: Supporter of Wagner mercenary company and Chechen warlord Kadyrov detained in Ivano-Frankivsk

Kadyrovs message comes after the owner of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, recorded a grim, insult-laden message to the Russian Defense Ministry, complaining about acute shortages of ammunition. Kadyrov also criticized the ministry for not commenting on the matter.

The Chechen leader stated that if Wagner and Prigozhin do abandon Bakhmut, Russias General Staff will lose an experienced combat unit, and the younger brothers  Kadyrov and Akhmat  will take over fighting for the city. Kadyrov reported that the Chechen units have fought alongside Wagner forces in Popasna, Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, and other areas of Ukraines Donetsk and Luhansk oblast.

Meanwhile, Kadyrov condemned Prigozhin for displaying the bodies of his dead mercenaries and scolded him for publicly criticizing the Russian Defense Ministry. Kadyrov recalled that during the siege of Mariupol, Chechen units asked the ministry for five tanks to support its infantry units but received only one tank, whose crew fled after the first battle against Ukraines Azov Battalion.

Read also: After Prigozhins statement about leaving Bakhmut, Malyar says Russia will try to capture city by May 9

On May 4, Prigozhin published a video showing rows of dead Wagner mercenaries, claiming they had died that day in Bakhmut. He also criticized Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and head of Russias General Staff Valery Gerasimov, stating that Wagner forces are lacking as much as 70% of the ammunition they need to continue fighting.

Read also: Arrests in Russian National Guard, Kadyrov worried about internal resistance

On May 5, Prigozhin announced that his troops would leave Bakhmut by May 10 due to a lack of ammunition. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined to comment on the matter.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Jackson County prosecutors on Tuesday charged a 27-year-old with four felonies for allegedly shooting a man at a 7-Eleven gas station in Kansas Citys Parkview neighborhood.

Ali Bwanadi, of Kansas City, is accused of first-degree assault, unlawful weapon use and two counts of armed criminal action in Jackson County. He was being held in the county jail Thursday on a $125,000 bond, according to online records.

On April 27, around 2:30 p.m., Kansas City police officers were called to a reported shooting at 1701 Independence Avenue.

The gunshot victim was on the ground next to a vehicle as medical students with Kansas City University, which is across the street, had cut off his clothes and were attempting to find his wounds. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance with serious injuries.

Police spoke with a witness who recalled that a man in the store had been looking at her, and he had tried to speak with her. She said her boyfriend intervened, telling him to go away, and the man walked off.

As they were filling up the gas tank, she said, her boyfriend was beside her in the front passenger seat. Then she heard several loud sounds and her window shattered. She looked over and saw her boyfriend bleeding.

The gunshot victim was interviewed as well. He recalled being assaulted by a man hed had words with, saying the shooter fired into the car 10 times.

On Monday, witnesses picked Bwanadi out of a photo lineup and identified him as the shooter, a Kansas City police detective wrote in charging documents. He was arrested and made an initial court appearance Wednesday.

Online court records did not list a defense attorney for Bwanadi.

Under Missouri law, the 27-year-old faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted of first-degree assault or unlawful weapon use.
Much as we disagree with a number of Democratic Kansas state Rep. Marvin Robinsons votes during his first year in office, we also have to say that he did accomplish what no one else has in finally winning funding to develop the Quindaro Ruins, a stop on the Underground Railroad in whats now Robinsons hometown of Kansas City, Kansas.

Did he trade away too much in return? Probably. But to call him one of those house Negroes owned by but also in cahoots with Kansas Republicans, as his fellow Democratic state Rep. Ford Carr of Wichita did, was wrong, too.

That Carr is Black, as Robinson is, doesnt make that slur palatable. Remember when public service was supposed to mean behaving like a role model? Talk like that from elected officials still gives others permission to do the same.

Was Robinson being rewarded for voting with the GOP when it mattered? It sure looked like it.

But to suggest hes enslaved yet favored by his white masters for the way he went about getting $250,000 in funding to make sure we dont forget the horrors of slavery, wow.

Robinsons votes helped Republicans override Democratic Gov. Laura Kellys veto of bills that abridge the rights of transgender Kansans. He also helped make it harder for Kansans to get food stamps, though Robinson himself once received food aid.

Carr wasnt wrong to say that these votes, and the one against Medicaid expansion, will hurt Robinsons constituents.

But he went too far when he said, I would never trade my vote so that those people in my neighborhood, my constituents who I support, would never have the opportunity to look at me and think that I might be one of those house Negroes.

Robinson told The Star that many aspects of the session shocked him: I would have never even signed on the dotted line to try to go to the House if I had known it was going to be so contentious and full of so many heart-breaking personal, private choices. Yes, thats the job.

Kansas state Sen. J.R. Claeys, the Republican vice-chair of the Senate budget committee, said, I was delighted to come up with something that would allow Marvin to have a win in his first year since he was clearly being treated poorly by some select individuals. Which is just another way of saying he was being rewarded for voting with the GOP, though Claeys denied that was the case.

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Robinson claimed one colleague told him to go die after his vote on transgender athletes, while others acted like I was too ignorant to read the legislation. If true, and he didnt name names, then that wasnt the best way to win him over.

He said he voted to make it harder to get food aid to help people get off assistance. It will force some of his constituents off such benefits, its true, though not necessarily because theyre working.

There was no malice or evil intended, not at all, he said. But as it happens, no malice or evil is required to do harm.
The Arizona Supreme Court on Thursday sanctioned attorneys for Kari Lake, the 2022 Republican candidate for governor, ordering them to pay thousands of dollars for repeating "unequivocally false" election claims in court.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel fined Lake's attorneys $2,000 for making "false factual statements to the Court."

Gov. Katie Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, both Democrats, had sought the sanctions after Lake repeatedly claimed that thousands of "unaccounted for ballots" had been added to Arizona's ballot count in her loss to Hobbs by roughly 17,000 votes.

Even after the Supreme Court "concluded and expressly stated that the assertion was unsupported," Brutinel wrote, Lake continued to repeat as "undisputed" the claim that 35,563 unaccounted ballots were added to the total count at a third-party processing facility.

Sometimes campaigns and their attendant hyperbole spill over into legal challenges. But once a contest enters the judicial arena, rules of attorney ethics apply," Brutinel wrote. "Although we must ensure that legal sanctions are never wielded against candidates or their attorneys for asserting their legal rights in good faith, we also must diligently enforce the rules of ethics on which public confidence in our judicial system depends and where the truth-seeking function of our adjudicative process is unjustifiably hindered."

Brutinel denied Hobbs and Fontes request for attorneys fees as sanctions.

Kurt Olsen, a lawyer for Lake, said in a statement, We respectfully disagree with the Courts holding but look forward to presenting our case at trial on the claim of illegal signatures and any other claim the trial court may consider.

Lake, who built a national profile that leans heavily into promoting former President Donald Trumps election lies, refused to concede her race, instead launching a legal battle and filing a 70-page lawsuit in December seeking a court order that declared her the winner.

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While the state's high court in March declined to hear most of Lakes appeal, it sent one of her claims back to a trial court for consideration. Her challenge regarding the verification of signatures on Maricopa County's early ballots remains unresolved.

Paul Smith-Leonard, a spokesman for the secretary of state, said in a statement that Fontes was pleased with the Supreme Courts Order and the accountability it requires of those who seek judicial redress.

A spokesperson for Hobbs office did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday evening.

The sanction is not the first time lawyers have been punished in Arizona over false election claims.

Late last year, a federal judge sanctioned lawyers for Lake and fellow Republican Mark Finchem, who ran an unsuccessful campaign for secretary of state, over an election-related lawsuit.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
The Prince and Princess of Wales stepped out with the King to meet some of the people camping out for the coronation

MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images; SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images; BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

Kate Middleton and Prince William joined King Charles for a surprise walkabout at The Mall by Buckingham Palace in London on the eve of the coronation.

The three royals were greeted with cheers on Friday afternoon as they hopped out of their cars around 1:45 p.m. local time. Princess Kate, 41, Prince William, 40, and King Charles, 74, separately strolled along the streets to greet the well-wishers who came out to see them. The spontaneous meet and greet in the sunshine, despite intermittent rain showers, delighted those who camped out before the crowning ceremony.

The royals seemed to shake as many hands as possible, and festive fans were bedecked with flags, bunting and other patriotic pomp. Prince William leaning down to speak with a young girl and boy holding an Australian flag, while well-wishers told King Charles they traveled in from Germany, Ireland, Italy and more.

Carl Court/Getty Images

Related:Kate Middleton Says She's 'More Nervous' for the Coronation Than Her Kids: 'They're Very Excited'

"I shook his hand and chatted with him. He saw my hat and asked me where I am from in Canada and said he liked that part of the world," Lovel Vining from Toronto told reporters.

"It was a real thrill to shake his hand. To be able to chat to the King on the eve of his coronation is incredible," Vining, 69, continues. "I think he looks great, really well. There is a lot going on but I think he's doing really well  he has difficult shoes to fill. But he's been preparing for this for a lifetime, so I think he will do a brilliant job."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world, this is a bucket list item for me," he added.

TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Justin Nakrin, who is visiting from New York, agreed that being in London for the coronation is "the experience of a lifetime." Justin, 31, and his mother Rosaria also came to the U.K. in September for Queen Elizabeth's state funeral.

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"That was a solemn occasion but this is more of a celebration, the street parties. It's like a festival," he says of today's atmosphere.

Toby Melville - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Rosaria and her son got the chance to meet Charles, recalling, "I told him we were from the States and he said 'I hope you're not camping'. I told him I am 72 and he said 'That's incredible.' "

As the King chatted with well-wishers, cries of "Three cheers for the King" rang out from some on the St. James's Park side of the Mall. As Prince William and Princess Kate moved through the Green Park side, one American fan had a lucky exchange mingling with the royals for two days in a row!

Christy Butler from Flagler Beach, Florida shook William's hand outside the Dog & Duck Pub in Soho yesterday and got to meet King Charles today.

MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

"He said 'You're American! You're not camping out here, are you?'" Butler, 41, tells PEOPLE. "I'm shaking."

"He was so kind, and thorough, taking his time to talk to everyone and shake hands," she added. "It doesn't feel like real life. I have been watching this man on TV my entire life and it's an absolute dream that I am, one, here and, two, that I got to meet the royals."

Related:Queen Camilla's Grandson Breaks His Arm Before Coronation  But Will Continue in Role as a Page: Report

TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

A little further along, Sicilia Hendry from Claygate, Surrey, southwest of London, was in the crowd which Charles first stepped towards.

"He greeted his people with respect. He was rather doing the kind of job a King should do  greeting his people," Hendry, 61, tells PEOPLE. "Tomorrow we will welcome him as he is crowned king of the U.K. and hope he can change the outlook in respect of our relationship with the Commonwealth and the rest of the world."

Crowds cheered as Charles gave a final wave and retreated into the gates of the royal residence on foot, while Prince William and Kate got back in a Range Rover.

BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images

Manuela and Giavanna Paz, a grandmother and granddaughter visiting from New Jersey, tell PEOPLE they were thrilled to spontaneously see the royals.

"I told her we would come and see the Queen and then she passed away so I thought the coronation would be a wonderful trip and I knew she would love it and look at her she is so happy!" Giavanna, 21, says. Manuela, 67, even got close to Prince William and Kate!

"Oh my goodness, I was screaming and crying! She is so approachable, so much more beautiful in real life. I shook her hand and told her her children were beautiful and she thanked me," Manuela tells PEOPLE of her exchange with Kate. "And I shook William's hand."

MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images

The royals have been out and about since the early morning on coronation eve.

On Friday morning, King Charles and Prince William were among the royal family members who attended another rehearsal for the crowning ceremony at Westminster Abbey.

King Charles left Westminster Abbey through a side door at Dean's Yard, looking cheery and shaking hands with the man escorting him before getting into the back of his car  a quick exit as the rain came down. The monarch was very smiley and had a spring in his step.

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Meanwhile, there was a palpable sense of excitement as Prince William's cavalcade of cars approached and entered through the gates of the Dean's Yard. The crowd cheered and waved as the heir to the throne exited  and Prince William returned the gesture as his car headed off in the direction of Buckingham Palace.

King Charles, Prince William and Princess Kate then attended a formal lunch at Buckingham Palace. The royals welcomed governors-general and prime ministers of the realm who are in London for tomorrow's coronation.

The Prince and Princess of Wales mingled with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, New Zealand's Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and others at the reception, while King Charles appeared jovial as he chatted with other guests.

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Read the original article on People.
Kate Middleton mightve eased the disappointment from one fan in the U.S. who was reportedly unable to travel for King Charles coronation in London.

In a video posted Friday by BBC News correspondent Chi Chi Izundu, the Princess of Wales is seen speaking on a phone and asking, Are you feeling OK?

She later adds, I hope you get better soon.

Kate was talking to the aunt of a Texas woman named Debbie Hoover, who was in a crowd near Buckingham Palace on Friday. The aunt, who lives in Tennessee, couldnt fly to the U.K. for the British monarchs ceremony Saturday because she broke her leg, according to Izundu.

Here is Princess Kate talking to the aunt of Debbie Hoover. Debbie is from Texas, her aunt is in Tennessee and broke her leg and couldnt fly with the family for the #Coronationpic.twitter.com/ndtdzX2nwQ  Chi Chi Izundu (@blondeafro) May 5, 2023

The call took place as Charles, Kate and Prince William held a surprise walkabout to greet supporters gathered by the palace.

Another person in the crowd, Theresa Iredale, told The Associated press that she trembled when Charles approached her after she yelled to him.

I saw his hand coming out to mine and I was like, I cant believe Im shaking the kings hand, Iredale said.

Both Charles and Queen Camilla are set to be crowned at Westminster Abbey as part of this weekends event. Other coronation festivities include a Sunday concert at Windsor Castle, where Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and others are scheduled to perform.

Richie told Extra last month that the invitation to participate in the show was a highlight in his life.

Im walking in history, he said.

Related...
Fox News anchor and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared to use racist tropes to mock demonstrators who took to the street in New York City in recent days to protest the killing of Jordan Neely, a Black homeless man who was choked to death by a white former Marine.

On Friday, after showing a clip of activists chanting, What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now and other slogans to the beat of a drum, Ms McEnany cracked a smile and said, Well, at least they have rhythm, eliciting laughs from her cohosts.

The Fox anchor also condemned people who have already made up their minds about the killing, in which 24-year-old Daniel J Penny was filmed choking Neely for an estimated 15 minutes.

Kat Abughazaleh, an analyst at watchdog group Media Matters for America, said Ms McEnanys rhetoric mocks Black people protesting the killing of Jordan Neely.

The Independent has contacted Fox News for comment.

Neelys death, ruled a homicide by city officials, occurred on 2 May on the F train in Manhattan.

Witnesses said Neely, a 30-year-old known for impersonating Michael Jackson, came onto the train and complained out loud about being hungry, tired, and thirsty, before throwing his jacket on the floor.

The killing has sparked a heated conversation in the city, with critics arguing local officials and the media alike have callously blamed Neely for his own death at the hands of a vigilante.

Jordan Neelys death was a homicide, and charges must be immediately brought against his killer, the citys elected public advocate Jumaane Williams said in a statement shared with The Independent. To say anything else is an equivocation that will only further a narrative that devalues the life of a Black, homeless man with mental health challenges and encourages an attitude of dehumanization of New Yorkers in greatest need.

Mr Williams said elected officials and media tropes created an environment that encourages fear of and violence against people who are struggling, that paints them as a threat to public safety.

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Following Neelys killing, The New York Post described Neely as unhinged and a vagrant, while The Federalist thanked the brave men who saved riders. On Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blamed Neelys death on Democratic lawmakers and George Floyd, a Black man who was choked to death by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

New York mayor Eric Adams has come in for criticism as well.

After Neelys homicide, Mr Adams said theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further, before adding, however, we do know that there were serious mental health issues at play here.

Following the comments, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. Its disgusting.
Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, centre, is due to face terrorism charges in Kenya

A Kenyan cult leader accused of inciting and possibly forcing his followers to starve themselves to death appeared in court Friday in connection with the deaths of more than 100 people found buried in mass graves.

The deeply religious Christian-majority country has been stunned by the discovery of the graves last month near the Indian Ocean coastal town of Malindi, in what has been dubbed the "Shakahola forest massacre".

Self-proclaimed pastor Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, who is due to face terrorism charges for allegedly urging followers to starve to death "to meet Jesus," appeared in the dock in Kenya's second-largest city of Mombasa.

Mackenzie, dressed in a pink and black jacket and brown trousers and accompanied by his wife and child, was brought in by about a dozen police officers along with 17 other defendants.

According to investigators, the other suspects are accused of operating an armed "enforcer gang" tasked with ensuring that no one broke their fast or left their forest hideout alive.

Autopsies carried out on 100 bodies have found that while starvation appeared to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.

Prosecutors are asking to hold Mackenzie, who founded the Good News International Church in 2003, for another 90 days until investigations are completed.

Ezekiel Odero, a wealthy and high-profile televangelist, was also arrested in Malindi last week in connection with the same case, and was granted bail at a court hearing on Thursday.

A total of 109 people have so far been confirmed dead, most of them children.

Odero is suspected of murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalisation, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud and money laundering.

Prosecutors say they have credible information linking the corpses exhumed at Shakahola to the deaths of several "innocent and vulnerable followers" from Odero's New Life Prayer Centre and Church.

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In his filing to the court, Odero said he wanted to "strongly disassociate" himself from Mackenzie and disagreed with his teachings.

In addition to the terrorism charges prosecutors plan to file, Mackenzie stands accused of murder, kidnapping, cruelty towards children among other crimes in court documents seen by AFP.

The former taxi driver turned himself in on April 14 after police acting on a tip-off first entered Shakahola forest, where some 30 mass graves have now been found.

Questions have been raised about how Mackenzie, a self-styled pastor with a history of extremism, managed to evade law enforcement despite his prominent profile and previous legal cases.

The horrific saga has seen President William Ruto vow to intervene in Kenya's homegrown religious movements, and thrown a spotlight on failed efforts to regulate unscrupulous churches and cults that have dabbled in criminality.

ho-amu/txw/rox
Beijing's iconic commercial districts, such as Wangfujin, Xidan and Qianmen Street, are upgrading their facilities and services to meet the changing consumer needs and preferences, as part of the city's efforts to build into an international consumption center.

Shopping malls in the Xidan commercial district have hosted culture salons and exhibitions and added trendy elements to attract young customers.

The Huawei Mansion, the first modern shopping complex in the area, has undergone renovations to offer a broader range of brands that are popular among trendsetters and young people.

"I used to come to Huawei often when I was young, and now I come here with my daughter," said a customer surnamed Sun.

Huawei Mansion's footfall has increased by 36% since January, according to the municipal commerce authority. Similarly, Xidan Joy City, another major shopping center in the district, surpassed the pre-pandemic level in 2019 and generated over 1 billion yuan ($144.63 million) in sales in the first quarter this year.

Qianmen Street, a famous pedestrian street for shopping and sightseeing, has also undergone changes to offer unique experiences to tourists and shoppers. For instance, Wu Yutai, a traditional tea brand in Beijing, has won the hearts of young customers with its tea-flavored ice cream.

As tourism gradually recovers, commercial streets are witnessing a surge in foot traffic. According to data from the Beijing Municipal Commerce Bureau, since March, footfall in the Wangfujing business district has increased by nearly 40% year on year, and the number of customers at Qianmen Street has skyrocketed by nearly 90%.

To tap into consumer potential, Lai Yang, chief expert at the Beijing International Trade Center Research Base, suggested that traditional commercial districts introduce more innovative projects to attract consumers. He added that, to enhance the vitality of the nighttime economy, more nighttime subway and bus routes can be added to the surrounding areas.
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A court in Kenya on Friday gave police five more days to hold a pastor facing possible terror-related charges in the deaths of more than 100 his congregants, many of whom are believed to have starved to death.

Police rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from the 800-acre Kilifi County property of Paul Mackenzie last month. Four of them died after the group was taken to a hospital, and survivors told investigators the pastor had instructed them to fast to death before the world ends so they could meet Jesus.

A search of Mackenzie's property, located in a remote forested area, found more than 100 bodies and dozens of mass graves dug out, authorities have said. Autopsies on the bodies were ongoing, but completed ones showed some of the buried people had died of starvation, strangulation or suffocation.

Mackenzie was arrested two weeks ago for alleged links to cultism. A lower court freed him this week but he was rearrested and presented to a higher court. Police have said their investigations pointed to signs of radicalization.

The court that ordered Mackenzie held for five more days is considering an application for a further 90-day detention.

The pastor was arrested twice before  in 2019 and in March of this year  in connection with the deaths of children. He was released on bond both times, and those cases are still proceeding through the court system.

Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday formed a committee of inquiry into the deaths.

Ruto tasked the committee with establishing the circumstances under which people died and identifying other individuals and organizations that may bear responsibility and making recommendations.

The country's broadcast regulator, the Kenya Film and Classification Board, sounded the alarm in 2017 on content televised by Mackenzie that might promote radicalization. The boards former chairperson, Ezekiel Mutua, told local media that the content was taken off the air and law enforcement agencies were notified.

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Another pastor in the same county, Ezekiel Odero, was arrested last week in connection with the deaths of congregants at his coastal megachurch. On Thursday, a court said Odero could be released from jail if he posted a bond in the amount of 3 million Kenyan shillings (about $22,000) or cash bail of 1.5 million shillings ($11,000).

Oderos lawyers acknowledged after his arrest that 15 people died at his church but said the deaths were reported at a police station as required by law. Police have said there was no evidence at the time to suggest a crime was involved.

The pastor remains under investigation for his ties to Mackenzie, from whom he bought a television channel in 2019.

Kenyas national communications authority last week suspended Oderos TV channel for airing inappropriate content on exorcism during hours when adult programming is not allowed. (
National chain stores David's Bridal and Bed Bath & Beyond both filed for bankruptcy protection in recent weeks after they failed to raise enough money to keep the stores open.

This comes at a particularly difficult time as the height of the wedding season nears. Both of the big-box retailers have locations in the Jackson metro area.

"Davids Bridal will keep its nearly 300 stores and website operating and fulfill all customer orders as it searches for a buyer for the company. It will also honor gift cards, returns and exchanges," the company told CNN.

Customers can continue to shop David's Bridal or search for other bridal companies. David's Bridal has four Mississippi locations, including one in Madison.

A David's Bridal manager declined to comment and hung up the phone when asked about the status of the Madison location.

Promotions in the window at Bed Bath & Beyond's closing sale in Flowood.

As for Bed Bath & Beyond, Mississippi has four locations including one area location in Flowood. But the Meridian location is already temporarily closed.

Bed Bath & Beyond managers declined comment, but the location in Flowood is having a store closing sale of 10-40% off everything in the store.

For now, other Mississippi Bed Bath & Beyond stores and their websites, will remain open, and gift cards and merchandise credits will be accepted through Monday, May 8, according to the companys website.

Surrounding area customers can still shop at the open locations in Mississippi.

Thank you to all of our loyal customers. We have made the difficult decision to begin winding down our operations, a statement at the top of the company's website read.

Mississippi shines on American Idol" Mississippi contestants advance to Top 8 Monday on 'American Idol.' See what they sang

Important questions for customers

Can I still use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons?

Yes, but Bed Bath & Beyond announced it will stop accepting coupons through Monday, May 8. According to Bed Bath & Beyond company website.

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When will closing sales and discounts begin at Bed Bath & Beyond?

Store closing sales began Wednesday. The business encouraged customers to shop as soon as possible while merchandise selection is best.

Can you still shop at Bed Bath & Beyond online?

Yes, at this time.

What about using the Bed Bath & Beyond and the company's buybuy Baby app?

Customers can continue using the app at this time.

Can gift cards still be used at Bed Bath & Beyond?

Gift cards can be used through Monday, May 8 according to the store website.

Customers questions about David's Bridal are unknown at this time.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Bed Bath & Beyond, David's Bridal bankruptcy Mississippi shoppers
(AP)

On a Monday afternoon F train in Manhattan, a passenger wrestled another man to the ground and wrapped his arm around his neck for several minutes. He died moments later.

Jordan Neelys death was recorded by another passenger and preserved in a widely shared video. The 24-year-old white man who placed Neely in a chokehold has not been identified. He was released from police custody without any charges.

His cause of death was a homicide. The 30-year-old Black man  known for his precise Michael Jackson impersonations on subway platforms while experiencing homelessness in New York City  died from the compression against his neck, according to the citys medical examiner.

New Yorkers are no strangers to unstable or disruptive people who ride the citys 6,500 subway cars; subway riders typically keep to themselves and ignore them.

But Neelys death has revived volatile media narratives about New Yorks homeless population, spinning an act of vigilantism to blame the person killed by it. The mayor and governor have not explicitly condemned the act of lethal violence, raising questions among New York leaders whether the city considers the life of a homeless Black man less valuable than a white stranger prepared to use deadly force.

Advocates and lawmakers told The Independent that the deliberate and explicit rhetoric surrounding people experiencing homelessness, compounded by prolonged failures of policies meant to help them, have exposed thousands of New Yorkers and vulnerable people across the country to the kind of vigilante violence that killed Neely.

Jordan Neelys death was a homicide, and charges must be immediately brought against his killer, the citys elected public advocate Jumaane Williams said in a statement shared with The Independent. To say anything else is an equivocation that will only further a narrative that devalues the life of a Black, homeless man with mental health challenges and encourages an attitude of dehumanization of New Yorkers in greatest need.

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Elected leaders and media coverage have created an environment that encourages fear of and violence against people who are struggling, that paints them as a threat to public safety, he added. But being homeless is not a capital crime. Struggling with mental health is not a capital crime. Being Black is not a capital crime.

Neely, Jordan, 30-year-old male, Undomiciled

When he walked into a subway car on 2 May, Neely complained of hunger and thirst, according to journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, who posted a video of part of the incident on his Facebook page.

He wrote that Neely was yelling and said he was tired, didnt care whether he went to prison, and was ready to die. He said Neely threw his jacket to the floor of the train car before another passenger slammed him to the ground in a headlock. Others grabbed at his arms.

This continued, Mr Vazquez said, for 15 minutes, until Neelys eyes closed and his body went limp.

Officers administered CPR on arrival, according to an incident report from the New York City Police Department reviewed by The Independent. Emergency medical personnel transported Neely to Lenox Health Greenwich Village, where he was pronounced dead.

He was identified by law enforcement as Neely, Jordan, 30-year-old male, Undomiciled.

Coverage in The New York Post described Neely as unhinged and a vagrant. The Federalist thanked the brave men who saved riders. On 4 May, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blamed Neelys death on Democratic lawmakers and George Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer in 2020. (Derek Chauvin and three other now-former officers involved in Floyds death have been convicted of state and federal charges.)

Media depictions of people experiencing homelessness and mental illness, and the political debates surrounding public safety, have created a group of people who are OK to hate and be violent toward, and the idea that society sanctions that, goes into peoples heads that theyre justified in what theyre doing, Steve Berg, chief policy officer at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, told The Independent. One of the ways it plays out is the violence we see, the random violence towards homeless people.

Mayor Eric Adams said in the aftermath that theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further, before adding, however, we do know that there were serious mental health issues at play here, appearing open to the suggestion that Neely was responsible for his own death.

In an interview on CNN on 3 May, after the citys medical examiner formally declared Neelys death a homicide, Mr Adams said that each situation is different and we dont know exactly what happened here.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assist someone, he added.

US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district includes parts of Queens and The Bronx, said the mayors statement feels like a new low.

Not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem too low to care about, she added.

I have yet to hear a real explanation from any official hesitating to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely about what makes condemning this violence so complicated.



Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) May 4, 2023

Governor Kathy Hochul also avoided making an unambiguous condemnation of the killing, telling reporters on 3 May that there are people who are homeless in our subways, many of them in the throes of mental health episodes.

Her lieutenant governor Antonio Delgado was more blunt: The consequences for mental health problems in New York should not be death.

In comments to reporters the following day, nearly 72 hours after Neelys killing, the governor clarified that Neelys family deserves justice.

This was an unarmed individual who had been on the subway many times, known by many of the regular travelers, she said. Sometimes people have an episode where theyre displaying their feelings in a loud and emotional way, but it became very clear that  he was not going to cause harm to these other people. And the video of three individuals holding him down until the last breath was snuffed out of him  I would say it was a very extreme response.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed in a statement to The Independent that senior, experienced prosecutors are investigating the case.

This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neelys life, press secretary Douglas Cohen said in a statement shared with The Independent. As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the [medical examiners] report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records.

More than 1,500 New Yorkers have died while homeless within two years

Two days after Neelys death, dozens of protesters crowded on the Broadway-Lafayette subway platform in lower Manhattan demanding justice for his killing and an urgent need for social services to support thousands of New Yorkers like him.

In February, 74,762 people were sleeping in the citys shelter system. That figure does not include the thousands of New Yorkers on the citys streets and subways.

Last year, three people in New York were stabbed, one fatally, while sleeping on the street. A shooting spree across New York and Washington DC resulted in the killings of two men, and three others were injured.

That year, at least 15 homeless New Yorkers were murdered. A year earlier, 22 homeless New Yorkers were murdered. Of the 640 deaths among homeless New Yorkers in 2021, 151 were unsheltered.

In the deadliest year on record for New Yorks homeless population, 815 people died while homeless in 2022.

An epidemic of violence against people experiencing homelessness in cities across the country follows a series of policy failures that have forced more than half a million Americans on the streets each night,according to the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco.

Last year, advocates for the citys homeless population and other civil rights groups and city officials roundly criticised a mandate from Mr Adams to involuntarily hospitalise mentally ill New Yorkers, which would police officers permission to remove people from the citys streets and subways regardless of whether they are believed to pose any danger to themselves or others.

They warned against increased law enforcement interaction with vulnerable populations that are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators.

Advocates argued that the city should instead expand access to voluntary inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care and open up all available housing and hotel space for unhoused people.

Protesters crowd a subway platform on 3 May to demand justice for the killing of homeless New Yorker Jordan Neely (AP)

Meanwhile, state and local governments across the US increasingly are criminalising homelessness, from laws banning public camping or prohibiting where you can sleep or sit, or whether you can sleep in your car, loiter or ask for money, while public restrooms are closed overnight in many places. At least 47 states have laws on the books criminalizing homeless people.

Not having housing makes it extremely difficult to try to deal with any kind of disability or health-related problem, from being able to stay in contact with your care providers to keeping up with your appointments, according to Mr Berg with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The continuation of mass homelessness is just making all these problems worse, he said. We have all these systems in place to intervene, but not enough investment in getting people in their own homes. The instability of any temporary housing system and the lack of permanent housing [makes it] harder to take advantage.  We know exactly what to do about it, and the public wants these problems solved.

US Rep Daniel Goldman, whose district includes lower Manhattan, said Neelys death underscores a desperate need for mental health services.

Mental illness should never be a death sentence, and he would still be with us in a more caring and compassionate society, he said in a statement shared with The Independent. We need to better address the mental health crisis in our city and country.

Police officers observe a crowd of protesters on a subway platform in Manhattan on 3 May (AP)

Dave Giffen, executive director with the New York-based Coalition for the Homeless, said in a statement that Neelys killing reflects a complete failure of the city and state plans to provide critical mental health services desperately needed by so many people in our city.

Whats more, the fact that someone who took the life of a distressed, mentally ill human being on a subway could be set free without facing any consequences is shocking, and evidences the citys callous indifference to the lives of those who are homeless and psychiatrically unwell, he added. This is an absolute travesty that must be investigated immediately.

Jawanza Williams, director of organizing of New York advocacy organisation VOCAL-NY, said the mayor and governor have successfully campaigned to keep poor people in jails, flooded our subways with cops, and a white man can kill a Black man and be released without charge.

The murder of Jordan Neely is a direct result of the sustained political, systemic abandonment and dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness and mental health complexities, fueled by press coverage that clearly influences policies and emboldens vigilantes, she said in a statement.

Neelys blood is on their hands, and any semblance of justice here requires accountability and a reversal of Adams austerity budget and Hochul to stop blocking progressive policy in Albany, she added.
Two have been arrested after an elementary school worker was shot and killed in a road rage incident, a California sheriff said.

Andrew Sanchez was a health aide at Werner Elementary School in Rialto and worked closely with students, Syeda Jafri, Rialto Unified School Districts communication agent, said in an email to McClatchy News.

On his way home from work on Feb. 28, Sanchez, 54, was shot following a road rage incident in Highland, about 8 miles east of the school where he worked, the San Bernardino County Sheriffs Department said in a news release.

Deputies arrived on scene and found Sanchez with a gunshot wound, the sheriffs office said. He was taken to a hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.

Sanchez worked with the district for more than a decade, according to Jafri.

Mr. Sanchez was known as a kind and caring classified employee, Jafri said. The district shares the Sanchez familys profound loss and grief.

No arrests were made at the time of the shooting, according to the sheriffs office.

More than two months later, a 23-year-old Colton man was arrested as a suspect in Sanchezs killing on Wednesday, May 3, deputies said. A 31-year-old Colton woman was also arrested as an accessory to the murder, according to the release.

The sheriffs department did not immediately respond to McClatchy News inquiry about what charges the man and woman are each facing.

Highland is about 70 miles east of Los Angeles.

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His Majesty, King Charles III, will officially be crowned king on Coronation day Saturday, with thousands of spectators in attendance at Westminster Abbey and millions more tuning in around the world to witness the first coronation in more than 70 years.

In addition to the king's crowning, the coronation marks another historic day for the royal family as Queen Consort Camilla will receive a title change and become a queen herself  a move which breaks one of the final wishes from his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II.

Charles' decision to follow his own rules as the new sovereign reflects a changing of the guards for the royals decades after Camilla became known as the "mistress who very publicly broke up the king's first marriage" to Princess Diana.

Christopher Andersen, author of "The King: The Life of Charles III," exclusively told Fox News Digital that Camilla has "worked hard to prove herself worthy of the title" following a rocky start to their romantic relationship.

KING CHARLES KNEW QUEEN CAMILLA WAS GOING TO BE CROWNED ALONGSIDE HIM EXPERT CLAIMS: THEY MEAN BUSINESS

King Charles and Queen Consort Camillas relationship dates back decades.

Despite being married for 18 years, Camilla and Charles' love story began decades ago and the couple has always had a penchant for following their own hearts.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"Charles and Camilla first met at a polo match in 1970, when she approached him and said of his horse, 'That's a fine animal, Sir.' Later, she was formally introduced to Charles at a party by the Chilean woman he allegedly lost his virginity to, Lucia Santa Cruz," Andersen said.

"Camilla's first words to Charles that evening were My great-grandmother and your great-great-grandfather were lovers. So how about it? Camilla's great-grandmother, Alice Keppel, was Edward VII's mistress."

Camilla (formerly Camilla Shand) was an "extremely wealthy aristocrat" and the granddaughter of a baron. While Charles, one of Britain's most eligible bachelors, was deployed overseas in the early '70s, Household Cavalry officer Andrew Parker Bowles proposed to Camilla, and they married on July 4, 1973.

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PRINCE HARRY AND MEGHAN MARKLE'S LAST-MINUTE POWER PLAY AHEAD OF KING CHARLES' CORONATION: EXPERT

Charles, Andrew and Camilla traveled in the same social circles, and were so friendly that the future king became the godfather to Camilla and Andrew's son, Tom. They also have a daughter, Laura.

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles chatted at a polo match in 1972.

Charles And Camilla Parker-Bowles stayed friendly even after she married Andrew Parker-Bowles.

Diana Spencer was 20 years old when Prince Charles, 32, proposed in 1981.

The Prince and Princess of Wales married on July 29, 1981. Diana wore a wedding dress by David and Elizabeth Emmanuel and the Spencer family tiara.

When Charles first met Diana Spencer in the late '70s, he was dating her sister, Sarah. By 1981, Charles and Diana announced their engagement which was followed shortly after with the royal wedding on July 29 in which Camilla attended.

Princess Diana gave birth to Prince William in 1982 and Prince Harry in 1984. Two years later, reports began surfacing that Charles and Camilla rekindled their romance while each were still married and raising families.

By 1993, "Camillagate" hit the palace. An intimate phone call between Charles and Camilla recorded in 1989 was leaked, causing a massive royal scandal. Camilla filed for divorce from Andrew in January 1995.

In 1994, Charles was asked during a TV special if he had been "faithful and honorable" to Diana. He replied, "Yes, yes  until it became irretrievably broken down, us both having tried." Then in 1995, Diana spoke about Camillas relationship with Charles on BBCs "Panorama," famously saying, "There were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded."

QUEEN CAMILLA 'FURIOUS' WITH PRINCE HARRY'S 'SPARE,' WON'T FORGIVE 'BOMB-LIKE' EXPOSE: INSIDER

Princess Diana and Charles divorced in 1996.

The Prince and Princess of Wales had two children together, Prince William and Prince Harry.

Charles claimed in his own 1994 biography that he was forced into the marriage with Princess Diana (seen in 1991) by his late father, Prince Philip.

"Charles will be the first divorced man ever to be crowned king, and Camilla will be the first divorced woman ever to be crowned queen," Andersen said.

It took years for many in Britain to forgive Charles, whose admitted infidelity and long-time links to Camilla torpedoed his marriage to Princess Diana, known as "the Peoples Princess."

The glamorous young mother of Princes William and Prince Harry died in a Paris car crash in 1997, five years after her messy, public split from Charles. She was 36.

In 1999, Camilla and Charles made their first public appearance together. Then in 2005, the couple said "I do" in a private ceremony.

Charles and Camilla first appeared as a couple while leaving the Ritz in 1999, more than three years after his divorce from Princess Diana.

Charles and Camilla were married in 2005 at Windsor Castle.

"The King is the first head of the Church of England not to be allowed to marry in the Church of England  Charles and Camilla were married in a civil ceremony," Andersen said. "And not even the prayer service that followed at Windsor was easy for them. The Archbishop of Canterbury at the time made them both get down on their knees and beg to be forgiven for their manifold sins and wickedness. But Charles was undeterred, and I don't think ever allowed himself to think that he couldn't make Camilla his queen."

KING CHARLES' CORONATION: 8 WOMEN BEFORE CAMILLA WHO COULD HAVE BEEN QUEEN

Camilla has worked tirelessly to win public approval after being caught in the middle of a royal affair. She supports a wide range of charities, including victims of domestic abuse, literacy programs, and animal welfare agencies.

"There's no question that Camilla has worked hard to prove herself worthy of the title. But as recently as early last year her standing in the polls was abysmal, with only one in ten Britons agreeing that she should become Queen," Andersen said. "Camilla obviously experienced a surge in popularity after Queen Elizabeth endorsed her as Queen Consort. Still, only about half the British public came around after the late Queen's thumbs-up, and even then only if Camilla was called Queen Consort.

The Prince of Wales and his new bride Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, with their children (L-R) Prince Harry, Prince William, Laura Parker Bowles and Tom Parker Bowles, in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

Camilla, Charles, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince George, Prince William, Princess Charlotte, Prince and Princess Catherine celebrated the Platinum Jubilee last year.

Camilla and the Queen worked on their relationship despite Camilla's initial presence causing turmoil in the royal family.

"Recently, when the Palace made it clear that the consort part would be dropped and she would simply be called Queen Camilla, her popularity dipped again."

Seven months before she died, Queen Elizabeth released a message thanking the public and her family for their support ahead of the 70th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

In the note, she specified, "And when, in fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service."

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Andersen added, "The elephant in the room is Diana. She was such a transformative figure, a force of nature, and so beloved by people around the globe  it's just hard to imagine Camilla ever clearing that hurdle. No sooner does the public start to warm up to Camilla than Harry writes a book portraying her as a schemer and a villain, and people are once again reminded of the role she had in destroying the marriage of William's and Harry's parents. Charles now has what Diana called The Top Job, but among women in the realm, Camilla is also top of the heap  and she didn't get there by accident.

While Camilla "knows her way around the palace," Andersen insisted "senior royals never embraced her."

Camilla and Charles "get a kick out of each other."

King Charles III's coronation day will also include Queen Consort Camilla  as she becomes Queen Camilla.

He added, "Because of all the trouble Camilla caused for the royal family and the monarchy by pursuing her extramarital affair with Charles, Queen Elizabeth referred to Camilla for years as that wicked woman. At the moment, her biggest ally is really the only one she needs and the only one who counts: The King."

Just as much as Camilla needs Charles, he has "always leaned" on her for emotional support.

"The King has always felt put-upon and misunderstood, and when he gets too self-pitying Camilla is the one who tells him to cut it out," Andersen said. "They have always been, as Camilla puts it, two peas in a pod. They clearly get a kick out of each other, and I think that when they exchange glances and burst into laughter it's very infectious and uplifting.

"That aspect of their relationship  the obvious affection they share and the clear fact that they are soulmates  will be good for the King and good for the future of the monarchy. That said, Camilla is no Diana."
London  King Charles told his advisors long before his own coronation ceremony that he "wanted them to start afresh," according to historian and CBS News royal contributor Amanda Foreman. "So, what we are going to see is a very, very different coronation" compared to the ceremony held for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953.

So, what are the differences?

King Charles' "plus one"

Charles' wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, will be formally crowned alongside her husband during the May 6 coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Upon her coronation, she will drop the "consort" from her title and be known as Queen Camilla.

Prince Philip, the longtime husband of Queen Elizabeth, was never crowned, and was known throughout the queen's reign as her "liege lord."

While Queen Camilla will be crowned  specifically with Queen Mary's Crown from the royal family's extensive Crown Jewels collection  her role does not convey any political power, like Charles' mother had as the queen "regnant" and Britain's sovereign. That role and the power it conveys, though extremely limited under modern Britain's constitutional monarchy, lies entirely with Charles.

What he wears

King Charles will wear several historic garments for his actual coronation ceremony, including heavy ceremonial robes made of gold thread, but unlike his mother, underneath it all, Foreman said the king was "not going to wear a special outfit. He's going to wear his military uniform."

Queen Elizabeth, on the other hand, had a special Coronation Dress commissioned by a British designer.

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the designer "submitted nine different designs and the queen accepted the eighth, but suggested the addition of embroideries in various colours rather than all in silver."

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, on the day of her coronation, Buckingham Palace, 1953. (Colorised black and white print). / Credit: The Print Collector/Getty Images

A smaller affair

King Charles' coronation will be a much smaller affair than his mother's.

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Approximately 2,000 guests have been invited, as opposed to the over 8,000 people who were invited to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Elizabeth's ceremony lasted almost three hours, but King Charles' will last only two hours.

The coronation processions will differ in size, too. King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to Westminster Abbey, and then the king and Queen Camilla  with her new official title  will travel back to Buckingham Palace along on the same route, which takes approximately 40 minutes at the speed of a horse-drawn carriage.

King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort during a State Banquet at Buckingham Palace on Nov. 22, 2022 in London, England. / Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Queen Elizabeth's procession from Westminster Abbey back to the palace after her coronation took a much more circuitous route, with her waving and smiling to well-wishers for around five hours.

The coronation oath

Britain has changed a lot in the decades since Queen Elizabeth was crowned, with a majority of the country no longer describing themselves as Christian.

However, England legally remains a Christian nation, and the Church of England, also known as the Anglican Church, is the official religion, with the monarch serving as its titular head, known as the Defender of the Faith. The coronation ceremony itself is a Christian ritual.

In the 1990's, then-Prince Charles sparked controversy when he said he would be a defender of faith in general, rather than the Defender of the Faith.

In his coronation oath, the king will give a nod to other religions, kneeling before the altar in Westminster Abbey and saying: "God of compassion and mercy whose Son was sent not to be served but to serve, give grace that I may find in thy service perfect freedom and in that freedom knowledge of thy truth. Grant that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."

Pledges of allegiance

Past coronations have included a long procession of British aristocrats lining up to vow loyalty and service to the new monarch. King Charles, however, has scrapped that portion of the ceremony, known as the "Homage of Peers."

Queen Elizabeth II, wearing St. Edward's Crown and holding the Royal Sceptre and the Rod of Equity, waits to receive the Homage of Peers after her Coronation, June 2, 1953. / Credit: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty

Instead, only Charles' first son and heir to the throne William, Prince of Wales, will kneel before his father and give a solemn oath, pledging his "loyalty to you and faith and truth I will bear unto you, as your liege man of life and limb."

The order of service will also include for the first time an invitation from the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who will lead the religious ceremony, to "all those who desire," watching across Britain and the British Commonwealth, to pledge their allegiance by saying: "I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God."

The so-called "Homage of the People," which the palace has stressed is entirely voluntary, will replace the traditional Homage of Peers.

A spokesman for the archbishop's office said ahead of the ceremony, according to The Independent newspaper: "The Homage of the People is particularly exciting because that's brand new.

King Charles begins procession ride to Westminster Abbey ahead of coronation

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The last time the world turned its eyes to Westminster Abbey to see St Edwards Crown placed on the head of a new British monarch, most Americans living today had not yet been born.

The United States was the worlds leading economic and military power, challenged only by the Soviet Union, which was still recovering from the effects of the Second World War.

Television was a relatively new medium, broadcast over the airwaves on a handful of channels for a limited amount of time each day. Phone calls were often made through operators, with long-distance calling a prohibitively expensive luxury for most. And the idea of mobile telephones, much less an all-in-one device delivering video, phone calls and messages to the palm of ones hand, was the stuff of science fiction, nothing more.

But in the United States, 85 million people tuned in to watch recorded highlights of the ceremony that made Queen Elizabeth II one of the most famous and recognisable women in the world.

Charles and Camilla with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House in 2015 (AFP via Getty Images)

Starting in 1951, when then-Princess Elizabeth visited the US for the first time, the late Queen was held in extremely high esteem by citizens of a nation that had won its independence from Great Britain in a bloody war of independence less than two centuries before. Yet the two former enemy nations had since mended ties and together formed what Sir Winston Churchill dubbed the Special Relationship that has formed the backbone of a transatlantic alliance that begat Nato and led the West to a victory over communism after nearly a half-century of Cold War.

Over her seven decades on the British throne, Elizabeth II was the head of state through the terms of 15 prime ministers and 14 American presidents, all of whom she met personally save for Lyndon Johnson.

The man who will be crowned King on Saturday, Charles III, cant quite match his late mothers record, having only met 10 of the last 14 occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But over his 64 years as Prince of Wales, the King has spent significantly more time in the US than his mother did over her lifetime.

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According to Buckingham Palace, then-Prince Charles has crossed the Atlantic to visit America on 22 separate occasions, with his first trip occurring in July 1970 and his most recent visit taking place in December 2018.

Prince Charles at the White House in 1970 with Richard Nixon (AFP via Getty Images)

Its possible that he wasnt so interested in the government that replaced the rule of Parliament under his ancestor George III when he first visited Washington more than five decades ago.

At the time, he was gifted an official copy of the United States Senate rulebook during a tour of the Capitol and Senate chamber.

Instead of making it onto a bookshelf in the then-Prince of Wales residence at Highgrove House, the leatherbound volume  one of 450 printed at the outset of the 91st Congress  was found decades later in a used book store, still embossed with the title of its original recipient: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

While he may not have been so interested in the gift, he later expressed deep gratitude for the reception he and his sister Princess Anne received at the White House when visiting with then-president Richard Nixon and his family.

In a thank-you note to Nixon, Charles wrote that the kindness shown to him and Anne was almost overwhelming.

Both my sister and I take back to Britain the most heartwarming evidence of what is known as the special relationship between our two countries and of the great hospitality shown to us by you and your family, he added.

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales to the White House in November 1985 (AFP via Getty Images)

In a decades since, Charless subsequent interactions with American leaders have been more focused on his passion for addressing climate change.

When he met with President Joe Biden at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, the climate crisis was the subject of their discussions. The two men also discussed climate-related matters when Mr Biden visited Buckingham Palace for a reception held by the late Queen during the G7 leaders summit in Cornwall.

But the King has acknowledged that his new role wont allow him the freedom to continue his climate activism.

In a 2018 documentary, he was asked if hed keep on campaigning in the same way once he was on the throne.

Former US president George HW Bush greets Prince Charles at the funeral of Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC in June 2004 (AFP via Getty Images)

Im not that stupid, he said. You cant be the same as the sovereign if youre the Prince of Wales or the heir.

Given the politically-fraught nature of debates over human-caused climate change  particularly in an oil-producing, automobile-loving nation such as the United States  one could argue that the Kings past activism could make him persona non grata among American policymakers if a fossil fuel-friendly Republican administration retakes the White House.

But members of Congress queried for their thoughts on the new King by The Independent didnt think his past outspokenness would put any sort of dent in the Special Relationship.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told The Independent in a text message that the Kings work on climate issues could connect him with Americas youth.

King Charles years of sincere climate activism can help him forge a bond with Americas youth. He has an opportunity to lead on this issue globally and deepen the bonds between our nations, he said.

But James Lankford, the Republican senior senator from oil-rich Oklahoma, said he is confident that Charless opinions wont find their way into the official positions of His Majestys Government.

I dont think itll have any effect, he said. Parliament is going to determine what their policies will be as a nation.

Charles and Camilla tour damage done by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in November 2005 (AFP via Getty Images)

His GOP colleague, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, also told The Independent he does not believe the Kings past activism will be a factor in the US-UK relationship as he moves forward as sovereign.

Mr Kennedy, who earned a Bachelor of Civil Laws from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, said he expects Charles III to be far less loquacious when it comes to controversial subjects compared to Charles, Prince of Wales.

Charles and Camilla welcomed to the White House in 2005 by US President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (Getty Images)

He was outspoken when he was Prince Charles  you can do that when youre not the King or the Queen, but I think he will find that hell have to be more circumspect. Im not saying hes wrong on the things about which he has spoken. But being the heir is one thing, being the actual King or Queen is quite another, he said, comparing the difference between being the sovereign and Prince of Wales to the difference between being a US Senator and President of the United States.

Senators can sort of say stuff and it the whole world doesnt listen, but a president is different and so is a King or Queen. And I think he will find out pretty quickly, hes going to have to pick and choose carefully the areas in which he decides to wade, he added.

But the Louisiana Republican said he hopes Charles will continue to be a source of stability for the UK in the same way his late mother was over her seven-decade reign, especially since the UK government has been anything but stable in recent years.

They dont make policy. But they do make stability, and they do make continuity. And the monarch is a symbol of the extraordinary history of the UK, the growth in the UK, the mistakes that the UK has made  and the future of the UK.  it is an extraordinary symbol of not just cultural values in the country, but freedom, he said.

Prince Charles speaks to a future US president and first lady  Donald and Melania Trump  at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005 (AFP via Getty Images)

Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat who served as ranking member of the upper chambers foreign relations committee from 2015 to 2018, told The Independent he doesnt believe Charles III will have much of an impact on the US-UK relationship because it is already solid.

Prince Charles with Donald Trump at Buckingham Palace in June 2019 on the first day of the US presidents state visit to the UK (Getty Images)

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who said he once met the then-Prince of Wales while serving as the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said Americans know the King well and predicted that the US-UK relationship will stay strong during his time on the throne.

Pressed about Charless climate activism, Mr Kaine said he appreciates the Kings past work, but while he noted that it was a longstanding and sincere interest of the former Prince of Wales, he told The Independent he doesnt see it having an impact on US-UK relations.

But his Maryland colleague, Mr Cardin, said he hopes Charles will use his new position to continue drawing attention to the climate crisis, comparing the new King to Pope Francis, who has also commented on the need to address climate change.

Barack Obama hosts Prince Charles at the White House in May 2011 (AFP via Getty Images)

I think this is a global commitment we all have, and I think hes speaking about the facts of reality, he said.

We do expect to see leadership on global issues from the point of view of responsibility from world leaders, and the King of England is a world leader.
Han Zheng

China is sending Han Zheng, pictured at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing in 2017, to attend King Charles coronation on May 6, 2023. Credit - Ng Han GuanAP

It was Charles, then the Prince of Wales, who flew to Hong Kong in 1997 to preside over the ceremony handing over the former British colony to China. Britain is both proud and privileged to have been involved with this success story, he said. Proud of the rights and freedoms which Hong Kong people enjoy. Charles vowed that the U.K. would maintain its interest in Hong Kong and the preservation of the citys values throughout its 50-year transition into a China-governed territory.

Halfway through those five decades, Charles is set to be crowned King in London on Saturday, May 6. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has experienced a sharp crackdown on civil liberties as Beijing increasingly exerts control. And the man China is sending to attend Charles coronation, Vice President Han Zheng, has been a central figure in this decline.

Read More: King Charles Coronation Is a Pointless Vanity Parade, Says Britains Leading Anti-Monarchist

Its already causing a stir that threatens to overshadow the celebratory proceedings. The last governor of Hong Kong, Lord Chris Patten, told BBC Radios World at One on Thursday that Hans presence at Charles coronation is a stick in the eye for the more than 160,000 Hong Kong natives living in exile in the U.K. Other British lawmakers have described Hans expected appearance as outrageous and an insult. Mark Sabah of the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation said to the Daily Mail that allowing Han to attend the Kings coronation is like inviting your abuser into your own home.

Who is Han Zheng?

Before being appointed as Xi Jinpings deputy in early March, Han served as a standing committee member in the ruling Communist Partys politburo, and he headed the Central Leading Group on Hong Kong and Macau Affairs. Under Hans leadership, Beijing swiftly expanded its influence over Hong Kong, prompting intense protests in 2019. In response, Han pushed for the implementation of a national security law in 2020 that led to the arrests of activists and critics, an exodus of pro-democracy lawmakers, and a clampdown on the press.

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Ryan Neelam, director of the Public Opinion and Foreign Policy Program at the Lowy Institute in Australia and a former diplomat in Hong Kong, said Hans attendance to such a high-profile function in the U.K. is not unusual, especially given his current role in the Chinese government, for which representing the administration at events overseas is one of the primary duties. I wouldnt read too much into this, Neelam tells TIME. I think there will be some pressure from the British community and groups of ex-Hongkongers, people focused on Hong Kong and activists in Britain, he says, but he thinks its ultimately unlikely to damage the British-Chinese relationshipthough that may already be at a low.

Read More: Why Jill Biden, But Not Joe, Is Attending the Coronation

Whats the state of U.K.-China relations?

Calls for Han to be barred from the coronation are unlikely to be heeded. And he wont be the only leader criticized for human rights abuses in attendance. Invitations to heads of state and other representatives of foreign nations didnt come from Buckingham Palace but rather from Westminster, and the British Government has said it welcomes all with whom it has full diplomatic relations, only excluding a select few like Russia, Iran, Belarus, and Myanmar.

While the U.K. and China are important economic partners, ties between the two countries have deteriorated in recent years, particularly as the U.K. has increasingly made moves to align more closely with U.S. foreign policy that tends to view Chinas role and influence in global politics with suspicion. Still, the two sides have committed to engage constructively.

Regarding Hong Kong, the U.K. government has not shied from emphatically chiding Chinese authorities about the erosion of civil liberties in the city. In a report released in January, Britains Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said Beijings actions undermine the Chinese enclaves autonomy and that China is diminishing the way of life promised to Hong Kong 25 years ago. And earlier this week, an inquiry by British parliamentarians denounced the wholesale decline of media freedom and the rule of law in Hong Kong since the declaration of the national security law. The current situation in Hong Kong is a glaring violation of the [1984 treaty with China] that was meant to preserve human rights guarantees cherished by the UK Government, the inquiry report states.

In response to criticism about Hans invitation to the coronation this week, James Cleverly, Britains foreign minister, told BBC Radio that he hopes to use the occasion to meet with Han, promising to discuss areas where we have points of criticism. On Friday, Hong Kong advocacy groups jointly called on Cleverly to speak explicitly on behalf of Hongkongersparticularly those living in the U.K.instead of focusing more on trade and investment. The British government should make the UKs national security and the security of its citizens a priority, their statement reads.

But no matter how strongly representatives of the British government condemn China at various other times, having Han as a guest at the coronation leaves a sour taste that some cant help but feel is an intentional move by Beijing. I think its an indication of the fact that no matter how much you grovel to China, and however much you try to give them face, they dont give a toss about giving us face, Patten said. There are, after all, 1.4 billion of them, and they chose to send the guy whos responsible for breaking their word about Hong Kong.
Britain's Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (R) praised King Charles III for allowing him to attend the coronation without breaking Shabbat rules

Britain's chief rabbi will join other faith leaders at Saturday's coronation of King Charles III but faces a unique problem -- how to ensure his attendance does not breach the Jewish Shabbat.

Ephraim Mirvis on Friday praised the "respectful, sensitive" way that King Charles's office had handled the situation -- even inviting him to spend the night with his wife Valerie at St James's Palace.

That will enable the chief rabbi to walk to the nearby Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning, rather than breaking Shabbat rules by using motorised transport.

A Kosher caterer has been brought in to prepare their Friday night dinner of coronation chicken, Mirvis told Sky News television.

After the Christian coronation service, the chief rabbi will join British Muslim, Hindu, Sikh and Buddhist leaders in making a spoken declaration in unison towards their newly crowned monarch.

"It will be quite brief, but exceptionally powerful," Mirvis said, while stressing that he was not required to speak into an electronic microphone in the abbey, again to respect the Jewish holy day.

The unprecedented joint declaration from the religious leaders reads: "Your Majesty, as neighbours in faith, we acknowledge the value of public service.

"We unite with people of all faiths and beliefs in thanksgiving, and in service with you for the common good."

- 'Defender of faith' -

Mirvis consulted judges from Britain's Beth Din Jewish court who agreed it was permissible to enter a Christian church on this Shabbat, out of respect for an invitation from the sovereign.

"This is a wonderful feature of 21st-century Britain, and our king wants to champion the rights of members of all faiths to practise their religion," the chief rabbi added.

"He did this marvellously while he was prince of Wales. He's continuing now as the king," he said.

"And it's not just within the Jewish faith. I know that members of other faiths as well hugely appreciate this. And now to be included in the coronation service, it's very special."

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The service at Westminster Abbey will be overwhelmingly drawn from the Christian liturgy as Charles takes an oath to serve as "Defender of the (Protestant) Faith" and to protect the established Church of England.

But the king has a long interest in bridging religious divides and spoke about acting as a "defender of faith" in general, as Britain grew more multi-cultural under the 70-year reign of his late mother Queen Elizabeth II.

The other faith leaders attending the coronation include Aliya Azam, interfaith coordinator at the Islamic Al-Khoei Foundation, and Radha Mohan from the Bhaktivedanta Manor Hindu temple.

The manor house, northwest of London, was donated to the Hare Krishna movement in 1973 by former Beatles guitarist George Harrison.

- 'Non-religious society' -

Also attending are Indarjit Singh, a Sikh member of the House of Lords, and The Most Venerable Bogoda Seelawimala, the chief monk of one of London's main Theravada Buddhist temples.

But Andrew Copson, head of Humanists UK, which campaigns for the rights of non-religious people, argued the Anglican service "is not representative of the diverse and mostly non-religious society in which we live today".

He added: "All state occasions would be more representative of our nation if they reflected our shared values rather than unshared beliefs."

Separately during the abbey service, ethnic minority members of parliament's upper House of Lords will present non-Christian regalia to Charles, such as gold bracelets and the royal robe.

In another coronation first, Charles will pray aloud during the service, to ask God that "I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and conviction".

However, those of no faith represent a growing proportion in Britain.

In the 2021 census, some 27.5 million people, or 46.2 percent in England and Wales, described themselves as Christian, down 13.1 percentage points from 2011.

Those listing "no religion" rose by 12 points to 37.2 percent.

Muslims represented 6.5 percent of the population, followed in order by Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Jewish people.

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London  King Charles III, along with his son and heir William and his wife Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, made an unexpected stop to greet supporters outside Buckingham Palace on Friday afternoon, just a day before the monarch's coronation ceremony.

Royals fans gathered along The Mall, a broad, tree-lined avenue that leads straight to the front gate of Buckingham Palace, pushed toward fences as they caught sight of the king's Bentley State Limousine rolling toward the palace.

To their delight, the car convoy stopped and the king and the prince and princess stepped out and walked toward the fence.

Britain's King Charles III greets well-wishers outside Buckingham Palace, in London, May 5, 2023, a day before his coronation at Westminster Abbey. / Credit: Toby Melville/AP

People have been camped out for several nights already to reserve prime viewing spots along The Mall, which makes up about half of the route the coronation processions will take on Saturday as the king and his wife, Queen Consort Camilla are carried to and from Westminster Abbey.

The crowd reacted with shock when the royals emerged from their vehicles, with some chanting, "God save the King," and "hip, hip hooray!"

The king and the Prince and Princess of Wales worked opposite sides of The Mall, greeting people from all over the world, including from as far away as the United States and Thailand.

William, the Prince of Wales, meets well-wishers during a walkabout on The Mall, outside Buckingham Palace, May 5, 2023, the day before his father King Charles III's coronation ceremony. / Credit: Toby Melville/Pool/Getty

Two women who actually got to exchange a few words with the monarch after spending two nights camped out on The Mall told CBS News it was a "truly wonderful" experience.

"I said to him, 'Congratulations for tomorrow,' and he turned to us and shook our hand," said Joan, who didn't wish to share her full name.

"He asked if anybody overnighted, and my hair is sticking up, and I said, 'Yes!' And he leaned over and shook my hand."

The royals' security detail urged onlookers to put down their phones to enjoy the moment, according to the BBC.

Shortly after the three royals emerged, they were back in their vehicles, continuing on toward Buckingham Palace.

CBS News' Emmet Lyons contributed to this report.

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King Charles begins procession ride to Westminster Abbey ahead of coronation

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Confidence of China's private entrepreneurs in pursuing high-quality development is picking up.

The optimism did not come out of nowhere.

China's private sector has posted a highly-anticipated recovery. Despite weak global growth, foreign trade of China's private firms jumped 14.4 percent from a year earlier in the first quarter, accounting for 52.4 percent of the country's total.

New orders from home and abroad have kept many plants very busy.

Chinese companies in the private sector are also contributing to the country's high-quality development by working on green technologies.

While private enterprises are striving to thrive, the business environment for them is also improving, with a slew of conducive measures and promises made by governments from different levels.

In Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, the government is working to simplify administrative procedures.

In Zouping City, Shandong Province, the local government has made continuous efforts to encourage private enterprises to invest in energy-saving transformation, smart automation, and digital technology.

China registered a better-than-expected 4.5 percent growth in the first quarter of this year.

The revival of private companies and the improvement of private entrepreneurs' sentiment are crucial for the country's further growth as the private sector has been a key pillar sustaining China's economic expansion.
King Charles and Camilla will both be crowned on 6 May as the British public weigh in on whether the royals should have paid for the service themselves. (Getty)

More than half of Brits think King Charles should pay for his own coronation, exclusive polling for Yahoo has found.

Deemed a 'state occasion' the coronation bill is funded by the UK government, and therefore the taxpayer.

The 6 May service and weekend of celebrations have been reported by The Mirror as costing the UK 250m.

In contrast, the late Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953 cost 1.57m (the publication has reported this as being 47m in today's money)  despite being a far larger and more elaborate ceremony than Charles's will be.

Queen Elizabeth's saw over 8000 guests enter Westminster Abbey for the occasion, while Charles in comparison will have more than 2200.

The procession route was also far longer back in 1953, as was the service itself.

The Mirror report that it is mounting policing costs that have pushed the total bill for Charles's coronation up, but the palace generally do not comment on matters of security so it is unlikely a total figure for this aspect will be made public.

The poll results come amid a debate about the ongoing role of the monarchy in modern society  the cost associated with the Royal Family and their private wealth attracting more scrutiny than ever.

An image of the official invite to King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation. (Buckingham Palace)

55% of respondents said that Charles should be footing the bill for he coronation himself, 31% disagreed and felt it appropriate the government and taxpayers pay for it and a further 14% replied that they didn't know either way.

Younger people were the least likely to support the government paying for the occasion at only 19%  this support rose to 46% amongst those aged over 65.

There were some regional differences in how people responded to the statement: "King Charles III should pay for his own coronation".

Respondents in Northern Ireland were the most likely to agree with the statement at 67%. Those in Scotland and Wales also agreed strongly at 57% and 59% respectively.

In every region of England  except the South East at 46%  more than half of respondents believed Charles should pay for it himself.

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Political affiliation also had an impact on how people responded, although the division was not hugely significant.

SNP voters were the most likely to agree that Charles should have paid for the coronation at 78%, followed by Green Party voters at 68% and Labour voters at 63%.

60% of Brexit Party voters also thought Charles should pay, while amongst Conservative voters this was only 40%.
On 6 May 2023, the UK will crown its first new monarch in 70 years at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on 8 September 2022, Charles, formerly the Prince of Wales, ascended the throne and became the King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.

The eldest child of the late Queen is the longest-serving heir apparent and the oldest person to accede to the throne at the age of 73. He has three younger siblings, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

During his time as the Prince of Wales, Charles became known for his environmentalist stances and his work raising awareness about climate change and sustainability. He is also known for being an outspoken supporter of small businesses and family-owned farms in the UK.

The Kings coronation ceremony will take place in Westminster Abbey and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In a statement, Buckingham Palace said that the coronation will reflect the monarchs role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry.

As we look towards a new era of the British monarchy, many British people are reflecting on Charles life. The monarch was born on 14 November 1948 at 9.14pm to the then-Princess Elizabeth and Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

When Charles was just four, his grandfather King George VI died and his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took the throne. The following year, Charles became the first heir apparent to attend school instead of receiving education through a private tutor, when he attended Hill House School in west London.

Later in life, Charles attended Philips former schools, Cheam Preparatory School in Hampshire and Gordonstoun in the Scottish Highlands. His time at the latter is said to have been marred by experiences of bullying, which he reportedly described as absolute hell.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, who was Head Boy here, pictured during a visit to Gordonstoun School, where she opened their new Sports Centre, Scotland, July 24th 1967 (Getty Images)

However, the royal praised the school as an adult, telling told The Observer Magazine in 1974 that talk of his unhappiness while studying was exaggerated. In 1975, he said in a speech to the House of Lords: I am always astonished by the amount of rot talked about Gordonstoun and the careless use of ancient cliches used to describe it. It was only tough in the sense that it demanded more of you as an individual than most other schools did  mentally and physically. I am lucky in that I believe it taught me a great deal about myself and my own abilities and disabilities, he continued.

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Charles went on to study archaeology and anthropology at Trinity College in Cambridge University, later changing to history for the second part of his degree. He also spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth to learn how to speak Welsh.

In 1969, he was invested as Prince of Wales in a ceremony at Caernarfon Castle. Charles gave the first two paragraphs of his speech in Welsh before switching to English. He said: It is with a certain sense of pride and emotion that I have received these symbols of office, here in this magnificent fortress, where no one could fail to be stirred by its atmosphere of time-worn grandeur, not where I myself could be unaware of the long history of Wales in its determination to remain individual and to guard its own particular heritage.

Charles knelt before his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during his investiture as the Prince of Wales in 1969 (AFP via Getty Images)

But Charles speech came at a time when anti-English sentiment in Wales was particularly high and caused concern among government officials. In 2000, cabinet papers revealed that members of former prime minister Harold Wilsons government were worried that Charles had made speeches that boosted Welsh nationalism, with Welsh secretary George Thomas suggesting that the young prince had been influenced by Welsh nationalists.

This perhaps marked the beginnings of Charles reputation for being a political royal  a departure from the sovereigns traditional role in staying out of politics. Last year, the Financial Times wrote that so much more is known about many of King Charles views, because he, while Prince of Wales, has been active in promoting his causes with ministers and allowing his opinions to become known.

Charles personal life has seen many twists and turns over the years. From his failed marriage to the late Diana, Princess of Wales, to his current troubles with his youngest son Prince Harry, the Kings private life has been laid bare far more times than he would likely have approved of. His marriage to Diana was blemished by the couples incompatibility and bitter feuds, as he maintained his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles and Diana became increasingly paranoid and unhappy while living in Buckingham Palace.

(Getty Images)

More than a decade after they wed in 1981, former prime minister John Major announced Charles and Dianas legal separation in Parliament in 1992. They were formally divorced on 28 August 1996, after the Queen formally advised them the previous December to end the marriage. When Diana tragically died in a car crash in Paris on 31 August 1997, Charles flew to the French capital with her sisters to retrieve her body and accompany it back to Britain.

People close to Charles and Camilla have said that Charles was much happier with Camilla than Diana. The pair continued their relationship and, in April 2005, married in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall. Camilla is the Queen Consort and will be crowned alongside Charles at the coronation ceremony this spring. Photographer Arthur Edwards, who has photographed the royal family for The Sun for more than 40 years, said that Charles was contented after marrying Camilla. Edwards added that Camilla brought a whole new meaning for Prince Charles as well as a spring to Charles step.

Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005 (Getty Images)

But while Charles love life has settled, his family relations remain tense when it comes to his youngest son, the Duke of Sussex. In the years since he stepped down as a senior member of the royal family, Harry has revealed many details about life behind the closed doors of Buckingham Palace and within the Institution. In his recent memoir, Spare, the duke laid bare a number of grievances, including accusations of the royal family leaking and planting unsavoury stories about his wife, Meghan Markle, to distract the media and public from negative stories about other members of the family.

Harry has two main criticisms of his father. In an ITV interview ahead of the release of Spare, he said: [Charles had] always given an air of not being quite ready for parenthood: the responsibilities, the patience, the time. Even he, though a proud man, would have admitted as much. But single parenthood? Pa was never made for that. To be fair, he tried. Harrys second criticism was that too often your interests are sacrificed to his interests, certainly when it comes to the press.

(Getty Images)

Charles reputation as an environmentally and politically aware royal was cemented during his time as the Prince of Wales. But in 2018, he told the BBC that when he became King, he would cease to be a self-described inveterate interferer and meddler. Im not that stupid, he said at the time. I do realise that it is a separate exercise being sovereign. So, of course I understand entirely how that should operate. As his reign officially begins, Britons will perhaps see a different, more regal side to Charles that will be a far cry from the past 70-odd years.
Earth has something like a billion species of bacteria, fungi and other microbes, and KK Shailaja was fascinated by each one of them.

To her, they were like atoms, the real, tiny things that make up and hold the world together.

But little did she imagine that she would one day be responsible for leading the fight against a shape-shifting, life-threatening virus that would ravage the world and threaten to overrun her home Kerala, a picturesque southern Indian state of 35 million people.

Fondly known as "teacher", Ms Shailaja scripted a rare success story in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic as the health minister of Kerala in 2020, which catapulted her to worldwide fame. The Guardian called her a "corona slayer", the Financial Times named her as one of the 12 most influential women of 2020. She was invited as a panellist at the UN Public Service Day and the UK's Prospect Magazine named her as the top thinker of the Covid age.

Her experiences - of leading a state through the pandemic and of growing up in India's only Communist state - make the backbone of her new political memoir, My Life As A Comrade, which released on Thursday.

As a physics teacher, scientific thinking always remained an integral part - a "default position" - to Ms Shailaja's decision-making process as the health minister, she told the BBC. "In my mind, Covid-19 reaching India was always inevitable and dealing with it was a matter of when, not if," she says.

But the die-hard Communist in her saw connections in everything. "In our lush, wooded neighbourhood, superstition, religion and socialism were never at odds; you could believe in all those things at once," she writes.

Ms Shailaja, who grew up in a small town in Kannur district, says she was deeply inspired by her Ammamma or grandma, a staunch Communist leader who helped tackle a smallpox outbreak in Kerala. Through her Ammamma, she learnt of the ways the Communist party tackled fear and misinformation and taught people how to deal with the infectious disease. Ms Shailaja said she never imagined that she would one day be in charge of doing the same thing.

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A picturesque state of 35 million people, Kerala is one of the most prosperous regions of India

In January 2020, Kerala reported India's first Covid-19 case - a medical student who had returned from Wuhan. At the time, coronavirus wasn't part of the popular lexicon and hardly anyone was discussing it in India, Ms Shailaja says. But in Kerala, the state government had already set up 18 rapid response teams, opened a control room and deployed medical officers at the state's four airports so that people could voluntarily declare any symptoms.

In a pandemic characterised by extreme uncertainty, Ms Shailaja said the government used its Nipah virus protocol - the state had successfully fought an outbreak in 2018 - "and made changes based on what was already understood about Covid".

Ms Shailaja said she had two options - either allow the virus to spread so that people could attain herd immunity. Or, contain its spread by detecting cases early, tracing contacts and quarantining the infected.

She knew a virus like this was deadly not only because it was highly transmissible, but because it was capable of exploiting a country's underlying shortcomings - a chronically underfunded health care system, unequal access, and a dearth of necessary safety nets.

Kerala fares better than most states on these indices, but the state is densely populated and 15% of its people are over 60 years of age. It is also majorly exposed to international travel and has some 17% of its working-age population employed outside, leaving the state vulnerable to outbreaks.

"Containment was the only way forward," she said, and the state decided to stick to the playbook of test, trace and isolate.

Authorities in Kerala set up extra hospitals way before cases spiked in 2020

For some months, Kerala seemed primed to contain the virus. There were days when it reported no new cases. Testing was widespread, deaths were low and the health system - the most sophisticated in the country - was not overburdened. "We even managed to save people of 98 years of age," Ms Shailaja said.

But by mid-July, the state began reporting around 800 infections a day and by November, Kerala had recorded more than 500,000 infections.

In the summer of 2021 when a deadly second wave claimed thousands of lives, Kerala - a state with barely 3% of India's population - began accounting for more than half of India's new cases. Infections surged and showed no signs of abating even as the pandemic waned in other parts of the country - although the death rate remained low.

As the state floundered at controlling the virus, criticism against its government mounted.

Experts said Kerala's contact tracing mechanism, which had been its strong point during the first wave, had not shown the same efficacy in the second phase. Many said Kerala had also made the mistake of allowing festivals to go ahead, leading to mass gatherings. Even the policy response, experts said, had been anaemic - and though the state initially had managed to "flatten the curve", the time they bought was wasted.

The state laid emphasis on use of technology to fight the pandemic

Ms Shailaja said some of the criticism was unfair. "Because we did so well in the first phase, every reported Covid case in the state began to carry a whiff of failure."

Also, despite the rising number of cases, hospitals in Kerala were not overwhelmed and our mortality rate remained low throughout, she added.

But experts believe that Kerala's relatively low fatality rate did not tell the whole story. Reports alleged substantial undercounting of deaths in the state, claiming it was not adding suspected cases to the final count, and was attributing deaths to underlying health conditions.

In her memoir, Ms Shailaja rejects the allegations. "We did the best job we possibly could," she told the BBC.

Many experts too say that Kerala did an admirable job in controlling the spread of coronavirus when compared to the poor performance of other Indian states.

"I think the most important thing we did was also the simplest: we took Covid seriously," Ms Shailaja said.

But it was the state government's socialist foundation of "putting people at the centre of their policy", which made the difference, she added.

The health sector cannot exist in isolation, Ms Shailaja says. That's because diseases are not merely a battle between a host and a microscopic enemy, playing out in a person's body - they go beyond the individual and affect the entire society. And the virus cannot be fought only with vaccines.

"It requires more systemic reforms for overall social development. After all, everything is interconnected," she says.

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Klitschko explained why he wanted to take Odesa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov, who was arrested in the case of the Krayan plant, as bail

Klitschko made this comment to NVs sister publication, Ukrainska Pravda, on May 5.

Im the head of the Association of Cities of Ukraine (AMU), which unites more than a thousand communities, including Odesa, said Klitschko.

As the head of the AMU, I must defend the rights and interests of local government, he said.

Mayors and local authorities today perform a difficult and important function by providing services to residents in critical conditions of war, including infrastructure destruction, problems with electricity and water supplies. They deal with the livelihoods of the communities.

Read also: Odesa mayor arrested in corruption case

Klitschko added that in this case, it is not about personalities, but about principles.

The Kyiv mayor also pointed out that Trukhanov is the third Odesa mayor who has been effectively removed through the courts.

This is similar to another attempt to suppress local government, and unfortunately, it is becoming an alarming trend to remove elected mayors from office. Thats why the AMU has asked the court to grant Trukhanov bail, he said.

Klitschko also stressed that he did not intend to post Trukhanovs bail of UAH 13 million ($350,000) as he usually directs his own funds to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The representative of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS), Olesya Chemerys, confirmed that Klitschko had asked on behalf of the AMU for Trukhanov to be released. Klitschko was present during the pretrial detention hearing for the mayor of Odesa.

Klitschko did indeed inform the Higher Anti-Corruption Court that he wanted to attend the hearing. He asked to put Trukhanov on bail on behalf of the Association of Cities. According to the law, any person has the right to ask for bail.

However, taking bail is not just a simple request. The person who takes bail must ensure that the individual they take (on personal recognizance) fulfills all the obligations imposed on them, Chemerys said.

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Klitschkos arrival at the court and his request for Trukhanov to be released on bail caused outrage among some anti-corruption activists in Ukraine.

VAKS decided on May 4 to arrest Trukhanov for 60 days, with bail set at UAH 13 million ($350,000) in a case connected to the Krayan plant. He was taken into custody in the courtroom. The mayors lawyers said that they would not post bail and planned to appeal against the VAKS decision.

Trukhanov is accused of embezzling UAH 92 million ($2.5 billion) from the budget during the purchase of the Krayan plant building. In 2018, he was released on personal recognizance of Dmytro Holubov, a former MP. The prosecutor insisted that circumstances have changed since then and called for tougher measures.

The Anti-Corruption Action Center reported that since February 2022, Trukhanov has left the country at least six times, so, according to the accusations, there is a risk that he may hide from the court abroad. The mayor claimed political pressure from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office and said he had taken an oath and does not intend to flee.

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Jordan Neely, a homeless busker who appeared to be in mental distress, was put in a fatal chokehold on the New York City subway this week  and the public outcry for accountability has grown louder and louder.

On Monday, Neely gave what witnesses described as an aggressive speech aboard a north-bound F train. The situation escalated and he was held in a chokehold for about 15 minutes by a 24-year-old subway rider, according to an eyewitness. Neely was found unconscious by responding officers and was pronounced dead at the hospital.

The incident has raised questions over the citys social safety net and mental health resources for the homeless community and cast scrutiny on city leadership as no charges have been filed in connection with his death.

What happened?

Police were called to reports of a physical fight inside the Broadway-Lafayette station in Manhattan around 2:30 p.m. Monday.

The investigation found that Neely was engaged in a verbal dispute with a 24-year-old male that escalated into a physical altercation, police said. During the physical struggle, Neely lost consciousness.

Cellphone video taken by passenger Juan Alberto Vazquez showed the 24-year-old man on the ground with his arm around Neelys neck. Two other subway riders appear to help restrain Neely, who was Black.

Vazquez told NBC New York that Neely got on the train and began to say a somewhat aggressive speech, saying he was hungry, he was thirsty, that he didnt care about anything, he didnt care about going to jail, he didnt care that he gets a big life sentence.

Vazquez said Neely was held in the chokehold position for about 15 minutes.

Neely was unconscious when police arrived, and he was pronounced dead at a hospital.

He died of compression of neck (chokehold) and the manner of death was ruled a homicide by the city's chief medical examiners office said.

Immediately after the incident, the 24-year-old man was taken into custody for questioning and released.

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A police spokesperson said that after the autopsy report revealed the cause of Neely's death as homicide, the district attorney's office is investigating the matter and will decide on whether or not to charge the 24-year-old.

New York police officers work at a roped off Subway station, where Jordan Neely was found unconscious (Paul Martinka via AP)

Who was Jordan Neely?

Neely was a familiar face to many New Yorkers  a busker who often performed dance routines in a Michael Jackson costume on the subways and in Times Square.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine remembered Neely affectionately in the wake of his death, saying he saw Neely perform his Michael Jackson routine many times on the A train.

He always made people smile, Levine said. Our broken mental health system failed him. He deserved help, not to die in a chokehold on the floor of the subway.

Neely suffered from mental illness which began at age 14 when he experienced the brutal murder of his mother, a law firm hired by his family, Mills & Edwards LLP, said in a statement Thursday.

According to a 2012 NJ.com report, Neely's mother, Christie Neely was strangled to death in a home in New Jersey that she shared with Shawn Southerland in April 2007. Her body was found stuffed in a suitcase that was dumped on a roadway, the report said.

Neely was 18 when he testified in the trial against Southerland in 2012.

Neely had a lengthy criminal history, with charges including assault and disorderly conduct, law enforcement sources with knowledge of the case said, NBC New York reported.

The Neely family has since retained Mills & Edwards LLP to represent them, saying they are "committed to holding accountable the MTA and Neelys killer."

Attorney Lennon Edwards said: "I took this case because 15 minutes is too long to go without help, intervention and without air. Passengers are not supposed to die on the floor of our subways.

What will happen from here?

The Manhattan District Attorney's Office is reviewing the case of Neely's death, saying: "This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neelys life."

In the probe, the district attorney's office will review the medical examiner's report, medical records, all available video and photo evidence, and interview as many witnesses as possible, a spokesperson for the office said.

There's no timeline for when the district attorney's office will return a decision on charges.

Protesters wave signs as they gather for a

Attorney Donte Mills, who is representing the Neely family, said he would be surprised if charges were not filed in the case in an interview that aired Friday morning on the TODAY show.

It would be incredible to me if the outcome of this was no charge, because how can you say that its okay for someone to strangle someone, he said.

Since then, there have been calls for action in releasing the 24-year-old subway rider's name and charging him in connection with Neely's death.

On Friday, protesters were seen outside the Manhattan District Attorneys office with signs that said Jordan Neely Deserved Better From New York, Justice for Jordan and Indict the Coward.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters that the video of the subway altercation was horrific and that the subway riders response to Neely was very extreme. She appeared in favor of charging the 24-year-old, saying there have to be consequences and so well see how this unfolds but his family deserves justice.

Meanwhile, Mayor Eric Adams said he will let the district attorneys investigation play out.

There are many layers to this. Im gonna let the process follow its course, and so I wont get engaged with comparisons on where we are, where we arent. Im not going to do that. Im going to let the investigation run its course, he said.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said Neely was a New Yorker, a son, and a performer, and he should still be alive, in a statement Wednesday  and pointed to racism as a role in the lack of charges against Neely's assailant.

Racism that continues to permeate throughout our society allows for a level of dehumanization that denies Black people from being recognized as victims when subjected to acts of violence, Adams added.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Democrat, also called out the use of the chokehold, saying even police are banned from using it.

Theres no excuse for a civilian to use such a deadly maneuver, especially on someone experiencing a mental health crisis, he said.

CORRECTION (May 8, 2023, 11:55 a.m. ET): A headline in a previous version of this article misstated who said Neely was held in a chokehold for 15 minutes. It was one witness, not witnesses and the police.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Aaron Taylor-Johnson is set to play Kraven The Hunter. (Photo by Scott Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Sonys extended Spider-Man universe will soon get a new chapter to add to its rogues gallery, with Kraven The Hunter pouncing onto screens in October 2023.

The character, who first appeared in a 1964 issue of The Amazing Spider-Man comic, is a fearless hunter who dreams of bagging the ultimate prize: Spider-Man.

While its currently unclear whether this fascination with Marvels web-head will follow Kraven onto the big screen what we do know is that this fan-favourite characters cinema debut is definitely on the way, with Bullet Train star Aaron Taylor-Johnson in the leading role.

Read more: Everything we know about Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

The film follows Sony and Columbia Pictures continued collaboration with Marvel that brought us two Venom movies starring Tom Hardy in 2018 and 2021 and Jared Letos Morbius a year later in 2022.

What else do we know? Well, if youre waiting patiently for this Spider-baddie to strike, why not catch up on everything we know about Kraven The Hunter in the meantime?

Kraven The Hunter release date

Kraven The Hunter, will swing into cinema screens on Friday, 6 October, having been pushed back from its original January release date.

Kraven The Hunter plot

Kraven The Hunter in Marvel's Spider-Man animated series. (Marvel via Getty Images)

First appearing in issue 15 of The Amazing Spider-Man comic series and created by Spideys own Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, Kraven has since carved out an extensive history in comic canon.

The son of a Russian aristocrat, his real name is Sergei Kravinoff and hes described as a man whose obsessed with big game hunting. In order to prove that hes the worlds greatest hunter, Kravinoff sets his sights on the most dangerous game around  which just so happens to be Spider-Man.

Read more: The craziest Spider-Man spin-offs that nearly got made

In addition to encountering a number of other Marvel characters over the years, including Black Panther and Squirrel Girl, Kraven also established himself as one of the Sinister Six: the group of anti-Avengers baddies that team up to take down Spider-Man.

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Hes had a number of near-misses with movies too.

The Sinister Six: Rhino, Kraven the Hunter, Lizard, Electro, Beetle and a secret sixth member. oin Disney XD's Ultimate Spider-Man. (Marvel via Getty Images)

Spider-Man director Sam Raimi originally wanted the character for his unmade fourth Spidey movie with Tobey Maguire, before director Marc Webb rebooted things with The Amazing Spider-Man and teased Kravens arrival.

Director Ryan Coogler even wanted the character to face off against TChalla in 2018s Black Panther before work on Sonys movie adaptation was unveiled.

Read more: The 10 MCU actors who've appeared in the most Marvel movies

At the time of writing, its currently unclear which elements of Kravens extensive backstory will make it into his first cinematic outing. However, with some familiar faces from his lore already cast in director J. C. Chandors movie - and a distinct anti-hero element powering each of Sonys Spider-Man spin-offs so far - we can start to piece together an idea of what Kraven The Hunter might be like.

Whats more, we also have some comments from the films star, with Taylor-Johnson calling the character an animal lover" and a "protector of the natural world."

He added that Kraven is one of Marvels most iconic, notorious anti-heroes  Spider Mans number one rival, describing him as ...not an alien, or a wizard. Hes just a hunter, a human with conviction."

Kraven The Hunter cast

Aaron Taylor-Johnson is Sony's latest anti-hero. (Photo by Christopher Jue/Getty Images)

Tenet and Kick Ass actor Taylor-Johnson will be playing the fur-loving Kraven The Hunter in director Chandors upcoming movie, with Gladiator star Russell Crowe playing his aristocratic father Nikolai Kravinoff.

West Side Storys Ariana DeBose will play Kravens voodoo priestess love interest Calypso, with Fred Hechinger of The White Lotus first season bringing Kravens half-brother Dmitri Smerdyakov to life. You may know Smerdyakov as his alter ego, Chameleon, a character with the ability to change his physical appearance to resemble other people.

Alessandro Nivola is playing Rhino in Kraven The Hunter. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, when it comes to villains, It Comes At Nights Christopher Abbott will play an evil mercenary with hypnosis abilities known as the Foreigner, with The Many Saints of Newark star Alessandro Nivola playing classic Spider-Man villain Rhino.

Pan actor Levi Miller has also joined the cast but his role is currently undisclosed. Our moneys on him playing a younger version of Kraven.

Kraven The Hunter trailer

Unfortunately, while a sizzle reel was shown to fans during Aprils CinemaCon event in Las Vegas confirming the appearance of Rhino, the rest of us are yet to see any footage from Kraven The Hunter.

Kraven The Hunter will hit cinemas on Friday, 6 October.

Watch: Aaron Taylor-Johnson talks Kraven
The Kremlin has once again cancelled the "traditional reception" on 9 May, at which Vladimir Putin used to speak to veterans of World War II.

Source: Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti, quoting a statement by Dmitry Peskov, the Russian Presidents Press Secretary

Details: Peskov did not specify the reason for the cancellation.

Russian media reported that traditionally, on this day, Putin would meet with war veterans in the Kremlin, give a speech and present awards.

The last such meeting took place in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, the reception was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. It did not take place last year either.

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Every parent has a fundamental right to direct their childrens education. Yet, many families are unable to fully exercise that right because their financial circumstances limit their ability to make a choice in where to send their children to school. This is the case even when they know that their children would benefit from a different learning environment.

In the last two decades, school choice policies have been adopted in over 30 states, including every state surrounding Kentucky. Contrary to the unsupported claims of opponents, the adoption of school choice program has more often than not coincided with increased funding for public schools and improvements in academic outcomes for public school students.

It is common sense. Empowering parents, the people most likely to put their childrens interest first, has led to more students succeeding in the classroom.

Kentucky lawmakers have already demonstrated their dedication to supporting public schools and providing families with more options. At the same time that the Kentucky General Assembly passed school choice measures like the Education Opportunity Account Act in 2021, the legislature also increased public education spending by hundreds of millions of dollars (or billions if you also count contributions to public pensions). According to the Kentucky Department of Education, Kentucky is now spending $15,067 per-student. In addition to state expenditures, Kentucky public schools have also received billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds.

Nevertheless, some opponents balked at efforts to support school choice and public schools. Instead of celebrating victories for all students, school choice opponents took what will amount to hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars out of the public school system to hire attorneys in multiple lawsuits with the goal of blocking families from having a choice in where to send their children to school. Unfortunately, the Kentucky Supreme Court has sided with the opponents of school choice instead of families wanting more options.

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That has left supporters of school choice with one option; propose a constitutional amendment on school choice and let the voters decide.

The coalition supporting school choice is broad and diverse. In 2022, Floridas school choice program participants were 39% Hispanic and 28% Black. Other school choice programs have seen similar results in which students of color are amongst the greatest beneficiaries.

Just as important, school choice students are seeing improved long-term outcomes. A study from the Urban Institute found that low income students in Florida who participated in the school choice program were more likely to graduate high school and attend a four-year college.

Opponents seem to imagine a world in which a cabal of powerful elites are driving the issue. This could not be further from the truth.

Take Akia McNeary for example. Three years ago, Ms. McNeary got involved in the school choice movement because one of her children was struggling in his assigned public school and she was not satisfied with the response from the school administration. Fortunately, she was able to make a choice to send her son to a non-public school where he found success. Yet, doing so has created an extreme financial hardship for her family.

Despite having the schedule of a working parent, Ms. McNeary has spent countless hours advocating for educational choice over the years. She defies the caricatures often thrown around by school choice opponents. Ms. McNeary has three school age children and will be the first to tell you that one of her older sons has thrived in public schools. But each of her children have different learning needs and that is why she wants more options.

When Kentuckians take up and pass a constitutional amendment on school choice in 2024, it is going to be because parents like Ms. McNeary want more of a say when it comes to their childrens education.

Andrew Vandiver is the president of EdChoice Kentucky.
The plane was recovered

Documents submitted for customs clearance stated that a Cessna fuselage and wings worth EUR 9,000 euros (almost $10,000) were being transported from Romania to Ukraine by truck.

However, customs officers found out during the inspection that it was not parts of the aircraft, but rather the whole aircraft itself in a partially disassembled state.

Read also: Owners of freight carrier accused of attempting to smuggle aircraft engines to Iran

Other parts of the aircraft were found in the truck in addition to the fuselage and wings, namely vertical and horizontal stabilizers with directional and elevation controls, seats, trim, doors, landing gear, onboard equipment (instruments), fairings, parts of the engine exhaust system, etc.

"That is, in fact, the cargo is a (whole) Cessna 182M aircraft, (although) without an engine and separate onboard equipment," the message reads.

Kyiv Customs/Facebook

Kyiv Customs/Facebook

Kyiv Customs/Facebook

Kyiv Customs/Facebook

Kyiv Customs/Facebook

The airplane was seized. Customs drew up a report on violation of customs rules over failure to declare goods and vehicles for commercial use (Art. 472 of the Customs Code).

The smugglers will now face a fine of 100% of the value of the goods, which will also be confiscated.

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Ihor Zhovkva

Read also: Zelenskyys trip to Finland and Netherlands secures additional weapons from allies

According to Zhovkva, the Presidents Office made sure to limit the circle of people in Ukraine who were aware of Zelenskyys potential trip to Germany. He added its impossible to keep the other side in the dark when it comes to planning an official trip, suggesting that German media learned about the plans from a source outside Ukraine.

The official said that few people knew about the head of the Ukrainian presidents recent visit to Finland, and "there was no leak until the moment when the president's plane landed and the first meeting began."

I don't want to comment on the actions of the German side, said Zhovkva, referring to Berlin police launching an investigation into the leak.

To be honest, I'm not interested in how the investigation is going and who 'leaked' this information, but it (the incident) has left a very unpleasant aftertaste.

Read also: Ukrainian, German top military officials discuss maritime coalition

When asked if Zelenskyys visit would be canceled, Zhovkva responded, "When something happens, you'll definitely find out."

Recent German media reports said Zelenskyy will arrive in Berlin on May 13, at the invitation of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The following day, according to journalists, he will head to Aachen to receive the Charlemagne Prize award, before returning to Ukraine.

Read also: Germanys Rheinmetall stands ready to produce 600,000 artillery shells for Ukraine

Kyiv privately signaled disappointment by the disclosure of details about Zelenskyy's visit to Berlin, and is reportedly considering cancelling the president's trip to Germany.

Berlin police said they are investigating the leak of information to the media about the Ukrainian president's plans to visit Berlin.

Read also: Denmark, the Netherlands to transfer 14 Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine

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On May 3, the president visited Finland, and on May 4  the Netherlands. He met with the leadership of the countries and representatives of the International Criminal Court, participated in the Ukraine  Northern Europe summit, and addressed the Dutch parliament.

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Railway police across China launched a high-grade security service in an all-out effort to ensure orderly traffic at railway stations as well as safe and sound train travels during the holiday period, police authorities said on Thursday.

Ample emergency equipment and resources were mobilized in advance, more evacuation areas were set up, and contingency plans were improved in anticipation of rising railway traffic during the holiday, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Railway trips operated safely throughout the May Day holiday, which ran from April 29 to May 3 this year. Between April 28 and May 3, China logged 110 million railway trips, according to the ministry.

As the holiday began, railway police doubled down on efforts to crack down on crimes and violations jeopardizing public order and public security on railway trips.

The police solved a total of 249 criminal cases and 3,018 violations during the holiday, said the ministry.
King Charles on a visit to Tottenham in 2014. The then-prince is pictured speaking to Mehmet and Burcin Akbasak, whose flat was destroyed in the riots. (Getty Images)

Senior Labour shadow minister David Lammy has said he will pledge allegiance to King Charles because of his gratitude for helping his constituency recover from the 2011 riots.

Lammy, the shadow foreign secretary and Tottenham MP, said the then-Prince of Wales visited his area five times in the aftermath of the riots, which he said meant the stigma that can sometimes attach to an area that has riots did not attach to us.

The unrest in 2011 followed the fatal shooting of Mark Duggan by police in Tottenham. What began as a protest against his killing in that part of north London turned into a full-scale riot that spread across London, and other major English cities, over five days. It involved 15,000 people and included looting, with businesses and vehicles set ablaze.

Ahead of the Kings coronation on Saturday, Lammy set out on the BBCs Question Time why he will swear allegiance to the King.

He was there for the community and it meant that the stigma that can sometimes attach to an area that has riots, did not attach to us



Labours David Lammy discusses why he will swear an oath to King Charles III on Saturday#bbcqt https://t.co/RpFOWqMThZ pic.twitter.com/fbzERp3iJ5  BBC Question Time (@bbcquestiontime) May 4, 2023

Let me just tell you why Ill do it, and why I think my constituents will. Back in 2011 when the riots started in my constituency, it was a horrible, horrible time. I was aware it was the second time Tottenham had had riots in a generation [after the 1985 Broadwater Farm riot].

I got phone calls from the then-prime minister David Cameron, the deputy prime minister Nick Clegg, the leader of the opposition Ed Miliband they all came to Tottenham - they never came back.

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This was an open criticism of his colleague Miliband, who now serves in the same shadow cabinet as Lammy.

Lammy went on: I also got a phone call from the Prince of Wales. I asked him if he could come... and I said: Will you come back? He said: Of course. He came back five times. He brought the Princes Trust, he brought the Princes Foundation.

The aftermath of riots in Tottenham in August 2011. (AFP via Getty Images)

He was there for the community and it meant the stigma that can sometimes attach to an area that has riots did not attach to us. For that I am grateful, I think he will make a good King, and thats why I will be swearing allegiance.

The overall riots led to the deaths of five people, and Lammy has previously said they were the darkest, toughest and bleakest days of the 21 years that I have been in public life.

Charless coronation will include the first Homage of the People, a modern addition to the ancient ceremony that will see people across the UK and overseas realms invited to swear an oath of allegiance to Charles.

But its something his close friend, broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, said the King will find abhorrent.

Watch: King to be layered in golden garments for moment of crowning

Dimbleby got to know Charles after writing his official biography in the 1990s and said his thespian side means he has been closely involved in the performance side of the coronation.

He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I can think of nothing that he would find more abhorrent.

Hes never wanted to be revered, hes never wanted  so as far as I know  to have anyone pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke.

Read more: Where are the coronation protests on Saturday?

He wants, I think, to feel that people will share in the event and I dont quite know how this might have happened.

Lambeth Palace last week said the words and actions of the service had been created in consultation with the King, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the government.

Critics have condemned the move, with the pressure group Republic describing the new homage as offensive, tone deaf and a gesture that holds the people in contempt.
Lacey City Council was set to interview six city manager candidates last month when the process unraveled on them, prompting council members to pause the process and seek more information from a consultant.

The council is now set to hear that report in executive session the week of May 10.

During Thursdays council meeting, Mayor Andy Ryder described the report as an in depth assessment of where were at with our current leadership.

The council was set to interview its six finalists in person in early April when two withdrew their names from consideration and another found a new job elsewhere, leaving the council with three candidates. One of the remaining three finalists was dealing with a family emergency and couldnt visit Lacey in person.

Based on that information, the council held an emergency meeting on April 3 and decided to cancel the scheduled interviews.

At that same meeting, council member Ed Kunkel suggested the city hire interim City Manager Rick Walk as the city manager, subject to a six-month and 12-month review process.

This (emergency) meeting was not set up to hire our next city manager but to talk about the interview schedule, Ryder replied.

The councils regularly scheduled meeting April 6 included an executive session. The mayor emerged from it and announced the council was going to take a deeper dive on the process.

He clarified this past Thursday that the assessment might tell the city to start the search over again, or that the city has a great acting city manager.

Ryder has been part of the city manager search committee that includes council members Lenny Greenstein and Robin Vazquez.

Greenstein said Thursday theres no need to rush the process because the city is in a strong position with a great leader in interim manager Walk.

Its far more important to get the right person than the quick person, he said.

The city is trying to replace longtime city manager Scott Spence, who left to take the city managers job in Astoria, Oregon.
TOWN OF ULSTER - Town police on Thursday charged a Lake Katrine man with killing his father.

Police said officers went to a residence on Main Street in the hamlet of Lake Katrine around 3:40 p.m. to perform a welfare check.

Inside the house, officers discovered a dead man later identified as Anthony Roberts, age not available, of Lake Katrine. Police said evidence indicated he was the victim of a homicide, but they have not yet said how he was killed.

Further investigation identified Roberts' son, Brian J. Roberts, 26, also of Lake Katrine, as the suspect, police said.. He was found walking on Neighborhood Road around 4:30 p.m. and taken into custody without incident.

Brian J. Roberts was charged with second-degree murder, a felony. He was arraigned before Ulster Town Justice Kelly Flood-Meyers and sent without bail to Ulster County Jail pending further court action. The name of his attorney was not immediately available.

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Ulster Police Chief Kyle S. Berardi said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the murder.

Town of Ulster police were assisted by Ulster County's district attorney's and sheriff's offices, state police, city of Kingston police, the Kingston/Ulster Emergency Services Unit and the Ruby Fire Department.

Mike Randall covers breaking news for the Times Herald-Record, Poughkeepsie Journal and The Journal News/lohud. Reach him at mrandall@th-record.com or on Twitter @mikerandall845.

This article originally appeared on Times Herald-Record: Lake Katrine man charged with killing father on Thursday
Proud Boys during a December 2020 rally (Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

On 4 May, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys street gang, was found guilty of treason-related charges, alongside three other top figures in the neo-fascist hate group, for their role in encouraging the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6.

The verdict was among the most high-profile convictions in the Justice Departments sprawling prosecution of the riot, in which more than 1,000 people have been charged for their role in the attack intended to halt the certification of the 2020 election results and reinstate Donald Trump.

These defendants saw themselves as Donald Trumps army, fighting to keep their preferred leader in power no matter what the law or the courts had to say about it, Conor Mulroe, a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice, told jurors in closing arguments.

The convictions, which join the successful January 6 prosecutions of other far-right militia leaders from the Oath Keepers, may be a major win for the DoJ, but the Proud Boys remain a violent and influential force in American political life.

The January 6 prosecutions have decapitated the group, but its tactics are now morphing and going after a new target on a local level: LGBTQ+ people. The only thing that remains the same is the synergy, somewhere between official and unofficial, between the right-wing vigilantes and the ideals of the mainstream Republican party.

Formed in 2016 by Vice magazine founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys quickly came to function as the muscle of the American right, instigating street fights across the country at protests while using semi-ironic memes and tactics to spread antisemitic, racist, and misogynist ideals, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes

All the while, the group was steadily accumulating influence, collaborating with other far-right groups like Patriot Prayer, and making violent shows of force, mounting a large presence at the infamous 2017 Charlottesville neo-Nazi demonstration.

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By 2020, the group was closely aligning with Donald Trump, turning out to conspiracy-driven Stop the Steal protests and appearing alongside Trump confidante and adviser Roger Stone, as well as meeting with campaign surrogates, links that were scrutinised by the January 6 committee in Congress.

At the first 2020 presidential debate that September, Mr Trump spoke directly to the group on stage, a moment later seen as a call-to-arms by far-right groups.

Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but Ill tell you what, somebodys got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, Mr Trump said when asked about the far-right. This is a left-wing problem.

Later that year, during riots in Washington, DC, Tarrio burned a Black Lives Matter flag hanging from a historically Black church. Throughout much of 2020, Donald Trump demonised the racial justice movement as thugs and in June stood in front of a Washington church holding a Bible shortly after demonstrators were tear gassed near by to clear the way.

By 2021, the Proud Boys were so emboldened they had allegedly hatched plans to take over Washington.

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio

Prosecutors alleged Tarrio was in possession of a document called 1776 Returns with plans to occupy crucial buildings in Washington, including House and Senate office buildings, on January 6.

We need many people as possible inside these buildings, the document states. These are OUR buildings, they are just renting space. We must show our politicians We the People are in charge.

Proud Boys march at a protest in Colorado on January 6 (Getty Images)

As prosecutors turned up the heat on the Proud Boyss most high-profile figures, and Canadian officials went so far as to designate the gang a terrorist entity, the group fanned out across the US at the local level, threatening LGBTQ+ focused events like drag story hours.

According to extremism researchers, in 2022, the group joined or lead anti-LGTBQ+ protests once a week on average, right as GOP leaders across the country were ratcheting up attacks on the LGBTQ+ community through book bans, smearing opponents as groomers, attacking gender education, and attempting to ban transgender healthcare.

The group has appeared at or threatened events in Ohio, Maryland, and New York in recent months, where brawls have broken out and LGBTQ+ people have been harassed with vulgar insults.

Members of the Proud Boys join protests against a drag queen storytelling event at a public library in New York City. (AFP via Getty Images)

The shift in tactics is a reflection of the groups role as unofficial paramilitary backers of whatever the main Republican priority of the day is.

Chuck Tanner, research director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, told the BBC that the recent attacks on LGBTQ+ people show the Proud Boys acting as "far-right muscle.

"Theyre not the movement thinkers out in front, they chase a lot of issues," he said.

Mr Trump, possibly chastened by the swift and forceful condemnation of his stand by comments, hasnt appeared to directly engage with the Proud Boys as he mounts a 2024 comeback run at the White House.

Perhaps out of legal strategy, or genuine disaffection, Tarrio distanced himself from Trump during the trial, as well.

It was Donald Trumps words. It was his motivation, attorney Nayib Hassan told jurors in closing arguments. It was not Enrique Tarrio. They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald J Trump and those in power.

Still, despite the distance, Donald Trump still regularly touches on violent right-wing ideas in his campaign.

In March, the former president kicked off his run with an appearance in Waco, Texas, the site of an infamous, lethal standoff between federal agents and armed religious sect members 30 years before which galvanised the modern militia movement.

Donald Trump plays footage of January 6 at a recent campaign rally (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Observers said the choice meant, as ever, Donald Trump was playing with fire.

Mr Trump opened the event with a song in tribute to those in prison for the January 6 insurrection, and speakers spoke in violent terms about the government.

Before Mr Trump took the stage, conservative rocker Ted Nugent delivered a guitar solo version of the Star Spangled Banner, but not before asking the crowd for January 6-inspired moment of silence for the political prisoners in the gulags of Washington, DC, because of jackbooted thugs in our own government.

During his remarks, the former president avoided mentioning the standoff itself, but offered scattered warnings of sinister forces, World War III, and an apocalyptic final battle for America.

Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state, he added. Were at a very pivotal point in our country.

The conviction of Tarrio and his associates may be a major blow, but it may not be a fatal one to the Proud Boys, who often carried this violent message to the street and attempted to make it literal.

The Proud Boys reputation will certainly be damaged due to the revelations during the trial and todays convictions, but it wont signal a death blow to the organization, and we expect their local activity to continue, Lindsay Schubiner, director of programs at Western States Center, a civil rights group, told The Wall Street Journal.

Additional reporting by Alex Woodward
Lara Trump, the wife of Eric Trump, has denied that theres a rift among Donald Trumps children.

The former presidents eldest child Ivanka Trump, 41, has taken on separate legal representation from her brothers Eric and Donald Jr.

But Ivankas sister-in-law Lara has claimed that the development hasnt led to a family split.

Mr Trump and his three oldest children  Ivanka, Donald Jr, and Eric  were all named in a $250m civil fraud lawsuit filed last autumn by New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

The lawsuit aims to acquire the repayment of funds from alleged fraudulent operations by the Trump Organization. The suit is also seeking to have all four Trump family members removed from their positions at the enterprise and to ban them from taking on leadership roles in New York state.

Ivanka Trump split from the legal representation she had shared with her siblings, choosing instead to hire lawyer Bennet Moskowitz, Forbes reported last month.

Before her departure, her legal team had asked the judge in the case to delay the trial, claiming that the complaint filed by the state attorney general does not contain a single allegation that Ms. Trump directly or indirectly created, prepared, reviewed or certified any of her fathers financial statements. The complaint affirmatively alleges that other individuals were responsible for those tasks.

The move instead appears to attempt to place the blame on others mentioned in the suit, including her brothers and their father.

But Lara Trump rejected any notion that the development has caused a rift in the family.

I think people are trying to make that a bigger deal than it really is, she told the Daily Mail. Its not common to have to go through all this stuff that my husband and his siblings go through.

Theyve had a series of different attorneys throughout this entire process and it just so happened that Ivanka felt closer to one, she added.

Lara Trump said that all the lawyers working for the Trumps all work as a team. I think that got lost.

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Ivanka Trump has said that she wont play a role in her fathers third campaign for the White House.

While I will always love and support my father, going forward I will do so outside of the political arena, Ms Trump said in a statement in November.

Donald Trump Jr and Eric Trump are still being represented by lawyers Clifford Robert and Michael Farina, according to Newsweek.
WARSAW, Poland  Latvias government this week voted to authorize the acquisition of Naval Strike Missile anti-ship weapons to bolster the countrys Baltic Sea shore defense capacities.

The Cabinet made its decision as the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced the State Department had given its approval to the planned foreign military sale worth about $110 million.

In a statement, the Latvian defense ministry said that Latvias military will acquire critical capabilities related to anti-ship missile systems, mid-range air defense, and artillery about five years earlier than previously planned.

The acquisition of this missile system marks the transition of the armed forces to new defense capabilities with a greater firepower and target destruction range, and it will significantly strengthen the defense of Latvias coast, Latvian Defense Minister Inara Murniece said.

Developed by U.S. Raytheon and Norways Kongsberg, the NSM is a sea-skimming, over-the-horizon missile with a range of roughly 115 miles, according to the manufacturers. Under Latvias acquisition plan, the systems are to be delivered after 2025, according to the ministry.

This year, Riga plans to spend about 987 million, close to $1.1 billion, on its armed forces, or about 2.25% of Latvias GDP.

In addition to the forthcoming NSM purchase, the Latvian ministry also plans to sign a contract to buy six M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, this spring. The other two Baltic States, Estonia and Lithuania, have also signed contracts to purchase HIMARS for their respective militaries since Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Reuters

Far-right activist Laura Loomer owes a pair of Muslim advocacy organizations nearly $125,000 in legal fees. But rather than pay up herself, shes accusing her former lawyer of malpractice and demanding that he pay instead.

Loomer has been banned from multiple social media sites, rideshare apps, and food delivery companies for hate speech. After her ban from Twitter in 2018, Loomer fell for a prank that falsely suggested the Council on American-Islamic Relations had conspired to kick her off the platform. She sued CAIR, unsuccessfully, and was ordered to pay legal fees to the organization and its Florida chapter. Instead, in a Tuesday filing, Loomers attorney Larry Klayman accused her previous attorney Ron Coleman of malpractice, and requested another delay in the case while Loomers new legal team takes action against her old legal team.

The Tuesday filing comes after CAIRs lawyers filed a motion to compel Loomers team to respond to paperwork, which CAIR claimed was long overdue. CAIRs lawyers have made efforts to communicate with [Loomers] counsel, but have received no response, their filing claims.

On Tuesday, Klayman denied that Loomers legal team had acted improperly.

Witnesses Are Too Intimidated to Testify Against Ammon Bundy, Lawyer Says

Plaintiffs are not trying to flout any court process. They have been attempting, through undersigned counsel, to get their previous counsel, Ronald D. Coleman, Esq (Mr. Coleman), from Dhillon Law Group, Inc., to pay any assessed fees as she is of the firm belief that they committed malpractice, Klayman wrote.

He asked the court to delay 45 days because plaintiffs are now forced to bring a claim for malpractice or to interplead them into this instant case.

Coleman, who previously represented Loomer in the lawsuit, attributed the filing to Klaymans penchant for making headlines.

Laura filed a lawsuit that she very much wanted to file, Coleman told The Daily Beast. I think it was a difficult claim, and I think it was, frankly, wrongly decided. She had a meritorious claim. But shes not happy with how it worked out....

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Loomer did not return The Daily Beasts request for comment. (She announced Tuesday on Telegram that she wouldnt speak to media this week, because she hasnt been feeling well lately.) Reached for comment, Klayman declined to comment on the filing.

Im not commenting on that and Im just putting you on notice that your disgusting, leftist hack paper will be sued if you defame [Loomer] or me, Klayman told The Daily Beast. You can quote me on that, goodbye, and you will be sued personally.

Klayman is a longtime figure in conservative and fringe legal circles, known for his aggressive (if not necessarily successful) court filings. Larry Klayman is a pathologically litigious attorney and professional gadfly notorious for suing everyone from Irans Supreme Leader to his own mother, the Southern Poverty Law Centers profile of Klayman reads.

Klayman is currently under an 18-month suspension from practicing law in D.C., after an appellate court found that he had created a conflict of interest by expressing romantic feelings for a woman he was representing in a sexual harassment case. The court found that Klayman had continued to act as the womans lawyer even after she dismissed him. He also received 90-day suspensions from practicing law in 2020 and 2021, over a different conflict of interests.

Klayman previously represented Loomer in a 2018 lawsuit against social media companies from which she had been banned. (The suit was dismissed in court.)

Milo Yiannopoulos Is Back Heading Up Kanyes Political Operations

Loomers lawsuit against CAIR, on which Coleman was previously listed as lead attorney, was similarly unsuccessful. The case began after Loomer was banned from Twitter in 2018 for criticizing Rep. Ilhan Omars Muslim faith. Loomer protested by handcuffing herself to the doors of Twitters New York City offices, a stunt that caught the attention of the left-wing prank group Bernard Media. The group posed as Twitter employees and falsely told Loomer that her ban had come after CAIR lobbied Twitter to suspend her.

When Loomer sued CAIR for the alleged conspiracy in 2019, the civil rights group obtained a written statement from Bernard Medias leader, Nathan Bernard, who admitted to having been behind the hoax. Two months later, in October 2019, CAIR suggested Loomer drop the case for a $1 settlement. Loomer declined and forged ahead with the case.

She lost the case and multiple appeal efforts. The court ordered her to cover CAIRs $124,423.37 legal fees.

The judge in the case appears unconvinced by Loomers efforts to delay the case while she accuses Coleman of malpractice. In a Wednesday order, the judge stated that Loomers malpractice allegations against their counsel are irrelevant to her legal obligations to CAIR.

If Loomers team continues to drag its feet past May 15, they will need to explain why the judge shouldnt impose a civil contempt charge, the judge continued.

Coleman said he blames Klayman, not Loomer, for the filing.

I think hes using [this case] as a vehicle to stay relevant and give the appearance of someone who is still entrusted with legal work as part of the conservative movement, Coleman said. But I certainly hope it doesnt reach the point where she authorizes him to file what would most certainly be a meritless claim against me or anyone I work with.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A new Mansfield Homicide Task Force has been formed to try to find the suspects in four recent, open homicide cases in the city and bring closure to the families, Mansfield police Chief Keith Porch said during a press conference Friday in Mansfield City Council Chambers.

The chief said he has been inundated with calls from citizens asking what they can do to help the police, and vowed that no stone will be left unturned in efforts to solve the recent homicides.

Mansfield police Chief Keith Porch addresses the media Friday morning about recent homicides.

Porch said eight additional members of law enforcement, including five MPD officers will be assigned to work with Mansfield police detectives on the task force with three others from Ontario Police Department, the Shelby Police Department and the Richland County Sheriff's Office. An assistant prosecutor from the Richland County Prosecutor's Office also will aid the task force in the homicide investigations.

"As the chief of police I want to make sure that all four of these open, active investigations are being investigated equally and following each and every tip and lead the division receives," he said. "Yes it is a rare occurance that we have four homicides, three in a relatively short period of time."

He said he is 100% confident people have witnessed the homicides, which he called "targeted attacks," but no one is coming forward to aid police in the investigations.

Tip line: Police need public's help

The tip line phone number is 419-522-7463. Callers can report a tip and remain anonymous.

Two of the four unsolved homicides are possibly related, said Porch, who did not provide details due to the open investigations. "These are theories that have to be solved and proven from the investigative process. The other two appear to be unrelated. Now that scenario could change as detectives uncover more information from witnesses."

Porch said there are theories that the killings are drug related, and that someone was disrespected.

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Mansfield police Lt. Robert Skropits said in response to media questions about who is doing the shootings that he can't be specific as to whether it's local people or people from out of town who are coming here and shooting people.

"The answer to that question is a lot of people move about. So are they originally from here? Do they live somewhere else? Are they traveling back and forth? Yes, yes and yes," Skropits said.

"They all have ties here," Skropits said, saying it is beyond frustrating not getting help from witnesses. He said someone has got to help detectives out, ... We can do as much as we can do. When it comes down to it, a finger has to be pointed and say, 'Yes, I saw that person kill that person."

Lieutenant Robert Skropits speaks about the need for witnesses to help solve recent homicides.

He said four families are grieving and have no resolution, no completeness on the death in their family as to what happened.

"I can't imagine being a family member and knowing that I think somebody out there could help solve that crime," he said.

"We know there are people out there who have seen these homicides happen. Nobody sees nothing. Nobody hears nothing. We can't force them to talk, whether they're scared or whether they're not. If we get these people behind bars there's nothing to be afraid of," Skropits said.

Porch said nobody deserves being killed, whether or not they are involved in the drug trade, and asked that anyone with information to step forward.

Community involvement is necessary to aid the police in these types of investigations, he said. Investigators are aware of conversations on social media.

"We used to have a stronger presence of neighborhood watch in the city of Mansfield so those folks have always been the eyes and ears of the police department and have aided us in different parts of our investigations, and we are at the most serious level when we are talking about homicide investigations," Porch said.

He said when folks report drug activity he can't say enough about how important those tips become.

"I can't emphasize those tips remain the key to unlock the door," Porch said.

5 homicides in Mansfield in 2023

The city has seen five homicides through early May this year, while in 2022 there five homicides for the entire year.

The homicide cases so far this year are:

Nayshawn Lovett, 16, of Mansfield was shot and killed Jan. 3 at the Quality Inn & Suites on 500 N. Trimble Road. The Mansfield police said 31-year-old Monteles Holland was arrested in connection to the boy's murder.

Devonte Jacocks, 26, of Mansfield, was shot and killed March 2 inside the M&S Drive Thru on Springmill St.

Khiren Willis, 22, was shot and killed in the 500 block of West Fourth St. on May 2.

Darrin "Turtle" Marsh, 35, of Columbus, was fatally shot Sunday on Dunbilt Court.

Malcolm Mason, 32, of Mansfield, was fatally shot outside Harwood Apartments Wednesday night.

lwhitmir@gannett.com

419-521-7223

Twitter: @LWhitmir

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield police form Homicide Task Force, add law enforcement to help
North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson (R), who is running for governor, was found to have made several social media posts mocking survivors of the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

A new report from CNNs KFile chronicles several social media posts from Robinson in which he attacked the teenage survivors of the Parkland shooting, where 17 people were killed by a gunman.

In one Facebook post dated just two weeks after the shooting, Robinson called the students protesting spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN who are trying to tell law abiding ADULTS that we must give up our Constitutional RIGHT to own certain weapons.

He also bashed survivor David Hogg, who co-founded the March for Our Lives movement pushing for gun control after the massacre, and others as silly little immature media prosti-tots.

I guess candidates for office who attack kids and school shooting survivors are ALIVE AND KICKING, and trying to work in our government, too, the organization wrote in response.

The group shared a screenshot of one of Robinsons posts alongside his profile picture, adding, Just in case yall forgot what the faces of extremist lawmakers look like right now.

Robinson, who became the states first Black lieutenant governor when he ran in 2020, made the much-anticipated jump into the North Carolina gubernatorial race last month. Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper is barred by the states constitution from seeking a third consecutive term.

The CNN report also found that Robinson, in a 2018 podcast episode, seemed to defend the Ohio National Guards 1970 shooting of student protesters  of whom four were killed  at Kent State University during demonstrations against the U.S. involvement in the Vietnam war.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Serbia saw its second mass shooting in two days, state media reported late Thursday, after a man fired an automatic weapon from a moving car, killing eight people and wounding 14 more in a village south of Belgrade.

Radio Television of Serbia said a suspect, identified by the initials U.B., was arrested near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac. Serbia's interior ministry said the arrest came after an "extensive search."

Mass shootings are extremely rare in Serbia, which has strict gun laws. But the western Balkan country has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe  39.1 firearms per 100 people, according to the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based organization. The U.S. has the highest, with 120.5 guns per 100 people. The western Balkans also have an entrenched gun culture, a legacy of the 1990s wars, which left the region awash with guns.

Thursday's shooting came after a 13-year-old boy used his father's guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade on Wednesday that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard. The incident sent shockwaves through a nation unused to mass murders. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2016, when a man motivated by jealousy shot dead five people, including his wife, and injured another 20 at a Serbian cafe.

Thursday's incident came as authorities moved to tighten Serbia's gun laws in the wake of the shooting earlier in the week. A government proposal included imposing a two-year moratorium on issuing permits for small firearms and a pledge to review all existing weapons permits within three months.

SERBIA SCHOOL SHOOTING: Teenage boy kills 8 children, guard at school in Serbia's first mass shooting in 10 years

GEORGIA SHOOTING: 4 dead after Georgia gunman kills relatives and McDonald's worker, then himself

COLORADO LGBTQ NIGHTCLUB SHOOTING: Colorado governor signs gun laws after mass shooting at Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Serbia: Eight killed in second mass shooting in two days
ROK President Yoon Suk-yeol waves as he arrives to address a joint meeting of Congress in the House Chamber at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, United States, on April 27, 2023. [Photo/VCG]

During his recent speech at the U.S. Congress, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol criticized "false propaganda" and "disinformation." This statement is consistent with President Yoon's stance since taking office, as he frequently mentions "freedom" and "democracy," while linking "false propaganda" and "disinformation" to "value diplomacy." This closely aligns with the diplomatic context of the Biden administration in the United States.



Yoon's diplomatic visit to the United States was welcomed with high honors, but it seems that the issues of national security and development highlighted before his departure by the South Korean newspaper, the JoongAng Daily, were not addressed. For instance, the monitoring of critical South Korean government departments by U.S. intelligence agencies. If the U.S. had not publicly acknowledged the leaked documents' authenticity, South Korea would have considered them "disinformation." Therefore, it appears that the Yoon government perceives "false propaganda" and "disinformation" differently. While his own government is under surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies, Yoon criticized and condemned the use of "false propaganda" and "disinformation" during his speech at the U.S. Congress, which is somewhat ironic.

Ahead of Yoon's U.S. visit, Korean media reported on the scandal involving leaked U.S. documents. This included the National Security Office in South Korea being monitored by the U.S., with conversations of senior officials being recorded, and that under the pressure of the U.S., South Korea may have to provide military assistance to Ukraine. This information had been circulating online for several days.

However, Kim Tae-hyo, the first deputy director of the National Security Office, claimed that most of the leaked information related to South Korea was fake, and that no evidence of malicious surveillance by the U.S. had been found following an investigation. Kim made two statements regarding the U.S. document leak scandal: First, he claimed that the documents were mostly "disinformation," with the part related to South Korea being particularly untrue, as per the definition of "disinformation" by the South Korean government, at least according to the National Security Office. Second, he stated that even if the U.S. was monitoring, it was not malicious. However, the U.S. quickly contradicted Kim, admitting the authenticity of most of the leaked documents and claiming that it would thoroughly investigate the leak, without making any mention of halting its surveillance.

Kim's response was a typical case of "false propaganda," dismissing the fact that the U.S. was monitoring South Korea and portraying it as "non-malicious" in order to prioritize the "value" of U.S.-South Korea relations over the South Korean people's national dignity. South Korean newspaper The Hankyoreh acknowledges that the U.S. has been monitoring South Korean presidents, which is an open secret going back more than 40 years. In the 1970s, the CIA wiretapped then-President Park Chung-hee, with The New York Times disclosing detailed methods, further confirming the eavesdropping. As for whether it is "malicious" or not, that's for Kim and his colleagues to decide. South Korean film "The Man Standing Next" also touched on Americans installing listening devices in the South Korean president's office, with the country's intelligence agencies being completely unaware. The president in the film was indignant, saying: "They're taking us for fools! How dare they bug the president's desk!  Get me the ambassador! Have him kneel before the flag. Korea's pride is on the line!" Compared with Kim's rhetoric, these lines in the film seem to be closer to what South Koreans think. Either Kim falsely peddled the idea of "non-malicious tapping" by the U.S., or the South Korean film falsely peddled the country's indignant stance. One of these must be true.

While South Korea labeled the "leaked documents" as "forged" and false information, the U.S. defined them as "leaks." The difference between the two sides on the same issue speaks for itself. As the perpetrator, the U.S. did not deny eavesdropping, only noting that it would investigate the loopholes in its intelligence system; whereas South Korea, which is the victim in this case, denied the fact of having been harmed, let alone accepted its victim status. The "false propaganda" and "disinformation" that Yoon criticized in his speech to the U.S. Congress in fact match the roles that the two countries play. Of course, his goal was merely to emphasize that the two countries share common values and to avoid any rifts that may cast a shadow over bilateral relations.

In addition to factual errors, President Yoon has changed South Korea's national narrative to a large extent since taking office, which may be a major issue related to the direction of the country's development. Once they deviated from this path, what awaited them was not merely "false propaganda," but also mistakes in strategic narrative. As Yoon noted in his speech to Congress, false propaganda and disinformation are distorting truth and public opinion and threatening democracy and the rule of law. Indeed! However, decisions made without listening to the opinions of the people can have even more catastrophic consequences.

Sun Xingjie is professor at the School of International Relations, Sun Yat-sen University.

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.

If you would like to contribute, please contact us at opinion@china.org.cn.
Left-wing protesters have returned to conservative Supreme Court justices' homes as Democrats target Justice Clarence Thomas over alleged ethical issues.

The activists descended upon Justice Brett Kavanaugh and Justice John Roberts' neighborhood Friday. The protesters appeared to be outside of Kavanaugh's private residence in a short video clip posted to Twitter.

"One, two, three, four: We want ethics on the court," the protesters chant in the video, which then chops between a few moments. Armed security detail appears in the video.

"This is a criminal threat to the safety of Supreme Court justices," Republican Utah Sen. Mike Lee tweeted in reaction to the video. "Why are U.S. Marshals being instructed not to make arrests?"

DEMOCRATS ATTACK CONSERVATIVE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES BUT HAVE LONG IGNORED LIBERAL JUSTICES' ETHICAL ISSUES

U.S. Marshals received instructions to "avoid" apprehending protesters outside of Justices' homes following the leaked Dobbs decision last May despite the actions "clearly violating federal law."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Republican Alaska Sen. Katie Britt exposed the U.S. Marshals Service training protocol in March, which showed that guards had to refrain from arresting protesters at Kavanaugh's home.

The Marshals at his residence reportedly had to "avoid, unless absolutely necessary, criminal enforcement action involving the protest or protesters, particularly on public space."

REPORT ON CLARENCE THOMAS' TRAVEL HABITS IS 'POLITICS PLAIN AND SIMPLE': EXPERT

Democrats have attacked Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas over his ties to GOP mega-donor Harlan Crow.

The discovery has since snowballed into an investigation as Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan recently opened a probe into the matter.

"It's actually a crime to protest in front of a judge's home with the intent to change a decision, to impact a pending matter in front of the court. And obviously, that's what they were doing after the leak came out," Jordan said, referring to the demonstrations after the leaked Dobbs decision.

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"The training materials provided to the U.S. Marshals strongly suggest that the Biden Administration is continuing to weaponize federal law enforcement agencies for partisan purposes," Jordan wrote in a letter to U.S. Marshals Service Director Ronald L. Davis, which was first obtained by The Hill, after Britt's discovery.

The activists' current protest follows Democratic lawmakers targeting Justice Clarence Thomas over ethical issues. The criticisms stemmed from a ProPublica report showing he had received gifts from Republican mega-donor Harlan Crow and did not report them. Thomas' defenders say he has complied with the court's reporting guidelines.

Democratic Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse went as far as to call for a Justice Department investigation into the matter.

DEMOCRATS PRESS SUPREME COURT CHIEF JUSTICE TO INVESTIGATE CLARENCE THOMAS' TRIPS WITH GOP MEGADONOR

CHEVY CHASE, MD - Protesters march past Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaughs home on June 8, 2022 in Chevy Chase, Maryland. An armed man was arrested near Kavanaughs home.

Thomas, however, has had defenders, including former liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.

"As far as I'm concerned, I sat next to him on the bench for 28 years. I like him. He's a friend of mine. I've never seen him do anything underhanded or say anything underhanded," Breyer said, according to Bloomberg Law.
Rebelde reboot

In 2022, Netflix rebooted Rebelde as a new and more modern TV series adaptation of the hit Mexican telenovela.

This new Rebelde reboot featured a queer character, Luka Colucci, played by actor Franco Masini. In the story, Luka was showcased as a snobby high schooler from Argentina who was outed as gay by Jana Gandia Cohen (played by Azul Guaita).

Unfortunately, this new Rebelde series has now been canceled by Netflix after just two seasons. Sergio Mayer Mori, who played Esteban Torres on the show, revealed this cancelation news during an interview with Hola Mexico.

It would be an honor for me to be able to do a third, fourth, and fifth [season of Rebelde], but that was no longer possible, Mori told the publication. It was Netflix. The producers told us, Thanks for everything, guys. But a third season is no longer happening.

When asked to elaborate on the reasons why Rebelde had been canceled, Mori replied: I have no idea why. It was definitely not my decision.

Rebelde is the second cancelation of a Spanish-speaking LGBTQ+ show on Netflix this week alone, following the cancelation of Smiley earlier in the week. With that said, it should be noted that Rebelde was a Mexican production, whereas Smiley was a Spanish production, so they arent connected by country of origin.

In the meantime, certain Spanish-speaking LGBTQ+ shows continue to thrive on Netflix, with a seventh season of Elite currently on the way.

The two first seasons of Rebelde are available for streaming on Netflix.
A man sells newspapers with headlines featuring the recent presidential elections on December 29, 2017 on a roadside in Monrovia.

Liberia has seen a growth in the media sector since the mid-2000s, helped by the country's political stability that flourished in the aftermath of its civil war.

However, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) says that attacks on journalists continue. While the constitution provides for freedom of speech and the press, these rights are sometimes restricted in practice.

NGO Freedom House says that President Weah has previously taken an adversarial stance toward some media outlets, "denouncing 'fake news' that purportedly threatened national stability".

Though the 2019 Press Freedom Act effectively decriminalized libel, sedition and criminal malevolence, defamation remains a civil offence. Self-censorship is fairly widespread.

Low literacy rates and distribution problems place limits on newspaper readership. Around a dozen titles publish regularly.

Most media outlets are not self-sustaining and rely on government advertising or support from politicians and international donors, says Freedom House.

There are more than 40 newspapers and magazines, and some 130 radio station - radio is the main news source. There are a few TV stations, including a network run by state broadcaster LBS.

BBC World Service broadcasts in Monrovia on 103.1 FM.

There were 784,000 internet users by December 2021, comprising 14% of the population (Internetworldstats.com).

Press

Television

Clar TV - private

Power TV - private

DC TV - private

Real TV - private

Liberian Broadcasting System (LBS) - state-owned

Radio
The Bauer family, Trish, Josh and Lilly, hugs its rescued 12-year-old German shepherd named Cooper at Wildwood Park in San Bernardino. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Trish Bauer was scrolling on Instagram one sleepless night in December when she came across a post from a dog rescue page that made her pause.

A 12-year-old, 90-pound German shepherd with kind eyes appeared in a video, and the dog named Wilbur was going to be euthanized if he didnt find a home soon.

Bauer, who had given birth to a stillborn baby in February 2022, felt a pang when she read the text below the dog in the video: "I need someone to save me right now or else I'll be put to sleep."

Something about his eyes just called to me, Bauer said. He was so defeated, and I knew that same feeling, like life had just given up on him.

Without hesitation, she commented on the post by FurryTail Endings, offering to foster Wilbur for a day in her San Bernardino home, if other offers fell through. I told myself I was freaking crazy for even commenting because I was terrified of dogs, Bauer said.

The next morning, she woke up to an Instagram message from the rescue that said all the other offers had fallen through, and if no one picked up the German shepherd, hed be put down in 30 minutes.

Bauer and her very surprised 10-year-old daughter Lilly were soon on their way to the Western Riverside County/City Animal Shelter in Jurupa Valley to pick up Wilbur.

I literally took a cat leash to get this 90-pound dog, Bauer said. My daughter really thought I lost my mind.

Josh Bauer and his wife, Trish, and their 10-year-old daughter Lilly walk Cooper around at Wildwood Park. Trish and Lilly say they used to be terrified of dogs before adopting Cooper. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Lilly was born with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing sarcoma. She was cancer-free just before her first birthday, but it took several years for her immune system to recover and allow her to be around animals.

Within the last few years, the family has fostered more than 250 kittens, but a 90-pound dog was a whole different animal.

When they arrived at the shelter, they were told that Wilbur was three dogs away from being put down. Wilbur walked over to Lilly, gently put his head in her hands and licked her.

I love dogs, but I've always been scared of them, Lilly said. But with [him], it's just like a whole nother world. It's like he's from another dimension. He's old, but he has such a great and big heart.

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The Bauers left the shelter with Wilbur  and five other puppies that were soon adopted.

After his stay at the Bauer home, Wilbur was sent to a new foster family that had three other dogs. Just a day later, on Christmas Day, Bauer received a call that one of the dogs at Wilbur's new home was being aggressive toward him.

Bauer and her husband, Josh Bauer, decided to go get Wilbur. They renamed him Cooper and made him a permanent member of the family.

We knew that we could not let this dog be put down just because nobody had loved him, Trish Bauer said.

"Days when I'm depressed or sad thinking about the past year, he's always there to cheer me up," Josh Bauer says of Cooper, the German shepherd the family rescued. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

But the difficulties didnt end there. A veterinarian found a cancerous tumor in Cooper's neck. And just like that, the Bauers were again supporting a loved one fighting cancer.

Most people would be terrified, but for me, it was the biggest sign that this dog was meant to be in our lives, Trish Bauer said. For the last 10 years, all that our family has known is how to fight cancer. Without us agreeing to fight for him and be his family, he had no chance.

Cooper was not healthy enough for surgery. The vets found markings on his mouth, teeth and paws, as if he had been in a lot of fights, Bauer said. He might have been on the streets for about five years. The vets said he would need two months to gain 10 pounds and become stronger.

Cooper began accompanying Bauer, a photographer, to Laguna Beach, Joshua Tree and snowy mountains. Three weeks and 20 pounds later, he was cleared for surgery.

After the procedure, Cooper, with his 42 stitches, shrugged himself off the leash from the tech and ran all the way down the hall to us, Bauer said.

In that moment, we all knew that he was more than a rescue, she added.

A month later, the vet called to tell the family that Cooper was cancer-free. The Bauers officially adopted Cooper on Feb. 11, exactly one year after Trish Bauer lost her baby daughter, Millie.

Days when Im depressed or sad thinking about the past year, he's always there to cheer me up, Josh Bauer said of Cooper. He's the best friend I've needed, and it makes me want to get out of the house, take him on walks and just live every day to its fullest.

The Bauers are expecting to add another member to the family: a miracle baby boy.

Trish Bauer said she's about three months pregnant  and very lucky. Doctors discovered two blood clots in her brain, just in time to prevent a stroke.

She's on bed rest right now. She's OK with that as Cooper has become her right-hand man, cuddling the foster kittens while her health improves.

Now he has the start to a beautiful remainder of his life, Bauer said.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, leaves after attending the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral during the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations on June 3, 2022 (Getty Images)

In the mere five years since she married into the British royal family in 2018, Meghan Markle went from the small screen to one of the most recognised women in the world. The actor-turned-royals arrival on the scene proved to be explosive, in more than one sense of the word. Together with her husband, Prince Harry, Meghan has caused wave after wave both inside the royal family and outside of it.

But long before she became the subject of intense media scrutiny, Meghans beginnings were relatively humble. Born to Thomas Markle Sr, an Emmy-award winning TV lighting director and director of photography and makeup artist Doria Ragland in 1981, Meghans family was firmly middle class  worlds away from the highborn status of her future husband. Her mother is African-American while her father is white, and she identifies as half-black and half-white.

Her parents separated when she was two years old, but they continued to co-parent her. Doria described her daughter as a very congenial child who was always making friends and very empathic very mature. Meghan has said she would live with her mother during the week and spend the weekends with her father, and that she was a daddys girl my whole life.

Through Thomas, Meghan had an older half-sister Samantha and half-brother Thomas Jr. They are 17 and 15 years older than Meghan respectively. Her relationship with them is not a close one, as she told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that she was an only child and saw Samantha only a handful of times. Meanwhile, Samantha claimed that she practically raised Meghan  which the duchess countered in her and Harrys Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan last year when she said: I dont know your name. I dont know your birthday. Youre telling these people you raised me, and you coined me Princess Pushy? Meghan is currently estranged from her father and siblings, but remains close to her mother.

Meghans interest in social justice and feminism began when she was a child. At age 11, she and her classmates wrote to Procter & Gamble to request that they change the slogan for one of their dishwashing soap commercials that was targeted exclusively at women. In an interview with Nick News at the time, Meghan said she did not think it was right for children to grow up believing mothers should be the only ones doing housework. Her letter led to the company altering their slogan from women to people.

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As a teenager, her humanitarian work continued. She volunteered at a soup kitchen in Skid Row in Los Angeles, a neighbourhood known for its concentrated homeless population. After getting into Northwestern University in Illinois, she volunteered for the Glass Slipper Project, a charitable prom organisation in the US that provides prom dresses and accessories to those who cant afford to buy them. She later interned as a junior press officer at the US embassy in Buenos Aires, but did not progress any higher up in the US State Department. Instead, she followed in her fathers footsteps and entered showbiz.

Her acting career started with brief appearances and cameos on the small screen, on shows like CSI: NY and Century City. She also did a number of modelling and contract acting jobs; from 2006 to 2007, she appeared as a briefcase girl on the US version of Deal or No Deal. She later said she left the show because she didnt like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. Later, she made it to the big screen, but her roles continued to be small in 2010s Get Him to the Greek and 2011s Horrible Bosses.

She finally got her big break with Suits, a hit legal drama that spanned nine seasons. In it, she played Rachel Zane, a paralegal who achieves her ambition of becoming an attorney and has a romantic relationship with the main character, Mike Ross (played by Patrick J Adams). She appeared in 108 episodes of show, leaving at the end of the seventh series, which aired in 2018.

(L-R) Rick Hoffman, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres and Gabriel Macht of Suits attend USA Network and Mr Porter.com Present A Suits Story on June 12, 2012 (Getty)

Meghan first met Prince Harry in person on a blind date after being set up by a mutual friend in 2016, but they had been corresponding over Instagram beforehand. Meghan recalled that Harry was late to their date, which almost put her off  but the prince won her over after he arrived as a hot, sweaty red ball of mess who was genuinely so embarrassed and late.

The couples love story is known far and wide. Meghan and Harrys fairytale wedding in May 2018 took place at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle and they were conferred the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Across the UK, the press gushed over the handsome couple, with the Sunday Times calling the wedding a great British occasion and the Sun on Sunday hailing it as a historic change for monarchy. Meghan is believed to have become the first woman of colour to marry into the British royal family since at least the 18th century.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave from the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession on the Long Walk as they head back towards Windsor Castle in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

But the press infatuation with the couple soured quickly, and has become the source of Meghan and Harrys main grievances. Even before they were married, Meghan came under intense scrutiny and was subjected to headlines like the Daily Mails (Almost) Straight Outta Compton story, which has been widely criticised for being racist. But following the wedding, things took a turn for the worse and the couple have claimed that Buckingham Palace was briefing the press against them by leaking and planting negative stories about Meghan to distract from less favourable coverage about other royals.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended first Trooping the Colour together in 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2019, during the couples tour of South Africa, Meghan hinted at the tensions between her and the rest of the royal family. She told ITV journalist Tom Bradby that her friends had warned her British tabloids would destroy your life, but she had no idea the extent of it. She added that she never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And thats the part thats really hard to reconcile. Things came to a head in 2020 when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back as senior royals and would be moving to the US.

Harry and Meghan announced thry were stepping back as senior royals in 2020 (Getty)

Since then, the couple have had two children  Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet  and have settled into life in Montecito, California. Despite no longer playing a prominent role in the royal family, the couple has continued to send shockwaves through it. Their explosive interview with Oprah in 2021 revealed a number of bombshells, including accusations of racism or unconscious bias and a lack of care for Meghans suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant with Archie. The interview has caused division among royal watchers, with half fiercely defending the royals and the other half rooting for the Sussexes.

Today, Meghan continues to be a hot topic for the very same press she and Harry deride. Despite the couples continued calls for privacy, the public interest remains substantial and every move they make is put under a microscope. But, as a recent statement put out by her team suggests, Meghan is going about her life in the present and will continue with her humanitarian and media work as she sees fit.
The fifth week of Lori Vallow Daybells criminal trial is wrapping up, and conversations about setting a date for her husband and co-conspirators trial have begun.

Lori and Chad Daybell have been charged with the first-degree murder of two of Vallow Daybells children: 7-year-old Joshua Jaxon JJ Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan.

To be convicted of the first-degree murder charges, the jury will need to conclude that they killed, encouraged or commanded someone else to kill Vallow Daybells children.

The Daybells are also accused of conspiring to murder Tammy Daybell  Chad Daybells first wife  along with the children.

Chad and Lori  who had a months-long affair  got married on a Hawaii beach two weeks after Tammy Daybells body was buried in a Utah cemetery, according to witnesses throughout the trial.

Vallow Daybells trial, at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise, began in early April and could last another three weeks. A trial date hasnt been set for Chad Daybell  also charged with first-degree murder in Tammy Daybells death by asphyxiation  but its possible his trial could occur in June 2024.

Lori Vallow Daybells case spans 3 states, 4 deaths. Here are the key people involved

Authorities said they believe Vallow Daybells brother Alex Cox also conspired to kill JJ, Tylee and Tammy Daybell, according to the indictment filed by prosecution teams from Madison and Fremont counties.

Cox died of natural causes in 2019. Vallow Daybell also faces a felony charge for allegedly conspiring to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, with her brother.

Former FBI Special Agent Douglas Hart has been called to the stand as the first witness of the day. The prosecution said Thursday they expect his testimony to be lengthy.

The trial is expected to wrap up around noon Friday.

10:30 a.m.  Text messages between Daybells presented in court

It took Vallow Daybell over a day to inform Charles Vallows biological sons their father had died.

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Hi boys. I have very sad news, Lori Vallow texted Charles Vallows sons in the late afternoon of July 12, 2019. Your dad passed away yesterday. Im working on making arrangements and Ill keep you informed on whats going on. Im still not sure how to handle things. Just want you to know that I love you and so did your dad!!

One of the sons responded by asking what happened, and Vallow Daybell said they were still waiting for the medical examiners report. Charles Vallow was shot and killed by Cox, Vallow Daybells brother, in the early morning of July 11, 2019.

Lori ... you cant just tell us our dad died and disappear, one of Charles Vallows sons texted Vallow Daybell back roughly two hours after the initial text. Youre not too busy to just let us know he died and disappear.

Three days later, Vallow Daybell still hadnt texted the boys any details about what happened to their father. The entire text message exchange wasnt published in court Friday, but East Idaho News previously reported on the entirety of the text messages.

These were just a few of the roughly 4,500 text messages Hart reviewed as a part of his investigation, he said Friday. Hart obtained access to Lori Daybells iCloud accounts and searched for any content between October 2018 to November 2019  from around the time the Daybells met to around the time law enforcement began looking for the children.

When the prosecution asked Hart whether he found any evidence of remorse in Vallow Daybells texts regarding the death of Charles Vallow, Hart said, None.

The prosecution also published additional text messages  which Hart reviewed  in the days leading up to Charles Vallows death and in the days after. Roughly 36 hours before Charles Vallow was killed, Vallow Daybell texted her brother, asking him to stay close to her and their niece Melani Pawlowski for the next couple of days. Throughout the trial, witnesses have characterized Cox as Vallow Daybells protector.

In the text, Vallow Daybell also told Charles that its all coming to a head this week. The next night, on July 10, 2019, Vallow Daybell told Pawlowski by text that Cox was at the house, and that Charles will be over in the morning  that was when he was shot and killed.

The defense pointed out during Harts testimony that Hart wasnt showing the entire text exchange. But Hart responded, when questioned by the defense, that there were simply too many texts so he chose messages he felt were relevant.

Just days after Charles Vallow was killed, several text messages between the Daybells showed them discussing plans for Chad Daybell to visit Arizona and their love for each other.

On July 13, 2019, Chad Daybell texted Vallow Daybell that he said he believed Tammy Daybell would be dead by July 23, 2019, and that he could be with Vallow Daybell after he dealt with all the hoopla. Several people said Chad Daybell had told them he had a vision Tammy Daybell would die before she turned 50, according to Harts testimony. Tammy was 49 years old when she was killed.

I need so badly to just gently kiss you  for hours, Chad Daybell texted Vallow Daybell in another string of text messages before Tammys death. It would likely lead to other activities.

Likely or luckily? Vallow Daybell texted back.

It would LUCKILY lead to nakedness, Chad Daybell responded.

Before the text messages were presented to the courtroom, Hart said he reviewed several communications between the Daybells that he felt were relevant to Tylee and JJs deaths. When asked by the prosecution how it was relevant, Hart responded that the Daybells discussed their deaths. Those text messages werent admitted Friday, but Hart is expected to continue testifying Monday.

Hart also said that Chad Daybell characterized Tammy Daybell, Charles Vallow and the children as obstacles. Court adjourned for the weekend at 11:55 a.m.

9:30 a.m.  FBI special agent at scene when childrens bodies were found

Hart, who currently works as the chief deputy for the Canyon County Sheriffs Office, said he contacted the FBIs Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team regarding the disappearance of JJ and Tylee.

But Hart said that since the children had been missing for a while before police were contacted, the FBIs unit wasnt going to be of any assistance because the unit typically responds to immediate missing children cases. He added that law enforcement knew very quickly Vallow Daybell had lied to the police about the childrens disappearance.

Police also received help from the FBIs Behavioral Analysis Unit.

Hart said he was at the scene at Chad Daybells property when the childrens remains were located and searched the backyard for any mounds, signs of depression in the ground, or areas where the grass was different.

When youre looking for a clandestine grave, there are certain tell-tale signs, Hart said.
There is a growing epidemic the country needs to worry about, and its only going to get worse if we dont take action, the U.S. surgeon general says.

Loneliness and isolation are on the rise in the U.S., and its quickly turning into a crisis  with roughly half of adults saying theyve recently experienced loneliness, according to Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthys 2023 advisory.

When I first took office as Surgeon General in 2014, I didnt view loneliness as a public health concern, he said in his advisory.

It wasnt until he traveled across the country to hear Americans share their stories of feeling isolated, invisible, and insignificant that he realized social disconnection was far more common than he had realized.

The loneliness crisis

Though the COVID-19 pandemic brought out feelings of isolation and loneliness in many, they were already on the rise.

The two make up this national issue of disconnectedness, and though they are related, they do not mean quite the same thing. Social isolation is defined by having few relationships and lack of social interaction, whereas loneliness is an internal state.

A 2022 study cited by the advisory showed that only 39% of Americans felt like they were connected to others emotionally. The study showed that with this increase in lack of social connection to others, there was also an increase in loneliness.

The two factors are shown to be more widespread than many of the other major health issues of our day, including smoking, diabetes, and obesity, the advisory says.

An increase in technology use, lack of community involvement and decline in personal participation in social interaction can partially be behind the rise in loneliness throughout the country.

Why social connection matters

Its simple. People who feel connected to others seem to live longer. Recent data spanning 148 studies has shown that individuals with a higher level of social connection have increased their odds of survival by 50%.

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Social connection influences health through three main pathways: biology, psychology and behavior.

The biology as in hormones, genes and inflammation; psychological as in having purpose and hopefulness; and behaviors like exercise, sleep and nutrition.

So how can adequate social interaction help a person with these three health factors?

Social connection affects the biological pathway by showing up early in life and contributing to risk and protection from disease along the way.

The psychological pathway is affected by social relationships and by giving a person motivation in their life.

Behavior can be affected directly through social influence by loved ones words of encouragement or following by example, like being more physically active if your friends work out.

Lack of social connection, on the other hand, is a risk factor for deaths caused by disease, the advisory says. Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, hypertension, depression, infectious disease, anxiety and reduced cognitive function are all possible results.

A weakened immune system caused by less social interaction may increase a persons chance of developing an infectious disease. A study done during the COVID-19 pandemic showed a lack of social connection with neighbors and resultant loneliness was associated with weaker antibody responses to the vaccine.

Ways to improve social connection

The advisory suggests designing a communal environment that helps build social connection through programs and institutes that bring people together.

From a government perspective, policies should be put in place to minimize harm from disconnection, Murthy says. Additionally, he says health care providers should be thoroughly trained on the topic and increase tracking of disconnection in communities.

The surgeon general also advises that because digital environments may be a cause of loneliness and lack of social connection, companies need to provide more data transparency so officials can more broadly understand how technology affects disconnection. He also says those companies need to increase safety standards to protect users.

For the nation to combat this epidemic, there needs to be a sense of public awareness and more research funding on the topic, Murthy says. He suggests gathering researchers, health professionals and policymakers to make a national agenda to address the issue.

Overall, he says the most important way to cultivate is something people can do in their everyday lives. He says individuals need a new sense of social connection and to build a culture of connection through acts of service, being kind, respecting one another, and having these conversations in schools and workplaces.

The surgeon general urges the public to act now because our future depends on what we do today.

Answer that phone call from a friend. Make time to share a meal. Listen without the distraction of your phone, he said. Perform an act of service. Express yourself authentically. The keys to human connection are simple, but extraordinarily powerful.

If you or someone you know need help, you can contact the NAMI HelpLine. The National Alliance on Mental Illness offers a free, nationwide peer-support service providing information, resource referrals and support to people living with a mental health condition, their family members and caregivers, mental health providers and the public. You can call 1-800-950-6264 or text "HelpLine" to 62640 each Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET.

If you need immediate help in a crisis, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Washington, DC, is loneliest city in US, study says. Which other cities made the list?

Lonely while working from home? Here are expert tips to keep you happy and productive

Americans are already lonely. Could coronavirus isolation make it worse?
Twitter CEO Elon Musk speaks at the

Twitter CEO Elon Musk speaks at the "Twitter 2.0: From Conversations to Partnerships," marketing conference in Miami Beach, Florida, on April 18.

A new week, a new arbitrary dictate from Elon Musk.

The Twitter CEO has laid out rules for his company like theyre the Starship rocket: Here one second, gone the next.

This time, the government-subsidized billionaire has threatened to give National Public Radios Twitter handle to another company because NPR has stopped tweeting  the result of NPR protesting another Musk whim, namely, him falsely labeling the company state-affiliated and government-funded.

But once again, Musk is making up the rules as he goes. Our policy is to recycle handles that are definitively dormant, he told NPR in an email. Thats different from Twitters actual written policy, which states that inactivity is based on logging in, not tweeting. (That policy itself was also recently changed from requiring users to log in every 6 months to every 30 days.)

Elon Musk displaying classic scam behavior, announcing a steady stream of changes to Twitter at a pace just fast enough to make sure most of his fans dont take a minute to pause and reflect on how bad hes failing at the prior plans, digital researcher Jared Holt observed recently. Or as TechCrunch put it, Welcome to Elon Musks Twitter, where the rules are made up and the check marks dont matter.

Musks Twitter regime  now just over six months old  is a string of broken promises and ignored rules. Here are a few of the most significant flip-flops.

Buying Twitter In The First Place

Musk committed his first reversal before he even owned the company  initiating a series of panicked attempts to get out of his binding purchase offer.

In April 2022, after becoming a significant shareholder in Twitter, Musk agreed to buy the company for a surprisingly high $44 billion, or $54.20 a share, saying Twitter had tremendous potential. We believe it is the best path forward for Twitters stockholders, said Brett Taylor, then Twitters board chair.

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The era of good feelings didnt last long, as signs emerged of Musk attempting to sabotage the deal. In May, he said the transaction was on hold, and in June, he threatened to walk away from the deal. In July, he attempted to cancel the deal altogether, claiming Twitter had withheld information on the prevalence of fake or spam accounts on the platform, an allegation the company denied.

Twitter, for its part, pointed out that Musk waived due diligence before making his purchase offer. Ultimately, the company had to sue to force the sale, saying in their complaint that From the outset, defendants information requests were designed to try to tank the deal. Last month, Musk acknowledged to the BBC that he was trying to get out of the deal, and only went through with the purchase because he believed he would be legally required to do so.

The same pattern played out before the ownership struggle, over a board seat. After the revelation last April that Musk had purchased a 9% stake in Twitter, then-CEO Parag Agrawal announced, Im excited to share that were appointing @elonmusk to our board! Just a few days later, Agrawal announced that Musk had decided to skip the board seat. I believe this is for the best, Agrawal said, before warning of distractions ahead.

Working With Civil Rights Groups

Musks failure to keep his promises extended to Twitters extremism policy.

Musk initially said that he would work with a panel of civil rights leaders and others to vet the potential return of accounts that had been banned by previous management for rules violations.

Twitter will not allow anyone who was de-platformed for violating Twitter rules back on platform until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks, he said in early November last year. Twitters content moderation council will include representatives with widely divergent views, which will certainly include the civil rights community and groups who face hate-fueled violence.

Instead, Musk acted unilaterally to reinstate not just former President Donald Trumps account, but a slew of toxic bigots and online harassers, declaring a policy of amnesty.

Musk claimed to have abandoned the content moderation council because a large coalition of political/social activist groups had broken a deal not to try and starve Twitter of advertising revenue. (Activists disagreed.)

Right-wing extremists on Twitter  including multiple white supremacists  subsequently benefited from both Musks lax anti-extremism enforcement as well as his policy of liberally distributing blue check marks to anyone with a few dollars to spare.

One account that had been suspendedprior to Musks Twitter ownership, Racial Consciousness, bragged to its followers last month that it had been verified. The account, which had nearly 64,000 followers, described itself as a National Socialist and published posts including an audio narration of Adolf Hitlers Mein Kampf set against a video montage of rats. It has since been suspended again.

Such voices may benefit from Twitters megaphone: The Washington Post reported in March that Twitters algorithm amplified far-right voices into the timelines of several experimental accounts the paper created to test the websites hate speech policy  despite Musks pledge in November that New Twitter policy is freedom of speech, but not freedom of reach.

Manually Authenticating Twitter Blue Accounts

As soon as Musks first paid Twitter Blue check marks hit the internet in November, observers quickly realized he was letting anyone buy what used to be known as a verification check for $8, without any actual ... verification. Cue the influx of fraud accounts, such as one that prompted a momentary panic in drugmaker Eli Lillys stock price after More Perfect Union senior writer Sean Morrow made an account impersonating the company and said that insulin would now be free.

Musk paused the program, saying that the relaunched program would only give users a coveted check after they were manually authenticated. A few days later, Twitters corporate account referred to this simply as being reviewed. Nevertheless, fake accounts continued to proliferate: In January, a Washington Post tech columnist successfully impersonated Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.)  the columnists second time impersonating the senator  and published an article about it before Twitter noticed.

Now, Twitter Blue users have to provide a verified phone number and be approved. But fraudulent accounts still abound. Last month, a fake account purporting to represent the Rapid Support Forces  the Sudanese paramilitary group  falsely announced that the groups leader had died of injuries sustained in battle. The fraudulent account had a Twitter Blue check mark, while the groups real account did not, a fact that has since changed. According to Twitters public numbers, the false tweet was viewed 1 million times, Vice reported.

Separately, Twitter gave the satire account @DisneyJuniorUK a gold check mark, falsely marking it as an official organization.

Someone fucking pinch me or something, the account wrote shortly before being suspended. Around the same time, fake accounts purporting to be Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and the Chicago and Illinois departments of transportation claimed that a major expressway in the city would be officially closed to private vehicles. Again, fake.

The False Endorsement Fiasco

After initially promising in February that Legacy blue checks will be removed soon, Musk instead dragged his feet and blurred the lines between legacy verified accounts and Twitter Blue subscribers, attaching notes to users check marks that stated, This account is verified because its subscribed to Twitter Blue or is a legacy verified account. This effectively erased the last remaining indicator differentiating notable figures from paying users.

Musk finally pulled the trigger on in April, taking the verification badges off of the accounts of journalists and celebrities whose identities had been verified under the old regime (including all HuffPost reporters) and keeping them on paid accounts.

Except, not so fast: Not only did Musk assign blue check marks to celebrity accounts who werent paying for Twitter Blue  including deceased celebrities like Chadwick Boseman and Norm Macdonald  the check marks also falsely indicated that these celebrities were, in fact, paying customers of Musks. This account is verified because they are subscribed to Twitter Blue and verified their phone number, the badges falsely read.

Some legal scholars wonderedaloud whether Musk could face a false endorsement lawsuit from the likes of author Stephen King or other Musk critics who objected to the false implication that they supported the new Twitter CEOs product. This week, Musk changed course yet again. Now, check marks simply report, This account is verified.

Committing To Free Speech

Of course, these examples are just a handful among many. Musk breaks promises large and small  like his failed pledge to make major decisions by public poll, his unrealistic timelines for sharing revenue with creators, and, yes, his unfulfilled promise to step down as CEO.

But his grandest abdication has been on the issue of free speech  ostensibly the main reason he bought the platform in the first place.

A year ago, soon after Musk and Twitter reached a deal that would ultimately result in Musk owning Twitter (see above), Musk wrote, The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all, and added, I am against censorship that goes far beyond the law.

But despite branding himself a free speech absolutist, Musk has been anything but as Twitter CEO.

Musks tenure has included restrictions on interacting with links to Twitter competitor Substack and suspending journalists and coders who posted about an apparent sore spot for Musk: publicly available information regarding the movements of his private jet.

Twitter also bent to the will of the Indian government and blocked a BBC film about Prime Minister Narendra Modi. When asked about the activity, Musk claimed ignorance, saying he was not aware of this particular situation. (To be fair: YouTube also complied with the Indian governments orders and took down the documentary in India, though that company said it was responding to copyright claims.

Musks seemingly conditional view of free speech works in the other direction, as well: In March, Platformer reported that for months, Twitter had maintained a list of around 35 VIP accounts for which it offered increased visibility on Twitter, alongside Musk. And Twitter now explicitly offers paid Twitter Blue subscribers prioritized rankings in conversations and search.

One of Musks core promises is that Twitter can make a profit. The natural potential here for Twitter revenue is gigantic, he said in March, adding that he thinks the company can be cash-flow positive in this fiscal quarter.

But he also took on massive debt servicing costs to complete the deal, and revenue tumbled during his first chaotic months. If Musk cant keep his promise of profitability, it may be his last failure atop the company when those debt costs come due.

Related...
By Farouq Suleiman

LONDON (Reuters) - Heavy bursts of rain could dampen King Charles' coronation celebrations in London on Saturday, according to Britain's Met Office forecaster.

Rain is likely to hit the capital from mid-morning, Chief Meteorologist Matthew Lehnert said.

Charles is due to leave Buckingham Palace and travel along a mile-long ceremonial procession through the capital before the coronation ceremony at 1000 GMT.

Royal fans have already begun camping out along the route and crowds of visitors from around the world are expected to come out on the day to catch a glimpse of the king.

The coronation ceremony, which dates back 1,000 years, kicks off a weekend-long series of outdoor events, including a concert at Windsor Castle and street parties across the country.

Bad weather could also affect plans for a flypast of military aircraft. The Ministry of Defence said visibility and cloud conditions would need to be met, but if necessary the plans could be slimmed down. Cancellation would be a last resort, an MoD spokesperson said.

If it does rain on his parade, Charles will not be alone: the last two monarchs endured wet weather on their big day according to Met Office data.

The coronation of Queen Elizabeth in June 1953 saw "light rain throughout the day" while 8.2 millimetres (0.32 inches) of rain fell during George VI's 1937 crowning.

(Reporting by Farouq Suleiman; additional reporting by Kylie MacLellan, editing by William James and Janet Lawrence)
A newspaper pressman weeks from retiring was killed in a head-on crash while leaving work, according to Pennsylvania police and media reports.

The crash happened around 1:15 a.m. Thursday, May 4, in Franklin Township, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

A Honda CRV being driven by a 24-year-old woman crossed the center line, striking the Toyota Camry operated by 65-year-old James Barge, state police said. Barge died at the scene.

Barge had reportedly worked for nearly 10 years at the Butler Eagle, a daily newspaper in Butler County.

He had just left his shift here and was on his way home to New Castle when the accident happened, Butler Eagle general manager Tammy Schuey told WPXI.

The driver of the Camry was taken to a hospital in Pittsburgh, state police said. A charge of homicide by vehicle while driving under (the) influence is pending further investigation, according to a police report.

Barge was described as one of the nicest guys you could ever meet, Schuey told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. His retirement was two weeks away.

The Butler Eagle said Barge was looking forward to spending time with his wife, their children and grandchildren during his upcoming retirement.

Before working at the Butler Eagle, Barge worked for a few decades at the New Castle News and its printing company. He previously worked in press rooms at The Youngstown Vindicator and Wall Street Journal, according to the New Castle News.

He had strong beliefs and morals and would never pass judgment, always offered a listening ear, his supervisor, Joel Christy, told The Butler Eagle.

Beloved band director and grandfather dies in wreck, Georgia reports say. A great man

68-year-old dad killed by car near Clemson campus, SC officials say. Selfless spirit
 Flash

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Thursday called for restraint from all sides to avoid escalating the situation after two Ukrainian drones allegedly attempted to attack the Kremlin and were disabled by Russian radar systems.

"We have noted relevant reports. China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation," spokesperson Mao Ning said at a regular news briefing when asked for comments on the reports.

In response to a question if the incident will influence China's plan of sending its representative to visit Ukraine, Mao said further announcements will be made in due course about the visit by the special representative of the Chinese government on Eurasian affairs to Ukraine and other countries.

China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, Mao said.
Last year, the Kentucky Derby was the scene of a shocker  an 80-1 upset in the form of surprise winner Rich Strike.

Could lightning strike twice?

Probably not. While the sight of long shots wearing the roses has become more common over the past 20 years or so  Mine That Bird, Country House and Giacomo all pulled similar upsets  the truth remains that the Derby winner is typically one with much shorter odds.

But even if one of the top choices hits the finish line first Saturday at Churchill Downs, that doesnt mean you cant cash in on some major Derby winnings.

All it takes is one bomber in the trifecta to put up big numbers on the tote board, and thats happened more often than not in recent years. Each of the past four Derbys has featured a horse with odds of longer than 25-1 in the top three. Twelve of the past 15 runnings of the race have included enough big prices to result in trifecta payouts of more than $1,000 on a $1 bet.

So, even if you like Angel of Empire or Tapit Trice at the top of your ticket, dont fret. Theres still a good chance that some serious money can be made this weekend.

The key, of course, is finding the correct long shot to include in your exotic wagers.

Which of those horses should you pick? And who should you avoid?

Heres a look at five Derby contenders with morning-line odds of 20-1 or longer that warrant a close look when planning out your bets Saturday.

4. Confidence Game (20-1)

One of the biggest unknowns going into the big race, Confidence Game hasnt competed on the track in 10 weeks  a staggering layoff for a Kentucky Derby starter. In fact, it would be the longest break for any Derby winner in modern history, if he can pull the upset. Its unlikely that hell hit the wire first Saturday, but theres enough mystery  and talent  here to warrant consideration for your trifecta bets.

Last time out, Confidence Game put in an impressive rally to win the Rebel Stakes with a 94 Beyer Speed Figure. That was the best of his career by a good margin  the tops previously was an 83 in November  and it was also his first start on a sloppy track. Was the Rebel a result of the off surface or an indication that Confidence Game was making major strides as a racehorse? Thats one question. How he comes back from that 10-week layoff is another, but trainer Keith Desormeaux has been adamant that the break should be a help  not a hindrance  to his colts chances.

Story continues

Its worth noting that the son of Candy Ride has impressed onlookers at Churchill Downs over the past few weeks. And his final timed workout last week was a doozy: 5 furlongs in :59 flat, the fastest of 54 works at the distance that day and enough to generate even more buzz around him.

It certainly looks like hell be raring to go Saturday evening.

7. Reincarnate (50-1)

Of the five 50-1 shots in this 20-horse field, Reincarnate is the most intriguing.

The only contender this year formerly trained by suspended Hall of Famer Bob Baffert, he was switched to the barn of Tim Yakteen in February in order to accrue Derby qualifying points. The results have been less than stellar. First, a third-place finish in the aforementioned Rebel Stakes. Then, a third-place finish at 3-1 odds in the Arkansas Derby.

Perhaps some excuses are warranted for those two races. The Rebel  over that sloppy Oaklawn Park track  was his first race outside of sunny California. And he didnt look all that bad in the Arkansas Derby; he was just simply no match for Angel of Empire, who turned in one of the most impressive performances of the entire spring that day, beating Reincarnate by 4 lengths at the end.

What makes this horse so interesting is the fact that three-time Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez will be aboard, coupled with the fact that Reincarnate has typically shown a preference for racing on the lead. He wasnt quick enough out of the gate to get there in the Rebel Stakes, and Velazquez kept him just off the pacesetter in the Arkansas Derby.

In a Kentucky Derby seemingly lacking early speed, it will be worth watching what Reincarnate does out of the gate. Velazquez unexpectedly wired the Derby field with 12-1 shot Medina Spirit two years ago, and though that horse was later DQd, its a strategy that could fit again this weekend.

This isnt a prediction that Reincarnate will be able to achieve the same on-track result. Hes 50-1 for a reason. But if Velazquez can get him in a good position early  perhaps even go straight for the lead  he might just have enough to hang on in the stretch.

Fun fact here: His sire is 2018 Derby runner-up Good Magic, and his damsire is Scat Daddy, the father of Justify, who won that same 2018 Derby before capturing the Triple Crown.

11. Disarm (30-1)

A year ago, Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen looked like he was finally going to get his Kentucky Derby victory with favorite Epicenter, who looked like the winner in the Churchill Downs stretch before Rich Strike came flying out of nowhere to pull the upset. As a result, Asmussen now has 24 Derby starters to his name without a win  most in history.

Asmussen is back this year with Disarm, who has the same owner (Winchell Thoroughbreds) and jockey (Joel Rosario) as Epicenter did last year. Disarms resume doesnt jump off the page. He has just one win in five starts. He finished second to Kingsbarns in the Louisiana Derby  his stakes debut in March  before wheeling back after three weeks to run third in the Lexington Stakes, a last-ditch-and-successful bid to accrue enough qualifying points to make the Kentucky Derby field.

His Louisiana Derby effort was better than it looks. No one was catching Kingsbarns, who got loose on the lead, ran slow fractions and never looked back. Disarm did well to hold on for second and was still running at the end of the 1 3/16-mile race. The Lexington Stakes wasnt exactly encouraging, but his connections did what was needed to get here, and there seems to be plenty left in the tank for Saturdays race. Disarm put in a bullet workout just nine days later at Churchill Downs.

A son of Horse of the Year Gun Runner (also trained by Asmussen and owned by Winchell) with Tapit for his damsire, Disarm should be fine with the Derby distance this weekend. Hell need to take a step forward to hit the board, but hes one whos worth taking a shot on.

18. Rocket Can (30-1)

The impressive winner of the Holy Bull Stakes to begin his 3-year-old campaign, Rocket Can ran into the reigning champ next time out  losing by 4  lengths to Kentucky Derby favorite Forte in the Fountain of Youth Stakes. (Forte was scratched from the Derby on Saturday morning.) Instead of a rematch, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott sent Rocket Can to Oaklawn Park, where he ran into another formidable foe, Angel of Empire, who turned in a career-best effort and beat the gray colt by nearly 5 lengths in the Arkansas Derby.

Rocket Can finished fourth that day, but he looked fine doing it and was simply no match for the winner, who is now the third choice on the Derby morning line. His return to the track after that race resulted in a bullet workout at Churchill Downs, and hes been looking good there ever since, continuing to impress with his training in the days leading up to this weekends Derby.

Mott is also adding blinkers to the 30-1 shot for Saturdays race.

Visually, for me, they appear to be helping, he said. We had worked him before in blinkers and we had thought that they didnt make an extreme amount of difference. But if they help just a little bit, thats what you need.

Rocket Can is a son of reigning and four-time leading sire Into Mischief, and his damsire is three-time leading sire Tapit. The long shot also broke his maiden on a sloppy track at Churchill Downs last fall before finishing a close second to Confidence Game there a few weeks later.

22. Mandarin Hero (20-1)

Its not often that one of the also-eligibles for the Derby draws into the race and actually causes a stir among handicappers. Yes, Rich Strike was in the same boat last year  only getting into the race after a late scratch  but his 80-1 post-time odds tell the story of what bettors thought of him at the time. Mandarin Hero will be a different situation.

This Japanese colt  now in the field following the Thursday scratch of Wood Memorial winner Lord Miles  won all four races in his home country at 2 years old before getting beat by a neck in a stakes race in his 2023 debut in February. That showing was enough to convince his connections to take a shot at the Kentucky Derby trail, and the son of Shanghai Bobby  a former 2-year-old champion in America  was sent to the Santa Anita Derby, where he unleashed a furious rally in the stretch and almost knocked off favorite Practical Move, coming up just a nose short at the wire.

Mandarin Hero earned a 100 Beyer for that run, and that represents the fastest number on dirt of any horse in the Derby field. Fellow Japanese contender Derma Sotogake was more highly regarded back home  and Derma did defeat the horse that ultimately ended Mandarin Heros perfect record in February by more than four lengths a couple of months earlier  but Mandarin Hero has already proven he can make the trip across the ocean and turn in a big race in America. Thats still a question mark for Derma Sotogake, with both colts now looking to become the first Japanese contender to finish in the money on Derby Day.

Even a mere repeat of his performance last month at Santa Anita would likely put Mandarin Hero right in the thick of things in the final moments of the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. A step forward from that showing might be enough to make history.

Other Derby long shots

Six other horses in the 2023 Kentucky Derby field have odds of 30-1 or longer on the morning line. Heres a quick look at each of those contenders:

1. Hit Show (30-1): The barely beaten favorite in the Wood Memorial has improved his Beyer Speed Figures over all five career starts: 60-71-82-91-93, and he had to overcome an unfortunate wide post in his last race. Hed be more intriguing if he werent in that No. 1 post, which remains a sub-optimal spot even with the new Derby starting gate that was recently introduced to level the playing field for those on the extreme inside.

12. Jaces Road (50-1): One of the likeliest contenders for the early lead in Saturdays race, hes shown little to indicate hes capable of holding on out front for 1  miles. Now that Continuar has been scratched, he should probably be the longest shot in this field.

13. Sun Thunder (50-1): Trained by Lexingtons Kenny McPeek, this son of Into Mischief always seems to be running at the end, and thats one plus when trying to find a long shot to hit the Derby board. But the results just havent been there, and hes lost to a total of six different horses hell see Saturday over his past three races.

16. Raise Cain (50-1): If the skies open up and it rains Saturday, take a closer look. He romped in the mud to win the Gotham Stakes in March, but that was a one-turn race against a less-than-stellar field. He faces a much tougher task here.

21. Cyclone Mischief (30-1): Drew into the race when Practical Move was scratched, and while hes not the worst pick in this section, he hasnt shown much to think hell be a factor. Finished third behind Forte in his last two starts and was seventh behind Rocket Can before that. His last start (the Florida Derby) was probably his best effort  getting a 91 Beyer with a wide trip that day. He does add four-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey Irad Ortiz Jr., who was originally slated to ride Forte.

23. King Russell (50-1): Another late entry following the scratch of Continuar on Thursday night, King Russell has just one win in six starts, and his career-best Beyer of 89 is the lowest in this field, but dont completely dismiss him. His move from the back of the pack to finish second behind Angel of Empire in the Arkansas Derby last time out indicates he might be able to pick off some horses in the stretch Saturday. Enough to hit the board? Its not out of the question.

Note: Skinner (20-1) was originally included among the best long shots to bet here, but he was scratched from the Derby on Friday morning due to an elevated temperature.

Kentucky Derby betting note

Its important to note while piecing together your trifecta tickets (and other exotic bets) that the odds you see Saturday are for the win pool only. And there are different pools for the exacta, trifecta and superfecta wagering. So, for example, two horses with odds of 20-1 on the board wouldnt necessarily lead to the same payouts if they finished, say, third in a trifecta wager.

But, the win odds do offer a decent snapshot of a horses popularity across other wagers.

Its also worth following the live odds throughout the day. They will change, and some will change quite drastically.

Two horses to watch that had morning-line odds too short for this list are Kingsbarns (12-1) and Mage (15-1)  both colts with just three career starts who didnt race at 2 years old.

Kingsbarns, in particular, has a running style that should fit well in the Kentucky Derby, and hes worth a look for a win bet at 12-1 or longer (and a good play in all the exotics). Mage has appeared to be a little greener in his starts, but theres a ton of talent there, and hes also worthy of consideration at the betting window.

Recent history says a long shot will hit the board Saturday evening. Good luck on picking the right one.

John Clay Podcast: Betting strategies for the 2023 Kentucky Derby

Handicapping the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Best bets, long shots and more advice on the race

Youre always a Derby champion. How Rich Strike changed lives in year after 80-1 shocker.

How much does a Kentucky Derby horse cost? Here are the prices on this years contenders.

Who should you bet on in the 2023 Kentucky Derby? Heres who the experts are picking.

How every Kentucky Derby horse got his name. Its harder than it looks.

It goes back to Sunday Silence. Is this the year a Japanese horse wins the Kentucky Derby?

The 2023 Kentucky Derby sets up as a battle between horse racings top two trainers
Courtesy of Ann Knypl

Ann Knypl is a 32-year-old cruise-ship worker from Quezon City, Philippines.

Knypl began in housekeeping, moved to the casino, and is now a marketing and communications manager.

"If I finish work and the ship is docked, I can go explore," Knypl said. "It's a lively way to live."

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Ann Knypl, a 32-year-old cruise ship worker from Quezon City, Philippines. The following has been edited for length and clarity.

Living and working on a cruise ship isn't normal. I've seen that firsthand, since my mom started working on cruise ships when I was 4 years old.

But even though it can be a strange life  working for months on end and sharing rooms with strangers  I still found myself following in my mom's footsteps.

I didn't think I would end up working on a cruise ship

When I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree in information technology, I couldn't find a job in my home country that paid well. Around the same time, I was visiting Singapore when my mom's cruise ship docked there.

Courtesy of Ann Knypl

She brought me on board for a tour, and I was amazed at how the ship was just one big floating community. A year later, I was hired as a housekeeper.

Housekeeping is not for the faint of heart

It's difficult work. It was even more difficult for me emotionally, because I knew that I had gone to school and studied hard.

I felt like people were judging me for working in housekeeping. It felt like they were thinking I hadn't studied or worked hard enough, but I was just trying to climb the ladder of the cruise-ship world.

I worked in housekeeping for more than three years

Five years ago, I was transferred to a bigger ship, where I started working in the casino.

Now, I'm a marketing and communications manager. I take care of stuff like guest newsletters and digital signage.

There are plenty of perks to working on a cruise ship

I don't pay for housing. I can drop my uniform off to get cleaned and pick it up when it's done. Now that I'm a little higher on the corporate ladder, housekeeping comes to my cabin.

Story continues

Courtesy of Ann Knypl

I eat at the buffet, so there's always food ready and available. I don't have to go grocery shopping or cook for myself.

My friends work on the ship too, and they're always close by  ready to go to a bar, a party, or an event. If I finish my work and the ship is docked at port, I can go explore for the rest of the day. It's a lively way to live.

But working on a cruise ship isn't all positive

It can be difficult, because working on a cruise ship means you're never not at work. It's like being on call 24/7; even when you're off your shift, you're still on the ship.

There are rules, including that employees can't wear flip-flops in the corridor and that they can't drink four hours before their shift starts.

I also have a strange schedule

I have a six-month contract where I work every day and have a few months off. When I was in housekeeping, my contract was even longer at nine months. Some people higher than me in the company have shorter contracts, like four months.

Being away from friends and family for that long can be hard. I also worry that as I get older, I'll have to choose between working on a cruise ship or settling down to start a family.

I want a family, and I know that forming romantic relationships within the cruise-ship life can be difficult because there's always the risk of getting transferred to a different ship.

I do love working on a cruise ship

I also love sharing it with my 500,000 TikTok followers. I've even seen comments from people who said my content inspired them to work on cruise ships themselves, which is just the highest compliment.

I started sharing my experience on TikTok because I was bored during a COVID-19 lockdown. Inspiring people was never part of the plan, but I'm lucky that it happened.

Read the original article on Business Insider
CHARLOTTE - Former Congressman Madison Cawthorn has pleaded guilty to trying to bring a loaded gun through security at a major U.S. airport.

Cawthorn, a Henderson County Republican, entered the plea on May 5 in Mecklenburg County District Court. He was fined $250 and does not have to forfeit the gun.

The right-wing ex-representative for Western North Carolina appeared on a misdemeanor charge of possession of a dangerous weapon on city property. The Class 3 misdemeanor can carry up to 20 days in jail, depending on prior convictions.

That court date comes four months after the end of Cawthorn's term. Plagued by scandal, Cawthorn lost the Republican 11th U.S. House District primary to state Sen. Chuck Edwards, who went on to win the general election.

Political Comeback? Cawthorn hints at political comeback, says he wants to enjoy life first

Cawthorn was found with the loaded weapon, a 9 mm handgun, as he was trying to board a plane on April 26 at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, police said. An outspoken gun-rights advocate, he frequently posts pictures and videos on social media of him shooting various firearms.

His court date came after two recent mass shootings in the U.S.  five people, including a 9-year-old boy killed on April 28 in Cleveland, Texas, by an AR-15 toting man asked by neighbors to stop shooting in his yard so their infant could sleep and one person killed and three wounded May 3 after being shot by a man with a pistol in an Atlanta medical facility.

At the time, Cawthorn admitted to having the gun. He posted on Instagram "I made a mistake" and there was "no excuse." He encouraged others to take an extra minute to check to make sure they did not make the same mistake.

It was the second time he was found with a weapon while trying to board a plane. In 2021 he was stopped while boarding at Asheville Regional Airport with an unloaded gun. Airport police did not charge him. There were at least eight others found with guns boarding planes at Asheville's airport that year. None were charged, according to airport authorities.

Story continues

Insurrection charges: Madison Cawthorn's former lawyer who defended him against insurrection charges drops suit

Ethics Committee: Ethics committee fines Cawthorn for promoting crypto in which he had financial interest

While the Asheville airport has its own police force, the Charlotte airport is owned by the city and overseen by municipal law enforcement.

Transportation Security Administration rules say guns can be transported on planes unloaded in special cases or checked bags with hard sides. Cawthorn may have also faced TSA fines for the Asheville and Charlotte incidents and lost expedited boarding status, according to experts on TSA rules.

Cawthorn, a gun rights advocate, has run afoul of other weapons prohibitions, bringing knives to educational facilities. Following a 2021 Henderson County School Board meeting, he was warned by Sheriff Lowell Griffin about what those present said was a fixed-blade dagger under his wheelchair that the congressman uses following a 2014 car accident.

His primary loss was followed by a list of problems and scandals that included speeding tickets and misdemeanor citation for driving with a revoked license, his reference to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a thug and his claim that he was invited by Republican officials to an orgy and where cocaine was used.

This story will be updated.

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

Kara Fohner is a news reporter for the Gaston Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network. Email her at KFohner@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Gun advocate Madison Cawthorn pleads guilty to firearms charge
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused the administration of US President Joe Biden of 'looting' over the proposed sale of Caracas' most valuable overseas asset

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday accused US President Joe Biden's government of "looting" over the proposed sale of Caracas' most valuable overseas asset, oil refiner Citgo.

A court in the US state of Delaware ruled that shares of Citgo, a subsidiary of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA, can be sold to pay off its creditors, with the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control endorsing the move on Monday.

"What Joe Biden's government is doing is one of the thefts, one of the biggest lootings that has ever taken place against any nation in the world and we reject it," Maduro said during an event in Caracas.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez indicated Wednesday that the acts "are absolutely null and void," while accusing Washington of green-lighting the "judicial auction of Citgo."

Maduro's 2018 reelection was not recognized by Washington, which considers the results of those polls fraudulent, and for some time recognized opposition candidate Juan Guaido as the country's leader.

The next year, Washington ramped up sanctions against Caracas, which were first imposed in 2015 over the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

On Thursday, Maduro also pointed the finger at Guaido -- who last month arrived in the United States -- saying he had backed the sale of Citgo.

After a summit in Colombia, delegations from 20 countries -- including the United States -- said they favored easing sanctions on Venezuela, if its government committed to holding elections with guarantees for the opposition in 2024.

Maduro said the Citgo decision was an attempt to undermine those efforts, spearheaded by Colombian President Gustavo Petro.

The Citgo case dates from 2011, when the Venezuelan government seized a mine awarded to Canadian firm Crystallex, but then failed to repay $1.2 billion to the company, which was agreed in international arbitration.

Other creditors have tried to go after Houston-based Citgo to settle debts that the cash-strapped government in Caracas is unable or unwilling to pay.

mbj/cjc/ssy/sco
Image: Wizards of the Coast

Weve known for a while that one of Magics next big crossovers for its Universes Beyond line would celebrate 60 years of Doctor Who. But now we have a first look at the details going into the setand know that itll be landing just in time for the shows anniversary date.



In a livestream today Wizards of the Coast revealed a first look at the Doctor Who set and its structure. Built around four 50-card Commander-format prebuilt decks as well as special collector booster packs, the set is due to release October 13, ahead of Doctor Whos anniversary on November 23. Click through to see new art and more details!

Read more

Blast From the Past Commander Deck

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The first deck, Blast From the Past, will cover the entire classic era of the seriesincluding cards depicting the first eight incarnations of the Doctor, with a focus on Green, White, and Blue-mana cards.



4th Doctor Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Of course, one of the most iconic of all Doctors, Tom Baker, will feature prominently.



Sarah Jane Smith Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

But its not just the Doctor getting in on the funbeloved companions like Sarah Jane will also get their own cards.



Companion Mechanic

Image: Wizards of the Coast

To reflect Doctor Whos history of iconic duos, the decks in the Universes Beyond: Doctor Who release will feature a Commander-format-specific mechanic, appropriately called Doctors Companion. Its pretty simple: if your decks commander is an incarnation of the Doctor, you can have a second commander if theyre one of their many allies from over the years.



Timey-Wimey Commander Deck

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The next deck, a Blue/Red/White deck, is called Timey-Wimey and focuses primarily on the 21st century era of Doctor Who. Cards will focus on the Ninth, 10th, and 11th Doctors and their adventures.



10th Doctor Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Of course, David Tennants 10th Doctornot to be confused with David Tennants 14th Doctor, naturallywill be a big draw here.



Story continues

Paradox Power Commander Deck

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The third deck will round out the current Doctor Who in a Green/Blue/Red deck called Paradox Power, focusing on the 12th and 13th Doctors. Sorry, no Ncuti Gatwa teases just yet!



13th Doctor Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

The 13th Doctor is naturally being her inventive self in her card art.



Masters of Evil Commander Deck

Image: Wizards of the Coast

As weve run out of Doctors, the fourth deck in the seriesand the only one to feature Black mana cards, alongside Blue and Redwill cover Doctor Whos iconic villains, with a focus on the Master, the Daleks, and the Cybermen.



Davros Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Including Davros, of course!



TARDIS Land Cards

Image: Wizards of the Coast

How do you do land cards for a Doctor Who set? Take a Magic land and put a TARDIS on it! Simple, yet brillaint.



The Parting of the Ways Card Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

It seems that some cards will be themed around iconic episodes instead of just characters and creatures, if this gorgeous imagining of the Ninth Doctors swansong is anything to go by.



Silence in the Library Planechase

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Doctor Whos setting-hopping storytelling format makes a perfect way to use Magics Planechase formata specialized game mode where designated plane cards like this Lux Foundation Library introduce random modifications to the rules of play.

Doctor Who Collector Boosters

Image: Wizards of the Coast

On top of the four decks, there will also be special (and pricey) Collector tier-boosters for Universes Beyond: Doctor Who, featuring alternate art and foil versions of cards in the set.



13th Doctor Showcase Art

Image: Wizards of the Coast

Little was shown about what kinds of alt-cards fans can expect, beyond this lavish artwork of Jodie Whittakers Doctor.

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Johanita Dogbey - Family Handout/PA

A MAN accused of stabbing a devout Christian to death had allegedly slashed three people in separate street attacks just two days earlier, a court heard.

Mohamed Nur appeared in court on Friday accused of killing Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, a 31-year-old charity founder, as she walked through Brixton, south London, on Bank Holiday Monday afternoon.

The 33-year-old has also been charged with attacking three people with a bladed weapon last Saturday in separate incidents also in the Brixton area.

Two women and a man received slash wounds in three incidents in the space of less than an hour, not far from where Ms Dogbey was killed.

It is understood she had been on her way to a birthday celebration at the flat where she lives with her mother, father, brother and sister, and was just 300 yards from home when she was killed.

It is also believed she had been on the phone to her grandmother when she was attacked from behind.

Stockwell Park Walk in Brixton, south London - MyLondon

Mr Nur, who lives in Vauxhall, south London, was arrested earlier this week and charged on Friday morning with murder, three counts of GBH with intent and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.

Croydon magistrates court was told Mr Nur was arrested on May 2 and was allegedly in possession of a makeshift weapon constructed from a piece of glass.

According to the charges, Mr Nur is suspected of being armed with a pair of scissors on the day he allegedly murdered Ms Dogbey.

It is alleged he had an offensive weapon, namely a made bladed article  two silver bladed items with blue cloth and rubber band wrapped around it, believed to be an open pair of scissors.

He appeared in the dock at Croydon magistrates court wearing a blue jumper and tracksuit bottoms.

Mr Nur spoke only to confirm his name, age and date of birth and to ask which prison he would be taken to. No pleas were entered to the charges and there was no application for bail.

District Judge Polly Gledhill told the defendant that the allegations were too serious to be heard at a magistrates court and remanded him in custody.

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'Not entitled to bail'

She said: Mr Nur faces an indictable only offence, the nature of the offence he is facing means he is not entitled to bail. Mr Nur, your cases can only be dealt with in crown court due to the severity of the allegations. Until that hearing I am remanding you in custody.

Tom Gregson, representing the defendant, told the judge that psychiatric issues will be dealt with in the case. Mr Nur was remanded in custody ahead of an appearance at the Old Bailey next week.

Ms Dogbey, a devout Christian, had founded a sickle cell disease charity called the Odette Foundation.

In a tribute, her family said: We are devastated by the news of the passing of our daughter. She hasnt got one bad bone in her body. She wouldnt hurt a fly. Johanita was a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone.

"We cant believe a senseless crime like this has happened as we cant imagine who would do this to her. Our hearts are completely broken and we will not understand why someone would take our beautiful girl away from us. She will forever be in our hearts as we will carry on living life as gracefully and beautifully as she did.

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A man accused of blowing up an ATM in March is now being charged with scouting out more ATM locations to blow up.

DeKalb County police arrested Abdurrahim Jalal after he was accused of using a pipe bomb to blow up the ATM at the Bank of America near North DeKalb Mall just after 3 a.m. on March 29.

[DOWNLOAD: Free WSB-TV News app for alerts as news breaks]

After blowing up the ATM, court documents said Jalal took $88,780, which included $42,320 in twenty-dollar bills and $13,160 in ten-dollar bills.

According to a federal court complaint from a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent, Jalal was caught scouting other ATMs near intersections in late April.

TRENDING STORIES:

The complaint said on April 25, Jalal was seen driving around the greater Atlanta area making several stops, three of which were near bank branches with ATMs near intersections with easy access to highways or freeways.

The agent noted in his complaint that all locations were similar to the original one bombed in March.

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According to the complaint, Jalal returned to two of the three bank locations the next day between 2:30 a.m. and 3:15 a.m., leading investigators to believe that these were potential locations to conduct a similar incident.

After being arrested on April 29, Jalal was charged with possessing explosives/destructive devices, theft by taking and arson in the second degree.

He has not been charged at the federal level.

IN OTHER NEWS:
A man has been taken into custody after a woman was killed while hiking on a Phoenix trail last week, police said.

"Phoenix police have taken a man into custody in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike," the Phoenix Police Department tweeted Thursday night.

He was identified Friday as 22-year-old Zion William Teasley. He has been booked into Maricopa County Jail for first-degree murder. He is being held without bond.

Teasley was arrested at his residence around 6:30 p.m. local time Thursday, Sgt. Maria Soliz said during a press conference.

PHOTO: Zion Teasley, 22, has been charged with homicide for the death of Lauren Heike as she was hiking in Phoenix, April 29, 2023. Teasley was arrested on May 4. (Maricopa County Jail)

He is the same person who was seen in a video clip running away from the scene, Soliz said.

Heike's parents had pleaded with the public for information in the case during a press briefing on Wednesday. There was an outpouring of support and tips after Heike's family spoke, police said. Soliz would not say whether one of these tips led to the man's arrest.

Heike was found dead in a desert area with "trauma to her body" around 10:30 a.m. local time Saturday -- about 24 hours after the attack is believed to have occurred, Phoenix police said.

She lived in the area and was on a popular trail that she routinely hiked, police and her family said.

"She loved to exercise. She was walking and we know she was happy. She went out that morning on a beautiful day, she did what she does every day," her mother, Lana Heike, told reporters during a press briefing Wednesday while surrounded by her daughter's friends and family.

PHOTO: Family members of Lauren Heike ask the public to share any information they may have related to Lauren's death during a presser with the Phoenix Police Department, May 3, 2023. (Phoenix Police Department)

Phoenix police Lt. James Hester said Lauren Heike was attacked from behind and died as a result of her injuries.

"The vicious attack on Ms. Lauren Heike is unconscionable," he said during the briefing.

MORE: Woman attacked by man with no pants on Virginia trail, police said

Hester declined to share many details in the case to not compromise the investigation. But he said police have surveillance footage from Friday of the person believed to be a suspect in the homicide. The suspect was captured wearing a dark backpack, gray or lighter-colored shirt, dark pants and shoes and was seen running near the area of the crime, police said.

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NEW INFO ON HOMICIDE investigation. Police are hoping someone can help them identify the person in this short video who may have info on a homicide case from 6500 E Libby Street. Anyone with info call police or @SilentwitnessAZ

Original media advisory:https://t.co/8ITIbfihky pic.twitter.com/2vnwY840NC  Phoenix Police (@PhoenixPolice) May 3, 2023

Hester had asked people who noticed anything "that didn't look right" on the trail the day of the incident, as well as the days leading up to and after it, to come forward.

"The behavior, in my opinion, was so heinous that I would imagine that the subject would be displaying behavior symptoms that just would look out of place," he said.

In a sign posted on the trail, police are also now warning people not to walk alone and to report suspicious activity.

PHOTO: The Phoenix Police Department released a video of a suspect sought in connection with Lauren Heike's murder. (Phoenix Police Department)

Lauren Heike's mother described her daughter as "beautiful inside and out" and someone who had a "kind heart."

"Everybody who met her loved her," Lana Heike said. "She was super funny. She was just a sweet child."

Lana Heike said she spoke to her daughter every day, and every call or text ended with, "I love you, mom."

"We just want the world to know what a sweet person she was, and what she meant to us and to our family. And what a void it is for us," Lana Heike said.

MORE: Rape of New York City jogger puts spotlight on women's safety while running

"I'm begging people to come forward," she said.

Lauren Heike's family came in from Washington state to attend Wednesday's emotional press briefing.

"I just hope they can find whoever did this to her," her father, Jeff Heike, said.

ABC News' Marilyn Heck contributed to this report.

Man arrested after woman killed on Arizona trail: Police originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
UPDATE (May 5, 2023): A Rochester man on Thursday pleaded guilty for the 2022 beating death of Gerald Wayne Irvin, 65, on North Clinton Avenue in Rochester, according to the Monroe County District Attorney's Office.

Traveon Gates, 20, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter, a felony, in connection with Irvin's killing, and to third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony, in connection with a May 2021 incident.

Irwin was attacked while walking on North Clinton Avenue just before 2 a.m. on April 18, 2022. He suffered a severe head injury when he was "knocked to the ground and viciously beaten," police said. Irvin died from his injuries on May 29, 2022.

Police said Gates recorded part of the attack in Irwin on his cell phone.

The brutal attack that led to the death of Gerald Wayne Irvin is among the most violent assaults I have witnessed, said Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Hyatt, who prosecuted the case with ADA Matthew Hogestyn. It was without reason or provocation. Treveon Gates had multiple opportunities to walk away from the victim but continued to beat him even after Mr. Irvin was unresponsive."

Gates will be sentenced to 30 years in state prison and five years post-release supervision. He is scheduled to be sentenced by state Supreme Court Justice Judith Sinclair on July 18.

---

ORIGINAL STORY (Nov. 7, 2022): A man was charged last week in the beating death of a man who suffered a severe head injury and died in May.

Treveon Gates, 20, was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the death of Gerald Wayne Irvin, 65, of Rochester. Irvin was attacked while walking on North Clinton Avenue just before 2 a.m. on April 18. He suffered a severe head injury when he was "knocked to the ground and viciously beaten," police said. Irvin died from his injuries on May 29.

Gates, who was apprehended on North Clinton Avenue on Friday, is also accused of having more than 100 bags of Fentanyl on him. He was also charged with third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: Treveon Gates guilty in death of Gerald Wayne Irvin in Rochester NY
William Giordani, 54, appeared in court on Friday morning in connection with his role in a series of aiding and abetting an extortion attempt, conspiracy, and bomb threats at Harvard University last month, officials say.

Giordani was released on bail and ordered to be in a New Hampshire inpatient or outpatient treatment program within seven days, according to the judge.

He claims he was only answering a Craigslist ad from somebody seeking to arrange a package delivery to his son at Harvard back on April 11, according to new court documents.

FBI: Man used Craigslist ad to extort money from Harvard, placed explosive packages on campus

According to an affidavit by a Harvard University police officer, working with the FBIs Boston-area Joint Terrorism Task Force, Giordani answered a Boston Craigslist ad posted on April 11, allegedly from a man named Nguyen Mihn, with a New Jersey phone number, offering $300 to somebody who could buy and deliver some item to his eldest son, a Harvard student.

Acting on that mans requests, Giordani bought fireworks in New Hampshire and then, on April 13, several items, including a sturdy tool bag, a safe, and wires at the South Bay Home Depot, all for delivery to Harvard.

Starting shortly before 2:30 p.m. on April 13, police got a series of seven phone calls, all listing the same New Jersey number as the ad, and using a robotic voice to declare that three bombs had been planted around the Harvard campus.

The caller continued giving instructions for how to contact an alleged ring member  and cautioning Harvard to prepare to pay a large bitcoin transaction once it received further instructions.

In a call at 3:25 p.m., the voice declared that one of the devices was on the Science Center plaza between two food trucks in a red and black Husky tool bag, according to court documents.

That was about an hour and 15 minutes after the first threatening call.

The affidavit continues after Giordani was videoed by a Harvard Webcam walking onto the plaza with a red and black Husky tool bag.

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Man delivered explosives to Harvard

Man delivered explosives to Harvard

Man delivered explosives to Harvard

Man delivered explosives to Harvard

Man delivered explosives to Harvard

At 3:40 p.m., Harvard police officers responded to the plaza and discovered the Husky tool bag on a bench where video showed Giordani leaving it. Once officers evacuated nearby buildings and issued a campus-wide alert, investigators found a metal locking safe (similar to what would be found in a hotel room), a package of wire and a number of fireworks inside the safe, and a small rectangular box with wires attached to it.

The package of wire found in the bag had a yellow Home Depot sticker with the name NGUYEN Minh on it, which led investigators to the Home Depot on Allstate Road in Dorchesters South Bay mall.

The documents say, Minh had called in an order around 6:50 a.m. for 250 feet of galvanized wire, a safe box with a digital lock, and a 16-pocket tool bag, only the store didnt have the tool bag in stock.

Giordani then arrived around 11:45 a.m. to pick up the stuff and was given a gift card for the value of the tool bag. Giordani was captured on security video leaving the store with the wire and the safe box.

He then returned at 12:20 p.m. and used the gift card to buy a Husky 22-inch spring-loaded tool bag, but that was more expensive than the value on the card, so he used $10 in cash and a one-time housemates debit card.

I have compared the images from the Home Depot security cameras at the times of these transactions with a registry of motor vehicles photograph of GIORDANI and confirmed that they are the same individual, the officer stated in the affidavit.

By April 25, investigators had enough evidence to link Giordani to the case that they called him and asked to meet with him. He initially agreed to meet on April 27 in Tyngsboro, but he didnt show, claiming he had no proof the person who called was really with the FBI. He then agreed to meet with agents at the FBI office in Bedford, New Hampshire on May 1  in a call arranged by his mother.

At 10 a.m. Monday, his mother arrived at the office, but said he was reluctant to come because he was afraid that he would be arrested for transporting fireworks across state lines. Agents convinced her to call him to try to convince him to come in.

Giordani then asked his mother to come to pick him up at a specific location in Nashua, New Hampshire.

The affidavit states the agents then drove his mother to Nashua where they approached him and introduced themselves. He began to yell at his mother for bringing the agents to meet him.

Officers sought to calm him down and requested to speak with him about the Craigslist ad and the events at Harvard.

Giordani refused to give access to his phone or to discuss the incident in detail, claiming that the phone was his business phone and that there were also intimate photographs on the device. While declining to show officers his mobile phone, Giordani admitted that he knew what he did was wrong and that he just put some fireworks in a safe and put them at Harvard.

This is an active and ongoing investigation as to finding the individual who was in on the threatening calls and conspiracy.

Giordani is expected to be back in US District Court for his next hearing on May 22.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Aerial photo taken on June 30, 2022 shows a China-Europe freight train pulling out of the Tuanjiecun station in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. [Photo/Xinhua]

As China is the biggest semiconductor market in the world, it is in no party's interest to push for decoupling from China, sever supply chains and disrupt the market, Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said on Thursday.

Mao made the comment at a regular news briefing in response to the remarks of John Neuffer, president and CEO of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association, who said in an interview with Bloomberg recently that China is "our biggest market" and that American semiconductor companies want access to the China market despite U.S. government national security concerns.

Mao said to maintain its hegemony, the United States has for some time been overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export control measures and limiting exports to China.

"It is not only China that the U.S. is trying to contain and bring down, but also a large number of developing countries. The U.S. is taking away their right to scientific and technological progress and development that they deserve and keeping them at the lower end of industrial chains," Mao said.

Such selfish and bullying practices in science and technology are unfair and inconsistent with economic and trade rules. They will destabilize the global industrial and supply chains, hamper global economic development and ultimately backfire on the United States itself, the spokesperson said.

Noting China is committed to high-level opening up, she said China is ready to achieve common development with all other countries by sharing opportunities, and at the same time, will firmly defend its lawful rights and interests.

"Containment and suppression cannot hold back China's development. Instead, it will only strengthen China's resolve and capability to pursue self-reliance and technological innovation," Mao said.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Kentucky man with a long criminal record was sentenced Friday to a record-setting 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the U.S. Capitol with his wife.

Peter Schwartzs prison sentence is the longest so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The judge who sentenced Schwartz also handed down the previous longest sentence  10 years  to a retired New York Police Department officer who assaulted a police officer outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 24 years and 6 months for Schwartz, a welder.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Schwartz to 14 years and two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Mehta said Schwartz was a soldier against democracy who participated in the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the country's history.

You are not a political prisoner, the judge told him. You're not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime.

Schwartz briefly addressed the judge before learning his sentence, saying, I do sincerely regret the damage that Jan. 6 has caused to so many people and their lives.

The judge said he didn't believe Schwartz's statement, noting his lack of remorse.

You took it upon yourself to try and injure multiple police officers that day, Mehta said.

Schwartz was armed with a wooden tire knocker when he and his then-wife, Shelly Stallings, joined other rioters in overwhelming a line of police officers on the Capitols Lower West Terrace, where he threw a folding chair at officers.

By throwing that chair, Schwartz directly contributed to the fall of the police line that enabled rioters to flood forward and take over the entire terrace, prosecutor Jocelyn Bond wrote in a court filing.

Schwartz, 49, also armed himself with a police-issued super soaker canister of pepper spray and sprayed it at retreating officers. Advancing to a tunnel entrance, Schwartz coordinated with two other rioters, Markus Maly and Jeffrey Brown, to spray an orange liquid toward officers clashing with the mob.

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While the stream of liquid did not directly hit any officer, its effect was to heighten the danger to the officers in that tunnel, Bond wrote.

Before leaving, Schwartz joined a heave ho push against police in the tunnel.

Stallings pleaded guilty last year to riot-related charges and was sentenced last month to two years of incarceration.

Schwartz was tried with co-defendants Maly and Brown. In December, a jury convicted all three of assault charges and other felony offenses.

Mehta sentenced Brown last Friday to four years and six months in prison. Maly is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.

Schwartzs attorneys requested a prison sentence of four years and six months. They said his actions on Jan. 6 were motivated by a misunderstanding about the 2020 presidential election. Then-President Donald Trump and his allies spread baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the election from the Republican incumbent.

There remain many grifters out there who remain free to continue propagating the great lie that Trump won the election, Donald Trump being among the most prominent. Mr. Schwartz is not one of these individuals; he knows he was wrong, his defense lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors said Schwartz has bragged about his participation in the riot, shown no remorse and claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated. He referred to the Capitol attack as the opening of a war in a Facebook post a day after the riot.

I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now at war, Schwartz wrote.

Schwartz has raised over $71,000 from an online campaign entitled Patriot Pete Political Prisoner in DC. Prosecutors asked Mehta to order Schwartz to pay a fine equaling the amount raised by his campaign, arguing that he shouldnt profit from participating in the riot.

Schwartz was on probation when he joined the Jan. 6 riot. His criminal record includes a jaw-dropping 38 prior convictions since 1991, several of which involved assaulting or threatening officers or other authority figures, Bond wrote.

Schwartz was working as a welder in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, before his arrest in February 2021, but he considers his home to be in Owensboro, Kentucky, according to his attorneys.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot. More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6. Nearly 500 of them have been sentenced, with over half getting terms of imprisonment.

The 10-year prison sentence that Mehta handed down in September to retired NYPD officer Thomas Webster had remained the longest until Friday. Webster had used a metal flagpole to assault an officer and then tackled the same officer as the mob advanced toward the Capitol.
About a month after Daniel Heyburn was injured in a road rage incident at the Hilton Head Burger King on Museum Street, his doctors are unsure whether hell ever walk again without pain or a limp.

In 66 years, this is the most painful thing Ive had to go through, said Heyburn who was discharged from a rehabilitation facility and was back at his Hilton Head apartment Wednesday.

Since the hit-and-run, Heyburn said he has spent his days in physical therapy appointments. Now that hes home, he worries about when hell drive again and when he can go back to work as an outside services manager at the Palmetto Hall Golf and Country Club on Hilton Head.

Heyburns doctors told him he may not be on his feet again until October.

Though he had an upbeat attitude while talking with reporters, the uncertainty has taken its toll, said his lawyer Patrick Carr.

Daniel Heyburn talks about the road-rage incident in which police say Tysha Shailayah Brown ran over Heyburns leg on April 1, 2023, at a Burger King restaurant on Hilton Head Island.

It is weighing on him, Carr said. He is worried about the permanent insult to his health and angry about being taken away from friends and family and his job.

The driver, Tysha Shailayah Brown, 25, of Hilton Head, was charged with attempted murder on April 1.

What he says happened

Heyburn gave this account: Around 7 a.m. in bumper to bumper traffic, typical on the island during morning rush-hour, he was on his way to Burger King to pick up an order for himself and a coworker. As he was driving, he said a car driven by Brown jerked right in front of him.

I swerved my wheel and, I shouldnt have, but I did; I gave her the finger, Heyburn said. To me, that was it and it was over with. Im from New Jersey where you give someone the finger and its done with.

As he continued on U.S. 278, he noticed Brown following him. When he pulled into the Burger King parking lot, she began throwing things and, when he went up to her car to tell her to stop, she revved her engine. Heyburn slammed the palm of his hand on the hood of her car to tell her to stop before he tried walking away.

I turned around and boom, she floored it, he said.

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He remembers looking up at her and asking her to get the vehicle off of him. He said she pulled forward and then backed over his leg a second time.

The incident left Heyburn with four compound leg fractures, needing several surgeries and with titanium rods and screws throughout his right leg.

Charges pending

On that morning, Brown was heading home from dropping off a friend after a shift at the Marriott Courtyard hotel where both of them work, according to previous reporting from The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

Brown claims Heyburn followed her into the parking lot, got out of his car and beat on the hood. Reportedly frightened by the mans actions, she attempted to drive away, thinking her car was in reverse. After realizing she had run over the mans legs, she tried to move the car off of him, rolling over his legs again in the process.

An X-ray shows the damage to Daniel Heyburns right leg after police say Tysha Shailayah Brown ran over him on April 1, 2023, at a Burger King restaurant on Hilton Head Island.

In a Beaufort County Sheriffs Office report obtained by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette, Brown told police she was trying to go around Heyburn and hitting him was an accident.

Security footage from the fast-food chain shows Heyburn out of his car talking to Brown in her car before the two are out of frame. It then shows Browns car reversing out of the parking lot and leaving the area.

Brown, who later returned, told police she went to get her mother ... due to being upset at the situation.

William Jenkins, Browns attorney, said the footage doesnt show all wed like.

Brown was released on April 13 from the Beaufort County Detention Center on a $75,000 bond. Her charges are still pending.

During the bond hearing, Jenkins argued that Brown was afraid of Heyburn.

This is a 25-year-old girl thats never been in trouble, Jenkins said in the hearing. This is a 66-year-old man who ought to know better. Hes beating on the hood of her car. ... She was scared to death and panicked.

Carr, however, rejected any notion that Heyburn acted aggressively toward Brown.

This wasnt road rage; this was an act of vengeance, he said of Brown running over his client.

When reached by phone Thursday, Jenkins said his client does not see a hand gesture as something worthy of an irrational response.

We feel for Mr. Heyburn and wish it didnt happen, but we are confident that Ms. Brown did nothing wrong and have every intention of proving that in a court of law, Jenkins said.
A St. Jacob man has been charged with two counts of aggravated driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or more resulting in death and one count of reckless homicide in connection with a head-on crash near Highland in March that killed a recent Triad High School graduate.

The office of Madison County States Attorney Tom Haine filed charges on Friday against David Frey, 21, who hadnt yet been brought to the county jail as of Friday mid-afternoon.

In December, Frey was sentenced to two years of supervision in St. Clair County Circuit Court and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol the month before in OFallon, according to court records.

On March 2, a 2020 black Volkswagon Jetta crashed into a 2014 blue Ford Mustang driven by Josh Melton, 18, of Highland, formerly of St. Jacob, who was killed, Illinois State Police reported at the time. The accident occurred just after 9 p.m. on Illinois 143 at Wellen Road, northwest of Highland.

The Jettas driver, now known to be Frey, was airlifted to a regional hospital with serious injuries.

(Frey) drove a motor vehicle ...with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or more, and was involved in a motor vehicle accident resulting in the death of Joshua A. Melton, according to the Madison County charging document.

Circuit Court Judge Amy Maher set Freys bail at $150,000, according to Haines spokesman, Brian Brueggemann. The judge also granted a motion for additional bond conditions.

Defendant shall not drive, operate or be in actual physical control of any motor vehicle until further order of the court, Mahers order states. Defendant shall not consume any alcohol, Cannabis, non-prescribed Controlled Substances or Methamphetamine.

Melton graduated from Triad High School in 2022 and worked at Aggressive Graphics in Highland, according to his obituary. He was known for being particular about his blue Mustang.

He enjoyed drifting, dirt track racing and hanging with his friends, the obituary stated. Most of all he loved his family.

Friends and family members held a candlelight vigil on March 5 at Highland Silver Lake Park. Melton is survived by his parents, Brenda Johnson and Aaron Melton, sisters Haley Heinz and Mariah Melton, stepbrother William Fetsch and stepsister, Abby Fetsch.

The fatal accident occurred at 9:12 p.m. on March 2. The Jetta was traveling east and the Mustang was traveling west on Illinois 143 when the Jetta drifted into the oncoming lane of traffic and struck the Mustang head-on, according to the Illinois State Police.
Kelly Chuang, standing, teaches Mandarin to Crystal Huang at Chinese School of San Marino on April 1. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

In the relaxed cadences of her native Taiwan, Kelly Chuang instructed her students to repeat after her.

Wo bu shi taiwan ren. Wo shi meiguo ren  Im not Taiwanese. Im American.

She projected the written Chinese for the phrases onto a whiteboard. Taiwan appeared in the traditional form, with 25 strokes in the second character alone.

The four adults were studying Mandarin, Taiwanese style  elaborately written characters over the simplified versions used in China, no ers appended to words, less of a curled tongue for "sh" sounds.

In a small way, as they struggled over the languages four tones and learned how to make Taiwanese spring rolls last month in a classroom in San Marino, they were part of a high-stakes global chess game.

It looks intense, said Deseree Oaxaca, 25, as she stared at the characters for "Taiwan" on the board.

The class and others like it in the U.S. and Europe are backed by the Taiwanese government, which hopes to spread its version of Mandarin  along with its values of freedom and democracy  as Chinas threats against Taiwan become increasingly bellicose.

China considers the island of 23.5 million people to be part of its territory and has promised to take it by force if necessary.

As relations between the U.S. and China worsen, Taiwan sees an opening to boost its soft power by pulling adults into classes with discounted fees, where they learn about Taiwanese popcorn chicken and Taiwans tallest building, in addition to grammar, writing and holiday customs.

The Taiwan-funded classes are part of a partnership with the U.S. government that includes $1.8 million from Taiwan for U.S. State Department-managed language training programs and $1 million from the U.S. for Fulbright student and teacher exchanges.

They are a counterweight to Chinas controversial Confucius Institute, which has been scaled back by U.S. officials amid concerns that it threatened academic freedom and gave the Chinese government too much access to the American educational system.

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"It's highly possible that if the Taiwanese state is looked upon favorably, then people are going to be sort of thinking about these programs with better opinions than they're going to be thinking about the Confucius Institute programs," said Jennifer Hubbert, a professor of anthropology and Asian studies at Lewis and Clark College.

(Zipeng Zhu / For The Times)

The Taiwanese government in the last few years opened, as of March, 54 Centers for Mandarin Learning in the U.S., including 17 in California. It aims to have as many as 100 centers around the world by 2025.

In Europe, the Taiwanese Mandarin classes are taught in nine countries, including France, Germany, Sweden and the U.K.

In a promotional video, Chen-yuan Tung, who was minister of Taiwans Overseas Community Affairs Council, emphasized the long cultural traditions behind the writing system used in Taiwan. He also highlighted the freedom to discuss any topic in the classroom, drawing a sharp contrast with authoritarian China, where dissenting voices on the internet are often shut down and people are thrown in jail for criticizing the government.

We preserve tradition and culture very well, and our democratic system guarantees freedom of speech, Tung said.

Each school sets its own policies and fees, and teachers prepare their own materials, said Louis M. Huang, former director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, the equivalent of a consulate, which China won't allow Taiwan to have.

In San Marino, conversational Mandarin is offered for adults at the beginning and intermediate levels for $220 a semester.

The Taiwan-sponsored classes represent a sliver of the Mandarin instruction in the U.S., which ranges from private tutoring to Saturday schools for Chinese American children to rigorous high school and college courses.

After Chinas economy opened to foreign investment in 1978, and Americans began seeing the country as a business opportunity, Mandarin grew in popularity, despite how hard it is for English speakers to learn. Chinas Confucius Institute capitalized on that interest, reaching deep into American schools.

For instance, in the Northern California town of Redding, one of the only chances for high school students to learn Mandarin  and travel to China on an exchange program  came through a Confucius Institute collaboration with San Francisco State University.

Amid growing mistrust between the two superpowers, the U.S. Department of Defense said in 2019 that it would not provide funding for universities with Confucius Institutes, forcing many, including San Francisco State, to close the institutes and scale down their Mandarin programs. Only one Confucius Institute  through the San Diego Global Education Initiative  remains in California, according to the National Assn. of Scholars, a conservative education advocacy group long critical of the institutes. The group also lists Stanford, but the university in an email said it no longer runs the institute.

The Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles did not respond to a request for comment.

But Taiwan's ability to influence Mandarin education is limited by its small size compared with China, said Jamie Horsley, a senior fellow at Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School .

"How many teachers from Taiwan can we actually bring over here? It's just a handful," she said. "It helps, and I think that was a great idea to tap more into Taiwan and that resource, and [it] also allows people to learn more about what's happening in Taiwan."

Kelly Chuang teaches a Mandarin language class April 1 at Chinese School of San Marino. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Even without the Confucius Institutes, many universities offer comprehensive Mandarin curricula. Last fall, UCLA offered two elementary Chinese classes, each with the capacity for 100 students, who can continue through advanced Chinese for international business and readings in Chinese literature.

In Taiwan after World War II, the nationalist government imposed Mandarin as the official language on a population that spoke mostly the Minnan or Hakka variants of Chinese.

With contact cut off between Taiwan and the mainland for decades during the Cold War, Mandarin evolved independently in each place. Today, the languages are roughly analogous to British versus American English, with minor differences in vocabulary and accent.

For example, in the standard Mandarin spoken in China, baba  father  is pronounced with an emphasis on the first syllable, said Hongyin Tao, a professor of Chinese language and linguistics at UCLA. In Taiwanese Mandarin, the second ba sounds stronger.

"It's something people joke about," Tao said.

With a more slurred diction and less emphasis on enunciating each syllable, Taiwan Mandarin sounds quite sweet and soft, said Cecilia Chen, a Mandarin instructor in Taiwan who produced a video showing the differences.

In one example of a vocabulary difference, trash is laji in the mainland and lese in Taiwan.

(Zipeng Zhu / For The Times)

In China in the 1950s and 1960s, Mao Zedong tried to make the writing system, which dates back thousands of years, more accessible by simplifying the characters. They still have to be learned one by one, but there are fewer strokes to memorize.

For Taiwanese like Huang, the former director general in Los Angeles, traditional characters are a point of pride, showing that Taiwan has preserved aspects of Chinese culture lost on the mainland.

A truism in Taiwan is that the simplified character for love is stripped of its heart, since the only difference is the absence of the heart component. And how can love lack heart?

If you learn the traditional characters ... from the character itself, you understand the meaning, Huang said. If you learn simplified ... those characters dont carry the real meanings."

At the San Marino class, Chuang wrote dian nao on the board. Dian is electricity, and nao is brain  put together, they mean "computer."

In traditional Chinese, dian has 13 strokes, compared with five in simplified. The simplified version lacks a component that means "rain," which is also used in "thunder" and other words.

From left, Clement Lee, Yvonne Gee and Crystal Huang learn how to make Taiwanese spring rolls during a Mandarin class sponsored by the Taiwanese government. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)

Larry Lovan worked in Fuzhou, China, as a design intern in 2015 but didnt pick up much of the language. Now, he makes a round trip of more than three hours from his home in Hemet to attend the class every Saturday.

A 32-year-old business consultant specializing in web design, Lovan hopes that learning traditional characters will help him communicate with clients in both China and Taiwan, since it's generally easier to learn the traditional forms first, then simplified, rather than the other way around.

He likes the small class size and the lack of grades, which lets him study at his own pace.

"It's however much you want to learn and whatever you can take and absorb," he said. "But there's no judgment."

The center in San Marino also offers a weekly class for government officials, teaching basic, practical Mandarin.

Mario Rueda, San Marinos fire chief and acting city manager, took the class last year, prompted by the previous city manager, who encouraged colleagues to learn some basics in a community where nearly half the population is Chinese or Taiwanese. Rueda didn't pick up much Mandarin beyond basic greetings. Still, some lessons have stayed with him, like how to properly present a business card: with two hands, as a sign of respect.

There was much more than just the learning of a language, he said.

City officials are aware of the tensions across the Taiwan Straits, which have ramped up since then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan last summer, prompting China to fire missiles over the island.

But Rueda said he didnt give much thought to who was sponsoring the class.

We see the friction on the news, and I know its a concern, he said. But it really isnt front and center in San Marino.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Authorities have arrested a man in connection with a body that was found burning in a field last month, according to a Florida sheriffs department. A second suspect is still at large.

A caller reported to police that they believed they saw a mannequin on fire in a field behind a residential area in Ruskin at around 8 a.m. April 15, according to a news release from the Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office.

When fire crews arrived, they determined it was actually a burning body, McClatchy News previously reported.

The person had upper body trauma but could not immediately be identified due to the severity of the burns. The mans identity has since been confirmed, but the sheriffs office did not release his name.

Deputies arrested Christian Segura-Alvarez, 20, on charges of second-degree murder and tampering with physical evidence relating to a capital felony, according to the Hillsborough County jail records. He is being held on a $600,000 bond.

Detectives also issued warrants for second-degree murder, abuse of a dead human body, tampering with physical evidence and grand theft of a motor vehicle for a second suspect, identified as Carlos Almaraz-Barbosa, the release says.

While we believe this to be an isolated incident, this man clearly has no regard for human life, and we are committed to closing this case with his arrest, Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister. I urge anyone with information about the suspects whereabouts to come forward and help us to bring this victims family the closure they deserve.

Deputies asked anyone with information about the suspect to call the sheriffs office at 813-247-8200.

The sheriffs office said detectives were still working to determine a potential motive and whether the suspects and victim knew each other.

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By Michael Martina and Don Durfee

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr dismissed criticism during an interview on Thursday that his presidential campaign played down the corruption and extravagance the Marcos family was known for during his father's rule.

Marcos told Reuters at the end of a four-day visit to Washington that his country's citizens could not continue to fight decades-old social battles.

"My opposition would try to bring up this old issue. But of course, we answer to the voting public and the voting public has given their very clear and loud response to that and that they are not worried," he said.

"These are not the things that Filipinos feel we must be talking about," he added. "We need to be talking about livelihoods, about jobs, about education, about the economy.

"A fractured society that continues to fight battles that are 45 years old is selling itself short because it's the future that we're worried about, not the past."

During his campaign, critics said Marcos' presidential bid tried to whitewash the corruption and authoritarianism associated with his father's 20-year rule.

The elder Ferdinand Marcos ruled for two decades starting in 1965, almost half of it under martial law, helping him extend his power until his overthrow and his family's retreat into exile during a "people-power" revolution.

During his rule the family name became associated with cronyism and billions of dollars' worth of missing state wealth. The Marcos family denies wrongdoing.

Marcos Sr died in exile in Hawaii in 1989, but his family returned to the Philippines to launch a comeback that culminated in his son's election in May.

Marcos' Washington visit has been the first by a Philippine president in more than 10 years and included a summit on Monday with U.S. President Joe Biden. It was the latest of several high-level meetings Marcos has held with leaders of the United States and China, which are jostling for strategic advantage in the region.

Story continues

U.S. officials describe the Philippines as strategically vital to efforts to push back against China's expanding influence, and Biden has courted Marcos, who still faces a U.S. court judgment connected with $2 billion of plundered wealth under his father's rule. As head of state Marcos is immune from U.S. prosecution.

The Philippines and the U.S. have drawn closer since Marcos won his election, a change from the administration of Marcos' predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who turned the Philippines sharply away from its oldest ally and built closer ties with China.

(Reporting by Michael Martina, Don Durfee and David Brunnstrom. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
By Michael Martina, Don Durfee and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday that granting U.S. access to Philippine military bases was a defensive step that would be "useful" if China attacked Taiwan.

Marcos, speaking at the end of a four-day visit to Washington that included a summit with President Joe Biden and an agreement to update the countries' nearly 72-year defensive alliance, did not respond directly when asked whether the United States could place weapons at the bases if China attacked Taiwan.

Marcos told Reuters the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) reached with the United States in 2014 was originally conceived to improve disaster responses.

"Now there's an additional aspect to it," he said. "And that is  tensions across the Taiwan Straits seem to be continuing to increase. Then the safety of our Filipino nationals in Taiwan becomes of primordial importance."

"And so these EDCA sites will also prove to be useful for us should that terrible occurrence come about," he added, referring to an invasion of Taiwan.

A February agreement to allow the U.S. to use four additional Philippines military bases is highly sensitive for Manila, which wants closer military ties to the United States without alarming China, its largest trading partner.

China has said that decision was "stoking the fire" of regional tension.

Marcos said Washington "has not proposed any kind of action for the Philippines in terms of taking part in the defense of Taiwan."

"It's of a defensive nature and maybe a civil-defense nature, when I talk about the disasters and the evacuation of our Filipino nationals," he said.

CONCERN ABOUT CHINA

Marcos came to Washington seeking clarity on the extent of Washington's commitment to protect his country amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, where Manila and Beijing have rival claims, as well as tensions over Taiwan and North Korea.

Story continues

The trip, which included the first White House visit by a Philippine leader in 10 years, marked a sharp change in tone from the administration of his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, who turned the Philippines away from its old ally and sought closer ties with China.

Experts say the U.S., for its part, sees the Philippines as a potential location for weapons to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after a meeting with Philippine officials last month it was "too early" to discuss what assets the United States would like to station at Philippine bases.

Speaking earlier on Thursday to a U.S. think thank, Marcos said he told China's foreign minister that the EDCA sites were not intended for "offensive action". He also said Washington had not asked the Philippines to provide troops if there were a war over Taiwan.

Biden said on Monday that the U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally was "ironclad," including in the South China Sea, and that the guidelines issued on Wednesday laid out treaty commitments if either side were attacked in the South China Sea.

JOINT PATROLS TO START THIS YEAR

Marcos said that Manila had agreed in principle to joint South China Sea patrols with the United States, Australia, Japan "and even South Korea" and that he expected them to start this year. He said the patrols would help preserve freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, where China has a growing military presence.

He said Manila was also discussing a trilateral defense treaty with the United States and Japan. Marcos did not specify what that agreement would entail.

Marcos said the Philippines had "made a good start" in talks with China about contentious fishing rights.

"I explained to President Xi that last year was the first year in the entire history of the Philippines where we had to import fish, which is a ridiculous situation for a country that consists of 7,100-plus islands," he said.

"I told President Xi ... perhaps we can take the little step of allowing, once again, our fishermen to ply their trade," he added.

Marcos also said his country and China needed to resolve disputes over oil and gas exploration as quickly as possible.

(Writing by David Brunnstrom. Editing by Gerry Doyle)
Pete Davidson recently stopped by Martha Stewarts Bedford, New York, abode with girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders in a star-studded rendezvous, Stewart told Access Hollywood during a tour of her Las Vegas restaurant opening. Apparently, the King of Staten Island star is in the market for a new place and is considering the Westchester County locale. Stewart said the comedian appeared to be in good spirits during the visit. Her warm welcome to Davidsons potential new area of residence included a tour around the expansive farm.

Petes looking for a house in my neighborhood, so he came over to see my farm and understand what it was like to live in and around Bedford, Stewart told Access Hollywoods Zuri Hall. And he had such a nice time, came up to the house, and chatted for a while. And he seems very happy. The mogul and TV personality shared a photo from the meetup, showing a smiling Davidson flanked by herself and Wonders standing on the front steps of the Bedford dwelling.

Wonders met the SNL star in 2021 while both were working on the A24 horror/comedy Bodies Bodies Bodies. Rumors of a romantic connection between the two started making the rounds in late 2022 after a public appearance together at a New York Rangers game. Wonders also has a role in Davidsons new Peacock comedy series Bupkis, a fictionalized version of the comedians life, which premiered yesterday.

No word yet on if the 26-year-old actor plans to join her costar/beau in a relocation to the rural area. Whether or not the house hunt secures him a spot near Stewart, it seems the lifestyle mogul has ample space (and the appropriate hostessing skill set) to welcome the comedian and his girlfriend as visitors to her sprawling 153-acre property anytime.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest

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A Martinez woman allegedly threatened to tie up her mother and feed her to hogs.

The 42-year-old woman is charged with simple assault and terroristic threats, according to the Columbia County Sheriff's Office.

Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, deputies responded to a home in Martinez for a possible domestic dispute.

The victim told deputies she and her daughter got into a verbal altercation and her daughter "threatened to bind [her] feet, hands and feed her to a hog," according to an incident report.

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The mother also claimed her daughter spat in her face and "balled her hand up into a fist toward her," according to the report.

Deputies noted the mother recorded audio for most of the heated exchange.

The woman left the home before law enforcement arrived on scene, but she was later located near Mistletoe State Park, according to the report. She was turned over to Gold Cross EMS and transported to Doctor's Hospital for evaluation. From there, she was to go to the Columbia County Detention Center, according to the sheriff's office.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Martinez woman charged with terroristic threats, assaulting mother
DANIELSON  A 22-year-old Massachusetts man crossed state lines in March to have sex with a 13-year-old Plainfield girl at a local motel where police said they discovered an array of sex toys, drugs and restraints, according to newly released court documents.

Connor Tidd, who police identified as a Quincy resident, but whose drivers license lists his hometown as Tyngsboro, Massachusetts, was arraigned Thursday in Danielson Superior Court a day after authorities charged him with several new charges related to the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of an underage girl at the Moosup Elite Inn at 66 E. Main St.

A Massachusetts man is charged with an array of violations involving a 13-year-old girl from Plainfield.

At approximately 1:14 a.m. on March 18, Plainfield police arrived at the motel after the victims relatives reported her missing about an hour prior. Family members said they found discord chats on the teens computer in which she and Tidd discussed meeting at the motel, according to an arrest warrant application.

'Old enough to get into trouble'

Police said they found girl hiding in a motel room shower stall and Tidd in an entry doorway. When police asked Tidd his age, he responded, old enough to get into trouble, the warrant states.

Police said the motel room contained an open condom wrapper, various sex toys and fast-acting THC gummies, along with a Swiss Army knife and sections of duct tape fashioned into restraints, the warrant states.

Tidd, after apologizing to police, asked if he would have a future multiple times, but declined to detail his interactions with the girl. He was charged with risk of injury to a minor and interfering with an investigation.

More: Mass. man accused of kidnapping, sexually assaulting Plainfield teen

He posted a $250,000 bond soon after his arraignment on March 20 in Danielson Superior Court, was outfitted with a GPS monitor and told not to leave the state.

On Wednesday, after weeks of work by the departments special investigation unit, Plainfield police levied a slew of new charges in the case. Tidd was charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping  one in advance of a felony and another related to sexual abuse; second-degree sexual assault; two counts of risk of injury to a minor (one involving sexual contact); two counts of illegal distribution of a controlled substance; and enticing a minor.

Story continues

Defendant allegedly met victim via an online dating app

According to messages extracted from the alleged victim's phone, Tidd in early and mid-March discussed meeting the girl for sex at a local motel after previously connecting through a social media dating app in which she said Tidd listed his age as 15, according to the warrant.

During one exchange, the girl said Tidd stated if it wasnt for your age, it would be perfect, the warrant states.

When interviewed by police, the girl said Tidd drove her to the motel where the defendant gave her THC edibles and the two had sex. Up to that point, the girl said she had never so much as kissed a boy before.

When police arrived at the motel, the girl said Tidd unadded her on a pair of dating apps and told her I dont exist and you dont know me, the warrant states.

Defendant posted bond - additional bond levied for new charges

During his most recent arraignment on Thursday, Judge Kevin Shay kept intact a new $500,000 bond, despite arguments from Attorney Mathew Olkin that the new charges stemmed from a previous incident in which bond had already been set.

Olkin, who was set to only represent Tidd for arraignment purposes  Attorney Jerome Paun will handle future proceedings  noted his client had been compliant with the host of bond release restrictions previously ordered, including having no contact with minors, no computer usage and remaining in Connecticut.

He said his client has no previous criminal record and posed no flight risk. Olkin said Shay was likely familiar with cases in which a half-million-dollar bond was justified.

I am familiar (with those kind of charges), Shay said. And one is first-degree kidnapping.

Soon after his arraignment, Tidd, who has not pleaded to any of the charges, was seen posting bond. The criminal clerks office said he posted $35,150 toward his release and was due back in court on June 16.

His cases were moved to the courts Part A docket where the regions most serious cases are heard.

Outside the courthouse, Olkin said he hadnt yet seen any evidence related to the new charges and urged the community to remember defendants are due the presumption of innocence.

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Mass. man posts bond again in Plainfield underage sex assault case
ICBC Turkiye wins corporate banking award

Xinhua) 09:52, May 05, 2023

ISTANBUL, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) was recognized for excellence in corporate banking by the Britain-based Global Banking and Finance Review, a magazine of the global finance industry, the ICBC said in a press release on Thursday.

ICBC Turkiye won the "The Next 100 Global Awards 2023 - Corporate Banking" award at the Global Banking &Finance Awards 2023, which evaluates the innovations, leading strategic changes, and achievements of the brands in the banking and financial sector.

"We are proud to be honored with a valuable award this year at the Global Banking and Finance Awards 2023," ICBC Turkiye Chairman Gao Xiangyang said.

ICBC aims to contribute to Turkish economic and social development by serving as a financial and cultural bridge between China and Turkiye, said Gao, adding the target is to further strengthen this cooperation model through financing infrastructure projects and private sector investments crucial for development in the upcoming period.

"We will continue to support the country's economy by carrying Chinese-Turkish economic relations to a much stronger level with the product range and high-quality services we offer," he pointed out.

ICBC is China's largest commercial bank and the world's largest bank by assets. ICBC Turkiye was established after the bank acquired the majority share of Turkiye's Tekstilbank in May 2015.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
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Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday called for joint efforts to build healthy and stable China-Britain relations to provide a solid foundation and create a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Han made the appeal at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday.

Han said that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a grand blueprint for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

"China's development enjoys a strong leadership core, and its domestic and foreign policies are highly consistent and stable," Han said, noting that no matter how the world landscape changes, China will bring more opportunities through its own development and add more certainty and positive energy to the world.

China, as a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions at present, makes daily direct investments of 320 million U.S. dollars around the world and attracts over 3,000 foreign enterprises to set up business in China every month.

China is committed to economic globalization and high-standard opening-up and stands ready to work with all countries to pursue win-win cooperation and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and mutually beneficial, said the Chinese vice president.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. [Photo/Xinhua]

On China-Britain relations, Han stressed that as Chinese modernization advances, bilateral cooperation will surely embrace a brighter future.

He urged joint efforts to build a healthy and stable China-Britain relationship so as to provide a solid foundation and creat a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

"China views Britain's international role and influence from a positive perspective and always treats the country as a strategic partner," Han said, noting that China is ready to grant national treatment to British companies investing in China and steadily expand the high standard two-way institutional opening-up of the capital market.

He voiced hope that Britain will creat an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Britain in international affairs and make positive contributions to global undertakings such as safeguarding world peace and security, coping with climate change and protecting biodiversity, Han added.

He commended the important and positive role the British business community plays in promoting exchanges and cooperation with China, expressing hope that it will continue to contribute wisdom and strength to advancing bilateral relations.
Low-income pregnant mothers in Missouri would be able to receive full state health care coverage for a year after they give birth under two bills headed to Gov. Mike Parsons desk.

Both pieces of legislation approved by the Missouri Senate on Friday come after years of failed efforts by Missouri lawmakers to extend full Medicaid benefits to eligible pregnant mothers. It comes as Missouri has had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country for years.

New moms are more likely to die in Missouri than they are in most other states, and almost all these deaths are preventable, said state Sen. Lauren Arthur, a Kansas City Democrat who sponsored one of the bills. These bills will help moms, help kids, and most importantly  save lives.

Under current law, low-income pregnant and postpartum women who receive benefits from Missouris Medicaid program can get pregnancy-related coverage for up to two months after the end of a pregnancy. The two bills, sponsored by Arthur and state Sen. Elaine Gannon, a De Soto Republican, would extend that coverage to a full year.

Gannons sweeping legislation also includes an amendment that would bar state Medicaid funding for people who are not considered Missouri residents.

Help for new moms and reducing our states maternal mortality rates is definitely better late than never! Gannon said in a news release prior to the Senates passage.

Community advocates, health care providers and lawmakers have been frustrated with the states high mortality rates, knowing that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released in 2022.

Between 2017 and 2019, 185 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of pregnancy, according to previous reporting that cited the states Pregnancy-Associated Mortality Review board.

Women of color have faced the biggest hurdles. Black mothers insured by Medicaid are about two times more likely than white women on Medicaid to become cases of severe maternal morbidity, according to the CDC.
Youre not imagining it: People everywhere are using fanny packs again. It's been quite a while  we really haven't seen these convenient carrying sacks out en masse since the '80s. But all of a sudden people are opening their eyes to just how practical they are  especially for traveling. It makes total sense  you can fit all your daily touring essentials in these hip packs, all while keeping them close for convenience and safety. Of course, Amazon is staying on trend with an offer: One of the internet retailers most popular models  the Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack  is on sale for $13 (was $20).

MAXTOP Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack $13 $20 Save $7 Made with nylon, this is easy to clean and extra roomy. With a four-liter volume (14.3" x 5.9" x 3.5") and four zipper pockets, you can carry all your essentials, hands-free. $13 at Amazon

This fanny pack has won over more than 31,000 five-star fans  and whats not to love about a bag with four zippered pockets? With dimensions of 14.3 x 5.9 x 3.5 inches and a belt length spanning 2050 inches, it can hold more than youd expect and works for a variety of body types. No wonder shoppers are going absolutely wild about it, regardless of how they feel about fashion.

I was so resistant to get a fanny pack because I associate them with the '80s and the cool kids making fun of people wearing fanny packs, admitted a five-star fan. I bought it for a trip to Universal, saying I will probably not even wear it cause I dont wanna look lame BUT, dangthis little thing is crazy cool! Dare I saysexy!?!? I feel like the king of the world in this thing;ts got thick straps, so its not uncomfortable at all. Its not bulky, it's actually sleek and form-flattering. It hugs my hips in just the right spots so I could hide it under a hoodie if I wanted to.

The question isn't "What can you fit in there?" it's "What can't you fit in there?" (Photo: Amazon)

Vacation essential

Not surprisingly, many shoppers use this fanny pack for traveling. It lets them keep their belongings close  either around their waists or worn as a crossbody bag. But the real draw is just how much you can fit in this hip pack.

"This fanny was like Mary Poppins suitcase," wrote a delighted tourist. "I could keep putting more and more in and it always fit. We took it to Orlando for all the parks and got four phones, a wallet, travel sunscreen, keys, a vape, chapstick, and hand sanitizer!! And I could get on the majority of the rides with it. (Some rides dont let you have ANYTHING)"

I bought this fanny pack for my trip to Hawaii, reported a savvy traveler. I used it EVERYWHERE. It was my go-to purse. I even used it during the plane ride. It has different compartments and it actually seems to be somewhat waterproof based on what I noticed. Its so cute and sturdy. I freaking love it. I use it now when going out and about still, and I bought my sister one as well!

Disney Bare necessities

This hip-pack is a favorite among Disney enthusiasts. While it can hold all the bare necessities, it can be really useful in unexpected inconveniences.

"Perfect for carrying the minimum necessary for my trip to Walt Disney World resort," shared a happy sightseer. "This came in handy during the several rainstorms where the pack was easily accessible under my poncho. So much easier than a purse or backpack!"

"Perfect for my trip to Disney!" wrote another amusement park visitor. "Everything I needed was easily accessible and I could wear it on almost all the rides!"

MAXTOP Maxtop Large Crossbody Fanny Pack $13 $20 Save $7 Have we mentioned that there are 27 different color options to choose from? THERE ARE 27 DIFFERENT COLOR OPTIONS TO CHOOSE FROM! $13 at Amazon

If you have Amazon Prime, youll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $25 or more.)

The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.

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President Joe Biden walks with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) down the House steps at the Capitol in Washington, March 17, 2023. (Al Drago for The New York Times)

WASHINGTON  House Democrats who this week began a long-shot bid attempting to force a debt limit increase bill to the floor are pinning their hopes not just on a convoluted legislative gambit, but also on another highly improbable feat: getting a small group of Republicans to cross party lines and join them.

While they concede it faces long odds, Democrats privately argue there is a path to pulling it off  or at least to coming close enough that Republicans feel compelled to cut a deal with them to head off a catastrophic default.

It is based on the belief that some Republican lawmakers  especially among the 18 who represent districts that President Joe Biden won in 2020  could be persuaded to vote with Democrats to pass an 11th-hour debt limit increase that would pull the nation from the brink of financial ruin.

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There are 18 House Republicans who like to call themselves moderates, said Rep. Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, the top Democrat on the Budget Committee. Heres a chance for them to really put their money where their mouth is. Join with House Democrats to ensure we dont suffer the first-ever default in American history.

Democrats on Tuesday set in motion a plan that would allow them to bypass Republican leaders and bring up legislation to increase the debt ceiling without the spending cuts and policy changes the GOP has demanded in exchange. They could do so through a discharge petition, which forces a bill to the floor if a majority of the House signs on to calling for it.

If every Democrat supported the move, at least five Republicans would be needed to advance such a measure to a vote.

There is little evidence so far that House Republicans  even those in the most Biden-friendly districts  are inclined to undercut Speaker Kevin McCarthy, especially before he gets to the negotiating table with the president. The two are scheduled to meet in person Tuesday at the White House for the first time since February.

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Republicans of all stripes have said they are in favor of spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt ceiling, and bucking the party to vote with Democrats to increase the nations borrowing limit would be seen as tantamount to a political betrayal.

But that could change if talks between McCarthy and Biden stall and the nation barrels toward a default, now projected as soon as June 1.

Here are some Republicans to watch.

The Blue-State Republicans

The predicted red wave for Republicans never quite materialized in 2022. But in New York, the party routed Democrats, partly as a result of a haywire redistricting cycle, and six Republican candidates won election in congressional districts that had voted for Biden.

Democrats now consider five of those freshmen as some of the top prospects for cutting a deal. One of them, Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents the suburbs north of New York City, had previously privately asked about the feasibility of a discharge petition.

But he has also laid responsibility for negotiating a deal squarely at Bidens feet.

The White House needs to acknowledge the fact that there is no longer one-party rule, Lawler said in an interview earlier this year. They need to negotiate in good faith, and they cant circumvent the speaker by just going to myself and my colleagues in these Biden districts.

Democrats are also considering a group of lawmakers from California, including Reps. David Valadao, Young Kim, Michelle Steel and John Duarte, who had one of the closest elections in the nation.

Valadao has cultivated a reputation for years of sometimes defying his party, including when he voted to impeach President Donald Trump in 2021 for inciting an insurrection at the Capitol. Complicating any Democratic efforts to recruit Valadao: He is a close ally of McCarthy, who helped protect him from a serious primary challenge after he voted for impeachment.

The Veteran Problem Solvers

Some of the earliest indicators of whether there is appetite among Biden-district Republicans to strike a deal would come from two of the most outspoken centrist veterans in the conference: Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Don Bacon of Nebraska.

Fitzpatrick, a former FBI agent and U.S. attorney, has previously bucked his party, especially on gun control. He was one of two Republicans who voted last year to ban assault rifles and one of eight who voted in 2021 to expand background checks for firearms purchasers.

Bacon, a former Air Force officer, helped lead the legislative charge to strip the names of Confederate leaders from military bases and held firm even after the Trump White House called him and urged him to abandon the effort.

Neither man has given any indication that he would break from his party to raise the debt ceiling. But Fitzpatrick told E&E News that he voted for the House GOP bill  which conditioned a debt limit increase on spending cuts and policy changes  only because he knew it would never become law.

Every single one of us knows that yesterday was nothing more than a mechanism to get Kevin and the president to sit down and deal with an existential threat, he said. If there was a 1% chance of any of these provisions ever becoming law, a lot of us would have treated that very differently.

The Longest of the Long Shots

Some Biden-district lawmakers, including two freshmen, Reps. Jen Kiggans of Virginia and Juan Ciscomani of Arizona, quickly became favorites of House Republican leaders and are unlikely to defect.

Kiggans, a former Navy helicopter pilot, has in fact been on the front line of GOP efforts to combat messaging from the Biden administration that House Republicans bill would gut veterans health care programs.

Im disgusted that the VA would blatantly lie about this bill & willingly use our nations heroes as political pawns, she wrote on Twitter.

That also goes for Rep. David Schweikert of Arizona, who has hung on to his Biden-friendly seat despite repeated Democratic efforts to dislodge him. Schweikert, who has previously aligned himself with the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, has cut a far more conservative figure than his increasingly liberal district would suggest.

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Fort Worth police said this week that an official DNA test has confirmed the identity of Melissa Highsmith, a Texas woman who was kidnapped as a baby in 1971 and reunited with her family in November 2022.

Heres what we know about Melissa Highsmith and the story of her disappearance.

What happened to Melissa Highsmith?

Melissa Highsmith was 21 months old when she was abducted from her Fort Worth home by a babysitter in 1971, according to her family.

Melissas mother, Alta Apantenco, had left the toddler in the care of her roommate, who handed her off to the babysitter on Aug. 23, 1971.

Melissas mother was working as a waitress, according to an account of the case from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. She had just separated from Melissas father and moved to Fort Worth. She placed an ad in a newspaper looking for someone to care for her child.

A woman who called herself Ruth Johnson answered the ad and agreed to meet Melissas mom at the restaurant where she worked, but she never showed up. The babysitter called the mother later, saying she really wanted the job, had a nice big yard and cared for other children as well. Melissas mother hired her, and the babysitter picked Melissa up from the roommate at their apartment on East Seminary Drive when Apantenco was at work, the family said.

A Texas Department of Public Safety missing person bulletin for Melissa Highsmith, who was kidnapped as a toddler in 1971 and found in November 2022 in Fort Worth.

As a single mom who feared losing her job, Apantenco made the difficult choice to hire the babysitter without meeting face to face, the family said.

The roommate told police that the woman calling herself Ruth Johnson who picked up Melissa seemed nice and was dressed to impress, wearing white gloves.

Melissas mother didnt see her again for 51 years.

How was Melissa Highsmith found?

Melissas father, Jeffrie Highsmith, submitted his DNA to 23andMe, a website customers can use to find relatives and create a family tree. The database found a match to three grandchildren, who are the children of Melanie Brown, her husband, John Brown, wrote on Facebook. A DNA test of Melanie Brown  who also went by Melanie Walden  was done and confirmed she is Melissa Highsmith, he wrote.

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The family worked with Lisa Jo Schiele, a clinical laboratory scientist and amateur genealogist, who helped them understand the DNA results and research public records to find their missing daughter, according to a statement from the family. The Vanished Podcast, which interviewed the family for a two-episode series that aired in the fall of 2022, connected them with Schiele, according to a post on the podcasts Facebook page.

This is not the hardest genealogy puzzle Ive ever solved, Schiele said. I hope what I do gives other families the confidence to do the same. Never give up.

Melissa reunited with her parents and two of her four siblings for the first time on the weekend after Thanksgiving in 2022.

Melissa Highsmith was reunited with her parents, Alta Apantenco and Jeffrie Highsmith, 51 years after she was kidnapped in Fort Worth, Texas, the family announced on Nov. 27, 2022.

I couldnt stop crying, Melissas sister Victoria Garner, wrote in a Facebook post. I was overjoyed and Im still walking around in a fog trying to comprehend that my sister is right in front of me and that we found her.

Where was Melissa Highsmith for all those years?

Melissa has lived in Fort Worth most of her life and never knew she had been kidnapped, her family wrote in posts on a Facebook page called WE FOUND MELISSA!!!

Family members have said that they dont know what happened to the person who took Melissa as a baby.

Fort Worth police said that although the statute of limitations has expired to file a kidnapping charge in Texas, they are still investigating and asked for the publics help with any additional information concerning Melissas abduction. The police departments Major Case Unit can be reached by calling 817-392-4439.

Melissa Highsmith hugs her mother, Alta Apantenco, after being reunited in Fort Worth, Texas, 51 years after Melissa was kidnapped as a toddler.

What has Melissa Highsmith said about her abduction and her life?

Melissa thought the woman who raised her was her mother, she said. She was shocked to learn that wasnt true.

She said that she didnt have a happy childhood. She described her home life as abusive and said she ran away at 15 years old and worked the streets to survive.

When the Highsmith family approached her in November about taking a DNA test, Melissa wasnt sure what to think, she told WFAA-TV. I really didnt think I was that girl, she said. But, once I saw the baby picture, and I put my baby picture against it, its like my twin.

Melissa attended an event in Fort Worth on April 28 to call for more resources to investigate cold cases, including missing person cases and murders.

I felt strong to be here, Melissa Highsmith told the Star-Telegram at the event. Its given so many people hope with my case and I hope that itll bring awareness to all the (cold) cases that are still under investigation and let them know that theres a lot of people out there that are still missing, but just dont give up hope.

Theres so many that are just unsolved and sitting on the shelf, Melissa said. They need to be able to reopen these cases, but they dont have enough people to investigate these cases and not enough funding.
A student responsible for a message inviting Penns Valley students to join the Ku Klux Klan will be disciplined in accordance with district policy, the superintendent said Friday.

A Snapchat  a messaging app in which photos and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible  was sent to a group of students this week that had a photo of hooded KKK members, Ku Klux Klan in big letters and text that said To sign up snap me your lunch number. The message said the first meeting would be held that day.

Brian Griffith, superintendent of the Penns Valley Area School District, said the district investigated the matter.

We did receive a vague report from a parent. We have investigated the matter and substantiated that a message was distributed to approximately 10 students. The student responsible will be disciplined in accordance with district policy, Griffith wrote in an email Friday.

According to an email obtained by the Centre Daily Times, Bryan Sampsel, Centre Countys sheriff, also forwarded the information to the state police.

The Ku Klux Klan is the oldest and most infamous of American hate groups, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center, and it has a long history of violence. The KKKs primary targets have been Black people, although followers also attack Jewish people, those who have immigrated to the United States and members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to the SPLC.

One parent whose child received the Snapchat estimated the group had more than 20 kids in it. The parent, who asked not to be identified due to privacy concerns for their child, said racist incidents like this arent uncommon in the Penns Valley area.

It feels like its getting worse, the parent said.
The May 6 coronation of King Charles III and his wife Camilla, Queen Consort has generated controversy before it even begins, thanks to one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, and claims from multiple countries that it does not belong to the British monarchy.

Camilla will be crowned not with the Crown of Queen Mother Elizabeth , as would be tradition. Instead, she will wear the Crown of Queen Mary , which was made in 1911 for Queen Mary of Teck . This will mark the first time since 1727 that a Queen was crowned with something other than the consorts crown.

The reason for the change is that the consorts crown includes the Koh-i-Noor, a legendary 105-carat diamond whose name means mountain of light in Persian. Several countries have claimed rightful ownership of the diamond and demanded it back, including India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.

It is, in some respects, the ultimate blood diamond in South Asian history, said Priya Atwal , author and historian at the University of Oxford. Its origins are rather mysterious and quite legendary, and is this ultimate symbol of the internal political histories of the subcontinent, Atwal told ABC News.

A Real-Life Lord of the Rings

DESHAKALYAN CHOWDHURY - Getty Images

The Koh-i-Noor is part of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom on display at the Tower of London, where it is advertised as a symbol of conquest. The diamond has changed hands many times over the years, belonging to the Mughal, Persian, Afghan, and Sikh empires before ending up with the British Empire in the mid-19th century.

Its the nearest thing to the ring of power in Lord of the Rings, historian William Dalrymple told NPR. Whenever it goes, it stirs up anger, greed, murder and bloodshed.

According to legend, the diamond was first found alongside the holy Krishna River in southern India around the 12th century, when someone went to take a bath there and tripped over it. It belonged to the Hindu kings of the Kakatiya dynasty until they were vanquished in the 14th century.

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By the 1600s, it ended up on the top of the Peacock Throne of Shah Jahan, leader of the Mughal Empire. It was taken again by the Iranian leader Nader Shah, who defeated the Mughal army in 1739.

It next ended up with Ahmad Shah Abdali , the founder of Afghanistan, which is why the Afghansand even the Talibanbelieve the diamond belongs to them. They possessed it for about a century, before it was captured yet again by Ranjit Singh, the king of Punjab, in 1813.

Falling into British Hands

Tim Graham - Getty Images

When the East India Company captured Punjab in the mid-19th century, British officials discovered the Koh-i-noor in the possession of a 10-year-old Punjabi Sikh prince. He gave it to the British, who presented it to Queen Victoria . It was said to be a gift from the prince, but some historians say otherwise.

I don't know of many gifts that are handed over at the point of a bayonet, Anita Anand, a journalist who wrote a book about the Koh-i-Noor, told the BBC .

Now in British hands, the Koh-i-Noor was incorporated into the Crown Jewels. Elizabeth, the wife of King George VI , wore it during her coronation in 1937, and then again for her daughter Queen Elizabeth II s coronation in 1953. Elizabeth II herself is not believed to have ever worn it.

After Queen Elizabeths death last year, the Indian government has repeatedly asked for the Koh-i-Noor back. Other activists and cultural heritage experts have also called for its restitution to India, calling it an example of stolen heritage and a symbol of historical injustice.

To Indians, it's actually a perfect, perfect metaphor for what India went through, Anand told NPR . It was reshaped and re-cut and diminished into something that suited a British palate and British needs.

Navigating Political Sensitivities

The British government and monarchy have rarely discussed the Koh-i-noor publicly. In 2010, then-Minister David Cameron made a rare public comment about the diamond, saying that returning it to another country would set a risky precedent for British institutions.

What tends to happen with these questions is that if you say yes to one, you suddenly find the British Museum would be empty, Cameron told an Indian television station . I think I am afraid to say, to disappoint all your viewers, it is going to have to stay put.

Officially, Buckingham Palace says the decision for Camilla, Queen Consort to reuse Queen Marys crown, rather than wear the crown with the Koh-i-noor, was in the interests of sustainability and efficiency. But a source told the British media the decision was actually meant to avoid offending political sensitivities.

The crown Camilla will actually wear has no shortage of impressive jewelry. It includes 2,200 smaller diamonds , including some from Queen Elizabeth IIs personal collection. Some, like the diamonds known as Cullinan III, IV, and V, were mined from South Africa and have been called another symbol of British imperialism. South Africa wants those diamonds back as well.
Students and parents were on edge Friday after a social media post started to circulate threatening a school shooting.

The message was a generic threat to make history as the top school slaughter on May 5, without a specific school, city or state mentioned in the post.

Still, it had some parents keeping kids out of school and districts beefing up security.

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Douglas County Schools told Channel 2 Action News that Lithia Springs High School delayed its start to investigate a threat. Cobb County Schools said Hillgrove High School both had a larger than usual police presence while classes continue as normal.

Coweta County schools said a student reposted the same threat onto a personal social media account.

The school district added that it is aware of the nationwide pattern emerging.

These false rumors are impacting school operations in a number of our schools, as well as districts across the metropolitan area, and across the country. As always, we take every report of a threat, or rumor of a threat, seriously to help ensure our schools are secure and our students are safe.

Channel 2s Tyisha Fernandes was at Tri-Cities High School in East Point on Friday. She spoke to investigators, who said the threat was not credible.

The same threat was also circulating in Florida, Tennessee and North Carolina, even as far away as Nevada.

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Cindy Puk was picking up her sister from school Friday, She said if shed known about the threat, she wouldnt have even sent her sister to school.

Because theres always a What if? Puk said. For me, living in the times that were living in right now, I would take it seriously.

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Fernandes learned that schools get way more threats than parents know about because the districts only notify parents of threats they believe they are credible.

This is not the first time that multiple school districts were the target of coordinated, false reports of an active shooter on campus.

The same happened in November caused panic at several Georgia high schools. Officials determined it to be a hoax and said the FBI was investigating the false reports as an act of domestic terrorism.

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Christina White, Miami-Dade Countys election director under mayors of both parties, recently joined the Democratic Party ahead of an expected campaign to retain her position when the office becomes independently elected next year.

White, 45, currently reports to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, a Democrat, as a director of a county department. White has held the post since 2015 when the countys mayor at the time, Republican Carlos Gimenez, named her to run the department.

A spokesperson at the Elections Department, Robert Rodriguez, said Friday that White last week switched her party affiliation to Democratic from no party affiliation  a status best known as NPA.

In a statement, White said becoming a Democrat was a values-based decision that wont affect her work as the person overseeing the Elections Department. I have been in this role for eight years and I have gained the respect of the community as someone who has led the department in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical matter, she said in a statement. I will continue to do so today and into the future.

Her statement stopped short of saying she was running, but White said shes receiving encouragement to join the race and will have more conversations in the coming weeks about next steps.

After Florida voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2018 requiring all counties to have independently elected supervisors, White has privately and publicly discussed the possibility of seeking the office herself.

She came to the position after a rocky 2012 election for Miami-Dade marred by waits so long that President Barack Obama cited them an example of ordeals voters faced that November.

Under White, the countys Elections Department has won praise for its performance, with speedy results in the 2016 presidential election as the nation awaited Broward Countys tallies and a smooth recount of statewide races in 2018.

While county mayors hold non-partisan positions, candidates for elections supervisor must compete in party primaries, according to state rules.

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That means White would need to win the Democratic Party nomination in August 2024 to then compete against the Republican nominee in November. This would be her first run for political office.

So far, only one candidate has filed for the supervisor race: Democrat Willis Perry Howard, a campaign consultant active in local races and a former chief of staff at the city of North Miami Beach.

Willis Howard, a campaign consultant and former North Miami Beach administrator, is a candidate for the 2024 Democratic primary for elections supervisor of Miami-Dade County .

In an interview, Howard, 49, said hes bringing party loyalty and a long track record with campaigns and elections to his campaign.

Im running as a tried-and-true Democrat, he said. I was born a Democrat. I never switched.
DETROIT (AP)  Nine lawyers who were found to have abused the court system by filing a lawsuit that challenged Michigan's 2020 election results in favor of President Joe Biden committed misconduct and should be disciplined, a watchdog agency said.

The state Attorney Grievance Commission filed a complaint this week against Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and seven other lawyers who were allied with then-President Donald Trump. The complaint now goes to the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board for further consideration.

In 2020, the attorneys supported a lawsuit on behalf of Republican voters that was filed just a few days after Bidens 154,000-vote victory in Michigan was certified.

The lawsuit sought to decertify those results and have voting machines impounded. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker said the request was stunning in its scope and breathtaking in its reach.

The lawsuit was frivolous and exposed the legal profession to contempt, the Grievance Commission said in its complaint.

Three of the nine lawyers are licensed in Michigan while Powell, Lin and others are licensed in other states or the District of Columbia. It's unclear what sanctions could be ordered against lawyers who practice outside Michigan.

Woods name was on the 2020 lawsuit, but he has insisted that the only role he played was telling Powell he was available if she needed a seasoned litigator. Powell defended the lawsuit and said lawyers sometimes have to raise what she called unpopular issues.

After dismissing the case, Parker ordered the nine lawyers to attend 12 hours of legal education, including six hours in election law. She also ordered $175,000 in legal fees to be paid, mostly to the city of Detroit. Those sanctions are being appealed.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
Copyright:  IWM

Combatant morale is crucial to how militaries perform. Indeed, the importance of alcohol to wider military morale was such that, during World War II, the British converted one of the Royal Navy's auxiliary minelayers into a floating brewery. The vessel, HMS Menestheus, was altered in 1944 to supply beer to British and Allied forces stationed in the Pacific, which it did from the fall of 1945 into 1946.

Auxiliary minelayer HMS Menestheus moored at a minelaying base on the Kyle of Lochalsh, unknown date. Copyright:  IWM

Prior to its beer-producing days with the Royal Navy, however, Menestheus lived a very different existence. MV Menestheus was originally a cargo-passenger ship of the British Blue Funnel Line shipping company. Managed from Liverpool, England, by Alfred Holt and Company, the Blue Funnel Line was founded in the 1860s and was a pioneer of cargo liners between the English East Coast and the Pacific. Like its sister ship MV Agamemnon, Menestheus was built in Belfast and launched there in 1929. Both ships were primarily used to ship goods between Liverpool and destinations in the Pacific.

The Royal Navy requisitioned both Menestheus and Agamemnon for use as auxiliary minelayers early on in the war, at a time when the British were facing both aerial threats from the German-occupied continent as well as the prospect of invasion by sea via the English Channel and the Straight of Dover.

MV Menestheus moored at King George V Dock, East London, prior to its conversion to an auxiliary minelayer, circa. 1940. National Maritime Museum via Wikimedia Commons

Conversion of the ships took place in the spring and early summer of 1940. By October 1940, both vessels, along with the other auxiliary minelayers HMS Port Napier, HMS Port Quebec, and HMS Southern France, began laying mines in the Faroe Islands-Iceland gap as part of the 1st Minelaying Squadron. HMS Menestheus and HMS Agamemnon spent the majority of the war performing mine-laying duties. However, with the disbanding of the 1st Minelaying Squadron in late 1943, a change of course was on the horizon for the vessels.

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HMS Menestheus pictured during its minelaying days, unknown date.  IWM

While the potential futures of HMS Menestheus and HMS Agamemnon were being considered into 1944, the situation in the Pacific was stretching British resources thin, particularly in terms of key supplies. Sustaining troop morale was vital there  it was decided that providing freshly brewed beer to the British and Allied forces, unspoiled by long over-seas deliveries from the U.K. or Australia owing to brewing equipment being installed on one or more amenities ships, was an achievable way of aiding this.

Indeed, providing sailors with weak beer as part of their rations dates back to the Age of Sail, and even predates the introduction of the rum ration within the Royal Navy which began in the 17th century. Issuing rum to Royal Navy sailors lasted all the way to 1970  a vote in Parliament did away with the tradition in July of that year, owing to the increasingly complex and sophisticated technologies onboard Royal Navy vessels which required operation by human hands.

Weak beer was also more commonly drank than 'grog' (a mix of rum, water and lemon juice) in the Royal Navy during the 17th and 18th centuries, contrary to popular myth, as the video below explains.

At the behest of Churchill himself, the Board of Admiralty ordered the conversion of both HMS Menestheus and HMS Agamemnon into amenities ships to support the newly-formed British Pacific Fleet, which was established in late 1944. The vessels sailed to Vancouver, British Columbia, where, in late 1944, their conversion to amenity ships began.

While the conversion of Agamemnon was abandoned around August 1945, HMS Menestheuss conversion was successfully finished  complete with brewery  and the vessel was subsequently deployed to the Pacific, presumably in September. Alongside the brewery, HMS Menestheus was also equipt with a 350-seat theatre, a dance hall, and ample catering space for large parties.

HMS Menestheus being towed out of False Creek toward English Bay by two tugboats on September 1, 1945. Photo likely taken from the south side of Burrard Street Bridge while facing south-east, Vancouver, British Columbia. James Crookall via Wikimedia Commons James Crookall via Wikimedia Commons

Although HMS Menestheus arrived in the Pacific too late to supply beer before Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945, it was still of use to forces stationed there, as David Hobbs notes in his book, The British Pacific Fleet: The Royal Navy's Most Powerful Strike Force. For British troops in the Pacific theater, the fighting didn't end after September 1945. From September 1945 into 1946, for example, British forces were involved in Indonesia's fierce post-war colonial conflict. Moreover, for many servicemen broadly, it took months or even years to be demobilized and return home after the war ended.

A rear view of HMS Menestheus being towed out of False Creek toward English Bay. James Crookall via Wikimedia Commons

As such, HMS Menestheus's ability to brew beer didn't go to waste. Distilled seawater was used for the beer, while hop concentrate and malt extract was shipped from the United Kingdom to locations in the Pacific where HMS Menestheus would call at. A 55-barrel capacity copper brewing pot was installed in the forward hold of the vessel, heated by its boilers, while six fermenting vessels were also installed. HMS Menestheus could supposedly brew in the region of 350 barrels (or 250 English-sized) barrels of English mild ale per week (around 3.7% ABV). The beer was also made available in five-gallon steel kegs for shipment to troops.

According to War History Online, George Brown of Londons Trumans Brewery was made head brewer of Davy Jones Brewery, as HMS Menestheuss brewery was called. He produced the ships first batch of beer on New Years Eve 1945, while the second batch was in the works by January 1946.

Few images of HMS Menestheuss brewery exist. A silent production film made in 1946, however  which is available to watch online through the Imperial War Museums website  shows the distillation plant and malt dissolving vessels in use. Toward the end of the film, an advert for HMS Menestheuss brewery  dubbed the worlds only floating brewery  shows that a pint of ale would have set you back 9d (nine pennies) in late 1945 or early 1946. The film also reveals the brewing equipment was installed on HMS Menestheus by "brewing engineers" Messrs. Geo. Adlam and Sons Ltd. of Bristol, England. Established around 1800, the company went on to become one of the best known firms of brewers engineers in the country during the latter part of the 19th century.

Screen cap from the 1946 film, showing an advertisement for HMS Menestheuss brewery. Copyright:  IWM Part of HMS Menestheuss brewery seen in the film. Copyright:  IWM HMS Menestheuss copper pot in use. Copyright:  IWM

Ultimately, the time HMS Menestheus spent as a floating brewery for the Royal Navy was limited. The vessel was given back to Blue Funnel Line by the Royal Navy in 1946, although the exact month that this occurred remains unclear. Before this happened, the U.S. supposedly offered the U.K. 1 million British pounds for the vessel, owing to the fact that nothing like the ship existed in the U.S. Navy fleet. Although little information exists on Menestheus's time with Blue Funnel Line in the immediate postwar period, it's been suggested that the vessel met an unfortunate end  having been abandoned on fire off California in 1953 before being scrapped.

Unlike the U.S. Navy, which is famously dry, the tradition of bars on board Royal Navy vessels has since continued after HMS Menestheus's service. Royal Navy vessels are permitted to sell alcohol in bars, messes, and canteens  although this is a privilege at the discretion of the commanding officer. More recently, in 2018 the 65,000-ton aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth went a step further by opening its very own on-board pub, dubbed the Queens Head.

That said, HMS Menestheus ended up playing an extraordinary role during the immediate postwar period, supplying a commodity we more-or-less take for granted today.

Cheers to its amazing story!

Officers enjoying HMS Menestheuss brew at one of the ship's bars in the film. Copyright:  IWM

Contact the author: oliver@thewarzone.com
 Flash

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to uphold strategic independence and deepen security cooperation.

When delivering a speech at the SCO foreign ministers' meeting, Qin pointed out that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics.

The more chaotic and intertwined the international situation is, the more firmly the SCO, as a key constructive force in global and regional affairs, should display the Shanghai Spirit, said the Chinese foreign minister.

He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future.

First, upholding strategic independence, and enhancing solidarity and mutual trust. The SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues or inciting color revolutions, he said.

Second, deepening security cooperation and maintaining regional peace. The SCO members should continue to jointly crack down on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, support Afghanistan in establishing a broadly-based and inclusive political structure and combat any form of terrorism, Qin said.

Third, advocating openness and inclusiveness, and promoting interconnected development. The SCO members should resolutely oppose any act violating international economic order and market rules, so as to ensure smooth and stable industrial and supply chains, he said.

Fourth, upholding fairness and justice, and improving global governance. China is ready to coordinate and cooperate with other SCO members and jointly support the SCO's participation in implementing the major initiatives including that of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, in order to establish a more just and rational international order, Qin said.

Fifth, developing a vision for long-term development and building mechanisms. The SCO should complete the process for the memberships of Iran and Belarus in an orderly manner, and enhance the organization's cohesion and capacity for action, he added.

Qin said China is willing to expand cooperation with other SCO member states, jointly move forward on the path of national development and revitalization, and work together toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Participants at the meeting spoke highly of the contributions to regional security and development made by the SCO as a major regional cooperation platform.

The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold multilateralism.

They agreed to further strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism, drug production and trafficking, and cyber crimes.

They also pledged to enhance cooperation in such areas as transport, energy, finance, investment, free trade, digital economy and environmental protection so as to achieve common development.

In addition, they agreed to accelerate the building of the SCO secretariat and the regional anti-terrorism institutions, and advance the SCO membership expansion process in an orderly manner in order to promote the international influence of the SCO.

The ministerial meeting made full preparations for the SCO summit to be held in New Delhi this summer.
The search has ended for a 45-year-old Alabama man after a body was found by the side of the road, deputies said.

Dustin Ryan Butler, reported missing since April 23, was last seen in a 1996 maroon Dodge Ram, according to Facebook posts from his daughter, Savannah Harry.

On April 30, Harry posted a video of her father doing a TikTok dance trend, saying it was day seven since he had gone missing.

To know my dad is to love him, she wrote. He has a huge heart of pure gold.

Harry said her father left home in his truck without extra clothes, money or a phone charger and was heading from Forestdale to Leeds, just a 30 minute drive away.

The Jefferson County Sheriffs Office searched for days, but on May 3, a postal worker spotted human remains on the side of the road in Mulga, the opposite direction of Leeds, AL.com reported.

When deputies arrived, they found a body in the later stages of decomposition, according to a May 3 news release.

On May 5, the Jefferson County coroners office identified the remains as Butler, and confirmed to WBRC that the coroner did not suspect foul play after no evidence of trauma was found. The cause of death remains under investigation.

Deputies did not release whether a truck had been found.

This is the most gut wrenching, helpless feeling, his daughter said in a Facebook post. He is so loved and so missed.

Butler was a father, grandfather, son, brother and friend, according to his daughter. He had a goofy personality and would light up a room with his sense of humor and laughter.

I dont know how were going to do it, but were gonna keep on for you, Harry wrote. You have a huge piece of my heart up there with you, but Ill get it back from you one day.

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A man reported missing over a year ago was found dead inside a barrel, California police said.

Eric Gregory, who was reported missing in December 2021, was last seen by a family friend near a Home Depot in East Oakland, the Oakland Police Department said in a January video statement.

A body was found on April 10 in Castro Valley within an unincorporated area of Alameda County, about 15 miles away from where Gregory was last seen, Oakland police said in an emailed news release to McClatchy News on Thursday, May 4.

The Alameda County Sheriffs Office identified the body as Gregorys on April 19, police said.

An autopsy for Gregory, who was 45 when he disappeared, is pending, The East Bay Times reported.

Police told the newspaper Gregorys body had significant trauma.

His death is being investigated as a homicide, according to police.

Anyone with information about Gregorys disappearance or death is asked to contact police at 510-238-3821.

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Missouri lawmakers on Friday approved a roughly $50 billion budget for the next fiscal year that funds a massive expansion of Interstate 70 across nearly the entire state from Blue Springs to Wentzville near St. Louis.

The $2.8 billion plan would extend the highway that connects the states two largest cities from two lanes each way to three to curtail traffic jams and congestion. Its substantially more ambitious than Gov. Mike Parsons $859 million proposal earlier this year to extend the highway in three specific spots near Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis.

This is probably a six, maybe seven-year-long project, said state Sen. Lincoln Hough, a Springfield Republican who chaired the budget committee in the Senate. So, maybe I should apologize up front for the traffic, but I think the end result is going to be something that, quite frankly, generationally will transform that artery across the state.

The entire spending plan headed to Parsons desk comes as the state is flush with cash, propped up by a record $5 billion surplus. It includes several key items including $3.6 billion in state aid to K-12 schools and $78 million to boost rates for child care providers. It also includes several one-time costs such as $300 million to build a new psychiatric hospital in Kansas City.

The states fiscal year begins July 1.

Lawmakers, with little discussion, also agreed to strip two culture war-focused provisions passed by the House that had threatened to derail the budget process. The budget approved Friday rejected Republican-backed plans to cut funding from every state agency associated with diversity initiatives.

It also restores $4.5 million in state aid for libraries that the House had cut in retaliation for a lawsuit on behalf of two library groups challenging a new state law that bans certain materials in school libraries.

I mean, yeah, Im relieved they werent insane, Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, an Independence Democrat, said Friday. This session, over and over, its been like the war on acronyms.

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The state budget also for the third year in a row blocks Medicaid patients from accessing care at Planned Parenthood. Fridays approval comes less than a year after a Cole County judge ruled that lawmakers could not use budget bills to limit the list of eligible Medicaid providers.

The Missouri Supreme Court found in 2020 that lawmakers violated the state constitution when they attempted to end all funding of Planned Parenthood.

In a state that consistently ranks among the worst for health care access, coupled with a high uninsured population, you would think conservative politicians would expand access to life-saving preventative care, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes.

Hough rejected this criticism Friday, telling reporters that the language in the budget doesnt really have, in my opinion, a lot of practical implications.

Lawmakers were able to approve Fridays budget ahead of a 6 p.m. constitutional deadline, avoiding a filibuster over legislation aimed at killing a landfill proposed in Kansas City. A fight over the landfill legislation had blocked Senate action for nearly all of Thursdays session and threatened to upend the budget process.

State Sen. Rick Brattin, a Harrisonville Republican, ultimately agreed to end his filibuster over the legislation after negotiations among senators and phone calls between Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Senate leadership.

After Brattins filibuster, senators, in a last-minute addition, added $100,000 for an environmental study near the proposed site to study the impacts of a landfill on nearby schools, homes and the environment. Lucas also said on Twitter that he would be filing a city ordinance that would ban the approval of landfills in the city through next June.

Were extremely pleased with Mayor Lucas, Brattin told reporters. What we were able to get...was an environmental study for one year and it will be a moratorium of any permits issued to anyone to try to put in a landfill while this study goes on.

Parson and lawmakers have framed the I-70 expansion as necessary to combat high levels of congestion on the major highway that slices through the state. However, researchers have disputed the idea that highway expansions are a long-lasting solution.

While the Missouri House had approved the governors proposal, Hough pushed for a full expansion of the highway.

The final $2.8 billion plan would fund half of the project through general revenue and half through bonds that would be repaid over 15 years.

We are pleased with the efforts to make transformative, generational investments in infrastructure here in MO, said Tom Crawford, president and CEO of the Missouri Trucking Association. We have been advocating for these investments for decades and are pleased to see progress made in this budget.
While the buzz ahead of Saturday's coronation of King Charles III is palpable in London, across the 15 commonwealth countries where the monarch is head of state, this historic juncture appears to be a key moment of contemplation among the former British colonies as they weigh whether to become republic nations.

A recent poll by Lord Ashcroft, former chairman of the U.K.'s Conservative Party, shows that almost half of the countries in the commonwealth realm, which have Charles as their head of state, support the idea of ditching their constitutional monarchies.

In the survey, which interviewed 22,000 people in all commonwealth countries, six nations voted in favor of ditching the monarchy: Australia, Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Solomon Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda.

While the Solomon Islands is staunchly Republican, with 59% saying they would abolish the monarchy, England seems to be firmly supporting the status quo, with 57% in favor of remaining a constitutional monarch.

In addition to being sovereign of the United Kingdom and 15 Commonwealth realms, Charles is also the head of the Commonwealth, a voluntary association of 54 independent countries.

PHOTO: In this June 24, 2022, file photo, Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, speaks during the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Kigali Convention Centre, in Kigali, Rwanda. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images, FILE)

There is a clear effort to involve the commonwealth in the coronation, with the Palace announcing that nearly 400 Armed Forces personnel from commonwealth countries are taking part in the 6,000-strong parade leading the king back to Buckingham Palace from Westminster Abbey.

However, the main Republic group in the United Kingdom has made clear their intentions to protest on Trafalgar Square and along the route of the procession on Saturday, telling ABC News they expect a crowd of around 2,000 people to join the demonstration.

"We are determined to make our voices heard on the day," Republic UK Chief Executive Graham Smith told ABC News. "There will be yellow placards, speeches, banners and large chants of 'Not My King'."

MORE: Prince George, Queen Camilla's grandsons to play special roles at King Charles III's coronation

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When asked for his thoughts on the planned anti-monarchy protest, Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said, "They have the liberty that anybody in the United Kingdom has to protest. What they don't have the liberty to do is to disrupt others."

Smith says he believes support for the monarchy has been waning since the death last year of Queen Elizabeth II.

"She was the monarchy, and the monarchy was her," Smith said. "Charles just isn't the queen. For a lot of people, the monarchy died when she died."

During Elizabeth's 70-year reign, she visited nearly every country in the Commonwealth -- missing only Cameroon and Rwanda -- and made many repeat visits, according to the royal family's official website.

Smith predicts that Jamaica will be the next country to jettison the monarch, adding that Australia is the one to watch, because "as a bigger democracy, other nations will be inspired to follow suit."

While Australia is set to commemorate the coronation with a 21-gun salute and a flypast by the Royal Australian Airforce, celebrations will be toned down.

Australia's current Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, has made it known that he is in favor of the country becoming a republic and has not ruled out holding a referendum on the matter in the future.

PHOTO: In this April 4, 2018, file photo, Prince Charles is greeted by members of the public during a visit to Brisbane, Australia. (Dan Peled/AFP via Getty Images, FILE)

Unlike Elizabeth, Charles' face will not feature on Australian bank notes.

Australia's Central Bank announced that its new $5 bill -- the only remaining bank note to still feature an image of the monarch -- is to feature an indigenous design as opposed to an image of Charles.

MORE: King Charles III and Queen Camilla's blended family to be on display at coronation

In a statement sent to ABC News, Australia's Republic Movement Co-chairman Craig Foster said the main focus of the coronation is "to ensure that every Australian is aware that they have a foreign King as their Head of State, since around thirty percent of Australians were not aware of this fact."

Some voices in Australia's indigenous communities, known as the country's First Nations people, have expressed apathy towards the coronation, pointing out that their land was stolen under the crown when British settlers first arrived in Australia.

With the conversation around the rights of First Nations people picking up steam in Australia, Foster says the coronation is, "an opportunity to think about our broader path forward and need for full and final independence."

'The monarchy died with the Queen': Commonwealth countries take a muted view ahead of King Charles' coronation originally appeared on goodmorningamerica.com
The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow has arrested 25-year-old Crimean Tatar Leniye Umerova on suspicion of espionage. Umerova was detained last year at the border with Georgia while trying to get to occupied Crimea to visit her sick father.

Source: The Lefortovo District Court of Moscow; Lutfiye Zudiyeva, Crimean Solidarity representative

Quote from Zudiyeva: "During these nine years, I have had to deal with very controversial materials in criminal cases. In some cases, my mind was confused from the first pages of the indictment. But the suspicion of 25-year-old Leniye Umerova, who was going to Crimea to visit her father, who was suffering from cancer, is an extraordinary event. Just now, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow arrested her for two months."

Details: The decision to arrest was announced by Sergei Ryabtsev, the judge of the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow.

According to Zudiyeva, in July 2020, he arrested Ivan Safronov, the former Kommersant and Vedomosti media journalist.

Background:

The day before, employees of the FSB of the Russian Federation took the Crimean woman in an unknown direction from the temporary detention centre of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia to Vladikavkaz. On 1 May, the FSB of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania seized her documents.

Last December, 25-year-old Leniye Umerova had to leave Kyiv for Crimea because her father suffers from cancer. Russian security forces detained her after crossing the Georgian-Russian border for allegedly violating the rules of the security zone.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Residents of Moscow reported problems using satellite navigation in cars and on mobile devices this week, as the Kremlin stepped up security for the annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9.

Maps from the GPSJam website showed a "high level" of Global Positioning System interference across Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday, the day of the main rehearsal, meaning over 10% of aircraft overhead recorded low navigation accuracy.

One Reuters journalist living in Moscow who tracks his bike journeys on a smart watch found on Thursday that it only began recording when he left the city centre for the suburbs.

Another resident said a taxi driver had told them that satellite navigation apps had been "going crazy" all day.

With numerous drone attacks and acts of sabotage being reported in Russia in connection with the conflict in Ukraine, security in the capital had already been tightened for the parade, even before videos emerged on Wednesday appearing to show two drones being shot down directly above the Kremlin citadel.

Kyiv and Washington both denied Moscow's accusations that they were behind the incident, which the Kremlin called an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

Russia has not officially acknowledged the disruption to navigation systems, but has reportedly used jamming technology in the past to block satellite signals that may be used by drones.

Several Russian regions have scaled back or cancelled Victory Day events, citing concerns that pro-Ukrainian saboteurs could target the proceedings.

Ukraine has denied being involved in attacks inside Russia, blaming them on Russian anti-government partisans or "false flag" operations orchestrated by Moscow itself.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Caleb Davis; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Sage Angel Rose Wright on Friday pleaded guilty to murder in the starvation death of her 1-year-old daughter.Seventy-eighth District Judge Meredith Kennedy sentenced her to life in prison.

More: Parents suspected of starving child to death were indicted on capital murder charges

Wright

Wright, 23, and her husband, Christian Bishop-Torrence, were charged in the death of Georgia Bishop-Torrence in June 2022.

More: Police report: Parents neglected, starved to death 1-year-old girl

The father had taken the child to the hospital when she stopped breathing. The child was pronounced dead a short time later.

More: Wichita Falls man pleads guilty to starving his 1-year-old daughter to death

Christian Bishop-Torrence

Police said in court documents the girl was covered in sores and severely malnourished. A doctor said Georgia weighed just 8 pounds when she should have weighed over 20 pounds. An autopsy revealed findings consistent with neglect.

Christian Bishop Torrence pleaded guilty to murder in April and was sentenced to life in prison.

The couple also pleaded guilty to charges of injury to a child and abandoning or endangering a child. Both parents will be eligible for parole.

This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Mother pleads guilty in starvation murder of baby daughter
Following a University of Georgia students death from a brain tumor found during a spring break vacation, her mother is speaking out about the 21-year-olds final moments.

In an emotional interview published Thursday, Laura McKeithen told People that daughter Liza Burke lived life to the fullest despite the tumor, which doctors identified in March after Burke experienced a brain bleed on a trip to Mexico.

Burke reportedly spent nine days in hospice care prior to her death last week. Describing the North Carolina-born college senior as fearless, McKeithen said her daughter was holding hands with older brother Jack when she drew her last breath.

Her brother slept on the sofa and held her hand all night long, said McKeithen.

The mother, who had gone to her own bedroom that night, added, I knew if I was with her, I would probably drive her crazy, staring at her and squeezing her hand and squeezing her toes and kissing her.

According to media reports, Burke was about four days into her Cabo San Lucas vacation when she began complaining of a severe headache and blurred vision. Hours after retreating to a hotel room for a nap, she was found unresponsive and transported to a local hospital, where doctors discovered the brain bleed.

Watch a WJXT report on Liza Burke:

Burke was later moved from the hospital to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, where an aggressive tumor was identified in her brainstem.

Though early reports suggested shed shown signs of recovery following treatment, her family decided to cease radiation in mid-April after doctors said thered been no significant improvement in her condition.

Astronomers have determined that the brightest, hottest, and most active stars have the shortest lifespans, reads an obituary for Burke. Liza is like one of those brightest stars. In her short time here, she gave off an extraordinary amount of light, energy, and love. Her life serves a reminder to go through life unapologetically, take chances, speak and act boldly, cherish the little things, laugh often, and to stay present.

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McKeithen echoed those sentiments in her interview with People, noting that Burkes tumor may have taken her life, but it didnt slow her down.

What I want people to know is that she freaking did life well, the mother said. I wish that I could do my life as well as shes done in her life.

Related...
Its not necessary to pay six figures (or more) to get a Kentucky Derby horse.

But shelling out for a price tag like that sure doesnt hurt.

Truth is, the Derby typically features contenders from different backgrounds with owners that offered up varying prices to secure them. The reality is that it pays to pony up at auctions, if landing a spot in the sports most famous race is the ultimate goal.

In this years field, that concept is exemplified by Tapit Trice  a big, beautiful gray son of three-time leading sire Tapit, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby and Blue Grass Stakes, and the 5-1 second choice on the Derby morning line.

The price paid to get him? $1.3 million.

Tapit Trice was purchased for that number at the 2021 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Whisper Hill Farms Mandy Pope, the daughter of the late John William Pope, who was founder of Variety Wholesalers  a North Carolina-based company that operates more than 400 discount stores in 14 states.

Mandy Pope has a long-lasting passion for horse racing, and shes been known to shell out seven figures for promising Thoroughbreds on a fairly regular basis over the years.

Tapit Trices damsire is the regally bred Dunkirk, and Pope and Whisper Hill racing manager Todd Quast budgeted $1 million for the colt at that Keeneland sale nearly two years ago, only to go another $300,000 over that number during the auction.

I always try to set a realistic price, but Mandy has been known to push the envelope when she really likes a horse, Quast said last month. I knew who we were (bidding) against, and I knew we had to stay strong.  He was very kind at the sale. Very relaxed every time we went to the barn to look at him. We had been outbid on several horses earlier in the sale, so she was pretty determined to get this one.

She got him, and breeder Gainesway Thoroughbreds ultimately bought back in as an ownership partner. Tapit Trice finished third in his career debut last November and hasnt lost since. Hell take a four-race winning streak into Saturday, and his impressive presence at Churchill Downs over the past few weeks has made him a favorite among handicappers going into Derby Day.

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The son of Tapit is far from the only high-priced colt in this field.

Tapit Trice, the 5-1 second choice on the morning line, is the highest-priced colt in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, having been purchased for $1.3 million.

Kingsbarns, a 12-1 shot on the morning line trained by Todd Pletcher, is the second-most expensive horse in Saturdays Kentucky Derby.

Louisiana Derby winner Kingsbarns  a son of Uncle Mo, with Tapit as his damsire  sold for $250,000 as a yearling and then went for $800,000 in a March 2022 auction in Florida. Hes undefeated in three career starts.

Two-time Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher has both Tapit Trice and Kingsbarns on Saturday.

Verifying and Reincarnate both went for $775,000 at the same Keeneland sale that featured Tapit Trice. Those two are sons of Justify and Good Magic, respectively, the 1-2 finishers in the 2018 Kentucky Derby.

In all, seven of the 15 Derby contenders sold at auction went for more than $500,000.

One of those was Japanese-bred Continuar, a 50-1 shot in Saturdays race and an example of uneven sales prices not necessarily carrying over to the racetrack.

Continuar, who was scratched from the Derby on Thursday night, was purchased for nearly $650,000 as a yearling at a Japanese auction in July 2021. At the very same sale, compatriot Derma Sotogake went for about $160,000. On the track, Derma Sotogake has already defeated Continuar three times  including by 10 lengths in the UAE Derby in March  and hes expected to be one of the top betting choices Saturday, while Continuar would have been among the longest shots on the board.

There were also other bargains to be found in this field.

And one of them is the other Pletcher trainee: Derby favorite Forte, the 2-year-old champion of 2022 and winner of five straight races going into Saturdays run for the roses.

Forte  a son of Violence  went for just $110,000 in that same Keeneland yearling sale in 2021. Hes earned more than $2.4 million to date for billionaire owners Mike Repole and Vincent Viola. (Forte was scratched from the Kentucky Derby on Saturday morning.)

Only three horses in the field sold for less at their most recent auction.

One is another top contender: Arkansas Derby winner Angel of Empire, the 8-1 third choice on the Kentucky Derby morning line and a $70,000 purchase by Albaugh Family Stables at the same Keeneland yearling sale. The son of Classic Empire has more than $1 million in earnings. Hes also looking to become the first Pennsylvania-bred to win the Derby since Smarty Jones in 2004. (Aside from the Japanese contingent, every other horse in this field was bred in Kentucky.)

Long-shot King Russell sold for $60,000 at a Keeneland yearling sale in October 2021, though breeder Brereton Jones  the former governor of Kentucky  retained part ownership of the colt.

The lowest price in the 2023 Derby is Rebel Stakes winner Confidence Game, who sold for a mere $25,000 at the aforementioned Keeneland September yearling sale.

Kentucky Derby contender Confidence Game was acquired by Dont Tell My Wife Stables for $25,000, the lowest sale price for any horse in this years field.

Confidence Game  a 20-1 shot on the Derby morning line  was sired by Candy Ride, and his dam is Eblouissante, who was a half-sister to both the great Zenyatta and fellow Grade 1 winner Balance. A mare named Vertigineux was the mother of all three.

Trainer Keith Desormeaux, who has a reputation for finding talented horses at bargain prices, noted to BloodHorse last month that he had a previous history with that line.

I knew the family before there was a Balance or a Zenyatta, he said. I bought the first foal out of Vertigineux, their dam, for $4,000. She was the last horse through the sale one day during the second week at Keeneland.

Desormeaux will be looking for a big win with a relatively small price tag Saturday in Louisville.

If Confidence Game pulls the upset, itll be a second straight year with a walking bargain wearing the roses.

Last year, 80-1 shot Rich Strike became the first horse purchased via a claiming race to win the Kentucky Derby. He was claimed for $30,000 from breeder Calumet Farm about eight months before his shocking victory.

Thats obviously an anomaly among Derby winners. Over the past decade, Justify, Authentic, Always Dreaming and Nyquist have sold for prices varying from $350,000 to $500,000 before their racing careers began.

The other five Derby winners over the past 10 years  Mandaloun, Country House, American Pharoah, California Chrome and Orb  were all homebreds.

Derby horse price tags

A look at the auction prices for each horse in the Kentucky Derby field:

 Tapit Trice  $1,300,000.

 Kingsbarns  $800,000.

 Reincarnate  $775,000.

 Verifying  $775,000.

 Continuar  $635,000 (scratched).

 Jaces Road  $510,000.

 Skinner  $510,000 (scratched).

 Cyclone Mischief  $450,000.

 Sun Thunder  $400,000.

 Mage  $290,000.

 Practical Move  $230,000 (scratched).

 Raise Cain  $180,000.

 Derma Sotogake  $163,000.

 Forte  $110,000 (scratched).

 Angel of Empire  $70,000.

 King Russell  $60,000.

 Confidence Game  $25,000.

Note: Disarm and Hit Show are homebreds, while Two Phils and Rocket Can didnt meet their reserve price at auction and were later sold privately. Mandarin Hero was also sold privately.

A run through the field: Odds and info on every 2023 Kentucky Derby contender

Who should you bet on in the 2023 Kentucky Derby? Heres who the experts are picking.

Handicapping the 2023 Kentucky Derby: Best bets, long shots and more advice on the race

How every Kentucky Derby horse got his name. Its harder than it looks.

Mandy Pope is not afraid to spend big money. Is she about to win the Kentucky Derby?

Former Baffert assistant has his own Kentucky Derby horse this year. And its one to watch.

Three stallions have sired multiple contenders for 2023 Kentucky Derby. Meet the fathers.

There are 20 living Kentucky Derby winners. Heres where they all are now.

How to do the Derby, whether at Churchill, Keeneland, at home or on your phone
Red CEO Seb Goldin has gone full circle with his first boss in the car industry. Photo: Red

Red Driver Training is the UKs largest driving school after hitting a record fleet size of over 1,500 vehicles. Seb Goldin, CEO since 2022, has brought a background in fleet training to Red, deriving from a near tragic car crash in his youth, resulting in a career dedicated to driver safety. He previously founded Business Driver, which he sold to private equity, and was MD of the Institute of Advanced Motorists.

Red has 120 staff, with two operational bases in Teesside and Donnigton, is private equity owned and has a turnover of around 40m.

Neil Cunningham was my boss 25 years ago, when I was in my twenties, and he was running UK operations for car rental company Hertz. Neil had a way of remaining entrepreneurial and treating it like a small business, although we were working for a huge American corporation.

We worked together for five years and had kept in touch in the interim. When the Red opportunity came together it was great to work together again as he is currently chairman. I remembered what I learned at the time, what was irritating at the time was a good lesson  he doesnt forget things and I suspect he has a damn good memory!  and that has all cemented our ability to work together today.

Read More: My first boss: Nick Wheeler, Charles Tyrwhitt founder

I was in sales and marketing and responsible for corporate clients. Neil was general manager and then became director of Hertz Europe. However big an organisation is, you need that ability to be a free thinker to mix things up, to challenge and that its right to get irritated with people who are just following process for the point of process. The bigger an organisation gets the more of that you tend to get. My style of leadership is very much down to Neil.

I ran my own business for 12 years which started on a kitchen table before selling to private equity. If you got my team to describe me now, they would say I am an entrepreneurial thinker and its about the "why not?" rather than the "well, we tried that and it didnt work" and trying a different way.

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Neil Cunningham is non executive chairman at Red Driving School

A larger than life character, Neil would talk and engage with people and what sticks out is how he dealt personally with customer complaints. At the time it felt odd given that Hertz Europe had a big call centre with around 500 people.

But Neil insisted on looking at every complaint and most he would deal with personally. The outcome was that he not only discovered a huge amount of what was going on in the business, but he also flexed his ability and demonstrated leadership to sort things out.

Most of the time things were going wrong because of poor communication and expectation management. A complaint being solved was a huge positive. Hes even become friends with some of the customers who had issues, after they could see him sorting things out.

Having an ability to interact with a customer shows that you care. I quickly understood why he did it. Its a logical way of dealing with a business and putting the customer at the centre of everything you do and really meaning it. I embody that now at Red; people come to me directly today and I have an open book in how customers can communicate. I will respond and engage and try to get a satisfactory outcome. Sometimes its a cathartic experience.

Red won National Driving School of the Year in the Intelligent Instructor 2022 Awards. Photo: Red

Last year we launched our driving instructor of the year competition. With almost 1,700 franchisees across the UK, we wanted to come up with a way of motivating them to deliver brilliant customer service. The entry criteria was the number of five star reviews each instructor have and it took our Trustpilot rating from middling to very strong and off the scale.

The average age of our learners is 25, not 17 as you'd expect, but they are all digital natives and we as a business need to communicate with them in the way they want to. Putting digital reviews on the web does engage and we have received over 5,000 learner reviews.

One of the challenges in a franchise business is managing quality control. You can guide and advise but you cant tell franchisees what to do as they arent employees.

Read More: My first boss: Charlie Bigham, ready-to-cook food empire founder

Our business model is that we recruit people to become driving instructors, which is now becoming a side hustle or career change for many. The market is buoyant and we train and qualify 25% of driving instructors in the UK. Once they are qualified, we sell a franchise and provide them with the marketing and sales tools and a vehicle to start up in their local area.

There is a current shake out in the industry of instructors retiring after Covid. Red has come back strongly since with double digit growth, not only in size but customer offering and proposition. We recently acquired a driver theory app fronted by James May. Its another part of the jigsaw of the customer journey when they learn to drive now. It is helping us transform Red from an analogue business a decade ago, adding a digital experience for the driver. Now we are moving through to a lifelong, e-learning model.

Watch: Why do we still have a gender pay gap?

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Russian and Ukrainian delegates had scuffles during a meeting of Black Sea countries in Ankara, the Turkish parliament speaker confirmed on Friday.

The fightings broke out late Thursday at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in the Turkish parliament building.

When the head of the Russian delegation began to deliver a speech, people from the Ukrainian delegation started to raise banners and flags, and speak loudly, Turkish Parliament Speaker Mustafa Sentop told reporters on Friday.

Then a moment brawl erupted between the delegations of the two countries.

Sentop said he came up to intervene, "but later on, I heard that such actions and provocations continued even after I left."

Local media reported that later on, a Ukrainian delegate unfurled the Ukrainian flag behind Russian delegation deputy head Olga Timofeeva when she was being interviewed outside the conference room.

News footage showed that a Russian delegate came up and snatched the flag before a clash broke out between him and the Ukrainian delegate.

"This platform is not a platform for these things to happen," Sentop said.
A Detroit elementary school has been closed until Monday for a deep cleaning after several students came down with a mysterious, flu-like illness and a kindergartner died, CBS Detroit's Andres Gutierrez reports.

The boy experienced flu-like symptoms at first, but officials said the cause of his death last week hasn't been determined.

Several other students were suffering from fever and vomiting this week, prompting officials to shut the school so it could be disinfected.

The Detroit Health Department is closely monitoring the situation at Marcus Garvey Academy and sent a team to review the school's disinfecting protocols.

But even with a deep cleaning, some parents aren't sure they want to send their children back to the classroom on Monday.

"That's good that they cleaned up the school, but we're still trying to see who all got it," said Theodore Burton, whose two daughters attend Marcus Garvey.

Burton wants to know how so many kids got sick. "We're trying to see whether it's the flu, COVID, the allergy season," Burton said. "We're just really worried."

The health department urged parents of children ages 4-7 to see a doctor if their child has any symptoms, including fever, headache, nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain.

"It typically spreads by respiratory droplets. So someone coughs, and they could cough into their hand, and they touch that cough onto a surface, and those droplets, if they come in contact with someone else, can help to spread that flu virus," said Dr. Tiffney Widner, of the Children's Hospital of Michigan.

As Burton monitors his daughters for any symptoms, he's hoping the school district and health department update parents on the situation before Monday.

"We just want everybody just be OK. Be safe. That's the main thing," Burton said.

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NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare  as seen in the bright flash on the upper left side of the image  on January 10, 2023. NASA/SDO

The sun is slamming Earth with solar flares and high-speed eruptions of plasma.

Rarer events are picking up too, like a solar polar vortex, holes on the sun, and a sun tornado.

NASA footage shows the types of solar events that will keep occuring as the sun gets more active.

From Earth, the sun may appear calm and quiet. But up close it's a turbulent nightmare.

And it's only getting more explosive. A growing number of flares, eruptions, giant plasma arcs, and vast "holes" have been bursting from its surface, some of which are pointed at Earth.

While these solar eruptions aren't immediately harmful to humans on Earth, they do pose a threat to satellites and certain tech on the ground like power grids.

That's why NASA has multiple observatories keeping a close eye on the sun to help understand and better anticipate its many different types of violent outbursts  some of which are many times larger than Earth and are a stunning site to behold.

A mid-level solar flare erupts from the sun, with Earth for scale. NASA/SDO

Check out some of the different types below.

Solar flares can have the power of 1 billion hydrogen bombs

A solar flare erupts  the bright flash on the bottom right of the sun  on March 28, 2023. NASA/SDO

The sun is a ball of boiling gas and plasma, comprised of ultrahot charged particles. Their movement creates magnetic fields.

As the sun rotates, its magnetic fields can get contorted and tangled, building tension, until they explosively snap back into place like rubber bands.

The release of that energy can cause a powerful burst of light and radiation  a solar flare.

NASAs Solar Dynamics Observatory captured this image of a solar flare  as seen in the bright flash on the upper right  on March 3, 2023. NASA/SDO

Flares are classified by their strength, from the weakest B class, then C, M, and X. The most powerful X flares have the energy equivalent of one billion hydrogen bombs, which is enough to power the whole world for 20,000 years, according to NASA.

As the sun builds toward the maximum of its 11-year cycle, scientists predict it will eventually reach peak activity, where solar flares, like X flares, will become more frequent.

Coronal mass ejections, aka high-speed space plasma

A coronal mass ejection witnessed by the Solar Orbiters Heliospheric Imager, as seen from NASAs Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory-A spacecraft. NASA/STEREO/COR2

Sometimes solar flares occur alongside a coronal mass ejection (CME). That's a high-velocity eruption of plasma with embedded magnetic fields bursting from the sun's outer layer, the corona.

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NASA and the European Space Agency captured footage of a CME shooting out from the sun and traveling through space, using their Solar Orbiter spacecraft, in the below video.

CMEs are common culprits of solar storms on Earth, since they can send a powerful flood of solar particles washing over the planet.

That supercharges the normal stream of charged particles that the sun is always sending toward us, called the solar wind.

An animation shows particles streaming from the sun towards Earth. NASA

Solar particles flooding Earth have knocked out power grids, silenced radio signals, pushed satellites out of orbit, disarmed GPS, and even damaged technology on the space station.

The fastest CMEs can reach Earth in just 15 hours, while others can take days to get here.

Coronal holes open a highway for solar wind

A video from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory shows the massive hole in the sun's atmosphere. NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory

These aren't really holes, but they're areas of the corona that are cooler in temperature, so they don't glow as bright as the rest of the sun. That makes them look black, like a deep hole, in images.

Because the coronal hole is lower in temperature, it's less dense. That lets the magnetic field lines straighten out and point directly into space, which allows the solar wind to flow out freely and quickly.

That's not usually enough to create a solar storm on Earth by itself, but when combined with a CME it can give the solar wind a powerful boost. That's what brought the aurora borealis to Arizona in March.

Filaments, including a recent sun tornado and a solar polar vortex

When magnetic field lines arc out into space, filaments of solar material often anchor them to the sun's surface until they become unstable. At that point, the filament either falls back to the sun or erupts into space.

One recent swirling filament on the sun grew to the height of 14 Earths and earned itself the tornado nickname.

A video taken on March 17, 2023 shows a solar tornado spinning above the sun's surface. NASA / Solar Dynamics Observatory

"A filament is a huge, twisted magnetic stricture that sits above the sun's surface, sometimes for months," Mathew Owens, a professor of space physics at the University of Reading, told Insider after the tornado filament appeared in March.

The magnetic fields creating the tornado are invisible. The twister we see is the material anchoring those fields to the solar surface.

The tornado, near the north pole of the sun. SDO/NASA

In February, a different giant filament of plasma appeared to break away from the sun and swirl around its north pole  like a polar vortex. Here's what it looked like:

A prominence emerges near the solar north pole, then appears to break away and swirl in a vortex. NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

Scott McIntosh, a solar physicist and deputy director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, told Space.com that a solar prominence appears in the same spot  at 55 degrees latitude  during every 11-year solar cycle.

It's probably related to the sun's magnetic field reversing every solar cycle, he said, but the exact mechanism causing it is a mystery.

The sun's increasing activity is no mystery, though. The solar cycle is expected to peak in 2025.

Read the original article on Business Insider
JEA headquarters in downtown Jacksonville.

Federal prosecutors plan to call a Florida Power & Light vice president as a witness in an upcoming hearing in the fraud case against former JEA CEO Aaron Zahn and CFO Ryan Wannemacher, according to a list prosecutors filed in court Friday.

FPL's parent company, NextEra, submitted an $11 billion bid to acquire JEA during a tumultuous and ultimately unsuccessful 2019 campaign to privatize the city-owned electric, water and sewer utility, over which FPL  one of the largest electric companies in the United States  loomed large. Since then, the company has been dragged back into headlines over its effort to purchase JEA: during the bidding process, a consulting firm working for FPL had also deployed more secretive tactics to pave the way for the company's bid, which included putting together an idea to offer a member of the Jacksonville City Council a six-figure job with a sham nonprofit and surveilling a journalist.

And when a grand jury indicted Zahn and Wannemacher last year on conspiracy and wire fraud charges, prosecutors included a brief but notable episode: days before Zahn revealed his plans to put JEA up for sale, he met with the CEO of an unnamed potential buyer in West Palm Beach and disclosed his plans to privatize the agency; the unnamed company was not accused of any wrongdoing.

FPL, which is headquartered in West Palm Beach, has never definitively said it was the company referenced in the indictment, though its former CEO, Eric Silagy, said in an interview last year it likely was. "I mean, I would think that would be us. Right?" Silagy said at the time. "But it could be others as well."

Prosecutors indicated they plan to call Pam Rauch, FPL's vice president of external affairs and economic development, who was part of a team the company had put together to work on its JEA bid.

The upcoming hearing, set to begin May 15, is intended to force federal prosecutors to demonstrate the evidence they marshaled to indict Zahn and Wannemacher is not tied directly or indirectly to sworn statements the two men provided to city attorneys in 2019 about their involvement in the JEA privatization controversy  statements for which they received Garrity protection, meaning their contents can't be used to incriminate them.

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The West Palm Beach meeting with the unnamed buyer was not an episode either man disclosed had taken place during their protected interviews with city attorneys, so it's possible Rauch's inclusion on the list is an instance in which prosecutors plan to highlight that their investigation was not guided by those sworn statements.

Zahn and Wannemacher are accused of being the architects of an opaque, get-rich-quick bonus plan that could have paid out millions if they had successfully sold JEA to a private firm, the campaign Zahn was leading in 2019 that imploded amid controversy. During the fallout, Zahn and Wannemacher sat for sworn interviews with city attorneys as they investigated whether the JEA board had cause to fire Zahn.

The government also listed several members of the Jacksonville City Council Auditor's Office, several former JEA board members, current and former JEA employees, former city general counsel Jason Gabriel, and two City Council members, Ron Salem and Rory Diamond, as potential witnesses they plan to call during the court proceeding, called a Kastigar hearing.

If the judge finds that prosecutors relied on the defendants' protected statements in forming their criminal case, he could take a number of steps, including removing the prosecution team from the case or throwing out the indictments all together.

Salem and Diamond held a public meeting in December 2019 during which they pressed Zahn, Wannemacher and other JEA officials to provide them details on who had come up with the bonus plan and why it had been pursued in the first place. Wannemacher's defense attorneys are arguing that his statements to the council members that day should also be considered protected  that is, that prosecutors should be barred from using those statements against Wannemacher in court  even though he was not put under oath or subpoenaed to attend the council hearing.

The witness and exhibits list prosecutors submitted Friday indicate the Kastigar hearing will last for several days.

And significant portions of the hearing are set to be closed to the media and public, despite objections from several Jacksonville media organizations, including The Florida Times-Union. The magistrate judge who will preside over the Kastigar hearing ruled against the media companies earlier this week, finding there was "good cause" to prevent public access to limit the publicity of Zahn and Wannemacher's protected statements.

The Times-Union plans to appeal that order to U.S. District Judge Brian Davis, who is overseeing the case.

Nate Monroe is a metro columnist whose work regularly appears every Thursday and Sunday. Follow him on Twitter @NateMonroeTU.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Nate Monroe: Prosecutors plan to call FPL exec in key JEA hearing
The Navy is launching a new security billet for sailors E-5 (petty officer second class) and below to serve as base sentries for a three-year shore duty tour.

The new billet  installation security specialist, or 815A  aims to bolster base security and prevent unauthorized access by adding 120 sailors to security forces on Navy installations. Another 130 billets will open up in June, and more billets may become available later in the year if the program is successful, the Navy said.

Those filling these billets are expected to come primarily from sea-intensive ratings, according to the Navy. As of November 2022, there are 9,000 sea-duty gaps, or empty billets, within operational units in the Navy, the service previously told Navy Times.

Responsibilities for installation security specialists include managing entry and exit of vehicles and equipment on installations, inspecting vehicles, defending against intrusion by hostile individuals and patrolling property concentration areas.

New in 2023: Navy to launch Senior Enlisted Marketplace

Sailors assigned to 815A duties will serve as sentries, protecting access to our installations and supplementing base law enforcement, which will still be primarily comprised of masters-at-arms, said Ron Herb, Navy Installations Commands director of force protection, in a news release. This is a great opportunity for young Sailors who may be interested in exploring other career options in the Navy, such as force protection.

The billet can pave the way for sailors to become masters-at-arms, the Navys military police force responsible for law enforcement, force protection and anti-terrorism.

Interested sailors are not expected to have prior law enforcement experience, according to the Navy. Once they are attached to their new shore duty station, they will receive comprehensive training for sentry duty, including law enforcement practices, self-defense and force protection.

The Navy did not respond by deadline to a request for comment from Navy Times on how the new billet will impact gaps at sea.

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The move comes as the service has introduced measures aimed at eliminating gaps at sea. For example, the Navy rolled out the Detailing Marketplace Assignment Policy last year, which offers sailors in sea-intensive ratings at E-4 and below who complete a four-year apprentice sea tour up to $800 a month and other benefits if they agree to another three-year journeyman sea tour as an E-5.

Sailors interested in a applying for one of the 250 billets should consult their detailer for more information.

Commander, Navy Installations Command is responsible for worldwide U.S. Navy shore installation management, including the development and sustainment of shore infrastructure as well as quality of life programs. CNIC oversees 10 Navy regions, 70 bases and more than 43,000 employees who sustain the fleet, enable fighters and support families.
Some of the tastiest bites in the Triangle are getting a moment in the national food spotlight.

The annual Good Food Awards, which celebrate the countrys best craft and gourmet products from small makers, recently recognized more than a dozen North Carolina treats. The awards honor food companies that operate sustainably, cultivate fair and safe work environments and create top products in their categories.

From thousands of submissions, The Good Food Foundation combs through the foodiest and most delicious gourmet and specialty food products, doling out less than 200 national awards. The awards ceremony was held last month in Portland, Oregon.

Overall, North Carolina took home 17 awards, including 10 from seven different Triangle brands.

North Carolina has been a major winner of Good Food Awards since the began in 2011, recognizing brands like Counter Culture Coffee.

This years winners include James Beard-winning restaurants, top breweries and tiny homemade jams.

Here are the 2023 winners in the Carolinas:

Big Spoon Roasters in Hillsborough won for its Pistachio Crunch Almond Butter. Big Spoon has been popular in the Triangle for years and this is the brands first Good Food Award.

Boxcarr Handmade Cheese in Cedar Grove won two awards for its Cottonbloom and Doeling cheeses.

The Spicy Hermit in Durham won for its Sweet Onion Kimchi. This is the brands third award.

Fullsteam brewery in Durham was recognized for its One Hefeweizen beer. The brand has won numerous Good Food Awards, going toe-to-toe with some of the countrys most respected breweries, including three awards in 2018.

Chocolatay Confections in Chapel Hill won for its Strawberry Sunflower Bonbon.

Boro Beverage Co . in Chapel Hill won for its Pollinator Punch, a kombucha made with bluberries and lavender.

Mrs. Ruths Jams in Apex won for Blueberry Lemon Basil jam.

Videri Chocolate Factory in Raleigh won two awards, for its 75% Guatemala Single Origin Dark Chocolate Bar and its Blackberry Basil Caramel.

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Elsewhere in North Carolina

Buchi Kombucha in Marshall won for its Buchi Legacy Kombucha.

Curate and Katie Button Restaurants in Asheville won for its Curate Sobrasada, a Spanish-style cured sausage.

French Broad Chocolates in Asheville won for its Rose Cardamom Pistachio bonbon.

Killer Bees Honey in Lake Toxaway won for its Sourwood Honey.

Old North Shrub out of Shelby won for its non-alcoholic State Grape Shrub, a drinking vinegar made with muscadine grape juice.

Sun Raise Foods in Cornelius won for its Finocchiona Lamb Salami.

Sweet Elderberry in Charlotte won for its Sweets Syrup, an elderberry syrup.

South Carolina
North Carolina lawmakers approved a 12-week abortion ban Thursday, sending the bill to Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who has vowed a veto.

The GOP-controlled state legislature voted to approve new restrictions banning most abortions at 12 weeks. The bill includes exceptions for rape and incest through 20 weeks and would allow exceptions for fetal life-limiting anomalies through 24 weeks.

There would also be an exception to save the life of the mother, according to the bill.

Supporters of the legislation have hailed it as commonsense legislation, while critics say that the 12-week ban is just the Republicans first step in rolling back abortion rights.

Cooper said in a video message on Twitter that he will veto this awful bill, noting that it includes provisions that will make it more difficult for any women to receive an abortion, such as the requirement for someone to get three in-person doctor visits before moving forward with an abortion.

They say this is a reasonable, 12-week ban. Its not, he said. The fine-print requirements and restrictions will shut down clinics and make abortion completely unavailable to many women at any time, causing desperation and death.

He said the new restrictions and requirements leave women scrambling to find abortion care.

New, burdensome and unnecessary requirements will cause many clinics to shut their doors, he added. This bill has nothing to do with making women safer and everything to do with banning abortion.

Republicans hold a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature after a House Democrat switched parties and joined the GOP last month.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A North Carolina representative is responding to Gov. Roy Coopers request for veto support over the states new abortion bill.

READ MORE: North Carolinas proposed abortion bill passes House, Senate

North Carolinas proposed 12-week abortion ban would ban nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. It passed the House and the Senate this week and now, the bill is on Coopers desk. He said hell veto it, but the Republican Party has supermajorities in both chambers, allowing them to potentially override the veto.

In a video posted to Twitter, Cooper called on constituents to pressure Huntersville Rep. John Bradford, Mint Hill Rep. Tricia Cotham, and two Republicans from Wilmington into sustaining his future veto. Cooper said the representatives campaigned on keeping the law as is, which is also what Bradford and Cotham have both told Channel 9.

This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom. pic.twitter.com/nfBagT3ijz  Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 4, 2023

While running for office in October 2022, Bradford and Cotham shared in the Political Beats campaign guide that they supported the current law, which bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Bradford reiterated his position to the Political Beats Joe Bruno on Sept. 25, 2022.

The law in North Carolina has been on the books since 1973 -- I doubt you were born, I was not born by then, Bradford said then. Its 20 weeks. I am fine with the law. Anyone in North Carolina, you have the choice, up to 20 weeks.

In the video, Cooper said the bill will force several clinics to shut down and will make abortion unavailable to many women. He said he will veto the bill, but asked the four representatives to keep their campaign promises and support the law as is.

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In a fiery statement to Channel 9, Bradford rejected the governors plea.

I am serving my 4th term in the legislature and the Governor wouldnt know me if he bumped into me, he said. In March he hosted a Down syndrome advocacy event and despite being the leading advocate for Down syndrome in the state legislature I was excluded. Last session I was the primary bill sponsor for an organ donor transplant discrimination bill. He held a public bill signing event but chose not to invite me, the number one primary sponsor and Republican, and instead invited a Democrat legislator. In 2017, I sent him a personal letter and a box of I-77 toll lane markers that were coming loose and causing safety issues. I asked him to honor his campaign promise to cancel the I-77 toll roads. He ignored my letter and request. Its ironic that Cooper acts like he knows me, wants to work with me or is even talking about honoring campaign promises.

Official: In a 71-46 vote, the North Carolina House passed the abortion bill. Senate votes tomorrow.



Abortion limitations:

12 week limit for abortions for any reason

20 weeks for rape and incest

24 for life limiting anomalies

No cut-off for death of mother  Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) May 4, 2023

When running for office as a Democrat, now-Republican Rep. Cotham tweeted saying she will fight to codify Roe v. Wade and defend the right to choose. She also told the Political Beat she supports codifying the state law.

After switching to the Republican Party, she said it was too soon to say whether she would support new abortion legislation.

I am going to do what I think is best for my district, best for the state, and I am going to listen to my heart, she said.

Channel 9 has reached out to Cotham for a response to Coopers comments but has yet to hear back. The North Carolina GOP told Channel 9 it stands behind the legislation, saying, We applaud the Republican majority for advancing this reasonable legislation to further protect life in NC. Despite the governors rhetoric, this proposal is well within the mainstream and we look forward to an override of his promised veto.

The supermajority margins are slim. It will be an uphill battle, even if one Republican changes their vote. Democrats will have to be seated and prepared to vote at pretty much at all times for the remainder of the session.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

(WATCH PREVIOUS: North Carolina Republicans unveil new proposed abortion restrictions)
Two North Carolina Republicans dismissed Gov. Roy Coopers comments Friday after the Democratic governor said they would be breaking their campaign promises to protect womens reproductive health if they vote to override his expected veto of the new GOP abortion bill.

After new abortion restrictions cleared a final vote in the legislature Thursday evening, Cooper said that Republicans were pushing through legislation that dramatically reduces womens health care freedom.

Thursday night, in social media and in a video posted to his accounts, he singled out four GOP lawmakers  Rep. Ted Davis and Sen. Michael Lee of New Hanover County and Reps. John Bradford and Tricia Cotham of Mecklenburg County  for not honoring the platforms they ran on in last years election. He said only one Republican needs to help sustain the veto of this dangerous abortion ban.

Theres still time for them to keep their promises, Cooper wrote.

Now that they control a supermajority in both chambers, GOP leaders say they fully expect to successfully bypass Coopers veto. The last vote they needed to be able to override vetoes on their own came from Cotham, who switched parties in April and voted in favor of the 12-week bill on Wednesday.

Bradford, who told WSOC in October that he supported current state law that allows abortions up until 20 weeks, voted for the GOPs 12-week abortion bill this week along with every other Republican who was present.

Bradford and Lee respond to Cooper

On Friday, Bradford dismissed Coopers call for him to help sustain his veto, telling WSOC that he was serving his fourth term in the legislature, and Cooper wouldnt know me if he bumped into me.

In March he hosted a Down syndrome advocacy event and despite being the leading advocate for Down syndrome in the state legislature, I was excluded, Bradford said in a statement to WSOC. Last session I was the primary bill sponsor for an organ donor transplant discrimination bill. He held a public bill signing event but chose not to invite me, the number one primary sponsor and Republican, and instead invited a Democrat legislator.

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He also said Cooper ignored a request from him to cancel toll roads on I-77, before adding,Its ironic that Cooper acts like he knows me, wants to work with me or is even talking about honoring campaign promises.

Lee, on the other hand, said Cooper was misrepresenting his position on abortion prior to the election by implying that his vote in favor of the bill would break a campaign promise.

I will not let the Governor lie to the people of my district and this state and try to bully me out of legislation I campaigned on supporting, Lee said on Twitter. I was clear on my position then, and I am clear now  I support 1st trimester abortions with exceptions beyond the first 12 weeks. That is exactly what this bill does.

In September, Lee wrote in an op-ed calling for common ground on abortion that he opposed a ban in the first trimester, but believed that abortions in the second and third trimester are abhorrent and should be restricted. He said he also supported having exceptions for rape, incest, and protecting the life of the mother.

Cooper received the abortion bill from the Senate on Thursday evening, and has 10 days to issue his veto. Republicans are expected to hold swift override votes to enact the new restrictions into law.

Cotham and Davis have yet to address votes

Cotham previously spoke on multiple occasions about her strong support for abortion rights, including during a 2015 debate on the House floor over extending the mandatory waiting period from 24 hours to 72 hours. She told the story then of having to undergo a medically-necessary abortion herself.

And while campaigning for another term in the House last year, Cotham said lawmakers should act now to codify Roe v. Wade to affirm the right to an abortion without interference.

Since joining the GOP, Cotham hasnt addressed if or how her views have changed on the issue, beyond telling reporters in April that she wouldnt comment on whether shed support a Republican abortion bill before having read it or discussed it with anyone. She also hasnt responded to requests for comment from The News & Observer and Charlotte Observer since her vote Wednesday on why she supported the new restrictions.

Davis, who had an excused absence during Wednesdays vote, said during an October town hall that he supported maintaining the 20-week law currently in place. He also said there were times when he disagreed with House Speaker Tim Moore on a bill, and told him he would vote for what he thought was best for the people I represent.

Davis didnt respond to a request for comment from The N&O on Friday, but Moore told reporters on Thursday that Davis is a yes vote on the override, and that theres no issue there.
People queue up outside the headquarters of Silicon Valley Bank to withdraw their funds in March. Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Nearly half of US adults are worried about the safety of their money in banks, per a Gallup survey.

Comparatively, 30% of adults said they were "not too worried."

The poll followed the collapse of SVB and Signature Bank but predated the failure of First Republic.

Almost half of Americans are worried about keeping their money in the bank, a Gallup survey has found.

Gallup's poll was conducted from April 3 to April 25, following the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank but predated the failure of First Republic last week.

The survey found that 48% of adults were concerned about their money being in banks. Of those, 19% said they were "very" worried and 29% said they were "moderately" concerned about their funds.

Comparatively, 30% of adults said they were "not too worried" and 20% said they were "not worried at all." The level of concern was generally lower among upper-income adults, democrats, and college graduates.

The majority of Republicans surveyed  55%  said they were at minimum moderately worried about the safety of their funds. A comparatively low 36% of Democrats said the same.

The divide between college and non-college-educated adults was similar. More than half of those without a college degree said they were very or moderately concerned but only 36% of those with a college degree said they were worried.



Banking turmoil has been unfolding in recent months but experts like Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Analytics, said it was different from the 2008-2009 financial crisis in several ways.

Last month, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon acknowledged that there was turmoil but also said he didn't expect it to become a fully blown crisis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
On Friday, participants of technical negotiations on the Black Sea Grain Initiative in Turkiye failed to reach an agreement on the admission of new vessels for the transportation of grain from Ukraine.

Source: European Pravda, Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said about this at the briefing on Friday.

"Today, the Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) has not reached agreement to authorize new vessels to participate in the Black Sea Initiative. The JCC continues its daily inspection work on the previously authorized vessels," said the representative of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

According to Haq, the UN Secretary-General informed all parties  Ukraine, Turkiye and Russia of his proposals for further actions aimed at improving, extending and expanding the grain agreement, taking into account the wishes of the parties.

"The UN urges all parties to continue their discussions, overcome operational challenges and work towards the full implementation and continuation of [Black Sea  ed.] the Initiative," he added.

Background: At the last moment before the end of the next term of the grain agreement on 18 March, it was extended after all. However, Moscow soon announced that it had agreed to an extension of only 60 days  half of the standard 120-day period, and threatened to terminate the agreement if its requirements are not met.

Recently, Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, once again stated that the situation around the Black Sea Grain Initiative reached a dead end, but he blamed the West for this.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






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As you probably know by now, this years Met Gala was a fraught celebration of the German fashion icon Karl Lagerfeld, who passed away in 2019. In honor of the storied designer, most famously associated with Chanel, the candy-striped carpet was a cavalcade of pearls, black-and-white ensembles, velvet bow ties, and Choupette cosplay. (Notably, there was also a roach.)

Like any premier celebrity event, but especially one centered on fashion, the night was also a parade of nepo babies attempting to make their marksome more desperately than others.

Given the relatively basic assignment of the eveningsimplicity, elegance, lace!it was hard for celebrities to comically fail the way many of them did during 2019s camp memo and the years following. Most of the nights looks ranged from breathtaking (Gisele Bundchen, Michaela Coel, Jenna Ortega) to perfectly fine (Dua Lipa, Lizzo, Margot Robbie). That said, it was difficult for some of the events younger models, influencers, and lesser-known celebrities to really stand out amid the Naomi Campbells and Anne Hathaways of the night.

Bellow, well decide which nepo babies got the most out of their $50K ticket and which ones probably shouldve stayed home.

2023 Met Gala Red Carpet: All the Fashion, All the Drama

North West

The most-discussed nepo baby of the night didnt even walk the carpet. North West was snapped outside of the gala with her mother, Kim Kardashian, sporting a Chanel tweed blazer and a pair of jeans. The Kardashians, particularly Kim and Kylie Jenner, are known for dragging their troves of children to events. But something about the sight of West, allegedly still standing outside of the event while her mother walked the carpet without her, caused a huge stir online.

In light of Wests recent virality on TikTok, folks online have been accusing Kim of using her eldest daughter as a tool to remain relevant, especially post-Kanye. And to this, I must say: Have you met the Kardashians?? The fact that Kim didnt force her child to walk the carpet was honestly a sign of restraint!

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North West low-key the goat of this years Met Gala and she didnt even attend pic.twitter.com/gJRjpj3L0D  andriana  (@MUGLERMIND) May 2, 2023

Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz

The notion that Brooklyn Beckham and Nicola Peltz are a celebrity couple we should care about still remains a mysteryat least to me. Even the rumors (which I now suspect were fully planted) that Peltz was allegedly feuding with Beckhams mother, Victoria Beckham, ahead of their wedding couldnt make me give a damn. Now, the newlyweds are seemingly trying to establish themselves as a hot, stylish couple.

Unfortunately, theres nothing about these fairly well-dressed people that would make anyone turn their heads. And thats primarily because the general public knows nothing about them, even after one too many Vogue YouTube videos. What excitement should I feel from seeing Beckham in a Valentino suit? What am I supposed to feel when I look into Peltzs dead eyes??

Gigi Hadid

Bella Hadid was nice enough to let her less attention-grabbing older sister have this years Met Gala all to herself. The 28-year-old wore a sheer, corset Valentino gown that gave her girl-next-door look a refreshing amount of edge. The night was also an opportunity to reignite rumors that she and alleged ex-beau Leonardo DiCaprio were back together, when they showed up at the after-party minutes apart. As much as no one on social media seems to give a damn about this couple, I appreciate the level of mystique.

Kylie and Kendall Jenner

It feels like 2015 again, in that the Jenner sisters are producing the most headlines of anyone in their family. One of them is rumored to be dating Bad Bunnywhose white floral train and backless tux was a highlight of the eveningwhile the other is allegedly courting Timothee Chalamet. Neither sibling had her rumored man on her arm at the event. But they probably should have, to distract from these looks!

Kendalls swimwear-inspired outfit, paired with platform boots, felt like a half-assed attempt at punk. And Kylies red-and-blue ensemble was the least striking of her recent Jean Paul Gaultier looks. Posing with their older sister Kim, who seemingly just threw a bunch of pearls over a Skims waist trainer, the typically fashionable family looked like a carnival crew.

Kim, Kendall and Kylie at the 2023 Met Gala in New York last night. pic.twitter.com/f82cBw0UBp  Kim Kardashian Photos (@KimKPhotos) May 2, 2023

Paris Hilton

As much as I despise Paris Hiltons current redemption arc, her first Met Gala appearance, amid the Kardashians cultural decline, at least offered an interesting narrative. We also got her mother, Kathy Hilton, giving updates on her arrival time in the comments of Vogues Instagram Live. So that was fun!

Maya Hawke

Maya Hawke strikes me as the type of nepo baby whos too cool to attend a Met Gala. Nevertheless, the Stranger Things star channeled her famous mother, Uma Thurman, in more ways than one. She opted for a bridal Prada look, bringing to mind her mothers most famous Quentin Tarantino role. She also wore a bag inspired by the Prada purse her mother brought to the 1995 Oscars. Honestly, if youre a nepo baby, your No. 1 priority should be to remind me of your cool mom.

maya hawke at the met gala tonight, she never misses pic.twitter.com/Yn4W8MgKwA  Ariana (@simplytomh) May 1, 2023

Honorable mentions

Congratulations to Kristen Stewart for finally finding a Chanel look that works with her androgynous, punk vibe. (Extra points for the cool, IDGAF poses.) Elle Fanning also brought some character to an otherwise pristine event, looking like a bride who got lost in a forest. Less impressive nepo babies were Lila Moss, who had apparently already been debuted by her mother, Kate Moss, at last years event. (Its unclear what we should think of the 20-year-old model, other than that she strongly resembles her mom.) Allison Williams also showed up in a gorgeous Patou gown that wasnt the most flattering color on the pale beauty. Regardless, the Williams-aissance rages on!

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Following the success of Netflix's Bridgerton series, creator Shonda Rhimes has given us the Queen Charlotte spinoff we maybe didn't initially think we needed, but we absolutely fell in love with, and the first episode is dedicated to the late activist Jacqueline Avant.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is a prequel to Bridgerton, looking back at the life of Golda Rosheuvel's character Queen Charlotte, the younger version portrayed by India Amarteifio. The six-part series is specifically set around the early stages of her marriage to King George (Corey Mylchreest).

You get to see a glimpse of the kind of emotional layer of her in Bridgerton, Rosheuvel told Yahoo Canada.

[To do] a deeper dive into this character and find out the whys, the hows, who this person is, who she was and how she became the person that we know and love in Bridgerton was something really fascinating and interesting to do for me.

We also get to see how this world that we dove into in Bridgerton become a racially integrated aristocracy, referred to as "the great experiment" in its conception. This includes learning how Lady Agatha Danbury got her title, played by Adjoa Andoh in the later timeline and Arsema Thomas in the earlier years. Thomas' performance in an absolute highlight in the series as we explore Lady Danbury's journey to have more authority over her own life.

It was like having a never-ending buffet as an actor, because its very rare that a lot of roles are written with such a beautiful journey for Black women, Thomas said. So to be able to step into something like this, where I get to play somebody so complex and nuanced, and who changes so much, is not only fun, but also quite validating that my story deserves to be heard, as much as anybody else.

On top of that, to be able to have a step-by-step guide to how to become an empowered woman is something, personally, that I just benefited from.

The story still largely dives into the complexities of King George and Queen Charlotte's marriage, touching on racial issues, mental health and women's ability to make decisions about their own bodies. All while we also get a glimpse into the personal lives of a young Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) and Reynolds (Freddie Dennis), who have a romantic connection with each other but have committed their lives to serve the Queen and King, respectively.

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(L to R) Sam Clemmett as Young Brimsley, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in episode 102 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

'I wanted her to take this role and make it her own'

The best part of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is that all the actors who portray the characters that we got to know in the Bridgerton brought their own elements to these younger versions. It would have been a losing battle if we felt these actors were trying to mimic the characters from Bridgerton.

India and I are really in a fantastically unique situation where we get to share this role and take her on a journey, Rosheuvel said. I wanted her to take this role and make it her own, I think she's done the most exquisite job."

"It really was about supporting her in her journey with Charlotte and embodying this character, and supporting her to be her own person with it. Charlotte demands that. She's very much a character that lives on her own terms, a character that is unapologetic, and I think you have to approach her in that way."

I tried not to let what I'd read whilst auditioning, about Goldas portrayal and how people imagined she would be like when she was younger, affect my performance, Amarteifio added in a separate interview with Yahoo Canada. I just wanted to go into it with a fresh mind.

I thought it'd be actually more interesting for people to get to see the sides of her that they maybe wouldn't have even thought were imaginable. Her vulnerable sides and her formative years, which are incredibly important in informing who you then become when you're older.

Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton (Nick Wall/Netflix)

Thomas admitted that she was "nervous" initially about taking on a character that comes with an expectation from the audience.

It wasn't until maybe halfway through filming that it kind of all clicked that when I auditioned, I had never seen Bridgerton, so I came into it just being me, Thomas said. Somehow that was enough and so it meant that I could release myself from this pressure, ... because I already had everything there.

In meeting Adjoa and chatting with her, I realized we're oddly very similar, just in our personal lives, in our taste of books, in the our family dynamics. It didn't really need to be something that I forced. Also with the 40 years difference, ... it's almost like two different people. So it was one of those growing and learning periods of giving myself the confidence.

(L to R) Freddie Dennis as Reynolds, Sam Clemmett as Young Brimsley, Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (Nick Wall/Netflix)

Exploring the feeling of isolation

A significant theme in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story is the concept of isolation. Each of the characters in the series feels isolated frequently, but how they live in that isolation sets them apart.

I became obsessed with this theme of isolation throughout the period of shooting, not just for our characters but for every single character," Clemmett said. [Im] just fascinated by the idea that the love between [Reynolds and Reynolds] is so strong, but the number one duty in life is to serve, and that then leads them to live quite isolated lives.

We had to steal moments of solace and joy, as Reynolds and Brimsley, Dennis added. But even in those moments, the intimate scene that Sam and I share in Episode 2, I find it very interesting that they're still discussing the affairs of the King and Queen, despite the fact that this is a moment of lust and passion.

I think it just shows how intense and actually difficult their jobs are. They can never switch off, even in moments where they try and steal a couple of minutes just to be present and grounded with each other.

(L to R) India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte, Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 106 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (Nick Wall/Netflix)

For Amarteifio, she revealed that it was difficult to sit in Charlotte's moments of isolation.

I think it's always difficult as actors  when you have to tap into more somber emotions, Amarteifio said. I did struggle occasionally.  It definitely highlighted and emphasized how lonely she would have been in this period.

It's always really lovely to be able to have really happy scenes and jolly scenes, and the mood on sets really lovely. ... But when you're having to spend so much time by yourself, and you're indulging in quite dark thoughts, it definitely influences how the rest of the set is and how you're feeling that day.

For the character of George, his isolation is particularly different from others, primary led by his mental health issues.

I think isolation is an interesting one for George because in a way, until Charlotte comes along, and until further on in Charlotte and George's relationship, George feels most isolated when he's around people, because he's never seen as a person, Corey Mylchreest said. The closest to himself that he is, is when he's on his own, when he is isolated, technically.

It was fun to play around with those ideas.  He wants isolation because he doesn't want Charlotte to see who he truly is.  It's so fun to play something that is so not black and white. It is so complex and entangled.

(L to R) Hugh Sachs as Brimsley, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (Liam Daniel/Netflix)

'Important to be able to be political'

Rhimes, as the creator of this show and others, has a reputation for pushing the boundaries in TV. Unapologetically including themes and plot points that many often find uncomfortable to speak about in real life.

That is still very much the case in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, with the cast applauding how Rhimes crafted this complex and significant story for the actors to dive into.

When I watched Scandal for the very first time, when I watched How to Get Away with Murder, these are moments that I saw myself reflected back to me and loved what I saw, Thomas said. [I] was interested and intrigued by how these women were able to move in this white, male-dominated world.

So to be able to speak Shondas words, there were moments where I was like, gosh that's exactly what I wanted to say in that fight. It's almost like reparations in that, I get to take this power back by being able to have these well thought out, witty and quick words to say back to somebody who's trying to devalue me in that moment.

Rosheuvel highlights that it's stories like this, that tackle issues we have in our own society, that we "need" to be telling.

We have a very important platform as creative artists, as people who are creating content for the world that we live in now," she said. Even through it's a period drama, there is space to be able to discuss these topics that sometimes can be difficult to discuss."

"I think putting them in the story form, into a creative form, whether it's through television, film, music, art. I think those places are really important to be able to be political, in a sense, and kind of drive the conversation forward  in a way that is accessible to people.
For Thomas Anderson, a phone call at 2 in the morning is an invitation, not a nuisance.

On the other line is likely a police department and a person who has just been arrested and charged. And as a bail commissioner, Anderson is one of 100 people in New Hampshire who can determine, at this hour in the night, whether the defendant can be released on bail or should be held in jail until a hearing.

The journey can be a slog. Depending on the department, Anderson might have a 40-minute drive ahead of him. And the reward isnt lucrative. For his effort, Anderson will receive $40, but only if the defendant pays that fee immediately.

New Hampshire courts are served by bail commissioners, many of whom work at odd hours.

Still, Anderson says the drive, the chance to meet and talk to the defendant, and the task of reviewing their criminal record and determining their risk to the community if released, all serve as their own reward.

You meet interesting people, he said in a hearing before the New Hampshire House in February. And I like that. I like to talk to people. I like the face to face. And I realize that this is important to the defendant. Its a moment in time that they want to forget. I try to make it as pleasant as I can for them but, again, Ive got to decide what to do.

New Hampshire courts are served by bail commissioners like Anderson, many of whom work at odd hours. The system delivers defendants the means to return to their lives quickly, while sparing judges the hassle of driving to police stations after hours themselves.

But as a five-year debate continues to rage over whether to make it easier or harder to release defendants on bail, some have suggested that the bail commissioner system should be replaced altogether.

Ever since New Hampshire passed its bail reform law in 2018  a sweeping bill that limits the circumstances where defendants can be held without bail  critics of the change have argued it has caused more defendants to be released and has been unevenly applied.

Supporters of bail reform have noted that there is no evidence that more defendants have been released. And theyve pointed to data showing that fewer people have been arrested in the state since bail reform passed, not more.

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But the debate has drawn attention to the states bail commissioners, and whether their decisions have been less consistent since the 2018 bill passed.

Attempting to address the critiques, some supporters of bail reform have suggested replacing bail commissioners entirely and implementing a new system: magistrates. Under House Bill 46, New Hampshire would study implementing court magistrates to work full time to make decisions on bail, allowing defendants to see court officials faster than waiting to see a judge.

If we really care about getting people before a judge, and thats whats important here, this is our opportunity to do that in a way that does not undermine liberty, argued Frank Knaack, policy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire, speaking on the bill to House lawmakers in February.

Unlike the current bail commissioner system, in which commissioners are paid $40 per defendant and work their own voluntary hours, magistrates would be full-time employees of the courts and would be required to handle the bail cases.

Proponents of the idea say that would provide more consistency and training in bail decisions, while still allowing defendants to be released quickly for minor charges. Some states use magistrates to determine bail, while others, like Massachusetts, use a hybrid system of bail commissioners and magistrates to address different severities of offenses.

What this bill does is regularize the system  standardize the system in a way that will have more predictable decisions from the first person setting bail, said Albert Buzz Scherr, a law professor at the University of New Hampshire. And I think thats a good thing.

The idea first originated last year as a proposal by the states judicial branch to help alleviate high caseloads. This year, however, the judicial branch recommended the Legislature not pass the magistrate system and instead study the issue.

Richard Head, government relations coordinator for the judicial branch, said that a move by the Legislature last year to repeal the Felonies First program, which had directed felony charges to the superior courts, meant that lower courts are suddenly dealing with far more cases. That bump in workload meant the system was not in a good position for radical change, Head said.

Opponents of the idea  who include bail commissioners themselves  have cast doubt on whether magistrates would be able to handle the caseloads at a time when the states judicial system is strained.

Anderson argues the proposal is counterproductive.

The bill wants to replace 100 bail commissioners or so  we work at no cost to the government  with 15 magistrates, he said. Were going to essentially support 11 superior courts, 10 circuits with 34 district courts, and 200 or so police departments. I dont think its going to work.

Trixie Lefebvre, a bail commissioner in Londonderry who works primarily for the Manchester Police Department, said the current system does not burden taxpayers and delivers the same results.

Instead, commissioners like Anderson and Lefebvre say they would rather that lawmakers improve the existing bail commissioner system, for instance by providing training.

We really do appreciate the fact that theres a conversation in here about additional education, Lefebvre said. We welcome it. More than one hour per year in September, October would be welcomed to the bail commissioner community. Having something other than our handbook would be appreciated.

The magistrate proposal is not likely to happen soon; HB 46 would create a study committee to look into the idea, not to implement it. The bill will be voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee in the coming weeks and then receive a vote from the full Senate.

But observers say even studying the issue could be helpful to attempt to quantify exactly how many people have been released since the bail reform law passed, whether that number is an increase, and whether more people are committing crimes while on bail.

Were excited about this opportunity, because instead of holding people (and) depriving people of their liberty without any data to support that, this gives us an opportunity to actually look at the facts, Knaack said in a Senate Judiciary hearing last week. Whats actually happening? Is it, in fact, bail commissioners failing to do their job, failing to utilize the multiple tools that they have under current law?

The proposed study committee comes as efforts to pare back the 2018 bail reform bill are facing setbacks. In April, the House Criminal Justice Committee retained Senate Bill 252, which would have automatically held people in jail without bail for up to 36 hours if they were charged with any of a list of 13 serious offenses

The committee also retained Senate Bill 249, which would have required that a person accused of committing a felony, a Class A misdemeanor, or a DWI while on bail for another charge be held without bail. Retaining the bills means the committee will not act on them in the 2023 session but will need to take action in 2024.

At the time, House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Terry Roy said the bills were retained to give the committee more time to consider the evidence that they are necessary.

We need to look at those and look at whats really going on, Roy said. Not take anecdotes. Not take panic measures.

This story was originally published by New Hampshire Bulletin.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: NH bail reform debate has some proposing an end to bail commissioners
The state of New Jersey has reimbursed Bridget Anne Kelly for nearly $7.25 million worth of legal fees she incurred fighting a federal conviction for her alleged role in the Bridgegate traffic jam scandal, which was eventually reversed by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Kelly, who served as deputy chief of staff to former Gov. Chris Christie when the scandal broke, said her attorneys were entitled to the award under state statute, but said she did not personally share in the cash award.

Among the three defendants accused of conspiring to gridlock traffic along the narrow streets surrounding the George Washington Bridge, it was an email from Kelly stating, time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee, which prosecutors claimed initiated the supposed plot and cost the onetime staffer her job in Christies office.

Im getting these text messages congratulating me like I just fell into $7.2 million, like it was deposited into my account and Im going off to buy a beach house," Kelly said during an interview Friday. "My attorneys are getting paid for the work they did."

Bridget Anne Kelly at a Bergen County Clerk on Oct. 12, 2021 at Teaneck High School.

The payment comes nearly three years to the day Kelly's prior convictions related to the scandal were overturned in the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020, and was not a settlement, but instead a reimbursement she said her attorneys were entitled to under state law.

Kellys attorneys recouped their costs through the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office, according to The Star-Ledger and NJ.com, which reported the payments.

Her lawyer, Michael Critchley, did not respond to a request for comment as of Friday afternoon.

When news of the Bridgegate scandal broke in early 2014, Christie was considered a leading candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. But as details of the traffic jams emerged, Christies national standing fell, as did his popularity among New Jersey voters. He left office as the states most unpopular governor.

Bridgegate timeline: What happened in public and was said in private

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Kelly, meanwhile, has tried to recalibrate her life since the Supreme Court reversed her convictions, saving her from a federal prison term. A lifelong Republican, she ran for Bergen County clerk in 2021, but lost to Democratic incumbent John Hogan.

Her Bridgegate defense was handled free of charge during the first federal trial in Newark, then in her appeal to a federal panel in Philadelphia and finally before the U.S. Supreme Court, which ultimately exonerated her on all charges  along with her co-defendant, William Baroni, onetime executive director to the Port Authority.

"I didn't pay anything for my case," Kelly said. "This is all going to my attorneys, where it should go. I dont see a dime of this. Any conception that Bridget Anne Kelly came into this windfall is not the case."

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She said other staffers in the Governor's Office who retained attorneys to fight allegations they were involved in the scandal  including Christie  had their legal bills paid immediately, while her case dragged through the courts.

However, Baroni has yet to recoup his legal fees from the Port Authority, and had his claim dismissed by a federal judge in September, according to The Star-Ledger.

What she still finds distressing is that she was not rehired by the state despite proving her innocence.

"I didn't get my career back," Kelly said.

Mike Kelly: Bridgegate was wrong, but not a crime. How do we hold people accountable in the future?

She is now working in what she described as a "private family-owned business" but declined to offer more details.

Kelly and Baroni were accused of taking part in a plot to exact revenge on Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, who refused to support Christie's 2013 bid for reelection, by shutting lanes that lead to the George Washington Bridge during morning rush hours over four days in September of that year, including the first day of public school classes.

The closures boggled commuters who were trapped in the hours-long backup and halted traffic along the boroughs streets.

David Wildstein, a former Port Authority executive and political aide to Christie, admitted in federal court he took part in the scheme and fingered both Baroni and Kelly.

As the cases unfolded, the "time for traffic problems in Fort Lee" email sent by Kelly the morning of the alleged plot had seemed to seal her fate.

Eventually, Kelly and Baroni were vindicated in court, which in turn vacated Wildsteins conviction as part of his prior plea deal.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ pays Bridget Anne Kelly lawyers $7.25M over Bridgegate
Gov. Kristi Noem announced Tuesday shes appointed two new people to the South Dakota Board of Regents: Doug Morrison, an administrator from the Sioux Falls School District, and Jim Lochner, the former COO of Tyson Foods.

The two newcomers to the board will join John Bastian, student regent Brock Brown, Jeff Partridge, Tim Rave, Pam Roberts and Jim Thares.

Lochner will take the seat formerly occupied by Rep. Tony Venhuizen, who resigned in January to serve in the South Dakota Legislature. Morrison takes the seat left by Barb Stork, who resigned Jan. 26, 2022, despite her term ending in 2025.

Jim Lochner (left) and Doug Morrison (right) are the two newest members of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Their appointments are effective immediately, but their confirmation by the Senate Education committee and full Senate will take place in the 2024 legislative session. Lochners term will end in 2027, and Morrisons term will end in 2025, the governors office confirmed.

The ninth member of the board, Joan Wink, was recognized during the March 30 board meeting for her service, after she announced she wouldnt be continuing on the board. Despite her absence, the board still maintains its quorum without her if a majority of the board members are present at meetings. She is the sole Democrat on the board.

With these new appointments, the board is almost entirely Republican, as Brown, Lochner, Morrison, Partridge, Rave, Roberts and Thares are all Republicans. Wink is a Democrat and Bastian is an Independent.

More: How much Sioux Falls school board candidates have raised, spent ahead of May election

This current board makeup would break the boards bylaws which state that no more than six Regents shall be members of the same political party, if it werent for Brown being a student regent, as his party affiliation isnt subject to the requirements of the overall board, according to an opinion drafted by former attorney general Mark Barnett, the governors office explained.

The SDBOR office is reaching out to the two new regents to see if theyll be able to attend the May 9 board meeting, or if theyll convene with the full board in June.

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About the appointments

Morrison is the current director of data services for the district and has served in that role since 2017. He also served on the school board from 2008 to 2017, is a certified accountant and co-founded the Sioux Falls Hope Coalition, a nonprofit providing preschool opportunities for children.

I am passionate about providing children with high quality, affordable education opportunities, Morrison said in a press release from Noems office. I am appreciative to Gov. Noem for appointing me to this position and giving me the opportunity to serve the students of South Dakota.

Doug Morrison is the newest member of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Jim Lochner served as COO for Tyson Foods from 2009 to 2014 when he retired. He lives in Dakota Dunes and has served on executive committees with various trade organizations including the American Meat Institute and National Cattlemens Beef Association.

More: Sioux Falls' CTE Academy offers extensive 'field to table' experience for students

I want to thank Gov. Noem for selecting me to serve on the South Dakota Board of Regents, Lochner said in a press release from Noems office. I believe my business experience in numerous technical support and operational areas will enable me to serve as an asset to the goals and missions of the Board of Regents.

Jim Lochner is the newest member of the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Noem also stated in a press release shes confident Morrison and Lochner will work hard to continue improving the states education system for our kids and grandkids, and she looks forward to working with them.

For South Dakota students attending our state universities, we have a responsibility to provide an excellent, high-quality education at a cost that they and their family can afford, Noem stated. The more we provide opportunities for education excellence, the better we will set them up for their future. In turn, they will help build an even stronger South Dakota for years to come.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota Board of Regents gains two new members
Protesters were forced out of the Senate after the bill was passed on Thursday

North Carolina Republican lawmakers have passed a law that would ban abortion after 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers of the statehouse, meaning they can override a veto threat from the state's Democratic governor.

The move comes as conservatives move to strip away abortion rights after the Supreme Court ended the nationwide right to abortion in June.

Near-total abortion bans have been passed by 14 states after the ruling.

Currently, abortion is banned in North Carolina after 20 weeks of gestation.

The Care for Women, Children and Families Act was passed by the state Senate 29 - 20 along party lines on Thursday, one day after the state House of Representatives passed it along similar party lines.

Protesters shouting "abortion rights now" were cleared from the Senate chamber by police as the vote was held.

The legislation now goes to Governor Roy Cooper, who has vowed to veto "this extreme ban".

"This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom," the governor tweeted on Thursday.

Republicans gained their veto-proof supermajority of both chambers last month after a Democrat who had previously vowed to protect abortion switched her party affiliation to Republican.

Congresswoman Tricia Cotham voted in favour of the bill after promising last year to "continue my strong record of defending the right to choose".

Despite the Republican supermajority, Gov Cooper on Thursday tweeted: "We only need one Republican in either the House or Senate to help sustain the veto of this dangerous abortion ban".

He appealed to voters to hold lawmakers that campaigned on protecting abortion access accountable.

Speaking to CNN, he said he would work to over the next week to try and gather support to uphold the veto.

The new ban contains exceptions in the case of rape and incest through 20 weeks of pregnancy, or in the event of a "life-limiting anomaly" through 24 weeks.

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It also allows doctors to perform an abortion if the pregnancy threatens the life of the mother, and permits medical providers to refuse an abortion "on moral, ethical, or religious grounds".

It also requires a doctor to examine a woman in person before prescribing abortion-inducing medications and bans people from mailing the drugs to a pregnant person.

North Carolina has been a form of safe haven to women in southern states, which have mostly moved to ban the procedure.

In the two months after the Supreme Court's ruling, abortion rose by 37% in North Carolina - more than any other state - according to the Society of Family Planning, a non-profit that advocates for abortion rights and research.

The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America has praised the North Carolina bill, saying it will "lessen abortion tourism in the state".

Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the commonly used abortion pill mifepristone is being challenged in the lower courts.
This article was originally published in EducationNC.

NC Child released their 2023 child health report card on April 4, which grades North Carolina on 15 indicators of child health in the state.

This year the report cards focus issue was childrens mental health. North Carolina scored an F in mental health, showing a serious decline for students in the wake of the pandemic.

Homicide and suicide are the only causes of child death that are increasing in North Carolina, the report states.

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Post pandemic, 10.2% of high school students who attempted suicide were reported, according to NC Child, a 23.2% increase from baseline. Adolescents ages 12-17 with major depressive episodes similarly increased by 25.8%.

The report says the trends are deeply troubling.

Erica Palmer Smith, the executive director of NC child, called the mental health data, especially concerning, in an accompanying press release.

For the past 20 years, NC Child has partnered with the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) to release a report card every one to two years. By continually tracking data, theyve been able to document the changes to childrens health through the pandemic.

The 15 tracked indicators are grouped into four categories: secure homes and neighborhoods, access to care, healthy births, and health risk factors. Scores are calculated by comparing the states yearly performance, disparities by race and ethnicity, and aspiration standards.

Mental health findings

Long before pandemic school closures across the nation, clinicians were already seeing alarming trends across many indicators of child and adolescent mental health, the report states. More than one in 10 children ages 3-17 in North Carolina had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety in 2020  a 49% increase from 2016.

The report finds that children who experience discrimination are disproportionately impacted, reporting worse mental health than their counterparts.

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LGBTQ+ students are more than three times more likely to consider or attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers, the report says.

Graphic courtesy of NC Child.

Students of different races experience disparity as well  Hispanic or Latinx high school students reported the highest rates of attempted suicide within the past year, at 13.3%. That number was 12.5% for white high school students and 11.8% for African American or Black students.

Health trends

When the mental health risks to students during the pandemic became apparent in 2020, the NC Department of Public Instruction (DPI) updated their school mental health policy to include mental health training and a suicide risk protocol.

Despite this, NC Childs 2023 report mirrors many of their findings in 2021. Mental health, birth outcomes, and housing and economic security all received F grades in both years.

This years report contains other worrying trends, including an 18.3% decrease in literacy rate among third grade students and a 9.12% increase in children between ages 10-17 who are overweight or obese. Again, massive disparities exist between ethnic and racial groups.

Nationally and in North Carolina, the data show a marked impact from the first two years of the pandemic, as students from low-income communities often had reduced access to online learning and enrichment activities during school closures and the shift to virtual classrooms, the report states.

But the report contained sparse positive trends as well. Insurance coverage for children in N.C. remains high at 94.5%, and children who live in high-poverty neighborhoods has decreased 11.1%.

Related Despite Crisis, States and Districts Slow to Spend $1B in Mental Health Funds

Talking about the issues is part of the solution. Increased attention can also mean decreased stigma, allowing our children and families to seek out the help they need with far less fear of retribution, the report states.

The document advocates for expanding mental health care access and making guns and prescription drugs more difficult to access as pathways towards healthier students.

All of our children deserve the chance to thrive, regardless of whether they live in a rural or urban area, their race, gender, or how much money their parents make, said Smith in the press release.

This article first appeared on EducationNC and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
Photo: Hannah Schoenbaum (AP)

Shortly before 10 pm Wednesday night, North Carolina state Rep. Tricia Cotham (R) voted for a 12-week abortion ban, which was debated in secret and could devastate access across the South. (The bill passed the State House, though one vote shy of a veto-proof majority because another Republican didnt vote.)

A Republican banning abortion isnt news, but Cotham only joined the GOP when she mysteriously switched parties in April. Making the move all the more puzzling, in January of this year, she co-sponsored a bill to codify the protections of Roe v. Wade into state law, which would prohibit the state from banning abortion before fetal viability (about 24 weeks). And in 2015, Cotham spoke on the House floor about her own medically necessary abortion following a miscarriage. This decision was up to me, my husband, my doctor and my God. It was not up to any of you in this chamber, Cotham said in opposing an anti-abortion bill.

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EMILYs List, a pro-abortion PAC, revoked their support of her after she switched parties.

Cotham added, Abortion is a deeply personal decision. It should not be a political debate. My womb and my uterus is not up for your political grab. Legislators, you do not hold shares in my body, so stop trying to manipulate my mind. #ncpol pic.twitter.com/mjyogKcTUc  Bryan Anderson (@BryanRAnderson) April 5, 2023

So what exactly happened here? Cotham did not respond to my request for comment by publication time, but it may be instructive to look at her five years out of the legislature, from 2017 to 2023, and her extensive ties to the conservative charter school movement. Cotham was a registered lobbyist from 2018 to 2021, working at both McGuireWoods Consulting and BCHL Strategic Partner. In 2018, she represented for-profit education companies, including Project L.I.F.T. and PowerSchool, who were accused of failing to improve struggling schools and excessive student surveillance, respectively.

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In 2019, she was named the president of a group called Achievement for All Children (AAC), a firm that co-managed the only school in the states Innovative School District (ISD). The creation of that district allowed outside groups like charter school operators to take over low-performing schools. John Bryan, a retired Oregon business owner and megadonor to the conservative school choice movement, is the reason that school district exists. In 2021, Cotham also lobbied on behalf of a charter school construction company created by Bryan called Challenge Foundation Properties.

Then in January, Republicans made Cotham a co-chair alongside two GOP membersof the K-12 education committee, which oversees charter school funding, public school ethics legislation, and teacher pay. She was one of just three Democrats to be given a gavel. People were skeptical of this move at the time, given that Republicans were one just vote shy of a supermajority. Cotham responded to suspicions about her appointment by saying in February, I would never commit a vote to anything that I dont know what its about or its not in writing hasnt come through these chambers at all.

When Cotham announced her defection, she said it was in part because shed been bullied by her fellow Democrats and had grown alienated from the party on issues like school choice, per the New York Times. The first piece of legislation she introduced as a Republican was a pro-charter school bill.

This does explain Cothams sudden switch to the GOP, despite representing a solidly blue district in North Carolinabut switching parties doesnt necessarily mean you have to vote with them on everything. Her vote for an abortion ban after proudly proclaiming to support reproductive rights is a direct, egregious betrayal of her constituents.

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Republican Mark Robinson, a current candidate for governor, once called school shooting survivors "spoiled little b-----ds" in a Facebook post and justified the shooting of protestors on a podcast

Dylan Hollingsworth/Bloomberg via Getty Mark Robinson

North Carolina Republican Mark Robinson  the state's lieutenant governor and a contender for governor in 2024  once called school shooting survivors "spoiled little b-----ds" and justified the shooting of protestors, according to old social media posts and a 2018 podcast unearthed by CNNs KFile.

Following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, Robinson took to Facebook to lambast the teenaged survivors who were advocating for stricter gun control policies, calling them "spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN, spoiled little b-----ds, and media prosti-tots," CNN reports.

In another post published just six days after the shooting  in which a gunman killed 17 people, including students and teachers  Robinson shared a photo of a group of the survivors along with the caption: The look you get when you let the devil give you a ride on a river of blood to 15 minutes of Fameville."

Robinson also mocked young gun control activists on Twitter, sharing one photo of a protestor at the March for Our Lives rally with the caption: "They live. They breathe. Theyll procreate. #funnybutscary."

CNN also reported on a 2018 podcast in which Robinson spoke about protestors, saying in reference to the 1970 shooting of students at Kent State protesting the Vietnam War, "We need some politicians in office in some of these cities thats gonna let people know from the get-go, you go in the street and block traffic, if you block buildings, if you destroy property, you are going to be dealt with swiftly and harshly. We are not going to tolerate it."

RELATED: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Appears to Kick Young Activist During Confrontation About Gun Safety: Video

The Republican is currently lieutenant governor, serving under Democrat Roy Cooper in what is largely a ceremonial role. But he now has his eyes set on higher office, announcing his candidacy for governor in April.

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Robinson has courted controversy in recent years, such as when he delivered sermons in 2021 and in 2023 littered with anti-LGBTQ rhetoric.

Theres no reason anybody anywhere in America should be telling any child about transgenderism, homosexuality, any of that filth, Robinson said in a speech to the congregation of Asbury Baptist Church in June 2021.

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In a 2023 sermon, Robinson spoke similarly: "Makes me sick every time I see it, when I pass a church that flies that rainbow flag, which is a direct spit in the face to God Almighty."

Following widespread condemnation for those remarks, Robinson has doubled down.



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North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a front-running Republican candidate for governor, bitterly scorned spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN who survived the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, and became advocates for gun control.

Robinson, who former President Donald Trump referred to as one of the hottest politicians in our country, mocked Parkland students and activists, including David Hogg and X Gonzalez, less than two weeks after the massacre, unearthed social media posts reported by CNNs KFile show.

In one post, Robinson referred to students as spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN and silly little immature media prosti-tots

If, two days before this shooting, a hard nosed nonsense conservative had walked into that school and put into place the ideals and principles that would have avoided that massacre, you spoiled little bastards would have kicked and screamed like babies in a crib, wrote Robinson.

Thats what you are doing now. In fact youre doing less than that. A babys cries are useful and necessary. You are simply making irritating noise. You say you want to make a difference. Well heres how you do it. Go to school. Behave well. Study hard.

Robinson, the leading Republican candidate in the North Carolina governor's race, questioned

Robinson, the leading Republican candidate in the North Carolina governor's race, questioned "silly little immature 'media prosti-tots' in a Facebook post just weeks after 17 people died and 17 others were injured during a school shooting in Parkland, Florida in 2018.

Robinson, who Jewish Insider described as a brash and unfiltered conservative culture warrior, has faced criticism in the past over antisemitic remarks and transphobic Facebook posts. In one, he said homosexuality is STILL an abominable sin in the wake of the Pulse nightclub shooting that killed 49 people in 2016.

In 2019, he referred to teachers participation in a massive protest in his state as a sad indication of why public schools are FAILING so miserably.

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Read more of CNNs report here.

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A Lynn man who worked at the BJs Wholesale Club in Revere is being held on $1,000 bail on charges that he threatened to kill two BJs employees after he was fired for stealing from the store, District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.

David Brown, 52, is charged with threatening to commit a crime, threatening a business, threats involving the use of a firearm, and two civil rights violations. Brown has a 16-page Massachusetts record plus criminal offenses in Virginia and Maryland, says Hayden.

Revere Police were called to the BJs on Ward Street on Wednesday for a report of threats made.

Store employees told police that Brown had called the store earlier in the day and left a threatening message stating, I am going to kill you and (name withheld). I plan on putting two bullets in your (racial slur) head.

BJs personnel told police that Brown had been terminated on Tuesday for stealing from the store, according to prosecutors.

Being threatened in any way is frightening. But the terror factor is heightened in this case by the threats being made with such specificity and racial animus. Im grateful for the BJs management team acting quickly to call Revere Police and relay exactly what occurred, so this individual can be held accountable for his reprehensible conduct, Hayden said.

Brown was ordered to stay away from BJs and the victims, refrain from alcohol enforced by screening, and wear a GPS monitoring bracelet.

Brown will return to court on May 30 for a probable cause hearing.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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The Johnson County Sheriffs Office told the public that it will have undercover officers at this weekends Flow Faire in Cleburne to watch for illegal drug trafficking and use.

If you plan on attending this event, please keep in (mind) my Law Enforcement is aware of the activity that goes on at these events and we will make it a point to be in the area and will have ZERO tolerance, the North Texas department posted on Facebook.

Flow Faire, which is a Renaissance-themed electronic dance music festival, is scheduled for Friday through Sunday at the Bee Mountain Ranch in Cleburne.

From posts in the comment section, some readers resented the warning from the sheriffs office. There were about 200 comments as of Friday afternoon, including many from people who said they have been involved in or have attended the events.

There is a way to post a warning without slandering the group of people putting on the event, one person wrote.

Zane Laurence, whose Facebook profile says hes an event organizer for Flow Faire, wrote, We welcome Johnson County in with open arms and will allow any uniformed officer in for free, we do not condone or promote illegal activities and we appreciate yall enforcing the law as it should be. We are doing everything as professional as we can on our end to ensure a safe/legal and fun event for all.

This event is held by loving, caring people whom most of also have children who have been out there with them working endlessly to build stages & make things perfect for everyone attending to enjoy good music & art, another commenter wrote. One bad apple trying to sneak in & mess things up doesnt reflect on the staff or creators of this event. This post is absurd. I know every person personally on the crew & they work HARD to give a safe, loving, welcoming space for their guests. They also hire security/law enforcement to regulate the crowds.

One of the vendors commented that he plans to contact a lawyer because of the (defamation) of character and my business.

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In its post, the Johnson County Sheriffs Office said that a variety of street drugs, including cocaine, have been found at Flow Faire events in other counties and suggested that some vendors might be selling them at the Cleburne event. The sheriffs office edited its original post and clarified that it was not referring to all the vendors at the festival.

I want to correct our (first) post a little, the department said. Were not saying ALL vendors or which ones, just that we have information from past events that this was happening.

The Parker County Sheriffs Office arrested three people accused of selling illegal drugs at a Flow Faire rave in the town of Cool in March 2022.

Undercover officers will attend the Cleburne event and will arrest anyone caught buying, selling or using illegal drugs, according to the sheriffs office post. Deputies will also be watching for underage drinking.

The event is promoted as being for people 18 and older.
Northeast Pennsylvania voters will head to the polls May 16 for this year's local primary elections.

Democrats and Republicans will determine just who will be on the ballots in local races such as county commissioners, area school boards and more.

Of interest: After midterm losses, Pennsylvania Republicans warm up to 'ballot harvesting,' mail-in voting

For information regarding Monroe County: Click here

What you need to know before heading to the polls

From checking voter registration to learning how to find your polling place, we've got you covered.

>> Here's how to find local ballot drop boxes, polling places and more

Subscriber exclusive: Poconos NAACP leader talks 'Moms for Liberty' as local harassment case moves forward

Who's on my ballot?

Candidates for local elections were invited by the League of Women Voters to submit information on their electoral qualifications to VOTE411.org, a nonpartisan online guide for voters.

Voters can look up helpful information on about local elections in both English and Spanish.

Check out our candidate lists to see who is on your ballot in contested primary elections.

Lackawanna County

Voters in Lackawanna County will elect new county commissioners, school board members and more.

To find out who is on your ballot in Lackawanna County, go to /bit.ly/44zMIQv.

>>For more information on the county commissioners race, click here.

Wayne County

Pike County

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Northern Pocono primary elections: Read this before you vote
Critics have questioned the British monarchy's relevance amid protests against King Charles III ahead of his coronation Saturday. Also in the news: A second mass shooting in two days has shocked Serbia and what we know about the end of a pandemic-era immigration policy.

 I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. What is Cinco de Mayo? Here's what to know about the holiday's origin.

Here's Friday's news.

King's coronation draws apathy, criticism in former colonies

Queen Elizabeth II became ruler of a largely enthralled and still sprawling empire in 1953. But in his Saturday coronation, King Charles III inherits skeptical subjects hailing from a diminishing commonwealth of nations that increasingly question the very need for a monarchy. For many of the Commonwealth's 56 member nations, the coronation is an occasion to recall colonialisms painful and bloody past. In the Caribbean, especially, the spectacular display of pageantry in London will jar with growing calls to sever all ties with the monarchy. Read more

In 2021 Barbados became the latest country to remove the British monarch as its head of state, replacing Charles mother, Queen Elizabeth II, with an elected president. That decision spurred similar republican movements in neighboring Jamaica, the Bahamas and Belize.

Serbia sees second mass shooting in two days

Serbia saw its second mass shooting in two days, state media reported late Thursday, after a man fired an automatic weapon from a moving car, killing eight people and wounding 14 more in a village south of Belgrade. Thursday's shooting came after a 13-year-old boy used his father's guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade on Wednesday that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard. Mass shootings are extremely rare in Serbia, which has strict gun laws, but the western Balkan country has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in Europe. Read more

Story continues

Atlanta shooting suspect charged with murder.

Forensic police operates on a car in the the village of Dubona, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 5, 2023.

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What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

What we know about the ending of Title 42

A Trump-era immigration policy that made it easier to expel migrants from U.S. borders during the COVID-19 pandemic is set to end next week.

The 2020 policy, known as Title 42, allowed Customs and Border Protection to turn migrants away in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading in holding facilities.

More: The U.S. does not expect Mexico to match the troops it's sending.

A Texas National Guard member escorts migrants to Border Patrol agents on May 4, 2023 in Brownsville, Texas.

Jordan Neely NYC subway chokehold death sparks outcry

Pressure is mounting on New York City authorities as they investigate the death of a well-known Black street performer after a former Marine, who is white, put him in a chokehold after an altercation on the subway. According to authorities and witnesses, Jordan Neely and the former Marine, 24, got into a verbal altercation that escalated into a physical fight and ended with the man putting Neely in a chokehold. Neely lost consciousness and never recovered, police said. Investigators interviewed the former Marine after Neely's death but did not detain him. Read more

Protestors gather at Barclays Center Arena and march to the 7th police precinct to protest the NYPD's response to the killing of Jordan Neely in Brooklyn, New York on May 4, 2023.

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Four Proud Boys guilty of seditious conspiracy for Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three lieutenants were found guilty Thursday of entering a seditious conspiracy against the U.S. government that culminated in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack. A fifth Proud Boy was acquitted of the charge. But Tarrio's attorneys argued he is the government's scapegoat for the Capitol attack. The true culprit of Jan. 6, they said, was former President Donald Trump, who inflamed a mob of supporters and directed them toward the Capitol. Read more

The future of the Proud Boys after Tarrio's conviction; the new face of doxxing online.

Quick hits

Photo of the day: Eight Secretariat descendants at 2023 Kentucky Derby

Fifty years after his Triple Crown triumph, Secretariat and his legacy still loom large over the Kentucky Derby. His sub-2-minute sprint around the Churchill Downs track has been approached just once by the 49 other champions since 1973. The mark will be challenged again Saturday, 34 years since his death, by eight horses from his bloodline during the race's 149th running. Read more about Secretariat and the latest news about a trainer suspended following two horse deaths.

Secretariat descendant Raise Cain during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com or follow along with her musings on Twitter. Support journalism like this  subscribe to USA TODAY here.

Associated Press contributed reporting.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Coronation 2023, Serbia shooting, Title 42, Jordan Neely, Proud Boys: Daily Briefing
This GMT-Master II from 1997 is reselling for $14,000 as a certified pre-owned Rolex on Tourneau Bucherer's official site. Courtesy of Tourneau Bucherer

Rolex introduced its certified pre-owned program to US customers on Wednesday.

Starting this week, shoppers can buy pre-owned Rolex watches from an official Rolex reseller.

Certified watches will come with the brand's seal of authenticity and a two-year functionality guarantee.

Rolex's certified pre-owned program has finally arrived for American shoppers looking to get their hands on a luxury secondhand watch directly authenticated by the company.

The rollout began Wednesday when the luxury watchmaker announced it would expand its resale program from six European countries to select Tourneau Bucherer boutiques and, eventually, Watches of Switzerland stores in the US, Forbes reported.

"Given that Rolex watches are built to last, they often live several lives, changing hands over the years," the company said in a statement, according to Forbes. "This new program, therefore, attests to the authenticity of these pre-owned Rolex watches at the time of resale by the Official Rolex Jewelers."

As part of the program, the pre-owned watches must be at least three years old and will be examined by the Rolex team to be certified as authentic. They'll then be sold with a "Certified Pre-Owned Rolex" seal with an international two-year guarantee of the watch's functionality by experts, per the official site.

"It provides the assurance of buying certified Rolex products and enables the end customer to benefit from the full know-how and professionalism of the brand's worldwide network of experts," Rolex said in its statement, per Forbes.

As of Thursday afternoon, there's a 1997 GMT-Master II with the Rolex's seal of approval listed for $14,000 on Tourneau Bucherer's site. Similar models of the watch not officially certified by Rolex are listed on other secondhand sites for between $10,000 and $13,000.

Rolex first introduced its secondhand program to the world in December 2022, launching in countries including Switzerland, Germany, and France. Prior to the announcement, American watch collectors had to seek out resellers with authentication programs like Bob's Watches for pre-owned luxury watches.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Russian forces are continuing to abduct Ukrainian children, with 50 children from the temporarily occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast being taken to Dagestan.

Source: Ukraines National Resistance Center

Quote from the National Resistance Center: "Children from Luhansk Oblast, without their parents, were taken to the Solnechnyy Bereg (Sunny Coast) centre in the Republic of Dagestan under the pretext of rehabilitation. The organisers of the abduction of children are [members of] the United Russia Women's Movement, i.e. representatives of Vladimir Putin's party."

Details: The National Resistance Center has stated that Russian propagandists address children in such camps and impose the Kremlin's vision of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, children are often not brought home to their parents unless they come to pick them up in person.

The National Resistance Center has stressed that this is a way of taking children hostage to lure their parents out and keep them in Russia, as families are no longer allowed back.

"This is another example of the genocidal policy pursued by the Russians in the temporarily occupied territories. The enemy is trying to destroy the self-identity of an entire generation of Ukrainians in order to destroy our nation," the National Resistance Center concluded.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Russian forces killed two civilians in Donetsk Oblast on 4 May.

Source: Pavlo Kyrylenko, Head of Donetsk Oblast Military Administration, on Telegram

Quote: "The Russians killed 2 residents of Donetsk Oblast in the settlements of New-York and Bakhmut."

Details: Kyrylenko added that five more people in Donetsk Oblast were injured during the day.

As of the morning of 5 May, the Russians have killed at least 1,491 and injured 3,474 civilians in Donetsk Oblast.

Kyrylenko stresses that this is not final information, as it is impossible to get an exact number of victims in the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Gennadiy Trukhanov

Read also: Ex-Naftogaz head Kobolyev fails to post $6.2 million bail, prosecutors say

Ukraines Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office later confirmed that Trukhanov has been released from pretrial detention after posting bail.

Tantsyura is a member of the pro-presidential Trust in Deeds faction in Odesa city council.

The funds have already been transferred, and I received a letter from the bailiffs, said the council member.

Earlier, Trukhanov's lawyer Oleksandr Lysak said the defense team had already filed an appeal.

Read also: Robin Hood hacker steals rich Russian crypto funds, gives to poor Ukraine

On May 4, Ukraines High Anti-Corruption Court has ruled to arrest Trukhanov for 60 days with a UAH 13 million bail ($352,000), over his suspected unlawful involvement with privatizing the Kraian factory in 2016.

Read also: International Development Association to open $2 billion fund for Ukraine

Trukhanov is accused of embezzling UAH 92 million ($2.5 million) of state funds during the privatization of bankrupt industrial enterprise Kraian in 2016.

On April 25, Ukraines Anti-Corruption Action Center reported that Trukhanov had traveled abroad at least six times since February 2022. According to the prosecution, he poses a significant flight risk.

Read also: Southern Operational Command suspends official suspected of corruption

The mayor denies any wrongdoing and accused the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of political pressure.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Jesse McFadden is believed to have texted the mother of one of his victims posing as the murdered teenager, it has been revealed.

Ivy Websters mother told NewsNation that she got a final message from her daughters phone on Sunday morning but now thinks McFadden wrote the message pretending to be her daughter.

Authorities said on Wednesday that McFadden shot his six victims in the head with his wifes gun before staging the grisly scene on his rural property.

The victims were identified as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, as well as two other teenagers Ivy, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15  both of whom were friends with Guesss children.

McFadden was a convicted sex offender who was sent to prison in 2003 for raping Krystle Strong. He was released early in 2020.

Ms Strong told The Independent that she begged several Oklahoma state agencies to halt his early release  which came despite McFadden being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor.

Key Points

Seven found dead in rural Oklahaoma

'Weve had our share of troubles and woes, but this one is pretty bad

Jesse McFadden was accused of sexting with a minor

Everything we know about seven people, including two missing teens, found dead in an Oklahoma home

Mapped: Where the seven bodies were found

McFadden was released three years early over 2003 rape

Thursday 4 May 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities began a search after McFadden failed to appear at his long-delayed jury trial on Monday in Muskogee County. His body was later discovered along with his wife, her son and daughters, and two other teens who were visiting the family over the weekend.

Now family members of the victims are asking why McFadden, sentenced to 20 years in 2003 for first-degree rape, was freed three years early, in part for good behavior, despite facing new charges that he used a contraband cell phone to trade nude photos with the young woman in 2016. He was released in 2020 after 16 years and nine months, even though the charges could send him back to prison for many years if convicted.

Story continues

And they rushed him out of prison. How? asked Janette Mayo. She said she was told that her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were all shot to death.

Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children -- my daughter and my grandchildren -- are all gone, Ms Mayo told The Associated Press. Ive lost my daughter and my grandchildren and Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

Victims mother says daughter had turned 15 just a week before she was found dead along six others

Thursday 4 May 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Brittanys grieving mother Malaina Schabell told NewsNation that her daughter, who had just turned 15 last week, and Ivy had gone to McFaddens home for a sleepover with Tiffany. Ms Schabell said her daughter had been to McFaddens at least four times since Christmas without incident and that she was not aware of his convictions.

She told me shed call me later and I never heard anything from her which wasnt normal, Ms Schabell said through tears. I knew something was wrong cause she wasnt answering, I tried to call. I got online on her Facebook and I tried calling her, video calling her, and I messaged her and she wouldnt respond, and it showed she was online and but she wouldnt respond, so I knew something was wrong.

She added: Ive been trying, you know, sitting here all day trying to think positive thoughts that Shes gonna come home, shes gonna come home, shes gonna come home. But you know, I didnt want to believe shes gone and I still dont.

Victims' families question release of Oklahoma sex offender

Thursday 4 May 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco

Relatives of four teenage girls who were among seven people shot to death on a rural Oklahoma property are questioning how a sex offender among the dead  a rapist accused of soliciting nude images from another teen while behind bars  was ever allowed to go free.

Law enforcement authorities have released no details about how they died or who killed them since the bodies were found on Monday. But a series of ominous text messages  sent by Jesse McFadden, 39, to his young accuser hours before his trial was to begin on felony charges of soliciting and possessing images of child sex abuse  suggest that he blamed the woman for ending his great life and that he was determined not to return to prison.

According to screen grabs of the messages, forwarded to KOKI in Tulsa by the young woman McFadden allegedly groomed from prison, he said he was having success at a marketing job and making great money.

Now its all gone, he texted. I told you I wouldnt go back.

This is all on you for continuing this, he finished.

Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards said the young woman shared the text messages with him as well. They are tragic. Lets just say that. He more or less blames her for what he did and thats the part I really have the problem with, because she didnt do anything wrong, Edwards told Tulsa-based KOTV.

AP

Jesse McFadden shot victims in head then staged scene

Thursday 4 May 2023 12:20 , Rachel Sharp

Horrifying new details have come to light about the mass killing at the Oklahoma home of a convicted rapist.

Authorities said on Wednesday that Jesse McFadden shot his six victims in the head before staging the grisly scene on his rural property and then turning the gun on himself.

Seven bodies were discovered at the property on Monday during a frantic search for two teenagers who failed to return home from a slumber party with a friend.

The victims were identified as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, as well as two other teenagers Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15  both of whom were friends with Guesss children.

All six had suffered between one and three gunshot wounds in their head, Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice revealed on Wednesday.

The bodies were then moved with the scene appeared to be staged by McFadden.

Guess, Michael and Tiffany were found together outside on the property while the bodies of Ivy, Brittany and Rylee were found in separate locations  about 150 yards apart from each other, officials said.

Victims were killed by handgun bought by McFaddens wife last year

Thursday 4 May 2023 12:40 , Rachel Sharp

Convicted rapist Jesse McFadden used his wifes handgun to kill her, her three children and the childrens two teenage friends, it has been revealed.

McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, and teenagers Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15 were shot dead by McFadden at his Oklahoma property.

He then turned the gun on himself.

On Wednesday, authorities announced that the six victims were murdered by McFadden with a handgun Guess had purchased in 2022.

Grandmother shares heartbreak after two grandchildren identified among seven bodies found in Oklahoma

Thursday 4 May 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

OSBI spokesperson Gerald Davidson said during a press conference that although the victims have not been officially identified by the medical examiner, three of them were believed to be the missing teens, 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 15-year-old Brittany Brewer, and McFadden. On Tuesday, the other four victims were identified by relatives as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13.

Judy White-Allen, the grandmother of Rylee and Michael and former mother-in-law of Guess, said her family is still processing the devastating tragedy.

My kids are hurting. My son lost his daughter and son, Ms White-Allen told The Independent. My other kids lost their niece and nephew. My grandkids lost their cousins. Rylee and Michael have [four] other siblings that will never know them.

The grandmother also described her former daughter-in-law Guess as a great mother with a big heart.

Questions mount as to why McFadden was freed from prison

Thursday 4 May 2023 13:20 , Rachel Sharp

Questions continue to mount as to why Jesse McFadden was freed from prison to carry out the horror attack.

McFadden was convicted of first-degree rape in 2003 before being released in 2020.

However, during that time behind bars, he was hit with new charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography.

McFadden had allegedly exchanged nude photos and videos with an underage girl from behind bars.

Despite the charges, he was released in 2020.

He was due in court on Monday morning for the start of his trial on those charges.

Lee Berlin, a Tulsa-based defense attorney, told The Associated Press that there was a panoply of errors in the McFadden case.

Im a sex-crimes defense attorney  this is all I do all day every day  and Im like, how the hell does that happen? he asked.

Victims mother says McFadden controlled her

Thursday 4 May 2023 13:40 , Rachel Sharp

The mother and grandmother of the shooting victims has spoken out about the control Jesse McFadden had over her daughter.

The victims were identified as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, as well as two other teenagers Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15  both of whom were friends with Guesss children.

Guess mother Janette Mayo told KJRH that Guess had moved from Westville to Henryetta with McFadden and that he was controlling of her.

He was the one telling Holly where she could go, when she could go, who she could talk to. If we took one of the kids, he would track their cellphones, she said.

She said that she only learned of McFaddens past crimes a few months ago and tried to tell her daughter.

But, she said that McFadden fed her a ton of lies about what had happened.

Oklahoma sex offender texted victim this is all on you hours before seven bodies found at his property

Thursday 4 May 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

An Oklahoma convicted rapist texted his alleged soliciting victim the night before seven bodies were found on his property.

The Oklahoma State of Bureau Investigations (OSBI) announced on Monday that seven bodies were found on the Henryetta property of 39-year-old Jesse McFadden. The gruesome discovery was made after two teens went missing in the area on Sunday.

McFadden, who was on the sex offender registry, failed to show up in court on Monday morning to stand trial on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography. The victim in that case has since revealed that McFadden reportedly texted her the night before authorities found the seven victims.

I did exactly what I promised I would do when I got out, the text, exclusively obtained by FOX 23, read. I got a marketing job making great money and was being advanced been there 2 years now and made a great life like I promised I would do with you.

Now its all gone, I told you I wouldnt go back ... This is all on you for continuing this, another set of texts stated.

Who is the convicted rapist who killed six people before turning gun on himself?

Thursday 4 May 2023 14:23 , Andrea Blanco

Jesse McFadden, 39, had been scheduled to appear in court on the same day that the bodies were found on his rural property.

Also killed were two teenagers who were reported missing and endangered on Monday morning after they failed to return home after being in his company.

The identities of the other four victims are yet to be publicly confirmed, but relatives named then as McFaddens wife Holly Guess and her teenage children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, Michael James Mayo, and Tiffany Dore Guess.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has more:

Who is Jesse McFadden, the convicted rapist at centre of Oklahoma body discovery?

School pays tribute to several students killed

Thursday 4 May 2023 14:43 , Andrea Blanco

Henryetta Public Schools released a statement saying that it is grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several of our students.

Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days, the school system said.

Classes will still take place but mental health services are available to students.

We understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep your student at home. Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.

Sex offender Jesse McFadden had early release for good behaviour after he was sentenced for rape in 2003

Thursday 4 May 2023 15:23 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities began a search after McFadden failed to appear at his long-delayed jury trial on Monday in Muskogee County. His body was later discovered along with his wife, her son and daughters, and two other teens who were visiting the family over the weekend.

Now family members of the victims are asking why McFadden, sentenced to 20 years in 2003 for first-degree rape, was freed three years early, in part for good behavior, despite facing new charges that he used a contraband cell phone to trade nude photos with the young woman in 2016. He was released in 2020 after 16 years and nine months, even though the charges could send him back to prison for many years if convicted.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? asked Janette Mayo. She said she was told that her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were all shot to death.

Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children -- my daughter and my grandchildren -- are all gone, Ms Mayo told The Associated Press. Ive lost my daughter and my grandchildren and Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

They let a monster out

Thursday 4 May 2023 15:53 , Andrea Blanco

Two missing teenage girls have been found dead in a house in Oklahoma, along with their suspected abductor and four other people, authorities said.

Brittany Brewer, 15, and Ivy Webster, 14, were named in an amber alert on Monday morning after disappearing while in the company of a convicted rapist named Jesse McFadden, 39.

According to local broadcaster KOTV-DT, the girls had gone to spend the weekend with Jesse McFadden, which Brittanys father said had happened many times before without incident.

Ivys father, Justin Webster, said he filed a missing person report with the local sheriffs office when she didnt return home on Sunday night after spending the weekend with McFadden, Holy Guess and her children  Rylee Elizabeth Allen, Michael James Mayo and Tiffany Dore Guess. Mr Webster said he thought the children went with McFadden to spend some time on a ranch where he was working near McAlester.

He said law enforcement officials also told him that all of the victims suffered gunshot wounds, that some had been lined up and were located across the property.

Mr Webster described McFadden as controlling and unusual, but said he had no idea about his criminal background.

I would say he was weird, Mr Webster said. He was always getting into his kids phones and reading all their snap messages and all that. It wasnt in a way of a concerned parent. It was more of keeping tabs on the kids.

McFadden had been scheduled to appear in court Monday for the start of a jury trial on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography. Court records showed he was communicating with a then-16-year-old girl using a contraband cellphone while incarcerated at a state prison near Muskogee. The teens grandfather reported their communications to prison officials, according to an affidavit from a Department of Corrections investigator.

Webster hopes the entire ordeal leads to harsher criminal penalties for sex offenders, especially those who target children.

The sexual (offender) registry doesnt work, he said. I think there needs to be action taken. There needs to be repercussions, and someone needs to be held accountable. They let a monster out. They did this.

Jesse McFaddens rape victim reveals she tried to stop his release three years before murders

Thursday 4 May 2023 16:39 , Andrea Blanco

McFadden, who was on the states sex offender registry, was previously convicted of first-degree rape in 2003. The victim in that attack, 35-year-old Krystle Strong, told Fox News in an exclusive interview that she was told Guess had recently found out McFadden was allegedly molesting one of her children.

Hollys ex told me  he thinks that Holly found out that [McFadden] might have been molesting one of the kids and just, he flipped, Ms Strong told the network.

Just hours before the gruesome discovery on Monday, McFadden texted his alleged victim in the pending trial, seemingly attempting to blame her for how the tragedy unfolded, according to texts exclusively obtained by FOX 23.

We dont know, but I think it might have had something maybe to do with that, something about his trial coming up, because what he screenshotted and what Jesse texted and said to [the most recent victim] was, and I quote, This is all going to be on you, Ms Strong told Fox News.

Family launches GoFundMe for funeral expenses

Thursday 4 May 2023 17:37 , Andrea Blanco

The family of four of the victims has launched a GoFundMe to help pay for funeral expenses.

Hi my name is Heather Pettigrew. May 1, 2023 we found out my sister Holly (35), my niece Rylee (17) my nephew Michael (15) and my niece Tiffany (13) were murdered by my sisters husband, it reads.

We are trying to get help to cover the costs of the funeral and memorial services for 4 of the kindest people I have ever had the please of knowing. This is a huge tragedy not just for my family but all of our friends and the community. So much was lost so quickly and any help is greatly appreciated.

Jesse McFaddens rape victim speaks out

Thursday 4 May 2023 18:17 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities in Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, confirmed that the crime scene in a property Henryetta where seven bodies were found on Monday was a murder-suicide.

Jesse McFadden, a 39-year-old convicted sex offender who was set to stand trial the very that the gruesome discovery was made, fatally shot his wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13. McFadden also killed Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15, both of whom were friends with Guesss children, before appearing to stage the scene and killing himself.

Now, a woman who was raped by McFadden in 2003  and whose attack sent him to prison for 16 years  has come forward with claims that she begged state and county agencies to deny his early release in 2020. McFadden was freed three years early, in part for good behaviour, despite being hit with fresh charges in 2016 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor.

I found out that he was getting out and I called the jail, Krystle Strong told The Independent. I believe I left a voicemail and tried to get transferred and I kept getting the runaround.

Ms Strong added: They were like, Oh, Ill call you back. I told them, Look, Ive called you guys over the years several times trying to get updates and Ive seen that you guys are still going to let him out even after you found contraband child porn on his phone. If this doesnt show that somebody isnt rehabilitated, then I dont know what else would.

Grandmother shares heartbreak after two grandchildren identified among seven bodies found in Oklahoma

Thursday 4 May 2023 20:05 , Andrea Blanco

OSBI spokesperson Gerald Davidson said during a press conference that although the victims have not been officially identified by the medical examiner, three of them were believed to be the missing teens, 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 15-year-old Brittany Brewer, and McFadden. On Tuesday, the other four victims were identified by relatives as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13.

Judy White-Allen, the grandmother of Rylee and Michael and former mother-in-law of Guess, said her family is still processing the devastating tragedy.

My kids are hurting. My son lost his daughter and son, Ms White-Allen told The Independent. My other kids lost their niece and nephew. My grandkids lost their cousins. Rylee and Michael have [four] other siblings that will never know them.

The grandmother also described her former daughter-in-law Guess as a great mother with a big heart.

Rape victim reveals how she tried to stop Oklahomas slumber party killer: The whole system failed

Thursday 4 May 2023 20:33 , Andrea Blanco

[They failed,] the whole system, the police, Im pissed, Krystle Strong tells The Independent. The hardest thing is the fact that these babies lost their lives and they didnt get a chance to live.

Read more:

Rape victim reveals how she tried to stop Oklahomas slumber party killer

McFadden texted victim in 2017 case this is all on you

Thursday 4 May 2023 21:35 , Andrea Blanco

The victim in McFaddens most recent case has revealed that McFadden reportedly texted her the night before authorities found the seven victims.

I did exactly what I promised I would do when I got out, the text, exclusively obtained by FOX 23, read. I got a marketing job making great money and was being advanced been there 2 years now and made a great life like I promised I would do with you.

Now its all gone, I told you I wouldnt go back ... This is all on you for continuing this, another set of texts stated.

Oklahoma convicted rapists mother-in-law says he lied about criminal past

Thursday 4 May 2023 22:37 , Andrea Blanco

The grieving mother-in-law of the Oklahoma sex offender accused of killing six people including her daughter and three grandchildren said that he lied to her family about his criminal past.

The Oklahoma State of Bureau Investigations (OSBI) announced on Monday that seven bodies were found on the Henryetta property of 39-year-old convict Jesse McFadden.

Okmulgee police chief Joe Prentice said that the victims had each been shot in the head one to three times with a 9 mm pistol when they were found near a creek and in a heavily wooded area in rural Oklahoma.

More in this report:

Oklahoma convicted rapists mother-in-law says he lied about criminal past

Mother of Oklahoma teen found dead opens up about heartbreak

Thursday 4 May 2023 23:00 , Andrea Blanco

Brittany Brewers grieving mother Malaina Schabell told NewsNation that her daughter, who had just turned 15 last week, and Ivy had gone to McFaddens home for a sleepover with Tiffany. Ms Schabell said her daughter had been to McFaddens at least four times since Christmas without incident and that she was not aware of his convictions.

She told me shed call me later and I never heard anything from her which wasnt normal, Ms Schabell said through tears.

I knew something was wrong cause she wasnt answering, I tried to call. I got online on her Facebook and I tried calling her, video calling her, and I messaged her and she wouldnt respond, and it showed she was online and but she wouldnt respond, so I knew something was wrong.

Why was Jesse McFadden free?

Friday 5 May 2023 00:00 , Andrea Blanco

Families of the victims have voiced outrage at McFaddens early release in 2020 after he was hit with fresh charges in 2017 for exchanging nude pictures with a minor while in jail.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? Guess mother Jannette Mayo, told the Associated Press. Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children, my daughter and my grandchildren are all gone ... Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

He lied to my daughter, and he convinced her it was all just a huge mistake, the grieving grandmother said. He was very standoffish, generally very quiet, but he kept my daughter and the kids basically under lock and key. He had to know where they were at all times, which sent red flags up.

Justin Webster, who said he allowed his daughter Ivy to join a sleepover at the McFadden home not knowing anything about the mans past, raised similar concerns about McFaddens release.

To get to save some other children, to make a change is what I want to do, Webster told the AP on Tuesday, nothing he was determined to tell Ivys story and our story and get our government officials and everybody to start speaking up loud and keeping those paedophiles in jail.

The whole system failed: Jesse McFaddens rape victim speaks out

Friday 5 May 2023 01:00 , Andrea Blanco

[They failed,] the whole system, the police, Im pissed, Krystle Strong tells The Independent. The hardest thing is the fact that these babies lost their lives and they didnt get a chance to live.

The Independent has more:

Rape victim reveals how she tried to stop Oklahomas slumber party killer

Victims relatives create fundraisers to cover funerals as they reel from devastating tragedy

Friday 5 May 2023 02:00 , Andrea Blanco

Holly Guess sister Heather Pettigrew has started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral expenses.

This is a huge tragedy not just for my family but all of our friends and the community, Ms Pettigrew wrote in the description of the fundraiser. So much was lost so quickly and any help is greatly appreciated.

A GoFundMe page in memory of Brittany Brewer has also been set up.

This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult times they will ever experience and they need to be focused on their healing instead of worrying about how they are going to pay for Brittanys funeral, a message alongside the fundraiser reads.

Jesse McFadden used 9 mm pistol to kill victims

Friday 5 May 2023 03:00 , Andrea Blanco

Questions mounted Thursday about why an Oklahoma sex offender who authorities say shot to death his wife, her three children and their two friends and then killed himself was freed from prison despite facing new sex charges in a separate case.

Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice said each victim had been shot in the head one to three times with a 9 mm pistol when they were found Monday near a creek in a heavily wooded area in rural Oklahoma.

The bodies apparently had been moved there from where they were originally killed, the scene staged before Jesse McFadden, a 39-year-old convicted sex offender, killed himself, Prentice said Wednesday. The bodies were discovered near McFaddens home in Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City.

The gruesome discovery came Monday - the very day that McFadden was to stand trial on charges that he solicited nude images from a teen while he was in prison for rape. McFadden was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2003 for first-degree rape. He was freed in 2020, three years early, in part for good behavior.

He faced new charges while still in prison. accused of using a contraband cellphone in 2016 to trade nude photos with a 16-year-old girl. Court records show McFadden was charged with the new crimes in 2017 after a relative of the victim alerted authorities. He was rearrested a month after he was released in October 2020 and released on $25,000 bond.

A teenage sleepover, a convicted rapist and seven bodies: What we know about Oklahoma tragedy

Friday 5 May 2023 04:00 , Andrea Blanco

Two teenagers planned a sleepover with a friend. They planned to go swimming at a local ranch in Oklahoma.

But they were never seen alive again.

On Monday, their bodies were discovered among seven people found dead on a rural property near Henryetta.

Among the other bodies was that of a convicted rapist who was due to stand trial on child porn and solicitation charges that very day.

Heres everything we know about this tragedy:

What we know about discovery of seven bodies in Oklahoma

Who is the convicted rapist at centre of discovery of seven bodies in Oklahoma?

Friday 5 May 2023 05:00 , Andrea Blanco

Convicted rapist Jesse McFadden, 39, had been scheduled to appear in court on child porn charges on the same day that seven bodies were found on his rural Oklahoma property.

The Independents Rachel Sharp has more:

Who is Jesse McFadden, the convicted rapist at centre of Oklahoma body discovery?

School pays tribute to several students killed

Friday 5 May 2023 06:00 , Andrea Blanco

Henryetta Public Schools released a statement saying that it is grieving over the tragedy of the loss of several of our students.

Our hearts are hurting, and we have considered what would be best for our students in the coming days, the school system said.

Classes will still take place but mental health services are available to students.

We understand if you feel it is more appropriate to keep your student at home. Please continue to keep these families in your thoughts and prayers.

Five teens identified among seven bodies found on Jesse McFaddens property

Friday 5 May 2023 08:00 , Andrea Blanco

Authorities in Henryetta, a town 90 miles east of Oklahoma City, made the gruesome discovery on Monday morning after 39-year-old Jesse McFadden failed to show up in court to stand a jury trial on charges of soliciting sexual conduct with a minor and possession of child pornography.

On Wednesday evening, authorities confirmed that McFadden shot dead his wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13. Ivy Webster, 14, and 15-year-old Brittany Brewer were also among the deceased.

McFadden then killed himself.

Brittany Brewer was set to participate in state pageant this summer

Friday 5 May 2023 09:00 , Andrea Blanco

An Amber alert was issued early on Monday after Ivy and Brittany failed to return to their homes on Sunday, as they had planned. The advisory was cancelled on Monday afternoon by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

The two teens were last seen at around 1.30am on Monday travelling with McFadden in a white Chevrolet pickup. McFadden, who was convicted of first-degree rape in 2003 and released in October 2020, was on the states sex offender registry

In an interview with told KOTV , Brittanys father Nathan Brewer said she had visited McFaddens home several times before, and that he was not aware he had been convicted of rape in the past.

(Brittany Brewer)

Brittany was an outgoing person. She was actually selected to be Miss Henryetta ... coming up in July for this Miss National Miss pageant in Tulsa. And now she aint gonna make it because shes dead. Shes gone, Mr Brewer said.

At a Monday night vigil, Mr Brewer told hundreds of people that the circumstances surrounding his daughters death are just a parents worst nightmare, and Im living it. He said Brittany had aspired to be a teacher or a veterinarian.

Teen victims grandmother says their mother, also killed by McFadden, had a big heart'

Friday 5 May 2023 10:00 , Andrea Blanco

Judy White-Allen, the grandmother of Holly Guess two oldest children Rylee and Michael said her family is still processing the devastating tragedy.

My kids are hurting. My son lost his daughter and son, Ms White-Allen told The Independent. My other kids lost their niece and nephew. My grandkids lost their cousins. Rylee and Michael have [four] other siblings that will never know them.

The grandmother also described her former daughter-in-law Guess as a great mother with a big heart.

Victims' families question release of Oklahoma sex offender

Friday 5 May 2023 11:00 , Andrea Blanco

Family members of the victims are asking why McFadden, sentenced to 20 years in 2003 for first-degree rape, was freed three years early, in part for good behavior, despite facing new charges that he used a contraband cell phone to trade nude photos with the young woman in 2016.

He was released in 2020 after 16 years and nine months, even though the charges could send him back to prison for many years if convicted.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? asked Janette Mayo. Her daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were all shot to death.

Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children -- my daughter and my grandchildren -- are all gone, Mayo told The Associated Press. Ive lost my daughter and my grandchildren and Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

Rape victim reveals how she tried to stop Oklahomas slumber party killer

Friday 5 May 2023 12:00 , Andrea Blanco

Three years before Jesse McFadden opened fire on his wife and five teenagers, Krystle Strong says she begged several Oklahoma state agencies to halt his early release for good behaviour. McFadden was convicted in 2003 for raping a then 16-year-old Strong, a crime that was supposed to land him in prison for at least 20 years.

So when Ms Strong found out that her attacker was set to be released three years before finishing his sentence in 2020  despite being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor , she tried to warn authorities.

I called the jail, Ms Strong tells The Independent. I believe I left a voicemail and tried to get transferred and I kept getting the runaround. I told them, Look, Ive called you guys over the years several times trying to get updates and Ive seen that you guys are still going to let him out even after you found contraband child porn on his phone. If this doesnt show that somebody isnt rehabilitated, then I dont know what else would.

The Independent has more:

Rape victim reveals how she tried to stop Oklahomas slumber party killer

Jesse McFadden texted victims mother posing as murdered teen

Friday 5 May 2023 12:31 , Rachel Sharp

Jesse McFadden is believed to have texted the mother of one of his victims posing as the murdered teenager, it has been revealed.

Ivy Websters mother told NewsNation that she got a final message from her daughters phone on Sunday morning but now thinks the message seems off.

I got a message the next morning, Sunday morning that was her phone but I dont believe it was from her anymore saying that they were going to McAlester and she would be home later, she said.

Ivys father Justin said that they now think McFadden wrote the message and was pretending to be his daughter.

Holly Guess mother says she was fooled by McFadden

Friday 5 May 2023 13:00 , Andrea Blanco

In a Facebook post, Guesss mother Janette Mayo said that her daughter was married to McFadden. Authorities have not confirmed a cause of death for the seven victims, but Ms Mayo said they were shot at various locations across McFaddens property.

My daughter loved her children and yes she married the man who killed them but she was fooled by his charm, Ms Mayo wrote.  I hurt just like the other families but he took my world from me. My grandchildren and my daughter. I have a hole in my heart ...

Ms Mayo described Ivy as a sweet girl, and noted she didnt have the chance to meet Britanny.

I really didnt know Brittany but she must have been a sweet girl for my Tiffany to care for her. the grieving grandmother wrote. My prayers are there for both of the other families. I just ask that people remember my family as well, and that they had names too.

Jesse McFadden texted 2017 soliciting victim before carrying out massacre

Friday 5 May 2023 14:00 , Andrea Blanco

The victim in McFaddens pending case has since revealed that he reportedly texted her the night before authorities found the seven victims.

I did exactly what I promised I would do when I got out, the text, exclusively obtained by FOX 23, read. I got a marketing job making great money and was being advanced been there 2 years now and made a great life like I promised I would do with you.

Now its all gone, I told you I wouldnt go back ... This is all on you for continuing this, another set of texts stated.

McFadden was convicted of rape in 2003, according to records from the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, and was released in 2020. His pending trial stemmed from charges brought against him after he was accused of sexting a minor while in prison in 2017, according to FOX.

Jesse McFadden rape victim shares her outrage with The Independent

Friday 5 May 2023 14:41 , Megan Sheets

Two decades before carrying out a massacre at a slumber party in Oklahoma, Jesse McFadden was convicted and jailed for raping Krystle Strong when she was 16.

As details about the horror killings continue to emerge, Ms Strong spoke to The Independent about how she spent years trying to keep McFadden off the street.

Ms Strong questioned the reasoning behind McFaddens 2020 release and how he was able to preserve his freedom while facing child pornography charges despite having previous convictions.

My heart just goes out to the families, I cant even begin to imagine, its so sad, Ms Strong. [They failed,] the whole system, the police, Im pissed. The hardest thing is the fact that these babies lost their lives and they didnt get a chance to live.

Read more from Andrea Blanco:

Jesse McFadden raped me years before his Oklahoma massacre. My warnings were ignored

Exclusive: Jesse McFaddens former cellmate reveals his obsession with sex

Friday 5 May 2023 15:15 , Megan Sheets

James Fleming, who claims to have been Jesse McFaddens cellmate at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in 2015, has come forward with shocking details about McFaddens disturbing behaviour in prison.

He [was] a very sexual person, you know, like everything that he talked about was just always sexual, Fleming, who was jailed at JHCC on drug charges, told The Independent in a phone interview.

Every time we had a conversation, he would always try to lead it up to something sexual ... the way that he tried to push it on me was just very uncomfortable.

Flemings disturbing allegations come as outrage continues to mount over McFaddens early release from jail in 2020.

Read more from The Independents Andrea Blanco:

Jesse McFaddens sex fixation alarmed his jail cellmate. Why was he released early?

Former cellmate tried to warn authorities about McFadden

Friday 5 May 2023 16:00 , Megan Sheets

McFaddens former cellmate James Fleming told Andrea Blanco that he tried to warn Henryetta Police Department about McFadden back in February of this year. Screenshots of what appears to be a conversation between him and the departments Facebook page show that Fleming described McFadden as a predator with multiple offences.

A spokesperson with Henryetta Police Department told The Independent that McFaddens address was located in an unincorporated part of Okmulgee County, where his registration was up to date, and deferred to Okmulgee Police Department.

Due to his home address. Henryetta Police Department would have no records kept of his registration, Henryetta Police said in a statement.

After his release in October 2020, McFadden was arrested the next month and then released on a $25,000 bond pending trial, which was repeatedly delayed, partially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Relatives of the victims have expressed disbelief after learning about McFaddens early release, especially in light of the seriousness of the new charges against him.

Victims relatives create fundraisers to cover funerals as they reel from devastating tragedy

Friday 5 May 2023 16:40 , Andrea Blanco

Holly Guess sister Heather Pettigrew has started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral expenses.

This is a huge tragedy not just for my family but all of our friends and the community, Ms Pettigrew wrote in the description of the fundraiser. So much was lost so quickly and any help is greatly appreciated.

A GoFundMe page in memory of Brittany Brewer has also been set up.

This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult times they will ever experience and they need to be focused on their healing instead of worrying about how they are going to pay for Brittanys funeral, a message alongside the fundraiser reads.

Jesse McFadden staged crime scene

Friday 5 May 2023 17:10 , Megan Sheets

Jesse McFadden staged the scene where he killed six people before turning the gun on himself, authorities say.

The convicted sex offender went on a shooting spree at his property near Henryetta sometime before Monday, when the police discovered the bodies of his wife Holly McFadden, his step-children Rylee Allen, Michael Mayo, and Tiffany Guess; and teens Ivy Webster and Brittany Brewer.

Okmulgee Police Chief Joe Prentice told reporters that the bodies of Ivy , Brittany, and Rylee were found around 150 yards apart from each other.

Chief Prentice told reporters that the crime scene had appeared to be staged and that the bodies of the victims had been moved after they were killed.

There are questions that will never get answered because the only people who know are no longer here, Chief Prentice said.

We will continue to document everything that we have found and anything that we discover in follow-up interviews moving forward, and generate a report. We will submit that report to the district attorneys office for her review as a formality, because there is no prosecution to be had here.

But he said there appeared no doubt who had committed the shocking crime.

I follow the evidence  and the evidence is that Jesse McFadden murdered six people and then killed himself, he added.

Video reveals stomach-churning evidence in McFadden home

Friday 5 May 2023 18:24 , Megan Sheets

Local news station KFOR revealed on Wednesday that authorities left behind a trove of stomach-churning evidence at Jesse McFaddens property after releasing the scene and reportedly claiming that part of the investigation was over.

While touring the residence with the owners authorisation, a crew of reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia that have since been seized by Okmulgee Police.

Watch the video here.

Signing off

01:21 , Josh Marcus

Thats the end of our live coverage of the crime scene in Oklahoma for today.

Thank you for reading, and stay tuned with The Independent for the latest crime news.
Jaci Statton, a 25-year-old mother of three from Oklahoma, was expecting her fourth child when she noticed she was bleeding during her third trimester. At an appointment with her OB-GYN, she learned she had a partial molar pregnancy that was non-viable and potentially cancerous.

When she tried to seek treatment for the life-threatening condition, in a state where abortions are banned, she was told by doctors to wait in the hospital parking lot until she was bleeding out for them to legally treat her.

In an interview with People published on 4 May, Statton recalled how excited she and her husband Dustin were when they learned they were having a baby. The couple had been married for two years and already shared three children: two seven-year-olds from Jacis previous marriage and an eight-year-old from Dustins. After a blood test confirmed she was pregnant, the parents started picking out names and buying items for their baby.

In February, Statton was doing the dishes in her kitchen when all of a sudden I felt really sick and I looked down and saw blood soaked through my jeans, she told People. The family rushed to a nearby Catholic hospital. There, she was told she likely had a miscarriage and that she should follow up with her doctor.

The next day, her OB-GYN discovered she had a non-viable, partial molar pregnancy  when two sperm fertilise the egg instead of one. In a partial molar pregnancy, there is too much genetic material for the embryo to develop and it may result in a rare form of cancer called choriocarcinoma, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Other complications can include severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and preeclampsia that can lead to organ failure.

In Stattons case, her bleeding was caused by a rupturing of one of the pre-cancerous cysts in her uterus. My doctor said, Were in a Catholic hospital so Im not supposed to talk about this, she recalled. But your baby will not make it, and this is very dangerous. You only have one option, and we cant do that here. Im getting you transferred somewhere else.

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Statton was transferred to the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, where she would undergo a dilation and curettage, also called a D&C. The surgical procedure involves removing tissue from the uterus, a common type of surgical abortion. However, the ultrasound tech opposed the procedure because he detected fetal cardiac activity. "I remember hearing the doctors arguing with him, she said. They kept saying, You need to look again.

Over the course of one week, Statton was transferred to three different hospitals. The last hospital, Oklahoma Childrens Hospital, told Statton that her condition had worsened but there was nothing they could legally do. We cant keep you here just for nausea and we cant even help you if you start bleeding again, she recalled doctors saying. Unless its a huge emergency, unless you are crashing in front of us or your blood pressure goes up so high that youre having a heart attack, we cant help you.

The best advice we can give you, is to go sit in the parking lot until you bleed out, and we will be ready to help you when that happens, they said.

By early March, Statton was advised to travel out of state for her medical abortion. She and her husband drove three hours to a reproductive health clinic in Wichita, Kansas, where she was finally able to receive the D&C procedure.

All of the feelings finally caught up with me in there, and I cried," she said about being taken to the procedure room. The doctor came in, the nurses came in and they just sat with me and hugged me, held my hand and assured me that it was okay. They told me, Youre not making the wrong decision. If you dont do this, youre going to die.

In Oklahoma, there is a total ban on abortion with very limited exceptions. Its these conflicting exceptions and guidelines on when an abortion is appropriate that has caused confusion amongst both health professionals and patients.

On 25 April, the pro-choice group Center for Reproductive Rights published a study that surveyed Oklahoma hospitals and their policies for medical abortions. Researchers reported that not a single hospital in Oklahoma appeared to be able to articulate clear, consistent policies for emergency obstetric care in the case that its necessary to terminate a pregnancy to save the life of a pregnant patient.

Three hospitals had indicated they have policies for these situations but refused to share any information about them; four stated they have approval processes that clinicians must go through if they deem it necessary to terminate a pregnancy; and three stated that their hospitals do not provide abortions at all.

The only exceptions for providing an abortion in Oklahoma are to save the life of a pregnant woman or if the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest that has been reported to law enforcement. One sweeping abortion law also threatens up to five years in prison for anyone who administers, prescribes, or advises any woman on an abortion.

In March, the Oklahoma Supreme Court issued a ruling that patients have a right to life-saving abortions, whether theres an emergency or not. The decision was made two weeks after Jaci Statton suffered from a non-viable, partial molar pregnancy.

The Independent has contacted the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, the Oklahoma Childrens Hospital, and Jaci Statton for comment.
The Eden Rock, located in the heart of Miami Beach, is a luxurious and stylish hotel that promises to offer an unforgettable vacation experience to its guests. The Eden Rock is a popular choice among travelers seeking a relaxing and fun-filled vacation.

Whether youre looking to soak up the sun on the beach, explore the local culture and history, or indulge in some world-class shopping and dining, youll find it all within easy reach of The Eden Rock Miami Beach.

When I walked into the hotel, I was taken aback by its timeless style and old Hollywood charm. I was surprised to learn that icons I loved from Harry Belafonte to Michael Jackson graced those same hallways. Besides the deep history that Eden Rock embodies, its a great location with oceanfront rooms. This makes it an easy choice for any travelers next trip to Miami.

Here are a few highlights of Eden Rock Miami Beach.

The Design

The Eden Rock Miami Beach is a beautiful hotel that seamlessly blends modernity with classic elegance. Famed architect Morris Lapidus designed it in 1955. The interiors are sleek and sophisticated, with a minimalist, yet luxurious feel that exudes glamor. The rooms and suites are spacious and well-appointed featuring high-end amenities, such as flat-screen TVs, plush bedding and chic bathrooms. The resort also boasts an impressive collection of contemporary hydrographic art adorning the walls. The hotel has three beach front pools. It is great for remote work for any digital nomads visiting the property.

Courtesy of the Eden Rock Miami Beach

The Location

The Eden Rock is located on Collins Avenue in Miami Beach, which is one of the citys most coveted areas. The resort sits on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, offering breathtaking views of the turquoise waters and sandy beaches.

The location also is ideal for exploring the many attractions of Miami, including the vibrant nightlife of South Beach, the world-class shopping of Bal Harbour, and the cultural offerings of the Art Deco District. During my stay, I did an Art Deco walking tour through the Miami Design Preservation League, which provided so much context and history to the area.

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The Amenities and Activities

One of the biggest draws of The Eden Rock is the range of amenities and activities available to guests. The resort features three oceanfront pools, a full service spa and a state-of-the-art fitness center. The spa and fitness center offers plenty of opportunities for rest and rejuvenation.

There are also multiple restaurants and bars on the property. The Nobu Miami is one of them, and it serves delicious Japanese cuisine in a chic and stylish setting. The Ocean Social is an elevated coastal dining experience with true oceanfront views. The menu features global flavors and locally sourced ingredients.

Courtesy of the Eden Rock Miami Beach



The hotel also has free hourlong bike rentals for travelers that want to ride along the beach. In addition, they have packages going on through September with special rates when you book directly on their website.

The Eden Rock is an excellent choice for anyone looking to experience the best of Miami in style and comfort. With its prime location, electric design and range of amenities and activities, this luxurious resort will surely provide an unforgettable vacation experience.
Olentangy Local School District offices.

The Olentangy Local Schools Board of Education announced two finalists Thursday for the open superintendent position for the district, the area's second-largest.

The two candidates are:

Joseph Clark, superintendent of Nordonia Hills City Schools in Macedonia, Summit County, and a professor at the American College of Education. Clark has also held assistant superintendent positions at Kent City Schools and Barberton City Schools.

Todd Meyer, chief operations officer of Olentangy. He was the first principal of Olentangy Orange High School. Meyer also was the first principal of Westerville Central High School and was the executive director of secondary curriculum and instruction for Westerville City Schools.

The school board will meet at 6 p.m. May 11 at the Olentangy Administrative Offices, 7840 Graphics Way, Lewis Center, for second-round interviews of the two finalists.

Todd Meyer, the current Chief Operation Officer for Olentangy Local School District, is one of two finalists to be the district's next superintendent.

Board President Kevin O'Brien said both candidates would bring unique strengths to the district.

"Selecting the new superintendent of Olentangy Schools is an important responsibility that the board does not take lightly, O'Brien said in a statement.

Olentangy Local Schools is searching for a new chief executive after Superintendent Mark T. Raiff announced in January that he is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Joseph Clark, one of two finalists for the superintendent position for Olentangy Local School District, is currently the superintendent for the Nordonia Hills City School District in Summit County.

Raiff has been the districts superintendent for eight years. He first came to the district in 2003 as an assistant principal at Olentangy High School and has also been the principal at Liberty High School and chief academic officer for the district.

@Colebehr_report

Cbehrens@dispatch.com

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Olentangy Local Schools announces two superintendent finalists
YANA OSADCHA  FRIDAY, 5 MAY 2023

The Office of the Ukrainian Ombudsman has registered dozens of cases of Ukrainian children being separated from their families in European countries.

Source: Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ombudsman for human rights, during a press conference on 5 May 2023, as reported by Ukrinform news agency

Lubinets explained that a frequent reason for removing children from their families abroad is the EU not recognizing guardians who enjoy official status in Ukraine.

"There are cases that, in our opinion, are violations of the rights of the Ukrainian citizens. First and foremost, I turn to my counterparts - ombudsmen from these countries. With one of these countries, we have even worked out a legal document, which permits our joint groups to intervene in such situations," Lubinets stated.

Dmytro Lubinets at the press conference. Photo from his private social media page

Dmytro Lubinets at the press conference.

Photo from his private social media page

Yet in some countries, the authorities understand the kind of situation the Ukrainian refugees have found themselves in, and they do not raise this issue or simply help the refugees survive.

Lubinets stresses that children will no longer be physically separated from Ukrainian families abroad thanks to the efforts of the Office of the Ombudsman for Human Rights of Ukraine.

The Ombudsman's Office is currently helping families from which children have been taken away to bring them back and come back to Ukraine together.

Background: Earlier, we wrote how children are being separated from their families abroad and what Ukrainians should do in such situations.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Crime scene tape surrounds the front of a house and blocks off the 1900 block of Aberdeen Avenue just off Joyce Avenue Thursday night as Columbus police homicide detectives investigate a fatal shooting there.

Linda Johnson had been walking into her daughter's house around 8 p.m. Thursday when a car drove down Aberdeen Avenue on Columbus' Northeast Side.

Columbus police said someone inside the vehicle fired multiple rounds from a firearm, striking the 69-year-old and mortally wounding her.

Johnson, whom a relative said was called "Nanny" by everyone, whether they were her biological grandchild or not, died at 8:22 p.m. Thursday at OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital.

UNDER FIRE: Columbus declared gun violence a public health crisis in 2022. What's changed since then?

Glass from the lower half of the front storm door at her daughter's home on the 1900 block of Aberdeen Avenue lay shattered on the home's porch. Shards still in the frame glinted off the light of police evidence technician's flashlights as Johnson's family stood outside crime scene tape in disbelief.

"She's innocent, she was just walking into the house," a great-nephew, Darius, said.

Johnson had lived about a half-mile away from her daughter in the East Linden neighborhood. She also had a son who died in 2019.

Columbus police homicide detectives are investigating a fatal shooting Thursday night on the 1900 block of Aberdeen Avenue, the beginning of which at Joyce Avenue is shown by a marker.

Evidence technicians were photographing what appeared to be bullet holes in the side of the home, as well as damage to at least two vehicles parked outside the home.

Detectives told family members they believed the shooting was done with a weapon equipped with a Glock switch, a small device that enables semi-automatic weapons to fire like automatic ones with the capability of firing 30 rounds in 30 seconds.

Columbus police said last week that within the first four months of 2023 they had already seized as many Glock switches as they had in the entirety of 2022.

Columbus police said this vehicle, a Honda Accord between model years 2018 and 2022, is believed to be responsible for the shooting of a 69-year-old woman in East Linden on Thursday.

Detectives were still on the scene late Thursday night, looking at doorbell cameras from neighbors in hopes of identifying the suspect vehicle.

On Friday, detectives said they believe the vehicle is a white Honda Accord that is between a model year 2018 and 2022.

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Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call detectives at 614-645-4730 or Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at 614-461-TIPS. Callers to Crime Stoppers can be anonymous.

bbruner@dispatch.com

@bethany_bruner

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Drive-by shooting kills woman walking into daughter's NE Side home
Judge Kyle Duncan is pictured in this video screenshot speaking at Notre Dame in March 2023. | YouTube.com/@NotreDameCCCG

The 1800 presidential campaign between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson is known among historians for the heated arguments and exaggerated language employed by Federalist and Republican partisans. Leading up to the election, Republicans accused Adams and his Federalist Party of being English-loving monocrats, while Federalists accused Jefferson and his Republican Party of being atheists in favor of the French Revolution. In fact, Federalists in Congress went so far as to pass Alien and Sedition Acts that sought to unfairly restrict the political speech, and immigration from foreign countries, of those who they suspected of being in favor of Jeffersons Republican Party.

This crisis in American political history was resolved when two statesmen took magnanimous action for the good of the country. Unlike our most recent presidential transition, Adams recognized the legitimacy of the presidential election results and peacefully handed over power to his political rival on March 4, 1801. That same day, Jefferson healed the nations political wounds by turning the other cheek. Having taken control of Congress and the presidency, Republicans could have passed their own Sedition Act to now persecute their Federalist opponents. Instead, Jefferson transcended partisan combat.

In Jeffersons famous First Inaugural Address, the past author of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and future founder of the University of Virginia, explained why Americans should embrace freedom of conscience in both political and religious matters:

Let us, then, fellow-citizens, unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things. And let us reflect that, having banished from our land that religious intolerance under which mankind so long bled and suffered, we have yet gained little if we countenance a political intolerance as despotic, as wicked, and capable of as bitter and bloody persecutions.  Error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.

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Jefferson understood that persecuting someone for their political beliefs can be just as disastrous as persecuting someone for their religious beliefs.

But what about dangerous political ideas? After all, can a republic endure if it does not censor political speech that is aimed at undermining that republic? According to Jefferson and his political ally James Madison, the architect of the First Amendment, Truth is great and will prevail if left to herself.  She is the proper and sufficient antagonist to error, and has nothing to fear from the conflict unless by human interposition disarmed of her natural weapons, free argument and debate; errors ceasing to be dangerous when it is permitted freely to contradict them.

The difference between Jeffersons magnanimity in 1801 and the impulse among todays partisans to cancel dissenting viewpoints is due to what professor Arthur Brooks calls a culture of contempt that pervades our contemporary political discourse. Team Blue and Team Red hate each other so much that many members of these tribes are willing to resort to violence and the suppression of speech to avoid losing an election or even listening to a dissenting viewpoint.

For example, on March 9, Stanford Law students disrupted and tried to cancel the speech of Judge Kyle Duncan on campus. These students threw a tantrum when a Federalist Society chapter at Stanford invited a Trump-appointed federal appeals court judge to speak at the law school. Using a false left-right political spectrum as justification, they mistakenly believed that if they disagreed with Duncan on some issues, then he must be wrong about everything because all his issue positions, they erroneously reasoned, must flow out of an evil and benighted political philosophy. They shouted down Duncan and would not allow their interested classmates to even hear his ideas about jurisprudence.

By hurling insults and screaming profanity at someone they viewed to be their political opponent, the Stanford students mimicked the behavior of the politician, Donald Trump, they claim to despise. Americas young people are watching, and learning, from their elders.

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Stanford Law School even had an associate dean in attendance at the event who watched with satisfaction the students demonstration of ideological narrow-mindedness and dogmatism. After Duncan repeatedly asked for an administrator to intervene and stop the heckling and shouting so the event could proceed, the diversity dean took the podium and went on to praise her students and lecture Duncan about his assumed political views. In this way, she, too, followed the example of Trump, who praises his followers when they resort to shouting, heckling and violence to get their way.

The current path of partisan contempt, misguided left-right thinking, public heckling, vicious name-calling and the canceling of dissenting ideas leads to disunion. The only way that we can preserve our constitutional republic is to turn to the principles of Jeffersons First Inaugural Address and Madisons First Amendment. Now, more than ever, we need a renewed commitment to being peacemakers, thinking outside the false left-right paradigm, rational deliberation in representative legislatures, a willingness to calmly engage with different arguments, and the promotion of universities as places where different ideas are explored, discussed, and tested.

I am hopeful that people of good faith can stop the madness that has taken hold of our public discourse by resisting the impulse to heckle, protest, insult and advocate for violence against those in an opposing political party. To her credit, the Stanford Law School dean eventually published an admirable defense of free speech and viewpoint diversity. In her letter, she corrected the misguided associate dean who had previously praised the Stanford culture warriors.

While the first impulse of Stanford students and diversity administrators was to use the hecklers veto to promote their tribes political orthodoxy, the founder of a different university showed a better way: what one person deems to be error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.

Verlan Lewis is the Stirling Professor of Constitutional Studies at Utah Valley University, a former doctoral student at the University of Virginia, a former postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University, and co-author of the new book The Myth of Left and Right: How the Political Spectrum Misleads and Harms America.
While Rhode Island communities experienced extreme drought, torrential rain, and flash floods last year, the oil and gas companies pouring fuel on our climate crisis were raking in record profits.

Now, thanks to a recent Supreme Court decision, Rhode Islands lawsuit seeking to make these polluters pay their fair share for the climate damages theyve caused to our state is finally on a path toward trial. As the first state in the country to sue oil giants like ExxonMobil and Chevron, Rhode Island is leading the charge to hold fossil fuel companies accountable. Just as Big Tobacco and opioid manufacturers had to face the evidence that they knowingly harmed the public, its time for Big Oil to do the same.

For decades, oil companies have known their products would lead to rising sea levels, more severe weather, and dangerous environmental decline, yet they did nothing to change course or warn the public. Instead, these bad faith polluters launched a disinformation campaign to obscure the science of climate change and steal precious time to stabilize our environment and invest in energy transition, all in order to protect their own profits.

Terri Cortvriend is seeking a second term in the state House of Representatives.

The evidence against Big Oil speaks for itself: Recently discovered internal documents, for example, revealed that oil giant Shell predicted that civilisation could prove a fragile thing without a rapid transition away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy. That was in 1989. But just months ago, after announcing a record $40 billion in profits, Shell chose to scale back its renewable energy commitments and continue doubling down on fossil fuels investments.

Due to the perseverance of Attorney General Peter Neronhas office, these polluters are now one step closer to facing the evidence of their deception in Rhode Island state court.

After decades of climate change deception by the fossil fuel defendants, and now nearly half a decade of delay tactics in our lawsuit to hold them accountable for it, our residents, workers, businesses and taxpayers are ready for their day in court, Neronha said following the Supreme Courts decision. It is time to prepare for trial.

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Taking oil companies to court wont cause sea levels to recede and our warming world to cool down, and we still need legislators like myself and our congressional representatives to advance bold climate solutions. But our states lawsuit can secure some degree of justice for Rhode Island communities that have been stuck with the bill to clean up Big Oils mess for far too long. According to a report from the Center for Climate Integrity, Rhode Island will need to spend $2.9 billion by 2040 in order to protect our coasts from rising seas and worsening floods. Its unacceptable to make our taxpayers foot the entire bill to protect us from climate change when the fossil fuel companies most responsible rake in record profits and continue to make the problem worse.

U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has been pushing to crack down on Big Oils profiteering and return some of the industrys record-breaking profits to working class people. He has also pledged to lead efforts to continue investigating oil giants for their longtime public deception. Rhode Islanders should support these efforts.

In courts and in Congress, the Ocean State can be a leader in climate accountability. We cant let fossil fuel companies continue to escape justice and avoid paying their fair share of the costs. At long last, its time for Rhode Island to put Big Oil on trial.

Rep. Terri Cortvriend is a Democrat who represents District 72 in Portsmouth and Middletown. She is one of the co-founders of the Aquidneck Island Climate Caucus.

This article originally appeared on Newport Daily News: GUEST VIEW: Its time for Rhode Island to put oil companies on trial
In this Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, file photo, an American flag hangs in a classroom as students work on laptops in Newlon Elementary School in Colorado. | David Zalubowski, Associated Press

Could you answer this test question correctly?

Which of the following is a right guaranteed by the Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution?

A. Right to public education.

B. Right to health care.

C. Right to trial by a jury.

D. Right to vote.

Or how about this essay question concerning a proclamation by George Washington, saying the nation should with sincerity and good faith adopt and pursue a conduct friendly and impartial toward the belligerent powers in a military conflict pitting Austria, Prussia, Sardinia, Great Britain and the Netherlands against France? The question asks for one reason why he would believe such a policy was necessary.

Both are listed as sample questions concerning civics and history on the National Assessment of Education Progress, or NAEP, test given every four years to eighth graders nationwide. The test was administered in 2022, but the results were released this week.

These exams have been dubbed the nations report card, and we all should be glad this is one report card we dont have to take home to show our parents.

Only 13% scored proficient in U.S. history, while 22% were proficient in civics. Last fall, math and reading scores were released, and they were down significantly, as well. Only 26% of eighth graders were proficient in math, and 31% were proficient in reading.

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The largest drops came among students who performed the worst, while high-performing students stayed about the same.

The question is, when is it time to sound the alarm bells and admit the education system is failing? When do we begin to worry about the gulf between high- and low-performing students and how that might play out in future class divisions? Are we letting fights over woke ideology distract us from the big picture?

Utah recently passed a law allowing scholarships to private schools. Choice is good, and this, no doubt, will help many students, but its not the total answer. These tests, administered under the Department of Education, involved 15,800 students from both public and private schools nationwide.

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Chester E. Finn Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, told The Washington Post this should be a Sputnik moment, referring to the first successful Soviet satellite launched in 1957, which spurred a national effort to establish a space program.

Its time to say the schools arent doing their part to prepare American citizens, he said. This should be an alarm bell, a call to do something different.

But will it be?

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Its natural to want to blame COVID-19, with its notorious online classes, for these results. And while that may have been a factor, the history scores have been falling since 2014. As former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue, who chairs NAEPs governing board, told the Post, COVID-19 cant become the scapegoat for the fact that our students are not achieving at grade level.

In other words, its not fair for a generation of students whose lives happened to intersect with a pandemic to have to be deficient in learning for the rest of their lives.

I tend to believe Deseret News readers are smarter than average, so you probably aced the two questions at the start of this column.

The answer to the first one is C, the right to a trial by a jury. None of the others is guaranteed by the Constitution, although Ive heard plenty of interest groups, pundits and politicians describe each of them as a right.

Students need to be equipped with an understanding of this principle if they are to make sense of the loud debates that will swirl about them as adults.

The tests website said 45% gave the right answer, but 39% picked the right to vote, instead.

Several responses could be accepted for the second question. President Washington wanted to maintain trade with all parties in the war. He worried the United States was too weak at the time to fight a war. He wanted to keep from dividing the nation and his own cabinet over which side to support, and he wanted his country to remain neutral in foreign conflicts.

Only 25% of students submitted an acceptable, complete response.

I included those questions because I wonder how many adults nationwide could pass the test proficiently, as well. Thomas Jefferson famously said, An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.

This isnt a problem that concerns only the eighth grade. The Brookings Institution last year reported that 65% of community college students have to take at least one remedial course to catch up to college level studies. But one should not need to attend college to receive the kind of education necessary to undertake the work of citizenship.

And Im guessing too few adults at all education levels understand how the nations government works.

Reforming education will require stepping above the normal liberal-conservative talking points and the usual teachers union rhetoric. It will require data-based, good-faith efforts absent rancor and demagoguery.

But that wont happen unless this really is a Sputnik moment, or a Pearl Harbor moment, or any other equivalent metaphor for a moment when Americans truly united in a cause.
The "Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy" monument has stood in Springfield Park since 1915. A bill to restrict the removal of monuments and memorials from public spaces died in the state Legislature, leaving a full array of options for Jacksonville City Council regarding the monument's future.

An attempt to stop local governments from moving historic monuments and memorials off public land didn't come up for a final vote in this year's session of the Florida Legislature, leaving all options on the table for decisions about the fate of Confederate monuments that have polarized communities.

State Rep. Dean Black, R-Jacksonville, said he will bring the measure back up in the 2024 session.

"We're going to make some policy changes to it and some refinements," Black said. "It will definitely be refiled in the next upcoming session."

Cities and counties across Florida have been determining whether they will remove Confederate monuments from public spaces. In Jacksonville, Mayor Lenny Curry supports relocating the "Tribute to the Women of the Southern Confederacy" monument from Springfield Park. Curry ordered the removal of a Confederate soldier statue in 2020 from James Weldon Johnson Park in downtown.

Monument protest: Ben Frazier to pay $50 fine after police arrested him at Jacksonville City Council meeting

Waiting for decision: Jacksonville City Council says no to removing Confederate monuments, but it's not final vote

Party lines: Mayoral candidates' views on Confederate monuments split by Democrat and Republican

The bill sponsored by Black would have applied to all memorials and monuments dedicated to a "historic person, entity, event or series of events and which honors or recounts the military service of any past or present military personnel, or past and present public service" of a United States resident.

Black said Florida needs a state law because regardless of where a monument or memorial is located, it's part of Florida history, not just the history of a city or a county.

"If someone destroys historic monuments in one part of the state, all Floridians are diminished because of it," he told the House Constitutional Rights, Rule of Law and Government Operations Committee when it voted March 28 for the bill.

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Opponents of Black's bill and similar legislation filed by state Sen. Jonathan Martin, R-Fort Myers, said the state should not tie the hands of local leaders.

Critics also objected to a provision that would have let anyone in the state have standing to sue in state court over any unauthorized removal of a monument from public land.

"This is a real serious issue in Jacksonville, and we need to be able to solve this ourselves without the state telling us what to do and the threat of lawsuits," state Sen. Tracie Davis, D-Jacksonville, said in March when she voted in March against a version the Senate version of the bill in committee.

Jacksonville still must decide on Confederate monument

While the legislative session drew to a close Friday in Tallahassee, the debate about the future of the Confederate monument in Springfield Park could be coming to a head in Jacksonville City Council over the next couple of months.

The large granite monument, which has stood in the park since 1915, houses a bronze statue of a woman reading to two children and has a second statue on the roof of a robe-draped woman holding a Confederate flag.

Curry proposed $500,000 for removing the monument from Springfield Park when he unveiled his budget last summer. City Council agreed to keep the money when it approved the 2022-23 budget, which runs through the end of September, but changed the line item to say the options also will include leaving the monument where it is or renaming it.

City Council President Terrance Freeman said in March he wanted to first resolve a federal lawsuit that challenged the city's redistricting map before taking up the Confederate monument. Council is set to vote Tuesday on a settlement of that lawsuit.

A new council president will take over on July 1 when the spring elections also will bring turnover in the City Council roster and a new mayor. Freeman said he will work on council reaching a decision while he is council president.

A photo shows a star near the top of a Confederate flag that is part of a monument that has stood since 1915 in Springfield Park in Jacksonville. City Council member Matt Carlucci, who wants the city to move the monument from the park, used a drone to take up-close photos of the flag's design.

"I'm waiting for the redistricting process to be done, but I'm committed to addressing that issue and council will do it during my term," he said.

The Southern Poverty Law Center, which supports removing Confederate monuments from public space, said in April that 482 Confederate symbols have been removed, renamed or relocated since June 2015 in all states.

The organization says about 2,600 Confederate symbols are still in public places, and seven states across the South have laws to block the removal of Confederate memorials. Florida would have become the eighth state, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The House and Senate had different version of the monument protection legislation this session.

In the House, Black won support for an amendment that said a "governmental agency" could only relocate a monument or memorial if that were necessary for construction of publicly-owned buildings or transportation projects.

The Senate version of the bill said relocation could not be done without the "authorization of the owner" but did not limit that authority just to cases for a public building or transportation project.

Black said his bill would not prevent the addition of historical monuments and memorials that tell more parts of the state's history.

"We should not destroy our history," he said. "Neither should we prohibit anyone from telling their story. So don't tear down my history. Tell yours."

Davis said she expects the Legislature will see the bill come back again "but I'm always grateful to see local governments remain in control of their own issues."

She said the Confederate monument in Jacksonville causes a "tremendous amount of concern and anxiety for many of our residents."

"Removing the monument does not mean erasing history," she said. "It means we do not honor it, and my constituents have told me that removing the monument is the right move for Jacksonville now."

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Florida won't prevent cities from removing Confederate monuments
Oregon senators stage a walkout Thursday, bringing the Senate to a halt.

The Republican effort to hit the breaks on the 2023 legislative session continued for a third day Friday when only 18 senators showed up, two short of the 20 needed for a quorum.

Five unexcused absences  four Republicans and an Independent  have brought legislative business in the Senate to a halt since Wednesday.

Senate Minority Leader Tim Knopp, R-Bend, insists that the walkout is not prompted by opposition to controversial legislation on gun restrictions and abortion rights but instead by the behavior of Senate President Rob Wagner, D-Lake Oswego, and a 1979 law requiring bill summaries be written in a manner that it easily understandable by most adults.

But the walkout has successfully delayed votes on two bills: House Bill 2002 and 2005.

HB 2002 would expand protections for abortion and gender-affirming care while HB 2005 would raise age limits on purchasing and possessing certain guns, prohibit unserialized 'ghost guns', and allow local governments to prohibit concealed weapons in government buildings and property.

It has also delayed debate and votes on Senate Joint Resolution 33, which would enshrine access to abortion, gender-affirming care and marriage between same-sex individuals in the state constitution.

They are "legislative priorities" Democrats are unwilling to budge on, Majority Leader Kate Lieber, D-Beaverton, said.

"It is abundantly clear that there is a concerted effort to undermine the will of the people and bring the Legislature to a halt in violation of the constitution of the state of Oregon and the voters who put their sacred trust in our service," said Wagner on his dias on Friday.

While Republicans continue their absence, a related effort to delay HB 2002's vote in the Senate has hit a speed bump.

Marion County Circuit Judge David Leith on Thursday denied a petition from Sen. Suzanne Weber, R-Tillamook, state Rep. Emily McIntire, R-Eagle Point, and Oregon Right To Life to stop legislative action on the bill. A status check hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

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The underlying lawsuit's argument is the same as the Senate Republicans'  that the description in the bill summary violates state law and statute.

Oregon voters were clear. Now, a judge has weighed in. It's time for Oregon Senate Republicans to do their jobs," Lieber said in a statement Friday. "It should bother all Oregonians that Republicans are threatening to violate a constitutional amendment their constituents just approved  all to deny Oregonians access to abortion."

Friday marked the third unexcused absence for senators Daniel Bonham, R-the Dalles; Brian Boquist, I-rural Polk and Yamhill counties; Cedric Hayden, R-Fall Creek; and Dennis Linthicum, R-Klamath Falls.

It was the first for Sen. Bill Hansell, R-Athena.

Sen. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, made an appearance. He had been absent Wednesday and Thursday.

On Thursday, Knopp said he and Wagner have not had a conversation.

The breakdown in communication between the legislative party leaders began four weeks ago, according to both. But Knopp's office told the Statesman Journal the minority leader had a "productive phone conversation" with a different Democratic leader Thursday: Gov. Tina Kotek.

Knopp's office did not elaborate on the conversation between the two. In an email to the Statesman Journal, Kotek's office said the "governor listened to his concerns and reiterated that he is making choices" and asked Knopp to "choose to get back to work to do the peoples business."

The Senate has scheduled rare floor sessions for Saturday and Sunday this weekend. It's unclear if Republicans will continue the attendance tactic.

Wagner said he will not be granting excused absences to either Democrats or Republicans moving forward unless they were extreme circumstances.

"We have a constitutional obligation to adjourn this session after 160 days," he said.

The Oregon Legislative session must end by Sunday, June 25. There are still dozens of bills both chambers have on their agendas.

The Oregon House has continued to pass bills that are now stuck in the Senate and lawmakers still have to determine the state's budget for the next two years.

Dianne Lugo covers the Oregon Legislature and equity issues. Reach her at dlugo@statesmanjournal.com or on Twitter @DianneLugo.

This article originally appeared on Salem Statesman Journal: Republican, Independent senators continue walkout to halt work
A boy was shot and killed by a Pennsylvania State trooper during a confrontation Thursday evening in a wooded area of Herrick Township, according to state police at Towanda.

Troopers were dispatched shortly before 5 p.m. to just north of Wyalusing in eastern Bradford County, where a person they identified only as a "juvenile male subject" was reported to have a handgun.

Arriving troopers who encountered him issued numerous verbal commands to drop the weapon, according to a state police report, but he did not comply and "immediately presented himself as an imminent threat." The report did not elaborate on or further specify the boy's behavior.

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One of the troopers on the scene fired his weapon "to stop the action of the subject," according to the report. The boy  state police have not released his name or age  was immediately rendered aid, according to the report, and transported to Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, where he died from his injuries.

Investigators from Pennsylvania State Police Troop P, Wilkes-Barre and Laporte stations are investigating the circumstances of the shooting, along with the Bradford County District Attorney's Office.

District Attorney Albert Ondrey said he can't comment on the case due to the ongoing investigation.

The trooper who fired the shot has been place on administrative duty status  which is automatic department policy in these instances  until the investigation is complete, according to Trooper William Evans III, state police Troop P public information officer.

No other information on the case will be released at this time, Evans said.

Follow Jeff Murray on Twitter @SGJeffMurray. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: PA police response near Wyalusing ends in boy's shooting death
Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

LONDON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday called for joint efforts to build healthy and stable China-Britain relations to provide a solid foundation and create a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Han made the appeal at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday.

Han said that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a grand blueprint for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

"China's development enjoys a strong leadership core, and its domestic and foreign policies are highly consistent and stable," Han said, noting that no matter how the world landscape changes, China will bring more opportunities through its own development and add more certainty and positive energy to the world.

China, as a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions at present, makes daily direct investments of 320 million U.S. dollars around the world and attracts over 3,000 foreign enterprises to set up business in China every month.

China is committed to economic globalization and high-standard opening-up and stands ready to work with all countries to pursue win-win cooperation and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and mutually beneficial, said the Chinese vice president.

On China-Britain relations, Han stressed that as Chinese modernization advances, bilateral cooperation will surely embrace a brighter future.

He urged joint efforts to build a healthy and stable China-Britain relationship so as to provide a solid foundation and creat a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

"China views Britain's international role and influence from a positive perspective and always treats the country as a strategic partner," Han said, noting that China is ready to grant national treatment to British companies investing in China and steadily expand the high standard two-way institutional opening-up of the capital market.

He voiced hope that Britain will creat an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Britain in international affairs and make positive contributions to global undertakings such as safeguarding world peace and security, coping with climate change and protecting biodiversity, Han added.

He commended the important and positive role the British business community plays in promoting exchanges and cooperation with China, expressing hope that it will continue to contribute wisdom and strength to advancing bilateral relations. 

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Tao)
Last fall, Fatima Laghari's home in Sindh, Pakistan, was swept away in catastrophic floods from "monster monsoons" that deluged the country for months. A Red Crescent humanitarian aid team came through to give her essentials and a tent for temporary shelter. Six months later, she's still living in that tent.

"We had no idea where to go and where we can find shelter," Laghari told CBS News through a translator. Everything was swept away in floods." She and her community are still battling the water-borne diseases like diarrhea, skin disease, and malaria that came in the floods' aftermath.

An area the size of Arizona  about a third of the country  was flooded, and three districts in the Sindh province remain under water as aid organizations are both continuing to provide flood relief and transitioning into recovery efforts.

File: A view of a flooded residential area as flood victims repair their damaged houses in Sindh, Pakistan on January 10, 2023. / Credit: Muhammed Semih Ugurlu/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Peter Ophoff, the head of the Pakistan delegation for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent, explained why flood waters from six months ago still haven't receded: "The challenge with the districts that are still flooded is the soil, the ground is saturated. So the water can go nowhere. It's stuck there. There is no outlet anywhere."

Last year's floods followed a heat wave, with temperatures reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Temperatures rose again in February, and Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority suggested the cycle of extreme heat and flooding is likely to continue, forecasting a 72% chance of devastating floods again this year, due to the rapid rise in temperatures, glacier melt and early monsoons, according to Pakistan news site The Nation.

A consortium of scientists concluded in the World Weather Attribution initiative that climate change "likely increased extreme monsoon rainfall, flooding highly vulnerable communities in Pakistan." Pakistan causes under 1% of global greenhouse emissions, but it is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change, according to the U.N. Framework Convention of Climate Change 2021 report.

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File: Sept. 2022: Flooding in Dadu district, Sindh province, one of the worst hit parts of Pakistan where nearly a third of the country is underwater and more than 33 million people have been affected. / Credit: Susannah George/The Washington Post via Getty Images

International aid groups are urging Pakistanis to adapt to what may now be their new normal. "We've got to get out of reactive mode and into proactive mode," said David Miliband, President of the International Rescue Committee (IRC). "Let's stop pretending that we should be surprised when there's a climate-related weather emergency."

Pakistanis have begun working on agricultural methods that can withstand extreme weather. Miliband says the IRC is developing and distributing seeds that can survive excessive rain and other challenging conditions.

Miliband also said that giving people cash up front  before weather disaster strikes  can help protect people who live in areas vulnerable to extreme conditions. This kind of anticipatory cash relief is better than payments that come after the damage is done, he argued, because it enables people who know what their communities need to better prepare and insulate themselves against the next climate emergency.

For now, Pakistanis are still coping with all the floods destroyed  fields, crops, homes, schools and hospitals. Shelter remains a top priority for aid organizations that distributed tents to families after 2.1 million homes were damaged. The country's infrastructure still has not been rebuilt. In Sindh province, more than 89,000 people remained displaced as of January 2, according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, with many relocating their tents to higher elevations.

Clean drinking water is also in short supply. More than 10 million people in flood-affected areas still lack access to safe drinking water, according to UNICEF.

The shortage is directly related to the widespread outbreak of waterborne diseases, and it's a key underlying cause of malnutrition, which the U.N. estimates affects a third of the children in the flood-affected districts.

"Indicators for malnutrition and cases of malnutrition among children are very worrying. So this is of immediate concern right now," Catherine Weibel, director of the United Nations Information Centre in Islamabad, told CBS News.

The U.N. hosted a conference in Geneva in January that was entirely devoted to Pakistan's flood crisis. Almost 90% of the pledges were loans for projects that will be rolled out over the next three years, according to Pakistan's finance minister. But Pakistan's flood response plan, jointly launched by the government and the U.N., remains only 36% funded, according to a Brookings Institution report.

The fear of more floods is ever present in the minds of those that survived. "Now there are alerts regarding the upcoming heavy rains," says Laghari. "Our houses are destroyed and we have nowhere to go, as we are still living in tents."

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ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguayo Cubas, who placed third in Paraguay's presidential elections, has been arrested following post-election protests, authorities said on Friday.

Cubas led protests to dispute Sunday's election results and call for a recount, though international organizations said there was no reason to doubt the integrity of the vote.

Cubas has been charged with "disrupting the peace" and other crimes, according to an arrest warrant issued by the attorney general's office.

A political figure from the country's eastern region who calls himself an anarchist, Cubas pulled in a surprising 23% of the vote, coming behind victor Santiago Pena and second-place Efrain Alegre.

He was detained in the last leg of a planned trip to Asuncion to protest the elections at an electoral court.

"As you can see, I'm being arrested," Cubas said in a video posted to social media. "All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas," he added as he got into a patrol car.

Late Monday, Cubas' supporters blocked roads in the capital and parts of the country's east and clashed with police outside of an electoral court. Cubas had announced plans for renewed protests after his arrival in the capital.

(Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
WASHINGTON  The Defense Department, the worlds largest institutional greenhouse gas emitter, is trying to reach net-zero emissions by 2050, even as it seeks to lessen its dependence on China in the renewable energy supply chain.

Republicans on Capitol Hill are pushing back against the Pentagons climate goals by invoking Chinas dominance over the raw materials necessary to manufacture the electric vehicles and solar panels that the Defense Department needs to meet its emissions-reductions targets.

Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, took aim at the Pentagons goal of transitioning its roughly 170,000 non-tactical vehicle fleet to electricity or alternative fuels by 2030 in an April Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. She accused Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm of putting the climate crusade ahead of the [Defense] Departments lethality, an exchange the Republican National Committee spotlighted on Twitter.

Right now, China controls the [electric vehicle] supply chain, Ernst said in a subsequent floor speech. The communist regime produces about 75% of all lithium-ion batteries that power those electric vehicles.

Those batteries are also needed for military assets such as surveillance drones, and the Pentagon is trying to capitalize on recent spending Congress approved to help ease the defense industrial bases reliance on the China-dominated critical minerals supply chain.

Late last month, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks discussed supply chain diversification with executives from lithium-ion battery and mineral companies Bren-Tronics, EaglePicher, Enersys, Forge Nano, General Motors Defense and Our Next Energy.

Today, batteries are critical for powering our defense systemsfrom vehicles and aircraft, to munitions and platforms, to our unmanned systems and satellite systems and more, Pentagon Spokesman Eric Pahon said in a readout of the April 28 meeting. Deputy Secretary Hicks emphasized that increasing lethality and maintaining the United States asymmetric military edge will depend on advancing battery technology and ensuring a more resilient domestic supply chain.

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Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Bill LaPlante released a non-public, lithium-ion battery strategy in February, aimed at increasing the mining and production needed to produce them within the U.S. and friendly countries.

President Joe Biden last year also authorized defense production act authorities to address critical mineral shortfalls in large-capacity batteries. The Pentagon plans to spend $43 million on the effort in fiscal year 2023, which ends Sept. 30. Its also collaborating with the Energy Departments Federal Consortium for Advanced Batteries to improve supply chain resilience.

An Energy Department fact sheet issued on Thursday touted more than $95 billion private sector investment in domestic battery production since 2021 alongside 160 new or expanded minerals, processing and manufacturing facilities. The 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law and Democrats 2022 budget reconciliation bill included several subsidies for domestic electric vehicle and solar panel manufacturing.

Significant risk of disruption

Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., who chairs the House Armed Services Readiness subcommittee, suggested at an April 19 hearing that he may insert language in this years defense authorization bill requiring the Pentagon to certify that these solar panel and electric vehicle materials do not come from China.

China controls over 80% of solar panel production and 95% of elements needed to produce such product, Waltz wrote in a letter this week to Army Secretary Christie Wormuth.

Last year, Ernst inserted a provision in the fiscal 2023 defense authorization bill to slow the non-tactical vehicle fleet electric transition by requiring the Pentagon to first supply Congress with a report requiring the Pentagon to identify any components of the vehicles sourced from China.

Democrats counter that the green technology push increases military readiness while reducing emissions.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., introduced a bill on Wednesday that would require the Pentagon to work with allies and partners to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and employing more diverse and renewable operation energy sources.

A factsheet accompanying her bill states half of the U.S. combat-related casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan were directly tied to fuel and water resupply convoy operations, citing a RAND Corporation study.

The frequent attacks on these convoys prompted the Defense Department to reduce fuel demand in both countries. For instance, the Marines deployed hybrid generators while relying on battery backups and solar power.

A February 2022 Energy Department report on solar panel supply chains noted that China produces 97% of the worlds silicon wafers need to make solar panels and that Chinese subsidiaries make 75% of the solar cells for modules imported into the U.S.

The concentration of the [crystalline silicon] supply chain in companies with close ties to China, a country with documented human rights violations and an unpredictable trade relationship with the United States, poses a significant risk of disruption, states the report.

Wormuth told Waltz at the House Armed Services Committee hearing that We do need to work to get control of our supply chain so that the critical components we have, we control.

Waltz pressed her on the origins of components for the new floating solar farm at Fort Bragg.

Ironically, an Army spokesperson told Defense News on Friday that the modules for the Fort Bragg solar farm were manufactured in South Korea before final assembly in Alabama.

A February 2022 Defense Department report on critical supply chain highlights the challenge of addressing Chinas hold on solar panels and lithium batteries alike.

Even materials and components manufactured domestically often have reliance on China-produced precursors or are fragile suppliers and single point failures within the supply chain, it states. As electrification is expected to accelerate dramatically by 2030, reliance on China will grow and Chinas relative cell dominance is projected to remain stable.

For instance, China has a majority ownership of 70% of the cobalt  an essential component of lithium-ion batteries  mined in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the worlds largest supplier of the metal.

Chinas critical mineral dominance gives it significant leverage over other crucial defense supply chains, including the antimony alloy needed to produce ammunition.
Grab some popcorn and keep cool inside with the season's hottest films

Warner Bros. Pictures

Fast X

The 10th movie in the Fast franchise brings out more big biceps and an even bigger grudge: Jason Momoa joins the cast as Dante Reyes, a villain out to avenge the death of his dad. One target: cocky ex-street racer turned international hero Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel). Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson and Michelle Rodriguez also star. In theaters May 19

About My Father

Dan Anderson

Cultures collide in this comedy when Sebastian (comedian Sebastian Maniscalco, who also co-wrote the movie) brings his crass father Salvo (Robert De Niro) on a weekend getaway with his fiancee (Leslie Bibb) and her wealthy family (Kim Cattrall, Anders Holm, Brett Dier, David Rasche). In theaters May 26

The Little Mermaid

Disney

The live-action take on Disney's 1989 animated musical features Halle Bailey making a splash as Ariel, the mermaid who makes a deal with sea witch Ursula (Melissa McCarthy) in order to be with human Prince Eric (Jonah Hauer-King). Three new songs join favorites like "Under the Sea," and Jacob Tremblay, who voices Ariel's friend Flounder, promises a dazzling spectacle: "It's going to give everyone goose bumps." In theaters May 26

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Columbia Pictures

Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) meets (and battles!) other suited-up web-slingers voiced by Oscar Isaac, Daniel Kaluuya and more. This animated movie is the long-awaited follow-up to 2018's Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. In theaters June 2

Strays

Universal Studios

"Bad dog!" takes on an R-rated meaning as Will Ferrell voices a pooch, Reggie, who falls in with a gang of very naughty canines voiced by Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher and Randall Park. They help Reggie seek revenge on the abusive former owner (Will Forte) who abandoned him. In theaters June 9

The Blackening

Glen Wilson/Lionsgate

Mixing horror and humor, this film features an ensemble castincluding Grace Byers, Sinqua Walls, Melvin King and Yvonne Orjias a group of friends on a getaway who are targeted by a masked murderer. The dark satire pokes fun at scary-movie cliches, including how people of color often die first. In theaters June 16

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Extraction 2

In this follow-up to the 2020 action-thriller, the body count rises as black ops mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) faces off against a group of deadly religious zealots. "In true sequel fashion, everything is bigger and more dangerous this time around, and not just the action," says director Sam Hargrave. "Tyler is no longer in the best of shape, having been broken both physically and spiritually from the events of the first film." On Netflix June 16

The Flash

Warner Bros. Pictures

The Justice League hero gets a standalone adventure "loaded with joy, humor and nostalgia," says director Andy Muschietti. The Flash (Ezra Miller) travels back in time to save his mom from dying but winds up changing the future. And with fearsome General Zod (Shannon) back, he'll need help from two Batmen (Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck)! In theaters June 16

No Hard Feelings

A romp about two parents (Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti) who hire a down-on-her-luck woman (Jennifer Lawrence) to bed their awkward teenage son (Andrew Barth Feldman). Expect lots of cheeky humor . . . like that title. In theaters June 23

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Jonathan Olley / Lucasfilm Ltd.

The fifth movie in the blockbuster franchiseand the final time Harrison Ford will don the hero's fedora"is a big love letter to Indiana Jones," says director James Mangold. Think cameos, callbacks to previous films and another sweeping score from composer John Williams. In Destiny the archeology professor is on the cusp of retirement, "but adventure comes a-knocking nonetheless," says Mangold. Set in 1969, Jones's new escapade involves the Space Race and, as his goddaughter (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) notes, "a dial that could change the course of history." In theaters June 30

Joy Ride

Ed Araquel

Road trip! Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu stars as one of four friends (along with Sabrina Wu, Ashley Park and Sherry Cola) traveling across China to track down one pal's birth mother. In theaters July 7

Mission: ImpossibleDead Reckoning Part One

Paramount Pictures/Skydance

As spy Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise raises the stunt bar again with a car chase through Rome and vertiginous motorcycle-cliff-jumping in Norway. Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby costar in the thrilling franchise's seventh installment. In theaters July 12

Oppenheimer

Universal Studios

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer, writer-director Christopher Nolan's drama tells the fascinating true story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer, whose work on the Manhattan Project led to the development of the atomic bomb. Matt Damon, Florence Pugh and Kenneth Branagh also star in the movie that's already generating Oscar buzz. In theaters July 21

Barbie

Warner Bros. Pictures

Rev up the pink Corvette and cruise down to your local theater: Barbie, the famed Mattel doll, comes to life in a candy-colored comedy from director and cowriter Greta Gerwig. "It's going to be a wild ride," promises Simu Liu, who plays one of many Kens alongside Ryan Gosling. Set in "Barbie Land," the movie also features multiple Barbies, played by Margot Robbie, Dua Lipa, Issa Rae and others. And while exact details of the plot are under tighter wraps than the toy's plastic packaging, Liu shares what he thinks will surprise viewers: "The music, the spectacle, the dance, the intelligence." In theaters July 21

Haunted Mansion

Jalen Marlowe/disney

Enter if you dare! Based on Disney's popular theme park ride, the spooky comedy stars Rosario Dawson as a woman who moves into an old house with her son and discovers some unwelcome supernatural surprises. She enlists the help of a psychic and other so-called experts to exorcise the spirits. Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield and Danny DeVito costar. In theaters July 28

Gran Turismo

Gordon Timpen

Archie Madekwe stars in this thrill ride based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, a British teen whose skills playing car-racing video games helped launch him to become an actual competitive driver. In theaters Aug. 11

Blue Beetle

Warner Bros.

Cobra Kai's Xolo Mariduena stars as Jamie Reyes, a recent college grad who finds himself in possession of an ancient relic known as the Scarab. The piece of alien biotechnology chooses his body as its host, turning him into the superhero Blue Beetle. Based on the D.C. Comics character. In theaters Aug. 18

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Read the original article on People.
Pete Davidson has announced that his two-year-old dog Henry has died after getting very sick very fast.

The Saturday Night Live comedian, 29, mourned the loss of the young pet in an Instagram post on Dave Siruss account.

Sirus is a writer on Davidsons new comedy series Bupkis, which premiered on Thursday (4 May). But instead of celebrating the premiere, the King of Staten Island star chose to pay tribute to his beloved dog.

Hey guys. I know today is the Bupkis premiere day but I wanna use today to remember my dog Henry, the post, which featured a series of photos of Davidson and Henry, began.

Yesterday we lost a key member of the Davidson family. Henry was only two years old but unfortunately got very sick very fast. My mum, sister and I got Henry at the beginning of the pandemic and he saved our lives.

Not sure Id even be around without him. He was the happiest and sweetest dog ever, he used to get excited when he saw me and would pee everywhere, Davidson recalled.

When I was working at SNL my mum would [send] me videos of him watching, smiling and making noise when I came on screen. I dont ever really watch any of my stuff with anyone as Im far too scared but I didnt mind watching with Henry.

The comedian described Henry as truly the best, adding that he and his mother, Amy Waters Davidson, and sister Casey were broken and will miss him forever.

We love you Henry, he said. Thank you for making our lives fuller and reminding me what actually matters.

Davidson got a second dog, Mabel, in 2021. He described how the animal had been great for his anxiety, adding that getting her was the smartest decision Ive made.

It doesnt matter what happens to you because the dog will always be excited to see you, he told PeopleTV at the time. So thats something Ive learned, which is really nice.

Bupkis is a fictionalised series about Davidsons life and is streaming on Peacock. It was produced by SNL creator Lorne Michaels.

The comedian, who left SNL last year, was set to return to the late-night comedy sketch show this week as a guest host.

However, the episode has been cancelled due to the ongoing Hollywood writers strike, which is the first strike in 15 years.
The Sedgwick County Health Department is providing free pneumonia vaccines for adults who have medical conditions that put them at high risk for illness. This comes as a response to a rising number of young smokers being hospitalized for pneumonia.

The health department received 300 doses of the vaccine from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and will offer the free doses until they are gone, according to Beverly Bruce, the preventative health associate director for the main clinic. She is unsure if more vaccines will be provided.

Pneumococcal pneumonia is a lung infection that hospitalizes about 150,000 people every year in the United States. Last year in Kansas, the rate of cases was six out of every 100,000 people, according to the Sedgwick County Health Department. In Sedgwick County this rate was doubled.

The case rate per 100,000 people in Sedgwick County went from nine in 2021 to 12 in 2022.

The county has especially seen a rise in hospitalizations for smokers under 65 years old. During the first three months of this year, 29 people were hospitalized with pneumococcal pneumonia, and 62% had a history of smoking. Fifty-nine percent of patients were younger than 65, according to a press release from Sedgwick County.

People dont realize that they dont have to be old to qualify for the pneumococcal vaccines, Bruce said. Its not that we dont want the elderly people to be immunized because we definitely do, but we really are targeting those 19-64 with risk factors.

People with alcoholism or who smoke cigarettes have a higher chance of infection. Some medical conditions, including diabetes and chronic heart, liver or lung disease, can also put people at a higher risk. Anyone 19-64 with an illness that is on the CDCs list of qualifying conditions is eligible for the free pneumonia vaccine. Everyone 65 or older automatically qualifies.

A nurse will ask questions at the vaccine appointment to ensure patients qualify for the free vaccine. Since the state-funded vaccines are intended to provide relief to people who cant always afford medical help, the health department will file a claim if the patient has health insurance. A patient who does not have health insurance or a qualifying condition can still receive a vaccine, but will be charged $302.84 out of pocket, according to Bruce.

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Free walk-up vaccinations will be available this Sunday, May 7, from noon to 4 p.m. at Oaklawn Activity Center, 4904 S. Clifton Ave. The vaccine clinic will be part of the centers free summer kickoff event, Family Fest.

Scheduled appointments will be at the Sedgwick County Health Department Main Clinic, 2716 W. Central. You can call 316-660-7300 to find out what time slots are available.

Every patient should bring their ID and a copy of their shot records. For mobile clinic appointments they should be able to find shot records in the state database if people do not have them when they arrive.
Over two dozen first responders, including police and medical personnel, descended upon a Texas home after a 911 caller said he murdered his mother there, police said.

But upon arriving at the scene in Princeton, city law enforcement officials determined the call, which was placed on April 5, was inauthentic, according to a May 4 news release from the Collin County Sheriffs Office.

It had been whats known as a swatting incident, a phenomenon where people make prank emergency calls to send police to the homes of unsuspecting victims, police said.

Following an investigation, police determined the call had been made from about 1,400 miles away in eastern Pennsylvania.

With the cooperation of the Pennsylvania State Police, Collin County Sheriffs Office deputies obtained a search warrant and arrested a 17-year-old from Pennsylvania on May 2, police said.

During an interview with police, the teen, who has not been publicly identified, admitted to making swatting calls in seven states, including Texas, Florida, California and Kentucky.

An analysis of his electronic devices indicated he had made similar calls in other states as well, police said.

Additionally many images depicting child pornography were discovered on his electronic devices, police said.

The 17-year-old is being held at a juvenile detention center in Pennsylvania and has been charged with false reports, false alarms, possession of instruments of a crime, and possession of child pornography. He has also been charged with a false report in Texas.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

Swatting is not a victimless crime, according to a 2013 report by the FBI. It has proven dangerous for victims, some of whom suffered heart attacks, and police.

The process of dispatching dozens of first responders to a home is also expensive and can cost thousands of dollars, according to the FBI.

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Clients wait outside of Insite, a supervised consumption site located in the Downtown Eastside (DTES) neighborhood, has injection booths where clients inject pre-obtained illicit drugs under the supervision of nurses and health care staff.

A Canadian man has been arrested in British Columbia for opening a mobile shop to sell cocaine, heroin and other hard drugs.

Jerry Martin, 51, has said he plans to challenge his arrest in court, arguing contaminated drug supplies cause harm.

Vancouver police said it arrested a man for "drug trafficking in connection with an illicit drug dispensary" but have not laid formal charges.

The arrest on Thursday came one day after Mr Martin opened his shop.

He began selling the drugs on Wednesday out of a mobile trailer parked in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside, a neighbourhood with a high rate of drug use and concentrated drug overdose prevention services.

Mr Martin, whose brother died from an overdose, has said he had planned to open his store after Health Canada decriminalised the possession of small quantities of hard drugs in the province of British Columbia (BC) early this year as part of a three-year pilot project.

The public health measure was put forward in response to a growing number of overdose deaths from fentanyl-laced drugs in western Canada.

In 2022, more than 2,720 people died from an overdose in BC - an average of seven people a day.

BC has the second-highest rate of overdose deaths in Canada.

Mr Martin told local news outlets that he planned to sell batches of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and crack in small quantities, up to 2.5 grams, in an attempt to prevent further deaths. He said the drugs had been tested to ensure they did not contain fentanyl.

In a statement, Constable Tania Visintin said Vancouver police "support measures aimed at improving public safety for people who use drugs, including harm reduction services and decriminalisation" but said police would continue enforcement on drug trafficking.

The CBC reported that dozens had lined up at the entrance of Mr Martin's mobile store to buy drugs on Wednesday afternoon.

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Mr Martin was unnamed in the police press release announcing the arrest but it was widely reported in Canadian media.

He is out of police custody pending a court hearing, police said. He has also been asked to stay away from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside.

BC has often been at the forefront of enacting harm reduction measures to prevent drug overdoses.

The Downtown Eastside is home to the first legal supervised drug consumption site in North America, where people could bring their own substances to use in the presence of trained staff who can quickly respond in the event of an overdose.

Since Insite opened in 2003, dozens of similar legal sites have opened across the US and Canada.

The overall number of fentanyl-related drug overdose deaths in Canada has sharply risen since 2016, increasing by more than 150% compared to 2022.
Sergeant Alec Barrett suffered a broken eye socket and nose in the attack - Sussex Police Federation/Sussex Police Federation

A police federation has criticised a lenient and soft sentence handed out to a teenager who broke an officers eye socket and nose but ended up walking free from court.

Jonathan Beauchamp, 19, was given a years custodial sentence suspended for two years on Tuesday for punching Sergeant Alec Barrett repeatedly in the face as the officer attempted to break up a fight in Brighton, East Sussex.

Sgt Barrett said he was lucky not to have been blinded in the unprovoked attack, which left him with severe injuries including a concussion, a broken eye socket leading to bleeding in his sinuses, a broken nose and damage to his cheek.

Beauchamp first hit Barrett with a flying punch.

Recalling the attack, Barrett said he was in a vulnerable position on the ground when the man sucker-punched me from a position that I didn't see coming.

When I regained full consciousness, I looked up to try to work out what had happened as I knew I was defenceless, he then punched me again a few more times in the face whilst standing over me.

My face is horrendously swollen, initially located around my eye, but now it's around my cheek and one side of my face.

I've been assaulted before, but I now find myself apprehensive about going back to work, especially operational duty, where I might be in the same position again. It's affected me and my family, who now worry about me going to work.

Sussex Police Federation condemned the sentence as being soft on violent crime, and said 1,322 officers in Sussex were assaulted last year - more than three a day.

Courts 'must protect the protectors'

Sgt Raffaele Cioffi, Deputy Secretary of Sussex Police Federation, said: This is a lenient sentence for a violent criminal whose cowardly attack on a defenceless police officer left him with serious injuries.

Let's not forget that Sgt Barrett was trying to protect members of the public and was violently attacked for doing so. He was lucky not to have been blinded.

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The Federation continues to call on the courts to do their bit and protect the protectors. Custodial sentences are the strongest deterrent to stop these kinds of attacks - anything less does not protect us.

Sadly, yet again, we see the courts going soft on violent crime, it's an outrageous decision by the court and I fear officers will continue to be seriously injured until they take it seriously.

The Government needs to take a strong stance against violent crime. We need to see action in the courts, not words. Until they do, violent criminals will continue to walk free, as in this case, [with] no real justice for victims.

The Federation will continue to lobby the Government for a change in the sentencing guidelines for violent crime.

I fear officers and members of the public will not be safe until this changes.

Beauchamp pleaded guilty to inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent at Brighton Magistrates Court last month.

In addition to his suspended sentence, he was given a five-month curfew and ordered to do 120 hours of unpaid work and pay 2,000 in compensation.

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Cincinnati police responded to a shooting at the 4200 block of Chambers Street in Northside on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

A man and woman are dead following an apparent homicide-suicide in Northside on Thursday afternoon, according to Cincinnati police.

Police said officers responded around 4:37 p.m. to a report of two people shot in the 4200 block of Chambers Street  a quiet residential side street lined with two-story, painted brick houses.

Dayshawn Blair, 22, died at the scene, police said, and a 19-year-old woman was taken by the Cincinnati Fire Department to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, where she died of her injuries shortly after she arrived.

The Hamilton County Coroners Office identified her Friday morning as Kenzie Spurlock-Flowers.

The shooting is being investigated by detectives and the Hamilton County Coroner's Office as a homicide-suicide, police said, noting Blair's injuries were self-inflicted.

Anyone with information about the incident should call the Cincinnati Police Department's homicide unit at 513-352-3542.

Anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts can call or text the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988, or 800-273-8255 any time day or night, or chat online at https://988lifeline.org/chat.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kenzie Spurlock-Flowers, Dayshawn Blair die in Cincinnati shooting
NANNING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Xiao Songxin, 53, did not have time to reunite with his family for the May Day holiday.

While his family had fun during the five-day holiday back home in Guangzhou, the capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Xiao was busy coordinating the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) in Indonesia.

"As the construction is coming to an end, the project has entered a critical stage of the check and acceptance followed by joint tests," said Xiao. "All participating units are working intensively to ensure the smooth opening and operation of the project on schedule."

Xiao is the director of the Indonesian-Chinese consortium PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia-China (KCIC).

Run by KCIC, the high-speed railway line is a landmark project under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), connecting Indonesia's capital Jakarta and another major city Bandung. With a design speed of 350 km per hour, the railway will cut the journey between Jakarta and Bandung from over three hours to around 40 minutes.

In 2013, China put forward the BRI to foster new drivers for global development. To date, more than 150 countries and over 30 international organizations have signed documents under the BRI framework, bringing an economic boon to participating countries.

Thanks to the joint efforts of China and Indonesia to participate in the Belt and Road cooperation, more people and enterprises from both sides have benefited from the opportunities created by BRI.

Dita Efrilia, from Bandung, Indonesia, came to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2016 to study.

After graduating from Liuzhou City Vocational College in the city of Liuzhou in 2019, she found a job in a company participating in the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR.

"When I was studying in China, I often took high-speed trains for travel. It's very convenient and comfortable. The service was very good," she said, adding that people in her hometown expect the opening of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR as soon as possible so that it will be much faster to go to Jakarta.

She also said more cooperation between China and Indonesia is expected to bring more benefits, like job opportunities brought by the Jakarta-Bandung HSR.

The Power Construction Corporation of China (PowerChina), one of the main contractors of the Jakarta-Bandung HSR, started its business in the Indonesian market in 1995.

Wang Bin, general manager of the company, said that PowerChina has undertaken a total of 135 construction projects with a contract value of about 11.3 billion U.S. dollars in Indonesia, including five direct investment projects with an investment value of about 1.74 billion U.S. dollars.

"Indonesia has become one of the most important markets in our international business development strategy," said Wang.

In 2022, trade between Indonesia and China increased by nearly 20 percent compared with the previous year. China remained Indonesia's largest trading partner and largest export market, demonstrating the high degree of correlation and complementarity between the two economies.

"The BRI will continue to inject new impetus to the building of a closer China-Indonesia community with a shared future," said Wang Yuzhu, dean of the China-ASEAN Research Institute of Guangxi University. 
Tallahassee police say three subjects who are connected to a downtown shooting have been taken into custody in Thomas County, Ga.

Police had issued an all points bulletin for a white pickup truck seen leaving the Envision Credit Union parking lot after they found a man and a woman with serious injuries in a parking lot. The two victims were taken to the hospital. The man's injuries are life-threatening, according to a Tallahassee Police Department spokesperson.

A TPD team of more than 17 uniformed officers responded to the initial report of the shooting and were assisted by the Leon County Sheriff Department and the Florida Highway Patrol.

TPD Chief Lawrence Revell, who was at the scene, said three people arrived in the bank parking lot together in the truck before the shooting began.

He said a white Ford pickup with an extended cab, which had an FSU/Alabama house divided license plate, headed west out of the parking lot. He asked for the public's help in locating the vehicle and calling police.

A truck matching the description was located in Thomas County, Ga., later in the afternoon and three suspects were detained, according to TPD. No other details were available.

The Tallahassee Police Department investigates a shooting that took place at Envision Credit Union, located on North Monroe, on Friday, May 5, 2023.

"We want to thank the community for remaining vigilant and reporting information to law enforcement," tweeted TPD.

So far this year, three people have been killed and at least 18 injured 26 different shootings in the capital city and county, according to a Tallahassee Democrat analysis of gun violence.

"We don't want any acts of violence in our community, and so when anyone commits this type of act, whether the victims are known to them are not, we as law enforcement are going to find that individual as quickly as possible and bring them to justice as quickly as possible," Revell said.

The Tallahassee Police Department investigates a shooting that took place at Envision Credit Union, located on North Monroe, on Friday, May 5, 2023.

The broad daylight shooting came at about the same time lawmakers adjourned their annual legislative session about a mile away. Revell said there was no link between the two, but others in the process made connections.

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"An active shooter is blocks from the Florida Capitol just as the legislative session ended," tweeted former Democratic Rep. Andrew Learned. "I fear this is just a small omen of what their careless permit-less carry bill will do to increase violence in our state in the months and years ahead... Until we win elections and fix it."

Tallahassee Chief of Police Lawrence Revell holds a press conference regarding a shooting that occurred at Envision Credit Union, located on North Monroe, on Friday, My 5, 2023.

Reporter James Call contributed to this story. Email editor William Hatfield at whatfield@tallahassee.com

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee downtown shooting: 2 injured in Envision Credit Union parking lot
Massachusetts State Police are searching for a woman who allegedly stabbed a man after a road rage incident in Newton Thursday night.

State police responded to the Daly Rink parking lot off Nonantum Road after a man said he was stabbed by a female driver. And police are still searching for her.

State police say the Quincy man called for help around 9:20 Thursday night. He claims a woman got out of her car and stabbed him, following a road rage incident. The man was rushed to St Elizabeths Hospital with minor injuries.

As of Friday morning, no arrests have been made and police are searching for the suspect.

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.

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RIVIERA BEACH  Police are investigating a shooting that killed a man Wednesday night in Riviera Beach.

Officers responded to a ShotSpotter alert on the 400 block off President Barack Obama Highway, near the West Palm Beach border, at about 9:30 p.m. and found a man dead from gunshot wounds.

Police did not disclose the deceased man's name, saying his family invoked its right to privacy under a 2018 state constitutional amendment that allows crime victims or their families to shield their identities from public reports.

A police spokesperson described the shooting as an isolated incident and said there was no danger to the public.

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Investigators are seeking assistance from anyone with information about the shooting.

The police department can reached at 561-845-4123.

Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on Twitter at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Riviera Beach shooting leaves man dead; police appeal for public's help
The motorbike rider repeatedly drove past the speed camera 'giving it the finger'. (SWNS)

A motorbike rider who repeatedly set off a speed trap, swearing at it each time, was caught out after police staked it out in an unmarked car.

The 44-year-old broke the 30mph speed limit six times - on each sticking up his middle finger to the camera.

Police eventually decided to catch him in the act the next time he passed the camera in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, and lay in wait in an unmarked car on 26 April.

He arrived 15 minutes into the stake-out by officers from Kent Polices Roads Policing Unit on Pembury Road.

Police eventually staged a stake-out on Pembury Road in Tunbridge Wells to catch the driver. (Google Maps)

They found the rider, who has not been named, was uninsured and driving without a license.

He was reported for both offences and will also be summoned to court for speeding at a later date.

Police released an image of the man giving the camera the finger as part of a warning to other motorists.

Read more: Pub landlord attacked by ex-employee who thought he was having affair with his wife

Chief Inspector Craig West, head of roads policing at Kent Police, said: "Speed limits and cameras are in place to protect the public and should not be treated as a game.

"Motorists who speed risk receiving a fine and points on their licence, and in certain cases being brought before the courts.

"More importantly they risk causing a collision that could result in a death or serious injury.

"Please remember to drive responsibly at all times to protect yourself and other road-users."
By Philip Pullella

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Francis on Friday praised the work of an international Vatican commission on sexual abuse prevention, following the recent acrimonious resignation of a high-profile member who accused it of lacking transparency.

In an address to a plenary session of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, Francis made no reference or allusion to the accusations by Father Hans Zollner, who resigned on March 29, citing concerns over the way it was operating.

Zollner, a world-renowned abuse prevention expert, denounced unclear hiring practices, an undefined relationship with the Vatican's doctrine office and "inadequate" financial and decision-making accountability.

Addressing the commission, whose membership was renewed and expanded last year, Francis said he was pleased with a recent agreement between it and a Vatican department that oversees work in poor countries, where sexual abuse prevention is often hurt by lack of funding.

He urged members "not to get bogged down," to "persevere and keep moving forwards," adding: "You have already done much in these first six months".

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston, the president of the commission, issued a statement at the time of Zollner's accusations, saying he was "surprised and strongly disagree".

It was founded in 2014 and is made up of abuse prevention experts with a mandate to advise the pope and implement best practices for protection in local churches around the world.

Zollner also leads a centre for the study of abuse at Rome's Pontifical Gregorian University and is an adviser on abuse prevention for the diocese of Rome.

Some Vatican officials privately speculated that the rift may stem from overlapping interests and a sense of competition. Zollner told Reuters his decision had "nothing to do with personalities but with procedures".

Abuse scandals have shredded the Church's reputation and have been a major challenge for the pope, who has passed a series of measures over the last 10 years aimed at holding the Church hierarchy more accountable, with mixed results.

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"Over the last decade, we have all learned a great deal, myself included," the pope told the commission on Friday. "The failure, especially on the part of the Churchs leaders, to do what we should have done, has been a cause of scandal for many."

Two abuse victims who were members of the first commission resigned in 2017 citing resistance within the Vatican but Juan Carlos Cruz, a Chilean who is an international advocate for abuse victims who was appointed to the commission in 2021, has remained.

Last year, the pope incorporated it into the Vatican's doctrinal department, which decides on sanctions for priests convicted of sexual abuse. Current commission leaders said this gave it more institutional clout but critics said the move could threaten its independence.

In 2022, the pope mandated the group with producing an annual audit evaluating how national Catholic Churches are implementing measures to protect children from clergy sexual abuse. The first one is expected for next year.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Conor Humphries)
The oven at Luna Pizza hovers around 1,100 degrees, enough to blister a pie to perfection in under two minutes.

This popular Greenville pizzeria is continuing its westward expansion and opening a new Johnston County restaurant later this year.

The new Luna will open on the edge of downtown Clayton as part of the new Spinning Mill Lofts development, a project turning a vacant cotton mill into loft apartments. Located on Front Street behind the Clayton post office, that project will add 255 new apartments.

Luna will be built as a new free-standing restaurant on Front Street, with construction scheduled to begin this month, said restaurant owner Richard Williams. The 2,300 square foot restaurant will serve the same popular menu as Lunas original location in downtown Greenville, built around authentic Neapolitan style pies. There will be seating for 50 inside, plus a side patio.

Williams left a tenured faculty position teaching recreational therapy at East Carolina University to pursue his pizza dreams, which included traveling to Italy to learn the craft. The move, he said, was driven by a craving for a restaurant beyond those catering to students.

There were so few options in town for post-college adults, Williams said of Greenville at the time. It was hard to find a place to go for a nicer dinner with a wine list. I thought, there have to be other adults looking for a different kind of place to go. I believe you cant be everything to everybody. We found our specific target and people really responded to it.

The Greenville Luna opened in 2018 and more recently locations have opened in Selmas Old North State Food Hall and, improbably, in Salt Lake Citys The Local food hall.

I went to Italy and learned how to make pizza; it was really eye opening, its all about the dough and the crust, Williams said. Ours has a really great depth of flavor, a great chew.

Luna Pizzas menu

Clayton will be the brands second full service restaurant, serving pizzas, pastas and meatballs alongside wine, beer and cocktails.

Story continues

He said the secret to Lunas pizza is an extremely slow cold ferment on its dough.

The pizzas served on Friday were made from dough mixed on Monday, Williams said.

The pizzas are mostly authentic and familiar, like a margherita or mushrooms and Italian sausage, but Williams carved out space for his favorite combination, bacon and jalapeno. Hawaiian pizza fans take note, theres no pineapple in the building.

We try to stay traditional with the toppings but there are a few Americanized options, Williams said. But we dont have ranch. We dont have pineapple.

Opening set for fall 2023

The new pizzeria continues a run of development in red hot Clayton, which in the last five years has added numerous apartments and houses and a handful of new downtown restaurants, including Crawford Cookshop from Raleigh chef Scott Crawford.

Clayton is just on fire right now, Williams said. (Crawford) gave me the confidence that this could work.

The new Clayton Luna will take several months to build, but Williams expects to be open by fall 2023.

Im really excited about the energy in Johnston County right now, Williams said. I feel it in Selma and I definitely feel it in Clayton. Were excited to get the doors open and show people what we can do.
Former Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford in 1974. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

US presidents have the power to pardon anyone in the country who has been convicted of a federal crime.

They have pardoned and commuted sentences of advisors, celebrities, and family members.

Presidents can also pardon other presidents, like when Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon after the Watergate scandal.

For the last few hundred years, US presidents have pardoned people convicted of federal crimes.

While the crimes varied, they shared the commonality of their pardons being marred with controversy.

From clemency for former confederates to Vietnam draft dodgers to pardoning the billionaire fugitive Marc Rich, here are some of the most notable presidential pardons in history.

In 1787, during the Constitutional Convention, Alexander Hamilton questioned whether the US should have the power to pardon people for federal crimes. The power already existed in England and was executed by the monarchy.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton, circa 1795. Three Lions/Getty Images

In the end, it was decided it would be the president's power "to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States."

The power was included in article two of the Constitution.

It's broad, unchallengeable, and almost unlimited. The Supreme Court ruled that it is "without limit."

Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, White House History, The Guardian

There are four types of presidential pardons  one that removes a crime completely, one that delays a sentence, one that shortens or removes a sentence, and one that ends a person's legal obligations, like having to pay a fine.

Frederick Cook, while laying in a hospital bed, is shown news of a pardon issued by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1940. AP

Sources: National Geographic, The Guardian, National Geographic

In 1795, President George Washington granted the first two pardons. They were for Philip Weigel and John Mitchell, two men who had been found guilty of treason for their roles in the 1794 Whiskey Rebellion.

Men wave guns and weapons during the Whisky Rebellion in the late 1700s. Fotosearch/Getty Images

This was an uprising that took place in western Pennsylvania after a heavy federal tax had been imposed on spirits.

Sources: New York Times, National Geographic

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President Thomas Jefferson pardoned any citizen convicted under the Sedition Act of 1798, which made it a criminal offense to say anything defamatory about the government.

A portrait of Thomas Jefferson by Mather Brown from 1786. AP

Sources: New York Times, National Geographic, White House History

In 1812, smuggler and pirate Jean Lafitte, who flouted the law by smuggling goods and enslaved people, earned himself a pardon from President James Madison after Lafitte defended New Orleans during a war.

A portrait of Jean Lafitte. Bettmann/Getty Images

Source: New York Times

President James K. Polk pardoned John C. Fremont, an explorer and military leader who had been court-martialed after he committed insubordination during the Mexican-American War.

American explorer and leader Major General John Charles Fremont, circa 1861. Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Source: New York Times

In a historic first, President Andrew Jackson tried to pardon George Wilson in 1833 for stealing mail and endangering a mail carrier, but Wilson rejected the pardon.

Andrew Jackson portrait on twenty dollar bill. Elizabeth Fernandez/Getty Images

It's not clear why he rejected it, but the Supreme Court ruled a pardon could be rejected. Wilson was hung for the crime.

Source: National Geographic

In 1858, President James Buchanan offered pardons to all Utah Mormons as long as they accepted the US as their sovereign state.

A portrait of Brigham Young, the Mormon leader. The Print Collector/Print Collector/Getty Images

This came after the "Mormon War," a short conflict between US soldiers and Mormons who had moved to Utah to escape religious persecution.

They were led by Brigham Young.

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, New York Times

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln pardoned 265 Dakota Indian men for their role in an attack that killed almost 500 people in a white settlement in Minnesota, which led to the Dakota War of 1862.

President Abraham Lincoln has a nuanced legacy of racial emancipation. Getty Images

The attack came after years of strained relationships between the two sides, including several broken peace treaties. Lincoln's pardon was unofficial  basically, he refused to let them be executed.

Another 38 Dakota Indian men were executed, but even so, Lincoln's pardons were deeply unpopular.

Sources: National Geographic, New York Times

In 1868, President Andrew Johnson pardoned more than 13,000 former Confederates.

A photo of Andrew Johnson from before 1875. Library of Congress

He originally wanted to provide a blanket pardon to all Confederates, except for a select few of the rich and powerful who had played a key role in the secession of the South, but changed his mind and only pardoned those who asked for it.

The only requirement for the pardon was that they declared their loyalty to the government.

Sources: National Geographic, New York Times, Time

Johnson also pardoned Samuel A. Mudd, a doctor who had been convicted of conspiracy for harboring John Wilkes Booth and treating his broken leg after he assassinated Lincoln.

John Wilkes Booth, assassin of US President Abraham Lincoln. Alexander Gardner/Library of Congress

Source: New York Times

In 1911, President Howard Taft pardoned Captain William Van Schaick. Schaick had been imprisoned for criminal negligence after he continued to steer a steamer up the Long Island Sound for two minutes before he beached the boat.

Archive Photos/Getty

Once the boat was beached, people could jump off to their safety. But because he hadn't beached it immediately, some of the passengers had jumped off prematurely and drowned.

President Theodore Roosevelt had previously refused to pardon Van Schaick.

Source: Smithsonian Magazine

In 1950, President Harry Truman pardoned corrupt politician James Michael Curley after he was convicted of mail fraud and spent five months in prison.

James Michael Curley in 1935. Bettmann/Getty Images

Curley had served as Boston's mayor multiple times as well as in Congress and governor.

Source: New York Times

In 1974, President Gerald Ford controversially pardoned his predecessor Richard Nixon for any crimes he had "committed or may have committed or taken part of" a month after he resigned in light of the Watergate scandal. This was the first pre-emptive pardon.

President Gerald Ford announced his decision to grant a pardon to former President Richard Nixon in 1974. Pictures from History/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

During a live TV announcement, he said what had happened to Nixon was "an American tragedy in which we all have played a part."

"It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must," he said.

The pardon is thought to have hurt his political career.

Sources: The Guardian, National Geographic, New York Times

Ford also pardoned a woman named Iva Toguri D'Acquino who had been convicted of treason due to her links to a Japanese radio show that had played propaganda to US soldiers during World War II.

American radio broadcaster Iva Toguri D'Aquino speaks to a journalist at a press conference in San Francisco in 1976. Janet Fries/Getty Images

She never stopped claiming she was innocent and that there had been a mistake where several broadcasters had been confused for one, which she had taken the fall for.

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, New York Times

In 1977, on his first day in office, President Jimmy Carter unconditionally pardoned all men who refused to be drafted into the Vietnam War, including men who hadn't been prosecuted yet.

President Jimmy Carter speaking at Merced College in 1980. Diana Walker/Getty Images

The exact number isn't clear, but nearly 210,000 men were accused of violating the draft, and another estimated 360,000 men were never formally accused.

There were limits to the pardon, though  it didn't include civilian protestors, soldiers who were dishonorably discharged, or deserters.

Sources: The Guardian, National Geographic, History.com, Smithsonian Magazine, Time

In 1989, President Ronald Reagan pardoned George Steinbrenner, the owner of the New York Yankees, who had pled guilty to making illegal political donations to help Nixon and obstructing justice.

Yankee owner George Steinbrenner looks out to an empty Yankee Stadium in 1977. Bettmann/Getty Images

Reagan only pardoned Steinbrenner once he admitted to the crime. He did not want to be criticized for going easy on criminals.

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Time

Reagan also pardoned former FBI officials associate director W. Mark Felt and his deputy Edward Miller after they were found guilty of authorizing agents to break into the homes of Vietnam protestors.

Former Associate Director of the FBI W. Mark Felt appears as a guest on the CBS news program, 'Face the Nation,' on August 29, 1976. CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images

Reagan compared the pardon to Carter's pardon for the men who had evaded being drafted into the Vietnam War.

"We can be no less generous to two men who acted on high principle to bring an end to the terrorism that was threatening our nation," he said.

It was later made public that Felt had also provided information to reporters during the Watergate scandal and was known as "Deep Throat."

Sources: New York Times, Time, New York Times

In 1992, President George H.W. Bush pardoned six former officials, including former Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger, who had been indicted for lying to Congress about secretly selling weapons to Iran, in what was known as the "Iran-Contra" scandal.

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger in 1985. Cynthia Johnson/Getty Images

By pardoning the group, Bush put an end to all of the proceedings against Weinberger.

Sources: The Guardian, New York Times, Time

In 2001, President Bill Clinton pardoned 140 people on his last day in office including billionaire Marc Rich, who had been a fugitive for decades for fraud related to making illegal oil deals and not paying more than $48 million in taxes.

US President Bill Clinton poses for photographers just before delivering his televised address to the American people about his involvement with former White House intern Monica Lewinsky. LUKE FRAZZA/AFP via Getty Images

It was a controversial pardon, and following the announcement, an investigation was launched into donations made to the Clintons by Rich's ex-wife. But the investigation didn't discover enough evidence to indict him.

Source: The Guardian

Clinton also pardoned his half-brother Roger Clinton, who had been convicted of drug charges.

President Bill Clinton talks with singer-songwriter Barbra Streisand and his half-brother Roger Clinton on election night backstage at the Old State House, Little Rock, Arkansas, November 5, 1996. David Hume Kennerly/Getty Images

Sources: The Guardian, New York Times

He also pardoned Patty Hearst, granddaughter of William Randolph Hearst, who had been convicted of robbery and given a 35-year prison sentence.

Patty Hearst seen holding a machine gun. Getty Images

Hearst had been abducted in 1974 by the domestic terrorist group Symbionese Liberation Army when she was 19. She ended up joining the group and committing her crimes with them.

Her defense argued she had been brainwashed by the terrorist group and forced to take part in the robbery, but that didn't win the case.

Carter had previously commuted her prison sentence.

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Time

In 2008, in another first, President George W. Bush issued a pardon for Isaac Toussie and then reversed it the following day.

Former president George W. Bush speaks at his first news conference after his re-election on November 4, 2004 at the White House in Washington, D.C. Alex Wong/Getty Images

Toussie pled guilty to using fake documents to trick a local authority into insuring mortgages as well as committing mail fraud to convince another local authority to overpay for land.

Bush reversed the pardon after it was revealed his father had recently donated $30,800 to the Republican Party.

Capital University law professor Dan Kobil told NPR the reversal was the first in living memory.

Kobal called it "an example of political tone deafness to rival even President Clinton's pardon of Mark Rich."

Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, New York Times, NPR

Bush also commuted the sentence of I. Lewis Libby, who had been Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff. Libby had revealed the identity of CIA officer Valerie Plame and had been convicted of perjury and obstructing justice.

Former White House aide I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby, arrives at federal court in Washington, Thursday, June 13, 2007. Associated Press/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

Bush also commuted the sentences of two imprisoned former Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose A. Compean who were convicted of fatally shooting a Mexican drug smuggler and then attempted to hide the evidence.

Former President Donald Trump later pardoned Ramos, Compean, and Libby at the end of his presidential term.

Source: New York Times, Department of Justice, El Paso Times

In 2017, President Barack Obama commuted the remaining tenure of Chelsea Manning's 35-year sentence for leaking military information to WikiLeaks down to four months.

Then-President Barack Obama speaks during his final presidential news conference at the White House on January 18, 2017. AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais, File

During his time in office, Obama pardoned 212 people and commuted 1,715 offenses, which were mostly related to drugs.

Sources: National Geographic, New York Times

In the last 12 hours of his presidency, President Donald Trump pardoned and commuted the sentences of 144 people, including former advisors Stephen Bannon and Roger Stone. He also pardoned Charles Kushner, Jared Kushner's father, and the rapper Lil Wayne.

Former President Donald Trump. Alex Brandon/AP

Bannon was pardoned from fraud charges. Stone was pardoned after the Mueller investigation. Kushner was pardoned for tax evasion and witness tampering.

Lil Wayne was pardoned from a conviction he received for carrying a loaded gun on a flight after previously being banned from carrying a gun.

Source: Washington Post

So far, President Joe Biden hasn't stoked much controversy with his pardons, which have been mostly for low-level crimes including those who were convicted of marijuana possession.

President Joe Biden speaks at the White House on January 12, 2023. AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

But in 2020, during his run for president, he pledged he wouldn't pardon former President Donald Trump.

Sources: Politico, AP, CNN

Read the original article on Business Insider
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), has written a letter to the Russian Defence Ministry, stating that he will withdraw the Wagner PMC mercenaries from Bakhmut after 10 May.

Source Prigozhins press service; Kremlin-aligned Russian news agency RIA Novosti

Quote: "I am officially appealing to the chief of the General Staff, the minister of defence, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and the people of Russia. I declare on behalf of the fighters of the Wagner PMC, on behalf of the command of the Wagner PMC, that on 10 May, we will be forced to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to the units of the Ministry of Defence and withdraw the remnants of the Wagner PMC to the rear camps to lick our wounds. I am withdrawing the Wagner PMC units because with no ammunition, they are doomed to a senseless death."

Details: Prigozhin says that the offensive resources of the mercenaries ran out as early as April, but the Wagnerites continued to advance. However, the defenders' force exceeded them five to one.

At the same time, Prigozhin says that due to the lack of ammunition, the loss of mercenaries is growing dramatically.

The founder of the Wagner PMC promised that on 9 May, in honour of the holiday, the mercenaries would hold their positions, and the very next day, they would leave Bakhmut.

Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, said that the Kremlin had already seen Prigozhin's statement but had nothing to say in response to it. "We saw it [the statement  ed.] in the media, but I cannot comment on it because it concerns the course of the Special Military Operation [war in Ukraine  ed.]," said the Kremlin representative.

Background: Prior to this, Prigozhin published a video showing rows of corpses of "Wagnerians" and lashed out at the leadership of the Russian regular army.

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Yevgeny Prigozhin appealed to the Ministry of Defense of Russia

In a video appeal to Russian authorities posted on his press services Telegram channel on May 5, Prigozhin complained about the shortage of ammunition and claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense stopped issuing his group shells a month ago.

I officially inform the Defense Minister and the Supreme Commander-in-Chief that my guys will not suffer losses without ammunition in Bakhmut, Prigozhin says in the video, in which he is seen standing in front of dozens of Wagner mercenaries.

Read also: Wagner Group has minimal impact on fighting in Ukraine  National Guard

Therefore, from May 10, 2023, we are leaving the settlement of Bakhmut.

The battle for Bakhmut has been ongoing since July 2022, and the Wagner PMC is said to be the main force behind the Russian-backed offensive. Most of the heavily damaged town has been captured by Russian invasion forces, but Ukraine still holdsa portion of its western areas.

Prigozhin had previously accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of withholding ammunition, resulting in his men receiving only 10% of what they needed. He had demanded that the order be given for Wagners withdrawal from Bakhmut starting on May 10.

He also posted a video showing rows of bodies that he claimed were Wagner mercenaries killed due to a lack of ammunition. In an expletive-ridden tirade, he blames the Chief of General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and Russian Defense Minister for their deaths.

Read also: UK lawyer sues Wagner, aiming to win billions for Ukrainians

The spokesperson of the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, stated that the Kremlin had seen Prigozhins statement, however he declined to comment on it, according to Russian propaganda outlet RIA Novosti.

The United States says the ongoing Russian-backed offensive on Bakhmut has resulted in 20,000 Russian military deaths over the past five months.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has emphasized the strategic importance of defending Bakhmut, warning that if it falls, pressure on Kyiv from the international community could increase, and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could use it to sell a victory to China and Iran.

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Zelenskyy also warned that the fall of Bakhmut could expand the front line, giving Russian forces the opportunity to capture more Ukrainian territory.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Ukrainian military in the Bakhmut area

May 9 is celebrated in Russia as Victory Day, with military parades to celebrate the victory in the Second World War of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany  its ally at the beginning of the war.

Malyar said that to achieve this goal, Wagners forces are being shifted from other areas and replacing the current paratrooper assault units on the Bakhmut front.

Wagner troops have suffered huge losses in Bakhkmut, with U.S. intelligence reckoning up to 20,000 of them may have been lost in the fighting for the city over the last 10 months.

Read also: Wagner Group has minimal impact on fighting in Ukraine  National Guard

Earlier, on May 4, Prigozhin posted a gruesome video showing numerous bloodied corpses of Wagner troops, whom he said had been killed that day. He said that they were being killed because they lacked ammunition.

He then launched into an expletive-laden rant against Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and Russian Chief of the General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov, blaming them for his mercenaries deaths.

Malyar said that the Ukrainian army would not allow the enemy to breach the front line.

She added that Ukrainian artillery fire had destroyed Wagners mercenaries ammunition depots.

On May 5, Prigozhin announced through his press services Telegram channel that Wagner mercenaries would leave Bakhmut on May 10 due to an ammunition shortage.

Read also: Uncontrolled Wagner fighters execute Russian blogger, expert says

The Wagnerites leader claimed that the Russian Ministry of Defense had stopped supplying shells a month ago, and his mercenaries are only receiving 10% of what they need.

He demanded that the ministry issue a combat order for the exit from Bakhmut.

The Kremlin acknowledged Prigozhins statement but declined to comment.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
TEHRAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- An Iranian minister said Iran and Syria are ready to increase the number of weekly flights between them to facilitate the bilateral trade, semi-official Mehr news agency reported Friday.

Mehrdad Bazrpash, Iranian minister of roads and urban development, made the remarks in a meeting with Iranian traders and businessmen in Syria during his two-day visit to the Syrian capital Damascus.

He added his ministry will also spare no effort to boost maritime trade between the two countries, and is currently working with the Syrian side to ease certain regulations in the foreign currency market and banking sectors which have hindered Iranian private businesses' activities in Syria.

During the meeting, Iranian traders and businessmen asked the two countries to establish shipping lines between their ports, enabling them to carry bigger shipments to and from Syria.

Bazrpash was in Syria as a member of a high-level Iranian delegation led by President Ebrahim Raisi. 
The Duke of Sussex took a commercial flight while his wife, Meghan Markle, remained in California

Karwai Tang/WireImage Prince Harry

Prince Harry is in the U.K. ahead of his father King Charles' coronation.

The Duke of Sussex, 38, took a commercial flight to the U.K. ahead of the ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday, where King Charles and Queen Camilla will be crowned.

Buckingham Palace announced on April 12 that Prince Harry would attend King Charles' coronation, adding that his wife, Meghan Markle, would not be at the service. "The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet," the palace said in the statement.

May 6 is also Prince Archie's fourth birthday, and Meghan, 41, will spend the weekend celebrating with him and his sister, 23-month-old Princess Lilibet, PEOPLE understands.

"It's going to be a low-key party at home," a source previously told PEOPLE. "They'll have friends around them and Meghan's mom, Doria [Ragland]. Meghan will definitely have support that weekend."

Related:King Charles' Coronation Program Includes a Family Photo Featuring Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Samir Hussein/WireImage Meghan Markle and Prince Harry attending the Service of Thanksgiving for the Queen's Jubilee on June 3.

Prince Harry and Meghan, who relocated to California after stepping back as working royals in 2020, were most recently with the royal family at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth in September. Harry also made a surprise visit to the U.K. in March, attending London's High Court for a legal case in which he and other prominent figures including Elton John and Elizabeth Hurley are suing Associated Newspapers Ltd (ANL), publisher of the Daily Mail, for illegal information gathering. Prince Harry did not see his father or brother, Prince William, during the trip.

Prince Harry wanted to be at the coronation to support his father at this important moment in his life, a friend told PEOPLE.

King Charles, 74, is said to be "pleased" that his younger son will be there, but the wider reconciliation many hoped for within the family hasn't happened.

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"At this point, it's become so personal," a close friend told PEOPLE. "Maybe what they wanted wasn't achieved, but at the end of the day, he's going there to support his dad."

Samir Hussein/Samir Hussein/WireImage King Charles and Prince Harry

While Prince Archie's 4th birthday falling on the same day as King Charles' coronation provided "an elegant solution," according to royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith, those closest to the couple know that the media backlash Meghan faced in the U.K. during Queen Elizabeth's funeral  and in the seven months since  played a significant role in her decision not to come.

"Meghan wants to be there to support her father-in-law, but at the same time, the scrutiny she receives outweighs the support," the close friend said. "There's always going to be that other side challenging their reasoning, and who wants to put themselves in that position?"

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!

Neil Mockford/GC Images Prince Harry

Whatever happens during Prince Harry's trip to the U.K., "he will look back on it and think it is better to come and play his part and say, 'I saw my father crowned,' " says a source close to the royal household. "And tell his children about it."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.
Prince Harry has not been permitted to wear his military uniform to his father King Charles IIIs coronation despite serving 10 years in the army, according to a new report.

The Duke of Sussex is set to attend the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla alone on Saturday 6 May. His wife Meghan Markle will remain in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

For the ceremony, Harry, who also served two tours of Afghanistan, is expected to wear a morning suit, according to The Telegraph. The decision follows royal protocol, which typically bars non-working members of the royal family from wearing military uniforms to official state occasions.

Harry and Meghan announced their intentions to step down from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020. They later relocated to the US. Following the couples decision, Harry was stripped of his honorary military titles.

The dukes status as a non-working member of the royal family also meant that he was initially not permitted to wear his military uniform during the September funeral proceedings for Queen Elizabeth II. However, Harry was ultimately allowed to wear his uniform while standing vigil at the late monarchs coffin alongside the Prince of Wales and Her Majestys six other grandchildren at King Charles IIIs request.

Although the King granted his youngest son permission to wear his military uniform while paying respects to the late Queen, Prince Harry reportedly made no specific requests concerning his outfit for the coronation, and was instead willing to wear whatever was asked of him, according to The Telegraph.

The Independent has contacted a representative for the Duke of Sussex for comment.

The coronation is expected to be a slimmed-down affair, with 2,000 guests expected to be in attendance rather than the 8,000 guests present at the Queens coronation in 1953.

It has been reported the ceremony will also be much shorter than the late Queens, which lasted more than three hours, and feature a more relaxed dress code, possibly allowing peers to wear lounge suits or morning suits instead of ceremonial robes made with crimson velvet and ermine.

As for the Kings coronation outfit, it has been reported that he has been advised to forego the traditionally opulent dress that the coronation ceremony is known for, and instead to opt for his military uniform.

Prince William, Prince Harrys older brother, is also expected to wear his military uniform to their fathers coronation.
As the coronation weekend of King Charles III is set to begin, many European royals have confirmed their attendance at the ceremony, which takes place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6 May.

The coronation is expected to be attended by 2,000 guests, from members of the British royal family to foreign monarchs and presidents around the world. However, the King has opted for a more slimmed-down service compared to his mothers coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests from 129 nations and territories.

The list of European royals invited to the coronation includes His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and his wife, Princess Charlene of Monaco. The reigning prince of Monaco was the first foreign head of state to confirm he would be attending the Kings coronation, most likely due to their long-standing relationship.

In January, Monacos reigning sovereign told People that he and his wife, Princess Charlene, will be among the guests at Westminster Abbey. Im certain that its going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one, the 64-year-old royal said. Weve maintained contact since His Majesty became King, but I havent talked to him personally since the Queens funeral.

The prince shared that hes certain the King will add his own personal touches to the coronation. However, he was unsure whether their eight-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, will be invited.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco have long been one of Europes most high-profile royal couples. From separation rumours to illegitimate children, the Prince and Princess of Monaco have had their fair share of scandal and controversy. Much of Prince Alberts life has been thrust into the spotlight, his mother being American actor Grace Kelly and his father Prince Rainier III of Monaco. But who is his wife, Princess Charlene?

Charlene, Princess of Monaco was born Charlene Lynette Wittstock on 25 January 1978. She was born in Bulawayo, Rhodesia  now known as Zimbabwe  and relocated with her family to South Africa in 1989 when she was 12 years old.

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Her mother, Lynette Wittstock, was a former competitive diver and swimming coach, which led Charlene to begin pursuing her own swimming career. At her first All-Africa Games in 1999, Charlene won three gold medals and a silver medal for the freestyle, backstroke, and medley competitions. She represented South Africa at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, where she won a silver medal in the 4100 m medley relay. Charlene was also a member of the South African womens swimming team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, where she placed fifth.

Soon after her stint at the summer Olympics, the then-Charlene Wittstock met Prince Albert of Monaco at the Mare Nostrum swimming competition that same year. The two likely bonded over their shared Olympic experiences, with Prince Albert having competed in bobsleigh at five consecutive Winter Olympics for Monaco. They made their debut as a couple at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy.

But one year before their public debut, Prince Albert confirmed he had fathered a child with former Air France flight attendant Nicole Coste. In 2005, shortly before he ascended the throne, a French newspaper reported that Alberts son Alexandre Coste was born in August 2003. Just a few days before he was enthroned on 12 July 2005, the Prince confirmed via his lawyer that Alexandre was his biological son.

While Albert officially acknowledged his son, Monacos succession laws stated that Alexandre could not be in line for the throne. The following year, DNA tests confirmed that Albert had a daughter  now known as Jazmin Grace Grimaldi  born in 1992 after his brief relationship with her mother, Tamara Rotolo.

Despite the public scandals, Prince Albert II and Charlene Wittstock announced their engagement on 23 June 2010. They were married in Monaco during a lavish three-day wedding celebration, beginning on 30 June with a concert by The Eagles. Their civil wedding ceremony took place in the Throne Room of the Princes Palace of Monaco the following day, in which Charlene wore a custom-made aquamarine Chanel suit. Their final religious ceremony occurred in the courtyard of the palace on 2 July, for which Charlene wore an off-the-shoulder Armani Prive gown embellished with 40,000 individual Swarovski crystals and 20,000 pearls.

Amidst the celebrations, rumours quickly surfaced that then-33-year-old Charlene was getting cold feet leading up to their nuptials, after she was pictured crying on her wedding day. However, she explained in an interview with The Times in 2021 that the tears were actually due to being overwhelmed with emotion. Everything was just so overwhelming, she shared. There were all the mixed emotions because of the rumours and obviously the tension built up and I burst into tears. And then I burst into tears some more because I was thinking, Oh no, now the whole world has seen me cry.

Princess Charlene wipes away a tear on wedding day to Prince Albert II of Monaco (Getty Images)

On 30 May 2014, the palace announced Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene were expecting their first child. It was later confirmed that the couple was acutally expecting twins by the end of the year. Twins Princess Gabriella and Hereditary Prince Jacques were born on 9 October 2014 at the Princess Grace Hospital Centre in Monaco.

Most recently, much attention surrounding the couple has been placed on Princess Charlenes health. In May 2021, Princess Charlene was raising awareness about rhinoceros poaching in South Africa when she developed a sinus infection due to complications resulting from a sinus lift and bone grafting procedure earlier in the spring. Due to the complications, she was forced to remain in South Africa under the care of doctors, who described her recovery as a waiting game.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene pose with their twins on the Balcony of the Monaco Palace in January 2015 (Getty Images)

Initially I was supposed to be here for 10 to 12 days, unfortunately, I had a problem equalising my ears, and I found out through the doctors that I had a sinus infection and quite a serious one. So, its taking time to address this problem that Im having, she told People in July 2021.

Despite addressing her health concerns numerous times during her time in South Africa, the royals extended separation from her husband and their then-six-year-old twins unsurprisingly sparked speculation of a possible divorce. In September that year, Prince Albert reiterated that his wife took the trip to work with her foundation and to visit family and friends, and not because of a fight. She didnt leave Monaco in a huff! he told People. She didnt leave because she was mad at me or at anybody else. She was going down to South Africa to reassess her foundations work down there and to take a little time off with her brother and some friends.

The prince then added that the extended stay, which was only supposed to be a weeklong, 10-day maximum stay, is not due to Princess Charlene going into exile, as it is absolutely just a medical problem.

Princess Charlene returned to Monaco that fall, but quickly halted her public duties in November 2021 due to a state of profound general fatigue.

A period of calm and rest is necessary to ensure the very best recovery for Princess Charlenes health, the palace said in a statement. Having battled with poor health over the past few months, the Princess is currently convalescing and will continue to do so for the coming weeks.

It was later revealed that Princess Charlene was receiving treatment at a facility in Switzerland. Her then-six-year-old children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, were seen holding up drawings from a palace balcony wishing their mother to get well. We miss you mommy, Gabriella wrote in her drawing with two large red hearts, while her twin brother told Charlene: We love you mommy.

Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques show their drawings on the Palace balcony during Monaco National Day Celebrations on 19 November 2021 (Getty Images)

In May 2022, Charlene made her first public appearance in more than a year at the Monaco E-Prix race with her husband and children. That month, she returned to Monaco to resume official duties, though she told the Nice Matin newspaper: My health is still fragile and I dont want to rush things. Its been a long, difficult, painful path. Today, I feel more serene.

Im very happy to be back home in Monaco.

Princess Charlene, Prince Albert II, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella attend Ceremony of the Sainte-Devote on 27 January 2023 (Getty Images)

Following Queen Elizabeth IIs death, Princess Charlene made a rare public appearance at the Queens state funeral on 19 September 2022. She was seen wearing a black, long-sleeved dress as she held the arm of her husband, Prince Albert II.
As King Charles IIIs coronation approaches, Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be in attendance.

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was born at St Marys Hospital in Paddington, London on 2nd May 2015, and on the day of Charless coronation, she will be eight years old.

As the second child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, she is third in line to the throne, after her older brother and father, since King Charles is her grandfather.

Due to the introduction of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male preference in the line of succession with absolute primogeniture  when the child of the sovereign has the same right to the throne no matter their gender  Charlotte did not move down the line of succession when her younger brother, Louis, was born. This makes her the first British princess to rank above her brother in the line of succession.

When she was born, her official title was Charlotte, Princess of Cambridge, before her parents took the Wales title following the death of Charlottes great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September.

She is affectionately called Lottie by her parents.

In March 2016, William and Kate took Prince George and Charlotte to the French Alps  their first holiday as a family of four before Louis was born.

Later in June, she made her first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade.

The Duke and Duchess are delighted to share a new photograph of Princess Charlotte to mark her second birthday tomorrow  pic.twitter.com/0Xftc3EFPz  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) May 1, 2017

That Christmas, Charlotte and George both attended their first Sandringham Christmas Day Service at St Mary Magdalene.

Later that year, she joined her parents and her big brother on her first overseas tour  an official visit to Canada.

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Charlotte also accompanied her family on their official visit to Poland and Germany in July 2017.

To mark her second birthday, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a photograph of Charlotte at their home in Norfolk, which was taken by Kate. The family lived primarily in Anmer Hall in Norfolk during Charlottes infancy, before moving primarily to Kensington Palace in 2017.

The royal family at the late Queens Platinum Jubilee in 2022 (Getty Images)

In January 2018, Charlotte started at Willocks Nursery School in South Kensington, London.

In April of the same year, Charlotte became a big sister to Louis. Charlotte and her big brother George went to visit their mother at the hospital to greet the newborn.

Charlotte began attending school at Thomass Battersea Preparatory School in London, joining George, in September 2019.

Along with her older brother, Charlotte met David Attenborough in September 2020. A video was released of the children asking Attenborough questions regarding environmental conservation.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are very pleased to share two photographs of Princess Charlotte at Kensington Palace this morning. pic.twitter.com/dDIOZdA7aM  The Prince and Princess of Wales (@KensingtonRoyal) January 8, 2018

Later that year, the children made their first red carpet appearance accompanying their parents to the London Palladium for a performance of a pantomime held to celebrate key workers for their efforts during the pandemic.

Charlotte made her debut in a royal carriage procession at her great-grandmothers platinum jubilee celebration weekend and joined the Trooping the Colour carriage procession in 2022.

On the same weekend, Charlotte and George made their first official visit to Wales with their parents, where they attended concert rehearsals in Cardiff Castle. The next day, Charlotte accompanied her parents, the late Queen, Charles and Camilla on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

In September 2022, Charlotte and her older brother Prince George accompanied their parents to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Kate have kept efforts to shelter their children from the press and only appears on official visits or in officially released photographs. The family currently reside in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park.
Princess Dianas former butler has said he believes the late royal wouldve attended the coronation of King Charles III if she were alive today.

In an interview with GB News broadcaster Dan Wootton on Thursday (4 May), Paul Burrell said that not only would the late Princess of Wales have attended her ex-husbands coronation on Saturday (6 May), but she also wouldve outshone everyone at the ceremony.

I think she would have attended, Burrell said. I think she would have looked stunning. She would have outshone everyone  much to the anger of some  but she would have done it with grace.

The former butler emphasised that Princess Diana wouldnt pass up the coronation being such a vociferous member of the royal family and being so proud of her sons  Prince William and Prince Harry.

He added that Diana herself would have moved on by now and hopefully would have found love with someone else.

Paul Burrell developed a close relationship with the late Princess Diana, acting as butler to the princess until her death in August 1997. He began serving as a footman at Buckingham Palace when he was 18, and became the personal footman to the late Queen Elizabeth II one year later.

Burrell has previously said that Diana described him as her rock and he was the only man she ever trusted in subsequent memoirs written by the ex-butler.

However, he came under fire in 2008 during an inquest into Dianas death, when it was revealed that he secretly copied letters between her and other members of the royal family. He has also been criticised for disclosing private aspects of Dianas personal life, which he was told in confidence, in his books.

Princess Diana and her butler, Paul Burrell, in Bosnia on 9 August 1997 (PA)

Princess Diana  who died in a tragic car accident in Paris, France at age 36  would have been 61 years old at King Charles coronation.

The former Prince and Princess of Wales were married on 29 July 1981 at Westminster Abbey, the same location where Charles will be crowned more than 40 years later. They were married for nearly 10 years and welcomed two sons, but Prince Charles infidelity with Camilla Parker Bowles caused the couple to separate in 1992. Their divorce was finalised in 1996.

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The then-Prince of Wales went on to marry Parker Bowles in 2005. On Saturday, his wife will be crowned Queen Camilla alongside her husband during the coronation ceremony. Since the death of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, she had been referred to as Queen Consort.

Some 2,000 guests have been invited to attend The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla  By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to inviteto be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023. The invitation, designed by Andrew Jamieson, also includes an illustration featuring Camillas coat of arms enclosed by the Garter, to represent her installation as a Royal Lady of the Order of the Garter last summer.

A senior royal aide recently confirmed to the Daily Mail that she will henceforth be called Queen Camilla because it made sense to refer to Her Majesty as the Queen Consort in the early months of His Majestys reign, to distinguish from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Queen Camilla is the appropriate title to set against King Charles on the invitation, they added. The Coronation is an appropriate time to start using Queen Camilla in an official capacity. All former Queen consorts have been known as Queen plus their first name.

The Duke of Sussex will also be in attendance at the coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla. There had been much speculation over whether Princess Dianas youngest son would attend his fathers coronation, following the release of his tell-all memoir, Spare, in January. Since stepping down as senior working royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have shared many details about the royal family in their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and their six-part Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.

On 12 April, Buckingham Palace confirmed Prince Harry will attend the coronation, while Meghan will stay at home in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

Buckingham Palace is pleased to confirm that the Duke of Sussex will attend the Coronation Service at Westminster Abbey on 6 May, the Palace said in a statement. The Duchess of Sussex will remain in California with Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

It was previously reported that Harry was seeking an apology from his father, Charles, and his brother, the current Prince of Wales, before he made any commitment to the ceremony. Harry had also said in an interview that the door is always open for reconciliation.

Follow for live updates from the coronation here.
Gonzalo Lira

According to investigation, the man is a citizen of a Latin American country but has lived in Kharkiv for several years. Law enforcement authorities accuse him of supporting Russian occupation and valorizing Moscows apparent war crimes during the war.

Read also: Japanese man opens free cafe for Kharkiv citizens after living underground with them for 9 months

Additionally, he is said to have engaged in attempts to discredit Ukraines highest military and political leadership.

In spring 2022, he filmed provocative videos, showing the faces of Ukrainian soldiers and insulting the countrys defenders. He posted the videos on YouTube and Twitter, where he has nearly 300,000 subscribers.

Read also: Retired SBU major general says third parties might have been behind alleged drone attack on Kremlin

The SBU has also accused him of denying the facts of Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and the mass killings of civilians by the invading forces.

During a search of his possessions, law enforcement officials found mobile phones and a computer that contained evidence of his illegal activity.

Read also: Ukraines SBU exposes illegal scheme for exporting luxury cars to Russia

He has been remanded in custody by the court, and the investigation is ongoing.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Experts in the industry shed light on the labels

Getty / Kilito Chan

Head to the meat counter at the grocery store or your local butcher and youll come across a couple of labels that seem to distinguish between meat raised in the United States and imported meat. The sticker Product of USA or Made in the USA is often applied to different cuts of meat, such as beef, pork, lamb, and poultry. So if youre wanting American-raised meat, it seems straightforward enough. Unfortunately, its not that simple.



:Wait, Should You Wash Your Meat?

What The Label Means and Who Can Use It

The label is voluntary and there are loopholes. The voluntary system means shoppers have to depend on a label that is often used as a marketing ploy. Unfortunately, beef is one of a few items for which the labeling is voluntary and that leaves it up to marketers to decide how to describe the product, explains SunFed Ranch Founding Rancher, Matt Byrne.

With the current law, a cow can be raised in another country, then brought over to the USA to be slaughtered or simply packaged, and be labeled Made in the USA. It is a fairly hollow claim, given internationally raised and slaughtered animals can be deemed a product of the US, because theyre packaged here, says Kristen Kilfoyle Boffo, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Walden Local Meat Co.



How This Label Affects American Ranchers

Its not just consumers who are affected by not truly knowing what they are purchasing, ranchers are also negatively impacted since they are competing with imported meat sold at lower prices and still labeled Made in the USA. Corporations sell imported beef at lower prices which makes it more difficult for domestic farmers to compete, particularly [if they are selling] grass-fed products, says Julia Johnson, Compassion in World Farming, U.S. Head of Food Business.



How To Know What You're Buying

I believe the majority of today's consumers are unaware that much of the meat they are purchasing from the grocery store comes from other countries, sometimes even from across the globe, says Boffo. If youre a conscientious consumer and rely on labels to provide insight into what youre buying, youll want to rethink your strategy if you want to eat American-produced meat. Right now, [the label] is based on assumptions and there is no way for a consumer to know for sure if the meat carrying this label is truly Made in the USA, says Byrne.

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One of the best ways to ensure where your meat comes from is to buy it directly from a rancher. Or familiarize yourself with small meat companies, who work directly with cattle farmers, or those who raise lamb, pork, or poultry. This is why it is so important for consumers to buy products from brands they know and can trustand that allows them to make informed purchase decisions, says Byrne.



A New Proposed Legislation

There is proposed legislation to change the requirements so only meat, poultry, and eggs produced on American soil can use the Made in the USA or Product of USA labels.

In March 2023, the USDA proposed new rules for the voluntary label, which if approved, would require that only animals born and raised in the United States as well as slaughtered and processed here, can use the label. Documents supporting the claim would need to be on file and available if USDA personnel decided to inspect a facility. Meat companies and ranchers would need to provide descriptions on the packaging about the processing which took place in the United States.















Currently, the public can express their opinions on the proposed rule changes until May 12, 2023. If you want to see more transparent labeling for meat products, comment here.













If this new proposal goes into effect, we anticipate seeing increased sales of domestic beef labeled Product of USA as opposed to a more vaguely marketed product, not only due to the smaller carbon footprint but also in an effort to support US-based ranchers and producers, says Boffo. Plus we keep our dollars local and support our communities.



Read Next:The 9 Best Steaks of 2023
It wasnt enough for Anders and Beverly Gyllenhaal to explain the research behind the arresting report in 2019 that said nearly 3 billion birds had disappeared across North America. The couple wanted to find out if anything could be done to reverse the decline.

What they report in their new book, A Wing and a Prayer: The Race to Save Our Vanishing Birds, is that people across the continent already have found ways to help birds and are looking for more. They range from the practical to the theoretical. Some are aimed at individual species while others could benefit the bird population as a whole.

Here are some of the projects included in the book.

In North Carolina and Georgia

 Though it was incorporated in New York in 1937, the beating heart of Ducks Unlimited was on the North Carolina Outer Banks, on and around the peninsula in Currituck County known as Knotts Island. There, publisher and philanthropist Joseph Knapp and his friends, including some of the nations wealthiest industrialists, pondered how to bring back the abundant waterfowl they had once hunted but which had been lost to a devastating years-long drought in the northern Great Plains.

Their solution: more habitat. The group has so far raised money to conserve nearly 16 million acres of land across North America. Owing to that work, numbers of game birds increased by 56% during the same period the 3 Billion Birds report found that other species had drastically declined.

 The red-cockaded woodpecker went onto the endangered species list even before the 1973 passage of the Endangered Species Act. It nests in old longleaf pine trees and likes them to be in the kind of open forest created by fires.

Two such areas of habitat are owned by the U.S. Army at Fort Benning, near Columbus, Ga., and Fort Bragg, near Fayetteville, which is becoming Fort Liberty. Into the 1990s, the Army prioritized weapons training over bird conservation, flagrantly destroying habitat and prompting the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to take Fort Benning officials to court to enforce protection laws. At Fort Bragg, USFWS went further, shutting down basic training.

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All branches of the military now spend $79 million a year on endangered species conservation, including for the red-cockaded woodpecker. Fort Bragg marks the trees used by the bird and establishes a 200-foot buffer around some clusters of trees to limit human activity. Populations of the bird across the Southeast have recovered to the point that the Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed reclassifying its status from endangered to threatened.

A passenger pigeon perches on mount at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences in Raleigh.

 Passenger Pigeons went out of existence when the last one, a resident of the Cincinnati Zoo named Martha, died in 1914. A man in the North Carolina mountain town of Brevard, chief scientist for Revive & Restore, plans to bring them back through cloning sometime in the next few years.

On its website, the California-based company says it cloned the first black-footed ferret and last month announced the birth of the worlds second cloned endangered Przewalskis horse foal. The group has enlisted the help of scientists in deciphering the genome of the Passenger Pigeon, figuring out how it differs from an extant pigeon species, subtracting the changes and breeding the bird in captivity in large enough numbers to repopulate the wild.

2022-2023 Federal Duck Stamp, featuring a pair of redheads painted by Minnesota artist James Hautman.

In Florida

 The White Oak Conservation Center in rural Yulee, Fla., focuses on protecting and propagating rare animals, including eight species of birds. Started in 1982 by the Gilmans, a paper-manufacturing family, it has been under the purview of Walter Conservation, owned by Mark Walter, owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The center began working to save the tiny Florida Grasshopper Sparrow after its numbers inexplicably crashed in the early 2000s. After some heartbreaking trial and error in a captive-breeding program, workers at the center discovered the chicks they were hatching needed live bugs to eat from nearby fields in order to thrive.

 The Archbold Biological Station in Lake Placid, Fla., founded in 1941 by an heir to the Standard Oil fortune, is working to bring back the threatened scrub-jay, a native bird whose numbers dropped from about 40,000 in the 1980s to around 4,000 now.

Archbold electronically tracks scrub-jays to see how they use their space so they can make recommendations to improve their shrinking habitats and their breeding patterns.

In Louisiana

 Jane Zimorski, a biologist for the state Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, watches over captive-bred whooping cranes that have been introduced in the wild in the hopes they will mate and raise babies. Her current electronic surveillance system allows her to keep a constant eye on the birds, and she can tell by their movements if they are incubating eggs.

In California

 In the Sierra Nevada mountain range, wildlife ecologists are protecting spotted owl populations by keeping out an invasive competing species, the barred owl. In the late 2010s, researchers used recorders strapped to trees to locate barred owls and in three years shot and killed 64 of the birds, an upsetting but biologically necessary action.

Researchers continue to use bioacoustics in the Sierra to monitor the health of all the major bird species there.

In Kansas

The Hoy family has built a ranch outside Flint Hills where they raise cattle using regenerative agriculture practices that heal degenerated soil and build biodiversity. The cattle are a relatively small variety that doesnt require hormones, antibiotics or grain. They feed on tallgrass that grew on the Northern Great Plains a century ago, which the Hoys coaxed back onto their acreage.

As native grasses returned to the Flying W ranch, so has other wildlife, including the long-missing Henslows sparrow.
A 30-year-old man faces the possibility of life in prison for allegedly beating a person who was working behind the register of a Kansas City motel to the point of unconsciousness early Monday morning.

Jackson County prosecutors on Monday charged Andrew Wilson, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, with first-degree assault, a Class A felony under Missouri law. As of Thursday, Wilson was being held without bond in the county jail.

According to charging documents, Kansas City police officers were called around 2 a.m. to the Relax Inn at 6300 Blue Parkway in the Eastwood Hills neighborhood. They found a man there outside with serious injuries to his head and body.

He was taken to the hospital by ambulance in critical condition. Police were advised the man had suffered a brain bleed.

Based on information from witnesses and surveillance video, Kansas City detectives determined that Wilson had rented a room and asked the employee for a copy of his receipt. At some point, there was a verbal argument between them.

Wilson allegedly punched, stomped and kicked the man over the course of 14 minutes. A Kansas City detective wrote in charging documents that Wilson was not acting in self-defense and was not in danger at the time.

One witness left a motel room and saw the man balled up on the ground, covered in blood. As Wilson continued to stomp and kick the man, the witness said, he wanted others to come look.

Surveillance video allegedly showed Wilson walking away from the assault victim multiple times to gather spectators.

No one called 911 while the assault was happening, the witness said.

Along with surveillance video from the business, Kansas City detectives alleged there was cell phone footage Wilson recorded in which he is pointing and laughing at the victim.

The assault ended around 2:08 a.m. when the man, back on his feet, was kicked backward and struck the back of his head on the pavement violently, according to court documents. He apparently lost consciousness after that.

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Wilson was allegedly seen driving out of the parking lot two minutes later.

Detectives were given a copy of Wilsons drivers license by motel employees. He made his first court appearance Tuesday following his arrest.

Online court records did not list a defense attorney for Wilson as of Thursday.
A man accused of beating another man to death in a downtown Lexington parking garage is set to undergo a trial next year after prosecutors and his defense attorney couldnt reach a plea deal.

Benjamin Call, 40, has been charged with murder for allegedly killing John Tyler Ty Abner back in October 2021. His trial date was scheduled for March 11-14.

Call underwent mediation on April 25 in an attempt to avoid a trial with a plea deal, court records show. Prosecutors offered Call a 20-year prison sentence if he pleaded guilty to manslaughter, but Call rejected the offer, Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Brad Bryant said during a hearing Friday

Calls lawyer, Abe Mashni, said in court Friday they offered their best and final deal and the prosecution declined.

Bryant said during the hearing they could reduce the prison time to 15 years if Call would plead guilty, but Call denied once again and elected for a trial. Call will be due back in court on March 1 for a final status hearing.

Deadly beating unfolded at a downtown garage

The incident happened in October 2021 at the Victorian Square Parking Garage on West Short Street. Call was arrested that evening and charged with murder.

The altercation was caught on surveillance video. The video was played in court in February 2022, and it appeared to show Call beating Abner to death until police arrived and broke up the assault.

Abners husband, whos also named John Abner, testified in court about how devastating the assault was.

What I saw was someone pull him back and beat him senseless, who beat him when he wasnt even moving anymore, John Abner said in court. He was beating a corpse and he stole from me the ability to even say goodbye. I wasnt even able to be with his body because it was unrecognizable.

Lexington police detective Tim Moore testified in court too, saying Call was covered in blood from head to toe when he interviewed him at a hospital afterwards. Call had cuts on his forehead and knuckles and appeared to be intoxicated.

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Blood testing later confirmed that Call had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.309 at the time of the incident, nearly four times the legal limit, according to Moore.

Moore said Calls statement was sporadic because he was intoxicated but he was comprehensive. Call told Moore he believed he was fighting with his brother-in-law for things that he had done to the family, but later said he was defending himself from a person he met at a bar earlier that evening.

Call, who resides in Pomeroy, Ohio, was in Lexington for a contracting job, according to Moore. He told Moore he met Abner at Pies & Pints and the two had food and drinks together.

Call and Abner were later spotted by a witness at another nearby bar, Moore said. Surveillance footage confirmed the two were at Centro on Cheapside Park, according to Moore.

Call and Abner then went to the parking garage where the assault happened on the fifth floor, Moore said. Time stamps from the video showed the assault happening for nearly 20 minutes.

Moore said Call had no recollection of the attack or the time spent at Centro with Abner.

You did not deserve this. Friends react to death of man beaten in Lexington garage

Friends, family carry on murdered Lexington mans haunted house on Halloween weekend

Extra security added to parking garage after incidents

In March 2022 the city of Lexingtons parking authority hired Fayette County sheriffs deputies to increase security to the Victorian Square Parking Garage in response to Abners death and two other shootings.

This included additional sheriffs deputies being stationed nearby overnight on weekends.
BAGHDAD, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Islamic State (IS) militants were killed in a raid in Iraq's nothern province of Nineveh on Friday, the government-backed Hashd Shaabi paramilitary force said in a statement.

A paramilitary unit stormed an IS hideout near the town of Hatra in the province and killed three IS militants inside, it said.

In the northern province of Kirkuk, an army force searched in the morning an IS hideout that was destroyed by an airstrike on Thursday in the rugged Wadi al-Shay area, southwest of the namesake provincial capital Kirkuk, some 250 km north of Baghdad, according to a statement issued by the Security Media Cell, a media outlet affiliated with the Iraqi Joint Operations Command.

The troops found the bodies of three IS militants, as well as ammunition and hand grenades, the Security Media Cell statement said.

The security situation in Iraq has improved since the defeat of the IS in 2017. However, IS militants have since melted into urban centers, deserts and rugged areas, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians. 
WASHINGTON (AP)  Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio wasn't even in Washington when members of his extremist group, angry over Donald Trump 's election loss, stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Yet federal prosecutors, using his words, won a conviction on the most serious charge levied in the insurrection.

The seditious conspiracy guilty verdicts of Tarrio and three lieutenants handed down Thursday  after a contentious and erratic trial that lasted more than twice as long as expected  bolster the Justice Department's record in its historic prosecution of the Capitol attack. The investigation has now led to convictions against two top extremist group leaders on a legally complex charge that's rarely ever brought and can be difficult to prove.

The verdicts could further embolden the Justice Department and special counsel Jack Smith as they dig into efforts by Trump and his allies to undo President Joe Bidens victory.

Mostly in private, Smith's work is proceeding apace. Just last week, a federal grand jury  meeting in the same courthouse where the Proud Boys trial was held  heard hours of testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence, who has publicly described a pressure campaign by Trump aimed at getting him to halt Congress' certification of the election results.

In the Proud Boys case, prosecutors secured a conviction by relying on Jan. 6 rhetoric and a legal theory alleging that Tarrio and his lieutenants mobilized a loyal group of foot soldiers  or tools  to supply the force necessary to carry out their plot to stop the transfer of power from Trump to Biden on Jan. 20.

Could the Justice Department follow a similar path with Trump? After all, just before the riot erupted he urged his supporters to go to the Capitol and fight like hell." The House committee that investigated the insurrection recommended Trump be prosecuted for assisting and providing aid and comfort to an insurrection.

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Who inspired them to do that? Who directed them to do that? Who was the person telling his followers to fight like hell? Of course, thats former President Trump, said Jimmy Gurule, a University of Notre Dame law professor. Hes not silent. Hes not oblivious to whats going on. Hes leading the charge. Hes encouraging them to act.

But some experts say the successful prosecution of the Proud Boys may not make it any easier to bring a case against Trump.

Tarrio wasnt there, but he was responsible because he was the one who was an organizer and leader, said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor now a professor at Loyola Marymount Law School. People might say Well, wouldn't that apply to Trump? It might," she said.

But you have to again have the very direct evidence that Trump calling people to storm the Capitol, he was calling them to violence. And Im not sure we have the answer to that yet, although I think the special counsel is getting closer, putting people like Mike Pence in the grand jury, she added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland alluded to the wider investigation after Tarrio's conviction, declaring, Our work will continue."

Todays verdict makes clear the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy, Garland said.

Trump loomed large over the monthslong Proud Boys trial at the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, where the Capitol can be seen in the distance from the windows. Lawyers for one of Tarrios co-defendants at one point said they wanted to call the former president to the witness stand, although the idea went nowhere.

Prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys saw themselves as Trumps army and were prepared to do whatever it took to keep their preferred leader in power. Messages displayed throughout the trial showed Tarrio warning that the Proud Boys would become political prisoners if Biden were to become president. As the riot proceeded, he gloated about his groups role, writing in one message, We did this.

Tarrios lawyers, however, sought to use Trump as part of his defense, claiming the former president was to blame and that prosecutors were trying to use Tarrio as a scapegoat for the president  an argument jurors appear to have roundly rejected.

Trump has denied inciting any violence on Jan. 6 and has argued that he was fully permitted by the First Amendment to challenge his loss to Biden.

This was the third seditious conspiracy trial stemming from the riot, which left dozens of police officers injured and sent lawmakers dashing for safety and into hiding. Stewart Rhodes  the founder of the Oath Keepers, another far-right extremist group  was convicted in November, and the Justice Department in a court filing Friday recommended he be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Four other Oath Keepers were convicted in a second trial.

Tarrio was at a hotel in Baltimore when the chaos unfolded on Jan. 6, having been kicked out of the capital city after being arrested two days earlier on allegations that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner. Law enforcement later said that Tarrio was picked up in part to quell potential violence.

Three Proud Boys members were convicted of the sedition charge alongside him: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl. A fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy, but convicted of other serious crimes.

Its not clear how closely special counsel Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors were tracking the trial or taking stock of the verdicts. Smith has his own team of prosecutors  separate from Justice Department lawyers working on more than 1,000 Jan. 6 cases who are probing efforts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election results.

Since his appointment in November, Smith has cast a broad net in demanding interviews and testimony related to fundraising, Trump's rally that preceded the riot on Jan. 6, and communications between Trump associates and election officials in battleground states. Separately, Smith is investigating the presence of classified documents at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate and Trump's potential efforts to obstruct the government's work to get them back.

In Georgia on Friday, the attorney for eight Republican fake electors who signed a certificate falsely saying Trump had won the state said they had agreed to immunity deals in Georgias investigation into Trumps actions.

As for the Proud Boys, George Washington University law professor Stephen Saltzburg, who used to work in the Justice Department, said he believes Thursday's verdict will have zero impact on Smith and his team. There hasnt been any evidence of communications between high-ranking Trump White House officials and the Proud Boys, he noted.

If that sort of thing does exist, then it wouldnt matter what the jury did in this (Proud Boys) case because there would be independent evidence that other people were conspiring, Saltzburg said. If theres not similar evidence involving the president and people around him, then its a harder case.

One of the hallmarks of a conspiracy charge is that prosecutors don't have to allege a defendant took every action themselves, said Randall Eliason, another former federal prosecutor now a GW law professor.

So someone like Tarrio doesnt have to actually participate in the riot itself and can still be held accountable, Eliason said. The same is true of people in the White House and anyone else who could reasonably be considered to have been part of the conspiracy without having set foot in the Capitol, he said.

Still, Eliason downplayed the impact the verdict could have on Smiths charging decisions, noting that its hardly a revelation that conspiracies can wrap up a broad range of defendants and not just direct participants.

I wouldnt say personally that this verdict is going to embolden him to do something he might otherwise have worried about doing, he said.

___

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.

For more on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
On Thursday, Henry Enrique Tarrio, the national chairman of the extremist street gang the Proud Boys, was found guilty of seditious conspiracy, along with three co-defendants.

The verdict was a momentous win for the Justice Department, which has charged more than 1,000 people with crimes related to the Jan. 6 insurrection. Convicting the leaders of perhaps the most notorious domestic extremist group, with charges that will likely see them imprisoned for more than a decade, was a resounding defeat for the American far right. It also sends a message to the members of Congress and political commentators who have sought to downplay the insurrection.

But the lasting impact of the verdict on the Proud Boys themselves could be far more muted.

Inside the Proud Boys They joined the Wisconsin Proud Boys looking for brotherhood. They found racism, bullying and antisemitism.

Enrique Tarrio

Were the Proud Boys leaders ever really leaders?

The very concept of a national leadership of the extremist group was always vague, and different chapters and individual Proud Boys have long debated whether Tarrio and others truly spoke for the gang.

Gavin McInnes, who founded the Proud Boys, was emphatic Thursday that nobody runs the Proud Boys on a national level. (In 2021, McInnes native Canada proclaimed the Proud Boys a neo-fascist terrorist entity.)

There never was a national leadership, McInnes wrote by text message. Chapters are autonomous and follow the by-laws like a constitution (same as Hells Angels).

The history of the group tells a similar story.

Tarrio essentially appeared out of nowhere after McInnes announced he was stepping down from the group in late 2018, said Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an anti-fascist researcher who has tracked the Proud Boys since their creation. Jenkins, like other researchers and experts on the group, didnt know whether Tarrio was ever officially elected or selected to lead the group  or if he just started calling himself the Proud Boys chairman and the title stuck.

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After 2018, the leadership started becoming more ambiguous, Jenkins said.

Its also important to note that individual Proud Boys have a vested interest in disavowing any leadership in the group, Jenkins added. Indeed, clouding the waters of the groups leadership structure was a key element of the courtroom defense.

Proud Boys lie, Jenkins said. Thats what they do.

Can the group continue?

Proud Boys splintering Proud Boys splintering after Capitol riot, revelations about leader. Will more radical factions emerge?

In 2021, in the wake of the Capitol riot, USA TODAY reported the Proud Boys were splintering into different factions.

Stripped almost entirely of their ephemeral national leadership, Proud Boys chapters around the country had begun to head in different directions. Some were more openly embracing racism and antisemitism, while others were drifting back into their original stated mission of being mens drinking clubs.

By the second anniversary of Jan. 6, the group had certainly not shriveled up and died.

Throughout 2022, Proud Boys chapters were especially active at anti-LGBTQ protests around the country, a trend that carried into 2023 and will probably continue, experts said.

I dont think that the Proud Boys will be behaving any differently between yesterday and tomorrow, said Katherine Keneally, senior research manager at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The Proud Boys, despite these individuals being in prison, have been engaging in protests across the United States over the last year  they have been functioning on their own without them.

Jenkins agreed, adding:

The Proud Boys who are left on the streets have become a lot bolder. Theyre aligning themselves with Nazis a lot more now  a lot more.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes, left, discusses a lawsuit he filed against the Southern Poverty Law Center during a news conference in Montgomery, Ala., on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. His attorney, Baron Coleman, listens on the right. McInnes contends the nonprofit organization wrongly labeled the far-right Proud Boys a hate group. (AP Photo/Kim Chandler) ORG XMIT: ALKC101

Is the Proud Boys brand more toxic now?

Chinese American support for Proud Boys Proud Boys saw wave of contributions from Chinese diaspora before Capitol attack

Jenkins feels confident Thursdays convictions will seriously hamper the Proud Boys efforts to grow. Few people will want to be associated with a group accused of seditious conspiracy, he said.

How can they move forward? Jenkins said. I dont know whats going to happen with the rest of the groups moving forward, because now the Proud Boys are very radioactive.

The more than 40 prosecutions of Proud Boys for their Jan. 6 activity has also had a welcome chilling effect on the group, Keneally said.

Despite the indictment of former President Donald Trump  who still enjoys enormous support among Proud Boys  the past few months havent seen any calls for major protests from the Proud Boys, Keneally pointed out. That shows that the prosecutions have had the effect of cowing the group, at least for now, she said.

Even though that may not be stopping the Proud Boys from engaging in some of their other activities, it does have a real impact in curbing domestic extremism, Keneally said.

Despite McInnes publicly stepping down from the group he founded, researchers note that he has been present at events with Proud Boys since then.

Asked what he believes will happen to the Proud Boys now that the groups leaders are going to jail, he texted:

It will go on forever.

Jan. 6 special report: See every person who has been charged

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Proud Boys' Enrique Tarrio, three co-defendants convicted: What's next
Jurors who convicted four Proud Boys leaders of seditious conspiracy reviewed thousands upon thousands of text messages and private chats that the defendants sent in the weeks leading up to Jan. 6, 2021  exchanges prosecutors described as the prelude to a violent effort to keep Donald Trump in power.

But paradoxically, it may have been the absence of key messages that sealed the case for prosecutors.

Andre Mundell, one of the 12 jurors who decided the four-month trial on Thursday, told Vice News that he was convinced that the Proud Boys leaders  including former national chair Enrique Tarrio  had committed seditious conspiracy in part because of the lengths the group took to hide its activities, deleting key messages.

The Proud Boys didn't want everybody to know the plan, because then I guess it would have gotten out. And they didn't want it to get out, Mundell said in the interview, noting that the thousands of messages they reviewed  extracted from the phones of Tarrio and his co-defendants  were peppered with blank slots where exchanges had been deleted.

And that's why the government couldn't present too much of the evidence that they had already deleted, because it was unrecoverable, Mundell said. So, they definitely didn't want people to know.

And that wasnt the only absence of evidence that factored into the jurys deliberations. Mundell said that he was persuaded by the fact that there wasnt a single message among the Proud Boys leaders  even after their members contributed to the chaos at the Capitol  urging their allies to withdraw from the riot or stay away from the violence.

That factored in for me. It showed an absence of evidence of standing down. No one says, no, don't do this. We're not going to do this. There was none of that, Mundell said. And that was probably because they never said it. And the things that were affirming that they were going to be violent. They just kind of let it happen.

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Mundells comments are the first insight into the jurys deliberation in the case of Tarrio and four Proud Boys who prosecutors say were the most crucial drivers of the violence that unfolded at the Capitol on Jan. 6. The Justice Department contends that Tarrio, along with leaders Ethan Nordean, Joe Biggs and Zachary Rehl, spearheaded a conspiracy to prevent Joe Biden from taking office  and were prepared to use force to get their way. A fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy but convicted of numerous felonies for his own role in the attack  which included igniting the breach of the Capitol itself when he smashed a Senate window with a riot shield.



Prosecutors showed evidence that the Proud Boys spent weeks before Jan. 6 discussing their desire to prevent Biden from taking office, and on Jan. 6, hundreds  in a crowd led by Nordean, Biggs and Rehl  marched to the Capitol even while Trump was speaking to his supporters near the White House. At the Capitol, members of the Proud Boys marching group were present  and often involved  in the crucial moments when the mob breached police lines and many later entered the Capitol, led by Pezzola.

Mundell said he understood the jurys work on the case as a significant moment for the country.

I think it's huge. It's something that needed to happen, he said. I definitely think it's important because otherwise, somebody might get the idea that this is okay to do again.

Although the jury deliberated for about a week, Mundell said it didnt take long for jurors to agree that the group had committed a seditious conspiracy.

The first day we elected a foreman. After that, we all put out our initial impressions of the evidence. We all voted and most people saw the evidence pointed towards seditious conspiracy. By the second day, we had pretty much established guilty verdicts on the conspiracy, he said.

Mundell said the group agreed that Pezzola was not guilty of seditious conspiracy because he wasnt closely tied enough to Tarrio or the groups leaders  Pezzola took the stand and emphasized that he had only been in the Proud Boys for a month before Jan. 6 and barely knew his co-defendants.

Another factor was just that he wasnt the brightest bulb on the porch. And may not have been bright enough to really know about the plan, Mundell said. So I said, well, poor guy. He should've listened to his father-in-law, who told him dont go.

Mundell said the jury simply did not buy the defenses claims that the Proud Boys were only interested in First Amendment-protected protests and to make their voices heard in Washington.

You don't stop the steal by breaking into the Capitol and over-running the police lines and beating up on and spraying the police, he said.

He also indicated that a crucial piece of evidence unearthed by an open-source online sleuth late in the Proud Boys trial factored heavily into the jurys consideration of Rehls role in the attack. While Rehl, who took the stand in his own defense, had emphasized repeatedly that he committed no violence, prosecutors displayed a newly discovered video that appeared to show Rehl pepper spraying toward a line of outnumbered police officers at one of the early moments of the riot.

Rehl really got caught on cross examination after he was adamant that he never sprayed a police officer  On cross that all fell apart when the video came out and it showed that he was spraying towards the cops, Mundell said.

Mundell also emphasized that the jury considered very little about Trumps role in Jan. 6, despite one anti-Trump jurors effort to tie the former president to the Proud Boys actions. To be sure, Trump was a persistent undercurrent in the case  prosecutors noted that his invocation of the Proud Boys during a September 2020 debate turbocharged the groups recruitment efforts. And his Dec. 19, 2020 tweet urging supporters to descend on Washington to protest the election results on Jan. 6, 2021, was the moment that jumpstarted the Proud Boys seditious conspiracy.

But Mundell said those two episodes were the extent of Trumps relationship to the case.

[T]he evidence doesn't show anything that Trump did other than be there, will be wild and stand back and stand by, he said. That was his contribution to this case. Other than that, everyone was focused. I think they got a fair trial.
More Britons would rather Prince Andrew attend the coronation than Meghan Markle, new polling shows ( Mark Richards/Ben Birchall  WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Britons would rather see Prince Andrew attend the coronation of King Charles III than the Duchess of Sussex, new polling suggests.

In an exclusive survey for The Independent, 43 per cent of people thought the Duke of York should attend the historic service marking his brothers ascension to the throne.

The same proportion believed he should not attend, according to Savanta polling conducted just over a year after he reached a multimillion settlement in the sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Meanwhile, just 40 per cent of the 2,274 people surveyed thought Meghan should go to Saturdays historic ceremony, while 44 per cent felt she should not.

Following the lingering fallout from his memoirSpare, Prince Harry confirmed last month that he would attend the coronation alone, with Meghan staying home in the United States with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The couple opted to step back as senior royals and leave Britain in 2020, just two years after their wedding. Even before that decision, Harry had condemned the abuse and harassment and racial undertones in the relentless British press coverage of the former Suits actor.

Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages last January by the late Queen after he was accused by Ms Giuffre of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was 17 and being trafficked by his late friend, the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York was interviewed by BBC Newsnight about his relationship with Epstein and the allegations against him (BBC/PA)

The pair reached an out-of-court settlement two months later, in which Andrew accepted no liability, and he always rejected any claims of wrongdoing. But he faced further humiliation as York councillors voted last April to strip the 63-year-old of his Freedom of the City title.

While the duke was permitted to play a significant role in the events marking his mothers death last September, he faced heckling from crowds during a procession of his mothers coffin along Edinburghs Royal Mile.

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YouGov polling in April placed Andrew as the least popular royal in its regular surveys, with just 10 per cent of respondents viewing him favourably.

He was followed by Meghan and Harry, of whom 24 and 29 per cent respectively had favourable views.

In Savantas new polling for The Independent, Britons were considerably more opposed to both Andrew and Meghan attending the coronation than the idea of inviting Sinn Fein, the party formerly known as the political wing of the IRA, which overtook unionists for the first time in Northern Irelands 2022 election.

Thirty-two per cent of people felt Sinn Fein should attend, while 38 per cent did not. Michelle ONeill, vice-president of the party which still refuses to take its seats in the House of Commons, has confirmed she will attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony.

The strength of opposition to Andrew and Meghans attendance was closer to that of a Chinese government representative going to the ceremony, to which 46 per cent are opposed and just 30 per cent are in favour.

While senior Conservatives have called the move outrageous and an insult to the freedom-loving people of former British colony Hong Kong, Chinas vice-president Han Zheng is expected to be present on Saturday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a government meeting on tourism development in Russia via a video link from Saint Petersburg on May 2, 2023. MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images

Russian President Vladimir Putin has scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine, US intel says.

He is focused on the more modest goal of preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, an official said.

Russia has suffered serious setbacks in its bid to seize control of Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has drastically scaled back his ambitions in Ukraine after Russian military setbacks, US intelligence officials said.

Avril Haines, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), told the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday that Putin was now focused on the more limited goal of preventing Ukraine from joining NATO, the defense treaty that forms the main bulwark against Russian aggression in Europe.

"We assess that Putin probably has scaled back his immediate ambitions to consolidate control of the occupied territory in eastern and southern Ukraine and ensuring that Ukraine will never become a NATO ally," Haines said.

"He may be willing to claim at least a temporary victory based on roughly the territory he has occupied," Haines added.

Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Scott D. Berrier added that it may take up to a decade from Russia to replenish its troops.

"It's gonna take them a while to build back to more advanced" Berrier said, according to the New York Post.

"The estimates go from five to 10 years based on how sanctions affect them and their ability to put technology back into their force."

When Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, US intelligence said that the Kremlin aimed to topple the government in Kyiv, and seize control of the country.

But Ukrainian forces repelled the Russian military in the Kyiv region, then pushed them back along a broad front of territory they had seized in southern and eastern Ukraine. Despite the setbacks, last June Haines said Putin still believed that seizing control of most of Ukraine was possible.

In recent months, Russian attempts to seize more territory in those regions have faltered, amid steep battlefield losses. Haines said that Russia was now suffering severe personnel and ammunition shortages.

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"Russian forces gained less territory in April than during any of the three previous months as they appeared to transition from offensive to defensive operations along the front lines," Haines said.

However, she added that Ukraine remained heavily dependent on Western weapons to offset Russia's advantage in manpower, that neither side had a decisive advantage and the conflict would likely continue to be a "brutally grinding war of attrition."

Haines told lawmakers Thursday that Putin may seek a ceasefire in order to seek to rebuild Russia's depleted military, which according to US estimates has suffered more than 200,000 casualties.

Putin may believe that a ceasefire would be to his advantage as a way of prolonging the conflict, and eroding Western support for Ukraine, said Haines.

"We continue to assess that Putin most likely calculates that time works in his favor and that prolonging the war may be his best remaining pathway to eventually securing Russia's strategic interests in Ukraine," Haines said

"Putin's willingness to consider a negotiated pause may be based on his assessment that a pause would provide a respite for Russian forces as they could try to use that time to regain strength before resuming offensive operations at some point in the future, while buying time for what he hopes would be an erosion of western support for Ukraine," Haines said.

"Moscow has suffered military losses that will require years of rebuilding and leave it less capable of posing a conventional military threat to Europe and operating assertively in Eurasia and on the global stage," Haines said.

"As a result, Russia will become even more reliant on asymmetric options such as nuclear, cyber, space capabilities, and on China."

Read the original article on Business Insider
It has been 70 years since the last British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was officially crowned.

With Elizabeth's son, King Charles III, set to be crowned on May 6, people are recalling his mother's coronation, which was the last time the British public witnessed the ritual.

"The whole of London was sort of a cauldron of people rushing to the area to look at what was happening," said James Wilkinson, then an 11-year-old member of the Westminster Abbey choir, which sang during the ceremony.

Queen Elizabeth II was not originally an heir-apparent to the throne. However, in 1936, King Edward VIII abdicated the throne and Queen Elizabeth's father took over.

Queen Elizabeth II rides in the Golden State Coach.

Queen Elizabeth's coronation dress at an exhibit. The dress was designed by Sir Norman Hartnell and embroidered with an iconographic scheme of emblems representing Commonwealth states and the United Kingdom and the Robe of Estate. The dress was made of purple silk and velvet.

CORONATION OF QUEEN ELIZABETH IS REMEMBERED AS RARE, EXQUISITE CUTTING FROM DRESS GOES UP FOR AUCTION

Queen Elizabeth II, then Princess Elizabeth, appears on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following her father's coronation.

She made her first public speech at the age of 14 and would become queen at the age of 25 following her father's sudden death. King George VI died at the age of 56 from coronary thrombosis, which is a blocking of blood flow from the heart.

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Queen Elizabeth was crowned on June 2, 1953  over a year after she ascended to the throne. More than 8,000 guests attended the ceremony. The 1953 coronation was the first to be televised, at the request of the 27-year-old queen. 27 million people watched the Queen's coronation, according to Buckingham Palace.

Queen Elizabeth II's coronation took place at Westminster Abbey.

Queen Elizabeth II returns to Buckingham Palace after her coronation.

QUEEN ELIZABETH II, LONGEST-REIGNING BRITISH MONARCH, DEAD AT 96

At the time, London was still recovering from World War II.

Queen Elizabeth's coronation was held at Westminster Abbey  where coronations have taken place since 1066. Before then, coronations occurred wherever possible.

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were taken to the coronation at Westminster Abbey from Buckingham Palace in a carriage driven by gray gelding horses Cunningham, Tovey, Noah, Tedder, Eisenhower, Snow White, Tipperary and McCreery. King Charles' carriage will be pulled by eight "Windsor Greys" as well  Icon, Shadow, Milford Haven, Newark, Echo, Knightsbridge, Meg and Tyrone.

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Queen Elizabeth's carriage on the day of her coronation.

Following the queen's coronation, she toured the commonwealth, visiting places such as Bermuda, Fiji, Tonga, Australia and Gibraltar.

Before she was crowned, Queen Elizabeth had welcomed two children, Charles and Anne. Following her coronation, Elizabeth and Prince Philip welcomed two more additions to the royal family, Andrew and Edward.

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Queen Elizabeth II is crowned at Westminster Abbey.

Prince Philip and the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II wave to the crowd from the balcony at Buckingham Palace. Her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne stand with her.

Queen Elizabeth was the first British royal to reach the Platinum Jubilee. She celebrated 70 years as sovereign in 2022, just months before her death at age 96.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have confirmed their attendance at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

On 11 April, the Spanish royal family joined the line-up of foreign monarchs who have confirmed their attendance at King Charles coronation, which takes place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday 6 May.

The coronation will be attended by some 2,000 guests, a stark difference from the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony. In fact, Charles decision to invite his counterparts from around the world marks a break from royal tradition entirely.

Much like King Charles, Queen Letizia of Spain is also one to break royal protocol  having been the first Spanish queen to be born a commoner.

Born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano on 15 September 1972 in northern Spain, the soon-to-be queen was raised in a middle-class family. Her father, Jose Ortiz Alvarez, was a journalist and her mother, Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez, was a registered nurse and hospital union representative. Letizia comes from a long line of journalists; her paternal grandmother was also a radio broadcaster for 40 years.

Letizia pursued a bachelors degree in journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid, as well as a masters degree in audiovisual journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism. During her time at university, she worked multiple jobs in media  first for the newspaper La Nueva Espana and later for the Spanish newspaper ABC, before working at the major international news agency, EFE.

After briefly working as a journalist in Mexico, she returned to Spain where she reported for the Spanish versions of Bloomberg and CNN. In 2003, she gained prominence as a TV anchor for Telediario 2, the most-viewed daily evening news programme in Spain. Throughout her career, Letizia has reported from the United States on presidential elections, broadcasted live from New York following the 9/11 attacks, and reported on the Iraq War.

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Queen Letizia and King Felipe attend a dinner at Royal Palace in Madrid on 27 February 2019 (Getty Images)

Her engagement to King Felipe, then Prince of Asturias, came as a surprise to many throughout Spain. They met at a dinner party in 2002, organised by fellow journalist Pedro Erquicia, where they reportedly formed an instant connection. The couple maintained a low-profile romance for several months, before announcing their engagement on 1 November 2003.

Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz pose during an official engagement ceremony on 6 November 2003 at Palacio del Pardo in Madrid, Spain (Getty Images)

Not only did Letizias engagement to Felipe grab attention for her being a commoner from a middle-class family, much like Kate Middleton, but she was also a divorcee. In August 1998, she tied the knot with Alonso Guerrero Perez, a writer and high school literature teacher, after 10 years together. However, they divorced one year later.

Her previous marriage likely wouldve posed challenges for the couple who wanted to be married in the Catholic Church, considering the Vatican would have to grant special permission that allowed her to marry Felipe. Luckily, her previous wedding to Perez was only a civil ceremony.

On 22 May 2004, Felipe and Letizia were officially wed at the Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. The bride wore a white wedding gown designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel Pertegaz for the special occasion. Her veil, which was a gift from Felipe, was made of off-white silk tulle.

In several photos from the special day, the newlyweds were seen smiling and gazing at each other as Felipe kissed his newlywed wifes forehead.

Prince Felipe kisses Letizia Ortiz on their wedding day on 22 May 2004 (Getty Images)

The then-Prince and Princess of Asturias went on to welcome two daughters. Their eldest daughter  Leonor, Princess of Asturias  was born on 31 October 2005, while their youngest  Infanta Sofia  was born on 29 April 2007.

The royal couple became King and Queen of Spain in 2014 when Felipes father, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne. Letizias new title proved to be historic for Spain, making her the first Spanish-born queen consort since 1878 and the first Spanish queen to have been born a commoner.

The royal couple are parents to two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia (Getty Images)

Since then, Queen Letizia of Spain has continued much of the work that she focused on during her time as journalist: raising awareness towards social issues such as childrens rights, culture, and education.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain are set to join the many European royals  including Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden  who are attending King Charles IIIs coronation on Saturday 6 May.
job-burnout-illustration

Credit - fStopGetty Images

Christina Maslach is professor emerita of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Michael P. Leiter is professor emeritus of psychology at Acadia University. Maslach and Leiter co-authored The Burnout Challenge: Managing Peoples Relationships with Their Jobs.

If youre like roughly 40% of office workers, you might describe yourself as feeling burned out by your job. But is it burnout, run-of-the-mill work stress, or something else entirely?

Although just about everyone can have a bad or tiring day at work occasionally, people who are experiencing burnout have them all or most of the time. Burnout has three different dimensions: emotional and physical exhaustion, negative attitudes and cynicism about ones job, and beliefs that ones professional efforts are ineffective because they dont matter or arent enough.

In contrast, people who are highly engaged at work feel energetic, involved, and effective at their jobs, at least most of the time. In other words, things are going well in their professional lives, and they are largely satisfied overall.

But the world of work is not neatly divided into a binary of all negative or all positive. Our research has found that there are three additional in-between types of major work experiences in which people have two positive dimensions and only one negative (e.g., exhaustion only). We call these experiences overextended, disengaged, and ineffective. Although some people may exhibit signs of two negative dimensions (e.g., both exhaustion and cynicism), that scenario does not show up often in our studies, perhaps because those individuals progress quickly to burnout, quit their jobs, or find a way to improve things. At this point, we dont know enough to say for sure. In general, we have found that about 15% of workers are truly burned out and about a third are engaged, while the rest have one of the three mixed experiences.

Where do you fit in? Answer these three questions to find out which of the five major work experiences is closest to your own. As you do, think about how you typically feel at work on an average day.

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Quiz:

Do you usually arrive at work feeling energetic, with the capacity to maintain your energy throughout the workday? [Yes/No] Do you readily become involved with the challenges you encounter at work? [Yes/No] Are you generally confident that you are doing important work and doing it effectively? [Yes/No]

If you answered no to the first question, but yes to the other two, then you fit into the overextended profile.

Your answers indicate you feel overextended at work. In this situation, people are experiencing exhaustion, but they still feel fully involved in their jobs and are confident that they are working effectively. Although they feel positively about both the workplace and their own contributions, they are facing an energy crisis: long hours, too much to do, and no time to recover. Being tired all the time leads some people to label this experience as burnoutbut as long as they are still feeling good about their job and about themselves overall, they are not experiencing all the dimensions of burnout.

What to do about it: Either reducing demands on your time or adding resourceslike support staff, more funding, or better equipmentwould make your job more manageable. But these strategies run directly opposite to corporate pushes to do more with less, so they often encounter opposition.

If your workplace wont grant the resources you need, try to focus on things within your control. Look for better ways to recover from the demands of your day. Getting more sleep; taking rejuvenating breaks from work, perhaps by sitting down for a screen-free meal or taking a walk; and doing energizing activities, like exercising and spending time with friends and family, can make a difference. Recovery, both at work and away from work, sustains peoples wellbeing.

If you answered no to the second question, but yes to the other two, then you fit into the disengaged profile.

Your answers indicate you feel disengaged at work. In this situation, people are experiencing cynicism and have lost interest in their work, but still feel energetic and confident in their abilities. They have lost whatever spark or motivation they started with. They may feel under-compensated or under-appreciated, frustrated by a lack of control, or unenthused by the social scene in the workplace. Their workload may be manageable, and they can do a good job, but the work itself no longer excites them.

What to do about it: If youre disengaged from your work, improving your workplace relationships can help. Positive relationships with colleagues can help work feel more fulfilling and make you more excited about showing up in the morning. This connection should be based on respect and mutual regard for one anothers contributionsso consider asking a co-worker youve always admired out for lunch or coffee.

Otherwise, it can be valuable to reflect on qualities of your work that you continue to enjoy or deeply care about. With a clear idea of your core values, you can work with colleagues and managers to emphasize those values in your work.

If you answered no to the third question, but yes to the other two, then you fit into the ineffective profile.

Your answers indicate you feel ineffective at work. In this situation, people are feeling discouraged and even hopeless about how well they are doing their work or how much it matters, even though they may like their job and feel energetic about stepping up to the plate. They may enjoy certain aspects of the job, such as their relationships with co-workers and the organizations overall goals. But they are not sure about whether their job performance is hitting the mark and being appreciated, so they are feeling stuck.

What to do about it: The core strategy for addressing inefficacy is to have more rewarding experiences at work. Appreciation or recognition from others can help to move you from an okay job experience to one that is enjoyable and worthwhile. You could ask for new tasks that seem interesting, challenging, or meaningful to you. Or, work on developing relationships with colleagues who can provide advice and feedback to help you grow in your current role and hone skills you would like to have.

If you answered no to all three questions, then you fit into the burnout profile.

Your answers indicate you feel burned out at work. Burned-out people feel exhausted, cynical about the workplace, and ineffective in their jobs. Nothing is going right. Individuals who experience job burnout often feel drained and overwhelmed, and may find it difficult to concentrate on their work. They may also feel a sense of detachment or cynicism towards their job or colleagues, and may struggle to find meaning or purpose in their work. They may also experience headaches, insomnia, and stomach problems, as well as emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, and irritability.

What to do about it: Easing burnout requires a concerted effort, with the goal being to find fulfillment in at least one of the six key areas of worklife: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values.

Ideally, employers should be intimately involved in helping their employees find this fulfillment and ease burnout. Employers can make meaningful changes to help alleviate the stressors that contribute to burnout, perhaps by lessening workloads, supplying more support resources, or giving employees more control over their work and time, just to name a few examples.

If you arent getting the support you need from management, focus on what can be done to fulfill core psychological needs: belonging (feeling like part of something larger), competence (successfully achieving tasks), and autonomy (having control over how you spend your time). Strengthening workplace relationships, taking on projects that feel exciting and meaningful, and working with your manager to find ways to bring your work into alignment with your values can all be good places to start.

Its also important to find ways to recover from the stresses of work, such as getting more sleep; taking rejuvenating breaks, perhaps by sitting down for a screen-free meal or taking a walk; and doing energizing activities, like exercising and spending time with friends and family. Recovery alone isnt enough to eliminate burnoutbut it can help, especially when paired with support and constructive changes from your employer.

If you answered yes to all three questions, then you fit into the engaged profile.

Your answers indicate you feel engaged at work. An engaged situation reflects a good match between your aspirations and your jobbut since both can change at any time, dont get complacent.

For example, with greater job experience, you may want greater autonomy. With more family responsibilities, you may want to revise your work-life balance. The workplace may push employees to do more with less, upsetting your demand-resource balance. Ideally, there is enough flexibility in your work situation for these changes to be manageable. Nevertheless, it is important to know your priorities and to maintain ways of influencing your work situation. And its very important to have a workplace that responds to the needs and hopes of its people. A challenge at this point is identifying values that you share with your manager. You can make a strong case that making your work situation more manageable is not only a plus for workplace health but for your productivity as well.
PHILADELPHIA  An appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former South Jersey police chief who argued racial tensions improperly influenced the jury at his hate-crime trial.

But the three-judge panel also ordered a new sentencing for Frank Nucera Jr., 66, who once led Bordentown Townships police force.

Nucera, who received a 28-month sentence in May 2021, is in a minimum- to low-security prison at FCI Ashland in Kentucky, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Kugler, who was ordered to begin his term on April 30, 2022, has a current release date of Dec. 11, 2023, the BOP says.

Nucera was accused of using excessive force during the arrest of an 18-year-old Trenton resident in September 2016.

Prosecution witnesses at his 2019 trial said Nucera pushed Timothy Stroye's head into a door jamb while removing the Black teen from a Bordentown Township hotel. The jury also heard multiple recordings of the former chief using racial slurs.

More: No release until case is resolved Judge says pair charged in attempt to kill Evesham officers will stay in jail. Here's why

The jury found Nucera had lied to FBI agents during a secretly recorded conversation when he denied touching Stroye.

But the jurors could not agree on charges that alleged hate-crime assault and a civil rights violation.

Nucera jurors alleged Black-white divide

Nuceras appeal presented affidavits from four white jurors who said they faced racial vitriol, intimidation and other misconduct" during tense and sometimes-tearful deliberations.

The four jurors said they believed in Nuceras innocence but yielded to pressure from other jurors to convict him of something so they would not be painted as a racist, the ruling said.

The jurors approached Nucera's attorney, Rocco Cipparone Jr. of Mullica Hill, shortly after the trial.

Nuceras jury was torn by the volatile mix of the evidence with issues of race and racism, the May 5 decision said.

On one side sat nine jurors who would vote to acquit Nucera and on the other side were three jurors  all Black women  who thought Nucera was guilty on each count, it observed.

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The decision upheld an earlier ruling by Nuceras trial judge, who said the defendant had not showed clear, strong evidence of juror misconduct."

Ruling: Black juror at Nucera trial acted properly

It also supported U.S. District Judge Robert Kuglers view that court rules largely prohibit the use of the jurors affidavits to challenge the verdict.

Limited exceptions to those rules were not applicable to Nuceras case, the decision continued.

The ruling also backed Kuglers view that a Black juror, Pamela Richardson, acted appropriately when discussing the impact of racism on herself and her children.

It said Richardson had brought her life experiences to bear on how she viewed the evidence, which is precisely what courts expect jurors to do.

Former chief to get new sentence

But the Third Circuit decision said Kugler erred in sentencing Nucera to the 28-month term in May 2021.

It said the sentencing guidelines were too high because Kugler cross-referenced Nuceras conviction for lying to the FBI to a more stringent penalty for the unproven civil rights violation.

Nucera lied about what he did, but his lie does not constitute or establish a civil rights violation.," the ruling said.

I am pleased Mr. Nucera will have the opportunity to be re-sentenced," said Cipparone.

He said his client can present information "on re-sentencing concerning his incarceration for approximately one year already, the impact it has had on him and his family, and other facts and factors which can be considered starting from the correct lower guideline range.

Nucera faced a second trial on the remaining charges in 2021, but that jury also deadlocked.

Kugler dismissed the charges at the prosecution's request in December 2021.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Frank Nucera Jr. argued race tensions tainted ex-police chief's trial
(AP)

Three years before Jesse McFadden opened fire on his wife and five teenagers, Krystle Strong says she begged several Oklahoma state agencies to halt his early release for good behaviour. McFadden was convicted in 2003 for raping a then 16-year-old Strong, a crime that was supposed to land him in prison for at least 20 years.

So when Ms Strong found out that her attacker was set to be released three years before finishing his sentence in 2020  despite being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor  she tried to warn authorities.

I called the jail, Ms Strong tells The Independent. I believe I left a voicemail and tried to get transferred and I kept getting the runaround. I told them, Look, Ive called you guys over the years several times trying to get updates and Ive seen that you guys are still going to let him out even after you found contraband child porn on his phone. If this doesnt show that somebody isnt rehabilitated, then I dont know what else would.

But her attempts to deter McFaddens return to freedom were fruitless. McFadden was set free, found a job in marketing  according to text messages he found before the massacre, married 35-year-old Holly Guess and moved in together with her and her three children.

Following a search for two teenagers who went missing in Henryetta on Sunday, and after McFadden failed to show up in court over soliciting and child pornography charges that stemmed from the 2017 incident while he was in prison, authorities found a gruesome scene on his property.

Guess, her kids Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, and missing teens Ivy Webster, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15,  who had stayed with Guess children for a sleepover over the weekend  had suffered between one and three fatal gunshot wounds to the head.

Authorities confirmed on Wednesday that McFadden killed the victims before staging the grisly scene and then turning the gun on himself.

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Missing Teens Bodies Found Oklahoma (OKLAHOMAN)

Why was McFadden free?

Ms Strong has questioned the reasoning behind McFaddens release and how he was able to preserve his freedom while facing child pornography charges despite having previous convictions.

My heart just goes out to the families, I cant even begin to imagine, its so sad, Ms Strong. [They failed,] the whole system, the police, Im pissed. The hardest thing is the fact that these babies lost their lives and they didnt get a chance to live.

Ms Strong said she was violently attacked by McFadden at knife-point when she was just 16 years old, and he was 19. Guess family told NewsNation on Wednesday that McFadden reportedly paid a woman to impersonate Ms Strong and tell Guess that it was all a misunderstanding and she was 19 when the rape took place.

He paid people to lie to her. He literally found somebody, whoever, and he paid that person to go to Holly and say that I made up the whole story, Ms Strong said. And I dont believe the knife that he held in my throat was ever brought up either.

Las ninas desaparecidas Brittany Brewer, 16, izquierda, e Ivy Webster, 14, derecha, fueron encontradas muertas en Oklahoma en mayo de 2023. (Brewer family / Webster family via Facebook)

Ms Strong also alleged that she was largely kept in the dark regarding McFaddens whereabouts as he was transferred to different prisons throughout the years.

Theyve never told me where he was living and Im pretty sure that was part of the deal that I was supposed to know about everything he did. Because I was the victim, she said. It was always hard to find him, so I would have to go to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections page to look up where he was. Again, call that [police] and then I was lucky if somebody answered.

Families of the victims have also voiced outrage at McFaddens early release.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? Guess mother Jannette Mayo, told the Associated Press. Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children, my daughter and my grandchildren are all gone ... Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17 (Associated Press)

Ms Mayo said the family didnt learn about her son-in-laws criminal history until a few months ago.

He lied to my daughter, and he convinced her it was all just a huge mistake, the grieving grandmother said. He was very standoffish, generally very quiet, but he kept my daughter and the kids basically under lock and key. He had to know where they were at all times, which sent red flags up.

Justin Webster, who said he allowed his daughter Ivy to join a sleepover at the McFadden home not knowing anything about the mans past, raised similar concerns about McFaddens release.

To get to save some other children, to make a change is what I want to do, Webster told the AP on Tuesday, nothing he was determined to tell Ivys story and our story and get our government officials and everybody to start speaking up loud and keeping those paedophiles in jail.

McFadden texted victim in 2017 case this is all on you

Ms Strong previously told Fox News that she believes McFadden may have been motivated to carry out the massacre because he knew he would go back to jail once his upcoming trial wrapped up. The victim in his most recent case has revealed that McFadden reportedly texted her the night before authorities found the seven victims.

I did exactly what I promised I would do when I got out, the text, exclusively obtained by FOX 23, read. I got a marketing job making great money and was being advanced been there 2 years now and made a great life like I promised I would do with you.

Now its all gone, I told you I wouldnt go back ... This is all on you for continuing this, another set of texts stated.

A memorial is placed at the home of Brittany Brewer in Henryetta, Okla., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 (OKLAHOMAN)

Teens parents were not aware McFadden was a sex offender

On Monday morning, an Amber Alert was issued to find Ivy Webster and Brittany. The Okmulgee County Sheriffs Office said that Ivy had gone out with a friend to the McAlester area and was supposed to return home by 5pm on Sunday but she failed to return home.

The two teens were last seen at around 1.30am on Monday travelling with Jesse McFadden  who was on the states sex offender registry  in a white Chevrolet pickup.

Ivys mother told KJRH that her daughters cellphone tracking had been turned off and said it was unlike her daughter not to respond to messages or calls.

Ivy and Brittany had gone to the McFaddens house for a sleepover with his teenage daughter over the weekend and had been planning to go swimming on a ranch in McAlester but never showed. She said she was unaware of the mans criminal history.

Henryetta Police Chief Steve Norman,left, visits the home of Nathan Brewer in Henryetta Okla., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 (OKLAHOMAN)

Brittanys father also told KOTV that the girls had been to the mans house many previous times without incident.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday on why McFadden was released despite facing new felony charges. When reached by The Independent, the Henryetta Police Department said that McFaddens address was located in an unincorporated part of Okmulgee County and deferred to the Okmulgee County Sheriffs Office.

The Independent has contacted the OCSO for comment.

Victims families reel from devastating loss

Judy White-Allen, the grandmother of victims Rylee and Michael, told The Independent on Tuesday that her family is still processing the unimaginable tragedy.

All I can tell you is my kids are hurting, she said. My son lost his daughter and son. My other kids lost their niece and nephew. My other grandkids lost their cousins. Rylee and Michael have four other siblings that will never know them. Holly was a great mother. She had a big heart.

Mr Brewer told KOTV that his daughter was about to appear in an upcoming pageant. He said his daughter had dreams of being a teacher or a veterinarian.

Brittany was an outgoing person, he said. She actually was selected to be Miss Henryetta in [an upcoming] pageant in Tulsa, and now she aint gonna make it because she dead. Shes gone.

Brittanys grieving mother Malaina Schabell told NewsNation that her daughter had just turned 15 last week.

Pastor Ryan Wells hugs Nathan Brewer, the father of Brittany Brewer who was found dead, after a vigil in Henryetta (OKLAHOMAN)

She told me shed call me later and I never heard anything from her which wasnt normal, Ms Schabell said through tears. I knew something was wrong cause she wasnt answering, I tried to call. I got online on her Facebook and I tried calling her, video calling her, and I messaged her and she wouldnt respond, and it showed she was online and but she wouldnt respond, so I knew something was wrong.

A GoFundMe page in memory of Brittany has been set up to assist with funeral expenses.

This is undoubtedly one of the most difficult times they will ever experience and they need to be focused on their healing instead of worrying about how they are going to pay for Brittanys funeral, a message alongside the fundraiser reads.

Guesss sister Heather Pettigrew has also started a GoFundMe account to cover funeral expenses.

This is a huge tragedy not just for my family but all of our friends and the community, Ms Pettigrew wrote in the description of the fundraiser. So much was lost so quickly and any help is greatly appreciated.

A vigil for the victims is scheduled for Friday, according to family members.
Chinese police beef up efforts to ensure safe railway trips during holiday

Xinhua) 09:57, May 05, 2023

BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Railway police across China launched a high-grade security service in an all-out effort to ensure orderly traffic at railway stations as well as safe and sound train travels during the holiday period, police authorities said on Thursday.

Ample emergency equipment and resources were mobilized in advance, more evacuation areas were set up, and contingency plans were improved in anticipation of rising railway traffic during the holiday, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Railway trips operated safely throughout the May Day holiday, which ran from April 29 to May 3 this year. Between April 28 and May 3, China logged 110 million railway trips, according to the ministry.

As the holiday began, railway police doubled down on efforts to crack down on crimes and violations jeopardizing public order and public security on railway trips.

The police solved a total of 249 criminal cases and 3,018 violations during the holiday, said the ministry.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
TEHRAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Iran has expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats from Iran after declaring them "persona non grata," official news agency IRNA reported on Friday.

The move was a retaliatory response to the expulsion of four Iranian diplomats from Azerbaijan after having been declared "persona non grata" by Baku in April, the report said, without elaborating on the exact timing of the move and its other reasons.

According to IRNA, the four Azerbaijani diplomats were working at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

In early April, Azerbaijan declared four diplomats of the Iranian embassy in Baku as "persona non grata" due to their activities that were "incompatible with diplomatic status."

On April 6, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Iran's ambassador Seyed Abbas Mousavi to inform him that the four should leave the country within 48 hours. 
When Staff Sgt. Dylan Kunze decided he would indefinitely reenlist into the Army, he took to social media in January to see if he could make this reenlistment a special moment. And what better way to do that than to get two of the Armys most senior leaders, on the enlisted and officer side, to participate in the ceremony?

Kunze, who has been in the Army for 10 years and now serves with the 30th Air Defense Artillery Brigade out at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, wondered what are the odds that he could get Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George as his reenlisting officer and Sergeant Major of the Army Michael Grinston to hold the flag at the ceremony. He worried, though, that it was too late to get him on the books for the ceremony.

I wanted to do something big, because this was the last reenlistment, Kunze told Military Times. Ive already done the cool location, or the cool thing for it. So I was just thinking to myself How could I really make this as big as it can be?

Lo and behold, Kunze said some wonderful people came together to make sure he could get his wish for his reenlistment. George and Grinston took part in the ceremony in February.

Biden taps Army vice chief to be services top officer

Im happy and honored to have been able to participate in Staff Sgt. Kunzes reenlistment, George said in a statement to Military Times, adding that hes thankful that Kunze and his family have chosen to continue serving.

Such high-ranking officials taking part in his ceremony exemplified those aspects of military service  comradery and leadership  that made Kunze want to make it a career.

When he and his wife experienced the loss of a child in 2020, Kunze said his commanding officer and enlisted leaders helped himself and his family through those difficult times.

Ive met a whole slew of great leaders in the Army and theyve always just been there for me, Kunze said.

Kunze, who enlisted as an infantryman before moving over to the Patriot Fire Control Enhanced Operator/Maintainer field in 2017, called the ceremony an honor and said that he had a number of colleagues wondering why they didnt think of this particular reenlistment request for themselves. He said people were flabbergasted online that the ceremony included Grinston holding the flag during the reenlistment.

Our Soldiers and Families are the most important part of our Army, Grinston said in a statement to Military Times. When leaders engage and support them, it makes an impact. I was honored to be asked to be there and proud to hold the flag for such a great NCO.
The Archbishop of Canterbury holds the ritual crown of England, the crown of St. Edward, over the head of Queen Elizabeth II, during the coronation ceremonies in Westminster Abbey, London on June 2, 1953. | Associated Press

Saturdays coronation of King Charles III will celebrate the United Kingdoms religious past, present and future by pairing ancient rituals with newly designed nods to the countrys growing diversity, according to experts on the British monarchy and its traditions.

Crafted by the leader of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, this weekends coronation rite will  for the first time  include holy men and women from other faiths, even as it spotlights Christian teachings about God and kings.

The coronation is first and foremost an act of Christian worship, said Archbishop Welby in an April 29 statement.

But its an act of worship that will also aim to accomplish some secular goals, including presenting the new king as someone who is sensitive to the concerns of people of all faiths and none.

Charles is trying to bridge the differences between the faith groups that make up Britains increasingly diverse society. Achieving that goal is critical to the new kings efforts to show that the monarchy, a 1,000-year-old institution with Christian roots, can still represent the people of modern, multicultural Britain, The Associated Press reported.

Related

Religions historic role in the coronation

Religion has always played a central role in the coronation rite, which was last undertaken 70 years ago when Charles mother, Queen Elizabeth II, took the throne.

The service combines religious and secular rituals, nestling practices like the formal crowning of the new monarch in between the pieces of a typical worship service, such as scripture readings and a sermon.

But, as Archbishop Welby noted, much of the focus is on the new monarchs promises to God, not the kingdoms promises to the new monarch.

The signs, symbols and language we use remind us that our God is the Servant King, he said.

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In the past, the service has celebrated one particular faith group, rather than religion in general. Its been led by members of the king or queens own religious tradition, meaning the Church of England since the 16th century and the Catholic Church before that.

This year, the Church of England is still at the center of the rite, but Archbishop Welby, in consultation with the royal family, designed the service to better reflect the U.K.s religious diversity.

New elements have been chosen to express the theme of loving service that lies at the heart of the Christian faith and contemporary monarchy, and to represent and celebrate the diversity of our nation today, the April 29 statement said.

Britains Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, kneeling, places his hands between those of Queen Elizabeth II, his wife, as he swears homage, during the coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey, June 2, 1953. | Associated Press

Religion in the U.K. today

In the 70 years since Elizabeths coronation, the United Kingdom, like many other countries, has undergone a religious transformation.

Seventy years ago, more than 80% of the people of England were Christian, and the mass migration that would change the face of the nation was just beginning. That figure has now dropped below half, with 37% saying they have no religion, 6.5% calling themselves Muslim and 1.7% Hindu, according to the latest census figures, The Associated Press reported.

Charles has hinted at these religious shifts many times in public addresses, presenting himself as a defender of religious diversity, in addition to being a defender of the Church of England. (One of the monarchs formal titles is Defender of the Faith.)

For example, about a week after his mother died, Charles told a group of faith leaders that, although he is a committed Anglican Christian, he will protect peoples right to make their own decisions about faith.

I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals, he said, according to Religion News Service.

Changes to the coronation rite

In light of demographic changes and Charles embrace of religious diversity, it made sense for the Church of England to work with the royal family to update the coronation rite, according to monarchy experts.

Saturdays service will contain many of the coronation rituals that have been in place for more than 1,000 years, but it will also include some new additions that allow non-Anglican members of the clergy to be involved.

Here are some of the changes put in place by Archbishop Welby in consultation with Charles:

The king will offer a prayer during the service highlighting his duty to serve all communities.

The Archbishop of Canterbury will make a statement about the Church of England embracing religious diversity just before Charles takes the coronation oath.

Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Sikh leaders, among others, will take part in the presentation of regalia. Theyll be responsible for items that dont have ties to Christianity, according to the April 29 press release.

Leaders from non-Christian faiths will formally greet Charles at the end of the ceremony as he makes his way out of Westminster Abbey.

This years coronation rite will make history not just by including non-Christian faith leaders, but also female bishops from within the Church of England. It will also be the first such ceremony to feature prayers and songs performed in Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic.

Which other religious leaders are participating in the coronation?

Other religious leaders will participate in the coronation as members of the crowd.

For example, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, a top Catholic leader, will represent Pope Francis and the Vatican at the event, according to Christopher Lamb, who covers the Catholic Church for The Tablet.

Christ Trott, who serves as British ambassador to the Holy See, believes its been nearly 500 years since the Vatican sent a cardinal to take part in a coronation ceremony.

The overall theme of the event is called to serve, according to the archbishops office.

It is my prayer that all who share in this service, whether they are of faith or no faith, will find ancient wisdom and new hope that brings inspiration and joy, Archbishop Welby said in his April 29 statement.

Mixed reception to the archbishops plans

Although the archbishop and Charles have both received praise for their efforts to diversify the coronation rite, not everyone is happy with the adjustments.

One conservative religious commentator recently warned that a multifaith ceremony could weaken the kingly roots of the monarchy, The Associated Press reported.

But this pushback has triggered its own wave of pushback from those who find it silly to worry about the participation of non-Christian religious leaders when the service will still be led by Anglican priests in a church affiliated with the Church of England.

The coronation remains fundamentally a Church of England rite. The monarch, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England, is crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, that same churchs leading primate, wrote Catherine Pepinster, author of a book on religion and the coronation, for Religion News Service.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis said Friday he plans to decide whether to run for president in 2024 relatively soon.

DeSantiss comments came during a news conference marking the conclusion of Floridas legislative session. Reports have suggested for months now that the governor would join the 2024 race sometime after the session ended.

I felt very confident going into November 22 we were gonna do very well, but you really had to put up or shut up on that, DeSantis said of his landslide 19-point reelection win last year.

I also understood that we had this opportunity here to be able to really, really do a lot of great stuff, and Ive always said that were gonna see this through, he added. What happens in the future? Well get on that relatively soon. You either gotta put or shut up on that as well.

Late last month, DeSantis dismissed reports that he planned to announce his candidacy in mid-May or early June.

If theres any announcements, those will come at the appropriate time, he said. But if anyones telling you that somehow they know this or they know that, thats just inaccurate because theres not been any decisions made.

DeSantis has visited several areas across the country over the past two months to promote his book, The Courage to Be Free: Floridas Blueprint for Americas Revival, allowing him to fortify his national star power. Hes visited several early primary states, including Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina.

In early March, Ken Cuccinelli, who previously served as the acting deputy secretary of Homeland Security under Trump, announced the launch of the Never Back Down PAC to urge DeSantis to run for president.

DeSantis would join an ever-growing Republican field that includes former president Donald Trump, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson.

Other Republicans weighing a potential 2024 bid include former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and former New Jersey governor Chris Christie.

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A polling average from FiveThirtyEight has Trump leading with 52 percent of the vote. DeSantis trails behind at 22.9 percent, coming in ahead of Pence with 5.7 percent and Haley at 4 percent.

More from National Review
Repairing the damage to writer E. Jean Carroll's reputation caused by then-President Donald Trump's Oct. 12, 2022, social media post that allegedly defamed her could cost up to $2.7 million, a marketing expert told the jury Thursday on the last day of testimony in Carroll's defamation and battery case against the former president.

Carroll, who brought the lawsuit in November, alleges that Trump defamed her in his Truth Social post by calling her allegations "a Hoax and a lie" and saying "This woman is not my type!" when he denied her claim that Trump raped her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the 1990s.

The former Elle magazine columnist added a charge of battery under a recently adopted New York law that allows adult survivors of sexual abuse to sue their alleged attacker regardless of the statute of limitations. Trump has denied all allegations that he raped Carroll or defamed her.

MORE: 3rd accuser testifies Trump started 'kissing me' during 2005 visit to Mar-a-Lago

Northwestern University professor Ashlee Humphrey testified Thursday that Trump's post, in which he called Carroll's claim a "con job," was viewed between 13 and 18 million times, and she estimated that about 5 million users believed its content.

Humphreys told the jury that although Trump posted his statement solely on his Truth Social platform, "it appeared widely" throughout the mass media.

Repairing Carroll's reputation through a publicity campaign would cost between $368,000 and $2.7 million, Humphreys testified.

The testimony is the first that speaks to a potential damage award if the jury finds Trump liable for defamation or battery. The nine-member jury of six men and three women is weighing Carroll's defamation and battery claims and deciding potential monetary damages.

PHOTO: Author E. Jean Carroll leaves federal court in New York, May 3, 2023. (Stephanie Keith/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

On cross-examination, Humphreys agreed that Trump's views of Carroll's rape allegation were well-known by the time he made the post in October 2022.

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"The horse was kind of out of the barn," defense attorney Perry Brandt said.

Earlier in the day, the jury viewed clips from Trump's videotaped deposition, including the moment when he was shown a photograph of Carroll from the 1980s and said, "That's Marla," momentarily confusing his rape accuser for his second wife, Marla Maples.

Carroll's attorneys argued that belies Trump's assertion that Carroll is not his type.

Asked during the deposition about the so-called "Access Hollywood" video in which Trump is heard bragging about how he grabs and kisses women without consent, Trump was seen dismissing the remarks as "locker room talk."

Trump was also seen on the deposition video calling Carroll a "nut job."

MORE: In deposition, Trump mistook rape accuser E. Jean Carroll for his 2nd wife

The final witness was Roberta Myers, the former editor-in-chief of Elle magazine, who called Carroll a "truth teller" and spoke to the popularity of her advice column.

"They loved her. The readers loved her," Myers said.

Carroll lost her column after going public with her rape claim against Trump in 2019, and testified earlier about what that cost her both financially and emotionally.

A day after defense attorney Joe Tacopina told Judge Lewis Kaplan that Trump would not be mounting a defense, the judge asked Tacopina, once both sides had rested their case Thursday, to reaffirm that.

"Mr. Trump waives his right to testify in this case, is that right?" Kaplan asked. "Yes sir," Tacopina answered.

MORE: 'Trump raped me,' E. Jean Carroll testifies in battery, defamation case

Asked how recently Tacopina had spoken to Trump about it, Tacopina said it was a few minutes before he arrived in court.

The judge allowed Trump one more chance to reconsider, giving Tacopina until 5 p.m. Sunday to file a motion to reopen the case for the sole purpose of Trump's testifying.

"He has a right to testify, which has been waived -- but if he has second thoughts, I will at least consider it," the judge said.

If there is no such motion by 5 p.m. Sunday, Kaplan said, "that ship has irrevocably sailed."

Each side is expected to deliver closing statements Monday. The judge is then expected to charge the jury on Tuesday, followed by the start of deliberations.

Jurors will first be asked to decide whether Carroll proved that Trump committed a battery. If so, the jury would be asked to decide what kind -- forcible touching, sex abuse or rape -- and then consider compensatory and punitive damages.

The jury would then move to Carroll's defamation claim and decide whether Trump's October 2022 social media post about Carroll was made with actual malice.

MORE: E. Jean Carroll says 'shameful' feelings kept her from reporting alleged assault by Trump

Carroll's lawsuit is her second against Trump related to her rape allegation.

She previously sued Trump in 2019 after the then-president denied her rape claim by telling The Hill that Carroll was "totally lying," saying, "I'll say it with great respect: No. 1, she's not my type. No. 2, it never happened. It never happened, OK?" That defamation suit has been caught in a procedural back-and-forth over the question of whether Trump, as president, was acting in his official capacity as an employee of the federal government when he made those remarks.

If Trump is determined to have been acting as a government employee, the U.S. government would substitute as the defendant in that suit -- which means that case would go away, since the government cannot be sued for defamation.

This month's trial is taking place as Trump seeks the White House for a third time, while facing numerous legal challenges related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, his handling of classified material after leaving the White House, and possible attempts to interfere in Georgia's 2020 vote.

Repairing Trump's alleged damage to E. Jean Carroll's reputation could cost up to $2.7 million, expert testifies originally appeared on abcnews.go.com
By Alasdair Pal and Lucy Craymer

SYDNEY/WELLINGTON (Reuters) - The leaders of Australia and New Zealand will pledge their allegiance to King Charles at his coronation in London on Saturday even though both are life-long republicans who do not shy away from making their positions clear.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his New Zealand counterpart, Chris Hipkins, have travelled to London where they are due to meet Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday.

They met the king earlier in the week.

King Charles is head of state in Australia, New Zealand and 12 other Commonwealth realms outside the United Kingdom, although the role is largely ceremonial.

The two countries are holding events to celebrate the coronation, from tree-planting to military fly-pasts, though there is expected to be less pageantry than after the death of Queen Elizabeth last year.

The death of the queen reignited debate in Australia about the need to retain a distant constitutional monarchy.

Australia held a referendum in 1999 on becoming a republic with 55% of voters opposed. Polls in recent years have shown varying support for a republic, with most showing a small majority of Australians in favour.

But neither Albanese nor Hipkins are actively campaigning for the British monarch to be replaced as head of state despite their republican convictions.

"I haven't changed my position on that and I've made that very clear. I want to see an Australian as Australia's head of state," Albanese said in an interview with state broadcaster ABC on Friday.

"That doesn't mean that you can not have respect for the institution, which is the system of government that we have."

Albanese said would take the oath of allegiance to King Charles at the ceremony.

"People expect me to not come to the king's coronation in order to create a controversy," he said.

Hipkins told a news conference on Monday he was on "record as being a Republican" but that "it's not something I intend to push".

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"I don't regard it as a priority," he said. "The constitutional arrangements that we have are working quite soundly at the moment."

New Zealand's defence force will fire off two 21-gun salutes on Sunday, while the Australian air force is planning a fly-past over Parliament House in Canberra.

Various prominent buildings including Aucklands Harbour Bridge and Skytower and parliament buildings in both capitals will be lit up - but not Sydney's famous Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney and Lucy Craymer in Wellington; Editing by Robert Birsel)
(Getty Images)

The leading Republican candidate for governor in North Carolina has a long history of mocking teenage survivors of the 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, CNN reported.

Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson, who recently announced his candidacy for governor, called survivors who have called for legislation to prevent gun violence spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN and spoiled little bastards.

Mr Robinson rose to prominence after he spoke at a city council meeting opposing a measure that would would have canceled a local gun show right after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A clip of his remarks subsequently went viral.

Shortly after the shooting, Mr Robinson compared the students who launched the March for Our Lives organisation to communists. In one Facebook post, he mocked the activists posing for photos with an image that had a caption of the look you get when you let the devil give you a ride on a river of blood to 15 minutes of Fameville.

On Twitter, he also mocked the students for when they got sassy with adults and said adults should make sure CHILDREN knew their place.

Mr Robinson has since became a sensation in right-wing circles, appearing in videos for the National Rifle Association. Mr Robinson also defended the 1970 shooting of Kent State University students protesting the Vietnam War.

The shooting that happened at Kent State now, I dont know how much you know about that shooting at Kent State, but people have got to understand it, he said in a 2018 podcast interview. We have the constitutional right to peacefully assemble. Now peacefully assemble does not mean you could throw bricks at National Guardsmen, bust out windows and block traffic. Once you cross that line into violence and the disruption of public transportation and public services and start blocking the entrances of a federal building, you are no longer a protester.

This came despite the fact that the Nixon administration-commission Presidents Commission on Campus Unrest said the shooting was unjustified.

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In yet another problematic post on Facebook, Mr Robinson also called the March for Our Lives event in Washington a march of pawns in Washington today. He tweeted that one college-aged attendee put that sign down and go read a book dummy and They live. They breathe. Theyll procreate. #funnybutscary.

Mr Robinson also called March for Our Lives leader David Hogg a commie stooge, activist and survivor X Gonzalez that bald chick and called them stupid kids.

North Carolina currently has a Democratic Governor in Roy Cooper and Mr Robinson won his first race in 2020 the same year Mr Cooper won re-election. Mr Robinson has a history of making antisemitic comments as well.
A Coral Gables outdoor mall is luring new stores at a time when national retail closures are making headlines, exemplifying the strong retailing sector in South Florida.

The three-story Shops at Merrick Park, at 358 San Lorenzo Ave., will welcome six retailers by fall, said Carlos Limontes, senior general manager. Its a sign, Limontes said, of businesses placing big bets on the established and booming Coral Gables, as well as the continuing migration of wealthy newcomers to the wider region.

The malls Mediterranean-style architecture, featuring limestone columns, terracotta rooftops and outdoor fountains, blends with the Gables.

The incoming stores include: sustainable home furnishings seller Arhaus; cigar vendor Coco Cigars; nonalcoholic spirits retailer Boisson; luxury mens and womens shoes, clothing and accessories retailer Louis Vuitton; yoga clothier Alo Yoga; and casual American clothing seller Splendid.

These tenants will replace some well-known stores like Artefacto, the high-end Brazilian furniture store which operates a mammoth-sized location nearby in the city on U.S. 1.

In recent months, South Florida malls Aventura, Dadeland, Brickell City Centre and Sawgrass Mills have also announced new tenants. The retailing upswing here runs contrary to much of the rest of the country, where online shopping and home delivery of goods have crushed malls. Nationwide, for example, financial challenges have caused Bed Bath & Beyond to close all of its stores, while Bath & Body Works and Foot Locker are contracting. Also, department store chains Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus, usually mall anchors, are closing stores in certain cities.

The reason for success at Shops at Merrick Park is its location, Limontes said. You can see all of the growth in Coral Gables, he said. People want to live here, work here and shop here.

The 18-acre shopping area sits off of U.S. 1 and close to the Douglas Road metrorail station, conveniently situated for those living outside of trendy Coral Gables to come and shop. It also draws customers from nearby offices, apartments and condominiums. Since the retailing destination opened in 2002, the surrounding area in the Gables continues flourishing with real estate development.

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Owned by New York-based real estate development and management firm Brookfield Properties, Merrick Park has room for about 100 stores and restaurants. There are only two vacancies.

Gabriel Monti, co-founder of French clothing brand Eden Park, opened in the Gables mall a year ago. The retailer has 60 locations worldwide since starting in 1987. It has two stores in the United States  one in Miami and another in Boston. Monti said hes seen customer growth over the past few months.

It is a little harder than before, but this is the world we are living in now, Monti said. If you have the right product at the right time at the right place, you are going to succeed. Thats why we choose a small quantity of stores. The old mindset in the retail used to be big spaces, no attention to clients. Now, you need to provide something to the client, have that relationship, if not you can buy over the internet. Thats what were trying to do.

Here are the retailers plus ballet dance school slated to open at Shops at Merrick Park:

 Alo Yoga, fall.

 Arhaus, fall.

 Boisson, summer.

 Coco Cigars, summer.

 Louis Vuitton, summer.

 Splendid, summer.

 Miami Royal Ballet Dance School, summer.
A May 16, 1846 newspaper showing the position of Taylor's army in Matamoros, Mexico. From the personal collection of Herb Canales.

At 9:15 a.m. on April 16, the Greyhound bus pulled out of the station on Leopard Street and headed to Harlingen. The weather was pleasant promising a comfortable ride ahead. I had chosen travel by bus in order to relax and conduct research on my Samsung phone.

I marveled at the view of the new bridge, as the bus pulled onto Interstate Hwy. 37, whose construction issues have been recently resolved between TxDOT and the contractor.

This project, so vital to the Corpus Christi economy and its position nationally and globally, is on track again. The Port Industries are after all what connects the city to the world.

But the nature of my trip was to take me back in time. An announcement of a lecture at the Rio Grande Valley Hispanic Genealogical Society in Harlingen was to focus on the Palo Battlefield National Battlefield Historical Park, located 30 minutes south.

The park is part of the National Park Service, a successful operation and worth a visit.

I had attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the visitor center in 2002 at the request of Ed Harte, former Caller-Times newspaper publisher, who had offered a million dollars to develop a historic site marking the Zachary Taylor encampment site in Corpus Christi.

Taylors army spent some seven months here beginning in July 1845, training and waiting for orders. Those would come and a war between Mexico and the United States would ensue in May 1846 at present day Brownsville.

The outcome would change the destiny of the Mexico and the United States  extending the young republic to the Pacific and setting the stage for U.S. dominance on the world stage in the next century.

Corpus Christi took its place on the map  being incorporated in 1852. In short order it would pursue deep water, culminating in the establishment of the port in 1926, now one of the largest in the nation.

But alas Hartes gift was pulled back amid opposition from a small group. Brownsville welcomed the historical park and reaps the benefit of added tourism.

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American cannonball found in Monterrey, Mexico. From the personal collection of Herb Canales.

Being frank, Corpus Christi blew it, and lost one million dollars, for starters, for what would have been a real impetus to downtown redevelopment.

I was eager to hear the park ranger. As it turned out she did not show up. But I stepped up and presented a program, off the cuff, focusing on the contrasts between Corpus Christi and Brownsville.

My talk was well received. The audience was engaged. None spoke in opposition to the historical park.

I was proud to have been able to present and to revisit an issue I am still committed to. On the personal level, I have collected material on the war, particularly newspapers of the day. It was the first war that newspapers covered in a major way.

I must recognize the late CPA and local historian Dan Kilgore who got me started in studying local history.As president of the Nueces County Historical Society I was honored to have led the organization to establish an annual local history awards ceremony in Dans memory.

Because of Dan I was prepared when Ed Harte asked for my help. God rest their souls.

Herb Canales is a fifth-generation Corpus Christi resident. He served as the city of Corpus Christi's library director for 27 years.

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Revisiting the Zachary Taylor camp, and a missed opportunity for city
Glossip has refused plea deals because he says he is innocent

A convicted man in Oklahoma has escaped a fourth execution attempt after a rare intervention from the US Supreme Court.

The court halted Richard Glossip's 18 May execution after the state's top lawman said he did not receive a fair trial.

In 2015, Glossip was only a few steps away from the execution chamber when guards halted the execution to review the lethal injection drugs.

The order puts the sentence on hold for now while the court considers the case.

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond has re-investigated the conviction and asked for a new trial on the grounds that prosecutors concealed information about his accuser that could have helped him fight the charge.

Glossip's boss Barry Van Treese, the owner of the Oklahoma City motel, was beaten to death in 1997.

His colleague Justin Sneed was convicted of the killing but said Glossip had ordered him to carry out the murder.

Glossip, 60, and his family have maintained his innocence during his 26 years in prison, saying that Sneed acted alone.

He was first convicted in 1998 but that was overturned in 2001, only for Glossip to be convicted again three years later.

During his time behind bars, he has eaten three last meals, and seen his execution scheduled for nine different dates.

Attorney General Drummond, a Republican, found in a report released last year that prosecutors at his 2004 re-trial did not disclose that Glossip's accuser had been treated for a serious psychiatric condition.

"Absent this court's intervention, an execution will move forward under circumstances where the Attorney General has already confessed error  a result that would be unthinkable," Mr Drummond wrote in his request to the court.

The stay will remain in place until the court decides whether to order a new trial and possibly toss out his conviction.

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The case has received international attention, with Pope Francis, Kim Kardashian and Richard Branson voicing support for Glossip.

"There's so many exonerations in this country - so many people were railroaded, so many people's lives were taken from them," Glossip told CNN on Thursday. "Why is it so hard for people to think that somebody's actually innocent?"

Glossip, who married an anti-death penalty activist last year, says he has remained focused on the things he wants to do if he gets out of prison.

"I've never been on a plane  So they want to get me on a plane and take me somewhere," he said. "And I've never seen the ocean, so we want to go do that."
Rapper Rick Ross is planning a star-studded car show (Lil Wayne is expected to perform!) at his estate in Fayetteville, Georgia. His neighbors, on the other hand, are not feeling it!

With more than 6,000 people expected to attend the event, concerned residents are filing complaints, according to WSB-TV.

Expressing their concerns to the Fayette County Board of Commissioners, neighbors said the Grammy-nominated rappers car show from last year caused traffic problems and a host of other issues.

We feel locked out, a homeowner told WSB-TV. It took me 40 minutes to get out of my subdivision.

Another person said last years car show gave him massive headaches. The residents are now signing petitions in attempt to stop Ross show, which is scheduled for June 3.

Some of our people already talking about going on vacation or going somewhere during that time because you cant get out or in, one neighbor said.

The commissioners have considered filing an injunction to put a shop to the show, but they are still reviewing the matter.

Ross has since responded to his neighbors complaints via Instagram, saying that he wouldnt even feel right if they wasnt boycotting. He added, It was never handed to me I would be confused if they wasnt boycotting the boss.

As Blavity previously reported in March, Ross neighbors also complained about the rappers pet buffaloes, which he received as a gift from business partner Darius Burton. A neighbor called police after two of the Buffaloes began grazing on her land and said the animals could be a danger to her children.
RAMALLAH, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army on Friday handed over the bodies of three Palestinians who were killed by Israeli soldiers more than 50 days ago to the Palestinian side, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement.

In coordination with the Palestinian liaison office of security coordination with Israel, the Israeli army handed the bodies over to the Palestinian side at an Israeli army checkpoint near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, the statement adds.

The Palestinian WAFA news agency identified the victims as Odai Shami, Jihad Shami, and Mohammad Dabik, who were killed by Israeli soldiers on March 12 while they were in a car close to the Israeli military checkpoint of Sarra near Nablus. Their bodies were taken away by the Israeli soldiers ever since.

According to statistics released by the Palestinian Authority in November last year, Israel is withholding the bodies of more than 110 Palestinians killed by Israeli soldiers since 2015, including 10 minors, eight prisoners, and three women.

The Palestinian Authority also said 256 Palestinians who have been killed in the conflicts with Israel since 1967 were buried at a cemetery in northern Israel.

In the past few months, the Israeli army has carried out daily raids on Palestinian towns, villages, and refugee camps, mainly in the northern West Bank. Israelis claim that they want to arrest Palestinian militants wanted by Israeli security forces.

According to official Palestinian figures, the tension between Israelis and the Palestinians has killed more than 100 Palestinians since January. Meanwhile, Israeli sources said that 19 Israelis were killed in attacks carried out by Palestinians in Israel and the West Bank. 
Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., is urging House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to keep the American people at the top of his mind when the Republican leader meets with President Biden to discuss the debt ceiling Tuesday.

"He's got to talk about what he's trying to do for the American public," Scott told Fox News Digital when asked what advice he'd give McCarthy for next week. "This is not for you or me  I mean, except as citizens  it's for every American. We've got to balance the budget, live within our means, get this inflation under control."

Scott worked closely with House conservatives on their spending cut demands, some of which made it into House Republicans' recently-passed debt limit bill that will be the subject of next week's White House meeting.

Biden on Monday invited the four top members of Congress to the White House for a May 9 meeting. That invitation came days after House Republicans passed a bill aimed at raising the debt limit, either by $1.5 trillion or through March 2024. The bill also includes spending cuts estimated to have the federal government spend about $140 billion to $180 billion less on discretionary programs compared to the current fiscal year.

HOUSE PASSES MCCARTHY'S DEBT CEILING BILL BY TWO VOTES; FOUR REPUBLICANS VOTE AGAINST

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., walks out of the U.S. Capitol May 3, 2023, for a news conference to urge the White House and Senate Democrats to pass the House GOP legislation that would raise the debt limit and cut federal spending.

But Biden and Senate Democrats, led by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, have flatly refused to pair spending cut talks with raising the debt limit and insist the government's borrowing limit should be increased without condition.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

SENATE REPUBLICANS, INCLUDING MCCONNELL, SAY DEBT LIMIT FIGHT IS BETWEEN MCCARTHY AND BIDEN

Scott pledged to do "everything [he] can to support" McCarthy going into the meeting.

"I think it was a yeoman's job to bring everybody together to get something done in the House, and so I think I'm going to do everything I can to help explain what he's trying to do, why he's trying to do it, and hopefully get Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden to start showing up," Scott said.

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McCarthy's debt limit bill has managed to unite the Senate's Republican conference. Both conservative and moderate GOP lawmakers made clear they're willing to let the speaker and the president lead negotiations, at least for now.

Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., center left, speaks during a news conference outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, May 3, 2023.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, instrumental in helping the U.S. avoid a near default in 2011, has said he will attend the May 9 White House meeting but indicated he too would take a back seat.

"It should be clear to the administration that the Senate isnt a relevant player this time," McConnell told reporters this week.

SCHUMER REJECTS HOUSE DEBT CEILING BILL, PLANS HEARINGS TO EXPOSE GOP'S RECKLESS LEGISLATION

Scott, who previously clashed with McConnell over the Senate GOP leadership race late last year, would not directly say whether he agreed with the Republican leader. But he did say GOP senators should be "active" in supporting McCarthy.

"Our job right now is do everything we can to promote what Kevin McCarthy did and push Chuck Schumer to bring that bill to the floor. And then let's improve it," he said.

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and President Biden

He pointed out that he led a press conference attended by more than a dozen senators Wednesday, where they firmly spoke in support of McCarthy's debt limit bill and called on Biden and Schumer to come to the negotiating table. He made it clear they will not support the "clean" debt ceiling increase that Democrats are seeking.

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"Every Republican senator ought to be active on this. It's a big issue for the country. Yesterday, I led a group of 19 senators. We went out, and we did a press conference on the importance of doing everything we can to help Kevin McCarthy," Scott said.
ROCHESTER  Haydee Rivera-Nadeau, 65, of Somersworth, accused of shooting another woman in the head in a Rochester office building, waived extradition Friday from North Carolina. This paves the way for her to be returned to New Hampshire to face charges.

Rochester police Capt. Andrew Swanberry said he had no update Friday on the condition of the victim, who was in Portsmouth Regional Hospital in critical condition a day earlier.

A woman was shot in the head at the Professional Arts Centre office building at 40 Winter St. in Rochester Monday, May 1, 2023, according to police.

Chief Deputy Joseph T. McGivern of the Strafford County Sheriff's Department said the agency will be responsible for transporting Rivera-Nadeau to New Hampshire.

"Upon receipt of her in our jurisdiction, we will commence criminal charges against her," said Strafford County Attorney Tom Velardi.

Haydee Rivera-Nadeau

Rivera-Nadeau allegedly fled to the area of Charlotte in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina after shooting a 50-year-old woman in the head at the Professional Arts Centre office building at 40 Winter St. on May 1. She was arrested May 3.

"I cannot comment on the relation between the two at this time, but can say we quickly identified the suspect," Swanberry said previously.

Rivera-Nadeau is charged with first-degree assault, second-degree assault and attempted second-degree murder, as well as being a fugitive from justice. Rivera-Nadeau was being held at Mecklenburg County jail, following her arraignment in Mecklenburg County District Court on Thursday, May 4.

Local news: Katie Ambrose to be Rochester's first woman city manager

More local news: Lawsuit alleges woman, 31, died in Strafford County jail after being denied medical care

Swanberry said the Professional Arts Centre houses lab testing, dental offices and general office space.

Rochester police ask anyone with information to call the department at (603) 330-7128 or report tips anonymously to Rochester Crime Line at (603) 335-6500 or text to: CRIMES (274637) and include TEXT4CASH in the body of the text with your tip. Cash rewards may be offered for information leading to an arrest.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: Rochester office shooting suspect heading back to NH to face charges
Bangladesh officials said 20 Rohingyas and seven officials were visiting two villages built as part of a pilot repatriation project

A Rohingya refugee delegation arrived in Myanmar on Friday to tour new facilities built for the revival of a long-stalled plan to return the persecuted minority to their homeland.

Bangladesh is home to about a million Rohingya, most of whom fled a 2017 military crackdown in neighbouring Myanmar that is now subject to a UN genocide investigation.

Both countries signed an agreement to return them later that year, but little progress has been made since, and the United Nations has repeatedly warned conditions were not right for their repatriation.

Bangladesh officials said Friday that 20 Rohingya and seven officials including a border guard officer were visiting two model villages erected for the pilot return project.

"We departed from Teknaf jetty with 20 Rohingya members, including three women," Bangladesh's deputy refugee commissioner Mohammed Khalid Hossain told AFP

"They will see the various facilities created for the purpose of repatriation to Myanmar," he said as their boat left the river port for neighbouring Maungdaw township.

Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mizanur Rahman told AFP the new facilities include a market, hospital and reception centre for returning refugees.

Officials have told AFP they expect repatriations to begin later this month, before the annual monsoon season.

Rohingya refugees, who have spent nearly six years living in overcrowded and squalid camps in Bangladesh, have been consistently sceptical of the scheme since it became public knowledge in March.

They say that none of their queries about security or recognition of their right to citizenship in Myanmar has been answered.

"Why will we be sent to Myanmar without citizenship?" a refugee who said they were also part of Friday's delegation told AFP earlier this week, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The Rohingya are widely viewed in Myanmar as interlopers from Bangladesh, despite roots in the country stretching back centuries.

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- 'Must be voluntary' -

The UN refugee agency said it was aware of the trip, which was taking place "under a bilateral arrangement between Bangladesh and Myanmar".

"UNHCR is not involved in arranging this visit. However, we reiterate that every refugee has an inalienable right to return to their home country," agency spokesperson Regina De La Portilla told AFP.

"Refugee returns must be voluntary, in safety and dignity," she added. "No refugee should be forced to do so."

Myanmar junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, who has dismissed the Rohingya identity as "imaginary", was head of the armed forces during the 2017 crackdown.

The International Court of Justice is probing allegations of rape, murder and arson against entire Rohingya villages by Myanmar's security forces during that year's violence.

The repatriation plan agreed to in 2017 failed to make any significant headway in the years since, partly over concerns the Rohingya would not be safe if they returned.

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Last summer, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed the state prosecutor in Hillsborough County, Andrew Warren, generating controversy and a major lawsuit. Though DeSantis claimed he removed Warren for a supposed failure to protect public safety, Warren says it was pure politics. This has become part of the authoritarian playbook, Warren recently told NBC News.

Now another Democratic prosecutor in the state thinks DeSantis is coming after her.

Monique Worrell, the state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, in Orange and Osceola counties, said in a scathing April 28 letter that DeSantis seeks to exploit his political agenda against me and that she thinks his office is trying to build and justify a baseless case against a prosecutor he simply disagrees with politically.

DeSantis office has not said publicly if he is seeking to remove Worrell, but her office said recent actions by state officials indicate they are working to build a case for suspension.

Worrell said state law enforcement officials have been requesting data from her first two years in office, suggesting they are trying to cherry-pick incidents to build a case for dismissal.

In an odd twist, some state officials are not asking about specific cases but essentially asking Worrell to build a case against herself. Late last month, State Committeewoman Debbie Galvin asked Worrells office to provide examples of cases in which justice was not served for victims of human trafficking. She did not specify which cases she wanted. She seemingly wanted us to identify cases for her, Keisha Mulfort, a spokesperson in Worrells office, told HuffPost.

Galvin told an employee in Worrells office that she was supposed to provide the information to DeSantis and needed to have it to them by May 1.

Ms. Galvins efforts support the fact that there arent any policies that would justify my suspension, and the Governors team is pursuing this witch-hunt to establish a basis for the removal of another duly-elected prosecutor, Worrell wrote in an April 28 letter to Galvin. This request mirrors similar requests from local law enforcement officials who have requested data of my first two years in office. These requests are unprecedented.

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DeSantis office has also focused on a shooting spree in Pine Hills on Feb. 22 that left three people dead, including a local journalist and a 9-year-old child. DeSantis office concluded that the accused shooter, Keith Moses, a 19-year-old Black man, was a threat to society and that Worrells office was negligent for not prosecuting him for an earlier marijuana offense.

State Attorney Monique Worrell holds a news conference on March 9 about the case against Keith Moses, accused of killing three people on Feb. 22.

State Attorney Monique Worrell holds a news conference on March 9 about the case against Keith Moses, accused of killing three people on Feb. 22.

On March 10, Worrell announced she would file charges against Moses. A grand jury indicted Moses on first-degree murder charges nearly a month later. He has pleaded not guilty.

When the shooting happened, DeSantis immediately attacked Worrell.

I know the district attorney, state attorney in Orlando thinks that you dont prosecute people and thats the way that you somehow have better communities. That does not work, DeSantis said at a news conference in February.

Ryan Newman, general counsel for DeSantis, demanded communication related to Moses from Worrells office. The letter outlined Moses legal record, citing charges such as battery, burglary, multiple instances of resisting an officer and aggravated battery with a deadly weapon without an intent to kill.

DeSantis team came to focus on one prior arrest they say was not properly prosecuted. Moses was arrested in November 2021 for possessing less than 20 grams of marijuana and was still on juvenile probation, a letter from DeSantis general counsel said.

Someone threw a gun from the car before the arrest, the sheriffs office said, and deputies claim they saw Moses toss it, but the sheriffs office did not initially send the gun for testing.

Worrell said her office did not pursue charges in that case against Moses because the evidence did not prove a crime occurred, especially without having more evidence about the gun.

DeSantis and other local officials used a dog whistle to attack her credibility as a prosecutor, she said.

They used this as an opportunity to say I am responsible and it is my soft-on-crime policies that are responsible, but there was no validity to the argument at all, Worrell told HuffPost.

It is all to fit this narrative that I am allowing violent criminals to walk the streets. I think it is very clear that this is a current Republican talking point.

Donna Patalano, a defense attorney and former general counsel in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, said DeSantis has used the system in his favor in order to further his political agenda.

Gov. DeSantis has manipulated a procedure for his own political gain, Patalano told HuffPost. The fact that Florida does not respect the electorate in his own jurisdiction should be troubling to the people who are considering him for higher office, Patalano said.

Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), a former governor, followed up with a letter of his own to Worrells office in which he said, In too many cities across America, we have seen soft-on-crime policies sold to the public on the lies that lighter punishment ... does more good than swift accountability.

Scott blamed radical leftists for what he called a failed philosophy.

While Scott was governor, he removed Aramis Ayala, the former prosecutor in Orlando, from 30 murder cases after Ayala announced she would not pursue the death penalty in 2017.

Over the last few years, other conservatives have attempted to take action to remove other prosecutors considered progressive. In Philadelphia, District Attorney Larry Krasner faced an impeachment attempt from Republicans in the Pennsylvania state House, but their efforts failed.

Recently, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee has aggressively come after Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since the indictment of former President Donald Trump on felony charges of falsifying business records.

Gov. DeSantis has manipulated a procedure for his own political gain. The fact that Florida does not respect the electorate in his own jurisdiction should be troubling to the people who are considering him for higher office.Donna Patalano, former general counsel in Suffolk County, Massachusetts

Worrells office released crime statistics Thursday covering the first quarter of this year.

Our prosecutors obtained a 90% conviction rate in the felony cases and a 77% conviction rate overall. Prosecutors earned convictions in all 11 felony cases tried in Osceola County, resulting in a 100% conviction rate, Worrells office said.

Additionally, six homicide cases were tried, all of them resulting in guilty verdicts. Other major cases included sex crimes, drug trafficking and violent crimes.

But Worrell has a reform agenda as well. Last year, she introduced a 90-day Adult Civil Citation pilot program. The program would provide a civil citation as opposed to a misdemeanor criminal charge for offenses such as drug possession, misdemeanor assault, disorderly conduct, retail theft and trespass.

We understand the injustices that lie in the criminal justice legal system. We challenge law enforcement on those things, Worrell told HuffPost.

This is just based on rhetoric and fear-mongering, because research shows when you make people feel afraid, then the pendulum will swing in the other direction. And they will be able to continue the mass incarceration that has plagued this country for decades, if not centuries.

Related...
Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks during a news conference in Doral, Fla., March 1, 2023. (Scott McIntyre/The New York Times)

To some, he is Ron DeSoros, a puppet of Democratic megadonor George Soros. To others, he is Ron DeSatan, a vaccine-supporting evildoer. And to still others, he is Ron DePLANTis, a plant of the so-called Deep State.

As the governor of Florida  real name Ron DeSantis  explores a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, he has made overtures to supporters of former President Donald Trump. But he is finding that the conspiracy theories and outlandish attacks that Trump and his allies have aimed at rivals for years are coming for him as well.

The attacks often nod to one of the many unfounded conspiracy theories floating around in far-right circles: election fraud, vaccine dangers, Soros and even QAnon, the online conspiracy movement that believes, among other things, in the existence of a fictional cult that preys on children.

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The attacks underscore the power that conspiracy theories continue to hold over Republican politics heading into the 2024 presidential election. To win the partys nomination, DeSantis would probably need support from a Republican base that has produced many of the attacks against him. And while DeSantis enjoys broad support among Republicans, soaring to reelection victory just six months ago, the latest primary polls show Trump gaining a sizable lead.

Its a tug of war over who is going to grab the all-important conspiracy constituency, said Bond Benton, an associate professor at Montclair State University who has studied QAnon.

The demeaning nicknames for DeSantis have spread widely on conservative social media, growing this year as Trumps attacks increased. There were more than 12,000 mentions of DeSoros on social media and news sites since January, according to Zignal Labs, a media insights company. DeathSantis, a term progressives used when the governor began relaxing Floridas COVID-19 restrictions that has since been adopted by some conservatives, received 1.6 million mentions over the past two years.

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In recent months, DeSantis has responded by adopting some themes popular among the conspiratorial set, opposing vaccines he once endorsed and raising doubts about the 2020 election that he handily won.

DeSantis office did not respond to requests for comment.

The attacks have come from some of the loudest voices in Trumps corner.

Mike Lindell, the MyPillow executive and an election denier, quickly found a role for DeSantis in his elaborate election fraud narrative. Lindell said, falsely, that Florida was spared from widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election because DeSantis had a close relationship with Dominion Voting Systems, an election software company targeted by election deniers.

Ron DeSantis is a Trojan horse, Lindell said in a recent interview with The New York Times.

Lindell pointed to an appearance DeSantis had had with a Dominion lawyer shortly after the election as a sign that the governor had conflicting loyalties.

The lawyer, Elizabeth Locke, was speaking with DeSantis on a panel about the dangers of defamation by mainstream media. She has also represented Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice-presidential candidate.

There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud anywhere in the 2020 election and no evidence that DeSantis had any special relationship with Dominion.

In an email, Locke pointed to a podcast appearance where she called the claims silly and said that she had known DeSantis since before he entered politics.

Kari Lake, a Republican who lost her campaign for governor of Arizona last year, once praised DeSantis on the campaign trail. But in February, as Trumps attacks grew, she shared a story claiming DeSantis was endorsed by Soros, calling it the kiss of death. ( Soros had only said that DeSantis was likely to become the nominee.)

The broader narrative is that he is connected to the shadowy forces that seek to bring down Trump, said Bond, the Montclair professor.

DeSantis was forced to play catch-up, making broad appeals to conspiratorial groups within the Republican Party.

Last year, he announced a crackdown on voter fraud, arresting 17 people for charges of casting illegal ballots in 2020. Many of the voters had received voter registration cards from the government.

DeSantis had once endorsed COVID-19 vaccines and celebrated as Floridians were rapidly vaccinated. By late last year, though, he had impaneled a statewide grand jury to investigate vaccine makers for potentially misleading Floridians, reflecting a false belief among Trump supporters that the vaccine is dangerous.

Believers of the QAnon conspiracy theory do not seem swayed by DeSantis appeals, said Josephine Lukito, a media professor at the University of Texas who studies the relationship between disinformation and violence. For them, that is more indicative of what a faker they perceive DeSantis to be.

c.2023 The New York Times Company
Royal photographer Chris Jackson shared his favorite photos of King Charles and Camilla in honor of the coronation. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Chris Jackson has photographed King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, for the last 20 years.

He shared his favorite photos of the royal couple ahead of the coronation on May 6.

Jackson has photographed them on royal tours, at fundraising events, and laughing together.

Getty Images royal photographer Chris Jackson has spent the last 20 years photographing royal family members, including King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort.

He has published three photography books featuring his images of the royals: "Elizabeth II: A Queen for Our Time," "Modern Monarchy," and "Charles III: A King and His Queen."

Ahead of Charles' coronation on Saturday, May 6, Jackson shared some of his favorite photos of Charles and Camilla through the years.

In 2010, Jackson photographed Charles and Camilla chatting with Australian entertainer Barry Humphries as his persona Dame Edna Everage at The Prince's Trust Rock Gala.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) and Camilla, Queen Consort (then Duchess of Cornwall), with Barry Humphries as Dame Edna Everage at The Prince's Trust Rock Gala in November 2010. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Humphries, who died in April at the age of 89, was best known for playing the outrageous housewife character Dame Edna, which he debuted in 1955.

Jackson told Insider that Humphries "certainly had the ability to get the King and Queen in stitches during many occasions."

During a royal tour of South Africa in 2011, Jackson snapped a photo of Camilla trading her tiaras for a Zulu headdress.

Camilla, Queen Consort (then Duchess of Cornwall) wears a traditional Zulu headdress she was given as she visits the township of Soweto in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2011. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

"I've always loved photographing the Queen Consort," Jackson said. "The key to her success has undoubtedly been a great sense of humor, her work ethic, and ability to connect with people across different cultures, countries, and backgrounds."

For Jackson, taking photos on this royal tour proved more difficult than usual.

"I loved this particular photo as I'd actually crashed my bike in Richmond Park in the preceding month and had to have reconstructive surgery," he said. "I couldn't see out of one eye and spent the whole African visit wandering around with my neck cricked trying to peer out of my one good eye."

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On another royal tour, Jackson photographed Camilla and Charles in front of the Akshardham Temple in Delhi, India, in 2013.

Camilla, Queen Consort (then Duchess of Cornwall), and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) on an official visit to India in November 2013. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Jackson told Insider he laid down on the temple's floor to get this shot during the couple's nine-day visit to India.

"Royal tours are by far the most enjoyable but also very challenging parts of my job," Jackson said. "I've been lucky enough to travel all around the world with the King and Queen. Queen Elizabeth II once said, 'I have to be seen to be believed,' and that remains true for all members of the royal family. Meeting as many people across as many different cultures and backgrounds globally remains integral to their success."

Jackson captured a quiet moment of Charles feeding his chickens at Highgrove House in Tetbury in 2018.

King Charles (then Prince of Wales) feeds his Burford brown and Maran chickens early in the morning at Highgrove House in Tetbury, UK, in July 2018 Chris Jackson/Getty Images for Clarence House

Charles and Camilla first took up residence at Highgrove House in 1980 and have spent their years there renovating the house and gardens, according to the estate's official website.

It's lovely to see these candid, personal moments with the royal family just doing everyday activities," Jackson said.

In 2019, Charles and Camilla posed at a masked ball for Elephant Family, a wildlife charity founded by Camilla's late brother, Mark Shand.

Camilla, Queen Consort (then Duchess of Cornwall), and King Charles (then Prince of Wales) hold face masks as they host a reception for the Elephant Family Animal Ball at Clarence House in London in June 2019. Chris Jackson - WPA Pool/Getty Images

Shand was at an Elephant Family charity event in 2014 when he fell and sustained a serious head injury, resulting in his death at the age of 62, according to the BBC.

He served as chairman of Elephant Family, and Charles and Camilla have remained involved as co-presidents, hosting charity events like the 2019 masquerade at Clarence House.

"His passion for the environment is clear," Jackson said of Charles' charity work. "I have visited many rainforests and areas of climate devastation around the world over the years, and he is a passionate advocate for the environment."

Jackson caught Charles and Camilla laughing together in February at an event for Camilla's charity, The Reading Room.

King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, laugh during a reception to celebrate the second anniversary of The Reading Room at Clarence House in February 2023. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Camilla launched The Reading Room during lockdown in January 2021. She began sharing reading lists on Instagram, which grew into an online community promoting literacy and featuring talks with authors.

"This image is from a few months back where you'll see the King supporting his wife as she celebrates two years of The Reading Room," Jackson said.

He continued: "The Queen Consort has long championed a love of reading across generations, celebrating books from around the world and the extraordinary people who create them."

Read the original article on Insider
A Scottish island where stargazers can view the Milky Way with the naked eye is bidding to protect its clear night skies and boost visitor numbers.

Residents on Rum are hoping it will be recognised as a Dark Sky Island.

They have been preparing an application to the International Dark Sky Association.

It combats light pollution worldwide, and grants official recognition to areas which implement policies which reduce artificial light.

Scotland currently has two dark sky parks - Galloway Forest and Cairngorms.

Moffat in Dumfries and Galloway and the islands of Coll and North Ronaldsay are also certified as dark sky communities.

In recent years, the community of just 30 people on Rum have made efforts to overhaul the island's lighting system.

There are no streetlights and this is combined with hardly any buildings and no traffic.

When the sun sets, locals and visitors alike can experience a naturally dark sky, and enjoy views of the meteors, shooting stars, and twinkling planets.

The application is being led by the island's visitor services manager, Alex Mumford, who also runs the main accommodation.

"On a clear night we have meteors going above our heads, planets, and some amazing galaxy views as well," he said.

"About 97% of the island is a nature reserve with no unnatural lights at all. It's the perfect place to protect that."

The island community has been working on the application for about 18 months.

They have been taking readings with special equipment used to determine the brightness of the night sky.

Alex Mumford has been working on the island's application to the International Dark Sky Association

"We have to take these through our whole season so we get a gauge of what the sky is like at different times of the year and night," Mr Mumford said.

"We need to make sure there are plans for the future in terms of what it's going to look like and what this means.

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"There's a future protection plan such as a lighting policy for any development here, and making sure the local curriculum in the schools is teaching about dark skies and what it means for the flora and fauna here."

Dark Sky status would also benefit some of Rum's other inhabitants, its seabirds.

The island is home to a fifth of the world's population of Manx Shearwaters, a nocturnal bird which relies on the darkness to navigate to South America every year.

Nature Scotland's Lesley Watt says dark sky status could help better Rum's seabird population

Keeping the island's night skies dark could be vital for their survival.

"This is another layer of protection for a species that's quite vulnerable on land," said NatureScot's Lesley Watt, who runs the reserve on Rum.

"Manx Shearwaters are attracted to artificial light; they are most vulnerable at this time of year when they're returning from migration, and in September when fledglings make their first flight to South America.

"On that flight, if there are any artificial lights in the village, they could be drawn to those lights instead of reaching the sea for their onward journey. If they do get grounded, they have very little chance of making it out to sea."

She added: "We already publicise the need to use blinds and turn off unnecessary lights at this time of year, and getting this status would be another layer of protection."

It is also hoped that by achieving Dark Sky Island status, Rum would be able to capitalise on "astro-tourism" and bring in visitors to the island at a time away from the busier summer season.

Residents hope to raise 10,000 through an online fundraising effort, with the money earmarked for sky-gazing equipment including telescopes, weather stations and a sky camera, all of which will help their application to the IDA.

The community own most of the inhabited portion of the island, and rely on tourism to bring in extra money for development.

The main draw, Kinloch Castle, closed to visitors last year, and there are no plans to open its doors in the near future, meaning the community is looking at other avenues of tourism.

"Most people aren't coming to Scotland from October through to March, which is the best time to view the night sky," Mr Mumford said.

"This is the perfect opportunity to help with that. We want to show off what we have here, and the work we've put in to protect that.

"We want to show people what we get to see every day."
RuPauls 2023 DragCon, an annual convention featuring former contestants on the television show RuPauls Drag Race, will host meet-and-greets with the four Teletubbies characters in its Kid Zone.

DragCon first introduced the Kid Zone, where adult attendees can leave their kids to play, at the third-annual convention in 2017. This year, the convention is granting free admission for children under eight with each paid adult ticket, although children under 16 are prevented from the separately ticketed After Hours events.

Last year, an estimated 50,000 people attended DragCon in Los Angeles. This year, RuPauls DragCon in Los Angeles will be hosted on May 11-12.

The upcoming convention in Los Angeles will host meet-and-greets with the Teletubbies characters at the Kid Zone. The DragCon schedule shows that the Teletubbies will perform with drag queen Priyanka, who won the first season of the television show Canadas Drag Race in 2020. The schedule had previously shown several drag queen story hour events in the Kid Zone, but at the time of publication, the story-hour events were no longer publicly listed.

The conventions exhibitors include spiked-collar company BitchFist NYC, lubricant company Boy Butter, the flavored anal spray company Holey Water, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the non-denominational Christ Chapel of the Valley.

The United Kingdom DragCon in January featured drag queen AWhora performing onstage with the Teletubbies. Footage from the U.K. DragCon shows the Teletubbies twerking onstage.

RuPaul has won twelve Emmy awards for his work in television, rendering him the most-decorated black artist in Emmy history. Build-A-Bear Workshop released a plush bear inspired by RuPaul as a tribute to the worlds most famous drag queen. The plush bear was sold on Bear Cave, a website with an age-warning stating the products are intended for shoppers 18 and older. (The gold heels were sold separately.)

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Cars drive through a flooded roadway in Planada, Calif., in January. (Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images)

In early April, students in Planada, Calif., finally returned to their classrooms.

It had been three months since the early January flood that sent putrid brown water  filled with floating rodents and sewage  crashing into Planada Elementary School, destroying 27 classrooms, ruining thousands of books, and causing more than $12 million in damage.

Hundreds of elementary school students and staff  many displaced after losing their homes in the deluge  crammed onto the middle school campus across town.

Classrooms were shared. Space was cramped.

Families craved normalcy in the impoverished Merced County farm town of 4,000, which was inundated after Miles Creek burst its bank and busted through levees.

Construction crews worked at Planada Elementary seven days a week, sunup to sundown, said Supt. Jose Gonzalez. And when youngsters returned to newly built classrooms last month, the town counted it as a win.

But even as they celebrated, they wondered: What if  when the state's massive snowpack melts this summer  the school floods again?

"That's the million-dollar question I can't answer," Gonzalez said with a sigh.

"We're putting together contingency plans," he said. "I wish I had preventative plans. But I don't."

California's epic winter  with dozens of atmospheric-river-fueled storms, record-breaking snow in the Sierra Nevada, and prolonged flooding in the Central Valley  has wreaked havoc on small rural schools.

The costs have quickly added up: New roofs. New drywall. New carpet. Mold testing. Water quality testing.

In rural California  where the tax base is smaller and it is harder to pass local bonds for expenses like campus maintenance and improvement  facilities are aging. It is common for students to be learning in decades-old portable buildings that are especially vulnerable to storm damage.

Even as administrators have scrambled to figure out how to pay for the damage this winter and spring, they have, for the most part, kept school in session.

Story continues

"It's been exhausting," said Molleen Barnes, the superintendent-principal at the Sunol Glen School in a rural swath of Alameda County.

On New Year's Eve, a creek that runs behind the school overflowed.

Floodwaters knocked three aging portable classrooms  which housed art and daycare programs  off their foundations and wrecked the playground. When the water receded, the campus was covered with mud 18 inches deep. Every building had to be tested for mold.

The school, which serves about 270 students from preschool through eighth grade, did not have flood insurance.

The January storm caused between $1.5 million and $2 million in damage, a cost that  for now  is being borne by the single-school district, which has an annual budget of $4 million, Barnes said. She hopes to get new "temporary portables" by August.

Barnes is in near constant contact with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and said she is hopeful the school will be reimbursed. But the uncertainty is stressful, she said.

"It's been emotional to see your school go through this, and to have on your plate the added need to work with FEMA and continue school and make kids feel like they're going to an amazing place," she said.

The Sunol Glen School was built in 1925, before floodplain maps, and the district has to prove  with expensive geological and hydrologic surveys  that it can build foundations for new buildings high enough to avoid future flooding, she said.

"In the hundred years we've been here, it's never flooded," Barnes said. "It's in the 100-year floodplain  so I guess that's why we flooded."

In Mariposa County, the tiny Yosemite National Park Elementary School  which has about 30 students whose families work in the park  was closed for four weeks in March and April.

There was so much snow around the schoolhouse that stormwater could not drain away from the building, said Jeff Aranguena, superintendent of the Mariposa County Unified School District.

Classrooms flooded. The waterlogged buildings had to be tested for mold, asbestos and lead. That process dragged on because storms kept hitting, closing roads and keeping inspectors away, Aranguena said.

For weeks, those students went to another school a half-hour drive west on Highway 140. But that road was sometimes blocked by rock slides, and the kids stayed home, with homework packets.

"Responding to natural disasters and man-made disasters has become the norm for small schools and districts throughout the state," said Jeff Harris, superintendent of the Del Norte County Unified School District.

"When you start having school closures or infrastructure damage because of storms, it really does impact the ability to provide a quality education to students."

In the state's foggy northwest corner, people are used to lots of rain  but the snow and ice this year were brutal, Harris said.

At Smith River Elementary, a large chunk of the roof had to be replaced after a February storm, he said. Staff were relocated for three months.

Back in Planada, portions of the elementary campus flooded back in 2018. The school did not have flood insurance then and paid $1.5 million to rebuilt its fifth grade wing and library, which were in portable buildings.

This time around, the school has flood insurance that pays for any damage not covered by state and federal emergency aid.

The rain didn't let up after the January flood. Every time there was an atmospheric river warning  and there were several  school staff put sandbags and plastic around every classroom.

"We went from being epidemiologists for COVID to meteorologists and hydrologists in 2023," Gonzalez said.

Every time an atmospheric river warning came out, attendance dropped about 40%, Gonzalez said. Staff stayed home.

"Families were reliving the trauma," he said.

What's frustrating, he said, is that students had finally started hitting a stride, with improved test scores after years of learning loss during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We were seeing a lot of gains ... and then we were just cut off at the knees with this situation."

In Planada, the schools play an outsized role. They serve three meals a day and provide students free telehealth appointments with physicians.

When it gets hot, the school will be a community cooling center, and it will be an evacuation center in other emergencies.

After the flood, classes were canceled for only eight days.

"When we're down, the whole community is down," Gonzalez said. "We heard loud and clear that they needed us back."

In the little town of Firebaugh, 37 miles south, the schools have been spared this year, but administrators and staff are preparing for potential evacuations when the mountain snow melts.

Firebaugh, population 8,100, sits right next to the San Joaquin River.

A waterfront walking trail near one of the town's school campuses been underwater for months  something unthinkable last year, amid the drought.

"We're gonna make it through the rain," said Roy Mendiola, superintendent for the Firebaugh-Las Deltas Unified School District. "It's not the rain that's gonna be an issue. It's gonna be the snowmelt."

The school district does not have flood insurance.

Mendiola has advised families to keep a "go bag" filled with extra clothes, medication and important documents.

If the schools have to be evacuated, students will be bused to a warehouse where cantaloupe are packed and shipped, Mendiola said. School staff have stockpiled bottled water, snacks and first aid supplies.

"But here's the thing," he said. "With all the preparations, the evacuation plans, the communication, the precautionary measures, the stocking up on supplies  right now, we're just in a sit-and-wait situation."

The snowmelt, the water levels, the timing  it's all out of their hands.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
TALLINN, Estonia (AP)  A Russian court on Friday ordered pretrial detention for a theater director and a playwright facing charges of justifying terrorism, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent in Russia that spiked to unprecedented levels since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow jailed Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director, and Svetlana Petriychuk, a playwright, for two months pending investigation and trial. The two were detained in the Russian capital on Thursday because of the play Petriychuk wrote and Berkovich staged, Finist, the Brave Falcon. Police also raided the apartments of Berkovich's parents and grandmother in St. Petersburg.

The play, named after a Russian fairy tale, depicts Russian women who faced prosecution after being lured into marriage and life in Syria by representatives of radical Islam.

The authorities have alleged that the play justifies terrorism, accusations that both Berkovich and Petriychuk have rejected, maintaining their innocence.

Berkovich's lawyer Yulia, Tregubova, pointed out in court on Friday that the play was supported by the Russian Culture Ministry and won the Golden Mask award, Russia's most prestigious national theater award. Petriychuk's lawyer Sergei Badamshin told the court that in 2019, the play was read to inmates of a women's prison in Siberia, and Russia's state penitentiary service praised it on its website.

Justifying terrorism is a criminal offense in Russia, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The case against Berkovich and Petriychuk elicited outrage in Russia. An open letter in support of the two artists, started by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, has been signed by more than 3,400 people by Friday evening. The play, the letter argued, carries an absolutely clear anti-terrorist sentiment.

Dozens of Russian actors, directors and journalists also signed affidavits urging the court to release Berkovich from custody pending investigation and trial.

Story continues

Immediately after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin unleashed a sweeping campaign of repression, unparalleled since the Soviet era. It has effectively criminalized any criticism of the war, with the authorities targeting not only prominent opposition figures who eventually received draconian prison terms, but anyone who spoke out against it, publicly or otherwise.

Pressure mounted on critical artists in Russia, too. Actors and directors were fired from state-run theaters, and musicians were blacklisted from performing in the country. Some were slapped with the foreign agent label, which carries additional government scrutiny and strong negative connotations. Many left Russia.

Berkovich, who raises two adopted daughters, has refused to leave Russia and continued working with her independent theater production in Moscow, called Soso's Daughters. Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, she staged an anti-war picket and was jailed for 11 days.
ADDIS ABABA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The government of Ethiopia said it has helped 61 countries evacuate their citizens from Sudan.

"The government of Ethiopia has extended the necessary support and collaborated with 61 countries worldwide to withdraw their citizens from Sudan through its territory," the Ethiopian News Agency quoted foreign ministry spokesman Meles Alem as saying Thursday.

He said the government has provided licenses to 75 flight services, allowing the countries to evacuate their citizens from neighboring Sudan via Ethiopian air space.

"The move is in line with the principles of the international humanitarian services and aims at promoting Ethiopian foreign relations," Alem said.

So far, 7,700 people, including 3,517 Ethiopian nationals, have crossed into Ethiopia from Sudan, the spokesman said.

Alem said the government is following the safety and security of Ethiopian migrants in Sudan through its embassy there and the recently established national task force in charge of evacuating Ethiopian nationals from Sudan.

He said Ethiopia believes that the conflict in Sudan needs to be solved by the Sudanese people and through peaceful negotiations under the umbrella of the African Union.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) erupted on April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

So far, the conflict has left more than 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded in Sudan, while thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas or neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad. 
Consequences of shelling in the Kherson Oblast (archive)

Meanwhile, the exact number of civilian casualties in Mariupol and Volnovakha can't be estimated, Kyrylenko said.

Over the past 24 hours, another three people were injured in Russian shelling of Kherson Oblast, the regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin also reported on Telegram.

The town of Beryslav came under Russian attack, he added. Residential neighbourhoods, and the territory and facilities of an industrial plant were damaged.

Occupying Russian troops have shelled Kherson Oblast 95 times in the past day. The city of Kherson itself was shelled five times. A total of 538 artillery rounds were fired from heavy artillery, Grad multiple rocket launchers, tanks, and aircraft. Drones were also used in the Russian attacks.

Near the Russian border, Kharkiv, Chuhuiv, Izyum, and Kupyansk districts of Kharkiv Oblast were shelled by the Russians using artillery, mortars and other weapons, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Synehubov reported.

Houses and utility buildings were damaged, with some catching fire. Luckily, there were no casualties in the attacks.

The enemy shelled, in particular, Chervona Zoria, Hlyboke, Lyptsi, Vesele, Ohirtseve, Vovchanski Hutory, Veterynarne, Novomlynsk, Kamyanka, Dvorichna, Valkhuvatka, Zapadne, Lyman Pershyi, Izyumske and other settlements of Kharkiv Oblast.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A composite image shows Soviet T-34 tanks in Red Square during the Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2021, and a destroyed Russian tank in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, in January 2023. AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko; AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka; Insider

Russia is reducing its large-scale Victory Day parades, which are used to show its military strength.

Experts said it is using an alleged Kremlin drone strike as an excuse to scale them back.

But Russia likely wants to conceal its military losses in Ukraine, the ISW said.

Russia appears to be reducing its annual Victory Day celebrations this year so that it can conceal the degradation of its military, and is using an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as an excuse, experts said.

The Washington DC-based Institute for the Study of War said in an update on Thursday that Russian officials are likely using the supposed attack on the Kremlin to cancel additional parades that were set to take place on May 9, the day Russia celebrates the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

The annual celebrations are designed as a demonstration of Russia's military strength, and typically involves military parades in Moscow's Red Square and across the country.

But this year's celebrations have been significantly scaled back.

The ISW said the Kremlin "likely hopes to limit typical May 9 events to conceal the degradation of the Russian military."

And it said the drone strike gave it an excuse to do so.

Russia said on Wednesday that two drones were flown at the Kremlin in an attempt by Ukraine to kill President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine denied any involvement, and experts say that the operation may have been staged by Russia itself.

The ISW said earlier this week that the strike was likely conducted by Russia to try to "bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience."

Russian T-90M and T-14 Armata tanks parade through Red Square during the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade on May 7, 2022. Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images

The large-scale parade in Moscow will now be closed off to the public, the BBC reported, and officials in several other cities have cancelled their versions of the parade.

Russian officials have either given no reasons for the changes, or have blamed the threat of attacks by Ukraine.

Victory Day events usually show off advanced Russian military equipment, but a lot of that equipment is either being used in Ukraine or has been destroyed in the fighting, the ISW noted on Thursday.

Story continues

Russia is losing around 150 tanks a month in Ukraine, according to an analysis by open source intelligence platform Oryx, which estimates that Russia lost 1,779 tanks between February 2022 and February 2023. Russia has been recorded using decades-old tanks in Ukraine.

The White House said this week that 20,000 Russian troops have been killed over the last five months alone.

The ISW said another reason the Kremlin likely wants to limit Victory Day events is that "celebrations honoring deceased service members could become a potential source of domestic backlash for Russia's high casualty figures in Ukraine."

The UK Ministry of Defence said last month that honoring the fallen of previous generations "could easily blur into exposing the scope of the recent losses, which the Kremlin attempts to cover up."

Read the original article on Business Insider
There has been heavy fighting around the eastern city of Bakhmut for months (Reuters)

The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has said he will be withdrawing his troops from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in a row over support from Vladimir Putins government.

The group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin  a Putin ally  has been spearheading Russia's attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on 10 May, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Mr Prigozhin said in a statement.

"I'm pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they're doomed to perish senselessly."

Given that Mr Prigozhin has given advance notice of the withdrawal, it may end up that the threat is an act of brinkmanship from, as he has frequently posted impulsive comments in the past. Only last week he withdrew one statement he said he had made as a "joke".

The Wagner leaders latest comments follow an expletive-filled video published early on Friday in which Mr Prigozhin, surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, yelled and swore at Russias defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff of the armed forces, Valery Gerasimov. He said they were to blame for Wagner's losses because they had starved it of ammunition.

"We have a 70 per cent shortage of ammunition. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the f****** ammunition?" he yelled into the camera.

Those responsible would go to hell, Mr Prigozhin shouted, before saying that Wagner's losses would be five times smaller if it was adequately supplied.

"These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh," Mr Prigozhin said, pointing to the corpses around him. "They came here as volunteers and they're dying so you can get fat in your offices."

Moscow sees Bakhmut as a stepping stone to other larger citiesin the region of Donetsk. Taking control of the area known as Donbas, Ukraines industrial heartland that includes the regions of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk is a major aim of Mr Putins invasion of Ukraine. The fierce, months-long battle for Bakhmut has gained an outsized political and symbolic importance for both Moscow and Kyiv, with neither side wanting to be seen to lose it.

More follows...
Berkovich was a student of Kirill Serebrennikov, one of Russia's most innovative and successful directors

A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest of a theatre director and a playwright on charges of "justifying terrorism" over an award-winning play about Russian women recruited online to marry radical Islamists in Syria.

Director Yevgeniya Berkovich and author Svetlana Petriychuk were placed in custody until July 4, Russian news agencies reported.

The case comes as Moscow has launched an unprecedented crackdown on dissent at home as troops fight in Ukraine and as much of the Russian arts community has fled the country.

Berkovich is also an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin's more than year-long Ukraine offensive, publishing poems criticising the military campaign.

Unlike many members of Russia's liberal arts scene, the 38-year-old refused to leave the country during the offensive.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

The women were detained a day earlier, a move that shocked Russia's shrinking theatre community.

Thy were accused of "justifying terrorism" in their play titled "Finist, the Brave Falcon."

The women-only performance about Russian women who went to marry men in Syria won two prestigious Golden Mask theatre awards last year.

Berkovich was a student of Kirill Serebrennikov, one of Russia's most innovative and successful directors, who left the country.

"Such people in culture in a normal country are a rarity, a miracle, pride. But in Russia, everything is now the other way around," Serebrennikov said after her arrest was announced.

"You are a star," he said, calling Berkovich his "most talented" student.

- Ukraine poems -

Russia's exiled community rushed to the two women's defence, with many suggesting the director was targeted because of her position on Ukraine, and decrying charges they called absurd.

"It is a bit like arresting Dostoyevsky for justifying killing old ladies after writing 'Crime and Punishment'," the journalist Alexander Baumov was quoted as saying on the Meduza news website.

Story continues

A book that featured Berkovich's poems had recently been published in Israel, according to her Instagram page.

Her emotional poems were heavy with the victims of Moscow's Ukraine offensive.

"We need clothes for a woman / 70-years-old / from a city that no longer exists," one of them read.

"Size M -- for Mariupol," read another extract, referring to the city captured by Russian forces after being virtually razed to the ground last year.

An AFP journalist saw about 100 people outside the court, including 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner journalist Dmitry Muratov.

At least 2,000 people signed an online petition in defence of the two women. The letter calls on Russian authorities to "persecute murderers instead of poets".

Berkovich, who is from Saint Petersburg, is the granddaughter of a well-known writer from Russia's second city. She has adopted two teenage girls.

"Her children are waiting for her at home. Her mother and grandmother are waiting in Saint Petersburg," the letter in her support said.

bur/imm
By Felix Light

(Reuters) - Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group private militia as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported on Thursday.

In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev - clad in Wagner-branded combat gear - was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.

The footage coincided with the release of two video statements by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who furiously renewed long-standing accusations that the defence establishment was starving his forces of ammunition from jealousy of their success.

While Prigozhin has regularly accused the mainstream military including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of incompetence, he has singled out individual commanders for praise.

On April 29, Prigozhin's press service said he had offered to take on Mizintsev, the day after his reported sacking by the Defence Ministry.

Mizintsev, who orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year, had only been made deputy defence minister in charge of logistics and supplies last September.

Grey Zone, a strongly followed Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, wrote that Mizintsev had become "not the first and obviously not the last general who was out of place amid the bureaucracy and sycophancy".

The European Union imposed sanctions on Mizintsev in June, calling him the "Butcher of Mariupol" for his role in the siege, which devastated the city.Prigozhin did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
The suspect in the courtroom

According to the prosecutor's office, the man provided information to Russian intelligence in exchange for regular payments.

Read also: Russia unable to mount a significant offensive in Ukraine this year, US intelligence says

The convict was caught red-handed during a transfer of video information about the location of Ukrainian air defense systems to his Russian handlers, communicating though a messaging app. He was gathering intelligence information by travelling to various areas of Odesa and its suburbs, where he took photos and videos of valuable targets for Russian air strikes.

Read also: Traitorous former pro-Russian MP Voloshyn faces 15 years in prison

The traitor was recorded on video while identifying air defense systems located in Odesa; he valued his assistance to Russia at UAH 70,000 ($1,900), the message said.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Incidents with drones have become more frequent in the Rostov Oblast

A local resident found the drone in a field near the village of Nizhnedonskoy. The fuselage of the aircraft was 330 centimeters long and75 centimeters wide.

Read also: Military expert explains growing number of drone explosions in Russia

It is unknown where the drone came from.

According to the Russian Astra Telegram messenger, the drone fell 50 kilometers from the Novoshakhtinsk Oil Refinery, which was attacked on the same day.

Read also: Russian media report drone attacks in Voronezh, Rostov oblasts

Russian regions have recently seen frequent cases of fires at oil refineries.

In particular, fuel tanks at the Ilskii Oil Refinery in Krasnodar Krai caught fire after a suspected drone attack overnight on May 4. It happened again early on May 5.

Just a day before, a fuel storage facility caught fire in Taman Port, also in Krasnodar Krai.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A Ukrainian flag waves in the village of Dolyna in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine after the withdrawal of Russian troops on September 24, 2022. Metin Aktas/Getty Images

Ukrainian and Russian officials got into a physical altercation at a conference in Turkey.

The most heated incident happened after a Russian official ripped a Ukrainian flag from a holster.

Oleksandr Marikovski, a Ukrainian member of parliament, chased and hit the official, and grabbed the flag back.

A pair of Ukrainian and Russian officials attending an economic conference in Turkey had to be physically separated after getting into physical and verbal spats.

According to The Daily Beast, official delegations from Russia and Ukraine were among the attendees at the Summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC). In one video from the conference, an apparent Russian official rips a Ukrainian flag from a holster, and the Ukrainian parliament member Oleksandr Marikovski chases him down, initiating a brief fistfight.

In the video, Marikovski lands a punch on the Russian official and corners him, retrieving the flag before the two are quickly separated by security staff. An earlier video shows officials from the two camps verbally clashing and pushing each other as Russia's Ola Timofeeva speaks during the conference.

After the incident, Marikovski posted a video of the scuffle on his Facebook page, with the caption, "Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian filth!," according to HuffPost.

Read the original article on Business Insider
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The owner of Russias Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscows military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russias Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasnt carried out.

Prigozhins spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin says. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhin's comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

But why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall," said Michel, who is based in Berlin.

Story continues

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the war's longest  and likely bloodiest  battle. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russias invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhins claims of ammunition shortages. Military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak told The Associated Press that Prigozhin was trying to justify their unsuccessful actions in Bakhmut.

Shoigu didnt immediately respond to Prigozhin, but his ministry reported Friday that he ordered a top official to ensure a continuous supply of all necessary weapons and military equipment to Russian troops. And in a counterpoint to Prigozhins visibility, an official video showed Shoigu inspecting tanks and other military equipment destined for Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the end of last year, the U.S. estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts the company has enlisted. That makes it a small part of Russian fighting forces.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagner's troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, Michel said.

If he's removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

Prigozhin's acrimonious relations with the military brass date back to Wagners creation in 2014. During the war in Ukraine, he has publicly accused some top Russian military officials of incompetence  behavior that is highly unusual in Russias tightly controlled political system.

Prigozhin alleged Friday that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhins statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

Hanna Maliar, deputy head of Ukraines Defense Ministry, said Friday that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed some Wagner ammunition depots, and other military officials said Ukrainian forces were holding their own in Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had destroyed a bridge that Ukrainian troops used to supply their side in Bakhmut. It wasn't possible to independently verify either side's claims.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa.

Bakhmut, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it wont be decisive in the wars outcome. The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a ghost town.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter.

Prigozhin had already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once before, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhins statement Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment.

Also on Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region, which borders the Crimean Peninsula that Russia illegally annexed, briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
A senior U.S. official cast serious doubt Thursday over Russia's ability to continue waging its war in Ukraine, with an ammunition shortage a clear and pressing concern for Moscow as it appears to drive a wedge deeper between its defense ministry and the private mercenary army that's done much of the fighting at the Kremlin's behest. As the boss of the Wagner mercenary group fumed publicly about his fighters being laid to waste on the front lines without sufficient ammunition, a top American intelligence official said Moscow could struggle this year to "sustain even modest offensive operations" in Ukraine.

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin dealt a possibly stunning blow to Putin's war effort on Friday, unleashing a public tirade at Russia's military commanders and posting it all on social media.

Wagner getting "out of Bakhmut"

"Here are the guys from Wagner who died today," Prigozhin said in a video, standing over the bodies of men he said were fighters killed in the battle over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, which his group has spearheaded for months.

"Their blood is still warm... These are fathers and sons!" he shouted, "where is their ammunition?"

An image taken from a video posted online by the Prigozhin Press Service on May 5, 2023, shows the head of Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, standing by bodies in an unknown location as he addresses the camera. / Credit: Prigozhin Press Service via AP

Prigozhin has complained for months that Russia's defense ministry is failing to adequately supply his private army, claiming the generals are jealous of his own group's battlefield success. But in a second message posted later Friday, the mercenary commander went further, announcing an imminent withdrawal of Wagner's forces from the battle over Bakhmut.

"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defense ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a written message. "I'm pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because, in the absence of ammunition, they're doomed to perish senselessly."

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Prigozhin, who was long said to be personally close to Putin himself, is prone to rhetorical flourish and has previously walked back dramatic statements as jokes, but there was no sense of that in his Friday remarks. That will be a major concern for the Kremlin, as the lion's share of the fighting in Bakhmut has been done  at a huge cost in lives  by Prigozhin's men.

The U.S. estimated early this week that some 20,000 Russian forces had been killed since December, and the bulk of the fighting since then has been over Bakhmut.

Drone wars

It was another tense night across Ukraine, meanwhile, in the wake of Russia's unsupported claim earlier in the week of an attempted drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscow. Russia claimed Wednesday, without offering any evidence, that Ukraine sent two drones flying directly at Putin's official residence. Unverified video published by Russian media showed at least one small explosion as a flying device appeared to be intercepted over the Kremlin.

Ukraine has denied any involvement, and the U.S. government dismissed Moscow's claim to have ordered the purported attack, urging people to take all information coming from the Kremlin "with a shaker of salt."

U.S. officials have told CBS News they believe the drones were controlled locally, from within Russia, but that doesn't rule out possible Ukrainian involvement.

Maksym Muzyka, who designs and operates attack drones for Ukraine's military, told CBS News there was no doubt the drones involved in the alleged attack on the Kremlin were flown by someone in or near Moscow. Flying them hundreds of miles from Ukraine, he said, would be "impossible" with such small drones, given their limited range.

The unmanned aircraft, he agreed with America's top intelligence officials, "obviously" came "from inside of Russia."

Regardless of who actually flew the drones, which the Kremlin labelled an attempt to assassinate Putin himself, it was clear soon after the incident that Moscow would use it as a pretext to launch a new assault on Ukraine.

Russian forces have sent fresh volleys of rockets and drones hurtling toward Ukrainian cities since Wednesday. Most of them have been intercepted, but at least one strategic infrastructure site was hit  along with civilian homes, killing about two dozen innocent people.

Kyiv and other major cities have remained tense, so when a drone was spotted over the capital Thursday night, there was a quick reaction. A stinger missile shot it out of the sky, to cheers of "Victory to Ukraine," on the ground.

Ukrainian defense officials later said it was one of their own, gone rogue, which somehow came offline. But in a city that's been targeted by Russian drones and missiles several nights in a row, residents are understandably jittery.

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a part of a military drone that was downed in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, May 4, 2023. Ukraine's military later confirmed that it was one of their own UAVs which somehow went offline. / Credit: Alex Babenko/AP

The U.S. State Department said Russia had launched more than 145 airstrikes across Ukraine this week  that's more than one missile, drone or bomb every hour, 24-hours a day, for four days straight.

The tension in Kyiv and other cities is unlikely to subside as Moscow faces the prospect of trying to answer a long-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive with a fractured ground force, and not enough ammunition to go around.

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MANILA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Filipino politicians and scholars said the recently released defense guidelines between the United States and the Philippines violate the latter's national sovereignty, escalating regional tensions, and called for an end to the defense treaties with the United States.

Former Congresswoman Liza Maza said in a forum on Thursday that the guidelines "unduly and dangerously" opened up Philippine national strategies, defense plans, budgets, intelligence gatherings, and other matters to the United States.

U.S. claims of friendship with the Philippines are "nonsense," said Maza, adding that "the Americans are here solely and mainly to advance their geopolitics, military and economic interests."

On Wednesday, Washington and Manila released a six-page "bilateral defense guidelines" after Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos met his U.S. counterpart, Joe Biden, at the White House.

Ronnel Arambulo, a spokesperson of a fisherfolk organization, accused the recent joint military drills by the two sides of affecting local fishermen's livelihood and damaging the marine ecological environment.

Arambulo said the government bans dynamite fishing to preserve the ecology of marine life, but the live fire drills destroy nature and harm the livelihood of fishing communities.

Roland Simbulan, a geopolitics expert and professor at the University of the Philippines, believes the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement bases and other military maneuvers of the United States in the Southeast Asian country will drag his country into conflicts.

The U.S. island-chain defense strategy in East Asia "is very provocative," Simbulan said, blaming the U.S. foreign policy of being "a war of aggression, conflicts, and intervention" through funding wars and 800 overseas military bases.

He warned that U.S. military facilities in the Philippines will make the country a "sitting duck" and a direct target of potential conflicts. 
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and City Council members will receive raises in June, a city commission decided Wednesday.

The raise will put the council members into the six figures.

Steinbergs annual salary will increase from $158,652 to $164,205 starting June 17, the citys Compensation Commission decided. The other eight council members will receive smaller raises, from $99,317 to $102,793.

The commission landed on those numbers because it was roughly 3.5%, which was the amount of the raises most unionized city employees received last year.

The commission voted 3-1 in favor of the raises, with Chairman Arthur Scotland voting against.

My concern is that with this uncertain budget problems in fiscal challenges facing the city in the next coming year I personally feel its not reasonable to increase the salary at this time, said Scotland, a retired Sacramento Superior Court judge.

The city is currently in negotiations with all its unions, and has not yet made concessions, said Sally Ly, human resources manager.

Commission member Marlon Lara also raised concerns before ultimately voting in favor of the raises.

I am concerned about the increase that is more than some city employees and how that plays out and what message were sending to the public about how we compensate people, Lara said.

The citys human resources staff recommended the amounts after analyzing salaries in comparable cities, such as San Francisco, Long Beach, Fresno, Oakland, Portland, San Diego, San Jose and Seattle. The city charter tasks the commission with setting annual salaries for the mayor and council that are reasonable and consistent with other cities similar in size and structure.

The commission has been granting raises to the mayor and council for the last several years. In 2019, the commission raised the council salaries a significant amount  from $71,850 to $91,915. That large jump occurred because the commission started considering the council jobs as full-time instead of part-time positions.
North Carolina hospitals are among some of the top-graded in the country, despite patient experience worsening and risk of healthcare-acquired infections rising nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic, new data says.

The Tar Heel State finished sixth in the latest Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grades, released biannually, up one spot from the previous rankings. And multiple Charlotte-area healthcare facilities were among the 42% of hospitals statewide that got an A grade.

Grades are guided by a panel of medical experts and based on multiple factors related to patient safety.

Heres what to know about the latest safety grades for Charlotte hospitals:

How safe are Charlotte hospitals?

Of the 20 Charlotte-area hospitals evaluated in Leapfrogs study, nine received an A grade:

Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center, 200 Hawthorne Lane, Charlotte, NC 28204

Carolinas Medical Center, 1000 Blythe Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28203

Atrium Health - Mercy, 2001 Vail Ave., Charlotte, NC 28207

Novant Health Matthews Medical Center, 1500 Matthews Township Parkway, Matthews, NC 28105

Novant Health Mint Hill Medical Center, 8201 Healthcare Loop, Charlotte, NC 28215

Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center, 10030 Gilead Road, Huntersville, NC 28078

CaroMont Regional Medical Center, 2525 Court Dr., Gastonia, NC 28054

Atrium Health Union, 600 Hospital Dr., Monroe, NC 28112-6000

Novant Health Rowan Medical Center, 612 Mocksville Ave., Salisbury, NC 28144

Additionally, six facilities in the region got a B grade:

Atrium Health Cabarrus, 920 Church St., Concord, NC 28025

Atrium Health Lincoln, 433 McAlister Road, Lincolnton, NC 28092

Atrium Health Pineville, 10628 Park Road, Charlotte, NC 28210

Atrium Health Stanly, 301 Yadkin St., Albemarle, NC 28001

Atrium Health University City, 8800 N. Tryon St., Charlotte, NC 28262

MUSC Health - Lancaster Medical Center, 800 W. Meeting St., Lancaster, SC 29720

And five area hospitals received a C grade:

Atrium Health Cleveland, 201 East Grover St., Shelby, NC 28150

Atrium Health Kings Mountain, 706 W. King St., Kings Mountain, NC 28086

Iredell Memorial Hospital, 557 Brookdale Dr., Statesville, NC 28677

Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, 171 Fairview Road, Mooresville, NC 28117

Piedmont Medical Center. 222 S. Herlong Ave., Rock Hill, SC 29732

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No hospitals in the Charlotte area got D or F grades.

To see the full reports for every hospital listed, go to hospitalsafetygrade.org.

How to use hospital safety grades

Leapfrogs system rates hospitals on the very basics of medical care, such as handwashing, entering prescriptions through a computer, and the availability of highly-trained nurses, the group says.

You should never refuse care in an emergency because of a hospitals Safety Grade, they add, but the grades can serve as a guide for planned events and a research tool for potential emergencies.

Three specific factors Leapfrog recommends looking at especially closely are handwashing, infection in the blood and patient falls.

The group also recommends looking at recent past grades to help make clear which hospitals consistently achieve high standards of patient safety and which have demonstrated a steady path of improvement.
Salmon may soon be very difficult to find, and may cost more than a pretty penny as a result.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) is recommending the cancellation of salmon fishing in California and a small portion of Oregon for the 2023-2024 season, which begins May 16.

The proposal is based on low population forecasts of Chinook salmon for Klamath River and Sacramento River.

Salmon is beloved around the world for its rich flavor and health benefits. But if you buy a lot of it, be warned that the fish will probably become even more of a delicacy this year, especially wild-caught salmon. The nutrient-dense fish will come at a steep price if salmon fishing is closed this year in California, which is likely.

Based on low population forecasts for Klamath River and Sacramento River Chinook salmon this fall, the Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) is recommending the cancellation of salmon fishing in California and a small portion of Oregon for the 2023-2024 season, which begins May 16. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) must approve the proposal by May 15. This is very likely to happen, given they already took in-season actions to halt most salmon fishing south of Cape Falcon, Oregon, until then.

So what does this mean for your salmon dinners? For one, theyll likely become more expensive.

California is really good at growing food and providingnutritionally valuable food to the American peoplesalmon is one of them, said Robin Ehlke, the PFMCs staff officer for salmon fishery management. I think it will definitely be noticed that salmons not part of anybodys meal plan.

While there will be salmon fishing further north in Washington and parts of Oregon, the majority of wild-caught Chinook salmon on the West Coast comes from California, according to Ehlke.

With a low supply of wild-caught salmon, it's only natural that the prices of farm-raised might also increase. A decline in fishing will increase prices and put a strain on people who make their living fishing, said Bryan Boches, co-founder and CEO of Safe Catch . We need to find the sustainable balance and invest in these ecosystems if we want future generations to enjoy catching salmon in California.

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Californias salmon industry has an annual value of $1.4 billion and supports 23,000 jobs, according to the Golden State Salmon Association .

A Decreasing Salmon Population

PATRICK T. FALLON - Getty Images

"Chinook salmon populations have been in a general decline," said Boches. "We have a much smaller population of Chinook salmon now than just 20 years ago."

This year, the forecast for Sacramento River Fall Chinook is less than 170,000, compared to a harvest of over 1 million fish in 1988 and 1995, according to a report from PFMC.

The last time California's salmon fishing season was canceled was in 2009. While there are several factors that determine a fluctuation of salmon populations, one of the biggest ones, according to Ehlke, is waterboth lack of it and its quality.

Salmon need cold, fresh, not fast-moving, but flowing water, she said.

The water conditions have been greatly impacted by drought. "Low water flows during drought years is exacerbated by the diversion of water for farms and cities," said Boches. "Water was also being diverted to grow crops in the desert during a time of drought. That puts a tremendous strain on river systems."

After spawning in rivers, salmon head out to the ocean for a few years before returning, so any environmental factors from three years ago are now affecting the low returns and population forecasts, according to a press release . Given past patterns of drought and rainfall, salmon populations should bounce backand return to plates.

"With the well above average rainfall weve had this year in California, hopefully that will help the overall health of fresh waterways in the state. However, these are delicate ecosystems, and sometimes too much water can also negatively affect salmon eggs and hatchlings," said Boches.

While salmon are resilient, Ehlke said it wouldnt be surprising for the numbers to be low again next year, as it will probably take a year or two for the population to recover.

Increasing hatchery production is one way to increase population, but the survival of those fish is reliant on healthy water, according to Ehlke. Currently, there's an effort to remove four Klamath River damsthe first of which would be dismantled this summer. Ehlke said this exciting development has been in the works for decades and will provide flowing water and habitat for salmon.

"As long as society comes together to protect the purity of our waterways and to utilize and monitor responsible, sustainable fishing practices, we can have a thriving ecosystem," said Boches.

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Salt Lake City Councilwoman Amy Fowler takes the oath of office in 2018. Fowler was arrested for investigation of DUI on Wednesday following a hit-and-run crash. | Scott G Winterton, Deseret News

Salt Lake City Councilwoman Amy Fowler was arrested for investigation of DUI Wednesday following a hit-and-run crash.

Fowler was booked into the Utah County Jail, then released about an hour later. Her bail was listed at $680.

A Utah Highway Patrol trooper responded to meet a driver who had been involved in a hit-and-run crash and found Fowler sitting in her vehicle with the engine running"in Springville just before 11 a.m., according to a police booking affidavit.

The trooper said they could smell alcohol on Fowler's breath, and her eyes were red and bloodshot and she was very emotional, the arrest report states.

Fowler said another vehicle had struck her vehicle in Salt Lake City, but she didn't stop because she didn't believe they had stopped, according to the affidavit. More information about the traffic incident in Salt Lake City was not available.

She denied using alcohol, but the affidavit says Fowler had diminished fine motor skills and a breath test showed a reading of 0.111. The legal blood-alcohol content limit in Utah is 0.05 percent.

She could not use her fingertips to hand me documents, she used her whole hand to retrieve papers and hand them over, the trooper wrote.

Fowler was initially elected to Salt Lake City's District 7  which includes Sugar House  in 2017, and was reelected in 2021.

Fowler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Salt Lake City Council issued a prepared statement referring to the arrest as a traffic incident.

The Salt Lake City Council is aware of a traffic incident involving Council Member Amy Fowler in Salt Lake County on May 3, it said. This matter will be addressed outside of Salt Lake City's jurisdiction, and we are committed to remaining transparent as more pertinent information is made available.

Contributing: Carter Williams
Sam Smith will no longer perform at a music festival in Israel, following intense backlash from LGBTQ+ and Palestinian activists.

Event organizers for Tel Avivs Summer in the City Festival said in a statement to media outlets on Friday that [d]ue to unforeseeable technical and logistical problems on May 31, the concerts of that evening (including Sam Smith) will not happen. The acts scheduled for June 1, including English pop singer Robbie Williams, are still set to continue. Papa Roach, the band originally slated to open for Smith, canceled their appearance in March.

Smith has not commented publicly on the cancellation, but it came on the heels of a major campaign from Palestinian activists urging the singer not to support the Israeli state  which re-escalated violence last month in an airstrike on Lebanon that killed at least two Palestinians  with a tourist-attracting performance. Performing in Israel may sound benign, but it is what allows Israel to continue its wholesale theft of Palestinian life, land, and dignity, wrote Ghadir Shafie, co-founder of the Palestinian Feminist Center for Gender and Sexual Freedoms, in an open letter to Smith.

A Change.org petition organized by the U.S.-based Palestinian advocacy group Adalah Justice Project with the hashtag #SamDontGo received over 11,000 signatures as of Friday. Writing as concerned fans who have been rooting for you and all of the beautiful queer and trans joy, abundance, and freedom dreaming youve offered, the petition asks Smith and their representatives not to cross the international BDS picket line and stand in solidarity with Palestinian queers and all Palestinians fighting for their human rights and dignity.

Sam Smith Criticizes Awards Show For Excluding Non-Binary Musicians: Lets Celebrate Everybody

The BRIT Awards pushed back plans to scrap gendered categories, leaving Smith out in the cold.

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AJP executive director Sandra Tamari asserted in a statement on Friday that the concerts cancellation demonstrates the power of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement [BDS] for Palestinian freedom, a movement whose supporters have long advocated for artists to take a stand against Israel's illegal occupation and apartheid regime.

LGBTQ+ and Palestinian justice movements have cooperated for many years, as many queer Jewish activists have spoken out against pinkwashing of the Israeli state and its settlements in the Gaza Strip. Shatzi Weisberger, the legendary queer activist known as the Peoples Bubbie who died last December, also worked towards Palestinian justice for nearly forty years and regularly appeared at events with signs like This 90-year-old Jew says Zionism is genocide!

For some time I thought Israel could reform itself. But I don't believe that at all anymore, Weisberger told the Middle East Eye in 2021. I realized that I cant be a Zionist. No way. It is such an injustice, such cruelty, such distortion.

Get the best of whats queer. Sign up for Thems weekly newsletter here.

Originally Appeared on them.
Private Jonathan Rowell

A British Army soldier accused of slapping a female colleagues bottom as she bent over before telling her dont act like you werent asking for it has been cleared of sexual assault.

Private Jonathan Rowell had allegedly left the soldier shocked and uncomfortable by smacking her as she readjusted her boots and trousers after a break at work.

However, Pte Rowell told a court martial the incident simply never happened.

After a three-day trial at Bulford Military Court, Wilts, a judge directed the board to return a not guilty verdict and the soldier be cleared.

During the case, prosecutor Lieutenant Commander Jamie Brotherton had told the court that the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was walking from a smoking area when the alleged assault occurred.

The complainant was outside bending down to adjust her twisties when, without consent, the defendant came up behind her and grabbed her bottom hard, causing her pain and distress, he said.

It was uninvited, unwanted and not consented to. She clearly wasnt asking for it. The defendant denied it ever happened.

Giving evidence, the woman told the court her break, which she had taken in a smoking area, had ended so she was returning to her workplace in a group containing Pte Rowell.

She said: We walked up a path and Pte Rowell was behind me in a group.

I wore twisties on the bottom of my trousers - they go around the bottom of your boots to touch the bottom of your trousers to make them look neater.

I bent down to readjust them because I was going back to work, when Pte Rowell came up behind me and slapped me on the bum - it knocked me forwards.

I shot up and obviously I was shocked. It hurt. She claimed that when she admonished him, Pte Rowell replied: Dont act like you werent asking for it.

It made me feel really uncomfortable, the woman added.

Pte Rowell, of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Berkshire, denied the single charge of sexual assault and was cleared by Judge Advocate Robert Hill after a submission from the defence legal team.

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Alex Jones, the far-right conspiracy theorist who was ordered to pay nearly a billion dollars to Sandy Hook families for claiming the shooting was a hoax, learned on Thursday that he was the subject of a prank phone call that utilised an AI approximation of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson's voice to dupe him.

Jones, infuriated by the embarrassment, insinuated that he was going to try to pursue litigation against the prank caller.

"Hey let me tell the little prankster Prank Stallone something," he said during his show on Wednesday. "Tucker Carlson's lawyers are involved, and what you did, we believe is a crime, so even though you think you are safe up in Canada, you are going to get arrested for what you did yesterday."

Chris James, who goes by Prank Stallone on Twitter, is a comedian and video content creator on YouTube, Twitch, and Means.TV, where he frequently prank calls conservatives and conspiracy theorists.

He has previously bamboozled far-right figures including Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, podcaster Ben Shapiro, Fox News host Brian Kilmeade, MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell, former Trump aide Sebastian Gorka, Dennis Prager, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage, and former New York Man and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani.

He teased the call in a Twitter post on Wednesday.

"Okay so lets say someone has Tucker Carlsons cell number, and also Alex Jones cell phone number, and also an AI Tucker Carlson voice," he wrote. "They could IN THEORY call Alex Jones and pretend to be Tucker, and have a full conversation with him. Anyways I just did that."

Jones was clearly frustrated after the call, telling Mr James to "keep laughing, you little arrogant person," and accusing him of making "sexual threats."

Alex Jones is now calling for the arrest of Prank Stallone. Probably because @theCJS won't go on Infowars. pic.twitter.com/gBlO4iQuIG  Goad Gatsby (@GoadGatsby) May 4, 2023

Im going to file a criminal complaint...you dont get to steal our phone numbers and then pose as us, Jones said.

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He spent an entire half-hour on the subject, eventually demanding the prankster come onto his show and explain whether or not he is part of a government organisation and later demanding his arrest.

The debacle even spawned a headline on InfoWars' website claiming Mr James used "AI to stalk Tucker Carlson and Alex Jones."

This is, quite remarkably, a real screenshot from the Infowars site. pic.twitter.com/Edlc0QuVtB  Prank Stallone (@theCJS) May 5, 2023

"I call for him to be arrested now," Jones fumed.

The comedian mocked the conspiracy theorist's call for his arrest in a Twitter post. He jokingly posted as his mother, "Pranika," claiming Mr James had been arrested. The post includes a manipulated photo of combat athlete Connor McGregor being arrested in 2018.

This is Pranks mother, Pranika. I just wanted to let you know that Prank will not be posting for a while, as he was arrested this morning on charges of felony pranking in the 1st degree. Will follow up with where letters can be sent. pic.twitter.com/dOG7WrOr7e  Prank Stallone (@theCJS) May 5, 2023

"This is Pranks mother, Pranika. I just wanted to let you know that Prank will not be posting for a while, as he was arrested this morning on charges of felony pranking in the 1st degree," he wrote. "Will follow up with where letters can be sent."

In the meantime, Jones' fans have been taking the controversy well; Mr James shared a screenshot of a deranged individual saying his prank gave him "the reason to live again" before threatening to kill and eat him.

Mr James said the call would be featured in a video he will release on Monday.
Sara Tomko and Meredith Garretson didn't have to dig too deep to form a bond on the set of SYFY's Resident Alien. They were already best friends in real life. In a new video, the two broke down how they met as undergraduates at James Madison University in Virginia, and how that bond has helped them while working on the sci-fi mystery show that's set to return for a third season later this year.

RELATED: Resident Alien star teases Season 3 is best yet as filming wraps on SYFY series

Tomko plays Asta Twelvetrees, who works for the town doctor in the rural area of Patience, Colorado, where an alien (Alan Tudyk) landed on Earth and took on the identity of a doctor after killing him. Garretson portrays Kate Hawthorne, a teacher and the wife of the town's mayor. In a new clip posted to Instagram, Tomko and Garretson talk about bonds between the female characters on the comedy-drama.

"There is a theme on our show about strong friendships, female friendships, the badass women of Patience," Tomko says. Garretson chimes in, "Theres such a theme of women joining forces and like binding hands and getting strong ... strength in numbers, which I think is just awesome. I love this show, how much it offers us female camaraderie and its very much echoed in the friendships that we have in real life.

Watch Sara Tomko and Meredith Garretson discuss their Resident Alien roles and real-life friendship:

Tomko adds, I really loved that scene when we were in the car and [Kate's] wearing this really hot Cher outfit cause its Halloween and were like, Hey, do you want to join us?' She's like, 'I didn't know you guys were gonna be here.' We're like, 'C'mon,' and we literally pull her in and her feet are sticking out of the car and we're like, 'Let's go'!"

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Garretson explains that her character Kate is a little standoffish with other people while Asta has an "Earthy energy, that, along with the other women, helps shake things up and helps her come around to what's available in Patience." The actress then turns to Tomko and says, "You helped me come out of my shell in undergrad and you helped me come out of my shell in Patience. Isnt that crazy? Its true."

Tomko explains that she and Garretson have been real-life BFFs for "lifetimes," since meeting in freshman year of college and starting their friendship in sophomore year. "At first I had like deep crush and admiration for her from a distance and then we got close," Garretson says.

Resident Alien Season 2

As for how they got cast in the same show, they say that Tomko told Garretson she got a role as a series regular on Resident Alien while the latter was driving from the East Coast to Los Angeles to visit her. I was about to leave L.A.," Garretson says, and on my last day, my manager called me and said, Hey, could you stick around just one more day? Because theres an audition, theyd like you to come in. Well, its for Resident Alien.' And Im standing in Saras living room when I got that call.

She auditioned and got the gig. "And then you called me and we just squealed for days," Tomko says. Its something we used to say in undergrad: 'You go to New York. Ill go to L.A. We shall conquer, and one day well be in a show together.' ... Im so honored that Meredith is with me on set on the daily. Just in general, its like pinching ourselves, a dream come true."

If you need to catch up on the first two seasons of Resident Alien before the 8-episode third season premieres later this year, you can stream them on Peacock now.
Influencer Sarah Nicole Landry dazzled in the newest episode of Jessi Cruickshank's podcast "Phone a Friend."

For Sarah Nicole Landry, confidence is not a feeling  it's an action.

The Canadian influencer appeared on the newest episode of "Phone a Friend," a podcast series hosted by television personality Jessi Cruickshank, in which the two talked confidence, self-care and being influencers.

Known online as The Birds Papaya, Landry became a content creator about 15 years ago with a blog before moving over to Instagram. She now has 2.2 million followers on the platform, but as she said in the podcast, it started at her "rock bottom."

Landry told Cruickshank years went by as she watched people be "so perfect" on social media, before realizing that was just one piece of their lives.

"When I was blogging... It was never about us, and when Instagram became a thing suddenly the cameras were turned onto us."

About six or seven years into creating content, Landry, after getting married at 19 and having two kids at the time, recalled going through a journey to change her appearance, losing 100 pounds.

"Instagram loved me for it. I got this big following," she said.

But, at the same time she was going through a divorce and living at her parents house, and "no one knew anything." Landry recalled getting non-stop compliments on her weight loss.

"I realized nobody is seeing anything but what I looked like, because that's what I've made my thing... Lightbulb moment  I need to change my life. I need to change the way I'm showing up online."

In the "Love Your Body-ody-ody with The Birds Papaya" episode, Landry recalled the first time she showed "an inch of my stretch marks on my stomach" on Instagram.

"There was so many people who had stomachs like mine... That's when everything changed for me."

Confidence and cringing

Cruickshank said she was left in awe when she saw Landry on a Disney cruise influencer event last summer.

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The one time I saw you in your bikini, I was truly starstruck by your body, Cruickshank said, acknowledging its "an insane thing to tell anyone," through a laugh.

Landry, who called Cruickshank one of her "favourite people" was happy to hear that.

I never grew up seeing anybody even show stretch marks or cellulite I think everyone just assumes that Im uber-confident, she responded.

I probably wasnt feeling confident but I did the confident thing, which is what confidence is; its not a feeling, its an action."

The two also joked about Landry being a "full blown Disney adult," much like fellow celebrities Ryan Gosling and Gigi Hadid.

On the topic of shamelessness, Cruickshank confessed in her podcast shes still embarrassed to call herself an influencer.

You are like the OG blogger, one of the original influencers Youre hugely successful at it. Have you found a way to just embrace it?, Cruickshank asked her guest.

No, I still cringe, Landry responded candidly, I think I cringe at what it means to people in their heads.

But, the mom of three said its common for any type of work championed by women to be minimized and mocked.

It literally was mostly stay-at-home moms, there was a lot of women in fashion and people who literally created an industry out of nothing, and utilized social media as this vehicle. Now, we have influencers and I dont want it to be mocked or minimized because its been mostly women who have led the charge in it.

Cruickshank applauded her guest, adding Landry completely reframed how she thought about the term influencer.

In addition to the confidence-talk, the two star moms also reflected on meeting each other for the first time, meeting a Kardashian and having a promiscuous phase, in the 40-minute segment of the "Phone a Friend" episode.

In an Instagram post, Cruickshank shared a photo with Landry from last summer which she hadn't shared until now "because I hated the way I looked," she penned in the caption.

But, continued that Landry reminded her "how to love the skin" she's in.

The host promoted her new podcast episode, adding "I promise you'll look at yourself, your body, your life, a little differently."

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
Fire at the Ilskii Oil Refinery

One of the plant's units was attacked by a Ukrainian drone at about 8.30 a.m. After an explosion, the unit was set on fire, the message reads.

The refinerys staff was evacuated. No casualties were reported in the attack.

The 60 square meters (645 square feet) fire was reportedly extinguished by 9 a.m. It was caused not by the attack itself, but by the re-ignition of the site of the fire from the previous attack, Russian state outlet Kommersant wrote.

The Ilskii Oil Refinery was reported to have been attacked by four Ukrainian drones overnight on May 4. Fuel tanks burst into flames on an area of 400 square meters (around 4,300 square feet), Russian newspaper Kommersant wrote.

One of the drones crashed, while the other three exploded at the oil refinery. One of the tanks was destroyed, while another caught fire. It was 85% filled with fuel, the Shot Telegram channel said.

Earlier, a massive fire broke out at an oil storage facility near Russian Taman Port in Volna village, also in Krasnodar Krai. The fire was classified as the highest rank of difficulty.

It was only 15 kilometers away from the Crimean Bridge, and could be seen from the Russian-occupied Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
COLOMBO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka will release 988 prisoners on Friday on presidential amnesty to mark Vesak Day, the most important religious event for Buddhists, a senior official said.

Commissioner of the Department of Prisons and spokesman Chandana Ekanayake told media that the presidential amnesty was granted by President Ranil Wickremesinghe under powers vested on him under Article 34 of the country's Constitution.

Ekanayake said this amnesty was given based on several terms and conditions.

Sri Lanka usually pardons prisoners on the Independence Day and during major religious events.

These amnesties do not apply to those convicted of murder, serious drug offences, rape, and armed robbery, Ekanayake said. 
Bottom row, from left, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas, and Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts. Top row, from left, Associate Justice Amy Coney Barrett, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch, and Associate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite

Justice Clarence Thomas is at the center of a scandal involving a billionaire subsidizing his lifestyle.

Chief Justice John Roberts' wife has made millions as a legal recruiter from firms who argue at the court.

Land deals, mysterious debts, book deals, it's an ethical minefield at the court right now.

Americans already had a dismal view of the Supreme Court. Now, the nation's highest court is confronting an ethics debacle that has thrusted the already bruised institution further into the headlines.

Justice Clarence Thomas has been the subject of multiple bombshell reports about his close relationship with a Texas billionaire who has financed lavish trips, purchased his mother's home, and help support members of his family. Before these stories broke, Thomas was already staring down concerns about wife, Virginia "Ginni", and her conservative advocacy.

Chief Justice John Roberts, who has cast himself as a defender of the court's image, hasn't been immune either. Roberts' wife, Jane, made millions in commissions placing lawyers at the high-priced firms that often argue before the court.

Roberts and other justices have bristled over the possible impositions of a formal ethics code on the court. Other federal judges have a formal ethics code, but the high court prefers to police itself.

Absent impeachment there is little punishment that any lawmaker or American can seek to impose on a justice who like all other judges can serve for life.

Here's a look at everything we know so far:

Clarence Thomas seems to have a new problem every day

Clarence Thomas in 2008. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

No justice has received more scrutiny in recent weeks than Thomas. ProPublica's series of reports began by documenting how Thomas accepted lavish trips paid for by Crow for decades without disclosing it. The publication estimated that one such vacation could have cost over $500,000 if Thomas paid for it himself.

The nonprofit publication later broke news on how Crow purchased Thomas' mother's home from the justice and two other people in 2014. Crow later said that he did so with the intention of establishing a museum focused on the second Black Supreme Court justice's life. The Texan hasalso attacked ProPublica over its repeated reports.

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Thomas has confirmed his friendship with Crow but has argued that he was advised that he did not need to disclose the trips. His friends and allies have gone even further. On May 4, Mark Paoletta, a conservative attorney who represented Virginia Thomas before the House January 6 committee, slammed a ProPublica report as "malicious" after the publication detailed how Crow paid thousands for the private school tuition of Thomas' grandnephew, whom the justice and his wife were caring for.

Ginni Thomas hasn't escaped scrutiny either. Thomas testified before the January 6 panel after multiple reports about her private text messages pushing election conspiracies with then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. On May 5, The Washington Post reported that conservative legal activist Leonard Leo arranged for Virginia Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars while directing that Virginia's name be left off of any billing information.

Jane Roberts, the Chief Justice's wife, banked over $10.3 million as a legal recruiter working with top firms

Supreme Court Justice Chief Justice John Roberts and his wife Jane Roberts arrive for a 2018 State Dinner at the White House. Alex Brandon/AP

Multiple reports have focused on Jane Roberts' career as a legal recruiter, a job she switched to following the chief justice's confirmation in 2005.

Insider previously reported that Jane Roberts made $10.3 million in commissions from elite law firms from 2007 to 2014, according to a whistleblower complaint. The complaint made by a disgruntled former colleague of Roberts is in the hands of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees.

Roberts has placed lawyers at firms that argue before the Supreme Court, though there is no evidence that Roberts' specific clients have themselves argued before the Supreme Court. In a deposition related to the complaint, Jane Roberts attributed her business to "Successful people have successful friends."

John Cashman, the president of Major, Lindsey & Africa, the firm where Jane Roberts worked, told Insider that Roberts was "one of several very successful recruiters" at the firm.

Brett Kavanaugh accrued tens of thousands of dollars in debt. It went away.

Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing on September 27, 2018. Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images

Questions about Kavanaugh's finances began even before his confirmation.

The Trump White House disclosed during Kavanaugh's nomination process that the future justice had racked up tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Per ProPublica, the future justice and longtime Capital-area resident, built up as much as $200,000 in debt watching Washington's MLB team.

The Washington Post reported in 2018 that Kavanaugh's friends reimbursed him for their share of the tickets and the then-federal judge had stopped buying season tickets.

Sonia Sotomayor didn't recuse herself from cases related to her book publisher

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor speaks at Tufts University on September 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. Paul Marotta/Getty Images

Justice Sotomayor has faced questions over the $3.1 million Knopf has paid her for a memoir and children's books.

Sotomayor, an Obama-appointee, did not recuse herself from three separate occasions when copyright cases involving Penguin Random House came before the high court on appeals. Penguin Random House owns Knopf.

CNN reported that Gorsuch also declined to recuse himself from a case. He too has received hundreds of thousands from book deals with the publisher.

For years, there has been frustration over the high court's recusal guidelines. There is a federal law that describes when a judge should step aside in a case, but ultimately the decision is left up to the individual justice. Unlike lower federal courts, justices cannot have another judge substituted for them in the event of a recusal, potentially meaning the court could deadlock or reach a different ruling in their absence.

Sotomayor has received significant attention since the other justices in the headlines are conservative.

Neil Gorsuch didn't disclose that a big law executive bought property from him

Neil Gorsuch. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Gorsuch, one of former President Donald Trump's three appointees, has come under scrutiny for his sale of a property he co-owned in rural Colorado.

Politico reported that Justice Gorsuch and his co-owners sold a 40-acre tract to "Greenberg Traurig, one of the nation's biggest law firms with a robust practice before the high court" just nine days after Gorsuch's confirmation.

Brian Duffy, the executive in question, told Politico that he has never argued before Gorsuch nor has he met the justice socially. Duffy said he cleared the purchase with Greenberg Traurig's own ethics department. The legal executive, a longtime Colorado resident, also said that he had been looking for a similar property for years before his purchase.

Gorsuch did disclose Duffy's name when he reported the purchase. Gorsuch only listed the income under the LLC he and his co-owners had formed.

Gorsuch, like Sotomayor, also did not recuse from a case involving his book publisher.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A member of the newly-formed Committee to Support the Recall of Aisha Wahab is Congressional candidate Ritesh Tandon, a San Jose engineer and businessman.

Tandon ran two failed campaigns against Rep. Ro Khanna in District 17 in both 2020 and 2022. He ran both as a Republican but told The Bee he is challenging Khanna in 2024 as a moderate Democrat.

The recall effort, he said, started in part as a Democratic-led response to Sen. Wahabs Senate Bill 403, which would ban discrimination on the basis of caste. The bill unanimously passed the Senate Judiciary Committee last week and will be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.

The judiciary hearing drew hundreds of supporters and dissenters, with many Hindu Indian Americans lining up to explain why they oppose the bill. They called the measure racist, arguing that it would cause people to assume that discrimination is innate to Hinduism, and would result in racial profiling against South Asians.

Tandon personally opposes SB 403. He said he has never identified with a caste, in India or in the U.S.

Everyone is equal, he said. Plus, caste systems do not exist in the U.S, he told The Bee.

https://twitter.com/tandon4congress/status/1651030853827563520

Wahab, the first Afghan-American woman elected to public office in the U.S., has cited several cases of caste-based discrimination in California while advocating for SB 403. Such discrimination has reportedly taken place at tech companies like Cisco and Google, and on the CSU East Bay campus. The bill is also backed by ACLU California Action, CAIR-California, and civil rights activist and Sacramento native Dr. Cornel West.

Caste systems are not widely understood, Wahab said at a judiciary hearing for the bill last month. This bill does not target any specific community, religion, nor does it create more harm. It simply protects people from discrimination and allows people to know they are protected under California law.

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But the recall is beyond just one piece of legislation, Tandon said.

This recall is completely based on voter dissatisfaction and her job failure, he said. This is about her non-performance.

People said Sen. Wahab is not listening to their side [about SB 403], he said. Constituents feel like shes writing legislation about them without them.

Asked for comment Thursday, a Wahab spokesperson referred The Bee to the senators Tuesday statement that shes here to do the work of the people, and will not be distracted by retaliatory efforts of the recall movement.

These retaliatory efforts will not distract me, and I will continue to advance bills that have the potential to positively impact the lives of millions of Californians.

Beyond the caste bill, Tandon said that the recall committee is a broad coalition of diverse constituents, including many in the Chinese American community and Indian American community. Wahabs other proposed bills have activated people into supporting a recall, too.

He cited SB 573, a bill that would bar legislative staff from becoming lobbyists within a year of leaving the Capitol, as reason to recall Wahab. During the hearing for SB 573, Wahab drew ire from We Said Enough, a nonprofit founded in 2017 to speak out against workplace sexual harassment, discrimination and bullying in professional and academic settings. The group said the bill could force legislative staffers to stay stuck in toxic work environments, or limit future opportunities.

Sad to see our law makers are controlling people vs working for people, he wrote on Twitter about the bill.

He characterized the freshman Senators time at the Capitol as filled with broken promises and failed priorities and described Wahab as missing in action.

Many people are still waiting to hear or read a statement from her regarding the fatal shooting of 5-year-old Eliyanah Crisostomo, who was killed on Interstate-880 in Wahabs district, Tandon said.

Shes the Chair of the Public Safety Committee, he said. A child was killed and not a single statement [from her]. Shes lost her focus.

While Tandon maintains that the recall is led by Democrats, its treasurer is Thomas E. Montgomery, Vice Chair of the Marin County Republican Central Committee  a self-described Republican businessman and political activist who knows full well what a daunting task being a Republican in the Golden State can be, especially when its home to such famous, and well-liked, politicians as Gavin Newsom, Kamala Harris, Diane Feinstein and Nancy Pelosi.

Tandon said Republicans are not involved in this, and that he hired Montgomery as the treasurer because he worked with him before on his Congressional campaigns.

Wahabs campaign saw endorsements from pro-choice groups, unions, Democratic Party factions and local and state elected officials on the left. Her many supporters say the recall is a long shot at best, and a Republican grift at worst.

Republican operatives know they cannot defeat Wahab in a general election, get close in a primary, or win a recall, but they can fool a small group of people that dont understand the political process, take their money and fool them into thinking that this is a process that has an opportunity of being successful, said Amar Shergill, Progressive Caucus Chair who has known Wahab since she was running for a seat on Hayward City Council.

This is a classic Republican consultant bait and switch so they can line their own pockets, he said.

And while Tandon cites Wahabs lobbying bill as a reason for the attempted recall, a vocal opponent of SB 573, Assemblywoman Tina McKinnor, D-Inglewood, opposes the move.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., on Thursday defended her ongoing absence from the Judiciary Committee amid calls for her resignation, insisting that there has been "no slowdown" of President Joe Bidens judicial nominees as she recovers from shingles.

The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week. There has been no slowdown," Feinstein said in a statement.

"Im confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote."

The statement did not provide details about a return date to Washington. Feinstein, 89, faces calls from fellow Democrats to resign amid her absence following her hospitalization with shingles this year. She has not cast a vote in the Senate since Feb. 16.

Feinstein has been out of the hospital since March and working from home in San Francisco since then, her spokesperson said.

Asked when Feinstein would be back in Washington, the spokesperson, Adam Russell, said a return date had not been set. That date is contingent on her medical team clearing her to fly. And they have not done so yet, Russell said.

Despite her illness, Feinstein has signaled her intention to remain in office until the end of her term in 2025.

While Senate Democrats have been able to advance several of Bidens nominees with Republican votes, they had to pause on others that fell short of bipartisan backing.

While the Senate Judiciary Committee has advanced eight strong nominees during my absence, Im disappointed that Republicans on the committee are blocking a few from moving forward," Feinstein said in her statement.

Feinstein asked last month that another Democrat temporarily replace her on the panel to help move along several of Biden's nominees. But the proposal was rejected by some key Senate Republicans, who said the move would enable Democrats to advance judges on a party-line basis.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Google AI displayed on mobile and AI brain on screen are seen in this photo illustration in front of two computerized brains.



A senior Google engineer claims the company is so focused on the silly AI rat race its ignoring the quantity and quality of open source offerings.

Google AI releases lack a spark, that certain je ne sais quoi that would give Google an edge in the hamster wheel rat race that is AI development, and even the engineers inside the company know it. According to Bloomberg, a leaked internal document from a senior software engineer shares concerns that the company simply isnt in a position to win the AI arms race. Why? Because, in the engineers words, it lacks that secret sauce.

Is it that overrated, over-referenced szechuan sauce? Perhaps its more classy, like a traditional Texas barbeque wet rub? Moreso, Googles AI offerings lack an inherent value that free AI models already provide. The paper, which was reportedly written by Google senior software engineer Luke Sernau makes it clear Google isnt positioned to win this arms race. According to the leaked document published online by consulting firm SemiAnalysis, Sernau said Googles AI releases like Bard are slower and less customizable than other companies, especially those coming from open source communities. He even says OpenAI, the dominating firm spitting out AI models in partnership with Microsoft, isnt ready for the future either.

Read more

While our models still hold a slight edge in terms of quality, the gap is closing astonishingly quickly. Open-source models are faster, more customizable, more private, and pound-for-pound more capable. They are doing things with $100 and 13B params that we struggle with at $10M and 540B. And they are doing so in weeks, not months.

The senior engineer cites open source AI chatbots like Vicuna-13B, a system trained on Metas LLaMA language model. The open source model is lapping Google with major problems like hosting large language models on phones and scalable personal AI already making waves. Meanwhile, theres also the AI image generators like Stable Diffusion, whose open source model set itself up for far more enterprise integrations than OpenAIs DALL-E 2. This does ignore the reports that SD-maker Stability AI has not been doing too well financially and has actively tried to expand its business-to-business options.

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Our best hope is to learn from and collaborate with what others are doing outside Google. We should prioritize enabling 3P integrations, he wrote. People will not pay for a restricted model when free, unrestricted alternatives are comparable in quality. We should consider where our value add really is.

Sernau reportedly published the report in April, and since then its spread throughout the company until it was finally leaked to the wild. The doc isnt an official company strategy, and these kinds of documents are routinely spread internally. A company spokesperson told Gizmodo that were energized by the activity in this space and the new opportunities it creates.

Still, the document shows theres a deep contention within the company surrounding its AI strategy. So far, Googles main focus has been trying to fight off Microsoft which has fully introduced its Bing AI into its search browser and Windows 11.

That focus on competition has led Google to become even more of a closed ecosystem than before. On Thursday, The Washington Post reported based on two anonymous sources that Googles lead on AI Jeff Dean told staff they would no longer be sharing their research with the world, at least until Google has an actual product it can sell. Its the same tactic OpenAI is taking with its own research, as it cited competition for why it didnt reveal anything about its language models training set.

The senior software engineer seemed to reference this new development in his paper. He criticized the company for trying to keep its technology secret when Googlers can easily leave and bring their knowledge of Googles processes with them. Sernau said its better to learn from each other than hold tightly to their proprietary data.

As for ethical AI, Sernau implies the entire problem is obviated by restriction-less AI diffusion models like CivitAI. Of course, Google has been hammering on their responsible AI development. Though employees have reportedly been less than enthused about how ineffective and wrong the AI often is, and just this past week prominent AI researcher at Google Geoffrey Hinton left the company to quickly warn about the dire consequences of unsuppressed AI development.

Meanwhile, Sernau takes the opposite tact, saying unrestricted AI made on an open source model will inevitably win.

Who would pay for a Google product with usage restrictions if there is a free, high quality alternative without them? he said.





Want to know more about AI, chatbots, and the future of machine learning? Check out our full coverage of artificial intelligence, or browse our guides to The Best Free AI Art Generators, The Best ChatGPT Alternatives, and Everything We Know About OpenAIs ChatGPT.

Update 05/05/23 at 10:54 a.m. ET: This post was updated to include a comment from a Google spokesperson.

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Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to disarm the country on Friday, as Serbia reels from its second mass shooting in two days.

We will carry out an almost total disarmament of Serbia, Vucic said, according to The Washington Post. We must make a decision to confront this evil.

Eight people were killed and 14 were injured on Thursday in shootings in two villages near Mladenovac, south of the Serbian capital of Belgrade. Police arrested a suspect on Friday, after an overnight manhunt.

The slayings came just one day after a 13-year-old boy opened fire in his school in Belgrade, killing eight of his fellow students and a security guard.

Weve been walking around like zombies the last 24 hours, looking for a reason something like this could happen, Vucic added on Friday as he announced his plans to make sweeping changes to the countrys gun laws, according to The New York Times.

Vucic called for a two-year moratorium on new gun licenses, a full audit of legal gun owners and harsher prison sentences for those found with unregistered guns, the Times reported. He also vowed to increase Serbias police force by 1,200 officers over the next six months, as part of an effort to place an officer in every school.

In Serbia, there are about 39.1 firearms per 100 residents, giving it the third-highest rate of civilian gun ownership in the world, according to the 2018 Small Arms Survey.

The U.S. sits well ahead of every other country in civilian gun ownership, with 120.5 firearms per 100 residents.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's East L.A. station has become a magnet for scandal. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

The captain tasked with overseeing the troubled East Los Angeles sheriffs station has been reassigned amid a probe into accusations of racial bias and whistleblower retaliation.

Last weekend, The Times reported on a memo claiming that Capt. Pilar Chavez allegedly schemed to give valued detective bureau positions to Latino sergeants to avoid promoting an angry black sergeant who had testified about the presence of deputy gangs at the station.

This week, an internal message sent to L.A. County Sheriffs Department staff showed Chavez is now slated for transfer to the Court Services West Bureau starting Sunday. The reassignment is a lateral move, albeit to a less-coveted post. Chavez did not respond to a request for comment.

Officials confirmed she will be replaced at the East L.A. station by Capt. Brandon Dean, who is currently a captain in the detective division of the Narcotics Bureau.

"Captain Dean has demonstrated experience and leadership which will benefit the cities of Commerce, Cudahy, Maywood, along with the unincorporated communities of East Los Angeles," said department spokeswoman Lorena Rodriguez.

In taking over the East L.A. station, Dean faces a daunting task. The station has become a magnet for scandal, in part because it is home to a group of deputies known as the Banditos , whose members sport matching skeleton tattoos and have been implicated in lawsuits , shootings and one infamous brawl at an off-duty station party in 2018

Some of the key allegations raised in the memo about Chavez that was reviewed by The Times stem from Sgt. Reginald Hoffmans efforts to bring to light gang activity at the station, both by testifying as a whistleblower and by later filing suit.

On Jan. 24, according to the memo header, Lt. Shawn ODonnell, who worked under Chavez in East L.A., sent the eight-page message to Cmdr. Richard Mejia, who oversees several stations.

In late August 2022, I received a phone call from Captain Chavez on my personal cellular phone, the memo begins. Captain Chavez asked me if I heard about the drama going on at the station.

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When ODonnell said he hadnt, Chavez went on to tell him that higher-ups had ordered her to interview sergeants for a position in the detective bureau. But Chavez allegedly said she wanted to pick her own sergeants, according to the memo, and that she already had two candidates in mind  neither of whom was Hoffman.

Captain Chavez also told me Sergeant Reginald Hoffman was the anonymous caller who gave testimony at the Civilian Oversight Committee hearing on May 24, 2022, the memo continues, referencing one of the seven public hearings the oversight body held last year as part of a probe into into the impact of deputy gangs within the department.

According to the January memo, Chavez allegedly went on to say that Hoffman had nothing coming to him at East Los Angeles station and that shed already given an edge to her preferred detective sergeant candidates by telling them which questions she planned to ask during their interviews.

Captain Chavez stated they were Hispanic and they were the ones she could trust out of the sergeants who wanted the position, the memo says. She also told me there was no way she was going to allow Sergeant Hoffman to get the position because he was an angry black guy who filed a claim and for being the anonymous caller at the COC hearing.

In the end, Hoffman did not get the job. But a few weeks later, according to the memo, Chavez reached out to ODonnell again, this time to talk about getting Hoffman sent to another station.

I asked her why she wanted him removed from the station, the memo reads. Captain Chavez told me he is a pain in her ass and he was acting like an angry black.

Ultimately Hoffman was never moved, but a few weeks later he sued.

The lawsuit alleged that Hoffman had been denied promotions and subjected to racial discrimination and whistleblower retaliation by Latino gang members and their allies at the East L.A. station.

When lawyers for the county filed a response to the suit in January, they said that the problems Hoffman described were hearsay or unrelated to his protected status as an African American. The case is still pending.,

Meanwhile Robert Glassman, the attorney representing ODonnell, said last week that his client may have penned the memo after he was denied a promotion himself and that he is now preparing to sue the county over claims of political retaliation.

News of Chavez's transfer follows a series of other developments stemming from past problems at the East L.A. station.

In January, another lawsuit alleged that a new gang had begun forming in the station.

Last month, the Civilian Oversight Commission hosted a town hall where grieving families of people killed by East L.A. deputies gathered to air their criticisms of the department and demanded change. Days later, a federal judge declared a mistrial in a lawsuit filed by one of those families after jurors could not agree on a verdict. An attorney for the family of Anthony Vargas said they hope to continue pursuing the case in state court.

Then Wednesday, L.A. County Superior Court Judge Rolf Treu denied the countys request to throw out an $80-million lawsuit filed by eight former East L.A. deputies who say they were harassed and abused by alleged Banditos. The case, which centers on allegations regarding the 2018 off-duty brawl, will go forward, but with a slightly narrower scope.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
By Jonathan Saul

LONDON (Reuters) - The pace of shipments from Ukraine under a U.N.-backed initiative has slowed as concerns grow over ships getting stuck if a deal is not renewed later this month, according to sources and data.

Russia, which is one of the key parties involved, said it will keep talking although Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18, which has created more uncertainty for traders and shipping companies trying to plan ahead.

Under the accord, Ukraine has been able to export some 29.5 million tonnes of agricultural products, including 14.9 million tonnes of corn and 8.1 million tonnes of wheat.

However, the number of ships coming in to pick up cargoes has dropped this week to two vessels a day from three to four ships on average daily in the past three weeks, data from the agreement's joint coordination centre showed.

Danish shipping group NORDEN, which is active in transporting grains, is among companies not sending ships into the region.

"We are not participating in that trade at the moment ... It is a risky area - it is very hard to predict what will happen," NORDENs Chief Executive Jan Rindbo told Reuters.

"Things can change quickly ... from the time you agree to go in and pick up a cargo and until the time the ship actually arrives."

Every shipment takes on average at least nine days currently and involves sailing into one of three Ukrainian ports involved in the pact and undergoing required inspections.

Analysis from maritime and commodities data platform Shipfix showed the number of cargo orders  global requests for available ships to transport grains from Ukraine  fell to 355 in April from 489 orders sent to the market in March.

There were currently 107 forward grain orders for ships in the market with 94 for May and only a few orders for the forward months ahead, Shipfix data showed.

There are between 40 to 60 commercial ships still stuck in all of Ukraine's ports that have been unable to leave due to tight restrictions on what vessels are allowed to leave the corridor, which has added worries over more assets getting held up if no agreement is reached.

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Insurance for ships going in has been vital, and the war-cover policies need to be renewed every seven days, costing thousands of dollars.

Rates have remained stable around 1% of the value of a ship for weeks, according to market estimates.

Insurance industry sources say that for now there is no change in cover arrangements although conditions could alter quickly.

"We would expect a significant re-addressing of what is currently charged and the way its underwritten if the grain corridor agreement is not extended and if there is an escalation of the conflict," one industry source said.

"Uncertainty is not good for anyone."

(Reporting by Jonathan Saul, editing by Nigel Hunt and Susan Fenton)
Denys Shmyhal and Ben Wallace at a military base where Ukrainian defenders are trained

We coordinated with Ben Wallace the necessary steps for our counteroffensive and further strengthening of Ukraine's defense capabilities, said Shmyhal.

We are systematically moving in this direction. The Ukrainian army is mastering NATO standards in practice, with experienced mentors on this training ground and in battles fighting the enemy.

Shmyhal also posted a video of his address to the Ukrainian soldiers.

Today, great responsibility lies on you for our victory, for establishing peace on the European continent, and for restoring global security, the PM said.

This responsibility requires concentration, acquisition of all knowledge, skills and abilities that your instructors from the UK, Australia, and New Zealand are sharing with you at this base.

Read also: Zelenskyy, New Zealands PM discuss military training, humanitarian aid

He noted that the military training courses lasts five weeks, and thanked Ukraine's partners for running the program, adding that 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already been trained by UK instructors.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Retired mixed martial arts fighter Jorge Masvidal Jr.s home was the scene of a shooting Thursday afternoon, police said. A man was shot, but authorities say Masvidal was not involved.

Jorge Masvidal Fernandez, 67, is facing a charge of attempted second-degree murder.

Just before 3 p.m., Miami-Dade Police Officer Alfredo Perez was flagged down by a Miami-Dade Fire Rescue ambulance that was taking Luis Leoncini to HCA Florida Kendall Hospital after he was shot in both arms, police said.

His condition was not clear Friday.

Leoncini told the officer Masvidal Fernandez shot him in a home at 5851 SW 118th Ave. Police said Masvidal Jr. is listed as the owner.

Officers went to the home to arrest Masvidal Fernandez and found a .38 caliber revolver inside a kitchen cabinet.

Family members told police the two men are acquaintances and share family ties. However, Masvidal Jr. was not there during the shooting, police said.

This is a developing story.
Roseline Asena never imagined her brother would be accused of working with a Kenyan cult leader to starve scores of followers, including his own wife and children

When Roseline Asena's younger brother quit drinking after joining a Kenyan church run by now notorious cult leader Paul Nthenge Mackenzie, she hailed the self-proclaimed pastor for "saving" him from the clutches of alcoholism.

Little did she imagine that two decades later, Kevin Sudi Asena would be charged with murder and accused of working with Mackenzie to starve scores of followers, including his own wife and children -- the youngest only a year old.

"My heart sank, and I felt afraid," the 43-year-old mother of three told AFP, her voice tinged with despair, as she described the moment when she saw her brother in handcuffs on television.

The 41-year-old is among 16 suspects accused of operating an armed -- and apparently well-fed -- "enforcer gang" tasked with ensuring that no one broke their fast or left their forest hideout alive, investigators said, with more than 100 bodies already exhumed from mass graves in the bush.

Autopsies carried out on 100 bodies found in the coastal Shakahola forest have found that while starvation appeared to be the main cause of death, some of the victims -- including children -- were strangled, beaten, or suffocated.

The gruesome saga, dubbed the "Shakahola Forest Massacre", has shocked Kenyans, including Asena, who has since launched a desperate search for her five nieces and nephews.

"I don't know what happened to my brother. I am very heartbroken."

- 'Already crazy' -

The family first realised that all was not right with Mackenzie's Good News International Church when the zealot began urging parents to remove their children from school, claiming that the Bible did not approve of education.

Other sermons preached against the use of mobile money, visits to medical facilities, vaccinations and women wearing wigs.

In lush Vihiga county in western Kenya, where the Asena clan lived, family members launched a frantic effort to convince the former mechanic to abandon the church.

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Yet, even as Mackenzie's activities drew the attention of the authorities who briefly arrested him on charges of "radicalisation" in 2017, Asena's brother refused to walk away from the church.

In 2019, when the preacher closed his church and asked his followers to come to the sleepy town of Shakahola, 700 kilometres (450 miles) from Vihiga, the father of five immediately complied.

"He woke up and said he does not want his land and house, that he is going to Jesus," Asena said.

"When he left, he was already crazy."

But nothing could have prepared them for what was to come.

In February, Asena's 63-year-old mother took a phone call from her son who told her he was on his way to "meet God" in Golgotha, the Biblical site outside Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified.

Two months later, when police uncovered mass graves outside the coastal town of Malindi, their worst fears were confirmed.

- 'Not remorseful' -

Asena's sister-in-law, who gave birth in the wilderness to their youngest child, a baby boy named Syla, was rescued by emergency workers and is receiving counselling.

Her husband and the other suspected enforcers "appeared well nourished as opposed to the severely malnourished victims", according to court documents seen by AFP.

No one knows if their children are alive.

"I went to the rescue centre looking for even one child. I found nothing," Asena said.

With many of the exhumed bodies yet to be identified, she has no idea if her nephews and nieces are among the corpses.

Some of the rescued cult members advised her to focus her search on the eldest child, 15-year-old Sheila, who used to sneak out and risk beatings to drink puddle water in a bid to survive.

Asena even approached her brother for help in finding his children but the effort proved futile, she said, adding that she was unable to recognise the man she met.

"He is not remorseful," she said, describing his demeanour as confident.

"He told me there is no case and that authorities have no evidence."

He had even changed his name to Alfred Asena, she said, suggesting that some of Mackenzie's followers were re-baptised with new names.

With each day, the family's hopes of finding Sheila -- or any of the other children -- alive are fading.

"Our mother is broken," Asena said.

"It looks like that entire generation of children has been wiped out."

ho/amu/bp
This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows logos of the 2023 ASEAN Summit on the building of Bank Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

by Dames Alexander Sinaga

JAKARTA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week.

Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." The country has chosen Labuan Bajo, which is the gateway to the popular Komodo National Park in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, for the gathering to promote it as a travel destination for international tourists.

The country's National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo arrived at Labuan Bajo on Wednesday and inspected a command center and other high-level security preparations at areas that will be used for the bloc's meetings.

"Airport, accommodations as well as places for the meeting agendas are all monitored and supervised. Field officers are all connected to the command center," he told local media.

In an official statement released on Thursday, Sigit said the police will provide protection and oversight from the points of arrival, transfer, to the main venue of the summit.

The special security scheme, called Operation Komodo, involved more than 2,600 police personnel with the assistance of over 3,000 soldiers of the Indonesian Military. Armored personnel carriers, helicopters as well as warships will also be sent to the location.

According to the National Police, facial recognition technology will be used in the operation, and the public was encouraged to take notice of the temporary traffic modifications in Labuan Bajo.

Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin recently made a working visit to Labuan Bajo to inspect the preparedness of local hospitals in order to meet the needs of delegates participating in the summit.

A cardiac catheterization laboratory, a special room for rescuing people with heart disease or stroke, has been put in place, in case of an emergency situation.

According to the National Committee for the 42nd ASEAN Summit, the media center will operate from May 6 to May 12, with various facilities for media coverage, including workspaces, press conference rooms, mini studios, and internet networks. The media center will distribute press releases, photos, and video feeds from the summit venues to journalists.

The committee recorded 319 registered and accredited journalists, consisting of local, national, ASEAN regional, and global media workers.

"We want the standard of media services at the ASEAN Summit to be on par with last year's G20 Summit in Bali by adjusting to the conditions of Labuan Bajo," Johnny Gerard Plate, Indonesia's Communications and Informatics Minister, who is also in charge of Communication and Public Relations in the national committee for the summit, said on Tuesday.

ASEAN currently groups Indonesia, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

During the ASEAN Summit held in Cambodia last year, the leaders of the group agreed "in principle" to admit Timor-Leste as their 11th member. 

This photo taken with mobile phone on May 5, 2023 shows an exterior view of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken with mobile phone on May 5, 2023 shows an exterior view of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken with mobile phone on May 5, 2023 shows people passing by a street decoration of the logos of the 2023 ASEAN Summit in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

People wait to take buses in Jakarta, Indonesia, May 5, 2023. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows a city view of Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows the building of Bank Indonesia in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows a city view of Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken with mobile phone on May 5, 2023 shows a city view of Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows a view of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)

This photo taken on May 5, 2023 shows a city view of Jakarta, Indonesia. Preparations are now ready to secure and facilitate the 42nd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which will be convened in the Indonesian resort spot of Labuan Bajo next week. Indonesia, the largest economy in the region, is chairing ASEAN this year with the theme of "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth." (Xinhua/Xu Qin)
woman sleeping in bed - sleep tourism on the rise

Sleep is essential for our overall health and well-being. However, most of us arent getting the recommended 7 hours or more of shuteye per night as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation reveals that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disorders and experience occasional sleep problems.

Lack of sleep can lead to health problems like obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and mental health issues like anxiety and depression. This is why months like Better Sleep Month are great for increasing awareness of the importance of sleep. Celebrated in May, Better Sleep Month is a time for prioritizing high-quality rest and relaxation. By getting quality sleep, we can improve our physical and mental health, increase creativity and productivity, and enhance our quality of life.

About Better Sleep Month

May is officially Better Sleep Month, an awareness initiative created by the non-profit organization The Better Sleep Council (BSC). Better Sleep Month is dedicated to promoting the importance of sleep and healthy sleep habits. During the month, The BSC shares tips, tricks, and knowledge to help you sleep and feel better.

Better Sleep And Tourism

In tandem, a new travel trend known as sleep tourism is on the rise in popularity. Travel doesnt seem like the best way to get quality sleep considering jet lag, change of routine, and jam-packed itineraries, but hotels around the globe want to change that narrative. Many are offering sleep amenities, and packages focused on slumber.

If youre looking for ways to unplug and take a break, why not book a trip specifically to sleep? If this sounds like a much-needed plan, keep reading for properties offering sleep packages and amenities.

Hilton London Bankside  London, United Kingdom

The vegan suite on this property offers a complete vegan experience, including a vegan pillow menu. Pillow options include ones made of anti-allergy foam, an orthopedic memory foam made of shredded bamboo, or a pillow made of buckwheat.

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Equinox Hotel New York  New York City, New York

You may know this brand for being a high-end gym, but did you know that Equinox has a hotel? Health and sleep go hand in hand, so its no surprise that the rooms in this hotel have a blackout feature that blocks external light with the touch of a button. The bar area is filled with charcoal eye masks and magnesium-based sleep drops, and the comfortable beds have layers of temperature-regulating natural fibers for the best sleep ever.

Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi  Ithaafushi Island, South Male Atoll, Republic of Maldives

What better excuse to travel to the Maldives than to get top-tier sleep? The Aqua Wellness Centre on this property has an outdoor hydrotherapy pool perfect for easing muscle tension, increasing blood circulation, speeding up metabolism, boosting the immune system, and improving deep sleep quality. There are different zones in the pool, which vary by the level or intensity and water temperature.

Arizona Biltmore, A Waldorf Astoria Resort  Phoenix, Arizona

A bath before sleep? Yes, please! Book the Celestial Circadian Ritual at this hotel to receive a warm magnesium scrub to exfoliate dead skin. Following the scrub, essential oils will be applied to acupuncture points which target relaxation and restful sleep. The Circadian Bath Ritual includes a magnesium soak that will relax your body.

Conrad Chia Laguna Sardinia  Sardinia, Italy

The anti-stress program at this property is great for calming the nervous system, easing anxiety, and treating sleep disorders. Book a holistic treatment like Aroma Touch, Yoga therapy with meditation, and the Tibetan Singing Bowl Massage.

Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa  Champillon, France

A stay at Royal Champagne Hotel & Spa will guarantee one of the planets most luxurious nights of sleep. Book the Royal Sleep Experience, where you can experience blissful slumber in a soundproofed room with double blackout curtains. The hotels sleeping kit includes mist, melatonin-based supplement drops, and guided meditation sessions. Youll also be able to book relaxing candle massages and indulge in a Sleeping Beauty cocktail. The staff does turndown service in the evenings with homemade herbal tea and relaxing sleep mist.

RELATED: Could Sleep Retreats Be The New Path To Wellness?
State police are filing charges against two Slippery Rock High School students after troopers were called to the school last month.

Troopers were called to the school, located in Butler County, on April 26 for a report of students having THC and alcohol, according to a state police report.

They found an open bottle of liquor in a students Volkswagen Jetta. Another student had THC vaping cartridges, according to troopers.

A 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy are facing possession charges.

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San Luis Obispo County saw its population decrease slightly in 2022  but the downward trend is slowing, according to a new report.

SLO County lost just 0.5% of its overall population over the course of the year, the California Department of Finance said in its report.

A total of 278,348 people lived in the county as of Jan. 1, 2023, compared to the 279,751 residents who were living in SLO County on Jan. 1, 2022.

Thats in line with with a statewide trend. California lost more than 138,400 residents between 2022 and 2023, according to the state finance department report.

Heres how SLO County cities fared in terms of population.

SLO County sees population decrease

Only one local city saw its population increase in 2022: San Luis Obispo, which grew by 1.1%.

The city added 541 residents to end with the year with 47,788.

Morro Bay saw the largest population decline of any city in the county. Its population dropped by 1.3% to 10,275 last year.

Three cities saw their populations make a similar dive in 2022. Arroyo Grande, Grover Beach and Pismo Beach all saw their populations drop by 1.2%.

Arroyo Grande ended the year with 17,922 residents, while Grover Beach shrank to 12,4687 people and Pismo Beach dropped to 7,865.

Paso Robles saw a slightly more modest decline of 1% as its population fell by 317 to 30,692 residents in 2022.

Atascadero saw the smallest decline of any city in the county in 2022. Its population decreased just 0.3% to 30,206 people.

The population living in unincorporated parts of the county also experienced a decline, dropping by 925 people  0.8%  to 121,133 by the end of the year.

San Luis Obispo Countys neighbors to the north and south also saw significant population decreases in 2022.

Santa Barbara Countys population fell to 440,557, a 0.6% decrease, while Monterey County experienced a 0.8% drop to 430,368.

Which California counties gained or lost residents?

Those werent the only counties in California to see population losses in 2022, according to the Department of Finance report.

Story continues

All but 12 of 58 total counties saw their populations dip, the report said.

Population growth in inland counties, including those in the Central Valley and Inland Empire, slowed but remained positive, the agency reported.

With one exception  San Benito County  all coastal counties, known for their higher cost of living, lost population.

Lassen County lost the most residents in 2022, with its population dropping by 4.3%, followed by Del Norte County, which saw a decrease of 1.3%, and Plumas County, which declined 1.2%.

Los Angeles County saw a 0.75% population decline, San Diego County a 0.2% dip and Orange County a 0.5% decrease.

Increased housing construction drew more people to Paradise in Butte County, which experienced a 24.1% population increase as it continues to recover from the 2018 Camp Fire.

Lathrop in San Joaquin County was up 11%. Duarte in Los Angeles County added 6.6% and Wheatland in Yuba County grew by 4.6%.

The Department of Finance attributes the continuing population decline to fewer people moving to California and more moving out.

The departures have been highly politicized, with Republicans claiming Democrats liberal policies are driving away the wealthy and the taxes they pay.

However, the Public Policy Institute of California tends to agree with the Department of Finances assessment that remote work options created during the coronavirus pandemic have led higher-income people to move to less expensive places.

Most people who leave the state move due to family, cost of living and job factors.

The Public Policy institute reported many people cite housing costs as their reason for moving, although conservatives are more likely to consider leaving California than liberals.

Statewide population continues to fall, though at slower rates

Although California, which is currently home to about 38.9 million people, saw its population decrease by 0.35% decline from 2022 to 2023, thats an improvement from the previous year.

The state lost more than 200,000 residents between 2021 and 2022, a decrease of 0.53% decrease.

The Department of Finance calculates the population numbers using data collected from birth and death records, driver license address changes, tax return information, Medicare and Medi-Cal enrollment, immigration reports, school enrollments and other sources.

The agency attributes the slowdown in Californias population decline to a significant uptick in immigration and natural increase, or net births minus deaths.

Almost three times as many immigrants came to California in 2022 than in 2021. That took the state from a net gain of 31,300 in 2021 to more than 90,000 in 2022.

On the natural increase side, births decreased slightly, while deaths also declined.

While foreign immigration to California has nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, natural increase has not rebounded, the state finance department said in a statement. Total births remain low due to fertility declines. While deaths have eased gradually from their pandemic peak, they remain elevated.
(Reuters) - Slovakia's foreign minister offered his resignation on Friday, the president said, dealing a fresh blow to the centre-right cabinet which has already been serving in a caretaker capacity ahead of elections in September.

Rastislav Kacer's departure follows a string of other ministerial resignations and piles pressure on Prime Minister Eduard Heger, who had been facing mounting opposition calls to quit and make way for a technocrat government.

The wrangling has all but paralysed politics in the NATO and EU member which has been a strong backer of its neighbour Ukraine since Russia's invasion.

"Foreign Minister Kacer has ... informally delivered an expression of will to be relieved of his duties," President Zuzana Caputova said in a live TV address from London, where she will attend Saturday's coronation of Britain's King Charles.

Caputova, whose role gives her the power to appoint a new prime minister, said she would discuss the situation with Heger and parliament speaker Boris Kollar on her return.

Kacer, who is travelling in Italy, was not immediately available to comment on his reasons.

The ruling coalition has been struggling since it lost its majority in September last year when the libertarian SaS party quit.

SaS joined a leftist opposition party in voting through a no-confidence motion in December, accusing the government of not helping people cope with the higher energy costs.

Parliament voted to hold early elections in September this year. Several minister have left, citing a variety of reasons, most recently the farm minister this week following a scandal over a subsidy for a firm he owns. He denied any wrongdoing.

Heger has had to take on the responsibility for each department after each resignation, as the posts can not be filled while the government is serving in a caretaker capacity.

The prime minister said he would not comment until he meets the president.

(Reporting by Jan Lopatka and Robert Muller in Prague; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Lots of businesses are still struggling to recover from the pandemic, and Jorns & Associates wants them to know theres help.

The accounting firm started in 2021 to assist businesses filing for the employee retention credit, a tax credit that came out of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

CEO Justin Jorns said the firm, which is opening a Wichita office downtown next week, has even helped other CPA firms apply for the credits because many do more general accounting work.

Thats kind of why we decided to jump in and specialize in this.

There are a lot of nuances to understanding if businesses qualify for the credit.

It takes a lot of work to dig in and do it right, said Julie Heang, president.

Her husband, firm COO Tony Swantek, and Jorns met in kindergarten in Pratt.

Jorns has worked as an accountant for Swantek. A discussion of the tax credit led them to form the company.

Tonys a serial entrepreneur, Heang said.

Swantek has started a variety of businesses through the years, including consulting and real estate firms and a food delivery company.

Heang said her husband builds systems, puts people in place and then backs off of day-to-day operations.

Jorns & Associates is one of the biggest businesses theyve started, she said. Its grown from the three of them to about 400 employees and serves clients around the country and internationally.

The company has a handful of other offices nationally, but the new Wichita office will be the headquarters. Heang and Swantek are based here because of family in Derby, and Jorns is based in West Virginia.

In every business that we start, Heang said, the question is, How do we bring more value to our clients?

In this case, she said its finding money for people who may not know how or where to look.

Heang said initially, businesses could do either PPP loans or the tax credit, but not both, and many chose the loans.

Thats what most people did because it was easier.

Story continues

For the tax credit, she said, You have to prove that you were affected by (the) pandemic, and it has to tie to a government order.

Meaning, was there someone such as a mayor or governor who restricted your operations because of the pandemic?

Its more complicated than that, though, Heang said.

In some cases, it may be only a portion of a business that was affected. Or perhaps a business was affected by supply chain issues.

We work very closely  extensively  to understand a clients business, Heang said.

Theres a lot of different ways to qualify, Jorns said.

For now, the firm is focused mostly on the tax credit, which has deadlines in April 2024 and 2025.

Were working on pivoting to some other credits, Jorns said of what else the firm will offer.

He said the business will expand to other accounting services as well.

For clients needing financial services, he said, Were going to try to bring them anything they need.

Initially, Heang said they looked to lease office space but then decided to buy the former Pixius Communications building at 301 N. St. Francis. She said theyve spent $1.3 million in renovations.

Theres a grand opening Tuesday.

Heang said there are other firms helping businesses with the tax credit, but she said some of them dont have accountants or tax attorneys. She stressed that if people take advantage of the program, they need to do their due diligence.

Its not quick, easy money, she said of working with the government and the IRS.

Heang said if the IRS does an audit down the road, it could create problems for businesses that didnt file correctly.

I know we do it right, she said.

Its about getting their money, and they can keep it. They dont need to have to worry about this a few years down the line.

While PPP loans were from a pool of money that eventually ran out, thats not the case with the credit.

Jorns said the money can be life-changing for businesses, their families and employees, along with the community as well.

He cautions that not all businesses will qualify for the credit, but he said it is worth looking into.

The money is there. Business owners just need to go out and get it.
A social-media threat of an impending school shooting raised alarm in school districts across the state and sparked investigations and an increase in law enforcement officers at Treasure Coast schools Friday.

The school was not named.

What some law enforcement and school officials now are calling a hoax  said to have originated in Broward County  was investigated by at least two local sheriffs offices, which determined the vague but violent threat was unfounded.

An 18-year-old Taravella High School student was arrested Friday by police and charged with multiple felonies related to threatening to commit a school shooting, according to a Coral Springs Police Department social media Friday evening.

Police said the student sent out the threatening message while using another students name and computer access, and the threat was then shared across social media raising alarm in counties throughout the state.

It was sent to us multiple times by a lot of parents. Theres no specific school mentioned in it, said Indian River County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. Kevin Jaworski. St. Lucie County Sheriffs Office, specifically, was dealing with this all day (Thursday), (and) late last night, at 9 oclock, we started getting the Fortifies coming in.

Indian River County Sheriff's Office at 4055 41st Avenue and 41st Street.

What is 'swatting'? False active shooter calls clog law enforcement, terrify schools

More: Volusia, Flagler sheriffs' offices say statewide school shooting threat 'a hoax'

Jaworski was referring to the Fortify Florida app, which was developed by the state in the wake of the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. It allows parents and students to report concerns about school threats directly to local law enforcement.

Law enforcement agencies across Indian River, St. Lucie and Martin counties had planned to increase their presence at local schools Friday.

Along with school resource officers, Jaworski said, Indian River road-patrol deputies are making a presence there in the morning hours and afternoon hours  coming in and going out of schools.

Story continues

Indian River schools began alerting parents by social media and by automated phone calls Thursday night.

In an abundance of caution, and to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff, we will have extra law enforcement present throughout the district today," a Friday-morning message said.

St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara released a statement about the threat Thursday.

  Deputies are investigating a school threat circulating on school campuses across the state of Florida. No specific school was identified, but we will have extra deputies at each campus (Friday) out of an abundance of caution, Mascara said. We take every threat seriously, even those made in jest, and are committed to providing a safe learning environment for students, teachers and staff."

Martin County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Laurie Weber confirmed deputies there would be more visible at schools Friday.

"We have gone and we have vetted out each one of the (threats)," said MCSO Chief Deputy John Budensiek.

Even though the threat was deemed unfounded, The process works," Jaworski said of the app-based reporting system.

More: State 'sprinkle list' could give Treasure Coast an extra $6 million. Where would it go?

More: Son of Fort Pierce homicide victim wants legacy of his dad, a Vietnam vet, to move forward

More: Woman dead, man injured in Vero Beach hit-run crash; SUV driver sought

Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Corey on Twitter @coreyarwood, or reach him by phone at 772-978-2246.

If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the Treasure Coast.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Law enforcement ramped up at Treasure Coast schools after hoax threat
Joe Biden and Marjorie Taylor Greene. Susan Walsh/AP; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Greene baselessly claimed this week that Biden is the mastermind of a criminal empire.

But Greene has also hammered Biden on his age and called him "mentally incompetent."

The two accusations  often trotted out by the right  appear to be mutually exclusive.

Someone, please tell Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene that President Joe Biden can't be mentally sound enough to run an international cabal of insidious elites while also being completely senile.

Speaking to Kimberly Guilfoyle  a former TV anchor who's now engaged to Donald Trump Jr.  Greene claimed without substantiation that Biden is the puppet master behind a global criminal empire.

"The true crimes are linked to Joe Biden himself. And he is the mastermind of the Biden criminal enterprise," Greene told Guilfoyle on Wednesday. "This is an international operation that has guided and steered the policy of the United States of America."

Greene said it's essential to impeach Biden because he's totally corrupt. She did not substantiate her claims with any evidence.

The claims Greene has made about Biden are in line with those often trotted out by her fellow far-right GOP members. Their argument  rooted in aspects of the QAnon conspiracy theory  posits that Biden is one of the masterminds behind a criminal organization that secretly controls the world. The conspiracy theory also involves wild, unsubstantiated claims that former President Donald Trump is fighting the good fight against said cabal of pedophiles and lowlifes.

In a notable piece of mental gymnastics, the claims that Biden is a crime boss come from the same person who has previously described him as senile.

In January 2022, Greene responded to Biden's State of the Union speech by calling him a "mentally incompetent, feckless, dementia-ridden piece of crap."

And in September, Greene bizarrely compared Biden to Hitler, all while calling him "frail, weak, and dementia ridden."

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Other GOP figures, including Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, have also mocked Biden  who's 80  for his age.

It's also worth noting that Trump  who's 76, and who Greene staunchly supports  has been accused of sexual assault and arrested on 34 felony charges.

Representatives for Greene did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Read the original article on Business Insider
(Bloomberg) -- Councilors in South Africas richest city elected its sixth mayor in four years as the nations governing party tests potential alliances before a general election next year.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Johannesburg council representatives appointed Kabelo Gwamanda of the minority Al Jama-ah party to succeed Thapelo Amad, who was forced to quit in April after a three-month stint in the job. Gwamanda  whose party has less than 1% of positions in the 270-seat chamber  was elected with the backing of the governing African National Congress and the populist Economic Freedom Fighters, who both rejected the opposition Democratic Alliances candidate.

Major urban centers including Johannesburg and Pretoria, the capital, have been wracked by political instability since 2016, when the failure by political parties to win outright victories at the polls led to volatile coalitions. The ANC is using the uncertainty to forge potential alliances to help the party retain control of Gauteng, the province and economic hub that surrounds the two cities.

The possibility of an ANC-EFF national alliance after next years election has increased investor uncertainty about the prospects for the nations economy, according to the head of one of the nations biggest banks.

Read more: Investec Sees Uncertainty in South Africa Worst Since Apartheid

The failure by Johannesburg lawmakers to appoint a stable council has coincided with increasing neglect of the citys infrastructure, with residents being confronted with a growing amount of pot holes on main roads, collapsed traffic lights and damaged drains and bridge railings being left unrepaired.

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Next years ballot will come after whats set to be the worst of a 15-year electricity crisis thats preventing stronger economic growth needed to curb high unemployment and rampant inequality. The partys internal polling has painted a bleak picture of its electoral prospects, prompting it to begin mapping a framework for coalition governments.

At the ANCs national elective conference in December, members were told that 55% of its supporters no longer believe in what the party has to say. In a worst-case scenario, its national support may dip to as low as 40%.

There are 49 political parties registered to take part in next years election. Independent candidates will also be allowed to contest provincial and national votes for the first time in 2024.

Read more: South Africas Richest City Mayor Resigns After Three Months

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Leading up to the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, South Asians all over the world are reflecting on what it means for another British monarch to come to power. With golden carriages, crowns, capes and jewels all set to be trotted out, people in the diaspora are preparing themselves for a celebration of an institution that they say oppressed their parents, grandparents and ancestors.

Born only a year after India won independence from what was then his grandfathers empire, Charles legacy is impossible to divorce from the pains of colonialism that still ripple through the subcontinent and diaspora today, experts said. The coronation, no matter how scaled back, is a relic of that colonial legacy, they said.

I think the pageantry and pomp is kind of the last hurrah of an empire in deep decline, said Priyamvada Gopal, 54, a professor of postcolonial studies at the University of Cambridge. This is almost like a parody of empire and imperial pageantry, while there is very real everyday suffering.

Buckingham Palace didn't respond to NBC News' request for comment.

Bharat Shah, 88, remembers hearing the news of Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation in 1953, he told NBC News in an interview translated from Gujarati by his granddaughter Pooja Shah, 31.

At the time, fresh from Partition and the fight for independence, India had been plunged into a period of instability and uncertainty. Prices for basic necessities had soared, Shah said, and he hoped a new monarch might help usher in a better era.

I remember hearing about it on the radio, he said. There was also news about her coronation in the newspapers.  It was difficult to even afford to buy a newspaper; one person would buy it and a group would huddle around and read about her coronation.

Elizabeth was crowned just six years after India gained independence from the British. Shah still has visceral memories of the poverty and violence that came with the empires occupation and eventual withdrawal from the region.

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He grew up with stories of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, when a British general gave the order to fire on hundreds of peaceful Punjabi protesters.

My father would go marching with the rest of the Indians in our community, and we had to appoint a community member to stay up and keep an eye on the community, he said. I just remember that time period being really difficult mentally and physically.

For Ishaan Parmar, 21, the British Empire and royal family were never on the forefront of his mind. Growing up in the U.S., he said his parents tried their best to protect him from a reality that had defined their lives.

But during coronations, royal weddings and even funerals, he cant help but feel a dark subtext as a South Asian person watching.

I dont think there actually is a way to overstate colonialism, he said. All of this is to create this ideal image of Britain. I think the pomp and circumstance of the coronation, its like any nationalistic event. Its this false idea of a shining house on the hill.

The link to King Charles III

Though Charles is stepping into the role of monarch at a very different time than his mother, as the leader of the Commonwealth, experts said he is still inextricably linked to the exploits of colonialism.

The Commonwealth wouldnt exist without the empire, Gopal said. There is a lot of wealth in the royal family, both the monarchys wealth and the private wealth of the family, which is completely tied up to the imperial project unfolding over several hundred years.

Gopal remembers Charles paying India a visit while she was attending middle school there. Growing up, she was only aware of him as a young prince whom beautiful women everywhere wanted to be with, but he didnt symbolize all that much more.

Its easy for people to get stuck in that image, she said, but he now represents something much bigger.

I think the monarchy sits at the pinnacle of and symbolizes what Britain has now become: a small cabal of very, very wealthy people, and a large number of increasingly impoverished ordinary British citizens, she said.

In contrast to the environment during Elizabeths coronation, the British and global public are increasingly questioning monarchy.

Very few at home in Britain questioned the empire [in 1953], said Caroline Elkins, a Harvard University professor and author of Legacy of Violence: A History of the British Empire. Fast-forward to 2023, were in some ways in a very different world. The empire, for the most part, is gone.  I think [Charles] runs the risk of the monarchys demise.

Experts wonder how Charles will address issues like reparations, racism and the spoils of imperial violence, but Elkins doubts he will do so in any meaningful way.

For Gopal, the very foundation of monarchy is linked to all those things. She cited recent comments by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, who said that palace insiders made racist comments about her and her son Archie.

Its very hard to separate that understanding of bloodline and the passing on of royal blood from the ways in which bloodline was tied up with racism and race hierarchies, she said. Some of that we have seen already with Meghan and her children.

Having experienced colonialism firsthand, Bharat Shah is done caring too much about the royal family.

Theres still a feeling of distrust and those negative feelings still come up because its a huge part of our past, he said. I dont think theres that much frenzy over the upcoming coronation in India, but there is an Indian actress Sonam Kapoor who is going to be part of that festivities.

His granddaughter, Pooja Shah, 31, who grew up in the U.S. and now lives in London, will be able to watch parts of the ceremony unfold on the streets outside her home. Its odd, she said, to feel the royal family as such a strong everyday presence since her move to the U.K.

Theres people who are absolutely obsessed with the royals, like theyre so excited about the coronation, she said. There are all these parties and food and every single supermarket you go to, every street that you go to, are full of flags and pastries and news catered to this long weekend.

Considering her familys history and her life spent in the U.S., she doesnt get the hype.

Im trying to be optimistic in the sense that maybe this is going to be a time for change, she said. I wonder if its finally an opportunity for the British Empire to step outside of what used to be and into what could be: a new direction that hopefully is more inclusive, that kind of emphasizes diverse communities.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
There is a path to victory for South Carolina Democrats.  SCDP Chairwoman Christale Spain.

As the 2024 presidential election nears, all eyes will be on South Carolina as new Democratic leadership takes the reigns in hopes of changing the political landscape in the deep-red southern state.

Earlier this year, the Democratic National Committee  at the request of President Joe Biden  selected the Palmetto State as the first primary state in the presidential cycle, giving South Carolina Democrats a newfound place in the spotlight.

Bidens move is largely seen as a nod of thanks to South Carolina voters  particularly Black voters  who made his 2020 primary win and subsequent defeat of former President Donald Trump possible.

Christale Spain gives her speech as a candidate for chair of the South Democratic Party during the partys convention on April 29, 2023 in Columbia, South Carolina. Spain was elected as the first Black woman to lead the state party. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

The party recently elected its new chairperson  Christale Spain  who became the first Black woman to lead the South Carolina Democratic Party.

In a recent interview with theGrio, Spain said it means a lot to lead her party in such a history-making way. I truly do love our party and Im ready to really work to do the things that I know we need to be doing to be successful because there is a path to victory for South Carolina Democrats, she declared.

The first order of business for South Carolina Democrats will be shoring up support for Biden for the primary election in February. So far, the president faces two Democratic challengers  Marianne Williamson and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  but Biden is almost sure to become the Democratic Partys 2024 nominee.

Spain will then have to lead her party in aiding Bidens reelection campaign in a state that hasnt elected a Democrat for president since President Jimmy Carter in 1976. She told theGrio that Democrats will have to engage voters year-round.

Were doing the work to strengthen our 46 counties  and prioritizing our rural counties because a one-size-fits-all approach doesnt work  every county isnt Charleston, explained Spain, who has worked on several presidential campaigns and worked as a senior advisor at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

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She continued, We cant wait until August and September to try to engage Black voters  or engage voters period  and think theyre going to be mobilized or are moved to go and vote in huge numbers in November.

Beyond the presidential election, there must be an emphasis on recruiting stronger candidates down the ballot for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, the new party chair said.

Supporters of then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden rally ahead of the Democratic presidential debate on Feb. 25, 2020 outside of the Charleston Gaillard Center in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Currently, the lone Democrat in South Carolinas congressional delegation is U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, who has represented the 6th Congressional District for the past 30 years.

No Democrat has held a U.S. Senate seat since 2005, and, aside from Clyburn, of the seven congressional districts, there hasnt been a Democrat in a House seat in more than a decade  aside from former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunninghams one term (2019-2021).

A recent ProPublica report suggested that Clyburns influence in the congressional boundaries of his district in a 2021 redrawn map played a role in creating a near-impossible path to victory for Democrats outside of his 6th Congressional District. The veteran lawmaker denied that his engagement with Republicans in the state legislature over his district had any bearing on the GOPs map, which a court ruled was racially gerrymandered.

A spokesperson for Congressional Black Caucus PAC, the political arm of the CBC on Capitol Hil, rejected the notion that Clyburn or his office aided Republicans in drawing a gerrymandered map. The official dismissed it as dubious and implausible.

That was clearly their plan all along, said the CBCPAC spokesperson. Congressman Clyburn has been at the wrestling mat for democracy and justice his entire time in public service. Hes voted multiple times in Congress to require fair maps across the country.

In any case, Spain acknowledged that Democrats have to run a strong candidate recruitment and training program if they want to see success on the ballot in future elections.

Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., gives a speech nominating Christale Spain to serve as the next chair of the South Democratic Party during the partys convention on April 29, 2023, in Columbia, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)

Jaime Harrisons campaign for the U.S. Senate, which broke fundraising records, helped mobilize a historic number of Democratic voters in 2020 (nearly 1.1 million), noted Spain. Were going to take this opportunity and leverage it, she said.

The near successes of 2020 may explain why Harrison is now the chairman of the DNC and Clyburn remains a close confidant of Biden, including serving in a leadership role in his reelection campaign. Spains election as state party chair became an additional footnote to what she says demonstrates the diversity and strength of the South Carolina Democratic Party.

Pulling out a win in 2024 will require Democrats to drive home a winning message that the policies of Biden and Democrats are whats best for voters in South Carolina. Spain said she looks forward to making that case on behalf of her party.

Democrats are always on the right side of these policies and agendas and Republicans do everything they can to distract folks from the things that we know theyre trying to do, said Spain. Theyre trying to rip away Social Security and Medicare  theyre trying to ban abortions.

She added, The coalition-building helps to demonstrate that voters are paying attention and theyre not going to be distracted.

Gerren Keith Gaynor

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post South Carolina Democratic Partys first Black female chairperson looks ahead to 2024 appeared first on TheGrio.
PHNOM PENH, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia on Friday dispatched the ninth batch of 244 peacekeepers, including 30 women, to join a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operation in war-torn Central African Republic.

Gen. Sem Sovanny, director-general of the National Center for Peacekeeping Forces, said the peacekeepers will substitute the eighth batch's forces, who had completed a one-year mission there.

"The departure of our blue helmets to the Central African Republic today clearly reflects the UN's confidence in our continuous contributions to upholding peace and stability in conflict-torn countries," he said at the send-off ceremony held in Phnom Penh.

Sovanny said the Cambodian multi-skill engineering forces will work on the construction of roads, bridges, airstrips, electricity, campsites, and wells, among others.

Joseph Scheuer, the UN resident coordinator in Cambodia, said the UN highly commended the courageous and dedicated Cambodian men and women who have served and continue to serve in UN peacekeeping operations and their contribution to global peace and security.

Scheuer said Cambodian blue helmets have importantly contributed to fostering peace, protecting civilians, and improving the lives of millions of people.

Cambodia first sent troops overseas on UN peacekeeping missions in 2006. So far, the country had dispatched a total of 8,951 peacekeepers, including 692 women, to join UN peacekeeping missions in Sudan, South Sudan, Chad, Central African Republic, Lebanon, Cyprus, Syria, Mali, and Yemen. 
Southern Door School District

BRUSSELS - A Southern Door High School student was arrested Friday after authorities said he sent threatening emails to several other Southern Door students.

The 18-year-old Brussels boy was accused by the Door County Sheriff's Office of creating a fictitious email account, which he used to pose as someone else and send the threats to those students. The sheriff's office recommended charges of making terrorist threats and unlawful use of computerized communications systems, although the District Attorney's office may bring additional charges. He faced a bond hearing Friday afternoon.

The emails were sent to the students over the weekend of April 28 and 29 and were reported April 29 to the sheriff's office by one of the students and their parents. The school made families of Southern Door High School students aware of the threats that night, and law enforcement personnel maintained a presence at the school May 1 and 2.

The threats made in the emails were not specified by the sheriff's office.

The incident at Southern Door is the second of three potential school threats in a week at Door County high schools. At Sturgeon Bay High School, an 18-year-old student was suspended April 28 after they wrote six other students' names on a Post-it note titled "Hit list" that morning.

Then, a poster with a photo of the Washington Island Class of 2022 was found at a local shooting range where it apparently was used for target practice, leading school officials to notify students, parents and guardians Thursday morning.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

MORE: May festivals in Door County: Here's what you need to know about five special events

MORE: Family-owned greenhouse in Egg Harbor celebrates 65 years of business

FOR MORE DOOR COUNTY NEWS: Check out our website

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Southern Door student charged with emailing threats to other students
Insider's author partying in Vietnam. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

Saigon, Vietnam, has a reputation for having some of Asia's best nightlife.

I flew to the largest city in Vietnam to experience a popular club called Lush.

It was a letdown: The small crowd mostly consisted of people looking to get high off free balloons.

Vietnam's biggest city has garnered a reputation as one of the wildest cities to party in the world. It's where people drink, dance, and get high off "funky balloons" until the sun comes up  but somehow, I was still disappointed.

Lush on a Tuesday night. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

As far as party cities go, Ho Chi Minh City, also known as Saigon, is the stuff of legend. It's a city where clubs have few rules, so you can find whatever fun you want. I've heard it's easy to find hookups, pay for nothing on Ladies Nights, and get intoxicated on laughing gas, or nitrous oxide.

A few nightlife connoisseurs who regularly club-hop around Asia even told me that Saigon rivals Bangkok when it comes to hosting the best parties in the region. I've had a night out in Bangkok before, and while the atmosphere at one of its most popular clubs was electric, the party ended too early: Bangkok's legal clubs shut down at 2 a.m.

On the other hand, many clubs in Saigon don't shutter until 5 or 6 a.m. I live in Singapore, a city-state that's only a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Saigon. The cheap plane tickets  I paid around $145 roundtrip  and the chance for all-night partying sold me on the plan to join a few friends on a weekend getaway in late April.



While Saigon has dozens of places to party, I settled on Lush, a midrange club. I initially thought it was closed when I visited on Sunday at around 10 p.m., as it looked like an inconspicuous restaurant from the outside. And, thanks to the club's soundproof walls, the street was eerily quiet.

The exterior of Lush. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

Saigon's District 1, the most popular with tourists, has many options for nightlife. The best-known party streets include Bui Vien, the city's unofficial red-light district. There's also Dong Khoi, where expensive, high-end clubs and bars can be found, and Phuong Pham Ngu Lao, a street where backpackers often go on pub crawls.

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I chose Lush as it's often listed on the top nightlife spots, with one review even promising an "unforgettable night" and a "blazing party atmosphere." But the club wasn't located on any of these party streets. Instead, it's located on a neighborhood street with barely anyone around.

It dawned upon me that it might not be the best place to find a wild, all-night party, but we stuck with the plan.

As far as prices go, Lush can be expensive  a VVIP table with two bottles of Grey Goose costs around $2,054. But for partygoers on a budget, the club also hosts a Ladies Night on Tuesday, where ladies are entitled to free-flow drinks and laughing gas, free of charge.

One of the most striking things about the club was the spirit house near the dance floor entrance.

A spirit house by the doorway. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

Spirit houses  shrines where locals pray and make offerings to their ancestors  are ubiquitous in Vietnam, but I didn't expect to see one inside a nightclub.

This particular one was decorated with incense and yellow flowers, lighting up the dim hallway.

The music, electronic remixes of pop songs like Camilla Cabello's hit "Havana," blared loudly on the dance floor. But there were only around a dozen people inside.

The empty booths at the club. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

The club was brightly lit, with strobe lights illuminating the space. It was small, unlike the Bangkok club I visited which had a massive dance floor for hundreds of people.

The club is made up of two floors  the lower floor, where the dancefloor is located, and the one above, where VIPs can mingle. I figured that a Sunday might not be the best day to go clubbing in the city, as the VIP booths were utterly deserted.

My friends and I posted up at the bar. It felt awkward with no one dancing, and it almost seemed like some people were on a date, rather than partying.

The dance floor. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

The crowd was diverse  a strange mishmash of middle-aged men dressed in office clothes, young women in bondage dresses, and a few youths clad in oversized shirts and sneakers. Like my friends and I, many people there retreated to their own corners of the club, seated on the plush sofas or gathered around the bar.

While the average person would expect a club to be bustling and full of people drinking and dancing, the vibe was sober  the atmosphere felt nothing like a party.

One activity that kept most people happy was inhaling laughing gas. On a banner, a message was written in Korean and English: "Free balloons until 11 p.m.!"

Couples on dates, drinking and inhaling laughing gas. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

At the bar, I was seated next to a middle-aged man, who seemed to be alone. He ordered a drink and went through a few balloons, getting high on the gas while staring at the empty dance floor. Once it was 11 p.m., he promptly left the club.

Other partygoers bopped to the music as they sucked on balloons. A few others multitasked, taking selfies and posing with the balloon in their mouths.

While producing and trading laughing gas is prohibited in Vietnam, inhaling the gas recreationally isn't illegal, per Vietnam's Decree 57.

As I've spent two decades in Singapore, where drug laws are strict and substances are heavily controlled, my friends and I refrained from trying the gas. We felt wary of its side effects, which include damaging one's peripheral-nervous system, according to a 2021 Vietnam-based study posted on the US National Library of Medicine.

My friends and I decided to grab a few drinks instead, which were fairly cheap but extremely strong.

The bar. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

We ordered four drinks: a gin and tonic, a screwdriver, a shot of tequila, and a passion fruit mojito. They cost less than $7 each.

Even with some alcohol, the vibe didn't get any better. These were the only drinks we had for the night, as only a handful of people had trickled in since we first entered the club.

Despite the dead atmosphere, I still tried to have fun. I joined the only two partygoers on the dance floor but quickly felt out of place without a balloon in hand.

The author on the dance floor, with two other clubbers inhaling balloons in the background. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

The two partygoers looked to be a couple who didn't give a care in the world. I wish I had as much fun as they did, but it just wasn't my scene.

Don't get me wrong, the music  which featured remixed songs by artists like Fifth Harmony  was fun, and the beats were great. But there was only so much dancing I could do on an empty dance floor, sober, before it got old.

At around midnight, the club got even emptier. All that was left were a few women dressed to the nines, empty booths, and security guards waiting for their shifts to end.

The empty dance floor. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

My friends and I felt that it was our time to go too. It was the earliest any of us had ever left a party.

While making our exit, a woman approached one of my friends, asking if he would be interested in a night with her. He declined, and we quickly realized that the club had sex workers waiting for customers near the doors.

Sex work isn't legal in Vietnam, but there is still a booming sex-tourism industry. According to the International Labour Organization, there are over 100,000 sex workers in the country.

There are multiple guides online teaching tourists how to find sex workers in Vietnam. One such guide called A Farang Abroad estimates that a sex worker based in a club or bar typically charges between $80 and $100 for their services.

Before leaving, I took a quick peek at the door behind the dance floor. It was empty, too, save for a couple playing pool, enjoying a quiet night by themselves.

The pool table behind the dance floor, with barely anyone there. Marielle Descalsota/Insider

I wondered if I could chalk my bad experience to a few rookie mistakes I made. Was it just the wrong day to party in Saigon, as it was a Sunday night? The following day was a work day, after all. In hindsight, maybe I should have gone to Bui Vien or one of the backpacker streets, where the atmosphere might have been more energetic.

I felt a pang of disappointment with our night out. Still, I'd return to Lush, but only on Ladies' Night on Tuesdays, when the club draws a much larger crowd.

Even though the club stays open later than those in Bangkok, it wasn't nearly as much fun or vibrant. But it does ring true that it's a place where you can find whatever kind of fun you want  even if it seems a bit seedy.

My quest for a wild party in Saigon continues. Until next time.

Read the original article on Insider
Avery Hall, May 4 Task Force president, speaks Thursday at the Kent State University May 4 Annual Commemoration on campus.

Avery Hall, president of the May 4 Task Force, sees parallels between America's modern gun violence epidemic and the Kent State University shootings that left four dead and nine wounded 53 years ago.

That moment in 1970 motivated people to action, Hall told a crowd gathered on the Kent State Commons Thursday to commemorate the May 4, 1970, tragedy.

"13 Seconds 67 Shots" is written in chalk on Taylor Hall's parking lot, where 13 victims were shot on May 4,1970, including the four who died, Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder.

"They were spurred to act after witnessing the transformation of educational institutions into scenes of unimaginable tragedy, a scene that is mirrored in today's generation of activism," Hall said.

Thursday marked the 53rd anniversary of the day in 1970 that members of Ohio's National Guard shot and killed four students  Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder  on Kent State University's campus in response to demonstrations against the expansion of the Vietnam War into Cambodia.

In addition to the four killed, nine others  Alan Canfora, John Cleary, Thomas Grace, Dean Kahler, Joseph Lewis, Donald Mackenzie, James Russell, Robert Stamps and Douglas Wrentmore  were wounded.

Donald Mackenzie, one of the nine injured on May 4, 1970, rings the bell Thursday to start the annual May 4 commemoration at Kent State University.

This year's annual commemoration featured remarks from students and administrators, as well as a performance from Kent State University Chorale.

Also present at the proceedings were a group of students, many wearing red, holding signs in protest of SB83, known as the Enact Ohio Higher Education Enhancement Act, a bill that will radically upend the way colleges in Ohio function should it pass.

Following Kent Chorale's performance, there was a moment of silence at 12:24 p.m., the time the shootings happened in 1970.

During her speech, Hall spoke about corresponding with a friend attending Michigan State University as the shooting that occurred there on Feb. 3 of this year unfolded.

"The [Michigan State] student body has experienced irreversible trauma and hardship in the aftermath of this tragedy," Hall said. "My graduating peers at this university are leaving having been shaped and damaged by this devastation, and they are only one community of many."

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Candles that will be displayed in front of the photos of Allison Krause, Jeffrey Miller, Sandra Scheuer and William Schroeder during the annual commemoration of the May 4, 1970, tragedy at Kent State University.

Hall then listed other school shootings that have occurred in recent memory: Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School, Columbine High School, and Sandy Hook, to name a few.

Lawmakers continued inaction on the problem is merely a new form of state sanctioned violence, just as the National Guard's killing of four KSU students 53 years ago was a state sanctioned killing, she said.

Like the activists who graced Kent's campus five decades ago, she said, the activists of today can envision a better world born out of their struggle.

"This is an issue that has shaped out generation. We are spurred to act, and to speak; and act and speak we must," Hall said. "Silence is not an option for this generation as we are not only speaking on behalf of issues that are important to us, but fighting against the culture of apathy and cynicism presented against us."

Contact reporter Derek Kreider at DKreider@Gannett.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: May 4 53rd anniversary of Kent State shooting features call to action
The Force is strong with Carrie Fisher's family, friends and fans.

On Thursday, May 4  also known as "Star Wars Day" ("May the Fourth"), the late actress who played the iconic Princess Leia in the beloved film saga was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Her daughter, Billie Lourd, was in attendance and spoke about how much the honor would have meant to her mother.

"I'd like to say thank you so much to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for this incredible honor. I know my mom would just be so excited and grateful," she said during her speech. When speaking to the fans, she added, "The Force is obviously always with you."

Billie said her mother didn't think someone was famous until they became a Pez dispenser, but Billie said fame is when you have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Now that Carrie has both, Billie noted, "Mama, you've made it."

Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia is shown in the infamous gold bikini on the set of the Star Wars film "Return of the Jedi."

'STAR WARS': CARRIE FISHER'S COMPLICATED RELATIONSHIP WITH BELOVED FRANCHISE

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

Billie Lourd and Mark Hamill celebrate Carrie Fisher getting a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday.

The actress confessed that growing up she thought her mother was "a lot embarrassing" and that Fisher tried to change her perspective by showing her the "cool movie she was in, Star Wars." Lourd said she would just "roll my eyes and yell, Its too loud, Mommy!'" She admitted she finally gave in and watched the movie when she was in middle school because boys started coming up to her and telling her they "fantasized" about her mother. Once she finally saw the movie, she realized what all the fuss was about.

"I wanted to hate it, so I could tell her how lame she was. Like any kid, I didnt want my mom to be hot or cool. She was my mom. But that day, staring at the screen, I realized no one is or will ever be as hot or as cool as Princess Leia," she said.

Lourd also thanked her "space uncle" Mark Hamill, saying she adores him "beyond belief."

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Billie Lourd revealed that she didn't watch "Star Wars" until she was in middle school because boys were telling her they "fantasized" about her mother as the iconic Princess Leia.

BILLIE LOURD HONORS CARRIE FISHER, HIGHLIGHTS REALITY OF GRIEF 6 YEARS AFTER STAR WARS ICON'S DEATH

Hamill made a quick comment to Fox News Digital when he was asked what it means to be there for Fisher.

"It's all for Carrie," Hamill said. "It means a lot."

When Hamill stepped up to the podium, he reminisced about the first time he met his "Star Wars" co-star.

"I met Carrie when she was 19 years old  we arranged to have a dinner so that we could meet each other. I'm thinking she's 19 years old, she's barely out of high school. I was a worldly 24," he explained.

"Every expectation I had was just obliterated. She was so charming, so funny, so adorable, so wise beyond her years. I just couldn't believe it; and brutally frank. She started telling me stories, intimate stories about her family that I'm thinking, Should I be hearing this?"

Hamill got emotional when he told the audience that he had found what he wrote six years ago, not long after Fisher passed away, and that it was still relevant today.

"What I wrote was, Carrie was one of a kind who belonged to us all whether we liked it or not. She was our princess  and the actress who played her blurred into one gorgeous, fiercely independent and ferociously funny take-charge woman who took our collective breath away," he said ,in part.

He noted that Fisher was tough but had a "vulnerability that made you root for her and want her to succeed and be happy." Hamill added that his friend was a "handful  but everything would have been so much drabber and less interesting if she hadn't been the friend that she was."

Fisher receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame comes amid some family drama as the siblings of the late actress battle with her daughter over not being invited to the ceremony.

Lourd was joined by her father, Bryan, as well as his husband, Bruce Bozzi, and their daughter, Ava, at the ceremony. The "Scream Queens" actress released a statement Wednesday, addressing the controversy involving Fishers's brother, Todd, and sister Joely.

"The truth is I did not invite them to this ceremony. They know why," the statement obtained by the Hollywood Reporter reads. "Days after my mom died, her brother and her sister chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize on my mothers death, by doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money, with my mom and my grandmothers deaths as the subject."

Todd and Joely Fisher both claim they were purposely excluded from late sister Carrie Fisher's Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony by their niece, Billie Lourd.

"I found out they had done this through the press. They never consulted me or considered how this would affect our relationship. The truth of my moms very complicated relationship with her family is only known by me and those who were actually close to her," the statement continued. "Though I recognize they have every right to do whatever they choose, their actions were very hurtful to me at the most difficult time in my life. I chose to and still choose to deal with her loss in a much different way."

"The press release Todd Fisher gave to TMZ and the posting Joely Fisher placed on Instagram, once again confirms that my instincts were right. To be clear  there is no feud. We have no relationship," she wrote. "This was a conscious decision on my part to break a cycle with a way of life I want no part of for myself or my children."

Todd Fisher, Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd attend the 7th annual Governors Awards in 2015.

Todd stated to Fox News Digital that he was specifically told that, at the family's request, he was not to be included.

Wanting to understand what "family," was making the decision, Todd reached out to other close members, including half-sisters Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher, only to learn that they, too, had not been invited to the event. Todd says Fisher's good friend and actress, Beverly D'Angelo, as well as her school friends didn't make the cut either.

Taking matters into his own hands, Todd claims he called Lourd's father, Bryan, directly. Wanting to come to the event, Todd asked Bryan how they could fix things.

"That's when he said, I really wish you wouldnt  because if you go, Billie's not going to go," Todd said.

Bryan and Billie Lourd attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony for Carrie Fisher on Thursday.

Todd told Fox News Digital he didn't go to the event because it wouldn't be "classy to arrive and cause conflict."

Admitting he hadn't spoken to Lourd in more than three years, Todd said he would not attend the event because "it would not be very classy to arrive and cause a conflict," although it was important for him to clarify why he would not be there. Todd said Lourd was never overly responsive to his text messages in the first place.

After Fisher died, Bryan reportedly told Todd that Lourd was struggling to process her mother's death and, therefore, should be given space.

A representative for Lourd did not immediately return Fox News Digital's request for comment.

Billie Lourd remembered her mother, Carrie Fisher, on the sixth anniversary of her death.

"I've always been around her, her whole life," Todd told Fox News Digital "It's just the last handful of years that this problem has existed. But that was also when my sister and mother [were] around, everybody was very close because it was being orchestrated by a balance of the family. Now you have an unbalance in the force. And so this is what happens.  I love her and I respect her decisions, and I hope that she changes her mind on this when she understands how trite this all is," he added.

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Joely and Tricia issued a joint statement via Instagram, sharing why they, too, would not be in attendance.

"In response to all of you asking whether or not we will be part of the celebration.Strangely we wont be in attendance to celebrate our sister, whom we adored. For some bizarre, misguided reason our niece has chosen not to include us in this epic moment in our sisters career. This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking. We have all been grieving the loss of our favorite human for some years nowwe have given Billie the space to do that in her own way," they said.

Carrie Fisher had two half-sisters, Joely and Tricia Leigh Fisher.

"We have been nothing but loving and open, consistently. This isnt about a photo op on Hollywood Blvdthis is about celebrating the permanency of Carries legacy in this industry, taking her place with a star on the iconic walk of fame along side (sic) our parents. We thank the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for honoring our sister in this way. May the Fourth Be with you," their post concluded.

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Speaking of his and Fisher's mother, Debbie Reynolds, Todd believes she would say "everybody needs to get it together here and behave," if she were to witness this controversy.

He believes Reynolds would have told the family, "This isn't about us. This is about the star. It's about Carrie. It's about honoring the day.  My mother would've likened it to Christmas.  She would say, We all get together on a holiday sometimes with family and friends that we dont necessarily like that much, but we do it because it's the holidays, and we put our differences aside for a minute, and we celebrate the birthday of Christ.' Well this is the birthday of Carrie's star on Hollywood Boulevard. And I think she'd say, We need to all get together, put our differences aside and celebrate that legacy."
[Source]

The state of Indiana has dismissed some of the charges against the woman accused of stabbing an Asian student in the head in Bloomington, Indiana, in January.

Online court records reportedly show that the state has dropped the charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery by means of a deadly weapon against Billie R. Davis, 56, of Bloomington, to which she pleaded not guilty.

Chief deputy prosecuting attorney Jeffrey Kehr, who filed the motion to dismiss the state charges on April 25, stated that the move was to speed up the federal charges against Davis.

The facts that form the basis of the federal charges are the same operative facts that form the basis of the charges here, Kehr wrote in the motion. As such, it is appropriate for these charges to be dismissed in order for the federal charges to proceed without delay.

More from NextShark: Japanese man fined $11,000 for smoking more than 4,500 times on the job

Davis is now scheduled for a federal jury trial on June 26.

The incident occurred at the intersection of West Fourth Street and the B-Line Trail on Jan. 11 when the Indiana University student, who is of Chinese descent, was waiting to exit a Bloomington Transit bus.

Davis, who was also on the bus, approached the teenager and stabbed her seven times with a pocketknife in what authorities described as a racially motivated attack.

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Davis was arrested and booked into the Monroe County Jail the following day. She told Bloomington police that she attacked the student for being Chinese, allegedly stating that it would be one less person to blow up our country.

Her defense attorney stated in a court filing in January that she is incapable of assisting in the preparation of her defense because of mental illness.

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Davis was charged with a federal hate crime by a federal grand jury at her indictment in Evansville, Indiana, on April 20. Her charge carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment or death.

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In STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie, from director Davis Guggenheim, the actor's infectious charisma seeps through the screen as "the boy prince of Hollywood" takes us through his personal journey of being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.

I started reading his books and they offered something for me, Guggenheim said following the screening of the film at Toronto's Hot Docs festival, ahead of its release on Apple TV+ on May 12.

I don't have Parkinson's, but there was something about how he has learned to navigate this that appealed to me.

Michael J. Fox in "STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie," premiering May 12, 2023 on Apple TV+.

'Never still' as a kid in Canada

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie uses reenactments of Fox's life to visualize intimate moments, with narration by the Emmy-winning actor himself.

The film starts with one of these reenactments, where Fox is hungover from a night out with Woody Harrelson and notices his pinky twitching, one of the first signs of the Parkinson's diagnosis to come.

Those recreated moments are paired with carefully selected clips from Fox's work, including Back To The Future, Spin City and Family Ties, used to tell the actor's life story.

The film takes us back to Fox's upbringing in Canada, describing himself as an active kid who was "never still."

Fox's acting career started after seeing a CBC casting ad in a newspaper. Having some success on the Canadian series Leo and Me, Fox was told that looking like he was about five years younger than his actual age would be attractive in Hollywood, so he made his way to Los Angeles, driving there with his dad.

But Fox had some humbling experiences in the U.S., including having a callback for the film Ordinary People where Robert Redford was flossing his teeth during Fox's audition.

Booking very few jobs, Fox was broke. Living in a small apartment, not able to pay rent and hoarding jam packets from restaurants so he would have food to eat.

Fox actually almost didn't even get his iconic role as Alex Keaton in Family Ties. After Matthew Broderick turned down the role, Fox's name was being lobbed around as a replacement, but NBC executives still weren't convinced, with Brandon Tartikoff saying that Fox's face would never be on a lunchbox.

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As we now know, the show was a hit with Fox. The actor even got his revenge by sending Tartikoff a lunchbox with his face on it.

Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan in "STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie," premiering May 12, 2023 on Apple TV+.

'He loves the film'

Things shifted for Fox when he started noticing the visual cues of the Parkinson's diagnosis to come.

When he was actually diagnosed in 1991, he kept it a secret from the public and the people he worked with.

Clips in STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie show examples of the actor making a point to hold things in his left hand while filming Spin City to mask the tremors. Fox also explained how he would meticulously time his medication to lessen his symptoms, specifically while he was on set.

But Fox also speaks quite candidly about the pain from his body constantly moving, including regularly breaking his bones. He also reveals details from a period early in his diagnosis where he was, as he describes himself, an alcoholic who turned to alcohol to cope with living with this disease. Fox now hasn't had a drink in 30 years.

While Fox is incredibly open, interestingly, Guggenheim initially planned to not have any interview footage in the film.

I started with the idea that there would be no interviews in the movie, Guggenheim said. I just wanted to be carried away with a story.

Director Davis Guggenheim, Tracy Pollan and Michael J. Fox, from left, arrive for the world premiere of "Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie" at the Paramount Theatre during the South by Southwest Film & TV Festival on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)

STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie doesn't use traditional interview shots. The camera feels so close to Fox, like he's talking directly to the audience and looking in your eyes, which amplifies the impact of the documentary. Guggenheim himself is the perfect interviewer for Fox, having a sensitivity with his questions but also tapping into that sarcastic humour that Fox maintains in the film.

It would be easy for this documentary to lean into the sombre notes of one of pop culture's most beloved human beings struggling with Parkinson's, but STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie gives you a sense of joy with the way it really highlights Fox's witty personality.

Guggenheim revealed that Fox has seen the film and it gets his blessing.

Michael saw the movie twice, Guggenheim said. I wanted to show it to him before we shot the reenactments, and then right before he finished.

He loves the film, he's so proud and I will say that it's very difficult for him to travel and he would just give anything to be here tonight and share the movie with you.

The Hot Docs festival in Toronto runs from April 27 to May 7. The next in-person screenings of STILL: A Michael J. Fox Movie are on May 5 and May 7. The film will also be available on Apple TV+ on May 12.
San Francisco's downtown, including Union Square, has continued to lose retailers from Amazon Go to Nordstrom this year. Barry Winiker/Getty Images

Nineteen retailers have left San Francisco's Union Square area since 2020.

The latest departures include Nordstrom and Office Depot, The San Francisco Standard reported.

Retailers cite concerns over employee and customer safety related to shoplifting and other crimes.

Whole Foods' decision to close its flagship store in downtown San Francisco made national news, but it is far from the only retailer to pull out of the area recently.

The shopping district around Union Square has lost several major retailers over the last few years as reports of crime and drug use in the area have caused safety concerns for both retailers and patrons. The area has lost 17 retailers since 2020, The San Francisco Standard reported last month.

Stores that have closed in downtown San Francisco over the last few years include:

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Most retailers haven't referenced crime specifically as their public rationale for closing. Instead, many have pointed to"the safety of our team members," which was the reasoning Whole Foods gave for closing its flagship store.

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, which owns the mall where Nordstrom is located, said that the department store's closure "underscores the deteriorating situation in downtown San Francisco," according to Bloomberg. It also cited "unsafe conditions for customers, retailers, and employees" in the vicinity of the Nordstrom store.

Walgreens, for instance, closed five stores in the city in late 2021, citing shoplifting. Earlier this year, though, CFO James Kehoe said that the drugstore chain overstated the problem.

At the same time, vacancy rates in San Francisco's office buildings reached a new record high last month, NBC Bay Area reported. As in other US cities, the rise of remote work during the pandemic has meant fewer people in the city's downtown looking for lunch or stores to run errands.

Other retailers, meanwhile, are moving ahead with new store openings: Gap told the Business Times last month that it planned to open a new store under one of its brands in Union Square. And later this year, Ikea is planning to open a store with a structure similar to a mall on Market Street, SFGate reported in February.

Are we missing a store closure? Do you work in Downtown San Francisco or have a story to share about store closures? Please contact Alex Bitter at abitter@insider.com or via text/encrypted messaging app Signal at (808) 854-4501.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Students at Seton Hall University in South Orange, New Jersey, walked out to protest against a lack of support for the Africana Studies program. They say no professors are currently teaching the program  making it impossible for students to complete majors or minors and forcing many to drop out.

In solidarity with the students, alumni, faculty and community of the #AfricanaStudies program at #SetonHall . Got a chance to speak with them yesterday. Lets all support them as they continue the real fight for Black Studies in these spaces. pic.twitter.com/VnRIOy38jx  Greg Carr (@AfricanaCarr) May 5, 2023

I came in, wanted to go into pre-law programs and they said Africana Studies programs was not the route to do political science so students are actually discouraged from taking Africana courses, Jayde Dieu, a student, told ABC7NY.

The walkout turned into a sit-in at the universitys presidents office on May 3, reported the news outlet. Students say the only full-time faculty member recently dropped out. This led them to organize a protest and launch an online petition, which has been signed over 1800 times so far.

We dont have resources, we dont have professors and we dont have the support that we need, Tawanna Brown, another student, told ABC7NY.

We came here hoping to get this education thats offered online; it says lively and thriving, Africana Studies, the first in New Jersey, you know, the first university to have it, and theyre not giving us the resources, student Elizabeth Tescum added.

Students are asking the university to hire three or four full-time professors, reinstate Africana Studies as a department by next spring, appoint a full-time director for the program and allow students to serve as liaisons with voting power for hiring.

Story continues

This is not the first time students called for support of the program. A protest was organized in 2018.

The university addressed the criticism in a statement.

Seton Hall University enthusiastically supports the discipline of Africana Studies and underscores how vital it is for all our students, independent of their major field of study, to be able to learn about their (and other) cultures, histories, and identities, it said.

Laurie Pine, the universitys spokesperson, added that officials are currently searching for a new director and a tenure-track faculty candidate.

The faculty contract and negotiation process involve personnel matters and is confidential, with policies in place to ensure discretion and privacy for those involved, Pine told NJ.com.

The Africana Studies program was originally a department established in 1970. It is the oldest in New Jersey, according to school officials.

The programs former director, Kelly Harris, quit last December and supports the protests, she told NJ.com. She reportedly left because of the universitys lack of commitment to developing the program and because she was offered a new salary for at least $20,000 less than his current contract at the University of Pennsylvania.

You cannot run a program, a department, and offer a major and a minor with one full-time faculty member, she said. Its nonsense.
It takes months of dedication to establish a fitness habit.

It takes months of dedication to establish a fitness habit.

Developing a consistent workout routine is going to take some commitment, according to new data.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a peer-reviewed journal, discovered the amount of time it may take to establish a gym habit is probably longer than youd like  around six months, according to the research.

The study, which was led by researchers at Caltech, the University of Chicago and the University of Pennsylvania, explored habit formation through machine learning tools that tracked the behaviors of thousands of people.The study also measured how long it takes for healthcare workers to develop a hand-washing practice; comparatively, it only took a few weeks for people to do it regularly. In other words, not all habit formation timelines are created equal.

I think there are some habits that are more automatic and then some that take more effort. And I think exercise is one of those that take more effort, said Jamie Shapiro, a professor of sport and performance psychology at the University of Denver, who is not affiliated with the study.

For the fitness portion of the study, researchers tracked the gym badge swiping patterns of 30,000 people who went to the fitness chain, 24 Hour Fitness, over the course of four years. The results showed that it takes roughly half a year for people to establish a consistent gym habit.

According to Colin F. Camerer, the director of the T&C Chen Center for Social and Decision Neuroscience at Caltech and an author of the study, researchers measured how well a persons gym attendance can be predicted from a long list of variables, including the time lag between visits, their past gym history, how many months in a row they went, and more. The authors considered gym-going an established habit if they could predict which days of the week the subjects would go to the gym based on the data they collected from all the variables they measured.

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In our data, how often people go and whether they go predictably are different, said Camerer. On average, they go 22% of the days  about one to two days per week. To have a habit means [we can] predict what those one or two days are likely to be. If we cant predict which days you go, then we define that as not having a habit.

For example, the time between gym visits played a role in habit formation for 76% of study participants. The longer the amount of time between gym visits, the less likely someone was to go back to the gym. Additionally, 69% of people were likely to go to the gym on the same days each week.

These findings seem to align with previous research that developing a habit is complex and takes time, Jaclyn Maher, an assistant professor of kinesiology at UNC Greensboro who was not associated with the study, told HuffPost. At the very least, these findings (and others) suggest that the old adage that it takes 21 days to form a habit is simply a myth.

If you want to create a gym habit, you have to consistently work on it for months, not weeks, she added. Below, experts offer some advice on how to find movement you love and how to stick to it.

To create a fitness habit, experts say you should find a workout you like, whether that's a group workout class or a daily outdoor walk.

To create a fitness habit, experts say you should find a workout you like, whether that's a group workout class or a daily outdoor walk.

To create a fitness habit, do a workout that fits in with your life and interests.

Just because some people can commit to a gym habit in six months doesnt mean the same will happen for you  it could take you a longer amount of time or a shorter amount of time.

There are so many variables that go into someones behavior, Shapiro said.

As mentioned above, your previous gym history could impact your ability to make fitness a habit, along with factors like how close you live to the gym, if you have an ample amount of free time and your familial obligations.

All of that is going to go into predicting whether it takes three months, six months or a year to make the gym a habit, Shapiro said.

Shapiro said a good way to help make this a habit is by integrating fitness into your lifestyle. What does that mean? Take account of the amount of time you can commit to the gym  do you have kids or grandkids to take care of? Do you work more than one job? Also, think about where the gym is in relation to your home. Is it a far drive? Do you have to take public transit?

Think about what can realistically and conveniently fit into your life and work to incorporate that gym-going experience or, potentially, at-home workout regimen into your life. So, if you dont like taking public transit, opt for a gym within walking distance of your home instead of a subway ride away.

Whats more, its important to find a workout you enjoy. Developing a habit will be much easier if individuals focus on behaviors that bring them joy and they find pleasant, Maher said.

I encourage people to think about what will keep them going. Is it a group class? Is it personal training? Do they want to watch a favorite show while theyre on that elliptical machine? Shapiro said.

This is an individual choice, and there is no wrong answer. If you dont like going to a physical gym, you can try hiking or biking instead. If you dont enjoy workout classes on YouTube, sign up for that local fitness class.

Its so individualized, which is why its important for people to think, Whats going to work for me to keep me going for a long time? she added.

All in all, you shouldnt create a gym routine that is out of your comfort zone, far away or unenjoyable  youll have a low amount of motivation to actually go if thats the case.

Put your workouts on your calendar.

You know how you mark down meetings, appointments and parties in your calendar? Shapiro said you should be doing the same for your workouts.

I think planning, in general, is extremely important  looking at your calendar and really seeing what days and times work for the gym in advance, Shapiro said.

She recommends looking at your calendar on a Sunday and marking down when you can go to the gym that week. Additionally, Shapiro said its important to plan for barriers like travel or days filled with meetings and look for other ways or times to exercise on those days.

And dont feel discouraged if it takes a few tries to establish your gym habit.

Dont think that forming a habit will be a quick process. It is important to recognize from the beginning that developing a habit is something that will take time, especially for exercise, Maher said.

She said its essential to not only commit to the exercise habit but also to create contextual cues that can help you develop the habit.

Habits develop through the repeated pairing of contextual [cues] in ones environment with a behavioral response, Maher noted.

Like associating Tuesday night with that 45-minute aerobics class you sign up for week after week. Or associating your filled-up water bottle or a certain pump-up song with a visit to the gym.

If you stay consistent with the behavior and the contexts in which you engage in the behavior, you are helping to accelerate the process of developing those context-behavior associations, she noted.

These associations will encourage you to work out, whether you actively realize it or not.

So much of our daily lives is rooted [in] conscious deliberation and reflection. If we can make the act of going to the gym or exercising more automatic, it can reduce many of the cognitive barriers that can prevent us from enacting those behaviors in the first place, Maher said.

She added if you can use these tools to make your workout behavior automatic  a thing you do at a certain time or place  youll be well on your way to creating that fitness habit.

Related...
With no British passport, Ahmed (right) has remained behind in Khartoum

The mobile phone footage is wobbly as Azza weaves her way through the crowd to the door of the Coral Hotel in Port Sudan.

"Are there any staff here from the British embassy?" the 39-year-old mother of three asks the man at the door.

He holds the door open just enough to hear the question - but not enough to let her in. "Those people packed up and left yesterday," he replies.

All around Azza, people are crowded on the steps of the hotel.

It is where the UN has its headquarters, and the British Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) recently set up a temporary consular office to help British nationals trying to flee Sudan.

Many sit on chairs in the shade of the building's portico, seeking relief from the sun, clutching mobile phones and folders full of documents.

They all want to get out of the country while they can.

It's Thursday morning and Azza and the children have been there since the previous day. They are desperate.

But the last British flight has left and the British consular presence seems to have disappeared.

A few hours later, the FCDO travel advice page for Sudan, which had pointed would-be evacuees to the hotel since flights from Khartoum ended earlier in the week, abruptly changes.

It now reads: "Due to the changing security environment in Port Sudan, we do not have a presence at the Coral Hotel."

British nationals waiting to board an RAF aircraft in Sudan

For Azza, a British citizen, a door has been slammed shut.

Azza writes an anguished statement: "I want to express my frustration and disappointment with the British government's handling of the recent evacuation efforts in Sudan.

"I was told that my children would be allowed to travel with me out of this war-torn country to the safety of Britain."

Her statement describes an 11-hour journey from Shendi, north of Khartoum, with warplanes flying overhead, and the disappointment of being rejected at the Coral Hotel.

"To our shock and dismay, we were told we could not travel," she writes, adding: "The British government's advice had been misleading, and we were left stranded in a dangerous situation with no clear guidance or support."

Story continues

What went wrong?

Her husband Ahmed Abuelgasim, who is back in Khartoum, spoke to me from his car in al-Manshiya, a neighbourhood east of Khartoum International Airport.

The 46-year-old businessman said the fighting nearby made him too nervous to sit in the apartment.

Ahmed grew up in west London. His father was an engineering director for Sudan Airways at Heathrow Airport.

After studying engineering at Kingston University, the family returned to Sudan. Ahmed's three older brothers left in 1989, when Sudan's democratically-elected government was overthrown by Omar al-Bashir.

While they settled in the UK, Ahmed stayed in Khartoum and never bothered to get a British passport.

Azza was born in 1983, in Dorchester, where her father worked as a psychiatrist. As a child born in the UK to parents with indefinite leave to remain, she was automatically a British citizen.

Azza and Ahmed tried to get their children British passports last year - but the process was complex and costly so they gave up, intending to try again another time.

They were not planning to move to the UK but, with Sudan's troubled recent history, thought it would be wise to have options.

"Lots of people have UK passports, but don't want to live there," Ahmed explained, adding: "It's a safe haven to go."

Then suddenly it was too late.

With fighting raging around them, they decided Azza and the kids should leave.

By now, the UK airlift from Wadi Saedna was drawing to a close. When they contacted the FCDO hotline, they were advised to make their way to Port Sudan, about 805km (500 miles) away.

They explained the children were not UK citizens and had no UK visas - and that Azza's passport was locked in a safe at the bank where she works as a financial analyst. The fighting meant it was too dangerous to retrieve it.

Ahmed says the official they spoke to said it would not be a problem - Azzas's details were in the system and the FCDO's crisis travel advice suggested that children under 18 might qualify.

He found a car willing to drive his family through the night, paying $2,000 (1,582) for a journey that would normally cost $50 each by bus.

But when they reached Port Sudan, their hopes were shattered.

Azza and her children managed to board a Spanish ship headed to Jeddah on Friday

Arriving at the Coral Hotel on Wednesday, ahead of a 10:00 (08:00 GMT) deadline for British nationals to register, Azza was told she could board a flight - but the children could not.

"If I hadn't received the invitation, believe me, I wouldn't have sent my kids out in the middle of the night," Ahmed said.

It seems the couple missed a bit of different advice which appeared on the constantly changing Sudan page of the FCDO website earlier in the week.

Evacuation was open to children under 18, it stated, "who are either non-visa nationals or those with existing UK entry clearance".

Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden said last month that border force staff were "empowered to exercise discretion" when it came to dependents.

At the Coral Hotel, Azza was told that, had she arrived with toddlers, there would have been no problem.

The speed of events in Sudan over the past three weeks has been almost impossible to keep up with. Evacuation plans have had to be developed from scratch, travel advice revised again and again.

But on Friday afternoon, thanks to the intervention of the former British Ambassador to Sudan, Irfan Siddiq, Azza and the children boarded a Spanish ship bound for Jeddah, where a flight will take them on to Cyprus and the UK.

It is a bittersweet moment for Ahmed. His family will soon be reunited with relatives in the UK - but he has no idea when he will see them next.

"I really don't want to be thinking about that now," he tells me. "I just want them to be safe."
Bus Driver Fired for Contesting School Libraries Sexual Material

NEWS PROVIDED BY

Pacific Justice Institute

May 5, 2023



RIGGINS, Idaho, May 5, 2023 /Christian Newswire/ -- The question of whether an Idaho public school can legally terminate an employee for expressing his opinion on matters of public concern is being put to the test in Idaho's U.S. District Court: Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) now represents Keith Markley, a school bus driver fired by the Salmon River Joint School District of Riggins, Idaho after he wrote a letter to a local newspaper regarding "sexually explicit and/or otherwise harmful materials available to minors in the school library." Objectionable material in school libraries has been an issue of significant concern across the nation in recent years, with parents, employees, communities, and legislatures debating how best to safeguard children.

After being hired by the district last year, Mr. Markley met with school superintendent Trisha Simonson and a member of the school board to express his concerns and suggest changes to the district's library materials policy. He then wrote a letter to the editor of the Idaho County Free Press in order to raise awareness of the issue. He was subsequently fired.

Mr. Markley names both the school district and Ms. Simonson in his lawsuit, which is being filed in defense of his First Amendment rights. According to PJI attorney Katherine Hartley, "For decades, writing letters to the editor of a newspaper has been deemed one of our fundamental rights to engage our fellow citizens. In fact, just such a scenario is how the Supreme Court first established speech rights for teachers and all public employees more than 50 years ago. This school district's rejection of such well-established law is alarming and must be corrected in federal court."

PJI president Brad Dacus said, "Mr. Markley should not have been terminated over expressing his opinions on matters of great public concern. No one, including this bus driver, should lose their job for their love and compassion for children being potentially harmed by objectionable materials found in public school libraries."

The lawsuit notes that Mr. Markley's letter to the editor "contained no statements that were knowingly false or reckless." Markley is seeking compensatory damages, including actual, consequential, and incidental financial losses.



SOURCE Pacific Justice Institute



CONTACT: Brad Dacus, 916-616-4126



Related Links



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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Omer Easa is watching the violence roiling his native Sudan with deep trepidation. The further Sudan sinks into chaos and violence, he fears, the longer he is likely to remain an unrecognized asylum-seeker in Israel, where he has few protections.

Backers of migrants like Easa say their rights will likely come under greater threat if Israels government, its most right-wing ever, moves ahead on a contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

The plan, if it passes in its original form, could lead to legal measures that would embitter the everyday lives of the migrants and, critics say, make their stay in Israel intolerable.

My heart is there. My head is there. It is just that my body is here, said Easa, 31, who said he fled the war-torn region of Darfur in 2012 over concerns for his life. We live here often thanks to the graces of the Supreme Court.

Proponents of the legal overhaul say the migrants are a main reason the plan must move ahead.

African migrants, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, began arriving in Israel in 2005 through its porous border with Egypt.

Israel initially turned a blind eye to their influx and many took up menial jobs in hotels and restaurants. But as their numbers swelled to a high of about 60,000, there was a backlash, with growing calls to expel the new arrivals. After years of attempts to push them out, they now number about 25,000, according to the Israeli Interior Ministry.

Easa is one of thousands of Sudanese migrants in Israel who live a precarious existence. Israel recognizes very few as asylum seekers, seeing them overwhelmingly as economic migrants and says it has no legal obligation to keep them. Talk of repatriating them emerged when Israel and Sudan signed a normalization agreement in 2020, but the turmoil there has slowed progress on the deal.

Violence in Sudan between forces loyal to two warring generals erupted last month, pushing the nation to the brink of collapse. The fighting, which began as Sudan was expected to start transitioning from last year's military coup to civilian rule, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters.

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With Sudan's cellphone network all but dead, Easa and others in Israel have struggle to reach their loved ones.

Israel's African migrants say they are asylum-seekers who fled for their lives and face danger if they return. Those from Sudan see the renewed conflict at home as another reminder of why they cannot go back and why their status should be settled, especially at a time of uncertainty over the future of Israels judicial system.

Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk. Critics accuse the government instead of trying to coerce them into leaving.

Israel has used various tactics that have made their lives more difficult, from detaining them in remote desert prisons to holding part of their wages and making the money available to them only after they agree to leave the country. It has left thousands of asylum requests open and offered cash payments to those who agreed to move to a third country, somewhere in Africa.

Israel also has built a barrier along the border with Egypt to stop the influx and agreed with the United Nations to resettle thousands of migrants in Western countries while allowing thousands of others to remain in Israel. That deal, however, was quickly scrapped under pressure from anti-migrant activists and hard-line legislators.

The Supreme Court has also blocked some of those efforts, striking down some anti-migrant laws deemed unconstitutional, including those dealing with their detention and their salaries. Those rulings have made the migrant issue a rallying cry for supporters of the legal overhaul, who say the court has overstepped in its rulings.

In March, before he paused the overhaul under intense pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the migrant issue as an example in which the court intervened unjustly.

The overhaul plan would weaken the Supreme Court and limit judicial oversight over government decisions. If it moves ahead in its proposed form, the government could re-legislate laws the court invalidated or enact new ones and override any future court decisions on them.

Migrants will face "a much greater risk" if the plan goes through, said Sigal Rozen, public policy director for the Hotline for Migrant Workers, a rights group.

A weakened Supreme Court would not be able to stand in the way of a proposed law planned by an ultranationalist coalition member who seeks to incarcerate migrants indefinitely, withhold part of their salary and restrict their movement within Israel, she said.

The migrants presence has long divided the country. Their supporters say Israel, a country founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust and built up by Jewish refugees, should welcome those seeking asylum.

Opponents claim the migrants have brought crime to the low-income southern Tel Aviv neighborhoods where they have settled. Some Israeli politicians have labeled them infiltrators, with one calling them a cancer threatening the countrys Jewish character.

Proponents of the legal changes say the Supreme Court is oblivious to the problems posed by the migrants presence.

It's not the role of the court to decide our immigration policies, said Sheffi Paz, a prominent anti-migrant activist. That's what we elect our lawmakers to do.

The fighting in Sudan hasn't softened her opposition, she said.

Since fleeing Sudan, Easa, the migrant, has had a tough existence in Israel. He was shot at by Egyptian forces as he tried to cross into Israel, was detained in an Israeli prison and now ekes out a living as a deliveryman.

All the while he has been hoping that Israel might one day recognize him as an asylum seeker with proper rights and an insurance policy against deportation.

I hope they will ... let people live with dignity," he said, speaking in fluent Hebrew. "And we hope there will be peace.
ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Sudans two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said.

The negotiations would be the first between Sudans military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15.

According to the three  two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival  the talks will begin in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday, following concerted efforts by Riyad and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming peace talks. No timeframe was given for the length of the talks.

The fighting has turned Sudan's capital of Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes. There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudans Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.

A series of fragile and often violated cease-fires over the past three weeks has failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged Friday in areas around the militarys headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-conflict-civilians-port-sudan-war-bd675f2ce360e7d40f4926c81057cdbf

According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman, which have been the centers of the battles.

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One of the military officials said the talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United State. He said they would also discuss providing protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities.

The RSF official said Saudi and American officials would facilitate the talks. He said they would also discuss a mechanism to monitor the cease-fire and confirmed on Friday that the RSF delegation had left for Jeddah. Sudan's military also later its delegation had departed to Saudi Arabia, saying the talks would discuss details of the truce, without elaborating.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, discussed the initiative in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the initiative aims to prepare the ground for dialogue to deescalate tensions in the African country. The statement also did not provide further details.

U.S. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabias invaluable assistance in facilitating the safe arrival in Jeddah of U.S. citizens and their family members departing Sudan.

The two top diplomats affirmed their countries intensive collaboration on diplomatic work to bring about an end to the fighting in Sudan, Miller said.

The U.N. envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, lauded the move as a positive sign, but cautioned about high expectations from the meeting.

It is a positive sign, a sign of getting more realistic, realizing that there will be no easy or quick win, he told the AP from Port Sudan. We need to realize, however, that this is a first encounter.

The meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete, he said and added that achieving a lasting cease-fire would need more than one meeting.

The battle for control of Sudan, which capped months of tensions between Burhan and Dagalo, has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and  as of Monday  wounded more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said Friday that 473 civilians have been killed in the violence, and more than 2,450 have been wounded.

James Elder, a spokesman for the the U.N. children agency, said at least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 have been wounded in the fighting.

This means that every single hour, you have seven boys or girls ... killed or injured, he said at a press conference Friday in Geneva. I think this is underlining the enormity of how violent this is.

The power struggle has put millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighboring countries  Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to U.N. agencies.

The U.N. World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between 2 million and 2.5 million people  raising the number to a total of 19 million people  in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The U.N. refugee agency announced that $445 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.

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Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked the execution of an Oklahoma death row inmate who claims he is innocent in an unusual case in which the state's attorney general agreed that the underlying conviction was unsound.

The court in a brief order granted the request made by inmate Richard Glossip, who was convicted of arranging the murder of his boss at the Oklahoma City motel where he worked.

The decision means that Glossips execution, scheduled for May 18, will no longer go ahead while his court challenge continues. The state has stopped short of saying Glossip is not guilty, meaning there could still be a new trial if the conviction is thrown out.

In an "NBC Nightly News" interview hours before the ruling was released, Glossip said he hoped that if he were executed, his death would be the last and would "stop this from happening to anybody else ever in the United States.

"We have mounds of evidence proving my innocence," Glossip told NBC News' Lester Holt. "They still want me dead. And its a scary thing to sit here and have to face what Im facing knowing that they have a chance to amend this. They have a chance to do the right thing. But yet theyre still not wanting to."

Glossip said that he still had hope.

"I have to believe that we can prevail," he said. "If Im executed, it will come out that Im innocent. And the sad thing is, what do you do then?"

I either let this consume me or I make peace with it and try to live the best I can with what life I have left. And thats what I try to do, he said.

During a later interview, with state Reps. Kevin McDugle and Justin Humphrey, two Republicans who had opposed Glossips execution, the Supreme Courts ruling was released, and was met with relief by both men.

Theyve got to see the errors in this case. Oklahoma is finally going to have the opportunity to look under the hood, McDugle told Holt. We have some great DAs in Oklahoma. We have some great judges in Oklahoma. But the ones that are involved in this particular case, weve got to call them out so that this doesnt happen again.

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McDugle and Humphrey have said they both support the death penalty, but Glossip's sentence "should be vacated," Humphrey said.

Glossip's lawyers have also argued that his conviction should be thrown out based on concerns about key testimony in the case provided by Justin Sneed, who carried out the 1997 murder. Sneed testified that Glossip had hired him to kill motel owner Barry Van Treese.

But it has emerged that prosecutors had withheld information about Sneed and that he had given false testimony at trial.

An independent investigation ordered by Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a Republican, concluded among other things that it had not been disclosed at Glossip's second trial in 2004 that Sneed had been treated for a serious psychiatric condition.

Despite Drummond's announcement that he believed Glossip's conviction should be tossed out because of due process violations, an Oklahoma appeals court upheld the death sentence last month and the state's pardon and parole board also voted against granting Glossip clemency.

Glossip, now 60, turned to the Supreme Court asking for his execution to be blocked, with Drummond filing court papers siding with the death row inmate.

"Absent this courts intervention, an execution will move forward under circumstances where the Attorney General has already confessed error  a result that would be unthinkable," Drummond wrote.

Glossip's lawyers said that there have been "grave concerns" about his conviction ever since the trial.

"Sneeds inconsistencies are particularly problematic because the States case for executing Mr. Glossip turns on Sneeds credibility," the lawyers wrote.

The Supreme Court previously blocked Glossip's execution in 2015 in separate litigation over whether the state's execution protocol was unconstitutional. The court ultimately ruled against Glossip and two other Oklahoma death row inmates.

The Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, rarely grants stays of execution, and some justices have criticized lawyers for filing last-minute requests for death row inmates.

In the 2015 oral argument in Glossip's earlier case, conservative Justice Samuel Alito said such cases were part of a "guerrilla war" against the death penalty itself.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip for his role in a 1997 murder-for-hire after the state's attorney general agreed Glossip's life should be spared.

While it's rare for the conservative-dominated court to put executions on hold, it's even more unusual for a prosecutor to side with the inmate.

Glossip had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 despite statements by new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond that Glossip did not receive a fair trial.

An Oklahoma appeals court subsequently upheld Glossip's conviction and the state's pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The high court put the execution on hold indefinitely while it reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the decision, presumably because he dealt with the case earlier as an appeals court judge.

There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the state now admits has never received a fair trial, Glossip attorney Don Knight said in a statement. "Our hope is that the court will reverse the decision of the (Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals) and vacate Mr. Glossips conviction once and for all.

Drummond, a Republican and the state's top prosecutor, supported a high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, Glossips trial was unfair and unreliable. He in a statement he was grateful for the high court's decision.

I will continue working to ensure justice prevails in this important case, he said.

But Drummond also has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent of the murder-for-hire killing of Glossips former boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

Van Treeses brother, Ken Van Treese, declined to comment on Friday's ruling.

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Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has long said he believes Glossip persuaded Sneed to kill Van Treese. He said that while Sneed's testimony was most compelling, there was plenty of evidence to corroborate it.

When police came to talk to Glossip about Van Treese's whereabouts, he directed him away from the room he knew Van Treese was in, Prater said Friday. At any point, Glossip had the opportunity to tell the police that Sneed did this. He never did that. He even helped Sneed clean up everything.

Prater said Sneed and Glossip also both had a large amount of cash that Prater said they stole from Van Treese's car.

In light of Gentner Drummond's position regarding the stay, I don't feel like the Supreme Court had much of a choice, Prater said. But the truth will come out.

Two separate independent investigations have revealed problems with the prosecution's case.

Drummond said Sneed lied on the stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium, and that prosecutors knew Sneed was lying.

Also, evidence was destroyed, Drummond said.

Some Republican state lawmakers who support the death penalty have joined the growing chorus of Glossip supporters who are seeking to overturn his conviction.

We're just ecstatic, state Rep. Kevin McDugle said in a brief telephone interview on Friday.

Glossip was spending his last day of contact visitation with his wife, Lea Glossip, at the prison when he learned of the news, she said.

We were reaching the end of the visit where we would have to say our goodbyes when the warden came in, pulled us out into the hallway and told us the news, Lea Glossip said in a text message to The Associated Press.It truly feels like answered prayers.

Glossip's case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given a reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions.

Glossip has been just hours away from being executed three separate times. His last scheduled execution, in September 2015, was halted just moments before he was to be led to the death chamber when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug. That mix-up helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon  who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walking  took up his cause in real life. Prejean herself has served as Glossips spiritual adviser and frequently visited him in prison. His case also was featured in the 2017 documentary film Killing Richard Glossip.

Glossip is the first inmate who was granted a reprieve by the justices since their term began in October. The court rejected pleas from 15 others, including Darryl B. Barwick, who was executed in Florida on Wednesday.

But in a similar situation to Glossip's, the justices in January ordered a Texas appeals court to look again at the case of a death-row inmate who also had the backing of prosecutors. The inmate, Areli Escobar, had been convicted and sentenced to death based of forensic evidence that a judge later found to be flawed. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the judges order for a new trial, even though the newly elected prosecutor in Travis County, Texas, was no longer standing behind the conviction. When Escobar appealed to the Supreme Court, the prosecutor supported his bid. Escobar was not facing imminent execution.

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Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
An activist at a press conference in Washington, D.C., on April 19 where congressmen called for the resignation of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (Allison Bailey/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

New reporting on Supreme Court corruption has reignited calls for a code of conduct to be instituted for the justices.

The Washington Post reported Thursday evening that tens of thousands of dollars were directed to Justice Clarence Thomass wife, Ginni, but that her name was left off the paperwork. The payments came from Leonard Leo, whose organization, the Federalist Society, has been a leading force in securing the appointment of conservatives to the judiciary. In January 2012, Leo instructed Kellyanne Conway  the pollster who would go on to become a close adviser to Donald Trump  to pay Ginni Thomas but left a note indicating that the paperwork accompanying the payments should make No mention of Ginni, of course.

Ginni Thomas was an active participant in the effort to overturn the 2020 presidential election, including attending the Stop the Steal rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, that preceded the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol by Trump supporters. Her husband, Clarence, was the only justice to support a bid by Trump to block the committee investigating the events of the Capitol insurrection from accessing some presidential records.

Ginni Thomas, conservative activist and wife of Justice Clarence Thomas, on Sept. 29, 2022, after meeting with the House committee investigating the attack of Jan. 6, 2021. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Earlier Thursday, ProPublica reported on further ties between Clarence Thomas and the billionaire Harlan Crow, whom he is reported to have met in the 1990s. ProPublica reported that Crow had paid roughly $100,000 in tuition for Thomass grandnephew, whom the justice was raising like a son. Thomas did not disclose the payments as a gift.

ProPublica also reported last month that Crow took Thomas on luxury vacations, then revealed that Crow had bought property from Thomas in deals the justice did not disclose. Days later, the Washington Post reported that Thomas had been claiming income from a real estate firm that has not existed since 2006.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., released a statement saying he wanted Crow to provide a full accounting of the gifts he had given to Thomas by May 8 or Wyden would explore using other tools at the committees disposal to obtain this critical information.

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With every new revelation in this case, it becomes clearer that Harlan Crow has been subsidizing an extravagant lifestyle that Justice Thomas and his family could not otherwise afford, Wyden said. This is a foul breach of ethics standards, which are already far too low when it comes to the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

The latest reports on potential ethics violations from Thomas come in conjunction with reporting on other justices, including Sonia Sotomayor and Neil Gorsuch, both of whom did not recuse themselves in cases involving their book publisher. It was also reported that Gorsuch had made a real estate deal with the head of a top law firm. Public opinion of the Supreme Court has dropped to historic lows following the 6-3 conservative majoritys unpopular decision on abortion last year. Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnells refusal to hold even one confirmation hearing for President Barack Obamas nominee Merrick Garland in 2016, compared with his speedy confirmation of Trump nominee Amy Coney Barrett in the run-up to the 2020 election and the contentious 2018 confirmation hearing of Brett Kavanaugh, have all contributed to the courts current credibility issues.

The nine Supreme Court justices are not bound by the same code of conduct as the rest of the federal judiciary. In February, the Washington Post reported that the justices had discussed setting up their own ethics rules but had failed to come to a consensus on what the rules should be. That same month, the American Bar Association adopted a resolution calling on the court to establish such a code, writing, The absence of a clearly articulated, binding code of ethics for the justices of the Court imperils the legitimacy of the Court.

Generally, Democrats have been hesitant to call on Thomas to resign. But some, like Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York, have made clear that they think the justice should step down.

This is corruption, Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, referring to the story about payments to Ginni Thomas. Plain and simple. And each day that passes, the Supreme Court is looking less like a bench and more like an auction house. Thomas should resign immediately and Roberts should see to it that he does.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., at a hearing of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee on Feb. 8. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., responded to the ProPublica report on Crow's covering of tuition for Thomas by asking Chief Justice John Roberts to handle the situation. Roberts declined an invitation from Durbin to testify himself or to send an associate justice to speak for the bench at a hearing on Supreme Court ethics earlier this week.

I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads his story this morning and understands something has to be done, Durbin told CNN. The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here. The credibility of the court when it comes to its future and decisions [is] at stake, and his reputation as a leader of this court is really an issue as well.

The committee cannot currently move forward with legislation or issue subpoenas given the absence of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., the 89-year-old legislator who has been out recovering from shingles since February. (Durbin has not called on Feinstein to step down and asked Republicans to show kindness in replacing her on the Judiciary Committee, which they have thus far declined to do.) Bills on the issue have been proposed, such as the Supreme Court Ethics, Recusal, and Transparency (SCERT) Act, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., which would require the court to adopt more rigorous disclosure rules, in line with those required of members of Congress.

At Tuesdays Judiciary Committee hearing, the one Roberts declined to attend, Republicans made clear that they had no interest in instituting a code of conduct for the court, despite pointing out benefits that were also received by the courts liberal justices, including a number of trips taken by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Ranking member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said, What I would urge the court to do is take this moment to instill more public confidence, while Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., added, I think that they could update, refresh and address the concerns without requiring any congressional action.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., addresses a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform on Tuesday. (Evelyn Hockstein/Reuters)

Other Republicans on the committee said the investigations into Thomas constituted a witch hunt that dated back to his 1991 confirmation hearings, where he was accused of sexually harassing a female colleague, and the two witnesses called by the GOP stated that Congress did not have the constitutional authority to introduce any sort of policing of the court. Other witnesses disagreed, including retired federal judge J. Michael Luttig, a conservative who was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1991 by President George H.W. Bush and was considered for the Supreme Court by President George W. Bush.

In written testimony submitted to the Judiciary Committee, Luttig wrote that Congress has the power under the Constitution to enact laws prescribing the ethical standards applicable to the non-judicial conduct and activities of the Supreme Court justices. Luttig called on the court to police its own conduct better, saying it should want, without quibble, to subject itself to the highest possible professional and ethical standards that would render the Court beyond reproach.

The flood of reporting on potential ethical lapses has riled the sitting justices. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal last week, conservative Justice Samuel Alito lamented the attacks on the court and the lack of support the justices had received from other members of the legal profession.

Justice Samuel Alito. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)

We are being hammered daily, and I think quite unfairly in a lot of instances, he said. And nobody, practically nobody, is defending us. The idea has always been that judges are not supposed to respond to criticisms, but if the courts are being unfairly attacked, the organized bar will come to their defense.

In a statement to Yahoo News on Monday, Whitehouse said, Im not surprised that a hard look at the court has revealed a torrent of ethical lapses by the justices.

A noxious cocktail of creepy rightwing billionaires, phony front groups, amenable justices, large sums of money, and secrecy has been brewing at the Supreme Court for years now, Whitehouse continued. To repair the American publics trust in our highest court, the justices need to implement a transparent and enforceable process for investigating misconduct. If the court wont act, Congress must, and passing my SCERT Act would be the right place to start.

A Yahoo News/YouGov poll last month found that only 12% of Americans surveyed reported that they had a great deal of confidence in the Supreme Court, with 25% saying they had none. Forty-four percent of respondents in total said they had confidence in the way the court was handling its job, versus 45% who disapproved.
The Supreme Court has put on hold the ordered execution of a man whose murder conviction has received widespread attention over whether he received a fair trial.

The court placed a stay on the death sentence for Richard Glossip, who had been set to be executed by lethal injection May 18 for the 1997 killing of motel owner Barry Van Treese, Glossips former boss. A jury convicted Glossip of paying another man, Justin Sneed, to kill Van Treese. Glossip has maintained his innocence, and Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond (R) has sought to intervene on his behalf.

Glossip faced a setback last week, when the states Pardon and Parole Board deadlocked 2-2 on whether he should be recommended for clemency. Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) could not grant Glossip clemency without that recommendation.

An Oklahoma appeals court also upheld Glossips conviction last month.

Glossip then filed a petition, asking the Supreme Court to step in. The courts stay of the execution is in effect while it decides whether to hear his case on its merits.

The petition notes that the state of Oklahoma is not opposing the application.

It states that Drummond conducted his own independent investigation into the case and decided to back Glossips request that his conviction be tossed out. The application argues that the conviction from his 2004 trial relies on Sneeds credibility.

All parties have agreed that Sneed was responsible for killing Van Treese, but he made a series of contradictory statements elicited through highly suggestive questioning from the state investigator, including that Glossip hired him, according to the petition.

Although this state of affairs would be troubling in any matter of consequence, Sneeds inconsistencies are particularly problematic because the States case for executing Mr. Glossip turns on Sneeds credibility. Mr. Glossips trial judge noted that Mr. Glossip could not have been charged with murder without Sneeds testimony, the application states.

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Drummond also filed a petition to the court backing Glossips application. The attorney general said in the petition that the state concluded, after carefully reviewing new evidence and Glossips conviction, that the state made an error.

Absent this Courts intervention, an execution will move forward under circumstances where the Attorney General has already confessed errora result that would be unthinkable. In those unprecedented circumstances, this Court should grant the application for a stay of execution, he said.

Drummond has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent, but that he did not receive a fair trial and should receive a new one.

Glossip has been scheduled to be executed three times, only to be spared just before the sentence was to be given. He was close to being executed in September 2015 but was given a reprieve after prison officials realized they had the wrong lethal drug for the injection.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(Reuters) - Standing in a field of corpses, Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday published an expletive-ridden video personally blaming top defence chiefs for losses suffered by his Wagner Group fighters in Ukraine.

Prigozhin's tirade reignited and escalated a long-running feud with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, whom he has repeatedly accused of starving his forces of ammunition.

Prigozhin appeared next to dozens of bloodied corpses that he said were those of Wagner fighters. His expletives were bleeped out in the video published by his press service.

"We have a 70% shortage of ammunition. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the ******* ammunition?" he yelled into the camera.

Those responsible would go to hell, Prigozhin shouted, before saying that Wagner's losses would be five times smaller if it was adequately supplied.

"These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh," Prigozhin said, pointing to the corpses around him. "They came here as volunteers and they're dying so you can get fat in your offices."

Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group has spearheaded Russia's months-long assault on the east Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, began publicly feuding with defence chiefs last year, accusing them of incompetence, and of deliberately depriving Wagner of ammunition out of personal animosity towards him.

In recently weeks, Prigozhin had refrained from public attacks on Shoigu, even as he continued to suggest that deliberate ammunition shortages had exacerbated Wagner casualty figures.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Forensic police operates on a car in the village of Dubona, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of Belgrade, Serbia, Friday, May 5, 2023. A shooter killed multiple people and wounded more in a drive-by attack late Thursday in Serbias second such mass killing in two days, state television reported. | Armin Durgut, Associated Press

Early Friday morning, police arrested the suspect in a shooting in which eight people were killed and 14 injured. It was the second mass shooting in Serbia this week.

In the village of Dubona, 26 miles from the capital of Belgrade, a gunman opened fire from a moving vehicle after an altercation at a schoolyard, reported The New York Times. From there he moved through several different villages, including nearby Malo Orasje and Sepsin.

In total, eight were killed and 14 injured before the gunman retreated into hiding, per CNN. Over the course of the night, 600 members of Serbian Special Forces were deployed to gather evidence and look for the suspect. The suspect was identified by police as 21-year-old Uros B.

Early Friday, police surrounded the house of the suspected shooter, finding him inside. He was taken into custody, along with with his uncle and father, reported Reuters.

Confiscated from the suspects house were several hand grenades, and an automatic rifle with ammunition.

The country was already reeling from the first mass shooting of the week, when a 13-year-old at Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade shot and killed nine people, including eight students, just two days prior, as reported by The Associated Press.

Both incidents seemed to be an anomaly for Serbia and witnesses were shocked. Serbia hasnt experienced a mass shooting since 2013, even though the country has a trove of firearms left over from the Balkan wars, per AP.

Between the two shootings, at least 17 people are dead.

We are united in pain and sorrow, Serbian President Aleksander Vucic said at a press conference on Friday morning, per CNN. This is an attack on all our country and every citizen feels it.

Vucic proposed new policies to stop another mass shooting from happening again by implementing stricter gun regulations in Serbia and hiring 1,200 new police officers to strengthen school security, reported CNN.
The calls come in. A terrified person breathlessly reports spotting an armed person or persons in a local school, or that they heard shots. Sometimes students, teachers or even the caller have been shot. Sometimes specific room numbers are named. A name and a return phone number might be provided, if the caller doesn't hang up first.

And then armed and armored law enforcement mobilizes in force, schools are locked down, students and teachers hide and parents and guardians worry until police and deputies and SWAT can mobilize to evacuate the building and do a room-by-room search to find... nothing.

That phone number? Usually out-of-state, often registered as belonging to someone with no idea it had been used.

It's called "swatting" and while it's been an occasional problem around the world, in the last few months it's become a fast-growing trend.

In May 2023 multiple schools, colleges and universities across the state locked down in response to social media threats of impending school shootings. Schools in Indian River, Manatee County, Palm Beach County, Volusia and Flagler counties and higher ed schools across South Florida.

After working with @CampusPoliceSRQ to investigate reports of a shooting at @USFSM today, deputies have cleared campus and determined no shooting took place and no one was injured. This appears to be part of a state-wide swatting hoax at Florida colleges.  Manatee Sheriff (@ManateeSheriff) May 2, 2023

In October 2022, a school in Sarasota and multiple schools in Miami-Dade, Broward, St. Lucie, and Collier locked down after receiving calls. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster called for an investigation after 18 school districts reported hoax 911 calls. Savannah High School was evacuated at the end of November after false reports of six staffers and students getting shot and similar calls were made to at least three other Georgia counties.

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USA TODAY found at least 30 active shooter false alarms and threats made at schools in one week in September and WIRED reported more than 90 false reports of school shooters during three weeks that same month.

Swatting call in Sarasota: Police clear school after responding to active shooter report at Riverview High

Swatting threats swarm state: Police search for a culprit after hoax threats made against schools throughout Florida

Swatting trend: Schools across US hit with dozens of false shooting, bomb threats. Experts say it's a 'cruel hoax'

Here's what you need to know.

What is swatting?

"Swatting" is making a hoax call to law enforcement in the hopes of deliberately causing a large police or SWAT team response. Sometimes it's aimed at a specific person, sometimes it's just randomly done to cause chaos and tie up resources.

Many early instances of swatting were against gamers who were streaming themselves online while playing, which meant the hoaxsters might be able to enjoy watching police break down the door behind the hapless victim. It quickly became a way to harass anyone the caller wanted to antagonize and possibly cause harm.

'There is not an active shooter': South Fort Myers High given all clear following gun threat, all 67 Lee Schools searched

'It didn't feel like a hoax': Princeton in national string of false active shooter reports

Not just high schools: Bomb threats made to Volusia and Flagler universities, colleges

Is swatting illegal?

Yes. Issuing a threat over social media, by text message or through e-mail is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). People posting or sending such threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges.

You also can be charged with a variety of things such as conspiracy to commit access device fraud and unauthorized access of a protected computer, misuse of 911 systems and other related crimes.

The FBI warns that swatting is a federal crime in their "Think Before You Post" campaign.

Swatting in Georgia: Hoax confirmed at Savannah High School after reports of active shooter

Is swatting dangerous?

Aside from reports of active shooters traumatizing students, staff and parents, anytime law enforcement must respond to a false call of an active shooter or mass casualties, there is the chance of accidents.

In 2017, California resident Tyler Barriss made a swatting call reporting a fake hostage situation after arguing with a fellow gamer playing "Call of Duty." He gave an address of an innocent, unrelated person who police ended up fatally shooting during their response. Barriss was sentenced to 20 years in prison.

"A crash injured a Georgia police officer who was responding to a falsely reported school shooting at a middle school Sep. 13," said Jay Farlow, spokesperson for the National Association of School Resource Officers (NASRO) in an email. "An upset parent punched a window at a Texas high school September 19 while waiting for access to his child after a false shooting call at the school, leading officers on scene to apply a tourniquet."

They also drain significant resources from schools and local authorities and pull law enforcement attention away from actual crimes and emergencies.

USA on edge: Mass-shooting false alarms has a 'hidden cost' for police, community

Why can't police catch swatters?

They can, and do, but it can be time-consuming. Swatters often use software to falsify phone numbers and caller ID and they call from out-of-state, which complicates investigations.

Police tracked one caller who had made four separate swatting calls to Ohio schools about armed gunmen wearing body armor shooting students to a phone number in California, where they found a 66-year-old man in "very poor health" who said he didn't have that number anymore.

Are these swatting attacks connected?

Authorities haven't publicly said the incidents are related, but experts say these intentional false reports have similarities. Their origins can be difficult or impossible to trace, but waves of false alarms are often the work of disgruntled pranksters trying to disrupt school or malicious bad actors trying to sow fear. And such hoaxes seem to increase around this time of year with students returning to classrooms.

"A red flag... is when you start seeing a chunk of these very similar threats in multiple cities in one area or region or state, and then others in another state. It's usually a red flag for what they call swatting," said Kenneth Trump, a school safety expert.

Is this swatting from a TikTok challenge?

While many local law enforcement and news media have suggested this is due to a TikTok challenge, no TikTok videos have surfaced calling for it.

Is the FBI investigating swatters?

They're helping. The FBI does not investigate cases of swatting, leaving that to local law enforcement, but they will provide assistance.

In a release sent after a high school in Texas was evacuated due to a caller falsely claiming that ten people had been shot, the FBI said: "The FBI is aware of the numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. Similar incidents have occurred recently across the country.

"The FBI takes swatting very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to gather, share, and act upon threat information as it comes to our attention. We urge the public to remain vigilant, and report any and all suspicious activity and/or individuals to law enforcement immediately.

The FBI is aware of numerous swatting incidents wherein a report of an active shooter at a school is made. While we have no information to indicate a specific and credible threat, we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners and act upon threat information. pic.twitter.com/whmPql8N58  FBI Houston (@FBIHouston) September 15, 2022

Contributor: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

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 Sarasota Herald-Tribune: What is swatting? False active shooter frighten communities, cause chaos
Dotdash Meredith and Yahoo Inc. may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.

Brides / Emily Cieslak

Im going to a destination wedding in France in a month and I already have anxiety about packing. Im a chronic overpacker and if theres anything I learned while studying abroad, its that European airlines have no tolerance for oversized bags. Lets just say, Ive had to throw out several bottles of toiletries during my travels. Yet about a year ago, a new bag came into my life and significantly helped me become more organized while travelingand receive fewer critical stares at the airport.

Im talking about Baggallinis Fifth Avenue Weekender Bag. Thanks to its ideal size that fits under every airplane seat, Ive taken it on countless flights and road trips over the past 12 months, and it still looks and works as good as new. You bet Im taking it to Paris, where the functional pockets will help me glide through the busy streets with ease. As the name suggests, its also a great companion for shorter trips, like a bachelorette weekend. While it normally is a reasonable price for the quality and value ($150), this Mothers Day, the brand is offering an additional 30 percent off sitewide from May 4-13. Read on for my in depth review of the bag and get your online shopping cart ready.

Baggallinis Fifth Avenue Weekender Bag

Baggallini

Buy it: $100, normally $150, Baggallini.com

What makes this bag stand out is all of its functional pockets. There are three zipped pockets in the front, one of which has RFID interior protection to protect your credit cards. This is where I keep the items I want easily on hand, like sanitizer, lip balm, and sunglasses. I usually keep my phone in the open side pocket, so that its easy to slip in and out. This pocket also has a grommeted opening for charging and headphone cords. With my portable charger tucked away, I can securely charge my phone on the go while still having access to it.

Inside the main compartment is a padded laptop sleeve. I almost always travel with my laptop and this extra security makes me feel that much more comfortable when boarding flights. I dont have to worry about turbulence breaking it and my entire life's worth of writing disappearing. Theres also a large zipped pocket inside for anything that I want to keep stowed away.

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Brides / Emily Cieslak

As a petite person, I appreciate how the bag isnt too big or bulky. Ive used backpacks in the past that practically were bigger than me. This one stays sleek and secure on my side but it still holds all that I need. I took it on a business trip where I used it as my work tote as well. Commuting through the busy streets of New York City called for an extra pair of shoes, and I easily tucked them in the shoe compartment alongside all my other essentials.

Yet my favorite part of the bag is probably the luggage sleeve. I know that sounds like a basic feature, but let me tell you, nothing feels better than zipping through an airport with nothing weighing you down. Again, the bag fits the dimensions of my carry on to a T, so it never topples it over, as one too many backpacks have done. The bag also comes with a cross body strap when not carrying it over your shoulder or on your luggage.

Made from nylon, the bag is lightweight, water resistant, and stain resistant. After using it for a year, its still free from any significant stains or scratches. To give you a better idea of where this duffle has traveled, Ive taken it on vacations to Europe, ski trips, camping trips, and of course, business trips. Ive stuffed it into many car trunks, tucked it under dirty airplane seats, and thrown it on hotel room floors plenty of times.

Founded by two women, Baggallinis goal is to create functional yet stylish bags that empower women to travel and work with ease. The Fifth Avenue Weekender Bag has certainly made my life easier, because now I can focus on going from point A to point B rather than trying to remember which pocket I put this or that. For anyone traveling to a destination wedding or honeymoon, finding a sleek yet functional bag is essential. Misplacing your phone charger or makeup pouch is the last thing you want to do while experiencing this special moment. So do yourself a favor and get yourself a good travel bag before wedding season truly takes off. Everything on Baggallini will be 30 percent off May 4-13, so you can buy my favorite as well as other styles like backpacks, packing cubes, and toiletry bags.

Related:The 22 Best Travel Accessories for Your Honeymoon

Why Trust Brides

Emily Cieslak is an Associate Commerce Editor at Brides, covering all things beauty and fashion. Besides writing, one of her favorite activities is travel. While studying abroad in London, she traveled nearly every weekend and quickly learned a lot of travel hacks along the way.

Up Next:The 14 Best Luggage Pieces That Will Make You Honeymoon-Ready
Appeals Court Heard Oral Arguments in Maine Health Care Workers Case

NEWS PROVIDED BY

May 4, 2023







Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver argued before Judges Lara Montecalvo, Bruce M. Selya, and Sandra Lynch, asking the court to reverse federal Judge Jon Levy's dismissal of the case involving the seven Maine health care workers.







During the argument, the judges seemed favorable to Liberty Counsel's case. In fact, at one point, Judge Lynch turned to the attorney for the state, Kimberly Patwardhan, and said, "You obviously have not been reading the U.S. Supreme Court precedent on this, or else you would not have filed your motion to dismiss." BOSTON, May 4, 2023 / Christian Newswire / -- Today, a three-judge panel of the First Circuit Court of Appeals heard oral arguments in Alicia Lowe, et al., v. Janet Mills, et al where Liberty Counsel argued on behalf of health care workers in Maine who were terminated because their religious exemptions from Governor Janet Mills' unconstitutional COVID-19 shot mandate were denied.Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver argued before Judges Lara Montecalvo, Bruce M. Selya, and Sandra Lynch, asking the court to reverse federal Judge Jon Levy's dismissal of the case involving the seven Maine health care workers.During the argument, the judges seemed favorable to Liberty Counsel's case. In fact, at one point, Judge Lynch turned to the attorney for the state, Kimberly Patwardhan, and said, "You obviously have not been reading the U.S. Supreme Court precedent on this, or else you would not have filed your motion to dismiss."

If the First Circuit rules favorably, the case will return to the lower court for discovery.

Their lawsuit against Governor Mills, health officials of the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and five of the state's largest hospital systems, challenges the Maine law that requires employees of designated Maine health care facilities to be vaccinated against the COVID-19 shot. Governor Mills ordered employers to deny all religious exemptions and ignore the federal employment law known as Title VII that affords employees the right to request reasonable accommodation for their sincere religious beliefs. Governor Mills also threatened to revoke the licenses of all health care employers who fail to mandate the shot to their employees.

Liberty Counsel provides broadcast quality TV interviews via Hi-Def Skype and LTN at no cost.



SOURCE Liberty Counsel



CONTACT: Mat Staver, 407-875-1776, Liberty@LC.org


A juvenile offender in Kansas who misses a meeting or smokes a cigarette in violation of their probation order could soon be incarcerated for anywhere from 24 hours to 15 days for the offense.

The provision is part of a larger package approved last week by the Kansas Legislature approved with bipartisan support to modify the states juvenile justice system. The bill now heads to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, who has not indicated how shell act on the measure.

While the bill makes several changes that have broad support, it also begins to roll back strict limits on incarceration of youth that the Legislature established in 2016.

The aim of the policy is to target youth who fall in the middle ground of the juvenile justice system between low-level crimes and high-level offenses that require long-term incarceration. These young offenders are often placed on probation and required to complete evidence-based programming.

But proponents of the bill say these kids are too easily circumventing their sentences and law enforcement lacks the tools to keep them in line.

On the Senate floor, Sen. Kellie Warren, a Leawood Republican who chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee, spoke of foster children threatening foster parents and other children.

Swift and certain consequences for juveniles is what makes an impact on them, she said.

But critics warn the proposed solution will simply traumatize Kansas children, without providing any meaningful treatment to get them on the right path.

It relies on the old logic that some kids just need to learn a lesson and tossing them in jail is gonna straighten them out. And that just isnt true for the vast, vast, vast majority of kids, said Mike Fonkert, campaign director for Kansas Appleseed, a progressive advocacy group that has urged Kelly to veto the bill.

It actually traumatizes the hell out of them, he added.

Kellys office said in a statement the governor would evaluate the bill when it reaches her desk.

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Lack of consequences?

The bill, HB 2021, passed the House 119-1 last month but it only narrowly cleared the Senate with a 22-16 vote with seven Republicans and nine Democrats voting no. If Kelly, a Democrat, vetoes the policy, lawmakers will not be able to attempt an override because they ended the annual legislative session last month.

The bill addressed a variety of issues. It requires risk and needs assessment for children in the child welfare system exhibiting warning signs of criminal behavior, mandates collaboration between the Department for Children and Families and the Department of Corrections and expands allowable uses for a constantly growing state fund reserved for evidence based programs serving youth in the system.

The bill was presented as a solution for youth who may fall in the cracks and to remedy a growing problem of children with behavioral issues being funneled into the foster system.

The most controversial piece, however, requires the immediate notification of a judge if a juvenile offender violates the terms of their probation. It then allows that judge to sentence the youth to 24 hours in detention for a first violation, 48 hours for a second violation and up to 15 days for a third violation. Over the course of a childs case, however, the law retains the existing 45-day limit for detention.

The detention can only be ordered for a child who shows signs of escalating physical violence, aggression, weapons, damage to property or use of life-threatening substances.

Once young defendants are incarcerated, the bill requires they receive a risk and needs assessment within 72 hours and that a case plan be developed for them in the next 48 hours.

Youth detention dropped dramatically in Kansas following the passage of reforms in 2016. As of 2021, just 14% of juvenile offenders were placed in detention, according to the Kansas Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee.

Rep. Boog Highberger, a Lawrence Democrat who supported the 2016 law and the bill last week, said he was nervous about allowing for more incarceration but hoped the bill had limited the circumstances enough that it would have minimal impact on Kansas youth.

Quick action, he said, was necessary because of mounting anecdotal evidence and frustration among those working with juvenile offenders.

What Im hearing from people is that theres some youth that are hard to control now because they dont think there are any consequences, Highberger said.

Prosecutors and law enforcement testified to the Legislature that they needed broader incarceration options for youth that were causing consistent problems at home. They argued judges have been inclined to move these youth into the foster system and remove them from their current environment.

The Sedgwick County Commission said in written testimony that the 2016 law strips prosecutors and judges from doling out any meaningful consequences and protects these youth from the consequences of their criminal or violent actions.

Prosecutors and others arguing for more jail time offered no evidence it would result in improved behavior from the youth.

Data suggests it might do the opposite, isolating the youth and increasing the likelihood of recidivism.

According to a 2017 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics incarceration among adolescents and young adults was associated with worse physical and mental health in adulthood. A 2011 Brown University study found those incarcerated in their youth were more likely to be repeat offenders as adults.

The real data is the longer you incarcerate a kid the more angry they become. The more they start acting out, Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Louisburg Republican, said during a debate on the Senate floor.

Aileen Berquist, a lobbyist for the ACLU of Kansas said the policy  which grants wide discretion to judges  is likely to hold a disproportionate impact on children of color, who are already more likely to face harsh punishments than their white counterparts.

Its going to lead to more children behind bars and more children of color behind bars, she said.

A 2019 study from the ACLU of Kansas found Black and Brown Kansans were 1.56 times more likely to be arrested than white residents.

Rep. Stephen Owens, a Hesston Republican and Chair of the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, said the bill includes guardrails - treatment requirements and case restrictions - to prevent over incarceration of youth and ensure the youth who are incarcerated get treatment.

Were trying really hard to find that balance because we also recognize that there are times where a level of detention is a good thing, he said.

Whether Kelly signs the bill or not Kansas Juvenile Justice Oversight Committee is scheduled to spend the summer studying its proposals and determining next steps for juvenile justice reform in the state.

Owens said the bill could be revised next year based on the outcome of that study, and that he viewed it as the beginning of the conversation not the end.

Fonkert, with Kansas Appleseed, said he held broad concerns over the lack of detail and funding in several portions of the bill. While his organization is urging Kellys veto, he said the group is eager to continue the conversation.

The skeleton is there, he said. We can take this and make it a really good change for KS kids. Its just not there yet.
Hearst Made

True chemistry between two romantic leads is back, baby!

If you spend any amount of time on social media, youre probably aware of the rumors circulating around Anyone But You co-stars Sydney Sweeney, 25, and Glen Powell, 34. Ever since the Euphoria star and Top Gun: Maverick actor began filming the Will Gluck-directed romantic comedy in Australia, fans have taken note of their natural chemistryoff-screen. And now, amateur internet sleuths are convinced the pair are promoting their new movie a little too well.

Per their off-set hangoutsand not to mention, family outingsSydney and Glen appear to be extremely close for two co-workers. Oh, and when the internet caught wind of a video of the co-stars doing a trust fall, it sent Twitter ablaze. Fans went wild with speculation that The White Lotus actress and Set It Up actor were more than co-stars.

Sydney is currently engaged to restaurateur Jonathan Davino, and the fiances seem to be doing well, per TMZ. Meanwhile, Glen recently split from longtime girlfriend Gigi Paris after three years of dating. Fans have whispered that the breakup has something to do with Sydney and Glens incredibly close friendshipafter all, the model did unfollow the Nocturne actress shortly after the split became public. But the pair had been on the rocks since Top Gun came out and Paris was was never happy dating long distance, according to a source for People. As for why Paris unfollowed the Reality actress: Sydney never followed her back, per the source.

Body language expert Karen Donaldson suspects these co-stars may be more than just friends, based on their eye contact, gestures, and more. Ahead, she explains what Sydney and Glens body language reveals about their off-set chemistry. Let's just say, it certainly seems like their feelings could be more than platonic...

Sydney and Glen often stand closer than the 'friend zone'.

ICYDK, there is a real-life friend zone, meaning that friends usually position themselves 1.5 to four feet apart, explains Donaldson. However, when there is a deeper or more personal connection, she says, people get closer. Your intimate space, or about 18 inches away from your body, is often reserved for romantic partners, very close friends, and family, Donaldson notes. Here, Sydney is all up in Glens intimate space.

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Additionally, shes fully facing him and looking directly into his eyes as hes speaking as if shes all consumed with what hes saying [and with] him, says Donaldson. If you pair the level of physical closeness with the way Sydney is looking at Glen, it looks as though she may have more than friend-like feelings towards him.

Gabe Ginsberg - Getty Images

Their gestures are reminiscent of a romantic couple.

In this image, Sydney and Glens body language reads as two good friends who are super comfortable in each others presence and who clearly share an intimate connection, possibly moving into the more-than-friends zone, says Donaldson. The smaller the gap is between two people, the greater the desire for an emotional connection, she explains.

With very little space between them, theyre both leaning into one another, and Sydneys even leaning into Glens chest. This cluster of gestures is often reserved for romantic couples, says Donaldson. (Interesting...)

See the original post on Instagram

Sydney appears to have heart eyes for Glen.

In this photo taken on set for their new film, Sydney is again flaunting those puppy dog eyes towards Glen. Donaldson explains that the way Sydney has fully turned her neck, paired with her facial expression, signals that she adores him.

See the original post on Instagram

They seem to toe the line between friendly and flirty.

In this image from the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards, Sydney is seen turning and smiling towards Glen while walking away after accepting the Best Fight award for her much-talked-about scene with Alexa Demie on Euphoria season two. (You know the one.)

Back to their body language: Sydney and Glen's gestures here can possibly be read as friendly or flirtatious, says Donaldson. Honestly, its hard to tell. But one things for suretheyre beaming at each other.

Kevin Winter - Getty Images

Sydney and Glen may feel a natural attraction towards one another.

Here, it appears that Sydney and Glen are engaging in a friendly dab or high-five, but reader, everything is not as it seems. Sydney and Glen are mirroring each other, which is a BFD, according to Donaldson.

When people mirror each other, its often a subconscious gesture that signals they are highly in tune with one another and also indicates a natural attraction, Donaldson says. Perhaps its just a coincidence as theyre high-fiving or patting each other up, but their legs are positioned in the exact same manner, which is telling, Donaldson adds.

So while Sydney and Glen are keeping their private lives, well, private, its understandable why their body language is giving the public something to talk about.

Kevin Winter - Getty Images

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Lawyers for the American Federation of Teachers on Friday condemned the Republican-led Covid-19 oversight panels request for their presidents phone records as an improper expansion of its investigation.

House lawmakers are investigating the deliberations around pandemic-spurred school closures and the CDC's February 2021 school reopening guidance. On Thursday, House Coronavirus Pandemic Select Subcommittee Chair Brad Wenstrup penned a letter pressing AFT President Randi Weingarten to turn over phone and text records for any communication between the CDC, the Biden transition team and the Executive Office of the President.

In requesting phone records between Ms. Weingarten and any member of the Executive Office of the President for the past 28 months, they underscore that your investigation has morphed into a fishing expedition that vastly exceeds your authority, AFT Counsel Michael Bromwich wrote to the panel on Friday. We will simply not accede to these unreasonable requests.

He added that the teachers union would not comply with all of the panels requests.

The oversight panel honed in on Weingartens statements at a hearing last week where she said she had a direct phone number for outgoing CDC Director Rochelle Walensky. Weingarten, who leads one of the nations largest teachers unions, also told lawmakers that the Biden transition team had reached out to AFT for input on post-pandemic school reopening.

Wenstrup on Thursday night followed up by requesting that the union leader turn over documents and communication about Covid-19 between AFT and the Biden transition team between Nov. 3, 2020 and Jan. 20, 2021. The Ohio Republican is also seeking records of Weingarten's communication with Walensky and the Executive Office of the President, since Inauguration Day 2021.

Bromwich said the panels requests do not even pretend to be limited to the February 12, 2021 Operational Strategy, which was the original focus of your investigation.

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However, the teachers union said it will be responsive to the committees request for communications Weingarten and the AFT had with the Biden Transition Team regarding Covid-19, between Election Day 2020 and Inauguration Day, because it appears to be within the scope of the Subcommittees mandate.

But the unions counsel said it would take longer than the May 11 due date Republicans have asked for.

In response to the panels request for transcribed interviews, Bromwich said the subcommittee did not reach out to schedule them after its initial letter. Instead, Weingarten agreed to testify last week and only heard of the request for a single transcribed interview after the hearing. Bromwich said they were working on setting up the interview when they received the letter.

Wenstrups letter included a request for interviews with five AFT staff members. While the Thursday letter did not threaten to subpoena the teachers union, Wenstrup reinforced that the panel is authorized to investigate the decision to close schools during the pandemic and its outcome.

As for subpoenas  The information the Select Subcommittee requests is important for our investigation, Wenstrups spokesperson said in a statement Thursday. Whether a subpoena is issued or not, is up to Ms. Weingarten and the AFT.

Republicans have long sparred with teachers unions, but the pandemic exacerbated tension as schools remained closed while school teachers pushed for more safety protocols to return to the classroom. GOP lawmakers have since characterized AFT and other teachers unions as having undue influence over the nations school reopening plan.

The words uncommon influence were never spoken by Ms. Weingarten, nor did she testify in any way that would support that characterization, Bromwich wrote.

House Democrats on the subcommittee also pushed back on the records requests, criticizing the GOP for abusing the resources of this Subcommittee for their own political gain."

Instead of working constructively to develop forward-looking policies that address learning loss and better prepare our schools for future pandemics, a spokesperson for Democrats on the Select Subcommittee told POLITICO, Select Subcommittee Republicans are sending absurd letters in the dead of night to harass Ms. Weingarten and her staff  pressing forward with their extreme, politically motivated investigations while pushing draconian cuts to programs that protect childrens health and education.
A 16-year-old girl was found dead after she didnt show up for school pickup, Texas police said.

When the teen failed to appear outside a San Antonio school on May 4, her mother began tracking her phone, a police spokesman told McClatchy News via email.

While she could not see the exact location of her daughters phone, the woman saw that it was in an area near a stadium, police said.

She headed in the direction of the stadium and asked police for help locating her child.

As officers went to help, the mother found her daughter unresponsive at the bottom of a cliff, police said.

Firefighters and medical personnel arrived and tried to resuscitate the teen, but were unsuccessful. The girl was then pronounced dead.

At this time it is unknown why the (girl) was at the location, but she appeared to have fallen from the cliff and died of her injuries, police said.

The teen was identified as a junior at a local high school, according to KSAT.

She was a member of the National Honor Society, an award-winning member of the schools Science Fair team, a member of the Upper School robotics team, and contributed to The Keynote, the head of the school said in a statement, according to the outlet.

A representative for the school did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.

The investigation remains ongoing, police said.

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A 16-year-old girl, injured during a Russian attack on the city on 28-29 April, has died in Kramatorsk, Donetsk Oblast.

Source: Mayor of Kramatorsk Oleksandr Honcharenko on Facebook; Department of Education of Kramatorsk City Council on Telegram

Quote from Honcharenko: "The girl who was wounded as a result of the Russian attack on Kramatorsk on 29 April has died in hospital.

Details: The Department of Education of the Kramatorsk City Council reported that Yelyzaveta Nevara, a student of Kramatorsk Secondary School No. 10, who had been seriously injured during the attack on Kramatorsk on the night of 28-29 April, has died in hospital.

The girl was supposed to celebrate her 17th birthday this summer.

Details: Russian troops bombarded Kramatorsk on the night of 28-29 April, wounding a woman and a child who were taken to hospital in serious condition, suffering from burns.

One private house was also destroyed, and two more were damaged.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
A tentative settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a Los Angeles police officer alleging sexual harassment by a key aide to former Mayor Eric Garcetti. Above, LAPD headquarters. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

A Los Angeles Police Department officer who accused ex-Mayor Eric Garcetti's former senior advisor Rick Jacobs of sexual harassment has tentatively agreed to settle his lawsuit with the city, according to court documents.

Attorneys for Matthew Garza, a Metropolitan Division officer assigned to Garcetti's security detail for a decade, filed documents Thursday saying a tentative settlement has been reached in the case that endangered the former mayor's political future and revealed widespread allegations of misconduct against Jacobs, a powerful political fixer and key aide to Garcetti.

On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Curtis A. Kin, informed of a "conditional'' resolution of the case, canceled the Sept. 5 start of the trial.

A source familiar with the lawsuit said the payout is in the range of $1.5 million to $2 million. Any settlement involving a significant amount of money would need City Council approval.

Attorney Greg Smith, who represents Garza, declined to comment. Typically such settlements are reached between the city lawyers and the plaintiff's lawyers and then approved by the council.

Representatives for Jacobs didnt immediately respond to requests for comment. A spokesperson for City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto declined to comment.

The veteran police officer sued in July 2020, alleging sex and gender harassment, alleging that Jacobs subjected him to tight hugs, shoulder rubs and a plethora of unwanted and unwelcome sexual comments from 2014 to 2019.

Garcetti witnessed some of the behavior but didnt intervene, Garzas lawsuit alleges.

Jacobs denied harassing anyone.

Garcetti, now U.S. ambassador to India, denied he condoned any misconduct, saying that he would have acted promptly if he had been informed of a problem. In a deposition, he insisted he never witnessed any of the conduct.

The questions over what Garcetti might have known led Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) to launch an investigation. The investigation found that Garcetti likely knew or should have known that Rick Jacobs was sexually harassing multiple individuals and making racist comments towards others.

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Meanwhile, a report ordered by the city attorneys office to help in its defense of the Garza case concluded that Garza was not sexually harassed by Jacobs and that Garcetti did nothing wrong.

A sworn LAPD officer since 1997, Garza began working on Garcettis security detail in October 2013. He alleged Jacobs would extend his hand for a purported handshake, but then pull Garza toward him to give a long, tight hug, while simultaneously saying, I love me my strong LAPD officers or some other inappropriate comment, according to the suit.

Jacobs, in his deposition, acknowledged that he may have hugged Garza and made sexual jokes in front of the mayors security detail team.

Two other men who worked in Garcettis office also gave deposition testimony in which they said they were subjected to unwanted touching from Jacobs.

One of the mayors former communications directors, Naomi Seligman, testified that she complained about Jacobs alleged misconduct to Garcettis onetime chief of staff, Ana Guerrero. She said nothing was ever done about it. Guerrero denies that she was ever told.

Garcetti, in his own deposition, denied that he witnessed Jacobs inappropriately touch Garza and denied that he heard Jacobs talk explicitly about sex, saying such behavior would be completely out of character for Jacobs.

Garcetti was also shown a photo that appeared in The Times of Jacobs placing his hand near the crotch of a man as the two posed for a group photo at a convention in Miami in 2017. Garcetti stands next to the two men and others, smiling and giving a double thumbs-up gesture.

Asked to explain why his former aide made the gesture, the mayor replied: No. Youd have to ask Mr. Jacobs.

Garcetti added he absolutely did not see the gesture at the time.

Jacobs has called the lawsuit a work of pure fiction. Jacobs raised millions of dollars in support of Garcettis 2013 mayoral campaign and was a top City Hall deputy before stepping down in 2016. He continued to work as a political consultant for Garcetti and helped run two nonprofits associated with the mayor until Garza filed his lawsuit.

The allegations concerned some senators, which led Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) to delay a vote on Garcetti's nomination to be ambassador to India.

The former mayors parents  onetime L.A. County Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti and Sukey Garcetti  hired lobbyists to help win his confirmation, and the former mayor leaned on the few Washington friends he had. In March, the Senate confirmed his nomination.

A spokesperson for City Councilman Bob Blumenfield, who chairs the city's budget committee that deals with legal settlements, declined to comment Friday on the proposed settlement.

Communications director Jake Flynn said any settlement will be reviewed, but "as of now there is nothing before the committee."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Elon Musk is using his advantage on pricing to gobble up more market share. Christian Marquard/Getty Images

Experts say there is a method to Elon's madness on pricing changes.

The latest price hikes could mean Tesla is done lathering on the discounts for now.

Tesla has more flexibility to change prices in real time than its competitors.

Elon Musk is changing his mind about Tesla pricing  again.

Tesla shoppers, investors, and analysts may be feeling some whiplash after the Tesla CEO countered six consecutive price reductions with a series of hikes in the US and China in the last week.

But there is potentially a method to this madness, experts say.

Recent hikes are a sign to investors that Musk is likely done price-slashing for now. That could send more buyers clamoring for a Tesla before the prices go back up to where they were at the start of the year  again aiding Musk in his quest to build and sell 2 million vehicles this year.

"We believe that the hikes show that prices are not guaranteed to fall further, signaling to buyers that purchasing decisions should not be delayed further, while also possibly indicating that the order book is starting to stabilize," Deutsche Bank analyst Emmanuel Rosner wrote in a note to clients this week.

Earlier this week, Tesla raised the prices of the popular Model 3 and Model Y vehicles by up to $290 per unit. Even with this hike, base Model Y prices are down 24% since January and base Model 3 prices are down 14% over the same period.

As long as Tesla and other EV values remain uncertain, shoppers should consider leasing the safest option for now, said Ivan Drury, an automotive analyst for car-shopping website Edmunds.

"When you lease, you can really bypass a lot of the problems that come with pricing," Drury said.

Musk is flexing his pricing advantage on competitors

A pioneer of the dealer-free sales model in the US, Musk is now using that freedom to adjust his vehicle pricing in real time. Additionally, while every other car company in the US right now struggles to turn a profit on their electric vehicle sales, Tesla has industry-leading automotive profit margins.

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These two factors give Musk an advantage over his competitors on pricing, and he's flexing that advantage more frequently as Tesla seeks to graduate from an early-adopter, niche brand to a mass-producer of vehicles.

A profit slide in the first quarter spooked some investors, but Musk has insisted that the company can make up the difference on price slashing with the value created in other parts of the business, such as autonomy.

"I certainly wouldn't bet against Tesla or Elon Musk on finding other places to squeeze a profit," said Martin French, a managing partner at consultancy Berylls.

Tesla's price war is still high-risk

Automotive analysts and executives still have words of warning for Musk on his price war, even as it has largely panned out for the executive so far.

Ford CEO Jim Farley recently warned of the importance of product freshness as prices fall, pointing to the lessons founder Henry Ford learned with the Model T in 1913.

For customers, all of the sweeping price changes can undercut Tesla's reputation as a no-haggle brand, while confusing new customers and turning them off rather than drawing them in, Drury said.

"For customers it becomes like, 'Wait, I thought you guys did set pricing, but I can even keep up with the price of this car it changes so much," Drury said. "At the end, you're left with the same jaded customer as you have in a dealership."

Read the original article on Business Insider
FIRST ON FOX: Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is launching an investigation into the Dell Childrens Medical Center over "gender transitioning" procedures on children.

"It is deeply disturbing, and there is no place for it in Texas. Along these lines, there have been a number of recent reports about potentially illegal activity at Dell Childrens Medical Center, and this investigation aims to uncover the truth," Attorney General Ken Paxton said.

The investigation is the latest push by Republicans to probe hospitals providing sex change treatments, sometimes called "gender-affirming" care to minors

"There are countless heartbreaking stories of young children who have been convinced to undergo experimental, life-altering procedures and are now filled with regret and health challenges," Paxton told Fox News Digital. "That is an absolute tragedy, and it cannot continue."

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton launches investigation into Austin children's medical center over gender transitioning procedures on children

OKLAHOMA GOVERNOR MAKES PERFORMING 'IRREVERSIBLE GENDER TRANSITION SURGERIES' ON CHILDREN A FELONY

Paxton's legal action follows a report from Project Veritas, which appeared to show the Dell Childrens Medical Center admitted to having patients "starting as young as eight, nine" who receive gender-transitioning care.

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"In regards to prescribing [puberty blockers], thats up to the prescribers discretion. And they might just require a couple of appointments just to see," the Dell Childrens Center social worker told an undercover Project Veritas reporter. "It might be appropriate after one. Its not something that we want to gate-keep."

People hold signs supporting the right of children to obtain transgender medical care

Following the report, Texas Republicans Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Chip Roy wrote a letter to the Dell Childrens Center requesting answers about the hospitals funding and "gender dysphoria" treatments.

LAWS PROTECTING GENDER SURGERIES FOR CHILDREN ADVANCE IN WASHINGTON, OREGON OVER REPUBLICAN OBJECTIONS

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"We, along with millions of Texans, find it deeply concerning that DCMC is providing experimental, unproven, and dangerous medical procedures to young children," the letter read. "Rather than attempting the impossible and permanently marring childreneither through chemical experimentation or the amputation of perfectly healthy organsDCMC should seek to help young Texans by assisting them in accepting the truth about their bodies."

Woman holding sign with gender pronouns and symbols near white brick wall

Other states have moved in the opposite direction, advancing gender transition procedures. In Washington state, Senate Bill 5599 was passed to "remove barriers to accessing temporary, licensed shelter accommodations for youth" and provide "protected health services." In Oregon, House Bill 2002 proposes insurance coverage for "any combination of gender-affirming treatment procedures."

The American Civil Liberties Union has also called moves by Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to advance restrictions on gender-transitioning procedures a part of an "ongoing fight to erase transgender people from public life."

"We cannot allow kids to be indoctrinated by transgender activists who care more about left-wing ideology than the long-term health of children," Paxton said.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A Texas hospital's care for transgender minors is being investigated by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said Friday he's seeking evidence of alleged potentially illegal activity but did not elaborate.

Texas law does not currently ban gender-affirming care for minors, but Paxton has sought to designate it as child abuse. The hospital investigation in Austin is the latest attempt by Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, to pursue other legal avenues for restrictions.

The move came against the backdrop of state Republican lawmakers trying to ban gender-affirming care for anyone under 18 in Texas. The GOP-controlled Legislature is pushing to make Texas the latest conservative state to crack down on medical care and the rights of transgender people, but a scheduled House vote on the bill Friday was delayed for at least a day.

In 2022, Paxton released a non-binding legal opinion that labeled certain gender-confirming treatment as child abuse. Abbott followed by ordering the state's child welfare agency to investigate families who were receiving care. A Texas judge halted those state probes last year.

Paxton's new inquiry seeks information from Dell Childrens Hospital about its policies on puberty blockers as well as documents identifying patients it has referred for treatment or counseling. The attorney generals office issued a request Friday to examine hospital records to determine whether any state laws have been violated or misrepresentations have been made to parents and patients.

A recent report by the right-wing group Project Veritas, which bills itself as a news organization, alleged improper medical practices at the hospital and several others around the country.

This investigation aims to uncover the truth, Paxton said.

Dell Childrens Medical Group operates the hospital under the non-profit Catholic health system Ascension, and is affiliated with the University of Texas. The medical group said it prohibits surgery and prescribing hormone therapy for treatment of gender dysphoria in children. The group referred to a statement issued April 28 that said it would review any allegations of care that may have been inconsistent with those positions.

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It also said it would take appropriate action if any care was found to be inconsistent with hospital policy. Hospital spokesperson Ann Howser declined to elaborate.

At least 16 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors. Three states  Florida, Missouri and Texas  have banned or restricted the care via regulations or administrative orders. On Monday, a judge in Missouri temporarily blocked the state's unique rule that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments.

The Texas Senate has already passed a version of the transgender care ban for minors. The scheduled vote in the House on Friday was stalled on a technical matter for the second time this week.

On Tuesday, transgender rights activists disrupted the House with protests from the chamber gallery and state police forced demonstrators to move outside the building.

___

Associated Press Writer Acacia Coronado contributed.
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP)  Manuela Lara's Mexican food stand is not far from the house on Walter Drive, the one with the Christmas lights still up, where a man next door with an AR-style rifle walked over and killed five of his Honduran neighbors.

Lara is also an immigrant and has lived for years in the Trails End neighborhood, where residents say law enforcement was slow to respond to frequent gunfire long before the rural sheriffs department drew scrutiny for taking 11 minutes to get to the scene of the April 28 shooting, and for the ensuing four-day manhunt.

There arent enough patrols. The police dont come over here, Lara said. This happened because police didnt come in here.

The capture of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza Tuesday night has not eased concerns in the largely Latino neighborhood about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Houston, where many immigrant residents feel disregarded and disrespected by officials from the local level up to the governor.

In the arrest's wake, even some law enforcement officials have questioned how the response was coordinated.

Authorities have acknowledged it usually takes deputies from 30 minutes up to an hour to respond to calls in Trails End, but say they face challenges that are familiar to law enforcement across rural America, where firearms are common and officers are responsible for vast stretches of terrain. Three deputies were patrolling the 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers) of San Jacinto County when the first call about the shooting came in as a harassment report at 11:31 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.

Weve got poor roads. Were understaffed," Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said. "Welcome to rural law enforcement.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, sheriff's deputies got help searching for Oropeza from several local and state law enforcement agencies. But they didn't formally accept help from the FBI until the next morning, according to the bureau. And an official with the two-man agency that does much of the day-to-day police work in the neighborhood said they were left to learn about the shooting and manhunt the next morning through calls from neighbors and news reports.

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"Maybe we could have caught him faster. I can't say that we would have, but when it happens in your own back yard you would hope youd be the first to be notified, said Cpt. Peter Sparta of the San Jacinto County Constables Office. The sheriff's office generally doesn't coordinate with the area constable, who lives a 15-minute drive from where the shooting occurred, Sparta added.

Oropeza is now in jail on five murder charges and awaiting the appointment of a lawyer. But some residents question whether the shooting will prompt action needed for local law enforcement to show up quicker next time they call. Others remain angry with Gov. Greg Abbott for calling the victims illegal immigrants, saying immigration status is irrelevant to their being the victims of gun violence.

Theyre human beings and they just lost their family, said Shawn Crawford, 52, who also lives on Walter Drive. It had nothing to do with politics, the border, the immigrants.

Abbott, a Republican, drew widespread backlash for the comment and his office later apologized, acknowledging at least one of the victims was in the U.S. legally.

Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21, will be buried in the United States, according to her father, who said she had recently obtained residency after leaving Honduras eight years ago.

Oropeza was a Mexican national who was deported four times between 2009 and 2016, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trails End is on the outskirts of Cleveland, a diverse town of about 8,000, and homes there sit on wide lots and under a dense canopy of pine trees. As in other rural places in Texas, the legality of firing weapons in one's backyard can be confusing depending on where one lives but seems to be largely tolerated by law enforcement as long as no one is hurt and nothing damaged. Complaints about such gunfire in the neighborhood were daily, according to the sheriff's office.

Nearly 31% of Cleveland's population are Latinos, and their growing presence can be seen in businesses from taquerias to stores that sell products from Mexico and Central America. Some of the Hondurans killed in the shooting had lived in the U.S. for years, according to their families back home.

Authorities say the shooting began after three of Oropeza's neighbors asked him to go farther away if he was going to fire his gun so late because a baby was trying to sleep.

At a vigil for the victims a few days before Oropeza's arrest, Krystal Segundo was one of the many residents who complained about law enforcement not responding in the past to calls about gunfire from neighbors.

They accused San Jacinto County Sheriffs deputies of normally not taking any action.

I told my husband, after this tragedy now we have so many police. Before, I never saw one officer pass or do anything, said Segundo, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years with her husband and four kids.

Wilson Garcia, whose wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, and his 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed in the shooting, told reporters that people in his house called police five times after Oropeza brushed them off about firing his gun, and that each time a dispatcher told them help was coming.

Deputies took 11 minutes to arrive, Sheriff Greg Capers said. Thats pretty quick, according to Kean. The chief deputy said one of the three working deputies was responding to a robbery at the time of the shooting, but didnt specify where the other two were.

The exact timeline of the police response to the shooting remains unclear because the sheriffs office has yet to release call logs, 911 recordings and other records in response to public records requests.

You got to remember the initial call on this was somebody firing their gun in the yard, all right. At that point, it wasnt an attack, Kean said. So the aggravated robbery trumps the guy shooting in the yard.

But Sparta, the constables captain, who said he grew up nearby, suggested the shooting might have been avoided if more resources went to doing routine police work there.

You need to police these communities where these peoples houses are," he said. It prevents burglaries. It prevents things that just happen like this.

___

Weber reported from Austin and Bleiberg from Dallas. Associated Press videojournalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The Chinese government expressed its strong opposition to what it called meddling in the South China Sea issue following the release of Philippines-US bilateral defense guidelines, seeing it to inflict harm on its sovereignty rights and interests.

China firmly opposes any countrys move to meddle in the South China Sea issue to harm Chinas territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests by citing the guidelines, its Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told during a press conference Thursday when asked for his comment on the issued defense guidelines.

She also claimed that the concerted efforts of nations in the region have maintained overall stability in the contested waterway, despite earlier reports of bullying and aggressive tactics from some Asian countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

Just before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and the Philippine delegation flew to Washington, DC last Sunday, a near-collision incident involving Filipino and Chinese coast guard vessels in the West Philippine Sea was reported.

A Chinese warship was also spotted in Philippine waters, even ordering patrol vessels to leave the area, according to the Philippine Coast Guard.

But Mao maintained that the South China Sea is a shared home for countries in the region.

She even hit the US government, saying it is not a hunting ground for forces outside the region.

Sought for his reaction during a briefing on Friday, Marcos said the statement was directed to the American government.

During the five-day official trip to the US, top defense officials of the two countries established new bilateral defense guidelines that seek to modernize alliance cooperation.

READ: US, PH form bilateral defense guidelines
(Bloomberg) -- Thailands opposition parties are heading for a sweep of the May 14 general election, with Pheu Thai, a party linked to former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, poised to secure a clear majority in the lower house, according to a voters survey.

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Pheu Thai and progressive Move Forward Party are expected to win more than 300 of the 400 constituency seats up for grabs in the House of Representatives, a poll conducted April 24 to May 3 by the Nation Group showed Friday. Pheu Thai may win as many as 247 constituency seats and about 40% of the 100 party-list seats  above the half-way mark in the 500-member house, according to the survey.

The opposition parties will either need to form a coalition or win support of a section of the 250-member military-appointed Senate to install its candidate as prime minister as the upper house will vote alongside the elected members in selecting the premier.

More than 6,500 candidates from 70 political parties are running for election, billed as a contest between the pro-establishment parties of the ruling military-backed coalition led by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha and the pro-democracy opposition led by Pheu Thai and Move Forward. Prayuth has helmed the country since a coup in 2014.

Move Forward is projected to win 79 constituency seats and another 30 party-list seats. Pita Limjaroenrat, the leader of Move Forward, topped the Nations poll for most-preferred prime minister candidates.

Thaksins youngest daughter Paetongtarn Shinawatra, who is one of three prime minister candidates of Pheu Thai, slipped to number two in the list of preferred premier candidates with 27.6% support, while Pita saw a 12 point jump in his rating to 29.4% from the previous survey in April.

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The survey by the Nation, which is one of Thailands largest media companies, was conducted among 114,457 eligible voters and has a margin of error of 3% for Bangkok and ranging from 5%-7% for other provinces, it said. The results echo National Institute of Development Administrations poll this week, which showed a combined 72% support for Pheu Thai and Move Forward.

Prayuths United Thai Nation party is projected to win only seven of the 400 constituency seats while Palang Pracharat, which heads the outgoing coalition, forecast to secure only 5 seats in the poll that showed significant decline in the ranks of the undecided to only 8.6% from 32% in early April.

The pollster cautioned, however, that given the margin of error, Pheu Thai could end up with as few as 228 constituency seats and as low as 52 for Move Forward. The race will be very tight in 65 constituencies, it said.

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Easy access to hemp-based products has escalated an epidemic of vaping at Texas schools.

After lawmakers approved hemp products in 2019, gummies and vape cartridges have appeared in gas stations, smoke shops and wellness stores. But some of the products are testing for marijuana.

That means students caught with the vape pens must be sent to alternative education.

When students are caught with marijuana, including in vape form, they must be removed from class and put into a disciplinary alternative education program.

Rory Gesch, a deputy superintendent in the Alvin school district near Houston, told lawmakers he sees an estimated 50 to 85 vaping cases each month on a single campus.

The increase in the THC vapes and the vaping in general has just become an epidemic, he said at the April 11 hearing.

Gesch was testifying in support of a proposal by Rep. Ed Thompson that would remove a mandatory expulsion requirement for students caught with the products. Thompson, a Pearland Republican, told lawmakers during the hearing that hes heard of alternative education programs being overrun with students who, under current law, must be kicked out and sent to one of the alternative campuses for using marijuana .

School administrators are faced with a tough, tough choice of whether to take action and significantly interrupt a students academic process or look the other way and hope it doesnt become a bigger problem, Thompson said.

Thompson declined an interview through a spokesperson. The bill passed out of the House 145-2 but hasnt been heard in Senate committee.

Some school districts in North Texas say they, too, have seen students with delta-8, delta-9 and other cannabis-based products that can produce a high.

Tim Ulrich, a school resource officer at Keller High School, said hes had 15 instances of students caught vaping the THC products. He estimated he has found 20 to 50 of the vape devices around the school.

Ulrich said hes sent confiscated products off for testing and they return above the legal limit for delta-9, the chemical component most commonly associated with marijuana. Under state law, products with more than 0.3% Delta-9 THC by weight is considered illegal marijuana. Less than that and its legal hemp.

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Ulrich said he is concerned by a lack of quality control.

You dont know what youre getting, he said.

The Arlington school district said it has not seen a rise in the use of delta 8, but acknowledged it can be found in vape shops throughout the community, said Kevin McKinney, a district intervention specialist. A spokesperson for Eagle Mountain-Saginaw said the district hasnt seen delta products in the schools.

In the Fort Worth school district, officials dont know what specific strain of delta is in the product, but does record THC or marijuana-related offenses. The district as seen 202 of those this year, and most cases involve vaping products rather than the marijuana plant itself, according to its Student Support Services division.

North Texas school resource officers interviewed by the Star-Telegram said its standard practice to refer cases in which students are caught with a substance that tests positive for THC to the district attorney.

Teens have been arrested for having what may be legal hemp in vape pens, according to The Texas Tribune. That is a state jail felony since THC concentrate carries a stiffer penalty than being caught with the plant itself.

Some prosecutors in Texas have opted not to pursue low-level marijuana offenses and some cities have moved toward decriminalization of marijuana.

The Tarrant County District Attorneys office declined to comment.

State Rep. Ramon Romero, a Fort Worth Democrat, said it is mostly teens using the delta products.

I dont want to see more kids go to jail or ruin their record or their potential futures by way of smoking any of these products, he said. There are some easier things I wish we would have done.

He suggested limiting the sale of the products within a certain distance of schools. Another idea is not allowing convenience stores to sell the delta products at the front of the shops.

The fact that they have them right at the door, as soon as you walk in, its like heres all these products, he said. Its in your face.
Linda Blair on the set of The Exorcist directed by William Friedkin. (Getty Images)

A new instalment in The Exorcist horror franchise entitled The Exorcist: Believer is coming to cinemas in 2023, just in time for Halloween.

Long hailed as one of the greatest films of all time, The Exorcist shocked the world and pushed the limits of horror when it was unleashed on unsuspecting audiences back in 1973.

The first of its genre to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards, William Friedkins controversial classic  adapted from William Peter Blattys 1971 novel of the same name  has since garnered a massive following, cementing itself as a staple of pop culture to this day.

Read more: Actors who were injured on Oscar-winning movies

Fast forward to now, where nearly 50 years have passed since it first traumatised audiences with its terrifying plot and nauseating set-pieces. Despite The Exorcists sequels flattering to deceive, the horror franchise is being revisited as a retroactive threequel by Blumhouse and David Gordon Green that takes place after the original.

Heres everything we know about The Exorcist: Believer so far

The Exorcist: Believer release date

Ellen Burstyn and Max von Sydow on the set of The Exorcist. (Getty Images)

The first entry in Greens Exorcist trilogy is slated for release in theatres on the 13 October, 2023. However, no details have been confirmed for the second and third films respective release dates at the moment.

Given Universal Pictures involvement in this new series, dont bet against the studio releasing the subsequent sequels on their streaming service Peacock.

The Exorcist: Believer director

David Gordon Green, the director/co-writer of Halloween Kills poses at the premiere of the film, 202. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

David Gordon Green, who had already rebooted another iconic horror series with his successful Halloween trilogy, has been attached to direct the first film since December 2020.

Read more: The most exciting movies of 2023

Eastbound and Downs Danny McBride  who co-wrote Greens Halloween films  is also reuniting with the director who began filming the reboot at the tail end of last year. Staunch sceptics may be aghast at the idea of another remake of such a seminal movie, but Green can point to the praise bestowed upon his modern-day Halloween series as proof that he can deliver another great homage to a timeless masterpiece.

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However, according to the films cinematographer Michael Simmonds, we should expect a vastly different vibe from Green and co. with the new Exorcist movies.

Max von Sydow, Linda Blair and Louise Fletcher on the set of Exorcist II: The Heretic, directed by John Boorman. (Getty Images)

While Greens Halloween trilogy was largely faithful to John Carpenters groundbreaking 1978 slasher, each film was full of nostalgic callbacks and soap opera sensibilities. Simmonds told SyFy the new Exorcist will be more suspenseful, claustrophobic, and true to the original material.

Unlike Carpenter though, who was involved in scoring the Halloween threequel, original Exorcist director Friedkin dispelled any rumours that he would be working on the new sequels.

Talking to Yahoo about the reboot, producer Jason Blum told us: "Were gonna surprise everyone with The Exorcist. I know there are a lot of sceptics out there, a lot of people who think this is sacred ground that we should not be treading on. But my job is to prove them wrong and I am confident. We have a terrific script."

The Exorcist: Believer plot

Ellen Burstyn and Linda Blair in 1973's The Exorcist. (Screen Archives/Getty Images)

Despite the first entry in this new trilogy being 90% done at the time of writing, not much has been revealed about the films premise so far. What we do know is that Green intends on following up on the originals story, which centred around a single parents efforts to save her possessed daughter Regan through a brutal exorcism performed by a pair of world-weary priests.

Furthermore, it seems that Green will consider the original Exorcists many sequels as canon, noting that they can all fall into the acceptable mythology for what hes doing.

Despite his own Halloween projects completely disregarding everything that followed the 1978 original, Green reckons that the largely derided follow-ups to Friedkins magnum opus  including the two-season TV series that was first aired in 2016  only extend and enhance his vision for the franchise.

During the CinemaCon expo in Las Vegas in April 2023, attendees were treated to an early trailer and some additional plot details. It was here where we first learned that Green's sequel will feature not one but two possessed tweens who find themselves living with demons after they return from a stint missing in the woods.

The Exorcist: Believer cast

Ellen Burstyn arrives at the Academy's 45th Anniversary Screening Of The Exorcist, 2018. (Morgan Lieberman/Getty Images)

Greens plan became evident when it was confirmed that Ellen Burstyn  who played tormented mother Chris MacNeil in the original  will reprise her role in this years yet-to-be-titled iteration. In this version, Burstyns Chris holds the key to Leslie Odom Jr.s (One Night in Miami) characters quest to rescue his own child from a malevolent spirit.

Read more: Prosthetic makeup that put actors through hell

Alongside Burstyn and Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum will star as the film's possessed tweens, with Ann Dowd (Hereditary) joining as Paula, a nurse who is concerned about the duo's behaviour. The foul-mouthed demon Pazuzu will make his return five decades after taking over Regan to shocking effect.

Leslie Odom Jr at the premiere of the film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery. (Getty)

While an official trailer has yet to be released online, CinemaCon audiences have since offered reports of terrifying scenes in the footage they saw.

During the clip, attendees witnessed moments including the possessed girls staring dead-eyed into a mirror for long stretches of time and one particularly chilling sequence in which Marcum's character bursts into a church service and yells "The body and the blood" to a priest in Pazuzu's booming, demonic voice.

The Exorcist: Believer will arrive in cinemas on 13 October, 2023.

Watch: People respond to The Exorcist for the first time
The eclipse will be visible across the western United States on Oct. 14, 2023.

ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images

You've probably heard of the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, which will be visible across a large swath of the United States  cities in its path are planning for thousands (if not millions) of skywatchers traveling in for the event. But did you know there's another solar eclipse happening before then?

On Oct. 14, 2023, an annular solar eclipse will cross the U.S. from Oregon to Texas before continuing across Central and South America, according to NASA. An annular solar eclipse occurs when the moon travels between the Earth and the sun, and its shadow darkens the skies across a narrow strip of our planet. In a total eclipse, the sun is entirely blocked by the moon, but in an annular eclipse, the moon obscures most  but not all  of the sun, resulting in a brilliant halo effect.

If you're interested in seeing the celestial event this fall, here are the states directly in the path of the annular solar eclipse.

Oregon

Oregon is the first state to experience the eclipse  it will appear from approximately 8 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. local time (PDT). Annularity, which is part of the eclipse when you'll see the "ring of fire" around the moon, will be visible from the city of Eugene (roughly a two-hour drive south of Portland) and further south from Crater Lake National Park.

Dee/Getty Images

California

Annularity will only be visible in a sliver of northeast California, mainly in the Modoc National Forest and its surrounding communities. (It's about a five-hour drive from Sacramento and roughly two hours from the Mount Shasta area.) Like in Oregon, the eclipse will run from roughly 8 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. local time (PDT).

Nevada

Sadly annularity won't be visible from Las Vegas or Reno  you'll have to head out on a road trip to see the eclipse in all its haloed glory. Take Route 50, sometimes referred to as the "Loneliest Road in America," to visit the city of Ely. (For reference, Ely is roughly a four-hour drive from Las Vegas.) Or continue on to Great Basin National Park  one of the country's least visited national parks. Catch the eclipse from approximately 8 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. local time (PDT).

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Anne Lindgren/Getty Images

Utah

Three of Utah's five national parks are prime viewing spots for the annular solar eclipse: Bryce Canyon National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Capitol Reef National Park. Given the dramatic landscapes here, we imagine there'd be pretty spectacular photography opportunities. See the eclipse from approximately 9 a.m. to noon local time (MDT).

Colorado

You might have noticed something of a theme here  there are a number of national parks right in the path of the annular solar eclipse. That trend continues in Colorado, where annularity will be visible from Mesa Verde National Park from roughly 9 a.m. to noon local time (MDT).

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Arizona

Head to Arizona's famous Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park to see the annular solar eclipse in October. Note that though Arizona does not observe daylight savings time, the Navajo Nation, where Monument Valley is located, does. If you're located within the Navajo Nation, annularity will be visible from approximately 9 a.m. to noon local time (MDT).

New Mexico

The eclipse will cross New Mexico in a perfect diagonal line from its northwest corner to its southeast one, giving you plenty of places from which to view the annularity. One of our favorites is Santa Fe, but you can also see it from Albuquerque and Roswell. See the eclipse from roughly 9:15 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. local time (MDT).

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Texas

In Texas, the eclipse will be visible in a line from Odessa to Corpus Christi. The biggest city in its path is San Antonio, from which you'll be able to see the eclipse from approximately 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. local time (CDT).

Honorable Mention: Idaho

While you will technically be able to see annularity from Idaho, you'll only be able to do so in the state's very remote southwest corner, which has very little in the way of infrastructure. The area is a 5.5-hour drive from Boise and a 7.5-hour drive from Twin Falls. See the eclipse from roughly 9 a.m. local time to 11:45 a.m. local time (MDT).



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If this is starting to sound familiar, thats because it is.

Thursday night brought the third change of the day to the 20-horse field for Saturdays 149th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

First, Practical Move was scratched in the early afternoon due to an elevated temperature. Then, Lord Miles was scratched from the race following the suspension of his trainer, Saffie Joseph Jr., after the mysterious deaths of two of Josephs horses at Churchill Downs.

The final change came late Thursday night, when Continuar was scratched.

Continuar  the horse that received an invitation to the Kentucky Debry via the Japanese Road to the Kentucky Derby qualifying route  will be scratched by trainer Yoshito Yahagi because of fitness concerns, according to a Churchill Downs news release.

After evaluating the colt upon my arrival, I feel that he has not been able to reach the peak fitness required to take on a race as tough as the Kentucky Derby, Yahagi said in the release. Considering the future of the horse and the fact that we cannot show the horses true ability in his current state, we have decided to scratch Continuar from the Kentucky Derby.

The removal of Continuar from the Derby field means that King Russell, the final horse on the also-eligible list, will draw into the race.

Previously on Thursday, Cyclone Mischief replaced Practical Move in the field and Mandarin Hero replaced Lord Miles.

After a brief period where it looked like three horses with Japanese connections would be in the Kentucky Derby, that number has returned to two: Derma Sotogake and Mandarin Hero.

No horse with Japanese connections has ever finished in the money in the Kentucky Derby.

The scratch time for Kentucky Derby 149 is 9 a.m. Friday, but no more horses are on the also-eligible list to move into the field.

Last week, expected Kentucky Derby contender Wild On Ice was euthanized after suffering a leg injury during training at Churchill Downs.

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In 2020, three horses also scratched out of the Kentucky Derby in the week leading up to the race.

If a horse opts out of the 2023 Kentucky Derby from now until post time at 6:57 p.m. Saturday, the field will be reduced for the race.

Meet the newest Derby horse, King Russell

Trained by Ron Moquett and set to be ridden by Rafael Bejarano, King Russell was 24th on the Kentucky Derby qualifying points leaderboard with 40 points.

This haul was earned exclusively by finishing second to Angel of Empire in the Arkansas Derby in early April.

Moquett has never trained a Kentucky Derby winner before, and his best Derby showing as a trainer was 15th with Far Right in 2015.

Former Kentucky governor Brereton C. Jones is the breeder of King Russell, who holds a lifetime record of 1-3-0 in six career starts.

King Russell will leave from post position No. 20 on Saturday night in the Derby.

The scratch of Continuar means Cyclone Mischief (30-1 morning-line odds) will now break from post No. 18 and Mandarin Hero (20-1) will break from post No. 19.

King Russell was given 50-1 morning-line odds on Monday during the post-position draw.

This is tied with Reincarnate (post No. 7), Jaces Road (post No. 11), Sun Thunder (post No. 12) and Raise Cain (post No. 15) for the longest morning-line odds in the field.

Kentucky Derby

When: 6:57 p.m. Saturday

Where: Churchill Downs

TV: NBC and Peacock

Purse: $3 million (Grade 1)

Distance: 1 1/4 miles

For: 3-year-old Thoroughbreds

Kentucky Derby field, with odds:

1. Hit Show (30-1)

2. Verifying (15-1)

3. Two Phils (12-1)

4. Confidence Game (20-1)

5. Tapit Trice (5-1)

6. Kingsbarns (12-1)

7. Reincarnate (50-1)

8. Mage (15-1)

9. Skinner (SCRATCHED)

10. Practical Move (SCRATCHED)

11. Disarm (30-1)

12. Jaces Road (50-1)

13. Sun Thunder (50-1)

14. Angel of Empire (8-1)

15. Forte (SCRATCHED)

16. Raise Cain (50-1)

17. Derma Sotogake (10-1)

18. Rocket Can (30-1)

19. Lord Miles (SCRATCHED)

20. Continuar (SCRATCHED)

21. Cyclone Mischief (30-1)

22. Mandarin Hero (20-1)

23. King Russell (50-1)

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As of right now, as of Monday, the Districts for Framingham, Westborough, and Marlborough will be on strike, Teamsters Union Local 170 Business Agent Jim Marks said Friday.

A dire warning from Teamsters Union Local 170, that school bus services in three MetroWest communities could be halted Monday because contract negotiations between the school bus drivers and the NRT Bus company have collapsed.

At a Friday news conference, the Teamsters said NRT walked away from the bargaining table Thursday night.

The NRT decided to pull all their proposals off the table and not bargain for the rest of the day, said Marks.

Its a little tense, especially with what happened today, weve been working so hard for the past week and a half or so, then all of a sudden they decided to pick up their stuff and go away, said School Bus Driver Carol Willoughby, who also is a member of the unions bargaining committee.

But in a statement, NRT said it was the union that stepped away.

We are extremely saddened that Teamsters Local 170 appears to be moving forward with a strike, particularly given the impact their decision will have on the students and families who rely on our drivers for transportation to and from school, NRT Bus said in a statement.

The union says at the heart of the issue is wages, that NRT is offering to increase the hourly rate of bus drivers to 34 dollars, but it also moving to cut weekly hours.

If there is a school bus strike, The communities of Framingham, Westboro, and Marlborough are expected to keep schools open next week, and they are working on contingency plans.

Still parents and students might face some tough choices.

I spoke to Middle Schooler Emaule Velaca with permission from her mother.

My mum is going to bring me (to school) because she dont work Monday. But the other days she cant bring me, she said.

What do you think youll do on those other days if there is a strike? Boston 25s Bob Ward asked.

Stay at home, or go to the babysitter, Velaca said.

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No school? I asked

Yeah, she said.

So, for now, there is no agreement on a school bus contract in these three communities. And if nothing changes, the union says itll be on strike.

The hope is, negotiations will continue over the weekend, and it wont come to that.

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The University of Kentucky will award more than 5,800 degrees this weekend, with graduates walking across the stage on Friday and Saturday.

Three ceremonies were scheduled for Friday and one for Saturday. More than 3,700 undergraduate students, 1,400 graduate students and 600 professional degree candidates are part of the ceremonies.

Here are the stories of three UK students who drew on motivation from their families to graduate.

Mom and veteran graduates this weekend

For Elizabeth Akers Buckles, her road to graduation has not been conventional.

She first enrolled at Morehead State University in 2016, but felt that her degree in agricultural exonomics was not her passion. She ended up joining the U.S. Army, where she met her now-husband, Tylor Buckles.

Elizabeth Buckles graduates from the University of Kentucky this weekend.

In 2019, they returned to Kentucky and got married, while she enrolled at UK for a community and leadership development degree. While attending UK, the couple welcomed their son T.J. in 2021. T.J. was born 16 weeks premature, and would spend 250 days in the Kentucky Childrens Hospital NICU while Buckles was still enrolled at UK.

I remember every single day, Buckles said. I had a routine where I would wake up and drive the 30-40 minutes to the hospital in the morning to be there before he woke up. I would lay him down for a nap and hook my computer up to do homework and work on classes while hooked to a breast pump.

T.J. needed around-the-clock care when he came home from the NICU. Inspired by her family, Buckles continued pursuing her degree, at times bringing her son to campus. She will graduate this weekend, but a degree from UK has now become a family affair: her husband will enroll in the College of Nursing this fall, with the goal of working at Kentucky Childrens Hospital to care for babies needing long-term critical care.

Even though my experience was not traditional, I always felt UK was home, Buckles said. No matter my circumstances, there were people there who wanted to help me succeed. I want my experience to serve as a reminder to anyone that no matter where you are in your life, if you desire to start, resume or finish your degree  it is possible.

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Audiology student looks to doctorate degree

As a child, Moncerrat Bravo Alvarez frequently found herself acting as a translator for her parents, who immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico.

She would help her mother in doctors offices, which taught her medical terminology, but she didnt think about pursuing a career in the medical field.

Moncerrat Bravo Alvarez graduates from the University of Kentucky this weekend.

Being the daughter of immigrant parents, I never knew what was in store for me because my parents didnt go to college, Bravo said. But Im forever grateful for the sacrifices my family made to provide my brother and I with different opportunities than they had growing up.

But after arriving at UK, she began a degree in communication sciences and disorders, with a focus in audiology. She hopes to use her familys background as she pursues a doctor of audiology at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

I am first-gen, and I am a daughter of immigrants. I am proud of these things, but I didnt get here without help from others, Bravo said. With my degree, my main goal is to help as many people as possible, especially knowing Spanish. Im going in with an open mind, and who knows, I might end up with my Ph.D., one day too. But my first and foremost focus is clinically, to help as many people as I can.

She hopes her ability to speak both Spanish and English will allow her to help even more people, and advocate for her patients.

I want to always do whats right, she said. Im going to become one of the very few bilingual audiologists in the country, and just being a bilingual health care professional in general, I want to advocate for those who cant advocate for themselves clearly.

First-generation student in public health

Ashley Wright is a first-generation college student with a passion for helping others. Her father passed away when she was young, which set her on a course for a career that would allow her to fulfill that passion.

I came from humbling beginnings, Wright said. Losing my father helped shape me. It is one of the main reasons why I am here and pursued an education at the University of Kentucky.

Ashley Wright, left, graduates from the University of Kentucky this weekend.

She originally planned to become a pharmacist, but after talking with her academic advisor, decided to change her major to public health. She enrolled in the University Scholars Program, which will allow her to graduate with a bachelors degree and masters degree in public health in five years.

She hopes to work for a government agency after graduation. She will graduate with her bachelors this weekend, and plans to complete her masters degree next year.

All my life, Ive had to fight harder than most, Wright said. I am doing this for my family and want to be able to take care of them one day. My drive and my background are what separates me from most. I am willing to do what it takes.
(Getty)

Lily Rose Lee, from her animal rescue on the outskirts of Cleveland, has been busily preparing for the first weekend of May. Shell be hosting an event at a city banquet hall to celebrate the first year of her non-profit, Unleashed Animal Rescue, as well as her eighth year with her husband, Michael Rodriguez.

But shell also be celebrating  most importantly and most famously  the 10-year anniversary of the day Ms Lee, then known as Michelle Knight, walked free with two other women from a veritable house of horrors after more than a decade of imprisonment in 2013. Since August 2002, shed been chained, beaten and starved, lured into the house originally by an evil predator whod manipulated the same love of animals that would motivate her to start her new nonprofit years later.

Ariel Castro, a school bus driver she knew through his children, had promised Michelle a newborn puppy hed claimed he had inside the dilapidated home. Nine months later, he abducted Amanda Berry, a Burger King worker who knew his son, one day before her 17th birthday. Almost one year after that, he kidnapped Gina DeJesus just minutes after she parted ways with her friend, who also happened to be Castros daughter.

All three women were subjected to unspeakable abuse  and Amanda gave birth to Castros daughter  during the ensuing decade within the filthy walls of 2207 Seymour Avenue. Amanda finally seized a chance to run for freedom when the child was six years old, alerting neighbors and, then, a stunned police force and community in a miracle development that shocked the world.

Castro was dead within months, killing himself in his prison cell one month into his life sentence after pleading guilty to more than 900 charges, including kidnapping, rape and aggravated murder. His victims experienced mixed feelings; theyd endured unimaginable pain for years at the hands of a man who, faced with the loss of his own freedom, quickly chose death over the prospect.

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Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight in the video (Hennes Paynter Communications)

But his victims have more than made the most of their years of freedom since their final day in the house from hell, not only enjoying their unfettered time with friends and family but also using their trauma to help other abuse victims  including of the animal variety  and to offer a message of hope.

I fully believe with every fiber of my being that God put me on this earth to connect humans and animals in a special way, Michelle, who now goes by the new name of Lily Rose Lee, told Fox8 this week. Just to give them hope and the strength to move forward in their life so they can have a better life.

She added: It makes it worthwhile. At the end of the day, just to say, Im helping you and youre helping me and we both have this second chance at life.

Michelle published a best-selling book, Finding Me: A Decade of Darkness, a Life Reclaimed, written with Michelle Burford, in 2014; a year later, Amanda and Gina, along with journalists Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan, co-authored Hope: A Memoir of Survival in Cleveland.

We have written here about terrible things that we never wanted to think about again, the two wrote in Hope. But our story is not just about rape and chains, lies and misery. That was Ariel Castros world. Our story is about overcoming all that.

And the fact that the victims could overcome all that  an understated catch-all phrase for physical, emotional, mental and sexual torture  is nothing short of astonishing.

Judge insists on consecutive sentences for hundreds of counts, including kidnapping, rape and assault

The ordeal began on 23 August 2002, when Castro  then a divorced father of four whose abuse had permanently injured his ex-wife  decided to stage his first abduction. At the time, Michelle was a 21-year-old trying to find a ride to a social services appointment; shed recently lost custody of her young son, Joey. She was at a Cleveland Family Dollar when Castro, whom she recognised as the father of one of her friends, offered her a lift, then suggested they stop by his home so she could pick up a new puppy from his dogs recent litter to give her son.

He convinced Michelle to enter the home and go upstairs  where he subsequently locked her in, tied her up and began a decade-plus campaign of brutality that would include beating-induced abortions. When Castro eventually supplemented her bare room and basket toilet with a television, she watched the news but never saw any sign of herself. Subsequent revelations would indicate that, really, no one was looking for her.

One major news story held her particular attention: As Michelle wasted away in Cleveland chains, she closely followed coverage of the abduction of Elizabeth Smart, whod vanished from her Utah home just two months before her own kidnapping and was rescued the following March.

I was so glad she was alive and got to go back home, Michelle wrote in Finding Me. It gave me hope that maybe Id be discovered and set free too.

To her horror, however, she soon saw local news reports of another kidnapping in the same Cleveland neighborhood  and quickly suspected Castro had swiped Amanda Berry, too. She was right.

Still wearing her Burger King shirt, the teenager had been walking home from her fast food shift on 21 April 2003 when she was offered a lift by Castro, whose son had also worked at Burger King and whose daughter had been Amandas classmate. While driving, he suggested they go see his daughter and duped Amanda into entering the house, where he assaulted her and imprisoned her in the basement, along with a tiny TV.

Hes going to come back and kill me, and Im going to die because I took a ride from a dad who turned out to be a psycho, Amanda wrote in Hope of her immediate thoughts. She, too, would watch ongoing coverage of the Elizabeth Smart miracle rescue  and she, like Michelle before her, would also endure the horror of witnessing another abduction after her own.

On 2 April 2004, Gina DeJesus was walking home from school with her friend, Arlene Castro, when the two hatched a plan for a sleepover  but they parted ways when Arlenes mother said no. About a block later, as Gina walked home, Arlenes father pulled up alongside her, ostensibly looking for his daughter  so Gina hoped into the car and thought nothing of it when Castro said he needed to grab money from his house.

The 14-year-old had no concerns about following her friends dad inside, either, until he began fondling her  then tricked her into the basement, assaulted her and chained her by the neck. Shed remain imprisoned in the house with the two other victims until one May day nine years later.

The family home of Gina DeJesus is decorated by well-wishers (Getty Images)

Those years were painful, traumatising and terrifying as Castro abused his victims, pitted them against each other and threatened escape attempts with death. Hed rigged up mirrors and alarms and would often hide to test the girls; Gina and Amanda could only helplessly watch, and sometimes videotape, their desperate families pleading for return on television.

On Christmas Day 2006, Amanda gave birth to a daughter, assisted in the birth by Michelle as Castro read a medical book in a rocking chair and yelled at them to be quiet. All three victims have credited the little girls birth with bringing new hope and light into their miserable ordeal, and they fiercely tried to shield her from the reality of her world.

Then, one day in May 2013, the adult victims noticed that Amandas six-year-old seemed to be running around downstairs while Castro wasnt home  though he always kept her locked in with her mother when he was gone. Michelle and Gina, kept in a room together, were too petrified to move; Amanda, hearing her daughter freely roaming, felt her mind racing.

Im wasting too much time thinking, she wrote in Hope. If hes really gone, I have to move now! I run back up to my room and pull on my high-tops.

I dont say anything to Gina or Michelle. If this doesnt work they might tell him I tried to escape. But I also dont want to risk getting anyone else hurt, so Im not going to involve them. If he catches anybody, it will be just me, alone.

Miraculously, however, Amanda made it downstairs and found the wooden main door unlocked  but a padlocked storm door was blocking her exit. In a scene straight out of a Hollywood thriller, as her six-year-old hysterically screamed and cried, a terrified Amanda, 27, managed to push the storm door open just enough to get my hand out, and then my whole arm, which I begin to wave like crazy, she wrote. I cant see anyone on the street, so I scream out the door: Help me! Help me! I need to get out of here!

Witnessing the wild scene was neighbour Charles Ramsey, who bounded out of his rented home with a McDonalds burger still in hand and ran up to Castros porch. Unsuccessfully yanking on the door, he advised Amanda to kick in the bottom panel, enabling her to crawl out and grab her daughter. They ran with Mr Ramsey to his house, where Amanda first stared in bewilderment at his cell phone.

Castro killed himself in prison, one month into his life sentence without parole in September 2013 (Getty Images)

Little did I know she had been locked in there for 10 years, Mr Ramsey wrote in his 2014 book Dead Giveaway, co-written with Randy Nyerges. Little did she know how to operate a touch-screen cell phone.

Finally connected to 911, Amanda mustered the words shed dreamt of saying.

Hello, police? Help me! Im Amanda Berry! she said, adding: Ive been kidnapped and Ive been missing for ten years, and Im, Im here, Im free now!

It wasnt long before Gina and Michelle, still cowering in the house, heard footsteps and walkie-talkies coming into their room  but they didnt know what to think.

I peek around the corner and see two cops in uniform, a man and a woman, Gina wrote in Hope. Michelle has jumped up into the mans arms, and shes holding on tight. Then he gently puts her down, and she jumps up onto the female officer, shouting hysterically, Please dont let me go! Please dont let me go!

When the male officer asked Gina her name and she responded, she wrote, He looks as if hes just seen a ghost and says in his radio, We found them! We found them! Then he stares at me for a while and says, Weve been looking for you for a really long time.

The worlds media descended on the story as the women and Amandas child began the difficult but joyous process of healing. Castros case was quickly and summarily handled in the courts; he pleaded guilty in July 2013 and was sentenced to life in prison plus 1,000 years without the possibility of parole  before killing himself with his bedsheets that September.

Amanda told her daughter that her father had died, but not much else, and she never asked, she wrote in 2015. I think that deep down she knew there were things she didnt really want to hear. She sees people stop me in the grocery store and ask, Are you Amanda Berry? and she saw my picture on the cover of People magazine, and all she says is, Mom, youre famous! but never asks why.

Before her first day of second grade I told her that her daddy had a mental illness that caused him to do bad things. Itold her that some people are sick in the stomach, and that Daddy was sick in his mind, and that was why he took me away from my family. For many years nobody knew if I was alive or not, and that is why people are now so happy to see me. And I also told her that he loved her very much. Her response was to hug me and tell me that everything would be okay.

The Cleveland home where the girls were kept for more than a decade has since been demolished (Getty Images)

Amanda went on to host missing person segments for local Ohio station Fox 8, saying during her first week on the job that she was excited to be able to help families who need it and give [the missing] more than just a name. They have a face. They have a family. They have a sister or brother. Just to make it more personal means the world.

In 2017, years after watching coverage of Elizabeth Smart from her own Cleveland prison, Amanda interviewed the Utah woman herself.

I absolutely had days when I would rather die than keep going, Ms Smart told her fellow kidnap survivor.

I just wanted to say I felt the same way, Amanda answered. Im so happy I kept that hope.

And Gina, similarly, has dedicated herself to fostering hope  and finding victims. Together with her cousin, Sylvia Colon, she co-founded the Cleveland Family Center for Missing Children & Adults to provide a support system for families experiencing the difficult time of missing a loved one, the site states.

The centre is located just yards from the Seymour Avenue home where Castro imprisoned his victims.

I am a survivor and Seymour doesnt bother me, Gina told Fox 8. I want other people not to give up on hope and be a survivor just like me.

She writes in the 2015 epilogue of Hope: I used to blame everybody for what happened to me. I blamed Arlene and Arlenes mother for not figuring out who kidnapped us. I blamed the people who came into that house and didnt figure out that we were there. I thought the neighbors on Seymour were so dumb for not realizing what was going on. I was upset that the police and the FBI couldnt find me. It even got to the point where I was mad at my own family, because they were living their lives while I was stuck.

But I dont think like that at all anymore. I know that nobody is to blame for this except Ariel Castro. Not me, not my family, not anybody else. Just one very bad man.

Michelle, meanwhile, is enjoying life with her husband and committed to paying it forward through animal rescue after miraculously surviving such an ordeal for such a long time.

I wrote in my notebook in the house that I was going to do something great with animals, she told WKYC in the run-up to the 10th anniversary of her rescue. I didnt know, but God was going to lead the way with my head and my heart.

Adding that the greatest gift she could give an animal was the forever home they so desperately need, she continued: Today, I love everything about my life, the good and the bad, because life is a handful of good and bad  but its how you move forward.
Ahmaud Arbery and his mother Wanda Cooper-Jones (Family)

Ahmaud Arberys mother should be celebrating with her son on his 29th birthday.

Instead, shes organising a run in his honour - and reflecting on what the latest shooting of a Black boy at the hands of a white man says about any progress made since his murder.

Ahmaud, a 25-year-old Black man, had gone for a jog on the bright spring afternoon of 23 February 2020.

In the predominantly-white Satilla Shores neighbourhood, three white men jumped into their pickup trucks and chased him down. One of the assailants then shot Ahmaud twice with a shotgun at close range, leaving him dead in the street.

His killers tried to claim self-defence for why they chased and opened fire on the unarmed Black man who was jogging through the neighbourhood in broad daylight.

While it didnt work for them, three years later its a defence now expected to be used by an 84-year-old white man for why he shot a Black 16-year-old boy who rang his doorbell.

This 13 April, Ralph Yarl had gone to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friends house in Kansas City, Missouri, when he got muddled up with the address and accidentally went to the wrong home.

When he rang the doorbell, the homeowner inside opened fire on him, shooting him twice.

Ahmauds mother Wanda Cooper-Jones tells The Independent that while she was shocked to hear about the shooting, she sees echoes of her sons murder in what happened.

I was shocked as I couldnt believe a young guy  a baby  rang the doorbell at the wrong residence and was shot and could have been killed. It was unreal, she says.

Ralph wasnt doing anything wrong. He just rang the doorbell to the wrong residence.

Like Ahmaud  he was jogging and didnt do anything wrong and he was shot and killed.

Unlike Ahmaud, Ralph survived.

A mural in memory of Ahmaud Arbery (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

He was shot twice  once in the head and once in the arm  but managed to stumble away to get help. After being admitted to hospital, he was released to recover at home days later.

But the aftermath of the shootings also drew comparisons.

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It was 74 days before any of Ahmauds killers were arrested for his murder.

They were only brought to justice when one of them (thinking it would help their case amid an uproar in the community) leaked smartphone footage showing them chasing Ahmaud in their trucks and shooting him dead.

Last month, Ralphs shooting sparked similar outrage when the homeowner walked free for several days without any charges being brought.

Despite the disturbing similarities in both the shootings and the aftermaths of Ahmaud and Ralphs cases, Ms Cooper-Jones feels some key differences prove that there has been some change.

No video footage was needed to secure an arrest for Ralph Yarl and  instead of 74 days  it took four.

At the time of the shooting of Ralph there wasnt an arrest immediately. [The homeowner] was allowed to stay home and clear up the glass from his porch, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

It was not an immediate arrest but at the same time it was an arrest. So we have to appreciate that there is some progress.

Reflecting on the last three years, Ms Cooper-Jones does feel that some progress has been made in the three years since her sons murder shone a spotlight on racism in America.

She points to some other Black men and women whose deaths led to a racial reckoning across the country in 2020.

In the case of Breonna Taylor they did bring federal charges against the officers, she says.

Lee Merritt, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Rev. Al Sharpton (from right to left) outside the courthouse in Georgia after the Black joggers three killers were found guilty of murder (Getty Images)

George Floyd got justice in his case... So I think we are seeing some progress.

In Georgia, Ms Cooper-Jones own fight to get justice for her son was key to making progress in the state.

At the time of his murder, a Civil-War era citizens arrest law was still in place while there was no hate crime laws.

Following Ahmauds death, the Republican-led state legislature repealed the citizens arrest law  a law that the killers tried to use as a defence.

And Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed hate crime legislation into law meaning that further charges can now be brought for crimes motivated by a victims race, colour, gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability.

While these changes may have come too late to hold Ahmauds killers to account, Ms Cooper-Jones says the laws now work in favour of anyone else ever put in her sons shoes.

Unfortunately the people who killed Ahmaud couldnt be charged with a hate crime [under state law] as the charge was not in place at the time of his murder, she says.

But the good thing is if it happens again, there will be charges.

Change has come and if someone who looks like Ahmaud decides to run down the street and they are gunned down by people because they dont look like them, then those people can be charged.

But despite some meaningful progress, Ms Cooper-Jones is aware that some things are more difficult to change.

Research suggests that shootings like that of Ralph and Ahmaud are part of a bigger societal problem with the adultification and dehumanisation of Black boys and young Black men.

Adultification refers to racial bias where people look at Black children as being older, bigger and less innocent than their white counterparts.

Research shows that this bias means people view Black children as more angry than white children.

Similarly, research published by the American Psychological Association finds that people perceive Black men as larger and more threatening than white men of the same size.

Participants also believed that the Black men were more capable of causing harm in a hypothetical altercation and, troublingly, that police would be more justified in using force to subdue them, even if the men were unarmed, the researcher wrote.

Ralphs shooter claimed he was scared to death of the approximately 6 feet tall Black man (his family say he is 5 foot 8). Ahmauds killers claimed they believed he must be responsible for crime in the area (no evidence of this was ever found).

Such racial bias and discrimination can be harder to change than laws.

Protesters holding signs calling for Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (REUTERS)

We cant change what people think, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

If thats the way people see Black boys its very sad but if thats your thinking, we cant change your thinking.

We just have to try change the way our boys do things to try to prevent them from being at risk, she says.

One way Ms Cooper-Jones is working to support Black boys and young men is through The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation set up in her sons memory.

The organisations mission is to create safe spaces for Black boys to run freely and to promote the impact running can have on the physical and mental health of Black boys like Ahmaud.

As part of this, this Saturday (6 May), people will take part in the organisations second annual Run With Maud event.

The 5k run  two days before Ahmauds 29th birthday on 8 May  will raise money to support Black boys aged seven to 17 in the community.

All proceeds go back out to the community, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

I think its very important that Black boys and boys that look like Ahmaud have mental health resources as thats an area that I think is neglected and thats why we have so many Black boys struggling in that area.

She adds: Ahmaud ran every day and he ran because it made him feel better.

The run is of course poignant  as the very thing Ahmaud was doing when he was murdered.

Thats something his mother wants people to remember when they join in the event  or whenever they go out for a run.

I want people to know that Ahmaud was running for a sense of therapy and while he was running he was chased and killed, she says.

I hope people dont forget that this isnt just a run and that they put themselves in Ahmauds shoes on that Sunday when he was jogging and was chased and was gunned down.

Theyre not only running for Ahmaud. Theyre running for all social justices.
Thousands of TikTok comments have reacted to fans of the royal family camping outside Buckingham Palace days before the coronation. TikTok: @mattw9393, @dr.difilippo

The coronation of King Charles III and Camilla is set to take place on May 6 in London, England.

TikTokers filmed fans of the royals camping outside Buckingham Palace days before the event.

Some viewers were baffled by the level of dedication on display.

TikTokers are sharing videos of royal superfans who camped days in advance, seemingly to be close to the royal coronation this weekend, leading viewers to question the dedication on display.

The ceremony, which takes place on May 6 at Westminster Abbey in London, England, will confirm King Charles III as the official monarch of the United Kingdom, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022.

The day will start with a procession outside Buckingham Palace, where some megafans have secured their spot at the front of the viewing fence well before it was scheduled to begin, multiple British outlets reported.

On May 2, a TikTok user who goes by @dr.difilippo received over 1.8 million views when he shared the scenes in the prized location.

"People are already camping outside Buckingham Palace 5 days before the Coronation," the on-screen caption of the video read, as the TikToker showed multiple people dressed in Union Jack garb sitting behind the fenced area of The Mall, the road outside the royal location.

On the same day, TikTok user @mattw9393 posted a similar video from the same spot, where he showed a closer look at some of the people, who he dubbed "royal super fans" in the on-screen caption, waiting patiently for the big event. Some could be seen wearing King Charles memorabilia, with one man draped in a British flag with a crown on his head.

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The uploads received over 4,000 comments combined, as many questioned not only the level of commitment on display, but also how people had multiple days free to spend waiting in line. "Don't they have better things to do?" one viewer asked in a top comment that received over 200 likes.

The majority of the comments were baffled by the behavior, and one dubbed the people in the video "royal servants" for being such dedicated fans of the monarchy. However, others came to their defense, noting that they weren't doing any harm, and acknowledged the ceremony was a big event for many, as it is the first coronation in over 70 years.

Over 2,200 people are scheduled to attend the ceremony itself, including fellow royal family members such as Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, and Prince Harry. Multiple international figures are also set to make an appearance, such as French President Emmanuel Macron, and first lady Jill Biden who is expected to go in place of President Joe Biden.

Many thousands more visitors are expected to fill the streets, as the procession makes its way through central London from 10:20 a.m. BST, BBC News reported.

For more stories like this, check out coverage from Insider's Digital Culture team here.

Read the original article on Insider
Special train featuring 15-day tour around NW China's Xinjiang launched

People's Daily Online) 10:03, May 05, 2023

As the first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region departed from Urumqi Railway Station in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiang, on May 1, 2023, the first batch of more than 200 tourists excitedly began a sightseeing tour around the region.

The first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region is launched on May 1, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Named after the famous Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, the train represents the first dedicated tourist train service of Xinjiang that covers major tourist attractions in its northern, southern and eastern parts.

Tourists board the first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Tourists aboard the train are expected to be taken to major cities in the region, including Urumqi, Beitun, Yining, Turpan, Alaer, Kashgar, and Hami. The train stops at stations as close as possible to major tourist attractions, so that tourists won't miss any important spot.

"With the tourism industry in Xinjiang continuing to gain steam, tourist trains have become increasingly popular. To satisfy the passengers' need to 'tour around Xinjiang on a train', we have upgraded the tourist train Tianshan Mountains and equipped it with multipurpose carriages for the first time. People can enjoy leisure and recreational activities as well as massage in special areas of the train. It's like we have built a mobile home for tourists," said Huang Tingfen, deputy general manager of Xinjiang Railway Tourism Development Group Co., Ltd.

Tourists take photos with the first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Xinjiang railway authorities have planned 10 trips for the dedicated tourist train service, with tours scheduled in different tourist seasons of the region.

"This is my first visit to Xinjiang since I came here 35 years ago. This time I want to tour Xinjiang by train to see the changes to various parts of the region, and I also want my grandson to see how vast and beautiful Xinjiang is," said a man surnamed Gao, who came from southeast China's Fujian Province.

Photo shows a wall of wishes on the first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

Xinjiang has experienced tremendous changes, Gao said, noting that he had never thought that one day he could take a train to visit all the famous tourist attractions in the region in just over 10 days without having to worry about accommodations and transportation arrangements.

"I always wanted to come to Xinjiang, so I bought the ticket immediately when I knew I could tour Xinjiang on a train. I can visit cities during the day and sleep at night. When I get tired from the visits during the day, I can enjoy a massage on the train. And I can also sing karaoke on the train when I feel bored. This trip is just so amazing," said a woman surnamed Wang.

Tourists start their journey on the first dedicated tourist train featuring a 15-day tour around northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (People's Daily Online/Li Xinyang)

(Web editor: Hongyu, Du Mingming)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The Department of Health (DOH) has advised hospitals to prepare wards for COVID-19 patients amid the recent spike in the number of infections in recent weeks.

DOH officer-in-charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, however, assured on Thursday there is no reason for the public to panic as most of the COVID-19 cases recorded in the past two weeks were either asymptomatic or presented mild symptoms.

"We have advised our hospitals to be prepared so that when there are additional admissions, they will be prepared at meron tayong additional COVID-19 beds," she said. "So yung COVID-19 wards, nandoon naman talaga at hindi siya isinara."

[Translation: This is so we will have additional COVID-19 beds in case of more admissions. The wards are still there and they were never closed.]

During the hearing of the House Committee on Appropriations, Vergeire said only 9% of COVID-19 patients are considered critical.

The utilization of healthcare facilities nationwide also remains low at 20%.

"All of the regions are registering less than 20% meaning wala po masyadong naoospital," she told the hearing. "Kung mayroon man tayong binabantayan na mga ospital, ito po yung mga ospital na tumataas ang percentage ng utilization because somehow most of them, kulang ang kama."

[Translation: All of the regions are registering less than 20% meaning not many people are hospitalized. If there are hospitals that we monitor, these are the hospitals that increase the percentage of utilization because somehow most of them lack beds.]

Vergeire attributed the uptick in COVID-19 cases to the emergence of new virus variants, increased mobility of people, and exposure to the virus of vulnerable individuals.

A member of the independent OCTA Research on Thursday warned that the National Capital Regions positivity rate by next week could reach the same level as when the country was dealing with the Delta wave or as high as 25%.

Latest data from OCTA showed that the positivity rate, which refers to the number of people testing positive for COVID-19, in Metro Manila reached 19.7% as of May 2.
Sens. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., and Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., are introducing legislation that would temporarily allow for migrant expulsions at the southern border to continue after the Title 42 public health order ends next week  amid widespread concerns that the orders expiration will lead to an overwhelming migrant surge.

The lawmakers say they intend to introduce a bill that would grant similar authorities to Title 42, which allows for the rapid expulsion of migrants at the southern border due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been in place since March 2020.

It has been used by both the Biden and Trump administrations to expel migrants at the border and has become a central cog of border enforcement, and it is due to end on May 11 along with the COVID-19 national emergency. In March, approximately 46% of migrant encounters resulted in a Title 42 encounter. The looming end of the order has renewed fears of a new migrant surge on top of the existing high levels of migration that have been seen at the border over the last two years.

The legislative fix would not directly extend Title 42 as that is a pandemic-era public health order, but it would give the administration a temporary expulsion authority to mimic it.

GOP SENATORS URGE BIDEN TO REVERSE TITLE 42 TERMINATION, CITING ESTIMATES OF MIGRANT DELUGE

Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants try to cross the border from Mexico into the U.S. in Ciudad Juarez on April 25, 2023.

Tillis told Fox News in an interview that "what we're trying to do is make it as clean as possible, basically extending the current policy."

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"The Biden Administration has failed to secure the border and the situation will get even worse once Title 42 is allowed to expire," he said in a separate statement. "It's clear that Congress must immediately step in, and the bipartisan bill I'm introducing with Senator Sinema will help prevent the catastrophic fallout at the border we will soon see if no action is taken."

"Arizona border communities, law enforcement agencies, non-profits, and families are being left to manage a crisis they did not create. Our legislation gives the Administration time to actually implement a realistic, workable plan that will secure our border, protect Arizona communities on the frontlines (sic) of this crisis, and ensure migrants are treated fairly and humanely," Sinema wrote.

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The bill is also sponsored by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., who accused the administration of having "failed to properly secure our southern border" despite "ample" notice of Title 42's expiration.

"The immigration crisis is only getting worse and our broken immigration system is ill-equipped to handle it," Manchin said in a statement. "Our bipartisan legislation creates a two-year temporary solution to prevent a complete collapse at our southern border. Now, our political leaders must put partisanship aside to finally secure our border, establish a reliable visa program and ensure the American Dream is possible to everyone who follows the law and is willing to work hard."

The end of Title 42 has frequently drawn bipartisan concern about the potential for a massive surge at the border once it ends as migrants believe they have a better chance of entering the U.S. The administration has shared those concerns, with officials previously predicting up to 14,000 migrant encounters a day once the order ends.

BIDEN ADMIN SECURES DEAL WITH MEXICO TO DEPORT SOME NON-MEXICAN MIGRANTS AHEAD OF TITLE 42 BEDLAM

The Department of Homeland Security has been putting measures in place that it believes will promote a more orderly process at the border  including expanding legal pathways, greater cooperation with Mexico on deportations and stiffening penalties for illegal entry. It has also proposed a rule that would, in theory, bar migrants from asylum eligibility if they enter illegally and have also failed to claim asylum at a country through which they have already passed.

The administration also announced this week that it is sending 1,500 troops to the border, although officials have said they wont be engaging with migrants but acting in a supporting role to Customs and Border Protection.

BIDEN ADMIN TO SET UP MIGRANT PROCESSING CENTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AS TITLE 42 SET TO EXPIRE

The moves have done little to allay fears of a new surge, with numbers already increasing at the border this week. A group of Senate Republicans wrote to President Biden on Wednesday to urge him to reverse his decision about ending the order. But there is currently no sign that the order will not expire next week.

Tillis told Fox News that he doesnt expect his legislation to be passed and on the presidents desk by the time the order ends.

"If you just look at the way it's going to play out, is this bill going to get out of the Senate, go to the House and go to the President's desk before next Thursday? No," he said. "Is there going to be a growing sense that, if the President's not going to put any other option on the table, that it's going to be unsustainable, unsafe and politically unwise? Yes. So, we'll start having those discussions in the next couple of weeks."
Fans are not too keen on Timbalands latest use of artificial intelligence (AI).

After sharing his excitement about a collaboration that would have never happened if it werent for AI, the legendary producer has received mixed reactions from his supporters.

Timbaland's Use Of AI

Im sitting here with my brother, Creatr God, and we know that its a lot of talk about AI, and we know how the feelings of violating certain things, but let me tell you something, said Timbaland via a video shared on Instagram. I got a solution, Im working on it. Its gonna be beneficial to everybody.

In the Instagram post, the Virginia native revealed his excitement was partially due to a collaboration with the late legendary rapper Notorious B.I.G., made possible thanks to AI.

But, in the meantime, I gotta share something Ive been working on because I always wanted to do this and I never got a chance to, he said. I always wanted to work with Big and I never got a chance to  until today. It came out right. Play.

While Timbaland was proud of the project, others took to social media to express their continued concern for the technology taking the place of the true artistry of artists. Others revealed that although the music sounds cool, theres a level of integrity that should come with using the artificial voice of someone who has passed away.

Mixed Reactions

Sounds dope, but dont feel right, said one user.

Another said, AI will never replace authentic penmanship.

Someone also accused the technology of stealing artistry from the artists. I dont know how to feel about it, as a fan of hip-hop, I would love to sample voices from so many other artists, they continued.

Additional AI Concerns

As previously reported by AfroTech, not only are fans skeptical of AI technology, but artists and labels have also voiced their concerns.

Recently, Universal Music Group (UMG) filed a request to have streaming services block AI from access to copyrighted content. Additionally, they played a role in helping to take down the AI-generated song, Heart On My Sleeve, which replicated the voices of Drake and The Weeknd.
MADISON - Gov. Tony Evers appointed three new members to the Natural Resources Board Friday, after the terms of the final appointees of former Gov. Scott Walker's expired at the end of April.

Evers reappointed Paul Buhr, who was selected to fill a vacancy on the board in January, and appointed Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings and Jim VandenBrook.

From working to protect wildlife to making necessary progress on getting harmful contaminants like PFAS out of our water once and for all, the work of the Natural Resources Board is essential to the health and prosperity of our state, said Evers in a Friday press release. We are thrilled to have each of these well-qualified, motivated individuals on the board and for the expertise and perspectives they will bring to this critically important work.

Here are the new appointees:

Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings, citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa

Dylan Bizhikiins Jennings

Jennings is a citizen of the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa and a doctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, according to the release. He is the associate director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute at Northland College, where he oversees the institute and the Hulings Rice Food Center.

He served two terms as an elected tribal council member for the Bad River Tribe and previously served as the director of public information for the Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission. He holds a master's degree from the UW-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies.

Im extremely humbled and honored to work on behalf of all Wisconsinites on the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board, Jennings said in the release. I look forward to working to protect our environment for future generations to come.

Jim VandenBrook, a longtime conservationist

Jim VandenBrook

VandenBrook served the executive director of the Wisconsin Land and Water Conservation Association from 2012 through 2018, and served as the water quality section chief for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection from 1986 to 2012. Prior to his role with DATCP, he served as a county conservationist in Vernon and Trempleau counties.

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As a life-long resident of Wisconsin I believe that our economy and quality of life are completely dependent on the wise use and management of our land and waters," VanderBrook. "I hope that my 40 years of experience in land and water resource management will help advance the governors work to make Wisconsin a better place to live, work, and enjoy.

More: New DNR Secretary calls on Legislature to 'step up' in protecting the state's waters

Paul Buhr, dairy farmer

Paul Buhr, board member, listens during the Natural Resources Board meeting Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2023, in Madison.

Buhr is a dairy farmer from Viroqua and has worked with dairy cattle since he was a child, graduated with an animal science degree from UW - Platteville and then owned his own farm for 45 years. The last of his herd was dispersed about two years ago, and he now tends fields of corn, soy beans and hay.Shortly after his appointment, he said he was hoping to translate his experience as a farmer into informed decisions on issues like managing nutrients stemming from farms that can get into drinking water and cause issues for residents, such as phosphorous and nitrates. He also helps to raise awareness of the Driftless Area, and to champion preservation of the unique area.

The Natural Resources Board sets policy for the Department of Natural Resources, and is made up of seven members. Board members are nominated by the governor for six-year terms, staggered to prevent boards from being completely appointed within one governor's term. Under the law, three members are appointed from the northern part of the state, three from the south and one member is "at large." At least one board member must have an agricultural background and at least three members must have held a hunting, fishing or trapping license in at least seven of the 10 years before nomination.

Members are confirmed by the state Senate, which reserves the right to reject appointments by the governor. But to take a seat on the board, appointees don't need to be confirmed, as long as the member they're replacing vacates the seat.

More: Scott Walker appointee Frederick Prehn resigns from Natural Resources Board after over-staying term

Appointments end period of Walker-era drama

Evers' appointments mark the exit of the final two Walker appointees, Greg Kazmierski and Terry Hilgenberg.

Though board meetings this year have proceeded with relatively few clashes, the last several years have been marred by controversy. In 2021, when Frederick Prehn's term expired, the Wausau dentist refused to step down from his seat, creating months of infighting between the Walker and Evers appointees. Though Prehn's decision was upheld by the state Supreme Court, other members of the board and members of the public decried Prehn's decision and pushed for his exit.

The state Senate contributed to the conflict by refusing to hold a confirmation vote for the new appointee.

More: Wisconsin DNR board member urges Frederick Prehn to step down after texts show his refusal to give up his seat is politically motivated

Prehn held the seat for nearly two years past its expiration date, only to quietly step down at the end of December, with no explanation. At that point, Sandra Dee Naas, who Evers had selected for Prehn's spot, was able to take her seat.

But even with a full board of Evers appointees, issues remain. The Republican-led Senate has not scheduled confirmation hearings for Buhr, Naas or Sharon Adams, who was appointed in 2021. In January, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu cast doubt on Evers' appointees to the board, saying that they seemed "political" and "maybe don't have the background" to be on the board.

Board Chair Bill Smith was confirmed after his appointment in 2019, and Vice-Chair Marcy West was confirmed shortly after her appointment in 2020.

LeMahieu's office did not immediately respond Friday afternoon to questions seeking more information about when the appointees would get confirmation hearings.

A spokesperson for Evers could not immediately be reached for comment.

Laura Schulte can be reached at leschulte@jrn.com and on Twitter at @SchulteLaura.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Tony Evers appoints new members to Wisconsin Natural Resources Board
Senate President Roy Barreras (L) alongside Colombian President Gustavo Petro on August 7, 2022

Colombia's top administrative court annulled on Thursday the election of the Senate president, Roy Barreras, a key figure in the ambitious reform drive of President Gustavo Petro.

The court, known as the Council of State, declared that Barreras did not leave his old political party soon enough to seek re-election with his current party, violating electoral rules.

The senator breached "his duty to quit his seat 12 months before the registration deadline for congressional elections for the period 2022-2026," the court said.

Barreras was a congressman for the Union Party for the People between 2018 and 2022, but was reelected in March 2022 as a senator for the Historic Pact for Colombia, the leftist coalition that Petro heads.

Barreras said on Twitter that he would respect the decision since "court rulings must be respected even when they seem unjust to me."

As Senate president, Barreras has backed key reforms that Petro has put forth since taking office nine months ago, particularly moves to impose higher taxes on the rich.

Petro has also pushed reforms in labor law, healthcare, pensions, the judiciary and in the energy sector to transition away from fossil fuels.

Analysts say Barreras's role was crucial in arriving at a consensus between parties that support Petro, the nation's first leftist president, and parties that oppose him.

The ruling is the latest reverse for Petro, who last week faced a revolt by three political parties who said they could no longer support his reform drive.

Responding to the revolt, Petro replaced seven members of his Cabinet, including his finance minister, and warned Congress of a "revolution" if it doesn't approve his reform plans.

das/cjc/tjj/ssy
AI is already rewriting art history. When you Googled the famed realist artist Edward Hopper this week, the first featured image that appeared was convincing enough. A lone woman, painted in the artist's signature soft, muted style, stared out a window, sporting a red dress and hair tucked into a bun. Hopper created a number of similar paintings throughout his career; casual viewers, and even some not-so-casual ones, probably wouldn't think twice. But they'd be deeply misled. Though it was certainly created in the style of the American great, the painting in question isn't a real Hopper. It's an AI-generated knockoff of the real artist's work  and in what feels like an unsettling turn for the internet's fraught information ecosystem, the fake somehow made it to the top of Google's search results.

"If you don't think visual AI is a problem," tweeted UK-based illustrator Penny Neville-Lee, who first caught the AI fake, "this is what comes up when you Google Edward Hopper."

The fact that the image was AI-generated became clear pretty quickly. For one thing, the woman's forearm and hand  a detail with which AI has long struggled  look downright bizarre. And the website that the image is featured on  a digital art-sharing platform called Creative Fabrica which, in what appears to be a more recent addition to the site, features an AI-integrated platform that allows users to generate art  even provides which prompt was used to create the image: "a woman looking outside the window by Edward Hopper." From there, the page for the platform's text-to-image integration tells you all you need to know.

"Now you can create any image you can imagine and use it for your crafting projects," reads the website. "These creations are generated using Artificial Intelligence and are all one-of-a-kind."

All to say, you don't need to be an AI expert or internet sleuth extraordinaire to confirm that this painting isn't the real deal. But while that may have been simple enough for a human to decipher, the reality  and the concern  still stands that Google's algorithms weren't able to bridge the same divide, not just allowing the image to show up on the second or third page of search results but featuring the AI-generated art in the search engine's algorithm-determined overview of the artist's work. In other words, one algorithm's fake painting fooled Google's algorithm. The snake has officially started to eat its tail. Sure, to human eyes, there are enough red flags to keep anyone from soundly passing this work off as the real deal. But our digital worlds are facilitated much more by algorithms  Google, Bing, social media recommendation engines, and increasingly AI  than they are people. And to that end, in terms of both scale and quality, it's probably fair to say that synthetic content has only just scratched the surface. As more AI content, whether image or text-based, begins to flood the internet, it's very unlikely that all AI generations will be as obviously machine-made as this one. If Google and other search engines are unable to filter through AI content more effectively, convincing AI fabrications have a means of slipping through the historical  distorting and confusing established history, yes, but perhaps destabilizing and even rewriting history education as well. "When one Googles 'Edward Hopper' now, the highlighted image is an AI manufactured image that looks like Edward Hopper's work," wrote illustrator Edel Rodriguez. "This is disgusting and must be stopped." For its part, Google acknowledged that the featured fake may not have been the most ideal choice on its algorithm's behalf.

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"Our automated systems aim to show the most helpful, high quality and relevant images for any query," a Google spokesperson told Futurism in a statement. "Given the scale of the open web, however, it's possible that our systems might not always select the best images regardless of how those images are produced, AI-generated or not."

"When we identify potential issues, we seek to develop algorithmic solutions that can help a wide range of queries," they added. "We also build tools like reverse image search to give people context so they can evaluate information and assess what content they can trust."

The spokesperson also pointed out that the image in question does have a source label, noting that removing content at scale is a tall and complicated order when it comes to the open web. And across the board, fact-checking and cross-referencing any information gleaned from online sources is always good practice. The company also replaced the fake painting with a severe-looking portrait photo of Hopper. Still, seeing an AI-generated Hopper beating out the likes of real paintings posted online by the likes of the Met and the Whitney in Google's search engine is less than comforting. It's all a bit surreal, and this certainly feels like a through-the-looking-glass moment. Between chatbots tossing misinformation back and forth to each other, a convincing AI-generation of a swagged-out Pope Francis fooling a major chunk of the internet into thinking it was real, and now Google's algorithm pulling an AI-painted Hopper to the top of its search, it doesn't exactly feel like we're on the edge of a new digital world anymore. Instead, it feels like that new world is here  though the breadth of what that will look like, and how it will change us, still remains to be seen. More on AI: Online Tutoring Company Stock Crashes as Chatgpt Steamrolls Its Business
Eamonn M. McCormack - Getty Images

Former The Only Way is Essex star Pete Wicks has revealed he is planning a date with Im a Celebrity South Africa campmate Carol Vorderman.

The former Countdown presenter was told during an interview last month that Pete would be interested in dating her, and her response was relayed to him during the latest episode of the Staying Relevant podcast, which he hosts with Sam Thompson.

As she was interviewed by vlogger Holly Jay-Smith, Carol was told that Pete wanted to be one of her men, to which she replied: Yeah. Is that official now?

Eamonn M. McCormack - Getty Images

Related: TOWIE star Chloe Brockett broke down in tears over "sly digs" from co-stars

Sam relayed this to a delighted Pete, who said: Go on Vorders. Yes Carol - its official, before he outlined his plans for a date.

Carol, let me know when you're free, and I can't wait to [go on a date], he said to the camera. We can talk [about] maths - we can have a really good night on tequila and we can wake up in the morning and I can make you breakfast.

Pete called time on his seven-year TOWIE tenure earlier this year, likening the show to his experience of speaking at the Houses of Parliament: Interesting day. Interesting people. It was a lot like TOWIE actually because that's another place full of f**king snakes and shit storylines, he said.

Related: TOWIE'S Amy Childs reveals twins' names in sweet video

Despite moving onto pastures new, it won't be long before we see Pete back on the small screen, with the personality teasing that he has a new series in the pipeline.

It's a different year for me, I've obviously taken a step back from TOWIE for a number of different reasons, the timing was right, he said. I've got so much going on, I'm just about to start a brand-new TV project but it's going to be a very busy year.

The Only Way Is Essex airs on ITVBe. I'm a Celebrity South Africa airs on Mondays-Fridays at 9pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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Rumors of a new Trader Joes have been swirling in Bradenton-Sarasota Facebook groups, some with hundreds of comments from residents, but now its confirmed.

The Bradenton Herald reached out to the companys corporate office, and they shared a location and estimated opening timeline.

Im happy to share that we have just confirmed that a new Trader Joes will open at 8473 Cooper Creek Blvd. in University Park, a company spokesman said in an email Thursday evening.

We hope to open the store later this year. I can share an updated timeline as things progress.

Trader Joes would be moving into The Shoppes at University Town Center on the southwest corner of University Parkway and Interstate 75.

Neighboring businesses would include Marshalls and Maple Street Biscuit Company.

Thursday nights confirmation comes after a week of intense speculation on social media. Some of the comments were correct in saying Trader Joes would be going into Benderson Developments array of shopping centers along Cooper Creek Boulevard.

Others speculated that Trader Joes might be going into Lakewood Ranchs recently closed Winn-Dixie space or even into the fast-growing Parrish area.

Trader Joes only had one store in Florida  Naples  when it opened its Sarasota store at 4101 S. Tamiami Trail in 2012.

Thousands from the Manatee and Sarasota counties packed the aisles of Trader Joes during its grand opening Friday, which drew an estimated 3,000 shoppers, the Bradenton Herald reported Sept. 12, 2012.

Trader Joes now operates 23 stores in Florida.

The first Trader Joes opened in Pasadena, California, in 1967.

At Trader Joes, you wont find a lot of branded items. Instead, youll discover a store full of unique and interesting products, along with everyday basics, in the Trader Joes label, the company says on its website.

Our buyers travel the world searching for products we think are exceptional and will find a following among our customers. To earn a spot on our shelves, each product is submitted to a rigorous tasting panel process, in which every aspect of quality is investigated in context of the price we can offer. If a product is assessed as an outstanding value, it becomes an essential part of the Trader Joes shopping adventure, the company says.
Horse trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. was suspended indefinitely Thursday after the sudden deaths of two horses during Kentucky Derby week, Churchill Downs Incorporated -- which owns the racetrack at which the Derby takes place -- announced Joseph Jr.'s suspension in a public statement.

Bill Mudd, President and Chief Operating Officer of Churchill Downs, said "Given the unexplained sudden deaths, we have reasonable concerns about the condition of his horses, and decided to suspend him indefinitely until details are analyzed and understood."

The suspension bars Joseph Jr. and any of his employees from entering horses in races or applying for stall occupancy at all racetracks owned by Churchill Downs. The racetrack also announced in the statement it was withdrawing Lord Miles, another horse trained by Joseph Jr., from Saturday's schedule race.

This year's Kentucky Derby Week has been overshadowed by the deaths of four horses within the span of several days. While the horses trained by Joseph Jr. died suddenly, two more horses were euthanized this week due to irreparable injuries. Churchill Downs Racetrack called the deaths "highly unusual" and "completely unacceptable."

Saffie Joseph Jr. the trainer of Lord Miles during the morning training for the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on May 04, 2023 in Louisville, Kentucky. / Credit: Getty Images

More than 7,200 horses died between 2009 and 2021 from racing-related injuries, leading animal welfare activists to condemn what they see as the potential cruelties of the sport. Still, four deaths during a single Kentucky Derby Week, which takes place every May in Louisville, Kentucky, have owners, trainers, and activists asking questions.

Saffie Joseph Jr.'s public record as a horse trainer indicates this is not his first suspension nor were this week's deaths the first time horses under his supervision have died.

In 2022, two horses trained by Joseph Jr. died during races in New York State, according to the state's horse fatalities database. One appears to have collapsed during a race on November 10, while another was euthanized after a leg injury on August 10, according to the database.

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In 2023, the Pennsylvania Horse Racing Commission fined him $500 and suspended him for 15 days after another horse under his supervision tested positive for gabapentin, an illegal pain reliever, according to the racing commission database. Joseph Jr. is appealing the ruling, according to the database.

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, long-awaited legislation that aims to regulate racetrack safety as well as anti-doping and medication standards, is due to take effect on May 22 after a series of delays, the Associated Press reported. Its Antidoping and Medication Control program will instate consistent rules and standards for testing across states and racetracks.

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Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte, Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix  2023

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte, Michelle Fairley as Princess Augusta in episode 103 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix  2023 Credit - LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 2023 Netflix, Inc.

The first episode of the Bridgerton prequel series, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, opens with a disclaimer from none other than the notorious Lady Whistledown. In her note, she states that the royals story is not a history lesson, but instead, fiction inspired by fact, where all liberties taken by the author are quite intentional. While the show, which released this week on Netflix, definitely takes many liberties while spinning the tale of the epic romance between Queen Charlotte and her beloved husband, King George III of England, the characters were actually inspired by the real-life British monarchs of the same names.

In the series, which jumps between the early years of Charlotte and Georges marriage during the early Georgian period (around the 1760s) and the Regency era (the early 1800s) of Bridgerton, viewers get a glimpse of two different Charlottes: the dynamic and grandiose Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) they know from previous installments of Bridgerton seasons, and the fiercely independent 17-year-old German Princess Charlotte (India Amarteifio), whos set to wed George III, the King of England (Corey Mylchreest). Both Charlottes face challengesthe older Charlotte, despite having given birth to 13 living heirs, has no legitimate grandchildren to ensure that their bloodline endures, while the younger Charlotte must navigate a new country, the mysteries of marriage with a contrary husband, and perhaps most pressing, the tensions that arise with her interracial marriage, which not only makes her the first Black royal, but also leads to the integration of the ton, or British high society.

Read more: From Bridgerton to Sanditon, We Cant Quit the Regency Era

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While Bridgerton, with its colorblind casting, rarely centered racial issues, Queen Charlotte, a true Shonda Rhimes joint, doesnt shy away from making race an integral part of multiple story lines, addressing everything from colorism to segregation and integration. But while these important themes help to make the show a captivating and thought-provoking watch, theres definitely a liberal blurring of the lines between history and fantasy in the series.

With that in mind, heres a breakdown of whats fact and whats fiction in Queen Charlotte.

Was Queen Charlotte really Black?

India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte Liam Daniel/Netflix

One of the major storylines of Queen Charlotte is how the protagonist navigates the trials and triumphs of being the first Black queen of England. However, in real life, its debatable whether or not the monarch was actually Black. The character of Charlotte is based on Princess Sophie Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, a figure whose racial identity has been in question for decades. Initial speculation about Charlotte being Black or of mixed-race descent began in the 1940s, after the Jamaican-American journalist and historian J.A. Rogers theorized in his book Sex and Race: Volume I that because of the facial features she was depicted with in portraits, which he identified as broad nostrils and heavy lips, she may have been part Black.

While Rogers posited this to confront the problematic belief in a pure white race, the theory was revisited by historian historian Mario De Valdes y Cocom in a 1997 piece for PBS Frontline (which was later edited due to outdated and offensive language), where he makes the case that Charlotte was Black because she was a direct descendant of Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese royal house through Margarita de Castro e Souza, whom The Guardian reports was a 15th-century Portuguese noblewoman nine generations removed, whose ancestry she traces from the 13th-century ruler Alfonso III and his lover Madragana, whom Valdes takes to have been a Moor and thus a black African.

However, other historians are doubtful that this proves that Charlotte was Black or of mixed-race descent. In an interview with The Philadelphia Inquirer, academic Ania Loomba said that the assumption that Charlotte was Black because her ancestry included descriptions of moors relies on an inaccurate understanding of history.

The word blackamoor in Shakespeares time meant Muslim, Loomba said. It didnt mean Black necessarily. Moors could be white from North Africa.

Did The Great Experiment really exist?

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Cyril Nri as Lord Danbury, Arsema Thomas as Young Agatha Danbury in episode 101 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix  2023 LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 2023 Netflix, Inc.

In the series, Charlottes visibility as the first Black queen of England leads to the crown giving titles to other people of color and inviting them to join the then-segregated court and the ton, including a young Lady Agatha Danbury (Arsema Thomas,) who becomes one of the queens ladies-in-waiting. The reasoning behind this racial integration, which the powers at court dub the Great Experiment, is that it showed support for Charlotte and reinforced the power of the crown in setting the tone and practices for its court and subjects.

In reality, however, the Great Experiment never happenedin fact, nothing even close to it even existed. While there were many Black and mixed-race people in England during this time, British society was still heavily segregated. Even by the Regency era, this would have been wildly unrealistic; while slavery was abolished in the British Empire in 1807, slaves werent fully free in the British colonies until 1838 and its repercussions are still felt to this day.

Did Queen Charlotte and King George III really have a loving marriage?

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. (L to R) Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, James Fleet as King George in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Liam Daniel/Netflix  2023 LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX 2023 Netflix, Inc.

In Queen Charlotte, an arranged marriage between the young German princess and the King of England turns into a tumultuous and then passionate meeting of the minds and a true love match. In real life, the actual Charlotte and George had by all accounts a truly loving marriage despite its having been arranged, one that was certainly viewed as successful at that time because of their many children. The couple was married for 57 years, with Charlotte holding the record for Britains longest-serving female consort and the second longest-serving consort in British history (Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, is the first). The couple ran into challenges because of Georges mental health issues, which caused him to have episodes of mania, increasingly as he got older. Despite this, Charlotte remained a loving and loyal wife, advocating for the king, until his bouts grew so violent in the early 1800s, that that they were forced to live separate lives for her safety.

What to know about George IIIs madness

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Corey Mylchreest as Young King George in episode 104 of Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. Cr. Nick Wall/Netflix  2023 NICK WALL/NETFLIX 2023 Netflix, Inc.

While history may remember George III as the mad king who lost the American colonies, Queen Charlotte depicts him as a complex yet loving man with a deep interest in science and astrology, whose very real struggles with mental health change the scope of his life. In reality, George IIIs life paralleled this experience. He was a devoted and loving husband and a ruler known for his interest in and support for culture, science, astrology, and agriculture. He was responsible for buying what is now known as Buckingham Palace and opened up a library that was free for scholars to use, but his legacy as a king has largely been defined by his mental health struggles.

According to the British Royal Familys official site, George III had serious episodes of illness in 1788-89 and in 1801, before becoming permanently deranged in 1810, rendering him completely mentally unfit to rule in his last decade as the king; during this time, his eldest son, George, acted as the Prince Regent, beginning in 1811. Starting in the 1960s, some medical historians posited that his mental illness may have been caused by a hereditary physical disorder, called porphyria, that mainly affects the skin or nervous system. However, in the years since, other historians and medical researchers have made the case that George IIIs behavior is consistent with having bipolar disorder, which can include bouts of mania.

How many children did Queen Charlotte and King George III really have?

In real life, Queen Charlotte and King George III did have a large family. The couple had fifteen children during their six-decade marriage, thirteen of whom lived to adulthood (both Prince Octavius and Prince Alfred died in childhood). Of their children, two went on to rule EnglandGeorge, The Prince of Wales (later King George IV) and Prince William (later King William IV).

The dilemma of securing a legitimate heir that Queen Charlotte faces later in life in the show was a very real problem in reality for the actual Charlotte. When her granddaughter Princess Charlotte died in childbirth, she was the only legitimate grandchild and heir in the family, despite the many children that George and Charlotte had. Following Princess Charlottes death, Queen Charlottes sons, who were infamous for fathering illegitimate children with their mistresses, sought suitable matches for royal wivesproducing multiple legitimate heirs, including a girl named Victoria, who would eventually become the queen and the second-longest reigning monarch in British history.
Footage of Donald Trump's video deposition for the E Jean Carroll sexual battery and defamation case revealed that he twice mixed-up his accuser with his ex-wife Marla Maples.

The video was released in response to a records request made by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

Ms Carroll alleges Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in the changing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s.

The recently released documents include Ms Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confronting Mr Trump on his claim that she was not his "type" when denying her accusations, according to Law&Crime.

When confronted with the photo of Carroll and himself from a party before the rape, Trump twice misidentified Carroll as his ex-wife Marla Maples, insisting it was Maples smiling at him in the photo, when in fact the woman he was pointing to was Carroll herself, she said, according to the documents.

The documents and footage show Mr Trump saying "that's Marla, yeah, that's my wife."

Ms Kaplan then asks which woman he is pointing to, prompting Mr Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, to interrupt and say "no, that's Carroll."

"Oh, I see," Mr Trump replies.

Ms Kaplan argues that Mr Trump's inability to tell Ms Carroll from his ex-wife undermines his argument that his accuser was not his "type."

Ultimately, Trumps lawyer had to correct his mistake (which obviously undercut any assertion that Carroll was not his type), the document says.

Ms Carroll's attorneys also alleged that Mr Trump did not properly research what Ms Carroll actually said before he accused her of being a political operative on a witch hunt. The team noted that Mr Trump admitted that he did not know Ms Carroll's political beliefs.

A rush of E. Jean Carroll v. Donald Trump exhibits have been released  including the former president's video deposition.



Here's an excerpt where Trump mistakes Carroll with his ex-wife Marla Maples.



Background, @LawCrimeNews: https://t.co/SqzCH2RjpY pic.twitter.com/IIkbCBGCNL  Adam Klasfeld (@KlasfeldReports) May 5, 2023

Trump never read (or even saw) Carrolls article or book before he set out to destroy her, the court documents say.

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He also accused Ms Carroll of making multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against other powerful men. When pressed on why he believed that, he said "it's what I heard." When asked where he heard it, he said "I don't know."

The court documents note that Mr Trump frequently insulted and downplayed her allegations during the deposition.

Mr Trump called her a "very deranged, sick person" who "made it up" with the intention "to sell her book or for her own ego. He also claimed there was "something a little off with her mentally" and said he would "sue her after this is over," calling her a "wack job" and a "nut job."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The alleged "prime suspect" in the ambush of Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. last February was killed in a manhunt operation on Wednesday afternoon, the Philippine National Police's Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) said.

The CIDG said the suspect identified as Oscar Gandawali opened fire at the arresting officers. This triggered the authorities to retaliate that led to a firefight.

"During the said operation, the accused opened fire towards the approaching arresting team, hitting and wounding an Army troop and Brgy Chairman Gamon Manonggiring," the CIDG said in a statement Friday. "This prompted the authorities to retaliate leading to a brief firefight that resulted in the neutralization of the accused."

The wounded soldier and barangay chairman were rushed to the hospital.

Seized during the operations were firearms, ammunitions, and a few sachets of illegal substances.

On Feb. 17, Adiong and his companions were attacked by gunmen as they passed by Maguing town on their way to Wao. The governor was hurt, while four of his aides were killed.

According to CIDG director Police BGen. Romeo Caramat Jr., Gandawali was among the most wanted persons in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and in Lanao del Sur.

He is also the leader of Gandawali Criminal Gang which is "engaged in gun-for-hire, gunrunning, robbery/hold-up, and proliferation of illegal drugs in Lanao del Sur and adjacent provinces," Caramat also said.

The group is also known to be the financer and supporter of ISIS-inspired rebels in the province, he added.
Mr Trump faces several probes, including one from the Justice Department over his handling of classified documents

Prosecutors investigating Donald Trump's handling of classified documents are examining how his team responded to a request for security footage from his Florida estate.

The Department of Justice requested the video last summer and, according to CNN, investigators are seeking to question several top aides about it.

The investigation, led by Special Counsel Jack Smith, is also assessing whether Mr Trump obstructed the probe.

The former president denies wrongdoing.

The justice department issued a subpoena for the security camera footage last June. The video showed aides moving boxes from a storage room that may have held classified documents, the BBC's US partner, CBS News, previously reported.

But reports suggest investigators are now working to establish why there are gaps in the provided video and why some footage is missing or unavailable.

The investigation has been ramping up in recent weeks as prosecutors seek more information about who had access to classified documents stored at the Mar-a-Lago resort, what Mr Trump told employees about them, and how his team responded to requests for information.

Several witnesses were expected to testify in the investigation on Thursday, including Matthew Calamari Sr, who handles security for the Trump Organization, CNN reported, citing several sources familiar with the investigation.

Mr Smith also reportedly listened in as former Vice-President Mike Pence answered questions before a grand jury for more than five hours last week.

And on Friday, in what appeared to be a significant development, the New York Times reported that an "insider witness" who worked for Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago had agreed to co-operate with the inquiry.

The witness has not been identified and it is unclear what information they may have provided, although the report suggests they appeared as part of a broader effort to determine whether Mr Trump personally ordered secret documents to be moved from the storage room.

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Hundreds of classified files, including some marked Top Secret, were discovered at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate over the course of the last year.

Ultimately, Mr Smith will decide whether the former president should face criminal charges. Among other statutes, the justice department believes Mr Trump may have violated the Espionage Act by keeping national security information after he left office.

Mr Trump, who is running for president again in 2024, faces several other legal investigations. He was recently indicted in New York over hush money payments made to a porn star. He has pleaded not guilty.

He is also the subject of an investigation in Georgia over his alleged efforts to try and overturn the 2020 presidential election results in the state.
Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy speaks during the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in March. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

Trump offered rare praise for a 2024 GOP rival.

The former president said he was "pleased" to see entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy doing so well.

A political newcomer, Ramaswamy performed very well in a recent poll.

Former President Donald Trump offered praise for conservative entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy after the political newcomer polled even with former Vice President Mike Pence in a recent survey.

"I am pleased to see that Vivek Ramaswamy is doing so well in the most recent Republican Primary Poll, CBS YouGov," Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

Trump has tried to elevate Ramaswamy ahead of his other current and potential challengers, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis and Pence have yet to formally announce their campaigns, though both men are keeping the schedule of a soon-to-be candidate.

In the most recent CBS News/YouGov survey of likely Republican primary voters, Ramaswamy was even at 5% with Pence and slightly ahead of former US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley. If one takes into account the margin of error for that part of the poll, the trio is statistically tied.

While interesting, the close jockeying further down the list is overshadowed by Trump's dominance. Fifty-eight percent of Republicans said they would vote for Trump; his next closest challenger was DeSantis at 22%.

CBS/YouGov also took a slightly different approach to their poll.

It is important to note that it is also just one poll. Ramaswamy is not included on FiveThirtyEight's weighted polling average, which has Trump ahead of DeSantis by almost 30 percentage points. RealClearPolitics' more raw average has Ramaswamy in fifth behind DeSantis, Pence, and Haley respectively.

In response to Trump's praise, Ramaswamy senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin told Insider, "We're 10 weeks in and just getting warmed up."

The former president said Ramaswamy "has good things to say about 'President Trump,' and all that the Trump Administration has so successfully done," which is not entirely true. Ramaswamy, who founded the biotech firm Roivant Sciences, has actually criticized multiple aspects of Trump's record.

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The 37-year-old previously told The New York Post that the former president didn't use enough military force against Mexican drug cartels and should have done more to limit affirmative action. Like DeSantis, Ramaswamy has also swung at Trump for being too deferential to Dr. Anthony Fauci, suggesting that the then-president should have fired the nation's top infectious disease doctor.

Ramaswamy has also praised Trump, telling The Post during the same interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference that Trump "sets a high bar."

"He's a friend. I know him. I genuinely believe he cares about national unity," Ramaswamy said.

Still, Trump's praise for Ramaswamy is a far cry from how he has treated his other 2024 challengers, including DeSantis.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Attorneys for the writer E. Jean Carroll released about 48 minutes of deposition video shown at the trial in which former President Donald Trump was pressed about Carroll's claim that he raped her in the 1990s.

The video was released after media organizations, including CBS News, asked the judge in the case to make it public.

During the October deposition, Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan showed Trump a late-1980s photo of him with his then-wife Ivana, Carroll and her then-husband John Johnson. Referring to Carroll, Trump said, "It's Marla," referring to his second wife, Marla Maples.

"That's Marla, yeah. That's my wife," he said, before being corrected and told it was Carroll. The writer sued Trump for defamation and battery after he said she "made up" allegations that he raped her in a New York City department store in the mid-1990s. Trump has adamantly denied the allegations and claimed Carroll "is not my type."

A late 1980s photo depicts, from left to right, Donald Trump, E. Jean Carroll, John Johnson and Ivana Trump. / Credit: CBS News

Jurors in the federal civil trial watched the deposition video Wednesday and Thursday, including a series of combative exchanges in which Trump reiterated that claim about Carroll's appearance and insisted the allegations are a made up story.

When Trump was told that Carroll was the person he believed was Maples  to whom he was married for six years, and who is the mother of one of Trump's daughters  he replied that the photo was "very blurry."

"I say with as much respect as I can but she is not my type," Trump said. "Not my type in any way, shape, or form."

Trump later told Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan that he would not "have any interest" in her either.

"You wouldn't be a choice of mine either, to be honest with you, I hope you're not insulted," Trump said.

The video also shows Trump calling Carroll's attorney Roberta Kaplan a "political operative" and a "disgrace."

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The plaintiff and defendant rested their cases Thursday, after Carroll's team called two more witnesses. Trump's attorney, Joe Tacopina, said he won't call any witnesses, and he waived Trump's right to testify in the case. The judge decided that in order to ensure that each party has a "full and fair opportunity" to speak, he would give the former president until 5 p.m. Sunday to motion to appear, should he have second thoughts. The judge has said the trial may conclude next week.

Tacopina's representation of Trump Thursday in his civil trial meant he could not be present for a hearing two blocks away in Trump's state criminal case. Trump entered a not guilty plea to 34 counts of falsification of business records on April 4, when he became the first former president in U.S. history to be charged with crimes. The charges, which Trump adamantly denies, stem from a "hush money" payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels days before the 2016 presidential election,.

In that hearing, Trump's attorneys and prosecutors for the office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg argued over a proposed protective order that would bar Trump from publicizing evidence turned over to him as part of discovery.

The judge has not ruled, but he signaled Thursday that he would issue the protective order.

Later Thursday, Trump's attorneys filed paperwork moving the case from state to federal court. Bragg's office has not yet responded.

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Tucker Carlson and Bret Baier frantically strategized to win back Fox News viewers turned off by the networks correct call of Joe Bidens 2020 election victory in Arizona, according to text messages cited by The Daily Beast on Thursday.

We need to do something to reassure our core audience, then prime-time host Carlson wrote to news anchor Baier. Theyre our whole business model.

Carlson, who was fired last week, raised concerns about another Fox News projection that could further alienate viewers after the election.

We have been pushing for answers, Baier replied, per the Beast. I have pressed them to slow. And I think they will slow walk Nevada. The votes dont come in until tomorrow.

Carlson said he would wield his influence to delay projections of election results. Please let me know if they dont seem to be obeying, Carlson wrote. We could really fuck up a lot of what weve built.

Baier agreed.

The exchange of texts culled from Dominion Voting Systems now-settled defamation lawsuit against the network seemed to again spotlight the channels pandering to its audience of Donald Trump supporters. The networks promotion of Trumps false claims of rigged voting machines resulted in a $787.5 million payout by Fox to settle the suit.

When Carlson told Fox News CEO Suzanne Scott that the network was getting hammered by viewers on Arizona, she urged transparency and letting the data folks defend their decision.

But Carlson still pressed forward in his dialogue with Baier, the texts revealed.

Fox News said in a statement to the Beast that it stood by the Arizona call despite intense scrutiny.

Tucker Carlson and Bret Baier

Tucker Carlson and Bret Baier

Related...
If you filed for tax returns with TurboTax from 2016 to 2018 payments are beginning to be sent out to thousands of customers who were tricked into paying for free tax Intuit services.

The companys settlement, which was originally announced last year, is worth $141 million and applies to approximately 4.4 million consumers nationwide.

Additionally, the settlement required TurboTax to suspend the use of its free, free, free ad campaign that promised free tax preparation, only to deceive them into paying for services.

TurboTax was a participant in the IRS Free File Program, under which the company agreed to allow qualifying taxpayers to file their taxes for free. In exchange, the IRS agreed not to compete with Intuit or other companies by creating its own service.

These consumers will receive a payment automatically, without needing to file a claim. Payments will be made by check, mailed throughout May 2023.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to receive between $29 and $30.

You may view a copy of the settlement agreement by clicking HERE.

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
(Bloomberg) -- The presidential candidate of a six-party Turkish opposition alliance urged citizens to stay indoors if he wins next weeks elections to avoid the risk of confrontation with armed elements loyal to the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Read more: Why Turkeys Election Is a Big Test for Erdogan

Kemal Kilicdaroglu delivered the stark warning during an interview with KRT television late Thursday. It reflects the extent of polarization in Turkeys society thats only grown worse as the countrys broadest-ever alliance of opposition parties gears up for the tightly contested vote on May 14.

Kilicdaroglu, backed by the opposition bloc alongside the countrys main pro-Kurdish political movement, is facing a neck-to-neck race against Erdogan, Turkeys longest-serving ruler who wants to extend his power into a third decade.

Erdogan Faces Biggest Voter Threat After Years of Economic Chaos

When we are victorious on the election night, all our citizens should stay indoors instead of rejoicing in the streets, Kilicdaroglu said. Some people might stir trouble, some people may be provoked, armed elements may take the streets.

Kilicdaroglu also said the opposition has intelligence that suggests it may be targeted on social media with fake video or voice records.

They can make negative propaganda by changing the sound and images, Kilicdaroglu said. Weve learned that theyve made agreements with some hackers from abroad and made payments in Bitcoin.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
A 12-year-old boy was shot dead inside a Dania Beach 7-11 convenience store late Thursday night, and then the shooter turned the gun on himself, according to the Broward Sheriffs Office.

The incident started around 11:15 p.m. in the parking lot of the store, located at the 800 block of Stirling Road, when a man began firing shots at another man who was sitting inside his car.

After shooting and wounding that man, the gunman went inside the store and killed the boy, police said.

He then fatally shot himself, the BSO said in a press release Friday morning.

BSO said the gunman is 29-year-old Darren Rosenthal, and BSO spokesman Carey Codd told the Miami Herald there is no known connection between the shooter and the victims.

Codd added that there is also no clear connection between the victims, and it also wasnt immediately known if the boy was at the store unaccompanied by an adult. The BSO said it was withholding both peoples names.

The investigation is active and ongoing, and, at this time, the motive for the shooting is unknown, Codd said in a statement.

Rosenthal and the boy were pronounced dead at the scene and one other person was taken to the hospital, Codd said. His condition was not immediately known.

Detectives are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact BSO or submit a tip through the SaferWatch app.

People who want to remain anonymous can contact Broward Crime Stoppers at (954) 493--TIPS (8477) or online at browardcrimestoppers.org. Tipsters can also dial **TIPS (8477) from any cellphone in the United States, BSO says.
Two men are being investigated for fighting with motorcycle helmets at Woodlands Checkpoint. (PHOTO: Beh Chia Lor/Facebook)

SINGAPORE  Police are investigating two men who had allegedly fought with their motorcycle helmets at the Woodlands Checkpoint.

They said in a media release on Friday (5 May) that they received a report of an online video showing the two men fighting at the land checkpoint. The incident is believed to have occurred last Friday (28 April).

In the 21-second video posted on the Beh Chia Lor  Singapore Road Facebook page, two men are seen exchanging blows with their helmets near the motorcycle lanes.

"Preliminary investigations revealed that the fight stemmed from queue-cutting along the viaduct leading to the departure motorcycle zone at Woodlands Checkpoint," the police said.

"Following that, both men allegedly pushed their motorcycles against each other before getting off their motorcycles and fighting with their helmets."

With the assistance from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, the identities of the two men, aged 32 and 47, involved were established.

Police said they were both detained while entering Singapore on Wednesday. Both are being investigated for affray, and could face a jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to $5,000.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
Milwaukee Police Chief Jeffrey Norman, right of center, escorts a family member of Michael Michalski during the annual Greater Milwaukee Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony at the Wisconsin Center on Friday, May 5. Michalski, 52, was shot and killed in the line of duty in 2018.

For some who are still mourning the loss of law enforcement officers who served and died in the line of duty in Milwaukee County, years have gone by. For others, it's been a matter of months.

Yet they are missed all the same.

We miss Charles Irvines smile, sharing funny jokes with him, and his personality that cheered others up when they were down, said Andrew Wagner, the president of the Milwaukee Police Association. We miss (Michael) Michalskis guidance. We miss him as a role model on how to live and we miss him not being here to see us through all the tough times.

We miss Peter Jervings friendship, his love of life and his protection to back up his brothers and sisters in their time of need.

Wagners comments at the annual Greater Milwaukee Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony, which honors area officers who died in the line of duty, underscored what Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul said moments before: behind every officer showered in a heros memory, there are basic human qualities that shouldnt be forgotten as well.

We come to renew our commitment to never forgetting those fallen officers, not just in revering them but to remember them as friends, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, husbands and wives  as people who have left a legacy, Kaul said.

The ceremony, held Friday at the Wisconsin Center, came nearly three months after Jerving, a 37-year-old with four years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department, was shot and killed while trying to apprehend a 19-year-old robbery suspect on the citys south side.

Jerving was the first Milwaukee-area law enforcement officer to die in the line of duty since four other Milwaukee police officers were taken in such a manner between 2018 and 2019.

More than 150 people showed for the ceremony, including uniformed law enforcement from all across Milwaukee County.

While Jerving was on the minds of many  a moment of silence was held in his honor  Fridays ceremony specifically honored two Milwaukee County sheriffs deputies, Sung Hui Bang and Ralph Zylka, who died in a helicopter crash in 2000 and two Milwaukee police officers, Michalski and Irvine, who died in separate incidents in 2018.

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Here are short biographies of the four officers:

Deputies Sung Hui Bang and Ralph Zylka

Bang was 31 years old and had three years of service while Zylka was 48 and had served 24 years when they were flying in a helicopter in south-central Wisconsin on Aug. 17, 2000.

The two were assisting in a large manhunt to find a man suspected of killing an off-duty Chicago police officer in Juneau County, and were instrumental in his apprehension. With Bang piloting the craft and Zylka acting as crew chief, the two began their return journey from Baraboo at 9 p.m.

But 40 minutes later, the craft crashed into a farmers field in Dodge County. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Both men have their names carved into the walls at the National Law Enforcement Memorial in Washington, D.C., according to the sheriffs office.

Officer Charles Irvine, Jr.

Irvine was a 23-year-old who had four years of service with the Milwaukee Police Department and was assigned to District Four.

He died June 7, 2018. He and his partner were in a squad car pursuing a reckless driver when their car crashed on the citys northwest side, killing Irvine and seriously injuring his partner.

Officer Michael Michalski

Michalski was 52 years old and a 17-year veteran of the Milwaukee Police Department when he was fatally shot while trying to arrest a man wanted on drug and domestic violence offenses on July 25, 2018.

He was first assigned to the District Two, where he worked until 2007. Afterwards, he spent time in the departments street crimes unit, fugitive apprehension unit and special investigations division.

Contact Elliot Hughes at elliot.hughes@jrn.com or 414-704-8958. Follow him on Twitter @elliothughes12.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee area officers who died in line of duty honored at ceremony
By Ahmed Aboulenein and Julie Steenhuysen

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a top health official who oversaw the agency's contentious response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is leaving the institution at the end of June, the CDC said on Friday.

Walensky led the institution for two years while the pandemic was at its height. Her agency was pivotal in ushering in the adoption of vaccine recommendations that slowed the spread of a virus that has killed more than a million Americans and is still killing more than a thousand a week.

She, alongside the government's former top infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, was the face of the Biden administration's pandemic response and often found herself at the heart of difficult grilling by Republicans in Congress as well as public criticism.

"The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director," Walensky wrote to President Joe Biden in her resignation letter.

The government will on May 11 end the COVID-19 public health emergency that allowed millions of Americans to receive vaccines, tests and treatments at no cost during the pandemic.

"In the process, we saved and improved lives and protected the country and the world from the greatest infectious disease threat we have seen in over 100 years," she wrote.

Biden thanked Walensky for her work, saying she had saved lives by marshalling scientists and public health experts to turn the tide against the pandemic.

"We have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in her next chapter," Biden said in a statement.

In response to criticism of the CDC's pandemic response, including late and confusing public health guidance, Walensky oversaw a revamp of the agency's structure to enable a nimble response to future pandemics.

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"For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations," she told CDC staff last summer.

Walensky did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

DIFFICULT TENURE

Her proposed plans to modernize the agency included giving the CDC new authority to require states to report data as well as changes that would allow the CDC to hire staff more quickly and offer more competitive salaries.

Both actions would require authorization from Congress.

Public health experts said Walensky wrestled with political and technical challenges during her tenure.

"She faced just extraordinary challenges," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and longtime consultant to the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which advises the agency on vaccine policies.

Schaffner said Walensky faced the largest pandemic since the 1917 to 1918 global influenza pandemic, and outdated practices of gathering necessary data hamstrung her from the start.

Political interference by the previous Trump administration also impeded her tenure, he said. "There wasn't any doubt that she had to work to restore the CDC's reputation."

These issues interfered with her ability to effectively lead the agency, said Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

"Dr. Walensky was put into place at the CDC at a time when the agency was basically captive to politicians which clearly hampered her ability to lead," he said.

Dr. Celine Gounder, an infectious disease epidemiologist and an editor-at-large at Kaiser Health News, said the timing of the announcement surprised her.

"She had taken important steps to reform the agency. Her work wasn't done," said Grounder.

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Additional reporting by Ismail Shakil in Ottawa; Editing by Tim Ahmann, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Josie Kao)
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he did not receive any request from the United States government for possible deployment of Filipino troops to assist in combat operations should the tension between China and Taiwan escalate to war.

The short answer is no, the president said when asked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum on Friday.

Marcos also noted that the US never brought up the possibility that the new sites in Luzon identified for the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) would be used as staging areas for any offensive actions against any countries.

The United States has never said that this is a possibility and weve also made it clear to our end that this is not the purpose of those sites and this is not the way that they will be used, he explained.

Marcos reiterated that the EDCA was meant to step up the countrys preparedness for disasters, stressing the Philippines is vulnerable to climate change.

The additional four EDCA sites are located in Cagayan, Isabela, and Palawan.

China earlier rejected the Philippines move to expand the military presence of the US, especially amid the rising tension over Taiwan.

But the president said that he guaranteed Chinese Foreign Minister Qiin Gang that the EDCA sits would not be tapped for military attack.

These are not intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone, any country, not China, not any country again we turn back to the simple concept of our foreign policy and it is were continuing work that we would like to be involved in the pursuit of peace and that continues to be the case, Marcos said.
By Andrew Hay

(Reuters) - Alabama authorities discriminated against Black residents of a rural county by denying access to adequate sewage systems and fining them for sanitation problems beyond their control, according to a first-of-its kind environmental justice agreement announced on Thursday by the Biden administration.

Under the deal that followed an 18-month federal probe, the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) agreed to provide basic sanitation services, end exposure to raw sewage and suspend criminal penalties against Lowndes County residents who could not afford septic systems, the Justice Department said.

Today starts a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Alabama who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

The federal probe found Alabama health officials knew Black Lowndes County residents were disproportionately hit by failing septic systems but took no action to stop raw sewage bubbling out of the ground into backyards, leading to health impacts like hookworm intestinal parasites.

In a statement, ADPH denied conducting its sewage or infectious diseases programs in a discriminatory manner, but said it looked forward to implementing the settlement to benefit Lowndes County residents.

Under Title VI of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, local governments and other entities that receive federal grants are prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color or national origin. The Lowndes County investigation was the first-ever Title VI environmental justice probe into a Justice Department grant recipients.

Rural residents of Lowndes County are not connected to municipal sewage systems. Some have septic tanks while poorer families use stopgap measures like pipes and ditches to move wastewater.

The median annual household income in Lowndes County, a predominantly Black area, between 2017 and 2021 was $32,000 compared with the national median household income of $69,021, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

(Reporting By Andrew Hay; editing by Donna Bryson and Leslie Adler)
Students on the UC Santa Cruz campus in September 2022. (Nic Coury / For The Times)

UC Santa Cruz condemned a group of its students who gathered on campus to celebrate Adolf Hitler's birthday last month, the school said.

The unidentified students met on campus on April 20, Hitler's birthday, and reportedly sang "Happy Birthday" to the Nazi leader and served cake "adorned with hateful and horrific symbols," Akirah Bradley-Armstrong, vice chancellor for student affairs and success at UC Santa Cruz, said in a statement.

Just over a week later, on April 28, a UC Santa Cruz student found an antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ flier on their car windshield off campus, the school said. There were "despicable and degrading" claims about the groups on the flier, Bradley-Armstrong said.

"We unequivocally condemn these  and all  antisemitic and anti-LGBTQIA+ actions," Bradley-Armstrong said.

Bradley-Armstrong said the actions violated the school's "Principles of Community" and had been referred to "student conduct for follow-up and adjudication."

The flier was reported to officials with the city of Santa Cruz, according to the school.

Though the incidents are upsetting, they are not surprising, said Donna Harel, a third-year student who is the president of social life at UC Santa Cruz Hillel.

"It feels like the administration doesn't care about the Jewish students here," Harel said.

Besides public statements made by UC Santa Cruz, Harel said she's not seen any effort to stop these incidents from occurring.

Harel said there are near weekly reports of swastika graffiti on campus and that there have been insensitive comments from professors and teacher's assistants comparing "irrelevant things" to the Holocaust.

On March 5, UC Santa Cruz reported anti-Black and antisemitic graffiti.

Though the school did not describe what the graffiti said, it noted that "the spray-painted images and words are horrific and have historically been used to inspire terror and to degrade and dehumanize Black and Jewish people."

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The incident is being investigated by the UC Santa Cruz Police Department.

According to a report released in March by the Anti-Defamation League, antisemitic incidents on U.S. college campuses have increased by 41% in the last year, with 219 incidents reported at more than 130 campuses in 2022.

Stanford University is investigating an antisemitic incident from March, when drawings of swastikas and Hitler were found outside a Jewish student's dorm room.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Reporter Julia Coin this week took her spot in line with other Charlotte Observer writers who have had one or two run-ins with UFO tales, alien worries and strange lights in the sky. (Turns out the mysterious flickering lights on Thursday night belong to Elon  not E.T.).

Her report made me wonder what Retro Charlotte might find in the archives.

Behold, George Fawcett.

Photo from 1998: George Fawcett looks through his extensive files in the garage of his Lincolnton home. Shipping his UFO collection off to the museum in New Mexico will leave Fawcett with a cleaner garage, attic and living room.

Article on George Fawcett, published March 20, 1998.

Fawcett was the dean of North Carolina UFOnauts, according to The Observers Joe DePriest in 1998. He tried  for years  to raise millions of dollars for a UFO museum in North Carolina.

In 1981, the Observer directed readers to contact Fawcett if they spotted an unidentified flying objects.

Fawcett died in 2013. His obituary says he investigated more than 1,200 UFO sightings.

Can you imagine if hed had Twitter?
The antenna opens up a bit like an umbrella

Two British companies are to fly an innovative, low-cost radar satellite - part of which will be knitted on a knitting machine.

Called CarbSar, the mission will launch next year, and could help fill a gap in Britain's spying capacity.

The satellite will use radar technology to see through cloud and will even work at night.

The Ukraine conflict has shown the value of such systems, which have been used to monitor Russian positions.

But Britain is the only permanent member of the UN Security Council without its own system.

The two UK companies - Surrey Satellite Technology Limited and Oxford Space Systems - believe they can provide a similar, home-grown capability.

They will start building their spacecraft this year - with government support - and with a launch on an American rocket already booked.

SSTL has a long-established reputation for aerospace manufacturing; the real novelty is in the OSS radar antenna.

It features a knitted tungsten wire mesh that's folded tightly for launch but which will spring out once in orbit to form a large umbrella-like shape.

It's through this 3m-wide antenna/reflector that the satellite will image the ground.

SSTL and OSS hope their CarbSar pathfinder will put them in a strong position to win future contracts to supply operational spacecraft to the UK government for both civil and military applications.

The government is keen to see what the knitted satellites can achieve. Part of the funding has come from the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, which backs promising technologies that might be used for national security and defence.

The satellite concept has received government defence R&D support

SSTL will build the bulk of CarbSar, including all the internal systems that drive the satellite, and the electronics that make the radar work.

OSS will provide its deployable antenna/reflector, a prototype of which is already going through testing at the company's Harwell headquarters.

The firm calls the structure a "wrapped rib" design.

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The gold-plated tungsten mesh is attached to a series of carbon-composite rods that can be wound radially against a central hub.

The idea is that once released, the strain energy in these rods, or ribs, will naturally want to jump back into their straightened configuration, pulling the mesh into position in the process.

Think of the builder's tape measure and how it always wants to snap longways when unrolled.

The mesh has to be made to exacting standards to deliver the wanted performance

OSS has a big rig at its factory where it practices stowing and deploying the antenna, time and time again.

"You need it to be as simple as possible because the more parts you have the more chance there is for something to go wrong," explains company CEO Sean Sutcliffe.

"It's also got to work every time, so you need to make sure it has enough strain energy to know that it's definitely going to come out fully - that it won't stall half way through. But then you also don't want the system to have so much energy that it tears itself apart or damages the satellite," he told BBC News.

The mesh itself is remarkable - as is the process of manufacturing it.

The yarn is almost invisible. Reels of it feed the industrial knitting machine in the factory which is operated by a former fashion lecturer from Denmark.

Knitting machine: Not something you expect to see in a satellite factory

Precision is everything. When the mesh is pulled tight it must conform to exacting standards.

"We've got a laser scanner and we scan the mesh before stowing and after deployment to check it hasn't deviated from the parabolic shape. We're seeking less than a millimetre's deviation," said OSS business development director Michael Lawrence.

The UK has talked for some years about having a network of radar satellites.

The Ministry of Defence has been promised money to procure them.

But the sensing technology is very useful also in civil emergency situations, such as monitoring the extent of flooding or finding evidence of landslips and subsidence.

Radar guarantees an image every time the satellite passes overhead because its vision is unobstructed by whatever the weather might be doing at the time.

SSTL launched a radar satellite of its own in 2018 but it is hoping the CarbSar model will have added appeal. For one thing, it should have much higher resolution, seeing objects less than a metre across.
This will open up new opportunities for Ukrainian entrepreneurs and refugees in EU countries

Read also: Ukrainians raise $10 million for army through Diia

Ukrainians will be able to sign European contracts, documents, and applications using the Diia.

Sign-EU digital signature, the Ministry of Digital Transformation reported on its Telegram on May 4. The move is expected to open up new opportunities for Ukrainian entrepreneurs and refugees in EU countries.

Read also: UK lawyer says Diia state services portal could be used to file class action damages cases against Russia

In return, Ukraine recognized the qualified trust services of the EU, allowing citizens of EU countries to use their e-signatures and seals to conduct business in Ukraine.

Earlier, the Ministry of Digital Transformation launched a beta version of the Diia.

Sign-EU app, which will be used in EU countries as an enhanced electronic signature.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
The first three radar systems purchased with donations from Lithuanian residents in February were delivered to Ukraine on Thursday, 4 May.

Source: European Pravda; Delfi, Lithuanian news outlet

The Blue/Yellow organisation said that three radar systems had been deployed in their operational sectors, and the rest are being prepared for shipment.

"The first three radar systems have been delivered to Ukraine and deployed in their operational sectors. Other radar systems are being prepared for shipment, and documents are being processed," Blue/Yellow said.

"Due to Ukraine's extremely sensitive air defence situation, we cannot disclose more information yet. The information will be updated," the organisation noted.

In February, during the Radarom! campaign, residents of Lithuania raised 14 Million in order to purchase 16 radar systems.

Twelve conventional stationary radar systems and four mobile radar systems were purchased to mark the anniversary of the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. The campaign ran from late January to 24 February and was organised by the national broadcaster LRT and the organisations Blue/Yellow, Laisves TV, 1K Fund and Strong Together.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Wagner boss says he will pull out of Bakmut over the lack of ammunition.

Ukraines Armed Forces are not buying into the head of the Wagner mercenary groups emotional screed threatening to pull out of Bakhmut next week due to a lack of ammunition. In an impassioned address apparently delivered near the battlefield, Yevgeny Prigozhin said his troops were thrown into the "Bakhmut Meat Grinder" and then abandoned by "near-military bureaucrats" who cut off the ammunition flow and "sit and shake their fat bellies and think that they will go down in history as winners.

But Ukraine's military is chalking Prigozhin's threat up to bluster.

The Wagnerites will simply not be allowed to leave the city because [Yevgeny] Prigozhin does not decide anything here, Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, told the Ukrainian Ukrainska Pravda news agency Friday.

Ukrainian army is sceptical of the Prigozhins statement that the militants will start leaving Bakhmut on May 10.

Serhiy Cherevaty, spokesman for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda, said that Wagner's men will simply not be allowed  Iuliia Mendel (@IuliiaMendel) May 5, 2023

Cherevaty was responding to a statement issued earlier in the day by Prigozhin that he will pull his troops out of Bakhmut on May 10, the day after Russias May 9 Victory Day festivities. It was just the latest in a series of fiery complaints the Wagner boss has made about being shorted on ammunition. On Monday, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that about 10,000 Wagner troops have been killed just since December.

Standing in front of a group of dozens of his troops, he said he was going to turn over military operations in the devastated Donetsk Oblast city to Russias Defense Ministry. He vocalized a memo he sent to Russian military leadership.

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Prigozhin announced Wagner PMC will leave Bakhmut on 10th May due to ammunition shortage caused by Russian military leadership.



Full video of his statement with English subtitles. pic.twitter.com/y54ie89mwF  Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 5, 2023

On March 16 [2022], when the [so-called special military operation] went wrong, we were asked to help, he said. On March 19, units arrived from Africa and immediately went into battle.

Prigozhin said his troops entered the most difficult place, the center of the Popasnaya fortified area, and by May 9, 2022, we captured the settlement. Then, in order to save the army, which shamefully fled from Izyum and Krasny Liman, they occupied the front line for more than 130 kilometers and held back the onslaught of the enemy.

Destroyed Russian military equipment in the center of Izyum, Ukraine, on September 14, 2022. (Photo by Wojciech Grzedzinski/For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

On October 8, in order to give the army a break, in order to pull all the forces on themselves, they launched the operation Bakhmut Meat Grinder, Prigozhin said. They showed success and a good result, sparking envy from some figures, near-military bureaucrats from the Ministry of Defense

Prigozhin said that Wagner troops received no more than 30% of the needs, so our losses were much higher than they should have been. A month ago they stopped giving us ammunition and we get no more than 10%.

Bakhmut fields littered with corpses and limbs of russian soldiers, some still alive are crawling trying to take cover from incoming artillery strikes. pic.twitter.com/KbkLKPf4XH  Mr. Parrot   (@parrot_soldier) May 5, 2023

The mercenary group was going to capture Bakhmut by May 9. But seeing this, the near-military bureaucrats actually stopped all deliveries from May 1. They sit and shake their fat bellies and think that they will go down in history as winners.

I officially inform the Chief of the General Staff, the Minister of Defense, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief: my guys will not bear losses in Bakhmut without ammunition, useless and unjustified. From May 10 we leave Bakhmut."

We have 2.5 kilometers left to take out of 45. But if, because of your petty envy, you dont want to give victory to the Russians, thats your problem.

Bakhmut update. Since tonight there has been intensive artillery fire and ground fighting. Russian forces try to clear everything west of the "Citadel" (4). They're trying to break through the last ukrainian defence line (blue line). If they succeed they gave just a couple of pic.twitter.com/oIsACRZ2fk  Mikael Valtersson (@MikaelValterss1) May 2, 2023

We are waiting for an order to leave Bakhmut. Until the 9th, despite the fact that we are almost out of ammunition, we will remain in Bakhmut so that on this sacred holiday we will not shame the brilliance of Russian weapons. Then we will go to the rear camps.

We will wait until the people of Russia need us again. I think this is about to happen. Because you are not able to manage what you have been put on.

Prigozhins statement Friday follows another dramatic video plea he made the day before, standing in front of rows of dead Wagner fighters, calling out Russian Defense Minister and General of the Army Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, the Russian army chief of the general staff, by name for not providing ammunition.

"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where are the fucking shells? he ranted.

Footage from an outraged Prigozhin, showing a field full of Wagner soldiers, killed in battle. Apparently the ammunition shortage is not resolved and he is using these bodies to appeal to Shoigu and Gerasimov.



Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where are the f*cking shells? he says. pic.twitter.com/5hJQwYK8xc  NOELREPORTS   (@NOELreports) May 5, 2023

Shoigu on Friday issued a response to these outbursts Friday during a readiness inspection of the Southern Military District in Ukraine.

He instructed Colonel General A. Kuzmenkov to keep under special control the issues of continuous and rhythmic supply of the groups of troops in the areas of the special military operation with all the necessary weapons and military equipment," according to the Russian MoD.

Asked by a news outlet to respond to Shoigu, Prigozhin on his Telegram channel said he had yet to receive a response to his earlier memo about leaving Bakhmut.

But none of this Wagner drama ultimately matters, said Cherevaty, the Ukrainian military spokesman.

Prigozhin also lies about the lack of shells, which allegedly kills his people, he said. In fact, the Wagner militants are suffering enormous losses due to the successful actions of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

Besides, the Wagnerites have plenty of shells - in the last 24 hours alone, they hit the positions of Ukrainian troops 520 times, said Cherevaty.

#Ukraine: Ukrainian equipment destroyed and taken out of action by Russian ATGMs and artillery on the road to Ivanivske and in Bakhmut, #Donetsk Oblast - a YPR-765 APC, T-64BV tank, ATF Dingo and a BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicle. pic.twitter.com/d1mUaePbra   Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 3, 2023

But what Prigozhin and his PMCs really lack is people. According to a representative of the Eastern Group of Forces, the prisoners no longer go to the front.

Whether Prigozhin makes good on his threat remains to be seen. But it is another indication that the man once referred to as Putins Chef is making things hot in the Kremlin kitchen.

How long he lasts is another increasingly relevant question as his constant lambasting of decision makers in Moscow wins him enemies. One would think he is bound to eventually draw Putin's ire.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com
Funeral ceremony of Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war, March 10, 2023

"The bodies of our defenders will be handed over to their families for a decent burial," the ministry added.

Read also: 195 bodies of murdered civilians still not identified, up to 300 still missing in Kyiv Oblast

Read also: Ukraine nears agreement on all-for-all prisoner exchange with Russia  Budanov

The bodies of the soldiers were transferred from the temporarily occupied areas in accordance with the Geneva Convention. The Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons under the Ministry of Reintegration was also involved in the process in cooperation with law enforcement agencies.

Ukraine recovered another 82 bodies of fallen defenders on April 14, and 83 bodies on March 24. The first exchange of bodies was held in early June 2022 according to a 160 for 160 formula.

Since then, the process has continued.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Key developments on May 5:

Ukraine retrieves bodies of 80 fallen soldiers

Russia tries to seize Bakhmut by May 9, Defense Ministry says

Wagner mercenaries to withdraw from Bakhmut on May 10 due to 'ammo lack,' Prigozhin claims in another vocal exchange with top military command

Drone strikes oil refinery in southern Russia

Russian proxies announce displacement of civilians from southeastern front-line settlements

Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on May 5 that Russia is trying "with all its might" to seize Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast by May 9, the day Russia celebrates victory over Nazi Germany.

Over the years, the public holiday has been widely used by Russian propaganda, turning it into a show of military force.

Maliar added Russia's Wagner Group mercenaries are being redeployed from other positions and replaced with airborne assault units to capture embattled Bakhmut after almost a year of intense fighting in the area.

Meanwhile, Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin announced that the mercenaries would withdraw from Bakhmut on May 10 due to a "70 percent shortage of ammunition."

"I am withdrawing Wagner units from Bakhmut because, in the absence of ammunition, they are doomed to a senseless death," Prigozhin said in a video published on May 5.

The Bakhmut offensive will be handed over to the Russian Defense Ministry, Prigozhin added.

Prigozhin, known as 'Putin's chef' for catering contracts with the Kremlin and Russia's Defense Ministry, lashed out at the Russian military command again for the alleged failure to provide his mercenaries with artillery shells.

In an expletive-laden video address, Prigozhin blamed Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov for the lack of ammo that caused the deaths of his mercenaries on the battlefield.

The U.S. intelligence estimated that Russia had suffered 100,000 military casualties in the last five months in the Bakhmut sector and elsewhere in Ukraine. The estimated number suggests over 20,000 Russian troops were killed in action, around half of which were the Wagner mercenaries.

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Prigozhin has repeatedly complained about ammunition shortages, blaming Russia's top military leadership and threatening to abandon positions in and around Bakhmut if Wagner mercenaries would be denied additional supplies.

The Wagner mercenaries have served as the main attacking force in Russia's attempts to seize Bakhmut and the entire Donetsk Oblast, more than half of which it currently occupies.

The Battle of Bakhmut has been raging on since last June. Russian troops have only made incremental gains, experiencing heavy casualties in the area. Ukraine still holds western parts of the city.

Russia keeps its primary military goal of capturing Donetsk Oblast.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its evening update on May 5 that Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka remain the primary targets of Russia's offensive in the region.

Ukraine's forces repelled more than 30 Russian attacks in these areas on May 5, the military said.

According to the General Staff, the most severe fighting is ongoing in Bakhmut and Marinka, a small industrial town north of Russian-occupied Donetsk.

Apart from Donetsk Oblast, Russian forces also attacked Sumy, Chernihiv, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson oblasts with artillery, missiles, and guided bombs, according to the military.

Army of hired guns: How Russias PMCs are becoming the main invasion force Private armies are illegal in Russia, so naturally, Moscow has been using them for decades. Now, its making them the main invasion force. The rate at which Russia creates new private military company-like units sped up after 2014 but it really took off during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov

Ukraine retrieves bodies of fallen soldiers

The Reintegration Ministry reported on May 5 that the bodies of 80 fallen Ukrainian soldiers were transferred from the Russian-occupied territories to the government-controlled area.

The Office of the Commissioner for Missing Persons and Ukrainian law enforcement carried out the transfer, according to the ministry.

The Geneva Conventions dictate that people who lost their lives during war are entitled to a dignified burial.

On April 14, Ukraine retrieved 82 bodies of fallen soldiers.

The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported in early March that the bodies of over 1,400 fallen soldiers had been brought back to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion in February last year.

Ukraine and Russia don't disclose their military casualties during the war.

The General Staff of Ukraine Armed Forces estimates Russia has lost 193,210 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion.

Leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggest that as of March, up to 354,000 Ukrainian and Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in action since February 2022.

The documents allege between 15,500-17,500 Ukrainian troops were killed and 109,000-113,500 wounded. Russia is believed to have 35,500-43,000 troops killed and 154,000-180,000 wounded.

Drone attacks oil refinery in southern Russia

The Russian state-controlled news agency reported an alleged drone attack on May 5 on an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region.

This reportedly was the second attack in two days, as the same Russian oil refinery was hit the day before.

There have been an increasing number of reports concerning attacks on railways and oil depots inside Russia in recent weeks.

The U.K. Defense Ministry said in a report on May 5 that these incidents have "almost certainly caused short-term localized disruption" to the Russian military.

A train carrying fuel was derailed in Bryansk Oblast on May 1, while a drone allegedly hit an oil refinery in Rostov Oblast overnight on May 4.

So far, nobody claimed responsibility for these incidents.

The rising number of sabotage acts inside Russia suggests that the country will "highly likely remain unable" to protect its rail networks against further sabotage acts, the U.K. Defense Ministry said in its intelligence update on May 5.

The number of incidents inside Russia increased in the wake of anticipated Ukraine's counteroffensive, which is to be reportedly launched soon.

In late March, Ukraine's counteroffensive has been planned in several areas, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said.

The counteroffensive can be launched anywhere along the almost 1,000-kilometer front line.

Russian proxies in southern Zaporizhzhia Oblast plan to displace 70,000 Ukrainians deeper into the Russian-occupied territories, a top Moscow-installed proxy Andrey Kozenko told Russian state-controlled media on May 5.

The displacement is already underway in the Polohy community, from which 500 civilians were deported to the Russian-occupied port city of Berdiansk, Kozenko said.

Yevgeny Balitsky, another top Russian proxy in the region, announced the displacement of residents of 18 front-line settlements.

Balytskyi called the displacement an "evacuation" caused by alleged "increased enemy's shelling" of the Russian-occupied settlements.

Deporting civilians violates the Geneva Conventions and constitutes a war crime.
Ukraines Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov has recalled how the Ukrainian delegation flew to Belarus in a NATO helicopter to negotiate with the Russian invaders in February 2022, and how the Russians refused to take back the bodies of their dead soldiers.

Source: Reznikov in an interview with Dmytro Komarov

Quote: "We got there [to Belarus] in an interesting way. Theyd offered to make a corridor for us so that we could enter [Belarus] through the occupied part [of Ukraine - ed.]. We said, Yeah. Well make our way there as we see fit. We talked to our Polish counterparts and our Polish counterparts supported us.

We got to Poland, boarded NATO Black Hawk helicopters there, and flew to Belarusian territory. We landed there and flew on to our destination in Belarusian helicopters.

I think that was the first time NATO helicopters landed on Belarusian soil

A Black Hawk

screenshot

I was struck by the cynicism of the Russians. On the day we were at the talks [in Belarus - ed.], we had already counted about 3,000 Russian dead. That's a lot! Three thousand dead, plus wounded. Were sitting there talking, and the negotiators are sitting on the other side. I say to them, OK, weve agreed on corridors, on the withdrawal of the population, but what are we going to do with the bodies of your dead - maybe well give them to you for burial? Take them away, because we don't have anywhere to keep them.

The head of the delegation [of the Russian Federation - ed.] turns to the Deputy Minister of Defence, and he says: We do not confirm that, we have 10 or 20, or 30 dead. The head of the delegation turns to me and says: We do not confirm that. I said, you might not confirm it, but there are 3,000."

Details: Reznikov said the decision to negotiate with Russia at the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion was an extremely difficult one for him.

He noted that it is unprofessional to negotiate with someone you hate. He said he had to switch off his own emotions.

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Furthermore, the negotiations took place on the territory of Belarus, where the Ukrainian delegation could have been taken hostage or killed on the way.

The minister also mentioned that he suggested the Russians allow the Red Cross to be an intermediary in the negotiations so that they could assist in sending the bodies of the invaders home.

Reznikov told the Russian representatives that Ukraine could have transported the bodies in railcars, but the Russians would definitely not have returned the railcars.

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(CNN)  Canada summoned China's ambassador on Wednesday to respond to allegations of political interference and intimidation.

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly disclosed the news during a heated exchange in Ottawa with opposition lawmaker Michael Chong, now at the center of the accusations against China.

Chong was allegedly targeted for harassment by Beijing, and has fiercely criticized the slow response of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.

Joly also told members of parliament during a foreign affairs committee session that Canada is considering taking retaliatory action against China and that "all options are on the table" -- including diplomatic expulsions.

However, she admitted Canada's government was carefully weighing the possibility of retaliation by China, which denies interfering in Canadian political affairs.

"Of course China and the PRC (People's Republic of China) will take action (against) these interests including economic interest, consumer interest and also diplomatic interest, will be affected and therefore--but it's about also the interests of the country so as we are assessing the interest and I know that we are under pressure to go fast we need to make sure as well that we protect our democracy," said Joly.

As first reported by the Globe and Mail newspaper, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) found that Chong and his relatives in China were targeted for harassment by an accredited Chinese diplomat in the country. CSIS also said that Beijing had tried to sway the outcome of Canada's federal elections in 2019 and 2021.

China's embassy in Ottawa did not release a statement and did not respond to a request for comment. CNN asked China's foreign ministry about the allegations, specifically the accusations made by CSIS about political interference and attempts at intimidation made by a Chinese diplomat.

"China always opposes any country's interference in other countries internal affairs. We have never had and have no interest in interfering in Canada's internal affairs. At the same time, China firmly upholds its own sovereignty, security, and development interests and firmly opposes any act that interferes with China's internal affairs and harms China's interests," said the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning during a foreign affairs ministry briefing Wednesday.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed ammunition storage sites of Wagner private military company members on the Bakhmut front.

Source: Hanna Maliar, Ukraines Deputy Minister of Defence, on Telegram and on air during the national joint 24/7 newscast

Quote: "Our fighters destroyed the ammunition storage sites of the Wagnerites. That's why we also use all our forces to neutralise the enemy."

Previously: Maliar said that Russia is trying to take control of the city of Bakhmut by 9 May [when Russia celebrates Victory Day, a holiday commemorating the 1945 victory over Nazism  ed.], bringing in mercenaries from the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) from other fronts.

Background:

On the night of 4-5 May, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Private Military Company, posted an appeal to the military leadership of Russia, in which, in particular, he criticised it for not providing ammunition to the Wagnerites.

Later that day, Prigozhin wrote a letter to the Russian Defence Ministry, stating that he would withdraw the remaining fighters of Wagner PMC from Bakhmut after 10 May to the rear camps "to lick wounds". The reason was a lack of ammunition, without which "they [Wagner fighters] are doomed to a senseless death".

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By Rod Nickel and Pavel Polityuk

WINNIPEG, Manitoba/KYIV (Reuters) - Ukraine's 12-year deal to buy enough uranium from Canadian miner Cameco Corp to power all of its nuclear reactors gives each side the right to change sales volumes with two years' notice, the Ukrainian state-owned utility Energoatom told Reuters.

The unusual flexibility of the deal announced in February, the details of which have not been reported previously, reflects the uncertainties caused by Russia's war with its neighbour and underlines the high stakes for both parties.

For Cameco, the risks are financial. For Ukraine, reliance on a single provider leaves it with few alternatives to maintain power supplies.

"There's a lot of flexibility" in the deal, Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin told Reuters in an interview. "The agreement is up to 2035, but two years prior to supply of the uranium, we are to (give) them an indication of what we will need, what volume of uranium we will require."

Prior to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February last year, Ukraine ran its nuclear reactors on Russian fuel, producing 55% of the country's electricity.

Ukraine has since ceased Russian fuel purchases and has turned to Western companies such as Cameco.

Last year Cameco restarted the world's largest high-grade uranium mine in northern Saskatchewan, as a more than decade-long slump in the sector eased, partly because of the Ukraine war and partly because of global efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

As the company ramps up production for the Ukraine contract, its biggest so far, it is also betting on winning more deals from eastern European countries as they try to reduce dependence on Russian energy.

The stock of Cameco, the world's fourth-largest uranium producer, is up more than 50% since Jan. 31, 2022, when expectations Russia, a big uranium producer, would launch a full-scale invasion spurred an extended rally.

DEAL WORTH $4 BILLION

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Under the agreement with Energoatom, worth at least $4 billion at current prices, Cameco will supply Ukraine with uranium hexafluoride (UF6) from 2024-2035, allowing the country to end its reliance on Russian fuel.

The deal will supply the nine reactors under Ukrainian control, with an option to supply six captured reactors in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region if Ukraine retakes them.

Cameco, like Energoatom, can adjust how much uranium it delivers on two years' notice, Kotin said.

A spokesperson for Energoatom said there were no restrictions on how much either side can adjust the deliveries.

The two-year window to adjust volumes without limit offers flexibility well beyond the normal uranium contract adjustments of 5%-15% annually, Nick Carter, executive vice president of UxC LLC, an independent research firm focused on the nuclear fuel cycle, said.

For Cameco, the biggest risk is that Ukraine, whose energy grid and thermal power generators have been military targets since the invasion, might require less uranium should Russia capture or damage more reactors.

Cameco would then have to "find a home for this previously contracted material," Carter said.

"We have plenty of visibility and advance notice regarding the annual volumes required under the contract, which provides us with flexibility to adjust our plans, including for production if circumstances require," Cameco spokesperson Veronica Baker said in a statement, declining to confirm deal terms.

DISCOUNTS OR PRICE SPIKES?

Finding new buyers at short notice could be costly.

Contracted uranium prices are typically higher than spot prices, meaning that Cameco may take a discount if Ukraine purchases less uranium due to the war's impact, Carter said.

Alternatively, if prices spike during the next 12 years, Cameco may be unable to fully cash in with so much production dedicated to Ukraine unless it scales back those sales, Carter added. He expects prices to continue rising in the next two years.

"I think Cameco has more to lose here than the Ukrainians if the (market) price were to continue higher," Carter said.

Kotin said Energoatom will buy Cameco's uranium at a price based equally on a fixed price and a market price. Such an arrangement partly protects Energoatom from price spikes.

Baker said it was normal for sellers and buyers to face risk from commodity price swings.

Energoatom's risk is that Cameco chooses to sell it less uranium so that the miner can cash in on higher prices elsewhere, but that seems unlikely, Carter said.

The main alternative to Cameco, French state-owned company Orano, told Energoatom it cannot supply it with more uranium until 2030, Kotin said. Orano declined to comment.

To hedge against the risk of relying so much on a single supplier, Ukraine is trying to expand its domestic nuclear industry, Kotin said.

BIG POTENTIAL REWARDS

While Ukraine will rely on Cameco for uranium, it has struck separate deals for further processing.

It has a contract with United Kingdom-based Urenco Group to enrich the uranium from Cameco, and with U.S.-based Westinghouse to fabricate the enriched uranium into reactor fuel. Such arrangements may secure Ukraine's energy needs no matter how long the war lasts.

Other countries including Poland and the Czech Republic are also looking to increase reliance on Western-made reactors and fuels, Carter said.

"There is considerable interest among many nations and utilities seeking to realign how they meet their future energy input needs, including in eastern Europe," Cameco's Baker said.

In April, Cameco signed a 10-year contract with Westinghouse - the nuclear service business which it and Brookfield Renewable Partners are in the process of buying - to supply UF6 for Bulgaria's single nuclear generating station.

Canadian Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said Canada had "a huge role" to play globally. Without naming them, he said he had spoken with European countries keen to move away from Russian reactors and fuel.

"We have an abundance of uranium," Wilkinson said.

(Reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Pavel Polityuk in Kyiv; additional reporting by Benjamin Mallet and Forrest Crellin in London, Katya Golubkova in Tokyo and Steve Scherer in Ottawa; Editing by Denny Thomas, Mike Collett-White and Barbara Lewis)
Ukrainian soldiers ride atop an APC in the heaviest battles with the Russian invaders in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Sunday, April 9, 2023. AP Photo/Libkos

Ukraine has defended Bakhmut from Russia for months, despite some calls to focus elsewhere.

The battle has hurt Russian forces, and Wagner Group mercenaries are threatening to pull out.

If they go through with it, Ukraine's risky gamble might just pay off, experts say.

Russia's months-long campaign to capture the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has relied heavily on efforts from the notorious Wagner Group. But Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the paramilitary organization, is now suggesting that his private army of mercenaries may soon be abandoning the fight.

The move could change the course of what has become the war's longest and bloodiest battle. Some of Ukraine's Western military backers have pushed for Kyiv to give up on its defense of the war-torn city, arguing it comes at too high a cost and offers too little strategic value. Wagner's withdrawal, however, suggests that Ukraine's risky decision to stay may be paying off, Russia experts told Insider.

"I do think the Ukrainians were right to stay and fight," said Rajan Menon, a nonresident scholar in the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington-based think tank.

Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of over 73,000 people and is located in the occupied Donetsk region, has been the focal point for brutal and intense fighting for months amid what continues to be a grinding war of attrition with relatively static front lines.

Wagner Group mercenaries have played a key role in Russia's campaign to capture Bakhmut, fighting alongside members of Moscow's regular military, but this campaign has proven to be extremely costly for all involved. Russia-backed forces  which include Wagner  have suffered tens of thousands of casualties in what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley has referred to as a "slaughter-fest" for Moscow.

Smoke rises from buildings in this aerial view of Bakhmut, the site of the heaviest battles with the Russian troops in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, April 26, 2023. AP Photo/Libkos

Throughout the battle for Bakhmut, Western governments have observed clear cracks emerging in the relationship between Wagner and the Moscow, despite the mercenary group's close Kremlin ties.

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"We are seeing indications, including in intelligence, that tensions between Wagner and the Russian Ministry of Defense are increasing," National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said earlier this year, noting that Wagner has become a rival power to Russia's military.

Prigozhin and his fighters have routinely criticized Russia's top defense officials over Moscow's handling of the war and a lack of weaponry and ammunition, what Prigozhin often calls "shell hunger." But these tensions appeared to boil over this week with the publication of several videos that show Prigozhin railing against the Kremlin's military leadership.

In one video, the mercenary group leader can be seen standing next to dozens of corpses of Wagner fighters during a screaming- and expletive-filled tirade aimed at Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, who he blames for the deaths of his fighters. In another video posted just hours later, Prigozhin said he plans to withdraw his fighters from Bakhmut on May 10 because without ammunition, his forces "are doomed to a senseless death."

Despite the losses, 'it did make sense to stay there'

Fighting has taken a steep toll on Ukrainian forces, too. Experts have noted that Bakhmut holds only limited strategic value and may not be worth the price being paid in blood, and some of Ukraine's Western supporters  including those in Washington  have urged Kyiv to consider withdrawing its forces and repositioning them elsewhere instead of enduring high losses defending the city.

Ukrainian army snipers change their position facing Russian troops near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Tuesday, May 2, 2023. AP Photo/Libkos

Ukraine's defense of Bakhmut has, however, been steadfast, despite the high costs, but survival has often appeared to be hanging on a knife edge. Russian forces, including Wagner mercenaries, steadily surrounded Ukrainian positions, leaving only one road out of the city. Ukraine has withstood the pressure though.

And if Prigozhin follows through with his plans to pull his mercenaries out of the fight, the regular Russian military could be left facing a dilemma, Menon said.

In comments shared over email with Insider, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace scholar argued that Ukraine has denied Russian President Vladimir Putin both a symbolic and tactical victory, and while the Ukrainian military has lost many troops, abandoning Bakhmut would have allowed the Russians to advance deeper into Ukraine.

Ukraine "tied up a lot of Russian troops in Bakhmut, making it impossible to deploy them to other battle zones" in the wider Donbas region, Menon said. And while Kyiv's troops have showed "extraordinary resilience" fighting there, they have also enjoyed the consequences of "poor Russian leadership and the infighting and poisonous relationship" between Russia's professional military and Wagner.

Ukrainian army Grad multiple rocket launcher fires rockets at Russian positions in the frontline near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. AP Photo/Libkos

Wagner's potential withdrawal from Bakhmut would come at a particularly dangerous time for Russia, as Ukraine is gearing up for a highly anticipated counteroffensive aimed at liberating occupied territory in the east and south.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last week that Kyiv has received nearly 1,800 armored vehicles and tanks from Western partners, and Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told lawmakers on Thursday that Russia has been transitioning to defensive positions after a faltering winter offensive failed to produce results.

Should Wagner leave Bakhmut, the fight for the city would fall solely into the hands of Russia's military, which may not have the capabilities to hold its positions, said Marina Miron, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of War Studies at King's College London. She told Insider that this could invite Ukraine to launch its counteroffensive right there because Russian lines would be significantly weakened.

Ukrainian servicemen run to take cover during shelling near the frontline city of Bakhmut, Donetsk region on April 30, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images

"From this perspective, if nobody knew that it was going to take this turn  it's not like the Ukrainian leadership knew that Wagner or Prigozhin, rather, was going to go ballistic  but now given all the factors, yes, it did make sense to stay there, despite the losses, if they can capitalize," Miron said, noting that this assessment presumes that Wagner withdraws and Ukraine sends more units to try and retake the city.

Holding onto Bakhmut also has symbolic value, and from that point of view, the Ukrainians "were right to stay," Miron noted. It was crucial for Kyiv to show resolve to its Western military backers, and holding onto the city  even as perilous as the situation got  helped keep security aid flowing, she added.

So in this information space, Miron said, it was important to show that "the Ukrainians are there, that they're still fighting, they haven't lost the will, and they haven't lost the capabilities."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Defense Express received a photo of the wreckage of a Russian missile shot down over Kyiv on the night of May 4

There was a possibility of the use of ballistic missiles, but none were detected, Ihnat said in a comment to Ukrainian boradcaster Suspilne on May 5.

He also noted that some military officials have already received reprimands for spreading false information.

Read also: Norway allocates over EUR 300 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Read also: Defense Express chief editor says Ukraine needs $1.5 trillion in military aid for war breakthrough

During the night of May 4, Russia launched a massive missile attack on Ukraine. Ukraines Air Defense Forces later reported that they had shot down 18 out of 24 Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones, as well as a reconnaissance drone.

In the morning, the Kyiv authorities announced that all enemy targets  drones and possibly ballistic missiles  had been destroyed in the capital. However, the Air Force did not confirm information about Russias use of ballistic missiles, stating that it would take several days to confirm.

On May 5, the Defense Express publication reported that a hypersonic Kh-47 Kinzhal missile could have been shot down over Kyiv that night. The publication claimed to have received photos of missile debris from their own sources.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
United Nations  A bawdy fistfight and slap-fest erupted between delegates from Ukraine and Russia in Ankara, Turkey, on Thursday in the corridors of talks on Black Sea cooperation. Video of the scuffle was posted on the Facebook page of the Ukrainian delegate, Oleksandr Marikovski, involved in the melee.

"Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine...," Marikovski says in his post after the confrontation.

The incident took place in the lobby when the Russian delegate's secretary, Valery Stavitskiy, snatched away a Ukraine flag that was being held up for a photo op, and Marikovski grabbed it back, punching and slapping the Russian in the process.

Russia's news agency TASS reported that the consul and a doctor came to the hotel to attend to Stavitsky after the incident.

The video was authenticated by Ukraine's Ambassador to the U.N. Sergiy Kyslytsya, who spoke to CBS News on Friday, asking if Americans or any nation would put up with the taking down of their flag.



Russia's U.N. first Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy confirmed the video as well, and told CBS News "it was an apex of the whole day" of what he called Ukrainian provocations during the meeting.



Earlier, members of Ukraine's parliament hung a Ukraine flag at their table before Turkey's parliament speaker Mustafa Sentop nixed it and later condemned some of the Ukrainian delegates' "provocative and physically offensive actions."

Both the Ukrainian and Russian U.N. Ambassadors made clear that the meeting where the fight took place was not at the talks in Istanbul, Turkey, also taking place on Friday, where the U.N., Turkey, Ukraine and Russia are meeting to try to salvage the grain deal that is up for renewal on May 18.

The scuffles come as the top United Nations trade representative, Rebeca Grynspan, arrived in Moscow to assuage Russia on its complaints about the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the U.N. confirmed to CBS News on Friday morning.

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On the grain deal, U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres sent letters to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week to propose an "expansion" and "improvement" of the deal, but has not heard back on the proposal.

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Ukrainian, German top military officials discuss maritime coalition

Reznikov said that Western, in particular, German weapons are one of the important components that help soldiers fight at the front and protect Ukrainians in the rear, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry press service reported on May 5.

The Ukrainian defense minister also reported to the foreign delegation on Ukraines experience in fighting enemy drones, He invited Berlin to cooperate in this area as well.

Read also: Ukraine has received over $55 billion in military aid from Ramstein partners

He also called on Germany to join the creation of a maritime coalition in support of Ukraine that would strengthen the Ukrainian Navy.

We already have a tank coalition, (and) the Ramstein (format) is also a coalition, Reznikov said.

All of them are working for a single goal  the victory of Ukraine. Our joint task is to build a strong system of international security architecture, and the safety of navigation in the Black and Azov Seas is an important element of this system.

In addition, the officials discussed practical steps to bolster Ukraines defense, such as the possibility of expanding training programs for the Ukrainian military in Germany.

In turn, General Breuer said that the Ukrainian soldiers had shown a high level of professionalism and motivation during their training in Germany. He assured Reznikov that Berlin would continue supporting Ukraine as much as is required.

Read also: Denmark to deliver $250 million military aid package to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on April 27 that 98% of the promised Western combat vehicles had already been delivered to Ukraine and Kyiv now has the military capabilities it needs to recapture territory.

He said the deliveries of arms included more than 1,550 armored vehicles, over 230 tanks, and other equipment  including a huge amount of ammunition.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
A Ukrainian parliament member threw several punches at a Russian official during a conference between Black Sea countries in Turkey on Thursday.

Oleksandr Marikovski was waving a Ukrainian flag behind Russian delegate Olga Timofeeva when another Russian official snatched the flag away, a video of the incident posted to Facebook by the Ukrainian lawmaker shows.

Marikovski then chased after the Russian official and yanked the flag back, landing several punches before the scuffle was broken up.

Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian filth! Marikovski wrote in Ukrainian in his Facebook post.

The altercation was the second incident between Ukrainian and Russian officials at Thursdays meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Ankara, according to The Associated Press.

Several Ukrainian delegates previously interrupted Timofeevas speech before the assembly by unfurling a Ukrainian flag beside her, the AP reported.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal coordinated the steps necessary for the Ukrainian counteroffensive and further strengthening of Ukraine's defence capability with British Defence Minister Ben Wallace during his visit to the UK.

Source: European Pravda, Shmyhal on Telegram.

On 5 May, together with Ben Wallace, Minister of Defence of the United Kingdom, and Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Ukraine, Shmyhal got acquainted with the training process of the next group of military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to him, almost 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel have undergone training in the UK.

"Ben Wallace [and I] coordinated the steps necessary for [the Ukrainian] counteroffensive and for further strengthening Ukraine's defence capability. We are systematically moving in this direction. The Ukrainian army is mastering NATO standards in practice. On the training field from experienced instructors, and on the battlefield while fighting the enemy," the Prime Minister said.

As it is known, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and First Lady Olena Zelenska are part of the Ukrainian delegation to the coronation of Charles III.

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(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Not all imitation crab is created the same. Just ask Kenzo Yamada. Also known as Yama-san to locals, he opened Yama Seafood market in San Gabriel in 1984 and started making California rolls 20 years ago. By paying attention to every detail, from the type of imitation crab to the ripeness of the avocado to the crunchiness of the cucumber, Yama Seafood has created the ultimate California roll. It's big (nearly 2  inches in diameter), creamy (made with plenty of mayo), has a high faux-crab-to-rice ratio and is always consistent.

The store's signature California roll was Yamada's idea to help expand the fish-market business. (It certainly wasn't the first California roll: The invention is credited to chef Ichiro Mashita at Tokyo Kaikan in Little Tokyo in the late 70s, according to "The Story of Sushi.") But Yamada and his first employee, Luis Enrique "Kike" Moreno Diaz, worked together to make a California roll that differentiated itself from the rest.

Perfecting it has been a two-decade evolution. "Over time we had to craft it until we came out with that particular size because we were adjusting either the rice, the amount of mayo, the amount of kani [crab], avocado," said manager Moreno, who is from Michoacan and has been working at Yama for the nearly 40 years it has been open (he started learning Japanese before he spoke English).

Victor Humay, assistant general manager at Yama Seafood, oversees every aspect of making the store's sushi rolls. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

"If you put too much filling of imitation crab meat, when you eat it, it doesnt match with the other stuff," he said. "Youre kind of missing the avocado, or the cucumber. This is the ratio we came up with  the perfect match for everything."

Yamada, a fish broker from Kyoto, retired two years ago but recently stopped by the store to talk seafood and sushi. "We know. Other people don't know. They think imitation crab is imitation crab. Not much different. But it's different," he said. Moreno said that even mayonnaise from the same brand can vary from case to case. The age of the cucumber affects the thickness of the skin. "All those things like that. Something you don't know what it is, but it's a little bit better. You have to look for very tiny things."

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Yama Seafood founder Kenzo Yamada and his first employee, Luis Enrique "Kike" Moreno Diaz, worked together to differentiate their California roll. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Two years ago, Yamada sold the store, one of the only (if not the only) family-run Japanese fish markets in the San Gabriel area. The Kohno family and partner Alex Soto now own the business and have expanded to a second location in West Los Angeles.

The original store looks much as it has over the last four decades. But Scott and Wendy Kohno  retail consultants for Japanese department stores  have added items such as imported furoshiki (textiles for wrapping gifts) and training chopsticks for kids, along with artisan soy sauce and a serious sake collection (Wendy Kohno is a certified sake sommelier). It's a Japanese Trader Joe's meets Tokyu Hands meets retro fish counter that's about the size of a small 7-Eleven. (Note: The entrance is in the back.)

Longtime employees such as Moreno still work at the store. Victor Humay, assistant general manager (his nickname is Mr. California Roll), oversees every aspect of making rolls, which include not just the California kind but also salmon and avocado, spicy tuna, unagi (eel) and more  all displayed in the refrigerated cases that line one store wall. We make the last roll of the day just like the first roll of the day, Humay said. Making every single roll the same, thats my thinking.

All of the rolling of sushi is done by hand, though more recently the kitchen has invested in equipment to help wash, cook and mix the rice with seasoning. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

The seafood counter is the hub of the store. "I like the fish business, not a restaurant, not a sushi bar, fish business. A mistake," Yamada joked. "Sushi business, more success."

In the beginning, "We sold all kinds of fish, many kinds  squid, sardines, mackerel, plus Japanese grocery," Moreno said. "But day by day, fish business was shrinking."

Yet the counter is always buzzing and stocks a full daily selection of fish for sushi: hamachi, Hokkaido scallops, ahi tuna, bluefin tuna, octopus, Scottish salmon. Scott Kohno said that at the San Gabriel and West L.A. stores, demand for sashimi-grade seafood continues to increase, and "the seafood case is the the main attraction."

The kitchen has expanded yet is still tiny. Early on a weekday morning, four people are in the kitchen preparing rolls. All of the rolling of sushi is done by hand, but more recently, the kitchen has been outfitted with machines for washing, cooking and mixing the rice with seasoning.

One machine is dedicated to measuring the cooked, seasoned rice and spreading it into flat sheets that precisely fit the seaweed used for rolls. "We put the rice in the top, it fits the rice," Moreno said. "So we dont have to spread it by hand and were able to have three, four people working at the same time. We have to look for ways to do this."

The hub of Yama Seafood market in San Gabriel is its fish counter. The store also features a wide selection of sake and artisanal Japanese products such as soy sauce. (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

That's because by midafternoon it isn't uncommon to find the refrigerated case for sushi nearly empty. Fresh sushi is made throughout the day (nothing sits for more than two hours, according to Humay), but it sells out fast. (Pro tip: You can preorder platters online for pickup.)

The rolls are so popular that physical altercations have been known to break out over the last box of sushi. "Two ladies both grabbed and fought over the last California roll and it dropped to the ground spilling all over the floor," Scott Kohno said. In another case, one man yelled at and reprimanded the customer ahead of him in line for taking the last California rolls.

"There's one thing good and one thing bad about the Yama California roll," Moreno said. "The good thing is you like it, the bad thing is you don't like it anywhere else."

Yama Seafood, 911 W. Las Tunas Drive, San Gabriel; Yama Sushi Sake Attitude, 11709 National Blvd., Los Angeles; yamaseafoodla.com.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
UN chief Antonio Guterres addresses envoys during talks on Afghanistan in Qatar on May 2, 2023

The UN reaffirmed its "commitment to stay" in Afghanistan on Friday, in a review assessing its operations in the country in light of the Taliban banning women from working for the world body.

The United Nations announced on April 4 that the Taliban had barred Afghan women from employment in UN offices countrywide, a prohibition that had previously only affected NGOs but spared the UN.

The UN mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA, subsequently launched the review, and concluded Friday that it was committed "to stay and deliver on behalf of the men, women and children of Afghanistan," Farhan Haq, a spokesman for the secretary-general, told reporters.

It also launched an appeal "to our donors to keep funding this assistance people need," he said.

In a statement issued from Kabul, UNAMA reiterated its condemnation of the ban, which "seriously undermines our work, including our ability to reach all people in need."

However "we cannot disengage despite the challenges," it said, noting that it had conducted "extensive consultations with multiple Afghan stakeholders, including civil society and women's groups, member states and donors."

"We continue our focused, principled and constructive engagement with all possible levels of the Taliban de facto authorities to obtain a reversal of this ban and ensure the safety of all UN and aid personnel," it said.

UN entities on the ground in Afghanistan will "continue to discuss appropriate working modalities," Haq said, adding that "humanitarian operations continue to be undertaken."

Since the ban, UNAMA has asked all of its Afghan staff, both men and women, to work from home, but other agencies in the country "have had different ways of handling the situation," he noted.

Since ousting a foreign-backed government in 2021, the Taliban authorities have imposed an austere version of sharia law that the United Nations has labelled "gender-based apartheid."

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(CNN)  A police officer was found dead in the grounds of the Japanese Prime Minister's official residence early Friday morning, according to Tokyo Metropolitan Police, who are investigating the incident as a possible suicide.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida was not at the residence when a fellow police officer found the 25-year-old man in the West Gate guard station around 4:40 a.m., local time.

The deceased officer had been on guard duty at the residence when the incident occurred, according to police.

Japanese authorities have been on high alert after a recent attack on Kishida.

Last month, a man threw a suspected smoke bomb at the prime minister during a campaign speech. Kishida was not hurt in the incident but the ability of the suspect to get so close to him with what appeared to be a home made weapon alarmed observers.

It came less than a year after the assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was shot dead last July during a campaign speech in the western city of Nara.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Japanese policeman dies in suspected suicide at Prime Ministers residence in Tokyo."
The first-ever unionised Apple Store in the United States proposed giving customers the option to tip

Imagine this: You've shattered your iPhone's screen for the second time and rushed to your nearest Apple Store to have it repaired.

The team at Apple's Genius Bar hands you your phone back within hours - with a hefty bill. But as you proceed to make the payment, there's a new option on the check-out menu: Would you like to add a tip?

An unusual request, but it could soon become real.

Employees at the first-ever unionised Apple Store in the US are proposing to provide customers with the option to tip for service.

The proposal, first reported earlier this week by Bloomberg, has sparked debate about tipping culture in the United States and so-called "tipping fatigue".

In a series of tweets, the union acknowledged the idea could be "a little controversial".

"Apple employees everywhere can tell you that they are already being offered tips by customers," the union representing the store in suburban Baltimore said.

As it stands, if an Apple employee accepts a tip, he or she could be fired. The new proposal would create a system that allows "occasional" customers to reward the team without fear of termination, according to the Union.

Making customers feel "guilt tipped" when they decline to add a few extra dollars to a purchase, is part of a business model that's emerging around American tipping culture in the wake of the pandemic, say experts.

"It's tipping everything, everywhere, all at once," said Thomas Farley, an etiquette expert popularly known as 'Mister Manners'.

The Towson, Maryland Apple Store became the first in the country to unionise in 2022. Apple store employees, and its labour union, The Coalition of Organised Retail Employees (CORE) are currently engaged in contract negotiations with the tech giant and said they expect "there will be compromises made".

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The tipping scheme proposed would offer customers options ranging from "no tip, 3%, 5%, custom amount", the Union said. Any funds collected through tips would be split among the team members.

'Tipping invasion'

But on social media, backlash to the proposed tipping scheme was swift, with many noting that tips are generally offered to workers who make low hourly-wages.

Consumers tipped an average 19.6% at full-service restaurants, according to a report from Toast, a point-of-sale service platform.

Etiquette expert Mr Farley said technology is the primary driver behind this "tipping invasion". As more companies adopt digital payment systems, like Square and Toast, consumers are often being prompted to add a tip after completing a transaction.

"My fear is that we're rapidly advancing toward a culture where we're expected to tip for absolutely everything," he said.

A survey of American tipping culture found more than half of Americans said they gave a tip "when they normally wouldn't" because they were prompted by the check-out system.

Mr Farley said the rise in demand for tips has become commonplace, in part, because businesses have used the prospect of tips to entice workers in a tight labour market instead of offering higher wages.

Generally, these workers make less than minimum wage and rely on tips to make a living, he said.

"These are instances where I would absolutely not be miserly, as long as your budget allows," he said, but in situation where you know the server is likely making above minimum wage, a tip is discretionary.

"Just because it's there on a screen doesn't mean you have to, although I know hitting 'no tip' makes you feel like Scrooge," he said. "That's the idea of a guilt tip."
Newark residents should be prepared for an abundance of cars on the road, foot traffic and crowded restaurants during the University of Delawares graduation weekend at the end of this month.

Whether youre gearing up to celebrate a graduate in your life in a few short weeks, or want to steer clear of the university area until the celebrations die down, heres what you need to know about the momentous weekend:

When is the University of Delawares graduation?

Former Newark High School classmates Cassie O'Quinn (left) of Newark (receiving a quantitative biology degreee) and Oluwaseyi Osinubi of Bear (engineering) grab a selfie before the University of Delaware's 2022 Commencement at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, May 28, 2022.

UDs commencement ceremony for the class of 2023 is scheduled for Saturday, May 27, at 9:30 a.m. at Delaware Stadium.

Who is able to attend the University of Delawares graduation ceremony?

Graduates mingle under a strong sun during the hours-long wait for the start of the University of Delaware's 2022 Commencement at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, May 28, 2022.

Admission to the event requires a ticket and is only open to graduating students and up to four guests. Approximately 4,000 graduates are expected to attend, along with nearly 16,000 guests, the school said in UDaily post.

The university offers a livestream of the ceremony for those who are unable to attend in person. Information about the livestream will be shared by the school at a later date.

New in Newark: First look: The newest Grain restaurant has Newark's only outdoor bar, opening soon

Who will be the guest speaker at commencement?

Mae Jemison, the first Black woman to go to space, will be the speaker at the University of Delawares commencement ceremony this year, announced UD President Dennis Assanis in a UDaily post.

Jemison holds many titles given her six years as a NASA astronaut, seven years as an environmental studies professor at Dartmouth College, time spent as the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia, and as a general practice physician in Los Angeles.

Mae Jemison

Jemison also leads 100 Year Starship (100YSS), a nonprofit created to assure the capabilities exist for human travel beyond our solar system to another star within the next 100 years. She founded The Jemison Group, Inc. (JG), a technology consulting firm that integrates critical socio-cultural issues into the design of science and engineering projects. And, in 1994, she founded the international science camp The Earth We Share (TEWS) for 12 to 16-year-old students worldwide under the nonprofit Dorothy Jemison Foundation for Excellence (DJF).

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Real-life education: New plan promises experience outside the classroom will earn college credit in Delaware

We are delighted to host Dr. Jemison to deliver this years Commencement address to our graduates and their families and friends, Assanis said in the UDaily post. She is an exemplar of someone dedicated to exploring endless possibilities and infinite frontiers  always finding meaningful ways to make a difference in the world. This commitment is one we strive to instill in our graduates.

President Joe Biden (left) and University President Dennis Assanis take selfies - one with the crowd behind them, one the other direction - during the University of Delaware's 2022 Commencement at Delaware Stadium, Saturday, May 28, 2022.

Last year, President Joe Biden became the first sitting president to speak at a UD graduation ceremony when he visited his alma mater to give the commencement speech.

The occasion marked his fifth time speaking at UDs commencement, and his first time doing so since 2014 when he served as vice president.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.

A night out in Newark: UD's 'mega pints': Personal pitchers of mixed drinks make splash on Main Street

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: What to know about University of Delaware graduation 2023 weekend
Goldman Sachs disclosed that US authorities are probing its role in the final days of Silicon Valley Bank

US authorities are investigating Goldman Sachs' work for Silicon Valley Bank in connection with the events surrounding the California bank's collapse, Goldman disclosed in a securities filing Thursday.

Goldman is "cooperating with and providing information to various governmental bodies" on its activities for SVB in March just before the tech-oriented bank went under, according to the filing.

Goldman has been criticized over its multiple roles with SVB, in which it was both advising the California bank and purchasing distressed debt in a deal that ultimately played a central role in SVB's collapse.

SVB was seized by federal banking regulators on March 10 following a run on deposits after it reported two days earlier that it lost $1.8 billion from the sale of $21 billion in securities.

In the same March 8 press release, SVB said it enlisted Goldman in connection with a planned capital raise.

Markets viewed the disclosure of the trading losses as a sign of SVB's desperation to raise cash to meet liquidity needs as it suffered from deposit flight, ultimately leading to the bank's demise.

In Thursday's filing, Goldman said the government probes include "when SVB engaged the firm to assist with a proposed capital raise and SVB sold the firm a portfolio of securities," Goldman said.

The government probes follow a request from 20 House Democrats to US regulators urging an investigation of whether Goldman "operated at 'arm's length' in their role as advisor for SVB."

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US provides armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems, ammunition, other needed equipment

He said that thanks to U.S. air defense systems, most of the cruise missiles launched by Russia against Ukraine over the last 48-72 hours have been shot down.

Were paying a lot of attention to air defenses, Kirby said.

Read also: US plans to deliver Abrams tanks to Ukraine by end of 2023

He noted that the United States has provided the Armed Forces of Ukraine with almost everything necessary for the expected counter-offensive, including armored vehicles, artillery, air defense systems, ammunition, and other necessary equipment. Ukraine has said it plans to liberate the parts of its territory that have been occupied by Russian invasion forces since the war began in 2014.

Read also: No plans to supply F-16 jets to Ukraine, US reaffirms

We have done everything possible. But this does not mean that we will stop, that we have completed everything. You will see further support from the United States, Kirby said.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he will pursue "very tangible initiatives" on his trip to Saudi Arabia

President Joe Biden's national security advisor said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia at the weekend for talks with Saudi leaders as well as Indian and Emirati officials.

"This weekend I will be in Saudi Arabia for meetings with its leadership," Jake Sullivan said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank in Washington.

Sullivan's trip, which starts on Saturday, comes as relations between Washington and Riyadh have been strained since Biden's visit to the kingdom in July 2022, even though the two countries are collaborating in many areas, including recently on the crisis in Sudan.

"My (United Arab Emirate) and Indian counterparts will come to Saudi Arabia as well for meetings so that we can discuss new area of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region, fueled in part by the comprehensive economic partnership signed last year between India and the UAE," Sullivan said,

"This can help us carry forward some very tangible initiatives that we think will be unlike anything we have seen the region in recent years," he added.

Sullivan, in what was billed as a US strategy speech, said the conflict in Yemen would be "a significant topic" during discussions over the weekend, praising the parties for working on a "roadmap to ultimately bring the war to an end."

Sullivan, who is Biden's top aide on national security matters, has been closely involved in Middle East issues and reiterated Washington's firm commitment to the region, using a strategy he said was both "realistic and pragmatic."

He said the strategy was based on "five basic elements: partnerships, deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation, integration and values."

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In another landmark change to how the nation tracks COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will halt efforts to count daily cases and instead shift surveillance to hospitalizations or death, similar to tracking the flu.

Daily reporting of COVID-19 cases is ending as the public health emergency concludes May 11 and the U.S. shifts to weekly surveillance of deaths and hospitalizations. Another change: The color-coded community maps showing cases by county will be replaced by another measure based on hospital admissions.

The news comes as the World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 is no longer a global emergency even though the pandemic has not ended.

CDC officials described the reporting changes as a better fit for the current phase of COVID-19. Officials emphasized the new method of tracking the virus  including hospitalizations, wastewater analysis and genomic surveillance  will provide actionable information for national and local health officials and the public to track virus trends.

The latest data shows more than 1,000 Americans are dying from COVID every week, far below the peak in January 2021 when more than 23,000 people died in a week.

"COVID-19 remains a risk and CDC remains committed to preventing severe illness and deaths associated with COVID-19, particularly for those who are at higher risk," said Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDCs principal deputy director.

More: As states cut Medicaid, some fear they'll mistakenly end coverage for millions of eligible people

Here's what we know.

Why is the CDC's COVID data changing?

The public health emergency ends May 11, and the CDC will no longer have the legal authority to require all labs to report coronavirus testing results. Some states also will lose their legal authority to collect such case data, said Dr. Brendan Jackson, lead of the CDCs COVID-19 response.

"It is very much a state-by-state situation," Jackson said.

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Officials said cases have become harder to track as home testing has become so prolific. People with mild or asymptomatic cases who use rapid COVID-19 home tests often don't report results to their doctor or local public health department. That means public officials don't have accurate case counts.

Dr. Marcus Plescia, chief medical officer of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, said monitoring the virus like the flu or other respiratory viruses are tracked makes more sense for states.

"We will have some sense of direction" with the flu-like surveillance model, Plescia said. "It's just not going to be that we're trying to capture every case, which we haven't really been doing successfully for quite some time."

Early in the pandemic, public health officials were hopeful the virus could be slowed through contacting and isolating people with COVID-19 and informing others who may have been exposed. But the virus spread too rapidly for such contact tracing to be effective.

How COVID data will now be tracked

Hospitals. They must report the number of COVID-19-positive patients who visit emergency rooms or are admitted to the facility.

Wastewater monitoring. The CDC will track the virus in hundreds of communities representing nearly 140 million residents. The CDC has sought to bolster capacity with state and local health departments to monitor infectious disease trends through wastewater samples, Shah said.

Labs. The agency will rely on voluntary reporting from a network of more than 450 labs nationwide that track respiratory viruses. These labs will track the COVID-19 positivity rates  a measure of how often tests are positive, which is considered a key indicator of the virus' reach in a community.

Where to find the new COVID data tracker

The public will be able to view the new COVID-19 data tracker and see levels of hospitalization and death in their community. Those figures will be updated weekly at data.cdc.gov.

The CDC will change how it collects death data, switching from current systems to one that relies on provisional death certificate data. Officials said data is updated when a local public health jurisdiction reports deaths. The new system will more accurately reflect when deaths occur, officials said.

Jackson said the data tracker will include other metrics such as wastewater trends and emergency department visits, which will provide earlier signals to changes in COVID-19 activity. People can also see a national figure for a percentage of COVID-19 tests that are positive, but Jackson said it will be a couple of weeks before that appears.

He added that genomic surveillance will inform public health about whether new coronavirus variants are spreading. Vaccination data will be reported by local public health entities that sign data-use agreements. The CDC will no longer get this data beyond May 11 from jurisdictions that don't sign such agreements. The CDC also will report data through national vaccine surveys.

LATEST: A new COVID variant called Arcturus is linked to pink eye. Here's what you need to know.

Without daily case reports, how will the CDC know when the virus is getting worse?

Shah said there will still be various data points to track and inform the public about virus activity.

The network of public health laboratories will test for the virus similar to how it tracks influenza, RSV and other respiratory viruses. Emergency department visits and hospital admissions also will inform public health of virus trends.

While the CDC now characterizes COVID-19 risk as low in nearly all communities nationwide, Jackson said the new tracking system that relies heavily on hospital data will inform public health when circumstances change. If COVID-19 hospitalizations spike, for example, public health officials might recommend masking. Hospitals and other medical offices also should recommend masking if the virus spikes in a community or if the virus spreads within a facility.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CDC changes COVID data tracking to focus on deaths, severe cases
(Bloomberg) -- The deepening cooperation between China and Russia threatens to overturn decades of international stability in nuclear arms control, according to a top adviser to US President Joe Biden.

Most Read from Bloomberg

To avert miscalculations, nuclear-weapons states must engage on existing and potential threats, from Irans atomic ambitions to the use of artificial intelligence for decision-making during crises, Pranay Vaddi, the National Security Councils senior director for arms control, said in an interview in Vienna.

Were entering a different period, Vaddi said after talks at the International Atomic Energy Agency. It requires a little bit of experimentation.

Assessments that China is expanding its nuclear arsenal, along with Russias invasion of Ukraine and its disavowal of arms-control agreements, are adding to concern about an era fraught with new dangers. Unlike the Cold War, when the US and Soviet Union maintained atomic parity and agreed to limit certain types of arms, more nations are developing the technologies and materials needed for weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, Washingtons efforts to keep lines of communication open with China, its biggest emerging competitor, are flailing.

Going back to the early days of the US-Soviet arms-control relationship, obviously there was a emphasis on risk-reduction measures, including communications measures in crises, Vaddi said. That is not a conversation that we have received interest in from Beijing.

That also has raised questions about how Russia and China would approach something with Iran, he said, such as a return to a return to the 2015 accord limiting the Islamic Republics nuclear program in return for sanction relief, or something similar.

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China and Russia have been deepening nuclear cooperation over key nuclear technologies for weapons, and both countries are stepping up their relationship with Iran. Trade delegations have been shuttling between the three nations capitals, and their navies conducted joint exercises in March. The Islamic Republic is also supplying combat drones for the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine.

That obviously has impacts for how we would approach diplomacy with Iran, Vaddi said.

There are nevertheless areas where the US can continue to engage with China and Russia on issues of nuclear stability, he said, pointing to the Biden administrations February declaration on how artificial intelligence should be used in military conflicts.

States should maintain human control and involvement for all actions critical to informing and executing sovereign decisions concerning nuclear weapons employment, the document states.

The White House sent Vaddi to Vienna in an effort to kick-start IAEA talks about nuclear security, based on a new US proposal to protect radioactive material from terrorists. Surging global interest in a new generation of small reactors means that the number of nuclear sites in need of protection could multiply in coming years.

Our hope is that implementation will provide dividends down the road for physical security, Vaddi said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
A 2015 rally by anti-death penalty activists outside the US Supreme Court seeking to prevent the execution of Oklahoma inmate Richard Glossip

The US Supreme Court granted a temporary stay of execution on Friday to an Oklahoma man convicted of murder whose case has sparked appeals for clemency from Pope Francis and Hollywood stars.

Richard Glossip, 60, had been scheduled to be put to death by lethal injection on May 18, but the nation's highest court put his execution on hold while it considers the case.

The stay came after the Oklahoma attorney general, a Republican, asked the court, in an unusual move, to halt the execution, citing questions about the fairness of his trial.

Glossip was convicted of the 1997 fatal beating of an Oklahoma City motel owner, but has steadfastly maintained his innocence.

Glossip, who worked at the motel, was found guilty of hiring another motel employee, maintenance man Justin Sneed, who was 19 at the time, to carry out the actual murder.

Glossip was convicted based on the testimony of Sneed, who pleaded guilty and was able to negotiate a life sentence, claiming that his co-worker had masterminded the plot.

Actors Mark Ruffalo and Susan Sarandon and British billionaire Richard Branson have been among the celebrities advocating for Glossip's life to be spared.

In 2015, when Glossip's execution also appeared imminent, the representative of Pope Francis in the United States sent a letter on behalf of the pontiff to the then governor of Oklahoma asking that the execution be called off.

His case has also been the subject of a four-episode documentary series titled "Killing Richard Glossip."

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Google co-founder Larry Page in San Francisco, California, on November 2, 2015. Jeff Chiu/AP

US Virgin Islands is suing JP Morgan, accusing the bank of facilitating Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme.

As part of its lawsuit, the government wants to subpoena Google co-founder Larry Page.

Epstein "may have referred or attempted to refer" Page to JP Morgan, court documents said.

The US Virgin Islands is having trouble finding Google co-founder Larry Page to serve him a subpoena for its lawsuit against JP Morgan, court documents show.

The US Virgin Islands government sued JP Morgan Chase in December, accusing the bank of facilitating and concealing Jeffrey Epstein's sex-trafficking enterprise.

As part of the lawsuit, the government wants to subpoena Page because it believes the tech executive may have had some connection to the disgraced financier.

"Upon information and belief, Larry Page ... is a high-net-worth individual who Epstein may have referred or attempted to refer to JPMorgan," a motion filed on Thursday said.

According to court documents, the government made several unsuccessful attempts to reach Page, who also owned two islands in US Virgin Islands as of late last year.

"The Government made good-faith attempts to obtain an address for Larry Page, including hiring an investigative firm to search public records databases for possible addresses," records stated. "Our process server attempted service at the addresses identified by our investigative firm, but discovered the addresses were not valid for Mr. Page."

An attorney representing the US Virgin Islands did not respond to a request for comment.

Documents show that a server attempted to reach Page at two Palo Alto addresses  one of which included a home close to Laurene Powell Jobs's residence in the Old Palo Alto neighborhood.

With a deadline for discovery approaching at the end of May, the US Virgin Islands government is requesting a court to serve Page through alternative ways which can include service by certified mail.

Insider has reached out to Page for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
USC did not inform students that many components of the online master's of social work degree are outsourced to a for-profit education company, a lawsuit alleges. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)

USC falsely marketed an online social-work degree program as equal to its respected on-campus offering, using it as a "cash cow" to lure in students unaware of the difference, a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday alleges.

The complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court alleges that USC did not inform students that many components of the online master's of social work degree are outsourced to a for-profit education company, 2U Inc., and that USC splits the tuition revenue with its publicly traded partner.

Although USC has marketed the online option as "the same" as the on-campus counterpart, the virtual program's instructors, curriculum, internship placement and other services have been different  and inferior, the lawsuit asserts.

The Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work presents itself as "champions" for social justice, the lawsuit says but asserts the reality is different: "USC appears to have sacrificed these goals for the promise of immediate gains of partnering with a for-profit corporation in a scheme to maximize its own revenue at the expense of its students."

USC said in a statement that it would "review the lawsuit in detail when we receive it."

But the university pushed back on the notion that it offered separate instruction to virtual students: "The school has one MSW program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education and delivered through on-campus and online options," according to a statement.

USC also said it had overhauled its social work degree to be more affordable, slashing tuition by 25% in 2022. And for much of the last year, the school has been run by the dean of USC's pharmacy school, Vassilios Papadopoulos, who has worked to make it more financially sustainable. Reforms include greater oversight over academics affairs, curriculum and student wellness.

One of the lead plaintiffs in the case, Stephanie Luna, said she felt "betrayed" when she learned last fall about differences between the online and on-campus programs, which were reported by The Times and the Wall Street Journal. The court filing accuses USC of deceptive advertising, unjust enrichment, fraudulent conduct and violations of state civil rights law.

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"I felt hurt that a university like USC  very prestigious, well-known  would knowingly use deceitful recruitment tactics to target students going into a profession that is meant to help communities that are oftentimes marginalized," said Luna, who graduated in May 2021.

The lawsuit is the latest controversy to hit the social work school, which has been roiled by tumult and scandal in recent years. But the program was once considered a USC success story, with its visionary embrace of digital learning.

The longtime dean of USC's social work program, Marilyn Flynn, launched the online effort in 2010. An early win was enrolling then-Rep. Karen Bass in the master's program with free tuition while she served in Congress, proving that working professionals at all levels could participate.

As a top research university, we have a meaningful role to play in the online education revolution. And I think we have demonstrated that," Flynn told a campus publication in 2015.

The venture with 2U made USC's social work school the largest in the country, with the student body growing from about 900 in 2010 to 3,500 in 2016. Tuition climbed to $115,000 by 2021.

But the surge in students  and with that, a gush of revenue  did not pan out as Flynn and her colleagues hoped.

Hiring instructors and staff proved costly and, the lawsuit alleges, their quality is not the same as those working in the on-campus program. An almost entirely different group of instructors, who do not otherwise work for USC and are not part of the world-class permanent research faculty, conduct the online instruction, the lawsuit alleges.

Other problems began to mount. USC signed up for pricey office space in a downtown L.A. high-rise. More affordable master's degree programs came on the market, including Cal State Northridge's two-year online program, which charges $46,000.

USC pushed to fill online classes with more students, which led to the admission of less-qualified students and aggressive recruiting practices  which further diminished the learning experience and the social work program's overall reputation, The Times has reported.

The lawsuit highlights the recruiting practices, which it calls "reverse redlining"  targeting people by race, age, gender and other characteristics deemed most likely to accept an admission offer. The training material, for instance, included graphics that depict a Black woman labeled Needy Nelly who had trouble with the application, needed "high touch" hand-holding, and was rated as the most likely to enroll.

"Confirmed Carmen," a Latina, was also rated with a high probability for enrollment. But "Money Molly"  a "very intelligent" white woman  was considered a tough recruit.

Luna, one of the plaintiffs, said such tactics appalled her as a Latina who is the first in her family to attend college. She said she chose USC because it offered a part-time program she could complete while continuing to work. She said she expressed concern about affordability but was told by the admission counselor  who she said she did not know was a 2U employee  that scholarships and loans were available, and she was certain to be accepted. Her confidence buoyed, Luna enrolled in May 2019.

But Luna said she soon began to feel uneasy. She was not granted either of two scholarships she applied for and had to take out more than $100,000 in loans. A summer "internship" fell short, she said, by failing to provide one-on-one training. The instruction was disjointed, with lectures often not aligned with the reading and video material assigned for the class, she said.

Luna, who works at UCLA as a case manager for students in distress, said, "In retrospect, if I could do it all over again, I would not have chosen to go to USC."

Frustrations with the overall direction of USC's social work program erupted in June 2018, when faculty members issued a no-confidence vote over then-dean Flynn's leadership, leading to her ouster.

By 2018, USC's social work school was running an annual deficit of $21 million, according to courtroom testimony this year. "Our expenses had exceeded the revenue we got by enrollment," testified John Clapp, who took over as interim dean after Flynn departed.

In 2019, as the fiscal crisis at the social work school mounted, USC embarked on a series of cost-cutting measures, including layoffs.

"We're still reeling from it," Clapp testified regarding the fiscal crisis. This fall, tuition will still be $20,000 less than that charged in 2021.

It's unclear how much money the social work program generates for 2U, which runs several online degrees with USC. In the fiscal year that ended in June 2021, the most recent year available, USC sent nearly $80 million to 2U for its share of student tuition revenue.

The cash crunch at the social work school also played a role in one of the most high-profile scandals at USC. With a mounting deficit, Flynn looked to government contracts as one way to boost her school's sagging finances. Federal prosecutors allege she turned to one of Los Angeles County's most powerful lawmakers, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, to help secure government contracts.

County contracts were "important for the survival of the school," Clapp said, and would help "make up our fiscal deficit."

Federal prosecutors accused Flynn and Ridley-Thomas of being in a corrupt conspiracy, whereby Flynn offered the lawmaker a host of benefits to his son  including a job, scholarship and $100,000 funneled through the university to his son's nonprofit  in exchange for the politician's support and vote on contracts and initiatives.

Last year, Flynn pleaded guilty to one federal count of bribery in connection with the $100,000 payment.

In March, Ridley-Thomas was convicted of seven felonies in connection with the bribery and conspiracy scheme to route money through USC while voting on a contract amendment sought by Flynn.

Both are scheduled to be sentenced this summer.

Last summer, then-dean Sarah Gehlert, who joined USC in 2020 and inherited the problems of her predecessor, stepped down. Gehlert was credited with restructuring the program to reduce student debt, according to a letter announcing her departure. Since then, the school has been led on an interim basis by Papadopoulos, dean of USC's pharmacy school.

In a statement, USC said Papadopoulos has advanced several initiatives to place the school on firmer financial footing.

"He has created new offices of oversight in academic affairs, curriculum, student wellness, inter-professional education and workforce development, and improved morale among faculty and staff," USC added.

Papadopoulos is expected to remain in the post for the near future. USC plans to begin its search for a permanent dean this summer.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
(CNN)  Sudanese actress Asia Abdel-Majid was killed in crossfire during fighting in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday, amid clashes between two warring factions that have devastated Sudan and led to the deaths of hundreds of civilians.

The 80-year-old was killed after shells hit her home in Bahri, north of the capital, in fighting between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese army, her nephew told CNN.

It is unclear if it was the RSF or the army that fired the shot that killed Abdel-Majid.

Failed negotiations between Sudanese army head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan RSF and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo over a disputed power-sharing arrangement exploded into violence in mid-April, sparking a mass exodus of refugees from the country and resulting in the deaths of at least 528 people.

Previous ceasefires and promises of peace talks between both leaders have failed to curb the ongoing conflict with eyewitness accounts of fighting in Khartoum reported on Thursday, despite a seven-day truce announced just days earlier.

Abdel-Majid was buried in the grounds of a kindergarten where she worked, her nephew said, adding that it was unsafe to take her to a cemetery.

The kindergarten is next door to Abdel-Majid's home, where she was alone when the shelling took place.

She was considered a pioneer of theater in Sudan and the country's first professional stage actress, establishing a kindergarten in Bahri and becoming a teacher when she retired.

'Torn apart'

Witnesses said the Sudanese army and the RSF are fighting using light and heavy weapons in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace -- the most violent since the start of the clashes -- as the conflict nears its fourth week.

At least 190 children have been killed and another 1,700 injured in the country since the violence broke out last month, according to reports received by UNICEF, the UN body's Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement on Thursday. Due to the intensity of the violence, UNICEF was unable to confirm the estimates, she added.

Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) warned on Wednesday that people trapped in battlefields are running out of water and food.

"Families across Sudan, including those of our colleagues, are being torn apart, and having to choose between remaining trapped in the battlefield, or risking their lives to flee or reach an overcrowded hospital," Egeland said in a statement.

"They are running out of everything, including water, food, electricity, fuel, and cash. We need the international community to put as much effort into secure humanitarian access, regardless of ceasefire and in providing aid to millions of people as they have in evacuating their own citizens," he added.

The violence has triggered a mass exodus of refugees from Sudan, with the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) on Thursday warning that $445 million is needed to help the 860,000 refugees and returnees who could escape the country by October.

According to a UNHCR statement, the plan was designed by "134 partners, including UN agencies, national and international NGOS and civil society groups" and includes a contingency strategy for new arrivals (refugees, returning refugees and others) to neighbouring countries."

At the same time, hundreds of evacuees arrived from Sudan in Nigeria on Wednesday after being held up for days at the Egyptian border for days, as reports over the chaotic border response to the uptick in evacuees continue.

The first contingent of 376 Nigerians were flown home in a military aircraft and a local carrier and arrived in the capital Abuja shortly before midnight, according to the Nigerians In Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM).

Last week, more than 7,000 Nigerian nationals, mostly students fleeing the Sudan conflict had been left stranded at the Egyptian border due to the unavailability of visas, NIDCOM said while appealing to Egyptian authorities "to kindly allow the already traumatized travellers to transit to their final destinations."
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition party Voluntad Popular on Friday named a new candidate for a key presidential primary in October, replacing formerly anti-government leader Juan Guaido who left Venezuela unexpectedly in late April.

At a news conference, Voluntad Popular named political coordinator Freddy Superlano, a 46-year-old engineer and critic of President Nicolas Maduro, as its nominee, explaining Guaido could not represent the party from "exile."

Voluntad Popular member Desiree Barboza said the decision to name Superlano the party's candidate was unanimous. Superlano will be up against at least a dozen other figures seeking to lead the opposition in the presidential contest, expected in 2024.

Guaido arrived in Miami on April 25 from Bogota, where he had gone intending to join an international conference on Venezuela's political future. He said Colombian authorities forced him to leave despite his appeal for protection citing new threats by Maduro's government.

From 2019 to December 2022, Guaido served as acting president in a shadow government challenging Maduro until the opposition dissolved it.

Like Guaido, Superlano is barred by judicial and administrative rulings from running for public office.

Other candidates seeking nomination in the October primaries have also been disqualified, an issue the government and opposition have been negotiating.

Speaking at Voluntad Popular headquarters, party member Barboza called Superlano a "man who beat Chavismo", referring to his 2021 victory in the race for governorship of Barinas state, a former stronghold of the ruling party as the birthplace of late President Hugo Chavez.

The Supreme Court, seen by critics as an arm of the government, invalidated the result and Superlano did not take office.

(This story has been refiled to correct the spelling of Nicolas in paragraph 2 and fix the dateline)

(Reporting by Vivian Sequera and Mircely Guanipa, Writing by Isabel Woodford; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Four members of the neo-fascist Proud Boys, three of whom have military backgrounds, were convicted Thursday of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol  a significant milestone in the Jan. 6, 2021 cases that again highlighted the participation of veterans and service members, and created a new wave of disinformation.

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio, along with members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl, were convicted by a jury in Washington, D.C., of seditious conspiracy  a charge that carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The case is a reminder that a large segment of the Jan. 6 protestors were veterans and even active duty service members  a small but vocal slice of the military community that proved willing to resort to violence against elected officials and fellow officers of the law, primed by a steady stream of disinformation that cast the 2020 election as rigged or stolen, though even Republican election officials across the country denied that.

Like-minded election-deniers took to social media following Thursdays convictions, condemning the verdict as a gross injustice, and several popular conservative Twitter accounts described the defendants as political prisoners.

Its fitting right into this disinformation machine that has been built up over the last couple of years, said Michael Jensen, a senior researcher at the University of Marylands National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism.

Following the initial verdict, the jury deliberated for several more hours on a conspiracy charge for the fifth defendant and former Marine, Dominic Pezzola. They found him not guilty of seditious conspiracy, but he and the four others were found guilty of several other felonies.

Norm Pattis, an attorney representing Biggs, declined to comment to Military Times early Thursday until a final verdict was reached. Nordeans attorney didnt provide comment to reporters outside of the courthouse Thursday, CNN reported, while Tarrios lawyer said he was drafting an appeal and Rehls attorney, Carmen Hernandez, said simply, It is not a happy day.

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Enrique Tarrio, leader of the Proud Boys (L) and Joe Biggs (R) gather outside of Harry's bar during a protest on December 12, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

Radicalizing veterans and service members

For the past decade, Jensen has managed a database of domestic extremists charged with crimes. The attack on the Capitol  and the demographics of those individuals involved  prompted his team to take a closer look at the role of veterans and service members in extremist groups. Veterans participation in the Capitol siege was also tracked by George Washington University and Harvard University and has been the subject of multiple congressional hearings.

An analysis by George Washington University found that 43 of the 357 individuals arrested for their alleged involvement in the attack had a military history. People with links to the military made up 12% of those charged, despite accounting for an estimated 7% of the U.S. population.

Jensens research found that 26 of the 98 members, or of the Proud Boys who have been charged in connection with the attack have military backgrounds. Those members include Nordean, Biggs and Rehl.

Nordean, a chapter leader of the Proud Boys in Auburn, Washington, joined the Navy but didnt make it past basic training, Jensen said. Rehl served in the Marine Corps, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported, and Biggs spent eight years total in the Army Reserve and the active-duty Army, deploying twice and earning a Purple Heart, according to the Daytona Beach News-Journal.

Rehl led a Proud Boys chapter in Philadelphia, and Biggs, of Ormond Beach, Florida, was a self-described organizer of the group.

The participation of veterans and service members in the Capitol attack was the subject of a congressional hearing in 2021, at which experts testified that the population has been a long-time recruitment target of extremist organizations. The groups seek out veterans because of their military expertise, said Seth Jones, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Veterans have valuable skills that extremist networks want, such as small unit tactics, communications, logistics, reconnaissance, and surveillance, Jones testified.

In its analysis of veterans and service members involved in extremist activities, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism discovered that a tiny fraction of people enter the military with extremist views. About 20% start developing those views in the military, while a vast majority are radicalized after leaving the service.

Overall, the number of veterans participating in extremism more than tripled over the past 10 years, the consortium found. In addition to their tactical knowledge, veterans are prime recruitment targets because of their leadership abilities.

Military service prepares you to lead a group, he said. These guys tend to either be the ones to establish the organization or they rise through the ranks very, very quickly.

Stewart Rhodes, founder of the Oath Keepers, speaks during a rally outside the White House in Washington. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Proud Boys remain active

Jensen searched through known channels of disinformation across social media platforms following Thursdays verdict and found what he said were typical responses, including claims that the defendants had no reason to think they were doing anything wrong.

The false narratives about Jan. 6, 2021 are the more dangerous kind of disinformation, Jensen said, because they tend to reach a larger audience than radical beliefs posted to niche platforms and through encrypted channels.

Its potentially doing a lot more harm in terms of radicalizing large numbers of individuals, Jensen said.

The arrest of the Proud Boys leader hasnt stopped its activity, and Jensen believes the guilty verdict wont have any negative effect on the organization overall.

In the case of the Oath Keepers, another right-wing fringe organization that participated in the attack, the arrest of leader Stewart Rhodes effectively shuttered the group, Jensen said. Its been inactive since Jan. 6, 2021, and Rhodes and associate Kelly Meggs were convicted in December of seditious conspiracy.

The Oath Keepers operated through a hierarchy, which made it difficult for members to continue after the arrest of their leaders. Unlike that group, the Proud Boys lack a centralized structure and instead operate as autonomous chapters.

Since Jan. 6, 2021, chapters of the Proud Boys have turned their attention toward local politics, rather than trying to influence things at the national level, Jensen said. They protested mask mandates during the Covid-19 pandemic and have argued against critical race theory at their local school board meetings, among other activities.

This [verdict] is unlikely to end the Proud Boys, Jensen said. Theyre not going to go away because these four guys are going to spend up to 20 years in jail.
Over the wishes of Democratic governor Roy Cooper, North Carolinas veto-proof Republican-controlled Senate voted Thursday to pass a twelve-week abortion ban.

Shouts of Abortion rights now! rang from the gallery after the Senate gave final approval along party lines to Senate Bill 20, also known as the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act.

#BREAKING: The North Carolina Senate approved a bill that would ban most abortions in the state after 12 weeks. Governor Roy Cooper is vowing to veto it, however, Republicans have a veto-proof majority. Abortion-rights advocates began chanting after the approval. pic.twitter.com/x0zrL07Un8  Louie Tran (@louie_tran) May 4, 2023

We are grateful more babies will be protected, Tami Fitzgerald, executive director of the NC Values Coalition, told the New York Times. The bill marks the end of North Carolina as a destination for abortion and is a historic step forward for unborn babies and their mothers.

In early April, Tricia Cotham, a Democratic state representative, crossed the political aisle and handed Republicans a crucial supermajority in the lower chamber. The modern-day Democratic Party has become unrecognizable to me and to so many others throughout this state and this country, Cotham said during a recent press conference.

The party wants to villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgment, has solutions, she said. If you dont do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside.

Democrats will "villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgement, has solutions," says North Carolina State Rep Tricia Cotham after switching parties. "If you don't do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside." pic.twitter.com/Jhnn1TxXjK  RNC Research (@RNCResearch) April 5, 2023

While Republicans already held a supermajority in the state senate, Cothams move sent shock waves across the political landscape.

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Rep. Cothams votes on womens reproductive freedom, election laws, LGBTQ rights and strong public schools will determine the direction of the state we love, Governor Cooper noted in a statement. Its hard to believe she would abandon these long held principles and she should still vote the way she has always said she would vote when these issues arise, regardless of party affiliation.

Cooper specifically named Cotham, along with three other Republican lawmakers, in a video address released earlier Thursday in a bid to undermine support for the bill and dismantle its veto-proof supermajority.

This bill has nothing to do with making women safer, and everything to do with banning their reproductive freedom. pic.twitter.com/nfBagT3ijz  Governor Roy Cooper (@NC_Governor) May 4, 2023

We only need one Republican in either the House or Senate to help sustain the veto of this dangerous abortion ban. Ted Davis, Michael Lee, John Bradford, and Tricia Cotham promised to protect womens reproductive freedom. Theres still time for them to keep their promises, the governor tweeted following the news Thursday night.

The bill, already passed by the House on Wednesday night, will now go to the governors desk. He must act within ten days.

More from National Review
Insider's reporter didn't expect to find a tramway above the Great Smoky Mountains. Joey Hadden/Insider

I recently took an aerial tram up into the Great Smoky Mountains.

The ride was not part of my initial travel plan and before I arrived, I didn't know it even existed.

I spotted the tram while stuck in the rain with no taxi. It was one of the best parts of my trip.

During a recent trip to the Great Smoky Mountains, I had an experience I never expected  taking an aerial tram ride high above them.

Inside a tram traveling above the national park. Joey Hadden/Insider

Read more: I went to Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time and 7 surprises made my trip harder  and better  than I expected

Before I arrived at Great Smoky Mountain National Park, I never knew this tramway existed. But it ended up being a major unexpected highlight of my trip.

The Ober Gatlinburg Station. Joey Hadden/Insider

I only found the tram after spotting it from a restaurant in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a town near the national park. I was trying to figure out how to get to my Airbnb, but with no taxi available, I was facing a three-hour walk in heavy rain.

The author's booth at a restaurant in Gatlinburg Tennessee. Joey Hadden/Insider

Read more: Disappointing photos show what it's like to visit the Great Smoky Mountains in constant pouring rain

The tram travels between downtown Gatlinburg, where I was, and Ober Mountain, a tourist attraction with a roller coaster and other rides that happened to be just a 30-minute walk from my Airbnb.

The Ober Mountain Tramway in Gatlinburg. Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Ober Mountain

Completed in 1973 to bring skiers safely up to the slopes, the tram ascends 300 feet above the Great Smoky Mountains, and has carried millions of people up to Ober Mountain.

A tram passes through the Great Smoky Mountains. Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Ober Mountain

I was relieved to avoid an hours-long rainy walk and went to the tram station, which was across the street from the restaurant.

The author gets her ticket to ride Joey Hadden/Insider

I bought a ticket for the tram for $30, to take a two-mile ride above the mountains.

The waiting room for the tram ride in Gatlinburg. Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Ober Mountain

At the station, I learned that it's one of the largest aerial tramways in the US.

A tram arrives at Ober Mountain. Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Ober Mountain

Each tram car can hold 120 people, according to Ober Mountain. I don't think my tram ride was completely full, and I was impressed by how much room I had to move around and see the park from different angles.

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People take photos from the tram Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Ober Mountain

The tram travels at 17 miles per hour, according to Gatlinburg Attractions Association, and the ride was about 10 minutes long. I thought it swayed quite a bit, but not too much for comfort.

A view of the mountains from the tram ride. Joey Hadden/Insider

Source: Gatlinburg Attractions Association

I thought the aerial views of the park from the tram were epic and some of the best of my trip, even in the rain. I couldn't help but think if I hadn't struggled to find taxis, I never would have experienced the tram.

Views of the Great Smoky Mountains from the tram. Joey Hadden/Insider

When I made it safely to my Airbnb, I was grateful for the unexpected adventure. I can't wait to ride it again on a sunny day.

The author warms up from the rain in her Airbnb. Joey Hadden/Insider

Read more: Why I preferred sleeping in a glamping tent over cozy cabins during my first trip to the Great Smoky Mountains

Read the original article on Insider
(Getty Images)

North Carolinas Republican-controlled state senate passed legislation to ban abortion at 12 weeks on Thursday. The legislation, which follows the passing of a similar law in Florida, means that abortion access will be effectively cut off throughout most of the South.

What is particularly surprising about the legislation is it would happen in a state like North Carolina. While the state was part of the Confederacy, it always viewed itself as not as regressive as other Southern states.

When states like Alabama and Arkansas elected Dixiecrat governors in the 1960s, North Carolinas Terry Sanford championed civil rights and integration.

With a city like Charlotte that attracts finance and the Research Triangle that includes universities like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Duke University and North Carolina State University, it has always positioned itself as what political scientist V.O. Key called a progressive plutocracy.

Governor Roy Cooper, a Democrat, has threatened to veto the abortion bill, but Republicans have enough votes to override it. Mr Cooper won his first gubernatorial campaign in 2016 when Donald Trump won the state largely on the back of the Republican governor passing a bill that restricted transgender people from using public restrooms that matched their gender. Some likely hoped that after Barack Obama became the first Democrat to win the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976 that its political trajectory would mirror that of Virginia, which also voted for Mr Obama in 2008.

Instead, Mr Coopers victories in 2016 and 2020 notwithstanding, North Carolina has only moved further to the right in the 15 years since Mr Obamas victory. While Virginia has become more Democratic and Georgia voted for Joe Biden (though it remains staunchly Republican on the state level), Democrats have been unable to turn their fortunes around in the state.

The bad luck began shortly after Mr Obamas victory. Unlike many Southern states, North Carolinas legislature remained firmly Democratic for the better part of a century and it had only elected two Republican governors in the 20th century, both of whom were decidedly moderate. But the Great Recession left many in the state reeling, as did the decline of the textile, tobacco and furniture industries.

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In response, North Carolina voted overwhelmingly for the GOP, giving Republicans both houses of the legislature for the first time since 1898 in 2010. Former Charlotte mayor Pat McCrory won the governorship in 2012, giving the GOP a trifecta for the first time in more than a century, the same year Mitt Romney won North Carolina. In 2014, the states house speaker Thom Tillis routed Democratic Senator Kay Hagan, solidifying the GOPs hold.

The hits continued to come in 2016 when Mr Trump won the state and flipped historically Democratic areas like Robeson County and repeated his performance in 2020. In 2022, the state Democratic party fell even further and the GOP gained seats in the state legislature, coming up only one seat short of a supermajority in the state house.

Then, last month, the other shoe dropped when Tricia Cotham, a Democratic state legislator who had campaigned heavily on supporting abortion rights, switched parties and she joined the GOP, giving the party its super majority.

All of this might have some Democrats wondering how a state that sees itself as separate from the rest of the South could shift so hard to the right. Ultimately, the answer comes down to demographics. While 26 per cent of residents in neighboring Virginia live in rural areas, only about 57 per cent of North Carolinians live in urban areas.

As urban areas become increasingly Democratic, the party has become more reliant on the areas and less focused on rural areas nationally. Similarly, roughly 57 per cent of Georgias population lives in Atlanta, which has contributed to the state becoming fertile ground for Democrats and contributed to Senator Raphael Warnocks victory last year.

Similarly, North Carolina also lacks the large college-educated numbers that turned Virginia into a solidly Democratic state. Whereas 59.3 per cent of residents of the Old Dominion have either a college degree or some post-secondary certificate, only 34.9 per cent of North Carolinians have a college degree. As educational polarisation continues, with non-college graduates no longer seeing the Democratic Party as the party of the working class, they will continue to face huge obstacles.

Lastly, North Carolina lacks a sizeable African-American population. While about 30.5 per cent of Georgias population is Black, only about 22.3 per cent of North Carolina is Black. The lack of a large enough Black population combined with a lack of a college-educated population makes the state a heavy lift for Democrats.

Incidentally, the more that the state passes laws like abortion restrictions, the less attractive it will be to college-educated voters who might otherwise migrate to North Carolina. It will also disincentivise college students at places like Duke, UNC and Wake Forest University from staying in North Carolina, which could contribute to the state becoming even more Republican.

Conversely, the law could also create enough of a backlash that voters punish Republicans. The NCAAs decision to pull out of North Carolina because of the bathroom bill made the state look like a pariah and gave Mr Cooper the governorship. An old adage described North Carolina as a vale of humility between two mountains of conceit, and tarnishing that image might cost dearly.
Washington state is home to 29 federally-recognized tribal nations, but also has a large number of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP). In fact, as of May 1, there were 142 native people missing in the state, among the highest in the nation.

In response to the crisis, which impacts Tacoma and Seattle residents disproportionately in Washington state, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) will meet with tribal leaders, the head of the Seattle Indian Health Board and family members of missing Indigenous people on Friday.

The meeting is part of the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) to address the epidemic and its impacts in the Pacific Northwest. It will be livestreamed and posted to Cantwells video feed.

According to the Seattle Indian Health Board, which studied more than 70 urban areas in the United States, Seattle and Tacoma have some of the highest rates of MMIWP.

Despite this, Washington state only has two federal investigators in the Bureau of Indian Affairs Missing and Murdered Unit.

The National Day of Awareness was established in 2017, wrapping up the National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

The U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland said that the PNW needs more federal resources to combat this crisis in a conversation with Sen. Cantwell earlier this week.

The press conference is scheduled for noon on May 5 at the Seattle Indian Health Board building.
Press Service of Prigozhin/Telegram

Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday said his fighters will pull out of the key eastern Ukraine battleground of Bakhmut on May 10, ripping a lack of support from Moscow that is dooming his troops to a senseless death.

His mercenaries have led the bitter fight for control of the small city that has become the scene of some of the bloodiest conflict in Ukraine in recent months despite Bakhmut holding little strategic significance. In a series of furious tirades against Russias military commanders, Prigozhin said hell now pull his forces out of the city because Wagner is not being given the ammunition it needs.

Putin Grooms Russians for Defeat in Leaked Crisis Manual

I am officially addressing the supreme commander-in-chief, the chief of the General Staff, the minister of defense, and the people of Russia, Prigozhin said in a statement shared on Telegram. I declare on behalf of the fighters of the Wagner Group that on May 10, 2023, we are being forced to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to Ministry of Defense units and withdraw whats left of Wagner to the rear to lick our wounds.

I am withdrawing Wagners units from Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they are being doomed to a senseless death, Prigozhin continued. He added that hed decided to hold Wagners positions until after May 9, when Russia celebrates Victory Day, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

We will lick our wounds, and when the Motherland is in danger, we will again stand up for her defense, Prigozhin said. The Russian people can count on us.

The announcement comes a day after Prigozhins long-standing criticisms of Russias leaders appeared to boil over. In a video shared on Telegram on Thursday, the Wagner chief stood alongside what looked like rows of his recruits bloodied corpses and became apoplectic with rage as he said he lacked 70 percent of the ammunition he needs on the battlefield.

Prigozhin showed fresh losses of Wagner PMC and blamed Shoigu and Gerasimov for them.



He says the ammunition shortage has reached 70% and seems to be on the verge himself. pic.twitter.com/lRiGjApC5n  Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 5, 2023

These were someones fucking fathers! And someones sons! Prigozhin fumed in the footage. And those bastards who dont give us ammunition will fucking eat their guts in fucking hell!

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The video opens with Prigozhin pointing a flashlight on his apparently lifeless mercenaries and saying they were Wagner recruits who died on the day the footage was recorded. Their blood is still fresh, he said before instructing the cameraman to make sure he films all of the corpses.

Our ammunition shortage has reached 70 percent! Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the fucking ammo? Prigozhin thundered, referring to Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Russian armed forces chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

Fucking look at them! he continued. You bastards sit in your expensive clubs. Your children enjoy life and film YouTube videos. You think you own this life and you have the right to decide their fates! Prigozhin claimed that if he was given the amount of ammunition he needs, he would have five times fewer casualties.

They came here as volunteers and they are dying so you can enjoy life in your offices with red wood furniture, he added. Take this into account. The video ends with a shot lingering on the bodies.

A withdrawal by Wagner from Bakhmut could have a major effect on the battle for the city. Earlier this week, the White Houses National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that more than 20,000 Russian troops had died fighting in Ukraine in the last five months alone, the majority of whom had been killed in grueling trench warfare in Bakhmut.

Russia has made repeated claims of being close to completely capturing the city, but Ukraine has always maintained that the city has not been lost.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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A furious Yevgeny Prigozhin screams at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov. Screenshot/Press Service of Prigozhin/Telegram

Yevgeny Prigozhin went ballistic on the Kremlin in an expletive-laden video on Thursday.

The Wager Group boss said he blamed Russia's defense minister and a top general for a lack of ammo.

Prigozhin called the pair "animals," saying they were responsible for the deaths of his men.

The Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin released a video on Thursday of him shouting and cursing at the Kremlin's two top officials.

His latest video, published on his press service's Telegram channel, contains the military contractor's harshest public comments about Russia's leaders since the war began.

"Here are the guys from PMC Wagner who died today. The blood is still fresh," Prigozhin said in the video seen by Insider.

"Film them all," he told a cameraman, who pans across a grassy clearing filled with rows of corpses dressed in combat fatigues.

Prigozhin then launches into an expletive-filled tirade against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, who Putin tasked with running the war in Ukraine.

He swore at least nine times in the video, though his press service censored the expletives.

"We have a 70% ammo shortage! Shoigu! Gerasimov!" Prigozhin said before demanding to know where the ammo for his troops was.

He said military leaders who wouldn't give his troops ammunition would "have their insides eaten in hell."

"You animals are hanging out in expensive clubs," Prigozhin continued. "Your children are enjoying their lives, making videos for YouTube. Do you think that you are the masters of this life and that you have the right to control their lives?"

Prigozhin said that the death toll among his troops would have been five times lower if they had been supplied with enough ammunition.

"They came here as volunteers," he said, referring to the dead men in the video. "And are dying for you to be rolling in clover in your mahogany offices. Keep that in mind!"

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Prigozhin  generally seen as a close ally of Putin  repeatedly complained that his troops were running out of supplies, and has accused Russia's top brass of cutting him off and dooming his men in Ukraine.

He said his forces were only receiving a fifth of the shells they needed every day, and that the shortage was costing his men their lives.

On Saturday, Prigozhin said his troops in Bakhmut would either have to "withdraw or die" given the massive ammunition deficit. He later added that Wagner Group had lost more than 100 people in a single day during an assault there.

The fighting has been brutal in the eastern Ukrainian region. Wagner's ground troops, led by Prigozhin, are one of Russia's main forces deployed there. Ukraine and Russia have lost thousands of men in Bakhmut over the last few months, according to Western estimates.

In 2022, the Wagner Group drew criticism for recruiting Russian convicts to fight in Ukraine, promising the prisoners their freedom. Over 40,000 former convicts joined Wagner by July 2022, according to US officials.

Most Wagner soldiers have been ill-equipped and poorly trained, and have died in the fighting, The New York Times reported.

The mercenary group stopped recruiting prisoners in February after a growing number of convicts refused its offer because of Wagner's high rate of casualties, according to local media.

Russia's defense-ministry press service did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside regular business hours.

Translation by Oleksandr Vynogradov.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin said he will pull his mercenaries out of the meat grinder that is the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10, one day after Russias Victory Day Celebrations, which Russian president Vladimir Putin is expected to use to shore up support for the Russian invasion.

The Wagner Group, a well-known mercenary unit known to be one of Russias most competent fighting divisions, is leading the charge on Bakhmut, a city that that has gained outsized symbolic importance.

I am withdrawing the Wagner PMC units from Bakhmut, because in the absence of ammunition they are doomed to senseless death, Prigozhin said in full military fatigues and carrying an automatic weapon. The video he released showed him surrounded by masked Wagner fighters. Prigozhin also released a statement to the same effect.

His forces had no choice but to withdraw to rear bases to lick the wounds, said Prigozhin, as translated by the Washington Post. If Wagner goes through with the withdrawal, it could hurt Russian efforts to capture the city and deteriorate morale further. The Russian invasion has ground to a standstill after large-scale Russian and Ukrainian offensives last year. Kyiv, which has been amassing weapons, tanks and fighter jets, is expected to launch a fresh counterattack in the very near future.

Prigozhin also launched a remarkable video tirade overnight on Telegram in which he displayed bodies of dozens of Wagner soldiers killed in Bakhmut. He angrily laid into the Russian Defense minister Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of the Russian armed forces, for supplying Wagner with only 30 percent of the ammunition thats needed.

The statement released today claimed that number was even lower, standing at 10 percent.

Wagner has been widely condemned in the West for its numerous human-rights violations, and many members of Congress have called for the mercenary group to be designated a foreign terrorist organization, which the Biden administration has so far declined to do.

Story continues

According to Western intelligence, Wagner deployed some 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, many of them prisoners. Earlier this week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that 20,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since December alone and that half of that number was Wagner fighters on the front line in Bakhmut.

Tensions between Wagner and the Russian defense apparatus have mounted in recent months. The timing of Prigozhins announcement could be intended to shift blame for the failure to capture Bakhmut before Victory Day.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who recently accused the U.S. of orchestrating alleged drone attacks on the capital, has said reports of a conflict with Wagner are the product of information manipulation, according to the Post. But sometimes our friends behave in such a way that we dont need enemies, Peskov added.

More from National Review
Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin said he will withdraw his mercenaries from the embattled town of Bakhmut, Ukraine, saying his fighters are doomed to senseless death because Russias Defense Ministry is depriving them of ammunition.

By not giving us shells, you are not depriving us of victory, you are depriving the people of Russia of victory, Prigozhin said in a video released on his Telegram account. We will lick our wounds, and when the Motherland is in danger, we will rise again to defend it. The Russian people can count on us.

Prigozhin said Wagner Group would leave Bakhmut May 10, one day after Victory Day  an important holiday in Russia celebrating Moscows triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Bakhmut, a city in Ukraines eastern Donetsk region, has become a major battleground in the war effort as Russia has pounded away at the city for months, making only incremental gains while expending troops and ammunition at a great cost.

The assault has been led by the Wagner Group, which began encircling Ukrainian defenders in the late winter fueled by a new Russian offensive but has since struggled to make any gains.

Now, Ukraine is looking to exploit the failed Russian offensive and is eyeing a counterattack, which could be coming any day now.

Bakhmut is a strategic point in the Donetsk region and the wider eastern Donbas, which Russia has looked to seize this spring.

In the video, Prigozhin heavily criticized Russian defense leaders, directly accusing them of inadequacy and a failure to achieve its goals.

He said the Russian army and mercenary fighters should have seized Bakhmut by May 9, but the bureaucrats had cut off artillery ammunition and allegedly lied about the number of Russian troops fighting in the city.

The named number of troops is very different from the real one, there are a lot of additions: instead of tens of thousands there are tens and rarely hundreds of soldiers, Prigozhin accused.

Story continues

Wagner Group, primarily known for its meddling in conflicts in Africa and Syria, first entered Ukraine in March 2022 after Russias initial plan to seize the capital of Ukraine and large swaths of the country failed.

Since October, when Russia began concentrating on Bakhmut and eastern Ukraine, Prigozhin has played an outsized role in broadcasting the war effort on the Russian side and has repeatedly complained about a lack of ammunition.

Its unclear how truthful his statements have been, and Moscow has rarely addressed them publicly.

In the video, he said Wagner Group ran out of offensive resources in April and now has a 90 percent shortage in ammunition.

The mercenary chief requested the Russian Ministry of Defense replace his troops at the border ahead of his withdrawal.

After a while, there will be clever people who will say that we should have stayed in Bakhmut even longer, Prigozhin said. Whoever has critical remarks  come to Bakhmut, welcome, stand with weapons in their hands instead of our killed comrades.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
(CNN)  After his mother was murdered in 2007, Jordan Neely eked out a living as a well-known Michael Jackson impersonator in Times Square and on New York's subways.

But he apparently fell on hard times in recent years, according to a friend and a relative, finding himself living on the street and struggling with the trauma of losing his mother.

On Monday, after yelling at passengers on a New York subway train that he was hungry and thirsty and tired of having nothing, Neely was held in a chokehold by another rider and later died.

Manhattan prosecutors were conducting a "rigorous ongoing investigation" into the death of the 30-year-old man seen in a video being held in a chokehold and his arms restrained by another passenger.

Neely died Monday due to "compression of neck (chokehold)," a spokesperson for the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said. The manner of death was ruled a homicide, but that determination is not a ruling on intent or culpability, which is for the criminal justice system to consider, the spokesperson said.

"This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neely's life," Manhattan District Attorney's Office spokesperson Doug Cohen said in a statement. "As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner's report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records."

Witnesses told police Neely and another man were riding a northbound train Monday when the other man put Neely in a chokehold, causing him to lose consciousness, a law enforcement source said.

Neely's comes as the city copes with rising homelessness and growing numbers of people with mental illness on the streets and subways. Friends, relatives and some local elected officials are demanding justice for Neely's death.

Neely had been "acting erratically" before the incident but had not attacked anyone on the train prior to being put in the chokehold, a witness who recorded the encounter told CNN.

Juan Alberto Vazquez said he was riding the subway when he saw a man, later identified as Neely, enter the car just as the doors were closing. Neely immediately launched into an aggressive rant about being "fed up and hungry" and "tired of having nothing," Vazquez said.

Vazquez quoted Neely as saying: "I don't care if I die. I don't care if I go to jail. I don't have any food ... I'm done."

Neely then took off his coat and threw it on the floor and said he was ready to go to jail and get a life sentence, Vazquez said.

Many passengers became visibly uncomfortable and moved to other parts of the train car, but Vazquez told CNN it didn't seem like Neely was armed or looking to attack anyone.

Another rider then approached Neely from behind and put him in a chokehold, Vazquez said.

Vazquez said Neely did not argue or have any interaction with the man who put him into a chokehold. He said he saw the man come up to Neely from behind and heard the sound when both men fell to the ground.

Two other passengers approached, with one seemingly trying to mediate, while the other seemed to be helping the man restrain Neely, Vazquez said, adding that he started recording the incident about three or four minutes after the chokehold began.

In the video, Neely and the other man are seen on the floor of a subway car with the man's arm wrapped around Neely's neck. Vazquez said the two men were on the floor for about seven minutes.

Vazquez told CNN that Neely did not try to attack anyone. He said he did not see Neely with a weapon, despite someone else being heard on his video claiming that Neely had a knife. He said he saw Neely's frustration but not "any intent to attack any person."

CNN has not been able to independently confirm what happened leading up to the incident and doesn't know how long Neely was restrained or whether he was armed.

After a while, Vazquez noticed that Neely stopped talking and moving, he said.

NYPD officers responded to a subway station in downtown Manhattan just before 2:30 p.m. and found Neely unconscious. First aid was rendered and he was taken to a nearby hospital and pronounced dead later that afternoon, the law enforcement source and an NYPD spokesperson said.

Vazquez said he gave his video to police after learning Neely had died.

Neely was deeply impacted by his mother's murder

Carolyn Neely set up a GoFundMe page for her nephew, describing him as "a very talented Black man who loves to dance."

"Performance was his thing," she wrote. "His mother is Christie Neely and she was murdered in April 2007. It's been rough for him and all of us. We just want justice for him."

Moses Harper, a friend and fellow Michael Jackson tribute performer, told CNN that Neely was greatly affected by the murder of his mother.

"He disclosed that she was murdered and her body was put in a suitcase," Harper recalled Neely telling her. "It traumatized him. He was not expecting that, the brutal way she was taken. That had a big impact on him. The brutality behind that."

Harper said she first met Neely in 2009 and once had an impromptu dance session with him in Times Square in front of tourists.

"He was very kind and had a sweet soul and personality," said Harper, who also works in homeless/youth outreach.

Harper said she would run into him occasionally and see his performances on YouTube. She last saw him on the subway in 2016 and could tell Neely was homeless.

"I had never seen him like that before," she said. "I can tell he was in the street. He was asking for money, for food and drink."

Harper recalled that Neely's face lit up when he looked at her but he kept walking, apparently ashamed to be seen in such a dire state. She got up and took Neely off the train at the next station.

"I hugged him and wrapped him up like he was my little brother. And I told him, 'Don't ever be ashamed,'" she said.

Neely walked with Harper to her building but refused to come up, she said. He told her about "his struggles and challenges" and she gave him her number.

It was cold that day, Harper said, and she gave him one of her favorite shirts. They exchanged "another big hug," she recalled, and she "never saw him again."

Fans of his performances have been contacting her and asking about him since reports of his death started to circulate.

"They're just finding out and they're crying. They don't know what to think," said Harper, adding that she wants accountability for his death.

"That's someone's child," she said. "That's someone's friend."

Neely's father told the New York Daily News that his son's mother had been murdered by her boyfriend.

"His moms died she got killed too. And now him?! She got killed (by) her boyfriend. And now him? By somebody else?" Andre Zachery told the newspaper. "I don't know what to say."

In 2012, a New Jersey man was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the 2007 murder of Christie Neely in their home and "dumping her body in a suitcase in the Bronx," according to the Jersey Journal.

Zachery told the Daily News he hadn't seen his son for four years, and said Neely was "very good" at impersonating Michael Jackson.

"I sat him in front of the TV and showed him the Jackson 5 ... He took on the Michael Jackson thing and he really formed it very well."

Neely was homeless, according to a source familiar with his case. He had a history of encounters with the NYPD, a law enforcement source told CNN's John Miller, including 42 arrests on charges including petit larceny, jumping subway turnstiles, theft, and three unprovoked assaults on women in the subway between 2019 and 2021.

The man who put Neely in the chokehold has been identified as a 24-year-old from Queens, a law enforcement source told CNN's Brynn Gingras. He was interviewed by detectives and released, another law enforcement source told Miller, noting the man doesn't have a criminal record.

He is a veteran who served in the US Marines, according to law enforcement and military records. He was a sergeant and served from 2017 to 2021, and his last duty assignment was at Camp Lejeune in North Carolina, military records show.

"This investigation is being handled by senior, experienced prosecutors and we will provide an update when there is additional public information to share," Cohen, the district attorney's office spokesperson, said. "The Manhattan D.A.'s Office encourages anyone who witnessed or has information about this incident to call 212-335-9040."

New York governor says Neely's family 'deserves justice'

Neely's death comes more than a year after New York City Mayor Eric Adams launched an initiative to combat crime and address homelessness in the city's subway system, including a plan to add more behavioral health emergency assistance teams.

When asked about Neely's case and the issue of vigilantism during an interview on CNN Primetime Wednesday, Adams said, "Each situation is different. ... We have so many cases where passengers assist other riders. We don't know exactly what happened here until the investigation is thorough."

Adams said officers were on the scene in six minutes. He referenced his time as a transit officer in New York and said he responded to many calls where passengers assisted others.

"We cannot just blanketedly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that," Adams said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday said Neely's family "deserves justice" and that there have to be consequences after his death.

"I do want to acknowledge how horrific it was to view a video of Jordan Neely being killed for being a passenger on the subway trains," Hochul said at a news conference.

Hochul called the response of the passengers who held down Neely "very extreme" and said the video "was very disturbing to witness."

New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams called for accountability in Neely's death, saying in a statement, "Let's be clear: any possible mental health challenges that Jordan may have been experiencing were no reason for his life to be taken."

"My heart and condolences are with his loved ones during this difficult time," the council speaker said. "His killing at the hands of a fellow passenger and the responses to this violence that took his life have been not only tragic but difficult to absorb."

On Thursday, Adams defended his earlier statements about the death.

"I have a responsibility for this entire city and I have faith in the criminal justice system, and I'm going to let the process take its place. And those who believe I should do something differently, I respect that, but I have to make the right decision for the city of New York," Adams said.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "Man dies after being put in a chokehold by another rider on New York City subway, officials say. The DA is investigating"
A furious Yevgeny Prigozhin screams at Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov. Screenshot/Press Service of Prigozhin/Telegram

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday that his troops will pull out of Bakhmut on May 10.

Prigozhin has been complaining about the lack of Russian military support in Bakhmut for months.

In a video posted Thursday, Prigozhin was screaming and cursing at the Kremlin's military officials.

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said Friday that he plans on pulling his troops out of Bakhmut after posting an expletive-filled tirade against Russian military chiefs.

"I withdraw units of PMC Wagner because in the absence of ammunition, they are doomed to a senseless death," Prigozhin said in a statement published by his press service on Telegram, adding that his troops are retreating to "lick their wounds."

The month-long battle for Bakhmut has been one of the bloodiest fights of the war so far, with thousands of soldiers dying on both sides. Wagner's ground troops, led by Prigozhin, are one of Russia's main forces deployed there.

Prigozhin said he will pull his troops out on May 10.

It was unclear whether Prigozhin's comments were a serious declaration of intent, considering the Wagner boss has previously made sarcastic comments and threats he has not followed through with.

His statement comes after he released a tirade against Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Valery Gerasimov, who Putin tasked with running the war in Ukraine.v.

In the video, which was also released on Telegram, Wagner complained that the mercenary group was running short of ammunition, adding that military leaders who refuse to help will "have their insides eaten in hell."

"We have a 70% ammo shortage! Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where the [beep] is the ammo?" he said in the video.

"You animals are hanging out in expensive clubs," he continued. "Your children are enjoying their lives, making videos for YouTube. Do you think that you are the masters of this life and that you have the right to control their lives?"

Story continues

Prigozhin's statement tops off months of public feuding between the Wagner boss and Russia's military chiefs. He has repeatedly claimed his troops are running out of supplies and accused Russia's top brass of cutting him off.

Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin had no response to Prigozhin's latest statement "because it concerns the course of the [war in Ukraine]," Ukrainian news outlet Pravda reported.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider
The boss of Russias Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, threatened to pull his troops out of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine next week because of a critical shortage of ammunition.

Russia has been trying to capture the embattled city for months.

The claim comes as independent military experts believe Ukraine is on the verge or has already started a counteroffensive against Russia's military almost 15 months after Moscow launched its invasion of Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military company, in Moscow on April 8, 2023.

Russia: Drone attack on Kremlin was attempt to kill Putin; Kyiv denies involvement

Prigozhin made the threat in a video that was also posted on social-messaging site Telegram. Prigozhin is known for being a publicity seeker who routinely makes false statements, unverifiable claims and threats he doesn't follow through on. He is a longtime close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the  ammunition? They came here as volunteers and die for you to fatten yourselves in your mahogany offices," Prigozhin said. Shoigu is Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. Gerasimov is Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff of Russia's armed forces.

Prigozhin said his forces would leave Bakhmut by Wednesday.

Many of Wagner's fighters are convicts recruited from Russian prisons. They have been fighting alongside Russia's regular army in Bakhmut and elsewhere along the front line for months, where they have suffered heavy losses and often appeared to informally compete with Russia's official military for resources.

'It's hard, but they're holding on': 'On the ground in Ukraine, the war depends on U.S. weapons

Prigozhin said in the video that if not for ammunition shortages, many Wagner soldiers would be alive.

You sit there, (expletive), in expensive clubs, Prigozhin said, addressing Shoigu and Gerasimov. You think youre the masters of this life and that you have the right to dispose of their lives.

Story continues

There was no immediate reaction from Russia's defense ministry or the Kremlin.

Ukraine's military has also complained about ammunition shortages in Bakhmut, and more generally.

The Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, has assessed that Russia's military has, as of May 3, "continued to make gains in and around Bakhmut."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Wagner Group boss threatens to pull Bakhmut troops in Ukraine
Yevgeny Prigozhin Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group paramilitary army, has been feuding with Russia's military leaders for months, pointedly accusing the Ministry of Defense of deliberately denying his fighters the shells and bullets they need to finally grind out a victory in the ruins of the Ukrainian city of Bahkmut. In recent days, he has threatened to pull his mercenaries out of Bakhmut if he doesn't get more ammunition.

On Thursday night Prigozhin sharpened the feud, posting a video of a field of bloody fighters he said died on Thursday and blaming Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and armed forces chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov for their deaths. "Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where are the f--king shells!" he shouted, according to CNN's translation. "These are someone's f--king fathers and someone's sons. And you f--kers who aren't giving [us] ammunition, you bitches, will have your guts eaten out in hell!"

"You sit there in your luxury clubs, your kids are addicted to shooting clips for YouTube," Prigozhin continued. "You think you are the masters of this life? You think you can dispose of their lives? If you have warehouses full of ammunition, then you do." He said the Wagner fighters, many of whom were recruited from prisons to kill Ukrainians, "came here as volunteers and are dying so you can sit like fat cats in your luxury offices."

Wagner, CNN notes, is "known for its disregard for the lives of its own soldiers," sending untrained and lightly armed recruits to their likely deaths in the battle for Bakhmut  the U.S. estimates that half the 20,000 Russian fighters killed in Ukraine since December are Wagner mercenaries. And this isn't an entirely new tactic for Prigozhin. In February, Prigozhin posted a video of a pile of Wagner corpses and obliquely accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of "treason," then claimed the next day that requested ammunition was coming.

Story continues

This time, Russia may not have much ammunition to spare.

Russia's lack of munitions and manpower means it probably won't be able to mount "significant offensive operation this year" in Ukraine, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday. "In fact, if Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and secure substantial third-party ammunition supplies beyond existing deliveries from Iran and others, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even modest offensive operations."

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Police are searching for the person who shot and killed a 16-year-old boy in Daytona Beach.

The shooting happened around 9:40 p.m. Wednesday on Hudson Street, near the John H Dickerson Community Center.

Police said witnesses saw someone running from the shooting.

Neighbors are raising concerns after Frederick Cooper III was caught in the crossfire in Daytona Beach.

Read: Police identify boy, 16, killed in Daytona Beach shooting; killer still sought

I am worried my daughter cant even come outside and play, a Daytona Beach resident said.

The resident is afraid to reveal his identity with the suspect still on the loose. He shared what he heard and saw outside of his home last night.

I heard about eight gunshots go off, the Daytona Beach resident said. I immediately grabbed my daughters and ducked for cover until I heard it was finished. Then I came outside and checked the vehicles and made sure they were ok, and I saw the young gentleman on the ground.

Read: Police: 16-year-old boy killed in Daytona Beach shooting

Coopers family and friends described him as smart, sweet, and silly.

Every time I come out the door, he said where my snacks at, where my snacks at, Kenya Williams said.

Coopers mother, Sonya Jackson, said her son was innocent. She said Cooper was walking a friend home at the time of the shooting.

Jackson has a message for the person that shot her son.

I expect for you to come forward, Jackson said. You took an innocent life. That was my world; everyone loved him.

Read: Extra fees: How much theyre costing you & how to save money

Police said the gunman who shot the boy was wearing all black and traveling on foot.

Investigators canvassed the neighborhood for clues and checked security cameras, but the search did not bring any answers.

I just want justice for my son, Jackson said. Whoever did this, I expect for you to come forward.

Witnesses said the suspect appeared to be a teenager.

Channel 9 is working to gather more details and will provide updates on Eyewitness News.

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.
Warner Bros Discovery CEO David Zaslav has defended CNNs forthcoming town hall Q&A with former president Donald Trump.

The network, which is owned by Zaslavs media giant, has faced intense backlash for scheduling the appearance.

The US has a divided government. We need to hear both voices, Zaslav told CNBCs Squawk Box on Friday (5 May).

Republicans are on the air on CNN, Democrats are on the air When we do politics, we need to represent both sides. I think its important for America.

Zaslav continued on Trump: Hes the front-runner  he has to be on our network. Were happy hes coming on there.

This is a new CNN, the CEO added. Im proud of CNN, were on a great journey and this country needs it.

The move to include Trump in its coverage is seen as a move from both the network and the presidential candidate to boost ratings.

During his presidency, Trump repeatedly criticised CNN as fake news  he has not appeared on the network since 2016.

Former president Donald Trump (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

I find it very hard to defend the choice to give him a live platform, no matter how it is dressed up, MSNBCs Chris Hayes said on Wednesday (3 May) about his competitors decision.

If he is given live airtime, there is no way to know if he will do something like, I dont know, give out the personal information about the DA? Something that, once said on a live broadcast, cannot be unsaid and undone.

Meanwhile, on ABCs chat show The View, co-host Sunny Hostin said she was disgusted by the move.

When someone shows you who they are, you believe them. When you show that you are an insurrectionist, that youre a liar, that youre a bigot, that youre a racist. That youre sexist. That youre twice impeached. That you are currently a criminal defendant and likely to be a criminal defendant in two other jurisdictions I know everything I need to know about you.

She added: You dont give that kind of person a platform.

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins will moderate the town hall with Trump on 10 May from 9pm ET from St Anselm College in New Hampshire.

A spokesperson said in a statement that CNN has a longstanding tradition of hosting leading presidential candidates for Town Halls and political events as a critical component of the networks robust campaign coverage.

This event with former president Trump will be the first of many for CNN in the coming months as CNN correspondents travel across the country to hear directly from voters in the runup to the 2024 presidential election.
Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav defended CNNs controversial decision to host an upcoming live town hall forum with former President Donald Trump.

The U.S. has a divided government. We need to hear both voices, Zaslav told CNBCs Squawk Box on Friday.

He continued: Republicans are on the air on CNN, Democrats are on the air.  When we do politics, we need to represent both sides. I think its important for America.

The town hall, set to take place on May 10 in New Hampshire at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, will include a Q&A with Republicans and voters that will be moderated by CNNs Kaitlan Collins. The event follows Trumps kickoff of his reelection bid and marks his first town hall style event of the 2024 presidential campaign.

News of the town hall sparked controversy for multiple reasons. First, the former president is well known to spread disinformation, including repeated false claims that the 2020 election was stolen. He is also not a normal candidate, as he is currently under indictment for alleged hush money payments and facing multiple potential criminal investigations related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election and incite an attack on Congress, as well as for his refusal to turn over classified documents after he left the White House. He is also currently facing a civil rape trial.

And critics have argued that CNN is doing what it did during the 2016 campaign, when Trump received uninterrupted TV coverage from CNN and other networks that amounted to billions of dollars worth of free advertising.

And then there are the clashes Trump has had with the network.

According to The Associated Press, Trump never gave an interview with CNN reporters during his presidency, and repeatedly denounced the news outlet as fake news and the enemy of the people. A Trump adviser told the AP that the success in his 2016 campaign depended on sticking to traditional comfort zones for Republicans when it came to media appearances.

Story continues

But Trump ended his CNN boycott and has agreed to participate in the live town hall  a decision likely meant to draw a contrast with his strongest expected GOP opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has steered away from mainstream media appearances while in office, the AP reports.

[Trump is] the front-runner  he has to be on our network. Were happy hes coming on there, Zaslav told CNBC.

Zaslav added that this is a new CNN, referring to Discoverys acquisition of the network following a merger with Warner Bros. in April 2022. Following the merger, Chris Licht, former executive producer and showrunner of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, took over Jeff Zuckers role as CEO of CNN.

During an interview with CNBC in October, Licht said he wants CNN to feature viewpoints from both sides of the political divide, but that he wont stand for disinformation.

The analogy I love to use is some people like rain, some people dont like rain. We should give space to that. But we will not have someone who comes on and says its not raining, Licht told CNBC.

Trumps appearance on CNN will put Lichts promise to the test.

The town hall will be televised live, rather than airing a pre-recorded interview with Trump  an option that could be safer, so his statements could be fact-checked beforehand. But the network says it intends to hold him accountable throughout the event.

President Trump is the Republican frontrunner, and our job despite his unique circumstances is to do what we do best, a CNN spokesperson told told CNBC on Friday. Ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices.

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The Georgia senator vowed to continue the fight to get voting rights legislation passed in this Congress as he reflected on his reading of Dr. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail in Congress.

Sixty years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.s Letter from Birmingham Jail was published, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators read Kings famous dispatch in an annual tradition on Capitol Hill commemorating the civil rights leaders message of moral conviction and standing up against injustice.

In this March 1965 photo, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (center) and his wife, Coretta Scott King (right) lead a civil rights march from Selma, Alabama, to the state capital, Montgomery as diplomat Ralph Bunche (left) listens to King. Successful movements, said Sen. Raphael Warnock, dont always begin with lawmakers. (Photo: William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images)

In the 1963 letter, in which he famously wrote, Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, King indignantly addressed white clergymen who criticized his nonviolent campaign against racism and racial segregation in Birmingham.

Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia was among the lawmakers who took to the Senate floor on Wednesday to read portions of Kings letter, which he told theGrio he first encountered as a student at Morehouse College in Atlanta, where King also attended.

That letter is as relevant now as it was when he wrote it in the 1960s, Warnock said.

As a recent example, he pointed to the expulsions of Democratic Tennessee state Reps. Justin J. Pearson and Justin Jones. The young Black legislators and their white colleague, Rep. Gloria Johnson, collectively known as the Tennessee Three, were admonished for joining a state capitol protest against Republican inaction on new gun restriction legislation.

Sen. Raphael Warnock speaks at an April 2021 Washington news conference after Democratic lawmakers weekly policy luncheon. This week, he was among a bipartisan group that read parts of Dr. Martin Luther Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail in the Senate. (Photo: Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images)

A legislature in Tennessee failed to respond to the issue of gun violence, even in the wake of, once again, precious young lives [being] taken, said Warnock, referring to the late March school shooting in Nashville that killed three children and three adults.

Rather than passing gun reform, he said, Republican lawmakers in Tennessee came down with [a] kind of draconian response to legislators who were trying to push their colleagues to do the right thing.

A similar attempt to oust a Democratic lawmaker happened recently in Montana, where state Rep. Zooey Zephyr  the states first transgender legislator  was expelled from the state House floor for speaking out against her Republican colleagues over a bill that bans gender-affirming health care.

Story continues

Warnock rejected the legislative targeting of the trans community, telling theGrio, We have to stand up against the kind of politics of fear and fear-mongering that has convinced us that we ought to be afraid of each other.

I say be afraid of politicians who tell us to be afraid of each other, he continued, whether were talking about people of color or people in the LGBTQ community or immigrants who have made this country great.

Reflecting on what many described as GOP attacks on the democratic process in states like Tennessee and Montana, Warnock said the country is in need of leaders and civilians willing to stand up and to bear witness to the American covenant.

The Tennessee Three (from left), state Reps. Justin J. Pearson, Gloria Johnson and Justin Jones, stand together April 12 before marching to a Shelby County Board of Commissioners meeting in Memphis. Sen. Raphael Warnock called Republicans response to the Democratic legislators gun-control appeals draconian. (Photo: Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal via AP)

In the face of a seemingly more divided America, where Republican-controlled states are restricting access to voting and drawing partisan district maps that dilute Black voting power, the Georgia politician and pastor said he will continue to use his influential U.S. Senate seat to combat anti-democratic forces trying to steal the peoples voices.

Without enough Republican support, Democrats failed to pass the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act in the last session of Congress. The legislation would restore previous voting rights protections, expand access to voting and add more federal safeguards against voter suppression and corruption.

Despite setbacks on Capitol Hill, Warnock vowed to continue the fight to get voting rights legislation passed in this Congress.

At a January 2022 rally outside the Capitol, a demonstrator holds a sign supporting voting rights. Though legislation lacked the Republican support needed for passage, Sen. Raphael Warnock said he would not give up the fight. (Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images)

Im not about to give up on America, he declared. Which is why we have to vote. We have to continue to stand up for voting rights.

Like the 1960s demonstrations led by King, Warnock pointed out, successful movements are not necessarily from the inside, but from the outside, saying, Im focused not only on the work I do here in the Senate, but on the kinds of grassroots movements that strengthen what we can get done here.

Warnock also reflected on the conservative efforts behind a wave of abortion bans and anti-LGBTQ legislation over the past year.

The acid test of the depth of ones commitment to faith  is measured by your commitment to the most marginalized members of the human family, he said. It is that ethic that informs my work every day in the Senate.

Beyond religion, the reverend added, We need  people of conscience who do not necessarily claim any faith tradition at all, but believe in justice, compassion, empathy, mercy.

[Its] building what Dr. King called the beloved community, said Warnock. We need that now more than ever.

Gerren Keith Gaynor

Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.

TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today!

The post Warnock reflects on MLK and the state of democracy: Im not about to give up on America appeared first on TheGrio.
Washington County District Attorney Jason Walsh has determined the fatal officer-involved shooting of a man in Washington in April was justified.

Eduardo Lee Hoover Jr., 38, was shot by officers on April 2 after a chase that began at his home in Burgettstown.

Walsh said Hoover nearly ran a motorcyclist over during the high-speed chase on Route 18, which involved officers from Smith and Mt. Pleasant townships and then a Washington deputy sheriff.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Man shot, killed by officers after police chase in Washington County

When Hoover got to Washington, encountering traffic, officers blocked him in with their vehicles.

Hoover ignored several orders to get out of his truck, Walsh said, and rammed a police vehicle.

PHOTOS: Pennsylvania State Police investigating officer-involved shooting in Washington County

An officer fired two shots into his trucks engine, attempting to disable the truck, Walsh said. When Hoover drove forward, going fast enough to snap a telephone pole in half, then put the truck in reverse again, an officer fired two shots, hitting Hoover, according to Walsh.

Officers pulled him out and began life-saving measures, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Walsh said the state police investigation, which included video evidence and witnesses, was thorough and showed that officers had no choice but to fire their weapons, when Hoover used his truck as a weapon.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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Washington Elementary School District's governing board approved a student teaching agreement with Arizona Christian University to settle a lawsuit that raised questions about the religious beliefs of student-teachers and whether they clashed with district efforts to support LGBTQ students.

The agreement allows for an additional five years of student-teacher placement within the district, to be renewed annually, according to the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative legal organization that represented the university. The settlement also requires the school district to pay $25,000 to cover the university's legal fees, according to the group.

In February, the district's board decided not to sign a new student-teacher placement agreement with the university after some board members voiced concerns about the university's stance on marriage, which the board members argued was in opposition to LGBTQ rights. The university then sued, alleging religious discrimination.

The school district held a special meeting and executive session on May 3 to discuss the settlement. Four board members voted in favor of the settlement. One voted against it.

The settlement did not constitute an admission of wrongdoing, according to the settlement agreement.

In an April hearing for an initial injunction, a judge asked the universitys attorneys whether an LGBTQ student would be allowed to enroll at Arizona Christian.

One of Alliance Defending Freedoms attorneys, David Cortman, said his understanding was that an LGBTQ student would not be accepted into the university unless they signed the institution's statement of faith, which includes the belief that marriage should only be between a man and a woman.

At the same hearing, an attorney for the school district, which serves 19,000 students at 33 schools in Phoenix and east Glendale, argued that the district has the right to decide what contracts it enters and terminates.

Board members who voted not to renew the contract with Arizona Christian in February received threatening messages, prompting the use of a metal detector at a subsequent meeting.

Story continues

Washington Elementary School District serves portions of Phoenix and Glendale.

Yana Kunichoff is a reporter on The Arizona Republic's K-12 education team. You can join The Republic's Facebook page and reach Yana at ykunichoff@arizonarepublic.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: School district settles Christian university student teacher suit
It isnt a secret that Washington is one of the priciest states to live in. The News Tribune recently reported that the Evergreen State is among the bottom five U.S. states for affordability and necessities like rent, groceries, utilities and loans.

But what is the most expensive region in the state?

Washingtons median statewide home sale price was $586,000 as of March, according to real estate site Redfin, but homes in the states most expensive area have properties for sale over 14 times the cost of the state average.

Online lender CashNetUSA recently determined each U.S. states most expensive neighborhoods to be a homeowner. For Washington, that title goes to Medina, a town on the eastern shore of Lake Washington in King County. Properties in that community sell at an average of $8,585,489. The residential area, comprised by only a few thousand residents, lies on the shore opposite of Seattles Madison Park.

To determine each states most expensive neighborhood, CashNetUSA utilized real estate data from Zillow to calculate the most expensive neighborhoods in each state. The website averaged each communitys home price by adding together all the house prices in an area then dividing the number of properties.

Ketchum was ranked as Idahos most expensive community. Some of the worlds most famous actors and personalities have made the small town home down the years.

Washingtons most expensive neighborhood

Medina is considered a suburb of Seattle. It was incorporated in 1955 and is home to just over 3,200 people. The suburb is highly regarded for its public schools and outdoor activities and is often considered a great destination for families, according to education website Niche.

With parks and open spaces, Medina is a quiet and safe small city, with active and highly engaged residents, the city states on its website. Medina honors its heritage while preserving its natural environment and resources for current and future generations.

A shot from Google Maps of Medina, Washington. The small suburb of Seattle rests on the bank of Lake Washington, northwest of Bellevue.

Washington-based tech magnates Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos own multi-million dollar properties in Medina, Business Insider reports. Jeffrey Brotman, co-founder of Costco Wholesale, also resided in the suburb prior to his death in 2017.

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Medina properties currently listed as for sale on Redfin range from a few million dollars up to more than $21 million.

Americas 10 priciest neighborhoods

Although Medina possesses homes far pricier than the average Washington resident can afford, other neighborhoods sell homes for much higher prices on average. Here are the top 10 in the nation:

$39,761,000  Manalapan, Florida $27,624,833  Palm Island, Florida $23,568,750  Snowmass, Colorado $22,771,957  Beverly Hills Gateway, California $22,032,667  Port Royal, Florida $18,659,412  Golden Beach, Florida $18,581,775  Bel Air, California $16,719,714  South Hampton Village, New York $16,016,944  Sagaponack, New York $15,870,100  Trousdale Estates, California

For the purpose of its article, CashNetUSA cites a neighborhood based on its National Geographic encyclopedic entry. A neighborhood is a region within a city or state with fuzzy geographic borders but well-defined characteristics and identities. a region often referred to in relation to big cities. Residents in a neighborhood often share similar qualities, such as socioeconomic status, housing preferences, sense of public order and level of education.
(CNN)  At least eight people have been killed and 13 wounded in a shooting in the Serbian village of Dubona, the country's Interior Ministry spokesperson told CNN.

The shooter remains at large, and a warrant has been issued for a 21-year-old male suspect, identified as Uros B. by Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic.

The police have cordoned off the area where they suspected him to be hiding, according CNN affiliate channel N1.

The incident happened on Thursday night at 11 p.m. local time, Serbia's Interior Ministry spokesperson said. The attacker shot a group of people with an automatic weapon and fled the scene, according to the public broadcaster RTS, prompting police to launch a manhunt.

The Interior Ministry confirmed to CNN that they are treating this incident as an act of domestic terrorism, but did not specify more details.

All special police units are engaged, including an anti-terrorism unit, helicopter unit, and police forces from the cities of Belgrade and Smederevo.

The Ministry also shared photos with CNN that shows the Serbian special forces actively searching for the suspect, and Interior Minister Gasic at the scene.

Ambulances and relatives of the injured are arriving at the Emergency Center in Mladenovac, N1 reported.

"The perpetrator is on the run, and all available patrols have been sent in the direction of Mladenovac and Mali Pozarevac," it added.

This comes a day after the Balkan country was rocked by news of a 13-year-old boy opening fire on classmates at a school in the capital Belgrade. That shooting left at least eight children dead, along with a security guard.

Until this week, mass shootings were rare in Serbia, despite the country's high rate of gun ownership. Serbia has the highest level of civilian gun ownership in Europe, and the fifth-highest in the world -- a legacy of years of conflict in the 1990s.

This story was first published on CNN.com, "At least eight dead as Serbia rocked by second mass shooting in two days"
A Wisconsin man who was in prison for armed robbery allegedly pretended over a span of years to be a decorated Marine to con a woman and her family into writing him checks for thousands of dollars.

Jakobie Timblin, 34, of Richland Center, Wisconsin, was arraigned in April on charges of providing false statements regarding military service with intent to commit a crime and theft by false representation, according to a Monday news release by the Washington County Sheriffs Office.

The sheriffs office found that Timblin began communicating with a woman online in 2015. At the time, unbeknownst to the alleged victim, Timblin was incarcerated in Wisconsin state prison.

In 2016, someone posing as Timblins mother allegedly asked the woman if she would write a letter to Timblin because he was a Marine deployed overseas. For the next several years, Timblin and the alleged victim communicated via letters, according to the news release from the sheriffs office.

Woman who faked being cancer-stricken Marine gets 6 years in prison

After Timblin was released from prison in late 2018, he and the woman met in person and started dating, according to the release.

In 2019, someone claiming to be Timblins captain contacted the alleged victim, saying he was putting a gift together for Timblin to honor his heroism overseas and asked for a loan, reassuring her that the Defense Department would pay her back. The victim wrote a check for $5,000, according to the release.

All the while, Timblin allegedly told his mark tall tales about his nonexistent service, including the injuries he had purportedly sustained on his five deployments, one to Iraq and four to Afghanistan.

At one point, Timblin even brought along his supposed dress blues, complete with a Purple Heart, on a trip to the alleged victims family cabin, according to the release.

Timblin told the alleged victims stepmother that he had recently learned, upon returning from deployment, that his mother had died and said he needed money for estate planning, according to the release.

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The stepmother wrote him a check for $6,500, with the understanding that he would pay her back, which he never did, the sheriffs office states in the release.

Then the stepmother looked up the obituary of Timblins mother  and found that she had only one son, a man named Jacob Elliot. She discovered that Elliot was on release for a 2014 armed robbery, according to the release.

Thats when she reported Timblin to the Washington County Sheriffs Office.

A sergeant in the sheriffs office who happened to be a Marine veteran looked at a photo of Timblin in his uniform and noticed errors with the placement of patches and medals. The office then verified with the Marine Corps that Timblin had never served, according to the release.

The investigation conducted by the sheriffs office found that Elliot had changed his name to Timblin well after he had met the victim and had bought the medals and uniform online.

It is morally deplorable to be a military imposter and is particularly reprehensible to use societys respect and admiration for the brave men and women that serve this great county for ones gain, Sheriff Martin Schulteis said in the news release.

Marine Corps Times could not locate Timblins contact information online.

He is next scheduled to appear in court for a plea and sentencing hearing May 25, according to the news release.
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20/20: The Case of the Killer Clown (9 p.m., ABC)

Correspondent Deborah Roberts reports on the case of a Florida mother murdered in cold blood 30 years ago by a clown. Marlene Warren was killed in May 1990 by a clown carrying balloons and flowers who walked up to her front door and shot the 40 year old at point-blank range. The murder rocked the affluent Florida suburb where Warren lived, and friends and family were instantly suspicious of her husband, Michael Warren. But Michael had an airtight alibi, so it took investigators 33 years to solve the case.

Two weeks ago, on April 25, Michaels second wife, Sheila Keen-Warren, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder.

Roberts has an exclusive interview with the victims son, Joe Ahrens, who talks about how his mother was killed and how her murder has impacted his life. Theres also an exclusive interview with Keen-Warrens attorney, Greg Rosenfeld, as well as interviews with prosecutors, witnesses, and other family members of the victim.

To stream: This streams the next day on Hulu.

Dateline: Killing Time (9 p.m., NBC)

Keith Morrison reports on the August 1997 murder of high school student Ricky Cowles Jr., in Lancaster, California. Ricky was found lying in a pool of blood in his apartment, and his friends, including Amy Preasmyer, called 911. Police made an arrest months later, but the family believed there was more to the story.

The episode features an exclusive interview with convicted killer Billy Hoffman, who talks about what happened that night and why he killed Cowles. Also interviews with the parents Ricky Cowles and Amy Preasmyer, as well as detectives.

Elton John Live: Farewell From Dodger Stadium (Disney+)

This Elton John concert is the next-best thing to being there. The Los Angeles concert experience features special guests, with John performing his biggest hits.

Some programming descriptions are provided by networks.
Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., left one Biden administration official without words Wednesday when he pressed him to answer one simple question: How much would spending $50 trillion in American taxpayer money to become carbon-neutral lower global temperatures?

"If we spend $50 trillion to become carbon-neutral by 2050 in the United States of America, how much is that going to reduce world temperatures?" Kennedy asked Deputy Energy Secretary David Turk during a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.

Turk appeared unable to provide a specific number, and instead began arguing that the U.S. needed to do everything it could to reduce carbon emissions before being interrupted by Kennedy pressing for an answer to the question.

SCHUMER ROASTED FOR SAYING NOBODY IS TAKING AWAY YOUR GAS STOVE JUST MONTHS BEFORE NY BANNED GAS STOVES

Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, left, and Deputy Secretary of Energy David Turk.

"How much, if we do our part, is it going to reduce world temperatures?" Kennedy asked again.

"So, we're 13% of global emissions right now," Turk responded, before Kennedy jumped in again, saying, "You don't know, do you? You don't know, do you?"

READ ON THE FOX NEWS APP

"You don't know, do you, Mr. Secretary?" Kennedy asked as Turk appeared to continue dancing around the question. "If you know, why won't you tell me?"

"If we went to zero, that would be 13% " Turk said.

"You don't know, do you? You just want us to spend $50 trillion, and you don't have the slightest idea whether it's going to reduce world temperatures," Kennedy said.

BIDEN NOMINEE PUSHING ELECTRIC VEHICLES FACES MASSIVE OPPOSITION FROM ENERGY INDUSTRY

Climate activists march from the White House to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., in March 2022.

"Now, I'm all for carbon neutrality, but you're the deputy secretary of the Department of Energy, and you're advocating we spend trillions of dollars to seek carbon neutrality, and you can't  and this isn't your money or my money, it's taxpayer money  and you can't tell me how much it's going to lower world temperatures? Or you won't tell me? You know, but you won't?" he continued.

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Turk responded that in his "heart of hearts" the rest of the world wouldn't act on climate change unless the U.S. led on the issue, but did not provide an answer to Kennedy's question.

"Tell me how much it's going to reduce  you can't tell me. Either that, or you won't," Kennedy said before moving on.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., speaks during a hearing at the U.S. Capitol.

Some climate experts have claimed it will cost $50 trillion for the U.S. to reach carbon neutrality, which would include investing in so-called green energy and other things like electric vehicles.

Critics have, however, argued that there is no guarantee spending that amount would have any effect on climate change across the globe if other countries don't take similar action.

Fox News' Matteo Cina contributed to this report.
NEW ORLEANS -- At attempted medical evacuation of a cruise ship passenger in the Gulf of Mexico turned into a harrowing ordeal for a Coast Guard rescue crew whose helicopter nearly crashed after encountering sudden, severe weather during the rescue.

The chopper was sent to the Carnival Dream about 300 miles offshore from Fort Morgan, Alabama, Saturday morning to pick up a 76-year-old passenger in medical distress when the weather suddenly deteriorated, imperiling the chopper and its crew.

A Coast Guard Jayhawk encounters severe weather while trying to rescue a patient from the cruise ship Carnival Dream off the Alabama coast on April 29, 2023.

The rescue crew was able to lower a rescue swimmer onto the ship, but as they were about to hoist a cruise ship nurse, "a severe squall caused the aircrew to back off from the ship," Coast Guard officials said.

2 BOATERS, DOG PLUCKED FROM CATAMARAN BY COAST GUARD AS IT SANK OFF GEORGIA COAST

Moments later, the Jayhawk "encountered a severe downwind," pushing the chopper dangerously close to the surf.

Ship passenger Kim Soares witnessed the intense rescue attempt and said she feared what might happen as she watched the helicopter become more and more unstable, then plunge near the water.

A Coast Guard Jayhawk encounters severe weather while trying to rescue a patient from the cruise ship Carnival Dream off the Alabama coast on April 29, 2023.

But she told Storyful that the pilot did "an amazing job regaining control."

The helicopter regained altitude, but the pilot had to abort the mission due to the dangerous weather conditions.

SHARK-ATTACKED FISHERMEN RESCUED AFTER SPENDING 24 HOURS FLOATING IN GULF OF MEXICO

"Through exceptional real-time risk management, crew resource management, and superb piloting, the aircrew was able to safely recover the aircraft and land at the air station without further incident," said Cmdr. Keith Blair, the commanding officer at the Coast Guard Air Station in New Orleans.

Once the weather calmed about six hours later, the Coast Guard was able to send another crew to the ship, picking up the passenger and their rescue swimmer.

The 76-year-old patient was brought to a New Orleans hospital, where he was reported to have stable vital signs.
Former president Donald Trump in a deposition taken for E. Jean Carroll's rape and defamation lawsuit against him. Court exhibit

Trump's deposition video in the E. Jean Carroll case has been released.

In it, Trump defended his "Access Hollywood" comments about grabbing women between the legs.

Trump previously apologized in a 2016 video.

Former President Donald Trump has defended his infamous comments that were captured on an "Access Hollywood" tape, in which he bragged to TV personality Billy Bush about kissing women and grabbing them by the genitals without their consent.

"Historically, that's true with stars," he said in a newly released video when asked about the 2005 tape. "If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true. Not always, but largely true. Unfortunately or fortunately."

The clip quickly circulated on Twitter, including by the anti-Trump Republican Accountability Project.

The new clip is part of a 48-minute deposition video and was shown to jurors in Manhattan federal court on Thursday. Trump sat for the deposition in October for a rape and defamation lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll, which is expected to conclude next week following jury deliberations. The person in the video asking Trump about the comments is Roberta Kaplan, Carroll's attorney.

In the "Access Hollywood" recording, Trump bragged about how women "let you" kiss them, saying stars "can do anything."

"I just start kissing them," he said. "It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait," he said.

"Grab them by the pussy," Trump continued. "You can do anything."

In the deposition video, Trump watches the tape, expressionless. Kaplan then asked Trump whether he considered himself to be a star. Trump replied, "I think you can say that, yeah."

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The Washington Post was the first to publish the "Access Hollywood" tape a month before the 2016 election. At the time, Trump provided a statement to the newspaper that dismissed the comments as "locker-room banter" and "a private conversation," adding, "I apologize if anyone was offended." He later issued a more full-throated apology, saying, "I said it, I was wrong, and I apologize."

The former president didn't display remorse in the latest video.

Carroll, who was a magazine columnist at Elle and a talk show host, alleged Trump raped her in the dressing room of the Bergdorf Goodman department store in Manhattan sometime in the spring of 1996. She first went public about the incident in 2019, and Trump called her a liar.

Trump has denied ever meeting Carroll, but a photo she submitted in the lawsuit shows the two together at a party in 1987.

The video has been entered into evidence and shown in Manhattan federal court. Lawyers for Carroll shared the video with journalists on Friday.

Trump's attorney Joe Tacopina has said Trump will not testify in the Carroll trial and rested the defense case on Thursday afternoon without bringing any witnesses. The judge gave Trump's legal team until 5 p.m. Sunday to file a motion asking to reopen the case if Trump changes his mind.

If Trump doesn't appear  as he hasn't during the entire trial  closing arguments are scheduled for Monday, with jury deliberations to begin on Tuesday morning.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Moscow defendant Bryan Kohberger talked his way out of a traffic ticket for running a red light in Pullman, Washington, the month before the November killings, newly released police body-cam footage obtained by the Idaho Statesman shows.

The 9 1/2-minute video shows a Washington State University campus police officer pull over and park behind Kohberger in a campus parking lot on Oct. 14, 2022. Kohberger was seated behind the wheel of his white 2015 Hyundai Elantra with a Pennsylvania license plate.

WSU Police Officer Isobel Luengas approached the driver-side window and explained the infraction before asking for Kohbergers license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.

I think you know why I stopped you. You ran the red light, Luengas told Kohberger, who explained he was stuck in the middle of the intersection. I was behind you the whole time, she responded.

Kohberger, then a WSU graduate student living in Pullman, sought the specifics of the law, detailing how hes from rural Pennsylvania. He wasnt aware of the potential violation, he said.

We actually dont have, like, crosswalks, Kohberger said. Theres a little bit more leeway as well  like theres one white line and theres another one in front, like, theres a certain margin from which you can actually kind of put your vehicle and place your vehicle.

Im just curious about the law. I dont mean to disagree with anything, he added.

Bryan Kohberger, the suspect in Novembers Moscow homicides, was pulled over by Washington State University campus police for a red-light traffic violation on the WSU campus in Pullman, Washington, on Oct. 14, 2022.

Along with video of another traffic stop of Kohberger in August in Moscow, homicide investigators cited the WSU traffic stop footage in a probable cause affidavit for Kohbergers December arrest in eastern Pennsylvania. They noted that the officers body-cam video depicted him as the driver and sole occupant of a white sedan with a Pennsylvania plate.

A Statesman public records request for the body-cam footage of Kohbergers Aug. 21, 2022, traffic stop in Idaho for driving without a seat belt was previously denied by the Latah County Sheriffs Office, citing its potential to impede a persons right to a fair trial. No written report on the stop exists, the departments records manager said.

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In the new video, Luengas noted that Kohbergers registration was current, with an expiration of Nov. 22, 2022, which is the day after Kohbergers date of birth. Citing vehicle registration data, police said Kohberger registered his car in Washington on Nov. 18  five days after the homicides in Moscow took the lives of U of I students Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

Police body-cam footage from Indiana on Dec. 15 showed Kohberger, 28, driving the white sedan, with his father in the passenger seat, during two traffic stops within 10 minutes of each other on eastbound Interstate 70. The car had a Washington license plate as they drove cross-country to eastern Pennsylvania during Kohbergers winter break from school.

Fifteen days later, on Dec. 30, police arrested Kohberger at his parents home in eastern Pennsylvania. He is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary.
WAYNESBORO  A man who fondled a girl last year has been sentenced to five years in prison following a hearing in Waynesboro Circuit Court.

Shawn W. Wallace, 33, of Waynesboro, was convicted on four charges of aggravated sexual battery.

Waynesboro Commonwealth's Attorney David Ledbetter said the victim was under the age of 16.

Ledbetter said Wallace groped the girl several times in 2022. An investigation was initiated after the girl told a school official.

"She made a complaint at school," Ledbetter said.

Waynesboro police interviewed Wallace on two occasions, and Ledbetter said the suspect admitted to inappropriately touching the child. The prosecutor said Wallace waived a preliminary hearing and then entered into a plea deal in the case, sparing the child from having to testify.

"He was cooperative and accepted responsibility," Ledbetter said.

Wallace was unemployed at the time of his arrest and had no prior criminal record, according to Ledbetter. Police arrested him just days before Christmas on Dec. 22, and he has been held in jail since his arrest.

In the plea deal, Wallace was sentenced to 15 years in prison with 10 years suspended, giving him five years to serve. He was also placed on five years of supervised probation and must register as a sex offender.

Wallace is being held at the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville and will be transferred to the Virginia Department of Corrections to serve his sentence.

He was sentenced April 28.

Witness: Augusta County rape accuser worked as a prostitute

The Chalkboard: Staunton parties in the park; Graduation dates; Fort Envirothon

Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Waynesboro man sentenced to 5 years in prison for fondling girl
Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk, April 24. (Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

KIYV, Ukraine  The light is dim and the windows are sandbagged. Classical music plays on an unseen speaker somewhere. The man sitting at the large wooden desk, in this fortified bunker office on the Rybalsky Peninsula, on the edge of the Dnipro River, has a pistol holstered at his side.

Theyve been trying to charge me with terrorism since 2016, Maj. Gen. Kyrlo Budanov, the chief of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, said. But I want to begin by saying that the things they call terrorism, we call liberation. And this began not because I went mad and started killing people in Moscow. It happened because they invaded our country back in 2014.

They refers to the Russian government. On April 21, just a few days before Yahoo News sat down with Ukraines most recognizable spymaster, the Lefortovo District Court of Moscow arrested Budanov in absentia. He stands accused of creating a terrorist community, the illegal acquisition of weapons by a group of persons, and the illegal acquisition of explosive devices by a group of persons.

Chief of Ukrainian Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, center, attending an event in Kyiv, March 10. (Yurii Stefanyak/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

The implication is that Budanovs intelligence service, more commonly known by its Ukrainian acronym HUR, was behind a string of audacious and lethal attacks inside Russian territory  or what the Kremlin considers to be Russian territory. These include the August car-bomb assassination of Daria Dugina, daughter of Russias notorious far-right theorist Aleksandr Dugin, in central Moscow, and the suspected truck bombing in October that partially dismantled the Kerch Bridge, Russias only direct link from the Black Sea to occupied Crimea.

U.S. intelligence has attributed Duginas killing to the Ukrainian government, although not specifically to the HUR. Asked about this allegation, Budanov said, Dont continue with that topic. All I will comment on is that weve been killing Russians and we will keep killing Russians anywhere on the face of this world until the complete victory of Ukraine.

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At 37, Budanov has a full face, dotted with light stubble and a slightly shorn forelock, possibly to raise his hairline in an effort to appear older. He is one of the youngest generals in modern Ukrainian history, and probably the youngest director the HUR has ever had  certainly the most famous. Memes of Budanov grinning or his eyes alight in bright red, a la Superman villain General Zod, routinely circulate online whenever something catches fire in Russia or goes badly wrong for Russian occupiers on the Ukrainian battlefield.

After a surprise Dec. 26 drone attack on the Engels-2 air base in Saratov, home to Russian strategic bombers, Budanov told an interviewer he expected to see more of its kind, deeper and deeper in enemy territory. According to the Washington Post, the CIA had to persuade Budanov to postpone HUR anniversary strikes on Russia on Feb. 24, including one proposed naval-borne TNT assault at the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.

An oil tanker moored at the Sheskharis complex, one of the largest facilities for oil and petroleum products in southern Russia. (AP)

Officially, the HUR claims no responsibility for any cross-border attacks, of which there have been many documented examples. It adopts a Mossad-like air of menacing ambiguity whenever they occur.

On some matters, though, Budanov is unambiguous. As of today, Russia has no military, economic or political potential to create another attempt for a serious offensive anywhere in Ukraine, he said. Besides that, it is completely capable of waging serious defensive operations, and this is the very problem we are about to face, referring to Ukraines anticipated counteroffensive.

Budanov believes that Russias supply of missiles are running low, almost to the point of exhaustion. They are trying to accumulate certain stocks and have them ready in order to try to disrupt our offensive, but the truth is that they have taken their stocks almost to zero.

As with Ukraines Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, Budanov declines to offer details of where and when that campaign will be. But he is equally confident that occupied Crimea will be liberated because our victory is impossible without liberating Crimea.

Policymakers in Washington have long fretted that a recapture of Crimea, assuming such a thing is even feasible, would be something Russian President Vladimir Putin could not tolerate and would prompt him to undertake a massive retaliation, possibly with weapons of mass destruction, but Budanov is not swayed by those fears.

Russian President Vladimir Putin addressing the Federal Assembly, April 28. (Alexey Danichev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)

Id like to underline here that it is unpleasant for me to recognize the following, but its the truth, Budanov said. Unfortunately, the Russian Federation knows how to work with the information space. That is why any event  imagine a rocket that falls into the Kremlin  they will show it as a victory for Russia. They will claim that theyve prevented the biggest catastrophe to mankind by having that rocket fall into the Kremlin, that this missile has actually demolished the building it was supposed to and has even helped them. It sounds like a joke, but indeed, Russian society is accepting of such stupidities.

Yahoo News interview with Budanov took place on April 24, more than a week before two drones were recorded striking the Kremlin, lightly singeing its domed roof. The Russian government has blamed Ukraine for the attack, which it hyperbolically characterized as an assassination attempt on Putin. Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky denied his governments involvement. We dont attack Putin or Moscow, he said while on a trip to Finland. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington could not validate reports of the drone attacks, adding, I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt.

Budanov is calculating and curt. He speaks English well enough to field questions in the language but prefers to answer more precisely in Ukrainian. Often he begins replying before the question has fully been articulated, and throughout the hour Yahoo News spent with him, he at times betrayed an impatience bordering on hostility.

Some of his more eyebrow-raising claims  that Putin is terminally ill with cancer and other ailments, or that the Putin shown in photographs or on television is a body double  have a whiff of psychological warfare to them. In that regard, they are hugely successful, fueling tabloid speculation to the point that even Western intelligence has had to sprinkle cold water on them.

Back in 2021, there was a statement, I believe it was mine, Budanov said, that Putin is greatly sick with cancer. It has been two years since then and now everyone starts saying something might be wrong with him. Time will show who was right. (Bill Burns, the CIA director, characterized Putin as entirely too healthy at a public event in July 2022.)

Whatever the veracity and intent of Budanovs big assertions, there is no doubt he has at his disposal a vast intelligence-gathering capability, if not an extensive agent network operating inside Russia, as is obvious from what the HUR has managed to do. Behind his chair hangs a large portrait of an owl grasping a bat in its talons. This is in homage to the HURs official emblem, whose motto in Latin is sapiens dominabitur astris, The wise man will rule the stars. The nocturnal bird of prey was selected by a previous HUR director because the bat features in the emblem of the special forces of the GRU, Russias military intelligence agency and the HURs counterpart. And owls eat bats, that director said.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov. (Andre Pain/AFP via Getty Images)

About four months before the Russian invasion, one of his deputies showed Yahoo News a website HUR put together featuring the personal photographs, passport, even the results of a prostate ultrasound, all belonging to Maj. Gen. Andrey Averyanov, commander of Russian GRU Unit 29155. Also featured were the passports of the various young Russian women with whom Averyanov has traveled on business trips to Sochi and Crimea. Unit 29155 is an elite murder-and-sabotage squad that Western intelligence has blamed for poisoning GRU defector Sergei Skripal, along with his daughter Yulia, in Salisbury, England, in 2018; mounting a failed coup in Montenegro; and blowing up a series of weapons and ammunition facilities in the Czech Republic and Bulgaria.

How did the HUR manage to quite literally see up the backside of a senior Russian intelligence operative? This question prompted a rare bit of laughter from Budanov. We are not a consuming body, he said, we are a collecting body. That is why everything we say oftentimes is very much different from what others say. We base our assessment on things that are real and some other people watch a lot of TV or just talk to other people and thats how they build their assessments. The fact that we are geographically close to Russia  lets put it this way: We have capabilities in the Russian Federation, quite powerful ones.

Ukrainian soldiers take part in military exercises outside Kyiv, April 20. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

Budanov was appointed to what became a crucial wartime intelligence role in August 2020 after having served a brief stint as deputy director of one of the departments of Ukraines foreign intelligence service. Before that, he was a HUR Spetsnaz or special forces commando dispatched behind enemy lines: Even now, he occasionally appears in selfies from the front, kitted out in full tactical gear, in what one senior HUR official said are no mere photo ops: Budanov still takes part in special operations.

In August 2016, so one story goes, he was part of a saboteur campaign in Crimea that killed a lieutenant colonel of Russias Federal Security Service, or FSB, one of the successor agencies of the Soviet KGB. Whatever Budanov got up to as a soldier, it was enough to merit receipt of Ukraines Order for Courage, roughly equivalent to the Medal of Valor. Russia has tried to assassinate Budanov ever since, including by blowing up his Chevrolet Evanda in 2019 (the bomb detonated too early).

There is a birdcage at one end of Budanovs office with two chirping canaries. An apocryphal but plausible tale has it that theyre here to die  that is, provide an early-warning system in the event poison gas is ever deployed in this room. The truth is more mundane: Theyre just pets, as is the frog frantically trying to climb the glass wall of its aquarium behind Budanov.

According to leaked Pentagon intelligence, Budanov played an instrumental part in fortifying the besieged city of Bakhmut, in eastern Ukraine. For months, the Russians have been devoting enormous resources and manpower into capturing the city, in itself of limited strategic significance, but symbolically a large prize for Moscow. Ukraines policy has been to bleed the Russians there for as long as possible in order to weaken their defensive capability when Kyiv presses its counteroffensive in the next few weeks.

A Ukrainian soldier on a destroyed Russian tank in Luhansk, Ukraine, June 9, 2022. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

The U.S. was highly skeptical of such a plan. It anticipated that Bakhmut would fall in January, and U.S. intelligence, as reported in the Pentagon leaks, cited Budanov describing conditions in the city as catastrophic. He personally ordered a Ukrainian special forces detachment, the so-called Kraken unit, to deploy to Bakhmut to help beat back the threat of Russian encirclement. It worked. Budanov, who correctly predicted the date and timing of Russias Feb. 24 full-scale invasion, is dismissive of those in the West who argued that the effort to save Bakhmut would fail or wasnt worth the cost in untold Ukrainian lives.

Whoever says this, and you just mentioned these leaks of U.S. materials  we can add to the statements of the Russian leadership at various levels, he said. They have been saying since June 2022 that they have almost captured Bakhmut. We are almost in May now and they are still capturing Bakhmut. Its very easy to talk about territories you have no relation to. It happened in Syria, with people saying, This can be given away, that can be taken. It happened in Chechnya. It happened also in Iraq.

While Bakhmut remains contested, Russia has made unmistakable gains toward the center of the city, largely thanks to the Russian mercenary group Wagner, the vanguard fighting force that has suffered its own catastrophic losses. Its three times the number of killed in action that the United States faced on the Guadalcanal campaign in World War II, and that was over the course of five months, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said of Russian losses in Bakhmut on Monday. Nearly half of those killed in action since December, Kirby explained, were Wagner fighters.

A Ukrainian medic on the frontlines in Bakhmut, Ukraine. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Budanov esteems this enemy, now labeled by the U.S. as a transnational criminal organization, above all other Russian military formations. Unlike the regular troops of the Russian military, Wagner engages in training, Budanov said. Even the convicts they recruit from Russian prisons are being trained to serve and that is why the results are a lot better than what normal regular army have. They are our enemy, but we need to admit that they are an enemy youre not ashamed of. Its incomparable to the level of regular troops. They are a lot higher.

In yet another sign that the Bakhmut meat grinder has had serious repercussions in Russia, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Group, this week took to social media to denounce the Russian Ministry of Defense, general staff and fat-bellied bureaucrats in Moscow for what he alleges is their refusal to supply adequate ammunition to his guns for hire. My lads will not be taking senseless and unjustified casualties in Bakhmut without ammo, Prigozhin said, surrounded by dozens of masked Wagner mercenaries, in a video. Whether a theatrical ploy or something more serious, he threatened to withdraw all his forces from Bakhmut on May 10, a decision that would in effect mean a Russian abandonment of the city.

For Budanov, Prigozhin has played politics over his private armys sacrifices in the war since last year because he has to. His political future is directly linked to his physical survival because there are too many forces in the Russian Federation who want to eliminate him. He obviously will try to defend himself because for him its not even an issue of exile or prison; its an issue of life and death.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Native Americans whose relatives have gone missing or been killed wore red on Friday, a color synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day is held on May 5  the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was only 21 when she was slain on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana.

Countless more Indigenous people have gone missing since her body was found nearly a decade ago. Advocates describe it as a silent crisis, rooted in colonization, forced removal and government policies that led to the stamping out of culture and identity as entire communities were marginalized.

This weekend's marches, symposiums, prayer gatherings, art installations and ceremonies are meant to pressure policy makers in the U.S. and Canada to ensure equity when investigating such cases. The red dresses, they say, are used to call home the spirits of missing and slain Indigenous victims.

We have to call this national state of emergency what it is -- a genocide, Carol McBride, president of the Native Womens Association of Canada, said in an email. She urged people to channel their grief into activism. Wearing red is powerful."

Canada's House of Commons unanimously approved a motion this week calling on the government to declare a national state of emergency. Such a declaration would make more tools available, said Mel Critch, who works with the Native Women's Association of Canada and is co-chair of the group Manitoba Moon Voices.

The burden of tackling the problem has fallen largely to Indigenous women, relatives and other community members, Critch said.

As this moves through the Senate, our communities will be watching and listening carefully, praying for its adoption and a day when this will end, when our children and families will be safe, Critch said.

Lawmakers in the U.S. introduced their own resolutions this week supporting the May 5 effort.

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High rates of violence, sexual assault, homicides and disappearances of Indigenous people, particularly women, have festered for generations amid inadequate public safety resources in Indian Country, where tiny police forces are responsible for vast territories and a tangled web of local and federal jurisdictions often complicates efforts to track and communicate about cases as they happen.

About 4,200 missing and murdered cases have gone unsolved, according to U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates. Federal health statistics document murder rates for Native American and Alaska Native women at 10 times the national rate.

Still, the number of missing and slain Indigenous women remains unknown. A 2021 review by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office pointed to reporting problems, distrust of law enforcement and jurisdictional conflicts.

Recently adopted U.S. laws aim to improve data collection and law enforcement responses. A national commission began holding public meetings in April to craft more recommendations. Gary Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, will be listening to tribal leaders and families at next weeks commission meeting in Flagstaff.

He said the Justice Department now prioritizes cases in Indian Country, bringing the Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support the FBI when local or tribal police call for help.

That, I think, is a real expansion from the way we have traditionally done these cases and should be an opportunity to get more resources into underserved areas in Indian Country, he said.

Many states have created their own task forces and commissions, aiming to keep cases from falling through the cracks. Prosecutors in New Mexico's largest judicial district have a special unit to help with missing person investigations involving Native Americans.

In California, lawmakers approved the creation of an alert system to help find Indigenous people missing under suspicious circumstances. The legislation came last year after the Yurok Tribe issued an emergency declaration after five Indigenous women were reported as missing or were killed within a span of 18 months.

Every time someone goes missing in this state, that is tomorrows historical trauma, said Abby Abinanti, the Yurok Tribes chief judge.

The tribe plans to use drones to bolster its search and rescue program.

The Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California also declared an emergency, and imposed a curfew for minors following the recent killings of two tribal citizens.

Washington is creating a cold case investigations unit, and Oklahoma's governor signed legislation Monday ordering state public safety officials to work with tribes on an alert system named for Cherokee Nation citizen Kasey Russell, who went missing in 2016.

While there has been progress, state and federal lawmakers agree that more needs to be done.

California Assemblymember James Ramos told a hearing Tuesday that trends in his state don't show improvement. He wants qualified tribal law enforcement officers to be able to access a statewide telecommunications system as they investigate missing persons cases.

In New Mexico, advocates want the governor to issue a new executive order to chart the next phase of implementing recommendations made in an extensive task force report in 2020.

For Melody Delmar, who leads MMIP projects for New Mexico's Indian Affairs Department, the crisis is personal. As a social worker, she's often among the first people families call when they need help.

Her dream? A state office dedicated to Indian Country cases where families could be assigned a social worker.

Theres just so many levels of this and it can be complicated, she said. But we also can look at this and know there are solutions out there too.

Nearly two years passed before federal authorities made an arrest in the case of Ella Mae Begay, a master Navajo weaver who went missing in 2021.

Her niece, Seraphine Warren, walked from the Navajo Nation to Washington D.C. to raise awareness. She has not given up finding her aunt  she's gathering volunteers for another search of the desert in the coming weeks.

Waiting for information to trickle down from authorities to grieving family members is like torture, Warren said.

All that families want is for somebody to check on them, to see if their cases are still being investigated, said Warren, who will be marching in Seattle this weekend.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland received a briefing Friday in Albuquerque from her agency's Missing and Murdered Unit, created in 2021. To date, the unit has investigated 728 cases; solved or closed 263 missing persons cases; and solved eight murder cases.

Advocates are watching closely as Congress hashes out budget requests for federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cuts could result in fewer law enforcement officers in areas that are already understaffed.

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said Congress has a responsibility to honor trust and treaty obligations with Indian Country.

"And it's important to affirm that this is a priority, he said.

___

Associated Press contributors include Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Calif.; Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Okla. and Terry Tang in Phoenix, Ariz.
What to watch: Ticket To Paradise, Rye Lane and The Suicide Squad are all new to streaming this week. (Universal/Searchlight/Warner Bros.)

Wondering what to watch? The new month brings with it a varied host of cinematic spoils available on streaming, such as the South London-set rom-com Rye Lane, landing on Disney+ following its brief theatrical run.

Elsewhere, NOW and Sky Cinema also add a new rom-com in Ticket to Paradise, a reunion of George Clooney and Julia Roberts in the kind of low stakes mid-budget film in which their star power shines brightest.

Read more: Everything new on Netflix in May

Its also the cinematic release week of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, to go with that, the first Guardians of the Galaxy film has been made available to watch on BBC iPlayer, while Prime Video adds his DC film The Suicide Squad.

Please note that a subscription may be required to watch.

Rye Lane (2023) | Disney+ (pick of the week)

Rye Lane (Searchlight)

In what feels as much like a love letter to the contours of South London as well as the stagnating traditions of the romantic comedy, Raine Anne-Millers Rye Lane stands out because of a few kinds of scarcity: firstly, a general lack of black-led films that arent dramas about historical injustice. Secondly, an absence of romantic-comedies that arent going straight to streaming.

Its also a pretty funny, easygoing time  again, something that can feel all too rare for black-led films. Having met by chance in a bathroom, two Londoners Dom and Yes bond over their respective breakups, and so Rye Lane takes a sort of one crazy afternoon format, observing the two as they encourage each other to do increasingly ill-advised things in order to move forward. And, of course, they fall for each other at the same time.

Read more: Everything new on Disney+ in May

The script can feel like its going through the motions a bit  following closely to traditional generic patterns  but its a nice one to happily meander along with.

Watch: Raine Anne-Miller talks to Yahoo about Rye Lane

The curious choice of an ever-present, extremely wide angle lens feels like an odd aesthetic choice at first but becomes more suitable over time, filling the space with vibrant colour.

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The high point  other than an out-of-left-field cameo from another British rom-com darling  is a deeply uncomfortable restaurant meet-up between Dom and his insufferable ex-girlfriend, who hooked up with his doofus best friend from school: a sort of parlay that goes completely wrong.

Rye Lane sort of just coasts along after this point, but its pleasing to the eye and bolstered by an enjoyable supporting cast of oddballs.

Also new on Disney+: Peter Pan and Wendy (2023), The Insider (1999)

Ticket to Paradise (2022) | NOW with a Sky Cinema Membership

(from left) David (George Clooney) and Georgia (Julia Roberts) in Ticket to Paradise, directed by Ol Parker. (Universal Pictures)

Speaking of the slow death of romcoms, another film marking the resurgence of this much-under-appreciated lynchpin of mid-budget cinema is Ticket to Paradise. New on Sky Cinema this week, this 2022 film is a throwaway romcom directed by Ol Parker (known for Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again) but more importantly, it stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts, reuniting again after a run of great films together, including the monumental Oceans 11.

Read more: Everything new on NOW in May

That long-held chemistry keeps Ticket to Paradise afloat, the two playing a divorced couple scheming to sabotage the wedding of their daughter in Bali, thinking shes rushing into things. Unlike the bespoke charms of something like Rye Lane, Ticket to Paradise is not particularly well-made nor well-written, but its got that crucial thing for a film of its kind: two bonafide movie stars throwing their glamour and charisma around.

Also new on NOW: The Old Way (2023)

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) | BBC iPlayer

Gamora, Starlord, Rocket, Drax and Groot in 2014's Guardians of the Galaxy. (Alamy)

2014's Guardians of the Galaxy which began an upward career trajectory for much of its cast and crew  is a highlight of Marvel Studios increasingly overstuffed library. At the time, considered far too niche and strange to translate for audiences, this iteration of the Guardians of the Galaxy is now one of the best known teams in Marvel's comics division too.

Read more: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 review: A heartfelt finale

Beyond the (slight) surprise of its success  it was a real litmus test as to what source material Kevin Feige could mine in his mission to print money  Guardians of the Galaxy works because its actually sincerely invested in the emotional arc of its peculiar and standoffish aliens. Of all things, a mouthy talking raccoon, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), becomes the seriess most tragic figure while his best buddy, the talking tree Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), becomes its heart.

The original Guardians of the Galaxy stride into action. (Alamy)

Rather than simply lean into the Guardians as edgy outlaws, Gunn leverages his own misfit background and digs down into what made the likes of Star-Lord and his companions this way (mostly daddy issues  these are superhero films after all) and why they might find kinship in each other. It does however suffer from a number of the frustrations that befall many films of its kind: an over-reliance on MacGuffins, as well as the obligations of the MCUs aggressive world-building, with intrusive cameos from future big bad Thanos and a near literal slideshow explanation of the Infinity Stones as setup for its decade-long Avengers arc.

Still, its one of only a few MCU movies that can genuinely be called soulful with such actual emotional investment in its characters, Marvel films too often treating them like action figures and shrinking away from earnestness, shielding itself with quips.

With Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn showed its still better to simply give a damn.

Also on iPlayer: Apocalypse Now (1979), Moana (2016), Booksmart (2019)

The Suicide Squad (2021) | Prime Video

(L-R) King Shark, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn and David Dastmalchian as Polka-Dot Man The Suicide Squad (Warner Bros)

While less of a standout than Gunns own Guardians of the Galaxy movie, the circumstances that lead to The Suicide Squad are amusingly labyrinthine. The success of 2014's quippy Guardians led DC to put out its own film about an anti-hero team of super criminals: 2016's Suicide Squad, directed by David Ayer, which was a critical flop, but a billion dollar hit.

Later, Gunn was fired from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 over some misjudged historical tweets (he eventually landed back in the drivers seat). Sensing an opportunity, DC swept in, and Gunn was hired to do The Suicide Squad, a more warmly-received soft reboot sequel. Gunn is now the head of DC Studios as their own Kevin Feige  a long way from his days as a low budget provocateur.

Read more: Everything new on Prime Video in May

In any case, The Suicide Squad is pretty fun, even if Gunns schtick feels a little more played out here with no producer notes reigning him in. It swings from gleefully anarchic to poignant to a little too juvenile, but theres easily worse cape movies out there  and its fun to see a big shark man in shorts brutally stumble his way through action sequences.

Its not all nihilism and (somewhat dicey) reflections on the evil foreign interventionism of US intelligence agencies, as it even inherits Gunns angle on the Guardians of the Galaxy, uniting its super-criminals through shared parental traumas.

Also new on Prime: One True Loves (2023), Beautiful Disaster (2023)
(CNN)  The United States rejected "ludicrous" accusations from Russia that it was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin as Moscow's deputy foreign minister warned the two powers are on the precipice of an "open-armed conflict."

Relations between the US and Russia are at their lowest point since the Cold War, but in the aftermath of Wednesday's purported drone attack on the Kremlin -- the official residence of the Russian president -- Moscow has dramatically dialed up its rhetoric.

When asked by CNN if Moscow believed the US was behind the attack, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: "Undoubtedly, such decisions, the definition of goals, the definition of means -- all this is dictated to Kyiv from Washington."

"We are well aware that decisions on such actions and such terrorist attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington. And Kyiv is already executing what it is told to do," Peskov said.

Peskov did not provide any evidence to his claims, nor additional details regarding the alleged attack, saying that information would be released later.

Earlier this week, Russia claimed Ukraine launched a drone strike targeting the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling it a "planned terrorist attack." Ukraine has strongly denied any involvement.

John Kirby, the US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, denied Russia's "ludicrous" claim the US directed Ukraine to carry out the alleged attack and kill Putin, and accused the president's spokesperson of lying.

"I would just tell you Mr. Peskov's lying. I mean, it's obviously a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this. We don't even know what happened here," said Kirby.

"But I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever."

The White House still has no indication who was behind the drone attack and Kirby said the US does not "endorse, we do not encourage, we do not support attacks on individual leaders."

Russia doubled down on its bellicose rhetoric later Thursday when Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told local media that relations between the US and Russia are on the verge of an "open-armed conflict."

"We are working to prevent relations with the US from plunging into the abyss of an open armed conflict. We are already standing on the edge, on the edge of this precipice," Ryabkov told Russia's Channel One Thursday, according to state media agency TASS.

Ryabkov also accused US officials of trying to "promote the idea of Washington's non-involvement" in the purported drone attack, TASS reported.

"Washington has long been a direct party to the Ukrainian conflict and aims to destroy sovereign Russia," he said, according to TASS.

CNN has reached out to the US State Department and the White House for comment on Ryabkov's remarks.

Earlier Thursday, Kirby said since the start of Russia's war in Ukraine, Moscow has been "trying to paint this war as some sort of fight with the West against Russia, NATO against Russia, the United States against Russia."

"And, of course, it's not; Russia is the aggressor here," he said.

Worst attack in years

The escalating war of words comes as Russia launched its most forceful air bombardment on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a year, the Kyiv City Military Administration said Thursday.

All Russian missiles and drones "were destroyed in Kyiv airspace" by Ukrainian air defense forces on Thursday, avoiding civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure, the capital's military chief said.

Meanwhile in the southern port city of Kherson, Russian shelling of the city and its surrounding villages killed at least 23 people, the regional military chief said Thursday. Moscow struck Kherson at least 16 times, firing over 80 shells at Pryvokzalna Square, a railway station and crossing, a gas station, two stores, a factory and a car repair shop, the regional military administration said.

And in southeastern Zaporizhzhia, concerns have once again been raised about the safety of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant that is currently under Russia's control.

On Wednesday, Ukraine's State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate accused Russia of placing weapons, explosives and military equipment in one of the power plant's units. The Inspectorate said it received the information during its weekly meeting with International Atomic Energy Agency representatives a day earlier.

Vladimir Rogov, a member of the Russian-appointed military-civilian administration in occupied Zaporizhzhia, called the claims "a lie," adding that, "we do not use the nuclear power plant as a military facility."

This story was first published on CNN.com, "US rejects Russias ludicrous claim it was behind alleged attack on Kremlin as Moscow warns of open-armed conflict."
Former U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn said he will likely return to politics someday and that hes leaving the decision to God.

Asked about his political future by The Charlotte Observer on Friday, Cawthorn declined to say if those ambitions are for national or some other elected office.

Plans are open, he said outside the Mecklenburg County Courthouse after pleading guilty to having a loaded firearm in his carry-on at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on April 26, 2022.

I enjoy the position Im in now, Cawthorn said. The world really is the oyster for the young. I think Ill return to politics one day. I love the country too much to sit on the sidelines forever.

You need to get involved in politics or be destined to be ruled by lesser men, Cawthorn added.

Hes leaving the decision up to just whatever God has intended for me. Im an ardent follower of Christ, so wherever he leads me, Im happy to go. Im happy to answer the call whenever.

For now?

Im honestly really enjoying being out of politics, he said. Its a good time to just kind of refresh and observe from the sidelines. Still evolve, still help raise money for friends, go out and campaign for people I think deserve to be in politics.

Cawthorn represented North Carolinas 11th District, which includes Asheville and much of western N.C., after he was elected in November 2020. At 26, he was the youngest member of Congress, elected to serve from January 2021 until January 2023.

After a series of scandals plagued his reelection campaign  including comments that angered many in his Republican party  Cawthorn lost his 2022 primary election and his seat in Congress.
The wait for Whitakers in Fort Mill is over.

The new bar and food spot at 215 Main St. opened Friday. Its having a soft opening weekend ahead of grand opening events as early as next week.

Whitakers opens in the former Spratt Building space thats served as everything from a bank to a town-owned meeting and event venue. The town sold the site for almost $500,000 two years ago. Last year, Whitakers submitted remodeling plans.

Whitakers is based in Savannah, Georgia, and also has a Conway location. It serves cocktails and a variety of drinks. Theres a daily sushi menu. Prior to the opening, the Fort Mill location teased coming attractions on its social media pages  from sashimi to spicy garlic edamame to a host of adult beverages.

The Friday opening comes at the same time as the South Carolina Strawberry Festival this weekend in Fort Mill. The Main Street food and drink is also continuing to grow. Nearby sites include Fortes Mill Eaters, Hobos, The Improper Pig, Amor Artis and Emmets Social Table.

A sign on the door Friday afternoon welcomed guests to soft opening weekend. It also noted staff is still being trained and the menu is still being fine tuned.

For more information, visit whitakersbar.com.
By Gram Slattery

HENNIKER, New Hampshire (Reuters) - While other Republicans running for president assiduously avoid discussing abortion, Nikki Haley, a former U.N. ambassador with 20 years in American politics, is trying a novel approach: talking about it.

Days ago, Haley, the only woman in the 2024 White House race, gave a lengthy speech stating she opposed abortion personally but, breaking with her party's right flank, she called for a national consensus. In a Tuesday television interview, she asserted a need for a broad middle ground.

People around the 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina, the daughter of two Indian immigrants, say her willingness to discuss the topic represents a calculated risk while other candidates dodge it.

"She's someone who does tackle tough issues like abortion, foreign policy and entitlement reform. She doesn't shy away from things just because they're uncomfortable," said Nachama Soloveichik, Haley's communications director.

As governor, Haley gained national attention in 2015 when, following a white gunman's murder of nine black men and women in a church, she helped lead the push to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Capitol grounds, relegating a divisive symbol of the South's pro-slavery legacy to a museum.

She also has foreign affairs experience. As U.N. ambassador under then-President Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018, she pitched herself as a stalwart defender of U.S. interests abroad. On the stump, she frequently emphasizes the need to support Ukraine, a position that divides the Republican Party.

In interviews, several people close to Haley or her campaign described her decision to focus on divisive issues as a way to differentiate herself in a crowded field, while earning more media coverage than she otherwise might.

They say it is in part a deliberate bid to seize some attention away from front-runners Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Opinion polls show her at about 4%, while about half of Republicans support Trump.

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Strategists say Haley's decision to address abortion head-on has also underlined a harsh truth for Republicans: There is no position that will satisfy everyone.

"It's easy to lose a lot more voters than you gain by talking about it," said Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican strategist.

Some 59% of Republicans said they were more likely to vote for a politician who supports banning or enacting severe restrictions on abortion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released in March. The remaining 41% were less likely.

Supporters, donors and some party stalwarts praised Haley for her speech addressing an issue that divides the party. But some activists and strategists criticized the speech, which was largely devoid of policy suggestions, for not taking an unequivocal stance.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America released a statement on Twitter after Haley delivered her speech at the anti-abortion organization's headquarters in Virginia, praising her for her commitment to supporting a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.

But Haley's campaign denied even mentioning an abortion ban after 15 weeks. As South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, she signed a ban on most abortions after 19 weeks.

"I think that where Ambassador Haley falls the shortest is that candidates can't lead with compromise," said Noah Brandt, vice president of communications at Live Action, a major anti-abortion group.

OTHER REPUBLICANS FOCUS ON OTHER ISSUES

The challenges facing Haley - and her Republican opponents - were on display during a recent town hall her campaign hosted in Henniker, a town of 6,000 people in New Hampshire.

In interviews, several attendees said they opposed abortion rights while others said it was an issue best left out of politics.

"I don't believe anybody should tell me what to do with my body," said retired nurse Claudia Roberts, one of the attendees.

Roberts said she hoped New Hampshire's Republican governor, Chris Sununu, a self-described supporter of abortion rights, jumps into the race.

Faced with a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't dilemma, Republican candidates have focused on other issues.

The party's underwhelming performance in the 2022 midterm election was seen inside and outside the party as voter backlash against the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that had recognized women's constitutional right to abortion.

Trump has barely mentioned abortion, though advisers have said he believes it is best left to each U.S. state.

Governor DeSantis, Trump's closest rival who is expected to announce a run within weeks, signed a ban on abortions after six weeks in Florida last month. He has barely mentioned it since.

Finding a way to differentiate herself will be particularly crucial as DeSantis and South Carolina Senator Tim Scott enter the race, said one of the people around Haley.

Emphasizing the need for generational change - a theme of Haley's campaign so far - may no longer be as potent, that person said. DeSantis at 44 is younger than Haley, while Scott is only six years older at 57.

There are limits nonetheless to Haley's raising of thorny matters, and she dedicates plenty of time on the stump to Republicans' more traditional red meat issues.

At the town hall in New Hampshire, she spoke for roughly 30 minutes, hitting on topics as varied as immigration and the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the U.S. this winter.

Among the topics she did not mention? Abortion.

(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Editing by Howard Goller)
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, photographed in New York circa 1874. Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Every May 8, thousands of people celebrate White Lotus Day, commemorating a remarkable and controversial Russian American woman: spiritual leader Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, who died in 1891.

HPB, as followers affectionately call her, is remembered as a co-founder of the Theosophical Society. Aiming to create a universal brotherhood of humanity, theosophy claimed that its tenets came from spiritual masters in the Himalayas.

Today, the movement has over 25,000 official members, with more than 1,000 lodges and centers around the world. Other theosophical organizations, like United Lodge of Theosophists, also boast a robust official and unofficial membership that is harder to estimate.

Theosophys strongest influence, however, was on the esoteric spiritual revival that took Europe and the United States by storm in the late 19th century, with Blavatsky herself sometimes called the mother of modern spirituality. Her descriptions of Hinduism and Buddhism were often romanticized and inaccurate but fueled Western interest in Asian religions and gave rise to dozens of spiritual movements.

The veiled years

Blavatsky was born into a noble family in the Russian Empire, within the territory of modern Ukraine. As a child, she read occult literature at her grandfathers home, sparking a lifelong desire to unlock secrets of the universe.

At 18, she escaped an unhappy marriage by secretly embarking on a British ship heading to Constantinople and for the next 25 years traveled the world in search of transcendental truth. Little reliable information about this period of her life survives, but Blavatskys veiled years seem to have included extensive travel on five continents and apprenticeships with various occult practitioners.

According to Blavatsky, during that time she came into contact with spiritual gurus named Morya and Koot Hoomi, whom she called her ascended teachers. Some scholars believe that these men never existed and were merely ruses HPB employed to garner support for her ideas. Most theosophists, however, maintain that these mahatmas  a term of respect in India  were real, and their teachings continue to be an integral part of theosophy.

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The Theosophical University in Point Loma, Calif., photographed in 1920. A. & E. Frankl/ullstein bild via Getty Images

In 1880, Blavatsky and her close companion Col. Henry Steel Olcott officially took pansil, or the five Buddhist vows, becoming among the first Westerners to do so publicly. Together with other leaders who later joined the theosophical movement, they popularized Buddhist and Hindu ideas in the West, introducing concepts such as karma and reincarnation.

Blavatsky poured ideas about spirituality into her written work, including classics of esoteric literature such as Isis Unveiled, The Secret Doctrine and The Voice of the Silence. Core tenets of her philosophy are summed up in The Key to Theosophy, which she wrote in 1889.

Universal religion

Adapting ideas from ancient Greek and Hindu philosophies, as well as Buddhism, theosophy teaches that the universe emanated from an impersonal divine absolute. All objects, animate and inanimate, share the same essence, and the goal of human evolution is spiritual liberation, which might be attainable after many reincarnations.

Styling itself as a universal wisdom religion, theosophy aimed to merge knowledge from philosophy, religion and science to explain secret laws governing the universe. Several of its leaders believed they possessed the ability to travel into a spiritual realm and access Akashic records, a repository of events and knowledge across time, and that they were in direct telepathic communication with the ascended teachers.

With other associates, Blavatsky in 1875 founded the Theosophical Society in New York, which boasted over 40,000 official members at the height of its popularity in the early 20th century. The society was set up like a philosophical discussion club, and today most of its public events explore the writings of Blavatsky and other theosophists, in addition to various religious traditions and concepts.

12th congress of the Italian Theosophical Society, taken in Rome in 1912. SeM/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Ideologically, theosophy promoted the idea of radical egalitarianism among people of different races, beliefs and genders. To this day, the societys official motto is No Religion Higher Than Truth, and the main objectives are to form a nucleus of the universal brotherhood of humanity, to encourage the comparative study of religion, philosophy, and science, and to investigate unexplained laws of nature and the powers latent in humanity, according to the Theosophical Society in America.

Lasting stereotypes

During Blavatskys era, Americans and Europeans were growing increasingly dissatisfied with traditional religions, especially Christianity. Termed the Age of Doubt by Victorian scholar Christopher Lane, the period was characterized by a widespread crisis of faith, brought about in part by advances in science and technology that challenged traditional worldviews.

In search of other spiritual ideas, some people started exploring occultism and spiritualism, practices that centered around the possibility of communication with the dead, while many turned to other cultures for inspiration. English translations of ancient Indian texts and popular books about Buddhism fostered such interest and created fertile ground for theosophy to gain popularity in the West.

Blavatskys India-based journal The Theosophist sought to foreground the work of her South Asian colleagues. Overall, however, she presented a romanticized vision of India, portraying its culture as a repository of ancient wisdom, in contrast to Western cultures she viewed as rationalist and dogmatic. Her descriptions paint an idealized picture of religious and philosophical traditions she portrayed as superior to materialistic Western modernity. In some ways, these ideas echoed common stereotypes in Orientalist art and writing of the era, which often depicted Asian cultures as unchanging and exotic.

Yet her claims that she was describing the true India shaped popular perceptions in the United States, Europe and Russia, as my current research shows. As a cultural historian who focuses on how religious ideas travel across the world and transform cultures, I am especially interested in how she sought to translate spiritual ideas for her Western audiences.

A photo of Blavatsky taken two years before her death, found in the collection of Russian State Library. Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images

Complicated legacy

Blavatsky was not the first European scholar to turn to the East in search of ancient truth. Unlike many other scholars of India in the 19th century, however, she spent considerable time there, and in her writings from that period she often expresses outrage at British colonial injustices. In fact, after she moved the official headquarters of the Theosophical Society to Adyar, India, in 1879, Blavatsky was under surveillance by British authorities, who suspected that she was carrying out espionage for the Russians amid intense rivalry between the two empires.

But her legacy is complex. On the one hand, she can be thought of as an anti-colonial writer whose incriminating portrayals of brutality and excess in her travelogue From the Caves and Jungles of Hindostan were among the most scathing indictments of British colonialism at the time. On the other hand, Blavatsky failed to condemn Russias own imperial practices in Central Asia.

It is Blavatskys role in popularizing Eastern spiritual traditions abroad that has been her most lasting impact  even if her ideas were often unorthodox. Intellectual leaders from psychologist William James and Indian independence activist Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi to playwright George Bernard Shaw and inventor Thomas Edison were all members of the Theosophical Society or incorporated theosophical ideas into their work.

Theosophy now competes with other new religious movements for membership  but they, too, have been shaped by the woman writer Kurt Vonnegut called the founding mother of occult in America.

This article is republished from The Conversation, an independent nonprofit news site dedicated to sharing ideas from academic experts. Like this article? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter.

It was written by: Marina Alexandrova, The University of Texas at Austin.

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Marina Alexandrova does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, April 17, 2023. | Seth Wenig, Associated Press

Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., are teaming up for what many Americans would say is a good cause: banning members of Congress from trading stocks.

Ocasio-Cortez and Gaetz co-sponsored the Bipartisan Restoring Faith in Government Act, which would ban financial investments by members of Congress and their spouses and dependents, along with Reps. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill.

The ability to individually trade stock erodes the publics trust in government, Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement. When members have access to classified information, we should not be trading in the stock market on it. Its really that simple.

In an interview with Fox News, Gaetz said, AOC is wrong a lot, shed probably say the same thing about me, but shes not corrupt and I will work with anyone and everyone to ensure that Congress is not so compromised.

A 63% majority of registered voters said they support a ban on stock trading for members of Congress, according to 2022 Morning Consult poll. That includes 69% of Democrats, 64% of independents and 58% of Republicans.

At least 113 members of Congress or members of their families disclosed stock transactions in 2021 totaling $355 million, according to a report from Capitol Trades, which tracks trading on Capitol Hill, and some but not all could be potential conflicts of interest based on lawmakers committee assignments. The New York Times found 18% of Congress sat on committees that potentially gave them insight into the companies whose shares they reported buying or selling.

Lawmakers and their families have faced criticism over stock trades, including in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic when members of Congress were being briefed on the situation as it was first unfolding. Some bought stocks in companies that made products like remote-work technology or vaccines, according to an analysis from the Campaign Legal Center, a watchdog nonprofit.

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Past efforts to ban members of Congress from selling stock have stalled. When asked in 2021 whether members and their spouses should be banned from trading individuals stocks, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no.

Were a free market economy, they should be able to participate in that, Pelosi said. Shes since reversed her position. Last year, her husband Paul Pelosi sold Google shares prior to the Justice Department suing the company. The former speaker has denied being involved in her husbands transactions.

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The bill Ocasio-Cortez and Gaetz have signed onto has earned the backing of the government ethics group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, and P Street, a progressive government affairs organization. Fitzpatrick, the Pennsylvania Republican who co-sponsored the bill, said in a statement the broad support for the measure is proof its a unifying issue.

The fact that Members of the Progressive Caucus, the Freedom Caucus, and the Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, reflecting the entirety of the political spectrum, can find common ground on key issues like this should send a powerful message to America, Fitzpatrick said.
If you talk to Democratic strategists about the 2024 presidential election, there is a certain type of Republican nominee who they fear: Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion; who can discuss abortion and guns without alienating suburban voters; who stands up to the GOP on some of the most fraught issues of the culture wars; who can argue that he or she has almost as much government experience as Joe Biden himself, but is still younger; who handled the pandemic in their state in a way that avoided some of the most unpopular decisions of both Democrats and Republicans; and who spends a lot of their time explaining to Republicans why they should leave Donald Trump in the past.

Asa Hutchinson  who sounds an awful lot like that imaginary candidate that Democrats fear  is here on Playbook Deep Dive this week to tell us why you shouldnt count him out.

Hutchinson got his start in politics as a U.S. attorney during the Reagan Revolution, when his home state of Arkansas was still run by Democrats. He served two terms as governor and shortly after stepping down this year, he announced hes running for president.

If theres one thing that makes him stand out so far, its that hes willing to say things about Trump that other Republicans arent. Hutchinson recently wrote that the former President has led us astray, undermined the fabric of our democracy, and is emblematic of bad leaders who are, focused only on themselves or on settling scores with political opponents.

In this episode of Playbook Deep Dive, host Ryan Lizza speaks with the former Arkansas governor after his first official trip to Iowa. He opens up about why hes running, how he thinks he can take down Trump, and why his record  which is among the most conservative in America  is full of surprises.


Artists take part in the reenactment of the Battle of Puebla in Mexico City, on May 5, 2017 PEDRO PARDO/AFP via Getty Images

French Emperor Napoleon III had planned to trade weapons for cotton with Confederate states during France's invasion of Mexico.

However, Mexico's resolve at the Battle of Puebla in 1862 prevented France from supplying weapons to the Confederacy during the Civil War.

France retreated to Veracruz for a year giving the Union Army enough time to rack up victories against the Confederacy and end the war in 1865.

As people across the country indulge in Cinco De Mayo celebrations with margaritas and tacos, few may know about the connection the holiday has to US history.

On May 5, 1862, the Mexican army defeated the French in the Battle of Puebla. This prevented French Emperor Napoleon III from supplying weapons to the Confederacy during the Civil War. Napoleon III had planned to trade weapons for cotton with the Confederate states during France's invasion of Mexico. But upon arriving at combat, the French found that they were unprepared to battle the resolve of the Mexican army.

Emperor Napoleon III wanted to claim Mexico for France.

In 1860, Mexico was dealing with bankruptcy and told their European creditors that they would be pausing payments for two years while they got their affairs in order. That upset the French, Spanish, and British, so in 1861, the three countries sent their military forces to Mexico to collect their debts.

The British and the Spanish eventually settled the issue of debt, but France was not satisfied. Napoleon III wanted to make Mexico a colony of France. Spanish and British forces eventually withdrew from Mexico once Napoleon III's ambitious plans were made known. Knowing he wouldn't face any resistance from the other European forces and that the US was in the midst of the American-Native Wars and the Civil War, he decided to press on.

In 1862, French General Charles de Lorencez marched his forces into the port city of Veracruz with the goal of capturing Mexico City. However, on May 5th, French forces were decimated at Puebla at the hands of Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza and his troops.

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Losing at the Battle of Puebla forced French forces to delay their weapons trade with the Confederacy.

The French retreated to Veracruz where they stayed put for over a year.

That decision has led some historians to believe France's year-long delay to go back into combat gave the Union Army time to rack up enough victories against the Confederacy before Napoleon could send artillery and ammunition.

However, others believe that the Battle of Gettysburg was about to begin at the time of France's retreat and that the Union Army was already in a good position to wrap up the war by year's end.

"Even if French were able to set their supply lines by mid-1863, it would have made very little difference in the outcome of the Civil War," Eric Rojo, a retired U.S. Army Colonel and commander-in-chief of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, an organization composed of descendants of Union officers in the Civil War, told History.com.

President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 freeing enslaved Black people.

Mexican Americans living in California at the time saw the connection between the Union army's victory and the Battle of Puebla as a fight against slavery. Before the state became a part of the US, many Mexicans who lived in California voiced their opposition to slavery as early as 1829. Once the Mexican army prevailed, according to WBUR, they celebrated with fireworks and drinks, and thus, Cinco de Mayo was born.

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Jill Biden will become the first U.S. first lady to attend the coronation of a British monarch Saturday, although 70 years ago, one of her predecessors was on hand to help document the occasion.

As a 23-year-old freelance journalist, Jacqueline Bouvier described the scene in London as the young Queen Elizabeth II was to be crowned.

Londoners seem amazed at the hordes of Americans here for the colourful event, she wrote for the Washington Times-Herald in 1953. Months later, she would become engaged to Sen. John F. Kennedy. And in 1961, she would meet the queen at a gala dinner for her husband at Buckingham Palace.

First lady Jill Biden, King Charles. (Getty Images)

Kennedy never made it inside Westminster Abbey for the historic ceremony. But Jill Biden will be on hand Saturday along with her 22-year-old granddaughter, Finnegan, as King Charles III is formally crowned.

The first lady is honored to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between the United States and the U.K., said Vanessa Valdivia, her press secretary. Her attendance reinforces the strong and enduring ties with one of our closest allies.

Even as the first lady has maintained a busy schedule leading up to her departure for London on Thursday, her office has been working closely with the national security team, the State Department, Downing Street and the Royal Protocol Office to coordinate details.

Charles has requested that guests not bring gifts, said a source familiar with the first ladys travel plans. And in preparation for the visit, the first lady thought it was important to wear an American designer for the coronation, the source added.

President Joe Biden called Charles last month to inform him of his wifes plans to attend the coronation in his place. To many across the pond  and even former President Trump  his decision not to attend is being viewed as a snub.

Not at all, a White House spokesperson responded in a message. The President has a good relationship with the King, called the King last month to congratulate him on his coronation, and he looks forward to meeting him in the United Kingdom for a visit at a future date.

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Jane Hartley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.K., was even more blunt in an interview with British reporters Thursday, calling talk of a snub ridiculous.

I think what was behind it was truly just scheduling and logistics, she said, adding that Biden and the king will have some much more private time together when he returns to the U.K. again later this year.

White House officials regularly point out that no U.S. president has ever attended a coronation in the U.K.  although the talking point sidesteps the fact that trans-Atlantic travel was limited to weekslong ocean liner voyages until Elizabeths coronation, in the early years of trans-Atlantic air travel.

Unfortunately the President is not able to attend the coronation, but he is looking forward to having the First Lady represent the United States, the White House spokesperson added.

Jill Biden met Charles, then still the long-serving heir to the throne, in June 2021, along with his wife, Camilla, who joined her husband at a reception for visiting heads of government during the Group of Seven summit in Cornwall, England.

Biden met solo with Charles later that year at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Scotland, underscoring one of the policy issues on which the two men find common ground.

Karen Pierce, Britains ambassador to the U.S., noted that Charles has met 10 presidents and visited the country at least 20 times.

They know each other well and the president has said to me graciously how much hes looking forward to working with the king as well as the prime minister, Pierce said on the podcast of the White House Historical Association.

While Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in British history, had met 13 sitting presidents, Charles has a long history of with commanders-in-chief, as well.

He was only 10 years old when he met his first, President Dwight D. Eisenhower, during his visit with the queen and her family at Balmoral Castle in 1959.

Le President Eisenhower Et La Famille Royale Britannique A Balmoral BALMORAL, ROYAUME-UNI - 29 AOUT: Le President americain Dwight Eisenhower (gauche) et son fils le Major John Eisenhower sur la pelouse du chateau de Balmoral avec la Reine Elizabeth et ses enfants le Prince Charles et la Princesse Anne le 29 aout 1959 a Balmoral, Royaume-Uni. (Photo by Keystone-France\Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images) (Keystone-France / Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images file)

At 20, he traveled to the U.S. with his sister, Princess Anne, to meet President Richard Nixon and his family. The future king was then considered one of the worlds most eligible bachelors, and he would later recall: That was the time when they were trying to marry me off to Tricia Nixon, according to The Associated Press.

Nixon, however, saw a very serious side to the visit. I think this could do an enormous amount of good for U.S. British relations, he wrote in a memo, according to the AP.

Charles later returned to the U.S. in 1985, accompanied by his then-wife, Princess Diana, to visit President Ronald Reagan.

And President George W. Bush hosted Charles and Camilla, now the queen consort, for a state dinner just months after their wedding in 2005.

More recently, Charles met with Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump, always putting his climate agenda front and center.

President Barack Obama meets with Britain's Prince Charles, Thursday, March 19, 2015, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (Jacquelyn Martin / AP file)

Anita McBride, who was chief of staff to first lady Laura Bush, noted that Bidens decision to have his wife represent the nation at this major royal occasion does have historical precedent: First lady Nancy Reagan attended Charles wedding to Diana in 1981.

This also underscores the close relationship that the Bidens have with each other, McBride said. They are partners in everything that he has done in his public life. And this is one example to the world.  It seems to me to be the perfect choice.

The first stop on Jill Bidens London trip will be a meeting Friday with Akshata Murty, the wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. They will also meet with military veterans and their families before they travel to a school that will be one of many holding coronation fairs as part of the long weekend of national celebrations.

She will attend a reception hosted by Charles on the eve of his coronation. On Sunday, she will join Sunak and his wife again for what they are calling a Coronation Big Lunch.

McBride said the meetings allow the first lady to bring greetings on behalf of the president, bring greetings on behalf of the country, and then bring any messages back to him that they want to share with her.

This is one of the things that [I] learned in all my travels with the first lady in the years that I was there: There was no closer person to the president than the presidents spouse. No adviser, no other government official really comes close, she said. What they share with them will undoubtedly go straight back to the president.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
Prince William, the son of King Charles III and the late Princess Diana, will be present at his fathers coronation at Westminster Abbey on 6 May.

Born William Arthur Philip Louis Windsor on June 21, 1982, he is the heir to the throne, since he is the eldest son of the King. He is 40 years old.

In 1995, after periods at Wetherby and Ludgrove Prep Schools, he started at Eton College, which is often a chosen private school among the royal family.

His parents divorced in 1996, and the following year he was hit with the news that his mother died in a car crash in Paris. At Dianas funeral, aged 15, he walked behind her hearse in the funeral procession.

After graduating from Eton with 12 GCSEs and three A-levels, Prince William studied art history at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, enrolling simply as William Wales in 2001.

It was at university where he met his wife, The Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton. The pair lived together in an off-campus apartment with two friends.

In 2010, following a visit by Kates parents to Birkhall  then King Charless private residence on the Balmoral estate  Clarence House confirmed that William had presented Kate with his mothers sapphire ring and the couple were to wed the following year.

On 29 April 2011, they exchanged vows in a grand ceremony at Westminster Abbey and became known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

William and Kate married in April 2011 and welcome their first child in 2013 (PA)

Two years later, 22 July 2013, their first son  and second in line to the throne  Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge was born. Named after the Queens father and grandfather, it is expected he would reign as George VII if he ascends to the throne after his father.

The pair welcomed their second child, Princess Charlotte, on 2 May 2015. Their third child, Prince Louis, was born in April 2018. The familys official residence is Kensington Palace.

William completed seven-and-a-half years of full-time military service. He trained in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. His active service as an RAF search-and-rescue pilot ended in September 2013.

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Prince William completed seven and a half years of full-time military service (EPA)

William has engaged in several charity initiatives in his philanthropic work, namely around the issues of mental health, the environment and homelessness.

In 2017, he spearheaded a mental health campaign called Heads Together, alongside the Princess of Wales and the Duke of Sussex. It brought together a coalition of eight mental health charity partners to encourage more open conversations about mental health.

The Prince of Wales is keen on protecting the environment for future generations. He is a patron of a number of charities that focus on conservation, via The Royal Foundation of The Prince and Princess of Wales.

In 2020, he launched The Earthshot Prize  a global environmental prize and platform for award and discover solutions to regenerate the planet every year until 2030.

The prize comprises of five Earthshot challenges that have an impact on some of the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet.

Prince William and Kate at the Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony 2022 (AFP via Getty Images)

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September, William became the Prince of Wales, as his father became King Charles III. William is now the first heir to the British throne.

William has also followed in his mothers footsteps in advocating for homeless people and those at risk of homelessness. His first patronage was Centrepoint, the UKs leading youth homelessness charity. He was also a patron of The Passage, which works to prevent homelessness and aims to transform the lives of those who have been homeless in the past.

In June 2022, William partnered with The Big Issue to sell magazines alongside one of their vendors.

Earlier this year, Prince William said that his mother would have been disappointed at the lack of progress in preventing homelessness.

Appearing in a video for this years Red Nose Day charity appeal, William visited people supported by the homelessness charity Groundswell, which is funded by Comic Relief.

My mother introduced me to the cause of homelessness from quite a young age, and Im really glad she did, William said in the video, opening up about the influence of his mothers philanthropic work on his own outlook.

I think she would be disappointed that we are still no further on, in terms of tackling homelessness and preventing it, than when she was interested and involved in it.

Prince William and Prince Harry at their mothers funeral in 1997 (AFP via Getty Images)

Williams relationship with his brother, the Duke of Sussex, is said to be fraught since the release of Prince Harrys tell-all memoir in January. In the memoir, Harry claimed that once William physically attacked him and advised him against marrying his wife, Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

Harry wrote: [William] called me another name, then came at me. It all happened so fast. So very fast. He grabbed me by the collar, ripping my necklace, and he knocked me to the floor.

I landed on the dogs bowl, which cracked under my back, the pieces cutting into me. I lay there for a moment, dazed, then got to my feet and told him to get out.

Prince Harry has spoken of the red mist that came over his brother during this altercation.

The Duke told ITVs Tom Bradby: What was different here was the level of frustration, and I talk about the red mist that I had for so many years, and I saw this red mist in him.

He also claimed William urged him to hit back, citing fights they had as children, but Harry refused and his brother left before returning, looking regretful and apologising.

At the time of writing, the Prince of Wales has not made a statement about any of the claims made by Prince Harry.

The pair have not been seen in public together since the funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II in September. If Prince Harry does accept King Charles invitiation and attends the coronation, it will be the first time they will be seen in public together since the publication of Spare.
The sister of an extremely dangerous man who escaped from a Virginia jail before being captured appeared in federal court on Friday afternoon.

Adriana Marin-Sotelo, the sister of Alder Marin Sotelo, was denied any form of pre-trial release and will remain in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

She has been accused of assisting her brother in his escape from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia on April 30. She was arrested Tuesday. In August, Alder Marin Sotelo and his brother, Arturo Marin Sotelo, were charged with murder in the death of Wake County Sheriffs Deputy Ned Byrd.

According to federal court documents obtained by The News & Observer, Adriana Marin Sotelo allegedly paid someone $2,500 to leave a getaway car in the jail parking lot for Alder Marin Sotelo.

Assistant Federal Public Defender Ames Chamberlin, who represented Adriana Marin Sotelo, claimed that Adriana was not made aware that she would be assisting in Alders escape.

According to court documents, two other people were involved in the plot to help Alder escape. FBI Special Agent Shaylin Laure did not identify them by their full names but instead referred to the first as a man named Giovanni and the second as a woman named Ashley.

Laure also testified that Alders getaway car, a red-colored 2003 Ford Mustang that has not yet been located, was not parked in the jail parking lot. Upon further investigation, Laures team discovered it had been parked in a lot adjacent to the jail.

Laure also described how multiple other individuals were potentially involved in the planning of Alders escape.

Before Alder Marin Sotelo had asked Adriana to assist in his escape, Laure said, he had attempted to recruit another sister, Griselle Marin Sotelo, to help.

Laure testified that Griselle told investigators she refused to help Alder Marin Sotelo, citing religious beliefs.

Although Chamberlin argued that Adriana Marin Sotelo had no significant criminal record and should be released ahead of her trial, Judge L. Patrick Auld disagreed.

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Given that Adriana Marin Sotelo does not have legal status in the U.S., and the nature of the crime she is accused of involved obstruction of justice, Auld denied the request for pre-trial release. If convicted, she faces up to five years in federal prison.

Laure could not confirm if the two others who allegedly helped in the escape will face criminal charges. Alder Marin Sotelo was captured on Thursday.

Timeline: The hunt for the fugitive accused of murdering Wake deputy, from escape to arrest

Alder Marin Sotelo s arrest, escape, capture

Marin Sotelo and his brother Arturo were charged with murder after Byrd, a 13-year veteran of the department, was shot multiple times in a rural area near a gas station on Auburn Knightdale and Battle Bridge roads on Aug. 11. Byrds canine partner, Sasha, was still in his unmarked SUV.

After leading authorities on a chase for multiple days, both brothers were arrested.

Soon after, Alder Marin Sotelo pleaded guilty to federal gun charges, for which he was being held in the Piedmont Regional Jail in Virginia.

He escaped from the jail on April 30, around 1:18 a.m., according to surveillance video.

After his escape, the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service offered a $70,000 reward for information leading to his capture and conviction.

Around 1 p.m. on Thursday, the FBI announced Alder Marin Sotelo had been taken into custody by Mexican authorities in the state of Guerrero, more than 2,300 miles away from Raleigh.

Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe, in a statement, said state and federal authorities will begin the process of working with the Mexican government to extradite him.

We will continue to update this story with news from the courtroom throughout the day.
A 23-year-old Pennsylvania woman allegedly faked her own abduction earlier this week in a far-fetched effort to hide the fact that she dropped out of college and wasn't about to graduate, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Chloe Stein, 23, was arrested Tuesday evening and has been charged with four misdemeanors: false alarm to a public safety agency, falsely reporting an offense that did not occur, obstructing administration of law, and disorderly conduct, court records show.

Stein was last heard from Monday evening at 10:30 p.m. when she texted her boyfriend while driving home from work saying she was being pulled over by a police officer, state police said in a Monday evening news conference.

Her boyfriend tried to contact her again numerous times, but to no avail, police said.

State police later heard from her family who said they found her vehicle, a Volkswagen Beetle, abandoned on Radebaugh Road in the area of North Greengate Road.

It was at that time the family made a missing person declaration and an expansive search for Stein was launched.

State Police Trooper Steve Limani said in a news conference Tuesday evening that the department spent "tens of thousands" of dollars in the search which included flying a helicopter in the area.

But the case unravelled when a tip came in Tuesday night that Stein was actually at a home in Jeannette, about 30 miles southeast of Pittsburgh, Limani said. When officers arrived, they found her safe inside and she was taken in for questioning.

At the state police station, Stein told officers she was pulled over and abducted by an unknown male who posed as a police officer, the criminal complaint said. She said her abductor had a firearm, she was blindfolded and taken to various locations in the area, the complaint said.

But investigators were already suspicious of her account. Before they found her, they had received a call from Penn State University officials which said Stein was not a currently enrolled student, contrary to news reports that described her as a senior.

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During the course of that phone call we found out that she had not been attending college for quite some time  almost at the point where its over a year, maybe two  and graduation was right around the corner," Limani said.

"That really led us in the direction that at any point of time there was no police interaction, there was no pull over," he said. "None of that happened."

A representative from Penn State said Stein was last enrolled in the fall of 2018 at Penn State Fayette.

Police said they found inconsistencies with Stein's account and evidence obtained in the investigation. When Stein was confronted about them, she admitted that she had fabricated all of the information pertaining to the incident, the criminal complaint said.

Limani said that she appeared to launch the hoax because she wasn't actually attending college.

The fact of not going to school apparently for so long and maybe disappointing people was the reasoning behind it, he said.

He said that at no point was she in danger during the search and she "knew" the way she set up her last text message would "cause alarm."

Limani condemned her actions, particularly for the fear it instilled in the community who thought there was an abductor at large.

He said police are investigating whether other people were involved in her alleged hoax and said the home she was found in belonged to an acquaintance.

NBC News has reached out to an attorney for Stein for comment.

Stein will appear before Magisterial District Judge Joseph R. DeMarchis in Westmoreland County on May 25 for a preliminary hearing.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
A man and a woman shot at each other Thursday night in central Fresno.

It happened just before 9:30 p.m. on the 300 block of Roosevelt Avenue near Franklin Avenue, between Belmont Avenue and Highway 180.

Fresno Police said a woman, who was home alone, answered her front door after a man who shes known knocked.

An argument ensued, then the man tried to shoot the woman. He missed and shot a window.

The woman, however, was armed, too  and she did not miss.

She struck the man once in the thigh.

Lt. Israel Reyes said the man tried shooting the woman once more  but missed again  then fled the scene.

Police eventually located the man trying to hide at a nearby home occupied by people who he knew.

Police said a handgun was found there and the man was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon.

He remained detained after being taken to Community Regional Medical Center for treatment of a non-life-threatening injury.

The woman was not struck but remained shaken by the incident, police said.

Reyes said the man and woman knew each other but it wasnt clear how.

Reyes said the two were not romantically involved and were not neighbors.
Nicky has launched a dating app for widows wanting no strings sex. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

A woman who lost her husband at 49 has launched a dating app for widows and widowers looking for sex with no strings attached.

Nicky Wake's husband, Andy, 57, died from Covid, after he was put into a care home in 2017 following a catastrophic brain injury.

The entrepreneur, now 51, from Bury, Greater Manchester, tried dating again six months after becoming a widow, but says it was hard for people to understand what she was going through.

She launched her first app, Chapter Two, in November 2022 - and already has thousands of widows and widowers looking for a second chance at love.

Nicky realised, however, that many people who had lost their partner werent quite ready for a committed relationship, but were still craving physical comfort and human connection, so she set up another app, WidowsFire, for casual hook ups.

Read more: Couple who got engaged as teenagers like Millie Bobby Brown have 'no regrets'

Nicky Wake, her late husband Andy in Sydney, 2017. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

"A lot of widows are not ready for their chapter two," she explains. "But it is a really well-known and documented fact that widow's fire is a thing.

"It's a term commonly used within the widowers community - and describes the intense, uncontrollable, or all-consuming desire for sex following the bereavement of a partner.

"You lose your life partner - I shared my bed with my husband for 20 years and then all of a sudden he's not there.

"If you have a healthy sex life, that is going to be a gaping void."

Read more: As Gwyneth Paltrow talks sex with Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, should you ever discuss what an ex is like as a lover?

Andy pictured with his son Finn in 2009. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Nicky says that one of the emotions associated with widow's fire involves finding comfort.

"We all need and crave affection, cuddles and stolen kisses and actually very often widows are not in the right mental space for a committed relationship," she explains.

"We want WidowsFire to be a fun and flirty, non-judgemental place for widows and widowers to safely and discreetly satisfy their physical needs with others like them on a no-strings-attached basis.

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I hope it offers a first step for those looking to dip their toes back into the complicated world of dating without fully committing to something they might not yet be ready for."

Read more: Benefits of a sex drought as Melanie Sykes reveals she abstained for a year

Andy was a stay-at-home dad to the couple's son, Finn, who is now 15. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Nicky met Andy in 2002 on DatingDirect.com. Having instantly clicked the couple married two years later in Jamaica in 2004, before welcoming a son, Finn, now 15, in 2007.

"We were living an idyllic, happy life," she says of their family life.

"He was a wonderful stay-at-home dad and did all the school runs and the cooking.

"He looked after me and made sure I could run our business - Don't Panic Events."

In July 2017, Nicky was away for work, but noticed Andy was being very quiet on the phone and didn't know what was wrong.

When she returned home, Andy told Nicky that he had been having chest pains but was reluctant to go to the doctors.

After persuading him to get checked out, Andy was told he had suffered a heart attack.

He was blue-lighted to the hospital for an ECG and fitted with a stent, with Nicky and Andy feeling like they had a "lucky escape".

But four days later, Andy suffered another heart attack while sleeping and Nicky had to perform CPR for 30 minutes.

Nicky Wake, lost her husband, Andy, when she was just 49. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Andy suffered a "catastrophic" brain injury because he didn't get enough oxygen to his brain and from then on required around-the-clock care.

"He couldn't walk, he didn't know who I was, and he didn't know where he was," Nicky says.

"He was hugely distressed and often he didn't have a clue who I was when I came to visit which was utterly heartbreaking - he wasn't the man I married at that point."

Andy was in a care home for three years.

"Unfortunately, Covid took him in 2020," she says.

Watch: Richard E. Grant says sometimes grief hits him 'like a tsunami'

The following months Nicky describes as "some of the darkest periods of my life".

"I had to build a whole new relationship with Finn and run a business," she explains.

But gradually things started to improve.

"It was about me trying to rebuild my life," she says. "I did bereavement counselling and got signposted to an amazing charity called Widowed and Young - and I found a whole new network of friends and peer support through that which was incredibly helpful."

Nicky says her new app, WidowsFire, aims to be an "uncomplicated, flirty and fun space" with people who are on the same page.

"Two consenting adults looking for joy and solace is not a bad thing," she continues. "If we can help people navigate this awful world that none of us wanted to be in that has to be a positive.

"Everyone who is on the app understands the playing field and knows why we are there. Removing the awkward elephant in the room out of the conversation."

Andy was just 57 when he died from Covid. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Read more: How a woman can enjoy sex whatever her age

Nicky says it is the "weirdest thing in the world" to have a new sexual relationship after the loss of your long-term partner.

"Kissing someone new after 20 years with someone who knows you so intimately is weird," she explains.

"In a long-term relationship, you don't need to overthink that stuff but in a new relationship, it can be daunting.

"I think it is really important to recognise that widows have absolutely natural needs and wants who need to feel, happy, loved and attractive.

"We are trying to create this safe space to have those conversations, to have some fun, to flirt and find who they are again."

Launching on 15 June, Nicky says the app will follow the same structure as Tinder or Bumble.

"When you lose your life partner you lose a sense of who you are," she continues. "After coming to terms with your loss you have to work out what your next steps are and if you are not ready for chapter two then WidowsFire can be a safe space for you to enjoy."

Additional reporting SWNS.
All eyes will be on King Charles coronation in London this weekend, as 2,200 in-person guests and millions around the world tune in for the official crowning of the British monarch at Westminster Abbey.

The ceremony consists of sixsegments  the recognition, the oath, the anointing, and the investiture (which includes the crowning), followed by the enthronement and the homage  all of which have remained relatively unchanged for centuries.

But viewers wont be able to see the kings anointing, which is regarded as the most sacred part of the ceremony.

This is because it has historically been regarded as a moment between the Sovereign and God, with a screen or canopy in place given the sanctity of the Anointing, according to the official website of the royal family.

Indeed, during Queen Elizabeths coronation in 1953, she was covered by a canopy made of gold.

A canopy of gold is placed over Elizabeth II prior to her anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury at her coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

A canopy of gold is placed over Elizabeth II prior to her anointing by the Archbishop of Canterbury at her coronation at Westminster Abbey on June 2, 1953.

Patrick Allitt, a professor of American history at Atlantas Emory University, elaborated further on the anointing, telling HuffPost by email Thursday that the idea is that the monarch is appointed not by the people but by God. Its a notion that he said was held with special force in the 1600s.

I dont suppose that anyone still believes that God chooses the king, but the British monarch is still the head of the Church of England, Allitt said. The secrecy surrounding the anointing is a way of emphasizing that it is the symbol of a contract between king and God rather than king and people.

This underlines the idea that the king is more important than the ordinary folk and that he has a privileged link with the divine, Allitt added. Obviously the transformation of political and social customs has led Charles and the politicians to emphasize the inclusiveness of the coronation in most respects, but with this exception, which they are probably continuing as a concession to traditionalists.

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Charles will be shielded behind a new three-sided anointing screen during that part of the ceremony Saturday.

The screen was designed by iconographer Aidan Hart, completed by the Royal School of Needlework, and gifted by the City of London Corporation and city livery companies. Its main features are those of a tree, meant to represent the 56 member countries of the Commonwealth.

King Charles III looks at the needlework on part of the anointing screen during his visit to the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace in London on March 21.

King Charles III looks at the needlework on part of the anointing screen during his visit to the Royal School of Needlework at Hampton Court Palace in London on March 21.

The anointing screen will be moved around Charles, who will be seated in the coronation chair during this portion of the Westminster Abbey ceremony.

The Dean of Westminster will pour a special holy oil  which was consecrated in Jerusalem in March  onto the coronation spoon.

Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, will use the oil to anoint Charles on his hands, chest and head, out of sight from the in-person guests and those watching on TV. He will then say:

Be your hands anointed with holy oil.

Be your breast anointed with holy oil.

Be your head anointed with holy oil, as kings, priests and prophets were anointed.

And as Solomon was anointed king by Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet, so may you be anointed, blessed and consecrated king over the peoples, whom the Lord your God has given you to rule and govern, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The anointing screen, which will be used in the coronation of King Charles III, as it stands in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in London on April 24.

The anointing screen, which will be used in the coronation of King Charles III, as it stands in the Chapel Royal at St. James's Palace in London on April 24.

After the anointing, the ceremony will proceed with the investiture and crowning.

More on King Charles coronation:

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For more than a century, Burke County workers toiling at furniture factories, textile and hosiery mills helped power Western North Carolinas economy. With those industries now in decline, their workers will get an overdue salute to their labor.

A 24-foot-long monument called the Dignity of Work will be dedicated in front of the History Museum of Burke County on Saturday. Its a project of the Workers Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit group that opened a related exhibit in the museum in January.

Founder and principal Jim Warlick, a Burke County native, says the exhibit and monument were inspired by his late mother, Mary Harrison Warlick. She started work at a Morganton hosiery mill at age 16, and operated the same sewing machine for 33 years.

The whole project for me was to honor my mother, and then other workers, Warlick said.

Mary Warlick, poised at a hemming machine, is at the center of three larger-than-life figures the monument depicts. Also in it are Claude Moore, who worked for Drexel Furniture, and Anne Forney Ramseur of the textile mill then called Burkyarns.

Their ancestors in labor were thousands of early 20th century furniture and mill workers, many coming from small farms. They swapped the precarious freedom of a life outdoors for the noise, heat and repetition of factory work. They also earned the security of small but steady paychecks and, often, mill-village housing.

Im glad my children didnt have to work all those years in the mill, Ramseur, who still lives in Drexel, says in a video interview thats part of the museum exhibit. Standing up all those years, on my legs, I hurt my back, I walked all eight hours and you used both hands. It wasnt a one-hand job, you had to learn to use both of your hands. I got plenty of exercise at that time.

But on the whole, she adds, Im going to say I enjoyed it.

Rise and fall of bedrock industries

Cotton and hosiery mills first opened in Morganton in the late 1880s. Drexel Furniture, a major Burke County employer, was organized in 1903.

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Furniture makers were drawn by North Carolinas vast hardwood forests, access to transportation  and a ready supply of cheap labor. Whole families, including young children, sometimes went to work in cotton and textile mills.

In 1905, N.C. textile and apparel workers labored 10.5 hours a day, six days a week, the North Carolina in the Global Economy project at Duke University reported. For that, men earned 75 cents to $2.75 a day, women 60 cents to $1 and children 40 cents. N.C. furniture workers earned about $821 a year by 1929, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, or about half the pay of workers in New York.

Their labor gradually made North Carolina a national leader in both industries. The decline, in the face of growing global competition, came much more quickly.

In 1992, North Carolina led the nation in textile and apparel jobs. By 2020, it had lost a staggering 85% of those jobs but still ranked fourth-highest in the U.S., the Duke project says.

After peaking in the late 1980s, furniture jobs in the state fell by more than half between 1999 and 2009 as consumers turned to cheaper Asian-made products, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond reported.

Burke County has found new opportunities amid the remains of its bedrock industries. Morgantons City Hall now occupies a restored textile mill it bought in bankruptcy. The old Henry River mill village became a set for filming of The Hunger Games and is now a tourist attraction. The Industrial Commons, which launches employee-owned social enterprises and industrial cooperatives, is redeveloping the former site of a Drexel plant near downtown Morganton as its new Innovation Campus.

Monument honors the sweat of workers

Warlick yearns to honor the sweat of the workers who filled those old buildings.

We always knew who the mill owners were, but we never acknowledged the actual millworkers, who were the backbone of the industries, he said. This monument is a tribute to the people who worked hard and selflessly in the textile, hosiery, and furniture industries to provide for their families.

Warlick began his career as an entrepreneur selling political campaign buttons. Over the years, he focused on presidential memorabilia. His first Presidential Museum, in Branson, Mo., featured a replica Air Force One fuselage and a full-scale Oval Office, among other pieces. His American Presidential Experience, including two limousines used by President John Kennedy, has traveled from political conventions to inaugurations and state fairs for nearly 20 years.

The monument was itself a labor of craftsmanship six years in the making. Joe Wider and Joel Hughen of Pinehouse Design in Columbia, S.C., designed it.

The three figures in it are composites of photographs of the three workers and models wearing period clothes, poised at their work. The images, produced in California, were printed on stainless steel, carefully cut out and coated with enameled porcelain for permanence. Although the images are flat, the technique makes them appear three-dimensional.

The figures are mounted on a base of Corten steel, a form that develops a weathered surface layer of rust. The monument is designed to last a century or longer.

A second tribute, interpretive signs featuring silhouettes of four workers, will be installed later on brick pavers outside the museum. The foundation hopes families will support inscribing the pavers with the names of local workers.

We love the design work, but this is really narrative history, said Wider, whose firm did most of the assembly of more than 600 pieces. Were not doing our impression of what it is to be a factory worker or mill worker. Were showing it.
(Bloomberg) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping called on top officials to step up efforts to maintain an appropriate birthrate and population level, after data in recent months showcased an intensifying demographic headwind for the worlds second-largest economy.

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In the first meeting of the Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission since Octobers leadership reshuffle, Xi highlighted trends including a low birthrate, aging population and divergence across regions.

We must fully understand and properly treat the new situations of our countrys demographic development, Xi said, according to a readout posted on the central governments website. Its critical for China to focus on improving its population quality while keeping up an appropriate birthrate and population size, he said.

Xi called for improving Beijings population-development plans to meet the new situation. The message follows recent confirmation that Chinas population started shrinking in 2022, for the first time in six decades  the latest milestone in a worsening demographic challenge.

The countrys workforce has fallen by more than 41 million people in the past three years, reflecting the coronavirus pandemics toll on the economy and a decline in the working-age population.

The declining labor force and aging population is a reality rather than a problem, and there is no easy solution, said Neo Wang, Evercore ISIs New York-based managing director for China Research. It takes 18 years to grow a worker. Focus has to be on lifting productivity. 

Meanwhile, China has been overtaken by India as the worlds most populous nation, according to United Nations data released last month.

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QuickTake: What India Being Worlds Most-Populous Nation Means

Top officials at Fridays meeting also promised to accelerate the building of a full-fledged, advanced and secure modern industrial system to maintain strategic advantage in future development and international competition, according to the statement.

Ensuring industrial security should be the priority of priorities, and more efforts should be made to achieve core technology breakthroughs, it said.

Premier Li Qiang attended the meeting as the commissions deputy director. Xis chief of staff Cai Qi and Ding Xuexiang, a vice premier, were also present as members of the group.

--With assistance from Fran Wang.

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For several years, my tactic for navigating debates about the tedious younger members of Britains royal family (Did you see the Harry interview? Isnt William awful?) has been to align myself with their dad.

Im not interested in being pro-this kid or anti-that kid. Im pro-Charles.

That stance usually draws a puzzled reaction, and reasonably so. Who in the United States feels enthusiasm for the new king? Americans who care about him usually dislike him. Far more people are focused on the War of the Sussexes.

The funny thing is, I mostly mean it.

The monarchy is a silly institution, no matter how hard Netflix tries to convince Americans that it performs a vital social function. But if Britain is determined to invest this web of dysfunctional personalities with quasi-spiritual meaning, then surely its better to have a monarch who also cares about some issues that matter.

In Charles there is a king who cares deeply about climate change, the most important political issue of our time. Would any of his siblings have talked about net-zero goals from the throne?



That argument usually gets some heads nodding. Not energetic agreement, but a version of: Well, thats fair enough.

The political reporter in me cannot help admiring King Charles III for another reason, and that is his sheer durability as a public figure over decades of humiliation (much of it self-inflicted) and seething public scorn.

In this respect he is a fitting monarch for our times.

We live in a golden age of male political endurance. It is a trait the 74-year-old Charles richly embodies: not merely longevity, but rather a kind of stubborn resilience that slowly heals political wounds and obscures personal shortcomings with the passage of time.

In America we are surrounded by men who have defied the political actuarial tables and weathered hard years of ridicule to claim great power late in their lives. Chief among them are Joe Biden and Donald Trump, two old men who have been prematurely buried many times over by people who took them less seriously than they deserved.

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They have so much company: Bernie Sanders, once a perennial candidate in Vermont and now the leader of a mighty national movement at 81; Mitt Romney, driven out of Massachusetts and defeated in a presidential election, entering his late 70s as a trumpet of moral clarity on the right; Jerry Brown, the quirky Governor Moonbeam of the 1970s, now at 85 an admired statesman issuing stark warnings about the U.S.-China relationship.



This brand of political tenacity is not exclusively male. It was in her 80s, a dozen years after being thrown out of the speakership for the first time, that Nancy Pelosi enacted some of the biggest climate, tech and social-welfare laws in modern times, sealing her status as the most productive legislative leader in generations. But in our society, there is no question this kind of staying power is far more readily granted to men. Seldom is a man in his 50s asked if he is past his prime.

Endurance is not a trick that anyone can pull off just by hanging around. The political scene is littered with men who missed their exit cue decades ago and lost the chance to make a dignified end to their careers. Consider Rudy Giuliani, now fixed in memory as the shuffling front man of the Four Seasons Total Landscaping news conference and other self-abasing stunts. Hair dye will be running down his flushed face for generations in the public mind.

It helps to carry yourself with dignity as you age.



It also helps to be very right about one or two big things  to have some genuinely good ideas that validate your judgment and intellect over time.

In Charless case, that idea has been environmental sustainability. For much of his lifetime, that was treated as a niche preoccupation, the stuff of aging hippies and public-television liberals. There was no political benefit to be drawn from caring about organic farming or the problem of plastic waste. (I was considered rather dotty, to say the least, Charles recalled in 2020.)

The global political consciousness has moved in his direction, with the widespread recognition now that averting climate catastrophe is a singular governing challenge in this century.

When his mother died last fall, the question raised was not how the UK would cope with having an amateur farmer on the throne, but rather who would take up the cause of conservationism once Charles assumed an ostensibly apolitical role.

The issue functioned in a similar way for Jerry Brown. Decades after his green mindset and new-age vernacular helped make him a cartoon character to many Americans (back when he was meeting with a young Prince Charles in Sacramento) Brown returned to office in 2011 as a vindicated seer.

Sanders moved from the activist periphery to the center of power with a resounding message about economic inequality. Biden shed his image as a Sunday-show blowhard  mocked by Obama administration colleagues, derided by Robert Gates as having been wrong on every major national security issue  with a campaign anchored in sincere alarm about the health of American democracy.

Of course, some stains are harder to erase than others.

I was born after Charless wedding to Diana Spencer; I have no firsthand memory of her emergence as a global cultural phenomenon or their separation or her death. She died when I was 11, but the royal family was not an important subject in my home. I was not immersed in the feelings of outrage and betrayal shared by many American observers of the monarchy.

I am old enough, though, to remember Charless post-divorce years as a heel in American discourse: tittering headlines on the Drudge Report about his remarriage to Camilla Parker-Bowles, his passion for exotic-sounding fuels, speculation that the succession might skip a generation and go straight to William and so on.

Charles is no longer a target of relentless mockery and scorn. His presence is sought after at climate conferences, his ideas about religion and agriculture are parsed as matters of public interest. Bidens decision not to attend the coronation was covered in the U.K. not as an embarrassment for a hapless new king, but (amusingly) as an act of disrespect by an Irish-American president.

The kings later life is a bit of an inversion of that line from the Batman movies: You either die a villain or live long enough to see yourself depicted as a complex character by Dominic West.

It has helped Charles that he is virtually immune to public opinion. He cannot be voted out of office or censured. None of the U.K.s major parties is eager to abolish or overhaul the monarchy. His version of endurance is not a model most leaders can follow.

But breaking royal taboos against scandal and divorce and surviving decades of demonization in the media to become a more or less conventionally accepted monarch is not a small accomplishment. Doing that while earning a measure of respect for your social and environmental values is a real feat.

Preserving that fragile image on the throne will be a different challenge. It is one Charles appears as well equipped to meet as any 74-year-old man alive.

Still, there is a reason why the anthem asks that God save the king.


A York City man has been called a hero after saving a child and several other people from an apartment building fire last week.

On Saturday, April 29, at 4 a.m., York City Police Department responded to a three-story apartment building fire in the 500 block of Queen Street.

According to Detective Commander Andy Baez, there was a 5-year-old girl left alone in her family's apartment when the fire broke out and spread throughout the building, but upon arrival by emergency services, the child had been rescued by another tenant.

That tenant was 28-year-old William "Chino" Rivera, who heard the screams and cries for help of the 5-year-old girl, identified by police as Dream Alicea, and knew he needed to help.

According to Detective Commander Andy Baez, a 5-year-old girl was left alone in her family's apartment when the fire broke out and spread throughout the building. He said the child had been rescued by another tenant. The tenant was 28-year-old William "Chino" Rivera, who heard the screams and cries for help by the girl and knew he needed to help. Rivera is pictured giving a thumbs up sign, flanked by, from left, Jose Santiago, Baez and Michael Muldrow.

According to the police report, Rivera woke up to the sound of a female screaming for help, smelled something burning and discovered smoke coming from underneath the door to the young girl's apartment.

After attempting to break down the door, he found the fire conditions were too heavy and instead went around the outside of the building and broke open the window to her room, where the young girl was found lying down.

According to Rivera, as soon as the two escaped through the window, the room became completely filled with flames. According to the investigator, this condition known as flashover is extremely dangerous with a low chance of human survival.

Rivera stayed with the young girl until her parents arrived. Police said the parents, Wilma and Jose Alicea, fled the scene with the child. They were later taken into custody on charges of child endangerment and prior unrelated charges.

Rivera's actions are being hailed as heroic by the community.

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In a May 4 Facebook post, York City Police Commissioner Michael Muldrow commended Rivera and called him a "guardian angel" for his actions.

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Rivera came to the United States seven years ago from Puerto Rico after a severe injury ended his career as an up-and-coming jockey, the post read.

According to Muldrow, Rivera has since been alone, with just a room for rent, clothes on his back and a car to his name.

When asked why he decided to save others before saving himself, Rivera said through a translator that he knew he needed to act.

"I am having trouble finding the right words to express my feelings about the situation, but I want to emphasize that I acted rightly by going inside to save everyone," Rivera said.

Following the incident, Rivera and many others were left with nothing.

So Baez and other members of the York City Police Department reached out to Muldrow to help.

"I immediately placed my first call to a person I knew could/would help - Jose Santiago, and the YMCA. After just one call they were off and running, making arrangements," Muldrow said.

Muldrow said he and the team were certain that the little girl, an elderly couple (and possibly several others) would have lost their lives.

"I am grateful that we all survived, particularly the little girl who now has a chance to live again," Rivera said.

Lena Tzivekis is a Central pa reporter. Email her at etzivekis@gannett.com, or message her on Twitter at @tzivekis

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York man hailed as hero for saving girl, 5, from apartment fire
Lucas Jackson/ Reuters

The New York Times editorial board said that Chuck Schumer should pressure Dianne Feinstein to "return or resign."

Feinstein hasn't cast a vote in the Senate since mid-February, around the time she was diagnosed with shingles.

The 89-year-old senator's absence has hampered the Democrats' ability to confirm federal judges.

The New York Times editorial board called on Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to "turn up the pressure" on longtime Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein to "return or resign."

"If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor," the board wrote. "If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so."

According to its website, the New York Times editorial board comprises opinion journalists "who rely on research, debate and individual expertise to reach a shared view of important issues." The board doesn't aim to speak for the paper itself but instead to provide an independent viewpoint of current events.

Feinstein, who's 89 years old, hasn't cast a vote in the Senate since mid-February, around the time she was diagnosed with shingles. After contracting the infection, she said in early March that she spent time in the hospital before being released.

In her absence, Democrats have been unable to confirm each of Biden's judicial appointments, leading several House Democrats to call for her resignation.

"It's time for @SenFeinstein to resign," Rep. Ro Khanna tweeted in April. "We need to put the country ahead of personal loyalty. While she has had a lifetime of public service, it is obvious she can no longer fulfill her duties. Not speaking out undermines our credibility as elected representatives of the people."

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"Her refusal to either retire or show up is causing great harm to the judiciary - precisely where repro rights are getting stripped. That failure means now in this precious window Dems can only pass GOP- approved nominees," Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Bluesky.

A group of women Democratic senators, however, told Insider that the calls for Feinstein to resign were sexist and "unprecedented."

Noting this point, the New York Times editorial board agreed that in its history, the historically predominately male Senate has had several instances of its male members missing years of legislative session time due to illness. But even still, the board argued, the "tradition should have been discarded long ago."

"Senate seats are not lifetime sinecures, and if members can't effectively represent their constituents or work for the benefit of their country, they should not hesitate to turn the job over to someone who can," the board wrote.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Protests erupted at a subway station and on the streets of New York City on Wednesday just days after a Black homeless man was killed on a train by another subway rider.

Jordan Neely, 30, was put in a chokehold and killed on the northbound F train in New York by a 24-year-old Marine veteran on Monday afternoon. A video captured by witnesses at the scene depicts the 24-year-old holding Neelys neck for almost three minutes while Neely tries to push back. Two others joined in restraining Neelys hands until he was unconscious.

A crowd gathered at a subway platform at the Broadway-Lafayette Street station in New York on Wednesday afternoon to hold a vigil and protest Neelys killing. At the station, demonstrators chanted, Justice for Jordan Neely and What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now!

Protest on Subway Platform in Manhattan for Jordan Neely Wednesday. His death ruled a homicide after a rider, a former marine, tried to subdue him with a chokehold. @CBSNewYorkpic.twitter.com/BqPzhXGlJE  jennbisramtv (@jennbisramtv) May 4, 2023

Im at the Broadway-Lafayette station, where a crowd of people is protesting the killing of Jordan Neely on an F train yesterday. pic.twitter.com/A0yp7p4pwQ  Samantha Max (@samanthaellimax) May 3, 2023

Sprawled across a wall of the station were the words Who killed Jordan Neely? and on the floor, Jordan Neely was murdered here.

Neelys death was ruled to be a homicide by a medical examiner on Wednesday caused by compression of neck (chokehold). But the 24-year-old passenger who put Neely in a chokehold was released on Wednesday and has not been charged.

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According to NBC News New York, the district attorney and the New York Police Department are investigating the case to determine if the case should be prosecuted as a homicide.

A lot of us are closer to homelessness than we are to being millionaires, so to see someone be treated like that as a homeless person is scary to people who are unhoused, scary for people who are at risk of being homeless, one protester told Breakthrough News, a nonprofit news site.

Videos on Twitter show tense encounters between protesters and police officers as the crowd moved to the upper platform and outside the subway station on Wednesday.

An unknown scuffle leads to people chanting let them go! and for a white shirt named McGinn to walk right into me and some others, putting us at risk of falling.



No one detained, or fallen into the tracks.



Crowd began chanting. The police response to this is absurd. pic.twitter.com/8y5KaxFJLc  Talia Jane (@taliaotg) May 3, 2023

Noticed a member of the press was stuck on the opposite side of the protest/vigil.



Asked him, across the police line, why he was being denied. He said safety reasons. I asked the cop standing in front of him if he could elaborate, then cops tried to forcefully eject me?? pic.twitter.com/0KG8X3Ylzu  Talia Jane (@taliaotg) May 3, 2023

I have no idea what was going on, but I noticed NYPD moved toward the side of the protest and were picking up speed. Someone starts telling them to leave people alone, then one  the same who aggressed on me  runs toward a boutique, arrests som one inside. pic.twitter.com/KgIeQSWcAS  Talia Jane (@taliaotg) May 3, 2023

Witnesses told CBS News that Neely had appeared to be experiencing a mental health crisis on Monday and was shouting at people on the train, but that he didnt appear to be seeking to assault or harm anyone.

He erupted in the train and then started to yelling violence language, I dont care if I die, I dont care if I go to jail, I dont have any food, I dont have any beverage, Im done, Juan Alberto Vazquez, who recorded a video of Neely being put in a chokehold, said, ABC7 New York reports.

Late last year, New York City Mayor Eric Adams introduced new policies to address the citys homeless and mental health crisis as well as crime, including a plan to allow police officers to involuntarily hospitalize homeless people who appear to be mentally ill or pose a threat to themselves or others. The move was widely criticized by mental health and disability advocates as a resurgence of historic legislation that has isolated homeless and disabled people in the past.

Any loss of life is tragic. Theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further, Adams said in a statement on Wednesday, according to CBS News.

However, we do know that there were serious mental health issues in play here, which is why our administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people off the streets and the subways, and out of dangerous situations. And I need all elected officials and advocacy groups to join us in prioritizing getting people the care they need and not just allowing them to languish, he said.

In addressing Neelys death on Thursday, Adams said that he will let the investigation run its course, and that he has faith in the criminal justice system.

I have a responsibility for this entire city and I have faith in the criminal justice system and Im going to let the process take its place and those who believe that I should do something differently, I respect that. But I have to make the right decision for the City of New York, he said.

Other New York lawmakers have spoken out following Neelys death, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.), who tweeted on Wednesday night that Jordan Neely was murdered.

I have yet to hear a real explanation from any official hesitating to condemn the killing of Jordan Neely about what makes condemning this violence so complicated, she tweeted on Thursday. Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?

Related...
Feature: How China's Dong Hongjuan became first woman to scale all 14 peaks above 8,000m

Xinhua) 10:54, May 05, 2023

LHASA, May 4 (Xinhua) -- For any elite mountaineer, reaching the summits of the world's 14 independent mountains above 8,000 meters once is already a daunting challenge.

But for China's Dong Hongjuan, the first woman to conquer all 14 peaks situated 8,000 meters above sea level, scaling each one only once might not be enough.

Dong, 42, successfully ascended to the summit of the 8,027-meter Mount Shishapangma on April 26, with her feat later confirmed by the international mountaineering summit website 8000ers.com.

"It was a historical day for the mountaineers and mountain lovers, who care about true summits. Now Dong Hongjuan is the first woman to have ascended all true summits of the 14 8000ers," read an article on the site's front page.

The 8000ers.com, operated by mountaineers, collects summit information of the world's 14 mountains over 8,000 meters, and its confirmation is widely recognized in the international mountaineering community.

Dong reached the summit of Mt. Qomolangma in 2013, completed Cho Oyu and Gasherbrum II in 2014, Qogir (K2), Nanga Parbat and Gasherbrum I in 2017, Kanchenjunga, Lhotse and Broad in 2018, Annapurna in 2021, and Makalu, Dhaulagiri and Manaslu in 2022.

The international mountaineering community considers it an achievement to reach the summits of the 14 independent mountains above 8,000 meters, all of which are located in the Himalayas and Karakoram.

On April 29, Dong attended a celebration dinner hosted by the Tibet Autonomous Region Mountaineering Association in Lhasa, with ultraviolet burns on her face, and sat down for an exclusive interview with Xinhua News Agency.

TEST

Located in Nyalam County under Xigaze, Shishapangma is the 14th highest peak in the world and the only eight-thousander situated entirely within China.

Dong had surmounted Mt. Shishapangma in 2018, but later discovered she had only reached the central peak, while the true summit certified by 8000ers.com is the mountain's eastern peak.

"There are only 14 mountains above 8,000 meters, but she climbed them 19 times," said Tsering Samdrup, Chairman of Tibet Mountaineering Association.

To meet the website's requirements, Dong was obliged to re-climb Manaslu, Broad, Annapurna, Dhaulagiri and Shishapangma.

In 2015, after Dong surmounted Annapurna, considered the toughest among the 14 8000ers by her team, it was getting late.

Even worse, they had run out of replenishment including oxygen, food and water. They had to spend the night at an altitude of more than 7,000 meters.

"The only thought in my mind was that if I could make it back to Beijing, I would definitely spend a week in a hot spring," Dong recalled.

After returning home, she spent a month in a wheelchair for frostbite treatment. Every few days, doctors had to scrape rotten flesh off her toes along with fresh flesh before changing dressings.

"It was really painful. But at that time I thought that even if I had to endure an amputation, I would still have finished the toughest mountain," she said.

However, it soon emerged that the summit of Annapurna she had reached in 2015 was not confirmed by the website. It was not until six years later that she tried again.

ACCEPTANCE

"I never conquered those mountains. It is the mountains that accepted me," Dong said. "We are nothing against nature. When the weather changes, as a climber, I could be easily destroyed."

Dong said she first started climbing simply out of curiosity. "I was curious about what it would be like above 5,000 meters, then 6,000 meters, then 7,000 meters."

When she climbed Manaslu in 2012, the words of famous Chinese mountaineer Yang Chunfeng impressed her greatly.

"Whether a country is truly great or not depends on women's power. I hope you can stick to it," Yang had said to Dong.

"After I learned about the achievement of reaching the summits of the 14 independent mountains above 8,000 meters, I swore to myself that I would put a Chinese name on it," she said.

Dong trained six times a week over the past 10 years and seldom allowed herself to be interrupted. "Once you are in danger, your strength can protect yourself."

Last year, when Dong surmounted Manaslu again, she thought there was only one mountain, Mount Shishapangma, left. But 8000ers.com told her she also had to re-climb Dhaulagiri.

"I cried for three days. I suddenly felt it was endless," Dong recalled. But after collecting herself, she packed up her luggage, retook Dhaulagiri and had her efforts confirmed.

"Dong Hongjuan has already corrected all her false summits and needs only Shishapangma to be the first woman on all Main-8000ers," updated 8000ers.com soon after.

PEACE

"You tell me where the true summit is. If I reach the wrong one, I re-climb. I just want to be an honest climber."

Dong has kept a low profile during her ten years of climbing, and rarely issues statements when ascending.

But when she successfully ascended to the summit of Shishapangma last week, she said to the camera: "This honor belongs to my motherland. I love you China!"

"I just want to do something for my country," she said, unable to hold back tears.

Her daughter has been her strongest supporter all those years. Once her daughter was asked where her mother was, the little girl replied "my mother went to climb Anna."

"She had no clue of where and what Anna is. But she was proud of me," Dong said.

Dong did not talk much at her celebratory banquet. Most of the time she was sitting by the table, enjoying the peace after the successful summit.

"I have nothing to brag about. I couldn't make it by myself, and I always believe that," she said.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Alana Nulph displays one of the drones used in her new search and rescue program under a Yurok initiative focused on finding missing Indigenous people. (Courtesy photo)

Alanna Nulph wanted to be a helper when Indigenous people went missing in her region.

A senior paralegal and special tribal criminal jurisdiction coordinator for the Yurok Tribe in Northern California, Nulph spent years working on missing and murdered Indigenous people, or MMIP, cases in the region.

When one of the tribes own, Emilee Risling, went missing in October 2021, Nulph decided that she needed to take even more direct action in the face of what she felt was helplessness. I know when Emilee Risling went missing, I was at home wringing my hands together because I didn't know how I could help, but felt like I needed to do something, Nulph told Native News Online.

In response to the crisis, Nulph took it upon herself to earn a Part 107 Remote Pilot certification from the Federal Aviation Administration in February this year. The license is required to operate drones for search-and-rescue missions.

Now, she plans to turn her newfound expertise to helping address the MMIP crisis. Nulph is building a drone search-and-rescue program through the To Kee Skuy Soo Ney-wo-chek (I Will See You Again In A Good Way) Project. That project, an initiative by the Yurok Tribe launched in 2019, aims to establish more effective investigation procedures around MMIP cases.

This program was born out of my desire to be a helper when a missing person incident occurs in our territory, Nulph said. I have been sworn into Del Norte (County) Search and Rescue so I can be on the front lines when someone goes missing.

Nulphs efforts are already bearing fruit: she helped locate a missing mushroom picker near Gasquet, California during a two-week search effort. The missing forager, 71-year-old Vana Sisopha of Tacoma, Washington, and her daughter went missing in early February after they were separated in the woods. Sisopha was later found dead, though her daughter was located safely. Nulph joined the search team, logging her flight details with local authorities and providing updates on the search to the missing persons family each day, per a Yurok statement.

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Eyes in the skies

The drone program will become a part of the Yurok Tribes comprehensive response to one of the largest crises facing Indian Country: the rates at which Native women suffer violence and homicide, often disappearing in the process. According to a 2022 Congressional Research Service Report, there were 9,560 cases involving missing or murdered Indigenous people in 2020 alone.

A Yurok MMIP Investigator told Native News Online that California alone had roughly 200 MMIP cases, over half of which were in Northern California where the Yurok Tribe resides. The tribe declared an emergency in December 2021 as cases spiked in the region. Thats where To Kee Skuy Soo Ney-wo-chek comes in, pulling together prosecutors, a dedicated investigator, tribal police and US Marshals to focus on improving public safety and lowering instances of violence against the vulnerable.

The tribes efforts include Missing In California Indian Country, which saw the Yurok partner with the California Justice Departments Office of Native American Affairs to take new missing persons reports and DNA samples, and new entries into the National Missing and Unidentified Person Database, from loved ones hoping to find their missing friends and family in April 2023.

In October 2022, the Yurok hosted the first Statewide Tribal MMIP summit, which brought together nearly 300 tribal leaders, tribal police, impacted families, state legislators and law enforcement from across California.

There have also been moves on a legislative level, such as a push to include $200 million in the state budget for MMIP response plans and culturally informed prevention work in the state. In February of this year, the Yurok organized the MMIP Day of Action, which brought 500 tribal leaders and citizens from across California to the state capitol to raise awareness.

Now, Nulph plans to join the tribes MMIP initiatives through her drone program, she told Native News Online.

The drones allow me to play to my strengths, Nulph said. I am not much of a hiker or ground searcher but I am able to pilot these drones to do the work for me.

Drones have become a popular tool in search-and-rescue missions in investigative departments across the United States, as evidenced by a rapidly growing market for the equipment. A November 2022 report by market research firm Fact.MR predicted the market for search and rescue drones would top roughly $11.65 billion by the end of 2023.

The report attributes drones newfound popularity in these missions to adding a layer of safety and wide-ranging perspectives to searches, especially in dangerous climates or rough terrain like dense forests and mountainous areas. Drones take less time and fewer searchers to find and rescue injured or missing people, which dramatically lowers the cost of search-and-rescue operations, the report notes.

For the Yurok program, Nulph has acquired two high-powered drones with a range of additional tools to help search-and-rescue efforts. That includes highly sensitive thermal imaging tools that can detect heat signatures from long distances regardless of the time of day. The drones are also equipped with a payload delivery system that can deliver water, food, and other necessities to people awaiting rescue, and can provide light for first responders tending to a wounded person.

Thats especially useful in Yurok County, where much of the landscape consists of steep mountains, rivers, and dense mixed-conifer stands. It was the geography, in part, that pushed Nulph to look into drones as a potential solution, she said.

My dad and his friend had been flying drones for some time and they gave me the idea that we can be more technically advanced when we search. This is an extreme rural area with some of the harshest landscapes for searching on foot so any technology we can get is welcome, Nulph said. I saw the struggle we had with law enforcement, with jurisdictional boundaries, and with getting resources in for searching on the reservation.

Nulph worked with her law enforcement colleagues to research what would be necessary to purchase and use drones in their search efforts. The tribe eventually secured their drones and put Nulph through the training, leading to a successful drone pilot exam.

Now its time to put that training to work, Nulph said.

I am no longer wringing my hands and pacing my room, I now have an active role in helping and don't lose sleep over what I could possibly do, Nulph said. I'm there doing it now.

About the Author: "Chesley Oxendine (Lumbee-Cheraw) is an Oklahoma-based reporter for Native News Online and its sister publication, Tribal Business News. His journalism has been featured in the Fort Gibson Times, Muskogee Phoenix, Native Oklahoma Magazine, and elsewhere. \r

"

Contact: ChezOxendine@idonthaveit.com
Warner Bros. Discovery chief executive David Zaslav is defending CNNs plan to air a town hall forum with former President Trump in prime time next week.

The U.S. is a divided government, said Zaslav, who runs CNNs parent company, during a CNBC appearance Friday. We need to hear both voices. Thats what you see. Republicans are on the air at CNN. Democrats are on the air. All voices should be heard on CNN.

Pressed on if presenting both sides of a political argument to viewers can draw enough viewership to help CNN make money, Zaslav said, we have a great political season coming.  This is a new CNN.

The network announced earlier this week it would hold a town hall with Trump at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, his first sit-down with a major network outside of Fox News in years.

Critics of the former president have said CNN is wrong to give Trump a platform, citing his history of false or inflammatory statements and ongoing legal battles.

On MSNBC, a competitor to CNN, prime-time host Chris Hayes said the decision to give Trump a town hall is hard to defend. Hayess network, as well as some other news organizations, have decided against airing Trumps public events and remarks live or in full.

Trump is currently the front-runner in the Republican presidential primary, with most polls showing him ahead of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to officially declare his candidacy.

CNN specifically, and the cable news business media more generally, have struggled to maintain the high ratings they drew during the Trump presidency.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Following his visits to Finland and the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has had a meeting in Kyiv with Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani.

Source: President's website; Zelenskyy on social media

Details: On 5 May, Zelenskyy welcomed Bahrain's Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, who had arrived on a visit to Ukraine.

This is the first visit by a Bahraini Foreign Minister to Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in July 1992.

Zelenskyy described it as an important sign of cooperation and support between the two countries.

The president expressed gratitude to the Kingdom of Bahrain for its unwavering support for Ukraine's territorial integrity and sovereignty amidst countering full-scale Russian aggression, which has been repeatedly demonstrated during voting for the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly.

He stated that humanitarian aid from Bahrain is also significant for Ukraine and its citizens.

Zelenskyy stressed that he had offered the international community a Ukrainian formula for peace, and Ukraine would be grateful to "all states that really want to help Ukraine achieve peace".

The Ukrainian leader invited Bahrain to join the implementation of specific points of the "peace formula" and participate in the upcoming Peace Summit.

Zelenskyy drew the attention of the Bahraini Foreign Minister to the problem of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the search for ways to bring them back to their homeland and their families.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the post-war recovery of Ukraine as well as on the countrys involvement in prospective cooperation projects in the humanitarian and economic spheres.

Zelenskyy emphasised the issue of mine clearance of large areas of Ukrainian territory contaminated by the hostilities and the practical need for the necessary equipment.

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Background:

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!
Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of his Office, Andrii Yermak, welcomed a bipartisan delegation from the House of Representatives of the US Congress. Congresswoman Victoria Spartz [the first ethnic Ukrainian woman elected to the United States Congress  ed.], who previously criticised Yermak, was among the guests.

Source: Zelenskyy evening address on social media, president's website

Details: The congressional delegation was represented by US Helsinki Commission Chairman Joe Wilson, Congress representatives Steven Cohen and Victoria Spartz. The delegation also included the United States Ambassador to the OSCE, Michael Carpenter.

Zelenskyy informed the US delegation about the situation on the front line. In this context, the key areas of further American assistance in security and defence were discussed in detail. The President spoke separately about the priority needs of the defence forces of Ukraine.

The issue of extending the grain corridor and the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP were also raised at the meeting.

The head of state emphasised that such visits to Ukraine are a powerful signal of support from the US.

Quote: "You see that the war is going on not only on the battlefield but also here in the capital. So thank you very much for this meeting and this dialogue, for supporting Ukraine."

More details: Zelenskyy also noted that the relations between the two states developed to be the closest in their history.

Quote: "Now, when we are fighting side by side with America against tyranny, we have reached a level of interaction that has never been seen between Ukraine and the USA, but this is not the limit yet."

Background:

In July 2022, Spartz appealed to US President Joe Biden with a request to provide an explanation regarding the surveillance procedures related to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Andrii Yermak.

Later, in a high-profile interview with European Pravda, the congresswoman emphasised the alleged obstacles in establishing oversight of American military aid to Ukraine.

Thereafter, the USA, the EU and NATO declared that they have no complaints about Ukraine's use of Western weapons. The Verkhovna Rada supported the creation of a commission to oversee the supply of Western weapons to Ukraine.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!






President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte at the military base in Susterberg on May 4, 2023

I'm happy to say that, as a result of our meetings in Helsinki and The Hague, we have a powerful reinforcement of weapons for our troops  on land, in the air, and at sea, said Zelenskyy.

Read also: Ukraine understands it will not join NATO during war, but wants clear signals, Zelenskyy says

I thank our partners! This is a significant reinforcement. We have made more progress towards NATO and the European Union. We have made more progress towards holding Russia responsible for its aggression against our state.

Read also: Czech president gifts Zelenskyy legendary CZ 75 pistol

Zelenskyy also said that he met with the Foreign Minister of Bahrain on May 5, who arrived in Ukraine for the first time in the history of bilateral relations between the countries. He also participated in the United24 charity platform anniversary summit, and held a meeting with a delegation of the U.S. Congress.

Read also: Ukraine understands it will not join NATO during war, but wants clear signals, Zelenskyy says

On May 3, the president visited Finland, and on May 4  the Netherlands. He met with the leadership of the countries and representatives of the International Criminal Court, participated in the Ukraine  Northern Europe summit, and addressed the Dutch parliament.

Were bringing the voice of Ukraine to the world. Support us with a one-time donation, or become a Patron!

Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine
Lighthouse Bible Church

Lighthouse Bible Church, 2136 Fifth Ave., invites the community to participate in our live Sunday worship service at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday.

The Sunday sermon is prerecorded and can be viewed on our website, lighthousemc.com. Dress is casual, and coffee and refreshments are provided.

Upcoming events: Prayer and Study, 7 p.m. Wednesdays. Movie Night Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m.

Mt. Hope United Methodist

Mt. Hope United Methodist Church, 290th and Highway 6, McClelland, would like to invite all to join us on Sunday mornings for our worship service at 9:30 a.m. Children are welcome for the regular worship service and childrens sermon during the worship service. You do not have to be a member to participate in our church activities. Everyone is welcome.

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church

Gethsemane Presbyterian Church, 224 Wallace Ave., invites you to worship with us. The service runs from 9 to 10 a.m. on Sundays. The Rev. Nancy Ross-Hullinger will deliver the message, At the Edge, and the scripture is John 14:1-14. There will be a Childrens Chat, and this is a Communion/Pantry Sunday. Children are invited to participate in Sunday school. Please join us for refreshments following the service.

Adult Bible study meets on Mondays and Thursdays from 9 to 10 a.m.

Sloppy Joe Bingo will be on Thursday, May 18. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m., followed by bingo at 6:30. For $10 per person, you get a sloppy joe sandwich, chips and dessert, plus 20 games of bingo.

Our church is collecting Iowa 5 cent refund cans/bottles for one of our mission projects. Your donations help! Bags can be dropped off anytime at our front door.

We are also collecting diapers and wipes for children. These can also be left in bags by the front door.

Our Food Pantry is open on Mondays and Thursdays until 10:30 a.m. Donations are welcome. For more information, contact the church office at 712-366-2513 or visit us on Facebook at gethsemanepresbyterianchurch.org.

Timothy Lutheran Church

Timothy Lutheran Church, 3112 W. Broadway, offers services at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. The church alternates between traditional services and praise services each week. Bible study and Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. If a month has a fifth Sunday, the church hosts a combined service at 9 a.m. Food and fellowship after service on fifth Sundays and there is no Bible study or Sunday school on those days. The church is handicap accessible. For more information, visit the church website at timothylutheran.net.

St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church

We all need the Lord, so join us at St. Pauls Evangelical Country Church. The church bell rings each Sunday at 10:30 a.m. to welcome people to worship at 11055 Dumfries Ave. There are directional signs from Wabash Avenue and Pioneer Trail leading to the church.

We are a growing, caring and friendly Bible-teaching church led by Pastor Jason Kinney. Sunday school for children and adults begins at 9:15. We have childrens church later in the service. Greeters are Jan Peters and Connie Tillia. Each week, we enjoy donuts and coffee in the Fellowship Hall after worship.

This week, our message will be Share Jesus Without Fear. The Bible reference is Acts 2:37-42. This is communion Sunday. Greeters are Ron Heuwinkle and Mike Turner.

The ladies Bible study meets Wednesdays at 1 p.m. Youth group will meet on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Visit our website at stpaulsecc.org for more information. We are handicapped accessible.

Underwood Lutheran Church

Underwood Lutheran Church, 10 Third Ave., will hold Sunday activities on May 7. Education begins at 9 a.m. In-person worship featuring Holy Communion begins at 10:15 a.m. Pastor Scott Dalen will deliver a sermon based on John 14:1-14.

The online video will be available later in the day.

Compass Christian Church

Compass Christian Church welcomes you to worship with us Sundays at 10:30 a.m. We are located at 2007 S. Seventh St., just west of the South Expressway. The church is handicap accessible. During worship, a cry room is available, along with childcare for children ages 1 to 4. Compass Kids grades K-5 meet downstairs for special Bible lessons during the sermon. You may also worship with us at compasscb.online.church or on YouTube.

Monday morning Bible study meets at 10 a.m. weekly. Separate mens and womens Bible study groups meet on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. The Bridge Young Adults (ages 18-30) meet on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. The next meeting is May 16.

On Wednesdays, students in grades 6-12 meet at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting is held at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, May 20 at 10 a.m., the Womens Ministry of Compass Christian Church will host an event for girls and women of all ages called Brunch and Blessings. Women will enjoy a light brunch and conversation as assembling blessings bags to distribute to other women. The event is free, but registration is required. To register, email activities@compasscb.org.

For questions or more information, visit our Facebook page, Compass Christian Church CB, our website compasscb.org or call the church office at 712-366-9112.

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church

Fifth Avenue United Methodist Church, 1800 Fifth Ave., invites the public to participate in our live worship service at 10:30 a.m. Sundays. The service will be recorded live and can be viewed on our Facebook page: Fifth Avenue UMC, Council Bluffs. Face masks are optional.

Upcoming events: Meal & Message, April 26 and May 10 and 24 at 6 p.m. A Fun-raiser dessert auction will be held May 21 at 11:45 a.m. The church office can be reached at 712-323-7374 or through our email at fifthaveumchurch@gmail.com.

Broadway United Methodist Church

Broadway United Methodist, First Street and Broadway, is seeking, growing and serving with unconditional love and acceptance. We hold a traditional service Sunday at 8:30 a.m. and a contemporary service at 10:30. Coffee and donuts will be served in the DeLong Lounge at 9:30. Our services are held in person and livestreamed to our Facebook page or broadwayunitedmethodist.com/live. Masks are optional.

Student Life Breakthrough is held Sundays at 6 p.m. On Mondays, Philips Cupboard, a nonfood pantry, is open noon to 2 p.m. Bibles at Barleys is at 7:30 p.m. on Monday for those over 21.

The womens book study meets at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays. The praise band practices at 5:30. A community meal is held at 6 p.m. A Foundations Adult Group meets Wednesday at 6:30 in the DeLong Lounge while BUMC Kids and Student Life meet. The bell choir practices at 6:30, followed by the choir at 7:30. The Mens Brown Bag Bible Study will be held Thursday at noon.

On Friday, the church office is closed but Philips Cupboard is open noon to 2 p.m.

Upcoming events: Aldersgate Spring District Conference will be May 7 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Zoom. The summer kickoff block party will be Wednesday, May 17 from 6 to 8 p.m.

For more information, visit our website at broadwayunitedmethodist.com or call the office at 712-322-7741 (closed Fridays).

Bethany Presbyterian Church

Bethany Presbyterian Church, 1900 S. Seventh St., will have worship at 11 a.m. Pastor Nancy Ross-Hullingers message will be At The Edge, and the scripture will be John 14:1-14. There will be a childrens chat. This is Communion/Pantry Sunday.

Social Saturday will be held on May 6 at 9 a.m. We will celebrate Moms and Grandmothers Day and have a luncheon following worship service. We will provide treats for National Teachers Day to a local school next week.

We are a handicap accessible facility.

Community of Christ Church

Community of Christ Church, 140 W. Kanesville Blvd., invites people to attend Sunday worship at 10:15 a.m. Our theme this week is Become Living Stones. Scripture readings will be 1 Peter 2:2-10; Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16; John 14:1-14; and Acts 7:42, 55-60.

Sunday school starts at 9:15 a.m. We also have prayer service Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Please call our office at 712-323-4498 for any questions. There are virtual ministries out on our World Church Website under Ongoing Ministries at cofchrist.org.

Epworth United Methodist Church

Do you want to know more about God and His divine plan for you? Epworth United Methodist Church, 2447 Ave. B, is a place you can visit to grow your knowledge and experience with God. Join us for worship Sundays at 9:30 a.m. There is room for the little ones in the family to learn about God according to their ages. The people are friendly, worship is meaningful and the building is handicap accessible.

You are also invited to our Bible study on Thursdays at 10 a.m. We are currently going through the book of Ecclesiastes. Join us in seeking Gods presence and answers.

We are in prayer for the healing of our community and a nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. If you want us to pray for you personally, let us know. We believe God is powerful to provide, redeem us from our wrongdoings and, more importantly, heal the soul and the body. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Phone: 712-323-3124. You can find us on Facebook at Friends of Epworth UMC/Facebook.

Faith Lutheran Church

Faith Lutheran Church (LCMS), 2100 S. 11th St., invites you to join us for traditional worship with Holy Communion at our 9 a.m. Sunday service.

On Tuesday, there is a 9:30 a.m. adult Bible study in the downstairs fellowship hall that is open to everyone. Please use the rear door. The elders will also meet Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday there is Praise Team practice at 5:30 p.m.

Worship services are available on Faiths Facebook page and on YouTube by searching for Ron Rosenkaimer. For more information, check our webpage or contact the church office at 712-323-6445.

New Horizon Presbyterian Church

On May 7, New Horizon Presbyterian Church, 30 Valley View Drive, will hold Communion worship services at 8, 9 and 11 a.m. Youth and adult Sunday school will be at 10 a.m.

On Wednesdays, the Praise Band meets from 5:45 to 6:30 p.m., the Chancel Bell Choir from 6:30 to 7:30 and the Chancel Choir from 7:30 to 8:30. There will be a Red Cross blood drive on May 8 from 12 to 5 p.m. Prayer Shawl group meets on May 8 from 3 to 5 p.m. On May 11, the Stephens group meets at 10:15 a.m., the Grief Group at 1 p.m. and Worship Committee at 6:30 p.m.

If you are ill, please worship from home by watching our Facebook page, facebook.com/NewHorizonPC.

Westminster Presbyterian Church

Westminster Presbyterian Church, 517 S. 32nd St., invites everyone to our 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service as we celebrate the Fifth Sunday of Easter. The Rev. Portia Iverson will deliver the sermon. Joyce Mynster is our organist.

We are handicapped accessible through the northeast door of the church. The Story Street Mobile Pantry will not be at Westminster until further notice. They are very short on food staples.

Corpus Christi Catholic Parish

Join us for the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for the Fifth Sunday of Easter on May 6-7. The Liturgy of the Word will be Acts 6:1-7; Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19; 1 Peter 2:4-9; and John 14:1-12.

Our Weekend Mass in English is celebrated on Saturday at 4 p.m. and on Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles, 3304 4th Ave., Council Bluffs; and at 9:30 a.m. at Corpus Christi Our Lady of Carter Lake, 3501 North Ninth St., Carter Lake. Our Sunday Spanish Mass is at noon at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles.

Daily Mass is celebrated as follows: In English on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 8 a.m. (Council Bluffs) and in Spanish on Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. (Council Bluffs).

Eucharistic Adoration is held every Monday and Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles.

The parish will hold a huge rummage and bake sale Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Saturday, May 20 from 9 a.m. to noon in the Great Hall at Corpus Christi Queen of Apostles.

For more information, call the parish office at 712-323-2916 or 712-323-4716 (Spanish) or visit our parish website at www.corpuschristiparishiowa.org.

Emanuel Lutheran Church

Emanuel Lutheran Church, 2444 N. Broadway, welcomes everyone to come as you are and be who you are! Our weekly worship service is Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Students will be dismissed for Sunday school after the Gospel lesson. Coffee and donuts will be available in the community room after church. This Sunday, we will also have a diabetic education session, Lets Talk Carbs, during coffee hour.

Other events this week include Tai Chi Monday at 10 a.m. in the youth center, Bible study Thursday at 9:30 a.m. in the conference room, Tai Chi Thursday at 10 a.m. in the youth center and Craft Inn Saturday at 10 a.m.

Services are streamed on our YouTube channel, Facebook page and Twitter. Visit us online at emanuelcb.org.

Saint John Lutheran Church

Saint John Lutheran Church, 633 Willow Ave., holds worship at 5:30 p.m. on Saturdays and 8:30 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. Worship is also available to watch on YouTube. Our website is www.SaintJohnELCA.org, and our Facebook page is Saint John Lutheran Church Council Bluffs IA.

Wednesday morning Bible study meets at 9 a.m., and Wednesday evening Bible study meets at 6:30 p.m. The bell choir practices at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, and the Chancel Choir starts practice at 7:30 p.m. Confirmation students and high school youth also meet Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Please call the church office with any questions, 712-323-7173.

Broadway Christian Church

The congregation invites you to join us for Sunday worship at 9 a.m. at Broadway Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), 2658 Ave. A. Masks are optional. A hearing loop is installed for those who need it.

This Sunday, the Rev. Vergarie Sanford will provide the message. We celebrate communion weekly, and it is open to all. Each week, you are invited to enjoy coffee and donuts following worship in Fellowship Hall.

Pieceful Hearts Quilters meet the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 a.m. Bible Study meets each Wednesday at 10 a.m. Newcomers are always welcome at both.

Alcoholics Anonymous meets Mondays and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. Overeaters Anonymous meets Mondays at noon and Fridays at 7:30 p.m. The church is ADA-accessible. To submit prayer requests or for more information, call the church office at 712-323-7741 or email us at office@bcccb.org. Visit us online at www.bcccb.org or on Facebook.

First Congregational UCC Church

Come and join us for worship at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), located at 611 First Ave. near Bayliss Park. Coffee and light snacks are provided. Our service is also available via Zoom. Please email the church for information on how to join the Zoom meeting: cbfirstcong@gmail.com.

First Congregational hosts a weekly NAR-ANON meeting Mondays at 7 p.m. (ring the doorbell by .entrance on the Bayliss Park side). We host a free Community Dinner the last Friday of each month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Everyone is always welcome at First Congregational to enjoy worship, a meal and fellowship.

Our Saviors Lutheran Church

Our Saviors Lutheran Church, 600 Bluff St., can be reached at 712-322-6655. Everyone is welcome. The church is handicapped accessible.

Worship services are Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Summer sermon series Favorite Bible Stories kicks off this weekend.

Sunday morning services are livestreamed on Facebook. Adult Sunday school is at 9:15 a.m., and youth Sunday school is at 9:30. All are welcome! For more information, see our Facebook page, Our Saviors Lutheran Church Council Bluffs or our website at oursaviorscb.org.

Other activities this week include Al-Anon meetings Monday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. in the Education Building. Thursday morning Bible Study will meet from 9:30 to 11 a.m., and Prayer Team will meet at 11:15 a.m. Thursday evening Bible study will meet at 7 p.m. On Thursday evening, bell choir practices at 6:30 and choir practices at 7:30.

Food Pantry and Pet Food Pantry are open by appointment Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. To schedule an appointment, please call the Food Pantry directly at 712-522-3522 on the day it is open. For more information, see our Facebook page under Our Saviors Lutheran Church of Council Bluffs or the website at oursaviorscb.org.

St. Johns United Church of Christ

St. Johns United Church of Christ, 400 Cloverdale Drive, welcomes everyone to attend Sunday service at 10:15 a.m. Pastor Don Morgans Installation at St. Johns will be on April 23 at 3 p.m., followed by an all-church potluck.

For information on how to join us by Zoom, email the church at stjohnsucccb@gmail.com. You can also follow us on Facebook at stjohnsucc-council bluffs or call 712-322-2174 for additional information.

St. Pauls Episcopal Church

St. Pauls Episcopal Church is located at 22 Dillman Drive in Council Buffs. Services held each Sunday morning at 11 a.m., we invite visitors to attend and share with us these very enjoyable and enlightening services. For additional information, please contact the church at 712-323-7188.
Seven local students placed in the National History Day in Iowa contest, and four of them will advance to the national level.

They were among 62 students statewide who placed first or second at state out of a total of 498 competitors and qualified to advance to the national contest, which will be held in June in College Park, Maryland, according to a press release from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

Mila Hansen of Lewis Central High School placed first in Senior Paper with her project, From Sit-Ins to Service: How Edna Griffin Fought Civil Rights Frontiers in the Midwest, according to results on the departments website.

Mila Hansens paper was one of two senior historical papers in the state chosen to qualify for Nationals in Washington, D.C. in June, and we could not be more proud of her, said her teacher, Michelle Hendricks. Ive worked with Mila on NHD projects for several seasons, and what I really enjoy about her is her absolute passion for her topics. She chooses people that she finds fascinating and inspirational and significant to local history. Her intellectual curiosity is boundless!

This paper in particular was especially strong because Mila considered Edna Griffin (a Des Moines-area civil rights leader) through many lenses: as part of the war effort for World War II, as a woman facing gender expectations, as an advocate for racial equity in the 1940s and as a member of the Communist Party. Milas extensive research using primary sources (including FBI files and court documents) helped her understand the complexities of Edna Griffin, as well as her historical significance.

Lelah Good of Abraham Lincoln High School placed first in Senior Individual Performance with her project, Ann Pamela Cunningham and the Mount Vernon Ladies Association: Frontiers in History.

Her teacher, Deb Masker, said Lelah tapped some key sources on the group, which was on the frontier of historic preservation.

She was able to access great information from Mount Vernon and interviewed a retired regent from the MVLA and Dr. Matt Costello, who had written a book about Washington and included a chapter on Cunningham and the MVLA, Masker said.

Anna Johnson of Kirn Middle School placed second in Junior Individual Documentary with her project, Genoa Industrial School: Cultural Genocide on the American Frontier.

Anna Johnsons project was about the Genoa Indian School and how this was a failed frontier in education on the Nebraska Prairie, Masker said. She was able to go to Genoa and film her own footage and had great interviews with descendants of indigenous people who attended the schools. She also discovered some material at Iowa State University during our research trip in October and shared it with the people at the Genoa School, who had not seen that information before.

Dutch Smith of Abraham Lincoln High School placed second in Senior Paper with his project, The Frontier and Innovations of Elias Lonnrot, who was on the forefront of Finnish Literature.

His challenge was to find a great amount of resources  which was difficult, because many of them were in Finnish, Masker said.

Finishing third in their categories and qualifying to serve as alternates were the following Masker students:

Junior Group Exhibit  Carver: The Agricultural Pioneer, Adrienne Stotts and Abby Nelson, Kirn Middle School

Senior Group Website  W.E.B. Du Bois: Ushering he Intellectualization of Black Civil Rights, Chloe Carter and Kate Schleifman, Abraham Lincoln High School

Senior Individual Documentary  A Crucible in Literature, Art and Music: The Frontier of the Harlem Renaissance, Kaia Schleifman, Abraham Lincoln High School

National History Day challenges students to research, develop and present papers, exhibits, documentaries, websites and performances about historical topics related to an annual theme, the press release stated. This years theme is Frontiers in History: People, Places, Ideas.

The National History Day in Iowa program has been coordinated by the State Historical Society of Iowa, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, since 1994 and is sponsored by the State Historical Society Inc., National Endowment for the Humanities and Bravo Greater Des Moines.
Chanticleer Community Theater will close the 2022-23 season with a production of Pirates of Penzance May 12-14 and May 19-21 at the Hoff Family Arts & Culture Center, 1001 S. Sixth St.

The play, originally written in 1879 by William S. Gilbert, tells the story of a pirates apprentice, Frederic, who leaves his rough pirate life he was contracted into until his 21st birthday. Now that Frederick has left the pirate life, he vows to destroy them, until he realizes he was born on a leap year.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are available at paceartsiowa.org.

Earlier this week, the Chanticleer announced its 2023-24 season lineup, featuring an assortment of classic productions, Christmas productions, modern productions and musicals.

Oliver! Jr.

What: When Oliver is picked up on the street by a boy named the Artful Dodger, he is welcomed into a gang of child pickpockets led by the conniving, but charismatic, Fagin. When Oliver is falsely accused of a theft he didnt commit, he is rescued by a kind and wealthy gentleman, to the dismay of Fagins violent sidekick, Bill Sikes.

When: Sept. 14-17 and Sept. 21-24, 2023

A Christmas Story: The Musical

What: Nine-year-old Ralphie Parker wants one thing for Christmas, and one thing only: An official Red Ryder range model carbine action BB Gun. Theres only one problem: Everyone else is convinced hell shoot his eye out! Undeterred, he begins a saga of convincing all the necessary players, from his sweet but protective mother to his straight-laced teacher, Miss Shields, all the way to Santa Claus himself, that he needs that gun for the protection of his loved ones, and maybe even a little cowboy glory to call his own. Filled with quirky and lovable characters, this zany, heartfelt and nostalgic musical is as delightful as the biggest, shiniest present under the tree on Christmas morning.

When: Dec. 7-10 and Dec. 14-17, 2023

The Savannah Sipping Society

What: While written as a delightful laugh-a-minute comedy that Jones, Hope, and Wooten are known for, The Savannah Sipping Society has depth and poignancy that touches on the true meaning of friendship and what it means when circumstances force us to adjust to the uncomfortable changes and twists and turns that life brings.

When: Jan. 11-14 and Jan. 18-21, 2024

On Golden Pond

What: On Golden Pond is a classic American comedic drama thats every bit as touching, warm and witty today as when it debuted off-Broadway in 1978. Retired couple Ethel and Norman Thayer are spending their 48th summer at their vacation home on Golden Pond, in the woods of Maine. Their delightful summer routine  fishing, picking strawberries, enjoying old mementos, listening to the loons call  is given a bitterly comedic edge by Normans unreliable memory and cantankerously morbid statements. When their daughter Chelsea visits for Normans 80th birthday, bringing her boyfriend, Bill, and Bills teenage son, Billy Jr., the whole family must come to grips with Norman and Chelseas mutual bitterness, while Norman blossoms with his chance to mentor young Billy. The turbulent relationship between father and daughter, the generation gap between young and old and the difficulties of a couple in the twilight years of a long marriage, all combine in a play that effortlessly illustrates the hilarious, heartbreaking, human moments of which life is made.

When: March 14-17 and March 21-24, 2024

A Chorus Line

What: A Chorus Line examines one day in the lives of 17 dancers, all vying for a spot in the chorus line of a Broadway musical. After the first round of cuts, Zach, the director and choreographer, asks each dancer to speak about themselves. Discomfort opens into revelation, confession leads to redemption and within the bright, outwardly homogenous chorus, the audience begins to see each dancers individuality. From Cassie, the star who just needs the music and the mirror and the chance to dance, to Val, a small-town girl with a brand-new big-town body, to Mike, who took his sisters place in dance class, saying I can do that. Based on real Broadway dancers stories, as told to fellow dancer and choreographer Michael Bennett, A Chorus Line is funny, heartbreaking and refreshingly honest.

When: May 9-12 and May 16-19, 2024
Iowa lawmakers sent the last of Iowas 2024 budget bills to Gov. Kim Reynolds desk for approval on Thursday, directing billions of dollars to departments and operations across the state.

The budget totaled $8.5 billion from the states general fund for the fiscal year starting July 1, a 3.7% increase over this year. More than $1 billion was spent from other funds.

According to an analysis from the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency, the expected surplus after next year will be more than $2 billion.

Reynolds still needs to sign the bills before they become law, and she has authority to strike individual budget lines.

Check out where the state is spending its money and what has changed from last year. For most budgets, the top-line dollar amount represents spending from the state general fund and does not include other sources of funds.

School Supplemental Aid & Standings: $4.4 billion

The catch-all budget bill includes appropriations that do not fit neatly into the other budget bills. The bill also includes state money for a 3 percent increase in per-pupil funding for Iowas K-12 public schools, which accounts for the bulk of that money.

That amounts to about $107 million more for Iowas public schools in the 2024 fiscal year.

Iowas nine Area Education Agencies, which provide special education services to Iowa students in public and private schools, would see nearly $30 million decrease in the upcoming fiscal year.

That comes as AEAs expect an increase in the number of private school students who need special education services after Gov. Reynolds signed a law earlier this year allowing parents to use taxpayer-funded education savings accounts to send their student to a private school.

The budget reduces state funding to AEAs by $22 million, which is on top of a $7.5 million annual cut required by law. That is $5 million more than lawmakers cut last year.

However, even with the reduction, Rep. Taylor Collins, a Republican from Mediapolis, said all but one Area Education Agency in the state will still receive more money than last year thanks to the state's 3 percent increase in state supplemental aid to public schools The Mississippi Bend AEA, however, will see a $32,000 reduction, likely due to a declining student population.

The reduction continues years of budget decreases to the agencies.

Democrats argue Republicans are intentionally underfunding education in Iowa, noting the state has a nearly $2 billion general fund budget surplus, full cash reserves and a Taxpayer Relief Fund projected to total nearly $3.4 billion by the end of next fiscal year.

We have the money. We dont have the will, said Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, a Democrat from Ames. This is a hoarding problem. We are stockpiling taxpayer dollars.

There are a lot of ways we can give it back to the taxpayers through quality services, a high-quality public education, public safety, clean water infrastructure, higher education, mental health and substance abuse services.

Economic Development: $41.8 million

The budget supports economic and workforce development efforts in the state, including funding for the Iowa Economic Development Authority, Iowa Workforce Development and Iowa Finance Authority, among other agencies.

It includes:

An increase of $125,000 to the World Food Prize

A new appropriation of $1.4 million for the administration of the Iowa Arts Council

A $215,000 increase in the rent subsidy program administered by the Iowa Finance Authority. The program provides a monthly rent assistance payment to individuals on a Medicaid waiver to help them live successfully in their own homes or communities until they become eligible for any other local, state or federal rent assistance.

Education: $982.9 million

The budget funds the states education system, including the Department of Education, Iowas public universities and Department of the Blind, among other agencies.

It includes a combined $7.1 million more for specific programs across Iowas three public universities  a fraction of the $32 million increase in general fund dollars the Board of Regents sought for the upcoming budget year.

The UI College of Nursing would get an additional $2.8 million to hire more staff.

Iowa State University would get an extra $2.8 million to support its agriculture innovation and science, technology, engineering and mathematics programs by expanding degree and certificate programs in the areas of artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, software engineering and other high-demand areas related to technology.

The University of Northern Iowa would get an additional $1.5 million to recruit students interested in becoming teachers, including a stipend for student teaching.

It also bars Iowas regents universities from spending more on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and training  including new hires. It also requires the state Board of Regents to conduct a comprehensive study and review of its campuses current DEI programming  something Board of Regents President Mike Richards earlier this year announced it would do.

Rep. Carter Nordman, a Republican from Panora and chairman of the House education budget subcommittee, said lawmakers want to get to the bottom of where these resources are being spent  good, bad or indifferent.

Democrats questioned the intent behind the study, and said DEI programs are imperative for recruitment and ensuring a welcoming campus for students.

Judicial system: $212.5 million

The budget funds Iowas judicial branch and court services. The bill would raise the pay of private attorneys who agree to represent indigent defendants by $5 an hour and provide $35 an hour for travel time, plus mileage, as some attorneys spend hours driving around Iowa to court hearings.

The state faces a growing shortfall of private attorneys willing to contract with the states public defenders office to represent indigent defendants.

Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen, in her annual Condition of the Judiciary address in January, told lawmakers our federal and state constitutional obligation to provide indigent counsel is on the verge of snapping.

Democrats criticized Republicans for removing more than $1 million in funding to hire four new district associate judges. This would have been year three of a five-year plan to increase the number of district courts judges to address the backlog of cases.

Everyone in this room knows what the right thing to do is, and yet we dont seem to be able to do it, Rep. Ken Croken, D-Davenport, said.

Rep. Brian Lohse, a Republican from Bondurant and chairman of the justice system appropriations subcommittee, said, It is what it is.

We won what we could win (in negotiations with the governors office and Senate) and we survive to live another day, Lohse said. We will continue to work and fight for the resources that the judicial branch needs in order to provide justice to Iowans.

Justice System: $669.2 million

The budget funds the Iowa Attorney Generals Office and state departments like corrections, the Iowa National Guard, Iowa State Patrol, and Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. It includes a $1.25 million increase for the Iowa Attorney Generals Office to hire 11 new full-time positions.

Also included:

An added $1.1 million in salaries and bonuses for Department of Corrections officers

An additional $690,000 for a high-risk unit for Iowas 7th Judicial District Correctional Services in eastern Iowa that covers Cedar, Clinton, Jackson, Muscatine and Scott counties

An additional $650,000 for the State Public Defenders Office to hire seven additional full-time positions to work on post-conviction relief cases, rather than rely solely on contract attorneys

Democrats argued its not enough to address understaffing and improve working conditions for correctional officers in the wake of the killings of an Anamosa correctional officer and a nurse in 2021, which they attribute to a staffing shortage.

Lawmakers punted on deciding how to spend tens of millions of dollars resulting from settlements with pharmaceutical companies, distributors, pharmacies and others over the nations opioid crisis.

Democrats criticized Republicans for their unwillingness to help Iowans struggling with opioid addiction with the tools and support needed for treatment and recovery.

Iowa is eligible to receive up to $345 million over the next 18 years, and The Iowa Opioid Settlement Fund currently contains about $20 million.

Lohse said lawmakers plan to work over the interim on coming up with a holistic approach for how best to use the settlement funds for prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery services.

And thats a conversation that will involve the attorney general, Department of Health and Human Services, law enforcement, Department of Public Safety and several others, he said. Thats our goal over the summer, to get that in place so we can hit the ground ready and be ready to appropriate some money next year to things that are going to be impactful.

Health and Human Services - $2.1 billion

Iowas mental health services and nursing homes will see an increase in state funding, supplemented by federal dollars, in next years Health and Human Services budget.

The budget includes a $13 million increase in Medicaid reimbursement for mental health services and $15 million to nursing homes.

The budget included a new family medicine obstetrics fellowship program, directing $560,000 to fund fellowships in rural or underserved areas. It will also direct $1 million to the More Options for Maternal Support program, which funds crisis pregnancy centers that provide pregnancy support and discourage abortion.

Those items were part of Gov. Kim Reynolds proposed maternal health care bill, which did not see passage, but portions of the bill made it into the HHS budget.

Democrats said the budget does not go far enough to fund Iowas biggest health needs, like child care assistance and mental health.

Democrats proposed spending $5.6 million million to extend coverage of postpartum care under Medicaid from 60 days to 12 months. Iowa is one of only a handful of states that has not expanded that coverage under a provision in the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.

Those amendments failed on party lines, but Republican lawmakers have said they may consider expanding the coverage next year.

Administration and Regulations: $135.2 million

This budget funds state departments like the Department of Administrative Services and the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing. It also sets the budget for elected offices like the governor, secretary of state and state auditor.

The bill would increase the governors budget by $494,000 while maintaining the number of employees in her office. A spokesperson for Reynolds said the funds would be used to recruit and retain staff to the office, noting that the governors office budget has not changed for x a decade.

But Democrats protested the increase, arguing there was not enough explanation of what the money will be spent on.

This is irresponsible. This is completely not transparent which is what we should be doing for our voters, said Rep. Megan Srinivas, a Democrat from Des Moines.

The bill also increases funding by $1.4 million to the Iowa Utilities Board, which handles permitting and regulation of utilities in the state. The money will fund five new full-time employees to increase technical support.

Agriculture and Natural Resources: $43.5 million

This budget funds the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, the Department of Natural Resources, and related state initiatives.

The bill transfers $500,000 from Iowa State Universitys Nutrient Research Fund into the Ag Departments Water Quality Initiative Fund. The transfer could put at risk a network of sensors that measure Iowas nitrogen and phosphorus levels.

While some Democrats protested, Republican Sen. Dan Zumbach of Ryan said the focus on improving land practices would make a bigger impact on water quality.

When we made the decision on how to appropriate dollars, it was all about lets put practices that help clean our water, he said.

The budget also strikes a provision from Iowa law that requires at least 10% of Iowa land area be protected, public open space by 2000. Despite the requirement, only about 3% of Iowas land is publicly owned, according to outdoor website the Summit Post.

Supporters of the change said the DNR should focus on maintaining the land it already owns, and that it would decrease costs for Iowans to purchase land.

But Democrat Sami Scheetz of Cedar Rapids said public spaces are critically important to attracting people to the state and improving quality of life.

Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund: $181.2 million

This budget funds building maintenance and infrastructure improvements using gambling revenues in the Rebuild Iowa Infrastructure Fund as well as money from the Technology Reinvestment Fund.

The budget includes an extra $5 million, one-time appropriation to the Renewable Fuel Infrastructure Fund, which helps gas stations convert equipment to offer renewable fuels.

It also directs $6 million to improve Honey Creek resort, a state-owned resort on Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa that Rep. Jacob Bossman said has fallen into disrepair.

Bossman, a Republican from Sioux City, said a state department signed a contract to make the improvement and needed the funds.

This is a responsible place to find that money to get Honey Creek back up to standards and make it an operational facility again, he said.

Transportation: $446.5 million

The transportation budget funds the Department of Transportation and other transportation operations out of state road funds.

In addition to funding salaries and expenses for the DOT, the budget includes a new $21.9 million to replace the Davenport Highway Operations Complex, a DOT maintenance garage in Davenport.

Here are the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Willie Nelson Missy Elliott Sheryl Crow Kate Bush George Michael Rage Against the Machine The Spinners
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Tunisias President Kais Saied sacked Thursday minister of Industry, Energy and Mines Neila Nouira Gongi, his office announced without giving any details.

Gongi has been in the Cabinet since October 2021. The announcement came as the government is set to increase gas prices in the next coming days.

The government is busy studying the alternatives of the subsidy system and the assumptions of its direction in a well-studied way. We are in the final stages and in the next few days, the dates of the fuel increases will be determined, she said according to local media, Mozaique FM.

Tunisia is in talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a $1.9-billion loan to supplement its national budget facing a $2-billion deficit. The loan attached to a string of conditions has been rejected by the countrys powerful labor union, UGTT. The conditions include removal of government subsidies on some key products.
Egypt took over from Morocco the co-presidency of the Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF).

The Arab country will co-chair the forum with the European Union, GCTF said Thursday during a ceremony held in the Egyptian capital, Cairo.

We are honored to be hosting the first GCTF Coordinating Committee meeting, co-chaired with the European Union, in which all parties underscored their collective commitment to continue fighting this global scourge, Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said in opening remarks.

Charles Fries, the deputy Secretary general of the European External Action Service, the EUs diplomatic body, told the meeting that tackling the scourge of terrorism in Africa would be a strategic priority of the EUs joint tenure with Egypt, which runs until 2025. The EU is committed to assuring the GCTF is dynamic, action-oriented, and remains fit-for-purpose, said Fries.

Egypts new role has raised eyebrows. Human rights and civil society organizations, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies slammed in a letter to EU foreign policy Chief Josep Borrell last month the countrys record of human rights abuses linked to counter-terrorism policies under President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi.

The organizations, Middle East Eye reports, said Egypt had instrumentalized counterterrorism to clamp down on human rights, and warned the EU risked undermining its own commitment to upholding human rights by associating with Sisis government.

We remain concerned that Egypt will seek to use its influential position within the GCTF to evade criticism for its extensively documented human rights violations and to advance its efforts to weaken human rights protections in counterterrorism policies at the multilateral level, the letter said.
Germany supports the inclusion of the African Union (AU) in the G20 group of nations, the countrys Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said on Thursday, May 4, as he arrived in Kenya on a three-day trip in East Africa, that will also take him to Kenya. The visits are meant to advance talks on trade and co-operation pacts with the two countries.

Scholzs tour is widely seen as part of a European effort to make inroads with countries of the so-called Global South and push back against Russian and Chinese influence. Berlin  much like Washington  is convinced that Western democratic nations can make better partners with Africa than can China that has faced criticism for its so-called debt-trap diplomacy.

Beijing has been accused of using its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as part of a manipulative global strategy, funding major infrastructure projects especially across Africa, which has turned it into the worlds largest government creditor to developing nations, with poorer borrowers struggling to manage their debt loads. Hence the EU and the US have touted their own alternatives to the BRI, but both schemes rely on private lenders, making their prospects uncertain.

During his talks in Ethiopia and Kenya, Scholz reportedly wants to discuss the challenge of debt reduction and plans to use the trip to deepen trade ties and discuss cooperation on green hydrogen.

Accompanied by a large business delegation, Scholz sees Kenya as a promising partner as the country already gets over 90% of its electricity from renewable energies and aims to reach 100% by 2030. The EU and Kenya are already in the advanced stage to seal an Interim Economic Partnership Agreement and Germany hopes that such a deal can be used as a springboard to seal a wider free trade deal between the EU and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

While in Ethiopia, Scholz joined the chorus of other leaders, like US President Joe Biden, who have advocated for the AU to join the G20. We want to support that the African Union gets a seat in the G20, that it can participate and have a say. This is out of respect for the continent and its many states and also its growing population, Scholz said.
Morocco has become among the top three exporting countries of fresh raspberries, according to latest data released by East Fruit online magazine.

In 2022, the North African Kingdom exported 56,000 tons of fresh raspberries, ranking 3rd in the world, advanced by Spain (72,000 tons) and Mexico (112,000 tons).

Morocco, which has outperformed the United States (50,000 tons), continues to increase its fresh raspberry exports thanks to its good climate, favorable geographical location, and efficient logistics.

Fresh raspberries, along with blueberries, are an extremely important fresh berry category for Moroccan exports. In 2021, Moroccan exporters shipped about 50,000 tons of fresh raspberries and 52,000 tons of fresh blueberries.

In 2017-2020, Moroccan fresh raspberries were exported mainly to Spain and the Netherlands. Later they were joined by Germany, France, and the UK, with the latter showing booming demand for Moroccan produce after the Brexit.
Members of a delegation of British Conservative MPs from the House of Lords, on a working visit to Morocco, said, Thursday in Laayoune, that they have been impressed by the level of development in the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region and the projects launched in all areas.

This visit has allowed the Lords to see on the spot the dynamics of socio-economic development in the region, said the British MPs, after talks with elected officials and the director of the Regional Investment Center (CRI).

In a statement to the press, Lord Stuart Polak, who was visiting the city of Laayoune, for the first time, noted that this trip allowed members of the delegation to learn about the impressive level of development in the southern provinces.

Polak also stressed that this visit aims to learn about the investment opportunities offered by this region, especially in the fields of energy and agriculture.

After seeing firsthand the quality of infrastructure, investment opportunities and economic assets that abound in the region, he said that this visit allows British MPs to get a clear idea so they can transmit to their fellow citizens the reality of development and the significant potential enjoyed by this region.

Echoing him, Lord Alastair Colin Leckie Campbell said the delegation is very impressed by the major projects carried out in this region.

This region has a strong commercial potential especially in terms of export and import, since it is an entry point for products from different countries of the world, he said.
Algerian authorities are gearing towards a massive expulsion of thousands of sub-Saharans, settled in the suburbs of Algiers, purportedly because they propagate tuberculosis

The expected expulsion order came in an official note from the Wali of Algiers, initialed by Mohammed Lamine Houari.

Sub-Saharan migrants are settled in the vicinity of Algiers, particularly in Sidi Moussa, Ain Larbaa and Ouled Salam, according to the Algerian regime. The military junta is engaged in a genuine manhunt, rounding up thousands of regular and irregular migrants in the streets, in their homes or in their workplaces.

The security forces proceed to the manu-militari arrest of the migrants before sending them to a deportation center 1,900 km south of Algiers. The migrants, including women and children, are then deported to the borders with Niger, where they are abandoned in the middle of the desert, withgout food nor water. More than 7,000 sub-Saharan migrants have been deported to Niger in recent months, according to humanitarian NGOs.

This new anti-migrant campaign orchestrated by the Algerian regime comes a few weeks after the wave against sub-Saharan migrants launched by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who had advocated urgent measures against sub-Saharans, saying that their presence in Tunisia was source of violence, crimes and unacceptable acts.

Kais Saieds racist remarks had triggered general indignation in Africa and elsewhere in the world and were condemned by international and regional organizations, including the African Union.
Thursdays state air quality construction permit hearing for Sustainable Beef LLC offered local opponents a new chance to sound alarms over the North Platte meatpacking plant now under construction.

A handful took advantage, with several raising pointed questions during an afternoon open house and five speaking against the permit at the evenings formal Nebraska Department of Environment and Energy hearing.

Their message was little changed from Sustainable Beefs 2021 series of city hearings: Meatpacking plants have caused stifling odors and ill health elsewhere. And city leaders rammed the beef plant through without listening.

Sustainable Beefs name is just a flowery term for slaughterhouse, said Doyce Williams, 1003 East B St. Weve been dictated to since Day 1. Nobody came ahead of time to ask our opinion or for our input.

Dee Fugate, 1671 N. Long School Road, invited people to use her personal research to launch a lawsuit should the plants permit be granted. She is a sister-in-law of longtime plant-site neighbor Larry Golden.

Sophia Klein, a granddaughter of Golden and owner of Beyond Envy in North Platte, read from an email she sent NDEE April 29 that quotes news stories and advocacy groups citing health risks from living near meatpacking plants.

Her familys land is now partially in my sons and my name, Klein said. We do not want to live in fear every day that when we go outside or open our windows, we could possibly be poisoning ourselves or our children.

Klein also referred to Legislative Bill 662, introduced this year but not advanced from committee, that would limit the standing of nearby landowners to object to agricultural operations.

If this bill passes, we are counting on your regulations to keep my family, our future grandchildren and the fate of this communitys future safe for generations to come, she said.

Jennifer Baker, another relative of Golden, offered a more nuanced critique of the process that led city officials to grant a combined $22.5 million in assistance to the project during 2021.

Ive been to every (city) council meeting on this project, said Baker, 818 E. 10th St. Im not necessarily against this project, except for the fact that theyre not necessarily involving the community at the level that the community can receive it.

Sustainable Beef organizers didnt attend either NDEE session. But Gary Person, president and CEO of the North Platte Area Chamber & Development Corp., said theyve made repeated public commitments in North Platte to use the most modern technology to minimize odors and limit pollutants.

Ive worked with the founders of this company for almost three years now, Person said. We went through a long and tedious process from Day 1. The founders assured us over and over again they want this project to reflect the best of the industry.

Richard Reimer of North Platte, a retired inspector of the formerly named Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, added his support for the project and NDEEs regulators.

I want to say that with the technology that we have today and that has been pursued in developing this  is much greater and better than we had 50 years ago, said Reimer, 4980 W. State Farm Road.

About 20 people attended what turned out to be a 40-minute formal hearing at the Sandhills Convention Center at Ramada by Wyndham. About half that number showed up for the earlier, more informal open house.

NDEE Director Jim Macy, who issued a March 31 notice that his agency intends to issue the air-quality permit, will take Thursdays hearing record and written comments submitted then and earlier into consideration before making a final decision. Staff attorney Susan Ugai presided as hearing officer.

Approval would allow contractor Schmeeckle Bros. of Fort Morgan, Colorado, to proceed with installing Sustainable Beefs odor- and pollution control equipment.

The construction permit must be converted into a permanent air-quality operating permit when the 1,500-head-per-day plant is ready for production.

Shelley Schneider, administrator of NDEEs permitting and engineering division, opened the hearing by saying agency officials fielded requests for a hearing throughout the permitting process that started with Sustainable Beefs permit application Aug. 15.

Even assuming the worst-case meteorological and permitted operating conditions, the agencys analysis indicates that the ambient air quality will continue to comply with state and federal standards, Schneider said.

She noted that Sustainable Beef has yet to seek a needed wastewater construction permit and a water discharge permit. The project already has a construction stormwater permit granted in March 2022.

Applying for a water discharge permit will trigger another public comment period and another chance to request a hearing on that permit, she said.

The Legislature last year approved $20 million from federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for a pretreatment system for Sustainable Beefs wastewater. The city of North Platte will have to own that system and install it on its property under ARPAs conditions, City Engineer Brent Burklund told the City Council Tuesday.

Rich and Beth DeFreece, two of the three North Platte-area residents who requested Thursdays hearing, attended both the NDEE open house and the formal session. Karen Tickle, who lives near the couple southeast of the project site, was the third.

Schneider and several other NDEE officials answered questions during the open house about what the agency will expect of Sustainable Beef and how theyll conduct inspections should the air quality permit be granted.

Philip Halsted of North Platte, a program specialist with NDEEs air compliance section, said hell be available to field complaints locals might have. He inspects livestock operations throughout western Nebraska, including Lexingtons 33-year-old Tyson Foods beef plant.

The state agency doesnt announce when it does inspections, he said, adding that to do so would violate the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys agreement with NDEE for the latter to regulate in Nebraska on EPAs behalf.

In most inspections, the violations we see are paperwork-related  not signing the right things. When it comes to controlling pollutants, Halsted said, the facilities are usually focused on that, and thats part of the permit.

NDEEs West Central Field Office in North Platte also has inspectors who address compliance with water and solid waste permits, he told open house attendees.

Patricia West, a Lincoln-based supervisor in the agencys air construction permit section, said local residents also can call the main NDEE office if they perceive odors from Sustainable Beef are getting too strong.

But this is a manufacturing plant, she added. Theres going to be odors associated with different parts of the plant.  Theyll be unloading cattle, and theres going to be a smell with that.

West also said that NDEEs authority over a permitted facilitys operations ends at the fence line.

Thats pretty damn close to my place, Rich DeFreece replied.
The North Platte Regional Airport has received nearly $2.94 million in federal funds that will cover the bulk of the costs to rebuild Lee Bird Fields main taxiway next year.

The award was part of $17.34 million in Airport Improvement Program funds for seven Nebraska airports that the Nebraska Department of Transportation announced Wednesday.

Scottsbluffs Western Nebraska Regional Airport received the bulk of those funds  $12.13 million  to help resurface one of its runways this summer and fall.

Airports in Ainsworth, Burwell, Norfolk, Sidney and Wayne also got AIP funds this round. All but Norfolk are planning or building new hangars.

Airport Manager Sam Seafeldt said the North Platte Airport Authority board will open bids for the taxiway project May 18. Reconstruction is currently set for spring 2024.

Though Lee Bird has several taxiways, the one set for rebuilding is pivotal in the airports layout, Seafeldt said. Its asphalt surface will be replaced by concrete.

Its the taxiway that connects all our airplane parking and terminal to the rest of the airport, he said. Its a pretty crucial taxiway to rehabilitate.

With the FAA award, Seafeldt said, the taxiway rebuild is estimated to cost nearly $3.27 million. The actual bids received could change that, he said.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration typically covers 90% of the cost of AIP projects. The rest comes from local funds, which the Airport Authority usually raises through bonds repaid with property taxes.

Seafeldt said the FAA award for the project includes both discretionary money and the primary status airport funds Lee Bird qualifies for by handling at least 10,000 passenger boardings annually.

Were really appreciative of the discretionary funds for the project, he said. The taxiway is definitely old, and we needed it.

When the taxiway is rebuilt, Seafeldt said, a temporary connection for aircraft to reach the hangars and terminal will be built off the east apron.
A new program is teaching Sandhills students about raising quality beef, and then donating the beef to area schools. Steers for Students is organized by Sandhills Cattle Association with the help of area ranchers and Husker Meats LLC in Ainsworth.

Area ranchers have donated calves for the program, which gives students an opportunity to learn about raising the animals and to participate in contests testing their knowledge, animal performance and carcass qualities. The donated calves are penned with other calves and their donors receive the calves performance data. Finally, the calves will be processed by Husker Meats and donated to six area schools for their lunch programs.

On April 17, more than 70 students from schools participating in Steers for Students toured Husker Meats. Nicolas Herrera, a graduate student at University of Nebraska-Lincoln, taught them about carcass evaluation and meat science. Jim Pinney and his crew at Husker Meats taught students about how the locker functions, how animals are processed and about the various cuts of meat.

The event, which lasted until about 4 p.m., included a barbecue rib lunch. Students were from Valentine, Bassett, Dunning, Stapleton and Thedford schools.

A Steers for Students program will be June 29 with West Holt Public Schools, other interested schools and the ranchers who donated calves. After that, the beef will be donated to schools.

Area ranchers who have donated calves for the program are Herb and Lori Hall, Halls & Sons; Wes Kilmurry, Atkinson Livestock Market; Craig and Katie OKief, Walking X Cattle; Logan and Jennifer Hill, HI/Cattle Co.; and Richard Lackaff, Lackaff Cattle Corp.

Anyone who would like to help a school receive free beef can contact Sandhills Cattle Association to make a donation. Call 402-376-2310 or email info@sandhillscattle.com.
At the end of business hours Thursday, the Mid-Nebraska Community Foundation posted on its website that a preliminary total of $569,545 was donated on North Platte Giving Day by 683 unique donors.

In all, those donors made 1,290 donations to 79 organizations.

Donations, along with cash prizes from sponsors and earned matching funds, go to local nonprofits. According to the foundation's website, 100% of the donations will go to the selected nonprofits. The list of cash prizes from sponsors can be viewed at northplattegiving.org/leaderboard_npo.

The foundation will continue to accept donations, although further donations won't be counted toward the Giving Day totals.
The coming week is National Tourism Week. The public is invited to a proclamation by Mayor Kelliher at 1 p.m. Monday at Lincoln County Historical Museum.

On Wednesday, Visit North Platte will host its fourth annual Excellence in Service awards luncheon to recognize people who have made a difference in the areas tourism industry. John Ricks, executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, will speak at the luncheon.

Excellence in Customer Service awards will be presented in the categories of local attraction, hotel, restaurant, retail establishment and local event. There will also be a Volunteer of the Year and a Hero of Tourism award.

Travel is an essential part of the local economy, creating jobs and strengthening our communitys culture and identity, said Lisa Burke, executive director of Visit North Platte. This National Travel and Tourism Week we are proud to celebrate all that travel does for our community now, and all that it will contribute to in the future.

In 2021, visitors in North Platte and the Lincoln County area spent more than $125 million at local lodging facilities, restaurants, attractions and other venues. This generated more than $10 million in state and local taxes. Local tourism spending supports more than 1,500 jobs with a payroll of just under $25 million each year.

To learn more about National Travel and Tourism Week and tourism within Lincoln County, go to visitnorthplatte.com.
Hutchinsons running for president not just in the wrong year but the wrong era. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

When writing about the 2024 Republican presidential field, its a judgment call as to whether you mention candidates like Vivek Ramaswamy or Larry Elder, who have never held public office and have no plausible path to the nomination. These people are counting on members of the media to include them in the 2024 conversation because we are supposed to believe that in 2016, Donald Trump forever abolished minimum qualifications for the presidency.

But whatever you think about candidates in the Some Dude lane, its impossible to entirely ignore the equally implausible presidential aspirant Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas. Ol Hutch (hes 72, youthful by Biden-Trump standards but still a bit long in the tooth for someone entering national politics) served two terms in Congress, occupied two significant sub-Cabinet positions in George W. Bushs administration, and then was a two-term governor of his state until he hit term limits and gave way to the more carnivorous MAGA favorite Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Hes by far the most vocally anti-Trump candidate in the 2024 field without being totally off the conservative ideological reservation like Larry Hogan or Liz Cheney or other Beltway heartthrobs who wisely chose not to run.

Despite being an announced candidate with a serious resume and a lane to himself, Hutchinson is nowhereseville in 2024 polls (in the RealClearPolitics averages, hes in tenth place with 0.9 percent). To put it simply, hes selling something Republicans dont want, which is a repudiation not just of Trump but of Trumpism and the culture-war mentality epitomized by Trumps most serious rival, Ron DeSantis. But presumably because it had already scheduled an interview with Hutch, Politico Playbook created a fantasy world in which the Arkansan is the 2024 candidate Democrats should fear. It built the case for Hutchinson 24 on the foundation of what it had heard from unnamed Democratic strategists:

If you talk to Democratic strategists about what kind of candidate they fear in 2024, there are a few things on their checklist: * Someone who knows how to speak in the language of inclusion * Someone who can discuss abortion and guns in a way that doesnt alienate suburban voters in states such as Arizona, Wisconsin and Georgia * Someone who has a record of standing up to his own party on certain issues dominating the culture wars * Someone who can argue that he or she has almost as much governing experience as Joe Biden himself, but is still younger * Someone who handled the pandemic in their state in a way that avoided some of the most unpopular decisions of both Democrats and Republicans * And someone who spends a lot of their time explaining to Republicans why the GOP should leave Trump in the past.

Reading this list of desiderata, I wanted to add, Someone who is totally unrepresentative of the Republican Party as it exists today. Maybe such a candidate is theoretically quite electable, but being nominatable is a condition precedent to the Hutch-Whoever ticket. Put aside his heretical actions as governor on both anti-trans and religious liberty legislation. You can read this passage from Hutchinsons interview with Playbook and judge for yourself whether it sounds like anyone in close touch with the GOP Zeitgeist:

To me, how we approach politics should be: We have our disagreements. We fight hard for our cause and our beliefs. But, you know, we dont impugn somebodys integrity; we dont impugn somebodys motives and say they hate America. You know: Bill Clinton cares about people; we just have a different way of approaching solutions.

In multiple ways, this attitude is way out of date. Hutchinsons candidacy is reminiscent of the old jibe: If he had some ham, he could make a ham sandwich, if he had some bread. He would be a star in a very different Republican Party than the one that actually exists. But his conventional conservative extremism on issues like abortion and guns mean hes not going to draw new moderate recruits into his MAGA-addled party. He should, however, be given credit for realism about his actual prospects of coming out of literally nowhere to win the nomination:

Sure, its a long shot. But, you know, I do duck hunting. I like duck hunting. And my best shot is a long shot. I could hit that bird from a long ways away.

It is indeed a long, long way from here to the alternate universe in which Asa Hutchinson is a viable presidential candidate. But if he sticks around, he could make the debates interesting.
Photo: Juan Vazquez

The investigation into the death of Jordan Neely aboard a Manhattan subway train has entered its second week. On May 1, Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old Marine Corps veteran from Queens, killed Neely after placing him in a lethal choke hold on May 1. Its still not clear if he will face charges. Pennys attorney insisted Friday that he had not intended to harm Neely. Below are the latest updates on the ongoing aftermath as well as what we know about Penny and any legal consequences he may face.

Neelys family calls statement by Pennys lawyers an admission of guilt

On Monday, attorneys Donte Mills and Lennon Edwards released a statement on behalf of Jordan Neelys family in which they denounced the statement released by Daniel Pennys lawyers on Friday:

Daniel Pennys press release is not an apology nor an expression of regret. It is a character assassination and a clear example of why he believed he was entitled to take Jordans life. In the first paragraph, he talks about how good he is and the next paragraph he talks about how bad Jordan was in an effort to convince us Jordans life was worthless. The truth is he knew nothing about Jordans history when he intentionally wrapped his arms around Jordans neck and squeezed and kept squeezing. In the last paragraph, Daniel Penny suggests that the general public has shown indifference for people like Jordan, but that term is more appropriately used to describe himself. It is clear he is the one who acted with indifference, both at the time he killed Jordan and now in his first public message. He never attempted to help him at all. In short, his actions on the train, and now his words, show why he needs to be in prison

Protesters climb onto subway tracks in Manhattan

A group of protesters calling for justice for Jordan Neely climbed down onto the subway tracks during a demonstration at the Lexington Avenue63rd Street station station in Manhattan on Saturday evening:

Holy shit. Protestors stopped the F train by holding the doors open and while cops were trying to get them out of the doors, others jumped on the tracks on the opposing side. pic.twitter.com/70x8x2sXws  Talia Jane (@taliaotg) May 6, 2023

#HappeningNow Protesters are blocking incoming trains by OCCUPYING SUBWAY TRACKS in Manhattan, demanding justice for Jordan Neely.



Video by @yyeeaahhhboiii2 Desk@freedomnews.tv to license pic.twitter.com/JKMdDPtWsG  Oliya Scootercaster  (@ScooterCasterNY) May 6, 2023

More than dozen people were arrested when police cleared the station.

Protesters had gathered Saturday afternoon at the BroadwayLafayette Street station, where Neely was killed, before marching north through Manhattan, then briefly occupying the platform and halting service at Lexington and 63rd.

March sits in the street next to Bryant Park. Organizers pass out bottled water as attendees clap and sing to Michael Jacksons They Dont Care About Us.



Following, an organizer asked for 20 volunteers. March is now back on the move, heading north on 6th Ave through Midtown. pic.twitter.com/NLoopMBqsN  Talia Jane (@taliaotg) May 6, 2023

Pennys lawyer releases statement

Daniel Pennys attorney, Thomas Kenniff, released a statement on Friday night in which he claimed Penny had acted to protect himself and other passengers after Neely began aggressively threatening them. Kenniff insisted that Penny never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death. The statement pointed to Neelys documented history of violent and erratic behavior and decried the mental-health crisis in the city.

NEW: first statement from Thomas Kenniff, lawyer for Daniel Penny, claiming his client was threatened along with other passengers and never intended to harm Jordan Neely, who died at Pennys hands: pic.twitter.com/dWmCr6Kwhw  Trevor Boyer (@trevormail) May 6, 2023

What happened?

On Monday afternoon, Daniel Penny was seen choking Jordan Neely, 30, aboard an F train in an encounter captured on video. During the nearly four-minute video, Penny is seen wrapped around Neelys back on the ground with both arms tight across his neck. Neely struggles as another unidentified man holds his arms by the wrist. The conductor and others can be heard calling for police, and after about two minutes, a bystander gets inside the train car and warns Penny, If you suffocate him, thats it. You dont want to catch a murder charge. Shortly thereafter, Penny releases the choke hold and the men roll Neely, who appears to be unconscious, onto his side. Neely was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Officers questioned Penny and released him. Later, the medical examiners office determined that Neely had died from compression of his neck, ruling his death to be a homicide.

Who is Penny?

Daniel Penny graduated from West Islip High School in 2016, in the bedroom community on Long Islands South Shore, about a 90-minute drive from Manhattan. In 2017, he joined the Marines. His lawyer said Penny is currently a college student. The Washington Post notes that, according to his service records, Penny served as a rifleman until 2021, reached the rank of sergeant, and was deployed with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Mediterranean.

For a time, Penny lived at his grandfathers house in West Islip, according to Willy Horan, who purchased the waterfront home from Pennys grandfather in 2019. Horan took a break from his yard work Friday morning to lament both Neelys death and Pennys circumstances. Its unfortunate it had to end with a 30-year-old dying. But the kid was threatened, hes a marine, what was he supposed to do? Horan wondered. Tell Adams, Now that hes got the rats under control, its time to address mental illness.

In a bio on the service-industry job site Harri, Penny wrote that his experience as a squad leader on two deployments led him to realize he was passionate about helping, communicating, and connecting to different people from all over the world.

Will he be charged?

Prosecutors and detectives are said to be considering potential charges for the veteran with the Manhattan DAs office weighing if the case should go to a grand jury to determine if charges should be brought, according to the Daily News. Gothamist reports that the investigation is being led by Assistant District Attorney Joshua Steinglass, who it notes is one of the offices go-to lawyers on high-profile, violent crimes.

Catherine Christian, an attorney who spent 30 years in the Manhattan DAs office, told Gothamist that the video of the choke hold would not be enough for prosecutors to charge Penny with murder  as state law demands that prosecutors prove there was an intention to kill. If charges are filed, Christian said that its more likely to be second-degree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide, which would require prosecutors to show that Penny was not reasonably acting in self defense, per Gothamist.

With only one witness coming forward publicly so far, its essential to any potential case that more firsthand accounts are found. I would hope that the police officers got the name and contact information of everyone in that subway car, because what people who werent in the car are saying is irrelevant, Christian told Gothamist. So I would want to know: What did they see? What did they hear? On Thursday, the NYPD encouraged witnesses who have not come forward to share any information they may have about the attack.

Penny, who did not respond to a request for comment, is being represented by criminal defense attorney Thomas Kenniff, who ran unsuccessfully as a Republican for Manhattan district attorney against Alvin Bragg in 2021.

This post has been updated.

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Perhaps because he has never convincingly inhabited the persona of a true leader but attracted sympathy as a sad sack, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has won over much of the Washington, D.C., press corps and business elite with his putatively earnest pleas to just talk. Had the president agreed to negotiate in good faith, wed already be done, McCarthy moaned. If President Biden decides to stop the partisan games and stand with us, then our majority will join with him in common cause to address this urgent challenge, he promised. Im not predetermining what has to happen, McCarthy said in a speech that sought to cast Biden, who has repeatedly called for a debt-limit increase, as the person standing in the way. I want a responsible, sensible debt ceiling that puts us on an economic path to make America stronger.

McCarthy, in this version of the story, is not a hostage-taker but a lonely, almost desperate politician whose only wish in life is to engage in good-faith negotiation over the deficit. McCarthy isnt looking for some global agreement to reshape U.S. society, insists Punchbowl on his behalf. And even some Democrats are taking this claim at face value. We should never say were not going to speak to folks across the aisle. I dont think thats a sustainable position, Representative Jared Moskowitz told CNN.

The dishonesty of this plea can be exposed with one word: taxes. If McCarthy really wanted nothing more than a good-faith negotiation over the budget, the parameters of the discussion would include both revenue and outlays. But nobody thinks McCarthy would ever accept tax increases  he would assuredly prefer to lift the debt ceiling by a quadrillion dollars than raise the top income-tax rate by a single point.

Everybody knows McCarthy isnt going to entertain tax increases as part of any deal. That understanding is fully baked into the analysis you see in the media every day. But making that background assumption explicit clarifies something that conventional wisdom, with its eagerness to placate the House hostage-taking scheme, has been eager to obscure: The debt-ceiling-extortion drama is not an attempt to start negotiations over the budget deficit. It is an attempt to avoid them.

The way the system is supposed to work is that political parties have two ways to meet their policy objectives. One is to gain full control of government and pass their agenda. If that fails and they only have partial control of government, the fallback is to make trades with the opposing party. Think of 1997, when Democrats gave Republicans a capital-gains tax cut in return for creating the Childrens Health Insurance Program. Or the Obama era, when Democrats got higher domestic discretionary-spending levels in return for giving Republicans more in military spending.

Republicans are fixated on debt-ceiling extortion, because it allows them to advance their goals without either winning full control of government or making trades with Democrats. And while its true that they are not demanding the full and complete enactment of their cuts-only vision of deficit reduction, the entire idea is to advance it as far as it can go without giving Democrats any policy concessions in return. Republicans have attempted to justify their hostage-taking by citing past deals in which the parties attached other terms to debt-ceiling hikes. But those were deals  policy changes that both sides wanted and could move in conjunction with a debt-ceiling increase. They were not one-sided extractions of concessions from the other party.

McCarthy is pleading that he merely wants to extort some small concessions, which reveals that the terms of the ransom are not the point. The point of the exercise is to reestablish the precedent that a Republican Congress can extort concessions from a Democratic president. (All sides understand that this is the only governing combination in which policy concessions are expected to be traded for a debt-ceiling hike: Democrats never extort Republican presidents, and obviously, neither party extorts a fellow-partisan president.) Once this precedent is established, Republicans can ratchet up their demands in future negotiations, and every single one will carry some risk of catastrophic default.

All of the rhetoric supporting McCarthys stance has hinged on the pretense that he is asking for genuine negotiations. Our position has been  and its no surprise from a bipartisan perspective  that the solution here has to be negotiations, the Bipartisan Policy Centers G. William Hoagland told the Washington Post. When you have a divided government, lets be honest and make a compromise.

Well, fine. If Biden wants to announce he is willing to attach the debt ceiling to deficit negotiations that entertain revenue and spending levels alike, he can do that. But McCarthy isnt going to accept it, and everybody knows this. If Biden wishes to play along with McCarthys farcical claim that he wants to negotiate the deficit, he should insist on a real negotiation with taxing the rich on the table.
Photo-Illustration: Intelligencer; Photo: ARTHUR EDWARDS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

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Republic, the group that wants to abolish the British monarchy, meets in a modern church in an ugly suburb of London, as if to make a point. Two weeks before the coronation of Charles III, 70 people gather to listen to Graham Smith, the CEO of Republic, and the progressive journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown. They seem surprised to find news cameras there. Monarchy is sold by the British press as a blend of sacred ritual and cheap soap opera. As an institution, the crown is rarely criticized publicly. When it is, people are curious, like children who have never seen snow.

There are signs, though, that all this is starting to change. At the proclamation of King Charles in Edinburgh last September, a woman held up a sign that read, Fuck Imperialism, Abolish Monarchy and was promptly arrested. In Oxford, Symon Hill, a history tutor, shouted, Who elected him? and was charged with disorderly behavior. This is not the sort of thing a robust democracy does. The Guardian reports that the Home Office has sent letters to Republic warning the group that new rules have taken effect ahead of Charless coronation day on May 6 to prevent disruption. Protesters could face prison sentences of up to a year for blocking roads and up to six months for locking arms, and are subject to search if suspected of sowing chaos. Smith said the letter was very odd.

Republicans have long been a beleaguered minority  intellectuals, dissenters, punks, people who do not vote for the ruling Conservative Party. They can do little when monarchy is popular, and a popular monarch does two things: They plausibly mirror the country and pretend they do not want the job. Elizabeth II was all but silent  we did not know who she was  which made her a screen onto which certain ideals (stoicism, modesty, decency) could be projected. She also appeared reluctant, so we were grateful and felt sorry for her. Her approval rating upon her death was 80 percent. Charles III is not reluctant. He has fashioned two new crowns and bought two new thrones, and he will crown Camilla, the woman his first wife, Diana, hated, as queen. He mirrors only himself, since few people run Aston Martins on wine and cheese by-products and wear handmade shoes. Also, he talks a lot. The polls are duly moving away from him. Less than half of British subjects are positive about him, and 42 percent are negative. In the 16-to-24-year-old cohort, it is an abysmal 13 percent positive to 58 percent negative.

It would appear that this is the anti-monarchists moment. And there is a precedent. In 1649, we removed Charles Is head. I go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown, he said, which is certainly a positive spin on entering the afterlife. It was the only English regicide not suspected to be ordered by other members of the royal family, leaving Oliver Cromwell to rule for a time until monarchy was restored in 1660. However, Republic does not endorse regicide: It wants a transition to a parliamentary democracy with an elected head of state and a written constitution. On coronation day, it will hold a demonstration in London, where its members will wear yellow.

But it isnt clear how persuasive Republics arguments will be. Monarchy predates democracy by millennia, and the British love to feel exceptional  only Japan has an older crown.

At the conference, Smith is implacable in his opposition. Everything people find charming about the royals he dislikes. Every argument in their favor is either wrong in principle, or in fact, or in both. His argument  that the monarchy is unaccountable and secretive, that it undermines our values and standards  may seem straightforward and obvious, at least to democratic citizens who do not live under kings and queens. The royals have less accountability than the CIA. They abuse public money: They routinely take what is ours and treat it as their own, he says, a sentiment as old as the French Revolution.

For Alibhai-Brown, an immigrant from Uganda, monarchy is centuries of manipulation of the peoples of this country by a totally dysfunctional and quite horrible family. She met Elizabeth II three times: I refused to curtsy. She met Prince Philip too: He ignored me and said to my husband, Is she yours? She remembers a dinner with Charles, at which the playwright Harold Pinter fantasized about decapitating him. They sat near a painting of Charles I. When she reminded Pinters widow, the aristocratic novelist Antonia Fraser, of this, she denied this dinner had ever happened. Monarchy invites amnesia.

Republic wants people to remember. Alibhai-Brown reminds the attendants of royal cruelty. Elizabeth IIs sister Margaret was forbidden to marry the man she loved, she says, because he was divorced. Nerissa and Katherine, nieces of the late Queen Mother, were institutionalized due to learning disabilities, were abandoned by their family, and even reported dead in Burkes Peerage. Broken royal bodies, as the novelist Hilary Mantel called them, are strewn everywhere, especially if female: Margaret; Diana; Meghan. The press colludes in this battery.

The Republicans may have an ideal foil in Charles, but in the future they will have to contend with his heirs. More people wanted Prince William to succeed Elizabeth II (37 percent) than Charles (34 percent), and William is plausibly reluctant  he was once described as a man looking like he punched every car door he got out of. He was also raised by police-protection officers and school masters, so he can seem normal. But he has his royal blind spots; chiding BAFTA for its lack of diversity was both absurd and very funny, since the monarchy is conservative, rich, and very white. Increasingly, Britain isnt, and still we chased Meghan, our biracial princess, away in a self-hating bonfire of the vanities. I think its a bad example for our children, says one attendee at the Republic conference. As a mother, I cant imagine lifting up one child above the others, an allusion to Prince Harry and his whistleblowing memoir, Spare. When William visited the Caribbean in 2022, he practiced empire-core, wearing white, holding hands with Black children through a wire fence, sometimes progressing in an open-top Land Rover.

But its not enough to complain; something must be done. In the Q&A session, the Republicans debate strategy. A man fears that Britain is immune to republicanism: We are more conformist now than we were in the 1930s. Its like North Korea, the Great Leader. Some counsel waiting until the crown collapses under its contradictions. Surely there will be a sex tape eventually? Smith says that when Republican arguments are made, people are receptive, like Dorothy waking to the poppy field in Oz: It needs to be done by us.

The following week, the New Statesman, a left-wing magazine, hosts a debate in Cambridge, a golden university city with swans idling on the river. The proposition is: Its time to abolish the monarchy. We count the votes before the debate; 176 would abolish the monarchy, 122 would keep it. Anna Whitelock, professor of history of monarchy at City, University of London, gets the debate going with a litany of grievances: Criticism or debate of the royal family is prohibited in Parliament, she notes. The royal family is exempt from the 2010 Equality Act  a fact that is both awful and apt. Charles III pays no inheritance tax and no corporation tax. The monarchy is, she says, an institution that resists scrutiny at the apex of society which, by its very survival, reinforces hierarchy.

Robert Hardman, a royal correspondent, represents the pro-monarchy side. He is jocular and easy; he knows the royal family and he mirrors them. His argument is: The alternative is worse. Elizabeth II, he says, was a bucket-list head of state protecting us from overmighty despots. No one can get their hands on the armed forces, the honors system, the judiciary, the civil service. When the French head of state lays a wreath, he says, half of the people hate the person laying the wreath, and bonus points for anyone who can name more than two Italian presidents. He concedes that the monarchy is irrational but so is the boat race, wedding dresses, turkey at Christmas, and hot cross buns.

He is followed by Gary Younge, a progressive journalist. For all the talk of modernity and meritocracy, he says, the message from the top remains: No matter how hard you graft, sacrifice, innovate, and invest, you will never make it to those snowy white peaks which are reserved for those who were born there. It enshrines the hereditary principle in a system which increasingly enriches the privileged and privileges the rich. Nor does it make them happy. He reminds the crowd that the Crown Prince of Nepal murdered most of his family in 2001, shot himself, inherited the crown (though in a coma  what a metaphor!), and monarchy was abolished. Younge says he would rather have a referendum than a massacre, summarizing the monarchist argument as Save us from ourselves!

The final vote is 202 to 77 for abolition, and the mood in the room is jubilant. But Cambridge is a city of intellectuals and the birthplace of Oliver Cromwell, as Hardman points out, acting very much like someone who has lost a battle but feels pretty confident about winning the war. Despite Republican excitement, the monarchy is sensitive to public opinion and has been unpopular before. If the crown hears Republican complaints and becomes more accountable and transparent to answer them, then that may be enough to avoid a serious reckoning. World War I felled most of the senior crowns of Europe, but not this one. It seems unlikely that any one monarch, even Charles III, can do otherwise.
Florida abortion-rights protesters after Republican legislators passed a near-total ban. Photo: The Washington Post via Getty Images

When Ron DeSantis let Floridas GOP-controlled legislature know he would be happy to replace last years 15-week abortion ban with a near-total six-week ban, he was taking a calculated risk. A draconian ban would put him in good standing with the very powerful anti-abortion movement (and a closely aligned conservative Evangelical leadership) that awaits unwary presidential candidates entering the Iowa caucus competition like the worlds most vicious highway troll.

Yet there were abundant signs that Florida voters were not particularly happy with the 15-week ban, much less one that would all but wipe out abortion rights. A University of North Florida survey taken as the 15-week ban was moving through the legislature early in 2022 showed a 57-34 majority opposing the proposed law. In Florida and nationally, pro-choice sentiment seems to have been galvanized by the U.S. Supreme Courts reversal of Roe v. Wade in June 2022. A Public Religion Research Institute survey around that time showed 64 percent of Floridians wanted to keep abortion legal in most or all cases. And an early 2023 UNF poll showed an overwhelming 75 percent of Floridians (62 percent strongly) opposed a six-week abortion ban (though it did describe the law as having no exceptions, while the bill DeSantis signed has difficult-to-obtain exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest).

Having defied public opinion in his state to appeal to national right-wing constituencies, DeSantis could now face some embarrassing, potentially disastrous blowback thanks to the states provisions allowing citizen-generated ballot initiatives, as Politico explains:

The multi-million-dollar initiative, the details of which were confirmed to POLITICO ahead of an announcement next week, would roll back one of DeSantis signature policies by allowing abortion until a fetus is viable at about 24 weeks of pregnancy.

Planned Parenthood and its partner organizations intend to spend millions of dollars as they seek to gather roughly 890,000 valid signatures by Feb. 1.

It wont be easy. Aside from the large total number of valid signatures that must be collected to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in Florida, the signatures must come from at least half of the states congressional districts. And even if the measure is on the ballot, passage requires a 60 percent supermajority.

Mobilizing pro-choice Floridians may also take a while since both the six-week and 15-week abortion bans are temporarily on hold pending review by the Florida Supreme Court, which has in the past recognized a state constitutional right to an abortion. Thanks to DeSantiss appointments to that court, no one expects it to stand in the way of the new laws, but for the moment, neither has been enforced.

Anti-abortion activists and their Republican allies will naturally move heaven and earth to keep the pro-choice initiative off the 2024 ballot. But denying his own states voters a say over abortion policy is not a particularly good look for presidential candidate DeSantis, particularly if he makes it to a general election. And even if he somehow keeps his distance from the in-state effort to impose a near-total abortion ban on his people, it will keep the topic alive on the campaign trail. DeSantis already has some tough decisions to make on abortion policy beyond the six-week ban: So far, he has avoided taking a firm position on the national abortion-ban proposals that anti-abortion groups are making into a 2024 litmus test for federal candidates, especially those running for president. Every step he takes in the direction of pleasing the forced-birth crowd is a step away from public opinion in Florida and virtually all the 2024 battleground states.

No matter what happens to the Florida ballot initiative, Democrats will ensure that abortion is a big issue everywhere (and there will likely be pro-choice ballot initiatives elsewhere, particularly in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New York, and Ohio). But if Floridas abortion-rights effort catches fire and looks likely to succeed, it will be a constant irritant to DeSantis and other Republicans in a state where voters likely didnt think confirming their power in 2022 meant the abolition of reproductive rights.
Understanding the Multi-Employer Doctrine: OSHA Compliance for Contractors and Subcontractors

The multi-employer doctrine is an important aspect of OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) compliance that can have significant implications for contractors, subcontractors, and other parties involved in construction, manufacturing, and other industries. This webinar will provide a comprehensive overview of the multi-employer doctrine from OSHA's perspective, including its application, requirements, and practical implications for different stakeholders.



Topics Covered:

Introduction to the multi-employer doctrine: What is it and why is it important?

Understanding the roles and responsibilities of different parties under the multi-employer doctrine, including general contractors, subcontractors, owners, and other stakeholders.

OSHA's enforcement approach to the multi-employer doctrine: How OSHA holds different parties accountable for workplace safety violations.

Best practices for compliance with the multi-employer doctrine, including communication and coordination among contractors, subcontractors, and other stakeholders.

Real-world case studies and examples illustrating the application of the multi-employer doctrine in different scenarios.

Tips for mitigating liability and reducing risks associated with the multi-employer doctrine.

Q&A session: Get answers to your specific questions related to the multi-employer doctrine and OSHA compliance.

This webinar is ideal for contractors, subcontractors, owners, project managers, safety managers, legal professionals, and other stakeholders involved in construction, manufacturing, and other industries where the multi-employer doctrine applies.

Register for this free webinar!

DATE: May 17, 2023

TIME: 10:30AM ET - 9:30AM CT - 7:30AM PT

Speaker:

Adele L. Abrams is an attorney, Associate Safety Professional (ASP) and Certified Mine Safety Professional (CMSP) who is president of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams P.C., a multi-attorney firm with offices in Beltsville, Maryland, Denver, Colorado, and Charleston, West Virginia. The firm represents employers in OSHA and MSHA litigation nationwide, and her firm also handles employment law matters in a large number of states. Abrams and her firm colleagues provide employment and safety law consultation, safety audits, industrial hygiene assistance, and training services to companies in a variety of industries.



She is a member of the Maryland, D.C. and PA Bars; the U.S. District Courts of Maryland, D.C., and TN; the U.S. Court of Appeals, DC Circuit 3rd Circuit, and 4th Circuit; and the United States Supreme Court. She also serves on the adjunct faculties of the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and the University of Colorado-Boulder, where she teaches on employment, labor and occupational safety law.



Adele is active member of the American Society of Safety Professionals, and of the National Safety Council, where she was awarded the Distinguished Service to Safety Award (DSSA) in 2017. Abrams has coauthored several textbooks on employment law, occupational and mine safety and health, and is a regular columnist on safety law issues for multiple magazines. She is also an Avetta Fellow.

Time: 10:30 AM ET

Duration: 1 Hour
Many of these tankers are still covered by Western insurance companies, suggesting they have been complying with the price cap.

Ukraine has added the tanker firms of several Greek tycoons to its list of international sponsors of war.

Greek shipping companies are making a lot of money by moving large volumes of Russian oil that other tanker companies are unwilling to touch.

Greek shipping tycoons and their tanker companies are moving large volumes of Russian oil and are making a lot of money off these trades, which are mostly shunned by other Western ship owners after the West moved to sanction Russias crude.

Tankers owned by EU member Greece, one of the worlds biggest merchant vessel owners, continue to enjoy Western insurance, analyses have found, suggesting that they are involved in price cap-compliant trades of Russian oil, below the $60 per barrel cap, to the best of their knowledge.

Western shippers and insurers must have the so-called attestation that they are transporting Russian oil bought below the price cap to be compliant with the sanctions.

Since the price cap came into effect on December 5, Greek-owned tankers have been second only to the so-called dark fleet in the number of calls at Russias key oil export terminals, according to data from Lloyds List Intelligence data compiled by Lloyds List.

Analyses suggest that Greeces tankers and tanker owners are careful to comply with the G7 price cap and avoid murkier trades that could have them stripped of protection and indemnity (P&I) coverage and undermine future credibility.

Still, the Greek fleet and their billionaire owners rake in a lot of money from trade in Russian oil. In the absence of many other Western shippers, the Greeks charge at least 30% more from traders to charter their tankers for Russian oil compared to charter rates for crude that is not under sanctions, ship brokers have told The Wall Street Journal.

The G7 price cap mechanism was strongly advocated  and finally achieved  by the United States, which wanted continued oil flows from Russia, with lower revenues for Putin, to avoid another major spike in domestic gasoline prices.

But Ukraine is not happy with the Greek tanker owners. After calling last year on Greek shippers to stop dealing with Russian oil, Ukraine has included the tanker firms of several Greek tycoons in a list of international sponsors of war.

TMS Tankers, owned by George Economou, Thanassis Martinos Eastern Mediterranean, George Prokopious Dynacom Tankers, and Andreas Martinos Minerva Maritime are all included in the list proposed for sanctions. Those are companies that provide the public and private sector with goods and services of critical purpose, as well as contribute to the Russian budget, thereby financing terrorism, Ukraine says.

Economous TMS Tankers is the second-largest shipper of Russian oil, behind only Sovcomflot, the Russian state-owned shipping firm, NGO Global Witness said in an analysis cited by the Journal.

But many TMS Tankers still enjoy coverage from Norwegian insurer Gard, suggesting that the company is complying  to the best of the Norwegians knowledge  with the price cap mechanism.

Gard has thorough procedures in place to ensure that we comply with relevant sanctions at all times, including the G-7 price cap, a spokeswoman for the insurer told the Journal.

Greece-owned tankers accounted for 31% of tankers that called at five key Russian oil export ports in the Black and Baltic seas in February, Lloyds List has found. Some of the tankers remain insured by P&I Clubs, underscoring that attestation processes and assurances the shipments were compliant with the price caps were in place, Lloyds Lists Michelle Wiese Bockmann notes.

In the first year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, tankers ultimately owned by the Greek tycoons collectively carried 292 million barrels of oil and oil products, Global Witness said in February 2023.

Minerva Marine, owned by Andreas Martinos and family, responded to Global Witness by stating, we confirm that all business is conducted always in full compliance with all applicable sanctions laws and regulations.

Greek tanker operators have dominated Russian oil trade since the sanctions came into effect, and the size of the Greek-operated fleet is nearly 2.5 times bigger than the next fleet, Russias, according to a Vortexa analysis from last month.

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Almost all the Greek-operated vessels still have coverage under the International Group of P&I Clubs, which could give us an indication that the price cap mechanism is being used, Mary Melton, a graduate analyst at Vortexa, says.

Greek operators are even more crucial for the Russian oil product trade.

Greek operators have the largest share of the fleet engaging in the Russian CPP trade, but by a much wider margin than when analysing the total tanker fleet. The Greek-operated fleet moving Russian CPP is about 4 times larger than the next-largest fleet, Melton noted.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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Observers may have to wait until the end of refinery maintenance season in Russia to be able to gauge exactly how much oil Russia is producing.

Since making its production cut pledge, Russian oil exports have remained strong but the number of idled oil wells in the country has risen.

Earlier this year, Russia pledged to reduce its oil production by half a million barrels per day, a pledge that some observers are skeptical about.

Earlier this year, Russia said it would reduce its oil production rate by half a million barrels daily in response to Western sanctions and as part of OPEC+ efforts to prop up international oil prices.

Yet export data is creating confusion: based on that data, Russia is producing as much oil as before. At the same time, the number of idled wells in the country has gone up, Bloomberg reported this week. And Russia has stopped reporting official production figures. The situation has all the markings of a good mystery.

A mystery is the one thing this isnt. According to Bloomberg, the number of idled oil wells in Russia rose to 18.1% of the total in March. This, according to the report, suggests that Russian producers are indeed cutting production.

What seems to be tripping some observers is the fact that while production is decliningat least in terms of the number of wellsexports remain strong. In fact, they even returned to levels before the invasion of Ukraine.

It appears that there is no space for suggesting that Russia can produce less but export more, perhaps because there is uncertainty about its local demand and storage capacity to do so. Whether this is the case or not remains unclear because of the limited availability of production information.

Still, Bloomberg notes, Russian refineriesand there are a lot of theseare currently in maintenance season, which means lower domestic demand for crude, which could provide a possible explanation for the seemingly conflicting information from export data and official idled wells figures.

In its report, Bloomberg also notes that the portion of oil wells idled carries limited information because it does not tell us anything about changes in the productivity of the ones that remain pumping.

But then, there was an argument being made in Western news outlets that Russia would be forced to curtail production because it cannot handle the technology of oil production without Western experts on call. Given the history of oil production in Russia, not everyone with knowledge in the energy industry field supported this argument, but it made the rounds repeatedly.

Some have suggested Russia is hiding the worst: the author of this GIS Reports article argues that Russia is suffering more damage to its oil industry than officially disclosed and is simply not talking about it.

As evidence, Carole Nakhle, CEO of energy advisory Crystol Energy, points to the sharp drop in oil revenues during the first quarter: it declined by as much as 40% from last year.

According to a Ukrainian research institute, the decline was lower, at about a third of revenues. Whats more, per an FT report citing the institute, not all of the decline was a result of Western sanction action. Most of it was, according to the Kyiv School of Economics, but some 25% of the revenue decline was attributed to lower international prices.

Yet at the same time, Bloomberg reported this week that oil revenues are rebounding, and Russia is planning to restart the purchase of foreign currency for its sovereign wealth fund, which it uses as a cushion during times of hardship. In other words, the decline is reversing, and Russia could soon stop dipping into the fund to manage its economy.

With such diverse data coming from outside Russia, it is indeed difficult to estimate whether or not one of the worlds biggest oil producers has reduced production by the promised half a million barrels daily.

If exports are any indication, it hasnt. But it is idling more wellsthe most since 2020, in fact, as Bloomberg notes in its report from this week. And this might mean lower productionunless well productivity elsewhere has increased sharply and suddenly.

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The chances of that happening in the described manner dont seem great. It might be advisable for those curious about how much oil Russia is producing to wait for the end of the refinery maintenance season and see if export patterns change.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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While a rebound in oil prices on Friday morning may have stopped this from being one of the worst weeks for oil in recent memory, oil markets are struggling to shake the economic gloom and doom that is driving bearish sentiment.

Oilprice Alert: Whether you are new to the oil and gas industry or an energy market veteran, you will regret not signing up for Global Energy Alert. Oilprice.com's premium newsletter provides everything from geopolitical analysis to trading analysis, and all for less than a cup of coffee per week.

Friday, May 5th, 2023

This week was on track to go down as one of the worst for oil prices in recent history, with both ICE Brent and WTI shaving off some 10% week-on-week before a slight recovery on Friday morning. The bearish sentiment in markets has been driven by renewed fears of a US banking crisis contagion and lukewarm industrial figures from China. Hijacked tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, falling US inventories, and the lack of a deal to unlock Kurdish oil exports all failed to offset the macroeconomic doom and gloom.

Gold Prices Nearing All-Time Highs. The revival of US banking woes has prompted another investor flight towards gold, pushing spot prices as high as $2,072.19 per ounce, a couple of cents below the all-time record of $2,072.49/oz, with Asian regional prices already surpassing the previous records.

OPEC+ to Hold June Meeting in Person. Reacting to the precipitous fall in oil prices this week, OPEC+ has confirmed that it would hold its upcoming June 4 policy meeting in person in Vienna, hinting at a further tightening of production targets as the previous pledges ran out of steam.

Iran Seizes Second Oil Tanker in a Week. Only six days after the seizure of Advantage Sweet, a tanker chartered by Chevron (NYSE:CVX), Iran detained another oil tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz even though it was empty, citing a judicial order following a complaint by an unnamed plaintiff.

Saudi Arabia Needs Higher Oil Prices. In its latest economic projections for the Middle East, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) pegged the fiscal breakeven price of Saudi Arabia at $80.90 per barrel, meaning that the current trajectory of prices would leave Riyadh with a budget deficit of 1.1% of GDP.

Iraq Vows to Restore Kurdish Exports in Two Weeks. According to Iraqi Energy Minister Hayan Abdel-Ghani, Baghdad expects to restart oil export flows through Turkey within two weeks, resuming 450,000 b/d of oil exports that have been shut in for more than a month already.

China-Canada Slave Labour Row Turns Nasty. Recent comments made by Canadas Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about China using slave labor to mine lithium has provoked a fierce backlash from Beijing warning of consequences, whilst Ottawa claimed it is mulling the expulsion of Chinese diplomats.

US to Boost NGL Export Capacity. US midstream firm Energy Transfer (NYSE:ET) will be adding a further 250,000 b/d of natural gas liquids (NGL) export capacity at its terminal in Nederland, TX, with the $1.25 billion project mainly driven by the companys term contract with Chinas Satellite Petrochemical.

TotalEnergies Strikes Back at Greenpeace. French oil major TotalEnergies (NYSE:TTE) has decided to sue environmental activists Greenpeace and climate consulting firm Factor-X at the Paris judicial court over a report that claimed the company underestimated its 2019 greenhouse gas emissions by a whopping 75%.

Chevron Exports Pours Dollars into Venezuela. As US oil major Chevron (NYSE:CVX) has been ramping up production in Venezuela, lifting almost 150,000 b/d in April, it is inadvertently increasing the flow of US dollars into the embattled Latin American country as it needs to pay upstream taxes in the local bolivar.

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Norway Calls for More Arctic Drilling. Norways energy minister Terje Aasland called on oil and gas companies to fulfill their social responsibility and leave no stone unturned in their quest to drill the Arctic areas of the Barents Sea, brushing aside concerns of environmentalists.

Brazil Mulls Higher Ethanol Blending Rates. Brazils Lula administration mulls the increase in the volume of anhydrous ethanol blended into the countrys gasoline to 30% within a couple of years, mirroring a similar tightening in biodiesel mandates that are set to grow from 10% last year to 15% by April 2026.

Investors Lament Mexicos Mining Law. The mining industry has expressed its criticism of Mexicos mining law reforms, fast-tracked through the Senate without opposition legislators present, which increase regulatory burdens, hike financial commitments paid to the government and shorten mining concessions to a maximum of 30 years

EU Carbon Prices Fall on Low Compliance Demand. As coal-to-gas switching is in full swing in Europe amidst relatively low natural gas prices ($12 per mmBtu), EU carbon prices have fallen more than 10% since early April and have been trading around 85 per mtCO2e, easing the pressure on the powergen industry.

Russian Oil Firms Boost May Exports. According to Reuters, Russian oil companies are set to export as much as 2.42 million b/d from their western ports, the highest reading in four years, as seasonal maintenance and strong demand from Asian buyers are keeping flows of Russian oil steady.

By Michael Kern for Oilprice.com

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Crude oil prices are set to extend their losing streak to three weeks as recession fears and anxiety about the U.S. banking system prevail over any supply concerns.

West Texas Intermediate alone has shed about 10% this week, with the cumulative decline for Brent since the start of the year at 14%, according to Bloomberg. What's more, the decline comes despite the move by OPEC+ to reduce its collective output by more than a million barrels daily.

Oil prices had rebounded somewhat in early morning trading on Friday, but remain on course for a 7%-8% weekly decline.

Not everyone is depressed, however. "While sentiment is negative at the moment, the market is in oversold territory and our balance sheet still shows that the market will be in deficit over the second half of the year, which should drive prices higher," the head of commodities strategy at ING Groep, Warren Patterson, told Bloomberg.

On the other hand, "It has been a double whammy for oil prices," according to IG market strategist Jun Rong Yeap, who spoke to Reuters.

"Renewed U.S. banking fallout (has prompted) fears of a wider contagion and amplifying recession talks, while a surprise contraction in China's manufacturing activities pushed back against reopening optimism on oil demand outlook."

Reuters's own John Kemp called a recession in U.S. manufacturing and freight transport, noting activity in those fields has been on the decline for six months in a row, driving lower diesel consumption and also lower electricity consumption.

These trends suggest that concern about oil demand in one of the biggest consumersand the biggest producerare not just market jitters. Neither is fear of a banking meltdown after the second-biggest bank collapse since the 2008 crisis saw First Republic Bank taken over by JP Morgan.

Meanwhile, supply risks remain. Iraq and Kurdistan have yet to reach a deal that would allow for the resumption of exports of crude from the autonomous region. If U.S. recession fears subside at some point, they may well be replaced by supply anxiety that could push oil higher.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Georgia's counterterrorism police have arrested a man who carried around uranium in a tiny glass bottle. Ilia Belkania, a 52-year-old living off social benefits, was planning to sell the little batch of nuclear material for $2 million, the State Security Service said on May 1.

State security officials released a video of a little bottle with a bright, greenish-yellow substance being checked with a radiation detector. The video also showed officials in balaclavas arresting Belkania at an unspecified wooded location and retrieving the vial from him. The seized material "contains the radioactive substance uranium and belongs to the category of nuclear materials," said Davit Kutateladze, spokesperson for the State Security Service.

The unemployed Belkania lived in a rural home in the western region of Samegrelo and was detained in the vicinity of the Black Sea port town of Poti. His elderly parents told news media that police raided their house shortly after the arrest. "I don't think my boy could have done such a thing," Belkania's ailing mother told reporters.

Officials have not elaborated on the provenance of the uranium or its prospective buyers, but the nation has long grappled with the smuggling of radioactive materials. Three men were arrested last year for storing unspecified radioactive substances at two different locations. The year before, police interdicted an attempt to sell americium 241, a radioactive isotope, for 300,000 euros.

Georgia uncovered a spate of radioactive smuggling cases in 2015 and 2016, including two attempts to sell uranium and one attempt to offload cesium-137, a by-product of nuclear fission. In none of these cases were the sources of radioactive materials ever publically disclosed. The region's only nuclear power plant, an aging Soviet-era facility, operates in next-door Armenia.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, branches of Soviet research institutions folded in Georgia, and the nation became strewn with orphaned radioactive leftovers. This offered rich picking grounds for smugglers. At that time all across the post-Soviet space "potatoes were guarded better" than nuclear fuel, to quote one Russian military prosecutor.

With funding from the United States, Georgia recovered hundreds of radioactive materials from abandoned research facilities in the 1990s. Late in the decade, the US removed uranium fuel of Soviet origin from a research reactor in Mtskheta, just outside capital Tbilisi. The US Defense Department has been equipping Georgia's main transportation nodes with radioactive detection equipment and providing training for the police forces.

Yet Georgia's borders remained porous to smugglers, not least because of the unstable situation around the boundaries of breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Smuggling continued through the 2010s, with petty peddlers hustling around bits of expensive and dangerous materials in whatever packaging they found handy. For the most part, substances carried were small in quantity but huge in potential consequences. In 2006, a Russian smuggler was famously arrested for carrying 100 grams of bomb-grade uranium in a sandwich bag.

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With international, primarily American help, Georgia's defenses against nuclear materials peddling have improved significantly, but cases of smuggling persist suggesting that the nation is still part of a radioactive route.

By Giorgo Lomsadze via Eurasianet.org

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The joint venture partners in the Corentyne Block offshore Guyana have discovered oil in a well drilled on the block, but they are not giving assurances that there is enough crude in place to ultimately lead to commercial oil production.

CGX Energy Inc and the Frontera Energy Corporation, partners in the Corentyne Block, this week said in their respective first-quarter results releases that the Wei-1 well on the Corentyne block was successfully drilled and oil was encountered.

Preliminary indications from the secondary targets in the Maastrichtian and Campanian are positive, however no assurance can be given that these activities will ultimately produce hydrocarbons in commercial quantities, Frontera Energy said in a statement.

It is not yet certain that the hydrocarbons encountered to date in the Well are yet sufficient to underpin commercial development on the Northern portion of the Corentyne block, CGX Energy said in its press release.

The uncertainty of whether the discovery could be commercially viable is a rare setback for explorers offshore Guyana, which has turned into one of the hottest new exploration provinces for many companies, including U.S. supermajor ExxonMobil.

Exxon and its partner Hess Corp have found more than 11 billion barrels of oil equivalent offshore the South American country and have made more than 20 discoveries to date, many of which are large and under development.

Just last week, Exxon said it would go ahead with a $12.7-billion oil development off the coast of Guyana after the countrys government gave its final approval to the project.

Exxon expects Uaru, the fifth project on Guyanas Stabroek block, to add around 250,000 barrels of daily capacity after a targeted startup in 2026.

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Two Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, the Liza Destiny and Liza Unity, are currently operating offshore Guyana and produced an average of 375,000 barrels of oil per day in the first quarter. A third FPSO, the Prosperity, is expected to be operational later this year, adding 220,000 barrels of daily capacity from the Payara development, Exxon says.

By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com

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Norways plan to nationalize natural gas assets includes more than just Gassleds natural gas pipelines, new information revealed in a letter from the Norwegian energy minister showed on Friday.

The surprise move to nationalize the countrys gas assets will also include other assetsincluding the Nyhamna processing plant.

Last Friday, Norways oil and energy minister said it would nationalize its natural gas pipelines within the next five years when existing concessions are set to expire. But now, a new letter to licensees seen by Reuters on Friday said that that plan also includes other central parts of the Norwegian gas infrastructure that are currently owned by Nyhamna and Plarled, as well as Vestprosess DA.

Norways gas pipeline network encompasses 5,600 miles of pipelines, most of which are owned by Gassled.

The letter to all licensees, which include Shell, ConocoPhillips, and Equinor, said that it had a goal to complete state ownership of Norwegian gas infrastructure.

Norway became Germanys single-largest natural gas supplier last year, overtaking Russia, with Germanys gas imports dropping by 12.3%. Norway provided GermanyEuropes largest economywith 33% of all of the gas it imported in 2022, while Russias share of the German gas market fell to 22% last year, the Germany Federal Network Agency Bundesnetzagentur said in early January.

Norways oil and gas ministry said last Friday that it was notifying licensees to let them know that the country wants to make use of the right of repatriation at the end of the license period, adding that it wants complete state ownership of the central parts of the Norwegian gas transport system.

Norway exported more than 120 billion cubic meters of gas last year, mainly via its pipelines, making it Europes largest gas supplier.

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By Julianne Geiger for Oilprice.com

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A second drone attack in two days caused a fire at the Ilsky oil refinery in the southern Russian region of Krasnodar, Russian news agency TASS reported on Friday, citing sources with the emergency services.

"A drone attacked the territory of the Ilsky oil refinery, which resulted in a fire on an area of 60 square meters," said one source, adding that the fire had been put out.

No casualties have been reported from the fire, TASS later reported.

"The employees of the oil refinery were evacuated, there were no casualties," according to the Russian Interfax news agency.

The Ilsky oil refinery sustained a second drone attack today after a first attack hit a diesel fuel reservoir at the refinery on Thursday, Russian media say. On Thursday, "following an attack by an unidentified drone, a fire broke out in the reservoir of the Ilsky oil refinery," TASS reported on Thursday, citing a spokesman for the local emergency services.

Russian reports of drone attacks on the refinery in Krasnodar follow a drone incident from earlier this week when a drone attacked the citadel of the Kremlin on Wednesday. Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out the attack, which Moscow said was an assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied Ukraine was involved in the drone attack on the Kremlin.

"We don't attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory," Zelenskyy said, referring to the Russian accusations.

On Thursday, Russia accused the United States of being behind the attack. The U.S. denied these allegations.

National Security Council (NSC) Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, said at a briefing on Thursday, "One thing I can tell you for certain is that the United States was not involved in this incident in any way, contrary to Mr. Peskov's lies. And that's what they are: just lies."

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By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

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More than 50% of Americans will be diagnosed with a mental illness or disorder during their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Chances are, some of these individuals will be inheriting wealth at some point.

If a family members mental health issues may interfere with their ability to manage finances, answering these questions could help them create long-term financial stability.

Have I set up a trust?

Setting up a trust is one way to transfer wealth to a loved one and create financial stability for them. A trust enables you to leave specific instructions for trustees about how to care for your loved one and distribute assets.

Trusts can be especially helpful for transferring assets to loved ones who have a mental illness but are still able to function independently. While these loved ones are often independent, they may still have difficulty managing assets on their own, says Lillie Nkenchor, an attorney who does estate planning in New York. One example includes someone with depression.

You can put assets in a trust, Nkenchor says. It can simply be a trust that says, This money is to be used to take care of my sister who is high functioning, but is not great with money.

Likewise, you can request money be allocated to health care expenses and anything else that helps them live a healthy and functional life. Having a trust in place can also help beneficiaries avoid probate, a court process for handling estates that could be stressful for someone who has a mental illness.

Does my loved one receive government assistance?

Another important question to ask is whether the person receives government assistance or may need to in the future. While a basic trust may suffice for a loved one who has a mental illness but mostly functions independently, it could negatively impact one who doesnt and receives government assistance.

We want to make sure that if we are caring for someone who's receiving that type of benefit, we don't accidentally leave them something that disqualifies them from that benefit, Nkenchor says.

People who receive government assistance may have limits on how much they can have in assets. For instance, to be eligible for Supplemental Security Income through Social Security, they generally cant have resources of more than $2,000 as an individual or $3,000 as a couple. That is, unless you put those assets into a special needs trust. Its an estate planning tool for individuals with disabilities or functional needs.

The special needs trust is meant to supplement government benefits that person is receiving. It doesn't replace it, it's meant to supplement it, Nkenchor says.

Nkenchor adds that a standard special needs trust isnt effective until the person who establishes the trust dies. So, if you plan to financially support your loved one while youre alive while they receive benefits, consider setting up a stand-alone special needs trust. Since setting up an SNT can be complicated, its advisable you speak to a professional who specializes in this area. The Special Needs Alliance website has a directory that can point you toward attorneys for special needs planning to help you get started.

Have I named the right trustees?

The estate managers you name will be responsible for distributing assets to your loved one when you die or if youre incapacitated. Talisa Utsey, an independent estate planning attorney licensed in Maryland and New York, says a mistake some people make is not appointing the right trustee. She adds that people sometimes take advantage of older adults, young people and those with mental illnesses.

You have two options: someone you know or a corporate fiduciary. Utsey says if you opt for the former, choose someone who has a good relationship with the beneficiary. You also want to be sure they have some knowledge of estates or can get advice from someone who does.

If they are not familiar with estate administration, if they're not familiar with the documents that give them the authority, they're not familiar with their actual authority, then that can be harmful, Utsey says.

Alternatively, you may choose to appoint a corporate trustee since theyre usually experienced and have no emotional investment. For example, you could use a financial institution like a bank. Just know that corporate fiduciaries often charge heavy fees.

Utsey also advises appointing at least one successor trustee  a person who takes over trustee duties if the initial trustee cant serve. And dont forget to consult with prospective trustees first, Utsey says: Make sure that the primary and the successor are both interested in taking on that type of responsibility.

Is my estate plan clear?

To protect your loved one from financial abuse and prevent mishandled funds, you want your estate plan to be clear and streamlined, Utsey says. This means ensuring all your accounts and assets are addressed to the trust, none are in your loved ones name, and there are clear directions about how money is spent. All assets should flow through the trust if possible.

When theres a plan, theres less likelihood of manipulation and funds being wasted because it's clear, it's a process and it's written down in plain English, and black and white, Utsey says. And to some extent, it's legally enforceable when it's done the right way.

Being clear will also help the trustee execute your plan with ease.

Elizabeth Ayoola writes for NerdWallet. Email: eayoola@nerdwallet.com.

The article How Trusts Can Support Loved Ones With Mental Illness originally appeared on NerdWallet.
Republican leaders banishment of a transgender lawmaker from floor debates in the recently ended Montana legislative session seized the nations attention. It also overshadowed significant health policy changes and historic levels of health care spending.

The session likely will be remembered for GOP leaders removing Democratic Rep. Zooey Zephyr, one of two transgender representatives in the Capitol, from House floor debates. That the ban has distracted from approvals of unprecedented increases in Medicaid mental health and provider reimbursement rates is unfortunate, said Mary Windecker, executive director of the Behavioral Health Alliance of Montana.

Weve never talked about these kinds of numbers before, Windecker said.

Lawmakers also passed major bills related to abortion, behavioral health, transgender rights, workforce issues, and insurance requirements. Some, like the Medicaid reimbursement hikes, were greeted with cheers. Others, with threats of legal challenges.

Medicaid Reimbursement

Windecker said several factors provided momentum for Medicaid provider rate increases, including the covid-19 pandemic and pressure from providers and facilities after the legislature cut rates to the bone in 2017 amid a budget shortfall.

Back then, lawmakers cut nearly $50 million from the Department of Public Health and Human Services budget, a devastating blow for providers, with long-term ramifications. Last year, 11 nursing homes in Montana closed their doors, citing low provider rates as a chief cause.

By contrast, lawmakers went into this session with a $2.5 billion surplus in the state budget, which lawmakers and providers said should be used to rebuild the states health care system.

The legislature commissioned a study after the last session to look at Medicaid provider reimbursement rates in areas like behavioral health, long-term care, and developmental disability services. Throughout the session, lawmakers heard hours of testimony from providers and patients asking lawmakers to fully fund the provider rates the study identified as covering the average cost of services.

During the last discussion on the state budget, on May 2, Republican Rep. Llew Jones  chair of the House Appropriations Committee  lauded the two-year budget for exceeding the 100% benchmark for provider rates.

Democratic Rep. Mary Caferro made a distinction between the next two fiscal years. She said the funding falls short of the benchmark in the first year of the budget  by about $10 million.

But you know what, its nothing to shake a stick at, Caferro said. Im very, very happy that we got this far.

Still, it will be important to watch how the boosted provider rates help the supply of services, what that means for caseloads, and whether the health department can start getting people off waitlists, said Montana Budget and Policy Center Executive Director Heather OLoughlin.

According to Rose Hughes, executive director of the Montana Health Care Association, which advocates for nursing homes, the provider rates for nursing homes increased from $209 per patient per day to $262 the first year of the next biennium, and $278.75 the next.

Theyve done a lot and the problem is that the challenges are also huge, and the workforce issues are huge, and its going to take time to see, Hughes said. I hope it works. I hope what theyve done works.

Abortion

Lawmakers passed 10 bills restricting abortion, five of which Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed in a ceremony on May 3.

Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, Montana has been one of 20 states and the District of Columbia to uphold the right to abortion. Abortion access is protected through the privacy clause of the states constitution. Bills championed by the Republican supermajority chipped away at that protection and are expected to be challenged in court.

Among the new laws, Senate Bill 154 takes the right to an abortion out of the constitutional privacy clause in an attempt to remove the legal justification for allowing continued abortion access. At the bill signing, Gianforte said this was one of the most important bills of the session.

House Bill 625 is a version of a ballot measure, called the born alive referendum, that Montanans rejected in November 2022. HB 625 requires health care providers to give care to an infant born alive after an attempted abortion or face a fine and up to five years in prison.

Another bill, first introduced by the state health department, requires prior authorization and additional documentation for abortions to be covered by Medicaid or the Childrens Health Insurance Program. The health department adopted an administrative rule that would have the same effect, but a state judge has temporarily blocked the rule amid a legal challenge.

HB 575 prohibits the abortion of a viable fetus. Viability in the bill is presumed at 24 weeks and defined as the ability of a fetus to live outside the womb, including with artificial aid.

Another bill bans dilation and evacuation procedures, one of the most common ways of ending a pregnancy after 15 weeks.

Transgender Rights

SB 99, which prohibits certain surgical and medical treatments for youth with gender dysphoria, is the bill that sparked Zephyr to tell lawmakers that if they voted for it, and Gianfortes amendments to it, they would have blood on [their] hands, referring to elevated rates of suicide among trans youth.

Gianforte signed SB 99 into law, as well as HB 361, which allows a student to call another student by a name or refer to them with pronouns they dont use without legal disciplinary action. Opponents refer to it as a deadnaming bill.

Lawmakers also passed a bill to ban minors from attending drag shows and restricting where they can be held that was ultimately amended to replace drag with the descriptor adult-oriented. Another bill headed to Gianfortes desk defines sex in Montana law in a way that opponents say erases transgender, nonbinary, and two-spirit people from Montana code. The sponsor, Republican Sen. Carl Glimm, said the point is to distinguish sex from gender. That bill was to be transmitted to the governor.

Behavioral Health Investment

Gianforte and lawmakers from both parties started the session promising investment in behavioral health, including building community-based services and upgrading the beleaguered Montana State Hospital, which the governor outlined as one of his priorities.

Republican Rep. Jennifer Carlsons HB 29, which would stop involuntary commitment of most patients with Alzheimers, traumatic brain injuries, or dementia to the Montana State Hospital, is awaiting a decision from the governor.

Gianforte also announced a $2.1 million grant to fund free, optional mental health and substance abuse screenings for schools statewide. The grant will also support same-day services for students assessed as being at high risk for suicide.

Another bill, which passed in the final hours of the session, would create a $300 million fund for behavioral health and set up a commission to oversee the funding allocation.

There was also some tug of war over Gianfortes Healing and Ending Addiction through Recovery and Treatment, or HEART, fund.

One bill, sponsored by Caferro, makes it so youth suicide prevention programs can benefit from HEART funds. Carlson sponsored her own HEART fund bill, which requires reporting on how HEART money is used. Both bills passed by wide margins and were signed into law.

Access and Workforce

Another one of the lawmakers goals at the beginning of the session was expanding patient access to health care.

The governor signed HB 313 into law, allowing physician assistants to practice independently. Gianforte said in a statement that it will reduce patients barriers to health care, particularly in rural areas.

SB 112, also signed by the governor, expands pharmacists ability to prescribe certain drugs and devices that do not require a new diagnosis or are minor and generally self-limiting.

Lawmakers passed HB 101, which would allow behavioral health providers licensed in another state to practice in Montana.

Insurance Requirements

A handful of new insurance requirements are also on track to become law.

One bill waiting on the governors signature would cap the cost of insulin copayments at $35 for a months supply.

Another diabetes-related bill would require coverage of 20 visits of diabetes training and education in the first year of a patients diagnosis and 12 subsequent follow-ups. Meanwhile, a bill that would have required insurance coverage of continuous glucose monitors died in the Senate.

Two bills signed by the governor require eyedrops and minimum mammography and other breast examinations to be covered by insurance.

A bill that would require insurance to cover 12 months of birth control is awaiting transmittal to the governors office, as is one that would require insurance coverage of fertility preservation for cancer patients.

Keely Larson is the KFF Health News fellow for the UM Legislative News Service, a partnership of the University of Montana School of Journalism, the Montana Newspaper Association, and KFF Health News. Larson is a graduate student in environmental and natural resources journalism at the University of Montana.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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LINCOLN  Plans to build a $574.5 million canal-and-reservoir system to draw water from the South Platte River got a vote of approval from Nebraska lawmakers Thursday.

Senators rejected a proposal to scale back the canal project, with 32 senators voting against that proposal and only 11 supporting it.

The vote came partway through the days debate about the second bill in the state budget package. The bill authorizes transfers of money to and from the states cash reserve fund and other funds. It eventually cleared first-round consideration on a 35-0 vote.

Under the transfer measure, Nebraska would set aside $574.5 million from the cash reserve fund to build the so-called Perkins County Canal, which would start in Colorado and bring water into southwest Nebraska.

Under a century-old compact with Colorado, building the canal would entitle Nebraska to 120 cubic feet per second of water from the South Platte River during the summer irrigation season and 500 cfs during the non-irrigation season. The proposed budget transfer would be enough to build a canal carrying up to 1,000 cfs of water.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha brought an amendment to keep the canal capacity at 500 cfs, matching the amount of water that the compact would entitle Nebraska to draw. The amendment would potentially save the state $125 million.

Cavanaugh expressed skepticism about the value of the canal generally, given its cost, the lengthy timeline for construction and the likelihood of litigation. He particularly questioned the value of the larger canal, saying the amount of water coming into Nebraska during wet years would be the same whether the water came through a canal or in the South Platte.

The question is whether we should build the Cadillac or whether we should build the economy model, Cavanaugh said.

But other senators, particularly rural ones, defended the larger canal plan. Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, the Natural Resources Committee chairman, said a larger canal would allow Nebraska to capture water and store it in the proposed reservoirs for later use.

Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, the Appropriations Committee chairman, said that committing the money to the canal project would show Colorado that Nebraska is serious about claiming its share of water.

Former Gov. Pete Ricketts made the project a priority during his last year in office, arguing that Nebraska could lose access to water if Colorado proceeded with plans to use South Platte water to meet the demands of its growing urban areas.

Among other transfers, the bill would move $1.25 billion from the states general fund into a new Education Future Fund proposed by Gov. Jim Pillen. The fund would be used to increase state aid for K-12 schools by about $305 million annually, as part of the governors broader school aid and tax cut plan.

The bill also would put $95.8 million from the states cash reserve fund toward construction of a new $350 million prison.

Lawmakers had set aside the rest of the money during previous years but held off approving construction to encourage negotiations on slowing the increase in prison populations. This years main budget bill includes authorization for the Department of Correctional Services to proceed with building the prison.

Sen. Terrell McKinney of Omaha attempted Thursday to require the department to complete studies of how many maximum, medium and minimum security beds will be needed in the future, along with studies of programming and staffing needs.

He offered an amendment that would tie completion of the studies to the release of some of the construction money, arguing that the state should have a clearer picture of the needs before proceeding to design and build a prison. The amendment failed on a 16-16 vote, with opponents arguing against linking the studies to the release of funds.

Lawmakers gave first-round approval to the main budget bill Wednesday. The bill would authorize $10.7 billion worth of state spending over the two fiscal years ending June 30, 2025, along with approving capital construction projects.

The transfer bill would take more than $1.2 billion out of the states cash reserve fund, often called the rainy day fund, for various purposes. It would leave the reserve fund with about $950 million by the end of the two-year period. That represents about 16% of annual general fund revenues.

The budget package leaves nearly $715 million available for tax cuts and other uses over the two-year period. Thats the difference between revenue projections and the spending proposal. Lawmakers have given first-round approval to two packages of income tax changes and property tax relief that would reduce state revenues by more than $870 million over the two-year period.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of April 2023
LINCOLN  More Nebraska businesses are coming out in opposition to a controversial bill that would ban gender-affirming care for individuals under 19.

A letter sent to state lawmakers and Gov. Jim Pillen Thursday included signatures from 112 local businesses and nonprofits sharing concerns about Legislative Bill 574. They also took issue with a similar bill, LB 575, which would regulate transgender students access to bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation in school sports.

The primary critique in the letter is that the bills could increase Nebraskas already significant labor shortage, deterring out-of-state prospective employees from moving in. The legislation poses the same risk to Nebraskas effort to recruit new businesses, the letter said.

Businesses are watching state legislatures, the letter said. They are investing in states with laws that foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and a robust workforce. And states that sanction discrimination simply cannot compete

The letter follows a similar statement issued recently by the Greater Omaha Chamber, urging lawmakers to step away from debating divisive policies and focus more on economic and workforce development. Though the chambers statement doesnt reference any specific bills, many have taken it as a criticism of LB 574.

And nationally, the Human Rights Campaign is collecting signatures from businesses for a letter that takes issue with similar bills proposed in state legislatures across the country. As of Thursday, 319 businesses have signed on, including massive companies like Apple, Google, Pepsi and many others.

Americas business community has consistently communicated to lawmakers at every level that such laws have a negative effect on our employees, our customers, our competitiveness, and state and national economies, the Human Rights Campaign letter reads.

The letter from Nebraska businesses includes signatures from a range of Nebraska companies, from smaller ones like A Novel Idea Bookstore to larger ones like Omaha Steaks.

It was drafted by Mike Hornacek, CEO of the nonprofit Together Omaha. The parent of a transgender teenager, Hornacek has said if LB 574 passes as it stands, his family will leave Nebraska.

LB 574 and LB 575 were both introduced by State Sen. Kathleen Kauth of Omaha. LB 574 needs to pass just one more round of debate before it goes to Pillens desk to be signed. Meanwhile, LB 575 has yet to make it out of its committee.

Kauth said Thursday that the businesses signing the letter are entitled to their opinion. But she said those who support her bills should pay attention to which businesses signed as opponents when they decide where they spend their money.

She described the notion that her bills will hurt Nebraskas economy as a fear-mongering tactic that lacks evidence. Nebraska has more conservatives than liberals, she said, so failing to pass conservative policies might actually deter potential workers and make the labor shortage worse.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to clarify Kauth's comments about the businesses that oppose LB 574 and LB 575.

Our best Omaha staff photos & videos of April 2023
In the aftermath of the 2023 governorship election in Sokoto State, followers of the APC in the state have embarked on self allocation of government plots in the state capital, 25 days to the handover of government.

The APC candidate, Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto was declared winner of the 2023 governorship election in the state by INEC, which the PDP is challenging at the election tribunal in the state.

Land reserved for an ongoing state government water supply project in Gagi Area has been appropriated by APC supporters, who have already commenced sale of the plots. There is a similar development at Bado Area, where government reserved land has been taken over by APC supporters and being sold to buyers.

In reaction to the development, the District Head of Gagi, Alhaji Muhammad Jabbi has issued a statement, alerting potential buyers from entering into transactions on government land that is illegally acquired by unscrupulous individuals. The statement explained that the plots in question are part of land earmarked by the state government for the ongoing water project in the community, adding that the Gagi District has no stake in the ownership of the land.

Another press statement by the State Ministry of Land, Housing, Survey and Town Planning warned members of the public from trespassing into the reserved land at Gagi and other areas or entering into any illegal transactions on the plots. The statement, which was signed by the PRO of the Ministry, Dodo Iya Muktar, cautioned the general public on illegal land activities being carried out by some unpatriotic people on land sites acquired by government for water projects at Gagi, Tamaje and other project sites in sokoto state. It urged the general public to refrain from illegal land grabbing, sale or construction on such government lands, saying tempering with such land will no doubt affect the effort of government in bringing development to the people particularly the ongoing water projects initiated by the past administration.

Some residents of the areas where the plots are located have expressed concern over the development. Auwal Dan Yaro, who has lived in Gagi for 25 years said he is alarmed by the conduct of the APC supporters in question.

If this is a taste of what well get from APC, then we should brace ourselves for worse crisis. Its sad that supporters of a governor-elect can display this type of crass behavior before hes even sworn-in.

Mamman Isuhu, an owner of a farm close to the plots narrated that his farm was taken over by the trespassers and was about to be sold away, when he intervened. The Invaders then told me to pay the price for the land, if I wished to reclaim my farm, which my family has cultivated for over 30 years.

Isuhu called on leaders of APC in Sokoto State to restrain their followers, otherwise, we have no reason not to believe theyre sanctioning their activities.
Nigerian Senator Ike Ekweremadu has been sentenced to 9 years and 8 months in prison at the Old Baily in London, under the modern slavery act.

Mr Justice Johnson told Mr. Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice Ekweremadu: People-trafficking of human organs is a form of slavery. It treats human beings and their body parts as commodities to be bought and sold. It is a trade that preys on poverty, misery and desperation.

He told the defendants including Dr Obinna Obeta : You each played a part in that despicable trade.

The Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical middleman were jailed for conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney.

Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and 25-year-old daughter Sonia stood trial accused of a conspiracy to bring the man to Britain from Lagos for his organ. The couple, along with medical middleman Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, were found guilty in the Old Bailey in March.

The Ekweremadus daughter Sonia, who has a serious kidney condition, wept as she was cleared of the same charge.

At a sentencing hearing on Friday, Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while Obeta received a 10-year prison term.

Mr Justice Johnson told the defendants: In each of your cases the offence you committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.

It was alleged that the 21-year-old street trader was to be rewarded for donating the organ to Sonia Ekweremadu, in an 80,000 private procedure at Londons Royal Free Hospital.

The case marked the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.

While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if money or another material advantage is rewarded.

The prosecution claimed the donor was offered up to 7,000 along with the promise of a better life in the UK.

The donor did not understand until his first appointment with a consultant at the hospital that he was there for a kidney transplant, the Old Bailey was told.

According to the consultant, he had a limited understanding of why he was there and was visibly relieved at being told the operation would not go ahead.

It was claimed the man was falsely presented as Sonia Ekweremadus cousin in a failed attempt to persuade medics to carry out the procedure at the Royal Free Hospital.

The donor cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Defendants intended harm to donor

On the question of harm to the victim, the judge said: The transplant did not go ahead but each intended that it should go ahead and you each intended the harm to the donor that would result.

He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare.

He added that the risks had not been properly explained to the victim and there had been no consent in any meaningful sense.
Umar Ganduje

Reno Omokri, aa former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has reacted to results of the Kano governorship election.

It was reported on Sunday that Umar Ganduje of the All Progressives Congress, APC, was declared winner of the Kano State governorship election.

Ganduje polled a total of 1,033,695 as against his closest rival, Abba Yusuf of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who polled 1,024,713.

Reacting, Omokri took to his official Twitter page on Monday to criticise Kano people for re-electing Ganduje.

He wrote: When I read law in UK, my universitys case study for FSA fraud was Gen. Abacha, who looted at least $5 billion. Yet, Kano named a stadium after that bloodthirsty buffoon.

Now, @GovUmarGanduje, a man caught on Camera looting Kano, is re-elected. What does that say about Nigeria?
Tajudeen Oyewole a.k.a. Abija, a veteran actor of the Yoruba movies genre, was presented with a car by a car shipping company in Lagos. The actor who could not hide his joy was seen full of smiles as he was handed over a brand new Toyota Matrix to celebrate his great achievement.

Present at the car presentation ceremony was Mr Latin and other actors.

Abija, who is one of the pioneers of indigenous Yoruba movies, was recently in the news over his poor state of living. Actor Jigan had solicited for help for the veteran actor whom he believed was one of the people that paved the way for the current crops of successful actors in the Industry.

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Femi Gbajabiamiilas battle for House of Representatives Speaker got a boost yesterday as 178 new members-elect endorsed his ambition.

His spokesman Olanrewaju Smart said the lawmakers made the proclamation at New Chelsea Hotel, Abuja.

He said the lawmakers were drawn from various political parties.

A member-elect, Onofiuk Luke, who is the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly Speaker, spoke for the lawmakers.

He said they were endorsing the House Leader because of his sterling qualities and the fact that he is the most qualified.

Luke said: I am the Speaker of Akwa-Ibom State and here with me are newly elected members of the House of Representatives and this is a conglomeration of people of different parties. I am of the PDP. We have members of the APC here.

We have members of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), we have people from Action Alliance (AA), we have people from ACP and we have people from ADC. Its a multi-party arrangement.

We decided to convene ourselves as newly elected members of the House of Representatives to look at the emergence of the next leadership of the 9th Assembly and, in doing so, we looked through the antecedents and credentials of those who are aspiring to lead the National Assembly.

And we acknowledge the fact that this country today; with the challenges that we have, that we need a bipartisan approach to solve the problem of Nigeria and the person and the man that has shown that credibility, capacity, that has what it takes even as reflected in his manifesto, to carry the entire parties along in resolving and solving the issues of Nigeria, the man who will not mortgage the independence of the legislature but at the same time would not engage the executive in unnecessary fisticuffs, a man who will build a good relationship between the executive and the legislature, between the legislature and the judiciary.

Luke said they were in search of a man who will care about the welfare of Nigerians; a man who will put the interest of Nigeria above his personal interest; and a man who will put the interest of Nigeria above the party.

And we have resolved today, to have come from our different states, from our different constituencies and we have found as newly-elected members, having looked through the credentials and the CV, we have found Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as a man who has a capacity to lead the 9th National Assembly as the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

We know that he is not going to let Nigerians down and we know and believe that he is not going to let us down and we know and believe that he is not going to let God down.

Despite the choice of the Southwest by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the zone to produce the Speaker of the 9th House, but the Lagos representative has faced contention from aspirants from the Northcentral.
King Mswati III of Swaziland has declared in Mbabane Swaziland that men will be required to marry at least two or more wives or be jailed if they fail to do so starting in June 2019.

The king, who has 15 wives and 25 children, While his father and predecessor has more than 70 wives and 150+ children revealed that Swaziland is facing a very serious problem as there are more women than men in his country.

Men from Swaziland are therefore required and expected to take more wives so that every woman gets a husband.

The country which is known to be full of virgins, is also said to have more women than men.

In a statement, king Mswati called for all men in the country to marry at least five wives and the government assured the men that it would pay for the marriage ceremonies and buy houses for them.

King Mswati warned that any man or woman who opposes the decision will face a life sentence.
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The Director of the Abuja School of Social and Political Thoughts, Sam Amadi, says it is not automatic that Bola Tinubu, Nigerias President-elect will form the next government.

Amadi claimed that the President-elect, Bola Tinubus inauguration could be stopped before May 29, insisting that he has a serious case in tribunal that could go either way.

His statement was contained in a post via his Twitter handle on Thursday.

Recall that Amadi said Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State probably thought that the President-elect is an official position, noting that Tinubus visit cannot be official.

The statement followed Wikes declaration of Wednesday May 3 as a public holiday for the people to receive Tinubu, who was invited by the governor.

The statement had attracted mixed interpretations.

READ ALSO: HURIWA asks Tinubu to probe controversial N23.72tr CBN overdrafts

However, the public affairs analyst took to his Twitter handle to make further clarifications, saying it is not automatic that Tinubu will form the next government.

He wrote, Clarification on Legal Status of President-Elect.

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@officialABAT is PRESIDENT-ELECT. But he is not yet President.

Not automatic

It isnt automatic that he will form the next government. He has a serious case in tribunal that can go either way. The tribunal can stop the inauguration before 29.

Like I always say, corruption in language leads to corruption in statecraft. Just as the law gave @inecnigeria power to make a declaration, it gives the judiciary the power to reverse it. Theres no constitutional duty to inaugurate on May 29 if a declaration is legally challenged as here.

There is no fait accompli about the situation. Some use of language can create a false narrative where we believe that a declaration by @inecnigeria no matter how wrong constitutes a new government. No. It does not, until the final court says so.
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Civil rights advocacy group, Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, (HURIWA), on Thursday, urged the incoming administration of the President-Elect, Bola Tinubu to conduct forensic audit of controversial N23.72 trillion Federal Governments unappropriated expenditure funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through its ways and means (W&M) window.

HURIWA, in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the incoming President must show that the outgoing regime of President Muhammadu Buhari accounts for the mounting debts incurred during his eight-year rule.

The group said to restore sanity and citizens trust, Nigeria must send strong signals to corrupt government officials and begin to deal with lawless ex-Presidents like Peru dealt with its former president, Alejandro Toledo, who was jailed last month on money laundering and corruption charges during his tenure.

READ ALSO: Medical trips: Tinubu, another Buhari in the making, says HURIWA

The Senate, on Wednesday, abandoned its previous hard line stance and approved the conversion to a 40-year bond of the CBN overdrafts. Now, the country has four decades to repay the bond with liquidation of facilities to be spread to 2063 and CBNs budget support growing by 2,900% in eight years under Buhari.

Of late, the Debt Management Office (DMO) said several loans have been contracted from multilaterals like the World Bank, the African Development Bank and bilateral like Germany, India, China while the Federal Government keeps issuing promissory notes to settle obligations for which it doesnt really have the revenue.

According to the DMO, Nigerias debt stock is N46.25trn including the debt of the 36 state governments and the Federal Capital Territory, noting that the Federal Government is responsible for 84% to 85% of this debt.

The DMO also said while the 2023 budget size is N21trn, borrowing is N10trn.

Commenting, HURIWAs Onwubiko said, President Muhammadu Buhari has succeeded in leaving a bad legacy of debt for Nigerias generation unborn. The next government should conduct a forensic investigation of how these so-called debts were incurred and their uses and list out individuals indicted.

Those culpable for mismanagement of state funds should be put on trial even if they become ex-Presidents or former ministers. Nigeria must begin to deal with corruption and lawless ex-President as seen in the case of Peru so that we can restore sanity.
The military high command on Thursday disclosed that a total of 40 terrorists were killed and 25 others were arrested by troops of Operation Hadin Kai in the last two weeks.

Also, no fewer than 131 kidnapped Nigerians, the command said, were rescued within the period under review.

The Director, Defence Media Operation, Musa Danmadami, disclosed these while briefing select journalists in Abuja.

According to Danmadami, a total of 510 terrorists surrendered to the troops.

He said, Cumulatively, within the weeks in focus, troops neutralized 40 terrorists, arrested 25 terrorists as well as 8 terrorist logistics suppliers. Troops also rescued 131 abducted civilians while a total of 510 Boko Haram/Islamic State of West Africa Province terrorists and members of their families, comprising 54 adult males, 164 adult females, and 292 children surrendered to troops at different locations within the theatre of operations.

Some of the items recovered by the troops during the operations conducted in the North East in the last two weeks, according to the Director, Defence Media Operation, are, 16 AK47 rifles, 15 Dane guns, 6 QJC 88 AA guns, 1 QJC 88 barrel, 1 SMG, 2 DSHKAA guns, 2 NSVT AA guns, 1 GMPG, 1 pump action gun, 2 locally made double barrel gun, 1 locally made short gun, 51 rounds of 12.7mm ammunition, 26 rounds of 12.7 x 108mm.

He said all recovered items and apprehended suspects have been handed over to the relevant authority for further action, adding that the rescued terrorists escapees and members of their families were profiled and given medical attention, while the surrendered terrorists and members of their families are also been profile for further action.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that veteran Nigerian musician, Chris Mba has dead.

Mba died after a long battle with heart issues on Wednesday at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital.
Nigerian comedian, Seyi Law has shared a message sent to his wife by a troll who threatened to kill his daughter over his political affiliations.

Seyi Law, a well-known supporter of the presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, took to his Twitter page to share screenshots of the disturbing message, which was wishing for his daughters death.

According to him, the troll simply identified as David Lee sent the death threat to him and his wife via their Direct Message (DM) for not supporting their candidate.

The troll had promised the comedian that since he wants to destroy Nigeria, his daughter would lose her life in the United Kingdom he and his family reside.

The message reads, Tell your husband, UK no go contain Una. This your daughter must die. Since he joined the people destroying Nigeria and he carry una go UM go hide, na that same UK Dem go take kill this una daughter.

Sharing the screenshot of the DM, Seyi Law wrote: See what one of them sent to my wife. Even more in my DM for not supporting their candidate.

See what one of them sent to my wife. Even more in my dm for not supporting their candidate. pic.twitter.com/HWEh1GiLVY  SEYILAW (@seyilaw1) May 4, 2023

KanyiDaily recalls that actress Uchenna Nnanna had lambasted Seyi Law for drumming support for Bola Tinubu, and asked him to bring his family back to Nigeria.
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has stated that power was not given freely to the President-elect, Bola Tinubu, who he said worked hard to get it.

Wike stated this on Wednesday at a banquet in honour of Tinubu who was in Rivers State to commission some of the governors legacy projects.

He recounted how Tinubu gifted him a white wine in the early hours of the day when he visited him at his Lagos residence in 2018 to persuade him to support one of the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2019 presidential election.

He said: I went to him, I said, sir, I heard you cant find your feet in APC. Why not join us and support one of these our candidates to win the 2019 election? He asked me, who are these your candidates? I mentioned them, [and] he said, look, if its these ones youve, Ill support Buhari 200 times.

He [Tinubu] gave me white wine that early morning. And I respected him. I know he is prepared. Nobody dash him power. All of us, we saw it. He went and worked for the power, and you will see the benefits of it. When they dash you power, you slack; but when you fight for power, you work.
to consider reports on state of refineries, fuel consumption next week

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

In quick succession, the House of Representatives on Thursday gave approval to the request by President Muhammadu Buhari Ways and Means N22.7 trillion loan request which authorizes the federal government to borrow money from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

Recall that the Senate had on Wednesday gave its nod to the request.

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For purposes of recapitulation, President Buhari made the request via a letter he wrote to the two chambers of the national assembly in December last year but its consideration and approval never happened until now as the members of both Houses shut down for the 2023 elections.

Ways and Means provision allows the government to borrow from the apex bank to meet financial emergencies.

The Federal Government had said it would repay the loan which as at December, 2022 stood at N22.7 trillion with securities such as treasury bills and bonds issuance.

The report presented by three committees of finance, banking and currency, loans and aid management stood in the name of the chairman, committee on finance, Hon. James Falake at the Committee.

That the House do consider the Report of the Committees on Finance, Banking and Currency and

Aids, Loans and Debt Management on the Restructuring of Ways and Means Advances and approve the recommendations therein (Laid: 2/5/2023), approve the requested additional N1 trillion Ways and Means advances for the implementation of the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act as passed by the National Assembly.

In a similar motion, the House adhoc committees in charge of investigating the volume of fuel consumed daily, and state of refineries also laid its report for consideration.

The adhoc committees respectively chaired by, Hon. Abdulkadir Abdullahi and Hon. Ganiyu Johnson said, Ad-hoc Committee on the Volume of Fuel Consumed Daily in the Country: That the House do receive the Report of the Ad-hoc Committee on the Volume of Fuel Consumed Daily in the Country osn the Need to Ascertain the Actual Daily Consumption of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) in Nigeria (HR. 21/01/2022).

Ad-hoc Committee on the State of Refineries in the Country: That the House do receive the Report of the Ad-hoc Committee on the State of Refineries to ascertain the actual Cost of Rehabilitating the Nigerian Refineries.

The Deputy Speaker, Hon. Idris Wase who presided over the plenary session however directed the clerk to make copies of the reports available for consideration Tuesday.

He said the findings and recommendations of the committees would be important to help the incoming government to take decisions.

Clerk please ensure all members get copies of this reports before Tuesday, because they are important and will help in decision making for the outgoing and incoming Government, he said.
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The Forum of Non-Governmental Organisations in Nigeria, FONGON, has tasked President Muhammadu Buhari to come clean on the Nigeria Customs Modernisation Project, known as the E- Customs Project, worth $3.1 billion which was recently re-awarded by the Federal Government to a different company despite a subsisting court order.

The organization asked President Buhari to stop the hasty attempt to access hundreds of billions of Naira from the Comprehensive Import Service Scheme/Nigeria Export Supervision Scheme, CISS/NESS, accounts of the Customs Service by Trade Modernisation Project Limited.

The National Coordinator, FONGON, Comrade Wole Badmus at a Press Conference in Abuja on Thursday said: President Muhammadu Buhari must come clean on this by informing Nigerians if Hameed Ali has his consent to hijack a project in favour of Trade Modernisation Project Ltd, a company registered in April, 2022, and which never participated in the negotiations on E-Customs Modernisation Project which started as far back as 2015.

Badmus also alleged that the Nigeria Customs Service has already written to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning requesting, the new concessionaire, Trade Modernisation Project Limited to be included on the payment platform to commence draw down on the CISS/NESS accounts in clear violation of the Presidential directive.

The clear implication is that the so-called new concessionaire will make no investment but depend on the CISS/NESS account, the organization said.

The E- Customs Project is a Public-Private-Partnership concession aimed at easing the cost of doing business, boosting revenue, enhancing productivity and security as well as stopping arbitrariness in income assessment.

FONGON recalled that the DG ICRC in a letter to the Chief of Staff to the President dated 22 May, 2019 provided a succinct framework and financial plan for the project, saying: The Private partners to the project will raise the required financing for the project through contributions from the Promoters Equity, Loans and Vendor Financing from all Original Equipment Manufacturers including Huawei.

The proposed Financing Plan for the project shows that the project will be financed through $30million equity and $270m debt financing in Phase 1, while $180m will the Capital Structure for Phase 2, years 7 to 12.

The third and final phase of the project will be financed through retained earnings and excess cash flows.

Badmus said the organization is alarmed that this clause is not reflected on the concession agreement signed by Trade Modernization Project Ltd as document in court reveals.

The HMOF and AGF simply looked the other way in order to allow TMPL access to the CISS/NESS accounts without showing evidence of commensurate investments done as envisaged by the financial plan drawn by ICRC. It was simply replaced with a clause to access the CISS/NESS account from date of commencement, he said.

President Buhari had in 2019 approved the engagement of the consortium Bionica Technologies, West Africa, Limited, Lead Sponsor; Bergmans Security Consultant and Supplies Limited, Co-sponsor; Africa Finance Corporation, Lead Financier; and Huawei as Lead Technical Service Provider to establish a project SPV to enter a 20-year concession arrangement with Nigerian Customs Service and Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, ICRC for Customs Modernisation Project.

However, Badmus alleged that the Minister of State for Finance, Clem Agba at the FEC briefing in April, 2023 said that Trade Modernisation Project Limited, registered in April 2022 and which never participated in the negotiations on E-Customs Modernisation Project which started as far back as 2015, is the new concessionaire.

The NGO also claimed that investigations at CAC show that Trade Modernisation Project Limited and Buhari Support Organization, BSO, are Siamese twins. Hameed Ali is the Chairman while Hajia Zainab Jummai Ajijola is the Executive Secretary of BSO.

Badmus said: Excerpts from The Punch Newspaper of 22 May, 2018 reveal that Hameed Ali led members of the Buhari Support Organisation to the Presidential Villa to see the President. The newspaper reported as follows:

While receiving them, President Muhammadu Buhari expressed concerns about what happened to the $16bn allegedly spent on power projects in the past in the country, considering the current poor state of the sector.

Commending members of the support group, the President admitted that not many of them had benefited anything for supporting him over the years from his opposition days until now.

If we may ask, is the scam on E-customs Project the grand plan by Buhari to compensate the BSO? Or as alleged by Deep Throat, is Hammed Ali desperate to amass funds for the proposed grandiose Buhari Presidential Library?

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A short statement issued on Friday afternoon by the Spokesman of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, said only one of the buildings of the command was affected.

According to him, The incident which occurred at about 12.30 am Friday, was triggered by a surge in public power supply.

He said the ensuing inferno was later put out through the combined efforts of the Enugu State and Federal Fire Service.

The EFCC spokesman disclosed that no life was lost in the incident.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Nigerian skit maker and comedian Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, popularly known as Sabinus, on Friday celebrated his lover, Ciana Chapman, on her birthday.
Nigerian skit maker and comedian Emmanuel Chukwuemeka, popularly known as Sabinus, on Friday celebrated his lover, Ciana Chapman, on her birthday.

Chapman clocked a new year on Friday, May 5th.

Taking to his official Instagram handle, Sabinus shared a photo of the celebrant and wrote, Today I just want to celebrate my right hand, my beautiful life partner!! Your love is timeless.

Happy birthday baby and more success to our journey of love and care #ciana_chapman!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr2rPwVKa_q/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Sabinus had his early education in Port Harcourt and went on to acquire his Bachelors Degree in Linguistics and Communication Studies from the University of Port Harcourt.

He began his comedy career in 2015 but he began to see mainstream success in 2019. He was nominated in the 2021 maiden edition of The Humor Awards Academy alongside fellow comedian, Basketmouth.

His popularity in the comedy industry has earned some notable recognition. Some of his role models who have influenced him in his comedy career are John Okafor, better known as Mr. Ibu, and Charles Inojie.

He won the Online social content creators Award a category of the AMVCA, edition 8 awards in 2022.

Sabinus who was nominated alongside other skit makers, especially Mr Marcaroni won his first award in Lagos.

Sabinus also recently won the African Content Creator Award at the just concluded 2023 Rwanda international movies award.

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that Nigerians on Twitter are celebrating the memory of the countrys former President, Umaru Musa YarAdua, who died in office thirteen (13) years ago today.

Yar-Adua who died on May 5th, 2010 from pericarditis  inflammation of a membrane around the heart, was revered as by far the best leader of Africas most populous nation since the return to multi-party democracy in 1999.
The president-elect, Bola Tinubu has revealed why he declined the request of Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

KanyiDaily recalls that during the commissioning of the Rumuokwuta-Rumuola flyover bridge, Wike requested the refund of funds spent on building flyovers and federal roads in the state.

In his response, Tinubu told Wike I owe you nothing, stressing that the governor has to lobby him to get refunds for the monies expended by the state on federal projects.

On the demand you made for refund, I owe you nothing. Its your road. Youre the one living on these roads. I commend your efforts. You have to lobby me to collect, he said.

Clarifying his statement during a banquet in his honour on Wednesday night, Tinubu said Wike was in order against any shade of interpretation the public was given to it.

He said, I exchanged a banter with Gov Wike, if you take me seriously, (its left to you). The truth is, Im a President-elect. I have no signature for expenditure until sworn in. How can I make a commitment? I cannot sign a dime of Nigeria money or expenditure now. There can only be one president at a time.

If you ask me to go and commit to things that are mere expectations and cannot be fulfilled, I believe in fulfilling promises, thats why Im here. And we have to do it for Nigeria. I thank you all for the support you gave me during the election, but Im still on a countdown.

If I sign anything for you now and commit to it, I cant pay. For that flyover, how can I pay, personal? Thats not realistic.

I hope that clears the social media fears. I dont respond to (social media talks). There is no name theyve not called me on (social media). Its a free speech society and around the world.

KanyiDaily had also reported how Nyesom Wike received Bola Tinubu in Port-Harcourt for a two-day official visit to the state.
Nigerians on Twitter are celebrating the memory of the countrys former President, Umaru Musa YarAdua, who died in office thirteen (13) years ago today.

Yar-Adua who died on May 5th, 2010 from pericarditis  inflammation of a membrane around the heart, was revered as by far the best leader of Africas most populous nation since the return to multi-party democracy in 1999.

A one-time Katsina State governor, YarAdua was the second civilian president under Nigerias current constitution.

He won the 2007 presidential election, a controversial poll, he described as not being free and fair.

Then-president, Olusegun Obasanjo picked him to fly the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s flag at the polls after the formers plan to extend his stay from 1999  2007 got stiff opposition from the then-ruling PDP.

Umaru Musa YarAdua took office in 2007 and led for 3 years. He died aged 58 on May 5th, 2010.

His then vice-president, Goodluck Jonathan succeeded him.

Jonathan completed YarAduas term and won a substantive term in 2011. He however, failed to secure a final term in 2015 after he was defeated by incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari.

Taking to their various Twitter handles, some Nigerians extolled the virtues of the late president, arguing that he was the best leader the country had.

They prayed to God to continue to rest his soul and forgive his shortcomings.

Below are some of their reactions:

The late President YarAdua intended to fight corruption by removing all immunity from himself and all other public officials before he passed on.

May his soul rest in peace.

The late President YarAdua intended to fight corruption by removing all immunity from himself and all other public officials before he passed on May his soul rest in peace. INEC| Sokoto| Maiduguri| Oregon| Ageless| Obidiots| Sokoto| After 33| Sabinus| Yetunde| Obasanjo pic.twitter.com/wbLsQNyE1X  Alakowe (@alakowee) May 5, 2023

Chaiii.the president Nigeria would have had. Rest on sir.

Chaiii.the president Nigeria would have had. Rest on sir  IjeEmy (@MicMekShoes) May 5, 2023

We really missed this man. The best President Nigeria never enjoyed. Continue to Rest in Peace, Great man.

We really missed this man. The best President Nigeria never enjoyed. Continue to Rest in Peace, Great man.  TRUTH (@Timbre_Calibre) May 5, 2023

If this man is alive, Nigeria would be better than this. Rest in peace legend.

If this man is alive, Nigeria would be better than this. Rest in peace legend  Village Deity (@VillageDeity) May 5, 2023

No wonder he was eliminated untimely, the wickedness in government so deep.

No wonder he was eliminated untimely, the wickedness in government so deep.  Abiodun Moses (@abiodun08124051) May 5, 2023

16 August 1951  5 May 2010, The song is ended but the melody lingers on. Rest in peace Baba. 

16 August 1951  5 May 2010 , The song is ended but the melody lingers on. Rest in peace Baba.  pic.twitter.com/dgbg5D5iTm  Musa Umaru Yaradua (@Mosey) May 5, 2023

He was truly a good man

May the Almighty forgive him of his shortcomings.

He was truly a good man

May the Almighty forgive him of his shortcomings  Pattersons Daughter  (@Lostboy_4rmN) May 5, 2023

May ALLAH Forgive him.

He would av be our best president Ever. Janat Fridaus insha ALLAH .

May ALLAH Forgive him.

He would av be our best president Ever.

Janat Fridaus insha ALLAH   Sikirullahi (@Sikirullahi19) May 5, 2023

Nigeria was united under President Umaru Musa YaraduA who was also a Fulani because he represented all Nigerians. 13yrs without him today! Continue to rest in peace Sir .

Nigeria was united under President Umaru Musa YaraduA who was also a Fulani because he represented all Nigerians. 13yrs without him today! Continue to rest in peace Sir  pic.twitter.com/GSzwFWj8Jp  Abdul-Aziz Naibi Abubakar (@jrnaib2) May 5, 2023

May his soul rest in peace. We missed you our most respected President.

May his soul rest in peace. We missed you our most respected President.  kebangsimon (@kebangsimon) May 5, 2023

The best president in Nigerias history we miss him a lot, my tears cant stop dropping.

The best president in Nigeria history we miss him alot, my tears cant stop dropping  The_Dan1 (@DanielTukura1) May 5, 2023

Since then Were struggling with leaders with no vision no missions kashe muraba everywhere, RIP YARADUA

Since then Were struggling with leaders no vision no missions kashe muraba every where, RIP YARADUA  bello sadeeq (@Bellon_koko) May 5, 2023

In other news, Kanyi Daily reported that an Azman Airplane has arrived at Aswan airport, Egypt to evacuate Nigerians fleeing the war-torn Sudan.

The airplane, which arrived in Egypt on Thursday, is among the airplanes that were approved by the Nigerian government to evacuate stranded Nigerians.
Article summary

Ike Ekweremadu, former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, and his wife were sentenced to prison terms of 9 years and 8 months, and 4 years and 6 months respectively by the UK Central Criminal Court for their role in an organ trafficking plot.

A doctor, Obinna Obeta, involved in the plot was also sentenced to 10 years in prison, with his medical license suspended.

The trio were found guilty in March for facilitating the travel of a young Nigerian man to the UK to exploit him for his kidney.



The Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, United Kingdom (UK) has sentenced Nigerias former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice and their Doctor, Obinna Obeta, for organ trafficking plot.

The UK court at the sentencing hearing on Friday, jailed Ekweremadu for nine years and eight months, his wife Beatrice was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment while Obeta received a 10-year prison term, with his medical licence also suspended.

What you should know

The sentencing follows their conviction in March for organ trafficking. However, the Ekweremadus sick daughter, Sonia, was cleared of any wrongdoing.

The three were found guilty after arranging or facilitating a young Nigerian mans travel into the United Kingdom in a bid to obtain his kidney on behalf of Sonia.

The jury said Ekweremadu, his wife and their doctor criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney.

The verdict is considered the first of its kind under the UKs Modern Slavery Act 2015.

This is a developing story

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Former Nigerian Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu and his wife Beatrice, 56, were sentenced to prison in the United Kingdom for organ trafficking.

Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and their doctor, Obinna Obeta, were found culpable of violating the Modern Slavery Act.

The court found the trio guilty of facilitating the travel of a young man to Britain with a view to his exploitation after a six-week trial at the Old Bailey.

They criminally conspired to bring the 21-year-old Lagos street trader to London to exploit him for his kidney, the jury found.

The organ donor had been offered an illegal reward to become a donor for the senators daughter after kidney disease forced her to drop out of a masters degree in film at Newcastle University, the court heard.

Ekweremadu was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison; his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months of imprisonment; and Obeta received a ten-year prison term.

Justice Johnson told the defendants: In each of your cases, the offence you committed is so serious that neither a fine nor a community sentence can be justified.

The case marked the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ harvesting conspiracy.
A wealthy Nigerian politician and his wife have been jailed after they were found guilty of conspiring to arrange a young mans travel to harvest his organ.

Following a landmark modern slavery case, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and medical middleman Dr Obinna Obeta, 51, were found guilty at the Old Bailey.

Ekweremadu has been jailed for nine years and eight months, while his wife was jailed for four and a half years. Dr Obeta was jailed for 10 years.

The Ekweremadus 25-year-old daughter, Sonia, who has a serious kidney condition, wept in court as she was cleared by the jury after deliberating for nearly 14 hours in March.

It is the first time defendants have been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ-harvesting conspiracy.

Following the guilty verdicts in March, Justice Johnson remanded the defendants into custody to be sentenced on May 5.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: Human trafficking for the purpose of organ removal is relatively rare in the UK, but what we have seen since the victims bravery is that this is now not the only investigation of that nature taking place in London.

Although organ harvesting forms a very small percentage of modern slavery, human trafficking, were now starting to see more people coming forward.

The victim of this case, a very brave young man, was exploited due to his vulnerable economic circumstances, by people that were powerful, wealthy, and that exerted control and dominance over him bringing into the UK for purposes of taking his kidney.

Their motivation was to get a kidney for their daughter, without any thought of the process that that involved, any thought of aftercare, any thought for the victim of the modern slavery offence at all.

My message to the public is to be vigilant.

At an earlier hearing, the court had heard how the victim, a 21-year-old street trader from Lagos, was brought to the UK last year to provide a kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu for an 80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

While it is lawful to donate a kidney, it becomes criminal if there is a reward of money or other material advantage.

The prosecution said the donor was offered up to 7,000 and the promise of a better life in the UK.

The defendants tried to convince medics at the Royal Free by pretending he was Ekweremadus cousin when, in fact, they were not related.

When their transplant bid failed, Ekweremadus family, who have an address in Willesden Green, north-west London, switched to Turkey and set about finding more potential donors, the court was told.

An investigation was launched after the young man ran away from London and slept rough for days before walking into a police station more than 20 miles away in Staines in Surrey, crying and in distress.

The senior judge said: People-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery.

It treats human beings and their body parts as commodities to be bought and sold.

It is a trade that preys on poverty, misery and desperation.

He told the defendants: You each played a part in that despicable trade.

On the question of harm to the victim if the intended transplant went ahead, he said: He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare.

He added the risks had not been properly explained and there had been no consent in any meaningful sense.

During the hearing, the victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said he only found out what was planned when he was taken to the north London hospital for an initial consultation.

In a statement read to court: I would never (have) agreed to any of this.

My body is not for sale.

He spoke of his fears for his own safety and that of his family in Nigeria who had been visited and told to drop the case.

He said: I cannot think about going home to Nigeria.

These people are extremely powerful and I worry for my family.

Even though I live here in the UK at the moment I know I need to be careful too.

I have no-one here, no family, no friends.

I am having to start my life again.

Im worried about my family in Nigeria but I have been told my dad had been visited and was told to drop the case in the UK.

He told police he did not want to claim compensation from the bad people as it would be cursed and bad luck.

It is the first time anyone has been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ-harvesting conspiracy.

Scotland Yard declined to say whether more charges would be brought but said the investigation was ongoing.

Police have highlighted soaring numbers of modern slavery cases in recent years with a small number involving organ harvesting.

Additional reporting by PA Media.
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Agency Report

There is rising disquiet over the failure to regulate the adverse effects of 5G rollout in several countries of the world. State institutions set up by governments to regulate telecommunications infrastructures and broadband to minimise the adverse effects of toxic elements, environmental hazards and protection of birds in natural habitats, are perceived to be reluctant to perform their responsibilities, allowing telecommunications companies to have field day on unregulated activities.

The Federal Communications Commission, a creation of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) in 1969, to protect the Earth, and ensure that technology doesnt damage the environment, has been accused of ignoring the mandate. The Federal Communications Commission has the mandate to regulate a nationwide buildout for 5G service, requiring 800,000 new small cell transmitters.

The Commission was empowered to preside over exhaustive environmental impact statement for big federal projects, like new dam or highway, mask installation, etc, to avoid or minimize ecological damage, minimise risk of significant harm, either individually or cumulatively.

Some stakeholders, however, protest that the agencies have abandoned role of regulation.

It was highlighted: in a mountainous forest in southwest Puerto Rico, workers cleared a patch to make room for a 120-foot cell phone tower intended for use by AT&T and T-Mobile.

The site, as the tower company later acknowledged, destroyed some of the nesting habitats of the Puerto Rican nightjar, a tiny endangered songbird. Fewer than 2,000 are believed to be alive today,

Also, in the north western New Mexico desert, a company called Sacred Wind Communications, promising to bring broadband to remote Navajo communities, planted a cell tower near the legally protected Pictured Cliffs archaeological site, which contains thousands of centuries-old tribal rock carvings.

And in Silicon Valley, a space startup pursued plans to equip thousands of satellites to use mercury fuel in orbit, even as an Air Force official at one of the possible launch sites voiced extreme concern that the toxic element could rain back down to Earth.

It was noted that these potential harms fall under the jurisdiction of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The commission regulates television and radio and oversees the deployment of communications technology.

It has a broad responsibility to ensure that technology doesnt damage the environment. The mandate includes protecting wildlife and human health to preserving historic sites and even preventing aesthetic blight.

The FCC was said to be assigned with the duty to preside over a nationwide buildout for 5G service, that requires 800,000 new small cell transmitters, which perched on street poles and rooftops, often near schools, apartments and homes.

Ironically, the FCC is perceived to have declined to revise its radiation-exposure limits, which date back to the era of flip phones.

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Meanwhile many citizens fret over risks to their health from wireless radiation, harm to their property values, damage to the environment and the destruction of treasured views.

As the FCC licenses numerous commercial satellites, the profusion of objects circling the planet is raising concerns about collisions in space, impediments to astronomy, pollution and debris falling back to Earth.
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By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew, Owerri

The industrial actions against the Imo State Government have done more harm than good in Imo State as hotels and other industries in the state are totally on shutdown over unavailability of electricity power to run businesses.

The industrial strike embarked upon by Nigeria Labour Congress in Imo State has entered day three as the whole state continues to witness no electricity supply and ban of flights in and out of the Sam Mbakwe airport, Owerri.

Comrade Ajero led NLC leadership had on Wednesday announced downing of tools following the disruption of the Workers Day celebration in Owerri suspectedly by a group loyal to the state government.

247ureports.com learnt that apart from the disruption of the May Day celebration in Owerri, NLC is also protesting the alleged disengagement of 11,000 works in the state governments payroll.

Our correspondent who is monitoring the situation observed that the industrial action has crippled the economy as business people, travels and employer of labour lament.

Some angry industrial captains who are not happy with the situation in the state told our correspondent that they are now spending more money in buying gas to run their businesses.

They appealed that the governor of Imo State, should reconcile with the members of the labour for the best interest of the state.

They said,  it is now difficult running business on generator for 24 hours collecting same amount. The business is witnessing huge losses but we have no option. We have to keep serving our customers optimally.

Our correspondent observed that some hotels in the state capital only on their generators at nights.

One of the hoteliers told our correspondent that the measure was the only option to stay afloat in the business for now.

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By Joshua Chibuzo Andrew, Owerri

The Imo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has lambasted the APC government in the state, accusing it of plunging the state into a full-blown tyranny, where institutions and corporate bodies have been debased and deployed for the total destruction of society and humanity.



The opposition party, in a world press conference held on Friday at the state partys secretariat, Owerri, said that the partys position on the Labour issues in the state was in keeping with its longstanding solidarity with the workers of Imo state.

Collins Opuruzor, the Imo state PDPs Publicity Secretary, who read out the text, said that Imo workers have been subjected to the most primitive forms of oppression,deprivation, bellicosity, cruelty, violent attacks and misery by the wide-rejected government of Senator Hope Uzodinma in the last three years and five months.

He said, human life now means nothing in Imo state. Innocent citizens are slaughtered daily in cold blood just like rams, while those who have the responsibility to protect lives look the other way. In most instances, agents ad militiamen of the government have been generally accused of directly perpetrating the killings, like the brutal murder of fourteen wedding guests from Otulu at Awo-Omamma and the killing and bombings at the residence of Barr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere in Akokwa,and many others.

Today, Imo workers are not just denied their salaries, they are further attacked, while aged pensioners are humiliated and flogged like beasts, even when their pensions are as well heartlessly denied. The journalist who had gone to film a protest by unpaid workers was beaten to a pulp by agents of this unelected regime right in front of the Government House. Recall that another journalist, a nursing mother, working with the government-owned IBC was sacked simply because she dared to request for her over one year salary arrears in order to care for her new born baby. This is heartbreaking!

If we, therefore, do not get up very urgently and fold up our sleeves to reclaim our land from the barbarity brought upon us by the anti-people government of Senator Uzodinma, we all may soon be consumed by the ongoing carnage and ravages.

It is quite unfortunate that within the last two months, Imo State has been shut down twice. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) with other affiliate unions in the State have twice embarked on strikes. Aviation operations have been grounded twice. Electricity supply to Imo has been cut off twice.

Also, financial institutions have halted all activities twice, thereby crippling the economy of the State. As we gather here, Imo is in total blackout. All businesses have been strangulated. Imo has become a pariah state, cut off from the rest of Nigeria. This is catastrophic!

All these have happened in Imo because of the satanic ambition of the government of Senator Hope Uzodinma to cow, muzzle, hijack and destroy the Organized Labour in the State so as to implement his scorch-earth policy of beating Imo workers and pensioners into submission by starving them of their salaries and pensions and all other sources of livelihood.

As we speak, eleven thousand (11,000) authentic Imo workers have been stigmatized as ghost workers and they are owed twenty (20) months salary arrears. These were people verified by the past administration of the PDP, and not a dime was owed to anyone by our government. A taboo is going on in Imo State.

Worse still, ten thousand (10,000) real Imo pensioners have also been classified as ghost pensioners, and the government has refused to pay them for twenty-two (22) months. This wicked act has led to the death of many of these senior citizens who served our state with their intellect, their skills and the brawn of their youth. These unpardonable atrocities were alien to Imo State when PDP was in power. Not a single pensioner was left unpaid by our government!

Furthermore, the intimidation of labour union leaders and mindless use of thugs and other instruments of coercion against Imo workers have now been elevated to that status of state policy in Imo. During the March 2023 Delegates Conference of the Nigerian Labour Congress in the state, armed agents of the government went and unleashed mayhem on the innocent Comrades in the attempt to impose a weak leadership on the union. Yet, during the 2023 May Day celebration in the state, the same agents of the government invaded the venue and levied total war against the workers. Many were injured. This madness must stop forthwith!

The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State stands firmly with Imo workers through these dark times. We are prepared to walk with them every step of the way to ensure that their rights and privileges are never trampled upon any longer by this dictatorship of the day. We urge them to remain strong and resolute, and never to yield to the shenanigans of this already-failed and outgoing government.

As a political party, we remain committed to our founding values, namely the creation of a free society underpinned by responsible governance, rule of law, respect for the rights of individuals and workers, and the creation of enabling environment for enterprise to flourish. Imo workers will soon have a breath of fresh air. That is our assurance. That we must do!

We therefore invite Imo workers, and indeed all Imolites, to join forces with us in our determined agenda and program already set in motion to unseat this cancerous government of Senator Hope Uzodinma on November 11, 2023 so as the take back Imo and make it safe again for everyone.

Reacting to the PDPs claims, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Ogubundu Nwadike, said there was no iota of truth the opposition partys claims.

He said that the PDP in Imo has sunk into extinction and is left with no other option than to continue barking like a mad dog.

He said, we are all in Imo and we know the truth. PDP will always come up with one lie or the other to put the government of Imo state in bad image. We know their antics. They are crying because they have lost it all. The party is dead in the state. That is why they are always barking like mad dogs.

Accusing the Governor of interfering in the affairs of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state is laughable and a sign of a party which has lost it all.

For the records, the 2023 edition of May Day celebration was held at the Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square and was well attended by all the relevant stakeholders including the Governor, the Deputy and all the government functionaries. All the Labour Union workers were also present and went home happy. The Imo state PDP is crying for its internal wound and transferring the aggression to the ever-performing Governor of the state in order to move his attention. But the 3R government is focused.

The Imo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, has lambasted the APC government in the state, accusing it of plunging the state into a full-blown tyranny, where institutions and corporate bodies have been debased and deployed for the total destruction of society and humanity.

The opposition party, in a world press conference held on Friday at the state partys secretariat, Owerri, said that the partys position on the Labour issues in the state was in keeping with its longstanding solidarity with the workers of Imo state.

Collins Opuruzor, the Imo state PDPs Publicity Secretary, who read out the text, said that Imo workers have been subjected to the most primitive forms of oppression,deprivation, bellicosity, cruelty, violent attacks and misery by the wide-rejected government of Senator Hope Uzodinma in the last three years and five months.

He said, human life now means nothing in Imo state. Innocent citizens are slaughtered daily in cold blood just like rams, while those who have the responsibility to protect lives look the other way. In most instances, agents ad militiamen of the government have been generally accused of directly perpetrating the killings, like the brutal murder of fourteen wedding guests from Otulu at Awo-Omamma and the killing and bombings at the residence of Barr. Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere in Akokwa,and many others.

Today, Imo workers are not just denied their salaries, they are further attacked, while aged pensioners are humiliated and flogged like beasts, even when their pensions are as well heartlessly denied. The journalist who had gone to film a protest by unpaid workers was beaten to a pulp by agents of this unelected regime right in front of the Government House. Recall that another journalist, a nursing mother, working with the government-owned IBC was sacked simply because she dared to request for her over one year salary arrears in order to care for her new born baby. This is heartbreaking!

If we, therefore, do not get up very urgently and fold up our sleeves to reclaim our land from the barbarity brought upon us by the anti-people government of Senator Uzodinma, we all may soon be consumed by the ongoing carnage and ravages.

It is quite unfortunate that within the last two months, Imo State has been shut down twice. The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) with other affiliate unions in the State have twice embarked on strikes. Aviation operations have been grounded twice. Electricity supply to Imo has been cut off twice.

Also, financial institutions have halted all activities twice, thereby crippling the economy of the State. As we gather here, Imo is in total blackout. All businesses have been strangulated. Imo has become a pariah state, cut off from the rest of Nigeria. This is catastrophic!

All these have happened in Imo because of the satanic ambition of the government of Senator Hope Uzodinma to cow, muzzle, hijack and destroy the Organized Labour in the State so as to implement his scorch-earth policy of beating Imo workers and pensioners into submission by starving them of their salaries and pensions and all other sources of livelihood.

As we speak, eleven thousand (11,000) authentic Imo workers have been stigmatized as ghost workers and they are owed twenty (20) months salary arrears. These were people verified by the past administration of the PDP, and not a dime was owed to anyone by our government. A taboo is going on in Imo State.

Worse still, ten thousand (10,000) real Imo pensioners have also been classified as ghost pensioners, and the government has refused to pay them for twenty-two (22) months. This wicked act has led to the death of many of these senior citizens who served our state with their intellect, their skills and the brawn of their youth. These unpardonable atrocities were alien to Imo State when PDP was in power. Not a single pensioner was left unpaid by our government!

Furthermore, the intimidation of labour union leaders and mindless use of thugs and other instruments of coercion against Imo workers have now been elevated to that status of state policy in Imo. During the March 2023 Delegates Conference of the Nigerian Labour Congress in the state, armed agents of the government went and unleashed mayhem on the innocent Comrades in the attempt to impose a weak leadership on the union. Yet, during the 2023 May Day celebration in the state, the same agents of the government invaded the venue and levied total war against the workers. Many were injured. This madness must stop forthwith!

The Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State stands firmly with Imo workers through these dark times. We are prepared to walk with them every step of the way to ensure that their rights and privileges are never trampled upon any longer by this dictatorship of the day. We urge them to remain strong and resolute, and never to yield to the shenanigans of this already-failed and outgoing government.

As a political party, we remain committed to our founding values, namely the creation of a free society underpinned by responsible governance, rule of law, respect for the rights of individuals and workers, and the creation of enabling environment for enterprise to flourish. Imo workers will soon have a breath of fresh air. That is our assurance. That we must do!

We therefore invite Imo workers, and indeed all Imolites, to join forces with us in our determined agenda and program already set in motion to unseat this cancerous government of Senator Hope Uzodinma on November 11, 2023 so as the take back Imo and make it safe again for everyone.

Reacting to the PDPs claims, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation, Ogubundu Nwadike, said there was no iota of truth the opposition partys claims.

He said that the PDP in Imo has sunk into extinction and is left with no other option than to continue barking like a mad dog.

He said, we are all in Imo and we know the truth. PDP will always come up with one lie or the other to put the government of Imo state in bad image. We know their antics. They are crying because they have lost it all. The party is dead in the state. That is why they are always barking like mad dogs.

Accusing the Governor of interfering in the affairs of the Nigeria Labour Congress in the state is laughable and a sign of a party which has lost it all.

For the records, the 2023 edition of May Day celebration was held at the Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu Square and was well attended by all the relevant stakeholders including the Governor, the Deputy and all the government functionaries. All the Labour Union workers were also present and went home happy. The Imo state PDP is crying for its internal wound and transferring the aggression to the ever-performing Governor of the state in order to move his attention. But the 3R government is focused.

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Insists APC should zone position to S/East

As the nation awaits the inauguration of 10th National Assembly in June, the Yoruba Youth Council (YYC) has expressed total support to Hon Benjamin Okezie Kalu for the position of Speakership of the House of Representatives.

This as the council has appealed to the Leadership of All Progressive Congress (APC) to zone the position of Speaker of the 10th House of Representatives to South East for equity Justice and Fair play.

The council made its stand at a world Press Conference at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Abuja on Friday at the end of its Congress in the Federal Capital Territary (FCT) Abuja.

In his address which formed the resolutions of the council, its National President, Prince Ayodele Gbologe said, We humbly appeal to the leadership of ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and all political gladiators in Nigeria to reward performance, jettison religion because religion is not in the constitution and not part of the party manifestos, but rather adopt zoning and zone the position of Senate President to the North while Speakership position of the House of Representatives is zoned to South East.

The council noted that based on the facts that Nigeria is divided into two zones( North and South)and South has already gotten the position of Presidency in person of our president-elect , Senator Bola Tinubu while the North East has the position of Vice President- elect, Senator Shettima, justice demands that North West and South East should be considered for the post of Senate President and speaker of the House respectively.

It further noted that the position of Deputy president of the Senate and deputy speaker of the House of Representatives should be zoned to South-South and North Central geopolitical zones respectively.

The council also argued that since Hon Banjamin is one of the highest ranking members of the House of Representatives with intimidating profile and years of experience in legislative practice, he should be considered for the post of Speakership of the incoming House.

It expressed optimism that if the councils advice is taken seriously, it will assuage the fears of any geopolitical zone that it would be shortchanged in the next power equation in the country.

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A police source revealed that the culpable homicide was reported to the Karshi police station by one Yusuf Ayuba, male, of Madala, on Wednesday, May 3.

A 16-year-old boy, Emmanuel John who killed his father in Abuja has been arrested.

We had earlier reported that Emmanuel of Madala village, Karshi, Abuja, at about 10 pm on Tuesday, May 2, killed his father using a pestle, during a fisticuff between the deceased and his (Emmanuels) mother.

A police source revealed that the culpable homicide was reported to the Karshi police station by one Yusuf Ayuba, male, of Madala, on Wednesday, May 3.

Emmanuel is currently in police custody and will be arraigned in a juvenile court at the conclusion of the police investigation.

Commenting on the development following an inquiry by our correspondent during a press briefing on Friday, the FCT Commissioner of Police, Haruna Garba, said the suspect hit the pestle hard on his fathers head.

Garba said, It all happened when the suspects mother and father engaged themselves in a physical fight.

The suspect took sides with his mother, used a mortar pestle and hit hard on the fathers head which eventually led to his death.

The suspect will be arraigned in a juvenile court at the conclusion of investigation.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the ravaging coronavirus is no longer considered as a global health emergency.

The WHOs International Health Regulations Emergency Committee took the decision at its 15th meeting on Covid-19 on Thursday, May 4.

Speaking at a conference on Friday, May 5, the WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said he concurs that the public health emergency of international concern, or PHEIC, declaration should end.

For more than a year the pandemic has been on a downward trend. This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before Covid-19, Tedros said. Yesterday, the emergency committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice. he said

The organization declared the Coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency of international concern in January 2020, about six weeks before characterizing it as a pandemic. The United States is set to let its Covid-19 public health emergency end on May 11.

There have been more than 765 million confirmed Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, according to WHO data. Nearly 7 million people have died. Europe has had the most confirmed cases overall, but the Americas have reported the most deaths. About 1 in 6 total deaths have been in the US.

The statement represents a major step towards ending the pandemic and comes three years after it first declared its highest level of alert over the virus.

Officials said the virus death rate had dropped from a peak of more than 100,000 people per week in January 2021 to just over 3,500 on 24 April.

The head of the WHO said at least seven million people died in the pandemic.

But Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the true figure was likely closer to 20 million deaths  nearly three times the official estimate  and he warned that the virus remained a significant threat.

Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. Ive accepted that advice. Its therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, Dr Tedros said.


The organ harvesting victim has pleaded with the government of the United Kingdom not to allow him go back to Nigeria.

His plea comes after former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and Doctor Obinna Obeta were convicted and sentenced by a court.

They were accused of conspiring to harvest the victims organ.

According to him, he is afraid of going back to Nigeria.

Recall that Ekweremadu was sentenced to jail in the United Kingdom for nine years, eight months.

The 60-year-old Nigerian senator, his wife, and a medical doctor, Obinna Obeta were found guilty of conspiring to bring a market trader in Lagos to the UK for the purpose of harvesting his kidney for the use of the politicians 25-year-old daughter, Sonia.

Ekweremadus wife Beatrice, 56, was handed 4 years, six months jail term, while the doctor involved in the case of organ trafficking got a 10-year jail term with his medical licence suspended.

The victim who remains unnamed due to legal reasons maintained in his impact statement which was read in court on Friday that he was lured to the United Kingdom under the pretense of a job opportunity in the country.

He narrated that he is the oldest of seven siblings living in a home without electricity or running water in Lagos and was forced to become a street trader full time moving to the city to provide for his family when his father fell ill with a heart problem.

He sold mobile phone accessories from a wheelbarrow making at most 7 a day and as little as 50p, the statement in court according to Independence UK added.

According to the victim, he could not return to Nigeria because he worries about his safety. The victim claimed someone visited his father in Nigeria and asked him to get the victim, his son, to drop the case.

He [Dr Obinna Obeta] did not tell me he brought me here for this reason, he did not tell me anything about this. I would have not agreed to any of this, my body is not for sale, the victim said.

I worry for my safety in Nigeria; those people can do anything. I think they could arrest me or kill me in Nigeria, he added.

He told the police he did not want to claim compensation from the bad people as it would be cursed and bad luck, the report added.
The arrested suspects

Three members of a syndicate that specializes in tampering and stealing prepaid meters of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) in various parts of Ondo State have been rounded up by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).



The Public Relations Officer of the corps in the state, ASC l Daniel Aidamenbor, who confirmed the arrest in a statement on Thursday, May 4, 2023, said the suspects sold the stolen meters to unsuspecting members of the public.



Following a sustained intelligence and the flagging of some reported stolen prepaid meters by the Corps and BEDC, one of the flagged stolen meters was recovered at the point of recharging it by the buyer, he said.



The statement of the buyer led to the arrest of Oladele kole, male,42years old at Potoki street opposite Idanre garage, Akure, Alimi Oluwasola, male, 39years old and Samuel Olumide, male, 52years old were both arrested at Oda road, Akure.



Two members of the syndicate are presently at large and effort is on to apprehend them,



The suspects who already made confessional statements will be charged to court after the completion of investigation.


The judge further ordered the Imo state government to serve the originating summons, motions on notice, and other processes including the restraining order on the defendants.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) have been stopped from embarking on any strike action in Imo state.

The restraining order was issued by the national industrial court in Owerri.

Nelson Ogbuanya, the presiding judge, issued the order on Thursday.

The judge also restrained the NLC and TUC or any of its affiliates from stopping, hindering, disrupting, or interfering in any manner whatsoever with the provision of services and other work by their members in the civil and public service in Imo pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction filed by the state government.

The judge further ordered the Imo state government to serve the originating summons, motions on notice, and other processes including the restraining order on the defendants.

In the event that service cannot be promptly effected, the judge made an order for substituted service via any national newspaper.

The suit was adjourned to May 11 for hearing.

Organised labour had declared an industrial action in Imo as a result of the disruption of the workers day celebration in the state on Monday.

However, Philip Nwansi, Imo chairman of the NLC, said workers in the state will not join the strike declared by the national leadership of the congress.

He argued that workers have a robust industrial harmony with the state government and as such, there was no need for a strike.
The court has heard from the victim in the centre of former Deputy Senate President of Nigeria, Ike Ekweremadus organ trafficking saga.

In a letter addressed to the court, the victim said he body parts are not for sale.

This comes after a United Kingdom court on Friday sentenced Ekweremadu to a total of nine years and eight months imprisonment, and his wife, Beatrice, was sentenced to four years and six months imprisonment for plotting to harvest a mans kidney.

The third accomplice, a medical doctor, Dr Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

Ekweremadu, his wife and Obeta were found guilty at the Old Bailey of conspiring to arrange the travel of the victim, a young man, with a view to exploiting him for his body part.

But the victim, who cannot be named because of legal reasons, claimed he was lured to the United Kingdom under the pretense of job opportunity in the country.

The victim said this in his impact statement which was read in court on Friday, Independence UK reports.

In the statement, the victim revealed his humble background in a Lagos village where he said he is the oldest of seven siblings living in a home without electricity or running water.

He was forced to become a street trader full time moving to the city to provide for his family when his father fell ill with a heart problem. He sold mobile phone accessories from a wheelbarrow making at most 7 a day and as little as 50p, the report added.

He said he was approached with an opportunity to work in the UK, something he had always dreamed of but never thought would happen.

However, he said he was shocked to discover the reason for the trip was to harvest his organs to give to Ekweremadus daughter, Sonia.

He [Dr Obinna Obeta] did not tell me he brought me here for this reason, he did not tell me anything about this. I would have not agreed to any of this, my body is not for sale, the victim said.

He added that he could not return to Nigeria because he worries for his safety. The victim claimed someone visited his father in Nigeria and asked him to get the victim, his son, to drop the case.

I worry for my safety in Nigeria; those people can do anything. I think they could arrest me or kill me in Nigeria, he added.

He told the police he did not want to claim compensation from the bad people as it would be cursed and bad luck, the report added.
Nollywood actress, Mercy Aigbe has taken to social media to express her frustration over the challenges shes facing wile doing business in Nigeria.

Taking to her Instagram story, Mercy Aigbe shared news of Cargoes piled at the Lagos airport because customs agents are protesting 100% terrif hike.

The actress lamented over how frustrating it is to run a business in Nigeria, noting that she is also tired of the pressure she is facing in the country.

She wrote, This is the issue. Doing business in Nigeria is so frustrating. Pressure from everywhere!!!! I don tire.

KanyiDaily recalls that Mercy Aigbe had also lamented over the financial crisis in Nigeria after she returned from the Maldives.
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By Duncan Odey

A painstaking investigation has revealed that Osita U. Ngwu, an Engineer and the Enugu West PDP senatorial candidate (and the declared winner) in the just concluded general elections is a subject of a double voter registration with INEC.

Records obtained from INEC and which are in the possession of this Reporter show that there is a voter registration for Osita U. Ngwu, registered at Poling Unit code number: 14-16-08-009 at Afia Ogwe Okwojo polling unit in Ngwo Asa ward of Udi local government in Enugu State. The voter identification number ended with 905.

At the same time, the same Osita U. Ngwu (with exact name match) also registered as a voter with Poling Unit code number 32-22-20-053, at Kokoama polling unit in Abuloma Amadi-Ama ward of Port Harcourt local government in Rivers State. The voter identification number on this second registration ended with 845.

The INEC records showing the double registrations and bearing their details are attached to this investigative report.

Over the years and in recent times, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has been threatening criminal prosecution against anyone caught registering more than once as a voter. Under the extant Electoral Act, it is considered a crime to register twice as a voter.

Since then, INEC has been hammering at it that double registration is an electoral offence, noting clearly that ignorance of the law would not be accepted as a defence for double registration.

What this means is that Mr Ngwu, who participated in the Enugu West senatorial election and was declared the winner could be prosecuted by INEC whilst his victory is hotly being challenged at the NASS electoral tribunal in Enugu State.

Further, double registration is considered so serious that where a candidate claimed a single registration on the INEC form, a subsequent disclosure that such a candidate has double registration could amount to intentional perjury that would disqualify such candidate.

In such an event, it would mean that Mr Ngwus participation in the election was illegal as he would be deemed disqualified as a candidate and thus any vote scored by him in the election will be lost.

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By Chuks Eke

A coalition of Civil Society Organizations, CSO, based in Onitsha, Anambra state has given the Nigeria Police a 30-day ultimatum within which to produce a middle aged Nigerian citizen, Mr. Innocent Ezeani whom they declared wanted some time ago.

In a communique issued to newsmen in Onitsha, the group condemned in its entirety the action of the police in declaring Innocent Ezeani, a bonafide members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPoB wanted

after they failed to shoot him dead during a combined military and police raid on IPoB members sometime in August, 2015 at the St. Edmund Catholic Church, Nkpor in Idemili North Local Government Area of the state, while they were in a prayer rally.

In the communique signed by the groups Spokesperson, Chief Emeka Okoye, the group noted that the ultimatum was stemmed out of the fact that Innocents father, Hyginus Ezeani and other family members have been searching for him ever since he was declared wanted by the police.

They said his father informed them and they verily believed him that the family members have searched all the nooks and crannies of police and military formations in the state in an effort to get the whereabouts of Innocent but to no avail till date.

CSO further noted that his family informed them that the travail of Innocent started when he and other members of IPoB converged on St. Edmunds Catholic church premises at Nkpor on that August 2015 to pray for the repose of the souls of Biafran heroes who were massacred during the Nigerian/Biafran civil war.

They said his father recalled that it was during the prayer rally that the combined military and police personnel swooped on the IPoB members and opened fire on them which led to death of many IPoB members, while scores were injured and on the process, Innocent, now missing, barely managed to escape from the hands of the Nigerian security agencies which made the police to declare him wanted.

They expressed concern that the police might have either arrested and neutralized him or hounded him into a dungeon where his whereabout can no longer be ascertained.

They regretted that in Igbo land, Fulani herdsmen are busy kidnapping and slaughtering the people and at the same time raping the rural women, old and young, while using their cows to destroy farm lands, seize their ancestral lands, and consequently propagate their Islamic doctrines to the conquered natives.

According to them, operatives of the Eastern Security Network, ESN are commonly found in the woods and forests pushing back the menace of Fulani herdsmen. Much to the astonishment of most Nigerians and the international communities, the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government treats the transgressions of Fulani herdsmen with kid gloves.

The government shields them from being prosecuted legally, while clamping down forcibly with every instrument of the state on any person or persons like the IPoB members whose major aims and aspirations are merely for the restoration of independent state of Biafra.

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Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday advised the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Commodore Bode George, to desist from fabricating lies against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The party wondered why George could support the Mr Kola Abiolas lie that Tinubu begged the late General Sani Abacha for the post of commissioner in Lagos State.

Kola Abiola, had stirred controversy last week when he insinuated that  It was after Tinubu had lost out that he decided to join hands with the National Democratic Coalition for the actualization of June 12 mandate.

Lagos APC Publicity Secretary Comrade Joe Igbokwe lamented that George, who he described as a failed politician, supported Kolas tissue of lies because he lacked a sense of history.

He said if the lie is not debunked, it could be repeated by detractors a thousand times so that some people will not believe it as the truth.

Recalling the June 12 saga, Igbokwe , who was an anti-annulment crusader, berated the former military governor of Ondo State for a shortfall in historical perception.

He said: Before the annulment of June 12, 1993, Presidential Elections Governors, Senators, House Of Reps Members, State Assembly Members had been in place and to all intents and purposes Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was one of the elected Senators from Lagos.

 Now how can an elected Senator be asking for a mere appointment as Commissioner? Does it make sense to anybody who is privileged to be a sensible person?

 In one breath the story tellers said Asiwaju asked for the post of a commissioner and in another they told us he wanted to be Deputy Sole Administrator Of Lagos. Now, do we have anything like Deputy Sole Administrator then? Was it in existence? Are they not liars from the pit of hell?

Igbokwe said Georges virulent criticisms of Tinubu were in bad faith, stressing g that the retired soldier has been full of bile, hatred and jealousy.

He said while Tinubus profile has been rising as a credible leader and crowd puller, George has been swimming in the pool of devastating electoral defeat and multiple failures.

Igbokwe stressed: We do understand the reason why Chief Bode George always have this penchant to get at Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the drop of a hat and even when it is not necessary.

The gap between Asiwaju BAT and Chief Bode George in terms of political sagacity, leadership, achievements, followership, capacity, acceptance, credibility etc is a huge one in favour Of Asiwaju.

Asiwaju has been defeating and crushing Chief Bode George in every election in Lagos for 20 years and the world knows that George has been an unhappy man for 20 years. How can anyone, in all honesty, expect Chief Bode George to celebrate his potential political enemy?

In Igbokwes view, George has found himself in a miserable political position in Nigeria in the past 20 years.

He added: everybody knows that Asiwaju kept him in that miserable situation and only a baby will think that he will be fair to Asiwaju in anything at all.

While it is possible for Chief Bode George to work so hard to get to ASIWAJUs level in the next 20 years, it is difficult, if not impossible, to bring Asiwaju to Bode Georges pathetic level in order to bridge the gap

Igbokwe advised George to reflect on his poor and unpleasant politics in Lagos and the South West in the past 20 years and amend his ways.

He said: An Igbo adage says when an old woman falls down two times on her way to the market she is bound to count what is remaining in her basket. Time has come for Chief Bode George to take stock and do a sober reflection on his political career.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State on Sunday, August 25th spoke about the death of 17 students in an auto crash on their way back to the state from Kano after their Post-UTME screening.

AbdulRazaq in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, described the incident as a painful one that could have been prevented. He also commiserated with the parents and families of the students and prayed God to avert such calamity in future.

We, however, believe that we can avoid this calamity in the future. We reiterate our calls on the drivers to always check their speed, respect other road users, and put their vehicles in the best condition. Most accidents occur because our drivers often fail these three basic tests of safe driving.

Besides, we call on our tertiary institutions, which still require students to travel long distance for their post-UTME examination to please consider holding such test online to avert the necessity of travelling. This will not only reduce travelling and attendant risks, but also encourage students to embrace and excel in computer literacy, a sine-qua-non for success in the 21st century, the governor said.
Egyptian archaeologists recently discovered 30 colorful ancient wooden coffins in the city of Luxor. On Saturday, they were opened to reveal perfectly preserved mummies.

The Antiquities Ministry described the coffins as extremely well-preserved, with colorful paintings and full inscriptions, and said they were still closed, as the ancient Egyptians left them. They were found in the Assasif cemetery and are estimated to be about 3,000 years old.

The ministry called the find, which included coffins for men, women and children, one of the largest and most important discoveries in recent years.

The coffins were found in two rows, with some placed on top of others. It is the first large human coffin cache ever discovered since the end of the 19th century, the Egyptian Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany said during a ceremony in Luxor Saturday, Reuters reported.

The coffins were designated for male and female priests and children, said Mostafa Waziri, the excavation team leader, dating back to the 10th century BC under the rule of the 22nd Pharaonic dynasty.

According to Reuters, the coffins need to undergo restoration before they can be moved to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which will open next to the Giza pyramids next year.
Following the gas explosion in Sabon Tashan, Kaduna State earlier this month that killed about six people, including the Chairman, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, Prof. Simon Mallam, and also destroyed properties worth millions of naira, many state governments across the country have started taking steps to avert a reoccurrence.

Governor Nasiru El-Rufai who visited the scene of the incident a day after promptly ordered the closure of all gas refill stations located within residential areas in the state. Many other states in the federation have taken a cue from Kaduna having also recorded accidents that resulted from the indiscriminate location of gas plants and retail outlets in the past.

In 2019 for instance, a gas explosion at the Port Harcourt Shopping Mall left five persons critically wounded. The Port Harcourt mall explosion, which forced sudden closure of the outfit, started at the kitchen section. The affected victims whose hands, legs and some parts of their bodies were cut off are still at the hospital receiving treatments. The state had earlier in 2015 witnessed a gas explosion. In that incident, five persons were killed at Eliozu area in Port Harcourt when a gas retailer was refilling another cylinder and suddenly, the cylinder exploded killing the victims on the spot.

In Lagos State, a resident, Mr. Shina Ayanfe, said he does not use gas in his house anymore due to the fear of explosion, explaining that his neighbors wife died as a result of the incident.

She had been complaining that her gas cylinder was giving her problems. So, she bought another one not knowing the new one was equally bad. Apparently, it was leaking gradually and you know its not everybody that has a strong sense of smell. She was trying to cook that morning when it exploded. She suffered severe pains as we rushed her to the hospital. At some point, we felt she was already responding to treatment but before we knew what was happening, she died, he recalled.

In Owerri, Imo State, a thriving filling station situated along Okigwe Road, Orji, Owerri North Local Council recently witnessed a loud explosion arising from one of the gas cylinders in the premises, destroying the structures there. Many people were injured as well. Of course, the rebuilding cost a fortune.

Meanwhile, The Guardian investigations have shown that not many people who are into gas retail business or make use of cooking gas in their homes are aware of the safety rules they need to observe.

In Lagos for instance, almost every street has a gas retail outlet. But when one of the retailers in the Surulere area of the state was asked what was needed to start the business, she said: You need a good location and a big cylinder. With that, your business has taken off as it is very easy to learn how to transfer from a big cylinder to a customers smaller one. To him, anyone can run the business.

In Owerri, findings showed that cooking gas retailers are mainly found in locations that are easily accessible to residents like Tetlow and Okigwe roads not minding the risks involved.

A gas retailer in the area, Okechukwu Anoruo, who said he inherited the business from his late father, stated that he observes little or no rules.

Gas is becoming a lucrative business in Owerri. What I can tell you is that only God is guiding us. We observe little or no safety measures here. You can see that it is an open place. The business is going on well. Students largely patronise us. They buy mostly small size cylinders. I have not recorded any explosion, he said.

Some gas vendors in Jos, Plateau State, also told The Guardian that they do not observe any safety rules other than being careful because they know that gas is a highly flammable substance.

A gas retailer in Awka, Anambra State, who did not want to disclose her identity, said that she knew her business was not properly located but the profit she was making was keeping her at the location.

A dealer, Ngozi Okonkwo, whose outlet is located near a roadside akara (bean cake) fryer, expressed no feeling of facing imminent danger when approached.

During a visit to Bashorun area of Ibadan, a retailer, Mr. Innocent Obinna, said he only ensures there is no leakage from the gas cylinder.

I only ensure that there is no leakage and oil in the gas cylinder both from the customers side and my side. I ensure that the environment is safe and there is no flammable substance around. The customers cylinder must not be rusted or ruptured anywhere. And the valve on the cylinder must be in a good condition, he said.

Another vendor in the area, Ismail Olubode, however, said that as a safety measure, he always has water mixed with detergent in his shop in case of a fire outbreak.

A gas plant attendant at Jakande Estate Gate in Lagos said the plant has existed for five years now without any accident. He said: We always check for any fault in our gas plant to avoid explosion because this plant is very close to where people live and trade. So, we cant afford to cause any loss of lives and properties.

But consumers need knowledge on how to maintain their gas at home. Most people just buy gas because it is very fast for cooking and cost-effective without having any knowledge on how to maintain their gas or check for leakage.

One Mrs. Mirian Joy, who resides in the Ilasamaja area of the state, confirmed his claim. Joy said: I have been using my gas for the past three years now and I have never for once checked for any leakage or any fault because it does not show any sign that it is faulty. I dont even know how to check if my gas has a fault.

Crackdown On Illegal Outlets Begins

Safety experts have blamed gas explosion incidents on negligence. They also justified the ongoing crackdown on illegal outlets.

The Zonal Operations Controller of the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Port Harcourt, Mr. Bassey Nkanga, condemned refilling of gas cylinders instantly at the outlets, noting that people should drop their cylinders and go with refilled ones to enable government know the expired cylinders and withdraw them from circulation.

He reiterated that gas operators are not supposed to operate within residential areas, adding that the Rivers State government and the agency were determined to rid the state of illegal gas outlets.

He also advised operators who do not have licences to do the right thing or leave the state, adding that the state government and the agency would set up a task force that would work round the clock to ensure that no illegal gas dealer remains in Rivers State.

According to him, safety requirements for the issuance of licence by the agency to people venturing into gas business include having good ventilation and capability to operate in safe manners.

He said: The state government has come to work with us. Together we are setting up a task force that will go about ensuring that those operating without license are not allowed to operate because they are the ones that sell the product to illegal retailers who cause the major problems. We are also working with security agencies to ensure that those operating without licence are arrested. The jingles are on, warning them to leave the state or do the right thing.

Government is doing anything possible to stop the use of expired gas cylinders. There is a plan that every cylinder that does not meet specific requirements will be pulled out of circulation and no longer be allowed to be used.

He further disclosed that nine illegal gas plants and several other retail outlets were shut down in the last three weeks.

He added that there are physical checks on the appearances of the cylinders and also the use of instruments like the ultrasonic tool to test the standard of cylinders.

He urged the public to send information of any illegal gas operators to the DPR zonal office in Port Harcourt, assuring that actions would be taken without delay.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Energy, Dr. Peter Medee, said the state government was taking safety issues very seriously, adding that the government would not allow any illegal gas operator in the state. He decried that a lot of gas dealers were operating in the state illegally, saying they would surely be stopped.

Medee confirmed that a technical committee from the Ministry of Energy, security agencies and DPR has been set up to draw a template for the task force that would carry out the enforcement.

The Commissioner said the essence of the template was to ensure that the task force carries out their duties in line with the guidelines to avoid abuse and hijack of the process.

In Abia State, the Comptroller of the State Fire Service, Mr. Victor Gbaruko, said the Service would soon undertake what he called Operation Show Your Approval to ensure that gas plants in the state are not only properly sited but also operate within the standards set by the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR).

Also, before last years yuletide celebrations, the Umuahia Field Surveillance/Monitoring team of the DPR undertook an impromptu inspection of petrol stations in Abia State. Out of about 30 stations inspected, 15 were sealed for violating the operational regulations of the DPR including five gas plants that were sited within petrol stations without requisite approval.

In Ebonyi State, Governor David Umahi has also directed that all illegal gas stations in the state be shutdown.

Umahi, in a recent statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Francis Nweze, said the closure of the gas stations was necessary to forestall the possible outbreak of fire and ensure that Health, Safety and Environment regulation in the state conform to national and international standards in the oil and gas industry.

He directed that all gas stations and outlets must operate with the approval of the Ebonyi State Capital Territory Development Board (ACTDB) and Department of Petroleum Resources, (DPR) adding the government will deal with anyone who may flout the directive.



Defaulters of this directive will be penalised in accordance with the laws of the land and shall pay approved penalties. All concerned should ensure strict compliance with this directive, he stated

In line with the directive, the government has already sealed 15 illegal gas stations in Abakaliki, the state capital.

Speaking with The Guardian, the Special Adviser to the governor on Petroleum, Basil Chima, said the state government had mapped out the land for gas stations but the operators had refused to move to the site.

He said that only one station in the city had all the approvals and licences to operate in the state.

In Awka, Anambra State, gas refill plants located near residential buildings and motor parks along Zik Avenue and Agu-Awka have also been asked to shut down.

They told The Guardian that the government had issued the ultimatum to leave the place because of the danger it poses to lives and property but that they were yet to comply with the directive.

Some gas retail dealers, however, said they were willing to do the right thing but decried lack of funds as their major challenge.



If the government can support us and give us space, we are willing to relocate and meet all the requirements stipulated by law but our major challenge is funding. We are however conscious of the safety guidelines, said a dealer at Ojoto in Mile Two, Diobu, Port Harcourt.

Basic Safety Rules For Gas Usage

As part of measures to curb accidents arising from gas explosions in the country, a safety expert, Ugochi Obidiegwe, said the major worry about gas usage is leakage from the cylinder.

Gas leaks gradually build up and eventually lead to an explosion. Gas vendors must bear in mind that gas cylinders should be stored away from ignition sources and other flammable materials. They must be kept in an upright position and must be kept in a dry and well-ventilated area to ensure that even if a leak occurs, adequate ventilation will prevent concentration

In the home, the best way to deal with a gas leak is to prevent it from happening. This is because if natural gas does not burn up quickly, it begins to emit a byproduct of carbon monoxide. The higher the concentration of carbon monoxide in the environment, the lesser the oxygen and this can affect human life. Therefore, certain precautions must be taken to ensure safety. Always turn off after use. If you smell gas, dont turn on electrical appliances, use a mobile phone or smoke in the environment. One must also keep the cylinder away from ignition sources, she said.

A safety expert in Jos, Mr. Joseph Lankwap, noted that using expired gas cylinders is dangerous, adding that most people are not aware that gas cylinders have a five-year expiry date.



The process of verifying the expiry date of cooking gas cylinders can be found on one of the metal strips that connect the body of the cylinder to the top ring handle and is either printed or posted on the inner side of the strip. Also printed alphabets A, B, C, D, represents the month the gas cylinder will expire, he explained.

He advised the government to take a tough stance in enforcing safety regulations to protect citizens from hazards associated with gas refilling.



On his part, a safety expert and Chief Fire Officer in Anambra State Fire Service, Martin Agbili, said: Gas cylinders should be kept outside the kitchen, not inside. Owners of gas cylinders should ensure that they own fire extinguishers in case of a fire outbreak.

He also urged gas users to buy their gas cylinders from certified dealers as, according to him, some of the gas cylinders are refurbished and re-painted to look new.



The gas cylinders should be placed outside with periodic checks for leakage. Kitchen windows and doors should be opened for some time before gas could be ignited, especially after one just returned to the house, he added.

Agbili disclosed that Anambra State Fire Service organises fire prevention sensitisation campaigns across markets and other public places in the state from time to time, where it highlights these safety measures.

For the Executive Director, Centre for Disaster Risk and Crisis Reduction (CDRCR), Mr. Kolawole Amusat-Gbenla, gas vendors and users should ensure that they install smoke detectors and fire extinguishers while maintaining the required spacing and ventilation standards.

He said: There should be regular training and retraining of employees in gas plants. For the end-users, especially in kitchens at homes, safety measures begin with proper handling of the cylinders. It is also important for most cooking gas users to be able to recognise the smell when a cylinder is leaking.

When there is a leakage, avoid flames of any form. Do not use spray or insecticide; create more ventilation by opening closed doors and windows and inform an expert that can help to fix it as soon as possible.

Maintenance of cylinders is another thing that ensures safety in households using cooking gas. We should avoid a crack in the gas regulator and blockage of connecting pipes as these may force us to tamper with the cylinder. And finally, every kitchen should have a fire blanket or wet towel in case of fire outbreak from our stove and cookers to remove oxygen.

On his part, Deputy Director, Oyo State Fire Service, Mr. Adewuyi Moshood, said: The retail shop owners or vendors should ensure that there is no naked fire or cooking taking place around him or her. He should not be loaded under a cable. There must be fire extinguishers and there must be a minimum of 100 litres of water around him or her.

The golden safety tip for anybody using gas that is up to 10kg and above is that the cylinder should not be close to the burner. He or she has to run a hose outside connecting the cylinder with the burner. Handset should not be taken to the kitchen while cooking.

When they want to check the level of their gas, it is dangerous to shake it. It is advisable to bring the cylinder out and pour water on it in order to identify the level of the gas in the cylinder. Where the gas is in the cylinder will show with the water drying up.

***

Source: TheGuardian
A Pakistani high court has ruled that any underage girl with an active menstrual cycle is ready for marriage as long as she had seen her first period; this is in accordance to the sharia law.

The Sindh High Court in Karachi passed down the ruling on February 3, 2020, during the hearing on alleged abduction, forced conversion and marriage of Huma Younus, a 14-year-old Catholic girl taken from her home on 10th October 2019.

14-year-old Huma was abducted and forced to marry her abductor, Abdul Jabbar, after being converted to Islam, according to her parents Younis and Nagheena Masih.

Her parents believe her marriage is invalid in line with the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act which forbids marriage under the age of 18.

Humas parents produced evidence  including a baptismal certificate and testimony from her school  purporting to show she is 14 years old, born on 22nd May 2005.

During the hearing on Monday, the judges, Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Irshad Ali Shah, ruled that even if Huma was a minor, the marriage between her and her alleged abductor, Abdul Jabbar, would be valid as she had already had her first menstrual cycle.

Judges Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro and Irshad Ali pronounced their judgment under the Sharia law.

After the judgement, Humas mother, Nagheena Younus, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that Christians are not treated as equal citizens in Pakistan. She said:

Once again, justice has been defeated and, once again, our state has shown itself unable to treat Christians as Pakistani citizens.

The girls mother has appealed to the international community to support them.

Underage #Catholic girl Huma Younus & other girls can be married as long as they have had their first menstrual cycle, High Court in #Pakistan ruled. This is so wrong and disgusting! I urge the @EU_Commission and the international community to stop all relationship with Pakistan. https://t.co/oQl1INCGY0  Marijana Petir (@marijana_petir) February 5, 2020

ALSO READ: Gambia and Tanzania outlaw child marriage. 20 Years In Prison For Anyone Who Marries A Child Below 18
In its fight at finding cure for the coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) is launching a multi-country clinical trial to test four drug regimens as COVID-19 therapies.

The drugs include an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir, the antimalarial drug chloroquine (or the related hydroxychloroquine), a combination of two HIV drugs, and those same two HIV drugs along with the anti-inflammatory interferon beta.

The trial will be flexible and could add or drop additional treatment approaches or locations over time. In that way, it appears to be similar to the adaptive trial that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases started in the US in February, which initially set out to test remdesivir but could expand to other drugs. The US is not currently involved in the WHO trial.

Hundreds of other clinical trials are underway, and other groups also continue to test the medications that the WHO selected  heres a breakdown of some of the drugs that researchers are zeroing in on.

Studies found that hydroxychloroquine and the related chloroquine can stop the novel coronavirus from infecting in cells in the lab, and anecdotal evidence suggests that it may help patients with COVID-19. Because the drug has been around for decades as an antimalarial treatment, scientists have experience with it.

Its a known medicine, says Caleb Skipper, an infectious disease postdoctoral fellow at the University of Minnesota whos working on a smaller trial of the drug. Little blips of lab data over the last several years show this drug has activity against viruses.

The goal, Skipper says, is to get the drug in peoples systems early. Particularly with viruses, the earlier you inhibit their ability to replicate the better off youre going to be. If a drug is going to work, it is more likely to work early on in disease, he says. If you catch someone really early and provide treatment early virus will have replicated a lot less.

The existing evidence on hydroxychloroquine points in the right direction, Skipper says, but all of the research on the drug is still in very early stages. Its a long ways from being proven effective, he says.

Despite the limited evidence available, public figures, including Elon Musk and Trump, are pushing the message that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine are the solutions to the outbreaks. I feel good about it. Thats all it is, just a feeling, you know, smart guy. I feel good about it, Trump said in a press conference on Friday.

As a result of the hype, demand for the drug has spiked, and manufacturers are increasing production. In Nigeria, two people overdosed on the medication after Trump said it could cure COVID-19. People who take it for other conditions, like lupus, are struggling to access their usual supply.

To be very clear, there is still no conclusive evidence that chloroquine will treat COVID-19. And treatments that appear promising based on anecdotal reports or feelings often dont end up working, which scientists know well: the majority of clinical trials fail, and theyre seeing that reinforced in coronavirus treatment efforts.

In February, doctors in Thailand said they saw their COVID-19 patients improve on the combination of two HIV drugs, lopinavirritonavir. The WHO is testing the drug combination in their trial, along with anti-inflammatory interferon beta, which the body produces naturally to ward off viruses. The drug combination was used in patients during the SARS and MERS outbreaks, and it appeared to help.

But a clinical trial of those two drugs in China just found that patients with COVID-19 who were given the drugs did not improve more quickly than patients who didnt receive it.

The antiviral drug remdesivir was first developed to treat Ebola, but research later showed that it could also block MERS and SARS in cells. Lab tests have shown that it can inhibit the novel coronavirus in cells as well.
Two male teenagers have drowned while swimming in the ocean amidst the coronavirus lockdown.

The boys who are missing were said to have drowned in Lagos while swimming in the beach in their community during the lockdown.

The victims are Dare-16, and Fawas-15, both residents of Epelemeje Orofun community in Akodo area of Ibeju-Lekki in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Bala Elkana, stated this on Sunday in a statement he released to journalists. Elkana also said that some members of the community reported the matter through a distress call to the Ibeju-Lekki Divisional Police Station on Saturday.

The spokesman added that the State Police Command had deployed its Marine Police Team to the area for search and rescue. He said that the command was awaiting the report of the team.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government of Nigeria has denied reports making the rounds that it has directed the reopening of schools in the country amidst the coronavirus lockdown.
Sundays tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash claimed the lives of all 157 aboard including 18 others working in Africa for United Nations related agencies.

Staff members from at least five UN and affiliated organizations are understood to have also perished on the Ethiopian Airlines flight ET302 from the capital city Addis Ababa to Kenyas capital Nairobi.

Alongside IOM, these include the World Food Program (WFP), the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the UN Environment Program (UNEP).

The World Bank and others also lost colleagues in the tragedy. There were some 32 nationalities on the doomed flight.

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NORMAL  U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Rockford, said he hopes to bring a message of community progress back to the Capitol following visits to uptown Normal and downtown Bloomington on Friday.

The freshman congressman said the tours were scheduled "to understand where the money is being spent."

He first traveled with Mayor Chris Koos to uptown Normal, noting that the area has changed dramatically over the past two decades because of community investment. Sorensen and Koos acknowledged, however, that consistent flooding in the area needs to be addressed.

A stormwater system developed for uptown Normal in the early 2000s was more than adequate for the area at the time, Koos said. But as the amount of rainfall increases each year, uptown becomes susceptible to flooding.

"Right down here, we were having a problem flooding the hotels (and) Watterson Towers, where 2,200 students live," Koos said. "And so it's an issue we need to deal with and it's a climate change issue."

Precipitation is indeed on the rise, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In the contiguous 48 states, it has increased at a rate of .20 inches per decade since 1901, the agency said.

Outside of these infrastructure problems, Sorensen said he hoped the tour would give him a better idea on what the town of Normal has done right to build such a vibrant community hub.

"It's not just that we want to build the vibrancy in other places in this district," Sorensen said. "It's that this needs to be a model for you to build an epicenter of a town again."

But in order to do this, Sorensen added that Congress needs to continue to push back against the politics that divide.

Sorensen then toured downtown Bloomington, which is in the process of getting new streetscape designs, with Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe and deputy city managers Billy Tyus and Jeff Jurgens.

The congressman said revitalization certainly exists in Bloomington and he hopes to see the development of assets such as the historic former State Farm building on Washington Street.

"It's about bringing our communities back together to this livable central core, which actually is the way that these towns and most of our cities were developed in the first place," Sorensen said.
SPRINGFIELD  With the spring legislative session entering its final two weeks, state budget negotiations are starting to come into focus, even as lower-than-expected revenue forecasts put a damper on efforts to add spending beyond what Gov. J.B. Pritzker laid out in his $49.6 billion proposal.

This week, the state's Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability revised its revenue forecast for the current budget year down $728 million to $51.2 billion. The commission's revenue forecast for fiscal year 2024, which begins July 1, stayed flat at $50.4 billion.

The downturn in tax receipts in the final months of the current budget year essentially erases a surplus that lawmakers were hoping could be used for a number of resource-starved programs.

It also gives state lawmakers much less flexibility than they had during the last budget process, when they doled out more than $1.8 billion in one-time tax relief and had enough left over to pay $1 billion into the state's rainy day fund.

"I think it's fair to say that our revenues are no longer at the very strong level that they've been at for the last couple of years," said state Rep. Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago. "We're cooling off. And I think we have operated cautiously this entire budget cycle."

The Pritzker administration for months has been privately and publicly urging fiscal discipline, cautioning that the period of robust budget surpluses following the COVID-19 pandemic were likely temporary.

The governor's office crafted its fiscal year 2024 budget proposal with revenue estimates more conservative than COGFA's, meaning the impact of the revised forecast is minimal. The commission's 2024 revenue forecast is about $800 million above governor's proposed spending plan.

"Responsible fiscal decisions have led to surpluses allowing us to pay off debt, save for our future, and let us prepare for the possibility of a revenue slowdown," said Pritzker spokesman Alex Gough. "The governor will continue to work with the General Assembly to pass a responsible balanced budget that makes necessary investments while living within our means."

In February, Pritzker unveiled his spending plan, which featured more than $1.2 billion in new education spending, including the annual $350 million boost to K-12 through the state's evidence-based funding model and $250 million in new spending to expand access to early childhood education.

The latter is seed money for a program dubbed "Smart Start Illinois," a multi-year effort to eventually provide every child with access to pre-K.

It was a modest departure from recent convention as, after years of holding the line on the creation of new spending programs, Pritzker green-lit outlays that extend beyond the next fiscal year.

Pritzker's pre-K proposal has garnered bipartisan support. Capitol insiders say the plan, or at least some version of it, will likely make it into the final budget.

However, lawmakers have added their own spending priorities to the budget wish list this year, citing the "profound need" in many of their communities.

Progressives, for instance, have been pushing for the creation of a $700 child tax credit for low- and middle-income families.

The Latino Caucus has been pushing for the expansion of a program that provides health care to non-citizen adults who are otherwise ineligible for Medicaid benefits. The program is currently for those who are 42 or older, but some want to make anyone over the age of 18.

Advocates for those with developmental disabilities are pushing for a pay increase for professionals who work with those individuals in community-based settings.

Healthcare providers and industry advocates are pushing for an increase hospital Medicaid reimbursement rates.

Local officials have been calling for a gradual restoration of the Local Government Distributive Fund, which is the share of the state's income tax that goes towards municipalities, to 10%.

"The thing about budgetmaking is that there's very little that we do that isn't deeply important to someone," Guzzardi said. "And most of what we do in the budget is deeply important to all of us. It serves the most underserved folks in our communities. And there's just a deep need, especially coming out of the pandemic.

"I know we had these flush years from a fiscal perspective. But from a community perspective, these have been lean years, these have been really difficult years and there's so much trauma in our communities."

Earlier this month, House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, appeared to rule out a full restoration of LGDF for cities and counties.

While there was hope a less generous child tax credit would still be possible, it appears off the table this session given the new budgetary constraints.

Some of the other proposals for new spending are still subject to budget negotiations. Whatever happens, the relatively remarkable level of fiscal discipline displayed by state lawmakers in recent years will be put to the test amid a desire to deliver more funds to various programs.

State Sen. Elgie Sims, D-Chicago, the lead budgeteer for the Senate Democrats, acknowledged in an interview with Lee Enterprises that "we have infinite needs and we have finite resources."

"It's balancing the needs of investing in people with the priorities and the resources we have available," Sims said. "And that's really what it boils down to. It boils down for us how we're going to make sure that we're doing the most good on behalf of all the people of Illinois."

In addition to the spending asks from progressive lawmakers, social service agencies that do business with the state and advocacy groups, budget pressure is coming from existing programs, namely the state's non-citizen healthcare program.

Earlier this week, the Department of Health and Family Services revised its cost estimate for the program for the next fiscal year to $1.1 billion. Pritzker's proposed budget only allocates $221 million for the program, putting it nearly $880 million out of whack.

"There's something to be said for compassion, that's one thing. But this is getting out of control," said state Sen. Sally Turner, R-Beason, echoing the complaints from Republicans about the growth of the program.

The first-of-its-kind program started during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to insure mostly-undocumented non-citizens over the age of 65. The age was later worked down to 42 during budget negotiations in 2020.

Despite cost pressures, however, there appears to be little appetite to rollback the program. And some lawmakers questioned and expressed skepticism over the department's cost estimates for the program.

"I firmly believe that we can't tell those folks, 'Oops, too bad, we miscalculated and now you don't have health insurance anymore.' I don't think that's the position that we could take as a state," Guzzardi said.

While budget pressures have ratcheted up in recent weeks, lawmakers involved in negotiations do not appear too worried, saying that the slowdown was anticipated and planned for.

"We weren't going to stay on that pace, but I don't think it's a harbinger of gloom and doom," Sims said. "I think we do have to monitor and be mindful of the concerns that are out there and the pending slowdown of the economy."

Lawmakers return to Springfield on Monday. Adjournment day is slated for Friday, May 19.

Photos: Pritzker sworn in for second term
If there was ever any doubt about the Biden administrations stance on liquid fuels, consumer choice and Americas energy security, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) just put those questions to bed.

The Biden EPA is proposing that In less than 10 years, roughly 70% of new vehicle sales must be electric, up from about 6% this year. What that means for consumers is that our days of being able to purchase whatever gas or diesel vehicle we prefer are numbered. It also means the Biden administration is looking to sunset home-grown biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel  fuels we built a market around in the Midwest on the basis of earlier promises from Washington. Now the rug is being pulled.

There is one clear winner from EPAs latest proposals: China. Where the United States has liquid fuel and biofuel superiority, China controls the EV battery and mineral game. In fact, their dominance in this space is even more unmatched than ours is in fuels. By effectively outlawing the majority of vehicles that run on American-made and American-grown fuels, EPAs proposal would leave us more dependent on China and exposed should China ever seek to extract concessions from us by withholding its supply chains.

While this proposal is certainly extreme and exceeds, to my knowledge, any authority Congress ever explicitly gave EPA, the Agency at least deserves credit for its forthrightness. The point is to get rid of gas and diesel vehicles, and EPA is certainly not hiding that.

Thats not the case with other policies. In a rather unheralded move, EPA earlier proposed a fundamental transformation of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) away from the hallmark Midwest policy Congress created to support biofuels and U.S. energy security into yet another electric vehicle subsidy program that will go so far as to cannibalize market share for U.S. ethanol and advanced biofuels. Both this and EPAs swipe at gasoline and diesel vehicles will only serve to make our nation less energy secure and push the economic burden for EV adoption onto the American consumer.

The RFS requires biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel to be blended into gasoline and other transportation fuel products. The whole point of RFS was, and is, to boost Americas Heartland and leverage the strength of our homegrown fuel sector for the sake of American energy independence. As long as cars run on liquid fuels, there will be a market for Midwest biofuel producers to compete. Congress was clear about these dual goals when it created the RFS in 2005 and expanded the program in 2007, and it has remained clear in its direction ever since. Forcing EVs into the RFS does not square with Congress.

In the 2007 RFS text, Congress explicitly directed EPA to complete some basic homework  a study of any potential plans to electrify the RFS  before it would ever consider transforming the program in that direction. EPA blew through the deadline to complete this study years ago and it remains outstanding today.

In spite of this, EPA is proposing a new way to comply with the RFS that will empower EV manufacturers like Tesla, Ford, and GM to generate credits  eRINs, where e is for electric  that refiners will be compelled to purchase to fulfill their RFS obligations. If EPA succeeds, eRINs will represent a new multi-billion-dollar annual revenue stream for EV manufacturers and will make EVs the primary beneficiaries of future RFS growth, allowing them to siphon market share away from farmers and the biofuel industry.

EPAs justification is that some portion of EV charging draws on electricity generated from biogas. But they concede there is no way to distinguish electricity generated from biogas and electricity from coal, wind, solar or any other source. All told, this eRIN scheme would put EV makers on the honor system for determining how many credits they generate, and who wouldnt pad their stats with billions to be gained?

The Biden administration is holding nothing back in its efforts to electrify the vehicle fleet and send cash directly into the pockets of giant automakers. Both its manipulation of the RFS and its proposal to eliminate gasoline and diesel vehicles fly in the face of Congress explicit direction and should be an outrage to every consumer and stakeholder in the biofuel industry.

It was the Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 that expanded the RFS and made irrefutably clear Congresss commitment to American-grown biofuels. Sadly, it could be the Biden EPA circa 2023 that sounds the death knell for liquid fuels by effectively banning gasoline and diesel vehicles and inserting China-dependent EVs into the RFS. I urge my former colleagues in Congress to wake up to whats happening and hold this EPA to account.
Nearly every headline about the expected surge in migrants mentions something called Title 42 -- and with good reason. On May 11, this U.S. law expires and wont be available to stop mass illegal entry on our southern border.

Think of Title 42, which covers public health, as a bouncer keeping someone out of a bar. Easy, no paperwork. Then theres Title 8, which deals with immigration. Think of it as how you evict terrible tenants from a rental property: lawyers, lots of paperwork, and very slow, even if you usually win in the end.

In March 2020, the CDC enacted a public health provision under Title 42 to block foreigners who have been in Coronavirus Impacted Areas. Simply put, U.S. border authorities (Customs and Border Protection at the ports of entry, and Border Patrol in between) blocked nearly everyone attempting to enter and sent them back to Mexico.

COVID froze world travel in 2020, but in 2021 DHS expelled 1,071,075 migrants under Title 42. In fiscal 2022, they bounced 1,103,966. That means that 48% of people attempting to illegally enter the U.S. via the southwest border were quickly and easily returned to Mexico that year.

The Biden administration has whittled away at Title 42 with exceptions; for example they dont apply it to family groups, or people from Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua. Because of all the exceptions, almost 90% of migrants expelled under Title 42 lately have been single adults from Mexico and Central America. Still, since last October, thats already 444,146 people.

Under U.S. law, anyone arriving at the border illegally is supposed to be arrested and detained until theyve had their due immigration process. Thats fair, because most people detained throughout their entire proceedings are deported, whereas those released are not. Even with the expedited removal process Congress introduced in 1996, a migrant can still claim "credible fear" of persecution to get in and then claim asylum later.

There are combined backlogs of 1.5 million asylum cases in our immigration system, with thousands more added monthly. Some newly released migrants wont get their first appointment for a removal hearing until 2033!

The Biden administration believes that almost every person attempting to cross our border should have the right to enter the U.S. and make an asylum claim, no matter how unfounded. Other than those expelled under Title 42, they mostly catch and release arrested migrants after making them promise to show up for an immigration hearing. Sometimes, they even keep track of them.

On May 11, America will fire the Title 42 bouncer. All were left then is the cumbersome Title 8 bailiff. Predictions are that the current, unsustainable daily encounters at the border will double or more, to 10,000 and more. Thousands of migrants are waiting in Mexico and all the way down to the Darien Gap in Panama to swarm our open borders.

The Biden administration isnt ready for this. Their philosophy  that everyone on Earth has the right to claim asylum here  simply isnt realistic, given the state of the world.

There are solutions they could try. One would be to pass a law similar to Title 42 that allows DHS to expel all illegal entrants when numbers reach a certain level, or until the asylum backlog can be reduced to the point where arrivals can be detained throughout their proceedings.

Another would be to re-instate the Migrant Protection Protocols so that asylum seekers wouldnt automatically get the right to enter the U.S. and stay indefinitely while they await their hearings.

Instead, the administration is diverting staff to the border for processing, in the unrealistic hope that they can handle the unlimited supply of economic migrants drawn by their policies.

Congress is stepping up. The House of Representatives is about to consider the Secure the Border Act, which would help get things under control.

Whatever we do, we need to act quickly. The time to restore order to the mounting chaos at our border is running out.
Don't worry about Joe's age or fitness.

America has repeatedly relied upon very old leaders. At the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Benjamin Franklin was 81 (the average life expectancy during this era was 36]. This senior statesman from Pennsylvania was who most wanted to be like.

One of the most charismatic men of the 18th century, Franklin was universally recognized as a prophet, a Moses dressed in American clothing. Despite his extreme age, Franklin stood out from much younger delegates. Rather than worry about age, they worried about the knowledge and character of a person.

If age matters, then about a third of our current Congress would fall under the same category as our President. I'd like to see President Biden make a challenge of a race with Trump in a one mile walk and then also both take a mental and lie detector test and see who prevails in all three. Then America would truly see who was fit to carry on our democracy.

That's why if the race for President is a repeat of 2020 as it seems, the choice is a no brainer. Do we Americans want an indicted crooked business man, one who respects dictators, publicly called for the dissolution of our Constitution, and who incited the insurrection of our Capitol, to ever be elected for anything again?

God, please don't make that happen.

Michael Kober, Bloomington
The Executive Chairman of E ON 3 Group, Richard Adjei Mensah Ofori Atta, has called for urgent action to stop the application of mercury and other dangerous chemicals in gold mining since the practice is harmful to human and the environment.



Instead, he stressed the need for miners, especially, those in the artisanal and small-scale sector to embrace new environmentally-friendly mining methods.



He made the call when he spoke on  Epa Hoa Daben  a socio-political afternoon talk show on Happy FM in Accra on Monday, May 1, 2023.



For two hours, the E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman spoke to the host of the show, Don Kwabena Prah Junior on matters relating to Tackling the illegal mining menace and  Promoting Responsible Gold Mining for Sustainable Development.



Cancers, other dangers



Mercury is an internationally banned and harmful chemical. According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), it is one of the most dangerous chemicals to human health and the environment.



The World Health Organization (WHO) says the use of mercury in artisanal and small-scale gold mining is particularly hazardous, and the health effects on vulnerable populations are enormous.



The inhalation of mercury vapour can produce harmful effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, lungs and kidneys, and may be fatal. The inorganic salts of mercury are corrosive to the skin, eyes and gastrointestinal tract, and may induce kidney toxicity if ingested, says the WHO.



Other studies link mercury exposure to cancer risk among people in artisanal and small scale mining communities.



The E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman who just returned from the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains, in Paris, said communities near the mines are mostly heavily affected by mercury emissions as it causes both physical and mental disabilities, especially, among children.



Besides, the practice leads to contamination of water sources and soil, and subsequent accumulation in food staples such as fish.



Environmentally friendly practices



The E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman urged gold mining companies to invest in environmentally-friendly methods in their activities.



He welcomed the commissioning of some Gold Kacha plants by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in 2022, explaining that the deployment of the mercury-free technology which is environmentally friendly will protect the countrys water bodies, mining communities and the citizenry from the harmful effects of mercury.



Destruction



He bemoaned the massive destruction galamsey is causing to water bodies and lands including forest reserves and said the nation cannot afford to look on while the destruction continues.



He, therefore urged all Ghanaians to see illegal mining as a national crisis and join hands to overcome it.



No politicization



The E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman also spoke against the politicization of the galamsey fight saying the development is counterproductive.



He quizzed: Can we continue to do one thing at a time and expect different results ? 

Going forward , he said it will be refreshing to see, for instance, the political parties working together to address the menace.



 I will want to see the NPP and NDC join forces to fight galamsey. President Akufo-Addo put his presidency on the line, and we cannot disgrace him. Building a country is not one persons responsibility. It should be all hands on deck .





In answer to a question, the E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman stated that much as successive governments were keen on battling illegal mining, they found it difficult to find a way out of the problem.He emphasized that there is every indication that the war against galamsey can best be fought using the traditional authorities, who own the lands.In that case, he suggested that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, be given the responsibility to lead the national fight against illegal mining.Otumfuo should be the strategic fulcrum while other traditional rulers support him. With the nation united behind the Asantehene, Im certain that we shall overcome this canker of illegal mining,  he said.Furthermore, he said Otumfuo has a track record as a strong anti-galamsey advocate, and his clout could be an advantage for a national battle against the canker.He added: Otumfuos voice has been heard on galamsey perhaps more stronger than anyone in the country and it will not be out of place for the nation to put him in charge of this all-important national issue.Even more refreshing, the E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman said, is that since the galamsey menace escalated, the Asantehenes comments on the matter have been dominated by offering pragmatic solutions.Explaining, he said at various fora, including the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs meeting in Kumasi on October 14, 2022, and the Regional Consultative Dialogue on Small Scale Mining in Kumasi in May 2021, His Majesty did not only voice out strongly against illegal mining but went ahead to proffer workable solutions. He also put forward solutions anytime high-ranking Ghanaian and foreign officials visited him at the Manhyia Palace. This goes to show he is the right person to lead the national fight, he said.The E ON 3 Group Executive Chairman also spoke extensively on responsible mining, pointing out that, it is the way to go to restore normalcy in the artisanal and small-scale mining sector and ensure sustainable socio-economic development.Pointing out that mining activities in the country are not new and indeed would continue deep into the future, he said what is needed is to ensure that they are done responsibly.In the international market, gold traders are taking a serious view about mining activities that leave negative impacts on the environment. Africa, therefore, needs to mine responsibly. Africa must take the right steps and ensure that mining is done responsibly, he said.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Influential Chief of Agric Nzemaa, Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo, is among the high-powered delegation of traditional authorities that accompanied the King of the Asante Kingdom, to London for the official coronation ceremony of King Charles III.



The Royal Asante King is among a few dignitaries invited by the Royal Family to attend the historic occasion slated for Saturday, May 6, 2023.



Nana Nkansah Boadu Ayeboafo, a member of the National Council of the ruling New Patriotic Party and Chairman of the Ashanti Regional Disciplinary Committee, accompanied him on his visit.



The entourage will also attend the King's official reception for overseas guests expected to be held today, Friday.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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A member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Solomon Nkansah, has challenged former President John Dramani Mahama to run for the presidency as an independent Candidate.



He argued if Mr Mahama believes the NDC is less popular and needed him more, then he should contest on his own strength.



Several NDC faithfuls have suggested that if the NDC can win elections again, especially in 2024, their choicest best is John Mahama, but Mr. Nkansah disagrees.



He is, however, throwing a challenge to Mr. Mahama and persons who think the NDC cannot afford to lose him, to run as an independent candidate and see if he will get votes as he got under the NDC in 2012, 2016 and even 2020.



The NDC brand, he said, made Mahamas popularity in Ghanas politics possible and not by his personal attributes.



Mr. Nkansah said these on Ultimate 106.9 FM in Kumasi.



People say that he is the most marketed candidate, so the NDC is not marketed?



The NDC party is not a brand? When we lost in 2000 even in the round off the NDC got 44% and something.



So all those people who are making these statements out of selfish interest must know that the NDC is popular and well accepted.



Whoever you present to the Ghanaian with the right marketing strategy, with the person's standing, structure, track record the NDC is not going to suffer at elections



Lets engage in a popularity contest and see.



Such comments that Mahama is popular make people reluctant in canvassing votes for the NDC and they daydream



People say the man is too popular, he is too popular, he has gone to two elections and lost, dont talk about popularity. The popular person is the one who wins he noted.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Joseph Yamin has reportedly escaped assault from some NDC youth in Abura Asebu Kwamankese following his visit to the area.



Narrating what happened, one of the youth who spoke to Joynews, said they were in town when they got information that the National Youth Organiser was around.



He said they initially thought it was the leaders of the NDC that had come to visit but upon reaching the venue, they saw Joseph Yamin.



He further stated that during their engagement, they realized that one of the NDC primaries contenders had allegedly asked Joseph Yamin to convince them to vote for her adding against her opponent Felix Ofosu-Kwakye who is also contesting.



Based on this comment, he said the youth became furious and charged at Joseph Yamin who would have been badly injured if he had not escaped.



We were in town when we heard that Joseph Yammin had come to town with some pick up, we even mobilized to go and meet him as we thought our party leaders were coming to meet us. When we went, we realized that one Nana Ama had sent one Joseph Yammin to come and lie to us that John Mahama wants us to vote against Felix Ofusu Kwakye.



"The things Felix Kwakye has done for us in this constituency are very valuable to us and they are very lucky we did not meet them here, they would have seen what would have happened to them, one of the individuals who spoke to Joynews stated.



The unnamed gentleman also warned him not to repeat such actions as it could have ended badly.



They advised him to focus on working towards winning seats in Kumasi as the NDC needs more seats in that region.





Source: ghanaweb.com









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Renminbi conference in Budapest focuses on Hungary-China financial cooperation

Xinhua) 11:07, May 05, 2023

BUDAPEST, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The Budapest Renminbi Initiative Conference, an annual event aimed at promoting cross-border economic activity and broadening the range of investment and financing sources in Hungary, was held for the seventh time here on Thursday.

The participants focused on financial interconnectivity and a green transition, highlighting the opportunities of central banks in environmentally sustainable financial transformation and the role of the renminbi in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region.

The conference was attended by high-ranking officials, bankers, economists and business leaders from Hungary, China and the rest of the world.

Mihaly Patai, deputy governor of the National Bank of Hungary (MNB), emphasized the significance of financial cooperation between Hungary and China. "Our central bank was among the first ones in Europe to conclude a swap agreement with the People's Bank of China in September 2013," he said.

The two countries' financial systems are becoming increasingly interconnected, he said, with the Bank of China operating in Hungary for many years now, and the China Development Bank and China Construction Bank opening their Budapest offices recently.

According to Patai, Budapest, alongside Warsaw, has become a financial hub in the CEE region thanks to the presence of Chinese banks and the financial innovations they bring from China.

Yang Chao, charge d'affaires ad interim of the Chinese Embassy in Hungary, highlighted the importance of the internationalization of the renminbi. He said that the global financial landscape was undergoing major adjustments, and the international monetary system was accelerating towards multi-polarity.

"The internationalization of renminbi provides a reliable new choice for countries around the world" by injecting more stability into the volatile international financial market and creating more new opportunities for the recovery of the world economy, he said.

Yang recalled that this year marks the 20th anniversary of the comprehensive strategic partnership between China and the European Union (EU), and said that China is willing to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation with the EU in various fields.

Xu Chen, chairman of the Bank of China (Europe) S.A., said he also appreciated the mutually beneficial cooperation between Hungary and China.

In the post-pandemic era, creating a more balanced and diversified global financial system is crucial, and economic decoupling benefits neither side, Xu said.

As the economic and trade relations between China and the EU continue to strengthen, businesses on both sides benefit from stability and long-term prosperity. "China and Europe have shared interests in these green topics and have a high degree of complementarity in transforming the world into an open and green one," Xu added.

Li Kexin, chief executive officer of the Bank of China (Central and Eastern Europe) Ltd., focused on the CEE region's importance in the world's financial landscape.

He said that the region links the European market with the Belt and Road Initiative, and there are huge opportunities for further cooperation and development between China and the CEE region in green project investment, green finance and the digital economy.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
" " Martin Tellez (L) teaches his daughter Rebecca Tellez drum rhythms after participating in a performance depicting Aztec culture and history at a Cinco de Mayo celebration in Forest Lawn memorial park May 5, 2003, in Glendale, California. David McNew/Getty Images

Cinco de Mayo is not a public holiday in Mexico, but it is observed there, most intensely in Puebla, where the actual battle took place. In Puebla, there is a reenactment of the battle. Men dress as French and Mexican soldiers and generals, and women wear the clothing of the soldaderos, the women who cooked for and looked after the soldiers in wartime. In some representations, the Mexican soldiers carry machetes and old gun-powder rifles, and the French soldiers carry bags with wine bottles sticking out.

In other reenactments, fruit is used as ammunition, so the worst injury possible is an apple to the head. In addition to the parades, there are fiestas featuring Mexican food (like the regional specialty Mole Poblano), Mexican music, including mariachi bands, pinatas for the kids and fireworks at the end of the day. Tequila is not the drink of choice: It's agua fresca (fruit juices and flavored waters).

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Cinco de Mayo became popular in the U.S. in the 1960s when Chicano activists in America raised awareness of the holiday, relating to it as a battle of indigenous Mexicans triumphing over imperialist European forces. In cities like San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, St. Paul, Chicago and Los Angeles, you'll find Cinco de Mayo celebrations featuring carnivals, street fairs and multiday festivals. Parades, food, dancing and music round out the festivities. There might also be hot pepper or jalapeno-eating contests and Miss Cinco de Mayo pageants.

The largest Cinco de Mayo celebration in the world is in Los Angeles. There, Cinco de Mayo festivities attract hundreds of thousands of people. Red, white and green  the colors of the Mexican flag  are the dominant tones on the blocks around City Hall, and a portrait of General Zaragoza adorns the stage where the mayor of Los Angeles delivers a speech in Spanish.

In recent years, there has been some backlash about the Cinco de Mayo holiday from some Mexican-Americans objecting to its cultural appropriation by whites and other non-Hispanic Americans. (The holiday only came to national consciousness in 1989 in a Cinco de Mayo-themed ad for the Mexican beer Corona). Today, almost every bar and Mexican restaurant in the U.S. has some kind of promotion for Cinco de Mayo and people will often don sombreros and fake mustaches to "get into the spirit" of the day.

"Along with the ubiquitous use of stereotype in Cinco de Mayo, the holiday only celebrates Mexican culture as a consumable culture: Mexico is a drink, a taco, the lime in the Corona.... The awareness of Mexican culture simply serves as a guise for people to get drunk on a Tuesday night," wrote essayist Feliks Garcia in 2015. Others point out it's OK to celebrate at a local Mexican restaurant  but it sure wouldn't hurt to bone up on the history of the holiday and on Mexican culture in general. But please, no sombreros or fake accents.
Legalized some types of abortion in the U.S.

Jane Roe was a pseudonym for Norma McCorvey, a pregnant woman in Texas who was unable to get an abortion because state law barred all abortions except when the mother's life was at risk. McCorvey's life was not in danger, but she could not afford to travel outside of Texas to have an abortion. She claimed that the Texas law violated her constitutional right to privacy. ("Wade" referred to Henry Wade, Dallas County district attorney.)

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" " Attorney Gloria Allred and Norma McCorvey (R), the plaintiff in Roe v. Wade, attend an abortion rights rally in 1989 in Burbank, California. Bob Riha, Jr./Getty Images

The Court reviewed the case for two full years, weighing biological, ethical and religious arguments in addition to constitutional issues. Ultimately, the justices ruled 7-2 in favor of Roe, arguing that the Constitution's First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth and 14th Amendments combined to create a "zone of privacy" around certain personal decisions like marriage and contraception, and that banning all abortions violated that right to make a personal and private decision about whether or not to have a child.

Perhaps most controversially, the Court ruled that fetuses before the third trimester had no rights as "persons" under the Constitution or the law. The ruling allowed states, if they wished, to ban third-trimester abortions (because a fetus was "viable" at this point, based on medical advances) and to consider cases in which they could be outlawed in the second trimester, as long as exceptions were carved out to save the life or health of the mother. But the Court barred states from revoking a woman's right to terminate a pregnancy in the first trimester for any reason.

Before the case was decided, McCorvey gave birth and put her child up for adoption. She later changed her views on abortion and joined the "pro-life" side (though in a documentary released in 2020, McCorvey says she only did that for the money). She died in 2017.

This Supreme Court case remains one of the most culturally divisive ones in the U.S. On June 24, 2022, a conservative majority (6-3) overturned Roe v. Wade. "The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," Justice Samuel Alito wrote. The due process clause of the 14th Amendment, he wrote, "has been held to guarantee some rights that are not mentioned in the Constitution, but any such right must be 'deeply rooted in this Nations history and tradition' and 'implicit in the concept of ordered liberty.' The right to abortion does not fall within this category." The ruling means that each state can set its own abortion laws, and almost half the states are likely to restrict or outlaw abortion.
" " The spread of "OK" shows how important an all-purpose word can be. Foxys Graphic/Shutterstock

"OK" is probably the most spoken word in the world  besides English, people say "OK" in a dozen languages, including Spanish, Italian and Russian  and yet almost nobody can tell you what those two letters stand for or where the word came from.

Was it borrowed from the indigenous Choctaw word "okeh," meaning, roughly, "OK"? Did it originate with a Boston baker named Otto Kimmel who liked to frost his initials into his cookies? Does it have anything to do with the state of Oklahoma (OK) or the musical "Oklahoma!"?

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Nope, nope and nope. In fact, there's no evidence that "okeh" was part of the Chocktaw language.

"OK is the greatest American word," says Anatoly Liberman, a linguist, translator and language professor at the University of Minnesota. "The history of OK is a history of incredible success, but nobody could have predicted that success."

As you'll see, OK began as a piece of insider slang from the late 1830s and rode a (losing) presidential campaign to nationwide fame and eventually worldwide ubiquity.
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This graph shows global ocean surface temperatures, with the 2023 track at the top. Credit: climatereanalyzer.org, CC BY-ND

A changing climate is upon us, with more frequent land and marine heatwaves, forest fires, atmospheric rivers and floods. For some, it is the backdrop to day-to-day life, but for a growing number of people it is a life-changing reality.

It is now more remarkable when a year is not the hottest since our species began to develop civilizations.

Whenever we experience extreme climate events, it can be hard to engage with the concept that they are minor blips in the planetary experiment we are conducting. But the main act is taking place elsewhere in the oceans, which soak up more than 90% of the excess heat energy.

We are winding up a clockwork spring without knowing exactly when, how fast and how it will unspool. Ocean heating is not so much a canary in a coal mine but a thrashing shark we've inadvertently (at least initially) hauled up into our fishing boat.

A bonfire of records

A drop in the area covered by sea ice, both in the Arctic and more recently also in Antarctica, is one of the latest record-breaking changes. These floating expanses of frozen seawater are central to how our world works. They regulate how much light our planet reflects, help ventilate the oceans, and host important ecosystems in the form of algal meadows on their underside.

But now, due to the warming of the ocean, we have the lowest sea ice area ever recorded.

Ocean scientists are not used to thinking of rapid change, but the trajectory of the global average temperature on the surface of the ocean has now entered uncharted territoryand fast.

We know about the scale of this thanks to satellite technology that can sense small changes in temperature at the ocean surface.

These surface data are just that: the temperature of the very skin of the ocean. To get a sense of warming in the deeper ocean, we use ship-based measurements and a fleet of underwater robots known as Argo.

The global ocean heat transport

The deep ocean is clearly changing. This is because polar sea ice acts as a connector between the atmosphere, the surface of the ocean and deeper waters. With less sea ice, there is less cold, salty, oxygenated water sinking to the deep ocean.

What satellites measure can differ from temperatures just below the surface or in the deeper ocean. Author provided, CC BY-ND

These freezing coastal waters of Antarctica are a crucial engine room for global currents that convey energy around the planetand this ocean transport mechanism is now changing.

One of the unknowns of ocean warming is how the oceans will adjust and store all the heat. Heating the ocean surface makes the upper reaches more stable. This in turn changes how the upper ocean absorbs carbon dioxide.

The difficulty for researchers determining how best to respond is that the processes that move and mix this heat operate over very small scales. It is beyond even our most powerful climate simulators to model exactly how the heat is spread, making predictions less certain.

Even if our models could work at very big and very small scales at the same time, they would have few data for validation. This is because very little of the ocean's mixing has been observed directly.

While we can predict some of this mixing, the ocean is full of surprises. Recently, the Drake Passage has been shown to be even more of a mixing hotspot than previously thought.

A warming Pacific

Despite the connected ocean, the individual basins have their own characteristics and contributions to climate. Aotearoa New Zealand sits in the southwest corner of the Pacific Ocean, which covers about a third of the globe's surface.

The Pacific is so large it has its own internal cycles, such as the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO). We have to disentangle these to understand long-term changes.

While El Nino conditions can bring marine heatwaves to some areas of the Pacific, the oceans around Aotearoa New Zealand, especially to the south, are already experiencing nearly constant marine heatwaves.

The scale of the oceanic contribution to storing heat means any small change to how this has operated over the past millennia may have very large impacts. It is impossible to overstate the urgency with which we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Technologies that can capture already emitted carbon dioxide have many proponents, but they must not come at the expense of efforts to turn off emission sources. Without removing the drivers of emissions, these stop-gap measures will only delay the inevitable. As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change put it in its latest report: "There is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all."

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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Red Lily Lagoon Modern Day Visualisation. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate.

Scientists at Flinders University have used sub-surface imaging and aerial surveys to see through floodplains in the Red Lily Lagoon area of West Arnhem Land in Northern Australia.

These ground-breaking methods showed how this important landscape in the Northern Territory was altered as sea levels rose about 8,000 years ago.

Their discovery shows that the ocean had reached this, now inland region, which has important implications for understanding the archaeological record of Madjedbebethe oldest archaeological site in Australia.

The findings also provide a new way to understand the rock art in the region, which is recognised globally for its significance and distinctive style.

By examining how sediments now buried beneath the flood plains changed as sea levels rose, the researchers can see how the transformation of Red Lily Lagoon had resulted in the growth of mangroves that have supported animal and marine life in a region where ancient Indigenous rock art is located. This transformation has, in turn, fostered an environment that has inspired the subjects and animals in the ancient rock art.

In their findings published in in the scientific journal PLOS ONE today, the researchers say environmental changes at the lagoon are reflected in the rock art because fish, crocodiles and birds were featured in the art when the floodplain transformed to support freshwater habitats for new species.

Senior Author and Research Associate in the College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences at Flinders University, Dr. Jarrad Knowlessar, says the mapping fundamentally changes our archaeological understanding of the stunning landscape in Arnhem Land.

"This is a key landscape for understanding the early human occupation of Australia. Our reconstruction of Red Lily Lagoon enables effective predictive modelling of prominent cultural sites and provides an important method to interpret the presence and provenance of Indigenous cultural material."

"The timing of rock art aligns with the broader environmental changes we understand took place in this landscape. This is evident through changes in subject matter in the art, such as large macropods, and the appearance of estuarine animal species such as fish and crocodiles in the art. The inclusion of freshwater species, such as fish and birds, occurs in the most recent artistic styles of this region, and this reflects the phases of environmental change when the freshwater floodplains made up the landscape."

"Based on the results of this study, all Pleistocene sites in western Arnhem Land were near the ocean and, subsequently, mangrove swamps at some point during the transformation of the landscape. This has important implications for the paleogeographic settings of these sites, which must be considered when interpreting changes in stone artefacts, food resources, and the isotope composition of materials from this period of the first Australians."

Co-author, Associate Professor Ian Moffat, says Electric Resistivity Tomography (ERT) is a rapid, low-cost, non-invasive method that can map large areas of the Australian landscape to better understand their ancient history.

"We are showcasing how ERT data can be used to develop landscape models that are useful when it comes to understanding known locations as well as predicting where buried archaeological sites might be. We have demonstrated that the landscapes of this region can be effectively mapped using non-invasive methods. This has important implications for locating new sites but also for developing a more nuanced understanding of the regional geography, and its impact on past human behaviour."

Red Lily Lagoon Modern Day Visualisation 2. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate

Red Lily Lagoon Pleistocene (Ice age) 9,000 years ago visualisation. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate.

Red Lily Lagoon Pleistocene (Ice age) 9,000 years ago visualisation 2. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate.

Sea level flooding - Mangroves Image. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate.

Sea level flooding at Red Lily Lagoon area. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Flinders University Research Associate.

Sea level flooding 2. Credit: Dr Jarrad Knowlessar, Research Associate at Flinders University.

"Red Lily Lagoon has exceptional archaeological significance in Arnhem Land as it is situated at one of the easternmost points of the East Alligator River floodplain, where the modern river, the Arnhem Plateau, creates a significant boundary between the low-lying floodplains and the sandstone highlands, which have been occupied by humans for over 60,000 years and are the location of countless significant sites, including some of the most iconic rock art panels in Australia."

Traditional owner and co-author Alfred Nayinggull described the importance of this research as "We want people to see and want people to know what's been happening many thousand years ago in the past. "

More information: Jarrad Kowlessar et al, Reconstructing archaeological palaeolandscapes using geophysical and geomatic survey techniques: An example from Red Lily Lagoon, Arnhem Land, Australia, PLOS ONE (2023). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283006 Journal information: PLoS ONE
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

A small team of astronomers at Universite Cote d'Azur, Observatoire de la Cote d'Azur, working with a colleague from MCCE, Observatoire de Paris, Sorbonne Universite, has found more evidence that the moon has an inner core similar to Earth's. In their study, reported in the journal Nature, the group analyzed data from a wide variety of sources and used it to create models depicting the inner parts of the moon

In 2011, planetary scientists at NASA used seismic data recorded by Apollo astronauts to predict what might lie at the center of the moon. They suggested it was likely that there was a solid inner core with a radius of approximately 240 kilometers. In this new effort, the researchers used a variety of sources to make similar estimates and found evidence that matches closely with the NASA results.

To learn more about the moon's core, the research team collected data from several space missions and from several lunar-based ranging experiments. They used that data to create a likely profile for the interior of the moon, including characteristics such as deformations created due to gravitational interactions with the Earth, the moon's distance from Earth and also the moon's density. They then input all of their data into a modeling application. Next, they ran multiple modeling scenarios to see which corresponded most closely with real-world data.

The model that fit most closely to observations revealed evidence of active overturn, where denser material is pulled closer to the core over time, forcing lighter material upward. This finding helps explain how many of the elements found in volcanic regions of the moon got there.

The other main finding was that the density of the inner core matched closely with that of Earth's, suggesting it is likely made of iron. The models also showed that the inner core has a radius of approximately 258 kilometers and a density of approximately 7,822 kilograms per cubic meter. It also showed the outer core to be a fluid layer covering the inner core with a radius of 362 kilometers.

More information: Arthur Briaud et al, The lunar solid inner core and the mantle overturn, Nature (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-05935-7 Journal information: Nature

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Energy expended (A), oxygen (B) consumed, carbon dioxide (C) and heat (D) produced, and water required for hydration (E) for all-female (black bars) and all-male (white bars, see crews of different statures during a 1080-day mission using aerobic countermeasure exercise. The left portion of the figure shows female and male data when compared at absolute statures of 1.50-m and 1.90-m, the right portion shows data when compared at the 5th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 95 percentile for stature for United States (US) females and males based on the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) 20152016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Credit: Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31713-6

As humans contemplate life on other planets, we are immediately confronted with two choices. One is a journey to another solar system that would take tens of thousands of years (with current technology), requiring around 2,000 generations to live out their existence in the cramped confines of a spacecraft while adhering to a strict population control scheme. The other choice is Mars.

Mars has several advantages, not the least of which is proximity, eliminating the need to push people out of airlocks when the spacecraft is at capacity. It would also allow an advance team to set up basic infrastructure and to be the most efficientthe team should all be female.

Researchers from the Space Medicine Team, European Space Agency in Germany have conducted a study published in Scientific Reports that found female astronauts have lower water requirements for hydration, total energy expenditure, oxygen (O 2 ) consumption, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and metabolic heat production during space exploration missions compared to their male counterparts.

In the study, "Effects of body size and countermeasure exercise on estimates of life support resources during all-female crewed exploration missions," the team utilized an approach developed to estimate the effects of body "size" on life support requirements in male astronauts. For all parameters at all statures, estimates for females were lower than for comparable male astronauts.

When considering the limited space, energy, weight, and life support systems packed into a spacecraft on a long mission, the study finds that the female form is the most efficient body type for space exploration.

According to NASA, the cost of getting payloads to the International Space Station (ISS) is $93,400 per kg. The study found that on a 1080-day mission, a four-member all-female crew would require 1695 kg less food weight. With some simple arithmetic, the mission could save over $158 million and free up 2.3 m3 of space (food packaging), the equivalent of approximately 4% of the habitable volume (60 m3) of a "Gateway" HALO module in NASA's proposed lunar orbit space station. Both factors would be highly significant operationally, but there is more.

Compared to a previous study of theoretical male astronauts, the effect of body size on total energy expenditure was markedly less in females, with relative differences ranging from 5% to 29% lower. Compared at the 50th percentile stature for US females (1.6m), the reductions were even more significant at 11% to 41%. This translates into reduced use of oxygen, production of CO 2 , metabolic heat, and water use.

When exposed to the prolonged microgravity of space, bad things happen to astronaut bodies. Physiological changes induce muscle atrophy, bone loss, and reduced aerobic and sensorimotor capacity, potentially affecting crewmember health and ability to perform mission tasks.

Exercise in space is called "countermeasure exercise" as it is designed to counter the physiological effects of being weightless. During these exercises (two 30-min aerobic exercises, six days a week), astronauts have higher rates of O 2 consumption, production of CO 2 , metabolic heat production, and require more water to rehydrate.

While body size alone correlates to energy metrics (smaller stature, less energy used), missions requiring countermeasure exercise increase this disparity as larger bodies use more energy, need more oxygen, produce more CO 2 and create more heat. Additionally, the study found that females had 29% less water loss through sweating during a single bout of aerobic countermeasure exercise and so required less water to rehydrate.

The theoretical differences between female and male astronauts result from lower resting and exercising O 2 requirements of female astronauts, who are lighter than male astronauts at equivalent statures and have lower relative VO 2 max (the rate at which the heart, lungs, and muscles can effectively use oxygen during exercise) values.

Aside from resource usage, there are also advantages in functional workspaces, especially when multiple astronauts are working in the same confined area, as often happens on the ISS. Aboard the ISS, the astronauts have just enough room to stand and work shoulder-to-shoulder or back-to-back when necessary. The spaces in the proposed NASA Gateway craft are tighter, creating a less ergonomic environment for multiple crew members to work together. Tighter spaces could operate just as efficiently with a smaller crew.

The study data, combined with the move towards smaller diameter habitat space for currently proposed mission modules, suggest that there may be several operational advantages to all-female crews during future human space exploration missions, with the most significant improvement coming from shorter females.

More information: Jonathan P. R. Scott et al, Effects of body size and countermeasure exercise on estimates of life support resources during all-female crewed exploration missions, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31713-6 Journal information: Scientific Reports

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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Sunshine levels have a significant impact on the bidding behavior of stock market investors, according to new research.

The study examined the relationship between sunny weather and how market participants perform, as well as the subsequent seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). These discounts for shares act as an effective tool for companies to raise finance and are essential for a functioning modern economy.

To see if decisions were influenced by sunshine intensity and duration, an international team including researchers from the University of Portsmouth's Center for Innovative and Sustainable Finance, examined weather station data to determine the periods when the climate exerts the greatest influence on investors.

The data revealed investors made higher bids in sunny periods, which led to lower discounts for shares in the primary market. In fact, just a one standard deviation increase in sunshine intensity caused bid discounts to decline by 2.4%, while a one standard deviation increase in sunshine duration caused bid discounts to drop by 3.33%.

Professor Jia Liu, CISF Center Director and Professor of Accounting and Finance at the University of Portsmouth, said, "With sunny weather, often come good spiritswhich in many circumstances is a positive, but that's not the case with financial decision-making. When the sunshine intensifies, bidders become overly optimistic and less risk-averse, which can lead to higher bid prices for seasoned equities."

Existing research has shown meteorological conditions, especially exposure to sunshine, affects a person's emotional state and sentiment. These weather-driven moods have been proved to influence a buyer's car choice, art prices at auction, and the tendency to take risks in a lottery.

It was Edward Saunders who first established a link between investment behavior in Wall Street and the weather 20 years ago.

"Saunders inspired our study," explained Professor Liu.

"His results strongly supported the hypothesis that investor psychology influences asset prices. And despite strong evidence that this has a large economic impact, there has since been little research into the relationship between the weather and stock market performance in the primary stock market. Saunders' study only examined stock prices in the secondary market though, so we decided to go a step further and looked at the investor's individual behavior in the primary market."

Professor Shenghao Gao, at the Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, China, said, "The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) requires that SEO issuers disclose detailed investor bidding information during the SEO auction process, providing us with a unique opportunity to examine the effect of sunshine-induced mood on investors' decisions in the primary market."

The team sampled 1,625 auction-style SEOs representing 28,321 bids from 2,978 investors between 2006 and 2019. In addition to a connection between sunshine and a bidder's decision-making, they also discovered that this effect increases when a company's SEO offering is more complex, or its corporate background is less familiar to them.

The paper, published in the Journal of Corporate Finance, says the findings have important implications for investors in the primary market, who need to be aware of the impact that weather conditions can have on their investment decisions.

Professor Liu added, "We want to make investors aware that during periods of sunny weather, they become more optimistic about their investments. This will make them more inclined to take risks that aren't justified by asset values. Therefore, they should factor this consideration in when bidding for shares or they might suffer losses.

"The study has profound implications for policy and practice. The growing instability of weather systems throughout the world, and the established connections between climatic conditions and investors' behaviors, makes this an issue of increasing relevance in a financially interdependent world.

"Maintaining the stability of markets could depend upon our understanding of this phenomenon, since the onset of climate change might have an increasingly destabilizing impact on the judgment of investors and market-makers, with unpredictable consequences for global trading."

More information: Qian Sun et al, Sunshine-induced mood and SEO pricing: Evidence from detailed investor bids in SEO auctions, Journal of Corporate Finance (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2023.102411
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In this experiment, a voltage (battery) is applied to a microwave amplifier (peach-colored block). It drives the photon (yellow) in the microwave cavity (grey strip) to strongly interact with a magnon (violet) and form a gain-driven polariton, which in turn emits coherent microwaves. Credit: B. M. Yao (first author of the paper), Chinese Academy of Sciences.

When light strongly interacts with matter, it can produce unique quasi-particles called polaritons, which are half light and half matter. In recent decades, physicists explored the realization of polaritons in optical cavities and their value for the development of highly performing lasers or other technologies.

Researchers at University of Manitoba recently developed a highly performing device based on cavity magnon polaritons that can emit and amplify microwaves. This device, introduced in Physical Review Letters, was found to significantly outperform previously proposed solid-state devices for coherent microwave emission and amplification at room temperature.

"In 1992, Claude Weisbush, a French semiconductor physicist working in Japan, discovered cavity exciton polariton by confining light in a quantum microcavity to interact with semiconductors," Can-Ming Hu, the researcher who directed the study, told Phys.org.

"This led to the invention of polariton lasers with superior performance that have transformed solid-state laser technology. Two decades later, the magnetism community re-discovered cavity magnon polariton by confining microwaves in a cavity to interact with magnetic materials, such a half photon and half magnon quasi-particle was first discovered by Joe Artman and Peter Tannenwald in 1955 at MIT, which went largely unnoticed until recently."

Wireless communication and quantum information technologies require coherent on-chip microwave sources. Motivated by this need, Hu and his colleagues set out to explore the potential use of cavity magnon polaritons to achieve high-quality microwave emission and amplification.

"Intrigued by the resemblance between cavity magnon polariton and cavity exciton polariton, I became curious whether the cavity magnon polariton might help us to make better solid-state microwave sources," Hu said. "So, in 2015, my group launched a study to explore microwave emission of cavity magnon polaritons."

The researchers initially set out to create a lightmatter coupled system based on cavity magnon polaritons for coherent microwave emission. They ultimately hoped to achieve a higher performance than those reported in previous works, while retaining their device's stability and controllability as a hybrid lightmatter coupled system.

"First, we follow the principle proposed in 1920 by Dutch physicist van der Pol: using nonlinear damping to balance gain in an amplified oscillatory system, one can design and optimize a stable gain-driven cavity," Bimu Yao, an associate professor from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who carried out this study at the University of Manitoba, told Phys.org. "Then, we set a magnetic material into such a gain-driven microwave cavity, letting the amplified microwaves to strongly interact with magnons."

The strong interaction between amplified microwaves and magnons in the researchers' system produces a new type of polariton, which they dubbed a "gain-driven" polariton. Compared to conventional polaritons realized in previous studies, this gain-driven polariton has a stable phase, which in turn enables the coherent emission of microwave photons.

"For decades, the magnetism community has been working on spin-toque oscillator (STO), which is a solid-state device that utilizes magnons to produce coherent microwaves," Yongsheng Gui, a research associate at the University of Manitoba who carried out the study, told Phys.org. "The major hurdle is that the emission power of the STO is typically limited to less than 1 nW. Our device's output is a million times more powerful, and the emission quality factor is a thousand times better."

In initial evaluations, a proof-of-principle device created by this team of researchers achieved remarkable results, outperforming both STOs and solid-state masers developed in the past. Masers are devices that use the stimulated emission of radiation by atoms to amplify or generate microwave radiation.

"Outside of the magnetism community, there have been divers efforts for developing masers," Gui said. "Compared with the best solid-state maser, our device's output is a billion times more powerful, with a comparable emission quality factor."

The new gain-driven polariton realized by Hu and his colleagues could open exciting new possibilities for the development of highly performing solid-state microwave sources that can be integrated on-chip. In addition to their compact sizes, these polariton microwave sources are frequency tunable due to the fabulous controllability of light-matter interaction. They could ultimately be integrated in a broad range of technologies and devices, including wireless communication systems and quantum computers.

"As the physics of gain-driven light-matter interaction is new, our study may also lead to new discoveries beyond microwave applications," Hu added. "We have now submitted a patent application, and my students are working on developing prototype devices together with industry partners."

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Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming our society. Beyond the currently hyped systems such as ChatGPT or DALL-E, which can generate images, the technology has also found its way into the daily work of lawyers and even judges. At present, such applications are still in their early stages, but AI has the potential to change our justice system. Yet as well as promising significant benefits, it also raises new ethical and legal questions. Most importantly, it will change the roles and skill requirements for lawyers and judges.

By deploying AI, law firms and courts will be able to work more efficiently and automate repetitive tasks. Let's hope this will reduce the notorious backlog of cases in courts today. AI-powered systems are already being used by lawyers, for example to analyze large amounts of data and contracts. And some courts in the United States are using AI systems to assist with sentencing decisions or predict an offender's risk of recidivism.

However, there are pitfalls: today's AI algorithms are often not transparent enough to meet the high demands for accountability in the justice system. Critics also fear that AI systems could perpetuate bias and discrimination. This is because the reliability of AI depends on the quality of the data input. If AI support systems are trained on biased data, this can lead to unfair outcomes.

To minimize such unintended consequences, it is imperative to rigorously test AI systems before deploying them. New regulatory guidelines are also needed. The EU rightly classifies the use of AI in the justice system as a high-risk application and will regulate it strictlyin terms of transparency, oversight and cybersecurity, among other thingsin the AI Act currently under discussion.

For me, the justice system belongs to the sensitive and critical areas of our lives where AI systems must not replace humans altogether. To guarantee accountability, we need to keep humans in the loop; I'm convinced that humans are needed as guardians of AI. Judges in the future will not only have to pass judgements, but also decide how AI is used in their work. They will have to know the advantages and disadvantages of AI and keep an eye on the associated trade-offs and balance these in conscious decisions.

One such trade-off, for example, is that between speed and thoroughness. AI is undoubtedly fast, and some lawyers argue that "justice delayed is justice denied." An imperfect decision rendered today may therefore be better than a perfect decision not rendered at all.

Another trade-off is that between expediency and certainty. Today, there are still no standards governing the use of AI in the judiciary and its validity and reliability. Judges must use their judgment when they allow AI to support them in their work.

Often commercially developed

A third dilemma arises from the fact that today AI is often developed commercially rather than as an open-source technology. I think developing companies have a legitimate interest in protecting their trade secrets, but this clashes with our insistence that legal decisions be transparent and accountable. If we want to provide the justice system with AI probabilistic analyses of DNA matches and decision-making aids in sentencing, that means compromising on transparency in many cases.

AI has the potential to make the justice system more efficient, faster and qualitatively better, but it entails balancing trade-offs and making compromises. As in the case of judges, the use of AI technologies in many other aspects of our lives entails an urgent need to equip the "humans in the loop" with a high degree of AI-specific expertise and the self-confidence to make these difficult decisions. As a society, now is the time to collectively define what these trade-offs should be, and to build this capacity.
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The Port of Miami is a bustling waterway with large cruise and cargo ships, ferries, fishing vessels, and recreational boats. As it turns out, this waterway is also home to a resilient coral community. Credit: Colin Foord

Researchers at the University of Miami Cooperative Institute of Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) and partners found that the corals within the highly urbanized environment around the Port of Miami show great resilience against unfavorable conditions, such as poor water quality, excess nutrients, high temperatures, high salinity and low pH levels.

The Port of Miami is a bustling waterway with large cruise and cargo ships, ferries, fishing vessels, and recreational boats. These corals have built strong and diverse communities on human-made substrates, such as seawalls and discarded objects, according to the study published in Scientific Reports titled "Coral persistence despite marginal conditions in the Port of Miami."

"These corals are important because they are rare and threatened, but also because they demonstrate surprising resilience that can teach us about the future of coral reef ecosystems today," said Michael Studivan, a co-author of the study and a scientist at the Rosenstiel School's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies. "Corals persist despite conditions that would harm many reef species, including extreme temperatures, acidification, and poor water quality.

Scientists visited the Port of Miami over a three-year period beginning in 2018 to monitor environmental conditions and measure coral community dynamics. The research team used a suite of state-of-the-art instruments that included sub-surface autonomous samplers designed at CIMAS/AOML and coral photomosaics.

The samplers monitored the temperature, pH, oxygen, carbonate chemistry, light, and tidal flow at three reef sites. Photomosaics consisting of thousands of high-resolution underwater photos stitched together created detailed maps of these habitats to characterize their coral cover, spread, and species diversity.

Through a collaboration with Coral Morphologic's Coral City Camera, live underwater cameras were placed at an urban coral nursery site, which helped scientists to identify unique fish species visiting the site, including the endangered smalltooth sawfish.

"The Port of Miami is quite different from the places where we normally work. Everything is artificial, engineered, and constructed," said Ian Enochs, a research ecologist at AOML and lead author of the new study. "Somehow, nature has found a way to persist even in the most unnatural of environments."

More information: Ian C. Enochs et al, Coral persistence despite marginal conditions in the Port of Miami, Scientific Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-33467-7 Journal information: Scientific Reports
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Dr. Bai Zhixuan and his colleagues launched a balloon in Golmud, Qinghai province on March 2021, as part of the SWOP campaign. Credit: Chen Zhixiong

An international team led by researchers from the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has detected aerosols from the Hunga Tonga eruption in the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric westerlies for the first time.

This discovery, published in Science Bulletin, will aid in simulating the physical and chemical processes in volcanic plumes.

The Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, located in the South Pacific Ocean, erupted in January 2022, spewing ash and gas into the atmosphere. The eruption was one of the largest in recent years and was closely monitored by scientists worldwide.

The purpose of the Sounding Water vapor, Ozone, and Particle (SWOP) campaign is to better understand the temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of atmospheric compositions over the Tibetan Plateau. Capturing the volcanic aerosols from the Hunga Tonga eruption was unexpected, according to Prof. Bian Jianchun, an IAP scientist and a team leader of the SWOP campaign.

"We happen to have captured the volcanic aerosols from the Hunga Tonga eruption 12 weeks after it erupted. To my knowledge, this is the first time that it's been detected at the stratospheric westerlies in the Northern Hemisphere," said Prof. Bian.

Large uncertainties still remain in understanding physical properties and evolutionary process of volcanic aerosols in the stratosphere, particularly SO 2 oxidation in volcanic plumes and clouds and the interaction between ash and sulfate aerosols after volcanic eruptions. In-situ measurements obtained in volcanic plumes, especially measurements of the microphysical parameters of volcanic aerosols, provide compelling evidence that reduces these uncertainties. However, it is difficult to obtain these parameters, especially during the occurrence of volcanic eruptions.

During the SWOP campaign carried out over the Tibetan Plateau, a balloon-borne payload consisting of the Compact Optical Backscatter Aerosol Detector (COBALD) and the Portable Optical Particle Spectrometer (POPS) was released in Lijiang, Yunan province on April 9, 2022. Unexpectedly, the balloon captured the size spectrum of volcanic aerosols at 2425 km.

The Hunga Tonga volcanic aerosol was identified by the size distribution of the aerosol diameter, which was centered at approximately 0.421.27 m, larger than the background mode (0.220.42 m) of stratospheric aerosols, and particle number densities of approximately 1 cm-3. The backscatter ratios derived from the COBALD measurements at 455 nm and 940 nm both showed enhanced aerosol signals between 24 and 25 km. Additionally, measurements showed that the aerosol and water vapor layers were separated in the Hunga Tonga plume.

These findings suggest that volcanic eruptions have potential impact on regional and global atmospheric circulation and climate, even thousands of kilometers away from the source. The possible mechanisms that led to the separation of aerosol and water vapor layers in the Hunga Tonga plume will be examined in future study.

More information: Jianchun Bian et al, First detection of aerosols of the Hunga Tonga eruption in the Northern Hemisphere stratospheric westerlies, Science Bulletin (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2023.03.002
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Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

The Middle East and North African region lose about $13 billion a year because of increasing sand and dust storms. By combining learnings from artificial intelligence and 3000-year-old sustainable methods, researchers might be on the way to finding out how to mitigate the damages.

Sand and dust storms cause damage to crops, human and animal health, buildings and infrastructure, and force shutdowns for several weeks. There are natural sources of these storms, but also human-induced factors have added to the problem in the last decades.

Hossein Hashemi, Associate Professor in Water Resource Engineering, and the Center for Advanced Middle Eastern Studies at Lund University, has been studying the causes and trends for several years.

His research provides further understanding of the challenges, but also some possible solutions:

"We must look at these issues from a multidisciplinary perspective, adding socio-political, economical, and management aspects to the technical and natural science-based facts. There is much to learn from traditional practices that are naturally adapted to the ecosystems and use sustainable methods," says Hossein Hashemi.

Sand and dust storms are more frequent today

The highest density of dust sources in the Middle East is in Iraq between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers and along the Syria-Iraq border. This is the focus area for Hossein Hashemis current research which also includes neighboring Turkiye and Iran.

The natural sources of sand and dust storms are mainly deserts and dry lands. In the hot months in the summertime, the strong north-easterly winds carry large amounts of particles across the region.

However, these storms are becoming more frequent, they span over longer periods of time and spread to a wider area. Climate change is likely a driver, but also anthropogenic factors such as more abandoned agricultural land, water management upstream, migration to urban areas, and depopulation caused by conflicts and war.

"The environmental data from the area related to climate change and human activities are scarce and not sufficient for strong conclusions on this correlation," says Hossein Hashemi.

However, Hossein Hashemi and his team monitor the development over time, using input from both remote sensing and advanced data modeling, allowing him to study various changes and time periods separately to define probable causes and effects.

"There is less water inflow to the lakes and marshlands in the Middle East due to factors such as dam constructions upstream and climate change. With the support of artificial intelligence and satellite data, we can define areas where we see that land is more susceptible to becoming new dust sources," explains Hossein Hashemi.

The entire region is now mapped using artificial intelligence, and adding to the spatial analysis, the novelty of the project run by Hossein Hashemi and his team is that with temporal changes, they can dynamically show how dust sources vary over time.

"Next, we want to relate these dust sources to socio-political changes. We are looking into the relationship between land use changes and war in the region, especially in Iraq. How has the war affected the land use, and has these changes led to the transformation of lands into dust sources," says Hossein Hashemi.

Correlations of dust sources and causes from war

The research team that brings perspectives from natural geography, sociology, and engineering, has recently published a study of the lakes in the area. Poor water management and drought periods have caused them to shrink and become potential dust sources.

Now, the team will look at a more detailed analysis of land use over the last twenty years and correlations with another map that shows the effects of war.

"We have data about how many people have been killed in some regions, which is also a cause for more abandoned land. We want to see the correlation with regards to land use with our dust source map and war map," says Hossein Hashemi.

As more of the soil is turning into sand and water shortages are increasing, many villagers in Iraq have been forced to move into cities. The stress on land and people are challenges that can cause unrest and add to the already conflicted area.

Learning from a 3000-year-old qanat system

The next step is to look at possible solutions. Again, by using artificial intelligence to apply different management scenarios and see what could improve the situation or at least mitigate the effects.

There are agreements on water collaboration between the countries in the region, but they are not always followed. The old system of qanats has become interesting as a complement due to its resilience and sustainable way of harvesting water.

The qanat is a traditional water harvesting and conveyance system that is more than 3000 years old, originated in Persia. It consists of a network of underground channels that use gravity to bring groundwater from so-called aquifers up to the surface. These can span over many kilometers, and on the surface, the water can be carried further in an open channel and distributed for agricultural use or for drinking water.

"Nature-based solutions may increase local water supply. Using water harvesting systems, such as floodwater spreading and qanat, there could be less impact on environmental water and surface water supplies, such as lakes and marshlands. Studies have shown that dried areas of lakes, such as Urmia and Therthar, are primary sources of emerging dust storms in the Middle East," says Hossein Hashemi.

Loss of water is a risk to biodiversity and food security

Modern water infrastructure and rural depopulation have reduced the use of qanats, and so some have dried up or are not well maintained. However, in some regions, communities still rely on them as the main source of water supply.

The water flow in a qanat is controlled by the level of the water table. It can not cause a significant drawdown of the underground aquifer, thus making it a sustainable way to harvest water. As the qanats are underground there is little loss of water to evaporation. The system also has advantages as it is less sensitive to variations from wet to dry years.

"Loss of water means loss of biodiversity and a loss of resources for food security. Lake Urmia, not far from the Tigris and Euphrates River basin, has now become a dust source. The depletion of natural resources causes risks for society. That is why we need to work with these matters from a multidisciplinary view, and the solutions need to take both human well-being and nature into consideration," concludes Hossein Hashemi.
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Final vases for Cedrela fissilis show differences in growth depending on soil. From left to right: 100% ADE, 20% ADE, Control soil. Credit: Luis Felipe Guandalin Zagatto

Between approximately 450 BCE and 950 CE, millions of Amerindian people living in today's Amazonia transformed the originally poor soil through various processes. Over many human generations, soils were enriched with charcoal from their low-intensity fires for cooking and burning refuse, animal bones, broken pottery, compost, and manure. The result is Amazonian dark earth (ADE) or terra preta, exceptionally fertile because rich in nutrients and stable organic matter derived from charcoal, which gives it its black color.

Now, scientists from Brazil show that ADE could be a 'secret weapon' to boost reforestationnot only in the Amazon, where 18% or approximately 780,000 km2 has been lost since the 1970sbut around the world. The results are published in Frontiers in Soil Science.

"Here we show that the use of ADEs can enhance the growth of pasture and trees due to their high levels of nutrients, as well as to the presence of beneficial bacteria and archaea in the soil microbial community," said joint lead author Luis Felipe Zagatto, a graduate student at the Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture of Sao Paulo University, Brazil.

"This means that knowledge of the 'ingredients' that make ADEs so very fertile could be applied to help speed up ecological restoration projects."

Mimicking reforestation in miniature

The researchers conducted controlled experiments to mimic the ecological succession and changes to the soil that happen when pasture in deforested areas is actively restored to forest. Their aim was to study how ADEs, or ultimately soils of which the microbiome has been artificially composed to imitate them, can boost this process.

Zagatto and colleagues sampled ADE from the Caldeirao Experimental Research Station in the Brazilian state of Amazonas, and as a control, agricultural soil from the Luiz de Queiroz Superior School of Agriculture in the state of Sao Paulo. They filled each of 36 four-liter pots with 3kg soil, inside a greenhouse with a mean temperature of 34C to anticipate global warming beyond current temperatures in Amazonia between 22 and 28C.

One-third of the pots received only control soil, another third a 4:1 mixture of control soil and ADE, and another third 100% ADE. To imitate pasture, they planted seeds of palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha), common forage for livestock in Brazil, in each pot and allowed its seedlings to grow for 60 days. They then cut the grass and let only its roots remain in the soilvirgin territory for reforestation in miniature. The researchers then replanted each of the three soils with tree seeds: either with the colonizing species Ambay pumpwood (Cecropia pachystachya), with Peltophorum dubium typical of secondary forests, or with cedro blanco (Cedrela fissilis), typical of climax forest.

The seeds were allowed to germinate, and the seedlings to grow for 90 days, after which the height, dry mass, and extension of the roots were measured. The scientists quantified changes in the soil's pH, texture, and concentration of organic matter, potassium, calcium, magnesium, aluminum, sulfur, boron, copper, iron, and zinc over the course of the experiment. With molecular methods, they also measured changes in microbial diversity in the soil.

Rich in nutrients and beneficial microbes

At the start, ADEs showed greater amounts of nutrients than control soil: for example, 30 times more phosphorus and three to five times more of each of the other measured nutrients, except manganese. ADE also had a higher pH and contained more sand and silt, but less clay. After the experiment, soils contained less nutrients than at the start, reflecting take-up by the plants, but 100% ADE soils remained richer in these than control soils, while nutrient levels were intermediate in 20% ADE soils.

Final vases for Cecropia pachystachya show differences in growth depending on soil. From left to right: 100% ADE, 20% ADE, Control soil. Credit: Luis Felipe Guandalin Zagatto

Throughout the experiment, 20% or 100% ADE soils supported a greater biodiversity of bacteria and archaea than control soils.

"Microbes transform chemical soil particles into nutrients that can be taken up by plants. Our data showed that ADE contains microorganisms that are better at this transformation of soils, thus providing more resources for plant development," said joint lead author Anderson Santos de Freitas.

"For example, ADE soils contained more beneficial taxa of the bacterial families Paenibacillaceae, Planococcaceae, Micromonosporaceae, and Hyphomicroblaceae."

Growth boosted

The results also showed that adding ADE to soil improved the growth and development of plants. For example, the dry mass of palisade grass was increased 3.4 times in 20% ADE, and 8.1 times in 100% ADE, compared to in control soil. Addition of ADE also boosted the growth of the three tree species: seedlings of cedro blanco and P. dubium were 2.1 and 5.2 times taller in 20% ADE, and 3.2 and 6.3 times taller in 100% ADE, compared to in control soils. Ambay pumpwood didn't even grow in control soils or 20% ADE, but thrived in 100% ADE.

Final vases for Peltophorum dubium show differences in growth depending on soil. From left to right: 100% ADE, 20% ADE, Control soil. Credit: Luis Felipe Guandalin Zagatto

The researchers concluded that ADE can boost plant growth. "Our data point to a mixture of soil nutrients and adapted microorganisms [in ADE] to improve the establishment of plant trees in restoration," they wrote.

Senior author Dr. Siu Mui Tsai, a professor at the same institute, cautioned, "ADE has taken thousands of years to accumulate and would take an equal time to regenerate in nature if used. Our recommendations aren't to utilize ADE itself, but rather to copy its characteristics, particularly its microorganisms, for use in future ecological restoration projects."

More information: Luis Felipe Zagatto et al, Amazonian dark earths enhance the establishment of tree species in forest ecological restoration, Frontiers in Soil Science (2023). DOI: 10.3389/fsoil.2023.1161627

Provided by Frontiers
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Reported number of captive badgers farmed in South Korea between 2001 and 2019, from records of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA). True badgers refer to Meles leucurus; hog badgers refer to Arctonyx spp.; the taxonomic classification of hybrids is unclear. Credit: Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2023.03.004

Poorly monitored badger farming and illegal poaching in South Korea is a cause for concern for wildlife and human health, with regulation of the trade urgently needed, according to a new study involving UCL researchers.

Published today in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, the study by researchers from UCL, Zoological Society London (ZSL) and Seoul National University, South Korea, found that a growing range of badger-derived products have been introduced to the market in South Korea over the last two decades.

Asian badger use in medicine

From traditional uses such as badger meat and medicine, to new uses in cosmetics including facemasks, soaps and anti-aging creams, products derived from native Asian badgers (Meles leucurus) and non-native hog badgers (Arctonyx spp.) are legally sold in South Koreaincluding on an online-shopping platform owned by the American multinational e-commerce corporation, eBaywith potential ramifications for wild animals.

The research revealed that sellers across platforms predominantly stated that these products came from either legal badger farms in South Korea or wild badgers in other countries, particularly China and Russia. However, evidence suggests that badger poaching still takes place in South Korea.

Asian badger farming increasing poaching

Lead author, Ph.D. candidate Joshua Powell (UCL Geography, UCL Genetics, Evolution & Environment, and ZSL) said, "While badger farming was in-part introduced to alleviate pressure on wild badger populations in South Korea, we are concerned that it could have the opposite effect in the long-term."

"Illegal badger poaching is known to still occur in South Korea and there is a risk that the legal trade acts as a smokescreen for the sale of illegal products, or the stocking of badger farms with illegally harvested wild animals. While a fall in households involved in badger farming since 2001 would give the impression that the practice had disappeared, evidence shows that the number of captive badgers in some provinces has actually increased in that time."

"Research into wildlife trade is often confined to bigger, more charismatic species, leading to other animals and plants being overlooked. A key issue here is that wild Asian badger and hog badger populations are often poorly monitored, which reduces the likelihood of any detrimental impacts on wild badger populations being noticed."

"Asian badgers are sociable, curious animals that are distinct from their more familiar European counterparts, but which share many similar traits and behaviors, such as the building of underground setts. We're still learning more about the species each year, but field surveys suggest that they may be an important seed disperser in the mountains of the Korean Peninsula."

Zoonotic disease risk of wildlife trade

Another prominent concern is the risk of zoonotic spillover, with the scientists particularly worried about the lack of biosecurity regulations for badger farms.

Co-author, Professor Hang Lee (Seoul National University) said, "The risk of disease transmission between captive animals and humans on wildlife farms has been widely documented, with one example being the outbreak of COVID-19 on mink farms in Europe in 2020mink being part of the same family as badgersmustelids. We are concerned that badger farming may substantially increase the zoonotic disease risk in South Korea."

Animal welfare in Korean badger farms

The study also highlights the insufficient regulation of animal welfare standards on Korean badger farms. Poor conditions can result in high levels of stress in captive animals, which in turn increases the risk of disease outbreaks.

Badgers are territorial, highly social mammals who build underground setts in the wild, but the report shows that potential badger farmers are still presented with advice to build holding pens with wire or concrete floors to prevent badgers displaying their natural digging behaviorsas well as the separation of young from adults, and hormone injection in female badgers to induce breeding.

Joshua Powell continued, "South Korea has recently announced measures to end all bear farming by 2026 following increasing domestic pressure. However, badger farming appears to present many of the same risks, including risks to wild animal populations, animal welfare and human health."

The researchers say that one option available to policy makers would therefore be to phase out badger farming, in line with the new policy on bear farming. However, they caution that bringing an end to badger farming may need to be coupled with a broader ban on badger trade in South Korea, in order to prevent potentially stimulating illegaland possibly unsustainabletrade of wild badgers.

Powell concluded, "We urge the South Korean government to consider a comprehensive strategy on badger trade that considers both animal health and welfare, as well as human health, concerns. At the same time, there is a need to urgently improve the quality of monitoring of the current badger trade."

More information: Joshua Elves-Powell et al, A preliminary assessment of the wildlife trade in badgers (Meles leucurus and Arctonyx spp.) (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in South Korea, Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.japb.2023.03.004
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The new portable 200 L Radon Monitor is shown in its assembled form. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

The need for a smaller, more transportable version of ANSTO's 1,500-liter atmospheric radon-222 monitor, and with a calibration traceable to the International System of Units, prompted the team to develop a 200-liter radon monitor that would meet those needs.

This world-leading dual-flow-loop two-filter ANSTO technology is used in more than 30 locations around the world, but demand is growing as the need for a better understanding of the processes that drive urban air pollution and climate becomes more important.

Recognized by the World Meteorological Organization as the best in the world for global and atmospheric compositional baseline studies, it is used by the International Atomic Energy Agency and leading environmental monitoring organizations around the world.

The ANSTO-designed radon monitors, that are made and serviced by environmental scientists, provide invaluable data on atmospheric mixing to support accurate monitoring of changing atmospheric conditions.

"Several years ago, we learned that a competitor had built a product that wasn't as sensitive, but it was more portable and that spurred us to see if we could reduce the size," explained environmental Atmospheric Physicist / Senior Researcher Dr. Scott Chambers.

"With some funding support from the National Metrology Institute in Germany, who were interested in purchasing one of the new detectors as part of an international Trace Radon Project, we went ahead," said Dr. Chambers.

Using the same detection method but with a vertically oriented design, they were able to reduce the size from 3.0 meters by 1.7 meters by 0.9 m (4.6 m3) to 1.6 meters by 48 centimeters by 48 centimeters (0.37 m3).

The critical change was the volume of the main measurement chamber from 1,500 liters to 200 liters while retaining the capacity to reliably measure radon activity down to 0.14 Becquerels per cubic meter.

A relative size comparison of the 1500 L, 700 L, and 200 L model radon detectors. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

"There are essentially fewer alpha particles and decay products to count in the smaller volume of air, but the results are still very good for most purposes," says Dr. Chambers.

"We are trying to improve the sensitivity with some modifications to the measurement head.

"The new size will be ideally suited to buildings, where environmental authorities are monitoring radon concentrations, as they can be harmful. It is important to have baseline data to make assessments. Our new detector is more manageable, breaking into two parts to fit in a normal vehicle, with a total weight less than 80 kilograms."

It will also be possible to calibrate these instruments in the field much more accurately than the larger models.

The technology is useful in places where even relatively low radioactivity levels need to be monitored quickly and accurately, such as for urban pollution studies, in buildings and underground science facilities, such as the Stawell Underground Physics Laboratory.

Emissions of naturally occurring radon from the ground are more threatening in the Northern Hemisphere, where building insulation tends to trap the gas.

Some extremely high levels have been recorded in the U.K.

The instrument, which is made from marine-grade stainless-steel, has a service life of over ten years. Apart from some cursory pressure checks, it can operate independently and relatively free of maintenance for years at a time.

A schematic of the new portable 200 L Radon Monitor. Credit: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)

Compared to other scientific instruments, that is very minimal.

Detectors are currently assembled by ANSTO technician Mr. Ot Sisoutham but ANSTO is negotiating for them to be built externally to keep up with demand.

Background atmospheric data captured by radon detectors in isolated, strategic locations is referred to as baseline because it is unaffected by local pollution sources and represents the world's most pristine air.

The highly precise atmospheric data improves an understanding of climate impacts and anticipate future effects.

"We are proud of this innovation that was undertaken entirely by ANSTO scientists and technicians, that is supported with our expertise in radon analysis," said Dr. Alistair Williams, research leader, Atmospheric Research Group.

"The only thing it is missing is a name for marketing purposes, but as scientists we don't always think about those things," he added.

Environmental monitoring of radon is one of ANSTO's many activities to monitor contaminants that move through the atmosphere and affect the people, animals, and plants all around us.

"The new portable monitor is the first research grade radon detector in the world to have been traceably calibrated to the SI system," says Chambers. "Radon monitoring is also useful in looking at greenhouse gas emissions. Because we can estimate the flux of radon reasonably well, the emission of greenhouse gases from the same region is proportional to the ratio of the radon and greenhouse gas concentrations. This provides a convenient 'top-down' method of estimating regional emissions of greenhouse gases to crosscheck 'bottom-up' emission estimates based on reported inventories."
Stacker looks at the best county to retire in every state according to Niche's 2020 ratings. Some factors that determined the rankings include
Congressional candidate Jill Lochner, who is challenging U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, in a GOP primary next year, cast herself as a party outsider by criticizing the GOP debt limit bill that recently passed the House, largely along party lines.

The legislation to increase the federal debt limit in exchange for spending cuts, which Stefanik championed, passed the House April 26 with only four House Republicans voting against it, none from New York.

The legislation, widely viewed as a starting point for negotiations over preventing default on federal debt, is not expected to pass the Senate.

Lochner said the legislation  HR 2811  did not have specific enough language to guarantee there would be no cuts to Department of Veterans Affairs programs, and that she would have insisted that the legislation include repealing a $10,000 limit of the federal income tax deduction for state income taxes paid.

The act is killing clean energy initiatives. It promotes coal and disincentivizes nuclear energy.  Nuclear energy is Americas workhorse, she said in a statement on Monday. If I were a member of Congress, I would be working with my party to get these changes made so that Id be able to vote yes.

Stefanik did not return a Post-Star request to comment for this report, and her campaign did not respond specifically to Lochners criticism of the debt ceiling legislation.

Elise has earned a landslide victory every election and has never had stronger support among both primary and general election voters in NY-21, said Alex DeGrasse, the congresswomans senior advisor. This isnt the first time a Never-Trump  and self-declared moderate Liz Cheney supporter have attempted to foolishly run against Elise.

In a telephone interview earlier on Monday, Lochner said she now has volunteer campaign coordinators in six of the 16 counties in the 21st Congressional District, and will appear at her first public forum this weekend.

She will participate in a roundtable discussion from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday at LittleGrasse Foodworks at 309 Miner St. in Canton during Canton Canoe Weekend.

She said she previously has campaigned informally at Potsdam, Warrensburg, Malone, Massena and Salem.

The Stefanik campaign has downplayed the chances of Lochner being able to collect a sufficient number of valid signatures to get on the ballot.

In the telephone interview on Monday, Lochner disputed that criticism.

Theyre just throwing out things to discredit me with, she said.

Former Republican congressional candidate Liz Lemery Joy, who challenged Rep. Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, in 2020 and 2022, has criticized Lochner, who lives in Greenfield, outside the 21st Congressional District, for challenging Stefanik in a primary instead of challenging Tonko in the 20th District where Lochner lives.

Lochner said that Greenfield was in the 21st District until congressional redistricting last year.

She added that Stefanik, too, lives in the 20th District and that Tonko, for that matter, lives in the 21st District.

She (Stefanik) could also challenge Tonko. Its a very silly argument, Lochner said.

On policy, Lochner, so far, has primarily distinguished herself from Stefanik on abortion.

Lochner supports full abortion rights up to point of about 23 weeks that a fetus can live independent from the womb.

I believe the line should be drawn at the previous fetal viability standard, which existed for nearly 50 years since Roe v Wade. Past the point of viability, there has to be an emergency need, she. I also recognize an individuals right to interstate travel, including for abortion services.

Lochner said she has not yet had time to study Stefaniks voting and sponsorship record in detail to specify other policy issues on which they differ.

Lochner, like Stefanik, opposes legislation, as proposed so far, to establish a federal red flag law, which would allow police officers and judges to get a court order to temporarily seize guns from people thought to be a danger to themselves or others.

Lochner said no version of the legislation introduced so far, has the necessary safeguards to protect lawful gun owners.

Lochner has picked up support from at least one prominent Democrat.

Kevin Robbins of Fort Edward, a frequent critic of Stefanik in Post-Star letters to the editor and in social networking, recently announced he has changed his voter enrollment from Democrat to Republican so that he can vote for Lochner in next years Republican primary.

If I cant have a Democrat to represent me, I can at least have a better Republican, he said in a telephone interview on Wednesday.

Robbins said he made the decision independently, not in response to any organized effort.

I dont mind if others might want to latch onto this, and Id certainly be happy to influence them, he said.

Lochner said she has not ruled out running as an independent in the 2024 general election, but at this point she is focused on the GOP primary.
MOREAU  Twenty three area health care organizations packed the Moreau Community Center in South Glens Falls Thursday for its inaugural Health Fair.

Part of our mission in serving our community is to make sure that were providing resources to help folks live their best lives, said Cheryl Lawyer, director of marketing and outreach for the Moreau Community Center.

Lawyer said that as the center provides outreach for the community through programs such as the food pantry, preschool and thrift store, other needs are identified.

Theyll come in. Theyll sit down. Well help them get the food that they need, she said. More times than not, theres other things that they may need, so thats where the referrals come in. Knowing who these (organizations) are, we can refer that person to whatever it is that they need.

The health fair was organized as a way for wellness providers to gather in one place to make people aware of the services they provide  not just for the community at large, but to build a better network of holistic wellbeing organizations.

Its really important that all the organizations know each other, especially in the nonprofit world, Lawyer said. Oh, you need this? I know somebody who can help you, and thats a shared mission with everybody here.
The operator of a limousine service involved in a crash that killed 20 people in central New York is going on trial. Nauman Hussain is charged with 20 counts each of criminally negligent homicide and second-degree manslaughter for the 2018 wreck in Schoharie, New York. The crash killed 17 friends out for a birthday celebration, the stretch limo's driver and two bystanders. Investigators say the stretch SUV had corroded brakes and the limo company disregarded a state order that the vehicle be taken off the road. Hussains lawyers contend he tried to maintain the limousine and relied on what he was told by state officials and a repair shop.
A proposed change to a Medicare formula will provide upstate New York hospitals with nearly $1 billion more in funding annually, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Friday.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released the preliminary rule in April to revamp the wage index formula, which determines how much hospitals are paid for labor costs to treat Medicare patients.

Schumer, D-N.Y., has long advocated for the change because upstate New York hospitals were shortchanged by the formula. Medicare paid these hospitals less than it should have, he said, while hospitals in other parts of the country received more funding.

Glens Falls Hospitall will receive $3 million more through the revised formula, Schumer said. The Capital Regions largest hospital, Albany Medical Center, will get an additional $84.7 million.

I cannot tell you how game-changing this is, Schumer said on a videoconference with reporters. We all know our hospitals are struggling. We all know they are having trouble hiring new nurses and new doctors. Now, it will be a whole lot easier because they will have the ability to pay them.

The rule is expected to be finalized within the next two months. Schumer expects that the revised formula will be very close to where we are now. He pledged to use his clout as Senate majority leader to ensure that the final formula benefits upstate New York hospitals.

Once the formula is changed, Schumer believes it will lead to better health care across the region. Hospitals will be able to attract more doctors and nurses, he said, and it could reduce wait times for treatment.

This is one of the greatest pieces of news for upstate New York health care in decades, he added. It is huge.
While bail reform and affordable housing garnered most of the attention in Albany as lawmakers haggled over a state budget, a host of other issues made their way into the final spending plan.

Gov. Kathy Hochuls office released information Wednesday on many of those issues and what they will mean going forward for state residents.

Child care

The budget expands the Empire State Child Tax Credit to nearly 630,000 children under 4 years of age and expands eligibility for the Child Care Assistance Program.

It also uses $500 million in underutilized federal funds to create a grant program to support the child care workforce by providing bonuses for employees and funding for recruitment strategies. A new employer-sponsored child care pilot program will be created with participating employers, the state and employees splitting the cost of child care.

Education

A record amount of school aid, $34.5 billion, includes fully funding Foundation Aid, the main funding for schools. Additional funds will expand prekindergarten programs to 20,000 children, and $134 million will be used to increase access to free school meals.

The budget increases general operating aid and provides $2.4 billion for facilities upgrades at SUNY and CUNY campuses.

Abortion

The budget increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for reproductive health providers, requires private insurers to cover medication abortion and allocates $100.7 million in new funding to support abortion providers and reproductive health care.

The budget also enacts additional data protections for patients seeking reproductive health care by preventing companies headquartered or incorporated in New York State from sharing information with out-of-state law enforcement conducting investigations into abortion procedures that are legal in New York.

Economic growth

The budget expands the New York Film Tax Credits annual cap to $700 million and restores the credit to 30% for qualified expenses. It had been 25%. It also allows the credit to be applied to more workers in the television and film industry. The changes are to increase the programs stability, help attract productions, and provide a boost to New Yorks film industry.

Burial site protection

The final agreement includes the Unmarked Burial Protection Act, which makes it more difficult for developers to build on the remains of Indigenous peoples ancestors. The governor had vetoed the legislation last year after the Legislature approved it, an act that contributed to Hochuls strained relationship with New Yorks Native American tribes.
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ATLANTIC CITY  A fugitive from New York wanted for attempted murder was arrested Tuesday after trying to die by suicide in the ocean, police said.

Police were alerted by a Boardwalk ambassador that Darren Brathwaite, 36, of Brooklyn, was seen going into the water off Hartford Avenue, police said Friday in a news release.

Brathwaite was wanted in Brooklyn on attempted murder charges in relation to a domestic violence incident, police said. He is accused of attacking a woman and forcing her into his car before stabbing her multiple times both inside and outside the vehicle April 29, a spokesperson for the Deputy Commissioner's Public Information Office said Friday.

The woman was left on the side of the Wantagh State Parkway in Nassau County and flagged down a passing police car. She was then brought to Nassau County Community Hospital in critical condition, the spokesperson said.

Brathwaite is in the Atlantic County jail awaiting extradition. He's charged in New Jersey with being a fugitive from justice.

He was taken to the jail after being brought to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, City Campus, for an evaluation.

Brathwaite was in the surf up to his waist when officers found him distraught and refusing to leave the water. First responders managed to talk him out of the ocean, police said.

Following an investigation, law enforcement learned he was wanted out of Brooklyn.
The Supreme Court says it will decide whether or not to overrule a decades-old decision that has been a frequent target of conservatives and, if overruled, could make it harder to sustain governmental regulations. The Supreme Court said Monday it would decide whether to overrule a 1984 case known as Chevron. It involves the Chevron oil company and says that when laws arent crystal clear, federal agencies should be allowed to fill in the details. Thats what agencies do  on environmental regulations, workplace standards, consumer protections and immigration law. At least four conservative members of the court  Justice Clarence Thomas, Justice Samuel Alito, Justice Neil Gorsuch and Justice Brett Kavanaugh  have questioned the doctrine. The case won't be heard before the fall.
Downtown Davenport has been bustling this week, but it isn't just because of the flood. New neighbors have moved into 221 E. 2nd Street.

Sandwiched between the Bucktown Center for the Arts and Theo and Co. are two storefronts that house three new businesses. On the second story is RosaleeJewelry, beneath is H.L. by Design and next door will be the new home of Pedal Pub.

221 E. 2nd Street, second floor

Fashion has always been a passion for Amanda Frazer.

After college, the Quad-City native took her talents to Chicago, where she got her start doing window displays for major stores like Macy's. Before long, those jobs began to disappear, and Frazer needed to pivot into something new.

She found work as an apprentice for a jewelry store, where she did polishing, settings and the like. From there, she moved to a larger company in downtown Chicago that does custom work for large, national chains.

Eventually, she made her way back to the Quad-Cities, where she learned computer-aided design (CAD), similar to 3D modeling. This propelled her into managing a design and 3D printing department.

"I just wanted to get back into jewelry. It is my passion," Frazer said. "I feel like we're kind of missing that in this area  a sit-down and talk about it, comfortable environment."

In addition to custom rings, Frazer can make custom pieces out of existing jewelry. Customers who have family heirlooms that may not be their style can bring them in and discuss with her how they can be repurposed into something they will wear and perhaps become a new family heirloom.

In her studio, she has mainly samples of custom wedding and engagement rings but does have a few fashion pieces for sale as well. She has been in the space since January and is open by appointment, which can be made on her website.

H.L. by Design

221 E. 2nd Street, formerly Crafted QC

Kitchen and bathroom design is making its way to downtown Davenport, too.

Heather Wilson is the owner of H.L. by Design, which will officially open later this summer. In her new space, Wilson will have a showroom where clients can look at fixtures and design before committing to buying for their homes.

Originally from East Dubuque, Wilson got her start by flipping houses. While the process was fun, she was looking for something that would challenge her in a different way.

"I didn't really like doing furniture and pillows and paint colors," she said. "I liked blowing out walls and doing tile and making huge transformations."

Before deciding on the location on 2nd Street, she looked at 13 other locations in the region. But nothing compared to downtown.

"This was the first building I looked at ,and I started imaging things right away," she said. "I just kept coming back to it and coming back to it, and finally I said this is the one, which is great, because downtown is booming right now."

The boom isn't just in the her building. Across the street, Oh So Sweet by Tiphanie recently relocated from Main Street, and Dam Tacos, a carry-out and delivery-only bar, is set to open Friday, May 5.

Back at 221, upstairs from Wilson's business, is Rosalee, StaffNow and Nehlsen Creative, a marketing firm. Both are well-established in the community, with Nehlsen celebrating its 51st anniversary this year. Knowing other businesses were having success made it that much more appealing for Wilson.

The storefront will officially open at the end of June or mid-July. Appointments and walk-ins are both welcome.

221 E. 2nd Street Suite A, formerly Backwater Crossfit

It will be some time before customers can pop into Pedal Pub's permanent location, but it's on its way. For the time being, Manager Sam Volkmer said, the building will be used for storing the two business bikes.

The bikes currently are stored in a garage on 3rd Street. Customers get picked up at Kilkenny's Pub, on the corner of W. Third and N. Ripley, for their two-hour rides.

The bikes are Dutch Party Bikes, which are hand-crafted in the Netherlands and shipped via storage container. In the center of the bike is a large table that is surrounded by 16 bikes.

Customers pedal to power the bike while a "beerless pilot" leads the group around the city. Each tour is two hours long and is bring-your-own-beverage (BYOB) style. Each ride can be customized to include stops at local bars or to serve as scenic tours of the city.

The new building has a 20-foot garage door in the back, making it much easier to store the bikes and bring them out for customers. For now, the space will be used for storage. Eventually, though, the building will be split into two parts with the back housing the bikes and the front turned into something that will service the company.

"We'd really love to turn it into something that compliments Pedal Pub. We have a lot of riders that come in, and they want to experience something outside of the regular bar scene in Davenport," Volkmer said.

A multitude of ideas are being thrown around, including a place for merchandise, for gathering and even a bar.

"We don't really know 100% what that's going to be yet, but we want to incorporate some of those things," co-manager Will Rice said.

For now, Pedal Pub will continue to pick up and drop off customers at Kilkenny's in downtown Davenport. They expect to remodel their new space during coming months.
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Urban planning students at Augustana College will host a planning meeting for residents this week as part of a semester-long project to create a master plan for Longview Park.

Community members are invited to join and share input on future plans and improvements for the park from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. on May 11 at the Upper Pavilion near 18th Ave in Rock Island.

Dr. Chris Strunk, professor and geography department chair, said the student-designed master plan was a collaboration between Augustanas Upper Mississippi Center and Rock Island Parks and Recreation.

"Community engagement projects like this are a great opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and skills they learn about in the classroom and to meaningfully contribute to the community they are a part of at Augustana College," he said.

The plan will be used to guide future decision-making and upgrades at the what is one of the oldest, most used parks in Rock Island. Swahili, Kirundi and Karen interpretation will be provided at the community meeting.

Rock Island residents can also complete an online survey about the park at https://tinyurl.com/mrysd85s.

For more information, contact Nicole Lauer at (309)-794-7645 or nicolelauer@augustana.edu, or the Rock Island Fitness and Activity Center at (309)-732-7275.

Photos: Rock Island Police conducts emergency drill at Augustana College
Western Illinois University and U.S. Rep. Eric Sorensen, D-Illinois, will host the 2023 Congressional Art Show from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 6 at the Quad-Cities campus.

This year's art show, titled "Artistic Discovery," will take place in the Building C Atrium, located along 3200 River Drive in Moline.

The one-day competition will display artwork created by local Quad Cities youth, providing opportunities for recognition and decorating artistic talents across our communities. There will be a presentation and light refreshments.

WIU is thrilled Congressman Sorensen chose WIU-Quad Cities to host this event, and we look forward to an educational and visual experience that celebrates the creativity and vision of Quad Cities area youth," said Kristi Mindrup, Vice President of WIU-QC campus operations.

All entries should be original in concept, design and execution, following U.S. copyright laws.

The winner will have their artwork displayed in the U.S. Capitol for one year. The annual competition began in 1982 and has attracted work by over 650,000 high school students nationwide.

One of the responsibilities I look forward to the most is recognizing our many talented neighbors in central and northwestern Illinois, Sorensen said in a news release. I look forward to acknowledging the gifted young artists across our District and honoring one talented students work in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.

For more information on the competition, visit sorensen.house.gov/services/art-competition.

Photos: Fifth annual Get Lit Writing and Art Contest at WIU
United Way Quad Cities is seeking proposals for grants for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which received $137,266 from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The grants are federally funded and administered by United Way Quad Cities. They are available to nonprofits, faith-based organizations, and government organizations that provide emergency food, shelter and rental assistance in Scott or Rock Island counties.

FEMA is providing allocations of $65,912 for Rock Island County and $71,354 for Scott County. Applications are available at www.unitedwayqc.org/emergency-food-and-shelter and must be submitted by noon on May 19 via email to Karrie Abbott at kabbott@unitedwayqc.org.

Decisions for the grant awards are completed by a local decision-making board that includes representatives from these organizations: American Red Cross, CASI, Center for Youth & Family Solutions, Community Health Care, Community Action of Eastern Iowa, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Diocese of Davenport, Salvation Army, Scott County Community Services, and United Way Quad Cities.

Local organizations chosen to receive funds are required to:

1. Be a nonprofit organization or unit of government

2. Have an accounting system

3. Practice nondiscrimination

4. Have demonstrated the capability to deliver emergency food and/or shelter programs

5. If they are a nonprofit organization, they must have a volunteer board

No hard copies will be accepted. Grant recipients are scheduled to be announced by the end of May.

Red Cross efforts continue

American Red Cross volunteers will be distributing emergency supplies at two locations this weekend. The supplies are available for all area residents affected by Mississippi River flooding. Items such as mops, gloves, buckets, trash bags and additional supplies will be provided.

Saturday, May 6

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Buffalo City Hall, 329 Dodge St in Buffalo.

Sunday, May 7

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Pleasant Valley Fire Station, 24495 Valley Dr. in Bettendorf.

Volunteers are needed to help with feeding and shelter needs of area residents. Contact Connie Dudgeon with the Red Cross at connie.dudgeon@redcross.org or visit redcross.org/volunteer to sign up as a Red Cross volunteer.

If you have questions or need other Red Cross assistance, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767).
Local businesses and organizations are ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and Mexican heritage with the Quad-Cities, offering live music, food and more.

Cinco de Mayo commemorates Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Here's a roundup of local Cinco de Mayo events happening in the Quad-Cities:

Ganzo's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, 11 a.m. May 5: Taking a break from the 5K the restaurant has hosted for a decade, Ganzo's Mexican Restaurant, 3923 N. Marquette St., Davenport, will hold a Cinco de Mayo festival on the holiday. The celebration will include live music by Crooked Cactus, beverage deals, tequila tastings, street tacos and activities.

Taking a break from the 5K the restaurant has hosted for a decade, Ganzo's Mexican Restaurant, 3923 N. Marquette St., Davenport, will hold a Cinco de Mayo festival on the holiday. The celebration will include live music by Crooked Cactus, beverage deals, tequila tastings, street tacos and activities. Cinco de Mayo Feista, 3 p.m. May 5: Azteca 1 Mexican Restaurant, 4811 N. Brady St., Davenport, will host young professionals and partygoers this Cinco de Mayo. The restaurant will put up tents and offer street tacos, drinks and live music, and welcome young professionals for the Young Professionals Networking Night.

Azteca 1 Mexican Restaurant, 4811 N. Brady St., Davenport, will host young professionals and partygoers this Cinco de Mayo. The restaurant will put up tents and offer street tacos, drinks and live music, and welcome young professionals for the Young Professionals Networking Night. Quad-Cities Cinco de Mayo Open, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6: Western Illinois University will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a chess tournament, hosted by the Western Illinois University-Quad Cities Chess Club. Students from Western Illinois University and the Illowa Chess Club will compete throughout the day, and winners will receive prizes. In addition to the US Chess rated and reserve sessions, kids just getting started in chess will also have a chance to compete.

Western Illinois University will celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a chess tournament, hosted by the Western Illinois University-Quad Cities Chess Club. Students from Western Illinois University and the Illowa Chess Club will compete throughout the day, and winners will receive prizes. In addition to the US Chess rated and reserve sessions, kids just getting started in chess will also have a chance to compete. First Annual Cinco De Mayo Taco and Margarita Street Festival, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. May 6: East Moline Main Street is inviting the public to celebrate the holiday at its first annual Cinco de Mayo Taco and Margarita Street Festival, 11 a.m.- 6 p.m. May 6 on 15th Avenue. The free, family-friendly event will host more than 60 vendors and organization booths alongside live music from multiple groups. Guests can also pay $10 to get margarita flights with drinks made by local businesses and can cast a vote for their favorite.

Rudy's Tacos Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, noon May 6: Rudy's Tacos will host its Cinco de Mayo Fiesta May 6 at its Village of East Davenport store, 2214 E. 11th St., Davenport. In addition to live music, a bounce house, happy hour and giveaways, the restaurant will hold a taco-eating contest at 6:15 p.m. The competitor who takes first place will win a gift basket, and $50 and second place will take $25.

Mississippi Valley Fair Cinco de Mayo Bash, noon-10 p.m. May 6: Guests can head to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds, 2815 W. Locust St., Davenport, for a free, family-friendly Cinco de Mayo celebration May 6. The fairgrounds will host a kids zone, food concessions and live music. There will also be a performance by Ballet Folklorico at 4:15 p.m. and a jalapeno-eating contest at 5 p.m.
Four Iowa businessmen accused of fraudulently collecting millions in tax credits from the U.S. Treasury are now being sued in federal court for $70 million.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, paints a startling picture of how four Iowans allegedly invested a total of $250 to establish an Iowa company that quickly collected $19 million from the federal governments alternative-fuel-mixture tax credit program. Within 18 months of making that initial $250 investment, the lawsuit claims, the four men shuttered the company and paid themselves at least $10 million in company funds.

The lawsuit, filed by the U.S. Department of Justice at the behest of the Internal Revenue Service, seeks cash judgments against the four Iowans who in 2011 created the company known as Alternative Carbon Resources: James Huyser, Matthew Kinley, Kenneth Boyle and Jeffrey W. Carter.

Also named as a defendant is JWC Investments, a company that is alleged to be the alter ego of Carter and which received funds from ACR on Carters behalf.

The lawsuit accuses the four men of forming ACR for the express purpose of claiming alternative-fuel-mixture credits. It claims ACR purchased waste that was generated as a byproduct of ethanol production, mixed that waste with a small amount of diesel fuel, then falsely informed the federal government it had sold the concoction as an alternative fuel mixture in order to qualify for the $19 million in credits.

The defendants have yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

In March 2018, the U.S. Court of Federal Claims entered a judgment against ACR in the amount of $59.3 million, an amount that represents unpaid excise taxes assessed against the improperly claimed credits, plus penalties.

In its ruling, the Court of Federal Claims held that ACR was never eligible for the credits for two reasons: The companys waste-diesel mixture was never actually used as fuel, and the mixture was never sold to anyone as fuel. That decision was later upheld on appeal.

By the time the federal government had obtained its judgment against ACR, the individual defendants had long since emptied ACRs bank accounts, shuttered all operations, and all the defendants had personally pocketed millions in improperly claimed alternative fuel mixture credits, the lawsuit claims.

The federal governments $59.3 million judgment against ACR remains unpaid and, when combined with interest owed, the debt to American taxpayers now totals more than $70 million, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit seeks to pierce the corporate veil at ACR and hold the individual owners responsible for the companys debt.

Feds: ACR was a sham corporation

In arguing that the four individual defendants are liable for the debts of ACR, the government alleges in the lawsuit that ACR itself was a sham corporation with no employees and no office that served no legitimate business purpose and was used primarily as a vehicle to fraudulently lay claim to credits that would personally enrich the four.

According to the lawsuit, Huyser formed and organized ACR, and served as the companys registered agent and managing member. Kinley is a certified public accountant and was an officer of ACR, while Boyle, who holds a masters degree in business administration, was an officer of ACR and acted as its secretary. Carter, who has a degree in finance, allegedly helped Huyser develop the idea to form ACR and personally served as a member of ACR while it was in operation.

Carter is also alleged to have formed JWC Investments, in which he holds a 99% interest, and he allegedly directed that any funds paid to him by ACR be passed through JWC.

$250 investment generated millions in revenue

According to federal authorities, the tax code allows individuals to claim a tax credit for producing any alternative fuel mixture for sale or use in a trade or business of the taxpayer. During the time ACR was in business, the credits were available for the 2011 calendar year.

In early 2010, according to the lawsuit, Huyser and Carter began to investigate the feasibility of a business that would convert waste products from the production of ethanol into a mixture that would qualify as an alternative fuel mixture. At the time, the two men each worked in Iowa industries involving waste disposal, and they had allegedly observed that there was an excessive amount of ethanol waste being produced in Iowa.

In March 2011, Huyser, Carter, Kinley, and Boyle each executed an operating agreement for the creation of ACR, which involved the men investing a combined total of just $250, the lawsuit alleges.

According to the lawsuit, ACR then began purchasing ethanol waste, also called feedstock, from a supplier. The trucking company that transported the waste added a small amount of diesel fuel to the waste to create a waste/diesel mixture, and then delivered the concoction to anaerobic digester operators. ACR allegedly paid the digester operators to take the waste-diesel mixture and deposit it into their digesters.

While in operation during 2011, the lawsuit alleges, ACR had one primary source of income: the millions in alternative fuel mixture credit payments it improperly claimed and received from the United States treasury.

To claim the credits, ACR reported to the IRS that it had sold its waste-diesel mixture to the digester operators it was actually paying to accept the mixture. ACR then reported the volume of fuel in gallons that it was selling, calculating the value of the credit to be 50 cents per gallon. By the end of 2011, ACR was allegedly filing weekly claims with the IRS seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars of credits at a time, according to the lawsuit.

For example, on Dec. 7, 2011, ACR claimed a credit of almost $800,000 for having transported 1.5 million gallons of its waste-diesel mixture. Such claims eventually totaled $19 million, according to the lawsuit.

Payments made even after IRS raised questions

During 2011, ACR allegedly reported $10.5 million of net operating income, and the four individual defendants paid themselves more than $6 million, the lawsuit states. In 2012, ACR reported a $215,000 net operating loss, but the defendants still collected $4 million from the company.

Court records indicate the IRS may have suspected something was wrong with ACRs tax-credit claims. In June 2011, the company received a detailed questionnaire from the IRS about its business operations and its qualifications for the credits. The lawsuit alleges Huyser forwarded a copy of the questionnaire to Boyle and Kinley, stating, Very pointed questions! I cant imagine this is a positive event for ACR.

In August 2011, the IRS sent ACR an advisory letter stating that alternative fuel mixtures being deposited in anaerobic digester tanks were not being used as fuel and, therefore, werent eligible for the credits.

Despite that finding, ACR continued to seek, and collect, millions from the U.S. Treasury, according to the federal government.

The status of new cybersecurity laws proposed in Iowa The status of new cybersecurity laws proposed in Iowa
U.S. Senators Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and Tina Smith (D-Minn.), members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, introduced legislation to improve rural housing programs, cut red tape and increase the accessibility of affordable housing.

The senators bipartisan legislation would be one of the most significant reforms of the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Housing Service in years.

Homeownership is part of the American dream and a key to building wealth, said Rounds. Over the past year, Senator Smith and I have held hearings, met with stakeholders and visited with constituents in our states about the hurdles within the U.S. Department of Agricultures Rural Housing Service. This legislation makes important improvements and updates to the Rural Housing Service that will create and preserve affordable housing opportunities in South Dakota. As we face an affordable housing crisis across the nation, I look forward to working with my colleagues to get these important, bipartisan updates signed into law.

A lack of affordable housing remains a barrier for many South Dakotans living in rural communities. As ranking member and chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, Rounds and Smith held several hearings looking at ways to improve federal rural housing programs.

Without a safe, affordable place to live, nothing else in your life works, said Smith. Not your job, not your education, not your health. We know that the housing crisis is hurting communities across the country, and the problem is particularly acute in rural places. This legislation is the direct result of bipartisan hearings and conversations with stakeholders who helped identify ways we can make federal rural housing programs work better for people struggling to find a safe, affordable place to live.

The Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2023 is the direct result of visiting with South Dakotans, meetings with stakeholders closest to the issue and hearings, including one with the USDA Undersecretary for Rural Development. This legislation would improve and build upon a number of USDA rural housing programs.

Specifically, the bill would:

Fix a longstanding problem for properties (known as Section 515 properties) that were financed by the USDA decades ago and now have maturing mortgages by making it easier for non-profits to acquire those properties.

Expand an existing USDA pilot program, in partnership with Native Community Development Financial Institutions, to provide home loan assistance to Native American borrowers.

Bring the USDAs outdated method of determining incomes in line with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments practices.

Modernize the USDAs foreclosure process to cut red tape, better protect homeowners and make certain USDA-owned properties stay affordable.

Update the rules for a home repair loan program to make it less burdensome to get smaller loans.

Make much-needed investments in IT so USDA can process loans more quickly and with less staff time spent on paperwork or manual data entry.
The Ravalli County Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics starts with a run from Darby to Hamilton, where there's a parade and barbecue, before the run continues on to Florence.

Ravalli County Sheriff Lieutenant Chris Colgan is organizing the Special Olympics event for the county.

Our individual team members have combined forces to create this awesome fundraising team, Colgan said. Together we will raise more money for Special Olympics Montana than we ever could alone.

Across Montana, law enforcement officers raise funds and hope for Special Olympic athletes. The idea started in 1981 with five peace officers in Kansas, and has spread around the world to provide stability for Special Olympic athletes.

Each county in Montana holds their own fundraising run and this year the goal is $87,000. As of Wednesday Ravalli County had raised nearly $3,000. Colgan said donations can be made online at classy.org/team/492300?is_new=true.

Across Montana fundraising is tracked as to which county is raising the most. Right now I think were leading it, Colgan said. The win is really bragging rights and people are still gathering donations.

On Saturday, the Special Olympics Torch Run will start at 8:30 a.m. in Darby and get to Hamilton for a parade starting from Karl Tylers Express Lube, 415 N. 1st Street, around 11 or 11:30 a.m.

[The time] is one of the things were a little vague about because it is so unpredictable, Colgan said. Were hoping to meet up around 10:30 a.m. and get underway in about a half hour. We used to meet at Murdochs but that is 3 miles away verses one and a half miles so we cut the distance by half.

Following the parade, the sheriffs office Special Olympics Torch Run team will host a barbecue at the Ravalli County Search and Rescue building, 2029 N. 1st Street, in Hamilton.

Around 1 p.m. the Torch Run will continue the final leg to the rest of the county, north to Florence.

Retired Sheriff Deputy and School Resource Officer Chuck Gividen will have three generations in the Special Olympics Torch Run.

Gividen was a crime prevention officer in 1979, ran the D.A.R.E. program from 1990 to 1997, and was a School Resource Officer in Corvallis, Victor and Florence.

Colgan said the fundraising is important and changes lives.

Be a game changer, he said. Support your local Torch Run by registering online and raising funds or purchasing a T-shirt. Your commitment and support benefits the 3,300 Special Olympics Montana athletes in our state.

The Special Olympics State Games are May 17, 18, 19 in Bozeman.
A Corvallis High School graduate is partnering with the Veteran's Victory Alliance, in Sula, to run a 22-mile ruck march fundraiser on June 17 to raise awareness about veteran suicide in the Bitterroot Valley, uplift the VVA's accommodations for wounded veterans and improve Montanas suicide statistics.

Landen Conner, a 2021 CHS graduate, attends Carroll College and is in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) near Fort Harrison in Helena.

Conner said his decision to offer the ruck march began last fall after a soldier at Ft. Harrison committed suicide.

It spurred me to research suicide statistics in Montana and ways to prevent it, Conner said.

He found that, on average, 22 veterans take their life a day in the U.S.

That heartbreaking statistic inspired me to conduct a 22-mile ruck march to show every single veteran in the valley that their sacrifices are appreciated, that they are cared for by the community and that the next generation of military officers wants to honor those who came before, Conner said. I learned that Bitterroot has a higher-than-normal suicide risk level with its high percentage of veterans with few resources to address health concerns.

With that information he began looking for groups making an impact in the valley that would benefit from additional resources.

I found that the Veteran's Victory Alliance is a nonprofit that specializes in helping veterans and first responders recover from hidden wounds, Conner said. Their mission statement is, to offer veteran and first responder programs a rustic and comfortable Montana ranch facility for programs to conduct activities focused on personal and team wellness.

Conner discovered the VVA is raising $38,000 to finish a wheelchair-accessible bathroom and decided to help.

The event is called Operation 22 for the miles covered. The term ruck march can mean walking with a backpack, or moving quickly with full military gear.

Conner will carry a 35 pound pack.

By no means do others have to do the same, he said. There will not be water stations, so people should bring enough fluids to stay hydrated if they care to join me.

Starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, Conner will conduct a 22-mile ruck march through Hamilton starting at the RAL trail in honor of Robert Leonardi.

Starting at 6 a.m. on Saturday, June 17, Conner will conduct a 22-mile ruck march through Hamilton starting at the RAL trail in honor of Robert Leonardi. Participants will go as far east as 1210 Tammany Lane, head west until the intersection of Westside Road and Canyon Creek Road, go as far south as Roaring Lion Road, and end at the Veterans' Monument by Dairy Queen.

The original plan was for me to ruck alone, but local military groups and other community members have shown interest in joining me, so all are welcome to participate in some or all of the ruck, Conner said. The VVA is also exploring a virtual ruck option. Ill have details on that later. The VVA will have information updates on its website to keep the public informed.

For more information contact Conner at rclanden7@gmail.com, or visit https://veteransvictoryalliance.org/

Conner is a biochemistry major at Carroll College set to graduate in 2025. After graduation and completing his ROTC commitment, he would normally commission as a 2nd Lieutenant but is pursuing medical school.

I plan to delay my commission using an educational delay that means I won't commission as a 2nd Lieutenant but instead commission as a Captain upon medical school graduation, Conner said.
As the climate continues warming, milder winter weather cut Dominion Energys Virginia operating income by 25.5%, the Richmond energy giant reported.

The drop in Dominions Virginia income for the first three months of the year, to $386 million from last years $518 million, was nearly eight times larger than the declines from either its gas distribution businesses in Ohio and several western states or its South Carolina electric utility.

Dominion's bill relief comes in larger than expected Ending three surcharges and a drop in natural gas prices will spell immediate savings of $14 on a typical $137 monthly Dominion Energy bill. An increase in September will offset about $2.67 of those savings.

The Richmond-based energy giants first-quarter report also showed how a distant conflict  the Russian invasion of Ukraine  can hit home to affect Virginians pocketbooks. It reported a more than $340 million jump in what it spends buying fuel to run its power plants as global oil and natural gas prices soared with the cuts in Russian sales of fossil fuel to Western nations.

Its regulators allow it to pass on fuel price increases dollar for dollar, although the State Corporation Commission agreed to allow the company to spread out last years big jumps over three years.

Dominion has warned that this year it needs to recover further rises in fuel costs, though it has said it will ask the SCC to allow it to spread these over a longer period instead of asking for a $17-a-month boost on top of a typical 1,000 kilowatt-hour, $137 residential bill.

Dominion said a key driver of electricity use in the winter  how cold it got, as measured by heating degree days  fell 22.5% to 1,471 in Virginia. Heating degree days measure the number of days and degrees of temperature that vary from a benchmark.

About $67 million of its Virginia operating income decline was due to the weather, with an additional $57 million reflecting a decline in renewable energy tax credits and $21 million as customers opted for rate plans that saved them money.

Offsetting those impacts somewhat was a $33 million boost, largely reflecting a large 11% increase in commercial usage from Virginias boom in data center businesses.

Meanwhile, sharp rises in energy prices compared with last year  generally the result of the war in Ukraine and the cut in gas and oil shipments to the Western markets that set global benchmark prices  weighed on Dominions business.

Fuel costs for its Virginia and South Carolina electric utilities jumped by 50.7% to $1.02 billion during the quarter.

Dominions overall profit rose 40.2% to $997 million, largely because it benefited from paper mark to market gains of $231 million from its hedging operations as well as increases of $123 million in the value of reserves it holds in the nuclear decommissioning trusts it is required to maintain.

The companys revenue increased 22.7% to $5.25 billion.

Recognize this? 1950s photos from The Times-Dispatch archives Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Robinson and Newcombe Richmond in the 50s (236).jpg Richmond in the 50s (235).jpg Richmond in the 50s (233).jpg Richmond in the 50s (234).jpg Richmond in the 50s (231).jpg Richmond in the 50s (232).jpg Richmond in the 50s (229).jpg Richmond in the 50s (230).jpg 1954 Branch House 1956 Richmond Virginians Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in the 50s Richmond in 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Gaming revenue grew most in Oregon and New York last yearhere's how it breaks down across the rest of the US
A Richmond family with long ties to the local dining community has opened a new restaurant: 88 Street Food at 5905 W. Broad St.

Located in the former spot of The Crazy Greek, 88 Street Food serves eight kinds of banh mi, small plates like steamed buns stuffed with bulgogi beef, and boba tea drinks topped with fluffy ube foam.

The idea is fast-casual Vietnamese, owner John Nguyen said. His family also runs Vietnam One at 6215 W. Broad St. We wanted to have a boba tea shop with good food, where you can take the food to go or you can sit and enjoy your tea.

Nguyen launched 88 Street Food with his uncle, Paul Tran, who owned Pho 1 Grill and House of Vietnam in Short Pump. Tran arrived in Richmond over 40 years ago as a Vietnamese refugee and started working as a chef at Peking restaurant.

Drawing on family recipes, Tran said, we have been thinking of this concept for a long time.

The eight kinds of banh mi ($8) are served on a toasted French baguette with house-made mayo, daikon radish, carrot, cucumber, fresh jalapeno and cilantro. Banh mi can be filled with the traditional pork, tofu, grilled chicken, pate, or the house favorite bulgogi beef, which is Korean beef barbecue marinated in a savory-sweet sauce, among others.

88 Street Food also serves small plates such as popcorn chicken ($8), tossed in spicy garlic or Korean spice, bun buns stuffed with bulgogi beef, lemongrass pork or chicken ($8) and teriyaki chicken skewers ($8). It also offers garlic fried wontons ($7), gyoza ($7), crispy spring rolls ($4) and shrimp rolls in rice paper ($4).

Be sure to check out the bulgogi fries ($8), a fusion dish of french fries topped with marinated bulgogi beef, spring onions and house-made mayo.

Noodle and rice dishes are also on the menu ($11), filled with bean sprouts, daikon radish, carrot, edamame, lettuce, scallions, sesame seeds. They can be topped with proteins such as lemongrass pork, garlic shrimp, teriyaki chicken and bulgogi beef.

The space is bright and airy with orange chairs, white tabletops, seating for 40, and a selfie spot with string lights and a neon sign that says, Boba is life.

The owners took inspiration from similar boba tea shops in California.

Its counter service. Everything is in to-go containers; you can eat in or take it to go, Nguyen said.

Boba tea, Vietnamese coffee and fruit teas ($5.75-$5.95) make up a significant part of the menu, with over 30 drinks offered.

Boba tea, or bubble tea, is a sweet Asian drink made from fruit-flavored or milk teas with chewy tapioca balls known as boba.

88 Street Food offers many visually striking drinks, such as the matcha milk tea with ube foam, Vietnamese coffee with sea salt and foam and the 88 signature milk cap with brown sugar. Tapioca pearls, crystal boba and other toppings can be added to drinks for 75 cents.

Fruit teas also come in a variety of flavors, such as passion mango, strawberry lemon and longan jujube, which comes from sweet longan fruit. Popular toppings include rainbow jelly candy, strawberry stars and rainbow pops.

The space also offers a few Asian and European staples for sale, such as Cafe du Monde coffee, Chin-Su pho hot sauce, and plush toys.

Nguyen and Tran said they chose the former Crazy Greek spot for 88 Street Food because its just a few blocks up from Tan-A Plaza, which offers an Asian supermarket and Asian shops.

Tran said hes watched the Asian population grow in Richmond. According to 2020 U.S. Census data, the Asian population has increased in Richmond almost 50% over the past decade.

We feel very lucky to be here, Tran said.

The name 88 Street Food was chosen because the number 88 means fortune and luck in Chinese culture.

Ive seen a lot of boba tea shops around Richmond, but none offered food, Nguyen said. Good food and a relaxing place to enjoy your tea, thats what we offer.

PHOTOS: 88 Street Food
The Richmond Symphony will hold a free outdoor concert at Abner Clay Park in Jackson Ward on May 27 at 7 p.m.

The event will feature the symphonys Big Tent, its state-of-the-art mobile stage, and is the result of a partnership between the symphony and the Black History Museum & Cultural Center of Virginia, which is hosting the Childrens Book & Music Festival. The symphony will contribute musical presentations to the festival during May, culminating in the family- and pet-friendly concert at Abner Clay Park.

The concert will feature the music of Florence Price, Joseph Bologne and Adolphus Hailstork. Chia-Hsuan Lin will conduct the symphony.

The rain date is May 28, also at 7 p.m.

Upcoming free outdoor concerts performed by the Richmond Symphony will include Bryan Park on June 3 at 2 p.m.; Pocahontas State Park on June 10 at 8 p.m.; and Meadow Farm at Crump Park on July 4 at 4 p.m.
Voting hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (June 10 and 17 only)

Location: Office of the General Registrar, 2134 W. Laburnum Ave.

Voting hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (June 10 and 17 only)

Location: Chesterfield Registrars Office, 9848 Lori Road

Voting hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (June 10 and 17 only)

Location: Hanover County Offices, 7497 County Complex Road (absentee ballots can be placed in the drop box outside the building on the east side)

Voting hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday (June 10 and 17 only)

Locations: Western Government Center, 4305 E. Parham Road ; Eastern Government Center, 3820 Nine Mile Road ; Varina Library, 1875 New Market Road (Varina Library only operating June 10 and June 12-17)

Sean McGoey (804) 649-6012

smcgoey@timesdispatch.com

@SeanMcGoey on Twitter
Virginia Commonwealth University Health spent $73 million to back out of a redevelopment plan for the Public Safety Building in downtown Richmond, its CEO said Friday.

The hospital system paid off a third partys loan in order to avoid far greater financial problems down the road, said Dr. Marlon Levy, interim CEO of VCU Health.

In the past three years, the VCU has envisioned three separate plans for the parcel at North 10th and Clay streets near the MCV campus: a nearly 20-story office building set into motion in 2021, a scaled-down research building envisioned in 2022; and now a replacement for the School of Dentistry.

Earlier this year, VCU announced it would no longer pursue the research building or a partnership with the developer, Capital City Partners LLC. Levy called it the tough, but prudent, decision. Moving forward would have caused dire, long-term financial repercussions.

So VCU decided on a new path  building a new, $415 million dentistry school. Details are scarce. The health system and the university can move forward once they receive approval from the General Assembly.

The $73 million was paid from VCU Healths operating funds and represents slightly more than 2 percent of its annual budget. Between July and January, VCU Health produced an operating loss of $62 million, or almost 4 percent. Many hospitals nationwide lost money in 2022, and the health system blamed skyrocketing labor costs for the loss. News of the exit payment was first reported by Richmond BizSense.

A plan was hatched in 2021, when VCU Health signed an agreement with two other parties, Capital City Partners and an LLC tied to a New York private equity real estate firm called Blue Owl Capital. Capital City Partners, led by Susan Eastridge and Michael Hallmark, was the group tapped to lead the failed Navy Hill redevelopment.

According to the agreement, Blue Owl would own the dilapidated Public Safety Building and its 3-acre plot and serve as landlord. Capital City Partners would redevelop it. VCU would be the tenant. That year, the city transferred the property, and Blue Owl took ownership.

To finance the project, the landlord borrowed $425 million from UMB Bank in Kansas City by issuing a corporate bond. VCU agreed to a 25-year lease in which it would pay between $1 million and $2.6 million per month. The landlord gave the developer a budget of $316 million.

But construction lagged. Capital City Partners failed to demolish the old building by March 2022, and admitted the project could not be done within the budget and on schedule, according to a letter from a lawyer for VCU. The projects cost study used financial figures from 2017 to 2020. The groups leaders declined to comment.

Complicating the matter: it was 2021, when telework was at its peak, and VCU Health no longer needed a massive office tower.

The original project plans were developed before the pandemic, Levy said. While they were well-intentioned, by late 2021, construction and other challenges made it simply impossible to build the original project.

In 2022, the developer filed plans to build a scaled-down research facility. But reducing its scope was a violation of the three-way contract and was not a viable solution.

So VCU was stuck with its original concept  which it did not want anymore  and a developer it said could not get the job done. The health system also was strapped for cash, having to pay millions more for its nursing workforce.

By 2023, the city of Richmond ran out of patience. It reclaimed the parcel, citing a provision in the contract that gave the building back to the city if the developer did not meet construction deadlines.

In February, VCU Health, the developer and the landlord terminated their agreement, a process known as defeasance.

VCU was not happy with its contract partners, according to public documents. It claimed Capital City Partners was unable to construct the project, and it questioned the money the landlord had made from the loan. But ultimately, VCU wanted to protect its bond rating and avoid a lawsuit, so it agreed to pay handsomely. It gave the landlord $73 million to help pay off the bond debt.

It is unclear if the developer or the landlord helped pay off the remaining bond debt. Capital City Partners earned about half of the $17 million it was owed.

In February, VCU Healths chief financial officer, James Siegel, signed the defeasance agreement, which took effect March 31.

From the Archives: Arthur Ashe
A YouTube prankster has testified about a video that went wrong and ended with him getting shot in the abdomen. Lawyers for the man accused of the shooting say their client acted reasonably under the circumstances and was afraid for his safety. Alan Colie of Leesburg, Virginia, faced a preliminary hearing Wednesday. He's charged with shooting and wounding Tanner Cook. The 21-year-old content creator testified he was following Colie in a mall food court last month and putting a phone in his face. A judge acknowledged Cook was perhaps acting obnoxiously but approved prosecutors' request to send the case to a grand jury for indictment.
Virginia House Republicans are raising concerns about the cost of higher education, and the cost of diversity, equity and inclusion positions on college campuses.

House Speaker Todd Gilbert, R-Shenandoah, and House Majority Leader Terry Kilgore, R-Scott, sent a letter to the head of a state watchdog agency on Thursday, asking its staff to study the cost efficiency of public colleges and universities in Virginia.

The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission previously studied the issue and published a report in 2014. The letter says, it is unclear which, if any, of the 16 recommendations have been adopted from this report nearly a decade ago.

The letter also cites anecdotal reports from institutions around the Commonwealth about the increasing number of non-instructional staff, particularly in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) positions. It cites a report from the Virginia Association of Scholars, state chapter of the conservative National Association of Scholars organization, which says that about 1,100 in-state students could receive a full-tuition scholarship for the amount spent on DEI salaries.

The letter on Thursday comes shortly after Virginias chief diversity official, Martin Brown, slammed DEI initiatives at a Virginia Military Institute event last month, saying DEI is dead.

A Republican delegate earlier this year introduced legislation that would have instructed JLARC to study the growing cost of higher education in Virginia. In lieu of formal passage, a House Rules subcommittee agreed that a letter would be sent requesting JLARC to study the issue. The legislation identified 18 areas to study, including the number of individuals employed by each public institution of higher education to promote or advance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The letter House Republicans sent on Thursday noted the aim to identify opportunities to reduce costs as outlined in this strongly bipartisan resolution.

House Minority Leader Don Scott Jr., D-Portsmouth, called the letter disingenuous and said, it sounds like they put their politics  which is their attack on diversity, equity, inclusion  in the letter.

In January, a Senate subcommittee defeated legislation that would have required Virginia colleges to report the salaries of employees focused on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Former Gov. Doug Wilders independence is a reminder of Gov. Glenn Youngkins dependence on an ugly issue.

Wilder, the nations first elected Black governor, is furious that Youngkins top aide on racial and cultural matters declared that diversity, equity and inclusion are dead. Wilder says the aide should be fired and that the incident suggests Youngkin, whom Wilder all but endorsed in 2021, enraging fellow Democrats, is tone-deaf on race.

Wilder said in a front-page interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Gov. Youngkin needs to fire him. Thats what you do when somebody isnt doing his job.

The aide, Martin Brown, the rare Black Republican who also stoked controversy working for two earlier GOP governors, made his incendiary remarks during a diversity training program for staff at the Virginia Military Institute, a taxpayer-supported college in Lexington wrestling with the twin legacies of racial and gender segregation.

It is no coincidence Brown said what he did at VMI, given Youngkins continuing appeal  first as a nominee and now as a state chief executive flirting with a presidential candidacy  to the fears and anger of white voters in Virginia and beyond threatened by the post-George Floyd struggle to rebalance societys scales.

VMI is a free-fire zone in this effort, ensuring that Browns utterance  made as a principal Youngkin surrogate  would become a shout, one heard loud and clear by the anti-woke audience outside the crenelated walls of a military college opened to Black people in 1968 and women in 1997, in both instances at the point of legal-legislative bayonet.

It is in Youngkins best interest to elevate sensitivity on race because  as shown by his squeaker victory over Terry McAuliffe  it can elevate the enthusiasm of GOP voters, perhaps hastening in November restoration of complete Republican dominance of the state legislature. That would generate fresh national attention for Youngkin.

It is also in Wilders best interest to elevate sensitivity on race because  as shown by his half-century in politics  it elevates his legacy as the pioneer who razed electoral obstacles to Black people by asking discomfiting questions and cunningly challenging conventional wisdom. That demands Wilder is ultimately beholden to no one other than himself.

Two years ago, this manifested itself in Wilders refusal to support McAuliffe for governor, a move seemingly more personal than partisan. Into that vacuum would step Youngkin, embracing as his own Wilders advocacy for greater funding for historically Black colleges and universities  and suddenly looking a bit less threatening to minority voters.

But when Youngkins rhetoric became reality, Wilder  at 92, still likely to outlive many of his enemies  must have found himself in a difficult position, reconciling his proven record of racial advancement with Youngkins perceived record of racial retreat. Legacy, like a date with the gallows, concentrates the mind wonderfully.

Rather than being thrown on defense, having to explain Youngkins disputed additional dollars for HBCUs  they were branded underwhelming by Black legislators  and his bid to sanitize Virginias troubled racial history by rewriting public school curricula, Wilder finally did what he does best: play offense.

This can reinforce Wilders reputation for unreliability. At least thats what those adversely affected by his unique blend of self-determination, self-sufficiency and self-reliance would argue. Its often said youre better off with Wilder as an enemy than as a friend because that way youre not surprised when he turns on you.

Its a bitter lesson that Youngkin, who has described Wilder as his mentor, may be learning for the first time. But Youngkin had it coming. For Wilder, Browns pronouncement at VMI was the perfect opportunity to assert his independence and help put in clearer focus the sharp teeth behind Youngkins smiley face MAGA-ism.

This is not a fair match. Youngkins got to know that he cant win a debate over diversity, equity and inclusion  DEI  with the guy who is a living monument to all three. Wilders been doing politics for a long time  and doing it very well. He appreciates that often it is better to be feared. Youngkin, who wants to be liked, should be scared  very scared.

Wilder took his first swing at Youngkin via the Richmond Times-Dispatch, echoing Democratic legislators  white and of color  who said Brown had gone too far in saying, Lets take a moment right now to kill that cow. DEI is dead. Youngkins office said Democrats wanted to cancel Brown for challenging the groupthink of the progressive lefts pursuit of equity at any cost.

Then, Wilder appeared on WRVA radio, telling the conservative talk-show host John Reid that Brown, who as Gov. Bob McDonnells social services director in 2011 urged his agencys oversight board to ban adoptions by same-sex couples, had no experience in issues of fairness.

His voice climbing a note in disbelief  a sure sign to longtime Wilder watchers that he was ticked off  he said, This is who you hire to deal with a problem that has plagued our state? ... No, we are not living in the days of Stonewall Jackson or Robert E. Lee. Lets act like it.

Dont look to Youngkin to dial back on his anti-woke shtick. The stakes are too high. He needs to keep Republicans jazzed for the General Assembly elections, the outcome of which will shape his future in Richmond and whether he has one in Washington, D.C.

But another Virginia governor adjusted his thinking on diversity when politics demanded it  and he survived: Doug Wilder, who in 1990 refused to throw the weight of his office behind the drive to open VMI to women. The school, he said, has been too good for too long for me to intervene now.

Wilder would surrender on co-education at VMI, ultimately finding it impossible  as a symbol of the progress  to be seen as standing against it. Besides, Wilder had other plans.

He would be running for president.

From the archives: In 1990, L. Douglas Wilder was inaugurated as Virginia's first elected African-American governor
If you use any technology to contact your doctor remotely, you might be surprised to know that your physician may be unknowingly committing a crime, especially if you live near a state line. These laws are rarely enforced and were waived during the COVID-19 pandemic. A bill introduced during this years Virginia General Assembly would have made it easier for physicians to practice telemedicine beyond Virginias borders, but unfortunately, it gained no traction.

Physicians like me are typically licensed only in the state in which they practice, and therefore, they are allowed to provide care only within that states borders. If you contact your physician while outside the state in which he or she is licensed, your physician is not legally allowed to provide you with any care or recommendations.

With the widespread adoption of telemedicine during COVID-19, this is becoming much more of an issue in health care, particularly in Virginia, because it impacts physician reimbursement and liability. Patients and clinicians alike have found telemedicine to be an effective way to address many medical conditions, and a great option for disabled patients or patients living in rural areas where physically going to an office is difficult. Over the past three years, telemedicine has become a standard practice among medical providers. Over one-third of medical visits in 2022 were done by telemedicine.

During the COVID-19 health care emergency declaration, interstate practicing laws were waived, and physicians and other health care providers were allowed to provide telemedicine across state lines. Now, many states are lifting the public health emergency declaration, which will reinstate the laws restricting interstate practice. As a result, many providers are veering away from telemedicine again to avoid legal and malpractice pitfalls. Virginia has already declared that the public health emergency will end May 11, and with it the protections for providers who care for patients outside of their jurisdiction.

A growing group of states has forecast the issues that would be caused by again limiting interstate medical care. They have joined an entity called the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, an agreement among states to allow medical providers licensed within one member state to provide care in any of the member states. Currently, 37 states belong to this compact, but not Virginia. Legislation was introduced in Virginias House of Delegates in January to join the IMLC, but the bill was left in committee.

Unless Virginia acts quickly and joins the IMLC, after May 11 health care in the state will revert back to the arcane laws established long before video telemedicine became such a viable and crucial part of health care. A patient who lives in Bristol, Tennessee, but sees a physician in Blacksburg, Virginia, because of his work site will not legally be able to call his physician on a night or weekend from home if he gets sick. A disabled person who lives near the Outer Banks in North Carolina will not be able to contact her specialist in Norfolk unless she travels in person. As a physician, I will not be allowed to provide advice regarding abnormal test results to my patient visiting her family in another state.

Medical conditions are the same across state lines, so why shouldnt medical care be the same? Legislators in 37 states recognize the importance of getting care from a doctor who knows you and whom you trust, regardless of location. Virginia legislators should follow suit and join the IMLC for the health and continuing care of Virginians, wherever they are.

From the Archives: Beer in Richmond
03-09-1969: Boys gather for a fast game of football on the campus of the Richmond Home for Boys. Ages start at six years and residents show appreciation for discipline.

10-2-1958: Youngsters enjoy game of kickball on non-landscaped area at Richmond Home for Boys.

12-16-1959: The women who prepare breakfast for 44 boys have a busy hour. Mrs. Ethel Fisher (left), Mrs. Ruby Petit Work at Richmond Boys Home.

Boys help with breakfast clean up at the Richmond Home for Boys in 1959.

In December 1959, boys help out with breakfast dishes at the Richmond Home for Boys.

9-5-1965: In September 1965, Richmond Home for Boys Assistant Director W.H. Gormon (left) chatted with two residents. In front of them is the bell that had been used for 70 years to summon young residents. The organization was founded in 1846 as the Richmond Male Orphan Society and moved to its current current site on West Broad Street in Henrico County in 1957. It is now known as the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls.

9-18-1949: In mid-1949, youths from the Richmond Boys Home were eager to appear in "This is Our Way," a 20-minute movie that told the story of the Community Chest, now known as the United Way. Each of the 31 agencies serviced by the Chest had a part in the film, which premiered in September that year and was made available to anyone willing to show it. It was filmed over several months by the motion picture department of Reynolds Metals Co. as a donation to promote the good works of the Chest.

3-17-1962: A special sort of road. Lee Hazelgrove, 4, takes to his fire engine to try out new sidewalks at the Richmond Home for Boys. About 400 feet of sidewalk, costing $1,400, were donated to the home by the Downtown Optimist Club. Watching the test run are (from left) W. L. Hazelgrove, superintendent of the home at 8716 West Broad St.; Don N. Maloy, president of the club; G. S. Maynard, president of the home; Allen Meads, 6, and Steve Madison, 6.

From the Archives: Virginia Home for Boys and Girls

This year, the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls celebrates 170 years of serving children and families.

The organization was founded as the Richmond Male Orphan society in 1846.

In 1847, it was incorporated by the General Assembly.

In 1969 its name was changed to the Richmond Home for Boys and then to the Virginia Home for Boys in 1971.

Today, the Virginia Home for Boys and Girls is one of the oldest children's homes in continuous service in the state.

Since its founding, the home has aided thousands of children and continues to do so today.

Today, some photos of the home from our archive.
Haven Riviera Maya hotel seized due to 20 year legal battle

Riviera Maya, Q.R.  The legal representative of the owner of the Haven Riviera Maya hotel says the seizure was due to a 20 year legal battle.

According to the FGE, the Haven hotel was seized by the state on April 25 for dispossession. Ana Francisca Soto, legal representative of the alleged owner of the property, said that the hotel was built on a 163-hectare property called Laguna Azul whose title has been in question since it was acquired in 1998.

Shortly after the property was acquired, the title of its owner came into question and is what remains in dispute.

The property was acquired in 1998 by the first owner directly from the Agrarian Reform Secretariat who followed a procedure to be able to have possession of it, and thus have a property title which was controversial, which led to a series of continuing trials for more than 15 years, she explained.

There are also legality issues with the construction of the hotel.

What is also necessary is to resolve is the problem of the construction that has been done on the land with one of the owners, she added.

On April 25, the hotel was placed under the custody of the FGE, which caused grief for tourists who had reservations.

Several days after the seizure, the FGE reported that the seizure did not affect tourists and that the hotel continues to operate.
On the first anniversary of a fatal shooting in northwest Roanoke, police pleaded for the publics help in identifying a suspect in the homicide.

Ulysses K. Williams, 30, of Roanoke died from a gunshot wound in the 1200 block of Hanover Avenue Northwest on May 4, 2022.

Roanoke police said on social media Thursday that no one has been arrested in connection with the shooting.

Detectives are seeking the publics help to develop further leads and identify a suspect, police said on Facebook. Ulysses was a father, son, friend and loved one. We want to hold whoever killed him accountable for their actions, and bring some comfort and peace to those who loved him.

Williams was getting out of a car on Hanover Avenue when he was shot, according to search warrants filed in Roanoke Circuit Court shortly after the incident last year.

When police arrived at about 1:45 p.m., they found Williams in the street, beside the driver side door of a 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe, an affidavit read. The black vehicle had Virginia tags UHG-4003.

First responders found Williams deceased from a gunshot wound to the chest, the affidavit continued. The vehicle was still running and witnesses stated that the victim was seen getting out of the driver side of the Tahoe.

A second affidavit said Williams had a cell phone in his front pants pocket that was actively ringing when police arrived. A search of the gold iPhone 12 in a black case yielded phone data.

A third affidavit said Williams was in contact with a specific phone number and had arranged a meeting on Hanover Avenue.

Williams spoke with this number when he arrived on the street at 1:38 p.m., the affidavit continued, and within five minutes, calls to police were received for the subject shot.

Police seized electronic data from the phone number through Verizon.

No other calls were made by the victim after this meeting and no other meeting had been arranged, the affidavit said.

If you know something about the homicide, call 540-853-5874 to talk to Detective P. Caldwell with Roanoke police, or call the departments tip line, 540-344-8500.

You can also send a text beginning with RoanokePD to 274637. Police said that all texts and calls can remain anonymous.
Graduation Saturday marks one more gathering for Roanoke College classmates before they scatter toward an untold variety of futures.

Lydia Turner-Little is one of 436 graduating students in the Roanoke College class of 2023, according to university data. She said she is just as interested in some of her peers outcomes as she is excited about her own.

Im so interested in seeing what my friends do, Turner-Little said. Theyve got a lot of really cool stuff going on.

She said its been enjoyable watching her friends in their element, presenting research projects and defending theses while the school year and their undergraduate studies wrap up.

Altogether, graduating and heading off for the sunset is a little bit nerve-wracking, but mostly exciting, said the native of Damascus, Maryland.

After all, earlier college was not exactly what I thought it was going to be, with COVID and everything, Turner-Little said. So its just nice to finally be here at the end of it.

And here she is, a sociology major preparing for three more years of education at Columbia Law School in New York City. She said research, internships and mentors from Roanoke College helped her stand out during the highly competitive application process.

The most impactful thing really is the community with folks, Turner-Little said. Interacting with other students absolutely made the experience, but also connecting with professors.

In law school, Turner-Little said she plans to pursue social justice issues and public interest law. She listed LGBTQ issues, rights of indigents and abolition of the death penalty as areas of potential specialty.

For me, social justice is making things better for everyone Its really important to try to create a more just and equitable society, Turner-Little said. The ways to do that are recognizing certain systems and inequalities that do exist, and trying to figure out, OK, why? And what can I actively do to get rid of those, and make things better?

One formative moment from her experiences at Roanoke College was the Inside-Out prison exchange program at the Roanoke County/Salem jail, Turner-Little said. Its a once weekly course that combines college students learning alongside people who are imprisoned.

I took the class my freshman year, the COVID semester, Turner-Little said. We were one of very few programs across the country that actually got to keep going.

She returned to Inside-Out as a senior, serving as teaching assistant for the course. That first-year experience spurred in Turner-Little an interest in public defense, and helped shape her decision to pursue law school, she said.

When you actually know eight to 10 people in there, and you know their daughters birthday is coming up, and theyre missing some family events, and they have certain dreams and goals theyre planning to do once they get out, its different to walk by there, Turner-Little said of the jail. It really helped humanize and remind me of the importance of not forgetting people in those situations.

This Roanoke College graduating class was first-year students when the coronavirus struck and upended daily life.

Returning to a sense of normalcy has taken years, and Turner-Little said she undoubtedly missed some opportunities due to the ensuing societal shutdowns. But perhaps theres an upside.

The COVID times really strengthened the friendships that I did have, I mean, because you werent seeing anybody else except those people, Turner-Little said. As things have started opening back up, and the campus has started to come back together and do stuff together again, thats been really nice to see in the last year or so.

Roanoke College Professor Todd Peppers, coordinator of the schools legal studies program, said Turner-Little is a testament to the schools pre-law program.

He said his colleagues have debated this year about the impact of the coronavirus on students, as things have slowly returned to normal.

The pandemic robbed our graduating seniors, as it did graduating seniors around the country, of the opportunity to spend four years on campus, getting to know their professors and classmates and pursuing academic and extracurricular opportunities which were difficult to replicate online, Peppers said in an email. That being said, I think that this years graduating class has demonstrated that they have the grit and flexibility to adapt to unforeseen circumstances and to thriveand those skills will serve them well in the coming years.

Roanoke College commencement is scheduled to happen outside on the front quadrangle, weather permitting, Saturday at 10 a.m.
The Republican-written bill that prohibits abortions after 12 weeks in North Carolina passed the General Assembly on Thursday with a vote in the Senate after hours of debate.

With a supermajority in both the House and Senate, Republicans have the votes to override a veto from Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who said earlier this week he would veto it, calling the bill extreme.

The bill passed the Senate 29-20, along party lines with all Republicans in favor and Democrats against. Republican Sen. Todd Johnson had to leave before the vote. There are 30 Republican senators, which is a three-fifths supermajority. The House passed Senate Bill 20 along a party-line vote on Wednesday night.

After the Senate vote around 5 p.m. Thursday, the bill was sent to Cooper.

Sen. Joyce Krawiec, who was part of a working group of Republicans who negotiated the abortion bill, said Thursday that lawmakers have worked for months to come up with this mainstream, common-sense piece of legislation that will address the abortion issue, as well as reduce infant and maternal mortality and morbidity.

North Carolina currently prohibits abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions for medical emergencies. The GOP proposal would bring that down to 12 weeks with exceptions up to 20 weeks for rape and incest, up to 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies, and without limit if a physician determines that the mothers life is in danger due to a medical emergency.

The bill also funds services, such as child care, foster care and contraception, as well as paid parental leave for teachers and state employees.

Doctors and others rallied Wednesday at the legislature, warning that the bill would make it more difficult for women to terminate a pregnancy.

Right after the vote late Thursday afternoon, people in the gallery above the Senate floor started shouting loudly, saying abortion rights now and shame. Senate leader Phil Berger ordered the gallery to be cleared, and the protesters were escorted out just before senators adjourned for the week.

Senate debate on the abortion bill

Republican Sen. Vickie Sawyer said Thursday no stones were left unturned and that lawmakers talked to doctors to learn about the care women received while pregnant.

I hope my colleagues across the aisle can can look past the extremes and see the good this does for women, children and families, with the bill putting in place protections for women who experience domestic violence or are assaulted, among other provisions, she said.

Sen. Amy Galey said the abortion issue led her to become a Republican, as Democrats over the years increasingly became dominated by abortion special interests who insist that there should be a fundamental right to abort an unborn child for any reason at any time.

Democrats have said they have not been a part of discussions, and on Thursday, all Democrats used the 10 minutes they were allotted to speak about the bill. Berger allowed some of the senators to speak slightly longer than 10 minutes, with reminders to wrap up their comments.

This bill would not stop women from seeking out abortions. It will simply force them to seek out unsafe and often deadly alternatives, such as self-induced abortions and seeking out unregulated providers, said Democratic Sen. Gladys Robinson, who also touched on high infant and maternal mortality rates in the state, especially for Black infants and mothers.

Sen. Natalie Murdock, a Durham Democrat, questioned the limits on what constitutes a medical emergency under the bill, saying as one of the few women in this chamber that can still hopefully have, God willing, have children, she was horrified at the prospect of having a child in her home state.

Sen. Gale Adcock, a Cary Democrat, shared statements from the North Carolina Medical Society and other organizations opposing the bill and said reproductive decisions should be made between patients and their health care providers.

Democratic Sen. Jay Chaudhuri, of Raleigh, asked a series of questions on specifications in the bill, which would require new in-person appointments and diagnostic tests and impose a $5,000 civil fine for doctors who illegally provide or advertise an abortion-inducing drug.

In an attempt to postpone the vote, before debate began, Senate Democratic Leader Dan Blue said the bill was out of order, citing state law that says that the General Assembly must first pass its budget and order it sent to the other chamber before placing any other appropriations bill on the calendar for second reading. Other senators attempted to slow the bill, but all failed.

After the first attempt, a person watching the proceedings from the gallery seating above shouted, abortion rights now, prompting Berger to tell the audience to maintain order, saying if there are disturbances, we will clear the gallery.

Abortion bill avoids typical procedure

The abortion bill, dubbed the Care for Women, Children, and Families Act, faced late-night debate Wednesday before it passed the House.

Democrats denounced the bill, objecting to the further regulations and to how Republicans advanced the measure. GOP lawmakers had revealed their 46-page abortion bill on Tuesday evening via a conference report, which allows the legislature to avoid the typical procedural requirements of multiple hearings, debate and opportunities for amendments from both parties.

Republicans privately debated abortion restrictions for several months, reaching what House Speaker Tim Moore called late Wednesday night after his chambers vote a middle-of-the-road bill. The bill is less restrictive that laws passed in other Republican-controlled state legislatures. Republicans who were part of the working-group negotiations said they considered a range of policy from a total abortion ban to not changing the current state law at all.

Whats next for the bill

Because SB 20 is a Senate bill, once Cooper vetoes it, it will go back to the Senate first for an override vote. Berger left immediately after the session Thursday to catch a flight, so did not talk to reporters. Berger spokesperson Lauren Horsch said that the timing of the override will depend on what Cooper does. The governor has 10 days to sign, veto or let a bill become law without his signature.

If the Senate successfully overrides his veto, the House would then vote. The House did not have the full supermajority until Rep. Tricia Cotham switched her party affiliation to Republican, giving House Republicans one more key vote.

Each chamber now has enough Republican votes to overturn a veto if everyone is there for the vote.
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Email Thomas Elias at tdelias@aol.com. His book, "The Burzynski Breakthrough, The Most Promising Cancer Treatment and the Governments Campaign to Squelch It" is now available in a soft cover fourth edition. For more Elias columns, visit www.californiafocus.net
When we think of most deserts in pop culture, we picture an arid environment of rolling sand dunes; however, there are four main types of deserts on Earth, and the most significant difference between the environments is their temperatures and where they are on Earth.

The four main types of deserts on Earth:

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Hot and dry deserts have warm and dry temperatures year-round. Semi-arid deserts have long, dry summers with some rain in the winter. They're also cooler than hot and dry deserts. Coastal deserts have the most humidity of all four types, but rainfall is still rare. Cold deserts are dry and extremely cold, though heavy snow and rain throughout the winter is common.

So now we know the four different types of deserts, but what is the largest desert in the world? Read on as we rank the 10 largest on the planet, starting with No. 10, and the many societies, plants and animals that have made their home in these challenging landscapes.
The registered unemployment rate in Germany. Credit: OECD, Study

The Hartz reforms from 2003 to 2005 are considered an important reason for the relatively good development of the labor market in Germany. The reforms also included restructuring the Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur fur Arbeit (BA)) in 2004. A study carried out at FAU has now come to a remarkable conclusion with regards to the effectiveness of the reforms: The new structure of the Federal Employment Agency has not improved the Agency's ability to match vacant positions with job seekers.

Rather, an improved activation policy at the Agency increased the use of private job search engines by job seekers, thus increasing the likelihood that they find a new job.

Restructuring of Federal Employment Agency investigated

In his analysis, Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl, Chair of Macroeconomics at FAU, comes to the conclusion that the restructuring of the Federal Employment Agency in 2004 did decrease aggregated unemployment in Germany by nearly one percentage point, but in a different way than expected.

In conjunction with Timo Sauerbier, research associate at the Chair of Macroeconomics, Merkl demonstrates that the proportion of jobs found via the Federal Employment Agency was actually lower after the reforms than before the reforms (eight percent instead of eleven percent).

"The decrease in the proportion of jobs matched by the Agency was accompanied by a decrease in the number of unemployed and an increase in the number of vacancies reported to the Agency, which when seen in the context of our quantitative model suggests that the Agency's performance has improved, but not in the way we had expected," says Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl.

More matches via private job searches

Instead, the restructured Federal Employment Agency has led to improvements in activation policy and thus ultimately to more matches via the private recruitment market (job portals, job adverts in newspapers, etc.) observes FAU researcher Merkl. "In the new structure, each job seeker was assigned to a specific caseworker at the Agency and, at the same time, the number of cases for each caseworker was reduced."

"Firstly, this meant the improved individual support that caseworkers were able to provide to each job seeker enabled job seekers to use the private job search market more effectively, which lowered the individual costs for private job searches. Secondly, caseworkers received more means of exerting pressure on job seekers via sanctions, which increased individual costs if no searches were performed on the private job market."

Important lesson for other European countries

In fact, descriptive data show considerable use of sanctions after the Hartz III reforms and, at the same time, a considerable increase in searches on the private recruitment market. Both more support and increased sanctions for job seekers corresponded with the new strategy of the Federal Employment Agency as part of the Hartz reforms ("challenge and support").

"We are able to demonstrate that the restructured Federal Employment Agency contributed to exerting pressure on job seekers to use the private job search market more actively, instead of improving how it matched job seekers with vacancies directly. Since caseworkers knew their clients better in the newly structured organization, they were able to support and challenge them better," explains Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl.

Closing a gap in research

With his study, Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl has closed a gap in research that had existed to date. While the macroeconomic effects of the 2005 unemployment benefit reform have received a great deal of attention in academic practice, little attention has been paid to the macroeconomic labor market effects of the restructuring of the Federal Employment Agency in 2004.

FAU researchers have done so on the basis of data previously unused at this scale from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP), the largest and longest-running multidisciplinary long-term study in Germany, and the IAB Job Survey.

Prof. Dr. Christian Merkl is able to come to a decisive conclusion: "This is an important lesson for other European countries that often have similar public employment agencies. The German example does not show how public job search activities can be improved. Instead, it makes it clear how a public employment agency has to be restructured so that the number of private job searches increases and overall unemployment levels decrease as a result."

More information:

The study is available online at VoxEU: cepr.org/voxeu/columns/reorgan  abour-market-upswing

Provided by FriedrichAlexander University ErlangenNurnberg
FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence County deputies arrested a murder suspect after trying to pull him over for a traffic stop on Wednesday, according to officials.

Jason Tyvon MCrae did not stop when Florence County Sheriffs Office deputies tried to pull him over as he turned into Magnolia Mall, according to spokesman Michael Nunn. He said MCrae fled, first in his car through the parking lot and then on foot into the mall.

MCrae pulled a handgun on the deputies while inside the mall, but instead of starting a shootout, the deputy tasered MCrae and arrested him, Nunn said.

Our CEU Unit doesnt just find drugs on the Interstate, Sheriff T.J. Joey said in a media advisory. Sometimes they find murder suspects. They are true professionals doing a dangerous job and they make us all proud.

MCrae is wanted in Robeson County, North Carolina, on a r murder charge, according to Nunn.
Some linger in woods. Some stand, for now, at the end or side of a dirt road. Some hide behind other buildings, and some haunt the edge of hamlets and villages.

Abandoned churches. How does a church die? I know that things change, that people move away, that often an elderly congregation has no youth to replace it and that towns die and an exodus takes place. People leave a church when its no longer possible to carry on. I like to think that when that day of dread arrives, a congregation of three or four sings a hymn, prays, and then cries as they shut the door for the last time.

In the past few years Ive photographed abandoned churches in South Carolina and Georgia, my province of Georgialina. My wanderings have taken me to churches named Friendship in Georgia and Dothan in an extinct South Carolina community known as Morgana. Morgana, say it again. What a beautiful word as in Fata Morgana, a mirage, and what you see here is a kind of mirage, a church that is not a church anymore. You see the shell of a church. A church dies when its congregation is no more.

Some cling to life through the kindness of others such as Barrs Chapel in Edgefield County. I read that services take place there twice a year, once in autumn and at Christmas when a candlelight service takes place. And Ive stopped by Friendship Baptist Church near Tignall, Georgia. A long steel cable runs from the church to a tree. Best I figure thats to keep it from falling over.

Many old churches still have pews and a piano. (I heard the beautiful and haunting tale of a forester who taught himself to play a piano in an abandoned church.)

Some churches command me to visit them. On A Sunday in April I drove to Peak, South Carolina. I was on a quest. I sought the St. Simons Episcopal Church, but finding it wasnt easy. The old church hid behind a home and you had to know just where and when to look or youd miss it. I missed it. Missed it more than once. Flustered I parked near a building to figure out what to do when by a stroke of good luck, I spotted a gentleman and asked him where it was. A pillar of the community, Dr. Carroll Pinner, led me to the church.

Engraved into the churchs cornerstone wreathed in vines is 1900, a cross, and an ear. The old carpenter gothic church still stands. Shes ailing though. Members of the Pinner family, Peak community, and others hope to restore the church but help is needed. More on that to come.

The church is beautiful and historic. Its had a significant impact on civil rights in South Carolina and has ties to astronaut Maj. Gen. Charles F. Bolden. With the help of a friend of St. Simons Church, Buddy Johnson of Little Mountain, I hope to sit down with the Reverend Simon P. Bouie to get details on the churchs history and legacy. Buddy sent me a document that says the church had its beginnings as an African American Episcopal congregation in 1889 under the leadership of Reverend G.E. Howell.

It may be, Im told, the earliest instance of an integrated school in South Carolina, long before any civil rights movement began. Ill be returning to this story in a magazine feature where I will be armed with much more information. For now When A Church Dies is a sad familiar refrain other inactive and abandoned churches know so well. As Peaks population declined, attendance at St. Simons dropped. By the 1920s regular services were pretty much a thing of the past.

As my Grandmother Walker faced the inevitable, she told me more than once that all her friends were in the ground. Thats how an abandoned church must feel. All its members are in the ground. It falls on others, latecomers, you could say, to step forward and save places of import and charisma. St. Simons has both and it deserves to be saved and restored.
Rolls of razor wire line the top of the security fencing at the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Mississippi, in August 2022.

Rolls of razor wire line the top of the security fencing at the Raymond Detention Center in Raymond, Mississippi, in August 2022.

The fourth and final detainee who escaped from the Raymond Detention Center in Mississippi more than a week ago has been found, authorities said Thursday.

Corey Harrison, 22, was apprehended by officers with the Hinds County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force at a residence in Crystal Springs, a city about 20 miles south of the detention center, according to a statement from the sheriffs office.

Jodie Marie Tebo, 38, was arrested in connection with Harrisons escape and faces charges of aiding and abetting, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said in a tweet Thursday morning.

Harrison was the last of the four men who escaped from the prison on the night of April 22 to be found.

Casey Grayson, 34, was found dead in a vehicle at a New Orleans truck stop on Sunday, Jones said. The cause of Graysons death has not yet been determined.

Dylan Arrington, 22, died after a standoff with law enforcement in a burned home in Carthage, Mississippi, on April 26. Arrington was accused of killing a Mississippi pastor while on the run.

Jerry Raynes, 51, was found at a hospital in Spring Valley, Texas, on April 27.

After the inmates were reported missing from the jail on April 23, staff found two breaches, one in a cell and one in the roof, after the jail was put on lockdown, according to Jones. It is believed that the group climbed onto the roof and left the property at different times around on April 22.

The four men were pretrial detainees who had been waiting for their trials. Grayson faced charges of selling controlled substances and grand larceny; Raynes faced charges of auto theft and business burglary; Arrington faced charges of auto theft and possession of a firearm as a convicted felon and Harrison faced charges of receiving stolen property, according to Jones.
This is a developing story that Coconuts is still investigating. All names have been changed to protect their identities.

Anita was no stranger to bad news, unexpected or otherwise. As a working mother of four, these things always found a way to happen at the most inconvenient times. From a school bullying incident when she was in a meeting with a client to a home accident and injury when she was dealing with a logistics crisis at work, she took on every crisis calmly and efficiently.

However, this time it was different.

As she was about to start work one day recently, she got a notification on her phone. It was from Instagram about a new comment on one of her posts. Thinking it was a reply to her latest photo of her weekend getaway, she was surprised to see that it was a comment on a video of her with her family from over two years ago.

Aunty Im sorry to be the one to tell you this, but Saras noods have been leaked, it read.

She didnt understand the sentence at first but only when she read it out loud did she realize what noods was.

Her heart sank as she read the message again.

Telling herself that she still had a days work to get through, she took a screenshot of the message, deleted the comment, then sent her 17-year-old daughter the screenshot.

What is this about  we are going to talk about it at home later, she hurriedly typed before sending the message. After a few deep breaths and some mental affirmations, she went through the rest of her day as usual.

When Sara received the message from her mother, she froze.

Three months earlier, Sara started receiving messages from people she knew from school  who werent close to her  telling her in good will that they had seen her nude photos being circulated, and sold, on several groups on the messaging app Telegram.

All the people who had messaged her were guys.

She had no idea what they meant by Telegram groups but soon realized that the private photos she had sent to her long-time boyfriend had somehow been leaked. She told her boyfriend the news and they agreed to not discuss it and try to fix the problem themselves.

Story continues

But somehow, now, her mother had found out. And she was filled with a sense of dread.

A normal, modern family

On a typical night in the Anitas household, the family gathers around the table for a home-cooked dinner and talk about their day or random things that made the news. When shes not busy running her successful lifestyle business, Anita is an excellent cook.

After praise is given to the chef and the dishes are washed, the family would bicker for a while trying to decide on what movie to watch. But plans for movie nights like that always end the same way  with all the kids staring and scrolling on their phones.

How can you fault them?

The quest to seek information is no longer a multipronged or multi-medium approach  everything you can learn is done through screens. Ask just about anyone these days and they would rather lose their wallets than their phones.

But family night was a bit different the day Anita received that Instagram message because Sara knew she would have to tell her mother everything after dinner.

In protection mode

Coming clean about sending nudes to her boyfriend was hard for both Sara and her mother. For Sara it was a dark confession about the full extent of her relationship with her boyfriend and for her mom, it was the realization that her child was not a child anymore.

Still, Anita said that, at that moment, she had to put aside her personal grievances and first focus on protecting her daughter. Though Sara had reassured her mom that her boyfriend did not leak the photos, Anita set out to have a chat with him, just the two of them.

Cody and Sara started dating when they were still in secondary school. They attended different schools but were introduced to each other by friends. Like all teenage romances, it was rocky, uncertain and intense at time, with plenty of fights, make-ups, break-ups, parental interventions  the whole works.

Over the years, something clicked and Cody eventually became a welcomed guest in their household. They had started to trust him.

After the chat, Anita chose to believe that Cody did not leak the photos. When Cody and Sara had decided to handle matters on their own, they had tracked down the Telegram groups where the photos were circulating.

These groups are nothing like the group chats you set up with your best mates. Most of the groups allow up to 200,000 members and are mainly used to broadcast content  in this case, lewd photos and videos of Singaporean women.

One group was called Local SG Leaks with over 22,000 members.

The group also had links to six affiliated groups and 10 other channels like SGCutie, SGDarkRoom, SGInterracial, SGFeet and SGMegas.

Cody showed Anita some of the groups where the photos had appeared. There was no really requirement to access them, you just had to click Join and you would start receiving a firehose of filth.

The group was a cesspool of disgustingly inappropriate comments and attracted members whose own personal libraries were filled with obscene photos and videos.

One Telegram user, Kaysiao, teased members of the groups by saying he had mega links that contained 13GB worth of files divided into 60 folders, each bearing the girls usernames.

Any girls below 20 [years old] want me to rate their tits? Telegram user Vk wrote.

Some tried to shoot their shot by asking for girls to chat or have fun with. Others requested and posted voyeuristic activities.

What I mean is recording them in bathroom without them knowing. Do dm me, a Drogba Zapdoa wrote.

New snipes, tight girl, one member wrote with two upskirt photos of a girl on the train.

With the exception of OnlyFans content creators who are cashing in on the appetites of these men, almost everything posted in group seemed to have been obtained without consent or knowledge.

It was an overwhelming web of lewd information that Anita and Cody pored over that afternoon, but now, they were on the same page.

But first, SG Nasi Lemak

Porn on Telegram is hardly surprising. In 2018, a Telegram group called SG Nasi Lemak blew up after several police reports were made. The Singapore-based group was a platform primarily used to upload and share photos of women  without their consent.

While it was also used for other shady transactions, like procuring vapes or sex for money, the pornographic exchange was its main draw.

From creepy shots of unsuspecting women on trains to full sex videos, it was somehow a place where everyone was comfortable enough to share these intimate and private things between strangers.

At its peak, the group had over 44,000 members and 29 admins. Four of the admins have since been sentenced to jail and the group was shut down in 2019 after it was reported to the authorities.

But SG Nasi Lemak is not the first group  and definitely wont be the last  of these problematic groups. Trading pictures of women for a quick buck to some horny person can be done on plenty of other platforms  and a seemingly endless number of Telegram groups.

How do private photos get leaked?

According to one cybersecurity professional we talked to, understanding how leaks happen starts with understanding how information is generated and used.

With the advent of social media, we put a lot of information about ourselves out there without even realizing, Andrew Ng, who works for a crypto company, told Coconuts.

Theres a bunch of reasons why your private photos managed to get out there  from poor passwords, phishing messages and scams, cloud-hacking, apps that over-request permissions.

He said that, more often than not, its human error that leads to leaks  any hacker with enough time on their hands can study someones feed long enough to get the information they need.

The Dubai-based company that operates Telegram claims that it doesnt collect data about its users, not even their names or birthdays, and the only thing anybody needs is a phone number to sign up.

On its website, it states: Telegram is committed to protecting user privacy and human rights such as freedom of speech and assembly.

The app is currently one of the top five most downloaded in the world and is favored by people because it provides anonymity and allows users to securely exchange messages, videos, chats, and various documents, including multimedia files. But it is for that same reason that cybercrime thrives on the platform.

Coconuts also reached out to Telegram but has yet to get a reply.

Going undercover

While they had enough information to report the group due to its vile nature, Anita and Cody wanted more incriminating information on the seller who had obtained Saras photos.

Cody joined the group and posed as an interested buyer. He reached out to Remy Martin who regularly put out a Pm me for Malay leaks message to the group.

From sleuthing, Remy was also the one who had previously posted his girlfriends nude photos in the group saying that there was more.

Remy said that he could either sell the leaks for cheap or, even worse  trade. Cody said that he didnt have any photos to trade with and Remy proceeded to ask for S$30 for 110 items.

When Cody said he didnt do bank transfers, Remy casually sent Cody his PayNow number to complete the transaction. When he keyed in the number on PayNow, it showed that the account belonged to an Andy.

Cody keyed in the number on Telegram and it led to an existing contact called Andy, along with profile photos which showed his real face.

Cody made the payment and in no time received a massive folder of nudes and videos of Malay girls, including the photos of Sara. Horrified, he quickly took screenshots and immediately quit the group without getting back to Remy/Andy.

He then wondered how many other sellers there were in the group just lurking and waiting for someone to buy their prized collection.

The next day, they tried calling the number provided for the PayNow transaction. Surprisingly, Remy/Andy picked up the phone after the first few rings.

It was not the voice they expected  it sounded light, like someone who didnt have any guilt or shame.

They didnt say anything and put down the phone immediately.

Whats next?

The whole situation has no doubt been a traumatic experience for Anita, Sara and Cody, but with some unexpected teamwork and mutual understanding, they were able to turn their pain and anger into purpose.

They have not filed a police report, although they have all the information needed now  names, numbers, screenshots and links.

But Anita seems hesitant to take that next step. She feels that she now has a stronger relationship with her daughter and that going to the police would mean reliving the horror all over again.

Under Singapore Penal Code section 377BE, a person may be prosecuted if he or she deliberately distributes or threatens to distribute intimate images or recordings of another person without his or her consent, knowing or having reason to believe that doing so will cause the other person humiliation, alarm, or distress.

When reporting crimes of this nature, there is always the fear of victim-blaming or a lack of empathy by authorities  and Anita and Sara are aware of this.

It was only in April 2023 that the police implemented new initiatives to make it safer for victims to report sex crimes but, with the law enforcement system just catching up, imagine all of the other cases like Saras that have gone unreported.

Anita said she wont rule out making a police report, as a responsible parent trying to warn others of the dangers that lurk on messaging platforms. But for now, starting a revolution is not in her plans.

She said, I just want to protect her and learn to understand her again.

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Singaporeans share fond memories of the Esplanade library after news of its closure on June 30 After more than 10 years of operation, the library@esplanade will close on June 30 this year. The public library is the only one dedicated to the performing arts in Singapore
Singapore's Law Minister K. Shanmugam speaks to Reuters in Singapore July 31, 2019. (PHOTO:REUTERS/Edgar Su)

SINGAPORESingapore is expected to face increased challenges in its efforts to combat drug use, as neighbouring countries Thailand and Malaysia make significant changes to their drug policies.

Thailand has legalised cannabis, while Malaysia has abolished mandatory death penalties for drug trafficking.

Speaking on the sidelines of his visit to Pertapis Halfway House on Tuesday (2nd May), Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam acknowledged the challenges ahead.

"The challenges are increasing, and the challenges are not only regional. If you look at one aspect, there is a lot of wrong, false information out there; narratives which are driven by profit motives, which seek to mislead on drugs, including on cannabis," he said.

New inter-ministry committee to look into drug use among youth

Amid such challenges, Singapore is setting up a new Inter-Ministry Committee on Drug Prevention for Youths to address drug use among youth.

The committee, which will start in the third quarter of this year, will involve the Education, Social and Family Development, Culture, Community and Youth, Defence, Communications and Information, Health ministries, as well as the People's Association. It will be chaired by Shanmugam.

Speaking about the committee's objectives, Shanmugam said, "We will try and see how we can focus on drug prevention efforts in homes, through parents; in schools; in the community; in national service. Weve got to approach this from many different aspects."

He also expressed concern over the results of a recent survey by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), which found that drug abuse often occurs in homes and that the average age of drug abuse initiation is 16.

The recent survey by IMH sought to investigate the prevalence of illicit drug use in Singapore. A total of 6,509 Singapore residents - consisting of Singapore citizens and permanent residents aged between 15 to 65 years - were surveyed between April 2021 and July 2022.

Story continues

The results showed that 41.8 per cent of abusers started consuming drugs before the age of 18. An estimated 0.7 per cent of Singapore residents had abused drugs in the past year.

Commenting on the reasons for drug use, the IMH study found that curiosity was the most common factor, with peer pressure and the belief that drugs could help with personal problems also cited.

Do you have a story tip? Email: sgnews.tips@yahooinc.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Also check out our Southeast Asia, Food, and Gaming channels on YouTube.
HAWARDEN, Iowa  A Hawarden restaurant will have its major comeback Monday.

At 10:30 a.m., the Central Cafe, at 815 Central Ave., will celebrate its grand reopening after the eatery's previous structure burned down Dec. 26, 2021. Those attending can expect cupcakes and coffee and a few folks who go will leave with prizes, according to a release. The Hawarden Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting and the kitchen will be closed from 10:30 until 11 a.m.

In the initial aftermath of the Central Cafe fire, owner Jen McVay took to cooking at Rooster's Midwest restaurant, just a block away from where she previously did business.

"It's not really a competition. It's more like two restaurants teamed up to serve the community," McVay said in January 2022.

But even then, McVay was talking about reopening in a space all her own. The space she occupied for more than two years.

"I don't want to stay at home and do nothing. I want to get moving," she said. "When we reopened, I'm not thinking about the fire anymore, I'm thinking about the future."

PHOTOS: Sioux City restaurants from yesteryear Close Spaghetti Depot was located in KD Station. Shakeys Pizza Arcadia Restaurant was located at Pierce and 14th streets. Little King in Sioux City. Inside the Paddock in South Sioux City. A family is pictured outside Toller Drug's Starlight Room. The exterior sign of Sioux City's Brass Lantern. Danny's Restaurant, 2910 Military Road, was operated for many years by Danny Baker. An early morning fire on Dec. 3, 1968, resulted in severe damage to the building. Country Kitchen was located at 620 S. Lewis Blvd. The Half Moon Inn was located at 714 S. Lewis Blvd. This image is from the early 1950s. Bishop Cafeteria, also known as Bishop's, was located on the first floor of the Commerce Building at the southeast corner of Sixth and Nebraska streets until the 1980s when the business moved to the Southern Hills Mall. This photo was taken in the late 1940s. Diners at the Biltmore in Sioux City. Sign at entrance to Casa Grande. Anna Maes Town Club was located next to Holman Maytag in Sioux City. Joe Gantz Steak House Ted's Cafe, located at 5307 Military Road, was the precursor to the Harvey's, according to the Sioux City Public Museum's Grace Linden. +15 +15 +15 +15 +15 +15 +15 +15 +15 +15
SIOUX CITY  The City of Sioux City is launching a traffic study along the West Fourth Street Corridor and asking residents to share their experiences.

Input will be sought from residents who travel along West Fourth Street, from Hamilton Boulevard on the east to War Eagle Park on the west, ending at Fieldcrest Drive. The city said in a statement that the feedback "will be used to evaluate safety and efficiency to better serve all users."

The online survey and map, which can be found at rebrand.ly/West-4th-Street, will be open for input through May 21

In addition to collecting public feedback, the study team will review crash history and traffic data. That information, along with the public feedback, will be the basis of a recommendation to the city for future improvements to this portion of West Fourth Street.
"The great citizens of Nebraska have demonstrated they are honest, diligent, hardworking, compassionate people with abundant common sense. I have been humbled and greatly honored to have served them," Luebe said in the news release.

Luebe was appointed in 2003 and served in the Sixth Judicial District, which includes Dakota, Dixon, Cedar, Thurston, Burt, Dodge and Washington counties. He graduated from Creighton University School of Law in 1984 and served as a deputy Dakota County Attorney from 1984-91 after which he was in private practice until his appointment to the bench.
DAKOTA CITY  A Sioux City man has pleaded no contest to charges of sexually assaulting two juvenile females in South Sioux City.

Harry Beckner, 76, a transient who was living in Sioux City at the time of his September arrest, entered his plea Thursday in Dakota County District Court to single counts of first-degree sexual assault and third-degree sexual assault of a child.

District Judge Bryan Meismer found Beckner guilty of the charges and scheduled sentencing for July 25. A plea agreement in the case does not include an agreed-upon sentence.

The girls' mother contacted authorities on Jan. 22, 2021, and reported that Beckner had been staying at their home and had sexually assaulted her developmentally disabled daughter. According to court documents, Buckner told deputies he was drunk, had passed out and didn't remember anyone in his room.

Questioned the next day when sober, Beckner told investigators he couldn't remember much from the day before. He denied sexually assaulting the girl, but said if he did, he didn't remember doing so, court documents said.

DNA tests showed Beckner's DNA was present on evidence collected from the girl.

Investigators also discovered entries in the girl's journal indicating Beckner had assaulted her and her sister prior to the initial complaint.
SIOUX CITY  An Omaha woman who set off an explosive device at Sioux City's Scheels store to facilitate a shoplifting plan has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

Claudette Loera, 35, pleaded guilty Thursday in Woodbury County District Court to second-degree criminal mischief as a habitual offender, fourth-degree theft and third-degree arson, which was reduced from first-degree arson as part of a plea agreement. She must serve at least three years before she's eligible for parole.

Loera also was ordered to pay $3,975 in restitution jointly with her co-defendant, Jessica Katz.

The two went to the store at 4400 Sergeant Road on Oct. 26, when Loera set off the explosion as a distraction while they stole merchandise from the store. Loera took a small device from her sweatshirt pocket, lighted the fuse and tossed it onto a shelf. When the device exploded, the two women left the store with shirts, shoes and other items totaling $562. The explosion caused more than $3,412 in damages, but no injuries.

Katz, 41, of Omaha, has pleaded guilty of second-degree criminal mischief as a habitual offender and fourth-degree theft. According to terms of her plea agreement, a 15-year prison sentence on the criminal mischief charge will be dismissed and she will be placed on probation. She will be sentenced to 200 days in jail for theft, and a charge of first-degree arson will be dismissed. She's scheduled to be sentenced June 29.
The event will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. and feature a meet and greet with officers and K9s, C.S.I. display and department tour, including the Hall of History Museum. Cookies and refreshments will be served. Information about the department's job and volunteer opportunities will be available.
Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert and the Omaha Police Officers Association have reached a tentative agreement on a substantial salary increase aimed at helping recruit new police officers.

The agreement announced Wednesday would begin in 2024 and bump the starting wage of an officer to $70,928, a 15% increase.

Officials are also proposing an 8% department-wide increase for current Omaha officers. The Omaha Police Officers Association contract currently calls for a 3% increase next year.

The top salary for an officer in 2024 would be $100,114. Thats the top step of the salary scale, which applies to officers with eight years of service.

The new salary package would cost the City of Omaha $9 million more in 2024 than under the current contract. Stothert said the extra police pay would not affect other city departments or force staff cuts elsewhere.

Weve been able to manage this budget very carefully, Stothert said.

The new contract will be presented to union members for a vote. If they agree, it will go first to the citys personnel board and then the Omaha City Council for approval, likely in June.

If the changes are approved, the Omaha Police Department will offer the highest wages in the state.

Currently, Lincoln police officers are the highest paid in the state. New officers make $64,128 and are scheduled to receive a 6.5% increase this year, raising their starting salary to $68,296.

The increase in Omaha will give the department a tool to combat what the mayor and police chief have described as critical recruitment needs.

The dynamics of the market has changed, the dynamic of police hiring has changed, said Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer. The Omaha Police Department needed to respond to those dynamics.

The gap between the citys hiring goal and the number of working officers has widened rapidly in the past few years. At the start of 2023, that gap was the citys largest in at least two decades. As a result, the department has altered some of its operations and examined how Omaha can compete with other law enforcement agencies to hire officers amid a nationwide recruitment and retention crunch.

The Omaha Police Department currently has 823 officers  83 short of the 906 officers authorized in the city budget.

Across the country, increases in pay have shaken loose more applicants. Its important that we put together back-to-back classes, Schmaderer said. Were going to see where this (contract) takes us, but Im very confident this will help shake things loose for the Omaha Police Department.

Despite the recruitment needs, Omaha has continued to see a years-long reduction in gun violence.

Since 2011, the number of homicides per year in Omaha has trended downward before the pandemic, reaching lows of 22 homicides in 2018 and 23 in 2019.

Homicides increased to 37 in 2020 with the start of the pandemic, but have gone down over the last two years: 32 in 2021 and 30 in 2022.

And earlier this year, Omaha saw one of its longest streaks without a homicide, going about 100 days between the shooting of 13-year-old Synthia Elliott on Nov. 30 and the killing of 68-year-old Gary Lew, who police said died sometime in March, based on autopsy results.

Counties with the worst droughts in Nebraska Counties with the worst droughts in Nebraska Nebraska statistics #1. Adams County (tie) #1. Perkins County (tie) #1. Nuckolls County (tie) #1. Nance County (tie) #1. Morrill County (tie) #1. Merrick County (tie) #1. McPherson County (tie) #1. Madison County (tie) #1. Loup County (tie) #1. Logan County (tie) #1. Hooker County (tie) #1. Phelps County (tie) #1. Lincoln County (tie) #1. Kimball County (tie) #1. Keya Paha County (tie) #1. Keith County (tie) #1. Kearney County (tie) #1. Johnson County (tie) #1. Jefferson County (tie) #1. Pierce County (tie) #1. Platte County (tie) #1. Polk County (tie) #1. Lancaster County (tie) #1. Knox County (tie) #1. Stanton County (tie)
DES MOINES  Iowa families who wish to apply for state-funded financial assistance to attend a private school in the 2023-2024 school year can submit an application starting at the end of this month, Gov. Kim Reynolds office announced Wednesday.

Applications for the Students First Education Savings Accounts will be accepted starting May 31 and through June 30, the governors office said.

With those applications pending, the state education board is adopting rules that specify eligibility requirements and parameters for the application process, as well as program administration and accountability, the governors office said.

Reynolds and the Republican-led Iowa Legislature earlier this year created the program, which will be phased in over four years until, at full implementation, all K-12 students in Iowa will be eligible for roughly $7,600 per year in state funding to put toward private school tuition or other private school expenses.

The program is expected to cost $107 million in the first year and by 2027, when phased in, will cost $345 million. A New York-based company that administers similar programs in other states has been contracted by Iowa to operate its program.

The legislation was approved with only Republican support. They said the program will provide greater choice for families in their childs education. Democrats and critics of the program say it will divert state funding from public schools and will disproportionately benefit higher-income families.

As we prepare to accept applications later this month for Iowas landmark Students First ESA program, the rules approved today will provide families with the details they need to consider their options and prepare to apply, Reynolds said Thursday in a news release. We are one step closer to providing choice in education for Iowa families regardless of income or ZIP code.

In its first year, the new program will be open to all incoming kindergarten students, all K-12 students currently enrolled in a public school, and private school students whose familys income is at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty level.

In future years, that income threshold will increase annually until, beginning with the 2025-2026 school year, all K-12 students in the state will be eligible for the assistance.

Applications will be available on the new programs page on the Iowa Department of Education website. Webinars will be posted to assist Iowans with completing the application.

Iowa caucus requirements

Iowans wanting to pick a presidential candidate in next years Iowa caucuses would be required to do so in-person under legislation on its way to Gov. Kim Reynolds desk.

The proposal, which was given final approval by the Republican-majority Iowa Legislature, would make illegal Iowa Democrats plans to conduct mail-in presidential preference cards for their 2024 caucuses.

Republicans say the legislation is needed to preserve their partys first-in-the-nation caucus status, because any mail-in presidential preference statements will be construed by New Hampshire as a de facto primary election, and that state would then employ its state law and jump ahead of Iowa on the presidential primary calendar.

Iowa Democrats have already lost their first-in-the-nation status, which they held for half a century. The national party earlier this year created a new early-voting calendar for 2024 that includes South Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Georgia and Michigan.

Iowa Democrats, including state party chairwoman Rita Hart, have said the proposed state law change is unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional, because it is a government body dictating how a political party in the state conducts its party business in a party event. Unlike elections, which are government functions, caucuses are party functions.

The legislation originally included a requirement that caucus participants be registered 70 days prior to the caucuses. That provision was removed from the bill.

The legislation also allows the Iowa Secretary of State to withdraw from a multistate program known as ERIC that allows states to share voter registration information in order to maintain up-to-date voter registration data in their states. Republican-led states have been withdrawing from the program after program leaders recently began the process of identifying unregistered voters in an effort to encourage more people to register to vote.

The bill, House File 716, passed the Senate on a party-line vote with Republicans supporting and Democrats opposing, and now goes to Gov. Reynolds for her signature.

Licensing midwives in Iowa

Midwives would be licensed in Iowa for the first time under legislation approved this week with bipartisan support.

Iowa House lawmakers this week passed House File 265 on a 91-2 vote. The bill creates an advisory council under the Iowa Board of Nursing to advise the board regarding licensure, continuing education requirements, standards of practice, professional ethics, disciplinary actions and other issues related to midwifery.

Licensed midwives would be required to consult with a licensed physician or certified nurse midwife for high-risk pregnancies. It also requires insurance providers to extend maternity benefits to cover maternity services provided by licensed midwives on the same terms as similar services provided by other health care providers.

Rep. Monica Kurth, D-Davenport, said the bill ensure pregnant Iowans receive high-quality care as Iowa struggles with a maternal health care provider shortage.

Similar measures had failed to advance in the Senate in previous session due to opposition from medical organizations and medical providers, who worried the licensure process could mislead Iowans on the safety of going to a midwife to assist with a birth instead of a doctor or nurse, who are better equipped to handle pregnancy complications.

The bill heads to Gov. Reynolds for her signature.
DES MOINES  Whether it was good or bad is in the eye of the beholder.

However, it is unarguable that the 2023 session of the Iowa Legislature was significant because of the breadth of new state laws that came out of its four months.

An expansive reorganization of the executive branch of state government.

A new, $345 million state-funded program for private school tuition assistance.

New property tax guidelines that are projected to save Iowa property taxpayers at least $100 million.

New regulations regarding K-12 school books and classroom materials with sexual content, and limits on the teaching about gender identity and sexual orientation.

And a ban on gender-affirming medical care and bathroom use requirements for transgender children in Iowa.

They were all passed by the Republican-majority Iowa Legislature during the sessions 116 calendar days. Most of them featured contentious debates, largely along political party lines.

Shortly after noon Thursday, lawmakers concluded their work for the year. Unless a special session is called, they will not return to resume their work at the Iowa Capitol until next January.

REPUBLICANS APPLAUD HISTORIC SESSION

Republican leaders in the Iowa Legislature frequently used the word historic in their descriptions of the 2023 session.

House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, said Republicans followed through on the priorities that we laid out to Iowans, including property tax relief and making sure that parents were a part of their childrens education, whether through school choice or school transparency requirement for curriculum and books.

We felt passionately about those things, Grassley said, noting eight of the 13 priority bills House Republicans filed on the first day of the session made their way in some form to the governors desk.

That list includes the property tax cut, increased mental health and nursing home reimbursement rates and funding for a new Iowa Workforce Grant and Incentive Program administered by the states College Student Aid Commission, as well as a scholarship program at Iowas public universities for high-demand fields.

Hopefully, that is just one more tool we will have to attract people to stay in Iowa and turn out more college graduates  in areas that this state has need when it comes to workforce, Grassley said.

Grassley said he believes the property tax bill is a good first step in the right direction. Asked if future Republican plans for tax legislation would include conversations about eliminating the state income tax, Grassley said he prefers that lawmakers continue to lower the income tax rate.

How we do that? We need to be very smart and have a plan moving forward, he said. There needs to be a global conversation of tax policy for the state of Iowa as we move forward that looks at income, corporate and sales taxes

Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver, a Republican from Grimes, called it a successful session that tied up loose ends left hanging from last session, including school choice and parental empowerment.

The governor laid out a very ambitious, bold agenda, and we wanted to focus on school choice, Whitver said. We wanted to focus on health care issues. We wanted to focus on workforce issues, parental empowerment, and we wanted to focus on property taxes.

If you look at that list of agenda items laid out, we were able to accomplish every single one of those. So I think overall it was a very successful session.

Republican lawmakers last month also passed a sweeping education bill limiting instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation, requiring school administrators to notify parents if a student asks to use a new name or pronouns, and removing books depicting sex acts from school libraries.

We dont look at it as going after any one specific group, Grassley told reporters. Were trying to respond to the concerns were hearing from Iowans.

He mentioned transgender-affirming policies like the one adopted last year by the Linn-Mar Community School District that leaves it up to the students whether to notify their parents.

Grassley said lawmakers wanted pro-family policies that ensure parents have input into whatever decision their children make. A lot of these issue that we did this year were really about making sure  to have those open lines of communication and not keep secrets from parents.

Whitver said lawmakers passed bills that are common sense, with girls using the girls restrooms and boys using the boys restrooms and waiting until 18 to make life-changing decisions.

REYNOLDS AGENDA

Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds saw nearly all of her legislative priorities passed by the Legislature this year.

Reynolds chief legislative goal was achieved early in the session: a new program that will eventually allow every Iowa family to access a state-funded education savings account to send their children to a private school.

Lawmakers also overhauled state government organization, placed caps on non-economic damages from medical malpractice lawsuits, increased penalties for fentanyl and providing a drug that results in an overdose, and limited discussion of LGBTQ topics in public schools  all policies that originated in Reynolds office.

Reynolds told reporters Thursday that she was proud of the legislative session, which started with transformational education reform.

She said her private school savings account bill will allow parents to find the school that best fits their children, and that the Legislature paired it with giving more flexibility to public schools in licensing and instruction.

The state Department of Education announced Thursday that applications for the education savings accounts will open May 31. They will be open to all public school students and low-income private school students and eventually will be open to all private school students regardless of family income.

A lot of other states are watching what were doing, and its imperative that we do it right, Reynolds said.

The government reorganization bill, which will reduce Iowas cabinet-level agencies and reorganize department duties, was another legislative victory for Reynolds. She said it will save Iowans money and streamline services.

She said the property tax reform measure, a bipartisan bill she signed into law Thursday, was another highlight of the session. She said she wants to bring down state income taxes, saying earlier this year shed like to eliminate the state individual income tax by the end of her term.

We have to continue to look for ways that we can reduce the size and scope of government.  We want to continue to see growth, she said. Even in a challenging environment, were continuing to see growth.

Though some of Reynolds proposed maternal health care bill made it into the budget, lawmakers did not pass a proposal to allow pharmacists to dispense birth control without a prescription.

Reynolds first introduced the proposal in 2019 and said Thursday she plans to revisit the topic next session.

I think its important, Reynolds said. Well continue to work with the Legislature  and youll probably see it again next year as part of my program.

DEMOCRATS DISAPPOINTED

Democrats did not mince words when describing their view of the 2023 session.

Sen. Zach Wahls, the leader of the Senate Democrats from Coralville, told reporters the session was one of the most divisive and cruel ever seen in the history of the Iowa Legislature, and said statehouse Republicans poured gasoline on the flames of the culture war.

Wahls criticized Republicans for the private school financial assistance program, their more strict regulation of books in K-12 schools with sexual content, and legislation that impacts transgender children in Iowa.

This session was a disappointment that sets our state back rather than moving forward, Wahls said.

In her session-ending remarks on the House floor, Rep. Jennifer Konfrst, the leader of the House Democrats from Windsor Heights, praised the professionalism of House Republicans and celebrated when the parties were able to work on bills in bipartisan fashion.

But Konfrst also delivered a message for teachers and transgender children who she said may feel targeted by some of the legislation passed this year by statehouse Republicans.

For kids who are just trying to find their way in life, for our trans Iowans, for our LGBTQ kids, for our families who feel targeted this session, who feel that theyre being targeted for who they are and how they live and just want the freedom to be themselves, please know that we see you, we love you, and you belong here in Iowa, no matter what this body might send you as a message, Konfrst said.
If youre looking to come to Omaha this weekend, be prepared to search far and wide for a hotel and pony up some cash.

Many hotels in downtown Omaha and beyond have no rooms available for Friday night because of the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholders meeting Saturday at the CHI Health Center. Those rooms that are available are listed at prices above normal rates.

For example, on the Hilton website, the Hilton Omaha at 1001 Cass St.  which is connected to the arena via a skyway  listed rooms available for no less than $587 as of Wednesday afternoon. One room is going for more than $4,000.

The Hilton hotels in the western and southern parts of the metro area are a bit less expensive with prices in the $300 range. But even rooms in those hotels are scarcely available.

David Scott, general manager of the Hilton-owned The Peregrine hotel in downtown Omaha, said he expects the hotel rooms to be full this weekend. He said no rooms are available unless a guest stays for at least three nights. He said the minimum price for a three-night stay from Thursday through Saturday is $928.

Prices go up and down based upon what the demand is, Scott said.

Its a similar case with the Marriott chain. The closest hotel with available rooms is a Sheraton hotel at 330 N. 30th St., which is about two miles from the arena. The minimum price for a room there is going for $475 for members and $499 for non-members.

Carlo Vermeeren, general manager of the downtown Marriott hotel in the Capitol District, said in an email that all rooms at the hotel have been sold out for both Friday and Saturday night dating back a couple of months. He added the hotel started getting inquiries about rooms for this weekend following the end of last years meeting. So far, Vermeeren said cancellations have been minimal.

This weekend is one of our favorite times of year thanks to the repeat guests visiting and the liveliness that those traveling in for the Berkshire meeting bring to our hotel and the city over all, he said. Everyone is excited to be coming back to Omaha.

The website for Choice Hotels, which owns brands like Comfort, Cambria and Quality Inn, also shows most rooms sold out in and around downtown Omaha.

Statistics from Visit Omaha, the citys convention and visitors bureau, show the meeting is good business for hotels. Even with the noticeably less-than-capacity crowds at last years meeting, 74% of hotel rooms in Douglas County were filled from the Thursday to Sunday period surrounding the meeting. Ninety percent of rooms were filled those Friday and Saturday nights.

Hotels collectively reported $6.8 million in revenue for the four-day period.

Deborah Ward, executive director of Visit Omaha, noted the shareholders meeting is the first seasonal tourism event for the city.

When we start to hear languages from all over the world in our visitors center, we know tourism season has begun, she said in an email.

Scott said the Berkshire shareholders meeting is consistently the most in-demand weekend for Omahas hotels. While the College World Series is also a huge draw, the demand for hotels fluctuates based on which teams are playing.

If youre looking to book a hotel in Omaha but not intending to go to the shareholders meeting, you may have better luck the following week. Both the Hilton and Marriott websites show more availability with starting prices for rooms below $200.

Photos: Berkshire Hathaway 2022 Annual Shareholders Meeting weekend in Omaha berkshire-ar01 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar02.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar03.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar04.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar06.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar07.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar08.JPG berkshire-ar09 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar10.JPG berkshire-ar11 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar14.JPG berkshire-ar15 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar16.JPG 043022-owh-new-berkshire-ar17.JPG berkfeature-p1 berkfeature-p3 berkshire-p3 berkfeature-p2 berkshire-p2 050122-owh-new-berkshire-ar06.JPG 050122-owh-new-berkshire-ar07.JPG 050122-owh-new-berkshire-ar08.JPG
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is receiving one of its largest cash infusions in history as part of a joint venture with the federal government to promote local food production across the region.

Headed by Rural Prosperity Nebraska, a UNL organization tasked with connecting communities across Nebraska with university resources, a coalition of organizations will work to develop the Heartland Regional Foods Center, an online platform that will "connect and strengthen locally grown food systems" according to a news release from UNL.

"You have all these different entities working with local foods  producers, grocery stores, local distributors, nonprofits, business developers, the Center for Rural Affairs, meat processing plants ... these are all puzzle pieces," said Mary Emery, the executive director for Rural Prosperity Nebraska. "What we want to do with this project is put the puzzle together and see the picture of how regional food systems work."

The project will be subsidized by a $25 million cooperative agreement award from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which the coalition will work with to develop the platform to serve communities in Nebraska, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. UNL said the award is among the largest it has ever received.

It will be one of 12 such centers that the USDA is establishing across the country, all of which are intended to target "historically underinvested communities" in their respective regions. On a local level, the release said the Heartland Regional Foods platform will help Nebraska to be more self-sufficient in its food production, while also benefitting the health of its residents.

"It's like two sides of the same coin," Emery said. "How do we get people to eat healthier if they can never access fresh, healthy food (and) how do we get people more interested in producing fresh, healthy food that they can take to market?"

The broader program was brought about in part by disruptions to long-range supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. The resulting difficulties led to a need to rethink how to strengthen local and regional food supply lines, especially in rural areas, according to Emery.

Just as important to their mission of promoting food security is the messaging the group conveys to those on both ends of the market, Emery said.

"We want to get the message out to producers (that) there are resources out there for you, and we're going to make it easier for you to find them," Emery said. "To food consumers, we want to say we're going to help you find more and better local, healthy foods."
THE MINI: If you want Medicare and Social Security to continue without interruption, call your Congressman Randy Feenstra (202-255-4425) and tell him you want him to pass the debt ceiling payment today without any qualifications! - Dianne Bostic, Sioux City
On Monday, Jordan Neely, an unarmed 30-year-old homeless man with a long history of mental illness, yelled at subway riders on the northbound F train in New York City. A 24-year-old United States Marine Corps veteran intervened, placing Neely in a chokehold for several minutes. By the time the train pulled into the Broadway-Lafayette station beneath Manhattans hip NoHo neighborhood, Neely was unconscious. He was transported to Lenox Hill Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The incident was ruled a homicide.

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The details are still coming out, and it is impossible to comment substantively on what happened, though that isnt stopping hordes of pundits from trying. The story has dominated headlines this week, animating arguments from those horrified by the callous killing of an unarmed man, those who see racial motivations at play (Neely was Black, the veteran who choked him is white), and those who see a justified attempt to respond to a city in the midst of a perceived crisis brought on by soaring crime (though the citys actual crime picture is more complicated), homelessness, and mental illness in the wake of the pandemic.

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But what troubles me is that the veteran status of the assailant who choked Neely is front and center in some of the most disturbing commentary from those on the political right, ranging from professional provocateur Mike Cernovich to less colorful yet relatively popular conservative pundits like writer Scott Greer, the Daily Wires Megan Basham, and podcaster/Federalist writer Inez Stepman. The man who fought Neely could be identified as a man, a bystander, or, charitably, a concerned citizen. He is not.

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In many tweets and news headlines, he is identified as the Marine who recognized this guy as a dangerous menace or A former Marine who intervened vs a subway psycho or a brave Marine who acted in his & others defense.

It is this mans Marineness, his status as a military veteran, that is being singled out for relevance, as if he could have acted no other way, and as if it is the training and culture of service members to choke unarmed men into unconsciousness.

This is not true.

In fact, the use of force possibly out of proportion to a threat, creating a media firestorm that casts discredit on the person applying that force, is the polar opposite of how I was trained and antithetical to the culture in which I served as a military member, as a private military contractor, and as an armed intelligence officer serving with the Defense Intelligence Agency in Iraq.

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I cant speak to why this man intervened and choked Neely. But I do know this: Neither the military nor any of the vast network of PMC firms or paramilitary federal agencies that conduct operations side-by-side with it taught this man to choke an unarmed civilian into unconsciousness, unless the military I served in has radically transformed since my discharge in 2020.

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The Rules of Engagement I was taught and was made to memorize rigidly emphasized the importance of due care when using force, even in a war zone. I was endlessly reminded that my actions had to be proportional to the provocation and designed to limit the scope and intensity of the conflict. Both at private training at the Crucible and on government military bases, when I qualified to use any small arms, we repeated the same exercise: Paper targets were run out before us, bladed sideways. Suddenly, they would pivot, showing images of either combatants or civilians. Look at their hands, our instructors warned us again and again; dont look at their faces. Because it was their hands that would be holding a gun or a detonator  or a camera, a newspaper, or a bottle of waternot a threat, even when the image showed that the civilian was cocking an arm to throw it at us.

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We had just seconds to a make a decision to pull the trigger or hold fire, and if we put a single bullet through the chest or head of a journalist with a microphone that at a glance certainly looked like a weapon, we failed the course and were sent home. Ditto for the Firearms Training Simulator, a video-based system that had us firing air-pressure-loaded cartridges at video screens, where even a single hit on a civilian would be the end of the line.

Just after my first spin in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus co-authored the new manual for the counterinsurgency age, wherein military members would routinely find themselves in situations much like that on the F train on Monday afternoon. In this new world, someone trained to use professional violence would find themselves having to make a split-second decision when encountering a civilian in obvious crisis. The COIN manual is widely criticized, but it set the tone for proportionality in the postWar on Terror period, and it is unambiguous in its instruction:

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The principle of proportionality requires that the anticipated loss of life and damage to property incidental to attacks must not be excessive in relation to the concrete and direct military advantage expected to be gained. Proportionality and discrimination require combatants not only to minimize the harm to noncombatants but also to make positive commitments to  Preserve noncombatant lives by limiting the damage they do.  Assume additional risk to minimize potential harm.

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The abuses of American military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are well documented. And indeed, manuals and formal doctrine do not always match institutional culture. But I can tell you from my personal experience that these horrible incidents are exceptions. When it comes to proportionality and the strict forbidding of excessive force against civilians, the vast majority of people in the military follow the rules.

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Perhaps the best example of this was the outpouring of testimony by fellow U.S. Navy SEALs of Alpha Platoon, SEAL Team 7, against their rogue colleague, Special Operations Chief Eddie Gallagher, who was convicted of posing for a photograph with a corpse in 2019. But despite the details of that conviction, Gallaghers brother SEALs at times tearfully described him shooting civilians and stabbing a captive to death. The bond between special operators cannot be overstated; to bear witness against one of your own speaks volumes about the immensity of Gallaghers violation of military cultural norms. When Trump pardoned Gallagher, the Navy made an effort to remove him from the SEALs anyway (though the effort was eventually abandoned), further underscoring the seriousness of what Gallagher had done from a military cultural perspective.

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Carl von Clausewitz, the 19th-century strategist whose thinking underpins much of American and global military culture, famously wrote that war is a continuation of politics by other means. It is in part a nod to the militarys pivotal noncombat role, and indicates that warfighters are often unintended diplomats and ambassadors for their nations policy. At DIA (where American military attaches are trained), we were constantly reminded that every time we put on a uniform or spoke of our veteran status, we represented the country, whether we liked it or not. The saying went, We are all attaches.

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In all my training, I was never taught to use a chokehold on an unarmed opponent. But the military is vast and combative training varies between services and even units. It is possible that the man who killed Jordan Neely used skills he acquired in the military.

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But where he acquired the capacity doesnt matter. The way he acted is not the way armed service members are trained to act, and anyone claiming that his status as a Marine indicates a kind of professionalism either doesnt know what theyre talking about or is deliberately obfuscating what it means to have military training in interacting with civilians under duress. The public discourse implying that his actions were in any way in accord with the doctrine and culture of the militaryand the legion of institutions, public and private, whose armed members support its mission at home and around the worldis absolutely false.
If Americans were hoping that two of the countrys most prominent politicians would make strong, thoughtful, empathetic statements and actions in response to Jordan Neelys horrific killing in New York City on Wednesday afternoon, they were ultimately left disappointedand more than a bit furious.

Shortly after Neely was suffocated to death on the subway, cellphone footage of the encounter went viral, publicizing how a white passenger, identified in many news outlets as a Marine, placed the unhoused Black subway performer in a fatal chokehold, with the assistance of riders who restrained Neelys arms. The cameraman told the New York Times that Neely had boarded the train yelling that he lacked food and was fed up: I dont mind going to jail and getting life in prison. Im ready to die. The cellphone holder further noted that Neely had not assaulted anyone; police sources told the New York Daily News that he had thrown bits of garbage at some passengers, which provoked an argument with the Marine.

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Whatever one makes of these reports, it shouldnt be difficult to say that the 30-year-old Neely obviously did not deserve to die, and that a nearly 15-minute-long chokehold involving multiple assailants was an alarming overreaction to his cries of distress. But New Yorks most powerful officials couldnt even clear that bar.

Mayor Eric Adams, who has been touted as the future of the national Democratic Party, simply proclaimed that any loss of life is tragic and that, while hed refrain from commenting further, he understood that there were serious mental health issues at play here and boasted that his administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it. Later, when CNN Primetimes Abby D. Phillip asked him whether such acts of vigilantism are permissible, Adams further demurred: We cannot just blanketly say what a passenger should or should not do on a situation like that. He was more aggressive in responding to city Comptroller Brad Landers statement that we must not become a city where a mentally ill human being can be choked to death by a vigilante without consequenceclaiming the tweet was an irresponsible means of interfering with the Manhattan district attorneys ongoing investigation.

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Gov. Kathy Hochul hardly did better in her initial declaration that there are consequences for behavior. It wasnt until Thursday afternoon that Hochul clarified she meant that the killer should face consequences, although she hesitated to deem the Marine a vigilante. Neither Adams nor Hochul mentioned the fact that the citys medical examiner determined Neelys death to be a homicide on Wednesday itself. And they both seemed happy to talk up large investments toward mental health, while neglecting to explain just what kinds of services they were funding, or what those would do to prevent another homicide of this nature.

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Perhaps thats because they have both proposed sweeping cuts to New York social services.

Both Hochul and Adams finalized their budget proposals only recently, following lengthy delays and controversies, so actually, the public can see for itself whether theyre serious about mental health investments. When Eric Adams presented his desired budget back in January, local outlet Hell Gate reported at the time that the proposed municipal workforce cuts for his already-understaffed administration would mean that agencies like the Department of Transportation are far less capable of creating safer streets, and the Human Resources Administration is less able to process food stamps quickly or find more permanent housing to get families out of the Citys shelter system.

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Not that any cuts applied to the amply funded police corps, of coursein fact, by April, Adams had reached a deal with NYCs biggest police union to grant annual raises locked in for eight years (and retroactive to 2017) that would total over $5 billion, adding even more to the cop coffers. These are the same police forces whove proved time and again to be ineffectual at best (and trigger-happy at worst) when it comes to addressing New Yorkers mental health. After all, New Yorks finest werent there to help Neely, but their own history of mishandling mental health emergencies provides no confidence they couldve de-escalated the situation and saved Neelys life. (Should you point this out, Adams might be cool with putting you on a police-response blacklist.)

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The mayor did back down on his early demands to cut funding to libraries and city-backed cultural services, while also maintaining current levels of public school funding (although hed already slashed education spending in last years budget). Yet, Adams demanded across-the-board agency funding cuts, including for the Homeless Services and Youth and Community Development departments. And while he touted the continued funding of a pilot program that dispatches licensed professionals instead of cops to respond to 911 calls for mental health crises, he offered no solution to the fact that the large majority of these calls are still routed directly to the NYPD. Throughout the past year, Adams proved more than willing to dispatch law enforcement squads against unhoused and mentally ill New Yorkers, whether to forcefully clear out makeshift encampments or involuntarily detain those who are suffering from mental illness. That punitive logic underlies his budget: While there are a few million-dollar disbursements delegated for Deepening Resources for New Yorkers Facing Mental Health Challenges, including telehealth services and peer-support clubhouses, theres far more money offered to the places that could lock them up, to the tune of $11 billion.

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As for Gov. Kathy Hochul, her $229 billion state budget carries some welcome provisionsboosts to health care and public transitbut falls far short of what New Yorkers need in terms of housing, caregiving services, minimum wage boosts, assistance for migrants, and protections for tenants facing surging rents, housing and shelter shortages, and impatient landlords. Theres an additional emphasis on law enforcement as an all-around solution: increasing police presence on the subways, sending the National Guard to oversee homeless shelters, empowering judges to detain residents accused of crimes without hope for bail. The $1 billion mental-health package does address some urgent issues by increasing psychiatric treatment capacity and supportive housing. What remains to be seen is just how Hochul will implement her proffered solutions. Her past efforts with Eric Adams to tackle subway safety took a harsh approach when it came to monitoring unhoused subway passengers, forcing them into underresourced facilities, expanding outpatient services, and stuffing even more cops onto the trains. All that as theyve made NYCs public spaces more hostile to unhoused New Yorkers by taking away seating and adding spikes to ledges. Same as it ever was: The armed public servants get more than what they need, the rest dont get nearly enough, and it doesnt end well for anybody, especially those unable to access affordable long-term housing, food supplies, or adequate health care.

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Jordan Neelys hometown failed himit couldnt even provide him a stable home and life. The reportedly autistic young entertainer, whose spot-on Michael Jackson impressions often went viral and brought joy to countless New Yorkers for over a decade, was denied a stable life by employers who didnt understand his condition and cops who arrested him dozens of times instead of pointing him to the help he could have used. When New Yorks elected officials continue to embrace aggression against the unhoused, brutal stances on criminal justice, and public-service austerity, other New Yorkers follow by choosing cruelty over compassion. And when they waffle on why a houseless person shouldnt be killed for complaining about his circumstances, they only pave the way for more deaths to come. Adams and Hochul may say theyre doing what they can for New Yorkers mental health. Their actions clearly dont back that up.
This article is from Big Technology, a newsletter by Alex Kantrowitz.

You can already see the machine at work. Corporations, politicians, threadbois, and thought leaders are probing and prodding, searching desperately for ways to use surging curiosity about all things artificial intelligence to mask problems, gain favor with the public, and monetize attention. Amid real technological progress in the field , theyre forging a broad, cynical, and craven A.I.-PR industrial complex thats just now coming into focus.

This A.I.-PR industrial complex is growing larger and worse than its predecessorseven crypto!because the technology is making anything seem possible. With so much opportunity, vacuousness fills the gaps, and exploitation follows. Random academics are hitting the speaking circuit to declare ChatGPT could turn us into paper clips. Middling politicians are writing implausible bills hoping to land on the Sunday talk shows. And CEOs are using A.I. as an excuse for absolutely anything that goes wrong in their business.

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With real innovation at hand, it can be difficult to distinguish nonsense from progress, but there are some telling signs. Companies declaring theyre using AI to replace human workers, for instance, are almost always just papering over more serious internal problems. Their statements typically indicate theyre thinking small, are looking to reduce their workforce anyway, or both.

Take IBM, for example. Just this week its CEO Arvind Krishna said his company would pause hiring for back-office roles that A.I. might replace, suggesting AI could take over as many as 7,800 positions. Technology this powerful should be able to make workers more productive, not unnecessary. And IBM itself sells that very idea to those who buy its Watson A.I. service. In its marketing materials, it says Watson helps free up employees to focus on higher value work. The incongruity is revealing.

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Instead of a company responding to a technological sea change, IBM feels more like a diminished giant using A.I. as a pretext to cut costs. Those close to the company say its statementswhile suggesting an A.I. sheen  mask the reality of a big, slow organization that would struggle to hand thousands of jobs to A.I.. Blanket statements work for people that dont understand how technology can scale across the enterprise, one ex-IBM employee told me. It just completely gives more rationale to have more leeway to make more reductions.

In Washington, meanwhile, politicians and regulators are racing to shout about A.I. Theres indeed merit in examining the technologys opportunities and risks, but much of the recent wave of interest feels more like posturing than productivity. In late April, for instance, a group of U.S. representatives introduced a bill to prevent A.I. from firing a nuclear weapon. Nobody is handing that decision-making to machines, though, and if an out-of-control A.I. decided to fire a nuke, a bill wont stop it. But the press release generated plenty of headlines. So, mission accomplished.

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Regulators are jumping into the fray as well. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan, for instance, dropped a New York Times op-ed on Wednesday that was heavy on warnings but light on specifics. Khan suggested that generative A.I. technology that enables scammers could face potential regulatory action but didnt spell out under what laws or rules.

The theories are very vague at this point, one former FTC lawyer told me, of ideas to regulate A.I. My frustration is that the agencies are talking a lot of talk but not providing much transparency or guidance on how they think it should actually work.

Plenty of A.I. announcements have real substance to them, but the A.I.-PR industrial complex will grow exponentially as the technology pushes forward. Theres just too much attention that comes with saying the term A.I. for anyone to stop now. ChatGPT isnt the only part of the A.I. boom that sometimes just makes stuff up.
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If youre looking to add a touch of elegance and sophistication to your business, calligraphy may be just the thing. To get started, youll need the right tools and materials. Here are 10 places where you can find calligraphy supplies, including fine art supplies, to help take your business to the next level. Lets dive in!

The Modern Calligraphy and Ink Arts Market in 2022

The modern calligraphy and ink arts market experienced continued growth in 2022, with more people seeking to learn hand lettering and calligraphy for their businesses or as a creative outlet. As a result, there was a higher demand for calligraphy supplies, workshops, and tutorials, and an increase in calligraphy and ink art products on the market.

Top Places to Buy Supplies for Calligraphy

Whether youre a seasoned calligrapher or just starting out, having the right supplies is key. From online retailers to your local art supply store, here are some top places to buy supplies for calligraphy.

1. Amazon

Amazon offers a wide selection of calligraphy supplies, including pens, pen holders, black and white ink, paper, and more. With fast shipping and competitive prices, its a convenient option for purchasing calligraphy supplies.

2. Etsy

Etsy provides a platform for independent artists and suppliers to sell unique and handmade calligraphy supplies, making it a great option for finding one-of-a-kind items not available elsewhere.

3. Blick Art Materials

Blick Art Materials offers a wide range of high-quality calligraphy supplies, from beginner to professional-level tools. Their brick-and-mortar stores and online shop make it easy to find and purchase calligraphy supplies.

4. Joann

Joann provides a variety of calligraphy supplies, including pens, calligraphy nibs, and ink, both in-store and online. They also offer discounts and coupons for frequent shoppers.

5. Michaels

Michaels offers a wide range of calligraphy supplies, including pens, ink, calligraphy sets, and paper, both online and in-store. They also provide classes and workshops to help beginners get started.

6. Hobby Lobby

Hobby Lobby provides a selection of various essential calligraphy supplies at its physical stores and on its website. They offer weekly discounts and a rewards program for frequent shoppers.

7. Paper and Ink Arts

Founded by Brenda Broadbent in 1980 as Paper and Ink Books, Paper and Ink Arts has since expanded to offer a wide range of calligraphy supplies, becoming a leading source for calligraphers worldwide. The business relocated to Nashville in 2011 and continues to prioritize quality products and excellent service.

8. Toms Studio

Toms Studio was founded by Tom, a product and furniture designer who wanted to make a better calligraphy pen for his wife. They create handmade, sustainable, and high-quality calligraphy tools for creative people.

9. Written Word Calligraphy

Karla is a calligrapher, designer, and educator based in Vancouver. Written Word Calligraphy specializes in custom wedding invitations, calligraphy supplies, modern calligraphy tools, and online courses. Her business, Written Word, is inspired by her love for Gods Word.

10. Office Depot

Office Depot offers a limited selection of calligraphy supplies, primarily focused on pens and markers. They also provide printing and custom stamp services.

Must-have Calligraphy Supplies

If youre looking to create beautiful calligraphy, having the right tools is essential. From sumi ink to high-quality paper, the right supplies can take your writing to the next level. Here are some must-have calligraphy supplies to help you create stunning works of art.

Calligraphy Inks

One of the most important supplies for calligraphy is ink. From traditional sumi ink to modern acrylic inks, there are many options available to suit your style and preference.

Sealing Wax

If youre creating calligraphy for special occasions, adding a wax seal is a lovely touch. Sealing wax comes in a range of colors and finishes, and is easy to use with a seal stamp.

Nibs and Pens

Whether you prefer a traditional dip pen or a modern brush pen, having a good quality nib or pen is essential for creating beautiful calligraphy.

Paper

Choosing the right paper can make a big difference in the quality of your calligraphy. Look for high-quality, smooth paper that is designed for calligraphy or drawing.

Guides and Templates

If youre just starting out, using guides or templates can be helpful for getting the hang of calligraphy. They can also be useful for creating consistent spacing and letter sizes in your writing.

Essential Calligraphy Tools for Businesses

For businesses looking to incorporate calligraphy into their branding and marketing materials, having the right tools like fountain pens is essential. Here are some essential calligraphy tools for businesses to create professional and polished writing.

See Also: 5 Quick Tips To Get Your Handmade Business Noticed

Calligraphy Brushes

Calligraphy brushes can produce a variety of strokes and are ideal for creating large lettering or backgrounds. Look for brushes with natural hair bristles for a smooth and consistent flow of ink.

Calligraphy Pens

Calligraphy pens come in a variety of styles and sizes, including fountain pens, dip pens, and brush pens. Choose a pen that feels comfortable in your hand and produces the desired line quality for your writing.

Ink Cartridges and Refills

If youre using a fountain pen, ink cartridges or refills are a must-have. Choose ink that is compatible with your pen and comes in a variety of colors to suit your needs.

Calligraphy Paper Pads

Having a dedicated paper pad for calligraphy can help you achieve the desired look for your writing. Look for paper that is smooth and absorbent to prevent ink bleeding and feathering.

Lightboxes and Tracing Paper

For businesses creating calligraphy-based designs, light boxes, and tracing paper can be useful tools for transferring and duplicating artwork. Use a lightbox to trace designs onto paper or use tracing paper to transfer designs onto other surfaces.

What Supplies Should a Beginner Calligrapher Buy?

Beginner calligraphers should start with basic supplies such as a pen holder, nibs, ink, and paper. As they progress, they can experiment with different pens, brushes, and colors to find their preferred style.

What Is the Best Tool for Calligraphy?

The best tool for calligraphy depends on personal preference and the type of writing being created. Some popular options include dip pens, fountain pens, and brush pens, each producing a unique look and feel.

Is There a Demand for Calligraphy Businesses?

There is a demand for calligraphy businesses, especially for special events such as weddings and corporate events. However, the market can be competitive, and businesses may need to differentiate themselves by offering unique styles or services.

Read More:

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A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to 60 months in prison, five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $3.18 million in restitution and forfeit $1.03 million for her role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain 30 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) totaling over $3 million, meant to support small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rhonda Thomas, 38, of Sicklerville, New Jersey, pleaded guilty by videoconference on June 28, 2022, before U.S. District Judge Karen M. Williams to an information charging her with one count of bank fraud conspiracy and one count of money laundering.

The PPP and EIDL programs were designed to provide much-needed financial support to small businesses struggling during the pandemic.

The funds were intended to help businesses keep their workforce employed, cover expenses, and maintain operations. However, fraudulent cases like Thomass undermine the integrity of these programs and divert resources away from genuine businesses in need.

Thomass sentencing serves as a reminder to small business owners about the importance of maintaining transparency and integrity when applying for government relief programs. Misusing these funds can lead to severe consequences, including criminal charges, prison time, and substantial financial penalties. It is crucial for small business owners to adhere to the guidelines and requirements of government relief programs and to use the funds for their intended purposes.

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One of the most important factors to consider when you are applying for a grant is the deadlines that are placed on them. While some grants have a timeline of several months, others might only have a couple of weeks. That is why you should apply as soon as possible when you become aware of any grant. This will dramatically increase your chances of winning the grant.

With that in mind, several grants are set to expire at the end of May. These grants come from across the country, addressing a range of issues to help small businesses.

With up to $10,000, communities are offering accelerator funds and micro-grants to restaurants, startups, construction relief, childcare, and more. These grants have several different deadlines within the month of May, so make sure to look them up and apply as soon as possible.

The second annual Small Business Grants by Amazon Business will offer help by fostering innovation and supporting small businesses that make a positive impact in their communities. The Small Business Grants program offers over $250,000 in grants to eligible small businesses in the U.S. with annual revenues of $1 million or less.

Small Business News May 5, 2023

From increased prime rate by Wells Fargo to the welcomed news of lower gas prices, read the rest of the news affecting small businesses.

Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., announced it will increase its prime rate from 8.00% to 8.25%, effective May 4, 2023. This change could impact small business owners who rely on loans tied to the prime rate for funding and growth. This increase follows an increase in the banks prime rate just last month. Wells Fargo is a financial services company with approximately $1.

A Texas woman, Adela Cruz, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for assisting clients in preparing and filing fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). From 2014 to 2017, Cruz ran a tax preparation business in Uvalde County, Texas. To increase her clients tax refunds, she falsely claimed education credits, dependents, and business profits or losses on their returns.

Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, has announced upmarket growth of 65% YoY, accompanied by a series of investments and innovations aimed at enhancing customer experience for small businesses. The company now boasts over 90 million users across more than 600,000 global businesses, demonstrating its widespread appeal and impact.

Snapchat announced that its AI-powered chatbot, My AI, is now available to the Snapchat community. Early reactions have been positive, and the company is grateful for the feedback that will help improve the chatbot experience. There have been questions about how My AI uses location information, and Snapchat has taken steps to clarify the process.

Zoho has announced a major investment in AI technology by integrating OpenAIs ChatGPT into Zia, Zohos powerful AI engine. This move aims to greatly improve customer experience, add significant value, and better protect user privacy for small business owners while upholding Zohos core tenets of customer experience, privacy, and value.

Ulaa, a new privacy-centric web browser developed by Zoho Corporation, has been launched to provide users with a surveillance-free browsing experience.

Zoho Corporation, a global technology leader, has announced a suite of new tools specifically designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs and solopreneurs in starting, building, and running their businesses.

To keep YouTubers, including small business owners, ahead of the curve, YouTube is launching a new series highlighting global trends. Here are some key trends and insights that could potentially affect your small business. Virtual Humans VTubers, animated personas popularized in Japan, garner over 1.5B monthly views.

Small businesses have something new to cheer about with the recent launch of the Google Workspace APIs Explorer, a tool that helps users interact with Google Workspace APIs without the need to write any code. This innovative tool is set to transform the way small businesses understand and use Google Workspace APIs, offering an easier, more visual way to explore these interfaces.

Small business owners may be affected by the ongoing criticism aimed at the Small Business Administration (SBA) over its lending policies. U.S.

Strong hiring, along with a deceleration in pay growth, contributed to a private sector burst of hiring increase of 296,000 jobs in April, according to the ADP National Employment Report. The largest decrease in jobs was in manufacturing, where 38,000 jobs were lost. Small businesses contributed 121,000 of the job gains.

In celebration of National Small Business Week, taking place from April 30 to May 6, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is spotlighting tax benefits and offering an array of resources to assist those contemplating starting a business.

Amazon.com, Inc. has released its first-quarter financial results for 2023, showing significant growth despite an uncertain economic climate. The company reported that net sales increased by 9% to reach $127.4 billion, compared with $116.4 billion in the first quarter of 2022. Even with an unfavorable impact of $2.

In a strategic move to help small businesses capitalize on Gen Zs engagement with music, YouTube has launched innovative AI-powered music ad solutions. As a small business owner, these tools can offer you an effective avenue to reach and connect with Gen Z audiences who are highly active on YouTube.

Small businesses, led by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), are continuing their legal battle against the United States Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) final rule on the Waters of the United States (WOTUS).

An Ohio resident, Gary James Harmon, has been sentenced to four years and three months in prison for stealing over 712 Bitcoins. These bitcoins were proceeds from the darknet bitcoin mixer Helix and were part of a pending criminal forfeiture case.

Subway, one of the worlds largest restaurant brands, has reported its ninth consecutive quarter of positive sales, marking an important milestone in its multi-year transformation journey.

Small businesses across the United States are experiencing a severe labor shortage, according to a hearing held by the Small Business Subcommittee on Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Workforce Development.

The price of oil has taken a downturn. This decline is causing a drop in pump prices across the nation, providing some much-needed economic relief. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline has dropped five cents from last week, currently standing at $3.63. AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross says, The national average reached $3.

Adobe has announced the expansion of Frame.ios collaborative platform to include photos and PDF documents.

Understanding and planning for warehouse storage needs can be a daunting task for small business owners. However, East Coast Storage Equipment (ECSE), a trusted name in the material handling and storage equipment industry, is aiming to make this task easier with the launch of their innovative online tool, Rackulator.

Amazon Web Services (AWS), a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc., has announced three new capabilities for its threat detection service, Amazon GuardDuty, to bolster customer security through improved machine learning, anomaly detection, and integrated threat intelligence.

Etsy, known for its well-crafted, well-priced decor and furniture, has unveiled the biggest decor trends for 2023. These trends offer a wealth of opportunities for small businesses in the home goods sector, which can leverage these insights to cater to the evolving tastes of their customer base.

Shopify, a leading ecommerce platform, is launching a new tool, Shopify Bill Pay, offering merchants the ability to manage and pay vendors directly from the Shopify admin dashboard, with no subscription fees. This new tool will help small business owners save an average of 16 hours per month on business bill payments and will be twice as fast as other B2B expense solutions.

How do you live a lead your company and still live a wonderful life? This is a question small business owners have been trying to answer forever, but it is now even more important since the COVID pandemic.

eBay Inc. has released its financial outcomes for the first quarter of 2023, surpassing expectations with revenues reaching $2.5 billion, a 1% increase on an as-reported basis and 3% increase on a foreign exchange (FX) neutral basis. These figures send a strong signal to the small business community about the platforms resilience and potential growth opportunities.

Small business owners can breathe a sigh of relief as the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) recently confirmed that the projected timeline for the restoration of the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF) will not be significantly impacted by the recent failure of two large banks. The announcement came during the FDICs semiannual update on the Restoration Plan for the agencys DIF.

In a significant development that highlights the critical importance of ethics and transparency in public contracts, a former California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) contract manager and a former contractor were sentenced for their involvement in a bid-rigging and bribery plot connected to Caltrans improvement and repair contracts.

Starting a creative business requires access to quality supplies. One of the top destinations for many creative businesses, JOANN, recently launched a program to support creative business owners. Read about the opportunity and other small business grants below.

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A Texas woman, Adela Cruz, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for assisting clients in preparing and filing fraudulent tax returns with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

From 2014 to 2017, Cruz ran a tax preparation business in Uvalde County, Texas. To increase her clients tax refunds, she falsely claimed education credits, dependents, and business profits or losses on their returns. However, Cruz did not sign these falsified returns as the preparer, instead concealing her involvement by employing fictitious taxpayer emails. Cruz also claimed unwarranted education credits on her own tax returns for 2015 and 2016.

U.S. District Judge David Counts not only sentenced Cruz to imprisonment but also ordered her to serve one year of supervised release. Additionally, Cruz must pay a $1,500 fine and $129,239 in restitution to the United States.

The case was announced by Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Departments Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Jaime E. Esparza for the Western District of Texas. The IRS-Criminal Investigation was responsible for investigating the case, and Trial Attorneys Robert A. Kemins and Nicholas J. Schilling, Jr., of the Justice Departments Tax Division prosecuted the case.

This case underscores the serious implications of filing fraudulent tax returns and the responsibility held by tax preparers to uphold ethical standards. Small businesses should ensure they employ ethical tax preparers and understand the potential legal repercussions if these standards are not maintained.

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LEONARDTOWN, Md. (May 4, 2023)State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling announced today that a jury convicted Justin Tyler Dunbar, 34, of Grantsburg, Wisconsin, of three counts of felony sexual offense of a child stemming from events that occurred on October 17, 2022, in St. Mary's County, Maryland.



Following the announcement of the verdict, State's Attorney Jaymi Sterling said, "This terrible event is the epitome of vile and depraved behavior. No child should ever be subjected to sexual abuse. I hope this conviction provides a degree of relief for the victim and those affected by Mr. Dunbar's unforgivable actions. I thank the members of the jury for their time and attention during this trial."



Special Victims Unit Chief, Senior Assistant State's Attorney Sarah Proctor prosecuted the case on behalf of the citizens of St. Mary's County.



Mr. Dunbar has a pending warrant out of Colorado for a separate sexual offense involving another minor child.



The Honorable Joseph M. Stanalonis presided over the case.
Andrew Gillum, the ex-Tallahassee mayor and former CNN analyst, who came within a whisker of becoming Florida governor, was acquitted of lying to the FBI on May 4.

A federal jury in the Northern District of Florida found Gillum, 43, not guilty of lying to the FBI. The jury deadlocked on 18 other charges against Gillum, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial, attorneys said.

Speaking to reporters outside of the courthouse with his wife, R. Jai, by his side, Gillum said he was grateful for second chances and relieved by the verdict, while also calling for reforms to the system.

I think about what it has felt like, in my opinion, to be hunted  for seven years, Gillum said. To have people that you have known forever doubt you. To read things about you that dont resemble the truth or who you are.

Gillum was indicted in June of 2022 on 21 felony counts. Prosecutors alleged he and co-defendant, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, committed conspiracy, wire fraud and lied to investigators between 2016 to 2019. At issue were tens of thousands of dollars meant to be campaign donations that were, allegedly, funneled through Lettman-Hicks company and into their own personal bank accounts.

Gillum maintained from the start the indictment was politically motivated.

Theyve quite literally tried to take everything from us, Gillum said. And the beauty is, in our system, the powers that be dont always get to decide. Everyday people like you and me sometimes get our swings at the ball and today the jury took it.

Campaigning to be Floridas first Black governor, Gillum, a Democrat, lost by just 34,000 votes to Republican Ron DeSantis, then a Congressman, in the 2018 election.

In the aftermath of the election, Gillum struggled with alcohol addiction and depression and entered rehab. He was found passed out in a Miami Beach hotel room, in the company of two men.

Police found one of the men overdosed on what was suspected to be crystal meth. Some outlets reported the overdosed man was a gay escort. There were no arrests.

Not long after the incident, Gillum came out as bisexual and has remained married.
A bill banning medical treatment of transgender youth  and allowing the state to take custody of them  is on its way to Gov. Ron DeSantis desk after passing the Florida Senate on May 4.

SB 254, which was introduced by FL Sen. Clay Yarborough (R), passed 26-13. It passed the House of Representatives 83-28.

The bill grants Florida courts temporary emergency jurisdiction for children younger than 18 who have been subjected to or threatened with being subjected to sex reassignment prescriptions or procedures. The state could take physical custody of the child, calling the treatment of gender dysphoria serious physical harm.

In addition, there are impacts on transgender adults, as the bill also prohibits use of state funds, including state insurance programs, for sex-reassignment prescriptions or procedures. Meanwhile, this week Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill requiring Medicaid to cover gender-affirming treatment.

Should DeSantis sign the bill, it would go into effect immediately.

Equitable access to healthcare is a basic human right, yet the passage of SB 254 further codifies and sanctions discrimination against our already marginalized transgender and gender diverse community, Nic Zantop, the deputy director of TransInclusive, told SFGN. In a state touted by the governor as the freest in the nation, gender identity should never be a determining factor in who deserves access to essential healthcare. Legislation can never erase trans existence.

Planned Parenthood of South, East and North Florida tweeted, We proudly stand with our trans patients and will continue to prioritize their health. Until the bill is signed by the governor, patients can still receive treatment through the organizations centers.

Its an assault on medical freedom and the freedom to parent, Jon Harris Maurer, Equality Floridas public policy director, said in a press release. After weaponizing the states Medicaid agency and Board of Medicine against the transgender community, the governors surrogates have now rammed through legislation to override parental decision making, jail Florida doctors following best practices, and force adults to jump through government hoops to access their daily medication.

The war against transgender healthcare in Florida began last summer when the Department of Health called on the Florida Board of Medicine to create guidelines for treatment of gender dysphoria in youth. After multiple meetings, the board voted unanimously in February in just 10 minutes to ban hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and surgeries for transgender youth. The following month, doctors risked their medical license for providing treatment. At that time, patients who had already received treatment were exempt from the ban.
The story of a principal who was fired after showing students a photo of the statue of David appears to have a happy ending.

Hope Carrasquilla, who was forced to resign when she showed the naked statue to sixth graders, was invited to Florence by the director of the Galleria dell'Accademia to see the famous sculpture in person, NPR reports.

"David was magnificent in person," Carrasquilla told NPR. "All students should study the Renaissance, not only the art but the history as well."

During her visit to Italy, she also received an award from the city of Florence. In a tweet, Mayor Dario Nardella said, Well we promised to invite you to #Firenze and today you will be in Palazzo Vecchio to tell us that art has absolutely nothing to do with pornography.

Art is civilization and whoever teaches it deserves respect, he said in another tweet.

Carrasquilla, who was the principal at the Tallahassee Classical School, was forced to resign in March after three parents complained that she showed pornographic material to students during a lesson on Renaissance art. There was supposed to be a letter of consent sent to parents, but due to miscommunication, it did not happen. She was given the choice to resign or be terminated.

The story went viral  even making Saturday Night Lives Weekend Update skit  and the schools board chair stood his ground.

Parental rights trump everything else, Barney Bishop told the Huffington Post. They didnt like the woke indoctrination that was going on. We dont use pronouns. We dont teach CRT and we dont ever mention 1619  those are not appropriate subjects for our kids.

David is viewed by more than 1 million visitors each year; according to The Independent, tourists flocked to the museum after Carrasquillas firing to take selfies with the sculpture. It is one of the most well-recognized pieces of art in the world. Standing at 17 feet tall, the marble nude sculpture depicts the biblical hero before taking on the giant, Goliath. Michelangelo completed the work in 1504 and was on display next to the Florence Cathedral until 1873, when it was moved to its current home at the Galleria dell'Accademia.
That's more than Slovakias annual gas consumption.

The signing ceremony, including Slovak Economy Minister Karel Hirman (seated on the far right). (Source: Courtesy of Eustream)

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Up to 5 billion extra cubic metres of natural gas could be supplied every year to central and eastern Europe from Azerbaijan, interim Economy Minister Karel Hirman has announced. He was speaking in connection with a memorandum of understanding between gas transmission system operators from Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Azerbaijan and Slovakia signed on Tuesday, April 25.

Through gas pipes that already exist between our countries  that is, from Turkey through Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary to Slovakia  were talking about the possibility of supplying a total of up to 5 billion cubic metres of gas per year to all these countries, which is quite an interesting volume, said Hirman, as quoted by the TASR newswire.

The minister emphasised that gas from Azerbaijan would eliminate potential problems with supplies from Russia. He added that the new deliveries would not affect the price of gas in Slovakia, which are tied to market spot prices.

The memorandum

Hirman signed the memorandum of understanding to support cooperation between the Slovak pipeline operator Eustream, Bulgaria's Bulgartransgaz, the Romanian operator Transgaz, Hungary's FGSZ, and the Azerbaijani company SOCAR in Sofia, Bulgaria.

Related article

Related article Ukraine war shatters confidence in Russian gas flows Read more

By signing the memorandum, the participating countries are sending a signal that they are ready to create a new corridor for the importation of natural gas to Europe, to cooperate with partners in Azerbaijan in doubling their gas exports to the European Union, and to contribute to the overall diversification of gas supplies in the region, the Slovak Economy Ministry said in a media release.

Alternative gas supplies

The memorandum deals with the Solidarity Ring (STRING) joint initiative, supported by the European Commission, which aims to increase the security of natural gas supplies to the European Union and to central and south-eastern Europe in particular. The Solidarity Ring aims to upgrade the transmission network systems of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia to enable additional gas deliveries from alternative sources, for example Azerbaijan, to European customers, Eustream specified on its website.

The gas transmitted from Azerbaijan via south-eastern Europe to Slovakia could further reach other key EU markets, as Eustream has robust transmission capacities to all neighbouring countries, including Ukraine, said Rastislav Nukovic, general director of Eustream.

Experts see natural gas from Azerbaijan as one of the alternatives to gas imports from Russia.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/biden-faces-bribery-allegations-ukraine-offensive-questions-nato-expansion-in-finland-1110106234.html

Biden Faces Bribery Allegations; Ukraine Offensive Questions; NATO Expansion in Finland

Biden Faces Bribery Allegations; Ukraine Offensive Questions; NATO Expansion in Finland

President Biden is facing allegations from a whistleblower that he accepted bribes in his official position as Vice President.

2023-05-05T05:02+0000

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2023-05-05T10:17+0000

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Biden Faces Bribery Allegations; Ukraine Offensive Questions; NATO Expansion in Finland President Biden is facing allegations from a whistleblower that he accepted bribes in his official position as Vice President.

Regis Tremblay, an American citizen in Crimea, joins us to discuss the EU. The US is building up its military capabilities in Finland. Also, the Kremlin accuses the US of involvement in the recent drone attack on Kremlin.George Koo, journalist, social activist, and international business consultant, joins us to discuss China. NATO's expansion in Asia is destabilizing the region. Also, US arms makers are eyeing Taiwan as a new market for expansion.Jon Jeter, journalist, and author, joins us to discuss the Biden administration. President Biden is facing allegations from a whistleblower that he accepted bribes in his official position as Vice President. Also, Secretary Blinken is facing multiple allegations of improper and potentially illegal actions.Brian Berletic, ex-US Marine Corps independent geopolitical researcher and writer based in Bangkok, joins us to discuss foreign policy. The Ukraine offensive may have started but its effectiveness seems to be in great doubt. Also, China and Myanmar are deepening cooperation.Laith Marouf, broadcaster, and journalist based in Beirut, joins us to discuss the Middle East. Iran has arrested a second oil tanker in response to the US seizure of Iranian oil. Also, Israel has attacked Gaza again.Margaret Kimberley, editor and senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and author of "Prejudential: Black America and the Presidents, joins us to discuss the Black Agenda Report news. Harry Belafonte was an unashamed revolutionary. Also, Black voters may abandon conventional politics in 2024.Dr. Margaret Flowers, activist and editor of "PopularResistance.org," joins us to discuss domestic policy. California is a homeless disaster area. Also, private equity is looting America.Maru Mora-Villapando, community organizer, political analyst, and consultant, joins us to discuss immigration. President Biden is sending 1500 troops to the US Southern border. Also, the Biden administration is claiming that immigration is down 90%.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/borrell-says-eu-needs-own-policy-on-china-separate-from-us-1110115888.html

Borrell Says EU Needs Own Policy on China Separate From US

Borrell Says EU Needs Own Policy on China Separate From US

The European Union should have its own approach toward the ever-strengthening China, regardless of the bloc's close relationship with the United States, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday.

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"I think that yes, we, Europeans, we have to have our own way of facing China. On the EU-US-China triangle, we are closer to Washington, certainly, but we have to have our own way and we are working on that," Borrell told a conference in Florence. The chief EU diplomat said at an EU event in Italy entitled "Building Europe in Times of Uncertainty" that the 27-nation bloc should not stand in the way of China's ascent to global power status. The United States has been nudging Europe to take a tougher stance on China, its economic rival and a growing military power, to contain its rising global influence. This is despite the fact that the three remain the world's largest trading partners.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230414/borrell-eu-does-not-fear-chinas-rise-1109499149.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/chinese-ambassador-to-canada-strongly-protested-threat-to-expel-its-diplomats---embassy-1110106509.html

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Strongly Protested Threat to Expel Its Diplomats - Embassy

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Strongly Protested Threat to Expel Its Diplomats - Embassy

Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu in a meeting with Canadian officials strongly protested Ottawas threat to expel some of its diplomatic and consular staff, Beijing's embassy in Canada said in a statement.

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"On May 4, Chinese Ambassador to Canada, H.E. Cong Peiwu met with the senior official of the Global Affairs Canada," the embassy said in a statement obtained by Sputnik.The diplomatic mission lamented attempts by Canadian lawmakers to make political gains by capitalizing on the current media portrayal of China-related issues, notably on the alleged interference in Canadas elections of 2019 and 2021, which seeks to smear Beijing. Cong said China has and always will adhere to the non-interference principle in a countrys internal affairs, and noted the embassys firm rejection of statements implying otherwise, according to the release. The statement said in accordance with the Consular Agreement Between the Government of Canada and the Government of the People's Republic of China, and other international conventions on diplomacy, both consular and diplomatic officials fulfill their duties. Cong emphasized the necessity of respecting embassy and consular officials in the fulfillment of their regular duties and avoid trying to discredit them. "Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end," the statement said. Beijing recommended that Canada immediately stop the "political farce," the statement continued, which is leading relations between the two countries down a dangerous path.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/hungarys-orban-ukraine-crisis-is-klondike-for-arms-makers--profiteers-1110118968.html

Hungary's Orban: Ukraine Crisis is 'Klondike' for Arms Makers & Profiteers

Hungary's Orban: Ukraine Crisis is 'Klondike' for Arms Makers & Profiteers

The West's arms makers and financial profiteers reap benefits from continuation of Ukraine conflict, Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban stated.

2023-05-05T13:21+0000

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Arms manufacturers raking in massive profits, financial profiteers, and Western economic circles who hope to lay their hands on Russia's rich natural resources are the ones who are interested in seeing the Ukraine conflict rage on, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said."There's always a reason for the start of any war," he said in an interview for local radio, adding that different motivations begin manifesting themselves as each war progresses. Thus, during the Ukraine conflagration, arms manufacturers are flourishing, Orban emphasized, noting that shares in such weapons firms have been posting impressive growth.The Hungarian PM pointed to avaricious Western economic circles, including 92-year-old American billionaire George Soros, who "always dreamed of somehow setting foot on Ukrainian soil - and they succeeded - and also hopes to gain access to Russia's natural resources".Hungarian-born Soros is a financier who has made billions of dollars through investments and currency speculation. His New-York based 'Open Society Foundations' network of NGOs has spread its tentacles all over the world, backing anti-government protests in countries from Venezuela to Ukraine. Hungary and its PM, Orban, are among the handful of countries to resist his influence.Previously, Orban has branded Ukraine a non-existent country in financial terms. He added that "the moment America and Europe answer 'No' to this question", the conflict will end.Profit BumpIndeed, as the so-called collective West continues to shower the Kiev regime with sophisticated weaponry in aid of NATOs proxy war against Russia, defense stocks have been boasting a bumper year.Share prices show that five leading US weapons firms - Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics - all outperformed major Wall Street indexes in the 12 months since Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on 24 February 2022.Shares in all these weapons grew by an average of 12.78 percent in value, according to financial market data on 24 February 2023, cited by media reports. Lockheed Martin, that produces, for example, long-range missiles known as the Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS), reported first-quarter 2023 net sales of $15.1Bln, compared with $15Bln a year earlier. Over recent months, Lockheed won close to $500Mln of new contracts to build HIMARS and guided rockets for the Kiev regime.As Western countries' weapon supplies to Ukraine show no sign of abating, Russia has repeatedly warned that weapons deliveries will only prolong the conflict. Furthermore, the West knows the weapons they deliver to Ukraine are being sold on the black market, something mainstream media has tried to silence, US investigative journalist Seymour "Sy" Hersh has told Russian media.Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu also said that part of the weapons supplied by the West to Ukraine are already spreading across the Middle East region.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230424/hungarys-szijjarto-says-arms-supplies-to-kiev-only-prolong-ukraine-conflict-1109797781.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/ilyushin-il-76-russias-workhorse-strategic-airlifter-1110125531.html

Ilyushin Il-76: Russia's Workhorse Strategic Airlifter

Ilyushin Il-76: Russia's Workhorse Strategic Airlifter

Whats so special about Russias Ilyushin Il-76 heavy airlifter? What are its characteristics? Why does it have a glass nose? And why do Russian pilots call it the humpback? Sputnik explain.

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The Russian military sent four Il-76 transport aircraft to Sudan this week to evacuate over 200 people, including employees of the Russian embassy, servicemen and their families, Russian nationals and the citizens of Commonwealth of Independent States countries and several other friendly foreign nations amid fierce fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces in Khartoum.In another story featuring the plane this week, South Africa willfully ignored US sanctions and allowed a Russian Il-76 flying from an airfield outside Moscow to land at an air base near Pretoria following a regional tour which also saw it visit Baghdad, Cairo, Damascus, Algiers, Marrakesh, Abuja, and Luanda.What is the Ilyushin Il-76 Used For?Created in the 1970s by the Ilyushin Design Bureau and introduced into service with Aeroflot and the Soviet military, the Il-76 is capable of carrying a wide variety of heavy cargoes long distances  hence the strategic airlifter designation. Depending on modification, the plane can haul loads between 42 and 60 tons distances between 3,600 and 4,200 km, and has a cruising speed of 770-800 km per hour. The aircraft is 46.6 meters long, 14.76 meters tall, has a wingspan of 50.5 meters, and a crew of five.How Many People and How Much Equipment Can Fit Into an IL-76?The Il-76 has a 24.5-meter long cargo compartment (4.5 meters of which is its ramp). The compartment is 3.46 meters wide and 3.4 meters high, and has additional space underneath the floor of the main cargo compartment for additional storage. The plane has an overall freight capacity of 230 cubic meters.That means the quad jet-powered aircraft can transport up 140 troops or 125 airborne force personnel in full parachute gear, or a variety of vehicles, including armored personnel carriers and light tanks, or a wide variety of other mobile or immobile equipment.How Much Does an Il-76 Cost?The Il-76s manufacturers (which currently include the Aviastar-SP company in the Russian city of Ulyanovsk and the Tashkent Aviation Production Association in Uzbekistan) do not publicize the cost of the aircraft.However, according to estimates by Russian business media, the modernized Il-76MD-90A variant of the plane goes for about 5 billion rubles apiece (about $65 million US).How Much Does the Il-76 Cost to Operate Per Hour?Since the aircraft has been delivered to over two dozen countries around the world, from Europe and Asia to Africa, and even a few to the United States, information about operating costs is easy to come by. According to one company, the plane can be chartered for between $4,800 and $6,700 per flight hour  a real bargain, given that the US equivalent of the aircraft, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, is not even available for civilian use, while renting a Boeing 767 cargo runner can run you between $17,000 and $25,000 per flight hour.How Many Il-76s are There Out There, and How Many Does Russia Have?The Il-76 is one of the most successful modern cargo transport aircraft designs in the world, with over 960 planes built between 1971 and the present. Major operators include the Russian Aerospace Forces (which has 120+), the Russian Emergencies Ministry (EMERCOM), which operates several Il-76s, including firefighting variant Il-76 TDs, Russias National Guard (about 9 planes), the Indian Air Force (over 30), Chinas Peoples Liberation Army Air Force (17 or more Il-76s of various modifications), the Iranian Air Force (about a dozen) Iranian civilian operators (about a dozen planes), the Ukrainian Air Force, which had 5 Il-76MDs in 2021, and up to 45 Il-76s operated by civilian carriers, Azerbaijan (where about 11 are flown by cargo carriers), Belarus (6 operated by civilian carriers), Turkmenistan Airlines (8 Il-76TDs), and Uzbekistan Airways (about 14 planes).Why Does the Il-76 Have a Glass Nose?One of the biggest distinguishing features of the Il-76 is its distinct glass nose cockpit, which, in the right light, gives off the appearance of a plane smiling broadly back at whoever may be observing it. This design feature gives the navigator  who is seated in a separate cabin below the flight deck, an unparalleled view of the environment under the plane  something particularly useful during landings. For the Il-76, made to be rugged enough to take off and land on unpaved, dirt or snow-covered runways, good sightlines can be crucial.Why is the Il-76 Sometimes Called a 'Humpback'?Like many Russian aircraft, the Il-76 has its official name, then there's the name given to it by operators. For the Il-76, that name is the 'humpback' or 'hunchback', owing to the distinct placement of its wings  which are situated above the fuselage.NATOs codename for the Il-76 is the Candid, in accordance with a FBCHM classification system under which cargo transport aircraft all start with the letter "C."Is the Il-76 the Biggest-Ever Russian Strategic Airlifter?The Il-76 and its modifications arent the only line of modern heavy strategic airlifters designed by Soviet and Russian aircraft makers, with others including the Antonov line of planes  most notably the An-124 Ruslan  which are larger than the Il-76, but less successful in terms of the number built due to their introduction at the twilight of the Soviet period (55 An-124s were produced in total).The Russian Aerospace Forces, and several commercial operators in Russia, Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates, continue to operate these planes. But the undisputed pinnacle of Soviet heavy strategic airlifter design is the An-225 Mriya (Ukrainian for "Dream")  a giant, six-engined strategic airlifter featuring a fuselage and wing structure similar to the An-124  but significantly enlarged to a total length of 84 meters, a height of 18.1 meters, a wingspan of 88.4 meters, and a cargo capacity of up to 250 tons (and a cargo hold of 1,300 cubic meters). Unfortunately, Antonov was liquidated by the Ukrainian government in 2017, and the sole operational Mriya built during the Soviet period was destroyed in fighting at an airport outside Kiev in February 2022.So while the Il-76 may not be the biggest Soviet/Russian strategic airlifter ever conceived, it is definitely the most successful, with nearly five decades of operational experience with dozens of militaries and private operators, and 960+ built airframes, speaking for themselves.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/jamaica-belize-may-soon-ditch-king-charles--go-independent-1110107335.html

Jamaica, Belize May Soon Ditch King Charles & Go Independent

Jamaica, Belize May Soon Ditch King Charles & Go Independent

Newly surfaced reports have indicated that Jamaica and Belize may soon split ties with the British monarchy as King Charles III gets ready to officially take over the UK throne.

2023-05-05T01:16+0000

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2023-05-05T01:12+0000

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Jamaica's plans to become a republic independent from the British crown via a referendum could take place "as early as 2024," Jamaican Minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs Marlene Malahoo Forte said in interview published on Thursday.Malahoo noted the initiative is being fast-tracked in light of King Charles III's looming coronation. Jamaica is a Commonwealth realm with the British monarch as the head of state. She pointed out that, to arrange a referendum, a corresponding bill needs to be brought to the Jamaican parliament, which she expects to do in mid May, after the coronation. If the bill passes, the referendum may take place "as early as 2024." The minister added that the Jamaican people felt affection toward and identified with Queen Elizabeth II, but it is not at all the case with King Charles III. Jamaicans, she said, are not willing to identify with the British royal family anymore, given the string of scandals that has played out in the mass media recently. Meanwhile, Belizean Prime Minister Johnny Briceno said in an interview with British media that it was "quite likely" Belize would be the next Commonwealth realm to become a republic after Barbadoss exit in November 2021. He also criticized the UK government, and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in particular, for failure to apologize for the years of slave trade in the kingdom's past. "I think he [Sunak] has a moral responsibility to be able to offer at the very least an apology ... He should have a better appreciation of it because of his ancestry," Briceno said.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/jihadist-killed-in-ukraine-got-nato-weapons-sas-training---investigation-1110120239.html

'Jihadist' Killed in Ukraine Got NATO Weapons, SAS Training - Investigation

'Jihadist' Killed in Ukraine Got NATO Weapons, SAS Training - Investigation

Russia has repeatedly slammed the United States over the recruitment of terrorists and criminals for deployment to Ukraine, and has charged Ukrainian ultra-nationalist fighters with war crimes, not just since 2022, but going back to the start of the crisis in the Donbass in 2014.

2023-05-05T13:22+0000

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2023-05-07T04:56+0000

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Daniil Lyashuk, a Belarusian-born ultra-right volunteer fighter, convicted criminal and self-proclaimed holy warrior with pro-Daesh* views, operated a glamorous social media channel in which he posed with arms sent to Ukraine by the US and the UK, and bragged about receiving training from Britains elite Special Air Service special forces unit before his death.The fighter, going by the moniker "Mujahid," was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2017 for the torture of civilian and Donbass militia detainees in the Lugansk region while serving in the infamous Tornado special patrol police volunteer battalion, but was released after just four years later in the summer of 2021.Returning to the front in 2022, Lyashuk was filmed and snapped posing with and walking around with NATO-supplied weapons and supplies, including assault rifles and NLAW and Javelin man-portable anti-tank missiles.As first reported on by Declassified UK, in late March of this year, "Mujahid" posted a commentary to Telegram in which he mocked a video clip of Belarusian servicemen breaking bricks over their heads, calling them "goblins" and boasting that his "teacher from the British SAS always said that a single blow to the head does not add to a soldiers intelligence."The fighter did not elaborate on what else his SAS teacher "taught" him. He was killed a month later in fighting with Russian forces outside Artemovsk (Bakhmut).Britains Defense Ministry declined to comment to investigators on SAS activity in Ukraine, but an MoD spokesperson did assure, regarding weapons, that the UK conducts a rigorous assessment of the risks associated with providing weapons and ensure[s] an End-User Agreement is signed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine upon receipt of lethal aid.Lyashuk received a Golden Cross and a ceremonial pistol from the Ukrainian military after his death. Anton Gerashchenko, a notorious advisor to Ukraines interior minister, lauded the dead fighter as a "hero."Sputnik conducted an extensive investigation into Lyashuk and his comrades from the Tornado Battalion last May, revealing that the fighter had a penchant for extreme violence, torture, and homosexual rape. "There would be no life without torture. There's nothing like raising your vitality when you have someone's life in your hands," he was heard saying in a recording.Lyashuk's crimes were so severe that even Anatolii Matios, the former prosecutor-general of Ukraine, characterized him as someone who "committed with extreme cynicism and audacity, cruelty and ruthlessness the most brutal torture of the local population of the Lugansk region, organized and directly participated in the rape of detainees whom he and other suspects abducted for profit." He was "the most dangerous and cruelest" of all members of Tornado, Matios said.During his second "tour" in Donbass between 2022 and his death in 2023, Lyashuk founded and commanded the so-called "Vendetta" combat group.*Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL, is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20220502/the-tornado-case-atrocities-and-sadism-among-ukrainian-nazi-police-battalions-1094944567.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/new-york-officials-point-to-role-of-mental-health-after-chokehold-death-of-subway-rider-1110106935.html

New York Officials Point to Role of Mental Health After Chokehold Death of Subway Rider

New York Officials Point to Role of Mental Health After Chokehold Death of Subway Rider

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Eric Adams both pointed to the role that mental health may have played in the death of a Black homeless, who was put in a chokehold while on the subway system.

2023-05-05T00:30+0000

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2023-05-05T00:26+0000

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On Monday, 30-year-old Jordan Neely died after being restrained in a rear naked choke by a 24-year-old former Marine. Neely, who was homeless, purportedly lost consciousness as a result of the chokehold, after which point emergency responders were unable to revive him. The 24-year-old was initially taken into custody by law enforcement, but later released without charges. The citys medical examiner on Wednesday ruled the death a homicide via compression of the neck. The Manhattan District Attorneys Office is investigating Neelys death to determine whether charges are warranted. Neely, who law enforcement sources have reportedly said was arrested numerous times in the past, was purportedly yelling at passengers prior to being placed in the chokehold. Hochul called the incident "deeply disturbing," but noted that the number of crimes on New York City subways is declining. The city has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people off the streets and subways, Adams added. Adams appeared on a US broadcaster Wednesday evening, where he criticized US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) for characterizing the incident as a "murder" in a tweet. "I dont think thats very responsible at the time where were still investigating the situation," Adams said. The incident has sparked some protests in the city, where demonstrators have called for the arrest of the passenger who restrained Neely.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/pepe-escobar-divisions-brewing-in-europe-1110123039.html

Pepe Escobar: Divisions Brewing in Europe

Pepe Escobar: Divisions Brewing in Europe

Dissent is brewing inside the EU and inside NATO as old aristocracy and business circles of France and Germany feel betrayed by Washington, Pepe Escobar, veteran journalist, told Radio Sputniks New Rules podcast.

2023-05-05T15:29+0000

2023-05-05T15:29+0000

2023-05-05T15:29+0000

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pepe escobar

emmanuel macron

vladimir putin

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"Basically, what the Americans would like to do is to have Eastern Europe leading NATO and even leading the EU, which is even more far-fetched," said Pepe Escobar. As the Biden administration is pushing ahead with simultaneously confronting Russia and China, Washington's European allies are facing risks of losing not only cheap energy commodities but a leading trade partner, too.How US Strategy Backfires on France, UK and GermanyAfter his talks with Chairman Xi Jinping, French President Emmanuel Macron told Politico on April 9 that Europe must reduce its dependency on the US and avoid getting dragged into a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan. He warned that Europe could get "caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy."On April 11, Macron delivered his keynote speech in The Hague, Netherlands, emphasizing Europe's need to promote its own economy and security amid the ongoing crisis. Remarkably, as Macron was outlining his vision of Europe's strategic autonomy, Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, flew to Washington in order to strengthen economic and defense ties with the US  the one that "guarantees our security in Europe," as per Warsaw.Even though Macron came under criticism from US lawmakers over his apparent dissent, about a week later, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly stepped forward warning that Britain should not "pull the shutters down" in an April 19 interview with the Guardian. Speaking at Mansion House in the City of London six days later, the Foreign Secretary Cleverly insisted that no significant global problem can be solved without Beijing, arguing that "a stable, prosperous and peaceful China is good for Britain and good for the world."In contrast, German government officials remain largely silent which is hardly surprising given that the nation is "still in a neo-colony, period," according to Escobar.Is the German Government Betraying National Interests?Germany appears to be the greatest loser of the US-led anti-Russia and anti-China tilt, as it has been deprived of both the EU flagship and European powerhouse status. Following the beginning of Russia's special military operation (SMO) Washington twisted Berlin's arm into joining the West's sweeping energy embargo against Russia.Germany had relied on Moscow's pipeline gas since the 1970s. German chemical giant BASF once dubbed Russian gas "the basis of our industrys competitiveness." After the destruction of Nord Stream pipelines  which, according to Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh, was carried out by US and Norwegian operatives  German medium-size enterprises and industrial giants have been forced to relocate as energy prices stung."Any political party in Germany, they simply don't get it. They are all ideological and they all follow the recommendations from DC. When [German Chancellor Olaf] Scholz went to Beijing, there was a hefty German business delegation with him. In effect, they dictated the agenda. Look, you can say anything you want, but we came here to do business with the Chinese. This is what we need. You know, the problem is that with the Nord Stream bombing, they didn't have a say because they were faced with a fait accompli and they said, Wow, we just lost our cheap source of energy, what are we having for a replacement? Nothing. So can you imagine that you were a German businessman who looked at his government to say, my government has betrayed me, has betrayed my country? This is treason. This is extremely serious business," the veteran journalist continued.Sovereignty is Key to International Dialogue"We're still living in the after effects of the end of the Second World War," Escobar noted. "That includes everything, defeatism by the French, the fact that they were smashed in the Second World War. On the German side, there are psychological scars that are very difficult to heal even after decades, a guilt complex, a gigantic guilt complex. And the fact that they know intellectually, they can understand that they are a colony, but they don't find a way to break free."Still, no one is interested in doing business with "vassals", as per the veteran journalist.Speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club on October 27, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin specifically lamented Europe's dependency on "Washington Obkom.""Well, how could one talk to this or that partner if the latter does not make decisions and on every occasion he has to call the Washington Obkom and ask what can and what cannot be done?" Putin asked rhetorically."Obkom" is a Soviet term for a Communist Party regional committee and Putin's use of it is by no means incidental: the Russian president de facto nailed Europe's "vassalage" and lack of strategic sovereignty.For more of Pepe Escobar's exclusive analysis on dissent brewing within the EU, check out the full episode of the podcast on our Telegram and Odysee.If you want to learn more about Escobar's views on de-dollarization and US relations with Russia and China, you can find it here.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230501/forget-pension-reform-france-faces-bigger-problems-over-ukraine-adventurism-1110013084.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230226/frenemy-how-us-deprives-germany-of-strategic-autonomy-and-status-as-industrial-powerhouse--1107807263.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230303/germany-got-a-slap-in-the-face-from-us-but-can-do-nothing-but-obey-political-scientist--1107986269.html

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230504/pepe-escobar-us-outmatched-by-russia-china-1110095098.html

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There is a conflict between German politicians and businessmen in light of the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, Pepe Escobar tells Sputniks New Rules There is a conflict between German politicians and businessmen in light of the terrorist attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, Pepe Escobar tells Sputniks New Rules 2023-05-05T15:29+0000 true PT1M31S

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/quick-buck-for-your-arms-why-west-and-kiev-uninterested-in-weapons-oversight-1110127691.html

Quick Buck for Your Arms: Why West and Kiev Uninterested in Weapons Oversight

Quick Buck for Your Arms: Why West and Kiev Uninterested in Weapons Oversight

There is no reliable oversight body that would give a clear answer as to what actually happens to Western weapons after they enter Ukraine, Earl Rasmussen, a retired lieutenant colonel with over 20 years in the US Army and international consultant, told Sputnik.

2023-05-05T18:43+0000

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2023-05-05T18:43+0000

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US and UK defense officials have repeatedly asserted to the Western public that they have put in place reliable mechanisms to track NATO weapons delivered to Ukraine. However, the aforementioned measures are not as reliable as they claim.UK Minister of State for the Armed Forces James Heappey recently testified that the British government is keeping an eye on arms transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, admitting, however, that some of weapons intended for the Ukrainian military are being resold. Still, according to Heappey, these instances are "very rare."Likewise, in late February, Republican lawmakers grilled the Pentagons lead watchdog, Inspector General Robert Storch, who acknowledged challenges in oversight despite the Department of Defense claiming there was no evidence of diversion of expensive US weapons in Ukraine. "You cannot testify that everything is complying with the law in end-use monitoring," Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) told Storch. "If you could testify to that, you would."Ukraine: One of Largest Arms Smuggling MarketsUkraine is believed to have one of the largest arms trafficking markets in Europe, according to the US-funded 2021 Global Organized Crime Index. For instance, of the more than 300,000 small arms that disappeared from Ukraine between 2013 and 2015, only around 13% were ever recovered, according to a 2017 briefing by the Small Arms Survey, a Geneva-based independent research project.Last month, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour Hersh argued that the West knows that the weapons they deliver to Ukraine are being sold on the black market. Hersh told the Russian media that "very early, Poland, Romania, [and] other countries on the border were being flooded with weapons we'd been shipping for the war to Ukraine," where the Russian special military operation is underway.Several months ago, CBS News tried to tell the story of weapons smuggling in Ukraine, but almost immediately the media company was forced to retract it. Prior to that, CNN quoted US administration and Pentagon officials complaining that US arms were vanishing in the "fog" of the Ukraine conflict, acknowledging that it was almost impossible to track all weapons systems delivered to the Eastern European state.US Congress Members Vote Down Sen. Paul's Oversight InitiativeIn May 2022, US lawmakers did not support Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul's initiative to expand the powers of the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) to include the Ukraine funds. As per Rasmussen, this was a big mistake on their part.According to Rasmussen, "we don't actually know who's receiving [these weapons] and where it's getting to." At the same time, even if it goes to different Ukrainian units, the expert does not rule out that there are "certain entities within the military or within the government, or oligarchs that are seeing this as an opportunity to redirect weapons, redirect things to different parties.""It could be going to the ultranationalist neo-Nazi parties, which I'm sure have different connections to other dark-type entities," he said. "And I'm sure that a lot of these same connections exist to criminal organizations as well, and perhaps connections to terrorist activities also, both within Europe as well as in Northern Africa and the Middle East. Obviously somebody influential, someone is probably getting a cut from these, I'm sure they're not just disappearing going across. They're being sold and distributed for somebody's monetary gain of some type."There are People Profiteering From Lack of OversightNeedless to say, there are people interested in maintaining this chaotic state of affairs, Rasmussen underscored. For example, there are obviously people within the Ukrainian government who are profiteering from the smuggling of NATO weapons, according to the military veteran.On April 14, Hersh alleged that Zelensky and his cabal embezzled around $400 million last year, citing CIA analysts. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist also quoted one expert as saying that the level of corruption in Kiev is approaching that of the Afghan war, "although there will be no professional audit reports emerging from the Ukraine.""Obviously, there're commanders on the field that are probably not supportive of the status quo and would like to have the weapons that they need and would like to have better control on this," Rasmussen continued. "I think there are entities within, let's face it, within the US government, or perhaps within the shippers that are bringing this stuff over that would like the status quo as well. And I think the weapons manufacturers would like it, because if the weapons dont get there  and even if they do get there, we're having problems meeting the requirements. But let's say they don't. Then they definitely don't have abilities. So that means more weapons, more ammunition needed, more weapons need to be developed, and more contracts for the weapons industry."US Weapons Ending Up in Wrong Hands, RepeatedlyThe most frustrating part of this is that there has been a plethora of examples of the US government's loose oversight of weapons transfers, which have ended up in the wrong hands. To illustrate his point, Rasmussen referred to the CIA's Operation Timber Sycamore "that basically funneled weapons into the multiple different areas of Syria, essentially from Libya through Eastern Europe, through Turkiye into Syria to assist the moderate rebels, which we know there really are no moderate rebels, they're all extremists and most have aligned with al-Qaeda* or ISIS*."There have been plenty of other instances where US weapons have found their way to terrorist groups. For example, in 2015, Iraqi security forces lost 2,300 Humvee armored vehicles, supplied by the US, after the collapse of Mosul which were grabbed by Daesh* terrorists who repurposed them into car bombs with improvised explosive devices. In October 2017, the Syrian Defense Ministry released footage of ammunition confiscated from numerous terrorist organizations, including Daesh and the al-Qaeda linked al-Nusra Front*, stating that those weapons had been manufactured in the United States or by its close allies.In 2021, the US left behind at least $7 billion in military equipment in Afghanistan after its botched withdrawal, according to a congressionally mandated report from the Pentagon. All in all, the US gave a total of $18.6 billion in equipment to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) from 2005 to August 2021, as per the DoD report.*Daesh (ISIS/ISIL/Islamic State), al-Qaeda, and al-Nusra Front (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham) are terrorist organizations banned in Russia and many other countries.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230423/sy-hersh-west-knows-ukraine-weapons-end-up-on-black-market-1109774596.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/rome-demands-apology-from-france-citing-fms-insult-over-migration-remarks-1110118554.html

Rome Demands Apology From France Citing FM's Insult Over Migration Remarks

Rome Demands Apology From France Citing FM's Insult Over Migration Remarks

Italy's Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani told Italian newspaper on Friday that remarks made by French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin was an insult not only Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, but also all Italians, demanding apologies.

2023-05-05T11:58+0000

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"We are a great democratic country with a thousand-year history, a founder of the European Union. ... A foreign minister cannot allow himself to do what this man has done. ... apart from the government and the President of the Council of Ministers, he insulted all Italians," Tajani said. Darmanin calling Meloni's government "far-right" and drawing parallels between the political course of the Italian prime minister and that of Marine Le Pen, the leader of the French right-wing National Rally parliamentary group, particularly triggered Tajani's outrage. The Italian minister canceled his scheduled visit to France to meet with his French counterpart, Catherine Colonna, considering the explanations given by the French side insufficient, as there were no apologies in them. The words of the French minister are "a groundless and vulgar insult to a friendly allied country" and "a stab in the back," Tajani said. On Thursday, Darmanin said that Meloni is incapable of solving Italy's illegal migration problems, adding that the country is experiencing a "very serious" migration crisis. The previous diplomatic scandal between Italy and France took place in November 2022, when Italy refused to allow the docking of the Ocean Viking, French NGO SOS Mediterranee's ship, with 234 migrants on board, who had been rescued in the Mediterranean Sea. Many refugees had reportedly been at sea for over two weeks. The ship finally docked in the French port of Toulon. France criticized Rome's refusal as "selfish" and "unacceptable." Meloni, in turn, said that it was unfair that most of migrants that travel via the Mediterranean Sea come to Italian ports.

https://sputnikglobe.com/20230214/italys-pm-meloni-coalition-wins-in-regional-elections-1107398142.html

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/the-us-denies-any-involvement-with-the-drone-strike-on-the-kremlin-1110105827.html

The US Denies Any Involvement With the Drone Strike on the Kremlin

The US Denies Any Involvement With the Drone Strike on the Kremlin

On todays episode of The Backstory, we discussed current events including reports showing press freedom is declining across the world, and Jury convicts Proud Boys members of seditious conspiracy for January 6th riot.

2023-05-05T04:50+0000

2023-05-05T04:50+0000

2023-05-05T10:11+0000

the backstory

radio

kremlin

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nicaragua

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ice

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The U.S. Denies Any Involvement with the Drone Strike on the Kremlin On todays episode of The Backstory, host Lee Stranahan discussed current events including reports showing press freedom is declining across the world, and Jury convicts Proud Boys members of seditious conspiracy for January 6th riot.

Robert Bridge - Author, Columnist | Drone Strike Reactions from Moscow, America Denies Involvement in Kremlin Attack, and Russian Culture Protects ChildrenSusan Pai - Immigration Attorney | Ron DeSantis Anti-Immigration Bill, Fighting Between DeSantis Camp and Trump Camp, and The Humanitarian Parole ProgramIn the first hour, Lee spoke with Robert Bridge about Russians aware of terrorism from Ukraine, possibilities of where the drone originated from, and Victory Day in Russia. Robert talked about his interactions with everyday Russians in Moscow and how they have reacted to the recent drone attack on the Kremlin. Robert spoke about the culture wars in America and how the Russian government protects children from sexualized propaganda. In the second hour, Lee spoke with Susan Pai about the immigration court backlog, Ron DeSantis is no doubt running for President, and Title 42 ending will cause major problems. Susan discussed her connections to Ron DeSantis's big donors and explained the new anti-immigration bill by the DeSantis administration. Susan described the Biden administration's stance on immigration and Susan is in favor of the E-Verify program.We'd love to get your feedback at radio@sputniknews.comThe views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the position of Sputnik.

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the backstory, is the us behind the attack on kremlin, russian culture protects children, anti-immigration bill, terrorism from ukraine, the culture wars in america, sexualized propaganda, ron desantis
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/toxic-wwii-era-discarded-ammo-uncovered-in-norways-largest-lake-1110111416.html

Toxic WWII-Era Discarded Ammo Uncovered in Norway's Largest Lake

Toxic WWII-Era Discarded Ammo Uncovered in Norway's Largest Lake

Five municipalities and around 100,000 Norwegians get their drinking water from Lake Mjosa, where toxic and carcinogenic ammunition was dumped for decades.

2023-05-05T07:35+0000

2023-05-05T07:35+0000

2023-05-05T07:35+0000

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europe

norway

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Huge quantities of discarded ammunition have been discovered in Norway's largest lake.While it was no secret that ammunition crates and other gear were dumped into Lake Mjosa between 1940 and 1970 by both the Raufoss factory and the Norwegian Armed Forces, a recent calculation by the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI) indicated that the extent of the unused and defective ammunition tossed into the waters was much greater than previously presumed.In the past, it was believed that between 100 and 200 tons were dumped in total. A new estimate said that this figure could be 10 to 20 times higher.The junked weapons involve everything from thousands of three-meter-long Sidewinder air-to-air missiles to crates with grenades and historic arms from World War II. Much of the ammunition is undetonated and can therefore be hazardous. After lying in the lake for close to 80 years, ignition mechanisms can become unstable and can explode if touched.So far, however, no concrete documentation on the exact types of ammo, quantities and dumping sites has been found, according to FFI. The Norwegian military was asked by the Norwegian Environment Agency to survey the distribution of ammunition previously chucked into Lake Mjosa. A full report is due this autumn.The discarded weapons may also pose a health hazard. In measurements from late 2020, traces of two types of dinitrotoluene (DNT) at the bottom of Lake Mjosa were uncovered. So far, no discoveries were made in the water directly above. DNT is a common substance in explosives, which is both toxic and carcinogenic. Furthermore, the ammunition at the bottom of the lake may contain environmentally harmful mercury, lead and copper.A total of five municipalities with a population of 100,000 people get their drinking water from Lake Mjosa. In the future, the leak of these substances into fresh water may intensify due to corrosion.Mjosa is not only Norway's largest lake, but one of Europe's deepest, with a maximum depth of around 450 meters. It is located in the southern part of the Nordic country, about 100 kilometers north of Oslo. Previously, Lake Mjosa has been described as a treasure trove for old ships, as huge battles were held there in the 1100s and 1200s between large fleets.

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Hong Kong: IMF commends HK's fiscal policy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Article IV Mission commended the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's efforts to boost economic growth and safeguard financial stability.

The mission made the assessment in its Concluding Statement which was published today following the completion of the 2023 Article IV Consultation with the Hong Kong SAR.

The mission considers that Hong Kong's financial system remains resilient and the city continues to play its role as an international financial centre under the challenging global macro-financial environment.

It also noted that the resilient financial system is premised on Hong Kong's strong institutional frameworks, in particular the high-quality financial sector oversight, substantial capital and liquidity buffers, and the well-functioning Linked Exchange Rate System. As economic activity normalises, Hong Kong's economy is recovering strongly.

Financial Secretary Paul Chan welcomed the highly positive assessment of Hong Kong.

The mission fully recognises that Hong Kong's economy is demonstrating momentum for a strong recovery, and commends that the Hong Kong SAR Government's fiscal policy has robustly led Hong Kong in navigating through the economic challenges in the past few years.

Once again, the mission affirms that Hong Kong's high-quality financial sector oversight ensures the resilience of the financial system, while upholding Hong Kong's status as a premier international financial centre in the evolving global environment.

The Concluding Statement commends the Government's multifarious efforts to boost economic growth, including the establishment of the Co-Investment Fund to support innovation and technological development, enhancement of the talent attraction programmes, adoption of a more co-ordinated approach to increase residential land and housing supply, etc.

The mission's positive assessment is a reflection of our capability, determination and accomplishment in maintaining financial stability and economic growth.

It also clearly shows that under our new policy vision of integrating a 'capable government' and a 'highly efficient market', we are leaping forward steadily and bolstering prosperity.

Monetary Authority Chief Executive Eddie Yue also welcomed the mission's recognition of the citys robust regulatory and supervisory frameworks, which have built up strong capital buffers and ample liquidity to safeguard financial stability amidst global and market uncertainties.

The mission visited Hong Kong from March 20 to 31 and held discussions with Government officials, financial regulators and private sector representatives year for the 2023 Article IV Consultation with the Hong Kong SAR.

The relevant full report will be discussed by the IMF Executive Board this month.

This story has been published on: 2023-05-05. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Feature: Chinese, Malaysian youths' dedication shines on BRI East Coast Rail Link megaproject

11:19, May 05, 2023 By Wang Yi, Zhu Wei and Mao Pengfei ( Xinhua

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Under the scorching sun in Malaysia, the construction work of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was in full swing.

Ten Youth Rapid Response Teams, employees from both China and Malaysia, are working actively on the construction sites along the line which expands more than 600 kilometers.

In July 2017, the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the ECRL project was established. Zhang Tan, 33, is now the team leader. Before coming to Malaysia, he had participated in the construction of a BRI project in Africa.

Zhang was carrying out inspections at the beam yard with his colleague Deng Youzhi, a technical director. Procedures at the yard were all in an orderly manner with more than a hundred pieces of precast T-shaped beams stored in a well-aligned way, waiting to be erected on the piers.

Zhang explained to Xinhua that the beam yard plays a crucial role in the railway construction. He said it is only by supplying the required, high-quality beams in an efficient way, that track-laying and erecting work can be achieved on schedule and the ECRL project can be completed smoothly.

"All our team members work at the key sites of the line and play quite important roles," said Zhang, adding that although there are some difficulties, they are devoted to their work and can produce four pieces of beams every day.

Built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the ECRL is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to Malaysia, by linking its less-developed region of Malaysia on the East Coast to the economic heartland on the West Coast upon its completion.

According to Ye Xiaoyang, deputy project director of CCCC (ECRL) SDN BHD, 2023 is a key year for the civil engineering of the ECRL project, and it is expected that the number of employees will exceed 20,000.

The project has 10 Youth Rapid Response Teams comprising 223 people, of which 185 people are aged 35 and under. They all work at important sites, such as tunnels, culverts, bridges and roadbeds, and have made great contributions to the construction of the ECRL.

Deng, from southwest China's Sichuan province, started working here only several months ago. As a newcomer, he spends most of his time in the production yard, examining all the procedures and trying his best to contribute as a technical director.

In a T-shirt dyed by sweat and marl, he proudly said that his technical suggestions had been accepted to improve the working efficiency, and as a member of the Youth Rapid Response Teams, he will uphold the spirit of craftsmanship to overcome all kinds of obstacles and to strive for excellence.

The Youth Rapid Response Teams attract not only Chinese staff but also their Malaysian peers.

Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, joined the ECRL after graduating from the University of Malaya.

"I was at the site when we drove the first pile. I have experienced a lot in the past two years. In addition to personal growth, it's also about watching the project steadily moving forward. I feel that we are getting closer to the goal," he said.

Over the past two years, with the help of his Chinese colleagues, he has adapted well to this working environment and has been participating more actively in the project.

Teng said that ECRL has brought more job opportunities for local people and that he had met many alumni from his middle school on the project.

Ye said that the project's construction work has been accelerated and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

For Teng, he believes that after the completion of the project, it will bring more convenient transportation and more opportunities.

Zhang Tan (C), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), inspects a construction site in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People work at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Zhang Tan (center R), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), inspects a construction site in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Zhang Tan (R), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), discusses production issues with technical director Deng Youzhi (C) and Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, at a beam yard of the project in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Technical director Deng Youzhi (R) and Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, discuss production issues at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

An employee works at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/un-is-victim-to-global-crisis-but-still-embodies-multilateralism---nebenzia-1110110695.html

UN is Victim to Global Crisis, But Still Embodies Multilateralism - Nebenzia

UN is Victim to Global Crisis, But Still Embodies Multilateralism - Nebenzia

The UN takes a loss from the current geopolitical crisis but it undoubtedly represents individual countries worldwide through its Charter and embodies multilateralism, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told Sputnik.

2023-05-05T05:40+0000

2023-05-05T05:40+0000

2023-05-05T20:43+0000

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united nations security council

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"The UN is to some extent a victim of the kind of global crisis in international relations that we are witnessing today. But the fact that we live in a UN-centric model of the world, and the UN, through its Charter, embodies this multilateralism, is something we do not doubt," Nebenzia said. Nebenzia recalled the words of former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabious who said that the world we have today has more and more multipolarity, but less and less multilateralism. The ambassador also said there is "false multilateralism" in which countries create non-inclusive formats, make decisions, and then try to apply them universally onto everyone. The United Nations should be saved regardless of how it got altered since the 1990s, Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Nebenzia said.Russia took over the rotating presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of April. Last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who was at the UN presiding over Security Council meetings, discussed with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres the importance of further strengthening the central coordinating role of the UN in global politics and promoting "true" multilateralism based on fundamental international legal norms, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. Lavrov during remarks at the UN said a multilateral approach is required to resolve the crisis in the Middle East instead of what he called the "destructive" one-sided actions of the US and EU.

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https://sputnikglobe.com/20230505/us-will-never-agree-to-relocate-un-hq---russias-ambassador-to-un-1110110425.html

US Will Never Agree to Relocate UN HQ - Russia's Ambassador to UN

US Will Never Agree to Relocate UN HQ - Russia's Ambassador to UN

The US will never agree to relocating the UN because it would lose the opportunity to abuse host country privileges and a significant amount of money, Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told Sputnik.

2023-05-05T05:12+0000

2023-05-05T05:12+0000

2023-05-05T05:12+0000

world

the united nations (un)

new york

united nations security council

us

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"First, to do this, the consent of at least two-thirds of the UN member states is required. Due to a number of circumstances, it is very difficult to achieve such a number of those who support the relocation of the headquarters," Nebenzia said. "Besides, the Americans themselves will never agree to this, because for them it is both prestige, and, particularly, the opportunity to abuse their duties as the host country of the organization, as well as a lot of money." Nebenzia said New York, according to the most conservative estimates, receives some $5 billion a year from the fact that the headquarters is located there and from the fact that diplomats from 193 countries live here. The Russian presidency of the United Nations Security Council was overshadowed by delays in the issuance of visas to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his press pool by the United States, which is home to the permanent UN headquarters. This led the top Russian diplomat to suggest that the UN office be moved elsewhere from New York. Nebenzia said he remembers how the deputy envoy of the US mission at that time, responding to these calls, said he would welcome going to the New York Pier to wave at delegations to the UN leaving from New York to Europe. Moscow slammed Washington's decision not to issue visas to the Russian reporters who were supposed to accompany Lavrov to the UN Security Council, adding that the United States breached its pledges to protect freedom of speech.

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Silver Label will look to graduate at the head of her class this Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park.

Trained by Nick Gallucci for owner and breeder Millar Farms, Silver Label chases the natural hat trick in the four-year-old mares division of the Ontario Sired Graduate Final on May 6, which carries a purse of $84,500.

The Bettors Delight-Hidden Gem mare, who launched her 2023 campaign in the series with a close fourth-place finish before recording consecutive scores to bump her career bankroll to $866,864, is in top-shelf form ahead of her latest test.

Silver Labels most recent trip to the winners circle, the 14th of her career (from 25 starts), was a gutsy neck nod in 1:52.3 over good going in a $25,000 Graduate leg at Woodbine Mohawk Park on April 28.

She really dug down deep in that last one, said Gallucci, of Saturdays 6-5 morning line choice. Ever since day one, shes just been a special filly to have and never does anything wrong. She never does something to set you back in your schedule. She will always do whatever you ask of her.

The bay, who will once again have leading reinsman James MacDonald in the sulky, came out of her last start in good order and ready for her next task.

It seems like every week she gets sharper and sharper. Its nice this week to get a better draw (post three) and well see what happens.

An OBrien Award finalist at two for rookie pacing filly honours, Silver Label followed it up with a strong sophomore showing, winning six races, along with three seconds, from 14 starts, to go along with $498,138 in purse earnings, en route to OBrien recognition as Canadas Three-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year.

Highlights included victories in the final of the SBOA and the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Super Final, the latter in a career-best 1:50.2.

On the racetrack, shes a sweetheart. In the barn, she can give everyone a bit of a hard time. You can put up with that when they are as consistent as her.

Gallucci will also be represented by Velvet Stinger in the final.

Also bred and owned by Millar Farms, the daughter of Bettors Delight-Our Hot Majorette has hit a rough patch of late, with three off-the-board finishes in the Graduate Series.

Fashioning a record of 8-2-1 from 22 starts to go along with a mark of 1:51 and $269,574 in purse earnings, Velvet Stinger (15-1) will have Tyler Jones in the race bike and an equipment adjustment in store.

Im going to open her bridle up a little bit. She was pretty grabby last week. She got into a bit of a tight spot on the backstretch and actually, she ran up on the horse in front of her. I think if I can let her see a little more, Im hoping that maybe that settles her down a little bit and she has a better finish coming home. 

The final is slated as race four (8:15 p.m. ET) post on Saturdays card and shares the spotlight with the Open Trot in the first race and the Open Pace in the sixth. First post is 7:00 p.m.

Saturday evenings 12-race card will be capped off by a mandatory payout for the Jackpot Hi-5. The carryover is $271,267.52 and the total pool is expected to exceed $1 million. The Jackpot Hi-5 requires horseplayers to select the top five finishers in order. The wager carries a 20-cent minimum and 15 per cent takeout.

To view Saturday's harness racing entries, click the following link: Woodbine Mohawk Park -- Saturday Entries || PDF program pages.

(Woodbine)
Airports in Scottsbluff and Sidney are among seven in Nebraska benefiting from the latest round of federal Airport Improvement Program grants for maintenance or upgrades.

The Western Nebraska Regional Airport in Scottsbluff will receive $12.13 million toward the $14.3 million cost of repaving its 8,200-foot-long instrument landing system runway, Airport Manager Raul Aguallo said Thursday.

The Sidney Municipal Airport received an additional $451,562 in AIP funds toward a new $1.8 million hangar thats already under way, Sidney Airport Authority Chairman Ron Meyer said.

Airports in North Platte, Ainsworth, Burwell, Norfolk and Wayne also shared in the U.S. Federal Aviation Administrations combined $17.36 million award of AIP funds for Nebraska, the state Department of Transportation said in a Wednesday press release.

Aguallo said Simon Contractors should begin in July to mill and resurface the Scottsbluff airports Runway 12/30. Its crosswind runway, Runway 5/23, was repaved two years ago.

Every 20 years, the feds require the pavement to be milled and overlaid again because the pavement gets brittle, he said.

The FAA typically pays 90% and the local airport 10% of improvement projects involving AIP funds. Aguallo said $1.4 million of the runway repaving will be covered by local funds.

The federal share includes both discretionary AIP money and the primary status airport funds Scottsbluffs airport qualifies for by handling at least 10,000 passenger boardings annually, he said.

Itll take about four months for Simon to finish the runways repaving, Aguallo said. That will include an Aug. 21-30 airport shutdown when workers redo the intersection of the two runways.

We hope to only be down five days for private aircraft, he said. But SkyWest will be down the whole 10 days, referring to SkyWest Airlines daily round trips to and from Denver.

Sidneys airport authority received more than $674,000 in AIP funds last June toward what Meyer said will be its first new hangar in more than 30 years.

We have a huge hangar shortage, he said, noting that the new hangar will have room for eight aircraft. Sidneys largest hangar now can only house six.

Meyer said the airport board also received more federal help last fall through the nationwide infrastructure bill Congress passed earlier in 2022.

Sidney also obtained a no-interest state DOT loan for hangar projects, which can be repaid over up to 10 years as more AIP funds come in, he said.

Construction work began April 10 on Sidneys new hangar, with concrete set to be poured next week, Meyer said. Eric Reichert Insulation and Construction of Scottsbluff is the projects contractor.
Three suspects were each charged with first-degree murder in the killing of a 20-year-old woman on a Colorado highway last month, who died after a large rock was allegedly thrown at her car and smashed through her windshield, prosecutors said Wednesday.

Nicholas Karol-Chik, Joseph Koenig and Zachary Kwak each face more than a dozen charges in total in the killing of Alexa Bartell, who was found dead in her car, and the injuring of three others as multiple moving vehicles were struck by rocks on the evening of April 19, according to a news release from the Colorado First Judicial District Attorney's Office.

In addition to the murder charges, the suspects  all of whom were 18 years old at the time of arrest  also face six counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree assault and three counts of attempted second-degree assault.

The suspects have not entered pleas. CNN has reached out to their attorneys for comment.

Bartell was driving in northern Jefferson County, just northwest of Denver, when one of the suspects allegedly hurled a large landscape rock at her Chevrolet Spark, causing it to crash into a field, according to arrest affidavits.

After the deadly attack, Kwak  who allegedly threw the rock that killed the woman  said, "We have to go back and see that," according to the affidavits. Kwak then snapped a photo of the crash, authorities say.

When police investigators asked why, Kwak said he thought Karol-Chik or Koenig "would want it as a memento," according to the affidavit.

The day after Bartell's killing, Koenig and Kwak met and "tried to get their stories straight about (what) happened, specifically denying involvement," the affidavits said.

Bartell was speaking on the phone with a friend when their conversation suddenly ended, according to police. Using the Find My iPhone app, her friend found Bartell and her phone in a field south of State Highway 128, the affidavits said.

The friend found Bartell motionless and with a significant head injury in the driver's seat, according to the documents.

The suspects were allegedly involved in other incidents of throwing rocks at moving cars, the documents show. Karol-Chik and Koenig "have been involved in throwing objects since at least February on ten separate days," Karol-Chik allegedly said.

The suspects are being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.

Cities with the highest rate of motor vehicle fatalities Cities with the highest rate of motor vehicle fatalities #50. Oklahoma City #49. Salt Lake City #48. Wichita, Kansas #47. Newport News, Virginia #46. St. Petersburg, Florida #45. Miami #44. Montgomery, Alabama #43. Huntsville, Alabama #42. Toledo, Ohio #41. New Orleans #40. Phoenix #39. Bakersfield, California #38. Fresno, California #37. Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government, Georgia #36. Tulsa, Oklahoma #35. Fayetteville, North Carolina #34. Milwaukee #33. Akron, Ohio #32. Hollywood, Florida #31. Mobile, Alabama #30. Kansas City, Kansas #29. Indianapolis #28. Nashville-Davidson metro, Tennessee #27. Orlando, Florida #26. Tampa, Florida #25. Knoxville, Tennessee #24. Atlanta #23. Dallas #22. Shreveport, Louisiana #21. Springfield, Missouri #20. Palmdale, California #19. Kansas City, Missouri #18. Lancaster, California #17. Louisville-Jefferson County metro, Kentucky #16. Chattanooga, Tennessee #15. Fort Lauderdale, Florida #14. Albuquerque, New Mexico #13. Macon-Bibb County, Georgia #12. Glendale, Arizona #11. Jacksonville, Florida #10. Cleveland #9. San Bernardino, California #8. Birmingham, Alabama #7. Little Rock, Arkansas #6. Tucson, Arizona #5. Baton Rouge, Louisiana #4. St. Louis #3. Detroit #2. Jackson, Mississippi #1. Memphis, Tennessee
Work on the Perkins County Canal near Ovid, Colorado began in 1894, but the project halted after running out of money. (Courtesy of the Perkins County Historical Society)

LINCOLN  Nebraska lawmakers rejected a proposal Thursday to reduce the cost of a multi-million-dollar canal that supporters say would protect the states water rights from Colorado.

State Sen. John Cavanaugh of Omaha had questioned why Nebraska was planning to build a larger Perkins County Canal than permitted under a 1923 compact with Colorado over the use of water from the South Platte River.

Cavanaugh said that rather than spending the full $574 million requested by Gov. Jim Pillen and advanced by the Appropriations Committee, a lower-volume canal should be built, cutting costs by $125 million.

That money, he said, could be better spent on other state needs.

This is a mistake, Cavanaugh said, adding that the larger canal would invite an expensive lawsuit with Colorado  a lawsuit he figured Nebraska likely would lose.

Serious money

The Perkins County Canal, abandoned decades ago due to a lack of funds, would divert water from the South Platte in Colorado to farmland across the border in Nebraska and eventually to increase flows in the Platte River across the state.

Former Gov. Pete Ricketts resurrected the project, arguing that Nebraska needed to claim water guaranteed under its compact with Colorado before it is snapped up for Front Range development in that state. The only way to do that under the compact, he said, is to build the canal.

Pillen, in his budget request, asked lawmakers to set aside $574 million to build a canal that could divert up to 1,000 cubic feet per second (cfs) of water, as well as build two or three dams to store the water for irrigation and to enhance flows in the Platte River.

But Cavanaugh pointed out Thursday that the compact allows Nebraska to divert only 500 cfs of water from the South Platte during non-irrigation season, not the 1,000 cfs Pillen requested.

The smaller-capacity canal, the senator pointed out, would cost $125 million less.

Thats serious money, he said.

Were in a desert out here

The larger canal is designed to capture water from high-water events, which Cavanaugh said happens only once every seven years. Such water would flow down the South Platte into Nebraska anyway, so the larger canal is unnecessary, he argued.

But two members of the Legislatures budget committee defended the larger, more expensive canal, which would be one of the states most expensive construction projects.

State Sen. Rob Clements of Elmwood, chair of the Appropriations Committee, said the larger canal costs about 28% more than originally planned and provides 100% more benefits, so it was a good deal.

State Sen. Steve Erdman of Bayard, whose district includes where the canal would be built and the area that would get most of the benefits of the canal, said that you only have to look at Lake McConaughy  which is down by 50% of capacity  to know how precious water is for his area.

Were in a desert out there basically, and any time you can gather more water when its flooding, its an appropriate time to do that, Erdman said.

State Sen. Bruce Bostelman of Brainard, chair of the Natural Resources Committee, also defended the project adding that while the cost is large, the benefits would be greater.

Senators recently toured area

The debate came after nearly a dozen senators toured areas last weekend that would be part of the Perkins County Canal project. Cavanaugh and another group visited in the fall, as did Ricketts.

While some landowners in that area have expressed concerns about their farm ground being taken for canals and retention dams, supporters said the area would benefit by recharge to groundwater and increased access to water for irrigation.

Erdman reminded senators Thursday that about 7% of the flows from the South Platte River reach Lincoln and Omaha, which tap groundwater fed by the Platte for their respective drinking water.

In addition to irrigation for farmers and ranchers, supporters argue the project would enhance wildlife and recreation on the Platte River as well as boost hydropower production.

Project may only break even

But others question if the canal is worth the money.

Anthony Schutz, a University of Nebraska law professor who specializes in water law, said the benefits of the canal have not been clearly explained, and, from the data available, is likely to only break even.

It loses when you get realistic about volume, complexity, delay and time value of money, Schutz said in a Thursday tweet.

He added that construction of the project, if it is ever built, is probably more than a decade away.

In an interview with the Examiner on Monday, Joe Frank, general manager of the Lower South Platte Water Conservancy District in Sterling, Colorado, questioned how much water would be available to Nebraska.

Nebraskas right to South Platte flows, while clear in the compact, is junior (or behind) a reservoir in Colorado, Frank said.

Canal would ice up

The Perkins County Canal would be capturing water during the coldest months of the year, he said, and icing would prevent the full amount from flowing down the canal and into storage dams in Nebraska.

Both Frank and Schutz said that the canal would likely just shift irrigation water from northeast Colorado to farmers across the border in Nebraska. It would not, they said, impact development on the fast-growing Front Range.

After a lengthy debate, lawmakers rejected Cavanaughs amendment on the Perkins County Canal on a 32-11 vote.

Clements said that although benefits of the canal would be delayed for years because of construction, approving the full allocation sends a message to Colorado.

They didnt think wed ever do it, he said. Without allocating money, they wouldnt really believe that were serious about it.
Mooresville will receive nearly $4 million for a storm water improvement project on East Center Avenue.

Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Elizabeth Biser was in Mooresville on Wednesday to announce the DEQs Division of Water Infrastructure award.

Biser and others from the DEQ joined Mooresville Mayor Miles Atkins and others from the town for a tour of the project area near Willow Valley Cemetery, the town's oldest official cemetery, and Willow Valley Park.

"We're excited to be able to celebrate getting out these infrastructure grants throughout the state, but it's communities like this that are seeing the benefits. That's what makes what we do a DEQ so rewarding," Biser said. "We want to make sure everyone in North Carolina has access to clean drinking water and reliable water infrastructure because, without that, nothing else matters."

Biser said the state has given out $2.3 billion over the last year for water, wastewater, and storm water infrastructure, and that it was more money than the state had ever supplied at one time to address those issues.

For residents, the East Center Avenue Stormwater Improvements Project is designed to control flooding near the Willow Valley Park and Nature Preserve. The project includes the addition of a new storm drainage system on East Center Avenue, from North Church Street to Statesville Avenue, the replacement of two culverts, and storm water control measures besides the stream.

"This project is really the final puzzle piece in improving the storm water infrastructure in this area," Ashton Walker said. She is the town's senior engineer. "We hope this project eliminates the remaining concerns of citizens, as well as businesses."

According to the town's press release, the project will reduce localized flooding in the area and integrate nature-based solutions to connect trails to the downstream Willow Valley Park and Nature Preserve.

"This grant will help us connect historical areas of Mooresville with new and innovative growth in Liberty Park just as the town celebrates its 150th anniversary," Atkins said.

Flooding issues have long plagued the park.

"This project is going to help that problem we've been experiencing for so many years and keep those promises that were made 50 years ago when all this started and the park got moved across the street," Town Commissioner Tommy DeWeese said.

DeWeese introduced fellow Commissioner Thurman Houston who not only represents the area but is a long-time resident of it. He said while he serves all of Mooresville, the area has a special place in his heart.

Several residents who attended the event had questions about other issues that stem from the flooding issues due to the move of the park years ago, as well as criticism that the part of town the park is in feels overlooked by the city. There were complaints as well as residents grow impatient as the trees and bushes around the creek take time to grow back.

Houston said he was sympathetic to those views, and at least as a resident, agrees with some of those criticisms.

"A lot of them came up (with questions) not so much about the infrastructure, but the view, but I agree because this was a historical park for us, this neighborhood because they took a piece of history that had been there for hundreds of years," Houston said.

Houston also said while he never liked that either, he said as a commissioner, he also sees the bigger picture.

"It's a balancing act between your constituents and seeing what it takes to solve a problem," Houston said.
A liturgical union irrevocably broken ends in divorce on Saturday when almost 200 United Methodist churches across western North Carolina are expected to leave the denomination.

The disaffiliations by the churches in question are part of a larger rupture throughout the Christian world over the ordination, marriage and spiritual standing of LGBTQ+ believers.

On Saturday, delegates from 956 churches of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, meeting virtually, are expected to approve the departures of 192 congregations.

More conference churches are expected to disaffiliate before the year-end deadline. Those departures will be considered during a special meeting in November. Aimee Yeager, director of communications for the Western Conference, told The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday that denominational leaders expect a smaller number of defections in the fall.

Once disaffiliated, a congregation can no longer be part of the United Methodist Church. Some have become independent churches. Others have joined more conservative alliances, including the Global Methodist Church founded in 2022.

The departing congregations on Saturdays agenda make up about 15% of the Western Conferences total membership of almost 240,000. They join 41 other Western Conference churches who broke away in 2020-22. The conference, headquartered in Huntersville, serves Methodists in 44 counties, including throughout the Charlotte area.

The United Methodist Church has almost 8 million members worldwide, making it the second largest Protestant denomination behind the Southern Baptists.

According to Religion News Service, almost a third of North Carolinas Methodists had disaffiliated as of January, one of the highest exodus rates in the country. In Texas, the rift is larger, claiming half of that states congregations.

Most of the departing western N.C. churches come from smaller towns, suburban areas or rural communities, all generally believed to be more politically, socially and spiritually conservative. Iredell County is home to more than a dozen of the break-away congregations, including seven from Statesville.

We grieve to see any church leave, especially as we believe that we all share the core mission of bringing people into the life of Christ, his love for us and his teaching that we love one another, Western Conference Bishop Ken Carter said in a prepared statement preceding Saturdays vote.

Nevertheless, the issue of human sexuality has become an irreconcilable difference among us.

One of those departing churches is Oak Grove United Methodist, on Old Statesville Road in Charlotte. Lay leader Karen Reynolds said the estimated 75 active members there voted by an almost 9-to-1 margin in January to break away. Reynolds said the issue is the continued ordination of practicing gays and lesbians to ministerial positions, including bishop, despite denominational rules to the contrary.

The Methodists Book of Discipline decrees that the practice of homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching.

While the denominations rule book allows the ordination of celibate gays, practicing homosexuals are not to be certified as candidates, ordained as ministers, or appointed to serve the United Methodist Church.

The book also bans Methodist ministers from performing same-sex marriages, though it adds: We implore families and churches not to reject or condemn lesbian and gay members and friends. We commit ourselves to be in ministry for and with all persons.

Nonetheless, the denomination continues to be whipsawed by the issue of sexuality.

At its 2016 general conference, the churchs highest legislative body, more than 100 clergy came out as gay, and later that year, the denomination ordained its first open lesbian as a bishop.

Yet three years later, delegates to a special international conference of church members voted to keep the Book of Disciplines restrictive policies and language on sexuality intact.

While other Methodist congregations have advocated for a broader role for the LGBTQ+ community, Reynolds described Oak Grove as an old-school church that takes the Book of Discipline at its word.

Thats what we thought it was there for, she said.

Moores Chapel United Methodist, off Sam Wilson Road near the airport, is also on the disaffiliation list. Acting pastor Jeffery Wiggins did not respond to a Tuesday email and phone call from The Charlotte Observer seeking comment.

Years of Methodist infighting

The split among the Methodists over sexuality has been building for years, as it earlier had fractured the Episcopal, Lutheran and Presbyterian denominations.

Under an agreement reached in 2019, Methodist churches have until Dec. 31 to disaffiliate and keep their property in return for paying two years of apportionments and pension liabilities.

Three dozen N.C. churches sued the Western Conference in November to force an immediate departure without making the payments. The case was thrown out of court in March, with the judge ruling that the complaint violated the separation of church and state. An appeal is expected.

A major plaintiff in that case was Good Shepherd United Methodist in Steele Creek, one of Charlottes largest Methodist congregations. While Good Shepherd joined the suit calling for immediate separation, it does not appear on the list of disaffiliating churches to be voted upon on Saturday.

Yeager said under United Methodist rules, Good Shepherd will not be able to disaffiliate as long as it remains part of the lawsuit. Good Shepherds pastor, the Rev. Talbot Davis, did not respond to an Observer phone call Tuesday seeking comment.

In 2024, the United Methodist Church will hold its next worldwide general conference in uptown Charlotte.

The Book of Disciplines language on sexuality is likely to be on the agenda.
On Sunday, the League of Arab States will hold two extraordinary meetings in Cairo, al-Modon reports.

On Sunday, the League of Arab States will hold two extraordinary meetings in Cairo at the foreign minister level, to discuss the ongoing war in Sudan and the issue of Syrias return to the League. A high-ranking diplomat informed Agence France Presse that there will be preparatory meetings on Saturday, and a closed consultative meeting of Arab foreign ministers before the two extraordinary sessions. These meetings will be chaired by Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, as Egypt currently holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the League of Arab States.

Recently, a consultative meeting was held in Amman with the participation of the foreign ministers of Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and Egypt, where they discussed ways for the return of Syrian refugees from neighbouring countries and for the Syrian state to extend its control over its lands. In this context, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Abu Al-Ghaith, said that the issue of the Syrian regimes return to the Arab League is very possible.

Abu al-Ghaith added, in an interview with Al-Sharq TV, that the regimes return to occupy Syrias seat in the Arab League must happen in stages, so that it starts with a meeting and discussion, then a consensus between the member states of the League, after which an invitation is presented to Syria. He also mentioned that Syria will participate in any other ministerial meeting and return to all the activities of the Arab League.

When asked if the regime was expected to return before the Arab summit scheduled to take place in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, on May 19th, Abu al-Ghaith stated that based on his monitoring of activities, contacts, follow-ups, and momentum, the return of Syria is a very likely possibility. He considered that a major event may delay the return of Damascus to the league.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
According to Assad, the relationship between Syria and Iran is built on loyalty, Syria TV reports.

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad delivered an indirect message to Arab countries interested in normalizing relations with his regime, stating that there would be no more concessions made under the pretext of bowing to the storm. He made these remarks during a meeting with Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi, who was visiting Damascus. Al-Watan, a newspaper close to the regime, reported that Assad considered Raisis visit to be of special importance in light of global and regional transformations.

Assad added that these transformations have proved the correctness of the political principles of both Syria and Iran. He emphasized that steadfastness on these principles is what enables them to direct events and outcomes in the interest of their countries and peoples, rather than being tossed around like a piece of wood in the sea. Assad reiterated that there would be no more concessions made under the title of bowing to the storm, as he believed that it has strengthened colonial policies and caused people to lose their rights, lives, and homelands.

According to Assad, the relationship between Syria and Iran is built on loyalty. Despite the threats and temptations at the time, Syria stood by Iran when it launched an unjust war in 1980. He believed that their shared vision distinguishes between realism and political gambling and that they did not place the fate of their countries and peoples in the hands of foreigners, but rather bet on the victory of truth and won.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
President Raisi affirmed Iran's support for resistance and steadfastness, al-Baath writes.

On Wednesday, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi signed a memo of understanding on a long-term comprehensive strategic cooperation plan between their countries. The leaders also signed several cooperation agreements in various areas, including agriculture, oil, transport, free zones, and communications.

At a news briefing, President Assad stated that economic issues were at the core of their talks, and the memo of understanding and numerous projects discussed would advance bilateral relations by developing mechanisms to increase trade exchange and investments. These measures would also mitigate the impacts of sanctions and take advantage of changes in the global economic map and the gradual transition of balance to the East.

President Assad added that they also discussed colonial powers attempts to undermine the stability of countries and divide them, emphasizing the importance of taking advantage of current positive opportunities represented by the improvement of relations between several countries in the region. The President welcomed the development of relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia and stressed the importance of this initiative.

President Raisi expressed Irans keenness to maintain better ties with all countries in the region and underscored that memos of understanding, especially those in the economic and trade areas, would expand relations between the two countries.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed gratitude for the warm hospitality shown to his delegation during his visit to Syria. He also expressed appreciation for the Syrian peoples resilience against terrorist organizations and their supporters, including Western countries and some countries in the region, who aimed to divide Syria and cause destruction and injustice.

President Raisi affirmed Irans support for resistance and steadfastness, stating that they stand by the Syrian government and the people. He acknowledged that the Syrian people have overcome takfiri groups and are now in the stage of reconstruction, which Iran will continue to support. He emphasized that the presence of foreigners does not establish security and disturbs the security of the region, calling for the quick withdrawal of American forces.

President Raisi concluded by expressing hope that the memorandums of understanding, especially in the economic and trade fields, will benefit both countries and expand their relations. He extended his hand to all countries in the region and neighbours, emphasizing that such relationships and memorandums of understanding can cut off the hands of foreigners from the region.

This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
Your daily brief of the English-speaking press on Syria.

In Syria, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has completed the second day of his visit. He has signed new agreements with his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad and toured Palestinian factions. Meanwhile, the U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has hinted at cooperation with Syria regarding American hostage and detained journalist Austin Tice. In addition, pan-Arab media has reported that SDF Chief Mazloum Abdi recently travelled to the United Arab Emirates in an attempt to broker a deal with Damascus.

Iran and Syria call for end of Western economic domination

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi met in Damascus and signed a long-term comprehensive strategic cooperation agreement, with a focus on greater regional stability. They stressed the need for the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the region and their mutual cooperation in the economic field as a strategic move to counter the impact of illegal unilateral sanctions imposed by the US and some of its allies.

The agreement, according to The Peoples Star media outlet, includes long-term cooperation agreements in various economic areas such as agriculture, oil, transport, and others. Raisi is the first Iranian president to visit Syria in the last 13 years and was accompanied by his foreign, economic, and transport ministers and the chief of Irans central bank.

Assad claimed that the various economic projects agreed upon between Iran and Syria would help mitigate the impacts of sanctions and aid in liberating international economics from Western hegemony. He also emphasized that both countries agreed that it has been an old colonial tactic to undermine the stability of countries and divide them.

According to the website, the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran after years of tension and hostility was referred to by Assad, and he thanked Raisi for playing a significant role in the ongoing quadripartite meeting in Moscow. The representatives of Russia, Iran, Syria and Turkey participated in the last meeting held on April 25, primarily discussing ways to normalize relations between Syria and Turkey.

Raisi praised the people of Syria for their steadfastness and for withstanding terrorism and international attempts to divide and destroy the country for over a decade. He said, We [Iran] are in the process of developing our relations with countries of the region and we will seek to expand them without the presence of foreigners.

Raisi noted that the presence of foreigners in the region brings conflicts and instability and asked the US forces to leave the region immediately. He emphasized that Syrian sovereignty over all its territory must be respected. More about this here.

Raisi meets Palestinian leaders

Irans president met senior Palestinian officials in Damascus and expressed his countrys support to them Thursday as Tehran and Syria signed a series of agreements, AP reported.

Damascus-based Palestinian official Khaled Abdul-Majid told The Associated Press that the delegation briefed Irans Ebrahim Raisi on the situation in the West Bank, Jerusalem and Gaza Strip.

Iran has been a main backer of some Palestinian factions supplying them with weapons and money.

The Palestinian leaders thanked Iran for its support to the resistance and the Palestinian cause, Abdul-Majid, who attended the talks, said after the meeting. He added that Raisi confirmed to the Palestinian officials, including top leaders from the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad, that Iran will continue supporting the Palestinians.

Blinken says U.S. is engaged with Syria in efforts to free missing journalist Austin Tice

CNN reported that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has stated that the U.S. is engaged with Syria, engaged with third countries to try and bring detained journalist Austin Tice home. Tice was taken hostage in Syria in 2012, and while President Joe Biden has declared that the U.S. government knows with certainty that he has been held by the Syrian regime, the government of Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad has not publicly acknowledged that they are detaining Tice. The U.S, does not have diplomatic relations with the Syrian regime and has voiced opposition to rapprochement with Assad. While Blinken did not provide details about the engagements to bring Tice home, there are reports that US officials have held talks with Syrian officials in Oman.

We are extensively engaged with regard to Austin, engaged with Syria, engaged with third countries, seeking to find a way to get him home. And were not going to relent until we do, Blinken said in remarks at a Washington Post event on World Press Freedom Day.

According to CNN, Blinken did not provide details about the engagements to bring Tice home. White House and State Department officials would not confirm a report from the Wall Street Journal that US officials had held talks with Syrian officials in Oman.

We cannot confirm any specific meetings past or present. As you know in general meetings and negotiations to secure the release of wrongfully detained Americans, that is incredibly sensitive, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a White House briefing. We want to be really, really careful and mindful and dont want to confirm any specific conversation from the past or in the present.

SDFs Abdi seeks UAE help to broker deal with Damascus

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Commander in Chief Mazloum Abdi recently traveled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), four well-informed sources and officials in the region told al-Monitor, under the condition of anonymity, on Wednesday.

Al-Monitor reported that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) is seeking the UAEs help to broker a deal with the Syrian government amid fading confidence in the United States and Arab outreach to Damascus.

Abdi met with UAE officials, two of the sources said, in order to seek Abu Dhabis help to press the Syrian Kurds case with the Syrian government.

One of the regional sources said that Abdi met with Tahnoun bin Zayed al Nahyan, the UAEs National Security Adviser and Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi.

However, the UAE denied that any such meeting had occurred, while the officials insisted that Abdi had indeed gone to the UAE between late March and early April.

Al-Monitor said, citing two of the officials, that Bafel Talabani, Head of Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), had traveled with him.

Italian Conductor Muti to Visit Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan

Asharq Al-Awsat reports that Italian conductor Riccardo Muti plans to visit Syrian musicians living in the vast Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on the sidelines of his annual Roads of Friendship concert series that aims to use music to build bridges and help those affected by war.

Muti will conduct Italian and Jordanian musicians in concerts set in ancient Roman amphitheatres in Jerash, Jordan, on July 9 and the Pompeii archaeological site on July 11, for the 27th Roads of Friendship concert series, The Associated Press reported.

The concerts will pay homage to the generosity of the Jordanian people for taking in millions of Syrian refugees fleeing civil war in the neighbouring country, the Ravenna festival announced Thursday.

While in Jordan, Muti plans to visit the Zaatari camp, a symbol of the long-running Syrian refugee situation and home to about 80,000 refugees nearly 11 years after it was set up near the Syrian border.

Efforts resuming to repatriate five missing Canadians from Syria, lawyer says

A lawyer working to repatriate Canadians from detention in Syria says there is fresh word about two women and three children who had originally been slated to return to Canada last month, Canadian The Star reported.

Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon says Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that the department has recently been in contact with Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria about the five Canadians.

He says the department has obtained assurances the authorities will help Canada facilitate the repatriation of the five  as it did for 14 other Canadians in April  after they did not turn up for a flight to Canada.

Greenspon says although no time frame has been specified, it gives the families of the two women and three children hope for the return of their loved ones.
Qualcomm Inc., the largest maker of smartphone processors, tumbled in late trading after a disappointing forecast signaled that demand for mobile devices remains sluggish  especially in China.

Revenue will be $8.1 billion to $8.9 billion in the fiscal third quarter, Qualcomm said Wednesday in a statement, falling well short of the $9.25 billion average analyst estimate. That sent the shares down as much as 7.5% to $104.35.

The outlook shows the challenge Qualcomm faces in navigating an industrywide downturn. Weak demand for phones has led to a buildup in handset chips  the company's main source of revenue. Chief Executive Officer Cristiano Amon has promised investors that once phone makers have worked through their inventory, the orders will bounce back. But that's taking longer than feared.

The company now expects the total market for phones to shrink by a percentage range in the high single digits in 2023. Inventory reductions by customers will likely continue for two more quarters, Qualcomm projected. Demand in China hasn't returned to the levels that Qualcomm and others had expected, Amon said.

Common sense and the overall expectation was that the China market was going to bounce back, he said on a conference call with analysts. We've not seen those signs yet.

The company's main product is the processor that runs many of the world's best-known phones. It also sells the modem chips that connect Apple Inc. 's iPhone to high-speed data networks. An additional chunk of Qualcomm's profit comes from licensing the fundamental technology that underpins all modern mobile networks  fees that phone makers pay whether they use Qualcomm-branded chips or not.

The company's modem-only customer, which is how Qualcomm refers to Apple, is ordering fewer parts after stocking up earlier in the year, Chief Financial Officer Akash Palkhiwala said on the conference call. But he said that observation wasn't a comment about demand for the iPhone. Investors will get a better sense of how that device is doing when Apple reports its own earnings Thursday.

In the longer run, San Diego-based Qualcomm is looking to decrease its reliance on smartphones by selling more chips for cars, networking, computing and wearable devices. The company is considering acquisitions that would accelerate that diversification, Amon said.

Qualcomm gets a large portion of its sales from Chinese manufacturers that serve domestic customers  the world's biggest buyers of chips. Pandemic lockdowns in that country restrained consumer spending, and Qualcomm said there's been no quick rebound yet.

Before the earnings report, Qualcomm's stock had increased 2.6% this year through the close, trailing broader gains by semiconductor-related shares.

The company also projected third-quarter profit before certain items of $1.20 to $1.70 a share. That compares with an average projection of $2.20.

In the fiscal second quarter, which ended March 26, revenue fell 17% to $9.3 billion, Qualcomm said. It posted a profit, minus certain items, of $2.15 a share, matching estimates.

Handset-related sales fell 17% to $6.1 billion, compared with an average estimate of $5.3 billion. Automotive revenue jumped 20% from a year earlier to $447 million, topping projections. And sales from connected devices were in line with estimates at $1.39 billion.
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Datasets used to train AI algorithms may underrepresent older people. Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

There seems to be no end to predictions of storm clouds when computers eventually decide to take matters into their own hands (or should we say, their own processors).

"The development of artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race," Stephen Hawking warned.

"[AI] scares the hell out of me. It's capable of vastly more than almost anyone knows, and the rate of improvement is exponential," said OpenAI cofounder Elon Musk.

AI technologies present "profound risks to society and humanity," according to a letter signed earlier this year by more than 1,000 technology leaders urging a moratorium on AI research until more is understood about potential risks.

"We need to be very careful," said Yoshua Bengio, a professor and AI researcher at the University of Montreal.

While not disregarding the promise of tremendous good that AI will bring to a broad range of sectors in industry, economics, education, science, agriculture, medicine and research, media reports are increasingly sounding an alarm over the unintended consequences of this burgeoning disruptive technology.

One area of concern is emergent behavior, defined as a series of unanticipated, unprogrammed interactions within a system stemming from simpler programmed behaviors by individual parts.

Researchers say evidence of such behavior is seen in models that learn languages on their own, when systems trained to play chess and Go generate original strategies to advance, or when robots exhibit variability in motion patterns that were not originally programmed.

"Despite trying to expect surprises, I'm surprised at the things these models can do," said Google computer scientist Ethan Dyer, responding to an AI experiment in which a computer unexpectedly deduced on its own the title of a movie based on a string of emojis.

But Dyer himself may be surprised to learn that a research team at Stanford University is throwing cold water on reports of emergent behavior.

Ryan Schaeffer, Brando Miranda and Sanmi Koyejo said in a paper posted last week that evidence for emergent behaviors is based on statistics that likely were misinterpreted.

"Our message is that previously claimed emergent abilities  might likely be a mirage induced by researcher analyses," they said.

In their paper posted on the arXiv preprint server, the researchers explained that the abilities of large language models are measured by determining the percentage of its correct predictions.

Statistical analyses may be represented in numerous ways. The researchers contend that when results are reported in non-linear, or discontinuous, metrics, they appear to show sharp, unpredictable changes that are erroneously interpreted as indicators of emergent behavior.

However, an alternate means of measuring the identical data using linear metrics shows "smooth, continuous" changes that, contrary to the former measure, reveal predictablenon-emergentbehavior.

The Stanford team added that failure to use large enough samples also contributes to faulty conclusions.

"Existing claims of emergent abilities are creations of the researcher's analyses, not fundamental changes in model behavior on specific tasks," the team said.

They added that while methodology in past research likely yielded misleading conclusions, "nothing in this paper should be interpreted as claiming that large language models cannot display emergent abilities," suggesting proper methodology may well reveal such capacities.

"The main takeaway," the researchers said, "is for a fixed task and a fixed model family, the researcher can choose a metric to create an emergent ability or choose a metric to ablate an emergent ability."

Or as one notable commenter stated, "The output of the algorithm is only as good as the parameters which its creators set, meaning there is room for potential bias within the AI itself."

And who was that notable commentator? Microsoft Bing's ChatGPT.

More information: Rylan Schaeffer et al, Are Emergent Abilities of Large Language Models a Mirage?, arXiv (2023). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2304.15004 Journal information: arXiv

 2023 Science X Network
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-orbit calibration results of greenhouse gas satellite payload GMI. Credit: Shi Hailiang

According to a study recently published in Remote Sensing, researchers led by Prof. Xiong Wei from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences conducted a study to verify and calibrate the Greenhouse Gases Monitoring Instrument (GMI), a satellite payload that provides data on greenhouse gases.

China's carbon neutrality goals require accurate monitoring and assessment of carbon emissions.

In this study, a mobile satellite-to-ground verification system was developed to address the problems of low verification frequency and large space-time differences, with authenticity verification using the Global Carbon Column Observation Network.

The system, called the high-resolution Fourier transform spectrometer (HRFTS), improved the accuracy of satellite remote sensing of greenhouse gases (GHG). To achieve a spectral resolution of 0.26 cm-1 compatible with on-orbit GHG satellite loading, the HRFTS employed dynamic collimation technology, gas absorption, and band scanning methods to evaluate the absorption spectrum and instrument line shape.

Cross-comparison studies were performed using the portable verification equipment EM27/SUN, and the instrument data were processed for baseline correction, spectral fine registration, and environmental parameter profile reconstruction. The GMI sensor on the GF5-02 satellite was recently tested using the HRFTS, and the results showed that the CO 2 column concentration retrieval error was about 1.5 ppm and the CH 4 column concentration retrieval error was about 11.3 ppb.

Previously, the researchers also designed an 11-field global digital calibration field network to meet the high-frequency and wide dynamic range calibration requirements for the characteristics of the GMI such as large field of view, non-imaging, and hyperspectral, and the calibration experiments were conducted with it, and the results showed that the performance of the GMI is stable in orbit with the standard deviation of variation not exceeding 3%.

This innovation in the verification of satellite ground synchronization enables the optimization of satellite inversion algorithm and systematic error correction, thereby improving the monitoring of global carbon sources and sinks.

More information: Hailiang Shi et al, High Resolution Fourier Transform Spectrometer for Ground-Based Verification of Greenhouse Gases Satellites, Remote Sensing (2023). DOI: 10.3390/rs15061671
BRADENTON  Southwest Floridas honky-tonk trio, The Divebombers , are heading to Africa for a three-day outdoor world music festival.









Bushfire's eclectic line-up features a mix of pan-African and international artists from diverse musical styles and genres. African music, traditional sounds, and cultural music styles from across the globe perform for enthusiastic audiences, including electro, Afropop, jazz, folk, rock, and house, among others. The festivals various stages also host to a wide range of other artistic performances, including dance, art exhibitions and installations, theatre, poetry, storytelling, puppetry, and film. Bushfire attracts tens of thousands of art and music-loving festival-goers with participating artists from over 50 countries.

Following the band's appearance at Bushfire, they are set to perform a final show in Cape Town, South Africa. The band will depart on May 23 for its three-week tour. The Divebombers are scheduled to perform in South Africa's Johannesburg before a performance at the 2023 Bushfire Festival in Swaziland, Africa. Named the "Top African festival" by the BCC, Bushfire comes upon its 16th annual, having sold out the last eight years running.Bushfire's eclectic line-up features a mix of pan-African and international artists from diverse musical styles and genres. African music, traditional sounds, and cultural music styles from across the globe perform for enthusiastic audiences, including electro, Afropop, jazz, folk, rock, and house, among others. The festivals various stages also host to a wide range of other artistic performances, including dance, art exhibitions and installations, theatre, poetry, storytelling, puppetry, and film. Bushfire attracts tens of thousands of art and music-loving festival-goers with participating artists from over 50 countries.





The Divebombers include George Worthmore on electric guitar, Nat Langston on acoustic guitar, and Chad Clifford playing acoustic bass. The band performs classic American music blending classic genres, including honky-tonk. Band leader and electric guitarist Worthmore is a New York Blues Hall of Fame and Suncoast Blues Challenge winner and a 2017 International Blues Challenge semifinalist.





Before leaving the sunny shores of Bradenton/Sarasota, the band will perform three back-to-back farewell shows. You can "see them off" the weekend of May 19 - May 21 at the following venues:





Saturday, May 20, Jiggs Landing , Bradenton 4:30-7:30 pm





The farewell shows are free performances, so head out and enjoy some of that, "Toe tappin' knee slappin' foot-stompin' good ol' American music" while there's still time!








As All City Management Services, Inc. looks to renew its contract with the city of Bryan and the Bryan Police Department to provide full school crossing guard services for the Bryan school district, members of the Bryan City Council had questions regarding the program and its cost.

Councilman James Edge of Single Member District 4 asked to pull the item that is not to cost more than $181,659 from the consent agenda for discussion, stating his curiosity about the citys outsourcing of school crossing guards.

Im curious about the history of this, how long we have been engaging in this type of basically outsourcing our school crossing guards, Edge said. Secondly, Im curious as to why this is an expense for the city of Bryan and not, perhaps, Bryan ISD.

Deputy City Manager Hugh Walker said the 2022-23 school year was the first time the city outsourced this program.

Historically, its been operated out of the police department where they engage or employ citizens to provide that service, Walker said. ACMS, or All City Management Services, they provide these services to about 250 cities, including 12 police departments in Texas.

In response to Edges question regarding funding coming from the city rather than the school district, Walker said he did not know how it started but provided his perspective on the matter.

I can tell you that, since Ive been here, which has been a long time, its been the city that has provided that service, Walker said. I would guess that, historically speaking, it was a safety issue and it was on city streets.

Looking back further, he said the school district was once under the city; therefore, the crossing guard program might not have ever been transferred to the districts control when the entities became separate.

I cant say that those discussions havent occurred in the past because I think at some point in time, at different points of time, there have been discussions that have occurred, but it has never transitioned to a cost of the school district; its remained with the city, Walker said.

Mayor Bobby Gutierrez said he did not realize the city was paying for the crossing guard program.

I may be naive, but for some reason I always thought those were voluntary positions, and Id go by and say, Thank you for being there and doing all that stuff, Gutierrez said. But I had no idea that we were in fact getting a big bill for that.

With that, he suggested the city enter into a conversation with the Bryan school district to determine how to move forward.

If the city liaisons from the council would want to discuss something with a counterpart, thats certainly an opportunity, something we could put in the agenda that could be discussed, Walker said.

Councilman Paul Torres of Single Member District 1 proposed the crossing guard program become a shared cost between the city and the school district.

As of Wednesday, the Bryan school district had not heard from the city regarding this discussion, a district official told The Eagle, and the district did not comment on the issue Thursday.
Eleven years ago, Tara Goddard left her city planning job to pursue a doctorate degree, setting a new course for her career.

A self-proclaimed research nerd, she yearned to study why some people use public transportation and others dont. Six years later, Ph.D. in hand, she landed a competitive job as an assistant professor at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Over the last six years, Goddard taught courses on city planning and transportation, brought in around $350,000 in research grants and published more than a half-dozen peer-reviewed journal articles on transportation safety. Based on her research, Texas lawmakers have filed bills to improve the way the state thinks about car crashes.

This spring, Goddard, 43, started the arduous, yearlong process to apply for tenure. Its the culmination of a journey that started with the expectation that, if all went well, shed start the fall 2024 semester under a new, indefinite contract.

But if some conservative lawmakers in the Texas Legislature get their way, tenure wont survive long enough in Texas for Goddard to get it.

Republican lawmakers, led by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, have pledged this legislative session to end in Texas the nearly century-old practice used by universities across the country to give faculty an additional safeguard to pursue long-term, independent research  which, in turn, helps schools attract and retain sought-after talent.

Patrick proposed this idea over a year ago after he was outraged by a group of University of Texas at Austin faculty who issued a resolution in defense of academic freedom, the concept that faculty can teach and speak freely about their field of study without political or outside influence. Patrick accused the faculty of stoking societal division, claiming the professors felt they were above the law.

Under a bill that the Texas Senate already sent to the House, if a university systems board of regents has not approved a professor for tenure by Jan. 1, 2024, they would no longer be able to earn that position in Texas. The move would not only make it hard for schools to recruit new faculty, it would throw the careers of nearly 5,000 Texas professors who are seeking the benefit into chaos, abruptly eliminating a benefit they have been working for years to earn and were hired with the understanding they could obtain.

Theres so much I love about my job at A&M and I appreciate and I feel I contribute and bring to the role, Goddard said. But [the proposed ban] has made me think if tenure is going away, maybe I should think about looking at nonacademic jobs.  Thats a really big sea change for me to even think about.  Ive just been working on this path.

For faculty such as Goddard, this legislation might mean a choice between working in the only state in the country without access to the job security that tenure offers, or leaving Texas and restarting the yearslong process to get the benefit elsewhere.

And while the Senate bill is expected to face opposition in the Texas House, faculty at major research universities across the state have told The Texas Tribune  and have testified in legislative committee hearings this session  that job candidates are already hesitating to accept positions at Texas schools.

This [bill] has already materially damaged Texas higher education, just that its even come this far, said Michael Harris, a professor at Southern Methodist University who researches higher education policy and has written a book on tenure. If youre debating an offer at a Texas public university or in another state where tenure is not under assault, youd be crazy not to seriously consider an offer from another state.

A 7-year-long job interview

When state Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, defended his legislation on the Senate floor last month, he described tenure as outdated and said it protects faculty who can hurt the brand of a university. He argued that Texas universities could retain the best and brightest faculty with other types of employment contracts, similar to whats used in the business world.

What were trying to achieve is to make sure that productivity is maximized and that no one certainly relaxes based on lifetime guaranteed employment, Creighton told lawmakers, adding that he felt the state should move toward a new model that guarantees a return on investment.

Harris said he viewed the arguments made by Texas lawmakers as a misunderstanding of tenure at best and, at worst, as intentional misinformation against an idea they dont like.

Tenure is a weird thing that doesnt exist in most industries, Harris said. That makes it a prime target to point to higher education as being out of touch or disconnected from accountability or the realities of peoples experience.

Many faculty feel the conversation about tenure in the Texas Capitol so far this legislative session has mischaracterized the goal of the benefit, minimized the amount of effort it takes to earn the title and misrepresents the reality of how tenure is awarded on college campuses.

Those who are putting forward these bills and talking about it in the press and hearings dont actually have a good grasp on the process, the timeline, what it actually entails, what it really looks like, Goddard said.

Many universities  especially top research schools or those striving to get to that level  use tenure as a vital recruitment tool to attract prestigious scholars, who in turn raise their universitys research acumen and national profile.

Faculty seek tenure because it provides more time and space to focus on ambitious research in their areas of expertise, rather than feeling pressured to write journal articles or rush through research to prove their professional worth. Tenure is especially attractive for those who are pursuing new scientific discoveries, conducting long-term studies or writing books, which can sometimes take decades to finish or even see any results.

It also keeps them unfettered from political pressures or outside demands as they pursue new knowledge or ideas that challenge a particular ideology or political doctrine.

Tenure [protects] faculty in higher education institutions from the political winds of the moment, and that means for the lieutenant governor  who has some very particular political ideologies  faculty are not going to be responsive to those, and he doesnt like that, Harris said. Tenure is, I follow the data, I follow the research and I teach the facts in reality. Tenure helps me make sure I can do that [without interference] from the Legislature, from the university administration, from my colleagues. Students need that from me as a teacher, my research requires that kind of support. You just need that to be able to do the work we do.

The path to tenure is not supposed to be easy. Since it comes with an indefinite contract, universities do not hand out the designation without meticulously vetting a candidate.

The long process is also meant to help universities make sure theyre hiring the best faculty  the ones who will produce the best research and raise the universitys standing.

Its the equivalent of a seven-year-long job interview, Harris said.

The long road to tenure

Goddard was nervous to talk publicly about her tenure application because she worried about how it might impact the process, but agreed to speak to the Tribune about it because she felt it was important to understand the level of scrutiny that goes into reviewing candidates and granting the benefit.

Since she was hired as a tenure-track professor in 2017, Goddard has been on a nine-month annual contract that gets renewed depending on how well shes progressing toward that goal.

Each year, shes met with a committee of tenured faculty in her department who provide feedback on her teaching, research and other activities to support the universitys community, such as volunteering to advise a student group or serve on faculty committees.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, it threw a wrench in many faculty members teaching and research progress. Things got even harder for Goddard, who was diagnosed with breast cancer a few months later and had to take the fall semester off while she underwent chemotherapy.

This happened during her third year at the university, halfway through her six-year tenure track. Texas A&M requires faculty at that point to go through a more intensive review to make sure their teaching and research progress is on track to apply for the benefit. Despite her personal obstacles, Goddard continued to publish at least two journal articles per year, as she was advised to do.

This spring, she started the yearlong tenure review process that comes at the end of the track. When its all said and done later this year  if tenure still exists in the state  the Texas A&M administration, faculty in her department and other professors from outside the university will decide whether to give tenure to Goddard.

We have to show that we have a good trajectory that says to the university, this is someone we want to give more stability and a long-term horizon to, she said.

Right now, shes gathering together her portfolio, known as a dossier, which includes typical application materials like a resume, a biography, a three-page written essay describing her body of work and a list of grants received.

Then, Goddard has to compile a list of 10 candidates to independently review her work, according to Texas A&Ms tenure rules. These experts must be among the most experienced professors in her field and work at a university with the same level of research activity as Texas A&M. They cannot be Goddards friends, co-workers or collaborators, and she cannot have direct contact with them.

Once she compiles the list, Goddard will submit it to the promotion and tenure committee in her department, which also will come up with a separate list of possible people to review her dossier. Ultimately, the tenure committee picks five to seven people from outside the university to conduct the evaluation.

When those experts reviews come back, the tenure committee will compare them to their own in the fall. If everyone agrees on their recommendation, Goddards dossier will head to the universitys office of faculty affairs by December.

And if that offices reviewers like what they see, the vice president of faculty affairs will send all of their recommendations to the university president at the beginning of 2024.

In February of next year, Texas A&M President M. Katherine Banks will consider and review the recommended professors. Those who make it through are sent to the university system Board of Regents, which will sign off on those recommendations next spring.

The number of eyes on [tenure applications] and checks and balances in the process to make sure people are really earning it [is] nerve-wracking, Goddard said.

Once a professor earns tenure, the checks and balances dont stop there. They still participate in annual performance reviews that include student and department evaluations. Every five to six years, they undergo a post-tenure review, where they must again show they are making progress in their research, teaching and volunteer service at the university.

Faculty say this rigorous process already provides enough accountability to make sure that only the most deserving professors get tenure. Eliminating the benefit would potentially deprive the states public universities of that talent.

The proposed ban on tenure is demoralizing, and lots of people are going to look to places where [tenure] still exists, Goddard said.







Reading the writing on the wall

Ana Schwartz hates the cold. So when she received a tenure-track position at the University of Texas at Austin in the English department, she was thrilled to teach in a city where temperatures rarely drop below freezing.

Since then, shes taught courses on literature written during the colonization of America and published a book on her research, which she started as a doctoral student. She loved seeing her Texas students track writings from the 17th and 18th centuries back to the places they grew up in the state. Shes built a strong network of friends among the faculty.

After five years at UT-Austin, the university said she is ready to start the tenure-review process. But shes not sticking around to find out if she will earn the promotion. Instead, she decided to accept a faculty position at a private university on the East Coast, starting in the fall.

Schwartz said the conversations in the Texas Capitol werent the main reason for her departure; the new job shes taking was ultimately too good to pass up. But she said the creeping insecurity she has felt in Texas over the last year played a role.

I would still deeply want to take [the new job] if none of this was going on, she said. But it would just be much harder for me to actually take it if I saw a brighter future here.

Schwartz said the tenure bill  coupled with legislation to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion policies at public institutions and a proposal to prohibit a college or university professor from compelling a student to adopt certain political beliefs  made it clear to her that Texas universities could be heading down a worrisome path.

There are powerful people who want to make the university scarier and more threatening to people whose research and sort of intellectual ambitions are to make the university a more expansive, inclusive and accessible space, she said. Even if this bill never comes into existence, the fact that it seems wise to pander to a base by threatening to eliminate tenure speaks of a sort of anti-intellectualism that is very disheartening from the standpoint of a professor.

Leaving before she earned tenure in Texas will come with its costs. Schwartz will have to earn tenure based on the rules for tenure-track faculty at her new university, which could take up to eight years. The five years shes worked at UT-Austin would not count toward that progress.

But to her, the direction she felt the Texas Legislature is taking made it worth it to make a fresh start.

Even if they fail this time, what do we have to be worried about next time? Schwartz asked.
Airtel Africa Plc (LON:AAF  Get Rating)s stock price dropped 0.4% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 119.40 ($1.49) and last traded at GBX 119.60 ($1.49). Approximately 4,523,713 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 54% from the average daily volume of 2,941,516 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 120.10 ($1.50).

Airtel Africa Stock Down 1.6 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.51, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 114.39. The firms fifty day moving average is GBX 112.72 and its 200 day moving average is GBX 116.36. The stock has a market cap of 4.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 795.67, a P/E/G ratio of 0.58 and a beta of 1.13.

About Airtel Africa

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Airtel Africa Plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides telecommunications and mobile money services to customers in Nigeria, East Africa, and Francophone Africa. It offers prepaid and postpaid wireless voice, international roaming, and fixed line telephone services; data communication services, including 2G, 3G, and 4G; and mobile money services, such as digital wallet payments systems, microloans, savings, and international money transfers.

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Shares of Begbies Traynor Group plc (LON:BEG  Get Rating) crossed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 134.80 ($1.68) and traded as high as GBX 138 ($1.72). Begbies Traynor Group shares last traded at GBX 130.50 ($1.63), with a volume of 269,311 shares trading hands.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

BEG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Shore Capital reaffirmed a house stock rating on shares of Begbies Traynor Group in a research report on Thursday. Canaccord Genuity Group reaffirmed a buy rating and set a GBX 180 ($2.25) price objective on shares of Begbies Traynor Group in a research report on Monday, February 27th.

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Begbies Traynor Group Trading Up 0.4 %

The firm has a market cap of 209.36 million, a P/E ratio of 6,775.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.95 and a beta of 0.26. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 126.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of GBX 134.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 18.88, a quick ratio of 1.35 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Begbies Traynor Group Cuts Dividend

Insiders Place Their Bets

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 5th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, April 6th will be issued a GBX 1.20 ($0.01) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 0.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 6th. Begbies Traynor Groups payout ratio is 20,000.00%.

In other Begbies Traynor Group news, insider John M. May bought 31,221 shares of Begbies Traynor Group stock in a transaction on Friday, April 14th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 120 ($1.50) per share, with a total value of 37,465.20 ($46,808.10). Corporate insiders own 26.07% of the companys stock.

About Begbies Traynor Group

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Begbies Traynor Group plc provides various professional services to businesses, professional advisors, large corporations, and financial institutions in the United Kingdom. The company operates through two segments, Business Recovery and Financial Advisory Services; and Property Advisory and Transactional Services.

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Brookfield Infrastructure Co. (TSE:BIPC  Get Rating)s stock price traded down 1.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as 55.95 and last traded at 56.65. 74,127 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 10% from the average session volume of 82,708 shares. The stock had previously closed at 57.42.

Brookfield Infrastructure Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $6.33 billion, a PE ratio of 4.27 and a beta of 1.24. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of 60.03 and a 200-day moving average price of 58.71.

About Brookfield Infrastructure

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Brookfield Infrastructure Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, owns and operates regulated natural gas transmission systems in Brazil. The company also engages in the regulated gas and electricity distribution operations in the United Kingdom; and electricity transmission and distribution, as well as gas distribution in Australia.

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Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras (NYSE:EBR  Get Rating) declared an annual dividend on Thursday, May 4th, Wall Street Journal reports. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 1st will be paid a dividend of 0.0443 per share by the utilities provider on Friday, May 5th. This represents a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 5th.

Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras has a payout ratio of 15.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras to earn $0.90 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.15 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 16.7%.

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Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE:EBR traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $6.77. The stock had a trading volume of 2,461,995 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,504,971. The company has a current ratio of 1.88, a quick ratio of 1.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras has a twelve month low of $5.67 and a twelve month high of $10.39. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.52 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.60. The firm has a market cap of $10.62 billion, a PE ratio of 9.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.66 and a beta of 0.77.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras

Separately, StockNews.com cut Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report on Friday, April 28th.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC purchased a new position in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras during the second quarter valued at approximately $245,000. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras during the 4th quarter valued at about $242,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA lifted its stake in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 74.8% in the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 27,146 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $241,000 after buying an additional 11,612 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 6.2% during the first quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 29,770 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $235,000 after acquiring an additional 1,737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras by 64.8% during the second quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 23,013 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $204,000 after acquiring an additional 9,047 shares during the last quarter. 2.37% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras S.A.  Eletrobras

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Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA engages in the production and dissemination of electricity. It operates through the Generation and Transmission segments. The Generation segment refers to the electric power generation including hydroelectric, thermal, and nuclear power plants. The Transmission segment focuses on the transmission of electric power in Brazil.

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Cornish Metals Inc. (LON:CUSN  Get Rating) shares fell 7.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 13 ($0.16) and last traded at GBX 13.25 ($0.17). 132,857 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 47% from the average session volume of 250,450 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 14.30 ($0.18).

Cornish Metals Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of 72.26 million, a P/E ratio of -1,350.00 and a beta of 2.22. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of GBX 13.93 and a two-hundred day moving average price of GBX 15.13.

About Cornish Metals

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Cornish Metals Inc engages in the acquisition, evaluation, exploration, and development of mineral properties in North America and the United Kingdom. The company primarily explores for tin, tungsten, nickel, lithium, copper, and cobalt deposits. Its flagship projects are the South Crofty project comprising an underground mine permission area that covers 1,490 hectares located in the Central Mining District of Cornwall, the United Kingdom; and the United Downs exploration project located within the historic Gwennap copper and tin mining district in Cornwall, the United Kingdom.

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Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc. (OTC:FKKFF  Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $17.36 and last traded at $17.36, with a volume of 0 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $17.36.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Daiwa Capital Markets cut Fukuoka Financial Group from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th.

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Fukuoka Financial Group Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $14.92 billion, a P/E ratio of -32.14 and a beta of 0.03. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $17.36 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.36.

About Fukuoka Financial Group

Fukuoka Financial Group, Inc, through its subsidiaries, provides various banking services to individual and corporate customers. The company accepts various deposits, such as current deposits, ordinary and other demand deposits, time deposits, and negotiable certificates of deposit, as well as provides loan products.

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Shares of iShares ESG Aware USD Corporate Bond ETF (NYSEARCA:SUSC  Get Rating) traded up 0.9% on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $22.95 and last traded at $22.95. 141,882 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 80% from the average session volume of 697,426 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.73.

iShares ESG Aware USD Corporate Bond ETF Trading Down 0.2 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of $22.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $22.60.

About iShares ESG Aware USD Corporate Bond ETF

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The iShares ESG USD Corporate Bond ETF (SUSC) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in investment grade fixed income. The fund tracks an index of USD-denominated, investment-grade, corporate debt, selected based on positive ESG characteristics. Holdings are optimally weighted to provide a similar risk and return characteristics of the Bloomberg US Corporate Index.

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PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund (NYSE:PDI  Get Rating)s share price crossed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.42 and traded as low as $17.97. PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund shares last traded at $18.15, with a volume of 823,263 shares changing hands.

PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund Stock Up 0.1 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average of $18.37 and a 200 day moving average of $19.31.

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PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 11th will be paid a $0.221 dividend. This represents a $2.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 14.60%. This is an increase from PIMCO Dynamic Income Funds previous monthly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 10th.

Insider Buying and Selling at PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund

In related news, Director David Nichols Fisher III bought 7,376 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 22nd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $18.18 per share, for a total transaction of $134,095.68. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 13,720 shares in the company, valued at approximately $249,429.60. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund by 279.1% during the third quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 42,717 shares of the companys stock valued at $828,000 after buying an additional 31,448 shares during the last quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund by 3.1% during the third quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 257,606 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,992,000 after buying an additional 7,772 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp raised its holdings in PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund by 1.2% during the third quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 87,650 shares of the companys stock worth $1,699,000 after purchasing an additional 1,006 shares in the last quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC raised its holdings in PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund by 0.6% during the third quarter. Brinker Capital Investments LLC now owns 206,389 shares of the companys stock worth $4,000,000 after purchasing an additional 1,298 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit X LLC raised its holdings in PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund by 18.9% during the third quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 59,422 shares of the companys stock worth $1,156,000 after purchasing an additional 9,441 shares in the last quarter.

PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund Company Profile

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PIMCO Dynamic Income Fund is a non-diversified, closed-end management investment company. Its seeks current income as a primary objective and capital appreciation as a secondary objective. The company was founded on January 19, 2011 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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The Brinks Company (NYSE:BCO  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 4th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.22 per share by the business services provider on Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This is a boost from Brinkss previous quarterly dividend of $0.20.

Brinks has increased its dividend by an average of 10.1% per year over the last three years. Brinks has a payout ratio of 10.0% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Brinks to earn $7.78 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 10.3%.

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Brinks Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:BCO opened at $63.29 on Monday. Brinks has a 52 week low of $48.38 and a 52 week high of $70.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.44 and a beta of 1.35. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $64.45 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $61.64. The company has a quick ratio of 1.55, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.74.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Brinks ( NYSE:BCO Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 22nd. The business services provider reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.88 by $0.22. Brinks had a net margin of 3.81% and a return on equity of 69.23%. The business had revenue of $1.19 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.19 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.68 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 8.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that Brinks will post 6.64 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Brinks from $78.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Brinks from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Brinks in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating for the company.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Michael J. Herling sold 3,089 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.60, for a total value of $205,727.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 11,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,281.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Michael F. Beech sold 22,500 shares of Brinks stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.26, for a total value of $1,513,350.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 53,457 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,595,517.82. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Michael J. Herling sold 3,089 shares of Brinks stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.60, for a total transaction of $205,727.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,776 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,281.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 2.65% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of BCO. Captrust Financial Advisors grew its position in shares of Brinks by 47.1% in the 1st quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 1,174 shares of the business services providers stock worth $80,000 after buying an additional 376 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new stake in Brinks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $81,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its position in Brinks by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 2,206 shares of the business services providers stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. purchased a new stake in Brinks during the 4th quarter worth approximately $240,000. Finally, Ergoteles LLC grew its position in Brinks by 21.9% during the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 4,051 shares of the business services providers stock worth $275,000 after purchasing an additional 729 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 97.41% of the companys stock.

Brinks Company Profile

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The Brinks Co provides secure logistics and cash management services. It operates through the following segments: North America, Latin America, Europe and Rest of World. Its logistics and security solutions include cash-in-transit, ATM replenishment & maintenance, and cash management & payment services, such as vault outsourcing, money processing, intelligent safe services, and international transportation of valuables.

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Virgin Money UK PLC (OTCMKTS:CBBYF  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $2.40 and last traded at $2.40, with a volume of 0 shares. The stock had previously closed at $2.40.

Virgin Money UK Stock Performance

The stocks fifty day moving average price is $2.40 and its 200-day moving average price is $2.40.

Virgin Money UK Company Profile

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Virgin Money UK PLC provides banking products and services for consumers, and small and medium sized businesses under the Clydesdale Bank, Yorkshire Bank, and Virgin Money brands in the United Kingdom. The company offers savings and current accounts, mortgages, credit cards, and home loans; business loans, overdraft facilities, treasury solutions, and corporate and structured finance; asset and invoice finance services; risk management; international trade services; and home, car, and life and critical illness insurance products.

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR  Get Rating) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Thursday.

XHR has been the subject of several other reports. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. B. Riley reduced their target price on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a market perform rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company downgraded shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and reduced their price target for the company from $18.00 to $13.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Xenia Hotels & Resorts presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $16.00.

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts Price Performance

Shares of NYSE XHR traded up $0.12 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $12.89. The companys stock had a trading volume of 753,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 737,518. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $13.09 and a two-hundred day moving average of $14.05. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.31 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 3.77 and a current ratio of 3.77. Xenia Hotels & Resorts has a 1-year low of $11.74 and a 1-year high of $19.82.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Xenia Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eaton Vance Management grew its holdings in Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 12,480 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $241,000 after acquiring an additional 597 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 2.9% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 23,374 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $465,000 after acquiring an additional 666 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 14.0% during the 3rd quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 5,981 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $82,000 after buying an additional 734 shares during the last quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue lifted its position in shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 136,812 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,802,000 after buying an additional 754 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 63.1% during the 1st quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 2,003 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.22% of the companys stock.

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the investment of luxury and upper upscale hotels and resorts. It also owns a diversified portfolio of lodging properties operated by Marriott, Kimpton, Hyatt, Aston, Fairmong, and Loews. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL.

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HSBC lowered shares of Banco Santander (NYSE:SAN  Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat.com reports.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on SAN. BNP Paribas raised shares of Banco Santander from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 22nd. StockNews.com cut shares of Banco Santander from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Friday, March 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Banco Santander presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $3.70.

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Banco Santander Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of SAN opened at $3.35 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 14.37, a quick ratio of 0.34 and a current ratio of 2.40. The firm has a market cap of $55.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 5.78 and a beta of 1.08. Banco Santander has a 52 week low of $2.26 and a 52 week high of $4.09. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $3.70 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.28.

Banco Santander Increases Dividend

Banco Santander ( NYSE:SAN Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 2nd. The bank reported $0.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.13 by $0.01. Banco Santander had a net margin of 17.93% and a return on equity of 9.79%. The company had revenue of $14.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.43 billion. On average, analysts forecast that Banco Santander will post 0.6 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 28th will be given a $0.0631 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 27th. This represents a dividend yield of 2%. This is a positive change from Banco Santanders previous semi-annual dividend of $0.06. Banco Santanders payout ratio is 13.79%.

Institutional Trading of Banco Santander

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Trust N.A. bought a new position in shares of Banco Santander in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Echo45 Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Sage Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Banco Santander during the 1st quarter valued at $38,000. Cetera Investment Advisers bought a new position in Banco Santander in the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Banco Santander in the 1st quarter worth $39,000. Institutional investors own 1.90% of the companys stock.

About Banco Santander

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Banco Santander SA is a banking services company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individuals, companies, and institutions. It operates through the following segments: Europe, North America, South America, and Digital Consumer Bank. The Europe segment comprises business activities carried out in the region.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. (NYSE:BR  Get Rating) SVP Robert Schifellite sold 15,695 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.59, for a total transaction of $2,394,900.05. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 50,314 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,677,413.26. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Stock Performance

BR opened at $153.06 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.04. The company has a market cap of $18.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.85 and a beta of 1.00. The companys 50 day moving average is $142.38 and its 200 day moving average is $142.76. Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. has a 12-month low of $131.35 and a 12-month high of $183.33.

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Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE:BR  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The business services provider reported $2.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.01 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. Broadridge Financial Solutions had a net margin of 9.33% and a return on equity of 40.29%. The firms revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.93 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts predict that Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc. will post 6.92 EPS for the current year.

Broadridge Financial Solutions Announces Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $0.725 per share. This represents a $2.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. Broadridge Financial Solutionss dividend payout ratio is currently 62.23%.

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Raymond James raised their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $180.00 to $183.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. TheStreet raised shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from a c+ rating to a b rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Royal Bank of Canada assumed coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Monday, April 24th. They set an outperform rating and a $169.00 price target on the stock. Wolfe Research dropped their price target on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions from $137.00 to $135.00 in a report on Thursday, January 5th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $161.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Broadridge Financial Solutions

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BR. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its holdings in Broadridge Financial Solutions by 10.7% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 8,155 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,270,000 after purchasing an additional 788 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 6.8% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 15,625 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $2,433,000 after buying an additional 992 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 126.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 3,384 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $527,000 after buying an additional 1,888 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 1,851.9% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 527 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $82,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allianz Asset Management GmbH raised its position in shares of Broadridge Financial Solutions by 13.2% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 12,722 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $1,981,000 after buying an additional 1,487 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.45% of the companys stock.

About Broadridge Financial Solutions

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Broadridge Financial Solutions, Inc engages in the provision of investor communications and technology solutions to banks, broker-dealers, mutual funds, and corporate issuers. It operates through the following segments: Investor Communication Solutions and Global Technology and Operations. The Investor Communication Solutions segment offers services for broker-dealer investor communication, customer communication, corporate issuer, advisor solutions, and mutual fund and retirement solutions.

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Capital Advisors Ltd. LLC raised its position in American Express (NYSE:AXP) by 579.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,040 shares of the payment services companys stock after buying an additional 887 shares during the period. Capital Advisors Ltd. LLCs holdings in American Express were worth $61,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of American Express during the 4th quarter worth approximately $291,000. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. boosted its holdings in American Express by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 5,160 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $762,000 after buying an additional 227 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in American Express by 46.3% in the 4th quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank now owns 435,419 shares of the payment services companys stock worth $64,298,000 after buying an additional 137,811 shares during the period. Horizon Investment Services LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,057,000. Finally, US Asset Management LLC bought a new position in American Express in the 4th quarter worth approximately $523,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 83.30% of the companys stock.

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American Express Price Performance

Shares of NYSE AXP opened at $148.81 on Friday. American Express has a 1 year low of $130.65 and a 1 year high of $182.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.55 and a quick ratio of 1.55. The companys 50-day moving average is $163.56 and its 200 day moving average is $158.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $110.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.65, a P/E/G ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.18.

American Express ( NYSE:AXP Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 20th. The payment services company reported $2.40 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.66 by ($0.26). American Express had a return on equity of 29.44% and a net margin of 13.00%. The business had revenue of $14.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.02 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.73 EPS. The companys revenue was up 21.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that American Express will post 11.14 earnings per share for the current year.

American Express announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, March 8th that allows the company to buyback 120,000,000 shares. This buyback authorization allows the payment services company to reacquire shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

American Express Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 10th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.60 per share. This represents a $2.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.61%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 6th. American Expresss payout ratio is currently 25.24%.

Insider Buying and Selling at American Express

In other American Express news, insider Denise Pickett sold 28,688 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.78, for a total value of $5,186,216.64. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 12,557 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,270,054.46. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other American Express news, insider Howard Grosfield sold 5,456 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $174.52, for a total value of $952,181.12. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 7,045 shares in the company, valued at $1,229,493.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Denise Pickett sold 28,688 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $180.78, for a total value of $5,186,216.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 12,557 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,270,054.46. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 49,361 shares of company stock valued at $8,773,678. 0.12% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of American Express from $186.00 to $188.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of American Express from $179.00 to $172.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. Credit Suisse Group raised their price target on shares of American Express from $132.00 to $150.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of American Express from $172.00 to $205.00 in a report on Sunday, January 29th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of American Express in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $175.67.

About American Express

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American Express Co engages in the provision of charge and credit card products and travel-related services. It operates through the following segments: U.S Consumer Services (USCS), Commercial Services (CS), International Card Services (ICS), Global Merchant and Network Services (GMNS), and Corporate and Other.

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EQT (NYSE:EQT  Get Rating) had its price target upped by Truist Financial from $28.00 to $37.00 in a report issued on Monday, The Fly reports.

EQT has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $50.00 target price on shares of EQT in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Stephens started coverage on shares of EQT in a research note on Monday, April 24th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $36.00 target price for the company. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on shares of EQT from $50.00 to $53.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of EQT from $42.00 to $37.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their price target on shares of EQT from $49.00 to $44.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, January 25th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $49.35.

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EQT Trading Down 1.5 %

EQT stock opened at $31.04 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.23 billion, a PE ratio of 2.76, a P/E/G ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.17. EQT has a 12 month low of $28.10 and a 12 month high of $51.97. The firms 50-day moving average is $32.07 and its 200 day moving average is $35.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 1.08 and a quick ratio of 1.08.

EQT Announces Dividend

EQT ( NYSE:EQT Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.38. The company had revenue of $1.83 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. EQT had a net margin of 41.96% and a return on equity of 15.99%. The firms revenue was down 26.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.81 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that EQT will post 2.53 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 9th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.93%. EQTs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5.33%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On EQT

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. raised its stake in EQT by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 62,849 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $2,126,000 after purchasing an additional 4,017 shares during the last quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System boosted its holdings in EQT by 27.0% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 852,384 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $34,735,000 after acquiring an additional 181,453 shares during the period. Greenleaf Trust raised its position in shares of EQT by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 16,708 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $565,000 after purchasing an additional 810 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of EQT by 34.0% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 6,360 shares of the oil and gas producers stock valued at $259,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of EQT during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,719,000. 97.60% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About EQT

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EQT Corp. is a natural gas production company, which engages in the supply, transmission, and distribution of natural gas. The company was founded in 1888 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA.

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Equity Residential (NYSE:EQR  Get Rating) had its price objective upped by Piper Sandler from $59.00 to $63.00 in a research note released on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other analysts have also commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Equity Residential in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. They set an equal weight rating and a $62.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse Group downgraded Equity Residential from an outperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Monday, January 9th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Equity Residential in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Equity Residential from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Equity Residential from $67.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $71.50.

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Equity Residential Trading Up 0.2 %

Shares of EQR stock opened at $62.48 on Monday. Equity Residential has a fifty-two week low of $54.60 and a fifty-two week high of $80.89. The stock has a market cap of $23.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.71, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.81. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.21 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.65.

Equity Residential Increases Dividend

Institutional Trading of Equity Residential

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 27th were paid a $0.6625 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 24th. This represents a $2.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.24%. This is an increase from Equity Residentials previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. Equity Residentials payout ratio is 109.05%.

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in EQR. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Equity Residential by 290.5% during the 3rd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 410 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares during the last quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Trust Co. of Vermont raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 340.0% in the 1st quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 440 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC acquired a new position in Equity Residential in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV raised its holdings in Equity Residential by 133.5% in the 1st quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 474 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 82.62% of the companys stock.

About Equity Residential

(Get Rating)

Equity Residential operates as a real estate investment trust. It engages in the acquisition, development, and management of rental apartment properties, which includes the generation of rental and other related income through the leasing of apartment units to residents. The company was founded by Robert H.

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First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:FR  Get Rating) CFO Scott A. Musil sold 7,600 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.28, for a total transaction of $397,328.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 81,078 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,238,757.84. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

First Industrial Realty Trust Stock Performance

Shares of FR opened at $53.45 on Friday. First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. has a one year low of $42.91 and a one year high of $55.90. The company has a 50-day moving average of $51.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.58. The stock has a market cap of $7.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 1.25.

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First Industrial Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. First Industrial Realty Trusts payout ratio is 44.76%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several research firms have commented on FR. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust from $60.00 to $63.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and set a $65.00 target price on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. They set a sell rating and a $48.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of First Industrial Realty Trust from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, First Industrial Realty Trust presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $58.13.

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wolverine Trading LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust during the third quarter worth approximately $221,000. WINTON GROUP Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust by 12.3% during the third quarter. WINTON GROUP Ltd now owns 13,599 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $609,000 after purchasing an additional 1,487 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust by 42.0% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 52,035 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $2,332,000 after purchasing an additional 15,400 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust by 69.1% during the third quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 519,824 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $22,944,000 after purchasing an additional 212,328 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its holdings in shares of First Industrial Realty Trust by 2.6% during the third quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 91,121 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $4,083,000 after purchasing an additional 2,321 shares during the period. 98.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

First Industrial Realty Trust Company Profile

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First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc engages in the ownership, management, acquisition, sale, development, and redevelopment of industrial real estate. The firm product portfolio includes bulk warehouse, regional warehouse, R&D/flex, and light industrial properties. The company was founded by Johannson L.

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Graco Inc. (NYSE:GGG  Get Rating) Director J Kevin Gilligan sold 16,320 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $79.88, for a total transaction of $1,303,641.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 17,462 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,394,864.56. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Graco Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE GGG opened at $78.29 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $13.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.80. Graco Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.48 and a 12 month high of $80.90. The companys fifty day moving average price is $70.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $69.32. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.04, a current ratio of 3.38 and a quick ratio of 1.82.

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Graco (NYSE:GGG  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The industrial products company reported $0.74 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.61 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $529.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $501.87 million. Graco had a net margin of 22.44% and a return on equity of 26.12%. The firms revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.57 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Graco Inc. will post 2.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Graco Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 3rd. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, April 14th. This represents a $0.94 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. Gracos dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.10%.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GGG. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Graco from $82.00 to $89.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Graco from $70.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Graco from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. Seaport Res Ptn upgraded shares of Graco from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Graco from $75.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $79.25.

Institutional Trading of Graco

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco in the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Trust Co. of Vermont acquired a new stake in shares of Graco in the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Graco in the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Asset Dedication LLC increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 2,034.8% in the 4th quarter. Asset Dedication LLC now owns 491 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Finally, Money Concepts Capital Corp increased its holdings in shares of Graco by 569.7% in the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 509 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 433 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.85% of the companys stock.

About Graco

(Get Rating)

Graco, Inc is a manufacturing company, which engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of systems and equipment used to move, measure, control, dispense, and spray fluid and powder materials. It operates through the following segments: Industrial, Process, and Contractor. The Industrial segment markets equipment and pre-engineered packages for moving and applying paints, coatings, sealants, adhesives, and other fluids.

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John G Ullman & Associates Inc. reduced its stake in New Jersey Resources Co. (NYSE:NJR  Get Rating) by 28.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 138,863 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 56,177 shares during the period. New Jersey Resources accounts for approximately 1.1% of John G Ullman & Associates Inc.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 27th biggest position. John G Ullman & Associates Inc. owned approximately 0.14% of New Jersey Resources worth $6,890,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 1.0% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 10,757,330 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $493,331,000 after acquiring an additional 111,403 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 4.5% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 10,661,984 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $416,694,000 after acquiring an additional 456,306 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 22.6% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,203,151 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $146,897,000 after acquiring an additional 589,747 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 0.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,827,650 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $109,434,000 after acquiring an additional 18,463 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its stake in shares of New Jersey Resources by 5.9% in the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,654,659 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $64,035,000 after acquiring an additional 92,320 shares in the last quarter. 74.09% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at New Jersey Resources

In other news, COO Patrick J. Migliaccio sold 2,040 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $51.00, for a total transaction of $104,040.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 38,129 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,944,579. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.72% of the companys stock.

New Jersey Resources Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE NJR traded up $0.45 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $51.60. The companys stock had a trading volume of 102,621 shares, compared to its average volume of 507,992. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.77. The stock has a market cap of $5.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.70, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 0.65. New Jersey Resources Co. has a 52 week low of $38.07 and a 52 week high of $55.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.69.

New Jersey Resources (NYSE:NJR  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $1.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.20 by ($0.04). New Jersey Resources had a return on equity of 15.62% and a net margin of 9.46%. The firm had revenue of $644.00 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $954.32 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.36 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 29.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that New Jersey Resources Co. will post 2.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

New Jersey Resources Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 14th will be given a dividend of $0.39 per share. This represents a $1.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, June 13th. New Jersey Resourcess dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on NJR shares. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of New Jersey Resources in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of New Jersey Resources from $46.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of New Jersey Resources from $46.00 to $47.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on shares of New Jersey Resources from $51.00 to $50.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of New Jersey Resources from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, January 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and three have issued a hold rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, New Jersey Resources currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $48.50.

About New Jersey Resources

(Get Rating)

New Jersey Resources Corp. is a holding company. The firm provides safe and reliable natural gas and clean energy services, including transportation, distribution, asset management and home services. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Distribution, Clean Energy Ventures, Energy Services, Storage and Transportation, and Home Services and Other.

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Shares of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF (NYSEARCA:KEUA  Get Rating) traded down 1.2% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $31.65 and last traded at $31.80. 11,072 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 81% from the average session volume of 58,831 shares. The stock had previously closed at $32.17.

KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF Trading Down 1.2 %

The stocks fifty day moving average is $33.97 and its 200 day moving average is $31.68.

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Institutional Trading of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. UBS Group AG boosted its holdings in shares of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF by 185.1% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,477 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. Focused Wealth Management Inc purchased a new stake in shares of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF during the 4th quarter valued at about $67,000. Bank of Montreal Can bought a new position in shares of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $341,000. Susquehanna International Group LLP bought a new position in shares of KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $346,000. Finally, Flow Traders U.S. LLC purchased a new stake in KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $406,000.

About KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF

The KraneShares European Carbon Allowance Strategy ETF (KEUA) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the IHS Markit Carbon EUA index. The fund tracks a liquidity-weighted EUA carbon credit futures index. KEUA was launched on Oct 5, 2021 and is managed by KraneShares.

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Lithia Motors, Inc. (NYSE:LAD  Get Rating)  Analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2024 earnings per share estimates for Lithia Motors in a note issued to investors on Wednesday, May 3rd. Zacks Research analyst R. Singhi now forecasts that the company will post earnings per share of $7.62 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $8.19. The consensus estimate for Lithia Motors current full-year earnings is $34.11 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Lithia Motors Q2 2024 earnings at $8.81 EPS.

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Several other research analysts also recently issued reports on LAD. Guggenheim cut their price target on Lithia Motors from $332.00 to $320.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. TheStreet raised Lithia Motors from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 1st. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Lithia Motors in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $200.00 to $198.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Lithia Motors from $233.00 to $262.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $300.56.

Lithia Motors Trading Down 4.8 %

NYSE:LAD opened at $207.13 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $227.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $228.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.07, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 1.30. Lithia Motors has a 1 year low of $180.00 and a 1 year high of $314.83.

Lithia Motors (NYSE:LAD  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The company reported $8.44 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.79 by ($0.35). The company had revenue of $6.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $7.28 billion. Lithia Motors had a return on equity of 22.34% and a net margin of 3.99%. Lithia Motorss revenue for the quarter was up 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $11.96 earnings per share.

Lithia Motors Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from Lithia Motorss previous quarterly dividend of $0.42. Lithia Motorss payout ratio is presently 4.12%.

Insider Transactions at Lithia Motors

In other news, Director Shauna Mcintyre sold 167 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.00, for a total transaction of $43,420.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 1,672 shares in the company, valued at approximately $434,720. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.90% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Lithia Motors

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. California Public Employees Retirement System lifted its position in Lithia Motors by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 62,174 shares of the companys stock worth $13,339,000 after acquiring an additional 3,445 shares in the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 32.1% in the 4th quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 3,618 shares of the companys stock valued at $743,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Lithia Motors in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $960,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Lithia Motors by 366.1% in the 3rd quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 6,269 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,345,000 after purchasing an additional 4,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its stake in Lithia Motors by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 5,620 shares of the companys stock worth $1,131,000 after buying an additional 649 shares during the last quarter. 98.21% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Lithia Motors

(Get Rating)

Lithia Motors, Inc engages in the operation of automotive franchises and retail of new and used vehicles. It operates through the following segments: Domestic, Import and Luxury. The Domestic segment consists of retail automotive franchises that sell new vehicles manufactured by Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford.

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NexTier Oilfield Solutions (NYSE:NEX  Get Rating) had its price target lowered by Piper Sandler from $14.00 to $13.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup boosted their price objective on NexTier Oilfield Solutions from $12.00 to $12.50 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. StockNews.com lowered NexTier Oilfield Solutions from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Sunday, April 2nd. Susquehanna decreased their price objective on shares of NexTier Oilfield Solutions from $10.00 to $8.90 in a research note on Monday, April 3rd. Bank of America cut NexTier Oilfield Solutions from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and set a $8.50 target price on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price target on NexTier Oilfield Solutions from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, January 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, NexTier Oilfield Solutions has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $13.54.

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NexTier Oilfield Solutions Stock Performance

NEX stock opened at $7.48 on Monday. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $8.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $9.21. The company has a current ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 1.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. NexTier Oilfield Solutions has a 12-month low of $6.66 and a 12-month high of $12.50. The firm has a market cap of $1.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 3.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 2.07.

Institutional Trading of NexTier Oilfield Solutions

NexTier Oilfield Solutions ( NYSE:NEX Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 15th. The company reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.13. NexTier Oilfield Solutions had a net margin of 15.80% and a return on equity of 63.92%. The business had revenue of $870.86 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $871.20 million. As a group, equities research analysts predict that NexTier Oilfield Solutions will post 2.52 EPS for the current year.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new position in NexTier Oilfield Solutions during the first quarter worth $408,000. Barclays PLC increased its stake in NexTier Oilfield Solutions by 234.9% during the first quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 245,753 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,954,000 after acquiring an additional 172,372 shares during the period. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of NexTier Oilfield Solutions in the first quarter valued at $261,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC bought a new position in NexTier Oilfield Solutions in the first quarter worth $596,000. Finally, Skylands Capital LLC boosted its stake in NexTier Oilfield Solutions by 186.9% during the first quarter. Skylands Capital LLC now owns 763,140 shares of the companys stock worth $6,067,000 after buying an additional 497,190 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 76.09% of the companys stock.

About NexTier Oilfield Solutions

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NexTier Oilfield Solutions, Incis an oilfield service company. It offers completion solutions, hydraulic fracturing, wire line, pump down, coiled tubing, cementing, rig services, special services, and fluids management services. The company operates through the following segments: Completion Services, Well Construction and Intervention Services, and Well Support Services.

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Arizona State Retirement System reduced its position in Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Get Rating) by 0.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,360 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 575 shares during the quarter. Arizona State Retirement Systems holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $10,081,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Prudential Financial by 0.5% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,654,749 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,715,345,000 after buying an additional 168,175 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 6.0% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,353,887 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $750,839,000 after purchasing an additional 356,957 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 1.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 3,291,063 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $282,307,000 after purchasing an additional 43,016 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 3.3% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 3,247,466 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $383,753,000 after buying an additional 103,853 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in shares of Prudential Financial by 2.6% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,840,804 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $335,698,000 after buying an additional 70,646 shares during the period. 56.33% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Transactions at Prudential Financial

In related news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 11,405 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.95, for a total value of $1,151,334.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,300 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,241,685. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 11,405 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.95, for a total value of $1,151,334.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,300 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,241,685. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 4,126 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.20, for a total transaction of $409,299.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,241 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,214,307.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.31% of the companys stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Prudential Financial Stock Down 2.8 %

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on PRU shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a neutral rating and issued a $106.00 price target on shares of Prudential Financial in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Prudential Financial from a neutral rating to a sell rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $98.00 to $96.00 in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Prudential Financial from a neutral rating to an overweight rating and set a $114.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $99.83.

NYSE PRU opened at $79.11 on Friday. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a twelve month low of $75.37 and a twelve month high of $110.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a current ratio of 0.07. The stock has a market cap of $29.03 billion, a PE ratio of 879.00, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.38. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $86.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.62.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.02 by ($0.36). The firm had revenue of $15.10 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $13.29 billion. Prudential Financial had a return on equity of 14.05% and a net margin of 0.09%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $3.17 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 12.07 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, February 7th that allows the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the financial services provider to purchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 21st were issued a dividend of $1.25 per share. This is a positive change from Prudential Financials previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 17th. This represents a $5.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.32%. Prudential Financials dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 5,555.56%.

Prudential Financial Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Prudential Financial, Inc engages in the provision of insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both individual and institutional customers. It operates through the following segments: PGIM, U.S. Businesses, International Businesses, Closed Block, and Corporate and Others.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding PRU? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Get Rating).

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Shares of Science Applications International Co. (NYSE:SAIC  Get Rating) have been given an average recommendation of Hold by the eleven research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $113.30.

SAIC has been the subject of a number of research reports. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Science Applications International from $110.00 to $112.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, April 11th. Citigroup lowered their target price on Science Applications International from $141.00 to $127.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Science Applications International from $90.00 to $97.00 and gave the company a sell rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Science Applications International from $121.00 to $118.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Science Applications International from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report on Monday.

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Insider Activity at Science Applications International

In other Science Applications International news, CEO Nazzic S. Keene sold 26,237 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.37, for a total transaction of $2,817,066.69. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 65,680 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,052,061.60. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In other news, insider Michael W. Larouche sold 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $107.19, for a total transaction of $643,140.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 49,192 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,272,890.48. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Nazzic S. Keene sold 26,237 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $107.37, for a total transaction of $2,817,066.69. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 65,680 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,052,061.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,430 shares of company stock valued at $3,589,623 over the last three months. 1.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Science Applications International

Science Applications International Price Performance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SAIC. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 9.4% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 5,699,458 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $525,321,000 after purchasing an additional 491,167 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,210,623 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $460,775,000 after purchasing an additional 68,359 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,887,542 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $450,486,000 after purchasing an additional 94,874 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners increased its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 3,783,231 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $337,462,000 after purchasing an additional 31,596 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Science Applications International by 68.3% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,035,190 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $179,971,000 after purchasing an additional 825,670 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.40% of the companys stock.

SAIC opened at $98.71 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. Science Applications International has a 12 month low of $79.33 and a 12 month high of $117.94. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $105.34 and a 200 day simple moving average of $106.43. The stock has a market cap of $5.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.35 and a beta of 0.70.

Science Applications International (NYSE:SAIC  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Monday, April 3rd. The information technology services provider reported $2.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.63 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $1.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.86 billion. Science Applications International had a return on equity of 25.20% and a net margin of 3.89%. The companys revenue was up 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Science Applications International will post 6.95 EPS for the current year.

Science Applications International Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 14th were issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.50%. Science Applications Internationals dividend payout ratio is presently 27.51%.

About Science Applications International

(Get Rating)

Science Applications International Corp. is a provider of technical, engineering and enterprise information technology (IT) services. Its offerings include engineering, systems integration and information technology offerings for large, complex government projects and offer a broad range of services with a targeted emphasis on higher end, differentiated technology services, and end-to-end services spanning the entire spectrum of its customers IT infrastructure.

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Ferrum College wasnt originally in the plans for Jenna Lambert. A chance recommendation from a high school teacher led her down an unexpected and rewarding career path.

Franklin County High School science teacher Tina Young suggested Lambert apply to Ferrum College. Lambert decided to add it to her list along with a variety of other schools in Virginia.

She said I would be a rock star at Ferrum, Lambert said of Youngs recommendation.

Once Lambert began looking into the college, she found more things that interested her. She applied and was later accepted to the schools Boone Honors Program that provides additional enrichment opportunities for students.

After seeing what all the honors program and the college had to offer, I decided to come to Ferrum, Lambert said.

Lamberts original major at Ferrum was pre-professional health sciences with a pre-med emphasis. She admitted, at the time, she didnt have a clear idea of what she wanted to pursue as a career.

That changed when Lambert decided to take a job as a certified nursing assistant at Franklin Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rocky Mount during her freshman year. She would eventually change her major to nursing.

The residents at the nursing home drew me to pursue a nursing career, Lambert said. Knowing that I made a positive impact in their lives by caring for them at the bedside led me to switch my major to nursing. I loved to get to know my residents, and treat them with dignity and compassion through their time of need.

This Saturday, Lambert will be one of six graduates in Ferrum Colleges burgeoning nursing program. This is the second year of graduates in the program.

For Lambert, Ferrum College was an asset. She said small class sizes helped her to get to know her teachers and those teachers all knew her by name. That made classes more personal and allowed for more one on one conversations, she said.

Even when the pandemic halted in-person classes for a time, Lambert said the online classes still had a personal feel. Students were still encouraged to have conversations with teachers.

Community health programs provided by Ferrum College allowed Lambert the opportunity to participate in nursing in the community as she worked toward a degree. She participated in clinical rotations at several schools in the county to observe the role of school nurses.

The school nurses take on much more responsibility than just giving children mints and ice packs, Lambert said.

Nursing students also visited homes in Franklin County and other surrounding counties. The assisted area nurses in providing home health and hospice care.

The experiences and education she has received at Ferrum College helped Lambert to already have a job lined up after graduation. She will join nurses at Carilion Roanoke Memorials Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
On Jan. 25, as Del. Wendell Walker, R-Lynchburg, stepped to the microphone on the floor of the House Chamber in Richmond to speak to House Bill 1572, Lynchburgs E.C. Glass High School was being held on a lockdown following a bomb threat made toward the school.

On Thursday, Walkers bill came full circle, as Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin stood in the same place where the multi-hour lockdown was being held, this time a far more celebratory occasion for city and school leadership, as Youngkin ceremonially signed HB 1572 into law, strengthening the penalties for calling in false threats to law enforcement.

Let me be clear, this is not a prank. This is a crime. And this bill treats it appropriately, Youngkin said of Walkers sponsored HB 1572, which he said Thursday puts a lot of teeth on the penalties for phoning in false threats to law enforcement  otherwise known as swatting.

Swatting is the act of making a hoax communication to 911, or even to a private citizen who then communicates the false information to 911, regarding a threat to human life with the intent to draw law enforcement response, which could potentially involve a SWAT team  hence the name.

Walkers bill updates language in the state code to say, Any person who knowingly reports, or causes another to report in reliance on intentionally false information provided by such person, a false emergency communication to any emergency personnel that results in an emergency response is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor.

A Class 1 misdemeanor in Virginia is punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

The bill also states any person who makes such a threat that results in any person suffering serious bodily injury would be guilty of a Class 6 felony, and any threat resulting in death would be punishable as a Class 5 felony.

A Class 6 felony carries one to five years in prison and up to $2,500 in fines, while a Class 5 felony carries prison time of one to 10 years and up to $2,500 in fines.

Other examples of swatting calls in Lynchburg include the September 2022 lockdown at E.C. Glass, where a threat was phoned in from outside of the state against the school resulting in an hours long lockdown, or in early April, when a false bomb threat was made toward Lynchburg City Hall ahead of a scheduled public hearing on the real estate tax rate.

Walker said Thursday he was unaware of how big of a concern swatting calls were in the area until Lynchburg Police Chief Ryan Zuidema approached him about it ahead of the 2023 General Assembly session, and it only got bigger when he got to Richmond.

Once we got to Richmond and started working with other legislators and other law enforcement agencies ... they came to me and said, Mr. Walker, do you have any idea how many bomb threats are called in each year in the Commonwealth of Virginia? ... it was shocking, Walker said.

Walker, in touting the bills support from both parties  92-6 in the House and 40-0 in the Senate  said, This is not a bipartisan bill; this is a public safety bill.

On Thursday, Youngkin thanked Walker for listening to the people that elected you to serve, adding the bill works to keep students safe, works to keep first responders safe, keep law enforcement safe and [does] something that needed to be done.

These false claims of emergency are just wrong. Theyre wrong, Youngkin said.

Zuidema and Lynchburg City Schools Superintendent Crystal Edwards spoke to the strain that swatting puts on not only law enforcement, but those in the school buildings as well.

Even though someone will say that this was a prank, and no one got hurt, harm was done, Edwards said. We lost valuable instruction time that day. ... We take these matters seriously. We are grateful for the signing of this bill.

Zuidema said the swatting incidents dont just affect the officers and deputies responding to that scene, they also jeopardize public safety for residents all over.

We make sure we divert as many resources as we can here to the school when we have those incidents, but the downside of that is we dont stop getting 911 calls during those times, Zuidema said.

Now, our response to those other emergencies is significantly delayed because of the number of resources we have to bring. That absolutely could cost someone their lives.

The swatting calls were such a priority for local law enforcement that the item ended up on the citys 2023 legislative agenda.

Across the board, Walker said, everybody recognized this was an issue that needed to be dealt with.

Youngkin said this bill was one of the many steps Virginia is taking together to make the commonwealth safer.

It takes a coalition, it takes a partnership to get these things done, he said, referring to the time spent between local law enforcement and state legislators to address the swatting issue.

And I am so proud of the work that has gone in to making this bill a reality.
KEARNEY  Zachary Zoul, owner and broker of Zoul Properties, announced today that he is expanding his operations in Kearney and opening a full-time office in Kearney.

Zoul Properties will continue its Kearney operations under a new division  Legacy Property Management. The new office is located at 3710 Central Avenue in Kearney.

Zoul Properties has provided residential and commercial property management throughout the tri-cities area since 2011. In establishing the new office in Kearney with a full complement of full-time staff in Kearney, Zoul Properties and its Legacy Property Management division is committed to providing a full array of property management services led by its team of professional property management staff.

Zoul Properties has acquired the Kearney-based Aksarben Property Management office (formerly known as Kearney Rental Pros) effective May 1, and is handling the properties that Aksarben Property Management has been managing up until April 30.

Zoul said his company is excited about expanding its Kearney operations and is committed to serving the former Aksarben Property Management clients and tenants with a commitment to service and quality.

The current portfolio of rental properties in Kearney includes commercial properties and a full array of residential properties, including houses, apartments, duplexes and townhomes ranging in size from one-bedroom units to five-bedroom units and houses.

Zoul Properties is a family owned and operated company that opened its first office in Grand Island in 2011. It manages properties in five states  Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota and Kansas. Given its headquarters in the tri-cities area and its offices in Kearney and Grand Island, its core business focus is Kearney, Grand Island and Hastings.

Gregory Zoul, property manager, serves as the managing agent and director of the new Kearney office. Zachary Z. Zoul serves as broker. In addition to property management, Zoul Properties also has a separate division for real estate sales and assists its property management clients in both the purchase and sale of investment properties. Zoul Properties also works with new clients seeking to acquire investment properties.

Information on Zoul Properties is available at its website www.zoulproperties.com, via email at inquiries@zoulproperties.com and by phone at 308-382-4247.
Data Security

Why Educational Institutions are Prone to Ransomware Attacks (and What They Can Do to Protect Themselves)

Ransomware is the most significant cyber threat in the education sector, and K12 schools and colleges and universities are both targets. We remember the effects on Los Angeles Unified School District, the second-largest district in the U.S. with more than 1,000 schools and 600,000 students, when it was hit by a ransomware attack, disrupting access to its IT systems. Following a cyber attack in December 2021, Lincoln College had to shut down the following May as all systems required for recruitment, retention, and fundraising efforts were still inoperable. But why are educational systems an enticing target for ransomware attacks, and how can they improve their cyber defenses?

Before addressing defense tips, lets first review why educational institutions are targeted by hackers. First, at the K12 level, many school systems are underfunded and cant afford the same sophisticated cyber-defenses that protect businesses. Few have dedicated teams of cybersecurity professionals. Schools often rely on older, more vulnerable IT systems that arent patched or updated on a regular basis. And with services exposed to the Internet, as well as teachers and students using their own computers and devices to log in remotely, school systems present a large attack surface for hackers to exploit. Many of these problems also exist at the college level.

Second, schools and colleges find themselves with little recourse but to pay if theyre hit with a ransomware attack. When attackers infiltrate a school districts network, they can lock employees out of computers and systems while gaining access to valuable and sensitive personal information. Most schools and systems dont have the technical sophistication to recover data in the event of a breach. For administrators, the desire to avoid disrupting classrooms coupled with the possible consequences of an online data leak creates massive pressure to pay ransoms (which have gone as high as half a million dollars).

In short, the combination of being soft targets and having a higher propensity to pay makes schools almost irresistible to hackers.

Despite the growing cyber threat, however, there are effective strategies for making schools more secure (especially in the era of hybrid learning) and ways to improve threat detection and prevention.

The first step is to prioritize ransomware awareness among school administration, teachers and students. Introducing security concepts through awareness training programs can help users to adopt safe practices when accessing computers, systems and login credentials.

Critical security awareness education should include:

Detecting phishing attempts (in which attackers attempt to trick users into providing their login credentials)

Using email security best practices (detecting emails from malicious actors and avoid

Avoiding weak or exposed passwords

Reporting incidents to the IT department

Another important strategy for reducing the cyber risk to schools and minimize the threat of ransomware is to prioritize the implementation of tools for:

Content Filtering: This includes blocking restricted content and additional capabilities to prevent access to websites, emails, or files that can lead to vulnerabilities and incidents. These restrictions provide excellent protection against threats and support adherence to compliance regulations, such as the Childrens Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Content filtering can be deployed using hardware appliances or software as a service (SaaS).

Monitoring Access: Visibility tools that can track and expose threats and identify user behavior contributing to a compromised network are a must-have for achieving compliance. Monitoring network security threats, issues and trends accelerate the ability to eliminate threats, set meaningful security policies across the network, and meet critical compliance mandates.

Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Password-only authentication systems are inherently weak and stolen credentials are often used in ransomware attacks. MFA requires additional verification (such as a biometric like a fingerprint or entering a code on a recognized mobile device) before a user is granted access to a network or data. Educational institutions should implement MFA alongside any bring your own device (BYOD) program to protect user access. Look for a solution with an optimal user experience that can make it easy to enable authentication right from a users own phone after a simple install and activation.

Secure WiFi: WiFi is critical to enable learning, admin, and teaching duties in a school setting. To deliver secure Internet access, focus on private networks and access points that can handle density without risks. Consider Cloud-managed WiFi solutions for optimized performance, greater visibility and reporting.

A final strategy for protecting educational systems is having a well established backup and disaster recovery plan. That means identifying the most sensitive files to be backed up, as well as which back-up files need to be secured offline. In addition, individual schools should have their own back-up. When it comes to backups, consider the 3-2-1 rule:

3. Keep three copies of any important files: one primary and two back-ups.

2. Keep the back-up files on two different storage media.

1. Store one copy offsite.

Also, remember that for a disaster recovery plan to be truly effective, practice makes perfect. Dont wait until a ransomware attack occurs to find out whether your plan actually works.

As schools continue adapting to hybrid learning, e-learning, and other more flexible student learning experiences, threat actors will likely continue to take advantage of educational systems. Its paramount for K12 schools and high educational institutions to discuss and implement strategies to secure hybrid learning, threat detection and prevention and create awareness training for all levels of employees and students. Its also just as crucial for individuals outside of the education sector to support the initiatives that empower schools with the tools and resources to enable a secure learning environment so communities can learn anywhere, anytime.
An appellate court has thrown out a Marion mans child sex abuse conviction, saying Williamson County prosecutors did not present enough evidence to establish his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

David I. Blue was convicted of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child and aggravated criminal sexual abuse Sept. 10, 2021, during a bench trial and sentenced to six years in prison. The charges stem from allegations that Blue sexually abused a child younger than 13.

However, the appellate court noted in its opinion that the child had cognitive impairments, as well as intellectual and emotional disabilities, and that she had suffered severe neglect during her early childhood before being adopted.

Prosecutors did not offer any witnesses to corroborate the childs testimony, the appellate court said. An expert witness for the defense suggested that the childs disabilities and history of trauma might have affected her memory.

Justice Judy Lynn Cates, writing on behalf of the three-judge panel for the Fifth District Appellate Court, said the record indicated that the child seemed to follow the lead of the person questioning her. While she was able to answer straightforward yes-or-no questions, it appeared at times that she was not able to understand what was being asked of her, Cates said. At other times, her answers did not correlate with the questions.

It is well-settled that the testimony of a single witness is sufficient to support a conviction if the testimony is positive and credible, Cates wrote in the 23-page opinion issued Tuesday. Here, (the childs) conflicting and unreliable statements from the witness stand, together with the lack of corroborating evidence, cast reasonable doubt on the defendants guilt.

Judge Michelle Schafer, who oversaw the trial, said she considered the childs statements from prior interviews with authorities as part of the assessment of her credibility, according to the appellate opinion. Blue argued that those statements should not have been considered because they were never admitted as evidence.

Based upon our review of the record, it appears the trial court considered out-of-court statements contained in documents that were not admitted into evidence, at least in part, as evidence corroborating (the childs) trial testimony and evidence of the defendants guilt, Cates wrote. To the extent that the court did so, that was error.

Blue was represented in the appeal by New York attorney Jennifer Bonjean, who has also represented high-profile clients such as actor Bill Cosby and R&B artist R. Kelly. Bonjean had previously filed a motion for a new trial for Blue on Oct. 7, 2021, a motion that Schafer denied.

Were just happy the appellate court corrected his conviction, Bonjean said Thursday afternoon.

Bonjean said the appellate court correctly pointed out that the trial court used out-of-court statements from documents that were not admitted as evidence to corroborate the victims testimony and used that as an explanation of their ruling.

Former Williamson County States Attorney Brandon Zanotti, who was the state's attorney when Blue was tried, previously said the case was handled correctly.

Evidence was presented at trial, including credible testimony from the victim, and a judge found the defendant guilty," Zanotti said in February 2022. We believe our criminal justice system worked just fine in this case.

Blue cannot be retried on the charges, the appellate court found, because doing so would violate principles of double jeopardy, which prohibits anyone from being prosecuted twice for the same crime.

The Williamson County States Attorney's Office can ask the Illinois Supreme Court to review the case. At The Southern's press time, the Williamson County State's Attorney's Office had not responded to The Southern's request for comment.

As of Thursday evening, Blue remained in custody at the Shawnee Correctional Center, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections website.

The state has some time to decide whether to take it higher. I have moved for a release on an appellate bond yesterday, but theres no news yet, Bonjean said.

She added that Blue does not need to stay in prison while the state makes its decision.

READ THE OPINION
Ah, that new airplane smell.

Aviation students at Southern Illinois University Carbondale soon will be enjoying the aroma of new cockpits as seven brand-new Cessna 172 flight training airplanes will be entering SIUs fleet.

Instructors and other SIU Aviation staff members picked up the planes from the Cessna plant in Independence, Kansas yesterday and brought the aircraft to the Southern Illinois Airport tarmac, where they await final approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to be put into service.

The purchase of the airplanes was approved by the SIU Board of Trustees at its regular meeting last July at an estimated price of $3.1 million.

Five of the planes, used for student aviators flight instruction, are to replace airplanes that have reached the end of their useful life. Two will expand the academic units fleet, Southern Illinois University Carbondale Chancellor Austin A. Lane told the board. The universitys fleet includes more than 40 planes.

Funding for the purchase comes entirely from flight fees paid by aviation students.

This is an incredible program and this is something that is much needed to stay competitive, Lane said of the flight training program.

The planes are four-seat, single engine high wing aircraft with a top speed of 188 mph.

SIU Chief Flight Instructor Steven Goetz said the new planes are vital for preparing flight students on equipment similar to what they will pilot after graduation.

These planes have the modern iterations of displays and instrumentation, Goetz explained. So what you see as far as flight displays are very similar to what you would find on a regional jet and on mainline aircraft.

Goetz added that many of the programs previous aircraft  also Cessna 172s  are being upgraded to digital flight displays as well. He said the 172 has been manufactured since the mid-1950s and is the standard bearer in flight training. He compared the planes to a traditional, practical sedan automobile.

These are planes where you know exactly what you are getting and that do everything you need them to do and nothing else. You will never be surprised by what a 172 will do, he said.

Interim Director of the SIU School of Aviation Jose Ruiz said the addition of the new planes will help with growing enrollment.

Our students deserve the finest flight training available, and these new aircrafts will assist us in meeting that expectation, he said.

The flight program currently includes more than 350 students, with an enrollment increase expected in the fall. Goetz said each student pilot will log more than 750 hours of in-flight time before graduating.

Close The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011. PHOTOS | A look back at past performances in the SIU Arena/Banterra Center The very first concert in the SIU Arena (now Banterra Center) was part of SIU Homecoming celebrations in October 1964 and featured the Dave Brubeck Quartet. Simon and Garfunkel performed at the SIU Arena in 1969. A 1971 performance at the SIU Arena featured Johnny Cash, June Carter Cash, The Statler Brothers and Carl Perkins. Rock Supergroup Chicago appeared at the SIU Arena in 1971. Grateful Dead appeared at the SIU Arena in 1979 A 1974 SIU Arena concert featured pop duo Sonny and Cher. The "King of Rock and Roll" performed in front of a sold-out audience at the SIU Arena on Oct. 27, 1976. ZZ Top in concert at SIU Arena, 1980 Country superstar Garth Brooks sold out three concerts at the SIU Arena in October 1996. Elton John performed at the then-named SIU Arena in 1999. Rock group KISS has performed at the Banterra Center at SIU twice, including this performance in 2000. James Taylor performed at the Banterra Center (then SIU Arena) in 2002. The SIU Arena welcomed performers The Blue Man Group in 2007. Kenny Rogers performed at the SIU Arena in 2011.
Several projects throughout The T&D Region are scheduled to receive a share of American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Almost $1.4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding is being distributed through the S.C. Infrastructure Investment Program to over 200 communities in South Carolina.

Funds are expected to modernize and upgrade critical infrastructure that will have far-reaching impacts for years to come.

This funding is another example of how the Biden-Harris Administrations American Rescue Plan Act continues to benefit South Carolina, Congressman James Clyburn said in a release.

This is long-overdue and an essential investment in our states public water and sewer infrastructure, and it will transform South Carolina communities for years to come, he said.

SCIIP was created by the S.C. Rural Infrastructure Authority as a one-time initiative designed to have a transformative impact on water, wastewater and stormwater systems in small and disadvantaged communities as well as larger, growing communities using federal funds allocated by the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act.

Local projects and communities receiving funds are:

 Lake Marion Regional Water Agency, water system improvements  $10 million

 Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities/Bull Swamp Rural Water Company, Bull Swamp Rural Water System connection  $10 million

 Bamberg Board of Public Works, multi-project water and wastewater  $8,497,190

 City of Denmark, wastewater system improvements  $4,441,250

 Bamberg Board of Public Works, interconnection with Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities  $3,657,550

 Orangeburg Department of Public Utilities, water system improvements  $3,409,825

 Town of St. Matthews, wastewater system improvements  $2,957,106

 Elloree Water System, water system rehabilitation  $1,748,610

 Town of Norway, water and sewer evaluation and planning, $730,400

 Town of Branchville, water and sewer viability plan  $521,820

 Town of Springfield, wastewater treatment facility improvements  $202,025

Over 300 applications totaling more than $2 billion were submitted and 70% of all applications were funded. A total of 216 grants were awarded to units of local governments and public water and sewer utilities across South Carolina.
COLUMBIA  A bill that would allow South Carolina to buy the drugs needed for lethal injection without revealing the name of the company who sells them will soon be heading for the governor's desk.

The state Senate on Thursday approved minor changes the House made in the shield law bill with almost no debate. The proposal also requires the names of members of the execution team be kept secret.

South Carolina has had an unintended 12-year moratorium on the death penalty after its lethal injection drugs passed their expiration date and pharmacies refused to sell the state more.

Several South Carolina death row inmates have run out of regular appeals. But their executions are on hold because they can't be carried out.

Sixteen other states have carried out about 100 lethal injection executions in the past six years. Many have shield laws. Some do not.

It has worked in other states. Lets see if it works here," South Carolina Corrections Department Director Bryan Stirling said Thursday.

Two years ago, South Carolina tried to work around the lack of lethal injections drugs by passing a law creating a firing squad and giving inmates a choice between dying by bullets to the heart or in the states electric chair, which was first used to kill an inmate in 1913.

But that law is on hold because of a court challenge as to whether those execution methods are constitutionally prohibited cruel and unusual punishments.

South Carolina currently has 34 inmates on death row. At the end of 2011 after the last execution took place, the state had 52 death row inmates. Only three prisoners have been sent to death row during that time. Several prosecutors said they are less likely to seek the ultimate punishment without assurance the state can carry it out. The rest have left death row either through sentences reduced by appeal or natural deaths.

While the state Supreme Court has halted executions by firing squad or electrocution, the justices have indicated they will lift the stop if the state can find lethal injection drugs.

In court papers, state prison officials indicated their prospects for buying the drugs started to change as soon as it seemly likely lawmakers would pass the shield law.

Gov. Henry McMaster said he will sign the bill. He has been adamant about finding some way to restart executions.
The stage/setting at Carnival City, Victoria Park, will be designed to complement the nature of the scheduled show.

All Carnival Development Corporation (CDC) calendar events will be hosted in Carnival City, Victoria Park.





This was disclosed in a CDC new release of May 3, in which the CDC also committed "to transforming Victoria Park so as to allow for set designs "that will create a different ambiance, and ensure that "the elements of our culture and the creativity of our industry men and women would be on full display throughout the festival.





Contrary to what a certain demographic might think, staging all CDC shows at Victoria Park is nothing new. When Vincymas was birthed in 1977, all shows were held at Victoria Park most of the first two decades.





One of the first officially CDC-sanctioned shows that was held outside Victoria Park was the Junior Panorama which was staged initially at the Geest Shed, moved to the hard court at the Bishops College before it found a its current resting place at Victoria Park.





And Vincymas 2023 is set to be kicked off tomorrow, May 6, with an all-day affair at Victoria Park, beginning with the Family Fun City from 10:00 am  6:00 pm, and the Official Launch event beginning at 7:00 pm.





The evening segment of the launch is expected to feature calypso, mas and steelpan presentations, inclusive of performances by Shaunelle Mc Kenzie, Fya Empress, Grabba Finesse, Marlo, Pewee, Dose Up and OG Park.

Tickets for the Family Fun City are $10 for adults while children will entre free of charge. The evening segment attracts a gate entrance of $20.00.





Vincymas 2023 will run from June 30th  July 11th.
Students, parents gathered early at one of the examination centres in Kingstown. (Photo Credit: Gloriah)

Grade six students from across St. Vincent and the Grenadines took the final component of the Caribbean Primary Exit Assessment (CPEA) on Thursday 4 and Friday 5 May, 2023.





One thousand seven hundred and two (1702) students - eight hundred and forty-six (846) males and eight hundred and fifty-six (856) females  sat the exam at eighteen (18) centres nationwide.





The final component of the CPEA comprised multiple choice papers in four (4) subject areas: Mathematics, Social Studies, Language Arts and Science.





On Day One, students sat Mathematics and Social Studies and on Day Two, Language Arts and Science.





Each paper consisted of fifty (50) items and the students had one hour and fifteen minutes per paper.





The final exam accounts for 60% of the students overall score and the School-Based Assessments which form the internal component, accounts for 40% of the students final score.





The results are expected to be released by CXC in June, allowing sufficient time for the Ministry of Education to conduct its secondary placement exercise for the new academic year (2023/2024).
The reclamation work is in full steam and will continue for upwards of six weeks. (Photo Credit: Valentine Roger Photography)

Just over 20 percent of the physical work has been completed on the new Kingstown Port at Rose Place.





Montgomery Daniel, Minister of Transport and Works, said on NBC Radio on May 3 that just over 20.3 percent of work had been completed, with US$46,297,142.09 having been spent.





Among the work completed was the clearing of the beach front of the Rose Place community.





Work to straighten the North River is complete and a temporary bridge has been constructed across the mouth of the river. This will allow easy access to the site and in particular, aid significantly with the installation of an electrical batching plant which will be placed in the vicinity of the former hard court.





Preparatory work for the reinforced steel work for the construction of the temporary jetty to receive material along the beach front, was also completed, Daniel reported.





And regarding designs, those for the sewer line and reclamation works were completed and approved and those for buildings, electrical and mechanical works, pavements, key walls, etc. were approximately 90 percent done.





And as for the new sewer line, Daniel said that it became operational on April 27 with the final commissioning to be done when the relevant personnel arrive to ensure that everything is in place.





The dredging issue now resolved, Daniel disclosed that reclamation work got going on April 5, and that about 15 percent of the fill material for the reclamation of 16.1 acres has been put in place as of May 03.





The construction phase of the project started in July 2022 with the projected time for the completion estimated at three years. A completion target date of May 2025 remains on course, said Daniel.





The Kingstown Port Mondernisation Project is estimated to cost US$250.8 million, with funds provided through the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund and the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines with loan assistance through the Republic of China on Taiwan.
US Ambassador to TT Candace Bond chats with Executive Director of Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) Lt Col Michael Jones at the closing of the three day conference on illegal guns in the region - Photo by Jensen La Vende, Photo Source Trinidad Newsday)

While Caribbean leaders are calling on the US to do more to stem the influx of illegal guns into the region, US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Candace Bond has defended Washingtons response in this regard, saying that the US has done a lot and encouraged the region to work together in curbing the problem.





"Through CBSI, the US invested over US $832 million in the Caribbean to reduce illicit firearms trafficking, increase public safety and security, and promote social justice.  (and) the US has done a lot and encouraged the region to work together in curbing the problem.





So said US Ambassador to Trinidad and Tobago Candace Bond during her closing remarks made last week Thursday, at the end of a three-day seminar on guns in the region hosted by the Caribbean Basin Security Institute (CBSI), along with the Caribbean Implementation Agency For Crime And Security (Impacs), Bond explained some of the efforts made by the US.





"As part of this effort, we continue to co-ordinate law-enforcement programmes with each of your countries and we look forward to working with you to maximize US investments in this area.





"The United States has undertaken significant actions to address illicit firearms trafficking in the region.

Ambassador Bonds comments came as The Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent and the Grenadines joined Mexico in that countrys filing of a US$10 billion lawsuit against seven US gun manufacturers and one wholesaler and distributor, blaming them for the influx of illegal guns into their respective countries from the US.





At the start of last weeks two-day symposium on violence in the Caribbean, Bahamas held in Trinidad and Tobago, prime minister and Caricom chairman Philip Davis expressed the CARICOM view for the US to do more to stop the flow of illegal guns into the region.





On Thursday, Bond went into further detail with respect to how the US is assisting the region in its efforts to curb the import of illegal firearms and to combat crime in their respective countries.





She referenced:

* The funds donated but more telling, the legislation (e.g., Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and Stop Illegal Trafficking in Firearms Act) in place in the US addressing the exporting of guns;





* (Through) the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the US Congress allocated US$3.4 billion to modernise ports of entry on US northern and southern borders  enhancing information sharing on illicit firearms trafficking.

* The US Department of Justice created task forces across the country to disrupt gun-trafficking networks and is prioritising prosecutions for those responsible for the greatest violence.





* Additionally, Bond said, the Department of State provided over US$8 million to the Caribbean for capacity-building programmes over the past five years - training on firearms-trafficking investigations, ballistic forensic training, stockpile management and destruction, marking and tracing of firearms.





* US Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Bureau (ATF) assisted law-enforcement investigations by tracing recovered firearms and providing leads to arrest gun smugglers in their respective countries. The US Customs and Border Protection also shares information on criminal activity, including firearms smuggling, with partner countries in the Americas,





* The US partnered (Nov. 2022) with the region to create the Caribbean Crime Gun Intelligence Unit (CCGIU). Together with Caricom Impacs, CCGIU has assisted in improving intelligence and information sharing among Caribbean and US law enforcement agencies.





"The United States is the Caribbeans best and most trusted security partner, and we will continue to work with nations of the region to tackle firearms trafficking and build law-enforcement capacity to address violence and crime, Bond said last week Thursday, but advised that (only) through international co-operation, the region could effectively combat illicit firearms trafficking. (Source: Trinidad Newsday, US Embassy T&T)








Space is for everyone, NASA says.

And that includes Wyoming businesses.

Advance Casper is hosting the Aerospace and Defense Industry Conference at the M Building this week in downtown Casper. The conference is part of Advance Caspers efforts to diversify the local economy, bringing both jobs and new businesses.

Firms from around the state are gathering to network with Prime A&D companies with operations in Colorado, Utah, Montana, and North and South Dakota, the website for the conference says. This is the third annual aerospace conference the small business-supporting initiative has held.

Early Thursday afternoon, post-lunch, attendees gathered around sleek circular tables. Dressed head-to-toe in crisp slacks, sharp dresses and pressed suits (along with, of course, cowboy boots), they sat at tables with laptops out. The blue lighting in the room, partnered with the rain outside, gave an otherworldly feel.

Col. Gina Peterson, who represented the U.S. Space Force, spoke about what her branch is doing.

Space begins and ends a lot of times with assured access to space, she said. This is Space Force and launch providers  they must be able to reconstitute launch capability rapidly.

Assured Access to Space (AATS) procures launch services and delivers on-orbit capabilities used by joint warfighters, combatant commands, intelligence agencies, civilian services, and the commercial space industry, the Space Forces website says.

The point is, we must be able to launch any payload at any time, she said. Thats what assured access to space means.

In a world where the space defense business is rapidly increasing, Peterson said, there are more opportunities for businesses in Wyoming to involve themselves in manufacturing for NASA, Richard Mann, project manager, told the Star-Tribune.

Another representative from NASA who was at the event said that the recently launched Artemis 1 rocket had 3,800 suppliers on it. Many businesses make the bits and pieces on even the largest and most extensive of projects, Mann noted.

Other companies with tables at the conference included Mountain West Technologies, ManufacturingWorks and the Wyoming Small Business Development Center Network.

Other conference speakers included Congresswoman Harriet Hageman, who spoke Thursday morning, and U.S. Sens. Cynthia Lummis and John Barrasso, who are scheduled to speak Friday morning.
City of Casper offices are temporarily moving out of City Hall on North David Street while the municipal building undergoes extensive renovations.

Most city offices will be relocating two blocks southeast to the Casper Business Center, which the city purchased last year and will eventually house the Casper Police Department.

Heres whos already moved out, and where you can find them:

The city managers office is now located in suite 200 of the Casper Business Centers Mezzanine level;

The human resources, risk management and city clerk offices are now on the fifth floor of the business center in suite 555;

The city attorneys office is located in suite 640 of the sixth floor; and

Caspers IT department can now be found in the city-owned office building at 135 N. Ash Street.

The citys engineering division, as well as some of its public utilities staff, will move the week of May 8 to suite 570 on the fifth floor of the Casper Business Center.

The community development division is scheduled to move the week of May 15 into suite 710 of the business centers seventh floor.

The week of May 22, the budget and accounting offices will move into suite 610 on floor six.

Caspers customer service staff, who manage utility billing, will be moving in two shifts, according to Assistant to the City Manager Jolene Martinez. The first will move the week of May 22, and the second will likely join them before June, Martinez said. Theyll be housed in suite 120 of the Casper Business Centers lobby.

The city in 2022 bought the Casper Business Center for $8 million, which came out of the $9.1 million in direct pandemic relief money Casper received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.

The Casper City Council is expected to in June start hosting meetings and work sessions at The Lyric, an event venue located at 230 West Yellowstone Highway, just north of David Street Station.

Renovations at the city building

Casper has been planning improvements to its 45-year-old municipal building for several years now.

Changes will include upgrades to the buildings heating, cooling and ventilation systems, safety and security enhancements and renovations to the council chambers.

On Tuesday, Casper City Council approved a contract with local construction company Caspar Building Systems. It set aside $5.2 million for the project, plus another $258,000 in construction contingency costs (which would cover any unexpected expenses.)

The city plans to move back into the old building in 12 to 15 months.
The suspicious death investigated by Casper police earlier this week has been ruled a homicide, Natrona County Coroner Jim Whipps announced Friday.

Daniel Robert Swope, 48, of Casper, was found dead on Tuesday night, the statement said.

An autopsy has been completed, and Swopes family has been notified. Authorities did not release a cause of death or specify what evidence indicated Swopes death was suspicious.

Officers responded Tuesday evening to a report of a possible dead person on the 700 block of East Third Street, the Casper Police Department said in a statement Friday. They found Swopes body at the scene. A Star-Tribune reporter saw large number of Casper police officers working near a duplex on the street.

Swopes death appeared suspicious to the responding officers, which prompted an in-depth investigation, police said. The resulting investigation determined Swopes death was a homicide.

The crime scene remains secure, and officials are asking the public to avoid the immediate area.

Multiple agencies, including the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, have assisted with the case, police said.

The incident is believed to be isolated.

[W]e do not believe there is any ongoing threat to the public, the statement said.

Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact the Casper Police Department tip line at 307-920-2862 or pdtips@casperwy.gov. If the individual providing information wants to remain anonymous, he or she can provide a tip through Crime Stoppers.
The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that a Casper attorney will be allowed to practice law in the state again after his legal assistant was caught stealing from a clients trust account while that person was incarcerated.

During Hampton Youngs divorce proceedings in 2020, his legal assistant, Natelina Benson, testified to various matters including his law offices trust account, the ruling states. Her testimony raised red flags over possible improper disbursements from a clients trust account to her own accounts.

Young was then flagged for possible violations. The Office of Bar Counsel sent him a letter asking him to produce years worth of records, the ruling states.

He did not fully or timely cooperate with the request despite having clearly commingled client trust funds held in his operating account over an extended period of time, the ruling states.

Bank records and other documents were obtained as part of the subsequent investigation. One of those inquiries related to a probate matter of a clients estate.

Young appointed Benson as the personal representative of this estate in 2016, and she started embezzling funds from it shortly after, the ruling states. In less than three months, Benson had depleted the clients account by over $70,000.

Subsequent discovery confirmed that almost all withdrawals from the account were spent on Bensons personal shopping and very little was paid to or for the benefit of the Estate, who was incarcerated at the time, the ruling states.

Benson covered her tracks by embezzling additional funds from her boss, which she used to return the clients money to their estate checking account.

Young learned of the theft for the first time after the Bars counsel asked them both for disposition in August 2021.

At this time, Young also learned that Benson had stolen tens of thousands of dollars from his operating and trust accounts. She was able to hide this because she was also his bookkeeper.

As one example, Benson took $21,000 in advances from Mr. Youngs operating account in November 2018, the filing states. At the conclusion of her deposition, Benson admitted that the money she had taken out of Mr. Youngs practice the last few years dwarfed Mr. Youngs income from the practice.

Benson was arrested and charged with theft over the incident, according to the ruling. She pleaded guilty last year.

Fortunately for Youngs clients, it appears he was the only victim of Bensons fraud. The clients account was fully replenished with stolen funds from Young.

During his disciplinary hearing, Young acknowledged he didnt properly safekeep property belonging to clients or oversee nonlawyer assistance.

He was licensed to practice law in Nevada in 1978 and was admitted to the Wyoming State Bar in 2005. He practiced in Casper up until two years ago.

Young was suspended for one year, which was simultaneously done by the Nevada Supreme Court in an act of reciprocal discipline.

This wasnt his first run in with disciplinary action, but what those infractions were was not mentioned in the ruling. Young also had a public censure in 2004 and a private reprimand in 2019.

But the high court found Young has committed to not working with trust accounts anymore, met the requirements for reinstatement and expressed remorse over his conduct.

Young was a victim of embezzlement by a trusted employee who he viewed as family, the ruling states. Rather than play the victim, he took responsibility for the role he played in Bensons theft.

He was recommended to be reinstated as an active member in good standing of the Wyoming State Bar.
The Thermopolis police officer who was wounded last week shot and killed the man who fired at him, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation reported.

Soon after the April 28 shooting, police disclosed that Sgt. Mike Mascorro had been shot and injured while at a call in Thermopolis. But that disclosure did not contain information about what happened to the man whod fired upon Mascorro.

Wyoming DCI says that man, 33-year-old Buck Laramore, died at the scene after being shot by Mascorro.

Mascorro went to 1225 Canyon Hills Road to investigate a crime that happened earlier that day, the DCI statement said. He made contact with Laramore at the residence.

Shortly after they began interacting, Laramore pulled out a gun and shot and wounded Mascorro, the statement said.

Mascorro returned fire, killing Laramore.

The officer was immediately transported to Hot Springs Health, and then airlifted to Banner Wyoming Medical Center in Casper, the department said in a Facebook post.

The Division of Criminal Investigation is conducting the inquiry into the shooting. Local agents and members of the DCI Officer Involved Shooting team responded to the scene, along with staff from the Wyoming State Crime Laboratory, to conduct the investigation.

Once the investigation is complete, it will be presented to the Hot Springs County Attorneys Office for review, the statement said. In Wyoming, DCI usually conducts the investigations into police shootings.

Community members began raising money on behalf of the officer while he was still in the hospital, a GoFundMe page shows. He has since been released.

Mascorro suffered wounds to his right arm, chest and lungs, according to the GoFundMe page.

He returned to Thermopolis on Thursday, according to a post from the Thermopolis Police Department. His wife, Alyssa Mascorro, said his family will never forget the support from the community and are truly blessed to call Thermopolis home.

Mikes homecoming was one of the most incredible things Ive ever witnessed in my lifetime, his wife said in the statement. It was through streaming tears that I drove him to our home.

The Thermopolis Police Department and the Hot Springs County Coroner did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.
Wyoming lawmakers will rehash many of the same issues that have occupied previous education panels when they meet for the first time later this month in Casper.

The Joint Education Committee will review early childhood education, teacher recruitment and retention, and school choice during the 2023 interim, all of which have appeared in some form or another in recent interim sessions. They will also attempt to address mental health in schools.

In some areas, such as school choice, lawmakers will aim to build off of recent successes, while in others they will look to move the ball forward after little progress.

School choice, as advocates call the policies that allow families to put public money toward schools other than their traditional local public schools, is the lone topic that does not appear on the panels agenda for its meeting in Casper on May 23 and 24. But it guarantees to be among the most pressing topics over the groups four meetings, in part because of a significant win for advocates during the last legislative session and a growing push around the state for greater educational flexibility for families.

New Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder has been a vocal proponent of school choice, while lawmakers passed a bill in March creating the independent Wyoming Charter School Authorizing Board to oversee the approval of new charter schools. The bill also allowed the board to add an additional charter school starting in 2026 and equalized public funding for charter schools, a change Degenfelder and others pushed for and have praised.

The interim committee will study two bills that did not make it through the Legislature last session, but which have the potential completely change education in Wyoming.

The Wyoming Freedom Scholarship Act and a similar bill introduced in the Senate by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, would give families $6,000 per student to go toward tuition at any school or educational expenses. The voucher system would redirect federal mineral royalties from the School Foundation Program Account, which funds Wyomings public schools, to a new fund to pay families.

The Legislative Service Office estimated that the move would shift almost $111 million away from Wyomings public school account in its first three years.

That would be a major change, said Charlie Scott, R-Casper, chair of the Senate Education Committee.

Scott said hard-line conservative lawmakers, who see it as a way to address school performance, favored the bill, while the educational establishment opposed it. The Wyoming Education Association led the pushback against expanding charter schools during the legislative session, arguing that the state should focus on funding public schools instead of diverting money elsewhere.

Scott doesnt expect lawmakers to resolve the school voucher bills and the issue of school choice during the interim. The Legislature doesnt have a consensus to pass the measure, he said, and it also must weigh constitutional constraints.

The Wyoming Constitution prohibits the state from putting public money toward private or religious schools. But the current upwelling of public support and concerns about school performance could make the school voucher system a reality, Scott said.

My judgment is if the school districts  some of the ones that are not performing well  do not improve their performance, theyre going to see that because parents are going to demand it, he said.

Theyre going to get it shoved down their throats if they dont improve their performance I think, Scott added.

(Though school district performance varies across the state, Wyoming eight graders rank in the top 10 for math and the top 20 for reading, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress scores. The states fourth graders rank even higher.)

Mental health will be another priority for the interim education committee, which will follow up on a failed bill that would have created short-term mental health grants for schools. Proposed by House Speaker Albert Sommers, R-Pinedale, the bill died because it gave large and small school districts access to the same amount of money, Scott said, an issue that the committee would try to resolve.

Weve got a [mental health] problem to solve there and we know it, he said. Were hopeful we can come up with a compromise thatll work.

In keeping with the last two interim sessions, the education panel will also examine early childhood education and literacy. Lawmakers passed the last significant legislation on early childhood literacy in 2019, reworking the states reading assessment and intervention requirements.

Reading continues to be a challenge for many Wyoming children. More than half of the states third graders test at a basic level or below, according to state assessment data from the Wyoming Department of Education. In their final December 2020 report on school finance recalibration, the states consultants also pointed to the need to strengthen reading in Wyoming.

Scott said that the state was leaving behind too many children and needs to better emphasize reading to set students up for long-term success.

Everything else in academics depends on the kid learning how to read, he said.
Every member of the Wyoming GOPs current leadership ran uncontested in the 2021 state party elections. This year, there will be more competition.

A pair of challengers  Converse County rancher Frank Moore and Sweetwater County GOP Chairman Elizabeth Bingham  have coalesced in a slate to challenge the current leadership of the Wyoming GOP at the partys elections this Saturday.

They will face current Chairman Frank Eathorne and Vice Chair David Holland. The outcome of the elections could drastically change the direction of the state GOP, which has in recent years taken a turn toward hard-line Trumpian Republicanism.

Bingham, a business owner who moved to Sweetwater County from Salt Lake City nearly 19 years ago, announced her bid for the state GOPs vice chair post last week. She first became a precinct member of the Sweetwater County GOP in 2016, then rose to become vice chairman and then chairman of the county party. She was reelected in March to her second term as chairman.

Bingham said shes been thinking for a long time about how to get more involved in the party at the executive state level.

When Frank Moore called me and shared his vision of leadership, that earned my vote, but he also inspired me to want to step up and serve with him, Bingham said. Frank Moore is the true conservative who I trust to lead our party. Thats what really sealed it.

Under the partys bylaws, the state vice chairman of the party assists the chairman and stands in for him as needed. The vice chairman also becomes chairman if theres a vacancy in the position.

If elected, Bingham said she would aim to work hard to support Moore as chairman and listen to all perspectives.

I want to listen to every county party and hear what they have to say, what is unique about each county, what their needs are, what they want to work on, what they want to accomplish, and how they see our Republican Party two years from now.

Bingham will go up against Holland, whos running for his third term in the post.

Moore, a former state lawmaker and lifelong conservative, announced his bid for the state GOPs chairman position last month. One of his main priorities if elected would be to mend the fractures in the state GOP.

Moore largely stepped away from politics after serving in the Legislature in the early 90s to focus on his various businesses in the agriculture industry, running his family ranch outside of Douglas for 30 years with his wife and in the past serving as president of the Wyoming Wool Growers Association and the American Sheep Industry Association.

Moore told the Star-Tribune that he sees a lot of problems with the impact of federal policies on Wyomings agriculture and energy industries, describing some measures, like those that restrict oil drilling and favor electric cars, as detrimental to the Wyoming way of life.

Though he described current chairman Eathorne  who is running for a third term  as a good man who has put in a lot of effort, Moore said hes ready for change.

Bingham said much the same.

Hes been there five years, and I think its time for fresh new leadership, Bingham said of Eathorne. I think contested races are good. We had several of them in our county, and contested races bring good debate. Cream rises to the top, and its healthy for the party to have contested races.

Current Wyoming GOP Secretary Donna Rice is also running for reelection to her post. No one else has so far declared a bid for that position, though Moore said he still hopes to find a secretary candidate before Saturdays elections to run with himself and Bingham.

Additional nominations could come from the floor on Saturday.

Changes in county GOP makeup this year are likely less favorable to current state leadership, but its not certain at this point if the balance will tip in favor of fresh candidates. Both Moore and Bingham, however, have said theyre optimistic about their chances.

I think we have a great chance, Bingham said.

The state GOP leadership elections will be held this Saturday at the Virginian Lodge in Jackson. The meeting is open to the public.
Ive been a Laramie County Commissioner for nearly 11 years. Holding that position for this long has afforded me a close-up view of the growth and potential of this county. This community is dynamic and growing. It has a bright future that makes me excited to think about the possibilities for the next generations of Wyomingites who will call it home.

Im an old ranch hand, but Im not too old to notice how much our county has benefited from technological advancements over the last decade. From satellite television to super computers to data processing, Cheyenne has become a mini hub of new tech and the support structures necessary to bolster technological advances. Ive also watched amazing technological advancements in another of Laramie Countys primary industries: our oil and gas industry.

It wasnt long ago that Laramie County had virtually no oil and gas development. The resource was here, but the technology didnt exist to recover it. All of that changed when American ingenuity, driven by the goal of energy independence and national energy security, helped discover how to drill thousands of feet down, turn and drill two or more miles sideways and open formations to safely pull oil from this basin. The effects on Laramie Countys revenue and employment were immediate. We have rocketed to third in the state in terms of total production.

I am grateful for this development, but I also have an obligation to ensure it is done safely and sustainably. State law doesnt allow county commissioners to specifically regulate oil and gas development, but we are given the job of looking after our residents general welfare. With 40 years of experience working with oil and gas operators on my own land, I have an interest in how those companies behave as corporate citizens, and how Wyomings regulators have worked to ensure that Laramie County remains a safe and healthy place to live and raise a family.

Every industry has bumps in the road, but Im happy to say that over my years I have witnessed both industry and regulators work diligently to protect our land, air and water. Thats why I was surprised to read such exaggerated charges aimed at Wyomings Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) by Mr. Karl Schneider. Mr. Schneider makes some incredible claims about Wyomings air quality requirements, and levels personal attacks on the Laramie County residents who work at DEQ and are professionals in their field.

The small group Mr. Schneider represents asked for an air quality monitor back in 2018 and DEQ obliged, placing a monitor where it could detect emissions from Wyoming and northern Colorado. After nearly two years this state-of-the-art monitor did not detect a pattern of emissions above national standards. So, DEQ moved the monitor elsewhere. Mr. Schneiders group complained, so DEQ brought it back in January of this year at their request.

Yet again, the monitor shows no pattern of high emissions. Not content to believe the science, Mr. Schneider attacks DEQ employees who live and work right here in Cheyenne as disinterested in protecting their own communitys clean air. This is B.S.

Contrary to false claims, Wyomings regulators do set strict limits on venting and flaring; they are among the most stringent in the country. The DEQ also has an obligation under federal law to actively monitor for and ensure compliance with Clean Air Act standards.

Like so many of Laramie Countys businesses, this field too benefits from exponential technological development. Oil and gas producers go beyond what is required of them as they develop cutting edge technologies to improve emissions. Operators have installed and are using Optical Gas Imaging technologies, continuous methane detection systems, complicated machinery called Vapor Recovery Units that help capture and sell low pressure waste gas, among many other efforts all toward the goal of capturing maximum levels of produced gas.

Laramie County will continue to grow, thats inevitable. Our local, national and global demand for energy will also continue to grow. Im excited to see how many jobs we can create right here as new technology helps us provide the energy we all demand. I have faith in our regulators and industry partners to meet the challenge.

Buck Holmes is the Laramie County commissioner.
MINISTER of Finance Colm Imbert has hit back at UWI professor Dr Roger Hosein calling his statements about the local economy erroneous and ridiculous.

Hosein responded to the recently published IMF 2023 report on the Trinidad and Tobago economy. The IMF said the economy was recovering, but Hosein said he was not in agreement with that assessment, and said the data told a different story.
CORDONED OFF: Fire officers secure and cordon off the area surrounding Bishops Centenary College on Roberts Street, Woodbrook, yesterday. The college was one of many schools across the country which received a bomb scare.
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IT was highly unethical for President Christine Kangaloo to be the one conferring her husban
Many persons let the electronic media into their homes and in the process, develop a warm re
Remote work straining U.S. public transit: Politico

Xinhua) 11:29, May 05, 2023

NEW YORK, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Public transit systems at the heart of major American cities were built around the 9-to-5 model, and that old business of shepherding workers to downtown offices turned into their greatest weakness, reported Politico on Wednesday.

"The riders transit agencies have catered to for decades are also the ones who abandoned their systems in droves, and some transportation officials are facing a difficult prospect: to win back straphangers, they must remake public transit to better serve everyone whose lives don't revolve around traveling into a central business district," said the report.

However, the very issue pressuring them to do so -- a dramatic decline in ridership that's left the largest systems with less than 70 percent of their pre-pandemic traffic even now -- is also the biggest obstacle to innovation, it noted. Public transit is facing a financial rut that's spurred their CEOs to press city and state governments for new funding streams and taxes.

Despite being rescued with 55 billion U.S. dollars in federal COVID-19 relief money in 2020 and 2021 after watching their farebox revenue evaporate, 10 of the nation's largest transit systems will soon need to find billions of dollars a year to stay afloat, it said.

Public transportation executives from Los Angeles to New Jersey are warning of a fiscal cliff in just a few years that risks raising ticket prices and cutting service on workers who can least afford it, and even though New York lawmakers struck a deal last week to fill a transit budget gap, it's not enough to avoid a fare hike, it added.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  Geoffrey Hinton, an award-winning computer scientist known as the "godfather of artificial intelligence," is having some serious second thoughts about the fruits of his labors.

Hinton helped pioneer AI technologies critical to a new generation of highly capable chatbots, such as ChatGPT. But in recent interviews, he says that he recently resigned a high-profile job at Google specifically to share his concerns that unchecked AI development could pose danger to humanity.

"I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us," he said in an interview with MIT Technology Review. "I think they're very close to it now and they will be much more intelligent than us in the future.... How do we survive that?"

Hinton is not alone in his concerns. Shortly after the Microsoft-backed startup OpenAI released its latest AI model called GPT-4 in March, more than 1,000 researchers and technologists signed a letter calling for a six-month pause on AI development because, they said, it poses "profound risks to society and humanity."

Here's a look at Hinton's biggest concerns about the future of AI ... and humanity.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE NEURAL NETWORKS

Our human brains can solve calculus equations, drive cars and keep track of the characters in "Succession" thanks to their native talent for organizing and storing information and reasoning out solutions to thorny problems. The roughly 86 billion neurons packed into our skulls  and, more important, the 100 trillion connections those neurons forge among themselves  make that possible.

By contrast, the technology underlying ChatGPT features between 500 billion and a trillion connections, Hinton said in the interview. While that would seem to put it at a major disadvantage relative to us, Hinton notes that GPT-4, the latest AI model from OpenAI, knows "hundreds of times more" than any single human. Maybe, he suggests, it has a "much better learning algorithm" than we do, making it more efficient at cognitive tasks.

AI MAY ALREADY BE SMARTER THAN US

Researchers have long noted that artificial neural networks take much more time to absorb and apply new knowledge than people do, since training them requires tremendous amounts of both energy and data. That's no longer the case, Hinton argues, noting that systems like GPT-4 can learn new things very quickly once properly trained by researchers. That's not unlike the way a trained professional physicist can wrap her brain around new experimental findings much more quickly than a typical high school science student could.

That leads Hinton to the conclusion that AI systems might already be outsmarting us. Not only can AI systems learn things faster, he notes, they can also share copies of their knowledge with each other almost instantly.

"It's a completely different form of intelligence," he told the publication. "A new and better form of intelligence."

WARS AND RUMORS OF WARS

What would smarter-than-human AI systems do? One unnerving possibility is that malicious individuals, groups or nation-states might simply co-opt them to further their own ends. Hinton is particularly concerned that these tools could be trained to sway elections and even to wage wars.

Election misinformation spread via AI chatbots, for instance, could be the future version of election misinformation spread via Facebook and other social media platforms.

And that might just be the beginning. "Don't think for a moment that Putin wouldn't make hyper-intelligent robots with the goal of killing Ukrainians," Hinton said in the article. "He wouldn't hesitate."

A SHORTAGE OF SOLUTIONS

What's not clear is how anyone would stop a power like Russia from using AI technology to dominate its neighbors or its own citizens. Hinton suggests that a global agreement similar to the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention might be a good first step toward establishing international rules against weaponized AI.

Though it's also worth noting that the chemical weapons compact did not stop what investigators found were likely Syrian attacks using chlorine gas and the nerve agent sarin against civilians in 2017 and 2018 during the nation's bloody civil war.
Andrew Cox spent 20 years scavenging through Bookmans, yard sales and thrift stores in search of occult books.

His collection grew into the thousands; so many books, so little space at his home that was starting to resemble a scene out of The Addams Family.

Thats when Cox, 42, took his friends and familys advice to open a store specializing in occult books.

Last August, he opened Nexus Occult Books and Oddities at 4865 E. Speedway. It is the only occult bookstore in Tucson, and it joins a couple of businesses that sell metaphysical candles, oils and crystals.

The 1,200-square-foot bookstore houses about 10,000 books ranging from classic horror stories to how-to guides on conjuring the dead. The store also sells vintage Ouija boards and spooky books for kids.

Cox said his main goal was to establish a safe haven for people to be able to express, share and learn different aspects of occultism.

Nexus is a neutral ground for everybody, Cox said. You can identify as a doorknob and worship unicorns and were your store.

Although they do not have any books on doorknobs, they have a variety of books on unicorns and other mythical creatures.

Being an occult store has come with its fair share of dirty looks from outsiders and cyber bullies on Instagram.

People usually stay away from the bookstore because they think occult means devil-worship.

But Cox said, there is nothing to be afraid of because occult means hidden from the eye in Latin.

People automatically associate us with the magic of witchcraft and it is a big part of what we do but we also do paranormal, the extraterrestrial, cryptozoology, conspiracy theories, secret societies, theology and demonology, Cox said.

As Nexus continues to put new titles on its shelves, its community has also grown. There have been customers from Yuma and Phoenix coming to Nexus for books, Cox said.

Sarah Collins, 26, lives in Tempe but always makes sure she has time to visit Nexus when shes in Tucson. Although there are some occult bookstores in Phoenix, they are not quite like Nexus, she said.

Collins first found Nexus when she started her spiritual journey and grew fond of the used book collection and the time periods Nexus carries.

They have books that you cannot find on Amazon, Collins said.

One longtime customer, who identified himself as Junior V, said he has been a regular since the store opened. The 31-year-old Tucson resident said his love for occult books brings him to the store regularly and has led to a friendship with Cox.

V said he enjoys learning about different topics and expanding his knowledge about different religions.

Nexus is well versed in everything from Christianity to Lucifer to Egyptian gods, he said.

In addition to selling books, Nexus also hosts tarot card readings and other events weekly. The store is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.
King Charles III's sister Princess Anne has said that a slimmed-down monarchy "doesn't sound like a good idea."

Comments by the Princess Royal, who is 16th in line to the British throne and is considered to be one of the hardest-working royals, were made during a wide-ranging interview Monday.

In the years before Queen Elizabeth II's death, the royal family's advisers had been promoting the idea of a slimmed-down monarchy that saw senior family members like Charles and Camilla as well as the Prince and Princess of Wales take on more duties.

"Well, I think the 'slimmed-down' [comment] was said in a day when there were a few more people around ... [to] make that seem like a justifiable comment," Anne told CBC News' Adrienne Arsenault.

"It doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing, I would say. I'm not quite sure what else we can do."

As well as the Queen's death, which came a few months after her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh died, the royal family has been rocked by Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex stepping away from their royal duties in 2020 and Prince Andrew's ties to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Her comments come just days before the United Kingdom celebrates King Charles III's coronation on Saturday.

Anne, who will be at the coronation, said she was asked to fulfill her role as the Colonel of the Blues and Royals in the Household Cavalry Regiment. "I said yes, not least of all it solves my dress problem," she quipped.

Heir to the throne for seven decades, Charles will be officially crowned in a magnificent and deeply religious ceremony on Saturday while thousands will gather at Westminster Abbey and the surrounding streets of central London to take in a glorious display of British pageantry.

When asked how her brother will reign, Anne said: "Well, you know what you're getting because he's been practising for a bit, and I don't think he'll change. He is committed to his own level of service, and that will remain true."

Still, there are some doubts surrounding the continued relevancy of the monarchy, particularly in Commonwealth countries such as Canada, where CBC is broadcast.

"It's not a conversation that I would necessarily have," Anne said. "I think it's perfectly true that it is a moment when you need to have that discussion but I would just underline that the monarchy provides, with the constitution, a degree of long-term stability that is actually quite hard to come by any other way."

Anne added: "I believe that there is genuine benefit from this particular arrangement, the constitutional monarchy ... has good long term benefits and that commitment to long term is what the monarch stands for."

The-CNN-Wire

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The city of Tucson has improved its turnaround times to approve building permits and plans since installing a new online permitting system last fall.

But theres still much work to be done, business leaders say, and the city acknowledges theres room for improvement as it optimizes the new system and looks forward to the arrival of a new planning director by the end of May.

Overwhelmed by record-high construction activity and staffing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the city last year was taking 90 days or more to review some building permits and plans.

In July, the mayor and council approved nearly $1.5 million in funding to help the Planning and Development Services Department add staff and upgrade systems to alleviate the permit delays.

After a delay due to the pandemic, the city finally installed a new online permitting system last fall, launching Tucson Development Center Online on Oct. 31.

Assistant City Manager Tim Thomure said the city is in most cases meeting a goal of 20 working days, or 30 calendar days, to perform individual permit or plan reviews, after one to three days for initial staff intake for referral to a reviewer.

We are in almost all review types meeting that timeframe right now, and in fact, most of our review timeframes are running well under that right now, Thomure said.

Though permit review times vary widely among cities and counties, local stakeholders cite Pima County, which says it turns around nearly all of its permit reviews for smaller projects in just five days, or 20 days for projects greater than 20,000 square feet.

Aside from larger and more complex projects, the county guarantees a review timeframe of fifteen business days for all projects.

Thomure noted that some building permits require multiple reviews, to process plan corrections, for example.

A permit might take two or three cycles to get approved depending on the complexity, but our commitment is that when we get it in our hands we turn it around within 30 days or less, and were doing that, Thomure said.

Other things like approvals needed by external agencies can lengthen the process, and sometimes the onus falls on the permit applicant, he said.

For example, fees must be paid and before a permit can be issued, the contractor or property owner must submit an affidavit showing who will be performing the work, Thomure said, adding that hes seen more of those issues holding up permits recently for owners who arent familiar with the process.

There are more improvements on the way with the new online permitting system, including new user dashboards to allow easy tracking of permit reviews, and workflow improvements in the works, he said.

New director named

After a nationwide search, the city named Kristina Swallow, most recently director of the Nevada Department of Transportation and a University of Arizona graduate, as the new director of the Planning and Development Services Department, according to a city memo on Wednesday.

Swallow, who is expected to start in her new role with the city on May 30, got her undergraduate degree in civil engineering from the UA in 1994. Before her four-year stint heading Nevadas transportation agency, she spent more than five years as program manager for the city of Las Vegas.

Improvements to the citys permitting process couldnt come fast enough for Tucsons contracting and development community and businesses seeking to grow, said Michael Guymon, president and CEO of the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce.

We think theres still a lot of room for improvement, said Guymon, a member of a stakeholders group working with the city on improving the permitting process.

We still need to see those turnaround times improve, especially on the commercial side, he said. When Im hearing that spec (speculative) builders are potentially pulling their projects (because of permit delays), thats affecting our economic development, and we cannot afford to lose out on some of these deals.

Permitting data the city shared with stakeholders showed some improvement in March but commercial data was incomplete, he said.

They had a good month, where youre starting to see those numbers come down, but we would like to see a series of months when those numbers tick down a little bit, Guymon said.

David Godlewski, president of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, said home builders have seen some improvement in permit and plan turnaround times, but the system still falls short.

There are signs that things are trending in the right direction, but by and large, they are still behind what we would hope for, he said.

Godlewski  who like Guymon gives Thomure high marks for his collaborative work on permitting issues  said he and other stakeholders hope a new city planning director will bring new focus to the permitting process.

We are optimistic that having someone who comes in, whos in a leadership position, who can bring some fresh ideas and a new perspective to this will help them expedite the process of getting to the timeframes that we want to see, and they want to see, Godlewski said.

Thomure said he understands the urgency of improving the citys service, particularly on the commercial side, but projects that were submitted for review this year will have a much better experience and shorter timeline.

According to city data, the city issued 679 commercial permits of all types from the end of October through April 24, while receiving 1,125 new applications.

I have no doubt that we have had an impact on some projects over the past year, Thomure said.

What I would say is, those issues have been corrected and were now in a space where those issues would not be expected on the work from here moving forward, as long as we keep our eye on the ball and keep investing in our people and our technology.

Posting review times

Permit and plan review times vary widely across Arizona cities and counties, and across the nation.

Under Arizonas Regulatory Bill of Rights, passed into law in 2011, cities and counties are required to establish and follow time frames for a broad range of permitting processes, consisting of an administrative completeness time frame and a substantive review time frame.

Many cities and counties, including Pima County, prominently post their permit review timeframes, but Tucson doesnt.

Phoenix posts online monthly updates on turnaround times for plan reviews. For April, for example, the city reported an average 28 calendar days to approve a medium-size commercial building plan compared with a goal of 35 days, and was taking an average of 48 days to review residential building plans with a goal of 30 days.

While Tucson doesnt post its review turnaround time goals or average turnaround times, review time frames are included in its Unified Development Code  20 days for administrative compliance review and 65 days for substantive review, for a total of 85 days.

Thomure said he would look into adding monthly turnaround times on the citys website in the future, as part of improvements planned under the new online permitting system.

Getting bugs out

The new system has generated some complaints as the city continues to work out bugs.

For example, Thomure said, the system is set up to automatically schedule building inspections, but applicants initially werent getting email notifications.

In response to feedback, the city is working to add a feature that allows users to see a big picture of complex projects and all of their reviews and progress.

A local user said the new system is promising, but lacks transparency and is still dependent on poor human workflow.

Dave Norton, a project director for a hotel development company, said it took the city two months to complete a zoning review to build a new fence at his east side property. After hearing nothing back from the city, he suddenly found his request marked as passed.

Norton said he got conflicting information when he spoke with city staff, and he had no notification of the $56 review fee, the status of his request, or its approval. His account still shows his review as 19% complete.

The permit process has not changed, it is not transparent, communication is non-existent. My review should have taken less than an hour, it took almost two months to complete, Norton said. The approach and the process are flawed. A shiny website will not fix that.

Thomure said the city has improved its overall permit-review processes and is studying fundamental changes to improve the flow including separate processes for simple and more complex applications.

He cited the citys partnership with Pima County on rooftop solar permits, which are now processed within 24 hours through an automated process.

Thats because its very predictable type of work, and it can be automatically reviewed, but not all of the permits we do can make it to that automation, he said.

Over the coming months, the city will be studying ways to create a fast lane for simpler review requests, Thomure said.
About twilight in the spring and summer, wildlife technicians roam the Southern Arizona mountains, seeking an elusive owl.

They visit known or predicted nesting and foraging areas for the Mexican spotted owl, a threatened species in the Southwest. Although its found throughout Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and parts of Mexico, the owl has been listed as threatened since 1993 because of habitat decline from logging and more recently, large fires.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 requires protection for endangered species  in danger of extinction throughout most of its range  and threatened species  likely to become endangered in foreseeable future throughout all or most of its range.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which oversees recovery of threatened and endangered species, considers more than eight million acres critical habitat for the Mexican spotted owl.

Owls are located by sound.

At about sundown, the owls day is starting, said Alex Grant, lead zone biologist for the Coronado. We hike about half a mile, stop and start calling.

Grant can imitate the male owls four-note call with his voice; the teams also have a mechanical caller and an iPhone app. They will wait 10 minutes. The owl, which is quite social and territorial, will respond if it hears a call.

If an owl calls, its noted and the team hikes another 1.5 miles  a rule-of-thumb average researchers have noted between owl territories. If no call is heard, they move half a mile and call again.

We generally will hike 6 miles in an evening, Grant said. They use headlamps but do not aim them at the solitary bird. For distant areas they sometimes backpack in. We often hear the owls foraging at night after we are in our tents.

Following Fish and Wildlife Service recovery guidelines, the teams will revisit the area three more times  at least a week apart  to make sure owls are occupying the area or have vacated it. This method is used to sample known Protected Activity Centers (PACs)  600-acre foraging areas around a 100-acre nesting/roosting area where owls have been found in past surveys.

There are 20 PACs on the Santa Catalina Ranger District (the Santa Catalinas and part of the Rincon mountains) and 160 PACs on the entire Coronado National Forest.

We keep visits to a minimum because it stresses the owl. They think, someone is in my territory! Grant said. Owls are very noise sensitive and may leave their nests if disturbed.

Thats why management activities  hazard tree removal or trail work involving chainsaws, prescribed burning or road construction  are not done in the Catalinas in known owl habitat during breeding and fledging (when young owls grow feathers and learn to fly) season, March through August. Prohibitions are set by the Fish and Wildlife Service Mexican spotted owl recovery plan.

Cabin owners (through a 108-year-old national forest program called recreation residences) on the mountain are disappointed to find out they cant put a new deck in during the summer, because of spotted owl protections, said Neil Dutt, wildlife biologist for the Santa Catalina district. However, we have found people are pretty receptive about protecting the owl. I am getting more questions about, what can we do to help the owl? 

Driving, hiking, picnicking and other recreation is not restricted per se on roads and trails in the Catalinas during owl season. But we dont encourage forging your own trail or loud groups hiking at night, Grant added. Dogs, which could harass birds, must be on leash in the forest.

And please dont go looking for nests, said Shaula Hedwall, the lead Mexican spotted owl biologist for Fish and Wildlife Service. We get reports on people hiring guides to take them to see the birds, they end up harassing them and that causes stress.

The owls generally occupy the same area all year, some move to lower elevations in the winter.

Get to know the Mexican spotted owl

Courtship/breeding occurs in March and a female is usually on a nest by April. The female will lay one to three eggs and stay on a nest all month; the male brings food. Eggs hatch in early May and young owls fledge (grow feathers for flying) in June and July. Parents feed them into the fall when the young owls leave and seek a new nest site. Not every owl pair breeds every year.

The owls pair for life, although if one member dies the other will seek a new mate. They generally use the same nests year after year. Owls dont build nests but use ones previously built by squirrels and other birds as well as witches brooms  prolific side-growth of tree branches in cluster caused by mistletoe, mites or other fungal, viral or environmental damage. Owls nest in mixed-conifer and pine-oak forests, and rocky canyons.

The Mexican spotted owl is one of three spotted owl subspecies along with the northern spotted owl (famous for reduced timber-cutting reductions in the northwest to protect its old-growth habitat) and the California spotted owl. The Mexican spotted owl is one of largest owls in North America, between 16 to 19 inches tall with a wingspan of 42 to 45 inches. Females are larger and heavier than males.

Mexican spotted owls are brown with irregular brown and white spots on their abdomen, back and head; they blend well into the foliage. Owls night-hunting equipment includes good hearing, dark-circled eyes for seeing in the dark and feathers that allow a silent approach. The owls hunt rodents, lizards and small birds. They perch on a branch and swoop down on prey with sharp talons that kill quickly.

Owls need habitat for their prey like logs and snags. They also need cover from their predators: great horned owls and red-tailed hawks. They favor riparian canyons with pine and layers of cover like oak or the increasingly rare old growth mixed-conifer at high elevations.

An indicator species

Large fires like Horsehoe 2 (2011) in the Chiricahuas, Frye Fire (2017) in the Pinalenos (Mount Graham) and the Bighorn Fire (2020) in the Catalinas destroyed much old-growth forest. Some owls have moved to lower elevations out of burned areas, Grant said. Overall, they are resilient, holding on where they can.

The technicians also check out new potential habitat identified by remote sensing technologies and also by familiarity with owl nesting preferences.

If we see a narrow canyon with steep walls, its a good prospect, Grant said. However, getting into the area may be difficult.

The forest has three new seasonal technicians and one from last season. They had many hours of training from Fish and Wildlife Service. Currently, they are honing field skills and Grant is assessing their outdoors capacity. For example, if some are skilled at rock climbing, they can access more areas.

Besides the forest-wide crew, two contractors are working in the Santa Catalinas. The Coronado district which administers Mount Graham (Pinalenos) has a wildlife biologist and two technicians. The area also hosts the Mount Graham red squirrel, a subspecies found only on Mount Graham and listed as endangered since 1987. With an endangered squirrel and a threatened owl, they have their hands full and we also help them out, Grant said. This year, a contractor couple will also cover the remote Galiuro Mountains.

Although the owl has a large geographic range, its habitat is narrow. Its usually the top predator, Grant said. Thats why the Mexican spotted owl is important. Its a critical component of this habitat.

When a predator is removed, its prey base often expands rapidly, either overrunning an area or starving.

If the owl isnt there to manage that amount of prey, they can affect other resources, Grant said. The owl is also an indicator species for a healthy old growth system.

Although you shouldnt seek out owl nests, if youre hiking at twilight, Grant said, be quiet and listen, you may hear an owl calling. We have seen owls along trail systems, out foraging.

How many owls are there in the Catalinas? The technicians arent doing a precise count of the the owls. A complete owl census has never been done and would be too expensive and not that useful to managers. They need to know how and whether their actions impact owl habitat and population. The ultimate goal is recovering populations so they no longer need special protections.

Individual owl surveys in the PACs inform management, so occupancy and breeding status are what is important at (that) scale, Fish and Wildlife Service biologist Hedwall said. Fish and Wildlife Service will scale data from the PACs up to larger areas. Occupancy and trend of owls and habitat through time is how the agency evaluates Mexican spotted owl population health.

It will take several years to begin determining the trend of the owl and its habitat, Hedwall added.

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Warnings issued by high-profile civil rights and advocacy groups to Arizonas governor and attorney general failed to stop a rule change that effectively lowers the bar for extremist organizations attempting to radicalize law enforcement officers through government-funded training.

Letters sent in March by the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection, the Anti-Defamation League and the Southern Poverty Law Center implored the Governors Office and other state agencies to intervene before the rules April 5 implementation. They warned it created a loophole that could be exploited by domestic extremist groups.

The contentious rule change, as first reported by AZCIR in 2022, shifted the responsibility of continuing education training oversight from the Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board to law enforcement agency heads. Previously, AZPOST denied at least one extremist group from conducting such training in 2021.

In their letters, one of which also went to the U.S. Department of Justice, the groups raised concerns about eliminating the longstanding safeguard and cited an increase in extremist and conspiratorial rhetoric espoused by Arizona public officials, including publicly elected sheriffs. The advocacy and civil rights groups joined the Arizona chapter of the NAACP, which sent a letter to AZPOST in December 2022, in opposing the shift.

We are deeply concerned by the possibility that this amended rule will open the door for Arizona peace officers to receive training from adherents of the constitutional sheriffs movement and other actors who urge local law enforcement to assume authorities beyond those allowed by law, wrote Mary McCord, the executive director of Georgetown University Law Centers ICAP, a nonpartisan institute focused on constitutional rights and protecting democratic processes.

McCord warned that such taxpayer-funded trainings would place residents at risk of improper activity by county peace officers and pose a particular threat to brown and Black communities, who are at the greatest risk of harm from abuses by law enforcement.

The letters cited previous AZCIR reporting about so-called constitutional sheriff groups, which include the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association. The group is part of a national movement built on the idea that a sheriffs power supersedes that of higher government entities, such as the president and the U.S. Supreme Court, and that sheriffs have a duty to nullify laws they interpret as unconstitutional.

The civil rights and advocacy organizations highlighted numerous connections between the CSPOA and a variety of hate groups, with the NAACP denouncing some CSPOA members as prominent anti-Semites, QAnon conspiracists, white nationalists and neo-confederates.

If the revised rule goes into effect, we fear that domestic extremists, based on their previous actions, will rush to take advantage of the opportunity, wrote Sarah Kader, community manager for ADL Arizona, a state-level branch of a national organization that combats hate groups in the U.S.

The rule change could be used as a blueprint for creating workarounds allowing extremist organizations to train law enforcement in other states, warned Rachel Goldwasser, a senior research analyst for the Southern Poverty Law Center.

The Hobbs administration didnt directly address such concerns in an emailed statement to AZCIR, saying it believes existing rules provide mechanisms to revoke credit for trainings that embrace extremist views.

Governor Hobbs is adamantly opposed to extremist groups providing training to our law enforcement and believes no officer should receive credit for trainings done by extremists, wrote Christian Slater, Hobbs communication director.

Though he stressed the new rule was enacted under Hobbs predecessor, former Gov. Doug Ducey, Slater said the current administration is working with the AZPOST to ensure we monitor the situation and use every available legal means to protect against extremists training law enforcement officers.

In an email response, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes echoed Hobbs assessment of the situation and committed her office to countering extremist ideologies.

As the top law enforcement official in Arizona and a member of the AZPOST Board, I am committed to working closely with my fellow board members, AZPOST leadership, Governor Hobbs, and local law enforcement leaders to ensure that decisions regarding continuing education are suitable and meet the high standards we set for law enforcement professionals in our state, Mayes wrote.

Neither the governor nor the attorney general detailed which mechanisms were in place to prevent extremists groups from taking advantage of the loophole, or what could be done to mitigate harm to law enforcement if extremist trainings do take place.

ADL confirmed it did not receive a response from Hobbs office until after the rule change took effect, though a spokesperson indicated the group had every reason to believe that the Governors office understands the concerns we have raised in our letters and is taking them seriously. Slater said the Governors Office met with ADL, ICAP and SPLC but did not specify when.

Email correspondence obtained by AZCIR shows AZPOST Executive Director Matt Giordano also met with state NAACP representatives, but nothing substantive changed as a result. Instead, Giordano confirmed the board would no longer be responsible for approving continuing education credits for local law enforcement, and that the group would approve any trainings put forward by law enforcement leaders. He declined to be interviewed for this story.

According to Arizona NAACP attorney Dianne Post, who attended the meeting, Giordano said the agency would conduct an annual audit of trainings  a strategy she believes falls short.

It still allows for the training to happen, to be funded locally, and not to even be found out about until a year or more later, said Post, who authored the NAACP letter. AZPOST has already washed their hands of it.

A post-training audit stands in stark contrast to AZPOSTs previous role in preemptively safeguarding the quality of trainings: In 2021, for instance, AZPOST refused to approve a CSPOA program, later stating that it was in direct conflict with our basic academy curriculum.

Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels, who was a featured speaker at a CSPOA event in 2019 and also chairs the AZPOST board, declined to comment for this story. After receiving the letter from the NAACP, however, Dannels disavowed any support of the CSPOA at a criminal justice meeting hosted by the civil rights group, according to Anthony Isom, the Criminal Justice Committee chair for the Greater Huachuca Area Branch of the NAACP.

In their letters, ADL, SPLC and the NAACP expressed concerns that more than half of Arizona sheriffs are at least partially aligned with the constitutional sheriff movementconnections AZCIR highlighted in its 2022 reporting.

Arizona has a large extremist presence in the Legislature, sheriffs offices and among the public, unfortunately, said Goldwasser, the SPLC analyst. Any opportunity for these extremists to spread their ideology, they often will exploit.

Three of the four letters also issued a warning about Pinal County Sheriff Mark Lamb, who has known ties to CSPOA and is the frontman for Protect America Now, another so-called constitutional sheriff organization.

Lamb, who announced a bid for the U.S. Senate in April, has developed a national presence by appearing on a slew of right-leaning news networks and podcasts to talk about everything from the Second Amendment and border security to election integrity. He has also appeared on more extreme programs, including those espousing QAnon conspiracies. Lamb did not respond to a request for comment.

In recent years, extreme ideologies have been mainstreamed and normalized at an alarming pace, wrote Kader of Arizona ADL. This is due in large part to the growing number of elected officials and other high-profile individuals who traffic in conspiracies and hate.

During the 2022 election cycle, Protect America Now and CSPOA teamed up with True the Vote, a controversial election-monitoring group based in Texas, in an attempt to expand sheriffs role in election integrity and security beyond their existing jurisdiction. Although Lamb has decreased his public rhetoric about election denialism, CSPOA founder Richard Mack and his organization have not.

Since the 2020 election, Mack and his allies have tried to investigate meritless claims of election fraud, which has raised the prospect that CSPOA-aligned sheriffs may try to intimidate voters in future elections, McCord wrote.

But, the threat posed by CSPOA infiltrating law enforcement goes beyond elections.
PHOENIX  A Legislative committee on Thursday denied a request from Secretary of State Adrian Fontes to use $250,000 already in his office budget to pay for a private security detail to protect him and his family from credible security threats, a move that comes after Gov. Katie Hobbs also denied a request to assign state troopers to protect Fontes.

The decision by the chairman of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, Rep. David Livingston, R-Peoria, was backed by the full committee following a brief discussion. Livingston, however, did approve the shifting of $100,000 from the secretarys election-related budget to beef up security at the secretary of states offices in Phoenix and Tucson.

Fontes, a Democrat who was elected in November following a heated campaign that pitted him against Republican Mark Finchem, has been using money left in his campaign account to hire private security for protection, Assistant Secretary of State Keely Varvel told the panel.

And he is seeking $500,000 for personal security in his office budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1. That request is part of an effort to secure a big boost in funding for his office, mainly to address election security issues.

Election officials across the nation have been subjected to increasing threats in recent years.

Hobbs herself received a DPS security detail several times following the 2020 election  she was secretary of state at the time  because of death threats. That detail was approved by her predecessor, Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

Rep. Matt Gress, R-Phoenix, who served as Duceys budget director until he left office in early January, questioned Varvel closely about the threats her boss has received and Hobbs response.

Have the threats changed? Gress asked.

Varvel said she assumed they were similar in nature to those that Hobbs faced. One was serious enough that Fontes had his staff work from home the following day and have Varvel request an urgent meeting with Hobbs staff to discuss a security detail, according to The Arizona Republic.

She noted that media report during Thursdays meeting. And Varvel told lawmakers that the secretarys office is in daily contact with staff at the states Counter Terrorism Information Center about threats, including the one that prompted Fontes to send his staff home.

There have been ongoing discussions with Hobbs office on the need for permanent funding for protection, Varvel said.

We certainly made it clear that we were interested in the secretary having some form of personal security, Varvel said.

Hobbs spokesman, Christian Slater, did not immediately respond to requests for information about whether she would back Fontes budget request or whether the governor had changed her mind about the secretarys need for security.

Varvel said there is a need for an analysis of the right kind of security for him and the office  and the threats that he sees personally to him and his family.

We have indicated (to Hobbs staff) that were open to negotiate that, she continued.

We just would like to get that funded, Varvel said. And we have been consistently pushing to have some recognition of that and hopefully some funding provided for what law enforcement considers the appropriate security for him.

The staff report for the request the committee considered noted that Fontes needed the money due to personal safety threats that have been deemed credible by law enforcement. The $250,000 would pay for an assessment of personal security needs, two months of private vendor security coverage for the remainder of the budget year, and the vendors startup costs.

It is unclear how long Fontes can continue funding his own security using campaign money. He ended 2022 with just over $223,000 in his campaign account.

Sen. Ken Bennett, R-Prescott, wanted to know whether the $100,000 for office security was enough. Bennett, himself a former secretary of state, said he did not want to leave staff vulnerable if more money was actually needed.

Livingston promised that more cash to boost physical security at the secretarys offices would be quickly approved if it were needed.

But he was not so keen on providing money to protect Fontes personally.

I wanted to provide $100,000 for hard security that will be (for the secretarys office), Livingston said at the start of Thursdays meeting.

That will be long-term permanent security, he said. I was not comfortable providing security off-premises for the secretary of state.

Fontes did not attend the meeting. But in a brief interview after it ended, he acknowledged he was frustrated that despite facing real threats because of his job as Arizonas chief elections officer, he could not get the state to provide appropriate protection.

When I was in the Marine Corps we were deeply underfunded as an institution, Fontes said.
PHOENIX  Maricopa County supervisors appointed a replacement Friday for a state lawmaker expelled from the Arizona House last month, restoring the 31st vote House Republicans need to control the chamber and move bills without support from minority Democrats.

The Board of Supervisors named Julie Willoughby to replace the ousted Liz Harris and represent Legislative District 13, which covers parts of Chandler, Gilbert and Sun Lakes.

Harris was tossed from the chamber for disorderly conduct on April 12 after inviting a woman to testify at a hearing on election integrity who then accused lawmakers, judges and the Church of Latter-Day Saints of being involved in a criminal scheme to rig elections. The House Ethics Committee said Harris lied to its members about her prior knowledge of the planned testimony, which lawmakers called defamatory.

Harris, an outspoken critic of the countys election system who contends former President Donald Trump was not defeated in Maricopa County and the state in 2020, had sought to be reappointed by the supervisors. She was the top vote-getter at a meeting of Republican precinct committee members from her district who were charged by law with providing the board with three names of potential nominees.

But Maricopa County Supervisor Jack Sellers, a Republican who represents the area, led the supervisors' candidate vetting process, interviewed the three potential nominees and said he needed to take into account the fact the House voted to expel Harris.

"In my discussions with Miss Harris, she firmly believes that her removal was improper and unlawful,'' Sellers said. "I believe she has the right to pursue a remedy though any lawful means available to her. I also believe that this board must consider the 46 votes from the Arizona House members who made a choice to create this vacancy.''

Those lawmakers read reports, head testimony and voted, Sellers said.

"This board was not a party to that process,'' he said. But Sellers also said the supervisors "must give weight to an action that over two-thirds of the House members voted in favor of.''

Thirteen House members, all fellow Republicans, voted against expelling Harris.

Sellers made a motion that the board appoint Willoughby, who ran along with Harris on the GOP ticket for the districts two House seats in the November election but came in third behind the top-vote-getter, Democrat Jennifer Pawlik, and Harris. Pawlik announced this week that she will not seek another term, leaving an open seat for the 2024 election that Republicans  possibly Harris  will try to nab.

Sellers and the other three Republicans on the five-member board voted to appoint Willoughby, who is an emergency room trauma nurse. The sole Democrat, Steve Gallardo, opposed the appointment because like Harris, Willoughby says the countys election system is flawed.

Gallardo said he could not support a candidate who did not believe the countys elections were "safe, secure, accurate, transparent.''

He and the four Republican board members have offered a full-throated defense of their elections despite criticism from Trump and many of his GOP supporters, and he praised those board members for "standing up and telling the truth.''

Gallardo repeated that he could not support a nominee who rejects that. "If theyre not willing to stand up publicly and to say what has been the big lie, the conspiracy, the unfounded claims, are exactly that, false, I cant vote for them,'' he said. "I just cant.''

Board Chairman Clint Hickman said he heard Gallardo "loud and clear,'' but noted that supervisors were appointing a state lawmaker, not a county official.

"So they can make those statements along with other legislators, that believe or not believe, whatever their beliefs are, and then they make the laws of this great state,'' Hickman said.

The supervisors have been criticized for taking more than two weeks after receiving the nominees to make their choice.

J.D. Mesnard, the Republican senator who represents LD13, said in floor comments they had taken the most time for an in-session legislative vacancy in 56 years. He said 120 precinct committeemen, tasked with nominating a replacement, managed to come together on short notice to pick the three names sent to the county board.

"If that number of PCs can rearrange their schedule, to fulfill something that is needed, that is important, then with all due respect to the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors, the five of them can have a special meeting to hasten what should be an important priority for them,'' Mesnard said.

Hickman and Sellers defended the process, saying it was a thorough vetting that took time.

Since Harris was expelled on April 12, lawmakers have met three times, taking an entire week off and then working just one day last week and one day this week.

"I'm very excited to get to work,'' Willoughby said after being sworn in by state Supreme Court Justice Clint Bolick on the House floor Friday afternoon.

"I know we're going to hit the ground running,'' she said. "I'm excited to learn everything very quickly and get everything started and finished up a timely manner and be respectful to everybody.''

House Speaker Ben Toma, R-Peoria, told Willoughby she would get a chance to learn very quickly.

The GOP-controlled Legislature has been negotiating a budget deal with new Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs for months, and must have one in place in just eight weeks. Thats on top of hundreds of bills that need votes before the session ends.
PHOENIX  Proposed legislation to shield public officials addresses on public records has no enforcement mechanism to ensure they live where they claim.

Senate Bill 1061, awaiting action by Gov. Katie Hobbs, would give elected officials that protection, which is already afforded to judges, prosecutors and domestic violence victims. State Sen. T.J. Shope, R-Coolidge, said increasing personal threats against lawmakers and others make such an option necessary.

Once someone became an elected official and opted in, any public records of what they say is their primary residence would disappear. Those are the records that challengers, or anyone else, can use to determine if legislators meet the state constitutional requirements that they reside in the district they represent.

During debate on the measure, Shope said provisions would be added to empower the Secretary of States Office, where candidates file nominating papers, to verify addresses. That, however, never came to pass.

There needs to be a process available for people to look into this, he told Capitol Media Services on Thursday. Shope said he is looking at putting some language into the state budget to give Secretary of State Adrian Fontes authority and money to investigate complaints.

Still, Shope acknowledged, following up on a complaint would require someone to file one in the first place. That possibility would be undermined by cutting off sources someone could use to contest a purported home address, from voter registration to tax documents.

Fontes said he is waiting to see whether Hobbs signs the measure. Only if that happens, he said, will he start to explore options, including what authority he may have.

Comes as senators home at issue

The legislation comes amid a very public dispute about whether Republican Sen. Wendy Rogers lives in the Flagstaff trailer park she claimed on her candidacy nomination papers. An effort by an Arizona Capitol Times reporter to verify where she lives, by checking out two other properties she owns, both outside the district, resulted in Rogers getting a judge to order the reporter to stay away from any of her residences.

Shope said his legislation is not an absolute barrier to vetting would-be office seekers. He pointed out it is worded so that it protects the addresses of officials only after they are elected.

He also said nothing in the law would allow elected officials to shield the addresses of other properties they own aside from what they claim as their primary residence. So, in the case of someone like Rogers, a home address would be confidential. But the addresses of other properties she owns would remain on public documents.

There was no immediate comment from Hobbs about the legislation on her desk.

Unnerved by protesters

During debate on the measure, Shope spoke about how he has been unnerved by protesters. He said that on opening day of this years legislative session in January, when he went to a newly elected lawmakers home, he was surprised to see that he was tagged in a Tweet identifying him and the new lawmaker as being at that persons house, with the address included.

We sign up for this stuff, Shope said of being subject to public scrutiny. But our families in many cases came later, or kids came later and things like that.

The legislation would provide the address disclosure protection to statewide elected officials and to local elected officials as well as to state lawmakers.

Protesters gathered often at Hobbs Phoenix home after the 2020 election she helped oversee the election as Democratic secretary of state. Troopers with the Department of Public Safety were assigned to ensure she and her family were safe.

Republican members of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors faced protests outside their homes and threats of violence after they certified that former President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election there.

Under the legislation, also hidden would be public officials home telephone numbers, personal photographs, directions to their homes or photographs of their personal vehicles.

That bothered Rep. Alexander Kolodin, R-Scottsdale, one of a handful of lawmakers who voted against the measure. It holds public officials like us to a different standard and makes our elections less transparent and more opaque, he said.

Implications

The Secretary of States Office says it doesnt check the veracity of addresses claimed on candidate nomination forms. That is left to others, usually political foes.

Getting candidates disqualified based on residency issues is difficult.

Justice Robert Brutinel, writing for the Arizona Supreme Court, has pointed out that state election laws define a resident as someone with actual physical presence in the affected community combined with an intent to remain. The law does not say how long someone must be physically present.

The issue of intent arose in the November 2022 election as Republican Justine Wadsack of Tucson survived a legal challenge to her legislative candidacy. A judge said he believed her claim she rented a room in the legislative district where she was running to protect her family from attacks by political opponents and antifa.
Election workers tabulate Pinal County ballots on Election Day during the November 2022 midterms. Election officials documented glaring discrepancies in the ballot totals, but recommended certifying the election anyway. Photo via Pinal County election night livestream | Youtube

By the time Virginia Ross appeared before Pinal Countys supervisors one last time, she had already sold her house.

The elections director just needed the supervisors to vote yes on Nov. 21, finalizing the November election, and she would be on her way to retirement.

I stand by the results, she assured them.

This article was originally published by Votebeat , a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.

A lot hinged on this moment. After a primary election debacle in August, the county manager had brought Ross on to right the ship. The county paid her handsomely: more than $40,000 a month leading up to the election. Thats more than five times what the past two elections directors had made. Plus, she would get a $25,000 bonus if supervisors voted yes.

The supervisors made it easy for her: They didnt ask her any questions, voting unanimously to certify the results. She got her bonus, and quickly moved to an East Texas town with fewer than 1,000 residents.

It would be another month before Arizona voters learned what internal evidence already showed  that Ross had botched the count in a way that excluded hundreds of votes from the original results, enough to nearly overturn the outcome of a statewide race.

While county officials have repeatedly said the county didnt know of potential problems with the results before the supervisors vote, a Votebeat investigation found that election officials had documented numerous errors counting ballots and witnessed several red flags before the vote. One supervisor publicly said he had heard of problems that could have affected the count. But election officials didnt resolve the problems, didnt say anything publicly, and recommended certifying the results anyway.

By reviewing hundreds of internal documents, emails, and text messages as well as publicly-available meeting footage, Votebeat has found that:

A half-dozen election experts from other states who reviewed the discrepancies in the countys reports were shocked Pinal officials didnt immediately hit the brakes.

I cannot even fathom seeing those reports, seeing how the numbers were off and not doing everything I could as a leader of the organization  the person that is ultimately responsible for the integrity of the election  to figure out what happened, said Jennifer Morrell, founder of an elections consulting firm and an expert on post-election reconciliation.

Morrell said she couldnt believe Ross left before ensuring the results were accurate.

As a former election administrator, the thing that shocks me is the person that was in charge just walked away without reconciling all of this, she said. I cant believe she just walked away.

The errors were only made public during Decembers statewide recount, required because of tight results in three races. It revealed that Pinal election officials originally failed to tabulate hundreds of ballots cast on Election Day, and also failed to properly count some votes on dozens of others. The new tally nearly overturned the attorney generals race.

Without the recount, the errors would not have come to light.

The recount process also showed no other Arizona county had made such significant mistakes. In todays election atmosphere, where even the smallest problems can provoke false claims of fraud or malfeasance, election experts elsewhere told Votebeat that they were surprised by the lack of diligence, especially in a county the size of Pinal, with more than 145,000 ballots cast in the midterm. The errors in the master spreadsheet alone were alarming, Morrell said.

I cant imagine being off more than 10 and not panicking, she said.

Only Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer  who acknowledged the gravity of the mistakes  agreed to an interview for this article, and he only agreed to address specific questions about his knowledge of events.

Other county leaders refused to talk in person or by phone and declined to answer specific questions about the documents they provided in response to Votebeats records requests.

In a statement to Votebeat, County Spokesperson James Daniels said the county recorder, county attorney, supervisors, and other leadership didnt know about problems with the counts prior to certifying the results, but he refused to say how much election officials knew at the time of the supervisors vote. County leaders, he wrote, are looking to the future and not to the issues of the past, and therefore there is no appetite to do an interview.

Ross did not respond to requests for comment. No working phone number or email could be found, and county officials earlier this year said they had no way to relay an interview request. Votebeat mailed two certified letters, to her new address and post office box in Texas. The local post office documented receipt of both letters, though Ross did not respond.

Just a lot of work to do

Ross, a Republican, had been the countys elected recorder for nearly a decade when she was put in the elections director spot. The county manager agreed to pay her such a striking sum because the county was already in recovery mode from the primary.

About one-fourth of polling places had ballot shortages on Election Day. County Manager Leo Lew swiftly fired the elections director, David Frisk, and pulled in Ross. The supervisors more than doubled her staff and said they trusted her to fix the system in the three months before the general election.

Volkmer now says that was a mistake.

This was a result, in my opinion, of having people without a ton of experience in very important jobs and having single points of failure, not having redundancies in place to catch mistakes, he said. There are proactive steps the county is taking so that this doesnt happen again.

As recorder, Ross had experience running early voting, but tabulating and finalizing the vote totals were not among her responsibilities.

A month before Election Day, she took questions from reporters inside the historic Florence courtroom now used for supervisors meetings. Sitting behind a desk near the entrance, Ross told Votebeat that she had been working every weekend.

She was almost fully staffed, she said, but everyone was new. She had already rewritten the countys poll worker training manual, created more detailed and longer in-person training, added an additional accuracy test of tabulation machines, and organized a mock election.

There is just a lot of work to do, Ross said.

Ross was confident in how the election would go  although she was worried about the countys new two-page ballot. Pinal County had been forced to split its ballot into two pages for the first time anyone could remember, because of the number of contests. Officials knew that was going to make tracking and tabulating ballots logistically challenging.

The county had set up the open house in the name of transparency, but officials refused to talk about what exactly happened during the primary  they said because it was still under investigation. And they stopped short of providing explanations for the larger choices the county had made, over time, that could have prevented the problems.

Asked why voters should feel confident the November election would go well, Ross said just putting her in charge should improve public confidence. People know me, she said.

In his office that same day, Supervisor Jeffrey McClure  then serving as chairman  exuded confidence. The supervisors were paying Ross a high salary  first reported by The Arizona Republic  because they needed to make this work, he said. The directive was what does it take to fix it, who do we need to fix it, give it to her, and go do it.

He said he didnt want to be like Maricopa County. You know, always in the news.

McClures quip still resonated the day after the election, when Maricopa County was consuming the medias attention with widespread problems tabulating ballots.

Meanwhile, everything seemed to have gone well in Pinal County. County officials highlighted a few minor errors, including a noticeable delay in reporting election results they said was caused in part by the two-page ballot. But, otherwise, county supervisors praised the elections team for a job well done.

It was good to not be the center of attention, bottom line, Supervisor Mike Goodman said. Im pretty confident that we have put back the confidence of our voters here in Pinal County.

An absolute nightmare

The election had not entirely gone as planned, though  in ways that werent immediately evident.

For one, election officials hadnt properly loaded voter registration information into the countys database before the election, so poll workers couldnt properly check some voters in on Election Day  a problem county officials eventually acknowledged publicly.

Also, the forms that poll workers used to outline how ballots were used at their locations, called ballot reports, were filled with errors, according to copies provided to Votebeat  perhaps because of a confusing form, the two-page ballot, lack of proper training, or all three. The forms ensure that the correct number of ballots have been counted and are all returned from the polling location, but poll workers appear to have not understood which numbers they should put where when filling it out.

Recently shown Pinal Countys forms, Morrell and Michele Forney, elections director in Pinal until 2019, said the paperwork was confusing and that they were unsurprised by the number of errors.

The errors on those reports were an absolute nightmare, and had immediate repercussions on election night, said Jennifer Hilsbos of San Tan Valley, an official political observer for the Democratic party that night.

Workers who received the ballots at the countys election headquarters tried to sort out the numbers but often were unable to reach poll workers, Hilsbos said. This meant the temporary workers charged with tabulating the ballots often didnt know exactly how many ballots they should have to begin with, making it difficult for them to check their work as they went.

They didnt realize at the time that, as paper jams occurred and other small mistakes piled up, some ballots were never tabulated. Also, county officials had erred while programming the machines, causing them to fail to count unclear votes on some ballots, which means some ballots were only partially tabulated. The county disclosed that in a report on the problems released after the recount results were announced. Workers also failed to use a separate log to compare the starting number of ballots to the number of ballots theyd scanned, which experts agree is a best practice.

Maricopa County, for example, has detailed and clear forms for this point in the process. The number of ballots cast and then tabulated is tracked by machine, batch, and day. Maricopa Elections Director Scott Jarrett said discrepancies are resolved on the spot  workers and supervisors move into a separate room to huddle and figure out whats wrong. In 2022, he understood his numbers down to the last ballot, he said.

None of this appears to have happened in Pinal County, where ballot counting stretched into the early hours of the day after the election  most workers didnt leave until 4 a.m., logs provided by the county show.

Red flags prior to certification

A little-noticed sign the results were off came during the countys required hand-count audit a few days after the election, when political party appointees counted the votes cast in four randomly selected races on a small percentage of early and Election Day ballots.

As workers hand-counted ballots from two polling places, or about 435 ballots total, they tallied one extra vote for three candidates in three of four races. No one could figure out why, but they carried on anyway.

Geraldine Roll, who was a deputy county attorney at the time in training to replace Virginia Ross as the next elections director, mentioned this five days later as she updated the supervisors as to how the counting was going.

The board spent several hours trying to figure out where that discrepancy came from, and finally determined that because it was under the margin of error they would move on, Roll said at the Nov. 16 supervisors meeting. The root of the problem  that the county had originally failed to tabulate two ballots from one of those precincts  was not unraveled until the recount results were final on Dec. 29.

Roll also told county officials that, as of the Nov. 16 meeting, she was unaware of how many unused ballots were left over at polling places, something other election officials told Votebeat should have been obvious from the ballot reports. She did not highlight any problems with these forms at the meeting.

Instead, she told the supervisors that elections staff would compare the number of unused ballots with the used ballots and cast ballots to verify the results prior to certifying them. Ross, the elections director, had previously told supervisors that they would use a master spreadsheet to track everything, which would allow them to spot errors and balance the numbers before the results were certified  a process also called a canvass.

A copy of this spreadsheet obtained by Votebeat shows that it was never balanced.

For example, on the first row, which shows data from the countys first precinct  the small eastern Pinal town of Kearny  workers reported that voters cast 308 ballots. But the number of ballots counted by the tabulation machines from that location only says 210. The recount found that the county originally failed to tabulate 90 ballots  nearly one-third of all ballots from voters in the town.

After the recount results were announced, Roll, the elections director in training, told supervisors that looking at the numbers for this precinct had made her think hmmm, but it isnt clear when she first saw them. Neither she nor other county officials would comment on why the election was certified despite the obvious errors, nor would they say who had access to the spreadsheet prior to the vote. The documents properties show it was created by Ross.

Minimally the audit board  which election directors are legally required to assemble  should have reviewed the numbers. By law, their work includes sifting through documents containing ballot and voter numbers to verify the results, according to requirements of Arizonas Elections Procedure Manual, a detailed document outlining how elections must be run in the state that has the force of law.

The audit board must resolve errors before the results are certified, according to the EPM. The county didnt provide any documents showing that this occurred. Also, the audit board should have met between when officials finished counting ballots and when the elections director packaged the results for the supervisors approval.

In Pinal County, the time period for holding that meeting was a half-hour or so on the afternoon of Nov. 17, according to Roll.

Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, after reviewing Votebeats findings, said he wanted to know how the county could have met the audit board requirement.

Roll revealed to the supervisors at a Jan. 4 meeting that she had seen enough potential problems in the results before the supervisors vote to believe they should postpone certifying while they looked into them, and it wasnt her decision to go ahead. There was still more than a week left before the countys deadline to finalize results. It was Ross decision to move forward when they did, Daniels, the county spokesperson, wrote in a statement.

Roll didnt raise her concerns publicly or to Volkmer at that time, though, according to Volkmer. Neither did Scott Johnson, an attorney who was working closely alongside Ross and Roll on a temporary assignment as deputy elections director and who was looking into errors in voter numbers before the certification, according to an email he sent to the secretary of states office.

It was Roll, not Ross, that was actively supervising tabulation on election night, according to Hilsbos, the observer. Key card logs show both Roll and Johnson were in and out of ballot storage repeatedly in the days just before the results were certified. Roll and Johnson declined to comment on what exactly they knew about the problems and when. By the time the certification of the results took place on Nov. 21, these election officials had not publicly discussed any major errors.

The same week Ross made the decision to move forward, she sold her San Tan Valley house, county property records show.

No irregularities

During the supervisors meeting the morning of Nov. 21  just before they voted  Supervisor Jeff Serdy said that although he didnt really want to discuss it now, he was hearing about issues that could have affected the count.

Volkmer, the county attorney, responded with surprise, saying this was news to him and everything would suggest there has been no irregularities.

No one suggested looking into this further before certifying.

I can tell you that I am incredibly confident, as confident as I could possibly be, in the numbers that are being provided to this board, Volkmer said. I dont believe there is anything nefarious.

The day after the results were certified, Lewis, the recorder, emailed an employee in the secretary of states office with the subject line Situation  Pretty Important, saying she was seeing discrepancies when looking at early voting totals.

While Lewis declined to speak to Votebeat about her email, the employee at the secretary of states office explained in detail that this referred to an unrelated problem that didnt affect the countys election results. Still, its unclear why Lewis hadnt noticed and resolved these discrepancies in her numbers prior to the county certifying results.

That same day, the day after the certification, Ross was quoted in a local newspaper saying that she was aware that some workers hadnt followed procedures when a ballot failed to tabulate properly.

We had a couple of instances where our poll workers needed a little more training on how to handle that scenario, but that will be addressed in some post-election training well be implementing, she told the reporter.

The county became one of the first, to certify their results. Under state law, they still had another week before the deadline.

In a difficult spot

Geraldine Roll officially signed a contract to take over for Virginia Ross on the last day of November  two working days before Arizona certified its statewide results. Her contract came with a $154,000 salary. The two most recent election directors, Frisk and Forney, had both made about $100,000.

That same day, Roll called Volkmer to tell him she knew that 245 ballots had not been counted across four precincts, according to Volkmer. Despite the imminent statewide certification, Volkmer told Votebeat no one mentioned these errors to the secretary of states office.

The state then certified the results on Dec. 5 and the court ordered the statewide recount, barring county and state officials from talking about recount results. County and state officials say they took that as a gag order preventing them from talking about errors in the original count.

County officials say they first told the secretary of states office about errors in the results on Dec. 7  more than two weeks after the county certified its election. A spokesperson for Gov. Katie Hobbs  a Democrat who was secretary of state at the time  explained that her office did not share this fact in court proceedings over the results, including losing Republican attorney general candidate Abe Hamadehs election contest, because of that gag order.

Asked why the county did not say anything publicly or to the secretary of states office about the errors during the short period between when Volkmer knew about them on Nov. 30 and when the gag order was issued Dec. 5, Volkmer said that county officials knew a recount would be ordered because of the tight results and  because the county had already certified results  officials saw it as their only real way to recount all ballots effectively. We were in a difficult spot where we didnt have the ability on our own to do the recount, he said.

If the county didnt believe a recount would happen, he said, we probably would have taken a different position.

Once the errors were announced publicly, some residents said in public comments at a Jan. 4 meeting that county officials should have said something sooner. Ally Miller, a former Pima County supervisor, questioned why Volkmer didnt notify the court in the Hamadeh case.

Why didnt your attorney, who is an officer of the court, notify the court of these discrepancies? Miller asked supervisors. I know it is the duty of the secretary of state to report that. She didnt, and I think everyone was watching that.

Cavanaugh, the only supervisor that responded to Votebeats request for an interview, said if the recount hadnt happened, these errors and bad practices would never have been discovered.

How long have we had chain of custody and counting errors? he said.

After overlooking 442 ballots, a $25,000 bonus

On Dec. 16, as the recount progressed in Arizona, Virginia Ross finalized the deed on a newly-constructed house down a two-lane road in East Texas.

Around the same time, Pinal officials decided they didnt feel confident in their initial recount and would start on a third count of the Election Day ballots.

When the recount results were released on Dec. 29, they showed a laundry list of easily preventable problems. Among them: Because of worker errors programming and operating ballot tabulators, the county had entirely failed to count 442 Election Day ballots. The county had also failed to count some votes on 63 other ballots, in races where voter selections were unclear.

The recount had included three races: the attorney general race, the state superintendent race, and  in a different part of the state  a legislative race.

Prior to the recount, Democrat Kris Mayes was leading Hamedeh in the attorney general race by 511 votes statewide. In the recount, Hamadeh picked up 392 votes in Pinal County and Mayes gained 115. Statewide, Mayes lead shrunk to just 280 votes out of more than 1.25 million ballots cast.

At the first public meeting after the results were announced, on Jan. 4, residents said they were astounded by the mistakes. Pete Sabin of Marana pointed out that, if looking just at the 36,000 Election Day ballots, there was about a 1.4% error rate.

We wouldnt tolerate this with our money in banks if it was being counted with that level of inaccuracy, and we shouldnt allow that with our vote, which arguably is much more important to a republic, Sabin said.

Miller and other residents said they were offended by Ross high pay and bonus, and told supervisors to try to get the $25,000 back.

At least one supervisor was interested in trying to claw back the bonus, which was tied to a few requirements, including successful training of poll workers. At a meeting to discuss this on Feb. 1, Volkmer told supervisors the county was setting itself up for a losing legal battle if it tried to get the money back, because of the way the contract was written and because poll worker training still had improved from the primary.

At that meeting, County Manager Leo Lew said that Ross had written the terms of the contract herself, he approved it, and he didnt run it by Volkmer before finalizing it.

Lew defended the terms, the high rate, and Ross.

I think that Virginia did substantially do her job and I think she did substantially fulfill this contract and Im grateful that she did, Lew said.

Ross had asked for such a high rate in part because, county officials said she told them, by leaving her position as recorder before she hit the 10-year mark, her pension would be calculated at a lower rate. But elected officials pension rates do not increase at the 10-year mark, according to officials with the states retirement system. The only additional credit Ross would have received would have been for additional months in the system.

As it is, she receives $1,549 per month.

Moving forward, the state has been working directly with Pinal County to try to improve their processes, said Paul Smith-Leonard, communications director for current Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat. He said it is clear they understand the cause of the issue and plan to ensure procedures are followed going forward to prevent it.

Our office has met with Pinal to communicate about required election processes and helped connect Pinal with other election subject matter experts around the state and country to help them build in some best practices, he said.

Fontes is also asking the state legislature for six additional positions in his office to support, guide, and train counties, he said in a written statement.

His office will host election officer certification training starting in June, and it will include specific guidance to help ensure that issues like those that occurred in the last election, do not happen again, Fontes wrote.

For Pinal Countys part, leaders are trying to build out a team of experienced election officials around Geraldine Roll, and are working to create more substantial oversight for future elections, Volkmer said, such as building an internal procedures manual and adding audits.

County officials refused to answer specific questions from Votebeat for this article, but after receiving them, Roll addressed some publicly on May 3.

Elections staff are making poll worker forms easier to understand, better training staff on how to tabulate ballots, and adding more documents to track ballots during tabulation, Roll told supervisors.

I have no plans in bringing you a canvass Im not 100% confident in, Roll said.

In a phone interview after the meeting, Cavanaugh said the county needs to have a fuller discussion.

If we cant acknowledge the problems that have occurred in the past, we are not likely to fix them, he said.
Shakespeares birthday (observed)

Tradition calls for Shakespeares birthday to be observed April 23, preferably with a reading or production of A Midsummer Nights Dream. And this year we were especially pleased to find Rogue Theatre performing the play on their home stage. I havent laughed so much at a play for a long time one of our guests said, after the irresistible comedy of the play within a play. The players, some members of the company, were well cast. Personally I thought Hermia, Helena, and Mustardseed were exceptional, along with Thisbe (Avast!) and all the rest. And then this Monday morning, there was the Mendelssohn overture on KUAT-FM Classical 90.5  truly a great celebration this week of a beloved play by the celebrated playwright. There may never have been Shakespeare in love quite the way hes been shown on screen, but Shakespeares work is certainly well loved by treatments like these.

John Leech

Foothills

How sad

American society has changed from Use your words to Use your guns. How sad.

Dianne Lethaby

East side

Green energy

I have seen little mention of nuclear reactors as a source of green energy anywhere. Most of the talk has been about solar and wind as a replacement for burning fossil fuels. I know that nuclear power plants are expensive and there have been accidents  some of them with fatalities (Chernobyl)  with nuclear reactors, but Im sure the number of accidents in coal mines, oil fields and related power plants has probably been thousands of times higher.

Nuclear reactors have the potential to produce limitless energy from very small amounts of fuel and not produce any greenhouse gas emissions. So why dont we get over our fear and nimbyism and use this limitless source of green energy sitting right under our noses.

Tom Henderson

West side

Arizonas choice: Water or copper?

Hey Arizona, do you want water or copper? We cant have both. Rosemont Mine, owned by Canadian company Hudbay, will use at least 13,153 acre feet of water annually if they are allowed to blast for the next 44 years. This is the equivalent of adding 41,000 homes, or about 102,500 people, pumping from a fragile aquifer. The Colorado River is running dry. Tucson must rely on an aquifer that already suffers chemical contamination. Allowing Rosemont to dump toxic sludge directly into the aquifer on which 1.5 million Arizonans depend is unfathomable. Wells will run dry. Longtime residents will be forced out.

Old timers remind us that mining is embedded in Arizonas DNA. Crumbling ghost towns bear silent witness. These deserted hamlets, so attractive to photographers and retirees, are stark reminders of this legacy. The foreign companies, because of a draconian 1872 law, are able to keep every penny with no obligation to taxpayers. Choose well, or well all be left high and dry.

Saba Bennett

Midtown

Immigration

For me some education is needed. Why does the government spend billions of dollars on migrants (food, shelter, transportation, health care, etc.) when they have not contributed to the society or to the economy of America; yet in the same breath, congress is discussing cutbacks in Medicare and Social Security for seniors who over 40 give-or-take working years have paid into the system for benefits (therefore not entitlements) and have contributed to the economy and to society?

Robert Emery

Foothills

Arizonans need PBM reform

As an oncology nurse, I see patients every day who are dealing with various forms of cancer. Recently, more price-setting policies have been included in President Bidens healthcare priorities package. I worry that these additional measures could deprive patients of access to future cancer medicines and hope for a healthier, more comfortable future. Instead, I hope Congress focuses their efforts on one of the biggest headaches for many patients dealing with health issues  pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs).

Prescription drugs play a large role in oncology because many forms of cancer are treated with a combination of medications and care. As PBMs have grown in power and control over the medication marketplace, they have increased administrative red-tape and created extra, and unnecessary financial burdens on many patients. Patients should focus on fighting their cancer, not fighting with PBMs or insurance companies to receive the medications that keep them alive.

Taelor Martin

Foothills

NO on 412, again

Re: the May 1 article The Prop 412 Sweet Spot will grow Tucsons resiliency.

Nikki Lees op-ed urges Tucsonans to vote for prop 412 because its terms are mutually beneficial to the parties involved.

Mere pages prior to her argument, the Earth Week column proclaims this: Types of severe weather that hit the nation once every 82 days in the 1980s are now occurring slightly more than once every two weeks. That violent weather is occurring over six times more frequently than it was 30 years ago, it should be clear that no document crafted today involving climate change will be relevant 27 years from now. Or maybe even a decade from now.

It is clear, then, that prop 412 will not be beneficial to our descendants. Minimally, the time element of the agreement should be reduced to a decade when its relevancy can be reevaluated.

Rick Cohn

West side

Judicial ethics and the Supreme Court

Supreme Court Justice Thomas has become the focus of the national medias attempt to discuss the propriety of a Justice accepting the favors of an uber-wealthy conservative and politically active mogul. Favors such as exclusive extravagant trips to exotic destinations. The dude even bought his house and made it a tribute museum. All gratis! Thomas never even reported it. But dagnabbit , theres no ethics rules that apply to the highest court in the land!

Every other court, local, state or federal has applicable ethics rules. And every single one would proscribe this specific conduct AND preclude a judge generally from committing any conduct that might give the appearance of impropriety. Ethics rules are normally taken quite seriously by judges with annual continuing education requirements to stay current. As a retired Justice of the Peace for 20 years I know. Lets get real about the Supreme Court. Attaboy Clarence!

Paul Simon

Northwest side

Republicans propose massive VA cuts

The recently passed debt ceiling bill by the majority led GOP in the House would cut 22% from the Veterans Affairs budget. This results in six new clinics not being built, job cuts of 81,000 in health services, 30 million fewer medical visits, and increase food insecurity for 1.3 million veterans.

In addition SNAP benefits would be reduced for a million recipients hurting both the poor and farmers who produce the food. Likely crime will increase because parents wont let their kids go hungry. Pell grants would be severely cut, causing fewer low income students to either borrow more money or forego their college dreams. Medicaid will be cut for over a million people.

But the GOP bill preserves tax cuts for the wealthy so they continue to not have to pay their fair share. Cant expect billionaires to step up for those who have served and protected our country or the poor, needy, and elderly.

In other words, GOP is pandering to the ultra wealthy.

Dr. Pam Farris
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (AP)  A worker was killed Thursday after a powerful explosion tore through a pharmaceutical chemical plant in Massachusetts, ripping the roof off the building and prompting a U.S. senator to demand accountability from the plant's owners.

Acting Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury did not publicly identify the person who died, but said crews recovered the body from the building. Initially, the search was hampered by concern about the plant's structural integrity following the blast that sent flames leaping high above the building and scattering industrial debris nearby.

Bradbury described the blast as a seven-alarm hazardous materials event.

Four other workers were sent to the hospital as a precaution, but were uninjured and released.

The explosion prompted U.S. Sen. Edward Markey to demand greater accountability from the troubled facility.

Authorities said there was no threat to the local population or to homes near the Newburyport building, but fire officials told employees who work in the industrial park where the facility lies to stay away. One woman who didnt get the message said she could taste chemicals on her lips.

The explosion happened around 1 a.m. at the Sequens/PCI Synthesis plant, officials said. Video showed most of the roof torn off a building, and the blast blew a vat from the building 30 feet (9 meters) into a parking lot, acting Fire Chief Stephen Bradbur said in a news release.

Markey said the company needs to provide answers, given the facility's history of accidents and violations.

Todays chemical explosion in Newburyport is devastating, the Massachusetts Democrat said in a tweet. This disaster is the facilitys third accident since 2020. We cant keep excusing companies flagrant disregard for worker safety. Ill be calling on PCI Synthesis and federal regulators to explain what happened.

It wasnt immediately known what caused the explosion, or what  if any  chemicals were involved. It was also unclear what role, if any, the vat played in the explosion.

Smoke from the fire blew over the industrial park and into a largely unpopulated area, according to officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection. They added that there was some runoff from firefighting foam, but officials worked to block additional runoff.

Initial monitoring found no evidence of significant impacts to the air, according to DEP officials who said agency staff are collecting air samples for analysis.

Nancy Gero, 58, who works next door to the plant, said she saw emergency vehicles packing the parking lot with foam and debris everywhere when she pulled in Thursday.

I could smell chemicals in the air, she said. I could taste it on my lips.

All our attention is focused on the situation of our employees, PCI Synthesis said in a statement.

Dangerous conditions in the building prevented firefighters from searching for the missing worker at first, Bradbury said at an earlier news conference. Fire crews met with a demolition company, the city's structural engineer and a building inspector.

Chemists from the company and a technical rescue crew have responded. A spokesperson for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that agency was also involved.

The plant lies a little more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Boston in an industrial park with other businesses. Residential neighborhoods, schools and churches are near the commercial area.

A chemical fire in the building in June 2021 sent smoke pouring out of roof vents and prompted a hazardous materials team to respond, according to a fire department statement at the time. Sprinklers controlled the fire within about 20 minutes, but the city suspended the factorys permits during the investigation.

In 2020, authorities said a chemical reaction caused a series of explosions at the plant. That happened a year after OSHA found serious violations in how the company managed highly hazardous chemicals, according to online agency records. There were no serious injuries cited in those events.

The factory has also been cited by OSHA for workplace safety violations and in 2019 paid a more than $50,000 penalty to settle Environmental Protection Agency charges that it violated of hazardous waste laws.

Also in 2019, the EPA signed an agreement with the company, then known as Polycarbon Industries, aimed at making the facility safer. The settlement included a $50,210 fine and $152,000 dedicated to protect human health and the environment.

The company agreed to install a monitoring system for hazardous waste and other gas emissions inside its facility.

The EPA said at the time that the plant generated hazardous waste including toluene, methylene chloride, acetone and methanol. The company was cited for failing to comply with regulations to prevent releasing hazardous chemicals from four waste tanks and failing to meet hazardous waste air emission standards.

Gero has worked near the plant for a little more than a year, but was unaware of its past problems until Thursday.

A lot of people work there," she said. If that had happened during the day, it would have been a disaster.
RICHMOND, Ind. (AP)  SWAT team members shot and wounded an 81-year-old eastern Indiana man who had barricaded himself inside a house after allegedly shooting a woman, police said Friday.

Charles R. Adams of Richmond was struck at least once by gunfire Thursday afternoon and was hospitalized with injuries not believed to be life-threatening, Indiana State Police said in a news release.

Richmond police who were called to the scene of a reported shooting found a 42-year-old woman with an apparent gunshot wound and non life-threatening injuries, police said.

Officers determined that Adams, the suspected shooter, had barricaded himself in his residence next door, but he refused to communicate with officers and reportedly fired a round at police," police said.

After nearby homes were evacuated, SWAT teams from the state police, Richmond police and the Randolph County Sheriff's Office tried to peacefully arrest Adams before eventually deploying chemical agents, police said.

But when Adams approached an opening and reportedly pointed a firearm at police, five members of the state police SWAT team discharged their firearms, striking Adams at least once.

State police said the five state troopers have been placed on administrative leave, a routine step following police-involved shootings.

Detectives from the Indiana State Police Pendleton District are leading the investigation. When the investigation is complete, it will be turned over to the Wayne County Prosecutors Office for review.

Richmond is located about 70 miles (115 kilometers) east of Indianapolis, near the Ohio border.
LAS VEGAS (AP)  State emergency managers are projecting clean-up and repair costs of at least $10.6 million following severe winter storms that affected rural parts of Nevada in March.

Nevada Division on Emergency Management spokeswoman Gail Powell said Friday the amount is expected to increase as state, tribal and local entities complete assessments and apply for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.

The cost estimate came after President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration authorizing FEMA cost-sharing funds for damage from flooding, landslides and mudslides from March 8 to March 19 in Douglas, Eureka, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral and Storey counties.

All but four of Nevada's 17 counties and Yomba Shoshone tribal lands were included in an emergency declaration initially enacted March 9 by Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo following a series of wet winter storms that swept off the Pacific Ocean, dumping extraordinary amounts of snow in the Sierra Nevada and rain on rangelands.

U.S. 95, a key highway between Las Vegas and Reno, was closed for several days due to a rock fall near Walker Lake in Mineral County.

Eric Holt, emergency services director in Lincoln County, said it will cost several million dollars just in his eastern Nevada county to repair roads, a washed-out spillway at the Echo Canyon dam and other infrastructure.

He pointed to a 75% cost share from FEMA and said there was no way Lincoln County would have been able to cover repair costs itself.

The declaration from the president, a Democrat, said federal funds also will be available for hazard mitigation measures statewide.
More than ever, music has no borders.

Pop. Country. Rock. Rap.

Go surfing down a radio dial, and youll find cross-pollination is commonplace.

The Oak Ridge Boys, who will perform May 12 at the River Spirit Casino Resort, are among country music artists who achieved crossover success when genre barriers seemed more firm.

At the dawn of the 1980s, the Oak Ridge Boys uncorked two songs  Elvira and Bobbie Sue  that simultaneously rose to No. 1 on the country singles chart and cracked the top 12 of the Billboard Hot 100.

Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton (separately and together with Islands in the Stream) led the crossover charge for country music artists during that decade.

But the Oak Ridge Boys had to clear another genre hurdle before joining them. A gospel quartet before pursuing a path in country music, the Oaks endured backlash from the gospel crowd when pivoting to country. In hindsight, that seems tough to understand. After all, country music has been described as Saturday night and Sunday morning. Country and gospel are sort of cousins.

Its no big deal now because all the people that do gospel now pretty much love us, the Oak Ridge Boys Joe Bonsall said, pointing to how the Oaks have re-embraced their roots by recording gospel material and by collaborating on projects with Bill Gaither.

But, back in those days, youve got to realize the Oak Ridge Boys were pretty cutting edge in gospel. We had long hair. We didnt dress alike. We had one of the first full bands behind us instead of just a piano player and a quartet. And we really had this kind of rock and roll attitude towards what we were doing, because we could. We could do it. We had the group to do it. We had the voices to do it. We were finding really cool gospel songs to sing back then instead of just the standard, traditional songs  and a lot of people didnt like us when we were doing gospel. Theres those rock and roll modern Oak Ridge Boys.

Bonsall said the thing that did us in with the stodgy gospel crowd of that era was Johnny Cash taking the Oak Ridge Boys to Las Vegas.

We had sinned greatly because we opened for Johnny Cash in Vegas, despite the fact that we did all gospel, because thats what we knew back then, Bonsall said. In fact, we came out at the end and did The Fourth Man with Johnny Cash. Its a big old gospel song about the four men in the fire.

The Sin City aftermath was sometimes tough.

We would be on a program somewhere with another gospel group in that day and age, and they would come out in front of us and say Turn them house lights up. We aint no Vegas act. That kind of stuff, Bonsall said.

One day we were singing in North Carolina, right ... and a bunch of people had a planned walkout on us. They walked out. And we went back to the bus that night and said, Hey, thats it. Lets go. We thought we had the talent to make it in mainstream music, so lets go ahead and go for it.

This is where the story takes a Tulsa-influenced turn. The Oak Ridge Boys met Jim Halsey not long afterward. Halsey, who once operated the worlds largest country music agency out of Tulsa, encouraged the Oaks to dive head-first into country music and to quit trying to please everyone. He told them they were three minutes  one hit song  from stardom. He was six seconds away from being 100 percent accurate. Yall Come Back Saloon became the Oaks first top 10 hit in 1977, clocking in at two minutes, 54 seconds.

Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2015, the Oak Ridge Boys will be reunited with Halsey, their longtime manager, at the River Spirit show.

Playing Tulsa is a magical thing to us, Bonsall said. Ive always felt like we were a part of Tulsa because of Jim. We ran our business through Tulsa for how many years? So whenever we get to play Tulsa, not only is it great to go because of Jim and our history, but people in Tulsa always treat us like a million dollars. I mean, the show is always lively fun and they know our songs and they sing with us. Its just always a big night in Tulsa when we play there, especially at that venue. That venue right there, that auditorium is beautiful.

The Oak Ridge Boys history in Tulsa includes Halsey ranch parties, which Bonsall describes as the stuff of legend. He said the Oaks would play the ranch parties and come away with dates booked for most of the year because bookers would come in from all over the country to attend.

It was an opportunity for the artists to meet the promoters and press  everybody that had something to do with behind the scenes of the music industry, Bonsall said.

Jim would invite them all out there to his ranch at the time, and he called it the ranch party. They werent always held at a ranch, but the ranch party was just a lot of people gathered together. We would get in circles and sing. We would have fun. We would meet people. We would have dinner. We would always come away from there with good things for our career. Jim was a master at that kind of thing.

Halsey also had a long affiliation with Roy Clark, who lived in Tulsa and was good to the Oaks.

He took us to Vegas with him. He took us out on other dates. That was Jim Halseys way back then was to take the Oak Ridge Boys and put us with his other acts  Freddy Fender, Mel Tellis, a lot of Roy  and open for him out there. It really did us a lot of good. We did a lot of stuff with Roy back then. Roy put us together a lot, and Roy really liked us. We really loved Roy. We had some great times together.

Bonsall, celebrating his 50th year with the Oak Ridge Boys, was asked for his best story about the time the group accompanied Clark for a groundbreaking tour of the Soviet Union in 1976.

They pretty much controlled everything we said or did, Bonsall said. We had to send them every lyric to every song, because the Iron Curtain was firmly in place in 1976. Remember our song Canaan Land? They didnt like the words Canaan Land. They said we could do the song if we said Disney Land. So it became To Disney Land Im on my way where the soul never dies. They didnt have a problem with the soul never dying, but they did have a problem with Canaan Land. So we compromised it and said to that fair land. Now, we were not allowed to sing any gospel songs. We got away with that one.

And another: Bonsall said that, back in those days, they would do Have A Little Talk With Jesus with Clark. They were in a busy lobby of the Rossiya Hotel in Moscow and Clark started screaming into Have A Little Talk With Jesus.

He said, Lets sing it boys!, Bonsall recalled. Right there in probably a thousand people in the hotel, we sang Have A Little Talk With Jesus, as loud as we could be. People were clapping their hands and enjoying the heck out of it. I thought we were going to wind up in a gulag.
Tulsa Public Schools has named its 2023 Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year.

In a Thursday evening ceremony, Carnegie Elementary School special education teacher Katie Bercher was announced as TPS new Teacher of the Year, and Booker T. Washington High School Safety Officer Christopher Scott was announced as the latest winner of TPS Support Employee of the Year.

Katie and Christopher represent the thousands of extraordinary educators and professionals who serve Tulsa children and families every day, said Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist. As our teacher and support employees of the year, they demonstrate exemplary skills in the classroom and as leaders and models for their colleagues.

Bercher has worked at TPS for 30 years and currently supports students with autism.

Her colleagues reported that she is passionate about including all children in the general education classroom, developing relationships with families and students, and creating a sense of belonging among staff.

Scott joined TPS two years ago, and his colleagues said that he works hard to encourage students to stay focused and excel in school and beyond.
WASHINGTON  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip for his role in a 1997 murder-for-hire after the states attorney general agreed Glossips life should be spared.

Glossip had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 despite statements by new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond that Glossip did not receive a fair trial.

An Oklahoma appeals court subsequently upheld Glossips conviction and the states pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The high court put the execution on hold indefinitely while it reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the decision, presumably because he dealt with the case earlier as an appeals court judge.

There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the state now admits has never received a fair trial, Glossip attorney Don Knight said in a statement. Our hope is that the court will reverse the decision of the (Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals) and vacate Mr. Glossips conviction once and for all.

Drummond, a Republican, said in a statement he was grateful for the high courts decision.

I will continue working to ensure justice prevails in this important case, he said.

In a rare move, Drummond, the states top prosecutor, supported a high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, Glossips trial was unfair and unreliable.

But Drummond also has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent of the murder-for-hire killing of Glossips former boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

A phone message left Friday with Van Treeses brother, Ken Van Treese, wasnt immediately returned.

Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has long said he believes Glossip persuaded Sneed to kill Van Treese. He said that while Sneeds testimony was most compelling, there was plenty of evidence to corroborate it.

When police came to talk to Glossip about Van Treeses whereabouts, he directed him away from the room he knew Van Treese was in, Prater said Friday. At any point, Glossip had the opportunity to tell the police that Sneed did this. He never did that. He even helped Sneed clean up everything.

Prater said Sneed and Glossip also both had a large amount of cash that Prater said they stole from Van Treeses car.

In light of Gentner Drummonds position regarding the stay, I dont feel like the Supreme Court had much of a choice, Prater said. But the truth will come out.

Two separate independent investigations have revealed problems with the prosecutions case.

Drummond said Sneed lied on the stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium, and that prosecutors knew Sneed was lying.

Also, evidence was destroyed, Drummond said.

Some Republican state lawmakers who support the death penalty have joined the growing chorus of Glossip supporters who are seeking to overturn his conviction.

Were just ecstatic, state Rep. Kevin McDugle said in a brief telephone interview on Friday.

Glossips case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given a reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions.

Glossip has been just hours away from being executed three separate times. His last scheduled execution, in September 2015, was halted just moments before he was to be led to the death chamber when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug. That mix-up helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon  who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walking  took up his cause in real life. Prejean herself has served as Glossips spiritual adviser and frequently visited him in prison. His case also was featured in the 2017 documentary film Killing Richard Glossip.

In January, the justices ordered a Texas appeals court to look again at the case of an inmate on death row who had the backing of prosecutors. The inmate, Areli Escobar, had been convicted and sentenced to death based of forensic evidence that a judge later found to be flawed. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the judges order for a new trial, even though the newly elected prosecutor in Travis County, Texas, was no longer standing behind the conviction. When Escobar appealed to the Supreme Court, the prosecutor supported his bid.

From June 2022: Death-row inmate Richard Glossip wrongfully convicted, third-party probe finds
The story below published in Friday's Tulsa World:

Saint Francis Hospital South, its accrediting agency and the federal government may be going to court over a candle.

The candle in question is a living flame that has burned for 15 years in the hospital chapel, according to attorneys with Becket Law, a religious liberty firm in Washington that is representing Saint Francis.

The issue arose after an accrediting organization, The Joint Commission, cited the flame as a fire hazard. Saint Francis appealed the decision to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services but was denied.

The CMS response cites a 2006 memorandum to state nursing home inspectors. The memo says candles are the number one cause of fires in dwellings and cannot be allowed in residents rooms but may be used in other locations where they are placed in a substantial candle holder and supervised at all times while they are lighted.

This last requirement is the sticking point.

According to the information gathered by TJC and the survey finding, there was a lit candle with open flame burning unattended 24/7, says the letter from a CMS official to Saint Francis.

The letter tells Saint Francis to work out something with The Joint Commission.

The situation is a potentially serious one, since without accreditation Saint Francis South will lose access to Medicaid, Medicare and Childrens Health Insurance Program funds at the end of May. In a May 2 letter to CMS, Becket Law warned of dire consequences if that happens.

If you refuse to accredit Saint Francis Hospital South, it will result in such unreasonable financial losses to the Saint Francis Health System that it would abruptly and immediately jeopardize its services to the elderly, disabled, and low-income patients who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and the Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP), the letter says.

Since nobody wants that to happen, it seems reasonable to think some sort of resolution is likely, but the hospital and its lawyers are not saving their ammunition.

Their letter says the flame is an essential element of Catholic ritual and forcing Saint Francis to extinguish it would violate the First Amendments religious freedom clause.

The letter says a similar flame has burned in Saint Francis main hospital since it opened in 1960.

We are writing to ask you to cease and desist before we file an emergency lawsuit naming you as defendants and seeking emergency relief and substantial damages. If we go to court, you will lose, says the 13-page letter signed by Becket Law Vice President Lori Windham.

News of the situation appeared on the web site of the National Review on Wednesday, one day after Becket Laws letter to CMS.
With bright meteors blazing across the sky from the Aquariids meteor shower and a chance to see a lunar eclipse, Friday will be the time to look up to the sky for a day of spectacular celestial events.

Anyone venturing out to spot a meteor with this year's Aquariids show could see up to 20 meteors per hour, but you'll have to be up early  the best times to try to see a meteor will be just before dawn on Friday, Saturday or Sunday. The event's estimated peak time is at 11 a.m. ET Saturday.

Alongside the shower comes the May flower moon, the first full moon of the "month of flower," and its almost perfect alignment with the sun and Earth. That alignment will create what is known as a penumbral lunar eclipse, which is when the moon enters Earth's outer shadow. This event will be between 11:13 a.m. and 3:31 p.m. ET Friday but won't be visible in the Americas because the moon isn't up then. But it will cause a dimming of the lunar surface for those in Africa, Asia and Australia.

The collision of celestial events might be exciting for space enthusiasts, but together they could hinder your view. With the moon completely full, the Aquariids will have to compete with some bright light interference to be seen in the night sky.

"I would suggest going out around 3 o'clock in the morning. Get a lawn chair and put the moon at your back," said Robert Lunsford, fireball report coordinator for the American Meteor Society. "Look for these fast meteors shooting upward from the eastern horizon. Not all meteors you see will be Eta Aquariids, but they're easy to tell because the Eta Aquariids are very fast."

More on the lunar eclipse

During an eclipse, the shadow Earth casts is broken up into two sections: the umbra, which is the dark center, and the penumbra, the fainter outer shadow. During a penumbral eclipse, the moon stays on this outer ring, appearing as if it is dimming, but not completely darkening like a total lunar eclipse.

"The moon passes through the portion of the Earth's shadow, and because it grazes the shadow it's not quite as much distance as when it passes through the entire shadow of the Earth," said Noah Petro, chief of NASA's Planetary Geology, Geophysics and Geochemistry Lab, noting that it will be hard for someone to see. "The dimming of the moon is very slight, but if someone is in a dark place, they may notice the full moon is not quite as bright as normal."

Still, Petro encouraged people in Asia and Australia to get out and see the lunar eclipse.

"Any chance people have to get out and look at the moon is an excellent opportunity to connect with our moon. Eclipses (penumbral or total) are great excuses to take a look at the moon and start looking at it more regularly!"

More on the Eta Aquariids

Every annual meteor shower has a radiant, the constellation from which the meteors appear to be originating. The Aquariids constellation is Aquarius, hence the shower's name, and lies on the ecliptic, the sun's path in the sky.

The Aquariids are only visible just before dawn since the radiant rises a few hours before the sun does, limiting the evening hours in which you can see them.

Those in northern areas, such as Canada, will have a smaller window to see activity, the American Meteor Society's Lunsford said, while those in the Southern Hemisphere will have a slightly longer time frame where the radiant will be up, and the sun will still be down.

The Aquariids typically produce meteors that are faster than others, including the last event of the Lyrids in April, which means they tend to produce more persistent trains, smoke trails caused by disintegration of the blazing fast meteors. A meteor's speed is determined by the angle in which it encounters Earth, with the Aquariids mostly colliding with the atmosphere head-on, Lunsford said.

Lunsford also mentioned that this year's peak is expected to see slightly more meteors per hour, and next year even more so due to perturbation that has caused the debris trail to move closer to Earth. In 2024, Lunsford estimates that those within the Southern Tropics could see a range of 75 to 100 meteors per hour.

"You don't need expensive equipment; it is a way that you can participate in astronomy without spending a lot of money, and it's fun," Lunsford said. "You can actually make useful scientific contributions by counting the number of meteors you see and trying to separate them into Lyrids or non-Lyrids.

"Besides, it's like having an early Fourth of July celebration ... to see a shooting star. And, who knows, you can make a whole lot of wishes if you see a bunch."

More meteor showers to come

The Eta Aquariids will be hanging around until May 27, but if you missed their peak, there are plenty more opportunities to spot a meteor.

Here are the remaining meteor showers of 2023 and their peak dates:

 Southern Delta Aquariids: July 30-31

 Alpha Capricornids: July 30-31

 Perseids: August 12-13

 Orionids: October 20-21

 Southern Taurids: November 4-5

 Northern Taurids: November 11-12

 Leonids: November 17-18

 Geminids: December 13-14

 Ursids: December 21-22

Solar and lunar eclipses

The penumbral lunar eclipse event is only viewable to those in certain parts of the world, but there are other chances to see an eclipse in your area:

If you live in North, Central or South America, an annular solar eclipse will take place on October 14, when the moon moves in front of the Earth's view of the sun, creating a crisp, fiery circle in the sky.

On October 28, a partial lunar eclipse will be viewable in Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, parts of North America and much of South America.

More full moons

This year will have 13 full moons, with two in August. Here's the list of full moons remaining in 2023, according to the Farmers' Almanac:

 June 3: Strawberry moon

 July 3: Buck moon

 August 1: Sturgeon moon

 August 30: Blue moon

 September 29: Harvest moon

 October 28: Hunter's moon

 November 27: Beaver moon

 December 26: Cold moon

50 space terms for understanding the universe 50 space terms for understanding the universe #1. Aberration of light #2. Alpha Centauri #3. Andromeda Galaxy #4. Asteroid #5. Barycenter #6. Big Bang #7. Binary star #8. Black hole #9. Brown dwarf #10. Celestial sphere #11. Comet #12. Constellation #13. Dark energy #14. Dark matter #15. Doppler shift #16. Eclipse #17. Equinox #18. Escape velocity #19. Exoplanet #20. Fermi paradox #21. Galaxy #22. Gamma-ray burst #23. Gravity #24. Hypergalaxy #25. Light-year #26. Magellanic clouds #27. Magnitude #28. Meteor #29. Milky Way #30. Moon #31. Nebula #32. Nebular hypothesis #33. Neutron star #34. Oort Cloud #35. Orbit #36. Parallax #37. Quasar #38. Red giant #39. Red shift #40. Solar system #41. Solar wind #42. Spaghettification #43. Star #44. Star cluster #45. Supernova #46. Telescope #47. Theory of relativity #48. Tides #49. White dwarf #50. Universe 50 space terms for understanding the universe #1. Aberration of light #2. Alpha Centauri #3. Andromeda Galaxy #4. Asteroid #5. Barycenter #6. Big Bang #7. Binary star #8. Black hole #9. Brown dwarf #10. Celestial sphere #11. Comet #12. Constellation #13. Dark energy #14. Dark matter #15. Doppler shift #16. Eclipse #17. Equinox #18. Escape velocity #19. Exoplanet #20. Fermi paradox #21. Galaxy #22. Gamma-ray burst #23. Gravity #24. Hypergalaxy #25. Light-year #26. Magellanic clouds #27. Magnitude #29. Milky Way #30. Moon #31. Nebula #32. Nebular hypothesis #33. Neutron star #34. Oort Cloud #35. Orbit #36. Parallax #37. Quasar #38. Red giant #39. Red shift #40. Solar system #42. Spaghettification #43. Star #44. Star cluster #45. Supernova #46. Telescope #47. Theory of relativity #48. Tides #49. White dwarf #50. Universe
Questions mounted Thursday about why an Oklahoma sex offender who authorities say shot to death his wife, her three children and their two friends and then killed himself was not in custody despite facing new sex charges in a separate case.

Jesse McFadden, a 39-year-old convicted sex offender, was found dead along with six victims near McFaddens home in Henryetta.

The gruesome discovery came Monday, the very day that McFadden was to stand trial on charges that he solicited nude images from a teen while he was in prison for rape. McFadden was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in 2003 for first-degree rape. He discharged his sentence in 2020, three years early, in part for good behavior.

He faced new charges while still in prison, accused of using a contraband cellphone in 2016 to trade nude photos with a 16-year-old girl. Court records show McFadden was charged with the new crimes in 2017 after a relative of the victim alerted authorities. He was rearrested a month after he was released in October 2020 and released on $25,000 bond.

Lee Berlin, a Tulsa-based defense attorney, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that hes shocked by what he described as a panoply of errors in the McFadden case. He cited low bail for McFadden once he was arrested on the new charges.

Im a sex-crimes defense attorney  this is all I do all day every day  and Im like, how the hell does that happen? Berlin said.

Meanwhile, McFadden had vowed not to return to prison in a series of ominous messages with the teenager whom he had allegedly been texting while behind bars. According to screen grabs of the messages sent to a Tulsa reporter, McFadden said his great life was crumbling and blamed the teenager for the latest set of charges against him that could put him back in prison for decades.

Now its all gone, he texted. I told you I wouldnt go back.

This is all on you for continuing this, he said.

Relatives of the victims, considering the seriousness of the new charges against McFadden, believe they rushed him out of prison.

Janette Mayos daughter, Holly McFadden, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were among those killed.

Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children, my daughter and my grandchildren, are all gone, Mayo said.

The other victims were 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer. Justin Webster, who said he allowed Ivy to join a sleepover at the McFadden home not knowing anything about the mans past, raised similar concerns.

There needs to be repercussions, and somebody needs to be held accountable. They let a monster out, Webster said.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement that McFadden was able to earn credits for things like behavior and attitude and completing program and education assignments that were then applied after he served 85% of his sentence.

Spokeswoman Kay Thompson added that registered sex offenders are allowed to live with their own children and stepchildren as long as they are not a victim of the offender. The DOC did not address why McFadden had not been detained in connection to the new felony charges.

McFadden married Holly Guess in May 2022; what she knew of his record isnt clear. Mayo said the family didnt learn about her son-in-laws criminal history until a few months ago.

He lied to my daughter, said Mayo. He convinced her it was all just a huge mistake.
Its flame on at Saint Francis Hospital South.

According to lawyers and the Oklahoma congressional delegation, the Tulsa hospital has been told by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services that a living flame in its chapel can continue to burn despite an earlier surprise notification that the permanent sanctuary candle posed a safety hazard.

Saint Francis says the flame has been burning since the hospital opened 15 years ago and has never before been an object of concern.

Becket Law, a Washington firm that specializes in religious liberty cases, issued a news release Friday along with a letter to CMS from Saint Francis General Counsel Michael Lissau memorializing a conference call it says occurred Thursday.

The letter thanks a CMS official for your assistance in facilitating a discussion between Saint Francis and The Joint Commission (TJC) in a May 4, 2023, conference call, wherein you articulated that CMS will not ask Saint Francis to extinguish the living flame.

The letter goes on to say that the various parties are working on an agreement to prevent future conflicts over the flame.

The situation began when The Joint Commission, an accrediting agency, cited the candle as a violation of the fire safety regulations. It cited a 2006 memo to state regulators that included instructions that candles could not be allowed in patient rooms but were OK elsewhere as long as they are in a substantial candle holder and supervised at all times while they are lighted.

Saint Francis candle met the first criteria but not the second. It is, however, inside two layers of glass and suspended 6 feet off the floor.

CMS originally denied Saint Francis appeal but quickly reconsidered after inquiries from Oklahomas congressional delegation and Becket Law and another firm threatened a lawsuit on religious freedom grounds.

The seven members of the Oklahoma delegation issued a joint news release Friday morning saying they immediately worked to stop this injustice and (were) thankfully successful.

The matter was of some urgency because without accreditation the hospital would not be eligible for Medicaid, Medicare and Childrens Health Insurance Payments.

Video: Bill Knight Automotive spring athletes of the week
OKLAHOMA CITY  Prominent death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, whose book Dead Man Walking was turned into a movie, on Wednesday joined others calling on Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt to grant death row inmate Richard Glossip a 60-day reprieve from his scheduled execution.

Prejean joined Republican Reps. Kevin McDugle and Justin Humphrey and others in asking Stitt for a 60-day delay similar to the one he granted Glossip in November to give the state Court of Criminal Appeals time to rule on claims of innocence and prosecutorial misconduct that were eventually denied.

The people of Oklahoma need to be the one to get to Gov. Stitt, who has that power to grant a reprieve, Prejean, a spiritual adviser to Glossip, said during a news conference at the state Capitol.

Spokespeople in Stitts office did not immediately return phone calls and messages asking for comment.

McDugle, who says he supports the death penalty, called for Stitt to delay the execution while two appeals by Glossip are pending before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Allowing this case to play out in federal courts would be following the law. Following the law means not rushing the execution process, McDugle said.

The Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted 2-2 last week to reject a clemency recommendation for Glossip with one member recusing himself because his spouse is a prosecutor who was previously involved in Glossips case, despite state Attorney General Gentner Drummond supporting clemency.

Stitt cannot grant clemency without a recommendation from the parole board but can order the execution be delayed.

Glossips attorney, Don Knight, objected at the start of the hearing to proceeding without a replacement for the recused board member.

On Tuesday, Knight amended a lawsuit challenging the Pardon and Parole Board meeting with four members present, instead of the full five-member board.

The amended lawsuit, filed in Oklahoma County District Court, asks for a stay of execution until Glossip has a clemency hearing before a full board and that the parole boards vote denying clemency be declared null and void.

The State of Oklahoma has already agreed that Richard Glossip was denied a fair trial  he has now been denied a fair clemency hearing, Knight said in a statement. The Boards split decision is precisely the outcome this lawsuit sought to avoid, and it underscores the grave injustice of allowing (Glossips) execution to proceed without a proper clemency hearing before a fully constituted Board.

Drummond on Monday filed a request that the U.S. Supreme Court stay the execution after taking the unusual step of supporting the clemency request.

Absent this Courts intervention, an execution will move forward under circumstances where the Attorney General has already confessed error  a result that would be unthinkable, according to the stay request.

During the clemency hearing, Drummond said he believes Glossip is guilty, at least, of accessary after the fact, but has numerous concerns about the fairness of the trial, including that Justin Sneed, the key witness against Glossip, lied to the jury about his psychiatric treatment and reasons for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium.

Glossip, now 60, was convicted of the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese, at two separate trials based largely on the testimony of Sneed, a co-defendant in the case. Sneed admitted robbing and killing Van Treese, but claims he only did so after Glossip agreed to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a sentence of life in prison.

Glossip has been scheduled to be executed three times, only to be spared shortly before the sentence was set to be carried out. He was only hours from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug, a mix-up that helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon  who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Prejeans fight to save a man on Louisianas death row in the 1995 movie based on Prejeans book  took up his cause in real life. His case also was featured in a 2017 documentary film titled Killing Richard Glossip.
In death penalty cases, the U.S Supreme Court requires the highest standard of reliability. Oklahomans believe in the rule of law and accept that standard. Richard Glossips scheduled execution on May 18 stands in direct opposition to the rule of law, the Oklahoma Constitution and the U.S. Constitution.

I am a fourth-generation Oklahoman. My late father was, and my brother is, an Oklahoma prosecutor. On my fathers side, my grandfather and namesake counseled state leaders as the president of Oklahoma Baptist University. On my mothers, my great-grandfather served as a member of Oklahomas fifth state Legislature. I obtained undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Oklahoma and have served as pro bono legal counsel in several murder exoneration cases.

The charges against Glossip rely solely on the testimony of Justin Sneed, the admitted murderer, who as part of his plea deal avoided the death penalty in exchange for naming Glossip. Over the past two years, the State of Oklahoma has released evidence that was concealed at the time of Glossips first and second trials. The below facts were not made available to either jury and were hidden by the state over 25 years:

In multiple handwritten letters before and after the trial, Sneed discussed recanting his testimony and expressed his desire to break his plea deal to testify against Richard Glossip;

The day before Sneed testified at trial, the prosecutor supplied him with a memo regarding the testimony of other witnesses in direct violation of a court order. Sneed took the hint and reversed his testimony on the topic the prosecutors memo characterized as the biggest problem;

Shortly before Glossips trial, Sneed was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and given a prescription for lithium. According to Oklahoma Department of Corrections psychiatrist Dr. Lawrence Trombka, Sneeds previously undiagnosed bipolar disorder combined with his methamphetamine use likely affected the reliability of his testimony. The state was informed by Sneed pre-trial of his seeing Trombka;

Throughout the trial, the state failed to correct Sneeds knowingly false testimony about his psychiatric condition and his medication. Attorney General Gentner Drummond recently confessed to error on behalf of the state on this point.

Last week, Glossips clemency petition was heard by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board. The Oklahoma Constitution and relevant statutes require the board to have five members, with a 3-2 majority vote sufficient to uphold a clemency ruling. Before the hearing, one of the five board members recused himself from the vote.

Rather than following Oklahoma law and having a replacement appointed, the board illegally proceeded with only four members, deadlocked in a 2-2 vote, and Glossips clemency was denied.

The Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments guarantee all Americans the right to a fair trial. It is abundantly clear, based on the discovery of evidence concealed by the state during the trial that Glossip did not receive one. Drummond, as the chief law enforcement officer of Oklahoma, recently admitted to the states failure to provide a fair trial and attended the clemency hearing to argue on behalf of Glossip. There has never been an execution in the history of our country where a states chief law enforcement officer agreed the defendants trial and conviction was unconstitutional.

Neither Oklahoma law nor U.S. Constitutional law was followed in Glossips case.

U.S. Judge Frank Howell Seay of the Oklahoma Eastern District once warned, God help us, if ever in this great country, we turn our heads while people who have not had fair trials are executed. Oklahomans, please do not turn your heads.

Call the governor at 405-521-2342 and tell him to stop this miscarriage of justice before it is too late.
BELGRADE - Eight people were killed and at least 10 were wounded in a shooting in the town of Mladenovac, south of Belgrade, local media reported, with police setting up roadblocks in their hunt for the gunman. The shooting comes less than 48 hours after a 13-year old boy shot dead nine and injured seven at a school in Belgrade before turning himself in. Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic described the latest shooting as a "terrorist act", Serbian news portal Telegraf reported, without providing further detail. According to local media, after a late-night argument in a school yard near Mladenovac, 42 km (26 miles) south of Belgrade, the suspect returned with an assault rifle, opened fire and continued to shoot at people at random from a moving car. State broadcaster RTS reported a policeman and his sister were among those killed. Around 600 Serbian police, including elite Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie launched a manhunt, dubbed Operation Whirlwind, for a 21-year-old suspect identified only as U.B, RTS reported. Before dawn, outside the village of Dubona near Mladenovac, a Reuters witness saw heavily armed police establishing a checkpoint and searching incoming traffic. "It is pitch black here, we are looking for him in this area, taking all precautions, an assault rifle is a serious threat," a police officer involved in the manhunt said by telephone. A helicopter, drones and multiple police patrols were also searching for the suspect among the rolling hills and forests around Dubona. Police operate a checkpoint, in the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters Members of an anti-terrorist unit operate, in the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters Nation in mourning N1 TV reported the wounded had been transported to a hospital in Mladenovac and the University Hospital in Belgrade. The Balkan nation begins three days of official mourning on Friday following its first mass school shooting on Wednesday. The suspected shooter, a 13-year-old boy, took two of his father's handguns to kill eight pupils and a security guard in a hallway and history class at their school in the capital Belgrade. Hundreds of schoolchildren with candles and flowers gathered for a vigil on Thursday evening in streets around the school, while churches planned memorial prayers. Dozens of high school teachers rallied in front of the Education Ministry in downtown Belgrade on Thursday, demanding improvements to school security and the education system. Serbia has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. Automatic weapons are illegal and over the years authorities have offered several amnesties to those who surrender them. After the school shooting in Belgrade, the Serbian government introduced a two-year ban on the issuing of new gun permits, a revision of existing permits and checks on how gun owners store their arms. Still, the country, and the rest of Western Balkans, are awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance that remained in private hands after the wars of the 1990s. Police operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters Police operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters Security forces operate as an ambulance passes through a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters Security forces operate in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters A member of security forces operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

BELGRADE - Eight people were killed and at least 10 were wounded in a shooting in the town of Mladenovac, south of Belgrade, local media reported, with police setting up roadblocks in their hunt for the gunman.

The shooting comes less than 48 hours after a 13-year old boy shot dead nine and injured seven at a school in Belgrade before turning himself in.

Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic described the latest shooting as a "terrorist act", Serbian news portal Telegraf reported, without providing further detail.

According to local media, after a late-night argument in a school yard near Mladenovac, 42 km (26 miles) south of Belgrade, the suspect returned with an assault rifle, opened fire and continued to shoot at people at random from a moving car.

State broadcaster RTS reported a policeman and his sister were among those killed.

Around 600 Serbian police, including elite Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie launched a manhunt, dubbed Operation Whirlwind, for a 21-year-old suspect identified only as U.B, RTS reported.

Before dawn, outside the village of Dubona near Mladenovac, a Reuters witness saw heavily armed police establishing a checkpoint and searching incoming traffic.

"It is pitch black here, we are looking for him in this area, taking all precautions, an assault rifle is a serious threat," a police officer involved in the manhunt said by telephone.

A helicopter, drones and multiple police patrols were also searching for the suspect among the rolling hills and forests around Dubona.

Police operate a checkpoint, in the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Members of an anti-terrorist unit operate, in the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Nation in mourning

N1 TV reported the wounded had been transported to a hospital in Mladenovac and the University Hospital in Belgrade.

The Balkan nation begins three days of official mourning on Friday following its first mass school shooting on Wednesday.

The suspected shooter, a 13-year-old boy, took two of his father's handguns to kill eight pupils and a security guard in a hallway and history class at their school in the capital Belgrade.

Hundreds of schoolchildren with candles and flowers gathered for a vigil on Thursday evening in streets around the school, while churches planned memorial prayers.

Dozens of high school teachers rallied in front of the Education Ministry in downtown Belgrade on Thursday, demanding improvements to school security and the education system.

Serbia has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. Automatic weapons are illegal and over the years authorities have offered several amnesties to those who surrender them.

After the school shooting in Belgrade, the Serbian government introduced a two-year ban on the issuing of new gun permits, a revision of existing permits and checks on how gun owners store their arms.

Still, the country, and the rest of Western Balkans, are awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance that remained in private hands after the wars of the 1990s.

Police operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Police operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Security forces operate as an ambulance passes through a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters

Security forces operate in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. Photo: Reuters
SINGAPORE -- Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has cut the price of its June flagship crude to Asian buyers for the first time in four months, following a plunge in refining margins. The official selling price (OSP) for June-loading Arab Light to Asia was reduced by 25 cents a barrel from May to $2.55 a barrel over Oman/Dubai quotes, according to a statement issued by state oil giant Saudi Aramco. The cut is less than the market expectation of 40 cents, suggesting that the country is striving to shore up oil prices after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) surprisingly announced an additional output cut from May for the rest of 2023. Asian refineries are suffering from sluggish processing margins due to high oil prices and oversupply of refined products. A smaller cut of the OSP may prompt some refiners to cut procurements or even lower operations this month. "May is a crucial month for Asian refiners as some already struggle to reach break-even in their balance sheet. If situation does not improve soon, they would adjust run rates," said a Singapore-based trader. The market will closely monitor Saudi's June supply of contractual volumes to the term-buyers, due to be revealed next week, and gauge the implementation of OPEC+ cut. Saudi Arabia also cut the June OSPs of other grades to Asia, with bigger trims than Arab Light. It lowered the prices for Arab Medium by 80 cents and Arab Heavy by 90 cents from the previous month. "The big price cuts on the heavier grades are unexpected. But that brings the OSPs closer to the spot market prices," said another oil trader. A number of Asian refiners have scheduled maintenance shutdowns in the second and third quarter, curbing feedstock demand and putting pressure on oil prices. For other regions, the top oil exporter set its Arab Light OSP to northwest Europe at $2.10 a barrel above ICE Brent for June, up $1.10 a barrel. Meanwhile, the OSP to the United States was cut by 50 cents from last month at $6.25 versus ASCI for June.

SINGAPORE -- Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, has cut the price of its June flagship crude to Asian buyers for the first time in four months, following a plunge in refining margins.

The official selling price (OSP) for June-loading Arab Light to Asia was reduced by 25 cents a barrel from May to $2.55 a barrel over Oman/Dubai quotes, according to a statement issued by state oil giant Saudi Aramco.

The cut is less than the market expectation of 40 cents, suggesting that the country is striving to shore up oil prices after the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) surprisingly announced an additional output cut from May for the rest of 2023.

Asian refineries are suffering from sluggish processing margins due to high oil prices and oversupply of refined products. A smaller cut of the OSP may prompt some refiners to cut procurements or even lower operations this month.

"May is a crucial month for Asian refiners as some already struggle to reach break-even in their balance sheet. If situation does not improve soon, they would adjust run rates," said a Singapore-based trader.

The market will closely monitor Saudi's June supply of contractual volumes to the term-buyers, due to be revealed next week, and gauge the implementation of OPEC+ cut.

Saudi Arabia also cut the June OSPs of other grades to Asia, with bigger trims than Arab Light. It lowered the prices for Arab Medium by 80 cents and Arab Heavy by 90 cents from the previous month.

"The big price cuts on the heavier grades are unexpected. But that brings the OSPs closer to the spot market prices," said another oil trader.

A number of Asian refiners have scheduled maintenance shutdowns in the second and third quarter, curbing feedstock demand and putting pressure on oil prices.

For other regions, the top oil exporter set its Arab Light OSP to northwest Europe at $2.10 a barrel above ICE Brent for June, up $1.10 a barrel.

Meanwhile, the OSP to the United States was cut by 50 cents from last month at $6.25 versus ASCI for June.
Vietnam opposes Australia minting A$2 coins featuring the flag of the defunct Republic of Vietnam and requests the latter cease circulating the coins, Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday. Vietnam absolutely protests the act, which is inappropriate to the positive trends of the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership, Hang added. The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discussed the issue with Australia and suggested preventing similar cases in the future, the deputy spokesperson said. The Royal Australian Mint and the Australia Post on April 6 issued A$2 coins to commemorate 50 years of the end of Australian troops' involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973. However, the coins feature two yellow flags with three red stripes each of the Republic of Vietnam, a regime that no longer exists in Vietnam now. The two Australian firms minted 5,000 gold-plated and 80,000 silver-plated coins and sold them at A$80 (US$53.9) and A$15 ($10.1) each, respectively. Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre Vietnam and Australia established their diplomatic relations on February 26, 1973. The two countries elevated their ties to comprehensive partnership in 2009 and to strategic partnership in 2018. The two sides reached a consensus to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership at the right time during a visit to Vietnam last month by Australian Governor-General David Hurley. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia totaled some A$23.5 billion ($15.6 billion) in 2022, making Australia Vietnams seventh-largest trade partner. Meanwhile, Vietnam became Australias 10th-biggest trade partner. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnam opposes Australia minting A$2 coins featuring the flag of the defunct Republic of Vietnam and requests the latter cease circulating the coins, Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Thursday.

Vietnam absolutely protests the act, which is inappropriate to the positive trends of the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership, Hang added.

The Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has discussed the issue with Australia and suggested preventing similar cases in the future, the deputy spokesperson said.

The Royal Australian Mint and the Australia Post on April 6 issued A$2 coins to commemorate 50 years of the end of Australian troops' involvement in the war in Vietnam in 1973.

However, the coins feature two yellow flags with three red stripes each of the Republic of Vietnam, a regime that no longer exists in Vietnam now.

The two Australian firms minted 5,000 gold-plated and 80,000 silver-plated coins and sold them at A$80 (US$53.9) and A$15 ($10.1) each, respectively.

Pham Thu Hang, deputy spokesperson of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Photo: Nam Tran / Tuoi Tre

Vietnam and Australia established their diplomatic relations on February 26, 1973.

The two countries elevated their ties to comprehensive partnership in 2009 and to strategic partnership in 2018.

The two sides reached a consensus to upgrade their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership at the right time during a visit to Vietnam last month by Australian Governor-General David Hurley.

Bilateral trade between Vietnam and Australia totaled some A$23.5 billion ($15.6 billion) in 2022, making Australia Vietnams seventh-largest trade partner.

Meanwhile, Vietnam became Australias 10th-biggest trade partner.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his admiration for Luxembourgs growth process and said that Vietnam would learn from the development model of the European country during a press conference co-chaired with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in Hanoi on Thursday. Luxembourg has transformed to an advanced economy and Europes financial center from an agricultural country. New pillar of Vietnam - Luxembourg cooperation The two prime ministers of Vietnam and Luxembourg announced that they had witnessed the signing of some agreements for financial cooperation. The two nations reached a consensus on the establishment of a strategic partnership in green finance. This will be a new pillar of the bilateral cooperation to deepen the two-way ties and fuel their sustainable economic development. The two nations will enhance the efficiency in the collaboration between the Vietnam Stock Exchange and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. This deal was made during Vietnamese Prime Minister Chinhs visit to Luxembourg in December 2022. In addition, Vietnam and Luxembourg will beef up their cooperation in the banking sector by connecting the latters financial sources to help Vietnam start a green growth strategy in the 2021-30 period, with a vision toward 2050. The two agreed to further join hands in the settlement of global issues, mainly climate change. Vietnam proposed Luxembourg support the former with technology, experts, and funding to carry out some projects of adaptation to climate change in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta region, said Prime Minister Chinh. Speaking of the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by Luxembourg, the top Vietnamese official proposed the country call on other members of the European Union to make the agreement valid as soon as possible. The Vietnamese government is willing to smooth the path for Luxembourg enterprises to do business in the Southeast Asian nation in various fields such as infrastructure, digitalization, renewable energy, and pharmaceutical technology. The Vietnamese representative expected Luxembourg to ask the European Commission to soon remove the yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exports. The yellow card is a kind of warning issued by the European Commission to countries involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) presents some solutions to boost the cooperation between Vietnam and Luxembourg at a press conference in Hanoi on May 4, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Luxembourg will stand alongside Vietnam Prime Minister of Luxembourg Bettel expressed his gratitude to Vietnam and his Vietnamese counterpart Chinh for such greetings and hospitality. He said that the beauty of the nation, the landscapes of Ha Long Bay, a famous destination of Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese people, and tasty food impressed him a lot. His Vietnam visit, scheduled to last from Wednesday to Friday, has produced positive achievements. Typically, the two nations removed obstacles facing investment and business, and agreed to boost the adaptation to climate change, advance cultural cooperation, and facilitate visa issuance. The prime minister of Luxembourg affirmed that he would urge the European Commission to lift the yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports. In the past, Luxembourg provided Vietnam with official development assistance, Bettel said, adding that Vietnam has grown strongly and become one of the formers key trade partners. The 50-year-old leader of Luxembourg stated that 25 enterprises accompanying him during the trip eyed cooperation with Vietnamese firms. Bettel hoped that the Vietnamese minister of finance would visit Luxembourg to expand the two nations partnership. We always stand with Vietnam, even during the hardships, the leader of Luxembourg underlined. Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel expects the two nations to upgrade their relations. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his admiration for Luxembourgs growth process and said that Vietnam would learn from the development model of the European country during a press conference co-chaired with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel in Hanoi on Thursday.

Luxembourg has transformed to an advanced economy and Europes financial center from an agricultural country.

New pillar of Vietnam - Luxembourg cooperation

The two prime ministers of Vietnam and Luxembourg announced that they had witnessed the signing of some agreements for financial cooperation.

The two nations reached a consensus on the establishment of a strategic partnership in green finance.

This will be a new pillar of the bilateral cooperation to deepen the two-way ties and fuel their sustainable economic development.

The two nations will enhance the efficiency in the collaboration between the Vietnam Stock Exchange and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

This deal was made during Vietnamese Prime Minister Chinhs visit to Luxembourg in December 2022.

In addition, Vietnam and Luxembourg will beef up their cooperation in the banking sector by connecting the latters financial sources to help Vietnam start a green growth strategy in the 2021-30 period, with a vision toward 2050.

The two agreed to further join hands in the settlement of global issues, mainly climate change.

Vietnam proposed Luxembourg support the former with technology, experts, and funding to carry out some projects of adaptation to climate change in Vietnam, especially in the Mekong Delta region, said Prime Minister Chinh.

Speaking of the ratification of the EU-Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) by Luxembourg, the top Vietnamese official proposed the country call on other members of the European Union to make the agreement valid as soon as possible.

The Vietnamese government is willing to smooth the path for Luxembourg enterprises to do business in the Southeast Asian nation in various fields such as infrastructure, digitalization, renewable energy, and pharmaceutical technology.

The Vietnamese representative expected Luxembourg to ask the European Commission to soon remove the yellow card against Vietnamese seafood exports.

The yellow card is a kind of warning issued by the European Commission to countries involved in illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) presents some solutions to boost the cooperation between Vietnam and Luxembourg at a press conference in Hanoi on May 4, 2023. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

Luxembourg will stand alongside Vietnam

Prime Minister of Luxembourg Bettel expressed his gratitude to Vietnam and his Vietnamese counterpart Chinh for such greetings and hospitality.

He said that the beauty of the nation, the landscapes of Ha Long Bay, a famous destination of Quang Ninh Province in northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese people, and tasty food impressed him a lot.

His Vietnam visit, scheduled to last from Wednesday to Friday, has produced positive achievements.

Typically, the two nations removed obstacles facing investment and business, and agreed to boost the adaptation to climate change, advance cultural cooperation, and facilitate visa issuance.

The prime minister of Luxembourg affirmed that he would urge the European Commission to lift the yellow card on Vietnamese seafood exports.

In the past, Luxembourg provided Vietnam with official development assistance, Bettel said, adding that Vietnam has grown strongly and become one of the formers key trade partners.

The 50-year-old leader of Luxembourg stated that 25 enterprises accompanying him during the trip eyed cooperation with Vietnamese firms.

Bettel hoped that the Vietnamese minister of finance would visit Luxembourg to expand the two nations partnership.

We always stand with Vietnam, even during the hardships, the leader of Luxembourg underlined.

Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel expects the two nations to upgrade their relations. Photo: Nguyen Khanh / Tuoi Tre

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!
Vietnam's State President Vo Van Thuong met embassy officials and employees and Vietnamese expats in the United Kingdom after he arrived in London to attend the coronation of King Charles III slated for Saturday. President Thuong and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam landed at Heathrow International Airport in London on Thursday afternoon. His meeting with the Vietnamese community in the UK was part of the state leaders ongoing trip to the country at the invitation of the British royal family. Among the Vietnamese expatriates are members of the Vietnamese Association in the UK, the Vietnamese Intellectual Society in the UK, the Vietnamese Family Partnership in the UK, and the Vietnamese Student Association in the UK. Some 100,000 Vietnamese people are living, working, and studying in the UK, with most of them staying in London, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long. As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese associations in the UK have been implementing a number of programs to introduce Vietnam to London and other major British cities. At the meeting with President Thuong, the representatives of these Vietnamese associations expected to continue receiving support from state agencies and firms to boost connectivity programs, contributing to deepening the two nations friendship and partnership in the coming time. Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (C) presents a gift to the Vietnamese Association in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (L) presents a gift to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency President Thuong expressed his pleasure to meet Vietnamese people and see the strong growth of the Vietnamese expat community in the UK. He said that these Vietnamese associations have played a key role in cementing the position of Vietnamese people in the UK and strengthening the friendship between the two nations. President Thuong also praised Vietnamese expatriates in the UK for their programs that have benefited Vietnam and their donations to charity in their homeland, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. His attendance at the coronation of King Charles III is aimed at consolidating the two countries relations, enhancing mutual political confidence, and fostering bilateral cooperation in various fields, he underlined. Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong is greeted by embassy staff and Vietnamese expats in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnam's State President Vo Van Thuong met embassy officials and employees and Vietnamese expats in the United Kingdom after he arrived in London to attend the coronation of King Charles III slated for Saturday.

President Thuong and a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam landed at Heathrow International Airport in London on Thursday afternoon.

His meeting with the Vietnamese community in the UK was part of the state leaders ongoing trip to the country at the invitation of the British royal family.

Among the Vietnamese expatriates are members of the Vietnamese Association in the UK, the Vietnamese Intellectual Society in the UK, the Vietnamese Family Partnership in the UK, and the Vietnamese Student Association in the UK.

Some 100,000 Vietnamese people are living, working, and studying in the UK, with most of them staying in London, said Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long.

As this year marks the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-UK diplomatic ties, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese associations in the UK have been implementing a number of programs to introduce Vietnam to London and other major British cities.

At the meeting with President Thuong, the representatives of these Vietnamese associations expected to continue receiving support from state agencies and firms to boost connectivity programs, contributing to deepening the two nations friendship and partnership in the coming time.

Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (C) presents a gift to the Vietnamese Association in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong (L) presents a gift to the Vietnamese Embassy in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

President Thuong expressed his pleasure to meet Vietnamese people and see the strong growth of the Vietnamese expat community in the UK.

He said that these Vietnamese associations have played a key role in cementing the position of Vietnamese people in the UK and strengthening the friendship between the two nations.

President Thuong also praised Vietnamese expatriates in the UK for their programs that have benefited Vietnam and their donations to charity in their homeland, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

His attendance at the coronation of King Charles III is aimed at consolidating the two countries relations, enhancing mutual political confidence, and fostering bilateral cooperation in various fields, he underlined.

Vietnamese State President Vo Van Thuong is greeted by embassy staff and Vietnamese expats in the UK. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

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Vietnams national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has spoken out on a report stating that its pilot tested positive for an illegal drug. The airline makes unannounced, regular, and periodical medical checks on pilots, Vietnam Airlines said in a press release on Friday afternoon. The checkups are aimed at monitoring the compliance with flight regulations and ensuring the health of pilots in line with the prevailing aviation laws. The test result of a pilot named D. that has been publicized by some websites remains suspected, said the air carrier. Officials are in the process of examination, analysis, and assessment using different methods to make a conclusion. D. has been suspended and is waiting for the final test result. The airline reported this case to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and will update the official test result later. Vietnam Airlines affirmed that the safety and health of its employees and passengers are the carriers key priorities. As such, the airline has conducted medical checks on its employees and imposed harsh sanctions on violators. A few days ago, a report on a test on Pham Ha D. for addictive substances sent to the leader of Flight Team 919 of Vietnam Airlines from medical workers in charge of the team on April 27 was spread on social media. The pilot was shown testing positive for ketamine, an illicit drug in Vietnam, according to the report. If the final result proves the pilot positive for the drug, he will have his pilot license revoked permanently, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

Vietnams national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines has spoken out on a report stating that its pilot tested positive for an illegal drug.

The airline makes unannounced, regular, and periodical medical checks on pilots, Vietnam Airlines said in a press release on Friday afternoon.

The checkups are aimed at monitoring the compliance with flight regulations and ensuring the health of pilots in line with the prevailing aviation laws.

The test result of a pilot named D. that has been publicized by some websites remains suspected, said the air carrier.

Officials are in the process of examination, analysis, and assessment using different methods to make a conclusion.

D. has been suspended and is waiting for the final test result.

The airline reported this case to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and will update the official test result later.

Vietnam Airlines affirmed that the safety and health of its employees and passengers are the carriers key priorities.

As such, the airline has conducted medical checks on its employees and imposed harsh sanctions on violators.

A few days ago, a report on a test on Pham Ha D. for addictive substances sent to the leader of Flight Team 919 of Vietnam Airlines from medical workers in charge of the team on April 27 was spread on social media.

The pilot was shown testing positive for ketamine, an illicit drug in Vietnam, according to the report.

If the final result proves the pilot positive for the drug, he will have his pilot license revoked permanently, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam.

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A pickup truck driver was booked on Thursday for driving on the wrong side of the newly-opened Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway in Vietnam.

The wrong-way driver was identified as T.Q.S., a 45-year-old native of Binh Thuan Province, south-central Vietnam, Major Hoang Xuan An, a local traffic police officer, confirmed on the same day.

The driver will be fined VND17 million (US$728) and get his driving license revoked for six months for committing this traffic offense, as per the prevailing regulations.

Earlier, a dashcam video shared on social media showed that a black pickup truck was traveling in the wrong direction on the expressway on Wednesday.

It was en route from southern Dong Nai Province to south-central Binh Thuan.

Police then verified the video clip and identified the driver and its plate number.

At a local police station, the driver attributed his wrong-way driving to not knowing the right way.

The 99km Phan Thiet-Dau Giay Expressway was opened to traffic last weekend.

The route starts from an intersection with the Vinh Hao-Phan Thiet Expressway running through Ham Thuan Nam District in Binh Thuan Province and ends at an intersection with the Ho Chi Minh City-Long Thanh-Dau Giay Expressway passing through Thong Nhat District in Dong Nai Province.

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A Vietnamese nurses aid in Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam has been accused of secretly putting rat poison into leftovers, killing several of her colleagues animals. The incident took place at a Hung Vuong - Chan Mong general clinic, under Hung Vuong General Hospital, according to a statement given on Thursday by a hospital representative. According to the statement, H. and D., a married couple working at the medical clinic, often brought leftovers from the facility home to feed their domestic animals. At the beginning of the week, H. discovered that some of her familys cats, dogs, and pigs were either sick or had died. The situation worsened on Tuesday when his dogs and cats, as well as several other animals in the neighborhood, started foaming at the mouth and died after being fed leftovers from the clinic. H. began to suspect that the leftovers were poisoned and reported the issue to the clinics leader. The security unit at the clinic inspected the food, the preparation process, and the water supply but found no abnormalities. The clinic then checked its CCTV camera footage and discovered that the nurses aid, P.T.N., secretly put a packet of black powder into a food waste bucket there. She then stirred the leftovers using chopsticks and left the scene. Given the evidence, N. admitted that she did put rat poison into the food waste bucket so that H. and D. would take the poisoned leftovers home to feed their animals. N. did not explain the motive for her actions. The nurses aid was suspended following the incident. The clinic handed over the evidence and relevant documents to local police for further investigation. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!

A Vietnamese nurses aid in Phu Tho Province, northern Vietnam has been accused of secretly putting rat poison into leftovers, killing several of her colleagues animals.

The incident took place at a Hung Vuong - Chan Mong general clinic, under Hung Vuong General Hospital, according to a statement given on Thursday by a hospital representative.

According to the statement, H. and D., a married couple working at the medical clinic, often brought leftovers from the facility home to feed their domestic animals.

At the beginning of the week, H. discovered that some of her familys cats, dogs, and pigs were either sick or had died.

The situation worsened on Tuesday when his dogs and cats, as well as several other animals in the neighborhood, started foaming at the mouth and died after being fed leftovers from the clinic.

H. began to suspect that the leftovers were poisoned and reported the issue to the clinics leader.

The security unit at the clinic inspected the food, the preparation process, and the water supply but found no abnormalities.

The clinic then checked its CCTV camera footage and discovered that the nurses aid, P.T.N., secretly put a packet of black powder into a food waste bucket there.

She then stirred the leftovers using chopsticks and left the scene.

Given the evidence, N. admitted that she did put rat poison into the food waste bucket so that H. and D. would take the poisoned leftovers home to feed their animals.

N. did not explain the motive for her actions.

The nurses aid was suspended following the incident.

The clinic handed over the evidence and relevant documents to local police for further investigation.

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On 7News Spotlight are stories on Daniel Morcombes 2003 disappearance from former reporter Denham Hitchcock, plus Jim Jefferies and the Markles again with Liam Bartlett.

He was Australias little boy lost for eight agonisingly long years, abducted as he waited to catch a bus and go Christmas shopping for his loving family.

Daniel Morcombes 2003 disappearance gripped the nation, while his devastated parents Bruce and Denise inspired us all with their stoicism and national child safety campaign.

So, when convicted paedophile Brett Peter Cowan confessed to kidnapping and killing the innocent teen, his lifetime jail sentence felt like the sad end to a heartbreaking tale.

Now, in a 7NEWS Spotlight major new investigation to air 8.30pm this Sunday on Channel 7 and 7plus, fresh evidence about the botched police search to find Daniel is set to shatter hearts all over again.

In the latest blow to confidence in the Queensland Police Force, a former officer steps forward to blow the lid off the bungling of Daniels missing persons case.

Speaking for the first time, the whistleblower was one of two young officers who fingered Cowan for the crime from the start, taking a detailed report to detectives just two weeks after Daniel was snatched from a Sunshine Coast highway.

What happened next will outrage anyone who kept vigil for Daniel for nearly a decade.

Also, get to know Australian comedys bad boy, Jim Jefferies, who has won over the country as host of Sevens top-rating quiz show, The 1% Club.

7NEWS Spotlights Liam Bartlett sits down with the rogue funny man, who is taking on cancel culture and introduces us to the woman who has managed to tame the wild one.

For royal watchers, The Markles continue their attack on rogue sister Meghan, sharing more intimate revelations from her first marriage.

8:30pm Sunday on Seven.
Australian Story on Monday revisits a story of historic sexual abuse in the Anglican Church.

Beth Heinrichs life was permanently changed by events she experienced as a teenager.

Now in her 80s, shes still campaigning for justice from the Anglican Church.

Heinrich was sexually abused by an Anglican priest, Donald Shearman, in the 1950s. The Anglican Church subsequently defrocked Shearman and paid Beth a lump sum.

But Heinrich remains unhappy with how Dr Peter Hollingworth, during his time as Archbishop of Brisbane, handled her original complaint about the abuse and how he spoke about her publicly.

Recently she read aloud her victim impact statement to a hearing of the Melbourne Anglican Professional Standards Board, which examined how Dr Hollingworth handled complaints from survivors in the 1990s.

This is the latest chapter in a long-running saga thats spanned decades.

Australian Story first touched on Heinrichs story in 2002, during an interview with then Governor-General Hollingworth. Comments he made about her provoked heated public debate.

He stepped down from the vice-regal post 15 months later.

Australian Story then told her story in 2005.

Today Beth Heinrich feels she has an obligation to keep holding the church to account.

I feel this is my chance to speak up, she says from her home in regional Victoria. Its an example for others and hopefully it will give them strength to keep at it.

Peter Hollingworth, a retired bishop in his 80s, has expressed remorse for the way he handled Beths complaint and admits he has made mistakes but would never blame a child for sexual abuse.

Producer: Belinda Hawkins.

8pm Monday on ABC.

Bravehearts: 1800 272 831
By Mohd Ziyaullah Khan

PM Modis Mann Ki Baat program is a monthly radio address that has been a part of his public outreach since he took office in 2014. The program is aired on All India Radio, as well as on various digital platforms, and is meant to be an opportunity for the Prime Minister to directly address the public on a variety of issues. While the government claims that the program is immensely popular, recent data suggests that this may not be entirely accurate. As the monthly radio program, Mann Ki Baat, completes its 100th episode, we come across a survey by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) and Lokniti in October 2022 that challenges this claim. According to the survey, Mann Ki Baat is not as popular as it is claimed to be, even in households with a high media presence.

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The Survey

As per the report titled Media in India: Access, Practices, Concerns and Effects as advised by political scientists Sanjay Kumar, Suhas Palshikar and Sandeep Shastri has a different story to tell. The report is based on a sample survey of 7,463 Indian citizens aged 15 years and above in 19 states and union territories of India. These states include Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

The survey found that in households with a high media presence, which includes television, internet, and stereo, two-fifths of them had not heard Mann Ki Baat in the last one year. Furthermore, three in every ten households had only heard it once or twice. These findings challenge the widespread belief that Mann Ki Baat is a popular initiative that has successfully connected with the masses.

The CSDS report includes a section titled PMs Mann Ki Baat: A reality check which reveals that only one in ten respondents claimed to have listened to the program regularly in the last year. The majority of respondents, or three-fifths, reported not listening to the show at all. The survey questioned over 7,000 Indian citizens in 19 states and Union Territories and covered various media platforms, including radio, television, and the internet. The reports findings were based on a sample survey of Indian citizens aged 15 years and above.

The listenership  high or low?

The survey also found that the listenership of Mann Ki Baat was higher in rural areas than in urban areas. However, the overall listenership of the program was still relatively low, with only 18% of respondents stating that they listen to it regularly. This suggests that Mann Ki Baat may not be as effective in reaching its intended audience as it was intended to be.

The reasons behind the low listenership of Mann Ki Baat could be attributed to a number of factors. Firstly, the program is broadcasted only in Hindi and some regional languages, which may not be accessible to a large portion of the population that speaks other languages. Secondly, the program is broadcasted on All India Radio and Doordarshan, which may not be the preferred medium of communication for younger generations who rely heavily on social media and the internet.

Another reason could be the content of the program itself. While Mann Ki Baat aims to connect with the public and address their concerns, it often comes across as a one-way communication where the Prime Minister talks at the listeners rather than engaging with them in a dialogue. The program also tends to focus on government initiatives and achievements, which may not be of interest to a large portion of the population.

Moreover, some have criticized Mann Ki Baat for being a platform for the Prime Minister to promote his own agenda and ideology. The program has been accused of being biased towards the ruling party and its policies, which may not resonate with a significant portion of the population. Interestingly, the report also revealed a surprising finding that over half of those leaning towards the BJP dont seem to be listening to the PMs radio program Mann Ki Baat. Among the few who do listen regularly, BJP is highly popular.

The report showed that at least 51 percent of BJP-leaning respondents had never listened to Mann Ki Baat, and only 7 percent of their supporters listened to it almost always. Another 7 percent of their supporters heard the program most months. However, of the few citizens who listened to Mann Ki Baat almost every month, 58 percent were BJP-leaning. Thus Aamir Khan applauding MKB loses ground if we look at his statement in the perspective of this report. It might sound like a politically correct statement though.

Wrapping up

The survey by CSDS and Lokniti challenges the claim that Mann Ki Baat is a popular initiative that has successfully connected with the masses. While the program may have some listeners, its overall reach and impact may not be as significant as it was intended to be. This calls for a re-evaluation of the programs approach and content to better connect with the public and address their concerns.

Ziya Khan is a social activist based in Nagpur involved in diverse social and religious projects. He works as content head at a Digital Marketing Company in IT park. Views expressed here are the authors own.
Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc

Akuo and Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure Announce the Financial Close and the Start of Construction of a 80 MWp Solar PV Portfolio in Chile

Santiago de Chile, Chile, May 4th - Akuo, a global renewable energy power producer and developer and Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure announce that they have closed the financing and started the construction of a portfolio, composed of nine photovoltaic power plants with a total capacity of 80 MWp.

Accelerating the energy transition of Chile

Located in the Regions of Maule (VII), Nuble (XVI), Araucania (IX) and Biobio (VIII), the projects are all situated in the south of Santiago de Chile. Once commissioned, the portfolio will deliver enough electricity to power close to 60,000 households. They will avoid the emission of over 60,000 tons of CO2* each year of operation and provide a sustainable and local source of clean electricity. These nine solar farms will help the country to diversify its electricity mix which currently depends heavily on fossil fuels.

Chile has an ambitious goal of converting 70% of its total energy consumption to renewables by 2030, with strong citizen support: 91% of Chileans believe that climate change should be treated as a government priority, according to the Yale Program for Climate Change Communication.

The portfolio benefits from the countrys PMGD (Pequenos Medios de Generacion Distribuida) regime. Akuo and Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure are the equity sponsors whereby the debt financing is provided by DNB. The Engineering, Procurement and Construction activities for the realization of the nine solar plants will be performed by Italian engineering player MAIRE Group, that also acted as co-developer of the initiatives, through its Integrated E&C Solutions business unit.

Martin Bocage, Akuo Country Manager for Chile, Argentina and Uruguay says: Akuo is a committed stakeholder to Chiles energy transition and we stick to our words. Construction is on-going and we will soon inject electricity for the benefit of the citizens. Chiles renewable energy strategy encourages us to continue growing and investing on this country.

Story continues

Antonio Merino, VP South America at Atlantica mentions: This investment increases Atlanticas presence in Chile as we continue executing on our growth plan in renewables. The portfolio is fully aligned with our long-term strategy and GHG emissions reduction targets. Chile is one our core geographies in South America and we plan to continue devoting time and efforts to close new investments and contribute to the transition of the country towards a clean energy mix.

Esteban Uauy, Senior VP for project finance in Latam, states: DNB is very pleased with this financing as it continues to underpin the importance of distributed generation in Chile, while at the same time supports the growth and development of two clients deeply committed to renewables.

About Akuo: Entrepreneurs by Nature

Akuo is an independent global renewable energy producer and developer. The Group is present across the entire value: development, financing, construction and operation. As of the end of 2022, Akuo had a total capacity of 1.5 GW in operation or under construction and a total project portfolio of over 20 GW. With more than 450 employees, the Group, which is headquartered in Paris, France, develops projects in more than twenty countries around the world.

For more information, please visit www.akuoenergy.com

About Atlantica

Atlantica Sustainable Infrastructure plc is a sustainable infrastructure company that owns a diversified portfolio of contracted renewable energy, storage, efficient natural gas, transmission lines and water assets in North & South America, and certain markets in EMEA (www.atlantica.com).

Atlantica Investor Relations & Communication



Leire Perez



E ir@atlantica.com



T +44 20 3499 0465 Akuo Press contact



Mila AVERLANT



E averlant@akuoenergy.com



T + 06 10 83 36 13 Akuo Investor relations



Jerome CHOSSON



E chosson@akuoenergy.com




The head of Vladimir Putins Wagner Group private army threatened on Friday to pull his troops out of the eastern town of Bakhmut after a ferocious bust-up with Russian army chiefs.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would on May 10 leave the Ukrainian town which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in Europe since the Second World War.

He made the announcement after unleashing a tirade against Russian army chiefs for not supplying his mercenary soldiers with enough munitions, displaying the bodies of several of them in a video to highlight how they are being slaughtered leading the fight for Bakhmut.

Prigozhin said: "I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds.

"Im pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition theyre doomed to perish senselessly."

Wagner has been spearheading Russias attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

Putin has made it a prized aim to seize the town.

But Ukrainian military chiefs surprised defence analysts by deciding to fight to hold onto the town, despite it having no strategic importance.

Keeping control of it has now, though, taken on symbolic importance.

It was not clear if Prigozhin will see through his withdrawal threat or whether he is just seeking to pile pressure on Russian army chiefs to give his forces more ammunition.

But his anger was clear in an expletive-filled video published early on Friday in which Prigozhin, surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, yelled and swore at Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

He said they were to blame for Wagner's losses because they had starved it of ammunition.

Story continues

The clash between Putins military chiefs came as Ukraine is on the brink of launching a major counter-offensive to try to recapture land seized by Russia since the invasion in February 2022.

The White House estimates 20,000 Russian soldiers, including from the Wagner Group, have been killed since December as Putin and Prigozhin have thrown units into meat grinder battles, mainly to try to capture Bakhmut.

The West has supplied Ukraine with tanks, including British Challenger IIs, as well as long-range artillery for its counter-offensive.
Sheridan Smith has landed her next leading role in The Castaways, an upcoming thriller series based on Lucy Clarke's bestselling novel of the same name.

The Paramount+ UK show will follow sisters Lori (played by Sheridan) and Erin (Celine Buckens), who are separated after having a huge fight when Lori boards their plane to Fiji and Erin doesn't (via Deadline).

However, the flight never arrives at its destination and no wreckage is found. When Erin later discovers that Lori's credit card has been used in Fiji and recognises the plane's pilot using it in some CCTV footage, she does everything in her power to track her sister down.

The show is set to switch between the different perspectives of the two sisters, with Erin investigating her sister's disappearance in the present day, while Lori battles for survival after the plane crashes.

Filming will take place in Greece and Fiji in June.

Sheridan Smith said of her new role in a statement: "Im so excited to be working with Celine Buckens and to be part of this amazing production bringing Lucy Clarkes best-selling novel to life.

"And, as Im currently playing Shirley Valentine in Londons West End, its ironic that I finally get to go Greece!"

Celine Buckens, who has starred in The Ex-Wife and Showtrial, added: "Im really thrilled to bring Erin to life  shes a firecracker and the scripts bring layers and darkness to such an arresting premise. I hope audiences will be as hooked watching it as I was reading it."



Meanwhile, author Lucy Clarke said that the show "promises to be an incredible adaptation" of her book, adding: "The scriptwriting is electric, and Sheridan and Celine are perfectly cast as Lori and Erin."

The Castaways begins filming in June.

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HA NOI The stock market ended mixed on Thursday as the benchmark index was weighed by great losses in large-cap stocks.

The VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange (HoSE) opened the first trading session after a long holiday on a negative note. It dropped by 8.51 points, or 0.81 per cent, to 1,040.61 points.

The 1,040-point level is proving to be a significant support zone recently as there were times in the session when the VN-Index broke below the level but then bounced back.

The breadth of the market was in negative territory as there were more stocks declining on the southern bourse. Liquidity was mostly unchanged with the trading value and volume of nearly VN10.5 trillion (US$447.6 million) and 625.8 million shares, respectively.

The index's losses were mainly due to the downtrend of many large-cap stocks. The VN30-Index, which tracks the 30 biggest stocks on HoSE, declined by 11.79 points, or 1.12 per cent, to close the day at 1,039.64 points.

Twenty-one stocks of the VN30 basket inched lower, while six increased and three stayed flat.

Statistics showed that Vietcombank (VCB) was the biggest loser of the market, down 2.21 per cent in the market capitalisation. It was followed by Masan Group (MSN), Sabeco (SAB), Vingroup (VIC) and Vinamilk (VNM). These stocks posted losses in a range of 1.54-3.14 per cent.

Other ticker symbols witnessing poor performance, contributing to the bearish sentiment, were Vietinbank (CTG), down 2.08 per cent, VPBank (VPB) down 1.76 per cent, Techcombank (TCB) lost 1.53 per cent, Hoa Phat Group (HPG) down 1.62 per cent, and Mobile World Investment Corporation (MWG) down 3.32 per cent.

In contrast, Vietnam Airlines (HVN) registered the maximum intraday gain of 7 per cent on Thursday. The flag carrier's bullish performance was buoyed by its positive business results in the first quarter.

Specifically, it reported net revenue of nearly VN23.5 trillion in the first quarter of 2023, up 102 per cent year-on-year. This is also the best result since 2020.

After reducing expenses, Vietnam Airlines' profit before tax reached VN19 billion. While it still lost VN104 billion during the period, it is the most optimistic since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange (HNX) finished the day higher at 208.15 points, up 0.67 points, or 0.32 per cent.

During the trade, more than 87.6 million shares were traded on the northern exchange, worth nearly VN1.3 trillion.

Foreign investors, however, were net sellers on the market. Of which, they net sold a value of VN325.25 billion on HoSE while net bought VN12.39 billion on HNX.  VNS
(Photo : CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP) (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

A jury convicted a Proud Boys former leader, Enrique Tarrio, and several other members of seditious conspiracy for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot.

Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio found guilty of seditious conspiracy over involvement in Jan. 6 riot

Several other members of the right-wing extremist group were charged

One member was found not guilty of the rare criminal charge

A jury convicted Proud Boys former leader Enrique Tarrio of seditious conspiracy over his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol Hill riot, along with several members of the right-wing extremist group.

On top of the former head of the group, several members were also charged with seditious conspiracy, identified as Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl. They face several other charges, including three conspiracy charges, obstructing the Electoral College vote, and tampering with evidence.

Proud Boys Members Convicted of Seditious Conspiracy

The latest development is only the third time prosecutors were able to secure prosecutions for seditious conspiracy with the Justice Department's historic prosecution of people who joined the mob in the riot on the Capitol building, as per CNN.

The jury found a fifth defendant, identified as Dominic Pezzola, not guilty of the rare criminal charge after it returned on Thursday for several more hours of deliberations. They alleged he did not have a leadership position in the Proud Boys group and was considered inactive in the group's chats.

However, all five defendants were found guilty of several other charges related to the unprecedented Capitol siege. These charges include obstruction of an official proceeding, obstruction of law enforcement during civil disorder, and conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties.

Each Proud Boys member was convicted of at least one charge carrying a 20-year maximum prison sentence. Each of them could also face a lengthy amount of time behind bars for their actions.

Prosecutors in the case argued that Tarrio and other leaders of the far-right extremist group were the most significant drivers of the Capitol Hill riot. According to Politico, they claim that the defendants assembled what was considered a "fighting force" that traveled to the Capitol on the day of the incident.

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Role in the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill Riot

They added that several members of the Proud Boys were present for and involved in multiple breaches of police lines during the riot. Furthermore, the group members were thought to have celebrated their role in the breach afterward.

The recent verdicts are a significant development in the cases against individuals who joined the Jan. 6, 2021, siege. Five convicted defendants over seditious conspiracy belonged to the Proud Boys, while nine others were associated with the Oath Keepers, another far-right extremist group.

On top of the seditious conspiracy charge, a mistrial was declared on ten charges against the defendants. This was due to the jury failing to conclude a complicated trial that lasted almost four months, twice as long as officials initially planned.

The former Proud Boys leader, Tarrio, was sentenced with the charge despite not being in Washington on the day of the riot. Authorities arrested him two days prior over burning a Black Lives Matter banner and weapons charges, said BBC.

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HCM CITY  There remains ample room for expanding bilateral cooperation between Viet Nam and Luxembourg in trade and investment amid the global financial turmoil, said the Minister of Industry and Trade.

Speaking at the Viet Nam-Luxembourg Business Forum held in HCM City on Friday, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said, with the good bilateral relationship, especially in trade and investment, and a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in both countries, the two nations have favourable conditions to boost their cooperation.

Viet Nam sees Luxembourg as a bridge to the EU and Viet Nam will be a bridge for Luxembourg to penetrate into the ASEAN market, he added.

He assured investors from Europe in general and Luxembourg in particular that Viet Nam would continue to improve its business climate to protect any foreign investors.

Viet Nam will continue creating the most favourable conditions and safe and transparent investment climate for foreign investors, especially those from Luxembourg, he said.

It would select investment based on criteria such as quality, efficiency, technology and environmental protection with priority given to projects in the fields of high technology, innovation, research and development, and green and circular economy, among others, he said.

It would also need resources to develop its capital, stock, bond and credit markets, Dien said, expressing his hope to receive experience in those fields from Luxembourg.

Finance, green finance and banking have been the key pillars in the partnership between the two countries, according to Dien.

He said it was vital to mobilise resources to promote green finance, aiming for sustainable and inclusive development towards green growth to respond to climate change and protect the environment.

Viet Nam has signed a number free trade agreements (FTAs), such as EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and an agreement on the strategic partnership in green finance signed by both countries.

These trade pacts create favourable conditions for investors from Luxembourg and the EU to expand investment in Viet Nam, especially in areas such as engineering, manufacturing, electronics, chemicals, supporting industries, green financial services, banking and logistics, among others.

Speaking at the event, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said: Viet Nam has become one of the most dynamic economies in the region and the world.

Viet Nam is currently the eighth-largest foreign trade partner of Luxembourg while Luxembourg is also the third-largest European investor in Viet Nam.

Luxembourg businesses strongly believe that the relationship between the two countries will grow further in the time ahead, he added.

In the last five years, two-way trade between the two countries has tripled.

In the first quarter of 2023, bilateral trade grew 8.2 per cent year-on-year even in the context of the global economic slowdown.

The forum also saw the signing of cooperation agreements to strengthen trade relations between the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI) and the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce.

The forum was organised as part of the three-day visit to Viet Nam by Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations.

Within the framework of the visit, the Luxembourg PM yesterday also visited the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HOSE).

Speaking at the ceremony, the Luxembourg PM said Luxembourg has supported the development of Viet Nams stock market over the past 22 years, including training experts for the market.

The Luxembourg Government has also supported the Vietnamese Ministry of Finances State Securities Commission through a project to develop capital markets in Viet Nam, which was the first bilateral development cooperation project between Viet Nam and Luxembourg.

The two countries are also working together towards the establishment of a bilateral strategic partnership in green finance, aiming for sustainable and inclusive development, and implementing circular economy towards green growth.

As of March, Luxembourg had invested in 64 projects worth US$2.6 billion in Viet Nam, ranking third among 24 EU countries and 17th out of 139 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam.

Two-way trade reached $96 million in 2019, $110.7 million in 2020 and $181.6 million in 2021, up 64 per cent, after the Viet Nam-EU Free Trade Agreement took effect.

Last year, the figure reached $187.1 million, a surge of 69 per cent over 2020, with Viet Nams exports totaling $130.14 million.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nams tourism sector has continued to show positive signs of recovery with an increase in domestic and international tourist arrivals, bringing in revenue of VN24 trillion (US$1.02 billion) during the recent five-day-long holiday, the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said.

VNAT said the tourism sector served more than 300,000 international visitors and nearly seven million domestic visitors, including 3.2 million travellers staying overnight at accommodation establishments during the five days holiday.

The number of travellers increased by 40 per cent compared to the same period of last year, and the total revenue saw a 9 per cent increase compared to the same period of last year.

The occupancy rate at tourism sites was 60-100 per cent. Beaches, attractions and restaurants were full of groups of visitors during the holiday, it said.

In particular, Thanh Hoa Province was recorded as the leading destination with nearly 1.2 million visitors, an increase of 33.1 per cent compared to the same holiday period in 2022. The province enjoyed a revenue of VN2.8 trillion, an increase of 48.3 per cent compared to the same holiday period in 2022.

Other major localities across the country included Can Tho serving 982,000 visitors, HCM City serving 950,000 visitors, Nghe An serving about 780,000 visitors, and Ha Noi serving 719,000 visitors.

Quang Nam, Kien Giang, Quang Binh and Thua Thien-Hue were among the destinations with less than 300,000 visitors.

VNAT said during the recent holiday, travel companies, tour operators and airlines promoted stimulus tourism products that suited the trends and needs of tourists.

With preferential policies, discounts, and many new products introduced by travel agencies during the April 30-May 1 holiday, the number of tour bookings and air tickets increased.

Tourism businesses have renewed their products to attract a large number of tourists. Some examples of tourism events include the "Summer Kick-Off in Ha Noi, eco-tourism programs linked to historical, spiritual, and cultural heritage in Phu ong, and tours of national architectural and artistic heritage sites, such as the People's Council and People's Committee headquarters in HCM City.

In particular, maritime tourism products such as cruises and island tours were highly favoured by foreign tourists. Saigontourist Travel Company (Saigontourist) welcomed ten international groups with over 5,000 tourists from Germany, France, and other Asian countries to take boat tours on Ha Long Bay.

Vietravel served more than 10,000 international tourists, equivalent to one-third of the total foreign visitors during the holiday nationwide, with their sea tours and long-day boat tours.

Due to the high cost of domestic airline tickets in April, there was a sharp increase in Vietnamese tourists booking tours abroad to destinations such as Thailand, South Korea, and Indonesia. Despite ticket prices on some flight routes for the holidays being slightly reduced by about 10-15 per cent, the number of tourists remained low.

Nguyen Trung Khanh, head of the VNAT, said this years holiday showed positive signals that the tourism industry was continuing to maintain its recovery and had fully overcome the difficulties caused by the pandemic.

"Due to the relatively long holiday, most tourists preferred popular beaches in a Nang, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Quang Ninh and Hai Phong, or enjoyed visiting nearby tourist destinations for families or small groups," he said.

Khanh said the assurance of security and safety in tourism activities during the holiday season was well implemented by localities.

However, he said, there were congestions at some key tourism destinations and national highways during peak hours and a staff shortage, leading to the cancellation of services.  VNS
Nguyen Truong Giang, head of Viet Nam Minerals Department under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, spoke to Tai nguyen & Moi truong (Natural Resources & Environment) online newspaper about the urgency of compiling the Law on Geology and Minerals as well as the new points in the draft law.

How do you evaluate the implementation of the 2010 Law on Minerals?

The 2010 Law on Minerals, which was promulgated and took effect in 2010, is believed to be an important milestone for the State management of minerals. After more than a decade of the laws implementation, the system of legal documents on minerals has basically been completed, contributing to enhancing the effectiveness of State management and developing the mining industry. The survey and assessment of minerals have achieved many remarkable results, increasing national mineral reserves. The mining industry contributes significantly to important economic sectors such as oil and gas, coal, cement, iron, steel, chemicals and aluminium.

However, there are still inadequacies and shortcomings. These can be found in mechanisms and policies of mineral planning, protection of unexploited minerals and the interests of the locality and people where minerals are mined.

Although a number of new laws have been promulgated such as the Law on Planning, several laws have been amended including the Law on Environment Protection, the Law on Investment and the Law on Minerals have not yet been adjusted to match other laws. It is necessary to amend and supplement the 2010 Law on Minerals. (After the amendment, the revised 2010 Law on Minerals will be called the Law on Geology and Minerals following the Resolution No.126/NQ-CP, signed on September 27, 2022.)

What are the departments suggestions to remove shortcomings in the 2010 Law on Minerals and develop the Law on Geology and Minerals?

Resolution No.02-NQ/TW of the Politburo on orientations of the Strategy for minerals and mining industry by 2020, a vision towards 2030, was issued in 2010 at the same time as the 2010 Mineral Law was promulgated. The draft Law on Geology and Minerals has been compiled after the Politburo issued (on February, 2022) Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW on strategic orientations of geology, minerals and mining industry by 2030, a vision towards 2045. This is a very important political basis and the orientation for amending and supplementing the 2010 Law on Minerals.

One of the important tasks in the formulation of the Law on Geology and Minerals is to fully institutionalise the views of Resolution No. 10-NQ/TW. Geological and mineral resources are important resources for the socio-economic development of the country and a long-term reserve of the country that need to be fully planned and surveyed; centrally managed; and sustainably used to meet immediate and long-term demands.

The provisions of the Law on Geology and Minerals must be consistent with the Constitution and synchronous with relevant laws; easy to understand and highly feasible. They must promote investment in parallel with strengthening the efficiency of State management of geological and mineral resources, associated with the requirements of simplifying administrative procedures. They also must inherit the provisions of the 2010 Law on Minerals; abolish inadequate regulations; amend current regulations to fit with reality and requirements in State management of geological and mineral resources in the new situation.

They will focus on promoting decentralisation of powers for local governments so that localities can take initiative in socio-economic development, associated with assigned responsibilities and authority; setting up tools to control power, monitor implementation; handling the shortcomings in the field of geology and minerals.

At the same time, they will also clearly define the responsibilities of organisations and individuals that exploit minerals, the reinvestment of revenues from mineral extraction to develop education, health care, infrastructure and ensure social security for the locality and people where the minerals are exploited. They will complete regulations on auction of mining rights; grant licences for mining activities for minerals that are used as common building materials in accordance with reality, especially granting licences for infrastructure works and national key works.

In addition, they will improve the management mechanism according to market principles; strictly inspect and control mining activities to ensure fairness, publicity, transparency to avoid wastefulness of mineral resources.

What are new contents in the draft Law on Geology and Minerals to fix the 2010 Law on Minerals shortcomings?

The department has proposed new contents in the draft law, including policies and economic tools on geology and minerals; responsibilities of the Fatherland Front, socio-political organisations and community in the protection of mineral resources; information system, database and reporting policies on geology and minerals; regulations on exploiting minerals as common building materials to serve national key works and projects.

Specifically, the department submitted to supplement regulations for centralised management of geology and minerals, including geological and mineral information and data; regulations on investment capital sources for geological and mineral basic surveys and on State management of geological baseline surveys.

The department suggested to add a chapter on exploitation of mineral water and natural hot water. Mineral water and natural hot water are liquid and renewable minerals. The exploitation is simple, not affecting the environment much and not occupying many land areas. Therefore, it should issue separate regulations for the type of minerals.

The department also recommended to build a new chapter on basic geological survey, which contains specific provisions on basic survey of geological heritage and geo-park; geological hazards, environmental geology; engineering geology, urban geology; and other geological conditions.

The new chapter will complete regulations on storage and use of geological and mineral information, responsibilities of the State in basic surveys of geology and minerals; rights and obligations of organisations and individuals engaged in geological basic survey activities.  VNS
ABU DHABI  Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan held separate working sessions with leaders of the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy (AGDA), Masdar Clean Energy and Mubadala Investment Company, and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on May 3 and 4 during her trip to the country.

Meeting with AGDA leaders, Xuan hailed the important role of AGDA in research and training of diplomats and Government leaders of the UAE.

She affirmed Viet Nams consistent diplomatic policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, mutilateralisation, and diversification of external relations; being a friend, a trustworthy partner and an active and responsible member of the international community.

Both sides agreed to promote cooperation between AGDA and Viet Nams Diplomatic Academy and research institutes, build specific cooperation programmes in personnel training, sharing of research outcomes and assessments on the world and regional situation, and co-organise conferences and seminars on areas of mutual interest.



Visiting Masdar Clean Energy and Mubadala  the leading energy corporations of the UAE, Xuan hailed their pioneering role in developing clean and renewable energy projects in the UAE and the region. She also introduced incentives provided by the Vietnamese Government to attract foreign investment, especially in sustainable green development.

She affirmed that Viet Nam and the UAE hold great potential of cooperation in this field and wished that the two corporations would consider investing in energy projects in Viet Nam.

Leaders of Masdar Clean Energy and Mubadala agreed with Vice President Xuans cooperation proposals and affirmed their wish to meet Vietnamese partners to discuss specific cooperation opportunities in priority areas such as clean and renewable energy.

Meeting staff of Vietnamese representative agencies and representatives from the Vietnamese community in the country, Xuan affirmed the Vietnamese Party and States policy of paying special attention to the overseas Vietnamese (OV) community and asked the Vietnamese Embassy and the Community Liaison Board in the UAE to play a better role in connecting and helping OVs settle down lives, holding more community activities to preserve the cultural identity of the Vietnamese people.

The Vice President took note of recommendations made by the OV community to strengthen the Viet Nam-UAE ties and develop the Vietnamese community in the Middle East country.  VNS
LONDON  President Vo Van Thuong and his entourage arrived at Heathrow International Airport in London on May 4 afternoon (local time), beginning their visit to attend the coronation of King Charles III at the invitation of the Royal Family of the UK.

UK Ambassador to Viet Nam Iain Frew said this is a very significant moment as the UK has not had a coronation in the past seven decades. Therefore, it is of great importance that President Thuong, along with other leaders from around the world, comes to the UK to witness this meaningful event.

During his stay, the Vietnamese President is scheduled to meet King Charles III and Queen Camilla, leaders of the British government, parliament, and several Cabinet ministers, thereby further tightening ties between Viet Nam and the UK Government and monarchy as well as contributing to enhancing political trust and relations between the two countries.

The Vietnamese State leader is also due to meet representatives of leading economic corporations and educational institutions, and friendship organisations that have made significant contributions to the development of bilateral relations.

The UK is the third largest trade partner of Viet Nam in Europe. The two sides officially signed a Free Trade Agreement in December 2020 on the principle of inheriting the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) with necessary adjustments to ensure compliance with the framework of bilateral trade between Viet Nam and the UK.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK made significant contributions to COVAX Facility with the vaccine developed jointly by AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford. The UK donated millions of doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Viet Nam through both bilateral channels and COVAX Facility.  VNS
LONDON  State President Vo Van Thuong met with representatives of the Vietnamese expat community in the UK on May 4 (local time), upon his arrival in London in a trip to attend the coronation of King Charles III at the invitation of the Royal Family of the UK.

Expressing his delight at the strong growth of the group and their associations in the host nation, Thuong said their operations have helped boost the role and position of Vietnamese people in the UK and make effective contributions to Viet Nam's development and the nurturing of the Viet Nam-UK friendship. He also lauded the communities activities toward the home country, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic and for charity programmes.

The Vietnamese Party and State consider the Vietnamese expatriate community an indispensable part, the leader stated, saying he hopes the group will integrate well into the host nation, overcome difficulties, and obtain further successes.

Highlighting Viet Nam's consistent foreign diplomatic policy of independence, self-reliance and openness and the significance of the Viet Nam-UK relations, the President said the sides are stepping up cooperation in all fields toward an upgrade of their ties in the time to come.

The UK has many areas of strength and potential for the promotion of the bilateral collaboration such as industry, education, finance, currency, and pharmaceuticals, Thuong noted.

He affirmed his current visit aims to consolidate and reinforce the nations ties, political trust, and cooperation across all sectors.

At the gathering, Ambassador Nguyen Hoang Long said there are approximately 100,000 Vietnamese living, studying, and working across the UK, mostly in the capital.

He unveiled that the embassy and overseas Vietnamese associations are implementing a series of plans and programmes to introduce Viet Nam in London and several other major cities in the UK in marking the 50th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations this year.  VNS
HA NOI  National Assembly (NA) Chairman Vuong inh Hue received Chairman of the Japan-Viet Nam Parliamentary Friendship Alliance Nikai Toshihiro in Ha Noi on Friday.

At the meeting, the top legislator expressed his delight at the sound growth of the Viet Nam-Japan relations in many fields, particularly political trust, diplomacy, economy, trade-investment, and high-level delegation exchange. Japan has maintained its position as Viet Nam's No 1 partner in economy and official development assistance (ODA), No 2 in labour, No 3 in investment and tourism, and No 4 in trade, he said.

The Vietnamese NA highly appreciates the Japanese Government's implementation of a new-generation ODA programme with Viet Nam, which will contribute to the latters recovery in the post-COVID-19 period, said Hue.

For his part, Nikai highlighted the need to further strengthen cooperation between the Vietnamese and Japanese parliamentarians, especially young ones. With the COVID-19 epidemic effectively controlled and prevention and control measures relaxed, the two countries need to promote the resumption of their people-to-people exchanges, he added.

Currently, about 500,000 Vietnamese people are living, studying and working in Japan.

Nikai said that the two sides have cooperated very closely to solve problems related to Vietnamese apprentices in Japan and should sustain such cooperation in the time to come. He suggested the development of a collaboration framework to create more favourable conditions for Vietnamese agricultural apprentices in Japan.

Emphasising that the number of Vietnamese in Japan and vice versa is very large, Hue held that it is necessary to continue to cooperate to facilitate the two expatriate communities, especially via more favourable visa policies.

The NA Chairman expressed his support for the Japanese delegation's suggestions to promote cooperation in the areas of agriculture, apprentices, high-tech industry, retail, and exchanges between parliamentary friendship groups.

He took this occasion to invite the President of the House of Councillors and Speaker of the House of Representatives of Japan to visit Viet Nam. Hue proposed the two agencies support Viet Nam's hosting of the ninth Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians and send a delegation to attend the event in September.

He affirmed the Vietnamese NA is willing to coordinate in organising activities to mark the 50th founding anniversary of Viet Nam-Japan diplomatic relations this year and hopes that the two countries will have more cooperative works symbolising their ties in the new period.  VNS
LONDON  State President Vo Van Thuong and a high-ranking delegation of Viet Nam laid a wreath at a plaque commemorating late President Ho Chi Minh at New Zealand House on Haymarket Street in London on Friday morning (local time) as part of his trip to the UK to attend the coronation of King Charles III.

The delegation expressed gratitude to President Ho Chi Minh and reviewed his overseas journey for national salvation. Though his stay in the UK was not long, it helped form his political thought.

Vietnamese Ambassador to the UK Nguyen Hoang Long said President Ho Chi Minhs stay in the UK laid a foundation for the friendship between the two countries. The historical relic site at the New Zealand House and some other places linked with him in London are important to helping British and international friends learn about the history and the struggle for national liberation of Viet Nam and also promote the two countries friendship.

Long also described the late leaders patriotism during the national salvation journey as a great example for young Vietnamese in the UK to follow.

The 19-storey New Zealand House on Haymarket, located at the centre of London, was built on the ground of Carlton Hotel, a luxury hotel operating from 1899 to 1940, where the late leader of Viet Nam worked as a kitchenhand.

The facade of this building is attached with a blue plaque of the UK - Viet Nam Friendship Association reading: Ho Chi Minh (1890 - 1969), founder of modern Viet Nam, worked in 1913 at the Calton Hotel which stood on this site.

Many other places in London were also associated with President Ho Chi Minh during that time, including Drayton Court Hotel, Soho Square, and Marx Memorial Library.  VNS
LONDON  State President Vo Van Thuong said he highly appreciated the establishment of the digital and green economic partnership between Viet Nam and Singapore, which aims to bring the cooperative relationship to a new, sustainable stage that is in line with the trend.

He was speaking on May 5 at a meeting with Singaporean President Halimah Yacob in London on his arrival to attend the coronation of King Charles III at the invitation of the Royal Family of the UK.

Thuong expressed his pleasure at the recent developments in the bilateral relations with Singapore in all fields.

He said this year marked the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Viet Nam-Singapore Strategic Partnership, so both countries needed to continue to take effective measures to elevate the relationship to new heights.

The two sides needed to maintain exchanges at all levels, especially at high levels, and strengthen cooperation in investment, trade, education and training, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

He expressed his hope that both countries would continue to enhance their exchanges and closely coordinate in international and multilateral forums, particularly at the United Nations and ASEAN.

The Singaporean President expressed her desire for the two countries to cooperate even more closely through successful platforms such as the Viet Nam - Singapore industrial parks and in new areas of cooperation such as renewable energy, digital transformation, and carbon credit markets.

She agreed with Thuong's proposal to strengthen cooperation in training personnel as well as in innovative fields.

The two leaders exchanged views and agreed on the importance of promoting the strategic partnership between the two countries, with a focus on enhancing political trust and expanding cooperation in the areas of economy, trade, security, cultural exchange, education, and people-to-people exchanges.

Both sides emphasised the importance of building a united, self-reliant ASEAN community which plays a central role in the shaping of the regional structure, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, resolving disputes peacefully, and fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and concluding effective and substantive negotiations on the Code of Conduct (COC) that are in line with international law.

During the meeting with the Vice President of the Cuban Council of State Salvador Valdes Mesa, President Thuong expressed his pleasure that Cuba always kept track of and stayed updated on the development situation of Viet Nam.

Thuong affirmed that Cuba held an important position in Viet Nam's foreign policy and that Viet Nam would always work closely with Cuba to continue nurturing the relationship between the two nations.

Cuban Vice President Salvador Valdes Mesa suggested that both sides continue to enhance the effectiveness of exchange at all levels, as well as actively coordinate and support each other in international forums.
(Photo : Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)

Canada is considering expelling a Chinese diplomat over alleged attempts to track down the family of a lawmaker and intimidating them.

Canada is considering expelling a Chinese diplomat over alleged attempts to track and intimidate them

Canada's foreign minister said that the incident was detailed in a 2021 intelligence report

Joly raised the issue after Michael Chong raised a question about the Chinese diplomat

Canadian authorities are considering expelling a Chinese diplomat and pressuring Beijing over the individual's alleged attempt to track down and intimidate a Canadian lawmaker and his family.

On Thursday, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly revealed that a 2021 intelligence report noted that the Chinese diplomat was looking to track down the Canadian lawmaker's family in Hong Kong.

Canada Considering Expelling Chinese Diplomat

In a statement during a parliamentary committee meeting, Joly said that her deputy minister was already meeting with the Chinese ambassador and was summoning him. She noted that they had discussed various options, including the expulsion of diplomats.

The foreign minister's remarks were in response to a question raised by Michael Chong. He questioned why the minister continues to allow the Chinese diplomat to be accredited in the country, as per Reuters.

On Monday, Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper said that Beijing tried to acquire information regarding Chong and his family. Many believed this was an effort to "make an example" of him and discourage others from taking any positions that opposed the People's Republic of China (PRC). Still, the Chinese consulate in Toronto denied the report.

In a statement, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that he found out about the intelligence report from the newspaper. On Wednesday, he blamed the spy agency for not allowing him to review the matter beforehand.

But on Thursday, Chong revealed that Truduea's national security advisor informed him that the report had already been circulated to the Privy Council Office. It is the one that supported the prime minister and his Cabinet in 2021.

On the other hand, China's embassy in Ottawa did not release a statement about the situation or respond to requests for comments. According to CNN, in a statement, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that Beijing always opposes any country's alleged interference in other nations' internal affairs.

Read Also: Hungary's Prime Minister Speaks Out Against Woke Culture, LGBTQ Rights

Alleged Attempt to Track, Intimidate Canadian Lawmaker

Joly added that they were concerned about potential Chinese retaliation, saying the PRC would most likely take action against their interests. She noted that the situation would affect economic, consumer, and diplomatic interests.

China allegedly targeted Chong over his remarks where he criticized Beijing over its treatment of the Uighur minority, calling actions against them a genocide. However, Chinese authorities denied the accusations and later sanctioned the Canadian lawmaker.

The lawmaker said that with his family being abroad, targeting such individuals to intimidate and coerce Canadians at home was considered a severe and national threat. Despite his stance on the matter, Trudeau said that the CSIS did not raise the issue to a higher level because it needed to be a significant enough concern.

The summoning of an ambassador is usually used as a diplomatic tool by one nation to express its anger over another country. The development comes as Canada has accused Beijing of previously trying to interfere in Canadian elections, said BBC.

Related Article: Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, UN to Discuss Ukrainian Grain Exports Across Black Sea

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HA NOI  Boosting many agricultural products with high economic value, Ha Nois agriculture sector has coordinated with localities to support farmers, cooperatives and businesses to meet local consumption and export demand.

One of the speciality products of the capital city is mia chicken which was included in the list of precious livestock genetic resources by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in 2005.

Ha Noi Agricultural Development and Investment Company is currently the largest facility in the northern region for farming mia chicken, with 10,000 purebred chickens.

According to the Director of the companys Poultry Farming Enterprise, Nguyen Duy Vu, the chickens are raised on a farm covering 11 ha in Ba Vi District, Ha Noi.

The company provides the market with about 2 million breed chickens a year with advanced equipment and technology.

Longan is another agricultural produce that farmers in ai Thanh Commune in Quoc Oai District are proud of.

Nguyen Van Thanh, a farmer, has 120 longan trees that produce 30-35 tonnes a year with revenues of hundreds of million dong.

Ha Nois agricultural sector has cooperated with localities to build and develop brands for their speciality products.

Deputy Director of the citys Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ta Van Tuong said that the capital city had promoted brands for 40 key agricultural products.

The city authorities have also promoted the One Commune One Product (OCOP) Programme, which prioritises the development of products in which Ha Noi has strength.

Tuong said: Some agricultural products of Ha Noi are of high quality, which are not only strongly consumed in the domestic market but are also exported to other countries. ai Thanh longan (in Quoc Oai District) has been exported to the US, Australia, and Malaysia; ong Phu organic rice has been exported to Germany; Van uc vegetables have been exported to South Korea, tieu hong banana has been exported to China.

Despite the promising potential, many challenges in promoting agricultural produce remain. Many products are produced at a small, fragmented scale that lacks connectivity.

Some households have not paid attention to traceability, making it difficult for businesses to purchase products.

To make the products more accessible, local households need to pay more attention to product quality, packaging design, and application of science and technology.

According to Le Huu Dien, Director of uc Hau Luu Quang Clean Agricultural Cooperative (Trung Hoa Commune, Chuong My District), his cooperative is producing and expanding the growing area of Dien pomelo.

He suggested the authorities support cooperatives with capital and application of high technology in processing and harvesting products.

He said it was also important to open training courses to improve farming skills for farmers, help connect cooperatives with businesses, and bring local products to modern distribution channels.

Vice Chairman of Ung Hoa District People's Committee Ngo Tien Hoang said that the district encouraged local farmers and cooperatives to improve quality and diversify their products.

The district also supported cooperatives to invest in modern machinery and equipment for the production, preservation and processing of products, develop design trademarks, and improve product packaging for some agricultural products.

Deputy Director of Ha Nois Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Ta Van Tuong said that the city would continue to have support to improve product quality and production capacity and expand the market.

In addition, the citys agricultural sector cooperated with localities to build raw material areas based on the competitive advantages of selected key agricultural products.

He highlighted the importance of developing a standard procedure to ensure food safety and hygiene for different steps, from production to pest prevention, transportation, processing and preservation.

The Agricultural, Forestry and Fisheries Quality Management Division would coordinate with localities to organise training for individuals and businesses on regulations to ensure food quality and safety, as well as control over food import and export, said Nguyen Thi Thu Hang, Director of the Division.

It would also strengthen communication work on trade agreements, including FTAs, EVFTA, and CPTPP, and support agricultural product processing facilities to apply the international quality certification system, including ISO, and HACCP.  VNS
HA NOI  The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) will conduct a comprehensive inspection of TikTok's activities in Viet Nam from May 15, given its continuous and regular violations, the ministry announced on Friday.

Le Quang Tu Do, head of the MICs Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, said the probe will last until the end of May.

A dispatch was sent to ministries and sectors requesting them to send personnel to join the inspection team, Do stated, adding that the MIC will have a comprehensive assessment of the impacts and influences of the cross-border platform on the community, especially on young people.

TikTok, along with its Chinese counterpart Douyin, is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.

Viet Nam has the sixth most TikTok users in the world. In February, about 49.9 million people were using TikTok in Viet Nam, according to DataReportal.

Last month, MIC announced six major violations committed by TikTok in Viet Nam.

First, TikTok failed to handle violations in content related to politics, hostile activities against the Party and Government, fake news, and harmful content.

Second, TikTok used an automated algorithm to create trends and spread content for views, regardless of its offensive content, which hurts the community and youth.

Third, it lacks effective measures to prevent the sale of counterfeit goods, illicit drugs and supplements with unknown origins.

Fourth, this short-form video platform failed to manage the activities of TikTok idols, with many of whom creating inappropriate content to attract viewers curiosity. For example, some TikTok idols have recently created unsuitable online challenges, in which the more shocking and offensive the content is, the more gifts or money they receive. TikTok receives 70 per cent of the total revenue from such challenges.

Fifth, non-copyrighted content has been rampant on this platform without any effective prevention measures from TikTok.

Finally, TikTok has no effective measures to prevent users from using someone elses private and personal images to spread fake news or defame and insult others. VNS
HA NOI  A spokesman for Vietnam Airlines said on Friday that the company is investigating a pilot whose initial drug test returned positive for ketamine.

The pilot, only identified as P.H.D.1, is temporarily suspended from work while awaiting the official conclusion.

He initially refused a pre-flight drug test with his flight crew on April 25 before being taken to a Medlatec office at 141 Ngo Gia Tu, Long Bien District, Ha Noi for a clinical drug test.

The next day, Medlatec Hospital returned the results showing that ketamine was found.

ang Anh Tuan, the official airline spokesman for the case, said the positive result is from an initial test that needs further examination.

On Friday noon, the Deputy Director of the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam, Ho Minh Tan, also said that there was still a need for in-depth medical tests.

It is because there are cases where the initial test result returns positive and then negative the second time, or the person may be taking medications with by-products related to the substance being tested, he added.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam is also working on an official test for the pilot at a hospital before issuing a final conclusion.

If the results show that this pilot has used a banned substance, according to current regulations, the pilot's licence will be revoked permanently.

ang Anh Tuan said that the health check of the pilot is a routine performed by the airline, both periodically and irregularly.

"We always ensure that the safety of operation, the safety and the health of passengers and employees is always the most important goal," said Tuan.

"Therefore, the airline always proactively inspects and reviews to detect and handle promptly handle cases of violations of rules and regulations in this field."

The pilot also submitted two painkillers they are taking without a doctor's prescription.

However, the active ingredient in pain relievers does not have ketamine-related ingredients, while the body's metabolism process does not produce this substance.  VNS
HA NOI  Viet Nam recorded 3,399 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, the highest daily number over the past six months, according to the Ministry of Health.

The new cases brought the total number of COVID-19 infections in the country since the pandemic broke out to 11,571,127.

The same day, 997 patients were given the all-clear from coronavirus, lifting the number of recoveries to 10,625,838.

Meanwhile, the death toll was still kept at 43,195, accounting for 0.4 per cent of the total number of infections, as no fatality was reported on the day.

As many as 15,550 doses of COVID-19 vaccines were injected to people on Thursday, raising the total number of administered doses to almost 266.27 million.  VNS
Close to 30 years has passed since Vietnam and the U.S. normalized ties, their two-way trade rose over 300-fold to US$138 billion in 2022 from $450 million in 1995.
At last weeks AGMs, numerous credit institutions expressed their intention to execute more buyout deals, as it is likely that merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the banking sector will remain a key driver of change and innovation in the industry.

One key aspect that the Sacombanks board addressed is the foreign ownership limit (FOL) of the banks shares. In May 2021, Vietnam Securities Depository readjusted Sacombanks FOL back to the original level of 30 per cent.

Do Quang Hien, board chairman at Saigon-Hanoi Bank (SHB), revealed that the bank is engaged in negotiations with several international partners.

He indicated that SHBs strategy for attracting strategic foreign investors is to seek long-term partners who are willing to get involved in strategic management and share technology and other resources. However, as most foreign investors tend to limit their involvement to strictly financial investment, SHB must alter its strategy to pursue the right kind of capital from major overseas institutions.

SHB is currently attracting a lot of interest from foreign suitors. However, being selected as an appropriate investor requires strong financial capability and a willingness to engage in long-term investment. The Board of Directors is approaching some investors with a 3-5-year strategy, said Hien, By the end of this year or early next year, SHB expects to have an eligible partner.

Elsewhere, LPBank currently sets its foreign ownership limit ratio at 5 per cent. CEO Ho Nam Tien revealed that the bank is currently searching for foreign investors who are aligned with its strategy.

One notable trend in the Vietnamese banking M&A market has been the acquisition of weaker banks by stronger institutions. This consolidation is driven by a variety of factors, including the need for increased scale and efficiency, the desire to gain access to new customer segments, and the need to mitigate risk

In response to the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) call for credit institution restructuring and bad debt settlement, Vietcombank, MB, VPBank, and HDBank have expressed their willingness to aid weaker banks as part of the transfer programme.

Viet Capital Securities in February identified specific banks that these institutions plan to prop up, with Vietcombank to support CB Bank, MB to back Ocean Bank, VPBank to support GP Bank, and HDBank to help Dong A Bank.

Furthermore, these supporting banks will receive certain benefits, including exemption from merging distressed banks financial statements, allowance for separate consolidated capital adequacy ratios, and greater credit ceilings from the SBV.

These banks will also be permitted to sell/transfer, combine, or operate distressed banks as a subsidiary following the completion of the reorganisation plan.

Pham Quang Dung, chairman of Vietcombank, revealed last week that the bank has completed the mandatory transfer plan with a weak local bank and is awaiting approval from the SBV. Vietcombank had just announced its plan to issue private placements to foreign investors in 2023-2024, and is currently following the necessary procedures.

Likewise, Pham Nhu Anh, MBs deputy executive officer in charge of the banks board, also announced that the mandatory transfer of ownership between MB and a local lender was presented and approved.

Currently, we are in the process of valuing the bank for the mandatory transfer of ownership. According to the SBVs regulations, the valuation process takes 11 months, starting from March, Anh said at MBs AGM last week.

In the midst of all this, HDBanks board revealed its intentions to expand its reach by acquiring a struggling bank in Vietnam. As of now, the bank is still in the process of wrapping up the necessary legal documentation to finalise the acquisition.

However, there is a hint of uncertainty surrounding whether or not HDBank will be able to achieve its FOL of 49 per cent.

As Nguyen Thi Phuong Thao, standing vice chairwoman of HDBanks board explained, the SBV have set regulations to enable credit institutions to acquire weaker banks and raise their FOL. But, the details surrounding these guidelines are still undisclosed.

On the other hand, some banks have failed to persuade their shareholders to agree with their M&A plans. Last week, MSB indicated a potential M&A deal with a currently operating commercial bank in Vietnam, rumoured to be PGBank.

Despite numerous market speculations regarding the identity of MSBs merger target, shareholders raised concerns during the meeting, citing previous unsuccessful merger cases within the banking system, and questioned the potential hasty approach of MSBs merger decision-making.

However, the outcome of the AGM has left the fate of the proposed merger with a Vietnamese financial institution hanging by a thread, as only slightly more than 56 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the proposal, failing to meet the required threshold of 65 per cent.

Meanwhile, Vietnam National Petroleum Group (Petrolimex) has accomplished the transfer of their entire 40 per cent capital contribution in subsidiary PGBank.

Three triumphant bidders also emerged as the new shareholders of PG Bank  Cuong Phat Corporation, Vu Anh Duc Trading Corporation, and Gia Linh Import-Export and Trading Development.

The three entities each acquired a substantial portion of PG Bank shares, with a near-even split of roughly 13 per cent each, totaling a staggering 120 million shares.

Earlier in March, VPBank announced the sale of 15 per cent to SMBC Financial Group of Japan for nearly $1.5 billion. The investment will catapult VPBanks total equity to approximately VND140 trillion ($5.96 billion), cementing its position as the second-largest equity lender in the system.

vir
The State Bank presents a capital increase plan for 4 big banks

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has just issued a report on the additional evaluation of the results of the socio-economic development plan in 2022, the implementation of the socio-economic development plan, and the banking activities in the first months of 2023 to the Economic Committee of the National Assembly.

The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) said it is coordinating with relevant ministries and sectors to consider and submit to the competent authorities for approval a plan to increase charter capital from after-tax profits after setting aside funds for the 2021-2023 period for joint stock commercial banks where the State holds more than 50% of charter capital (Vietcombank, Vietinbank, BIDV) and from the state budget (Agribank).

At the same time, the SBV submitted to the Prime Minister a plan to supplement state capital in Vietcombank by paying dividends in shares from the remaining profit in 2019 and 2020 after paying cash dividends.

Notably, the SBV also submitted a draft report to the National Assembly on the plan to increase Agribank's charter capital to the Prime Minister.

As an operator, the State Bank has also directed Vietcombank, Vietinbank, and BIDV to draft a strategy to enhance charter capital from after-tax revenues, which the Prime Minister approved in 2021.

The plan to increase the capital of the Big 4 group

Based on the data published by the State Bank, by the end of January 2023, the charter capital of four state-owned commercial banks (Agribank, Vietcombank, VietinBank, and BIDV) reached VND 180,400 billion. Total assets exceeded 7.3 million billion VND.

The Big 4 group

has mobilized capital from Market 1 with more than

5.8 million billion dongs

. Outstanding loans to market 1 reached 5.3 million billion dongs.

Previously, as Sputnik newspaper reported, at the 2023 annual general meeting of shareholders in April, Vietcombank Chairman Pham Quang Dung said that VCB is implementing three capital increase contents.

According to Mr. Dung, Vietcombank increased its capital from the profit in 2020 and the remaining profit in 2019 with the issuance rate of 18.1% approved by the Government. On April 19, the State Bank of Vietnam also approved the capital increase plan of Vietcombank. Thus, within about one month, Vietcombank will complete the capital increase.

Capital increase based on 2021 earnings, and the remaining accumulated profit comes before 2018 with a rise of approximately VND 27,000 billion. The State Bank and the Ministry of Finance have agreed upon the capital increase policy and are preparing procedures to submit to the competent authorities for approval. The National Assembly must approve the capital described above increase, according to regulations.

According to

CafeF news

, to Vietcombank's private placement plan for foreign investors, this bank is implementing procedural steps and is stopping hiring a financial consulting organization. According to this plan, Vietcombank will implement it in 2023 - 2024.

Deputy General Director Phung Nguyen Hai Yen told more about the dividend plan that Vietcombank would pay a stock dividend from the profit in 2020, and the remaining gain in 2019 at the rate of 18.1% will be implemented steps and implementation in May 2023.

For Agribank, on April 25, the Government issued a Resolution on additional investment in charter capital for this bank. Accordingly, the Governor of the State Bank will be authorized by the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Government, to report to the National Assembly on additional charter capital for Agribank in the 2021-2023 period by 17,100 billion VND.

Additional capital for the Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development will be taken from the 2023 central budget expenditure estimate approved by the National Assembly, over

VND 6,750 billion

. The remaining nearly 10,350 billion VND will be allocated from the State budget and transferred in 2024.

As for VietinBank, this bank plans to increase its charter capital by issuing shares to pay dividends from the remaining profit in 2021 and the remaining profit accumulated until the end of 2016.

Vietinbank leaders said 12,330 billion dongs of retained earnings to pay dividends in shares. The issue volume is more than 1.2 billion units.

Previously, according to

Tien Phong Newspaper

, VietinBank's 2022 annual general meeting of shareholders approved a plan to increase charter capital from more than 48,000 billion VND to 53,700 billion VND. However, it still needs to be completed source for implementation from the remaining profit in 2020.

The State Bank appoints a representative of the state capital at BIDV.

Particularly at BIDV, the Bank for Investment and Development plans to increase its charter capital to more than 61,557 billion in 2023 through two issuances of shares.

Phase 1, the bank will issue nearly 642 million shares to pay dividends to shareholders, the rate of 12.69% of outstanding shares as of December 31, 2022; charter capital will increase by more than 6,419 billion dongs.

In the second phase, BIDV privately issues or offers the public more than 455 million shares (expected 9% of charter capital as of December 31, 2022). Charter capital under this plan will increase by VND 4,552 billion.

BIDV plans to use 11,634 billion dongs of retained earnings in 2022 to pay stock dividends, equivalent to 23% of charter capital as of December 31, 2022.

Recently, the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) announced the decision of the Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam to appoint a representative of the state capital at BIDV.

According to the decision of the Governor of the State Bank, Mr. Dang Van Tuyen - A member of the Board of Directors of BIDV for the term 2022 - 2027, was appointed as the representative of 30% of the State capital at BIDV from April 28.

Previously, the General Meeting of Shareholders of BIDV agreed to elect Mr. Dang Van Tuyen, Director of the Organization and Personnel Department of the State Bank, to the BIDV Board of Directors for 2022 - 2027.

Mr. Dang Van Tuyen (born in 1973) used to work at the State Bank from April 1996 to the present and went from the position of expert to Inspector of the Central Bank, Specialist, Deputy Head, Head of the Department of Organization and Personnel Department of the State Bank; Deputy Director of the Department of Organization and Personnel of the State Bank of Vietnam.

Overall, Vietnam's state-owned banks are doing well. The newly released consolidated financial statements for the first quarter of 2023 showed that the three state-owned joint-stock commercial banks, Vietcombank, BIDV, and VietinBank, continued to maintain their growth momentum, of which the strongest was BIDV (52.8%), Vietcombank (13%), and VietinBank had the lowest growth rate (3%).
The Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam, Vietnam Poultry Association, and Vietnam Association of Ruminant Husbandry in April sent a document to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) to propose adding land to the livestock sector into the amended Law on Land.

Available land on the wane for Vietnams livestock businesses- illustration photo/ Source:Japfa Vietnam

Allocating land for livestock is an urgent requirement of the segment if it is to contribute to hitting the target of attracting $25 billion to the agricultural sector by 2030.

According to the proposal, a large volume of households and livestock companies are suffering losses, and on the verge of bankruptcy. One of the reasons is that the land available for livestock has been narrowed down alongside strict requirements.

Livestock value accounts for almost one-quarter of the total value of the agro-forestry-fishery sector. The land area for the agricultural sector about 27.98 million hectares, including 11.7 million ha for cultivated land, 15.4 million ha for forestry, 800,000ha for the aquacultural sector, 15,600ha for salt production land, and 58,500ha for other agricultural land. The land available for livestock is extremely modest.

In addition, the available land for the relocation plan of livestock facilities is still in question. According to a decision approving the animal husbandry development strategy for the 2021-2030 period, the land for the relocation of livestock facilities is large and the deadline for relocation is January 2025.

In the southern province of Dong Nai, a hub for some of the largest livestock companies, the provincial Peoples Committee revealed in February that it required the relocation of 2,100 breeding farms and to shut down about 900 breeding facilities before 2025. The drastic move is to remove livestock facilities from residential areas, which are causing vast environmental pollution.

A minimum area for a livestock facility is 1-5ha. Thus the province needs at least 3,000-15,000ha of land for building farms, excluding the surrounding area, to ensure the biosecurity for the resident areas. The total area for this relocation is hundreds of thousands of hectares, said the Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam.

The three associations also proposed that land for the concentrated livestock sector was applied and explained clearly to all localities to avoid risks for livestock companies. Many companies are confused about the concept, leading to unexpected violations.

Livestock farms are conditional production and business establishments that must ensure disease and environmental control requirements, and have a minimum distance from residential areas and public works.

For example, Japfa Comfeed Vietnam has invested in developing more than 1,000 swine and poultry farms in Vietnam. A company representative said, An average farm and outsourcing farms have an average investment up to VND100 billion ($4.34 million) and the time to recoup capital is long.

If there is no clear concept of land area for the concentrated livestock sector, localities may either permit households to live near farms or build public buildings near the farms. As a result, the companies farms accidentally violate biosecurity regulations and are then unreasonably forced to move, the representative said. If this situation is not resolved soon, it will be difficult to build a sustainable livestock sector and investors will be cautious with any expansion plans.

Japfa has been in the animal feed industry in Vietnam since 1996. Currently, the company owns eight modern feed mills in a distribution network that covers all cities and provinces across the country.

Vietnams target to realise $25 billion in agricultural investment from abroad is part of a draft strategy for international cooperation in agriculture and rural development, which was unveiled in February at a special conference.

Vu Anh Tuan, deputy general director of C.P. Vietnam, said the business had increased herds from September 2019. By the end of 2020, the total herd of sows had increased by 8 per cent. However, like Japfa Comfeed Vietnam, it has difficulty obtaining land to build new camps that meet biosecurity regulations.

We suggest that there should be new large farms to replace family ones, so it needs support in terms of land resources and procedures, Tuan said.

In addition, the company wants localities to have incentives for businesses when building a system of livestock and slaughter plants, so that businesses can boldly invest and reduce intermediary costs, thereby reducing production costs.

The amended Law on Land has received the close attention of enterprises in agriculture, and livestock in particular. In early March, the MoNRE stablished a taskforce to review and comment on the amended law. Currently, the taskforce has received 70 comments and proposals. The comments focused on the main groups of issues related to the agricultural sector, such as how the land law and specialised laws will be applied in the future, as well as how rice fields are managed, including land accumulation and compensation.

All options on the table as livestock firms take on losses Livestock businesses in Vietnam are struggling with record low profits after a drop in both prices and demand.

All options on the table as livestock firms take on losses Livestock businesses in Vietnam are struggling with record low profits after a drop in both prices and demand.
Bac Giang grants licences to projects worth 132 million USD, At the ceremony (Photo: VNA)

Bac Giang  The authorities of the northern province of Bac Giang on May 4 presented certificates recognising investment registration to two Singaporean-funded projects worth 132 million USD in the local districts of Viet Yen and Yen Dung.

One of the projects is invested by the Singaporean-based HIUV Applied Materials Technology Investment Pte. Ltd and located at Viet Yens Viet Han industrial park. The 90-million-USD project, set to span some 52,803 sq.m. of land, aims to manufacture self-adhesive PET protective films, EAV films, silicone films, film materials, and plastic products and materials serving the solar energy industry.

After being operational following its 12-month of construction, the facility is expected to employ about 300 people and contribute to the State budget approximately 44.5 billion VND (1.89 million USD) per year.

The second is a 42-million-USD factory by the Yonz Technology Singapore Pte. Ltd. at the Yen Lu industrial park, Yen Dung district. Covering about 100,000 sq.m., it is designed to annually produce some 110,000 tonnes of aluminum frames for the solar battery manufacturing and assembly industry. Expected to be completed in 24 months after receiving the certificate, the plant will create nearly 1,090 jobs and annually contribute to the State budget approximately 187 billion VND.

Addressing the certificate handover ceremony, the investors said they hope to help perfect the solar energy ecosystem and contribute to the economic development of Bac Giang. They said they are committed to strictly comply with Vietnams laws.

Vice Chairman of the provincial People's Committee Phan The Tuan pledged the best conditions possible within the legal framework for investors.

Bac Giang now houses 493 foreign-invested projects valued over 9.1 billion USD.

Bac Giang welcomes two projects worth $700 million On the first days of 2023, the northern province of Bac Giang is welcoming two projects from Singapore and China with the total investment capital of $760 million.

Bac Giang province invests in developing transport infrastructure Besides State capital, the northern province of Bac Giang will attract non-State capital for investment in the field, particularly that from businesses to develop transport services infrastructure like inland waterway ports, bus stations, parking lots, and roadside rest stops.

Bac Giang earmarks 3.5 billion VND to encourage industry development The northern province of Bac Giang will earmark 3.5 billion VND (149,250 USD) to activities to facilitate industrial development in the province. The funds have been approved by the provincial Peoples Committee.
This is your first visit to Vietnam in this role. How do you evaluate the potential of cooperation between Vietnam and Switzerland in trading and agriculture?

Christian Hofer, director-general for the Federal Office of Agriculture from Switzerland

I think there is enormous potential. Both countries are committed to sustainable production and consumption and they are interested in supporting in the worlds transformation of the food system. In our nations, it is possible to create products now, but also for the next generation while protecting the environment and to having welfare on the farming side.

Switzerland is maybe a small market in terms of consumers, but we have consumers that want to buy products with a high value. And in Vietnam, the country produces products for export that are also vital for Switzerland, for example, coffee, and cashew nuts. These products are important for Switzerland.

If we have the same philosophy that if you have a sustainable production of a high-value of product, you have the market in Switzerland, you find the market to sell it and on the other hand, you also have a market with 100 million consumers. And if we collaborate and have trade, then we can profit from each other. So Switzerland and Vietnam are very close to each other in their philosophy.

The investment capital inflow in the agricultural sector is modest. What is your proposal to improve this situation, especially attracting capital from EU investors?

Vietnam is already attractive to Swiss investors. In reality, numerous Swiss companies are investing in the country, including big companies such as Nestle. And important for the investors is the stability of the economy that when they come to Vietnam. They invest not only for today or tomorrow  they have a long-term strategy, and if Vietnam can give them trust if they invest, its also an investment for the long term.

One key aspect is the support from the government in producing high-quality products. We try to support the whole value chain to succeed in the high criteria of quality. It could be organic farming or it could be auto-labels, to really reach the criteria that you can use to succeed in the markets in Switzerland or in Europe as a whole.

Another important thing is when companies are investing in Vietnam, their products have also a perspective in the world market and we can collaborate with the government to support the know-how of the companies.

Switzerland has well-developed agriculture, so how can Vietnam learn the lessons and experience from your country?

Maybe first of all, its learning from each other. So when we are here, like our visit to Son Ha Spice and Flavorings, we learn from them. We saw the experience and the working spirit. And perhaps Vietnam can learn something from us.

For 30 years, Switzerland has tried to motivate farmers to produce in a sustainable way. There, its crucial that you can connect the farmers with the market so that they can profit from that market with high-quality products. We put some incentives to the farmers that they produce in an organic way. Some years ago, our political system supported the farmers to produce only in a high amount, with high yield. And now the government gives incentives to farmers that are not only producing a high amount, but a high quality. That is something to think about, certainly.

Another thing is that, in the end, its always the consumer who is deciding what he is buying and he also decides a little bit at the end what the farm is producing. Vietnam should not only should look at the farming side, but should also educate consumers to make it transparent. You can communicate with consumers and if you can connect them, they may want to buy more sustainable products from the farmers that produce for the market.

Vietnam and the four EFTA nations (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland) have been looking at a free trade agreement, but negotiations are taking some time. What is Switzerland doing to accelerate the talks?

On both sides we should take the chance to develop this negotiation and to look if we can really find a solution with a trade agreement. Ive seen first-hand that the Vietnamese and Swiss markets could work concurrently with each other; were not in a competition.

So, Vietnam offers products we dont have in Switzerland, we can use them, and they offer more diversity in the products available in Switzerland. And on the other hand, we have some products, like cheese, for the Vietnamese market. With these types of exchange, its a synergy and a win-win situation. Thats why both parties should be interested in taking that chance and developing the discussion to finalise an agreement.

Switzerland supports Vietnam in enhancing trade policy and export promotion Switzerland and Vietnam signed an agreement on the implementation of the Trade Policy and Export Promotion (SwissTrade) project on October 22 to improve trade performance and international competitiveness of small- and medium-sized enterprises by enhancing the framework conditions for trade, improving public-private dialogue mechanisms, and strengthening the eco-system for trade promotion.
(Photo : ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images)

A hypersonic startup's hydrogen-powered jet aims to speed up London to New York flights to merely 90 minutes.

(Not the actual photo)

A hypersonic startup in Europe is testing a hydrogen-powered jet, which could speed up a London to New York flight to merely 90 minutes or one and a half hours.

On top of that, the European startup aims to cut travel time from Frankfurt to Sydney to more than four hours.

Hypersonic Hydrogen-Powered Jet to Speed Up Flights

CNN says two decades have passed since the last supersonic Concorde jet made its final commercial passenger flight. It was the end of an era of super-fast travel. And since then, we have not seen anything like that in the market.

History.com notes that the last supersonic jet commercial flight, which traveled at an ultra-fast twice the speed of sound, flew from the John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City to the Heathrow Airport in London on October 24, 2003.

Back then, the supersonic flight from New York to London only lasted roughly three hours. But this time, a new hypersonic startup plans to beat that feat.

The new European startup, Destinus, seeks to offer flights from London to New York in 90 minutes. CNN notes that travel time from Memphis to Dubai could shorten to three and a half hours. According to Forbes, flying from Australia to Europe only takes about one and a half hours.

Essentially, the Destinus hydrogen-powered concept flight seeks to travel five times the speed of sound. In turn, it should deliver flights that are more or less a quarter faster than most passenger flights.

Read Also: Here's the Real Reason US Is Motivated To Develop Hypersonic Weapons ASAP

Why Does Destinus Use Hydrogen?

The European startup, founded in 2021, is based in Canton Vaud, Switzerland, composed of over 120 staff in various parts of the region, such as Germany, France, and Spain. Although the firm is relatively new, it is already making strides in its early concept. Not to mention that the Spanish Ministry of Defense has already handed the company two research grants to pursue its hypersonic endeavors.

Forbes notes that, all in all, the startup has already raised a whopping $50 million.

The Destinus business development manager, Martina Lofqvist, says Hydrogen "has higher energy density than traditional jet fuel." And on top of that, it is lighter than kerosene, which aircraft use these days, and friendlier to the environment. Less weight should also help the aircraft travel at higher speeds.

Lofqvist explained to CNN what sets them apart from other hypersonic contenders. She notes that other companies pursuing hypersonic flights, like Boom, primarily focus on creating mockups to understand the aircraft's ins and outs.

On the other hand, Destiny is going straight ahead on developing "smaller-size drones." And from there, they will think of ways to scale it up to make a passenger hypersonic aircraft.

Related Article: US Hypersonic Missile Reaches Monstrous Speed 5 Times the Speed of Sound: Test Details, Weapon Info, and More



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Some e-cigarette products (Photo source: AFP/VNA)

Hanoi  The Ministry of Health (MoH) has demanded enhancing communications along with examination and settlement of the purchase, sale, and trading of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, which havent been licensed in Vietnam.

The MoH recently sent a document to the provincial-level Peoples Committees nationwide, the Ministry of Education and Training, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Information and Communications, and the Ministry of Public Security to ask for increasing communications about the harms of electronic nicotine delivery systems (also called e-cigarettes), heated tobacco products, and shisha. It also called for boosting examination and settlement.

Though Vietnam hasnt permitted the import, trading, or circulation of those products, the acts are becoming popular, especially on the Internet, the MoH said, pointing out that with diverse designs and flavours of e-cigarettes, vaping is rising fast in the country, particularly among students.

It cited the 2019 statistics from the World Health Organisation (WHO) as showing that 2.6% of the students aged 15 - 17 in Vietnam vaped. A 2022 survey also revealed 3.5% of those aged 13 - 15 used e-cigarettes.

Healthcare establishments and the media have reported many cases of students poisoned with nicotine and liquids used in those products.

Apart from the harms similar to regular cigarettes, the use of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products also poses the risk of causing social evils, especially the crimes related to drugs and other addictive substances, according to the MoH.
Handfuls of companies that deal in raw materials for food are attempting to increase quality standards, illustration photo/ Source: Shutterstock

Nguyen Van Thang, living in Tan Trung commune of the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, is part of some local households participating in an organic coconut growing project from ASIA Coconut Processing (ACP) under Asia Ingredients Group (AIG).

With a large coconut growing area, his family earns a stable income of more than VND700 million ($29,800) per year from organic coconut cultivation.

Thang said that since cooperating with ACP through a cooperative, he and the other households participating have been supported by the company with fertilisers and technical training programmes. ACP also buys coconuts at a higher price than the market, making them feel more secure.

Every month, my family harvests about 800 coconuts, which is collected by the cooperative and transferred to the ACP factory. I really do not know the products ultimately made from these coconuts and their costs, but we know for sure they will be exported, Thang said.

The whole Tan Trung commune currently boasts over 2,400 coconut-growing households across 1,160 hectares. The economic value brought from coconut trees have convinced farmers to switch crops and expand production area, which means that the raw material area of ACP is also increasingly expanding.

According to Le Nguyen Doan Duy, director of Business Development at AIG, the raw material area plays an essential role in deciding the quality of the companys products because only sustainable and high-quality raw material areas can create good products.

One of the groups successes is building an organic material area with a long-term commitment. The company is committed to supporting capital, fertilisers, and offsetting the entire output of the products at a price 5-10 per cent higher than the market, Duy said. Organic materials through modern production processes will create high-value Vietnamese branded products, which not only help businesses increase profits but also benefit the community.

ACPs coconut-based products such as coconut water, coconut milk powder, and desiccated coconut are now widely exported to markets in Europe, the US, South Korea, Japan, Australia, and more.

Vietnam is considered one of the top five food baskets in the world with a rich source of food ingredients, of which the spice industry alone has a market size of about $1.4 billion, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

On average, each year, Vietnam exports over $1 billion of cassava and cassava-based products, and about $4 billion of fruit and vegetable products, of which 70 per cent are fresh fruits to make concentrated juices. In addition, the export turnover of coffee and cashew have reached $4 billion and $3.6 billion per year respectively. Pepper and other condiments also reach more than $1.4 billion per year.

The attractiveness of the spice market in particular has attracted the participation of many international corporations such as Unilever, Ajinomoto, and Nestle, and created fierce competition between domestic and foreign enterprises.

By the end of 2022, there were more than 8,500 industrial-scale agricultural product processing enterprises with a total capacity of about 120 million tonnes of raw materials per year. However, not all enterprises have the capacity and experience to process for export without consulting and support from international projects.

Son Ha Spice & Flavourings is such a business. A representative of the company said that it had faced a series of challenges including increasing demands from buyers on sustainable standards that respect the environment and biodiversity.

We also lack experience in managing farmer groups and ensure that they apply sustainable practices in line with international sustainability schemes, the representative said. Social communication and marketing, a lack of contact with researchers and other bodies to seek technical assistances, and value chain development are also issues, given increased competition from other competitors.

Son Ha did not previously have experience in new standards such as Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) and Rainforest Alliance (RA), and in developing a biodiversity action plan.

Over the past two years, however, with support from a UEBT project funded by the Swiss government, the company achieved a record export of UEBT-certified cinnamon worth $25 million and diversified customers in the US, EU, and Australian markets. Son Ha was also the first spice company in Vietnam to obtain UEBT/RA certification for the cinnamon value chain in the provinces of Yen Bai and Lao Cai in 2021.

Raw material price hikes discouraging feed producers High prices of feed ingredients have been having an effect on feed producers while customers do not want to bear additional costs.

Indian, Vietnamese firms seek stronger ties in building material sector A visiting delegation of Indian business executives from the ceramic tile, porcelain floor, wall and decoration tile, bathroom sanitary ware and related industries met with their Vietnamese counterparts in Ho Chi Minh City to compare notes and seek tie-ups.
Vietnam's e-commerce market still maintains a growth rate of about 25 per cent to over $20 billion this year. Photo source: tapchicongthuong.vn

HANOI - Vietnams e-commerce market is forecast to increase by 25 per cent to US$20 billion by year end, according to a report on the Vietnam E-Business Index (EBI) 2023 conducted by the Vietnam E-commerce Association (Vecom).

The EBI 2023 averages 19.24 points, compared to 20.37 points last year. This indicates a big gap between Hanoi and HCM City, the two biggest economic hubs of Vietnam, and the remaining localities, according to the report.

HCM City with 89.2 points, continues to top the rankings this year. With 85.7 points, the capital city of Hanoi ranks second, followed by the central city of a Nang with 39.5 points.

Meanwhile, the Central Highlands provinces of ak Nong and Kon Tum are the worst performers with 10.6 and 10.2 points, respectively.

The report is based on three sub-indexes  information technology human resources and infrastructure, business-to-consumer e-commerce, and business-to-business e-commerce.

The booming e-commerce sector in 2023 and development in the following years is aided by a series of growth drivers such as the wave of digital transformation, consumers' trust, technological infrastructure, and favourable mechanisms and policies issued by the Government.

According to this VECOM report, the difficulties of the world economy along with many unfavourable domestic factors impacted negatively the development of the economy and trade last year, especially in the last months of 2022. Those disadvantages are forecast to remain until 2023.

However, continuing the previous two waves of growth, this association report says that Vietnam's e-commerce still gains a high growth rate.

According to experts, the potential for e-commerce development is still huge.

With thousands of businesses nationwide, the e-commerce industry is expected to continue this high growth rate at about 25 per cent until 2025.

Vietnam's e-commerce market is developing at an early stage. Meanwhile, its scale of e-commerce is still small, accounting for about 8.5 per cent of the total retail sales of consumer goods and services.

Exciting business activities on e-commerce platforms and social networks were the highlights of Vietnam's e-commerce sector in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.

The report said that up to 65 per cent of businesses have implemented business activities on social networks. The number of employees at enterprises who regularly use tools such as Zalo, WhatsApp, Viber, and Facebook Messenger has continuously increased over the years.

Selling on social networks is also considered to be the most effective, surpassing other forms such as business websites or applications as well as e-commerce platforms.

The most prominent is the birth and strong growth of Tiktok Shop. Doing business on this platform has great appeal to a large number of traders in Vietnam.

Business activities on e-commerce platforms continued to grow steadily. In 2022, 23 per cent of businesses sold products on e-commerce platforms, according to the survey.

Metric Data Science Joint Stock Company said the total sales of the top four e-commerce platforms - Shopee, Lazada, Tiki, and Sendo - along with Tiktok Shop were estimated to reach VN141 trillion (about $6 billion).

Shopee and Lazada are the two largest e-commerce platforms, while Tiktok Shop has become the third largest retail e-commerce platform in Vietnam although only operating since mid-2022.

VECOM's report also shows that the percentage of businesses having websites and mobile applications has not changed much. A high number of businesses suspending or dissolving in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023 could be one of the reasons for this situation.

Although the development of websites and mobile applications aims at the promotion of brands, start-ups and business households could prioritise doing business on e-commerce platforms or social networks.

The rate of websites that integrate online interaction features with customers reached 78 per cent. Half of websites that had online interactions with customers used chatbots.

Especially, the number of websites having mobile versions increased to 22 per cent in 2022.

The quality of websites increased, but businesses still believed that selling on social networks and e-commerce platforms was more efficient.

This reflects that besides the function of introducing businesses, products and brands, the development of a website with fully integrated functions such as sales, payment and delivery is not simple.

In 2019, VECOM proposed a sustainable e-commerce development programme. In the past, it actively implemented a number of specific activities under this proposal.

In 2023-2025, VECOM will support State management agencies to research and propose policies and laws towards to sustainable development of the digital economy as well as e-commerce. At the same time, they will propagate and encourage the online business community to implement specific activities.

Next era of e-commerce: Digital transformation with sustainable development E-commerce in Vietnam has entered a new era, focusing on sustainable development and digital transformation to become a driver of the economy.

Chinese shopping app Temu wows US amid TikTok fears Shopping online at Temu, Laurie Silva paid just $1.25 for earrings and $15 for a cardigan -- she is among millions of US consumers the Chinese platform is wooing with low-cost bargains and a dizzying array of products.

Report shows e-commerce trending towards sustainability Sustainable eCommerce will connect individual shopping behaviors towards long-term shopping trends including search, selection, purchase, payment and exchange.
The newly renovated Doris Miller Community Center is one of six city-owned sites approved by the Waco City Council Tuesday for the expansion of free public Wi-Fi.

The $277,000 project will put high-speed wireless access points at the community center and nearby multipurpose center, East Waco Library, South Waco Community Center, Waco-McLennan County Central Library and Bledsoe-Miller Community Center, which is slated to be converted to a new center for science, technology, engineering, arts and math.

The city successfully rolled out free communal Wi-Fi earlier this year at the Dewey Community Center and extending over Dewey Park. The Dewey connection sees 53 unique users daily on average, some days reaching up to 100 individual users.

Waco Chief Technology Officer Mike Searight said the goals of the public Wi-Fi expansion are to produce a reliable, robust, consistent and secure connection for residents in underserved areas.

Residents have to be able to be assured that when they go to a facility and connect they can take care of business, they can do school work, they can connect to a Zoom or Teams conference, and that comes with making sure we have plenty of bandwidth and plenty of access points for users that are connecting, Searight said.

He said the expansion focuses on city-owned facilities, avoiding competition with local internet service providers while building out the citys wireless infrastructure.

The council approved the $277,000 proposal, which would remove existing equipment and replace the entire infrastructure at each location with newer Wi-Fi 6 technology, as was installed at Dewey.

Included are 139 wireless Aruba indoor and outdoor access points, nine Cisco network switches, five Palo Alto security firewalls to block unwanted traffic and encrypt connections, and installation and cabling from NEI Datacom, a local vendor.

Federal funding will cover the project through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act Community Development Block Grant.

Connection at the sites will cover all indoor facilities, the outdoor space around them and the parking lots, Searight said.

We can adjust the power settings on those access points to get better coverage farther outside the facility, he said. But thats the goal, is to really push those signals out as far as we can so that anyone that needs a good connection can either drive up, sit outside in the seating area and use the connection if they need to.

Searight said users at Doris Miller would be able to travel between the community center and multipurpose center with the seamless connection. At Bledsoe-Miller the connection stretches far enough outside the building and over the Brazos River.

You could even pull up in your boat if you wanted to and get Wi-Fi, he said.

The South Waco Community Centers coverage will stretch over its expansive outdoor seating areas and could provide access to some residences along Speight Avenue, according to maps shown at the meeting that display access points range.

There will be some funding left over for future expansions to other city-owned facilities, and the team is working to pick the right locations, Searight said.

Council Member Alice Rodriguez said she would like to see the South Waco Library added to the list.

Searight said there is already publically accessible Wi-Fi at each of the Waco-McLennan County libraries, but their equipment is aging.

He said staff is looking into installing a fiber-optic networking system for the future. Fiber-optic cables provide faster transmission than wireless connections and lag less during peak use. Staff is also looking into using solar powered poles, which are being used in other Waco projects with success, to extend Wi-Fi in hard-to-reach places, he said.

Wi-Fi network cabling at the approved sites is set to begin in about two weeks, according to documents presented to the council. The expansion is estimated to be complete in August or September, three to four months after council approval.

In other business:

The council approved $10.6 million contract with Knife River Corporation for the reconstruction of Bagby Avenue from Kendrick Avenue to Valley Mills Drive. The project will include replacement of all utilities and represents one of Wacos largest street project investments for the next year. Construction is expected to begin this summer and end by December 2024.

Executive search firm Isaacson, Miller Inc. was selected in the citys search for a new zoo director.

The final subdivision plat and construction plans for the Floyd Casey redevelopment were approved. The development will put 259 lots on about 73 acres at the old Floyd Casey Stadium site near Clay Avenue and Valley Mills Drive.

Council approved the rezoning of 40.5 acres at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Herring Avenue for a 241-unit planned unit development.
The Texas House passed a bill Thursday evening that city leaders and one of the areas representatives say threatens the quality of the citys drinking water.

House Bill 2827, passed in a 77-61 vote, would change permitting and waste disposal practices at dairies in the North Bosque watershed upstream of Lake Waco, unwinding a permitting system the city pushed the Legislature to pass in 2001.

Rep. Charles Doc Anderson, R-Waco, spoke on the House floor before the vote, saying the bill threatens the sole source of water for the reservoir that serves some 220,000 people. He attempted two procedural moves to delay the bill, but debate proceeded.

Changing this up in this point in time can certainly have a negative impact in a short period of time, Anderson said.

He also said the water quality in Waco became an economic development hurdle before requirements specific to the Bosque watershed were put in place more than 20 years ago. Restaurants were among the groups who pushed for the changes at the time, saying they struggled to cook with city water or prepare tea and coffee with it because of its taste and odor, Anderson said.

The citys three chambers of commerce oppose the bill the House approved Thursday, he said.

Even the hint of water problems is a burden to economic development, Anderson said before voting against the bill.

Angelia Orr, R-Hill County, who represents much of Waco and eastern McLennan County, as well as dairies in Bosque County, voted in favor of the bill.

Waco Mayor Dillon Meek said the city is disappointed the House moved forward with the bill.

This is not a guessing game. Dairy farmers in the North Bosque River caused significant pollution prior to the implementation of the regulations that this bill rolls back, Meek said in a statement. This is hurtful to many communities, including Waco.

We appreciate Doc Anderson standing up for the communities in his district and were startled and disappointed by Angelia Orrs vote in favor of the bill, despite the impact to the towns, water consumers and institutions in her district  all of whom have urged she oppose  that will have direct, harmful impacts from this legislation.

We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the Senate does not pass this bill in its current form. And regardless of what happens in the Texas Legislature, Waco will continue to ensure it has clean, safe drinkable water.

House Bill 2827, filed by DeWayne Burns, R-Cleburne, would eliminate the requirement for individual permits for dairies in the watershed and replace them with standardized general permits, in line with permitting for most of the states dairies outside the Bosque watershed.

Individual permits are tailored to the specific operation, while general permits lay out standardized rules for waste handling. City of Waco officials have said general permits reduce the input that the public and neighboring landowners can have in the approval process.

Under general permits, the public would no longer be formally notified and given the opportunity to submit public comment on new or amended authorizations for individual dairies, a process that can lead to administrative hearings.

The city of Waco and an allied stakeholder group, the Bosque River Coalition, fought for individual permits in the early 2000s after the watershed was federally listed as impaired for phosphorus, which is known for spurring algae blooms. The Total Maximum Daily Load Implementation Plan devised by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality put additional wastewater restrictions on the dairies as part of a goal to reduce phosphorus loading in the watershed by 50%.

Studies have linked algae blooms in the North Bosque River and Lake Waco to phosphorus-rich manure runoff from dairies.

On the House floor Thursday, Burns said public input is still allowed when regulators develop the broad general permit. He also said the TCEQ will retain the ability to impose any restrictions on individual dairies necessary to enforce the Total Maximum Daily Load plan, even if those requirements are not stipulated under the general permit.

Burns said if he thought the changes would harm Wacos water, I wouldnt have even filed the bill.

Rep. Charlie Geren, R-Fort Worth, questioned Burns about the purpose of placing pollution control measures at the discretion of the TCEQ instead of keeping them as permitting requirements. He said he thinks the change puts too much on the TCEQ.

Rep. Chris Turner, D-Grand Prairie, also urged his colleagues to oppose the bill.

The Texas Association of Dairymen and Texas Farm Bureau have said the standards can be applied under general permits, achieving the same results in a more streamlined process.
Election Day is Saturday for Waco-area school and municipal races, with 21 vote centers around McLennan County where votes can be cast.

Early voting wrapped up Tuesday with 2,610 in-person ballots, and another 136 mailed ballots, for entities contracting with the McLennan County Elections Office. The total is an increase over the 2,478 in-person early votes and 103 mailed ballots through the early voting period in May 2021, the last election featuring only cities and schools.

The county also is conducting its first election using a new system with hand-marked paper ballots that voters feed into scanners.

Local races include the following:

Waco ISD

The Waco Independent School District will see three races. District 3 Trustee Jose Vidana is unopposed for a second three-year term.

Incumbent Angelo Ochoa, a 43-year-old investment advisor, and Peaches Henry, a 62-year-old McLennan Community College professor and president of the Waco NAACP chapter, will face off for the at-large Place 7 seat.

Education Service Center Region 12 graphics and communications specialist Abigail Ramirez, 29, will face retired educator Jim Patton, 58, and paralegal Ashley Stone, 35, in a special election to fill the District 5 seat as Trustee Emily Iazzetti steps down because her family is moving.

Waco City Council

District 5 Council Member Jim Holmes is unopposed in the election.

Tiffany Vidana, a substitute teacher and Baylor University social work masters degree student, is challenging District 2 incumbent Alice Rodriguez. Vidana lost narrowly to Rodriguez in the 2022 special election for the seat and is the daughter of Waco ISD Trustee Jose Vidana.

Computer technician Don Gray will face real estate agent Anthony Johnson and insurance specialist Darius Ewing in District 4. Ewing was previously appointed to fill the seats vacancy in 2020 before losing to Kelly Palmer in the next election. Current District 4 Council Member David Horner, who was appointed in January to fill a vacancy when Palmer stepped down, is not running in the election.

MCC

McLennan Community College District 1 appointee Jonathan Hill, 31, will run to keep his seat against Arash Abnoussi, 45. Hill is a Baylor University senior brand strategy specialist, and Abnoussi is an educational specialist for Education Service Center Region 12.

Community volunteer Ilda Sabido, 39, will face retired Baylor professor James SoRelle, 73. Sabido is married to former Waco City Council Member Hector Sabido and ran for the Waco ISD board against Jose Vidana in 2020.

Hewitt City Council

Incumbents Michael Bancale, Bob Potter and Erica Bruce will run uncontested for the at-large, Ward 2 and Ward 3 seats, respectively.

Bradley Turner, son of late Council Member Charlie Turner, will square off with R.J. Pase for the Ward 1 seat.

Bellmead City Council

Incumbents in precincts 1, 2 and 5 will each face challenges in Bellmead. Precinct 1 Council Member Karen Coleman, a banker, is running against Ruth Mitchell, owner of Last Chance Bar.

Mayor Travis Gibson, a special education teacher, is up for reelection in Precinct 2 and faces tax preparer Barbara Van Cleave.

Precinct 5 Council Member Bryan Winget, who is self-employed, will take on former member Doss Youngblood. Winget ousted the longtime incumbent from the seat in the 2021 election.

Bosqueville ISD

Voters in Bosqueville ISD could approve an $18.8 million bond package that would include enclosed hallways between school buildings, some perimeter fencing, a new cafeteria, a new band room, and several expanded and renovated classrooms. The bond, if passed, would raise the districts tax rate 28.1 cents per $100 valuation.

Woodway

David Russell, the one-term incumbent in Woodways at-large city council seat, is facing a challenge from commercial real estate agent Gregg Glime. Russell retired 10 years ago from the grocery business and owns three rental homes in Waco.

Developer David Mercer, the one-term incumbent in Woodways Ward 1 Place 1 city council seat, is facing a challenge from Dave Keyston, a semi-retired publisher of religious books.

Crawford

City council at-large, vote for up to two:

John Weldon

Lewis Snow

Shane Spence

Gholson

City council at-large Place 3, vote for one:

Jonathan Spence

Billy Sparks

Lacy-Lakeview

Mayor, vote for one:

Sharon Clark

A. Niecey Payne

Lorena

Mayor, vote for one:

Tommy Ross

Shane Phillips

Mart

City council at-large, vote for up to two:

John Garrett

Sandra Lynch

LaToya Beavers

Ray Tiny Gonzales

City council special election, vote for one:

James Miller

Ethan Deike

McGregor

Ward 1, vote for one:

Alfredo Macedo

Andrew J. Henderson, Sr.

At-large, vote for one:

Sherry Lynn Adams

Dennis Paul Fehler

Gholson ISD

At-large, vote for up to four:

Nelson Moore

Chris Silva

Alisha Whited

Michelle Goates

Richard Caldara

McGregor ISD

At-large, vote for up to four:

David Lillard

Chris Knox

Troy Zacharias

Hunter January

Rod Smith

Polling places

Voters in elections run by the county office can cast ballots from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at any of the following vote centers:

Bellmead Civic Center, 3900 Parrish St.

Carver Park Baptist Church, 1020 E. Herring Ave.

Cesar Chavez Middle School, 700 S. 15th St.

Chalk Bluff Baptist Church, 5993 Gholson Road

Crawford High School, 200 Pirate Drive

Dewey Community Center, 925 N. Ninth St.

H.G. Isbill Junior High, 305 S. Van Buren St., McGregor

Heart of Texas Council of Governments, 1514 S. New Road

Hewitt City Hall and Library, 200 Patriot Court

Lacy Lakeview Civic Center, 505 E. Craven Ave.

Lake Shore United Methodist Church, 3311 Park Lake Drive

Lorena First Baptist Church, 307 E. Center St.

Mart ISD Administration Building, 1100 J.L. Davis

MCC Conference Center, 4601 N. 19th St.

South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St.

St. Louis Activity Center, via Windsor Avenue parking lot, 2415 Cumberland Ave.

University High School, 3201 S. New Road

Waco Convention Center, 100 Washington Ave.

Waco Multi-Purpose Community Center, 1020 Elm Ave.

West Waco Library, 5301 Bosque Blvd.

Woodway City Hall, 922 Estates Drive.

For more information, including sample ballots, go to mclennanvotes.com.
PRESS RELEASE

KITTY HAWK, N.C.  The First Flight Society announced today that Walter and Olive Ann Beech have been named the 2023 Honorees to be inducted into the Dr. Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine located in the Museum and Visitors Center at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, USA.

This honor is selected annually by a high-level panel appointed by the First Flight Society, from among numerous nominations submitted from around the world as well as compiled lists of qualified candidates. The induction ceremony will be held on Wright Brothers Day, December 17, 2023, with a celebration banquet held on December 16, 2023, in Kitty Hawk. A portrait of the Beeches will be unveiled and presented at the ceremony on December 17th, 2023, celebrating the 120th Anniversary of the Wright Brothers First Flight.

Walter Herschel Beech (January 30, 1891  November 29, 1950) was an American aviator and early aviation entrepreneur who co-founded the Beech Aircraft Company in 1932 with his wife, Olive Ann Beech, and a team of three others. Olive Ann Mellor Beech (September 25, 1903  July 6, 1993) was an American aerospace businesswoman who was not only co-founder, but later president, and chairwoman of the Beech Aircraft Corporation. She earned more awards, honorary appointments, and special citations than any other woman in aviation history and was often referred to as the First Lady of Aviation.

William Douglas, Chairman of the First Flight Societys National Advisory Committee, served as Chair of the Dr. Paul E. Garber Shrine Selection Panel and managed the selection process.

Honorees for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine are selected annually by a National Advisory Committee from a list of nominees submitted to the First Flight Society and public that is passed to the Committee for consideration. For 2024 the committee accepts a letter of nomination accompanied by supporting documentation.

The nominee(s) may but does not have to be a first but rather a person, living or dead, who since December 17, 1903, either personally or with the assistance of others, have made such outstanding accomplishments in support of flight operations that they are generally recognized nationally and internationally for their achievements and contributions to aerospace activities.

The Nomination Form for the Paul E. Garber First Flight Shrine can be downloaded from https://firstflight.org/call-for-nominations/

This should be mailed with any supporting documents to: First Flight Society, Post Office Box 1903, Kitty Hawk, NC 27949. Nominations may also be emailed to: admin@firstflight.org.

Nominations are due May 31st, 2023. Questions can be addressed to the NAC Chair, Charlie Davidson at NAC@firstflight.org

For more information about the Paul E Garber Shrine visit www.firstflight.org/first-flight-shrine/

The First Flight Society created the Paul E Garber Shrine in 1966 to honor individuals and groups for achieving significant firsts in aviation development since 1903. Charles Lindbergh, Tuskegee Airmen, Mary Feik, John Glenn, Katherine Johnson (Hidden Figures), Sally K. Ride and most recently Benjamin O. Davis, Jr. among others.

First Flight Societys vision is: One day people everywhere will be inspired by the dauntless resolution and tireless work of the Wright Brothers. Their mission is to tell the story of the Wright Brothers through community events, education, and the commemoration of the worlds very first powered flight, in Kitty Hawk, NC.

More information about the First Flight Society can be found at https://firstflight.org
(Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

North Carolina lawmakers passed a new 12-week abortion ban in a close vote as state Gov. Roy Cooper said he plans to veto the new measure.

North Carolina passes new 12-week abortion ban, prompting opposition from state Gov. Roy Cooper

The vote is seen as a test of the GOP's new but slim supermajority

Cooper said that he plans to veto the bill as he has ten days to act on the measure

North Carolina lawmakers passed a new 12-week abortion ban after a close vote that followed a five-hour debate, prompting opposition from state Gov. Roy Cooper.

The Thursday passing of the bill is believed to set the stage for a potential test of the Republican Party's new but slim supermajority. The Senate passed the legislation by a vote of 29-20, pushing the bill forward after it was passed by the House the night before.

North Carolina Passes 12-Week Abortion Ban

Following the vote, the bill would not go to North Carolina's Democratic governor, Cooper, who called the measure "extreme" and revealed his plans to veto it. However, the legislature can override the governor's veto if Republican lawmakers keep their party united and get enough votes, per the New York Times.

On Thursday, Cooper posted a video on Twitter where he urged North Carolina residents to help uphold his veto by pressuring the four GOP lawmakers who campaigned to protect women's reproductive health from breaking their party over the new measure.

If the bill pushes through, it will reduce abortion access in North Carolina which currently allows the procedure for up to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Furthermore, it would curb access throughout the South as the state has become a destination for women who want to get the procedure.

The situation comes as many other states have started to push to ban or limit abortion since the United States Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, which put the right to abortion in the Constitution.

Read Also: Ed Sheeran Cleared of Copyright Infringement Over

Potential Veto of the New Bill

The latest development follows several failed attempts of other, more conservative states to pass strict abortion measures. Last week, South Carolina lawmakers could not advance a near-total ban on abortion. On the other hand, officials from Nebraska failed to push abortion restrictions after six weeks of talks amid fears of backlash from voters, according to the Washington Post.

Republicans in North Carolina have hoped that the 12-week ban on abortion would become a model for the rest of the United States and have portrayed it as a "mainstream" alternative to other abortion bans that criminalize the procedure much earlier in a woman's pregnancy.

The legislation allows up to about 90% of abortions to continue, making it the first ban on the procedure to pass since the fall of Roe v. Wade that does not criminalize all or the majority of abortions being done.

The new measure would also include some exceptions, specifically for cases of rape, incest, or fetal abnormality. Furthermore, there is an existing exception for when the pregnant woman's life was placed in danger due to her carriage of her baby, which the new measure would maintain moving forward, said NBC News.

Related Article: Proud Boys Member Avoids Charges After Conviction of Former Leader

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
The Pilot King

As the UK prepares to crown King Charles III, Stephen Bridgewater looks back at the military flying career of the new monarch.

On Saturday May 6th, 2023, King Charles III of England will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, England. While many pilots may think that they are kings of the sky, this king really is a pilot!

While he was still the Prince of Wales, King Charles received pilot training from the Royal Air Force and also flew helicopters with the Royal Navy. Up until the 1990s, he would routinely fly himself to and from appointments in aircraft belonging to the Queens Flight  also known as No.32 (The Royal) Squadron, RAF.

Britains Royal Family has a long flying history; in fact the first recorded flight by a British royal occurred on July 17, 1917th, when the future King Edward VIII (then Prince of Wales) flew over northern France as a passenger in a Bristol F.2B. He would fly several times before the end of the conflict, including a trip over Italy with the legendary Canadian ace, Maj William Barker VC at the controls. However, upon hearing this, the princes father, King George V, forbade him from flying any further, a situation which endured until the late 1920s.

The Kings Flight

A brace of Westland Wapitis, which arrived with No.24 Squadron at RAF Northolt in 1928, became the first two aircraft in the Kings Flight; the biplane performing a VIP transport role. In 1929, Prince Edward received permission to take flying lessons, whereupon he bought a de Havilland DH.60 Moth (G-AALG), which his younger brothers, the Dukes of Gloucester and Kent, also used to qualify for their pilots wings.

By the time he ascended the throne in 1936, the Prince would buy a further eleven aircraft, including two de Havilland Puss Moths (G-ABNN & G-ABFV), a Fox Moth (G-ACDD), Dragon (G-ACGG), several Dragon Rapides and a specially commissioned Vickers Viastra X (G-ACCC). The latter was lavishly fitted out as a Royal Barge and, like most of the aircraft in his fleet, it wore a blue and red livery inspired by the Brigade of Guards.

The Prince employed Flt Lt Edward Mouse Fielden as a full-time pilot; he accompanied him on all flights other than those in the Princes single-seat Comper Swift air racer. Most of the aircraft were based at RAF Hendon, where they were unofficially referred to as The Royal Flight.

When he ascended the throne as King Edward VIII in 1936, one of the new monarchs first decision was to create an official Kings Flight; the worlds first official aircraft unit for a head of state.

No.24 Squadron at RAF Northolt near London formed the basis for the Flight; the squadron having operated the aforementioned Wapitis as part of its Communications Flight since 1928. Mouse Fielden received a promotion to Captain and retained his role leading the Flight, a post he would hold until 1961, when he retired as Air Vice Marshal Sir Edward Fielden.

King Edward VIII abdicated on December 11th, 1936; his younger brother, the Duke of York succeeded him to become King George VI. The new king continued the Flight, adding an Airspeed Envoy III (G-AEXX) in May 1937. The Envoy came equipped with seats for four passengers plus a pilot, wireless operator and steward.

King Charles

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II succeeded her father as monarch in February 1952, and over the coming years, the renamed Queens Flight continued to grow. Although the Queen herself was never a pilot, her husband, the late Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh was a keen flyer. It was therefore no surprise that the young Prince Charles was to follow in his fathers wake, developing a passion for the skies.

Whilst studying at Cambridge University, the Prince began two and a half years of flight training under the tutelage of then-Sqn Ldr Philip Pinney. Like other pilots of his era, the young Prince undertook his pilot training on the venerable de Havilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, with Chipmunk T.10 WP903 allocated specifically to him for lessons.

Unlike other Chippies, WP903 wore a Dayglo red livery and had a large rotating warning lamp (dubbed the Parrot) mounted atop the canopy. WP903 began its service with the Queens Flight on September 20th, 1960. Interestingly, both Prince Phillip and Prince Michael, The Duke of Kent, had learned to fly in this same airframe before Charles started his own flying career.

Sqn Ldr Pinney flew a total of 101 sorties with the man who would become King. Starting his training at RAF Tangmere, Prince Charles went on to perform his first solo flight at RAF Bassingbourn on January 14th, 1969, followed by the award of his Pilots Licence in March 1969, and his RAF Preliminary Flying Badge on August 2nd of the same year.

Pinney and the Prince became firm friends, regularly fishing and climbing together and the instructor even attending his famous students 21st birthday party.

WP903 itself would serve the RAF until 1974 when Britains Ministry of Defence sold it to the Culdrose Gliding Club which used it as a glider tug until December 1996. The Henlow Chipmunk Group then acquired the airframe, restoring it to its Queens Flight configuration. Today WP903 can be found at Old Warden aerodrome, the famous home of the Shuttleworth Collection; over the Coronation weekend, it will be appearing at the collections first air show of the 2023 season.

Naval Aviator

After qualifying for the award of his preliminary flying badge on the Chipmunk, the Prince moved on to the Beagle Basset CC.1, clocking up a further 90 hours of multi-engined flying before he transitioned to a jet training course. Pathe News footage of the young Prince flying the Basset is viewable below

With the rank of Flight Lieutenant, the Prince arrived at RAF College Cranwell in March 1971 to fly the BAC Jet Provost T.5. However, before he could take to the skies, he had to complete the same ground school, technical training, combat survival, emergency drills and cockpit procedures as the rest of his course mates.

Prince Charles finally started his jet flying on March 19th, 1971, with Sqn Ldr (later Air Chief Marshal and Sir) Richard Johns as his instructor. Whilst his time in the RAF was short, the training he received prepared Prince Charles for a military career in the Royal Navy and gave him his first taste of military flying.

His Majesty transferred to the Commando Training Centre Royal Marines in Lympstone, Devon in 1972, where he qualified as a helicopter pilot flying the Westland Wessex Mk.5. During his training, the Prince earned the Double Diamond trophy as best pilot, before moving to 707 Naval Air Squadron and then to 845 Naval Air Squadron, flying the Commando version of the Wessex from the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes.

He received the command of his own ship, the minehunter HMS Bronington, for the final 10 months of his active service in the Royal Navy, which ended in 1976.

Despite stepping down from the military to concentrate on his royal duties, Prince Charles (now King Charles III) has remained close to the armed forces and in 2012 Queen Elizabeth II awarded him the highest rank as Marshal of the Royal Air Force. The new King also holds the honorary rank of Admiral of the Fleet in the Royal Navy and ascended to the position of Air Commodore-in-Chief of the RAF following the death of Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II in September last year.

King Charles two sons, William and Harry, also pursued careers in the military  with William flying Sea King search-and-rescue helicopters with the RAF and Harry flying the Westland-built WAH-64 Apache with the British Army Air Corps.

The Pilot King

The fact that Britains new monarch was an aviatior was not lost on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who used a historic speech in the UKs Houses of Parliament earlier this year to praise King Charless support for Ukraine. Referring to the Kings own air force training, Zelenskyy said: In Britain, the king is an air force pilot and in Ukraine today, every air force pilot is a king.

Even after his military career was over, Prince Charles would regularly fly the aircraft of the Royal Flight. However, the monarch gave up flying in 1994 when the four-engined BAe 146 airliner he was piloting ran off the runway on Islay, an island off the west coast of Scotland.

According to the official accident report, the aircraft landed with a tailwind component of 12kts following an unstable approach that was both above the normal approach path and too fast. The aircraft touched down on its nose landing gear, and wheelbarrowed, delaying the activation of the weight-on-wheels switches and hence the deployment of the lift spoilers and the selection of ground idle power. The weight-on-wheels switches activated with 509m of runway remaining, but the wheels then locked and the aircraft ran off the end of the airstrip and received damage.

Thankfully, nobody was hurt in the high-profile accident, with the Prince later commenting: It wasnt quite a crash. We went off the end of the runway, unfortunately. It is not something I recommend!

Nevertheless, the future King Charles took the decision to ground himself following the incident, something which St Jamess Palace said at the time was a personal decision the Prince took on his own.

Coronation Flypast

In June 1953, almost 300 aircraft overflew London to mark the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the following month a special Royal Review took place at RAF Odiham. There, Her Majesty the Queen viewed a static park consisting of more than 300 RAF aircraft and later watched a flypast of over 600 aircraft belonging to the RAF and Commonwealth air forces.Pathe News also created a short film covering the 1953 Coronation Flypast, as seen below.

The Coronation Flypast for King Charles III will be a far more modest affair (if the fickle British weather allows it to happen at all). If everything goes to plan, around 60 aircraft will fly down The Mall in London and overhead Buckingham palace at 14:30hrs GMT. Types expected to participate include Juno, Wildcat, Apache, Merlin, Chinook and Puma helicopters as well as Typhoon and F-35B fast jets, Texan T.1 and Phenom T.1 trainers and heavies including the C-17, A-400M Atlas, Voyager, P-8 Poseidon MRA.1, RC-135 Rivet Joint, Envoy IV (Dassault Falcon 900) and the C-130J Hercules. The latter type will be making one of its final public appearances before retiring from RAF service.

Of course no Royal Flypast would be complete without the Lancaster, Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAFs Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and the iconic, scarlet Hawk T.1s of the Red Arrows.

No matter the weather, one thing seems certain  Britains new King will be looking up at the flypast with nostalgic eyes and perhaps a twinge of envy that he is not in a cockpit himself.
CEDAR FALLS-Betty Elizabeth Moon, 94, of Cedar Falls, died on May 1, 2023, at the Cedar Valley Hospice Home in Waterloo. Betty was born July 3, 1928, the daughter of Arthur and Inez (Bearce) King. Betty was a cheerleader for Avon High School and married her high school sweetheart, Seaton Moon Jr. in September of 1946. After graduating high school, she accompanied her husband as he studied engineering at the University of Illinois. The family moved to Waterloo/Cedar Falls in 1951. In 1999, Betty accompanied Seaton back to the family farm outside Hermon, Illinois where she lived until 2022. In February 2022, she moved back to Cedar Falls. During her years in Waterloo/Cedar Falls and at the farm Bettys primary role in life was to be a wife to Seaton. They were an inseparable team for 71 years. Betty embraced the role of homemaker better than anyone. She actively raised four children and managed the household. She was very active at United Church of Christ in Cedar Falls. She always was prepared for big family gatherings or unexpected guests showing up at the farmhouse lunch table. Betty led an active social life and became a friend to all. She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; 2 sons, Rodger and Charles; a grandson, Brian Van Woert; a sister, Alma Riggins; and a brother, Hubert King. Betty is survived by a son, David Tom (Linda) Moon of Waterloo; a daughter, Linda (David) Van Woert of Urbandale; a daughter-in-law, Donna Moon of Waterloo; 7 grandchildren; and 12 great grandchildren with one on the way. There will be a visitation on Sunday, May 7, 2023, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM, at Parrott & Wood Chapel of Memories in Waterloo. The burial will take place in Abingdon Cemetery in Abingdon, Illinois.
WATERLOO  A Waterloo man has been arrested after he allegedly broke into garages and rode off on a stolen bike early Thursday.

A police officer received minor injuries when he tackled Jason Joseph Wilson, 36, off the bike following a brief chase.

Wilson, of 2205 Byron Ave., was arrested for interference causing injury, possession of burglary tools, three counts of third-degree burglary and one count of third-degree theft. Bond was set at $47,000.

A resident called police around 1:40 a.m. Thursday to report his garage at 1908 Cornwall Ave. had been burglarized. When officers arrived, they noticed garage doors to 1910 and 1912 Cornwall were also opened. A bike had been removed from the garage at 1912.

Wilson was found riding the bike in the area of Liberty Avenue and Wisconsin Street, and he was detained a short distance away. Inside a duffle bag he was carrying police found a foot-long pry bar.

Remembering Carrie Fisher of "Star Wars," 1956-2016 Jan. 2, 1957 1958 Feb. 21, 1959 Feb. 27, 1959 Feb. 12, 1972 May 2, 1973 May 2, 1973 Jan. 13, 1977 Oct. 5, 1978 Nov. 13, 1978 March 7, 1980 March 7, 1980 May 23, 1980 April 24, 1981 March 11, 1982 Feb. 16, 1983 Aug. 11, 1988 Sept. 14, 1990 Feb. 4, 1991 Jan. 18, 1997 Jan. 18, 1997 Feb. 9, 1997 March 6, 1997 June 1, 1997 June 18, 1997 April 15, 2000 Feb. 26, 2001 April 12, 2002 Aug. 19, 2003 Feb. 20, 2004 Aug. 23, 2005 Aug. 13, 2006 Feb. 27, 2007 May 17, 2007 Sept. 29, 2009 April 7, 2011 Sept. 10, 2011 June 7, 2012 Aug. 4, 2012 Jan. 25, 2015 Nov. 14, 2015 Dec. 16, 2015 July 10, 2015 July 10, 2015 July 27, 2015 June 29, 2016 Aug. 21, 2016
WATERLOO  The Bluedorn Science Imaginarium will be hosting Toddler Time from 11 a.m. to noon on May 18.

Toddler Time is a chance for parents and guardians and their child to join Imaginarium staff for a themed story time and toddler friendly activity. May's theme is 'flowers.'

Toddler Time is free for toddlers and $6 for adults.

Photos: The Arena League announces Waterloo franchise The Arena League 1 The Arena League 2 The Arena League 3 Tim Brown announces an arena football team in Waterloo Waterloo football franchise ribbon cutting
WATERLOO  On Thursday, water mains will be flushed in the area from Independence Avenue to Newell Street between East Fourth and Iowa streets, including the City View neighborhood.

Water may be a brownish color during and after the flushing but the water is bacterially safe. Waterloo Water Works urges customers within the area and several blocks of it to not plan clothes washing on Thursday.
Here's a look at trending topics for today  Thursday, May 4:

Proud Boys

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the far-right extremist group were convicted Thursday of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol in a desperate bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.

A jury in Washington, D.C., found Tarrio and three lieutenants guilty of seditious conspiracy after hearing from dozens of witnesses over more than three months in one of the most serious cases brought in the stunning attack that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, as the world watched on live TV.

Jurors cleared a fifth defendant  Dominic Pezzola  of the sedition charge, though he was convicted of other serious felonies.

Read more

AI

The White House on Thursday announced a series of measures to address the challenges of artificial intelligence, driven by the sudden popularity of tools such as ChatGPT and amid rising concerns about the technology's potential risks for discrimination, misinformation and privacy.

The US government plans to introduce policies that shape how federal agencies procure and use AI systems, the White House said. The step could significantly influence the market for AI products and control how Americans interact with AI on government websites, at security checkpoints and in other settings.

The National Science Foundation will also spend $140 million to promote research and development in AI, the White House added.

Read more:

***

Check out more of today's trending news here:
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.  Native Americans whose relatives have gone missing or been killed wore red on Friday, a color synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day is held on May 5  the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was only 21 when she was slain on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana.

Countless more Indigenous people have gone missing since her body was found nearly a decade ago. Advocates describe it as a silent crisis, rooted in colonization, forced removal and government policies that led to the stamping out of culture and identity as entire communities were marginalized.

This weekend's marches, symposiums, prayer gatherings, art installations and ceremonies are meant to pressure policy makers in the U.S. and Canada to ensure equity when investigating such cases. The red dresses, they say, are used to call home the spirits of missing and slain Indigenous victims.

"We have to call this national state of emergency what it is  a genocide," Carol McBride, president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said in an email. She urged people to channel their grief into activism. "Wearing red is powerful."

Canada's House of Commons unanimously approved a motion this week calling on the government to declare a national state of emergency. Such a declaration would make more tools available, said Mel Critch, who works with the Native Women's Association of Canada and is co-chair of the group Manitoba Moon Voices.

The burden of tackling the problem has fallen largely to Indigenous women, relatives and other community members, Critch said.

"As this moves through the Senate, our communities will be watching and listening carefully, praying for its adoption and a day when this will end, when our children and families will be safe," Critch said.

Lawmakers in the U.S. introduced their own resolutions this week supporting the May 5 effort.

High rates of violence, sexual assault, homicides and disappearances of Indigenous people, particularly women, have festered for generations amid inadequate public safety resources in Indian Country, where tiny police forces are responsible for vast territories and a tangled web of local and federal jurisdictions often complicates efforts to track and communicate about cases as they happen.

About 4,200 missing and murdered cases have gone unsolved, according to U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates. Federal health statistics document murder rates for Native American and Alaska Native women at 10 times the national rate.

Still, the number of missing and slain Indigenous women remains unknown. A 2021 review by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office pointed to reporting problems, distrust of law enforcement and jurisdictional conflicts.

Recently adopted U.S. laws aim to improve data collection and law enforcement responses. A national commission began holding public meetings in April to craft more recommendations. Gary Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, will be listening to tribal leaders and families at next week's commission meeting in Flagstaff.

He said the Justice Department now prioritizes cases in Indian Country, bringing the Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support the FBI when local or tribal police call for help.

"That, I think, is a real expansion from the way we have traditionally done these cases and should be an opportunity to get more resources into underserved areas in Indian Country," he said.

Many states have created their own task forces and commissions, aiming to keep cases from falling through the cracks. Prosecutors in New Mexico's largest judicial district have a special unit to help with missing person investigations involving Native Americans.

In California, lawmakers approved the creation of an alert system to help find Indigenous people missing under suspicious circumstances. The legislation came last year after the Yurok Tribe issued an emergency declaration after five Indigenous women were reported as missing or were killed within a span of 18 months.

Washington is creating a cold case investigations unit, and Oklahoma's governor signed legislation Monday ordering state public safety officials to work with tribes on an alert system named for Cherokee Nation citizen Kasey Russell, who went missing in 2016.

In New Mexico, advocates want the governor to issue a new executive order to chart the next phase of implementing recommendations made in an extensive task force report in 2020.

For Melody Delmar, who leads MMIP projects for New Mexico's Indian Affairs Department, the crisis is personal. As a social worker, she's often among the first people families call when they need help.

"There's just so many levels of this and it can be complicated," she said. "But we also can look at this and know there are solutions out there too."

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland received a briefing Friday in Albuquerque from her agency's Missing and Murdered Unit, created in 2021. To date, the unit has investigated 728 cases; solved or closed 263 missing persons cases; and solved eight murder cases.
SPENCER  Iowa landowners opposed to proposed liquid carbon dioxide pipelines crossing their property won a legal victory Wednesday when a judge ruled a state law giving surveyors the right of entry to private property is unconstitutional.

Ruling in a Clay County case, District Judge John Sandy said the law violated Iowas Constitution because it does not provide for just compensation for certain damages to landowners for their loss of the right to deny entry onto their land.

The court can find no other reasonable interpretation in which Iowa Code (section) 479B.15 passes constitutional muster, Sandy said in his ruling denying Navigator Heartland Greenways request for an injunction to allow third-party survey crews access Sioux Rapids landowner Martin Koenigs property.

The ruling is a win for property owners across the state, said Koenigs attorney, Brian Jorde, of Omaha.

Its a good day for anyone who cares about property rights, and were hopeful that this momentum continues. Its a significant, significant ruling, Jorde said.

In a released statement, Navigator said it will appeal the ruling because it deviates from precedents established in surrounding states where judges have recently upheld similar survey statutes.

Navigator plans to appeal the ruling and believes that further review will uphold the constitutionality of the statute, aligning with the conclusions reached by courts in neighboring jurisdictions, the company said. We remain committed to engaging in open and transparent communication with landowners and interested stakeholders. The vast majority of our surveys have been completed through voluntary collaboration with landowners and tenants. We remain committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and integrity in all of our operations.

Navigator sued Koenig in August after being twice denied entry to his farmland that lies in the route of the companys proposed CO2 pipeline. Koenig responded with a counterclaim challenging the constitutionality of Iowas right of entry law, and the case proceeded to trial on April 19 in Clay County District Court.

In his legal analysis of the law, Sandy said the statute grants pipeline companies the right to enter private land over Koenigs right to exclude them from his property. Because the law amounts to a government-authorized physical invasion despite the owners right to exclude, Sandy said, the action is a per se taking that calls for just compensation.

Jorde had argued the statute does not provide for payment of damages for that loss of the right to deny entry to private land, only for actual damages to the land caused by surveyors actions.

Sandy said his review of the law showed that if a surveyor causes actual damages to the property, the pipeline company must cover the damages. But when non actual damages, such as those inflected upon a landowner who has lost the right to prevent people from entering the property, are subjective and not easily determined, the laws definition of actual damages does not cover the per se taking Sandy determined takes place.

No other construction of the statute, as it currently exists, would render any compensation for damages that are not actual. It is in this way that the statute is unconstitutional and incapable, beyond a reasonable doubt of any valid application, Sandy wrote in his 19-page ruling.

The ruling was filed as Jorde and Navigator await a judges ruling in a similar lawsuit in Woodbury County.

Like Koenig, Vicki Hulse denied Navigators third-party surveyors entry to land north of Moville owned by her and her husband, William. Navigator sued for an injunction to gain access to the property, and the Hulses responded with a constitutional challenge of the same state law at issue in the Clay County case. They also argue they did not receive proper notification of surveyors intent to enter their land to perform their studies.

District Judge Roger Sailer in October denied Navigators injunction request and presided over a one-day trial in Sioux City in March.

Navigator has applied for a state permit to build a pipeline through five states that would collect carbon dioxide from ethanol and fertilizer processors in Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Minnesota and Illinois, convert it to liquid form and transport it under high pressure to an Illinois site, where it would be pumped thousands of feet beneath the surface. Many Iowa landowners have refused to grant surveyors access to their land or sign easements.

Navigator has filed lawsuits against other landowners who have denied access to their property. Those landowners have filed constitutional challenges similar to those in the Koenig and Hulse cases.

Were hopeful other courts will look at Judge Sandys analysis and conclude he was right, said Jorde, who represents other landowners. One or more of these will find their way to the Iowa Supreme Court.

Navigators pipeline would run through 36 Iowa counties, including Woodbury and Clay counties. Other Siouxland counties in the route include Plymouth, Lyon, Osceola, OBrien, Cherokee, Dickinson and Buena Vista in Iowa and Dakota, Dixon and Wayne counties in Nebraska.

Its one of two carbon pipelines proposed to run through the area. The other pipeline developer, Summit Carbon Solutions, also has gone to court against landowners who have denied access to surveyors to gain an injunction to access the parcels. Landowners in those cases, too, have responded with constitutional challenges.
The state of Iowa is facing a pair of lawsuits alleging discrimination and retaliation by top agency leaders.

One of the cases alleges discrimination based on disabilities, while the other claims discrimination based on national origin.

The most recent of the two cases, filed in federal court, involves Kemal Delilovic of Polk County. He who was hired by the state in 1997 as a refugee specialist and assigned to work in the Iowa Bureau of Refugee Services, which is part of the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services.

In his lawsuit, Delilovic, whose national origin is Bosnian and Herzegovinian, alleges all of the bureaus specialists are either immigrants themselves or the children of immigrants. The specialists are tasked with assisting refugees through interpretation services, case management, education and employment assistance and other forms of support.

According to the lawsuit, the state also employed workforce advisors and case managers within Iowa Workforce Development to perform similar or identical tasks for non-refugees in Iowa.

The refugee specialists were assigned pay grade 22 by the state, which resulted in lower compensation than the IWD employees who were assigned pay grade 24.

In 2014 and 2015, Delilovic asked the bureau to reclassify the specialist position to pay grade 24 to match the IWD staff, and the state refused.

Around that time, DHHS Personnel and Business Manager Pauline Rutherford frequently asked Delilovic and other employees to stop speaking Bosnian in the office. The lawsuit alleges Rutherford also told Delilovic that he could simply leave if he did not like being paid less than the IWD employees. The lawsuit claims supervisors suggested the specialists apply for jobs in mail services, threatened retaliation for complaints and told Delilovic and others to be happy they had jobs at all.

Delilovic alleges he filed two separate complaints with the Department of Administrative Services alleging pay discrimination on the basis of national origin and that DAS never investigated the matter.

In May 2022, after Delilovic filed a complaint with the Iowa Civil Rights Commission, the state allegedly announced that the majority of the refugee specialists would be reclassified as workforce advisors and given a 5% increase in pay and upgrade to pay grade 24.

However, the lawsuit alleges, the state did not reclassify Delilovic and he remained a refugee specialist at a pay grade 22, as did Anna Udorvich, another specialist who had complained about unequal pay.

The bureaus other two refugee specialists were reclassified to paygrade 24.

The lawsuit alleges violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act through discrimination based on national origin. The state has yet to file a response.

Education agency accused of retaliation

The second discrimination lawsuit involves Amy Williamson of Polk County, who worked at the Iowa Department of Education from 2007 through early 2022, at one point serving as the deputy director of learning and results.

At some point, Williamson alleges, a human resources associate began generating reports on which employees used the most sick leave. Williamson, who has multiple chronic health conditions and had recently undergone surgery, was at the top of the list, the lawsuit claims.

The departments chief of staff and HR director, Shanlyn Seivert, allegedly began rejecting employee requests for sick leave. The agency began tracking the whereabouts of employees on medical leave and had a supervisor shoot videos and photos of a disabled employee in an effort to catch her abusing policies and terminate her employment, the lawsuit alleges.

In response to Williamsons complaints, the department gradually and systematically removed her from decision-making, the lawsuit claims. Multiple staff members approached Amy, many crying or visibly distressed, because they were being bullied, harassed, tracked, surveilled, or otherwise treated unprofessionally and/or illegally, the lawsuit alleges.

In November 2021, after an employee filed a grievance alleging Family Medical Leave Act discrimination, Williamson met with then-department director Ann Lebo to express her concerns, according to the lawsuit. She suggested that Lebo report potential civil rights violations and notify Gov. Kim Reynolds.

Instead, the lawsuit claims, Lebo retaliated against the worker who had filed the grievance and insulted, demeaned, and attempted to humiliate the supervisor who had ruled in the staff members favor in the grievance decision.

In January 2022, Williamson notified Reynolds office of the alleged civil rights violations and acts of retaliation by Lebo and others. Eight days later, according to the lawsuit, Lebo stripped Williamson of nearly all management responsibilities, effective that day. Days later, while Williamson was on medical leave, the department sought applications for Williamsons position  effectively discharging her from employment.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act in the form of discrimination and retaliation. The state has yet to file a response to the lawsuit. Lebo has since resigned from her state position.

After leaving the Iowa Department of Education, Williamson applied for and was denied unemployment benefits. She appealed that decision, which led to a hearing before Administrative Law Judge Emily Drenkow Carr. The state declined to participate in the hearing.

Noting that Williamsons testimony in the case was unrefuted, Carr found there was no evidence of any deficiency in Williamsons job performance. Williamson, Carr ruled, had believed her reduction in duties to be a punishment for reporting her civil rights concerns to the governors office. Under the circumstances faced by (Williamson), a reasonable person would feel compelled to resign.

Given those facts, Carr ruled, Williamsons resignation was for a good-cause reason attributable to the employer, and she was entitled to collect unemployment benefits.

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A therapist convicted of fraudulent billing has agreed to voluntarily surrender his license to practice in Iowa.

Court records indicate that In June of last year, the Washington Police Department was contacted about a therapist, JohnPaul Nganga of Iowa City, who was alleged to have submitted fraudulent bills for service through the Grace C. Mae Advocate Center in Washington. Police spoke to the director of the center who indicated Nganga, 43, was a therapist with the center and was credentialed to deliver telehealth therapy sessions.

The center had noticed some questionable billing practices involving Nganga, had questioned him, and Nganga had allegedly admitted to submitting false claims for payment.

The center was able to identify 63 fraudulently submitted claims for payment that were submitted between January 2022 and April 2022, for $4,814.

Nganga was charged with fraudulent practices in the second degree, a felony that carries a penalty of up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines.

As part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, he agreed to plead guilty to the charge in return for a sentencing recommendation of five years probation; a $1,025 fine; $4,814 in restitution; forfeiture of his mental health counselors license for five years; and a deferred judgment that would wipe the conviction from his record after the successful completion of probation.

The sentence was imposed in January. In February, the Iowa Board of Behavioral Science ordered Nganga to surrender his license with the understanding he can apply for reinstatement in five years.

Other licensure board actions

Other Iowans who have recently faced professional licensing sanctions or hard their licenses reinstated include:

Mark Kimzey of Mount Pleasant  Kimzey was fined $500 by the Iowa Board of Mortuary Science, which had accused him of cremating a body with the authorization of only the decedents sister and brother in-law. Under Iowa law, the right to dictate the final disposition of a decedents remains belongs to a majority of the individuals siblings in cases where there is no surviving spouse, parent or child. In the case at hand, the decedent had four surviving siblings.

Angela Perkins of Cedar Rapids  Perkins is the subject of an emergency order issued by the Iowa Board of Psychology, stating that she may only use her psychologist license and health service provider certificate to complete and send out neuropsychological evaluation reports for clients who have already completed testing. She is barred from initiating any new evaluations or providing any clinical services while the restrictions are in place.

She is charged with violating of a regulation, rule, or law related to the practice of psychology, and with knowingly making misleading, deceptive, untrue or fraudulent representations in the practice of psychology or engaging in unethical conduct or practice harmful or detrimental to the public. The specific, alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges is being kept confidential pursuant to a 2021 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that bars the public disclosure of such information until a licensing case is resolved. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for Friday.

Matthew Cohara of Ankeny  The Iowa Board of Physical and Occupational Therapy recently reinstated Coharas license, free and clear of any restrictions. In 2018, the board placed Coharas license on probation, citing a criminal case in which he pleaded guilty to child endangerment, possession of marijuana and possession of cocaine.

Court records indicate the charges were filed when Coharas 7-month-old child died at home of positional asphyxia after becoming wedged between a bed and a wall. The infant also tested positive for cocaine metabolite.

In addition to the Board of Physical and Occupational Therapys licensing restrictions, the Iowa Board of Nursing had placed Coharas nursing license on probation for one year beginning in 2018. In 2019, the nursing board indicated Cohara had fulfilled all the terms of his probation.

Lorra Gire of Ottumwa  The Iowa Board of Social Work recently issued Gire a citation and warning for violating regulations that prohibit a social worker from engaging in a dual relationship with a client within five years of the end of the social worker-client relationship.
Post-95s commander behind successful rocket launches in China

People's Daily Online) 13:51, May 05, 2023

Li Bo is a post-95s assistant rocket test and launch engineer, and the commander of the malfunction detection system of China's manned spaceflight mission.

Since he joined the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center passionate about space exploration in 2019, Li has taken part in five manned space missions. During the Shenzhou-12 crewed mission, which was the first such spaceflight to construct China's space station, Li served as a commander for the first time. The successful launch made him proud and more convinced that he had chosen the right career.

During the final mission for the space station construction, namely the Shenzhou-15 mission, Li served as the commander of the mission's malfunction detection system for the first time in 2022.

Although the frigid temperatures made the launch much more difficult than expected, Li and his colleagues managed to successfully fulfill their tasks.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Du Mingming)
(Photo : ZAIN JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)

Israeli forces executed Palestinian militants responsible for the April shooting deaths of a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters.

Israeli troops killed three Palestinian militants in connection with a fatal attack against a British-Israeli mother and daughters

The incident marked the most recent act of violence in an unrelenting wave

Hassan Qatnani, Moaz al-Masri, and Ibrahim Jabr were members of Hamas

Two Palestinian militants accused of murdering a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters in the occupied West Bank last month have reportedly been slain by Israeli forces.

During the raid in Nablus, a third militant who purportedly assisted the two was also killed. Several Palestinians were also injured during clashes with the military.

Israeli Troops Kill 3 Palestinian Militants

On April 7, an attack in the Jordan Valley claimed the lives of Lucy Dee, 48, and her daughters Rina, 15, and Maia, 20. They traveled to a Passover event when assailants opened fire on their vehicle near the Hamra settlement, 16 kilometers (10 miles) west of Nablus.

The car crashed, and the suspects again opened fire from close range. Rina and Maia died at the site, while Lucy died three days later in the hospital. Since moving to Israel from the United Kingdom nine years ago, their family has resided in the West Bank settlement of Efrat.

During Thursday's early morning assault in Nablus, more than 200 Israeli soldiers with shoulder-mounted anti-tank missiles and drone-fired concussion grenades entered the Old City. Per BBC, residents reported hearing explosions as adults and children departed their homes for work and school.

According to reports, soldiers fired upon Palestinians attempting to repel military vehicles by hurling stones outside the Old City. Four people were transported to the hospital, two with gunshot wounds to the legs and dozens more with tear gas inhalation.

The Palestinian health ministry reported that among the afflicted were students from a nearby school. Fawaz Bitar, a paramedic with the Palestinian Red Crescent, told the BBC that personnel wearing marked vests could not reach the damaged building for an hour and a half due to tear gas and rubber bullets fired by Israeli troops.

Hassan Qatnani, Moaz al-Masri, and Ibrahim Jabr were members of Hamas, according to a statement released by the organization following the assault. Hamas also claimed responsibility for the April attack, LA Times reported.

In a separate incident on Thursday near the West Bank town of Hawara, Israeli fire killed a 26-year-old Palestinian woman who, in a stabbing attack, mildly wounded a 20-year-old Israeli.

Israeli munitions blasted through the roof of the gunmen's safe house in the center of Nablus' Old City, leaving nothing but twisted metal, blood-stained cement blocks, and blood-stained mattresses dispersed among the debris.

Several hours after the army's withdrawal, young men combed the narrow alleys for dozens of discarded gunshot casings. Nablus, the commercial capital and second-largest city of the West Bank, has been the target of repeated Israeli incursions over the past year. However, few have occurred during the day due to the increased danger of conflict with locals. Historically, residents have been involved in the conflict.

Read Also: Biden Administration Faces Criticism Over Decision to Send 1,500 More Troops to US-Mexico Border

Palestinian Hunger-Striker Dies at Israel Prison

The violence in Nablus occurs at a particularly sensitive moment in the region, just days after a prominent Palestinian prisoner's death in Israeli custody on a protracted hunger strike over his detention. His demise triggered a barrage of missiles from militants in Gaza and airstrikes that killed one person in the coastal enclave.

The month-ago assault on the Israeli vehicle, which resulted in the loss of three members of the Dee family, stunned Israelis. Hundreds of people attended the funerals, and the family's father, Leo, has been a recurring figure in Israeli media, stating that he harbors no animosity toward his family's murderers and advocating for national unity amid a profound societal rift.

Over a year ago, Israel conducted nocturnal arrest raids in West Bank villages, towns, and cities in response to a surge of Palestinian attacks against Israelis.

According to Israel, the operations aim to dismantle militant networks and prevent future attacks. The Palestinians view the assaults as a further entrenchment of Israel's 56-year, indefinite occupation of lands they desire for a future independent state.

The operations were met with an increase in Palestinian attacks. Approximately 250 Palestinians have been slain by Israeli fire since the beginning of the assaults.

According to Israel, most of those slain were militants, but stone-throwing adolescents and bystanders have also been killed. During the same time, nearly fifty Israelis have been slain by Palestinian attacks, as per NBC New York.

Related Article: Palestinian Khader Adnan Dies in Israel Prison After 87-Day Hunger Strike

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An Iowa care facility worker who was fired after a resident froze to death is suing her former employer, claiming the company has discriminated against its Black employees.

Sally Daniels, a former resident assistant at the Courtyard Estates at Hawthorne Crossing assisted living center in Bondurant, has filed suit against the facilitys owners, Abilit Holdings (Hawthorne Crossing) LLC and Jaybird Senior Living. She alleges she was fired from the center in March, two months after 77-year-old Lynne Stewart froze to death outside one of the centers exit doors.

Also named as defendants are the facilitys director of nursing, Dwala Lehman, and its assistant director, Ashley Gilbert. The lawsuit, filed in Polk County District Court, seeks unspecified damages for racial-discrimination violations of the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

The defendants in the case have yet to file a response.

In her lawsuit, Daniels alleges she was fired despite having no responsibility for the residents in Courtyard Estates memory care unit where Stewart lived. She also alleges she was the worker who first alerted others to the fact that Stewart was missing.

Worker charged with murder

State records indicate Stewart walked out of Courtyard Estates about 9:40 p.m. on Jan. 21, triggering an alarm. By that time, a separate alarm attached to the door of Stewarts room had already been tripped.

The two alarms triggered a series of alerts that appeared on a desktop computer at the facility and on portable iPads carried by some of the workers.

According to police, surveillance video at the facility shows employee Catherine Forkpa walking around the facilitys memory care unit for hours without checking on Stewart or resetting the alarm system. Daniels alleges she was unaware of the door-alarm alerts in the memory care unit because those alerts were not routed to her iPad, as she was working in a different wing.

At 6:10 a.m. on Jan. 22, Daniels saw the door-alarm alerts and alerted Forkpa in the memory care unit. The two located Stewart outside, on the ground, with parts of her body covered in ice. Stewart was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Forkpa, who had worked at Courtyard Estates for seven months, was fired and now faces charges of second-degree murder. Four other employees were given written warnings for their failure to respond to the door alarms, according to state records.

Daniels and Forkpa are Black, and the lawsuit alleges they are the only employees to have been fired over Stewarts death.

Nurse didnt respond to alarms

Courtyard Estates executive director allegedly told state inspectors that the night Stewart died, she received text-message alerts on her phone that were triggered by the two door alarms, but she didnt hear them as she slept. Inspectors reported that the first alert appeared on the directors phone at 9:44 p.m., and they continued to be received every five minutes throughout the night.

In addition, the facilitys on-call registered nurse, identified in the lawsuit as Jamie Haub, had received a similar series of alerts on her phone. She allegedly told inspectors she had noticed the alerts, but failed to respond because she was at home with her family, and because she went to bed around 9:30 p.m.

Haub allegedly told inspectors there was no expectation for her to respond to door-alarm alerts during on-call status, and that she was only expected to respond to phone calls from the on-duty staff. Inspectors reported Haub said she should have called the staff to check on things but assumed the staff would take care of it.

Forkpas criminal trial on the murder charge is expected to begin May 15.

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GENEVA  The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide.

The announcement, more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe.

The U.N. health agency's officials said that even though the emergency phase is over, the pandemic isn't finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects.

"It's with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

"That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat," he said, warning that new variants could emerge. He noted the official COVID-19 death toll is 7 million but the real figure is estimated to be at least 20 million.

Tedros said the pandemic was on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries already returned to life as it was before COVID-19.

He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done, saying it shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty.

The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving. Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administration's response to the pandemic had a role in his losing his reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world: More than 1 million people died across the country.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, submitted her resignation Friday, saying the waning of the pandemic is a good time to make a transition. She sent a resignation letter to President Joe Biden and announced the decision at a CDC staff meeting.

Her last day will be June 30, CDC officials said. An interim director wasnt immediately named.

The CDC, with a $12 billion budget and more than 12,000 employees, is an Atlanta-based federal agency charged with protecting Americans from public health threats.

Walensky, 54, has been the agency's director for a little over two years. In her letter to Biden, she expressed mixed feelings about the decision and didn't explain exactly why she was stepping down.

I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career, she wrote.

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO's emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced.

Ryan said that some of the scenes during COVID-19, when people resorted to "bartering for oxygen canisters," fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldn't get treated, must never be repeated.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, the disease hadn't yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging pandemic response measures, including vaccine mandates, will end. Deaths in the U.S. are at their lowest point since the earliest days of the outbreak in early 2020.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus' potential to spread in countries with weak health systems.

Some countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

WHO doesn't "declare" pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists said a pandemic was underway.

WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the world's response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly. It recommended against mask-wearing for the public for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHO's reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agency's lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious-diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described COVID-19 as a "once-in-a-lifetime disaster" and said broad immunity against the virus meant we are now in a new phase of the outbreak.

He lamented that the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing much "self-inflicted harm" by shutting down much of society.

"Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned," he said.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip for his role in a 1997 murder-for-hire after the state's attorney general agreed Glossip's life should be spared.

While it's rare for the conservative-dominated court to put executions on hold, it's even more unusual for a prosecutor to side with the inmate.

Glossip had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 despite statements by new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond that Glossip did not receive a fair trial.

An Oklahoma appeals court subsequently upheld Glossip's conviction and the state's pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The high court put the execution on hold indefinitely while it reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the decision, presumably because he dealt with the case earlier as an appeals court judge.

There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the state now admits has never received a fair trial, Glossip attorney Don Knight said in a statement. "Our hope is that the court will reverse the decision of the (Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals) and vacate Mr. Glossips conviction once and for all.

Drummond, a Republican and the state's top prosecutor, supported a high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, Glossips trial was unfair and unreliable. He in a statement he was grateful for the high court's decision.

I will continue working to ensure justice prevails in this important case, he said.

But Drummond also has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent of the murder-for-hire killing of Glossips former boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

Van Treeses brother, Ken Van Treese, declined to comment on Friday's ruling.

Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has long said he believes Glossip persuaded Sneed to kill Van Treese. He said that while Sneed's testimony was most compelling, there was plenty of evidence to corroborate it.

When police came to talk to Glossip about Van Treese's whereabouts, he directed him away from the room he knew Van Treese was in, Prater said Friday. At any point, Glossip had the opportunity to tell the police that Sneed did this. He never did that. He even helped Sneed clean up everything.

Prater said Sneed and Glossip also both had a large amount of cash that Prater said they stole from Van Treese's car.

In light of Gentner Drummond's position regarding the stay, I don't feel like the Supreme Court had much of a choice, Prater said. But the truth will come out.

Two separate independent investigations have revealed problems with the prosecution's case.

Drummond said Sneed lied on the stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium, and that prosecutors knew Sneed was lying.

Also, evidence was destroyed, Drummond said.

Some Republican state lawmakers who support the death penalty have joined the growing chorus of Glossip supporters who are seeking to overturn his conviction.

We're just ecstatic, state Rep. Kevin McDugle said in a brief telephone interview on Friday.

Glossip was spending his last day of contact visitation with his wife, Lea Glossip, at the prison when he learned of the news, she said.

We were reaching the end of the visit where we would have to say our goodbyes when the warden came in, pulled us out into the hallway and told us the news, Lea Glossip said in a text message to The Associated Press.It truly feels like answered prayers.

Glossip's case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given a reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions.

Glossip has been just hours away from being executed three separate times. His last scheduled execution, in September 2015, was halted just moments before he was to be led to the death chamber when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug. That mix-up helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon  who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walking  took up his cause in real life. Prejean herself has served as Glossips spiritual adviser and frequently visited him in prison. His case also was featured in the 2017 documentary film Killing Richard Glossip.

Glossip is the first inmate who was granted a reprieve by the justices since their term began in October. The court rejected pleas from 15 others, including Darryl B. Barwick, who was executed in Florida on Wednesday.

But in a similar situation to Glossip's, the justices in January ordered a Texas appeals court to look again at the case of a death-row inmate who also had the backing of prosecutors. The inmate, Areli Escobar, had been convicted and sentenced to death based of forensic evidence that a judge later found to be flawed. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the judges order for a new trial, even though the newly elected prosecutor in Travis County, Texas, was no longer standing behind the conviction. When Escobar appealed to the Supreme Court, the prosecutor supported his bid. Escobar was not facing imminent execution.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
NEW YORK  Bondi, an 8-month-old toy poodle, had just returned from a walk when he began stumbling. His head wobbled and soon he could barely stand, so his owner, Colleen Briggs, rushed him to the vet.

The doctor quickly made a diagnosis: Bondi was stoned.

On his walk, a sniff must have led Bondi to a discarded joint, which he ate.

He was just doing his usual  exploring everything, sniffing everything, said Briggs, who began to notice the pot shops sprouting up around New York City, the frequent whiffs of marijuana while circling her Manhattan neighborhood and the unfinished joints now littering sidewalks.

In places like New York City, where the first legal recreational pot dispensary opened last year, users can smoke it in the open. As a result, more dogs are coming across  and eating  discarded joints and edibles, prompting alarm among veterinarians and pet owners who blame the steep rise in poisonings on smokers oblivious to the harm they can do by littering.

Marijuana poisonings, which are almost never fatal, were once rare among pets, even when medical dispensaries started opening, according to Dr. Amy Attas, a New York City veterinarian. Until recently, many occurred at home, when pets got into their owners' stashes.

The reason were seeing so many cases is that people are using marijuana on the street and then discarding the unwanted ends of their joints, Attas said. And thats a real problem because dogs will eat those.

In the first three months of the year, she had already seen six cases, which is about the same number she's treated over the past three decades. Multiply that by the number of vets working in New York City, she said, and the result underscores the widening problem.

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said cases are rising nationwide. Last year, there was an 11% increase from the roughly 6,200 cases reported in 2021, and over the past five years, there has been a 300% increase.

To me, it is unbelievable how prevalent this now is, said Attas.

Twenty-one states have legalized the recreational use of cannabis, and in large urban areas like New York, there's no escaping the whiff of pot in public.

In many cases, owners are unaware that their dogs have eaten a leftover joint until they begin showing signs of toxicity. Even then, owners might not understand what is ailing their pets.

Sue Scott was in a panic when her 9-month-old fawn pug, Circe, collapsed after a recent walk. Circe's paws splayed out on the floor, her head shook to-and-fro and she drooled.

A million things were running through my head, said Scott, 68. Marijuana poisoning was not among them. I would never had thought that, she said.

Scott made a video call to Dr. Attas, who said Circe was showing all the signs of being high. She now keeps Circe on a shorter leash, mindful of where she pokes her nose.

I dont know if you know pugs  theyre constantly on the lookout for their next morsel, said Scott, who has owned four other pugs, none of whom ever returned home stoned. But sometimes it's pretty tough to control them because they are so fast. They'll just dart at something.

Although dogs rarely die from marijuana poisoning, treatment can be expensive, sometimes requiring a trip to the animal emergency room, a stomach pump and intravenous fluids.

The stress on the patient and its owner is also enormous.

Bondi has been poisoned three times, the first time last fall, said his owner, Briggs.

Even as Briggs grew more vigilant when walking her pup, she acknowledged that she must have gotten distracted when Bondi became sick a second time. That time, she let Bondi ride out his high.

Walking him  it's just a really intense situation. So Im always looking on the ground, and its just everywhere now, she said of the spent joints that she and Bondi come across on walks.

One time," Briggs said, "I caught him and grabbed it out of his mouth.

The top 10 most popular dog breeds in America 1. French bulldogs 2. Labrador retrievers 3. Golden retrievers 4. Golden shepherds 5. Poodles 6. Bulldogs 7. Rottweilers 8. Beagles 9. Dachshunds 10. German shorthaired pointers
Two bills aimed to help the city of Spring Grove recover from a devastating December fire have been included in both the Minnesota House and Senate tax proposals.

The first bill would provide $250,000 in remediation for Spring Grove. Funding would support disaster recovery, infrastructure, reimbursement for emergency personnel costs and equipment costs, and reimbursement for property tax abatements sustained by public or private entities.

The second provides Spring Grove with a sales and use tax exemption for construction materials and equipment used to repair, replace, or recover property damages from the fire.

The fact that both the House and the Senate have included this remediation in their respective tax bills indicates that this is an important priority for everyone at the capital, said Minnesota State Sen. Jeremy Miller.

The Dec. 22 fire burned for more than seven hours, destroying Mulqueens True Value Hardware store on Main Street and the six apartments above it. Six families were displaced during a housing shortage in Spring Grove.

Fighting the fire resulted in power being cut in town and Highway 44 being closed overnight.

No lives were lost in the fire, but one family cat was lost.

Fire departments from around Houston County responded and two firefighters sustained minor injuries.

Spring Grove is currently cleaning up the location of the fire. The buildings basement has been boarded over for safety and a local artist will paint a mural in the vacancy.

Theres just a lot of unknowns right now, Spring Grove Mayor Saundra Solum said. But were moving slowly forward. Not as fast as some people like but faster than other people expected.

Solum said a group of local investors has purchased the property with the goal of rebuilding.

Spring Grove is great about working together. Im sure if these bills werent there, the investment group would try and come forward and do something. But every bit will help, Solum said. You dont want a hole in your main street. Were hoping its a retail store that brings people into town and makes them want to stay here.

State Rep. Greg Davids visited Spring Grove about a month after the fire to talk about recovery ideas. Sen. Jeremy Miller has been in talks with the city government about recovery help through the spring.

Its been great having them support us, Solum said. Because we didnt even know where to begin. So its great to have both of those bills moving forward.

In March, representatives from Spring Grove lobbied the Senate Taxes Committee for the bill.

Spring Grove is in an incredibly strong position as we approach the final weeks of this legislative session, Miller said. While anything can happen, I am confident that Spring Grove can expect a positive outcome when the final tax bill is approved. Its great news for a community that badly needs it.

Solum said the first bill will generally go toward the costly cleanup and the tax exemption from the second bill will greatly help the rebuilding.

As a community, were hoping we come back stronger, Solum said. We wish we could snap our fingers and have it built and be there, but were making progress.
JOHNSON CREEK  Columbus City Administrator Kyle Ellefson has accepted a new position and will become the administrator in the village of Johnson Creek.

Ellefson will begin his position as the village administrator on June 5. He previously held the position from 2016 until 2020. He had previously been the administrator for the city of Kewaunee as well.

Ellefson said that he enjoyed his time in Columbus.

I think as a city weve accomplished a lot of things over past few years and really set the stage for continued improvements moving forward by establishing realistic goals and tying a variety of information together with funding commitments so we have more than a list of projects, we have a truly achievable plan, Ellefson said. I am excited to see these plans come to life so Columbus can start crossing more things off the list of needs we see throughout the community.

Ellefson said he came to Columbus from Johnson Creek in 2020 and found out by coincidence that they had the village administrator position open.

After some discussion and thinking about the opportunity to work on their upcoming utility projects, new streets, residential and commercial developments, it really intrigued me, Ellefson said. I think this will be a great challenge and opportunity.

According to an email from Village Board President John Swisher, Ellefson brings excellent credentials. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from Concordia University of Wisconsin in the administration of criminal justice, as well as a masters degree in public administration from UW-Oshkosh. Ellefson has also been designated as a credentialed manager by the International City-County Managers Association, which is in recognition of his education, experience, adherence to high standards of integrity, and an assessed commitment to lifelong learning and professional development.

The Village Board is very excited to have someone with Kyles experience and professionalism join us, said Swisher. Weve made progress on several really important issues recently, but having Kyle on board gives us someone we can rely on to help the board accomplish our goals as we work on developments in the village, upcoming public works projects, utility needs and improvements, and budget challenges.

Ellefson and his wife, Tina, have three children and have been married for more than 24 years. Some of Ellefsons activities include being a member of the Wisconsin City-County Management Association, a board member of the Columbus Area Endowment and a Rotary International member, and participating in FFA Alumni activities.

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COLUMBUS  A Columbus High School organization had a color run/walk on Wednesday to bring awareness to others about mental health and let students know that the club is around to offer a helping hand to those in need of peer support.

CHS CARES advisor Toni McGee said the club supports mental health awareness and has the mission of ending suicide and organized a mental health awareness day for the Columbus School District.

Each building had an assembly focusing on what mental health strategies could be used if you or someone you know needs help, McGee said. The message highlighted good nutrition, exercise  all things that support body, mind and spirit.

After the assembly, the CARES club had a color walk/run at Firemans Park.

I think it went well, Grace Kahl, CHS CARES member said. The students seemed to have fun and learn that the school is there to support them so they can express themselves in however way they feel comfortable.

About 1,200 students came out for the event, McGee said. The elementary and middle school students were dotted with paint, while the high school students had powdered paint thrown at them, as it is done typically in any other color event.

Along the route were messages of encouragement, statistical information regarding the mental health crisis among teens 13-18, as well as where to go for support, McGee said. It was a beautiful day, and all who participated had great fun.

The group raised more than $1,000 in donations and received a grant from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction to help the club put on the walk.

CARES stands for Compassion, Advocacy and Resources to End Suicide.
WEST BEND  A 31-year-old Horicon man will go on trial this fall for charges of causing the death of a Mayville woman and her child while driving last summer.

Steven Bruskiewicz Jr. faces two counts of homicide by negligent use of a motor vehicle, one count of homicide by negligent use of a motor vehicle of an unborn child and reckless driving causing great bodily harm. If found guilty of any of the homicide charges, he could face up to five years in prison and five years of extended supervision on each count.

Bruskiewicz is accused in the deaths of a pregnant Mayville woman and her 1-year-old child.

Bruskiewicz appeared in the courtroom of Washington County Circuit Court Judge Michael Kenitz for a hearing on Wednesday. The five-day jury trial was scheduled for Oct. 9 to Oct. 13.

According to a press release from the Washington County Sheriffs Office, the investigation stems from a multivehicle crash that occurred near the intersection of Highway 164 and Elmwood Road in the village of Richfield on June 28.

During the incident, a southbound vehicle was struck from the rear by a vehicle allegedly driven by Bruskiewicz and pushed into the oncoming lane of traffic, where it was struck by a northbound vehicle. The crash resulted in the death of the driver of the southbound vehicle, Casey Schwartz, 30, of Mayville, her unborn child, and her 1-year-old son, Octavius Schwartz. A 67-year-old Waukesha man was seriously injured in the crash.

The crash was investigated by the Sheriffs Office Crash Reconstruction Unit, which was assisted by the Wisconsin State Patrol.

The final investigation showed that Bruskiewicz, who was driving his work van, caused the crash and was using social media and other applications on his cellphone at the time of the crash.
Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret is such a sweet film its amazing people tried to get Judy Blumes book banned at one point.

Dealing with a girl approaching puberty in the 1970s, its a respectful, coming-of-age story that handles controversial subjects with aplomb.

Margaret (nicely played by Abby Ryder Fortson) wonders about those changes but has bigger worries at play  she and her parents are moving to New Jersey, away from her beloved grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates) and the friends she spent a lifetime making.

Soon, though, New Jersey seems like a hotbed of humanity. There, she meets girls who pull her into a secret club, boys who test her willpower and religions that hover over her actions.

While The Wonder Years and Diary of a Wimpy Kid might be apt comparisons, Margaret is really a tamer look at what might seem a volatile time. The real fun comes when Margaret stirs a competition between grandparents. The tipping point: religion. Her father comes from a Jewish family. Her mother comes from Christian one. Neither religion has grabbed hold of mom (Rachel McAdams) or dad (Benny Safdie). Margaret, however, prays to God, hoping some of her life-changing moments will land softly.

Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, Margaret isnt a sharp-focused look at the era (see: Licorice Pizza) but a huggable remembrance of a softer time. McAdams is wonderful as a mom trying to find her own path in life; Bates is like an offstage Ethel Merman. Theyre great role models for Margaret, who isnt quite sure where she wants to go.

Plenty of life-changing moments prompt her to choose her own path. A thread about menstruation got Blume a lot of attention back when the book was released but its less eye-opening than a middle school film on the subject.

More interesting is how Margaret traverses the world of boys. A boy/girl party introduces her to spin-the-bottle. An outing to Radio City Music Hall tips her off about a friend.

Fortson is a charming role model, finding moments that resonate  whether with a girl her friends deem unworthy or with her mother whos looking for her own sense of fulfillment.

The films set is stuffed with geegaws you may remember if youre old enough (copper Jell-O molds, anyone?) and a comfort level that suggests times were a bit better. The Wonder Years might have been a better historic memoir but Margaret is timeless in the way it approaches key moments in life.

Its not going to trigger any trauma but it might just make you wish for times with princess phones, not social media.
A Columbia County school district will continue to manage $5.5 million in grant money for improving access to mental health services for itself and three other districts  despite its own administration recommending that another take over.

Cambria-Friesland, Pardeeville Area, Randolph and the Rio Community school districts form the Wisconsin Well Bes Consortium, a group of rural schools dedicated to mental health resources and programming. The Consortium applied and was awarded a multi-million-dollar sum from the Department of Education in March, which Rios administration spearheaded.

Through a five-year distribution of funds, the districts would work to hire, train and retain skilled mental health professionals.

Rios Board of Education voted at a special meeting Tuesday to proceed with leading the grant process, bucking a request from Middle High School Principal Brittany Cashman to let the task fall to another district.

I dont think our board is healthy enough to take on the grant manager position, Cashman stated. If were given free money, and the federal department of education has approved this project and the budget down to the penny and this Board of Education is going to question that? This is not going to be successful.

A grant manager, dean of students, coordinator and education and human services advisor would have to be hired or sourced among current staff to meet the grants requirements. As the writer of the application, with grant work already outlined in her contract, Cashman was the schools only candidate to oversee the grant on behalf of the Consortium.

She currently manages over $125,000 in grant funds.

The board presented concerns about Cashmans new role at its April 24 meeting but decided to arrange a special meeting to continue the discussion. Two members of the board were newly elected.

Since then, Cashman said, the boards probes became overwhelming. She stated that she answered 34 questions, written and verbally, leading up to the boards last gathering. Shes fielded an additional 75 queries after that.

Superintendent Craig Vetter said they documented at least 19 pages of questions and responses.

There have been a lot of questions about my personal and professional integrity, and, for the record, I just want to publicly address that, Cashman stated. I receive no financial gain from this grant. I do not get a raise from this grant. I dont get stipends or any bonuses for doing this.

The Cambria-Friesland, Pardeeville Area and Randolph school districts already communicated that they would be willing to hire a grant manager in Rios place.

Members of the board pushed back, re-stating that a decision couldnt have been made earlier since Tammy Wakeman and Carly Young were only recently seated. Others mentioned that they had a concern for Cashmans ability to handle the extra work.

I know I had questions, but thats in my nature, to question things. I was never against the grant, Andrea Becker said.

Cashman responded by saying that she was ready to present the details of the new positions and grant management role at the boards April 10 meeting, but was barred due to the board entering a closed session.

There were some timing issues, unfortunately, that came into play. Thats out of our control, said Board President Bob Hagenow.

A motion to honor Cashmans recommendation to re-home the grant manager role failed 3 to 2. The board unanimously decided to hire a dean and appoint high school English teacher Jessica Daugherty to the coordinator and advisor roles, leaving Cashman to manage the funds by default.

Cashman told the Portage Register after the meeting that she was still prepared to take on the position. Even if the board hadnt decided to proceed with the grant, the Consortium would have stepped in and made the project possible.

Even if we couldnt come to a consensus at the board meeting, the goal was to make this grant successful. Im excited to take on the role, she said.

GALLERY: Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House Columbia County Sheriff Open House
BMW recalls older vehicles, warning 90,000 car owners in the United States due to defective Takata airbags, which could dangerously explode.

The German automaker issued a "do not drive" warning to affected customers until the defective airbags had been properly replaced with a new one.

BMW Recall: 90,000 Car Owners Receives 'Do Not Drive' Warning

According to Bloomberg, BMW dished out a "do not drive" alert to its customers over a defective airbag installed in 90,000 older cars and SUVs. The latest warning resembles the previous recall of other giant automakers, such as Ford Motor and Honda Motor, which also used Takata airbags on their vehicles.

Thirty-four car makers have already issued a similar "do not drive" warning to their customers due to the defective airbag, which could explode when exposed to heat and humidity for a long time.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the airbag defect has already killed 24 people in the US. Not to mention that injury cases have reached roughly 400. With these figures, the issue triggered one of the largest recalls in the entire history of the US.

The latest recall from BMW enables its customers to have the dangerously defective airbags replaced on their vehicles free of charge. The "do not drive" warning applied to the owners of various BMW vehicles as early as 2000 until the models were released in 2006.

To be precise, the recall involves 3 Series models between 2000 and 2006. It also covers 5 Series vehicles sold from 2000 to 2003. For the X5 SUV, the defective airbags affect its 2000 to 2004 models. So if you own the said vehicles, the German automaker warns owners not to drive these vehicles.

The Acting Administrator of the NHTSA, Ann Carlson, emphasized the importance of the recent recall involving 90,000 BMW vehicles. As per Ars Technica, she points out that these airbags are already 20 years or two decades old. And as such, defective equipment poses an alarming 50% chance of exploding even in minor crashes.

Read Also: Tesla Power USA Partners With Indian Oil Corp for Battery Sales, Service

Dangerous Takata Airbag Defect

NPR reports that Takata, the maker of the airbags on the affected BMW vehicles, applied ammonium nitrate to help inflate the safety equipment when a crash occurs. However, it turns out that the chemical used only ages well over time. Moisture and high temperatures are its closest enemy, which could lead to an explosion inside the vehicle.

Since the defective airbags started exploding, it has already killed 33 people from various parts of the world, mostly in the US. The Japanese firm behind the defective equipment, Takata, has since shut down due to bankruptcy.

Years since the controversy erupted, BMW has yet to replace the dangerous airbags in its older vehicles. The automaker urges customers to bring affected cars to the dealership, noting that the installation will be quick.

Related Article: Tesla's New Affordable Model Y Set to Hit Canadian Markets: Rumors of Chinese Imports Spark Excitement

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The Beaver Dam Common Council authorized the sale of $3,355,000 in notes on Monday to pay for citywide improvements at its council meeting.

Capital improvement projects for 2023 include a library roof replacement, several road projects, new equipment for the fire department and upgrades to Rotary Park. The city was originally told the projects were to cost over $4 million, but after seeking a second estimate on the librarys roof, that total dropped.

Beaver Dam does not use long-term borrowing to finance annual operating expenses.

Dave Ferris of Ehlers Public Finance Advisors, the firm that advises the city on its borrowing, told the council that there were six bids with the lowest bidder being TD Securities of New York at 3.309%.

The one thing that did occur is there is a little bit better issuance cost on the issue and they were able to get some premium so some of it could be applied to your issuance cost, Ferris said. That allowed us to downsize the issue by $35,000. So when we came here about a month ago it was $3,390,000. Your issue now is $3,355,000.

There is money that has to be put away in a debt service account for next year so some of the interest expense that will be covered by that premium next year that will not have to be levied for, Ferris said.

We had quite a bit of competition that came out with some decent rates, Ferris said.

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Supply delays held up a major piece of the Elm Street Plaza in downtown Wisconsin Dells, but that innovative stone fountain arrived on April 26.

The Kugel ball, a large, black and gray stone sphere that spins horizontally over water, was delivered to the plaza in the morning.

The interactive, 14-ton granite ball is about 6 to 8 feet in diameter.It features a map of the world and operates electronically. Visitors can toss coins into the water fountain it spins above. The cost of the Kugel ball is part of the $5.5 million project budget.

Designed in Xinjiang, China, the ball traveled a 6,500-mile journey through the Pacific Ocean and Panama Canal before arriving in Newark, N.J. It then was delivered to the Dells.

The Wisconsin Dells Visitor and Convention Bureau announced that it plans to hold an opening event for the Elm Street Plaza on May 26. It was unofficially opened on March 11 for the Thirsty Shamrock 5K and Pub Crawl as the starting point for the 3.1-mile run through the city.

Elm Street Plaza is next door to the upgraded Wizard Quest facility, which opened in late 2021. The plaza project broke ground in late October of 2021.

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CROWN POINT  A Dyer man was charged with arson on Tuesday for allegedly setting fire to the Schererville International House of Pancakes, where he once worked, according to charging documents.

Christopher M. Lobody, 33, was charged with arson, two counts of possession of a controlled substance, public intoxication and possession of paraphernalia, court records stated.

Charging documents allege that on April 26 around 6 p.m., Lobody showed up to the Schererville IHOP, located at 1850 U.S. 41, and walked to the employees-only part of the establishment and told them he stole his girlfriends car.

Lobody appeared intoxicated, charges say, and he further told the employees that he was going to kill his girlfriend. He was asked to leave and did, according to charging documents.

Shortly after Lobody left, Dyer police were dispatched to his girlfriends house on the 1900 block of Lake Street for a domestic dispute, charging documents stated. The woman told police that Lobody broke into the residence with a hammer and told her he was going to set her on fire, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Charges show that Dyer police ultimately decided not to arrest Lobody and drove him to the Schererville IHOP, where he told them he was meeting a friend.

Lobody returned to the IHOP around 8:45 p.m. and began causing a scene, so the manager called police, records stated. When officers arrived, they saw Lobody walking alongside the building, near where the storage room was located.

Approximately five minutes later, the fire alarm was activated and employees observed smoke coming from the storage room, according to the probable cause affidavit.

Police found Lobody near Lincoln Highway and Sunset Boulevard, and when they asked him about the fire he told officers he didnt set it, charges say. Officers then searched him and found a pocket knife and disposable lighter and Lobody was taken into custody, the affidavit stated.

When officers read Lobody his constitutional rights while detaining him, Lobody said Suck my (expletive), bye, according to the probable cause affidavit. Lobody also allegedly was striking his head against the metal and Plexiglass divider in the police car that was transporting him to jail, the affidavit stated.

Police eventually had to take him out of the vehicle due to his aggressive behavior and in the process they found several pills, which they later determined to be hydrocodone acetaminophen and clonazepam. They also found marijuana and three THC cartridges, according to charging documents.

Lobody remains at large and a warrant is out for his arrest.
Madison police are investigating a homicide that took place early Friday outside the Badger Tavern, 1612 Seminole Highway, off the Beltline on Madison's Near West Side, according to a press release put out by Madison police.

The victim was shot at about 12:15 a.m. in the parking lot, according to police.

Caleb C. Dimaggio, 23, was arrested for first-degree intentional homicide. He was booked into the Dane County Jail on Friday morning, police spokesperson Stephanie Fryer said in a release.

Officers arrived to find a 44-year-old man suffering from a gunshot wound, Fryer said. They immediately began rendering life-saving aid, but the victim died at the scene, she said.

His identify will be released by the Dane County Medical Examiner's Office.

The suspect remained on scene and was immediately taken into custody.

The gun involved was also recovered at the scene, Fryer said.

The suspect and victim were not known to one another, she said. Detectives are still investigating the circumstances that led to the shooting. "This process can take time," she said.

Detectives with the Violent Crime Unit are leading the investigation.

Badger Tavern opened in late 2015 where Tony Frank's Tavern was for 86 years before it went into foreclosure.

Anyone with further information about the shooting is asked to contact detectives at 608-266-4730.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos on Friday called for cutting about $14 million in funding for University of Wisconsin System positions focused on diversity, equity and inclusion, saying those workers are burrowed in like a tick on every single college campus.

Vos, R-Rochester, told conservative WISN-AM radio host Jay Weber that hes open to cutting more funding, saying the nearly $14 million only reflected positions explicitly mentioning diversity, equity and inclusion, not the funding that actually implements much of their left-wing agenda.

Vos said the university systems diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices have contributed to the racial divide.

Vos comments came as Republicans began rewriting Democratic Gov. Tony Evers proposal for the states two-year spending budget, cutting programs and measures theyre against and offering alternatives.

His comments also came amid a tumultuous week at UW-Madison, sparked by a video on social media showing a white woman  believed to be a UW-Madison student  spewing racial slurs and joking about returning Black people to slavery.

Hundreds of students marched against what they see as the universitys inadequate response to the video. University statements criticized the video but said the womans speech was legally protected.

Evers previously called Vos proposal ridiculous and wrongheaded.

We have to take those issues very seriously, he told reporters in Eau Claire Thursday.

Were seeing it on campus at UW-Madison as we speak, he continued, in reference to the racist video.

The stated purpose of the UW Systems DEI offices is to improve the human condition for all, especially those of diverse racial and ethnic identities, nationalities, social and economic status, sexual orientations, gender identity/expressions, ages, physical and mental abilities, religious beliefs or political ideologies.

There has been a recent Republican push to eliminate such positions nationally, led by the conservative Manhattan Institute, which says DEI positions stifle intellectual diversity, prevent equal opportunity, and exclude anyone who dissents from a rigid orthodoxy.

More than 20 states have introduced anti-DEI bills. Some proposals seek to limit conversations about race on campus and others propose removing DEI positions in universities, the Brookings Institution reported.

If we dont figure a way to take race out of every single conversation and go to the colorblind society that Martin Luther King talked about, I think its going to make even more division that weve had in the past, Vos said.

I frankly think we have gotten to the point where instead of having an institute of higher learning, we have an institute of indoctrination.

The UW System spends about $13.6 million on DEI offices per year, according to a WisPolitics.com review. Thats about 0.2% of the university systems $6.875 billion budget.

If Republicans send the governor a budget that cuts DEI positions, Evers would be able to strike specific provisions from the document. Before signing the 2019-21 budget, Evers made more than 70 line-item vetoes.

Republicans can cut the amount allocated to the UW System without specifying that its for DEI offices, and the system would have to choose where to cut the amount from, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau.

In a statement, UW System President Jay Rothman said, Our students rightfully expect to be exposed to and learn from a range of cultures, ideas and opinions.

He said the system is committed to educating a diverse group of students, including those traditionally underrepresented in higher education, to meet our goal of increasing the number of graduates by 10 percent in the next five years.

Rothman added that the university system is reviewing the use of statements that could be perceived as political which might be required for employment within the UW System.

There should be no political litmus test for working at our universities, he said.
When were young, most of us dont think about aging. Its something our parents and relatives may be concerned about, but they usually dont talk about it. Mine didnt, but then my mother died of a cerebral hemorrhage when she was in her mid-50s and my dad died after a stroke and cancer when he was in his early 60s.

Because of that, I never expected to live very long, so I did pretty much what I wanted to do. That meant fulfilling my dream of living on a farm and having children with someone I loved. Those dreams were fulfilled after having three children and living on a northern Minnesota livestock farm and a dairy farm in central Minnesota. After ten years, we moved to the beautiful Smoky Mountains in North Carolina where my husband managed a large dairy farm, and I raised the calves. We were happy there, but because the kids had to ride a bus a half-hour each way to school and were teased unmercifully for being Yankees and, God forbid, reading books on the bus, we moved to the Baraboo area where they were accepted as they were.

Here, I worked with children who had special needs and our children didnt have to defend themselves on a bus. I also fulfilled my dream of writing an op-ed column which youre reading now, and which Ive been writing since 2012. Life is good.

Ive discovered old age isnt the threat I used to think it was. In fact, it has many advantages over youth.

One of them is the benefit of having longtime friends and good neighbors. Theyre always there to listen, entertain and offer support when needed. Theres no substitute for that.

Old age is also a time when we can pursue our favorite pastimes and hobbies. Suddenly we have time to keep up with household chores like doing dishes, cleaning and laundry while having an opportunity to do things we love. For me, thats reading, writing, doing artwork and being outdoors.

Keeping a positive attitude is crucial and easy when we see all the good in the world, including in our own communities. We also have opportunities to do volunteer work in any area that interests us. Most elementary schools welcome volunteers to come in and read to students or help them with lessons. Before the pandemic and before I had the stroke, I loved working as a substitute educational aide with students who have special needs. Some of my best memories are of those students.

The Aging and Disability Resource Centers in many Wisconsin communities also welcome volunteers who will visit, shop for and/or provide other services to those who need them. The one in Baraboo offers many volunteer options as well as resources for those in need of their services.

If were lucky enough to have good health, we can still work full- or part-time, depending on whether or not we can live only on Social Security and/or on any retirement benefits we receive. These days, theres no lack of jobs. Thats obvious by all the help wanted signs almost everywhere we go. That gives us several options  opportunities we didnt enjoy when we had to work full-time just to survive.

But there are also numerous options for those who choose to stay home. Keeping a diary is one of them. Not only does that activity spur good memories, but it also provides our children and grandchildren insight into our lives and interests.

I recently found an old diary I started the day I had our first child. I continued writing in it for several years and it brought back many things Id forgotten. Those memories are priceless. You sure cant buy them in stores.

The nicest thing Ive found about old age is the time I have now to read and keep up with recent events. Before, the news was something I got to when I had some spare time. These days, I start my day with local and world news. I cant say it brightens my days, but at least Im informed and more educated about local and national events.

I also enjoy being on Facebook where Ive met several interesting people Id never have known otherwise. They share amazing photos and artwork as well as funny memes and comments I wouldnt have had the opportunity to see before.

Like most things, old age is what we make of it. So why not enjoy it while were able?
We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on!

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(Photo : ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images)

At least 8 people were killed in a drive-by shooting, the second mass shooting in Serbia in two days.

Authorities announced on Friday that eight people were killed and 14 were injured in Serbia's second mass shooting in two days, and that a suspect had been apprehended, causing anguish in a nation that had just begun three days of mourning for victims of the first shootings.

The most recent incident occurred Thursday night in the village of Dubona, 42 kilometers (26 miles) south of Belgrade, according to authorities.

Second Mass Shooting in Serbia

The suspect, a young male, was embroiled in a fight in the schoolyard. He departed, returned with an assault rifle and a handgun, opened fire and continued shooting at random from a moving vehicle. An off-duty police officer and his sister were among those slain. Per Reuters, the police used a helicopter, drones, and numerous patrols to locate the suspect.

More than 600 members of the Serbian Special Forces, along with helicopters and thermal imaging cameras, were deployed to search for the perpetrator, according to the public broadcaster RTS.

All special police units, including an anti-terrorism unit, helicopter unit, and police forces from Belgrade and Smederevo, were deployed. Uros B. was apprehended on Friday morning near the central city of Kragujevac, located approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Mladenovac municipality.

Photos released by the Ministry depicted Interior Minister Gasic on location. CNN was informed by the Ministry of the Interior that this incident is being investigated as an act of domestic terrorism, but no further information was provided.

Images depict ambulances passing through checkpoints supervised by armed security personnel, as well as police vehicles blocking adjacent roads. On the highway between Dubona and the capital of Serbia, Belgrade, police vehicles line the shoulder as officers conduct a search at dawn.

According to state media, Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic labeled Thursday's drive-by shootings a terrorist act. As police searched for the perpetrator, hundreds of special police and helicopter units, as well as ambulances, were dispatched to the area, which was sealed off.

The incident occurred one day after a 13-year-old boy used his father's firearms to kill eight classmates and a security officer at a Belgrade school. The carnage sent shockwaves throughout a Balkan nation scarred by conflicts but unfamiliar with mass murders.

Even though Serbia is awash in armaments from the 1990s conflicts, the school murder on Wednesday was the first in the country's modern history. Prior to this week, the last mass shooting occurred in 2013 when a war veteran murdered 13 people in a village in central Serbia.

Thursday was dominated by the aftermath of Serbia's first fatal murder in ten years. Students, many of whom wore black and carried flowers, flooded the sidewalks surrounding the school in the heart of Belgrade as they paid silent tribute to their slain classmates.

Teachers' unions in Serbia have called for demonstrations and strikes to warn of a crisis in the education system and demand reforms. On the same day, authorities moved to tighten gun control, with police urging citizens to secure their firearms and keep them out of the reach of minors.

Read Also: JPMorgan CEO, Google Co-Founder Urged To Testify Over Links to Pedophile Financier Jeffrey Epstein

Serbia Tightens Gun Regulation

The government ordered a two-year ban on short-barreled firearms, stricter regulation of gun owners and shooting ranges, and harsher penalties for those who provide access to firearms to juveniles.

According to CBS News, a registered gun possessor in Serbia must be at least 18 years old, physically fit, and have no criminal record. Weapons must be stored securely and apart from ammunition.

Wednesday morning's gunfire at the primary school named after Vladislav Ribnikar resulted in the hospitalization of six students and one teacher. Doctors reported Thursday morning that a girl who was wounded in the head remains in critical condition and a boy who sustained spinal injuries is in severe condition.

According to authorities, the shooter, identified by police as Kosta Kecmanovic, is too immature to be charged and prosecuted. He has been committed to a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of jeopardizing public safety after his son gained access to firearms.

Rifle culture is prevalent in Serbia and throughout the Balkans: The region has one of the greatest rates of firearm ownership per capita in Europe. At celebrations, firearms are frequently discharged into the air, and the veneration of the warrior is an integral part of national identities.

Related Article: Serbia School Shooting Leaves 8 Children Dead; 13-Year-Old Boy, Father Arrested

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
FILE - Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut, an eastern city where fierce battles against Russian forces have been taking place, in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, Wednesday, May 3, 2023. The owner of Russias Wagner Group military contractor is threatening to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukraine city of Bakhmut next week. He accused Russias military command Friday, May 5 of starving his forces of ammunition and rendering them unable to fight. (AP Photo/Libkos, file)
Each team will design a structure out of canned food, which will be judged, displayed, and finally donated to help hungry people in the community.
Heads up, Congress: A new AARP poll finds that when voters 50 and older gear up for future elections, how candidates address their concerns about key family caregiving issues will greatly influence their vote.

The survey found that a majority of voters  70 percent  say they are more likely to support a candidate who backs proposals to support family caregivers, such as tax credits, paid family leave and respite services. An overwhelming 75 percent of voters 50-plus want to be able to stay in their homes as they age, and say it is important for Congress to help older Americans live independently in their homes instead of in a nursing facility. These concerns are expressed in similar numbers among Democrats and Republicans.

Family caregivers are the backbone of a broken long-term care system, providing $600 billion in unpaid labor each year and saving taxpayers billions, says Nancy LeaMond, AARP executive vice president and chief advocacy and engagement officer. It is long past time for lawmakers to enact commonsense solutions that support family caregivers and help older Americans live independently in their homes, where they want to be.

The AARP poll was conducted by a bipartisan team of pollsters who surveyed 1,425 registered voters, with oversamples of voters age 50+, Black voters, Latino voters, Asian American/Pacific Islander voters and family caregivers. The survey was conducted by phone and text-to-web from April 4-10, 2023, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.

Its no surprise that voters prioritize issues that have played big roles in recent elections and will again in 2024, like protecting social security and Medicare and lowering prescription drug prices, says Matt Hogan, Democratic pollster and partner at Impact Research. Hogan conducted the poll along with Bob Ward, a GOP pollster and partner at Fabrizio Ward. What may come as surprise to many is that voters prioritize helping seniors live independently at home and supporting family caregivers at a level higher than some issues that tend to command more of the media spotlight, such as investing in clean energy and student loan debt.

AARP

Ward says the reason why is simple: More than three-quarters of voters are either currently, have been, or expect to be a caregiver for an aging loved one. There is a real opportunity for candidate on both sides of the aisle to feature home care and family caregiver support in their campaigns and get the upper hand on these high-priority issues.

The over 45 million voters who provide unpaid care to an aging, sick or disabled loved one or friend are an important constituency and they want their voices heard. While for many the work is a labor of love  40 percent spend more than 20 hours a week assisting with everything from driving a family member or friend to appointments to managing medical claims to providing hands-on assistance  it comes with much pressure. The majority of caregivers surveyed say they are stretched thin emotionally (72 percent) and financially (55 percent), with 60 percent saying they are overwhelmed by the additional responsibility.
China recently held its five-day labor day, which usually drives Chinese to Europe for some luxury shopping. However, with flights still limited following the reopening of the border in China, European luxury stores may need to wait longer for the return of masses of tourists that they were once dependent on.

Overseas High-End Shopping

Retail industry executives and analysts say that it may be more important to consider the type of Chinese visitors to Europe instead of focusing on the numbers alone, according to Reuters.

Flight ticket prices from China to Europe have increased by up to 80 percent more than pre-pandemic prices. Those who are slowly returning to Europe are usually business travelers and wealthier people with the means to travel differently.

This means that the traditional mass-market Chinese tourists who used to flock to European luxury stores may not return for some time. Instead, luxury stores may need to shift their focus to attracting high-end customers who are more likely to spend big on luxury goods.

Read Also: China Announces Reopening of Borders to Foreign Tourists First Time Since COVID-19 Emerged

The Rise of Online Shopping

(Photo : by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)

Tourist wearing protective respiratory masks tour outside the Teatro alla Scala in Milan on February 1, 2020. - A virus similar to the SARS pathogen has killed more than 300 people in China and spread around the world since emerging in a market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan. On February 2, China's National Health Commission said more than 14,000 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus.

In addition, online shopping has become increasingly popular in China, making it easier for Chinese consumers to purchase luxury goods without leaving their homes. To compete with online retailers, European luxury stores may need to improve their e-commerce offerings and create a seamless online and offline shopping experience for customers.

Despite the challenges, European luxury stores remain optimistic about the future of Chinese tourism. Many invest in digital marketing and social media campaigns to reach Chinese consumers and build brand awareness. Some also offer personalized shopping experiences and exclusive products to attract high-end customers.

While the return of Chinese mass-market tourists may be delayed, luxury stores can adapt and cater to a new type of Chinese visitor who values high-end experiences and products. The shift towards attracting high-end customers is wider than European luxury stores. Luxury brands worldwide are also adjusting their strategies to cater to Chinese consumers who prioritize quality over quantity.

One way that many luxury brands are doing this is by creating exclusive collections and products specifically for the Chinese market. These products often feature cultural references that resonate with Chinese consumers, making them more likely to purchase them.

Additionally, some luxury stores have begun offering concierge services in Mandarin or Cantonese, ensuring a seamless shopping experience for affluent Chinese visitors who may need more time to speak English or other languages.

Another trend among luxury brands targeting the China market is collaborations with popular social media influencers and celebrities in China. By partnering with these influential figures, luxury brands can reach millions of followers on WeChat and other platforms and build brand awareness among younger generations of wealthy shoppers.

While it remains uncertain when mass-market tourism from China will return to pre-pandemic levels, there's no doubt that European luxury stores are taking steps now to position themselves as top destinations for high-end shoppers worldwide - including those hailing from Mainland China.

Related Article: China To Resume Issuance of Passport, Visa as COVID-19 Restrictions Ease, Posing a Possible Wave of Travelers For Lunar New Year

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
New diagnostic blood test showcased at world's premier endometriosis conference



World Endometriosis Congress - New Diagnostic Test Showcased

Perth, May 5, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd ( ASX:PIQ ) is pleased to announce it will present its potential new blood test for endometriosis at the world's leading endometriosis conference. The world-first test will be showcased today at the 15th World Congress on Endometriosis, held in Edinburgh, Scotland, from 3-6 May 2023.



- Proteomics International presents potential new blood test for endometriosis at the 15th World Congress on Endometriosis in Edinburgh, Scotland, held by the World Endometriosis Society



- Test offers improved early screening for the disease, correctly identifying up to 90 per cent of patients with the condition in a study of over 900 participants



- Research also suggests the current gold standard for diagnosis-an invasive surgical procedure-may be misdiagnosing some patients



- Endometriosis affects one in ten women often causing pain and infertility and diagnosis currently takes an average of 7.5 years



Proteomics International's simple blood test uses biomarkers-protein 'fingerprints' in the blood-to screen for endometriosis. The research to be presented at the conference indicates the strong diagnostic performance of the test, with the Company's preferred prototype correctly identifying up to 90 per cent of patients when comparing moderate or severe endometriosis to symptomatic controls (no endometriosis) in a study of over 901 participants [ASX 24 March 2023].



Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe said we are delighted to present our potential screening test for endometriosis at the premier conference for this debilitating disease. "To have a simple blood test, to help determine who should have an invasive laparoscopy and who should not, is an exciting development in improving the diagnosis of endometriosis. It's important these results are reviewed by the world's experts in the field as we are confident we have potentially created a new world-first blood test for diagnosing the disease."



Endometriosis is a common and painful disease that affects one in ten women and girls, often starting in teenagers. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the body where it does not belong. At the moment, there is no simple way to test for the condition, which can cause pain and infertility, and costs the UK economy GBP8.2 billion a year in treatment, loss of work and healthcare costs.



The current gold standard for detection is an invasive laparoscopy followed by histopathology, a surgical procedure where a camera is inserted into the pelvis through a small cut in the abdominal wall and then a biopsy is taken for analysis. On average, it takes women 7.5 years to be diagnosed.



Proteomics International's test works by measuring the concentration of biomarkers in the blood that are associated with endometriosis. The Company has identified a panel of biomarkers that change concentration as the severity of endometriosis increases, and analysis shows these biomarkers all relate to biological pathways that could be linked to the unwanted tissue growth that occurs in endometriosis.



Dr Lipscombe said our simple blood test can detect endometriosis, but the data also suggests the current gold standard for diagnosis-an invasive surgical procedure-may be misdiagnosing some patients, particularly in the early stages of endometriosis. The next steps in developing the test are to confirm its clinical performance and clinical utility in more people in these early stages of endometriosis or with symptoms and to look more closely at their existing diagnosis.



The World Congress on Endometriosis (WCE2023) is a key event featuring clinical and scientific progress in endometriosis and adenomyosis. The event, held every two years, is run by the World Endometriosis Society and brings together scientists, clinicians, allied health staff and patients from across the globe to advance biologic and sociologic understanding of endometriosis to improve clinical care.



Proteomics International's preferred diagnostic model targets a potential early screening test to rule in or rule out the need for invasive surgery by distinguishing symptomatic controls from moderate and severe endometriosis, and achieved sensitivity (Sn) of 90%, specificity (Sp) of 90% and an AUC (area under the ROC curve) of 0.84 [ASX 24 March 2023].



The endometriosis diagnostic test is being developed in collaboration with the Royal Women's Hospital and the University of Melbourne [ASX 4 August 2021].



Professor Roger Hart, Medical Director of Fertility Specialists of Western Australia and National Medical Director of City Fertility Australia, said "Endometriosis is a chronic gynaecological condition that impacts the health of 10% of women with menstrual disturbance, pelvic pain (which is often debilitating) and infertility being the potential consequences of this condition. However, unfortunately often these symptoms are overlooked, not recognised or even downplayed by health care professionals and consequently the diagnosis and treatment is often delayed. If a simple, reliable, non-invasive test for endometriosis was developed and was readily accessible, this could be a substantial step forward to assist in the identification and subsequent management of women with endometriosis."



To view the 15th World Congress on Endometriosis poster presentation, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/8N0G7R0N





About Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd





Proteomics International Laboratories (ASX:PIQ) is a wholly owned subsidiary and trading name of PILL, a medical technology company at the forefront of predictive diagnostics and bioanalytical services. The Company specialises in the area of proteomics - the industrial scale study of the structure and function of proteins. Proteomics International's mission is to improve the quality of lives by the creation and application of innovative tools that enable the improved treatment of disease.
BLUECHIIP RAISES $2.2 MILLION AND ANNOUNCES SHARE PURCHASE PLAN



Raises $2.2M and Announces Share Purchase Plan

Melbourne, May 5, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Bluechiip Limited ( ASX:BCT ) ( 1BL:FRA ), a leader in the development of advanced sample management solutions for harsh environments, today announced it has successfully raised $2.2 million (before costs) via a placement to institutional, sophisticated and professional investors (Placement) for 88.0 million new ordinary fully-paid shares at an issue price of $0.025 per ordinary share (New Shares).



The Placement was strongly supported by both existing and new shareholders, including the Company's existing substantial holders.



The Company's Chairman, Mr Iain Kirkwood supported the Placement by subscribing for a total of A$100,000 worth of New Shares. The Company advises that as Mr Kirkwood is a related party, this subscription will be subject to shareholder approval at the Company's next general meeting. The raising of $2.2 million is inclusive of the related party subscription.



The Company intends to use the proceeds of the Placement for continued production scaling and sales expansion, especially in the North American market and ongoing working capital.



The Company expects to resume normal trading on the ASX today, 5 May 2023, with the New Shares expected to be issued on Thursday 11 May 2023. The New Shares issued under the Placement will rank equally with existing shares on issue. The New Shares will be issued using the Company's existing capacity under ASX Listing Rule 7.1.



MST Financial Services Pty Ltd acted as the Lead Manager to the Placement.



In addition, the Company is also pleased to announce a Share Purchase Plan (SPP), inviting all existing shareholders to subscribe for new shares at the same price as the Placement.



Mr Andrew McLellan, Bluechiip Managing Director & CEO, said, "The Board thanks and greatly appreciates the support of all investors, both existing and new, as we continue to progress our highly differentiated technology into the global biospecimen preservation market to become the gold standard in sample management at extreme temperatures, providing confidence in every samnple. The capital raised will enable Bluechiip to accelerate both the landing of new accounts and also the expansion within existing laboratories, which already include global pharma and US Ivy League institutions, especially following our recently announced partnership with New York State Psychicatirc Research Institutue located in Columbia University in New York City".



Share Purchase Plan (SPP)



The SPP aims to raise an additional A$300,000 (before costs) and will enable existing Australian and New Zealand shareholders of the Company to invest in the Company via the SPP. Under the SPP, holders of existing Bluechiip shares on the share register as at 7.00pm (Sydney time) on the record date of Thursday, 4 May 2023 and who are eligible shareholders in Australia or New Zealand will each be invited to subscribe for up to A$30,000 of new fully paid ordinary shares in Bluechiip at the placement price of $0.025 per ordinary share (subject to scale-back at the Company's absolute discretion depending on the level of demand).



Participation in the SPP is optional and the SPP will not be underwritten. Further information in relation to the SPP, including the SPP terms and conditions, will be outlined in a separate SPP booklet which will be despatched to eligible shareholders next week.



*To view the timetable and further details, please visit:

https://abnnewswire.net/lnk/S17ZQTE9





About Bluechiip Limited





Bluechiip Ltd (ASX:BCT) understands that every sample - stem cells, blood, eggs, sperm and other biospecimens - is critical, so our objective is to manage each one with optimal quality in the most efficient way. Bluechiip's advanced management solution is the only one that provides sample temperature with ID in cryogenic environments to. Most importantly, this delivers confidence in every sample.

Bluechiip's unique patented technology is a MEMS-based wireless tracking solution that contains no electronics. It represents a generational change from current tracking methods such as labels (hand-written and pre-printed), barcodes (linear and 2D), and Radio Frequency Identification. Bluechiip tags are either embedded or manufactured into storage products such as vials or bags. Each product can be easily identified, and critical information such as sample temperature, is detected by readers and stored in the Bluechiip software. In addition to functioning in extreme temperatures, the Bluechiip(R) Advanced Sample management solution can survive autoclaving, gamma irradiation sterilization, humidification, centrifuging, cryogenic storage and frosting.

Bluechiip's technology has applications in healthcare, including in cryogenic storage facilities (biobanks and biorepositories), pathology, clinical trials and forensics. Other key markets include cold-chain logistics/supply chain, security/defence, industrial/manufacturing and aerospace/aviation.

Bluechiip: Delivering confidence in every sample.
Implementation of the Pepper Inquiry recommendations provides Tamboran certainty to progress development of Beetaloo Basin assets



Implementation of the Pepper Inquiry and Rig Arrival

Sydney, May 5, 2023 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Tamboran Resources Limited ( ASX:TBN ) ( TBNNY:OTCMKTS ) report the Northern Territory Government's implementation of all 135 recommendations under the 2018 Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory provides Tamboran with confidence to progress its investment in the Beetaloo Basin.



Development of the Beetaloo Basin is expected to deliver Territorians low reservoir carbon dioxide gas to provide affordable energy at a time where Australian families are experiencing cost of living pressures.



Significant royalties from onshore gas in the Beetaloo are expected to flow to Traditional Owners and Northern Territory Government.



Northern Territory Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Mining and Industry, Nicole Manison and Tamboran's Managing Director, Joel Riddle, will host a media event in Darwin at 11:00am AEST on Friday 5 May 2023 to welcome the arrival of the Helmerich & Payne (H&P) super spec FlexRig(R) Flex 3 rig in Australia.



Refer to media statement (below) - Arrival of Helmerich & Payne's FlexRig(R) drilling rig in Australia to deliver a step change in drilling efficiency in the Beetaloo Basin.



Tamboran Resources Limited Managing Director and CEO, Joel Riddle, said:



"Tamboran welcomes the Northern Territory Government's announcement that the 135 Pepper Inquiry recommendations have been fully implemented. This gives industry the certainty to import and invest in the latest shale technology and equipment, including H&P FlexRig(R) rig. With the Northern Territory Government's completion of the Pepper Inquiry, Tamboran is planning on moving rapidly towards production as early as 2025.



Background to the 2018 Scientific Inquiry into Hydraulic Fracturing in the Northern Territory The Pepper Inquiry was a 15-month inquiry led by Honourable Justice Rachel Pepper of the NSW Land and Environment Court in 2018. The inquiry was set up to mitigate the risks associated with any onshore shale gas development in the Northern Territory. On 2 May 2023, the Northern Territory Chief Minister Natasha Fyles announced that all 135 recommendations had been met by the NT Government and cleared the way for an onshore shale gas industry in the Beetaloo Basin.



Media Release:



Arrival of Helmerich & Payne's FlexRig(R) drilling rig in Australia to deliver a step change in drilling efficiency in the Beetaloo Basin



Tamboran Resources Limited Managing Director and CEO, Joel Riddle, said:



"The arrival of Helmerich & Payne's (H&P) super spec FlexRig(R) Flex 3 rig in Australia marks a significant moment for the Northern Territory, Tamboran and our joint venture partners.



"The event is especially significant for everyday Australians who have been calling for a reduction in cost of living from lower energy prices for their homes and businesses. Through our Strategic Alliance with H&P and the possibility of importing an additional four rigs into Australia, the commercialisation of shale gas from the Beetaloo Basin has the incredible potential to reduce current energy costs with generally lower associated emissions than existing coal and higher reservoir carbon dioxide gas fields.



"The rig, which comes with modern US drilling technology, is expected to bring about a significant improvement in drilling efficiency and horsepower, delivering a step change in cost reduction while also reducing land use and minimising environmental impact.



"Tamboran welcomes the Northern Territory Government's announcement regarding the implementation of all 135 Pepper Inquiry recommendations. This gives industry the certainty to import and invest in the latest shale technology and equipment, including the H&P FlexRig(R) rig. With the Northern Territory Government's completion of the Pepper Inquiry, Tamboran is planning on moving rapidly towards production as early as 2025.



"Once operational, this onshore drilling rig will be the most powerful rig in Australia, capable of drilling more than 3,000-metre horizontal sections within the Mid Velkerri 'B Shale' in the higher quality, deeper shale formations of the Beetaloo. With Beetaloo gas containing approximately 3 - 4 per cent reservoir carbon dioxide, we expect the reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions will be more cost efficient when compared to offshore gas fields that can hold up to 20 per cent associated carbon dioxide.



"The development of the Beetaloo Basin, one of the world's largest undeveloped shale gas plays, has the potential to transform the Northern Territory. It is anticipated that thousands of direct and indirect jobs will be created locally, and hundreds of millions of dollars in royalties will be paid to Traditional Owners and the Northern Territory Government.



"By working closely with the government, the industry can ensure Australia's energy security for decades to come and contribute to the country's climate commitments by utilising this low reservoir carbon dioxide gas resource to offset high emission alternatives. Additionally, this resource has the potential to significantly reduce the supply/demand gap in the East Coast gas market.



"We have already initiated discussions with various high-quality gas buyers for volumes of gas for 200-300 TJ per day from later this decade. Contracting this gas will be critical in enabling us to approve our 1 billion cubic feet per day (BCFD) development plan."



John Lindsay, H&P's President and CEO commented:



"The arrival of our rig into the Northern Territory is another step forward for Tamboran and their journey to provide natural gas into Australia's domestic market. Tamboran's objectives align with our core purpose of 'improving lives through efficient and responsible energy' and we are pleased to have this opportunity to provide the Company the rig, technology and drilling expertise in order for them to achieve their goals. We are looking forward to mobilizing the rig to the Beetaloo Basin and commencing operations."





About Tamboran Resources Limited





Tamboran Resources Ltd (ASX:TBN) is a natural gas company that intends to play a constructive role in the global energy transition towards a lower carbon future by developing low CO2 unconventional natural gas resources in the Beetaloo Sub-basin within the Greater McArthur Basin in the Northern Territory of Australia. Tamboran's key assets are a 25% working interest in EP 161 and a 100% working interest in EP 136, EP 143 and EP(A) 197 which are located in the Beetaloo Sub-basin.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday.

The revelation of tuition payments made by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is the latest example of Crows generosity to Thomas and his family that has raised questions about Thomas ethics and disclosure requirements more generally. The payments, along with the earlier examples of Crows financial ties to Thomas, were first reported by the nonprofit investigative journalism site ProPublica.

ProPublica reported Thursday that Crow paid tuition for Thomas great-nephew Mark Martin. Thomas and his wife, Virginia, raised Martin from the age of 6.

Over the past month, ProPublica has reported in other stories about luxury vacations paid for by Crow that the conservative justice took as well as Crows purchase of property from the Thomas family, neither of which were disclosed. Democrats have used the revelations to call for stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and the Democrat-controlled Senate held a hearing on ethics issues this week. Republicans have defended Thomas.

According to the ProPublica story, Crow paid tuition for Martin at a military boarding school in Virginia, Randolph-Macon Academy, as well as Hidden Lake Academy in Georgia.

ProPublica said Thomas did not respond to questions. Crows office responded in a statement to questions but did not address a question about how much he paid in total for Martins tuition. He did say that Thomas had not requested the support for either school, ProPublica reported.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press about whether Thomas would have any response to the story. On Twitter, however, lawyer Mark Paoletta defended Thomas in an extended statement. Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas, called the story another attempt to manufacture a scandal about Justice Thomas.

Paoletta said in his statement that Crow had recommended that Thomas consider Randolph-Macon Academy, which Crow had attended, and had offered to pay for Martins first year there in 2006, a payment that went directly to the school. When the school recommended Martin spend a year at Hidden Lake Academy, Crow offered again to pay for that year, a payment that also went directly to the school, Paoletta said.

In response to the story, lawmakers in Congress were again divided by party.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, said it was just the latest installment of the lefts multi-decade campaign to target Justice Thomas.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement that with every new revelation in this case, it becomes clearer that Harlan Crow has been subsidizing an extravagant lifestyle that Thomas could not otherwise afford.

This is a foul breach of ethics standards, which are already far too low when it comes to the Supreme Court, Wyden said.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged Roberts to take note.

I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads this story this morning and understands something has to be done, Durbin said. The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here, the credibility of the court when it comes to its future decisions is at stake.

___

Associated Press video journalist Rick Gentilo contributed to this report.
A Bernalillo County firefighter killed in a helicopter crash last year will be among dozens of fallen firefighters honored in a national ceremony Sunday.

Lt. Matthew King, 44, a rescue specialist with the Bernalillo County Fire Department, will be memorialized during the 42nd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Maryland, according to a news release.

The weekend ceremony will include a candlelight service at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and a memorial service at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning. Both events will be livestreamed on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundations website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

King and Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office Undersheriff Larry Koren, Lt. Fred Beers III and deputy Michael Levison died when their helicopter crashed in July in a remote area of Las Vegas, New Mexico.

The Metro Air Support Unit crew was returning after helping crews fight a fire in the area  it was among the deadliest incidents to befall law enforcement in New Mexico history.

King is listed alongside 79 firefighters who died in the line of duty for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundations 2023 Roll of Honor.

The release states that Kings name will also be inscribed on a bronze plaque and become a permanent part of the National Memorial in honor of their sacrifices.

Kings wife and children will be given a flag, which has flown over the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the U.S. Capitol, as well as a badge and a rose.

The weekend is a time for sharing, healing, and commemorating each firefighters commitment to public duty, the release said.
(Photo : HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP via Getty Images)

The WHO revealed it fired a top scientist once tasked with uncovering the COVID-19 origins.

COVID-19 origins' lead investigator Peter Ben Embarek was fired last year

Embarek denies the harassment accusation

The WHO scientist's dismissal is appealable

The World Health Organization (WHO) fired a primary investigator into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic "due to sexual impropriety."

The dismissal of Peter K. Ben Embarek, an expert in food safety and animal-borne diseases, was reported by The Financial Times on Wednesday.

WHO Scientist Tasked With Uncovering COVID-19 Origins Fired

WHO spokesperson Marcia Poole said in an email that the findings derive from events that occurred between 2015 and 2017. In 2018, the agency's investigation team heard of the allegations for the first time.

She stated that there was significant congestion at the time and that the ensuing investigation and administrative processes took several years. The agency did not provide additional information about the nature of the complaints. However, it did note that other allegations against Dr. Ben Embarek "could not be thoroughly investigated" because the victim or victims refused to participate in the process.

Dr. Ben Embarek told Reuters that an incident from 2017 had been resolved. According to Reuters, he stated, "I am unaware of any other complaints, and no other complaints have ever been brought to my attention. I vigorously contest the definition of harassment, and I am quite optimistic about defending my rights."

Dr. Ben Embarek led a World Health Organization mission to Wuhan, China, in 2021 to investigate the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. WHO-selected international experts collaborated with Chinese experts to conduct the investigation, which China had repeatedly delayed.

Dr. Ben Embarek stated at a news conference in Wuhan that it was "extremely implausible" that the virus escaped from a Wuhan laboratory, citing the laboratory's safety precautions. Per NY Times, the WHO team was criticized for furthering narratives promoted by Chinese officials, including the possibility that the virus originated outside of China and spread through frozen food shipments.

Ben Embarek is the highest-ranking WHO official known to have been fired since the UN agency implemented reforms to enhance its response to sexual misconduct. He has been frequently cited in the media regarding the pandemic's origins.

His dismissal is appealable through the internal justice system of the United Nations. Ben Embarek was the main WHO representative on a 2021 mission to China to investigate the origin of COVID-19.

Read Also: Serbia Reels Second Mass Shooting in Two Days; Suspect Arrested After Overnight Manhunt

COVID-19 Origins

The team's conclusion that bats were the most probable initial hosts, leading to a pandemic in humans, made international headlines. It also determined that a virus leak from a Chinese laboratory was "extremely implausible," despite demands from various scientists to investigate the possibility.

Ben Embarek later stated that the team was subjected to political pressure, including from outside China, but the report was not altered as a consequence. He failed to discern the origin of the pressure, as per ABC.net.

Since a 2021 investigation revealed that dozens of aid workers, including some WHO employees, were involved in sexual abuse and exploitation during an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO has revamped its approach to handling sexual abuse and misconduct cases.

People are more inclined to report sexual misconduct, according to the agency, which is taking action when allegations are confirmed. It has begun publishing a monthly report on disciplinary actions taken.

Related Article: Israel Troops Kill 3 Palestinian Militants Tied to Killing British-Israeli Woman, Daughters



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SANTA FE  Amid skepticism over whether changes ordered by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham will alter the trajectory of New Mexicos troubled child welfare agency, a newly-formed advisory council met Thursday to begin the arduous task of finding potential fixes.

The first meeting of the Children, Youth and Families Departments policy advisory council ended up being part introductory session, part news conference, as acting CYFD secretary Teresa Casados said some restructuring is already underway at the agency.

Those steps include recruiting new agency leadership and moving to eliminate a backlog of $210,000 in owed reimbursement payments for CYFD foster families and other providers.

But she said some changes suggested by the advisory council could require legislation to be approved, which might not happen until next years 30-day legislative session  or possibly even later.

We recognize the transformation of a system this large takes an all hands on deck approach, said Casados, who is also the governors chief operating officer.

Some legislators and advocates have argued a more sweeping CYFD overhaul is needed, however, after Lujan Grisham expressed opposition to proposals establishing new outside oversight of the agency during this years 60-day session.

Rep. Stefani Lord, R-Sandia Park, said after Thursdays meeting not enough urgency is being shown to address a string of tragic child abuse cases.

No solutions to stop our vulnerable children from being neglected, raped, abused, tortured, and killed at this CYFD meeting, Lord said in a social media post. They will think about ideas to recruit and retain workers and foster care parents and meet again in a month.

Former CYFD secretary hopeful about finding solutions

The advisory council is tasked with crafting recommendations to improve CYFDs structure and performance.

It was established by the governor under a February executive order aimed at restructuring the agency, which has dealt with chronic staff turnover and high vacancy rates in addition to child abuse and neglect cases.

The council was originally structured to have seven members, but Catherine Begaye, the states only Native American District Court judge, decided not to participate after being named to the council in March, a Lujan Grisham spokeswoman said Thursday.

Former CYFD secretary Barbara Vigil, who stepped down from her role effective this week to transition to the advisory council, said shes hopeful the effort leads to improvements in a state that has long struggled with high poverty and drug addiction rates.

While previous CYFD committees have also been assembled and issued reports, she said the current effort could end up being more effective, in part because the advisory council will be meeting frequently with providers and a team of Cabinet secretaries in the Lujan Grisham administration.

I think whats different is that approach, Vigil said during Tuesdays meeting.

She also said some steps have been made to improve CYFDs performance, but acknowledged more work needs to be done.

Theres a lot of areas weve improved, but theres a lot of areas that we need to be better, Vigil said.

Another council member, former foster youth Kenneth Stowe, held up a thick binder during Thursdays meeting that he said contained his entire case history.

Im very lucky to be in this room with you all, said Stowe, who now works as a division director for the state Public Education Department. But we need to remove luck from the equation for New Mexico.

Timeline unclear as council begins work

After the initial Thursday meeting at the Roundhouse that was viewed online by more than 70 people, the advisory council is slated to hold several roundtable meetings around New Mexico in the coming months.

The council will also hold more informal meetings with providers and the team of state officials, though no schedule had been finalized as of Thursday, according to CYFD.

Some of those meetings will be open to the public, while others will be conducted privately, Casados said.

Our attempt is to be as transparent as we possibly can, she said.

In addition, Casados said the governors executive order does not include any deadlines, meaning the councils work can continue indefinitely.
A person accused of a crime has specific constitutional rights, with which many of us are familiar. From television programs and movies, most people know that a person has the right to remain silent, the right to an attorney and so forth. But how many of us are familiar with the rights of the victims of crime? For that matter, do people even know that crime victims have legal rights?

Well, they do in New Mexico. In our state, we have the Victims of Crime Act, NMSA Sections 31-26-1 through 16. The stated purpose of this act provides: victims rights are protected by law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and judges as vigorously as are the rights of criminal defendants. That is an incredibly powerful statement of purpose, explicitly recognizing that both an accused and a crime victim possess rights within the criminal justice process.

In part, a victim shall have the right to:

A. be treated with fairness and respect for the victims dignity and privacy throughout the criminal justice process;

B. timely disposition of the case;

C. be reasonably protected from the accused;

D. notification of court proceedings;

E. attend all public court proceedings the accused has the right to attend;

F. confer with the prosecution;

G. make a statement to the court at sentencing; and,

H. restitution from the person convicted of the criminal offense that caused the victims injury or loss.

These rights fall neatly into two categories: pre-conviction and post-conviction.

First, when a person is accused of a crime, he has the right to legal counsel, and the right to be notified of, and to attend, all hearings. So, too, the crime victim has the right to be apprised of all developments in the case by the prosecutor and to be notified of all hearings and to attend them.

Second, if the accused is convicted or enters into a plea agreement, then the crime victim has post-conviction rights, including the opportunity to deliver a victim impact statement at sentencing and seek restitution for any injuries or damages.

In my experience as a judge who has presided over thousands of criminal cases, the majority of crime victims definitely want to be included within the criminal justice process. They want to be notified of the status of the case, to attend court hearings, to receive protection from the accused, and to be awarded restitution when they have suffered loss as a result of the accuseds criminal behavior.

Most significantly, crime victims and their families want to speak at sentencing. There is nothing more gut-wrenching than listening to a victims impact statement, or if the victim is deceased, his or her familys statement. Nonetheless, it is an essential part of the criminal justice system. The victim impact statement allows an individual to move from victim status to a position of control over his or her life once again. It provides the victim catharsis. It allows the victim opportunity, to some degree, to heal, obtain closure and to move on with life.

New Mexico guarantees people accused of crimes specific constitutional rights and protections, as it should be. New Mexico also recognizes that victims of crime should be afforded statutory rights and protections, as well. As it should be.

Judge Daniel Ramczyk is a judge of the Second Judicial District Court. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the judge individually and not those of the court.
Drones of a propeller flock together.

The Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office is beefing up its fleet with 30 drones to help with finding lost hikers, reconstructing crash scenes and clearing buildings for the SWAT team.

BCSO spokeswoman Jayme Fuller said the aerial devices are different sizes and have unique capabilities, like infrared imaging and high-resolution cameras. She said they will be assigned to pilots with Open Space, Search and Rescue, Traffic, Crime Scene Investigations and the SWAT team.

Thats not to say they wont be available to patrol, Fuller said. For example if (deputies) ask for assistance from a pilot in locating a stolen vehicle, that is an option.

Fuller said the drones would not just be patrolling the skies without a specific mission. She said BCSO had to wait for approval from the Federal Aviation Administration to meet any necessary criteria, training, and licensing requirements.

We successfully met all their needs a few weeks ago and have a few pilots that will be ready to fly starting Monday of next week, Fuller said.

She said BCSO will evaluate the program and make necessary changes as it moves along.

We are excited to add drones to our tool belt and provide enhanced safety and support to our community, BCSO Sheriff John Allen said in a statement. Our mission is to protect and serve the people of Bernalillo County and this drone program will help us accomplish that mission.

Fuller said drones assigned to the Open Space and Search and Rescue units will have long battery lives, be able to fly at high altitudes and have thermal imaging. She said drones used to recreate crash and crime scenes will have high-resolution cameras and technology to map out 3D reconstructions.

Fuller said there are also the smaller drones that can go into buildings during ongoing SWAT standoffs or close-quarters situations and provide real-time video to deputies outside.

She said these drones can reduce the risk of injury to deputies and civilians, calling such situations one of the most dangerous and tense operations for deputies.
UPDATE: Accused serial arsonist facing charges in Huning Highland fire will remain in jail for now

When flames engulfed a vacant 1900s-era home in the Huning Highland neighborhood a week ago, the neighbors had a good idea who to blame. They knew the suspects name, and his history of setting fires in the historic area east of Downtown Albuquerque.

Just a week earlier, Sly Quincy Jones was arrested after a different, smaller neighborhood fire, in which he allegedly threw rocks and concrete at a homeowner who confronted him about the blaze.

But Jones, 51, was back on the streets April 24 after being released pending trial. The massive fire at 119 High SE occurred four days later, after Jones failed to report to pretrial services, court records state.

Jones was re-arrested after the latest fire, in which he is a suspect but not charged, records show. He is being held without bond facing felony charges of arson, aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance. Those charges relate to the earlier, smaller fire on April 22.

Whether he will stay in custody will be up to a state district judge, who is set to hold a hearing on Friday.

The 2nd Judicial District Attorneys Office filed a motion earlier this week seeking pretrial detention for Jones, alleging there are no conditions of release that will keep the community safe.

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Albuquerque Fire Rescue couldnt immediately say on Thursday how many fires have been reported in the area over the past year.

But over the past two years, at least a dozen fires, some small, have been linked to Jones, court records show.

Ben Sturge, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2012, woke up with his wife at 4 a.m. two weeks ago to see gigantic flames outside their window. That fire nearly destroyed a building.

In other incidents, fences and vegetation have been set ablaze, and a wisteria-covered arbor at the playground in Highland Park burned down, he said. A group of old Italian cypress trees up to 20 feet tall were set on fire one by one over a series of weeks. No injuries have been reported but a fence fire on March 16 nearly spread to a car parked next to a home, Sturge told the Journal.

People couldnt sleep at all. We were constantly on high alert, it was so erratic and so intentional, he said.

With Jones behind bars, the whole neighborhood can sleep soundly for now, Sturge said. But of course everyone is pessimistic about whether he stays in. Im a little more optimistic.

Theres precedent for holding Jones without bond.

Two years ago, a judge agreed to a DAs motion to detain in him an earlier case based on Jones uncontrolled propensities to persist in the commission of unlawful and gravely dangerous conduct of starting fires and a history of failing to comply with conditions set by the court.

But if history repeats itself, records show that getting Jones to trial may be difficult.

The last time he faced similar prosecutions related to arsons, Jones was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was subsequently released after the criminal charges were dismissed.

In one case, Jones had been charged with criminal damage to property, improper handling of fire and disorderly conduct. He was observed throwing rocks at a residence, allegedly threw rocks at a witness and was seen lighting a dumpster and shopping cart on fire, states the DAs recent motion.

While searching the area, officers located a total of six fires and multiple witnesses were able to place Defendant at each scene, the motion states. That case was dismissed on Jan. 19, 2022, when Jones was found to be incompetent.

In July 2021, in a different case, he was charged with criminal damage to property and resisting, evading or obstructing an officer after he was observed starting a fire at 124 High St. SE. A total of four fires were started and when officers arrived on scene, Jones fled, court documents state. Those charges, too, were dismissed because he was found to be incompetent.

Jones attorney at the time, Sarah Pepin, who is with the New Mexico Law Office of the Public Defender, told the Journal in an emailed statement, The law prevents prosecution of folks who dont have a grasp of the legal process. Thats how it should be.

Pepin added that if someone is incompetent and the judge finds they meet a dangerousness standard, the person can be sent to the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas to be treated until that person attains competency to stand trial.

A different defense team is in the process of working with Mr. Jones to assess his (current) case, said agency spokeswoman Maggie Shepard.

Meanwhile, Josh Boone, chief deputy district attorney, defended his offices decision not to seek to detain Jones until after the most recent house fire.

He said prosecutors were assessing the strength of the evidence related to the April 22 fire when the newest blaze was set. And more information on Jones has been gathered to support the pending motion to detain, he added.

Sturge said it would be a shame to lose more homes in Huning Highland, some which date back to the 1880s.

Obviously everyones house is precious and important, but I think because (city leaders) designated this as a historic district, it deserves some special notice that someone is trying to destroy it.
Larry Crumpler knows about Mars.

The research curator at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science is part of the Perseverance Rover team.

He and other scientists and engineers from NASA Headquarters and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory will take part in an event from 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, May 5, at the museum.

According to museum officials, the special guests will describe the latest developments and plans for Mars research near NASAs Roving with Perseverance exhibit, which is on loan at the Museum until June 5.

The list of well-known NASA leaders includes Michael A. Meyer, who is a lead scientist, and Program Scientist Mitch Schulte, both with NASAs Mars Exploration Program.

Mars-related hands-on activities, demonstrations, and giveaways (while supplies last) will be available.

At 1 and 4 p.m., visiting and museum scientists will also give special talks in the Planetarium, Powered by META.

They will discuss the newest results from the Perseverance Rover mission, which is collecting Martian surface samples that will be brought to Earth during an upcoming NASA mission. Seating is limited, so plan to arrive early.

The festivities continue into the evening with First Fridays! From 5:308 p.m., museum staff and volunteers will be available to help visitors with the Observing with NASA kiosk, which demonstrates how raw pictures of objects in space are enhanced by astronomers to bring out the beautiful details.

During the event, visitors will also learn how to send their processed images back to the museum for display on the Visitors Hall of Fame monitor above the kiosk, in exchange for completing a brief survey.

The events are included with museum and planetarium admission from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Access to the NASA kiosk is free from 5:30-8 p.m.
KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The owner of Russias Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscows military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russias Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasnt carried out.

Prigozhins spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin says. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhins comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

But why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall, said Michel, who is based in Berlin.

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the wars longest  and likely bloodiest  battle. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russias invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhins claims of ammunition shortages. Military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak told The Associated Press that Prigozhin was trying to justify their unsuccessful actions in Bakhmut.

Shoigu didnt immediately respond to Prigozhin, but his ministry reported Friday that he ordered a top official to ensure a continuous supply of all necessary weapons and military equipment to Russian troops. And in a counterpoint to Prigozhins visibility, an official video showed Shoigu inspecting tanks and other military equipment destined for Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the end of last year, the U.S. estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts the company has enlisted. That makes it a small part of Russian fighting forces.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagners troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, Michel said.

If hes removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

Prigozhins acrimonious relations with the military brass date back to Wagners creation in 2014. During the war in Ukraine, he has publicly accused some top Russian military officials of incompetence  behavior that is highly unusual in Russias tightly controlled political system.

Prigozhin alleged Friday that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhins statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

Hanna Maliar, deputy head of Ukraines Defense Ministry, said Friday that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed some Wagner ammunition depots, and other military officials said Ukrainian forces were holding their own in Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had destroyed a bridge that Ukrainian troops used to supply their side in Bakhmut. It wasnt possible to independently verify either sides claims.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa.

Bakhmut, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it wont be decisive in the wars outcome. The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a ghost town.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter.

Prigozhin had already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once before, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhins statement Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment.

Also on Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region, which borders the Crimean Peninsula that Russia illegally annexed, briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP)  The person who operates the Twitter account claims to be an Islamic fundamentalist living in Spain, empathizing with violent extremists and longing for the days, more than six centuries ago, when Muslims ruled the country.

The views are as fake as the account, part of a loose and informal effort by far-right nationalists in Spain to use social media to stir up anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant fervor and to undermine faith in Spains multicultural democracy. In some cases, they exploit Twitters loose rules to spread hateful messages and threats of violence, while in others they pose as Muslims as a way to disparage actual followers of Islam.

By harnessing the power of social media to communicate, coordinate and evangelize, those behind the so-called Reconquista movement are relying on the same playbook used by far-right extremists in the U.S., Brazil and other countries who have used social media to expand their power and recruit new followers.

Reconquista also borrows the same rhetoric used by far-right groups in the U.S., and even some of the same online memes, including Pepe the Frog, a crudely drawn amphibian who has become a mascot for white supremacist and antigovernment groups in the U.S. In one Reconquista meme, Pepe is shown wearing the garb of a 16th century Spanish conquistador.

As in the U.S. and other countries, the Spanish nationalists have seized on debates over trans rights, spreading misleading claims about the exploitation of children and supposed conspiracies to eradicate the idea of gender. Theyve also criticized COVID-19 vaccines, feminism, efforts to address climate change and support for Ukraine following Russias invasion.

The remarkable overlap of tactics and interests isnt a coincidence, but reflects how far-right groups in many countries are learning from one another, copying each others successes, said Joel Finkelstein, co-founder of the Network Contagion Research Institute, a Princeton, N.J. group that partners with Rutgers University on the Network Contagion Lab, a training and educational center focused on cyber threats.

The institute published a report on Reconquista this week. The findings were first reported by The Associated Press.

This is a recipe for disaster, Finkelstein told the AP. All over the world were seeing different manifestations of the same kind of problem. The flags are all different, but its remarkable how similar the memes are.

One concern, Finkelstein said, is that the rhetoric could lead to real-world violence.

Reconquista takes its name from the successful effort by Christian leaders to reconquer vast parts of the Iberian peninsula from its Islamic rulers and expel Muslims during the Middle Ages. Its a term embraced by some on the far-right, who see their opposition to Islam and immigrants as a divinely ordained sequel of sorts to that bloody, centuries long conflict.

Anti-Muslim rhetoric from accounts linked to Reconquista soared after a Moroccan man attacked two Catholic churches in the southern city of Algeciras in January, killing a church officer and injuring a priest. The man, an unauthorized immigrant, is now jailed in the psychiatric ward of a Spanish prison awaiting the results of a judicial probe; authorities believe he acted alone.

Many of the violent threats against Muslims that spread on Twitter following the attack violated the platforms rules, and in some cases the platform did act to remove the content or suspend the author. But often those behind the content simply created a new account days after they were suspended.

The far-right party Vox helped popularize Reconquista online, using the term repeatedly in Tweets ahead of the 2019 election. Vox, whose members express strongly anti-immigrant views, now holds 52 seats, or the third largest number, in Spains 350-member lower legislative chamber. The partys Twitter account was briefly suspended in 2020 for accusing its critics of promoting pedophilia, and again in 2021 for inciting hatred against Muslims.

The partys leader, Santiago Abascal, has made several references to the Reconquista, as he did last year in a Tweet. Today is the anniversary of the reconquest of Granada, an indelible memory of the day the recovery of the entire national territory was completed after eight centuries of Islamic invasion, he wrote.

Supporters of La Reconquista often display Spanish flags in their profiles and some openly praise Francisco Franco, the fascist dictator whose rule ended more than 40 years ago. They often refer to Muslims as Moors, an outdated historical term for Muslims from North Africa. One uses a photo of ex-U.S. President Donald Trump as their profile picture.

If loving Spain is very facha, well, I am very facha, reads the Twitter bio of one supporter of La Reconquista, using a Spanish term for fascism.

Reconquista style, but we wont only remove the moors but also those who opened their doors to them, wrote another.

Spain has responded to the effort to rehabilitate Francos legacy by passing a law last year that made it a crime to glorify the dictator. In 2019 Francos body was exhumed from a tomb at a grandiose memorial complex built by the fascists. He was reburied in a nearby cemetery.

Far-right groups in several countries have sought to reshape public understanding of events like the holocaust, slavery and, more recently, the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. By ignoring the details of the historic Reconquista or Francos dictatorship, La Reconquista seeks to legitimize its own anti-immigrant views as traditional Spanish values, according to Marc Esteve Del Valle, a professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands who has studied Reconquistas use of the internet.

In that sense, the internet isnt just a place where Reconquista supporters find each other and share information, but a method of shaping public opinion and politics.

The social networks are tools to organize, to mobilize. Its where the movement lives, Esteve Del Valle said.

Twitter has drastically reduced its staff focused on ferreting out misinformation, hate speech and extremist content since it was bought by Elon Musk. The company did not respond to messages seeking comment about La Reconquista.

In recent years a number of informally organized far-right groups have used social media in similar ways.

In Italy, an anti-vaccine group known as V_V (after the movie V for Vendetta) has used Telegram to threaten nurses, doctors and others involved in efforts to save lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Germany, a similar group known as Querdenken used Facebook to encourage violence against vaccine supporters until it was kicked off the site. In Brazil, supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro plotted on social media ahead of Januarys violent attack in Brasilia.

And in the U.S., social media played a critical role in spurring the deadly Jan. 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and is now being used by supporters of Trump in an effort to whitewash the events of that day.

Trump himself has helped build bridges between some of the groups, as when he praised the Spanish Vox Party during a video message played at a rally last year.

We have to make sure that we protect our borders and do lots of very good conservative things, Trump told the crowd. Spain is a great country and we want to keep it a great country. So congratulations to Vox for so many great messages you get out to the people of Spain and the people of the world.
Albuquerque-based cannabis manufacturer Assurance Laboratories is now the exclusive distributor in New Mexico for the national brand Undoo, a trio of supplements aimed at relieving overconsumption, resetting tolerance and clearing cannabis fog.

Tim George, the COO of Assurance, told the Journal the active ingredients in the Undoo products include olive oil, the organic compound olivetol and vitamin E  the latter of which acts as a preservative for the trio of products that come in gel capsule form.

The active ingredient olivetol in the trio of supplements  which include Undoo relief, Undoo reset and Undoo refresh  attaches to cannabinoid receptors in the body, George said. Its what he calls a lock-and-key mechanism that doesnt make you feel high and instead offers relief from overconsumption, cannabis brain fog and high tolerance.

George said the company is currently distributing the Undoo supplements to dispensaries in the state, including legacy operator Pecos Valley Production.

George expects Undoo to become a sought-after supplement in the local cannabis market.

Its about managing your experience, he said. Were just trying to give people tools to have a better time with cannabis.
The Coronation of King Charles III might be a little more controversial than that of previous monarchs, but rain or shine  probably rain  the new sovereign will be be crowned on Saturday.

U.S. President Joe Biden will not be attending, but First Lady Jill Biden will be there.

The ceremony will commence at 11 a.m. from Westminster Abbey in London, which is 4 a.m. Mountain Daylight Time.

CNN will begin its coverage at 10 a.m., which is 3 a.m. MDT, streaming free on its homepage.

The Associated Press will livestream it free on Youtube.

MORE COVERAGE

More royal news: Jill Biden in UK for King Charles coronation, visits No. 10

Kings coronation draws apathy, criticism in former colonies
After months of work and false starts, Hernan Gomez Chavezs latest public art work is ready for the world to see.

What started off as a protest piece against the removal of the Multicultural mural by Gilberto Guzman, has turned into a piece of hope.

Ode to the Multicultural Mural (La Guadalupana) is located on the east side of the Vladem Contemporary Art Museum  where Guzmans mural resided for more than 40 years.

The sculpture was installed last week in Santa Fe.

I felt like it wasnt going to happen, Gomez Chavez says. We were lucky to get a lot of parties involved to make sure this happens.

Since October, Gomez Chavez began working on the piece as a way to protest.

Yet, as art does, it evolved with the help of others.

Gomez Chavez worked with the likes of Rick Martinez and Carrie Wood, of Keep Santa Fe Multicultural group, to make the piece happen.

I started last October as they were tarping up and doing the stucco for the new museum, Gomez Chavez says. The initial plan was to do the piece as a banner.

Instead, Gomez Chavez began to work on a metal platform that would hold the banner. The metal structure is adorned with black roses, as well.

Wood began to work on the banner, which has Our Lady of Guadalupe at the center.

Shes a very powerful symbol, Gomez Chavez says of the imagery. Shes been used as a symbol for Chicanos and workers rights. I wanted to use the banner to drape over the entire wall. But we scaled it back. Carrie really adds color to the dark structure that I created. Its a balance.

There are two messages on the structure  one reads Keep Santa Fe Multicultural. The other is a quote by Guzman, I like the expose art to people who dont go to museums.

There was heated debate over the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs decision to retire Guzmans mural in 2021. With that move it would help preparation for the Vladem Contemporary  which is set to open later this year.

The DCA plans to pay homage to the mural at the new space. The mural will be commemorated with a plaque on the wall where it used to be and will be digitally recreated in the lobby of the museum. There will also be a kiosk that gives the buildings history.

Multicultural depicts an Indigenous woman spreading her arms across the wall of the old Halpin Building, which is being remodeled to become the Vladem Contemporary. The mural also featured other New Mexican elements, such as a train, a canyon and people from different races coming together.

In 2014, as the New Mexico Museum of Art approached its 100th year, it embarked on a journey to examine its founding vision and to explore future opportunities. The next step is a new space for contemporary art in Santa Fes Railyard District to complement the historic site on the Plaza, effectively creating one museum in two locations.

The Vladem Contemporary is named after Robert and Ellen Vladem. The couple made the lead gift of $4 million in the $12.5 million campaign. The funds to create the Vladem Contemporary were raised through a private-public partnership. The State of New Mexico contributed over $6 million towards the construction.

The Keep Santa Fe Multicultural group worked with the DCA, specifically Mark White, on where to place the structure  temporarily.

White is the executive director of the New Mexico Museum of Art, which will also run the Vladem Contemporary.

We talked to Mark to have this piece as a possible memorial that would be there temporarily, Gomez Chavez says. Its something we can do as a compromise.

White says the structure will be on display until July.

White says Gomez Chavez approached the DCA with the idea for it to be displayed temporarily.

We thought it was a fitting idea and it gave us an opportunity to give it the space before we opened, White says. (Hernan) was paying homage to the mural and we wanted to be supportive in whatever way we can.

White says Gomez Chavez did all of the heavy lifting and the DCA lent its help.

Were happy to do so, White says. We were able to provide financial support in terms of the installation of the piece.

Gomez Chavez  who has a number of public art pieces in Santa Fe  says this was the biggest project he had been involved in.

It was all inspired by Tigre (Mashaal-Lively), Gomez Chavez says. I was fortunate to tell them that this project was inspired by them.

Mashaal-Lively died in October 2022 and was an multidisciplinary artist who made an impact on the art world, as well as in Santa Fe.

Gomez Chavez hopes the structure will find a permanent home after July.

Were hoping the Railyard takes it and finds a home for it, he says. I kept calling this my love letter to Santa Fe. Politics from the city and state got in the way. Regardless, its really shining a light in its own way. I know its important that I keep making political art. This is where I was born and raised.
The largest annual LGBTQ pride festival in South Korea has always been hosted on the same central Seoul grassy plaza for a number of years, drawing entertainers and happy participants dressed in rainbow costumes.

To the dismay of festival organizers, the Seoul Queer Culture Festival (SQCF) was denied access to the venue this year, which would instead be utilized for a Christian youth concert arranged by the CTS Cultural Foundation.

According to Reuters, the foundation has ties to the Christian television network CTS, which has been an outspoken critic of homosexuality and the pride event.

Rainbow Action Against Sexual-Minority Discrimination of Korea, one of the largest LGBTQ activist groups in the country, has helped set up the event. The group has released a statement saying, "We are angry at the Seoul Metropolitan Government that is trying to push out sexual minorities and fill the plaza with discrimination and hatred."

Rationale Behind What's Decided

The Seoul Metropolitan Government said on Thursday, May 4, that the LGBTQ festival and Christian concert organizers had both requested to utilize the Seoul Plaza site from June 30 to July 1.

Since neither organization was willing to move their dates, the government deferred to a civic committee, The Korea Times reported. It was later decided to approve the concert's request to use the public space.

In a statement released by the municipal administration, the civic committee gave preference to gatherings that would be of "public interest," such as those that would benefit children or teens.

Biased decision?

In a report by CNN, SQCF organizers and supporters have accused the committee of bias, saying they had the same trouble securing the space in years past.

Last week, SQCF said, "Despite submitting (requests) to use Seoul Plaza with all the requirements met, we have experienced discriminatory treatment every year, such as only being allowed to hold the event for a shorter period than the requested dates, and continuously being referred to the (civic committee) due to biased, discriminatory and subjective excuses such as 'national sentiment.'"

It said the Christian concert was being used to propagate "hatred" against LGBTQ organizations and that "the purpose of the concert is to interrupt the Queer Culture Festival and to prevent sexual minorities from revealing themselves."

In defense, a spokesperson for the CTS Cultural Foundation told Reuters that the event was not scheduled to conflict with the pride celebration.

Since 2015, the event has taken place annually in Seoul Plaza, except during the Covid-19 pandemic. SQCF has confirmed that the festival will still happen this year, albeit the location is currently unknown.

Read Also: Hungary's Prime Minister Speaks Out Against Woke Culture, LGBTQ Rights at CPAC Conference

LGBT Views in South Korea

There is no comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation in place to protect LGBTQ persons in South Korea, making the country a hotbed for homophobia. It is less welcoming of same-sex couples than neighboring democracies like Japan and Taiwan, according to CNN.

The pride festivals in South Korea are a visible demonstration of the antagonism between LGBT people and its conservative, sometimes Christian critics.

Last year, opponents and religious organizations protested outside the SQCF festivities with banners and loudspeakers. Officers in the surrounding area kept the two groups at bay.

Read Also: Uganda Parliament Approves Legislation That Imposes Death Penalty for 'Aggravated Homosexuality'

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SANTA FE  New Mexico lawmakers this week launched a national search for the next director of the Legislative Finance Committee.

The job  which includes leading a staff of economists, researchers and analysts  is set to pay $105,000 to $202,600 a year.

State Rep. Nathan Small, a Las Cruces Democrat and LFC vice chairman, said the committee plans to take stock of whos applied in a meeting May 23 and conduct interviews June 5.

The timeline, however, is flexible.

The goal, Small said, is to find someone whose dream job is leading the LFC staff, who recognizes New Mexicos cultural diversity as a strength and who works well as part of a team.

Its a rich opportunity for the right leader, Small said.

Sen. George Munoz, a Gallup Democrat and chairman of the LFC, said hes hopeful the committee can start interviews with potential candidates this month, with the goal of hiring a new director by mid-June.

That would allow whomever is hired to start work around July 1, when the states new budget year begins.

At least parts of the LFC meetings to hire a director will happen in public, Small said, given the importance and influence of the role.

There does need to be a public component here, he said.

The next director will succeed David Abbey, who has the led the LFC staff since 1997. His last day is in mid-summer.

Staff members for Legislative Finance Committee essentially operate the budget and accountability arm of the Legislature.

Many staffers have advanced degrees and deep expertise in the subjects they cover. They evaluate the fiscal and practical impacts of legislation, analyze state programs and help produce economic forecasts.

Some of their work has made it into academic journals.

An LFC analysis on the impact of prekindergarten on student success, for example, was published in the International Journal of Child Care and Education Policy this spring. The peer-reviewed article found pre-K participation is associated with improved reading and math proficiency at third, sixth and eighth grades, in addition to increased high school graduation rates.

Intensive tutoring: Strategy for boosting student achievement

As New Mexico struggles with falling math and reading scores for students, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham hinted in a speech this week that she will pursue expanded tutoring programs to boost academic achievement.

She hasnt released a specific proposal yet, but her administration is evaluating increased funding for high-dosage tutoring, a program that connects tutors with small groups of students.

New Mexico offers free virtual tutoring with a 4-to-1 ratio of students to tutors in some subjects.

Dan Boyd of the Journal Capitol Bureau contributed to this notebook.

Dan McKay: dmckay@abqjournal.com
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According to a new report, the former 'The View' co-host axed Wendy's longtime executive producers David Perler and Suzanne Bass who served as EPs for her show 'Sherri' that premiered last fall.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sherri Shepherd appears to eliminate anything related to Wendy Williams from her eponymous daytime talk show. According to a new report, Sherri axed Wendy's longtime executive producers David Perler and Suzanne Bass who served as EPs for "Sherri" that premiered last fall.

Sources tell Page Six that both David and Suzanne, who appeared with Wendy on camera daily, were fired this week as the first season of "Sherri" concludes at the end of this month. The actress allegedly wants "fresh energy" for the upcoming second season of her show.

David, however, isn't surprised by the decision since he stayed on "to help get through the hump of launching a new show," one source claims. As for Suzanne, she was more of a "sidekick and buffer" to Wendy's former "Hot Topics" act, which isn't as useful for Sherri. "Suzanne was on camera for a decade with Wendy," another insider says.

Sherri brought in her producer best friend, Jawn Murray, to partially take on that role. In response to the report, a spokesperson for Debmar-Mercury, the production company behind both shows, tells the news outlet, "We will announce a new executive producer for the second season to serve alongside [Jawn]."

The spokesperson further mentions that David and Suzanne "have been integral to Debmar-Mercury's success in daytime syndication for many years and have helped launch 'Sherri' Debmar Mercury wishes them all the best on future endeavors and hopes to work with them in the future."

Meanwhile, Wendy is said to have been filming a new project. Shawn Zanotti, a representative for the former daytime show queen, said in April, "After taking a long break, Wendy feels some of the best days of her life were in media." The rep, however, clarified that it wasn't for a reality show.

She went on saying, "She has been in media since her early 20's and wants to return to what she loves. Getting back to what she loves is something that is important to her. Yes, Wendy is filmingYes, she is gearing up for something and the specifics of that can't be disclosed as of yet."

Prior to the clarification, Wendy allegedly filmed her new reality show at her childhood home in New Jersey. According to sources, the TV personality, who grew up in Ashbury Park, New Jersey, has been traveling the country to gather footage for the series, which is scheduled to launch this fall.

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The 'Aquaman' actress is reported to have a happy life in the new environment as she raises her 2-year-old daughter far away from the glitz and blitz of Hollywood.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Amber Heard might have chosen to break away from the glitz and blitz of Hollywood. Having been entangled in a messy legal drama against ex-husband Johnny Depp for years, the "Aquaman" actress was reported to have quit Hollywood and quietly relocated to Madrid.

The 37-year-old actress was said, in a report written by Daily Mail journalist Alison Boshoff, to have moved to Madrid, Spain with her 2-year-old daughter Oonagh. On how she is doing in the new environment, a friend of hers told the journalist, "She's bilingual in Spanish and is happy there."

Amber's so-called pal went on to note that the Hollywood beauty made the move to raise her daughter "away from all the noise." Still, the source noted that there is a possibility of Amber making a comeback in Hollywood by saying, "I don't think she is in any hurry to return to work or to Hollywood, but she will probably come back when the time is right, for the right project."

Before the report of her relocation was brought up, Amber had been spotted in Spain with Oonagh. At the end of September 2022, she was captured on camera with her daughter when she was in the country with her close friend Bianca Butti in Palma de Mallorca. She appeared content as she strolled about the European city with her toddler and a group of pals.

Around a week afterward, the actress portraying Ulla Poulsen in "The Danish Girl" was once again seen in the same country. This time, she was captured looking radiant and content while having a great time at a beach. In a photo published at the time, she could be seen grinning widely while soaking up the sun.

Reports of Amber relocating to Spain surfaced nearly five months after she and Johnny's lawyers reached an agreement that her insurance company will pay $1 million to her ex-husband to end their legal dispute. The ex-couple had been embroiled in a defamation case which was won by Johnny in June 2022.

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Days after teasing fans with a shadowy photo of her kissing her mystery man, the former 'America's Next Top Model' judge celebrates their three-month anniversary.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Paulina Porizkova has finally lifted the veil over the identity of her new boyfriend. Around a week after putting out a shadowy photo of herself kissing the mystery man, the former judge on "America's Next Top Model" treated the world to more details of her lucky guy.

On Thursday, May 4, the 58-year-old supermodel made use of Instagram to share a PDA-packed photo of herself and her man, whom she unveiled to be TV writer and producer Jeff Greenstein. In the shared photo, the two of them locked lips in a park with the Eiffel Tower standing in the background.

Paulina and Jeff could be seen wearing matching white long-sleeved blouses with black stripes on them on the sweet occasion. They also sported matching accessories of black hat and red choker.

Along with the photo, the former wife of The Cars late frontman Ric Ocasek revealed that they have been together for three months. "Three months of laughter, kisses, banter, love and unalloyed goofiness, celebrated in the goofiest of ways in the most romantic city in the world," she wrote in the caption.

Paulina further revealed Jeff's identity by tagging his Instagram account. The mother of two also added a slew of hashtags that included, "#goofballsunite #betweenjloandbettywhite #gratitude #grateful #paris #love #threemonthsandcounting #threemonthaversary."

In the same caption, Paulina did not forget to thank her followers for showering her with love and support. "Thank you, thank you all ever so much for the outpouring of love and support for my happiness. Im overcome with your generosity," she ended her message.

Hours before Paulina came out with her social media post, Jeff let out an Instagram photo of them laughing while sitting close to each other. Along with the snap, he penned a simple caption that read, "I think you can tell."

The "Will & Grace" producer followed it up with another photo documenting the two of them deleting a dating app on their individual phones. "This is what commitment looks like these days. Deleting the dating app on which we met. Thank you @raya and goodbye. [heart emoji] @paulinaporizkov," he wrote alongside the photo.

Paulina had recently teased her fans with a sneak peek of her new beau. On April 26, she made use of her Instagram account to publish a shadowy photo of her kissing him, but kept his identity under tight wraps. At the time, she simply captioned her post, "Love is in the air."

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Some writers make some jokes at the Wednesday Addams depicter's expense after she admitted on 'Armchair Expert' podcast that she changed the Netflix shows' scripts without telling the writers.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Jenna Ortega becomes a butt of a joke amid the Writers Guild of America strike. A picture from the picket line features a writer mocking the "Wednesday" actress following her comment regarding the writing on the hit Netflix series.

Shared by Variety, the picture saw Brandon Cohen (Disney Channel's "Just Roll With It" and "House Party") posing with a sign during the strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. "Without writers, Jenna Ortega will have nothing to punch up!" read the sign.

Not stopping there, writer Nick Adams, whose credits include "BoJack Horseman", name-dropped the actress in a tweet. Following the 20-year-old's appearance at the Met Gala on Monday, May 1, Nick joked, "Jenna Ortega better be back from NY for her afternoon shift on the picket line." Karen Joseph Adcock, a "Yellowjackets" writer, retweeted with the comment, "Rewriting is writing! See you at the line, Jenna!"

The comments were in reference to when Jenna admitted that she changed "Wednesday" scripts without telling the writers. "When I read the entire series, I realized, 'Oh, this is for younger audiences,' " Jenna, who plays Wednesday Addams on the series, said in a March episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast. "When I first signed onto the show, I didn't have all the scripts. I thought it was going to be a lot darker. It wasn't I didn't know what the tone was, or what the score would sound like."

"I don't think I've ever had to put my foot down more on a set in a way that I had to on 'Wednesday'," she continued. "Everything that Wednesday does, everything I had to play, did not make sense for her character at all."

She added, "Her being in a love triangle? It made no sense. There was a line about a dress she has to wear for a school dance and she says, 'Oh my god I love it. Ugh, I can't believe I said that. I literally hate myself.' I had to go, 'No.' There were times on that set where I even became almost unprofessional in a sense where I just started changing lines. The script supervisor thought I was going with something and then I had to sit down with the writers, and they'd be like, 'Wait, what happened to the scene?' And I'd have to go and explain why I couldn't go do certain things."

In the episode, Jenna revealed that she wanted to make her character more three-dimensional. "I grew very, very protective of her," she explained. "You can't lead a story and have no emotional arc because then it's boring and nobody likes you. When you are little and say very morbid, offensive stuff, it's funny and endearing. But then you become a teenager and it's nasty and you know it. There's less of an excuse."

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A top law firm allegedly has launched an investigation into the 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' star's husband's company Digital Media Solutions in addition to preparing to file a huge lawsuit.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Teresa Giudice's new husband Luis Ruelas is facing a legal problem. It has been reported that a top law firm has launched an investigation into Luis' company Digital Media Solutions in addition to preparing to file a huge lawsuit.

According to the Media Take Out, Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP announced their investigation of Digital Media Solutions, Inc. in a press announcement on Wednesday, March 3. It claimed that DMS and its directors' and officers possibly violated state laws.

The attorneys also urged people to contact them and take part in the potential lawsuit if they own Digital Media Solutions stock. The stock in Luis' company, which is publicly traded, has been descending as it dropped from a high of $3.44 last year to only 62 cents now.

This isn't the first time Digital Media Solutions faced several lawsuits for alleged illegal practices as there were at least three complaints filed against the company throughout 2021. The digital advertising company was accused of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). According to legal experts, the law "restricts telemarketing certain phone calls, text messages, and facsimiles." It also places restrictions on the use of automatic dialing systems and artificial or pre-recorded voice messages.

In January of the year, a man by the name of Graham Hooper from Florida claimed that Digital Media Solutions engaged in "unsolicited text messaging with no regard for consumers' privacy rights." One lawsuit, which has been dismissed, featured texts that were allegedly sent in June 2020 and offered services such as "free months of insurance" and car deals. The victim stated the text messages caused him harm, were an invasion of his privacy as well as disrupted his daily life.

In a separate complaint filed by a Florida woman in July 2021, she alleged Luis, who was trolling fans online, and his company was cold calling her and sent her several unsolicited text messages. The messages included website links that would redirect to his products, including but not limited to "Quotza.com, which sells auto insurance quotes." The case was also dismissed later.

An Illinois-based company named Insurance King Agency, Inc. additionally accused DMS of "false advertisements" and "copyright infringements." Not stopping there, the husband of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star was also named in a lawsuit for allegedly mismanaging funds for C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc, a vendor he worked with.

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Ye's decision to bring back Milo to his political team is a surprise because a previous report claimed that the Yeezy designer gave up his plan to run for 2024 presidential election.

May 6, 2023

AceShowbiz - Kanye West is seemingly still running for president in the 2024 election after all. The Yeezy designer reportedly has brought Milo Yiannopoulos back to his political team while firing his controversial right-hand man, Nick Fuentes.

In emails obtained by TMZ, Milo, who has been officially pointed out as YE2024's Director of Political Operations, told Nick, "I'm taking the reins again as director of Ye's political operations. Your services on Yes exploratory team are terminated ... and will not be required for any possible future campaign." He added, "You may if you wish reach out to Ye directly about the potential for confidential unpaid remote advisory services."

He additionally sent out an exit email to Ali Alexander, another one of Ye's political advisors. The firing came after Ali was recently forced to apologize after being accused of asking teenage boys for sexual pictures.

Confirming the content of the emails, Milo went on to tell the news outlet that he's been in L.A. for the past week to talk to the "Donda" artist about his presidential aspirations.

The new move is a surprise because a previous report claimed that Ye gave up his 2023 presidential run plan. Adam Camacho, a documentary producer hired by Ye's company to make a film in November 2022, claimed that the former husband of Kim Kardashian was focusing on his family.

"Right now, I am living my life - like I'm concentrating on the school, The Donda Academy, and my new wife, and my kids, and that's it," the Chicago star allegedly told Adam. "I just want to be left alone."

An anonymous employee of the "Jesus Is King" MC also echoed the sentiment. Of the Yeezy designer, the source told the news outlet, "His interests are focused on his children, family, and creative endeavors Anyone that is representing Ye in any political capacity is a charlatan. There is no political shop."

The source went on to say that Ye lost desire to be POTUS after tying the knot with his new wife Bianca Censori, who also works at Yeezy. The two made headlines for their surprise, private ceremony in January.

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The staunch royalist calls the new British monarch 'the most incredible man' and his queen consort 'a very brave woman' ahead of the upcoming coronation ceremony.

May 5, 2023

AceShowbiz - Sharon Osbourne says King Charles turned a blind eye when she accidentally swore in front of him. Claiming she met the new monarch on many occasions when he was Prince of Wales, the former host of "The Talk" has called him "the most incredible man" while she credits his wife Camilla, Queen Consort with having a very naughty sense of humour.

"Charles and Camilla are wonderful and I love them very much. Camilla has a wicked sense of humour and is very naughty. And Charles is so incredibly caring. He is a great guy and so relatable," Sharon told The Sun newspaper.

"I've sworn in front of Charles plenty of times. He never says anything, he just looks and thinks, 'Oh here she is.' He really is the most incredible man and he truly makes the most amazing first impression."

Sharon is going to be covering the King's coronation on Saturday, May 6 for TalkTV but she revealed she almost didn't make it back to her native UK as she turned up at the airport in Los Angeles with too many suitcases.

She explained, "They weren't going to let me on the flight because I had too many bags. I had 25. It was money that got me on in the end, I had to pay for every bag that was over a certain weight."

Sharon previously revealed the King took the time to write to her husband Ozzy Osbourne after the Black Sabbath rocker went public with his Parkinson's disease battle. During an interview on TalkTV last October, she explained, "When my husband got sick, he [Charles] wrote to him. I mean, he knows what's going on in the world. He is not removed. He knows what's going on in his country, and that's what I love about him. He isn't removed."

She added of Camilla, "I really respect her, I think that she's a very brave woman. And I think that she has done incredibly well in the last few years, incredibly well. She has won the public over with her dignity and the work that she does, and I just really respect her ... "

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GroupMs iTV and Motivator has partnered with Bumble and PVR INOX to promote more movie dates and wholesome experiences in movie theatres.

The association's goal is to encourage going to the movies on dates, by supporting local daters who can go to the movies for free and have a truly unique experience, where they can redeem the voucher for three consecutive movie dates in a single month, thereby improving their dating experience. The partnership is part of Bumble's regional expansion campaign in Hyderabad and Chennai, aimed at encouraging people to enjoy movie dates with specially crafted experiences to enhance their dating experiences.

The collaboration has been facilitated by GroupM India's Motivator, a specialized agency for startups and emerging brands, and Interactive Television (iTV) Pvt. Ltd, GroupM's leading cinema advertising company in India. As part of this collaboration, via an in-app contest where lucky winners were chosen (from Hyderabad and Chennai) received Bumble x PVR unique passports. These lucky winners can take their dates to the movies for a full experience that includes a ticket for two and delectable food and beverages that are offered at the PVR theatres.

The association's goal is to encourage going to the movies on dates, by supporting local daters can go to the movies for free and have a truly unique experience, where they can redeem the voucher for three consecutive movie dates in a single month, thereby improving their dating experience. Commenting on this, Ajay Mehta, Founder, (iTV) Interactive Television, and MD, Kinetic India said, "Our goal is to bring Bumble's vision to life with a captivating and immersive campaign.

Our strategic media planning will target the right audience in expansion markets and provide an unforgettable experience. We're excited to partner with Motivator, Bumble, and PVR INOX to showcase the brand innovatively and make a lasting impact on our target audience." Mausumi Kar, Managing Director - Motivator India said, Our campaign's message is to celebrate the joy of dating anytime, not just on special occasions. Bumble encourages single Indians to take control of their dating journey, as reflected in each campaign.

Our collaboration with iTV, PVR INOX, and Bumble is unique - the Bumble X PVR movie date passport offers a memorable experience and exciting food, and beverage offers. We're excited to normalize dating culture through innovative means. Speaking about the campaign, Paarmi Modi, India Marketing Director, Bumble said, As Bumble expands into new markets, we are excited to partner with PVR to encourage our community to connect over movies.

In Hyderabad and Chennai, going to the movies is a love language, and we want to encourage this cultural aspect of our communitys dating lives as they look to forge meaningful connections. Gautam Dutta - Co-CEO of PVR INOX Ltd said, PVR INOX always aims to focus on the customers experiences and emotions that they go through inside our cinemas.

Just like Bumble, PVR INOX is also looking for innovative ways to enhance the movie-going experience for our audience. Our collaboration with Motivator, Interactive Television[iTV] Pvt. Ltd and Bumble for the Bumble X PVR unique passports campaign is a perfect example of this commitment to creativity and customer engagement.

By leveraging Bumble's popular social platform and our extensive network of cinemas, we are excited to offer our audience a unique and memorable experience through exclusive benefits and rewards.

We look forward to a successful partnership as we continue to delight our customers with exciting initiatives like these. In addition to the Bumble x PVR passports, the partnership will include Bumbles branding across PVR theaters in Hyderabad and Chennai including branded popcorn tubs, displays in washrooms, digital plasma screens to complement the regional campaign.
Although the US and Mexico have reached an agreement to reduce the number of migrants crossing the border, experts warn that it might further overburden border communities that are already struggling to cope with the influx.

The joint declaration released on Tuesday, May 2, confirmed that Mexico would continue to take in refugees from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua, who we had previously rejected.

The accord comes as the US prepares to remove Title 42 next week, a move that is likely to lead to an increase in the number of individuals trying to enter the border. Title 42 is a regulation instituted during the pandemic that enabled officials to swiftly bring back migrants to Mexico.

Seeing Heavy Influxes of Migrants

Since January, when Mexico agreed to welcome 30,000 migrants from those four countries who did not pursue a legal path, this news signals the pact has grown more permanent. According to The Guardian, this consolidates what experts believe is a substantial policy change on migration between the two nations.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, policy director of the American Immigration Council, wrote on Twitter, "The status quo on the ground won't change much, but from a legal perspective, this is a seismic shift. At no point in US history has there ever been another country which would take large numbers of deportations from the US of people who aren't nationals of that country."

This shift might eventually lead to the United States placing more of its deportee burden on Mexico, which would put more stress on border communities already dealing with high migrant populations.

"It sets a very delicate precedent," said Martha Barcena, the former Mexican ambassador to the US. She said this would just cause Mexico more stress for no good reason.

"You just have to look at the border to know that we can't handle so many people," she added.

Also Read: Mexico and United States Strengthen Joint Humanitarian Plan on Migration

Drastic Shifts

These shifts coincide with a dramatic increase in migration to the US. In 2016, US officials apprehended approximately 2.6 million people crossing the southern border. Last year, Mexican police imprisoned about half a million migrants, up 44% from the year 2021.

On Tuesday, the Pentagon said it would deploy 1,500 more active-duty soldiers to the southern border to confront the migrant influx. Apparently, republicans have pressured President Biden to act.

However, the situation for migrants in Mexico has worsened recently, with many dying in a detention facility fire in Ciudad Juarez in March. On top of this, migrants reportedly face not just extortion and brutality from criminals but also maltreatment from officials.

Also Read: Biden Administration to Deploy Troops to US-Mexico Border Ahead of Expected Migrant Surge

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Manjushree Packtek Pvt. Ltd, has announced the acquisition of Jallan Polypack, a well-known name in the sustainable paper cups packaging segment in India. The strategic acquisition is expected to boost Manjushree's footprint in the paper and delivery packaging solutions ecosystem, backed by cutting-edge research and technology.

The promoters of Manjushree Packtek, have over 4 decades of experience in the packaging industry and were the Founders of South Asias largest plastic packaging company, Manjushree Technopack Ltd.

The Indian packaging paper industry is expected to reach $23.6 billion by 2028. The growth in the consumption of paper cups and containers is largely driven by the increasing demand for eco-friendly solutions, the growth of the HORECA sectors, especially food delivery companies and cloud kitchens, as well as the demand for packaged goods.

Ankit Kedia, Managing Director of Manjushree Packtek Pvt. Ltd, said, "At Manjushree, we have seen the Indian packaging industry's evolution in depth. We have constantly focused on innovating and creating solutions that our clients and their customers need. With the world facing the impact of climate change, it is imperative to find and integrate alternatives that are sustainable in every field of operations. This is where paper packaging has assumed importance in the recent years. Jallan Polypacks immense goodwill gives us a head start for our future plans. To diversify our set of offerings in paper containers across the spectrum of food service and other segments as well.

The company has commanded a strong brand presence in the sustainable packaging segment, and continue to witness a rise in the demand for paper cups and containers.

With the acquisition, Manjushree Packtek has already moved into its new state of the art facility in Bangalore. The products are produced in a Class 100,000 cleanroom facility for servicing the food industry, with the help of 100% automatic high-speed lines with minimal human intervention. The facility is also equipped with custom printing technologies, using food-grade ink for manufacturing odourless products. The quality lab is setup in line with global standards of testing and qualification.

Manjushree Packtek also plans to set up an R&D centre to work on affordable eco-friendly products including coating solutions such as bio polymers and water solvent solutions along with other new-age designs and shapes for manufacturing of paper cups and containers. The company's focus on sustainable packaging will keep it ahead of the curve always.
Two Birmingham businesses are part of the first 10 chosen by Shipt for its LadderUp accelerator program.

Firms from Atlanta, Detroit, Houston and Washington, D.C were also chosen from hundreds of applications for the program, which addresses food insecurity issues in underserved communities.

These businesses will participate in an eight-week program to learn about topics like driving sustainable growth, building a financial foundation, efficiency, marketing, e-commerce and legal knowledge needed to run a business.

Shipt Chief People and Community Officer Amy Benson said the program aims to advance economic opportunities for underrepresented communities. According to the company, 60% of the businesses selected have LGBTQ+ or BIPOC ownership, a goal of the program.

The Birmingham businesses selected are:

Bama Health Foods, a Birmingham-based health food store looking to expand its online presence and reach beyond its physical store.

As a women-owned business, we will be able to share our knowledge with other small businesses as well in order to strengthen our minority-owned business ecosystem, Jacquie Fazekas, the owner, said.

House Plant Collective, an indoor plant retailer, which looks to strengthen its online presence and marketing.

As a retail plant shop based in Birmingham, we believe this program will help take HPC to the next level by sharing the joy of house plants with others nationwide by shipping a variety of tropical indoor plants and botanical goods, owner Jessica Watts said.
Four people are facing a slew of drug and weapons charges after a massive raid on a house in Pensacola Thursday.

The Escambia County (Fla.) Sheriffs Office said a search warrant was executed at a house on New York Drive after an extensive investigation by the Gun Crimes Unit.

Inside the home, deputies found 21 people. With a number of them attempting to flee the scene, deputies -- aided by SWAT and K-9 units -- managed to detain all of them.

But that was just the beginning, as officers searched the home, they found the following:

Seven firearms, one of which was stolen

241.1 grams of cocaine

41.1 grams of fentanyl

275 oxycodone pills

2.9 grams of methamphetamine

1,960 grams of marijuana

$12,925 in U.S. currency

A vehicle was also seized during the raid.

Of the 21 persons found inside the home, four have been initially charged:

Diontress Kadeem Leverette , 31: trafficking in cocaine; trafficking in fentanyl; trafficking in oxycodone; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon; possession of marijuana with intent to distribute; possession of a controlled substance without a prescription; possession of drug paraphernalia; three counts of battery; obstruction of justice; resisting arrest. Total bond for all charges set at $352,000.

Darrell Anthony Diggs , 39: Trafficking in cocaine. Total bond: $50,000.

Cora Jackson Brown , 41: Trafficking in fentanyl; possession of cocaine; possession of a controlled substance without a prescription; possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams). Total bond: $30,500.

Valente Rodriguez McDougal, 28: Was charged in December with possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of marijuana (less than 20 grams). Was free on $3,000 bond, but has now had his bond revoked.

All four suspects remained in the Escambia County Jail as of Friday afternoon. In addition, all four have extensive criminal histories, according to Escambia County Jail records, including multiple prior felony arrests for drug possession/distribution.

The sheriffs office says the investigation is ongoing and more arrests are pending.
A suspect has been charged in the April shooting death of a teen in east Birmingham.

Police on Thursday announced the arrest of a 16-year-old on a capital murder charge. The boys name is not being released because of his age, but he is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.

He is charged in the April slaying of 17-year-old Kamaree Shondale Phillips, a junior at Clay-Chalkville High School. Police said Phillips was killed during a robbery.

Phillips was one of three high school students slain in Birmingham during spring break.

The shooting happened about 4:19 p.m. that Saturday at Magnolia Court apartments. East Precinct officers responded to #3 Westchester Court.

They arrived to find Phillips, who had sustained critical injuries, on the ground outside of a vehicle.

He was rushed to St. Vincents East with plans to transfer him to UAB Hospital or Childrens of Alabama, but he died before that transfer could happen, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

A 17-year-old boy was fatally shot Saturday, April 1, 2023, on Westchester Court in east Birmingham. (Carol Robinson)

Phillips, police said, was in a vehicle when the shooter walked up to the vehicle and began firing. Fitzgerald said it appeared the victim was targeted.

Dr. Walter B. Gonsoulin, the Jefferson County Schools Superintendent, released a statement on the teens death.The loss of any student is felt throughout our district. I wish to express condolences to Kamarees loved ones, his friends, and his teachers. Our thoughts and prayers are with them. We will have grief counselors at Clay-Chalkville High School Monday for any student or staff member who needs assistance.

Clay-Chalkville High School Principal Dr. Eugene Dallas echoed Gonsoulin. It is tragic to have one of our students leave for spring break and then not return because of an act of violence. As I shared with our school community, there really are no words for a time like this. Our school mourns with Kamarees family. We stand with them. They are in our prayers.

Phillips was the third teen fatally shot in Birmingham in six days. Two Birmingham City Schools students were also killed over spring break.

Caleb Witt, 17, was slain on Sunday, March 26, and Jada White, 16, died Wednesday, March 29.

He was loved by many friends and family. He was a young man that dreamed big dreams and loved others freely and deeply, according to Phillips obituary. " He will be greatly missed, always remembered, and forever loved.
A Hoover mom filed a police report after finding out that a staff member at Sugar N Spice Daycare and Kindergarten had apparently given her 4-year-old daughter melatonin, a sleep aid, without her consent, possibly for months.

Averill Perkins now believes that the medication has negatively affected the health of her daughter, as well as the health of a daughter who previously attended the facility. The day care owner disputes her claims. The Jefferson County Department of Human Resources is investigating.

Perkins raced to her daughters day care last Thursday after receiving a call from a staff member, who is also a family friend, saying Perkins daughter had spit out a pill because she didnt like the taste of the candy she was given.

When the staff member looked at the medication, she realized it was melatonin and asked Perkins whether shed consented to her child receiving the sleep aid.

Perkins couldnt believe what she was being told and pulled her daughter out of class to hear what had happened directly from her.

Read more: Learn more about Alabama day care licensing, complaints.

Learn more: Look up Alabama DHR complaints, records about child care centers here.

Perkins daughter told her the melatonin was given to her by a staff member who works in the kitchen and sometimes acts as a floater in different classrooms when needed.

She goes: I get one every day at lunch, its for sleep. So she knows what it does to her, said Perkins. She started naming off like five different kids in her class who get itI freaked out of course and Im thinking theres no way these other parents know whats going on.

Perkins said she immediately called the Hoover Police Department.

According to a police report, the medication that Perkins daughter had in her mouth matched a Spring Valley 5 milligram melatonin tablet that Sugar N Spice had on hand for two children whose parents requested they be given the sleep aid. Staff also had a lower-milligram gummy version of melatonin for one of the children.

Perkins said when she got home, she asked her 8-year-old if shed ever been given something similar when she was at the daycare in 2018.

According to Perkins, her oldest child responded saying, Oh, those pills with the pink polka dots? I used to get those.

Perkins now suspects that some of the health problems her children are experiencing or experienced when they were enrolled at Sugar N Spice may be connected to melatonin.

Perkins daughter has been enrolled in the day care since August. She said her child has experienced nausea, headaches and sleep issues and emotional changes.

As far as my 4-year-old goes, shes been dealing with night terrors since at least February that I remember. Shes been bedwetting, and she has had this aggression, just so aggressive, she said.

She also said that in 2018 her oldest daughter basically had like a complete regression for being fully potty trained to all of a sudden having to wear pull ups at night again because she peed herself in the bed.

According to Childrens Medical Center Dallas, some doses of melatonin can be safe for children with short-term use, but side effects can include headaches, drowsiness, bedwetting, irritability and nausea.The hospital recommends consulting with a pediatrician before giving your child melatonin. They recommend only 1-3 milligrams for preschool aged children.

Perkins posted about her childs experience in a Facebook post. She said she has since received a number of messages from parents who went to pick up their kids from Sugar N Spice and were told that they too had been given the sleep aid.

DHR confirmed to AL.com that the Child Care Services Division is aware of the allegations, and our next steps are underway.

While the agency did not comment further on the investigation, its website lists a substantiated complaint against the day care for administering medication on April 28, one day after Perkins filed a police report. Perkins said a state DHR investigator was present at the day care and took her witness statement on the same day.

A spokesperson said more public information will be available soon.

The owner of Sugar N Spice, Kent Marshall, said the accusations are a lie.

The daycare has been owned by his family since the 1970s. Marshall said this is the first time someone has complained about improper medication.

This is very, very disturbing and its very unfortunate how people can do this to businesses, Marshall said. I want to know the truth and I want this to be investigated completely. I will say, Im a reasonable person, people make mistakes. If one of the children that was supposed to get melatonin spit it out and that other child got it, thats a potential way that a child could get something. But the timing of it does not make sense.

There are other complaints listed against the daycare on the DHR website dating back to August 2022, but the cause of the complaints are only listed as supervision at all times or staff-parent communicate. No adverse actions are noted to have been taken against the facility.

Marshall said his day care has always required a parental authorization form for all over the counter medication use, even including diaper cream and Vaseline, but will now also require a doctors note.

He claimed that Perkins and the staff members who reported the melatonin are colluding against him because the staff member was allegedly found out to have lied about their educational background.

But Perkins says her only motivation is the wellbeing of her child. She has since withdrawn her daughter from the facility.

They medicated my child without my permission. They medicated all these kids for God knows how long without any parental permission, without doctors notes, without any anything at all. And its okay if these people dont want to work at a child care. They dont have to work in child care, but they dont need to hurt the kids just because they cant control them, said Perkins.

Hoover Police Capt Keith Czeskleba said the investigation is being handled by Jefferson County DHR and any charges against the day care or its staff would be contingent on their findings.
A $20 million gift from longtime supporter Abe Mitchell will fund a new performing arts center at the University of South Alabama, the university community learned on Friday as the school kicked off its 60th anniversary celebrations.

Mitchell, a member of a family that has contributed massively to Souths growth over the years, said he sees a new performing arts center as another way to connect the university with the community.

The latest gift adds to a considerable family legacy, said USA President Jo Bonner.

As everyone here likely knows there is no family anywhere in the state of Alabama that has done more for public education or for a college or university than the Mitchell family, said Bonner. Abe, along with his late brother and best friend Mayer, and his sister-in-law and dear friend Arlene, who is our board chair, care passionately about this university. They have helped make this university the economic engine that it is for our region and they have been instrumental in taking our university to the next level.

University of South Alabama President Jo Bonner looks on as Arlene Mitchell, chair of the board of trustees, speaks on May 5, 2023. The occasion was a ceremony kicking off 60th anniversary celebrations for USA.Lawrence Specker | LSpecker@AL.com

Bonner said the Mitchells were donors of one of the most generous scholarship programs anywhere. Their name is prominent on USA facilities, he noted, including a comprehensive cancer center, the Mitchell College of Business and of course our beautiful Hancock-Whitney Stadium, with its Abraham A. Mitchell Field. Theres also the Mitchell Center, the campus arena.

The Mitchell brothers founded a real estate development business, the Mitchell Company in the 1950s, followed by an investment and philanthropy company. But Abe Mitchell said Friday that a brief stint as interim Mobile County district attorney in the mid-90s has driven his philanthropic sensibilities.

When I was interim district attorney in Mobile, I saw firsthand how important an education is in shaping young peoples future and setting them on a path to success, he said. I witnessed the hopelessness of those that dropped out of school and found themselves in trouble with the law. This experience taught me that an educated person rarely comes in contact with the criminal justice system. That experience among many others inspired me for a long time to make a positive difference in the lives of others.

At Fridays ceremony, speakers including Bonner, Arlene Mitchell, Provost and Executive Vice President Andi Kent and state Rep. Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, the House Speaker Pro Tem, spoke about how far USA has come since the state Legislature approved its founding early in May 1963.

Bonner said the administration building that holds his offices was the schools first building, and in its earliest days was a one stop shop for administration, education and other functions.

Pringle, who Bonner described as truly one of our biggest cheerleaders and best advocates, got laughs when he informed the crowd that the first state appropriation for USA was $1.21 million, and that was for two years. Nowadays its on the order of $150 million, he said, and USA has a budget of $1.3 billion.

Kent said USA had gone from humble beginnings to offer more than 125 degree programs, world class research and experiences you cannot find elsewhere.

Weve come a long way since May 3, 1963, she said. Together we will keep that momentum going to make this place a special place to learn and work.
The residents of about 50 units in a Montgomery apartment complex for the low-income and elderly are seeking a new place to live after the Archdiocese of Mobile decided to close the program at the City of St. Jude.

Im lost, Im lost like everybody else, said Herbert Lewis, 61, of the residents who got notice Sunday that they must move out.

About half of the 96 apartments at St. Jude are occupied, according to the Archdiocese, and the building is in significant disrepair, beyond what the church can afford to fix.

The amount of funds needed to renovate the building far surpasses the resources available, the Archdiocese of Mobile said in a statement about the decision to close the building.

Lewis said the air conditioning has been broken, there is black mold on some walls and the elevator regularly breaks down leaving residents with wheelchairs no way to get to their apartments.

He said a preacher came to his door after church service and handed him a notice saying he should move by the end of the month. He said he has the option to stay through June.

The mayors office said it is helping residents find new housing.

The Office of Mayor Steven L. Reed is actively working with nonprofit and faith-based partners, including the River Region United Way and Church of the Highlands, to provide immediate housing options to all residents, said spokesperson Waller Griffith.

The apartment complex has historical ties to the civil rights movement. It was originally a hospital that served mostly the African American community and was the hospital that Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta chose to birth their first two children, according to the Archidocese.

In 1965, Selma to Montgomery marchers spent their last night at St. Jude. As a result, many financial backers stopped donating to the hospital and it lost financial support. The hospital was later turned into a medical center and again into the apartments in 1992.

Considering the historic nature of the building, this decision is very painful. It is even more painful for the residents who must now find another place to live, the archdiocese said in its statement.

The archdiocese is offering $350 to help residents who are current on rent to relocate. Lewis said that money wont be enough to help cover the cost of the move. He wishes the church had given him more time or allowed him to save his $550 rent for the last few months to put toward his move.

I dont know where Im going, Ive been out trying to find someplace. Everything is on a waiting list, said Lewis.

He said hes been taking the city bus and driving around town with his sister to find a place, but everywhere he goes has a waiting list or is outside his budget. He fears he may become homeless.

I dont want to be a burden on anyone. Ill be on the street before I do that. Thats my next option right there. I aint got no other option.
As a result of a growing trade imbalance with the South Asian country, Russian banks have amassed billions of rupees that the country is unable to spend, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday, May 5.

At a press conference on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, Lavrov expressed concern about this issue to the reporters in India's western state of Goa. "We need to use this money. But for this, these rupees must be transferred in another currency, and this is being discussed now."

Surge in Imports

According to figures from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India's overall exports to Russia fell by 11.6% to $2.8 billion in the first 11 months of the 2022 and 2023 financial year, while imports increased by almost fivefold to $41.56 billion. In a report by Bloomberg, this increase is because Indian refineries have been buying up heavily discounted Russian oil that the West has been avoiding buying in the wake of President Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

In April, India imported a record 1.68 million barrels of Russian oil per day, which is a six-fold increase from the same month a year ago, as reported by Vortexa Ltd, a data intelligence organization.

After sanctions were imposed on Russian banks and transactions via the SWIFT messaging system were forbidden, the Kremlin originally urged India to trade in national currencies.

Plans for a rupee-ruble arrangement for oil imports were scrapped due to the instability of the ruble in the early stages of the conflict.

See Also: Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, UN to Discuss Ukrainian Grain Exports Across Black Sea

Inaccessible Funds

Alexander Knobel, head of the Institute of International Economics and Finance at the Ministry of Economic Development, estimates that the sum of frozen funds may reach tens of billions of dollars due to the trade imbalance between Russia and other countries.

"The situation is aggravated by India's historically high aggregate trade deficit, which reduces the possibilities of clearing settlements with third countries."

While Russia is India's primary source of military hardware, transactions between the two countries have halted due to the absence of a payment channel that does not contravene US sanctions.

For almost a year, over $2 billion in Indian payments for weapons have been frozen because Russia is unable to take rupees for purchases, and New Delhi is hesitant to pay in dollars for fear of secondary penalties.

Oil refineries in India have been attempting to pay for affordable crude in UAE dirhams, Russian rubles, and Indian rupees. To avoid international restrictions, companies must ensure that their transactions do not exceed $60 per barrel. This ceiling was established by the G7 nations and their European Union allies.

In order to simplify international commerce in rupees and maintain crude oil exports, Indian banks, notably Sberbank PJSC and VTB Bank PJSC, created special vostro accounts in Russian financial institutions.

Unfortunately, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina stated that Russian exporters had trouble repatriating rupees due to currency limitations.

See Also: White House: Russia's Accusation of US Involvement in Kremlin Drone Attack 'Ludicrous'

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
SEATTLE (AP)  A new unit aimed at solving cold cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people will be established in Washington state, a result of the latest law to address a decades-long crisis.

House Bill 1177 was recommended by a state task force, passed unanimously in the Legislature and was signed last week by Gov. Jay Inslee.

The unit will operate within the state Attorney Generals Office and will assist federal, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in investigating unsolved cases involving Indigenous people, who are disproportionately targeted by violence. The unit will prioritize help for jurisdictions with limited resources, The Seattle Times reported.

Victims are not alone. The cries of their loved ones are no longer unheard, said bill sponsor Rep. Debra Lekanoff, D-Bow, who was born in Alaska and is part Tlingit and part Aleut.

The unit will have investigators and a person to maintain communication with the families of victims and serve as a go-between for families and law enforcement.

The states Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & People Task Force, created to assess systemic causes behind the high rate of disappearances and murders of indigenous women and people, recommended the legislation.

Thanks to the work of the task force, my office will be the first Attorney Generals Office in the country with a cold case unit dedicated to seeking justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and people, Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement.

The task force has also successfully pushed for legislation to require coroners to take steps to identify and notify relatives of murdered Indigenous people and return their remains, and to create an emergency alert system for missing Indigenous people.

Since launching last July, the alert system has been activated more than 50 times, with 43 people found alive. In at least 11 cases, the alert helped law enforcement agencies find the missing person, according to the Washington State Patrol.

For decades, Native American advocates and experts have sounded the alarm on the disproportionate levels of violence, sexual assault, homicides and disappearances experienced by Indigenous people, particularly women.

I cant say why it took so long for the rest of the country or our state to recognize we matter, Lekanoff said.

Washington has one of the highest number of cases of missing or murdered Native American women and girls in the country, according to a 2018 report by the Urban Indian Health Institute.

A 2021 report by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found the true number of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the U.S. is unknown because of reporting problems, distrust of law enforcement and jurisdictional conflicts.

But Native American women face murder rates almost three times those of white women overall  and up to 10 times the national average in certain locations, according to a 2021 summary of the existing research by the National Congress of American Indians. More than 80% have experienced violence.

As of April, 134 Native American people were missing in Washington, the majority from Central Washingtons Yakima County, according to the State Patrol.

Its a crisis, and were finally able to take small, positive steps here in Washington state, Lekanoff said.
An estimated 500 pounds of cooked pasta was found dumped near a New Jersey stream in Old Bridge last week, a local politically active resident told NJ Advance Media.

Nina Jochnowitz, who previously ran for council in the towns sixth ward, was contacted by a concerned citizen who alerted her to the bizarre discovery, she said.

Jochnowitz said she was taken to the area to see it for herself and decided to snap some photos and post them on her social media account on April 26. The town was previously alerted and did not respond to the pasta dump, she said.

UPDATE: Pasta dump mystery deepens: Cops looking for source of ditched spaghetti and macaroni

She said she immediately reached out to the town administrator and the department of public works about what she had seen.

Her post, which included eight photos of the mounds of cooked spaghetti, elbows and ziti dumped along a 25-foot-wide area, garnered a lot of attention on Facebook and two days later, Jochnowitz posted again saying that it had all been hauled away from the site.

The dumped pasta covered an area of about 25 feet near the stream.Nina Jochnowitz

Jochnowitz said she was disappointed that it took her posting on social media to get the town to take action, but that she was glad the DPW cleaned up the mess, which is located on property owned by Old Bridge.

She said it was unclear how long the pasta had been sitting there before she was alerted to its presence.

While it may not be directly related, she added that Old Bridge is the only town in Middlesex County that does not have bulk garbage pickup.

No suspects were identified and it was also unclear if police were looking into the incident. Jochnowitz said she did not file a police report.

The townships business administrator, police spokesman and town council president did not respond to an email seeking comment.
Nine accused members of a Jefferson County ring affiliated with a Mexican drug cartel have been indicted on fentanyl trafficking and money laundering charges, including one who was convicted in the horrific 2008 killings of five men in a Shelby County apartment over a cartel debt.

The indictment was unsealed this week in federal court in Birmingham, according to a joint announcement by Northern District of Alabama U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona, Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Brad L. Byerley and Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard.

Those charged in seven-count indictment are: Juan Francisco Castaneda, aka Pariente, 40; Karol Carlota Del Castillo-Cardozo, aka Guerra, 40, of Wilsonville; Bryant Lamar Reynolds, aka Bear, 37; Preston Omar Chatman, aka Peno, 41, of Birmingham; Jose Lopez Flores, 44, of Birmingham; Cheryl Johnson, 57, of Pinson; and Francisco Del Castillo, aka Paco, 26. All are charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl between March 2022 and March 2023.

The indictment further charges Castaneda, Castillo-Cardozo, Blanca Iris Ozuna, aka Flaca, 35, of Birmingham, and Juan Fidencio Lerma Gomez, 40, with conspiracy to commit money laundering of drug trafficking proceeds between March 2022 and March 2023.

Authorities said the suspects are connected to the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which is known for its extreme violence.

The Jalisco cartel is known for producing millions of doses of deadly fentanyl and smuggling them into the United States disguised to look like Xanax, Percocet or oxycodone. Such pills cause about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States, according to a recent CBS News report.

Castaneda, Flores, and Johnson are charged with conspiring to distribute 400 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

Castillo-Cardozo, Chatman, Reynolds, and Castillo is charged with conspiring to distribute 40 grams or more of a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison.

Castaneda, Castillo-Cardozo, Reynolds, Chatman, Castillo, Flores, and Johnson are also charged with distribution of fentanyl.

Castaneda and Reynolds were already in custody serving state prison sentences.

Castaneda is serving multiple life sentences for murder in the 2008 killings of five men in Shelby County.

Castaneda, his brother and four others were accused of carrying out the deaths of the five victims in a murder for hire over $450,000 in missing drug cartel money.

Authorities say the men were killed by suffocation, stabbing, electrocution or beating.

Their bodies were found at Cahaba Lakes apartments off U.S. 280. Some of the victims throats had been slashed, and they had been bound, beaten and shocked.

Castaneda, who is imprisoned at the Bullock County Correctional Facility, pleaded guilty to the crimes.

Reynolds, housed at the St. Clair County Correctional Facility, is serving life for the murder of the father and nephew of a Mobile police captain during a home invasion in Theodore in 2011.

The federal indictment also seeks a money judgment in the amount of $700,000.

The indictment represents a collaborative effort between multiple federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to combat the scourge of fentanyl trafficking and organized crime in our communities, Escalona said. The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force remains committed to stopping the flow of dangerous drugs into our neighborhoods by disrupting and dismantling criminal enterprises.

The DEA and HSI investigated the case, along with assistance from the Internal Revenue Service, United States Marshals Service, United States Postal Inspection Service, Hoover Police Department, Birmingham Police Department, Bessemer Police Department, Jefferson County Sheriffs Office, Alabama Department of Corrections, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Allison Garnett and Blake Milner are prosecuting the case.

The DEA is committed to defeating the Jalisco New Generation Cartel and bringing to justice those members responsible for the trafficking of fentanyl and other dangerous illicit drugs said DEA Assistant Special Agent in Charge Towanda Thorne-James.

This indictment sends a clear message to those that attempt to turn a profit by distributing poison in our communities that they will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law, said Pickard, who oversees Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) operations in Georgia and Alabama. Our community is a much safer place thanks to the tireless efforts of all our federal, state and local partners.
UPDATE: The Alabama Supreme Court on Friday granted Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall a request to reinstate temporary restraining order following a Jefferson County judges dissolution of the TROs based on jurisdictional issues.

The bingo halls will now stayed closed until the Supreme Court decides otherwise. The TROs would have expired today.

EARLIER: A judge has dissolved temporary restraining orders that shut down eight bingo halls in Jefferson County last month, finding the orders should have been filed in a different jurisdiction.

The Alabama Attorney Generals Office, which led the probe and raids, opposes the judges order, saying that if the businesses reopen, they pose a public nuisance that is a direct threat to the health, safety and welfare of Jefferson County residents.

Teams of state and federal agents in April fanned out across Jefferson County in mid-April, shuttering the doors of 14 bingo halls across the county.

Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said the shutdowns were carried out by his office and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, as well as FBI and DEA agents. Hoover police also assisted.

Marshall said his office obtained temporary restraining orders against 14 illegal gambling facilities in Jefferson County involving more than 2,400 illegal slot machines and multiple non-profit and for-profit entities.

The TROs required the facilities to cease all operations, the property cannot be used or accessed, and there can be no further financial transactions connected with the facility or those operating the facility until further orders from the Circuit Court of Jefferson County.

The TROs were filed in Birmingham, and Jefferson County Presiding Judge Elisabeth French later transferred eight of the 14 cases to the Cutoff.

On Thursday, Jefferson County Bessemer Cutoff Circuit Judge David Carpenter dissolved the TROs for those eight of those businesses, ruling that the cases should have been filed in the Bessemer Cutoff, not the Birmingham Division of the circuit court.

The Birmingham Division of Jefferson County, where these cases were originally filed, never had proper jurisdiction in this case, Carpenter wrote. Without proper jurisdiction, the original TRO was never valid, could never have been extend, and cannot now be extended.

He ordered the businesses be granted access to their bingo halls. The six businesses in the Birmingham division remain closed.

Marshalls office filed a motion to stay Carpenters ruling, arguing that if the owners resume operations, they would also have access to illegally obtained funds.

Given the possibility that the defendants could remove evidence, obtain and hide illegally obtained monies, and resume the operation of the business that constitutes a public nuisance.

The AGs Office is appealing the ruling.
Note: Alabama Safari Park, in Hope Hull, is still open for business.

The Huntsville areas drive-thru zoo has apparently closed.

Entry is barred to Harmony Park Safari in the New Hope community by ropes, and the parks website has been deactivated. A Google search for the park says that it is permanently closed.

A recorded message on the parks phone number says, After 30 years, we will be permanently closing our gates. From this day forward, we are permanently closed. Thanks to all of our patrons from 51 states, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Canada, too. God bless each and every one, and we hope each of our patrons enjoyed their stay at Harmony Park Safari.

WHNT attempted, but was unable, to get answers on why the park closed.

Located on Clouds Cove Road Southeast, the attraction was lauded as a hidden gem for families and boasted giraffes, zebras, emus, llamas and other animals in an outdoor park setting.

It made news in 2017 when one of its kangaroos bit a nine-year-old girls ear, resulting in 14 stitches. A year later, an altercation between a visitor and an employee went viral on social media.

Over the years, the park was cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for failure to maintain fencing, which resulted in the 2021 death of deer and sheep due to predators, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Other citations dealt with shelter and proper veterinary care.
The Alabama Republican Party has asked a Black Democratic lawmaker to apologize for referencing a song, which repeatedly uses a form of the N-word, during an exchange with the only Black Republican in the 105-member House.

Rep. Juandalynn Givan of Birmingham said she would not apologize and stood by her comments.

Givan was speaking to Rep. Kenneth Paschal of Pelham during debate over Paschals bill on parental rights. Democrats spoke in opposition to Paschals bill, which the House eventually set aside without taking a vote.

In talking to Paschal she made a reference to the lyrics of the song, The Story of O.J. by Jay-Z. The song repeatedly uses a form of the N-word. Givan, however, did not fully quote the lyrics, or say the N-word and did not directly call Paschal the word, according to a video of the exchange.

When Jay-Z penned that song, he penned that song for a time such as this, Givan said during her exchange with Paschal on the House floor. Do you want me to sing it? Because I dont have a problem with it. I can stand by anything I say. But I think theres enough people here today that have Googled it.

Still one. Still one. Still one. Dont matter how you come in here, when you leave here, you still one. When you sit down, you still one. When you get up, you still one. When you go to bed at night, you still one. When you look in the mirror at yourself, you still one. Thats the story of O.J. Light-skinned, dark-skinned, you still one. Youre going to always be one when you walk up in here, and every day you wake up. Dont you ever forget that.

After those comments, Givan returned to her seat. Paschal remained at one of the mics on the House floor and did not respond. Speaker Pro Tem Chris Pringle called up the next speaker and debate on the bill continued until it was carried over.

Today, the state Republican Party issued a statement by Party Chair John Wahl calling for Givan to apologize.

There is no place for bigotry or racial slurs in any part of our local, state, or federal government, Wahl said. Kenneth Paschal is a father, son, friend, loved one, veteran, man of faith, and duly elected representative and does not deserve to be racially attached on the house floor. The Alabama Republican Party strongly condemn Representative Juandalynn Givan of District 60 for her premeditated and inappropriate statements toward a fellow member of the Alabama House of Representatives. I call on her to apologize to Representative Kenneth Paschal immediately.

The people of Alabama expect their elected officials to behave in a manner becoming of that high privilege, Wahl said. Rep. Paschal was vulgarly referred to as a term that is beneath the dignity and respect of any human being. We cannot stand by and allow this honorable gentleman who served in uniform and continue to serve as a public servant with duty and commitment to be treated and referenced so vilely in violation of House Chamber decorum, he continued.

The statement went on: The Alabama Republican Party is honored to represent Alabamians from across all racial and ethnic backgrounds. We value every conservative voice and will continue to work for them to Strengthen Alabama and Restore America. We are committed to standing with the people of Alabama in defending their civil liberties and their inalienable dignity. We hold firmly to the belief all men are created equal and that all men should be judged based on the content of their character, not by the color of their skin as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr so eloquently reminded us. We encourage freedom of thought and the coming together of diverse vantage points of life.

Givan said she would not apologize and called on Wahl to apologize to her for actions taken by the Republican Party that she said were hurtful and demeaning to Black people.

I have a right to debate in that chamber and I have a right to defend democracy, Givan said. And that is what I did.

Givan said she had mentioned The Story of O.J. several times previously on the House floor.

That was not my first time referencing that song, Givan said. So if they interpreted that song the way they did, then they should be apologetic themselves, because its a matter of interpretation. So, the question today I leave you with is, how did they interpret it?

Givan also issued a written statement, saying, In response to recent calls from the ALGOP for me to apologize for referring to song lyrics from The Story of O.J. by Jay Z during a recent debate over legislation In the Alabama House of Representatives, I am the one calling on the AL GOP to apologize to me for mischaracterizing my statements and asking me to apologize. This is merely another alt-right Republican distraction as they seek to cloture debate and disenfranchise those who do not agree with their toxic and extremist conservative views.

As a female black legislator duly elected by the people of Alabama House District 60 and as a legislator committed to being the voice of the people I am honored to represent, I remain unapologetic for exercising my First Amendment right to speak.

I made reference to a rap song by a Black rapper which I have mentioned several times previously, on the House floor without any prior objection, because it was germane to the discussion of the bill. This is because the discussion dealt with our fundamental rights, such as the fact that all people are created equal and endowed with the same rights by their Creator. All deserve equal protection under the law, especially including the sacred right to vote in our democracy.

I remain unapologetic for exercising my right to free speech. Republicans are the ones who owe me and the people of Alabama an apology for trying to silence me and those who strongly disagree with their misguided agenda that hurts people of color, women, and other minority and marginalized groups.

As I remain unapologetic, I will not be silenced. I will continue to defend democracy. I await your apology.

Paschal sent a statement tonight about the exchange with Givan.

During debate over my bill on parental rights on Tuesday, a member of the House Democrat Caucus repeatedly inferred she was calling me a racial epithet simply because I am a black Republican and a proud, flag-waving conservative, Paschal said. My parents raised me to do as Christ instructed and treat others as you wish to be treated, and it is unfortunate that my colleague from across the aisle was apparently not taught to do the same.

I will never be bullied or insulted into apologizing for what I am - a God-fearing conservative and military veteran who believes in the U.S. Constitution and the right of every person to live their lives free from government overreach. No person should have their race or skin color questioned or attacked simply because they choose to think for themselves, and if a Republican made the same statements, the condemnation from the media would have been swift and permanent. This incident is yet another example of the Democrats nationwide pattern of disrupting the decorum of legislative proceedings.
A Florida Chamber of Commerce affiliate in 2020 paid nearly half a million dollars to a political consulting firm whose operatives played a key role in Floridas ghost candidate scandal, surveilled a Jacksonville journalist and secretly gained control of a Tallahassee-based news site, tax records show.

IRS forms show Secure Floridas Future, which is chaired by Chamber President and CEO Mark Wilson, paid $470,000 in 2020 to Alabama-based Matrix LLC. And the next year, Secure Floridas Future transferred $2 million to a dark money nonprofit organization linked to the Montgomery firm.

The Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, a watchdog group, obtained the tax records and shared them with the Orlando Sentinel.

See also:

Ivette Faulkner, the chambers executive vice president of strategic communication and marketing, said the payment to Matrix was non-political and intended to educate Floridians on issues that impact Floridas economic and job growth, but declined to elaborate.

Secure Floridas Future spent more than $8.5 million in 2020 and 2021, according to tax documents. Nonprofit dark money organizations like Secure Floridas Future are required to disclose their contributions publicly, but not their contributors.

Joe Perkins, Matrixs owner, did not respond to an email this week asking about what services the firm performed for Secure Floridas Future.

The Orlando Sentinel and other media outlets have reported extensively over the past 18 months about how Matrix employees used a variety of tactics to sway elections across Florida, resist citizen efforts to reshape the state Constitution and advance the interests of powerful corporations.

The efforts were revealed in a series of leaked documents, including emails, bank records and internal reports from the firm. The records showed Matrix employees worked closely with executives at Florida Power & Light over a period of several years.

Matrix operatives secretly acquired control of a Tallahassee-based political news site, The Capitolist, and gave executives influence over the sites coverage. Employees also had a Jacksonville journalist covertly monitored after he wrote critically about FPL.

When FPL was seeking to acquire Jacksonvilles public utility, JEA, Matrix operatives arranged a job offer in 2019 meant to lure a critic of the deal to leave the City Council.

And Matrix operatives also funded a dark-money ad campaign promoting ghost candidates in three key 2020 Florida Senate races as progressives, in an apparent scheme to siphon votes away from the Democrats in each race and help Republicans win.

The defeated candidates included former Democratic Sen. Jose Javier Rodriguez, one of FPLs most prominent critics in the legislature who had drawn the personal ire of the utilitys CEO, Eric Silagy. I want you to make his life a living hell.seriously, Silagy wrote in a leaked 2019 email to two of his vice presidents, one of whom forwarded it to former Matrix CEO Jeff Pitts.

Secure Floridas Future seeks to educate the citizens of Florida about economic job growth, according to the organizations documents.

But the public needs only to look at Matrixs track record to infer why the Chamber-backed group wanted to hire them, said Michael Barfield, director of public access initiatives for the Florida Center for Government Accountability, a Sarasota-based watchdog group. The Chambers nonprofit aims to empower corporations, he said, and Matrix was well-suited to help them accomplish that goal.

I think that really gets to the heart of the issue, Barfield said. The amount of dark money spending by corporate interests has exploded.

The 2010 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission case, which enabled corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited money on elections, was a tragedy Barfield said, because it allows businesses to exert enormous influence over the political process.

Dark money takes power away from the people and until theres meaningful change, corporations will have all the muscle, Barfield said.

In addition to the direct payment to Matrix in 2020, Secure Floridas Future reported a $2 million contribution to the Coalition Against Electricity Deregulation, a nonprofit chaired by a relative of a former Matrix employee, in 2021.

The Sentinel reported earlier this year that Secure Floridas Future contributed $630,000 late in the 2020 election cycle to a network of dark-money groups tied to the ghost candidate scandal. The bank records disclosing the payment were included in a Florida Department of Law Enforcement probe that emerged from reporting by the Sentinel and other news outlets about the candidates.

The payment from Secure Floridas Future was recorded on Sept. 2, 2020, to another nonprofit organization run by Republican consultant Stafford Jones.

On Sept. 30, Jones nonprofit transferred the same sum to Lets Preserve the American Dream, a nonprofit run by Ryan Tyson, a consultant with close ties to the states big business lobby, Associated Industries of Florida.

One day earlier, Lets Preserve reported a $600,000 contribution to a third nonprofit, Grow United, which spent the money on the ad blitz promoting the ghost candidates to voters in Central and South Florida.

Jones said the contribution from Secure Floridas Future was not related to the transfer to Tysons group and the chamber declined to say what the payment was intended for.

Jones, Tyson, FPL and the Chamber have not been accused of wrongdoing by authorities.

But five people have been charged criminally in connection with the ghost candidate scandal, including 2020 Florida Senate candidates Alex Rodriguez and Jestine Iannotti; Frank Artiles, a former lawmaker accused of bribing Rodriguez to seek office; former Seminole County GOP Chair Ben Paris and Central Florida political consultant Eric Foglesong.

Rodriguez pleaded guilty and a jury convicted Paris on a misdemeanor charge. Artiles, Iannotti and Foglesong are still awaiting trial.

2023 Orlando Sentinel. Visit orlandosentinel.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Get the Ed Chat newsletter: Enter your email for weekly updates about Alabama schools from Trisha Powell Crain:

Alabama is heading for another record-setting education budget after the Senate passed an $8.8 billion spending bill.

The budget includes pay increases for teachers and staff, plus bonuses for special education teachers and speech therapists. The spending represents a 6.5% increase over the current years budget of $8.3 billion.

Senate Education Budget Chair Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, presented the budget Thursday as one of eight bills related to spending. The legislature also is considering a $2.8 billion supplemental appropriation and a $273 million tax rebate bill.

For you new members, this is an unprecedented budget and an unprecedented time, Orr said. There were a lot of decision points in it.

The regular budget proposal funds increases in K-12 and higher education, including pay increases for K-12 teachers, school support staff, and a bonus for special education teachers. The plan calls for more teachers in the middle grades and more school nurses, too.

The Senate proposed spending $362 million more on K-12, $14.8 million more on higher education and $33.1 million on other education-related expenses.

Total funding is as follows:

K-12 - $5.99 billion, a 6.4% increase over the current year,

Higher education - $2.26 billion, a 6.7% increase, and

Other education-related expenses - $551.5 million, a 6.38% increase

Pay raises

Hard-to-find special education teachers could get a $1,000 stipend under the Senate proposal, at a cost of $4.6 million. The state board of education originally requested a $5,000 yearly stipend that would have cost $68 million.

Speech therapists would also receive a $1,000 stipend, funded by a $500,000 line item in the proposal.

The Senate added $15 million that wasnt in Iveys proposal to give additional pay to school support staff. Because there is no statewide minimum salary schedule for support staff like there is for teachers, Orr said, the amount is a guesstimate.

Its a starting point, Orr said, to help schools across the state bring those salaries up for your bus drivers, the cafeteria workers, the custodians - people who are very important in what they do because if we didnt have them, wed certainly notice. Secretaries and administrative assistants will be included as well.

All public education employees will see a 2% raise next year, making it the third year in a row in five of the last six years that teachers received a raise. All teachers received a 4% raise this year and those with nine or more years of experience received raises between 5% and 21%.

K-12

K-12 schools will receive $66 million for school nurses, up from $50 million this year. Thats more than the $60 million the state board of education requested and would be enough money to ensure theres a nurse in every school, Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey said previously.

The proposal adds more than 100 teachers in fourth through sixth grades, Senate Education Budget Chair Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, said, to help lower class sizes.

In a separate funding bill passed by the Senate, teachers would receive half of their classroom supply money before the start of the new school year, rather than having to wait until October, the start of Alabamas fiscal year. The other half is funded in the Senates regular budget proposal.

The Senate kept Iveys proposal to add $25 million in funding for the requirements of the Alabama Numeracy Act, an initiative to strengthen math skills in elementary-aged students. The programs total funding will rise from $15 million to $40 million.

The Senate also included $15 million for college and career ready grants. This program would help schools obtain resources to help students earn one of 10 college and career readiness indicators such as passing an Advanced Placement Exam or earning a career technical credential.

Other spending

Higher education would also see increases, with $1 million added for step raises for employees in the community college colleges with more than 30 years experience.

The state would spend $4.5 million on a program to recruit teachers who have a STEM major, with the Alabama Commission on Higher Education steering that effort.

The Senate proposed adding $9 million to the Department of Mental Health for institutional and community treatment and care programs bringing the total to $76.9 million for next year.

Alabamas next fiscal year begins Oct. 1, 2023.

Theres an additional $8 million for the states Pre-K program in the bill, bringing total funding to $182 million.

Some of the new spending was made possible because the Senate dropped $25 million from the Department of Economic and Community Affairs Rural Broadband Program. Theyre over capacity as far as what they can deliver, as far as laying fiber across the state, Orr said.

The budget now moves to the House Education Budget Committee for consideration. The House will reconvene Tuesday at 1 p.m.
A Birmingham man described as the leader of a major drug trafficking organization and one of his lieutenants have been indicted on federal drug and gun charges.

Lumon Andre Loom Layton, 49, and Cedric Lamar Ced Nelson, 36, of Midfield, were indicted in the Northern District of Alabama this week, according to a Friday announcement by U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona and FBI Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples.

The 10-count indictment charges Layton and Nelson with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, and distribution of fentanyl between March 2022 and January 2023.

Layton is also charged with five counts of possession with intent to distribute and distribution of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine, two counts of using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to drug trafficking crimes, and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Layton was convicted of manslaughter on May 2, 2000, in Talladega County, as well as several drug crimes in Jefferson County prior to 2000.

According to the indictment, on January 6, 2023, Jefferson County Sherriff deputies executed search warrants at five different locations following a 10-month investigation.

The locations  mostly apartments - stretched from east Jefferson County to Fairfield to Fultondale.

Investigators seized a total of 19.5 pounds of cocaine, 5.74 pounds of heroin, 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 30 ounces of marijuana and 150 grams of a fentanyl/ heroin mixture.

The deputies also seized more than $1 million, in addition to five guns.

Layton was arrested then on state charges.

Jefferson County investigators on Friday, Jan. 6, 2023, seized a total of 19.5 pounds of cocaine, 5.74 pounds of heroin, 22 pounds of methamphetamine, 30 ounces of marijuana and 150 grams of a fentanyl/ heroin mixture. (JCSO)

The FBI and Jefferson County Sheriffs Office investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Cross is prosecuting the case.

The penalty for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute or distribution of a controlled substance is a minimum mandatory penalty of 10 years to life in prison.

The maximum penalty for possession with intent to distribute or distribution of heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine is life in prison.

The penalty for using and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime is a minimum mandatory term of five years in prison up to life to run consecutive to any other count. The maximum penalty for being a felon in possession of a firearm is 15 years in prison.
Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Today  May 5  is Cinco de Mayo. The holiday officially commemorates the day in 1862 when the Mexican army, under the leadership of General Ignacio Zaragoza, conquered the French forces of Napoleon III at the Battle of Puebla. The victory provided a significant morale boost to the Mexican people and came to serve as a symbol of the countrys spirit and perseverance.

Today, the holiday is often confused with Mexican Independence Day, a totally separate holiday that occurs on Sept. 16 and marks the start of the war of Mexican independence from Spain.

The Battle of Puebla pitted 2,000 Mexican troops against 6,000 French. At the end of the day, almost 500 French soldiers were killed while Mexican forces lost less than 100 men. The French retreated though it would take six more years - and more battles - to convince the French to exit Mexico.

Cinco de Mayo - which literally translates to May 5 - is not Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on Sept. 16, and marks the start of the war of Mexican independence from Spain.

In the U.S., Cinco de Mayo celebrations were first held in California in the 1860s, marked among the hundreds of Mexican miners who had crossed the border to work in the west. The celebration spread as Hispanic culture grew in the U.S., getting a commercial boost in the 1980s when restaurants and bars began cashing in on the event.

Cinco de Mayo is not a national holiday in Mexico, though many schools close and a larger celebration is held in the State of Puebla, where the battle took place.

Some of the largest celebrations in the U.S. are held in Los Angeles and in towns throughout the west. The day is commemorated with celebrations of Mexican cuisine, culture and music.
Even as officials in New York City withheld judgment Thursday, the choking death of a man at the hands of another subway user sparked strong emotions.

The deeply concerned reactions of some mirrored New York decades earlier when citizens felt plagued by crime and tragic vigilantism made national news.

Prosecutors in Manhattan have pledged to conduct a "rigorous" inquiry into the murder of Jordan Neely, a Black man who was placed in a chokehold by a white Marine veteran after being attacked by other passengers.

The medical examiner's office determined on Wednesday night, May 3, that 30-year-old Neely died from homicidal compression to the neck.

In a String of Black Community Attacks

Whatever the case may be, many New Yorkers regarded the choking incident as just the most recent in a long line of assaults on the city's Black community, AP News remarked.

"We're like animals in white people's backyards. They want to get rid of us," said Diango Cici, a 53-year-old resident in Manhattan.

Neely, who made a living impersonating Michael Jackson, died after the early afternoon encounter on a subway beneath Manhattan.

Neely, who was known to have been homeless at times, was yelling at his fellow passengers when one of them put an arm over his neck and pushed him to the floor. Two other passengers also chipped in to help hold Neely down.

According to a military handbook updated in 2020, Marine recruits are frequently taught how to execute and fight against chokeholds, which may knock someone unconscious in as little as eight seconds.

Meanwhile, New York City has prohibited police from employing chokeholds due to their potentially fatal nature.

On its website, the US Department of Justice referred to chokeholds as "inherently dangerous" and stated they had "too often led to tragedy."

See Also: Serbia Reels Second Mass Shooting in Two Days; Suspect Arrested After Overnight Manhunt

Some People Held Back Judgment

No one has been arrested. But the Manhattan DA's office announced late Wednesday that they would be reviewing autopsy reports, looking at any available video and picture evidence, finding and interviewing as many witnesses as possible, and obtaining further medical data.

The 24-year-old man shown on footage putting Neely in a headlock for at least three minutes (and maybe more) was questioned by police but eventually freed without being charged. The police have been tight-lipped about him, but an unnamed law enforcement person disclosed his connection to the Marines.

Mayor Eric Adams said that there were "many layers" to what really happened.

According to AP News, a freelance journalist who rode the train and captured Neely losing consciousness while being held reported that despite Neely's aggressive behavior and jacket toss, he did not physically attack anybody.

Friends and other street performers have characterized Neely as a talented impersonator who became depressed after his mother's death in 2007. News reports at the time said that Christie Neely had been strangled to death.

See Also: Israel Troops Kill 3 Palestinian Militants Tied to Killing British-Israeli Woman, Daughters

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday.

The revelation of tuition payments made by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is the latest example of Crows generosity to Thomas and his family that has raised questions about Thomas ethics and disclosure requirements more generally. The payments, along with the earlier examples of Crows financial ties to Thomas, were first reported by the nonprofit investigative journalism site ProPublica.

ProPublica reported Thursday that Crow paid tuition for Thomas great-nephew Mark Martin. Thomas and his wife, Virginia, raised Martin from the age of 6.

Over the past month, ProPublica has reported in other stories about luxury vacations paid for by Crow that the conservative justice took as well as Crows purchase of property from the Thomas family, neither of which were disclosed. Democrats have used the revelations to call for stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and the Democrat-controlled Senate held a hearing on ethics issues this week. Republicans have defended Thomas.

According to the ProPublica story, Crow paid tuition for Martin at a military boarding school in Virginia, Randolph-Macon Academy, as well as Hidden Lake Academy in Georgia.

ProPublica said Thomas did not respond to questions. Crows office responded in a statement to questions but did not address a question about how much he paid in total for Martins tuition. He did say that Thomas had not requested the support for either school, ProPublica reported.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press about whether Thomas would have any response to the story. On Twitter, however, lawyer Mark Paoletta defended Thomas in an extended statement. Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas, called the story another attempt to manufacture a scandal about Justice Thomas.

Paoletta said in his statement that Crow had recommended that Thomas consider Randolph-Macon Academy, which Crow had attended, and had offered to pay for Martins first year there in 2006, a payment that went directly to the school. When the school recommended Martin spend a year at Hidden Lake Academy, Crow offered again to pay for that year, a payment that also went directly to the school, Paoletta said.

In response to the story, lawmakers in Congress were again divided by party.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, said it was just the latest installment of the lefts multi-decade campaign to target Justice Thomas.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement that with every new revelation in this case, it becomes clearer that Harlan Crow has been subsidizing an extravagant lifestyle that Thomas could not otherwise afford.

This is a foul breach of ethics standards, which are already far too low when it comes to the Supreme Court, Wyden said.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged Roberts to take note.

I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads this story this morning and understands something has to be done, Durbin said. The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here, the credibility of the court when it comes to its future decisions is at stake.
A suspect in the vandalism of Noccalula Falls Park has been identified, authorities announced Friday.

Central Alabama Crime Stoppers officials said they received a number of tips, and one of those anonymous tips led to the identity of a juvenile suspect.

A petition has been signed against the suspect through juvenile court system. His or her name has not been released because of age.

The vandalism took place sometime between Saturday, April 15 and Saturday, April 22, according to Crime Stoppers. Investigators say multiple drawings and writing were located throughout the park.

City officials take pride in Noccalula Falls Park, as it has been providing tourism and recreation to Alabamians since the 1950s, the agency said in a press release. In an effort to maintain the parks beauty, officials are asking anyone with information regarding the recent vandalisms to please come forward.

The City of Gadsden offered a $1,000 cash reward for information leading to the identification and arrest of the suspects. Central Alabama Crime Stoppers offered a $500 cash reward.
A meteorologist from North Texas who runs the weather forecasting website and social media accounts iWeatherNet is going viral after posting that he had a gun ready when a child rang his doorbell and that he made the child cry.

In the posts, which have since been deleted but were shared on Twitter as screenshots by the user @TisStef, Chris Robbins also said the child was looking for a lost kitten.

The National Weather Association, of which Robbins said in his bio he was a member of the social media committee, revoked his membership for violating the organizations code of ethics and policy.

The American Meteorological Society, where Robbins used to work as an associate editor of the weather and forecasting journal, also tweeted Monday to clarify that he has not been a member of its team since 2018 and that it would be looking further into the incident.

Robbins has since apologized in a new Facebook post for what he originally shared.

According to a biography on the iWeatherNet website, Robbins is the founder and chief meteorologist of the organization. His Twitter bio says he is from Southlake. He lists his work experience as including jobs at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

In the first of the two screenshots of his posts that went viral on Twitter, Robbins wrote that, My 6 was loaded, referencing a handgun, when a child rang his doorbell and that kids shouldnt ring doorbells.

Folks you do NOT ring doorbells in 2023, Robbins wrote in the post screenshot that was shared on Twitter.

In a second post screenshot, Robbins expanded on the details of the incident, saying the girl was looking for a lost kitten, that he made her cry and told her he would pull her hair if she rang his doorbell again.

Im so impatient, Robbins wrote in the second post. I feel bad because I warned her that I might pull her hair if they rang my doorbell again. She started crying. ... I told her to call animal control because I saw them in the neighborhood a few days ago.

According to the screenshot, Robbins wrote in the post that he was sharing the story to warn people about the dangers of ringing a strangers doorbell.

Read the news. Stop it, he wrote. If my doorbell rings again tomorrow I might pull someones hair lol. Im just playing, but it really is a bad idea for kids roaming around ringing doorbells. Its not 1972. If that brat rings my doorbell again tomorrow I will call the police. Take notes.

In an apology posted to Facebook Wednesday, Robbins said he was just in a terrible mood and lashing out on social media and that he helped the girl find the cat.

Im truly very sorry for the ridiculous post that I made a few days ago about the doorbell, Robbins wrote in the apology. Temporarily lapse in judgment and we all make mistakes. I love everyone and I hope you all can forgive me. My point was, in light of recent events involving doorbells, its not a good idea to go around the neighborhood ringing them. I couldnt harm a flea. I helped that little girl find her kitten.

Robbins has received backlash from Twitter users since the post with the two original screenshots was made Monday. Some recommended finding out if he is employed anywhere and reporting the post to the employer, finding out if he has children and, if so, reporting the post to Child Protective Services, and criticizing his logic.

One commenter posted a link to a Boston Globe article from 2016 about a man who killed a teenager who was banging on his door and claimed self defense. The man, Jeffrey Lovell, of Chicopee, Massachusetts, was found not guilty in 2018, according to MassLive.com.

More recently, protests broke out in Kansas City, Missouri, after an 84-year-old man shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl on April 13. The teens family said he went to the wrong address while trying to pick up his younger siblings, NPR reported last month. Yarl was taken to a hospital and eventually was able to return home. The shooter, Andrew D. Lester, has been charged with first-degree assault.

In most of the comments on the apology Robbins posted to Facebook, followers told him they understood that people post things on social media out of frustration, that he was trying to make a valid point about safety, that people need to grow up and that they disagree with critics who attacked him on social media for the posts.

Others commented that a bad mood isnt an excuse for what he said he did in the post, that he should get a doorbell camera and that he should be more mindful of the example he sets as an online personality with a large following.

Robbins says in his bio on the iWeatherNet website that he has a masters of science in meteorology with a minor in math from the University of Oklahoma. He says he contributes to the Douglas County Sentinel in Georgia, though the most recent article from him on the papers website dates back to 2020.

The website and social media for iWeatherNet are still posting new weather forecasts for North Texas and Atlanta, Georgia.

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2023 Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Visit at star-telegram.com Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Millions of taxpayers who used the popular Intuit filing software Turbo Tax will be receiving a check in the coming weeks. That money is part of a 2022 50-state, $141 million settlement stemming from allegations the company charged people for services that should have been free.

In a statement this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James said the settlement is part of righting the wrong, done by the company.

TurboTaxs predatory and deceptive marketing cheated millions of low-income Americans who were trying to fulfill their legal duties to file their taxes, James said. Today we are righting that wrong and putting money back into the pockets of hardworking taxpayers who should have never paid to file their taxes.

READ MORE: $17 an hour minimum wage proposed in new bill

More than 4.4 million taxpayers are eligible under the terms of the settlement by signed attorneys general of all 50 states.

To be eligible, consumers must have used Turbo Taxs Free Edition for tax years 2016, 2017 and 2018 and were told they had to pay to file even though they were eligible to do so for free through the IRS Free File program offered by TurboTax.

Consumers who are eligible for a payment will be notified by email by the settlement fund administrator, Rust Consulting, with a check following automatically. Checks are expected to be mailed out starting next week.

The amount each consumer receives will be based on the number of tax years for which they qualify. Most consumers are expected to receive between $29 and $30. Individuals who filed for three consecutive years could get up to $85.

The settlement comes after a 2019 ProPublica report that found the California-based company used deceptive tactics to steer low-income consumers toward its commercial products and away from federally supported free tax services. The IRS Free file program is geared towards taxpayers earning roughly $34,000 and members of the military.

Intuit withdrew from the program in 2021.
Plus ca change, plus cest la meme chose.  Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

Deja vu!

The meaning (and intent) of the above adages are one and the same when it comes to the responses, or lack thereof, vis-a-vis Israels security  even from the nations top echelon within the Defense Department. Huh? Duh!

The urgent question becomes: in practical, so-called strategic terms, what does national defense even entail? Well, if not intimately familiar with the decades-long counter-intuitive reactions of those tasked with protecting national security, dont even bother to try to figure it out. Truth dare be told, it will leave your head spinning and in need of relief from a throbbing headache.

This brings us to the forefront of the latest insanity from the lips of yet another delusional, leading light within the Defense Department; yes, a mouthpiece!

One report noted that after a volley of more than 100 rockets via Hamastan/Gazastan, a defense official estimates that the situation could lead to an escalation. Furthermore, journalist Elad Benari provided important context: a few days back, alleged Islamist jihadi died from a hunger strike while in an Israeli prison; as Benari noted, the Islamic Jihad has previously threatened that if Adnan dies, the organization will see it as an elimination on the part of Israel.

The first aforementioned news blip additionally detailed that:

Egyptian intelligence offered to renew the talks on an exchange deal as a way to stop the security deterioration, and even tried to convince the Israeli government to soon transfer the body of Adnan to his relatives. According to the sources, Israel did not properly estimate the Palestinian response to the terrorists death, and it was clear that it was afraid of rockets being launched from the northern front as well and of other elements joining the campaign.

Alas, if the above hellfire is not considered a bonafide war cry from Islamists, pray tell, what is? As a piggyback response to the lackluster, (mostly) hands-off approach towards the Marxist revolutionaries leading the domestic charge, lets refer back to the ongoing and dangerous upheaval (balagan in Hebrew) against advocates of judicial reform.

In this regard, it is imperative to internalize the opening adage, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Thus, this truism must be considered a bullseye in relation to the delusional strategic assessments proffered, without any guile, from the lips of Israels top-tier political and military assets.

More tellingly, since 2004, this writer has been recruited to be at the forefront of the Anglo-oriented, strategic-based, analytical reporting  one disaster heaped upon another, in the very same military arena. How can this be? Indubitably, deja vu!

Moving right along, lets count the (horrific) ways  but in no order of importance, as they are all beyond the pale. Dear readers, the highlighted links within are deeply relevant, too.

Stumbling from one disaster towards another, the situation, matsav, felt by Jews within their historical and legal patrimony, Israel, is incomprehensible. How can one explain the very fact that a so-called Jewish leadership continuously bends at the knee towards Islamic Arab terrorism, surrendering and closing down the Temple Mount, the Holy of Holies in Judaism, to appease and reward them during Ramadan?  How many times have we witnessed the humiliating spectacle of newly captured terrorists smile for the cameras, wave victory fingers, and brazenly state that they expect to be released, while being hauled off to jail? The terrorists have surely imbibed the message that a catch-and-release program is part of the Israeli leaderships plans - no matter how heinous the terrorists crimes. If you were a terrorist, wouldnt you, too, internalize the same hopeful message? No such positive message is aimed at the Jews[.] In actuality, there is a goal-oriented method to the leaderships perceived madness. That is, the remaking of our Jewish homeland into an Israeli (rather than Jewish) State.

Likuds Ariel Sharon was elected on February 6, 2001 by a landslide margin, defeating Labors PM Ehud Barak 62.4% to 37.6%. Sharons win should have handed him a wide berth to govern from the right, regardless of outside pressures.  However, policies of appeasement were in full swing during Sharons first year. This was especially ironic, particularly since the well-known hawkish general  nicknamed the bulldozer  was nowhere to be found as his politician counterpart fought Arab terror. Moreover, there were higher casualties from Arab terror attacks during Sharons first year in office than in previous combined years. It wasnt until the bodies started piling up, coupled with a hue and cry from the general public, that Operation Defensive Shield was finally belatedly launched on March 29, 2002. Similarly, Sharon, paradoxically dubbed the settlement builder, executed the wholesale expulsion/destruction of the once-glorious Gush Katif settlement; enterprise, as well as that of communities in the northern Shomron. The expulsion/destruction took place despite a Likud-led referendum (due to massive nationalist outcry) which squashed any mandate to push forward with disengagement. Even though Sharon promised to abide by the referendum, he did no such thing.

Again, how can this be?

Know this: once the core lessons are learned through all of the above frightening calculi, it is incumbent upon those who care about Israels security  regardless of locale or religion  to internalize. It matters not a whit which party sits astride the helm; when it comes to national security it is one and the same.

Incontestably, since the past is prologue, uppermost in their strategic calculi, the following two principles remain: placating Israels U.S. masters (as well as other foreign actors), and coddling the Arab minority (mostly) sympathetic to Islamic jihadis.

To wit, if a blitzkrieg, for decades on end, has to befall Israels beleaguered, sitting duck-like southern citizens  for the most part, non-aggressive, religious, lower income and bereft of political protectzia (friends in high places)  whereby many are killed, maimed, and traumatized in the process, well, so be it. Yes, the puppet masters in charge view them as cannon fodder; a small price to pay to demonstrate that proportionality and de-escalation must continue apace!

Tragically, these are the sacrifices of peace for which (the non-lamented) deceased PM Peres opined; an unconscionable monster who coddled Islamic jihadists, thus, setting Israels crazy train careening off the security tracks!

Adina Kutnicki is an investigative journalist, living in Israel since 2008. Her work concentrates on militant Islamic jihad and its western knock-on effects, as well as the red/green alliance. She is the co-author of BANNED: How Facebook Enables Militant Islamic Jihad, She blogs at: Adina Kutnicki, A Zionist & Conservative Blog (www.adinakutnicki.com) and is an op-ed contributor at several news sites.

Image: Free image, Pixabay license, no attribution required.
On Wednesday we learned that the Iranian regime has seized a second oil tanker recently in the Persian Gulf, forcing it to dock at an Iranian port under orders from the regime's "judiciary."

It was seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Go-fast boats in the Strait of Hormuz. This remains the world's most important oil transit chokepoint, according to the US Energy Information Administration, where roughly 20% of the worlds oil transits every day.

Seized tanker Niovi (YouTube screengrab, cropped)

The Pentagon subsequently informed us that these two incidents were just the latest of fifteen cases since Biden came to the White House where Iran has threatened or attacked international shipping in the Persian Gulf region.

These kind of attacks are unacceptable. The Iranians know that, and I guarantee you our enemies and adversaries know that. And yet the Iranians act with impunity. Why?

For starters, they know the current U.S. President and what he stands for. Biden has been taking money and supporting pro-Tehran regime lobbyists since at least 2002, when a group of Tehran-supporters threw a fund-raiser for him in California that brought in $30,000.

From then on, Biden became a reliable vote (along with Senator Chuck Hagel) when it came to opposing sanctions on Iran. He railed against President George W. Bush and his "axis of evil" because it included the Iranian regime.

Since becoming president, he has tried hard to re-invigorate the bad Iran nuclear deal, a deal that not only gave Iran a date certain to become a nuclear weapons state with impunity, but lifted all sanctions on the regime's ballistic missile programs as well.

Just think how many people in Israel, Ukraine, Yemen, and Iraq -- including US soldiers and contractors -- have been victims of those missiles since 2015.

One reason the Iranians may have chosen the Niovi, a Panama-flagged tanker, as their latest target was specifically to embarrass the United States. Over the past year, the Treasury Department has sanctioned over one hundred Iranian-owned ships laundered through various owners and reflagged in Panama.

The Panamanian government responded in January by de-flagging 136 Iranian vessels. So hitting a Panamanian-registered vessel was payback by Iran to Panama, as well as an embarrassment to the U.S.

In the days when America still commanded a 600-ship navy, we would have sailed an aircraft carrier -- or even two -- through the Strait of Hormuz to put the Iranians on notice.

Not today. We used to have sixteen carrier battle groups; today, we have just eleven carriers still in service. Of those eleven, eight are in dry dock or on extended home port duty in San Diego or Norfolk, VA.

Only two are actively deployed, and both of them are in Asia. (The USS George Washington is off the west coast of Australia, and the USS Nimitz is off Thailand). A third, the USS Ronald Reagan, is idling off the coast of Japan under "Restricted Availability."

When the United States shows weakness, it creates vulnerability. Weakness invites attack.

There are only two ways to respond to Iranian regime aggression: forceful military action, and by empowering the Iranian pro-democracy movement.

In 1988, after a spate of similar maritime piracy incidents (including the mining of international sea lanes), President Reagan ordered Operation Praying Mantis on April 18, 1988, the fifth anniversary of the Iranian suicide bomber attack on the U.S. Embassy in Beirut.

In roughly twenty-four hours, U.S. forces sank one-third of the Iranian navy. Iran didn't dare attack us again openly until 2004-2005 in Iraq, and even then, they initially acted through proxies. (They also acted through proxies -- al Qaeda -- in attacking U.S. embassies in Africa in 1998, the USS Cole in 2000, and the 9/11 attacks in 2001).

Fast forward to New Year's Eve 2020. Iranian-backed militiamen stormed the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad during the final days of 2019. President Trump responded immediately by redeploying hundreds of U.S. Marines from Kuwait to protect the embassy in Baghdad, to prevent another Benghazi from occurring.

And when he learned that the initial attack on the embassy was just the beginning, and that Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani was flying into Baghdad to supervise the next wave of attacks, President Trump ordered him taken out.

Iran responded by launching a half-dozen missiles on the al-Asad air base in Iraq, after warning the base commander so troops could take cover. And while regime officials including Ayatollah Khamenei have claimed they intend to assassinate President Trump and other U.S. leaders in retaliation, until now they have been unable to do so. To date, Iran has not found a successor with anywhere near the charisma, contacts, and capabilities.

The United States has never taken vigorous action to empower the pro-democracy forces inside Iran. Voice of America and Radio Farda have paid lip service only to anti-regime protests, and Biden administration officials have lashed out at the regime's cruel repression with diplomatic wet noodles.

I have no expectation the Biden regime will change its approach. But how long will it take for Congress to start demanding accounting of the administration?

Here's my suggestion for an opening salvo: what kickbacks did U.S. government officials eventually receive from Iran for the $1.7 billion in cash Obama sent to Tehran in 2016?

Just asking.

Ken Timmermans 12th book of non-fiction, And the Rest is History: Tales of Hostages, Arms Dealers, Dirty Tricks, and Spies, was published by Post Hill Press in August 2022. Timmerman was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 and has covered the Middle East for 40 years.
America was given some bad news last week that was mostly seen as a formality. Joe Biden is running for a second term in 2024.

The news is bad for America for a multitude of reasons, as Biden's first two-plus years in office have served as an exercise in "I told you so" for many who in 2020 clearly saw trouble over the horizon.

The prevailing theme the past 27 months has been a lack of accountability for the terrible results across all aspects of the Biden presidency. Take the cyber-security realm for a prominent example. For one, in December of 2020, Biden, then president-elect took time during his transition to blame President Trump for what has been pointed to by experts as the most wide-ranging reconnaissance hacking incident in history: the SolarWinds cyber-attack.

Playing on the "Russia and Trump narrative," Biden seemed to imply that Donald Trump was attempting to protect Russia from liability for SolarWinds when he stated that the attack "certainly fits Russia's long history of reckless, disruptive cyber-activities" and added, "The Trump administration needs to make an official attribution. This assault happened on Donald's Trump watch."

Much of the hacking that has been reported in the media during Biden's term has centered on the war in Ukraine, with both sides ramping up attacks since the earliest stages of the conflict. Although there has been a concentration of hacks occurring half a world away, there are still numerous attacks affecting domestic targets regularly, whether or not the Biden-loving mainstream and corporate media acknowledge it.

In 2022, ransomware incidents affected 106 state or local government agencies, which represents a marked increase from the 77 attacks in 2021, with 25% of those incidents resulting in the theft of data.

Last year also saw a multitude of underreported attacks against America that were perpetrated by state-sponsored Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) groups. Many of these hacks were against U.S. defense contractors and originated from Russian state-sponsored actors. Additionally, Iranian APT 34 targeted entities across multiple sectors in Africa, Asia, Europe, and America, with the support of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS).

In an effort to curb this onslaught against the United States, the Biden administration recently introduced a new National Cybersecurity Strategy. Although the strategy claims that it will "rebalance the responsibility to defend cyberspace by shifting the burden for cybersecurity away from individuals, small businesses, and local governments, and onto the organizations that are most capable and best-positioned to reduce risks for all of us," according to cyber-compliance legal group Gibson Dunn, private entities "can expect to see direct liability, new regulations, and lawsuits from the federal government" if the current proposal is adopted.

The Gibson Dunn alert warns that "increased (government) enforcement may also be complicated by multiple agencies pursuing the same actions, resulting in the potential for companies having to deal with overlapping and uncoordinated inquiries."

In other terms, this new strategy may create a difficult situation for private companies struggling to keep their operations afloat in the midst of an anemic economy by having what has largely been an incompetent and ineffective Executive Branch forcing new compliance standards and costs.

The everyday traps that attempt ensnare Americans online are difficult enough to navigate. From online phishing schemes to malvertising enabled by Big Tech, every click is a potential trap. So, with Joe Biden's track record being less than sparkling, entrepreneurs should worry that they may be unfairly targeted and find themselves facing penalties for running afoul of poorly written and thought out new regulations.

Julio Rivera is a business and political strategist, editorial director for Reactionary Times, and a political commentator and columnist. His writing, which is focused on cyber-security and politics, has been published by many of the most heavily trafficked websites in the world.

Image: Gage Skidmore via Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0.
For the record, Mexican Independence Day is September 16th. On that day in 1810, Mexico became the last major Spanish colony in the western hemisphere to declare independence from the king of Spainwho just happened to have been taken prisoner by Napoleon. Being bi-coastal with a large land mass, Mexico had been until then the primary seat of Spanish government in the New Worldand, again, was the last to separate from Spain.

It has been verging on becoming common knowledge that Cinco de Mayo is more celebrated in the United States than in Mexico. Los Angeles may be considered the epicenter for the origin of this tradition. Of course, L.A. and all of California were once part of Mexico and continue to be home to many people of Mexican ancestry. During WW2, Mexico was a component of the Arsenal of Democracy. Their industrial produce plus a fighter squadron aided the Allied effort.

The fifth of May commemorates the Mexican victory over French forces in the battle of Puebla in 1862. In March 1863 the French came back and were then victorious. They then occupied Mexico City and installed Maximillian I as Emperor of Mexico on April 10, 1864. And yet the struggle continued.

Emperor Maximillian I (public domain photo)

Why did France invade Mexico in the first place? This is where it gets complicated. Mexico was having sort of a civil war between Liberals and Conservatives. The Conservatives wanted to establish a monarchy and make Roman Catholicism the official state religion. The Liberals represented all those who disagreed. Benito Juarez was the leader of the Liberals, who achieved success in 1860at least for a while. BTW, the American Civil War had some connection to all of this. Once the Confederacy was defeated, the United States began to supply assistance to the Juarez forces.

According to Frederick Morton in The Rothschilds (1962), the French financial entity Credit Mobilier was established to provide an alternative to the banking juggernaut of the Jewish Rothschilds. In order to successfully send top secret messages, the Rothschilds often employed carrier pigeons. Being crafty, they sent out a false message on a bird in such a way that Credit Mobilier agents were likely to intercept it. What was the message? Essentially: Bet the farm on the new Mexican bond. And that they did.

The Rothschilds knew that the Juarez government had little, if any, intention of honoring the debt they were running up. When the Mexican bond default hit the fan, the French dictator Napoleon III got his shorts in a major wad. He ultimately chose a Hapsburg prince, Archduke Maximilian, to lead a French expeditionary force to take over the Mexican republic. That is after the French were defeated at Puebla, where Charles de Lorencez was the commander. Curiously, other than Mortons book, no other source that I researched made any mention of the Rothschild connection. French antisemitism was later burnished into the legacy of history in 1894, by way of the story of Alfred Dreyfus.

After the Juarez forces defeated the French once and for all, Maximilian was executed by firing squad on June 19, 1867. Re-enactment of this event is a typical component of Cinco de Mayo celebrationsalong with conspicuous consumption of cerveza. Also, Maximilions widow Charlotte survived the experience and spent the rest of her days wandering the halls of the Vatican. Hence the Mexican people refer to her as Crazy Carlotta. Seems to me that the conclusion of this story would make a bang-up grand opera. Imagine Charlotte belting out a haunting aria, while mists rise up from the stage floorjust as the curtains are drawn to a close.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, has threatened to withdraw his troops from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut due to a shortage of ammunition.

In footage that his representatives shared, Prigozhin can be seen walking amid the fighters' corpses and criticizing senior Russian army officials for their lack of assistance. He said that "tens of thousands" had been killed and injured during the struggle for Bakhmut, in which Wagner soldiers had played an integral part, according to the BBC.

The continuing Russian assault to take the city has been damaged by Prigozhin's decision to leave on May 10.

The US National Security Council recently disclosed that over 20,000 Russian soldiers had been killed and another 80,000 wounded in the Russia-Ukraine war since December, with half of the dead from the Wagner group.

Prigozhin accused the defense minister of ignoring his soldiers and putting their personal comfort before their safety in his statement filled with profanity.

The Wagner head often directs his ire at Sergei Shoigu, the defense minister, and Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, amid rumors of bitter rivalry inside Vladimir Putin's inner clique.

Read Also: WHO: COVID-19 No Longer Global Health Emergency

Wagner's Role in the Russia-Ukraine War

According to Yevgeny Prigozhin, a rich businessman with deep links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Wagner Group had intended to take Bakhmut by May 9, which is a significant Russian festival honoring the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, per ABC News.

The struggle for Bakhmut, which lasted more than eight months and saw thousands of casualties, is said to be the longest and bloodiest of the whole Russia-Ukraine war, and Wagner has been at the forefront of it all. However, no official death toll has been disclosed by either side.

Yevgeny Prigozhin has been to Russian jails to enlist fighters, promising convicts pardons in exchange for a six-month stint serving with Wagner on the front lines, according to Global News.

The United Nations and Western nations have charged Wagner mercenaries with several human rights violations throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya, and Mali.

Despite Bakhmut's strategic military importance for Moscow, many don't think it will have a major impact on how the Russia-Ukraine war turned out.

Related Article: Russia Reportedly Sitting on Billions of Indian Rupees It Can't Spend

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Needed now: a value-based Judeo-Christian Alliance to save America from itself - and thereby save the free world.

In preparation for a strategic research report, and while pondering how a once mighty America has fallen into an abyss of radical Marxism and progressive paganism the last 2 years, the following stations on the route to an American economic, strategic, and moral decline came to mind.

Sacrificing American energy independence and the destruction of the US dollar on the altar of massively inflated and grandiose projects based on the false promise of a green new world order that will become an environmental and economic disaster.

A nation built on "We, the people" is becoming an authoritarian regime of "We, the subjects."

A mighty nation that once led the free world through a policy of peace through strength and a prosperous example of positive values has wilted into diplomatic weakness, confusion and failure that has emboldened anti-democratic regimes to coalesce and increasingly dominate the global political, strategic and economic landscape.

Only a renewed allegiance by those who value the three F's -- Faith, Family and Flag (patriotism) -- and an applied and coordinated campaign can avert the terrible fate of a falling and failing America.

Whatever is perceived to be progressive is regressive.

Whatever is perceived to be woke is weak, and often evil.

Traditional values always bring personal and collective development, prosperity, peace and security, to individuals, communities and society.

These values must be re-established and reinforced in America for the good of America and the free world.

Only a Judeo-Christian alliance can save America from itself, and that will enable us to save the world.

It takes a network of good to defeat a network of evil.

Barry Shaw, Israel Institute for Strategic Studies.

Graphic credit: Pixabay license
My assessment of the probability of Donald Trump receiving a fair trial on the highly questionable charges (falsifying business records) brought against him by Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg just plummeted to subterranean levels. The judge in the case just metaphorically peed on Trumps leg and told him it was raining, to employ a venerable and colorful American expression. He issued a gag order and specified that he was not issuing a gag order and violated Trumps First Amendment rights while claiming he didnt violate his First Amendment rights. The technical name, albeit a less flamboyant one than the metaphor of micturition, is dissimulation.

Kyle Schnitzer and Emily Crane of the New York Post report:

Former President Donald Trump has been banned from talking  or posting  about certain evidence uncovered in the Manhattan District Attorneys hush money criminal case. Justice Juan Merchan handed down the ruling Thursday during a Manhattan Supreme Court hearing after prosecutors sought a protective order to restrict Trump, 76, from publicly revealing any evidence handed over to his legal team as the case unfolds. The judge  who insisted he was not imposing a gag order  said Trump was prohibited from talking about evidence specifically obtained by the DAs Office and turned over to the defense to prepare for trial, including peoples names or personal information. I am not going to do anything  to infringe on his First Amendment rights, the judge said.

If Trump cant comment, how is that not a gag order? As far as the First Amendment goes:

But Trumps lawyers objected to the order, arguing the 45th president has a First Amendment right to tell his side of the story  especially given his bid for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election. Obviously, Mr Trump is different. It would be foolish to say he is not He is different, Merchan said Thursday.

How is Trump different when comes to First Amendment rights? Is the judge saying that he has fewer rights than any other American?

Incidentally, Justice Merchan comes by that elevated honorific title because he is an acting justice of the Supreme Court, New York County. That court, however, is misnamed, since it is a trial level court, far from the highest court of the state judiciary. And he was appointed to his acting justice role not by the governor, but by Chief Administrative Judge Ann Pfau of the county level court.(New York County is Manhattan).

YouTube screengrab (cropped)

I dont pretend to be an expert on the law, but Justice Merchan has destroyed my confidence in his ability to conduct a fair trial.
Six days from now, Joe Biden will drop Title 42 pandemic restrictions on illegal border crossings, and migrants know it. They are massing in record numbers -- as many as a million at last count -- on Mexico's northern border awaiting Biden's May 11 starting gun into the states.

Administration officials say all's well and they're ready. The Biden administration itself announced a plan they're sure will keep migrants from rushing the border at least yet allow them to be let into the states anyway.

But facts on the ground tells us they're in for a surprise.

Here are some news items, starting with this "dire warning" from Fox News:

A Chicago reporter issued a stark warning on public safety after employees working at a luxury hotel housing migrants barred him from entering during a heated exchange caught on camera. William Kelly spoke with workers at the Inn of Chicago, requesting additional information about the status of the hotel, but the employees quickly told him it was closed and he was not welcome because he wasn't a "resident" at the hotel. Kelly recounted the "hostile" exchange with the individuals on "Fox & Friends First" and his broader concerns surrounding how using the hotel as a migrant facility could impact the Windy City's already-rampant crime. "It is very disturbing," Kelly told co-host Ashley Strohmier Friday. "This is right off of Michigan Avenue. We already have the retailers fleeing due to violent crime. Tourists obviously have flatlined in the city of Chicago. Hotels are struggling, and this luxury hotel is apparently being used to house migrants.

Things aren't any better on the Mexican side. The Biden administration doesn't have Mexico onboard to help cooperate with the surge as it has claimed.

According to USAToday:

WASHINGTON  The U.S. does not expect Mexico to match the troops its sending to the border in anticipation of an emergency immigration restriction, known as Title 42, lifting next week. ... Earlier this week, the Pentagon announced it would deploy 1,500 active-duty troops to the southwest border to help deal with an expected surge in migrants seeking to enter the United States.

So much for getting Mexico's cooperation in this migrant surge. And it's not just Mexico that isn't cooperating. Colombia, a longtime U.S. ally which has now elected a leftist president isn't cooperating, either.

According to Reuters:

BOGOTA, May 4 (Reuters) - Colombia's migration agency has temporarily suspended a program to return Colombian nationals found by immigration officers at the U.S. border with Mexico, it said on Thursday, citing cruel and degrading treatment and last-minute flight cancellations. The number of Colombians trying to migrate north to the U.S. has soared in recent years, with more than 125,000 apprehended at the United States' southern border in 2022, according U.S Customs and Borders Protection (CBP), up from around 6,200 in 2021. Colombia expected to receive some 1,200 migrants in flights programmed to arrive from the U.S. during the first week of May, the migration agency said in a statement. The pilot plan called "mom returns" looked to send mostly women, children and adolescents back to Colombia. The plan saw expulsion flights to Colombia rise to around 20 per month according to Colombian authorities, following a push by U.S immigration officials to ramp up expulsions of migrants from the southern border before COVID-19 restrictions are lifted.

Note that detail on the deportations: 20 migrants. Joe can't even expel 20 migrants and gets a mop in the face to boot about 'mistreatment' of the lawbreakers.

Even the Democrats, the presumed beneficiaries of the migrant surge, are concerned, at least the ones who have to face voters in the near term, according to NBC News:

WASHINGTON  The latest criticism against the Biden administrations policies at the southern border isnt coming from a conservative  its being levied by progressive Rep. Ruben Gallego. The Arizona Democrat argues that border communities in his state are simply unequipped to handle the surge of migrants when Covid restrictions on immigration, known as "Title 42," expire on May 11.

They're angry in the suburbs, too, such as in Avondale, Illinois, which is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, according to this report from CBS Chicago:

On Tuesday, when parents picked up their children who attend after-school programs at Brands Park, they learned about this sudden change [with a plan to take over the park to house migrants]. Many in the neighborhood were stunned and questions remain, which adds to the frustration. "I think it's again, it's the initial shock and the lack of communication, and not knowing what the plan is moving forward," said parent Courtney Torchia, who added she's been on edge since Tuesday. That's when the single mom from Avondale learned that Brands Park was being shut down and the after-school program her two boys attend will be abruptly relocated. Even worse, parents were told the summer programs they and other families rely heavily on have been canceled.

And the explosive situations can be found all over. Here's what's going on at the San Diego Tijuana border, according to Fox5:

SAN DIEGO (Border Report)  U.S. Customs and Border Protection says it has run out of room to process and house migrants who continue to arrive by the hundreds on a daily basis along the San Diego-Tijuana border. According to CBP, all of its facilities in the San Diego Sector are at capacity, including a tent center that was set up three months ago near the border in Otay Mesa. This is forcing migrants to spend days at a time waiting for agents to pick them up. ... The asylum seekers are having to rely on small fires to keep warm and on Border Patrol agents to deliver water and snacks, something good Samaritans are also doing. Off camera, a Border Patrol supervisor said their intent is not to keep the migrants out in the elements, its just they dont have room.

They want in and they want in now which sounds like good conditions for a riot.

Washington, D.C., too, says it's full-up with migrants obtaining "free" taxpayer-funded housing, too, according to DCist:

D.C. officials say hotels meant to provide migrant families who have been bused to the region with temporary housing have been filled to capacity. According to a Department of Human Services statement, the Office of Migrant Services stopped taking in new arrivals last week with about 1,249 people from 370 families spread across three D.C. hotels. New intakes are temporarily paused at this time while we continue our work helping families identify pathways for long-term sustainability and self-sufficiency based on their needs, both inside and outside the region, said the spokesperson in a statement.

In El Paso, they're already filling the streets in another pre-riot condition.

According to the El Paso Times:

The sidewalks outside Sacred Heart Church were overflowing with hundreds of migrants wrapped around the blocks circling the Downtown church. The migrants, which number well over 600, created makeshift tents with blankets to block the sun during the day and provide some warmth during cold nights where temperatures dipped into the mid-60s. Others were forced to spend the nights sleeping without blankets, sleeping bags, jackets or shoes. "It has been difficult," Jesus Betancourt, who traveled to the U.S. from Venezuela with his wife, his 11-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter, said Wednesday. "The journey was very difficult. We have been here (El Paso) for two days. We are just hoping to be able to go farther, so I can find a job. We have been sleeping on the floor in the cold and we are hungry.

How'd they get in? Perhaps through the sewers, which earlier news stories reported migrants were utilizing to cross into the states from Mexico.

And after all the hoopla about Joe Biden offering new "legal" pathways to migration to prevent illegal border crossings, the migrants are still crossing illegally into the states as if nothing had ever changed, becaused it hasn't. Catch and release is alive and well:

According to NewsNation:

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (NewsNation)  With Title 42 set to expire next week, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol is already starting to release a majority of detainees at the border because they will no longer be able to immediately expel migrants after the pandemic-era policy ends. Migrant encounter numbers are now hovering around the levels seen during the Del Rio migrant crisis in September of 2021, when 16,000 migrants mostly from Haiti camped out awaiting asylum beneath the international bridge, sources confirmed to NewsNation. Currently, there are 19,066 migrants in U.S. Customs and Border Patrol custody and nearly 9,000 of those encounters were in one day. The normal number for holdings is around 10,000. CBP sources said they consider 15,000 busy and 22,000 is unbelievable  which is where numbers were yesterday.

Which sounds like a disaster all over, a pan-country disaster with massive international implications. Joe Biden did that and expects it all to go swimmingly. With stories like these happening all over the country and Title 42 not even dropped yet, don't bet on it.

Image: Screen shot from NBC News video, via YouTube
What's the cost of losing your grip on reality? Or is there no difference between relying on the Wokish alternative of confused pronouns and cross dressers rather than old-fashioned sweat and intellect?

Back in the day, every reporter knew immediately which editors didnt have a clue about how to be a journalist. Thankfully, the least competent were eventually assigned inconsequential duties or quit and went into PR. But as long as incompetents remained in the newsroom, reporters lost whatever respect might be expected for a superior like that in the chain of command.

Today, the U.S. Army is giving troops

extensive guidance for how to integrate transgender soldiers into its ranks, including  how to respond to pregnant men.

How must that be going? Is it proper to pop the question? When is your baby due?

Veterans Day Parade, Austin, TX 2020 (via Facebook)

It appears the Biden armed forces have a preference, and its not for the old school model. The Woker the soldier, it seems the higher his eventual rank; and the more encouragement en route. Exhibits #1 and #2: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milley, of whom Victor Davis Hanson says they exude Woke pieties.

There were many incompetent editors because for many newsies it was easier to edit someone elses copy than to actually find and report a story. But even so, most of the incompetents still had a grip on reality. So, discussing a story with them wasnt completely futile.

How does that work in todays Army where decisions are matters of life and death and soldiers are to follow orders, not discuss them with their superiors?

The Woke U.S. Army has lost its grip on reality. How many rank and file still have confidence in their leadership? They now lecture troops on how to respond to a pregnant man.

Perhaps this is why the Navy SEAL who helped kill bin Laden had this reaction to the Navys new drag-queen recruitment campaign: I cant believe I fought for this bullst.

The US Navy is now using an enlisted sailor Drag Queen as a recruiter. Im done. China is going to destroy us.

Its now much easier to put a girly man in charge of soldiers and sailors than it was to put an incompetent in charge of newspaper reporters. Never thought Id see the day.

But it gives pause when thinking how close America is to shooting wars with China over Taiwan and with Russia over Ukraine.
Lenin understood how important children are to any revolution. The most famous quotation attributed to him is, Give us the child for eight years, and it will be a Bolshevik forever. An alternative is, Give me just one generation of youth, and Ill transform the whole world. Lenin envisioned a robust army of young people, left of mind and sound of body. Americas leftists have a very different vision. A trio of stories this week reveals their plan to destroy Americas young physically and mentally. They will not be ambassadors of leftism. Instead, they will be incapable of functioning without the government.

The first story is that Portland State Universitys president is very worried about the mental health of the schools LGBTQ+++ students. Hes not worried that many have been taught to deny their own bodies or that they know nothing about the civics, history, literature, and science that led America to be the most powerful and comfortable society in history. Instead, hes worried that they will be psychologically unable to handle the fact that several states have banned or will ban giving minors toxic drugs and mutilating surgery in service to transgenderism.

To alleviate the stress of living in a federal republic where not every state supports the students delusions, PSU president Stephen Percy sent out an email blast promising those students that PSU will be a safe space for them in the face of anti-trans bills. How safe will this space be? So safe that he assures them that PSUs Queer Resource Center will support them by providing Cotton candy, temporary tattoos, and coloring.

Portland State University's Queer Resource Center follows up with more information. pic.twitter.com/Nlzwcp1O71  Michael Weingrad (@weingradmichael) April 29, 2023

Those toddler toys may be a bit too mature for young people who have been reduced to an advanced level of mental and emotional infancy.

However, because they live in Oregon (and this is the second news story), these same mentally weak young people know that the Oregon House just passed HB-2002, the Reproductive Health Rights Act, which explicitly states that a teen 15 years old or older may consent to all medical treatments, without parental knowledge or consent, including abortion or gender-affirming carealthough the parents insurer is on the hook for the costs. The only exceptions are voluntary sterilization (which, ironically, is a natural outcome of gender-affirming care) and first-time contact lens use.

Image: AIs really scary idea of what a teenager having a temper tantrum looks like. DALL-E.

The law now goes to the Senate, but we can assume it will pass there too. Once that happens, Oregon will have ensured that teenagers, who are notorious for making short-sighted decisions, will be able to destroy their minds and bodies without their parents input. (If youre in Oregon, theres still time to object.)

Meanwhile, across America, young people are being medicated and are self-medicating at unprecedented rates. As many as one in four teens is getting a prescription for Adderall or Ritalin for ADHD (which is probably actually boredom and forced inactivity). In 2019, 10% of teen boys and almost 8% of teen girls were on antidepressants. Given the mental health problems the lockdowns engendered, we can assume those numbers have increased. Both ADHD meds and antidepressants have heinous psychological side effects.

The young are also ingesting marijuana, which is legal in increasing numbers of (mostly Democrat-run) states. In many other states, marijuana laws are on the books but not enforced. The result is that roughly 10% of American teens admit to marijuana use. My bet is that the real number is much higher. Alex Berenson has detailed how dangerous marijuana is when it comes to triggering psychopathy.

And that leads to the third story: The National Institute on Drug Abuse now estimates that 30% of schizophrenia diagnoses in men aged 21-30 are tied to their marijuana addictions. Todays marijuana is not the make you sluggish drug of the 1960s. Instead, its hugely more potent, and its literally making young people crazy.

Each of these three stories is, in its own way, generic. Over the last few years, weve read endless variations about safe spaces, gender-affirming care for increasingly younger people, and rising drug dependency in the young. Its just that having three stories in the span of a few days makes so clear whats really going on.

Leftists arent building a robust generation of people who can fight wars and control countries. Instead, they are creating a broken generation of people who will be physically and mentally dependent on government care for the rest of their lives.
Back when I was a student at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in the mid-1990s, we were all required to take a First Amendment freedom of the press course at Columbia's School of Law during the second semester. Every Friday, we trudged over to the law school in the snow (which in our year extended well into May) to the big room with amphitheatre-style seating (which was quite a change from our usual classroom desks with typewriters) and learned all about the differences between slander and libel, what a public figure was, how a public figure differed from a private figure, what a "false light" report was, what prior restraint was, and a lot of other legal concepts we would absolutely need to know as journalists as we made our way.

In the first weeks of the course, we studied the heroism of the New York Times and other prominent media outlets in the 1971 Pentagon Papers case, where we learned that the Times, the Washington Post, and other media outlets courageously asserted their right and obligation to publish the truth that is out there, with the case eventually making it to the Supreme Court, where the court ruled in favor of the Times.

One wonders what that Columbia course would be like now, given that the lesson has been scrapped by none other than the New York Times itself, and its media collaborator buddies based on their collusion with social media and the government itself to suppress the perfectly true Hunter Biden laptop revelations first reported by the New York Post.

That was observed by Matt Taibbi, who cited Michael Shellenberger's Twitter files reporting, with its unflattering revelations about the Times's behavior since.

Taibbi writes:

Newly uncovered documents show the war-gamed, choreographed response to the New York Post piece in October, 2020  which included temporary suppression by those tech platforms Twitter and Facebook  may have been part of a broader plan to re-think basic journalistic standards in general, beyond just the one incident. This included junking what experts involved with the tabletop exercise referred to as the Pentagon Papers Principle, under which journalists since Daniel Ellsbergs 1971 leak had operated under a single rule: Once information is authenticated, if it is newsworthy, publish it. The break from the age-old standard was endorsed by multiple current and former figures from the Washington Post and New York Times, the two papers most associated with the publication of the Pentagon Papers. Neither of the press offices of the two papers would comment, nor did individual figures named in the #TwitterFiles leaks.

Which is quite a change from what we were taught in the 1990s.

It was led by legal eagle Vincent Blasi, an even-tempered legal scholar who could make even complicated legal concepts intelligible to non-lawyers and was co-taught with the slightly more volatile and opinionated New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis in a rigorous law school format that was open to all law students. Of course we all were impressed.

That Blasi/Lewis class was significant and is still noted in Blasi's biography at Columbia law, where Blasi still teaches.

From 1986 to 2008 he co-taught a course in the Columbia Journalism School on freedom of the press with the New York Times reporter and columnist Anthony Lewis. Blasi regularly team-teaches his law school courses and seminars with the renowned First Amendment litigators Floyd Abrams, Jameel Jaffer, and Donald Verrilli.

The two-week case study of the Pentagon Papers came at the beginning. It was taught by the modest-with-nothing-to-be-modest-about great attorney Floyd Abrams, who, (yikes to us college kids), actually participated in the Pentagon Papers case historically as one of the New York Times's effective attorneys. The Times won the case, of course, stemming from the 1971 incident of a Pentagon official named Daniel Ellsberg who leaked documents revealing that the Vietnam War was not going as smoothly as the government publicly claimed it was, prompting the public to drop support for the war, which then triggered a reaction from the Nixon administration, which tried to legally sanction the press for printing the contents.

The Supreme Court ruled otherwise, creating the legal precedent that that once information is authenticated, it is legitimate for a media outlet to publish it.

Well, now the Times has scrapped the precedent it set itself, which did lead to its preeminence as a news outlet in favor of a new Soros-y mishmash of nonsensical added principles focusing on the 'why' a document is leaked, rather than the truth of what the document says, which opened up the big can of contaminated worms surrounding the media's claim that the Hunter Biden laptop story was all about Russian disinformation so never mind the truth. Fifty-one former intelligence officials, after all, said so in a signed group letter, so it had to be true, right? We now know how credible that was, the government acting exactly like the government did during the Pentagon Papers case, trying to suppress the truth, except that this time, the Times and the rest of the press went along with it.

Taibbi describes the disgraceful shift here:

Last December, Michael Shellenberger reported in a #TwitterFiles thread that the Aspen Institute hosted a Hack-and-Dump Working Group exercise in the summer of 2020 titled, Burisma Leak, which predicted with uncanny accuracy an upcoming derogatory story in the New York Post about Hunter Bidens lost laptop. The documents Shellenberger published showed how at least five media figures, including David Sanger and David McCraw of the New York Times, Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post, then-Daily Beast and future Rolling Stone editor Noah Schactman, and Rick Baker of CNN worked alongside Twitter and Facebooks chief moderation officers, Yoel Roth and Nathaniel Gleicher, to plan a response to a hypothetical damaging expose about Joe Bidens son. The Burisma Leak exercise predicted many elements of the real response to the New York Posts coming Hunter Biden story, including complaints from influential Democratic congressman Adam Schiff about its source and veracity, and public statements from former senior intelligence officials falsely raising the specter of a Russian operation.

What a sad, sorry, about-face that is for the Times, whose reputation and power grew out of cases such as the Pentagon Papers publication, yet now has chosen the shrivel route to oblivion, siding with the liars in government instead of the truth tellers on the whistleblower side.

The Times seems to know this and is actually trying to play down its victory, based on at least one essay from its 50th anniversary commemoration coverage of the case.

Columnist Adam Liptak writes:

The Pentagon Papers case was a triumph for press freedom. Or was it? The Supreme Courts unsigned opinion rejecting the Nixon administrations attempt to censor publication of a secret history of the Vietnam War was just three paragraphs long and declared only that the government had not overcome a heavy presumption against prior restraints  on that occasion. The vote was, moreover, fairly close  6 to 3. Every justice contributed a concurring or dissenting opinion, none of which got more than two votes. You need a spreadsheet to make sense of who voted for what, but the bottom line is at odds with the conventional view that the case was a flat-out First Amendment victory.

Which makes one wonder if they have some kind of guilty conscience, given their effort to downplay their own First Amendment victory since their 2020 disgrace. Even they know they chose to side with the government over reporting the truth.

With much of the press, and quite likely, much of the jschool at Columbia still looking up to the Times for direction, one indeed wonders what that First Amendment course at the law school is going to be like this year.

Image: Adam Jones, via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 2.0
Without 30 years of provocative, to the Russian mind threatening, behavior by the United States, the Ukraine war does not happen.

John Mearsheimer has pointed out that for well over 20 years, from the Soviet collapse in 1991 until the 2014 US supported, anti-democratic, violent coup in Kiev against a pro-Russian Ukrainian president, no one of any importance, absolutely no one, viewed Russia as a military threat to its neighbors or to Europe generally, or believed that Russia harbored revanchist impulses. Neither its behavior during this period nor its top officials statements suggested Russia had any designs of dominating its near abroad, let alone conquering it, much less conquering anyone else.

And dont forget: By February of 2014 Russia had endured repeated broken promises by the West (actually, by the neocon/Russia hating US cabal) that NATO would never be expanded toward the east. Those expansions, in the teeth of universal assurances by Western leaders to Gorbachev, rankled in Russia across its political spectrum, but for years Russia did no more than meekly object.

To produce any actual assertiveness by Russia beyond its post-1991 borders, it took the 2014 US sponsored coup against democratically elected, pro-Russian Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovic. Russias response was to declare Crimea part of Russia, mild considering that the new, democratically illegitimate Ukrainian government that the US helped to install, as nearly its first actions, announced repressive measures against the eastern Ukrainian, Russian and Russian-speaking population, and hinted that Russias 250-year-old naval base in Sevastopol might not be renewed. Actual military action by Russia was not required to accomplish the reabsorption of Crimea into Russia, because virtually the entire Crimean population (overwhelmingly Russian) welcomed it.

Vladimir Putin signs the treaty of accession (annexation) with Crimean leaders in 2014 (Photo credit: Kremln.ru)

After the 2014 US-sponsored and supported coup, there followed a brutal war by the new, illegitimate Kiev regime against the overwhelmingly pro-Russian and Russian-speaking population of the Donbas. In that war by Poroshenko and Zelensky between 15 and 20 thousand eastern Ukrainian, Russian-speaking citizens of Ukraine were killed by their own governments indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas. During all this, from 2015 through 2021, the Russian government negotiated for a solution at Minsk and took no more military action than to provide enough help to the Donbas militias to prevent their being destroyed by Kiev.

Then the Biden administration entered the scene in 2021, and vastly increased military aid to Kiev, including providing weapons systems and training for Ukrainian forces, and conducting joint military maneuvers within Ukraine. Its a near certainty that during 2021 the Biden administration also built or expanded bioweapons research laboratories in Ukraine. Assistant US Secretary of State Victoria Nuland as much as admitted this before Congress.

Meanwhile the presence of US missile installations in Poland and Romania easily capable of being utilized for offensive purposes continued to cause unease and resentment within Russian governing circles. Remember that per Bush Senior, Helmut Kohl, Margaret Thatcher and others, the Russians were assured Poland and Romania would never become part of NATO if the Soviet Union withdrew its forces from eastern Europe and allowed German reunification, let alone host American missile sites. Small wonder the Russian government expected to soon see similar US weapons missile sites in Ukraine.

Throughout 2021, well into December of that year, the Russian government sought talks with the US over all of this, but especially about an end to Kievs war on the Donbas population, a guarantee of Ukrainian neutrality and the dismantling of offensive weapons systems in eastern Europe. The Biden administration turned down these repeated pleas for talks flatly.

And so the war came.

With this history in mind, does the Ukraine war fit the Wests claim of a wholly unprovoked attack on a neighbor and the initial step in building a new Russian empire? Or, does it look like a belated reaction to decades of threatening United States military expansion toward Russias borders, accompanied by meddling in the political affairs of a direct neighbor that for 300 out of the last 350 years was part of Russia? Does it look like Russias goal at the outset of the war was empire building or ensuring its own (and the Donbas populations) security?

Give it a think.
Nothing has started rolling out a new update for the Nothing Phone (1), Nothing OS 1.5.4. The rollout has started, but as its a staged rollout, you may not get it straight away. Still, everyone should get it fairly soon.

Nothing OS 1.5.4 update is here with improved performance & battery life

In any case, this update weighs 119MB, and it comes with a rather lengthy changelog. Its mostly focused on improved performance, and battery life improvements, though. Lets see whats new.

Nothing has optimized the fingerprint pattern unlocking experience. The Pop-up view animations are now smoother, and the Google Safety Center is integrated. The Nothing OS now also offers a new feedback feature, which you can access by heading to Settings -> System -> Feedback.

The company has reduced power consumption by optimizing the 4G/5G network switching function. The Bluetooth functions in Quick Settings have also been optimized, including new fast access to paired devices.

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There are quite a few entries in the changelog

Youll now also experience smoother QR code transitions. Its now also possible to scan UPI QR codes directly through the camera app, and then choose a payment app on your phone to complete the transaction. This feature is available in some markets only.

Nothing has also added NDot Cyrillic font support for some languages, including Belarusian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Russian, Serbian, and Ukrainian.

The notification display in Quick Settings has been improved too, and the company also resolved the error message during the face unlock setup. Nothing fixed incoming call notifications, so they should come through without delay.

Time-stamp accuracy for photos has also been improved, while the company also listed Other general improvements in the changelog.

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Android 14 Beta 1 is coming to the Nothing Phone (1) in the coming weeks

This update is, of course, based on Android 13. Android 14 Beta 1 is coming to the Nothing Phone (1) in the coming weeks. Do note that youll need to opt-in if youd like to use it, of course. The Nothing Phone (2) is also coming this summer.
According to a new report, OnePlus is aiming to launch its first foldable smartphone in August. This information comes from Max Jambor, who frequently shares OnePlus-related information.

The very first OnePlus foldable smartphone could launch in August

OnePlus did confirm that its foldable smartphone is coming earlier this year, but it did not specify when exactly. Well, if this rumor is to be believed, we wont have to wait for that long, only a couple of extra months.

Were not sure if the company plans to announce one or two foldables. A book-style foldable is probably coming, but OnePlus trademarked two names earlier this year. The OnePlus V Fold and OnePlus V Flip names got trademarked.

Needless to say, the Fold refers to the book-style foldable, while the Flip refers to the clamshell foldable. It remains to be seen what are OnePlus plans in this regard.

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More and more companies are pushing their foldable phones to global markets

One thing is for sure, though, the company will have some competition in the market. More and more smartphone OEMs are releasing foldable devices to global markets. Truth be said, the competition is way more fierce in China in that regard, but its nice to see more devices coming to global markets.

In the book-style foldable segment, we have the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which will be official by then, or launch soon after. The Huawei Mate X3 will be announced globally by then, the HONOR Magic Vs arrived, and more.

Things are even more fierce in the clamshell foldable space. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is coming, the Huawei P50 Pocket is available, the OPPO Find N2 Flip launched earlier this year, and two Motorola-branded clamshell foldable phones are also coming.

If this OnePlus smartphone, or smartphones, end up having a great price tag, people could be pursued to get them. The price will play a huge role here, thats for sure. Needless to say, the companys foldable smartphone(s) will be powerful, but we dont have the specifics yet.
A union of Samsung employees has threatened to go on strike over a wage dispute. The group alleges that the Korean tech behemoth cut them out of wage negotiations. It announced the latest salary hike without their consent, offering a lower average increase in wages than what they demanded.

Samsung has had a terrible past few months. Its profits have declined sharply due to the sluggish economic environment and weak demand for semiconductors. The company reported its lowest quarterly profit in several years in Q1 2023. In light of this dip in earnings, it decided to offer lower salary hikes to its employees this year.

The South Korean media reported last month that Samsung will offer its employees an average salary hike of about four percent in 2023. Thats less than half of the nine percent average hike offered last year. Unsurprisingly, workers arent happy about it. The National Samsung Electronics Union (NSEU), which represents around 10,000 Samsung employees (roughly nine percent of the companys total workforce in South Korea), has threatened to go on strike over the matter.

Samsung employees could go on the first strike in the companys history

The union argues that Samsung didnt consider negotiating the latest salary hike with its employees. They wanted an average hike of around six percent. Reportedly, the company discussed with the labor-management council before announcing this years wages. However, its unionized workers say the council doesnt represent their interests. The NSEU is the only body that has the right to negotiate wages on behalf of the companys employees.

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According to Yonhap News, the labor-management council is a consultative body comprised of representatives of employers and employees at Samsung Electronics to discuss working conditions, including wages. But employees seemingly dont consider the wage agreement between the council and the companys management team valid. The NSEU now wants a meeting with Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong and re-negotiate the salary hike.

Samsung Electronics announced the final agreement without the consent of the union, the NSEU said in a recent press conference outside a company building in Seoul. We will join hands with other unions to fight to bring the company to the dialogue table and make it accept us. Lee Hyun-kuk, a representative of the union, suggested that the attitude of Samsung chief Lee would decide their next step. If he is willing to negotiate, they may call off the planned strike.

It depends on the attitude of Chairman Lee Jae-yong. We sincerely ask him to come to the table for talks, the NSEU representative said (via Bloomberg). If the union goes on a strike, it would reportedly be the first since the founding of Samsung Electronics in 1969. The company, meanwhile, says that it has followed all related procedures and will continue to communicate with the union. It remains to be seen whether the two parties reach an agreement without workers going on strike.
China, Russia pledge to boost ties, SCO cooperation

Xinhua) 13:52, May 05, 2023

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (L) meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

China and Russia agreed to plan and arrange high-level exchanges and exchanges at various levels, enhance economic and trade cooperation, deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and facilitate personnel exchanges, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. They vowed to enhance communication and coordination with other SCO member states, and maintain the SCO solidarity and cooperation so as to build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

GOA, India, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia have agreed to further develop bilateral relations and build the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the SCO foreign ministers' meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China is ready to join hands with Russia to implement the important consensuses reached between heads of state of the two countries and strengthen strategic communication.

The two countries have conducted frequent exchanges at all levels and strengthened cooperation in various fields, said Qin.

Lavrov said that Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia in March has injected great impetus into the development of bilateral relations. Russia is willing to jointly push forward cooperation with China in various areas and elevate bilateral ties to a new high.

Both sides agreed to plan and arrange high-level exchanges and exchanges at various levels, enhance economic and trade cooperation, deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and facilitate personnel exchanges.

They vowed to enhance communication and coordination with other SCO member states, and maintain the SCO solidarity and cooperation so as to build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The two sides also agreed to enhance coordination and cooperation within BRICS, Group of 20, the United Nations and other multilateral frameworks, oppose all forms of hegemonism, safeguard the common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, and uphold international fairness and justice.

They agreed to strengthen communication and coordination in the Asia-Pacific region, oppose a new "Cold War" and safeguard regional peace and stability.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis.

China will continue to facilitate talks for peace and stands ready to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make concrete contributions to a political settlement of the crisis, Qin said.

Lavrov said the Russian side attaches importance to China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, agrees with China's principled position and is ready to maintain close communication with China in a candid manner.

The two sides also exchanged views on other international and regional issues of common concern.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
The Office of Investment Security of the Treasury Department will present a plan to mandate foreign firms and individuals to seek US government clearance before acquiring property within 100 miles of eight military bases.

The proposed regulation modification follows an effort by a Chinese business to construct a facility close to an Air Force installation in North Dakota.

To protect national security, the regulation would give the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) the authority to examine and even halt commercial deals between US corporations and foreign investors, according to a report from the New York Post.

The conflict focused on the Fufeng Group's intentions to build a $700 million wet maize milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from Grand Forks Air Force Base, where air and space operations are conducted.

The project's proximity to a US military base prompted its adversaries to voice worries about the possibility of spying on an air force base.

As opposed to the project developed in July of last year, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and Republican US Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer voiced security concerns and requested an accelerated federal study, AP News reported.

Read Also: Hypersonic Hydrogen-Powered Jet To Speed Up London to New York Flights

CFIUS told Fufeng that it was reviewing the request in September and ultimately decided it lacked the authority to halt the investment.

The US Air Force's judgment that the facility would pose a significant danger to the country's security ultimately led to the project being shelved.

Policy Change To Affect Eight US Military Bases

The proposed regulation change would affect Grand Forks and seven other US military bases, three of which are connected to the B-21 Raider strategic bomber, designed to be able to perform precision strikes anywhere in the world and penetrate even the most challenging defenses. It is considered the cornerstone of future US deterrence strategies.

CFIUS, which examines commercial transactions between American businesses and foreign investors and may prohibit sales or compel the parties to amend an agreement's terms to protect national security, would get additional authority under the new regulation.

The choices of the places were made after taking into account several variables, including the importance of existing or upcoming operations, special use airspace, military training routes, and other reasons.

A 2018 law gave CFIUS the power to halt real estate transactions up to 100 miles from other military installations, per Military.com.

Related Article: NATO's New Asia Office Boosts Japanese Cooperation

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A new rumor suggests the Pixel Watch 2 is coming out this Fall. According to a report from 9To5Google, who cites unnamed sources, Google will release its second-gen Pixel Watch wearable later this year alongside the release of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.

If the rumor is accurate and timing stays the same, then consumers can expect the Pixel Watch 2 to show up sometime after October. As many Pixel fans are well aware at this point, October is the month of Googles big Pixel hardware releases. This is when the company holds its event for new Pixel flagship phones. Its also when Google released the first Pixel Watch last year, after showing it off at Google I/O in May of 2022.

So the timing does fit quite nicely and seems like a reasonable timeline for the arrival of the second device in its smartwatch lineup.

Pixel Watch 2 rumor doesnt mention any specific details about the hardware

A timeline for the release is a good place to start for those interested in Googles upcoming watch. But as of right now thats all the rumor mentions. When Google is slated to launch the Pixel Watch 2.

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Chances are however, that the closer it gets to Googles October Pixel event, the more information will leak out about this device. Assuming Google doesnt officially share some of the details beforehand. Its unclear if Google plans to change the design in any such way or what hardware components it may use.

If we had to guess though, the design might just stay the same. As for new components or other changes, it would make sense for Google to utilize the watch as a launch pad for the latest version of Wear OS. Similar to the way it does with Android and its new flagship Pixel phones every single year.
As property owners, we all want to ensure the safety and security of our homes, businesses, and assets. One of the most effective ways to do this is by installing a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) system. A well-designed CCTV system can provide 24/7 surveillance, deter crime, and provide valuable evidence in case of incidents.

However, installing a CCTV system can be complex and time-consuming, especially if youre not familiar with the process. Thats why weve created this ultimate CCTV installation checklist to guide you through every step of the process.

Step 1: Determine Your Surveillance Needs

Before purchasing any equipment, its essential to determine your surveillance needs. Ask yourself questions such as:

What areas do I want to monitor?

How many cameras do I need?

What type of cameras do I need (e.g., dome, bullet, PTZ)?

What is my budget?

By answering these questions, youll be able to select the right CCTV equipment for your specific needs.

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Step 2: Choose the Right CCTV Cameras

Once youve determined your surveillance needs, its time to choose the right CCTV cameras. Consider factors such as:

Camera resolution: Higher resolution cameras provide better image quality and detail.

Camera type: There are different types of Jual CCTV Jakarta cameras, including dome, bullet, and PTZ cameras. Choose the right type of camera based on the area you want to monitor and your specific needs.

Night vision: If you need to monitor areas in low light conditions, choose cameras with night vision capabilities.

Weather resistance: If you need to install cameras outdoors, choose cameras that are weather-resistant.

Step 3: Plan Camera Placement

Camera placement is crucial for effective surveillance. Consider the following factors when planning camera placement:

Coverage: Ensure that each camera covers the area you want to monitor.

Height: Position cameras at the right height to capture the best view of the area.

Obstructions: Avoid placing cameras where obstructions such as trees, walls, or buildings may obstruct the view.

Lighting: Ensure that there is adequate lighting for each camera to capture clear footage.

Step 4: Install Wiring and Power Supply

Proper wiring and power supply are essential for reliable CCTV system operation. Follow these tips when installing wiring and power supply:

Use high-quality cables: Choose high-quality cables to ensure that your CCTV system operates reliably.

Choose the right power supply: Choose the right power supply based on the number of cameras you have and their power requirements.

Avoid interference: Ensure that your wiring and power supply are not interfering with other electrical equipment.

Step 5: Set Up Remote Access

Remote access allows you to view and manage your CCTV system from anywhere, at any time. Follow these steps to set up remote access:

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Choose a remote access method: There are different methods for remote access, such as using a mobile app or accessing the system via a web browser.

Configure your network: Ensure that your network is configured correctly to allow remote access.

Test your remote access: Test your remote access to ensure that its working correctly.

Step 6: Test Your System

Once your CCTV system is installed, its essential to test it thoroughly to ensure that its working correctly. Here are some tips for testing your system:

Check camera angles: Ensure that each camera is positioned correctly and covers the intended area.

Check image quality: Ensure that each camera provides clear and sharp images.

Check recording and playback: Test recording and playback to ensure that your CCTV system is recording and storing footage correctly.

By following this ultimate CCTV installation checklist, you can ensure that your CCTV system is installed properly and is functioning as intended. By taking the time to plan your CCTV system installation carefully, you can avoid common pitfalls and ensure the safety and security of your property.

Step 7: Regular Maintenance and Upgrades

Once your CCTV system is installed and tested, its essential to maintain it regularly to ensure that it continues to function correctly. Here are some tips for regular maintenance and upgrades:

Clean the cameras: Dust, dirt, and debris can accumulate on the camera lens, affecting image quality. Regularly clean your cameras to ensure they are working correctly.

Check the cabling: Check the cabling for any damage or signs of wear and tear. Replace any damaged cables as necessary.

Update firmware: Keep your CCTV system up-to-date by regularly updating the firmware to ensure that its operating at its best.

Tips for Maintenance and Upgrades

Here are some essential maintenance tasks:

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1. Regular Cleaning of the Cameras

Over time, dust, dirt, and debris can accumulate on the camera lens and affect the image quality. To ensure that your CCTV system produces high-quality images, you need to clean the cameras regularly. Cleaning the cameras can be done easily by using a soft, dry cloth or a special lens cleaning solution to wipe away any dirt or debris.

2. Checking the Cabling

Cabling is an essential component of your CCTV system, and its important to regularly check for any signs of wear and tear. Faulty cabling can cause image distortion, video loss, or other issues with your CCTV system. To prevent such problems, its essential to check the cabling regularly and replace any damaged cables as needed.

3. Updating Firmware

To keep your CCTV system operating at its best, its important to update the firmware regularly. Firmware updates can add new features, fix bugs, and improve overall performance. Many CCTV system manufacturers release firmware updates periodically, so its important to check for new updates and install them as soon as they become available.

By following this ultimate CCTV installation checklist, you can ensure that your CCTV system is installed correctly and maintained effectively, providing you with reliable surveillance and peace of mind.

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Conclusion

Installing a CCTV system can be a daunting task, but by following this ultimate CCTV installation checklist, you can ensure that your system is installed correctly and is functioning as intended. Take the time to plan your installation, choose the right equipment, and follow the recommended steps for installation, testing, and maintenance. By doing so, you can enjoy the benefits of a reliable and effective CCTV system that provides valuable surveillance and security for your property.
TSMC will reportedly charge more for chips manufactured in the US. Customers will have to pay 20-30 percent higher than what a chip would cost if manufactured in the companys home country Taiwan. Chips manufactured in its Kumamoto facility in Japan will cost 10-15 percent more.

TSMC is planning to start producing 4nm and 5nm chips at its upcoming semiconductor factory in Arizona, US by the end of 2024. Ahead of that, the company has begun discussions on orders and prices with customers. According to a DigiTimes report (via), the Taiwanese firm has quoted a price 20-30 percent higher than the current pricing structure of its most advanced semiconductors, which are manufactured in Taiwan. Similarly, TSMC also plans to charge 10-15 percent more for chips manufactured in Japan. The company produces older process chips (12nm to 28nm) at its Kumamoto facility

The higher price is because of the high construction and operational costs of factories in the US and Japan, the report states. TSMC doesnt want to lower its gross margin rate of 53 percent. As such, it is passing the added manufacturing costs to customers. The companys customers for the Japanese fab have reportedly agreed to its pricing structure, but its American customers are still negotiating. Some are even mulling switching to rival foundries such as Samsung and Intel to keep their costs down. AMD and Qualcomm are reportedly considering switching to Samsung, while Nvidia may go to Intel.

Interestingly, Qualcomm recently switched to TSMC from Samsung because of the latters performance and yield issues. However, the Korean firm has significantly improved its 4nm yield rate in recent months. It has also improved its advanced process nodes. So a return to Samsung may not be a bad move for the American fabless chipmaker. It will also save some money in the process. Although there have been rumors of Qualcomm dual-sourcing the production of its Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 between Samsung and TSMC, those plans may not materialize. Time will tell which way the company goes.

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TSMC will continue to offer a hefty discount to Apple

TSMC may be risking losing a few customers by increasing its prices for US-made chips, but it surely wont upset its biggest customer. Apple, which contributes to about 25 percent of the companys annual revenue, will reportedly continue to get a 20-30 percent discount on the latest process nodes. The priority treatment is because of the close relationship between the two firms. Apple is usually the first to adopt TSMCs latest nodes, which often cost more and come with risks. It has already booked 3nm chips for the iPhone 15 series. Even with the increased cost, Apple is unlikely to move away from TSMC.
(ANSA) - ROME, MAY 5 - Europe is moving to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), tighten security standards for chatbots such as ChatGPT, and impose a regulatory framework on developers and manufacturers who want to do business in the EU internal market - an ambitious challenge on the global market, where the United States and China simply let technological progress run wild. The European Commission proposed a new set of rules two years ago, the so-called Artificial Intelligence Act, which is currently being negotiated in Brussels and is set to be the first-ever legal framework on AI.

On 28 April, the political groups in the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the EU's AI rulebook, which mainly focuses on so-called "foundation models", primary knowledge building blocks that serve as the fundament for AI technologies. MEPs want these elements to be rigorously "designed and developed in accordance with EU law and fundamental rights, including freedom of expression." The text based on the informal agreement will now have to go to the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee for a vote on May 11. A plenary vote on the European Parliament's negotiating position is expected in June, followed by negotiations with the Council and the Commission.

Endless possibilities versus unpredictable risks Sabine Bendiek, Head of Human Resources at German software company SAP, said that AI could enormously improve productivity and be a support for people. For example, extremely monotonous, repetitive tasks could be taken over by AI. "Our employees can then really focus on using what makes humans so strong: creativity and the ability to evaluate results with a different perspective and implement them accordingly." But what about current and future developments based on algorithms and artificial intelligence? What about ChatGTP and autonomous cars? What about the risk that AI could be used to spread disinformation? Several MEPs recently called for a global summit on the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Last month, German Digital Minister Volker Wissing called for the swift creation of a legal framework for AI in Europe. "We must react wisely now and regulate artificial intelligence sensibly before it is too late for that. This must not take years again," Wissing told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry told the daily Handelsblatt that "it is essential to strike a balance between openness to innovation and a clear legal framework that defines standards for trustworthy AI." "Artificial intelligence regulation is at a very low level and its acceleration must be maximized," said Dobroslav Dimitrov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) and Bulgarian Employers' Association of Innovative Technologies (BRAIT). In his opinion, the initiative is definitely overdue, which is why all decision makers at government, corporate or educational level should look into what is going on and adjust themselves on the move.

Dimitrov compared AI with nuclear energy. "It can set the whole planet in motion, but it can also destroy it if used for destructive purposes. The same applies to artificial intelligence," he said.

Italian Minister for Economic Development Adolfo Urso stated that it was necessary to develop new regulations to better define the relationship between man and machines, as machines seemed to have the advantage for the first time.

ChatGPT under scrutiny, causes acceleration of AI legislation Recalling the case of AI chatbot ChatGPT, which Italy had temporarily banned in March and made available again at the end of April, Urso stressed that it "showed the pitfalls of a sector that still needs strict regulation." He added that the Italian data protection authority's provisional restriction of ChatGPT "has resulted in a higher level of protection for users." Early last month, French Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that ChatGPT did not comply with the EU General Data Protection Directive (GDPR), but that it was better to "frame" it rather than ban it. In mid-April, the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) decided to open an investigation into five complaints against the chatbot.

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which is the European level equivalent of the CNIL in the various member states and responsible for coordinating the authorities, announced the creation of a dedicated working group to promote European cooperation on the subject.

Applying AI in the workforce Urso recently stated that the artificial intelligence sector in Italy, for example, had grown by 32 percent in one year to a value of 500 million euros. The sector "is now central to the development programs of companies of all sizes that invest in intelligent data processing, language AI and computer vision," he said.

In the general business landscape in Spain, artificial intelligence is used in 8 percent of companies with more than 10 employees. According to data for 2021 published by the EU statistics office Eurostat, this figure corresponds to the European average. Production processes, marketing and sales strategies, cybersecurity and the organisation of management processes are the main applications of AI in Spanish companies, according to a 2022 study by the Spanish multinational financial service company Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA).

The Croatian Association for Artificial Intelligence (CroAI) gathers leading companies and startups in the field of artificial intelligence in Croatia. According to data from that association, more than 130 startups in Croatia were developing and looking for the application of artificial intelligence as of the end of 2022. While three years ago, 220 companies were applying AI, that number had grown to around 440 by October 2022, CroAI said. (ANSA).


More than 1 billion could be withdrawn from the UKs ATMs, as the Kings coronation is celebrated over the bank holiday weekend, according to an ATM network.

The forecast, covering the period from Friday to Monday, was made by ATM network Link.

As people geared up to celebrate, 735 million was withdrawn between Tuesday May 2 and Thursday May 4, marking a 9% jump on the same period last year, Link said.

Graham Mott, director of strategy at Link said: This week has already seen an extra 60 million in cash withdrawn from ATMs when compared to last year.

Looking forward to the royal weekend, Saturday morning is likely to be quieter than usual, with many watching the historic event on TV, but the afternoon, Sunday and Monday may well be busier than usual as people join in local celebrations or just get out and about to take advantage of the long weekend and overall we could well see more than 1 billion withdrawn from Link cash machines.

Consumers will have to wait until next year for cash to be king again, when Charles notes will officially enter circulation.

The Bank of England expects to issue banknotes featuring the Kings portrait by mid-2024.
King Charles III startled hundreds of applauding supporters assembling outside Buckingham Palace on Friday during preparations for his coronation.

The public cheered, "God save the King," as he stepped from his chauffeur-driven Bentley wearing a blue suit. As he moved slowly down the line, King Charles shook hands with fans and thanked them for being there.

Along with interacting with fans and taking pictures, Prince William and Kate also met and welcomed members of the public who had traveled from as far away as Thailand and the United States, according to Yahoo! Money.

The Royal Family's security staff urged the crowd to put their phones away and enjoy the rare moment with King Charles.

To have the best viewing spots for the King Charles coronation processions on Saturday, which will take up over half of the route, people have been camped out along The Mall for several nights.

The Royal Family waved to the crowd before proceeding to Buckingham Palace in their cars, per CBS News.

Read Also: Hungary's Prime Minister Speaks Out Against Woke Culture, LGBTQ Rights

The Challenge For King Charles

When his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, passed away last year, Charles automatically ascended to the throne of Britain.

The ceremonial event that will crown him as the next king has been meticulously organized for months and has required a massive security force.

Despite all the preparations, King Charles struggles to remain relevant as support for the monarchy continues to decline, especially among younger generations less interested in its conventions and traditions, according to AP News.

In a time of economic difficulty for many Britons, some are questioning the King Charles coronation ceremony's cost, which has yet to be assessed.

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One of the stars of the hit US television show Seal Team has said it is good to be home as he returned to Ireland for the Irish Film and Television Awards.

AJ Buckley, who plays Sonny Quinn on the gritty Paramount+ military drama, was born to Irish parents in Dublin before his family emigrated to Canada when he was six years old.

Even though I wasnt here in Ireland, I was still surrounded by storytelling and whatnot.

There was a big Irish community I grew up around and, like any big Irish family, theres always the singing and the dancing, the spoons come out and the bodhran and having a party.

He said he could not exactly put his finger on the feeling of being back.

Theres just something here, its like you feel a real connection.

I think the Irish people are the hardest-working group of people in the world and they take such pride in what they do, and its that force of the connection to your family  that the richness in your life is the memories you have with your family.

He said he wants to bring his children to Ireland in summer 2024.

Dublin-born actor AJ Buckley, who stars in Seal Team and CSI (Brian Lawless/PA)

Buckley even traces the moment he decided to become an actor back to Dublin, when he was five years old and watching a production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the citys Abbey Theatre.

I remember when Sneezy came on stage, the audience laughed and I remembered how it tickled my ear.

I asked my mom, What are those guys up on stage and she said, Theyre actors.

Since that moment, its the only thing Ive ever wanted to do.

AJ Buckley is a big fan of the actor Barry Keoghan, pictured with the Bafta he won for The Banshees of Inisherin (Ian West/PA)

Buckley recalls that his acting journey had many highs and lows  but even the toughest parts brought great perspective.

He said there was a time he was sleeping in his car for a year and a half, before finding success in his most well known appearances in CSI: New York, Justified and now the successful Seal Team.

He said he had previously played nerdy characters but wanted to get into a John McClane (the protagonist in the Die Hard movies) type role, his favourite character.

I just worked my ass off to try and put on size and just physically changed how I looked.

He said he is thankful every day for the Seal Team job, where he gets to ride around on Black Hawk helicopters and work alongside real former Navy Seals.

It is the best job I ever had in the world  call it the luck of the Irish.

Seal Team was originally due to start filming its seventh season this month, but the ongoing Hollywood writers strike means call times are up in the air.

Buckley said the shows could not get made without great scripts but said he does not think it is the right time to strike.

I 100% agree with the writers and actors need to strike, I just dont think its smart to strike right now.

Were just coming out of Covid, people are barely hanging on, were in a recession, studios have let  whatever  10,000 people go in the last six weeks, their stocks are down.

So, you know, you dont go to war when you have weak men.

I just hope and pray they could figure it out sooner rather than later.

Because people like the crew who work pay cheque to pay cheque, those people are going to get hurt the most.

Maybe Im wrong, but I dont want to see anybody get hurt and I dont think the writers want to see anybody get hurt.

Buckley will join guests from around the world to mark an incredible year for Irish filmmaking at the 20th anniversary IFTA awards on Sunday May 7.

He praised Irish production, noting one of his all-time favourite shows is the Irish crime drama Love/Hate.

He also singled out Barry Keoghans performance in the Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin.

I really think hes hes probably one of my like, new favourite actors.

His performance, hes so subtle with his thing and hes so sincere.

Buckley said it would be a bucket list thing to work on an Irish stage or screen production in the future.

Ive really wanted to come and just sink my teeth in and work with all these phenomenal filmmakers and storytellers.

According to Screen Ireland, among the Actor Award nominees on the night are Keoghan, Jessie Buckley, Brendan Gleeson, Caitriona Balfe, Andrew Scott, Colin Farrell, Sharon Horgan, Ciaran Hinds, Paul Mescal, Stephen Rea and Anne-Marie Duff.

Also in contention for an award are Aisling Franciosi, Sarah Greene, Genevieve OReilly, Kerry Condon, Pierce Brosnan, Dervla Kirwan, Jason OMara, and Liam Neeson.

First-time IFTA nominees in attendance include: Daryl McCormack, Siobhan McSweeney, Danielle Galligan, Alison Oliver, Roisin Gallagher, Kelly Gough, Vinnie McCabe, Kerr Logan, and newcomers Zara Devlin, Ollie West, Kila Lord Cassidy and Alisha Weir.

Irish actors also attending include: John C Reilly, Liam Cunningham, Charlie Murphy, Victoria Smurfit, Niamh Algar and Clare Dunne, among others.
An animal welfare organisation has lost a High Court challenge over allegations the Government secretly abandoned a historic ban on testing cosmetic product ingredients on animals.

Cruelty Free International (CFI) brought legal action against the Home Office, accusing it of leaving the public in blissful ignorance that the departments long-standing policy apparently changed after February 2019.

It claimed ministers were willing to grant licences for animal testing of cosmetic ingredients and the weakening of a policy ban first announced in 1998 cannot be lawful.

The Home Office, which oversees animal experimentation regulation in Great Britain, rejected the CFIs case as plainly wrong, arguing it had not acted unlawfully.

In a ruling on Friday, Mr Justice Linden dismissed the organisations challenge, finding in its favour over the interaction of different EU laws retained after Brexit.

The judge said it is regrettable the Government did not publicly announce a change in policy and accepted it is a matter of concern that inaccurate operational guidance was available on the internet.

But he said overall there were no breaches of legal duties by the Home Office and neither the CFI nor the public had a legitimate expectation to be informed about a change in policy position.

Much of the legal dispute centred on the CFIs claim the Home Office had an erroneous legal understanding of EU legislation relating to cosmetics and their safety.

Mr Justice Linden said cosmetics regulations, which aim to protect the safety of consumers, bans the testing of cosmetics and ingredients for cosmetics on animals.

The marketing of products or ingredients tested on animals is also banned, the judge added in his ruling, which followed a two-day hearing in January.

But separate rules covering the evaluation of chemicals, including some used in cosmetics, is more permissive and is concerned with the safety of substances from a broader human and environmental contexts, the judge said.

These allow for the testing of substances on animals but only as a last resort and to meet the requirements of the regulations, such as the need to assess risks to manufacturing workers.

The Home Offices policy is that animal testing is lawful in the UK and not in conflict with bans in limited circumstances when there were no other alternative ways to meet the requirements of the chemical-related regulations, the court was told.

Mr Justice Linden concluded the Government had modified its policy for pragmatic reasons rather than any legal requirement  but said it was perfectly coherent to take the view that the two legislative regimes can be read compatibly with each other.

The judge said the Government accepted its change in position was not fully documented or widely communicated at the time.

It is plausible the Home Office did not publicise the change because it would be politically unpopular to be potentially seen to be watering the legislation down.

But the judge said there was no breach of a public law duty to notify CFI or the public, saying it had been neither unfair nor irrational to hold meetings with licence holders without consulting CFI.

I do not see anything in the evidence, whether concrete or otherwise, which gave rise to a legitimate expectation of consultation about any change in the policy, the judge said.

It is a case where a policy based on political and ethical considerations, which accorded with the views of the claimant (CFI) and others, was in place for a number of years.

Like all such policies, there could be no substantial grounds to expect that the policy would continue.

He concluded: No assurances were given to the claimant that it would continue for any particular length of time, nor that the claimant or anyone else would be consulted in respect of any proposed changes.

CFI chief executive Michelle Thew said after the ruling that documents in the case showed the Home Office was prioritising the interests of contract-testing companies over those of animals and the wishes of the vast majority of British people who are strongly opposed to cosmetics testing.

It is outrageous that the Government has abandoned the ban on using animals in cosmetics testing, and did so in secret while giving the impression that the policy remained in place, she said.

CFI said it would seek to appeal against the judgment.

A Home Office spokesman said: It remains unlawful to test cosmetic products, or their ingredients, on animals to meet the regulations required to place them on the market.

The marketing of cosmetic products or ingredients tested on animals is also banned.
Britons are looking to make use of the extra bank holiday for the Kings coronation and escape the UK for a weekend getaway, new figures suggest.

Accommodation search website Trivago said it has seen a doubling of UK bookings in Rome and nearly a doubling in Dublin over the coronation weekend, up 101% and 77% respectively.

It comes as hotels in London and surrounding areas have ramped up their prices amid soaring demand from visitors from across the UK and overseas.

Prices of a hotel in the capital on the day of the Kings coronation have surged by 45% year-on-year to 203 on average, up from 140 a year ago, according to Trivago.

As hotels increase their prices to capitalise on the expected surge in visitors surrounding Charless coronation, booking trends suggest that many visitors may be looking for accommodation further afield.

Windsor rates have also shot up, rising above London hotel prices for the day, up 70% at 230 against 135 a year earlier as visitors look outside the capital to celebrate.

With people casting their net wider than the capital to be able to travel into London for the day, rates in Slough have also soared  up by 51% to 122 on average.

Figures show that searches for Windsor hotels have surged by 1,277% when compared with the same weekend a year earlier, with Slough up tenfold.

But the booking trends also suggest many visitors are shunning London on the weekend of the ceremony.

Data shows that the searches for the capital over the weekend are 7% lower than for the same weekend a year ago, and down a hefty 18% among searches in the UK only.

When compared with 2019 pre-pandemic levels, searches for London in the UK and overseas on Trivagos site are 30% lower that weekend.

Hotel occupancy figures from STR, a division of global real estate data firm CoStar, also suggest London hotel prices may be putting visitors off.

It found that, as of May 1, hotel occupancy stood at 73.1% for Friday and 71.8% on Saturday, below the 75.4% and 80.1% respectively seen a year ago.

Trivago chief executive Axel Hefer said: The areas around London are in drastic demand.

Windsor searches are up by seven times when compared with 2019 levels.

But a lot of people are avoiding London and staying more in the surrounding areas.

He added the event will be good for the UK travel sector and hospitality.

If hotels are full and restaurants are full, then everyone will be happy to make some money and make up some of the losses seen over the last few years, he said.

Among overseas visitors coming to the UK over the coronation weekend, the biggest interest is coming from US travellers, followed by those from the Netherlands, France and Italy, according to Trivago.
The Foreign Secretary said he broached areas of deep disagreement during a meeting with the Chinese vice-president in London.

James Cleverly said he made plain the UKs position on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan during talks on Friday with Han Zheng ahead of the coronation.

The Chinese politician, who has been blamed for overseeing a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong, was recently appointed as President Xi Jinpings deputy and is set to represent China at the royal event on Saturday.

Conservative MPs have criticised the UK Governments decision to invite Mr Han due to his previous role in Hong Kong.

Engagement with China means discussing areas of deep disagreement & vital co-operation. Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan. We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links. pic.twitter.com/AVRAEweeju  James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) May 5, 2023

It also comes at a time of increasingly fractious relations between London and Beijing, with a vocal section of Tory backbenchers calling for the UK to become more hawkish towards China due to security concerns.

Ministers updated the UKs integrated review on foreign and defence policy in March, describing China under Communist Party rule as representing an epoch-defining and systemic challenge to almost every aspect of Government policy and the everyday lives of British people.

Mr Cleverly, writing on Twitter on Friday, said: Engagement with China means discussing areas of deep disagreement and vital co-operation.

Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan.

We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links.

The Foreign Secretary has taken a less harsh line with China than some in his party would like.

In a speech last month, the Cabinet minister said isolating China would be a sign of weakness.

But some senior Tories want ministers to go further in distancing the UK from China and want the Government to be more outspoken in criticising the Far East countrys leadership.

Former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is among those to have criticised the invitation for Mr Han to attend the Westminster Abbey service.

Han Zheng played a part in the crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong (Yui Mok/PA)

The vice-president led Hong Kong affairs for Beijing between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed the national security law after mass protests in the city, stifling opposition and criminalising dissent.

The move strained relations with the UK and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hongkongers to come to Britain.

The UK has said China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it has a duty to uphold Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms.

Hong Kong was handed over from the UK to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a one country, two systems framework.

On Taiwan, there are international fears that China could look to take the self-governed island by force.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland.

The island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

In Xinjiang, there has been international condemnation of human rights abuses against the Uyghur people, with some being kept in mass incarceration camps.

Beijing describes them as re-education centres for the Muslim minority people.

Human rights charity Amnesty International said the UKs decision to invite Mr Han to Charles crowning sent a very dangerous message as it called for ministers to hold the senior Chinese figure accountable for his role in the brutal crackdown in Hong Kong.

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of the charitys UK arm, said: The invitation to Han Zheng risks sending the very dangerous message that the UK is prepared to prioritise the financial rewards that come from good relations with China over its atrocious human rights record in places like Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

There must be no question of the UK authorities allowing the coronation to be used as a tool for international diplomacy for anyone involved in human rights abuses.
The producer of the coronation album said the ceremony at Westminster Abbey will be an incredible three-dimension musical experience.

Anna Barry, who has produced more than 500 recordings over 35 years including the weddings of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 2011 and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2018, will release a complete recording of the Kings ceremony on the day of the historic event.

It is the first time in history that such a recording has been produced, marking an unprecedented event in both recorded music and British royal history.

Artwork for The Coronation Of Their Majesties King Charles III And Queen Camilla: The Official Album Of The Coronation (Decca Records)

The Official Album of the Coronation will feature 12 brand new works commissioned by Charles, including the coronation anthem Make A Joyful Noise  composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Barry, who was at the rehearsals on Friday in Westminster Abbey, told the PA news agency: Were capturing the event to put it on to all digital media, on the same day, and I think its the first time that that has ever been done in surround so fast.

Im particularly excited about (balance engineer) Mike Hatch, who has done an amazing job capturing what its really like standing in the lobby having fanfares from Abbotts Pew and the orchestra from the organ loft, and then the choirs from various angles.

Its an incredibly three-dimensional experience sonically and I think it will be phenomenal for those people who were able to experience it that way.

She also revealed that around 192 microphones in various different places will capture the recording for four hours  featuring performances from eight choirs, six conductors, two organists, as well as a specially selected Coronation Orchestra, among others.

The King on a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace (James Manning/PA)

Barry added: Weve been here learning the event, in the rehearsals so hopefully we wont be surprised by anything, suddenly coming from somewhere we didnt think it was going to come from, but there are so many participants as well, its wonderfully inclusive.

Physical versions of the album, featuring the entire service and all new commissions, will be available in stores globally from May 15, with a special deluxe collectors CD and vinyl following later in the year.

It will be exclusively recorded at Westminster Abbey and released by Decca Records, with an official photograph from the day as the cover art.

The ceremony is set to feature a range of musical styles and performers, blending tradition, heritage and ceremony with the new musical voices of today to reflect Charles life-long support of music and the arts.

The Coronation Of Their Majesties King Charles III And Queen Camilla: The Official Album Of The Coronation will be released in support of the Royal British Legion and Age UK charities.
Historian David Starkey has denied his remarks about Rishi Sunak not being fully grounded in our culture were racist, saying he was referring to the Prime Minister being a typical international liberal with no interest in British values.

The academic was accused of making derogatory references to Mr Sunaks British Indian descent and Hindu faith when he made the initial comment on Thursday.

Dr Starkey returned to GB News to defend himself on Friday, claiming his remarks had been wilfully misconstrued and that he had never ever, ever said anything racist in my life.

But he went on to attack Mr Sunaks education and career in the United States, which he said made him a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Even when he became  I think it was on the point of becoming Prime Minister  he had an American green card. His wife is non dom.

Dr Starkey said that at Oxford, Mr Sunak read that terrible degree called PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), which has destroyed our governing class, going on to Californias Stanford business school.

He added: So we have a Prime Minister who is astonishingly intelligent, but I think sees things as an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

What he campaigns about is money. He thinks in terms of spreadsheets.

Rishi Sunak was controversially accused of not being fully grounded in our culture by David Starkey (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Dr Starkey described the Prime Minister as a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Mr Sunak has never talked about values

Hes never shown any sign of an understanding of our history or of a concern with it. All his speeches are technical.

The historian batted away accusations of racism that arose from his original comment.

What I was trying to emphasise was nothing to do with race, he said, claiming that had been wrongly inferred by the usual witch hunters who hate GB News and hate me in particular.

Dr Starkey sparked the row when, in his Thursday appearance on the TV channel, he said Mr Sunak  the first non-white occupant of No 10  was a man of immense talent, of extraordinary skill, but really not fully grounded in our culture.

Asked to explain his comment, made as he criticised the Prime Minister for being invisible in preparations for the coronation, he said: In terms of religion.

Tory MPs including former party chairman Nadhim Zahawi and Caroline Nokes reportedly slammed the remarks as ill-informed, and vile and racist.

Dr Starkey has been embroiled in controversy in the past, including for saying in an interview that slavery was not genocide because there are so many damn blacks.
Skygazers will be treated to a display of shooting stars on Friday night as the Earth passes through the dust left over from Halleys Comet.

The Eta Aquariid meteor shower is expected to peak in the early hours of Saturday May 6 with up to 50 meteors per hour, and will be visible from midnight until dawn.

The event is associated with Halleys Comet which is visible from Earth once every 76 years or so.

This shower favours the Southern Hemisphere, and will appear low in the sky for northerly latitudes, such as the UK, in the early predawn hours.

(PA Graphics)

However, it should still be possible to see the shower in the eastern sky.

Like with most meteor showers, Eta Aquariid gets its name from the constellation in the night sky that it appears to radiate from  the Aquarius constellation.

But instead of being called the Aquarid meteor shower, the name comes from one of the stars from this constellation, Eta Aquarii.

The Eta Aquariid is one of two meteor showers created by debris from Comet Halley. The other is the Orionid meteor shower which is visible in October.

While the meteors will be visible with the naked eye, stargazers are advised to find a dark area of sky  away from street lights and other sources of light pollution  and allow their eyes to adjust to the lack of light.

Although the Eta Aquariid shower will peak on Saturday, it will continue until May 28.

Meteors are pieces of debris, sometimes as small as a grain of sand, that enter Earths atmosphere at speeds of up to 70 kilometres per second, vaporising and causing the streaks of light that delight skygazers.
The Scottish village which has boasted a close royal connection since Victoria was on the throne will be one of the communities coming together to celebrate the coronation at the weekend.

Ballater, the Royal Deeside village which neighbours the Balmoral estate, will host one of the Big Lunch events taking place across Scotland, with other towns and cities, from Gretna to Shetland and Dunoon to Dundee, also set to hold their own.

Ballater was the Aberdeenshire village where the King made one of his first visits after the death of his mother to thank residents for their support of the late Queen on her final journey, and on Sunday hundreds are expected to join the Coronation Big Lunch at the Church Green in celebration of his coronation.

Wendy Cobban, a businesswoman in the village who helped organise the event, said: Ballater holds a special affection for the King and Queen, as the village has had strong ties with the royal family since the time of Queen Victoria.

Hundreds of people in Ballater stood to watch the final journey of the Queen (Andrew Milligan/PA)

I think that the local residents feel a more personal relationship with the King and Queen, they are looked upon as friends and neighbours.

Locals and tourists will come together and enjoy the events of the weekend in an atmosphere of fun and celebration in Ballater, a place that holds a special place in the King and Queens hearts.

Camilla, the Queen Consort, has been patron of the Big Lunch since 2013.

An idea from the Eden Project in Cornwall, the National Lottery-funded event is the UKs largest annual community celebration and was set up in 2009.

Coronation Big Lunch events will take place across the country, and organisers said they will include street parties, galas, picnics, fancy dress parades and more.

The royal family have had a long connection with Ballater, the village neighbouring the late Queens beloved Balmoral estate (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The most northerly event is set to be hosted in Scalloway, Shetland, on Saturday, where the islands youth centre is the setting for a celebration featuring sea shanties, a hat dressing competition, stories, games and more.

Having held a Big Lunch each year since 2016, co-organiser Sonia Inkster said the special event to mark Charless coronation has really given us something to look forward to.

She added: Rain or shine, its a firm fixture in our calendar each and every year  and this time its extra special.

Well be opening up the youth centre, putting tables on the seafront and inviting everyone to enjoy some food, music and togetherness.

A number of other events around Scotland are also taking place on Saturday to mark the coronation.

There will be gun salutes at Edinburgh and Stirling castles, while big screens will show the ceremony in Princes Street Gardens and at Glasgow Cathedral.

The King's Coronation will be screened live in West Princes Street Gardens. Plans are in place for both the ceremony (Sat 6th) and The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle (Sun 7th) to be broadcast to spectators. Find out more about coronation weekend https://t.co/D7jF37M6ZQ pic.twitter.com/Zk7MeTI0mm  The City of Edinburgh Council (@Edinburgh_CC) April 28, 2023

The Royal Standard will fly over St Andrews House  the Scottish Governments headquarters  during the coronation weekend.

At the ceremony in Westminster Abbey, the Scottish Government will be represented by First Minister Humza Yousaf, the Lord Advocate and the Permanent Secretary.

Later this year, Charles will be presented with the Honours of Scotland  the oldest crown jewels in Britain  during a ceremony in St Giles Cathedral, Edinburgh.

Mr Yousaf said: I will attend at the coronation ceremony as First Minister, on behalf of the Scottish people  and many people across the country will also take part in the celebrations by watching the ceremony on big screens, hosting street parties or taking part in charity or volunteering.

I look forward to participating in the ceremony when His Majesty is presented with the Honours of Scotland at a service at St Giles Cathedral later this year.

I know many people in Scotland will want to send their best wishes to King Charles III and Queen Camilla on this historic occasion.
A firefighter who was part of a convoy of fire engines and lorries delivering life-saving equipment for Ukraine has described the experience as very humbling after reaching Poland.

The timing of the shipment is meant to honour the Eurovision link between Ukraine and the UK, with the vehicles leaving Liverpool on Tuesday, the city which will host the competition later this month.

Darren Cleaves, station manager for South Wales Fire and Rescue Service, was in Poland to help deliver fire engines as well as life-saving equipment for Ukrainian firefighters.

Its been a very humbling experience because knowing that the small difference we can make to help (firefighters in Ukraine) is really rewarding for us, the 48-year-old from Monmonth told the PA News agency.

Firefighters from the South Wales Fire and Rescue service have delivered fire engines and equipment to Poland for use in Ukraine (South Wales Fire and Rescue Service/PA)

It has been quite challenging  the logistics behind it in terms of keeping our team of over 80 people fed, watered, truck refuelled, and dealing with maintenance issues, but weve managed to overcome all of those.

Mr Cleaves is part of the biggest party of the convoy with 24 drivers from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. They delivered fire vehicles and vital equipment for firefighters in Ukraine, arriving in Poland on Friday after making the three-day journey from Liverpool.

The convoy of fire engines and large lorries carrying equipment has hardly stopped during the course of its mammoth journey to ensure that the equipment is delivered as quickly as possible.

Weve got a high number of drivers with good rotation, so weve managed to keep the vehicles moving and stopping at the end of every evening, only for a couple of hours asleep, Mr Cleaves explained.

Fire engines from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service boarding a ferry from Kent as part of the three-day journey to Poland (South Wales Fire and Rescue Service/PA)

On behalf of the convoy, everyone is very humbled and overwhelmed by the whole experience and Im proud to be part of this small aid effort in helping Ukrainian firefighters.

Phil Garrigan, vice chair of the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) and chief fire officer for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, said he is very proud of the 87 volunteers who made the lengthy trip to deliver thousands of items of equipment to Ukraine.

Speaking from Poland, the 53-year-old said his team can feel the pride of being able to contribute and provide aid for the country.

When youre in the throes of war or youre struggling, its nice to know that youve got people outside your own country who support you and are here for you, he told PA.

Its very much about the fire and rescue service family looking after the (Ukrainian) fire and rescue service family, knowing that theyve got a role to play serving their community.

Were doing that to the best of our ability and weve got people who are so passionate, so I think they should all be applauded for that and Im very proud of them.

The British convoy after arriving in Poland (Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service/PA)

The donations take contributions by England and Wales fire services to support Ukraine to 87 fire and rescue vehicles and more than 100,000 items of equipment.

Mr Garrigan, who has been part of five convoys delivering fire equipment to Ukraine, spoke of the tragic losses of Ukrainian firefighters. He has liaised with Ukrainian ministers about future support that the UK fire and rescue services can offer.

As of today, 270 fire stations have been destroyed, about 1,500 fire engines have been destroyed, and 68 firefighters have been killed, he said.

(A further) 250 firefighters have been injured and five could be in captivity, so you can understand why the UK Fire Rescue Service would want to support.
Through the use of ChatGPT, PETA has created a "vegan" depiction of the Book of Genesis that highlights the lessons of veganism and animal rights.

The animal rights group encourages the use of plant-based materials for clothing, such as hemp and bamboo, rather than animal skins and changes the names "beasts" and "creatures" to "beings," Fox News reported.

According to PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, the Bible has historically been used as justification for oppression, and the new translation aims to make it very apparent that God would never condone animal abuse. Genesis was picked by the group as the starting point for the "vegan" overhaul.

In one instance from the PETA-revised Genesis Chapter 21, Abraham and Sarah, who in the original Bible were 100 and 90 years old, respectively, when they had Isaac, expand their family by bringing home a dog called Herbie, per PETA's press release.

Read Also: US Employers Add 253,000 Jobs in April

Another example from Chapter 22 is when Abraham chooses to befriend a lamb rather than sacrifice a ram to show his regard for God's creation.

PETA Blasted in England Town

Meanwhile, a PETA billboard in Grimsby, England, has drawn controversy because it compares eating fish to violently eating a dead cat.

On the charity's billboard, situated on Grimsby Road in Cleethorpes next to the GR8 White Fish chip shop, two pictures change depending on the angle from which they are seen, Express reported. One picture shows a happy fishmonger holding a fish, whereas the other substitutes a dead cat for the fish.

While PETA wants to persuade people to think twice about eating fish, the controversial advertising has elicited opposing opinions in the town, with close ties to the fishing sector.

Related Article: ChatGPT AI-Generated Stock Portfolio Made More Money Than Top 10 UK Funds

@ 2023 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
A former Crown Prosecution Service worker has been jailed after she downloaded and passed on highly sensitive files that ended up in the hands of criminal gangs.

Paralegal Rachel Simpson, 39, from Newport, South Wales, had worked for the CPS since 2003 and is known to have started illegally accessing material from around 2016 until 2020.

The single mothers inexplicable actions were said not to have been financially motivated but were rather to maintain the attention of an ex-boyfriend, Cardiff Crown Court heard on Friday.

The court was told how most of the information obtained by Simpson during that four-year period related to complex police operations into high-level conspiracy to supply drugs and money laundering cases in South Wales.

Searches entered by Simpson on the CPS and Crown Court computer systems were often the names of well-known drug dealers  some of whom she was said to be acquainted with.

Documents from those systems were later found to have been downloaded by Simpson onto her laptop. She is also known to have made hard copies of some of those files which were then passed onto a third party.

One bundle of documents printed off by Simpson in April 2019 were anonymously handed in to a solicitors firm in Birmingham that was representing Newport gangster Jerome Nunes  who had been jailed for his role in flooding the citys streets with over 10 million of class A drugs.

The documents came to the attention of the police after they were submitted to the court as part of an appeal to have Nunes conviction overturned.

Simpsons fingerprints were discovered on the papers along with the fingerprints of Nunes girlfriend and associate.

In May 2020, Simpson downloaded an eight-page document detailing a surveillance operation being carried out on a drug gang in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

A picture of the document was shared a day later between criminals  one of which was former Newport kingpin Stephen Gibbons  on EncroChat, an encrypted messaging platform.

Prosecutor David Temkin KC said the information caused those being surveiled to modify their criminal strategy.

Some of the messages sent over EncroChat included references to a busy fella in Newport who gets CPS papers for us.

The image was discovered by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for South Wales, when they were given access to EncroChat data by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after French authorities hacked the service.

It led investigators to Simpson, who officers then arrested at her home in June 2020.

She was later charged with and admitted two counts of misconduct in a public office and 29 counts of unauthorised access of a computer system.

Other information Simpson was found to have accessed included applications by the police to use as evidence calls made on prison phones by former drug-dealer David Perry.

Victim personal statements written by a barrister and a detective chief inspector which were read to the court by Mr Temkin detailed how Simpsons actions had impacted them individually but also undermined the trust between the CPS and police, and between different police units due to suspicions raised over how the information was being leaked.

Edward Hetherington KC, defending Simpson, told the court his client had a matrix of vulnerabilities due to her long-term depression and diagnosis of probable autism and that she was susceptible to influence and exploitation.

Sentencing Simpson to six years in prison, High Court Judge Mrs Justice Jefford DBE said: Your offending was not a one-off error of judgment.

In addition to the two instances of misconduct, you accessed or attempted to access material once in 2016, twice in 2017, twice in 2018, then 17 times in 2019 and eight times in 2020 before you were stopped. On some occasions you did that multiple times in one day.

The evidence is that you often did so when you were not at work, late at night or off sick making it all the more obvious that you knew that what you were doing was wrong.

When interviewed by the police, you never offered an explanation or motivation for what you have done, the judge continued.

Investigations have been carried out to see whether youve benefited financially and there is no evidence at all that you did. In one sense, your actions are inexplicable.

You said that you had had a relationship with a man for a few months in 2012 to 2013. About a year later, and out of the blue, he asked you to look up someone at work for him. You did, and you kept doing this when he asked you to.

You wanted his attention, and you would do anything that he asked. You have not identified him.

She added: You were well aware that what you were doing was illegal. You had signed the Official Secrets Act.

The public, the courts, and all those engaged in the criminal justice system are entitled to expect the highest levels of integrity from the CPS.

What you did, fundamentally undermines public confidence in that integrity, and in the ability of the CPS properly to prosecute defendants.

Detective Inspector Matt Houghton of Tarian Police said: Simpson enjoyed a position of trust and responsibility within the Crown Prosecution Service which she betrayed, letting down her colleagues, the police and the public.
The Greens have won their first outright majority on a UK council in what it hopes cements a coming of age moment as a mainstream party.

Mid Suffolk fell from a minority Conservative administration to sole control of the Greens as they made inroads elsewhere during the local election results on Friday.

The left-wing environmentalists have controlled local authorities in minority and coalition administrations before, but this is the first time they will have outright control.

 GREEN MAJORITY in Mid Suffolk   Huge congratulations to Mid Suffolk Greens for taking majority control of the council for the first time!#GetGreensElected | #LocalElection2023  The Green Party (@TheGreenParty) May 5, 2023

With eight more results to be declared, the Greens victory was declared when they won 18 of the East Anglia councils 34 seats.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay told the PA news agency: For the first time anywhere outside Australia weve seen the Greens take the majority control of a council.

Its enormous because what weve seen over the last four sets of election since 2019 is the Green party really coming of age as a mainstream party in this country.

Mr Ramsay said the Greens have been part of around 20 local administrations in the past but capturing overall control is a really significant moment that paves the way for success at the general election.

He said his party is picking votes from both Labour and the Conservatives across rural and urban areas.

Caroline Lucas has been the partys sole MP, but Mr Ramsay hopes to enter the Commons in the new Waveney Valley constituency, which includes much of Mid Suffolk.

Carla Denyer, who shares the Green leadership, plans to run in Bristol Central, where she will change strong Labour support.

But doing so would edge out another left-wing candidate, putting at risk Sir Keir Starmers chances of winning a general election.

Mr Ramsay said: Getting more greens elected will hold other parties feet to the fire and will raise the issues that need to be challenged in terms of the climate emergency but also cost of living and growing inequality.

The Greens were also behind the Conservatives losing overall control of East Hertfordshire, where no party won a majority. Seventeen Green candidates won spots on the council on Thursdays votes.

In Mid Suffolk, Mr Ramsay vowed to be responsive to local concerns and focus on housing which is currently far too expensive for local people and outside their reach.

He said the Green-run council plans to advocate for more social housing and being tougher with developers on affordable housing.
A High Court order which aims to prevent protesters from disrupting Britains busiest motorway has been extended.

National Highways obtained the injunction covering the M25 and several feeder roads last May, and Mr Justice Cotter approved its application for it to continue for a further year on Friday.

The order means that anyone who blocks the roads or fixes themselves to gantries above them can be found in contempt of court and face imprisonment, the seizure of assets, and an unlimited fine.

Some 139 environmental protesters are named in the order, but it also applies to persons unknown causing the blocking of, or endangering, or otherwise preventing the free flow of traffic on the specified highways.

Along with the M25, which encircles Greater London, the order also covers major roads in Kent including routes leading to the Port of Dover.

National Highways said the M25 is used by up to 200,000 vehicles each day and is a vital link to the rest of Englands road network, while Dover is the busiest port in the country and a major trade route with Europe.

The Government agency said it applied for the injunction extension over concerns that Just Stop Oil will target these roads again.

Tim Reardon, National Highways general counsel, said: Millions of people rely on the strategic road network every day and they have a right to expect it to operate as it should.

We are really pleased to have obtained an extension to this injunction, so anyone intending to protest on the M25, its feeder routes and main roads around the Port of Dover  in additional to structures on the M25  will run the risk of imprisonment, an unlimited fine or a seizure of assets, or a combination of all three.
Updated 5 May 2023 at 1:07 am

President of Ireland Michael D Higgins will meet the King on Friday night ahead of becoming the first Irish head of state to attend a coronation.

Mr Higgins and his wife Sabina will be guests at a reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the coronation ceremony in London.

It will be the ninth occasion the two heads of state have met and continues a long-standing friendship between the two.

Mr and Mrs Higgins will then attend the coronation on Saturday at Westminster Abbey.

The King and Michael D Higgins have met on numerous occasions (John Stillwell/PA)

To mark the event, the president and his wife requested the Tree Council of Ireland to plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.

The gesture was to acknowledge the Kings commitment to environmental sustainability.

The Irish premier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, is also expected to attend the coronation.

Political leaders from Northern Ireland have also been invited.

Among those who will attend is Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill in another demonstration of the markedly improved relations between the republican movement and the royal family since the peace process.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has said the coronation serves as a powerful reflection and celebration of who we are today, in all our wonderful diversity.

In a message issued on the eve of the historic occasion, Most Revd Justin Welby described the crowning of the King and Queen Camilla as beautiful, joyful and historic.

He said people will be struck by the majesty and sacred wonder of the service, but also hoped they would find ancient wisdom and new hope.

The King and the Queen will be crowned in the historic Abbey (Owen Humphreys/PA)

The Archbishop is conducting the service and has the momentous task of anointing and crowning Charles and Camilla in front of a global audience of millions during the live televised ceremony.

Representatives from the nations faith communities will play an active role in the coronation of a British sovereign for the first time in history.

When the regalia is presented to the King  Sikh, Hindu, Muslim and Jewish peers will take part, handing over items which do not have Christian meaning or symbolism.

New ground has been broken in other areas, from the inclusion of female Bishops the first time, to the use of Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic languages and the opportunity for those watching around the globe to join in and swear allegiance to the King with the Homage of the People.

Leaders from Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist groups will also deliver a greeting to the King in unison in the Abbey after the service.

The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla promises to be a beautiful, joyful and historic occasion, the Archbishop said.

Inside the coronation church  Westminster Abbey (Dan Kitwood/PA)

People can certainly expect to be struck by the majesty and sacred wonder of the service, but also to be invited to pause and reflect.

To reflect on our past, our future and, as we pray for our new sovereign, on our own lives and how we too are called to serve others.

This service reaches deep into our nations Christian history. From the ancient and sacred act of anointing monarchs, to the use of the sixth-century St Augustine Gospels, the service will link us in a profound way with our national story.

Charles III will be the 40th reigning monarch to be crowned in the Abbey when the golden bejewelled St Edwards Crown is lowered onto his head at midday on Saturday.

Every monarch since William the Conqueror in 1066 has had their coronation on the site, with the exception of Edward V  one of the disappeared Princes in the Tower  and the abdicated Edward VIII, whose coronations never happened.

The King the day before his coronation (Toby Melville/PA)

The Archbishop added: But this is not simply history: I hope the service offers people an opportunity to hear the living words of God, which bring good news to every person in every generation.

I also hope and pray that the coronation will serve as a powerful reflection and celebration of who we are today, in all our wonderful diversity.

So I will be praying that everyone who shares in this service  in the Abbey, across the country and beyond  will find ancient wisdom and new hope.

I pray that it inspires us all, like the King and Queen, to live our lives in service to others.
Junior doctors in Scotland have voted to strike in what will be their first national walkout over pay.

Members of BMA Scotland voted overwhelmingly to strike, with 97% of those who took part in the ballot backing the walkout, the union said on Friday. Turnout was 71%.

Dr Chris Smith, chairman of the BMAs Scottish junior doctors committee, said: This ballot result shows, beyond doubt, that junior doctors in Scotland have had enough.

The union has now warned that, should the Scottish Government not put forward a pay deal it felt was credible in negotiations, junior doctors would then begin preparations for a 72-hour walkout at dates to be confirmed.

The union said it was in negotiations with the Scottish Government, and claimed that pay for junior doctors had been eroded over the past 15 years with them earning 23.5% less than if they were doing the same job in 2008.

An increase of 4.5% has been rejected, with junior doctors claiming the offer was a real-terms pay cut.

The Scottish Government has previously said the BMAs pay demands were simply unaffordable.

Scotlands Health Secretary Michael Matheson on Friday said he is disappointed junior doctors have voted to strike and said he will continue to do all he can to avert industrial action in NHS Scotland.

While naturally disappointed, we respect the mandate Junior Drs have received from members. We are in active & meaningful negotiations with Junior Doctors on the issue of pay, and will continue these in good faith in the hope of finding a resolution & avoiding industrial action.  Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) May 5, 2023

First Minister Humza Yousaf said his Government was in active and meaningful negotiations with junior doctors and would continue these in good faith in the hope of finding a resolution and avoiding industrial action.

The number of junior doctors entitled to vote in the ballot was 5052, with 3610 taking part in the vote. Some 3499 said they wanted to strike, while 111 said they did not want to during the five-week ballot which closed on Friday.

If doctors walk out, the union said, junior doctors would not provide emergency care during the strike, with NHS boards needing to arrange emergency cover.

Dr Smith said the years of pay erosion was simply unacceptable.

We are no longer prepared to stand aside, feeling overworked and undervalued, while witnessing so many junior doctors seeking employment abroad or outside the NHS where our considerable skills are properly valued, he said.

We have made, and continue to make, progress with Scottish Government in formal negotiations on pay, but there is still some work to do before there is an offer that we believe could be credibly put to members.

In the meantime  we will use this mandate to urge the Cabinet Secretary to signal a clear commitment to investing in the future of Scottish junior doctors, to make Scotlands NHS an attractive place to train, grow and progress our careers, and show us that the work we do is finally properly, and fairly, valued and appreciated.

We are not asking for huge pay increases  we are simply asking for a tangible step towards addressing the pay erosion our profession has suffered for well over a decade, combined with a clear plan for this to be reversed and restored.

Mr Matheson said: I am disappointed that BMA junior doctors have voted to take industrial action, which is in no-ones interest. I will continue to do all I can to avert industrial action in NHS Scotland.

Negotiations to agree a pay uplift are already underway. As these negotiations are held in confidence, it would be inappropriate to offer any further details at this time.

Sandesh Gulhane, health spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives, said that it was clear junior doctors were at the end of their tether.

Michael Matheson must address the poor conditions junior doctors face, such as ensuring they can get hot, nutritious food at night and that rotas are done six weeks in advance, he said.

The ball is in the SNP Governments court to find a solution to this dispute and deliver the modern, efficient, local health service that Scotland needs.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labours health spokeswoman, said the overwhelming strike mandate showed the righteous anger of Scotlands junior doctors.

This result has not come out of the blue  it is the product of years of SNP failure to support junior doctors and reward them for their work, she said.

It is absolutely vital that in the interests of the workforce and our NHS, Michael Matheson gets round the table with the BMA and hammers out a deal.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said the Holyrood Government had left junior doctors utterly depleted.

He said: Humza Yousaf used to boast that Scotland was the only place in the UK where health strikes didnt happen. Todays news exposes that for what it always was: a pathetic attempt to cover up his partys epic failures.

The new Health Secretary cannot afford to make the same colossal mistakes as his predecessor. He must accelerate talks and bring this dispute to a swift conclusion.
The King will find the Homage of the People abhorrent, according to his friend, broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby.

Dimbleby got to know Charles after writing his official biography in the 1990s and said his thespian side means he has been closely involved in the performance side of the coronation.

But the presenter branded the invitation to the public to swear allegiance to the King during the coronation ceremony ill advised.

Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby (Yui Mok/PA)

The writer told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: I can think of nothing that he would find more abhorrent.

Hes never wanted to be revered, hes never wanted  so as far as I know  to have anyone pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke.

He wants, I think, to feel that people will share in the event and I dont quite know how this might have happened.

I dont know for certain but it would seem to me that this was an initiative by the archbishop, who as we know is strongly evangelical, who thought it would be a good thing to give everyone a chance to pay that homage.

I think it was well intentioned and rather ill-advised.

Lambeth Palace last week announced the modern addition to the ceremony, which replaces the Homage of the Peers, but said the liturgy  the words and actions of the service  had been created in consultation with the King, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and the Government.

Critics have condemned the move, with the pressure group Republic describing the new homage as offensive, tone deaf and a gesture that holds the people in contempt.

Lambeth Palace has stressed it is an invitation rather than a request.

We live in a wonderfully diverse society with many different perspectives and beliefs, and its quite right that people decide for themselves how they relate to this moment, a spokesman for the archbishops office said.

In 1994, Charles confessed to Dimbleby  during a primetime television documentary accompanying the biography  to adultery, saying it only happened after his marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales had irretrievably broken down.

(PA Graphics)

Dimbleby, giving an insight into the Kings personality, described him as a perfectionist.

He added: If there were a Mastermind on the histories of coronations he would definitely have it as his special subject and he would emerge triumphant. He knows his history. He believes therefore its got to be done really well.

Charles has been closely involved with the performance of the coronation, Dimbleby said, referring to the Kings interest in the theatre and acting.

There is an element of performative in him. He is a thespian, he loves the theatre, so he wants it all to work really well, he added.

The King also wanted to be personally involved in choosing clothes to reflect his role as a humble petitioner, Dimbleby revealed.

He said: He wanted to make sure that his clothes, for instance, made it possible for him initially to be what the role is, almost seeking the approval of the nation to become King, almost a humble petitioner, and then to emerge triumphant of this extraordinary pageant, of which he is the star.

As King, Charles will focus on diversity and harmony in the country, leading as a monarch for our times, Dimbleby said.

He sees his role, I think  I have talked about it with him  as being doing his best to achieve a sense of overarching harmony in a very diverse and often rather troubled, very troubled, often divided United Kingdom.

Thats what will be his lodestar, his guiding sense of duty.

Dimbleby added that Charles understands he can no longer share political views as King and in public will only speak when he knows that he is expressing a consensus as defined by the government of the day.

He will honour the customs and he will be very much a monarch for our times because he is a 21st century person, he said.
Train passengers on platforms across the UK are being reminded to mind the gap by the King.

Charles and the Queen Consort have recorded an announcement which is being played between Friday and Monday at every railway station across the UK and all London Underground stations, industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said.

In the message, the King begins by telling passengers: My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend.

Camilla then says: Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

The message concludes with Charles adding: And remember, please mind the gap.

It was recorded at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London.

Warnings to mind the gap are common at London Underground stations.

RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: The coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message.

Its wonderful that Their Majesties are including rail passengers as part of this historic moment.

A mind the gap sign at Great Malvern railway station in Worcestershire (David Davies/PA)

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the coronation and its fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Londons Transport Commissioner Andy Lord said: With less than one day to go before the coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe.

We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Nicky has launched a dating app for widows wanting no strings sex. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

A woman who lost her husband at 49 has launched a dating app for widows and widowers looking for sex with no strings attached.

Nicky Wake's husband, Andy, 57, died from Covid, after he was put into a care home in 2017 following a catastrophic brain injury.

The entrepreneur, now 51, from Bury, Greater Manchester, tried dating again six months after becoming a widow, but says it was hard for people to understand what she was going through.

She launched her first app, Chapter Two, in November 2022 - and already has thousands of widows and widowers looking for a second chance at love.

Nicky realised, however, that many people who had lost their partner werent quite ready for a committed relationship, but were still craving physical comfort and human connection, so she set up another app, WidowsFire, for casual hook ups.

Read more: Couple who got engaged as teenagers like Millie Bobby Brown have 'no regrets'

Nicky Wake, her late husband Andy in Sydney, 2017. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

"A lot of widows are not ready for their chapter two," she explains. "But it is a really well-known and documented fact that widow's fire is a thing.

"It's a term commonly used within the widowers community - and describes the intense, uncontrollable, or all-consuming desire for sex following the bereavement of a partner.

"You lose your life partner - I shared my bed with my husband for 20 years and then all of a sudden he's not there.

"If you have a healthy sex life, that is going to be a gaping void."

Read more: As Gwyneth Paltrow talks sex with Brad Pitt and Ben Affleck, should you ever discuss what an ex is like as a lover?

Andy pictured with his son Finn in 2009. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Nicky says that one of the emotions associated with widow's fire involves finding comfort.

"We all need and crave affection, cuddles and stolen kisses and actually very often widows are not in the right mental space for a committed relationship," she explains.

"We want WidowsFire to be a fun and flirty, non-judgemental place for widows and widowers to safely and discreetly satisfy their physical needs with others like them on a no-strings-attached basis.

I hope it offers a first step for those looking to dip their toes back into the complicated world of dating without fully committing to something they might not yet be ready for."

Read more: Benefits of a sex drought as Melanie Sykes reveals she abstained for a year

Andy was a stay-at-home dad to the couple's son, Finn, who is now 15. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Nicky met Andy in 2002 on DatingDirect.com. Having instantly clicked the couple married two years later in Jamaica in 2004, before welcoming a son, Finn, now 15, in 2007.

"We were living an idyllic, happy life," she says of their family life.

"He was a wonderful stay-at-home dad and did all the school runs and the cooking.

"He looked after me and made sure I could run our business - Don't Panic Events."

In July 2017, Nicky was away for work, but noticed Andy was being very quiet on the phone and didn't know what was wrong.

When she returned home, Andy told Nicky that he had been having chest pains but was reluctant to go to the doctors.

After persuading him to get checked out, Andy was told he had suffered a heart attack.

He was blue-lighted to the hospital for an ECG and fitted with a stent, with Nicky and Andy feeling like they had a "lucky escape".

But four days later, Andy suffered another heart attack while sleeping and Nicky had to perform CPR for 30 minutes.

Nicky Wake, lost her husband, Andy, when she was just 49. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Andy suffered a "catastrophic" brain injury because he didn't get enough oxygen to his brain and from then on required around-the-clock care.

"He couldn't walk, he didn't know who I was, and he didn't know where he was," Nicky says.

"He was hugely distressed and often he didn't have a clue who I was when I came to visit which was utterly heartbreaking - he wasn't the man I married at that point."

Andy was in a care home for three years.

"Unfortunately, Covid took him in 2020," she says.

Watch: Richard E. Grant says sometimes grief hits him 'like a tsunami'

The following months Nicky describes as "some of the darkest periods of my life".

"I had to build a whole new relationship with Finn and run a business," she explains.

But gradually things started to improve.

"It was about me trying to rebuild my life," she says. "I did bereavement counselling and got signposted to an amazing charity called Widowed and Young - and I found a whole new network of friends and peer support through that which was incredibly helpful."

Nicky says her new app, WidowsFire, aims to be an "uncomplicated, flirty and fun space" with people who are on the same page.

"Two consenting adults looking for joy and solace is not a bad thing," she continues. "If we can help people navigate this awful world that none of us wanted to be in that has to be a positive.

"Everyone who is on the app understands the playing field and knows why we are there. Removing the awkward elephant in the room out of the conversation."

Andy was just 57 when he died from Covid. (Nicky Wake/SWNS)

Read more: How a woman can enjoy sex whatever her age

Nicky says it is the "weirdest thing in the world" to have a new sexual relationship after the loss of your long-term partner.

"Kissing someone new after 20 years with someone who knows you so intimately is weird," she explains.

"In a long-term relationship, you don't need to overthink that stuff but in a new relationship, it can be daunting.

"I think it is really important to recognise that widows have absolutely natural needs and wants who need to feel, happy, loved and attractive.

"We are trying to create this safe space to have those conversations, to have some fun, to flirt and find who they are again."

Launching on 15 June, Nicky says the app will follow the same structure as Tinder or Bumble.

"When you lose your life partner you lose a sense of who you are," she continues. "After coming to terms with your loss you have to work out what your next steps are and if you are not ready for chapter two then WidowsFire can be a safe space for you to enjoy."

Additional reporting SWNS.
The Lord Mayor of Westminster said the Kings coronation will share a new Britain and is looking forward to the historic event.

Councillor Hamza Taouzzale, 23, the youngest person and first Muslim to be Lord Mayor, will be donning his blue and gold ceremonial robe at Westminster Abbey to represent the city of Westminster on Saturday as well as attending plenty of street parties in the lead-up to the event.

He said the once-in-a-lifetime experience will be really good fun and he is most looking forward to the moment the King is crowned as he hopes the coronation will showcase a new Britain bringing people together.

The thing Im most looking forward to is when they put the actual crown on. When they put the crown on hes obviously King, but its all really official, he told the PA news agency.

I hope the ceremony shares a new Britain. Whether you agree or dont agree with the monarchy is another story but if the coronation is able to bring people together, then I think its done its job.

In the lead-up to the event, the Lord Mayor has attended coronation teas and multi-faith exchanges and even unveiled one of only four Royal Mail coronation post boxes  one in each of the nations  painted in red, white, and blue.

He described the unveiling as really cool and said it helped him get into the spirit of things as he hopes to attend as many street parties as possible.

While some critics have branded the event as a waste of taxpayers money, Coun Taouzzale feels that bringing the community together is the best thing we can do at a time like this.

Ive grown up in Westminster my whole life. I understand the positives and negatives. I still live in the estate that I grew up in. I can see both worlds really clearly, he said.

But for me, the coronation is about people coming together, and thats the best thing we can do at a time like this.

Although we are celebrating the King and the Queen on their coronation, its about celebrating each other as a community.

The Lord Mayor of Westminster unveiled one of only four coronation post boxes (Westminster City Council/PA)

The Lord Mayor welcomes street parties and community events to celebrate the coronation after a tricky few years following the Covid-19 pandemic.

Its been a bit up and down and all over the place with Covid  so to have a ceremony like this, to have all the street parties and have all the Big Help on Monday, to have all the community events surrounding the coronation, is fantastic, he said.

He has advised that the public should have fun but within reason encouraging people to host parties that involve the whole community.

Im quite big on the family friendly stuff, so make sure that it involves the whole community, involve the whole family because its something where people of any age, any faith or any background can enjoy and have fun, he said.

Despite feeling some pressure to represent the city of Westminster on Saturday, the Lord Mayor is combatting nerves by reading about the coronation in 1953 to draw inspiration from his predecessors.

It feels a little bit nerve-racking because youre there to do your job, youre there to represent hundreds of thousands of people, all of those who live in Westminster or work or make up our great city, he said.

The King and Lord Mayor of Westminster Hamza Taouzzale during a presentation of loyal addresses by the privileged bodies, at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in London (Yui Mok/PA)

But a lot of the time, its all about making sure you do the job right.

Some of the books describe what the Mayor of Westminster did or the Mayor of Marylebone or Mayor of Paddington, and what their roles were within the coronation, he explained.

For me, its about learning about what they did to see what we can do today. Very few people can remember the last coronation, so to have those books and to have that information helps ease the nerves a little bit.

Alongside being Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Taouzzale is deputy high steward at Westminster Abbey and said the coronation is a privilege to be a part of.

We in Westminster are happy to be hosting it. Its a privilege to be part of this great city.
Schools are one of the most common targets for cybercriminals, so a ransomware group hacking a university in Virginia isn't so surprising. However, what is surprising is what the hackers did next.

In a bold move, the hackers hijacked the university's emergency communications system and used it to spam students and faculty with threatening SMS messages. The unfortunate victim in this event was Bluefield University, a private Baptist university with about 1000 students located in Western Virginia.

Hackers Hijacked Bluefield University's RamAlert

On April 30, Bluefield University disclosed to the students and staff that they were currently experiencing a cyberattack that impacted their IT systems. At that time, the University found no evidence of any cases of identity theft or financial fraud linked to the incident as faculty and staff were able to access most university apps and websites.

"Upon learning of this issue, we immediately engaged the provider and independent third-party cybersecurity experts to assist in our review and remediation efforts, but it may be a few days before full functionality can be restored," as stated by Bluefield.

The incident took a nasty turn on May 1 when the Avos ransomware gang hijacked the University's emergency broadcast system, known as RamAlert, to send texts and emails to students and faculty that their data has been stolen.

As shared by Brett Callow on twitter, the messages sent to the students and staff of Bluefield state that the hackers have about 1.2 TB of their data. The alerts sent by the hackers instructed students and staff to pressure Bluefield's president to pay the full ransom demand.

The final message delivered by Avos Ransomware Gang, or AvosLocker, urged recipients to share this information with news outlets or their data may be leaked in the Darkweb. They also added, "Call President David Olive to tell him to pay us immediately. Otherwise, prepare for attacks."

Later that day, AvosLocker released a limited amount of stolen data, including a document related to the school's insurance policy and a W-2 Tax Form for Bluefield's President.

Related: City of Dallas Suffers Royal Ransomware Attack Affecting IT Systems

Bluefield's Response to the Hackers

Bluefield is advising students and staff to not open any links sent to them or send emails from their school accounts. The university also postponed their final exams as several school systems were still unavailable.

The university spokesperson declined to comment on whether they will consider paying the hackers.

Ransomware groups have used various methods to raise the heat on their victims from double to triple extortion. A few of their methods include emailing school customers, calling their partners, emailing competition, and setting up data leak portals with search features.

However, Bluefield is the first school to ever experience a hijack in its emergency alert system. AvosLocker's use of the school's emergency alert system is likely to prevent the University's administration from downplaying the impact of the cyberattack and claims that no data had been stolen.

While it could be an opportunistic case, this shows the lengths to which ransomware groups go to amplify their blackmail.

Read Also: 5 Most Interesting Hacks from Anonymous Hacker Group
Updated 5 May 2023 at 9:19 am

A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman was stabbed to death in south London.

Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, died in Stockwell Park Walk, Brixton, after being attacked at just after 4pm on Monday.

Mohamed Nur, of Bondway, Vauxhall, has been charged with murder and having an offensive weapon, Scotland Yard said.

Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, died on Monday (Family handout/PA)

He has also been charged with a further count of having an offensive weapon and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm against two women and a man.

The women and man suffered slash injuries in separate incidents in Town Hall Parade, Brixton Road and Acre Lane in Brixton within a one-hour period on April 29.

Nur will appear at Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday.

At the time of her murder, Ms Dogbey was reportedly on her way home from buying a birthday gift for her mother and speaking on the phone to her grandmother, who heard a terrible scream.

Ms Dogbey has been remembered as a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone (Family handout/PA)

Ms Dogbey was walking when she was attacked from behind by a stranger, detectives believe.

Her loved ones described her as a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone.

In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, they said: She hasnt got one bad bone in her body. She wouldnt hurt a fly.

We cant believe a senseless crime like this has happened as we cant imagine who would do this to her.
First-time buyers with a 15% deposit to put down face paying nearly 200 per month more for a mortgage typically than they did a year ago, according to a property website.

Rightmove said those in this deposit bracket will pay an average of around 1,056 per month compared with 865 last year, due to mortgage rates and house prices rising.

However, it said this is lower than the 1,218 per month that a new first-time buyer would have paid last October, around the time some mortgage rates were peaking.

The analysis was based on the average asking price for a typical first-time buyer property, with two bedrooms or less, and the average rate for a five-year fixed, 85% loan-to-value (LTV) mortgage, with repayments being spread over 25 years.

Across Britain, the average asking price for a first-time buyer type property currently sits at a record of 224,963, according to Rightmoves data.

Rightmove said the average price of a typical first-time buyer property is now 224,963 (PA)

However, the signs are that determined first-time buyers are still doing all they can to get on to the ladder despite economic challenges.

Rightmove said demand in the first-time buyer sector is currently 11% higher than in the normal pre-pandemic market of 2019.

Surging rental prices and signs that mortgage rates have been settling in recent months, following the market turmoil after last years mini-budget, are factors which could be helping to focus some would-be homeowners minds.

The average asking rent for a first-time buyer type property is 1,120 per month, having increased 11% compared with last year, the website added.

Rightmoves mortgage expert Matt Smith said: The combination of a new record price and higher mortgage rates than last year means it is challenge for first-time buyers.

Our data indicates that first-time buyers who are able to raise their deposit are still finding buying compelling, with the number of people looking to move in this sector currently higher than the last more normal market of 2019.

Mortgage approvals for house purchases rose to 52,000 in March from 44,100 in February (PA)

It was understandable that some buyers took a step back in the immediate aftermath of the mini-budget, particularly first-time buyers, as mortgage rates rapidly rose.

Those looking to buy now may find that the average monthly mortgage payment on the home they are looking to buy is significantly less than they may have paid at the peak of rates in October.

Now that rates are settling, would-be buyers planning a move may need to assess their individual circumstances and weigh up their affordability based on current rates, with the potential cost of waiting or paying rent for longer.

Bank of England figures released this week showed an upward bounce in the number of mortgage approvals being made to home buyers in March.

The Banks money and credit report said mortgage approvals for house purchases rose significantly, to 52,000 in March from 44,100 in February.

However, it said the latest total remains below the monthly average for 2022 of 62,700.
Murder-accused nurse Lucy Letby told jurors she was stunned at the collapse and death of her first alleged victim.

On Friday, Letby, 33, entered the witness box at Manchester Crown Court to give her second day of evidence.

She is on trial accused of the murders of seven babies and the attempted murders of 10 others at the Countess of Chester Hospital.

The prosecution says she targeted the infants who were treated on the hospitals neonatal unit on various dates between June 2015 and June 2016.

Her barrister, Ben Myers KC, turned to the first individual allegation against her, that she murdered a prematurely born twin boy shortly after a night shift started on June 8.

Asked how she felt after the death of Child A, Letby said: Stunned. It was a complete shock to all of us.

I felt like we had walked through the doors into this awful situation. The first time I had met (Child A), the first time I had met his parents.

It was a huge shock.

Mr Myers said: It is alleged of course that you did this  did you?

Letby said: No.

Mr Myers said: Whats it like to have that allegation made?

Letby said: Its awful. That day I was not even supposed to be working that night.

It was just a shock to walk into that situation.

Asked if it had had a lasting impact, she replied: You never forget something like that.

The Crown says Letby intravenously introduced air into the bloodstream of Child A.

Letby recalled that she assisted a colleague with giving fluids to Child A through an intravenous line.

Her workmate left nursery one to write notes up on a computer, she said, as she made standard equipment checks.

Mr Myers said: What was the first indication you had that anything might not be right?

Letby said: I recognised (Child A) to be jittery when I did my observations. Its an abnormal finding. That is not something you want a baby to be displaying.

Mr Myers asked: What happened next?

Letby said: When I was carrying out my equipment checks around the bedside (Child As) monitor sounded. Thats when we noted his colour had changed and he was apnoeic.

She said his hands and feet were white as attempts were made to assist his breathing.

Mr Myers asked: Do you recall how you were feeling as the resuscitation unfolded?

Letby said: I remember it was a huge, unexpected shock.

Child A died within 90 minutes of Letby starting her shift, the court heard.

Mr Myers asked why she searched for Child As mother on Facebook the next day.

Letby replied: I think it was curiosity. I wanted to see the people behind the awful event that had happened. They were on my mind.

Its a common pattern of behaviour for me. I think of somebody and I look them up.

Letby is also accused of attempting to murder Child As twin sister, Child B, by also administering air into her system.

Child B deteriorated in nursery one  the units intensive care room  at about 12.30am on June 10 during a shift which saw Letby designated to care for two babies in nursery three.

Mr Myers asked: Do you recall events leading up to (Child Bs) deterioration?

Letby replied: Not with any clarity, no.

She said she was in nursery one when she thinks a fellow nurse, who was looking after Child B, alerted her to the deterioration and a colour change.

Letby said: She became quite mottled and dark. All over her body, from memory.

It was like general mottling of a baby. It was not unusual but obviously we were concerned for (Child B) because of (Child As) decline the night before.

(Child A) was pale. He was white. (Child B) had some colour; it was a purple mottling colour.

Letby told the court she was asked to retrieve a camera from a managers office to take photographs but Child B had stabilised by the time she returned.

Letby added: And I got it very quickly.

The defendant also allegedly murdered a baby boy, Child C, with an injection of air via his feeding tube on the night shift of June 13.

Child C collapsed in nursery one at about 11.15pm, 15 minutes after he was said to have received his first milk feed, the court has heard.

Letby said she was allocated on the shift to care for two infants in nursery three.

She said she first became aware of a problem when the nurse who was designated to care for Child C called for help.

Mr Myers asked: Where were you before you were called to help?

Letby said: I was not in nursery one.

She said she thinks she helped with heart and chest compressions at certain times before the youngster died just before 6am the next day.

Letby denied standing by the cot when alarms sounded at Child Cs cotside.

Mr Myers asked her why she searched Facebook for Child Cs mother about 10 hours after the boys death.

Letby said: Because the family were very much on my mind. The first time I had met the parents was during the resuscitation of their son.

When you get home from work you dont forget about babies you cared for and what happened.

Mr Myers said: How do you feel about what they had been through?

Letby replied: What the parents have been through? Its unimaginable.

She said she had no memory of events surrounding the death of Child D, a baby girl, who she is said to have injected with air.

Child D was being cared for by a colleague in nursery one on the night shift of June 21/22, while Letby was allocated two other infants in the same room.

Letby, from Hereford, denies all the allegations against her.

The trial continues next Thursday.
Passengers climbed out of the smashed windows of a Tube train at Clapham Common station in London on Friday evening amid a fire alert.

A video posted to social media shows a man with a hammer cracking one of the Northern Line tube windows to allow travellers trapped inside to get out, while other videos show smashed windows.

London Fire Brigade said crews attended the scene at Clapham Common station but found no sign or evidence of a fire.

It said: Investigations are ongoing but the report of smoke is believed to have been caused by the trains brakes.

Passenger Nigel Ingofink told the PA news agency he was on the affected tube when the incident happened at around 6pm.

He posted a video to Twitter showing broken windows on the tube and passengers filing out of Clapham Common station.

He captioned the footage Clapham Common tube emergency! Just evacuated.

He told PA: The train stopped suddenly with half the carriages in the station and there was no movement or announcements for several minutes.

Then the lights went out and we could hear screaming towards the rear.

Finally the driver told us to walk to the rear of the train and we exited a set of open doors to witness the scene of broken windows on the platform where other passengers had obviously panicked.

There was a strong smell of burning around the carriages with the broken windows.

Mr Ingofink said there was ultimately an orderly evacuation.

London Fire Brigade said around 500 people left the train before firefighters arrived and it had not received any reports of injuries.

A TfL spokesperson said: Were sorry for the distress caused at Clapham Common.

We are investigating the details of this incident.
The chief executive of the Post Office has apologised for paying himself and other senior officers unapproved bonuses relating to the Horizon IT Inquiry.

Unbeknown to the inquirys chair, retired High Court judge Sir Wyn Williams, the Post Office authorised the payments based on a target executives had set themselves.

Letters between the Post Office and inquiry representatives published on Friday reveal that remunerations were awarded for the executives succeeding in supplying all required evidence and information on time.

The Post Offices annual financial report also states that the payments were signed off by Sir Wyn, which they were not.

The chief executive of the Post Office, Nick Read, paid himself and other senior officers unapproved bonuses relating to the Horizon IT Inquiry (PA)

After a solicitor to the inquiry, Segun Jide, wrote to the Post Office to seek clarification on this, the companys chief executive, Nick Read, apologised and said he would return his bonus.

In his letter on behalf of the Post Office addressed to Sir Wyn, Mr Read admitted that it had failed to seek approval on the payments, which he conceded was an unacceptable error on our part.

Mr Read said: I would like to reassure you that we continue to work hard as a business to support every aspect of the inquirys work and are determined to put the interests of the postmasters affected first.

Our clear intent remains to offer full and fair compensation as quickly as possible and we are doing all we can to work with the Government to achieve that.

I will personally continue to ensure that the business gives the utmost support to you and the inquiry team so that all the lessons can be learned from this Horizon IT scandal.

Sir Wyn wrote back to Mr Read thanking him for taking the trouble to personally apologise to me on behalf of the Post Office, and advised him that the letters would be made public.
A Cambridge pub is hosting a not bothered coronation party on Saturday as a respectful antidote to monarchy madness.

As the country was gearing up for the big day, the Sir Isaac Newton pub wanted to do something a little bit different to mark the occasion, assistant manager Shelley Turner told the PA news agency.

Speaking inside the traditional English pub, Ms Turner said the staff had put up happy generic evening bunting and erected a cardboard cut-out of Sir David Attenborough because he really should be king.

Ms Turner explained: We noticed that everyone was kind of doing the same thing for the coronation and after speaking to customers, some of them would say, Oh, Im not that bothered.

Not everyones so excited about the monarchy so lets give the rebels a bit of a party as well.

The Sir Isaac Newton will be throwing a fancy dress party and buffet for children during the day, while a DJ will be on decks as Blue Blood cocktails will be served in the evening.

The exterior of the Cambridge pub (Sir Isaac Newton/PA)

Although the theme of the party is anti-establishment, the pub still wants to be really inclusive, Ms Turner said.

I know customers who love the monarchy and are really excited to come in.

Ms Turner said that the reaction to the pubs event has all been positive, even online.

She said: I have not heard one negative thing said about it.

Generic ale on tap at the anti-establishment event (Sir Isaac Newton/PA)

When people see the chalkboard outside the pub advertising its anti-establishment party, they get a smile on their face, Ms Turner said, adding: Ive heard people talking about it to others, and it just seems to lift them really.

The pub ultimately wants the message of its party to be one of inclusivity and fun.

Ms Turner said: It doesnt really matter what side of the divide you are on because I do find that these days, things seem to be quite divided in a lot of spheres.

You can still have a party together and joke about these things and just be light about them, not be so serious.
Julian Assange has written to the King asking the monarch to visit him in prison.

The WikiLeaks founder has spent more than four years in Belmarsh prison in London as he fights a lengthy legal challenge against an attempt to extradite him to the US.

He has been behind bars since being dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London where he had sought refuge from being sent to the States.

He fears being jailed for the rest of his life if he is extradited for questioning over the activities of WikiLeaks.

His letter to Charles reads: It is here that 687 of your loyal subjects are held, supporting the United Kingdoms record as the nation with the largest prison population in western Europe.

As your noble Government has recently declared, your kingdom is currently undergoing the biggest expansion of prison places in over a century, with its ambitious projections showing an increase of the prison population from 82,000 to 106,000 within the next four years. Quite the legacy, indeed.

As a political prisoner, held at Your Majestys pleasure on behalf of an embarrassed foreign sovereign, I am honoured to reside within the walls of this world class institution. Truly, your kingdom knows no bounds.

The King (Molly Darlington/PA)

During your visit, you will have the opportunity to feast upon the culinary delights prepared for your loyal subjects on a generous budget of 2 per day.

Savour the blended tuna heads and the ubiquitous reconstituted forms that are purportedly made from chicken. And worry not, for unlike lesser institutions such as Alcatraz or San Quentin, there is no communal dining in a mess hall.

At Belmarsh, prisoners dine alone in their cells, ensuring the utmost intimacy with their meal.

You will also have the opportunity to pay your respects to my late friend Manoel Santos, a gay man facing deportation to Bolsonaros Brazil, who took his own life just eight yards from my cell using a crude rope fashioned from his bedsheets. His exquisite tenor voice now silenced forever.

Venture further into the depths of Belmarsh and you will find the most isolated place within its walls: Healthcare, or Hellcare as its inhabitants lovingly call it. Here, you will marvel at sensible rules designed for everyones safety, such as the prohibition of chess, whilst permitting the far less dangerous game of checkers.

Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

Support for the release of Assange is growing across the world.

Thousands of people attended events on Thursday highlighting his case, on World Press Freedom Day.

They referred to a speech by US President Joe Biden at the White House Correspondents Dinner, where he said journalism was not a crime.
At least 20 individuals of a rare bird species have gone missing in the last year, including one that was found with its head pulled off, the RSPB has said.

Hen harriers are on the red list of birds of conservation concern as their numbers in the UK are so scarce.

Despite being legally protected, killings are common enough that a Natural England study found that young hen harriers living on grouse moors in England are 10 times more likely to die than their counterparts in other remote areas like Orkney.

The researchers said some gamekeepers view hen harriers as a threat to their grouse stocks and that it has long been thought that illegal killings are holding back the species recovery.

A survey in 2016 recorded 545 pairs in the UK, down 13% since 2010, and there were 34 successful nests in England in 2022 despite there being enough food and habitat to support more than 300 pairs, the RSPB said.

Since last April, 20 birds have vanished in northern England including 15 that were part of satellite-tracked projects.

One bird, named Free, tagged by Natural England, was found on a grouse moor with its head and a leg missing in the Yorkshire Dales National Park near the border with Cumbria last spring.

The leg had held a metal ring for identification and a post-mortem veterinary assessment found the harrier had died by having its head pulled off while it was still alive.

One hen harrier, named Free, was found dead missing its head and a leg (Natural England/PA)

Two other tagged birds also vanished in the same area at around the same time, named Harvey and Pegasus.

Police had carried out a search warrant in connection with the killing and disappearances but the investigation did not lead to any charges.

Since this investigation launched, a further four satellite-tagged hen harriers have disappeared in the same area that is managed for driven grouse shooting, the RSPB said.

BREAKING: Anu, a satellite-tagged Hen Harrier, went missing after roosting on a Peak District grouse moor. RSPB Investigators found the tag cut off and discarded nearly 10km away and fear the bird has been illegally killed. Read the blog here  https://t.co/RXWOrYwFMG pic.twitter.com/ogNiQ3lYk6  RSPB Birders (@RSPBbirders) March 17, 2023

Natural England strategy director John Holmes said: We are sickened by this evidence of persecution, which remains a serious issue and needs more focus and action from the police, businesses, landowners, and game management interests.

Natural England will continue to work with partners on hen harrier recovery and direct our resources towards science, monitoring, enforcement, and conservation management.

We will continue all efforts to track down tags that stop transmitting, as our dedicated staff did in the case of Free, and to support the police in their role of bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice.

Illegal killings have long been thought to be responsible for holding back the hen harriers recovery, Natural England said (handout/RSPB/PA)

The RPSB said two breeding males have vanished this year from their Geltsdale Nature Reserve in Cumbria, leaving abandoned nests with one containing three eggs.

A spokesperson for the Moorland Association said: Any incident of raptor persecution is to be deplored and we support criminal prosecution of anyone who harms a bird of prey.

The facts are that there are a variety of reasons why satellite tags stop transmitting and it is certainly not the case that something suspicious has happened to a hen harrier every time a tag signal is lost.

Hen harriers have very high rates of natural mortality in the first year of life, in common with many other bird species. To link all those birds with an incident of persecution is totally misleading.

All 20 missing birds as well as the mutilated Free have been reported to the police and the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the RSPB said.

The charitys conservation director Katie-jo Luxton said: These 21 birds represent a significant proportion of the existing English hen harrier population.

The Governments own study found illegal killing to be the main reason preventing the recovery of this species, and these recent events indicate that the situation has yet to improve for this rare and beautiful bird.
A young man has been found guilty of stabbing an 18-year-old to death while wearing a scary skull mask popularised by the Call Of Duty video game.

Timothy Adeoye was 18 when he plunged a large kitchen knife into Donavan Allen at a block of flats in Enfield, north London, on February 7 last year.

Mr Allen died as a result of a single stab wound to the chest, the Old Bailey was told.

Adeoye, now 20, who was known as T-Trapz, had denied being the person behind the distinctive skull mask.

On Friday a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of murder and possession of a knife and making threats to another person with a blade.

Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC had described how the defendant had travelled from Barking in east London to Enfield on the day of the murder carrying a knife.

Timothy Adeoye was found guilty of stabbing Donavan Allen to death while wearing a scary skull mask (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Just after 2.30pm, the defendant appeared on CCTV footage at Barking Station wearing the very distinctive face mask with a skull design on it.

Mr Gardner said: That face mask is an important feature in this case, it is something the defendant wore during the course of the afternoon and at the time of the murder.

A police officer trawled through hundreds of hours of video from the area and Adeoye was the only person wearing that style of mask.

The court heard he had spent some time walking around the Enfield area looking for the victims friend.

A couple of teenagers described being approached by the defendant wearing a scary mask or balaclava asking for information.

Timothy Adeoye (Metropolitan Police/PA)

Learning where he might find the man, Adeoye went to a flat said to be used as a drug house and threatened to shank up the occupants, jurors were told.

When Mr Allen and his friend arrived, the defendant grabbed a second larger knife from the kitchen and went to confront them, the court was told.

Mr Gardner said he had threatened them with the knife but was interrupted by a neighbour.

The defendant followed them and confronted them again and, during an exchange, Adeoye stabbed Mr Allen in the chest.

Mr Gardner said: It was an unprovoked and motiveless attack. There is some evidence that the defendant had an issue with (the victims friend), likely connected with drugs, but there is no evidence that he had any issue with Donavan Allen.

Mr Allen collapsed in a stairwell nearby and died soon afterwards, the court was told.

His friend had handed his mobile phone to a neighbour to ring 999.

He was heard in the background to name the attacker, saying: Its T-Trapz. I screwed someone, T-Trapz is looking for me.

As Adeoye fled the scene, he dumped the knife in a drain outside the block of flats.

It was found the next day and tests linked it by DNA to the victim and defendant.

Jurors were told he sent a text message to the victims friend saying: Better not (rat emoji).

Adeoye left London and travelled to Bristol and Wilshire, where he was arrested three days later.

Mr Gardner said the background to the case surrounded the supply of cannabis, in which the defendant, Mr Allen and his friend were alleged to be involved.

But he told jurors: Whatever the underlying issues or grievances those involved with this case may or may not have had with each other, fundamentally this case is about a young man losing his life due to the actions of this defendant.

Following the verdicts, the defendant was remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley, of Scotland Yard, said: Adeoye is a dangerous individual and while I am pleased with this guilty verdict, there is no court outcome that could return Donovan to his family. My thoughts are very much with them today.
Schools are struggling to recruit teachers, with tens of thousands of vacancies being advertised, according to new research.

The Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) said issues over pay were not being addressed.

Teachers are embroiled in a dispute over pay which has led to a series of strikes.

REC chief executive Neil Carberry said: Schools are increasingly struggling to recruit this year with more than 46,500 job adverts.

This is after the double-digit percentage rise in education vacancies we reported last month. This happens when employers fail to address pay and peoples experience at work.

Teachers face a double whammy because their pay has stagnated, but they are also losing classroom help, such as teaching assistants and new technology, because of a squeeze on school budgets.

REC reported that demand for workers remained steady, with almost 1.7 million job adverts across the UK.

There were 189,832 new job postings in the week of April 17 to 23, almost a third higher compared to the week before, as firms returned to hiring after the Easter break.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders union NAHT, said: We have a shocking recruitment and retention crisis in education right now, and the Government is doing nothing to tackle it.

We have been sounding the warning for years, and now have been driven to balloting our members for strike action over it.

The crisis is being driven by eroded teacher pay, unmanageable workload levels and scant regard for well-being.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: Since 2010 weve increased the number of teachers working in state-funded schools by 24,000, now totalling more than 465,000. Almost nine in 10 teachers who qualified in 2020 were still teaching one year after qualification, and just over two-thirds of teachers who started teaching five years ago are still teaching.

We want to continue bringing great people into teaching and have introduced bursaries worth up to 27,000 tax-free and scholarships worth up to 29,000 tax-free to attract talented trainees in subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing.

We have made a fair and reasonable teacher pay offer to the unions, which recognises teachers hard work and commitment as well as delivering an additional 2 billion in funding for schools, which they asked for.
Apple is once again facing accusations after its incident of cracking down on union organizers. House representatives Sylvia Garcia and Emanuel Cleaver called on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to investigate Apple Retail stores due to claims of labor abuse.

The lawmakers are concerned about the reports that Apple retail workers were fired and faced intimidation during their work for exercising their right to collectively organize. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) claims that Apple intimidated the said workers before firing them due to contract negotiations.

House Lawmakers Calls For Investigation

In the letter sent by the two lawmakers to NLBR's General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, they wrote:

"As you are aware, under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), employees are guaranteed the right to organize and bargain collectively free from interference, intimidation, and coercion from their employers."

"The NLRB already found Apple infringed upon worker rights earlier this year, and we are concerned about this recurring pattern. We respectfully request the NLRB thoroughly investigate these serious allegations."

In December, the board states that Apple broke the law by holding anti-union meetings in Atlanta. The House lawmakers also point out NLBR's findings in January where Apple was violating labor rights with discussions of employment conditions and rules barring leaks.

In March, it was reported that about five employees in Kansas were fired by Apple due to supporting union efforts. However, the National Labor Relations Act guarantees that all employees have the right to unionize if they choose to do so.

Emanuel Cleaver, a US representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, states, "Any allegation that the largest corporation in the world is using its institutional power to silence and stamp out workers' God-given right to collectively bargain for fairer wages, better benefits, and increased workplace safety is extremely disconcerting-"

"But allegations of retaliation from numerous workers of the same retail store should be investigated with the seriousness this situation deserves. I don't care if the offender is Apple or Applejacks, if any business attempts to stifle workers' right to organize in Kansas City, then they're going to hear from me about it," he adds.

Related Article: Apple Accused of Illegally Firing Employees Over Union Activity

Allegations Against Apple's Unfair Labor Practices

There are also reports that several Apple employees in Houston were illegally interrogated and disciplined for attempting to organize. According to CWA's allegations, Apple unlawfully fired and intimidated employees for exercising their right to collectively bargain.

The CWA believes that Apple used very thin prefixes to intimidate and fire employees, such as typos in worker time sheets and slightly late arrivals. Moreover, some employees were reportedly forced to sign a "Release of All Claims" against the company in exchange for a severance package despite such practices being illegal due to the NLRB ruling published in February.

Apple argues that it can better care for retail staff without holding unions. At the same time, the company addresses these concerns by raising pay, easing their scheduling rates, and improving employee benefits.

Read Also: Apple Accused by NYC Workers of Union Busting
The Tories suffered major losses in Rishi Sunaks first electoral test as Prime Minister, with Labour claiming the results suggest Sir Keir Starmer will be able to replace him in No 10.

The Liberal Democrats also made gains as the Tories lost control of a series of councils across England.

Labour took Medway off the Tories and will run the Kent council for the first time since 1998.

Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration  a result branded terrible by Government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer  then did the same in Stoke-on-Trent, another general election battleground.

In Hertsmere, where Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is MP, the Tories lost control of the council, with 13 councillors voted out while Labour gained seven and the Lib Dems six.

Tamworth, Brentford, North West Leicestershire and East Lindsey also fell from Tory administrations to no overall control.

West Lindsey remained under no overall control but the Lib Dems replaced the Tories as the largest party.

In Boston, the Tories lost 10 councillors in the Lincolnshire town they had run as a minority, with independents now taking the majority of seats.

Labour replaced the Tories as the largest party in Hartlepool and Worcester.

On the eve of the coronation, the Tories lost control in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, with the Lib Dems claiming victory.

A Lib Dems spokesman said it is a massive blow to Rishi Sunak and Conservative MPs across the blue wall will be looking over their shoulder at the Lib Dems this morning.

(PA Graphics)

Tory insiders said they had always expected a tough night for the party, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the party had experienced a bit of a blip following the turmoil in No 10 which saw Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ousted before Mr Sunak took office.

He attempted to present the expected losses as mid-term blues for the Tories, telling Sky News: The British people are a very sensible group of folk and they understand whats important.

Occasionally they like to give political parties a bit of a reminder of who the politicians serve. Certainly when you get into being mid-term in a government you get quite a bit of that.

Veterans Minister Mr Mercer told the BBC the Plymouth result was due to local factors and insisted that the Prime Minister was the sort of strong leader this country needs at this time.

The councils decision to fell dozens of trees in the city centre contributed to the loss of Tory support.

Im afraid its been a terrible night in Plymouth as we lost every seat we stood in. We lost some outstanding friends and colleagues who have given decades of service to Plymouth. Take it on the chin, learn and go again tomorrow. Its going to be a fight but I like a fight. pic.twitter.com/pVSztWygre  Rt Hon Johnny Mercer (@JohnnyMercerUK) May 5, 2023

Mr Mercer said: I think, locally, it has been very difficult. The Conservative Group here has been through a very difficult time. We have seen that reflected on the doors, in the campaign and we have seen that reflected in the results tonight but you know, we take it on the chin.

Stoke-on-Trent Norths Tory MP Jonathan Gullis told Sky News that councillors had suffered because at the end of 2022, the Conservative Party as a brand was certainly damaged.

In Tamworth  the seat of scandal-hit former Tory whip Chris Pincher  Labour made seven gains, pushing it from Conservative into no overall control.

But in Hull, Labours attempts to regain the council from the Liberal Democrats failed, with Sir Ed Daveys party tightening its grip on the authority.

With full results from 58 of the 230 councils where elections were being held:

 The Tories have lost seven councils and suffered a net loss of 167 councillors.

 Labour has gained control of three councils and put on 129 councillors.

 The Liberal Democrats have gained once council and 55 councillors.

 The Green Party has gained nine councillors.

Sir Keirs party expects to have its best local election results since 1997, with an equivalent vote share lead of at least 8% over the Tories, something which could result in a majority Labour government if repeated at a Westminster contest.

Shabana Mahmood, Labours national campaign co-ordinator, said: These results have been a disaster for Rishi Sunak as voters punish him for the Tories failure.

Labour claimed that, based on the aggregate vote, the party would have won the Westminster constituencies of Hartlepool, Stevenage, Dudley South, Ipswich, West Bromwich East, Great Grimsby and Aldershot, which has been held by the Tories since its creation as a seat in 1918.

Labours Chris Cooke won the battle to become mayor of Middlesbrough, defeating the independent incumbent Andy Preston with a swing of almost 20%.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed said it had been a groundbreaking night for his party.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey (Yui Mok/PA)

He said: We are exceeding all expectations. We have delivered a hammer blow to the Conservative Party in the blue wall ahead of next years general election.

But the elections were branded a dark day for British democracy by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people had been denied their right to vote.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said some people were turned away from polling stations.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.

Reports from all over England of people turned away from polling stations because1)they didn't know they needed photo voter ID2)they knew but took the wrong photo ID3)they thought a photo of valid ID was okEmail info@unlockdemocracy.org.uk if you experienced problems voting  Unlock Democracy (@UnlockDemocracy) May 4, 2023

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups opposed to the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote UK and Open Britain, said: Today has been a dark day for British democracy.

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

The Association of Electoral Administrators chief executive Peter Stanyon said there had been many anecdotal reports of people being unable to vote but it is still too early to gauge how introducing voter ID has gone.
Labour said the Tories dire local election results marked a clear rejection of Rishi Sunak in his first electoral test as Prime Minister.

Sir Keir Starmer was celebrating wins in key battlegrounds as an indication his party was on course to win the next general election.

Mr Sunak was under pressure as Conservative losses neared the 1,000 worst-case prediction senior Tories had floated to manage expectations ahead of the poll.

With almost all authorities having declared, Mr Sunaks party shed 48 local authorities and 962 councillors.

Labour gained 632 seats and seized 22 councils, including ones that would be hotly contested at a general election  such as Swindon, Medway, Stoke-on-Trent, Dover and East Staffordshire.

The Liberal Democrats had what Sir Ed Davey hailed as the best result in decades, taking 12 local authorities and 417 seats.

They particularly celebrated gains in Surrey Heath, where senior Cabinet minister Michael Gove is the MP, and in former prime minister Theresa Mays backyard of Windsor & Maidenhead.

Its little wonder Rishi Sunak is running scared of a general election, because he knows the Liberal Democrats are set to take swathes of seats across the Conservative Partys former heartlands, Sir Ed said.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer in Medway (Gareth Fuller/PA)

The Greens made a record 199 gains, the partys best-ever result at a local election, and gained control of their first English local authority, in Mid-Suffolk.

Sir Keirs party was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls, as the Tories slid backwards.

Vote share analysis by the BBC put Labour on 35%, the Tories on 26% and the Lib Dems on 20%. That was the same for Labour last year, but the Conservatives had sunk from 30%.

The broadcaster said the projection would make Labour by far the largest party but it would fall 14 seats of an outright majority, though voters are likely to act differently in a general election.

(PA Graphics)

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, warned against drawing conclusions about what this might mean for national politics.

These were local elections with substantive local outcomes, he said. Voters decisions in this context do not map neatly on to a general election more than a year away.

Sir Keir said the fantastic results combined with a hoped-for recovery in Scotland would give him a majority in Westminster after a national poll.

Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election, the Labour leader told activists in Medway.

This has been an historic victory for the Liberal Democrats with our best result in decades. Its little wonder Rishi Sunak is running scared of a General Election. He knows the Liberal Democrats are set to take swathes of seats across the Conservative Partys former heartlands.  Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) May 5, 2023

His party will run the Kent authority for the first time since 1998, with the outgoing Conservative council leader telling No 10 to get their act together on several fronts.

Both Swindon in Wiltshire and Erewash Council in Derbyshire had been controlled by the Conservatives for 20 years until the results of Thursdays local elections. Dover had been controlled by the Tories since 2007.

A Labour spokesperson said: The British public has sent a clear rejection of a prime minister who never had a mandate to begin with.

Mr Sunak remained defiant despite heavy losses.

He conceded the results were disappointing, but said he was not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for its agenda.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey was delighted at his partys successes (Andrew Matthews/PA)

But as the day went on, his partys losses crept towards the 1,000 pre-election forecast used by Tory chairman Greg Hands in the hope of being able to portray a defeat below that scale as better than expected.

Some broadcasters including the BBC said the Tory councillor losses surpassed that, but PA news agency data  which does not count those who defected or left the party since being elected as Conservatives  put it at 959.

North Swindon Tory MP Justin Tomlinson said the Conservatives had to take the dreadful results as a wake-up call.

The council elections will not finish until Tuesday, after Redcar & Cleveland stopped counting with just two results to come.

The elections were described as a dark day for British democracy by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people were denied their right to vote.

The contests were the first to be held under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID and the elections watchdog said some people were turned away from polling stations.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society and that some people were regrettably unable to vote as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.
The war in Ukraine is a warning shot for the possibility of a future with energy shortages, the new chair of the Commons Energy Security and Net Zero Committee has said.

SNP MP Angus MacNeil has been elected as chairman of the cross-party committee of MPs tasked with scrutinising the work of the new Government department of the same name.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr MacNeil was critical of what he described as a lack of investment in energy security during the austerity agenda, followed by a lack of focus during the years of Brexit wrangling, and highlighted the importance of renewable energy for future supplies.

He said: I think theres been a penny-wise pound-foolish pressure on the UK energy market for a number of years. Im talking what bill payers might have had to pay seven to 10 years ago would have been very modest compared to what they have had to pay lately.

And I think some things could have been in place that werent in place. And I think people have learned from that, and I think the word security is very important going forward, the security of supply, and a focus on that, and Im glad to see its heading in that direction.

He added: I think it was short-term political expediency from the Cameron and May years, with George Osborne as ever being very, very pound-foolish  on energy security.

Investing a little bit today to reap huge benefits tomorrow  I think if George Osborne had been a farmer he would never have bought any plant seed because it was unnecessary expenditure, oblivious to the harvest that would be coming from that.

Asked if scrutiny in terms of drawing the publics attention to the importance of energy security had been sufficient in recent years, he said: Quite obviously not. Hopefully it will in the future.

Mr MacNeil is familiar with energy and climate policy, having served for a time as chairman of the Energy and Climate Change Committee, which was originally set up in 2009 and dissolved when that department merged with business and industrial strategy in 2016 under former prime minister Theresa May.

He said there had since been a rude awakening on the importance of energy security.

He told PA: Perhaps the Ukraine war tells us another thing about energy. This energy crisis has not been because forms of energy have run out.

He went on: It may come to it at another point in the future where its not any sort of man-made constraint or conflict-made constraint, but its natural constraint  the stuff isnt there.

And so the more sustainable you look to make your energy supply, and the more renewable, the less of a problem you might have in the future.

So you might be able to look at this moment in history as being a sort of warning shot as to what might happen in the future when there are genuine difficulties around energy.

Im not saying that war isnt a genuine difficulty, but what Im saying is that there has been a constraint on energy that has been created by the war, there may be a constraint in the future thats created just by the availability of our energy.

One possible place to start looking for more alternatives to fossil fuels could be his own constituency of Na h-Eileanan an Iar, Gaelic for the Western Isles, which he describes as probably the Saudi Arabia of wind energy and renewable energy.

Addressing the Governments 2050 net-zero target, he said he did not want to be presumptuous on the adequacy or likelihood of reaching it, but said: We havent had a department for energy for about seven years. Thats only four seven-year periods to 2050. Its not a long time.
The British public has been urged to be vigilant amid a sharp rise in modern slavery and more cases of organ harvesting under investigation.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, the Mets modern slavery and child exploitation lead, issued the warning after the first successful prosecution for trafficking a victim to the UK for his body part.

Wealthy Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and medical middleman Obinna Obeta were each jailed for their attempt to procure a poor street trader from Lagos for a kidney transplant for the couples daughter Sonia.

Despite being turned down as a donor by the Royal Free Hospital in London, the crime only came to light when the 21-year-old victim ran away and walked into Staines Police Station.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy (centre) speaking to the media outside the Old Bailey, in central London (James Manning/PA)

On Friday, Ike Ekweremadu was jailed for nine years and eight months; Beatrice Ekweremadu for four years and six months; and Obeta for 10 years in a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey.

Afterwards, Mr Furphy said criminal exploitation of adults had soared by 30% in the last 12 months.

Sexual exploitation of female victims increased by around 24% and domestic servitude rose by 12% in the same period.

The senior officer said: The trajectory of modern slavery crimes shows very little signs of slowing down.

They are making millions and millions and millions a year, every year, most of which is transported to other parts of Europe and further afield.

Its in our communities, its in the services that we use.

Its in the industry that builds road networks, buildings, or houses.

Its in the beauty industry.

Its in the sex industry.

My advice is to be vigilant, to report even if its just a suspicion that you think somethings not quite right.

Dont think a tiny bit of information or intelligence is insignificant, you never know that might just break the back of an organized crime group that are exploiting people.

We use all methods available to us to protect the vulnerable and reduce the harm in Londons communities.

At all times we put the victim first. Theyre often very scared, abused, malnourished, wary of authorities due to the extreme nature of their ordeal.

The victim in this particular case was vulnerable, given his economic circumstances, aggravated further by significant wealth and political influence of those who have now been convicted.

It sounds like something from fiction, from a book or a movie.

Well, let me tell you: the abuse of power and wealth by these people over a vulnerable young man, its astonishing.

Bringing the first successful prosecution was his proudest moment.

Paying tribute to the young victim, he said: His bravery has given strength to others.

And now this is not the only case of organ harvesting under investigation.

A view of the Royal Free Hospital teaching hospital in the Hampstead area of the London Borough of Camden. (Jonathan Brady/PA)

Detective Sergeant Andy Owen described how the victim had turned up at the police station with only a mobile phone with no sim card, a toothbrush and scant clothes.

Over eight hours of interviews, he gave an account of how he was picked up in Lagos while selling phone accessorises from a wheelbarrow and brought to the UK.

He fled in fear for his life after over-hearing a plan to take him back to Nigeria for the procedure after the transplant plan in London failed.

Further inquiries led to Ike Ekweremadu, Nigerias deputy Senate president, as sponsor for the young mans travel.

Fearing that the Ekweremadus may never return to the UK, investigators prepared to wait years until they learned the couple were on a flight to Heathrow on June 21 last year.

The team was scrambled and the Ekweremadus were detained as they stepped off the plane with 30,000 US dollars and Naira, Mr Owen said.

They went on to arrest Sonia Ekweremadu, who was educated in the UK, and identified Obetas address on the Old Kent Road in south London from the victims phone.

A search of Obetas home uncovered the victims birth certificate and a fake High Court affidavit stating the victim and Sonia were biological cousins.

Detective Inspector Esther Richardson said it was a challenge preparing for trial with no case law to work with.

She said: This crime type sees rich and powerful people looking to exploit for vulnerable people for their organs.

And we suspect that this happens across the world.

Our victim was a commodity.

And this was a transactional process, just like any drugs or firearms deal.

This type of crime is facilitated by organised criminal networks.

The tragedy of this is that it appeared that the welfare and well-being of the victim was of little or no consequence to Sonia getting a kidney.

There was no evidence of any care plan for the victim.

She added: The victim himself showed tremendous courage to come forward and to give evidence against powerful people.

Hes an innocent, young and naive man.

Having never been on a flight, he was petrified that the plane would fall from the sky.

When he fled Obinna Obetas flat in London, he slept on the streets, fearing that snakes might bite him.

Our victim is very fearful for his safety, and that of his family back in Nigeria.

He has no-one in the UK, no family, no friends, and hes having to start to rebuild his life from scratch.

He is one of hundreds of modern slavery victims to be helped by a navigator through the Justice and Care Programme.

With navigator support, 90% of victims choose to and remain engaged with police investigations compared to just 44% without.

Programme co-ordinator Julie Currie explained: They will have been told by their exploiters that they will not be believed, that they should fear the police and authorities or that their families will be harmed if they speak to police.

All of these things are barriers to a victim speaking out.

And it is the job of the navigator with the police to help break down those barriers and build up the confidence that any victim is going to need to go through the judicial process.
People faced challenges in casting their vote and some were turned away due to a lack of accepted ID, according to the elections watchdog.

John Pullinger, who chairs the Electoral Commission, said he witnessed people being stopped from voting and added there is a need to get underneath the issues that led to such a situation.

The commission will collect data and details from polling station staff, parties, campaigners, tellers and observers, Mr Pullinger said.

A survey of those who voted and those who did not will also be carried out, he added.

Mr Pullinger said the commission will publish an initial analysis in June, adding: We will do a really detailed full report in September that will have recommendations on what we need to do about any challenges that people faced.

On Thursday, voters in local elections across England were required for the first time to show photo identification before collecting their ballot paper.

Passports, driving licences and blue badges are among the IDs permitted, as are the free certificates that could be applied for ahead of the vote.

But the move has been widely criticised, with concerns expressed of voter disenfranchisement.

Mr Pullinger told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: Firstly we do need to gather data before we get a really proper picture of the impact of voter ID, but I was out and about yesterday and I saw people being turned away and we know some people were unable to cast their vote because they didnt have the right documents.

Everyone who has the right to vote should be able to cast their vote and we need to get underneath the challenges that they have faced.

On whether to widen the number of accepted forms of ID, Mr Pullinger said: Once weve done our assessment therell be the chance for politicians to make a view as to whether something should be changed or not.

The requirement for voter ID was already in place in Northern Ireland and, from October, the condition will be extended to UK general elections as well.

Professor Sir John Curtice (Strathclyde University)

Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice said the limited evidence so far does not suggest the introduction of photo ID to vote caused a major problem.

The political academic cited four pieces of data, including a sample of results indicating turnout is only very slightly down on 2019, 2021 and 2022.

He said there doesnt seem to be any clear relationship between the proportion of people who do not have a passport and falling turnout.

The Labour Party are if anything doing better in wards where turnout fell more rather than where it fell less, he added.

In Maidstone, he said, evidence suggests 22 out of a total of 137 people who were initially turned away without the required ID did not return to cast their votes.

He told the PA news agency: I will suggest to you the facts I have given you do not clearly provide evidence that would immediately make you jump to the conclusion that this has been something that has a) caused a major problem and b) has disadvantaged the Labour Party.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris defended the change (Liam McBurney/PA)

The Government defended the changes to the voting process.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the big problems critics warned of did not materialise, adding: I think most people have just taken to it as you would expect them to.

He told Sky News: Its a thoroughly good thing, it means that you can be completely sure that your elections are well tested and safe.

And I dont think, actually, considering this is a relatively big change for our politics in England, that theres been any of the big problems that people warned might come from this.

The change was piloted regionally before the national rollout for Thursdays elections.

The policy is opposed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party whereas the Government argues the change is required to reduce electoral fraud.

Tom Brake, of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups against the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, said: Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

On Thursday, more than 8,000 council seats were being contested across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being selected in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.
Cinco de Mayo is a cultural phenomenon in the United States, and a time to celebrate Mexican culture. However, in addition to a celebration, the holiday also has historical significance.

This year, Cinco de Mayo, which translates from Spanish to the fifth of May, falls on Friday 5 May 2023.

From the origin of the holiday to the different ways it is celebrated, this is everything you need to know about Cinco de Mayo.

What is Cinco de Mayo?

People often mistake Cinco de Mayo for a celebration of Mexican independence, which not correct.

Rather, the holiday celebrates a failed French invasion after a fledgling Mexican state defaulted on debt payments to European governments.

In 1861, Mexico was suffering from financial ruin following years of internal strife. This was exploited by the French President Napoleon III, who thought it would be a good time to try and build an empire in Mexico. Mexico had defaulted on debts with Britain and Spain as well, but those two countries negotiated with the country and withdrew their armed forces.

The French invaded Mexico in late 1861 with well-armed forces and stormed Veracruz, forcing the Mexican government and its forces to retreat into northern Mexico.

Confident of further victories, French forces focused their attention on the city Puebla de Los Angeles. Anticipating the attack, Mexican President Benito Juarez brought together a group of 2,000 men to fight back, many of who were indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry.

When the French finally attacked, on 5 May 1862, the battle lasted from daybreak to early evening. The French ended up retreating after losing almost 500 soldiers, while the Mexican army lost fewer than 100.

Was the battle significant?

Strategically, not really. The battle represented more of a symbolic victory for the Mexican forces and added to the resistance. French forces didnt leave until 1867, after years of fighting.

Mexicans were helped in part by the end of the Civil War, when the US was able to send its own troops to help out its besieged neighbour.

However, that hasnt hindered the holidays popularity, as it has since transformed into a day dedicated to celebeating Mexican culture and heritage.

Does all of Mexico celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

People in Puebla celebrate, as thats where the unlikely victory occurred, but the festivities arent nationwide. Cinco de Mayo isnt a federal holiday so the day is just like any other day for most people in Mexico.

Why is it celebrated in the United States?

The holiday is widely seen as a celebration of Mexican cultural heritage for Americas large Mexican-American population.

Latino activists raised awareness for the holiday in the 1960s. In large part, those early holidays in the US were a forum to celebrate the fact that a group of indigenous people were able to successfully hold back French forces.

The holiday has taken off in the US since then, with people all over the country now fond of celebrating Cinco de Mayo with parades, parties, mariachi music, and traditional Mexican foods.

However, in recent years, efforts have been made to steer the holiday away from consumerism, with major cities now dedicating the day to celebrating the traditions and history of Puebla.

It seems that these efforts are direct responses to the consumerism surrounding Cinco de Mayo, and the commercialisation of Latino culture in the United States, Dr Jessica Lavariega Monforti, the vice provost at California State University, Channel Islands, told The New York Times.

As for Mexican Independence Day, that holiday falls on 16 September.
Courtesy of Andronis Concept

Like every gal with an Instagram account, Santorini, Greece has been on my travel bucket list forever. I mean, who wouldn't be captivated by the island's seemingly never ending staircases, vistas of the stunning deep blue Aegean sea, and ofc all of those viral posts where the wanderer's dress is flowing freely in the breeze?! I've been waiting for my moment and I finally got my chance when I traveled to not one, but two stunning Santorini sister resorts: Andronis Concept and Andronis Arcadia .

Seriously, I have never experienced luxury wellness like this, and I'm pretty sure you haven't either (yes, it's *that* top tier!). My trip was hosted by two of the world's leading wellness expertsMeghan Markle's acupuncturist, Ross J. Barr, and medical doctor, Dr. Zulia Frost, who specializes in innovative therapeutic technologies. What's so cool is that the Andronis Concept resort has several wellness programs so you can live your best blissful (and customized) life, too. Let's get into the deets, shall we?

(FYI: my flights, transfers to and from the airport, accommodations, meals, and scheduled activities were comped in order to write this review.)





Stay

Andronis Concept: First things first: the sunsets are ridiculously beautiful here. I spent the bulk of my time at Andronis Concept in Imerovigli, on one of Santorini's highest points overlooking the gorgeous and seriously calming Aegean sea. There are nine suites and villas to choose from if you make it a girls trip or you're traveling with fam or your S.O. I enjoyed my own cozy suite with a private veranda, infinity pool, and a view of the stunning Santorinis volcanic caldera. The architecture resembled a peaceful cave, which only added to the resort's secluded vibe.

Andronis Arcadia: On day three, I was transferred (via a 15 minute car ride) to Andronis Arcadia, which is more of a lifestyle hotel in the bustling city of Oia. The hotel is known for throwing pool parties during the day and dance parties well into the night and is v much a vibe if you wanna party and meet new people. Youll also be enamored by the vast, indigo-blue skies while youre sipping ice-cold cocktails at the bar.

Courtesy of Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien

Play

Shop: Unfortunately, when I got to Santorini, I discovered that my luggage was left behind in Athens. So what's a fashion girl to do? Shop, duh. While I was on the hunt for the perf looks, I had the pleasure of meeting kind designers and shop owners. And, I found the cutest, chicest outfits for not only my trip, but for events I RSVP'd to back home in NYC. Thankfully, my luggage was returned to me early the next morning!

Explore: All of Santorini is the perfect place to explore (there are so! many! shops!). Just make sure you have the proper shoes, since Santorini is very hilly and there's cobblestone almost everywhere you look. (Yes, I was the girl who wore heels and quickly retreated to my room for sneakers.) Taking walks is one of my favorite past times and it's so much more special when you're in a place where you can get all wide eyed and wander. There was so much freedom in taking my time, smiling at fellow passersby, and looking upTBH, it felt like I was in my own rom-com. Speaking of looking upif you have some time on your hands, the Andronis hotels offer helicopter flights to the Greek islands, wine tours, cooking classes, catamaran sailing, and even scuba diving. Casual, no?

Courtesy of Tarah-Lynn Saint-Elien

Bustling Nightlife: And of course, you can party it up downtown or even at the Andronis Arcadia hotel. The bar at Pacman is where all the action happens. If music is your thing, then you need to check out the epic music events they host. As for drinks: I sipped on an amaretto sour but I heard the bartenders make mouthwatering juices in-house if you're hoping for a mocktail.

Relax

Andronis Concept has a cool, "do what you please" vibe. It was liberatingespecially, as an editor on a press tripto be able to rest. I lounged, read a book poolside, ordered a Black Angus burger and fries, journaledwhatever I had to do to give myself a break. This trip showed me how fast-paced life really is back at home, so it felt good to hit pause. And as a content creator, sure, I captured moments, but the atmosphere there was too peaceful to miss out on so I didn't post a thing until after the trip was over.





Spa Treatments: As they say, "health is wealth" so you'll be feeling rich after a curated visit to Kallos Spa by Andronis Concept Wellness Resort. The three pillars of the Andronis Concept wellness model is: "be destressed," "be rested," and "be balanced." Plus, they've got a special scent for every pillar! When it was time for my revitalizing spa experience, I chose a full body massage where I was lathered with rosemary, lavender, and lemongrass. There are also activities like aerial yoga, sound bath sessions, and more if you're into that.

Private Sessions with Wellness Experts: Wellness is a lifestyle and is all about doing the things that benefit you. That's def not a one-size-fits all kinda situation, which is why the wellness team at Andronis Concept is all about hearing out your story and needs. Both of my consultations with Dr. Zulia Frost and Ross Barr were uniquely intimate and helped release a load of tension. It was my first time trying both acupuncture (I was knocked out after a few pokes!) and embracing a bio-energy technology. Seriously, my sessions with the practitioners were my favorite part! While "wellness" is trendy now, Frost, Barr, and Carla Frost (the Director of Spa and Wellness) have been putting in work in this industry and they're making waves.

Painting: After my massage, I had some alone time and channeled my inner Picasso (I was given my own easel and everything). The receptionist led me to their activities area and set me up with paint, brushes, and a blank canvas, and I took about 15 minutes to create my own masterpiece.

Pool: Afterwards, I got into their rejuvenating cave pool, which aims to recapture the healing mineral properties of the Aegean sea.

Eat

Throubi: There's only one restaurant at Andronis Concept, making it extremely easy to figure out where to go and what to eat. I enjoyed private dining at Throubi, a restaurant that boasts floor-to-ceiling windows and serves nutritional meals that make you feel alive. I had my fill of tasty steaks and endless options of authentic wines from around the world. But I mean, why not go Greek? There are flavors from all across several islands.

Pacman Sunset Restaurant: My favorite dinner had to be at Arcadia's sunset restaurant, Pacman (Wondering how they came up with that name? Same! So I asked.) Pacman is inspired by the Japanese expression Paku-paku, which is translated to I'm chewing. The vibes are immaculate thereI enjoyed great tunes, yummy sushi, and Mediterranean food like Santorinian white eggplant, Beluga Caviar, and so much more. As they were serving me good eats, I was serving looks, natually. Here's what I wore our final night:

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Spain's Queen Letizia is in London for King Charles's coronation! The Spanish queen and her husband, King Felipe, have arrived at Buckingham Palace for a reception for overseas guests.

Shop Now Gathered Melange Midi Dress $212.00 modaoperandi.com

To the event, the ever-stylish Queen Letizia opted for a chartreuse dress by British designer (and former Spice Girl!) Victoria Beckham. To accessorize, the royal chose a diamond bow brooch, a single bracelet, and navy pumps. She wore her hair down in a sleek, straight style. The green midi dress is from the brand's Spring Summer 2023 runway collection.

"The British designer decamped to Paris for the first time to show her Spring 23 collectionand elevated her vision to meet the standards of Parisian excellence," Moda Operandi writes of the piece. "Her signature balance of masculine tailoring and sensual, quietly empowering femininity returns with fresh romance and edge. This A-line midi dress is gathered along the front and features short flounce sleeves."

Chris Jackson - Getty Images

The British brand is a nice nod to this weekend's festivities; Queen Letizia often choses to wear local designers on her engagements. In fact, Victoria Beckham herself is rumored to be in attendance tomorrow for the coronation, alongside her husband David Beckham.



The Spanish Queen has been on a style streak lately. Earlier this week, she wore a royal red Carolina Herrera gown with the Spanish floral tiara for a State Visit of the Colombian president to Spain.

Carlos Alvarez - Getty Images

All eyes will certainly be on what Queen Letizia choses to wear tomorrow morning for the main event.

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The Biden administration is about to shift how migration is handled at the U.S. borders because  once again  Americans have no meaningful immigration legislation from Congress.

Next week the administration will stop using Title 42, the health law imposed during the coronavirus pandemic to control migration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In its place, the administration will revert to Title 8, the nations immigration law.

Meanwhile, little is expected from a divided Congress, beyond legislation focused on enforcement and meant more for what was happening on the border a decade ago.

A Colombian migrant who tried to evade U.S. Border Patrol is patted down near the port of entry in Hidalgo, Texas, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Veronica G. Cardenas / AP)

Congress makes the laws, and they deserve some of the blame here. I dont expect much from them at this point based on what weve seen for the last two decades, said David Bier, the associate director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank.

President Joe Biden has been readying for the shift with other tools, including setting up processing centers in Guatemala and Colombia where people can apply for asylum before they come to the southern border. The administration also is requiring people to use a computer app to make appointments to request entry. It has turned to U.S. sponsors and focused on reuniting families, provided humanitarian parole to some fleeing Haiti and Latin America and forged agreements with other countries, including Mexico.

"They are relying a little more on processing or allowing people to apply for some form of asylum or humanitarian parole before people get to the border," said Theresa Cardinal Brown, a senior adviser for immigration and border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank. "The past administration wouldn't have done that. It would have just tried to prevent asylum."

There is a collective breath-holding at the moment about what will follow once Title 42 disappears. What is certain is that politicians will use it as a talking point to cast blame as the transition happens.

But absent any congressional action for decades, immigration policy has largely fallen to the executive branch, leading to inconsistent crisis response policies. Aspects of such policies often are litigated in courts, making them temporary.

Colombian migrants that were trying to evade the U.S. Border Patrol wait to be processed near the port of entry in Hidalgo, Texas (Veronica G. Cardenas / AP)

Congress has focused mainly on enforcement, which fails to deal with the fact that the current system of deterrence, designed to stop single adults from Mexico crossing the border illegally, wasnt built for the wave of asylum-seekers arriving at the border from throughout the world, Cardinal Brown said.

You cant rely just on deterrence. You cant rely on messaging. Its got to be a fulsome strategy here, and I think what weve had for too long is this debate over shut it all down and just stop people from coming in  or everybody deserves a chance to ask and our system cant. Neither of those is the right answer. It has to be somewhere in between all those things, she said.

The number of people crossing initially dropped when Title 42 was rolled out. But when it was launched, people had stopped moving globally because of the pandemic, and there were few jobs to be had in the U.S. with everything closed, said Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. Within three months, U.S. border arrivals and arrests had returned to pre-Title 42 levels, he said.

More expulsions  and more repeated border crossings

We had a whole new set of problems at the border that we havent seen since before the Great Recession, and those are people repeatedly crossing and getting caught under Title 42 and being returned to Mexico and then trying again, Alden said.

The problem has been that, unlike Title 8, the regular immigration law, Title 42 doesn't punish people who repeatedly cross the border.

As a result, more people who have been turned away have crossed again, particularly single adults. In 2019, about 20% of single adults from Mexico and the Northern Triangle had been arrested previously. Under Title 42, nearly half were, according to an analysis Bier published in December.

The number who were detected entering the country illegally but weren't arrested  known as "gotaways"  grew from 12,500 a month in 2019 to more than 50,000 a month last year, Bier found.

Title 42 basically prohibits people from requesting asylum in the United States. Thats the teeth of the policy, Bier said. But because Title 42 blocked people from applying legally to enter the country at ports of entry, the only way to get in was to try to bypass Border Patrol and sneak in. It also didnt deter those who never intended to seek asylum, he said.

From a security perspective, it got all the incentives backwards. It created a situation where weve never seen this much evasion at the border in the last two decades, he said.

According to Biers analysis of border data, 91% of the people expelled in October were single adults from Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Mexico, Honduras and El Salvador.

Bier also found that even though Title 42 targeted those groups, the number of single adults arriving from those countries quadrupled, from an average of 21,000 a month to nearly 80,000 a month.

Some of the most sensational images from the border came in Del Rio, Texas, when hundreds of Haitians were being rounded up by Border Patrol agents on horseback swinging leather reins to force them back across the river. After an outcry, the administration began making exceptions to Title 42 for Haitians, allowing them to request asylum at ports of entry, as had been allowed pre-Title 42.

A man carries a child on his shoulders as Haitian migrants cross the Rio Grande river between Mexico and Del Rio, Texas, on Sept. 23, 2021. (Pedro Pardo / AFP via Getty Images)

When we started to hand out more exceptions to Title 42 at ports of entry for Haitians, the number crossing illegally went way down. We went from 99% [Haitians] crossing illegally to 99% entering legally in an orderly manner, Bier said. Thats a huge change from a few months prior, when we had the Del Rio fiasco.

No 'consistent' policies

As with Haitians, the administration has also made exceptions to Title 42 for Venezuelans, Cubans and Nicaraguans, allowing up to 30,000 people a month from the four countries to apply for humanitarian parole, which allows them to work in the U.S. for two years.

But a group of Republican states is in court to try to stop the administration from using the parole program for them. If it succeeds and Title 42 is gone, Mexico is likely to stop taking deportees, and we will see more of them arriving at the border, Cardinal Brown said.

Maybe the principle is the president shouldnt be able to do this with his parole authority  but I think thats one of the reasons why the tools that different administrations have are not up to the task, she said. With executive branch policies stopped or delayed through court action, it's almost impossible to create policies consistent enough to affect migrant arrivals over a longer period of time, she said.

As the Trump administration did, the Biden administration has been securing cooperative agreements with Central and South American countries, exchanging visas for their citizens and helping manage their migration issues  such as helping Colombia with Venezuelan refugees  in exchange for enforcement in places like the treacherous Darien Gap, a geographic region between Colombia and Panama that tens of thousands of migrants cross on treks to the U.S. border.

What the administration is trying to do is recognize this is a hemispheric issue, Cardinal Brown said, including cooperative agreements similar to those used by Trump but that are a little larger in ambition.

There are enforcement aspects to the post-Title 42 plan. People who cross the border illegally are ineligible to apply for asylum and are deportable.

With Title 8 in place, anyone trying to re-enter after deportation faces fines and jail time and is ineligible to apply to legally enter for three to 10 years.

'People hate it from both sides'

Alden, of the Council on Foreign Relations, said that given the impossibility of Congress' doing anything that addresses the current immigration flows, the administration has devised the most serious plan of any administration to try to deal with asylum. But he also said there could well be chaos on the border for months given the backlog of people who want to request asylum.

If there is a sense that things are chaotic at the border, support for tougher border measures go up, but if the administration opens up asylum to whomever wants it, political support disappears, he said.

Republicans dont like the humanitarian parole part and so are challenging it in court, and Democrats dislike the denial of asylum for those who cross illegally, he said.

I think the Biden administration is trying to walk this line, and its the only line that has some plausible hope of working, Alden said. "As a result, people hate it from both sides."

CORRECTION (May 5, 2023, 10:07 a.m. ET): An earlier version of this article misstated the name of an organization. It is the Council on Foreign Relations, not the Council on Foreign Policy.
New bodycam footage shows Bryan Kohberger being pulled over by police almost exactly one month before he is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in an attack that sent shockwaves across America.

In the footage, the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD student is seen going on the defence when a female officer carries out a traffic stop on 14 October.

The video, released by WSU on Thursday, shows the officer approaching Mr Kohbergers white Hyundai Elantra  the same vehicle which was at the centre of a six-week manhunt to find the college killer.

She tells Mr Kohberger that she pulled him over for running a red light at the intersection.

The 28-year-old accused killer is somewhat argumentative, pushing back on the officers version of events and asking a series of questions about the law in Pennsylvania.

What actually happened is I was stuck in the middle of the intersection, he says.

So I was forced to go to the left.

The officer tells him that drivers are not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then youre stuck in the intersection.

Mr Kohberger tells the officer that he is not familiar with driving in Washington state as he is from a rural part of Pennsylvania and asks her to explain the rules to him.

Can you explain that to me a little bit further? he asks.

So in Pennsylvania, when youre stuck in an intersection, you have to make the left. What would the appropriate thing for me to have done been?

The officer explains: Youre not supposed to block an intersection like that in Washington.

At the end of the minutes-long interaction, Mr Kohberger apologises for asking too many questions.

Bryan Kohberger goes on the defence as he is pulled over by female officer (WSU Police)

I do apologise if I was asking you too many questions about the law, he says.

The officer says she is letting him off with a warning.

Almost exactly one month later  on 13 November  Mr Kohberger allegedly murdered Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, that the three women shared with two surviving students.

Over a month later on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania and charged with their murders.

WSU police also released bodycam footage on Thursday of the search warrant being executed on the suspects apartment in Pullman, Washington, on the day of his arrest.

The footage shows officers stating their presence outside the property and serving the warrant but does not capture the search once the officers enter.

Mr Kohberger was not present at the time as he had travelled cross-country with his father in the white Hyundai Elantra in mid-December to spend the holidays at his family home in Albrightsville, close to the Poconos Mountains.

New details also emerged about what was found during that search of his apartment and at a storage unit rented by Mr Kohberger.

The newly-released court documents show that two items found in his apartment tested positive for blood.

The two items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which had visible reddish brown stains.

The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (Jazzmin Kernodle)

Multiple other items seized from the apartment were also tested for blood but came back negative.

Investigators seized a string of items from his home including possible human and animal hair strands, a disposable glove and a computer.

The murder weapon  a fixed-blade knife  was not recovered during the searches and it has still never been found.

However, the affidavit, released in January, revealed that Mr Kohbergers DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the scene of the murders.

It also revealed that his white Hyundai Elantra was caught on surveillance footage at the crime scene and that one of the surviving roommates came face to face with the killer  masked, dressed in head to toe black and with bushy eyebrows  as he left the home in the aftermath of the murders.

It is still unclear what connection the WSU PhD student had to the University of Idaho students  if any  prior to the horror attack.

As a criminal justice PhD student at WSU, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there that summer, having just completed his first semester before his arrest.

Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves pictured together before their murders (Instagram)

Before this, he studied criminology at DeSales University  first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022.

While there, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

He also carried out a research project to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.

Now, the criminology PhD student is set to appear in Latah County Courthouse in Idaho for his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

He is facing life in prison or the death penalty for the murders that have rocked the small college town of Moscow and hit headlines around the globe.
Recent advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI) have caught the attention of the tech and business community, and Apple CEO Tim Cook is no exception. Generative AI tools like ChatGPT have gained public attention but have also faced criticism due to safety risks.

Apple CEO Tim Cook states that AI will eventually affect every service and product that we have. Cook adds that AI will become a major focus at Apple due to its incredible features that can enrich customers' lives.

Tim Cook's Comments On AI's Popularity

During Apple's quarterly earnings call, Swiss Credit's Shannon Cross asked Tim Nook about how Apple feels about 'generative AI' since it's become such a hot topic. Tim Cook states that he wouldn't comment on product roadmaps but praises the potential of AI and ChatGPT, calling it "very interesting."

However, he adds that it is also essential to be thoughtful and deliberate regarding how AI is used. Business leaders, like Elon Musk, have also called out to developers to pause their training of AI models by citing potential safety risks.

Cook pointed out that Apple has already integrated AI and machine learning across several of its services and products. Apple used AI in features such as crash detection, fall detection, and the Apple Watch's electrocardiogram (ECG) feature that allows users to record their heartbeat and rhythm.

The Apple CEO states, "These things are not only great features, but they're also saving people's lives out there." Cook declined to get more specific about their plans for implementing AI, but they will continue to invest in related technologies for Apple products.

Related Article: Apple Blocks Update To Email App With ChatGPT Tech

Siri Lags Behind Competition

Despite what Cook said, the AI situation inside Apple is not very favorable for those working in the Siri and AI teams. Even Apple employees do not favor Siri and agree that Apple's virtual assistant is not as good as its competitors, especially against OpenAI's ChatGPT technology.

According to New York Times, the excitement surrounding chatbots shows how Siri and other voice assistants have "squandered their lead in the AI race."

Employees at Apple have stated that Siri's database has become "clunky." It can take weeks to update Siri with new "basic features."

Siri lags behind their major competitors, and part of this is due to Apple's concerns about privacy. OpenAI relies on collecting as much data as it can, while Siri and other AI-based features only rely on data locally on Apple devices.

Due to this, Apple has been losing its key AI and machine learning developers and engineers to Google and other big companies.

Apple's employees have criticized Siri's shortcomings and have proposed a number of large language model improvements that they hope to launch in an iOS version next year.

It's unclear whether Apple plans to introduce its own generative AI service at WWDC 2023 in June. However, it's unlikely that Apple will launch a chatbot competitor in the next term considering recent reports.

Read Also: What are the Top 5 ChatGPT Alternatives for 2023?
Sen. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., warned this week that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using artificial intelligence to stoke disinformation globally through "deep fakes."

"The CCP will stop at nothing to sow chaos and confusion within our country and around the world." Ricketts said at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing. "Deep fakes are the newest chapter in disinformation operations used to weaken the United States and our allies. We must remain vigilant. We must develop a cross-government strategy to combat these threats."

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"Deep fake" technology uses artificial intelligence to create falsified videos, often of celebrities or famous politicians. Ricketts cited one example of the danger of deep fakes as a viral video last year of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy surrendering to Russia.

The CCP, Ricketts said, is certain to use this deceptive artificial intelligence to confuse the American public.

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"Theyve become a global leader in artificial intelligence and they have been developing for a long time now something called deep fake' technology, which has progressed along to the point where they are able to use AI to distort public figures," Ricketts said.

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Vice President Kamala Harris met with tech executives at Microsoft, Google and OpenAI to discuss artificial intelligence Thursday.

Vice President Kamala Harris met with tech executives at Microsoft, Google and OpenAI to discuss artificial intelligence Thursday. The meeting came as the White House announced its plan to promote the "responsible" use of artificial intelligence that included government-funded research, federal agency plans, and cooperation among tech companies.

The White House released an "AI Bill of Rights" last year to address potential discrimination and biases from artificial intelligence.
Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex leaves from the Royal Courts of Justice, Britain's High Court, in central London in March. (Justin Tallis / AFP via Getty Images)

For the record:

1:03 p.m. May 5, 2023: An earlier version of this column said Prince Harry and wife Meghans son, Archie, was born in California. He was born in London.



There won't be a HarryCam at the coronation of King Charles III in Westminster Abbey on Saturday  even though much of the world may be tuning in for a glimpse of the Duke of Sussex.

On the day of Charles' long-awaited glory, the man whos had the longest wait to become Britains king may have to share the front pages with every little twitch and shrug of his own discontented younger son sitting somewhere in the church  but where? And sitting with whom? Is Harry catching his fathers eye? Avoiding his brothers? Shades of Charles late ex-wife, Diana, whose glamour and drama overshadowed Charles the prince.

In a TV interview, Harry recalled that Charles once begged his sons: Please, boys, don't make my last years a misery."

But isn't that part of the public's fascination?

More than three years after Harry and Meghans uncoupling from the royal family, and their launch of charitable undertakings and money-making projects  a tell-all book, TV programs, and launching it all, that Oprah Winfrey interview  the Sussexes are now self-exiled in Montecito with their children, Archie and Lilibet.

Their fans and supporters regard them as heroic figures  wronged by a racist family and nation  for revealing ugly things about the royals, naming names and incidents.

Their critics find them to be whingeing  that British word for whining  and acting impetuously, putting the worst spin on things, when they might instead have used their global profile to leverage change within the family and the institution that is the House of Windsor. They might have become a kind of viceroy and vicereine to the British Commonwealth nations, whose populations are largely people of color, and which are deciding whether to stay in the British family under King Charles III.

But two things are simultaneously possible: that the Sussexes are right in many of their critiques of retrograde ideas and practices in the royal family and the royal firm, and that their critics are also right about them being tiresome, preachy, impatient, and oversharing."

There's more polling about the popularity of Harry and Meghan than about some presidential candidates. One week their positives are up a bit; the next week, they're down. At the moment, that percentage is consistently below 50% except among some Americans and younger people in general. Among senior royals, only the disgraced Prince Andrew ranks lower, significantly so.

Joe Little, the managing editor of Britains Majesty magazine, said that Britons over 40 are deeply disappointed in the Sussexes and think they were disrespectful to the elderly queen, but the under-30s think the Sussexes were treated badly by the royals. As a consequence these younger Britons think less of the monarchy itself, a red flag for the new king. Still, Little says, it's a wise move on Harry's part to be there on his father's big day. Whether that leads to further restoration of normality, who knows. It's a step in the right direction."

Prince Harry will be attending Saturdays coronation without his wife, who chose to stay home for the fourth birthday of their son, Prince Archie.

Andrew Morton, the author of the original explosive royal tell-all, Diana: Her True Story and The Queen: Her Life, says the birthday party is a way of absolving Meghan from coming to the function. I think its one up from Shes washing her hair. 

What Harry does or doesnt do at the coronation affects the family, but not the monarchy, Morton says. The chain-reaction that Queen Elizabeth IIs sister, Margaret, set in motion at Elizabeths coronation in 1953 was far more dangerous a precedent than the fact that Harry said his brother was not nice to him one day.

The photo of Princess Margaret flicking a piece of fluff off the lapel of the divorced commoner she was secretly in love with put the young monarchy in crisis: Should the young princess be allowed to marry the man she wanted against the beliefs of the head of the Church of England  her own sister? Or keep Margaret from following her heart? (The couple did not marry; instead Margaret married Anthony Armstrong-Jones, who was later created Earl of Snowdon.)

Millions will be watching Harry  his arrival, his precedence, whether he bows to the new king and the queen he accuses of throwing him and his wife to the media wolves, whether hes invited onto the Buckingham Palace balcony and if he is, whether he will take a pass. There always will be people who think that Harry was done badly by, says Morton, but there will also be people who think Harry and Meghan went too far in the criticism of the individuals and the institution.

Comparisons have been made to the Duke of Windsor, who was King Edward VIII when he abdicated in 1936 to marry a twice-divorced American woman, Wallis Simpson. But that was a shattering constitutional crisis because he was the king, something Harry will never be. Wallis was not invited to the funerals of the abdicated kings brother, George VI, nor his mothers, Queen Mary. Windsor did attend, and hurried right back to his wife afterward, as Harry is expected to do. Meghan was invited to both the Queens funeral and the coronation.

If anything, Morton says, Harrys whistle-stop presence is a sign that Great Britain Inc. is very much in the rearview mirror of TRH Meghan and Harry.

Sally Bedell Smith is the bestselling biographer of Queen Elizabeth II, and of Charles as Prince of Wales, and her current book is George VI and Elizabeth: the Marriage That Saved the Monarchy. People will be watching for Harry, she says, "lip-readers, body language experts. He wont be going anywhere near William and Kate and the kids.

But Smith, adds, "Therell be a shock at his arrival, but hes not going to be coming in the Great West Door with the King and Queen and the Waleses. That procession is for working members of the royal family. "Instead, hell likely come and go with his cousins, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, Smith said.

Even as a nonworking royal, Harry is still a counsellor of state to the new king, part of an advisory group/ cabinet. Hell be part of the family, but he will have no special role," Smith says. "Even if he were still a working royal he wouldnt have any particular role in the coronation. She expects a bigger fuss over Prince George as a royal page, and whether his mother, the Princess of Wales, wears a tiara or a crown of flowers, and whether other ladies follow suit in one of these few big opportunities to get out the wonderful headpieces locked away in their vaults.

Special correspondent Christina Boyle in London contributed to this report.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
After Miami Beach voters rejected a proposal in November by billionaire developer and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to exceed building-size regulations for a condo and hotel project at the former Deauville Beach Resort site, Ross began wondering if the city could hold another referendum on the matter this year.

He raised the idea last month at a meeting with Miami Beach Mayor Dan Gelber, who directed city staff to ask Miami-Dade Countys elections department if and when they could hold a special election. The department said it could accommodate a mail-only election in July.

He and his team wanted to know what the possibilities might be, Gelber said of Ross. Im hoping theyre thinking about it, because Lord knows an empty lot is a drain on that community economically.

Now, it appears voter approval wont be necessary  or even allowed  for the project to move forward.

Under legislation passed by the Florida Senate and House and expected to be signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, voter referendums related to land development regulations like the Deauville item would be against the law.

Making changes to such regulations would fall squarely on local governments  in the case of Miami Beach, requiring a recommendation by the Planning Board and approval by five of seven city commissioners.

You should not govern by referendum, state Rep. Vicki Lopez, a Republican whose district includes Key Biscayne and parts of Miami, said before voting for the bill Tuesday.

The legislation could also have a major impact in Key Biscayne, which has had a requirement since 2007 that voters approve any text amendments to the zoning code or other land-development regulations. Those types of issues would appear to fall under the Legislatures new ban.

Key Biscayne officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A proposal for voter approval for zoning changes in Pinecrest was rejected by voters in March.

Easier road for developers?

An attorney for Ross, former Miami Beach Mayor Neisen Kasdin, told the Miami Herald on Tuesday that there is nothing in the works on a potential special election for the Deauville site.

Later on Tuesday, the bill, which had passed in the Senate by a 35-4 vote, was approved in the House, 91-26.

Representatives for Ross did not respond to questions about whether the legislation played a role in his apparent decision not to pursue a special election.

Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, left, speaks to the Miami Beach City Commission on July 20, 2022, as architect Frank Gehry listens before the start of a presentation regarding development of the historic Deauville site.

The bill expands on existing language that prohibits referendums on development permit orders and another provision preventing referendums on comprehensive plan and zoning map amendments unless such votes are expressly authorized in a local charter that was in effect on June 1, 2011.

The expansion will seemingly put an end to Miami Beach ballot questions that ask voters to allow increased floor-area ratio (FAR)  a metric used to regulate building size  beyond current regulations. Such questions are common in Miami Beach, where a voter referendum is required for developers to exceed FAR limits. There were three such questions, including the Deauville item, on the ballot last November.

Now it would be even more important for folks to elect people based on their positions on development issues, said Daniel Ciraldo, executive director of the Miami Design Preservation League.

The bill could also potentially allow Miami Beach elected officials to limit the powers of the citys Historic Preservation Board or lower preservation standards, matters that fall under the citys land development regulations and have previously required a voter referendum.

Miami Beach City Attorney Rafael Paz said his office is still analyzing the legislation and preparing a memo about the expected impacts.

Preservation advocates and city officials have been focused in recent weeks on a different bill that would have gutted local governments ability to protect historic structures. Sponsors said Thursday that bill was dead for this year.

Meanwhile, the attempt to restrict voter input on development matters has flown under the radar. The language was originally part of a different bill, SB 856, which was pulled in late March by its sponsor, state Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez, R-Doral, amid a lack of support.

But in late April, Rodriguez inserted the language into an unrelated bill pertaining to annexation procedures, where it was ultimately approved.

It seems like theres an attempt at the state level to remove the voters voice, said Ciraldo, which is alarming.
Georgias 2024 presidential primaries will place next March 12, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced Thursday.

Georgia is a bellwether state, Raffensperger said during a news conference at the state Capitol, acknowledging the Peach States relatively new status as one of a handful of swing states in national politics. If you can win in Georgia, you will win nationally.

In announcing the mid-March date, Raffensperger  a Republican  rejected a recommendation by the Democratic National Committee late last year that Georgias presidential primaries be moved up to February, which would have made Georgia the fourth state to vote.

Democrats argued an early primary date in Georgia would have added to the diversity of the electorate during the early primaries. Iowa and New Hampshire, currently the first states to hold party caucuses or primaries, are majority white.

Emory University finance professor Thomas More Smith released a study in February that showed early primaries in Georgia could generate nearly $220 million in economic impact.

But Raffensperger said holding the Georgia primaries in mid-March, a week after multiple states vote on Super Tuesday  would work to Georgias advantage both politically and economically.

We believe a March 12 date maximizes Georgias influence and has the greatest economic impact, he said.

Two weeks of early voting will take place prior to the primaries.

Democrat Joe Biden easily won the partys Georgia primary in 2020 with 75% of the vote, building on momentum from his first primary win in South Carolina. Biden then went on to become the first Democrat to carry Georgia since Bill Clinton in 1992 when he narrowly defeated Republican President Donald Trump to win the states 16 electoral votes.

As an incumbent, Trump was unopposed in the 2020 Georgia GOP primary.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., at the Capitol in January. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina is calling on her GOP colleagues to adopt a more centrist approach to abortion ahead of the 2024 election cycle.

I know that if were going to win hearts and minds, we cant be assholes to women, Mace said during an interview with Yahoo News this week. She argued that Republicans should, instead, embrace a more compassionate and compelling message that is both pro-woman and pro-life.

They can do both, she said.

Mace, whose district includes much of South Carolinas East Coast, including Charleston and Hilton Head Island, has been an outspoken proponent within the Republican Party of reproductive rights. She pointed to a string of abortion-related defeats for the GOP since the Supreme Courts decision last spring to overturn Roe v. Wade as proof that abortion is an issue that we have to address head on.

First, there was the wave of successful ballot measures on abortion rights that passed during the 2022 midterm elections, even in traditionally conservative states.

Then last month, Judge Janet Protasiewicz, who campaigned on her support for abortion access, won a hotly contested race for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court by 11%, giving Democrats a majority on the bench in the key swing state and showing, again, that the issue of abortion is top of mind for many voters.

And just last week, South Carolinas state Senate voted 22-21 to reject a near-total abortion ban. It was the third time since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade that a near-total abortion ban has failed to pass in the states GOP-led chamber.

The only five women in the state Senate  three Republicans, one Democrat and one Independent  joined together to lead a multi-day filibuster against the bill. State Sen. Penry Gustafson, a Republican, said that while she is pro-life, she opposed the bill because it left no room for empathy, reality or graciousness.

Its this kind of position that, Mace argues, Republicans would be wise to adopt if they want to win in 2024.

If we just bury our heads in the sand and ignore the issue, we're going to lose and we're going to lose big.

The issue of abortion access is personal for Mace, who was raped when she was 16.

Mace first revealed her traumatic experience to the public in 2019, during a debate over South Carolinas fetal heartbeat bill, when she was serving in the state Legislature.

She told Yahoo News that she hadnt planned to share her story, but she felt compelled to speak out on behalf of victims of rape to ensure that the bill, which banned abortion after six weeks, would include exceptions for victims of rape and incest.

Since then, she said, her own trauma has made me a different type of lawmaker because it really informs everything that I do.

Its why shes currently working on legislation to address the massive backlog of untested rape kits across the United States, and why shes been critical of a recent abortion ban signed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that requires a pregnant person to show proof of rape or incest to qualify for abortion exceptions up until 15 weeks.

Based on her own experience, Mace said thinks the restrictive strings attached to the exceptions are unrealistic.

In terms of reporting it to the police or getting evidence from a hospital, by the time I told my mom I was raped, it was too late, Mace said. Theres no way in hell you wouldve been able to get me to go to the police, no way.

Mace advocating for moderation on abortion issues within the GOP, July 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

The South Carolina congresswoman has championed other issues related to reproductive rights, like access to birth control, and shes been an outspoken critic of a Texas federal judges decision to overturn the decades-old Food and Drug Administration approval of widely used abortion drug, mifepristone.

While she may be a singular voice within her party, Mace notes that shes not alone, pointing to legislation that conservative South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed into law last year, that would give women access to the birth control pill from their pharmacist without having to see a doctor.

She told Yahoo News that shes now working on legislation to cut the time in half and reduce the pricing for self-administered birth control and contraception.

In addition to her own experience, Maces views are shaped by the attitudes of her constituents, which, she said, have shifted in the wake of the Supreme Courts decision on Roe. While she was willing to support her states six-week abortion ban with exceptions in 2019, she now says she thinks the gestational limit on abortion should be 15-20 weeks.

Recognizing this shift is a key part of the approach that Mace argues her party must follow: Be compassionate to women, be pro-life and win resoundingly.

We have to be able to read the room, she said. People arent where they were five years ago.
Just a day after police across the Atlanta area fanned out in search of a man who shot five people at a medical facility, the small town of Moultrie, Georgia experienced a mass shooting.

The man responsible for the shooting has not been named, but is a 26-year-old, according to local officials.

The individual, who died by suicide, shot three other people, including his 50-year-old mother, whom he lived with, and his 74-year-old grandmother, who lived nextdoor, as well as killing a coworker at the McDonalds fast food restaurant where he worked.

Police are holding off identifying those involved in the shooting until next of kin can be contacted.

Thursdays shooting was not the first time police had encountered the gunman, the Associated Press reports.

Jerry Goodwin, who lived next door to the alleged shooter, said police previously were sent to the mans home a day earlier when he came outside, shouted something, and fired a gun.

I had never seen him hurt anybody or try to hurt anybody before this, Mr Goodwin said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting local police with their investigation.

Police presence temporarily shut down traffic in the town of 15,000 residents.

Sadly gun violence in Georgia is nothing new.

The state is among the deadliest for gun violence in the country, according to data.

Georgia ranks 14th in gun violence mortality, according to the CDC, with a death rate of 20.3 deaths per 10,000 people.

The day before the Moultrie shooting took place, Deion Patterson allegedly opened fire at an Atlanta medical facility, killing one and injuring four others, before being captured at a swimming pool in Cobb County.

State officials say mental healthcare is available for residents processing what happened.

Due to the situations that have happened recently as well as concerns of overall mental health, we want to remind community members that Georgia Pines is available to provide services for them, Julio Ginel of Georgia Pines, a state mental health contractor, told The Moultrie Observer.
HHS and its subagency, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services (CMS), have dropped their attempt to force Saint Francis Health System in Oklahoma to extinguish the sanctuary candle in its chapel.

The issue first arose with the Joint Commission (TJC), a hospital accreditor through which Saint Francis is able to gain the ability to serve Medicare, Medicaid, and Childrens Health Insurance Plan patients. After being unable to address the issue with the accreditor, Saint Francis had its appeal for a reasonable accommodation waiver rejected by CMS.

Saint Francis then sent a pre-litigation letter Wednesday through their legal representative, Becket, to both agencies and the accreditor, claiming a violation of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. On Thursday, representatives from CMS and the hospital met and the agency decided to provide the waiver.

This waiver is contingent upon the hospital providing a plan of correction to TJC that includes taking some simple, appropriate steps to mitigate fire risks, explained a CMS official in a letter to the hospital. Once these agreed upon actions have been implemented, CMS will consider this particular matter closed.

In a Friday statement to National Review, Becket senior counsel Lori Windham, who is representing the hospital, said its a good day when a federal agency sees the light.

This should be a reminder that religious freedom is the law. Service to God and the community go hand-in-hand for Saint Francis, and they will continue that service, Windham added.

#BREAKING: The government has seen the light and has abandoned its attempt to force an Oklahoma hospital to blow out a small candle or stop serving elderly, disabled, and low-income patients. @HHSGov has told Saint Francis that it can keep its living flamea sacred candle housed pic.twitter.com/1bkpjqi19M  LoriWindham (@LoriWindham1) May 5, 2023

The sanctuary candle with a living flame had been approved in the past by the local fire marshal. However, this last year, HHS took a different interpretation of the fire-safety regulation, citing a rule having to do with open flames in patients room or near medical equipment.

Windham explained in a previous interview that there isnt a patient room nearby and the candle is not near any medical equipment. Its behind two glass candleholders and has a brass top on top of it, she said.

The Religious Freedom Restoration Act prohibits the federal government from imposing substantial burdens on religious exercise, absent a compelling interest that is furthered through the least restrictive means available.

Windham and her colleagues at Becket were confident they had an airtight case. In the letter they sent earlier this week, the group argued it would constitute a substantial burden on the hospital to choose between worship and serving the elderly and the poor. The living flame is required because the chapel offers the Eucharist.

The letter said that the federal government will fail to prove they had a compelling interest as flames are allowed elsewhere and federal regulators had never brought up concerns before. The letter also noted the government hasnt considered pursuing less restrictive actions at that point, instead threatening severe financial consequences.

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Left: Marchers in Manhattan on Wednesday protest the death of Jordan Neely. Right: Neely is restrained by a passenger on a subway train on Monday. (Jake Offenhartz/AP Photo, Juan Alberto Vazquez/Luces de Nueva York via Storyful)

Activists continue to demand answers after a New York City subway passenger was killed this week by another passengers chokehold after a brief confrontation.

City officials said Wednesday that 30-year-old Jordan Neelys death on Monday afternoon was ruled a homicide from compression of neck (chokehold) after another commuter, later identified as a 24-year-old Marine veteran, clenched his arms around Neelys neck long enough for Neelys body to become limp.

Neely was homeless and a talented Michael Jackson impersonator who in recent years had performed in and around subway stations all over the city.

The veteran was taken into custody for questioning after the incident, but was later released after no charges were filed. The Manhattan district attorney's office said the killing remains under investigation.

Frustrated by what they see as a lack of accountability, dozens of protesters gathered on Wednesday evening at the Broadway-Lafayette station in Manhattan, where Neelys lifeless body had been removed two days prior, chanting, Abolition now! and Justice! Now!

A protest against Neely's death at the Broadway-Lafayette subway station on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jake Offenhartz)

Ravaris Moore, an assistant professor of sociology at New York University  whose research explores inequality at the intersection of race and ethnicity, education, and health  told Yahoo News he cannot make sense of how the encounter turned deadly.

From an ethical standpoint, it is clear that nonviolent erratic behavior should not result in ones death, Moore said.

From a legal standpoint, I do not know how much evidence a good attorney needs to successfully argue that passenger intervention was warranted. There is, however, a clear need to recognize and address this growing space where actions that are framed as arguably legal in the moment are yielding unnecessarily fatal outcomes.

More protests are scheduled across the city on Thursday and Friday as calls mount for District Attorney Alvin Bragg to take action, according to NBC New York. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday called the fatal chokehold a very extreme response and welcomed the DAs investigation.

I'm really pleased that the district attorney is looking into this matter, Hochul said in brief remarks at an unrelated event. As I said, there have to be consequences, and so we'll see how this unfolds  but his family deserves justice.

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., said that Neely had been lynched.

Black men deserve to grow old  not be lynched on a Subway because they were having a mental health crisis, Pressley tweeted on Wednesday. Jordan deserved better.

Heres everything we know about the deadly encounter.

What happened?

According to the New York Daily News, the incident began around 2:30 p.m. on Monday. Thats when Neely boarded an uptown F train and began screaming and yelling at people and acting in a hostile and erratic manner, passengers told police.

I dont have food, I dont have a drink, Im fed up, he screamed, eyewitness Juan Alberto Vazquez told the New York Times. I dont mind going to jail and getting life in prison. Im ready to die.

Neely then began to throw garbage at commuters, passengers said, which prompted an argument between him and the unidentified veteran. A brief confrontation ensued before the veteran came from behind Neely, according to Vazquez, and placed him in a chokehold that lasted 15 minutes.

Vazquez, a freelance journalist, recorded part of the incident and later uploaded it to his Facebook page, Luces de Nueva York. He told the paper that although Neely was behaving in a threatening manner, he did not assault anyone on the train.

New York police officers on Monday at the scene where the confrontation occurred. (Paul Martinka via AP)

Vazquezs video, which is just under four minutes in length, begins with Neely already in a chokehold. Two other men are seen standing around him and the veteran, assisting the veteran in holding down Neely at different times. The video shows Neely flailing while in the hold for at least two minutes before his body stops moving. The veteran continued to hold for at least 45 more seconds.

"I witnessed a murder on the Manhattan subway today," Vazquez wrote on Facebook.

When police arrived, Neely was unresponsive and first responders were unable to revive him. He was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Vazquez told the Times that he is not sure how to think about what the veteran did. He was trying to help, Vazquez said.

Reactions to the killing

Shortly after video of Neelys killing went viral on social media Wednesday morning, New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a statement that the death is evidence that his policy to remove the houseless and mentally ill from the subway is the right move.

Any loss of life is tragic, Adamss statement read in part. There were serious mental health issues in play here, which is why our administration has made record investments in providing care to those who need it and getting people off the streets and the subways, and out of dangerous situations.

Later that evening, in an interview with CNNs Abby Phillip, Adams refused to denounce the veteran for taking matters into his own hands.

We have so many cases where passengers assist other riders. And we don't know exactly what happened here, Adams said. So we cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that, and we should allow the investigation to take its course.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., slammed the mayors comments as a new low: not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem too low to care about, she said in a tweet on Wednesday.

Killing is wrong. Killing the poor is wrong, she continued Thursday. Killing the mentally ill is wrong. Why is that so hard to say?

Police officers watch as protesters gather in the Broadway-Lafayette station on Wednesday. (AP Photo/Jake Offenhartz)

The New York Civil Liberties Union said Adams and Hochul were vilifying the homeless in an effort to gain votes at a time when crime in New York City is on the decline.

For much of their tenures in office, Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams have relentlessly fear-mongered their constituents, vilifying the unhoused and mentally unwell as they advanced policies that do not make New York safer, the organization said in a tweet, adding, Jordan Neely deserved basic humans rights: a place to live, enough to eat, and access to mental healthcare. He deserved to be respected and supported. Instead he was killed.

Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine echoed the sentiment that Neely should still be alive.

"Our broken mental health system failed him," Levine said. "He deserved help, not to die in a chokehold on the floor of the subway."

Next steps

The medical examiners office classified Neelys death as a homicide, but said that any determination about criminal culpability would be left to the DAs office.

As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiners report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records, a statement from a spokesperson for the DA read.

Dave Giffen, the executive director of Coalition for the Homeless, told the Associated Press that city and state officials deserved some of the blame for Neelys death and the subsequent release of the veteran.

The fact that someone who took the life of a distressed, mentally ill human being on a subway could be set free without facing any consequences is shocking, he said. This is an absolute travesty.

Cover thumbnail photo illustration: Jack Forbes; photos: family handouts
Actors Lee Dong-wook, left, and Kim So-yeon pose during the online press conference of tvN's new series, "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938," Wednesday. Courtesy of tvN



By Lee Gyu-lee



Actor Lee Dong-wook expressed that he had mixed feelings about returning for the second season of tvN's fantasy series "Tale of the Nine-Tailed."



The series, which came out in 2020, revolves around a gumiho  a nine-tailed creature from Korean folklore  named Lee Yeon (Lee), who comes to the human world in search of his long-lost love, Nam Ji-a (Cho Bo-ah) while hunting demons.



The new season, "Tale of the Nine-Tailed 1938," set to start on Saturday, will follow Yeon's journey through the 1930s after he gets unexpectedly summoned to the period. He encounters a mysterious guardian spirit Ryu Hong-joo (Kim So-yeon) who disguises herself as a restaurant owner and his younger brother, Lee Rang (Kim Beom), as well as his dark self during the time.



"I felt very grateful to be on 'Tale of the Nine Tailed' and play Lee Yeon again. (But) it was also overwhelming. I felt pressure to make this more interesting and compelling than the previous season," the actor said during the press conference of the series, Wednesday.



"That was the part I discussed a lot with the director. There was a huge underlying condition that it cannot be any less interesting than Season 1."





A scene from the series, "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" / Courtesy of tvN
FILE - Kari Lake speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference, March 4, 2023, at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Md. Lake's lawyers have been sanctioned $2,000 by the Arizona Supreme Court in their unsuccessful challenge of her defeat last year to Democrat Katie Hobbs in the governor's race. In an order Thursday, May 4, 2023, the state's highest court said Lake's attorney knowingly made false statements that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

PHOENIX (AP)  Republican Kari Lakes lawyers were sanctioned $2,000 Thursday by the Arizona Supreme Court in their unsuccessful challenge of her defeat in the governor's race last year to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

In an order, the states highest court said Lakes attorney made false factual statements that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count. They have 10 days to submit the payment to the court clerk.

The court, however, refused to order Lake to pay attorney fees to cover the costs of defending Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, also a Democrat, in Lakes appeal.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel said Lakes challenge over signature verification remains unresolved.

Hobbs and Fontes said Lake and her attorneys should face sanctions for baselessly claiming that over 35,000 ballots were inserted into the race at a facility where a contractor scanned mail-in ballots to prepare them for county election workers to process and count.

When the high court first confronted Lakes challenge in late March, justices said the evidence doesnt show that over 35,000 ballots were added to the vote count in Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the states voters.

Lawyers for Hobbs and Fontes told the court that Lake and her lawyers misrepresented evidence and are hurting the elections process by continuing to push baseless claims of election fraud. Attorneys for Fontes asked for the court to order Lakes lawyers to forfeit any money they might have earned in making the appeal, arguing that they shouldnt be allowed to benefit from their own misconduct.

Lakes lawyers said sanctions werent appropriate because no one can doubt that Lake honestly believes her race was determined by electoral misconduct.

Lake, who lost to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trumps election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not.

In her challenge, Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County.

The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion. Lake alleged ballot printer problems were the result of intentional misconduct.

County officials say everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted because those affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at election headquarters.

The state Supreme Court declined on March 22 to hear nearly all of Lakes appeal, saying there was no evidence that 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals.

Still, the high court revived Lake's claim that challenged the application of signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. The court sent the claim back to a lower-court judge to consider. This latest order will allow a trial court to resume litigating the matter.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lakes assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

Lakes attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. The county disputes the claims.
Senators Kyrsten Sinema (I., Ariz.) and Thom Tillis (R., N.C.) plan to propose a replacement to the Trump-era Title 42 program, which expires on May 11.

Senator Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) told reporters Wednesday the programs end is like being hit by a slow-moving truck in Kansas.

The expiration of the program has officials concerned about an unmanageable surge of migrants at the Southern border, with some estimating 10,000 migrants crossing per day. On Tuesday, it was announced that President Joe Biden would dispatch 1,500 soldiers to assist CBP efforts following a Department of Homeland Security request.

Sinema and Tillis plan to announce a temporary two-year authority to expel illegal aliens from the United States, similar to what is currently allowed under Title 42  a law that permits the U.S. to deny asylum and migration claims based on public health reasons.

The Sinema-Tillis program would differ from the Trump-era policy  which Biden has continued until now  because it will not rely upon a public health order, a Sinema aide told Politico. The legislation would provide protections for those who have serious and legitimate asylum claims, and it will also protect individuals with acute medical needs.

Outside of the delineated exceptions, migrants would be promptly expelled to Mexico. If Mexico does not accept them, the bill would provide for returning migrants to their home countries  or another country willing to receive them.

The move comes after Senate Republicans pleaded with the president to let the program continue. We shudder to think about how much worse the situation at the border would have been over the past three years had it not been for the deterrent effect of Title 42, read a statement.

The program was originally supposed to end last May, but the administration became embroiled in a court battle and agreed to let it continue until it lifted its emergency declaration for the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a rule entitled Circumvention of Lawful Pathways, in which a rebuttable presumption of asylum ineligibility would be introduced for certain noncitizens who neither avail themselves of a lawful, safe, and orderly pathway to the United States nor seek asylum or other protection in a country through which they travel.

Republicans said this was woefully inadequate. Nothing in this [Biden] rule prevents aliens from making frivolous asylum claims, warned the senators. Instead, under the terms of the rule, aliens are encouraged to schedule a time to present at a port of entry through the CBP One mobile application, after which time many, if not most, will subsequently claim asylum, read a statement.

The Sinema-Tillis bill would require 60 votes to pass. It is doubtful it would be instituted in time for Title 42s expiration on May 11.

Biden could also find it a tricky issue politically, as several Democrats have supported continuing Title 42. Senators Sinema, Jon Tester (D., Mont.), Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.), Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.), and Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio) all voted for a failed proposal to boost border funding and extend Title 42 last year.

I think the border has to be secure, period. . . . Its a disaster at the border, Manchin told Politico.

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St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced Thursday that she will step down from her position June 1 after facing criticism from Missouri lawmakers over the last few weeks.

Gardner sent Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) a letter Thursday notifying him of her resignation, weeks after critics began calling for her to step down. Missouri lawmakers recently introduced a bill that would strip away most of her power, a move that Gardner called a strategy to to undermine her efforts to create a safer and fairer city.

She pointed to the recent bill as a reason for her to step down, saying that it would also permanently remove the right of every St. Louis voter to elect their Circuit Attorney.

I want to start by saying it has been an honor of a lifetime to serve the people of the City of St. Louis, a community that is resilient and deeply committed to finding solutions to make life better for everyone, Gardner wrote. During my time as Circuit Attorney, I have tried to embody those values. I believe that is why St. Louis voters elected me twice.

Unfortunately, since the time I took office, as the first Black, female prosecutor in the State, people outside of the city have targeted me and, to advance their goals, have also targeted the fundamental rights of the citys voters, she added.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Gardner faced scrutiny as massive staff departures plagued her office over the last few years, and recently she has faced pushback as a St. Louis judge found evidence that she could be held in contempt of court after not showing up to court appearances. Gardner did not mention these incidents as reasons for her departure in her letter Thursday.

Parson released a statement on Twitter saying that his office received notice of Gardners resignation, vowing to immediately start her replacement process.

We are committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system, he said in a statement.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
A teenage girl suffered significant injuries in a shooting that involved other teens at a home Thursday evening in Sedalia, Missouri, a police spokesman said.

The injured girl was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition, Commander David Woolery with the Sedalia Police Departments criminal investigations bureau said Friday.

Officers responded to a report of a person being shot shortly before 5:30 p.m. in the 2400 block of West Third Street. The investigation revealed that the incident involved teenagers, Woolery said.

All parties involved have been identified and are cooperating with the investigation, said Woolery, who declined to say how many teens were involved. The shooting involved a handgun.

The investigation is ongoing and the criminal investigations bureau was working with the Pettis County Juvenile Office to determine whether any potential juvenile-related charges were warranted, he said. No one has been arrested.

Woolery said the shooting is an example of the importance of keeping guns secured.

When youre dealing with firearms and kids, theres always teachable moments of keeping them secured, he said. And if youre going to have firearms in the house, then making sure that the kids understand firearm safety and certainly not to handle any firearms without an adult.
John Shirreffs, shown on Nov. 3, will be making his sixth Kentucky Derby appearance Saturday, as trainer of Skinner. (Horsephotos / Getty Images)

John Shirreffs has been training horses for more than four decades. He doesnt have a big stable and averages fewer than 100 starts a year. Hes the personification of slow and steady.

So it was no surprise that he wasnt going to bring his 3-year-old colt Skinner to the Kentucky Derby without being assured he would make the starting gate. He was at the top of the list if a spot in the 20-horse field opened up but that wasnt good enough. Too risky.

I felt that we better be in the field rather than ship here and just hope to get in, Shirreffs said, standing outside the single stall he had been assigned at Churchill Downs. At that late a time I didnt think it would be a very good opportunity.

Obviously, Skinner did make the field but Shirreffs acknowledged he didnt like the way he got in. A spot opened when Wild on Ice was injured during training April 27 and was subsequently euthanized.

This will be Shirreffs' sixth appearance at the Kentucky Derby, which is Saturday. He set a high bar the first time in 2005 when Giacomo, at 50-1, stunned the racing world as he rallied from far behind to win the race.

Giacomo was such a special moment in my life, said the 77-year-old trainer. With Giacomo it was my first time at the Kentucky Derby, maybe my second time at Churchill. I had that wonderful feeling of coming to Churchill Downs to run in the Kentucky Derby.

Its a special feeling when it first happens. We had a wonderful crew with me. We were all pumped up. When [Giacomo] first came here he galloped around the race track and the rider said, He really likes this track. Things just started click, click, clicking into place.

Shirreffs seems the perfect trainer for Skinner. He was not a cheap purchase with Lee and Susan Searing putting up $510,000 to buy the horse. The Searings use several trainers but their best horses tend to end up with Shirreffs. Skinners sire is Curlin, whose progeny tend to be slow developing. And Shirreffs does not rush into anything.

Kentucky Derby entrant Skinner works out Thursday at Churchill Downs. (Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

Did Shirreffs think Skinner was a Derby horse?

Oh no, I didnt think that, Shirreffs said. But obviously you go to the sale and spend a lot of money on horses and hope that something like that can happen.

Skinner didnt win until his fourth race. He followed that with third-place finishes in the San Felipe Stakes and Santa Anita Derby.

In his first few races he was a little immature and didnt understand the concept of horses kicking dirt in his face and getting squeezed and things like that, Shirreffs said. Since then hes had a lot of good racing experience.

Skinner, at 20-1 on the morning line, is holding firm as the top horse by the "wiseguys," the euphemism used for professional gamblers. There is one or two every year and they go off at odds much lower than expected.

Ive never taken the time to understand the [handicapping] sheets but a lot of people do and they say his numbers are really competitive with the field, Shirreffs said.

Skinner will have a new jockey for the Derby. Shirreffs made the difficult decision to not use three-time Derby winner and Hall of Fame jockey Victor Espinoza, who had ridden the colt the last five times. Instead, he went with Juan Hernandez, the leading jockey at Santa Anita who has never been in a Derby.

Victor is a good friend of mine, Shirreffs said, acknowledging the hurt feelings it can cause when a jockey is taken off a horse late in the Derby season. I didnt need the change but I thought maybe Skinner needed a change. I was hoping a different rider would get to Skinner in a different way and that might help him in that last little bit.

After Giacomo, Shirreffs ran A.P. Warrior (18th) in 2006, Tiago (seventh) in 2007, Gormley (ninth) in 2017 and Honor A.P. (fourth) in 2020. The trainer has noticed one change at the Kentucky Derby through the years.

Obviously everyone wants to run in the Derby, Shirreffs said, but now you have to earn points to get your horse in and I think thats very important. But once that horse has qualified for the Derby, people dont want to take any chances. Getting that spot is the most important thing.

Its still the Derby and to every generation the Derby is the Derby. Things change generationally. Or maybe Ive changed but it seems like running in the Derby is something that everybody wants to do.

Its extremely unlikely any horse Shirreffs trains now or in the future will top his 20-race run with Zenyatta, arguably the greatest female horse. She won 19 of those races.

She made her first start in late November of her 3-year-old campaign. Shirreffs does not rush things. Its a formula that seems to be working.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


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Daou Kiwoom Group's former Chairman Kim Ik-rae makes a public apology over his alleged involvement in a recent stock scandal, at its headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap





By Lee Min-hyung







Deteriorating public sentiment toward Kiwoom Securities is showing no signs of letting up, even after its former Chairman Kim Ik-rae resigned for his alleged involvement in a nationwide stock manipulation scandal.







Kim made the abrupt announcement Thursday afternoon and decided to donate all of his gains worth 60.5 billion won following his suspicious sell-off of 1.4 million Daou Data shares. Daou Data is an affiliate of Daou Kiwoom Group. The firm's stock price fell sharply shortly after Kim sold his shares.







He claimed no responsibility for the latest scandal  an abrupt stock fall of eight listed shares, including Daou Data  but appeared to display such gestures to prevent further losses to other Kiwoom affiliates.







Given the lingering criticism over the allegations, the group's tainted corporate image is unlikely to recover in the near future even after the donation.







Even before the scandal, Kim, 73, was ready to retire after ceding management control to his children who received stakes in key Kiwoom affiliates and realigning the group's management structure. This rekindled suspicions that the latest decision by the former chairman was nothing more than an insincere show of apology ahead of his planned retirement.







Now, the target of criticism is being directed at Seoul City Gas Chairman Kim Young-min, who was also involved in a similar stock sell-off. He sold 100,000 Seoul City Gas shares at 456,950 won per stock in a suspicious block deal on April 17, a week before the shocking collapse of its stock price. The company's share price went on a surprising losing streak for four consecutive trading days from April 24, leaving a number of retail investors with huge losses. Seoul City Gas shares were traded at around 104,000 won as of Friday.







Of particular note was that the mass sales were made for the first time in more than 13. Kim's stock ownership ratio reached 9.54 percent, down 2 percentage points, following the suspicious stock trade.







It remains to be seen whether the Seoul City Gas chief will also take responsibility, as per the overnight decision by the former Kiwoom leader.







But considering the scale of the losses following the latest scandal, he will also have a tough time evading criticism for the stock sale, considering the financial impact of such moves on the market.







"The latest scandal should be a wake-up call for other major shareholder of any firm," Kim Dae-jong, a professor of business administration at Sejong University, said. "They should be reminded of their social role and their influence in the financial market."


YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. At 10:55 a.m. on May 5, Artsakhs Askeran regional police department received a report that in the administrative area of Vardadzor village, when A. Vahanyan was doing agricultural work with a tractor, Azerbaijani servicemen opened fire from their combat positions in his direction.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Police of the Ministry of Interior of Artsakh, the agricultural works stopped as a result of the shooting.

According to the source, the report was handed over to the Russian peacekeeping troops.
Japanese sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine exclude fish products. At 40 per cent, Russian imports are vital for Japan. Meanwhile, Moscow is revitalising its fishing industry for growth in Far Eastern markets, helped by declining US output.

Tokyo (AsiaNews/Agencies)  The deterioration in Russian-Japanese relations caused by the outbreak of war in Ukraine has not affected exports of Russian fish products to Japan.

On the contrary, imports from Russia hit a record 155.2 billion yen (US$ 1.2 billion) worth of fish products in 2022, the highest since 1992, the year after the collapse of the Soviet Union, this according to data from Japans Ministry of Finance

After war began in Ukraine, Japan banned the import of certain goods from Russia, including vodka and timber, but not seafood products because of the negative effect a ban would have had on Japanese companies.

Japan imports an estimated 40 per cent of the seafood consumed domestically, while Russia is the third-largest supplier after Chile and the United States.

By product, snow crab accounted for the highest value of imports from Russia in 2022 at 32.6 billion yen (US$ 252 million).

Record imports are also the result of Russian exporters shifting to Japan after being banned from the US and other Western markets.

Imports of pollack paste, the raw ingredient for "kamaboko" fishcakes, increased roughly sevenfold from the previous year.

Poor fishing conditions in Japan also boosted imports of sea urchins, salmon and trout from Russia, among other products.

The Russian government is focusing on revitalising the fishing industry for the development of its Far East, said Seiji Haraguchi, director of the Hokkaido Trawl Fisheries Cooperative Federation.

The presence of Russian products (in Japan) is expected to increase in the future as production continues to decrease in the United States, he added.
by Stefano Vecchia

After four days, the Philippine leader ends his official visit to the United States, rebooting the ironclad military alliance established in 1951. While trying to reassure Beijing over new US bases on its territory, Manila is also working with Tokyo and Seoul to contain China.

Milan (AsiaNews)  Ferdinand Marcos Jrs official four-day visit to the United States, the first by a Philippine president in a decade, began with a meeting on Monday in Washington with his US counterpart, Joe Biden.

Marcos Jr, son of dictator Ferdinand Marcos who died in exile in Hawaii in 1989 after the peaceful revolution of February 1986, had already travelled to the United States last autumn for the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly.

This trip is part of a series of missions abroad, including the one in January to the People's Republic of China, by which Marcos Jr is trying to make Manila again the centre of regional diplomacy, but also secure economic and strategic support.

In the United States, the Philippine leader met with senior officials in the Biden administration, members of Congress, business leaders and analysts.

In his meeting with his Philippine counterpart, Biden reiterated the ironclad alliance with Manila and the Mutual Defence Treaty, in all its aspects, signed in 1951.

The updated agreement remains fully in force despite the ups and downs in the bilateral relationship over the past 30 years, especially under Marcos Jrs immediate predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, who privileged relations with China.

Marcos Jr is trying to strengthen the strategic alliance with the United States in order to allay the concerns of those at home and abroad who look with fear at the current confrontation with China.

Beijing is in fact pursuing a policy of fait accompli in the Philippines exclusive economic zone, close to its territorial waters, ignoring its claims to sovereignty and a ruling by the Court of International Arbitration against China.

At the same time, both during his visit to China in January and in its latest statements, Marcos Jr has tried to reassure China that the newfound harmony with the United States is not aimed at it, nor that his country would host missile and strategic weapons in the event of a China-Taiwan confrontation.

Yesterday, in a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in the US capital, Marcos Jr stressed again that the Philippines had no interest in fuelling tensions and that Washington has not asked Manila for direct military support in case of war.

Such support is not included in any bilateral agreements, the latest signed in 2014 on mutual military assistance, but which could be influenced by the large presence of Philippine migrants in Taiwan and the need to ensure their safety or evacuation.

The opening in February of four more US military bases in the Philippines sparked strong protests by China.

Amid such latent tensions, Manila does not look only to Washington, but also to Tokyo and Seoul to build up a network to contain and deter Beijing under US supervision.
Francis tells the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, It is not right that in some parts of the world they suffer in silence, perhaps rejected or stigmatized when they try to come forward to tell of the abuse they have suffered. A spirituality of reparation should be nurtured through listening to those who hurt.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  Pope Francis spoke to members of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors whom he received in audience today at the Vatican.

In his address, the pontiff said that inequalities between the different areas of the world in the Church must be overcome with regard to the suffering of minors victims of sexual abuse.

It is not right, the pontiff said, that the most prosperous areas of the world should have well-trained and well-funded safeguarding programmes, where victims and their families are respected, while in other parts of the world they suffer in silence, perhaps rejected or stigmatized when they try to come forward to tell of the abuse they have suffered. Here too, the Church must seek to be a model of acceptance and good practice.

Francis said he was encouraged by the plans prepared by the Commission, namely training programmes and assistance to victims, that include Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Earlier in his speech Pope Francis acknowledged that, The sexual abuse of minors by clergy and its poor handling by Church leaders has been one of the greatest challenges for the Church in our time. [. . .] The failure to act properly to halt this evil and to assist its victims has sullied our witness to Gods love.

He added that, Over the last decade, we have all learned a great deal, myself included!

Along with the measures to counteract the recurrence of this issue, Francis also pointed the Commission towards what he calls a spirituality of reparation".

The terrible sense of loss that many experience as a result of abuse can sometimes seem a burden too heavy to bear. [. . .] Yet the Lord, who brings about new birth in every age, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ezek 37:6).

Even when the path forward is difficult and demanding, I urge you not to get bogged down; keep reaching out, keep trying to instil confidence in those you meet and who share with you this common cause. Do not grow discouraged when it seems that little is changing for the better. Persevere and keep moving forwards!

But reparation must obviously look above all at the victims.

Recently I met with a group of survivors of abuse, who had asked to meet with the leadership of the religious institute that ran the school they attended around fifty years ago.

All of them were elderly and some of them, realizing that time is passing quickly, expressed their wish to live out their remaining years in peace. For them, peace meant resuming their relationship with the Church that had hurt them. They wanted closure not only for the evil they had suffered, but also for the questions that had haunted them ever since.

They wanted to be heard and believed; they wanted someone to help them to understand. We talked together and they had the courage to open up. In particular, the daughter of one of them spoke of the impact of her fathers experience on their entire family. Mending the torn fabric of past experience is a redemptive act, the act of the suffering Servant, who did not avoid pain, but took upon himself the iniquity of us all.

Now is the time to repair the damage done to previous generations and to those who continue to suffer. This Easter season is a sign that a new time is being prepared for us, a new springtime, made fruitful by the work and tears we share with those who have suffered. That is why it is important that we never stop pressing ahead.

Finally, From the ordinary life of a diocese in its parishes and seminary, to the training of catechists, teachers and other pastoral workers, the importance of safeguarding minors and vulnerable persons must be the rule for everyone.

In this regard, in religious and apostolic life, even cloistered novices must adhere to the same ministerial standards as their elderly brothers and sisters who spent a lifetime teaching the young.
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A sinkhole east of Paonia that has continued to grow over the past week has shut down Colorado Highway 133 between mile markers 14 and 19. The washed out part of the road is just one of several increased runoff-related incidents already this spring.
San Angelo, TX (76909)

Today

Sunshine and a few afternoon clouds. High 93F. SE winds at less than 5 mph, increasing to 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 64F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph.
The Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) participate in the Business Session of ADB's 56th annual meeting at Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Thursday. Courtesy of ADB









By Lee Yeon-woo







INCHEON  As the 56th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) drew to a close on Thursday, participants crowded the networking hub at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, hoping to seize a final opportunity to find potential business partners.







Amid the frenzy, Oleksiy Povolotsky, an official from the DTEK  one of Ukraine's largest private energy holding companies  calmly reviewed his business reading material while he waited for his next meeting to begin.







"We met many overseas companies which were of great interest for us," Povolotsky said, explaining that he met many companies presenting their ideas with the help of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA). "We appreciate KOTRA for organizing meetings for us. Overall, it's a good quality event."







Officials from Korean and foreign companies hold business meetings during the 56th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank at Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Thursday. Yonhap





Several other participants that The Korea Times spoke to at the networking hub expressed their satisfaction with the way Korea organized the annual meeting as the chair country. The meeting, which took place from Tuesday to Friday, was the first in-person gathering since the outbreak of COVID-19 and drew around 5,000 attendees.







Ricardo Faillace, a managing director of a payment company CORPAY, was among the people who spoke highly of the country. "I have been to a lot of these annual meetings for like 25 years. The logistics here are very good. When I arrived at the airport, I didn't even have to queue. I met many banks here as my company does foreign exchange for the market. Things are working very efficiently."







Some others praised the Korean cultural touch at the venue. "Many participants barely have a chance to look around downtown Seoul. One participant from Kenya I was talking to (yesterday) was quite sad because he had no chance to travel. But the organization made sure those people can taste some Korean food, hear music, see a lot of traditional things (at the promotion hall)," said Sabina Bulhac, a participant from Romania. She has been working at Samsung C&T for four years.







President of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Masatsugu Asakawa takes a look at a robot made by a domestic firm in Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Monday. Courtesy of ADB





The meeting produced meaningful results as well, showcasing Korea's capacity to address global issues.







During the meeting, Korea successfully participated in several ADB projects aimed at tackling climate change, including the establishment of the ADB-Korea Climate Technology Hub in Korea, and Innovative Finance Facilities for Climate in Asia and the Pacific (IF-CAP). These demonstrated Korea's capacity to implement various ADB projects based on its superior technology and policy funds.







"Korea is showing leadership (in tackling climate change within the ADB). So I encourage the efforts and appreciate Korea's contribution," ADB President Masatsugu Asakawa said during a press conference at the meeting, Tuesday.







Dancers perform at Korea Cultural Night event held on the sidelines of the 56th annual meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Songdo Convensia, Incheon, Wednesday. Courtesy of ADB





The country has also expanded opportunities for its exporters and promoted local businesses during the meeting. It organized information sessions of Korean companies and launched booths to promote 33 innovative firms in areas such as future mobility and smart cities.







Specifically, Korea's innovative technology in the financial sector was highlighted as domestic banks have showcased their digitalization progress.







Incheon City Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok expressed his pride, referring to the meeting as the "greatest of all time."







"Korea is the only country that transformed its status from recipient to donor country. I feel proud that 5,000 economic leaders from all around the world could understand and appreciate Incheon's vision for the future," Yoo wrote on his social media, Thursday.







The 57th annual meeting is set to take place in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2024.






Tesla Places $227M Order for Cybertruck Parts from South Korea Supplier

Written by Maria Merano, Teslarati

Published May 5, 2023

Tesla ordered Cybertruck parts worth more than $227 million from South Korean company Seoyon E-Hwa, which confirmed the order recently.

Seoyon E-Hwa is part of the Korean Composite Stock Price Indexes (KOSPI), a series of indexes tracking the overall Korean Stock Exchange. Seoyon E-Hwa manufactures automotive interior parts such as door panels, bumpers, seats, headliners, rear parcel shelves, package trays, screen assemblies and pillar posts.

Tesla placed a $227 million order for A, B and C pillar parts from Seoyon E-Hwa. The pillars will be used to connect the body and roof of the vehicle. The Cybertruck manufacturer signed a three-year supply contract until 2028 with the South Korean company.

Seoyeon E-Hwa rented a factory in Monterrey, Mexico, for more than $9 million to produce Tesla Cybertruck parts. The company plans to dispatch expatriates to make Cybertruck parts in Mexico as early as June.

Tesla Cybertruck preparations have been on hyperdrive lately as pre-production nears. The Texas-based company will hold a Cybertruck delivery event later this year.

Well, I think well save that for the Cybertruck handover, which will hopefully be around the end of Q3 this year, Elon Musk replied to a question about Cybertruck features during the Q1 2023 earnings call.

And one thing Im confident of saying is that its an incredible product. Its a Hall of Famer, I think. And a product like this only comes along once in a long while. So people will not be disappointed at all. Its amazing, Musk said.

We thank Teslarati for reprint permission.
Google's working to bring Material Design to Android Automotive OS, but unlike on phones, colors will be chosen by the OEM instead of derived by an algorithm ???? pic.twitter.com/OvzSZNIA0e  Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) May 4, 2023

On Windows 11, for example, the new design language makes everything on the desktop feel more dynamic and fluid. The same thing happens on Android, where Material Design is rapidly expanding.Google is now working on bringing Material Design to Android Automotive as well, but as compared to the mobile implementation, the company wants to leave carmakers in charge of the looks. This approach obviously makes sense, as auto manufacturers must be able to decide the looks of the operating system, but on the other hand, it could lead to Android Automotive becoming quite dull in some cars.With Material Design, Google provides Android users with a more dynamic experience by allowing the colors and the visual effects to adapt to whatever runs on the screen. As such, the design decisions are made by an algorithm, providing users with a consistent design that carmakers would definitely have a hard time putting together.Now that Material Design is expanding to Android Automotive, drivers would essentially get access to the same recipe as on mobile devices. Google, however, has pledged to keep carmakers in full control of the infotainment unit, so they will also be the ones to choose the theme and colors available on Android Automotive.One of the main benefits of using Android Automotive is the rich set of tools that allows carmakers to retain their brand identity. As such, when adopting Android Automotive, the operating system can be customized with a look and feel that would be completely different from what a competitor uses in their own models. At the end of the day, this means that Android Automotive would look completely different in GM and Honda cars, despite the same operating system serving as the foundation of the infotainment unit.The new Material Design policy is part of this set of rules that gives carmakers full control over the operating system's look. Sure enough, this could also mean that car manufacturers, who aren't exactly known for excelling in terms of software design, might eventually make Android Automotive less exciting than it could be.In the meantime, Android Automotive is at the core of a major controversy, as General Motors wants to adopt the operating system and block Android Auto and CarPlay in its cars. The company is accused of trying to enforce a subscription model on customers, especially as, in theory, Android Automotive would support running both Android Auto and CarPlay with the right toolset.
Photo: Niutron

kWh

Photo: via TMC

BEV

Photo: Wuling

EV

Photo: GMC

Photo: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo

The average Joe is used to fixing expensive goods  such as vehicles. He took a long time to afford his car and will probably take a lot more to buy another one, which means that whatever he is driving has to last. When the time comes to replace it, the old car will be part of the payment, so it would better depreciate very little. Only affluent folks buy new vehicles with no concerns  usually every year.There was a time when fixing a smartphone or a laptop made sense. Now, when their batteries die, it is generally time to buy a new one because the hardware and software will have evolved so much in that short time that you'd only fix these gadgets if you had an emotional attachment to them. The money you will spend on repairs will be close to what you'd pay on a new device. BEVs will force us to apply the same logic to cars, mainly due to their battery packs. This may be the strongest reason (even if not the most obvious) for them to be called "computers on wheels"  a very poor choice of words when you remember how often computers crash.Batteries have low energy density. When you make a pack with them, a 75-unit holds as much energy as 2 gallons of gasoline . That means you need loads of batteries to have a decent range. The bigger the battery pack, the more expensive it is. There are several technical challenges with keeping the component healthy, and one of the major ones is making all cells have similar charges and release them at the same speed. Early battery packs were divided into modules, so the car had to keep the cells inside the module and the modules inside the battery pack balanced with each other. All you need is one cell or module to fail for the whole battery pack to face problems.Several businesses have emerged to try to service battery packs. Companies like 057 Technology and ReCell are specialized in them, particularly in Tesla vehicles. However, they do not manufacture these components: they only try to recover them. That alone is quite a challenge because Tesla did not conceive its battery packs to be repaired. So much so that it just replaces the defective components. On top of that, these battery packs evolved into the structural units the Texan Model Y gets. If these new battery packs fail, it is not economically viable to repair them. Substitution is the only choice.The problem is that replacing battery packs costs a fortune. Owners of the Model S units with BMS_u029 and BMS_u018 error codes are receiving estimates of more than $14,000 for remanufactured battery packs and more than $18,000 for new ones  including labor. These early Model S units are worth around $25,000. Even with a remanufactured battery pack, you'll spend more than half the vehicle's price to fix it. Insurance companies usually write off any car that has a repair bill that exceeds 50% of its value. Can you see where this is leading us? Repairing is so expensive that buying a new(or any other new vehicle) is much more attractive. The truth is that governments and activists are pushing us to disposable cars.I already hear electric car advocates screaming that I am out of my mind when I say this is a rich people's game or that these BEVs are headed for the trash after they get old. After all, we have so many BEVs at affordable prices! The BYD Dolphin costs only the equivalent of $15,000 in China! Sure, but who can spend $15,000 every time they need a new ride? Most people can't. Have you seen how much the Dolphin will cost in Europe? Between 30,000 ($33,099 at the current exchange rate) and 38,000 ($41,925). Even if it kept the Chinese price tag and if other competitors charged even less, that's not the core problem. What we should be discussing and have completely failed to do is how much a battery pack costs compared to the rest of the car. Any car.See the inexpensive Wuling Hongguang Mini EV , which is not even considered an automobile in most markets  it is a quadricycle. In China, it starts at RMB32,800 ($4,746). In Europe, a rebadged Minicosts around 10,000 ($11,033). How much does its 13.9-kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack cost? I have no idea. First, it is sold in China, which makes it more challenging to get information about the electric quadricycle. Second, the Mini EV is not old enough to need a battery pack replacement.I searched for a 10-kWh LFP battery pack just for us to have an idea of how much it could cost. Fortress Power sells one: a stationary LFP energy storage system (ESS) with that capacity. The lowest price I found for it was $4,750 , more than the Wuling Hongguang Mini EV costs in China and almost half of its worth in Europe. Consider that a used quadricycle will be worth much less than a new one and that 10 kWh is less than 13.9 kWh. That said, the Fortress Power ESS confirms how bad the situation can be for BEVs when battery pack replacements are needed.Whether the vehicle is an affordable Mini EV or a GMC Hummer EV , buying a new one will probably pay off rather than fixing the BEV with the dead component. There are other elements to make purchasing a new electric car more attractive than repairing the used one. The owners now mending their Teslas with catastrophic error codes will have only four years of warranty on their battery packs, whether they are new or remanufactured. They would have twice as much coverage if they bought a new vehicle. The best shot customers have is to buy a new car. If they are disposable, that will eventually kill most of the used automobile market.Who will buy a second-hand BEV when its battery pack is out of warranty? Who will keep them when this legal protection is over? Toyota is offering coverage for ten years or 1 million kilometers (621,371 miles) on the bZ4X battery pack, but only in Europe and for customers who accept to follow an annual EV Health Check. Good, but what happens after ten years? The older Model S units with failing battery packs are still ten years old: the car's first deliveries happened in June 2012.The warranty will be the only element keeping BEVs from hitting junkyards. Nowadays, it is not unusual to buy old combustion-engined vehicles that are 15 to 20 years old in the used market. I have recently purchased a 21-year-old Opel Zafira with its original mill that runs like clockwork. You can have a fair idea of how an engine and a gearbox are just by putting them to work. What about battery packs? You can't check their interior. Even if you could, what would you look for? Signs of corrosion? What if their cells have manufacturing defects, such as the ones with the Hyundai Kona Electric and the Chevrolet Bolt EV? They may fail without warnings. In other words, forget about checking the condition of used BEVs: that will not mean much when the real danger is almost impossible to determine.Theoretically, carmakers could take a few measures to address this problem. They only have to tell us if they are feasible or not. If the answer is negative, cars will be really limited to a privileged few, with all the consequences that this should bring. If automakers are not able to answer or are unwilling to do so, they are probably as lost as the people who are beginning to learn that their EVs will no longer work  and they are equally screwed. There's still time to avoid that, but I'll leave it to a future story.
EV

Tesla is making the final preparations for the Cybertruck production start at Giga Texas. As revealed in earlier pictures shared by Tesla, the production line has been set up, and themaker is even considering a boat dock on the Colorado River. As intriguing as it sounds, this is presumably intended to test Cybertruck's abilities "to serve briefly as a boat," as Musk once said. The final pieces of the puzzle are the supply chain for the new model, and recent information indicates that Tesla is already working on this.Korean news outlet Maekyung informs us that Seoyon E-Hwa, a parts supplier that works almost exclusively with Hyundai-Kia, won a sizeable contract to supply interior linings and other parts for Cybertruck's pillars. Although the company did not want to comment on the deal, the value of the contract is estimated at 300 billion won ($228 million) until 2028. Considering the small value of the parts, this amount can buy a lot of them, hinting at significant production volumes for the Cybertruck.The contract awarded to Seoyon E-Hwa might be one of the results of Elon Musk's meeting with the South-Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol at the end of April. Although we still don't know what they discussed during that meeting, it was initiated at Musk's request. This implies that Tesla wanted something from South Korea, and Musk offered something in return. Of course, the Korean president would want a Tesla Gigafactory in his country , but this is not yet on the table. Instead, it appears Tesla will sign up more Korean suppliers, with Seoyon E-Hwa's contract just for starters.Rumor has it that the Korean company is in for a much bigger role in Tesla's supply chain beyond the Cybertruck. Seoyon E-Hwa rented a factory in Monterrey, Mexico, where Tesla is also building its next gigafactory to produce the next-generation compact EV. If that's true, it looks like the Koreans will also supply parts for the mass-volume EV starting in 2025. However, the Korean company will start parts production in Monterrey as soon as this year.Seoyon E-Hwa is the leading supplier of Hyundai-Kia and specializes in interior and exterior car parts. The company established a presence in Alabama and Georgia and supplied parts to Hyundai Motor and Kia for local production in the US. It also invested in a new factory in Savannah, Georgia, to supply Hyundai Motor Group's future EV-only plants in the region. The Korean company may have started small with the Cybertruck pillar parts, but it is actively seeking to expand the Tesla contract with more automotive parts. The company declined to comment on the deal, saying it's still a work in progress. It also signed a confidentiality agreement with Tesla, so we won't learn more about this on the official channels.
Human rights activists try to send balloons carrying anti-regime messages to North Korea in Paju, a city near the inter-Korean border, in this June 4, 2020 photo. The Supreme Court recently ruled in favor of rights activists, overturning a lower court ruling that justified the government's decision in 2020 to revoke the registration of a rights group led by North Korean defector Park Sang-hak for sending such leaflets to the North. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



Campaigner from North Korea vows to keep 'spreading truth and freedom'



By Jung Min-ho



Sending balloons filled with anti-regime leaflets into North Korea is nothing new. Activists had done that for decades despite constant complaints and even threats from Pyongyang.



So it was shocking for Park Sang-hak, the head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, a rights group known for the campaign, to be informed about the Unification Ministry's decision to revoke the group's registration in July 2020  only several weeks after Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, complained about Seoul's inaction.



By the end of that year, the Democratic Party of Korea (DPK), which was the ruling party at the time, even passed a bill prohibiting activists from sending such materials into the North on the grounds that the acts "hurt the public interest" by raising security risks.



On April 27, the Supreme Court rejected the notion, overturning a lower court ruling that justified the ministry's decision.



Sending leaflets to North Korea, the court said, would bring attention to the issue of human rights abuses there and inform ordinary North Koreans of the reality of their government. It also dismissed the argument that the campaign would cause "grave danger" to the safety of the people residing in the border area.



"The only thing we did was sending the truth to the North," Park told The Korea Times. "Yet the price we had to pay was enormous. I was interrogated many times, attended about 30 court hearings and lost almost all sponsors in the process  I came all the way here [in 1999] in search of freedom. But, ironically, the South Korean government tried to take away my freedom by persecuting me and suppressing the NGO by state forces."



The ruling was a huge win for Park and his freedom campaign. Under tremendous stress, he said he sometimes regretted his decision to settle down here instead of the United States or Japan.



Yet he remained defiant. While going through the legal battle last year, he managed to send leaflet-carrying balloons across the inter-Korean border nine times. He is determined to step up his efforts in the coming months  and for as long as it takes for the truth to reach every North Korean.



"I will, hopefully along with more like-minded rights activists, keep spreading the truth and freedom to the North," he said.





Suzanne Scholte, center, chairwoman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, listens to Park Sang-hak, head of Fighters for a Free North Korea, during a leaflet-sending campaign in Paju, a city near the inter-Korean border, in this June 4, 2020 photo. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk



According to Suzanne Scholte, chairwoman of the North Korea Freedom Coalition, thanks to the information carried by such balloons, many ordinary North Koreans have learned about the outside world as well as inside  the truth North Korea's propaganda machines would never tell.



"The people of North Korea learned about Kim Jong-un's murder of his half-brother, his regime's torture of Otto Warmbier that led to his death, and the election of Yoon Suk Yeol because of Park and the Fighters for Free North Korea's balloon launches. This was further affirmed by North Koreans we hosted in March who were recent escapees, they mentioned over and over again the value of the leaflets in imparting information," she said.



"The people of North Korea are starving not just from lack of food, they are also starving for information  and Kim [Jong-un] fears the power of the truth."



Phil Robertson, deputy director of the Asia division of Human Rights Watch, an international rights group headquartered in New York City, also welcomed the court decision.



"It is commendable that the court has upheld the right of people in South Korea to freely communicate views, and struck down the previous government's action," he said. "There is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the Moon Jae-in administration overreached when they claimed that sending leaflets constituted a 'serious danger to the lives or bodies of the people,' and it is important that the court called them out on that."





Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, signs a guest book at Cheong Wa Dae in Seoul, in this Feb. 10, 2018 photo. Korea Times file
Photo: Bluewater Campers

Photo: Bluewater Campers

Well, one unit that aims to help you achieve just that is Bluewater Campers' Tasman, a forward-fold travel trailer designed to be your aid in a land of continuous peril , be it the weather or the local wildlife. If you've explored units to come out of Australia, you have some idea of what to expect. If you don't, the Tasman will open your eyes to a different mobile living experience.First and foremost, what you need to consider regarding the Tasman is its price. Depending on the dealership used and the sort of features in place, units are priced at a more than reasonable $38,000 Australian, which is less than $26,000 American (at current exchange rates). Wait a minute, that's as much as some decked-out teardrops from the US. Yup, that's how they like to roll in the land down under.Now, one feature that sets this camper apart from others you may be used to is how it expands into a massive campsite. As you're driving along, you'll see nothing but a compact shell in your rear-view mirror. But you are towing along a camper with a max weight of 2,400 kg (5,291 lbs). Dry, it stands at 1,600 kg (3,527 lbs). Yet, once you've reached your promised land, the same mass is present, but things change from a volume perspective Each unit features a top or roof that unfolds and reveals countless sections and walls made from only tent canvas supplied by Australian Wax Converters. Mesh windows let you enjoy the natural world while keeping insects out. Since Australian manufacturers are known for creating units that focus on the outdoor life, let me run through the interior essentials and then finish off with firelight stories and a tad of guitar, maybe s'mores.Inside each unit, just two areas are found. To one side, the Tasman showcases a bed suitable for two guests, and a dinette is in place across the way. The modular dinette can accommodate two more guests, maybe even a third. With some under-seat and under-bed storage, the interior is just about complete.As for the exterior, remember, the Aussies focus heavily on outdoor living , and the Tasman only sustains that idea with nearly every system accessible only via the unit's exterior. In the process, you'll create a little personal haven in the wild, fit with an outdoor galley, an outside shower room, and annexes, all under god's ever-watchful eye. To understand what all this means for you and me, let's pretend you're standing alongside the Tasman with family or friends doing the same.There you are, under massive awnings nearly twice the camper itself. Some of the family has decided to take a set on the outdoor dining center you managed to bring along due to the Tasman's enormous storage capacity, and you're getting ready to fill the table with food. To do this, you'll have to venture to the rear port side of the unit and slide out a tray. Here, Bluewater adds a sink, stovetops, and other surfaces needed to whip up three-course meals. Since this area is occupied with this hefty setup, two pantry drawers and the fridge/freezer slide-outs are found at the front of the unit. They, too, are accessed via the port side. In short, everything is just a twist and a reach away To ensure the fires stay lit and warm water flows, this camper is fit with 150 l (40 gals) of water and two gas can holders. A Seaflo pump is in place, and a hot water system too. You also don't need to worry about electrical either. Two batteries, a Victron charger, a BMS, and a control panel are part of the standard feature, and so is a sound system. Only solar panels are missing. Kick back and enjoy your meal for now. Since there's just a bit of light left in the day, why not make a fire and tell stories until eyelids get heavy? The next day, the real adventures begin.With bones rested and lungs clean from a night full of fresh air, everyone has a bite to eat, and it's then time to take out all the toys you brought along for the trip. This can include foldable kayaks, some e-bikes propped up on a rack, hiking gear, and whatever else your lifestyle calls for. Don't worry; there's plenty of room for all this and more.Listen, I'm aware that all this sounds really tempting, especially at this price, and once you consider the sort of suspension and chassis this bugger has in store. But there's a catch. Nearly all Australian manufacturers build units strictly for Aussieland, Bluewater included . This means you'll have to head to Australia to buy a Tasman. Heck, that's going to be the only place you also use it, as road laws differ from country to country. At best, you can modify it for roads in your nation, which adds a pretty penny to that initial starting price. Let's remember transportation fees too. Give it some thought.
How the MiG-25 perplexed the United States

How the United States responded to the MiG-25

Photo: 19FortyFive

The MiG-25's true capabilities were revealed to the West

The MiG-25 would become the MiG-31 Foxhound

Photo: Military Factory

The MiG-25, though, remained elusive for many years. All before a disgruntled Soviet pilot defected to Japan, handing the West a priceless MiG-25 Foxbat for examination. Only then did they realize they had very little to fear regarding the Soviet interceptor.The Soviet Union kept the Foxbat a secret before revealing it to the public at the 1967 October Revolution airshow. A flypast of three MiG-25s flew over the crowd at an event also broadcast in English as Propaganda against the West. This was the first time the West laid eyes on the fighter, and it stunned the United States. Here was an aircraft with large air intakes and a huge wingspan that bore incredible similarities to the F-X fighter program. It was the program that would lead to the McDonell Douglas F-15. The United States worried.The large wingspan hinted at great agility for the MiG-25, while the wide intakes hinted at massive engines for crazy speeds. There were even concerns that the MiG-25 was made out of lightweight titanium. Little did the US know that the MiG-25 wasnt lightweight but very heavy. The engines, Tumansky R-15B-300s, were unreliable and thirsty and so large just because they had to lift a massive aircraft off the ground. But after this airshow appearance, only fleeting glimpses of the MiG-25 were recorded. Israeli radar controllers would track MiG-25s over the Sinai Peninsula in the early 1970s, but nothing was able to intercept the jets, flying at Mach 2.5 at least.The United States would respond by investing more money in the development of the F-15 program . The US Navy would also go on to introduce the Grumman F-14 Tomcat into its ranks. Yet little did the United States know that they were creating an aircraft to counter one that posed very little threat other than its outrageous speeds. It could fly at speeds of 1,900 mph, but the MiG-25 couldn't cruise at that speed. Engines would only have service lives of 150 hours.Only when Viktor Belenko defected to Japan did the United States see the true capabilities of the MiG-25. Belenko had become disillusioned with the Soviet Union and wanted a better life in the USA. So after months of planning, he faked an engine problem during a patrol and then diverted to Japan. Landing at Hakodate airport, the MiG-25 was taken in for inspection while Belenko was granted asylum in the United States. What America found was that the MiG-25 was one of the heaviest interceptors on earth, made of stainless steel and not lightweight titanium.Even though the wings of the Foxbat were large, this didn't make the aircraft any more agile. The wings were so big just to provide the lift to get the huge interceptor off the ground. And it was the interceptor role that the US was relieved at, knowing that its F-15 would outclass the MiG-25 in nearly every dogfight. The lack of the ability to track aircraft at a low level with its weak radar system also hurt the MiG-25's chances in air-to-air combat. The West realized it didn't need to fear the Foxbat.Even the SR-71 Blackbird was immune to its Mach 3 performance. The Blackbird just cruising right through the Soviet Union as if it was childs play. Belenko's MiG-25 would return to the Soviet Union in pieces and allegedly is on display at an airfield in modern Russia.Eventually, the Soviet Union created the MiG-31 Foxhound . An evolved and more developed version of the MiG-25. Faster, more capable, and lighter, the Foxhound is still in service today. Russia operated the reconnaissance MiG-25 up until 2013 when it retired its last examples. It is remarkable how a fleeting airshow appearance led to the entire United States worrying about the MiG-25. Military chiefs firmly believed that the Soviet Union had leaped ahead of them when it came to military aviation. What they found out was that the Soviet's new, advanced fighter aircraft was nothing more than two big engines with wings. Despite that, the MiG-25 is still a Cold War icon and one of the fastest military aircraft ever developed.
Most of the talk about eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing) has focused on propulsion technology and exterior design innovations. With many of the top manufacturers getting close to the long-awaited certification, it's time also to pay attention to cabin interiors. After all, these electric alternatives to conventional aircraft are mainly intended to operate as air taxis, meaning that passenger comfort should be as important as safety and efficiency.Supernal took this seriously and came up with a luxurious concept inspired by the comfort of a personal car. It didn't work on this alone, but together with none other than a top automotive player - Hyundai. If Archer Aviation will have its air taxis manufactured by Stellantis, and Joby will use components made by Toyota for its eVTOL, Supernal is the AAM (Advanced Air Mobility) spinoff of Hyundai, which helped design its aircraft.The renowned International Forum (iF) Design Award competition recently recognized the successful result. Out of all the entries this year, Supernal's air vehicle cabin impressed the jury the most and will officially receive the award during the May 15 ceremony in Berlin.Beyond efficient and zero-emission travel, Supernal wanted to offer future passengers a comfortable, immersive flight experience inspired by the familiarity of a private car. For instance, the ergonomic seats are supposed to feel as cozy as a cocoon. The complex lighting system includes overhead lights that are specifically derived from automobile sunroofs. Plus, they adapt during the different stages of flight for a welcomed light therapy effect.Other features that focus on comfort include the deployable seat consoles with charging stations and storage compartments and the built-in solid grab handles for the doors and seatbacks.At the same time, this eVTOL cabin concept is an excellent reflection of the current sustainability trend. Contemporary luxury is redefined through the use of sustainable materials. Supernal used a variety of materials, including plant-based leather, recycled plastic, and carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic, which is also recyclable. Even the seat frames are supposed to be made with leftover raw material from airframe manufacturing.The Korean carmaker launched this AAM branch in 2020, confirming the intricate link between the automotive industry and future electric air taxis. It didn't rush to come up with a final eVTOL concept; neither was it too generous with technical details. The air taxi concept finally made its debut at the 2022 Farnborough International Airshow.As for the estimated launch date, Supernal is a bit behind the top eVTOL makers. The first electric air taxis are expected to enter service by 2025, while Supernal aims to kick off commercial operations in the US in 2028.
kWh

kW

What makes it a bonafide M? For starters, the S68 engine. A twin-turbo V8 developed from the internal combustion-only S63, the 4.4-liter mill is joined by an eight-speed automatic transmission.The plug-in part of the powertrain consists of a 25.7-battery pack and an electric motor, which is neatly integrated into the ZF-supplied transmission. BMW also offers a straight-six engine under the 50e moniker, but somewhat curious of a full-blooded M, the 3.0-liter powerplant is codenamed B58. That's a regular-production engine rather than the M-specific S58 derived from the B58.Shared with the M760e, said powertrain leaves much to be desired in this hulking sport utility vehicle with a snouty front end. The XM in the featured clip is the full-fat V8, though, and it's pretty darn impressive on the dyno. Pictured at Performance Eurowerks in Illinois, the luxury-oriented model lays down a whopping 614.84 horsepower at 6,500 revolutions per minute and 569.14 pound-feet (771.65 Nm) of torque at only 2,400 revolutions per minute.Assuming a 20 percent loss, the crankshaft figures would be 768 horsepower and 712 pound-feet or 965 Nm (including electric drive). Said estimates come from IND Distribution, a BMW M parts specialist from Illinois. Even if the loss is more like 10 percent, one cannot escape the fact that the XM is more powerful and torquier than advertised.The only configurator for the XM lists 644 horsepower at 5,400 revolutions per minute and 590 pound-feet (800 Nm) on full song. There's also a higher performance tier available under the Label Red moniker, which puts out a simply ridiculous 738 horsepower and 738 pound-feet (1,000 Nm). The red-painted XM in the clip below is the standard V8 rather than the aforementioned Label Red, with the latter due to arrive at US dealers in the coming fall.Priced at $159,900, excluding taxes and extras, the V8-powered XM is manufactured exclusively in South Carolina at BMW Plant Spartanburg in Greer. Tipping the scales at 6,063 pounds (2,750 kilograms), the X7's more controversial sibling is rocking a near-perfect weight distribution (49.1% front and 50.9% rear).The XM is so heavy that Performance Eurowerks' corner weight scales couldn't handle the German utility vehicle's mammoth tonnage. Maybe a tractor trailer weigh station could? Jokes aside, the XM is this heavy due to its fairly large battery pack. The charging system supports up to 7.4, meaning 4 hours and 15 minutes for a complete charge from 0% to 100%. It's not known how many examples will be produced for the current model year, but we do know that the Label Red is limited to 500 units worldwide. BMW hasn't confirmed how many are coming stateside, yet we look forward to quite a few of them considering the US' love for SUVs, including fugly ones like the XM
Ford Bronco

Photo: Ford

Bentley Bentayga

SUV

EV

Photo: Bentley

Toyota Camry

Photo: Toyta

Subaru Crosstrek

Photo: Subaru

Toyota Tacoma

Photo: Toyota

Mind you, this isn't a debate about the rightness or wrongness of electrification. Here, were merely taking a look at what new vehicles could be improved by an electric powertrain. In our little fantasy world, were going to pretend that electrification isn't just the latest consumer-focused distraction from the destruction of our planet and that infrastructure is actually better than it is.With that out of the way, the Ford Bronco is our first candidate. Ford has already electrified models in its lineup, and I see a massive gap in the market below brands like Rivian. Those folks will happily sell a ton of very rich people a truck (and a brand, more importantly) focused on being outdoors and enjoying what's left of the ozone.Ford can do it too, but at a much, much lower price point  and in greater numbers. The Bronco brand has proven popular enough over the last few years, so why not? Being able to buy an electric off-roader (hell, even a hybrid one) would be a great addition to the Bronco lineup that would capture the interests of Rivian's target market for far less money.Bentley talks a big game when it comes to going green. It now offers a hybrid Bentayga and has spent serious cash making manufacturing greener. But after driving the Bentayga EWB last fall in Vancouver, I'm convinced theneeds to be electric. That isn't because I didn't enjoy the massive twin-turbo 542-horsepower V8  it's actually a very good engine, but one that happens to fit Bentley's more sporting models better.I don't believe Bentley's target market for the Bentayga really cares about power. They care about status, and just now, nothing screams status like a big, expensive, heavywith fake leather seats. Bentley makes those too, and they're very convincing. Plus, as whisper-quiet as the Bentayga was, the addition of a few electric motors is likely to hugely improve that experience. On top of that, the brand will likely be taking advantage of the Volkswagen group's electrified platforms soon anyway.This one's a no-brainer. For now, we have to pretend that Toyota's stance on EVs has magically shifted and that the bZ4X-alphabet-soup is no longer just a crossover checking a box for Toyota and Subaru. The Camry is one of Toyotas top sellers, and in the interest of having something that isn't an SUV on this list, I think an affordable, electric version of an already popular car would be a hit. Consumers love the Camry and its hybrid variant  why not go electric? Affordable EVs are hard to come by right now, and if anyone can get a full-size electric sedan under the $35,000 mark, it's Toyota.There's also a hidden benefit to this. Having worked in the industry in another life, most people don't think about how many of these cars Toyota sells to rental companies all over the world. If those were to suddenly go electric, we'd likely see a notable drop in emissions in this sector, and Toyota would get to lead the charge and take all the credit.The argument for an electric Crosstrek is largely an amalgamation of the argument for an electric Bronco and an electric Camry. People love their Subarus, and the Crosstrek would be a great way for Subaru to offer an EV at a much lower price point than the Solterra (twin to the Bz4X). Even if Subaru had to offer it near the top of the Crosstrek's pricing structure, an electric Crosstrek would still be cheaper than the Solterra.Then there's the off-road angle. Imagine: Subaru debuts, for the 2025 model year, the new Crosstrek Wilderness EV. People would be lighting cop cars on fire outside dealerships in an attempt to get inside and place an order. Again, offering Rivian-like branding and products to people at an affordable price point with an EV is something of a winning marketing recipe.At this point, tossing another Toyota model in here feels like a little bit of a cop-out. If Toyota wanted to, it could really kill it in the affordable-ish EV segment with any number of cars. An electric 4Runner or Rav4 would do just as well for the brand. But the Tacoma has a new generation coming (if you haven't heard), and the new truck seems like a fantastic opportunity for Toyota to test the waters with more electrification.Rumor has it that the Taco will already be hybridized- making use of the brand's iForce Max branding and engineering. To take the truck one step further, again dipping into that lovely affordability-off-road Venn diagram, would surely be a smash hit.Now, all these cars don't exist for one reason or another, but it's especially important to acknowledge why a lot of these Toyotas don't. The brand, possibly correctly, doesn't see much future in EVs  at least, that's how things look. Instead, it believes that hybridization is a much better solution for its customers. The idea of a hybrid Tacoma appeals to me just as much as an electric one, and I, for one, think Toyota may be on the right side of history as the EV craze begins to wane.
Photo: Rimac Energy

Photo: BYD

Photo: Rimac Energy

Photo: Victoria CFA

That makes a lot of sense. Although home storage is relevant, it is already a busy business environment, with many more companies selling ESSs apart from Tesla. Selling to the retail segment also demands high volumes to make sense. By working on bigger ESSs and selling them to massive companies, Rimac Energy can make profits faster while spending less energy in the process.In a way, it is like the company acts in the automotive world: Rimac sells very exclusive electric hypercars that cost a fortune. Only a handful of people in the world can afford them, which allows the Croatian automaker to give them more attention and solve any issues a lot faster. That also preserves the service quality and the sense of exclusivity. However, industrial and commercial customers are not after that: they want the best value for the buck.Rimac Energy said it will address that by offering ESSs that reduce energy losses by 50% and present a system footprint that is 40% smaller when "compared to current state-of-the-art solutions." Was it referring to Tesla Megapacks, or is there anything better in that market, such as the BYD Cube T28 ? The deal is that Rimac Energy's "novel battery architecture" did the trick. The Croatian company promised to disclose more details in the future.BYD is the only company in charge of all elements in its products, including the batteries that compose the Cube T28. Tesla treats cells as commodities, and it seems that Rimac Energy will follow the same path. On Rimac Technology's page, the company states it "is working with most major cell manufacturers." It may want to change that strategy with Rimac Energy. When you sell electric hypercars, cell prices are not an issue. When you address big companies, cost is king. As innovative as the company's "novel battery architecture" may be, controlling its most crucial element is a competitive edge only BYD has so far.Rimac Energy also did not disclose which chemistry it plans to use in its ESS. Although the most logical option is lithium iron phosphate (LFP) , the smaller footprint the system presents may also have to do with more energy density in its cells. For the energy losses to be lower, this chemistry also needs to accept charge without much resistance, which is almost like supercapacitors behave. Resistance dissipates energy in the form of heat.The new enterprise already has customers. Rimac Energy did not disclose who they are, but the first one is almost obvious. The Croatian company said the pilot operation should happen "with a leading renewable energy company." As with all companies with solar and wind power plants, it needs effective energy storage solutions. Solar and wind energy cannot be generated on demand. Nowadays, a lot of the electricity generated by these means is lost because the companies do not have how to store it to release it at peak times.The pilot tests should start in 2024. If everything goes according to the plan, mass production of Rimac Energy's ESS should kick off in 2025 at the Rimac Campus, close to Zagreb, Croatia. The company expects to scale output to "more than 10 GWh" per year, but it did not disclose when that should happen.Either Rimac Energy has a cheaper solution or a more effective one, which will compensate for a possibly higher cost with better performance. If it loses 50% less energy, that suggests it delivers 50% more electricity than "current state-of-the-art solutions." The Croatian company may have other compelling arguments to expand its customers' list, especially in what relates to safety.Tesla has faced at least two blazes with Megapacks. The first happened on July 30, 2021, at the Victorian Big Battery in Victoria, Australia. Luckily, the ESS was still on tests. A short circuit caused the fire, which took four days to be fully controlled. The second one happened on September 20, 2022, at the Elkhorn Battery Storage in California. In both cases, toxic fumes coming from the burning Megapacks made authorities issue a shelter-in-place advisory. I am not aware of any fire report involving BYD ESSs. Rimac has never expressed any ambitions of saving the world one car at a time or becoming an energy company. That said, it is curious that it has chosen to compete in the ESS market. If it felt it had developed a superior technology for this type of equipment, it could license it and enjoy the royalties. It must have seen an unmissable opportunity we may only fully understand in a few years.
The living proof comes from Chicago, where two robbers assaulted an armed truck and managed to run away with no less than $1.1 million.One of the robbers was waiting for the guards to return after entering a store. With a gun pointed at his head, the guard opened the door of the truck, giving the robbers enough time to remove a total of seven plastic bins and ten deposit bags.The two thieves then jumped into a grey Nissan parked right behind the armored truck and drove away without knowing that every single step they made was already tracked. An AirTag was apparently installed in the plastic money bins, so as long as the cash was in their possession, the police were aware of their location precisely.The robbers tried to erase their traces by swapping vehicles and going to various hiding spots, but given the AirTag was always with them, all these ideas proved useless.The police rapidly started an investigation, and using AirTag location data mixed with surveillance camera footage, they managed to rapidly locate and arrest the suspects. Hundreds of thousands of dollars were found in the ceiling and the basement of a hiding spot.AirTags are pill-shaped devices that connect to nearby iPhones to broadcast their location to a master device. Using a standard CR2032 battery, AirTags could work for up to one year without the need for charging. They are enrolled in the Find My network, so once configured, AirTags show their location in almost real time on the map as long as they connect to an iPhone in its proximity.Apple launched the device specifically to help customers track their belongings, but the AirTag rapidly became a gadget used for all kinds of nefarious purposes . More often than not, stalkers turned to AirTags to monitor their victims. Car thieves also installed AirTags behind the license plates of the vehicles they planned to steal. The small form factor makes the AirTag difficult to spot, and as such, people might have no clue their location is being tracked.Apple has already implemented a series of anti-stalking protections in the AirTag. The device issues a notification on nearby iPhones when its moving with them. Users must download an application from the Google Play Store to manually scan for nearby trackers on Android, so technically, this solution would have helped the robbers if they suspected an AirTag was planted in the plastic bins.Apple is working with Google and a series of other companies to create a standard that would allow for the automatic detection of trackers. Once this technology becomes available, users should be warned theyre being tracked automatically regardless of their mobile platform.
Ed Bolian of VINwiki, on a recent episode of Car Stories, told an interesting tale about the elusive Cuban Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing In the world of collector class, some of the most hunted vehicles include El Chapo's McLaren F1, Uday Hussein's Ferrari F40, Nazi Mercedes fleet, among others. However, the granddaddy of the lot is the Cuban Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing.To remind you, stories of a rotting Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing have been floating in the automotive car space for the last 27 years. It was a neglected gem rotting somewhere on an island in Cuba. For American classic car prospectors, It's the classic example of 'too close, yet too far.'In 1958, there was a motorsports event in Cuba called the Grand Premio de Cuba. Two Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing examples participated; one was ivory-colored (the car in question). After the event, the vehicle remained in Cuba and was locked in after Fidel Castro came into power in 1959.According to the story, it was driven until 1985 when the engine seized, and it was later parked under a banana tree in a lot with another classic Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Roadster.Jeremy Clarkson was the first to expose the story to a broader audience in 1996 in his Motorworld Series. In 2008, Michael Ware featured the elusive classic on Automobiles Lost and Found.Soon after, a world traveler and classic car lover went on a treasure hunt for Gullwing and documented his finding on his blog 'This European Life.'"Honestly, the ultimate car on that list is the Cuban 300 SL Gullwing because everybody knows where it is generally, but it is a car that you just can't get out," Bolian said about the elusive Gullwing 300 SL.Later on, there were rumors that the Cuban Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing had somehow been smuggled out of the country around 2015  but in salvageable pieces for restoration.Therefore, when a Cuban professor contacted Bolian claiming to have the elusive car  it was a puzzle Bolian was willing to follow to the end. According to the professor, he got the car from an individual trying to sell it for $100,000.Based on the details of the narrative, an ex-pat restauranteur in Costa Rica was responsible for bringing the car out of Cuba. But since the chassis was in the worst possible shape and unusable, it was shipped in boxes with no title or custom papers.The professor revealed to Bolian that the sought-after car was in the custody of a body shop owner and had been partially restored."If it's the most pieces that exist of the car or the most legitimate pieces that could exist of the car or even pieces that were possibly from the car, you could then take it to one of these world-renown restoration centers," Bolian said.When Bolian finally checked out the real-time pictures of what he thought was the elusive Cuban Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing, it was nothing of what he expected. For starters, it was coated in bass boat blue, VIN-ed, and titled as a 1984 Mercedes 190e. More interestingly, it was built on top of a chassis from a Mercedes-Benz B 200 compact minivan.Here's the kicker. While Bolian wanted to believe the car presented had some pieces from the original Cuban vehicle, the unit didn't have any paper trail, import documents, or proof the car was indeed the sought-after classic. The only supporting evidence they had was 'the story.'It was a fake and not worth $100,000  Bolian pulled out of the deal.Have you ever chased down a dream or an elusive car? Please share your experience with us in the comment section below. We'd love to hear your story.
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Giga Berlin has been on a roll lately, quickly ramping up production and achieving several milestones in a short period. It also added new Model Y variants beyond the initial Model Y Performance production. The first was the Model Y Long Range, shortly after the production debuted in March 2022. Since then, Tesla has been working with suppliers to localize more Model Y variants, including the base RWD version.Until recently, the Model Y RWD was built in China with LFP battery cells supplied by CATL. The cars were imported into Europe and sold in various markets, including Germany. In August 2022, the first rumors emerged about a supply deal with BYD . The Chinese company is not only Tesla's fiercest competitor in themarket but also an important supplier. Although many believe Tesla was diversifying its supply base at Giga Shanghai, it turned out BYD would provide battery packs to Giga Berlin.Like CATL, BYD is a significant producer of LFP (Lithium-Iron-Phosphate) cells, so it became clear that Tesla was preparing to produce the LFP-version of the Model Y in Germany instead of importing it from China. Soon after, we learned that Tesla obtained European certification for the new Model Y variant and that production might start as soon as September 2022. That didn't happen, though, as the Model Y RWD was still imported from China.Now, the publication that offered us the first information about the BYD deal revealed that Tesla has finally started mass production of the Model Y RWD in Germany. According to Teslamag, the base-version Model Y uses a structural battery supplied by BYD and appears to be the exact type certified in 2022. This would be the first time Tesla built the Model Y with an LFP structural battery pack, as the cars imported from China don't have that.Teslamag says that the LFP structural battery packs would not be made by Tesla but supplied by BYD from China. Tesla's structural battery packs are currently manufactured by Tesla, even though the cells are provided by partners such as Panasonic or LGES. Based on the certification papers from August 2022, BYD structural batteries have a 55-usable capacity, which is a tad lower than CATL's 60-kWh packs . The certifiedrange is also lower, at 440 km (273 miles) versus 455 km (283 miles). BYD battery packs also appear lighter since the Model Y weighs less, at 2,087 kg (4,600 lbs), compared to the CATL version (2,153 kg/4,747 lbs).Teslamag offers more insight into the production line expansion at Giga Berlin, which now uses four GigaPresses. According to the German news outlet, one already produces front megacastings, with two other die-casting machines being prepared for the same job. When the line is complete, eight of IDRA's GigaPresses will be active in Gruenheide producing megacasting for the Model Y.
Blinken said in a statement that after a series of bilateral and trilateral discussions during four days of talks both sides demonstrated a sincere commitment to normalizing relations and ending the long-standing conflict between their two countries.

The two sides agreed in principle to certain terms and have a better understanding of one anothers positions on outstanding issues, Blinken said.

He proposed the ministers return to their capitals to share with their governments the perspective that, with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach.

Baku and Yerevan will continue to have the full support and engagement of the United States in their effort to secure a durable and sustainable peace, Blinken said.

Washington hosted Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at a new State Department facility in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington.

Blinken said at the start of the meetings that dialogue between Yerevan and Baku is key to achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.

Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic solution and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly 7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.

The six-week war in which Azerbaijan regained all of the Armenian-controlled areas outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era autonomous oblast proper ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to the region to serve as peacekeepers.

Tensions along the restive Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Nagorno-Karabakh leading to sporadic fighting and loss of life have persisted despite the ceasefire.

They flared anew last month when Azerbaijan installed a road checkpoint at the start of the Lachin Corridor, the only route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia says the checkpoint, set up on April 23, is a violation of the 2020 ceasefire. Azerbaijan insists it established the checkpoint in response to what it says were Armenian weapon supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia denies that accusation.

A joint statement issued by the parties after the talks said Mirzoyan and Bayramov and their teams made progress in mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations. The statement also noted that positions on a number of key issues remain different.

The ministers presented their views on the current situation and expressed their positions on the existing problems related to the regulation of relations, it said.

The two ministers expressed their appreciation to the American side for hosting the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties have agreed to continue discussions, the statement concluded.

In addition to meeting Blinken, the ministers also met with national-security adviser Jake Sullivan.
Chinese navy ship rescues Pakistanis from dire situation in Sudan

15:15, May 05, 2023 By Misbah Saba Malik ( Xinhua

Pakistani people evacuated from Sudan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu arrive at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on April 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

"Chinese friends opened their doors and hearts for us during our most dire circumstances" in conflict-torn Sudan, said a 42-year-old Pakistani mechanic after being evacuated aboard a Chinese navy ship to Saudi Arabia.

SWABI, Pakistan, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Nasrullah Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani mechanic who worked in Sudan, experienced the real adversity of life for the first time since his birth when sitting anguished and penniless in Port Sudan in recent days.

Now safely in his home in Swabi, a city in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, he recalled the intense and moving experience, saying that "the Pakistan-China ironclad friendship helped him out of danger."

Deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15, killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, meets with his friends and family at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

"It was the worst time of my life when the conflict in Sudan broke out, I was so uncertain if I could get back home because the situation was getting dismal back there. With every passing hour, my hopes were fading until I heard an announcement to get on board a Chinese navy vessel to take a voyage towards peace," Khan, who worked in a printing factory in Sudan, told Xinhua.

In the wake of the recent unrest in Sudan, Khan and thousands of other foreigners working in the African country had to flee for their lives, leaving all their belongings behind.

Khan rushed to a safer place from his workplace in the Sudanese city of Soba to the capital city of Khartoum one night in April, from where he was sent to Port Sudan by the Pakistani embassy for evacuation.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, chats with his friends at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

According to Pakistan's foreign ministry, over 200 Pakistani evacuees in Sudan were brought to Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia by the Chinese navy ship Weishanhu.

"We are grateful to our Chinese friends for this gesture of support and friendship," the ministry said.

Khan told Xinhua that he and other Pakistanis spent four days in a hotel near the port, adding that initially the Pakistanis were being evacuated in groups of 30 to 40 people, but when the Chinese navy vessel arrived, it evacuated over 200 Pakistanis waiting at the port.

"Chinese friends opened their doors and hearts for us during our most dire circumstances, they took good care of us and ensured that our 18-hour-long voyage to Jeddah was a comfortable one," Khan said while ruffling his daughter's hair in affection.

Khan took selfies with the Chinese navy staff, enjoyed the halal cuisine specially prepared for the Pakistani evacuees, and eventually had a peaceful sleep in a cozy room in the vessel after many days of fear and uncertainty in Sudan.

"Throughout my life, I had heard about the Pakistan-China friendship, but never had I imagined the depth of the friendship until I experienced it myself ... It made my heart swell with pride that my best friends saved my life and reunited me with my family. For us, China is indeed the most valuable friend in this time of need," the father of four children told Xinhua.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, meets with his daughters at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Khan Ghalib, Khan's 65-year-old father, a white-bearded man living with the children of Khan and four of his other sons in an old ancestral home in the remote area of Swabi, said that he had several sleepless nights when Khan was stranded in Sudan.

"I was worried about his life and wellbeing, and I sighed with relief when I saw him safe and sound before my eyes," Ghalib told Xinhua.

He said that since his son returned safely, he always wished the crew which had evacuated Khan the very best, and hoped that the Pakistan-China friendship would further bloom.

According to an official statement, Chinese naval vessels evacuated 493 people, including 272 Chinese and 221 foreigners from countries such as Pakistan and Brazil, from Sudan in two evacuation operations that concluded on April 29, as the evacuees arrived at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
North Korea leader Kim Jong-un speaks to officials at the Mount Geumgang resort on the east coast of North Korea, in this October 2019 photo. Seoul is pushing to hold Pyongyang liable for damaging and using South Korean companies' property there, including the pictured Hotel Haegumgang owned by Hyundai Asan. Yonhap









By Jung Min-ho







Seoul is pushing to hold Pyongyang liable for damaging and using the property of South Korean companies without their consent at the Mount Geumgang resort in North Korea, officials told The Korea Times, Friday.







This move comes as the Ministry of Unification is looking into the feasibility of taking separate legal action against the North Korean regime over clear violations regarding the property rights of the South Korean companies that own the facilities and equipment at the inter-Korean manufacturing complex in Gaesong, based on intelligence and North Korea's own media reports.







"Our stance is that, if any companies or businesspeople are willing to take legal action [over property damage at the Mount Geumgang resort], we would support them," a ministry official said. "Even if it takes a long time, we will hold North Korea responsible for violating the property rights of our companies and demand compensation."







The previous day, the Voice of America, a U.S.-funded broadcaster, released satellite images showing that Hotel Haegumgang, a floating hotel owned by South Korea's Hyundai Asan, has been removed from the resort area. This immediately resulted in the ministry strongly condemning the move.







The Korea Tourism Organization, a government agency that owns three facilities worth tens of billions of won (tens of millions of dollars) there, is reportedly preparing to seek damages. Speaking to The Korea Times, its representative said it had no specific plan yet.







Some of the facilities seized by North Korea at the Mount Geumgang resort and the Gaeseong Industrial Complex belong to the South Korean government. Yet officials have been cautious about taking the case to court here directly. The reason is that the evidence collected so far shows no visible damage to the facilities it owns, such as a building for the reunions of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War and a fire station.







Their reluctance suggests the magnitude of the legal challenges faced by those seeking damages from the reclusive and authoritarian state.







This July 2022 screenshot from North Korea's official Korean Central Television shows what appears to be a Hyundai bus operating in Gaesong, North Korea. Yonhap





First of all, it would be extremely difficult to secure sufficient evidence to prove North Korea's unlawful activities without actually visiting the location in question, something that the North would likely not allow. Therefore, satellite photos and North Korea's media reports might not be enough to win the case.







Even if the court rules in favor of Seoul, there is an even greater challenge remaining: Making North Korea pay damages. Almost certainly, the regime would not do so, leaving it purely as a symbolic win.







Despite all this, North Korea's devious moves have left the ministry with no other option but to take a tough stance.







In a recent interview with the Hankook Ilbo, the sister paper of The Korea Times, Minister Kwon Young-se said Pyongyang had been seeking to make deals with a third country over the operation of South Korea's property in Gaesong. Such cooperation would be a violation of United Nations sanctions as well as the inter-Korean agreement.







A deal signed by the two Koreas over the joint Gaesong project  which has been halted since 2016  bans any party from nationalizing the property invested by the other. If any country is found to be involved in using South Korean property without its consent, the ministry said it will bring the issue to the United Nations.






The mechanism for safeguarding the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh is still uncertain and so is the format of Stepanakert-Baku dialogue, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Thursday as four-day bilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were drawing to a close in Washington.

Speaking at the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations on the first day of his two-day official visit to the Czech Republic, Pashinian said that so far it has been impossible to agree upon mechanisms for overcoming differences in the reading of the peace agreement text.

According to the Armenian leader, there is also no agreement on international mechanisms for implementing the peace agreement. We do, however, continue our efforts in order to succeed in all these areas, Pashinian emphasized.

One of the participants of the discussion asked Pashinian why Yerevan does not invoke remedial secession given Azerbaijans aggressive actions against Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

The Armenian government began to address this principle in public statements during the 44-day war in Nagorno-Karabakh in September-November 2020 and it was also reflected in the election platform of Pashinians ruling Civil Contract party that regained its majority in the Armenian parliament in the following years snap elections.

The prime minister did not specifically talk about the principle of remedial secession in answering the question, but reaffirmed his previous statements that Baku is preparing ethnic cleansings and the security and rights of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians should be addressed in negotiations that will take place between Baku and Stepanakert. The Armenian leader admitted, however, that the administration of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has no desire for such dialogue.

Not only do we expect this, but we have been working in this direction for more than 30 years. And we must redouble our efforts to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem, to establish lasting peace in our region. We are committed to the peace agenda, because we have received a mandate for it from the Armenian people, Pashinian said.

Earlier, speaking at a joint press conference with his Czech counterpart Petr Fiala, the Armenian prime minister urged the international community to give a clear and targeted assessment of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, claiming that Azerbaijans actions to cut the Armenian-populated region from Armenia amount to preparations for ethnic cleansings.

Pashinians remarks concerned a checkpoint that Azerbaijan installed on April 23 at the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

Yerevan and Stepanakert believe that the roadblock is illegal as it contradicts the terms of a 2020 Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement under which control in the corridor is to be exercised only by Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region. Baku discards accusations from the Armenian side that it is blockading the region.

Azerbaijans Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement later on May 4, describing Pashinians statements in Prague as absolutely unacceptable.

One of the participants of the discussion at the Prague Center for Transatlantic Relations asked about Armenias relations with Russia. Pashinian said that there were factors complicating these relations and in that context mentioned Yerevans differences with the Collective Security Treaty Organization, stressing that the Moscow-led military alliance has not fulfilled its obligations to Armenia.

Pashinian ended the discussion with observations about a possible unpredictable end to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He stressed that the situation is completely unpredictable and that there is no analytical structure that can predict what will happen in a month.

I can only say with certainty that I am going to Moscow next week, Pashinian said, without specifying the agenda of his upcoming visit.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that certain plans regarding a possible meeting between Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin were being discussed.

It is not clear yet whether Pashinians visit to Moscow will also be connected with the military parade that Russia stages on Red Square every year on May 9 to mark victory in Europe in World War Two or the Great Patriotic War as it is more commonly referred to in Russia and other post-Soviet countries.
Speaking at a press conference in Ankara where he was attending a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, a regional organization embracing over a dozen countries, including Armenia, Simonian commented on Turkeys decision to close its airspace for overflights by Armenian airlines.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Turkish television earlier this week that banning Armenian airlines from operating flights through Turkish airspace was a response to Armenias provocations, including the recent inauguration in Yerevan of a memorial to participants in Operation Nemesis.

The operation pursued by a clandestine cell of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation was a 1920s program of assassinations of Ottoman perpetrators of the 1915 Armenian genocide and Azerbaijani figures responsible for 1918 massacres of Armenians in Baku.

While Operation Nemesis participants are widely regarded by Armenians as avengers, Turkey and Azerbaijan view them as terrorists.

Following the unveiling of the monument in the center in Yerevan on April 25, one day after Armenians in Armenia and around the world marked the 108th anniversary of the Ottoman-era Genocide vehemently denied by Turkey, the Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministries issued statements condemning the event that was also attended by Yerevans Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinian, a senior member of Armenias ruling Civil Contract party.

Simonian stressed in Ankara that the decision on the memorial was made by a local government body. I do not want it to be perceived here as a manifestation of Armenias foreign policy or as an unfriendly step, he said, clarifying that the state foreign policy in Armenia is carried out by the prime minister and the foreign minister.

You have all witnessed the decisions made at their level in recent months, the parliament speaker added.

At the same time, Simonian said that if one wants, he can always find excuses for worsening relations.

I could, too, find a thousand different reasons for not coming to Turkey. But I am here to tell the Turkish society that Armenia is ready for peace and normalization of relations without preconditions, the speaker of the Armenian parliament said.

Simonian discussed the issue of the closure of airspace to Armenian airlines with his Turkish counterpart Mustafa Sentop when the two met on the sidelines of the international event in Ankara on Thursday.

According to the Armenian parliaments press service, Simonian expressed hope that his meeting with Sentop would promote a solution to the problem.

Armenia and Turkey embarked on their second attempt in the past decade or so to normalize their historically strained relations in early 2022. The governments of the two countries appointed special envoys who held several rounds of negotiations aimed at paving the way for establishing diplomatic relations and opening the currently closed border.

Since then Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan exchanged messages and had a phone call to discuss prospects of settling relations.

Also, Armenia sent rescuers and humanitarian aid to Turkey when a devastating earthquake struck the country in February, with Ankara temporarily reopening a crossing point at the border with Armenia for the humanitarian supply. Armenia said then it expected Turkey to reopen the border permanently at least for third countries citizens and diplomats in the near future.

Earlier this week, a spokesman at the U.S. State Department noted with disappointment Turkeys announcement that it would suspend overflight permissions for Armenias airlines.

The agreement that had previously been reached between these two countries to resume air connections had been a very important confidence-building measure not just between these two countries but... for regional stability broadly, spokesman Vedant Patel said during a press briefing on May 3.

Its our sincere hope that Turkey and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well, he added.

Official Yerevan did not immediately comment on Turkeys condemnation of the Operation Nemesis monument inauguration in the Armenian capital or its ban on overflights for Armenian airlines that began to affect air traffic still last week.

But in remarks in parliament on Wednesday Prime Minister Pashinian said that the closure of Turkish airspace for Armenian planes was primarily a problem for Armenia, because those who block our routes experience practically no problems themselves.

Pashinian admitted that the decision to erect the monument made months after the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh reflected the desire to avoid being called traitors.

But by being always guided by the logic of doing so as not to be called traitors we actually keep betraying the state and national interests of our country, he said.
Pashinian, in an exclusive interview with RFE/RLs Armenian Service on May 5, said that the key differences concern not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also territorial and security guarantees.

We are still unable to reach agreement in the draft peace agreement on the wording that will give us confidence that Azerbaijan recognizes 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia within its Soviet-era borders, he said.

Pashinian also highlighted the need for guarantees as any agreement, even the most unambiguously written one, allows for interpretations.

Pashinian, who spoke with RFE/RL while on a two-day official visit to Prague, referred to the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations that was discussed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, during the U.S.-sponsored talks.

A joint statement issued on May 4 at the conclusion of the talks said Mirzoyan and Bayramov and their teams made progress in mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral peace agreement but noted that positions on a number of key issues remain different.

Despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinkens optimism that with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach," Pashinian assessed the progress as minimal.

While the difference between the sides was 1 kilometer before, now it is 999 meters. It is also progress, but there is still a huge gap, he said in the interview with RFE/RL.

Pashinian reiterated Armenias position that the issue of the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians should be discussed in a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert with international engagement.

Otherwise, this topic and agenda can simply be forgotten by Azerbaijan, he said.

He also said that both international and local mechanisms should be applied to such matters as the withdrawal of troops and the establishment of a demilitarized zone. In addition, there are different interpretations in Yerevan and Baku on how to address the rights of Nagorno-Karabakhs Armenians.

Pashinian said that the discussion that started in Washington can continue in Moscow, denying claims that there are Western and Russian drafts that differ from each other.

Sometimes I read articles, listen to interviews as I want to understand what people are talking about. If I werent prime minister, I would have thought that there was something I didnt know, said Pashinian.

He said that while there have been some approaches from the West, they have not been presented as an option in writing.

An approach is verbal. Perhaps if we put it down and read on paper, it may turn out that we understood this approach wrong, that it is not what it looked like. In August 2022, the Russian side submitted a written proposal, we accepted it, Azerbaijan rejected it. We havent seen Russia putting that option on the table for a second time, Pashinian said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.

Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic solution and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly 7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.

The six-week war in which Azerbaijan regained all the Armenian-controlled areas outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era autonomous region ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers.

Tensions along the restive Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Nagorno-Karabakh leading to sporadic fighting and loss of life have persisted despite the cease-fire and the presence of Russian troops.

They flared anew last month when Azerbaijan installed a road checkpoint at the start of the Lachin Corridor, the only route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia says the checkpoint, set up on April 23, is a violation of the ceasefire agreement. Azerbaijan insists it established it in response to what it says were Armenian military supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia denies that accusation.
5 May 2023 22:00 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

...the restrictions after the revolution in Iran, Part 2

The political analyst Sadraddin Soltan says that after the establishment of the theocratic regime in Iran, the hijab rule was first introduced. Among this society, it was considered the greatest pressure against personal freedom. Women who resisted this practice were arrested, beaten, and even executed. The Tehran regime imposed this rule on society by force. The results of this regime are currently manifesting themselves in the country. While there is no compelling or violence in the Quran, the country enforced this rule by force using the Islamic religion.

The second issue is the constitution. In contrast to the King's era, the constitution implemented by the current regime keeps the freedom of language, culture and press under constant control. People belonging to many ethnic groups living in Iran cannot speak any language except Persian and Armenian. While half of the country is made up of Azerbaijani Turks, there are not only schools in Azerbaijani or Turkish, but even speaking in this language is not allowed. And the most terrible thing is that if the prohibitions were not followed, they were prevented as a result of pressure. This tradition is an example of the continuation of the Panfarcism policy of the Iranian authorities, which existed from the time of Reza Pahlavi.

But the question arises, could those who came to power after him be able to do what the king could not do?

"The leading person in Iran is not the president, but the supreme religious leader of the country according to the constitution, and that person is Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in Iran. At the same time, the supreme leader is elected by the Khubrigan council, a council of religious experts, which has more than 80 members. It is he who gives all the instructions for the country, and his decisions are implemented by the Supervisory Board.

Now a bit more detailed...

After the revolution, the first president was Abulhasan Banisadr, and after him, the second president, who was in power for 28 days, was Mohammadali Rajai. Later, Ruhullah Khomeini was elected supreme leader, and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected president. Although all the presidents who came to power in Iran carried out economic, political and social reforms, none of them brought results. For example, although Mohammad Khatami, who came to power in 1997, carried out reforms on culture and economy, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who came to power in 2005, on social issues, none of them yielded results because he was the supreme leader. On the eve of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term in power, a new line called "Green Movement" was formed. According to their thinking, the country will act under the name of the Islamic Republic after that time. Although the prime minister, chairman and many presidents supported the movement, it did not last long. The initiatives put forward by the presidents in power did not bring any results.

What is Iran's relationship with neighboring countries?

"Iran, the country whose president is power of substitute has neither an ally nor a normal relationship with Muslim countries. The constant tense situation with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and uncertain relations with Turkmenistan and Turkiye are ongoing. The relationship with Azerbaijan is also clear. It is because Iran claims hegemony. According to their thinking, Iran is the biggest country in the region and all the countries of the region should reckon with it. Iran's desire in regional countries; to create a 5th colony in Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Iraq, and Syria. Iran also interferes in the internal affairs of Arab countries. The Iranian government has a branch outside the country called Quds, which is engaged in counterintelligence activities. In fact, it is meant to show Armenia as a neighbor and normal relationship, but Iran uses it as a tool against Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

As regards the headline - the terror-stricken Iran, is the matter of its domestic and foreign terrorism, while it acts all of these thing under the guise of Islam.

The Iranian government had a kind of cannibal character. This regime, which came to power with the decline of the revolution, has never made fair and transparent decisions and has not even created the conditions for it.

Terrorism in Iran can be compared to the activities of the Bolsheviks who overthrew the tsarist regime in Russia and destroyed their descendants. They had a saying - "Red revolution and white terror". The Bolshevik movement, which is essentially the same, is also taking place in Iran. For some reason, Iran sometimes replaced this terror with execution; implements oppositional thinking to eliminate those who oppose the government. However, Iran does not think that this event has a boomerang effect. As an example, one can take the killing of Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani, a member of the Council of Experts, in Babolsar as a result of an armed attack. Many of the previous incidents are recurred terrorist attacks against the Iranian government. Iran does not think that oppression and executions against people, terrorism against other countries cause hatred against the government.

The undisclosed oppressive methods of Iran, which has not yet been announced to the world

Why does the Pahlavi's government, which was overthrown by the people's protest, want to destroy the mullah's regime now?

As we know, all revolutions have a condition. Discontents arose from the society when the government was not managed properly. Discontents arise between the society and the government because the government has collapsed and the resources are running out. As a protest, the society burns pictures of top leaders and chants slogans against the government. The factors that led to the overthrow of the king can also be attributed to the current government.

The deadly weapon that can end the world - nuclear...

It is said that Iran has the power to develop nuclear weapons. It is interesting if this is a myth or the truth?

Iran's creation of nuclear weapons is unfortunately more a fact than a myth. It is claimed that North Korea and Russia helped him in this direction. As mentioned above, the issue of creating nuclear power plants in Iran existed as a project during Reza Pahlavi's reign. Although this project was stopped for a while, it was later realized with the help of Russian-Chinese experts. Iran is training a large number of specialists who have studied in the field of atomic physics and experienced in nuclear power plants. After the US imposed sanctions on such institutions of Russia, Iran stopped its cooperation with those universities and institutions. However, according to the reports of representatives of the Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's nuclear weapon is not far away.

Sometimes they say don't believe the rumors. But there are rumors that one wants to believe. It is said that Iran may be wiped off the map someday. Can this be accepted as the truth..?

Great powers are short-lived. Since the ideology of the Iranian regime is rotten, the same thought can be applied to them. We encountered such a situation in the history of the USSR, which lasted for 70 years. The question is...what will be Iran's unifying factor? The Iranian regime wanted to create a single state by isolating non-Persian nationalities in the country. However, the attempts of separate non-Persian national ethnic groups to create their own states have confirmed once again that this desire of Iran will not be realized.

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5 May 2023 08:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Elchin Alioglu, Trend

Although Yerevan is trying to withdraw from Russia as quickly as possible, it does not want to lose profits and benefits.

The International Republican Institute (IRI) of the USA has conducted a large-scale opinion poll in Armenia. According to the results of the survey, the country that Armenians sympathize with the most is France, and the country they sympathize with the least is Russia.

In a similar survey conducted by IRI in 2018, 87 percent of respondents considered the relations between Armenia and the Russian Federation good, and 11 percent considered them bad. In the last survey, only 50 percent of respondents said that Armenia-Russia relations are good. 49 percent of the respondents are sure that the relations between Armenia and Russia are in a very bad state.

The attitude of Armenians towards the European Union has practically not changed: if in 2018, 81 percent of the respondents said that the relations between Armenia and the EU are in a good state, now this indicator is 86 percent.

The change in the attitude of Armenians towards the United States is also insignificant: the indicator, which was 84 percent in 2018, is now 88 percent.

The most interesting point of the survey conducted by IRI is that 24 percent of Armenians are sure that Russia poses a real threat to Armenia from a political point of view, and 28 percent from an economic point of view.

Of course, the countries that Armenians fear the most are Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

Regarding which countries are Armenia's main commercial and economic partners, Armenians believe that the Russian Federation is in first place (61 percent of respondents), followed by Iran, China and France.

It is clear from the results of the survey that although the citizens of Armenia want to earn at the expense of Russia and ensure their security, they consider the development of relations with the USA, France and the European Union more promising.

It is not a paradoxical picture: cognitive dissonance and duality of consciousness are common in Armenian society.

The author of the desire to achieve collective psychosis is the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and his team acting on his instructions.

The Collective Security Treaty Organization or just simply CSTO called to join the war on the side of Yerevan, become a participant in military operations and "protect the poor Armenians".

These calls did not subside during the war, and immediately after the signing of the Yerevan capitulation document, the Pashinyan administration began to threaten the CSTO and accuse it of treason.

As the authorities of Armenia have not yet been able to restore the sense of reality that they lost long ago, foreign policy shocks and surprising, sudden position changes continue.

One of the reasons for the process is the split in the opposition camp in Armenia.

Thus, the relations of "alliance" between the "Armenia" and "My Step" parliamentary factions managed by former presidents Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargyan no longer exist. Since the extraordinary parliamentary elections held in 2021, until now, these two opposition forces have discussed almost any issue in the parliament and tried to act as a united front against the power of Nikol Pashinyan, but now they have distanced themselves from each other and started a mutual struggle.

Differences of opinion between "Armenia" and "My Step" can be observed in a wide range, from votes on the draft laws presented by the government to small tactical decisions.

Although the Hrapark faction participated, the members of the "My Step" faction, unlike the "Armenia" deputies, refused to ask questions to Nikol Pashinyan.

On the contrary, in the previous session, deputies from "Armenia" took part in the discussions in which "My Step" refused to participate, thus putting an end to the "agreed" boycott of parliamentary sessions.

The cause of the split is Serzh Sargsyan. He says that Robert Kocheryan was a complete fiasco in the struggle for power and elections, and wants his predecessor to withdraw from active political activity.

A bitter chaos among political parties

What makes the situation even more interesting is that Robert Kocharyan makes exactly the same demands against Serzh Sargsyan, accusing him of "shameful defeats".

Nikol Pashinyan also gives impetus to the processes. In his speech in the Armenian parliament, he said that the system that should ensure stability and security in the South Caucasus in advance is not functioning now: "I consider elimination of the consequences of the situation as my strategic goal."

Then he declared that it depends on the results of the negotiations mediated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken: "The draft of the final peace agreement between our countries in the agreement layer aimed at achieving peace is already in Washington."

Thus, Nikol Pashinyan almost openly declares that it is the collapse of the "security system" that Russia has been declaring for years that created the situation in the region. According to him, the solution to the problem is Armenia's leaning towards the West.

Pashinyan's latest statements and statements are intended entirely for an internal audience. In the current state of the country, in the unrelenting economic crisis, blaming Russia, the Pashinyan administration emphasizes that "treacherous Russia" is involved in the economic and political difficulties Yerevan is facing.

According to official statistics, economic growth of 12 percent is also a fiction, because this "growth" is related to the use of Armenia as a parallel export destination by the Russian Federation, where the West imposes strict sanctions. Money flows from Russia to Armenia due to the "re-export" of local firms under the control of Russian state and private companies to Russia, and "export growth" is observed in Armenia.

Pashinyan and his team believe that the activation of relations with the West, especially with the USA and France, is the only way out for Yerevan in the current situation.

The prime minister of Armenia understands that Armenians living with the country's opposition, revanchism and feelings of revenge will not accept the peace agreement with Azerbaijan and will start mass protests.

Armenian PM's humble acknowledgement

It is no coincidence that Pashinyan said in his speech in the parliament, "I am constantly called a traitor, if they call me one more time, it's not a problem - I'm used to it", and then he said that "the draft peace agreement may contain potentially unacceptable things for Armenia, but we may have to do things for peace." .

On June 1, the summit meeting of European Union countries will be held in Chisinau, the capital of Moldova. Azerbaijan and Armenia are also expected to participate in the summit.

Nikol Pashinyan indicates that the final peace agreement can be signed on that very day, and at the same time, he does not hide his inclination towards the West.

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5 May 2023 11:57 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The first meeting of the Azerbaijan-Albania Economic, Industrial, and Technological Cooperation Working Group was held in Tirana, Albania, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry.

The Ministry said that prior to the meeting, there was a bilateral meeting between the co-chairs of the Working Group, Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, and Deputy Prime Minister of Albania - Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Bellinda Balluku.

The meeting heard the development of cooperation relations between the two countries in various fields.

At the meeting, the role of the heads of states in the development of inter-country relations was discussed, especially the importance of the Azerbaijani President lham Aliyevs visits to Albania and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Raman to Azerbaijan. Joint action within the framework of the Working Group and the plan to upgrade this cooperation format to the status of an Intergovernmental Commission, the political decision regarding the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tirana was marked as a manifestation of the intention to deepen Azerbaijan-Albania relations.

Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan and Albania are members of the TAP project, which plays a strategic role in diversifying the energy supply of European countries and ensuring energy security. The expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and the establishment of a local gas distribution system with the support of Azerbaijan are prospects that will increase the benefits of TAP for Albania:

"The gasification project of the city of Korcha is in the stage of the initial feasibility study. If the gas network is built, not only the country's energy balance will be diversified, but we will jointly participate in strengthening the energy security of the Balkan region. Intensive consultations are also currently underway on a number of new projects that will contribute to SOCAR's activity in Albania and our energy cooperation."

Albania's Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Bellinda Balluku said that Albania is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and is determined to strengthen its strategic partnership. She noted that today Albania identified many areas of potential cooperation. Among these fields, energy is of special interest to both countries.

The meeting discussed the development of cooperation in the fields of trade and investments, energy, agriculture, transport and infrastructure, tourism, culture, education, and science. Albanian companies were invited to cooperate in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, Alat Azad Economic Zone, and green energy projects. It was agreed to establish an Intergovernmental Commission on the basis of the Working Group.

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5 May 2023 13:59 (UTC+04:00)

Qabil Ashirov Read more

The 2nd International exhibition and conference "International transport-transit corridors: interconnection and development - 2023" finished its work on May 4 in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan, Azernews reports.

Azerbaijan Railways (ADY) CJSC told that new realities in the field of international transportation, development of transport and transit corridors, as well as observed in the field of logistics, were discussed at the conference.

Within the framework of the conference, a Memorandum of Understanding on international container transportation was signed between ADY Container LLC and Turkmenistan Transport and Logistics Center SC. The new cooperation platform will make an important contribution to the efficient and fast organization of container transportation in the Eurasian region.

In the fringe of the conference, the next meeting of the railway operators of the participating countries on the CASCA+ international multimodal route was held, and new prospects for the development of transit opportunities were discussed.

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5 May 2023 10:46 (UTC+04:00)

Laman Ismayilova Read more

Konserdi Zaal Estonia in Tallinn has hosted a spectacular concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev.

The concert "Eternity" was organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy in Estonia and the House of Azerbaijan in Tallinn with the support of the Azerbaijan Diaspora Support Fund, Azernews reports.

Many state and public figures, art and culture representatives, as well as Azerbaijani diaspora attended the event.

The Estonian Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anar Maharramov stressed that the main goal of the concert is to widely promote Azerbaijani music and culture in Estonia, which is a member of the European Union.

Chairman of the State Committee on Work with Diaspora Fuad Muradov spoke about the outstanding merits of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev in strengthening and developing an independent state.

The chairman of the committee noted that the event also contributed to the further strengthening of cooperation between the two countries in the field of culture.

Chairman of Estonia-Azerbaijan inter-parliamentary friendship group Riina Solman called the holding of this event in Tallinn an important event in the history of the two countries. It was noted that a wonderful musical evening serves to further develop cultural ties between the two countries and thoroughly familiarize the Estonian audience with Azerbaijani national music.

The concert program featured works by Azerbaijani and world classics. During the concert, People's Artist Nazakat Teymurova, Honored Artist Aliagha Sadiyev, soloist of the Azerbaijan State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater Fatima Jafarzade were accompanied by Narva Symphony Orchestra conducted by People's Artist Yalchin Adigozalov. The Azerbaijani musicians totally captivated the Estonian audience.

After the concert, the Chairman of the State Committee presented the former Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Kristiina Ojuland with the medal of Azerbaijan "For Merits in Diaspora Activities", which she was awarded for her contribution to the expansion of Azerbaijani-Estonian friendly relations.

Kristiina Ojuland expressed confidence that the current event would give impetus to the further development of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

On behalf of the State Committee, the artistic director of the Narva Symphony Orchestra Anatoly Shchura and the Estonian politician of Azerbaijani origin Zuleykha Ismayilova were presented with memorable gifts.

As part of the visit of the State Committee staff to Estonia, concert programs were also organized in the city of Narva.

Fascinating concerts were greeted with interest by the audience. The chairman of the State Committee also visited the gallery of the Azerbaijani artist Rovshan Nur, who lives in Estonia. He viewed the exhibits with great interest.

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5 May 2023 05:00 (UTC+04:00)

A mutual agreement was reached on some articles of the draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azernews reports, citing the the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

According to the statement, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan have held talks on May 1-4 in Arlington, Virginia.

"The ministers were received at the George Shultz National Training Center for Foreign Affairs. In Washington, they met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Assistant to the President and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan. The ministers exchanged views on the current situation, and also outlined their positions on existing issues, related to the normalization of relations.The ministers and their teams reached an understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral agreement on peace and the establishment of interstate relations, while recognizing that positions on some key issues differ.Both ministers expressed gratitude to the American side for conducting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan The parties agreed to continue negotiations," the statement said.

Recall that on May 1, a trilateral meeting was held in the United States between Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. After that, a bilateral meeting of the foreign ministers of the two countries was held at the George Shultz National Training Center for Foreign Affairs. Negotiations continued on May 2 and 3 in a bilateral format. The final round of negotiations took place on 4 May.

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5 May 2023 13:17 (UTC+04:00)

A new print edition of the AZERNEWS online newspaper was released on May 5.

The new edition includes several interesting articles, such as "Expert says prospects of Armenia's peace negotiation looks more elusive"; "F1: Motosport fans gather in Baku for one-of-a-kind experience "; " National Mugham Competition wraps up"; "In March 2023, Azerbaijan came out on top in terms of oil supplies to Italy " etc.

AZERNEWS is an associate member of the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).

The online newspaper is available at www.azernews.az.




Prime Minister Han Duck-soo arrived in London on Thursday to attend King Charles III's coronation as part of a weeklong trip to Europe that also includes stops in Sweden, Austria and Romania.







Han is scheduled to attend the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday and meet with leaders from various countries to ask for their support for Seoul's bid to host the 2030 World Expo in the southeastern port city of Busan, Han's office said.







Han is also scheduled to attend a reception at Buckingham Palace, hosted by King Charles, on Friday, the office said.







Meetings with several leaders of African nations and the British Commonwealth attending the coronation ceremony are also scheduled on the sidelines Friday.







Furthermore, Han is scheduled to meet with South Korean nationals living in Britain and business leaders.







Han is scheduled to stay in Britain for four days and then depart for Stockholm. His next stops are Vienna and then Bucharest. (Yonhap)


5 May 2023 14:41 (UTC+04:00)

Rena Murshud Read more

Today, with joint initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Pakistan and Azerbaijan Technical University the 6th International Conference of Developing Entrepreneurs 2022 (CODE International  6) held at the Azerbaijan Technical University.

Azernews reports that the ceremony was attended by rector of Azerbaijan Technical University Dr.Vilayat Valiyev, deputy head of Pakistani embassy in Baku Mr.Moazzam Ali Sahito, the President of PAKAZCHAM Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti, professors, teachers and students of the university, as well as other guests and professors from both Turkiye and Pakistan.

Azerbaijan Technical University rector Dr.Vilayat Valiyev first started the event with his welcoming speech. He greeted those who came to the event and emphasized the importance of the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Dr Vilayat Valiyev also underlined the efforts made to organize the event. Finally, he thanked everyone who contributed and participated at the conference.

Then the President of PAKAZCHAM- Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti welcomed the professors, representatives of the embassy, students and guests from Turkiye and Pakistan who took part in the event. Later, the blessed memory of the martyrs was honored with a minute of silence. The professor emphasized that the country's economy is an important factor. Expressing gratitude to the educational institutions that paid attention to this topic, he spoke about the mutual economic relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Then he told that since its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has developed economic and trade relations with more than 150 countries. It has signed cumulatively over fifty bilateral agreements for the promotion and protection of foreign investment and avoidance of double taxation.

Azerbaijan is ranked 34th out of 190 countries in the global ease of doing business index- The President of PAKAZCHAM said.

According to him, Azerbaijan's focus on ICT and Education Information/Communications Technology is one of the 4th target sectors for economic diversification and the 2nd largest target for foreign investment after the oil and gas industry. Besides, he pointed the advantage that the government of Azerbaijan has established several technological parks throughout the country that has also offered tax breaks and exemptions for companies.

Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti said that Azerbaijan has been actively developing its satellite services to build its regional commercial telecommunications capacity. Azercosmos, Azerbaijan's Space Agency, successfully obtained and launched US produced telecommunications satellites in 2013 and 2018.

"Azerbaijan has 50 plus state of the art public and private universities providing majors in various fields. A total of over 10,000 students study abroad every year under various state and private programs," Bhatti said.

Then deputy head of Pakistani embassy in Baku Mr.Moazzam Ali Sahito greeted the participants of the event. He expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijan Technical University for organizing the event and stressed that the organization of the conference is of great importance for both Azerbaijan and Pakistan.

As you know, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have very good relations in the political, defense and education spheres. Visiting many educational institutions in Azerbaijan, I noticed how enthusiastically and energetically students approached the fields of technology and tried to develop in this area. I met many students who were learning English, and many other languages. I want to note that in Pakistan, English is considered a second language. In Pakistan, English is spoken at the educational institutions by teaches and students and it is spoken almost everywhere. Therefore, it will be very easy for Azerbaijani students visiting Pakistan and getting acquainted there with people," he told.

The Ambassador also stressed the importance of bilateral trainings for students. In conclusion, he thanked the guests who took part at the conference as well as organizers of the event.

The conference was concluded with very important remarks of Mr.Irfan Maqsood telling about the future cooperation and exchange of knowledge among students of Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

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5 May 2023 17:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Vafa Guliyeva

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have talked over the phone, Azernews reports.

During the phone conversation, the FMs exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as well as the current regional situation.

The sides also discussed the recent negotiations on the draft peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

During the phone talk, the ministers pointed to other issues of mutual interest.

To recap, on 1 May the meeting between Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan took place in Arlington, at George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center with organization of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During the meeting, the ministers discussed the security situation in the region as well as issues related to the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that prior to the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a a phone call with the head of state of Azerbaijan expressing his concern over the establishment of the new checkpoint on the Lachin road at the conventional border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Also, following the meeting in the US, a mutual agreement was reached on some articles of the draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the statement, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had talks on May 1-4 in Arlington, Virginia.

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5 May 2023 17:45 (UTC+04:00)

On 4 May, the Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan Mukhtar Babayev, and bps regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkiye Gary Jones visited one of bp and its co-venturers social investment project sites - the Green Heart tree planting area in Chobanabdalli village of Samukh district, Azernews reports.

Together, they toured the area, briefed about the progress of the project, and planted 100 Paulownia trees.

The Green Heart tree planting project is a two-year environmental program aiming to offset carbon emissions by preventing soil erosion and desertification. The project is about planting 251,000 new trees and providing care for the existing 110,000 trees planted earlier in Samukh as part of phase 1 of the project. In addition, an innovative tree planting system with water-preserving equipment and an advanced planting technique will be created on one hectare of selected territory in the Gobustan district. The project progress to date includes 50,200 trees planted in Samukh, 170,000 in Shamkir, and 1000 trees in Gobustan.

Following the tree planting campaign in Samukh, Gary continued to accompany Minister Babayev and joined him in his next event in Yevlakh, during which they together released 100,000 fish into the Kur River.

These two events were part of Garys two-day trip (3-4 May) to bp-operated facilities and social investment sites along the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and South Caucasus Pipeline (SCP) projects.

The first stopover on the trip was the BTC pump station in Yevlakh where Gary toured the facility and received a full update on the safety and operational performance of the pump station. He then met with the personnel and led a village hall during which he discussed safety, operations, and other key business-related activities. Gary also recognized a number of site personnel representatives and teams for their excellent performance, delivery, and commitment to safe and reliable operations.

Upon arrival in Ganja, Gary visited Ganja Autism Centre supported by bp and its co-venturers in its capacity-building efforts. He met with the staff and discussed the scope of services the center provides in support of relevant families and communities.

The focus of the second day of the trip was to get acquainted with the progress of bp and co-venturers funded social investment projects and sign a Cooperation Agreement with the Azerbaijan State Agricultural University based in Ganja.

Speaking about the importance of the agreement Gary stressed that it set out a framework for the two organizations to cooperate closely in support of the universitys plans to develop publishing capacity and resources, as well as upgrade its overall research and development infrastructure.

Gary also made a tour of the new campus of the Azerbaijan State Agricultural University where he launched a new educational program to be funded by bp and its co-venturers in support of the capacity-building of local universities in Ganja.

More information about this new educational project is in the press release issued by bp today.

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5 May 2023 18:00 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have visited the Khojavand district.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the tourism projects to be implemented in the village of Tugh.

Chairman of the State Tourism Agency Fuad Nagiyev noted that the Agency-proposed tourism conceptual approach provides for implementation of projects in three directions cultural tourism, tourism industry based on the "green destination" and ecotourism concept as well as sustainable and community-based tourism development concept.

The first phase will see conservation of the residential building of the former school in the village of Tugh.

Landscaping is scheduled to be carried out around the territory of the Winery. The modern tourism concept will be applied for the Winery.

The Culinary Art Training Center will help popularize Azerbaijani cuisine and experimental culinary methods. The center will house kitchen, reception and tasting rooms.

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5 May 2023 18:13 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended a ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone for the Administrative Center in the village of Tugh of the Khovajand district.

Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh Economic Region (except Shusha district) Emin Huseynov informed the head of state and the First Lady of the buildings planned to be built in the public and administrative center of the Tugh village at the initial stage.

A two-storey administrative building, community club, cultural centers and a restaurant will be built in the administrative zone, which will cover an area of 1.63 hectares.

The construction and restoration works in the administrative center will end in March, 2024.

The head of state laid the foundation stone for the Administrative Center.

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5 May 2023 18:07 (UTC+04:00)

The foundation stone for the first residential quarter in the village of Tugh of the Khojavand district has been laid.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the quarter.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the residential quarter.

The residential quarter occupies a total area of nearly 99 hectares. The first phase will see the restoration of 24 historical houses and the construction of 95 houses for 1089 people.

The quarter will have a 360-seat school, a 50-seat kindergarten, shopping centers, a mosque, church, medical point, pharmacy, etc.

The head of state laid the foundation stone for the first residential quarter in the village of Tugh.

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5 May 2023 18:27 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President and First Lady have attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the first residential quarter in the settlement of Hadrut.

The head of state was informed of the work to be done.

The first residential quarter will be comprised of 28 houses.

PMD Group LLC will be responsible for construction of houses in the investment zone for the private sector in the settlement of Hadrut.

The head of state laid the foundation stone for the settlement of Hadrut.

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5 May 2023 18:52 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have been informed of the tourism development concept of the Hadrut settlement.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed that the State Tourism Agency first will restore and carry out landscaping works in the central quarter of the historical part of the settlement in order to develop tourism in Hadrut.

As part of the restoration and conservation works in the historical part of Hadrut, a temple belonging to the historical and cultural heritage of Caucasian Albania and the three buildings next to it will be restored.

President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva were also informed about the Tourism Information Center.

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5 May 2023 18:57 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended the inauguration of the 8.2-km section of the Shukurbayli-Jabrayil-Hadrut highway.

Chairman of the Board of the State Agency of Azerbaijan Automobile Roads Saleh Mammadov briefed the head of state on the work done.

The 42km old road was shortened by 2.3 km and replaced with the new 39.7 km one.

Six bridges have been constructed over the four-lane highway with 18 bus stops set up.

The new highway will run through Khojavand, Fuzuli and Jabrayil districts and link some 20 residential areas including the settlement of Hadrut and city of Jabrayil.

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5 May 2023 18:30 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva have attended a ceremony of the laying of the foundation stone for an administrative center in the Hadrut settlement of the Khovajand district.

The head of state and the First Lady were informed of the project.

The administrative center occupies a total area of 4.2 hectares.

The construction of the administrative premises of the Hadrut settlement will end in March, 2024.

President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the administrative center in the Hadrut settlement.

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Korea's ambassador to the United States, Cho Hyun-dong, is speaking during a seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, U.S., May 4, in this captured image.



South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent visit to the United States has opened a new chapter for the 70-year-old alliance, Seoul's top envoy to the U.S. said Thursday.



South Korea's ambassador to the U.S. Cho Hyun-dong also insisted that the countries have upgraded their mutual defense treaty signed in 1953.



"I think the state visit by President Yoon, I'd say, opened a new chapter for the 70-year-old alliance toward a greater and brighter future of the alliance. He put forward a vision of alliance and action toward the future," the ambassador said in a seminar hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a think tank based in Washington.



Yoon made a week-long state visit to the U.S. last week, during which he and U.S. President Joe Biden signed an agreement on strengthening U.S. extended deterrence, which refers to U.S. commitment to the defense of South Korea using all its military capabilities, including nuclear, when necessary.



The agreement, dubbed the "Washington Declaration," is an upgraded version of the 1953 Korea-U.S. mutual defense treaty, Cho insisted.



"We have upgraded our security alliance. The two presidents announced the Washington Declaration on top of the joint statement, which is a very unique and unprecedented document that the United States has signed with any other partner or ally," Cho told the seminar.



"This is the evolution of the mutual defense treaty, which was signed in 1953. The mutual defense treaty was a reflection of the security situation that time, but this one is another reflection of the security situation on the Korean Peninsula today," he added.



The Washington Declaration calls for increased visibility of U.S. commitment to the security of South Korea, according to Cho.



To this end, the U.S. has agreed to send a nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to South Korea for the first time since the early 1980s, and also "more regularly" deploy U.S. strategic assets to South Korea and the surrounding region.





Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, left, and U.S. President Joe Biden hold a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington, D.C., U.S., April 26. Yonhap
5 May 2023 20:15 (UTC+04:00)

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has attended a groundbreaking ceremony for the village of Dadali of the Fuzuli district.

The head of state was informed of the works to be done in the village.

The total projected area of the village is 314 hectares. A total of 1,050 houses will be built for 4,495 people (1,129 families) in the village. The first phase will see the construction of 327 houses for 1,373 residents.

The facilities at the village will include an administrative building, mosque, pharmacy, medical point, 840-seat secondary school, two kindergartens, a community club, library, etc.

The construction work will be completed in November, 2025.

President Ilham Aliyev laid the foundation stone for the village of Dadali.

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5 May 2023 09:00 (UTC+04:00)

President Joe Biden will hold a trilateral meeting with the leaders of Japan and South Korea later this month in Hiroshima when he travels to the city for this year's summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies, a senior U.S. official said Monday, Azernews reports via Kyodo News.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not mention the date of the three-way meeting. According to diplomatic sources, it will likely be held on May 21, the closing day of the three-day G-7 summit, before Biden leaves for Australia from the Japanese city.

Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol agreed last week during a summit at the White House that they will step up trilateral cooperation with Japan to better deal with the North Korean nuclear threat.

Biden also hailed Yoon's "political courage" in working with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to improve relations between Seoul and Tokyo after many years of tension over historical issues.

Yoon, who visited Tokyo in March, has been invited by Kishida as one of the guests for expanded discussions at the G-7 meeting.

Kishida is now considering making a two-day visit to South Korea from Sunday, diplomatic sources said earlier.

The last time a Japanese prime minister visited South Korea was when Shinzo Abe attended the opening ceremony of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

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Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 75F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 51F. WNW winds at 10 to 20 mph, decreasing to less than 5 mph.
Bakersfield, CA (93308)

Today

Partly cloudy skies this morning will become overcast during the afternoon. High around 75F. Winds WNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy early with some clearing expected late. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 51F. WSW winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 20 mph.




Korea's foreign ministry said Friday it will provide $200,000 in humanitarian aid for the United Nations to begin an operation to prevent a catastrophic oil spill from a decaying supertanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast.







The pledge was part of an international effort for the rescue operation of the oil tanker FSO Safer, which is expected to break up or explode unless the U.N. acts, according to the ministry.







The oil tanker, which contains 1.1 million barrels, was built in 1976 and has decayed to the point where there is an imminent risk it could explode or break apart, the U.N. said. (Yonhap)


Archived Results for Friday, May 5th, 2023

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The Constitution of the United States of America The Declaration of Independence The Emancipation Proclamation At least five essays from the Federalist Papers, as determined by the instructor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail" The Gettysburg Address The North Carolina State Constitution

This post appears here courtesy of The James G. Martin Center . The author of this post is Shannon Watkins UNC students aren't getting a solid foundation in civics. UNC-Chapel Hill, for example, does not require its students to take a course in American government. It does, however, require them to take a three-credit course called Global Understanding and Engagement.A course in American history or government isn't even required for majors where knowledge of civics is particularly important. UNC history majors, for instance, aren't required to take a course in U.S. Government. But they are required to takeFor the journalism major, an American Government class is one of seven courses students may choose from.Unfortunately, as noted in our Blueprint for Reform on Civics Education, civic ignorance among college students is a national problem.According to findings from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni, over half of college students do not know the term lengths of members of Congress, and nearly 40 percent do not know which branch of the government has the authority to declare war. 70 percent misidentified Thomas Jefferson as the father of the Constitution. 16 percent thought that Independence Day commemorated the signing of the Constitution (and four percent thought it had to do with the British surrender at Yorktown).The North Carolina legislature is contemplating a bill that would push back on this trend.Filed on February 13, House Bill 96, entitled the(or thefor short), would ensure that the state's public two- and four-year institutions graduate students with foundational civic knowledge.If adopted, this act would requireTo meet the course criteria, institutions must require students to read the following historical documents:Students must also take a cumulative final exam on the principles contained in those documents. The exam must have a substantial emphasis on theof the documents, as well as the authors' perspectives and the documents' relevant historical context. The exam must make up at least 20 percent of a student's course grade. The bill includes exemptions for students who have already fulfilled these requirements by taking an Advanced Placement course and exam, International Baccalaureate courses, or a dual-enrollment course.The bill's primary sponsors are Representatives Keith Kidwell, Jon Hardister, and Ray Pickett.The following are some of the main arguments leveled against the bill while it moved through the North Carolina House of Representatives.It is too punitive in cases of failed compliance.If any UNC-System school fails to adhere to the new requirement for more than one academic year, the Board of Governors may remove that institution's chancellor. This provision received some pushback during the community-college committee meeting. Representative Robinson asked whether this measure was too extreme.he said.In response, Hardister stated that he had had a similar initial reaction himself. However, he went on to state,He explained that there is often no enforcement mechanism in such laws, which results in litigation. This provision helps avoid that. He also noted that he thought it very unlikely that the college presidents would fail to adhere to the requirement.It creates barriers for community-college adult learners.Several representatives expressed concern that a civics requirement would create an additional barrier for adult learners seeking to improve their competitiveness in the job market. Kidwell, however, clarified that the requirement would be for degree-seeking students only. The civics requirement would not apply to those who enroll in non-degree technical training.It merely repeats high-school civics.Since students in high school already study most if not all of the documents prescribed in HB 96, some representatives did not see the need to study them again in college. Instead of creating a new college requirement, Representative Lindsey Prather suggested improving the already-existing high-school civics requirement.Kidwell responded by pointing out that students study several subjects in high school-such as algebra and biology-that are also required at the college level. The point of studying math again in college isn't to be redundant but to have a deeper understanding of the content-he said.Kidwell also pointed out that it doesn't hurt to re-read these historical documents, especially given their importance in U.S. history.It is too prescriptive and doesn't allow students to explore.Representative Cunningham objected on the grounds that prescribing a course that students have to pay for is unfair and doesn't allow them to explore their interests.she said during the Rules, Calendar, and Operations committee meeting.Kidwell answered that universities already have a prescribed set of courses-the general education curriculum-and that this courseIt is not diverse enough.Although her objection was not fully formulated, Prather noted that only one of the required authors is a black person and thatRepresentative Zack Hawkins expressed a desire to modify the list of documents so that it toldKidwell responded that he was open to meeting to discuss the possibility of other documents but that Hawkins hadThe reader should note the foundational importance of the required documents. The Constitution and Declaration of Independence should be closely studied, regardless of what their authors looked like.There is a lack of precedent for suchPrather argued that legislatively mandating a course on civics wasas there are currently no other statutory requirements for college graduation. Kidwell responded that the UNC System was created by the General Assembly and that the legislature doeshe said.Kidwell recognized that there will no doubt be an implementation cost but stated that UNC receives ample funding from the state to fund this requirement.he said.Explaining his support for the bill, Hardister said,In response to comments that this bill gives the legislature too much control over the curriculum, the bill's author, Jameson Broggi, stated that out of a 120-credit-hour degree, three credit hours amounts toover the curriculum.he said.Another possible objection is that such a requirement could risk accreditation problems. North Carolina's accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, for example, requires that the faculty have primary responsibility in curricular decisions. But as Broggi noted, the legislative civics requirement consists of only 2.5 percent of the curriculum. Faculty don't need to have complete curricular authority, just primary authority. And 97.5 percent of curricular control certainly constitutes primary authority.Fears over accreditation should be further assuaged by looking at other states. South Carolina adopted its own version of this legislation in 2021, without any threat to its institutions' accreditation. Similarly, the state legislatures in Florida, Georgia, and Texas all have statewide curricular requirements for their public institutions. Contrary to some representatives' protestations, precedents do exist for state legislatures to prescribe curriculum.It's clear that the arguments raised against the NC REACH Act do not hold water. As Kidwell observed, the state's governing body has a vested interest in producing knowledgeable and civically responsible citizens. A state that ensures that every degree-seeking student is well grounded in the country's history and principles isn'tit's fulfilling one of its most basic duties.
This post appears here courtesy of the John Locke Foundation . The author of this post is Jim Stirling In the era where politics has become increasingly tribalistic, we seldom see significant bi-partisan support from leadership within both parties. The Reorganization and Economic Development Act, House Bill 346, is one exception.The bill addresses how North Carolina'slike Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) may structure themselves, providing some commonsense leeway.Currently, thanks to the so-called conversion law passed in the late 1990s, should BCBS decide to convert into a for-profit organization, or sell to a for-profit corporation, it would be compelled to hand over assets equivalent to the market value of the corporation to a foundation established by the state.Moreover, BCBS cannot have more than 10% of its net assets invested in anything other than insurance. Additionally, their investments outside of insurance are under stricter scrutiny than that of private insurers. For instance, any partnership or joint ventures must go through an extended approval process. That prevents hospital service corporations from being able to react to changes in the market as quickly as other insurance providers.With the changes in the healthcare industry, the asset limit is a significant constraint preventing BCBS from operating on a level playing field with competitors. For context, the definition of non-insurance investments is a very broad category and can include anything from investments in new technology, databases, or other businesses.What HB 346 does is clarify that if BCBS were to reorganize as a nonprofit holding company, it would be exempt from the conversion law requirements. The impact of this would allow BCBS to invest more capital into larger ventures and react quicker to the opportunities in the market.What HB 346 does not do, however, is exempt BCBS from the conversion requirements if it chose to convert to a for-profit or sell to one. That mandate would remain unchanged.While the bill has support from both Republican and Democratic leadership, proponents of the current obtuse government oversight and more are pushing against it. Among those attempting to maintain the status quo is Martin Eakes, CEO of the Center for Responsible Lending and the Center for Community Self-Help. Both the organizations he runs are members of Blueprint NC, a left-wing advocacy group made famous for its 2013 memo calling toRepublican leadership in North Carolina.Eakes and a collection of North Carolina's far-left advocacy groups, including Planned Parenthood, the NC Justice Center, and Healthcare for All NC, are all pushing a narrative of this being bad for premiums. However, premiums are not set by BCBS but must be approved by the Commissioner of Insurance. Furthermore, the Department of Insurance will have to approve any transfer of resources from the insurance company to the holding company. This indicates that opposition to HB 346 is more about control of the assets.Under the conversion law, the foundation that would receive BCBS' assets would be headed by a Board appointed by Attorney General Josh Stein. That would give Stein the sole appointing authority over nearly $9 billion in assetsor about a third of North Carolina's state budget.Under state law, if such a foundation is formed, the Attorney General must pick from a list recommended to him by an advisory committee made up of one representative from the North Carolina Healthcare Association and one from the Medical Society. They would serve alongside nine other members: three each from recommendations by the North Carolina Chamber, the UNC Board of Governors, and the North Carolina Center for Nonprofits. Granting this last group multiple recommendations could allow self-appointed watchdogs like Martin Eakes - along with other allies of Josh Stein - to gain strong influence over a significant pile of resources with the potential to turn in to a slush fund.The state government is already bloated with a myriad of committees and commissions. We should not establish a new one equivalent to a third of the state's budget, while handcuffing the state's largest insurer.
A new poll conducted for Newsweek shows that 68% of Americans beleive that Joe Biden should debate his Democrat primary challengers while 15% said he should not and 17% were not sure.

https://www.newsweek.com/biden-voters-want-president-face-debate-2024-1797988

The Democrat National Committee is clearly working to stop any presidential primary dabate to protect Biden. If Biden can't function well enough to debate, why in the heck should he even be running?
On Tuesday, the European Union approved the Dutch governments scheme to forcibly shut down 3,000 farms and permanently ban farmers from starting over elsewhere in the EU.

The Dutch government plans to offer one-time voluntary buyouts to the farms emitting the most nitrogen with the goal of purchasing and shutting down 2,000 to 3,000 farms. However, if not enough owners voluntarily sell, the Dutch government is prepared to move forward with compulsory purchases to meet its EU climate targets.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/eu-approves-scheme-to-close-3000-dutch-farms-and-permanently-ban-owners-from-farming-elsewhere
Sarah Hobson, courtesy Menil Collection

Houston's a huge town with a wealth of cultural events on any given weekend. Each Thursday, Chron helps you narrow it down with a selection of some of the coolest, most unique activities, from family-friendly festivals to free performances to art openings and more.

Once the storms clear out this evening, it should be a dry and mild weekend for Houston  which is great, because there is plenty to do, much of it outdoors. Friday is Cinco De Mayo, but that's not all that's happening in the Bayou City.
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Rayanna Hoefts face lit up like a child as she, for the first time, watched the gusher blow at the Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum Monday.

But that day, Hoeft wasnt just watching the gusher blow. She was the one who set it off, with interim director Marc Riggillo looked on.

This is going to be so much fun, and Im so ready, Hoeft said as she got the keys to her new kingdom and first on-site training.

Riggillo, the Director of Facilities Maintenance and Operations Facilities Management for Lamar University, has been at the helm of the historic museum since Troy Gray left in late December of 2022 to lead the Bush Family Home Museum in Midland.

RELATED: Troy Gray reflects on his years leading the Spindletop Museum

He knew enough to keep the site up and running, but to continue the trajectory established by Gray, the museum would need a history and museum-experienced leader at the permanent helm.

Thats something Gray didnt have when he assumed the Museum Director position in 2015. It was an uphill battle whereupon he laid important groundwork for future directors.

Troy did a great job of getting this museum vertical (after years of neglect), raised a ton of money for facilities and primed it for us to take it to the next level, Hoeft said.

We are thrilled to have Rayanna on our team and look forward to the exceptional events and programs she develops for the museum. I know we are in good hands and that she will curate Spindletop-Gladys City Boomtown Museum well, Lamar Chief Operating Officer Robert Wagner said.

RELATED: Spindletop gusher returns after being damaged in 2021 freeze

Hoeft wasnt certain that was the response shed get after her interview, where she was very frank regarding her goals and what needed to be done.

She remembers a friend telling her, You didnt get that job. (after she told him about her interview). I had a great gig at the McFaddin-Ward House Museum, so I was okay with that, Hoeft said.

It wasnt a job she needed to get, but it was one Hoeft later realized she wanted.

I wasnt going to apply at first, but I sat down and assessed my career goals. Eventually I want to teach museum studies and work on getting my doctoral degree, she said. I needed this boots on the ground experience, which will take her far beyond her educational museum experience.

Im not a curator; Im an educator, but Im going to learn to be (a curator), Hoeft said.

Shes also going to learn marketing and writing press releases, creating a budget, seeking grants, managing a staff, community development and site maintenance. Site safety, risk mitigation and object inventory are among her top priorities, she said.

RELATED: Hoeft leads 'educator appreciation night' at McFaddin-Ward House

This will be a challenging job but the perfect job for someone willing to learn, Hoeft said.

Thats a quality which fits squarely in her wheelhouse.

As a history major, Hoeft was always interested in learning what she doesnt know from personal experience.

The chance to delve into the history of Spindletop and the Gladys City community that grew alongside it  literally in the slippery slope of the oil-laden ground it established  is particularly exciting.

And through the ties shes established within the local historical and museum community in her year serving as Director of Education at McFaddin-Ward House Museum, Hoeft has already primed the pump to build on those relationships to take the Spindletop Museum in new and bigger directions.

Everything I did at the McFaddin-Ward translates to here, she said. If we want to move the needle on this (museum), theres gonna need to be some big changes. Thankfully, Im not afraid of failure or change.

RELATED: Hoeft outlines big plans for educational programming role at McFaddin-Ward

A new coffee bar and covered pavilion has already been approved for the southern edge of the parking lot, but Hoeft has bigger changes in mind.

Im really excited to work with Lamar, because this is such a great educational tool, Hoeft said. Students can learn all aspects of public history in their own backyard.

Thats a vision Gray shared and saw as an opportunity for growth, benefiting the university as much as the museum.

We can use this as a learning lab as well as a community resource and tourism opportunity, Hoeft said.

RELATED: Boomtown Museum's 120th anniversary celebrated

She hopes to bring in local businesses, such as 1701 Barbecue and The Avenue Coffee, and work with other museums and local heritage groups to create collaborative events that pull the regional history into focus.

Spindletop was a catalyst for the growth of this whole region, Hoeft said.

Timber industries in Orange and Hardin Counties and railroad infrastructure, all grew enormously after the oil strike.

The McFaddin family, who owned large land tracts throughout Jefferson County, are tied to the story, as well. They were especially concerned with the environmental impact to their land in the wake of the massive gusher.

Its a complicated history, Hoeft noted  one whose intricacies continue today as the world grapples with the environmental effects of the energy industry that was born and still thrives in Southeast Texas.

RELATED: Earth Day celebrated at McFaddin-Ward House event

When that industry is the bread and butter of a community (discussion about environmental degradation) is a hard conversation to have, Hoeft acknowledged. But museums are a place where you can have those conversations and more. You look at this and see a cute little historic village, but theres so much more to it.

There are the stories of the women and children who inhabited Gladys City  keeping the literal home fires burning while oilmen worked the rigs. There were migrant workers of multiple ethnicities, all of whose stories have gone largely unexamined.

Hoeft wants to change that, too, but has an even bigger ticket item on her agenda.

I really want to get this museum accredited. I think there are only two accredited museums in Beaumont, she said.

RELATED: Art Museum of Southeast Texas gets national accreditation in 2009

But accreditation will take a lot of work, especially in inventorying the collections. Hoeft is hoping to get a curator on staff to assist in the effort.

Thats a Lamar decision (to approve funding for the position), but Im certainly going to advocate for that, she said.

In a meeting with Lamar President Jaime Taylor, Hoeft was told the open land on the north end of the museum could be developed.

Dr. Taylor told me to give him ideas to expand if I wanted, she said.

Hoeft envisions a possible educational building or new collection storage site.

RELATED: Chambers House Museum gets new collections storage site

Currently, collections materials are housed in a small building that was originally the facilitys public restrooms. It contains some collection objects, but primarily holds event materials, like folding chairs, electrical cords and other grounds maintenance objects.

The bulk of the collections live on the second floor of the saloon building.

Although the building has central air, Hoeft learned that it wasnt powerful enough to accommodate both floors.

Cooling the first floor for visitors during open hours or special events, precludes operating the system on the second floor.

And that floor is where the Hoefts found multiple antiquities and documents that could suffer under poor weather conditions like heat and humidity, and potential insect infestations, like the spider nests Hoeft photographed on several pieces within the space.

RELATED: A peek inside McFaddin-Ward House Museum's unseen collections

Among the items Hoeft and husband Todd found above the saloon was a 1905 land tract title issued to a Mrs. Nall, documenting the residents of the Averill Addition.

This is McFaddin land, Hoeft told Todd after leafing through the document that was topped by two other large booklets  a massive atlas and a directory of references for Patillo Higginss oil company.

Hoeft also found an architectural rendering of the museum made before it was built.

Somebody had really big plans for this museum, she said.

Bits and pieces of glass sat atop a shelf  possibly the artifacts unearthed from a decades-ago architectural survey of the land surrounding the Lucas gusher site.

Theyre Hoefts new gifts but also her historical problem children.

RELATED: Museum of the Gulf Coast is a home to an Oscar award statue

Most bear no museum accession identification numbers.

I know there were materials donated by people, but I dont know if these are actual museum collections materials or not, Hoeft said.

In short, she has her work cut out for her.

But while shes getting her feet wet on a theoretical level, Hoeft was soon getting her feet wet literally.

Several school field trips were already booked her first week, and Hoeft would soon be out blowing the gusher for the crowds.

Its gonna be trial by fire this first week, Hoeft said.

RELATED: Spindletop Museum is background for a high school prom canceled by Covid

Its a process shes already begun documenting through her Instagram page @stuffofhistoray . Her first post came Monday following orientation at Lamar and the gusher blowing tutorial. It noted the steps involved in making the gusher work and information about the spout -- an irreplaceable part of the process.

She envisions letting a student push the button or holding a raffle for the chance to blow the gusher at special events. Its just one of many ideas Hoeft is adding to her notebook filled with ideas and to-dos.

Im trying not to come in too hot, though Hoeft noted as she surveyed the buildings and collection storage areas with her husband Todd Tuesday  her first official day as acting museum director.

They didnt realize they were getting a two-for-one, but were kind of a package deal, Todd said. I never really was a history person until we met, but I always liked places like this.

Hed already put his skills to work building the virtual tours Hoeft created for the McFaddin-Ward House Museum, and thats likely one project shell task him with in her new home base.

I have a whole list going for him already, Hoeft said.
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images

A 21-foot orca whale was found dead on the beach on Wednesday morning, Jan. 11, on the east coast of Florida, approximately 30 miles north of Daytona Beach. An orca being stranded on the shore is extremely "rare," according to a local report in the area.

The young female orca was dead, but an NOAA official confirmed that the whale may have been alive when it was initially spotted. According to the report, a video showed the whale alive around 6 a.m. a NOAA representative on site suggested, "shallow rocks may have bruised the orca may have been bruised by shallow rocks in the surf that has emerged since the severe erosion of the shore since last year."
Police stand behind the fences set up near the building in which the Japanese Embassy is located, in Seoul, Friday. Newsis



By Jung Min-ho



Authorities in Seoul are beefing up security ahead of one of the most significant diplomatic events in years  the first Korea-Japan summit here in more than a decade.



According to presidential officials Friday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will receive the highest level of protection during his two-day visit starting Sunday. That level of security has so far been given to only a handful of visiting world leaders, such as U.S. presidents, they said.



With anti-Japan rallies set to be staged on streets before and during his visit, security forces are expected to set up fences and check points near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul and the Lotte Hotel in which he reportedly will meet with Korean business leaders and stay the night.



Security issues have come to the fore in Japan recently following attempts targeting political leaders. Just three weeks ago, Kishida escaped an assassination attempt at Saikazaki port in Wakayama after being apparently targeted by an explosive device planted there. This came less than a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was killed while making a campaign speech.



On Thursday, liberal lawmakers and civic group members gathered in front of the National Assembly and called on the Japanese government to apologize for sexual slavery of Korean women among other wartime crimes. They said they are planning protests for Saturday and Sunday to convey such messages directly to Kishida.



His trip was arranged in response to President Yoon Suk Yeol's visit to Tokyo two months ago. The two leaders are aiming to further strengthen relations before the G7 Summit scheduled for May 19 to 21 in Hiroshima, Japan.



Since Yoon took office a year ago, the two countries have been working to improve their relationship which deteriorated over historical disputes in recent years as they now deepen security cooperation against North Korea's intensifying security threats.


Nathan Howard/Getty Images

A new poll shows most Texas voters support restrictions when it comes to gun access.

The latest University of Texas and Texas Politics Project Poll revealed that 76% of Texans want the legal age to purchase a firearm to increase from 18 to 21.
SRINAGAR, India (AP)  Rebels fighting against Indian rule in disputed Kashmir triggered an explosive device during an encounter with the Indian army on Friday, killing five soldiers who were trying to flush them out of a forested area, the army said.

The rebels were hiding in a cave in an area with steep cliffs in southern Rajouri sector near the highly militarized Line of Control that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan, the army said in a statement. Two Indian soldiers died immediately after being hit by the explosion and three succumbed later in a hospital, it said. An army officer was also injured. The rebel losses in the clash were not immediately known.
In 1803, President Thomas Jefferson concluded an agreement with France for the Louisiana Purchase, acquiring Louisiana and a large swath of land in the middle of North America. The Louisiana Purchase was a milestone in advancing the Manifest Destiny of the United States. Indigenous peoples of the region acquired were not consulted about the matter, of course.

Today, 220 years later, a new Louisiana Purchase is being proposed. But this time the target is water, not land, and the goal is to pursue the manifest destiny of Texas, not the United States. Perhaps more accurately the goal is pursuit of profit by a group of private investors. An entity known as Aqueduct Partners LP is in the process of negotiating an agreement with the Sabine River Authority-Louisiana for 600,000 acre-feet of water annually from the Louisiana portion of Toledo Bend Reservoir, which straddles the Sabine River boundary between Texas and Louisiana. (An acre-foot is the amount of water that it would take to cover an acre of land to a depth of one foot  approximately 326,000 gallons.)
In a state teeming with steakhouses, it takes a special recipe to stand out from the pack. Logic might tell you that said recipe involves opening in a big city with prime visibility and heavy foot traffic, and surely not in a tiny town of just 500 people. But Perini Ranch Steakhouse defies that logic, because its still standing 40 years later in Buffalo Gap, the same West Texas town where it got its start back in 1983.

Before the restaurant, there was a chuck wagon. Tom Perini, whose family has owned the eponymous ranch in Buffalo Gap since 1952, would pull up to big events and cook for cowboys and ranchers. People liked his food, and a friend convinced him to open a place of his own, so in 1983 Perini Ranch Steakhouse debuted in a wooden barn on the familys 640-acre property.

I really didnt understand restaurants, Tom Perini tells InsideHook. In those early days, I did everything wrong. We were on a little farm-to-market road, and you couldnt see us from the highway. Everything was word of mouth.

In 1983, Perini Ranch Steakhouse debuted in a wooden barn on the familys 640-acre property. Perini Ranch

The early days were lean. The barn could seat up to 50 people, but that first year rarely saw more than 10 at a time. Tom worried about making payroll and realized hed better learn the ropes fast. The food was good and the atmosphere authentic, so eventually word spread, first to locals and then to others in nearby Abilene and across the state.

Today, the expanded restaurant seats 200 people across the dining room and patio, and it draws 100,000 visitors annually. Theres an offshoot cafe and country market, both located less than a mile down the road, plus two guest houses where visitors can stay overnight. The catering business is still going strong, taking Tom and his wife Lisa across the country to weddings, parties and even the White House. Theyve published four books. Its been a wild ride punctuated by a series of key opportunities and recognition for the restaurants self-described real Texas food.

That Texas food includes Angus beef steaks that are seasoned and then grilled over live mesquite fire. Options include classic cuts, from filets to well-marbled ribeyes and a prime rib. It would be a shame to come here and not get a steak, but the menu also includes entrees like grilled Cajun catfish, pork ribs and burgers, plus salads and sides like potatoes, green chile hominy and the fan-favorite Zucchini Perini, which sees sliced zucchini rounds baked in an Italian meat sauce and topped with grated Parmesan.

Perini Ranch steak options run the gamut from filets to well-marbled ribeyes to prime rib. Perini Ranch/Ralph Lauer/Zuma Press

Once Texas publications sniffed out what was happening at Perini Ranch, visitors would show up with magazines in hand, ready to experience cowboy cooking. The first time that happened, I panicked, says Tom.

In 1995, The New York Times selected the restaurants Mesquite Smoked Peppered Beef Tenderloin as their mail-order gift of the year. There was only one problem: Perini Ranch didnt have a mail-order business.

That same year, the James Beard Foundation invited Tom to cook at the Beard House in New York. So to offset the travel costs for him and his staff, Tom explains that he sent tenderloins to several New York publications, including The New York Times, hoping to drum up interest in the restaurant. When the story came out, he decided to lean into the exposure and developed a mail-order company. Back then, it was paper order forms, not the convenient online ordering like today, but it turned into a big part of the business thats still going strong. Its been important for our brand because its so far reaching, says Lisa Perini. We sell them to people in every state.

National and international press brought Perini Ranchs unique story to people all over the world. And soon, those people came in person. The steakhouse received an influx of visitors from Japan after it was featured in a Japanese documentary, and groups have traveled from as far afield as Sweden, France, England and India, all looking for that true Texas experience.

Lisa credits the restaurants wide appeal to its authenticity. We didnt try to create a destination, it just is one, she says. You have to make a big effort to get here, and youre eating dinner on a working ranch. It feels natural and comfortable. Its the Texas that people expect.

We didnt try to create a destination, Lisa says, it just is one. Perini Ranch

Plenty has changed at Perini Ranch since the steakhouse debuted, but the restaurant still occupies that same wooden structure on that same farm-to-market road where it first opened 40 years ago. To celebrate four decades in business, the Perinis are kicking off an anniversary celebration this month that will last through the fall. First up is the launch of their new podcast, Meet Me At The Wagon. It highlights the tradition and romance of rural Texas and takes listeners through the timeline of how Perini Ranch Steakhouse became what it is today. Tom and Lisa will be joined by a roster of celebrity guests, including Reba McEntire, actor Rex Linn and chef Dean Fearing.

The Perinis also have a new book that contains stories and photography from Toms private collection and provides a rare glimpse behind the scenes of Perini Ranch. This fall, they will continue the celebration with an outdoor art exhibit curated by Michael Grauer of the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It will be open to the public from September 28 to October 29 and feature works that showcase the history of Buffalo Gap, chuckwagon cooking and the steakhouse.

Tom says he never could have imagined all this when he opened the restaurant 40 years ago, joking that he still barely understands what a podcast is. But throughout it all, hes kept an open mind and adapted as the business evolved.

His advice? When an opportunity presents itself, just try to make it work.

The Secret to Great Cocktails? Find Out in The Spill.

The post Perini Ranch Celebrates 40 Years as the Most Iconic Steakhouse in Texas appeared first on InsideHook.
At the onset of 2022, I correctly predicted that, coming off of a year where destination-style family reunions were all the rage (following two years spent inside with SOs and children), solo travel was gearing up to have a moment. Now, according to a report from Travel Weekly, bookings for individual travel for 2023 have exceeded expectations.

In fact, experiential group travel company EF Go Ahead Tours has reportedly seen a 200% increase in solo traveler bookings since the start of the year when compared with the same time period last year, and Intrepid Travel has seen 9,000 more solo travelers booked globally this year than last. Notably, the bulk of the travelers seeking solo trips are women.

Its not difficult to see the appeal. Group trip planning is a little like having to wrangle a handful of co-eds to work on a powerpoint presentation in college  except that the co-eds are either your family or friends, they have anywhere from zero to four of the same days free for the entire year, and theyre not being graded so they dont give a fuck. Even traveling as a couple or with one other companion typically involves some degree of finagling and exponentially more planning.

Theres Never Been a More Necessary Time to Go on a Trip Alone After 18+ months cooped up with partners and families, we could all use a little breathing room

But beyond the lack of hurdles and the cost effectiveness (or, alternatively, the need to adhere to someone elses budget) associated with traveling solo, theres also the mental benefits to consider. In 2018, before the pandemic ignited the desire to travel in many, Cary Cooper, professor of organizational psychology & health at MBS Manchester University, told Vice that  in addition to making people more resilient and raising self-confidence  solo travel gives you time to reflect on your life and where you want to go in the future.

Solo traveling builds a resistance: it gives you perspective on your current life, where you may want to go, and makes you think more than you normally would, because it gives you that space to do it, he added.

Further, stepping outside of your comfort zone  which may look more like a trekking trip across Nepal than a family foray to Sandals Jamaica  forces you to confront your fears and anxieties. Its character building to the highest degree. And, hey, you may even have the opportunity to meet some other solo travelers in various stages of self-development.

Of course, while the idea of taking a trip sans your significant other may feel counterintuitive, its worth noting that experts believe it can actually be good for your relationship. The discussion is how much time together, versus how much time apart, bestselling author and relationship expert Susan Winter says. We are accustomed to vacations being taken together as a couple, quality time. Now we are discovering that, in order to reconnect with ourselves and have much more that we can give to our partner, many individuals within a couple are choosing to do a solo trip.

So, all of that said, if youre craving a getaway, consider making it a solo one. If the numbers are to be believed, youll be far from the only one, and youll almost definitely be better for it.

Thanks for reading InsideHook. Sign up for our daily newsletter and be in the know.

The post Is 2023 Officially the Year of the Solo Trip? appeared first on InsideHook.
SCA Health seems to be taking a different approach to growth than other ASC chains in 2023.

SCA Health, affiliate of healthcare disruptor Optum, is one of the largest ASC chains in the country, with more than 320 surgical facilities and 9,200 physicians in its network. It serves 1.43 million patients annually.

What SCA has done in 2023 so far

SCA Health hasn't been nearly as active in the ASC industry as its competitors, but it has made some updates to its leadership.

SCA Health's CEO Caitlin Zulla was promoted to CEO of Optum Health's east region in March. Now SCA Health is led by its former president Jason Strauss, who has been with the company for 15 years.

SCA Health's lack of activity in the ASC space adds up. Since the company's rebrand last May, it has expanded its focus beyond ASCs.

"When I joined the organization in 2015, we were an ambulatory surgery center company singularly focused on partnering with surgeons in their ASCs," Ms. Zulla told Becker's last year. "Since then, we've evolved to support physician specialists more holistically across the specialty care continuum."

With this shift, Optum and SCA Health are looking at growth not just through the number of ASCs but also "the quality of care we provide, the proportion of spend in value-based care arrangements, [and] our increased connectivity to practices and health systems."

Most recently, Optum snagged Middletown, N.Y.-based Crystal Run Healthcare, a multispecialty physician group with more than 400 providers. It also acquired Houston-based Kelsey-Seybold for $3 billion, Dallas-based Healthcare Associates of Texas for $300 million, and Auburndale, Mass.-based Atrius Health for $236 million in the last year.

What competitors are doing

Surgery Partners is looking to another growth strategy. The company has been on a megadeal spree in recent weeks. In just six days, the healthcare services company acquired Kansas Spine & Specialty Hospital in Wichita, signed a collaboration agreement with Salt Lake City-based Intermountain Health, and formed a new company with Columbus-based OhioHealth.

ASC giant United Surgical Partners International is also looking to a more aggressive growth strategy. USPI said in 2022 that they plan to have more than 600 ASCs by the end of 2025. This year, the chain's parent company Tenet Healthcare plans to invest $250 million into ASC mergers and acquisitions.

USPI is also changing up its leadership, announcing in January that its current CEO Brett Brodnax will be retiring at the end of 2023.

In February, USPI expanded its partnership with Renton, Wash.-based Providence to develop additional ASCs. The two organizations first partnered in 2004 on five joint-venture ASCs and built two more in 2022.

Though HCA Healthcare has been less active in the ASC sphere than its competitors, it has made a few notable moves. In January, LCMC Health finalized its $150 million purchase of three of the company's hospitals. In April, HCA Healthcare named Jyric Sims, PhD, president of its West Florida division.
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Medical Clinic and SurgiCenter closed its doors on May 1 to deal with the fallout from a "sophisticated criminal cyber-attack," according to an alert posted on the ASC's website.

On April 22, the medical clinic and its ASC had its network, and the network of its technology partners, compromised.

Since then, the center has been working with law enforcement to determine the scope of the attack and what patient information could have been accessed. While the center has yet to confirm if any patient or employee data was stolen, its warning community members to monitor their personal data for misuse.

The center shut down its network to limit the attack's spread, temporarily closing its doors to safely restore operating systems.

On May 4, the clinic reopened its internal and family medicine walk-in clinic. On May 5 it opened its pediatric clinic for pre-scheduled appointments.

The Murfreesboro ASC remains closed at this time.

"At this time, we do have any updates about scheduled appointments or surgeries for next week," the website alert reads.






Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare is planning a new emergency room facility in downtown Orlando, according to a May 4 Orlando Business Journal report.

The proposed 10,680-square-foot building, currently occupied by an office complex, may go before local authorities June 20, the report said.

HCA, which operates over 50 of its hospitals in Florida, also has a number of freestanding ERs in Central Florida, with plans to build more.

HCA reported first quarter net income of $1.36 billion on $15.6 billion of revenue.
Brewer, Maine-based Northern Light Health is offering registered nurses $3,000 to $15,000 sign-on bonuses to address staffing shortages at its hospitals in the state, The Piscataquis Observer reported May 5.

The 10-hospital system is also offering sign-on bonuses  which depend on experience and the location of the position  to behavioral health providers, respiratory therapists, radiology and computed tomography technologists and physical therapists.

"It's not a secret that staffing has been a challenge. We look at the greatest needs for positions and what's going on in the market," Catharine MacLaren, vice president of talent and diversity at Northern Light, told the publication. "Those are the two biggest factors."

Another big health system in the state, Portland-based MaineHealth, offers sign-on bonuses ranging from $3,000 to $20,000 at its facilities, according to the report. Nursing bonuses range from $10,000 to $20,000 depending on experience.
Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems is facing a lawsuit for a January data breach that compromised the protected health information of 1 million patients, Bloomberg Law reported May 4.

The patient-led lawsuit, filed May 3 in the U.S. District Court of Tennessee, alleges that the breach happened as a result of the health system not implementing adequate security measures.

Patient information compromised during the breach included addresses, names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, insurance information, treatment information and medical diagnosis information.

The data breach incident was due to a third-party attack that involved a file transfer software called GoAnywhere from vendor Fortra. The Fortra breach reportedly happened in late January.

Community Health Systems noted in its breach notification that it "may have incurred, and may incur in the future, expenses and losses related to this incident that are not covered by insurance."

Becker's reached out to Community Health Systems for comment.
South Korean Embassy in China / Korea Times file



The South Korean Embassy in China said Friday it has lodged a complaint with Chinese state newspapers for their "unfounded" criticism of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, following his recent trip to the United States, taking particular umbrage at the use of inappropriate language in their op-ed pieces.



The embassy said it sent letters to editors at Huanqiu Shibao, a newspaper under the auspices of the Chinese Communist Party's flagship paper, the People's Daily, and at the Global Times, its English edition.



"By using sensational, provocative and inappropriate language, your papers disparaged our president as well as the foreign policy of our government aimed at bringing peace and stability to the region, and did so from an extremely biased viewpoint without objective evidence," the embassy said in the letters.



"Some of the criticism levied at our president, using words so vulgar that they are barely repeatable, will make one wonder if they even come from news media at all," the embassy added. "You have to put yourself in our shoes, and imagine how the Chinese public would react if South Korean media were to criticize the Chinese leader in similar ways."



The embassy said the newspapers' criticism doesn't help South Korea-China ties and called on them to exercise more caution on what goes into print.



"Your newspapers are entirely responsible for any negative influence that such reporting may cause to the South Korea-China relations," the embassy said.



While overseas missions may raise issues with media coverage in their host countries and respond to factual errors, it is considered highly unusual for an embassy to publicly disclose contents of its letters to editors at newspapers in their host nations.



Huanqiu Shibao and the Global Times are regarded as nationalistic and hawkish.



On April 23, the Global Times published an editorial headlined "South Korean diplomacy's 'national dignity' in tatters over Taiwan remarks," taking shots at Yoon's opposition to China's attempts to alter the status quo of the Taiwan Strait by force.



In another editorial five days later, the Global Times noted that the Yoon administration "may be the least independent-minded toward the U.S." and claimed that his state visit to Washington "undoubtedly confirms this evaluation." (Yonhap)


Murfreesboro (Tenn.) Medical Clinic & SurgiCenter said all surgeries remain canceled due an ongoing cyberattack, but that it has been accepting patients at some of its walk-in clinics.

The medical center took its IT network offline and closed its patient care operations on May 1 to contain the attack. As of May 5, the site is still not accepting regular appointments, and the majority of its locations remain closed.

Gastroenterology procedures, laboratory and radiology services also remain canceled, according to a May 5 update from Murfreesboro Medical Clinic & SurgiCenter.

It is still unknown if any patient or employee's information was breached in the hack.
EHR vendor Epic Systems and Microsoft are training Azure OpenAI on a large collection of information so it can asynchronously draft responses to patient messages for providers, The Verona Press reported May 4.

Epic expanded its partnership with the tech giant April 17. The companies are working on developing and integrating Microsoft's generative AI into Epic's EHR software to reduce the documentation burden on providers.

As providers saw an increase in patient message volumes due to the pandemic, the EHR vendor sees OpenAI's tool as a way to save providers time.

"This overall has incredible potential in our industry to reduce the administrative burden, to automate mundane tasks and to give providers as much as that face-to-face time with patients as possible," Garrett Adams, product lead for Epic's ambulatory research and development division, told the publication.

Azure OpenAI will provide draft messages to providers, who can then review the message and make any modifications before it is sent to a patient.

Physicians also can opt to draft a blank message if they do not prefer OpenAI's version.

When it comes to security, Mr. Adams said using Azure OpenAI services allows the vendor to use patient data and information securely because it is already HIPAA compliant.

"I think that as much as we can do to improve the happiness and reduce the burden on users, that's just gonna pay dividends on the care that they're able to provide for patients," he said.

The tool is being piloted at UC San Diego Health, Madison Wis.-based UW Health and Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health Care.
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One of the two hospitals recently fined by CMS for price transparency violations said it is now in compliance with the requirements and plans to appeal the fine, NBC affiliate KFDX reported May 4.

Wichita Falls, Texas-based Kell West Regional Hospital was issued a $117,260 fine April 19 for alleged violations of the federal rule.

Terry Stagg, Kell West's IT director, told KFDX that the company they paid to handle the posting of standard hospital charges and shoppable services in a consumer-friendly manner did not follow through with that obligation and the hospital has taken care of it themselves.

Kell West CEO Jerry Myers, MD, told the outlet he doesn't expect any problems with the appeal because CMS has already fully confirmed compliance.

The other hospital fined April 19 was Rochester, N.H.-based Frisbie Memorial Hospital. CMS issued the hospital a $102,660 fine and said in a notice that Frisbie has not submitted a corrective action plan and has not responded to the agency's attempts to contact the hospital.

A Frisbie spokesperson told Becker's in a statement:

"We were not initially aware of the attempts by CMS to contact the hospital. Then, due to a series of oversights, the hospital failed to acknowledge several voicemails from CMS. Once we recognized this issue, we promptly engaged CMS and are working to resolve any issues. Our hospital implemented the federal requirements in January 2021. Since then our hospital website has included a consumer-friendly Patient Payment Estimator tool that provides relevant information to help patients understand what their out-of-pocket responsibility may be for hospital care, including those that are uninsured. In addition, we have posted contracted rates with third party payers using one of the machine-readable file formats listed in the regulations to provide the five types of 'standard charges.'"

Frisbie Health's spokesperson did not comment on whether the hospital plans to file an appeal.
Cooperstown, N.Y.-based Bassett Healthcare Network has named a new COO and CFO.

Staaci Thompson begins her role as executive vice president and COO on May 22, according to a May 5 Bassett news release. Ms. Thompson joins Bassett from the Sayre, Pa.-Guthrie Clinic, where she served in progressive leadership roles for more than 27 years. She has served as executive vice president and COO for Guthrie Medical Group since 2013.

Jeff Morgan begins his role as senior vice president and CFO on May 8, according to the release. He has served in the role on an interim basis since March. He previously served as interim regional CFO for Vancouver, Wash.-based PeaceHealth. He has nearly 30 years of experience in healthcare executive level leadership and finance roles.
Texas Children's Hospital is searching for a new president for the Houston-based organization.

The new president will report to Mark Wallace, who will remain CEO, according to a May 5 hospital news release.

Mr. Wallace has served as president and CEO of Texas Children's since 1989. He has served in a leadership role in the Texas Medical Center for 45 years.

"The board of trustees has witnessed firsthand the impact Mark has had and continues to have on the success of this vibrant and complex organization," Michael Linn, chair of the Texas Children's board of trustees, said in the hospital release. "While we would love for Mark to continue to serve as president and CEO of Texas Children's forever, we acknowledge that the next evolution in leadership needs to begin. We are grateful to have Mark continue to serve at the helm of Texas Children's as CEO."

Texas Children's is among the nation's largest pediatric hospitals and is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine.
In the wake of the May 3 shooting at Northside Medical Midtown in Atlanta that killed one CDC employee and seriously injured four other people, members of the medical community have responded to the tragedy.

The incident took place inside the medical center where a patient opened fire in the waiting room following a medical appointment, according to police.

The event taking place within the walls of a healthcare facility can be especially traumatizing both for the staff who worked there in any capacity and also those at the hospital where victims were transported for treatment, Robert Jansen, MD, Grady Health System's chief medical officer said during a May 4 press conference.

"Unfortunately this is almost a daily occurrence here. We have multiple shooting victims come in every day," Dr. Jansen said. "But when they come in like this, particularly because it was in a healthcare setting, it resonates more and creates angst, as you would imagine."

The event resonated beyond the two hospitals into the larger healthcare community throughout the nation, garnering responses from several medical associations.

The Georgia Nurses Association stated May 4 that it was "deeply saddened and shocked by the tragedy," and pointed out that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed the Safer Hospitals Act into law two days prior to the attack, which increased penalties for those who engage in violence toward healthcare workers.

"No one should experience such fear or the threat of violence anywhere, especially not in a place meant for receiving care, relief, healing, and comfort," the statement reads.

The American Hospital Association offered its support and condolences via Twitter stating: "We are deeply saddened by the shooting at Northside Medical Midtown facility, part of @NorthsideHosp. We are grieving with the Northside community and the city of Atlanta and are grateful to the first responders and the team at Grady who are caring for the victims. We are reminded once again of the sacrifices of our healthcare workers. No one should ever have to fear for their lives at work or when receiving care."

In its statement following the tragedy, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists called for legislation to address violent acts toward pharmacists, technicians and healthcare workers and noted that it will "continue to support the profession and work with our healthcare colleagues to counter the societal and public health impact of violence."

As of the morning of May 5, the four surviving victims of the shooting showed signs of improving, including one who was about to be discharged from the hospital, Dr. Jansen said during a morning press conference update reported by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The dangers posed by social media trends have sparked renewed attention among the healthcare community in recent months  but risky online challenges are nothing new.

A decade ago, it was the "Cinnamon Challenge" that sparked a surge in calls to poison control centers and emergency room visits. In 2012, the challenge  which involves swallowing a spoonful of the spice without water  left some children and teens needing ventilator support for collapsed lungs. At the time, YouTube was the platform where the trend gained popularity, with a single video garnering more than 29 million views, according to The New York Times.

Fast-forward to 2023 and dozens of children and young adults have been hospitalized for partaking in risky trends on TikTok and Instagram. The latest to make headlines was the "Flamethrower Challenge," which left a 16-year-old boy hospitalized in North Carolina with burns covering most of his body.

This history goes to show there will always be a new viral trend on the horizon with potential implications for children's health and hospitals. Becker's spoke to four physicians about how clinicians can play a role in preventing patient harm from risky online trends.

"Involved parents and aware pediatricians can help set a framework for guidance about these issues, which is going to be a lot more important in the short- and long-term than trying to play whack-a-mole with every new online challenge that comes up," Nusheen Ameenuddin, MD, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics council on communications and media, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester, Minn., told Becker's.

Beyond the medium

Dr. Ameenuddin has been talking to patients' families about social media use for "well over a decade," and those conversations involve much more than blame or focus on the platform of the moment.

"It's rarely the medium that is the problem, but the way it's used, and it's important for pediatricians to understand and be able to effectively provide anticipatory guidance about what kids might be seeing and how to preemptively educate families about how to redirect impulsive behavior that could cause harm," she said.

A key theme several physicians mentioned is the proactive nature of such discussions. They aren't waiting for the latest new risk to pop up to engage patients' parents and family members in these conversations. Rather, informative dialogue should happen more on a proactive and routine basis, physicians said.

"It doesn't really matter what the platform is," because there will always be a new one that emerges, said Mike Patrick, MD, an emergency medicine physician at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. "It's really more that we have to raise awareness about the dangers, and hopefully kids and parents will hear that and think twice before they do it."

These discussions should also happen, "even in the absence of signs that a child may be vulnerable to these 'health challenges,'" said Aakash Shah, MD, chief of addiction medicine at Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health.

Social media as a tool

While platforms like TikTok may contribute to dangerous challenges going viral, they can also be used as a tool by physicians and health systems to educate and combat misinformation  meeting kids where they're at most: through their phone screens.

An April 27 webinar featuring several physician leaders from children's hospitals across the U.S. suggested that medical professionals using social media to extend important conversations beyond exam room walls can positively influence children's understanding of what they might come across.

Dr. Patrick often uses his own social media to share important information in his own sphere. "I do think, to some degree, that we have a responsibility to be active on social media and to lend a voice to evidence and to advocate for kids' safety," he said.

Before the internet's time, physicians stayed in touch and supported their community by visiting schools and other community centers. In many ways, today's version of that community presence means staying in tune with what's circulating on social media and having a presence, Dr. Patrick said. "In that space as professionals, it can be really an extension of our practice and professionalism."

Nationwide Children's Hospital has been actively educating residents on that practice, he said, underscoring that it doesn't need to be an additional time-consuming task for overburdened physicians.

"Even if you only spend 10 minutes to a half an hour per day finding something good and sharing it to your feed at least the people in your state, in your sphere of influence, will see that helpful, evidence-based information," Dr. Patrick said. "It may not be a huge number of people, you can make the difference in a handful of people's lives. In the exam room, we make a difference one family at a time, and on social media you can certainly make a difference for a lot more people in a short period of time."

In addition to being able to reach patients, having a presence on social media is also the best way for physicians to keep "an ear on the ground," for any risks on the horizon, said Jonathan Miller, MD, medical director of value-based care and chief of primary care at Nemours Children's Health in Delaware Valley.

"Social media platforms like TikTok can be like a double-edged sword. On one hand, they can be a great way to reach hard-to-reach audiences like teens to promote health. On the other hand, they can circulate a lot of misinformation. I believe that there should be some degree of fact-checking so that consumers of social media know what is legitimate and what is misinformation."

TikTok has previously disclosed it is working to combat misinformation. Rather than homing in on the platform of the moment, physicians are maintaining focus on elevating their interactions with patients and their own social media use to have a positive effect wherever possible.

For Dr. Shah, it all comes down to "how do we amplify what is healthy, and how do we minimize what is harmful."
Lewis County Health System, which includes a hospital in Lowville, N.Y., is advertising on city billboards to recruit OB-GYNs.

A photo of the advertisement, provided to Becker's, calls for OB-GYNs to work in Lewis County, touting "safe communities, great schools, fresh air."

The billboards, which started April 29, come after Lewis County Health System paused maternity services in September 2021 as a result of staffing challenges related to the New York state vaccine mandate for healthcare workers.

Spokesperson Christina Flint told Becker's that Lewis County Health System has remained focused on OB-GYN recruitment.

"The goal was to introduce the medical community in New York state and the country to Lewis County," she said. "We hope to reach OB-GYNs after a frustrating day of practice in the city, hoping they may take a look at Lewis County and the outstanding quality of life our area offers with a specific focus on work-life balance in a community that is safe, with excellent schools, and fresh air with an abundance of outdoor activities."

The end date for the billboards is dependent on successful recruitment, Ms. Flint said.
Los Angeles General Medical Center's home-based care program has cut patient stays by at least three days per patient, compared to the typical stay of around five days, LA Times reported May 5.

The program, dubbed "Safer at Home," launched during the pandemic and has seen at least 556 patients with 37 different diagnoses participate.

The home-based care program has been able to cut down emergency department stays, avoid hospital stay admissions altogether and has been able to discharge patients much earlier, according to Brad Spellberg, MD, chief medical officer of Los Angeles General Medical Center.

"What this is, is concierge-level medicine, which is what rich people are accustomed to getting, but instead we're giving it to the patients coming to L.A. General, both because it's safer for the patients to not have to be in the hospital and it's a much more patient-centered experience," Dr. Spellberg told the LA Times.

Safer at Home primarily serves patients with 10 different diagnoses, such as kidney infections, congestive heart failure and asthma, but will soon expand to 20 diagnoses.

The program is also covered by the hospital with no additional cost to the patient and sends every patient home with a pre-programmed cell phone so they can communicate with their care teams remotely.

Los Angeles General Medical Center said it has not seen any negatives with the program, only positives, as it has been able to achieve a readmission rate that is "significantly lower" than the rate for all other discharges from the hospital.
This undated photo shows USS Rhode Island(SSBN-740). Korea Times file



North Korea's state media on Friday intensified Pyongyang's criticism of a recent summit agreement between South Korea and the United States on strengthening U.S. extended deterrence.



Citing articles carried by Chinese news outlets, the North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that the summit agreement would create a new Cold War structure in Northeast Asia and increase risks of confrontation in the region.



The KCNA also hinted that North Korea may carry out more provocations if South Korea and the United States bolster Washington's extended deterrence against Pyongyang.



South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and U.S. President Joe Biden held a summit in Washington last week and announced the adoption of the Washington Declaration on strengthening U.S. extended deterrence against the North's threats, which includes a U.S. plan to send a nuclear ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) to South Korea.






Sacramento-based Sutter Health is facing a $250 million lawsuit amid allegations the health system failed to live up to promises it made regarding a major liver sample center whose products are used in medical research.

Sutter Health agreed in 2013 to house the Ibrahim El-Hefni Liver Biorepository through its California Pacific Medical Center, with that facility's foundation agreeing to spend and raise $9.5 million to do so, the lawsuit says.

Along with alleging that Sutter failed to contribute those funds, the lawsuit also claims that the health system is blocking a proposed repository move to the University of California San Francisco.

"In a perverse mindset, not only do Sutter Health/CPMC no longer want the repository, but more egregious, they want no one else to have it either," according to the lawsuit.

"We are at a loss as to why Sutter Health/CPMC appear to be giving up on the biorepository," added Pierce O'Donnell, the attorney representing the Ibrahim El-Hefni Technical Training Foundation.

Sutter Health did not respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
A half-billion-dollar investment in California's community nursing schools would double the state's capacity to graduate new RNs, according to the United Nurses Associations of California/Union of Health Care Professionals.

More than 500 members of the union will rally May 9 in Sacramento, urging lawmakers to support a five-year investment for the state's 77 community college nursing schools. With that investment from 2025 to 2030, "We can double our capacity to graduate new nurses in five years," the group said in a May 4 statement.

UNAC/UHCP members are also urging lawmakers to support a package of legislation to address the nursing shortage, including Assembly Bill 1577, which would require hospitals to report the number of clinical placements filled on a quarterly basis and subject hospitals that fail to meet the placement needs of community college nursing programs to a fine.

Recent data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing indicates a lack of faculty and clinical training sites is a large factor in thousands of qualified nursing program applicants being turned out nationwide.
In past years, leaders at St. Bernard Hospital on Chicago's South Side weren't fans of The Leapfrog Group's safety grades that are handed out twice a year. "F" grades in both spring and fall of 2021 had been stinging reminders that the safety net hospital wasn't doing enough to focus on patient safety.

By spring 2022, and again in fall 2022, the hospital worked its way up to "C" grades, but leadership had its sights set on the top grade  and its concentrated focus on safety paid off. When Leapfrog released its 2023 Safety Grades report May 3, St. Bernard found out it had achieved the coveted "A" grade.

Michael Richardson, BSN, RN, chief quality and patient safety officer, said the hospital pivoted its safety strategy when he came on board in September 2021. That's when the hospital's CEO made a commitment to break down departmental silos in the facility and apply comprehensive and consistent safety measures across the board.

"Our CEO wanted to use the Leapfrog survey as a roadmap going forward" for what the hospital needed to do to get its safety score out of the basement. "He wanted a more focused approach, one that would change the direction the hospital was going," Mr. Richardson said, noting the rise from "F" to "C" to "A" took an all-hands-on-deck approach, upgraded safety directives and implementation of technology.

"Two years ago, we gave them 'Fs' because they had very bad infection rate data," said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. "They have vastly improved on all their infections [metrics] plus other measures and now they have earned an 'A.' That's a really big deal."

How St. Bernard did it

Mr. Richardson looked at the low-hanging fruit regarding the hospital's current safety measures. He zeroed in on medication scanning and healthcare-acquired infection rate challenges. St. Bernard's scanning metrics sat at 70 percent, far lower than Leapfrog's recommended 95 percent. Rates of HAIs were high, as well.

He immediately started asking questions such as, "Why aren't nurses consistently cross-checking medication labels and patients?" Turns out, he said, there were Wi-Fi dead spots in some areas of the hospital, medicine bottle barcodes didn't scan well, and, often, the scanning equipment itself didn't work.

"Once we learned this information, we knew we could fix those problems fast. We upgraded the Wi-Fi, fixed the labels and got new scanning equipment," Mr. Richardson said. "Then we focused on the individual behavior of the nurses and respiratory therapists."

In the past 12 months, St. Bernard's medication barcode scanning statistics are even higher than Leapfrog's benchmark. They are consistently in the upper nineties.

He noted St. Bernard wasn't reporting a significant number of adverse events due to the scanning issues, "but we knew that by not scanning medications, eventually, something's going to happen. These processes are in place as safety barriers to prevent errors."

What about hospital-acquired infections?

Leapfrog's spring 2023 report card showed HAIs are at a five-year high. In fact, hospitals in many states reported spikes in three HAIs  central line-associated bloodstream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus  that "alarmed" Ms. Binder and her team at Leapfrog.

Statistical benchmarks are based on The Leapfrog Group's use of the standardized infection ratio, which compares the number of HAIs at each hospital to the predicted number of infections.

Mr. Richardson confirmed St. Bernard's data on infections had been high, so he focused on hand hygiene policies, noting, "Everybody realizes that lack of hand hygiene causes hospital acquired infections; it's the biggest cause."

St. Bernard hired "secret shoppers," the safety chief said, to manually watch over the process. It was costly and an inconsistent way to monitor compliance. "So we invested in electronic monitoring of hand hygiene practices," he said. "Now the staff wear badges that they scan every time they use a hand sanitizer."

A signal light on the badge starts yellow and turns green  "green means clean," Mr. Richardson said  after the person cleans their hands. The machine beeps after the person enters a patient's room, every 15 seconds, warning them if they don't comply with hand hygiene policies, the badge turns red and the system will record it.

All employees, including Mr. Richardson and his fellow C-suite leaders at the hospital, have been wearing the badges since May 2022. More than 1 million "green lights" have been recorded by the technology in the past year, and St. Bernard hand hygiene compliance is at around 90 percent, far higher than Leapfrog's benchmark.

"We are aiming toward a goal of 95 percent compliance," he said, adding the hospital currently is reporting zero CLABSI and zero CAUTI infections. Initiatives to reduce MRSA infections are ongoing.

Leapfrog bases its hand hygiene standard, in part, by collecting hand hygiene compliance data on at least 200 hand hygiene opportunities each month, in each patient care unit.

Some hospitals say the Leapfrog grades aren't "fair" and don't accurately describe real-time hospital activities because they are based, in part, on the most recent CMS data available.

"Leapfrog's guidelines are really the industry's patient safety industry standards," Mr. Richardson said. "Hand hygiene, infections, falls with fractures  all hospitals need to look at these types of issues and do something about them. That's what we did here at St. Bernard."
Bedside manner advice for physicians is coming from an unlikely source: hospital clowns. New research from Tel Aviv University in Israel and the Ramat Gan-based Israel Center for Medical Simulation identified 40 skills medical clowns use to bring joy to difficult situations.

Hospital clowns have been found to "help patients, their parents, the medical team and the achievement of therapeutic goals. In fact, through various communication skills, clowns enable patients to overcome crises and move towards healing," researchers said.

These trained professionals can turn frowns upside down with their lighthearted antics and humor, but their skills are not meant only for people in makeup. Researchers identified seven characteristics physicians and adopt to their bedside manners to improve patient outcomes:
The American Medical Association wants to block a House bill that, if passed, would expand pharmacists' scope of practice.

The bill, called the Equitable Community Access to Pharmacist Services Act, seeks to allow pharmacists to test and treat for COVID-19, respiratory syncytial virus, flu and other illnesses if they become a public health emergency. It also looks to boost reimbursement for pharmacists.

AMA said the proposed legislation "threatens patient safety."

"Pharmacists are well-trained as medication experts within an interprofessional team; however, their training in patient care is limited," AMA said in a May 5 news release. "Most of the Doctor of Pharmacy curriculum across the country consists of instruction in applied sciences and therapeutics. Residency is not required, and the overwhelming majority of pharmacists working in the community setting have not undergone residency training. Additionally, their limited 'practice experiences' training is not focused on providing medical care to patients."

AMA said pharmacy workforces are already stretched thin, arguing this bill would overburden them.

Pharmacist groups and hospital pharmacy leaders have been vocal about supporting these scope-of-practice expansion efforts as some states work toward this effort, such as New York's new law allowing pharmacists to prescribe contraceptives.
Starting May 9, UCSF Health will provide pharmacogenetic testing, which can lower adverse drug reaction risks by 30 percent.

UCSF is the first California facility and among about 10 in the nation to offer these tests, according to a May 4 news release from the San Francisco-based hospital.

With the program, patients will have the option for pharmacists to test one blood sample to scope out 15 genes that can affect efficacy of 56 medications, "including those that treat cancer, transplantation, pain, heart conditions, infectious diseases, depression and other conditions," the release said.

Patients who agree to the tests will be billed within two weeks on their MyChart profile, and the results will be added to their medical records "to guide future prescribing," the hospital said. "As UCSF pharmacogenetic testing progresses, more genes and medications will be added. Eventually, cheek swabbing may be introduced as an alternative to blood draws."

Pharmacogenetic testing can improve efficacy and patient care because estimates show more than 90 percent of the population have at least one genetic variant that would necessitate altering a medication or dosage, according to UCSF.

Other health systems and hospitals have completed several pilots on pharmacogenomics, such as Palo Alto, Calif.-based Stanford Health, and some have a program and staff dedicated to the research field, including Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation May 2 that increases penalties for people who commit violence against healthcare workers and allows hospitals to establish campus police forces.

The bill, which passed the state's legislature in March, specifically provides for enhanced penalties for aggravated assault and aggravated battery committed upon emergency health workers and healthcare workers while they are on a hospital campus.

Those convicted of aggravated assault or aggravated battery upon a healthcare worker at a hospital can now face three to 20 years in prison.

The bill also allows Georgia hospitals to form their own police departments using certified law enforcement officers. Under the bill, a peace officer employed by a hospital who is certified would have the power of arrest, and hospital security personnel who are certified could carry a standard issue firearm or weapon.

Mr. Kemp signed the bill the same week as a mass shooting at Northside Hospital Medical Midtown in Atlanta on May 2. Northside has posted openings for police officers, according to NBC affiliate WXIA. The new law takes effect July 1.
As of March, there are more than 27,000 open hospital jobs in the state of Michigan.

That figure comes from the Michigan Health & Hospital Association's Economic Impact of Healthcare report. Nearly 8,500 of the vacant roles are nursing positions.

"Our hospitals are trying to fill those slots and many of those are nursing. So, that opportunity to bring more people into health care, it's there today and it's going to increase going forward," MHA CEO Brian Peters told local news station WLNS. "We're an economic engine that hires a lot of people, and we need even more based on the environment that we're experiencing right now."

Mr. Peters also spoke out against the state's proposed mandated nurse staffing ratios, alleging the legislation would "only add fuel to that fire" of vacant jobs and threaten hospitals' viability.

"Our chief nursing officers are really in the best position to make those decisions; a one-size-fits-all mandated approach certainly does not give us that flexibility," Mr. Peters told the news station.

Although hospitals tend to reject mandated nurse-to-patient ratios, nurses and unions typically support them as means to protect caregivers and uphold patient safety.
Citizens in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, stage a rally in front of city hall, Thursday, protesting the renovation of a shooting range for U.S. Forces Korea. Yonhap



Site renovation halted after complaints to USFK, defense ministry



By Ko Dong-hwan



Renovation work at an old shooting range used by U.S. Forces Korea (USFK) in Changwon, South Gyeongsang Province, has aroused concerns among local residents that the site may pose a threat to public safety. Making matters worse is the fact the city government had not been aware of the start of renovation work until media outlets reported the news recently.



In the wake of the public and political outcry, the Ministry of National Defense and the USFK have agreed to put the construction on hold temporarily, according to the ministry, Friday. The decision came after Changwon Mayor Hong Nam-pyo lodged an official complaint to both sides, Thursday.



The modernization of the facility, which was created by bulldozing trees and left a naked patch of earth on Mount Palyong, started about two months ago, aimed at strengthening the site's safety fence and fixing its sewage system. The renovation was supposed to be completed by July 2024.



Hardly anyone lived near the site when it was built in 1972. However, thanks to the central government's plan to develop the city, over 1 million citizens now reside in Changwon, including 100,000 residents in the district of Uichang, where the shooting range is located.





Masan Range of the USFK on Mount Palyong in Changwon, South Gyeongang Province, is under renovation, Wednesday. Yonhap



After learning about the renovation, residents rallied in front of Changwon City Hall on Thursday morning, protesting the renovation work and demanding that the site be shut down immediately.



They said the site threatens residents living in apartment complexes, located just 1 kilometer away from the shooting range, while shopping centers, hospitals, a bus terminal and industrial complexes are also adjacent. The locals said the apartment residents can open windows from their home and see the site clearly, all the while worrying about the possibility of stray artillery shells, a concern they've expressed on the local government's website.



Despite the local concerns, the issue is not expected to be resolved quickly due to the USFK's rights on land granted to the U.S. by the Korean government for military use. The Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) between Korea and the United States that went into force in 1976 states that the USFK's use of such land in Korea falls under the American military's authority and it is not necessary for the U.S. to discuss construction on such sites with local governments.





Changwon Mayor Hong Nam-pyo talks to reporters about the USFK's shooting range issue at the city hall, Thursday. Courtesy of Changwon City Government
Around a dozen jobs may be at risk at a data software business in Belfast after the discovery of alleged fraud and a linked accounting scandal at the global firm.

WANdisco, which has an office at the Gasworks and has been supported by economic development agency Invest NI, has said its cutting its global headcount by around 30% as it undertakes a reorganisation and review.

The business has about 185 staff worldwide with joint headquarters in California and Sheffield as well as offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, China, Japan, Australia and South Korea, as well as Belfast.

A spokesman said there was no further detail on how the Belfast office would be affected.

In a statement on Thursday, the company said: These proposed actions are across all areas of the companys operational and geographic footprint and individuals impacted are being consulted in accordance with local law with the provision of support and information on next steps.

The company has conducted a detailed review of the business which has indicated the need for difficult but necessary changes to the companys size in order to position it for long-term growth and success.

Kenneth Lever, executive chairman of WANdisco, said: "The proposal to reduce the companys overall headcount was considered at great length. Regrettably, the proposed action is a necessary step to responsibly position WANdisco for long-term growth.

"We are working through the process as sensitively and supportively as we can, providing those directly impacted with as much information and support as possible and at all times in full compliance with local law.

In March, an independent investigation by FRP Advisory, the corporate consultancy, concluded that about $15m of recorded revenue and $115m of sales bookings linked to a senior employee were illegitimate.

WANdisco earlier said it feared recognised revenue of $14.9m in its 2022 accounts and $115.4m of sales bookings were false as a result.

Trading in the companys shares on the Aim were suspended in March when the company said it had uncovered significant, sophisticated and potentially fraudulent irregularities.

The company said on Thursday that it had continued to trade in the ordinary course of business and that activity was progressing to lift the suspension of the company's shares as soon as possible.

The Financial Conduct Authority has started a probe into the company.

At the beginning of April company CEO and founder Dave Richards and chief financial officer Erik Miller both stepped down.

The company said their exit was not related to FRPs investigation but that the future of the business would be best pursued under new leadership,

WANdisco first set up a development centre in Belfast in 2012, supported by 360,000 in funding from economic development agency Invest NI.

Last year Invest NI announced the company was investing over 7m in research and development, a new skills programme and the creation of 33 jobs.

Invest NI said at that time that it had offered the company 953,024 of support towards R&D, skills development and the creation of the new jobs, which were to pay an average of around 48,000.
Amazon workers are to be balloted on industrial action (Alamy/PA)

More workers at online giant Amazon are to be balloted for strikes over pay.

The GMB said its members at Rugeley, in Staffordshire, and Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, will vote in the next few weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action.

The GMB has already held a series of strikes at Amazons site in Coventry, which the union said is having a domino effect in other areas.

Workers have since submitted a request for union recognition after the GMB reached the membership threshold for mandatory recognition, which it said could mark Amazons first union recognition in Europe.

The ballots at Rugely and Mansfield will run until June 9.

Amanda Gearing, GMB Senior Organiser, said: This is no time for sound bites; but Amazon workers are fighting back against a pay rise of pennies from one of the worlds wealthiest corporations.

This escalation will see workers in two further fulfilment centres asked to have their say on downing tools and walking out to deliver pay justice.

Weve already seen enormous enthusiasm from workers at Mansfield and Rugeley to take action, now itll be up to them how their union moves forward with the campaign.

We warned Amazon that this could fast become a summer of strike chaos if they refused to sit down and talk pay. Amazon Coventry workers have risen up, now we are seeing a domino effect.

With strike action escalating and historical union recognition on the horizon, its time for Amazon to get real and get around the table.

An Amazon spokesperson said: We regularly review our pay to ensure we offer competitive wages, and recently announced another increase for our UK teams.

Over the past seven months, our minimum pay has risen by 10% and by more than 37% since 2018. We also work hard to provide great benefits, a positive work environment and excellent career opportunities.

These are just some of the reasons people want to come and work at Amazon, whether its their first job, a seasonal role or an opportunity for them to advance their career.
The High Court judge described the allegation against Gary MacNally as "especially serious"

An alleged senior member of the New IRA accused of trying to recruit a man to head up an active service unit in Belfast is to be granted bail, a High Court judge ruled today.

Prosecutors claimed Gary MacNally was present and involved in secretly recorded attempts to enlist him into the terror grouping.

But Mr Justice OHara held that the 63-year-old defendant should be released from custody based on the presumption of innocence.

He banned the accused from any dissident republican political activities as part of strict bail terms imposed.

MacNally and co-defendant Joseph Donnelly, 52, are jointly charged with belonging to a proscribed organisation, directing terrorism and preparation of terrorist acts between December 2019 and August 2022.

Both men are accused of attending a secretly recorded meeting with an unnamed man, referred to as Mr X, at Whiterock Leisure Centre in west Belfast in September 2020.

Donnelly, who remains in custody, was Officer Commanding (OC) of the New IRA in Belfast, according to the prosecution, while MacNally was in charge of security.

The defendants, whose addresses cannot be reported, were allegedly intent on recruiting Mr X to the organisation.

A Crown lawyer contended that the pair promised him autonomy to lead a small active service unit in the city, set his own targets and help build the dissident groupings future.

In a case involving audio and video recordings, she claimed Donnelly was described as probably one of the better OCs that Belfast has ever had.

The court heard that at one point discussions turned to the past split within republicanism.

MacNally allegedly stated: Years ago, before the IRA packed up and left us, something like 83 kneecappings in the Upper Springfield Road area within a year.

Counsel submitted that he explained to Mr X the same small squads of men were to be used.

The group's plans were described as the only show in town and a lot more perfect than the year before.

A reference was also made to young lads being brought in and put through the books.

Later in the conversation MacNally allegedly insisted: This is not a one-man show, this army is a collective, its now down to individuals.

Im prepared to go in the firing line, so he is (sic) and so is other people.

An apparent reference was also made to Operation Arbacia, the joint PSNI and MI5 sting operation against dissident republican groupings activities involving alleged British agent Dennis McFadden.

Mr X was informed: The Brits are sitting back with Dennis McFadden, thinking theyve got a coup over the f***ing IRA, weve got the top executives, got members on the Council, theyre f***ed.

But MacNally allegedly stated: If the Brits had succeeded I wouldnt be standing here tonight.

Im asking you to join the IRA, to build the IRA, to build it for the future.

We need to be better, were well-trained, were well-equipped and we can.

The barrister said Mr X was asked to consider the position and return at the same time the following week.

Both defendants attended a second meeting seven days later, on the prosecution case, but the would-be recruit failed to show.

MacNallys bid for bail was opposed due to the risk posed by dissident republicans.

Mr Justice OHara heard details about a series of recent New IRA attacks, including the abhorrent shooting of senior PSNI detective John Caldwell in Omagh in February.

Defence counsel argued that the level of criminality alleged against those released in other terrorism cases surpassed the discussions said to have taken place at the leisure centre.

Ruling on MacNallys application, Mr Justice OHara said: The allegation is especially serious; the case is that he was involved in an effort to recruit an individual who was promised a senior role in the dissident IRA.

However, he pointed out that the accused is to be presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

It is on foot of that presumption that I have decided I must grant bail in this case, the judge ruled.

MacNally was ordered to live at an agreed address under curfew and prohibited from any contact or association with either Donnelly or hardline grouping Saoradh.

Mr Justice OHara directed: He must not attend any meeting, rally or demonstration relating to dissident republican political activities.
The case against a couple charged in connection with the death of a toddler has been returned for trial following delays and adjustment to the allegations.

Two-year-old Ali Jayden Doyle died on August 6, 2021, having sustained catastrophic head injuries allegedly caused by her stepfather Darren John Armstrong (33) of Park Avenue, Dungannon. He has been remanded in custody since being arrested.

Armstrong and the childs mother Jade Dempsey (26) of Sycamore Drive, Dungannon, but since bailed to an unspecified address, appeared in the towns Magistrates Court on Friday for a committal hearing, although their cases were dealt with separately.

Armstrong is charged with murdering Ali Jayden while Dempsey is charged with causing the death of the child by knowing there was significant risk of serious harm and failing to take steps to protect her.

She is further accused of child cruelty by wilfully neglecting and exposing Ali Jayden to unnecessary suffering or injury.

A prosecuting lawyer told the court there is a case to answer, which was agreed by District Judge Michael Ranaghan.

Armstrong and Dempsey did not object to the proceedings and declined to call witnesses or give evidence on their own behalf at this stage.

Jade Dempsey and Darren John Armstrong

The judge ordered them to appear for arraignment at Dungannon Crown Court on June 1, with Armstrong remanded in custody and Dempsey on continuing bail.

When the pair first appeared in court, it was disclosed that an ambulance crew attended Armstrongs home following a report of an unconscious child.

Paramedics found Ali Jayden unresponsive and were suspicious of Armstrongs claim that the toddler fell against the fireplace, striking her head. She was rushed to hospital but passed away.

Armstrong was arrested on suspicion of murder that day and Dempsey was arrested a short time later.

It transpired that Ali Jayden and her brother were on the child protection register due to Dempseys relationship with Armstrong, who was banned from access to them.

Dempsey claimed she went to his house to return a bank card and realised one of the children had lost their dummy, so left them with Armstrong while she re-traced her steps.

She had in fact arranged to leave the children with him while she went to Belfast to purchase a pram.

On her way to the bus, Armstrong sent a text complaining that Ali Jaydens baby brother was seriously melting his head and wont stop crying".

His next communication was a phone call saying Ali Jayden was injured.

A post-mortem examination revealed injuries so extensive it wasnt possible to establish how many times there had been impact.

Both were refused bail when first charged but Dempsey was later released on strict terms by the High Court.
Tributes have been paid to former Lord Chief Justice Robert Carswell, who has died aged 88.

Lord Carswell died on Thursday.

The Lady Chief Justice, Dame Siobhan Keegan, said she was deeply saddened to hear of his passing.

It is with sadness that I note the passing of Lord Carswell on May 4 at the age of 88 years, she said.

Lord Carswell was called to the Bar in 1957 and took Silk in 1971.

He was appointed to the High Court in 1984 and was elevated to the Court of Appeal in 1993 and became a Privy Councillor. In 1997 he was appointed Lord Chief Justice and in 2004 he became a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary, where he remained until 2009.

The role of Lord Justice is an official who holds the office as President of the Courts of Northern Ireland. They act as the head of the Judiciary of Northern Ireland.

The role is nominated by the Prime Minister and appointed by the Monarch.

Dame Siobhan added: Lord Carswell served with great distinction in high judicial office as Lord Chief Justice and a Law Lord.

He made a huge contribution to our legal system throughout his career.

Lord Carswell was held in high esteem by his judicial colleagues and the legal profession.

He maintained his connections in retirement and was a good friend to many."

A former pupil of Royal Belfast Academical Institution, Lord Carswell studied at Oxford University and University of Chicago Law School in the United States.

He also served as Chancellor of the Diocese of Armagh and Diocese of Down and Dromore as well as Chairman of Council at the University of Ulster.

Lord Carswell is survived by his wife, Romayne Carswell, Lady Carswell, who was previously Lord Lieutenant of Belfast and their two daughters, Catherine and Patricia.
Local campaign group No Gas Caverns and Friends Of The Earth NI are opposed to the fossil fuel development at Larne Lough (Picture by Declan Roughan / Press Eye)

No Gas Caverns and Friends of the Earth believe the Islandmagee project will have a detrimental impact on sea life and the wider environment

Judgment was reserved today in a High Court bid to stop a major undersea gas storage project being built off the Co Antrim coast.

Opponents claim former Stormont Minister Edwin Poots unlawfully approved the facility at Larne Lough without obtaining consent from Executive Committee colleagues.

Local campaign group No Gas Caverns and Friends of the Earth Northern Ireland are challenging his grant of a marine licence to build the underground units.

Following four days of legal arguments, Mr Justice Humphreys confirmed he will give his ruling at a later date.

He said: I do recognise that it is a hard case and a significant case within the contemplation of a number of interest groups, commercial, environmental and otherwise.

It may take me some time to write the judgment, but I will endeavour to do it as soon as possible.

Edwin Poots

In 2021 Mr Poots, then Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, gave consent for the development by Islandmagee Energy Ltd. The plans involve carving seven caverns by a method known as solution mining.

It is estimated that the facilities could provide more than 25% of the UKs natural gas storage capacity.

But environmental campaigners claim it will keep Northern Ireland locked into using fossil fuel for decades beyond a target set to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

The excavation process will also lead to hypersaline salt and chemical solution being discharged into the sea near Islandmagee, creating a dead zone threat to marine life, it was alleged.

Eleven protected priority species, including harbour porpoise and skate, are found within 100 metres of the discharge point.

No Gas Caverns and Friends of the Earth argued that Mr Poots failed to properly consider the environmental implications of a development proposal which is so significant, strategic, cross-cutting and controversial that he was required to refer it to the Executive Committee before granting permission.

Local campaign group No Gas Caverns and Friends Of The Earth NI are opposed to the fossil fuel development at Larne Lough (Picture by Declan Roughan / Press Eye)

However, counsel for the Department insisted the Minister had been legally entitled to take the decision.

Amendments in the Executive Committee (Functions) Act (Northern Ireland) 2020 provided more scope to give the go-ahead without seeking consent from the wider power-sharing cabinet, it was contended.

The court was told those legislative changes were implemented to prevent the Executive Committee referral point being weaponised to stall, disrupt and prevent decision-making in planning processes.

In closing submissions today, a barrister representing the campaign groups stressed the challenge was not about the merits of the development or fossil fuel projects in general.

Conor Fegan added: Nor is it a case of weaponising, as it was put at one point, the Executive referral provisions to block a strategic infrastructure project, he said.

This is a case about whether the Minister, in making a strategic infrastructure decision, has adhered to well-established public law principles, including important legislative provisions which seek to protect the environment.
A man who sexually assaulted his girlfriend after she passed out in a bathroom has been jailed for 11 months.

The 25-year-old, who cannot be named to protect the identity of his now former partner, will spend an additional 11 months on licence when released.

At Belfast Crown Court on Friday, Judge Philip Babington also ordered that he be placed on the sex offenders register for 10 years.

The defendant admitted a charge of sexual assault by penetration in August 2020 in the Belfast home that he and the woman shared.

Prior to the incident, she had been experiencing health issues which included feeling dizzy and fainting when she went for a bath or shower.

It was heard that, as a result of this, the man would often accompany her to the bathroom to ensure her safety.

On August 2, 2020, the complainant told him she wanted to use the bathroom but was feeling dizzy, so he went with her. The woman was caught by her boyfriend as she fainted getting out of the shower, and during the course of offering her assistance, he sexually assaulted her.

The defendant called an ambulance and after she regained consciousness, the woman was taken to the Mater Hospital where she told a nurse she had been sexually assaulted by her partner.

The PSNI were then informed and the man was arrested. He told officers that before she had gone to the bathroom, they had been sexually active and he was aroused.

Judge Babington said by entering a guilty plea "the defendant accepted he sexually assaulted her when she was not compos mentis and therefore was unable to consent".

Describing the incident as "extremely nasty" and one which "shocked the complainant to her core", he added: "The court can only hope that the professional assistance she has had and will have, together with the sentencing of the defendant, will assist her and her family to have some closure in due course."

Judge Babington said he had noted the mans "difficult childhood", the fact this was his first "intimate" relationship and his remorse.

Also taken into consideration was his clear record, guilty plea and the "opportunistic" rather than pre-meditated nature of the offence.

The judge also said he would need to attend programmes to address his offending behaviour when out on licence.
Legal action over secret recordings at local government offices in Northern Ireland could be widened out to Switzerland and New Zealand, it was claimed today.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council has already obtained an interim injunction preventing publication of details of any recordings.

The order was made at the High Court in proceedings brought against persons unknown.

Continuing reporting restrictions prohibit disclosure of any information which could lead to the identification of individuals involved in the case.

The action relates to conversations recorded and posted online.

At a brief court review today the issue of possible further legal steps in Switzerland and New Zealand was raised, according to an independent member of the Council.

Padraig McShane, who attended the hearing, claimed it was related to attempts to obtain information from a site believed to have posted any relevant recordings.

Mr McShane, who has already raised concerns over funding the legal action, predicted the costs will be borne by ratepayers.

He added: Its turning into an unholy mess.

Proceedings were adjourned until June 5, with the interim injunction extended until then.
A Derry GP surgery has been saved after a new contractor was secured (Stock image)

A medical practice in Londonderry has been saved from closure after a new contractor was appointed.

The Department of Health confirmed that a new GP contractor has been appointed to provide GP services to the patients of Racecourse Medical Centre in Shantallow, Derry, with effect from June 1.

The new contractor is Dr Ravinder Kumar, a GP who has experience running two GP practices in Manchester.

The practice, which has nearly 5,000 patients, faced closure if a contractor was unable to be appointed.

The Department of Health said: It follows extensive work to identify a new GP contractor to take over the practice, following the termination of the contract by the previous contractor in November 2022.

"All 4,799 patients of Racecourse Medical Centre have been automatically registered with the new practice.

The Derry medical practice joins other surgeries including Kells and Connor Medical Practice in Ballymena and Flax Medical Centre in north Belfast in securing a last minute contractor to take on GP duties.

Kilkeel Medical Practice in Co Down recently announced they would be handing back their contract should a GP not be found.

Sinn Fein MLA Ciara Ferguson welcomed the news about the Derry surgery, saying the party had been working alongside the practise to attempt to secure its future.

I am pleased that a new contractor has been appointed to deliver GP services at Racecourse Medical Centre, she said.

This will secure the future of one of the biggest GP surgeries in the city and give certainty to the hundreds of patients who rely on these services.

Sinn Fein and others have worked with the Department for Health for months now to find a solution and protect GP services in this practice.

We need an Executive formed now and a health minister in place to invest in the health service and ensure people have first-class services.

Aontu councillor Emmet Doyle also shared his delight at the news.

I am delighted to announce that Racecourse Medical GP practice has been saved with the appointment of a new contractor this morning, he said.
Jeju International Airport bustles with tourists on Korea's southern Jeju Island, May 5, as torrential rains have caused flight disruptions. Yonhap





Flight operations on the southern island of Jeju, which was hit by heavy rain and strong winds for two days, partially resumed Friday, airport authorities said.







A domestic flight departing from Seoul arrived at Jeju International Airport at 10:10 a.m., they said. The airport had reported the cancellation of 488 flights as of 10 a.m.







As of 6 p.m. Friday, 64 flights had departed from Jeju and 77 others had landed on the island.







Airlines had added 45 extra domestic flights and two international flights to move stranded travelers out of the island, and extended the deadline for night operations from 11 p.m. to midnight.







Weather authorities have issued alerts for high winds and wind shear, referring to sudden changes in wind direction, since Thursday, when 243 flights were canceled.







Jeju's Seogwipo region experienced downpours of an accumulated 365.6 millimeters of rain from Wednesday to noon Friday, with 287.8 mm recorded Thursday, the highest daily record since 1961, weather authorities said.







The island was expected to receive even more rain through Saturday morning, with some areas getting between 150 and 200 mm of rainfall.







The heavy rains and strong winds have left over 10,000 people stranded, including some 6,000 students from 33 schools on field trips.







Officials at Jeju airport said those students were expected to be able to leave the island by the end of Friday. Considering unpredictable weather conditions over the weekend, however, they said it wasn't clear exactly when the airport would resume full operations. (Yonhap)


The airline easyJet has apologised to a Londonderry man whose vital medication was reportedly lost during a flight from Northern Ireland to Spain on Thursday.

Gareth McCay put out an online public appeal asking if anyone flying from Belfast to Majorca today (Friday) could help him.

The carrier has now said they are urgently working to locate the bag with their handlers at Belfast and Palma airports.

"We are urgently working to locate it with our baggage handling partners at Belfast and Palma airports and have been in touch with Mr McCay to apologise for the inconvenience and ensure his wellbeing, whilst his luggage is being located as soon as possible a spokesperson told the Belfast Telegraph.

We understand how important it is that passengers have their essential medicines with them, which is why we advise ahead of travel to carry medicine in their cabin bag and allow passengers to carry an additional cabin bag free of charge if it is for essential medications and medical equipment.

They airline added that, despite Mr McCays ordeal, incidents of lost luggage are extremely low.

easyJet operates up to 1,700 flights carrying up to a quarter-of-a-million customers and their luggage across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa every day, the spokesperson said.

"And incidents of lost luggage are extremely low, with reports by World Tracer, the independent system used by the industry for luggage tracking, showing that easyJet has one of the best performances in the industry."
Whats done is done, Im just getting on with life: Cyclist paralysed in crash says return to sport has been his salvation
The first postbox to heaven in Northern Ireland has been installed in Antrims Six Mile Cemetery this week.

The boxes are being implemented across every main cemetery in the Antrim and Newtownabbey area, which will allow bereaved locals to send letters to lost loved ones.

UUP councillor Leah Smyth, deputy mayor of the borough council, proposed the idea after being inspired by a nine-year-old girl in England.

Young Matilda Handy thought of a postbox to heaven after her grandparents passed away.

Her mother works at their local crematorium in Nottingham, and approached her employers with the concept.

Just before Christmas, they painted an old post box white and installed it there, and as it filled up with heartfelt letters so quickly, the crematorium bosses decided to roll similar postboxes out in 36 sites across the UK.

I had seen it [Matildas story] shortly after Christmas and straight away I thought it was lovely, said Cllr Smyth.

Shes nine, and I lost my own granda when I was 10. Anyone who knows me from then knows that Im a grandas girl.

That was a big thing for me back then and I found it really difficult to process my thoughts and feelings. I think I would have loved something like this at that point in time and I thought of my own kids as well.

Theyve lost their great-grandparents recently and for a good few weeks after they passed away, my youngest daughter (who is aged seven), was drawing pictures of them and writing wee cards. Its nice to actually think we could have somewhere to put them.

The Antrim and Newtownabbey Council parks team sourced old post boxes for the project and they are currently installed or in the process of being installed at the Belmont, Antrim, Carnmoney, Ballyclare and Crumlin cemeteries.

Its possible that they could soon be implemented throughout Northern Ireland too, as Cllr Smyth added that representatives from other local councils have reached out looking to know more about the initiative.

I put a post up on Facebook wondering if there was an interest and the response was overwhelming. Even adults were saying things like, my mum passed away six or seven months ago and I write her letters, but I dont do anything with them or I leave them by the grave.

And they said they would really use it.

Ive since had councillors from other areas asking me how to go about doing it because they want to do it too and they want to visit when the postboxes are installed, so its really taking off.

The postboxes will also endorse an environmentally friendly way to commemorate grieving peoples lost loved ones.

Cllr Smyth continued: There'll be a little plaque beside them that will basically say the postbox is managed by our cemetery staff, not Royal Mail, so it doesnt require postage.

It wont cost anyone anything and once the postbox is full, the letters wil be recycled. The therapy is in writing the letters and posting them, so whoever uses the postbox will fully understand where the letters go afterwards.

A DUP member of Lisburn and Castlereagh Council, which is also considering the idea of postboxes to heaven, has expressed concerns that a precedent could be set to have multiple boxes for different faiths.

At a meeting of the councils environmental committee last month, Cllr Alan Givan said: We have all lost someone and have sympathy for those who have lost family members, particularly children, we have the empathy, we have all been there and had our hearts broken.

While we may have some children happy with the use of such a postbox, other faiths out there may find it offensive.
A billboard of King Charles and General Sir Mike Jackson with the words Englands bloody empire written on it has appeared in Derry.

It was erected earlier this week by the Bloody Sunday March Committee at Free Derry Corner ahead of the coronation on Saturday.

King Charles was appointed colonel-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment in 1977.

General Jackson was a captain with the 1st Battalion of the Parachute Regiment in Ballymurphy when 10 people were shot dead in 1971 and on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 when 13 people were shot dead and at least 15 others injured by soldiers.

He rose through the ranks of the Army, being appointed chief of the general staff in 2003 and retired in 2006.

Veteran socialist Eamonn McCann, who took part in the civil rights marches, said Bloody Sunday illustrates the role of the Army, Parachute Regiment and British ruling class, personified by King Charles as he now is.

It is those people who sent the Paratroopers into Derry to carry out their operation, he added.

General Jackson sent Paratroopers from Belfast to Derry on the morning of Bloody Sunday under the instructions of General Sir Frank Kitson, Mr McCann said.

He also accused commanders of being more culpable than individuals such as Soldier F, who has been charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder on Bloody Sunday.

Its the same the whole world over. It has always been the case with imperialism, that those who carry out the direct orders are left to take the blame, if blame there is to be taken at the end of the day, Mr McCann said.

Its always the officer class, and who they represent are able to saunter off and say, killings nothing to do with me squire, I was only following orders. And indeed they were and thats the point, they were only following orders.
Designer jewellery and a car are among items seized by police following the search of a property in Lisburn yesterday.

Detectives from the PSNIs Organised Crime Unit arrested a man in his 50s on suspicion of being concerned in supply of possessing a class B drug and possessing criminal property.

He has since been released on bail while further enquiries are carried out.

Detective Inspector Sweeney said: The search was conducted as part of an ongoing investigation into organised crime in Northern Ireland and the UK.

A number of items including an Audi A6, suspected drug documentation, mobile phones and designer jewellery including watches, a Versace bracelet and a Cartier ring were seized during the search.

Drugs ruin lives. Drug dealers are only concerned with lining their own pockets at the expense of others, leaving families and loved ones to deal with the inevitable devastation caused by the drugs they supply."

Anyone with information relating to the illegal supply of drugs in the community should contact police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
A man has died following an incident in the River Lagan during the early hours of this morning.

Police were called to the Lagan Weir area of Belfasts city centre at around 2.20am on Friday (May 5) following reports of a man and woman in the water.

Officers were joined at the scene by other emergency services and the woman was recovered from the water, then taken to hospital.

A man's body was later recovered from the river.

Police have said the death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "Police attended a report of a man and woman in the water at around 2.20am this morning, Friday 5th May, in the Lagan Weir area of Belfast.

"Police and other emergency services responded and the woman was recovered from the water and taken to hospital.

"A man's body was later recovered from the water.
A 1,000 reward is on offer for help catching assailants following a spate of Belfast bus attacks.

Trade unions GMB and Unite met Translink met after the latest incident, which saw a Belfast Glider inspector hospitalised after an assault.

Police said they received a report of an assault on board a Glider at the Beechview Park area of West Belfast on Wednesday morning (May 3).

The male member of staff was assaulted by another man, described as being in his mid-20s, at around 8:50am.

The victim attended the Royal Victoria Hospital following the incident.

Translink acknowledged the safety of our customers, staff and the wider public is our top priority at all times and the vast majority of our passengers experience safe and comfortable journeys.

The public transport firm said it will also offer a reward of up to 1,000 for anyone prepared to give evidence which leads to a conviction.

Translink, GMB and Unite strongly condemned the attacks, which have all been reported to the police and have led to arrests in one case so far.

Peter Macklin, GMB Organiser, said: Positive engagement between GMB, Unite and Translink continues.

We support the company's zero-tolerance approach towards all anti-social behaviour and we will jointly participate in a multi-agency approach to mitigate this behaviour.

We will work closely with the PSNI including Neighbourhood Policing Teams and the Safe Transport Team; as well as community and elected representatives to reduce and prevent anti-social behaviour.

There is a range of measures in place to enhance safety including CCTV systems on board the Glider vehicles and at halts; and staff use body worn cameras.

No one should go to work not knowing if they will make it home safe at the end of their shift. This violence must stop.
A Garrard & Co diamond brooch given by the Queen to one of her coronation maids of honour has gone for 69,850 at auction   PA

Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina are travelling to London for the coronation.

It will be the first time a president of Ireland has attended the coronation of a British monarch.

This evening, they will attend a reception at Buckingham Palace and spoke with King Charles III.

The two heads of state have a long relationship and have met on multiple occasions.

The first time was a 2014 state visit by President Higgins to the UK, and most recently they met at a service of reflection and thanksgiving for the life of the Queen at St Annes Cathedral in Belfast, last September.

Elsewhere, an auction marking the Kings coronation has seen a Garrard & Co diamond brooch given by the Queen to one of her coronation maids of honour fetch 69,850.

The piece belonged to Lady Moyra Campbell, who was living in Co Tyrone and was 22 at the time of the coronation.

She was the daughter of the 4th Duke of Abercorn and later moved to Randalstown and died in 2020, aged 90, in a Belfast nursing home.

A Garrard & Co diamond brooch given by the Queen to one of her coronation maids of honour has gone for 69,850 at auction   PA

Lady Moyra had known the Queen since childhood, having been a member of the 1st Buckingham Palace Company of Girl Guides formed in 1937 for the then-Princess Elizabeth.

She also wore the brooch to the service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in 2012.

Garrard held the position of crown jewellers between 1843 and 2007, making pieces such as the Attallah Cross, which was worn by Diana, Princess of Wales, and sold earlier this year by Sothebys to reality star Kim Kardashian for 163,000. Meanwhile, a flypast to celebrate the coronation is at risk of being cancelled due to poor weather.

RAF chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston has said its 50/50 as to whether the event will go ahead, and the final decision will be made just one or two hours before it is due to start.

Forecasters expect conditions in London to be cloudy and wet tomorrow, which could hamper the ability of pilots to fly safely.

More than 60 aircraft from the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force, including the Red Arrows, are scheduled to fly over the Mall and Buckingham Palace at around 2.15pm.

The King and Queen Consort are due to appear on the palace balcony with other members of the royal family to watch the six-minute flypast.

Sir Michael said: The weather isnt looking brilliant, but theres nothing we can do about it.

We have to be safe, we have to make sure that we arent taking any unnecessary risks.

Well make a weather call one or two hours before the actual moment.

However, if theres rain and low cloud then it will be almost impossible to get it through.

Its 50/50 at the moment, but we have lots of options. The decision will be made, and at this stage were hoping for the best.
The introduction of voter ID is a thoroughly good thing, the Northern Ireland Secretary has said despite the Electoral Commission acknowledging some people have been unable to vote as a result of the new requirement.

Chris Heaton-Harris insisted the big problems critics warned of did not materialise, adding: I think most people have just taken to it as you would expect them to.

On Thursday, voters across England took to the polls to have their say about who runs their local communities and for the first time, it has been compulsory to show photo identification when voting.

Passports, driving licences and blue badges are among the IDs permitted, as are the free certificates that could be applied for ahead of the vote.

However, the move has been controversial, with critics of the policy arguing it would deter young people and ethnic minorities from voting and claiming thousands of people had been turned away.

Shortly after the polls closed, a spokesperson for the Electoral Commission said our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run but added some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

Speaking to Sky News on Thursday evening, Mr Heaton-Harris defended the new rules, arguing similar measures have been in place in Northern Ireland for 20 years.

He said: Its a thoroughly good thing, it means that you can be completely sure that your elections are well tested and safe.

And I dont think, actually, considering this is a relatively big change for our politics in England that theres been any of the big problems that people warned might come from this.

I think most people have just taken to it as you would expect them to.

A polling station sign is adjusted outside the polling station in Bridlington Priory Church, Yorkshire (Danny Lawson/PA)   Danny Lawson

Science minister Paul Scully also threw his weight behind the changes but acknowledged the Government will need to see its impact after the local elections.

Asked about the statement by the Electoral Commission on the BBCs Elections 2023 programme, Mr Scully said: I think the chief exec of the electoral returning officers has said in his view that it has worked pretty well. It hasnt had much of an effect.

But we do need to see. We clearly need to see after this.

The spokesman for the Electoral Commission said: Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run.

Across the country, votes were cast throughout the day and in line with the law. This is in large part thanks to the dedication of electoral administrators, who have worked hard to prepare for today and for the implementation of this new measure.

Confidence in the overall picture, however, should not overlook other impacts which can only be revealed through detailed data collection and analysis over the coming weeks.

We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learnt for future elections.

The Commission expects to publish its initial analysis of the implementation of voter ID in June, subject to data being available.

The change was piloted regionally before the national roll-out for Thursdays elections and it will come into force for UK general elections from October.

The policy is opposed by Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party whereas the Government argues the change is required to reduce electoral fraud.

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups against the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, said: Today has been a dark day for British democracy.

North Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris defended the new photo ID rules. (Rui Vieira, PA)   Rui Vieira

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

Meanwhile, the Association of Electoral Administrators chief executive Peter Stanyon said there had been many anecdotal reports of people being unable to vote but it is still too early to gauge how introducing voter ID has gone.

On Thursday, more than 8,000 council seats were being contested across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being selected in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

No votes were taking place in London and Birmingham, along with other areas including Cornwall, North Yorkshire and Cumbria.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak outside No10 on Friday ahead of the coronation (Stefan Rousseau/PA)   Stefan Rousseau

The coronation is not simply a spectacle but a proud expression of British history, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said, in a message ahead of the Kings coronation.

Mr Sunak, who will be among the party leaders and dignitaries in Westminster Abbey on Saturday, said it was an opportunity for hope and optimism about the future.

The coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla will be a moment of extraordinary national pride, Mr Sunak said.

Together with friends from across the Commonwealth and beyond, we will celebrate the enduring nature of our great monarchy, its constancy, devotion to duty and service to others.

No other country could put on such a dazzling display  the processions, the pageantry, the ceremonies and street parties.

But this is not just a spectacle.

Its a proud expression of our history, culture, and traditions. A vivid demonstration of the modern character of our country and a cherished ritual through which a new era is born.

In the Abbey where monarchs have been crowned for almost a thousand years, representatives of every faith will play a central role for the first time.

Mr Sunak said that the fact people across our country will help their communities with thousands of acts of kindness was a fitting tribute to the spirit of service that will define the Carolean age.

Lets celebrate this weekend with pride in who we are and what we stand for.

Lets look to the future with hope and optimism and lets make new memories, so we can tell our grandchildren of the day we came together to sing God Save The King, he said.
Airport Station on Gwangju Metro Line 1 is flooded with muddy water following heavy rainfall in Gwangju, May 5. Yonhap





Heavy rainfall in the southern part of South Korea caused property damage Friday, the Children's Day holiday, while also forcing multiple flights and ship services to be canceled.







According to municipal officials in Gwangju, some 270 kilometers south of Seoul, the platform at Airport Station on Gwangju Metro Line 1 was flooded with muddy water Friday afternoon, forcing trains to pass without stopping at the station for over an hour, starting at around 4:45 p.m.







Gwangju said its western district of Gwangsan had received 39 millimeters of rain per hour, as of 4:30 p.m., which flooded facilities and roads.







Across South Jeolla Province, hundreds of hectares of rice paddies and barley farms were submerged under big downpours.







Local officials said there were no reports of personal injury.







More rain and windy conditions were in the forecast through early Saturday.







The Korea Meteorological Administration has issued heavy rain warnings throughout South Jeolla Province and also parts of North Jeolla Province.







According to the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters, 309 flights and 99 boat trips covering 71 routes had been scrapped as of 5 p.m. Friday.







Access to seven national parks located in the mountains or on islands was also closed.







The southern resort island of Jeju was hit with up to 440 millimeters of rain through Friday evening, with even more rain expected through Saturday. (Yonhap)


Train passengers on platforms across the UK are being reminded to mind the gap by the King (Andrew Milligan/PA)   Andrew Milligan

Train passengers on platforms across the UK are being reminded to mind the gap by the King.

Charles and the Queen Consort have recorded an announcement which is being played between Friday and Monday at every railway station across the UK and all London Underground stations, industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) said.

In the message, the King begins by telling passengers: My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend.

Camilla then says: Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

The message concludes with Charles adding: And remember, please mind the gap.

It was recorded at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London.

Warnings to mind the gap are common at London Underground stations.

RDG chief executive Jacqueline Starr said: The coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message.

Its wonderful that Their Majesties are including rail passengers as part of this historic moment.

A mind the gap sign at Great Malvern railway station in Worcestershire (David Davies/PA)   David Davies

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the coronation and its fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Londons Transport Commissioner Andy Lord said: With less than one day to go before the coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe.

We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said there is nothing to be served by the ongoing incarceration of Julian Assange as he expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite the WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen.

Mr Albaneses comments on Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the US.

Before that, Mr Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Mr Albanese said Mr Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Mr Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) with the King (left) at Buckingham Palace in London(Jonathan Brady/ PA)   Jonathan Brady

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Mr Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is.

Mr Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the US, where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Mr Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Albanese said there was a disconnect between the US treatment of Mr Assange and Ms Manning.

Then-US president Barack Obama commuted Ms Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn joins supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protesting outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London in 2022 (James Manning/ PA)   James Manning

Mr Albanese said he has advocated for Mr Assange in meetings with US administration officials.

On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Mr Assange with US President Joe Biden when Mr Albanese hosts the US leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, he said.

Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Mr Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Mr Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Mr Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Mr Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr Assanges mental health, Mr Albanese said.

There was a court decision here in the United Kingdom that was overturned on appeal that went to Mr Assanges health as well and I am concerned for him.
Forensic police operates on a car in the village of Dubona (AP)   Armin Durgut

Serbias president has said the gunman in the latest mass shooting to hit the country targeted people at random.

Aleksandar Vucic said the assailant shot at people wherever they were, and branded the assault an attack on the whole country.

The gunman killed eight people and wounded 14 others in two Serbian villages south of Belgrade on Thursday, authorities and media reported. Police arrested a suspect on Friday following an all-night manhunt.

Blood is seen on the ground at the site of a shooting in the village of Dubona (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)   Armin Durgut

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow pupils and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

Mr Vucic vowed to the nation in an address that the suspect in the shooting will never again see the light of the day.

The populist leader called the shooting a terrorist attack, as is typical in Serbia.

He announced a series of anti-terrorist measures, including the hiring of 1,200 policemen and putting a police officer on guard each day at schools.

Reports said that the suspect in the latest shooting, identified by initials UB, was arrested in Vinjiste, a village 90 miles south of Belgrade.

Officers searching a relatives home found a large stash of illegal weapons and ammunition, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Authorities released a photo showing a young man in a police car in a blue T-shirt with the slogan Generation 88 on it. The double eights are often used as shorthand for Heil Hitler since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Mr Vucic said the suspect repeated the word disparagement but it was not clear what that meant.

A police vehicle blocks the entrance to the village of Dubona (Marko Drobnjakovic/AP/PA)   Marko Drobnjakovic

Reports of the arrest followed an all-night search by hundreds of officers, who sealed off an area south of Belgrade where the shooting took place late on Thursday.

The attacker shot randomly at people in two villages near Mladenovac, some 30 miles south of the capital, broadcaster RTS said.

Serbian interior minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursdays drive-by shootings a terrorist act.

Police officers guard the Vladimir Ribnikar school in Belgrade, scene of the earlier mass shooting (Darko Vojinovic/AP/PA)   Darko Vojinovic

This weeks bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, Wednesdays school shooting was the first in the countrys modern history.

The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbia spent much of Thursday reeling from its first mass shooting in 10 years. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent tribute to the dead.

Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and to demand changes.

The gunman shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 others in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)   Armin Durgut

The same day, authorities moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

The government ordered a two-year moratorium on short-barrel guns, tougher control of people with guns and shooting grounds, and tougher sentences for people who enable minors to get hold of guns.

A registered gun owner in Serbia must be over 18, healthy, and have no criminal record. Weapons must be kept locked and separately from ammunition.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people in hospital  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

A 21-year-old suspect has been arrested over the latest shootings (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)   Armin Durgut

Authorities have said the attacker, whom police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in the highly divided country, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished.

They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.
Recently freed Chibok schoolgirls with their children are photographed at the Army Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri (AP)   Jossy Ola

Two Nigerian women abducted as schoolgirls by a jihadi militant group nine years ago have been rescued, the West African nations military has said.

One of the two women had one-year-old baby, while the second gave birth to her second child days after gaining her freedom.

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were among 276 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok by Boko Haram militants.

They were rescued in April by Nigerian soldiers and reunited with their families in the north-eastern Borno state, according to Maj Gen Ibrahim Ali, who leads the Nigerian military operation against the extremist violence experienced in the north-east region for more than a decade.

The two women were kidnapped nine years ago in Chibok in an event that shocked the world (AP)   Jossy Ola

Boko Haram fighters stormed the school in Borno nine years ago as the girls were preparing for exams.

The mass kidnapping sparked global outrage and led to the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.

More than 20 of the girls have regained their freedom in the past year, but nearly 100 are still missing.

Maltha and Marcus, both 26, were forcibly married to extremists while in captivity, Maj Gen Ali told journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday.

His comments echoed concerns of parents and activists about the maltreatment of the girls by Boko Haram, whose name in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden.

Both girls were married three times as one husband after another was killed during clashes with the Nigerian military.

The two women spent nine years in the captivity of the jihadi militant group (AP)   Jossy Ola

Hauwa was about eight months and two weeks pregnant during her rescue, delivered a bouncing baby boy on April 28 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima, said the military commander.

The girls return brought excitement and also sadness to many in the Chibok community. As one local leader said: It has made the memories fresh for the parents that their children are still missing.

Several of the girls have returned home in recent months mostly after escaping the Sambisa Forest, a known hideout for the extremists.

Most of those who returned had babies after either being forced into marriage or after losing hope that they would ever regain their freedom, their parents and the freed girls have said.

Since the girls abduction in 2014, Boko Haram has grown in reach and influence.

Most of its members now operate as a more brutal faction backed by the so-called Islamic State group.

More than 35,000 people have died and around two million have been displaced by the extremist violence in Nigeria, according to the UN Development Programme.
LucidTalk poll reveals less than half of Northern Ireland supports the monarchy

A tent is adorned with royal flags and bunting on The Mall ahead of the Coronation (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

As King Charles III prepares to be crowned the latest Belfast Telegraph / LucidTalk polling shows that just 42% of people in Northern Ireland support the monarchy .

Half either oppose it or are so disconnected from it that they see even a question about it as irrelevant to them.

What could the reign of King Charles III mean for the future of the monarchy and the United Kingdom? Bill White from Lucid Talk and the commentator Alex Kane join Ciaran Dunbar to discuss Charles, crown, and country.
Lightstock

If you grew up going to church, you should remember the passing of the offering plate. You might not have questioned the effectiveness or validity of the practice, but you knew it was something churches did. Before the pandemic, most churches passed an offering plate or something equivalent. Now most churches have stopped the practice suddenly and starkly.

The offering plate is vanishing. One poll asked churchgoers if their church still passed around an offering plate, and the results were profound and clear. Seven out of ten churches dont pass an offering plate anymore. The selection and sample size of the poll wouldnt pass scientific demands, but the numbers are telling.

The origin of passing the offering plate.

As the soloist sings and instrumentalists play while ushers file down the aisle, churchgoers give money as an act of worship and to support the churchs ministry. If people dont contribute, the pastor doesnt get paid, buildings dont get built, and missionaries dont go on trips. When Christians attend church, most expect to pass the offering plate as much as they assume there will be singing, preaching, and prayer.

However, unlike prayer, singing, and preaching, the offering plate didnt become an American worship service fixture until late in the 19th century. In colonial America, churches didnt depend on weekly, voluntary giving from their members. Instead, like in Europe, the government established churches, permitting specific congregations and financially supporting them. Most New England colonies founded congregational churches, while southern colonies, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York, created the Anglican church. Most colonies couldnt imagine a state without a church.

A thriving society depended on having citizens with good character, and the people expected churches to make moral citizens. Since churches served the greater good, funding them through fees and public taxes, like property and poll taxes, made sense instead of asking for offerings. Public funding for American churches didnt stop immediately after the Revolutionary War. The First Amendments Establishment Clause stopped Congress from creating a national church, but the states still upheld churches through taxes.

After the Revolutionary War, men like James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, and John Leland fought against a religious establishment in Virginia. At the same time, Isaac Backus and other Baptist ministers led the same charge in New England. When Massachusetts rescinded its religious tax in 1833, every state church in the Union officially disbanded.

Instead of analyzing the reasons for the offering plates disappearance, well explore the consequences of this shift. Theres more to this change than removing a traditional piece of a worship service. This change is significant. Here are some reasons why the vanishing offering plate is so substantial.

Most churches offer online giving.

When the pandemic affected the fact that most churches wouldnt be open, there werent any worship services to pass around the offering plate. Churches that didnt think about online giving made the change in a figurative blink of an eye. This shift isnt minor. It means that church leaders must continuously guide members to digital giving as their means of stewardship. The offering plate is a visual reminder to give generously, and now that void must be filled.

The offering plate showed that giving is an act of worship.

Undoubtedly, this is the most often connected justification of whats left of churches that still pass offering plates during worship. Now, church leaders must communicate and find ways to remind church members that giving is part of worship. Several churches have a stewardship generosity time during their worship services.

The offering plate isnt coming back.

Some churches have resumed pre-pandemic practices, but passing the offering plate isnt likely to return. Once church members start giving online, theyre unlikely to change their actions, and leaders see that giving online is more trustworthy. If a church member is out or a worship service is canceled, online giving means the funding doesnt stop.

Millennials and Gen Z dont like the offering plate.

This statement may only be based on anecdotal research, but scientific studies will confirm these observations. Millennials arent comfortable touching a plate that so many others have touched, and Gen Z will altogether avoid it.

The vanishing offering plate allows churches to rethink worship services.

The offering might be the most visible change in worship services, but it would serve church leaders to question other aspects or elements of the services. What are we doing because thats tradition? What can we change, and what do we consider a non-negotiable that cant change?

Should churches stop passing offering plates?

Some may question whether its necessary to pass the offering plate anymore. Its essential to teach generosity to the public, but it should be done in a way that makes sense. Some churches already realize how digital giving can revitalize offerings, and it prepares them for the inevitable change in how people manage their finances. One of the most general criticisms against the church is that it only cares about money. This opinion is reinforced by numerous stories of abused and misused church finances, but taking offerings doesnt help.

In every church service, passing the offering plate is a ten-minute window. It emphasizes people putting checks and money into bags, baskets, and plates passed throughout the sanctuary. Its a practice that people outside the church dont truly understand, feeding their suspicion that religion is a scam intended to take money from people. Mobile giving can solve this because when you train people to give through online giving, you remove an element that people link with profiteering, enabling you to focus on Jesus.

There are also some security issues that come with handling checks and cash. A handful of people have to count it as a group and put it in a safe. Then, the treasurer comes, rehandles it and makes the deposit. Any method that automates fund transfers from one account to another will solve this issue, including text-to-give and direct deposits.

Everything happened so quickly. Over 90 percent of churches wont pass an offering plate at some point. The change is sudden and profound. Other changes are also taking place, like the stand and greet time in worship services.
Rohingya and Bangladesh officials observe temporary housing constructed in Rakhine states Maungdaw township constructed by the Myanmar government to repatriate the refugees, May 5, 2023.

Bangladesh-based Rohingya who were taken to Myanmars Rakhine state Friday to see preparations for refugee repatriation said they wouldnt return without citizenship rights, recognition of their Rohingya identity, and a guarantee that they could resettle in their home villages.

Twenty Rohingya and seven Bangladeshi government officials traveled to Maungdaw township in northern Rakhine, where the Burmese junta had invited them to inspect preparations as part of a China-backed effort to repatriate a small portion of the 1 million Rohingya refugees sheltering in southeastern Bangladesh.

The delegation boarded a boat in the morning to cross the Naf River that separates Bangladeshs Coxs Bazar district from Rakhine, and returned on Friday evening.

Speaking to BenarNews when they got back, some Rohingya delegates expressed concern about temporary housing constructed in guarded camps. The group reached Maungdaw at around 10 a.m. and visited the Nagpura, Baulibazar and Kazirbil neighborhoods where Myanmar authorities have built makeshift camps with Chinese support.

After many years, we got the chance to see our motherland. We visited Myanmar and we saw new camps there, Rohingya Mohammad Selim told BenarNews. We asked them  why the camps and for whom? They replied those were for us.

Selim said the Rohingya want to return to their original homesteads, adding they did not find the camps to be safe.

About 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from Rakhine following a Myanmar military crackdown against the Muslim-minority group in August 2017.

We asked them what would happen to us if we do not get citizenship or if our safety is not guaranteed. In reply they said we must take national verification cards, he said. If we accept the card, it will mean that we are guests, but we are the residents, not guests.

He said if Rohingya are not granted citizenship, they would not be able to own land in Myanmar.

We have demanded that they return our homesteads and land. We will build our own houses on our land  unless we are given citizenship and our homesteads back, we will not return, he said.

A delegation of Bangladesh government officials and Rohingya leave for Myanmars Rakhine state from the Teknaf Jetty in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, May 5, 2023. [Abdur Rahman/BenarNews]

Another Rohingya, Abu Sufian, echoed Selims concerns.

We visited many villages in Maungdaw. The Myanmar government built many IDP camps in the villages. In these circumstances, I do not see any possibility of returning there, he told BenarNews, referring to camps for internally displaced persons.

Radio Free Asia (RFA), a news service affiliated with BenarNews, reported that Myanmars military council announced that 750 plots of land in 15 villages in the northern part of Maungdaw township had been prepared for the Rohingya repatriation. It announced that returnees were to be scrutinized and accepted before temporarily being placed in refugee camp for two months.

Rohingya Subia Khatun, who fled to Coxs Bazar following the military crackdown, said she visited her old village.

My green village has been converted into a fortified camp. I feel bad to see the makeshift houses. We will not go to the camps  we want to live in our villages, Khatun told BenarNews.

Repatriation efforts

In recent months, Myanmar has shown interest in repatriating some Rohingya under a small pilot project.

A Myanmar delegation recently visited Teknaf in Bangladesh and identified more than 1,100 Rohingya for potential repatriation.

According to the agreement between the two countries, repatriation must be safe, voluntary and dignified. No Rohingya can be sent back forcibly.

The arrangement is not bad at all. The enclaves are not IDP camps, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner who led the delegation to Rakhine on Friday, told BenarNews.

The trip was for building the confidence of the Rohingya. A team from the Myanmar government is supposed to come to discuss issues, then we will decide about the repatriation.

Temporary housing constructed for Rohingya is seen in Rakhine states Maungdaw township during a visit by a delegation from Bangladesh, May 5, 2023. [Courtesy members of the Rohingya delegation]

Aung Kyaw Moe, who advises Myanmars shadow National Unity Government (NUG) on Rohingya issues, questioned the military councils repatriation efforts and said the refugees should focus on getting justice for the genocide they suffered.

Hundreds of Rohingya were killed by the military during clearance operations in 2017, forcing thousands to leave. The U.S. State Department has declared this is an act of genocide.

The military junta has never had a good intention or goodwill toward the Rohingya. Nor will they have any in the future, he told RFA.

Aung Kyaw Moe said the Myanmar military had failed in persuading Rohingya to return.

They tried many times in the past, too but they did not succeed because the Rohingya have firsthand experience of the juntas genocide against them and its inhumane violation of human rights and crimes against humanity. Thats why they will never come back unless justice is served for them.

Nay San Lwin, co-founder of the Rohingya Liberation Coalition, said China had a big role in the repatriation effort.

The military cannot refuse Chinas pressure. On the other hand, some of Chinas largest investments are in Bangladesh, too, he told RFA. Both countries are under a lot of pressure from China, therefore, they are trying to make this repatriation project happen due to Chinas pressure.

Spokesmen for the Myanmar junta and Rakhine state did not respond to RFA requests for comment.

Radio Free Asias Burmese service and Kamran Reza Chowdhury for BenarNews in Dhaka contributed to this report.
Members of a Rohingya delegation are seen at a government rest house in Teknaf, in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, April 4, 2023

Bangladesh is moving full steam ahead with a China-backed project to begin repatriating Rohingya to Myanmar, a plan that Human Rights Watch warned would put the lives of the persecuted refugees at grave risk.

On Friday, a delegation of 27 people, including 20 Rohingya from refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, is scheduled to visit Maungdaw in Myanmars Rakhine state, to assess preparations for the planned move this month of about 1,000 refugees.

Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner said the trip would be a follow-on action to a visit in March by Burmese officials to verify the identities of the Rohingya who were part of a mass exodus who fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown against the stateless minority group.

We are going to help the forcibly displaced people of Myanmar to assess whether the situation in Rakhine is favorable for return, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman told BenarNews on Thursday.

Our plan is to start the repatriation by this month, he said, insisting that Dhaka would not force any refugees to go back.

Despite its questionable role in this repatriation program, the United Nations refugee agency said in March that conditions in Rakhine state were not favorable for the safe return of 1,000 Rohingya.

Abul Kashem, a Rohingya leader from the Coxs Bazar camp who is part of the delegation visiting Friday, told BenarNews that refugees were not interested in going back to camps in Myanmar.

Once we go there, we can see whether the situation is conducive to return. We, the Rohingya people, want to return to our homesteads, but not to camps there, he said.

Bangladesh diplomatic observers said the plan really is a ploy by Myanmars military rulers to stave off international pressure ahead of a hearing next month at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in an application to the court by The Gambia that says Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya.

The United States in March 2021 declared as a genocide the Myanmar militarys 2017 deadly crackdown against Rohingya Muslims that killed thousands and forced nearly 740,000 people to flee across the border to neighboring Bangladesh.

Myanmar is interested in starting repatriation, though on a limited scale, said Faruk Khan, the chairman of the Bangladesh foreign ministrys parliamentary watchdog committee.

Myanmar has come to understand that they must take their people back. Otherwise, they would face more international sanctions and pressures, he told BenarNews.

China has also come to understand that the Rohingya crisis must be settled. So they have been using their influence over Myanmar. I would not say that all people would return in a year, but once the repatriation starts, gradually the pace would be faster, he added, about the Beijing-backed plan.

A former foreign secretary, Md. Shahidul Haque, expressed skepticism about the repatriation move.

The Rohingya refugees want to return to their original homesteads, while Myanmar says they must live at guarded camps for 120 days before going to their villages; a big question remains what freedom the Rohingya would get in Rakhine, Haque told BenarNews.

Myanmar is set to submit their counter-[argument] at the ICJ. Keeping this issue in mind, Myanmar has been showing interests in repatriation. They become active in repatriation before every ICJ hearings, and cut off communications afterwards.

In March, Human Rights Watch urged Bangladesh to halt the repatriation plan. The prospect of durable returns has grown ever more distant since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, carried out by the same generals who orchestrated the 2017 mass atrocities, HRW said.

Voluntary, safe, and dignified returns of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar are not possible while the military junta is carrying out massacres around the country and apartheid in Rakhine State, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for the watchdog group.

Bangladesh authorities should stop deceiving these refugees to get them to engage with junta officials when its clear that Rohingya will only be able to return safely when rights-respecting rule is established.
Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaks during a press conference after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers Retreat in Jakarta, Feb. 4, 2023.

ASEAN chair Indonesia has quietly engaged with the Burmese parallel civilian government and military administration, as well as China, India and Thailand, to solve Myanmars post-coup strife, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said Friday.

This is the first concrete effort publicly announced by Indonesia, this years chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has come under heavy criticism during the past two years for failing to rein in Myanmars military rulers.

The goal of these engagements  more than 60 of them this year  is to build trust with non-megaphone diplomacy, Retno told reporters in Jakarta, although she acknowledged that Myanmar stakeholders positions diverge considerably.

The engagements were conducted in the form of both virtual and in-person field visits.  Quiet diplomacy does not mean we did not do anything. In fact, for the past four months, Indonesia has done many things, Retno said about Indonesias efforts as the 2023 ASEAN chair.

The aim is to provide space for all stakeholders to build trust in order to be more open in communication. This approach was welcomed by all parties including stakeholders in Myanmar.

Among the stakeholders Indonesia has engaged with are the Myanmar State Administration Council, as the junta is officially known; the shadow National Unity Government (NUG); Ethnic Armed Organizations in Myanmar; the European Union; Japan; the United Nations and the United States, Retno said.

[I]t has to be acknowledged that the differences in the positions of the stakeholders in Myanmar are wide and deep, the minister acknowledged.

The NUG, which comprises elected lawmakers and members of parliament ousted in the Feb. 1 2021 Myanmar military coup, confirmed to Radio Free Asia that meetings with Indonesia did take place after it assumed ASEANs chairmanship this year. RFA is a news service affiliated with BenarNews.

After Indonesia took over chairmanship of ASEAN, we have had an in-person meeting with the foreign minister of Indonesia as well as members of the special envoy office. NUG has had in-person meetings as well as online discussions with them, Zin Mar Aung, the NUGs foreign minister, told RFA Burmese.

These meetings were held by mutual consent to not publicize their details.  It is difficult to say on what basis to judge these discussions in terms of progress. I must say that ASEAN is focusing on everything within its power to handle the Myanmar crisis but whether its attempts are satisfactory or how much progress it has made can only be decided after seeing what decisions it will make at the next ASEAN summit, she added.

The summit is scheduled for May 9-11 in Labuan Bajo, in Indonesias East Nusa Tenggara province.

Retno said that as ASEAN chair, Indonesia would not give up on efforts to solve the Myanmar crisis that erupted after the military toppled the elected government.

There needs to be an end to bloodshed in the beleaguered country, Indonesias top diplomat said.

Violence must stop, I repeat violence must be immediately discontinued. Without stopping violence, there will be no peace in Myanmar, Retno said. She added she would communicate with stakeholders to ensure progress in delivering humanitarian assistance.

The Myanmar military meanwhile has ignored a five-point consensus it agreed to with ASEAN in April 2021, one of the main points of which was an end to violence. Its forces have also killed more than 3,400 people since the generals seized power.

But aside from barring the juntas representatives from the ASEAN summit and top ministerial meetings, the regional bloc has done little else to penalize the Myanmar military for going back on its word.

Need to demonstrate some wins

Regional observers and analysts said they had mixed feelings about Indonesias efforts.

The engagements might reap benefits in the longer term, but it is not clear what good they will do in the near term during Jakartas ASEAN chairmanship, said Hunter Marston, a Southeast Asia researcher at Australian National University.

Indonesia will need to demonstrate some wins soon or utilize its influence to bring various stakeholders together before India, Thailand, and the CLV [Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam] countries achieve an end run around Jakarta, further discrediting ASEAN and its failed five- point consensus, Marston told BenarNews.

Jakarta may want to consider an ASEAN+ model which moves ahead without Thailand and, or Vietnams approval and invites dialogue partners such as Australia, Japan, and the U.S. to widen the talks and give them more leverage over Myanmars various stakeholders, but that may require Western democracies overcome their revulsion to sitting down with the junta at some point, he added.

Analysts have said that the views of Thailand, and authoritarian states Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam diverge from other ASEAN member-states on the Myanmar issue. They are more supportive of the Burmese junta and believe the regional bloc should not interfere in the internal affairs of a member.

Thailand and Indias Track 1.5 meetings were outpacing and overshadowing the ASEAN-led process, he said. Marston was referring to meetings in New Delhi in late April, and in Bangkok in March.

Track 1.5 talks usually include government officials, who take part in an unofficial capacity, and non-governmental specialists.

The April meeting, according to media reports, included Myanmar junta representatives, China, India, Japan and five ASEAN member-states: Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam and Indonesia.

One analyst, Teuku Rezasyah, from Padjadjaran University, said Indonesias move to involve countries outside Southeast Asia, such as India and China, and the U.N., could be a positive step.

So far bilateral has not worked, regional has not worked either. By bringing this into a global issue, it is hoped that this will put pressure on Myanmar because they dont want this to become an international issue, the international relations professor told BenarNews.

One ASEAN observer from the state research agency, BRIN, concurred, especially about involving China and India.

China is very close to Myanmar so it can be asked to encourage Myanmar to implement the five-point consensus, BRINs Pandu Prayoga told BenarNews.

India can be a counterbalance so that Indonesia is not completely dependent on China.

The Burmese Service of Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews, contributed to this report.
Former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad speaks to reporters after announcing that his partys new ally, Gerakan Tanah Air, will be using the party logo for the 15th General Election in Putrajaya, Oct.11, 2022.

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad is suing Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim for $33.8 million, claiming his long-time rival defamed him when accusing him of amassing wealth while in power.

Mahathir, 97, filed the 150 million ringgit lawsuit in Shah Alam High Court on Wednesday, although his office made the legal action public on Friday. It is the latest salvo in a decades-long on-off feud between the two leaders.

The lawsuit, which has been reviewed by BenarNews, accuses Anwar of intentionally tarnishing Mahathir reputation as a two-time former prime minister and well-regarded statesman.

The allegations made against Mahathir not only damaged his image and reputation but also caused embarrassment to him and their family, it states. The claims have put his political, business and financial opportunities at risk by jeopardizing the support and trust he has garnered in those realms.

Mahathir argues that as the prime minister, Anwar Ibrahim had the resources and authority to verify facts before making any statements. Thus, Mahathir is seeking significant exemplary damages as a deterrent to other leaders and ministers who make statements without proper verification and solely for political gain.

The lawsuit relates to Anwars speech to supporters at the Parti Keadilan Rakyats Special National Congress on March 18. Analysts said it is unlikely to affect the prime ministers grip on power.

Mahathir is seeking 50 million ringgit ($11.3 million) in general damages and 100 million ringgit ($22.5 million) in exemplary damages.

He also requested the court order Anwar to issue a written apology and retract the allegations, while paying 5% annual interest on the damages awarded.

Anwar attorney Alliff Benjamin Suhaimi confirmed his office had received copies of the lawsuit on Wednesday evening.

Our client has 14 days to enter a response to the suit and an additional 14 days to file a defense, so there has been no response from us at this time, Alliff told BenarNews.

In a thinly veiled attack in March, Anwar criticized an unnamed individual who had been in power for more than two decades and amassed wealth for himself and family while the countrys Malay community had lost everything.

There are some people, who after being in power for 22 years, plus 22 months, are now complaining that Malays have lost everything, he said in the speech.

They say they have lost wealth, lost shares, lost everything. You were foolishly amassing the wealth for your family and children. Now that you have lost power, you want to speak on behalf of the people! Dont fool the people!

Mahathir is Malaysias longest-serving prime minister, holding office for 22 years in his first tenure and then for 22 months following the 2018 election before he was forced to resign when his Pakatan Harapan alliance collapsed.

Mahathir lawyer Rafique Rashid said the lawsuit was necessary.

This action is taken after considering that baseless and defamatory accusations like this should not be made by a person holding the position of the prime minister of Malaysia, who should be serving the country instead of being involved in politics.

The lawsuit filed seeks to retract the statement and aims to stop any similar allegations, as well as to seek exemplary and general damages totaling 150 million ringgit, taking into account the malicious accusations made by a prime minister.

Technical proceedings linked to the lawsuit are scheduled to begin May 31 at the High Court in Shah Alam.

Hard feelings

Conflict between Mahathir and Anwar has been a hallmark of Malaysias political landscape for decades. In 1998, Mahathir sacked Anwar as his deputy prime minister. Later, Anwar was jailed on sodomy and corruption charges.

They reconciled in 2016 to form the Pakatan Harapan coalition and defeat the administration of scandal-ridden Prime Minister Najib Razaks in the May 2018 election.

The truce collapsed when Mahathir did not fulfill his promise to transfer power to Anwar, who received a royal pardon following the vote, two years after their election victory.

Since the most recent general election in November 2022, Mahathir has sought to revive his political career despite losing his seat in Langkawi. He has promoted Malay rights and governance and frequently criticized Anwars new multiethnic coalition government.

Political analysts said they do not expect the dispute to harm Anwar as it is likely to be seen as more bickering between the two.

I dont think it will affect Anwars image that much, Syaza Shukri, associate professor of political science at International Islamic University Malaysia, told BenarNews.

Anwar may be viewed as a hero by his supporters for confronting the issue in court, but the case is unlikely to be well understood by the general public, as libel cases generally do not receive much attention since they are not criminal cases.

Syaza said the case was complicated by the fact that Anwar indirectly made accusations against Mahathir and both sides are now defending their positions.

But I think the legal action confirms to the public that the rivalry and enmity between them have always been there, despite the detente in 2016, she said.

Another analyst, Azmi Hassan, said that whether the case will affect Anwars image depends on the outcome of the trial.

During Anwars speech, he never specifically mentioned the name of Mahathir Mohamad, so I believe that it will be an intriguing defamation case between these two leaders who have always been arch-rivals. This legal action certainly adds to their long-standing feud, Azmi, a senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy for Strategic Research, told BenarNews.
CCTEB holds cultural exchange in the Philippines

People's Daily Online) 15:22, May 05, 2023

China Construction Third Engineering Bureau Co Ltd. (CCTEB) held a cultural exchange activity under the theme Witness HappinessReading and Building: CCTEB's Open Day at the New Brighton School of the Philippines on May 4. More than 60 senior one and two students, young employees of the KCC project of CCTEB, and school representatives participated.

Participants to the activity take a group photo. (Photo courtesy of CCTEB)

Before the activity, School President Josyl Agustin delivered a speech, saying that they welcome a reading and sharing activity from the CCTEB. CCTEB is an important subsidiary of China State Construction Engineering Corporation (CSCEC) and has undertaken a large number of high-end buildings such as super-high-rise buildings and commercial complexes around the world. She hopes that students will love reading, enjoy reading, learn from reading, realize personal value, and encourage them to become excellent engineers in the future.

She believes that this reading and sharing activity will enhance everyone's understanding of Chinese culture and will further promote cultural exchanges between China and the Philippines. She is looking forward to more cultural exchange activities in the school.

School President Josyl Agustin delivers a speech. (Photo courtesy of CCTEB)

During the activity, Liu Jialiang, a young employee of the KCC project, discussed the overseas development of CCTEB and the social responsibility activities carried out in the Philippines, and shared Journey to the West, one of the four great Chinese classical novels, to the students. By explaining the background significance of the classical novel, the characteristics of the characters, the brief introduction of the story, and playing video clips of Journey to the West, students can vividly feel the charm of Chinese classic literature. After this, the students shared their favorite books and exchanged and interacted with each other.

Kimberly, a high school sophomore, said: "Journey to the West is an interesting book. It is difficult to learn Chinese, but it is very interesting. It is a great pleasure to know about CCTEB. I also want to be an engineer. If I have the opportunity, I want to go to Beijing to experience Chinese culture and China's high-rise buildings."

After the activity, the KCC project donated more than 50 Chinese and foreign books and e-readers to the high school, hoping that students can develop good reading habits, enhance wisdom and broaden their horizons.

Jane Alupit, the school librarian, thanked CCTEB for the donation. "The activity is great. It can be seen that they are very interested in Chinese culture and all of them are very happy," she said.

CCTEBs staff donate books and e-readers to the school library. (Photo courtesy of CCTEB)

For a long time, CCTEB has actively contributed to the development of the Philippines. The drug rehabilitation center project constructed by CCTEB has been included in the China-Philippines Joint Statement, and social welfare activities such as donating desks and chairs to local elementary schools, helping communities to build basketball courts, and providing flood relief assistance have received thank you letters from the Philippine government, which continues to benefit the people of the Philippines.

(Web editor: Hongyu, Wu Chengliang)
Representatives of the ruling People Power Party attend a meeting to discuss energy price increases at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, April 6. Korea Times photo by Ko Young-kwon





By Lee Kyung-min







The government and the ruling People Power Party (PPP) are in the final stages of talks to set the electricity rate for the second quarter of this year. An announcement is expected to be made before June, according to market watchers, Friday.







At issue is how much electricity fees should be allowed to rise, which is a politically sensitive step that could sour public support for the government, already waning due to surging costs of living over the past few years.







Market watchers say the increase will be no more than 10 won ($0.01) per kilowatt hour (kWh), since a rate hike of 13.1 won per kWh for the first three months of this year remains a major source of public frustration, coupled with a spike in gas prices last winter.







The electricity fee hike will help fortify the finances of debt-laden Korea Electric Power Corp. (KEPCO). The state-run energy firm suffered an operating loss of 32.6 trillion won last year. The deficit in the first three months of this year is estimated to exceed 5 trillion won, according to market consensus. KEPCO is paying daily interest of 4 billion won for corporate bonds issued to offset the shortfall in operating funds. Every increase of 1 won per kWh will translate into a sales increase of 500 billion won.







An increase of 7 won per kWh, for example, will lead to about 2,000 won rise in the electricity bill for a four-person household every month. A maximum 5,000 won increase in the monthly electricity bill will follow if the rate is raised by 13 won, which is how much it was raised a quarter earlier.







Data from Korea Energy Economics Institute (KEEI) showed that a one-person household spent 230 kWh in June 2020, followed by 289 kWh for a family of two, 298 kWh for three and 307kWh for a four-person household.







Their monthly electricity bill came to 32,800 won, 44,880 won, 46,730 won and 48,570 won, respectively.







But the monthly bill will soar at a far higher rate for those who use more electricity due to the progressive rate calculation method. The method charges a higher per-kWh rate for households with higher consumption.


Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discusses "the modernization of the U.S.-Philippines alliance," during an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on May 4, 2023.

Philippine military bases where the United States has been granted expanded access are not intended to be used for offensive action against any country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said as he wrapped up a four-day visit to Washington.

Marcos remarks as he spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a local think-tank, marked his first categorical public rejection of such a scenario and it was also a message he said he had conveyed recently to Chinas foreign minister.

I assured him that, no, these are not intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone  not China, not any country, he said in response to a question from BenarNews at the CSIS event on Thursday.

Marcos also replied that the U.S. had never asked Manila to contribute Filipino troops to combat operations should war break out between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

The sites under the bilateral Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement were conceived to respond more efficiently to natural disasters driven by climate change, and the U.S. had not brought up using them as staging areas for offensive action, he said.

He added, however, that with increasing tensions, especially in the Taiwan Strait, security and defense had become part of the mission.

Thats why it became sensitive, he said. And that is why China has been terribly critical.

Since coming to office last year, Marcos has deepened traditional security ties with the U.S., including by granting its treaty ally access to four new military bases in February. China criticized the move saying it would escalate tensions and endanger peace and stability in the region.

The Marcos administrations decision to grant American forces expanded access to Philippine bases under the EDCA has also sparked domestic criticism from Filipinos, who worry this could drag their country into a war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

Should there be such an attempt to use the EDCA sites for offensive action, then that would be outside the parameters of what we had discussed and what the EDCA sites are in fact for, Marcos said at CSIS.

But to be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that we will use  that the United States will use  the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive action against any country.

Protesters denounce an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows U.S. forces to use Philippine military sites, during a May Day demonstration outside the American embassy in Manila, May 1, 2023. [Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews]

Analysts say Marcos is walking a foreign policy tightrope. On the one hand, the Philippines is on the front line of a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, while on the other, China is one of the Southeast Asian nations biggest trading partners.

The issue of U.S. access to Philippine bases comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province that must be reunited  by force if necessary.

Washington has said it wants to see Taiwans status resolved peacefully, though it is committed to providing the island with the military needs to defend itself.

Marcos visit to the U.S. follows Balikatan, the largest joint training exercise between the partners in the Philippines, which included training on Patriot, Avenger and Stinger systems. The exercise featured a mock attack to sink an enemy ship.

More recently, Washington joined with Manila in calling on Beijing to stop harassing Philippine ships after the coast guard reported a near-collision with a Chinese ship near the Manila-occupied Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea.

New defense guidelines

Earlier this week, Marcos and U.S. President Joe Biden announced new guidelines for their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. The updated guidelines now specifically mention that an armed attack on either country in the South China Sea, which includes both nations coast guards, would invoke mutual defense commitments.

The document also outlined continued support for modernization of the Philippine military  considered among the weakest in the region  and promised to transfer four patrol vessels as well as a military transport plane as part of its commitment.

Renato Reyes, secretary general of left-wing nationalist group Bayan, said Philippine defense policy would now be more dependent on the U.S. and that Marcos had opened the country to American intervention.

While some will view this as a deterrent against Chinas aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, it cannot be denied that this also ties the hands of the Philippines to support U.S. military provocations and intervention in the region, he said.

If there is an incident involving American and Chinese ships, we become obligated to support the U.S. militarily, regardless of cause and outcome.

It still remains to be seen whether such provisions will indeed serve as a deterrent to China or if these will only further escalate tensions.

While Marcos has secured more clarity surrounding the conditions under which Washington would come to the countrys defense, agreements on trade and investment were thin on the ground, according to Richard Heydarian, a political analyst and senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Asian Center.

Why is this important? Because Marcos keeps on emphasizing that trade and investment are key to his foreign policy, he said. This is important because trade and investment are one important element of Chinese statecraft and influencing regional states and my sense is that the Chinese will try to pull the pledges of Chinese investments to dissuade Marcos from going all out with the U.S.

Heydarian said that Marcos appeared to be genuinely afraid of being dragged into conflict with China, and would rather have a defense arrangement with the U.S. that is hot enough to keep the Chinese in check, but not too hot to provoke the Chinese.
Cambodian migrant workers arrested by Thai authorities in April 2023 are seen chained together in Bangkok.

The recent mass arrest in Thailand of hundreds of Cambodian migrant workers  some of whom were photographed chained together in Bangkok  has prompted one NGO to urge the Cambodian government to take action with Thai authorities.

Many of the 800 workers arrested last month didnt have enough money to pay fees at the border, had expired working permits or didnt have enough documentation. The workers were returning to Thailand illegally following the recent Khmer New Year holiday, which ran from April 14-16.

Photos shared on social media showed people linked together, with their hands in chains as they sat with their heads bowed in a police van.

The images were an attempt by Thai authorities to publicly shame illegal migrants and possibly discourage others from coming into Thailand, said Dy The Hoya, the migration program director at the Phnom Penh-based Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, or CENTRAL.

Most Cambodian people who were arrested were tortured and handcuffed, a statement from CENTRAL said. People were detained in a narrow space. These arrests dont just impact basic human rights, but also their finances and family living standards.

The actions of the Thai authorities went well beyond normal law enforcement measures and if there is no action from Cambodian authorities, Cambodian migrant workers will continue to face the same treatment, Hoya said.

When torture is allowed, it is an act of inhumanity and violation of human rights, he said. It can happen to our people again. This could be the tip of the iceberg.

Cambodian migrant workers arrested by Thai authorities in April 2023 are seen chained together in Bangkok. [Mara Yim Facebook page]

No statement yet

There are about 2 million Cambodians working in Thailand, about half of whom are undocumented, according to CENTRAL. People who have recently lost their jobs in factories or cant find work in Cambodias construction industry have continued to cross into Thailand to find work, the NGO said.

The Cambodian government should talk to Thai authorities to secure the release of all of those recently arrested, and to ensure that Cambodian workers can work legally and with full legal protection and benefits, CENTRAL said.

One worker told Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews, that there were nine Cambodians who were arrested along with him who were still in jail.

Prum Bunthorn said he was detained in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, on April 24 because he didnt have sufficient documents. He was released when his Thai boss paid his bail, he said.

Cambodians who enter another country illegally face arrest  but in this case, the decision by Thai authorities to put the migrant workers in chains was an insult, said Sim Vibol, a professor and legal adviser in Phnom Penh.

In this case, Cambodia is obliged to submit a diplomatic note to the Thai government or complain to international institutions like the United Nations, he said.

If this is found to be happening only to Cambodians, we can accuse Thailand of discriminating against Cambodians, said Soeung Senkaruna, a spokesperson for the Cambodian rights group Adhoc.

The Cambodian government hasnt issued a statement about the arrests, although the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand has urged Thai authorities to stop arresting Cambodian migrants.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman An Sok Khoeun and government spokesman Phay Siphan didnt respond to messages left by RFA this week.

Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Samean Yun, and edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster, for Radio Free Asia, a news service affiliated with BenarNews.
An explosion of a drone is seen in the sky over the city during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine May 4. Reuters-Yonhap



Russian drones attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv on Thursday evening, the fourth assault in as many days subjecting residents to spasms of gunfire and explosions, and at least one drone was shot down.



City authorities had declared an alert for Kyiv and the surrounding area. Residents who had gone to air raid shelters said the drones arrived more quickly than usual after the alerts were declared. Reuters witnesses heard gunfire and repeated heavier explosions near the city centre.



The attacks started just after 8 p.m. (1700 GMT) and lasted around 20 minutes. Ukraine's air force said in a statement that it had destroyed one of its own drones after the drone lost control over Kyiv region, probably because of a technical failure. It wasn't clear how many drones in total were destroyed.



Russia said on Thursday that the United States was behind a purported drone attack on the Kremlin aiming to kill President Vladimir Putin. Washington and Kyiv denied involvement.



Putin will head a scheduled meeting of Russia's Security Council on Friday and the Kremlin incident could be on the agenda, TASS news agency reported.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiyy, speaking in The Hague after visiting the International Court of Justice, said Putin must be brought to justice over the war and that Kyiv would work to create a new tribunal for this purpose.



In other diplomacy, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on a visit to Brazil that she encouraged the government to include Ukraine in any attempt to negotiate an end to the war. She was referring to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's comments calling on the West to stop arming Ukraine to allow peace talks to start.



There are currently no peace talks to end the war, which has devastated Ukrainian towns and cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.





People shelter inside a subway station during an air raid alert, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine, May 4. Reuters-Yonhap



Frontline action



Nearly 50 Russian attacks were repelled along the main sectors of the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Thursday evening. The heaviest fighting is still in Bakhmut and in Maryinka, further south in Donetsk region, it said.



Russian forces also launched 66 air raids and engaged in 33 shelling episodes on Ukrainian positions and on towns and villages, causing casualties and damaging infrastructure, the report said.



Reuters was not able to verify the battlefield accounts.





Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech during a concert marking the eighth anniversary of Russia's annexation of Crimea at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia, March 18, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap



Moscow cites 'US orders'



Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov, without providing evidence, said Ukraine had acted on U.S. orders to attack the Kremlin citadel in the early hours of Wednesday.



White House national security spokesperson John Kirby dismissed Russian "lies" and said there still was no conclusive evidence as to the authenticity of a video showing the drone at the Kremlin.



"Attempts to disown this (attack on the Kremlin), both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington," Peskov told reporters.



Peskov said an urgent investigation was under way and that any response would be carefully considered and balanced.



Russia has increasingly accused the United States of being a direct participant in the war, intent on inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Moscow. Washington denies this, saying it is arming Kyiv to defend itself and retake illegally seized land.





Firefighters extinguish a fire in a building damaged after drone fragments fell over Kyiv, Ukraine, May 4. AFP-Yonhap
Features Editor

Jennifer Huberdeau is The Eagle's features editor. Prior to The Eagle, she worked at The North Adams Transcript. She is a 2021 Rabkin Award Winner, 2020 New England First Amendment Institute Fellow and a 2010 BCBS Health Care Fellow.
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Astronaut Alan Shepard Jr. seen in capsule aboard Freedom 7 before launch in on May 5, 1961. Shortly afterward, Shepard became the first American in space.
LENOX  Lots of blanks and uncontested races on the ballot.

Thats what voters will find at Town Hall on Monday for the annual local election. Polls are open from 7 to 7 p.m.

There are no listed names for three School Committee openings, although two write-in candidates have stepped forward.

Two Select Board seats have one candidate each; David Roche, is running unopposed for his fifth three-year term, and Max Scherff, vice president for hospitality operations at Mill Town Capital, looks to succeed Warren Archey who chose not to seek reelection.

There is a very rare contest for Town Moderator  a key position with responsibility for presiding over regular and special town meetings, and for appointing Finance Committee members.

Restaurant proprietor John McNinch, former owner of the Olde Heritage Tavern, has served as moderator since May 2015. A year earlier, he had chosen not to seek reelection to the Select Board following six years of service.

On Monday, hes being challenged by citizen activist Sonya Bykofsky, chair of the Lenox Democratic Committee.

If elected, she told The Eagle, I would ensure that Town Meetings are accessible for all residents, and all are clear on procedural options so they are able to participate fully.

I love Town Meeting, she said. Its the foundation of democracy in Massachusetts. Its a time to bring neighbors together to listen and debate. And it should always be done in a civil manner.

McNinch, now the owner of Patricks Pub and the 101 Restaurant & Bar in Pittsfield, described the town moderator position as a great and incredibly important job for the town. It needs to be someone who can stay neutral, no matter how you feel about issues and make sure that everyone gets their chance to speak fairly and keep the decorum.

When there are contentious issues before town meeting voters, he pointed out, the whole idea of being a moderator is based on the premise of Roberts Rules of Order. You want everyone to be able to speak, but you dont want it to go all night, you dont want repeats and you try to keep people moving along.

At last Decembers special town meeting, Bykofsky said, when it was started promptly just after 7 p.m., many voters were still outside due to crowd size, inadequate parking and bottlenecks at the registration table.

She contended that they were prevented from voting on many of the articles. That meeting should not have started until all voters were present. If elected, I would never start a meeting until those who arrived on time are seated.

McNinch said he had checked outside before gaveling the meeting to order, and found only a few voters waiting in line. But, he noted, more people came after that and thats on them, not on us. I felt they would be checked in by the time the heart of the meeting started, after housekeeping articles.

Bykofsky listed her goals as allowing for democratic debate and different viewpoints to be heard, being accessible to citizens by posting her contact information on the town website, providing space for citizens to share educational information with others at Town Meeting and assisting disabled people who cannot travel. She said the town needs to appoint an Americans with Disabilities Act officer to ensure accessibility.

Other races

The two write-in candidates for School Committee are international journalist and Eagle columnist James Brooke and Kim Graham, the vice chair of the Lenox Housing Authority and a member of the Community Preservation Committee board.

Also on the ballot, unopposed, are Thomas Delasco for five more years on the Planning Board, Wayne Lemanski for reelection to the Board of Assessors, and John Kearns for another term on the Board of Health.
PITTSFIELD  Dawn Kohanski asks two questions of each of her new patients: Have you ever been a victim of domestic abuse? and Do you feel safe now?

A family nurse practitioner and an associate medical director of Community Health Programs, Kohanski said she picked up that technique from her days as a sexual-assault nurse examiner in the regions emergency rooms.

Need help? If you or someone you know has experienced sexual or domestic violence and would like to contact the Elizabeth Freeman Center or Community Health Programs about their One Door program, reach out through the following communication lines. EFCs toll-free hotline is 866-401-2425. The center can also be emailed at info@elizabethfreemancenter.org. To find a CHP Berkshires practice location, visit chpberkshires.org/locations.

Kohanski works in the CHPs North Adams Family Medical practice. Even though her career has taken her out of the emergency room, she knows that many of her patients havent been asked those questions, and that some of them desperately need the opportunity to answer.

Kohanskis questions align with the One Door program, a new initiative between CHP and the Elizabeth Freeman Center, which is a nonprofit shelter that offers care, counseling and help to survivors of domestic and sexual violence.

Under One Door, all of CHPs staff members, including those who dont work in medical roles, are being trained to help survivors with the resources at the center.

Employees at the Elizabeth Freeman Center say its a much-needed new approach to an exploding problem in Berkshire County.

In the fiscal year leading into the pandemic, July 2019 through June 2020, 455 domestic- and sexual-violence survivors called the centers hotline.

As the pandemic raged on, the call numbers grew. From July 2020 to June 2021 the hotline had 667 callers. In the next 12 months, there were 1,022 callers, then, from July 2022 through March of this year, 948, a number that staff members predict will reach higher than in the previous fiscal year.

The need here is just so great, Jenn Goewey, the director of programs at the Elizabeth Freeman Center said.

Enter One Door.

The first avenue to help is that youve got to walk through the door, Kohanski said. It just takes one door, whether its a primary-care office, a financial office, a dentists office.

Money for the program comes from a 2021 Family Violence Prevention and Services Act grant from the U.S. Department of Public Health. In March 2022, the Elizabeth Freeman Center received a 41-month grant of about $173,500.

Kohanski and Goewey both said the important first step for One Door was educating CHP staff members on the depth of the domestic- and sexual-violence problem here. The center found that in Berkshire County, the per capita rate of abuse-protection orders filed with the state court system for sexual and domestic violence is 35 percent higher than the state average.

Goewey said that along with the rise in calls to its hotline, the center is helping an increasing number of survivors who are experiencing homelessness, violence from an intimate partner or sex trafficking.

The pain in her clients lives isnt disconnected from other serious local problems, she said, such as gang violence and drugs.

Hearing about Goeweys clients and the Elizabeth Freeman Center data was eye-opening for CHP staff members, Kohanski said.

What youre not aware of  what you dont see, you dont hear, dont talk about  goes undetected and untreated, Kohanski said. Its those victims who dont get care.

Kohanski and Goewey said they are arranging for training clinic staff members on how to help survivors within each specific area of medicine.

When someone enters an emergency room after sexual or domestic violence, nurses and doctors work on the immediate injuries.

But Kohanski said the primary-care settings in which she works every day are different. Her staff members deal with patients who are often past that immediate moment after violence.

The stuff that we see here in primary care, Kohanski said, is the stuff that has happened in the past and nobody has taken the time to get these individuals the counseling that they need.

Taking the time to talk to patients about their experiences and come up with a plan for how they get both the mental and physical health care they need, on their timeline and their terms, can be cathartic.

A 2006 study of survivors of intimate-partner violence in Boston found that those who spoke with their health-care clinicians about domestic abuse were four times more likely to seek intervention help and 2.6 times more likely to leave abusive relationships.

Kohanski said she recently worked with a patient in her late 20s who had never had a gynecological exam. The patient had been raped in college and refused to change into the medical gown for the procedure.

She was so traumatized that she felt like [the exam] was a violation, and she was already violated, Kohanski said.

Kohanski slowed down the visit. She talked with the patient. She let the woman know they didnt have to do the exam. But Kohanski made clear shed like to help her through it when she felt comfortable.

She was like Are you serious? I usually get yelled at ... So Ive never had health care Kohanski said.

Over the rest of the appointment Kohanski worked on building trust. Several weeks ago the woman returned to the office, and with Kohanskis help and with a medical assistant holding her hand, she was able to have her first exam. Kohanski proceeded deliberately, talking through each step, leaving space for the patient to slow down or stop when she needed to.

When she was done, she started crying, Kohanski said, and she said Ive never felt so safe.

Such a methodical approach is what One Door aims to achieve.

Were not going to be able to take the trauma away, were not going to be able to eliminate the pain and the fears that are attributed to those traumas, Kohanski added. But what we can do is learn with the data that Elizabeth Freeman provided to us, and how differently we have to talk and have to practice.

Once each clinic has department-focused training, One Door will establish one point person in each specialty to serve as a liaison between CHP and the Elizabeth Freeman Center. Then a steering committee will work out how to best connect CHP-identified survivors with staff members at the center.

We want it to be easy, Goewey said. We want it to be fast. We really care about it being a warm handoff.
PITTSFIELD  Christine Delph, the Pittsfield school bus driver and single mother of six who galvanized support from across the city, died Thursday at Berkshire Medical Center after a nearly two-year battle with an aggressive breast cancer.

She worried for months that she might not make it to the June 4 graduation of her second oldest daughter, Kelliauna Delph, from Taconic High School.

On Wednesday, staff at the hospital called family members to warn them of her swiftly worsening condition.

On Thursday morning, bus drivers pulled together teachers, staff and administrators to stage a graduation ceremony and party for Kelliauna at the hospital, complete with cap, gown and cake. Superintendent Joseph Curtis and Principal Matt Bishop attended.

Staff warned that Christine Delph might not be strong enough to leave her room, but on Thursday morning, Delph lowered her pain medication to be fully present for the graduation and attended the event in the sun room of the oncology unit. She died that afternoon.

She was a strong girl, Susan Delph said of her daughter, noting that Christine Delph gave her last bit to her daughters graduation.

Susan Delph said after Christine Delph gave Kelliauna Delph a high-five, she requested medication.

So I know she was in pain the whole time, Susan Delph said.

Christine Delph, 40, was the center of a major fundraising event March 5 at Tavern at the A in which bands played and individuals and businesses donated food and items for raffles to support Delph and her family.

At that time, she was on medical leave from her job as a bus driver.

Photos of her that afternoon show smiles and laughter as friends and acquaintances placed Delph at center stage of a party that drew more than 200 people.

Known for her quick wit and ready comebacks, Delph bravely faced her diagnosis and thought carefully about how to approach each step of the way.

She had her children participate in giving her a buzz cut when she started to lose her hair because of chemotherapy treatments. She chose to take her children to a hotel to inform them that her diagnosis was deemed terminal rather than telling them in her living room. And she made concrete plans for their care and future. She relied heavily on her mother and her older daughters to care for the younger children during her illness.

Delph had this to say about Kelliauna when interviewed in the winter: She has just completely blossomed with all of this. Shes filling in the gaps. She tries to make sure that she gets the kids out for an activity at least twice a month.

Delph told The Eagle at the time she was not afraid to die, but she was concerned for her children.

Reflecting on her decision years before to leave the Air Force when she learned she was pregnant with her oldest, Kendra Delph, she said, There was plenty that could serve my country, but only one that could serve my child, and that was me.

Delph was born in Coupeville, Wash., and moved with her children to Pittsfield to be near her mother in 2012. She drove school buses and worked for summer camps in the Berkshires. She painted as an avocation and hobby.

That woman was a fighter, Christine Gingras, a close friend, told The Eagle on Friday. She fought with everything that she had and still kept her sense of humor through the whole thing.

Delph leaves six children: Kendra Delph, Kelliauna Delph, Josiah Delph, Jadon Delph, Cara Delph and Caitrina Delph. She leaves her mother, Susan Delph of Pittsfield, and a brother, Nathan Delph, of Tennessee. Her father, Michael Delph, predeceased her.

Devanny-Condron Funeral Home is handling arrangements.
staff photographer

Gillian Jones has been a staff photographer and columnist for the Berkshire Eagle since 2014. She began her journalism career at The North Adams Transcript in 1992.
GREAT BARRINGTON  Housatonic resident Ben Elliott knows something about two of the towns thorny and pressing issues.

The modest Great Barrington house he grew up in is, well, now a $600 a night short-term rental.

He drives an hour each day to take his daughter to child care  the closer ones have waiting lists.

The water his family drinks and bathes in comes from taps served by the embattled Housatonic Water Works Co. The color of the bath water does not often tempt Elliott or his two-year-old daughter to partake.

In the summertime, even though we have a whole-house filtration system, it still looks like iced tea, Elliott said of the thing that initially pushed him into running for Select Board. The manufacturer says that the filter should last about six months and in the summer it lasts about three weeks and looks like its covered in tar.

Its worse for many of his neighbors, he said.

Thus, Elliott is wading into a two-way race for the board seat held for nearly nine years by Ed Abrahams, and amid a political climate of economic turmoil and a struggle for regular people to stay afloat and find a place to live.

Town elections are Tuesday, May 9. His challenger is Sharon Gregory, a former Finance Committee member and citizen advocate.

Elliott, an editor and copywriter who works remotely  and also enjoys screenwriting  says he is trying to make the moral case about water discoloration and safety in Housatonic  all due to an aging system owned by a private company.

He says regardless of who wins the election, he knows that he and Gregory wont let this one go. Both are pushing for the town to acquire and run the waterworks.

Im putting my faith in this filter, Elliott said, and still paying for this water that might be making my daughter sick.

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Returning home

Elliott, 36, is a fourth-generation town native who lived in Housatonic until he was 7. The family then moved to that to that Great Barrington house that's now a vacation rental.

He comes from a family of plumbers and nurses." His grandparents built a small ranch house in that neighborhood, his grandmother used to walk to Fairview Hospital to supervise the night shift nurses.

He moved away, living in a cramped New York City apartment, and then moved to Chicago for a little more living space. The pandemic hit, and he and his wife, a Lenox native, found themselves locked down and now expecting their first child.

Thats when the Berkshires called to them. All good except the struggle to find housing, affordable and available child care, and to learn just how bad the water is.

The water solution might require all of Great Barrington  not just Housatonic  to pitch in to overhaul the system and replace pipes. Elliott believes that leaving Housatonic in the dust in any way will hurt the larger town.

He also thinks the future could be bleak for a town that isnt hospitable to young workers.

It's called the missing middle, he said. Its a great place to be a kid and its a great place when youre established and ready to retire, but for people getting started with their careers or getting started with a family we dont have a lot of resources in place.

More on Ben Elliotts stance on some issues:

Affordable housing: Elliott supports short-term rental restrictions enacted last year, but also favored the change to the bylaw at annual town meeting that would allow renters to offer short-term rental sublet, since there are people who do this to make ends meet.

High school merger: Supports the merger of Monument Mountain and Mount Everett regional high schools. He says hell support a new Monument High building whether its built for students from three towns or eight  he prefers the latter.

The airport: Elliott is a Walter J. Koladza Airport supporter, and said he would also entertain any future projects  like new hangars  brought before the board, depending on the plans submitted. His first flight was out of Koladza  his grandfather was a pilot  and he remembers trying to not get underfoot in the office while Walt Koladza was around.

Pedestrian safety: Elliott wants to fix problem spots downtown and in Housatonic village.
"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." - Jeremiah 29:11 ESV "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." - Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

Your Daily Bible Verse: Dont Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context

By Kelly Givens

My Old Testament professor had this to say about the ever-popular Jeremiah 29:11: I am going to destroy what this verse means to you, but then Im going to reframe it so you understand it better within its original context, and then you will love it even more when were done. He definitely had our attention!

We often approach Jeremiah 29:11 as a security blanket: God has a plan for me that is good, so clearly this suffering Im going through will end soon and then my flourishing will begin! But that is not at all what God was promising to the Israelites, and its not what hes promising us, either.

Author and blogger Mary DeMuth addresses our misunderstanding of this verse in her article, Jeremiah 29:11 Doesnt Mean What You Think. As she explains, the heart of the verse is not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive in the midst of it.

Heres the context for Jeremiah 29: the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years (spoiler alert: God doesnt do this).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiahs lie and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and it is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future. Sounds good, right?

The thing is, before he shares this promise, just a few verses earlier, he gives them this directive from God: seek the peace and the prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. (29:7)

This is not at all what the Israelites wanted to hear! They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, Gods plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

And then came the biggest blow of all. In verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this after seventy years are completed in Babylon. This meant that none in the current generation of Israelites would ever return to their home.

What a crushing thing to be told!

Mary DeMuth writes:

Yes, of course God knows the plans He has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. But as we walk out our lives on this crazy earth, lets remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

What hard thing are you currently going through? In the midst of your suffering, cling to Jeremiah 29:11, but cling to it for the right reason: not in the false hope that God will take away your suffering, but in the true, gospel confidence that he will give you hope in the midst of it.

*Devotional excerpted from Your Daily Bible Verse, 'Don't Take Jeremiah 29:11 Out of Context,' by Kelly Givens on Crosswalk. You can read the devotional in full here.
Matthew 6:9

After this manner therefore pray ye

That is, in such a concise and short way, without much speaking and vain repetitions; making use of such like words and expressions as the following: not that Christ meant to pin down his disciples to these express words, and no other; for this prayer is not a strict form, but a pattern of prayer, and a directory to it, both as to brevity, order, and matter; for we do not find the disciples ever making use of it in form; and when it is recited by another Evangelist, it is not in the selfsame words as here; which it would have been, had it been designed as an exact form. Besides, Christ does not bid them pray in these very words, but "after this manner"; somewhat like this: not but that it is very lawful to use the very express words of this prayer in any of the petitions here directed to; and which indeed were no other than what good people among the Jews did frequently make use of; and which were collected and singled out by Christ, as what he approved of, in distinction from, and opposition to, other impertinent expressions, and vain repetitions, which some used; as will appear by a particular consideration of them.

Our Father which art in heaven.

This may be looked upon as the preface and introduction to the prayer, and regards the object of it, and his character, which is an epithet of God, often to be met with in Jewish writings, and particularly in their prayers; for thus they F11 say,

"(Mymvbv wnyba) , "our Father which art in heaven", show mercy "to us, because thy great name is called upon us."

Again F12, let the prayers and the requests of all Israel be received by (aymvb yd Nwhwba) , "their Father, which is in heaven". They seem to have a regard to this prayer, when they apply that passage in ( Proverbs 3:35 ) "shame shall be the promotion of fools", to the nations of the earth, who, they say F13,

``do not consider the glory of the law; and how, say they, "our Father which art in heaven", hear our voice, have mercy on us, and receive our prayer?''

Mymvbv wybal

F14

F15

So in confessions, thanksgivings, and sacrifices of praise, they required, and looked upon it, as the main thing, for a man to direct his heart () , "to his Father which is in heaven." By "father", our Lord means the first person in the Trinity, who is the Father of all men by creation, and of the saints by adoption; who are to address him in prayer under the character of "our Father", partly to command a reverential fear of him, and partly to secure boldness and liberty of speech before him; and also to express fiducial confidence in him, faith of interest in him, and relation to him; which arises from some experience of his paternal love, and requires the witnessings of the Spirit of adoption; and inasmuch as the direction is not to say "my Father", but "our Father"; it shows that we should pray for others as well as for ourselves, even for all the dear children of God. It is a rulewith the Jews,

``that a man ought always to join himself in prayer with the church;''

upon which the gloss says,

``let him not pray the short prayer ( Mybr Nwvlb ala dyxy ) ( Nwvlb ) , "in the singular, but in the plural number", that so his prayer may be heard.''

The object of prayer is further described by the place of his residence, "in heaven"; not that he is included in any place, but that the heaven of heavens is the place where he most eminently displays his glory: and this may teach us to look upwards in prayer, and seek those things which are above; and also, that this earth, on which we dwell, is not our native country, but heaven is, where our Father dwells. Next follows the first petition,

hallowed, or sanctified be thy name;

so the Jews F16 in their prayers,

``( Kmv vdqty ) , "let thy name be hallowed", or "sanctified by us", O Lord our God, before the eyes of all living.''

F17

And very often

``let his great name be magnified and sanctified in the world, which he hath created according to his will.''

F18

And again

``let us sanctify thy name in the world, as they sanctify it in the highest heavens.''

By the "name" of God is meant he himself, the perfections of his nature, and the several names by which he is known, and which we are to think and speak of with holy reverence. By sanctifying his name, is not meant a making him holy, but acknowledging, and declaring him to be holy, and a glorifying him, and all his perfections. He is sanctified by himself, by declaring himself to be holy; by glorifying his perfections in his works; by implanting grace and holiness in the hearts of his people; by restoring the purity of his worship; by diffusing the knowledge of himself in the world; and by taking vengeance on the wicked: and he is sanctified by others, when they fear him, believe in him, call upon his name, use it reverently, submit to his will, acknowledge his mercies, regard his commands aud ordinances, and live a holy life and conversation; all which is earnestly desired by truly gracious souls.
Looking for something to do? The Stay Local events calendar publishes a list of nonprofit and community events Tuesdays and Fridays. Please check with your club or organization to be certain of meetings, outings and classes, as they may be canceled due to bad weather or COVID-19. If any listing is inaccurate or to submit an event, contact Julie Norwood at 231-592-8358 or julie.norwood@pioneergroup.com. (Deadline is noon Sundays for Tuesday's paper and noon Wednesday for Friday's paper.)

Spring/Mother's Day Craft Show: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Morley Community Center, 151 7th St., Morley. Free to attend. Vendors will have $5 items for kids to buy for their special someone. Presented by Gypsy Travelers Spell.

AAUW Cocktails & Convo's: 5:30 p.m. Monday, May 8, at Artworks 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Meet the members of the American Association of University Women and discuss women's economic equity. Contact: aauwbigrapids@gmail.com.

Police Memorial Ceremony: 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 9, at the north end of Robinson Quad outside Ferris State University's David L Eisler Center, 805 Campus Drive, Big Rapids.

100+ Women Who Care of Mecosta County: 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 9, at Antlers Fireside Grill, 10107 Buchanan Road, Canadian Lakes. Find out what 100+ Women Who Care is about at this informational meeting.

Mum-Bees Spring Market: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at Mum-Bees Honey Farm, 22537 Monroe Road, Morley. Features local crafters, beekeeping equipment and an Q&A with Bob Mumby at noon.

Camp 911: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 17 at the Big Rapids Department of Public Safety building, 435 N. Michigan Ave. Hands-on learning program is designed to prepare senior adults for various emergencies. For more information or to register call 231-796-4848.

Big Rapids High School Commencement: 7 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at Big Rapids High School, 21175 15 Mile Road, Big Rapids.

PARKS AND REC

For more information visit brpr.org or call 231-592-4038.

Latin Fusion Dance Fitness: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Jan. 5-June 2, at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: free.

Groove: 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 3-May 30, at Artworks, 106 N. Michigan Ave., Big Rapids. Cost: free.

ONGOING PROGRAMS, ACTIVITIES

Mecosta County Historical Museum is currently closed for the winter and plans to reopen in April. Private tours or other information is available by calling one of the following numbers: 520-334-0123, 231-796-4662, or 231-867-3311.

Mecosta County Genealogical Society: New summer hours, 5-7 p.m. Wednesdays, at 424 N. Fourth Ave., Big Rapids, next to Recycle. Open for the public to research genealogy or the history of Mecosta County and surrounding areas. Volunteers needed to help with sorting and indexing. Call Maureen Nelson at 231-250-5555 for more information.

Reed City Heritage Museum: Open from 1-4 p.m. Friday through Tuesday at 138 W. Slosson Ave., Reed City. Free Admission. Groups are welcome.

Mecosta County Sheriff Posse: 7 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the Mecosta County Jail basement training room, 225 S. Stewart Ave., Big Rapids. This volunteer group is always looking for more members. For more info call 231-250-9241.

Morley Community Center: 151 7th St., Morley. For more information, visit morleycenter.org/events or call 231-856-4496.

Cardio Drumming: 1-2 p.m. Sundays

Pickleball: 9 a.m. to noon Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays; 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursdays.

Open Gym: 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays.

Garage Sales: Every other Friday and Saturday (Feb. 17-18, March 3-4, etc.).

Blood Drive: 1-7 p.m. second Monday of odd numbered months

Community Lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Third Avenue United Methodist Church, 226 N. Third Ave., Big Rapids. The community lunch program has re-opened.This is a free meal service, although donations are appreciated. For more information call 231-796-4157 or 231-796-6779.

ARTWORKS CLASSES, EXHIBITS

106 N. Michigan Ave. in Big Rapids / 231-796-2420 / artworksinbigrapids.org

After School Art: 3:45-5:15 p.m. Wednesdays, for ages 7-13. Drop-ins are welcome on a first come, first serve basis, but we highly recommend calling our gift shop to pre-register: 231-796-2420. Registration will only be accepted for the current weeks class beginning Monday of that week. For more information, visit artworksinbigrapids.org/after-school-art.

Open Pottery: 5-8 p.m. Tuesdays. Cost: $10 per session, $60 for an eight-session punch card. (Additional firing fees apply. Clay may be purchased in bulk for $20 per 25 lbs.) Call 231-796-2420 to schedule your session.

Exhibit  Landscape and Culture: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday in Artworks' Alley Gallery.

Exhibit  Landscape Painting: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday, April 11-June 30, in Artworks' Batdorff Gallery. Featuring work by Anthony Cairo, Katie Mester, James Roberts (JR), and Tom Tomasek.
Tonight's rundown:

 Talking Points Memo: Joe Biden continues to decline with the world watching and remains out of the press reach

 Presidential Historian Larry Cook weighs in on how Bidens relationship with the press compares to past presidents

 US Special Forces have been confirmed to be in Ukraine

 OReilly describes Democrats hosting the DNC in Chicago as Crazy Arrogant

 The trial of Fox News gets underway

 58% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck even as inflation begins to cool off

 Smart Life: Utilizing Kelly Blue Book when searching for a new car

 This Day in History: FDR dies in office

 Final Thought: what to do when someone is disrespectful to you

In Case You Missed It:

 Read Bill's latest column, "Reason to Believe"

 Join 'Team Normal!' Order your gear now at BillOReilly.com!

 Pre-order Bills next bestseller Killing the Witches NOW

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
The first-ever locally produced digital series from Disney Africa, Disney Insider, has launched on Disney Channel Africa's YouTube channel.

A complementary extension of Disney Channels television offering, Disney Insider features two brand new local presenters  Zimi (12) and Mnqobi (10) Ndlela  who will bring viewers the latest Disney Africa news, highlights, reviews, trending topics, craft activities and field trips in and around the country. Audiences can expect exclusive behind-the-scenes interviews, coupled with fun and adventure, which will no doubt please young viewers.

All things Disney

The series kicks off with a celebration of Star Wars with a themed episode, as the presenters chat more about the brand-new Disney Junior series Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures.

Disney Insider will bring audiences two new episodes each month, on the first and third Thursday. The series celebrates all things Disney within four segments: OnTrend, Active Ed, Get Crafty and Field Trip.

OnTrend focuses on media and pop-culture, while Active Ed will give ideas for play themes that enable a healthy lifestyle (with a Disney Twist of course). In Get Crafty, our presenters get their hands dirty and put on their creative caps for fun Disney-themed arts and crafts and yummy snacks. Field Trip takes the presenters out and about  to local Disney events.

Opportunity

Presenter Zimi is an aspiring model, having competed in pageants and starred in Mzansi Magic show Ayeye, while brother Mnqobi has featured in several adverts for brands that include Nissan and Multichoice. The two have also appeared together on a campaign for Holanathi  a distributor and manufacturer of fortied, nutritional products for vulnerable children and families.

Disney Insider is the first series they have presented, and they are both thrilled to be part of the Disney family. Zimi and Mnqobi are overjoyed that they have this wonderful opportunity to present this show and become part of the Disney family. They cant wait for everyone to see the work theyve been doing and what fun they get up to, says mom Vuyiswa Ndlela.

Disney Channel inspires kids by offering adventurous and engaging, relatable content  by launching this exciting new series on YouTube, we are extending the Disney Channel experience in a new and exciting way, says Christine Service, senior vice president and country manager of The Walt Disney Company Africa. We look forward to rolling out this local series as a complementary addition to the highly-anticipated Disney Channel content slate for the rest of the year.
If you're South African, chances are you're familiar with Hellopeter . However, when asked what it is, you might refer to it as a complaints platform. This sentiment did not come out of nowhere. It's true that when Hellopeter was started in 2000, it was labelled a complaints platform - a place for consumers to bring their service-related issues to light. However, although it remains a powerful platform for resolving issues, it has come a long way since then and is widely known as South Africa's number online review platform.

The turning point

Hellopeter has been around for longer than social media has. The founder, Peter Cheales, was a staunch consumer activist that demanded the utmost service excellence from businesses and wanted people to reach out to him with their negative experiences. He created a platform where people could write in to him and voice their frustrations about specific issues experienced with South African businesses.

In 2014, Alon Rom got word that Hellopeter was up for sale. He immediately had a vision for it as something much more than what it was initially intended to be. Armed with his experience with Takealot and Mr Delivery, he understood the weight the brand carried and used his expertise to build on the value of what the founder did with the business.

But wait, what is Hellopeter then?

Today, there are two sides to the company. On the one hand, you have the consumer site hellopeter.com, and on the other hand, you have biz.hellopeter.com for businesses.

"We want to be known more for being a business that helps both South African consumers and businesses. After all, we are South Africa's number one online review platform, and that's very powerful if used correctly," says Alon Rom, CEO of Hellopeter.

"The negative perception around the brand has definitely changed over the last two to three years. However, it's still very much a work in progress. When businesses chat to our team and find out what we can offer them, they're in shock and very impressed that we offer so much more than they always thought Hellopeter was," Alon adds.

Hellopeter for the consumer

The core of what Hellopeter is to the South African consumer remains the same and will never go away. For consumers, Hellopeter is a place where they can go to resolve their service or product experiences.

However, it has become much bigger than that. Today, consumers can use Hellopeter to research businesses and write their own reviews about both the good and bad real experiences to help guide decisions.

Think about it. When you browse online shopping sites like Takealot, do you spend more time reading the product description or the reviews? Well, Hellopeter is a dedicated site where you can browse reviews written by real people about their experiences with South African businesses, whether good or bad. Moreover, you can read that business's reply to gauge how they handle disputes.

"South African consumers prefer to come to Hellopeter instead of social media because it's a well-known brand for the review space, whereas social media platforms are baked with a lot of noise. You might have adverts, reviews, brand mentions, consumers chatting, etc. It's not one defined place where you can go and understand the credibility of the business, whereas Hellopeter is exactly that," says Rom.

So, just like you would go to TripAdvisor to research accommodation before you book your holiday, you should research South African businesses, whether that's your local hairdresser, coffee shop, or insurance provider on Hellopeter, before spending your hard-earned money.

Hellopeter for business

Hellopeter business has more than 81,000 registered South African businesses with reviews, including some of the country's top brand names across various industries. It's no longer just your big telecommunications companies. It's also your hotels, beauty salons, financial service providers, and so much more.

Online reviews are not new and have always been powerful. However, these days, it carries more weight than ever before. Furthermore, just collecting reviews is not enough anymore, and customers expect businesses to actively reply to reviews. In fact, 56% of customers surveyed said that a company's response to a review changed their perspective on the business.

"The acceleration to moving online, especially after the pandemic, has definitely helped us grow tremendously. Businesses had to find alternative ways to market themselves. And traditional marketing can be expensive for small businesses. We offer an alternative way, from free to paid plans," says Rom.

"Its important to note that we're not a one-dimensional complaints platform. Instead, we're a proactive platform. We help businesses attract customers more easily by building a positive online reputation, giving them the ability to build social proof, and help them become more discoverable online. We do this by delivering a number of tools to the business to be able to collect, respond to, leverage, and integrate reviews into social media, Google, etc., to harness the power of what reviews can do for your business," he adds.

Reaching for the stars

Today, Hellopeter as a platform is bigger than ever. In 2022, it reached over two million registered users, with over eight million users visiting the site, and a new review is written on the site almost every minute!

Another exciting milestone for Hellopeter in 2022 was when the number of positive reviews on the site overtook the number of complaints, with over 50% being about positive experiences. This was further proof that South Africans were not only aware of but embracing the fact that Hellopeter is now a balanced platform

You can browse their plans here..

Join South Africas #1 online review platform

The next time youre considering choosing a South African business, whether its an optometrist or your local flower shop, head over to hellopeter.com to see what your fellow South Africans had to say about the experience.

If youre a business, go to biz.hellopeter.com to see what your customers are saying about you. If you havent claimed your business page yet, do so now and browse Hellopeter Business's Plans.
New York Festivals Health Awards has announced the 2023 winners.

NYF Health Awards jury panels of globally respected healthcare and wellness innovators judged the 2023 award-winning entries from healthcare, wellness and pharma campaigns submitted from 29 countries worldwide.

The 2023 Executive Jury, led by Adam Hessel, CCO at Ogilvy Health, judged the shortlist determined by the Grand Jury and through thoughtful discussion and consideration honoured outstanding entries submitted into this years Health & Wellness and Pharma categories. Juries judged submissions from each exclusive designation providing the opportunity to focus on whats best in each respective category.

The 2023 NYF Health Executive Jury honoured global agencies with the prestigious Best of Show Award, two Grand Awards, 32 Gold Towers, 28 Silver, 30 Bronze and 182 Finalist Awards.

2023 best of show

House Rules created by McCann Health New Jersey for Phexxi (PHARMA: Products & Services Direct-to-Consumer - Branded: Social Influencers) was in the spotlight earning the prestigious Best of Show Award.

The bold and disruptive campaign delivered an empowering message while generating awareness of Phexxi to millions of women seeking pregnancy prevention that is hormone free. House Rules, featuring Schitts Creek star Annie Murphy, encourages women to live by their own rules when it comes to contraception. The campaign netted two billion media impressions and outstanding impressions and engagement on shared, earned, owned, and paid social, and the campaign increased Phexxi new prescriptions by 94%.

In addition to Best of Show, House Rules earned a Grand Award, and three NYF Health Awards Gold Towers.

"McCann Health New Jersey's Best of Show win at the New York Festivals is a truly exceptional achievement, and we couldn't be prouder. The fact that a Pharma case was crowned the winner is a testament for such a highly regulated industry. Congratulations to all the winners, your exceptional work is a constant source of inspiration"Bruno Abner, chief creative officer, McCann Health New Jersey.

2023 Grand Awards

Grand Award  Health & Wellness: The Bridge created by KIick Health for PAWS NY was honoured with the 2023 Grand Award for their heartwarming animated short film that explores mental and animal health. The winning entry, inspired by a real life-saving friendship about an unbreakable human-animal bond, features music by Grammy Award-winning musician Lou Reed and dramatically utilises colour as a metaphor to depict the inner mental states of both characters.

The Bridge earned two additional NYF Health Gold Towers, one Silver, one Bronze Tower, and one Finalist Award.

"We're thrilled and humbled to be recognised by the New York Festivals Health jury for our work on The Bridge reaffirms our belief that important stories that are told in a compelling way can gain awareness, move people to action, and ultimately save lives. Thank you from our entire team at Klick Health." Rich Levy, chief creative officer, Klick Health.

In addition, Klick Healths Thirst for podHER earned an NYF Health Awards Gold Tower, one Silver Tower, and two Finalist Awards.

Grand Award  PHARMA: House Rules McCann Health New Jersey earned the 2023 Grand Award for their campaign for Phexxi, the hormone free birth control prescription gel. The campaign successfully motivated millions of women dissatisfied with their current method, suffering from hormonal side effects, or using no method at all to learn more about Phexxi.

Additional accolades for McCann Health New Jersey include the Bronze Tower winning campaign Unveiled for N/A and their entry Very Rare to Very Real for Acquired Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura was recognised with two Finalist Awards.

Multiple top-tier agencies were honoured with Gold Towers for their award-winning campaigns that positioned prominent brands, engaged consumers and health care professionals, and achieved market success. Inspired Health & Wellness campaigns saluted creative campaigns that focused on personal well-being. Cutting-edge Pharma campaigns showcased work created on behalf of Pharmaceutical brands specialising in scientific innovation to improve the quality of life.

Area 23, an IPG Health Company, was in the lead with 13 NYF Health Gold Towers for cutting-edge work. Multiple campaigns including Health & Wellness entries earned awards including three Gold Towers for Lil Sugar  Master of Disguise for Hip-Hop Public Health, and a single Gold for SICK BEATS for Woojer. Area 23 also earned an additional nine Gold Towers in Pharma categories, earning three Gold Towers for each of the following campaigns The Unwearable Collection for Boehringer Ingelheim, Unbreakable and Trapped for NTM Facts. In addition, the agency was recognied with eight Silver Towers, one Bronze Tower, and 42 Finalist Awards.

Ogilvy Health North America was honoured with five NYF Health Gold Towers for their innovative campaigns. In Health & Wellness categories the agency earned three Gold Towers for NYF Health Awards, for New York Festivals, and Gold Towers for both Cycle Kids Cycle Kids, and Pets of War for Four Paws NGO. Ogilvy NA also scored 10 Silver Towers, 12 Bronze Towers, and eight Finalist Awards.

Global Ogilvy agencies were recognised with Gold Towers for their impressive entries. Entries earning Gold include Ogilvy London scoring three Golds in Health & Wellness categories for Toxic Influence, Courage is Beautiful, and Reverse Selfie, for client Dove. Additional Health & Wellness Gold winners include Ogilvy Honduras Morning after Island for Grupo Estrategico and Ogilvy Thailand for Love Your Gut for Dutch Mill Company Limited.

The following agencies each earned a Gold Tower for their impressive campaigns: FCB Health New York was honoured with the Gold Tower for their Health & Wellness entry The Trial for #ClinicalEquality. Eversana Intouch Erase The Line for The Chrysalis Initiative and VMLY&R New York I Will Always Be Me for Dell Technologies & Intel were each awarded a Gold Tower for their entries in NYFs Pharma categories.

The international New York Festivals Health Awards honours the worlds best healthcare advertising and celebrates creative achievement within the healthcare advertising, marketing, and communication space beyond the barriers of language and culture.

To view the entire gallery of trailblazing Healthcare & Wellness/Pharma campaigns earning Gold, Silver, Bronze Towers, and Finalist Awards in the 2023 NYF Health Awards, click .
The underlying problem of a lack of access to medical oxygen in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) remains largely unaddressed.

Source: Access to Medicine Foundation.

A new report from the Access to Medicine Foundation examines what gas companies have done to tackle this issue and identifies tangible actions they can take to expand access to medical liquid oxygen over the long term.

Medical oxygen is a crucial treatment for many diseases such as pneumonia and tuberculosis, and it is essential for daily medical procedures like surgery and childbirth. Yet approximately half of healthcare facilities in LMICs lack reliable access to medical oxygen, despite its inclusion in the World Health Organization's Model List of Essential Medicines.

A report from the Access to Medicine Foundation analyses access efforts from six of the world's largest global gas companies producing medical liquid oxygen: Air Liquide, Air Products, Linde, Messer, Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation, and SOL group.

Although some companies took steps during the Covid-19 pandemic to increase access to medical oxygen, the report notes that clearer commitments are required to prioritise LMICs in gas companies' business operations.

Standout examples of company action, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic, are identified in the report  as are opportunities to harness this momentum.

Better access to medical oxygen is urgently needed

The issue is urgent and on a vast scale. In 2021, it was estimated that 73 million people with low blood oxygen (hypoxemia) attended healthcare facilities in LMICs, and of those, only 22 million were suffering from Covid-19. Many more people, including 32 million children, attending these facilities needed oxygen due to other conditions and routine procedures, such as when they underwent anaesthesia during surgery.

Yet, all too often, these facilities did not have  and still do not have  adequate supplies of medical oxygen to treat their patients, leading to preventable loss of life. Approximately half of healthcare facilities in LMICs do not have reliable access to medical oxygen, despite medical oxygen being included in the World Health Organizations Model List of Essential Medicines, which means it should be available in every country.

A key role for gas companies

With a small number of companies responsible for the worlds supply of medical liquid oxygen, their role in the global health ecosystem needs to be prioritised. Medical gases are a small part of these companies business. Yet society needs them to ensure this vital lifeline is available during emergencies and to meet all health systems' daily medical oxygen needs, said Jayasree K. Iyer, chief executive officer of Access to Medicine Foundation.

In analysing the reports companies initiatives to date, the foundation has identified some agile responses to increase the supply of medical liquid oxygen in an attempt to meet demand surges caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. These companies now have the opportunity to pursue long-term access planning further to secure sustainable supply beyond this global health crisis.

Six priority areas

The report identifies six priority areas for action that companies can focus on to provide access to medical liquid oxygen in LMICs, both in emergencies and to provide routine delivery:

Prioritise, measure and report progress on medical liquid oxygen.

Enable improved affordability for different populations and health systems.

Provide a sustainable supply of medical liquid oxygen.

Develop and maintain long-term partnerships to close access gaps.

Support health systems and the human resources required to operate and maintain medical liquid oxygen systems and administer oxygen therapy.

Plan proactively for future emergencies.

Some companies in scope have demonstrated their steps to improve access over the long term, but clearer commitments are required. The priority areas for action set out in this report show gas companies what they can do to prioritise and invest in LMICs, be proactive in finding new ways of increasing supply, and engage in long-term sustainable approaches to access, Johann Kolstee, research programme manager of Access to Medicine Foundation said.

What have companies done so far?

Some gas companies responded by airlifting whole medical liquid oxygen tankers and trailers into LMICs via specially chartered aircraft to pivoting more production capacity from industrial liquid oxygen to much-needed medical liquid oxygen.

However, these efforts were limited in geographic reach. Across the six major gas companies covered by this analysis, initiatives to increase the supply of medical liquid oxygen during the Covid-19 pandemic have been reported, publicly or directly to the foundation, in only 39 of the 108 LMICs in scope (about one-third).

Moreover, now that the immediate public-health emergency has passed, it is not always clear whether companies will continue to address gaps in access in LMICs over the long term.

Of the companies examined in the report, Air Liquide is currently the only company with a clear access-to-medical oxygen strategy targeting LMICs. Air Products, Linde, Messer, Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation and SOL group have shown broad commitments to health but with no specific targets related to medical oxygen or LMICs.

The report identifies some company efforts that could lead to a more sustainable supply of medical liquid oxygen in more LMICs over the long term.

Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, for example, Air Liquide and Linde have reported providing medical liquid oxygen in regions they did not previously supply. Encouragingly, Air Liquide, Air Products, Messer and Nippon Sanso Holdings Corporation have reported installing or acquiring new liquid oxygen-producing air separation units (ASUs), including in South Africa, China, Egypt, India, Vietnam and Thailand.

These ASUs have the potential to significantly boost the supply.

There are several challenges to improving access to medical oxygen in LMICs, including healthcare facility infrastructure and a fragmented supply chain involving complicated logistics and distribution networks. However, gas companies play a critical role in helping to overcome some of these challenges, in particular by pursuing and formalising long-term partnerships with governments and global health stakeholders.

Air Liquide and Linde have already formalised partnerships with global health organisations to address access gaps in LMICs. Both companies entered into Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Unitaid and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

With the publication of this report, the foundation calls for gas companies' commitment to and action on expanding and sustaining long-term access to the lifesaving product they produce, which is critical to resolve this urgent global health priority.
Heineken South Africa, in collaboration with the Department of Social Development, successfully hosted a community social mobilisation campaign aimed at supporting the local community in Midvaal, Gauteng Province on Friday, 21 April. The event, held in Midvaal near the Heineken Brewery, was attended by surrounding Sedibeng communities including Pillies Farm, Boitumelo and Khayelitsha community members, local government officials, and representatives from various government departments and parastatals.

Social Mobilisation Event walkthrough with stakeholders and the local community. The walkthrough was led by the Deputy Minister of Social Development

The main purpose of the event was to provide services to the local community in addition to raising awareness on responsible alcohol consumption. During the event, community members had access to various government services, including registration and compliance of non-profit organisations (NPOs) and services for persons with disabilities. The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) was also present to educate and register eligible social grant beneficiaries, and to provide information on the Child Support Grant (CSG) Top-Up for orphans. The National Development Agency (NDA) provided customer care services, information sharing on the establishment of cooperatives, and NPO support.

Heineken is committed to promoting responsible alcohol use and supporting initiatives aimed at building strong and healthy communities.

 Millicent Maroga

Millicent Maroga, Corporate Affairs director for Heineken, expressed her enthusiasm for the success of the event, saying: "We are proud to have collaborated with Deputy Minister Bogopane-Zulu and the Department of Social Development in raising awareness of the need for responsible use of alcohol. As a responsible corporate company, Heineken recognises the importance of promoting responsible alcohol use and supporting initiatives aimed at combating social ills linked to excessive alcohol consumption."

The community social mobilisation campaign was part of the 2019-2024 National Drug Master Plan (NDMP), which is aimed at achieving a drug-free and responsible society for the benefit of all South Africans. As the custodian of the NDMP, the Department of Social Development coordinated and implemented the event, offering alcohol and substance abuse support through the Siyalulama Programme.

The campaign was held during Freedom Month, which is commemorated under the theme 'Consolidating and Safeguarding Democratic Gains'.

Reflecting on the event, Maroga stated: "As we reflect on our democratic journey thus far, we are encouraged by the progress we have made, and remain committed to working with government and other stakeholders to further strengthen our democracy. Heineken is committed to promoting responsible alcohol use and supporting initiatives aimed at building strong and healthy communities. Ensuring we support the communities in which we operate is part of our Brew a Better World strategy which also sees responsible use of our products at the forefront of our CSR agenda.

#BrewABetterWorld #DrinkResponsibly #CommunityService #FreedomMonth #AlcoholAwareness




South Africa is a vibrant and diverse country rich in natural resources, holding the world's largest reported reserves of gold, platinum group metals, chrome and manganese ore - and the second-largest reserves of zirconium, vanadium and titanium.

Its no surprise then that these resources have long played a key role in contributing to South Africas growth and development with mining also deeply ingrained in the countrys history.

Today, the local mining industry is the worlds fifth largest mining sector in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), contributing around R494bn, or 7.5%, to the countrys GDP.

However, the countrys current loadshedding crisis, which has been part of South Africas grid since 2007, has placed significant pressure on the local mining industry, threatening its ability to continue to contribute to the fiscus, the labour market, and the broader economy.

We know that energy is a key driver of industry, but this is particularly true for industries like mining which is both energy and labour-intensive. As South Africas power supply capabilities continue to worsen and become even more unpredictable, and if the industry is unable to adapt to this worsening energy climate, the damage to the countrys mining sector will compound until it can no longer sustain itself.

South Africa has continuously experienced a greater intensity and rate of loadshedding with every year that passes. In 2021, the country experienced 48 days' worth of power rationing, and this rose exponentially to more than 200 days in 2022. This resulted in the year-on-year decrease of mining output by 9% recorded by Statistics South Africas latest mining production and sales report in November 2022, which marked the tenth consecutive month of decline in mining production.

Loadshedding app ESP has already recorded 81 days' worth of scheduled power outages this year and were only in the first quarter. Meanwhile, the South African Reserve Bank has predicted that there will be around 250 days of rolling blackouts in 2023 - and with an estimated $51m lost every day due to loadshedding, this translates to a historic economic loss of $12.7bn.

While this might paint a relatively bleak picture for the countrys mining industry going forward, the sector is determined to become resilient and sustainable and mining companies are adjusting to the challenge of loadshedding.

Reducing energy demand

Mining companies in South Africa have acknowledged that becoming more energy efficient will be key to the mining industry overcoming the energy challenges in the country. Not only will energy efficiency ensure less expenditure in mining operations - due to rising electricity costs driven by the energy crisis - but energy-management strategies are helping mining companies to improve their return on investment and optimise energy-consuming components of mining operations.

Shifting to renewable energy

Insufficient and unreliable energy supply has spurred the industrys move towards building its own self-generation capacity. This is helping mining companies to ensure seamless power uptime that helps to maintain and grow productivity output and increase energy reliability at plants.

According to the Minerals Council South Africa, the mining industry currently has a pipeline of 73 self-generation projects from 24 mining companies to generate 5.1 gigawatts (GW) of electricity, valued at more than R65bn.

Most of these projects involve the generation of power through renewable sources like solar power such as the first-of-its-kind, and largest in Africa (to date), private power purchasing agreement which will see two solar photovoltaic projects constructed which will supply electricity through wheeling arrangements with Eskom to five mining facilities across the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

This is largely being driven by governments support to facilitate self-generation through policy decisions such as the increase to the electricity-generation threshold for private energy producers to 100 megawatts (MW), which is expected to contribute to the mining sectors generation of

2,294MW of power by 2025, more than the capacity of Eskoms Arnot plant.

While there is significant competition between mining companies to see who will be first to meet their own energy demand through their own supply, these projects are a clear indication that South Africas mining industry is ready to take control of its energy future.

Using technology to remove unpredictability

The industry has recognised the need to evolve the way in which it operates, not only in direct response to the current loadshedding crisis but in order to withstand widespread disruption in the form of the Fourth Industrial Revolution as well as environmental challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic and other geopolitical risks.

The best way to do so is through digital transformation that enables new ways of generating revenue. Through the use of emerging and advanced technologies, South Africas mining sector is opening up new possibilities and creating new solutions that ensure the industrys continued resilience, adaptability, and the responsible mining of resources while contributing value to local talent and growing the economy in a more sustainability-driven world.

Technologies like cloud computing, AI and more are helping mines to harness their data to drive actionable insights that improve on performance, create better maintenance and repair strategies to reduce downtime and increase efficiencies. All of which are helping to eliminate unpredictable performance issues that could lead to significant financial losses and wastage.
It's not called Freedom Day for nothing. The freedoms that the majority of South Africa's citizens gained on 27 April 1994 were enormous and countless. They had never been experienced before, and in the space of a single day these once hypothetical concepts - of the right to vote, of freedom of assembly - became real and tangible and infused with meaning.

Our collective responsibility, today, almost 30 years later, and going forward, is not only to ensure that these rights and freedoms continue to be upheld, but also that they continue to evolve in line with the changing world around us.

Online harassment and the abuse of women and girls

has become so rampant that it is mirroring what happens offline.

What, for example, does the right to freedom and security of the person mean in the era of digital abuse?

In recent years, the proliferation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has dramatically shaped our social environments and interactions. It has changed how we live and work and communicate in ways so fundamental that a world without it feels inconceivable and impossible. While much of what ICTs have offered has been beneficial, these innovations have unfortunately also created new avenues for violence and victimisation against the most vulnerable members of society.

Online harassment and the abuse of women and girls has become so rampant that it is mirroring what happens offline. According to the World Health Organisation, one in three women experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime. The right, on paper, to be free from all forms of violence, is clearly very different in reality.

As frightening as this statistic is on its own, when we consider that women are increasingly experiencing violence and abuse in online spaces, too, it becomes even more alarming. The situation is especially problematic in South Africa, where 56% of women claim to have experienced some form of online harassment. Of this number, 26% report that the abuse made them feel unsafe in their own homes.

As we look at our respective rights and freedoms this month, its clear that our understanding of the right to freedom and security of the person has to adapt. We need to consider every possible way in which someone can have this right infringed  including virtually.

As part of this, it is both our collective responsibility and duty to create safer digital spaces for women and girls. There are four steps we should follow as we go about this.

The first step is recognition. We need to acknowledge the severity and extent of online abuse. All too often, women's experiences of harassment and abuse are minimised or dismissed. We need to validate these experiences and recognise the harm they cause.

The second step is education. I believe that you can only protect yourself from threats you are aware of, and this means educating children from an appropriate age on digital safety. This education should include, but not be limited to, understanding how to protect our privacy online, unpacking digital citizenship, recognising the signs of harassment and abuse, and knowing how to report it.

Higher education courses should follow suit by fuelling research into digital safety and best practice guidelines for both the private and public sectors. If we want to make digital spaces safe, we must become informed and responsible digital citizens first.

The third step is accountability. Just as the government is accountable for upholding the Constitution, so digital platforms should be accountable to the people they serve. While policies are often in place to address harassment and abuse, these policies are rarely enforced. The pandemic taught us, however, that AI can detect harmful language (just think of every time you saw a Learn more about Covid banner when you used the word disease). Words that are threatening or abusive should be identified, too. Tech companies need to protect their users and be held accountable if they fail to do so.

And finally, the fourth step: advancement. We need more women in Stem careers. This should begin at an early age, with young girls in primary and high school being encouraged to take up Stem-related courses and, hopefully, Stem jobs, too. Grassroots programmes like Tuta-Me are invaluable here. Theyre working with corporates to help learners in under-resourced schools have access to Stem-aligned resources and to open future doors of opportunity.

Having women in Stem roles and careers is critical if we are going to tackle digital violence effectively. Women need to be writing the code on the platforms in which victimisation is taking place. Only then can we help to address unconscious bias and combat virtual abuse.

We are all entitled to the right to freedom and security of the person  in every scenario, In person and digitally. We need to work together to make this a reality, not just in theory but also in practice. Committing ourselves to this important work is critical if we are to create a world where online harassment and abuse are no longer accepted as tragic norms.

Phemelo Segoe recently travelled to the UN headquarters in New York to deliver a speech as part of the 67th session of the United National Commission on the Status of Women (CSW67). This article is an adaptation of her speech.




Today, Friday 5 May, brand new state-of-the-art broadcast studios in Maputaland in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been unveiled.

Source  Silvia Moraleja 123rf Bbrand new state-of-the-art broadcast studios in Maputaland in Jozini, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) have been unveiled

For Community Radio107.6 FM, the studios were opened by Deputy Minister in the Presidency Nomasonto Motaung and the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA).

The station broadcasts in isiZulu (75%), Xitsonga (2%), Siswati (3%) and English (20%). Its pay offline is Gqama laph khona, which in English means, Shine wherever you are.

The station was founded by three community members affiliated to the Maputaland Youth Development Agency NGO which operated in this area.

It identified that this areas community was completely closed off from getting news and information from the rest of the country.

While it did not even have a community newspaper circulating in the area, the illiteracy numbers were very high. The result was that the community was starved of information and reading material.

The team wanted a community radio platform that would address the communication gaps between the community and the local government structures.

However, a number of challenges to setting up such a platform, such as poor road infrastructure, poor telecommunication services and poor cellular network services, were identified.

Standing the test of time

The IBA granted the Maputaland Community radio station a one-month trial basis broadcasting license in December 2000.

The radio station was finally granted a four-year license on 15 June 2002. It has been on air since then and has stood the test of time in the sector which is plagued by compliance and other management issues.

As the MDDA celebrates 20 years of diversifying community media, we will also celebrate the milestone of Maputaland CRS as one of the first projects to be funded by the MDDA in 2005/6 financial year, the MDDA said in a statement.

The new state-of the art studios will elevate the quality of broadcasting, making it appealing to potential partners and propel Maputaland Community Radio 107.6 FM to even greater heights.
Formerly known as African Utility Week and Powergen Africa, Enlit Africa features a live conference, an exhibition showcasing new services, product launches and state-of-the-art technologies, roundtables, co-located events and site visits, networking events and exclusive one-on-one interviews with industry professionals.

If youre in the industry, dont miss these opportunities!

The Women in Energy breakfast will provide a unique opportunity to network with and learn from some of the most influential women in the industry. Network with this engaged cohort of women and be inspired by speakers such as:



Other speciality events at Enlit Africa include the Municipal Forum, a dedicated programme for municipalities and local government and the secure, by invitation only CEO Forum, where utility CEOs will share leadership insights and industry technical solutions with exclusive partners.

Cutting-edge exhibits

The exhibition will provide a platform for more than 250 global exhibitors to showcase their solutions-focused products and services. With solutions for utilities, municipalities and the commercial and industrial sectors, the products range across the generation, transmission and distribution sectors, including renewable energy, traditional generation technologies and newer technologies, such as electric mobility and storage. Entrance is free and the free to attend programme on the exhibition floor is CPD accredited for all SAIEE registered engineers.

Within the exhibition space are knowledge hubs that give attendees the opportunity to gain technical insight from OEMs and industry specialists on a wide range of engineering-related topics. The GreenHub, for example, will celebrate the latest innovations and technologies in the green energy space. It is a collaboration between Green Cape, Wesgro, Atlantis SEZ and City of Cape Town.

Inspiring speakers

High-profile VIPs delivering keynote addresses include the Minister of Electricity and Alderman James Vos, Mayoral committee member for Economic Development, City of Cape Town. Attendees will gain exclusive insights into the government's plans for energy in South Africa and beyond, including the strategy for dealing with load shedding and the Just Energy Transition Investment update.

Take a sneak peek at an excerpt of the programme, and some of the heavy-weight speakers who will be attending Enlit Africa:

Day 1: Integrating Just Energy Transition objectives into crisis handling

As the world's 12th biggest carbon emitter, how does South Africa transition into an economy that attracts investment, creates new industries, and jobs, and achieves energy security and climate resilience? More importantly, how do we deal with the immediate reality of the South African energy landscape and ensure our short-term needs align with our longer-term goals while preventing further economic losses and regaining the trust of the South African people?

The welcome will be given by Alderman James Voss, addressing the City of Cape Towns action plans to provide energy security to the citys residents, among other topics.

Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, minister of electricity, South Africa, will deliver the keynote speech. He is expected to share some of the plans his department has such as the extension of life for power stations, his plan of action for load shedding and options for new generation capacity.

Calib Cassim, acting GCE of Eskom, will share the strategies being implemented for winter 2023, the National Energy efficiency campaign the regeneration plan for Eskom going forward, and an update on how these align to Eskoms original Just Energy Transition plans.

Eskom group executive for transmission, Segomoco Scheppers, will be addressing progress on the separation and operation of the new National Transmission Company: What this will mean for IPPs and developers, for recovery, accountability and transparency, as well as the facilitation of a more open energy sector.

Day 2: Unpacking Africas Just Energy Transition

How do we address the combined need for a transition with the promise of access, while ensuring that productive use of energy, long-term employment and economic development opportunities are part of the delivery strategy?

The keynote panel discussion, sponsored by Siemens, will include:


Developed in partnership with Netcare and Adcock Ingram Critical Care, and supported by various South African corporate investors, the My Walk initiative provides learners with brand new, 100% recycled and recyclable school shoes.

Non-hazardous medical waste, including drip bags and tubing that were safely collected and sanitised from participating Netcare hospitals in Gauteng, is used to manufacture the shoes, creating a positive environmental and social impact.

At the end of the day, if we get these shoes into more schools and on to the feet of more deserving learners across the country, we are not only making a difference by giving the gift of dignity to young people who deserve it, but also because it is a human need and right for them to have school shoes. No child should go to school without school shoes. We are also cutting down on landfill waste and carbon emissions resulting from unethical use of resources in the manufacturing process, says Delanie Bezuidenhout, general manager at My Walk.

In the short time it has been in existence, the initiative has reduced healthcare waste to landfill by over 59,427kgs. For each ton of PVC material recycled and re-purposed to make these school shoes, some 1.5 tonnes of greenhouse gasses are prevented from entering the atmosphere.

Vuma helps expand reach

Over 80,000 pairs of shoes have been donated to date  just under two years since it was started. My Walk has also recently joined forces with fibre provider, Vuma, to expand its efforts and get even more school shoes to learners in need.

Its a privilege to be able to partner with the My Walk initiative to provide children in need with free school shoes. In line with our overarching goal of uplifting the education sector through connectivity access, we are passionate about assisting and supporting our youth through our other social initiatives, in ways that move the needle and meet their needs in a sustainable way too, says Taylor Kwong, marketing and CSI manager at Vuma.

With Vumas assistance, My Walk will be able to provide 1,200 learners from 12 different schools across South Africa with a pair of extremely durable, waterproof and recyclable pair of school shoes.

Vuma teams have been on the ground from 18 April in the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and Tshwane regions and will be delivering shoes to schools, including Sasolburg High School, Potchefstroom Central School, Margaret Gwele Primary School, Bovet Primary School and Bellville Primary School, among others.

Many of the children will have probably never owned a new pair of school shoes thats just theirs. Its both heart-warming and heart-breaking to watch them receive this brand new and beautiful pair of shoes, and to see them even treasure the box the shoes comes in, says Bezuidenhout.

Job creation

She adds that the initiative has also created 16 new job opportunities since inception. Our factory is run by various entrepreneurs who we support. The organisation that collects the medical waste items to be recycled from the hospitals, for example, is a 100% black female-owned enterprise, and they have been able to able to expand their business in the process.

My Walk currently has large volumes of school shoes in stock, waiting for generous donors such as Vuma, to buy, collect and distribute to learners who need them. For more information, those interested can contact Delanie Bezuidenhout directly at moc.kcocda@tuohnediuzeb.einaled.

My Walk is a registered public benefit organisation (PBO) and can provide sponsors with an 18A certificate.
The Durban FilmMart (DFM), will return for its 14th edition under the theme African Constellations from 21 - 24 July 2023 in Durban.

DFM in 2022. Source: Supplied.

The DFM welcomes attendees back to an in-person experience for its four day industry programme, marking a significant milestone in the wake of the digital shift, with content being made available online later within the DFM footprint. Thematically, DFM 2023 will celebrate the champions of film industry, contemplating a vision for a future-forward African Star System for current and future professionals.

Constellations

Inspired by the constellations in the sky, DFM will highlight each film project as a world of its own. This seeks to reveal the unique filmic facets of our diverse and abundant continent.

This year, DFM will blaze a trail for in-person networking and collaboration in the African film industry, bridging the gap between creativity and connectivity, explains Magdalene Reddy, director of the Durban FilmMart Institute (DFMI). The extensive programme aims to reach and unite seasoned and emerging film professionals and the broader film community, which we believe will ignite the spark for new film concepts and great ideas to push the film industry into new dimensions of filmmaking.

Diaspora

With African and African Diaspora interests as its centre, the 14th DFM industry programme will feature 20 live action and eight animation projects in development in the Pitch and Finance Forum. The industry programme will present masterclasses, panel discussions and roundtables under the following streams  DFM Conversations and Masterclasses, Durban Does Docs, Animation@DFM, Talking Cents and SA in Focus.

The Durban FilmMart Institutes says its values of inclusivity, diversity and accessibility are reflected in the various sessions offered, including those on Women in Film, Economically Marginalised Communities, Queer Representation, Africa in the Diaspora, Relationships Between the Global South and Global North, and South to South Partnerships.

Full programme details will be announced in due course.
Forbes first reported that billionaire Stephen Deckoff, the founder of the private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, bought Jeffrey Epsteins private islands.

An investment firm led by the billionaire Stephen Deckoff has bought two private islands in the U.S Virgin Islands previously owned by the late notorious sex criminal Jeffrey Epstein, Deckoff confirmed to CNBC on Wednesday.

Forbes first reported that Deckoff, the founder of the private equity firm Black Diamond Capital Management, purchased the two islands for $60 million, less than half of their initial asking price.

One of the islands was used by Epstein to sexually abuse young women for years, according to court filings.

Mr. Deckoff plans to develop a state-of-the-art, five-star, world-class luxury 25-room resort that will help bolster tourism, create jobs, and spur economic development in the region, while respecting and preserving the important environment of the islands, according to a press release about the sale.

SD Investments, which is led by Deckoff, announced the purchase.

A significant portion of the sale proceeds are being paid to the Government of the U.S. Virgin Islands under a previously announced settlement agreement between the government and Mr. Epsteins estate, the release said.

Epsteins estate and related entities in November agreed to pay the government of the Virgin Islands more than $105 million to settle claims of sex trafficking and child exploitation. That deal required the estate to pay the Virgin Islands half of the proceeds of the sale of the islands, Little St. James and Great St. James, and another $450,000 to address damages on Great St. James, where Epstein had razed the remnants of structures that were hundreds of years told to make room for development.

During a brief phone interview with CNBC, Deckoff confirmed he had bought the islands.

No comment, he said when asked about his plans for it.

Deckoff then hung up.

Little St. James covers more than 70 acres, and Great St. James is more than double the size of its neighbor.

According to reports, Vice Media is preparing to file for bankruptcy after struggling to find a buyer.

Read more
The world is changing. In fact, it has been undergoing seismic change that long preceded the Russian-Ukraine war, and the recent US-Chinese tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

In fact, the US debacle in Iraq and the Middle East, and the humiliating retreat from Afghanistan were only signs of the decline in US power.

Leading US neoconservative strategists have once argued in "Rebuilding Americas Defenses: Strategies, Forces, and Resources For a New Century" that aggressive intervention policies were meant to keep emerging great powers, like China, out of areas designated as US geopolitical domains. They sought to "preserve and extend (US) position of global leadership (through) maintaining the preeminence of U.S. military forces."

They failed, and the future seems to head in a different direction than what the likes of Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Richard Perle and Paul Wolfowitz had hoped for.

Instead, a whole new world order is emerging, one that is hardly centered round US-western priorities alone.

Indeed, what has taken place since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, and the provocative visit by then-US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, to Taipei in August of the same year, are an acceleration of an existing momentum of global shifts, that ranged from the emergence of new economic alliances, geopolitical formations, turf wars and, of course, competing political discourses.

These changes are currently on full display in the Middle East, Africa and, indeed, much of the Global South.

While this can be considered a positive development, in the sense that a bipolar or multipolar world can offer alternatives to countries that have been at the receiving end of US-western exploitation and violence, it can  and will  have negative manifestations as well.

More Than a Power Struggle

Though the current war in Sudan is understood to be a power struggle between two rival generals or, more accurately, corrupt warlords, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, or Hemedti, it is also partly the outcome of a regional, and, increasingly, global power struggle as well. The regional and global dimension of the conflict in Sudan is itself an expression of the changing world order and the intense fight over resources and critical geographies.

Sudan is one of the richest African countries in terms of raw material, much of which remains un-exploited due to the countrys multi-front and multi-layered conflicts, starting in the South  which has led to the secession of the Republic of South Sudan, then West, namely Darfur and, as of now, everywhere else.

The North-South civil war and the Darfur crisis, too, were sustained and prolonged by outside parties, whether Sudans own neighbors or global powers. Sadly, in all these cases, the outcome was horrific in terms of human and material losses.

Sudan, however, was not the exception. Proxy wars in the Global South were one of the main features of the Cold War between Washington and Moscow, until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989-92. The dismantling of the USSR, however, only exacerbated violence, this time channeled mostly through US-led or championed wars in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. Now that global rivalry is back with a vengeance, global conflicts, especially in resource-rich and strategic regions with no clear political allegiances, are also back.

Sudan will not be the last of such conflicts.

What complicates the picture in Sudan now is the involvement of other regional actors, each with a specific set of interests, as they take advantage of the quickly dwindling US leadership, which, till recently  was the Middle Easts primary political and military hegemon.

The current shifts in power relations in the Middle East  as in other parts of the world  are also significant within historical, not merely current political contexts.

History Reversed

Since the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed in 1916 between old colonial powers  France and Britain  with a minor, but still important involvement of Tsarist Russia, the Middle East and North Africa, along with Central Asia, were divided into various spheres of influence. Global priorities then were almost entirely Western.

The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 was a watershed moment in world history, as it sowed the seeds for a possibility of a new global bloc to rival Western domination.

It took decades for that new bloc to emerge. In 1955, the Warsaw Pact was born, unifying the Soviet Union and its allies against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Western military alliance that saw the light six years earlier.

The rivalry between both camps was expressed in fierce economic competition, a political Cold War, a low-grade military conflict, proxy wars and two distinctly ideological discourses that defined our understanding of world politics for much of the 20th Century.

All of this came to a bitter end in the early 1990s. NATO won, while the Warsaw Pact, along with the USSR, disintegrated rapidly and in the most humiliating fashion. It was the end of history," Francis Fukuyama declared. It was the age of Western triumphalism and, by extension, more colonial wars, starting in Panama, then Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq again, and elsewhere.

China factored in all of this, not as a major global political player, yet, but as a worthy adversary and prized ally. The historic visit by US President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972 thwarted efforts to unify the East against US-Western imperialism. That trip, which supposedly "changed the world"  per the assessment of then-Ambassador Nicholas Plat, was indeed consequential. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union as it gave Washington a massive advantage and strategic boost over its rivals.

But history is now being reversed in ways that only a few geopoliticians could have possibly predicted.

The New Powers

The road ahead is not entirely clear. But numerous signs, accompanied by tangible changes, suggest that the world is transforming. However, this metamorphosis is more visible in some regions than others. The geopolitical tug-of-war between old and new global rivals is most visible in the Middle East and Africa, in addition, of course, to South America, East Asia and Pacific regions. Each of these regions is undergoing its own reordering of power relations and dynamics.

In the Middle East, for example, Iran seems to be breaking away from its West-imposed isolation, while Saudi Arabia is challenging its old client regime status.

The latter move is particularly troubling for Washington, as it challenges two layers of Western domination of the Middle East  one which followed the Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916  thus dividing the region into sub-regions under Western "protection" and influence; and the other which resulted from the US-NATO invasion of Iraq. With massive political sway, an ever-growing military presence, and a weaponized US currency, Washington had dominated the Middle East with no serious competition for many years. This is no longer the case.

For years, Russia and China have been staking claims in the region, though using mechanisms that are wholly removed from the Western style of old colonialism and neocolonialism. While the Russians tapped into their long Soviet tradition of cooperation, the Chinese resorted to a more ancient history of friendly trade and cultural exchanges.

Now that Beijing has developed a more candid and unapologetic approach to foreign policy, Chinas status as a new superpower shall demonstrate its effectiveness in the Middle East in unprecedented ways. In fact, it already has. The recent Iran-Saudi Accords was a tremendous achievement for the new politically-oriented China, but the road ahead is still very challenging, as the region is rife with foreign contenders, and old and new conflicts. For China to succeed, it must present itself as a new and better model, to be contrasted with Western exploitation and violence.

But China does not hold all the keys, as the US and its Western and regional allies continue to hold significant influence. For example, the UAE is emerging as a powerful player in the current war in Sudan.

What is certain is that the consequences of the current fight for resources, influence and domination are likely to lead to smaller, though bloody conflicts, especially in countries that are politically and socially unstable. Sudan fits perfectly into this category, which makes its current war particularly alarming.

Although much has been said and written about Sudans gold, agriculture potential and massive wealth of raw materials, the fight over Sudan by outside parties is essentially a turf war due to Sudans unparalleled geopolitical location. Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Israel, and others are all keen to emerge winners in the ongoing war. Russia is monitoring the situation closely from its various African bases. The US, Britain and France are wary of the dire consequences of direct intervention and the equally costly price of no intervention at all. China is still gauging the challenges and opportunities.

The outcome of the bloody Sudan war is likely to redefine, not only Sudans own political balances but the power relations of the whole region as well.

Dr. Ramzy Baroud is a journalist, author and the Editor of The Palestine Chronicle. He is the author of six books. His latest book, co-edited with Ilan Pappe, is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out. His other books include My Father was a Freedom Fighter and The Last Earth. Baroud is a Non-resident Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Islam and Global Affairs (CIGA). His website is www.ramzybaroud.net.
Nathaniel Hawthorne in the 1860s

I actually had one of my students, who is a film minor, turn The Birthmark into a modern kind of story [set in] Orange County, California, where a girl has to get plastic surgery because her boyfriend doesn't think she's perfect enough.

In her Introduction to American Literature class, Chakkalakal teaches another of Hawthornes great novels, The House of the Seven Gables, a work of romantic gothic horror that reflects the authors interest in the supernatural.

One of the joys of teaching English at Bowdoin, is that basically American literature was born at Bowdoin College, she said, referring to Hawthorne and his classmate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, as well as Harriet Beecher Stowe, who lived and wrote on the campus, where her husband was a professor.

Chakkalakal said her students draw inspiration from the fact that theyre reading the work of someone who once sat where they are sitting, albeit two centuries earlier.

Joining Tess Chakkalakal on Maine Calling were fellow guests John Manoush and Thomas Ewig, both board members at the Hawthorne Community Association, and host Jennifer Rooks. Listen to the show.
THE late Chief Zephania Sigola, who was laid to rest yesterday at his Esiphezini farm in Umzingwane district with thousands of mourners including senior Government officials in attendance, appointed his only surviving child Nomalanga as the heir to his throne.

The traditional leader is said to have threatened to rise from his grave if his wishes are not followed.

While awaiting formal coronation from Government, the chief in waiting Nomalanga was handed the traditional sceptre (intonga) by her fathers uncle from the Ngungumbane clan just before the coffin was lowered into the grave at exactly 1.27pm.

Clad in a floral all-blue dress with a matching doek covering her head, Nomalanga sat quietly in a white plastic chair just two metres from her late fathers final resting place. She is now set to become the seventh female chief in Zimbabwe.

Asked about the appointment of Nomalanga as the heir to her fathers throne, Chief Ngungumbane, a relative to the Sigola family, referred Saturday Chronicle to a village elder and close friend to the late chief, 82-year-old Joel Mpofu.

Mpofu was also a confidante to the traditional leader.

Mpofu said Nomalanga was appointed successor by her father as part of the instructions the traditional leader gave on his deathbed.

Its just following the late Chief Sigolas instructions, what he said in his final days even when he was at the United Bulawayo Hospitals. He stated clearly to unkazana that on his burial, she must be seated on his royal chair and hold the royal sceptre (intonga) with both hands. However, it was felt that the royal chair cannot be taken out today but everything else is according to the late Chiefs wishes, said Mpofu.

He said the late Chief Sigola, who also chose his burial site, had warned that if any of the clan members were to wrestle the chieftaincy from his daughter, he was going to rise from his grave.

I have been very close to the Chief, even at the hospital I was by his bed throughout and I saw him breathe his last. He was very clear on his daughter becoming his successor, said Mpofu.

Earlier addressing mourners, Zimbabwe Chiefs Council president Chief Fortune Charumbira urged the Sigola clan not to fight over the chieftainship as God will provide the next Chief Sigola.

He said they may be some who may want to be the next Chief Sigola by virtue of their social standing or material possession but as long as they would not have been ordained by God, their dreams will never come through.

God will find another Chief Sigola for us. The only problem is to look into the mirror while putting on a nice and expensive suit and tell yourself that you are the next one to sit on the throne. Let me tell you something here, a good suit and a tie does not make you a Chief, said Chief Charumbira.

The Minister of Local Government and Public Works, July Moyo, said the family must remain strong following the death of their pillar and must diligently choose the successor without fear or favour .

He said the Government, led by President Mnangagwa, will be fully behind the familys decision.

I know the Chief lost most of his children but what remains is for the family and whoever remains to make sure there is no gap between the death of a chief and another chief, said Minister Moyo.

He said the law says in the first two years, there is an acting chief who is also appointed by the President and after that period the council of chiefs will engage the family for the substantive chief of the area.

The first part (appointment of an acting chief) is done very quickly and the second part needs a council of chiefs, led by Chief Masendu and other chiefs that understand the tradition and the constitution because they must uphold it, said Minister Moyo.

Meanwhile, Chief Charumbira told mourners that the late Chief Sigola, described as a fierce advocate for land redistribution, died a happy and satisfied man.

This was after the Second Republic responded to his plea to attend to his farmhouse which had no running water and electricity while the road leading to his hilltop house was untrafficable.

Last year the Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Marian Chombo visited the Chief at his homestead where she was told of the sad story surrounding the traditional leader.

She then gave an instruction that the issues be resolved as a matter of urgency.

The last part of my speech is to say to Minister July Moyo, please when you meet President Mnangagwa please express our gratitude on the manner in which his leadership has strengthened the image and improved the status of chiefs in this country. A borehole has been drilled in this homestead, there is now electricity and a vehicle was provided so I am saying please pass our greatest gratitude to the President, said Chief Charumbira.

Chief Sigola died on May 1 at the United Bulawayo Hospitals following a long illness.

He was 96.

He became substantive Chief Sigola on March 31, 1994 following the death of his father, Chief Samson Sigola. Chronicle
An entrepreneur has pleaded not guilty to being reckless about filing an annual return to the Companies Registration Office (CRO) and told a judge he wanted to clear "my good name".

Company director Illann Power, 31, Co Carlow, was charged last year following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA).

He faced three charges of providing false information contrary to Section 876 of the Companies Act 2014, knowingly or recklessly furnishing information to an electronic filing agent from 2014 to 2017.

In March, Dublin District Court heard from his solicitor that he was entering a guilty plea to one charge of being reckless as to whether a B1 filing and accompanying documentation was made for the financial year 2014/2015; with the remaining charges to be withdrawn.

The case was adjourned until Friday for facts to be given. However, when the matter was called, Mr Power, now representing himself, told Judge Bryan Smyth he was withdrawing the guilty plea.

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He explained that he re-examined the issue and he requested a date for a hearing.

Prosecution counsel Eoin Lawlor objected, telling Judge Smyth that the accused had been legally represented and advised when there was a guilty plea. He asked Judge Smyth to refuse Mr Power's request.

Questioned by the judge, the businessman said he did not believe the prosecution could make its case. It had affected his ability to return to work, but at this stage, he still had "my good name", adding, "and I wish to clear that".

He told the court that he did not mean to waste time and that, from the outset, he had intended to plead not guilty.

Judge Smyth described the development as "very unsatisfactory"; however, in the interests of justice, he allowed him to change the plea.

He adjourned the case until May 30th to allocate a hearing date.

The Director of Public Prosecutions had directed that the matter was suitable to be dealt with at the District Court and not the Circuit Court, which has broader sentencing powers.

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The District Court has accepted jurisdiction to hear the case.

Power was previously a founder of spirits company Incubrands, which Bacardi later acquired. He later co-created Nohovation, a start-up venture fund and investment firm Illann Power Companies.

Initially, he had been granted bail with strict conditions, including signing on daily at a local Garda station and surrendering his travel documents.

However, those conditions were later relaxed to allow Power to work in America. He was allowed to keep his passport and green card and to move to the US after the court heard he had every intention of returning to Ireland to face the proceedings.
A Limerick-based transport firm has been ordered to pay 109,040 to 11 drivers and helpers for their mass unfair dismissal concerning alleged unscheduled and undocumented alcohol deliveries to a Dublin pub.

At the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC), adjudicator Andrew Heavey ordered Shannon Transport & Warehouse Company, trading as STL Logistics, to pay the 11 former employees the aggregate 109,040.

In his findings, Mr Heavey found that this was not a situation where a member of staff deserves summary dismissal for gross misconduct, especially where no loss to the company was identified.

In the cases, Mr Heavey has ordered compensation payouts ranging from 21,000 to 2,320. In the 11 separate rulings, Mr Heavey ordered the company to pay 21,000 to Lukasz Tymicki, 15,000 to Darren Fallon, 15,000 to Ben Murphy, 14,000 to Anthony OReilly, 11,000 to Stanislav Gradinaru, 8,000 to Sean F Kelly, 8,000 to John Gray, 6,500 to Stephen Nelson, 5,500 to William Dorney, 2,720 to Krzysztof Franczak and 2,320 to Mark Bissett.

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Mr Heavey also found that the workers actions did not amount to gross misconduct, especially where none of the practices in question were included in the employers disciplinary procedures and are still not included more than three years after the dismissal.

He also said it should be pointed out that despite the suggestion of theft and loss throughout the complaints, the employer has confirmed that everything balanced  deliveries and payments to all clients with no complaints made.

He found the actions of the company in dismissing the workers was not within the range of reasonable responses of a reasonable employer.

In total, the firm dismissed 15 drivers and helpers and 13 brought complaints to the WRC alleging unfair dismissal with 11 of those legally represented and a further two were represented by their trade union.

The employer said it became aware of unscheduled and undocumented deliveries to the Bridge Tavern in Dublin between January and March 2019.

The firm stated that the background to the deliveries was that some pubs in the locality were claiming that they were subject to delays in getting deliveries whereas the Bridge Tavern was getting deliveries every other day.

Surveillance was placed on the premises by Diageo security and the findings of the surveillance was passed on to the employer for consideration and for management to address the matter.

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All 15 staff identified making the deliveries to the Bridge Tavern stated that if the deliveries were made off schedule and undocumented, it was due to a swap and was done following a request from another pub on the route.

This was not accepted as credible by the firm as it said that as no other pub among 70 pubs questioned confirmed a swap arrangement.

Counsel for the complainants, David Byrnes BL (instructed by Setanta Solicitors), told the WRC hearing that no admissible evidence had been put forward by the employer in relation to the assertion that they were observed on 20 occasions delivering a total of 31 kegs to the Bridge Tavern over the three-month period in question and that this was theft resulting in loss and damage to the company.

Mr Byrnes said the reasons for the deliveries, if they did indeed take place, on the dates and by the staff member in question was explained by each complainant in evidence.

Mr Byrnes said in respect of the 70 statements of the pubs in question, he did not accept these documents as admissible as neither the author of the statements nor the people who allegedly made the statements were available to verify the documents as authentic.

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He argued that the employer's submissions relating to the deliveries does not meet the same standard of proof as the direct evidence provided by the complainants.

In his findings, Mr Heavey stated in evidence, the complaints stated that swaps take place and have done ever since they were employed at the Company and continue to take place.

Mr Heavey said: In my view and having considered the information obtained from both sides at the adjudication hearings it is clear that swaps do take place.

Mr Heavey said the employer confirmed the issue of swaps is not currently included in its procedures as something that is prohibited nor is the issue of undocumented and unscheduled deliveries included in procedures as an example of gross misconduct that may lead to summary dismissal.
A father who threatened a Tusla social worker while serving a suspended sentence for child cruelty has avoided a jail term for a second time.

Dublin Circuit Criminal Court heard the man (36), who cannot be named to protect the childrens identities, told the social worker she would end up in a hole in the ground.

The man pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill or cause serious harm to the Tusla worker on January 20th, 2022. He has nine previous convictions, including one conviction for child cruelty imposed in April 2021, for which he received a one-year suspended sentence.

Judge Martin Nolan said although the threats had been believed by the injured party, he did not think the man had any intention of carrying them out. He said he thought the invective was the product of frustration, although no one was entitled to threaten anyone in this way.

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He said he did not think he would be justified in imprisoning the man and imposed a three-year suspended sentence. He warned the man that the most minor infraction would result in prison.

He adjourned a hearing in relation to the activation of the sentence for the earlier case for two weeks.

A prosecuting garda told Olan Callanan BL, prosecuting, that the social worker employed by Tusla attended at the home of the former partner of the accused man to discuss an upcoming case conference in relation to the welfare of the children.

The childrens mother became agitated and rang the accused man. She put him on loudspeaker, and he was aggressive and threatening to the Tusla worker. The woman left with a colleague and went to a Garda station to report the incident.

Voice message

While there, she received calls and a voice message directly to her own phone from the accused.

During the voice message, the accused man told the woman she was causing nothing but problems for him and told her to get away from his family, or he would kill you stone dead. He also said she would end up in a hole in the ground, and that he would put a bullet in your head.

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You are after driving me to this, he told her, I am giving you a choice to get out of our lives, or I will take you out of our lives. The message lasted one minute and 10 seconds.

The woman no longer works with Tusla, and a victim impact statement was handed into court on her behalf. Counsel outlined that the incident had a very profound effect on the victim, changing the way she went about her life.

He said she had been dealing with the family for some time and had been there keeping an eye on them due to the mans previous conviction.

The garda agreed with Simon Matthews BL, defending, that there had been a tense atmosphere in the house on the day. He said the social worker had apologised for a remark she made during an interaction with the eldest son when she asked him if he was trying to be a gangster.

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Mr Matthews said the children's mother had taken this badly and contacted the accused, who made the threats. He said the accused was remorseful and apologetic.

Counsel said his client said during an interview that he did not mean the threats, and the woman had nothing to fear from him. He acknowledged that the woman had been there at the time for his children.

Mr Matthews said his client knows he let many people down on that day and speaks of being a better role model. He is in employment and engaging with the children who are doing well in the family home.

Counsel asked the court to take into account his clients remorse, guilty plea and that there have been no further breaches. The mother of the children was in court to support him.
A former senior audit partner at financial services giant Deloitte has lost an appeal against a High Court ruling that he can be criminally prosecuted for alleged tax offences, despite arguing he had a legitimate expectation that he would not be prosecuted.

In May of last year, the High Court ruled that Brian Murphy, a qualified accountant and former audit partner with the finance firm Deloitte, who brought proceedings against the Revenue Commissioners and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), could be prosecuted.

In February 2014, the DPP issued a summons against Mr Murphy in relation to an alleged offence concerning a VAT refund claim on behalf of a company of which Mr Murphy had been a director.

In October 2015, the DPP further applied to have a criminal summons issued against Mr Murphy in relation to alleged offences regarding tax returns between 2008 and 2012. Mr Murphy denies any criminal wrongdoing.

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Mr Murphy, of Carrigaline, Co Cork, claimed that a criminal prosecution would breach the terms of an agreement between him and Revenue in August 2015 in the context of certain civil proceedings which he claims meant he would avoid prosecution if he adhered to a settlement payment plan.

Mr Murphy had further relied on certain oral representations he claimed were made to him on behalf of a legal executive working for solicitors acting for Revenue that he would not be prosecuted.

The appellant claimed his prosecution would amount to a breach of his 'legitimate expectation'.

Legitimate expectation is a legal principle which may apply where a public body leads a person to believe a particular state of affairs to be undertaken, and that person acts to his detriment in reliance on their representation.

Dismissal

Dismissing the 2022 application, Mr Justice Garrett Simons said Mr Murphy had not established the grounds for his claim of the breach of his legitimate expectation.

Mr Justice Simons said the agreement between Revenue and Mr Murphy was reached in 2015 following a separate decision in 2014 made by the DPP to issue a criminal summons against him.

That summons related to an alleged offence concerning a VAT refund claim on behalf of a company of which Mr Murphy had been a director.

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Mr Murphy then entered into talks with Revenue to also discharge other unrelated arrears of tax before coming to an agreement on payments in August 2015.

He undertook to make monthly payments of 4,000 from August 2015 to December 2018 to settle the outstanding taxes. In addition, Mr Murphy offered to make annual lump sum payments ranging between 20,000 and 75,000.

The judge found that the 2015 agreement did not amount to a representation that the DPP would not pursue criminal proceedings against the appellant.

Mr Justice Simons said that if there was an element in the agreement to prevent criminal prosecution, it was "inconceivable that this would not have been expressly recorded in its terms".

Mr Murphy appealed, and his lawyers submitted that the judge did not adequately analyse a series of communications between Revenue and Mr Murphy before the signing of the settlement.

At the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice George Birmingham said Mr Murphy had been "anxious" to enter into a settlement agreement with Revenue that could allow him to keep working in order to make his payments but to also enter into a "highly desirable" agreement that would "preclude criminal proceedings already instituted or any further proceedings".

"On the other hand, the position of the Revenue Commissioners was that they were not going to commit themselves to non-prosecution or to preclude other means of enforcement," said Mr Justice Birmingham.

'Without prejudice'

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The judge said that Revenue had "articulated clearly" to Mr Murphy that their position would be without prejudice to any other enforcement action or prosecution and had stated that this position be "clearly stated" throughout the settlement document.

However, the draft agreement furnished to Mr Murphy had no mention of a "without prejudice" clause. "It was silent on the issue," Mr Justice Birmingham said. Mr Murphy then signed the document and claimed the absence of any mention of prosecution meant he had achieved his objective based on previous discussions with Revenue.

"I am quite unable to conclude that the absence of a 'without prejudice' clause amounts to an unambiguous and unequivocal representation to the effect that there would be no prosecutions," the judge said.

Mr Justice Birmingham added that if Mr Murphy's position regarding any clause was correct then the "prosecution, which had already been launched, would be halted and that the investigation which was at an advanced stage, would also be halted".

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The judge said that if the appellant was correct then it would have meant that even if underpayment of tax during other years, or other irregularities came to light, then "enforcement would be prohibited".

"I am bound to say that I regard this as an extraordinary proposition. I cannot believe there was any representation to that effect and most certainly I cannot believe there was any representation that was unambiguous and unequivocal," the judge said, stressing that the document was "silent" on the matter.

"Nobody who was facing a prosecution and then found that threat lifted would allow the appearance of the threat to remain in place for a day longer than necessary," he said, adding that Mr Murphy would have "moved immediately" to have them struck out.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the trial judge properly assessed the case and "he was fully entitled to reject the claim, whether formulated in terms of legitimate expectation, or contract, or some cross between the two".
President Michael D Higgins will meet Britain's King Charles on Friday night ahead of becoming the first Irish head of state to attend a British coronation.

Mr Higgins and his wife Sabina will be guests at a reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the coronation ceremony in London.

It will be the ninth occasion the two heads of state have met and continues a long-standing friendship between the two.

Mr and Mrs Higgins will then attend the coronation on Saturday at Westminster Abbey.

King Charles and Michael D Higgins have met on numerous occasions. Photo: John Stillwell/PA

To mark the event, the president and his wife requested the Tree Council of Ireland to plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.

The gesture was to acknowledge Charless commitment to environmental sustainability.

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Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is also expected to attend the coronation.

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Political leaders from the North have also been invited.

Among those who will attend is Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill in another demonstration of the markedly improved relations between the republican movement and the royal family since the peace process.
Minister for Justice Simon Harris has insisted there is no conspiracy behind new hate speech laws as he dismissed criticism levelled by Donald Trump Jnr and Elon Musk.

Mr Harris said when someone from the Trump family or Mr Musk took a contrary view it was not a bad day at the office.

Mr Harris said people portraying the new legislation as an attempt to police thought were seeking to misrepresent the intent of the laws.

Earlier in the week Mr Trump Jnr described the Criminal Justice (Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences) Bill 2022 as insane while Twitter owner Mr Musk said it was very concerning.

The Bill, which is progressing through the Seanad, having passed in the Dail, is the first specific legislation to deal with hate crime in the State.

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It is designed to make it easier to secure prosecutions for crimes targeting protected characteristics such as race or sexual identity. It includes provisions to prosecute people for hate speech or possessing hateful material.

On Friday, Mr Harris was asked about the issue at the opening of a new Garda call-handling facility in Dublin city centre.

Elon Musk described the Bill as very concerning Photo: Brian Lawless/PA.

Any time Donald Trump and Elon Musk have a different view to you is not a bad day at the office, he said.

And, funnily enough, I dont take my political philosophy from the Trump family or from Mr Musk or his associates.

The reality here is theres people trying to overstate things here for whatever reason. Thats fine, we live in a democracy and let people have their debate.

This legislation went to Dail Eireann. Theres not much that the Opposition and the Government agree on, (yet) overwhelmingly the Dail passed this legislation, because its not about policing thought, its not about stopping freedom of expression.

Donald Trump Jr. (centre) branded the Bill insane Photo: Brian Lawless/PA.

What it is about though is keeping people safe and making sure that people can go about their lives and not be discriminated against and have a result of that discrimination seeing them often be physically assaulted, or incitement to hatred in relation to them.

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Mr Harris said critics need to take a little step back and consider what the Bill contains.

Freedom of speech, freedom of expression  these are protected rights. We have a constitution, and were members of the European Union, were proud members of the United Nations, he said.

This is a country where only as recently as this week you saw in the new press freedom survey Ireland go up four places. Were seeing our defamation laws be reformed.

This is a country that values free speech and indeed I even said myself when speaking at committee stage on this legislation, its absolutely your right to say offensive things, thats absolutely your right in a democracy, but its not your right, absolutely not your right, to say something that incites hatred or danger towards another person, absolutely not your right to try and whip up homophobic activity and violence, homophobic violence against people, its absolutely not your right.

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And when you talk to people who are often subject to such attacks, I think theyll tell you what they see and what they feel when it comes to hate speech.

So theres been an attempt by some, for whatever reason, to go about misrepresenting that. Best wishes to them, its their right in a democracy to do that.

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But when you see Donald Trump, junior or senior, whatever, a member of the Trump family and Elon Musk opposing your legislation, and when you say Fine Gael, Fianna Fail and the Greens and Sinn Fein, Labour, all these people coming together to vote in favour of something, you know theres no conspiracy here.
More than 900 students have been expelled from Irish schools over the last six years.

New figures released in a Dail question show almost 360 of those have come in the last three years. Some 28 students have been expelled from primary schools since September 2020.

The chief executive of the Childrens Rights Alliance, Tanya Ward, called for more education welfare officers to be appointed by Tusla to carry out preventative work in schools and reduce the number of expulsions.

She told RTE radios Today with Claire Byrne that there were not enough education welfare officers available to meet the needs of young people.

Ms Ward said education welfare officers from Tusla could work with schools and families to come up with preventative measures so that students would not be expelled.

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"A lot of the parents in these situations find it very difficult when it happens," she said. "Often the relationship is broken down with the principal and the board of management, and they themselves are struggling to get another school to take the child on. And often that's the end of a road."

Ms Ward said her concern was there were not enough education welfare officers who should be working with schools once it became clear that a student was having difficulties.

What concerns us about school expulsion is the impact it has on the child when it does happen. It causes an enormous stigma for the child in their school community... And generally they will not reach their full potential once an event like this has happened. So for us, it's really important to get behind those statistics to find out why did those situations arise and could they have been prevented.

"We know for some children what happened at the school, it's kind of about the end of the road. The school has done everything they can and the child needs an alternative education. So they might need more one-on-one. They might need a lot of wraparound supports.

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"But in some cases, we know some schools are saying, look, we just didn't have enough support to hold on to this child or you might have situations where perhaps there are too many expulsions happening in the same school. So I think there's a real need to get behind the statistics to see actually what has contributed to these figures."

On Newstalks Pat Kenny show, the head of the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals, Paul Crone, said expulsion was always a last resort and the figures represented a small percentage of the school population of 390,000.

Mr Crone said when a school decides they have no other choice but to expel a student, they invite parents, the principal and the Board of Management to a meeting. The result is a one-month wait and the school must inform Tusla.

"The Tusla education welfare officer will convene a meeting between the school and the parents. After a month, if they can't come to a resolution, the expulsion is confirmed.

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"The parent may decide to appeal under Section 29 of the Education Act to the Department of Education, and the Department of Education will put together the three-person independent appeal committee. They will review the decision that the board arrived at to see if the sanction is proportionate, fair and reasonable."

Mr Crone said schools begin to consider expulsion when a student engages in gross misbehaviour, such as selling drugs on school property, very serious assault against a student or teacher or serious vandalism or theft.

"It's also very rare that a student would be expelled the first time that they do something. Everything is contextual  I know of one situation where [school arson] did happen, and there were other issues, and it was behaviours acting out. Through collaboration between the family, the school, and external support agencies, the student wasn't expelled and was rehabilitated back into the school.

"There's a person at the centre of this and we need to remember that and understand that students are growing and developing and changing. I would reject that schools willy-nilly, expel students  they have to go through a lot of procedures, so the rights of the students are very well protected there."
A man accused of taking part in an attack on security men at a repossessed farm in Co Roscommon told gardai when interviewed that he was at home on the night in question.

Paul Beirne (56) of Croghan, Boyle, Co Roscommon, is charged with false imprisonment and assault causing harm to four security personnel at Falsk, Co Roscommon, on December 16th 2018.

He is also charged with aggravated burglary, as well as four charges of arson concerning a car and three vans allegedly set alight.

Mr Beirne is charged with criminal damage to a door of the house, violent disorder, robbery of a wristwatch from security guard John Graham and, finally, causing unnecessary suffering to an animal by causing or permitting an animal to be struck on the head.

Co-accused men Patrick Sweeney (44) of High Cairn, Ramelton, Co Donegal; Martin O'Toole (58) of Stripe, Irishtown, Claremorris, Co Mayo; and David Lawlor (43) of Bailis Downs, Navan, are each charged with the same offences. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty to the 17 charges each at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court.

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The jury has heard that at around 5 am on December 16th, 2018, a group of approximately 30 armed men, some wearing balaclavas, arrived at a repossessed rural property at Falsk, just outside Strokestown, Co. Roscommon and attacked four of the security guards present.

Mr Bierne told gardai he was at the house in Falsk on December 11, 2018, as he was looking to buy some cattle.

He declined to give a first-person account of events and said the country saw what happened on the video.

When gardai asked if he was at the property to stop the eviction, Mr Beirne replied, Don't know, before maintaining he was there to buy cattle.

Gardai also asked the defendant about two WhatsApp groups he was a member of, which discussed repossessions. Mr Beirne said he hadn't heard of these groups and didn't use the messaging app.

He told gardai that he was asleep at home on the night of December 15th 2018. He said he parked the cattle lorry before going to bed, and the vehicle was there when he woke on the morning of December 16, 2018. Mr Beirne said he never locks the lorry, and the keys could have been inside.

When asked about CCTV footage recorded in Elfin in the early hours of December 16th 2018, showing a convoy of vehicles, including a cattle lorry similar to his, Mr Bierne said he didn't know if this was unusual.

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The defendant said he doubted he would have heard if the cattle lorry had started up as he didn't hear a heavy lorry outside the house a few months earlier.

Gardai asked Mr Beirne to account for the lorry's movements in the early hours of December 16th, as recorded on the tachograph. The defendant replied, I wasn't in it, and he had no idea where the vehicle was during this time.

He said he didn't recall making or receiving any phone calls in the early hours of December 16th 2018.

The trial continues on Monday before Judge Martina Baxter and a jury.


PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has met with prospective investors in London where he is attending the coronation of King Charles III set for this Saturday.

Potential investors who spoke after the closed-door meeting expressed their eagerness to explore the business opportunities in Zimbabwe.

President Mnangagwa who arrived in London this Friday morning, held several meetings as he awaits the Coronation of King Charles III set for Saturday.

Among the people he met behind closed doors was former British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair.

The President also met with business people in London. These included some Zimbabwean-born business people now resident in the United Kingdom.

Speaking after the meeting, Finance and Economic Development Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube said President Mnangagwa and his team explained to the investors the opportunities available in Zimbabwe.

"His excellency was able to lead us into a discussion with investors here in the UK, the investors come from several sectors, mining, agro-processing and financial services. His Excellency was able to let it be known that indeed, Zimbabwe is open for business from wherever they come and that investors from the UK are indeed welcome to Zimbabwe," he said.

For the prospective investors, the engagement and re-engagement by the Second Republic is indicative of the willingness of the government to Foster economic ties with other countries.

"I grew up in Zimbabwe and what I heard today was very positive. Our role should be to demonstrate that Zimbabwe is an investable country. For us, financial inclusion is a big component. We believe that Zimbabwe has the opportunity to become a leader in food security," said a businessman based in the UK.

President Mnangagwa is also expected to meet Zimbabwean residents in the United Kingdom after the coronation ceremony.

The invite for President Mnangagwa to attend the coronation of King Charles III this Saturday has been hailed as key in the mending of relations between Harare and London. ZBC
Senator Eileen Flynn has called for a State apology to Travellers for how they have been treated underneath the Irish laws and legislations that were put in place to keep us down as a community.

The Senator, who was appointed by then taoiseach Micheal Martin to represent the Traveller community, told RTE radios Morning Ireland that even in 2023 and as a member of the Seanad, she still experienced racism and discrimination.

In the Seanad on Thursday she told of how the previous night a taxi she had taken from St Stephens Green had refused to enter a halting site in Ballyfermot where she lives.

She told Morning Ireland that when the taxi driver refused to bring her in, she said she would not pay as he had not brought her to her destination. He said he was going to call gardai so she called 999 and the operator offered to stay on the line until she got where she wanted to go.

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Senator Flynn said she was not naive and was aware that people in all walks of life had similar experiences, but instances like this happened once too often to Travellers.

Take away food delivery companies also sometimes refused to deliver to halting sites, she said, and up to 10 years ago there had been occasions when ambulances refused to do so.

While her Seanad colleagues had expressed their support, sometimes people just dont understand, she said. When asked why Travellers were still being othered and treated differently, she said it went back to the origins of the Irish State.

I think it goes right back to the foundation of the State, the State discrimination under the Itinerant report of 1963 thats laid out for Travellers. It's shaped how we've been treated in today's world.

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And basically, to be fair, there was no good piece of legislation put in place that would protect minority groups. We are a multicultural country in general, and we should be able to protect all of our people in the country, that includes members of the Traveler community.

I will say hate crime legislation is coming up before us in the coming weeks and hopefully some of our amendments will be accepted from the Civil Engagement Group. And then I know Minister Joe O'Brien has allocated 1 million to community organisations to be able to tackle racism.

We have to be able to tackle this, educate people around us. We talk about suicide rates within the Traveller community, obviously theres going to be high suicide rates when people are constantly rejected, refused from society. Look at our unemployment, our education as people think Travellers are really on the edges of our society and very little is done about it. Nobody's been held to account.

We should get a state apology really to how Travellers has been treated our whole lives underneath the Irish laws and legislations that were put in place to keep us down as a community.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has said there is nothing to be served by the ongoing incarceration of Julian Assange as he expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite the WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen.

Mr Albaneses comments on Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the US.

Before that, Mr Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Mr Albanese said Mr Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Mr Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (right) with the King (left) at Buckingham Palace in London(Jonathan Brady/ PA)

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Mr Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is.

Mr Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the US, where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped US Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Mr Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed US military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mr Albanese said there was a disconnect between the US treatment of Mr Assange and Ms Manning.

Then-US president Barack Obama commuted Ms Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.



Former Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn joins supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange protesting outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London in 2022 (James Manning/ PA)

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Mr Albanese said he has advocated for Mr Assange in meetings with US administration officials.

On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Mr Assange with US President Joe Biden when Mr Albanese hosts the US leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, he said.

Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Mr Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Mr Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Mr Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Mr Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh US prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr Assanges mental health, Mr Albanese said.

There was a court decision here in the United Kingdom that was overturned on appeal that went to Mr Assanges health as well and I am concerned for him.
Historian David Starkey has denied his remarks about British prime minister Rishi Sunak not being fully grounded in our culture were racist, saying he was referring to Mr Sunak being a typical international liberal with no interest in British values.

The academic was accused of making derogatory references to Mr Sunaks British-Indian descent and Hindu faith when he made the initial comment on Thursday.

Dr Starkey returned to GB News to defend himself on Friday, claiming his remarks had been wilfully misconstrued and that he had never ever, ever said anything racist in my life.

But he went on to attack Mr Sunaks education and career in the United States, which he said made him a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Even when he became  I think it was on the point of becoming prime minister  he had an American green card. His wife is non dom.

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Dr Starkey said that at Oxford, Mr Sunak read that terrible degree called PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), which has destroyed our governing class, going on to Californias Stanford Business School.

He added: So we have a Prime Minister who is astonishingly intelligent, but I think sees things as an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

What he campaigns about is money. He thinks in terms of spreadsheets.

Rishi Sunak was controversially accused of not being fully grounded in our culture by David Starkey. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA.

Dr Starkey described the Prime Minister as a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Mr Sunak has never talked about values

Hes never shown any sign of an understanding of our history or of a concern with it. All his speeches are technical.

The historian batted away accusations of racism that arose from his original comment.

What I was trying to emphasise was nothing to do with race, he said, claiming that had been wrongly inferred by the usual witch hunters who hate GB News and hate me in particular.

Dr Starkey sparked the row when, in his Thursday appearance on the TV channel, he said Mr Sunak  the first non-white occupant of No 10  was a man of immense talent, of extraordinary skill, but really not fully grounded in our culture.

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Asked to explain his comment, made as he criticised the Prime Minister for being invisible in preparations for the coronation, he said: In terms of religion.

Tory MPs including former party chair Nadhim Zahawi and Caroline Nokes reportedly slammed the remarks as ill-informed, and vile and racist.

Dr Starkey has been embroiled in controversy in the past, including for saying in an interview that slavery was not genocide because there are so many damn blacks.
Junior doctors in Scotland have voted to strike in what will be their first national walkout over pay.

Members of BMA Scotland voted overwhelmingly to strike, with 97 per cent of those who took part in the ballot backing the walkout, the union said on Friday. Turnout was 71 per cent.

Dr Chris Smith, chair of the BMAs Scottish junior doctors committee, said: This ballot result shows, beyond doubt, that junior doctors in Scotland have had enough.

The union has now warned that, should the Scottish government not put forward a pay deal it felt was credible in negotiations, junior doctors would then begin preparations for a 72-hour walkout at dates to be confirmed.

The union said it was in negotiations with the Scottish government, and claimed that pay for junior doctors had been eroded over the past 15 years with them earning 23.5 per cent less than if they were doing the same job in 2008.

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An increase of 4.5 per cent has been rejected, with junior doctors claiming the offer was a real-terms pay cut.

The Scottish government has previously said the BMAs pay demands were simply unaffordable.

On Friday, Scotlands health secretary Michael Matheson said he is disappointed junior doctors have voted to strike and said he will continue to do all he can to avert industrial action in NHS Scotland.

The number of junior doctors entitled to vote in the ballot was 5,052, with 3610 taking part in the vote. Some 3,499 said they wanted to strike, while 111 said they did not want to during the five-week ballot which closed on Friday.

If doctors walk out, the union said, junior doctors would not provide emergency care during the strike, with NHS boards needing to arrange emergency cover.

Dr Smith said the years of pay erosion was simply unacceptable.

We are no longer prepared to stand aside, feeling overworked and undervalued, while witnessing so many junior doctors seeking employment abroad or outside the NHS where our considerable skills are properly valued, he said.

We have made, and continue to make, progress with Scottish government in formal negotiations on pay, but there is still some work to do before there is an offer that we believe could be credibly put to members.

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In the meantime  we will use this mandate to urge the Cabinet Secretary to signal a clear commitment to investing in the future of Scottish junior doctors, to make Scotlands NHS an attractive place to train, grow and progress our careers, and show us that the work we do is finally properly, and fairly, valued and appreciated.

We are not asking for huge pay increases  we are simply asking for a tangible step towards addressing the pay erosion our profession has suffered for well over a decade, combined with a clear plan for this to be reversed and restored.

Mr Matheson said: I am disappointed that BMA junior doctors have voted to take industrial action, which is in no-ones interest. I will continue to do all I can to avert industrial action in NHS Scotland.

Negotiations to agree a pay uplift are already underway. As these negotiations are held in confidence, it would be inappropriate to offer any further details at this time.

Sandesh Gulhane, health spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives, said that it was clear junior doctors were at the end of their tether.

Michael Matheson must address the poor conditions junior doctors face, such as ensuring they can get hot, nutritious food at night and that rotas are done six weeks in advance, he said.

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The ball is in the SNP governments court to find a solution to this dispute and deliver the modern, efficient, local health service that Scotland needs.

Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labours health spokesperson, said the overwhelming strike mandate showed the righteous anger of Scotlands junior doctors.

This result has not come out of the blue  it is the product of years of SNP failure to support junior doctors and reward them for their work, she said.

It is absolutely vital that in the interests of the workforce and our NHS, Michael Matheson gets round the table with the BMA and hammers out a deal.
A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman was stabbed to death in London.

Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey (31) died in Brixton, after being attacked at just after 4pm on Monday.

Mohamed Nur, of Bondway, Vauxhall, has been charged with murder and having an offensive weapon, police said.

Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, died on Monday (Family handout/PA)

He has also been charged with a further count of having an offensive weapon and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm against two women and a man.

The women and man suffered slash injuries in separate incidents in Brixton within a one-hour period on April 29th.

Nur will appear at Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday.

At the time of her murder, Ms Dogbey was reportedly on her way home from buying a birthday gift for her mother and speaking on the phone to her grandmother, who heard a terrible scream.

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Ms Dogbey has been remembered as a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone (Family handout/PA)

Ms Dogbey was walking when she was attacked from behind by a stranger, detectives believe.

Her loved ones described her as a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone.

In a statement released through London's Metropolitan Police, they said: She hasnt got one bad bone in her body. She wouldnt hurt a fly.

We cant believe a senseless crime like this has happened as we cant imagine who would do this to her.
A Kentucky man with a long criminal record has been sentenced to a record-setting 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray as he stormed the US Capitol with his wife.

Peter Schwartzs prison sentence is the longest so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases.

The judge who sentenced Schwartz also handed down the previous longest sentence  10 years  to a retired New York Police Department officer who assaulted a police officer outside the Capitol on January 6th, 2021.

Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 24 years and 6 months for Schwartz, a welder.

US District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Schwartz to 14 years and two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Judge Mehta said Schwartz was a soldier against democracy who participated in the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the countrys history.

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You are not a political prisoner, the judge told him. Youre not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime.

Schwartz briefly addressed the judge before learning his sentence, saying, I do sincerely regret the damage that January 6 has caused to so many people and their lives.

The judge said he did not believe Schwartzs statement, noting his lack of remorse.

You took it upon yourself to try and injure multiple police officers that day, Judge Mehta said.

Schwartz was armed with a wooden tyre tool when he and his then-wife, Shelly Stallings, joined other rioters in overwhelming a line of police officers on the Capitols Lower West Terrace, where he threw a folding chair at officers.

By throwing that chair, Schwartz directly contributed to the fall of the police line that enabled rioters to flood forward and take over the entire terrace, prosecutor Jocelyn Bond wrote in a court filing.

Schwartz, 49, also armed himself with a police-issued super soaker canister of pepper spray and sprayed it at retreating officers.

Advancing to a tunnel entrance, Schwartz coordinated with two other rioters, Markus Maly and Jeffrey Brown, to spray an orange liquid toward officers clashing with the mob.

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Insurrectionists loyal to Donald Trump breach the Capitol in Washington, on January 6th, 2021 (John Minchillo/AP/PA)

While the stream of liquid did not directly hit any officer, its effect was to heighten the danger to the officers in that tunnel, Ms Bond wrote.

Before leaving, Schwartz joined a heave ho push against police in the tunnel.

Stallings pleaded guilty last year to riot-related charges and was sentenced last month to two years in jail.

Schwartz was tried with co-defendants Maly and Brown. In December, a jury convicted all three of assault charges and other felony offences.

Judge Mehta sentenced Brown last Friday to four years and six months in prison. Maly is scheduled to be sentenced on June 9th.

Schwartzs lawyers requested a prison sentence of four years and six months. They said his actions on January 6th were motivated by a misunderstanding about the 2020 presidential election.

Then-president Donald Trump and his allies spread baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the election from the Republican incumbent.

There remain many grifters out there who remain free to continue propagating the great lie that Trump won the election, Donald Trump being among the most prominent. Mr Schwartz is not one of these individuals; he knows he was wrong, his defence lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors said Schwartz has bragged about his participation in the riot, shown no remorse and claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated. He referred to the Capitol attack as the opening of a war in a Facebook post a day after the riot.

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I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now at war, Schwartz wrote.

Schwartz has raised over $71,000 from an online campaign entitled Patriot Pete Political Prisoner in DC.

Prosecutors asked the judge to order Schwartz to pay a fine equalling the amount raised by his campaign, arguing that he should not profit from participating in the riot.

Schwartz was on probation when he joined the January 6th riot. His criminal record includes 38 prior convictions since 1991, several of which involved assaulting or threatening officers or other authority figures, Ms Bond wrote.

Schwartz was working as a welder in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, before his arrest in February 2021, but he considers his home to be in Owensboro, Kentucky, according to his lawyers.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot. More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to January 6th. Nearly 500 of them have been sentenced, with over half getting terms of imprisonment.

The 10-year prison sentence that Judge Mehta handed down in September to retired NYPD officer Thomas Webster had remained the longest until Friday.

Webster had used a metal flagpole to assault an officer and then tackled the same officer as the mob advanced toward the Capitol.
Serbias president has said the gunman in the latest mass shooting to hit the country targeted people at random.

Aleksandar Vucic said the assailant shot at people wherever they were, and branded the assault an attack on the whole country.

The gunman killed eight people and wounded 14 others in two Serbian villages south of Belgrade on Thursday, authorities and media reported. Police arrested a suspect on Friday following an all-night manhunt.

Blood is seen on the ground at the site of a shooting in the village of Dubona (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow pupils and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

Mr Vucic vowed to the nation in an address that the suspect in the shooting will never again see the light of the day.

The populist leader called the shooting a terrorist attack, as is typical in Serbia.

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He announced a series of anti-terrorist measures, including the hiring of 1,200 policemen and putting a police officer on guard each day at schools.

Reports said that the suspect in the latest shooting, identified by initials UB, was arrested in Vinjiste, a village 90 miles south of Belgrade.

Officers searching a relatives home found a large stash of illegal weapons and ammunition, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Authorities released a photo showing a young man in a police car in a blue T-shirt with the slogan Generation 88 on it. The double eights are often used as shorthand for Heil Hitler since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Mr Vucic said the suspect repeated the word disparagement but it was not clear what that meant.

A police vehicle blocks the entrance to the village of Dubona (Marko Drobnjakovic/AP/PA)

Reports of the arrest followed an all-night search by hundreds of officers, who sealed off an area south of Belgrade where the shooting took place late on Thursday.

The attacker shot randomly at people in two villages near Mladenovac, some 30 miles south of the capital, broadcaster RTS said.

Serbian interior minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursdays drive-by shootings a terrorist act.

Police officers guard the Vladimir Ribnikar school in Belgrade, scene of the earlier mass shooting (Darko Vojinovic/AP/PA)

This weeks bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders.

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Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, Wednesdays school shooting was the first in the countrys modern history.

The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbia spent much of Thursday reeling from its first mass shooting in 10 years. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent tribute to the dead.

Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and to demand changes.

The gunman shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 others in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)

The same day, authorities moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

The government ordered a two-year moratorium on short-barrel guns, tougher control of people with guns and shooting grounds, and tougher sentences for people who enable minors to get hold of guns.

A registered gun owner in Serbia must be over 18, healthy, and have no criminal record. Weapons must be kept locked and separately from ammunition.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people in hospital  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

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A 21-year-old suspect has been arrested over the latest shootings (Armin Durgut/AP/PA)

Authorities have said the attacker, whom police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in the highly divided country, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished.

They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.
Suella Bravermans rhetoric on illegal migration is damaging to our communities and feeds into the far right, a Tory former minister has warned.

Rehman Chishti urged the UK home secretary to get on and do her job but shied away from calling for her to resign insisting its up to the Prime Minister.

Mr Chishti was speaking from the counting hall in Gillingham, Kent, where Labour is looking to take the council, Medway, despite having been in the hands of the Conservatives since 2003.

The Gillingham and Rainham MP told Sky News he was confident the Conservatives will be able to maintain their current seats.

He was later asked whether he was worried Ms Bravermans rhetoric on illegal migration might have had an impact on voters in the local elections.

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Mr Chishti wrote a column in the Observer newspaper at the end of April, titled calling out Bravermans views on race and abuse is a vital part of my Conservative values, in which he argued the British home secretary was emboldening the far right by pointing the finger at ethnic groups.

The Tory MP said: I think you know, from my many appearances on Sky News, people know that I say what I think and Im a man of principle, and I think I stand by everything I wrote in that paper.

UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman (Joe Giddens/PA)

Ive sat on the Home Affairs Select Committee for three years looking at security and the comments that we had from the Home Secretary, the rhetoric that she applies to certain faiths and diverse communities is damaging to our communities and also it damages the community relations, it feeds into the far right.

So what I would say to the Home Secretary she needs to get on, and do her job, address the big issues of the day.

He insisted the biggest illegal migration issue is with regards to people who come into this country, overstay on their visas, adding: So the Home Secretary needs to get on, make sure that people who are here illegally are removed quickly and swiftly and does her job rather than applying rhetoric which damages our communities.

On whether he thought Rishi Sunak should sack Ms Braverman, Mr Chishti replied: I think its up to the Prime Minister who he selected to be his Cabinet.
The owner of Russias Wagner Group military contractor has threatened to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russias military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with long-standing links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9.

That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

However, Mr Prigozhin said his forces have not received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday.



Ukrainian Border Guard soldiers participate in a military exercise in central Ukraine (AP)

Known for his bluster, Mr Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he has not carried out.

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Hours before releasing the statement, Mr Prigozhins spokespeople published a video of him angrily demanding ammunition from Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and general staff chief Valery Gerasimov.

In the video, Mr Prigozhin stands in front of around 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are the bodies of Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone.

Mr Prigozhin speaks in a furious tone and uses numerous expletives in the video.



Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut (AP)

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

He alleged that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Mr Prigozhins statement continued. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest  and likely bloodiest  battle of the war. The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.

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Two days, two great summits  Nordic Europe plus Ukraine,  &  plus . As a result, more weapons for our soldiers, new steps to strengthen Europe together, closer the punishment for the  aggressor. I'm grateful to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland for the strong pic.twitter.com/9PZ90vaSVE    (@ZelenskyyUa) May 4, 2023

Mr Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.

Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Bakhmut, located about 34 miles north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it will not be decisive in the wars outcome.

The city had a pre-war population of 80,000 and was an important industrial centre. It is now a devastated ghost town, but it has become an important symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russias invasion, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying its capitulation could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Mr Prigozhins statement said that Wagner will be forced to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 and have Russias regular army take over, because without ammunition, (Wagner fighters) are doomed to a senseless death.

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Ukrainian servicemen inspect a part of a drone downed in Kyiv (AP)

He accused jealous military bureaucrats of denying him ammunition.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter, with both sides resorting to long-range bombardments.

It is not the first time Mr Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. He has already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week, if the situation with ammunition does not improve.

Asked by The Associated Press about Mr Prigozhins statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen refences to it in the media but refused to comment further.

The Russian military did not immediately comment on the statement either.

Also Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region which borders the annexed Crimean Peninsula briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It marks the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had came under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions on the border with Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.
While other Republicans running for president assiduously avoid discussing abortion, Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador with 20 years in American politics, is trying a novel approach: talking about it.

Days ago, Ms Haley, the only woman in the 2024 White House race, gave a lengthy speech stating she opposed abortion personally but, breaking with her party's right flank, she called for a national consensus. In a Tuesday television interview, she asserted a need for a broad middle ground.

People around the 51-year-old former governor of South Carolina, the daughter of two Indian immigrants, say her willingness to discuss the topic represents a calculated risk while other candidates dodge it.

"She's someone who does tackle tough issues like abortion, foreign policy and entitlement reform. She doesn't shy away from things just because they're uncomfortable," said Nachama Soloveichik, Ms Haley's communications director.

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As governor, Ms Haley gained national attention in 2015 when, following a white gunman's murder of nine black men and women in a church, she helped lead the push to remove the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Capitol grounds, relegating a divisive symbol of the South's pro-slavery legacy to a museum.

She also has foreign affairs experience. As UN ambassador under then-president Donald Trump from 2017 to 2018, she pitched herself as a stalwart defender of US interests abroad. On the stump, she frequently emphasises the need to support Ukraine, a position that divides the Republican Party.

Crowded Republican field

In interviews, several people close to Ms Haley or her campaign described her decision to focus on divisive issues as a way to differentiate herself in a crowded field, while earning more media coverage than she otherwise might.

They say it is in part a deliberate bid to seize some attention away from front-runners Mr Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

Opinion polls show her at about 4 per cent, while about half of Republicans support Mr Trump.

Strategists say Ms Haley's decision to address abortion head-on has also underlined a harsh truth for Republicans: There is no position that will satisfy everyone.

"It's easy to lose a lot more voters than you gain by talking about it," said Whit Ayres, a longtime Republican strategist.

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Some 59 per cent of Republicans said they were more likely to vote for a politician who supports banning or enacting severe restrictions on abortion, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released in March. The remaining 41 per cent were less likely.

Supporters, donors and some party stalwarts praised Ms Haley for her speech addressing an issue that divides the party. But some activists and strategists criticised the speech, which was largely devoid of policy suggestions, for not taking an unequivocal stance.

Susan B Anthony Pro-Life America released a statement on Twitter after Ms Haley delivered her speech at the anti-abortion organisation's headquarters in Virginia, praising her for her commitment to supporting a nationwide ban on abortions after 15 weeks of gestation.

But Ms Haley's campaign denied even mentioning an abortion ban after 15 weeks. As South Carolina governor from 2011 to 2017, she signed a ban on most abortions after 19 weeks.

"I think that where Ambassador Haley falls the shortest is that candidates can't lead with compromise," said Noah Brandt, vice president of communications at Live Action, a major anti-abortion group.

Other Republicans focus on other issues

The challenges facing Ms Haley - and her Republican opponents - were on display during a recent town hall her campaign hosted in Henniker, a town of 6,000 people in New Hampshire.

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In interviews, several attendees said they opposed abortion rights while others said it was an issue best left out of politics.

"I don't believe anybody should tell me what to do with my body," said retired nurse Claudia Roberts, one of the attendees.

Ms Roberts said she hoped New Hampshire's Republican governor, Chris Sununu, a self-described supporter of abortion rights, jumps into the race.

Faced with a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't dilemma, Republican candidates have focused on other issues.

The party's underwhelming performance in the 2022 midterm election was seen inside and outside the party as voter backlash against the US Supreme Court's overturning of its landmark 1973 Roe v Wade decision that had recognised women's constitutional right to abortion.

Mr Trump has barely mentioned abortion, though advisers have said he believes it is best left to each US state.

Governor DeSantis, Mr Trump's closest rival who is expected to announce a run within weeks, signed a ban on abortions after six weeks in Florida last month. He has barely mentioned it since.

Finding a way to differentiate herself will be particularly crucial as Mr DeSantis and South Carolina senator Tim Scott enter the race, said one of the people around Haley.

Emphasising the need for generational change - a theme of Ms Haley's campaign so far - may no longer be as potent, that person said.

Mr DeSantis at 44 is younger than Haley, while Mr Scott is only six years older at 57.

There are limits nonetheless to Ms Haley's raising of thorny matters, and she dedicates plenty of time on the stump to Republicans' more traditional red meat issues.

At the town hall in New Hampshire, she spoke for roughly 30 minutes, hitting on topics as varied as immigration and the Chinese spy balloon that floated over the US this winter.

Among the topics she did not mention? Abortion.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said Covid-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency.

The announcement marks a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed at least seven million people worldwide.

The WHO said that even though the emergency phase is over, the pandemic has not come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in south-east Asia and the Middle East.

"It is therefore with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency.



However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.



Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes  and thats just the deaths we know about"-@DrTedros pic.twitter.com/n6zad8qSdx  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2023

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The UN health agency said that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.

WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: Its with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency.

That does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat.

LIVE: Media briefing on #COVID19 and global health issues with @DrTedros https://t.co/eNfCX95RaG  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2023

Covid has changed our world and it has changed us, he said, warning that the risk of new variants still remained.

Dr Michael Ryan, the WHOs emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to decide on how future health threats should be faced, given the numerous problems that crippled the worlds response to Covid-19.

Countries are negotiating a pandemic treaty that some hope may spell out how future disease threats will be faced  but it is unlikely any such treaty would be legally binding.

When the UN health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on January 30th, 2020, it had not yet been named Covid-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about five billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

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In the US, the public health emergency declaration made regarding Covid-19 is set to expire on May 11th, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end.

Many other countries, including the UK, Germany and France, dropped many of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Dr Tedros declared Covid-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems he described as ill-prepared.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst Covid-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the US and UK. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

The WHO made its decision to lower its highest level of alert on Friday, after convening an expert group on Thursday.

The UN agency does not declare pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already under way.

The WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the worlds response to acute health threats, but the organisation faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded.

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In January 2020, the WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the countrys lack of cooperation.

The WHO also recommended against members of the public wearing masks to protect against Covid-19 for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

"The worst thing any country could do now is to use this news as a reason to let down its guard, to dismantle the systems it has built, or to send the message to its people that #COVID19 is nothing to worry about"-@DrTedros  World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) May 5, 2023

Numerous scientists also slammed WHOs reluctance to acknowledge that Covid-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticising the agencys lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Dr Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of Covid-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure by failing to share jabs with poor countries.

He lamented that the catastrophic toll of Covid-19 could have been avoided.

We have the tools and the technologies to prepare for pandemics better, to detect them earlier, to respond to them faster, he said.

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A lack of (global) solidarity meant that those tools were not used as effectively as they could have been.

Lives were lost that should not have been. We must promise ourselves and our children and grandchildren that we will never make those mistakes again.

Most recently, the WHO has been struggling to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavour that has also become politically fraught.

After a weeks-long visit to China, the WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that Covid-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as extremely unlikely.

A worker wearing a protective suit swabs a mans throat for a Covid-19 test at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, in June, 2022 (Mark Schiefelbein/AP/PA)

But the UN agency backtracked the following year, saying key pieces of data were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that Covid-19 might have ties to a lab.

A panel commissioned by the WHO to review its performance criticised China and other countries for not moving quicker to stop the virus, and said the organisation was constrained both by its limited finances and inability to compel countries to act.

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described Covid-19 as a once-in-a-lifetime disaster and said that broad immunity against the virus meant we were now in a new phase of the outbreak.

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Mr Woolhouse noted there had also been significant criticism of the WHOs pandemic response, in addition to those of its member countries and others.

He said the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing self-inflicted harm by shutting down much of society.

Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned, he said.
We always thought ABCs everywhere man Stan Grant had a touch of the cinematic about him. Now, not satisfied with having done pretty much every job at the public broadcaster, Grant is making his first foray into Hollywood.

According to sources in the know, Stan has landed a bit part as a TV newsreader in Ricky Stanicky, a Peter Farrelly-directed comedy about a bunch of overgrown teenage pranksters which wrapped up shooting in Melbourne last week.

The everywhere man, Stan Grant Credit: Shakespeare

Grants co-stars include 2000s-era High School Musical heartthrob and one-time Byron Bay resident Zac Efron, and wrestler-turned-actor-turned-meme John Cena. Were told the affable Grant was very popular on set  maybe its thanks to his rather convincing American accent, a trick youve got to learn if you work for CNN, which he has.

It all seemed a little too screwball for the usually serious Grant, and while we were keen to discuss this, and his tilt at stardom, with the man himself, he didnt return our calls.
Credit: Poet Amy Keller gives birth to Lilith, whose father Marcus is a Black jazz musician, in Berlin, 1931. Marcus vanishes and, terrified for her mixed-race daughter as the Nazis take over, Amy convinces a Jewish couple, Beatrice and Albert, to take Lilith with them to Cuba. There, Lilith grows up, marries a Cuban and has a daughter of her own, Nadine. But her husband has a target on his back when Fidel Castro seizes power during the revolution, and when hes captured, she arranges for Nadine to be spirited away and adopted by a couple in the US. As an adult, Nadine works in Berlin and, at her daughters prompting, untangles the hidden truth about her birth parents. Armando Lucas Correa weaves a moving historical saga from threads of persecution, guilt, sacrifice, and survival. Search History

Amy Taylor, Allen & Unwin, $32.99 Credit: When Ana moves to Melbourne after a breakup, her life seems more URL than IRL. She has a job at a tech start-up, and her lone effort on a dating app brings dubious results. Suddenly, she meets Evan  likeable, sane, financially secure  and pretty much the opposite of her previous dating history in every way. When she finds that Evans previous partner Emily died in a hit-and-run, she cant help herself. Wildly curious and insecure, Ana lets her digital obsession take over, trawling through old social media accounts to uncover a picture-perfect trail of Evan and Emilys life together. Was it perfect? How did Emily really die? And why wont Evan discuss it with her? Billed as a romantic psychological thriller with traces of Daphne du Mauriers Rebecca, Search History should strike a chord with anyone whos had trouble drawing the line, online (and thats most people, I imagine). It isnt so deftly plotted, or half as gothic as its inspiration, alas, and the messy, self-involved narrator is loosely written in a way that grates after a while.

NON-FICTION PICK OF THE WEEK

Still Standing: A Mothers Fight to Bring the Catholic Church to Justice

Chrissie Foster with Paul Kennedy, Viking, $34.99 Credit: In the late 1980s and 1990s Chrissie Fosters daughters, Emma and Katie, were sexually abused by a Catholic priest at their primary school. Emma subsequently took her own life in 2008. Katie turned to alcohol, was hit by a car, and is now mostly wheelchair bound. Chrissie Fosters 2010 book, Hell on the Way to Heaven, was about those horrific events, this charts her quest for justice. Driven by rage, the story is harrowing, but the storyteller is remarkably composed and strong enough to take on the seemingly all-powerful Catholic Church. Her case was one that prompted Victorias parliamentary inquiry, which in turn prompted the Royal Commission Julia Gillard announced in 2012. Its the chronicle of a warrior for justice, but also a personal, humane work, her description of hearing the national apology, sitting next to Gillard, is deeply moving. The Rise and Decline of Modern Democracy

Damien Kingsbury, Routledge, $73.99 While Melbourne Uni academic Damien Kingsbury believes that, for all its flaws, democracy is the best system on offer, he also thinks its in decline and has been since the end of the Cold War.

Credit: The child of the Enlightenment, a successful combination of capitalism and liberalism, democracys golden age is over. In the post-Cold War world fewer developing countries are becoming democracies for a variety of reasons, including the complacency of the triumphalist West after the Soviet collapse. And, in established democracies, the rise of the populist Right is challenging key principles such as election results. Democratic backsliding is particularly evident in European, post-communist states, most notable in Russias short ride from autocracy, to democracy and back again. An academic study, sometimes densely so, but a valuable one. Dispatch from Berlin, 1943

Anthony Cooper with Thorsten Perl, NewSouth, $34.99 Credit: Late in 1943 Bomber Command invited five journalists to take part in a raid over Berlin: two Australians, Alf King and Norm Stockton, two Americans, including Ed Good night, and good luck Murrow  probably the most celebrated journalist of his age - and a Norwegian poet, Nordahl Grieg. They all jumped at the chance. Only King and Murrow came back. Anthony Cooper and the Germany-based Perl go into the events of that night in gripping detail  flak, terrifying parachute jumps and the chaos of being hit - often using reports from both allied and German crews. The whole exercise was Bomber Commands attempt to control the publicity narrative. Although Stockton and Grieg died, courtesy of German night-fighters, Bomber command got its morale-boosting stories, Murrow describing the scene over the Big City as orchestrated hell.
One can only wonder what Father Bob Maguire  cobber, comrade, and patron saint of the unloved and unlovely  would have made of all this.

Maguires state funeral on Friday was worthy of one of the high priests of Rome he had so often gently mocked as members of the firm. An estimated 2000 people poured into St Patricks Cathedral to pay tribute to the peoples priest in a lavish service and Requiem Mass stretching over two hours.

Father Bob Maguires state funeral at St Patricks Cathedral in Melbourne. Credit: Justin McManus

In filed political and industry leaders, including Premier Daniel Andrews, Opposition Leader John Pesutto, former premiers Steve Bracks and Jeff Kennett, and federal MP Bill Shorten.

But they were outnumbered by members of Maguires cobber-wealth; diverse communities of people working to help the marginalised, disadvantaged and unloved within our society. Above all, Maguire preached the shared humanity of people, and our duty to care for and love one another.
This story is part of the May 6 Edition of Good Weekend. See all 21 stories . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Pssst! Im going to admit to something I may live to regret. Ive got more than a dollop of empathy, you see, for ordinary middle-aged and older blokes in modern Australia. Note my use of the word ordinary  Im not talking about high-flying CEOs, radio shock jocks, the loudmouths on Sky News after dark, the titans of the business world  but average blokes over 50, quietly heading off to work each day, supporting their families, men who would laugh at being called masters of the universe. In a recent column for Time magazine, US author and actor Lauren Graham wrote that everything Ive read about ageing, whether fiction or nonfiction, has been written by a woman. For more than 20 years now, the predominant social conversation on males has been focused, laser-like, on the trouble with boys and young men  the so-called crisis of young masculinity more recently exploited by humourless windbags such as Jordan Peterson, the former academic, and blowhard hustlers such as Andrew Tate, the former kickboxer who was detained and charged with human trafficking last December. The playbooks of both boil down to one simple theme: modern feminism has stripped away what it means to be a man, and given a pesky amount of say to sexual minorities. Tate, in particular, has cynically exploited this sexual rage for financial gain, firing up a new war of the sexes and a new brand of misogyny. While the social changes of the past two decades have left a proportion of young men angry, many older men have been left feeling confused. Apart from a few kooks in the mens rights movement, who proclaim that women have a complete winning hand in everything from sexual relations to university graduations to family law, most blokes over 50 have no interest in fighting for the right to join the patriarchy party. Which isnt to say theyre necessarily happy, healthy chappies either. Psychologist Zac Seidler says that many men become islands as they age. No one is talking about this, says Zac Seidler, a clinical psychologist and director of mental health training at Movember, the annual November fundraiser for mens health issues. Its not a sexy topic to talk about. Seidler, a gentle man with glasses and enviable jet-black stubble, explains why young males seize the spotlight. A gang of misogynistic young men is seen as a social threat, which creates headlines; society doesnt see older men as a threat. As men age and mature, the fire and vitriol tend to dissipate. But masculinity is reliant on a sense of purpose and direction; once this declines, men can feel like theyre surplus. The words beyond usefulness and disposability can sum this feeling up.

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There are increasing signs that all is not well in the house of older men. The most startling statistic on this goes largely unnoticed: in 2021, men over the age of 85 had the highest age-specific suicide rate in Australia, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Older men are also more likely to successfully take their own life than young men, because they prepare for it more precisely and use more deadly means. Compared to women, men are three times more likely to commit suicide and this rate increases as they get older. Alas, many men dont reach very old age: the average life expectancy of a man in Australia is 81; of a woman, its 85, a longevity gap that has been pretty constant for decades and is almost universal in developed countries. After the age of 65, women start to significantly outnumber men, and this gap widens as both sexes age, so that among 85-year-olds and over, there are twice as many women as men. Loading As well as having longer lifespans, women enjoy better health spans: while the Aussie male can look forward to 67 healthy years, women will enjoy 70 years of full health. (Its believed oestrogen carries lifespan bonuses, while testosterone increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases. A 2012 historical survey of 81 Korean eunuchs found they lived up to 19 years longer than uncastrated men.) Zac Seidler believes that among older men, the issues of alienation and feelings of worthlessness represent a serious social concern. He has heard anecdotal reports of hospitals moving geriatric wards to the bottom floor to stop men attempting suicide. A doctor friend has told him that hospital design has had to be modified over the past 20 years to reduce access to lethal means. Theres no single explanation for what appears to be a rampant level of ennui and unhappiness among older men. Experts point to a cocktail of causes: loss of sense of purpose, lack of connection with others, a feeling of little control over ones life, a sense of treading water. Among older men, illness and personal loss can add to the depression, especially if theyve lost a partner or the intimacy has died in their relationship. This is a difficult time, a turning point, says Carl Nelms, manager of Blokes Psychology in Melbourne, a clinical service catering exclusively to men. The kids are leaving, or have left, the nest. Career ceilings may have been reached. Marriages may be under stress or have broken down. Friendships with other males may have fallen away over the years. This is the time when blokes ask themselves, Who am I? What have I achieved? What do I want to do with the rest of my life? And the biggest existential lament of them all: What is the point of it all?  Carl Nelms says middle age can be a difficult time, a turning point.

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Seidler says that, as men age, many increasingly become islands, which puts them at risk of depression. Mens social connections degrade after the age of 50. Many of their friendships have been transactional  based on work, earlier sporting connections  and so arent deep in nature. Women still provide the social scaffolding in most heterosexual relationships: they organise the get-togethers, the dinner parties, the milestone celebrations. Womens social networks tend to be robust because theyve put a lifelong effort into creating and growing friendships. To make matters worse, some men may not be close to their children, having concentrated on being providers at the cost of spending time with them. What Ill call the mates drought is a phenomenon Ive noted among most of my heterosexual friends and acquaintances, aged 45 and over, whose social lives revolve almost entirely around the friends of their wives or partners. The de-friending process tends to hasten as they get older, as arthritic knees stop them from catching up over a game of touch footy or shooting hoops. Why is it so hard to pick up a phone and organise a catch-up with an old mate? I ask a middle-aged colleague. Is it because it seems somehow  gay? Nope, because I just cant be arsed, replies this married man with three teenagers. I would feel awkward and a bit weird, says a similarly aged married neighbour, as if that explains anything apart from men yet again tamping down their emotions. This contented alone-ness may be fine when youre supported by a partner and family, but what happens if these relationships drift away or break down? Loading In his book The Buddy System, American author Geoffrey L. Greif pithily describes male friendships as shoulder-to-shoulder and female friendships as face-to-face. By which he means, male friendships tend to revolve around sporting activities and hobbies, while women prefer to sit down and chat, to express themselves in a more emotional manner, suggesting female friendships have far more depth. But male friendships dont have to be deep and meaningful to have health bonuses: a US study undertaken in 2016 suggested that men with a wide circle of friends have higher levels of oxytocin  the so-called cuddle hormone  which enables them to handle stress and anxiety more effectively. And personally, I quite like the qualities that make mens friendships different to those between women, or even between men and women: the regular taking the piss out of each other, the frequent bad-joke telling, the silences that arent awkward so much as oddly comforting. There are positive signs that friendships between young heterosexual men  so called bromances  now carry more substance than those of their fathers and grandfathers, who were more bound up by more unemotional, expressionless stereotypes of behaviour. Men in this age bracket tend to be less able to express themselves. They come to us with their story  we try to tease out what the real story is. Carl Nelms Of course, you could sensibly argue that men have no one to blame but themselves if they havent put any effort into developing meaningful friendships in their later years. Because male friendships tend to be more flexible, theyre inherently more fragile: they lack a social contract (as in marriage) and blood bonds (as in family), but then again, we do get to choose our mates, an option we dont have with our families. Perhaps there has been no better portrayal of the mismatched expectations of two male friends than the recent award-winning film, The Banshees of Inisherin, which begins with folk musician and fiddler Colm (Brendan Gleeson) abruptly ending his lifelong friendship with drinking mate Padraic (Colin Farrell) because hes bored with his company and wants to concentrate on his music. Being cut off by a close friend in this manner, one integral to your daily life, can be shattering whether youre male or female, but especially so if youre a male with few friends to begin with. Social research tells us again and again that if we want to live longer, the more social connections we have, the better. The good news is that an increasing number of older men are now reaching out for assistance in the wake of a wider public discussion about mental health. Carl Nelms says that hes seeing a lot more men over 45 visiting his three clinics across Melbourne: this group now represents more than 40 per cent of his clientele. Men in this age bracket tend to be less able to express themselves. They come to us with their story  we try to tease out what the real story is.

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The Banshees of Inisherin: Colin Farrell, right, plays an Irishman whose life changes when his lifelong friend, played by Brendan Gleeson, left, abruptly ends the relationship. Credit:AP You dont have to be an unreconstructed male to find the pace of social change challenging. By most objective measures, George, my personal trainer, a 54-year-old heterosexual male with a muscular physique, an easy sociability and a natural curiosity about the world, is an attractive man. Hed be among the first to march in a womens rights demonstration for equal pay, is appalled by the brutal treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan, supports the young Iranian women challenging the Islamist dictatorship with the anthem Woman, life, freedom and was horrified by the recent striking-down in the US of Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling nearly 50 years ago that enshrined a constitutional right to abortion. George is also kind: when a female client busted a wooden drawer in her wardrobe, he rebuilt it for her; and, last winter, he gave his only pair of ugg boots to a local homeless man. But even he struggles with the use of non-binary pronouns, and the way catchphrases such as white privilege are bandied about by people half his age, who earn three times his income in high-gloss banking and advertising professions. Were not only being told what not to say, but what not to think, he complains, adding that the age-old complaint of women becoming invisible in middle-age also applies to men, although its never discussed by men, perhaps from a fear of sounding vain or even gay. Women are still attractive when they get into their 50s; men in the same age bracket still have functioning cocks, he says flatly. Which means we both have to deal with physical ageing  men just talk about it less, or not at all. Does he feel invisible? The question hangs in the air for a few seconds. When hes at the gym, he explains, he occasionally gets appreciative glances from women, but generally, yes, walking to the shops to buy milk in his trackies, he does feel invisible. The other problem hes facing, as a 54-year-old back on the dating scene after the break-up of a five-year relationship, is that women  from their Tinder profiles and first dates  tell him theyre looking for financial security in a prospective partner, and for a man struggling to pay the rent on a run-down, one-bedroom cottage, hes not exactly regarded as a great catch. And even worse, because he describes himself as a one-woman man, a serial monogamist  some women have a preconception theres something wrong with him. Please make it clear in your story I am not damaged goods, he laughs. Women are still attractive when they get into their 50s; men in the same age bracket still have functioning cocks  We both have to deal with physical ageing  men just talk about it less, or not at all. George, personal trainer, 54 But the issue that really sticks in Georges craw: the double standards he sees everywhere in popular culture. While its no longer politically correct to objectify women, it appears to be perfectly okay, he says, to objectify men on their appearance, from rapper Gillettes song Short Dick Man (Dont want no short dick man) in the 1990s, to photos of shirtless beefcakes in everything from towels to milk advertisements in the 2020s. I tell him about a press release from a London-based PR firm that dropped into my inbox recently, promoting a survey of the most attractive men in UK politics. Our team analysed the physical appearance of the most notable politicians right now, comparing attributes such as height, appearance, smile and intellect, the email declared. Their verdict? Johnny Mercer, Minister of State for Veterans Affairs, ranked first.

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Loading An ex-Army officer and regular exerciser, Johnny Mercer is the best-looking male politician in the UK right now, the press release gushed. George nods in agreement, warming to the theme. Now if that had been a survey about the most attractive women in UK politics, there would have been lots of complaints about sexism, right? Of course, the off-the-shelf response to this kind of reverse sexism is that women have been putting up with deplorable behaviour by men for millennia, and there is a very different power dynamic between, say, a hens night at a male strippers revue and a pole-dancing club in a red-light district. And the female backlash against the male gaze is continuing. A Chinese artist, 23-year-old Lin Yutong, recently fired back against a sexist artwork rating womens looks by assigning scores to mens genitals. Unless we can break our cultural obsession with feminine beauty and dominant male sexuality, this imbalance is likely to continue into the foreseeable future, with no amount of political correctness eroding its influence. Tom, another friend of mine in his mid-50s, is now on testosterone replacement therapy, having been diagnosed with low testosterone while still in his 30s. He insists that mens health issues are usually downplayed, with the possible exception of prostate cancer. Men are just so much less likely than women to go to a doctor; we imagine were bulletproof, he says, puffing on a vape (hes trying to quit smoking). While most endocrinologists dismiss the existence of a manopause  the male equivalent of menopause  theres no getting away from the fact that many men over 50 have low testosterone, with its accompanying symptoms of tiredness and lack of sex drive. Andropause is a real thing psychologically, says Carl Nelms, when you take into consideration a decline in testosterone with a general slowing-down. By the age of 70, some men can have a testosterone level as low as that of a 13-year-old boy. There is increasing evidence now that we are not the men our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers were, at least if you judge this by the yardstick of our testosterone levels.

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Two proposed Queensland coal mines have been cancelled after failing to prove their environmental credentials, giving green groups hope further projects could be canned.

The China Stone Coal mine project is a proposal by MacMines Austasia to construct and operate a coal mine in Belyando.

If companies arent willing to show how they will protect nature, then Im willing to cancel their projects, said Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek. Credit: Rhett Wyman

In 2018, further information was requested about the potential impacts on threatened species and water resources.

But more than four years later, nothing has been provided.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Victoria Police Senior Constable Campbell Taylor is geared up for a long night cruising the streets of Melbournes western suburbs, waiting for what has become an almost inevitable callout to the scene of serious crime involving teenagers. But this is no standard police patrol. Taylors partner for the evening is frontline youth worker Tracie Alborough, who will ride in the officers unmarked police car to assaults, armed robberies, stabbings and street brawls. Police question a young man as part of Operation Alliance. Credit:Victoria Police The unlikely duo are at the forefront of a new program trying to hold back a surge in violent crime and anti-social behaviour whose victims and perpetrators are increasingly children and young adults, The Age has learnt as part of an investigation into the extent of the states knife-violence problem. The Embedded Youth Outreach Program (EYOP) was an idea years in the making, one in a series of new initiatives born from police, justice and youth workers frustration that traditional law-and-order responses to youth crime were inefficient and could be making things worse. The outreach program pairs a frontline officer with a youth worker to provide after-hours support to young people arrested or interviewed by police. Its intention is to tackle the reasons driving young people to commit crimes by getting them to open up about their struggles  drug and alcohol abuse, family violence or mental health issues  and referring them to support services.

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We cannot arrest our way out of this. Its that simple, said Sergeant Tem Hawkes, who oversees the program at Werribee police station. The whole arrest, charge, bail, remand, court system, justice system, youth detention, cant be just the answer. Loading Data collected by Swinburne University of Technologys Centre for Forensic Behavioural Science indicates the program has had some success in diverting young people away from the justice system and into mental health, family violence and substance abuse services. The key to that success is to not give up, officers say. Alborough, who is often on the front line with police, said some repeat offenders, who had initially refused help, were ringing youth workers a year later ready to turn their lives around. Just in recent weeks weve had three of those, she said. They come back, which is amazing. And not through having been in police custody. Its a small victory in what has become Victorias deepening problem with youth crime and violence. That there is a dire need for a new approach is no revelation to those on the front line or policymakers.

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Younger, more violent Despite repeated police crackdowns, tougher bail and sentencing laws, and spending billions of dollars on detention facilities and outreach programs, youth-related crime and violence has been getting significantly worse over the past decade. A record number of young people (aged 10 to 19) are now perpetrating violent crimes like robberies, assaults, sexual offences and murders, according to the Crime Statistics Agency. Police are dealing with an increase in youth crime. Credit:Victoria Police The situation has become so extreme that adolescents and early teenagers (aged 10-14) are the fastest-growing cohort of youth offenders involved in violent crime. And the types of crimes are increasingly brazen and brutal. It is now routine for teenagers and young adults to be charged with serious criminal offences involving threats or acts of extreme violence, including armed robberies, carjackings, home invasions, assaults and murders, Crime Statistics Agency figures show.

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Police have linked this escalation in youth violence to gang activity, which has been erupting in violent attacks in parks, beaches and shopping centres. Knives have also become a major contributor to the surge in violent youth crime. Police and youth workers interviewed by The Age say knife-carrying has become widespread because of fear  fear that everyone else has a weapon, or about being caught without one. Children as young as nine are pretending to stab each other in playgrounds, and high school students bring knives to class, they say. The reality is that whats in their imagination is whats showing up in street crime as well, youth worker Michael Lowe says. Instead of punching someone in the head, now the fantasy is to stab someone. Lowe remembers a workshop in Melbournes west recently where he told a group of at-risk teenagers about a time his friend was punched in the head outside a nightclub.

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They all agreed that they would have run after the guy [who punched him] and stabbed him, he says. How much youth crime directly involves knives is impossible to determine because of the way crime statistics are recorded  there is no offence for attacking or killing someone specifically with a knife. But children and young adults are increasingly becoming victims of knife assaults and murders. In the 2018-19 financial year, 32 youths under 19 were treated in hospital for knife assaults. That figure skyrocketed to 142 victims in 2021-22, according to the Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit. Nearly one in 10 were under 14. There is also growing concern among law enforcement and youth workers about victims of knife violence turning into potential perpetrators because they do not feel safe. Alborough has seen it play out repeatedly in her work with the Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS).

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Supporters of Julian Assange feel buoyed by the emergence of bipartisan support for the case against the WikiLeaks founder to be brought to a close after a significant change in rhetoric from Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Friday expressed frustration with his governments inability to convince the Biden administration to drop its extradition request for Assange, saying he had left United States officials with no doubt about his position on the matter.

Dutton  who had previously been highly critical of Assange  said on Friday that Assanges case had gone on for too long and should be brought to a conclusion.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is in a London prison facing extradition to the US to face espionage charges. Credit: AP

The United States Justice Department has charged Assange with 17 counts of breaching the Espionage Act, plus a separate hacking-related charge.
Kyiv: Russia claims that the United States was behind an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin aiming to kill President Vladimir Putin, and air raid sirens sounded again in Kyiv as darkness fell following attacks the previous night.

Gunfire and repeated heavier explosions could be heard near the centre of Kyiv. Residents who made their way to air raid shelters told Reuters they saw drones in the air.

A view of a fire after a Russian military drone was downed in downtown Kyiv. Credit: AP

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in The Hague after visiting the International Court of Justice (ICC), said Putin must be brought to justice over the war and that Kyiv would work to create a new tribunal for this purpose.

Putins spokesman Dmitry Peskov, without providing evidence, said Ukraine had acted on US orders with the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin citadel.
Chinese vice president calls for joint efforts to build healthy, stable China-UK ties

Xinhua) 15:43, May 05, 2023

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday. (Xinhua/Yue Yuewei)

LONDON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Vice President Han Zheng on Thursday called for joint efforts to build healthy and stable China-Britain relations to provide a solid foundation and create a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Han made the appeal at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday.

Han said that the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China has drawn a grand blueprint for building China into a great modern socialist country in all respects and advancing national rejuvenation on all fronts through a Chinese path to modernization.

"China's development enjoys a strong leadership core, and its domestic and foreign policies are highly consistent and stable," Han said, noting that no matter how the world landscape changes, China will bring more opportunities through its own development and add more certainty and positive energy to the world.

China, as a major trading partner of over 140 countries and regions at present, makes daily direct investments of 320 million U.S. dollars around the world and attracts over 3,000 foreign enterprises to set up business in China every month.

China is committed to economic globalization and high-standard opening-up and stands ready to work with all countries to pursue win-win cooperation and make economic globalization more open, inclusive, balanced and mutually beneficial, said the Chinese vice president.

On China-Britain relations, Han stressed that as Chinese modernization advances, bilateral cooperation will surely embrace a brighter future.

He urged joint efforts to build a healthy and stable China-Britain relationship so as to provide a solid foundation and creat a favorable atmosphere for mutually beneficial cooperation.

"China views Britain's international role and influence from a positive perspective and always treats the country as a strategic partner," Han said, noting that China is ready to grant national treatment to British companies investing in China and steadily expand the high standard two-way institutional opening-up of the capital market.

He voiced hope that Britain will creat an open, fair and non-discriminatory business environment for Chinese companies.

China is willing to strengthen communication and coordination with Britain in international affairs and make positive contributions to global undertakings such as safeguarding world peace and security, coping with climate change and protecting biodiversity, Han added.

He commended the important and positive role the British business community plays in promoting exchanges and cooperation with China, expressing hope that it will continue to contribute wisdom and strength to advancing bilateral relations.

Chinese Vice President Han Zheng speaks at a welcome dinner hosted by Chinese and British business communities in London, Britain, May 4, 2023. As Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative, Han arrived earlier Thursday to attend the coronation ceremony of King Charles III scheduled for Saturday. (Xinhua/Li Tao)

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
Honoring scholars, sharing new discoveries

UB School of Management recognizes excellence in doctoral student research

BUFFALO, N.Y.  Every day, researchers in the University at Buffalo School of Management push past boundaries to tackle complex business challenges. That culture of innovation was on display for the entire university to see during the 12th annual PhD Showcase.

Through a series of three-minute presentations, School of Management doctoral students from every academic department presented their research on a wide range of topics  from whether an overworked lifestyle signals high status, to how a CEOs fiduciary duty of loyalty affects corporate tax policy, to how friendships affect mental health.

Held April 24, the PhD Showcase celebrated doctoral student research and success, culminating with the announcement of several student awards.

Two students  Xinghui Chen of Haikou, China, and Shuxian Xiao of Guangzhou, China  were honored with Poster Presentation Awards based on their overall presentation and the clarity, strength of design and implications of their research. They each received a $1,000 cash prize.

Representing the Marketing Department, Chen presented her research that found consumers are more likely to choose an environmentally friendly product if theyre asked to explain their choice between the green item and a conventional one.

Meanwhile, Xiao, from the Operations Management and Strategy Department, shared her study that explored which pricing strategies and loyalty programs maximize hotel profits through direct booking and online travel agencies.

From the Accounting Department, Zhiru Lin of Xiamen, China, received the Deans Award for Research Excellence, which goes to the senior doctoral student who demonstrates the highest level of potential as a scholar based on journal publications, research awards and presentations or papers at top conferences. Lin, who presented research on how turnover in accounting firms affects financial reporting quality, received a $2,500 prize for the honor.

Finally, two students  Victoria Gonzalez of Santiago Metropolitan, Chile, and Vincent Rice of Providence, Rhode Island, were named Rising Stars for exhibiting exceptional early performance in the program through their engagement with faculty on research, coursework and contributions to the intellectual atmosphere of the school. They each received a $1,000 prize.

Gonzalez delivered her Showcase presentation on how to build trust to safely integrate artificial intelligence into organizations and society, while Rice explored the factors that affect teams that leverage AI in their work.


The Directorate of Enforcement (ED) is probing Manappuram Agro Farms (MAGRO), a former sole proprietorship concern of V P Nandakumar (CEO and managing director of Manappuram Finance). Standard & Poors on Friday said Manappuram Finance (MFL) faces reputational risk over a money laundering investigation.



The companys stock closed 11.45 per cent lower at Rs 105.6 per share on BSE. Pending further information, it is unclear if Manappuram (BB-/Stable/B) will face any legal, financial, or funding risk from the investigation, S&P said in a statement.



The company said the board noted with satisfaction the explanation given by Nandakumar. The matter pertained to a 10-year-old of erstwhile proprietorship concern. He updated the regulators at periodical intervals and he was in touch with his legal advisors to remedy the situation. In a filing, the company said the ED action had nothing to do with Manappuram Finance and had no impact on its financial position/operations.

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Ratings on Manappuram derive support chiefly from the company's strong capitalisation and earnings and from its position as one of the leaders in gold-backed lending in India. S&P said it had in the past highlighted a few issues at Manappuram and the subsequent steps the company had taken to address them. We reflect this comparative high risk within our banking industry country risk assessment framework, it said.

As of May 3, Manappuram has about Rs 35 billion in working capital loans due for repayment in three months and liquid assets of about Rs 10 billion. The company has an asset base of largely shorter tenor and self-liquidating loans, tempering refinancing risk, S&P added.


FMCG major Marico on Friday said its board has re-appointed Saugata Gupta as its Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer for another term of two years.

Gupta's reappointment is effective from April 1, 2024.

The board of Marico, in its meeting held on Friday, approved "re-appointment of Saugata Gupta as the Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer for a term of two years w.e.f. April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2026."



He had joined Marico in 2004 as the Head of Marketing and was elevated to CEO of India Business in 2007. In 2014, he took over as Managing Director of the company.

Besides, the company's board has appointed Rajan Bharti Mittal as an independent director for a term of five years, beginning from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2028.

Mittal is the Vice-Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, one of India's leading conglomerates with diversified interests in Telecom, Space Communications, Digital Solutions, Financial Services, Real Estate, Agri-Processed foods in addition to other ventures.

Both the appointments are "subject to the approval of the shareholders," it added.

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The Bengaluru-based firm informed employees about the layoffs in a town hall on Friday morning. Vidit Aatrey, Meeshos co-founder and chief executive officer, admitted "judgement errors in over-hiring" in a May 5 letter to his employees. Meesho is laying off 251 employees, or 15 per cent of its workforce, marking another round of job cuts at the e-commerce firm as it seeks profit and reduces costs.



As leaders, we made judgement errors in over-hiring ahead of the curve. At the same time, we could have run our organisation structure in a more effective and lean manner overall. Our spans and layers were inflated, and this could have unintended consequences on our speed to execute. We grew by 10X from 2020 to 2022, helped by Covid tailwinds and aggressive investments. Even as we tracked our plans, the macro climate undeniably and considerably changed. As a result, we have to accelerate our timeline profitability as part of While our cash reserves buffer us well for these harsh circumstances, we need to stay highly prudent on the cost front, said Aatrey in the letter seen by 'Business Standard'.







Also Read: Meesho fires 251 more in 3rd round layoffs; cites judgement error in hiring Meesho has raised $1.1 billion in funding from investors such as SoftBank, Prosus, and Facebook at a valuation of around $4.9 billion. In April 2022, Meesho downsized its grocery vertical and laid off about 150 employees. According to the media reports, the actual number of employees impacted at that time was about 400.

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We are committed to ensuring all those impacted have our full support and will be provided with a separation package that includes a one-time severance payment of 2.5 to 9 months (depending on tenor and designation), continued insurance benefits, job placement support and accelerated vesting of ESOPs. We remain grateful for their contributions to building Meesho. We have taken a difficult decision to part ways with 251 Meeshoites constituting 15 per cent of the employee base, as we look to work with a leaner organizational structure to achieve sustained profitability, said a Meesho spokesperson.



In his letter, Aatrey said that while Meesho is confident that the business will stay strong, the economic reality is here to stay. We are now faced with the hard truth of aligning our people costs with the new projections for our business. We should have done better here, said Aatrey. For those who are leaving, I say thank you and that I truly am sorry. Many Meesho employees had taken the decision to relocate to Bengaluru recently. For anyone who moved to Bengaluru from January 2023 till May 5, will get reimbursement as per the current relocation. An amount equivalent to the claim amount will be paid as an allowance to cover any costs towards relocation back to the hometown.



Meesho had 120 million average monthly active users on its platform in 2022. Over the last two years, Meesho added about 100 million MAUs, much higher than additions by peers. While Meesho is much smaller in size (Gross merchandise value terms) versus Flipkart Group and Amazon India, its average monthly active users count is about 55 per cent of the incumbents, according to a recent report by brokerage firm Jefferies.
Blackstone-sponsored Nexus Select Trust, which will soon launch Rs 3,200 crore retail REIT public issue, has acquired 17 shopping malls in the last seven years and will further expand portfolio through inorganic route as it remain bullish about retail consumption.

Nexus Select Trust will hit the capital market on May 9 to raise up to Rs 3,200 crore through its retail REIT Initial Public Offering (IPO) and this includes fresh issue of units worth up to Rs 1,400 crore and an Offer For Sale (OFS) of up to Rs 1,800 crore.

The company has fixed the price band at Rs 95 per unit to Rs 100 per unit for the proposed issue scheduled to close on May 11.

This will be India's first REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) IPO backed by rent yielding retail real estate assets. At present, there are three listed REITs on stock exchanges but all backed by office assets.

Nexus Select Trust has a portfolio of 17 operational shopping malls, including Delhi's premium Select City Walk, across 14 major cities covering a 9.8 million square feet area. It operates 2 hotels with 354 keys and also office spaces as part of mixed use development.

"Since establishing the platform in 2016, we have acquired 17 high quality retail assets. We have acquired 1.4 million square feet retail space every year. We acquired seven assets from Prestige group in midst of COVID pandemic," Nexus Select Trust Chief Leasing Officer Nirzar Jain told reporters here.

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The company has a proven track record of repositioning and turning around underperforming assets, like Nexus Amritsar, through strategic capital expenditure and leasing initiatives, he added.

Jain said the company's total net operating income (NOI) is projected to grow organically by 17 per cent to Rs 1,897.1 crore in 2025-26 from Rs 1,619.8 crore in 2023-24. In the first nine-month of the last fiscal, the NOI stood at about Rs 1,050 crore.

The company said it is well-positioned to scale inorganically driven by strong balance sheet.

In November last year, Nexus Select Trust filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with Sebi to launch its retail REIT public issue.

Earlier, the company had planned to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore from its proposed REIT public issue.

Asked about reduction in the IPO size, Jain said the units are being issued at a discount in the public issue as against the net asset value (NAV) of Rs 127 per unit.

Post-IPO, the shareholding of Blackstone in Nexus Select Trust will come down to 43 per cent from 60 per cent. Select City Walk promoters stake will reduce slightly to 24.3 per cent from 25 per cent.

REIT, a popular instrument globally, was introduced in India a few years ago to attract investment in the real estate sector by monetising rent-yielding assets. It helps unlock the massive value of real estate assets and enables the participation of retail investors.

At present, there are three listed REITs -- Embassy Office Parks REIT, Mindspace Business Parks REIT and Brookfield India Real Estate Trust -- on Indian stock exchanges, but all of these are leased office assets.

This will be the third REIT sponsored by Blackstone. It launched India's first REIT Embassy Office Parks and then Mindspace Business Parks REIT.

There are around 3,000 stores across 17 shopping malls while the number of brands is nearly 1,100. The average rental of its retail portfolio is Rs 123 per square feet per month, with maximum rent at nearly Rs 500 per square feet at Select City Walk in Saket, South Delhi.
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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Rana Group, which has diversified business interests, on Friday said it will invest Rs 1,900 crore in the electric vehicle business in phases, a top company executive said.The group announced the opening of 101 showrooms pan India and started billing electric three-wheelers to end customers.
The fears large manufacturing states expressed when the GST regime became operational in the financial year 2017-18 (FY18) have not materialised. The regime looked to tax at the point of consumption rather than the place of production. States which are Indias manufacturing hubs expected a loss of revenue. They have not lost by accepting GST.

India doesnt seem to find the need yet for such schemes amid surging goods and services tax (GST) collections. Overall collections touched a record high of Rs 1.87 trillion in April 2023, though there are some differences among individual states.


The project is aimed at bridging the gender-based skill gap and addressing the stigma, abuse, and discrimination against transgenders. Wine and spirits group Pernod Ricard India has signed an agreement with the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) to provide skill training to 240 transpersons in Mumbai under the "Livelihood Creation" project.



It will be a placement-linked skill training programme where candidates will get skill training across job roles, such as retail sales and front office. It will also raise awareness among stakeholders to build consensus on key issues and develop sustainable livelihood approaches and capacity-building programmes. "Empowering the transgender community with skills and employment is not just a moral obligation but also a practical necessity. Enhancing their economic independence and including them in formal establishments will result in long-term social and economic benefits," said Ved Mani Tiwari, chief executive officer (CEO) at NSDC.



The issue of livelihood of transpersons is critical in India as, according to the Census 2011, 65 per cent of transgenders were able to find work for more than six months in the year. For the general population, this was higher at 75 per cent. "It is critical to build an inclusive and conducive ecosystem where people from all societal strata and gender identities have equal access to education, healthcare, and employment opportunities," said Yashika Singh, executive vice president of corporate affairs, communications and S&R at Pernod Ricard India.


IBA and the United Forum of Bank Unions have conducted negotiations, however, a final proposal has not yet been sent to the Ministry of Finance. A five-day-work week for banks is being planned but there is a lot to consider before any announcement is made. While there is an in-principle agreement between the Indian Banks' Association (IBA) and public sector banks (PSBs) unions, several other issues will have to be resolved among PSBs, cooperative banks, and private banks.



It is imperative for the banks to ensure that there is no delay in cheque clearing and other bank functions due to the change. Moreover, public sector banks will have to see that their business is not affected in case private banks decide to work on Saturdays, the expert said. In order to come to a conclusion, discussions with the Reserve Bank of India and the private sector will also be required. In addition to that, rural and cooperative banks will have to be taken on board before the government issues a notification regarding a five-day working week, an expert told The Financial Express (FE).



If this change is approved, in accordance with Section 25 of the Negotiable Instruments Act, the government will need to release a notification declaring all Saturdays as holidays. However, there is little clarity about the time it will take to bring about the change. Apart from Sundays, banks are closed on the second and fourth Saturdays of every month. Banks unions of public sector banks have been demanding a five-day week for a long time. Further, bankers argued that there is confusion among the common public about which Saturdays banks are closed.

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With the change in place, working hours for banks would be increased by 40 minutes per day to ensure there is no loss of work. Currently, banks open at 10 am and close at 5 pm. After the change, banks would function from 9:40 am to 5:20 pm for five days a week.




The measures have been recommended by a government panel, set up by think-tank NITI Aayog which is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government is considering overturning a ban on foreign investment in its nuclear power industry and allowing greater participation by domestic private firms, two government sources told Reuters, as part of a push for cleaner energy.



The panel has recommended changes to the act and to Indias foreign investment policies so that both domestic and foreign private companies can complement nuclear power generation by public companies. Under Indias Atomic Energy Act 1962, the government plays a central role in developing and running nuclear power stations. Domestic private companies are allowed to participate as junior equity partners by supplying components and helping build them.



The Department of Atomic Energy has said previously that several foreign companies including Westinghouse Electric, GE-Hitachi, Electricite de France and Rosatom were interested in participating in the countrys nuclear power projects as technology partners, suppliers, contractors and service providers. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions and nuclear is in focus because it can supply energy 24/7, unlike solar energy, said the officials, who declined to be named as they were not authorised to talk to the media.

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The officials said the emphasis was on private participation through small modular reactors (SMRs) to fast-track nuclear energy generation, which accounts for 3 per cent of Indias total power production. Coal fires three quarters of it. India does not allow foreign investment in the nuclear power sector.



Factory-built and ready-to-shift, each SMR produces up to 300 megawatts (MW) and requires less capital, time and land than conventional reactors. They can also safely be deployed in populated areas, the officials said. The Department of Atomic Energy, which works directly under the prime minister, and Niti Aaayog did not respond to emails and messages seeking comment.



An Indian minister overseeing atomic energy, Jitendra Singh, said in November the country should explore private players' participation in developing SMRs. In the same month, the atomic energy department held closed-door consultations with domestic and global industry players who showed significant interest, one of the officials said. State-run Nuclear Power Corp of India (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam are the only two nuclear power generators in India. Thermal power company NTPC and oil marketing firm Indian Oil Corp, both government-controlled, have formed partnerships with NPCIL for nuclear power.



The recommendations will next be submitted to Modi's office, said the officials, without giving a timeline. "With the right policy push, we see private sector taking up significant deployment in the country," said the official.



India's current nuclear power capacity is 6,780 MW and it is adding 21 more units with a capacity of 7,000 MW by 2031. The government panel has also recommended replacing old coal-based plants with SMRs, amid a proposal to amend its electricity policy to not add any new coal-fired power plants, sources have told Reuters.

The country is a signatory to international conventions on nuclear safety and will have to ensure that private companies comply with standards. India imports uranium fuel for nuclear plants from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, France and Canada under bilateral agreements.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the situation in Manipur with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and top officials, even as the Centre dispatched additional security forces and anti-riot vehicles to maintain peace there, sources said.

Shah, who is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur and is in constant touch with top functionaries of the state and central governments throughout the day, held the review meeting through video conference.

The chief minister, the state's chief secretary and director general of police, union home secretary and other senior officials attended the meeting, sources said.

Shah, who is staying put in the national capital away from poll campaign in Karnataka, is also taking regular inputs from security and intelligence agencies about the Manipur situation, which by and large remained peaceful on Friday.

Around 1,000 more central paramilitary personnel with anti-riot vehicles reached Manipur on Friday, sources said.

They said Article 355 of the Constitution has not been invoked in Manipur. Under the provision, the central government can handle the law and order machinery of a state.

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Clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday and intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a 'Tribal Solidarity March' to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the Meitei community.

The state government on Thursday issued shoot-at-sight orders in "extreme cases" to contain the spiralling violence which has displaced more than 9,000 people from their villages.

On Thursday, Shah held two meetings via video-conferencing attended by the Manipur chief minister, the state's chief secretary, the police chief, the Union home secretary and other top officials of the central government.

He also held telephonic conversations with chief ministers Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, Zoramthanga of Mizoram and Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam in view of the situation in Manipur on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked with coordinating the deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, sources said.

Some of these senior officers are being rushed in from Delhi and Ranchi, a source said.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has claimed that the Central government, through the Special Cell of the Delhi Police, is spying on Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

AAP spokesperson and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj alleged on Thursday that officials of the Special Cell are roaming around the residence of the Chief Minister 24 hours a day in plainclothes, keeping an eye on the people visiting there and making a record.

"Our differences with the Centre are known to the world. The Centre wants to end Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal politically. They want to end AAP and these events raise serious questions," he said.

AAP Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh have also written to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora in connection with the matter.

In the letter, AAP MPs noted that from time to time, there have been "lapses" in the security of the Chief Minister and he has been attacked several times.

"Police are supposed to protect the citizens. But it's sad that they are not able to keep even the Chief Minister safe. A few days back, a drone was spotted near his residence but no one was arrested in connection with the incident," the AAP MPs stated.

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They further pointed out that some officers of Delhi Police's Special Cell have been roaming around Kejriwal's residence for the whole day.

"When asked, they (officers) say that they are on a special task. What such task has been given to them by the Delhi Police? Is CM Kejriwal being spied on by these officers now? The police of every state work to ensure the security of its Chief Minister. Why is Delhi Police spying on its Chief Minister? Is this not completely illegal? For what purpose CM Kejriwal is being spied on," the AAP MPs said in the letter.

"The law and order situation in Delhi is very bad. Serious crimes are happening in Delhi every day. It is the job of the Delhi Police to stop these crimes, not to waste time spying on the CM under the pressure of one party," they asserted.

"The people of Delhi are looking towards you (Delhi Police Commissioner) with great hope. We are hopeful that you will respect the khaki uniform and the people of Delhi," the AAP MPs added.

--IANS

gcb/sha
Amid a continuous decline in job postings, hiring trends remain upbeat in the sectors related to Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data, according to a report on Friday.

The first quarter (Q1) of 2023 saw many companies including major players like Salesforce, Accenture, and JP Morgan Chase & Co announcing layoffs amidst a continuous decline in job postings.

Despite this, sectors such as retail, healthcare, and technology continued to hire actively. Key themes driving hiring trends being Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data, reveals the report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

GlobalData's latest report, 'Global Hiring Activity - Trends & Signals Q1 2023', reveals that the global hiring activity continued to decline in Q1 2023, as active jobs declined by 27.8 per cent, with new job postings declining by 19.1 per cent and closures rose 36.3 per cent compared to postings.

However, retail, healthcare, and technology continued to hire actively although active jobs declined by around 30 per cent sequentially in Q1 2023.

"Foodservice, travel and tourism, business and consumer services, and construction had higher job postings and lower closures than other industries in Q1 2023. AmRest Holdings SE, Marriott International Inc, and Black & Veatch Corp were among the top recruiters during the same period," said Sherla Sriprada, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, in a statement.

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In terms of themes, digitalisation, AI, and renewable energy had higher job postings and lower closures during the quarter.

"While the decline in job postings and the surge in layoffs are concerning, the key takeaway is that industries need to adapt to digital transformation and upskill their workforce to stay relevant," Sriprada said.

--IANS

rvt/svn/
A Delhi court will hear on May 12 the bail application of businessman Amandeep Singh Dhall, arrested in a money laundering case related to the alleged excise policy scam.

Special Judge M K Nagpal fixed the matter for hearing arguments on the bail application on a join request made by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the accused.

The ED's Special Public Prosecutor N K Matta sought adjournment on the ground that the court has summoned Dhall and other co-accused on May 12 in pursuance to a supplementary prosecution complaint (ED's equivalent of a charge sheet) filed by the central probe agency against them.

The counsel for Dhall also sought adjournment for addressing arguments on his bail application.

"Hence, at joint request, the application is directed to be listed on May 12, for arguments. Accused be produced physically on the next date, as requested, the judge said in an order passed on May 4.

The Delhi court on April 28 dismissed AAP leader and former Delhi minister Manish Sisodia's bail application in the case, saying the evidence prima facie "speaks volumes of his involvement in commission of the offence".

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The court had on March 31 dismissed Sisodia's bail application in the corruption case related to the scam, being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The CBI and the ED had arrested Sisodia for alleged corruption in the formulation and execution of the now-scrapped Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 and for laundering the money so generated.


So how did the Nilgai get selected as Delhis state animal? How do states choose their state animals? If you have been to the Jawaharlal Nehru University Campus, you are sure to have spotted a strange beast somewhere halfway between a cow and a deer. Youll also find it at the Delhi ridge. This is the Nilgai, also known as Boselaphus tragocamelus, and till not too long ago, the state animal of New Delhi. The Nilgai however is set to lose its status as Delhis state animal. The Delhi Forest Department has said that while Delhi has a state bird, the House Sparrow, no document is available on declaring the state animal and tree as per official records.



A state animal is declared based on the uniqueness of the animal to that region, their abundance, endangered status, or whether they are native to the region. For instance, the Ladakh Union Territory administration announced the snow leopard as its state animal and the black-necked crane as its state bird in September 2021. The black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakhs high-altitude wetlands and marshes. They arrive in Ladakh in March for breeding and migrate by October end or early November. It is mostly listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. There are 500 snow leopards in India of which nearly 300 are in Ladakh alone.

The practice of naming a particular animal or bird as an emblem of the state goes back to the 1970s. The idea was to draw special attention to species endemic to certain regions of the country, and therefore help in their conservation as part of the states natural heritage. Most states have a state animal and state bird. A state animal is declared based on the uniqueness of the animal to that region, their abundance, endangered status, or whether they are native to the region. For instance, the Ladakh Union Territory administration announced the snow leopard as its state animal and the black-necked crane as its state bird in September 2021. The black-necked crane is found in eastern Ladakhs high-altitude wetlands and marshes. They arrive in Ladakh in March for breeding and migrate by October end or early November. It is mostly listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. There are 500 snow leopards in India of which nearly 300 are in Ladakh alone.



Others like Rajasthan have a state wild animal, the Chinkara or Indian Gazelle, while its State Animal is the Dromedary Camel. Some like Punjab also have a state aquatic animal. Then-Chief Minister Amarinder Singh declared the Indus Dolphin, one of the worlds rarest mammals, as Punjabs State Aquatic Animal in 2019.

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As far as conservation goes there have been hits and misses. When in 1975, the Sangai or brow-antlered deer of Manipur was declared the state animal, there were only 14 such deer left. However, following the declaration, people started to own the Sangai. Today, it is an icon of Manipur. You have shops, taxi stands, squares, fairs, and even the largest daily in circulation in Imphal named after the deer. There are more than 200 Sangai now in the state. How does this affect the conversation of animals? And once how does the declaration of state animals affect the economy around these animals?



Despite declaring the wild buffalo as its state animal, Chhattisgarh has not been able to increase its numbers. On the other hand, the Hangul  the state animal of Jammu and Kashmir  has seen a sharp decline in its number since the beginning of the 20th century. The deers population lies somewhere between 100 and 261m a significant decline from the early 1900s when the population of the hangul was estimated to be around 5000. Those studying and monitoring the deer are now concerned that this critically endangered species could soon face extinction.



This backfired, however, causing a strong reaction from camel herders and farmers. The government did clarify that the law will not restrict the rearing and use of animals for routine activities nor will trading the animal in fairs will be an offense. Moreover, declaring an animal or bird species as a state emblem can create other problems too. When Rajasthan declared the camel as its state animal recently, it was hoping to arrest the declining population of camels. It also included camel milk in its food security programme.

However, members of Rajasthans Raibari community which subsists primarily on the rearing of camels in the state had staged several protests stating the governments ban on trading and migration, will cause a faster decline in camel population since food for camels is not available in Rajasthan round the year and the animals are needed to be transported beyond the state border for mating. Nevertheless, over the years the law has reduced the sale and purchase of camels to slaughterhouses. The government is now focusing on making more quality feed and fodder available for the ship of the desert in the state.
India and Pakistan on Friday took a veiled swipe at each other at a SCO meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar demanding tough action against cross-border terrorism and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calling for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring".

In his address at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terror activities must be blocked without any distinction even as Bhutto Zardari raised the issue of "violation of international law" which was seen as an apparent reference to Kashmir.

The SCO norms do not allow raking up bilateral issues and the two foreign ministers did not name any country and made the comments indirectly.

Chairing the conclave, Jaishankar said taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated, in another veiled reference to Pakistan.

"We must not allow anybody -- individual or State -- to hide behind non-State actors," Jaishankar said in the presence of Bhutto Zardari and his counterparts from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism," he added.

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In his address, the Pakistan foreign minister talked about the need for ensuring respect for universally recognised principles and said,"unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives."



"We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution," he said.

Though Bhutto Zardari did not make any specific references or elaborated on the context, his remarks were largely seen as an indirect reference to India's policy on Kashmir.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

While expressing Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism, Bhutto Zardari also appeared to take a swipe at India as he called for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring".

"We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors," he noted.

The Pakistan foreign minister also pitched for collective security and said it was a joint responsibility of the member nations.

"Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said.

The Pakistan foreign minister also remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination at the hands of terrorists.

"When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," Bhutto Zardari said.

"I feel the pain of this loss, empathize with victims across the world in a way most can't. I and my country are firmly committed to being part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach," he added.

"It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he said.

Bhutto Zardari also made a special mention of China for its role in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"I want to make a special mention of the commendable role China has recently played in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran-- two countries that are also associated with the SCO. When great powers play the role of peacemaker, we can unlock the potential of peace while paving the way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples," he said.

In his address, Jaishankar noted that current crises facing the world have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and effective manner. He said reform and modernisation of the SCO will aid a more contemporary outlook which India will actively support.

"As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, the world is today facing a multitude of challenges. These events have disrupted global supply chains, leading to serious impact on the supply of energy, food and fertilizers and cascading effects on developing nations," he said.

"These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner," he noted.

"These challenges, however, are also an opportunity for Member States of the SCO to collaborate and address them collectively. With more than 40% of the world's population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact," Jaishankar said.

Bhutto Zardari landed in Goa on Thursday, becoming the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years.

In 2011, Pakistan's then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India and held talks with her counterpart SM Krishna.

India hosted the SCO foreign ministers' conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
By Sarita Chaganti Singh and Sudarshan Varadhan

NEW DELHI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) -India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants, apart from those already in the pipeline, by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP), in a major boost to fight climate change, sources said.

The draft, if approved by the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would make China the only major economy open to fresh requests to add significant new coal-fired capacity.

India and China account for about 80% of all active coal projects as most developing nations wind down capacity to meet climate targets. As of January 2023, only 20 countries have more than one coal project planned, according to E3G, an independent climate think tank.

"After months of deliberations, we have arrived at a conclusion that we would not need new coal additions apart from the ones already in pipeline," one of three government sources said.

The sources declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. India's power ministry did not respond to requests seeking comment.

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The new policy, if approved, would not impact the 28.2 GW of coal-based power in various stages of construction, the sources said.

China and India have together been lobbying for freedom for countries to choose a roadmap to cut emissions.

India, whose proposed coal power capacity is the highest after China, had repeatedly refused to set a timeline to phase out coal, citing low per-capita emissions, surging renewable energy capacity and demand for inexpensive fuel sources.

Coal is expected to be the dominant fuel in generating electricity in India for decades, but activists have pressed for a halt to new coal-fired plants, arguing this would at least help to reduce the share of the polluting fuel in overall power output.

The draft, India's first attempt at revising its electricity policy enacted in 2005, also proposes delaying the retirement of old coal-fired plants until energy storage for renewable power becomes financially viable, the sources said.

So far, old coal-fired power plants with a cumulative capacity of 13 GW have been earmarked for functioning post retirement deadline to meet high power demand, they said.

CHANGE IN STANCE

In the first draft of the NEP in 2021, India had said it may add new coal-fired capacity, though it proposed tighter technology standards to reduce pollution.

The Central Electricity Authority, an advisory body to the federal power ministry, had said last year India might have to add as much as 28 GW of new coal-fired power in addition to the plants under construction to address surging power demand.

However, the final draft, which will guide India's policymaking on energy over the next decade, features no references to new coal-fired power, the sources said.

In contrast, China's National Development and Reform Commission said in a March 2022 document that outlined its energy policy, that the world's largest coal user "will rationally build advanced coal-fired power plants based on development needs."

China plans to build some 100 new coal-fired power plants to back up wind and solar capacity, which analysts said goes against Beijing's stated intention to reduce the role of coal.

The policy revision could also impact long-term coal prices and miners in Indonesia, Australia and South Africa, as India is the world's second-largest coal importer.

(Reporting by Sarita Chaganti Singh in New Delhi and Sudarshan Vardhan in Singapore; Additional reporting by Muyu Xu in Singapore; Editing by Sharon Singleton)
India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar on Friday sought the support of members to make English the third official language of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Currently, Russian and Mandarin are used as official and working languages. He said that constructive steps are needed in this regard.

Jaishankar said that India has initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events.

Sources informed that the foreign ministers of the SCO member countries are likely to finalise in the day a set of 15 decisions or proposals for the consideration of the grouping's summit in July.

The proposals are aimed at expanding cooperation among the SCO member countries in the areas of trade, technology, commerce, security and socio-cultural ties.

Dr. S Jaishankar has appreciated the support of member countries for India's proposal of creation of two new working groups on startups and innovation and traditional medicines.

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The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here Thursday, with Jaishankar also holding meetings with his counterparts.

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.

He laid down the key focus areas, including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.

Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.

--IANS

sbk/dpb


The clashes in Manipur broke out between tribals and the majority Meitei community, following which 9,000 people have been displaced from their villages. According to a PTI report, the ethnic violence was brewing for quite some time in the state as a long history of mutual suspicion between groups in the Imphal Valley and its surrounding hills. On Thursday, the Manipur government issued shoot-at-sight order as the last resort to control the ethnic violence which has engulfed the state for the previous few days. As many as 55 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be deployed in the violence-hit state to contain violence.



On April 19, the Manipur High Court directed the government to submit its recommendation to include the Meitei community in the ST list to the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry by May 29. However, it became a simmering conflict after the Bhartiya Janata Party-led state government started a drive to evict tribal villagers from reserved forests. The demonstrations in the state intensified after the Meiteis were to be granted Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The state government has always been dominated by plainsmen Meiteis, who account for about 53 per cent of the state's population, irrespective of whichever party comes to power in the state.



According to a Times of India report, "Defence PRO Lt Col M Rawat said that the Indian Army and the Assam Rifles undertook rescue operations to evacuate over 7,500 civilians." The eviction drive, which began in February was once again seen as an anti-tribal move, which eventually led to alarm and widespread discontent not only among the Kuki community which was affected by it but also other tribals who have many villages within reserved forest areas.

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Internet services suspended

Amid widespread clashes in the state, mobile services remain suspended after the state government ordered service providers to bar broadband and data services.



Properties vandalised, loss of life According to the report, in the wake of the violence, the services have been suspended for five days.



Deployment of army, paramilitary According to a Hindu report, Hundreds of houses, churches, temples, and vehicles were either vandalised or set ablaze across five districts: Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal. Among the seriously injured was Manipur MLA and former Tribal Affairs Minister, Vungzagin Valte, who was admitted to a hospital after a mob attacked his official residence.



A political blame game has also erupted ever since the clashes broke out in the state, with many political leaders urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to take stock of the situation and putting an end to the violence in the state.

The report suggests that over 500 personnel of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), which is a specialized unit to handle riots was flown in the state on Thursday morning. The RAF personnel joined the 55 Army columns in a bid to restore peace and control the widespread violence.
Manipuri people, residing in Assam's Guwahati, staged a demonstration here on Friday, demanding action against those involved in violence in their state.

Hundreds of people, mainly belonging to Meitei community, participated in the protest in Manipur Basti area here.

The protesters under the banner of Manipur Co-ordination Committee, Guwahati, displayed placards with messages such as 'peace in Manipur should not be at the cost of our survival', 'no ST no rest' and 'no compromise on ST status for Meities, it is for our survival' written on these.

They raised slogans like 'refugees, go back' and demanded identification of culprits behind the clashes in Manipur and exemplary punishment for them.

In a press release, the co-ordination committee, an umbrella organisation of several Manipur civil society entities, appealed to all stakeholders to maintain peace and harmony in the neighbouring state.

They expressed apprehension that more than 1,000 houses were burnt and many were killed in the violence since Wednesday in Manipur.

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The committee condemned the "barbaric acts of ethnic cleansing" and communal clashes. Meiteis account for around 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.

The clashes broke out after a demonstration by tribal groups against a move to grant the Meiteis the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, which the residents of the hills had been enjoying for decades since Independence.

The violence erupted in Torbung area in Manipur's Churachandpur district during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest against the Meiteis' demand for ST status.

During the procession in Torbung, a mob allegedly attacked Meitei community people who retaliated in the valley districts, police said.

The Imphal Valley in Manipur remained peaceful but tense on Friday.

However, Intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were reported from the hill districts surrounding the valley.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and party leaders on Friday paid tributes to the soldiers killed in a blast in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the troops made the supreme sacrifice for the country.

Five Army personnel were killed in an explosion triggered by terrorists on Friday in a thickly forested area in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district where an operation is underway to flush out terrorists.

A major was also injured in the blast.

Five soldiers made the supreme sacrifice for the country while fighting terrorists in Rajouri, Kharge said.

"We pay our heartfelt tributes to the brave soldiers and express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families. We will never allow the nefarious designs of terrorism to succeed," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also expressed grief over the loss of lives in the blast.

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"The news of martyrdom of our five soldiers in an encounter with terrorists in Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir is very sad. At this difficult time, I convey my deepest condolences to their bereaved families. My humble tributes to all the martyrs," he tweeted in Hindi.

Mobile internet facilities in Rajouri have been suspended.

Former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda also paid tributes to the "brave sons of the country".

"The country will always remember this sacrifice of its martyrs. My deepest condolences to the families of the martyrs. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured soldiers," he said.

According to a statement issued by the Army's Northern Command, its personnel have been conducting "relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region last month".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flayed the Congress for allegedly "hindering" the future of children by proposing to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP), which enables a child to pursue his or her studies in one's mother tongue.

Addressing an election rally here, the Prime Minister said NEP has been formulated to ensure that the lack of knowledge of English should not stop an economically weaker child from rural areas from becoming a doctor or an engineer.

However, the Congress has said in its election manifesto to scrap NEP and introduce Karnataka Education Policy which, he alleged, will spoil the future of a child.

Amidst the best efforts of the BJP government, the Congress has become an "enemy of rural children", according to him.

The Congress, in its manifesto released earlier this week, said it will reject the National Education Policy 2020 and form a 'State Education Policy'.

"The BJP government has distorted the textbooks by insulting the great souls of Karnataka like 'Vishwaguru' Basavanna, 'Rashtrakavi' Kuvempu. The Congress will restore the true values of Bharat and Karnataka and scientific temper in the textbooks to make the students evolved and complete," the opposition party said in its poll manifesto.

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Modi said the BJP government at the Centre introduced the NEP to meet the requirements of the 21st century.

This NEP was prepared under the leadership of one of the greatest scientists of India -- former ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, the Prime Minister said adding, Karnataka had been the 'karmabhoomi' (land of his work) of the veteran scientist, who was also the Karnataka Knowledge Commission Chairman.

After consultations with thousands of domain experts and on the suggestions of crores of people of India, the NEP was introduced, the Prime Minister said.

The biggest advantage of this policy is that it lays emphasis on studying in the regional language of the state, the Prime Minister added.

Any child from a village can pursue education and study to whatever extent in their mother tongue but now the Congress has made an announcement in writing that whenever it comes to power, it will put a "lock" on the NEP, Modi said.

"I want to ask you, shouldn't the child of a poor woman, who could not get an admission in an English-medium school, have the right to become a doctor or engineer? Doesn't he have the right to study and go further? Should the future of the child be sealed only because he cannot study in English medium? Should his future be blocked?" Modi asked.

"The Congress wants to stop the children of poor families from becoming doctors only because he did not go to English-medium school. This election is a way to punish the Congress," he said.

The Prime Minister said the BJP-led Centre wants to make the economically weaker children doctors and engineers, an expert in the domain of technology.

"Language should not become a barrier to progress in his life but the Congress is saying that technical education cannot happen in Kannada. Our children who do not know English aren't entitled to a good education?" Modi sought to know.

Further explaining the importance of NEP, the Prime Minister said sometimes a child takes admission in some stream and realises later that another stream was better for them and can excel if they study in that subject.

Earlier, students did not have the choice to change the track once they entered a particular stream. The only option before them was that either they should move forward or drop and go home, he added.

"We said today's youth are intelligent enough to make a decision on their own. A student studies a subject for a year but later he thinks that he could excel in another domain. If the student wishes to change the subject, without spoiling his (academic) year, he can do it. This is the NEP," the Prime Minister asserted.

The Congress wants to stop this, Modi charged. He added that the Congress wants to take away all the alternatives that are made available for the children and compel them to tread on the same track.

"Our government is working with a vision that the students here should have a degree as well as skill in their hands. Congress wants to seal the future of the children and destroy it," the Prime Minister charged.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Rajasthan on May 10 where he will offer his prayers at the Shrinathji temple in Nathdwara in Rajsamand district.

State BJP President C.P. Joshi said that the Prime Minister will kick-start his programme in Rajasthan on May 10 with a 'darshan' of Aaradhya Shrinathji. After this, he will lay the foundation stone for various development works in the state.

The Prime Minister Modi will also address a public meeting at the Brahma Kumari Ishwariya Vishwavidyalaya in Mount Abu.

--IANS

arc/arm

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Prime minister Narendra Modi will hold a public rally on Abu Road in Sirohi district on May 10, BJP state president C P Joshi said Friday.

The PM will begin his visit by first offering prayers at Shrinathji Temple.

Before the rally, he will inaugurate some development works, and visit Brahma Kumaris, Joshi said.

This will be Modi's third rally this year in the Congress-ruled state where assembly elections are due later this year.

Modi had addressed a public programme in Bhilwara in January to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Devnarayan revered by Gurjar community, while in February, he addressed a public meeting in Dausa after dedicating DelhiDausaLalsot section of Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

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Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism. They defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, call it out and deligitimise it, and that is what will happen, Jaishankar said, while addressing the media on the sidelines of the first foreign ministers meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Goa. In a strong rebuttal to vising Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardaris suggestions that both nations should sit down to discuss the issue of terrorism, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said India had been a victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and will not engage in discussions on the issue with the very country responsible for it.



In a press conference with the Pakistani media, Zardari had stressed earlier in the day that Pakistan itself has been affected by terrorism, and that taking eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping. To come here, and preach these hypocritical words as though we are in the same boat I mean, they are committing acts of terrorism, Jaishankar said. On Friday morning, a blast triggered by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri district killed at least five Army personnel and left several injured.



Jaishankar rebuffed questions by the Pakistani media on whether Zardaris visit represented a breakthrough in bilateral relations. As the foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr. Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As the promoter, justifier and Im sorry to say, as a spokesperson of as a terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and were countered, including at the SCO meeting itself, he said. Zardari is the first senior leader from the neighbouring country to visit India in almost 12 years. In 2011, Pakistans then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar had visited India to hold talks with then external affairs minister SM Krishna. No bilateral meeting took place between Zardari and Jaishankar at the 2-day SCO event.

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Combating terrorism has been a key agenda at the 2-day meet, which was also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Russias Sergey Lavrov. In his address to the grouping, Jaishankar asserted the menace must be eradicated, and that channel of finances for terrorist activities must be blocked without any distinction. India on Friday urged all SCO members to focus on stopping terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, in an apparent reference to Pakistan at the SCO Foreign Ministers Meet in Goa.



Don't know if peace is a destiny, but terrorism cant be one," Jaishankar said to Zardaris comments on peace being a destiny of both nations. Zardari had said the SCO countries should not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring. Jaishankar retorted that this reflected the mindset of the Pakistani administration, which views terrorism as a normal fact of life.

Territorial sovereignty

Zardari had said Indias decision to end the special status of Jammu & Kashmir has undermined the environment for holding Pakistan-India talks. In August 2019, India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.



On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, it was made very clear to the minister in the SCO meeting that connectivity cant violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states, he said. Jaishankar said Jammu & Kashmir was, is, and will always be a part of India, and Islamabads reservations with G20 meetings in the territory cant be debated with a country which is not a G20 member.



Eyes on SCO Jaishankar said India and China also needed to disengage at the northern borders in Ladakh. India, China relations are not normal, and cannot be normal until peace and tranquillity at the border areas is restored, he stressed.



At the latest meet, the expansion and reform of the organisation was also on the agenda. The members assessed the accession of Iran and Belarus. India also sought the support of members to make English the third official language of SCO, beside the currently used Russian and Mandarin. SCO is a political, economic, and security alliance of eight nations, historically led by Russia and China. It is considered the most important conclave in the Central Asian region, where other nations have a significant interest in trade, connectivity, and resource extraction. The SCO comprises nine countries: China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.



The latest meet also set the agenda for the upcoming SCO Summit to be held by India in July. Before it holds the SCO summit on June 25 in Delhi, the government has held more than a hundred meetings and events in India, including 15 ministerial-level and head of agency-levels which were held for the first time, Jaishankar said. Founded in 2001 by the Central Asian nations and Russia, India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India assumed the rotational annual presidency of the SCO last year  only the sixth summit India participates in as a full-fledged member.

New Delhi has championed the creation of new verticals of cooperation in the grouping, such as start-ups and innovation, science and technology, traditional medicine and empowering the youth. It has also focused on reviving the countries shared Buddhist heritage, and sought to promote tourism in many places in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh associated with Buddhism.
Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was accorded a warm welcome as he arrived here on Friday to attend the majestic Coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Dhankhar, accompanied by his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar, will join an estimated 100 Heads of State and government from around the world invited to the historic crowning of Britain's new monarch.

Hon'ble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar & Dr Sudesh Dhankhar arrived to a warm welcome in London to attend the Coronation Ceremony of H.M. King Charles III, the Vice President's Office tweeted.

Soon after his arrival, the vice-president is expected to join other Commonwealth leaders for discussions hosted by Commonwealth General Secretary Baroness Patricia Scotland at Marlborough House in London.

This would be the first opportunity for Dhankhar to meet the 74-year-old monarch ahead of the ceremony at the Abbey.

He is also invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles for the Heads of State, world leaders and other official guests on Friday evening.

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Later on Friday evening, Dhankhar will interact with members of the Indian diaspora at a community reception organised by the Indian High Commission in London.

India and UK have a historic relationship and share values of democracy, rule of law and many complementarities and convergences.

"The relationship was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021 with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said with reference to the two-day Vice-Presidential visit to the UK.

The last visit of the Indian Head of State to the UK was that of President Droupadi Murmu, who visited the country in September last year to attend the State Funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of India.

Buckingham Palace has said that the Coronation Service of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey will be attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 people.

Besides 100 Heads of State, guests attending will include members of the royal family, as well as international representatives from 203 countries alongside community and charity champions.

The majestic ceremony, complete with gilded carriages and regalia last witnessed 70 years ago when Charles' late mother was crowned Queen Elizbeth II in June 1953, will also have representation from a number of Indian-origin professionals.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil on Friday said all party leaders compelled Sharad Pawar to withdraw his decision to step down as party chief, telling him that he must continue working for the country and the state.

Patil also took to Twitter to appeal to the cadres to distribute sugar across the state.

"Honourable Sharad Pawar has announced his decision to withdraw his resignation and there is a very happy atmosphere among workers and people across the state. I appeal to workers across the state to celebrate this joy by distributing sugar in every village and every nook and corner," he tweeted.

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Patil said Pawar's announcement of May 2 had come as a shock to all of them, but lakhs of party workers urged him to withdraw his decision.

"Today, Pawar withdrew his decision and decided to work ahead, and we are all happy about the decision," he said.

Asked what prompted the NCP chief to withdraw his decision after three days, Patil said there was demand from party workers, and leaders of other parties in the country too called him and urged him to change his mind.

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NCP leaders from other states also arrived in Mumbai and tried to persuade Pawar to stay on as party supremo, he added.

"We all compelled him to withdraw his decision and told him that for the country, state and the party, he has to work," Patil said.

On Ajit Pawar's absence at Pawar's press conference at the Y B Chavan Centre in Mumbai, Patil said Ajit was there till 2 pm.

"No one knew about the press conference. I, being the state president, was also told at the last moment. I also came late, so there is no other reason for Ajit Pawar's absence, as nobody was told about the press conference," he said, adding that the NCP was united.

Anil Deshmukh, another NCP leader, said all workers of the party were happy with Pawar's decision.
Wrestler Geeta Phogat, who won India's first ever gold medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, was taken into police custody at Singhu border, as per Delhi Police sources.

She, along with her husband Pawan Saroha, were on way to Jantar Mantar to join the grapplers who have levelled sexual harassment charges against Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Saran Singh and have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar since April 23 demanding his arrest as well as ouster from the WFI post.

"Me and my husband Pawan Saroha have been arrested by the Delhi Police," Phogat said in a tweet.

According to sources, she, along with Saroha, who represented India at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won the bronze medal, were taken to Bawana police station after being detained.

More details are awaited.

--IANS

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Were meeting at the House of Ming, the Chinese restaurant at the Taj Mahal Hotel, a venue he has chosen while lamenting the lack of good Japanese diners in Central Delhi.



After rescheduling a few times, industrialistmakes himself available for a lunch meeting on a Friday. Though he had time on Thursday as well, thats the one day of the week when he practices vegetarianism. And since the president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) digs seafood, a Thursday lunch was ruled out. Priorities.
The Congress alleged on Thursday that "Manipur is burning" because the BJP has created fissures among communities with its "politics of hate", as Rahul Gandhi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to focus on restoring peace and normalcy in the northeastern state.

The Congress also said Union Home Minister Amit Shah should be sacked in view of a total breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in Manipur, where the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government should be dismissed and President's Rule imposed.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge appealed to the people of Manipur to exercise restraint and let peace prevail.

"Manipur is burning. BJP has created fissures among communities and destroyed the peace of a beautiful state," Kharge wrote on Twitter.

"BJP's politics of hate, division and its greed for power is responsible for this mess. We appeal to people from all sides to exercise restraint and give peace a chance," he said.

In a tweet, Gandhi said he was deeply concerned about Manipur's rapidly deteriorating law-and-order situation.

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"The Prime Minister must focus on restoring peace and normalcy. I urge the people of Manipur to stay calm," he said.

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Randeep Surjewala shared a government order on social media and pointed that the state government has written that it is "pleased to authorise shoot at sight orders".

"Just like the British government, only the Modi government could use such draconian language as there is complete breakdown of law and order and constitutional machinery in Manipur," he said in a video message.

"This is a fit case where Home Minister of India Amit Shah should resign or should be sacked forthwith. This is a fit case where the BJP government in Manipur should be dismissed and Article 356, that is President's Rule, should be imposed," he added.

The Manipur government issued "shoot at sight" orders on Thursday to contain the spiralling violence in the state between tribals and the majority Meitei community, which has displaced more than 9,000 people from their villages.

Fifty-five columns of the Army and Assam Rifles had to be deployed to contain widespread rioting. More troops are being brought in from Nagaland by road, while the Indian Air Force (IAF) is flying in reinforcements from Guwahati and Tezpur, defence officials indicated.

In a video statement, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the BJP got a resounding mandate in Manipur in 2021, a "double-engine" government was installed in 2022 but less than 15 months later, "the entire state is in flames".

"The society is in foment, internet and social media are suspended, the chief minister is under siege, MLAs resigning right, left and centre and what are the prime minister and home minister doing? They are busy going around polarising Karnataka," Ramesh alleged.

"It is really tragic what has happened in Manipur. All sections of Manipur's diverse society are unhappy, up in flames, youths dissatisfied, tribals dissatisfied, non-tribal communities dissatisfied. This is a betrayal of the people's mandate," he said.

Ramesh called for sternest action to restore peace, normalcy and tranquillity in the northeastern state.

He also alleged that Congress workers and leaders as well as critics of the chief minister are being "attacked" in Manipur.

"How long can the country see this insensitivity to the suffering of the people of Manipur? I feel very very anguished and pained by what is happening," he said.

In a tweet, along with his statement, Ramesh said, "The reality of the 'Double-Engine' Government: Set fire to the state. Stay silent at the Centre. In less than 15 months of BJP forming govt, the entire state of Manipur is in flames. But HM Shah and CryPM Modi are busy campaigning in Karnataka."



Surjewala wrote on Twitter: "Prime Minister and Home Minister are busy sowing the seeds of polarisation and division in Karnataka by weaving fake narratives as #Manipur_is_burning.

"A decisive defeat for BJP in Karnataka is the only guarantee of serving national interest. Time to sack Home Minister Sh. Amit Shah and dismiss the BJP government of Manipur."



"A failed BJP government in Manipur, a failed Modi government at the Centre ... could only use such draconian language for 'shooting its own citizens'. Thousands uprooted and evacuated, communal clashes all around, properties burnt and destroyed, murders, arson, loot all around, No semblance of law and order left, yet government of India is sleeping," he said.

"The PM and HM are busy electioneering in Karnataka as #Manipur_is_burning! Who cares? For Modi ji, only votes matter.

"This is a direct failure of Home Minister Sh. Amit shah, who must resign forthwith," the Congress leader said.

The clashes that broke out on Wednesday intensified overnight, with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks, after members of the Naga and Kuki communities organised a "Tribal Solidarity March".

So far, 9,000 people have been rescued by the forces from the violence-hit areas and given shelter, a defence spokesperson said on Thursday, adding that more people are being shifted to safer places.

The Army and Assam Rifles were requisitioned on Wednesday night, and along with the state police, the forces contained the violence by the morning, the spokesperson said.


My supporters and voters have been with me for so many years, so I cannot reject their sentiment. I am moved by the love and the trust in me. I am revoking my decision to retire from the post, Pawar said in a statement to the media. This came hours after an extended meeting of the panel, following which NCP leader Jayant Patil said: The panel requested Sharad Pawar not to resign at the moment and that he should stay until the parliamentary elections. The committee also passed a resolution stating that Pawar will be continuing for the party chief post. He might have taken this decision to give a chance to new faces but we have requested him to stay on his post. It was a vacancy that never arose. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar on Friday took back his resignation that he announced almost casually on May 2 and achieved what he had set out to do: Re-unite his party under his leadership, after a committee he had himself constituted rejected his resignation out of hand.



Sharad Pawars daughter Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar were present at the meeting in which the panel, led by senior leader Praful Patel, effectively stalled any succession plan in the NCP, for now. But Pawar hinted at major organisational changes when he said that the revocation of his resignation would be followed by big organisational changes to allow the younger generation to take charge.



He said the position of 'working President was offered to his daughter who turned it down. Ajit Pawar was not present at the press conference but Pawar told reporters not to 'read too much into that'. Pawar first sought a day or two to reconsider. But in a matter of hours, he had declared that he was no longer resigning.



Patel, who briefed reporters after the meeting of the committee, said: "Whatever Pawar said that day (May 2) was shocking for all of us. We had no idea that Pawar would announce any such decision (of a resignation) in that programme. All of you saw what happened after his announcement, and how people tried to express their feelings. Even after the programme, many senior party leaders met Pawar several times and we have been continuously requesting him that the country, state, and party want you to continue and you are the only one who can lead us. This development is now being viewed by leaders with nervous apprehension. There was no word on the future of leaders like Jitendra Awhad, MLA from Thane, who had quit all positions in the party, along with the Thane unit.

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All of us want Pawar to continue as party president. He should respect the feelings of lakhs of us and he should continue as president, Patel said, not clarifying whether Pawar would be party president for life or continue only until the 2024 general elections. Pawar on May 2 said he would step down from the party presidentship but asserted he would continue to stay active in politics. The committee in today's meeting has passed a resolution unanimously. The resolution says that Pawar should continue as national president. His decision to step down from the presidents post has been opposed by everyone unanimously, Patel told a press conference.



Pawar also held back, for the moment, from projecting his daughter as an important pole in the NCPs succession politics, possibly to forestall a rebellion by Ajit and his supporters in the party. However, there is no doubt that the restlessness shown by Ajit in returning to government via the BJP (with whom he had joined hands earlier) was nipped in the bud by the elder Pawars move.
India is at a "tipping point" and a major focus for Apple, the technology giant's CEO Tim Cook has said, terming the opening of its first two retail stores in the country - in Mumbai and Delhi - as a milestone for the company.

Speaking at Apple's Q2 2023 earnings call on Thursday, Cook emphasised the dynamism and vibrancy in the Indian market, calling it unbelievable.

"Looking at the business in India, we did set a quarterly record, grew very strong, double digits year-over-year. So it was quite a good quarter for us. Taking a step back, India is an incredibly exciting market. It's a major focus for us, Cook said.

Referring to his recent visit to India, Cook said in the earnings call, I was just there, and the dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable.

Cook was in India in April, his first trip to the country in seven years, to open Apple's first official retail store in the country, in Mumbai, followed by the launch of a second store in New Delhi. Cook said the stores are "off to a great start.

Terming the opening of Apple's first two stores in Mumbai and Delhi as a milestone for the company, the Apple CEO said, ...in a milestone for Apple, we just opened our first two Apple stores in India, in Mumbai and Delhi. I was there to see it for myself, and I couldn't have been more delighted by the excitement and enthusiasm of the customers, developers, creators and team members I got to spend time with."



I've had the chance to connect with customers and teams all around the world in recent months, so many people shared with me that they were fans of Apple, not just because of the innovations we create, but because of the values that guide us, and that means a great deal to us, he said.

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He said that Apple has been expanding its operations in India to serve more customers.

We've got a number of channel partners in the country as well that we're partnering with, and we're very happy with how that's going overall. Overall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there, Cook said.

He added that many people are coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and it's great to be there.

On Apple's performance in other emerging markets, Cook said the company had a stellar quarter in emerging markets overall, with records set in several places, including Indonesia and Mexico, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, and quarterly records set in Brazil, India and Malaysia.

It was a great quarter for emerging markets in general, despite the headwinds of the currencyand so we're putting efforts in a number of these markets and really see, particularly given our low share and the dynamics of the demographics, et cetera, a great opportunity for us in those markets, he said.

Apple reported revenue of USD 94.8 billion for the March quarter and set an all-time record for services and a March quarter record for iPhone.

Responding to a question comparing the market in India today and that in China a decade ago, Cook said each country is different and has its journey, so I hesitate to compare too much. But what I do see in India is a lot of people entering the middle class, and I'm hopeful that we can convince some number of them to buy an iPhone, and we'll see how that works out. But right now, it's working out well.

In response to another question on which segment he sees the biggest opportunity for Apple in India, he said there is an opportunity across the board, including in services.

Obviously, the ARPUs (average revenue per user) are lower in India for whether you're talking about TV and movie streaming or music, the ARPUs are much lower than other regions. But if you look at it over a long arc of time, I think there's a good opportunity across the board, he said.

Cook also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his recent visit.

"An absolute delight to meet you, @tim_cook! Glad to exchange views on diverse topics and highlight the tech-powered transformations taking place in India," the prime minister tweeted after meeting Apple CEO.

Cook also took to Twitter and said, Thank you, Prime Minister @narendramodi for the warm welcome. We share your vision of the positive impact technology can make on India's future from education and developers to manufacturing and the environment, we're committed to growing and investing across the country.

Cook had last visited India in 2016 when the tech giant began scaling up operations in the country.

The company has set up a two-storey Apple store in Mumbai, covering an area of around 20,000 square feet. The Apple Saket Store in Delhi is half the size of the Mumbai store. The barricade for the Apple Saket store features a unique design that takes inspiration from the capital's many gates.

The company has more than 70 highly skilled retail team members at Apple Saket Store who come from a combined 18 states in India and collectively speak more than 15 languages.
By Julia Love, Rachel Metz and Davey Alba



A senior software engineer at Google wrote a critique asserting that the internet search leader is losing its edge in artificial intelligence to the open-source community, where many independent researchers use AI technology to make rapid and unexpected advances.

The leaked document, published by consulting firm SemiAnalysis, made the rounds in tech circles on Thursday. In it, the engineer argues that Googles rivalry with startup OpenAI had distracted from the rapid developments being made in open-source technology. A senior software engineer at Google wrote a critique asserting that the internet search leader is losing its edge in artificial intelligence to the open-source community, where many independent researchers use AI technology to make rapid and unexpected advances.



Documentation reviewed by Bloomberg shows the author of the memo is a senior software engineer at Alphabet Inc.s Google, and a company spokesperson confirmed that it was written by an employee. The spokesperson added that the composition was not an official company strategy document. The Google engineer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Weve done a lot of looking over our shoulders at OpenAI. Who will cross the next milestone? What will the next move be? the person wrote. But the uncomfortable truth is, we arent positioned to win this arms race and neither is OpenAI. While weve been squabbling, a third faction has been quietly eating our lunch. Im talking, of course, about open source.



Yet the author of the document asserted that the real threat to Google is coming from open-source communities, where engineers are speedily advancing models that rival the quality of those at big tech companies, and can be made more cheaply. These models, the employee said, can be faster, more customizable and more useful than Googles own. As progress in generative artificial intelligence accelerates, employees at Google and other tech giants have engaged in spirited discussions internally and externally about the technology that is remaking their industry. Google, in particular, has come under pressure as the wild popularity of OpenAIs chatbot ChatGPT has sparked concerns that the company may be losing its advantage in artificial intelligence, a field where it has long been a leader.

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The spokesperson for Google did not provide a comment on the content of the post. In a recent earnings call, Alphabet Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said, Our investments and breakthroughs in AI over the last decade have positioned us well, pointing to progress in developing models and working with developers and other partners. Pichai has called for AI regulation in the past, cautioning that the technology could be very harmful, if not deployed in a thoughtful way. We have no secret sauce, the employee wrote. Our best hope is to learn from and collaborate with what others are doing outside Google. The author expressed concern that clients would not be willing to pay for models with such high-quality technology on offer for free.
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Only 5% executives believe generative AI risks could outweigh benefits


While the global weekly attacks saw an increase of seven per cent during the reported quarter versus the same quarter last year with each organisation facing an average of 1,248 attacks per week. Every organisation in India faced an average of 2,108 weekly attacks in the first quarter of 2023, indicating a18 per cent increase from the year-ago period.



The Asia Pacific region witnessed the highest Year-on-Year (YoY) increase in weekly attacks, with an average of 1,835 attacks per organisation, marking a 16 per cent increase. One out of every 31 organisations globally was subjected to a ransomware attack every week, the report suggested. A PTI report on Friday said, citing Check Point, that cybercriminals are misusing tools like ChatGPT for code generation that can help less-skilled threat actors effortlessly launch cyberattacks, Trojanizing the 3CXDesktop app for a supply chain attack, etc for malicious gains.



India in 2022 reported a total of 1.39 million cyber security incidents, Minister of State for Electronics and Information and Technology Rajeev Chandrasekhar informed the Parliament on February 10. It also added, "Globally, the education and research sector faced the highest number of attacks, rising to an average of 2,507 attacks per organisation per week, marking a 15 per cent increase compared to March 2022 quarter."

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An Inc42 report suggests that the number of reported cyberattacks, however, fell in 2022, down from 1.40 million in 2021. As per official data, 208,000 incidents were reported in 2018, 394,000 attacks were recorded in 2018 and 1.15 million cybersecurity incidents were reported to CERT-In in 2020. Chandrasekhar also disclosed the findings of a technical analysis of the AIIMS Delhi cyberattack and said "the attacks were the handiwork of unknown threat actors and were caused due to improper network segmentation."

According to another report published in LiveMint in 2022, India 2022 saw the highest number of cyber attacks on government agencies.


The chatbot was created based on investing principles of the leading funds. In the 8 weeks, ChatGPT's portfolio has delivered a profit of 4.9 per cent. The top 10 UK funds in the UK, on the other hand, have booked an average loss of 0.8 per cent during the same period. A portfolio of 38 stocks made by artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT has delivered better performance than the 10 most popular funds in the United Kingdom (UK), a report by the Financial Times (FT) said based on an experiment conducted by finder.com.



The report added that around 19 per cent of UK adults surveyed by finder.com said they would "consider getting financial advice" from ChatGPT. Another 8 per cent say they had already taken financial advice from the chatbot. The funds included in the "top funds" were Terry Smith's Fundsmith Equity, Vanguard, Fidelity and HSBC.



The use of ChatGPT in investment has been rising since its launch in November last year. Earlier this week, an AI-powered ChatGPT plugin named PortfolioPilot was launched in the US. Investors can copy and paste their portfolios, and receive investment recommendations, for free. Jon Ostler, chief executive officer (CEO) of finder.com, was quoted by FT as saying that democratisation of AI may disrupt and revolutionise the financial industries. However, he cautioned that it is too early for consumers to trust AI when it comes to finance and investment.

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Canada has summoned Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu over allegations of political interference and intimidation, the media reported.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly disclosed the news on Thursday during a heated exchange in Ottawa with opposition lawmaker Michael Chong, now at the centre of the accusations against China, reports CNN.

Chong was allegedly targeted for harassment by Beijing, and has fiercely criticized the slow response of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.

Joly also told MPs during a foreign affairs committee session that Canada is considering taking retaliatory action against China and that "all options are on the table", including diplomatic expulsions.

However, she admitted Canada's government was carefully weighing the possibility of retaliation by China, which denies interfering in Canadian political affairs.

"Of course China and the PRC (People's Republic of China) will take action (against) these interests including economic interest, consumer interest and also diplomatic interest, will be affected and therefore, but it's about also the interests of the country so as we are assessing the interest and I know that we are under pressure to go fast we need to make sure as well that we protect our democracy," CNN quoted the Foreign Affairs Minister as saying.

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According to a Canadian intelligence report that first emerged in the Globe and Mail newspaper, Chong, a Conservative politician in Canada, was targeted by the Chinese government after he put forward a motion in parliament in 2021 that declared Beijing's treatment of its ethnic Uyghur minority population a genocide.

China has denied the accusations and sanctioned Chong shortly after in response, reports the BBC.

The Globe and Mail report, published on Monday, suggested that Beijing had sought information about Chong's relatives who may be in Hong Kong in a likely effort to "make an example of this MP and deter others from taking anti-PRC positions".

In a statement to the BBC, China's Foreign Embassy said the Ambassador "protested strongly" during his meeting with Canadian officials about the threat to expel Chinese diplomats.

Calling the allegations a "self-directed political farce", the Embassy said: "China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Trudeau has said that he only learned about the issue after the Globe and Mail report.

--IANS

ksk/
A Pakistani court on Friday turned down the request of former prime minister Imran Khan to dismiss a Rs 10 billion defamation lawsuit against him filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The sessions court directed Premier Sharif to present evidence against Khan in the next hearing on May 20. The case has been pending for the last six years.

In Friday's proceedings, Khan's counsel argued that the defamation suit filed by Sharif is liable to be dismissed. The premier's counsel, however, opposed the application, arguing the defendant filed the application only to delay the suit proceedings and frustrate the process of the court.'



He said Khan had already lost his right to defend the lawsuit through an order passed by the trial court in November last year.

The defendant had no right to file such applications to hinder the process of the adjudication of the suit, he said.

Additional District & Sessions Judge Muhammad Irfan Basra after hearing the arguments from both sides observed the application of Khan holds no ground and is hence dismissed.

Sharif in 2017 filed the defamation suit against Khan for accusing him of offering the latter Rs 10 billion through a common friend in exchange for withdrawing the Panama Papers case from the Supreme Court.

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Sharif sought a decree for recovery of Rs 10 billion as compensation from Khan for the publication of defamatory content.
By Joyce Koh

DBS Group Holdings Ltd. was slapped with higher capital requirements after a pair of disruptions to its digital banking services that Singapores regulator called unacceptable.





The Monetary Authority of Singapore responded by boosting the banks capital requirements for the second time in over a year, with DBSs required capital rising by S$1.6 billion ($1.2 billion) in total. DBS said in its first-quarter results that its capital ratios were well above the required minimums. A disruption in DBS digital systems Friday saw retail customers face difficulties performing banking and payment services through its apps and websites, as well as some ATM services. The systems returned to normal within 45 minutes, Southeast Asias biggest lender said in a statement on its Facebook page on Friday.



DBS Bank has fallen short of MAS expectations for banks to deliver reliable services to their customers, Ho Hern Shin, MAS deputy managing director, said in the statement. The repeated inconvenience caused to the public is unacceptable. It was a second incident in a matter of weeks. In late March, DBS digital banking services in Singapore were disrupted for about 10 hours, and the bank had to extend branch operations by two hours. That had drawn criticism from the city-states regulator and apologies from its top executives. In 2021, the bank suffered one of its worst digital disruptions in the past decade.

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The capital increase came from a boost to operational risk-weighted assets. Thats a measure devised by regulators that determines how much capital the bank needs to hold against potential losses from a range of risks including human error, external threats, fraud and litigation. The outages are a setback for the banks earlier investments in new technology, where it was named the worlds best digital bank by Euromoney in 2021. DBS said the regulators actions will have an incremental 0.3% point impact on its common equity tier 1 capital ratio, reducing it from 14.4% to 14.1%.



The MAS also said DBS must expand an ongoing review of its tech resiliency that had been launched after the March incident. The regulator said the causes of the two issues this year appear to be distinct. In February 2022, the central bank imposed S$930 million in regulatory capital following the earlier outage in the previous year.

The bank must also take steps including enhanced monitoring, more comprehensive testing and additional system redundancies, in order to minimise disruption of its services to its customers, the MAS said.
Donald Trump's lawyers have asked a federal court to take control of his New York City criminal case. They argued Thursday that the former president can't be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office.

In court papers, Trump's lawyers said the criminal case "involves important federal questions," including alleged violations of federal election law. Federal officers, including former presidents, have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from "conduct performed while in office," the lawyers argued.

Echoing Trump's claims that his indictment is "politically motivated," lawyer Susan Necheles urged the federal court to exert its "protective jurisdiction" and seize the case from the state courts where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg routinely practises.

Such requests are rarely granted in criminal cases, although Trump's request is unprecedented because he's the first former president ever charged with a crime.

"This effort is extremely unlikely to succeed," said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School. "It's not even clear that this would be a particularly effective delay tactic."



Moving the case could give Trump some advantages, such as a broader, more politically diverse jury pool but the fundamentals of the case would remain largely intact.

The Manhattan district attorney's office would still prosecute him and state law would still apply, but with the oversight of a federal judge, said University of Iowa law professor Derek Muller.

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"It's essentially just a change in courthouses," Muller said.

Trump's attorney, Todd Blanche, first raised the prospect of moving the case to federal court during a state court hearing Thursday where a judge indicated he'd put limits on Trump's access to certain evidence, as prosecutors requested.

But Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said he wouldn't issue a gag order or bar Trump from speaking publicly about the case.

Trump's lawyers faced a Thursday deadline to file paperwork seeking to move the case 30 days after the April 4 state court arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A federal judge will now weigh whether to grant the request. While that plays out, the case will proceed in state court and all pretrial deadlines will remain in effect.

"It is possible to remove a state prosecution to federal court but the reasons for doing so are narrow and none seem to apply in this case," Roiphe, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said.

Prosecutors didn't address the request during Thursday's hearing. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office issued a statement saying it was reviewing the request to transfer the case and would file an "appropriate response" with the court.

The criminal charges are related to payments Trump's company made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say those payments, most of which took place in 2017, while Trump was president, were intended to reimburse and compensate Cohen for orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously investigated and only charged one person: Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the hush money payments. Cohen is a key witness in the state case against Trump.

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

Earlier in the hearing Thursday, the judge sought to broker a compromise between Trump's lawyers and prosecutors, who raised concerns that he would use evidence obtained in the pretrial discovery process to attack witnesses and other people involved in the case, as he has in the past.

Merchan, a target of Trump's social media ire in the wake of his indictment, did not rule on the prosecution's request for what's known as a protective order. But he suggested he wants to balance the sanctity of the case, the safety of the people involved, and Trump's free speech rights.

The judge said Trump's fame and megaphone make him different from other criminal defendants, but "with that comes responsibility that his words, especially when used in the form of rhetoric, can have consequences."



Blanche said Trump wasn't seeking to put evidence on social media nor was he objecting to a prosecution request, based in part on safety concerns, to keep identifying information about district attorney's office employees secret until the trial starts.

Once he rules, Merchan said, he will hold a hybrid conference lawyers in court, Trump appearing by video where he will apprise him of the dos and don'ts of his impending order.

Merchan asked the defence and prosecution to agree on a trial date in February or March 2024. Barring removal to federal court, that could land Trump, who's making a comeback run for the White House, in court during next year's primaries.

William Dow III, a Connecticut attorney for more than 50 years, said he'd never heard of a state criminal case being removed to federal court. He said such moves are a delaying ploy.

"Sometimes people who want to run away from their problems take any avenue that's available, whether it's accurate or not. I think this (Trump's case) is subject to that interpretation," said Dow, whose clients have included former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland in a political corruption case that forced him to resign in 2004.
A gunman apparently shooting at random killed eight people and wounded 14 in three Serbian villages, authorities said, shaking a nation still in the throes of grief over a mass shooting a day earlier. Police arrested a suspect on Friday after an all-night manhunt.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called on Thursday's shooting an attack on the whole nation.

It came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his father's guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders. Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, Wednesday's shooting was the first at a school in the country's modern history.

The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Late Thursday, an attacker shot at people in three villages near Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital.

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Vucic said the assailant targeted people wherever they were.

I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds, recalled Milan Prokic, a resident of Dubona, near Mladenovac. Prokic said he first thought people were shooting to celebrate a birth, as is tradition in Serbia.

But it wasn't that. Shame, great shame, Prokic added.

Police said a suspect, identified by the initials UB, was arrested near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Belgrade.

Authorities released a photo of the suspect in a police car, showing a young man in a blue T-shirt with an inscription and a map of part of Europe on it.

Vucic vowed to the nation in an address that the suspect will never again see the light of the day. He referred to the attack as an act of terror, as is typical and announced a series of anti-terrorist measures, including the hiring of 1,200 policemen and putting a police officer on guard each day at schools.

Before the second shooting, Serbia spent much of Thursday reeling. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage to slain peers.

Serbian teachers' unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes.

The same day, authorities moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children. The government ordered a two-year moratorium on short-barrel guns and tougher sentences for people who enable minors to get ahold of guns.

Under current law, a registered gun owner in Serbia must be over 18, healthy, and have no criminal record. Weapons must be kept locked and separately from ammunition.

Wednesday's shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar school also left seven people hospitalized, six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said Thursday.

Authorities have identified the shooter as Kosta Kecmanovic and said he is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental hospital, and his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security.

Gun ownership is common in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The country has one of the highest number of firearms per capita in the world. And guns are often fired into the air at celebrations in the region.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in Serbia, a highly divided country where convicted war criminals are frequently glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished. They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.

Dragan Popadic, a psychology professor at Belgrade University, told The Associated Press that the school shooting has exposed the level of violence present in society and caused a deep shock.

People suddenly have been shaken into reality and the ocean of violence that we live in, how it has grown over time and how much our society has been neglected for decades, he warned. It is as if flashlights have been lit over our lives and we can no longer just mind our own business.
By Harry Wilson

HSBC Holdings Plc shareholders voted to reject proposals to shake up the bank that were put forward by a group of Hong Kong-based investors.





With only around half of shareholders voting, the results suggest that much of the support came from Ping An Insurance Group Co., which owns about 8% of the bank and has spent the past year battling with HSBC to enact a series of reforms, including spinning off its Asian arm. About a fifth of voting investors backed the call for HSBC to report regularly on the possibility of carving out its Asian unit, while 19.2% supported lifting its dividend to its pre-pandemic level, according to figures published Friday after the annual shareholder meeting.



The board said it will continue to engage with shareholders to ensure their views are understood on issues where more than 20% voted against them at the AGM, including the remuneration report, the ability to make political donations, and Tuckers own reappointment. Chief Executive Officer Noel Quinn received a 19.3% vote against him. HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker said shareholders had voted overwhelmingly to support the banks strategy and draw a line under the debate on the structure of the bank.

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HSBCs board had recommended investors vote against the two resolutions tabled by Ken Lui, leader of the Spin Off HSBC Asia Concern Group. Independent shareholder advisory groups Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. also advised their clients not to back the motions. We respect HSBCs shareholders choices, Ping An said in an emailed statement after the result. Meanwhile, we advise HSBCs board of directors and management to listen to shareholders suggestions with an open mind, and improve their operation and management to increase corporate value.



Our analysis clearly demonstrated that such options would destroy value and put your dividends at risk, Quinn said about strategic alternatives. Our current strategy is the fastest and safest way to improve returns. The AGM marks the latest flashpoint between the two sides. Both Tucker and Quinn reiterated their opposition to the Lui proposals in their opening statements at the meeting.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has blamed the US sanctions for causing negative impact on Iranian environment.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, Xinhua news agency reported, citing Iran's official news agency IRNA.

The Iranian diplomat urged the US to lift all its "illegal" sanctions against Iran, which are in contradiction with international law and the UN Charter.

Iravani said that the US sanctions against Iran have exacerbated the country's environmental problems, posing risks to the health of Iranian citizens.

He cited that the sanctions have been preventing foreign investments in Iran's environmental projects, blocking the country's access to modern technologies in the area, and depriving Iranian scientists of engaging in joint environmental research projects abroad.

The Iranian envoy added that the US coercive measures have "destructive" impacts by denying Iran's access to clean energies to minimise the greenhouse gas emission, hindering the implementation of environmental projects, and harming Iranians' health and welfare.

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Iran has been under US sanctions for the past four decades. The sanctions intensified following the US withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018.

--IANS

int/sha
Jordan and Iraq reached have a deal to renew the export of Iraqi crude to the kingdom under preferential terms, Jordan's Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said in a statement.

The deal was signed by Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Saleh Al Kharabsheh and Iraqi Minister of Oil Hayan Abdul Ghani in Baghdad on Thursday, Xinhua news agency reported.

Under the deal, Jordan will start importing 10,000 barrels of crude per day for a period of a year starting from June, the Jordan News Agency reported, citing an Iraq Ministry of Oil statement.

Under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2021, Jordan imports around 10,000 barrels per day from Iraq, based on the monthly average price of Brent crude oil minus $16 per barrel to cover the difference in quality and transportation costs.

The 10,000 barrels cover around 7 per cent of Jordan's daily needs, according to the ministry.

Jordan suspended its oil imports from Iraqi after the previous extension expired on March 31.

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--IANS

int/sha
Pakistan is most likely to pay for the Russian oil in Chinese yuan with the test cargo carrying 750,000 barrels of crude expected to dock in June.

Pakistan will pay the price of crude most probably in the Chinese currency and the "Bank of China may play its role for transactions", The News reported on Friday citing an official as saying.

However, the official refused to divulge in crystal clear terms the details about the mode of payment and the exact discount arguing it is not in the interest of the country and the seller also does not want to make it public fearing backlash from the other countries buying Russian oil directly from Moscow.

"Russia will provide URAL crude in the test cargo and most probably Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) will be tasked to refine the Russian crude," he added.

Commercial analysis of Russian crude has been conducted in favour of Pakistan's economy but it will further be cross-checked after refining the Russian oil.

The shipping cost of the Russian oil has also been estimated somewhere at $15 per barrel, but it will be finalised after it arrives at the Pakistan port.

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Other sources confided that Pakistan has finalised the per barrel price close to $50-52 against the cap price of G7 countries at $60 per barrel, The News reported.

Pakistani refineries have been importing 80 per cent of crude under long-term agreements from ADNOC and Saudi Aramco and in the remaining 20 per cent there is a cushion to purchase Russian oil under on a long-term agreement to some extent.

But the government would also prefer to keep some cushion for purchasing the crude from the international market as the crude price can go down even blow the cost signed under the long-term agreements, The News reported.

--IANS

san/ksk/
Taiwan's chief trade representative says his country's semiconductor makers will expand production in the U.S. as much as they can afford to do so, but he insists Taiwan remains an ideal place for that production and other U.S. trade, business and investment, despite tensions with China.

John Chen-Chung Deng spoke to The Associated Press on a visit this week to Washington, where he is leading a Taiwanese trade delegation and meeting with U.S. trade officials.

Deng's visit comes at a time of intensifying efforts to harden the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries and economies against any threat from rival China. As part of this, President Joe Biden and Congress are moving to boost semiconductor production on U.S. soil in the event of any conflict disrupting exports from Asia, especially from Taiwan.

Semiconductors make electronics ranging from phones to electric cars to advanced weapons run, and Taiwan produces more than 90 per cent of the world's more advanced semiconductors.

At the same time, Pentagon leaders have been touring the Indo-Pacific to rally regional allies in bolstering military defenses and deterrence. A House committee last month war-gamed a hypothetical attack by China on Taiwan and U.S. positions as part of a bipartisan congressional effort to find specific ways to boost deterrence.

Deng said Americans should see these efforts as ensuring that Chinese President Xi Jinping will never feel confident enough to invade Taiwan, which China claims as its own.

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"We should avoid any exaggeration or rhetoric which doesn't reflect the true situation, that creates fear ... unnecessary fear," said Deng.

He said the U.S. business community in Taiwan assures him it is still expanding and hiring. He cited the experienced workforce and support industries that Taiwan offers for semiconductor producers and for Google, Amazon and other U.S. businesses on its soil.

Relations between the U.S. and China have hit dramatic peaks in tensions over the past two years as Xi's government asserts China's growing strength economically, diplomatically and militarily. That includes China underscoring its broad territorial claims in the region.

China, for its part, accuses the U.S. of meddling in its internal affairs and pursuing a containment strategy against China to prevent its rise.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations. They are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment. The Chinese Communist Party regularly flies fighter planes and bombers near Taiwan to enforce its stance that the island is obliged to unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

The Biden administration and Republicans and Democrats in Congress broadly support strengthening the U.S. and Taiwanese positions in the region to discourage any Chinese invasion of the island.

For Taiwan, that swell in U.S. support overall has also brought renewed focus from Washington on the island's decades-old appeals to the U.S. to overhaul its tax and trade policies toward the island. Taiwanese leaders say the current U.S. policies make it hard for Taiwanese companies and workers operating in the United States, and could do more to help Taiwan strengthen trade relations with allies.

The U.S. switched its diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Without formal relations and the kind of a tax treaty that the U.S. has signed with friendly nations that it recognizes, Taiwanese workers in the U.S. have to pay taxes in both the U.S. and Taiwan. That makes the already more-expensive U.S. prohibitively expensive for many Taiwanese.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in March called it an issue the U.S. needed to address. On Thursday, four senior members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Democrats Bob Menendez, the chairman, and Chris Van Hollen, and Republicans Jim Risch and Mitt Romney introd.uced legislation authorizing negotiation of a U.S.-Taiwan tax agreement.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is promising tens of billions of dollars to support construction of U.S. chip foundries and reduce reliance on suppliers in Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia, which Washington sees as a security weakness.

Answering that U.S. call, Taiwanese chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. is building a chip plant in Arizona and plans a second, for a total investment of USD 40 billion.

Deng said he hopes for resolution of the tax issue before that first Taiwanese plant starts operation in Arizona, given the double-tax burden the operation will face.

"Once they start to produce, this is a real problem," the trade official said.

Taiwanese officials also hope in coming weeks to close an initial trade agreement with Washington, in a nod toward the free-trade pacts the U.S. has negotiated with South Korea and other allies.

U.S. worries about angering China have helped keep Washington from signing a free-trade pact with Taiwan in the past. Deng argued the hoped-for U.S. trade agreement would boost the confidence of Taiwan and encourage other allies to increase trade with Taiwan as well.

That would help Taiwan lessen its economic dependence on trade with China, now the customer for 35 per cent to 40 per cent of Taiwan's products, Deng said.

He said Taiwan also sees the strategic point in Biden administration measures aimed at discouraging other countries from exporting semiconductors to China, to starve China's security forces of the advanced chips they need.

Integrated circuits alone account for about 25 per cent of Taiwan's GDP. When it comes to China's share of that, however, Taiwan "realizes there's no sense in sending chips to them, to build up missiles aiming at us," Deng said.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that it shot down one of its own drones after "losing control" over central Kiev.

On Thursday night, there were explosions for around 15 to 20 minutes as air defence attempted to shoot the drone down in an area near the President's office, reports the BBC.

In a statement, the air force admitted that the Bayraktar TB2 UAV had lost control around at 8 p.m. in the Kiev region, during a scheduled flight.

It added that it had taken a decision to shoot it down "since the uncontrolled presence of UAVs in the sky of the capital could lead to undesirable consequences".

There were no casualties or injuries from the falling drone.

"It's a pity, but this is technology, and such cases happen. It is probably a technical malfunction, the reasons are being established," the BBC quoted the statement as saying.

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City military administration head Serhiy Popko said a fire was brought under control in a building where the drone was brought down in Solomyanskyi district, west of the city centre.

The incident comes after Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday aimed at assassinating President Vladimir Putin, who was not in the building at the time.

On Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the US was "undoubtedly" behind the alleged attack, without providing evidence.

In response, US National Security spokesman John Kirby called it a "ludicrous claim".

Ukraine has said it had nothing to do with the alleged attack on the Kremlin, and has accused Moscow of staging the incident in order to escalate the war.

--IANS

ksk/
Ukraine and Russia pressed their wartime rhetoric Thursday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing confidence that Vladimir Putin would be convicted of war crimes, and the Kremlin alleging that the U.S. was behind what it called an assassination attempt against the Russian president.

The countries' leaders have personally attacked each other multiple times during the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. The latest flare-up came Wednesday, with Russia's claim that Ukraine had attacked the Kremlin in Moscow with drones meant to assassinate Putin.

Zelenskyy denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the purported drone attack. The Kremlin promised unspecified retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act, and pro-Kremlin figures called for the assassinations of senior Ukraine leaders.

Uncertainty still surrounds exactly what happened in the purported attack.

Putin's spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of involvement. To generate domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia through its help for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington."



"And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

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John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as "ludicrous." Zelenskyy, in the Netherlands, said he was "not interested" in the Kremlin's opinion.

U.S intelligence officials are still trying to determine who was behind the drone incident and are exploring various possibilities, including a false flag operation by Russia or that a fringe group with sympathies for Ukraine could have been involved, according to a U.S. official.

But the official, who spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said intelligence officials don't yet have any definitive answers. The official added that the Biden administration "certainly would not support the strike against Mr. Putin."



Zelenskyy's top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed Thursday that Russia had "staged" the alleged drone attack. He cited the delay in Russian state media reporting it and "simultaneous video from different angles" that appeared to show the aftermath of the alleged 2:30 a.m. attack.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging.

"Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilization," the think tank said.

Given recent Russian moves to bolster security, it's "extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defence and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera," the ISW stated.

In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the war crimes court's judges that Russia's leader "deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law."



In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members.

Zelenskyy's visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATO's border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely out of its concerns about Moscow's long-term ambitions.

The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes so his country can achieve "justice on the battlefield." Zelenskyy has successfully assembled significant Western military and political support for Ukraine's defence since the war began.

Zelenskyy travelled in a Dutch-supplied plane and an armoured car, with security kept tight at his appearances. Next week, he is expected to go to Berlin, the capital of European Union economic powerhouse Germany, in the latest display of the Western might marshalled against Putin.

Zelenskyy's trips have paid dividends. After travelling to Washington last December and then London, Paris and Brussels in February, Ukraine received heavy artillery and tanks.

But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court, which puts individuals on trial for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, doesn't have a police force to execute its warrants. The Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICC's 123 member nations, which are under obligation to arrest him, if they can.

On the battlefield, Ukraine's military said that three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odessa early Thursday had "for Moscow" and "for the Kremlin" written on them, seemingly implying they were sent in retaliation for the reported strike on the Kremlin.

Ukraine's capital, Kyiv was the target of an air attack for the third time in four days once Thursday morning, then a second time at night. Kyiv's air defence systems downed a drone in the central Pecherskyi district, sparking a fire in a four-story building, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

People sheltered in underground tunnels beneath Kyiv's Maidan Square as air raid sirens wailed. Two defensive missiles streaked across the evening sky, and a loud explosion was heard. No casualties were immediately reported.

In Russia, drones hit two oil facilities in southern regions of the country near Ukraine in what appeared to be a series of attacks on fuel depots behind enemy lines, Russian media reported Thursday.

Four drones struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, which borders the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing law enforcement sources. Another facility was reportedly hit in the Rostov region.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government has promised 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year.

The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.

In addition, the Dutch government sent two Patriot air defence missile systems, promised two naval minehunter ships and sent military forensic experts to Ukraine to assist with war crime investigations.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States' continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Albanese's comments Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old Assange, who has spent four years in Britain's Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the United States.

Before that, Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Albanese said Assange's case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Albanese said.

I know it's frustrating, I share the frustration. I can't do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government's position is, Albanese added.

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Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks' publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Albanese said there was a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Manning's 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Albanese has said he has advocated for Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials. On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Assange with Biden when Albanese hosts the U.S. leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, Albanese said. I'll engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Assange's alleged actions were right or wrong.

Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr. Assange's mental health, Albanese said.
Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles (160 kilometres) of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firm's attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

The Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. It would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a USD 700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometres) from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses both air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal and eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security.

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The new rule would affect Grand Forks and seven other bases, including three that are tied to the B-21 Raider, the nation's future stealth bomber. The Pentagon has taken great pains to protect its new, most-advanced bomber from spying by China. The bomber will carry nuclear weapons and be able to fly manned and unmanned missions.

Six bombers are in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California, while the two other bases will serve as future homes for the 100-aircraft stealth bomber fleet: Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

The national security concerns regarding the other bases were not immediately clear. Also on the list were Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, which are both training bases. The others selected for greater protection are the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines and Luke Air Force Base, located in Glendale, Arizona.

The Air Force was not immediately available for comment on why the eight bases were selected.

CFIUS, a committee whose members come from the State, Justice, Energy and Commerce departments among others, already had the power to block property sales within 100 miles of other military bases under a 2018 law.

Hoeven said the CFIUS process for reviewing proposed projects needed to be updated.

"Accordingly, China's investments in the U.S. need to be carefully scrutinised, particularly for facilities like the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a key national security asset that serves as the lead for all Air Force Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and has a growing role in U.S. space operations," he said.

In February, Andrew Hunter, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, said in a letter to North Dakota officials that the military considered the project a security risk but did not elaborate on the kinds of risks Fufeng's project would pose.

The letter prompted Grand Forks officials, who had initially welcomed the milling plant as an economic boon for the region, to withdraw support by denying building permits and refusing to connect the 370-acre (150-hectare) site to public infrastructure.

Fufeng makes products for animal nutrition, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, oil and gas, and other industries. It's a leading producer of xanthan gum. It denied that the plant would be used for espionage.

Lawmakers have also called for a review of foreign investments in agricultural lands. Earlier this year, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced legislation aimed at preventing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from acquiring U.S. farmland.

"Countries like China who want to undermine America's status as the world's leading economic superpower have no business owning property on our own soil especially near our military bases," Tester said in a statement Thursday.


On Saturday, a 74-year-old British man will formally assume a job that was promised to him when he was born  a strange event by itself in a country with record levels of underemployment and a severe cost-of-living crisis. But the coronation of King Charles III, one of the worlds richest men, will also be funded by the taxpayer  estimates are running over $100 million  and commemorated with a national holiday.

By Pankaj Mishra



The absurdity  can be total. It appears to ridicule analysis. It takes the onlooker beyond anger and despair to neutrality. These words by V.S. Naipaul, originally used for post-colonial India and paraphrased slightly, apply today to post-imperial Britain, arguably also a deeply wounded civilization that is ruled by ritual and myth and seems incapable of lasting reform, or of a correct interpretation of the new world. Moreover, as the new king receives the sovereigns orb, sceptre and coronation ring, and is anointed with oil specially sacralized in Jerusalem, his subjects around the UK and abroad will be invited to say the words, I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.



Nonetheless, just as unremittingly as they did during the royal funeral last year, Tory politicians and much of the British press are urging citizens to take pride in their ancient rituals and institutions. Indeed, the week of the coronation provides another disquieting lesson in how orchestrated deference to Britains past serves to perpetuate its social and economic inequalities, and to postpone necessary questions about the integrity and competence of the countrys elites. Child poverty is rising and life expectancy is slowing down while corruption scandals engulf the ruling Conservative Party. Britain, once widely admired, has become a subject of international derision. One sign is the dignitary count for the coronation, which is lower than that of the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. President Joe Biden, among others, has declined to attend (much to the fury of the overwhelmingly right-wing British press).

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There are signs that the reflexive British regard for posh people and hoary institutions may be fading. A YouGov poll this month revealed that 64% of Britons dont care very much or at all about the coronation. According to a survey by the National Centre for Social Research only three out of 10 people in Britain think the monarchy is very important, the lowest proportion on record. Nearly half of the respondents said it should be abolished. Under them, Britain has suffered successive moral, political and economic disasters  from the Tory program of austerity, which decimated social welfare systems and pressed down wages, to the witless pursuit of Brexit, the manifold corruptions of Boris Johnson and the economic lunacy of Liz Truss. As Naipaul warned, those proud of their ancient, surviving civilization are in fact, its victims.



They know all too well the tricks of the stalemate society, where, as Prince Harry pointed out last week, the establishment media diverts the public with the most mundane and petty things in order to obscure critical issues. More importantly, only 12% of 18- to 34-year-olds view the monarchy as very important. Young people have watched aghast as Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were hounded out of the country by a racist press, and as Prince Andrew, King Charless brother, paid off his accuser to settle his sexual assault case in the US.



The new King spoke then about the appalling atrocity of slavery; he has yet to respond to recent revelations in the Guardian that his own ancestors owned slave plantations in Virginia, and that priceless jewels looted from India by British imperialists ended up in the royal collection. It is possible that Charles is profoundly embarrassed by his tainted legacy. His passion for environmental issues marks him out in a family that has historically been more engaged by horses and palaces. Support for the British monarch is more rapidly declining in the handful of countries where he is still head of state. Even Australia is set to become a republic, as the countrys new ambassador to the UK revealed last week. Charles himself attended the ceremony last year in which Barbados officially removed the Queen as its head of state.
IDA Ireland announced today that Dexcom, a global medtech company, plans to build its newest global manufacturing facility in Athenry, Galway.

The project is supported by the Irish Government through IDA Ireland and represents an investment of 300 million over five years and the potential to create up to 1,000 high skilled jobs over the same period.

Dexcom G7

In October 2022, Ireland was one of the initial launch markets globally for Dexcom G7, the companys next-generation CGM system that offers a powerful yet simple way to help people gain greater control of their diabetes. The systems low-profile, all-in-one wearable sends real-time glucose readings automatically to a compatible smart device or receiver, no painful finger sticks or burdensome scanning required.

Dexcom G7 builds on the performance of Dexcom CGM, which is clinically proven to lower A1C and reduce hyper- and hypoglycemia.

Planning Permission

Subject to planning permission, the Ireland site will be Dexcoms first manufacturing site in Europe, expanding upon the companys existing capabilities in the US and Malaysia. The facility in Athenry will contain a highly automated manufacturing operation with an emphasis on green technologies.

Dexcom expects to provide about 500 construction jobs while the facility is being built and up to 1,000 high tech graduate and technician level positions once the site is running at full capacity.

'Ambitious Growth Strategy'

With the continued success of our Dexcom G7 in Europe, we are pursuing an ambitious growth strategy that requires increased manufacturing capacity to support our rapidly expanding European user base, said Barry Regan, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at Dexcom.

Ireland has an exceptional talent pool and an established MedTech sector, making Athenry the perfect location for us to establish a new, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility.

Source: www.businessworld.ie
Due to the rapid development of new smartphone features people can use for social media and mobile games, something new is always on the horizon. You only catch sight of the newest smartphone once you begin to anticipate its successor.

There have been many brand-new smartphones recently, including foldable ones, cheap blowers, and new flagships. You're probably here, though, to learn about what's coming up soon. To help you stay up-to-date with the latest and greatest in smartphone technology, we have compiled a list of 2023's confirmed releases, likely launches, and rumored disclosures.

Apple iPhone 15

There haven't been many credible rumors about the iPhone 15 for a while, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be at the top of a list of the greatest forthcoming smartphones. It's scheduled for delivery in September 2023 (thank goodness, Apple is usually reliable with their release dates). We hope the sophisticated Dynamic Island notch is included in all iPhone 15 models, not just the more expensive ones. To further compete with the lossless 10x optical zoom given by the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, we'd also want to see 8K video recording (because why not) and a periscope zoom camera.

First Foldable iPhone

iPhones that fold in half? Have you heard of them? True to expectations, the foldable phone will debut in 2023. Speculation suggests that Apple is working on not one but two foldable iPhone designs: a hybrid tablet with a foldable display and a clamshell model.

However, due to the use of multiple layers in manufacturing, the price of foldable iPhones may increase.

Google Pixel Fold

A question concerning the mysterious Pixel Fold. Any Google user will consider it the best new phone available. Many different rumors are floating around about what to expect, and they all depend on who you ask. The Google Pixel 6 was rumored to be flexible by some. Some have speculated that a standalone Pixel Fold device could debut as early as 2021. Not only did neither occur but there was also a dearth of foldable Google phones in 2022. What, a foldable Pixel phone won't be available in 2023? The opposite is true.

I'm curious to see what features Google's foldable phone lists. That's even less likely to happen. If the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 Pro are any indications, we can anticipate a clean, premium design with a stock Android experience optimized for a foldable display.

Nothing Phone 2

The engineer who doesn't mind being seen Nothing's first smartphone made waves when it launched last year thanks to its alluring glyph illumination and powerful mid-range technology at a very reasonable price. It avoided the extremely competitive US market in favor of Europe and India. The verified development of the Phone 2 promises to alter that.

Carl Pei, the co-founder of Nothing, said on stage at Mobile World Congress that the new phone would have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 CPU. However, he did not specify whether it would be the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 already in circulation or a new generation version of the Snapdragon 8 that has yet to be released since the company is aiming for a release in 2023.

We only know a little else about the device, save that it will have a higher-end pricing point and a build quality, materials, and internal components that are commensurate with that price range. Expect the glyph illumination to return and the cameras to compete with others at similar price points. Value-oriented customers will be crossing their fingers that it ranks high among the greatest forthcoming phones.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5

It would be disappointing if Samsung stopped with the Galaxy Z Fold 4, despite being the company's best folding smartphone to date. And it's quite unlikely that they will. That's why we're putting the Z Fold 5 at the top of our list of the best forthcoming folding smartphones.

Currently, there are hardly any rumors being spread.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Series

Modest aesthetic upgrades and enhanced system performance are anticipated for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. Supposedly, the standard camera bulge will be gone in Samsung's 2023 flagship phones. Along with ditching the beige, a whiter tint would be introduced.

The S23 Ultra may take a similar approach to its design as its forerunners. In addition, rumors suggest that the phone will have a flatter design than its predecessors from last year. In addition, the S23 Ultra model could feature a 200MP camera.

Samsung Galaxy A54 Series

The Samsung Galaxy A54 may be an upcoming mid-range model. A 5G variant with an Exynos 1380 chipset is rumored to be on the way. Thanks to its chipset, the phone's processing speed should be relatively high. Due to its chipset's restrictions, though, the A54 won't be the best smartphone for running multiple apps at once.

The Galaxy A54's price will likely be comparable to that of the A53 5G. Additionally, the predicted release date of A54 is between March and April 2023. The forthcoming update could include the improved performance of the A54, thanks to a faster processor and more memory.

Sony Xperia 1 V

Sony's mobile division has remained relatively quiet in 2023, but a fifth-generation flagship is rumored to be on the horizon. The Xperia 1 V, based on the leaked images, has a design very similar to the Xperia 1 IV from last year, with the main modifications occurring internally. This time, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU should be cooler and more efficient than the one in the last phone, which limited performance and prevented it from recording 4K video.

The primary use case is likely photography, although it is currently unclear if Sony would implement the 1-inch sensor it created with Xiaomi or remain with a lesser-sized one. The only known hardware leak claims that the time-of-flight and RGB IR sensors have been removed, leaving only three lenses. Experts may anticipate a powerful combination of telephoto and ultrawide lenses and a comprehensive camera app.

Photo by John Appleseed on Unsplash
Efforts to increase employee engagement are at the core of increasingly more business strategies today, as low levels of involvement still need to be addressed across industries. According to a Gallup study from 2022 regarding employees at work, only 21% of staff is "engaged"  described as enthusiastic about their workplace and job.

Engagement levels grew before the pandemic, but the following events left their mark. This calls for proactive measures and efficient steps to create a workplace and work culture that promotes employee retention and raises profitability and productivity.

If you're joining the club of entrepreneurs aspiring to boost their businesses, this article is for you! From investing in their well-being and morale to making small but thoughtful gestures like offering personalised gifts, the following strategies enable you to increase the levels of employee engagement and, with it, productivity and profitability.

Build a positive company culture

The culture of your business is among the principal drivers attracting or decreasing the interest of your employees in helping your enterprise grow. As studies show, employees are not tolerating a toxic environment. MIT Sloan research shows that the failure to provide a healthy environment is the primary catalyst for employment turnover across different industries, with apparel retail and management consulting topping the list.

While it's unsurprising that few employees would stand in a hostile environment and that this would only hold for a short time, learning the most important factors to building a positive company culture is essential. For instance, expressing care towards them through thoughtful actions like offering them personalised mugs or equipment to facilitate their job and at-work comfort can go a long way.

Here are two steps to take in order to boost employee retention and create an atmosphere that inspires them to deliver better results at work:

Focus on the feedback. Employee surveys and proactively seeking and offering feedback help the business improve and grow by reassuring employees of their worth. Asking for feedback from staff enables the management to conclude what can be changed for the better in the firm, offering them the chance to see the company through employees' eyes.

Offer career development opportunities. It's no news that employees pursue professional development to climb the ladder. Lack of opportunities to grow fosters a sense of stagnation and disinterest in how the company's doing along the road. On the other hand, if your business provides new hire mentorship, training programs, and promotion possibilities, you can grow your enterprise's employment rates in the long run by building a healthy company culture.

Create a more enjoyable workplace

When employees are supported to find their intrinsic interests by trying different tasks to determine which suits them, they're inclined to find their job more appealing. However, how interesting they see their job depends from employee to employee. Simply put, an activity that awakens the interest in one can turn it off for another.

To offer the chance to find what arouses an employee's curiosity, you can approach the job rotation program model. To exemplify this concept, let's look at the Heineken example. The Dutch brewer employs a job rotation strategy through different departments, from packaging development to quality assurance. After completing the program, each participant can determine and participate in the department that best matches their interests.

A more pleasant workplace is also one that prioritises mental and physical health and makes efforts to enhance the staff's well-being. Encouraging your employees to take mental health days or provide meditation classes can have a significant impact. When such an undertaking is off the table, several thoughtful details like providing healthy snacks will fuel when their batteries are low.

Offer more autonomy

Granting employees more autonomy can work wonders in developing their intrinsic motivation. An excellent example to back up this concept is the Netflix model, which provides employees a "no rules" environment and stands out by offering great freedom. Employees are empowered to make unsupervised strategic business-related decisions in the company's best interest. They have limitless vacation days, and don't need to request reimbursement pre-approvals.

This culture of responsibility and independence has worked wonders for the past years, considering that it's holding on in the company up to this day and is considered vital to keep the company functioning and growing.

Reward with more time off

There's an increase in the working hours for college-educated professionals, leading to a drop in their sentiment of time affluence. Thus, providing your employees extra time off and paid vacations besides the financial incentives can directly lead to boosted feelings of time affluence.

The necessity to reward your staff with extra time to be spent as they wish is more important after the pandemic led to the growth of the number of working hours and a decline in leisure activities.

Here's a satisfactory example. Several companies, like Bumble, provided their employees with an extra week off to tackle the burnout induced by the pandemic some time ago. This was a practical move to increase their staff's engagement and keep the business healthy in the long run.

Grow employee confidence

People show repellence toward completing tasks they feel they lack the skill for. The confidence with which employees who undervalue themselves perform their work must be increased; otherwise, your business may not capitalise on your staff's skills to the maximum potential.

To boost employee confidence, you must recognise their strengths and weaknesses and take an objective approach. Only by tackling the issue can you help them grasp the areas where they're excelling and what other aspects need improvement.

Even the most insecure employee can become more confident when receiving transparent feedback, consistent support, and honest insights.

An important aspect that makes or breaks an enterprise's success today is employee engagement and motivation. With this in mind, make the necessary improvements to create a healthy work environment that promotes efficiency, and watch how little steps like the ones depicted above take your business a long way.

Photo source: https://unsplash.com/photos/vdXMSiX-n6M
Feature: Love, life, and legacy -- organ donation coordinators shuttle between death and life

Xinhua) 16:34, May 05, 2023

CHONGQING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Days prior to this year's Qingming Festival, or Tomb-Sweeping Day, in early April, Mi Zhihui presented a bouquet at a park to commemorate organ donors in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality.

A year had passed and Mi, an organ donation coordinator, saw many new names on the memorial wall. "None of you has ever been forgotten. Thank you for leaving behind such beautiful gifts of life," Mi said while gently wiping dust off the wall.

Mi, 67, is a retired nurse. She began working for the Red Cross Society of China Chongqing Branch in 2012 and became one of the first full-time coordinators of organ donation in Chongqing.

Some people misunderstand Mi, claiming that she is doing a "cruel" job by persuading people to donate their organs and the intact remains of their loved ones. Others believe that Mi and her colleagues are extending the life and love of the deceased.

In 2010, China began piloting an organ donation program, and from this came the need for professional organ donation coordinators.

"To die, and to live. This is the end and also a new beginning," said Mi, who has handled more than 600 donations over the decade.

Finding willing donors is not easy, and behind each donation lies the persistent effort of organ donation coordinators.

Mi can not recall how many times she returned home alone and tired, yet full of warmth and gratitude. She has also lost count of the heaps of times she, already overloaded, rushed to handle a new case, trying hard sometimes to hold back her tears.

Zhou Lijuan, 25, is an organ donation coordinator at the Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

"I often work in a relatively remote and less-developed ethnic minority area, and it is very difficult to carry out organ donation due to local customs. We sometimes suffer misunderstanding, rejection and even verbal abuse from the relatives," Zhou said.

"However, whenever I think of the transplant recipients who are waiting in despair, there will be a surge of strength, responsibility and obligation in my heart," Zhou said. "I have no reason to give up."

With the joint efforts of many parties, China has made remarkable progress in organ donation.

According to a report on organ transplantation development in China, by the end of October 2022, China had completed 42,500 cases of deceased organ donations. So far, more than 6.2 million people had signed up for organ donation, noted data released on the China Organ Donation Administrative Center website.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Wu Chaolan)
CAMEROUN :: Cameroon Reformation Party Set For First Participation in Elections.

Cameroon Reformation Party Set For First Participation in Elections.

National President, Foligar Lang says ready for candidature, discloses reforms for Cameroonians



The National President of the Cameroon Reformation Party (CRP) political party, Foligar Lang has revealed that the party will be having its first participation in elections in Cameroon in the year 2025. He disclosed the information in an interview granted The Voice on April 2, 2023

He told us "We are definitely going to be participating in all forms of elections starting from 2025 and we're quite ready for municipal, parliamentary and presidential elections. I for one, I am pretty sure I am ready for the candidature" , the UK-based young Cameroonian business man disclosed.

The announcement came on the heels of a political meeting the CRP organised in Cameroon's capital, Yaounde, to launch the party in the neighborhood of Mbankolo. According to the party leader, the meeting was more or less a sensitisation and empowerment forum to guide the new party militants on the values and vision of the Cameroon Reformation Party. With more of youths in attendance, Mr Foligar Lang said the first meeting was basically introducing the new party members on how politics operates in Cameroon, including the reforms and changes the party members can bring into the Cameroonian political space to stand out.



"The meeting was to introduce the party to the common people who have been longing for a while, and writing letters to us to see that they can have access to the membership of the party. We wanted to enlighten them on the new understanding of the Cameroon Reformation Party . We as a reformation party , need to sensitise young Cameroonians to know what type of reforms we got on the table for them especially in the field of education", he added.

Expanding on the reforms the CRP is bringing into the Cameroonian political scene, the party President further told us that "If you look through on our scheme far back in 2010, we have political reforms, constitutional reforms, environmental reforms , educational reforms and all sorts of reforms that are quite necessary. We equally have military, police, judiciary, women and children reforms".



In his call to Cameroonians within the reformative vision of the CRP, Foligar Lang urged that "We have to look into all these reforms and build a momentum on how we can change the situation of Cameroonians, and the way Cameroon is being run, so that everyone in this land can feel free and happy and live well on the way the country is being run by the Cameroon Reformation Party".



The decision of the CRP to participate in future elections in Cameroon, Foligar Lang made us to understand, has not just been taken overnight. He assured that the party is prepared for future political competitions, stating that "we have been doing sensitisation over the years. It is a hard job when you have great fine information to give out to people. But it is easy when you don't have great fine information to give out to people. So, our eggs are still very hard to hatch because the duty and responsibility we got in mind to give out Cameroonians , will take a lot of time. So, we are building up momentum so that by the time we arrive on the ground to meet the needy people, just like we did in Mbankolo, we will know Cameroonians understand their rights and freedoms as to what they can do and what they cannot do".



According revelations from the party's President, the CRP has been facing challenges from impostors whom he said have been for some time parading the corridors of the Ministry of Territorial Administration alleging to be the leaders of the party. He however said the problem was resolved after he drew the attention of the Ministry of Territorial Administration on the issue.
Prise de temperature, campagne contre Covid-19 Facebook

Malgre le fait quelle continue d'etre une menace pour la sante a travers le globe

L'Organisation mondiale de la sante (OMS) a annonce ce vendredi que la pandemie de coronavirus "n'est plus une urgence sanitaire mondiale" (urgence de sante publique de portee internationale, ndlr) ce qui represente une fin symbolique de l'epidemie qui a coute la vie a au moins 7 millions de personnes a travers le monde.

"C'est avec beaucoup d'espoir que je declare que le Covid-19 n'est plus une urgence sanitaire mondiale", a declare le directeur general de l'OMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, dans des declarations a la presse, rapporte par lagence americaine Associated Press.

Il a cependant souligne que cette annonce ne signifie pas "que le Covid-19 est termine en tant que menace pour la sante mondiale".

Des milliers de personnes "continuent de mourir du virus chaque semaine", a-t-il declare, notant la recente resurgence des cas en Asie du Sud-Est et au Moyen-Orient.

Dans un meme contexte, Ghebreyesus a exprime ses regrets pour les "dommages" causes par la pandemie de coronavirus a la communaute internationale, notamment dans le domaine de l'economie.

"Le coronavirus a change notre monde et nous a changes", a ajoute Ghebreyesus avertissant que les nouveaux variants sont toujours la et continuent de tuer.

Plus de trois ans apres son apparition en Chine a la fin 2020, environ 764 millions de cas de coronavirus ont ete detectes a travers le globe.

AA / Geneve / Mennatallah Ahmed

COVID-19 global health emergency is over: WHO

Declaration comes after Emergency Committee's recommendation on Thursday

GENEVA (AA)  The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday announced the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a global health emergency.

"Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I have accepted that advice," WHO head Tedros Ghebreyesus told a press briefing.

"It is, therefore, with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," Ghebreyesus said.

However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, he said and added that last week the virus claimed "a life every three minutes  and thats just the deaths we know about."

"This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and it is still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths," he warned, urging countries to not use this news as a reason "to let down their guard, to dismantle the systems built, or to send the message to people that COVID-19 is nothing to worry about."

He explained that this declaration means that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing COVID-19 alongside other infectious diseases.

Underlining this was not a "snap" decision, the WHO chief said: "If need be, I will not hesitate to convene another Emergency Committee should COVID-19 once again put our world in peril."

Since the pandemic began in December 2019, the COVID-19 infection has caused nearly 7 million deaths, according to the WHO.

The WHO has also recorded 765.3 million confirmed cases of the disease.

The pandemic was declared public health emergency of international concern on Jan. 30, 2020.

Beyza Binnur Donmez/AA
Image: Google

Do you know what the lock icon means on the Google Chrome browser? Well, you're not alone. That's why Google will replace this icon next to the web address bar with a version of the "tune" icon you see above. According to Google's research, only 11 percent of users realize it refers to HTTPS encryption. And some users think it means the site is trustworthy, which is an issue when phishing sites use the tech.

This tune icon won't imply trustworthiness. But it signals that the security of the page is in the default state. It also invites people to click and use site controls, which is something you may not realize you can do now.

Most users will see the new icon in Chrome 117 on Android and the desktop in early September. Since that icon isn't tappable on iOS, Google is pulling it entirely. If you want to see it now, it's available in Chrome Canary if you enable the Chrome Refresh 2023 flag.

Source
Friday, May 5, 2023 at 9:04AM

Photo credit: Maximum Effort

Non-profit PetSmart Charities of Canada, the leading funder of animal welfare in Canada, has partnered with Ryan Reynolds' Maximum Effort and PetSmart to shine a light on an important cause: uniting adoptable pets with loving homes to help relieve overcrowded and struggling shelters. They have teamed up to create a new video, released on YouTube and social media today, featuring comedian Dana Carvey who reprises his memorable impersonation of King Charles III and encourages viewers to adopt a dog through PetSmart Charities of Canada.

Ahead of the Coronation, Carvey's King Charles makes the connection between his name and that of the beloved family dog breed, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel, and asks that viewers refrain from buying a King Charles spaniel on Coronation Day and instead adopt a shelter dog.

The new social media campaign was inspired by the reported flurry of demand for dog breeds from popular movies and television shows, such as the reported uptick in purchases of dalmatians tied to a popular 1990s movie and TV series about the iconic black-and-white pups. When people buy dogs based only on pop culture moments, animal welfare organizations say these dogs are surrendered to shelters when people discover the breed isn't the right fit for their family or their lifestyle.

For PetSmart Charities of Canada, this is a moment to call attention to the need for shelter pets to find loving homes. More than 90,000 pets enter shelters each year, and today they're staying longer. This has led to severe overcrowding and a strain on resources for shelters, rescues and animal welfare organizations. PetSmart Charities of Canada encourages families to consider adoption and talk with shelters and animal welfare organizations that can help them find the perfect match. This simple decision can save the life of a shelter pet.

"With millions of adoptable pets in need of homes, we knew we needed to think big to draw attention to this pressing issue," said Aimee Gilbreath, president of PetSmart Charities of Canada. "There are few moments bigger than the Coronation of a new King, and there is an urgent need for people with big love and a little extra space in their homes to adopt a new best friend. We're excited for the opportunity to get more pets adopted into loving homes so families can experience the mutual benefits of caring for a pet."

Maximum Effort created the video through PetSmarts participation in MNTNs Creative-as-a-Subscription (CaaS) service, a program that allows brands to bundle their creative and media spend.

"Dogs make our lives better in innumerable and unforgettable ways, so we wanted to take this moment to hopefully make a few of their lives better," said Maximum Effort Co-Founder George Dewey. "From the royal King Charles and Corgis to the more common 'not quite sure what they are', we wish all the doggos the best."

PetSmart Charities of Canada encourages people to share the campaign on social media to further raise awareness of the need to adopt pets. To learn more visit petsmartcharities.ca/take-action.

*source press release
Kerala has created a milestone by being the very first state to implement its rating system for higher education institutions. The Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) announced the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework (KIRF) on May 3, 2023, modelled after the National Institute of Ranking Framework (NIRF).

The competing educational institutions will be ranked in the following categories: in general, colleges and universities, management, engineering, architecture, healthcare, the dental profession, pharmaceuticals, nursing, law, and teacher education, according to the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework.

According to the official, the Kerala State Higher Education Council (KSHEC) will be the implementing agency, and the ranking exercise will take place annually. One of the reasons for establishing such a mechanism was to increase the excellence of higher education in the state and to reduce the flow of students travelling outside the state to pursue their educational goals.

The information will be published on a specially designed web page. Wherever essential and feasible, KSHEC will undertake verification of the information with the assistance of appropriately identified partner agencies. KSHEC will derive vital details from this data and compute multiple metrics using the software. The educational institutions would be ranked according to this information.

According to officials, the Kerala Institutional Ranking Framework was inspired by the National Institutional Ranking Framework, a technique used by the union government's Ministry of Education to assess institutions of higher learning across the nation as a whole. According to them, the higher education scene in Kerala was found to be positively equivalent to the overall national situation, and in certain respects, the scenario in the state had been more favorable than some of the rapidly maturing institutions of higher learning in southern states.

"Kerala envisages the formation of a state-level institutional ranking framework without altering the core qualities and components of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF). It is inevitable to patronise the socio-cultural heritage and values that the state has sculpted throughout its democratic era," the official statement said. They also stated that the KIRF was created as a result of extensive discussion and collaborative addresses among professionals and interested parties in higher education from both inside and beyond the state of Kerala.

KIRF Criteria

The system will grade higher education institutions on five criteria: Teaching, Learning, and Resources (TLR), Knowledge Dissemination and Research Excellence (KDRE), Graduation Outcome (GO), and Outreach and Inclusivity (OI). NIRF follows these components as well. Universities and colleges will also be assessed according to state-specific criteria and indicators. The Kerala State Higher Education Council has established the ranking process, and rankings will be provided yearly.
Tamil Nadu 12th Result 2023: The Tamil Nadu Directorate of Government Examinations (TNDGE) has officially announced that the TN Class 12th Result 2023 will be declared on May 8th, 2023 at 9:30 AM. This news has brought a lot of relief to the anxious students who appeared for the Tamil Nadu Class 12 exams that were held from March 13 to April 3, 2023, across 3,169 test centers.

The TNDGE has also released the list of official websites where students can check their scores. The websites are tnresults.nic.in, dge1.tn.nic.in, dge2.tn.nic.in, and dge.tn.gov.in. Students can follow the simple steps mentioned on these websites to access their scores.

Here's How to Check the Scorecard

To check their scores, students need to visit the official website tnresults.nic.in and click on the link that says "TN Class 12th Result 2023". They will then need to enter their login credentials, including their application number and date of birth, and click on submit. The Tamil Nadu Class 12 results will be displayed on the screen, and students can download and take a printout of the same.

In 2022, the pass percentage of TN 12th board result was an impressive 93.76 percent. This year, students are hoping for even better results, and the TNDGE has assured them that their hard work will be duly rewarded
The Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB) has announced the recruitment of 621 Sub Inspectors of Police across different categories. The online registration process has already started from June 1, 2023 and will continue till June 30, 2023. Candidates who are interested and eligible can apply for the TNUSRB Recruitment 2023 by visiting the official website at tnusrb.tn.gov.in.

The recruitment drive aims to fill up vacancies for the post of Sub-Inspectors of Police in different categories, including 366 posts for Sub-Inspectors of Police (Taluk), 145 posts for Sub-Inspectors of Police (AR) and 110 posts for Sub-Inspectors of Police (TSP). It is a great opportunity for those who aspire to work in the police force and serve the society.

Eligibility Criteria for TNUSRB Recruitment 2023

To apply for the TNUSRB Recruitment 2023, the candidate must hold a Bachelor's Degree obtained from an Institution / University recognized by University Grants Commission / Government in 10+2+3/4/5 pattern or 10+3+2/3 pattern in case of Diploma courses. The age limit should be between 20 to 30 years of age as on 1st July 2023.

Selection Process for TNUSRB Recruitment 2023

The selection process for TNUSRB Recruitment 2023 comprises of a written test, certificate verification and physical tests, viva-voca, and special marks. The written test will be conducted in English and Tamil and will consist of objective-type questions. The certificate verification process will include verifying the documents of the candidate, and the physical test will check the candidate's physical fitness.

Examination Fees for TNUSRB Recruitment 2023

The applicant will have to pay an examination fee of Rs. 500/-. Departmental candidates appearing for both Open Quota and Departmental Quota examinations will have to pay Rs. 1000/- as an examination fee. The payment options are both online (Net-banking/UPI/Credit card/Debit card) and offline (State Bank of India cash challan).

Steps to Apply for TNUSRB Recruitment 2023

To apply for the TNUSRB Recruitment 2023, the candidate needs to follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Visit the official website of TNUSRB at tnusrb.tn.gov.in.

Step 2: Click on the 'Apply Online' tab available on the homepage.

Step 3: Register by providing personal details like name, email id, phone number, etc.

Step 4: Login using the registered email id and password.

Step 5: Fill up the application form and upload the required documents.

Step 6: Pay the examination fee and submit the application form.

Step 7: Take a printout of the application form for future reference
Bangladesh cement exports show an upward trend in 10MF22-23

05 May 2023

Bangladesh has reported 38 per cent YoY growth in cement export revenue to US$10.72m in the 10MFY22-23 (July 2022-April 2023). This compares to US$7.77m in the same period a year earlier.

The value of the target set for this period also saw a healthier growth of 19.5 per cent. According to the Bangladesh Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), this figure includes minor amounts of salt, stone and related products. Most of the cement exports were shipped to neighbouring countries.

For the full FY22-23, ending 31 June 2023, Bangladesh has set a cement export revenue target of US$11m, up from the US$9.57m earned in the same period in the previous year. This would translate to YoY growth of 15 per cent, according to the EPB. Hopefully, the target would be achieved in the later two months as per the trend.

According to industry insiders, most of the cement exported from Bangladesh, especially its northeastern states, goes to India. In addition, Bangladeshi cement is popular in Nepal, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Among experts, MI Cement accounted for 50 per cent of total exports in the past. Bangladesh's total merchandise export revenue, including cement, reached US$45.672bn in the 10MFY22-23, 5.4 per cent up on the US$43.34bn seen in the previous year.

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We can't ignore the warning alarms of history and the role our own have often played in not just being the victims of history, the oppressed of history, but having active roles in being the oppressor, who've taken direct roles in victimizing and oppressing one another. To ignore, downplay or attempt to hide the truth is to continue to repeat history over and over again.





1. Yes, there were slave plantations that used blacks as slave drivers and overseers.Some were just as brutal, more so even, as white slave drivers and overseers.





2. The lynching of Ed Johnson. There were blacks present. As onlookers? Cheering with the mob? We'll never know. Another little known lynching took place not far from where I presently live. I only know about it because the individual, beaten to death, was the nephew of a great aunt's husband. The area where it was alleged to have taken place, once referred to a pine top for the scraggly pine bushes and trees that dotted the area and also some referred to as red-top for the red dirt that covered the hill, now sits a small shopping plaza.





3. Emmitt Till. The kidnapping and brutal torture murder of Emmitt Till happened a little over a year after I was born. It's true, there were black men involved. I always thought there were only two involved, only to later be told an eyewitness, also black, described several black men riding in the bed of the pickup truck along with two white men in the front, one the driver the other the passenger, with a young man later identified as Emmitt Till.





4. President Bill Clinton Crime Bill. Some would like to blame President Clinton's 1994 crime bill as the culprit that later morphed into the mass incarceration targeting primarily black males, some black females too. The truth is President Bill Clinton was pushed to signing the bill by many black leaders of that period, while others warned against it. President Clinton actually asked those black leaders demanding such a bill "Are you sure this is what you want?" Even Clinton obviously was aware of the likely outcome of signing such a bill into law.





5. Saggy Pants. Black leaders and some vocal members of the black community, local as well as cities in other states, were demanding laws against of all things, saggy pants! They can't claim they didn't know who would be the likely targeted victims. Then when black men began dying in custody after being arrested for sagging, those very same blacks who once supported laws against sagging, switch gears and complained about it.





6. Tyree Nichols -The brutal death of Tyree Nichols at the hands of those black Memphis cops. Note: 1-5, 'Nuf said. Nothing more needed.





Don't open that door. Don't even encourage it to be opened. It's like opening the door to that stray you bring home. The first few days, week if you're lucky, that seemingly docile acting stray is looking around, sizing up its new environment. Checking things out. Watching and waiting. Then one day you return home from the corner store, work or just got back home from a quick errand run only to hear the sounds of terrified screams coming from the home as you pull into the driveway. Open the door, and that teeth baring once thought to be docile/sweet stray has everyone backed into a corner, snarling, foaming at the mouth, preparing to pounce. Some of the victims showing blood obviously have already been attacked. The furniture in the room is overturned, stuffing torn out cushions.





Black folks, don't open that door, again. Please, don't even encourage it to be opened. Why y'all keep opening that door? When history has warned you how it's all going to end.





Brenda Washington
For the second year, in 2022, Wreaths across Chattanooga led the Nation placing more wreaths on graves of veterans than any organization in the Nation. There was a total of 6,348 participating groups that placed wreaths on graves of veterans at 3,694 locations. On Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, Wreaths across Chattanooga volunteers placed just under 31,000 wreaths on the graves of veterans at the Chattanooga National Cemetery.

Nationally, there were a total of 2,430,153 wreaths that were placed on graves of veterans. These groups included all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, the Virgin Islands, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.

2022 Wreaths across Chattanooga Chairman and Retired U. S. Navy Captain Mickey McCamish noted that this national recognition by Wreaths across America further demonstrates why Chattanooga is the most patriotic city in America. He said, To achieve this level of financial support, so many words of appreciation must be given to local groups, to families, non-profits, schools, foundations, and businesses. Also, special appreciation to the thousands of volunteers, media partners and the 2022 Wreaths across Chattanooga organizing committee.

However, we still have work to do, since the mission of Wreaths across Chattanooga is to place a wreath on each of the almost 50,000 graves at Chattanooga National Cemetery. In our community, everyone knows a veteran that is laid to rest at Chattanooga National Cemetery; so later this year when we kick-off our 2023 Wreaths across Chattanooga campaign, please remember to make a donation for a wreath to honor that veteran and even a little extra donation for other Chattanooga veterans, who served our country and are laid to rest at Chattanooga National Cemetery.
David and Alice Davis photo by John Shearer Dr. Mark Gooden photo by John Shearer David Patton photo by John Shearer Portraits of Nell and Dr. Ralph Mohney Sr. photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer First-Centenary United Methodist Church photo by John Shearer Previous Next

The golden anniversary has arrived this spring for a downtown Chattanooga church building, which members hope is still shining brightly as a beacon of hope and encouragement.

On April 15, 1973 -- Palm Sunday -- First-Centenary United Methodist Church held its first service in the sleek and smooth-covered facility that at the time looked much different from some of the more classic downtown churches. It was a product of the mid-century and brutalist eras of architecture, although it was designed partly in the classic cathedral style  but with a circa 1970 twist.

Fifty years later, the churchs senior pastor, Dr. Mark Gooden, believes the facility still fits into the modern era in terms of look and space and the positive spiritual inspiration it invokes.

This is a very unique building, he said. Its stained glass (in the chancel area) is impressive. You find stained glass (at other churches), but you dont find this kind of window that tells so many stories of the scripture. And its a beautiful church. The steeple is seen all around Chattanooga.

Last Sunday morning, April 30, the church had a special anniversary music program service planned and led by worship and music ministries director Janice McNair and her husband, music assistant Jonathan McNair. It included Requiem by John Leavitt and was presented by the Chancel Choir and Chamber Orchestra. Also, A Gaelic Blessing was sung at the end and dedicated to the retiring Dr. Gooden, and brief talks related to the churchs history and future were made by Ben Baucom, David Hudson, Sara Holley, and Rickie Pierce.

The new facility that was being celebrated was planned as part of the merger of First Methodist and Centenary Methodist in 1967. They were only a few feet apart in distance but were separated by historical roots as parts of the separate Northern and Southern divisions, respectively, of the Methodist Church.

Dr. Ralph Mohney had come as senior pastor of Centenary in 1965 after serving as president of Tennessee Wesleyan College. Under his leadership, a plan was developed to merge the two churches and build a new facility.

The new church building on the corner of McCallie Avenue and Houston Street was designed by Harold Wagoner of Philadelphia, who was considered a dean of American church architecture at the time. His other works included National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C.; Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church in Florida (formerly headed by noted minister D. James Kennedy); and First Baptist Church in Chattanoogas Golden Gateway.

First Baptist, which had opened its newer facility in 1968, was likely a big reason First-Centenary sought him out, although further research or records checking would be required. While First Baptist is covered in brick and Mr. Wagoner was known for not trying to make any of his buildings look too similar, he, like many architects, did have a noticeable style. For example, both Chattanooga churches have tall, vertical stained-glass windows and tall rooflines, among other similarities.

The general contractor for First-Centenary was T.U. Parks Co., and the building is covered in part with smooth Alabama limestone. It has 14 stained-glass windows designed by the noted Willet studio, then also of Philadelphia. That includes the nearly 50-foot-high chancel window that tells Biblical stories about Adam and Eve, Abraham and Isaac, Moses, the Nativity, the Sermon on the Mount, and the Crucifixion and Resurrection. All parts are woven together with a vine.

Dr. Gooden, a 1977 Hixson High graduate who came to First-Centenary in 2018 and is retiring this summer, said he has always heard that the main window is one of the largest in the area or beyond. Another large area window is on Covenant Colleges chapel, which was finished in 1979.

The window, which is the centerpiece of the chancel area with the pulpit and lectern off to the sides, had been paid for as a gift from the Gordon Street Sr. family in honor of the congregation. Other items had also been paid for by other members and others. The cross on top of the steeple had been funded in memory of Richard Bentley Mohney, a late son of Dr. Ralph and Nell Mohney. He had died in a 1969 motorcycle accident on Signal Mountain Boulevard.

Other features include a long hallway on either side of a previously standing chapel, and two doors leading out toward the grass along McCallie Avenue with sunburst designs symbolizing Christ as the light of the world.

Parts of the worship space  including the railing around the altar and pulpit -- still have an appealing early 1970s charm. And, of course, some minor spots have become a little dated. A phone on a cord, perhaps for emergency or other uses, still sits by one back row pew, and a long hallway of coat racks is used more for temporary storage, perhaps with people wearing less formal clothing than in 1973. The church also has some unique outdoor courtyard spaces entered only from the interior of the church facility.

David Patton, who since 2009 has played the churchs Schantz organ that was moved to the facility in 1973 and has been updated and modernized, said the nave has great acoustics. But after also serving as an organist at the Wagoner-designed First United Methodist Church in Orlando, he jokingly added that the choir is put off to worshipers left side and choir members must turn and face the seating area.

The large stained-glass window is the focal point, and the music is off to the side against the wall, he said with a laugh. He (Mr. Wagoner) perhaps didnt appreciate music as much as other architects.

Ground-breaking ceremonies on the structure had been held in June 1971, a cornerstone-laying ceremony in 1972, and the structure was packed for its morning services when it was dedicated and opened in April 1973. An open house attended by another good crowd was also held that Palm Sunday afternoon.

The new facility was officially consecrated on April 29 of that year  the Sunday after Easter  with pioneering black Holston Conference Bishop L. Scott Allen and other church leaders on hand.

While the members were enjoying their new sanctuary, its opening did result in the demolition of some classic structures. The old stone-covered First Methodist building that was constructed in the mid-1880s was sold to North American Royalties, headed by First-Centenary member Mr. Street. The structure at Georgia and McCallie avenues was torn down for parking, although the steeple was preserved and remains a landmark at Georgia and McCallie avenues.

The old Centenary church directly across Lindsay Street from Memorial Auditorium was also torn down. It had columns in the front and steep steps facing McCallie Avenue and had opened in 1922.

While many of the key church lay members who led the construction of the church are no longer living or able to be heavily involved in the church, a handful of people who attended First-Centenary as young adults in 1973 are still active members. Among them are David and Alice Davis.

Mr. Davis still remembers how different the new church looked compared to the previous church. It was just beautiful, he said, adding they had three daughters who were involved in the youth activities. It was something like wed never seen before. It was a totally different concept.

They both remember the great leadership abilities of both Dr. Mohney and his wife, Nell, who taught a Sunday school class. Mr. Davis recalls that Dr. Ralph Mohney had a creative and engaging style and would occasionally dress in costume when preaching on a Biblical character, while Ms. Davis remembers how beloved Ms. Mohney was. Nell Mohney was so inspiring, and she loved everybody and the love she had flowed through her, she said.

Mr. Davis recalled with a laugh that Ms. Mohney, who for years also had a local newspaper column, never liked a lot of empty chairs, so class members would inevitably have to add chairs stacked to the side as people came late into the popular Sunday school class.

Both of the Mohneys are now deceased, but their son, Ralph Mohney Jr., was able to attend the 50thanniversary program this past Sunday. He recalled afterward that he remembers a new sanctuary was part of the plan after First and Centenary merged, and that his father was honored to be involved in its construction and the possible additional ministries that could result.

I believe that Dad would say that the sanctuary was built to glorify God and for the edification of His people. Dad was delighted to be a part of that vision, along with scores of dedicated lay leaders, donors, and staff, he said.

The younger Mr. Mohney said he was also pleased during last Sundays 50th anniversary service that it was focused on all the various ministries, activities, and Christian growth for many people that have occurred there, instead of just the building.

But he said he also liked how it looks after 50 years, adding optimistically, As I experienced once again the beauty and majesty of this sanctuary, it occurred to me that this can be a place of great ministry and worship for at least another 50 years.

The world, of course, is changing and has changed much since First-Centenary opened the new worship facility in 1973. And that includes with church worship. A smaller percentage of the overall American population attends church than before, and they sometimes prefer it in a different style. That in part led to the construction of the Vine facility across Oak Street 15 years ago to allow First-Centenary to also offer more contemporary-style worship as an alternative.

And many of the larger Chattanooga churches are now either independent of a denominational affiliation or located more in a suburban area. Even the United Methodist Church at large is facing an already-fissured split related to LGBTQ issues.

But Dr. Gooden believes the 1973 building can continue to serve Chattanooga and beyond, adding that he gets positive feedback from the churchs longtime TV ministry that has also familiarized non-members with the church building. He also said that someone told him the churchs bellringing was a source of comfort during the pandemic.

As a result, Dr. Gooden believes those who decided to build the new nave in 1973 would be proud of what has continued over the last 50 years.

They would be joyful that the church is still trying to create an atmosphere of worship that is challenging and inspiring and calling people to be disciples, he said.

* * *

jcshearer2@comcast.net
From left to right, pictured with Normal Park students are David Sharpe- District 6 County Commissioner, Lindsay Hill- Sr. Vice President and General Manager for Play & Park Structures, Dr. Jamilie Johns- Principal at Normal Park Lower School, Kelly Ellington- Director of Marketing and Product Development for Play & Park Structures, Matt Mitchell- Director of Sales Administration for Play & Park Structures, Ben Connor- Hamilton County School Board Member, & Lauren Odum- Assistant Principal at Normal Park Lower School From left to right, pictured with Normal Park students David Sharpe- District 6 County Commissioner, Lindsay Hill- Sr. Vice President and General Manager for Play & Park Structures, Dr. Jamilie Johns- Principal at Normal Park Lower School, Kelly Ellington- Director of Marketing and Product Development for Play & Park Structures, Matt Mitchell- Director of Sales Administration for Play & Park Structures Previous Next

Play & Park Structures, a PlayCore Company, announced the opening of a new, fully accessible, inclusive playground at Normal Park Museum Magnet School. This new playground at Normal Parks Lower School replaces the previous aging playground and is more accessible for both students and residents within the community.

Team members from Play & Park Structures gathered with teachers and staff from the school, along with city officials and members from the Hamilton County Board of Education to celebrate the grand opening. The new playground is designed to increase interaction, encourage conversation, and promote language skills in addition to being just plain fun. It was an exciting day and commemorated with snacks, music, and other fun activities.

David Sharp, District 6 County Commissioner said, Historically, local schools have had to rely on parental fundraising to provide play equipment for Hamilton County students. We must do better than that because a playground is a critical piece of educational curriculum. Play & Park Structures working together with Hamilton County Schools on this great facility is a big step forward for both students and our community as a whole.

Moving beyond minimum accessibility guidelines, Normal Parks Lower School playground intentionally addresses the development of the whole child, aligning itself with evidence-based design principles of the whole environment, and ultimately, benefits the entire community by providing a meaningful destination for individuals of all ages and abilities to play together.

Normal Park Museum Magnet School's new playground has been named a National Demonstration Site for exceeding the minimum standards of inclusive playground design, states Kelly Ellington, Play & Park Structures Director of Marketing & Product Development. This inclusive play space applies the 7 Principles of Inclusive Playground Design to create an outdoor play environment where both physical and social inclusion occur to the greatest extent possible. We are beyond excited to provide a robust and balanced assortment of playground activities that support the physical, social-emotional, sensory, cognitive, and communicative needs of all children, including those with disabilities.

Normal Park Museum Magnet Lower School playground is open to the public after school from 3 p.m. - sunset and on the weekends. It is at 1009 Mississippi Ave., Chattanooga, and can be accessed through the butterfly gate behind the school.

We are so thrilled to have the opportunity to have an inclusive playground where students of all needs and abilities are able to be successful and find a way to engage in play, said Normal Park Lower School Principal Dr. Jamilie Johns.
Carolyn Dorfman Dance, a New York based, nationally known contemporary company, will celebrate its 40th year with a community performance in Chattanooga on Thursday. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. at UTCs Fine Art Center. General admission tickets are $20 and available on the UTC Fine Arts website, or on-site at 6 p.m..

The performance will tell the story of the Holocaust and the survival of a people through dance and narration, in conjunction with local stories. Carolyn Dorfman is known as a creator of evocative dances that reflect her concerns about the human condition. She is interested in creating worlds into which the audience can enter. Hailed as the consummate storyteller, she uses an interdisciplinary and intercultural approach on stage. More information about Carolyn Dorfman Dance is available on the company website www.carolyndorfman.dance.

In addition to Carolyn Dorfman Dance, the performance will include community dancers from Ballet Espirit, Barger Academy of Fine Arts, Verbe from Baylor School, Project Motion from Chattanooga Center for Creative Arts, Eastside Elementary School, Terpsichord from Girls Preparatory School, Pop-Up Project youth program at Shepard Community Center and Eastside Elementary. Community dancers created new works with Carolyn Dorfman over an eight-month period both in person and via Zoom as part of the performance. A Carolyn Dorfman Dance community residency takes place May 5-13 at various sites in Chattanooga.

This performance is part of the Legacy Project which is sponsored in parts by ArtsBuild, the Weldon F. Osborne Foundation, the Tennessee Holocaust Commission, Barking Legs Theater, the Jewish Federation of Greater Chattanooga and local sponsors.




Chattanooga certainly lived up to its reputation today of being the most patriotic city in the United States, said Four Star Air Force General Duke Richardson. The Ohio native spoke Friday before a crowd of several hundred during the 74th annual Armed Forces Luncheon held at the Chattanooga Convention and Trade Center.

Before the trade center luncheon was what officials called the largest armed forces parade in Chattanoogas history took place.

The Air Force Material Commander said, We are here today to celebrate those who are currently serving in the military. We take our job seriously and are ready to go anywhere in the world at the direction of the commander in chief.

The people hold us to very high standards and we do our best to meet those expectations.

General Richardson said it would be nice if other communities followed in Chattanoogas footsteps noting the event's 74th anniversary.



Attending the luncheon were many elected officials, including Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn, Third District Congressman Chuck Fleischmann and Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp. Also present were Hamilton County Sheriff Austin Garrett, Walker County Sheriff Steve Wilson and former Hamilton County Sheriff Jim Hammond.

County Mayor Wamp said he was very proud of all the students who participated in the parade, both the bands and ROTC units.

Senator Blackburn said she appreciated the annual celebration in Chattanooga. Its important to set aside time and honor those who wear the uniform.

Congressman Fleischmann praised General Richardsons service to our country starting out by enlisting in the Air Force and now 40 years later the officer is one of the top raking air force leaders in our country.

Viet Nam Veteran Bill Norton coordinated this years parade and Col. Chris Dooley welcomed the Knoxville Band under the direction of LTC Roger Mills. The band does an average of 50 concerts a year.



The parade featured military units, ROTC units, several high school bands and the 572nd Air Force Band out of Knoxville.

As General Richardson was leaving the Trade Center he thanked Korean War Veteran Jim Sadler for his service. Sadler has been attending the annual parades since 1955. General Richardson called that some accomplishment.

Chattanooga hosts the parade the first Friday in May so students can participate before the end of their school year. Armed Forces Day is always the third Saturday in May by proclamation of the President of the United States.






Cherokee Nation citizen Winifred Dudley, of Owasso, is honored with the tribes Medal of Patriotism on Aug. 15, 2022. Dudley died on April 29 at the age of 100. She had served in the Womens Army Auxiliary Corps during World War II.
The following editorial ran in the April 26 edition of the Record-Journal::

Seeing a bear in Connecticut is not a rare occurrence. In 2022, bear sightings were reported in 158 of the states 169 towns and cities, according to a recent report from states Department of Energy and Environmental Protection: The State of the Bears.

The agencys data also reveals that the bear population is currently around 1,000 to 1,200 animals and that human interactions with bears are increasing. Discussion regarding the situation is well underway and its clear there are no easy answers.

In the news this month were two stories that illustrate the need to get a handle on what to do about bears. Local and national TV news stations recently ran video of five bears seen on a trampoline in the backyard of a Farmington home. The coverage tended towards the cute, with references to the bears playing, making merry, having fun.

While that description may or may not be true, this type of language serves to anthropomorphize wildlife. Animals can be playful, but when they set up camp in a backyard or near other human habitat, the outcome can be deadly serious. Over the weekend, DEEP reported that a woman, walking her dog in Avon, suffered several bites inflicted by a bear. Last year, there were two bear attacks, including a situation where a child was mauled in his grandparents backyard. Under DEEPs Black Bear Response protocol, an attack on a human is a category 4 response, resulting in euthanization of the bear.

In March, the Associated Press reported on a proposed bear hunt in Connecticut. The original proposal for a hunt limited to a northwestern area of the state failed, however the legislature did approve creating special state permits to allow killing bears that threaten or damage crops, livestock or bees. Animal rights advocates had argued that the original bear hunt proposal would not be effective in reducing the number of human-bear conflicts, according to the AP.

DEEP has long advised on the topic, and its website section called Living with Black Bears gives detailed tips on reducing encounters and potential conflicts whether at home or on the trail. The emphasis is on removing food sources that attract bears. And then, if one does wander by, leave it alone. All residents should take time to make themselves Bear Aware and learn about best practices to both reduce the likelihood of an encounter with a bear and know what to do in the event of an encounter, states the DEEP website.

Sightings of bears, such as the group on the trampoline, are exciting and the impulse to see these creatures as cuddly visitors that wont mind people gawking is understandable. But that thinking must be reined in. What may seem like harmless observation could be interpreted as encroachment.

The DEEP promotes the idea that humans and bears can co-exist, but its up to humans to respect the rules that make that proposition safe. Otherwise, much harsher measures could become necessary.
A woman shared her proposal video on TikTok, and some online haters tore her apart for it. Sukhmin Garcha (@sukhmingarcha) subverted gender roles by proposing to her partner this past summer on a beach.

Sukhmin was excited to present her happy news to the world. In the video, her husband-to-be, Shiraz Brar, looks delighted and touched that she got down on one knee and proposed to him.

However, many people online were less than pleased. Funnily enough, most of the hate comments were written by women.

Some questioned Shirazs happiness in the video, while others doubted that he wanted her to propose at all. On the other hand, Sukhmin received a lot of support from men.

I wish more reverse proposals existed! I love to see women proposing, said one user.

Lets disrupt the system a bit. I know any man would appreciate and enjoy this, said another.

After the video went viral, Sukhmin explained in a comment that the couple had already decided to get engaged. Plus, her fiance had planned their proposal months ago. So she just wanted to make a nice gesture.

In response to the gesture, he commented under her video.

Most amazing woman ever. Get you a strong woman that knows how to break barriers, Sukhmins now-fiance replied.

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Pexels/Markus Spiske

Religious organizations all around the country started helping refugees after the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan over two years ago. Working with resettlement organizations, they assisted families escaping war and political unrest in locating housing, employment, and language classes and adjusting to life in the U.S.

A collection of Baptist churches in North Carolina are going above and above by converting abandoned church-owned structures into refugee homes.

Churches Across Multiple States Joined Welcome House Network to Address Refugee Housing Needs

According to Christianity Today, the new project, available to all religious congregations, is organized by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina. It urges churches to renovate parsonages, office buildings, youth clubhouses, or single-family homes, making them affordable to refugees or those on humanitarian parole.

The missionary who established the Welcome House Community Network, Marc Wyatt, emphasized the need for inexpensive accommodation for refugees and the possibility of filling it with underutilized church buildings. To learn more about using unused church assets to aid refugees, 210 congregational leaders, most of whom were from North Carolina, attended the network's first housing and hospitality summit last Saturday.

To address refugees' housing requirements, churches in the Triangle region of North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, and Texas have joined the Welcome House network. Around 40 churches have joined the web, and about a dozen churches have renovated auxiliary structures for use by refugees. In exchange for hospitality and connection, these churches often charge families $10 per day to cover utility expenses.

Previously used by pastors or foreign missionaries on leave, many church-owned homes now stand empty. The Biden administration's recent expansion of refugee and humanitarian parole programs has resulted in a critical shortage of affordable accommodation, pushing churches to convert their facilities to host and assist refugees.

Hayes Barton Baptist Church in Raleigh rents residential properties to refugee families below fair market value. According to another source, Word and Way, the initiative aims to use the church's assets to help refugees rather than to proselytize. With two homes currently occupied by refugee families and a third being renovated, the church supports these families and fosters a welcoming environment. This comes as many churches consider repurposing unused buildings for the common good and aligning with their mission of welcoming strangers.

Also Read:Catholic Church to Encourage Faithful to Reflect Issues About Migrants, Refugees Thru National Migration Week

Biden Administration Boosts Refugee Admissions, Welcome House Churches Aid in Housing

The limitations placed on immigration to the United States under the Trump administration have been lifted since President Biden's inauguration in January 2021. According to the shared story in Church Leaders, the number of refugees admitted has increased. Among them are some 300,000 Ukrainians who have emigrated to the U.S. to avoid conflict with Russia. This amount exceeds the total number of persons from all over the world admitted through the official U.S. refugee program in the previous five years.

One of the ten U.S. refugee resettlement organizations that help immigrants find housing partners with Welcome House churches. Many of the migrants who enter the U.S. penniless or, after spending years in refugee camps, struggle to find affordable accommodation thanks to the efforts of these organizations. Most of the time, the State Department only pays for three months' worth of housing expenses, leaving families scrambling to find other support.

Related Article: United Church of Christs Annual Mission, One Great Hour of Sharing Aims to Help More Than 25 Million Global Refugees
Pixabay/Marcel Langthim

The recent accident in Queensland claimed the lives of individuals close to senior pastor Darron Hayhoe. According to reports, the crash occurred due to a stolen car driven by a minor.

Tragic Accident

The 29-year-old Mrs. Michale Chandler was a mother to two sons and served as a pastor at Reach Church Fraser Coast alongside her husband, 9 Now reported.

On Sunday, Apr. 30, Mrs. Chandler was with the two other girls she was mentoring during the horrifying car crash. It is believed that they were struck from behind by a Mercedes Benz that had been stolen and was being driven by a young child.

Along with Mrs. Chandler, Kelsie Davies, 17, driving the Holden, died due to the accident. Kelsie was a high school graduate who had recently begun working as an intern at the local church. She and Hayhoe's daughter had graduated from the same high school the previous year.

Moreover, Kaylah Behrens, who was 23 years old then, was the only person to survive. She was taken to Brisbane, where she underwent several operations. Mrs. Behrens is still in an induced coma, while Mr. Behrens stays by her side to hold vigil.

As per News.com, Sheree Robertson, a 52-year-old nurse from Torquay, was the driver of the third vehicle who also passed away due to the accident.

As mentioned, Pastor Darren Hayhoe, who guided the two ladies at the Reach Church, had detailed what happened when he received a call from Ms. Chandler's husband, Matthew, who informed him that his wife had been murdered.

The pastor asserted that it is not a thing that people anticipate hearing at midnight that they have just lost two of the most influential people in their life. After the tragedy that has irreversibly altered their community, he has been left with many questions.

"Even a man in my position, I'm asking the question why? It does not make sense how something like this, so tragic, can take place," he added.

Furthermore, two young men are seen on a newly released surveillance film allegedly taken a few hours before the crash. After breaking into the vehicle, they can be seen driving away.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to assist the families of those injured or killed in the accident with the costs of burying their loved ones. It has collected $22,026 out of its target amount of $100,000.

Also Read:Elderly Man Crashed Into Office of Grace Church of Mentor Due to Medical Emergency

13-Year-Old Boy Suspect

Abc News reported that on Sunday night, Apr. 30, at approximately 10:45 p.m., authorities alleged that a Mercedes-Benz was driving south on Saltwater Creek Road when it suddenly struck the back of a Holden. It caused the Holden to deviate into approaching vehicles and hit a Mazda traveling the other way toward Hervey Bay.

The accident resulted in the death of the drivers of the two cars as well as one passenger of Holder and caused a severe injury to another woman in Holden. While the young boy, who was reportedly at the wheel of the Mercedes-Benz, only sustained minor injuries to his foot.

Accordingly, the theft of the Mercedes-Benz is alleged to have occurred earlier on Sunday evening from a property in Maryborough.

Related Article:Milwaukee Man Pleaded Guilty Following Car Crash Accident That Killed Grace Lutheran Churchs Pastor, Aaron Strong
Pexels/Ryszard Zaleski

Pope Francis has hailed the billing method of natural family planning or NFP as a valuable tool for married couples that also enlightens them about the significance of the marital act. The Pope emphasized how John and Evelyn Billings created a straightforward approach for natural knowledge of fertility in the second half of the 20th century, giving a tool for responsible management of procreative decisions, in a statement delivered on April 28 to a symposium on the Billings method.

Pope Francis acknowledged their approach might have appeared outdated compared to pharmacological interventions, but the method has remained timely and challenging. The Billings method has spurred reflection on the need for education on the value of the human body, an integrated vision of human sexuality, cherishing the fruitfulness of love even when not fertile, and building a culture that welcomes life and addresses the issue of demographic collapse.

Pope Francis Praises Billings Method of Natural Family Planning

According to Catholic News Agency, Pope Francis addressed attendees of the international conference "The 'Billings Revolution' 70 Years Later: From Fertility Knowledge to Personalized Medicine," which took place in Rome from April 28 to 29. By recognizing a couple's natural fertile and infertile cycles and using that knowledge to either conceive or postpone conception by periodic abstinence, the Billings method, a type of natural family planning, is a technique of birth control that the Church has approved.

The Catholic Church holds that while artificial birth control measures like sterilization are not morally acceptable, natural birth control measures like periodic abstinence are. Pope Francis stressed the importance of anthropological and ethical approaches to serious instruction in the field of human sexuality.

Additionally, according to the article in National Catholic Register, he stressed the value of comprehending the unitive and procreative definitions of the marital act, which, when acknowledged, strengthens spouses' generosity of love and prepares them to embrace a new life. Without this understanding, the sexual experience becomes cheap and self-referential and loses its human and responsible features.

Also Read: Devout Congregation Assembles at Budapest's Historic Parish Church to Pray for Pope Francis

Vatican Confirms Mediation Initiative for Russia-Ukraine Conflict

The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, revealed the existence of a Vatican initiative to support mediation efforts aimed at putting an end to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. According to the story shared in ABC News, despite this, representatives from both nations insisted they needed to be made aware of the initiative. Parolin agreed that there might have been communication problems within the bureaucracies.

He had a private meeting on his way home with the former ambassador of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, Pope Francis made reference to the Vatican's "mission" during a press conference. The Pope emphasized his willingness to do whatever was necessary to end the war while giving no further information regarding the mission.

Cardinal Parolin echoed Francis' remarks about the mission despite using the future tense. Additionally, Parolin made it clear that Metropolitan Anthony, the Russian Orthodox Church's current representative abroad, was present at the Vatican as part of routine interactions between the two churches and was unrelated to the peace mission.

Related Article: Pope Francis Approves Resignation of Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin, Retirement Accepted
Pexels/cottonbro studio

Professor of psychology at Northeastern University David DeSteno specializes in comprehending the science underlying religious activities and their possible advantages for our well-being. DeSteno seeks to enhance people's lives by bridging the gap between science and religion with his podcast and book "How God Works."

He brings together scientists and spiritual leaders to examine the lessons learned from religious practices that can be applied to all facets of life.

Psychology Professor Explores Science Behind Religious Practices in Podcast 'How God Works'

According to the Northeastern Global News, the fourth season of DeSteno's podcast, made possible by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation, has seen the addition of live episodes. The forthcoming live episode, which will air on May 15 at WBUR's CitySpace, will examine how helping Gen Z and younger generations handle rising stress levels can be accomplished by adapting religious traditions for everyday use. "How God Works" intends to offer insightful discussion between specialists in science and spirituality, which will benefit people of all theological persuasions.

DeSteno, a researcher who focuses on the consequences of religious practices, has discovered that those who actively participate in religion tend to live longer lives and have lower rates of cancer, depression, anxiety, and lower rates of cardiovascular disease.

Religious rituals like prayer and grieving have elements that help lessen stress, boost happiness, and foster interpersonal connections. For instance, chanting and praying can lower someone's heart rate, which will help them feel less stressed. These customs and practices might be considered "life hacks" that influence our thoughts, feelings, and behavior for the better.

According to another source, Washington Post said that DeSteno, the researcher, was always fascinated by religion's role in people's lives and how it may improve them, so he decided to investigate the science underlying religious activity. He intended to conduct research studies and collect data as a psychologist to address issues with morality, compassion, and interpersonal relationships.

His research centered on encouraging kindness, fairness, compassion, and honesty in others. DeSteno's interest in meditation inspired a study that discovered people could become more compassionate after just a few weeks of meditation.

DeSteno's practice has been inspired by this research, and he now regularly cultivates prayers and practices appreciation. He has discovered that showing thankfulness to God, parents, or friends has the same beneficial effect on giving and passing on what you have. DeSteno now incorporates daily reflection on his blessings into his practice.

Also Read: Bible In A Year Podcast Host Urges 'Every Person Matters' In The Fight For Life

'How God Works' Podcast Explores Intersection of Science and Spirituality

Although science and religion frequently appear to be at odds with one another, both sides concur that spiritual practices can promote longer, healthier, and happier lives. According to Apple Podcasts, Professor Dave DeSteno explores the relationship in the podcast "How God Works" by fusing cutting-edge neuroscience with age-old wisdom.

DeSteno discusses many religious practices, from meditation and prayer to psychedelics and fire-walking, in his conversations with prominent scientists, spiritual instructors, and religious figures. The program explores how these practices might be modified and implemented regardless of personal views.

The goal of "How God Works" is to find new methods to improve life for everyone by overcoming barriers that often separate people, such as those between science and religion between one faith and another.

Related Article: Get Inspired and Encouraged: Top Christian Podcasts to Listen to Today
Pixabay/Doodlart

Pope Francis desires to have peace between Ukraine and the Vatican. However, the Ukrainian foreign ministry disagreed with the Vatican's decision to treat the roles of victim and perpetrator in the Stations of the Cross held on Good Friday.

A report from the Ukrainska Pravda stated that the Vatican had decided to combine the testimony of Ukrainian and Russian youngsters during the procession in the Colosseum on Friday, Apr. 7. This decision was made even though a similar project with two ladies resulted in an uproar in Ukraine the previous year.

'Equating Victim and Aggressor' Decision of Vatican

According to the Catholic News Agency, Pope Francis has repeatedly called for peace in Ukraine. However, the Ukrainian official noted that the juxtaposition of the two young people's statements was not "conducive to reconciliation" because it failed to acknowledge Russia's role as the aggressor in the conflict.

On Sunday, Apr. 8, Oleg Nikolenko, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, wrote a Facebook post. He said that they appreciate Pope Francis for his compassion for Ukraine and the people of Ukraine.

Yet, they must declare that an attempt to associate the victim with the attacker was again the primary focus of attention during this year's procession. "We are disappointed that the Holy See did not take into account the arguments of the Ukrainian side about the offensive nature of such a gesture," he added.

As mentioned, the joint participation by a Ukrainian and a Russian alters the reality into which Russia threw Ukrainians, symbolizing the crimes committed against them. Attempting to place an equal sign between Russia, which is causing agony, and Ukraine, which is suffering, is not beneficial to reconciling the situation.

Only after a Ukrainian triumph, the conviction and punishment of all Russian offenders, sincere regret for the misery caused, and a sincere appeal for forgiveness from Ukrainians is reconciliation. Moreover, it is not the first time that the leaders of Ukraine have taken issue with what the Vatican has said regarding Russia's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.

Also Read: Ukrainian Catholic Church Leader Speaks About 'Gratitude and Powerlessness' a Year After Russian-Ukraine War

Criticism of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry on Vatican

Based on a report from the National Catholic Register, it sparked considerable controversy when it was reported that Ukrainian and Russian families would be carrying the Cross together during the Way of the Cross last year. Initially written for the thirteenth station of the Cross, the meditation was meant to reflect the horrors of war, but it did not specifically mention Ukraine.

In addition, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who is in charge of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, was quite critical of the original proposal and branded it as "untimely." At the end of the ceremony, there was no reflection read; instead, there was a period of silence during which the Cross was held by two friends, Irina from Ukraine, and Albina, from Russia.

Also, in August of 2022, the Ukrainian representative to the Holy See was heard criticizing Pope Francis for his reaction to the news that the daughter of a supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin had been killed in a car bombing. Ambassador Andrii Yurash disagreed with Pope Francis's characterization of the dead woman as an "innocent victim."

Related Article:Pope Francis Expressed Gratitude to Polish Catholics for Humanitarian Assistance to Ukraine
Last year, the Tainan Fine Arts Museum announced a forthcoming exhibition featuring images of ghosts and zombies. To contextualize the show, which originated in France, curators incorporated artwork inspired by local folk beliefs and cultural stories of various Asian countries.

But before the exhibit had even opened, many Christians began flocking to the museums Facebook page to criticize the show as immoral and harmful to public decency and a freakish power of the demonand even to request that the museum pull the plug on it. One church issued a public prayer request, claiming that the exhibit would pollute the country and the people and that the the evils of our country are growing [and] we are ignorant, deeply offending God!

As Christians lamented the zombie exhibit, its supporters argued with them in the comment sectionand bought tickets. Ultimately, presales for the zombie exhibition sold out as soon as they were available, and many people waited in queues for several hours to enter the venue.

The Christians I grew up around in Taiwan would likely defend the critics who say pop culture or art is displeasing to God. Like many evangelicals in America, many of them believe the church has the responsibility to speak out against the culture when it appears to violate biblical teaching and values. But is this asking too much of the world?

To paraphrase Marvin Olasky, Christians often categorize their society as Israel, when in actuality its Babylon. While Olasky makes this claim about American Christians, it is even more true in Taiwan, where Christians make up only 5.5 percent of the population and nearly half (49.3%) of people profess folk religion (a mixture of Daoism and Buddhism).

For years, while Taiwan was under authoritarian rule, Taiwanese society kept and practiced the Confucianist ethics. Since many moral codes advocated in Confucianism overlap with biblical principles, Christians in the past did not seem as concerned with countering Confucian teachings with biblical truth.

But when Taiwan started to democratize in the 1990s, the country began opening to different voices and values. The church was used to being in a relatively comfortable conservative society and wasnt ready for the rapid progress of secularization. Taiwanese Christians began to imitate American Christian narratives about combating secularization and reacting against perceived godlessness. In the process, they forgot the fact that Christians have always been the minority in Taiwan and that people have been worshiping worldly idols for centuriesincluding our own culture.

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Consequently, most people who live on the island do not care what the Christian God thinks of them or what the prophets of the Christian religion may think of their chosen ways of life. When these prophets ascend to the mountain to cry out and lament, Taiwanese people cannot understand what they are angry about. Often, all they can see is strangers judging their actions.

To Christians, this ignorance should make sense. Paul notes that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (1 Cor. 1:18). The word world () occurs 186 times in the New Testament alone. And before we met Christ, werent we ourselves once practitioners in the worlds ways?

In his time on earth, the Gospels do not portray Jesus as showing any discomfort around people who did not know him. In fact, Jesus made the deliberate decision to eat with tax collectors and sinners in an age and culture where eating at the same table was an intimate act. And the Bible includes more instances of Jesus rebuking those who considered themselves to be religious than those who counted themselves as sinners.

The Pharisees, who claimed to keep Gods law, were obsessed more with manipulating peoples behavior than with caring for their difficulties (Mark 3:16). They rejected peoples words on account of their social status (6:13), looked on the outward appearance and not at the heart (7:123; 10:2327), sought glory in their own way (8:32), competed for status and prestige (9:3337) and were jealous of those who were gifted in ministry (9:38). I think the reason Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and the disciples so often was that they not only misunderstood the world (lacked compassion) but also could seldom see how much they resembled it (1 Cor. 3:13).

The Bible teaches us to love sinners, but it also expects sinners to repent. And yet we often overlook how Jesus called sinners to repentancehow he made them willing to repent.

Jesus could have spent all his time directly rebuking tax collectors and prostitutes for being immoral sinners, but instead he focused his ministry on building relationships with them and addressing their needs. In the process, they often came to understand why they needed their sins forgiven. After a conversation in the middle of the day, Jesus tells a Samaritan woman about water that ensure she will never thirst again (John 4). He also confronts her about being married five times and that she currently isnt married to the man she is with. After this long exchange, she is not only willing to change her own life but she eagerly tries to convince her community to meet Jesus.

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And while many in this world will see the kindness of God in the loving way of Jesus, realize their sinfulness, and ultimately repent (Rom. 2:4), there are just as many who have a hard and impenitent heart (v. 5, ESV)including those who claim to follow him yet have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear (Mark 8:18).

Paul said, We are therefore Christs ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christs behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20). After Jesus left the world, the church became the body and messengers of Christrepresenting his image on earth. As such, we are called to live out the essential commands of Christ: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:3031).

How strong is our public testimony if all we are doing is reminding everyone of our high moral standards, expressing our disappointment with peoples life choices, and displaying our anger every time we see what we consider to be an offensive act against God? Instead, how powerful would our witness be to those outside the church if they saw us fighting for justice day and night, repenting for our wrongdoings, making peace and reconciling with others, and sacrificing ourselves to serve our neighbors and the least of our brothers and sisters?

As Kirsten Sanders argues in a recent piece for CT, When the church becomes preoccupied with defending itself to the world, it eventually becomes incoherent. This does not mean the church should be withdrawn or ignorant or politically uninvolved, but it does mean that there is a better way to go about itand that is to speak the peculiar language of peace, of forgiveness, of repentance and resurrection.

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Jesus Great Commission to the church is not to go therefore and make all nations know that they are sinners. Instead, he commanded us to make disciplesand part of that involves letting our light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16). Sometimes, the world cannot understand us because they cannot see how we are any different than they are. And unless Christians understand the ways of the world, how will we know whether we resemble them?

Some Christians fear that our light is too small for the world to see. This fear can convince them that speaking authoritatively and stridently is the best way to remind people that Christians are not ashamed of their faith. But I do not believe this approach best reflects the way Christ conducted himself on earth.

Personally, I dont think Jesus would try to stop people from going to see the zombie exhibition. Instead, he might engage them about the spiritual themes in the art. He might praise the artistic talent on display in the work or look for ways for the church to honor and recognize the artists. Or maybe he would recognize that peoples very desire to be in a setting that connects spirituality and beauty is the same impulse that can lead them to seek out Godand then he might invite them into that very thing.

Yiting Tsai is from Taiwan, and currently serves at a local church in Chicago. She also leads Christianity Today's Chinese translation efforts.
Midway through global K-pop sensation BTSs 2015 track Ma City, J-Hope raps a lyric thats both a personal homage and a history lesson: Everyone dial it, 062518. Those digits are a cleverly encoded reference to his beloved hometown Gwangju. The South Korean citys area code is 062, and 518 harkens back to May 18, 1980, and the prodemocracy mass uprising that took place in Gwangju on that date.

A little more than a week later, a military crackdown that included tanks and helicopters stormed the hundreds of thousands of civilians who had gathered to protest Chun Doo-hwans military coup and dictatorship. The brutal attack left 144 civilians dead, according to official government figures, although surviving eyewitnesses claim that the true death toll surpassed 2,000. Thousands more were injured, with many falling victim to indiscriminate beatings, rapes, disembowelments, and torture carried out by riot police and paratroopers. The state massacre is widely considered to be one of the darkest moments in Koreas struggle for democracy.

In 2010, BTSs Suga released the hip-hop track 518-062, which pays tribute to courageous victims and calls a new generation to join him in memorizing the scars and wounds from that dark past day:

their bodies are filled with scars from the flag

darling, Ill ignite your will again

brothers, Ill memorize your scarred Korean flesh without pause

[I want] to ask people not to allow the uprising to fade little by little from their memories and to remember it once again, Suga said when the track debuted.

Chun Woo-won, the 27-year-old grandson of the late former president Chun Doo-hwan, has not allowed the uprising to fade from his memory. His recent actions vividly illustrate the biblical practice of intergenerational responsibility and confession and its capacity to engender the healing of old, festering wounds.

A public confession

The younger Chun, who lives and works as an accountant in New York, made international headlines on March 31 when he visited Gwangju to offer a formal apology to surviving victims and bereaved families of the 1980 massacre.

I sincerely apologize for coming so late, and I am grateful to the people of Gwangju for graciously welcoming me for doing something that should have happened a long time ago, Chun said that day, appearing visibly emotional.

Although he gestured towards his own flaws and failings, Chun expressed remorse primarily as a stand-in for his grandfather, who died in 2021: As a family member, I acknowledge that my grandfather Chun Doo-hwan was a sinner and a slaughterer who committed such a great crime.

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Chun concluded his visit by paying respects to the deceased at Gwangjus May 18 National Cemetery, which holds the graves of 764 victims. He vowed to repent and express regret for my familys wrongdoings for the rest of my life.

While the immediate reaction was mixed, no one could deny that this public gesture of contrition was remarkable for having happened at all: Chun Woo-won is the first member of his family ever to apologize for the 1980 massacre. His grandfather, nicknamed The Butcher of Gwangju, denied issuing a shoot-to-kill order in a 2016 magazine interview, claiming, I had nothing to do with the Gwangju incident. He died, still defiant, at the age of 90.

Even after Chun Doo-hwans passing, victims ached for acknowledgment from the family. A truthful apology would require Chuns family coming to and kneeling at the victims graveyard, insisted Choi Hyung-ho, the head of the Seoul branch of The May 18 Memorial Foundation.

And this is precisely what Chun Woo-won did. Besides offering a verbal apology, he also knelt before massacre survivors and family members of victims and offered the deepest and most formal way of expressing humility and respect in Korean culture: keunjeol, or a full-prostration bow, in which all five points of the body, including elbows, knees, and forehead, touch the ground.

Videos of the powerful moment immediately went viral across social media platforms around the world. Some expressed skepticism about Chuns sincerity and motives, which were undermined by his personal vices and indiscretions. But many were hopeful. One individual commented on Twitter, This has me shedding tears. Another said, This is so powerful. Its such a simple gesture. But an apology goes a long way.

Reflecting on this incident, Kings College professor Anthony Bradley wondered what America might be like today if US white conservative descendants of slaverys Master Class and Jim Crow supporters (who were in every state) had practiced this Nehemiah 9:2 act in local communities across America in the 1970s.

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Such is the potential for public apologies to heal and to mend. Such is the power of intergenerational confession.

Bearing responsibility

Nehemiah 9, the text Bradley cited, offers a salient example of intergenerational confession from the Bible. With their bodies draped in sackcloth and dirt smudged on their facesa cultural analog to keunjeol, perhapsthe restored exiles of Jerusalem gather to confess not only their sins aloud but also the iniquities of their fathers (v. 2). They do so, first, by rehearsing the history of Gods dealings with their ancestors in judgment and redemption (vv. 632), and then by identifying with that story and those ancestors in a penitential prayer: You have been just in all that has come upon us, for you have dealt faithfully and we have acted wickedly (v. 33).

Us. We. With these pronouns of remorseful solidarity, the people join a chorus of voices in Scripture that own and acknowledge their predecessors sins. Both we and our fathers have sinned, Psalm 106:6 sings. We acknowledge our wickedness, O Lord, and the iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against you, laments the prophet Jeremiah (14:20).

Our fathers sinned, and are no more; and we bear their iniquities, the author of Lamentations bemoans (5:7). This ancient chorus echoed once more in the voice of a grandson in Gwangju, a voice that grieved the hideous crime we had committed.

In spite of this broad biblical precedent, there will be some in the Christian tradition who appreciate Chuns apology for its symbolic and sentimental value but resist any suggestion that apologizing for the sins of ones deceased forebears should be a normative practice.

Two possible reasons for this skepticism are worth examining briefly.

The first involves the skeptics cultural vantage point. Sociologists have long noted that the social function and meaning of an apology can vary widely in collectivist cultures like South Korea, as opposed to individualist cultures like the US. In the former, people tend to see themselves as connected to others, define themselves in terms of their relationships, and apologize as an expression of eagerness to repair a damaged relationship. In the latter, people tend to see themselves as separate from others, define themselves by their individual traits and choices, and associate apologies primarily with personal guilt.

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These two groups will tend to read the Bible differently when encountering collectivist and intergenerational concerns in places like Nehemiah 9. Individualistic observers are more likely to resist the idea of apologizing to strangers they have never met for wrongs they didnt personally commit.

This brings us to a second reason for skepticism toward intergenerational confession. Some say that the practice is theologically invalid because it unjustly punishes people as if they had personally committed the sins of others. But this reflects a misunderstanding of the concept.

Intergenerational confession doesnt rely on a reckless imputation of an individuals personal guilt to another. The prophet Ezekiel clearly asserts that a person shall not die for his fathers iniquity (Ezek. 18:17; also Jer. 31:2930), even as he affirms the fairness of Israels communal judgment by exile (Ezek. 1617). Individual culpability remains distinct from collective responsibility.

The Gwangju apology does not imply that Chun bears personal guilt for his grandfathers atrocities, as though he himself had committed them. Neither does it serve as an equivalent substitute for the repentance his grandfather owed but never offeredhis blood shall be upon himself (Ezek. 18:13). Rather, Chuns apology represents an embrace of corporate responsibility for the sins of one member (Chun Doo-hwan) of a collective (the Chun family) in which the person apologizing (Chun Woo-won) is also a member.

Whether by instinct or learning, Chun, who is Christian, appears to understand that he is implicated in his grandfathers evils, even if he is not personally to blame for them. He bears responsibility as a family member.

The road to healing

What does this collective, intergenerational responsibility entail? The obligation to ameliorate, and not merely acknowledge, the harms of the past.

Old Testament scholar Michael Rhodes points to the Year of Jubilee as a key example (Lev. 2526). Israelite families that had acquired land from other families, sometimes by sinful and oppressive means, were required to return the land to the original owners every 50 years. If the damage one generation does is not fixed in their own day, that damage does not simply disappear at their death. The wrong must be righted, and the job may well fall on their descendants, Rhodes explains.

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This biblical principle applies to Chun Doo-hwans descendants: They may not have broken it, but they must repair it. They should not only confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers (Lev. 26:40), as Chun Woo-won did, but also make amends for their iniquity (Lev. 26:43).

What kind of amends can be made to the residents of Gwangju? What emblems of repentance, healing, and neighborly love can be offered? This is a matter for Chun to determine for himself, guided by the input of victims and their families. But he already appears inclined toward this frame of mind. In a press conference after the event, Chun expressed his intent to continue to contact the bereaved families as much as needed and to continue the dialogue. Perhaps that dialogue could include the possibilities of repair.

To be clear, the process of healing did not begin with Chuns apology. It has taken place over the past 40 years at the local and national levels through efforts around truth-seeking, criminal prosecution, memorialization, and government reform. It has also included material reparation. Beginning in 1990, the governmentwhich bears primary responsibility for the massacrepassed a series of measures, including the Kwangju Compensation Act, that provided compensation to families of the deceased and missing and to those who were injured. A total of 5,185 cases were handled, and 233 billion Korean won (approximately $202 million USD) was paid to victims, for an average amount of 45 million Korean won ($39,000) awarded per person, according to one estimate in 2009.

Transitional justice advocates will insist that redress to victims is an essential pillar of social healing. Old Testament law apparently agrees. Yet, $39,000 is a relatively modest sum when considered in light of the full extent of the actual damage that was donethe murders, the brutalization, and the rape and sexual assaults carried out by soldiers during their crackdown on the uprising.

Reparation is necessary for healing, reconciliation, and peace. But its limited payout brings into brighter focus the sheer enormity of the loss, together with what political philosopher Hannah Arendt called the predicament of irreversibility, the plain human inability to undo what has been done.

No amount of recompense can undo what was done in Gwangju, and we would be wise not to sentimentalize the tearful goodwill displayed there. Transgenerational forgiveness cannot be achieved with a simple apology and its acceptance, said Ani Kalayjian, a scholar and descendant of Armenian genocide survivors.

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Forgiveness, like collective responsibility and confession, is a scriptural imperative (Matt. 6:1415; Luke 17:34; Eph. 4:32). It brings about a mutual release from the oppressive bonds of vengeance. But it is also complex. Sometimes forgiveness proves elusive in a sin-scarred world. Very often, forgiveness involves a long and arduous process, especially when it is generationally delayed and involves remorseless or deceased perpetrators of state brutality.

Survivors and families whose loved ones perished in the Gwangju massacre received Chun Woo-won warmly in Gwangju. Some of the bereaved, including elderly mothers who lost their college-aged children decades ago, burst into tears and accepted his apology. Others commended him for his courage and hugged him. One woman, whose son was killed in the uprising, expressed her hope that Chun would think of Gwangju as his second home.

Whether these visible gestures of goodwill can be accurately interpreted as forgiveness is unclear. Whether they reveal that the original perpetrator, Chun Doo-hwan, is hereby forgiven on account of his grandson is even less certain. Still, the victims magnanimous response indicates that some kind of release from indebtedness, some kind of freedom from vengeance, may have pierced through the decades-old fog of bitterness and grief that day.

If so, that too is a kind of healing. That too is a legacy worth memorizing.

Duke Kwon is coauthor of Reparations: A Christian Call for Repentance and Repair and lead pastor of Grace Meridian Hill, a neighborhood congregation in the Grace DC Network. He lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and three children.
Rioting mobs have taken the lives of at least six people and destroyed or burned down 25 churches in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur. Since May 3, thousands of victims, the majority of them Christians, have fled as their homes and businesses have gone up in flames.

While tensions over property rights and economic interests have existed between the states ethnic groups for decades, local leaders told CT that church burnings are the result of the growth of Hindu nationalism among the dominant Meite community.

The chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh, described the situation as a prevailing misunderstanding between two communities and said that his government was committed to protecting the lives and property of all our people.

We should not allow the culture of communal harmony in the state to be disturbed by vested interests, Singh said, adding that he also intended to address the communitys long-term grievances.

Manipur borders Myanmar and is home to a diverse range of ethnic groups, including Meiteis, who are a numerical majority in the state and are predominantly Hindu, and various tribal communities, who are largely Christian.

Primarily based in Imphal Valley, a region which includes Manipurs capital, the Meiteis have long dominated the state's political and economic landscape. Meanwhile, tribal communities make up around a third of the population (35.4%) and are mainly concentrated in the hills surrounding the valley, 90 percent of the states geographical area.

For decades, the issue of land ownership and control has been a source of conflict between the two groups. But in recent years, these tensions have been exacerbated by the political influence of the Hindu nationalist organizations Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which have sought to promote their faith as the dominant religion in India and have used the Meitei community to advance their political agenda in the state.

This months violence came weeks after the Manipur High Court ordered the state government to respond to the Meitei communitys request for Scheduled Tribe status. The designation gives communities special constitutionally backed protections including reserved seats in the parliament and state legislatures, affirmative action in education and employment, and property protections.

But believing that this categorization would dilute their own protections and political representation, Mainpur tribal groups have long fought this change.

While area leaders believe that the violence was largely a reaction to this political decision, they see its viciousness and severity, particularly the attack on churches, as the growth of the influence of BJP and the RSS. Radical Hindu ideology historically has struggled to find a foothold in Manipur, because of its mix of tribal, Hindu, Christian, and Muslim communities.

Christian leaders from the area told CT that they believed this violence was religiously motivated.

In this pogrom, the Hindu Meiteis not only burned down churches belonging to tribals but also churches that exclusively belong to Meitei Christians, said Ngaineilam Haokip, an academic at university in Kolkata, who grew up in Manipur. They targeted their own brethren who follow Christ by burning their churches.

If this is not a pogrom, what is? They are burning churches when the protest rally was simply against the inclusion of Meiteis as Scheduled Tribe by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM). There is definitely a religious angle here, said a Christian leader in the area, who for security reasons asked to be identified by the name Lien.

After the BJP came to power in 2017, it sought to create a Hindu nationalist identity for the Meitei community. This encouragement to see themselves as part of the Hindu fold has come even as nearly 10 percent of the community practice an indigenous religion known as Sanamahism.

After the courts April 19 directive, the state government was given a four-week deadline to review the Meitei communitys request and make a recommendation to the federal government for its consideration.

On Wednesday, thousands of people across the state, the majority Christians, gathered locally to protest the Meiteis demand. Although the event ended peacefully in several districts, there were reports of arson, vandalism, and confrontations in other areas.

In the district of Churachandpur, one unidentified group set fire to a famous war memorial. Infuriated by this arson, there was a clash among locals, resulting in the destruction of homes and forcing hundreds of residents to seek refuge in nearby forests. Retaliatory attacks by local youths targeted Meitei neighborhoods in Churachandpur, and the violence caused two deaths and injured 11. Some reports alleged attackers carried sophisticated weaponry.

In response, groups of people targeted several tribal neighborhoods in the capital city of Imphal. Residents told The Wire that mobs burned down 23 houses and injured 19 residents.

One victim of the attacks was a tribal legislative assembly representative who sustained severe head injuries and is currently in critical condition.

Tribals were not prepared for a war. They were holding peace rallies against the demand for Scheduled Tribe status by Meiteis. The Meiteis on the other hand, were planning for this kind of confrontation for a long time, it seems. They collected gun licenses and guns and then lit the fire, Haokip said.

In the wake of the violence, the government has imposed a curfew and suspended internet access. The severity of the situation has led the Indian government to deploy military to the affected areas and authorize it to use lethal force in extreme cases in addressing the increasing violence. The federal government has additionally invoked Article 355, giving it authority over the state of Manipur. More than 7,500 people have been evacuated to safer places.

As of the evening of May 4, interpersonal violence has abated, although some residents have reported burning buildings and church vandalism.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India expressed sadness and concern over the violence, though it did not link the event to religious extremism or suggest that Christians had been targeted because of their faith.

We call upon all parties involved to exercise restraint and work towards a peaceful resolution of the issues. We urge the people of Manipur to avoid forces that instigate division and cause polarization, said Vijayesh Lal, the general secretary of the Evangelical Fellowship of India in a statement. We also appeal to the state and the union government to engage in constructive dialogue with all stakeholders to address the underlying causes of the conflict.

The North East Students Society of Delhi University, a group that represents the Christian tribal community, condemned what they described a division along the lines of religious faith and communal identity fueled by political propaganda. Representing a similar constituency, the Naga Students Union Delhi urged the government to address the underlying issues that have led to these events by wider consultation with the various stakeholders.
Rachel Kerr James was the first medical professional to arrive on the scene of the US embassy bombing in Saigon in March 1965. She saw the smoke, mangled metal, and scores of people wounded by the blast that ripped a hole in the side of the five-story concrete building. She knew immediately what she had to do.

I am going to stay here as long as necessary, she said to her husband, Sam. It could be a long time.

James spent three days tending to the wounded at the embassyand 13 years caring for the people of Vietnam during the war. A Southern Baptist missionary nurse, she volunteered with the Red Cross, set up medical clinics in the villages around Saigon, and launched a mobile clinic, all while raising four children and helping her husband plant churches and start a seminary.

James died in Virginia in April. She was 88.

I felt God called me to be a foreign missionary, James said. My whole life has been centered around this call.

James was born October 17, 1934, in Durham, North Carolina. Her father, Theodore Kerr, worked at a local hospital. Her mother, Ethel Peed Kerr, was a homemaker who had once dreamed of being a missionary and passed her passion for mission work on to her daughter.

James accepted Jesus as her personal savior at 14. Shortly afterward, she started to feel a call to nursing and missions that was, as she later described it, increasingly definite. As she started to date, however, that call was challenged. Few if any of the young men she knew were committed to missions. Fewer still liked the idea of getting married to a woman who wanted to be a missionary.

One day, praying in church before dawn, she was convicted that following Christ had to come before anything elseeven getting married and having a family. She stretched herself out on the altar as the sun rose through and gave her life to God.

Lord, I want you to know I am completely willing and ready to go alone, she said. But, Lord, if you send me somebody, and we can go together, that will be okay too.

Two years later, as a nursing student at Duke University, she was invited to dinner at the home of a woman from her church. The woman also invited her nephew, a Navy veteran who had a born-again experience while serving in Korea. Sam James was immediately smitten with this woman who was so committed to the Great Commission. He drove her back to her dormitory, and the two sat in the parking lot until midnight, when all the nursing students had to be in for curfew.

Before they parted, they prayed that God would guide them on their respective paths to serve himeach hoping, but not saying aloud, that those paths might merge.

Sam and Rachel James were married on August 8, 1957.

As they prepared for mission work, Sam took a job as a pastor of a Baptist congregation in rural North Carolina. James had her first child there, and then her second.

The growing family struggled in those first few years of ministry. Political tensions divided the church, and some people started leaving when they heard Sam was planning to allow Black people to attend. He had not thought about trying to integrate the congregation, Sam later wrote in a memoir, but he was deeply unsettled by the racial views in the church. He demanded the church vote on whether to keep him.

God loves all mankind no matter where in the world they live, what skin color they have, what economic strata they belong to, or what social standing they have, he preached. Above all, God loves every single one of us.

The congregation agreed to keep their young pastor and allow Black people to sit in one section of the sanctuary if they came. (None did.)

In 1961, the Jameses were accepted as candidates by the Foreign Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Rachel James attended orientation while three months pregnant with her third child.

They left by boat from San Francisco in March 1961, with a three-year-old, an 18-month-old, and a newborn in tow.

When they landed in Hong Kong, however, the Jameses were informed that their visa applications had been rejected. The South Vietnamese government, run by Catholics, was concerned about American Protestants undercutting support for the regime. They appealed and waited. They waited all spring, all summer, and into the fall.

Yet when it seemed like they would never get approval, Rachel James became convinced the authorities were going to change their minds. Baptist churches in the United States had a calendar telling them when to pray for missionaries, and they were scheduled to pray for her on her birthday, October 17. She was certain it would make a difference.

On October 17, the Jameses were notified their visas had been approved. They became the sixth Baptist missionary family to go to Vietnam.

The Jameses spent two years in intensive classes learning Vietnamese, taking turns studying and watching the children. As they learned the language and the culture, they began to love the people.

It wasnt always easy, though. There were small but embarrassing faux pas, like the time Sam offended a guest by eating first or the time he couldnt think of the vocabulary for plucked and asked a woman in the market for a chicken without clothes. She called everyone over to laugh at him.

There were more serious challenges too. The American government started sending combat troops into the country, and fighting increased. The South Vietnamese government, worried about dissidents, outlawed all meetings of more than three people, making all of the Jameses Bible studies illegal. Rachel wasnt legally allowed to start a clinic, because all the Vietnamese doctors had been drafted into the military and she needed a doctor to supervise.

In 1967, as they began their second term in Vietnam, however, an American army doctor showed up at the church they had planted in a suburb of Saigon. S. Leo Record Jr., a Wesleyan from North Carolina, had received orders to provide medical care to the South Vietnamese. But he didnt have anyone to translate. He heard the Baptist missionaries spoke Vietnamese and was shocked to find that one of them was a trained nurse who wanted to start a clinic.

James and Record teamed up to provide medical care. They opened weekly clinics in the villages around Saigon, each serving 100 to 200 people. Around the same time, James had her fourth child.

In 1973, when President Richard Nixon started withdrawing troops, most of the medical personnel in Saigon were sent home. The army sold James all the medical equipment she wanted, though, and she teamed up with a Catholic doctor and established a mobile clinic, driving to a different place each day to continue the work.

James insisted on continuing, even when the work was threatened by Northern Vietnamese soldiers.

Sam, she told her husband, I just cant give up the ministry God has placed in my care. The need is just too great.  I simply will not, cannot quit.

James continued for another two years, until the South Vietnamese government fell and the family had to be evacuated.

Back in the US, James supported her husband as he oversaw the construction and development of a missionary training center in Richmond, Virginia, known today as the International Learning Center. Sam went on to serve as East Asia area director for the International Missions Board and then vice president for creative leadership development.

A missionary wife goes through cycles of life and ministering, she said. There are times when she is free to do what she wants to do. Then she may enter a cycle where she is busy almost full-time carrying out the responsibilities that come naturally to a wife and mother.  All of this is the Lords work and in his will and timing.

In 2002, the Jameses were allowed to return to Vietnam to see the church they helped start in Saigon with $50,000 taken up in Lottie Moon offerings in Southern Baptist churches. The church survived the Communist rule under Vietnamese leadership and continues to this day. The couple made regular trips back to Vietnam to teach until Jamess health no longer allowed her to travel.

James is predeceased by her third child, Philip. She is survived by her husband and children, Deborah Winans, Stephen James, and Michael James. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, Richmond, Virginia, on May 13.
These companies are sending out trigger warnings ahead of Mother's Day

Some of Americas biggest companies are sending out the equivalent of trigger warnings for their customers ahead of Mothers Day while featuring LGBT messaging on their websites.

A now-viral thread from Twitter user Arizona Informer shows several screenshots of opt-out messaging from Kroger, Levi Strauss, DoorDash and other well-known companies with language that includes calling Mothers Day and Fathers Day sensitive times and that the holiday can even be triggering.

The tweet from Arizona Informer read: "Something very strange is happening with Big Corporations. Out of nowhere, @kroger owned @FrysFoodStores, @KayJewelers, @Hallmark, and now @DoorDash have all sent "Opt out of #MothersDay" emails to their customer base. This is not organic."

Something very strange is happening with Big Corporations. Out of nowhere, @kroger owned @FrysFoodStores, @KayJewelers, @Hallmark, and now @DoorDash have all sent "Opt out of #MothersDay" emails to their customer base. This is not organic.



This reeks of anti-family activists. pic.twitter.com/4pkKqGUooW  Arizona Informer (@AZInformer) April 23, 2023

Kroger-owned Frys Food Stores, for instance, shared an opt-out message which read in part, We know Mother's Day and Father's Day can be sensitive times for some.

The companys website also includes an LGBT pride month celebration page featuring the transgender flag and a Human Rights Campaign (HRC) equality logo. HRC also advocates for same-sex parenting and families on its website.

The opt-out note from Levis took a slightly more casual approach: "... Before we start bombarding you with mom-related content we just wanted to check in first. We know motherhood and all the associated feelings, emotions and memories can be tricky  and even triggering for some people. The last thing we want to do is hit you with celebratory yay mom energy that doesn't match up with your vibe."

By contrast, Levis marketed so-called Pride month last year by releasing a gender-free skirt so that anybody who wants to wear a skirt can wear a skirt."

San Francisco-based DoorDash, meanwhile, wrote an opt-out message saying, We understand Mothers Day may be a difficult time for some.

Last year, DoorDash celebrated Pride month with drag bingo events and was named one of the best places to work for [LGBT] equality by HRC.

With a headline reading, Were Here For You, Kay Jewelers, which is owned by Signet Jewelers, shared a message which read in part, We know Mother's Day can be a challenging time, which is why we want to know if you'd rather not receive Mother's Day related emails.

Kay Jewelers also has a dedicated Pride page featuring several same-sex couples kissing and a banner announcing a partnership with HRC.

So whats this all about?

Part of it, according to NPR, stems from painful reminders for those who lost loved ones during the coronavirus pandemic, an effort which appeared to gain some positive feedback and drive other companies to follow suit.

Reaction to this years batch of Mothers Day opt-out messages was mixed on social media, with conservative political commentator Charlie Kirk tweeting, Can we opt out of Pride Month spam too?

Others, like writer Michele Wojciechowski, supported the effort: Props to @Hallmark They sent me an email giving me the option to opt-out of Mother's Day emails/texts. I did. That was really cool of them, as I miss my Mom so much, and getting emails to remind me rips my heart out all over again.

But for Christians, Focus on the Familys Marty Machowski says honoring our mothers isnt about political alignment, its about doing what Jesus Himself did.

The cross provides the most touching scene in the life of Christ and His love for His mom. Mary followed Jesus up the hill that day to Golgotha, Machowski wrote Thursday. There as he struggled to catch His breath, He called out to John to care for His mother after His death.

He cited the 19th Chapter of the Gospel of John: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, Woman, behold, your son! Then he said to the disciple, Behold, your mother! And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.

As followers of Jesus, Machowski said, we should follow His example when it comes to our own moms.

Work to instill confidence in your mom that you will care for her needs and help her with her problems, he said. What an honor it is if your mom, in the face of difficulty, can go to those around you and have the confidence to say, Do whatever he tells you, knowing youll make decisions for her best.
5 woke companies that have Christian origins

Many major companies are going woke by advancing controversial progressive political ideas through their products or company policies.

Having a major company like Disney, Target or Walmart express support for the LGBT movement or other ideas is starting to become cliche, as are the backlashes to their decisions.

However, it might be surprising to learn that some of these very companies were either founded by devout Christians or have a history of appealing to conservative Christian culture.

Here's a list of five major companies that have recently gone woke that have a Christian past. They include major retail stores, a big-name airline and one of the most magical places on Earth.
Indiana passes law allowing nonprofits to keep donor names anonymous

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has signed a law allowing nonprofits to prevent donors' identities from being publicly disclosed in a move that many believe protects the rights of people to donate to causes without fear of repercussion.

Holcomb signed House Enrolled Act No. 1212 into law on Thursday, along with dozens of other bills that touched on a wide variety of issues.

Introduced in January, Indiana lawmakers overwhelmingly approved the legislation last month by a vote in the House of 74-20 and a vote of 48-1 in the Senate.

The legislation says that public agencies cannot compel any person or nonprofit organization to provide the public agency with personal information or publicize, or otherwise publicly disclose personal information in the possession of the public agency.

The new law includes exemptions for state-required disclosures related to campaign finance and lobbying laws, as well as any lawful requests such as an order or warrant, issued by a court of competent jurisdiction, for the provision, disclosure, or release of personal information.

HEA 1212 had the backing of the Indiana Philanthropy Alliance, which argued that, if enacted, the bill would encourage more people to donate to nonprofit organizations.

To me, anyway, the most critical reason is that sometimes we give to organizations that we feel strongly about and others feel differently about. And in those cases, there's an opportunity for harassment, intimidation, said IPA CEO Claudia Cummings, reported Indiana Public Media, an affiliate of PBS, last month.

Alliance Defending Freedom Senior Counsel Zack Pruitt, whose organization has defended in court the right of people to keep their donations anonymous, celebrated the law's passage.

Every American should be free to peacefully support causes they believe in without fear of harassment or intimidation. We have seen states irresponsibly mandate disclosures that endanger donors, foster a culture of doxing, and discourage charitable giving, said Pruitt in a statement released Friday.

We commend Gov. Holcomb and the Indiana Legislature for taking a stand for the ability of individuals to privately support charities and other nonprofit organizations of their choice without unnecessary government interference and the resulting harassment that can ensue.

In 2021, the United States Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in the case of Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta, Attorney General of California that California could not force nonprofits to disclose their private donor information.

The disclosure requirement creates an unnecessary risk of chilling in violation of the First Amendment  indiscriminately sweeping up the information of every major donor with reason to remain anonymous, read the majority opinion, in part.

The petitioners here, for example, introduced evidence that they and their supporters have been subjected to bomb threats, protests, stalking, and physical violence.
Kenyan man speaks of losing wife, 6 kids to End Times death cult

A Kenyan man believes his wife and six children are among the more than 100 people who starved themselves to death in a remote forest after the leader of an End Times cult ordered them to fast so they could meet Jesus, believing that the world would end in June.

The Kenyan cult preacher, Paul Nthenge Mackenzie of the Good News International Church, appeared in court on Thursday, accused of encouraging followers to starve themselves to death, the BBC reported.

The British broadcaster spoke to Stephen Mwiti, the man whose wife, Bahati Joan, believed in the prophecy and vanished from Malindi, southeast Kenya, with their six children last August.

Bahati Joan and her children were discovered to have joined Pastor Mackenzie's congregation in the isolated Shakahola forest in the coastal county of Kilifi. The forest, a two-hour drive from Malindi, is known for its thorn bushes, thickets and sweltering heat.

The police raided the Shakahola forest last month after receiving information about ignorant citizens starving to death under the pretext of meeting Jesus after being brainwashed by Nthenge. Six of Nthenges associates have also been arrested in connection with the case.

The cult established a new Holy Land, partitioning the area into villages named after biblical locations, the BBC said, adding that Mwiti learned from escaped children in police custody that his wife and children had died. While their bodies have yet to be identified, Mwiti is certain they starved to death in the forest.

Detectives have mapped out 65 burial sites, with 110 confirmed deaths and fears that the toll could rise as the search continues. Police and prosecutors believe that some cult members may have been strangled, suffocated or beaten to death with blunt objects.

Nthenge had turned himself over to the police and was charged after two children starved to death in their parents custody in March. He was initially released on bail of $700 (100,000 Kenyan shillings) but was arrested again on April 15 after the discovery of four more bodies.

Former church members have claimed they were forced to starve as part of their adherence to its teachings.

BBC quoted Titus Katana, an escapee, as saying that those who tried to leave the cult were branded as traitors and violently attacked. He also suggested there was an order in which people were supposed to die, with children being the first to go.

Mwiti blames the government, police, and local authorities in Malindi for failing to act.

A commission of inquiry has been promised by President William Ruto to investigate the matter.

In a similar incident last July, police in Nigeria rescued at least 77 people, including 23 children, who pastors had ordered to stay in a church basement and wait for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Pastors of the Whole Bible Believer Church in Valentino Area of Ondo town in the southwestern state of Ondo encouraged church members "to stay behind" and wait for the rapture or to be taken to Heaven at the Second Coming of Christ.

"Preliminary investigation revealed that Pastor Josiah Peter Asumosa, an assistant pastor in the church, was the one who told the members that rapture will take place in April, but later said it had been changed to September 2022 and told the young members to obey only their parents in the Lord," the BBC quoted police press officer Funmilayo Odunlami as saying at the time.
King Charles III coronation: Andrew Lloyd-Webber hopes anthem based on Psalm 98 will be sung in churches

Renowned British composer Lord Andrew Lloyd-Webber said he hopes the coronation anthem he composed for King Charles III will echo in churches throughout the United Kingdom for years to come, especially on special occasions like weddings and christenings.

Titled Make a Joyful Noise, the anthem is scheduled for its premiere performance at the illustrious Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

In an interview with The Telegraph, the composer said the king had expressed a desire for the anthem to be hummable and exude an aura of joy. The composition, inspired by verses from Psalm 98, is slated to be performed during the enthronement of Queen Camilla at the upcoming coronation ceremony.

Charles himself had reportedly voiced a hope that this new piece of music would endure and stand the test of time, Lloyd-Webber was quoted as saying. The composer revealed he, too, wishes that the anthem might be adopted for joyous occasions in local parishes.

Following its debut at the coronation, Make a Joyful Noise will be released as a single, with proceeds directed to support the charities Royal British Legion and Age U.K.

As Westminster Abbey hosts the first coronation service in 70 years, Charles will formally be crowned in a grand and spiritual ceremony in front of dignitaries from around the world and millions watching from home.

The British newspaper said the longstanding relationship between the king and the composer has been nurtured over their mutual interest in unfashionable causes, including the promotion of organ music amongst the younger generation. This shared passion, coupled with their wives mutual love for horses, has strengthened their bond.

Lloyd-Webber revealed that the initial conversation regarding the composition of the coronation anthem took place a few months ago during a dinner with the king.

We were talking about music and things and everything. He said, I suppose you wouldnt be interested in doing an anthem? I said of course Id be completely honored ... Then we went into a major discussion about the importance of Parry and I reminded him of work he didnt know, Balfour Gardiners Evening Hymn, the composer was quoted as saying.

During the process of selecting the lyrics for the anthem, the king initially showed interest in the words of Solomon. However, after determining that these words were not the perfect fit for the occasion, Lloyd-Webber suggested looking at Psalms. Eventually, they settled on Psalm 98, which is traditionally believed to have been written by Solomon himself.

The composer highlighted the kings desire for the public to understand his perspective on his royal role. Something that Charles greatly wants people to understand is that he doesnt want people to think hes the lord; hes king, but he has a higher moral responsibility, he said.

At the coronation, U.K. citizens will be asked to pledge their loyalty to the new monarch as spectators from across the globe observe the grandeur and ceremonial proceedings, which will include Christian elements, among them being a new Bible.

For Charles, a new edition of the King James Version of the Bible has been crafted, bound in red leather and adorned with gold leaf. The royal coat of arms is encircled by a ring of crowns and foliage, symbolizing the kings passion for nature.
Experts identify characteristics of the Antichrist, say Satan is grooming Earth for his arrival

Satan is grooming the world to prepare it for the coming of the Antichrist, according to podcast hosts who weekly dive into End Times prophecy to dispel myths and share their views for believers and nonbelievers alike.

In an episode of the "Prophecy Pros" podcast that aired last month, co-hosts Jeff Kinley, an author, and Todd Hampson, an author, illustrator and animation producer, talked about the coming of the Antichrist. Kinley described the Antichrist as "the devil with skin on."

The Earth is being groomed and preconditioned for the coming of the Antichrist, said Kinley, who likened it to how "predators will condition people and groom them for things."

"[Satan] is seducing the world right now," Kinley said. "He's preparing the way for his man of sin. I call him the devil with skin on. He is Satans Superman and he is coming to this Earth. The world can't wait for him. It's dying for him."

Kinley, the author of God's Grand Finale which will be released in June, noted that the Bible highlights characteristics of the Antichrist: "The Antichrist is not just an evil force. It's not just a government. Its not some sort of movement in the world," he said, but rather, "it's a man."

"And Satan, though he is the prince of the power, of the air, would love nothing more than to have an individual that would represent him; sort of like counterfeiting the Trinity with Satan, counterfeiting the Father; the Antichrist, the Son; and the false prophet, the Holy Spirit, Kinley said.

He's going to be an actual man. We know that there are over 100 passages of Scripture that talk about Antichrist. And most people don't realize that."

Listen to the Prophecy Pros Podcast on the Edifi Podcast Network

Kinley said, "If God talks about him that much, certainly we should too," adding that "we obviously should know about him, because John told us in 1 John 2 and 1 John 4 that the spirit of the Antichrist is already here.

Kinley, who co-wrote with Hampson The Illustrated Guide to Tough Questions About the End Times, also pointed out that Christians "cannot know who the Antichrist is" and warned against claiming that various modern-day public figures might be the Antichrist.

I mean, surely there are figures in the world that are Antichrist-like, and that have certain characteristics that we see, really in spades, with the Antichrist himself. But it's really unbiblical, and I think it's a little arrogant to just point out someone and say, Oh, that's the Antichrist! Kinley said.

Scripture calls him the little horn. And so, hes going to rise out of obscurity. Hes going to come out of nowhere. Nobody's going to see him coming. That's the way Satan wants it. He's not playing all of his cards right now. He's holding that one close to his chest. So don't believe anyone if they tell you they think they know who the Antichrist is.

Kinley contended that the Antichrist will not be revealed until after the Rapture when believers are taken up to Heaven. Therefore, any person who has discovered who the Antichrist really is will have been left behind.

Over the centuries, many have claimed that various major public figures were the Antichrist, including presidents of the United States, various popes and other world leaders.

Michael Youssef, a bestselling author and cultural anthropologist, told The Christian Post in an interview last September that he believed the strict COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns "taught us how easily and how quickly some authoritarian power rises in democracies."

As authoritarian regimes are rising even in Western democracies, you see this is Satans way of preparing the world for the Antichrist, said Youssef.

We need to train people how to be faithful in the midst of difficulties. ... Here in America, this is new to us. As much as we should resist it  we should also be prepared as the onslaught comes; how are we going to stand?
Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee rejects top candidate for president

Southern Baptist Convention Executive Committee members voted against the appointment of Texas Pastor Jared Wellman, the top candidate for president and CEO, in an unexpected outcome.

The committee members voted 31-50 against Wellmans appointment on Monday, requiring the process to restart following a 14-month recruitment effort, Baptist Press reported.

Its been one of the greatest honors of my life to serve the Southern Baptist Convention through the Executive Committee, Wellman told the group after the vote total was announced, adding that his heart is with the EC looking ahead.

Willie McLaurin, interim president, will continue to oversee the operations of the Executive Committee, comprised of an elected board of 86 members and about 30 staff, in Nashville. The Executive Committee meets at least three times a year and manages denominational business outside the SBC's Annual Meeting in June.

Wellman, a pastor of Tate Springs Baptist Church in Arlington, Texas, has been an Executive Committee member since 2015. He was elected chairman, which oversees the Executive Committee's meetings, in June 2022.

In mid-April, Wellman stepped down from the chair of the Executive Committee in a confidential letter to his fellow officers. The vice-chair, South Carolina Pastor David Sons, has since assumed the chairmanship.

Obviously, Im disappointed about the outcome of today but Im hopeful for the future as the new committee begins their work, Sons said at a news conference early Monday evening.

The process to select a new president and CEO started in the fall of 2021 when the last Executive Committee president, Ronnie Floyd, resigned due in part to the committee's decision to waive attorney-client privilege as part of an investigation into the SBC leadership's handling of sexual abuse claims.

It should be noted that Wellman made the motion to waive attorney-client privilege in all three of the Executive Committee meetings where it was voted on.

After Floyd resigned, the Executive Committee appointed McLaurin  then an Executive Committee vice president  interim president while a presidential search team recruited a replacement. McLaurin, a former Tennessee pastor, made history as the first African American to lead an SBC entity.

I am incredibly thankful for the eight years that Dr. Wellman served as an SBC EC Trustee, McLaurin said Monday. It was my joy to serve alongside him as he chaired the Executive Committee this past year. I will be praying for Jared and his family.

Now is the time for Southern Baptists to unite around living out the great commandment and fulfilling the Great Commission, he said.

According to Baptist Press, tensions surrounding the vote arose due to Wellman's prior involvement in the search committee. And ahead of Mondays vote, two prominent black pastors in the SBC, A.B. Vines of California and Dwight McKissic of Texas, had advocated for a permanent appointment of a person of color to head the Executive Committee.

The denomination always seems to have issues with hiring a person of color for a senior leadership position, wrote Vines, pastor of New Seasons Church in Spring Valley, California, in an open letter to the EC.

We have made resolution after resolution, from apologies on slavery to Confederate flags, but they won't be effective if the heart of the convention does not change, he wrote.

The SBC is anticipated to encounter political discord at its Annual Meeting in New Orleans in June.

SBC President Bart Barber, who is seeking reelection, faces opposition from Georgia Pastor Mike Stone, a leader with the Conservative Baptist Network.

Moreover, a substantial argument regarding the ordination of women as pastors is expected to take place as well.
'A national concern': Alarming drop in students' US history and civics scores, report shows

Test scores in U.S. history and civics declined for eighth-grade students across the country, according to a new report released amid growing concerns about public education, as other data show that reading and math scores are also at record lows.

The National Assessment for Education Progress, also known as the Nations Report Card, released the scores Wednesday, documenting U.S. history and civics scores in separate reports. The scores used in the evaluation ranged from zero to 500.

NAEP, a congressionally mandated program overseen by the U.S. Department of Education, reported that eighth-grade scores for U.S. History went from 263 in 2018 to 258 in 2022, declining by five points. In civics, the students had an average civics score of 150 out of 300 for 2022, a decrease of three points since 2018.

Only 13% of eighth-grade students were rated as proficient in U.S. history, and only 1% of eighth-grade students were rated as advanced. For civics, 20% of students were considered proficient, and only 2% were rated as advanced.

"A well-rounded education includes a thorough grounding in democratic principles, and these assessments challenge students to show their knowledge and skills as they prepare to become full participants in American democracy," National Center for Education Statistics Commissioner Peggy G. Carr said in a Wednesday statement.

"Self-government depends on each generation of students leaving school with a complete understanding of the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship, she continued. But far too many of our students are struggling to understand and explain the importance of civic participation, how American government functions, and the historical significance of events. These results are a national concern."

The latest NAEP assessment comes on the heels of a separate report from the same organization purporting that reading and math scores for 9-year-old students saw historic declines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

As The Christian Post previously reported, NAEP released a report last September based on its assessment of 7,400 9-year-old students from 410 schools in 2022. NAEP conducted the assessment from January to March 2020 and 2022. Ninety-two percent of the schools assessed in 2022 NAEP had previously examined in 2020.

Average scores for age 9 students in 2022 declined 5 points in reading and 7 points in mathematics compared to 2020, the September report stated. This is the largest average score decline in reading since 1990, and the first-ever score decline in mathematics.

The assessment found differences in scores between students attending suburban schools versus students attending city schools. City students scored 213 on average in reading and a score of 236 in math in 2020, which declined by seven points in 2022.

For students attending suburban schools, their reading score of 225 in 2020 decreased by 8 points in 2022. Suburban school students math scores also went from 245 in 2020 to 236 in 2022.

In a statement at the time, Carr contended that the data revealed the pandemics toll on education, arguing that COVID-19 likely exacerbated pre-existing learning challenges, particularly for students that were already underperforming.

Theres been much speculation about how shuttered schools and interrupted learning may have affected students opportunities to learn, she stated.

The NCES commissioner highlighted how 9-year-old students in the 10th learning percentile saw a 6-point decrease, and students in the 25th learning percentile experienced a 4-point score decrease in 2020. Students in the 10th percentile for reading also experienced a 7-point decrease in 2020.

Regarding the impact of remote learning conditions on student behavior, another NCES study from last July found that 87% of public schools reported the pandemic negatively impacted students socio-emotional development for the 2021-2022 school year.

NCES collected data from 846 participating schools between May 10-24, 2022, and found that 83% of the public schools assessed in the study agreed that students behavioral development was negatively affected by the pandemic, with over half of them reporting increases in student misconduct in the classroom.
10 reactions to overturning Roe v. Wade: Michelle Obama heartbroken; Rick Warren says Thank you

Reactions to Friday's decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide reflected both joy and sorrow, highlighting the deep divisions among the American public and politicians on the issue.

The Supreme Court also upheld a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy with its ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization.

The court's constitutionalist majority agreed that the Roe decision was wrong.

"The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision," Justice Samuel Alito wrote for the court. "It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people's elected representatives."

The court's three progressive justices accused the constitutionalist majority of discarding the "balance" presented in Roe and the 1992 Planned Parenthood v. Casey decision in protecting a woman's interest and that of the state in protecting "potential life."

"Today, the Court discards that balance. It says that from the very moment of fertilization, a woman has no rights to speak of," Justices Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan wrote.

The following pages highlight 10 high-profile reactions to the Dobbs decision.
Abortion activists demand changes at Supreme Court one year after Dobbs leak

One year after a leaked draft United Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of abortion set off a political earthquake, states have taken divergent action on abortion policy as advocates on both sides of the abortion debate are calling for additional reforms in American politics and vowing to remain undeterred in their activism.

Tuesday marked the first anniversary of Politicos publication of the leaked draft decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health Organization, which had indicated that a majority of justices were prepared to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. The leak led to outrage among pro-abortion activists, which resulted in the vandalism of pro-life pregnancy centers and churches nationwide. One pregnancy center was firebombed.

In the weeks following the leak and leading up to the ruling, a pro-abortion activist attempted to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh was one of the five justices who signed onto the majority opinion in the Dobbs draft decision and final ruling allowing each state to make its own laws governing abortion.

Multiple protests were staged outside the homes of the five Republican-appointed justices who comprised the Dobbs majority after pro-abortion activist groups published the justices home addresses online. The Supreme Court ultimately determined that the U.S. Constitution had never contained a right to abortion a month-and-a-half after the draft Dobbs decision was leaked, paving the way for more than a dozen states to enact total or near-total bans on abortion.

Data compiled by the pro-life group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America shows that 15 states have laws on the books that ban all or most abortions, while an additional six states have similar measures tied up in court. Florida, for example, has a 15-week abortion ban in place, while the remaining states have few or no limits on abortion.

Meanwhile, several states have taken the opposite approach to abortion law in the aftermath of Dobbs. As documented by the pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute, 13 states have codified a right to abortion up until the point of viability into state law while an additional four states and Washington, D.C. allow abortion up until the moment of birth. In last years midterm elections, voters in California, Michigan and Vermont approved referendums establishing a right to abortion in their state constitutions.

Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America Vice President of Government Affairs, Marilyn Musgrave, delivered a message to the perpetrators of pro-abortion violence in a statement shared with CP: You will not win. Love is stronger than hate. The overwhelming majority of Americans are on the side of life. Threats and intimidation will not deter us from our mission. We will not rest until every child in America is protected and all mothers are free from abortion coercion.

While pro-abortion radicals have committed at least 85 acts of senseless destruction and targeted our foundational institutions of justice themselves, pro-life advocates have been busy saving lives and serving women, she added. With gratitude to all our allies standing with our front-line pregnancy center heroes, we continue to call on the Biden administration to condemn pro-abortion violence and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Carrie Severino, president of the Judicial Crisis Network, addressed the first anniversary of the Dobbs draft leak and its implications for American politics in a Twitter thread Tuesday. The Dobbs leak happened one year ago today but the Lefts campaign to intimidate the Supreme Court continues, she lamented.

The Dobbs leak happened one year ago today but the Lefts campaign to intimidate the Supreme Court continues.



Have no doubt, todays hearing is just another phase in that campaign. First came the physical threats: doxxing their homes, churches, and kids schools. An attempted  Carrie Severino (@JCNSeverino) May 2, 2023

Have no doubt, todays hearing is just another phase in that campaign. First, come the physical threats: doxxing their homes, churches, and kids schools, she wrote. Now its phase two: attacking the justices reputations and the institution of the Court by fabricating new ethics standards and applying them selectively to the conservative justices.

The pro-abortion advocacy group NARAL also reacted to the first anniversary of the leak of the draft Dobbs opinion and weighed in on the hearing Severino alluded to in her Twitter thread. In a tweet Tuesday, NARAL lamented that Today marks a year since we learned #SCOTUS was getting ready to overturn #Roe.

Today marks a year since we learned #SCOTUS was getting ready to overturn #Roe.



The leak showed the Court's corruption. GOP megadonors spent years appointing conservative justices who would do anything to further an extremist agendaincluding revoking a constitutional right.  NARAL (@NARAL) May 2, 2023

The leak showed the Courts corruption, the advocacy organization insisted. GOP megadonors spent years appointing conservative justices who would do anything to revoke an extremist agenda  including revoking a constitutional right.

Additionally, NARAL praised the Democrats on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee for holding a hearing on ethics reform for the Court, adding, If the Dobbs decision and its aftermath taught us anything, its that we need court reform. In a statement, NARAL acknowledged the purpose of Tuesdays hearing was to probe concerns of ethics violations from Justice Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, two of the justices who formed the majority opinion in Dobbs.

A year ago, we learned that the Supreme Court was going to overturn Roe.



Today, @JudiciaryDems are holding a hearing on ethics reform for the Court. If the Dobbs decision and its aftermath showed us anything, its that we need court reform.



Watch live: https://t.co/wLHJLGE9IC  NARAL (@NARAL) May 2, 2023

Two weeks ago, NARAL elaborated on its view as to what constitutes court reform, calling for an expansion of the Supreme Court. The pro-abortion group admitted that one of the goals behind increasing the number of justices is to protect reproductive freedom. Adding more justices to the bench has been floated by pro-abortion politicians as a way to nullify the impact of the nominally conservative 6-3 Supreme Court majority, which consists of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three justices appointed by Democratic presidents.

For their part, all nine justices on the Supreme Court, spanning the full ideological spectrum, released a joint Statement on Ethics Principles and Practices ahead of Tuesdays hearing. The justices defended the existing ethics principles and practices to which they subscribe in carrying out their responsibilities as Members of the Supreme Court of the United States and pushed back on the idea that additional reforms were necessary.

Last week, when speaking at George Mason University, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Dobbs opinion, indicated that he had a pretty good idea of who leaked the draft decision but stressed that he does not have the level of proof that is needed to name somebody. Alito remains confident that It was a part of an effort to prevent the Dobbs draft . . . from becoming the decision of the court and part of the campaign to try to intimidate the court.
War on Jesus' name? Atheist group urges community to report 'illegal' Christian signs Atheists United head denies targeting Christianity, but says it's the 'only religion incapable of following the law'

Updated 11:51 AM ET, May 5, 2023

Obviously, they have a motive. Theres a kingdom of darkness and a kingdom of light, and theyre working for the kingdom of darkness, says Brent Farley, founder of Jesus Saves Signs, a ministry that works to spread the Gospel using signs placed on telephone poles and elsewhere around Southern California.

Farley isnt shy about how he views efforts by a local atheist group to take down his signs.

Theres a real battle at hand, theres a real fight  for the Word of God, and its obvious, if you look at it through biblical times, what's happening, Farley told The Christian Post Thursday.

For Farley, that battle is currently being waged against Los Angeles-based Atheists United, a secularist organization aimed at promoting the separation of government and religion, according to its website.

Led by executive director and activist Evan Clark, Atheists United is also behind a volunteer group called Atheist Street Pirates, whose stated mission is to remove illegal religious signage in communities around Southern California and other U.S. cities.

Written in the apparent voice of a pirate  with text such as Ahoy, me hearties! Religious scallywags are littering our highways, streets, and neighborhoods with unwelcome and illegal street propaganda  the website urges residents to report unwelcome and/or illegal signage on public land.

While posting any hand bills or signs in the public right of way is illegal under LA municipal code 28.04, such signage is consistently visible throughout the city, particularly at some of its busiest intersections.

While it does not specify which content to look out for, the Street Pirates page only shows examples of signs that include the name Jesus," leading some like Farley to suspect the group is specifically targeting Christian evangelism.

If there was Muhammads name or my name or anybody else's name on those signs, they could sit there, said Farley. But the only way to God, the way of salvation, there is a war, there is an attack against His name, and its quite vicious.

Mission Hills Christian Church, an LGBT-inclusive, progressive congregation in the San Fernando Valley northwest of LA, has reportedly joined the effort to help the atheist group take down signs with Jesus name.

When asked whether his signs are knowingly placed illegally, Farley said while he understands some residents will be offended by the name of Jesus, the effort is largely fueled by a group of independent evangelists working together for a common message.

The signs are really about making the Gospel simple, to have their sins removed so they can have a relationship with our Creator, he explained.

Farley  a former atheist who said he was appalled that the Lords name and salvation is not posted everywhere when he came to faith 13 years ago  pointed to what he says is a wave of yard sign thefts among his customers.

All the time I hear about people buying yard signs, Jesus Saves signs, and they put em out on their yard and they immediately get stolen, he said.

Its gotten to be where people cant even have Jesus name in their yard without it getting stolen, they have to put it high up on poles just to get it out of reach of the heathens.

And as for the atheists efforts to take down his signs, Farley isnt exactly convinced the atheists' effort is a humanitarian one.

If they were working for the kingdom of light, and it was a litter problem that they see, they would be picking up litter, there would be bags of trash in their vehicle, not just things that give people hope and faith in God, he said.

According to Clark, Atheists United hosts two highway cleanups a month and has done so for almost two decades.

As for why the Atheists Street Pirates page features exclusively Christian signage, Clark said they have never, and will never, target one religion and suggested Christians are the only religious group who are incapable of following the law.

We have never, and will never, target one religion, Clark told CP via email. We are a separation of government and religion program and would take down a Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Satanist, or atheist sign just as quick as any Christian sign.

The fact that all signs we've found so far are Christian has been a surprise to us and begs the question of why they're the only religion incapable of following the law.

As for Farley, he has no plans to stop posting the name of Jesus.

When I go out to post signs, Ive already accepted death. So, theres nothing thats gonna fear me. Im not gonna get scared, Im gonna go with whatever the consequences are, whether its the police, or [LGBT activists], whoever it is, Im out there to rep for a God, he said.

He saved my life, Im gonna live forever.  I wanna leave an army of people to cover America with the Gospel message.
Here are 3 chocolate companies that actually celebrate women

The Hershey Company is facing boycotts and backlash in response to a new ad campaign from Hershey Canada, which uses a male activist who identifies as a transgender woman as a spokesman for International Womens Day.

The activist, who goes by the name Fae Johnstone, is one of five individuals whose likenesses have been printed on limited edition HER for SHE chocolate bars for the campaign. While the other four people chosen are actually women, the inclusion of a male dressed as a female in a campaign promoting a holiday dedicated to women has drawn widespread criticism.

Sadly, the trend of kowtowing to the LGBTQQIP2SAA mob in direct opposition to supporting women has infested many mainstream chocolate producers. In 2021, both Mars, Inc. and Nestle USA joined an op-ed in support of transing kids and decrying state laws that protect womens sports. After years of popular chocolate companies supporting the erasure of women, it appears that Americans are fed up. This Thursday, #BoycottHersheys hit the number one trending spot on Twitter and inspired the creation of at least one pro-woman alternative to woke chocolate.

If youre a lover of both chocolate and biological reality, theres no need to continue buying from woke companies that hate women. Even in a world where radical corporate activism lurks around every corner, it is (nearly) always possible to find a small, family-operated alternative to the mainstream companies that profit from perversion and sin.

Here are three great alternatives to trans-idolizing chocolate companies like Hersheys.

1. Equal Exchange

Equal Exchange, a fair-trade worker co-op, was founded in 1986 with the inspirational question, What if food could be traded in a way that is honest and fair, a way that empowers both farmers and consumers? Specializing in chocolate, coffee, tea, and snacks, Equal Exchange sources from 40 small farmer organizations around the world. Equal Exchange regularly highlights how churches around the world use their products in fostering fellowship and teaching their congregations about the importance of fair trade. Equal Exchange has previously highlighted its efforts to support women as small business owners around the world and at all stages of its operation  from farmers to baristas.

2. Gertrude Hawk Chocolates

Chocolate company founder Gertrude (Jones) Hawk began her career in candy at the age of 12 in a local candy shop in Scranton, Pa. At a young age, Gertrude left school to support her family after her father died and her mother became ill. In adulthood, she founded Gertrude Hawk Chocolates in her own kitchen as a method of earning extra income for the family during the Great Depression. Today, Gertrudes family business continues to bear her name and celebrate her legacy as a female small business founder.

Gertrudes descendants also operate the Hawk Family Foundation, which funds nonprofit organizations and private schools that seek to positively impact children, seniors, those currently incarcerated, and returning citizens. The fund specifically notes that it will not contribute to causes that support abortion.

3. Laderach

This chocolate company was dropped by Swiss Air Lines in 2020 for its owners pro-life and pro-family views. Then-owner Jurg Laderach was also president and board member of Christianity for Today  an evangelical organization based in Switzerland. While simultaneously running his luxury chocolate company, Jurg was known for his advocacy on defending unborn children, upholding natural marriage, and fighting the pornography epidemic  all values that directly impact the human dignity of women. Leadership of the company has since been passed on to the newest generation of the Laderach family under son Johannes.

Originally published at The Washington Stand.
The Gospel Coalition takes down 'Sex Won't Save You' article; Rick Warren calls for apology TGC editor's note says adapted book excerpt 'lacked sufficient context'

The Gospel Coalition faced calls for an apology Friday over a now-deleted post on its website in which the author discusses salvation and the Church in the context of sexual intercourse that some critics say approaches erotic literature.

Authored by Arizona Pastor Josh Butler, the article published on Wednesday, originally titled "Sex Wont Save You (But It Points to the One Who Will)," is an excerpt from Butlers book, Beautiful Union released last month.

In the excerpt, Butler, who pastors Redemption Church Tempe, starts out by confessing that he used to look to sex for salvation before realizing that idolizing sex results in slavery. As he recounts a series of failed romantic adventures, Butler then quotes Taylor Swift and asserts that sex is an icon of Christ and the church.

He then delves into the Apostle Pauls famous marriage analogy in Ephesians 5, where Paul writes, For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mysterybut I am talking about Christ and the church.

According to Butler, Now, the context here is marriage. Leave and cleave is marriage language and the surrounding verses are all about husbands and wives, not hook-up culture. Yet that second part, about the two becoming one flesh, is consummation language that refers to the union of husband and wife. Paul says both are about Christ and the Church.

This should be shocking! Its not only the giving of your vows at the altar but what happens in the honeymoon suite afterward that speaks to the life you were made for with God.

In what he termed a gospel bombshell, Butler then states sex is an icon of salvation and uses the sexual act to describe our relationship to Christ: Generosity and hospitality are both embodied in the sexual act. Think about it. Generosity involves giving extravagantly to someone. You give the best youve got to give, lavishly pouring out your time, energy, or money.

At a deeper level, generosity is giving not just your resources but your very self. And what deeper form of self-giving is there than sexual union where the husband pours out his very presence not only upon but within his wife? Hospitality, on the other hand, involves receiving the life of the other.

Its at this point in the essay when Butler uses sexually suggestive language to describe how he views hospitality: You prepare a space for the guest to enter your home, welcoming him warmly into your circle of intimacy, to share your dwelling place with you. Here again, what deeper form of hospitality is there than sexual union where the wife welcomes her husband into the sanctuary of her very self? Giving and receiving are at the heart of sex.

Neither Butler nor The Gospel Coalition returned a request Friday for comment from The Christian Post. A spokesman for Redemption Church Tempe told CP Butler was out of town and would respond when he returns.

The article is no longer on The Gospel Coalition website, but the link is still active with a new headline that reads Beautiful Union Book and this brief statement: We recognize that the adapted excerpt from Josh Butlers forthcoming book Beautiful Union lacked sufficient context to be helpful in this format. The statement also included a link to a preview sample of the book.

TGC also removed the link from its social media, where some users werent ready to move on.

I will be proud that I called out your egregious heresy in a sexually fetishized gospel message. What an appalling public stance to take, made worse by your unwillingness to acknowledge that stain and taking redemptive steps. Come on already.  Gigi Marie (@ResearchGigi) March 2, 2023

Well, Paul directed Timothy to command certain teachers to cease teaching false doctrines and spouting meaningless talk. Your recent article was such as this.  Steve Frederick (@steve_freddo) March 2, 2023

The fact that the tomb was empty means that the greatest gift a man can give a woman in bed is for him to have an orgasm.



Did I misinterpret the article?  Douglas Wolf (@Douglas33683734) March 1, 2023

Read the room. Everyone called out that article for idolizing sex.



Your next article should be either about 1. taking responsibility to correct an error, or 2. respecting women. Not necessarily in that order.  Rawls ???????????????? (@RawlsResist) March 2, 2023

Are you going to look back and be proud of the published articles about how God's grace is like ejaculation?  Jim Gass ????????????? (@jimgass) March 2, 2023

Rick Warren, the former pastor of Saddleback Church and author of the bestselling book The Purpose-Driven Life, called for TGC to apologize for the article.

I'm glad TGC removed yesterday's article that was both offensive and erroneous theology. But no apology? he wrote.

I'm glad TGC removed yesterday's article that was both offensive and erroneous theology. But no apology?  Rick Warren (@RickWarren) March 2, 2023

Rich Villodas, pastor of New Life Fellowship in New York, issued a statement retracting his initial endorsement of Beautiful Union and said Butlers exegesis of Ephesians 5 is not just problematic, its dangerous.  I was wrong to write an endorsement for something I didnt fully read."

My statement and retraction of my endorsement for Joshua Butlers forthcoming book. pic.twitter.com/qrQFQI6bkB  Rich Villodas (@richvillodas) March 3, 2023

On the TGC website, Butler was listed as a fellow with The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, which was launched in February to help pastors, young people and other Christian leaders adapt to a "post-Christendom culture."

As of Friday afternoon, however, Butler's bio no longer appeared on the page. He is still listed as a fellow with The Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics on his personal website. It's unclear whether any change to his status was made.

Launched in 2004 by New York City's Redeemer Presbyterian Church's then-Pastor Tim Keller and Canadian Reformed theologian D. A. Carson, TGC has undergone several changes in recent years, including several high-profile departures from the Reformed site in 2014.

TGC faced criticism in 2013 when three key members, Don Carson, Kevin DeYoung, and Justin Taylor published a statement on TGC website in defense of C. J. Mahaney, the founder of Sovereign Grace Ministries.

Mahaney and other SGM leaders were sued for an alleged conspiracy to "permit sexual deviants to have unfettered access to children for purposes of predation and to obstruct justice by covering up ongoing past predation."
Things are going to get exponentially worse: Pro-life icons warning amid potential Roe v. Wade game-changer

As Americans await the U.S. Supreme Courts final verdict on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, acase that could overturn Roe v. Wade, pro-life activist Abby Johnson believes the stalemate over the contentious issue is poised to worsen.

While we are, of course, celebrating the fact that it does look like the court is going to overturn Roe  make no mistake that this means that things are going to get exponentially worse in our country, Johnson said Monday onher Politely Rude podcast. I say that just to present some reality [for] the pro-life movement.

READ ALSO: Factually Inaccurate: Bill Maher Hits Back at Those Panicking Were Going Back to 1973 if Roe v. Wade Is Overturned

The former Planned Parenthood clinic director-turned-pro-life activist explained that an overturning of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that legalized abortion across the U.S., wouldnt mean abortion itself would be outlawed.

Listen to Johnson break the issue down:

It means that abortion goes back to the states, and it should have always been a state issue, Johnson said. Because states should have the ability to make a decision based on the will of their people  many states have always had a vested interest in protecting the pre-born.

She said some states would go above and beyond to codify Roe, ensuring abortion is available through all nine months of pregnancy for any reason, while others would severely restrict abortion. The result, Johnson believes, will be a legislative split.

States are going to be either super red on the issue of abortion, she said, or its going to be super blue.

Rather than settling the issue once and for all, an overturning of Roe, Johnson believes, will lead to increased furor and debate  arguments she believes are essential for the pro-life movement to engage in.

This is just going to get more heated, more divisive, she said. If anything is worth battling over, if anything is worth fighting over  if theres anything worth just taking it to a ground battle, its this  its the killing of our most innocent human beings in the womb. This is it.

Johnson said many have treated the unborn as subhuman and that defending these unborn children is essential.

As for the Supreme Court, she said justices seem to be standing up to Roe  not because they are pro-life, but because the arguments for upholding the case dont meet constitutional muster.

They stood up because there is not a constitutional right to abortion, period, she said. Abortion is not in the Constitution at all.

Hear other episodes of Politely Rude:

Johnson decried the now-infamous Supreme Court leak, which revealed a draft version of the Dobbs opinion indicating the high court would indeed strike down Roe.

The leak is a terrible thing," she said, expressing her belief that the leak jeopardizes trust. "Whoever did do this needs to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. This is a terrible breach of the highest court in the country, no matter how you feel about abortion or Roe or the justices.

Johnson said shes hopeful the court releases the final Dobbs opinion sooner rather than later, proclaiming such a move would be in our countrys best interest.

Listen to Johnsons reaction to the Roe, Dobbs, and the Supreme Court leakhere.

This article was originally published on Faithwire.
Joshua Butler, author of controversial book on sex, resigns as pastor of Arizona church

An evangelical Christian pastor and author whose book on the theology of sex caused a furor online earlier this spring has resigned from the leadership of his Arizona megachurch.

"We have found ourselves in an impossible situation," Joshua Butler wrote to members of Redemption Church in Tempe in announcing his resignation. A copy of the letter was posted on social media. His photo and bio no longer appear on the church's website.

Butler's new book, "Beautiful Union," which argues that "God's vision for sex" explains the meaning of life, was controversial even before it was released in April.

In March, an excerpt of the book appeared on the website of the influential church resource organization The Gospel Coalition. In the excerpt, titled "Sex Won't Save You (But It Points to the One Who Will)," Butler offered repeated descriptions of sexual intercourse in spiritual terms, most of them characterizing sex as a man bestowing a holy gift to a woman and comparing that to the relationship of Jesus and the church.

"She gladly receives the warmth of his presence and accepts the sacrificial offering he bestows upon the altar within her Most Holy Place," wrote Butler. "Similarly, the church embraces Christ in salvation, celebrating his arrival with joy and delight."

The excerpt led to public outcry, claiming Butler's writing contained not only bad theology but an oversexed view of religion centered on male pleasure. While the excerpt did quote from the New Testament's Letter of Paul to the Ephesians, theology professor Beth Felker Jones, among others, argued Butler had missed the point of the passages he addressed.

"But the piece does not dig into Ephesians, paying close attention to the text," wrote Jones. "Instead, it turns into a rhapsody over a very male-centered experience of sexual intercourse."

The Gospel Coalition removed the article days after it was posted, replacing it with an apology and a note that Butler had resigned as a fellow with the Keller Center for Cultural Apologetics, a project of The Gospel Coalition, named for popular author and retired pastor Tim Keller. Butler's ties to the center amplified the controversy over the book.

In his church resignation letter, Butler said "the toll of this controversy on many of our staff and leaders this month has been intense." Butler and other elders at the church decided it would be best for him to step down, according to the letter.

Resigning, he said, would allow him to take part in "public conversations" about his book without harming the church.

Those public conversations have taken place even as Butler contemplated his resignation. He continued to promote the book on his personal website, publishing another article related to the book, titled "The Ethics of Contraception," that also created controversy.

"A condom dams up the 'river of life,' preventing its life-giving waters from reaching the opposite shore," Butler wrote. "With a diaphragm, a barrier is placed at the most intimate point of contact, preventing a full reception of the gift within the generative holy space of the womb."

Butler also said he would be revising a future printing of the book in light of feedback he has received and he would be available to speak with church members who felt angered or hurt because of the controversy.

 Religion News Service
More Americans pray in their car than in a place of worship, survey finds

Despite reports of declining worship attendance and religious affiliation, 6 in 10 Americans say that they pray, a new survey reports.

A higher percentage  85%  say they engage in a spiritual practice to connect with a higher power, whether prayer, meditation, mindfulness, reciting affirmations or spiritually based yoga. Prayer is the most common of the five practices, with 39% of Americans saying they practiced meditation and 38% practicing mindfulness.

Findings of the survey of more than 1,700 Americans were released by the Radiant Foundation on Thursday, which is the National Day of Prayer.

It showed that US adults who pray often do so at dawn or when they awaken (50%) or at bedtime (55%). More people report that they pray in their car (61%) than in a place of worship (46%).

"These results make it clear that there is more praying taking place than people expect. People are praying in a variety of ways and in unexpected places throughout the day," said John Dye, executive director of Skylight, a Radiant Foundation website.

"They are frequently exploring their spiritual side and using prayer to work through adversity, find meaning, and create connection with a Higher Power."

A distinct majority of those who pray (87%) said they believed they'd received an answer to their prayers in the last 12 months.

The top reasons cited for prayer were for a loved one in crisis (76%) or when someone else was sick (71%).

Other findings looked at how and with whom people prayed.

Eight in 10 reported regularly praying by themselves. Younger respondents  in particular millennials and Gen Zs  were more likely than younger boomers and Gen Xers to report that they prayed regularly with members of their spiritual group or family. Nearly a quarter said they pray routinely around their pets.

More than three-quarters of those who pray use at least one spiritually related object when they do. The most popular objects, based on a provided list of 20, were books and other texts, used by a quarter of respondents at least a few times a week. Others included burning objects such as candles (19%), a journal (18%), a pillow or kneeling pad (18%), a rosary or prayer beads (18%) or iconography (18%).

The National Day of Prayer was proclaimed by Congress in 1952 and has been observed on the first Thursday in May since 1988. President Joe Biden issued a proclamation; Christians planned gatherings in churches, plazas and capitals, and Religions for Peace USA hosted a virtual interfaith prayer gathering. Meanwhile, humanist and other nontheist organizations mark the day as a Day of Reason during a week of community voluntarism.

The survey was commissioned by Skylight and conducted by the Boston-area research firm City Square Associates.

A total of 1,783 US adults ages 18 to 64 participated in the online survey, which had a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Many of the questions on prayer were asked only of the 1,090 Americans who indicated that they pray.
What do Old Testament kings, the title of Christ, and the most sacred part of the coronation service have in common?

The answer, of course, is anointing with oil. In Hebrew the word mashiach meant "the anointed one," a person chosen by God. This word gives us the modern term: messiah. In Jewish history, kings and high priests had sacred olive oil poured on their heads. In this way they were anointed and identified as chosen by God.

It was believed that when a person was anointed, they received from God the wisdom and ability to do the things expected of them. This became particularly associated with the power and responsibility of being a king.

The first three kings of Israel  Saul, David, and Solomon  are all described as being anointed by a prophet. Even the Persian king Cyrus was described as a mashiach: "This is what the Lord says to his anointed, to Cyrus" (Isaiah 45:1 NRSVA). He was the only non-Jew in the Old Testament to be described as the 'Lord's anointed.'

Over time, though, the word took on a deeper meaning. It began to be used to describe a future messiah-king who would appear at the end of time, restore Israel, and bring in a new era of peace and justice. The Greek-speaking members of the early Church translated this meaning into Greek, which was christos and from this we get: "Christ," the supreme chosen one, the King of all kings, ruler of all.

However, the original root of the word lay in an act which was closely associated with human kingship and with marking out those that God had chosen for this role.

In this context we read that:

"The Lord said to Samuel... 'I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have

provided for myself a king among his sons.'"

(1 Samuel 16:1)

Famously, Samuel then goes on to select the person chosen by God to replace Saul as king:

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him [David] in the presence of his

brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward."

(1 Samuel 16:13a)

The example which resonates most clearly with the British coronation service is related to David's son, Solomon:

"King David said... 'let the priest Zadok and the prophet Nathan anoint him [Solomon]

king over Israel; then blow the trumpet, and say, "Long live King Solomon!" You shall

go up following him. Let him enter and sit on my throne; he shall be king in my place;

for I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.'"

(1 Kings 1:3235)

In the British coronation service, the anthem "Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet" has been sung since the coronation of Edgar, at Bath in 973, and Handel's setting has been used for this since 1727. Only then follows the investing with the glittering regalia, the crowning, the enthronement, and the homage.

In 2023, the chrism oil (from olives harvested from two groves on the Mount of Olives) was consecrated in Jerusalem at The Church of the Holy Sepulchre by the Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Anglican Archbishop in Jerusalem. The oil is perfumed with essential oils  sesame, rose, jasmine, cinnamon, neroli, benzoin, amber  and orange blossom. It connects the coronation with the Biblical tradition and the Holy Land. The archbishop dips two fingers into the holy oil and anoints the king on his hands, breast, and head.

What makes a king a king?

In Anglo-Saxon England any direct descendant of a previous king was regarded as throne-worthy, an theling ("member of the royal family"). As the historian of Anglo-Saxon England, Kenneth Harrison, once memorably put it, at the death of a king "the hungry thelings began to prowl".

To try to stop civil war and provide for a tidy succession, some kings attempted to designate their successors in their own lifetime. In the eighth century, Offa of Mercia did so with his son. In the ninth century, Alfred the Great was his father's fifth son and unlikely to rule. But then the early deaths of all his brothers opened the way to the throne.

The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (probably compiled at Alfred's court), and then Alfred's contemporary biographer, both looked back at his childhood and claimed that, as a little boy, he had been sent to Rome where Pope Leo IV, "anointed him as king." This is highly unlikely and probably over-egged what had occurred there.

In the twelfth century, Stephen attempted to have his son, Eustace, crowned in 1143 but was unable to secure papal support for the project. Then, Henry II had his son (Henry "the Young King") crowned at Westminster Abbey in 1170. As it so happened, he died before his father.

This all mattered because an anointed and crowned king was, in theory, placed in such a sacred position that their right to rule should not be challenged.

The first recorded English example of an anointing at the coronation of a king who went on to rule, is that of Edgar at Bath in 973. He had become king of England in 959 but was not crowned until fourteen years later. At that point he was thirty years old, the age when Jesus started his ministry.

Edgar's anointing was clearly meant to signal the start of a new, divinely empowered, stage in his kingship. It is highly significant that the day chosen was Pentecost  the Feast of the Holy Spirit.

As with so much of Edgar's coronation, it set the scene for centuries to come. The act of anointing put God's seal on the ruler. This was crucial, although most kings did not wait as long as Edgar did. However, there was always a time gap between succeeding as king and a coronation. They were already king  but they needed and wanted more. The "more" was the unassailable right to rule that was embodied in anointing.

As Shakespeare succinctly put it:

"Not all the water in the rough rude sea

Can wash the balm off from an anointed king;

The breath of worldly men cannot depose

The deputy elected by the Lord."

(Richard II, Act 3, Scene 2, 5457)

But then again...

Students of history and of Shakespeare are probably thinking: but wasn't Richard II deposed and murdered? What happened to the unassailable right to rule conferred by being 'the Lord's Anointed'?

The reality is that, despite being anointed, kings were deposed when they were perceived as ruling so badly that they had lost the confidence of the key political players. In these cases, the legal fiction was used that they had resigned (abdicated) the throne; an event usually followed by their murder out of sight.

Examples are Edward II (deposed 1327) and Richard II (deposed 1399). Edward IV never got around to concocting a voluntary abdication for Henry VI, who (according to one contemporary source), "died of melancholia" in 1471, while imprisoned.

Those responsible for such depositions often seemed concerned with proving their own legitimacy. Henry Bolingbroke, who deposed Richard II, was crowned King Henry IV; but whereas most anointings are carried out under a canopy to shield the sacred act, he chose to remain visible during the anointing, to emphasise his legitimacy as king.

Henry VII moved swiftly to a coronation following his defeat of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and took care not to call parliament until afterwards. By then he  who had killed 'the Lord's Anointed'  had himself become the anointed king.

Even in such questionable circumstances, anointing mattered. When, in 1649, parliament tried and executed Charles I, the novel legal fiction was used that he had committed "treason"  in effect against the office of king and the people of England. There seemed no other way of holding an anointed king to account.

Since then, things have changed. The constitution has evolved. Monarchs now rule within the boundary of law and constitutional precedent. The reality is that political power is exercised by His Majesty's government, which is dependent on parliamentary legislative support, which itself is elected by universal adult suffrage.

Nevertheless, what marks out the person of the head of state is a tradition that stretches back to at least the tenth century. And that is embodied, not in crowns and ermine, but in the anointing with oil in the tradition of Samuel, and Zadok the Priest and Nathan the Prophet.

Martyn Whittock is a historian, columnist, and lay minister in the Church of England. Having written books on a wide range of historical and theological themes, he has a particular interest in the impact of the past on the present, and the interaction of faith and culture/politics. His recent books include: Jesus the Unauthorized Biography, The Story of the Cross, and The End Times, Again? He has appeared on news and talk shows, on television and radio, discussing historical themes, faith and the crown in the UK, US politics, and the war in Ukraine (including its religious dimension).
What is the biblical basis of the coronation?

The religious coronation of a monarch goes back to ancient times and the origin of the British coronation ceremony is very much rooted in the Bible.

The first kings

Israel was first ruled by Judges, until the kingdom was created. Even before Israel became a kingdom, Deuteronomy 17:14-20 describes how future kings of Israel were to be appointed, how they should reign, and how the priests were to give them a copy of the Law which they had to follow.

The first two kings of Israel were anointed by the prophet Samuel. In 1 Samuel 10:1, we read how Samuel anointed Saul to be Israel's first king. Later a ceremony took place at Gilgal followed by rejoicing (1 Samuel 11:12) and then a few chapters later, we read of Samuel anointing David to replace Saul (1 Samuel 16:13). David was then anointed by the men of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4), and then by the elders of Israel, and he made a covenant before God (2 Samuel 5:3).

Anointing

The act of anointing is an ancient custom. Its technical term is 'unction', and this is still a custom in some Christian traditions. Being anointed with holy oil by the religious authorities is symbolic of the conferment of divine blessing, indicating that the king is ruling on behalf of God. Holy oil is made from a mixture of ingredients found in the Middle East, including myrrh and olive oil, with instructions explained in Exodus 20:23-25. Anointing is described in Exodus 29:7, when the priest is told to take the oil and pour it over the head. The Old Testament specifically records the anointing of the kings Saul, David, Solomon, Jehu and Jehoash. The term Anointed One in Hebrew gives us the word 'Messiah'.

Old Testament

The traditional British coronation service is based on events in Jerusalem as described in 1 Kings 1:38-40. The narrative described how Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anointed Solomon the king with oil. They then blew ram's horn trumpets, shouted "Long live king Solomon", and all the people rejoiced.

The words of these verses have been used at every coronation in England since that of King Edgar in AD 973. In 1727, these words were put to music by the composer Handel for the coronation of King George II. This anthem 'Zadok the Priest' has been used at every British coronation ever since. Other accounts in the Old Testament record ceremonies for King Jehoash (also called Joash), and King Josiah.

Crowning

Crowns have long been a symbol of royal authority. On King Saul's death, the Bible says that his crown was presented to David (2 Samuel 1:10). When David defeated the Ammonites he placed the golden crown belonging to their slain king upon his head, to symbolise that he was their new king (2 Samuel 12:30, 1 Chronicles 20:2).

In 2 Kings 11:12, and repeated in 2 Chronicles 23:11, the text describes how the High Priest Jehoiada put the crown on Jehoash's head, gave him a copy of the Law, anointed him, and the people clapped and said, 'God save the king'. In ancient cultures, queen consorts might also be crowned. Esther 2:17 tells how Esther was crowned as queen consort to the king of Persia.

The oath at a coronation stone

In the narrative about King Jehoash's coronation, the Bible states that it was customary for the new king to go to a pillar, either one of the actual pillars, or sometimes understood as a coronation stone, at the entrance of the Temple in front of the people. The king would be given a testimony, usually understood to mean a scroll of the Law, and would swear a covenant oath to serve God, and follow the Law of God (2 Kings 11:14). A similar story is told for Josiah in 2 Chronicles 34:31. In Psalm 2, David recalled the promises that he made at his coronation.

Music

The inauguration of a new king in the Old Testament would be followed by the acclamation of trumpets which were made from ram's horns, accompanied by a choir singing and other musical instruments (see 2 Kings 11:14, 2 Chronicles 23:13 and 2 Kings 23:3-4 and 2 Chronicles 34:31).

Coronations in history

The elements of the traditional royal coronation: the oath, the stone, the crowning, the anointing by the religious leader, the declaration, the presentation of Scriptures, the music, the announcement of "God save the king" and acclamation by trumpets are all based upon biblical narratives.

In Scotland, new kings swore a covenant oath at a coronation stone called the Stone of Destiny. This ceremony was started by Saint Columba for the inauguration of King Aidan in AD 574, and later took place at Scone. In 1296 the stone was taken by King Edward I of England and is placed in the throne at Westminster Abbey for coronations. Although it was returned to Scotland in 1996, it will be used at the coronation of King Charles.

From the 7th century AD, Byzantine Emperors were crowned at the cathedral in Constantinople (now Istanbul) by the Patriarch. In AD 800, Charles the Great, king of the Franks, usually known as Charlemagne, was crowned by Pope Leo III as Holy Roman Emperor, at St Peter's in Rome.

The earliest recorded coronation in England was that of King Edgar of England, known as Edgar the Peaceful, who was crowned by Saint Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury at Bath Abbey in AD 973.

This service, devised by Dunstan himself and based on the Bible narratives, is recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, and started a tradition since followed by almost all monarchs of England, and later the United Kingdom. The monarch of England, and later the United Kingdom, has almost always been crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury since the time of Dunstan.

The Bible in the coronation

At the coronation an edition of the Bible is presented to the monarch by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle it is recorded that William the Conqueror made his oath on "Christ's book" at his coronation in 1066. Since the time of William and Mary, the monarch has been given a copy of the King James Authorised Version of the Bible.

At the late Queen's Coronation in 1953, the Bible was presented to Her Majesty with the words: "We present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God."

In keeping with tradition, King Charles will take his oath upon a specially commissioned Coronation Bible, newly printed by Oxford University Press.

Neil Rees is a publishing consultant, historian, freelance writer and speaker who is also involved in youth work at his local church and guest preaching in churches of different denominations.
Crowning glories: how portraits of British monarchs with their coronation regalia have changed over 600 years

To mark the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla on 6 May 2023, we look at some of the splendid depictions of monarchs that have left an indelible mark on the history and iconography of royalty across six centuries

Before 1066, there was no established venue for the coronation of an English monarch: kings had been crowned at locations ranging from Bath Abbey to Winchester Cathedral. But on Christmas Day 1066, a precedent was set which has lasted almost a millennium: that coronation ceremonies take place at Westminster Abbey in London. William I, better known as William the Conqueror, was the first in a long line of monarchs to be crowned there. On 6 May 2023, Charles III will be the 40th. There are competing theories as to why William I chose Westminster Abbey, though it was presumably to do with the fact that the church had been built by his predecessor, Edward the Confessor (who was also buried there), and the French-born king wished to legitimise his succession by creating a sense of continuity between them. Continuity is a key concept in any discussion of the coronation. Relatively little has changed about the ceremony across the ages, certainly since the Liber Regalis (or Royal Book) was written in the 14th century. Despite a few tweaks  such as the substitution of English for Latin from the time of James Is ceremony in 1603  this has been the blueprint for all coronations.

Coronation portraiture contains symbols of the monarchy which have persisted as signifiers of its power across the ages  Alison Smith, chief curator, National Portrait Gallery

A new monarch assumes the throne immediately upon the previous rulers death. The coronation is held a respectful amount of time afterwards, to allow due mourning to take place, and marks the formal investiture of the new king or queen with regal powers. Stages of the ceremony include his or her anointing with holy oil, and crowning with the historic St Edwards Crown. Coronation portraiture has long had an important function, too  even though it isnt mentioned in Liber Regalis and hasnt traditionally formed part of the big day itself.

Open a larger version of this image Official portrait of Queen Elizabeth II by Cecil Beaton on Coronation Day, 1953. Shot at Buckingham Palace; the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in the background is a photographic sleight of hand. Photo:  Cecil Beaton / Victoria and Albert Museum, London

One famous exception was Cecil Beatons set of photographs of Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation in 1953. Previous monarchs had been depicted in an older, more time-consuming medium  painting  which involved numerous sittings over the course of weeks and months. The resulting canvases do succeed, however, in giving the impression of rulers on their coronation day. First and foremost, theyre about power, says Alison Smith, chief curator at the National Portrait Gallery. Coronation portraits are meant to capture the monarch in a display of power, at a defining moment in their reign. The panel painting of Richard II from the 1390s, the earliest known portrait of any English monarch, is a fine example. Seen against a gilt background, the king wears a green tunic decorated with the letter R; a crimson robe lined with ermine; an ermine cape; vermilion socks; and a pair of gold-embroidered shoes.

Open a larger version of this image English School, portrait of Richard II (1367-1400), known as The Westminster Portrait, 1390s. Oil on panel. Westminster Abbey, London. The first contemporary portrait of a British monarch. Richard was 10 years old when crowned on 16 July 1377. Photo: Bridgeman Images

The portrait recalls so-called Christ in Majesty images from early Christianity, which depict Christ on a throne as the almighty ruler. The point, presumably, was to underscore the idea of Richards divine right to rule. Coronation portraits exist as propaganda, says Smith. In the days before photography and video, they proved an important way of propagating the royal image and enhancing the authority of kingship. This entailed several copies of an original or prototype portrait being painted, which were sent to palaces around the country and embassies around the world. The image of Elizabeth I known as The Coronation Portrait, for example, was  according to dendrochronological analysis of the wooden panel on which its painted  actually executed many years after her coronation, which took place in 1559.

Open a larger version of this image Unknown English artist, Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603), circa 1600. Oil on panel. National Portrait Gallery, London. Known as The Coronation Portrait, it appears to have been painted about 1600 and is probably a copy of a lost original, circa 1559. Photo:  National Portrait Gallery, London

In other words, it is a copy of a now-lost original. The picture captures Elizabeth I with a crown on her head and her hair worn loose, as was traditional for the coronation of a queen. She also wears a gold mantle, emblazoned all over with the emblem of the Tudor rose. This emblem asserted Tudor pre-eminence only decades after the house had assumed the throne, in what many saw as dubious circumstances, following the Wars of the Roses. In other portraits, the messaging is more subtle: for instance, in Allan Ramsays depiction of George III (below; the prime version of this work is in the Royal Collection), a classical column rising beside the king is meant to represent his strong and solid leadership.

Open a larger version of this image Allan Ramsay (1713-1784), George III (1738-1820), 1766. Oil on canvas. Blickling Hall, Norfolk, UK. Georges coronation took place on 22 September 1761. The prime version of this portrait, from 1761-2, is in the Royal Collection. Photo: National Trust Photographic Library / Christopher Hurst / Bridgeman Images

Another portrait worth mentioning in this context is that of James I by Paul van Somer. The monarch is seen in coronation robes, standing by a window in Whitehall Palace with a view towards the Banqueting House. The latter building didnt actually exist at the time of Jamess coronation (1603)  it hadnt even been designed. The king commissioned the construction of the Banqueting House several years into his reign, and seems to have been so proud of the result that, in the early 1620s, he had himself painted in front of it. Van Somers picture cant, then, be considered a coronation portrait per se, but its notable that James saw the PR value in connecting himself, his coronation, and a great architectural achievement of his rule. As centuries passed, the pictures became more naturalistic and the belief in the divine right of kings waned. However, as Smith points out, Coronation portraiture, like the coronation itself, has shown a strong sense of continuity over time. It contains symbols of the monarchy which have persisted as signifiers of its power across the ages.

Open a larger version of this image Studio of Benedetto Gennari (1633-1715), King Charles II (1630-1685), half-length, in coronation robes holding an orb and sceptre. Oil on canvas. The first king after the Interregnum was crowned on 23 April 1661. A new set of regalia had to be made, the previous set having been dispersed during the period of the Commonwealth (1649-1660)

These symbols include the crown, of course (which since its 1661 redesign has included a velvet cap)  as well as the sovereigns sceptre and orb. The former represents a monarchs authority over his or her subjects; the latter is a globe surmounted by a cross, stressing that royal power on Earth derives from God. Crowns, sceptres and orbs duly recur throughout coronation portraiture. (No single item of dress recurs in the same way, largely because the monarch has to change into a series of different robes during the ceremony.) Its doubtful whether every monarch had a coronation portrait done. Such pictures certainly dont survive for every monarch. There are also cases where a state portrait depicts the ruler with coronation regalia, but not actually on the occasion of his or her crowning. All of which is to say that theres fluidity to any notion of coronation portraiture.

Open a larger version of this image Samuel Luke Fildes (1843-1927), King Edward VII (1841-1910), 1902-12. Oil on canvas. National Portrait Gallery. This is a replica by Fildes of the state portrait he was commissioned to paint in 1901, held in the Royal Collection. The coronation took place on 9 August 1902. Photo:  National Portrait Gallery, London

Sir Luke Fildess picture of Edward VII from around 1902 has many hallmarks of the so-called swagger portrait, which was popular then. The king cuts an eye-catching figure, standing raised on a dais, chest puffed out, holding the sceptre in his right hand and wearing the Robe of State over his field-marshals uniform. Painted around 40 years later, Gerald Festus Kellys portrait of George VI is a more restrained affair. The king is further away from the viewer  one might even say withdrawn  part of a scene that is sparser and more spacious overall. Its hard not think of this in terms of George VIs retiring nature: he was the famously shy prince thrust unexpectedly onto the throne by the abdication of his brother, Edward VIII.

Open a larger version of this image Gerald Festus Kelly (1879-1972), George VI (1895-1952). Oil on canvas. Private Collection. Artwork:  reserved. The prime version of this portrait is in the Royal Collection. It shows George standing in an interior based on the Viceroys Building in Delhi, India, wearing coronation robes

Variation between portraits, then, can be put down to differences in the artists, the subjects and the times of their creation. Cecil Beatons photographs of George VIs daughter, Elizabeth II, are invested with Hollywood-style, 1950s glamour  not just through the resplendent regalia, but through the theatricality of the young queen being shot against a stunning, painted backdrop of Henry VIIs Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey. (She was actually sitting in a quiet room in Buckingham Palace.)

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Bud Light has been mired in controversy ever since the beer brand collaborated with transgender actress and social media influencer Dylan Mulvaney. Now, Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, is looking to make amends with wholesalers impacted by calls to boycott the brand by anti-trans activists.

Anheuser-Busch is offering wholesale employees a free case of its Bud Light to make up for a drop in sales, according to a report by Wall Street Journal. The report also claims the company is looking to roll out a new slate of ads in an attempt to move past the boycott and associated controversy.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday said she will sign a bill to roll back labor protections for children, allowing them to work longer hours and take jobs that had been prohibited.

The measure would permit children as young as 14 to work in roofing, construction and demolition, provided they are part of educational or apprenticeship programs and a parent has granted permission for the work. They would also be allowed to do light assembly work and assist customers in businesses that sell fireworks, as long as no machines are present.

The legislation eliminates state regulations on the number of hours 16- and 17-year-olds can work and allows them to serve alcohol in restaurants with parental permission.

It also bars workers younger than 18 from working in "establishments where nude or topless dancing is performed."

The bill lifts "unnecessary restrictions" on minors who wish to work and creates new opportunities for young people "to work to get ahead in life or save money for college," Reynolds (R) said in a statement to The Washington Post.

"Iowans are proud to be known for our strong work ethic, and we want to instill those same values in the next generation," Reynolds said.

State legislators gave the bill final approval Wednesday evening in mostly party line votes. In the state Senate, two Republicans joined Democrats in opposition.

The measure - championed by conservative lobbying groups, the state restaurant association and the state industry group for home builders, among others - is the latest in a raft of state measures passed or under consideration that loosen restrictions on minors' work.

A law passed in Arkansas in March eliminated work permits and age verification requirements for workers younger than 16, and similar legislation is advancing in Missouri. Other child labor proposals have been introduced in Minnesota, Ohio and Georgia.

Wisconsin legislators on Monday introduced a bill to allow children as young as 14 to serve alcohol in restaurants.

Opponents of the Iowa bill said it will put children in dangerous occupations at a young age and stunt their educational development.

"Do I want my 16-year-old operating a power saw as a job? No, I don't," said Charlie Wishman, president of the Iowa branch of the AFL-CIO.

Debbie Berkowitz, a fellow at Georgetown University's Kalmanovitz Initiative for Labor and the Working Poor, described the Iowa measure as "the most anti-child, anti-family bill that I've seen" related to child labor. "This law is an ideological solution when there is no problem," she said.

Supporters, meanwhile, have cheered the legislation as a potential solution to workforce shortages and rising labor costs. The Foundation for Government Accountability, a conservative policy group that lobbied on the bill and legislation in Missouri and Arkansas, has called teens "a critical source of labor."

Dan Zumbach (R), a member of the Iowa Senate, said the bill gives children opportunities to learn about new professions and gain workforce experience.

"I was almost begging to get to work at age 5," he said Wednesday on the Senate floor. "I wanted to let folks know that I knew how to work. . . . We have sheltered our kids so much they've forgotten how to do one of the things we're all training them to do, and that's how to work. And they will learn some jobs that they never want to do again."
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Movie star and native Dallasite Owen Wilson made a stop at Houston's Menil Collection this week, according to a picture from the museum posted to Instagram on Wednesday. The actor, known for movies like Wedding Crashers, Marley & Me, and his longtime collaboration with Houston-born filmmaker Wes Anderson, visited the museum on May 3, according to the post. The image shows Wilson standing beneath one of the museum's stately oak trees outside the Cy Twombly Gallery, and is filled with numerous "wow" jokes in the comments.

Jennifer Greene, communications manager for the Menil, confirmed the actor's visit, saying he especially enjoyed the Menils Surrealism galleries, the new exhibit dedicated to longtime curator Walter Hopps, and the works of abstract artist Twombly.
Nearly $5.6 million in federal funding was announced Thursday, May 4 by Rep. Henry Cuellar for a new partnership which will aim to increase the amount of mental health professionals in Laredo schools and other districts.

In our communities along the border we dont always have access to the mental health professionals that are often found in large cities  forcing students and their families to heavily rely on school based mental health services, Cuellar said. Positive mental health promotes success in life, and this program will allow us to increase the number of trained personnel within our school districts to ensure that all students have the resources they need when facing mental health disorders.

The $5,598,047 funding from the Department of Educations Mental Health Service Professionals Demonstration Program is being provide to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. UTRGV will use those funds to create a partnership with the Laredo Independent School District and the United Independent School District along with the Mercedes and Valley View Independent School Districts.

LISD recognizes that social and emotional learning is an integral part of education and the development of the whole child, LISD Superintendent Dr. Sylvia Rios said. Our desire is for our children to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal goals. We want our youngsters to make responsible decisions, maintain supportive relationships, and show empathy and kindness towards others.

Cuellar said Thursday it is known that there is a shortage of mental health professionals in Webb County and in South Texas as a whole. He said because of this, Laredo children often face barriers to mental health identification and treatment.

Through initiatives such as this, we can assure parents that no child will be left behind when it comes to their mental health, Cuellar said. I want to thank UTRGV, UISD, and LISD for partnering to address one of the most concerning issues affecting our youth across America.

UTRGV will work toward the goal of increasing mental health professionals in those districts schools by training 70 mental health providers over a period of five years with 14 students trained each year. They will include counselors, psychologists and social workers. Once trained, they will work within the school districts aiding students with anxiety, stress, substance abuse and more.

United Independent School District takes the psychological well-being of our students very seriously, UISD Superintendent David Gonzalez said. Along with our school psychology team and the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine services we receive through UTRGV, this funding will further bolster our ability to address any mental and emotional issues our students might face.

According to Cuellar, the program accomplishes two goals. The first is increasing the mental health professionals in schools, and the second is exposing the UTRGV students to valuable experience through their training as they obtain their degrees.

The U.S. Department of Education award will provide a twofold avenue for the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley to support school-based mental health services for students within the region and provide training to school personnel and students, UTRGV Senior Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate College Dr. Can Saygin said. The services will have a lasting positive impact on the mental well-being of students in the Rio Grande Valley and the broader community.

Grants like the one accepted by UTRGV are provided by the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program to help create unique partnerships for training mental health service providers who will work within schools and other local educational agencies. It aims to address a shortage of these professionals nationwide.

With this grant and partnership with UTRGV, LISD will be able to expand our mental health services in person, Rios said. Research shows that you dont need to have a mental illness to benefit from counseling. Someone might just be going through a tough season in their life. And we know that counseling can be effective in getting someone through a rough patch. We look forward to our partnership with UTRGV. More importantly, we look forward to helping students overcome stress, family problems, anxiety or other issues in their lives.

The City of Laredo and Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino held a proclamation on Wednesday declaring May as Mental Health Awareness Month. Trevino spoke Thursday about the importance of raising that awareness locally.

Mental health is a public health issue. It affects everyone regardless of race, gender, politics or income, Trevino said. I saw that during the pandemic when I was the health authority. It exacerbated mental health conditions because of sheltering at home.

Because mental illness is at a crossroads of so many other issues such as homelessness, suicide, domestic violence, promoting it is one of the things we can all agree to do together as Americans and make our country stronger.

Trevino said that the importance of addressing mental health is exacerbated in Laredo due to a cultural reluctance to seek help.

We need to break down the barriers that sometimes are cultural, because we embarrassed and ashamed to share our feelings, he said. When you are feeling sad, depressed or even having thoughts of suicide, this is why we need to address this with our youths. The only way to talk is with your peers, your counselors and understand that treatment works. There is no shame in seeking it.
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Laredo Medical Center is welcoming the community to attend its Cinco de Mayo fiesta for stroke awareness Friday, May 5 and is welcoming Laredo Mayor Dr. Victor Trevino for a proclamation declaring May 8-12 as Hospital Week 2023.

The second annual Fiesta de LMC is the launch of the hospitals celebration of Stroke Awareness Month. It is free and open to the public and will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the main foyer area of LMC located at 1700 E. Saunders St.

Fiesta de LMC is providing awareness on signs and symptoms of stroke and the importance of calling 911 and receiving emergency medical care without delay for a stroke, LMC stroke coordinator Chantel Molina said. Time loss is brain loss. Every second counts to prevent further disability and mortality.

Embracing the fiesta theme, the Cinco de Mayo celebration will feature Mexican party decorations and mariachi music throughout the lobby. There will be healthy snacks and aguas frescas available for attendees as LMC raises stroke awareness.

Free health screenings for stroke prevention will be provided by employees from the hospitals stroke and emergency room trauma programs. There will also be informational booths for stroke care, interactive games and more.

Stroke is indeed a serious problem in our country where a stroke occurs every 40 seconds. And the best way to fight and prevent this disease is through education, LMC CEO Jorge Leal said. As the lead Advanced Level III Trauma Facility and a Primary Stroke Center, Laredo Medical Center is committed to deliver quality stroke care, inform the community about stroke prevention and provide them with resources to support stroke survivors and their families. We want the community to know how they can take action and help win this battle.

The fiesta will invite stroke survivors and their families as honorary guests. The nonprofit Laredo Stroke Support Group is also expected to attend and share information about the services it offers.

LMC is recognized as an accredited advanced primary stroke center. It was first awarded the accreditation in 2018 by the Joint Commission and the American heart Association/American Stroke Association, and it received reaccreditation in 2021.

As an Advanced Primary Stroke Center, Laredo Medical Center is recognized as a leader in stroke care and demonstrating a higher standard of service for stroke patients in its community, Leal said.

During the fiesta Friday, Trevino will join LMC at 11 a.m. to proclaim May 8-12 as Hospital Week 2023 in Laredo.

The tradition of Hospital Week began nationally in 1953 to recognize the history of hospitals, their advancements and the care they provide communities. It first started in 1921 as National Hospital Day in an attempt to rebuild hospitals following the outbreak of the Spanish flu in 1918.

For more information on stroke awareness, the fiesta or Hospital Week, visit laredomedical.com or call 956-796-3223.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) signed legislation Friday to create a commission with the power to remove local prosecutors from office, a move Democrats in the state have decried as a power grab that usurps the will of local voters.

Atlanta-area prosecutor Fani Willis, who is considering bringing charges against former president Donald Trump and his allies over 2020 election interference, has been one of the most outspoken opponents of the legislation, suggesting she is among those being targeted by its Republican sponsors.

The law, which Democrats have vowed to challenge in court, sets up creation of an oversight panel that could recall any of the state's elected district attorneys or solicitors general for several reasons, including "willful misconduct" or "persistent failure to perform his or her duties."

The bill's sponsors have not focused on Willis's investigation of Trump but say they are seeking to rein in reform-minded prosecutors and crack down on crime. They have raised concerns about prosecutors in liberal areas who won't seek charges against low-level drug offenders or those who violate Georgia's abortion law banning the procedure at six weeks.

Kemp voiced support for the measure ahead of this year's legislative session, saying it was needed because "far-left local prosecutors are failing their constituents and making our communities less safe."

Still, some Democrats have said the bill appears to be retaliation for Willis's investigation of the former president.

"Whether intended or not, the majority of the world" will see the bill that way, state Rep. Tanya Miller, an Atlanta Democrat, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in March.

Willis, the district attorney in Fulton County, who is Black, has called the legislation "dangerous" and said it will limit prosecutors' ability to carry out their work. She also has said that she considers the bill to be "racist" because it subverts the power of the state's record number of district attorneys of color. Over half of the state's population lives in jurisdictions overseen by its 14 non-White district attorneys.

"The timing of these bills shouldn't be lost on anyone," Willis said in a statement to The Washington Post earlier this year. "The GOP-controlled legislature did not find such measures necessary until the state elected a record number of minority district attorneys who now serve the majority of Georgia's population."

Under the legislation, the oversight board will be put in place at the start of next year. Any indictments brought against Trump or his allies will probably be ongoing.

A special grand jury investigating efforts by Trump and his allies to overturn his 2020 election loss in Georgia concluded that some witnesses may have lied under oath during their testimony and recommended that charges be filed, according to a five-page excerpt of the grand jury report. In interviews, the grand jury foreman told reporters that the panel had recommended multiple indictments on a range of charges.

Under current state law in Georgia, the legislature has the power to impeach district attorneys. Those powers have rarely been used, however.

Among the other local prosecutors who've clashed with lawmakers is Deborah Gonzalez, a district attorney who represents Athens, Ga., Kemp's hometown. She has called the bill an "overstep" in the democratic process because it could allow state authorities to recall reform-minded district attorneys "over the will of the people who elected said prosecutor."

Martha Zoller, a conservative radio host and former Kemp administration official, said Gonzalez is a large reason Republicans are pursuing the legislation.

"This all started with Athens and the prosecutor there, but there are a lot of people in cities across the state worried about crime," Zoller said.

The measure has the support of some of the state's district attorneys. In February, 21 of the state's 50 district attorneys published a letter in support of the bill.

"We believe prosecutors that decline to enforce a provision of law or an entire body of law go too far," the mostly Republican group of prosecutors wrote.
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Southeast Texas' worker shortage could soon be alleviated in part by college students working toward their degree, being paid to get hands-on work experience.

The thread of that very small needle was pulled this week by Lamar State College Orange and its stakeholders, as they announced the program that would allow students to do just that.

Dozens of college administrators, elected officials and community members on Wednesday gathered at the Brown Estate in Orange to announce the creation of a local chapter of the national Federation for Advanced Manufacturing Education Program, or FAME.

The Golden Triangle Chapter is only the fourth FAME Chapter in Texas, said International Paper Global Manufacturing Training Coordinator and Chapter President Stacey Nichols.

FAME was started in 2010 by Toyota, when they found themselves struggling to find the workers they needed, said Manufacturing Institute Director for Workforce Initiatives Pooja Tripathi. The Washington, D.C.-based institute is a nonprofit education and workforce development arm of the National Association of Manufacturers.

RELATED: 'Great day to be in Orange:' Lamar Orange breaks ground on state-of-the-art academic building

The national program now has more than 35 chapters across 14 states and has graduated more than 1,500 students since 2012.

"This organization will help us achieve a talent-strong Texas right here (in the Golden Triangle)," said LSCO President Tom Johnson. "Billions are forecasted to be invested in Southeast Texas in the coming years in industry projects and the creation of this FAME Chapter with our partners in industry is another example of how we are attempting to meet the immense needs for skilled, ready-to-work employees."

The idea to establish a FAME Chapter in the Golden Triangle formed about a year ago when Nichols learned that International Paper participated in it at another one of their facilities, she said.

"I knew we needed (this) in Southeast Texas, and we needed it fast based on all the industry coming to our area ," she said. "Honestly, the FAME Program, once you know a little bit about it, it's really an easy sell."

Nichols said the FAME Program will help the region face a prevalent issue -- having a qualified local workforce that can take advantage of the jobs produced by multiple Orange County projects.

RELATED: Vidor partners with Lamar University, Lamar Orange to ease teacher shortage

"The FAME Program is going to be combined with Lamar State College Orange's electromechanical technology program," she said. "It's five semesters -- students are going to be prepared for all the skills they're going to need for these jobs. They're going to be the next generation of folks here that are going to take over and be leaders in our community."

Beginning in the Fall 2023 semester, LSCO students enrolled in the program will attend class two days a week to learn technical skills and spend the other three days of the week learning hands-on tactical skills at one of the various industry partners in the FAME Program, who will also pay them for their work, Nichols said.

Industry partners include International Paper, Cloeren Incorporated, ISS/Buna Electric Motor Service, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company, Dow Sabine River Operations, United Rentals, the Orange County Economic Development Corporation and Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas.

"That's what makes this whole group stand apart," Nichols said. "It's a group of industries coming together as one whole unit to figure out how we're going to have a program that prepares students for what we need."

International Paper, Cloeren Incorporated, ISS/Buna Electric Motor Service and United Rentals will sponsor students through the program, beginning in Fall 2023.

RELATED: Officials reiterate economic impact of new Orange plant during groundbreaking ceremony

Nichols said the chapter set a minimum pay of $15 per hour for its industry partners to pay students, though they may pay more if they wish to. The $15 is comprised of $7.25 minimum wage, with the rest covering the program cost, meaning students could potentially leave the program with no student loan debt.

"Some partners, in addition to that $15 minimum hourly wage, they're going to pay for tuition as well," she said. "It's not a requirement for industry partners to do that, but some can and have the option to go above and beyond to do that."

Students who graduate from the program will earn an associate's degree in electromechanical technology and certification and will be able to pursue employment as robotics engineers, machinist technicians and automation mechanics, among other fields.

For more information about the local FAME Chapter and to become an industry partner, visit goldentriangleFAME.com. For advising questions, students can contact advising@lsco.edu.

olivia.malick@hearst.com
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On the ground floor of an art deco apartment building in Shanghai, where the Chinese writer Eileen Chang lived in the 1940s, fans stop at the Chang-themed cafe to sip coffee and read "Lust, Caution," one of her most renowned works.

Others might pick up a different volume - after all, she wrote more than 40 works of fiction, as well as screenplays and translations of Ernest Hemingway - or a Chang tote bag.

On any given day in Shanghai, it's not unusual to find fans visiting her birthplace or going on guided Chang literary tours.

For 80 years, her books have pushed boundaries and opened minds in China - and almost 30 years after her death in Los Angeles, Chang's work has become a source of solace for yet another generation of Chinese women.

They are particularly drawn to Chang's focus on the personal - love, sex, ambition - and lack of interest in the political. She is sometimes called the Virginia Woolf of China, although Sally Rooney might be a more apt contemporary analogy.

"She tapped into new ideas of the time, getting married then divorced, and being self-supporting," said Nancy Guo, who was standing on the rooftop of the building where Chang was born in 1920 to an aristocratic family whose fortunes were in decline.

"She brought this female perspective, part of the women's awakening of that time," said Guo.

In essays and posts on Chinese social media, fans regularly celebrate her defiance of patriarchal norms, her rejection of nationalism and her delight in everyday matters.

Chang's decision to be defiantly unpolitical resonates with current-day readers, said Eileen Cheng-yin Chow, a scholar of Chinese literature and culture at Duke University.

"Every writer is political, but it's a particular kind of political stance to be writing during wartime and to be deliberately unpolitical," Chow said.

Chang grew up in a period of great intellectual and political ferment in China: Japan occupied Shanghai when she was 17.

Her literary talents were obvious and so she pursued them - and escaped a troubled home life - by going to university in Hong Kong. She returned to Shanghai in the early 1940s and established herself as a writer just as World War II ended and the Chinese civil war resumed.

While many of her celebrated contemporaries obsessed over the affairs of the nation and the humiliation and hardship of China's war with Japan, Chang told stories of lust, heartbreak and betrayal.

"Generally speaking, I cannot write works that are 'monuments of the times,' and I don't plan to try," Chang said in an essay published in 1944.

"I just write about little things that happen between men and women. There is no war in my work, there is no revolution," she wrote. "I think it is when people are in love, more than in war or revolution that they are simpler and freer of restraint."

Back in Shanghai, she became famous, got married, got divorced, fell out of favor with the newly installed Communist Party leadership, fled back to Hong Kong and moved to the United States - all by age 35.

The dizzying pace of her early years didn't last. Her English-language novels never broke into the American market, and Chang retreated from the public eye, living out her final years in Los Angeles as a near recluse. She died in 1995.

But her stature in modern Chinese literature has only risen since. She is celebrated for her vivid imagery, keen emotional sensitivity and ability to blend Chinese and Western styles of writing.

Although unobtainable in mainland China until the 1980s, most of Chang's works are now freely available, and a film or television show based on her work is released every few years.

A new collection of her work will be published in English by NYRB Classics in January.

Fascination with Chang in China first took off in the 1990s, as market reforms created a wave of optimism and openness. Many at the time felt nostalgic for the (often imagined) cosmopolitanism of 1930s Shanghai that they saw in her work.

Today, Chow explained, it is more Chang's cynicism in response to the vicissitudes of politics that makes her a pointed symbol for young intellectuals.

"That sense of dislocation - the Chinese phrase is 'shengbufengshi,' to be born out of time or to be slightly out of joint - is a much more potent affiliation now," she said.

Indeed, many of her more recent readers are drawn to her defiant lifestyle and sardonic worldview as much as they are to the crispness of her prose.

For young liberals uneasy about creeping ideological uniformity in Xi Jinping's China - where everything from the school curriculum to blockbuster movies must support the Communist Party's vision - Chang has come to represent an iconic example of resilience.

She insisted, in life and in writing, on putting personal and artistic freedoms first at a time when sacrificing for the good of the nation was in vogue.

In "Love in a Fallen City," "Sealed Off" and "Red Rose, White Rose," she told of whirlwind romances, scandalous affairs and dysfunctional marriages. Her characters were often selfish and immoral, but that is part of her allure.

"Her writing is deeply feminist in the sense that she is one of the earliest female writers in China to write about sex, love and relationships in a way that isn't a cliche," said Na Zhong, a New York-based Chinese writer who translated Sally Rooney's novels into Chinese and is working on a novel inspired by Chang's life.

Zhong gives the example of "Lust, Caution," one of Chang's later novellas, in which the protagonist betrays her country by choosing her relationship with a Japanese sympathizer.

She explained that the return of male-dominated values in China today is again giving women a sense of exclusion and dislocation. "In a highly patriarchal culture a woman is without a home, without a country, and Eileen Chang definitely grasped that in her stories," she said.

Bloggers took the cue and shared a story of how Chang attended a meeting of Communist writers shortly before she left the city for Hong Kong.

Dressed in a glamorous silk qipao - a traditional Chinese dress - she cut a striking figure compared with the other Mao-suited attendees. This, commentators wrote, must have been when Chang realized she needed to get out.

Viewed through the harsh realities of today's China, some fans are interpreting Chang's decisions to leave as a form of bravery. Many tend to think her of final decades in the United States as a time of sadness and failure, but Zhong considers her acceptance of fate a kind of resilience.

"She chose to live a ruthless life, and she embraced the consequences of her exile," she said.

The drama of Chang's personal life - which has given her an aura of mystique, glamour and infamy - adds to her lasting appeal.

"Of course her work influenced me a lot," Zhong said, "but it's way of life, her worldview and her rejection of grand narratives that really inspires me."

Chang's work has apparently inspired other contemporary Chinese women. Cao Zhixin, a 20-something editor at a Beijing publishing house, considered Chang one of her literary idols and went on a Chang-themed walking tour in Shanghai in 2021.

Those close to Cao say her admiration for the author is not unrelated to her decision to take to the streets of Beijing last November to protest the Chinese government's "zero covid" policies - which led to her being detained for four months.

"She liked how the most important thing for Eileen Chang wasn't rational thought but being moved by what you perceived," said a friend who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation from Chinese authorities.

Cao was released last month but could not be reached for comment.

Megan Walsh, author of "The Subplot: What China is Reading and Why It Matters," attributes much of Chang's latest burst in popularity to the clarity of her mind.

Readers "don't think that she falls for anything other than what she sees and feels," Walsh said. Young people in China today are "being told they are living through this great moment in Chinese history, but they aren't really feeling it. Chang is offering something much more probing."
SEATTLE (AP)  A man accused in the fatal shooting of a young man in Seattles Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone in 2020 has pleaded guilty to murder.

Marcel Long, 22, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder on Thursday in the death of 19-year-old Horace Anderson, The Seattle Times reported.

Anderson was killed June 20, 2020, in an eight-block area of the city where people were protesting the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by a police officer.

Charging documents said several people called 911 to report the shooting but responding police were met by an angry crowd and left after someone yelled that the person shot had been taken to Harborview Medical Center. Anderson died at the hospital just over 30 minutes after 911 was called.

A lawsuit filed by Anderson's father, Horace Anderson, said police and fire department medics refused to respond to the shooting scene as Anderson was dying. The city settled the lawsuit for $500,000 last year.

Long was arrested more than a year after the shooting in a Seattle suburb. Anderson and Long had apparently been at odds since 2019, after they were involved in a fight Anderson lost that was posted on YouTube, court documents said.

Surveillance video of their confrontation in the protest zone shows the two young men exchanging words and Long pulling out a handgun. The video shows Anderson walking away and Long, who had been restrained momentarily by others, raising the gun and shooting Anderson several times.

Long is scheduled to be sentenced on June 30.
OXON HILL, Md. (AP)  Three masked attackers boarded a school bus in Maryland earlier this week and tried multiple times to shoot a boy, but the attack was foiled by a malfunctioning gun, police said.

The bus stopped in Oxon Hill, a suburb of the nation's capital, to drop off students just before 5 p.m. Monday, when three people believed to be juveniles got on and began to attack the boy, who had remained on the bus, Prince Georges County Police said in a news release.

One attacker tried multiple times to shoot the boy, but detectives believe the gun malfunctioned, police said. The boy suffered minor injuries in the assault.

A bus driver and bus aide were on the bus at the time and werent injured, police said. It's unknown if any other students were on the bus. Police found ammunition on the bus. Police said they're investigating the attackers' motives.

No suspects were in custody Friday and a reward of up to $2,500 is being offered in the case, police spokesperson Lt. Shaniece Singh said by telephone.

Images from the attack on the bus released by police show three people dressed in black hoodies with their faces covered attacking the boy, who is covering his head with his hands.

Prince Georges County Public Schools spokesperson Meghan Gebreselassie said in a statement that officials are horrified by this incident and grateful that no lives were lost. Keeping people safe in classrooms and on school grounds and buses is their highest priority and theyll continue working with law enforcement, she said.

Martin Diggs, president of ACE-AFSCME Local 2250, a union representing school support staff, said the driver is totally terrified by what happened. Fights and incidents involving weapons at schools have left drivers alarmed, Diggs said.

There was a small amount of people on this bus, he said. What if there was a busload of kids?
BOSTON (AP)  A former Boston high school dean serving a 26-year sentence in state prison for shooting a student he had recruited to deal drugs has received an additional 18 years or more on a federal gang-related charge.

Prosecutors said that Shaun Harrison, 63, lived a double life, portraying himself as an anti-violence activist and mentor for troubled teens while hiding his own gang ties and luring students into drugs and violence.

In 2022, Harrison pleaded guilty to a count of racketeering conspiracy, also referred to as a RICO conspiracy.

Harrison is serving time after his 2018 conviction for attempting to kill a student who was selling marijuana in the high school at Harrison's direction, authorities said. The 17-year-old was shot in the back of the head after a dispute over declining drug sales, prosecutors said. The student survived but suffered partial face paralysis, permanent hearing loss and other injuries.

Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said Harrison exhibited what she described as an astonishing level of betrayal and dishonesty.

As the academic dean at a Boston public high school he lured and manipulated teenagers into a criminal enterprise that specialized in street terrorism, Rollins said in a written statement after Harrison was sentenced Thursday in federal court. Harrison was the architect of ruin for an entire generation of promising young lives."

She said Harrison continued to associate with the Latin Kings gang while in state prison.

Federal prosecutors said last year that Harrison was one of dozens of defendants to plead guilty in a sprawling Latin Kings case stemming from an investigation dubbed Operation Throne Down.

Last year, a federal judge ordered Harrison to pay more than $10 million in damages to the former student he was convicted of trying to kill, but its unclear whether the victim will ever get any money from Harrison.

Harrison was hired by the Boston Public Schools in 2015 to serve as an academic dean at English High School, a public, magnet school. In that role, Harrison was to act as a mediator between teachers and students, contact families when students struggled and work with at-risk students, officials said.
The crew had built most of the set. Choreographers had blocked out almost all the dances. The students were halfway through rehearsals.

Then in late January, musical director Vanessa Allen called an emergency meeting. She told the cast and crew of 21 teens that their show - the musical "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" - was off. Board members in Ohio's Cardinal Local Schools disliked some features of "Spelling Bee," Allen explained, including a song about erections, the appearance of Jesus Christ and the fact that one character has two fathers.

Sobs broke out across the room, said Riley Matchinga, 18, who was slated to play one of the leads: Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, the character whose fathers are gay. "Everyone's faces just fell," she said. "I could see everyone's hearts melting, because we had worked so hard."

Following a record-setting surge in efforts to change curriculums and ban books at schools nationwide, the education culture war has now reached the stage. The controversy in Cardinal is one of a number of recent instances in which school administrators have intervened to nix or alter school theatrical productions deemed objectionable - often because they feature LGBTQ characters or deal with issues of race and racism.

In Florida's Duval County Public Schools this January, administrators stopped a production of the play "Indecent," which details a love affair between two women, due to its "mature content." In February, Indiana's Northwest Allen County Schools pulled the plug on a production of the play "Marian" after adults raised the alarm over its depiction of a same-sex couple and a nonbinary character. And in March, Iowa's South Tama County Community School District halted a performance of the play "August: Osage County" over fears that its treatment of suicide, addiction and racism was inappropriate for school-aged children.

Censorship of K-12 student productions has been happening for years, said Howard Sherman, managing director of the performing arts center at New York's Baruch College. Since 2011, Sherman has tracked and fought efforts to end or edit school theater, assisting with roughly four dozen such cases, many of which never became public.

Still, this most recent wave of opposition seems more intense and organized than in past years, Sherman said, and more tightly focused on plays and musicals with LGBTQ content.

"Something that was being dealt with community by community has now, for some people, become a cause, " he said. "You see politicians and officials enacting rules and laws which are incredibly onerous and designed to enforce a very narrow view of what students can see, read, learn or act on stage."

The cancellations come amid fierce political fights over what children should be allowed to learn and do at school. State legislatures are proposing and passing a historic wave of laws and policies restricting LGBTQ student rights and representation at school; in Florida last month, for example, the Board of Education banned education about gender identity and sexuality at all grade levels. Some legislation may directly affect school theater productions: Bills advanced in at least 15 states forbidding drag shows could be interpreted as outlawing cross-dressing in school plays, said Jennifer Katona, executive director of the Educational Theatre Association.

"That's a hallmark of theater because the majority of theater programs have more female-identifying than male-identifying students, yet plays are written with majority male-identifying casts," Katona said. "It's a tough time for school theater."

Some argue it is school officials' job to ensure that productions are age-appropriate and aligned with families' preferences. Contemporary musicals are often quite sophisticated and entangled with social issues, said Robert Pondiscio, a senior fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

"You have to be mindful of local values," Pondiscio said. "School has always existed to signal to children what is worth knowing and valuable, what we praise and condemn, and you have to apply that to musicals as well."

In Pennsylvania's Northern Lebanon School District this March, the school board voted down a proposed 2024 performance of the musical "The Addams Family," 7-to-2, after some board members said they found the script too gloomy.

The theme of "The Addams Family" is "darkness, grief and unspeakable sorrow," board member Michael Marlowe said at a meeting before the vote. Marlowe, who did not respond to a request for comment, noted the musical has songs about killing, scenes of children smoking and references to torture and self-harm.

"These are the things that today's students are fighting and we're making light of it a little bit, or promoting it," he said in a public video of the meeting. "These are not themes that we as a school would permit . . . so I don't think we should put it out there."

Northern Lebanon district spokeswoman Lauren Bruce wrote in a statement that "the practice of the School Board approving our annual musical has been in place for many years," although it is not formalized in policy. Bruce wrote that another musical has been put forward for next spring and "we look forward to seeing it." Per board documents, that musical is "Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka."

Board member Michelle Bucks, one of the two votes in favor of the musical, said she thinks the board acted against the recommendations of faculty and the desires of students who wanted to stage "The Addams Family." In 2019, the musical was the most popular high school production in America, per the Educational Theatre Association.

Student performers, denied their turn before the spotlights, are dismayed.

In Iowa's South Tama County Community School District, senior Libby Albright was excited to perform in tragicomedy "August: Osage County" - until administrators scrapped the production this spring, three weeks into rehearsal. Theater director Dixie Forcht said Superintendent John Cain watched the film version of "August," decided it was inappropriate and directed the South Tama County High School principal to shut down the play.

Cain, who did not respond to questions, told a local newspaper the play was "beyond rated PG." Albright said she and three other students met with Cain the day after the cancellation and he repeated several times that "the community isn't ready."

"August," which debuted on Broadway in 2007, features an implied suicide, incest and drug addiction, as well as racist treatment of a Native American character.

Albright acknowledged the Pulitzer-winning play is difficult. But that, she said, is why students wanted to act it.

"The only productions I've ever been in have been fairy tale or comedy," she said. "To grow as actors, we need to be challenged - to do things that really test us and make us think harder, that drive us to keep creating art."

She had developed a strong connection to her "August" character, Barbara Fordham, who is stuck in a disintegrating marriage. Albright said she recently emerged from a "rough" relationship and that Barbara's lines felt like "things I had said before." A member of Albright's family died by suicide this spring, she said, and performing in "August" would have helped her grieve.

To replace "August," the school chose a light 1930s comedy, "You Can't Take It With You." Albright played Penny Sycamore. She said it was fun - but not fulfilling.

"It was unfortunate to go from having a character that felt like so much of me . . . to this dumbed-down, cute little lady with her typewriter who doesn't let herself fix any of her issues," Albright said.

In Indiana, 18-year-old Meadowe Freeman had just wrapped the second day of auditions for "Marian, or the True Tale of Robin Hood," a gender-bending retelling of Robin Hood, when the Carroll High School principal gathered interested students and said the production could not go forward. The principal said he'd gotten phone calls from adults upset about the play's LGBTQ characters, Freeman recalled - and that he feared protests would disrupt the show and endanger students' safety.

District spokeswoman Lizette Downey said in an interview, "We want our kids protected, we want it to be a positive experience for them, and I think the concern was: It's possible people could show up and say rude comments." Superintendent Wayne Barker said he was unavailable for an interview but shared the text of an email he sent to a parent in which he wrote that he hadn't heard the complaints the principal cited. "The decision to change the production emanated from . . . disruptions already occurring between students who wanted to participate in the play," he said.

Freeman helped select a replacement play, choosing "Puffs, or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic," a 2015 parody of Harry Potter. But she is still sad about "Marian."

"I think the [LGBTQ] representation has been lost," Freeman said. "And that's sad because we were seeing more of these stories that weren't told for so long, and now . . . they're getting censored."

In Ohio's Cardinal schools, Matchinga and her peers were determined to put on "Spelling Bee." They bombarded the school board with emails questioning the cancellation.

Musical director Allen began revising the script to erase lines board members dubbed inappropriate - eliminating profanity, a line about "[beating] up" kids and replacing the phrase "fake mom" with "step mom," according to school documents obtained by The Washington Post. She was assisted by Rachel Sheinkin, one of the writers of the 2005 Broadway musical. Ultimately, after requesting more than two dozen edits and receiving 12, the school board voted to let "Spelling Bee" proceed.

Alterations to Matchinga's lines included replacing "and I've heard she is pro-choice/though still a virgin" with "but she will not make her choice/til she is certain."

"I don't think that really made a big effect on the story, and the show was still really funny and we got a ton of laughs," Matchinga said. "Overall, I think it was okay."

Librettist Sheinkin wrote in communications to the school board obtained by The Post that she was "happy to accommodate" the erasure of profanity, but she dismissed as impossible any more "fundamental" changes, writing that she hoped the musical would spark "productive conversation" in the community.

"What we changed were individual words overwhelmingly and we mostly changed variations on the word 'goddamnit' or 'damn it,'" Sheinkin said in an interview. "We of course didn't change anything to do with the gay dads . . . we didn't change anything that affected the story or the characters."

Allen has mixed feelings.

Staging the lightly edited version of "Spelling Bee" felt like a victory. But in late April, the superintendent informed Allen of a new policy: From now on, any play or musical must be submitted for formal approval to the principal, the superintendent and the full board. (The school district did not respond to a request for comment or questions asking about the policy.)

"It makes me worry about the future and the scrutiny I am going to face," Allen said. "It makes me paranoid about every decision."
TIGARD, Ore. (AP)  A couple has been arrested and accused of chaining up a child for 12 hours at a time in their home near Portland, Oregon, according to law enforcement officials.

Ana Miranda, 67, and Charles Randy Ward, 74, were indicted on multiple charges Wednesday, including first-degree criminal mistreatment, the Washington County Sheriffs Office said Thursday in a news release. Ward faces four counts of mistreatment, while Miranda was indicted on eight counts of mistreatment, as well as charges of strangulation, assault and unlawful use of a weapon, the sheriff's office said.
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TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  On the day he took office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vowed to pursue an agenda that would heal the state's political divisions.

In an op-ed, he pledged to prioritize environmental protection, the economy, education. He highlighted the diverse, bipartisan group of qualified individuals he hired for his administration.

It is time for our state to come together, he declared in the January 2019 piece.

On Friday, more than four years later, DeSantis concluded a legislative session that establishes him as perhaps the most aggressive and accomplished conservative governor in the nation's bitter culture wars  just as he prepares to enter the 2024 presidential contest as a top rival to former President Donald Trump.

Intensifying his hard-right shift that began during the pandemic, the 44-year-old Republican governor in recent weeks has pushed the limits of divisive cultural battles over abortion, LGBTQ rights, sex education, guns, immigration and diversity. And in most cases, backed by Republican supermajorities in Florida's Legislature, he won.

DeSantis in recent weeks signed a law to ban abortion at six weeks of pregnancy and another to allow people to carry concealed guns without a permit. He expanded what critics call his Don't Say Gay law that now blocks classroom instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity for all grades. And in the coming days, he will sign a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion programs in state colleges, along with another bill that prevents students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that dont correspond to someones sex.

The governor has also used the power of his office to seize partial control of Disney World, one of his state's largest employers, which spoke out against the Don't Say Gay law.

And as the 2024 presidential contest heats up, he's eager to celebrate his accomplishments.

When I became governor, the first day, sat in the office, I kind of just looked around and I thought to myself, I dont know what SOB is going to succeed me in this office, but they aint going to have much to do because were getting all the meat off the bone, he said during a Thursday news conference about fishing dates.

DeSantis' unapologetic conservative shift, an evolution years in the making, positions him well among GOP presidential primary voters, who tend to be fiercely partisan. But it has sparked concerns among others, including donors, GOP officials and even some moderate Democrats, who initially welcomed DeSantis' approach but now fear that his crusade to champion conservative culture may alienate as many people as it attracts.

His unrelenting focus on the cultural issues more than the economic issues gets to be tiresome, said longtime Republican donor Bobbie Kilberg. I think people over time will want someone who does not add to the scenario of pushing people further and further and further apart."

DeSantis is poised to launch a presidential bid as soon as next week, though allies believe that a formal announcement, which could begin with an exploratory committee, is more likely to come around the end of May. For much of the year, he has sidestepped questions about his national ambitions, insisting that he was focused on Florida's legislative session.

DeSantis' team is optimistic that his conservative accomplishments will strengthen his appeal among primary voters who may be willing to move on from Trump.

Hes got a lot done, former Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, a fierce Trump critic, said of DeSantis. Ron DeSantis is more of a conservative than Donald Trump has ever been.

Still, would-be supporters like Duncan are concerned that DeSantis' fight with Disney has gone too far and that he should be zeroed in on more important issues.

Hes focusing on the wrong Disney character," Duncan said. "Instead of picking on Mickey, you need to pick on Donald.

Those who know DeSantis best trace his emergence as a leading voice in the nation's cultural divisions to the pandemic.

After initially agreeing to COVID-19 shutdowns, DeSantis soon established himself as one of the GOP's most aggressive critics of public health measures. He became a conservative hero of sorts as he promoted what he called the free state of Florida.

Before the pandemic, he followed through on his promise to focus on education funding and environmental protection. He dedicated billions of dollars to Everglades restoration and other water protection projects over his first term, and he continued such efforts into the early days of his second. He has also consistently pushed for and secured pay raises for teachers in the state budget.

Democrat Bob Buckhorn, the former mayor of Tampa, said he was pleasantly surprised at the governor's first months in office. But he said his hope faded soon after the pandemic exploded in the spring of 2020.

I think we all knew he was ambitious, but I dont think all of us knew how far he would go and the extent to which he would go to build credibility with an audience that doesnt represent Florida, Buckhorn said.

DeSantis' team rejects the notion that he has fixated on red meat policies. They note the governors spending on education and the environment in addition to recent moves to cut taxes on household items such as diapers.

DeSantis' super PAC, which already has a half dozen paid staffers on the ground in each of the first four states on the Republican presidential primary calendar, did not mention his bipartisan achievements in a statement touting DeSantis' incredible success.

Gov. DeSantis robust record of legislative accomplishments includes enacting a Parents Bill of Rights and standing up to draconian COVID mandates to supporting law and order and pursuing the death penalty for child rapists," said super PAC spokesperson Erin Perrine. "Ron DeSantis will never back down from pursuing strong conservative policies.

Indeed, as 2024 has grown closer, DeSantis has done as much or more than any other Republican governor in America to use the levers of government to lean into cultural fights. Along the way, he embraced a new catchphrase: Florida is where woke comes to die.

In other legislative wins, DeSantis has made it illegal for state and local investment funds to consider companies' environmental, social and governance stances in his fight against woke corporations. He also signed a bill allowing the death penalty in child rape convictions, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that banned capital punishment in such cases. And he signed a bill to end a unanimity requirement in death penalty sentencing.

Another new law to harden the state's immigration policy and add millions of dollars to his controversial migrant relocation program awaits his signature.

It's all red meat, Kilberg said. I think a Republican would have a better shot getting elected in the general election if they were less divisive and more willing to work together with people for the common good. That clearly is not his mantra.

Still, Kilberg said she would most likely vote for DeSantis and help him raise money if he becomes the Republican nominee in a general election against President Joe Biden.

I say most likely, because it would be important to me to see DeSantis soften his image, have a more caring image, have a more inclusive image, she said. DeSantis is not the only alternative to Trump.

___

Peoples reported from New York. Associated Press writer Brendan Farrington in Tallahassee, Fla., contributed to this report.

___

Follow the AP's coverage of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis at https://apnews.com/hub/ron-desantis.
BEIRUT (AP)  An Egyptian politician residing abroad and planning to run in the countrys presidential elections next year said on Friday that two of his uncles and a group of friends and supporters have been detained in recent days.

Ahmed Altantawy, a former member of parliament, did not say how many of his supporters were detained, when it happened and whether they were released or were still being held. He said he was worried for the health of his uncles, suggesting they may still be held.

Human rights lawyer Khaled Ali said in a social media post that 10 supporters from Altantawy's former constituency were brought in for questioning, most of them accused of joining a terrorist group  a frequent government reference to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist group.

Ali said both of Altantawy's uncles face charges of joining and funding a terror group but did not elaborate on their current whereabouts.

Officials in Cairo did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the claims.

Altantawy declared his intention to run for Egypt's highest office in a Facebook post in March. In a video released Friday, he said the arrests come ahead of his announced return to the country on Saturday from Lebanon.

The vote has widely been expected be an uncontested race for the incumbent, President Abdel Fatah el-Sissi, whose government has cracked down on political opposition, detaining thousands of suspected supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood but also large numbers of secular activists.

Rights groups and former detainees have accused el-Sissis administration of human rights abuses, including targeting dissent with brutal tactics  forced disappearances, torture and long-term detentions without trial, often in abysmal conditions.

Human Rights Watch estimated in 2019 that Egypt has at least 60,000 political prisoners.

Altantawy, a former journalist, served as a lawmaker in the largely pro-government legislature until 2020 and cultivated a reputation of independence. In announcing his run in March, he said he wanted to offer a civil and democratic alternative.

In the video, he also warned supporters against risking arrest, urging them not to come to the airport to greet him upon his arrival. He denounced what he described as immoral and unlawful government tactics against political opponents.

This cannot bring stability to a country," he said. It can only afford a longer period of stability for the powers-that-be, at the expense of a country.

Egypt's human rights record came under particular scrutiny last year, when it hosted the global climate conference in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh. Then, one of the country's most high-profile detainees, rights activist Alaa Abdel Fatah, went on an extended hunger strike to draw attention to his detention.

Abdel Fatah has spent most of the past decade behind bars because of his criticism of Egypts rulers. In 2021, he was sentenced to five years for sharing a Facebook post about a prisoner who died in custody in 2019.

El-Sissi has claimed that Egypt has no political prisoners and that detentions are justified on national security grounds. His government tried recently to launch a national dialogue with token civil society figures but the talks failed to bring in any serious dissenters.

In April 2019, Egyptians approved constitutional amendments, following a three-day referendum, allowing el-Sissi to remain in power until 2030.
PHOENIX (AP)  Republican lawmaker Liz Harris who was previously expelled will not be sent back to the Arizona House of Representatives, Maricopa County officials announced Friday.

The county's Board of Supervisors instead selected Republican Julie Willoughby to replace her, despite Republican precinct committee members in her legislative district giving Harris the most votes.

In my discussions with Ms. Harris, she firmly believes her removal was improper and unlawful, said Supervisor Jack Sellers, who represents an area that includes the legislative district. This board was not a party to that process but must give weight to an action that over two-thirds of the House members voted in favor of.

Willoughby, an emergency room trauma nurse, teamed up with Harris in campaign ads and events during last year's election. They had hoped to win both district seats, but Harris and Democratic Rep. Jennifer Pawlik emerged as the top two vote-getters.

Harris was kicked out last month in a bipartisan vote for organizing a presentation where an Arizona insurance agent made unsubstantiated accusations that a wide range of politicians, judges and public officials of both parties took bribes from a Mexican drug cartel.

A prominent supporter of discredited election conspiracies, she was also found by the House Ethics Committee to have engaged in disorderly behavior in violation of the chambers rules.

The committees report said Harris knew that the person she invited to the legislative hearing in February would accuse her colleagues of criminal activity, that she took steps to hide it from House leaders ahead of time and then misled the committee investigating her actions.

Her removal came less than a week after Tennessee Republicans voted to expel two Black Democrats, a decision that made that state a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. But the Arizona vote did not carry the same partisan and racial overtones. Instead, there was widespread and bipartisan condemnation for Harris actions.

Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones were reappointed by local officials to return to the Legislature.
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PANAJI, India (AP)  Foreign ministers from a group of nations led by China and Russia criticized on Friday the ability of world institutions to resolve geopolitical problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, and said their organization should do more to address such challenges.

Indian Foreign Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar said in remarks at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that the crises have disrupted global supply chains and have hit developing nations the hardest.

They have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner, he said, adding that alternative organizations like the SCO can help address such challenges.

With more than 40% of the worlds population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact, he said.

Russia and China founded the SCO in 2001 as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which Russia considers its backyard. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members, and Iran and Belarus are set to join later this year.

Russia and China have sought to reduce the dominance of what they see as U.S. and Western-led global institutions and alliances, and China accuses Washington of attempting to contain its economic and military rise.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the foreign ministers that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues, he said.

At a briefing after the meeting, Jaishankar dismissed questions about whether the SCO is anti-Western, saying, how people perceive it is something I cannot answer for. Instead, he stressed India's multidirectional foreign policy and said it's not always possible that all our partners get along with other partners.

India enjoys strong ties with Cold War ally Russia, while its relations with the United States have warmed in recent years and its ties with China have cooled over a border dispute. It is increasingly seen by the West as a counterweight to China's growing global ambitions.

Jaishankar did not mention Russia's war in Ukraine, and analysts said Moscow was unlikely to face a backlash over its invasion from the SCO and would instead use the meeting to flex its influence in the region. For Russia, the SCO remains one of the few international groups where it can still comfortably engage with members and further ties.

The visit by Pakistan's foreign minister to archrival India to attend the meeting was the first by a high-ranking Pakistani official in nearly a decade. Jaishankar stressed the need to stop cross-border terrorism in his remarks, a dig at Pakistan, which India accuses of arming and training rebels fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Lets not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his opening remarks.

Despite speculation, India and Pakistan did not hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting. Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism, Jaishankar said at the briefing.

Jaishankar held separate talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on Thursday.

The meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin came amid continued tensions along their disputed border, where a three-year standoff involves thousands of soldiers stationed in the eastern Ladakh region.

Qin earlier said the border situation was stable overall and that both sides should abide by existing agreements to promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area, according to Chinas Foreign Ministry.

India did not release a statement after the meeting, but Jaishankar said relations between the two countries were not normal and cannot be if peace and tranquility in border areas is disturbed.

Qin also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing is also trying to present itself as a global diplomatic force and has said it is willing to serve as a mediator in the war.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement.

China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russia and refused to criticize Moscows actions. However, it has refrained from issuing a full-throated endorsement of the invasion and is not known to have provided arms or other material assistance to the Russian military effort.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Lower-income new mothers could gain a full year of Medicaid health-care coverage in Missouri under legislation given final approval Friday as part of a national push to improve maternal health.

The legislation, which now goes to Gov. Mike Parson, would add Missouri to a growing list of Republican-led states that have previously balked at Medicaid expansions but which are now joining Democratic states in providing 12 months of coverage  instead of the typical 60 days  after women give birth.

If we want healthy babies, we have to have healthy mammas  and that is so important, said Republican state Sen. Elaine Gannon, one of the sponsors of the Missouri legislation.

The option for longer Medicaid coverage was made possible under a pandemic relief law signed by President Joe Biden in 2021. About two-thirds of states already have implemented 12 months of postpartum care, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The Alaska Legislature on Friday passed legislation extending postpartum Medicaid coverage for new mothers from 60 days to 12 months.

Postpartum health issues occur far beyond 60 days, and I am pleased the Legislature passed this long overdue bill, Alaska Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a statement.

Some Republican-led states didn't act upon the Medicaid expansion until after the U.S. Supreme Court used a Mississippi case last June to overturn a constitutional right to abortion. When Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves, a Republican, signed legislation in March expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage, he described it as part of a new pro-life agenda to help mothers now that abortion access is restricted.

When signing a similar bill in March, Republican Gov. Mark Gordon of Wyoming also described it as a signature piece of pro-life legislation.

In Missouri, where abortion is banned except in certain medical emergencies, Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden opened this year's session by saying he wanted broaden the definition of pro-life policies  citing longer postpartum Medicaid coverage as one example.

When the Senate initially passed the legislation earlier this year, conservative Republicans attached a provision intended to exclude women who get elective abortions. But that was stripped from the final version after other lawmakers raised concerns that an anti-abortion provision could jeopardize needed approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid.

Missouri has the nation's seventh highest maternal mortality rate, according to the state Department of Health and Senior Services. A department report released last year found that an average of 61 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year of their pregnancy during 2017-2019, and about three-fourths of those deaths were preventable. The report also found that Black women were more than three times as likely to die of pregnancy-related causes as white women.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  A Texas hospital's care for transgender minors is being investigated by state Attorney General Ken Paxton, who said Friday he's seeking evidence of alleged potentially illegal activity but did not elaborate.

Texas law does not currently ban gender-affirming care for minors, but Paxton has sought to designate it as child abuse. The hospital investigation in Austin is the latest attempt by Paxton and Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, to pursue other legal avenues for restrictions.

The move came against the backdrop of state Republican lawmakers trying to ban gender-affirming care for anyone under 18 in Texas. The GOP-controlled Legislature is pushing to make Texas the latest conservative state to crack down on medical care and the rights of transgender people, but a scheduled House vote on the bill Friday was delayed for at least a day.

In 2022, Paxton released a non-binding legal opinion that labeled certain gender-confirming treatment as child abuse. Abbott followed by ordering the state's child welfare agency to investigate families who were receiving care. A Texas judge halted those state probes last year.

Paxton's new inquiry seeks information from Dell Childrens Hospital about its policies on puberty blockers as well as documents identifying patients it has referred for treatment or counseling. The attorney generals office issued a request Friday to examine hospital records to determine whether any state laws have been violated or misrepresentations have been made to parents and patients.

A recent report by the right-wing group Project Veritas, which bills itself as a news organization, alleged improper medical practices at the hospital and several others around the country.

This investigation aims to uncover the truth, Paxton said.

Dell Childrens Medical Group operates the hospital under the non-profit Catholic health system Ascension, and is affiliated with the University of Texas. The medical group said it prohibits surgery and prescribing hormone therapy for treatment of gender dysphoria in children. The group referred to a statement issued April 28 that said it would review any allegations of care that may have been inconsistent with those positions.

It also said it would take appropriate action if any care was found to be inconsistent with hospital policy. Hospital spokesperson Ann Howser declined to elaborate.

At least 16 states have now enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors. Three states  Florida, Missouri and Texas  have banned or restricted the care via regulations or administrative orders. On Monday, a judge in Missouri temporarily blocked the state's unique rule that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments.

The Texas Senate has already passed a version of the transgender care ban for minors. The scheduled vote in the House on Friday was stalled on a technical matter for the second time this week.

On Tuesday, transgender rights activists disrupted the House with protests from the chamber gallery and state police forced demonstrators to move outside the building.

___

Associated Press Writer Acacia Coronado contributed.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  Soldiers from the International Legion of Ukraine said farewell Friday to an American military veteran they served with, who was killed a month ago in the fierce struggle to prevent the eastern city of Bakhmut from falling into Russian hands.

In a funeral service at Kyiv's St. Michael's Cathedral, Ukrainian regular army troops bore the Ukrainian-flag-draped coffin of Chris Campbell while about three dozen members of the International Legion looked on.

After folding the flag, they presented it to Ivanna Sanina, Campbell's Ukrainian wife.

The Florida native is one of least nine Americans now known to have been killed in fighting in Ukraine, including another last month in Bakhmut. Two Canadian volunteers were also killed there April 26 after Russian artillery hit their position.

The struggle for Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has been one of the bloodiest of the war. It has now been going on for more than eight months.

It is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side has said how many. Russia now has possession of most of the city.

Campbell served with the International Legion of Ukraine, a unit of foreign volunteers with prior military experience formed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Sanina, herself a volunteer to provide aid to the frontline troops, said she had first met him at an event for volunteers earlier in the war.

I asked him, Why are you here? It was our first meeting, and he said, Because it is right, she told reporters tearfully, calling him the bravest man I've ever known.

She last saw him two days before his April 6 death in Kharkiv, when he had a short respite from the front lines. She said she could tell how hard the fighting in Bakhmut had been on him.

I saw that he changed a lot, she said. Every man, the horrors which they see, it's awful.

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David Rising contributed to this report

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP)  Two Nigerian women abducted as schoolgirls by a jihadi militant group nine years ago have been rescued, the West African nations military has said. One had a year-old baby while the second gave birth to her second child days after her freedom.

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were among 276 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok by Boko Haram militants.

They were rescued in April by Nigerian soldiers and reunited with their families in the northeastern Borno state, according to Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, who leads the Nigerian military operation against the extremist violence experienced in the northeast region for more than a decade.

Boko Haram fighters stormed the school in Borno nine years ago as the girls were preparing for exams. The mass kidnap sparked global outrage and led to the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign. More than 20 of the girls have regained their freedom in the past year, but nearly 100 are still missing.

Maltha and Marcus, both 26, were forcibly married to extremists while in captivity, Ali told journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday. His comments echoed concerns of parents and activists about the maltreatment of the girls by Boko Haram, whose name in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden.

Both girls were married three times as one husband after another was killed during clashes with the Nigerian military.

Hauwa was about eight months and two weeks pregnant during her rescue, delivered a bouncing baby boy on April 28 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima, said the military commander.

The girls return brought excitement to many in the Chibok community. It has made the memories fresh for the parents that their children are still missing, said Hassan Chibok, a local leader.

Several of the girls have returned home in recent months mostly after escaping the Sambisa Forest, a known hideout for the extremists. Most of those who returned had babies after either being forced into marriage or after losing hope that they would ever regain their freedom, their parents and the freed girls have said.

Since the abduction in 2014, Boko Haram has grown in reach and influence. Most of its members now operate as a more brutal faction backed by the Islamic State group. More than 35,000 people have died and over 2 million have been displaced by the extremist violence in Nigeria, according to the U.N. Development Program.



Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, contributed.
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos government said Friday over 2,000 migrants were kidnapped by smuggling gangs and drug cartels last year, as authorities mounted a successful search for 10 Colombians abducted in northern Mexico this week.

Mexicos national immigration agency said authorities had freed 2,115 migrants of all nationalities kidnapped by gangs in 2022.

Gangs and cartels appear to be increasingly charging migrants fees to cross Mexico, and then kidnapping them for ransom. There have been a string of such mass migrant abductions in Mexico in recent months.

Prosecutors in the northern border state of Sonora said late Friday they had found 10 Colombians who went missing Tuesday in the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, across the border from Arizona. The Colombians were found in good shape at a gasoline station, officials said.

A relative of one of the missing Colombians said kidnappers had called to demand thousands of dollars from relatives in the United States.

Reached by telephone in Bogota, Colombia, Johan Morales  the son of a couple among those who went missing Tuesday  said his parents and other relatives had been planning to reach the Arizona border and turn themselves in to U.S. officials to request asylum. He said a cousin who lives in New York received a call from kidnappers Thursday demanding $2,500 apiece to release his relatives.

Just a week before, Ecuador had contacted officials in Sonora to complain that 30 Ecuadorans had been abducted in the state. When officials arrived at the safehouse where they were being held in another border town, they found more people than they expected: 43 Ecuadorans and 20 other abducted migrants were being held there.

That has not been uncommon in recent months: complaints about a few missing migrants have led police to investigate and find dozens more being held against their will.

In April, a reported kidnapping of about 20 people in the north-central state of San Luis Potosi led police to mount a massive search by air and land  and they found not only the 20 migrants they were looking for, but about 80 more migrants being held against their will, apparently by the same gang.
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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP)  Paraguayan police on Friday detained Paraguayo Cubas, a far-right populist who came in third in Sundays presidential election and encouraged his supporters to protest over his unsubstantiated claims that the vote was marred by fraud.

Cubas was being held in preventive detention under an order by the Attorney Generals Office that is accusing him of breach of the peace, Police Commissioner Gilberto Fleitas said in a radio interview.

Cubas, the candidate of the National Crusade Party who received 23% of the votes Sunday, was broadcasting live on Facebook when officers detained him outside his hotel in San Lorenzo, around 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Asuncion.

Fleitas said Cubas got into a police vehicle without any difficulty," but he continued streaming live.

In his broadcast from inside the police vehicle, Cubas chatted with officers and focused the camera on his handcuffs. You can see now Im being imprisoned, he said. All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas.

Cubas had been telling supporters since Monday that he was heading to the capital to lead a series of protests that had led to isolated clashes with police, largely outside the electoral court in Asuncion.

We will remain on the streets until Paraguayo Cubas is released, said Juan Reyes, one of hundreds of Cubas supporters who took part in demonstrations outside the electoral court.

At least 208 people have been detained for disturbance of public peace and other punishable offenses within the framework of the demonstrations taking place in the national territory, police said Thursday.

Efrain Alegre, who as the candidate of a broad-based opposition coalition came in second place during Sundays election, demanded Cubas be released along with everyone who has been detained in protests this week.

We demand the release of Paraguayo Cubas and all citizens imprisoned for demanding transparency," Alegre wrote on social media.

Alegre, who received 27% of the vote Sunday, conceded the race shortly after polls closed, but then on Monday called for a manual count of votes and an international audit of the countrys electronic voting system after Cubas aired his fraud allegations.

The Organization of American States, which deployed an observation mission for the election, said Tuesday there was no reason to doubt the results of the vote count.

Santiago Pena of the long-ruling Colorado Party easily won Sundays presidential election with 43% of the vote.

Over the past few days, Cubas has published images of supporters welcoming him in different parts of the country as he made his way toward the capital from Ciudad del Este, a city on the border with Brazil and Argentina.

Some 1,500 to 1,800 law enforcement officers were deployed outside the electoral court Friday for the protest staged by Cubas supporters. Authorities also prepared for any demonstration outside the police station where Cubas was taken.

___

Associated Press photo journalist Jorge Saenz in Asuncion contributed to this report.
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ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Sudans two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said.

The negotiations would be the first between Sudans military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15.

According to the three  two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival  the talks will begin in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday, following concerted efforts by Riyad and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming peace talks. No timeframe was given for the length of the talks.

The fighting has turned Sudan's capital of Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes. There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudans Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.

A series of fragile and often violated cease-fires over the past three weeks has failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged Friday in areas around the militarys headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-conflict-civilians-port-sudan-war-bd675f2ce360e7d40f4926c81057cdbf

According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman, which have been the centers of the battles.

One of the military officials said the talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United State. He said they would also discuss providing protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities.

The RSF official said Saudi and American officials would facilitate the talks. He said they would also discuss a mechanism to monitor the cease-fire and confirmed on Friday that the RSF delegation had left for Jeddah. Sudan's military also later its delegation had departed to Saudi Arabia, saying the talks would discuss details of the truce, without elaborating.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, discussed the initiative in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the initiative aims to prepare the ground for dialogue to deescalate tensions in the African country. The statement also did not provide further details.

U.S. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabias invaluable assistance in facilitating the safe arrival in Jeddah of U.S. citizens and their family members departing Sudan.

The two top diplomats affirmed their countries intensive collaboration on diplomatic work to bring about an end to the fighting in Sudan, Miller said.

The U.N. envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, lauded the move as a positive sign, but cautioned about high expectations from the meeting.

It is a positive sign, a sign of getting more realistic, realizing that there will be no easy or quick win, he told the AP from Port Sudan. We need to realize, however, that this is a first encounter.

The meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete, he said and added that achieving a lasting cease-fire would need more than one meeting.

The battle for control of Sudan, which capped months of tensions between Burhan and Dagalo, has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and  as of Monday  wounded more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said Friday that 473 civilians have been killed in the violence, and more than 2,450 have been wounded.

James Elder, a spokesman for the the U.N. children agency, said at least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 have been wounded in the fighting.

This means that every single hour, you have seven boys or girls ... killed or injured, he said at a press conference Friday in Geneva. I think this is underlining the enormity of how violent this is.

The power struggle has put millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighboring countries  Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to U.N. agencies.

The U.N. World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between 2 million and 2.5 million people  raising the number to a total of 19 million people  in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The U.N. refugee agency announced that $445 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.
HARTFORD  What state legislators call the "Wild West" of cryptocurrency sales in Connecticut is threatening some investors, whose complaints about the loss of millions of dollars in fraud is the focus of legislation overwhelmingly approved in the state House of Representatives.

The bill singles out the owners of crypto kiosks located around the state where much of the fraud seems to be at locations in underserved neighborhoods.

State Rep. Jason Doucette, D-Manchester, who as co-chairman of the legislative Banks Committee introduced the legislation for debate on Thursday, said the nascent virtual currency market needs more regulation to protect consumers, whose transactions are not protected by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. The bill passed 129-14 and heads next to the Senate.

"The landscape is changing, the asset class is, of course, emerging, becoming more common, and states are taking action to start to regulate various aspects of the industry," Doucette said, stressing that a major part of the legislation would order the state Department of Banking to set up a legal framework for the transactions.

If approved in the Senate and signed into law by the governor, owners of virtual kiosks  sometimes called crypto ATMs  located at gas stations and convenience stores throughout the state would be required to display in capital letters and prominent typeface the potential risks involved in the volatile market: "Warning: Losses due to fraudulent or accidental transactions may not be recoverable and transactions in virtual currency are irreversible."

First-time investors would be able to cancel transactions within 72 hours; fees would be reduced from current levels and plainly described; and the daily investment limit at kiosks would be $2,500 per customer.

He recalled that during a recent public hearing on the issue, a state police investigator warned of the growing amount of fraud against inexperienced crypto investors and the supposedly secure blockchain that keeps track of transactions. One resident of southeastern Connecticut lost $6 million that state police were attempting to recover.

"Because of the nature of the blockchain and the way that cryptocurrency works, it is hard to recover that money once it's gone," Doucette said.

So-called NFTs, non-fungible tokens that are often one-off assets, are not included in the legislation. Recently an elderly man from the Hartford area lost $20,000 at a crypto kiosk.

Rep. Tom Delnicki of South Windsor, a top Republican on the Banks Committee who collaborated on the legislation, recalled a recent visit he made to a crypto kiosk in a Windsor gas station.

A phone number on the kiosk that he called warned Delnicki that he might not be able to recover any losses. "In essence, they are irreversible," Delnicki said. "You do not get to talk to a real person. The last thing we want to see is someone become a victim. Right now, the crypto ATMs are like the Wild West. That's why this legislation is important: to set the table and actually begin the process of regulating a system that basically lacks regulation right now. There was no warning on the front of that ATM to tell me that basically I was doing it at my own risk."
In a Thursday Texas House Floor debate, Austin lawmaker Carrie Isaac (R-Dripping Springs) stumbled answering questions from Houston-area representative Jarvis Johnson (D-Houston) on the details of a bill she authored to bar local municipalities from enforcing gun liability insurance to residents.

According to the bill, House Bill 3137 stops a municipality from instituting regulations surrounding the transfer, possession, wearing, carrying, ownership, storage, transportation, licensing, or registration of firearms, air guns, knives, ammunition, or firearm-related gun supplies or accessories. At the same time, the bill prohibits local governments from requiring gun owners to get liability insurance for damages resulting from negligent or willful acts involving firearms.

The must-see interaction between Isaac and Johnson has gone viral on social media thanks to a tweet from Houston Chronicle reporter Jen Rice with the caption "a bill to protect TX from san jose California."

Specifically, Isaac said her bill aimed to protect Texans from the "tyrannical government" of San Jose, California. Then, she couldn't give an example of any part of Texas where this bill would currently apply to. Isaac also repeated some phrases curated by colleagues standing behind her.

"Is there a municipality currently that this law is in place," Johnson said.

"Yes, actually, there is," Isaac said. "San Jose, California."

"Oh, I didn't know we were in California. I'm saying in Texas," Johnson rebutted. "Is there a city in Texas?"

"No, there is not, and this bill would prevent that from happening here in Texas," Isaac said.

According to a February report by Reuters, the San Jose bill passed in January 2022 with an ordinance requiring gun owners to obtain liability insurance to cover negligence or accidents from using firearms. The San Jose bill also requires gun owners to pay a yearly fee to gun violence prevention organizations the city manager picks. Due to pending litigation, the bill hasn't been enforced in the city yet.

"So we're legislating nothing?" Johnson asked.

"Don't California my Texas," Isaac reponded.
Contributed photo /

MORRIS  South Farms presents an evening hosted by nationally known storytellers Ohira Eisenberg and John Fugelsang, joined by storytellers from the greater New York City, Connecticut and Philadelphia areas. The event will be held from 7-10 p.m. May 5.

" These stories cross artistic disciplines through personal stories told in word, said Ben Paletsky of South Farms. "In the spirit of well-known storytelling events such as NPRs 'The Moth', audiences engage in something much larger than the story itself."
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

TORNADO WATCH

TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 185

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

613 PM CDT THU MAY 04 2023

TORNADO WATCH 185 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CDT FOR THE

FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ARCHER BAYLOR CLAY

COOKE FOARD HARDEMAN

KNOX MONTAGUE WICHITA

WILBARGER

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southwestern

Coleman, southeastern Runnels and northern Concho Counties through

700 PM CDT...

At 614 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

The Intersection Of Ranch Road 380 And Ranch Road 381, or near

Lowake, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Paint Rock, Ivie Reservoir Near Concho Park Marina, Voss, Lowake,

Leaday, The Intersection Of Ranch Road 1929 And Ranch Road 2134, The

Intersection Of Us-83 And Ranch Road 1929, Us-83 Near The Concho-

Runnels County Line and The Intersection Of Ranch Road 380 And Ranch

Road 381.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

west central Texas.

LAT...LON 3147 9948 3146 9953 3149 9956 3149 9960

3145 9961 3139 10007 3154 10012 3158 10011

3174 9956

TIME...MOT...LOC 2314Z 254DEG 28KT 3149 10003

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN

MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southwestern Clay County in northern Texas...

Southern Archer County in northern Texas...

* Until 700 PM CDT.

* At 615 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles south of

Lake Kickapoo, moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Archer City, Scotland, Windthorst, and southern Lake Arrowhead.

Remain alert for a possible tornado! Tornadoes can develop quickly

from severe thunderstorms. If you spot a tornado go at once into the

basement or small central room in a sturdy structure.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the warned area.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 5, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 186

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

1017 PM CDT THU MAY 04 2023

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 186 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 AM CDT

FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BANDERA BELL BOSQUE

BURNET COLLIN COOKE

CORYELL DENTON DIMMIT

FALLS FANNIN FREESTONE

FRIO GILLESPIE GRAYSON

HAMILTON HILL HUNT

KERR LAMPASAS LEON

LIMESTONE LLANO MCLENNAN

MAVERICK MEDINA MILAM

MILLS NAVARRO REAL

ROBERTSON UVALDE WISE

ZAVALA

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northwestern Freestone County in central Texas...

Western Henderson County in central Texas...

Navarro County in north central Texas...

* Until 1115 PM CDT.

* At 1017 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Flag Lake to near Navarro Mills Lake, moving

east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Corsicana, Gun Barrel City, Mabank, Malakoff, Tool, Kerens, Seven

Points, Wortham, Eustace, Trinidad, Blooming Grove, Dawson, Angus,

Enchanted Oaks, Barry, Caney City, Navarro, Navarro Mills Lake,

Richland-Chambers Reservoir and Forest Grove Reservoir.

This includes Interstate 45 between mile markers 205 and 242.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

Northeastern Dimmit County in south central Texas...

Southeastern Zavala County in south central Texas...

* Until 1100 PM CDT.

* At 1019 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Big Wells,

moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Big Wells, Las Vegas and Brundage.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

This storm is producing large hail. SEEK SHELTER NOW inside a sturdy

structure and stay away from windows!

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN DENTON COUNTY

WILL EXPIRE AT 1030 PM CDT...

The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe

limits. Therefore the warning will be allowed to expire. However

gusty winds and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

north central Texas.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO AUSTIN/SAN ANTONIO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 5, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Austin San Antonio has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Northeastern Llano County in south central Texas...

Northwestern Burnet County in south central Texas...

* Until 645 PM CDT.

* At 543 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Tow, or 15

miles north of Buchanan Dam, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Burnet, Buchanan Dam, Buchanan Lake Village, Lake Victor, Inks Lake

State Park, Baby Head, Lone Grove, Sunnylane, Longhorn Cavern State

Park, Bluffton and Tow.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Large hail, damaging winds, and continuous cloud to ground lightning

are occurring with this storm. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is

one of nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder,

you are close enough to be struck by lightning.

If on or near Lake Buchanan, get away from the water and move

indoors or inside a vehicle. Remember, lightning can strike out to

15 miles from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you

are close enough to be struck by lightning. Move to safe shelter

now! Do not be caught on the water in a thunderstorm.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Hamilton County in central Texas...

Northeastern Mills County in central Texas...

Southeastern Comanche County in central Texas...

* Until 845 PM CDT.

* At 758 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 12 miles south of

Gustine, or 15 miles west of Hamilton, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Hamilton, Shive, Priddy, Whiteway, Aleman, Indian Gap, Energy,

Jonesboro, Pottsville, Pecan Wells, Gentrys Mill, Caradan and

Ireland.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

Mills County in central Texas...

* At 800 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Camp Bowie,

or 11 miles southeast of Brownwood, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

Goldthwaite, Mullin, Ridge, Democrat, Regency, Center City, Star,

Bozar, Priddy, Caradan and Pecan Wells.

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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
In the first use case of this series, Stay in Control of Your Data with a Secure and Compliant Sovereign Cloud, we looked at what data sovereignty is, why its important, and how sovereign clouds solve for jurisdictional control issues. Now lets take a closer look at how data privacy and sovereignty regulations are driving security, privacy, and compliance.

Data Privacy and Security

The EUs GDPR has formed the basis of data privacy regulations not just in EU but around the world. A key principle of the regulation is the secure processing of personal data. The UK GDPR states that security measures must ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data (known in cybersecurity as the CIA triad) and protect against accidental loss, destruction, or damage.1

Restricting access to sensitive and restricted data is a crucial aspect of data security, along with ensuring trust and flexibility for portability needs.

Sovereign clouds are built on an enterprise-grade platform and customized by partners to meet local data protection laws, regulations, and requirements. Locally attested providers use advanced security controls to secure applications and data in the cloud against evolving attack vectors, ensuring compliance with data regulation laws and requirements to safeguard the most sensitive data and workloads.

Protected data should employ micro-segmentation with zero-trust enforcement to ensure workloads cannot communicate with each other unless theyve specifically been authorized and are encrypted to secure them from foreign access. A multi-layered security approach secures data and applications in the sovereign cloud, keeping them safe from loss, destruction, or damage.

Sovereignty and Compliance

Data residency  the physical location where data (and metadata) is stored and processed  is a key aspect of data privacy and sovereignty regulations Data residency laws require that companies must operate in a country and that data should be stored in that country, often due to regulatory or compliance requirements. For companies that have customer data in multiple countries, it becomes a challenge to keep data secure. A sovereign cloud helps minimize risk and offers more robust controls and trusted endpoints needed to keep data secure and compliant.

In addition, data residency requirements continue to evolve and vary by country or region. Multi-national companies frequently rely on in-country compliance experts to help ensure theyre following the latest rules correctly and to avoid significant fines and legal action.

With VMware, we provide best-in-class enterprise-grade cloud, security, and compliance solutions that provide the ultimate platform for data choice and control.

A law can change, and it can change your entire way of doing business, one Fortune 500 CISO said.2 And with the ever-changing geopolitical landscape, platform flexibility is needed to minimize risk with self-attested, trusted code. VMware provides simpler lift-and-shift portability and interoperability, as well as greater compliance with local laws and regulations.

Faced with changing regulations, its not surprising that compliance is a top cloud challenge according to 76% of organizations.3 One reason is a lack of skilled personnel. A recent survey from ISACA found that 50% of respondents said they experienced skills gaps in compliance laws and regulations, as well as in compliance frameworks and controls. Another 46% are dealing with a gap in privacy-related technology expertise.4

With these challenges, its not surprising that 81% of decision-makers in regulated industries have repatriated some or all data and workloads from public clouds.5 Some have moved data back on-premises, whereas others are using hybrid cloud architectures.

With VMware Sovereign Cloud, solutions are provided by locally attested partners who provide full-service, sovereign solutions and ensure that compliance is achieved, implemented and configured. Sovereign cloud meets data residency requirements with local data centers to contain all regulated data, including metadata, and you can respond faster to data privacy rule changes, security threats, and geopolitics with a flexible cloud architecture and knowledgeable local experts.

Learn more about VMware Sovereign Cloud:

Next, well explore data access and integrity, and how that can ignite innovation.

Sources:

1. UK information Commissioners Office, Guide to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Security, accessed June 2022

2. CSO, Data residency laws pushing companies toward residency as a service, January 2022

3. Flexera 2022 State of the Cloud Report

4. ISACA, Privacy in Practice 2022, March 2022.

5. IDC, commissioned by VMware, Deploying the Right Data to the Right Cloud in Regulated Industries, June 2021
Primeste notificari pe email Nota bene: Adresele email cu extensia .ru nu sunt acceptate.

Contractare si Achizitie Bunuri Anunturi de Angajare Granturi - Finantari Burse de studiu Stagii Profesionale Oportunitati de voluntariat Toate Articolele
Conditiile de trai ale varstnicilor din Centrul raional de plasament din Anenii Noi au fost imbunatatite cu suportul Uniunii Europene si al Fundatiei Soros Moldova
The Big Help Out has been a cause for controversy, with the volunteering event being linked to the coronation of Kings Charles III by its organisers.

An Observer article also caused debate recently after it suggested the Big Help Out would lack participants due to a volunteering downturn in the UK.

Some in the charity sector have criticised the volunteering initiative for being limiting and others have said some might not want to get involved due to its links to the monarchy.

A group of 32 charities called Shaping the Future for Volunteering, which is co-chaired by Catherine Johnstone, chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, were involved in the creation of the Big Help Out.

Responding to the debate, Johnstone says: The Big Help Out is an innovative and possibly even a disruptive idea, that is encouraging us to start making the necessary changes in the sector that will generate more positive results when it comes to volunteer recruitment.

We need to do things differently in order to welcome more people into volunteering, including making our opportunities far more accessible, which is what the Big Help Out is about.

Its challenging us to work together to create more straightforward pathways for people to be able to give their time, skills and expertise, that we hope will last far beyond the coronation. The response so far has been incredibly heartening, there have been over 50,000 downloads of the Big Help Out app, and our recent polling told us that younger people in particular are planning to participate.

Theres also a wonderful mix of charities and local community organisations involved with the Big Help Out, and it will be exciting to see them all embracing newcomers at the start of their volunteering journeys.

Idea came about long before the coronation

The idea for the Big Help Out was conceived before the idea to involve the monarchy, Johnstone says. Shaping the Future for Volunteering thought of the concept last year.

We came up with this idea of instead of a big night in, or a Comic Relief, or something about money, we could base it on a day of volunteering.

Initially, Johnstone and Matt Hyde, CEO at Scouts, discussed joining the event up with Queen Elizabeth IIs platinum jubilee due to a lot of the charities having her as its patron. For various scheduling reasons, it did not go ahead.

So when the Royal Households and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport wanted the kings coronation to focus on active citizenship, Johnstone and Hyde said it already had the concept of the Big Help Out which seemed to fit into what they were looking for.

A try before you buy model

Volunteering can sometimes be conceived as a long-term commitment that can put off potential volunteers, Johnstone says.

The Big Help Out doesnt have volunteering in its title or strapline. You want people to be able to try before they buy, they want to be able to find something they're passionate about, but they want to see it in a shop window.

They want to be able to go along without being told that well, if you come along, you're going to have to sign up for 16 hours a month or every Wednesday afternoon for the rest of your life. People want to be able to get into it in the way that works for them and their lives.

Johnstone says it's vital that the initiative targets the two-thirds of the British population that do not volunteer already.

She continues: As long as you take people on a journey at their pace, their speed, and they have a good time, and they feel valued and connected, then actually the longer-term proposition will happen ... it won't happen for everybody; but it doesn't need to happen for everybody.

One-off support is great and that's what's kept civic society going, quite frankly, Johnstone adds.

Avoiding the word volunteering

Potential names were tested with the public for the day of volunteering, and the Big Help Out gained the most traction, Johnstone says.

Ordinary people, particularly people from the areas where traditional volunteering take up is lower - they loved it, because it was really simple. It wasn't because they are not intellectually capable, it just says whats on the tin.

The Big Help Out also does not have volunteering in its title or the strapline because the term can produce connotations that are not inclusive, Johnstone says.

We have slipped into a language around volunteering, that is sort of one-dimensional. And because its associated with the parts of the population that do traditional volunteering, there are inevitably people in the community who just think: Oh, thats probably not for me because I dont fit into that demographic or into that kind of environment.

Johnstone says the term volunteering can also have contrasting connotations in different languages.

If you are Polish, the word volunteering only means bad things. So, in other countries, volunteering can mean anything from conscription to imprisonment.

If we didnt have volunteers, a lot of people would die

Johnstone says she does not agree that volunteers are having to step into the roles of paid NHS professionals.

When a lifeboat arrives, nobody ever looks up to the arm that comes down and says Oh, excuse me. Are you a paid member of staff or a volunteer? Its just nonsense. The Coast Guard service commission and RNLI deliver the majority of those saving lives at sea services because its a blended model.

So you have got people who are paid working absolutely alongside highly trained volunteers. Nobody ever questions it. Nobody ever says, why have you got a volunteer on it? If you didnt have that blended model, most people would die when they got swept out to sea because you could never ever fund all of the capacity that would be needed.

Volunteers add value and capacity, and this was shown during the pandemic during the vaccine rollout, as thousands signed up as NHS volunteers, she adds.

Volunteers are necessary - especially in the NHS

Johnstone started her career as a nurse in 1985 before moving onto work in charities. RVS provides the NHS volunteers service alongside software company GoodSAM, so Johnstone says she has lots of experience with the health service.

She says the tasks a volunteer carries out would not be carried out by a paid NHS worker, and never have been before.

Some 70% of the charity sector is driven by volunteering, Johnstone says.

At the moment, everybodys got a bit aerated about the capacity within the NHS. And therefore every time you add in a volunteering role, people go: Oh, that should be paid. No, it shouldnt. It never was and never would have been because it doesn't belong in the sickness service; youre treating the sickness service as a rehab and social care service.

She says that volunteers can provide services that NHS staff are unable to, such as comfort and company during end-of-life care.

We have to separate out what our current workforce issues in both health and social care with where volunteers can step forward to add capacity.

We know that nurses have not got enough time to be able to sit with patients who don't have family around them while theyre dying.

If you use the Marie Curie service, the nurse can ring up and say: Mrs So and So it looks like were approaching. Is there any chance you've got someone who could come in for the next few days and sit with her? And theyve got a little rota and they come in and they sit with him or her so that theyre not on their own.

Volunteering fills this gap, she says, which would otherwise mean someone died alone.

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Toyota Motor Corp. affiliate Daihatsu rigged part of the door in side-collision safety tests carried out for some 88,000 small cars, most of which were sold under the Toyota brand, the companies said on Friday.

They said the door trim on the affected vehicles had been modified with a notch to minimize the risk in testing that the door interior could break with a sharp edge and cause injury to an occupant when the side airbag deployed in an accident.

The modification for testing was not part of the production vehicle, the companies said.

Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda said the companies were investigating how the side-panel of Yaris and other models had been changed for safety testing and apologized for what he called an unacceptable violation of consumer trust.

Toyota said it had not received any report of an accident or injury related to the rigged side-crash test.

It was not immediately clear who had rigged the doors for crash testing, how widespread the knowledge of the action had been within Daihatsu and whether senior managers had approved the step.

Well proceed with a detailed investigation from here on, but promise to decisively understand what happened at the site, investigate the true intentions and sincerely work to prevent a recurrence, Toyoda told reporters.

Were going to need some time to do that, he said.

Daihatsu said it had discovered the rigged safety test after a whistleblower report. It said it had reported the issue to regulatory agencies and stopped shipment of affected models.

The affected models include Toyota Yaris Ativs made in Thailand from last August, and Perodua Axias manufactured in Malaysia starting from February.

Of the 88,000-plus vehicles, some 76,000 were Yaris models mainly bound for Thailand, Mexico and Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Daihatsu said.

About 11,800 affected vehicles were Axias manufactured by Daihatsu at a joint venture plant it runs with Malaysian automaker Perodua. Those cars were sold in Malaysia.

The Gulf Cooperation Council comprises Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.

Daihatsu said it would run new safety tests in the presence of regulators and confirm the safety of the models before resuming shipments.

The discovery of the rigged safety test is the first crisis for Toyota President Koji Sato, who took over the top job from Toyoda on April 1.

We have to find the cause of what happened, including examining the environment in which it happened, and once weve confirmed that to take appropriate action to address the underlying cause, Sato said.

Toyoda, who was Toyota president in 2010 when a string of recalls prompted U.S. investigations, said he wanted all Toyota employees and those at affiliates to understand that making better cars required a commitment to speak out about problems.

We cant run away from this or hide, he said.

Daihatsu, which specializes in the production of small cars, became a wholly owned Toyota subsidiary in 2016 when Toyoda was president.

The incident comes at a time when Toyota has been ramping production back up from restrictions imposed by a shortage of semiconductors, facing pressure to move faster to roll out new and cost-competitive electric vehicles and dealing with a sales slump in China, a key market.
Federal Insurance Co. must pay the $10 million policy limit in a directors and officers policy issued to Astellas Pharma, despite the carriers assertion that Illinois public policy forbids it from reimbursing the drugmaker for the cost of settling allegations that it violated anti-kickback laws, a federal appellate panel ruled.

The 7th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a decision by the US District Court that the $100 million payment to resolve a Justice Department investigation was covered by the D&O policy and public policy did not bar payment.

The appellate panel said the policy included settlements as a type of covered loss. The fact that the policy excluded losses caused by deliberate fraud or illegal renumeration only if there were final adjudication shows that Federal intended to cover the settlement payment, the opinion says.

In essence, the final adjudication exclusions show that Federal wrote the policy to extend coverage to the limits of applicable law and public policy. Federal was willing to extend coverage, if permissible, to settlements even for claims for deliberate fraud and willful violations of the law, so long as there was no final adjudication, the opinion says.

In 2012 Astellas launched Xtandi, an androgen receptor inhibitor that is used to treat metastatic prostate cancer. The company charges $7,800 for a months supply of the drug, making it unaffordable to many Medicare recipients because the government covers only $6,000 of that cost.

Astellas attracted the attention of federal prosecutors after it began making payments to charities that help patients pay for drugs needed to treat chronic diseases. Astellas encouraged two organizations, the Chronic Disease Fund and Patient Network Foundation, to create special funds that would provide patient assistance only for androgen receptor inhibitors such as Xtandi. Astellas donated $27 million to the funds in 2013.

Government officials had cautioned that patient assistance funds that are structured too narrowly may risk running afoul of the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act. The Justice Department began investigating Astellas because its contributions to the patient assistance plans could be used to reward doctors and patients for choosing particular drugs.

A marketing executive admitted that he expected the donations to benefit Astellas, but the primary purpose was charitable.

Astellas authorized its attorneys to begin settlement negotiations with the Justice Department in 2018. A year later, the company agreed to pay the government $100 million, of which $50 million was labeled as restitution to the United States.

Astellas asked Federal and its other liability insurers to cover portions of the settlement, but the insurers denied the claim. Astellas filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract.

Federal filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that the settlement cannot be insured because it was restitution, meaning a payment to a victim of intentional wrongdoing. The District Court did not agree and ruled in favor of Astellas. The insurer appealed.

The 7th Circuit panel said the final adjudication language in the policys exclusions show that Federal intended to stretch its liability coverage as far as the law would allow. The panel said while half of settlement was labeled as restitution, that was done only for tax purposes and the other half of the $100 million payment was not affected.

The opinion says payments made to compensate a victim for a loss are compensatory and insurable. On the other hand, a payment made to disgorge fraudulently obtained profits is restitution, which is not insurable.

The court said discerning the difference between the two types of payments can be tricky. Deciding whether the Astellas settlement was restitution is even more difficult because the government never filed a formal complaint. The settlement released Astellas from any civil or administrative monetary claim the government may have.

The panel said Illinois appellate courts have held that insurers cannot deny claims merely because fraud is suspected. Federal was required to show that the payment was not even potentially covered.

Even in cases where settlement payments unquestionably included some restitution, Illinois courts have given the benefit of the doubt to the insureds,: the opinion says.
COLUMBUS, Ohio  A longtime worker at a manufacturing plant was killed Tuesday in an accident at the facility, reports say.

The Columbus Dispatch reports Mitsavanh Boualyvongsane, 48, who worked at TS Tech, was moving a 5-ton steel coil with an overhead crane when the coil fell and crushed him.

The Dispatch reports Boualyvongsane had worked for 27 years at TS Tech. The company manufactures car seats, with Honda being a major customer. The company also makes other interior parts for automobiles.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The Buckeye State is on the cusp of becoming one of the most economically competitive states in the nation, if the Senate will take bold action to implement a flat tax for all Ohioans in the state budget.

Moving Ohio to a flat tax of 2.75% has the potential to rapidly accelerate prosperity, innovation, and entrepreneurship by reducing the state income tax to a single rate and reducing revenue on net. While the version of the budget passed by the House is a step in the right direction, it doesnt go far enough to enact long-lasting change and return hard-earned taxpayer dollars to Ohio families and small businesses. As the June 30 deadline approaches for Gov. Mike DeWine to sign a new two-year budget, it is now up to the Senate to enact meaningful change and incorporate a flat tax proposal.

For decades, weve found ourselves behind the curve. Since 2021, according to the Tax Foundation, at least 16 states have cut individual or corporate tax rates, including Ohio. While other states have taken action to reform their tax code, however, Ohios code hasnt been overhauled as a whole since 2005, and as a result, we ranked 37th overall and 41st in individual taxes, according to this years State Business Tax Climate Index. Weve now reached a decision point, where the General Assembly can choose to embrace forward-thinking tax reform policies or allow us to continue lagging behind.

Tax reform is the bold and necessary step we need to move forward. And, it is widely supported by Ohioans. In mid-April, our organization released a poll showing that a majority of Ohioans support the move to a flat income tax rate. If a 2.75% flat tax proposal is incorporated into the budget, it would give Ohio the second lowest flat tax rate in the nation, per the Tax Foundation, and make the Buckeye State a top-10 state for income tax competitiveness, behind only the states that do not impose an income tax.

The Ohio House in its version of the budget is looking to grow the state share of General Revenue Funding by nearly $6 billion from Fiscal Year 2022 to appropriations allocated in Fiscal Year 2025. The Ohio Senate should now prioritize returning these funds to the taxpayers who earned it, in the form of a permanent income tax reduction. Moving to a flat tax would make it easier for families who already call Ohio home to keep more of their hard-earned wages and ensure that our state is top of mind for new workers and businesses.

At Americans for Prosperity-Ohio, our grassroots efforts are driving this conversation, and weve made income tax reform one of the main pillars of our Buckeye Blueprint agenda for policymakers. In partnership with a coalition of center-right groups, we co-authored a coalition letter urging the General Assembly to cut and flatten Ohios income tax in the biennial budget this session.

Weve also looked at a range of reform scenarios to move Ohio toward eventually eliminating the state income tax. Each proposal is estimated to generate around $10 billion or more in economic growth and add tens of thousands of new jobs to the state. Our study shows that eliminating the income tax , along with other responsible reforms, such as cutting wasteful government spending, will revitalize Ohios economy and ultimately improve the financial picture for families and businesses.

Nationwide, poor economic policies and rising prices require states to fill the gap through tax reform measures. If the General Assembly enacts a flat income tax rate of 2.75%, it would build upon the progress made over the last several budget cycles to reduce tax rates and the number of tax brackets. Now is the time for the Ohio Senate to deliver and pass a version of the budget incorporating a flat tax rate. Ohioans, no doubt, deserve the opportunities and economic benefits promised by meaningful tax reform.

Donovan ONeil is the state director for Americans for Prosperity Ohio.

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* Email general questions about our editorial board or comments or corrections on this editorial to Elizabeth Sullivan, director of opinion, at esullivan@cleveland.com
OBERLIN, Ohio -- If Ohio lawmakers were looking for a way to undermine higher education in the state, they could hardly have done better than Senate Bill 83, now before the Senates Workforce and Higher Education Committee. The measure seems designed to encourage distinguished faculty and highly engaged and curious students to abandon Ohios colleges and universities.

As a recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education observes, Amid the tidal wave of proposals across the country that would eliminate diversity efforts at public colleges, Ohios Senate Bill 83 stands out. It is only fair to ask whether our Ohio legislators think that this legislation would actually improve higher education, or whether it is purely political theater that carries the gravest of consequences.

When Warren Buffett takes the stage at Berkshire Hathaway's annual meeting in Omaha on Saturday, he'll have a lot to talk about. The 92-year-old investor has had a busy year. He snapped up additional shares of one of his favorite energy plays, Occidental Petroleum , on several occasions  including in March. That brings the conglomerate's stake in the energy producer to 23.5%. In April, Buffett raised Berkshire Hathaway 's stakes in five Japanese trading houses to 7.4% each. He told CNBC's Becky Quick when he first bought the names two years ago, he thought they were selling at a "ridiculous price" and was "confounded" by the opportunity. The "Oracle of Omaha" may also face questions at the meeting about potential acquisitions. His last big purchase was insurance company Alleghany for $11.6 billion, which closed in October. In the past, Buffett has laid out his criteria for acquisitions, noting that he looks for companies with at least $75 million in pretax earnings. He also prefers those that have demonstrated consistent earnings power, as well as good returns on equity. "We would like to make an acquisition in the $5-20 billion range," he wrote in his 2014 annual report . Berkshire is currently sitting on $128.6 billion in cash , as of Dec. 31. While Buffett's next acquisition is anyone's guess, CNBC Pro sought to identify names that fit the criteria he looks for when buying a company, with slight tweaks. We looked for those that are in that $5 billion to $20 billion range  large, but not too large. They are also consistently profitable, with a compound annual growth rate in net income of at least 10%. The names have less than 20% debt and a return on equity greater than 20%. The result was companies in sectors ranging from technology to finance, and included some under-the-radar names. Robert Half International checks off all the boxes, with its market cap of $7.4 billion, net income CAGR of 12.2%, return on common equity of nearly 45% and about 15% debt to equity. The talent solutions and business consulting firm is down nearly 7% so far this year. If Buffett were looking to add a tech name as a Berkshire subsidiary, there are three that fit his criteria  Monolithic Power Systems , Teradyne and Paycom Software . Monolithic Power Systems is near the top end of his range with its $22 billion market cap. The company, which provides semiconductor-based power electronics solutions, has very little debt and a net income CAGR of 39.4%. MPWR YTD mountain Monolithic Power Systems Monolithic reported a first-quarter earnings and revenue beat on Friday. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $3.00, compared with the $2.98 expected from analysts polled by StreetAccount. However, its revenue guidance for the second quarter of $430 million to $450 million came in below estimates of $455.4 million. Shares are up about 14% year to date. Two finance companies also made the list  payment processor Jack Henry & Associates and electronic trading platform MarketAxess Holdings . On Tuesday, Jack Henry reported earnings per share of $1.12 for its fiscal third quarter, topping estimates of $1.10 per share, from StreetAccount. Its revenue also beat, coming in at $508.6 million versus the $500.7 million expected. Shares of Jack Henry are down 13%, while MarketAxess' stock is up about 7%.
Advanced Micro Devices and Intel compete fiercely in the chip sector. Despite Intel's historic lead in processors, last year  for the first time  AMD surpassed its rival by market capitalization and continues to hold the lead. Both recently reported earnings, with Intel reporting its largest quarterly loss in company history. AMD, meanwhile, saw revenue fall 9% as PC chip sales slid sharply. Both stocks have done well so this year, however. AMD has soared around 26% year-to-date, while Intel is up nearly 18% in the same period. Looking ahead, does one stock have an edge over the other? CNBC Pro takes a look at what Wall Street analysts are saying about the rivals. AMD For Morgan Stanley, AMD is well set up for the second half of this year. "Investors are very skeptical in data center rebounding in 2h, but we have visible line of sight to AMD gaining share of every cloud customer this year," the bank said in a May 3 note. It was also optimistic about AMD's new MI300 graphics chip due to launch later this year. While the bank thinks it will be a relatively small revenue driver next year, the new chip is "really important to the narrative and longer term story" as AMD looks to compete with Nvidia in artificial intelligence. "Overall, then, this is a mixed quarter, but given the selloff we remain positive on the story," Morgan Stanley analysts said, after AMD's stock dropped on guidance that was below expectations. "The businesses that investors focus on  microprocessors and graphics processors for PC and data center  are poised to grow nicely from here, with large 2h snapback potential, with strong product related ramps in every area." Nevertheless, Morgan Stanley, which has an overweight rating on the stock, lowered its price target from $102 to $97, implying around 19% upside. In a May 3 note, Bank of America downgraded AMD to neutral, although that's higher than Intel which it rates underperform. But BofA added: "We continue to like AMD's consistent execution and its breadth of product cycles in attractive compute/AI markets." The bank's analysts said they downgraded AMD due to a weak second-quarter outlook on sluggish market recovery. "While AMD stock could be under pressure near-term, we expect some recovery as the company outlines its AI vision and potential for growth in its unique converged AI (MI300) product," they wrote. According to FactSet, analysts covering AMD give the stock average potential upside of 22%. Intel Morgan Stanley believes that Intel's revenues "have found a bottom," and margins are set to recover in the second half of the year. Still, it noted that the firm is confronted by a year of "minimal" cash generation, material market share challenges, and "fairly limited growth" once its inventory snapback has run out of steam. It gave Intel an equal weight rating, with a $31 price target  minimal upside from its current level. BofA doesn't anticipate a "meaningful" year-on-year recovery for Intel until 2024, adding that its near-term PC outlook will be exacerbated by Intel's price increases. While higher China spending should help demand recover, the issue of elevated inventory for longer will affect Intel disproportionately, versus AMD which outsources its manufacturing, said BofA. The bank gave Intel an underperform rating, with a price target of $25, implying downside of 18%. According to FactSet, analysts covering Intel give the stock average potential upside of just 1.3%.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed to this report.
Despite Coinbase Global 's better-than-expected quarter , many analysts remain cautious on the crypto exchange's longer-term outlook, viewing the regulatory and legal backdrop as a major obstacle for shares. The stock traded up more than 8% in premarket trading on the news, due in part to a smaller-than-expected loss. But even with this seemingly intact near-term outlook, Wells Fargo's Jeff Cantwell warned that both the medium and long-term trajectory appears constrained, calling the regulatory backdrop a "major roadblock." COIN 1D mountain Coinbase shares pop on earnings Cantwell reiterated an underweight rating on the stock. He did raise his price target on Coinbase to $43 from $40, but that still implies downside of more than 10%. Bank of America's Jason Kupferberg, who rates the stock as underperform, said "the fundamental medium/long-term questions around COIN's core business remain." He added that, "We maintain our cautious view on COIN as we continue to think retail crypto volumes will remain weak and the regulatory overhang will linger for some time." An uncertain regulatory outlook One of the biggest concerns for analysts is the uncertain regulatory environment for the company. Earlier this year, Coinbase received a Wells notice from the Securities and Exchange Commission threatening to sue the company over potential securities violations. In an April response, the company said an enforcement action against it would "fail on the merits." Goldman Sachs analyst Will Nance said he sees few near-term catalysts for increased retail adoption in the United States, adding he has a negative outlook for the stock given the "lack of visibility" surrounding Coinbase's growth and the adverse effects from regulation. Nance has a sell rating on Coinbase shares. "We believe renewed progress on retail crypto adoption and reduced uncertainty around the U.S. regulatory backdrop is likely necessary for shares to re-rate higher," he said. Concerns with the company's staking business is also giving some analysts reason for pause. Staking is utilized by some investors to earn passive yield on their crypto holdings by tying tokens up on the network for a period of time and represents sizeable revenue opportunity for exchanges. "While earnings were meaningfully better than expected, the outlook generally doesn't seem as good," wrote JPMorgan's Kenneth Worthington. "Volumes are under further pressure in 2Q despite much higher crypto prices, USDC has declined meaningfully and changes to the staking service at Coinbase might not drive the upside we once thought." Worthington retained his neutral rating but upped his price target to $59 a share, representing about 20% upside from Thursday's close.  CNBC's Michael Bloom contributed reporting
More and more people are looking for a reprieve from the endless scroll of social media, breaking news alerts and e-mail notifications. On this quest to be a little less online, a detox might be necessary.

There's a recent rise in Gen Zers in the U.S. buying "dumb phones" to help limit the time they spend on apps like Twitter and TikTok. And as people set stricter boundaries around how much they interact with tech, they're turning their attention to travel.

InsureMyTrip, a travel insurance comparison website, ranked the best cities to visit for a "digital detox" based on an overall rating across four categories: relaxation, activities, safety, and access to the internet.

The ranking used data from several sources, including Google Maps, TomTom, Viator, and more, to score the cities on a scale from 1 to 10.

The cities were scored based on the following criteria:

Average travel time

Population density

Spa ratings

Overall relaxation

Park ratings

Percentage of residents near car-free zones (walkability)

Number of evening tours/activities

Activities

Safety score

Lack of Internet access

Ranking the cities based on these categories can help travelers prioritize unplugging from their phones and focusing on their trip. For example, "one of the most common times to go on any device is when winding down in the evening," the report states.

To stick to your digital detox, look to one of the featured destinations that received high marks for availability of evening tours and activities.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks with members of his "Investing in America Cabinet" in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, U.S., May 5, 2023.

WASHINGTON  President Joe Biden warned that the low unemployment rate in Friday's jobs report could disappear if House Republicans do not increase the debt ceiling soon.

"Just today they're reporting 250,000 new jobs," Biden said at the White House. "The last thing this country needs after all we've been through is a manufactured crisis and that's what this is: A manufactured crisis. That's what it is from beginning to end, it's a manufactured crisis driven by MAGA Republicans in the Congress."

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' jobs report on Friday found nonfarm payrolls increased 253,000 for the month, far beating Wall Street estimates of 180,000. The growth puts the unemployment rate at 3.4%, compared to an estimate of 3.6%, tying it for the lowest level since 1969.

Biden praised the figures but warned if Republicans did not agree to lift the debt ceiling and prevent a default, the impact on the economy could be catastrophic. The president cited a recent Moody's report which showed 780,000 people could lose their jobs if the country were to default on its debt.

Lifting the debt ceiling is necessary for the government to cover existing spending commitments already approved by Congress and the president. Doing so does not authorize new spending, but House Republicans have said they will not authorize a lift if future spending cuts are not agreed to. The White House has said it is open to discuss spending cuts but will not negotiate with Republicans on the debt ceiling, and lifting it is their constitutional responsibility.

"They're two separate issues  two," Biden said. "Let's get it straight: They're trying to hold the debt hostage for us to agree to some draconian cuts, magnificently difficult and damaging cuts. But unfortunately, they're threatening to undo all this progress by letting us default."

Congress lifted the debt ceiling three times under the Trump administration without conditions. Biden warned of the impact it could have on the country's standing in the world, saying America is "not a deadbeat nation" and that the standoff "is becoming an issue in other countries" who worry the U.S. will default.

Biden will meet with the four top congressional party leaders at the White House next week and try to reach a deal. The president last met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in early February. The president said he hopes Republicans will agree to have "normal arguments" instead of ultimatums when they meet.

"Next week I'm going to reiterate to congressional leaders that they should do what every other Congress has done  that is, pass the debt limit, avoid default," Biden said. "I've said all along: We can debate where to cut, how much to spend, how to finally overhaul the tax system to where everybody has to pay their fair share or continue the route their on, but not under the threat of default."
People walk by a Covid-19 testing site at Times Square on May 12, 2022 in New York City. Liao Pan | China News Service | Getty Images

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will have less data to track the spread of Covid-19 and new variants in the U.S. after the public health emergency ends on Thursday. "The end of the public health emergency means CDC will have less authority to collect certain types of public health data  that means less data will be available to us," Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDC's principal deputy director, told reporters during a call Thursday. Shah acknowledged that disease surveillance in the U.S. was inadequate during the pandemic and needs to be improved. "Our ability to detect and monitor disease threats should be better in the future than it has been in the past," he said. "And that ability to detect and monitor should be built into our baseline and not contingent upon emergency declarations," Shah said. The U.S., unlike other wealthy nations, has a fragmented health-care system in which the authority to decide what disease data gets reported largely rests with corporations, the 50 states, tribes and territories  not the CDC. Dr. James Lawler, an infectious disease expert at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, said this fragmented system is a consequence of a lack of willpower to reform  not a technical challenge. "How ludicrous is it that in 2023, I can tell you where my UPS packages are at any given point in time and I don't have visibility into health-care data," said Lawler, who advised the Bush and Obama administrations on biodefense and pandemic preparedness. "Health care is the third rail in politics and nobody wants to touch it," he said.

A more fractured system

Labs certified by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will no longer have to report Covid test results to the CDC. Congress required these labs in March 2020 to send results to the federal government, but that mandate was tied to the public health emergency. Some states will also stop reporting cases to the CDC altogether, said Dr. Brendan Jackson, who heads the agency's Covid response team. Covid has been classified as a national notifiable disease since April 2020. This means new cases should be reported to the CDC, but notification by the states to the federal government is a recommendation  not a mandate. "Each individual state or other jurisdiction has its own rules or regulations that determines what is reportable," Jackson said. "In some of the jurisdictions or some of the states those authorities will go away with the end of public health emergency," he said. The CDC will shift its collection of positive Covid tests to a voluntary network of more than 450 labs, Jackson said. Covid case data in the U.S. became unreliable many months ago because so many people are testing at home  if at all. These test results are not picked up in CDC data because there's no reporting requirement. The World Health Organization has repeatedly warned that the dramatic decline in testing around the globe is making it difficult to to track new Covid variants. Though the CDC will continue to track Covid variants domestically and among international travelers entering the U.S., the agency will have to scale back how often it reports this data. "There's certainly been a decline in the amount of testing that's going on and specimens that are able to be submitted for genomic sequence, so we may need to scale back on the frequency of how often we're reporting on those," Jackson said. Variant data will be reported twice a month rather than weekly moving forward, according to the CDC. The spotty reporting of case data also means the CDC will no longer report virus transmission at the county level after the public health emergency ends. Health-care facilities used this data to know when to mask and nursing homes relied on it for testing admissions. Jackson said the CDC will update its recommendations for these facilities so they know how to prevent infections moving forward. The agency will also phase out its Covid community levels, which provide local recommendations to the general public on when to mask and take other precautions based on how many cases and hospitalizations the virus is causing in individual counties. The community levels will be replaced with a new system that relies solely on hospitalizations, Jackson said.

Other ways to monitor

Public health authorities are focused on tracking severe disease through hospitalizations and deaths rather than cases, because infections have become less of a threat due to the availability of vaccines and so many people have some degree of immunity from catching Covid. Shah said the CDC will still have ways to monitor Covid after the public health emergency ends. Hospitals are required to report Covid admissions through 2024. The CDC will rely primarily on this information as well as sewage surveillance that covers nearly 140 million Americans, Jackson said. The hospital data will be reported weekly rather than daily moving forward. The CDC will continue to report Covid deaths, though the system will shift to the National Vital Statistics System. Jackson said this should improve death data reporting. "We will still be able to tell that it is snowing even though we're not counting every snowflake," Shah said.
Goldman Sachs has identified a number of energy stocks to own ahead of an expected turn in the market's sentiment toward the oil and gas sector. The Wall Street bank said it had observed greater ownership of the energy sector due to a change in the way ESG investors  or those who take environmental, social and governance factors into account  approach investing. Instead of divesting from fossil fuels altogether, they're focusing more on engaging with these companies for better environmental outcomes, according to the bank. Goldman's analysis comes after the energy sector posted stellar gains last year. The S & P 500 Energy Index returned 66%, while the broader benchmark index nearly fell into a bear market over the same period. "We believe this shift towards greater Energy ownership has not solely been driven by 2022 sector performance, but rather a confluence of the expanding focus on engagement, growing passive ESG share and rising ESG debates," said Goldman Sachs analysts led by Brendan Corbett in a note to clients on May 3. The change in investor sentiment can be seen in the dramatic decline in fossil fuel divestment announcements made in 2022. According to Goldman, there were no net divestments recorded last year. In contrast, ESG funds increased their exposure to fossil fuel companies by 8 percentage points in the first quarter of this year, the bank said. Goldman Sachs's list of energy stocks to buy in the United States and Europe included the following: According to the investment bank, European energy giants like BP , Shell and TotalEnergies have attracted higher levels of ESG investment because they are perceived to be transitioning toward cleaner operations with comprehensive climate plans. The three stocks are also traded on U.S. exchanges. Goldman expects a 10% increase in revenue from green investments at these companies this year compared to last year. The trend also indicates that a turning point may be approaching where larger energy companies could attract even more investment if they continue transitioning toward greener practices, the analysts added. Oil and gas companies have also been particularly attractive to investors over the past year thanks to their bumper profits. On Thursday, British oil giant Shell posted a stronger-than-anticipated first-quarter profit of $9.6 billion , extending record bumper results after commodity prices surged in 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Big Oil executives have sought to defend their profits amid a barrage of criticism, with opponents pointing out that the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas, is the chief driver of the climate emergency. The execs argue, however, for the importance of energy security in the transition away from fossil fuels and suggest higher taxes could deter investment. Shell, which is aiming to become a net-zero emissions business by 2050, said that first-quarter adjusted earnings for its Renewable and Energy Solutions unit came in at $389 million, up from $293 million for the final three months of last year.  CNBC's Michael Bloom and Sam Meredith contributed to this report.
Here are Friday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Evercore ISI upgrades TE Connectivity to outperform from in line Evercore said it sees "multiple paths for upside" for the consumer electronics company. "We are upgrading TEL to OP from In Line as we think FTM (forward 12 months) estimates should have room to move higher. While the margin ramp in H2 may contain some risk, their revenue guide appears rather conservative which could offset weaker pricing." JPMorgan upgrades Kellogg to neutral from underweight JPMorgan said the risks for Kellogg are already baked in. "On the positive side, fundamentals are improved and more consistent, investor sentiment remains slanted cautiously (in our view), and many risks that previously worried the Street (e.g. pension income, interest expense) are now baked in." Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said Apple is "delivering under pressure" after its earnings report on Thursday. "March and June largely in-line with our expectations; attention shifts to the AR/VR and iPhone 15 launches." Read more about this call here . Guggenheim upgrades Portillo's to buy from neutral Guggenheim said it sees multiple expansion for the restaurant chain. "We think 2023 will prove to be a year of getting back on track for Portillo's with a pivot towards openings in Florida, Arizona and Texas (and the core market of Chicago) supporting investor confidence in the opportunity for near-term development." Bernstein upgrades Rio Tino to outperform from market perform Bernstein said the metals and mining company has an opportunity to "seize the lead." "Third, RIO's exposure to energy-hungry aluminum provides an interesting set up in a world of potential energy woes. Goldman Sachs downgrades Atlassian to neutral from buy Goldman said the company's "cloud transition [is] likely taking longer than expected." "We are downgrading Atlassian to Neutral (from Buy) with a $165 PT (vs $240 prior) as we see the pace of the company's cloud transition likely taking longer than expected." Wells Fargo upgrades VF Corp to equal weight from underweight Wells said "green shoots are getting harder to ignore" for the footwear and apparel company. " VFC : Vans Still a Ways from Turning, but Green Shoots Harder to Ignore; Upgrading to EW." Citi reiterates Disney as buy Citi said it's bullish heading into earnings next week. " DIS will report F2Q23 results Wednesday (5/10) after the close. We believe the primary focus will be on profitability and the company's cost initiatives announced last quarter. We maintain our Buy rating and $130 target price." UBS upgrades Shopify to neutral from sell UBS said in its upgrade of Shopify that it sees revenue upside. "The sale of the logistics ops, higher focus on profitability, and the 23% reduction in workforce remove a key source of gross margin dilution, and raise the prospect of significantly higher FCF generation from 2H onwards." Morgan Stanley upgrades Avis to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said the risks are already priced in for the car rental company. " Avis' Q1 results were strong with positive forward view on travel patterns and fleet discipline. While we continue to expect earnings to decline we believe such risks are discounted in the share price, Upgrade to EW." Deutsche Bank upgrades SolarEdge to buy from hold Deutsche said cost concerns are "fading" for the solar company. "We upgrade SolarEdge to BUY rating (PT $375, 30% upside). We are increasingly constructive on the name, given previous concerns around cost control, better geographic localization of its supply chain and margin pressure have faded away." Read more about this call here. Piper Sandler upgrades Becton Dickinson to overweight from neutral Piper said in its upgrade of the medical devices company that it sees earnings per share upside. "We're upgrading shares of BDX to Overweight today and raising our price target to $290 We've been patiently waiting for the margin ramp in the back half of FY'23 to be de-risked and for evidence that we're moving closer to other shareholder friendly activities Oppenheimer upgrades Blue Owl to outperform from perform Oppenheimer said in its upgrade of the alternative investment management firm that investors should buy the dip. "We have long admired this franchise, but have been put off by a comparatively-rich valuation versus others. But now, when people are throwing the baby out with the bathwater, we say 'grab the baby.'" Jefferies initiates Playboy Group as buy Jefferies said it sees "significant upside" for the adult themed global media and lifestyle company. "As PLBY comes out of a turnaround, proof of profitability and the early success of Centerfold offers significant upside." Piper Sandler reiterates Carvana as outperform Piper said the car seller is "coming back from the brink" after its earnings report on Thursday. " CVNA was indicated higher by 25% after the company released Q1 results, and if recent trends continue, we think there's ample room for more upside." Wedbush reiterates Coinbase as outperform Wedbush said it's standing by shares of the crypto company. "Outperform rated COIN reported better than expected Q1/CY23 results, with outperformance in most metrics, including Transaction and Subscription for both Retail and Institution areas, Adjusted EBITDA margin, as well as institutional trading volumes." Needham reiterates Amazon as buy Needham said it's standing by its buy rating on the e-commerce giant. "As we detail each quarter, since services revs are > 50% of total revs, AMZN should be valued as a services company, we believe. Also, based on our sum-of-the-parts analysis, investors are only paying about 1x forward year eCommerce revs, we calculate." JPMorgan upgrades Western Alliance and Comerica to overweight from neutral and Zions Bancorporation to overweight from underweight JPMorgan upgraded several regional banks on Friday morning and said it sees "significant intermediate-term favorable re-rating of regional bank stocks." "We are upgrading WAL and CMA from Neutral to OW and ZION from UW to OW. With sentiment this negative, in our view it won't take much to see a significant intermediate-term favorable re-rating of regional bank stocks." Bank of America reiterates Alphabet as buy Bank of America said the internet giant should continue to take share in search. "While traffic to potential competitors is increasing, Google's search share continues to be up y/y and is stable since December."
Noel Quinn, chief executive officer of HSBC Holdings Plc, right, Mark Tucker, chairman, center, and Peter Wong, deputy chairman, during the bank's shareholders meeting in Hong Kong, China, on Monday, April 3, 2023. HSBC's senior executives faced its Hong Kong shareholders from retirees to taxi drivers as the lender seeks to fend off a push in Asia to split the bank. Photographer: Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Banking giant HSBC on Friday defeated a proposal, backed by its largest stakeholder Chinese insurer Ping An, to consider spinning off its Asia business into a Hong Kong-listed entity.

Investors cast their votes on the proposal at the bank's annual general meeting in Birmingham in central England, but its supporters ultimately failed to get the majority required.

Resolution 17 and 18 on the agenda, tabled by a group of investors led by Ken Lui, called for a "strategic review" of the company, including the spinoff proposal and fixed dividends. These motions had received support Ping An Insurance , which expressed similar views to Lui in a statement.

In March, HSBC advised investors to reject the two resolutions, a stance that was supported by investor advisory firms ISS and Glass Lewis. HSBC Chairman Mark Tucker warned at Friday's meeting that a proposal to split up the bank would undermine its global strategy and hamper its revenue.

"The indicative results of all votes today are fully in line with the board's recommendations. Based on these indicative results, resolutions one to 15 have passed and resolutions 16, 17 and 18, which were requisitioned by shareholders, have failed," Tucker said.

"I'm delighted that the large majority of HSBC shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to support the bank's strategy and draw a line under the debates on the structure of the bank. The votes will now be scrutinized, validated and the final results will be released after the meeting," he added.

Like Barclays' annual investor meeting in central London earlier this week, HSBC's AGM was disrupted by environmental campaigners, with protestors repeatedly and vociferously challenging the bank's climate strategy.

Earlier this week, HSBC reported a better-than-expected set of first-quarter results and restored its quarterly dividend.

Speaking to CNBC's Emily Tan on Friday ahead of the meeting, Lui said that "some of the actions I took put pressure on management, so it delivered a better-than-expected report. I'm satisfied with the performance this quarter. We'll continue to monitor the conduct of the management."
Johnson & Johnson 's (JNJ) consumer-health unit Kenvue (KVUE) soared more than 22% on its first day of trading Thursday, bringing the Club holding one step closer to completing its business separation. The planned split, which is set for later this year, is in the best interest of shareholders of both the soon-to-be-solo Kenvue operations and the new pharma and medtech-focused J & J. Kenvue closed its debut session at nearly $27 per share, giving the maker of Tylenol, Band-Aid and other well-known consumer products an implied valuation of more than $50 billion. J & J raised $3.8 billion in Kenvue's initial public offering, selling 172.8 million shares at $22 each. J & J had previously expected to sell 151 million shares between $20 and $23 apiece. J & J will own just under 91% of Kenvue when the IPO is officially complete in the coming days, or 89.6% if the investment banks that underwrote the offering exercise their full option to sell additional shares. J & J intends to complete the Kenvue separation by the end of 2023, pending market conditions. The remaining J & J will consist of its pharmaceutical and medical technology divisions, which accounted for 84% of the company's total revenue of $94.94 billion revenue in 2022. Here's what else J & J shareholders should know about Kenvue's IPO. Why don't we own any Kenvue yet? Will we ever? As of Thursday, the Club continues to own 625 shares of Johnson & Johnson and zero Kenvue. The reason? J & J chose to divest Kenvue in a two-step process that begins with something known as an equity carve-out . This first step is what's played out with Kenvue's listing on the New York Stock Exchange. J & J created a standalone entity, Kenvue, for its consumer health division; then sold a small piece of it to institutional investors; and in the process raised capital. In theory, J & J could have divested Kenvue without an IPO. The company could've done a traditional spin-off, where it just gives its shareholders stakes in Kenvue on a proportional basis to their J & J ownership. Another alternative would have been to give investors the option to exchange their J & J shares for Kenvue in what's known as a split-off. J & J, which continues to be run by CEO Joaquin Duato, certainly chose a wise route because Kenvue is such a high-quality firm. As the demand for the IPO demonstrated, investors clearly were willing to pay up. For now, it's not exactly clear how J & J will go about the second step of this divestiture. But whatever happens, it should be our chance, as J & J shareholders, to directly own Kenvue shares. J & J could distribute its remaining Kenvue shares to investors in a way that mirrors the spin-off process outlined above, which would guarantee that we get a slice of the company. J & J could also offer its investors the opportunity to exchange their J & J shares for a stake in Kenvue. In this scenario, we would have the option to relinquish some, all or none of our J & J shares. We'll have to see which option J & J chooses. But generally speaking, we are intrigued by the prospect of owning both J & J for its faster-growing medtech and pharmaceuticals and Kenvue, which has world-class brands. Another thing to like, Kenvue is planning a quarterly dividend of 20 cents per share to be paid out starting in the third quarter. Kenvue CEO Thibaut Mongon said Thursday he understands J & J's rich dividend history  six decades of annual increases  and the importance many investors place on the quarterly payout. He said Kenvue will generate durable cash flows to support the dividend. For its part, Johnson & Johnson in April increased its quarterly dividend by 5.3% to $1.19 per share. What happens to the $3.8 billion raised? Johnson & Johnson receives the $3.8 billion raised in the IPO, the largest deal of its kind since November 2021, when electric vehicle maker Rivian (RIVN) generated proceeds of $11.9 billion . Shares of J & J have lost 8% year to date, closing Thursday at $162 each. The first 2 months of 2023 were rough for the stock. But since its recent low of around $151 in March, shares have gained more than 7%. We last bought J & J on March 7  25 shares at just a couple of dollars above that March bottom. JNJ 1Y mountain Johnson & Johnson's stock price over the past 12 months. What does Kenvue's listing mean for J & J's stock? Investors have had ample time to prepare for the Kenvue separation  plans were first announced in November 2021  and factor that into their evaluation of J & J. In fact, our optimism around the breakup was a big reason we bought into J & J nearly a year ago . So, big picture, it's a positive for J & J shareholders that this value-creating plan is progressing. Unfortunately, nothing about Kenvue's listing Thursday changes the biggest overhang on J & J's stock price: the lack of a resolution to outstanding talc litigation claims. J & J is maintaining those liabilities in the U.S. and Canada. In early April, J & J's put forth its latest proposal to end the yearslong court fight in the U.S., offering to pay $8.9 billion over the next 25 years to resolve current and future talc claims. J & J continues to argue against claims that its baby powder and other talc products caused cancer lack merit. A federal judge temporarily halted most of the roughly 40,000 lawsuits on April 20, giving J & J time to secure enough support from plaintiffs for the proposed settlement to be enacted. We're hopeful a finalized resolution to the talc overhang arrives sooner rather than later, enabling investors to sharpen their focus on J & J's underlying business fundamentals and worry less about legal matters. Despite the stock's underperformance in 2023, those fundamentals look quite strong to us, which is why Jim Cramer said Thursday he'd buy J & J here . Some investors may be wondering whether J & J's stock price will be adjusted to reflect the Kenvue separation. The answer is not yet. Keep in mind: For now, J & J still owns the vast majority of Kenvue, so J & J's market value will still reflect the value of both entities. "Look at it as a whole company today, knowing that [roughly] 10% doesn't belong to J & J," explained Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen, who has a buy rating and maintains a $215 price target on J & J. "As they go through the steps of selling down their stake  and the way they're going to do it  then I think valuation comes more into play," she told CNBC. What's to like about the Kenvue separation? J & J's decision to separate itself into two entities should benefit both groups of shareholders over time. The companies should be more focused and efficient, with management's time and investments directed toward what each firm needs to reach its maximum potential. We think this is especially beneficial for J & J. So does Cantor Fitzgerald's Chen. "It gives the company more resources and energy to focus on pharma and medtech, which were the higher-growing business anyhow. That's why I feel like it makes sense," Chen said, adding that changing market dynamics on the consumer-product side require investment to stay competitive. "That would take away from the main business," she said. "Their interests are just not as much aligned anymore." Kenvue's Mongon told a similar story to CNBC, saying the company's journey as a separate, publicly traded entity begins from a "position of strength." Kenvue's 22,000 employees, he said, are now concerned with "serving one consumer, one way to win in this industry." (Jim Cramer's Charitable Trust is long JNJ. See here for a full list of the stocks.) As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio. If Jim has talked about a stock on CNBC TV, he waits 72 hours after issuing the trade alert before executing the trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB. NO SPECIFIC OUTCOME OR PROFIT IS GUARANTEED.

Kenvue Inc. Johnson & Johnson's consumer-health business, trading information is displayed on a screen during the company's IPO at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 4, 2023. Brendan Mcdermid | Reuters
Jamie Dimon, chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, is planning his first visit to mainland China in four years as the American bank prepares to host three conferences in Shanghai at the end of May.

Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co, is expected to travel to mainland China this month for the first time in four years, sources said, the latest in a series of visits by top foreign financial executives since the lifting of tough Covid-19 curbs.

The trip comes as JPMorgan hosts three conferences in the financial hub of Shanghai at the end of the month, said four sources, who all have direct knowledge of the matter.

The visit is Dimon's first to mainland China since the pandemic gathered pace in 2020 and closed the world's second-largest economy for almost three years as it enforced some of the world's most stringent restrictions.

JPMorgan will host the Morgan Tech Exchange conference, the China New Economy Forum and the Global China Summit over a three-day day period in Shanghai towards the end of this month, according to two of the sources.

The sources sought anonymity as the information is not yet public.

Dimon will attend the conferences and hold internal and external meetings, one of the sources said. He will also visit Hong Kong in early June after the Shanghai trip, two of the sources added.

Dimon visited the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong to meet the bank's staff and clients in November 2021.

A JPMorgan spokesperson in Hong Kong declined to comment on Dimon's visit to mainland China and Hong Kong.
Meta Platforms Inc. has hired an Oslo-based team that until late last year was building artificial-intelligence networking technology at British chip unicorn Graphcore.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the hirings in response to a request for comment, after Reuters identified 10 people whose LinkedIn profiles said they worked at Graphcore until December 2022 or January 2023 and subsequently joined Meta in February or March of this year.

"We recently welcomed a number of highly-specialized engineers in Oslo to our infrastructure team at Meta. They bring deep expertise in the design and development of supercomputing systems to support AI and machine learning at scale in Meta's data centers," said Jon Carvill, the Meta spokesperson.

The move brings additional muscle to the social media giant's bid to improve how its data centers handle AI work, as it races to cope with demand for AI-oriented infrastructure from teams across the company looking to build new features.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has become increasingly reliant on AI technology to target advertising, select posts for its apps' feeds and purge banned content from its platforms.

On top of that, it is now rushing to join competitors like Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc's Google in releasing generative AI products capable of creating human-like writing, art and other content, which investors see as the next big growth area for tech companies.

The 10 employees' job descriptions on LinkedIn indicated the team had worked on AI-specific networking technology at Graphcore, which develops computer chips and systems optimized for AI work.

Carvill declined to say what they would be working on at Meta.

Graphcore closed its Oslo office as part of a broader restructuring announced in October last year, a spokesperson for the startup said, as it struggled to make inroads against U.S.-based firms like Nvidia Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc which dominate the market for AI chips.
China's leading financial data provider Wind Information Co is limiting offshore access to some business and economic data, in response to new rules from the country's cybersecurity regulator finalized last September.

China's biggest financial data provider Wind Information told some customers late last year that it was restricting offshore users from accessing certain business and economic data as a result of the cybersecurity regulator's new data rules, two sources said.

Restricted access to Wind by offshore users comes as China sharpens its focus on data usage and security amid rising geopolitical tensions and concerns about privacy in the world's second-largest economy.

The move by Wind, whose services are used by economists, fund managers and others, also comes as China is looking to attract more foreign investments and revive an economy struggling for a post-Covid lift-off. The curbs include access to details on some companies' shareholding structures.

Shanghai-based Wind has made part of its data such as home sale numbers, which used to be updated regularly, inaccessible for users based outside mainland China since September last year, one of the sources said.

A Wind salesperson told the source in September the company had made the changes as per instructions from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which asked it to stop providing offshore users with certain data.

The second source was also told by another Wind salesperson that the restrictions were put in place after the CAC unveiled new data rules last year.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), May 3, 2023.

Regional bank stocks bounced back on Friday, but the rally was not enough to erase the sector's steep losses for the week after the failure of First Republic.

However, Friday's rally made only a small dent in the week-to-date losses. PacWest still finished the week down 43% and below its closing level from Wednesday. The bank confirmed this week that it is exploring strategic options.

Western Alliance, which said it is not seeking a sale, has also been under heavy pressure this week, falling 27% even after Friday's rally. The KRE finished the week down about 10%.

The steep declines, which came even at banks that reported much smaller deposit outflows than First Republic, led Wall Street analysts to warn that the stocks have become detached from their fundamentals.

"We are arguably reaching a point of hysteria," Fundstrat strategist Tom Lee said in a note to clients on Friday.

Analysts at JPMorgan Chase upgraded Western Alliance, Zions and Comerica to overweight on Friday, saying the bank stocks "appear substantially mispriced to us."

This week's slide came after First Republic was seized by regulators and sold to JPMorgan Chase before the market opened on Monday. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, among others, have said this week that they think the stage of banking crisis caused by deposit outflows is largely over, but the fall for the stocks shows investors are less confident.

Many on Wall Street are looking to Washington for regulatory changes to calm the banking system, such as potentially expanding deposit insurance rules. Some have raised the possibility of temporarily banning short-selling on bank stocks. Former Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Chair Sheila Bair told CNBC's "The Exchange" on Thursday that some of the share price declines are likely being driven by short-selling.
Russia's Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin made the dramatic announcement that his forces would abandon their positions in the embattled city of Bakhmut, the site of the Ukraine war's longest and bloodiest battle, on May 10 due to a lack of ammunition.

Prigozhin lambasted Russian defense officials in a video where he stood surrounded by the dead bodies of Russian troops, blaming the officials for the deaths of the men. It is yet to be seen whether Wagner will stick to its stated plan.

Sergey Lavrov once again pinned Wednesday's attempted drone attack on the Kremlin on the United States and Kyiv, saying that any self-respecting country should stop communicating with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at this point.

Ukraine says the drone attack was staged by Russia.

Meanwhile, Russian officials have warned that high water levels at a dam near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant could threaten the plant, which is Europe's largest of its kind. A rupture of the dam would create "functional problems for the operation of the plant and risks for nuclear safety," a Russian nuclear energy advisor said.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference in Geneva, Switzerland, December 20, 2021.

The spread of Covid-19 is no longer a global public health emergency, the World Health Organization declared Friday.

"For more than a year, the pandemic has been on a downward trend with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection, mortality decreasing, and the pressure on health systems easing," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a news conference in Geneva.

"This trend has allowed most countries to return to life as we knew it before Covid-19," Tedros said. "It is therefore with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency."

Nearly 7 million people have died from the virus worldwide since the WHO first declared the emergency on Jan. 30, 2020, according to the U.N. organization's official data. Tedros said the true death toll is at least 20 million.

The WHO's decision comes as the U.S. is set to end its national public health emergency on Thursday.

Tedros said there is still a risk that a new variant could emerge and cause another surge in cases. He warned national governments against dismantling the systems they have built to fight the virus.

"This virus is here to stay. It's still killing and it's still changing," he said.

But the WHO chief said the time has come for countries to transition from an emergency response to managing Covid like other infectious diseases.

Covid was first observed in Wuhan, China, in December 2019, when several patients began to experience pneumonia symptoms with unknown cause.

Covid moved rapidly around the globe in early 2020 leading to an unprecedented shutdown of international travel and border closures as countries unsuccessfully tried to prevent the spread of the virus.

Covid devastated the elderly and other vulnerable populations and ravaged hospitals that didn't have the bed capacity or supplies to manage the sudden surge of suffering and death.

Many national governments shut down public life in a desperate effort to stop the death, leading to a severe economic downturn and social disruption, the long-term consequences of which likely won't be fully understood for years to come.

"Covid-19 has been so much more than health crisis," Tedros said. "It has caused severe economic upheaval, erasing trillions from GDP, disrupting travel and trade, shattering businesses and plunging millions into poverty," he said.

"It has caused severe social upheaval with borders closed, movement restricted, schools shut and millions of people experiencing loneliness, isolation, anxiety and depression," Tedros said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The operator of low-cost carrier Cebu Pacific returned to profitability in the first quarter, after a long period of financial bleeding due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a disclosure Friday, Cebu Air Inc. said earnings in the January to March period reached 1.1 billion, a turnaround from the 7.6-billion net loss a year ago.

Cebu Air said this marks the groups first profitable quarter since the pandemic, with air travel now gaining more strength amid relaxed restrictions.

Total revenues more than doubled to 20.9 billion, mainly propelled by its passenger business, which booked 14.3 billion.

It said Cebu Pacific flew more than 4.8 million passengers and mounted 32,000 flights. As of end-March, Cebu Pacifics flight operations covered 34 local and 24 international destinations.

CEB expects that in the second quarter, it will exceed its pre-pandemic capacity on a system-wide basis, supported by an optimistic outlook as the tourism industry continues to recover, plus the strengthening of its Clark and Cebu hubs, it said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has called for the revival of the United States trade preference program for the country for better access to the North American market and to level up trade.

"[W]e would like very much for the authorization to come about as this boost trade, and to make U.S. products that are made in the Philippines more competitive in the global market," Marcos was quoted by Malacanang in its statement on Thursday.

The president referred to the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program for duty-free privileges on Philippine products exported to the United States. The GSP expired in 2020.

Marcos made the remark during a forum organized by the US-ASEAN Business Council and US Chamber of Commerce roundtable and reception at the Blair House as he winded down his official visit to Washington, D.C.

In its website, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said Philippine top exports under the GSP in 2019 included pneumatic tires, handbags, and insulated electric conductors.

The agency stated that local products worth around $1.557 million were covered under the GSP in 2020, while the country's utilization rate stood at 74%.

"In 2020, the Philippines ranked fifth globally among the beneficiary developing countries in terms of total claimed US GSP value, only behind Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, and Cambodia," the DTI said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  Pia Wurtzbach on Friday announced to the world, the universe rather, that she finally married her partner Jeremy Jauncey last March 23 in a private wedding ceremony in Seychelles.

The former Miss Universe titleholder shared on social media a short video of some highlights of her intimate beach wedding and reception.

Fellow beauty queens, including Miss Universe 2016 Iris Mittenaere and Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza, congratulated Wurtzbach.

Her best friend Pauline Luna-Sotto also showed support for her new milestone.

Wurtzbach and Jauncey got engaged in May last year after confirming their relationship in 2020.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  From performing at a series of Manila mall shows in 2014 to selling out a huge indoor arena in 2023, English pop rock band The 1975 has built a solid Filipino fanbase with its idiosyncratic sound.

Back in the Philippines for the fifth time, the group packed romance, heartbreak, and a load of showmanship in the two-night Manila leg of its At Their Very Best world tour on May 3 and 4 at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

Rising bedroom pop artist Wallice opened the show with some of her original songs like 23, Disappear, Hey Michael, and Best Friend.

Signaling the beginning of The 1975s day 1 act, the lights dimmed, the audience screamed, and the word Atpoaim in script popped up on the screen. This is an acronym for A theatrical performance of an intimate moment, the title of the series of short videos the band has been posting on social media.

The screen then showed a hallway with frontman Matty Healy, guitarist Adam Hann, drummer George Daniel and bassist Ross MacDonald riding motorized plush animals in an iconic stage entrance to Elvis Presleys Love Me Tender.

Healy welcomed the audience with a flask and a cigarette in one hand while the crowd roared even louder.

The UK-based quartet, expanded to an eight-piece, ignited the arenas stage with Looking For Somebody (To Love), a song from their fifth studio album Being Funny In A Foreign Language released in October 2022.

They also performed the hits Happiness, Oh Caroline and Im In Love With You, as well as crowd-pleasers from other albums like Love It If We Made It, Its Not Living (If Its Not With You), Robbers, Sex, and The Sound that concertgoers sang along with.

Aside from their fiery sets, the band also played magnetic tracks like fallingforyou, Somebody Else, About You, and Paris.

In an intimate moment with the audience before performing the mellow track Me with another drink and cigarette in his hands, Healy told the crowd to put down their phones and enjoy the music.

Were conditioned to validate our experiences. The truth is, we dont really like doing it. It makes us feel a bit silly, so just put your phones down Just have one moment where its just us, and trust me, itll have more value than the constant phone thing, he said.

The setlist for day 2 was slightly different, with the band even accepting a fan request of The City.

The band wrapped up day 1 with flashing lights and the song Give Yourself A Try from its third studio album A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships.

I always make it a point to always watch them when they come here, and its already my fifth time seeing them. I love when Matty said na (that) Manila makes them feel bigger than how they see themselves, a fan said after the sold-out first day.

Healy told Manila fans, We are very happy to be here. Its always a great experience coming to Manila, because we are kind of about 10 times bigger than we should be.
In 2017, Jan Mayo was one of the many aspirants who took a shot for the local staging of the celebrated Disney musical Newsies. Mayo was naturally drawn to the show for it was heavy on dance  the craft that he had long set his heart on.

Back in college, when I was part of the UP Pep Squad, we were trained extensively in ballet, contemporary dance, jazz, and gymnastics, says Mayo. You know, it was my dream to dance internationally.

Like many Filipino artists wrestling with economic security, Mayo had to shelve this dream and went on to study aviation. Yet despite completing the course in 2014, he realized that being a pilot wasnt really for him. It was such a different culture and environment, especially [for someone] coming from the arts.

He knew that the only way forward was going back: to dance and perform on stage again. Fortunately, after the grueling auditions the Newsies team held, Mayo was selected to play Jojo, one of the ensemble cast.

Little did he know that the opportunity would allow him to discover a new artistic eye, and he wasted no time pursuing where that eye could take him. During rehearsals, I would always bring my camera, and my castmates, coming from theater, would always approach me to take their portraits so they could add them to their set cards or post them on social media. And the rest was history.

My approach has always been about making personal connections and looking beyond peoples facades, says Mayo. Photo courtesy of JAN MAYO

A year after that stint in Newsies, Mayo went on to become a professional photographer and later decided to do it full time. And although he still sees himself as a newcomer to the industry, he has already gained significant experience that would provide his body of work a firm, authentic shape.

In retrospect, all those decisions and career changes [I made] really contributed to my work, says Mayo. The precision and technicalities of flying an aircraft, the nuances of performance art, and the lines and form of the human body. I really think its a great mix for photography, which is a discipline of both technical and creative processes.

His works, most of which are available on his website, include magazine covers for A Book Of Magazine, ADON New York, BF Russia, Preview, Lifestyle Asia, and Rank Magazine.

While the 31-year-old Mayo is well-versed in black and white portraiture, he refuses to be caged into it. Id like to think that my approach, no matter what color it is or the lack thereof, is always theatrical, dynamic, and sincere.

My approach has always been about making personal connections and looking beyond peoples facades, he adds. And when I shoot, I imagine the most perfect image and then break it down into its sincerest, most essential elements. Intuition, then technique, and always in that order. My goal is not to emulate perfection but to capture authenticity.

Recently, Mayo was recognized as one of the regional grant recipients of the prestigious Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program, a global competition aimed at helping aspiring creatives bring their imaging projects to life. Upon completion, the winning projects will be exhibited in Roppongi, Tokyo in November this year.

In this interview, Mayo talks about the story behind his project, the privilege of his practice, and finding authenticity in every moment he captures.

Outtakes from the photographers winning entry to the Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program. Photos courtesy of the photographer

Lets talk about the Fujifilm GFX Challenge Grant Program, which youve recently won as one of its regional grant awardees. Ive learned that its your second time participating in the competition. Can you share more about it, and why did you decide to give it another shot?

Last year, I made it to the semifinals. I was interviewed by regional executives from different Southeast Asian countries, and it was nerve-wracking. The interview was like a thesis defense. I prepared to discuss my creative process, but I was confronted with a lot of technical questions that I was unprepared to answer. I lost on feasibility and technicalities.

But I took notes. I researched the previous winners, and I joined again this year. I wanted to prove to myself that I could win this time. Here are things that I learned that were missing from my proposal last year. First, the project has to have a narrative. Photography is a medium for storytelling. Second, the project has to be in touch with the humanities. Through a photographers lens, a project has to explore and understand what it is to be human. And lastly, the project has to have a purpose. Why showcase it? Why is it relevant now? How will it impact society? And I think the formula worked.

Your project, The Philippine Flora: Portraits and Still Lifes in Diptychs, presents endemic plants in the Philippines through beauty editorial. What made you gravitate towards this theme?

I noticed in proposal-based competitions that there was always a focus on photojournalism and documentary photography, which I think are great, but nobody pays attention to fashion and beauty, and I wanted to bring something new. I thought of something that I can genuinely bring to the table because I cannot propose a project that is very different from my portfolio. There will be a disconnect, and portfolio is a big factor in this competition.

So I thought of something that is feasible, authentic to my work, and has social and cultural relevance. And I thought of plants as an accessory to beauty photographs. I knew I could do it, but I needed the project to have some relevance and impact. So I framed the project to be done exclusively with endemic flora, and I made sure that this had to be in consultation and in partnership with an academic. I approached Adriane Tobias, a researcher and teaching associate from UP Los Banos, he said that they were also looking for networks to promote endemic plants in the country, and I formulated the project from there.

Youre the only Filipino photographer among all the grant winners. How significant is that for you?

You know, I never realized how big of a deal it was until I saw all the winners. For the Asia-Pacific region, it was just China, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines [that made it]. And I think the competition was even tighter for Southeast Asians since seven countries were competing for one of five spots in the region. And even then, there was no guarantee that there would be someone from Southeast Asia. It depends on the quality of all the submissions. I am just honored to be alongside the other winners. I have read their project summaries, and they deserved the win.

Maxwell Simeos photographed by JAN MAYO. Photo courtesy of the photographer

To what extent should a photographer be involved in a photograph?

I guess it depends on what Im shooting. For portraiture  and there can be a whole debate about this, since a photo is a reflection of the photographer  I have to be as detached as possible and tell a story through the sitters eyes. But when it comes to beauty and fashion, the vision comes first. So there are a lot of changes in persona in this craft.

We met last March at the exhibit you developed with hairstylist Jing Monis and visual artist Aaron Virata Mempin. How important was the collaboration for you, and how was it working with them?

Thank you for coming to that exhibit! That was actually my first time to mount something that was not part of a group exhibition, and I am happy that Jing made it all happen. The collaboration made me realize that this craft can be purposeful and has the power to bring people together.

Youve already worked with various international and local publications. Im curious about the projects that youre most proud of.

I think my favorite editorial shoot was the one of Dylan Arnold from Netflixs You. We shot in Los Angeles. My friend, Irvin Rivera, asked me to shoot one of the actors for his publication, and everything worked great. I learned a lot about the best practices of shooting in the US, and I bring those learnings with me whenever and wherever I shoot.

I think youre well aware that theres some kind of privilege in the work that you do. How do you wrestle with it?

I have to admit, photography is not cheap, and you have to be in a position of privilege to practice it. I acknowledge and am thankful for the steps ahead, but that does not mean I did not work hard for them. I came from a different industry, and I had little to zero connections and knowledge on where to begin. So I did a lot of test shoots, small gigs, and PR work to be in this position. Seldom are there overnight sensations, and you have to build your credibility in this industry. I know I still have a lot of people to meet and a lot to experience, but I am just really thankful for where I am at now.

Can we talk about the artists or photographers who influence your work, if any?

My work has always been influenced by the great masters: Richard Avedon with his theatricality and Irving Penn with his intention. Im also a fan of the great black and white photographers: George Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P. Horst, and Peter Lindbergh.

How has your work changed over time? How do you see photography now as compared to before?

When I started photographing, I always strived for technical perfection. I wanted my works to look like paintings. I guess it was my way of compensating for the lack of formal education in photography, and the downside of it was that sometimes the photos were too stiff, too contrived. But eventually, once I got the hang of the technical aspects, I knew I needed to break them. I wanted to create authentic and candid photos because photography is, after all, a slice of time. I had to show a tiny fraction of a moment in its truest and most sincere form.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  Authorities said on Friday they rescued around 1,000 human trafficking victims of various nationalities in Clark, Pampanga, who were supposedly forced to work as cyber scammers.

The Philippine National Police (PNP) conducted the joint operation with various government agencies in the Clark Free Port Zone.

"This is a case of human trafficking and we are still processing everything," the PNP said in a statement.

"All victims will remain here while waiting for their embassy to process their papers back to their country," it added.

In January, Sen. Risa Hontiveros exposed that human trafficking syndicates are luring Filipinos to work as crypto scammers in Cambodia. The Bureau of Immigration said Filipinos are baited through social media applications.

This came after her disclosure in November last year of activities of Chinese syndicates allegedly employing Filipinos for shady call center work.

In April, she also said the Philippines is hosting scam hubs operated by trafficked foreign nationals forced to swindle other people.

This is a developing story and will be updated.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said over 100 Filipinos from conflict-torn Sudan are expected to return to the Philippines on Friday.

We are expecting like 131 itong araw na ito (today) aboard two flights, one from Riyadh and another from Jeddah, DFA Asec. Paul Cortes told CNN Philippines The Source.

There is an ongoing repatriation of Filipinos in Sudan after the Philippine government raised the crisis status there to Alert Level 3 due to the ongoing conflict.

Since April 29, Cortes said 179 overseas Filipinos have arrived in the Philippines.

The government is currently trying to secure additional commercial flights to bring home more than 200 Filipinos who are at the Philippine Embassy in Cairo, as well as 75 others at the Port of Sudan who are waiting for the vessel that will bring them to Jeddah, he noted.

Meanwhile, around 70 Filipinos have decided to stay in Sudan due to various reasons, like work and family, he added.

Cortes said Philippine authorities continue to monitor Filipinos who chose to remain in Sudan in case they change their mind and request to be repatriated.

For those who opted to return to the Philippines, the DFA official said different government agencies are working together to provide them assistance like in terms of reintegration, financial aid, and looking for new livelihood.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases are set to convene after the World Health Organization (WHO) said COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency.

The two will "discuss and reassess policies and other guidelines affected by the [WHO's] declaration," the DOH said Friday, shortly after the WHO issued its declaration.

READ: WHO says COVID-19 is no longer a global health emergency

The WHO first classified COVID-19 as a public health emergency in January 2020, six weeks before it declared the virus a pandemic.

"The DOH welcomes the proclamation of the WHO regarding the lifting of the Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on COVID-19. This is an acknowledgment of our effective and collaborative COVID-19 response and concerted efforts to fully recover and re-open our economy," the department said.

However, the WHO's declaration comes amid a backdrop of rapidly increasing COVID-19 infections in the Philippines.

The DOH recently told hospitals to prepare their COVID-19 wards in response to the spike in cases.

READ: DOH advises hospitals to prepare COVID-19 wards amid rise in cases

OCTA research group told CNN Philippines' The Source on Thursday that the positivity rate in Metro Manila, currently at 20.4%, could reach as high as 25% by next week  the same level during the Delta variant surge in 2021.

The nationwide positivity rate stands at 17.8%, according to latest OCTA data.

As of May 5, there were 9,159 active COVID-19 cases in the country, the DOH said.

"The DOH guarantees the Filipino people that all factors in determining our next action in line with the WHO's proclamation will be considered and discussed for the approval of the President," it added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Friday condemned the red-tagging of some journalists by anchors of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) on World Press Freedom Day.

During their show "Laban Kasama ang Bayan" that aired on Wednesday, SMNI anchors Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz claimed that the NUJP (National Union of Journalists of the Philippines) is a "communist-led" organization.

They also tagged NUJP Chairperson and Philstar.com news section head Jonathan de Santos as part of communist organizations during his younger years.

In the show, Badoy and Celis repeatedly accused De Santos and other journalists affiliated with NUJP such as Nestor Burgos Jr. as being members of communist front organizations.

In a statement on Friday, HRW Senior Researcher Carlos Conde slammed the red-tagging, citing security concerns of journalists as many activists similarly labeled have become victims of extrajudicial executions.

"That the SMNI hosts did their abominable red-tagging on World Press Freedom Day, arguably the most important day for journalists in the world, is not only ironic  it is tragic, and only underscores the need for journalists to defend their freedom to report the news and hold power to account," he added.

CNN Philippines has reached out to SMNI for comment.

The Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility recently reported 75 cases of violations against media workers since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office.

READ: CMFR logs 75 press freedom violations under Marcos admin

Although SMNIs red-tagging is not new, Conde said it is alarming that the show has been allotting most of its airtime accusing people of having communist affiliations.

In a post, De Santos also expressed his concern for journalists who have no immediate access to safety and security when they are boldly tagged as communists.

"Marami sa mga red-tagged  lalo na sa probinsya at lalo na sa community at alternative press  ay walang kaparehong safety at security kaya mas malaki ang impact sa kanila ng ganito," he said.

[Translation: Many of those who are red-tagged  especially in the province and more so in the community and alternative press  do not have the same safety and security, so the impact on them is greater.]

Meanwhile, Cagayan de Oro-based journalist Cong Corrales on Friday filed a complaint with the National Privacy Commission to compel Facebook owner Meta to disclose anonymous users who red-tagged him on Facebook.

The NUJP said Corrales' filing of a complaint is an important first step in unmasking and eventually holding perpetrators to account in court, and not in the court of public opinion, referring to red-tagging Facebook pages and groups.

"We have always held that the attacks on Cong and on others, especially those that are done by anonymous pages with apparent links to the military and police, are part of a strategy to discredit and bully into silence journalists as well as activists and rights defenders working towards a better democracy and a better Philippines," the NUJP said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The low pressure area (LPA) being monitored in Palawan entered the vicinity of Puerto Princesa City on Friday morning, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

According to PAGASAs latest update, the weather system was spotted in its current location at 10 a.m.

The LPA may develop into a tropical depression within the next 48 hours, the weather bureau added.

If it does, it will be called "Betty," the second tropical cyclone to enter the country this year.

Speaking to CNN Philippines, PAGASA weather forecaster Rhea Torres said the LPA is seen to bring moderate to at times heavy rains over parts of Palawan.

The state weather bureau warned affected residents of possible flooding and landslides because of the expected heavy downpour.

The public and disaster risk reduction and management offices concerned are advised to take all necessary measures to protect life and property, it added.

In an earlier update, PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said the LPA is expected to reach the West Philippine Sea by Friday night. Over the weekend, it is seen to continue affecting parts of Palawan, he added.

Meanwhile, PAGASA is monitoring another LPA outside of the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

It was last spotted 1,365 kilometers east of Mindanao and is expected to enter the countrys weather monitoring area in the next few days.

For now, Torres said the LPA has a low chance of developing into a tropical cyclone.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the previous administrations focus to enforce purging the country of illegal drugs led to the abuses that put the spotlight on the Philippines human rights situation.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum on Friday, Marcos was asked how his administration would tackle human rights abuses that were allowed during the leadership of his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte.

I think most of the discussions that are critical of the human rights situation of the Philippines derive from the policy that we undertook to fight the drug war, he said.

Perhaps, in my view, what happened in the previous administration was we focused very much on enforcement, and because of that, it could be said that there were abuses by certain elements in the government that have caused concerns from many quarters in about the human right situation of the Philippines, Marcos said.

The bloody drug war of Duterte gained the attention of not just the foreign media and criticism from different organizations, but also the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In the 59-page response filed before the ICC Appeals Chamber, a copy of which was released in mid-April, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan rejected the Philippine governments claim that the killings and other crimes related to the anti-drug campaign are of marginal gravity.

The prober said the former president encouraged the crackdown on illegal drugs that led to the death of over 5,000 and possibly about 30,000 civilians.

But during a separate briefing with the Philippine media before he left the US, Marcos refused to assess the anti-illegal drug campaign of Duterte, saying he was not in a position to do so.

At the forum, Marcos said the proliferation of illegal drugs in Philippine communities continues to be the source of many, much criminality.

The syndicates have become wealthier, more influential but instead of going after everyone, we have tried to identify the key areas that we have to attend to so we can see a demolition of activity of drug syndicates, he said.

Marcos cited the governments recent move ordering top officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) to resign to evaluate their potential links to drug activities, which enriched themselves at the cost of many lives, especially our young people.

If anything is found, that implicates any of them to be involved in any of these activities then we will start to develop the cases against them and dismantle this terrible system that has become a cancer in our society, he said.

After taking enforcement as far as we can, Marcos said his administration would focus on dismantling the drug syndicates, rehabilitating those who have already fallen into the drug culture, and re-educating the youth to inform them of the potential damage of drugs to their lives.

We are looking at the problem as a whole give options to our young people so they are not tempted to indulge in these activities, he said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  After his official visit to the United States, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will head to the United Kingdom to attend the coronation of King Charles III on May 6.

He will also have a "very casual and informal" meeting with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

"Sabi ko naman, palagay ko, magkakilala kami ay dapat naman," Marcos told reporters on Friday morning (Manila time) referring to Charles, while sharing his post-visit report from his trip to the United States.

"Napakalaking bagay na siya ay kokoronahan bilang hari ng United Kingdom, eh, dapat maka-attend na ako," he added.

[Translation: I thought that since we know each other, I should be there. It's a big thing that he will be crowned as the King of the United Kingdom, I should attend."

CNN Philippines was the first to report on Jan. 26 that the chief executive will be invited to the coronation as he had already received a "save the date" notice.

Malacanang confirmed on April 3 that Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos have accepted the invitation and will also be going to a reception at Buckingham Palace before the coronation.

King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London, with the ceremony to be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby.

READ: A visual guide to King Charles IIIs coronation

His coronation comes nearly seven decades after he instantly became King as his mother Queen Elizabeth II died in September last year.

Marcos sent her sister Irene Marcos-Araneta to represent him at the state funeral since the president was in the US for the United Nations General Assembly.

Other agenda

For his 11th foreign trip since he took office last year, Marcos will land at the London Gatwick Airport, one of UK's major international airports, to check its operations  alluding to the recent mess at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

RELATED: Preliminary data on May 1 power outage at NAIA expected next week, MIAA says

"Pupuntahan ko 'yong Gatwick dahil titingnan ko 'yong operation ng kanilang airport, kung bagay ba ito  'yong mga lessons learned nila, 'yong mga ginagawa nila  kung best practices 'yan na pwede nating dalhin sa Pilipinas," Marcos said.

[Translation: I will go to Gatwick because I will look at the operation of the airport, if what they do  their lessons learned and operations  fit with us, if those are best practices are what we can bring to the Philippines.]

Meanwhile, Marcos said he will also be meeting with UK Prime Minister Sunak to discuss if there are "any changes to his thinking" on the bilateral relations, including trade relations, between Manila and London.

"Im sure babanggitin din kung pwede makakuha ng health workers mula sa Pilipinas [he will mention if the UK could get more health workers from the Philippines]," he added.

But it will only occur on the sidelines of the coronation as the Philippine leader sees little time to set up their talk. He said he will fly home to Manila after the ceremony.

"May mga proposal na makikipag-usap ako, siyempre sa Prime Minister Sunak, pero habang siguro nag-aantay do'n sa actual na seremonya ng pagka-coronation kay King Charles [III]," he said.

[Translation: There are proposals for me to talk with, of course, Prime Minister Sunak, but those may happen while waiting for the actual ceremony of the coronation of King Charles III.]

"I cannot see any window of time in the schedule kung saan pwede mag-sit down at mag-usap, exchange of notes, etcetera etcera, so very casual lang to, very informal, pero wag natin mamaliitin 'yang mga ganyang klaseng meeting," he added.

[Translation: I cannot see any window of time in the schedule where we can sit down and talk, exhange notes, etcetera, so this will be very casual and very informal, but let's not understimate this kind of meeting.]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines continues to pursue relations with China despite acknowledging intimidation from Chinese forces in the contested waters.

The same way that we maintain our relationship with the US, Marcos said when asked about the elephant in the room on how he can maintain a stable relationship with Beijing while still protecting the Philippines.

We constantly consult with our allies. We constantly keep our lines of communication open, the Philippine president continued saying at the Center for Strategic and International Studies forum on Friday.

Marcos shared that during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in January, he suggested to institute a system so both leaders can have direct contact.

The proposal, he said, could help avoid these unfortunate incidents that we see, such as blocking our fishermen in our fishing grounds, and intimidation of our maritime forces.

We are still working on it. I refer to it as a hotline," Marcos said. "Hopefully, we will have that in place. Disengagement is not really an option."

The president also reiterated the Philippines foreign policy of being a friend to all, enemy to none.

As long as we continue to engage, to assure all our partnersnot only Chinathat we have an open, available system to communicate with one another that seems to be the only way because we certainly dont want to provoke a more serious situation than it is already now, he said.

Before flying to the US for an official working visit last Sunday, Marcos said the government would propose to China a fishing rights map in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), days after the near-collision of a Chinese ship and a Philippine vessel in the disputed waters.

At the same time, Marcos called on Beijing to form a communications team to avoid misunderstandings in the WPS.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said he had a very productive bilateral meeting with the officials from the United States during his visit there this week.

Our discussions were very productive, he told reporters in a briefing on Friday morning (Philippine time). "We are of the same mind that our longstanding alliance and partnership must be adapted to address the challenges of our time in order to bring about lasting peace and sustainable prosperity to our countries and to our peoples."

Aside from meeting his counterpart, President Joe Biden, Marcos also met with US Vice President Kamala Harris, and other Cabinet members like Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack, and Defense Sec. Lloyd Austin III.

The Philippine chief executive said he looks forward to the developments in the areas of cooperation the two governments have identified to help advance priorities in agriculture, food security, energy security, and trade.

In addition to the existing bilateral policy dialogue platforms and working groups, we agreed to institutionalize a ministerial level study group to advance cooperation on climate smart agriculture which I myself will lead, he noted.

Marcos also had a meeting with American companies during his official visit. These companies either want to expand their presence or want to invest in Manila, he said.

The president said he was able to bring with him over $1.3 billion, or over 72 billion, worth of investment pledges that have the potential to create approximately 6,700 new jobs for Filipinos.

More investments are even expected once the US companies are able to firm up their plans, he added.

When realized, these investments will support our countrys economic recovery efforts and further strengthen the foundations of our economic environment, Marcos explained.

Together, we will be working on addressing some of our key economic challenges, particularly food, energy and health security, digital connectivity and the cross-cutting issues of climate change and pandemic preparedness, he also said.

The meeting with the US business community also affirmed the optimism that international investors has on the Philippines, he said.

Marcos also welcomed initiatives to expand collaboration with the Philippine government in terms of developing local talent.

While in the US, he also met with the Filipino community and addressed the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he shared his reflection on why the two long-time allies have been and will continue to be naturally drawn to each other.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  No major issues, concerns or complaints were reported during the first few days of the implementation of the single ticketing system (STS) in the National Capital Region, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said Friday.

The pilot run of the STS began on May 2 in the following cities in Metro Manila: San Juan, Paranaque, Muntinlupa, Valenzuela, and Quezon City.

READ: MMC OKs single ticketing system for traffic violations in NCR

Speaking to CNN Philippines' Traffic Center on Thursday, MMDA Acting Chairman Romando Artes said the City of Manila had asked for a one-week deferment of the STS to amend some provisions of its traffic code.

Muntinlupa City also sought a one-week postponement to intensify its information campaign about the STS, Artes added.

To ensure a more efficient implementation in the coming weeks, the MMDA official said traffic personnel were trained to use handheld devices and body cameras.

"Digital handheld devices have already been procured and are now being customized for use by LGUs. This month, we will begin the distribution to LGUs, initially in the five cities where the STS was rolled out," he said.

Land Transportation Office Regional Director Noreen San Luis-Lutey said most of the issues encountered during the initial run of the STS were related to familiarity with the system.

Other glitches were also encountered in the uploading of information on violations, access to the portal, and activation of online payment systems, she added.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  Nueva Vizcaya governor and former congressman Carlos Padilla died on Friday, his family confirmed.

He was 78.

According to provincial health officer Dr. Anthony Cortez, Padilla died at around 9:20 a.m. due to acute myocardial infarction, also known as a heart attack.

Padilla assumed the gubernatorial post in 2016 and was reelected in 2019 and 2022.

Before that, he served as representative of the lone district of Nueva Vizcaya in the House of Representatives for nearly three decades.

While in Congress, he became House Deputy Speaker and House Minority Leader.

Padilla also first served as mayor of Dupax del Norte.

Shortly after receiving the news of his death, the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) issued a resolution paying tribute to Padilla, describing him as a "paragon of public service."

"The LPP [shares] the loss of the people of Nueva Vizcaya who lost an ally and committed leader and servant," the organization said.

Padilla's family said it will soon announce to the public details regarding the late governor's wake.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  The Philippine National Police (PNP) wants to cut its crime response time to just three minutes within Metro Manila, its chief Benjamin Acorda said Friday.

"If we can do that in the whole area of Metro Manila na kapag may nangyaring insidente andiyan kaagad ang pulis [that police respond immediately when there are crimes] then I think yung crime prevention lalong mapapaigting [will further improve]," Acorda said.

The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) recently unveiled its Integrated Command Control Center or ICCC.

The facility has systems and technology that allow the QCPD to achieve the three-minute response time or 3MRT.

Acorda said other police districts in the Metro Manila should adopt the ICCC.

The PNP chief also called for more police visibility in areas with high crime rates.

CNN Philippines' correspondent Rex Remitio contributed to this report.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  As the country works toward innovation, an official of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said new technology could displace some workers.

"As we adapt the use of new technology such as artificial intelligence and robotics, some of the roots would be performing the task, mostly the repetitive ones," DTI Undersecretary Fita Aldaba told CNN Philippines' the Exchange.

"Of course, there will be some workers to be displaced but at the same time new jobs will be created," she added.

While new technology and innovations are musts to be "globally competitive," Aldaba said the DTI is pushing to upskill and reskill employees as a workaround.

"It is important that we prepare our workers for the jobs. As we embrace technology, some of the workers will be displaced. We are rescaling and upscaling the workforce for jobs of the future," she said.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, May 5)  Embattled Negros Oriental lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Friday filed a motion before the Department of Justice to dismiss complaints against him for illegal possession of firearms and explosives.

The suspended lawmaker again did not show up in the preliminary investigation on the issue following a raid by authorities on his property on March 10.

The 15-page motion said there was no evidence to prove of Teves "alleged constructive possession of any of the confiscated articles, much less of the premises where they were allegedly found."

"Wherefore, premises considered, it is most respectfully prayed that the herein subject complaints be dismissed for utter lack of evidence to support a finding of probable cause," the motion read.

The complaints were filed by PCol. Hansel Marantan, chief of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-National Capital Region, who led the implementation of search warrants on Teves residence in Negros Oriental.

Teves said he was not present when authorities conducted the search.

He said Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos planned the raid and planting of evidence. The motion noted that it would be natural for Teves to hide his firearms with such a threat.

Otherwise put, what is natural for someone who received information of such threat is to make sure that his house is free from any such prohibited articles, assuming he has them, especially since he intends to leave the country and his house will not be under his watch nor may he be present to defend himself if the impending threats are pursued against him, the motion read.

But Abalos denied the accusation, saying it was preposterous.

Teves said the raid violated the two-witness rule for searches under the Rules of Court, which states that no search of a house or any other premises shall be conducted in the absence of the owner.

Therefore, the evidence seized during the subject search and seizure suffers from vices of unconstitutionality, hence, inadmissible even in the present stage of the proceedings, he said.

The DOJ dismissed in March one of several complaints for illegal possession of firearms lodged against Teves.

With a report from CNN Philippines Senior Correspondent Anjo Alimario
Nineteen high school seniors from various schools around the Pikes Peak region are the first group to complete the Stroud Scholars college preparatory program at Colorado College, named after two of the first Black students to graduate from the institution in 1931. The scholars were honored at a college signing day event May 1 at Bemis Great Hall.

The students who completed the free, three-year program are from Colorado Springs school districts 2, 11, 8, and 20. These students can earn admission to CC with significant financial aid and scholarships or another chosen college or university.

This inaugural cohort was in their first year of high school when COVID hit, says Jim Burke, director of CCs Summer Session. And I believe the Stroud Scholars program contributed to these students success by offering summer coursework and academic-year mentoring that provided them with the essential tools to excel and thrive in a college environment. Their success serves as a reminder of the transformative power of education and the importance of programs like Stroud Scholars that help pave the way for greater access to higher education.

Four of the students have decided to enroll with Colorado College this fall. Twelve students have chosen four-year programs across Colorado and the U.S., including historically Black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions. Two students will enroll in two-year programs in Colorado Springs and one student expects to enroll in college following a military enlistment.

Taking a wider view, the Colorado Department of Higher Education's most recent report details a college-going rate of 49.9 percent of students in Colorado enrolling in a two-or-four-year program after graduating, with persisting race and ethnicity enrollment gaps.

It's not lost on us that over 90% of our Stroud Scholars are moving on to a two-or-four-year degree, added Burke. Over the three years with these scholars, we've supported their academic progression and cultivated their college-readiness, moving some students onto a college-bound track and helping other students expand their understanding of which colleges are within reach. With such a high percentage of scholars enrolling in degree programs after high school, I see Colorado College continuing to make an impact on our community, across Colorado Springs and across the state.

The Stroud Scholars program prepares students for selective college environments by working with high promise youth to provide academic preparation, mentorship, and guidance navigating admissions and financial aid processes to CC and beyond. Over three summers, beginning before their sophomore year, the students receive two-to-three weeks of college readiness coursework focusing on quantitative reasoning and composition skills.

The Stroud Scholars program honors the legacy of two of the earliest Black students to graduate from Colorado College, siblings Kelley Dolphus Stroud '31 and Effie Stroud '31 who persevered through discrimination yet excelled in education and in their lives.

As we celebrate these scholars' next steps after high school, we also celebrate the agency they've developed throughout the program. These young adults have learned that college experience is important to them, due in part to their time at CC, and have chosen the communities and institutions that best fit them and their goals. Their agency, aspiration, and achievement of goals is a sign of success for the Stroud Scholars Program, and we are excited to cheer them along their next academic journey, says Burke.
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Apple beat estimates for its fiscal Q2 2023, but the results released late Thursday were decidedly uneven.

iPhone sales, services, and emerging markets were the quarters high spots, but Mac and iPad sales declined, and wearables seemed flat. Looking ahead, Apple officials predict a slight decline as long as the economic situation doesnt deteriorate.

Apple beats expectations, but revenue falls

First, the numbers: Apple posted quarterly revenue of $94.8 billion, down 2.5% year over year with profits of $24.2 billion and earnings per share of $1.52.

This was ahead of analyst expectations of $93 billion in revenue and $22.6 billion in profits. (The company noted out that if currency rates had remained constant, it would have grown revenues by 3%.)

We are pleased to report an all-time record in services and a March quarter record for iPhone, despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, and to have our installed base of active devices reach an all-time high, said Apple CEO Tim Cook. We continue to invest for the long term and lead with our values, including making major progress toward building carbon-neutral products and supply chains by 2030.

iPhone set new records

It seems that deferred demand for the iPhone in the wake of production problems in Q1 did indeed carry into success in the January-March quarter.

With $51.3 billion in revenues, Apple set a Q2 record for the iPhone, the company said. Thats significant, given it means the company grew revenue 2% even as the wider smartphone industry shrank by 15%.

That feels like a good direction of travel. Apple must be hoping to boost average revenue per user with additional device sales to iPhone users. Apple also shared some customer satisfaction metrics from 451 Research during its financial results call with analysts:

Customer satisfaction for iPhone 14: 99%.

Customer satisfaction for Mac: 96%.

But Mac and iPad sales slowed

Apple confirmed slowing Mac and iPad sales  though nowhere near as slow as some analysts had predicted. In terms of revenue, Mac sales fell 31% to $7.2 billion, the lowest by revenue number since 2020. Thats still a big number, but far less than some of the alarming analysis that was being widely shared in advance of the results.

iPad sales declined 13%, also the lowest revenue since 2020. Apples wearables segment also saw a small decline, from $8.8 billion to $8.76 billion, though the company noted that two-thirds of those buying an Apple Watch were new to it.

In one interesting aside, Cook pointed out that six out of every 10 customers purchasing a Mac in China are buying one for the first time.

Apples services story is far from told

While the rate of growth has slowed, Apples services segment grew 5.5% to reach $20.9 billion, a new record. The company said it's added 150 million paying subscribers to its services in the last 12 months, with 975 million people paying for services. Apple CFO Luca Maestri calls services Apples economic engine for the future.

Thats twice as large a group as the company held just three years ago.

Apples services division now accounts for 22% of all revenues, and Apple said its services business hit an all-time high in China during the quarter.

Expect new services to come and an expansion of existing ones. Cook has big ambitions, telling analysts, I think our services are under-penetrated in a number of different ways. So, the way I look at it is theres opportunity in many of them.

Dont forget that it was only in 2017 that Apple began intensive development of a segment that now accounts for a major chunk of its revenue. (Services generated a total of $24.3 billion revenue for Apple throughout all of 2016  now, it's responsible for a similar amount each quarter.)

Profitability is high: the company yields 71% margin on these compared to 36.7% on hardware, meaning that each time a new person signs up for Apple TV+, an Apple investor somewhere probably sings a happy little song

India and emerging markets

Emerging markets also saw growth, with revenue increasing 15.3% year-on-year in Asia Pacific; Apple also reported that India revenue climbed very strong double digits."

Having just returned from opening Apples first two stores in India, Cook talked a lot about the growing importance of the country during the companys financial announcements call. The switcher and first-time buyer metrics look very good there, he said. There are a lot of people coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point."

The company also confirmed that it set new quarterly records in several nations, including Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saud Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, Malaysia, and India. These good results help offset other areas, such as the 2.9% decline in Greater China and a 7.1% decline in Japan.

But, as Maestri noted, growth in emerging markets has a long-term benefit: it means the company attracts lots of new users, and in so doing expands its installed base.

Mass layoffs and the 'parade of horribles'

Apple has rejected the kind of mass layoffs that have become so popular across the tech industry since Elon Musk fired most of Twitter. "I view that as a last resort and, so, mass layoffs is not something that were talking about at this moment, Cook said.

Thats not to say the company hasnt felt the strain of events across the last few years.

If you sort of step back and look at how weve performed over the last three years on the supply chain, despite this, this parade of horribles if you will between the pandemic and the chip shortages and macroeconomic factors, the supply chain has been incredibly resilient and we feel good about what we are and what our plans are, Cook said.

Apple has done this before, of course  it thinks that having spent a lot of money to recruit great talent, the best approach is to keep them on board while working out of recession. We will manage for the long term, just as we always have, with our eyes to the horizon, with limitless creativity, and with a deep belief that we can achieve anything we put our minds to, Cook said.

Cook on AI and machine intelligence

The company was asked obligatory questions concerning Generative AI. Cook warned that there is a need to be cautious in deployment of such technologies. Theres a number of issues that need to be sorted, as is being talked about in a number of different places, he said.

Given that governments globally are now urgently examining the sector while experts warn that the impact of AI on how we live could be catastrophic, he makes a good point.

Cook stressed that AI remains important to the company, and cited some of the ways, such as fall and crash detection, in which it already makes use of machine intelligence in its products. We view AI as huge, and well continue weaving it in our products on a very thoughtful basis, he said.

Apple and the enterprise

Apple didnt say much about it, but offered up enough comment to make it clear that enterprise sales remain another bright spot in Apple reality.

Speaking to analysts, Cook admitted that the enterprise business is growing, driven in part by employee-choice schemes, which broadly speaking favor Apple, since so many people want to use Macs and iPads at work.

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Bilawal Bhutto Zardari a spokesperson of terrorism, says furious Jaishankar as 5 Indian soldiers die in J&K attack

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar again fortified his reputation as a man who does not mince his words, when he gave Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari a stinging rebuke today at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Goa.

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@the_hindu

Jaishankar called Bhutto Zardari a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan, as five Indian soldiers were killed in Jammu & Kashmir in a terror attack today, while the Pakistani minister talked of sitting together and tackling terrorism.

Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they deligitimise it, and that is exactly what is happening, said Jaishankar, speaking to the media on the sidelines of the SCO foreign ministers summit.

Jaishankar said in the same media address that on this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistans credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

The whole day today, social networks have been abuzz with how Jaishankar appeared to give the cold shoulder to Bhutto Zardari during the ceremony of greeting the visiting ministers one by one, while being filmed and photographed. The images showed that with all the others, both Jaishankar and the visiting minister did a Namaste gesture and looked warmly into the camera. When Bilawal Bhutto Zardari came and stood next to Dr S Jaishankar for the photo-op, the latter sternly looked straight ahead, hands clasped in front of him.

The difference in body language. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@SanjayTanwani_2

A couple of moments later, he formally gestured at the visiting minister to proceed further towards the summit. Bhutto Zardari touched his chest in a gesture of acknowledgement and moved on.

The Indian minister later minced no words about the Pakistani minister and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. Picture courtesy: Twitter/@AshwiniSahaya

This difference in body language has grabbed the attention of the whole country today. Just how infuriated Jaishankar was became clear from his statement on terrorism sponsored by Pakistan. It is no coincidence that he said it on the same day when five Indian soldiers were killed and many were wounded in an explosion in the Rajouri district of Jammu & Kashmir.

Bhutto Zardari had addressed the media during the summit and said that Pakistan itself was hit by terrorism. Jaishankar was having none of it. To come here, and preach these hypocritical words as though we are in the same boat I mean, they are committing acts of terrorism, he said. I dont want to jump the gun on what happened today, but I think were all feeling equally outraged.

Given the terror attack in Rajouri today even as its foreign minister visits India, Pakistan deserves every bit of this humiliation and more. pic.twitter.com/5en72wSqfp  Shubhangi Sharma (@ItsShubhangi) May 5, 2023

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Goa
Russia-Ukraine war: Fistfight between country representatives at international event in Turkiye

The Russia-Ukraine conflict spilled over into the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Community yesterday, with a good old-fashioned fistfight between the representatives of Russia and Ukraine at the international event held in Ankara, Turkiye.

The representative of Ukraine tries to snatch his national flag from the representative of Russia. Video screenshot: Twitter/@officejjsmart

A video from the venue that has got millions of views on social networks shows a Russian representative coolly walking over to the large event signboard against which flags of nations were placed, and tearing down the flag of Ukraine.

 In Ankara , during the events of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Community, the representative of Russia  tore the flag of Ukraine  from the hands of a  Member of Parliament.



The  MP then punched the Russian in the face. pic.twitter.com/zUM8oK4IyN  Jason Jay Smart (@officejjsmart) May 4, 2023

As the Russian representative walks away with the Ukraine flag crumpled in his hand, the Ukrainian representative, who stood for a photo-op near the board, gives chase and catches the Russian, appearing to give him a solid punch.

Also read: Ukraine denies it tried to assassinate Putin; 2 drones shot down over Kremlin

The Russian nearly falls to the floor from the force of the blow, but manages to get away. The Ukrainian runs after him again, gives him some more thrashing, and snatches the flag back. In the later part of the video, other delegates try to make peace as the Ukrainian folds the ill-treated national flag.
Promotion of organic farming in Kerala

Consumption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides and agriculture productivity



Later, after six months, with protests from the farmers, Sri Lanka had to withdraw the decision and imported chemical fertilizers and pesticides in November, 2021. Under this circumstance, it is essential to check whether the reduced consumption of fertilizers and fertilizers impacted Kerala's agricultural productivity.



Among cereals, rice's productivity had improved from 2162.01 kg/hectare in 2000-01 to 3055.65 kg/hectare in 2019-20. Fruits and vegetables from horticulture, coconut, areca nut, and cashew from commercial crops also had benefits over the years in terms of productivity.

What next in organic farming? Over the years, declining cropped areas and high dependence on other states for agriculture products have been a major debate in Kerala. Kerala has to move strategically in bringing more organic land in future. Local bodies, Kudumbashree and cooperative societies could contribute more to bringing organic farming to ward levels.

Collaboration with agriculture institutes, professionals and farmers would also be relevant in promoting organic farming to another level. Introducing specific markets for organic products would enable the farmers to find markets for their products. Moreover, household targeted plans would help make Kerala at least self-sufficient in agricultural products and make organic farming much more popular in Kerala.

---

*PhD Scholar, Centre for Development Studies, Thiruvananthapuram. Data sources: 'Agriculture Statistics', Government of India; 'Economic Review', Government of Kerala; and 'Economic Survey,' Government of India. A version of this article was earlier published in Malayalam in ala.keralascholars.org The best example is Sri Lanka, which completely banned the import of chemical fertilizers and pesticides on 6th May, 2021 through its 'vistas of prosperity and splendour' policy in 2019 and moved to organic farming on a fine morning without educating the farmers. Such a move had resulted in a decline in agriculture production and an uncontrollable price hike.Later, after six months, with protests from the farmers, Sri Lanka had to withdraw the decision and imported chemical fertilizers and pesticides in November, 2021. Under this circumstance, it is essential to check whether the reduced consumption of fertilizers and fertilizers impacted Kerala's agricultural productivity.Table 1 shows the productivity of major agricultural products in Kerala from 2000 to 2020. Productivity is measured based on the yield that Kerala is getting from one hectare of agricultural land. Though the cropped area in Kerala is less compared to other Indian states, compared to 2000-01 and 2010-11, all major crops' productivity had improved in 2020.Among cereals, rice's productivity had improved from 2162.01 kg/hectare in 2000-01 to 3055.65 kg/hectare in 2019-20. Fruits and vegetables from horticulture, coconut, areca nut, and cashew from commercial crops also had benefits over the years in terms of productivity.Over the years, declining cropped areas and high dependence on other states for agriculture products have been a major debate in Kerala. Kerala has to move strategically in bringing more organic land in future. Local bodies, Kudumbashree and cooperative societies could contribute more to bringing organic farming to ward levels.Collaboration with agriculture institutes, professionals and farmers would also be relevant in promoting organic farming to another level. Introducing specific markets for organic products would enable the farmers to find markets for their products. Moreover, household targeted plans would help make Kerala at least self-sufficient in agricultural products and make organic farming much more popular in Kerala.

The beginning of modern agriculture practices in India was through Green Revolution in the 1960s. HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers and pesticides have played a major role in ensuring productivity in food and non-food agriculture products and food security. However, such agricultural practices have negatively impacted the sustainability of agriculture through the high cost of cultivation and declining soil fertility.The Central Government is pushing for natural or organic farming in India. This could be seen from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches on 16th December 2021 at National Conclave on Natural Farming to "liberate the country's soil from chemical fertilizers and pesticides" and on 1st January 2022 at a PM-KISAN programme urged the farmers to "switch to the chemical-free method of cultivation".Last year, on 28th May, in the IFFCO seminar, the Prime Minister again pushed for organic farming by saying that 'it is the new mantra' and would reduce the dependence on other countries for fertilizer products. The Prime minister had also advocated for organic farming mentioning it as' our duty' in his 2022 Independence Day speech. The Economic Survey 2021-22 (GoI, 2022) also specifies the importance of finding alternative fertilizers and reducing the use of chemical fertilizers in agriculture.Culminating all these, the Government proposed a new programme in the latest budget, 2023-24 (GoI, 2023), which is PM-PRANAM (PM Programme for Restoration, Awareness, Nourishment and Amelioration of Mother Earth) to promote alternative fertilizers in all the states and union territories and incentivize them in the balanced use of chemical fertilizers, which is possible through reducing the consumption of Urea, the most used nitrogenous fertilizer in India.Besides these, the Government is also trying to facilitate the farmers to adopt natural farming through Bhartiya Prakritik Kheti Bio-Input Resource Centres. The alternative that the Union Government is now pushing was already implemented by Kerala way back in 2010.The need for organic farming in Kerala initially came in 2007. Later, after five years, Kerala formed an 'Organic Farming Policy' in 2012 by Kerala State Bio-Diversity Board with the vision of 'Make Kerala's farming sustainable, rewarding, and competitive, ensuring poison-free water, soil and food to every citizen'.The policy has 24 strategies. As per the Organic Farming plan of 2010-11, Kerala started organic farming on 900 hectares in 20 selected blocks of 14 districts. Later in 2011-12, it expanded to 3500 hectares. Based on the plan, the Government declared Kasargod district as an 'Organic District' in 2012.Though the Government had planned to make Kerala a completely organic state by 2016, somehow, the state couldn't do it. However, as part of promoting the organic clusters, Kerala could bring 200 good agriculture practices in 5000 hectares in 2019-20 (Economic Review, 2021).Later with the help of Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY) and Bharatiy Prakrutik Krishi Paddhati, 12380 hectares and 84000 hectares, respectively, were brought under in Kerala (Economic Survey, 2022). Currently, organic farming is promoted through the Vegetable and Fruit Promotion Council Kerala (VFPCK) and State Horticulture Mission (SHM).The Government is promoting Integrating Nutrient Management through soil testing, giving importance to organic fertilizers. One of the 24 strategies adopted in the organic farming policy in 2012 is eventually reducing the consumption of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in Kerala without compromising agricultural productivity.The Government recommends chemical fertilizers at a prescribed amount by the Agriculture University in its Package of Practices. Figure 1 shows the per-hectare consumption of chemical fertilizers in Kerala from 1998-99 to 2020-21.The graph indicates that the per hectare consumption of chemical fertilizers (N+P+K) has declined since 2012, though there had a continuous hike from 2005 to 2012. By 2021, the consumption has been reduced to 39.62 kg/hectare. On the other hand, compared to 2017-18, pesticide use declined in 2019-20 (Department of Agriculture Development and Farmers' Welfare, 2020).However, given that Kerala's total cropped area is continuously declining after 2005-06 (Agriculture Statistics, GoI), improving the productivity of agriculture draws particular importance. A prime criticism against organic farming is that it reduces productivity.
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If the governments good at one thing, its holding on to stuff. They hold on to your money, in the hopes that youll die before they need to pay any of it back; they hold on to people in elected positions for an uncountable numbers of years; and they hold on to treasures, which are being worked on right now by top men. They have entire departments of archives devoted to these relics, as well as vast underground complexes to serve as storage space.

Still, some stuff slips through the cracks. Then, finally, some lowly government clerk scratches their head one day and says, Hey. Whatever happened to the...

4 Moon Trees When Apollo 14 headed to the Moon in 1971, it carried with it three astronauts, a bunch of smuggled souvenirs they were planning to sell for profit and also a large number of tree seeds. These were seeds of sycamores, Douglas firs and redwoods, and though the astronauts didnt plan to immediately plant them as part of a lunar terraforming expedition, they did hope to see if being in the Moons vicinity would change the seeds in any especially revealing ways. The experiment encountered a few hitches. On return, the seeds had to go through decontamination, which risked changing them in ways the experiment never planned to test. During this decontamination, the canister holding them burst, exposing the seeds to a vacuum, again separate from the planned experimental conditions. Despite all that, the seeds seemed to sprout, something no one had been sure would happen. NASA Goddard This one is in a graveyard, feeding off corpses and sadness. Sprouting achieved, NASA gave the seedlings away. Some of the trees (and their progeny) went to prominent places, like the White House or Arlington National Cemetery. But we dont know where all of them went, as one NASA curator recently noticed when he sought the Moon trees current locations and found no answer recorded anywhere. Hes now managed to track down around 50 of them, thanks to some of these trees getting news write-ups when they got planted. Apollo 14 carried around 2,000 seeds, though, so many Moon trees remain lost. Advertisement They will likely remain hidden, too. Those who know their locations were surely murdered. Murdered, and swallowed. Killed and eaten  by the Moon trees.

3 The Smithsonian Endowment The Smithsonian Institution is a repository of relics, from Lincolns hat to Vietnam War lace underpants. But as great as the museums are at storing stuff, early on, the government lost the whole thing. Were not talking about how the Smithsonian has lost track of individual items (though, thats a pretty interesting story in itself). Were talking about the original endowment of the institution, which came from the estate of a man names James Smithson. Smithson was a scientist, and besides the Smithsonian, he lent his name to a zinc mineral, which is now known as Smithsonite. All this should have solidified his legacy, except youve never heard of the man before today. Sanjay Acharya Heres a photo of Smithsonite, which looks remarkable, unlike a photo of James Smithson. Advertisement Advertisement Smithson left the money to the U.S. government in the form of 105 sacks of gold coins, which is exactly the way we pictured 19th-century rich men storing their money. The government, despite its skill at storing stuff in vaults, didnt just place the gold in a safe or deposit it in a bank. Thats not how government finance works. Instead, it used the coins to purchase state-issued bonds. Government bonds are about the safest place you can stick your money. Its nearly as safe as salting it away in a bank  maybe even safer, since the bank can go bust, but the government isnt going to, right? Still, bonds offer some risk. The federal government bought bonds from the State of Arkansas, which promptly spent all the money with reckless abandon. They defaulted on the debt. When the government came calling because they were ready to cash out some bonds and build a new pedestal for George Washington's codpiece or whatever, Arkansas told them, Sorry, its all gone. Advertisement Congress ended up funding the Smithsonian with fresh money of its own, so we did wind up getting the Institution after all. It even ended up still bearing the name of Smithson, even though it didnt use his money. So, Smithson found immortality after all  if the Smithsonian led to everyone remembering him, which (again) it did not.

2 Robert E. Lees Amnesty With the Civil War done, Andrew Johnson pardoned people whod fought for the Confederacy, because prosecuting and imprisoning half the country would have been a bit much, even for America. He didnt pardon quite everyone, however. His pardon included 14 exceptions, which meant that high-ranking officers were among many categories who did not receive automatic amnesty. Advertisement Advertisement Such people could still apply for amnesty individually. That included General Robert E. Lee, who wrote a personal application to Johnson to get his rights as a citizen restored. Later that year, he signed an Amnesty Oath, in which he swore allegiance to the United States. The government lost both these documents. National Archives Even though they were written on the best legal pad available. The application? The Secretary of State gave that away to a friend as a souvenir. And the Amnesty Oath? People at the time knew about it, and it played an important role in convincing former Confederates to join the country peacefully without trying anything else, but the government lost track of the paper so history would forget it had ever existed. Either way, Lee didnt get pardoned, and he didnt get his citizenship back. Advertisement At least, not in his lifetime. In 1970, however, someone in the National Archives found the old Amnesty Oath buried in a dusty pile that no one had properly catalogued. A few years after that, Congress responded by voting to make Lee a citizen after all, with the change working retroactively, all the way back to 1865. This move was not, by the way, some attempt by neo-Confederates to honor slavery but a near-unanimous vote to recognize Lees postwar efforts to reunite the country. The small bloc who voted against the move only did so because it didn't also add on amnesty for draft dodgers. So, that happened a century after Lee died. But when he did die, Robert E. Lee died stateless. He also died estateless: The government confiscated his property and made it into Arlington National Cemetery. Today, Arlington holds the bodies of many soldiers and famous figures, and also a Moon tree, who stops the rising dead. Advertisement
The Offices Michael Scott was, in many ways, a living, breathing HR training video on what not to do as a manager. (Which explains a lot about Toby.) He routinely made offensive comments, casually derailed office productivity, and even ran over one of his employees in the Dunder Mifflin parking lot.

Play

That said, there were moments when Michael rose to the occasion and lived up to the ideals of the novelty coffee mug he secretly bought for himself, and truly was the Worlds Best Boss, like

10 He Came to Pams Art Show Michael supported his employees passion for painting and expressed a genuine passion for her work. Which is more than we can say for Jim Complete Philistine Halpert. Play

9 He Schmoozed a Government Employee Michael impressed us all (not to mention Jan) by proving that his goofball affability can be a major asset to the company after he won a government contract by taking Tim Meadows character Christian out to Chilis. Play

8 He Encouraged His Employees to Work Together on a Commercial While Dunder Mifflin ultimately opted to go another way, Michaels epic, Chariots of Fire-scored commercial was undeniably a successful team-building exercise. Play

7 He Paid for a Party Out of His Own Pocket Michael and his iPod made a mess out of Season Twos Christmas party, but he made up for it by bucking company policy and personally paying for a festively large amount of vodka. Play Advertisement Advertisement

6 He Created a Welcome Distraction During a Moment of Uncertainty Michael had the office play a Southern plantation-set murder mystery game, which most of the time would be a major red flag, but this time it worked to distract them all from news of Dunder Mifflins financially perilous future. Although it did feature the worst Southern accents since the days of Nicolas Cage in Con Air. Play

5 He Landed a Big Deal at an Office Supply Convention Michael somehow made a deal with Hammermill to be Dunder Mifflins paper supplier, breaking their exclusive arrangement with Staples. His hotel room party, on the other hand, was a tad less successful. Play Advertisement Advertisement

4 He Visited Ryans Class Not every boss would take the time out of their day to personally attend an employees business class and pelt the students with candy bars. Play

3 He Gave Phyllis an Extended Honeymoon Michael generously offered Phyllis six weeks of vacation time for her honeymoon  sure, it was in exchange for a prominent role in her wedding ceremony, but still. Play Advertisement Advertisement

2 He Negotiated the Sale of the Michael Scott Paper Company Michael made sure to look after Pam and Ryan when it came time to negotiate the sale of his secretly failing start-up. The way he sticks it to David Wallace will always be one of the shows very best moments. Play
Jenna Ortega is not only the lead in Netflix breakout hit Wednesday. She also has a starring role on striking writers picket signs, according to Hollywood Reporter. After Ortega complained about how she had to rewrite her shows cringey scripts earlier this year, writers are firing back with cheeky placards.

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Why so mad, bro? Heres a quick recap of what Ortega said in March on Dax Shepards Armchair Expert podcast: There were times on that set where I almost became unprofessional in a sense, where I just started changing lines.  I would have to go through and explain why I couldnt do certain things.

So apparently, striking writers have long memories. Ortegas remarks are not only inspiring picket sign jokes but tweets from writers on The Bear and Bojack Horseman:

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We get why TV writers were miffed at Ortega for (sort of) disparaging their carefully considered words, but she is hardly the first actor to suggest alternative lines or bring their own creative perspective to the set. Theres a reason why they say film is a collaborative medium. So its not surprising that Ortegas online fans (er, she has a few, such as the 40 million-plus who follow her on Instagram) are miffed.

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Still others blame the media for fanning jokey little flames into a social media bonfire.

Not sure if theres a lesson to be learned here, other than to suggest to everyone on the picket line that Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav or Netflix co-head Ted Sarandos are more appropriate targets for their ire. Last we checked, Ortega isnt the one dismantling writers' rooms and manipulating streaming residuals. Then again, Cracked readers probably arent going to see us publishing stories about funny Bob Iger signs anytime soon. Maybe the striking writers know what theyre doing after all.
Microsoft recently patched three vulnerabilities in its Azure API Management service, two of which enabled server-side request forgery (SSRF) attacks that could have allowed hackers to access internal Azure assets. The proof-of-concept exploits serve to highlight common errors that developers could make when trying to implement blacklist-based restrictions for their own APIs and services.

Web APIs have become an integral part of modern application development, especially in the cloud. They allow services to communicate and exchange data, non-browser clients such as mobile apps and IoT devices to securely access data and perform operations on behalf of users, and companies to abstract older server backends and quickly interconnect them with modern apps and services. APIs are standardized and easy to interact with rather than relying on custom and legacy protocols that were not built for the web.

With companies pushing out APIs in production at a rapid pace in recent years, the number of attacks targeting them has spiked as attackers increasingly realize that insecure APIs might offer a backdoor into databases and internal infrastructure. According to global content delivery network provider Akamai, the number of attacks targeting APIs and web applications grew 2.5 times in 2022 compared to 2021. One of the emergent attack vectors over the past two years has been SSRF. The ProxyLogon, ProxyNotShell, and OWASSRF flaws in Microsoft Exchange servers are notable examples that have seen massive exploitation.

Over the past two years, Akamai has seen a steady increase in both attack attempts and authorized vulnerability-scanning traffic looking for SSRF vulnerabilities in software other than Microsoft Exchange," Akamai said in a recent report. "'In addition, we saw a daily average of 14 million SSRF attempts probing our App & API Protector customers web applications and APIs, suggesting the growing prevalence of this vector. It is worth noting this growth and the potential impact that SSRF exploitation poses to organizations."

SSRF via Azure API Management proxies

Microsoft's Azure API Management is a service that allows companies to expose services hosted on Azure or inside their private networks as APIs and to monitor them. It's a service aimed at API developers that consists of an API gateway, a management plane, and a developer portal.

In an SSRF attack, the attacker must find a way to use the application's functionality as a proxy to access internal resources, piggybacking on the server's privileged position and access to the internal network. In other words, if an application or API allows users to supply an URL and will then crawl that URL and return the response, an SSRF attack is possible if additional security measures are not taken.

Azure API Management has such a feature. It allows users to specify a schema for the structure of JSON or XML data that's expected to be exchanged through the API they deploy. However, according to researchers from security firm Ermetic, the service can also be instructed to determine the schema automatically by making a request to a user-supplied URL, this feature being called "Import from URL." "Once you have specified the URL of the schema, the Azure API Management CORS proxy retrieves the schema from the specified URL by sending it an HTTP request," the researchers said in their report.

Cross-origin resource sharing (CORS) is a mechanism based on HTTP headers that allows a web server to indicate to browsers other origins (servers) from where resources such as scripts are allowed to be loaded. The CORS proxy in this case intercepts requests and modifies the CORS headers to make sure that cross-domain requests between portal.azure.com and other servers are allowed.

Once they found this feature, the Ermetic researchers thought to provide http://localhost or http://127.0.1.1 (the loopback address) as the remote URL for fetching a schema to see if the CORS proxy would reach out internally to the server itself, achieving SSRF. This resulted in a HTTP 403 error (Forbidden), suggesting there was a blacklist in place.

Then the researchers registered a domain called localhost.me and then edited its DNS records to point to 127.0.1.1. So, when the CORS proxy tried to access http://localhost.me, it would first resolve the DNS and try to access the returned IP address, which points back to itself bypassing the blacklist. This worked. The response reflected back by the CORS proxy was HTTP error 404 (Page not found), meaning the server no longer refused the request but didn't have a page to serve.

The researchers also found that they could add custom headers to their requests and these would be proxied by the CORS proxy to the target server, opening the door to even more complex attacks. Then they tried to access the internal server on different port numbers, not the default 80 to probe if other services might be running on custom ports and noticed that when they tried port numbers that included "300," such as 300, 3000, or 30000, they got error 403 Forbidden again.

"We understood that if a regex [regular expression] exists specifically for those ports, some important services must be listening on those ports," the researchers said.

A regex is a search-and-match rule that can be used to build blacklists. For example, the rule could match any URL that includes the term localhost and a port number formed from 300 in the request. The researchers inferred that if a regex exists, it must apply to a value called "Ocp-Apim-Url" in the request headers that defines the URL the CORS proxy reaches out to. Therefore, they used a URL to a domain they controlled which then redirected the proxy back to http://localhost:30001 for example.

This worked and bypassed the blacklist yet again, allowing the researchers to discover and access internal services on different port numbers: 30001 - Authenticated view of the developer portal, 30004 - Azures Management API, 30005 - Azures Kudu API management, 30006 - Unpublished developer site (unauthenticated). Kudu is the engine that powers some management features of the Azure App Service, a service for hosting and deploying web applications on Azure.

SSRF vulnerabilities reveal blacklisting weaknesses as a defense

This SSRF vulnerability via CORS proxy is similar to one found by researchers from Orca Security in the same service back in November. Ermetic reported its findings to Microsoft in December and thought that it might be the same vulnerability. However, their exploit bypassed the fixes Microsoft put in place after Orca reported the original flaw, making it a separate vulnerability. This highlights the difficulties in relying on blacklisting techniques such as regex as a defense mechanism for these types of features, as there are always multiple ways to bypass them.

The Ermetic researchers didn't stop their analysis there and found a second SSRF, this time in the Azure API Management Hosting Proxy -- a different proxy that's used to dynamically configure the backend service URL for an API when creating it.

"When a request is sent from the frontend that the user specifies, the request will be sent to the inbound processing proxy and then to the specified backend," the researchers said. In the process, the proxy will make modifications to the request based on policies defined by the user for inbound and outbound processing.

The researchers found that a user could configure the set-backend-service policy to point to http://localhost instead of their real API backend service URL, therefore tricking the proxy to direct requests received from the API frontend to itself.

"Since we had control over the frontend and inbound processing policies, we could send the SSRF with an HTTP verb/method and custom headers of our choosing," they said. "We were able to access an internal HTTP port 80 for a POC [proof-of-concept]."

For both vulnerabilities, the researchers stopped their investigation to avoid harm to internal services and infrastructure or risk accessing sensitive data through the SSRF probing that normally would require authentication.

Path traversal vulnerability in API Management Developer Portal

Finally, the researchers were also able to find an unrestricted file upload feature in the API Management Developer Portal that resulted in path traversal. This had the potential to impact any self-hosted API Management developer portals deployed by end users as well on their own infrastructure.

"We found that Azure does not validate the file type and path of the files uploaded," the researchers said. "Authenticated users can traverse the path specified when uploading the files, upload malicious files to the developer portal server and possibly execute code on it using DLL hijacking, iisnode config swapping or any other relevant attack vector."
STAMFORD  Shipping-and-mailing company Pitney Bowes on Thursday reported declining revenues and a loss for the past quarter, and it said that it would reduce its workforce as part of a cost-cutting plan.

Pitney, whose performance and management have prompted a boardroom challenge from one of its largest shareholders, produced first-quarter revenues of about $835 million, down 10 percent from the same period a year ago, as returns dipped across its global e-commerce, sortation services and Sending Technology businesses. For the quarter, the Stamford-based company incurred a loss of nearly $8 million.

The trends in the first quarter were largely a continuation of the dynamics we experienced last quarter, Pitney Chief Executive Officer and President Marc Lautenbach said in a written statement. Our SendTech and Presort businesses performed as expected. We remain pleased with domestic parcel improvement, network performance and volume growth, although with softer-than-expected revenue per parcel.

As it seeks to rein in costs, Pitney is implementing a restructuring plan that, combined with other productivity efforts, aims for $75 million in annual expense savings by the end of 2024.

The work of becoming more efficient is never done, Lautenbach said during an earnings call Thursday. Next, we are resetting our cost structure in global e-commerce to reflect the realities of the cross-border market where the headwinds are not likely to calm anytime soon. In addition, the overall performance of our domestic parcel network has revealed the opportunity to do more with less. Said another way, we believe the network weve built can deliver the volumes contemplated in our long-term strategic plan with fewer sites and at reduced operating expense levels.

Ana Maria Chadwick, Pitneys executive vice president and chief financial officer, said on the call that this program, combined with the actions taken in the first quarter of 2023, will result in workforce reductions and facility rationalization.

During the call, Pitney officials did not specify the number or locations of the job cuts. The company has more than 11,000 employees, including about 900 in Connecticut. In its home state, the company's operations include its headquarters at 3001 Summer St., a few blocks from downtown Stamford; an operations center in Shelton; and a presort mail center in Hartford.

In response to an inquiry from Hearst Connecticut Media about the extent of the downsizing, and whether any Connecticut-based positions would be eliminated, a company spokesman said in an email that while some restructuring actions are in the works, we are still in the initial planning stages. The job cuts would be enacted through headcount reductions, not filling positions, and retirement and resignations, he said.

As for the facility rationalization, it should have no direct impact to either Shelton or Hartford, the spokesman said.

Following the announcement of the quarterly results, Pitney shares closed Thursday at $2.89, down nearly 12 percent from their closing price on Wednesday. At their 52-week high, Pitney shares have traded for about $5, compared with a 52-week low of about $2.

The quarterly results were released amid a struggle for boardroom power between Pitney and Adams Township, Pa.-based hedge fund manager Hestia Capital, which is the companys third-largest shareholder, with an approximately 9 percent stake. Dissatisfied with the companys performance and management, Hestia has nominated five candidates for the board of directors, ahead of the companys 2023 annual shareholders meeting on Tuesday.

Hestia is also pushing for the ouster of Lautenbach, who was appointed to his current position in December 2012. Hestia has said that its director nominees would seek to replace him with an interim CEO. One of Hestia's board nominees, Lance Rosenzweig, who most recently served as CEO of support.com, a provider of customer and technical support services, would become the interim CEO, according to Hestias plan.

It is also important to note that our slate recognizes the additive expertise and strong institutional knowledge possessed by the sitting directors Hestia is voting for, and our candidates look forward to the prospect of working with them to set a refined strategy following collegial internal debate, Kurt Wolf, Hestias founder and chief investment officer, said in a news release Tuesday that highlighted three proxy advisory firms support for Hestias push for meaningful boardroom change.

Wolf added that if elected, our slate intends to immediately propose the formation of a strategic planning and capital allocation committee, comprised of new and sitting directors, to conduct necessary analysis and make recommendations to the full board regarding the right turnaround strategy.

Pitney officials did not discuss Hestia during Thursdays call. But the company has recently issued a number of statements that have criticized Hestias strategy for seeking change. The company has recommended that shareholders vote for its eight director candidates, as well as one of Hestias candidates.

Amid the pressure from Hestia, Pitney has already made significant changes to the boards membership in the past couple of months. In March, the company announced that board member Michael Roth had stepped down as chairman and would not seek re-election this year. Hestia officials have placed much of the blame for what they see as Pitneys shortcomings on Lautenbach and Roth, who has served on the board since 1995.

At the same time, the board announced that two other directors would not stand for re-election and appointed two new independent directors.

While there are now 11 directors, the board said that it would revert to a nine-person lineup following the annual meeting.
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DAVIS, Calif. (AP)  A 21-year-old former university student on Friday pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with a series of stabbings in the college community of Davis.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Daniel Wolk also denied bail to Carlos Dominguez, citing the risk to public safety and the defendant's own flight risk given the seriousness of the alleged crimes.

Dominguez remained expressionless as the judge read out the complaint filed by prosecutors Friday. He responded in the affirmative several times to questions from the judge but did not speak otherwise.

Yolo County prosecutors said Dominguez is eligible for a life prison term without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, given the multiple murders. He is accused of fatally stabbing two people, including a fellow student, and stabbing a third victim who is now recovering.

Dominguez was represented by Dan Hutchinson, a deputy public defender. Hutchinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He was picked up for questioning Wednesday near the city park where he was alleged to have killed his second victim and has been in jail since early Thursday.

News of his arrest Thursday was a relief to students and residents shocked by the vicious stabbings, which Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel described as particularly brutal and brazen.

Dominguez was a student at UC Davis until April 25  two days before the first victim was found  when he was let go for academic reasons, the university said. He was a third-year student majoring in biological sciences.

On Friday, students headed to class, in contrast to earlier in the week when the campus was practically deserted, some said.

Talia Mickelsen, a third-year student studying animal sciences, said she lives across the street from the house in which Dominguez lived. She noticed him a few times, but never interacted with him, she said.

Mickelsen said the last week has been scary, and she feels more secure now that he is arrested.

It is very eye-opening, but I guess these things can happen anywhere, she said. "Now, I just make sure Im vigilant and cautious wherever I go.

Coco Yan, a student also majoring in animal sciences, said she and a friend did not leave the house unless they went out together.

I have no sympathy for the stabber," said Yan. A lot of people were stressed and scared because of it."

Davis police and multiple law enforcement agencies fanned out to investigate after the body of David Breaux, 50, was discovered at a downtown park near the University of California, Davis campus April 27. The second victim, UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, was found Saturday night at another city park.

On Monday, Kimberlee Guillory was attacked while inside her tent but survived. Both Breaux and Guillory were homeless.

Davis police have not provided a motive and it is unclear if he knew the victims.

Pytel, the police chief, said 15 people called into the department Wednesday afternoon when they spotted someone matching the stabbing suspect's description at Sycamore Park, where Najm was found.

Dominguez went voluntarily with police for more questioning, Pytel said. They found a large knife in his backpack.

Davis is a city of 67,000, with an additional 13,000 students living on campus.

His next court date is May 22.
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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Native Americans whose relatives have gone missing or been killed wore red on Friday, a color synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day is held on May 5  the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was only 21 when she was slain on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana.

Countless more Indigenous people have gone missing since her body was found nearly a decade ago. Advocates describe it as a silent crisis, rooted in colonization, forced removal and government policies that led to the stamping out of culture and identity as entire communities were marginalized.

This weekend's marches, symposiums, prayer gatherings, art installations and ceremonies are meant to pressure policy makers in the U.S. and Canada to ensure equity when investigating such cases. The red dresses, they say, are used to call home the spirits of missing and slain Indigenous victims.

We have to call this national state of emergency what it is -- a genocide, Carol McBride, president of the Native Womens Association of Canada, said in an email. She urged people to channel their grief into activism. Wearing red is powerful."

Canada's House of Commons unanimously approved a motion this week calling on the government to declare a national state of emergency. Such a declaration would make more tools available, said Mel Critch, who works with the Native Women's Association of Canada and is co-chair of the group Manitoba Moon Voices.

The burden of tackling the problem has fallen largely to Indigenous women, relatives and other community members, Critch said.

As this moves through the Senate, our communities will be watching and listening carefully, praying for its adoption and a day when this will end, when our children and families will be safe, Critch said.

Lawmakers in the U.S. introduced their own resolutions this week supporting the May 5 effort.

High rates of violence, sexual assault, homicides and disappearances of Indigenous people, particularly women, have festered for generations amid inadequate public safety resources in Indian Country, where tiny police forces are responsible for vast territories and a tangled web of local and federal jurisdictions often complicates efforts to track and communicate about cases as they happen.

About 4,200 missing and murdered cases have gone unsolved, according to U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates. Federal health statistics document murder rates for Native American and Alaska Native women at 10 times the national rate.

Still, the number of missing and slain Indigenous women remains unknown. A 2021 review by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office pointed to reporting problems, distrust of law enforcement and jurisdictional conflicts.

Recently adopted U.S. laws aim to improve data collection and law enforcement responses. A national commission began holding public meetings in April to craft more recommendations. Gary Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, will be listening to tribal leaders and families at next weeks commission meeting in Flagstaff.

He said the Justice Department now prioritizes cases in Indian Country, bringing the Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support the FBI when local or tribal police call for help.

That, I think, is a real expansion from the way we have traditionally done these cases and should be an opportunity to get more resources into underserved areas in Indian Country, he said.

Many states have created their own task forces and commissions, aiming to keep cases from falling through the cracks. Prosecutors in New Mexico's largest judicial district have a special unit to help with missing person investigations involving Native Americans.

In California, lawmakers approved the creation of an alert system to help find Indigenous people missing under suspicious circumstances. The legislation came last year after the Yurok Tribe issued an emergency declaration after five Indigenous women were reported as missing or were killed within a span of 18 months.

Every time someone goes missing in this state, that is tomorrows historical trauma, said Abby Abinanti, the Yurok Tribes chief judge.

The tribe plans to use drones to bolster its search and rescue program.

The Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California also declared an emergency, and imposed a curfew for minors following the recent killings of two tribal citizens.

Washington is creating a cold case investigations unit, and Oklahoma's governor signed legislation Monday ordering state public safety officials to work with tribes on an alert system named for Cherokee Nation citizen Kasey Russell, who went missing in 2016.

While there has been progress, state and federal lawmakers agree that more needs to be done.

California Assemblymember James Ramos told a hearing Tuesday that trends in his state don't show improvement. He wants qualified tribal law enforcement officers to be able to access a statewide telecommunications system as they investigate missing persons cases.

In New Mexico, advocates want the governor to issue a new executive order to chart the next phase of implementing recommendations made in an extensive task force report in 2020.

For Melody Delmar, who leads MMIP projects for New Mexico's Indian Affairs Department, the crisis is personal. As a social worker, she's often among the first people families call when they need help.

Her dream? A state office dedicated to Indian Country cases where families could be assigned a social worker.

Theres just so many levels of this and it can be complicated, she said. But we also can look at this and know there are solutions out there too.

Nearly two years passed before federal authorities made an arrest in the case of Ella Mae Begay, a master Navajo weaver who went missing in 2021.

Her niece, Seraphine Warren, walked from the Navajo Nation to Washington D.C. to raise awareness. She has not given up finding her aunt  she's gathering volunteers for another search of the desert in the coming weeks.

Waiting for information to trickle down from authorities to grieving family members is like torture, Warren said.

All that families want is for somebody to check on them, to see if their cases are still being investigated, said Warren, who will be marching in Seattle this weekend.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland received a briefing Friday in Albuquerque from her agency's Missing and Murdered Unit, created in 2021. To date, the unit has investigated 728 cases; solved or closed 263 missing persons cases; and solved eight murder cases.

Advocates are watching closely as Congress hashes out budget requests for federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cuts could result in fewer law enforcement officers in areas that are already understaffed.

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said Congress has a responsibility to honor trust and treaty obligations with Indian Country.

"And it's important to affirm that this is a priority, he said.

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Associated Press contributors include Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Calif.; Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Okla. and Terry Tang in Phoenix, Ariz.
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  The first shooting left Serbia weeping. The second set off waves of soul-searching in a deeply divided nation, awash in weaponry, where war criminals are glorified and memories run deep of years of civil war.

Two mass killings in two days. Nineteen people dead and 21 injured.

"We walked around like zombies for 24 hours, not believing what has happened and looking for reasons, President Aleksandar Vucic, a populist authoritarian who began his political career as a far-right Serbian nationalist during the Yugoslav civil wars, said Friday in a nationwide TV address.

The back-to-back bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders. Though Serbia is full of weapons left over from the conflicts of the 1990s, the last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

In Thursday's attack, a 20-year-old gunman apparently firing at random killed eight people and wounded 14 in two Serbian villages, authorities said, shaking a nation still grieving over another mass shooting one day earlier. Police arrested a suspect Friday after an all-night search.

Vucic called the shootings an attack on the whole nation  and said that while the man arrested wore a T-shirt with a pro-Nazi slogan, the motive remained unclear.

The slayings came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

Public figures, politicians and experts appeared successively on TV Friday, desperately trying to explain the tragedies.

This is a moment when a nation decides whether it will go along a healing path, actor Srdjan Timarov said on N1 television. The only other way is to declare capitulation.

As a nationwide period of mourning began, TV screens were filled with people wearing black and music was banned from the airwaves as well as in cafes and restaurants. People lined up in Belgrade to donate blood, responding to an appeal for supplies needed to treat the wounded.

The assailant in Thursday's attack shot people in two villages near Mladenovac, a municipality located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, police said. Vucic said the gunman targeted people wherever they were.

In the village of Dubona, blood stained a schoolyard where shots had been fired and also the ground near a bench where residents often sit to share a beer and chat.

I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds, recalled Milan Prokic, a Dubona resident. Prokic said he first thought people were shooting to celebrate a birth, as is tradition in Serbia.

But it wasnt that. Shame, great shame, Prokic added.

Police said the suspect, identified by the initials U.B., was arrested in Vinjiste, a village 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Belgrade. Officers searching a relative's home found a large stash of illegal weapons and ammunition, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Authorities released a photo showing a young man in a police car in a blue T-shirt with the slogan Generation 88 on it. The double eights are often used as shorthand for Heil Hitler since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Vucic said the suspect repeated the word disparagement but it wasn't clear what he meant.

The president vowed in an address to the nation that the suspect will never again see the light of the day. He also announced tougher gun-control measures, in addition to those proposed by the government a day earlier.

He called for a moratorium on new gun licenses for the next two years, a review of all current licenses, longer prison sentences for those who break the rules and fierce punishment for anyone caught with illegal weapons. But first, police will offer an amnesty to encourage people to hand over illegal guns  an action that has had limited success in the past.

We will disarm Serbia, Vucic promised, saying the government would outline the new rules later Friday.

Health Minister Danica Grujicic said the wounded included a teenage girl who was hit in the head and another teen who had to have a kidney removed.

We havent seen this since the 1990s (war era), the minister said.

While the Serbian government sought to crack down on guns and police raced to investigate the fresh violence, the nation started to ask what social factors may have contributed to the mass shootings. Serbia has one of the highest number of firearms per capita in the world, and guns are frequently fired into the air to mark special occasions.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by those weapons coupled with decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship. Belgrade University psychology professor Dragan Popadic pointed to the violence coursing through society, including harassment of political opponents by ruling populists and aggressive sports hooligans.

People suddenly have been shaken into reality and the ocean of violence that we live in, how it has grown over time and how much our society has been neglected for decades, Popadic said after the first shooting. It is as if flashlights have been lit over our lives and we can no longer just mind our own business.

Opposition parties called for a march against violence on Monday, urged the government to control media content and demanded the resignations of three ministers.

Serbia is not a powder keg. Serbia has exploded, said Marinika Tepic, the vice president of an opposition party.

Serbia was already reeling after the first shooting. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage Thursday to slain peers. Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes.

The school attack also left seven people hospitalized, six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, Grujicic said Friday.

Authorities have said the suspected shooter, Kosta Kecmanovic, is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental hospital, and his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security.

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Associated Press journalist Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, contributed to this report.
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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Republicans blocking votes on bills about abortion, gun control and gender-affirming health care in Oregon this week have based their boycott on an obscure, 44-year-old state law that requires bill summaries to be written at the reading level of an eighth- or ninth-grader.

GOP leadership says their walkout  which marked its third day on Friday  is about every bill but that two bills that would expand protections for abortions and transgender health care and place more limitations on gun ownership specifically don't qualify under the 1979 law.

Democrats say Republicans didn't take issue with the writing style of bipartisan bills they backed earlier in the session until hot button issues were on the table. The fate of the contested bills is now unclear. Republicans have staged walkouts before, but this year legislators with 10 unexcused absences are disqualified for reelection, thanks to a new voter-approved constitutional amendment

Senate President Rob Wagner declared Friday's planned session a bust after 12 senators  none of them Democrats  stayed away. He accused them of trying to derail the abortion and gender-affirming health care measure.

It is abundantly clear that there is a concerted effort to undermine both the people and bring the Legislature to a halt, in violation of the constitution of the state of Oregon," Wagner said from the podium. He said the Senate would attempt to convene every day, including weekends.

Sen. Lynn Findley was one of two GOP senators who showed up on Friday, after being absent since the boycott started Wednesday. Asked if he returned because of the new constitutional amendment, he said: No, I've got work to do, then brushed off additional questions.

The 1979 law that Republicans are justifying their stay-away with specifically requires bill summaries to have an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level  measured by a score of at least 60 on something called the Flesch readability test. It's unclear if it was ever followed or consulted for past bill summaries, but a Republican Senate employee recently dug it out the Capitol archives.

Its important that we follow the law because, if were passing laws today, are we just expecting in, you know, 20, 30, 40 years that people are just going to ignore the laws that we have on the books that we all passed? I dont think we would appreciate that, said Senate Republican leader Sen. Tim Knopp.

And so Im pretty sure that the legislators that did that back then also wanted the law followed."

The namesake of the Flesch test was Rudolf Flesch, a Vienna-born psychologist and readability expert specializing in the art of plain talk.

Designed in the 1940s to measure how easy it is to read and understand a text, the readability test factors word and sentence length to determine a text's grade level. Scores range from 1 to 100, with 100 being the easiest to read and 1 being the most difficult. A score between 60 and 70 indicates an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level.

Flesch's readability formula inspired lawmakers across the country in the 1970s to use the test to make insurance policies easy-to-read for everyday consumers. In 1975, scientist J. Peter Kincaid refined the formula into the Flesch-Kincaid Readability test to help U.S. Navy personnel improve technical documents.

By 1979, Oregon lawmakers had figured out a way to use the Flesch test to shape legislation with plain language, too. Senate Bill 543 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support at the time.

Gary Wilhelms, the Oregon house minority leader in 1979, was one of 31 bipartisan votes to pass the bill. On Monday, the 85-year-old Republican addressed the resurfacing of the law in a statement released by the GOP senators.

Transparency prevailed then as it should today, Wilhelms said. The law is the law, and I'm glad the Senate Republican Caucus is attempting to enforce this statute today.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Wilhelms said his memory of the political moment in 1979 that shaped the readability law is fuzzy. He described it as minor legislation."

An early opponent was Republican Rep. Ted Bugas. At the time, he called the legislation a turkey with no virtues and no teeth.

Justin Brecht is the senior policy analyst for the Senate Republican caucus who knocked the dust off the old, forgotten law. But even with that legislation, it would take more digging and a legal opinion to understand how it fit into the GOP playbook.

Well, at first it was, Well, whats this statute that it says these measure summaries have to comply with? Brecht said. Most dont even know what the Flesch readability standard is."

Republican lawmakers have until May 12 before those with 10 unexcused absences will be banned from reelection under a ballot measure passed by 70% of Oregon voters last year.

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Komenda reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Claire Rush in Salem, Oregon, also contributed.

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The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip for his role in a 1997 murder-for-hire after the state's attorney general agreed Glossip's life should be spared.

While it's rare for the conservative-dominated court to put executions on hold, it's even more unusual for a prosecutor to side with the inmate.

Glossip had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 despite statements by new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond that Glossip did not receive a fair trial.

An Oklahoma appeals court subsequently upheld Glossip's conviction and the state's pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The high court put the execution on hold indefinitely while it reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the decision, presumably because he dealt with the case earlier as an appeals court judge.

There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the state now admits has never received a fair trial, Glossip attorney Don Knight said in a statement. "Our hope is that the court will reverse the decision of the (Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals) and vacate Mr. Glossips conviction once and for all.

Drummond, a Republican and the state's top prosecutor, supported a high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, Glossips trial was unfair and unreliable. He in a statement he was grateful for the high court's decision.

I will continue working to ensure justice prevails in this important case, he said.

But Drummond also has said he does not believe Glossip is innocent of the murder-for-hire killing of Glossips former boss, Barry Van Treese, in 1997. Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

Van Treeses brother, Ken Van Treese, declined to comment on Friday's ruling.

Former Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater has long said he believes Glossip persuaded Sneed to kill Van Treese. He said that while Sneed's testimony was most compelling, there was plenty of evidence to corroborate it.

When police came to talk to Glossip about Van Treese's whereabouts, he directed him away from the room he knew Van Treese was in, Prater said Friday. At any point, Glossip had the opportunity to tell the police that Sneed did this. He never did that. He even helped Sneed clean up everything.

Prater said Sneed and Glossip also both had a large amount of cash that Prater said they stole from Van Treese's car.

In light of Gentner Drummond's position regarding the stay, I don't feel like the Supreme Court had much of a choice, Prater said. But the truth will come out.

Two separate independent investigations have revealed problems with the prosecution's case.

Drummond said Sneed lied on the stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium, and that prosecutors knew Sneed was lying.

Also, evidence was destroyed, Drummond said.

Some Republican state lawmakers who support the death penalty have joined the growing chorus of Glossip supporters who are seeking to overturn his conviction.

We're just ecstatic, state Rep. Kevin McDugle said in a brief telephone interview on Friday.

Glossip was spending his last day of contact visitation with his wife, Lea Glossip, at the prison when he learned of the news, she said.

We were reaching the end of the visit where we would have to say our goodbyes when the warden came in, pulled us out into the hallway and told us the news, Lea Glossip said in a text message to The Associated Press.It truly feels like answered prayers.

Glossip's case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given a reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions.

Glossip has been just hours away from being executed three separate times. His last scheduled execution, in September 2015, was halted just moments before he was to be led to the death chamber when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug. That mix-up helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon  who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walking  took up his cause in real life. Prejean herself has served as Glossips spiritual adviser and frequently visited him in prison. His case also was featured in the 2017 documentary film Killing Richard Glossip.

Glossip is the first inmate who was granted a reprieve by the justices since their term began in October. The court rejected pleas from 15 others, including Darryl B. Barwick, who was executed in Florida on Wednesday.

But in a similar situation to Glossip's, the justices in January ordered a Texas appeals court to look again at the case of a death-row inmate who also had the backing of prosecutors. The inmate, Areli Escobar, had been convicted and sentenced to death based of forensic evidence that a judge later found to be flawed. But the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned the judges order for a new trial, even though the newly elected prosecutor in Travis County, Texas, was no longer standing behind the conviction. When Escobar appealed to the Supreme Court, the prosecutor supported his bid. Escobar was not facing imminent execution.

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Murphy reported from Oklahoma City.
UNITED NATIONS (AP)  The United Nations sought to reassure the Afghan people yet again Friday that it wont abandon them, though it left in question how it was going deliver desperately needed aid following the Taliban ban on Afghan women working for the world organization.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the ban an unacceptable violation of the Afghan women's human rights.

The U.N. announced on April 11 that the head of its political mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, would carry out an operational review of its activities in the country until May 5.

The mission, known as UNAMA, put out a statement in Kabul on Friday, reiterating its commitment to stay and deliver on behalf of the men, women and children of Afghanistan and appealing to donors to keep funding humanitarian assistance, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.

For now, we can only say that U.N. entities on the ground in Afghanistan continue to discuss appropriate working modalities, Haq told reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York. Meanwhile, humanitarian operations continue to be undertaken.

On April 5, Afghanistans Taliban rulers informed the United Nations that Afghan women employed with the U.N. mission could no longer report for work. It was the latest in sweeping restrictions imposed by the Taliban since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S. and NATO troops were withdrawing from the country after 20 years of war.

The Taliban previously banned girls from going to school beyond the sixth grade and women from most public life and work. In December, they banned Afghan women from working at local and non-governmental groups  a measure that at the time did not extend to U.N. offices.

The U.N. said it could not accept the decision, calling it an unparalleled violation of womens rights. The 3,300 Afghans employed by the U.N.  2,700 men and 600 women  were ordered to stay home but continue to work and are being paid, The U.N.s 600-strong international staff, including 200 women, is not affected by the Taliban ban.

The U.N. mission statement reiterated that lifting restrictions on the U.N., national and international nongovernmental groups involved in delivering humanitarian aid and other programs supporting the Afghan people is essential."

It said the U.N. continues to engage with the Taliban to obtain a reversal of the ban and ensure the safety of its staff. It quoted Guterres saying at a closed-door meeting in Qatar in early May that we must remain focused on our objective to support the people of Afghanistan."

"We cannot disengage despite the challenges, the U.N. chief said and also urged funding for aid operations, saying the ban was exacerbating already low levels of funding.

Guterres plans to hold another meeting aimed at unifying the positions of key players on the issues of human rights, governance, counterterrorism and anti-drug efforts related to Afghanistan.

Haq, the deputy U.N. spokesman, was pressed on the outcome of the U.N. review but said he had no actual change in our posture on the ground to report."

Were working to come to a decision on appropriate working modalities, he said.

"The needs of the Afghan people are immense, and we intend to fulfill those needs, but at the same time, our operations are clearly impeded  and our position on the need to allow all of staff, men and women, to work in communities un Afghanistan remains unchanged, Haq said.

U.N. staff in Afghanistan are still working from home aside from critical functions, and humanitarian operations continue to be undertaken, he said.

The Taliban have agreed to some carve-outs for Afghan women, including in the health sector, and we will use those, he added.

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Associated Press writer Rahim Faiez in Islamabad contributed to this report.
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy warned the secretary of the U.S. Army that Congress could limit funds for a Bell aircraft to replace the Sikorsky Black Hawk helicopter, after a history of cost overruns with the Bell V-22 Osprey which pioneered tilt-rotor technology that the new Bell aircraft duplicates.

Stratford-based Sikorsky lost a challenge last month of the Army's choice of the Bell V-280 Valor under the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft program, which would inherit many of the missions performed by the Black Hawk today. FLRAA is the first major contract awarded as part of the larger Future Vertical Lift program of the U.S. Department of Defense spanning aircraft and drones.

The Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force use the Osprey, which takes off like a helicopter then swivels its rotors forward 90 degrees to provide thrust like an airplane.

Last week, an Air Force official told the House Armed Services Committee that it is considering the Bell V-280 Valor as a long-range aircraft to rescue pilots downed in the Asia-Pacific region, even as Sikorsky builds a new fleet of Jolly Green II helicopters in Stratford that the Air Force envisions for combat rescue missions in the Middle East and Europe.

From his perch on the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense  and admitting to a "parochial interest" in Sikorsky's success with potentially thousands of jobs at stake in Connecticut  Murphy directed his questions on Tuesday to Army Secretary Christine Wormuth during a Tuesday hearing on the Army's 2024 budget priorities.

Murphy cited data that the Osprey, which Bell co-developed with Boeing, has had a "mission readiness" rate in his words of 56 percent over the last five years, well below the 82 percent baseline it was expected to surpass. He said each Osprey aircraft costs $100 million today, triple its price when it first entered service more than 15 years ago.

"My understanding is that past performance did not factor into the contract award," Murphy said Tuesday on Capitol Hill. "Tilt-rotor aircraft like the V-22 Osprey have a pretty miserable performance, reliability and safety record over the last 30 years."

The Pentagon has no plans to purchase more Ospreys, according to Military.com, with an unspecified number of aircraft grounded in February on gear clutch issues. Originally aiming for a fleet of 1,000 aircraft, the Marines, Navy and Air Force ended up acquiring less than 500 across the three branches.

The Osprey's development took 15 years longer than expected according to the Government Accountability Office, as Bell and Boeing worked to overcome technical problems and crashes of early prototypes. In a 2009 report, a GAO report stated the Osprey performed well in initial operations in Iraq, but that commanders had limited it to "low threat theater" missions, opting for helicopters for demanding missions in combat zones.

Sikorsky and Boeing designed their Defiant-X for combat maneuverability  promising vast improvements over the Black Hawk  and better speed as well, though not matching the V-280 Valor for cruising speed and range. Sikorsky and parent Lockheed Martin continue to tout the co-axial rotor concept that they have designed into the proposed Raider-X as an armed scout helicopter for the Army, including in a video posted late last month showcasing the helicopter.

Murphy focused his Tuesday comments on cost and reliability, without pressing Wormuth on any strategic and tactical differences between the Bell V-280 Valor and the Sikorsky-Boeing Defiant-X in the context of the Asia-Pacific region, as the Air Force official had referenced in the House Armed Services Committee hearing last week.

The bid that came in from Textron was twice  twice  the amount of the bid that came in from Sikorsky," Murphy said. "Layer on top of that this history suggesting that a tilt-rotor is going to end up costing our taxpayers inordinately more than even the initial bids, and I worry that we're going to have a hard time being able to fund the full cost of this award.

Wormuth responded that the Army had greater concern over the technical risk reflected in the Sikorsky-Boeing proposal, with GAO reporting last month the companies did not appear to have provided the level of detail for "modular open architecture"  making it easier to swap in upgraded systems as technologies evolve  that the Army had specified as a contract requirement.

"One of the reasons, as I understand it, that we selected the Bell-Textron aircraft was because it was assessed to have lower technical risk -- even though the bid that came in from Sikorsky from an overall dollar amount was lower," Wormuth said during the Senate subcommittee hearing. "It was a best-value competition  it wasn't strictly based on price  and we in the Army had considerable concerns about our visibility into the design process that came from Sikorsky."

Wormuth did not provide further detail immediately in response to Murphy's question on how the Army factored in past performance of the Osprey program in the decision to go back to Bell for another tilt-rotor.
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DENVER (AP)  Colorado lawmakers pushed a bill to the governors desk that would allow politicians to block social media users from their private accounts, just weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court announced it would consider to what extent that's legal.

The bipartisan measure Colorados Democrat-controlled Legislature approved Thursday allows lawmakers to block people for any reason they choose. The rule wouldnt apply to some politicians' accounts, such as one of Gov. Jared Polis Twitter accounts, @GovofCO.

The idea has sparked a national debate as social media becomes an increasingly popular tool for politicians to squeeze arguments into 280-character Tweets, laud their successes, air their grievances, and announce official business  all of which blurs the line between personal accounts and public forums.

That fuzzy line has already spurred a litany of lawsuits, including one against former President Donald Trump, but legal precedent remains slim.

The bill takes a swing at delineating between public and private accounts: a politician's social media page is public if it's required for the position or uses taxpayer dollars  managed by an official's staff, for example. Public accounts can be those that are passed from one officeholder to the next, such as @WhiteHouse, used by both Trump and President Joe Biden.

The legislation effectively defines a private account, which could block others, as a page not supported by government resources and not required for the office. It can be kept after a politician leaves office, such as @realDonaldTrump.

The legislation's bipartisan sponsors argue that it's merely drawing a line between public and private lives and liken it to a town hall  if two constituents began screeching at each other or harassed or intimidated onlookers, they would be rightfully removed.

(It's having) the same treatment from the physical world to the social media world, said Rep. Matt Soper, a Republican and one of the bill's sponsors. Soper said it appears to be the first bill of it's kind in the country and argued that it's a step forward in grappling with the wild, wild West of our generation."

The bill would allow a politician to block a user for any reason," and detractors worry it staunches the public's access to their representatives and limits their ability to voice opinions and engage in debate.

"The U.S. Supreme Court acknowledged that social media is an instrument for speaking and listening in the modern public square, and that it affords 'perhaps the most powerful mechanisms available to a private citizen to make his or her voice heard,'" said Catherine Ordonez, the ACLU of Colorados policy counsel, in a committee hearing on the bill.

Legislators following the text of this bill will regularly violate the First Amendment rights of the individuals interacting with their social media accounts, said Ordonez.

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Trump, on his long-held @realDonaldTrump account, have both faced lawsuits for blocking other Twitter users. A lower court ruled that Trump violated the First Amendment whenever he blocked a critic to silence a viewpoint, but the Supreme Court declined in 2021 to hear the case, partly citing Trump's account being then-suspended from the platform.

Greene settled her case, a common outcome of such litigation. At least two similar lawsuits in Colorado were also settled, leaving the topic largely void of legal precedent.

The Colorado bill is modeled off a 2022 federal court ruling that sided with the city manager of Port Huron, Michigan, who was sued for blocking someone and removing their posts from a Facebook page he used to communicate with the public. That case is now heading to the Supreme Court, which will not hear the case before fall.

The legislation outlines the criterion to determine whether an elected official's account is private, but it generally does not include the account's content. On a private page, for example, an elected official could still largely post about their work, bills they were supporting or opposing, announcements or political discussions.

If Im at a bar and I decide to talk to my friend about a bill Im running  Does that make my conversation public? argued Rep. Leslie Herod, a Democrat and one of the bill's sponsors. "As an elected official, every single part of our lives is not public.

Herod argued that the intent of the law is largely to stop some who may harass or intimidate from chilling the free speech of others who are engaging in good-faith online.

Tim Regan-Porter, CEO of the Colorado Press Association, pushed back, arguing that what politicians say about their work as elected officials is salient to the public and, consequently, reporters.

Its not just important what the law says, but what the intent was, why they chose to do it, and what parties might have influenced them," he said, "and pronouncements on social media can give clearer understanding of what went into a decision.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis didn't not immediately respond to questions regarding his position on the bill.

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Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
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BANGKOK (AP)  She has confidence, she has charisma, but most of all she has the family name and a face that reminds many of her famous father. In the race to become Thailands next prime minister, opinion polls show Paetongtarn Shinawatra to be the heavy favorite to take the post after the May 14 general election.

But some fear that victory for the youngest daughter of ousted former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra  the countrys most divisive figure  could plunge Thailand back into a familiar cycle of protest and military intervention.

Having the 36-year-old Paetongtarn on the ballot is expected to pay off handsomely for the popular Pheu Thai opposition party. Its polling so well that its hoping for a landslide victory, with enough seats to overcome the ruling party's built-in edge and name the prime minister.

While Paetongtarn is the clear vote-getter of her partys three candidates, any of the three could emerge from post-election wheeling and dealing as Thailands new leader.

At a registration event for candidates in March, Paetongtarn outlined policies including improving labor conditions, guaranteeing a higher minimum wage, reducing pollution, and turning Thailand into a financial technology hub.

Paetongtarn's 73-year-old father was the first Thai politician ever to win an overall majority of seats. Although the billionaire businessman's populist policies built him a powerful political base, they also earned him the enmity of the countrys elite. Thaksin was ousted by a military coup in 2006 and has been in self-imposed exile for over a decade to avoid serving a prison term for abuse of power, a conviction he has decried as politically motivated.

Still, he remains close to the hearts of million of voters, especially the countrys poor and residents of the relatively disadvantaged north.

Paetongtarn insists she is not merely a proxy for her father.

Its not the shadow of my dad. I am my dads daughter, always and forever, but I have my own decisions, she told a reporter at a recent rally.

Thaksin-backed parties thrived at the polls since Thaksin won his first election in 2001, but were unable to stay in office for long due to legal challenges in the courts  firmly aligned with the conservative establishment  and destabilizing street protests engineered by his die-hard foes.

In 2011, Thaksins sister Yingluck Shinawatra  Paetongtarns aunt  was swept into office with an easy election victory, becoming Thailands first female prime minister. But her government was ousted by another coup in 2014 carried out by then-army commander Prayuth Chan-ocha, who led a military government for five years and was then named prime minister after the 2019 general election. Like her brother, she went into exile to avoid legal consequences.

Prayuth, 69, is now running for reelection, but he's struggled to compete with Paetongtarn's political savvy. He is generally ranked a distant third in opinion polls for the preferred prime minister candidate, while his United Thai Nation Party has a similar but slightly weaker position with about 10% support.

Paetongtarn has shown her determination by carrying out a busy campaign schedule right until she gave birth to a second child this week. From the hospital where she delivered her newborn son Prutthasin, she told the media she was ready to get right back to the hustings.

She connects with the electorate, the base. She also has, I think, some talent that may have been inherited from her father in terms of going out on stump speeches, connecting with voters, speaking in front of large crowds, and running a campaign, while being pregnant, said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a professor of political science at Bangkoks Chulalongkorn University. She is definitely prime minister material.

Under Thailands electoral system, even if Pheu Thai wins a majority of seats, it does not automatically name the prime minister. Thats up to a joint vote of both houses of parliament, giving the unelected 250 members of the Senate a major voice. The Senators, appointed under the 2014-2019 military government, are a linchpin of the conservative ruling class, and cast their votes as a bloc in 2019 for Prayuth, the militarys favored candidate.

A strong Pheu Thai Party performance would threaten the militarys almost nine-year hold on power and could reignite animosity towards the family that erupted into months of street protests in 2013 and 2014 against the Yingluck government.

For some people, a Shinawatra as prime minister is a step too far, even if fairly elected.

A lot of people love them but you have a large number of conservative people who are against Thaksin and his family, said Prajak Kongkirati, a political scientist from Bangkoks Thammasat University. So the fact that he put his daughter for the candidate, you know, might turn off a lot of conservative people and can stir up emotion from conservative side again.

Paetongtarn recently downplayed the chances of another coup.

Im not the one who invented the coup detat or anything but, actually, I have a very high hope that its not going to happen again and I believe its going to be a lot harder that the coup will happen again, she said.

There has been widespread speculation that Paetongtarn may be counting on a deal with Prawit Wongsuwan, a 77-year-old former general who is Prayuths deputy prime minister, but is competing against him in this years election with the military-aligned Palang Pracharath Party.

Pheu Thai leaders have denied a deal, but theres persistent speculation that the Thaksin-supported Pheu Thai Party might bring him into a post-election coalition to calm the establishment.

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Find more of APs Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
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BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP)  U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that authorities faced extremely challenging circumstances along the border with Mexico days before pandemic-related asylum restrictions end.

A surge of Venezuelan migrants through South Texas, particularly in and around Brownsville, has occurred over the last two weeks for reasons that Mayorkas said were unclear. On Thursday, 4,000 of about 6,000 migrants in Border Patrol custody in Texas Rio Grande Valley were Venezuelan.

Mayorkas noted that Mexico agreed this week to continue taking back Venezuelans who enter the U.S. illegally after asylum restrictions end Thursday, along with Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans. Migrants have been expelled from the U.S. more than 2.8 million times since March 2020 under what is known as Title 42 authority.

The secretary reaffirmed plans to finalize a new policy by Thursday that will make it extremely difficult for migrants to seek asylum if they pass through another country, like Mexico, on their way to the U.S. border.

The situation at the border is a very serious one, a very challenging one and a very difficult one, Mayorkas said.

Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this week they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said 1,500 active-duty troops will be dispatched to El Paso, Texas, adding to 2,500 National Guard troops already positioned across the border. Ortiz said El Paso was chosen because it has been a busy corridor for illegal crossings over the last six months. The troop deployment was announced this week but not the location.

Mayorkas, on his second day of a visit to the Rio Grande Valley, said smugglers were deceiving migrants and luring them on a dangerous journey. The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11, he said.

Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard echoed Mayorkas' sentiment about smugglers spreading misinformation.

Were seeing a very significant flow (of migrants) in recent days on the basis of a hoax, Ebrard said at a news conference. He said smugglers are saying, Hurry up to get to the United States by crossing Mexico because on May 11 theyre going to end Title 42.

Its a trick and theyre at risk, Ebrard said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged those who want to migrate to follow legal pathways, such as applying in U.S. processing centers scheduled to open in Guatemala and Colombia. He said Mexico was not making special preparations for the end of Title 42 because he didn't expect a surge.

A lot of people wont let themselves be tricked, the president said.

Mayorkas touted new legal pathways, which include parole for up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans a month who apply online with a financial sponsor. But he said the Biden administration could only do so much without Congress.

We have a plan, we are executing on that plan, Mayorkas said. Fundamentally, however, we are working within a broken immigration system that for decades has been in dire need of reform.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that it is raising the number of people admitted to the country at land crossings with Mexico to 1,000 a day from 740 using a mobile app called CBPOne that was extended in January to asylum-seekers. Demand has far outweighed available slots.

The administration faced a setback, at least a temporary one, when Colombia said Thursday that it suspended deportation flights from the U.S. due to cruel and degrading treatment of migrants. Colombia's immigration agency said it canceled returns of 1,200 Colombians after complaints about conditions in U.S. detention centers and on the flights.

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Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed.
TORONTO (AP)  Canadas foreign minister said Thursday the country is considering the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an intelligence agency report saying one of them plotted to intimidate the Hong Kong relatives of a Canadian lawmaker.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her department was summoning Chinas ambassador to a meeting to underline that Canada wont tolerate such interference.

She said the intelligence agency report indicated that opposition Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and his Hong Kong relatives were targeted after Chong criticized Beijings human rights record.

Were assessing different options including the expulsion of diplomats, Joly said before a Parliament committee.

Canadas spy agency has not released details publicly. Chong has said the report identifies a Toronto-based diplomat as being part of the plot. Chong has been critical of Beijings treatment of Uyghur Muslims in Chinas Xinjiang province.

I cannot imagine the shock and concern of learning that your loved ones have been targeted in this way, Joly said to Chong at the committee hearing. There will be consequences.

Chong said the diplomat should be on the first plane out of Canada.

It is inexplicable that this diplomat hasnt been told to leave the country already, he said.

If we do not take this course of action we are basically putting up a giant billboard for all authoritarian states around world that says we are open to foreign interference targeting Canadian citizens. Thats why this individual needs to be sent packing.

Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu denied interference in a statement and warned against expelling its diplomats.

Once again, China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce, and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end, Cong said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he did not learn of the spy agency report until a Globe and Mail article Monday, citing top-secret documents, said the spy agency had the intelligence. But Chong told Parliament that Canada's national security adviser informed him the 2021 report went to various points in government, including to the national-security adviser at the time.

Trudeau has ordered Canadas intelligence agencies to immediately inform lawmakers of any threats against them, regardless of whether those threats are considered credible.

Canadas spy agency didn't tell Chong about the targeting of his family until this week.

Many governments, the United Nations, and human rights groups accuse China of sweeping a million or more people from its Uyghur community and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups into detention camps, where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. China denies the accusations, which are based on evidence including interviews with survivors and photos and satellite images from Uyghurs home province of Xinjiang, a major hub for factories and farms in far western China.

Last month, Trudeau named a former governor general as a special investigator to look into allegations of Chinese interference in Canadas last two elections. David Johnston will decide if a public inquiry is needed and Trudeau has said he will abide by recommendations.

The Globe and Mail, citing unidentified intelligence sources, has reported that China preferred to see Trudeaus Liberals re-elected in the 2021 election and worked to defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing.
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BRIDGEPORT  Three artists, including an internationally recognized muralist, said they answered the citys call to help transform the downtown area into a vibrant center of community activity. But instead, they said they got brushed off.

We went through multiple renditions of proposals and purchased the supplies and then after all that preparation the city pulled out without explanation, said Alice Mizrachi.

Mizrachi, whose work has been featured in exhibitions at the Museum of the City of New York, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the United Nations and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Washington DC, this week filed suit with two other artists against the city and the state Department of Transportation.

She said they are seeking to recoup the $75,000 they spent preparing to do a mural on a downtown railroad underpass.

If I dont stand up for artists there is a good chance they (the city) will do this again, Mizrachi said.

Officials for the city did not return calls and emails for comment. DOT officials said they do not comment on pending litigation.

The planned mural was part of the citys efforts to get artists to paint murals on vacant spaces but separate from the downtown districts Color It program that places murals on buildings.

According to the lawsuit, filed in Superior Court by the artists lawyer, Jane Cowles, in April 2022, the city announced a call for artists to submit proposals for murals called the Railroad Underpass Art Project.

On Sept. 15, 2022, the plaintiffs signed a vendor agreement that has been sent them via email by Matthew Abbott, of the citys Office of Planning and Economic Development, the suit states. After purchasing the required insurance for the project, the suit states on Oct. 17, 2022 Abbot sent an email to the plaintiffs stating that the Bridgeport Underpass Art Project was approved by purchasing. In the same email the suit continues Abbott stated that MTA and DOT have both reviewed the access agreement and have no issues with the process.

But on Dec. 29, 2022, the suit states that the department emailed the plaintiffs that the Railroad Underpass Art Project was cancelled.

There was no explanation and no further contact from the OPED, said Cowles. My clients had spent their own money based on the assurance of the defendants that the project was going to go forward. These may be well-established artists but that doesnt mean they have a lot of money they can spend for no reason.

Abbott did not return calls for comment.

Mizrachi, who has worked on mural projects around the country and in Amsterdam, Berlin and Tel Aviv, said she has never had a situation where a municipality suddenly cancels a mural project with no explanation to the artists.

In the meantime, the model for the mural lies rolled up in Mizrachis studio.

It was going to be titled Native Flora Fantasy," she said.

I researched the native flora and wildlife of the area and the mural was going to include the native flora along with birds and other wildlife, she said.
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BRIDGEPORT  A suspect in an April shooting that killed a 25-year-old man is wanted for murder, according to local police.

Andre Johnson, 27, of Bridgeport, should be considered armed and dangerous, police wrote in a wanted poster.

Officers responded to the 100 block of Denver Avenue around 8:15 p.m. April 26 after shots were detected in the vicinity by the program ShotSpotter, Capt. Kevin Gilleran of the Bridgeport Police Departments Detective Bureau said in a news release on April 27. Evidence was collected, interviews were conducted, and the area was canvassed in the ensuing investigation, Gilleran said.

On April 27, a civilian called police around 8:30 a.m. to report finding a body next to a house in the 100 block of Denver Avenue, according to Gilleran. Responding officers located an unresponsive man lying on the ground between a car and a house, Gilleran said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medics, Gilleran said.

The victim was subsequently identified as Aaron Hunt, 25, of Bridgeport. He lived on the West Side, Gilleran said.

Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, he said in the initial news release.

Members of the Detective Bureaus Homicide Squad took charge of the investigation after the bureau was notified, according to Gilleran. The probe closed the stretch of Denver Avenue between Fairfield Avenue and Denver Court into the evening on April 27, Gilleran. Leads (are) quickly developing, he said at the time.

No further updates about the case were issued until Thursday evening, when police released Johnsons wanted poster.

The poster said Johnson weighs 150 pounds, stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and has black hair and brown eyes. He is known to frequent Bridgeports West Side, the poster said.

Johnson is the subject of an active extraditable warrant held by Bridgeport police, according to Gilleran.

Anyone with information should immediately call 911 and follow up with the case officer, Det. Brian Coyne, at 203-581-5223.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  Indiana's governor on Thursday signed a bill that will require schools to notify a parent if a student requests a name or pronoun change at school, one of the final bills approved in a legislative session that had targeted LGBTQ+ people in the state, especially students.

Critics worry the law could out transgender children to their families and erode trust between students and teachers while supporters have contested the legislation keeps parents empowered and informed about their children when at school.

Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb's approval of the legislation comes in a year when GOP-led legislatures around the country are seeking to curb LGBTQ+ rights, specifically targeting trans people's participation in sports, workplaces and schools, as well as their access to health care.

Recently, Florida Republicans on Wednesday also approved a bill that would prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that dont correspond to someones sex, a bill Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign into law. Meanwhile, at least 16 states, including Indiana,have banned or restricted access to gender-affirming care such as hormones, puberty blockers, and surgeries.

Indiana's name and pronouns law, which goes into effect July 1, will require school officials to provide written notification to a childs parent or guardian within five business days of the child asking to be called a different pronoun, title, or word, according to the bill. It also prohibits, from prekindergarten through third grade, instruction on human sexuality, something that is not defined in the bill.

I believe in parental rights, Holcomb said in a statement Thursday. I also just believe its commonsense that sex education should not be taught in prekindergarten through third grade.

GOP bill author Rep. Michelle Davis said the law will ensure Hoosier parents are in the drivers seat when it comes to introducing sensitive topics to their kids.

I continue to hear from constituents who are concerned about what their kids are being taught in the classroom, and that theyre being left out of important discussions with their children," she said in a statement. This new law will also increase transparency by requiring that parents be notified if their child is struggling with their gender identity at school.

Holcomb also signed into law on Thursday a bill that could make it easier to ban books from public school libraries, staff at which would be required by July 1 to publicly post a list of books they offer and provide a complaints process for community members.

Schools and librarians could also no longer argue, as a legal defense, that the texts in their libraries have educational value. The law would still allow them to argue the text has literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

Those who supported the legislation expressed concern that sexually inappropriate or pornographic materials are available to children in school libraries. Critics, however, said the legislation could open the door to banning books or criminal prosecutions of librarians simply because some people dont like the topics of the texts, particularly those with LGBTQ+ themes.

Holcomb said he was happy that these decisions will continue to take place at the local level.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana said, however, laws like these only serve to control what youth can and cannot read, what they can and cannot learn, and  most troublingly  who they can and cannot be.

Trans youth thrive when they are affirmed in their gender identity, which includes being called by a name and pronouns that reflect who they are, said Katie Blair, ACLU of Indiana advocacy and public policy director.

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Arleigh Rodgers is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow her on Twitter at https://twitter.com/arleighrodgers.
BRIDGEPORT  Mayor Joe Ganim will get another chance to plead his case for getting his law license back.

A panel of three Superior Court judges has been scheduled to hear Ganims application on June 6.

"We are looking forward to making our presentation to the judges," said Ganim's lawyer Suzanne Sutton.

Last month, in a 10-page decision, the Hartford Standing Committee on Recommendation for Admission to the Connecticut Bar voted 3 to 2 not to recommend that Ganim get his license back. The panel stated that Ganim has not proved that his efforts to rehabilitate himself outweigh the damage he did when he was convicted on corruption charges while serving as mayor.

The applicants rehabilitation, impressive as it is, does not outweigh the damage his re-admission would cause to the integrity and standing of the Bar or to the administration of justice, the committee stated.

If the judges deny the application, Ganim could appeal that decision to the state Supreme Court.

In July, Ganim said Regaining my law license is a separate matter from being the mayor or running for another term. He further clarified his intent would be to again take up law at some point in the future after serving as mayor.

Ganim, who worked as a lawyer with his familys law firm until he was first elected mayor in 1991, was convicted in 2003 of 16 federal charges including racketeering, extortion and bribery and sentenced to nine years in prison. He was released after serving seven years and won his old job back in 2015.

In 2012, a panel of local lawyers agreed Ganim deserved to get his law license back, but a three-judge panel rejected his application stating he had shown no remorse for his crimes. The mayor then unsuccessfully appealed that ruling before the state Supreme Court.

In February 2021, Ganim again applied to get his law license back. This time his application was assigned to a panel of Hartford area lawyers.

During a hearing before the standing committee in August in Hartford, Ganim wiped tears from his eyes as he told the five members, I dont know how I can explain it. The person that I am now recognizes that I was a willing participant in that kind of activity.

On the witness stand, Ganim was asked by his lawyer if in fact he was guilty to each of the charges he was convicted of. To each charge Ganim answered yes.

There is a breach of public trust the moment you step over the line, and I stepped over that line, Ganim said.

Asked by Sutton if he had testified wrongfully when he told a jury he did not accept any bribes or participate in corruption, Ganim continued: I lied on the (witness) stand, I tried to cover up. I feel terrible now, it was reprehensible.

Under cross examination by Brian Staines, the states disciplinary counsel, Ganim admitted he lied about being addicted to drugs to get into a program that knocked two years off his sentence.

My motivation to get into the program was to get out early and thats it, Ganim said. But he said he learned a lot in the program.

Also during the hearing, Ganim and other witnesses, including his aide Thomas Gaudett, testified Ganims conduct has been exemplary since running and being elected mayor in 2015. He was then reelected in 2019.

But while the committee stated in its decision that it wasnt disputing that assertion, it continued that Ganims conduct as mayor has been subject to intense public scrutiny since his corruption conviction.

Consequently staying out of trouble is less impressive an accomplishment than might otherwise be the case so far as the committee is concerned, they stated.

In its decision, the standing committee said it considered the 10 criteria stated by the state Supreme Court when it rejected Ganims readmission in 2014, specifically, criteria number 10  proof the applicants return to practice will not be detrimental to the integrity of the bar and the administration of justice.

Against the history of sordid, brazen, egregiously corrupt conduct for which the applicant was suspended and criminally convicted, we cannot conclude that he has proved compliance with criterion no. 10 by clear and convincing evidence, the committee wrote.

But the two dissenting members of the commission, Richard Brown and Rene Rosado, wrote in a separate memorandum that they were impressed with Ganim's testimony during the hearing and stated he appeared to testify with sincerity and honesty.

"Mr. Ganim's full commitment to giving back to the people of Bridgeport, the real victims of his misconduct, is clear for all to see," they wrote.

They recommended he be reinstated with the conditions that he work with a mentor and not practice law on his own for three years.
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NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (AP)  Authorities in Massachusetts on Friday identified the worker who died after a powerful explosion tore through a pharmaceutical chemical plant with a history of safety violations.

Fire crews in Newburyport were still cleaning up the site, a day after what they described as seven-alarm hazardous materials event that tore the roof off the building and sprayed debris as far as 800 feet (244 meters) away from the facility. Four workers were sent to a hospital, but were uninjured and released.

The person who died was identified as Jack OKeefe, 62, of Methuen, according to a spokesperson for the Essex County District Attorneys office. An autopsy is planned.

About four dozen large barrels containing chemicals including acetone, methanol and isopropyl alcohol were removed from the building Friday, and a crane was brought in to shore up a metal support beam as crews worked, according to a statement by Newburyport Acting Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III.

Todays goal is to remove hazardous materials and start to remove structural material so that the facility can be turned over to private contractors, said Bradbury, who becomes permanent chief on June 1.

The cause remained unclear, Deputy Fire Chief Barry Salt told reporters Friday.

All we know is that it was a part of a chemical process that they do continually every day, and they are looking into the cause, Salt said.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Friday that it had started an inspection into the company. The inspection is aimed at determining if the employer has complied with OSHA workplace safety and health standards. It could take up to six months.

The explosion happened around 1 a.m. Thursday at the Seqens/PCI Synthesis plant, officials said. Video showed most of the roof torn off a building, marking at least the third safety problem at the plant since 2020.

Smoke from the fire blew into a largely unpopulated area, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection, and air quality monitoring near the site has so far detected no hazards. Area waterways are also being monitored.

There is no risk to the environment currently or to the community itself, Salt said.

The plant lies a little more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Boston and has had a string of problems over the years - prompting U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton  in whose district the facility is located  to write a letter to the company late Thursday demanding a full accounting of what happened.

This explosion is only the latest avoidable disaster at this facility, following years of serious safety violations, multiple fines, and other explosions, the lawmakers said in the letter. We write seeking the explanation as to why this latest incident occurred and how, after years of fines and regulatory enforcement actions, Seqens could have allowed unsafe conditions to persist.

Thursday's explosion makes it painfully apparent that your company has failed to create any meaningful or effective safety culture, the letter said.

An email seeking a response to the lawmakers' letter was sent to a company spokesperson.

A chemical fire in the building in June 2021 sent smoke pouring out of roof vents and prompted a hazardous materials team to respond, according to a fire department statement at the time.

In 2020, authorities said a chemical reaction caused a series of explosions at the plant. That happened a year after the Occupational Safety and Health Administration found serious violations in how the company managed highly hazardous chemicals, according to online agency records.

The factory has also been cited by OSHA for workplace safety violations and in 2019 paid a penalty of more than $50,000 to settle Environmental Protection Agency charges that it violated hazardous waste laws.

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This story corrects spelling of Seqens in paragraph 7.

___

This story corrects the spelling of Sen. Edward Markey's last name.
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NORFOLK, Va. (AP)  A U.S. Army soldier won't get a new trial for his lawsuit against two police officers after he was pepper- sprayed, struck and handcuffed during a traffic stop in rural Virginia, a federal judge has ruled.

Video of the incident in the small town of Windsor got millions of views after Caron Nazario filed his lawsuit in 2021. For many, the stop highlighted fears of mistreatment among Black drivers and raised questions about reasonable police conduct.

Nazario, who was never arrested, sought $1 million in damages in his initial lawsuit. But in January, a jury in Richmond mostly sided with two police officers and awarded the soldier a total of $3,685.

Nazario almost immediately requested a new trial, claiming the jury's verdict was against the clear weight of the evidence, among other grounds.

U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young disagreed. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Young wrote that Nazario makes no showing that the jurys findings were not within their discretion.

The jury is at liberty to weigh the credibility of the evidence as it sees fit, the judge wrote.

The traffic stop occurred about 30 miles west of Norfolk in December 2020. Video shows Windsor police officers Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez pointing handguns at a uniformed Nazario behind the wheel of his Chevy Tahoe at a gas station.

The officers repeatedly commanded Nazario to exit his SUV, with Gutierrez warning at one point that Nazario was fixing to ride the lightning when he didnt get out.

Nazario held his hands in the air outside the drivers side window and continually asked why he was being stopped.

Nazario also said: Im honestly afraid to get out.

You should be, Gutierrez responded.

Nazario stayed in the vehicle. Gutierrez went on to pepper-spray him through the open window. Once Nazario exited the SUV, the officers commanded him to get on the ground, with Gutierrez using his knees to strike Nazarios legs, the soldier's lawsuit stated.

In court documents, Nazario said he developed anxiety, depression and PTSD. A psychologist found that Nazario, who is Black and Latino, suffers from race-based trauma associated with violent police encounters.

Mr. Nazario recalls that he thought he was going to die that evening, his lawsuit stated.

Nazario sued Crocker and Gutierrez. Crocker was still on the force. But Gutierrez was fired in April 2021, the same month Nazario filed his lawsuit.

The men denied ever threatening to kill Nazario. They contended that Nazario misconstrued Gutierrezs statement that Nazario was fixing to ride the lightning. Gutierrez spoke those words while holstering his gun and drawing his Taser and was referencing his stun gun, not an execution, according to court filings.

Crocker and Gutierrez argued that they performed their duties within the law after Nazario failed to immediately pull over and refused to exit his vehicle. Plus, a federal judge already found they had probable cause to stop Nazario for an improperly displayed license plate, and to charge him with eluding police, as well as obstruction of justice and failure to obey.

In court filings, Gutierrez questioned the extent of Nazario's mental anguish and pointed out that the solider was still in the National Guard in the months leading up to the trial.

During the trial in January, the jury had to consider Nazario's allegations that he was illegally searched, assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned.

The jury found Gutierrez liable for assault and awarded Nazario $2,685 in compensatory damages.

The jury also awarded Nazario $1,000 in punitive damages for Crocker's illegal search of Nazarios SUV. A federal judge had already ruled that Crocker was liable for the search.

But the jury found in favor of Crocker and against Nazarios claims of assault and battery and false imprisonment. The jury also found in favor of Gutierrez regarding the soldiers claims of battery, false imprisonment and illegal search.

While denying Nazario's request for a new trial on Wednesday, the judge acknowledged that reasonable persons could find" for the soldier. But Young also wrote that the weight and credibility of the evidence wasn't enough to "require the extraordinary step of overturning a jury verdict.

Young did agree with Nazario on one matter: Based on Virginia law, the soldier was owed compensatory damages on top of the $1,000 in punitive damages the jury awarded for Crocker's illegal search.

Nazario was awarded $1 in nominal damages "in order to vindicate his rights under the U.S. Constitution," the judge wrote.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)  State charges including attempted murder have been dismissed against a woman accused of stabbing an Indiana University student of Chinese descent on a public bus, court records show.

Billie R. Davis, 56, of Bloomington, who is white, still faces a federal hate crime charge in the stabbing of the 18-year-old woman with a folding knife on Jan. 11. The victim from Carmel, Indiana, was waiting to exit the bus in downtown Bloomington, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Indianapolis.

Online court records show state charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery by means of a deadly weapon were dismissed April 25. Davis had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Court records show defense attorney Jeffrey Kehr argued the facts supporting the state charges were the same as those behind the federal charge.

A telephone message seeking comment was left Thursday for an attorney representing Davis in the federal case.

Court records show Davis told police she stabbed the woman multiple times in the head with a folding knife, because it would be one less person to blow up our country.

Asian Americans have increasingly been the target of racially motivated harassment and assaults in recent years, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic began, with many worrying that anti-Asian rhetoric linked to fraught relations between the U.S. and China could lead to more violence.

An affidavit from a detective who reviewed bus surveillance footage said Davis stabbed the victim about seven times in the top of the head.

Davis then folds the knife, puts it back in her pocket and returns to her seated position on the bus, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance footage showed no interaction between the two women prior to the attack.

Kyle Dugger, an attorney who represented Davis in the state case, said in a court motion in January that he was seeking an insanity defense on her behalf and that she is incapable of assisting in the preparation of her defense because of mental illness.
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CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Albaneses comments Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old Assange, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the United States.

Before that, Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Albanese said Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is, Albanese added.

Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Albanese said there was a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Albanese has said he has advocated for Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials. On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Assange with Biden when Albanese hosts the U.S. leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works  is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, Albanese said. Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr. Assanges mental health, Albanese said.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi waves to crowds of businessmen in Damascus, Syria, May 4, 2023.

Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that his two-day visit to Syria was a "turning point" in improving bilateral political, economic, trade and security ties. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)

TEHRAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Friday that his two-day visit to Syria was a "turning point" in improving bilateral political, economic, trade and security ties.

Raisi told reporters upon arriving here from Syria that the trip was of great importance for both sides and the region after 12 years of resistance by the Syrian people and government against enemies' conspiracies and seditious acts, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency.

He noted that Iran appreciates Syria's resistance against the "tough attacks," and Iran's support in the process made Syria and the region believe that Iran is a "strong pillar" they can trust and rely on.

The two sides are capable of enhancing cooperation regarding economic and trade relations, said the Iranian president, noting that they have signed 15 documents on cooperation in the fields of producing and distributing energy, establishing joint banks and insurance companies, reducing trade tariffs, enhancing transit among Iran, Iraq and Syria and reviving Syria's agricultural, industrial and energy sectors.

Raisi, who is the first Iranian president to visit Syria after the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011, arrived in Damascus on Wednesday for extensive political and economic talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, with a high-level political and economic delegation. 
ATLANTA (AP)  Georgias Republican secretary of state has set the battleground states 2024 presidential primary for March 12, rebuffing the wishes of Democrats, including President Joe Biden, to move the state into the early weeks of the nominating calendar as a part of elevating more diverse electorates.

Brad Raffensperger said Thursday that the Democrats' push was unilateral, given that national Republicans have set the traditional early slate for 2024: Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada.

If you want to get most things done in America, sometimes you have to build some consensus and reach out to both sides of the aisle, Raffensperger said, arguing that Democrats never did reach out, at least not to me.

Democrats refute that characterization, pointing to months of lobbying efforts aimed at Raffensperger's office and considerable discussion of the matter, even if Raffensperger himself avoided direct participation in those talks.

The Democratic National Committee already overhauled its nominating calendar to move South Carolina into its opening slot, while endorsing the idea of Georgia and Michigan moving into the first month of voting. That would lessen the influence of Iowa and New Hampshire, the two overwhelmingly white states that have opened Republican and Democratic nomination battles for decades.

But Raffensperger holds sole power to set Georgia's primary date, and the secretary said he had no desire to authorize separate party primaries or do anything that would cost a Georgia delegation votes at a national party convention. Both national party committees have promised to dock delegate seats from states that flout their preferred nominating schedules.

A DNC spokesman said the national party had no comment. State Democrats did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Democrats in Atlanta and Washington had expected Raffensperger's announcement.

It's another disappointment for Georgia Democrats after losing out on the 2024 national convention. Atlanta was a finalist. Local officials viewed the city as the favorite, but Biden opted for Chicago.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, widely regarded as the state's most influential Republican, also did not support moving Georgia into the early nominating window. Kemp has no official power over primary dates, but he would have been key to any effort to convince national GOP leaders to reconsider their calendar ahead of 2024.

Now, Republicans and Democrats are headed for considerably different opening weeks for the first time in decades. GOP hopefuls, including former President Donald Trump, already have begun building their campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire.

Raffensperger's decision puts Georgia one week after the March 5 Super Tuesday. Raffensperger said waiting for that slot will make Georgia the clear prize of that day's voting because it's the only large battleground alongside Idaho, Washington and Mississippi.

The differences could be moot for Democrats, with Biden yet to draw heavyweight opponents. Challengers Marianne Williamson and Robert Kennedy Jr. are not expected to threaten the sitting president within his own party.

Republicans have a more crowded field. But the risk for Georgia is that Super Tuesday yields a clear separation for a front-runner. Trump, for example, dominated a Super Tuesday slate in 2016 that included Georgia, emerging from that day's voting with a clear delegate lead that none of his competitors seriously challenged even as Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and others held on for additional primary battles.

Georgia Democrats argued that to guarantee attention from candidates and national media, the state needed to crack the early nominating window.

Regardless of whether Raffensperger ever spoke with any Democratic Party leaders about the issue, key Democrats spoke with Raffensperger aides and Kemp's representatives in an attempt to garner support for an early Georgia primary. They spent months highlighting the potential economic benefits for the state, trying to coax more support from Republicans. They argued also that the states voters and local political figures  of both parties  would benefit from the attention and having a stronger say in national politics, building on Biden's narrow general election win 2020 and split results in the 2022 governor's and U.S. Senate contests.

Raffensperger, who is considering running for higher statewide office in 2026, insisted Georgia can still prove its sway.

If you can win Georgia, he said, you will win nationally.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Kentucky man with a long criminal record was sentenced Friday to a record-setting 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the U.S. Capitol with his wife.

Peter Schwartzs prison sentence is the longest so far among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. The judge who sentenced Schwartz also handed down the previous longest sentence  10 years  to a retired New York Police Department officer who assaulted a police officer outside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 24 years and 6 months for Schwartz, a welder.

U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Schwartz to 14 years and two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Mehta said Schwartz was a soldier against democracy who participated in the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the country's history.

You are not a political prisoner, the judge told him. You're not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime.

Schwartz briefly addressed the judge before learning his sentence, saying, I do sincerely regret the damage that Jan. 6 has caused to so many people and their lives.

The judge said he didn't believe Schwartz's statement, noting his lack of remorse.

You took it upon yourself to try and injure multiple police officers that day, Mehta said.

Schwartz was armed with a wooden tire knocker when he and his then-wife, Shelly Stallings, joined other rioters in overwhelming a line of police officers on the Capitols Lower West Terrace, where he threw a folding chair at officers.

By throwing that chair, Schwartz directly contributed to the fall of the police line that enabled rioters to flood forward and take over the entire terrace, prosecutor Jocelyn Bond wrote in a court filing.

Schwartz, 49, also armed himself with a police-issued super soaker canister of pepper spray and sprayed it at retreating officers. Advancing to a tunnel entrance, Schwartz coordinated with two other rioters, Markus Maly and Jeffrey Brown, to spray an orange liquid toward officers clashing with the mob.

While the stream of liquid did not directly hit any officer, its effect was to heighten the danger to the officers in that tunnel, Bond wrote.

Before leaving, Schwartz joined a heave ho push against police in the tunnel.

Stallings pleaded guilty last year to riot-related charges and was sentenced last month to two years of incarceration.

Schwartz was tried with co-defendants Maly and Brown. In December, a jury convicted all three of assault charges and other felony offenses.

Mehta sentenced Brown last Friday to four years and six months in prison. Maly is scheduled to be sentenced June 9.

Schwartzs attorneys requested a prison sentence of four years and six months. They said his actions on Jan. 6 were motivated by a misunderstanding about the 2020 presidential election. Then-President Donald Trump and his allies spread baseless conspiracy theories that Democrats stole the election from the Republican incumbent.

There remain many grifters out there who remain free to continue propagating the great lie that Trump won the election, Donald Trump being among the most prominent. Mr. Schwartz is not one of these individuals; he knows he was wrong, his defense lawyers wrote.

Prosecutors said Schwartz has bragged about his participation in the riot, shown no remorse and claimed that his prosecution was politically motivated. He referred to the Capitol attack as the opening of a war in a Facebook post a day after the riot.

I was there and whether people will acknowledge it or not we are now at war, Schwartz wrote.

Schwartz has raised over $71,000 from an online campaign entitled Patriot Pete Political Prisoner in DC. Prosecutors asked Mehta to order Schwartz to pay a fine equaling the amount raised by his campaign, arguing that he shouldnt profit from participating in the riot.

Schwartz was on probation when he joined the Jan. 6 riot. His criminal record includes a jaw-dropping 38 prior convictions since 1991, several of which involved assaulting or threatening officers or other authority figures, Bond wrote.

Schwartz was working as a welder in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, before his arrest in February 2021, but he considers his home to be in Owensboro, Kentucky, according to his attorneys.

More than 100 police officers were injured during the riot. More than 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes related to Jan. 6. Nearly 500 of them have been sentenced, with over half getting terms of imprisonment.

The 10-year prison sentence that Mehta handed down in September to retired NYPD officer Thomas Webster had remained the longest until Friday. Webster had used a metal flagpole to assault an officer and then tackled the same officer as the mob advanced toward the Capitol.
WFO LUBBOCK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Lubbock Texas has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

North central Floyd County in northwestern Texas...

Southeastern Briscoe County in the Panhandle of Texas...

* Until 415 PM CDT.

* At 332 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over South Plains,

or 16 miles south of Silverton, moving northeast at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Caprock Canyon State Park, Quitaque, South Plains and Valley

Schools.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Opinion: In the past few years, police brutality has shaped the way we view the police force as an institution. When it comes to their presence on college campuses, some have begun questioning if these officers even have a role anymore.

----------

After the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, many people seriously reevaluated the way they view the police force as a whole. On one side, there were calls to defund police, while other people became their local PD's biggest supporters. Three years later, tensions have slightly lessened. But one thing hasn't: the polarization of the issue. So now I question if police officers are a necessary aspect of campus life?

There are two sides of this story to consider. First, these officers are stationed on college campuses to ensure that the campus remains a safe environment where students feel comfortable walking at night. Second, these officers are there to watch the students for the first sign of "trouble," and they commonly make students feel less safe at night  especially students of color.

As a student of color who lived on campus last year, I have felt uneasy walking home with a police headlight lighting my path. Even though I have done nothing wrong, I still have a fear of police, so having them in the spaces I lived and worked in was an intense experience.

Having said that, there were also moments where I was truly grateful for the police presence on the University of Oregon campus. I remember being chased down the street by a group of men; fearing for my safety, I just started running toward campus and my dorm. I ended up running right to a police car parked outside my dorm, and I have never been more thankful.

The police being on campus saved me that night, and I am grateful. But is it worth the anxiety I felt on so many other nights? I wonder if I would have felt safer if the officers were not armed with a gun.

The official University of Oregon Police Department website highlights their understanding of the mistrust between students and police officers and mentions that they are dedicated to transparency and understanding. They also started a board of students and faculty to interview potential new employees.

As well as wearing body cams, a variety of new programs aimed at creating a safe space for students to express their concerns directly to the UOPD have been introduced. I must applaud their efforts. If cops on campus are going to continue, this is the only acceptable way for it to happen. However, if their job on campus is to help students feel safe, the question remains: Is it an effective position? Are students actually feeling safer on campus? Have dorm break-ins become a thing of the past? And if not, then how effective is a police presence on campus?

From what I can gather, the answer to those questions is no. Clearly the safety of students has not been insured by police forces patrolling college campuses. So what happens next? The number of officers on campus could be lessened, or they could change to only carrying non-lethal weapons. All that remains clear is that change is needed. And police officers on campus are not the necessity they claim to be.
Following its announcement on 15 December 2022, Spark New Zealand (Spark) has today confirmed that Connexa has been granted clearance by the Commerce Commission to acquire the passive mobile telecommunications tower assets of 2degrees Mobile Limited and 2degrees Networks Limited (2degrees) from its owners Macquarie Asset Management and Aware Super Limited.

Connexa is the independent mobile towers business in which Spark is a shareholder.

As confirmed at the time of announcement, Spark will not contribute equity to the acquisition, which will result in its shareholding in Connexa being diluted from 30% to approximately 17% (of the resulting larger business) following completion of the acquisition. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan will provide funding for the deal and its shareholding will increase to approximately 83%. Spark will retain certain governance rights including Board representation and will benefit from the value accretive expansion of the business.

Spark CEO Jolie Hodson says, We welcome the Commerce Commissions approval of the acquisition, which we believe will support the faster deployment of new digital infrastructure across Aotearoa through greater efficiencies created by infrastructure sharing.

Completion is subject to approval from the Overseas Investment Office (OIO) which is well advanced at this stage.

Authorised by:

Alexa Preston

Finance Lead Partner  Group Performance & Investor Relations

For more information contact

For media queries please contact:

Althea Lovell

Corporate Relations Partner

(64) 21 222 2992

althea.lovell@spark.co.nz

For investor queries please contact:

Alexa Preston

Finance Lead Partner  Group Performance & Investor Relations

(64) 21 997 902

Alexa.Preston@spark.co.nz

About Spark

Spark is New Zealand's largest telecommunications and digital services company, with a purpose to help all of New Zealand win big in a digital world. Spark provides mobile, broadband, and digital services to millions of New Zealanders and thousands of New Zealand businesses.

www.sparknz.co.nz

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The full regal weight of the Crown Jewels will be on display at the Coronation, but its the jewel-encrusted Imperial State Crown that glitters brightest. It will dazzle on the Kings head as he leaves the Abbey, and thereafter for formal moments of his reign including the State Opening of Parliament.

More than any other jewel or symbol, this crown proclaims to the world that Charles is King. It symbolises monarchy, duty and a mystical power derived from its principal stones, the Cullinan II Diamond, the Black Princes Ruby, the Stuart Sapphire and, especially, the St Edwards Sapphire, the sparkling square blue stone set into the diamond Maltese Cross on the top.

For no other gem in the world has a history like The Edward the Confessor Stone. It is the oldest in the Royal Collection and has been worn, in one form or another, by almost every English monarch for more than 1,000 years. Or so we have always been led to believe.

For 20 years I was the jewellery editor of Vogue magazine and today I host a podcast called If Jewels Could Talk, which is where I first heard an explosive new theory.

The full regal weight of the Crown Jewels will be on display at the Coronation, but its the jewel-encrusted Imperial State Crown that glitters brightest

So if the St Edwards Sapphire is indeed in the coronet in the V&A, what is the gem in the Imperial State Crown?

After extensive research and a painstaking recreation of the jewels journey through history, John Hawkins, an historian and world authority on several royal jewels, told me he believes the gem atop the crown is not the St Edwards Sapphire. Indeed, he believes it has been absent from the crown for more than 300 years.

Unravelling a tale of royal desire, love and greed stretching from Henry VIII to Elizabeth I to George IV and Victoria, Hawkins described how the gem was removed from a tomb, wrested from royal fingers, smuggled abroad and dug out of other crowns.

If he is right and the stone in the Imperial Crown is not the St Edwards Sapphire, then it raises two questions: where is the St Edwards Sapphire? And what is the stone in the crown?

Certainly the Edward stone is not a large gem. No one seems to know the exact carat weight, yet this beautiful rose-cut sapphire, probably from either Afghanistan or Sri Lanka, looms so large in British history, experts say it is literally beyond price.

Its story starts with the death in 1066 of the Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor, who was at first buried in front of the high altar in Westminster Abbey, but whose coffin was moved several times and at one point opened.

At some stage, the ring on his finger  with a Roman intaglio sapphire (that had an image carved into it for signing or sealing documents)  was removed, and for 300 years put on show in the Abbey, where visitors could view it as a holy relic. You could kiss the ring or touch it and you would be blessed because it was a saintly object, explains Hawkins.

But things changed when Henry VIIIs trouble with women began. He made himself head of the Church of England, removed the sapphire, had the intaglio carved out and took it for himself. He also took a large ruby from Thomas Becketts shrine in Canterbury Cathedral and made it into a ring, too. So he was wearing the two great saintly stones on his fingers.

After Henrys death, St Edwards Sapphire was re-worked again by Queen Elizabeth I, who had it removed from the ring and wore it like a diadem on her forehead.

After extensive research and a painstaking recreation of the jewels journey through history, John Hawkins, an historian and world authority on several royal jewels, told me he believes the gem atop the crown is not the St Edwards Sapphire

After Henrys death, St Edwards Sapphire was re-worked again by Queen Elizabeth I, who had it removed from the ring and wore it like a diadem on her forehead

Five decades later, the stone vanished and the trail briefly goes cold. Some believe it survived the Civil War, hidden somewhere in England, and was re-cut for Charles II. There is speculation that it was put into the State Crown made for George I in 1714.

Yet Hawkins believes that, following the execution of King Charles I in 1649, when Cromwell melted down the crowns of England, it was smuggled out of the country with the Stuart Sapphire, the large oval stone at the back of the Imperial Crown.

Resurfacing more than 150 years later in Rome, both stones were acquired on behalf of the Prince Regent, George IIIs son, by the English banker Thomas Coutts, and returned to England.

The Prince Regent was a charming but notoriously dissolute character, running up debts totalling 69 million in todays money and treating the royal jewels as his own personal property. He gave several of the very best gems to his daughter Princess Charlotte, to shore up her position as a future Queen. You can see her wearing the St Edwards Sapphire, set into a coronet with another very significant gem, the Black Princes Ruby, in an 1816 portrait miniature in the Royal Collection.

Alas, Charlotte died in childbirth aged 21 and the Black Princes Ruby was returned to the Crown  but St Edwards Sapphire, John Hawkins believes, was not.

The confusion, deliberate or otherwise, continued when the Prince Regent became George IV in 1820 and swiftly removed the brass plates labelling the 17 oak boxes and trunks full of royal jewels which his mother had carefully affixed to ensure nothing lost its historical context.

Hawkins speculates that St Edwards Sapphire, which is not as recognisable as some of the other famous gems, stayed in the possession of Princess Charlottes husband, Prince Leopold  who later gave it to Queen Victoria: Leopold ensured it went to his late wifes cousin, Victoria. He was her counsellor and friend in the early days of her reign, after having ensured her marriage into his family through Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

For no other gem in the world has a history like The Edward the Confessor Stone. It is the oldest in the Royal Collection and has been worn, in one form or another, by almost every English monarch for more than 1,000 years

According to conventional wisdom surrounding the gem, Victoria had it put into a new version of the Imperial Crown  but John Hawkins is convinced this did not happen.

I suggest that the St Edwards Sapphire never made it into the Imperial Crown, he says. Instead, he thinks it was put into a coronet designed by Victorias beloved husband, Prince Albert.

Queen Victoria liked to wear tiaras and the Albert-designed diamond and sapphire coronet, made by jewellers Kitching & Abud, was her favourite. Victoria and Albert were sentimentalists and the blue of the 11 sapphires on the coronet including one central square stone  was used by Albert to signify their love.

Hawkins is the world authority on this sapphire and diamond coronet. After Victorias death, it was designated a personal family jewel and passed automatically to her successors. In 1922, King George V gave it as a wedding present to his daughter, the Princess Royal Mary, upon her marriage to Viscount Lascelles, and it was then passed down her family until it was acquired by an overseas private buyer. An export bar was put on it by the Government in 2016, however, giving interested parties the chance to match the 5 million asking price, and in 2017  with Hawkins helping to negotiate the deal  it was saved for the nation by the Bollinger family, who had it placed in the Victoria & Albert Museum.

It is my opinion, Hawkins says, that the sapphire in the centre of this coronet is, in fact, St Edwards Sapphire. The sapphires either side of it are totally different. They are far finer in colour than the central stone. He also points out that ledgers of the time show charges were only made for the making of the coronet; the diamonds and sapphires were provided by the Queen herself.

Hawkins believes Victoria well knew the importance of that central sapphire. Indeed, she wore it like a crown jewel for an official portrait in 1842 by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, making it a recognisable symbol of her status.

Queen Victoria and her beloved Prince Albert, the Prince Consort, at Buckingham Palace in May 1860

She also chose it for her first significant public appearance after the death of Prince Albert, when she came out of her self-imposed exile for the State Opening of Parliament. In contrast, the Imperial State Crown was relegated to being placed on a cushion, rather than on her head.

If she knew that her coronet contained the oldest stone in Christendom, it would have given her a feeling of real power, says Hawkins, who thinks Victoria took the secret with her to the grave.

So if the St Edwards Sapphire is indeed in the coronet in the V&A, what is the gem in the Imperial State Crown?Its certainly a sapphire, and Hawkins thinks it comes from the Royal Collection. Its just not the St Edwards one.

The only person who can get close enough to assess the Imperial Crown and that gem in the Maltese Cross is the Crown jeweller  and they are notoriously as silent as the grave.

Getting to the truth about such old stones is hard, but that is part of their allure. When I asked fashion editor and author of The Royal Jewels, Suzy Menkes, for her view, she says: Somebody, somewhere must have a list of when jewels came into the family but I dont know who it is. I dont know if this was passed down from generation to generation and I dont think anybody does. Its one of those strange secrets.

If only jewels could talk, the St Edwards Sapphire would have a mighty tale to tell.

n Carol Woolton is a contributing editor of British Vogue, an author, broadcaster and host of If Jewels Could Talk podcast @carolwoolton
If Rishi Sunak was in any doubt about the scale of the challenge he faces then the local election results have given him the rudest of wake up calls.

By 8am the Conservatives had already lost more than 200 seats. By the end of the day that number could well rise to 1,000 or more  very much at the worse end of expectations.

Across the country, angry Conservative councillors were blaming the Government for their woes  and there were signs that that the Tory Right will make a fresh bid to force the Prime Minister to change direction on issues like tax.

No one expected these results to be good for the Tories. After 13 years in power it would be hard for any Government to generate much excitement at this point in the electoral cycle.

Throw in the cost of living crisis, the political turmoil of the last 12 months and the highest taxes since the Second World War and it is not hard to see why many former Tory voters have switched sides in protest or simply stayed away.

From 7am to 10pm yesterday, voters across England visited polling stations to choose around 8,000 councillors in 230 councils

But there will be deep concern that Conservative support is collapsing in parts of the country like Stoke-on-Trent and Boston, in Lincolnshire, where support for Brexit was strongest.

Conservative MPs in the traditional Tory heartlands of the Home Counties will also be alarmed to see the Liberal Democrats making significant inroads in True Blue areas like Windsor and Maidenhead.

Alan Jarrett, outgoing Tory leader of Medway council, in Kent, where Labour seized control for the first time in 20 years, summed up the mood by saying the government needs to 'get its act together'.

Yet despite Labour excitement at gains in key target areas such as Stoke, Plymouth and Medway, it is far from clear that Labour has sealed the deal with the electorate in the way Tony Blair did in the local elections ahead of his 1997 landslide.

In the early results, Labour was picking up barely half of the seats lost by the Conservatives, with the rest spread between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and local independents.

The swing to Labour looks to be roughly in line with that achieved by Ed Miliband ahead of the 2015 election, which he went on to lose.

Labour sources suggest that improved prospects in Scotland mean this kind of swing is enough to put Sir Keir Starmer on course for No 10 next year.

But the failure to secure a decisive breakthrough will make it easier for the Tories to stoke fears of a Lib-Lab pact  and fuel questions about whether the public will ever embrace Labours stuffy leader.

Rishi Sunak (pictured) now faces a renewed challenge to persuade his jittery party to hold its nerve and stick with his programme

It will also give Mr Sunak a glimmer of hope that all is not lost.

The fact he is not facing more outspoken criticism this morning is testament to the effort he has put in to calming his fractious party in recent months.

But the uneasy truce with the Tory Right is set to be tested in the coming weeks.

David Campbell-Bannerman, chairman of the broadly pro-Boris Conservative Democratic Organisation, said the results showed there was a price to be paid for pushing up taxes to record levels and suggested that a return for Mr Johnson should not be ruled out as an option for the longer term.

Mr Sunak will try to move on swiftly next week by unveiling long awaited plans to ease access to GP appointments.

But he now faces a renewed challenge to persuade his jittery party to hold its nerve and stick with his programme.
Oh to be a fly on the wall at Buckingham Palace as King Charles today lunches the Governor Generals and Prime Ministers of his 14 remaining overseas territories. Half those at the Royal trough plan to de-throne him. Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua, St Vincent and Belize all have reviews under way to replace him. Australia is increasingly anti-monarch while New Zealands prime minister Chris Hipkins and St Kitts PM Terrance Drew make no secret of their republican views. The late Queen was adept at charming those who wanted to abolish her. Has her son inherited that talent?

Among rituals practised is the signing of the Coronation Oath with the Kings chosen pen thoroughly road tested. Having to go through the ceremony with stained fingers wouldnt do anything for HMs blood pressure. The Queens coronation pen was made by the Worshipful Company of Scriveners from ivory, gold, enamel and gemstones. It featured two cherubs representing Charles and Anne. Will the King be immortalising William and Harry on his own implement?

King Charles today lunches the Governor Generals and Prime Ministers of his 14 remaining overseas territories. Half those at the Royal trough plan to de-throne him. Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua, St Vincent and Belize all have reviews under way to replace him. Pictured: King Charles (file photo)

Andrew Parker Bowles remembers at the last coronation he and his fellow page boys receiving sticks of barley sugar to suck. One of them, Duncan Davidson, managed to cajole Andrew and the others to hand over the treat. He ate it all and then was sick, recalls APB. Duncan went on to great wealth as founder of house builder Persimmon. Even in those days, remarks Andrew, he was quite commercially minded.

Marriage to Rupert Murdoch may not have been an untrammelled bed of roses for Jerry Hall. According to a Vanity Fair profile describing the couples 2020 Covid quarantine at his 20million Bel Air Vineyard Moraga, Rupert kept Jerry busy doing an online course in winemaking. It wasnt just to slake his thirst  Hall told friends, reveals Vanity Fair, that Murdoch wanted her to do it so he could write off $3million of vineyard expenses as long as she worked 500 hours a year on winemaking.

Pictured: Jerry Hall attends the Green Carpet Fashion Awards 2023 at NeueHouse Hollywood on March 9, in Hollywood, California

Gyles Brandreth recalls playwright Noel Cowards remark at the 1953 coronation when asked to identify the diminutive Sultan of Kelantan sitting next to the 6ft 3in Queen Salote of Tonga in the processional carriage. That, noted Coward, is her lunch. The late Queen heard the quip only afterwards. It made her laugh out loud, writes Gyles in The Spectator.

Dame Joan Collins recalls her first meeting with King Charles at a charity ball in Palm Beach. We had a little dance together, which was very nice, she remembers. Charles also retains pleasant memories, writing: She was very amusing and with an unbelievable cleavage (all raised up and presented as if on a tray!), so eye wander was a problem! Sadly, his eyes failed to wander to Joans address for the Coronation guest list. She hasnt been invited.
Here we take a look at what other kings' coronations were like

The Coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey is on Saturday May 6

Around 2,000 guests will file into Westminster Abbey on May 6 for the Coronation of King Charles III.

Some of the most high-profile guests will be fellow monarchs from around the world, including the statuesque King Felipe of Spain, joined by his wife Queen Letizia.

The couple had a surprisingly low-key official start to royal life with the pomp and ceremony stripped away in favour of a pared-back ceremony at Spain's lower house of parliament in Madrid.

King Willem-Alexander and wife Queen Maxima of the Netherlands have also been invited to the historic event, while Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako are also making the trip to London for the festivities.

Here FEMAIL takes a look at what other Kings' Coronations were like and who was invited...

Monarchs from around the world including King Willem-Alexander and wife Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (pictured) were also invited to The Coronation of King Charles

King Willem-Alexander

On 30 April 2013, royals travelled from all corners of the globe to witness the swearing in of the Netherlands' first king in 123 years in Amsterdam.

Monarchs from European principalities lined up alongside Arab sheikhs and Japanese royals to pose with King Willem-Alexander, his wife Queen Maxima, and their three daughters; Princesses Catherine Amalia, Alexia and Ariane.

Resplendent in their finery, the international crowd included the then Prince Charles and Camilla.

Europe's most glamorous women, from Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria to the then Princess Letizia of Spain and Denmark's Crown Princess Mary were also in attendance.

Guests from further afield included Princess Lalla Salma of Morocco, the princess consort of King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

When the last king of the Netherlands, William III, came to the throne in 1849 the group would have likely been considerably less international - made up mostly of European Royalty.

King Willem Alexander, Queen Maxima and daughters Princess Catharina Amalia, Princess Ariane and Princess Alexia appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace to greet the public

Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands with King Willem Alexander (L) and Queen Maxima (R) appeared on the balcony of the Royal Palace to greet the public after her abdication and ahead of the Inauguration in 2013

However, in 2013 the four corners of the globe truly were represented, with monarchs from nations such as Qatar in attendance.

Crown Prince Willem-Alexander became Europe's youngest monarch when he was inaugurated at 46.

His mother Beatrix, then signed the abdication deed after 33 years on the throne.

Willem-Alexander was officially sworn in as king of the Netherlands at a colourful ceremony in Nieuwe Kerk, a decommissioned church attended by 2,000 visitors from around the world and his proud 75-year-old mother, who has taken the title Princess Beatrix.

In a speech in the church, Europe's youngest monarch underscored the ceremonial nature of his monarchy in this egalitarian society but also the symbolic and economic value a king can deliver on state visits aimed at drumming up trade.

'I will proudly represent the kingdom and help discover new opportunities,' he said.

The investiture ceremony was the final formal act on a day of high emotion within the House of Orange-Nassau and was followed by an evening boat tour around the historic Amsterdam waterfront.

King Felipe VI

King Felipe took to the throne on 19 June 2014, the monarch, his wife Queen Letizia and their two daughters - Leonor and Sofia had a low key affair

King Felipe took to the throne on 19 June 2014 after his father Juan Carlos tearfully signed his abdication papers on following a 36-year reign.

Determined to stay in line with the country's austerity measures, the monarch, his wife Queen Letizia and their two daughters - Leonor and Sofia - were ferried through Madrid in a low-key affair after a brief military parade to their first official engagement.

But the crowds were not unmanageable because the nation's vast republican faction was banned from protesting.

The ceremony, at Spain's lower house of parliament in Madrid, had little pomp and circumstance compared with royal handovers in other countries, to show an appreciation for the fact that more than one in four Spanish workers were jobless despite an incipient economic recovery.

It was more of a legal process, attended by lawmakers, high-level politicians and some members of the royal family with no foreign leaders invited.

Felipe wore military uniform with a sash and swore loyalty to Spain's constitution before addressing the chamber

Spain's new King Felipe VI, his wife Queen Letizia, Princess Sofia and Princess Leonor pose as they arrive at the Congress of Deputies in Madrid

Addressing parliament, Felipe VI called for a 'new Spain that we can build together'.

The king swore an oath promising to uphold the constitution.

The speaker of the lower house of parliament, Jesus Posada, then proclaimed him king, declaring: 'Long live Spain! Long live the king!'

In a speech to parliament, Felipe said he had 'great hope' for the future of Spain and called for unity.

'You will find in me a loyal head of state who is ready to listen and understand, warn and advise as well as to defend the public interest at all times,' he said.

'The monarch wants to be close to citizens ensuring it can preserve its prestige and dignity.'

'Now more than ever, citizens of Spain are rightly demanding fundamental ethical principles should govern our public life.

'The king should not only be a reference but who serves all citizens of Spain.'

He ended his speech by saying 'thank you' in three Spanish regional languages - Catalan, Basque and Galician.

After the ceremony he was driven through central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist

Felipe wore military uniform with a sash and swore loyalty to Spain's constitution before addressing the chamber.

After the ceremony he was driven through central Madrid with his wife, Queen Letizia, a former journalist.

At the time the country was struggling to shrug off a double-dip recession and it hoped to drive down its 26 percent jobless rate.

Scandals tarnished the royal family and fueled campaigns to abolish the monarchy, while influential groups in some Spanish regions continued to push hard for independence.

In an oblique reference to separatist groups, Felipe insisted, 'We all have our place in this diverse Spain.'

Thousands of people lined the streets of Madrid streets as Felipe and Queen Letizia drove from parliament to the royal palace in an open-topped Rolls-Royce, waving to the crowds.

Authorities prohibited a demonstration by groups seeking to abolish the monarchy.

Later, a reception for 2,000 guests at the royal place featured finger foods instead of an elaborate banquet, a deliberately modest touch that acknowledged the financial hardships being endured by many Spaniards.

Felipe's father, Juan Carlos, did not attend the event to allow the spotlight to rest fully on the new monarch, according to the palace.

Japanese Emperor Naruhito

Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally proclaimed his ascendancy to the throne on 22 October 2019 at the Tokyo Imperial Palace

Japanese Emperor Naruhito formally proclaimed his ascendancy to the throne on 22 October 2019 at the Tokyo Imperial Palace.

The centuries-old ceremony was attended by dignitaries from more than 180 countries, pledging to fulfil his duty as a symbol of the state.

Naruhito became emperor and his wife Masako became empress on May 1 in a brief ceremony 'Sokui no Rei' was a more elaborate ritual at the royal palace in which he officially announced his change in status to the world.

'I swear that I will act according to the constitution and fulfil my responsibility as the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people,' the Emperor declared in front of about 2,000 guests, including then Prince Charles.

'I sincerely hope that Japan will develop further and contribute to the friendship and peace of the international community, and to the welfare and prosperity of human beings through the people's wisdom and ceaseless efforts.'

Courtiers and officials raise their arms with chants of 'banzai' during a ceremony inside the Room of Pine at Tokyo's Imperial Palace to mark Naruhito's official ascension to the throne

Emperor Naruhito (left) stands inside the ornate Takamikura throne room and Empress Masako (right) stands inside the smaller Michodai during a ceremony to officially mark his ascension to Japan's Chrysanthemum Throne

The first Japanese emperor born after World War Two, Naruhito acceded to the throne when his father, Akihito, became the first Japanese monarch to abdicate in two centuries after worrying that advancing age might make it hard to perform official duties. He is 85.

The long-planned celebrations, for which Japan declared a national holiday, were tempered by Typhoon Hagibis, which killed at least 82 people.

A public parade was postponed until next month to allow the government to devote its attention to the typhoon clean-up, while the inclement weather forced the palace to scale back the number of courtiers in ancient robes taking part in the courtyard ceremony although the skies cleared as it began.

At the sound of a gong in the Matsu-no-Ma, or Hall of Pine, the most prestigious room in the palace, two courtiers bowed deeply and drew back purple curtains on the 'Takamikura' - a 6.5-metre (21 feet) high pavilion that weighs about 8 tonnes.

Shinzo Abe raises his hands above his head while shouting 'banzai', which literally translates as '10,000 years of life' but means something similar to 'long live the Emperor'

An official parade to mark the ascension has been delayed by a month due to Typhoon Higibis, but that did not stop hundreds of well-wishers gathering in the street

Britain's Prince Charles chatting with Denmark's Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik while attending the enthronement ceremony where Japan's Emperor Naruhito officially proclaims his ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne

Naruhito was revealed standing in front of a simple throne, dressed in burnt-orange robes and a black headdress, with an ancient sword and a boxed jewel, two of the so-called Three Sacred Treasures, placed beside him.

Harvard-educated Empress Masako was wearing heavy 12-layered robes and with hair flowing down her back, stood in front of a smaller throne to the side. Such traditional robes can weigh around 15 kilogrammes (33 pounds).

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe delivered a congratulatory speech before assembled dignitaries including Crown Prince Akishino, the emperor's younger brother, and his family, all adorned in brightly-coloured robes.

Other guests included U.S. Transport Secretary Elaine Chao and Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Abe led a trio of cheers of 'banzai', or 'long life', for the emperor, before a 21-gun salute.

A court banquet was held on the evening, before Naruhito and Masako host a tea party for foreign royalty on the following day.

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden ascended the throne on September 15, 1973 and is the longest reigning monarch in Sweden

King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden will be attending King Charles coronation with his daughter Crown Princess Victoria.

The King, who celebrates 50 years on the throne this year, is Queen Elizabeth II's third cousin.

The king ascended the throne on September 15, 1973 and is the longest reigning monarch in Sweden.

The Swedish Royal Family is hugely popular in Sweden and the monarchy enjoys widespread support.

Throughout the year, the country's Royal Family will host a number of events to celebrate King Carl's Golden Jubilee.

Born on April 30, 1946, Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus Bernadotte was nine months old when his father, Prince Gustaf Adolf, was killed in a plane crash in Denmark.

He assumed the throne following the death of his grandfather, the long-reigning Gustaf VI Adolf.

The royal was enthroned in a lavish ceremony in the Throne Room of the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

After the Enthronement Ceremony, King Carl XVI Gustaf waved to the crowds from the Balcony of the Royal Palace of Stockholm.

King Carl and his wife of 47 years Queen Silvia share three children - Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden, 45, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Varmland, 43, and Princess Madeleine of Sweden, Duchess of Halsingland and Gastrikland, 40.

Seen as a progressive monarch, King Carl insisted Swedish law be changed in 1979 to allow his eldest daughter to succeed him rather than his only son - with the UK following suit in 2011.
However she says she would never accept a donation from the Sussexes' Archewell charity because: 'My mother would never forgive me'

The heiress has followed in her dad's philanthropic footsteps with animal charity

Another famed American dynasty has come out to voice its dislike of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, marking another clear sign that the Sussexes' popularity in the US is seriously starting to wane.

Weeks after Rockefeller heiress Kayla took aim at 'controversial' Meghan, 41, and just days before Harry is due to attend his father King Charles' coronation, billionaire former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's daughter has revealed her family is also firmly in the anti-Sussex camp.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com at the Rescue Dogs Rock NYC Cocktails for Canines event in New York, Georgina Bloomberg, 40, suggested that it will be impossible for the Sussexes to reach the upper echelons of philanthropic success in the US - at least where her family is concerned.

When asked whether she would ever team up with Harry and Meghan's Archewell Foundation as part of her own charitable endeavors, the showjumper and author was quick to say 'no', admitting: 'My mother would never forgive me.'

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg's daughter Georgina has revealed her family is anti-Sussex, telling DailyMail.com her mom would 'never forgive her' if she worked with Meghan and Harry

40-year-old Georgina's mother Susan Brown (pictured together in 2019) was born in the UK and raised her children in a very 'traditional British way', her daughter revealed

When asked if her mother was 'anti-Sussex', Georgina said emphatically: 'Very'

Georgina's mother, Susan Brown, is British and - according to her daughter - raised her children in a very 'traditional British way', while also passing down her personal dislike of the Duchess of Sussex.

Indeed, when asked if her mother was 'anti-Sussex', Georgina said emphatically: 'Very.'

While many Americans initially threw their support behind Meghan and Harry, the showjumper noted that her mother had her concerns about the relationship 'from day one'.

Georgina's 81-year-old billionaire father Michael - who served a the mayor of New York City for three terms, from 2002 to 2013 - has actually met Prince Harry in the past during a 2008 trip to the UK, where the pair had a 30-minute private conversation about the royal's Sentebale charity.

But it seems that chat did little to improve his family's feelings about the Sussexes, particularly where his ex-wife Susan - who was born in Yorkshire - is concerned.

Susan and Michael, who co-founded the financial information and media company Bloomberg LP and is worth an estimated $94 billion, were wed in 1975 and had two daughters together - Emma, 43, and Georgina - before splitting in 1993.

Michael is heavily involved in philanthropy and his Bloomberg Philanthropies organization is estimated to have given away roughly $1.6 billion in 2022 alone, according to Fortune.

In stark contrast, it was revealed earlier this year that Meghan and Harry's Archewell Foundation has raised more than $13 million since its formation after Megxit, $3 million of which it has donated to its chosen causes.

Georgina's father Michael, 81 (seen with his daughter and his partner Diana Taylor at the Met Gala on Monday) actually met with Prince Harry during a trip to the UK in 2008

Mother-of-one Georgina, who is engaged to investment banker Justin Waterman, has followed in her father's philanthropic footsteps, focusing her efforts on animal rights through her charity Rescue Dogs Rock NYC.

'Rescue Dogs Rock NYCs goal is to raise awareness of the ever-growing plight of homeless animals in the United States, in shelters as well as those abandoned in the streets,' she said of her organization.

'There are way too many fantastic animals that are euthanized every day just because they are homeless.

'Rescue Dogs Rock NYC introduces these animals to the public and educates them that unwanted companion animals are not damaged goods or unworthy but can be fostered into wonderful family pets.

'Sadly, the abuse, neglect, cruelty, and medical cases cost shelters the most money, and often are the first animals to euthanized.

'People who abuse or neglect animals are a******s.'

Georgina's comments about Meghan and Harry come a few weeks after another scion of one of America's most well-known dynasties - Kayla Rockefeller - also railed against the Duchess of Sussex.

Just last month, Kayla, 23, claimed that the Duchess of Sussex is now viewed as being too 'controversial' by many Americans, admitting that she wouldn't ever enlist Meghan to model for her burgeoning jewelry brand because she 'couldn't take that chance' on such a contentious figure.

'That would be controversial,' Kayla exclusively told DailyMail.com when asked about the possibility of Meghan wearing her designs.

'As a new jeweler I couldn't take the chance. I mean, I could but people are so 50/50 [about Meghan].'

Still, Meghan and Harry have found support from another scion of a great American family: Kerry Kennedy, who threw her weight behind the Sussexes in December when she presented them with a human rights award on behalf of the RFK Foundation for their 'heroic' fight against 'structural racism' within the Royal Family.

The move sparked furious controversy, even within the Kennedy clan - with Kerry's own brother Robert Jr branding it a 'bewildering choice' in an interview with DailyMail.com.

Harry and Meghan sparked further uproar weeks later with the release of their tell-all Netflix documentary, which was followed soon after by the publication of Harry's bombshell memoir Spare.

In the book, and in the many TV interviews he did to promote it, Harry, 38, made several damning allegations about his family - at one point accusing his brother William of grabbing him by the collar and throwing him to the ground during an altercation at Nottingham Cottage.

Weeks after the book was released, a shock poll revealed that Harry and Meghan's popularity in the US had plummeted to an all-time low, making them less popular than the disgraced Prince Andrew.

Between December 2022 and February 19, when the survey by Redfield & Wilton for Newsweek was conducted, Harry's rating sank by 48 points, while Meghan's had dropped by 40 - giving them approval ratings of -10 and -17, respectively.

Meanwhile Andrew's rating at the time stood at -2.
Tinsley Mortimer breaks down in tears as she recalls the dark side of early 2000s socialite culture in the new trailer for Hulu's documentary Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl.

The former Real Housewives of New York City star, 47, opens up about her rise and fall in the documentary, which explores how socialites were launched to stardom and then torn apart by the public.

'At the time, New York felt very thriving, and it was just this crazy, over-the-top world,' she recalls. 'All of these photographers, I just remember thinking, "I want to be part of this. This looks cool."'

Mortimer followed in the footsteps of heiresses Paris and Nicky Hilton, who were just teenagers when they were dubbed the 'littlest socialites in town' in a profile published by The New Yorker in 1999.

Socialite Tinsley Mortimer, 47, opens up about her rise and fall in Hulu's upcoming documentary Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl

Mortimer breaks down in tears in the new trailer as she recalls the dark side of early 2000s socialite culture, saying, 'It ended up putting me in a place that I was so low'

In 2007, Mortimer was being photographed in New York City constantly. She had designed a handbag line for Samantha Thavasa and had her own lip gloss shade for Dior - 'Tinsley Pink

In the trailer, famed photographer Patrick McMullen takes partial credit for turning the socialite sisters into celebrities.

'I kind of invented the Hilton sisters,' he says, clarifying. 'Well, I taught them how to pose. People realize the power of image.'

A number of socialites, photographers, gossip bloggers, and publicists were interviewed for the documentary, including celebrity publicist R. Couri Hay.

'When I met Tinsley Mortimer, we were at a party,' Hay recalls. 'I said, "It's all about being in the right dress at the right time."'

In a 2017 Town & Country profile, the publicist details how helped her become an 'It' girl by having her quit her job as an event planner and join committees at the American Museum of Natural History and the Central Park Zoo.

Mortimer, who was married to oil heir Topper Mortimer at the time, is described as '[dropping] on the scene like a bombshell' by one interviewee in the documentary.

'It was fun until it just became not fun,' she says of her socialite status.

By 2007, Mortimer was being photographed in New York City constantly. She had designed a handbag line for Samantha Thavasa and had her own lip gloss shade for Dior  'Tinsley Pink.'

Mortimer followed in the footsteps of socialites Paris and Nicky Hilton (pictured in 2005)

In the trailer, famed photographer Patrick McMullen takes partial credit for turning the Hiltons into celebrities, saying he 'taught them how to pose'

'I kind of invented the Hilton sisters,' says McMullen (pictured with Paris and Nicky in 2006)

'It was a new time. It was kind of a free-for-all,' fellow socialite Olivia Palermo explains in the documentary.

'People were doing blow, and they were hanging out, and they were making the world go around,' publicist Kelly Cutrone recalls.

Socialites turning into celebrities coincided with the rise of blogs such as Gawker and Perez Hilton, as well as the anonymous sites Socialite Rank and Park Avenue Peerage.

Blog culture was ruthless at the time, and stars who were built up were just as quickly torn down.

'We created storylines of who the villains were,' explains Valentine Uhovski, who co-founded Socialite Rank with his stepsister Olga Rei in 2006.

Much like in the Gossip Girl books that were written by Cecily von Ziegesar and later turned into a CW series, the Russian-born bloggers targeted the Upper East Side elite in their posts.

Uhovski and Rei kept their identities secret as they pitted the women against each other with their 'Social Elite Power Ranking,' which Mortimer always topped.

Palermo, who was a 20-year-old student at the New School at the time, became the site's prime target when she started making a name for herself in the New York social scene.

A number of socialites, photographers, gossip bloggers, and publicists were interviewed for the documentary, including celebrity publicist R. Couri Hay (pictured)

'When I met Tinsley Mortimer, we were at a party,' recalls Hay (pictured with Mortimer in 2006). 'I said, "It's all about being in the right dress at the right time"'

Mortimer, who was married to oil heir Topper Mortimer at the time, is described as '[dropping] on the scene like a bombshell' by one interviewee in the documentary.

She was branded a social climber and wannabe who wanted to steal Mortimer's crown, sparking an alleged feud between them.

'That's America for you,' Palemero says in the documentary. 'They are gonna bring them up and then they bring them down.'

Within a year of its launch, Socialite Rank met its demise when it published an apology letter purporting to be from Palermo. The socialite sued, and a judge ruled the letter was fake, New York Magazine reported.

Mortimer went on to divorce her husband and appear in the short-lived CW reality series High Society, which was critically panned and credited with causing her downfall.

Socialites told the New York Post in 2010 that the show 'had caused her to lose her elusive socialite status.'

Mortimer started spending more and more time in Palm Beach, Florida, where she was arrested for trespassing outside Alexander 'Nico' Fanju's home in 2016, her mugshot becoming tabloid fodder.

'It ended up putting me in a place that I was so low,' she says in the documentary.

Mortimer apologizes as she starts to cry, turning her head away from the camera to wipe her tears.

The documentary also features socialite-turned-fashion influencer Olivia Palermo

Palermo (pictured in 2007) was a 20-year-old student at the New School when she started making a name for herself in the New York social scene

The anonymous blog Socialite Rank branded Palermo a social climber and wannabe who wanted to steal Mortimer's crown, sparking an alleged feud between them

Emily Gould, a former editor at Gawker, explains that she felt far removed from the socialites she was writing about in the early aughts.

'There was no sense I was writing something that would affect someone's actual life,' she says in the trailer.

'These were real people and not like characters in a book,' she adds. 'We made them into characters.'

In 2007, Gould became a target of public scrutiny herself after appearing on an episode of Larry King Live hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

She wasn't prepared when Kimmel confronted her over Gawker's 'stalker map,' which published anonymous tips of celebrity sightings that weren't fact-checked.

In an essay for The New York Times, she admits that she came off as 'dismissive and flip' during the segment.

The barrage of angry emails and comments she received triggered panic attacks, and she would only leave her house if she had to.

Gould quit Gawker just months after her appearance on Larry King Live.

'We created storylines of who the villains were,' explains Valentine Uhovski, who co-founded Socialite Rank with his stepsister Olga Rei in 2006

Emily Gould, a former editor at Gawker, explains that she felt far removed from the socialites she was writing about in the early aughts. 'We made them into characters,' she says

The documentary promises to reveal the truth behind the blog Park Avenue Peerage, which was started in 2007 by James Kurisunkal, a Midwestern college student

Queenmaker director Zackary Drucker tells people that the documentary offers a 'candid insider perspective on the toll this seemingly glittering lifestyle took on the women who lived it.'

It also promises to reveal the truth behind Park Avenue Peerage, which was started by James Kurisunkal when he was a student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2007.

'Through a prism of firsthand stories from women like Tinsley Mortimer and Olivia Palermo, told with some time and distance, the era's ruthlessness comes fully into view,' Drucker says.

'Ultimately, I wanted to celebrate the women of Queenmaker  and all women  taking back their own stories, with their own voices, loudly, clearly, and without fear,' she adds.

Queenmaker: The Making of an It Girl premieres on Hulu on May 17.
The View cohost Sunny Hostin revealed Sherri Shepherd helped her negotiate a higher salary after she shared what she got paid.

Sunny, 54, also divulged Sherri, who was on the daytime talk show's panel for seven seasons until her 2014 exit, told her how much former hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Jenny McCarthy earned during their time on the program.

The 54-year-old host joined the panel - which includes Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Alyssa Farah Griffin and Ana Navarro - in 2016.

'I don't even know if you remember this, but when I signed my deal sheet you gave me a call. I don't know how you got my number,' Sunny, who is also ABC News's Legal Analyst, shared during an interview on the Sherri show.

The View cohost Sunny Hostin revealed Sherri Shepherd helped her negotiate a higher salary after she shared what she got paid

Sunny, 54, also divulged Sherri, who was on the talk show's panel for seven seasons until her 2014 exit, told her how much former hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Jenny McCarthy earned

'You were like, "I heard you're coming on the show," and I was like, "Yeah, I'm joining the show." She was like, "Did they give you a car stipend?" I was like, "No."'

Sunny said Sherri, now 56, then got a hold of her own deal sheet and went through what she got paid during her time on The View over the phone.

'You basically went over your salary for the entire time you were there, and you also gave me Jenny McCarthy's salary,' Sunny added.

'She got me paid. You gave me everyone's salary and I went back to my agent and I was like, "You did not get me enough money."'

Sherri then revealed she was prompted to share the knowledge after ex-host Rosie O'Donnell did the same for her when she was negotiating her own salary when she accepted a seat on The View panel.

'Rosie O'Donnell gave me everybody's salary and hers, and you've got to pay it forward,' the Sherri host added.

'You've gotta stick together.'

Rosie had two tenures on The View - in 2006 to 2007 and returned again in 2014, leaving just months later - while Jenny McCarthy left the same time as Sherri after joining the show in 2013.

'You basically went over your salary for the entire time you were there, and you also gave me Jenny McCarthy's salary,' Sunny added

In 2022, Sunny signed a multimillion-dollar deal to remain as a host of The View for a number of years, Variety reported at the time.

Prior to joining ABC, Sunny was a legal analyst for CNN, using her in-depth knowledge of the Justice Department to provide commentary.

In the past, The View has stirred up controversy after Whoopi came under fire for declaring that the Holocaust 'wasn't about race.'

She sparked fury last year when she made the claim on air before apologizing, and ABC suspended her for two weeks.

Whoopi doubled down on the comments in an interview with The Times of London in December, saying: 'They were killing people they considered to be mentally defective. And then they made this decision.'

She also claimed to have been 'canceled' unfairly, despite still having her high-paying job.

Meanwhile Rosie has been very outspoken about her time on The View.

She first left the show in 2006 after she felt she was 'thrown under the bus' by then co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck.

Rosie returned to the show in 2014 before departing for good in 2015 as tension continued onset.

Sherri then revealed she got the idea from ex-host Rosie O'Donnell who did the same for her when she was negotiating her own salary. Pictured are the current hosts of The View

Rosie (center) had two tenures on The View - in 2006 to 2007 and again in 2014, leaving just months later - while Jenny McCarthy (far left) departed the same time as Sherri

The mother-of-two took aim at Elisabeth and then-producer Bill Geddie during a chat with actress Brooke Shields on her podcast Now What? in April.

She blamed the pair for her abrupt departure in 2007 and said Bill was an 'old, cis, white man, Republican who was against everything that I believed in and stood for' and was giving the blonde host 'talking points of the Republican press that they would release daily.'

Rosie continued: 'And then one day on the show, she kind of threw me under the bus and I was like: "Are you f**king kidding me?"

'I finished the show, got my coat, walked out, and said: "I'm not going back"  and I didn't until a few years later when they asked me to come back.'

She accused Elisabeth's fans of attacking her for a controversial comment that was taken out of context about supporting military troops and she accused her then-cohost of setting her up.
A woman has gone viral on TikTok revealing the simple mistake she made while travelling in Bali  ending up in hospital after the blunder.

Shakira Coldwell, 30, visited the Indonesian province in December 2022, planning to spend three months there before continuing a trip around the world.

But despite warning from tour guides to avoid drinking the local water, Shakira, from Brisbane, consumed some ice  and quickly became sick, faint and dehydrated, before being rushed to hospital.

Her story has reached more than 27.9m views on TikTok after she shared her experience to warn others visiting the country.

After consuming the ice , she began to feel dizzy and nauseous, but continued her trip, travelling to Gili Island off the coast of Bali.

Shakira Coldwell, 30, had to be sent to hospital after contracting salmonella during her trip to Bali, saying on social media that she believes it's because she consumed iced water during her stay

It was then that things started to get worse, and Shakira visiting a nearby medical centre as her symptoms worsened.

The doctor immediately lay her down and gave her an IV drip while he ran tests.

The results showed she had salmonella poisoning.

'It is a common conception to always ask for your drinks without ice,' Shakira, a student, said.

'I was in Bali for about three and a half weeks and was sick for about half of it.

'They told me that I was very sick and dehydrated, and they also said I had salmonella poisoning.

'I couldn't even focus on what he was saying before I was in pain and the room was spinning.

'I looked very dehydrated and did not look well.

The student from Brisbane said she spent half of her three-and-a-half-week stay in Bali in hospital due to the mistake

'There is no hospital on the Gili islands so it was just a tiny medical centre with doctors.'

Shakira was given IV fluids and medication, and after five hours in the medical centre was finally discharged, feeling better after three hours.

The treatment cost her $346.

Shakira shared her experience on TikTok, warning others not to drink the water in Bali  especially if you have a sensitive stomach.

Sharing a video on TikTok, Shakira revealed she believed she got sick because she consumed ice

In spite of falling ill, the student, pictured before the incident, shared her story on social media to warn others to be careful what they ingest on holiday

Shakira pictured making the most of her holiday in Bali and its adjoining islands during her holiday

Shakira shared a video of the drinks she had during her time in Bali, showing that they all contained ice

The video, titled 'Don't forget pls', has garnered 27.9 million views and 2.6 million likes, with viewers sharing their own experiences.

Gina said: 'I had Bali Belly - It is not fun!!!! But I still love Bali all the same,' one person said.

'I don't get ice anywhere EVER because restaurants don't clean their ice machine and serve black mould cubes instead of ice,' commented another user.

'I'm so scared to go to Bali for this reason,' said someone else.

The student, pictured around Christmas time last year, had to fork out $346 for her treatment

After Shakira shared her story online, people said they were afraid of travelling to Bali because of what happened to her. One person suggested she got sick because of the cheap alcohol, rather than the ice

One commented: 'It definitely is the alcohol! it's real cheap/not good for you there. The ice cubes are regulated so it's not tap water.'

And another added: 'I literally had the worst time of my life in Bali. I have never been so sick in my entire life.'

But Shakira hasn't let the experience sully her view of the travel hotspot.

She said: 'This has happened to many people. I was just glad I bought health insurance beforehand!

'But I definitely do not want this to make people think that Bali is a bad place.

'I am definitely returning  I love the atmosphere, the locals and the food.'
The Princess of Wales delighted royal fans with the skip in her step as she met with well-wishers in Soho yesterday.

The mother-of-three and her husband Prince William, 40, were in high spirits as they took the Elizabeth Line to the Dog sand Duck pub in London's West End, where they greeted by hundreds of fans.

And Kate, 41, put on an animated display during the engagement two days before King Charles' coronation at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Eagle-eyed fans spotted the skip in the royal's step as she rushed towards a well-wisher holding out a bouquet of flowers in a moment shared on TikTok.

Dressed in a vibrant recycled Eponine coat and a white Suzannah dress, the Princess of Wales thanked the fan for the bouquet and heard how he would be busy working throughout the historical weekend.

The Princess of Wales, 41, has delighted royal fans with the skip in her step as she met with well-wishers in Soho yesterday

In the short clip, an excited Kate showed off her party spirit, hopping and skipping as she made her way to greet the royal fans who had come to greet her and her husband in Soho yesterday.

Her face lit up as she saw a man holding out a lovely bouquet of flowers, and she swiftly approached him, warmly holding his hand.

'Thank you so much, it's very sweet of you to bring flowers. I really appreciate it, thank you,' the royal said with a beaming smile, as he handed over the flowers.

She then asked the man whether he would be working over the weekend, saying: 'I was just saying to these guys, there are loads of people celebrating, but there are a lot of people working.'

Upon hearing that the man was a florist and that he would be working over the coronation celebrations, the mother-of-three thanked him again for the bouquet he gifted her.

'Have you been busy with the coronation bouquets?' she asked the florist, who agreed the event had brought him a healthy amount of business.

'I'm so grateful that everyone's come to say hi,' Kate added, gesturing to the royal fans gathered around them.

Royal fans were delighted to see the sweet interaction unfold after it was shared on social media.

Kate thanked the royal fan for the bouquet and asked him whether he would be working over the weekend

'She jumped to him to receive the flowers,' one noted.

'Her wee skip of excitement to go speak to him. Aww she's the best,' one said.

'Catherine is always elegant and compassionate,' one said.

'I'm in awe of how she does small talk. I would never be able to do this! She is so poised and warm,' one said.

'I love her, so classy,' another wrote.

'She had a gift of focusing and making that person feel so special,' one wrote.

The Prince and Princess of Wales travelled on the Elizabeth Line to a rendezvous at the Dog and Duck pub where they pulled pints and spoke with staff yesterday.

And afterwards the first-in-line to the throne left the crowd smiling after joking about the couple's plans for the Coronation of his father, King Charles III, this weekend.

When asked by a member of the public if he had anything planned in the coming days, the Prince of Wales quipped: 'No, a very quiet weekend, nothing happening at all.'

Earlier in the day Kate admitted the family were still getting 'all of the ducks' in a row before the big day, although they had already noticed a 'wonderful' atmosphere and that excitement was 'already starting to build'.

The event will feature the Coronation ceremony on Saturday at Westminster Abbey, followed by a concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday.

Fans swooned over the Princess of Wales' skip and happy demeanour, as some gushed about how elegant she is

The Princess also revealed her three children were deeply immersed in the preparations, saying: 'The children are having their Coronation celebration at school today.'

She added that their eldest child, Prince George, is 'excited' about the event and has been taking part in rehearsals as a page of honour at the Westminster Abbey service.

And the royal added that their eldest child Prince George was 'excited' about the upcoming celebrations and had been taking part in rehearsals.

She explained that George was a page of honour during the service at Westminster Abbey and, asked if he was looking forward to it, she replied: 'He is actually. Having done a few rehearsals, I think everyone is a bit more relaxed.'

Outside the pub they met with cheering crowds of royal fans, who greeted them with shouts of 'We love you!' before the couple posed for selfies with the crowd.

William appeared relaxed, telling one group who were discussing the newly opened Shambles Bar in Windsor: 'I love a cocktail! Best not to do it before the Coronation but maybe afterwards!'

Earlier in the day the Prince and Princess of Wales made their way into central London on the aptly-named Elizabeth Line - a far cry from the horse and carriage they will be in on Saturday.

The pair hopped on at Acton Main Line station and travelled to Tottenham Court Road, the nearest stop to Soho, before making their way to the Dog and Duck.
The Queen Consort's 'elevated' role will be 'challenging' for the Duke of Sussex, experts have told Palace Confidential.

Prince Harry will see his father, King Charles III, and stepmother Camilla crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday but will be jetting straight back to his LA home.

It is understood the Duke will only be in the UK for around 24 hours as he intends to be back home for his son Archie's fourth birthday, which coincides with Saturday's Coronation.

Experts have now revealed Camilla's position in the Coronation may be particularly difficult for Prince Harry.

Speaking on Palace Confidential, Richard Eden said: 'Harry felt that everything was directed towards Camilla and rehabilitating her and he sees that as being behind his row with the press essentially: that all his father cared about was good press for him and Camilla. But its the right thing to do, Charles needs Camilla to be accepted alongside him, she is his Queen.

The Queen Consort's 'elevated' role will be 'challenging' for the Duke of Sussex, experts have told Palace Confidential

Experts described the Queen Consort being anointed during the ceremony tomorrow as 'the culmination of Charles lifelong romantic quest that the woman he loves be given the respect and credibility he feels she deserves'

Our panel discussed the elevated role that Queen Camilla will play and what effect that might have on the family.

Sarah Vine said: 'No heir to the British throne has ever been able to marry a divorcee and keep the crown.

'What Charles is doing is unprecedented in a constitutional sense. He has...they were both divorced. It would have been unthinkable.

'There's a sense of him putting himself out in order to make people understand the level of commitment he has to this woman.

'She is going to be anointed in this ceremony. It's...this is not going off at half cop. He is really making it clear, you must respect this woman.

'She is your Queen but she is my Queen and I really want her to have the respect she deserves.

'The great tragedy of our royal family is that Charles was never allowed to marry Camilla in the first place.

'If he had been allowed to marry her in the first place, none of this stuff would have happened. Poor Diana wouldn't have had the nightmare she wouldn't have had, Harry wouldn't have been living in America furious with everyone.

'People asking if there will be a presence of Diana on Saturday - there will be, in the shape of Harry who has made it clear what he thinks about Camilla.

The Daily Mails Diary Editor Richard Eden said that for Prince Harry in particularly, the Coronation will be challenging

Sarah asked 'why shouldn't Camilla be respected as the Queen', saying it is all 'very contemporary and modern'

'He really feels she has usurped his mother. It's complicated.'

The Daily Mails Diary Editor Richard Eden said that for Prince Harry in particularly, the Coronation will be challenging.

We know the significance its had for his family because of how large it looms in Prince Harrys memoirs, he tells the show.

Sarah asked 'why shouldn't Camilla be respected as the Queen', adding: 'She is his second wife. They had a very low key ceremony. She's being anointed Queen in the eyes of the country and God.

'It's very contemporary and very modern. This is normal now. It reflects how times have changed.

'This is the culmination of Charles lifelong romantic quest that the woman he loves be given the respect and credibility he feels she deserves.'

Elsewhere on the show, royal eyebrows were raised this week when Princess Anne questioned the new Kings long-held plans of a slimmed-down monarchy, during a TV interview.

Daily Mail columnist Sarah believes Anne has a point as the monarchy has already slimmed itself down and that the Princess Royal speaks from a position of absolute strength.

You know what siblings are like, they dont hold back, she says. Shes not scared of him and doesnt care what he thinks particularly and presumably speaks up constantly at private events.

Asked by Palace Confidential host Jo Elvin if she thinks the new King is scared of his sister, she replied: Yes! I would be scared of Anne. Is there anyone who is not?

'Have you seen her control a horse? I imagine a king is much easier to control than a horse.
A royal expert has claimed the real reason Lady Pamela Hicks isn't invited to the Coronation is because her father prevented Charles from marrying Camilla.

Lady Pamela Hicks, whose father, the 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma was Prince Philip's uncle, is one of only two surviving bridesmaids from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding in 1947.

However last month she received a telephone call from a secretary at Buckingham Palace, informing her that she had not been invited to the Coronation, to be held at Westminster Abbey this week.

Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine has now claimed this is because her father Mountbatten 'convinced the Queen not to let Charles marry Camilla.'

Speaking on Palace Confidential, she said: 'I don't think Charles has forgotten.'

A royal expert has claimed the real reason Lady Pamela Hicks isn't invited to the Coronation is because her father prevented Charles from marrying Camilla (pictured Lady Pamela Hicks with her daughter India)

Daily Mail columnist Sarah Vine has now claimed that Lady Pamela missed out on an invite because Mountbatten 'convinced the Queen not to let Charles marry Camilla'

Discussing the Coronation on the programme, she told host Jo Elvin: 'It was Mountbatten, apparently, who convinced the Queen not to let Charles marry Camilla.'

Jo said: 'That puts a new perspective on Lady Pamela.'

It's not the first time there were accusations that Lord Mountbatten had meddled in the King's romantic life.

Last month in the ITVX show, The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, Charles' bond with his great uncle, known also as Dickie Mountbatten was explored.

During the programme, Dickie's desire for the then-Prince of Wales to get together with his granddaughter Amanda Knatchbull is outlined.

While the programme says Lord Louis felt that a man in Charles' position should enjoy 'sowing his wild oats' before he settles down, he said it is then important to find a suitable wife.

And Dickie felt that his granddaughter Amanda fit the bill perfectly. After the young heir was linked with a number of young women in the press, he was invited to the Bahamas by his great uncle, who also brought the teenage Amanda.

While the pair are thought to have got on well, according to the programme, Prince Philip was concerned that 'this was a classic piece of Mountbatten manoeuvring'.

Featuring in the episode is William Evans - who was valet to Lord Mountbatten, who says: 'Prince Philip's attitude is "keep out of it. He will pick his own wife when he is ready".

'There was a little bit of friction sometimes between Prince Philip and Lord Louis...But the Lord was very determined.'

In the meantime, the woman Charles was really in love with - Camilla Parker Bowles - had got married, to a high ranking officer in the cavalry.

Last month in the ITVX show, The Real Crown: Inside the House of Windsor, Charles' bond with his great uncle, known also as Dickie Mountbatten was explored

When whispers of the couple's ongoing relationship reached the Queen, she is said to have banned Camilla from attending royal events.

And Lord Louis was still determined that Charles find the right match, according to the programme, which details how he sent his nephew a 'frank' and critical letter, which warned the young royal he may end up taking the same path as his 'disgraced uncle David' (who abdicated to marry Wallis Simpson).

The programme describes as Charles being 'haunted by the spectre' of this outcome, and taking action to avoid it - by proposing to Amanda.

According to William Evans, the pair were fond of each other. But Amanda was not in love with Charles, and wanted to marry based on love. In addition, William Evans says, Amanda was not keen on the idea of royal life.

Her refusal of the proposal meant Lord Louis' attempts to matchmake the couple had come to an unsuccessful end.

Not long after the proposal, Lord Louis was killed by the IRA after a bomb was planted on his boat in Sligo, Ireland, in 1979.

Charles would go on to marry - and divorce - Diana, Princess of Wales, before eventually tying the knot with Camilla, now the Queen Consort, in 2005.

It emerged weeks ago that Pamela hadn't been invited to the King's coronation, with her daughter India Hicks explaining they had received a call from the palace to tell them the news.

She said: 'One of the King's personal secretaries was passing on a message from the King.

'The King was sending his great love and apologies, he was offending many family and friends with the reduced [guest] list.'

The palace official 'explained that this Coronation was to be very different to the Queen's' in 1953, when thousands more squeezed into the Abbey.

'Eight thousand guests would be whittled down to 1,000, alleviating the burden on the state.'

India, who is a goddaughter of King Charles and was a bridesmaid when he married Lady Diana Spencer, insists: 'My mother was not offended at all.

''How very, very sensible,' she said. Invitations based on meritocracy not aristocracy. 'I am going to follow with great interest the events of this new reign'.'

After Lady Pamela aattended the funeral of her close friend Queen Elizabeth at Westminster Abbey, India said: 'She might be the only living person to attend three Coronations.'
It's the question the nation has been asking in the run up to the coronation - and now Britain may finally have an answer.

A doctor has explained what may be the root cause behind King Charles' swollen 'sausage' fingers.

GP Chun Tang, Medical Director at Pall Mall Medical in Manchester said: 'There are numerous reasons a person may suffer with "sausage" fingers.

'Often puffy fingers are a symptom of water retention which can be caused by numerous health conditions. Sausage fingers are officially known as dactylitis.

'This condition arises due to inflammation and can be a result of arthritis, multiple bacterial infections or even TB.'

Keen royal watchers may be concerned about a potential health issue King Charles has previously joked about - his swollen fingers

'Other possibilities include high salt levels, allergic reactions, medicinal side effects, injury and autoimmune diseases.

'Treatment for this condition can be determined when the underlying cause is identified. A blood test should be carried out to determine the underlying issues.'

The King has previously joked about the appearance of his hands.

And he even dubbed them his 'sausage fingers' in a letter he wrote to a friend when he was describing his newborn son, Prince William.

'I can't tell you how excited and proud I am. He really does look surprisingly appetising and has sausage fingers just like mine,' he wrote, as quoted in Charles, The Man Who Will Be King by Howard Hodgson.

Discussion surrounding Charles' 'sausage fingers' has been widespread on social media, at one point being the seventh most searched term on Google in the UK, with many questioning what the issue could be.

King Charles has been pictured with swollen hands and feet many times, noticeably after long periods spent flying or travelling to hot countries.

But the public only really began to take note when he ascended the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II.

The King has been snapped with swollen fingers on a number of occasions over the years, jokingly referring to them as 'sausages' back in 2012

Charles' fingers and toes were noticeably red and swollen on the first day of his royal tour in India in 2019

He was also seen with painfully swollen hands and feet during the first day of his royal tour in India in 2019 when he removed his shoes to step into a Sikh temple in New Delhi.

Observers also pointed out the royals' swollen hands while he sipped a pint in The Prince of Wales pub in Clapham Old Town in 2021.

The royal has had large hands from a young age - a feature the Queen wrote about in a letter to her music teacher after Charles had been born.

She wrote: 'The baby is very sweet and we are enormously proud of him. He has an interesting pair of hands for a baby.

'They are rather large, but with fine long fingers quite unlike mine and certainly unlike his father's. It will be interesting to see what they become.'

The King has never confirmed what the cause of his predicament is.

But he is perhaps aware of the nation's interest in his hands as he appears to have started hiding his hands in royal photographs.

Royal observers noticed King Charles' swollen fingers while he sipped a pint in The Prince of Wales pub in Clapham Old Town in 2021

The King and Queen Consort will be crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6, with 2,000 lucky people set to receive an invitation

In the most recent royal photo of himself and Camilla, the monarch wore a simple pinstripe suit while his wife Camilla, the Queen Consort, posed in a cobalt blue dress.

But members of the public realised that one detail appeared to be hidden from the photographer  the King's hands.

In one shot he has them hidden behind his back as he stands alongside Camilla, 75.

A second shot shows the 74-year-old with one hand in his pocket.

Social media users then jokingly remarked that the monarch has been 'bullied' into keeping his fingers off show.

'Show us his hands cowards,' one Twitter user commented under the portraits.

A second joked: 'We're never seeing them again brother.'

'I want to abolish the monarchy but I do still feel bad that we have gang bullied a grown man into never showing his hands again,' another quipped.

One person also added: 'I can't believe Twitter has bullied the literal king into never showing his hands.'
Shonda Rhimes say she 'took inspiration' from the historic figure and 'ran with it'

Glamorous, powerful and a total gossip. The character of Queen Charlotte won her way into viewers' hearts in the first two series of Netflix's hit series Bridgerton.

This week, the much-anticipated prequel to the popular bodice ripper landed on screens - which focuses entirely on Charlotte's love story.

The show is set decades before the events of Bridgerton and follows the formidable Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio, as she experiences her first throes of passion in Regency Britain.

But what viewers of the show might not know is that the character of Queen Charlotte is based on a real 18th Century royal.

Born in May 1744, Sophia Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz was the daughter of a German Duke and a Princess.

Queen Charlotte was married to King George III for 57 years and shared 15 children with her mentally ill husband

Queen Charlotte, played by India Amarteifio, pictured in character as Queen Charlotte in the new Netflix series

According to the Royal Family's website, Princess Charlotte was selected to be George III's wife when he became King in 1760.

As such, the 17-year-old German royal had to move away from everything she knew and start a new life in England with a man she hardly knew.

When she arrived at her husband's court, historians have noted how the new Queen was seen as an outsider - a theme which is explored in the new Netflix series.

But despite their arranged nuptials, Charlotte and George went on to have a exceptionally happy marriage.

Over the course of their 57 year marriage, Queen Charlotte gave birth to 15 children over 22 years.

Shortly after their wedding, George bought Queen's House for his wife to use - which is known today as Buckingham Palace and used as the Royal Family's main London residence.

In recent years, the Royal Collection Trust published love letters Charlotte wrote to George when he was away on royal engagements.

The 250-year-old correspondence read: 'You will have the benefit by Your voyages to put Spirit in every Body, to be more known by the World, and if Possible more beloved by the People in general.

Coronation portrait of Queen Charlotte from 1761. Since her death in 1818, historians have debated Charlotte's ethnicity - as paintings and descriptions of her suggested that she may have been biracial

King George III painted in his Coronation robes. The royal began suffering a mental health issues just five years into his marriage with Charlotte

Painting by Johann Zoffany shows Queen Charlotte with two of her eldest sons. The oil canvas painting dates back to 1765

The Royal Family of England in the year 1787 which shows King George III and Queen Charlotte surrounded by their 15 children. Engraving by P Roberts after a painting by T Stothard

Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte in the original Netflix series. The actress has played Charlotte for the past two seasons

'That must be the case, but not equal to the love of her who subscribes herself Your very affectionate Friend and Wife Charlotte.'

Although the couple fell madly in love, their marriage wasn't entirely smooth-sailing - and the Queen had to deal with George's mental illness, which is documented in the Bridgerton series, where the King becomes a virtual recluse.

King George III suffered his first bout of mental illness in 1765 - just five years into the couple's marriage.

Historians believe his 'permanent madness' started around 1810 and he is reported to have become violent during his fits.

Although Queen Charlotte remained his devoted companion, she is said to have never visited her husband alone as his condition worsened.

In the final 10 years of his reign, the couple's son George IV acted as the Prince Regent.

According to the Royal Family's website, some historians believe that George III's illness was caused by a hereditary physical disorder called porphyria - which can cause hallucinations and confusion.

Corey Mylchreest as Young King George, India Amarteifio as Young Queen Charlotte in in the new Bridgerton series

The show is set decades before the events of Bridgerton and follows the formidable Queen Charlotte

The Netflix show follows Queen Charlotte as she experiences her first throes of passion in Regency Britain

Since her death in 1818, historians have debated Charlotte's ethnicity - as paintings and descriptions of her suggested that she may have been biracial.

Although it is impossible to know the late Queen's full heritage, the show's creator Shonda Rhimes told The Guardian: 'We took the idea that Queen Charlotte was from Black Portuguese royalty and ran with it.'

Discussing how the royal inspired the character of Charlotte, Shonda added: 'She was outsized, very glamorous, held herself above everyone. There was a lot to mine.'

On the show, the character of Queen Charlotte is always dolled up to the nines in glamorous dresses and impressive jewellery.

Queen Charlotte acquired the Frogmore estate in the 1790s and used it as her rural retreat for her daughters. Undated photo of Frogmore House in Windsor

The Prince of Wales signing the visitors book at Palace Demense in Co. Armagh. The monarch was seated in front of paintings of George III and Queen Charlotte

According to the Royal Collection Trust, the real Charlotte was equally as fond of the finder things in life.

They explained: 'Queen Charlotte's tastes were rather less plain than her husband's and she had some very luxurious rooms in the new Queen's House [Buckingham Palace].'

During their reign, Charlotte acquired an 'extensive' collection of diamonds and pearls.

As well as her Buckingham Palace residence, Queen Charlotte also acquired the Frogmore estate in Windsor in the 1790s.

The royal and her six daughters used the estate as their 'rural retreat' and asked Mary Moser - who was a founding member of the Royal Academy - to oversee the interiors.

It was announced in 2021 that there would be a third and fourth series of Bridgerton following the success of the first two. The show is based on the series of romantic novels by American author Julia Quinn.

Last year actress Simone Ashley, who portrays Kate Sharma, told how she was 'very happy when reading the scripts. When I receive them, I've got a beaming smile on my face'.

She also said that the third series is about to get 'super steamy' and added that it would be 'condensation central'.

The new series will be based on the fourth book in the series, called Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and will follow the budding romance between Penelope  played by Nicola Coughlan  and Colin Bridgerton.

The pair will embark on a journey that will see them go from friends to lovers.

Jonathan Bailey will also reprise his role as Anthony, Claudia Jessie is back as Eloise, Luke Thompson as Benedict and Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton.
A newlywed couple have been captured munching on Greggs sausage rolls just moments after saying 'I do' and social media users love the cute snap.

Last month, Lauren, 29, and Nathan Reynard, 35, tied the knot during an intimate ceremony in Crewe and afterwards, came up with the best way to celebrate their new marriage.

After exchanging rings, the pair decided to enjoy their favourite savoury snack on the steps of a municipal building.

The adorable moment was captured by their wedding photographer, Charlotte Talbot and has since gone viral, even attracting the attention of the Greggs brand, who liked the picture on social media.

'We decided that we wanted something fun to do in the wedding photographs straight after the ceremony,' the snapper said.

Lauren and Nathan Reynard tucked into some Greggs' sausage rolls right after getting hitched in Crewe last month and wedding photographer, Charlotte Talbot caught the sweet moment on camera

'Due to it being a 9 am ceremony, Greggs was open, so we seized the opportunity and grabbed some Greggs sausage rolls and had some fun on the steps of the municipal buildings in Crewe.

'It was so much fun! 'I've captured the couple through their pregnancy, their newborn photoshoot, and now their wedding day.

'We know each other really well, so they are completely used to being in front of the camera and we just went for it and had a laugh whilst doing the photoshoot!

'We did get some funny looks from people walking past as it's not very often you see a bride and groom eating a sausage roll at 9.30 am!'

Both Nathan and Lauren loved the photos Charlotte managed to capture, and say they are a great addition to their wedding album.

Lauren said: 'We really laughed when the photographer sent them over, we felt they perfectly reflected the fun light-heartedness of our relationship.

'Charlotte, our photographer, was amazing! She made us feel so at ease and captured some beautiful moments between my husband and I, and our little one on the day.

The adorable moment was captured by their wedding photographer, Charlotte Talbot, pictured camera at the ready

The newlyweds admitted they can't believe their post-wedding snack break has gathered so much attention

'We never in a million years expected that the photo of us eating our Greggs on the steps of the municipal buildings would gather so much attention and both Nathan and I, have laughed lots about it since.

'After the ceremony finished both my husband and I were super hungry and I just said, 'Let's grab a Greggs before heading home.'

'We sat on the steps of the registry office eating our sausage rolls and our photographer caught us in the act!

'Not exactly your typical wedding breakfast, but very typically us.'

After the wedding, which took place on 17 March, Charlotte decided to drop Greggs a note to share the pictures but hadn't expected much to happen with it.

The pair had their ceremony at 9am, and decided to enjoy some Greggs sausage rolls right after

The pair just wanted to have a bit of fun with the pictures and did not think they would ever go viral

Lauren and Nathan also got more traditional wedding pictures where they can be seen gazing into each other's eyes

In one snap, the pair exchange a tender kiss after tying the knot, while in the other, they can be seen kissing in the stairs of the municipal building

The newlyweds have admitted they've found the fact their pictures have gone viral very amusing

The pair admitted that tucking into some Greggs sausage rolls is not a 'typical' breakfast, but joked it is 'typical for us'

The photographer was left blown away after finding out the British bakery chain had shared her picture on their social media pages.

She said: 'I contacted Greggs to show them what we had got up to and was absolutely over the moon when they asked to share the photograph!

'To see that people love it too makes me so happy!

'As a wedding photographer, I am always looking for fun and different poses/ideas for couples and can't wait to try new ideas in the future!

'Who knows what's next!'

People loved the snaps Charlotte took, with some saying it was 'true love,' and others saying they'd do this too for their own weddings

The iconic photo of Lauren and Nathan has received more than 5,000 likes on Instagram and has left people obsessed.

Rumitha said: 'This is so perfect.'

Someone else wrote: 'Only thing to make this better would be an eclair for dessert'

'I mean I would do this too,' someone else wrote.

One wrote: 'I had Gregg's for breakfast the morning of my wedding.'

Another said: 'True love 100%.'

One said: 'As long as they're happy!'

One person wrote: 'Chef pulled out last minute. Never settle for second best!!'

And another added: 'It's like roulette whether they are stone cold or hot.' [sic]
She was surrounded by glamorous royals from around the world - and yet Britain's Princess of Wales still commanded attention at this evening's reception at Buckingham Palace.

Mother-of-three Kate, 41, donned a new 360 Self-Portrait wrap midi dress to attend the lavish event in London today, hosted by King Charles on the eve of his coronation.

Joining foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries including Queen Letizia of Spain at the glittering reception, the princess completed her ensemble with the Queen Mother's sapphire and diamond earrings.

Enhancing her features with a smattering of glamorous makeup, Kate kept her hair in tight curls, with a statement side parting as she chatted to guests, including Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and US First Lady Jill Biden.

Kate appeared relaxed and at ease as she shared jokes with those invited, while King Charles was seen deep in conversation with the First Lady of Ukraine, President Zelensky's wife Olena Zelenska.

The Princess of Wales met the First Lady of the United States of America, Jill Biden, and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska on Friday

The Princess of Wales appeared in her element as she greeted overseas guests ahead of the service at Westminster Abbey on Saturday

Prince William was also on hand to greet guests as final preparations get underway for tomorrow's ceremony.

Some 100 heads of state will be in London for the event, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Other European royals enjoying the King's reception included Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Letizia of Spain and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Jill Biden, who was pictured alongside Kate and Mrs Zelenska of Ukraine, is representing her husband, US President Joe Biden, along with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden.

Earlier today, the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales thrilled royal fans at The Mall as they made a surprise appearance to greet well-wishers less than 24 hours before the coronation.

The road leading to Buckingham Palace was cleared and royal fans eagerly lined the route, having likely figured out that they may well catch a glimpse of the new King due to the security and media presence.

People cheered and could be heard shouting 'God Save the King' as the senior figures of the monarchy arrived to shake hands with well-wishers.

Royal superfans were left blown away by the visit, which came just hours after a downpour soaked thousands of people camped out at The Mall, with one person telling Sky News: 'This is the happiest moment in my life.'

The Queen Mother pictured wearing her sapphire and diamond earrings in 1986 in London

The Princess of Wales speaks (right) with Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at Buckingham Palace on Friday night

The Princess of Wales talks with the first Lady of the United States, Jill Biden and her granddaughter Finnegan Biden

The Princess of Wales appeared happy and relaxed less than 24 hours before the Coronation

The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers. One woman told Charles 'Love you Charlie' while others passed on their congratulations to him.

Kate and William posed for selfies with fans, while Kate even appeared to join one person in a video call before also speaking on another fan's phone before handing it back.

This morning the King took part in a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong congregation, and a television audience likely to be in the tens of millions, will watch him being crowned on Saturday.

As excitement ramps for Britain's first coronation in 70 years, Charles and Kate joined a lunch for VIPs at Buckingham Palace.

His Majesty was joined by working royals at a special event for prime ministers and governors general at the Palace from midday, just after the heavens opened on London.

King Charles III (right) greets Prince Albert of Monaco as royals from across the world congregated in London ahead of the Coronation

The King also appeared charmed by Denmark's royals, as the three shared a joke ahead of tomorrow's ceremony

The Prince of Wales speaks to Queen Suthida and King Maha Vajiralongkorn of Thailand during Friday's reception

Britain's King Charles III (L) speaks with Spain's King Felipe VI (R) and Spain's Queen Letizia (C)

Jill Biden is seen laughing with the Princess of Wales as she represents her husband Joe Biden at the reception

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were at the event. Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. But there was no invite for Prince Andrew, who was seen driving around Windsor this lunchtime.

There were 42 attendees in total, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australia's republican Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.

Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and Prince William had been at Westminster Abbey this morning for final rehearsals ahead of the Coronation tomorrow, around the time Prince Harry may have landed in the UK.

His Majesty and his wife waved to crowds as he was driven down The Mall to the church for further preparations, before a run of diplomatic duties including hosting a Buckingham Palace lunch for VIPs.

But the monarch looked shocked by the heavy rain as he passed thousands of people who are camped out along the route from the Abbey to the Palace including the packed Mall, dubbed Chaztonbury due to the huge numbers camped out there.

Meanwhile Prince Harry may have already landed in the UK for his 24-hour visit for the Coronation - leaving his wife and two children at home.

The Duke of Sussex is intending to fly back to California straight after the historic ceremony ends tomorrow afternoon so he can make it back to see Archie on his fourth birthday.

This morning a private jet from Van Nuys airport in California landed at Farnborough, the airport closest to Windsor Castle. Van Nuys is just an hour from Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion, but it is not yet known if he was on board.

Some 100 heads of state are descending on London for the coronation on Saturday, with representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko were among those checking in at their London hotel this morning.

The final preparations come as broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a friend of Charles who wrote his authorised biography, said the monarch would find the Homage of the People 'abhorrent'.

For the first time, those watching the coronation ceremony will be invited to make their own homage to Charles, replacing the traditional homage of peers, but some commentators have criticised the new element as divisive.

Mr Dimbleby told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I can think of nothing that he would find more abhorrent. He's never wanted to be revered, he's never wanted - so as far as I know - to have anyone pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke.

'He wants, I think, to feel that people will share in the event and I don't quite know how this might have happened.'

Meanwhile, those travelling across the UK on public transport are being reminded to 'mind the gap' by the King.

Charles and Camilla have recorded an announcement which is being played between Friday and Monday at every railway station across the UK and all London Underground stations, industry body the Rail Delivery Group said.

In the message, the King begins by telling passengers: 'My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend.'

Camilla then says: 'Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.'

The message concludes with Charles adding: 'And remember, please mind the gap.'

It was recorded at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London.
They were surrounded by royalty - and yet Princesses Elisabeth of Belgium and Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands still made sure they stood out from the crowd when attending a lavish reception at Buckingham Palace this evening.

Elisabeth, who is studying History and Politics at Oxford University, put on an elegant display in a navy midi dress as she stepped out at the occasion in London, alongside her father King Philippe of Belgium.

Cinched at the waist with a dainty black belt, the 21-year-old teamed her long sleeved dress with matching high heels.

The future Queen - who will ascend the throne after her father - added a touch of glitz to her look with dazzling diamond drop earrings and a coordinating silver bag when attending the event hosted by King Charles on the eve of his coronation.

Also arriving at the reception - hosted by the British monarch for foreign royalty and other overseas dignitaries - was Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands, who is heir to the Dutch throne.

Princess Elisabeth, who is studying History and Politics at Oxford University , put on an elegant display in a navy midi dress as she stepped out at the occasion in London, alongside her father King Philippe of Belgium

Catharina-Amalia stepped out alongside her grandmother Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, 85, who abdicated in favour of her son King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands in 2013.

The 19-year-old princess opted for a sophisticated navy suit, teamed with matching high heels and a clutch bag.

She enhanced her pretty features with glamorous makeup and wore a dazzling silver necklace.

Like Catharina-Amalia, Princess Elisabeth will ascend the throne after her father. A change in the law a decade ago made it possible for the eldest child, male or female, to ascend the throne in the country. She will become the country's first Queen Regent if she takes up the role.

Elisabeth spent 18 months boarding at UWC Atlantic College in South Wales before returning home to Brussels in March ahead of the government lockdown.

The princess, who received her International Baccalaureate Diploma in 2020, enrolled at Oxford University after completing a one-year course in social and military sciences at the Royal Military Academy.

The course is said to teach in-depth about the four components of Belgian defence; Army, Air Force, Navy and Medical.

King Philippe, 60, spent three years at the esteemed institution between 1978 to 1981.

Also arriving at the reception - hosted by the British monarch for foreign royalty and other overseas dignitaries - was Catharina-Amalia of the Netherlands (pictured right, with her grandmother Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands), who is heir to the Dutch throne

Princess Elisabeth, Duchess of Brabant and King Philippe of Belgium pose for pictures on arrival

Princess Beatrix and Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands pose for photographs at Buckingham Palace

Princess Beatrix and Princess Catharina-Amalia of The Netherlands arrive at Buckingham Palace

Last month, the Crown Princess of Belgium called the late British Queen her 'role model' as she represented her parents King Philippe and Queen Mathilde in signing a book of condolence in Brussels.

Princess Elisabeth signed the book of condolences at the residence of the UK ambassador, and wrote a sweet note praise the late Monarch's 'exemplarity'.

The Belgian royal appeared deep in thought in pictures shared by the royal household on Instagram.

'Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has been a role model and a source of inspiration for many of us, young and old,' the Princess wrote in her note.

'I join the millions around the world in mourning an extraordinary personality, whose exemplarity has had a profound impact on younger generations. May her soul rest in peace.

'On behalf of King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, I wish to express our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.'

She's known for her fashion prowess - and Queen Letizia of Spain didn't disappoint today as she stepped out at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles

The Spanish royal, 50, joined her husband King Felipe VI, 55, at the lavish occasion ahead of attending the British monarch's coronation in London tomorrow

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco attend the high-profile event

Elisabeth dedicated the note 'in loving memory of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II.' and signed her name.

Meanwhile, in February, the Dutch Crown Princess Catharina-Amalia opened up about 'missing normal life' after she was forced to leave university accommodation over a gangster plot to kidnap her.

The teenager, who started a degree in politics, psychology, law and economics at the University of Amsterdam last year, moved out of her student accommodation and returned to her home in The Hague in October.

At the time, several Dutch media outlets reported that the princess, whose formal title is Princess of Orange, was under heightened security due to fears that criminal gangs may target her for kidnapping or an attack.

During her tour of the Caribbean earlier this year, the royal briefly touched on her heightened security, and in a clip shared by Dutch media site NOS, said: 'I'm going to be very honest, I'm still having a very hard time.

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark attend the Coronation Reception for overseas guests at Buckingham Palace on May 5

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Mette-Marit (left) and Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (right), arriving at King Charles' reception at Buckingham Palace

'I miss the normal life, the life of a student. Walking the streets, being able to go to a store.'

Meanwhile she said she had enjoyed having some freedom back during the international tour, saying: 'I had a wonderful time.'

In October, Dutch news agency ANP quoted Queen Maxima, 51, during a state visit to Sweden with her husband King Willem-Alexander, saying: 'She can hardly leave the house.

'The consequences are very difficult for her. There is no student life for her like others have,' she added with an unusual amount of emotional candour.

The name of the princess, along with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, are understood to have come up in communications among organised crime groups which indicated they may be in their crosshairs for kidnapping.

'I'm very sorry for her and I'm obviously very concerned about it,' the Prime Minister said, without divulging details about the threats or the security measures. 'That makes people angry who want to be informed,' said the Prime Minister.

He added that Dutch authorities are doing everything to ensure that the princess is safe.

Princess Amalia started her degree in September and was living in rented accommodation she shared with several other students in Amsterdam before she had to move back home.

The princess is viewed in Holland as a relatively down-to-earth royal. She is a keen jockey with a horse named Mojito and she was nicknamed the Cocktail Queen after working a summer at a beach bar in Scheveningen.

She recently took part in her first international tour, joining her parents on a lengthy visit to the Dutch Caribbean Islands.

This morning the King took part in a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong congregation, and a television audience likely to be in the tens of millions, will watch him being crowned on Saturday.

As excitement ramps for Britain's first coronation in 70 years, Charles and Kate joined a lunch for VIPs at Buckingham Palace.

His Majesty was joined by working royals at a special event for prime ministers and governors general at the Palace from midday, just after the heavens opened on London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were at the event. Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. But there was no invite for Prince Andrew, who was seen driving around Windsor this lunchtime.

There were 42 attendees in total, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australia's republican Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.

Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and Prince William had been at Westminster Abbey this morning for final rehearsals ahead of the Coronation tomorrow, around the time Prince Harry may have landed in the UK.

His Majesty and his wife waved to crowds as he was driven down The Mall to the church for further preparations, before a run of diplomatic duties including hosting a Buckingham Palace lunch for VIPs.

But the monarch looked shocked by the heavy rain as he passed thousands of people who are camped out along the route from the Abbey to the Palace including the packed Mall, dubbed Chaztonbury due to the huge numbers camped out there.

Meanwhile Prince Harry may have already landed in the UK for his 24-hour visit for the Coronation - leaving his wife and two children at home.

The Duke of Sussex is intending to fly back to California straight after the historic ceremony ends tomorrow afternoon so he can make it back to see Archie on his fourth birthday.

This morning a private jet from Van Nuys airport in California landed at Farnborough, the airport closest to Windsor Castle. Van Nuys is just an hour from Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion, but it is not yet known if he was on board.

Some 100 heads of state are descending on London for the coronation on Saturday, with representatives from 203 countries due to attend.
The Princess of Wales showed off her easy charm with the public today as she posed for selfies with thrilled royal fans at The Mall - and even enjoyed a phone call with one admirer.

Kate, 41, joined the King, 74, and the Prince of Wales, 40, during a surprise appearance in London to greet well-wishers less than 24 hours before the coronation.

The road leading to Buckingham Palace was cleared and royal fans eagerly lined the route, having likely figured out that they may well catch a glimpse of the royals due to the security and media presence.

Kate eagerly posed for selfies with fans, while the mother-of-three even appeared to join one person in a video call before also speaking on another fan's phone before handing it back.

The royal chatted on the phone to Texan Debbie Hoover's aunt, who was in Tennessee with a broken leg, which meant she couldn't fly out with her family for the coronation, according to BBC journalist Chi Chi Izundu on Twitter.

Kate chatted on the phone to one person's aunt who was said to be unable to make the trip to England from Tennessee because she broke her leg

'Are you feeling OK?', asks Kate, before adding: 'Come and say hi Julie when you're back over here but I hope you get better soon.'

People cheered and could be heard shouting 'God Save the King' as the senior figures of the monarchy arrived to shake hands with well-wishers.

Royal superfans were left blown away by the visit, which came just hours after a downpour soaked thousands of people camped out at The Mall, with one person telling Sky News: 'This is the happiest moment in my life.'

The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers. One woman told Charles 'Love you Charlie' while others passed on their congratulations to him.

Meanwhile, alongside Kate, a beaming William also posed for selfies with the adoring crowd.

Although there is no official protocol on selfies, the royals have a rule against signing autographs, so that they can't be sold for large amounts of money.

And in the early days of camera phones, they seemed to shy away from being snapped with members of the public with Princes William and Harry and King Charles all voicing their dislike of the method.

However, in recent years, they've become commonplace, with Charles posing for his first selfie all the way back in 2014, and other royals from Sophie Wessex to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle following suit.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was not a fan of selfies and would politely decline if ever asked to take one, as she was thought to prefer eye contact. However, this was more of a personal preference than a rule of any kind.

Say cheese! The Princess of Wales poses for selfies with royal fans - and even appears to join one person's video call

Kate eagerly posed for selfies with fans, while the mother-of-three even appeared to join one person in a video call before also speaking on another fan's phone before handing it back

The Princess of Wales showed off her easy charm with the public today as she posed for selfies with thrilled royal fans at The Mall

Smile for the camera! Haley Falconer pictured meeting Prince William during today's walkabout in London

People cheered and could be heard shouting God Save the King as the senior figures of the monarchy arrived to shake hands with well-wishers. PIctured: King Charles meets royal fans

The Prince and Princess of Wales beamed as they said hello to thousands of delighted royal fans on The Mall this afternoon

Kate speaks with well-wishers on The Mall near to Buckingham Palace in central London

William has previously joked that he is 'allergic to selfies' while Harry once told a teenager that 'selfies are bad' and told her to 'just take a normal photograph' when she requested one in Australia in 2015.

However in recent times it appears some royals have grown fonder of the selfie, perhaps viewing the form of photography as way of embracing modern times and connecting with fans.

Despite previously admitting he 'hates' selfies, the King was among the first royals to be seen stopping for a snap with fans after cheeky scaffolder Sam Wayne took a picture with him in 2014.

Two years later the same construction worker, from Redruth, reduced, Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, to fits of giggles as he snapped a selfie with them on a tour of a housing development in Cornwall.

Prince William pushed the trend further in 2014 when he actually took the picture himself while posing for a snap with a schoolgirl after she visited the Sandringham Estate on Christmas Day.

The Duke ended up photographing himself with the schoolgirl, Madison Lambe, 12, because she was too nervous to press the button on her phone.

William seems to have grown more accustomed to the selfie over the years, with the royal melting hearts when he put his tour of Ireland on hold to stop for a selfie with little girl Jennifer Malone in March 2020.

Kate has always seemed to be comfortable with the selfie, going viral in 2014 when she took a snap high-fiving a youngster in Christchurch before posing with various well-wishers on a walkabout in Sydney.

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace today

Kate stunned in a white dress and high heels as she appeared with Prince William and King Charles during a surprise visit to royal superfans in The Mall, in London, this afternoon

The Princess of Wales meets well-wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace today

Meanwhile, Prince Harry welcomed the selfie after marrying Meghan Markle in 2018 when the pair happily posed for several photos with royal supporters during their 16-day tour of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand.

It also seems that Queen Consort Camilla has always been on board with the selfie, having posed with various fans over the years.

In June 2016, she proved she's a good sport by snapping a selfie with staff member Biffy Mackay, 27, at the Social Bite cafe in Edinburgh, which feeds, trains and employs members of the homeless community.

Sophie Wessex has also been spotted indulging fans who asked for a selfie when she smiled with a group of youngsters while previously attending the New Forest and Hampshire County Show.

As royal selfies appear to become more commonplace, fans may consider the practice a sign of a monarchy that is becoming more modern, as King Charles takes the reins.

Earlier, the King took part a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong congregation, and a television audience likely to be in the tens of millions, will watch him being crowned on Saturday.

As excitement ramps for Britain's first coronation in 70 years, Charles and Kate joined a lunch for VIPs at Buckingham Palace.

His Majesty was joined by working royals at a special event for prime ministers and governors general at the Palace from midday, just after the heavens opened on London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were at the event. Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. But there was no invite for Prince Andrew, who was seen driving around Windsor this lunchtime.

There were 42 attendees in total, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australia's republican Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.
Carole Railton told FEMAIL that Kate showed sign of 'stress' to begin with

The Princess of Wales was 'stressed and concerned' at times during her Buckingham Palace walkabout this afternoon - but 'took control' of her last-minute nerves with one gesture, a body language expert has claimed.

Kate Middleton, 41, joined Prince William, 40, and King Charles, 74, as they surprised members of the public who have already lined The Mall this afternoon.

Although the royal mother-of-three appeared in high spirits as she shook hands and exchanged pleasantries with fans, body language expert Carole Railton says Kate exhibited some key signs which hinted at her underlying nerves.

As Kate approached the crowds with Prince William, Carole says the royal started the daunting task of greeting thousands of fans with 'good intentions'.

The expert - who has penned the book The Future of Body Language - noted that Kate appeared 'relaxed in her moves' at the very beginning.

The Princess of Wales appeared 'relaxed in her moves' as she approached the crowds with Prince William at the Mall this afternoon

However as the royal began interacting with fans, Carole said there were some subtle shifts in the Princess' demeanor.

She explained: 'Kate's shoulders are slightly raised [as she spoke with members of the public]. This is an indicator of stress or tension.'

What's more, Carole also highlighted the 'slight stiffness' to Kate's posture.

The expert said: 'This indicates there is some concern about what she is doing.

'Her head is still slightly tilted forward even when she is at the same level as the people she is interacting with.

'Again, this situation shows she is still not as comfortable as she would like to be as she does not have a completely straight back.'

On top of this, Carole said Kate's nerves were evident from her 'posed smile' during the walkabout.

Highlighting another sign of tension, the expert said: 'Her smile is held very tightly.

However, the expert said Kate showed signs of 'stress and tension' in her posture and 'posed smile'

Carole says Kate 'took control' over her nerves by interacting with crowds and placing her hands on shoulders. The expert said: 'Although it is seen by most people as a comfort pose, you are in fact controlling how the other person moves and where to, or getting them to stay in the position they are in.'

Footage of The Princess of Wales uploaded on Twitter showed the royal rushing to greet as many royal fans as possible on the Mall

'When you smile naturally, your teeth aren't touching in this way.'

Footage of the Princess posted on Twitter showed Kate hurrying to greet every member of the crowd in one area of the Mall.

As Kate tried to shake hands and make eye contact with each person in the group, Carole noted that Princess' decision to 'move quickly' suggests she was in a 'stressful situation'.

She said: 'Her voice was a little higher pitched than normal which indicates nerves and stress in a body.'

That said, the expert said Kate did settle into the overwhelming task and used one move in particular to regain 'control'.

Carole said: 'Kate stretched her arm out and put her hand on a couple of the individuals in the crowd.

'This is unusual, the royals normally shake or hold hands with the public not put their hands on the back of them.

Carole says Kate's body language was 'tense' to begin with - and noted the 'slight stiffness' to the Princess' posture

Over time, the body language expert said Kate 'relaxed' into the walkabout and appeared more 'genuine' in her interactions

The Princess of Wales 'took control' of her nerves by placing her arm around royal fans and engaging with the public

Carole said: 'Kate got more relaxed as the day went on. The posed smile went and she became more relaxed and genuine with her contact with the public.'

The Princess of Wales shares a laugh with royal fans as she greets members of the public on the Mall

'Taking the lead like this, putting a hand on someones shoulder is normally a guiding pose, when you want to lead someone in a certain direction before going through a door for example.

'Its a dominant pose, since you are in control when doing this, guiding the other person.

'Although it is seen by most people as a comfort pose, you are in fact controlling how the other person moves and where to, or getting them to stay in the position they are in. '

As such, Carole says Kate appeared calmer as she worked her way through the crowds.

Carole said: 'Kate got more relaxed as the day went on. The posed smile went and she became more relaxed and genuine with her contact with the public.'

Following surprise walkabout this afternoon, the Princess of Wales will attend a glittering reception at Buckingham Palace this evening - which is being attended by foreign royals, world leaders and other overseas dignitaries.

Some 100 heads of state will be in London for the ceremony tomorrow, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Among the global leaders seen arriving at the palace on Friday was the First Lady of Ukraine, President Zelensky's wife Olena Zelenska. She will represent Ukraine at the Coronation while her husband remains at home, leading efforts against Putin's illegal invasion. She is joined by Prime Minister of Ukraine, Denys Shmyhal.
She's known for her fashion prowess - and Queen Letizia of Spain didn't disappoint today as she stepped out at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles.

The Spanish royal, 50, joined her husband King Felipe VI, 55, at the lavish occasion ahead of attending the British monarch's coronation in London tomorrow.

Dressed to impress, Letizia, who was also joined at the reception by other foreign royals, including Princess Charlene of Monaco, oozed elegance in a green Victoria Beckham midi dress, costing 850, teamed with navy heels and a black clutch.

The frock featured a gathered front, tulip sleeve detail and a slight V-neck at the back, according to the British designer's website.

'Softy shaped around the waist to fit and flatter, and with a gently flared skirt, it exudes a modern refinement,' the description added.

She's known for her fashion prowess - and Queen Letizia of Spain didn't disappoint today as she stepped out at Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles

Adding a touch of glitz to her ensemble, Letizia completed her look with a dazzling diamond brooch and an emerald and silver bracelet.

The mother-of-two kept her locks down and added a smattering of glamorous makeup to her features.

Her husband looked equally sophisticated for this evening's event in a suit with a red patterned tie.

It's been a busy week for the Spanish royals - with King Felipe and Queen Letizia hosting Colombian President Gustavo Petro and his wife Veronica Alcocer in Madrid.

Following a state dinner last night, the Colombian couple are returning home to today while the Spanish royals jetted out to London.

Felipe is a distant cousin of Charles: his mother, Queen Sofia, was a third cousin of the Queen and a first cousin once removed of the Duke of Edinburgh.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, who Felipe celled Aunt Lilibet, the Spanish royal wrote a touching letter to Charles.

He wrote: 'Your Majesty, dearest Charles. Deeply saddened by the sorrowful news of the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, your beloved mother.

The Spanish royal, 50, joined her husband King Felipe VI, 55, at the lavish occasion ahead of attending the British monarch's coronation in London tomorrow

Britain's King Charles III (L) speaks with Spain's King Felipe VI (R) and Spain's Queen Letizia (C) during a reception for overseas guests attending his coronation, at Buckingham Palace in central London

'I would like to offer Your Majesty and the British people, on my behalf and on the behalf of the Spanish government and people, our most heartfelt condolences.'

Earlier today, the King and the Prince and Princess of Wales thrilled royal fans at The Mall as they made a surprise appearance to greet well-wishers less than 24 hours before the coronation.

The road leading to Buckingham Palace was cleared and royal fans eagerly lined the route, having likely figured out that they may well catch a glimpse of the new King due to the security and media presence.

People cheered and could be heard shouting 'God Save the King' as the senior figures of the monarchy arrived to shake hands with well-wishers.

Royal superfans were left blown away by the visit, which came just hours after a downpour soaked thousands of people camped out at The Mall, with one person telling Sky News: 'This is the happiest moment in my life.'

Britain's King Charles III (L) speaks with Spain's King Felipe VI (R) and Spain's Queen Letizia (C)

The Princess of Wales met the First Lady of the United States of America, Jill Biden, and the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska on Friday

The Princess of Wales speaks (right) talks with Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark at Buckingham Palace on Friday night

Mary, Crown Princess of Denmark and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark attend the Coronation Reception for overseas guests at Buckingham Palace on May 5

Crown Prince Haakon of Norway and Crown Princess Mette-Marit (left) and Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan of Brunei (right), arriving at King Charles' reception at Buckingham Palace

The King went to one side of The Mall while William and Kate went to another to greet well-wishers. One woman told Charles 'Love you Charlie' while others passed on their congratulations to him.

Kate and William posed for selfies with fans, while Kate even appeared to join one person in a video call before also speaking on another fan's phone before handing it back.

This morning the King took part in a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, where a 2,300-strong congregation, and a television audience likely to be in the tens of millions, will watch him being crowned on Saturday.

As excitement ramps for Britain's first coronation in 70 years, Charles and Kate joined a lunch for VIPs at Buckingham Palace.

His Majesty was joined by working royals at a special event for prime ministers and governors general at the Palace from midday, just after the heavens opened on London.

The Prince and Princess of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were at the event. Completing the royal contingent were the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent. But there was no invite for Prince Andrew, who was seen driving around Windsor this lunchtime.

There were 42 attendees in total, including UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Australia's republican Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister of New Zealand Chris Hipkins.

Charles, Queen Consort Camilla and Prince William had been at Westminster Abbey this morning for final rehearsals ahead of the Coronation tomorrow, around the time Prince Harry may have landed in the UK.

His Majesty and his wife waved to crowds as he was driven down The Mall to the church for further preparations, before a run of diplomatic duties including hosting a Buckingham Palace lunch for VIPs.

But the monarch looked shocked by the heavy rain as he passed thousands of people who are camped out along the route from the Abbey to the Palace including the packed Mall, dubbed Chaztonbury due to the huge numbers camped out there.

Meanwhile Prince Harry may have already landed in the UK for his 24-hour visit for the Coronation - leaving his wife and two children at home.

The Duke of Sussex is intending to fly back to California straight after the historic ceremony ends tomorrow afternoon so he can make it back to see Archie on his fourth birthday.

This morning a private jet from Van Nuys airport in California landed at Farnborough, the airport closest to Windsor Castle. Van Nuys is just an hour from Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion, but it is not yet known if he was on board.

Some 100 heads of state are descending on London for the coronation on Saturday, with representatives from 203 countries due to attend.
The viral TikTok video has amassed over 650,000 'likes' since this morning

This is the hilarious moment a member of the public unknowingly stormed past the Prince and Princess of Wales in Soho yesterday.

The royal couple visited the Dog and Duck pub in Soho yesterday afternoon to learn about how the establishment is gearing up for King Charles' coronation this weekend.

After greeting members of the public who had gathered on Bateman Street, Kate and William spoke with staff members outside of the pub.

But as they prepared to step through the doors, an unamused member of the public somehow managed to get past the barriers and brush past the couple on his way back from the pharmacy.

The hilarious video was captured by a TikTok user who had waited on the London street to catch a glimpse of the royal couple.

The video was captured by a TikTok user who had waited on the London street to catch a glimpse of the Prince and Princess of Wales

They captioned the clip: 'No amount of security could stop this man from getting where he needed to go.'

The video opens with the Prince and Princess listening intently to what a female member of staff was telling them as they stood in front of the entrance.

Then, out of nowhere, the man appears behind them holding a paper pharmacy bag- seemingly unaware that he is in touching distance of royalty.

As he strides down Frith Street, the member of the public only stops in his tracks when he spots the cameras on William and Kate.

Trying not to ruin the photos, the oblivious man pauses for a moment before continuing down the street - as the crowd breaks out into laughter.

After storming past Kate and William, a person who is thought to be a member of security then approaches the man to inspect his bag.

Confident that he didn't pose a threat, the bodyguard directed the man in the direction of the barriers.

Having spotted what was going on, curiosity got the better of Kate and the clip ends with the Princess smiling and looking down the road after the man.

After the man was taken aside by the couple's security, the Princess of Wales looked down the street to check on the man

After he stormed past Kate and William, a member of their security team then approaches the man to inspect his bag.

The video has amassed over 652,000 'likes' since it was uploaded to TikTok this morning - and viewers were in hysterics over the man's obliviousness.

One replied: 'Dude became famous and has not the slightest clue.' Another added: 'That man probably had no idea who he was passing and I love that for him.'

A third wrote: 'He's like, "I'm literally not thinking about them. I'm trying to get home."' 'I love that Kate checked on him though,' a fourth said.

'Kate wouldn't mind,' a fifth said. 'She's without a doubt the loveliest ambassador this country has right now.'

The video sent viewers wild - and royal fans gushed about Kate's sweet reaction as she looked down the street after the man

During the engagement, Kate Middleton ripped up the royal rule book as she got very touchy feeling with wellwishers outside the pub.

Among the crowd was secondary school English teacher Louis Stevenson - who praised the Princess' Early Years initiative.

In a video shared on his Twitter, Louis told the Princess: 'You mean so much and are such an inspiration.'

While discussing Louis' work, Kate admitted: 'I'm trying to get my kids to speak more French.'

The Princess then went on to stress 'how important' it is to learn languages in childhood.

The Princess of Wales put her hand on royal fan Louis Stevenson's shoulder after he presented her with a bouquet of flowers

As the conversation draws to a close, Louis asked: 'Can I get a selfie with you?'

'Of course,' the Princess replied. 'Thank you so much for my flowers. That's really sweet of you.'

As they posed for the photo, Kate put her arm around Louis.

'Keep up the hard work,' she said, after giving him a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

Sharing the footage with his followers, Louis wrote: 'Many have reached out, and asked what the Princess and I talked about. Ill share this video with you.

'She most cheerfully lent an ear, was really interested in my job (Im a teacher of English), and was genuine with everybody. Yesterday was a dream.'

The Princess of Wale patiently posed for a series of selfies in Soho yesterday - with the footage later being uploaded to TikTok

After posing for a photo with a royal fan at the front of the crowd, a self-deprecating Kate admitted that she often questioned her approach to selfies

After posing for a photo with this royal fan (who was late to a meeting), Kate gave him a gentle tap on the shoulder and said 'I look like I'm Photobombing you!'

In a video shared on his Twitter, Louis told the Princess: 'You mean so much and are such an inspiration.'

In response, one fan said: 'What a gentle soul she is! Everyone keeps saying the same thing natural sweet and authentic and that she really is pretty in real life.'

Another added: 'Authentic. Thats so unique in todays world and so appreciated.'

Following their interaction with the Princess, the royal fan who runs the TikTok account 'The Kings Guard Official' shared a video of Kate posing for selfies on the street.

The 70-second clip shows the Princess patiently posing for multiple photos with fans and saying: 'It's very nice to meet you.'

After posing for a photo with a royal fan at the front of the crowd, a self-deprecating Kate admitted that she often questioned her approach to selfies.

She said: 'I'm sorry, I always get really close. I'm like, "what do I do?!"

She then took another selfie with a fan further down the crowd before asking them if they had travelled far to get to London that day.

In the background, a member of the public called out in the background: 'Kate, can I get a selfie? I'm late for my meeting.'

The Princess of Wales posed with a member of the public who had an incredibly similar sapphire engagement ring

The Princess of Wales happily chatted to the member of the public outside the London pub as she presented the royal with her ring

The Prince and Princess of Wales showed off their easy charm with the public as they posed for selfies and made jokes while visiting he Dog and Duck pub in Soho

Kate's naturally effortless indulgence of fans asking for selfies signals yet another move towards a more personable approach at royal engagements

The royal couple, who made the trip to pull pints and chat to hospitality staff were all smiles as they posed up a storm with well-wishers

Warning of the tourists of the potential risk of rain tomorrow, she added: 'I hope you enjoy it. But I was just saying, make sure you find yourself an umbrella!

'It might rain. It's the British way.'

At this point, Kate then responds to the impatient man behind the group and leans in for a selfie with him.

As he turned his back to her, she exclaimed: 'How are we going to do it?'

Giving him a gentle tap on the shoulder, the Princess added: 'I look like I'm Photobombing you!'

The video ends with Kate recording a video for a royal fan's family back home - telling them that it's 'very nice to meet you'.
On the eve of the King's coronation, several members of the Royal Family enjoyed a rare night out together - with Zara Tindall and Princess Eugenie sporting glamorous velvet ensembles for the occasion.

Zara, 41, who arrived at exclusive Mayfair private members' club Oswald's alongside her husband Mike Tindall, 44, opted for a striking navy blazer and trouser combo, paired with a light blue shirt.

Her cousin, Princess Eugenie, 33, who is expecting her second child with husband Jack Brooksbank, who was also in attendance at the family occasion, seemingly took inspiration from Zara and donned an Asceno Velvet Athens Robe, costing 575.

They were joined alongside Princess Beatrice, 34, dressed in Louis Vuitton's 2,900 chain print asymmetrical long-sleeved frock, as well as other Royal Family members - including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.

Tomorrow, they will join King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. The King, Kate and William attended a Buckingham Palace reception this evening with foreign royals and world leaders.

On the eve of the King's coronation, several members of the Royal Family enjoyed a rare night out together - with Zara Tindall and Princess Eugenie (pictured) sporting glamorous velvet ensembles for the occasion

Joined by her husband, Eugenie, who already shares two-year-old August with Jack, paired her glamorous red robe with black heels and a matching bag.

Coordinating with his wife, Jack opted for a smart suit, white crisp shirt and a red patterned tie.

Beatrice, meanwhile, teamed her designer dress with black heels and a matching blazer. She added a touch of glitz to her look with dazzling earrings.

Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39, who she shares one-year-old daughter Sienna with, looked equally sophisticated in a navy suit and a light blue tie.

Meanwhile, Zara - arriving alongside her dapper husband Mike - teamed her look with court heels and dazzling diamond earrings.

Elsewhere, Sophie, 58, and Prince Edward, 59, were joined by their children, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and Lady Louise Windsor, 19.

While several royal family members gathered in Mayfair, William, Kate and Charles were at Buckingham Palace, entertaining foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries who have arrived in London for the coronation.

Mother-of-three Kate, 41, donned a new 360 Self-Portrait wrap midi dress to attend the lavish event, hosted by King Charles on the eve of his historic event.

Zara (pictured left), 41, who arrived at exclusive Mayfair private members' club Oswald's alongside her husband Mike Tindall, 44, opted for a striking navy blazer and trouser combo, paired with a light blue shirt. Pictured right, Princess Beatrice

Meanwhile, Zara - arriving alongside her dapper husband Mike - teamed her look with court heels and dazzling diamond earrings

They were joined alongside Princess Beatrice (pictured with husband Edo), 34, dressed in Louis Vuitton's 2,900 chain print asymmetrical long-sleeved frock, as well as other Royal Family members - including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne

Joined by her husband, Eugenie, who already shares two-year-old August with Jack, paired her glamorous red robe with black heels and a matching bag

Joining foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries including Queen Letizia of Spain at the glittering reception, the princess completed her ensemble with the Queen Mother's sapphire and diamond earrings.

Enhancing her features with a smattering of glamorous makeup, Kate kept her hair in tight curls, with a statement side parting as she chatted to guests, including Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and US First Lady Jill Biden.

Kate appeared relaxed and at ease as she shared jokes with those invited, while King Charles was seen deep in conversation with the First Lady of Ukraine, President Zelensky's wife Olena Zelenska.

Prince William was also on hand to greet guests as final preparations get underway for tomorrow's ceremony.

The Duke (pictured right) and Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured left) were also in attendance at the event tonight

Elsewhere, Sophie, 58, and Prince Edward, 59, were joined by their children, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and Lady Louise Windsor, 19

Prince Andrew (pictured right) and Princess Anne (pictured left) are pictured arriving at the Mayfair club this evening

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are pictured arriving at the Mayfair club this evening

Some 100 heads of state will be in London for the event, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Other European royals enjoying the King's reception included Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Letizia of Spain and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Jill Biden, who was pictured alongside Kate and Mrs Zelenska of Ukraine, is representing her husband, US President Joe Biden, along with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden.
How are YOU celebrating the Coronation? Send your pictures and videos to pictures@mailonline.co.uk

Lady Louise Windsor proved she was just like any other teenager after raiding her mother's wardrobe for an outfit to wear this evening.

The 19-year-old daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh opted for a Mary Katrantzou lace cocktail dress as she arrived at the private members' club Oswald's in Mayfair for a royal gettogether on the eve of the King's coronation.

Her mother Sophie, 58, wore the frock in 2015 when attending an award ceremony in London - and proving it's still a stylish number, Lady Louise decided to wear it tonight.

The Duchess, meanwhile, sported a 1,350 vibrant floral midi dress from Erdem, which she teamed with a cream coat and matching strappy heels.

Lady Louise, who often borrows from her mother's wardrobe, and Sophie were joined at the occasion by other British Royal Family members - including Prince Edward, 59, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

Lady Louise Windsor (pictured left) opted for a Mary Katrantzou lace cocktail dress as she arrived at the private members' club Oswald's in Mayfair for a royal gettogether on the eve of the King's coronation. Her mother Sophie, 58, wore the frock in 2015 (pictured right) when attending an award ceremony in London

The Duchess, meanwhile, sported a 1,350 vibrant floral midi dress from Erdem, which she teamed with a cream coat and matching strappy heels

Oswald's is the most exclusive of London's private members' clubs, with the Queen Consort and Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie among those who frequent the venue.

Zara Tindall, 41, who arrived alongside her husband Mike Tindall, 44, opted for a striking navy blazer and trouser combo, paired with a light blue shirt.

Her cousin, Princess Eugenie, 33, who is expecting her second child with husband Jack Brooksbank, who was also in attendance at the family occasion, seemingly took inspiration from Zara and donned an Asceno Velvet Athens Robe, costing 575.

They were joined alongside Princess Beatrice, 34, dressed in Louis Vuitton's 2,900 chain print asymmetrical long-sleeved frock, as well as other Royal Family members - including Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.

Tomorrow, they will join King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. The King, Kate and William attended a Buckingham Palace reception this evening with foreign royals and world leaders.

Joined by her husband, Eugenie, who already shares two-year-old August with Jack, paired her glamorous red robe with black heels and a matching bag.

Coordinating with his wife, Jack opted for a smart suit, white crisp shirt and a red patterned tie.

The Duke (pictured right) and Duchess of Edinburgh (pictured left) were also in attendance at the event tonight

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh's children, James, Earl of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor, arrived alongside their parents

On the eve of the King's coronation, several members of the Royal Family enjoyed a rare night out together - with Zara Tindall and Princess Eugenie (pictured) sporting glamorous velvet ensembles for the occasion

Beatrice, meanwhile, teamed her designer dress with black heels and a matching blazer. She added a touch of glitz to her look with dazzling earrings.

Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39, who she shares one-year-old daughter Sienna with, looked equally sophisticated in a navy suit and a light blue tie.

Meanwhile, Zara - arriving alongside her dapper husband Mike - teamed her look with court heels and dazzling diamond earrings.

Elsewhere, Sophie, 58, and Prince Edward, 59, were joined by their children, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and Lady Louise Windsor, 19.

While several royal family members gathered in Mayfair, William, Kate and Charles were at Buckingham Palace, entertaining foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries who have arrived in London for the coronation.

Mother-of-three Kate, 41, donned a new 360 Self-Portrait wrap midi dress to attend the lavish event, hosted by King Charles on the eve of his historic event.

Zara (pictured left), 41, who arrived at exclusive Mayfair private members' club Oswald's alongside her husband Mike Tindall, 44, opted for a striking navy blazer and trouser combo, paired with a light blue shirt. Pictured right, Princess Beatrice

Meanwhile, Zara - arriving alongside her dapper husband Mike - teamed her look with court heels and dazzling diamond earrings

They were joined alongside Princess Beatrice (pictured with husband Edo), 34, dressed in Louis Vuitton's 2,900 chain print asymmetrical long-sleeved frock, as well as other Royal Family members - including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne

Joined by her husband, Eugenie, who already shares two-year-old August with Jack, paired her glamorous red robe with black heels and a matching bag

Prince Andrew (pictured right) and Princess Anne (pictured left) are pictured arriving at the Mayfair club this evening

Prince and Princess Michael of Kent are pictured arriving at the Mayfair club this evening

Joining foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries including Queen Letizia of Spain at the glittering reception, the princess completed her ensemble with the Queen Mother's sapphire and diamond earrings.

Enhancing her features with a smattering of glamorous makeup, Kate kept her hair in tight curls, with a statement side parting as she chatted to guests, including Crown Princess Mary and Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and US First Lady Jill Biden.

Kate appeared relaxed and at ease as she shared jokes with those invited, while King Charles was seen deep in conversation with the First Lady of Ukraine, President Zelensky's wife Olena Zelenska.

Prince William was also on hand to greet guests as final preparations get underway for tomorrow's ceremony.

Some 100 heads of state will be in London for the event, with international representatives from 203 countries due to attend.

Other European royals enjoying the King's reception included Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Queen Letizia of Spain and Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway.

Jill Biden, who was pictured alongside Kate and Mrs Zelenska of Ukraine, is representing her husband, US President Joe Biden, along with her granddaughter Finnegan Biden.
A woman who specialises in cleaning hoarders homes has shared a clip of a 'disgusting' shower that hadn't been washed in over a year.

Charlotte Bosanquet, founder of Care Cleaning Services, posted the 'extremely satisfying' video of herself cleaning a bathroom that was caked in mould and grime.

In the clip, she begins by putting on a pair of rubber gloves and removing all the products, including shampoo, dirty sponges, and shower gel that were covered in sludge.

Next, she sprays liberal amounts of a product called shower clean inside the shower, covering the tiles, floor, and door.

She then began to tackle the grout, getting in between tiles with a brush.

Charlotte Bosanquet, founder of Care Cleaning Services, posted a 'extremely satisfying' video cleaning the bathroom that had huge amounts of mould and grime built up on it. Shower is pictured before and after

'It brought it up so nicely,' the Sydney-based cleaner said in a video posted to Tiktok, before adding it was 'so satisfying'.

Charlotte then scrubbed the shower screen with a sponge, starting at the top and working her way to the bottom cleaning in a circular motion to remove soap scum.

Next she covered screen with a window cleaner to get rid of the residue, before using a screen cleaner to get rid of the rest of the water.

'Oh my god it turned out so perfect, literally looks new,' she said.

In the clip, she begins by putting on a pair of rubber gloves and removing all the products, including shampoo, dirty sponges, and shower gel that were covered in grime

Finally, she used a cleaning product called gumption go over the tiles.

Many of Charlotte's followers were wowed by the new look.

'Omg I need you in my life to clean my shower,' wrote one.

'I love how you say satisfying clean rather than disgusting like some other people say. Not putting people down for how they keep their homes,' wrote another.

'Love this youre the best,' commented a third.

Charlotte then scrubbed the shower screen with a sponge, starting at the top and working her way to the bottom cleaning in a circular motion to remove soap scum

'Holy wow, satisfying don't even cut it,' said another.

It comes after Charlotte told Daily Mail Australia the first time she stepped into a hoarder's flat she found in 'overwhelming'.

'The first time I cleaned a hoarders home it was extremely tiring but the most rewarding thing I have ever accomplished. Being able to help people that feel there is no way out is the best feeling in the world. You just have to put your head down and go for it,' Charlotte told FEMAIL.

Charlotte Bosanquet, founder of Care Cleaning Services in Sydney, (pictured) cleans hoarder's homes for a living

'It is so easy to assume why someone's house is the way it is, but there are so many factors that contribute to a hoarder's home,' the 20-year-old said on TikTok.

'Mental health plays a significant role in the cleanliness of one's home so before comment, think about what you're saying.'

Videos shared on TikTok show exactly what Charlotte sees when she enters a home, and how it looks once she's done cleaning it.

'I started the business about a year ago now when I was in university. It was meant to be a little side hussle to earn some extra cash as I was living out of home but once I started and saw the need for cleaners in Sydney, I knew I had a passion for it and needed to make the company bigger,' Charlotte told FEMAIL.

'I got into the industry by making as many connections as possible for advertisement and getting my business name out there and just giving myself no other choice than to make it happen!'

Videos shared on TikTok show exactly what Charlotte sees when she enters a home, and how it looks once she's done cleaning it

The work itself is intensive and Charlotte starts her day with a double shot espresso. Getting the work done can take anywhere between two and six hours.

Due to the huge amount of work involved to get the job done, Charlottetold Mamamia she charged anywhere between '$5,000 to sometimes into $20,000 or more' to clean a hoarder's property.

After arriving at the property, she first maps out all areas to evaluate what needs to be done, then starts by disposing of all waste - which is a time-consuming process.

'I put on some gloves, use some heavy duty bin bags so they don't bread and rip in the middle of the elevator,' she said in a video.

Charlotte usually comes across anything from rotten fruit and vegetables to cardboard boxes, overfilled leaking bin bags, and dirty dishes.

Next, she declutters and organises the space she's cleaning. At times Charlotte also needs to wash piles of filthy dishes.

At times Charlotte also cleans the walls, tidies up the laundry and bathroom, and cleans dirty clothes piled onto the floor.

Due to the huge amount of work involved to get the job done, Charlottetold Mamamia she charged anywhere between '$5,000 to sometimes into $20,000 or more' to clean a hoarder's property

'It is so easy to assume why someone's house is the way it is, but there are so many factors that contribute to a hoarder's home,' the 20-year-old said on TikTok

Ultimately Charlotte and her team work to improve the lives of their clients rather than change their habits.

She's even worked public holidays at times because she knew if she didn't the mess would've gotten 'out of hand' for some.

Charlotte has nine people working for her business which first started out as a hobby.

Previously she revealed how much she makes each week.

Without working any more than five hours a day, Charlotte brings home around $3,745 per week. In one day she earned $1,000 for three hours of work.

Previously Charlotte said that in one week her earnings are $3745. She brought in $1000 one day and never worked more than five hours in one day

Charlotte has nine people working for her business which first started out as a hobby

Despite being praised for her transparency, the attention the video received meant Charlotte was forced to hit back at trolls who accused her of overcharging clients or lying about how much she makes.

'How much I make in a week as a 20-year-old cleaning business owner,' she said on TiKTok.

On Monday, Charlotte earned $630 for five hours work. She then said she made $470 for four hours work on Tuesday. The cleaner worked from 9am to 11.30am on Wednesday and earned $600 for the two and a half hours.

The next day she brought home $600 again for four and a half hours. She worked from 10am to 2pm on her laptop on Friday for $500.

The average salary of a cleaner is $1,066 per week, a sum the young cleaner brought in in just three hours one day.
A young mum has revealed doctors dismissed her concerns over her son's oddly-shaped head before realising it was a medical emergency.

Brittany Bevans, 29, says her son Louie was born with a rare disorder which could have seen him go blind and develop significant learning delays.

Despite knowing something was wrong with her son 'within weeks' of his birth, nothing could have prepared her for the truth, or the treatment.

His skull would need to be 'smashed into pieces' so that it could be put back together again the right way.

'It was overwhelming to consider that my baby would have to undergo such a complex and risky procedure,' she said.

'The idea of his skull being cut open, broken apart and reconstructed filled me with intense anxiety.'

Brittany knew there was an issue the shape of Louie's head, but she was fobbed off by her GP and paediatrician.

She then took her son to the craniofacial team at the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, where specialists revealed he had craniosynostosis, a condition which occurs when the bones in the skull fuse together too early.

Her baby having to undergo surgery was Brittany's greatest fear'.

Brittany Bevans, 29, and her husband Daniel, 32, were left distraught when their five-month-old son Louie (pictured) was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a condition which occurs when the bones in the skull fuse together too early

In order to treat the rare condition, Louie had to go under a cranial vault reconstruction, which saw a surgeon smash open his skull and piece it together like a puzzle. Louie is pictured with his mum Brittany and Dad Daniel

'The constant worry took a toll on my mental health and two months after Louie was born, I was eventually diagnosed with postnatal anxiety.

'This was undoubtedly the most challenging and difficult period of my life.'

She added that she 'became aware' of his condition 'shortly after his birth'.

'Despite our concerns being raised, we were consistently told that it was simply a case of "Birth Head".

Melbourne-based Brittany (pictured with Louie) who works as a brand specialist, said that she 'knew' something was wrong with her son, but struggled to get a diagnosis before doctors gave her the devastating news.

Louie, now one, was first diagnosed in December 2021, with the seven-hour operation, known as a cranial vault reconstruction, following in October 2022. His skull is pictured

'Unfortunately, over time, his head shape did not improve and in fact appeared to worsen.

'The worry consumed me every day, and I constantly examined the shape of his head.

WHAT IS CRANIOSYNOSTOSIS? Craniosynostosis is a skull problem that causes a baby to be born with, or develop, an abnormally shaped head. It is rare, affecting an estimated one in every 1,800 to 3,000 children. Three out of every four cases affect boys. The irregular skull shape in craniosynostosis can cause persistent headaches, learning difficulties, eye problems and other symptoms. Craniosynostosis is the result of the premature fusion of different sections of the skull. This means the skull is unable to grow in affected areas. When one area of the skull is prevented from growing, other areas may 'overgrow' to compensate and limit the pressure developing around the brain. Advertisement

'As I delved into research on the condition, I realised how serious it could be if left untreated.

'Craniosynostosis can lead to brain damage, blindness, and intracranial pressure due to insufficient space in the skull for the brain to develop.

'This is why I felt it was crucial to advocate for Louie and other parents and children facing the same issue.

'If hadn't trusted my instincts and followed up with doctors, I shudder to think what might have happened to Louie.

'These nagging doubts motivated me to seek answers and I am so grateful that I did.'

Louie received more than 60 stitches and two blood transfusions, and had to remain in hospital for five days to recover.

Now one, Louie was first diagnosed in December 2021, with the seven-hour operation, known as a cranial vault reconstruction, following in October 2022.

It involves surgeons making an incision over the top of the head from ear to ear, then pulling the skin and soft tissues over the forehead to expose the skull  before breaking it and piecing it together like a puzzle.

Brittany said: 'Louie is doing great now and has made a full recovery - he's a super happy and energetic toddler!

'While he may have hit a few milestones a bit later than usual, his body was focused on healing after a major surgery, so we're not too concerned.

'That being said, we want to make sure we stay proactive and address any potential speech-related issues, which is why we'll be visiting a speech therapist.

'I'm so glad that the surgery is over and Louie is doing so well now.

'However, I must admit that I'm a bit more cautious whenever Louie isn't feeling his best.

Brittany says her mother's instinct kicked in long before Louie was diagnosed, as she just 'knew' something was wrong but she was allegedly fobbed off by her local GP and paediatrician

To help other parents, Brittany is now on a mission to raise more awareness of craniosynostosis though TikTok, where she has over 24,000 followers. Louie is pictured

'But I think that's just the natural instinct of a mother, and I don't think it'll ever go away.

'In fact, going through this experience together as a family has shown us that we're capable of overcoming anything. It's a real source of strength for us now.'

To help other parents, Brittany is now on a mission to raise more awareness of craniosynostosis though TikTok, where she has over 24,000 followers.

She added: 'As a parent, I have seen first-hand the lack of education and understanding surrounding this condition within the medical field.

'Through my TikTok platform, I have shared my son's experience with craniosynostosis, and I have received overwhelming support from other parents who have faced similar challenges.

Louie had to go under a cranial vault reconstruction, which saw a surgeon smash open his skull and piece it together like a puzzle - his scar is pictured

Now one, Louie is a 'happy toddler' after the successful surgery

Brittany says she sees a 'lack of education' around the condition within the medical field

Louie is now happy at healthy, with Brittany dedicating her time to raising awareness

'However, I have also noticed a common thread among these parents: they have struggled to get a diagnosis, and their concerns have been dismissed by medical professionals.

'I am passionate about advocating for other parents and children facing similar challenges.'

'As a parent, there's nothing more important than seeing your child grow up to be happy and fulfilled.

'Knowing that the surgery has given Louie the chance to live a normal life fills me with immense joy and gratitude.

'It's such a relief to know that he won't have to struggle or suffer unnecessarily.

'I can't wait to see all the amazing things that Louie will accomplish as he grows up.'
Thousands of Brits go under the knife every year in a bid to stay looking young.

Botox, filler and cosmetic surgery are some of the most popular options to slow down the unwanted signs of aging.

But these costly procedures can come with side effects and dangers, such as infection, pain and scarring, says Dr Asiya Maula, a GP and director of the Health Suite, private healthcare company in Leicester.

She has shared her tips on how to stay youthful that don't require you to go under the knife.

And some methods do not cost a penny.

You don't need to go under the knife to slow down aging. Experts say there are other methods out there and some won't cost you a penny

Face yoga

Yoga helps you relax, strengthen your muscles and it stimulates blood flow.

But yoga just for your face also has clock-rewinding benefits.

Performing exercises isolate muscles in the face can help it appear more toned, tightened and plump, says Dr Maula.

This is because face yoga stimulates the blood flow in the face, which encourages the production of collagen  the protein that supports the skin and other tissues.

To see results, experts suggest starting by practicing face yoga twice a day, once in the morning when you wake up and once in the evening before you go to bed.

All you need is five minutes at a time and choose three to four poses, which are held for 30 seconds each, after a quick warm-up.

For the warm-up, open your jaw as if you're yawning and then raise your eyes to look up at the ceiling without moving your forehead and hold for 10 seconds and repeat.

For one pose, she suggests moving the chin to one side and lifting it up slightly, puckering your lips into a kiss. Hold this for 10 seconds and switch sides to repeat.

Face yoga is said to stimulate the blood flow in your face and the circulation can encourage the production of collagen

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

Oxygen therapy is another way of rejuvenating the skin, according to Dr Maula.

The air we breathe is only around 20 per cent oxygen, with other gases including nitrogen and carbon dioxide making up the rest.

But Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) involves breathing in 100 per cent oxygen while lying down in a tube shaped hyperbaric chamber.

The pure oxygen encourages collagen production, which can reduce fine lines and wrinkles, insists Dr Maula.

On top of the cosmetic effects, the therapy has also been found to boost concentration and memory  skills that tend to weaken with age.

It also increases circulation, which Dr Maula says can improve age spots, saggy skin, wrinkles, poor collagen structure and skin cell damage, while also improving skin elasticity.

This mans 'you can enjoy a more youthful appearance for longer', she says.

Spending time outside

We all feel better when the sun comes out.

But the suns rays themselves could also help us steer clear of wrinkles.

Exposure to sunlight is a natural source of vitamin D, which is essential for maintaining healthy bones, teeth, and muscles.

The same vitamin also plays a role in regulating the immune system and reducing inflammation which can help slow down the ageing process, says Dr Maula.

The suns natural rays can also help reduce stress, which is linked with ageing conditions, such as high blood pressure, heart disease and cognitive decline.

However, it is vital to enjoy the sun sensibly and wear sunscreen.

To much exposure to UV radiation from the sun can damage DNA in skin cells and cause skin cancer, as well as prematurely ageing the skin.

Facial acupuncture has gained popularity as an anti-ageing treatment. It is said to promote oxygenation of the cells

Acupuncture

The treatment is derived from ancient Chinese medicine.

But acupuncture, which involves inserting fine needles into certain parts of the body, is now rising in popularity as an alternative to filler.

In theory, it works by causing trauma to the skin, which triggers the release of fibroblasts, also known as 'healing cells' to fix these areas with collagen.

Dr Maula says this process also triggers elastin production, which helps with loss of firmness in the skin.

As a result, the treatment causes drooping muscles to tighten, lift and tone.

It can take six or more sessions to start to see the rejuvenating effects, according to Dr Maula.

Sleep

Getting your beauty sleep is key to looking youthful.

Temporary dark circles, puffy eyelids and pale skin are well-known side effects of not getting enough sleep.

But studies suggest that not getting enough shut eye has unwanted ageing effects.

A 2013 study, which saw US researchers examine 60 women aged 30 to 50, found that those who suffered from poor sleep were more likely to have fine lines and uneven skin tones.

And a sleep experiment, published in the journal Royal Society Open Science in 2017, found that after a bad night's sleep you appear less attractive.

As well as this cosmetic effect, a lack of sleep can make cells in the body age quicker, according to a 2015 study by researchers at the University of California.
Walks along the beach, month-long road trips and holidays in Fiji. These are just a few of the perks being enjoyed by British medical workers after moving to Australia.

Doctors and nurses are regularly taking to social media to boast of their 'much happier' lives Down Under - while their compatriot workers back home continue to strike for better pay and conditions.

As the latest figures show up to 40 per cent of the NHS workforce is looking to resign or retire in the next five years, one British expat doctor suggested in a TikTok video that the exodus has only just begun.

It comes after a job advert this week emerged from recruitment firm Blugibbon Medical, looking for medics with A&E experience and promising rates of more than 1,000 ($1,800 AUD) per shift - of which you only have to work 10 each month.

Nurse Jasmine Brownlow (pictured) made the move to Australia about a year ago and often shares videos of her new life with her almost 50,000 followers on TikTok

Scottish TikTok star Dr Michael Mrozisnki has been living in Australia for a few years now and regularly encourages more British doctors to join him

As well as this, doctors who take up the offer are to be given a two-bedroom furnished apartment, use of a car and a bonus of up to 10,000 ($18,000 AUD) after one year.

The advert, which is currently on the British Medical Journal (BMJ) careers website, notes that the salary would put the successful candidates in the top 5 per cent of Australian earners.

It comes after tens of thousands of NHS junior doctors in England took to picket lines last month in pursuit of 'pay restoration', with many warning that medics in their droves are leaving the NHS to work for better pay, terms and conditions in Australia and elsewhere.

ARE YOU A UK NURSE OR DOCTOR WHO HAS MADE THE MOVE TO AUSTRALIA? Email laurence.dollimore@mailonline.co.uk

Scottish TikTok star Dr Michael Mrozisnki has been living in Australia for a few years now and regularly encourages more British doctors to join him.

In a video uploaded at the end of April, he told his 362,000 followers: 'I saw the writing on the wall in 2015... I moved and I've never been happier.

'And it's not just the money, I get treated so much better, I get more respect in Australia.'

He then fired a warning shot to the UK. Responding to a commenter who told him to 'stop crying' about working in the NHS, he said: 'I don't work in the UK anymore I work in Australia... I'm not crying!

'I love being a doctor in Australia, but there are 40 per cent of doctors in the UK that are actively looking to leave the NHS.

A teacher from Northern Ireland named Caroline (pictured) has amassed more than 135,000 TikTok followers on her Acountydownunder account. She moved to Australia seven years ago and is now flying back to the UK to help recruitment companies there snap up more NHS workers

TikTok nurse Emily New shares videos of her new work life in Australia

'You'll be crying then when they do leave, you'll be the first one complaining about private healthcare, you'll be the first one complaining about long waits in the emergency departments, so, buckle up, it's coming!'

Another Scot named Caitlin Stewart brands herself a 'travelling nurse' on TikTok.

A recent video shows her enjoying a road trip in Australia with the caption reading: 'Eight week contract finished, time for a month off!'

And nurse Jasmine Brownlow made the move to Australia about a year ago and often shares videos of her new life with her almost 50,000 followers on TikTok.

In one clip this week she is seen sipping on a cocktail with the caption reading: 'You move to Australia and a few days off work mean sipping cocktails at a beach club in Fiji.'

In another video she wrote: 'Taking a year out of my life to travel and have new experiences has been the best thing I could have ever done.'

Meanwhile, a teacher from Northern Ireland named Caroline has amassed more than 135,000 TikTok followers on her Acountydownunder account.

In response to a question on whether they planned to work as a doctor in another country within the next year, one third of the group agreed. Australia was the top destination, with 42 per cent of the cohort planning to move there. New Zealand (20 per cent), the Middle East, Canada and Europe, excluding the UK, (each 9 per cent) were also popular. One in 20 said they planned to go to the US

Junior doctors are being lured to Australia with a near-130,000 a year salary and 20 days off a month to 'travel, swim and surf'

She moved to Australia seven years ago and is now flying back to the UK to help recruitment companies there snap up more NHS workers, as well as education professionals.

In a video uploaded to her TikTok account in March she says: 'For the past seven years I have been living in Sydney, Australia, and my life has been nothing but a dream.

'I work to live and not live to work... this year I'm going around the country, helping to recruit nurses to Australia, because on a daily basis on my Instagram, people always ask me how to make the move, so now I'm coming to venues near you to tell you just how amazing it is in person.'

It comes as the recent job advert calling for Brits to move to Australia makes reference to former doctor Adam Kay's popular book and TV series This Is Going To Hurt.

The online advert states: 'A&E Registrar sick of the NHS? This isn't going to hurt'.

And a picture of a paper advert, shared by Dr Kay on Twitter, also references his piece, saying: 'Got that Dr Adam K feeling? Come to Australia!'

The advert says it is looking for 'a couple or two friends' for the jobs on offer who have had four years' experience, including in accident and emergency, since graduating from medical school.

It states that the 'best part' about the job is only working five night shifts in a row, twice a month  meaning the successful candidate is off the rest of the time to 'travel or enjoy one of the world's most liveable (and cost-effective) cities'.

Dr Kay called the advert 'depressing' and suggested that the Government address junior doctors' pay concerns or face them leaving the NHS.

He wrote: 'How depressing to see this in the BMJ. It's hard to say those figures don't present a compelling argument.

In reference to Adam Kay's (pictured) popular book and TV series This Is Going To Hurt, the online advert says 'A&E Registrar sick of the NHS? This isn't going to hurt'

NHS junior doctors take part in a march and rally in the centre of Birmingham on April 14, holding signs asking 'What will you do when we're gone?' and suggesting moves to Australia

'It all leads to a big question for the govt: if you don't address doctors' very reasonable pay concerns, alongside their conditions and wellbeing, guess where they're going?'

On the BMJcareers website, the job posting promises an annual salary of A$240,000 (127,600) and requires medics to commit to the role for 12 months.

This includes A$2,000 (1,064) per shift and a A$10,000 (5,2899) to A$20,000 (10,632) bonus after one year.

The positions would be based at private hospital Brisbane Northside Emergency  which is located in the northern suburbs of Brisbane, Queensland.

Those who are successful will work five night shifts (9pm to 7pm) in a row twice a month and the rest of the month they will be off. There are no on-call requirements but optional extra shifts are available if wanted.

The ad claims wait times at the emergency department are just four minutes per patient.

For comaprison, one in five patients in England were waiting more than 12 hours to be seen by an NHS doctor in April, latest official figures show.

The attractive Aussie offer comes weeks after junior doctors carried out a four-day strike over the 26 per cent real terms pay cut they have faced over the last 15 years.

One junior doctor shared his payslip on Twitter amid the strikes, showing his take home at the end of his second year was just 1,823 for the month  less than just two shifts alone at the Australian private medical centre.

British Medical Association (BMA) chiefs, who organised the unprecedented four-day walk-out, are demanding a 35 per cent pay rise, which could be worth up to 20,000 extra for some medics. The Government has branded current demands 'ridiculous'.

Downing Street has insisted there will be no talks unless junior doctors abandon their starting position of a 35 per cent pay rise and call off the strikes.

However, the BMA, which represents 45,000 junior doctors in England, has countered that Government should 'get into the room and discuss pay restoration  whether that means 35 per cent or not'.

In January, junior doctor Edward Bridge told the i how he and his partner, who is also a doctor, moved to Brisbane in 2018 in search of a 'better work-life balance'.

The 29-year-old said they had become 'fed up' with low pay, antisocial working hours and feeling burnt out.

'The only way to incentivise people to come back is to make working conditions better and safer for doctors,' he said. 'Part of that is also paying them more.'

He added that it is 'pretty horrendous' working in an under-staffed A&E, and described working in the NHS as 'difficult, frustrating and demoralising'.

Dr Bridge said he had never intended to move to Australia as he resonates with the values the NHS was built upon, however the 'traumatic' experiences he had as a junior doctor in the UK changed that.

NHS junior doctors take part in a march and rally in the centre of Birmingham on April 14, with a sign saying: 'Would have made a bigger sign but I needed the cardboard boxes ro pack for New Zealand'

The BMA has highlighted the low pay as part of a new advertising campaign in support of the pay dispute by junior doctors in England

One junior doctor shared his payslip on Twitter (pictured) amid the strikes, showing his take home at the end of his second year was just 1,823 for the month - less than just two shifts alone at the Australian private medical centre

'You look at your paycheck after a couple of difficult months when youve been doing nights, weekends and suddenly youre like, "why am I doing this to myself when there is a better option, there is a better lifestyle out there",' he added.

That same month it was revealed a husband-wife doctor duo had also made the move because of pay and the fact the NHS is a 'pressure cooker'.

Dr Arpita Ghosh and Dr Amit Saha left the UK for Perth, Australia, in 2018 - tempted by better pay and working conditions.

They told the Evening Standard that Australia offers autonomy and flexibility, which is 'important for someone who has a family'.

Dr Ghosh, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist who trained at Kings College London, thanked the NHS for #making me the doctor I am' but admitted it is now 'crunched'.

'The NHS is a pressure cooker,' Dr Ghosh added. 'There is no comparison between your work-life balance in the Australian system compared to Britain.

'Pay also matters and there is a huge disparity between what is offered in both countries.'

It's not just doctors that are fleeing the UK in search of attracting Australian job offers though, as Scottish nurses revealed they have tripled their wage since moving there.

Laurel Dyer, 28, from the Isle of Mull, Scotland, moved to Australia last year and has undertaken roles in Western Australia and New South Wales - while fulfilling her love for the outdoors.

Ms Dyer, who is employed by a nursing agency, told The Times her income was around triple what she earned back home and revealed some of her Scottish nursing colleagues have followed her lead.

'They came at a very similar time to me and are loving it out in Australia,' she said.

'I think the friends that are still at home are more settled in their life, but they are very envious of the job, the money, the lifestyle of Australia.

'I think if it wasn't for those roots there, they would probably be out in a heartbeat.'
More than 500 midwives and nurses working in the UK could be struck off following a probe into a test centre in Nigeria, the regulator has warned.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said the registrations of those who passed exams at the centre could be 'fraudulent or incorrect'.

To make sure internationally educated professionals have the right knowledge and skills to provide high-quality care in the UK, they must take a two-part test of competence before joining the NMC register - a computer-based test (CBT) usually sat in their home country, and a practical test (OSCE) in the UK.

The CBT covers numeracy, including questions on drug dosage, as well as clinical questions, such as what health problems patients with diabetes are vulnerable to suffering from.

An organisation called Pearson VUE, which runs the CBT programme on the NMC's behalf, recently alerted the regulator to 'anomalous data' at one of its third-party CBT test centres in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Over 500 Nigerian nurses working in the UK could have gained 'fraudulent or incorrect' permission to join Britain's nursing register after 'anomalous data' was found at an exam centre

Pearson VUE stopped testing at this centre immediately.

A total of 512 people on the NMC register - around 5 per cent of all on the register who qualified in Nigeria - took their CBT at the test centre.

The NMC is now writing to them to set out what has happened and to tell them they are opening cases 'to determine whether or not they gained fraudulent or incorrect entry to the register'.

It added that there are more people who have applied to join the register after passing their exam at the centre but have yet to be added to it. They have had their applications paused and are being invited to retake the test.

The NMC said: 'Our paramount concern is to maintain the integrity of the register to protect the public.

'At the same time, it's critical we approach any investigations about individuals objectively and transparently, avoiding any unfair discrimination.

'It's also important to remember that we've not yet made any determinations about individuals.

'Pearson VUE has reviewed all data relating to the NMC's CBT from every test site globally, and there is no evidence of similar activity at any other site.'

Andrea Sutcliffe, NMC Chief Executive and Registrar, said: 'Data from one test site in Nigeria is unusual and concerning.

'We have regulatory processes which we will now follow, and if necessary, we can refuse registration or remove people from our register, to protect the public and people who use health and care services.

'We know the public and people who use services may find this worrying.

'This affects just over 500 out of the 771,445 professionals on our register.

'They will all have passed the practical test in this country before they were accepted onto the register and to date no concerns have been referred to us about their fitness to practise.

'We should remember that thousands of nurses and midwives who were educated overseas have safely joined our register recently and continue to provide safe, effective and kind care across the UK.'

The NMC uses a Test of Competence (ToC) to assess the skills and knowledge of people applying to join our register from overseas.

This has two main parts: a multiple-choice computer-based test known as the CBT which applicants usually sit in their home country; and a practical test known as the OSCE which people take in the UK.

Nursing in the UK is also growing increasingly reliant on international recruits with India and the Philippines accounting for the lion's share of international nursing recruits, with over 15,000 between them. Worryingly, a fifth of the UK's international nursing recruits came from 'red list' countries where the NHS is banned from poaching nurses. These countries were Nigeria, Ghana, Nepal, and Pakistan. This data covers the period before Britain struck a special deal with Nepal to allow the NHS to recruit nurses from the country despite its red list status

A company called Pearson VUE runs the CBT. They have been the NMC's test provider since 2014, when the test was introduced.

A total of 1,970 candidates took their CBT at this centre, of whom 512 are on the NMC register.

The NMC has since been working urgently with Pearson VUE to examine data and evidence about this. It is also scrutinising the full applications of those who have joined the register.

The NMC is giving people the option to retake the and the test provider is covering the candidate exam fee costs.

The regulator cannot make people resit  it will be their decision.

If somebody does retake and passes, it will not guarantee that they will gain entry to the register or be able to stay on it, but it will form part of the information the NMC will use to make a final decision.

Read more: Cancer nurses go on strike for first time: Thousands of health workers from half of NHS trusts in England stage 28-hour strike over pay today in blow to patients in cancer units, ICU wards and A&E - after union boss warned action could last YEARS General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing Pat Cullen has said strike actions 'appears to be the only way nurses are heard' Advertisement

The NMC said it will consider the need for interim orders on an evidenced basis as part of each case it is opening to determine whether or not individuals gained incorrect or fraudulent entry to the register.

It is looking into concerns and 'if necessary to manage risk' it can apply to panels to restrict individuals' practice.

The NMC confirmed that at this stage, no fitness to practise concerns have been raised about anyone on the register in this group.

But it added: 'Clearly, if someone has gained entry to the register incorrectly or fraudulently then the NMC will need to take action.'

'The NMC is approaching investigations about individuals objectively and transparently, avoiding any unfair discrimination.

'It has not yet made any determinations about individuals.

'Unless the NMC decide there is sufficient evidence to seek an interim suspension order, individuals will be able to continue to work.'

It comes after the NMC yesterday announced it will withdraw approval for the midwifery course at Canterbury Christ Church University over 'serious concerns' it has with the quality of its training.

The regulator said: 'We're concerned that the university, in partnership with the NHS trusts that provide placements for its students, is not equipping midwifery students to meet our requirements.

'In particular we are concerned about students not gaining the skills and expertise to deliver safe, effective and kind care when they join our register.'

That means, from May 10, the midwifery programme will no longer lead to registration as a midwife in the UK.

The NMC and NHS England are working to see if existing students can transfer to a different university in order to finish their studies and graduate.
In one London borough, almost half of children have not got the routine MMR jab

England's most vulnerable areas for a potential measles outbreak have been revealed in a MailOnline map amid a 'concerning' spike in cases.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) yesterday confirmed that it has detected 49 cases so far this year  which nearly manages the total spotted throughout all of 2022.

Health chiefs warned that 15 per cent of five-year-olds in England have not had their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, which is the best way to prevent it.

But local authority data shows that only half of youngsters are protected against measles in parts of England, with the lowest uptake in parts of London.

Officials at the UKHSA have urged the parents of un-jabbed children to book an appointment with their GP to prevent further outbreaks.

Official data has revealed the areas most vulnerable to a potential measles outbreak with over a quarter of children in London missing out on the MMR jab, though this rises in almost half in some boroughs

Health chiefs have warned parents to check their kids have had their MMR vaccine after they recorded 49 cases of measles so far this year (January to April). In comparison 54 cases were recorded for the whole of 2022. While cases plunged due to the measures introduced to curb the spread of Covid experts fear a resurgence. Figures for years prior to 2022 are those which were confirmed by oral fluid testing

UKHSA data revealed that, by December, less than three-quarters of five-year-olds in London had received both doses of the MMR jab  the worst regional uptake in the country.

So far, London has been worst hit by measles outbreaks, with 33 cases this year.

And only around half (55.2 per cent) of five-year-olds in Hackney, London had both dosses of the MMR jab  the lowest out of all authorities in England.

Hackney was also a low performer in the first MMR jab, with one third of children in the borough missing out by their second birthday.

The vaccine, which has been dished out since the 80s, is delivered as two doses, one around a child's first birthday and again after they turn three.

After the capital, West Midlands was the next worse region with only 84.5 per cent uptake.

WHAT JABS SHOULD I HAVE HAD BY AGE 18? Vaccinations for various unpleasant and deadly diseases are given free on the NHS to children and teenagers. Here is a list of all the jabs someone should have by the age of 18 to make sure they and others across the country are protected: Eight weeks old 6-in-1 vaccine for diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio, Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), and hepatitis B.

Pneumococcal (PCV)

Rotavirus

Meningitis B 12 weeks old Second doses of 6-in-1 and Rotavirus 16 weeks old Third dose of 6-in-1

Second doses of PCV and men. B One year old Hib/meningitis C

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)

Third dose of PCV and meningitis B Two to eight years old Annual children's flu vaccine Three years, four months old Second dose of MMR

4-in-1 pre-school booster for diphtheria, tetanus, polio and whooping cough 12-13 years old (girls) HPV (two doses within a year) 14 years old 3-in-1 teenage booster for diphtheria, tetanus and polio

MenACWY Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

This was followed by the North West and East Midlands where only 86.4 and 86.6 per cent of five -year-olds were jabbed.

The East of England and South East performed better, with 88.5 and 87.6 per cent of their kids getting the vaccine.

But the best performing regions were at the opposite ends of the nation, with the South West coming in at 90.7 per cent and the North East with 91.3 per cent.

Local government figures, however, reveal some areas have startlingly low uptake, the vast majority in London.

After Hackney, the second lowest performer for second MMR dose was Camden with only 63.2 per cent of five-year-olds vaccinated.

This was followed by Islington (64.5 per cent), Kensington and Chelsea (64.6 per cent) and Enfield (65.3 per cent).

In terms of first dose for two-year-olds, the lowest performer in England was the Isles of Scilly, off the Cornish coast, where only 66.7 per cent of toddlers had been jabbed.

Overall levels of vaccination across England are far below the 95 per cent measles vaccination target set by the World Health Organization, a level which helps prevent isolated cases spilling out into an outbreak.

Only one area in the whole country managed to meet this target: Northumberland in the North East.

Health chiefs are currently embarking on a campaign to boost MMR uptake ahead of the summer season when global travel and crowded festival events can make it easier for measles to spread.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: 'We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their 2 MMR doses.

'It's never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age.'

She warned while measles is usually mild, there was always the risk of a fatal outcome.

'Measles spreads very easily and can lead to complications that require a stay in hospital and on rare occasions can cause lifelong disability or death, so it is very concerning to see cases starting to pick up this year,' she said.

Cold-like symptoms, including a high temperature, a runny or blocked nose, sneezing, a cough and red, sore and watery eyes, are usually the first signs of a measles infection.

A few days later, small white spots may appear inside the cheeks and on the back of the lips.

A rash, made up of raised red blotchy patches that join together, usually appears on the face and behind the ears before spreading to the rest of the body.

Symptoms usually improve within a few weeks and be managed by drinking plenty of fluids and taking paracetamol or ibuprofen to relieve a fever.

London accounts for the majority of cases, with 33, followed by the South West which recorded six cases

NHS England data released earlier this year shows that MMR vaccine uptake plunged to just 88.6 per cent for one dose in two year olds, and to 85.5 per cent for both jabs among five year olds

However, if measles spread to the lungs or brain, it can cause pneumonia, meningitis, blindness and seizures.

Experts said the spike in England is being echoed on a global level after childhood immunisations programmes were disrupted by the Covid pandemic.

This has resulted in some cases being imported to Britain, with a quarter of the cases detected this year being imported from other countries, according to the UKHSA.

It said the remainder were a result of community transmission within England itself, including a cluster of cases related to a school outbreak.

Nationally, 40 per cent of cases detected so far in 2023 are among children aged under five.

Professor Helen Bedford, an expert in child public health at University College London, has said the rises in cases was 'worrying but not surprising'.

READ MORE: Warning over spike in measles cases: Health chiefs urge parents to book MMR jabs for children to stop outbreaks of deadly infection The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine is given to children aged one, with a second dose at three years and four months Advertisement

She said: 'Unfortunately, we have seen a decline in MMR vaccine uptake in recent years. MMR vaccine uptake is now less than 90 per cent.

'Measles is so highly infectious that even a small decline in uptake can result in outbreaks  we need to maintain uptake of 95 per cent of two doses of MMR vaccine to prevent such outbreaks.'

Professor Bedford said Covid making measles seem like less of a threat, a rise in vaccine hesitancy and GP pressures could be blame for the decline in uptake.

She said: 'There may be some vaccine hesitancy, though surveys by UKHSA and others suggest this isn't a major reason in the UK. However, such surveys often do not capture everyone's, particularly those with more extreme, anti vaccine, views.

'Fewer health visitors and pressure on general practice, are both likely contributing to lower vaccine uptake.'

Health chiefs are urging parents of young children, teenagers, as well as adults themselves, to check they are up to date on the MMR vaccination.

Data suggests that 20million measles cases and 4,500 deaths in the UK have been prevented since the first vaccine that targeted the virus was deployed in 1968.

Parents can check their children's MMR vaccinations by checking their vaccine record in their Red Book.

Anyone who has not had two doses of the MMR vaccine can contact their GP surgery to book an appointment.

Symptoms of measles include a high fever, sore red watery eyes and a blotchy red brown rash.

While usually mild it can require a stay in hospital in some cases.

Serious cases of measles can lead to pneumonia, meningitis, and even long-term disability or death.

So far this year the West Midlands and Yorkshire and the Humber are only regions to have been spared any measles this year.
Covid is no longer a global emergency, according to leaders at the World Health Organization (WHO)  a symbolic moment the pandemic is near its end.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the UN health agency, said Friday: 'It's with great hope that I declare COVID over as a global health emergency.'

However, he stopped short of declaring the pandemic over, warning that the virus still posed a threat in developing countries that have not had access to vaccines.

It comes as the final pandemic restrictions in the US are set to end Thursday months after President Joe Biden declared the pandemic 'over' for America.

The pandemic, which triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended the global economy, and killed at least 7million people across the world.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (pictured) says that the virus is no longer a global emergency, but did not declare the pandemic over

Covid deaths initially shot up early in the pandemic  especially in the UK (pink). However, after a surge fueled by Omicron around the start of 2022, Covid deaths never remained low and slowly sputtered out across the US (green) and the world (blue) as access to vaccines and other therapeutics began to rise

At the briefing Friday, Dr Tedros said the pandemic is likely responsible for around 20million deaths  due to reporting issues and testing inconsistencies.

'It isn't a snap decision. It's something we came up with over time,' Dr Maria Van Kerkhove, an American infectious disease specialist at the WHO, said in response to a question about why the agency made this decision so late.

Professor Didier Houssin, a WHO member from France, said the agency first considered lifting the emergency in January.

However, a massive Covid surge in China around the new year that triggered fears of a new strain with traits that had never been seen before made them reconsider.

The health agency first declared Covid an international crisis on January 30, 2020. At that point, no major outbreaks had been recorded outside of China.

However, the WHO leaders now say it is time for countries to treat Covid as they do other infectious diseases.

'The ending of the emergency is emphatically not the end of Covid as a public health problem,' Prof Mark Woolhouse of the University of Edinburgh, in Scotland, said.

'Rather, it is a recognition that we are no longer seeing major surges in infections, severe illness and death.

'Hopefully, the large wave in China at the beginning of the year  precipitated by that country's abrupt exit from their Zero Covid strategy  will be the last event of such magnitude.'

Dr Michael Head, a senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, said: 'One slightly counter-intuitive aspect is that the WHO has downgraded COVID-19 from a public health emergency, yet the sustained multi-country transmission means it still meets most widely used definitions of a 'pandemic'.

'However, we are clearly in a different phase of handling COVID-19, the impact of the virus is clearly much less than it was, and the WHO decision is reasonable.'

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764million cases globally and about 5billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the US, the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11. President Joe Biden ended the Covid national emergency on April 11.

On this day, wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end.

Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped many of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus' potential to spread in countries with weak health systems he described as 'ill-prepared.'

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the US and the UK.

An estimated 1.1million Americans died from Covid, the most of any nation. In the UK, more than 200,000 deaths have been logged.

Dr Kerkhove said the true number of deaths from Covid could be much higher than recorded.

'We know its far higher than the 7million deaths that have been reported,' the expert said.

The US also recorded more cases than any other nation, eclipsing the 100million mark. An estimated 24million were suffered in the UK.

WHO decided to lower its highest level of alert on Friday, after convening an expert group on Thursday.

The UN agency doesn't 'declare' pandemics but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica.

That decision came long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway.

The WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the world's response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded.

It recommended against members of the public wearing masks to protect against Covid for months at the start of the pandemic. It later began to recommend the face coverings.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHO's reluctance to acknowledge that Covid was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms.

Daily Covid cases reached their peak in January 2022, as the Omicron variant tore through the US (green) and UK (pink). Developed nations have not suffered a massive surge of cases since early 2022. Some occasional rises do occur elsewhere in the world (blue) though, just as a massive Covid surge in China around the 2023 new year

Dr Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of Covid vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a 'catastrophic moral failure' by failing to share shots with poor countries.

Most recently, the WHO has been struggling to investigate the origins of the virus.

After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as 'extremely unlikely.'

But the UN agency backtracked the following year, saying 'key pieces of data' were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that Covid might have ties to a lab.

A panel commissioned by WHO to review its performance criticized China and other countries for not moving quicker to stop the virus and said the organization was constrained both by its limited finances and inability to compel countries to act.

The WHO decision means little to the way that some nations will operate coming out of the pandemic.

In the US, the Covid emergency was ended last month, with the overall public health declaration set to end next week.
The NHS has launched a probe after a pupil took printed records containing details of 150 patients to school to use as drawing paper.

Bedfordshire Hospitals Foundation Trust confirmed it is investigating how the child got hold of the personal documents.

However, it refused to say if any of the pupils relatives worked for the trust.

The incident was reported in the trusts information governance quarterly board report, and revealed by the Health Service Journal.

It said the pupil arrived at the primary school with numerous handover sheets from various dates in 2022 which they had apparently been using as drawing paper.

The NHS is investigating how the child managed to get hold of confidential patient documents (stock image)

Approx 150 patients information was on the sheets. School staff removed these from the childs possession and IG governance manager visited the school to collect them.

The trust said it was alerted by the school data projection officer over a child having sheets with patient identifiable information.

It said the information governance manager went to collect the papers on the same day and they were securely destroyed.

Bedfordshire Hospitals FT said the incident was declared as a data breach but was not escalated to the Information Commissioners Office as it was contained.

David Carter, chief executive of Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: We are aware of the recent data breach that occurred at our Trust.

We take all breaches of confidential information very seriously and are currently conducting a thorough investigation into this incident.

Additional processes have been put in place to prevent this from happening again.
Dr Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), will step down from her post next month.

She submitted her shock resignation on Friday after just two years in the $200,000-a-year job, saying the waning of the Covid pandemic was a good time to make the transition.

Dr Walensky, 54, leaves the CDC with public trust in the health agency at a historic low following its handling of the Covid response - when it was accused of being too political.

'I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career,' she wrote in her resignation letter to President Joe Biden.

Her exit comes as the World Health Organization has declared the end of the Covid global health emergency and remaining pandemic measures in the US are set to end next week, signaling a transition for public health agency's around the world.

CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky (pictured) will step down from her position on June 30 after a tumultuous tenure atop the agency. Public trust in the CDC has greatly receded over the past two years, with a recent poll finding only one in four Americans trusted the agency

'The end of the Covid public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC Director,' Dr Walensky said in her resignation letter.

'I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC  and public health  forward into a much better and more trusted place.'

'In the process, we saved and improved lives and protected the country and the world from the greatest infectious disease threat we have seen in over 100 years.'

The CDC also announced on Friday that it would begin scaling back Covid data tracking amid the WHO's decleration.

Dr Walensky has been the agency's director since January 2021, appointed by President Biden at the start of his administration.

In her letter to Biden, she expressed 'mixed feelings' about the decision and didn't say exactly why she was stepping down.

However, she noted that the nation is at a moment of transition as emergency declarations come to an end.

'I have never been prouder of anything I have done in my professional career,' she wrote.

Her time leading the organization was fraught with controversy.

In January, the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS), called for a widespread overhaul of the agency, citing severe deficiencies in the way it operated.

Authors called for a 'reset' or the agency and to reprioritize how it spent its annual budget of $12billion and 12,000 employees.

The CSIS said the agency needs to have better flexibility in using its funding - which will allow it to respond faster to emerging threats.

'The big picture here is, we all see the need for a reset of the agency,' Julie Gerberding, who served at the CDC's director from 2002 to 2009 and now a CSIS member, told CNN at the time.

Throughout the pandemic, the agency's priorities and decision-making caused confusion and backlash among the population.

The agency advised schools to close early in the pandemic, a decision some have linked to lower test scores and mental health issues among young people.

A September report found that school closures during the pandemic caused school performance among nine-year-olds to drop to their lowest levels in 20 years.

Pandemic-related restrictions also played a role in the staggering youth mental health crisis facing the US.

A CDC report published last week found 10 percent of US high schoolers have attempted suicide and one in three are depressed 'most of the time'.

It also firmly grasped onto mask mandates for public transportation for much longer than many saw necessary.

Americans were required to wear masks on public transportation such as planes and trains until April 2022, when a federal court struck down the rules.

A 2022 Pew Research Poll found that a majority of Americans opposed mask mandates, despite the CDC's insistence to keep them in place.

In early 2021 it said that people who had received the Covid vaccines were no longer recommended to mask in public places, only to backtrack when the Delta variant emerged months later.

At the end of April, the CDC chose to extend vaccine requirements for international travelers into the US, despite the Biden administration announcing the end of pandemic-related orders on May 11.

Only days later, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)  the CDC's parent agency  announced the rule would be dumped.

These repeated missteps have caused the public's trust in the agency to dwindle.

A Harvard University survey published in March found that just 23 percent of Americans trusted the agency's recommendations.

Within the survey, many who did not trust the agency did so because they believed its decisions were motivated by politics  not science.

Dr Walensky, previously an infectious-diseases specialist at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, had no previous experience running a government health agency.

She came with a reputation as a prominent voice on the pandemic, sometimes criticizing certain aspects of how the government was responding.
The Shortest History of the Crown

by Stephen Bates

(Old Street 8.99, 288pp)

The Shortest History of the Crown by Stephen Bates

In the past millennium England has been without a monarch for just 11 years and four months, when Oliver Cromwell ruled as Lord Protector, after the execution of King Charles I.

Of the 195 countries in the world, 41 are monarchies. As the Coronation of King Charles approaches, Bates notes that, as an institution, the British monarchy is one of the most respected, least challenged and best-known institutions in the country.

In his entertaining history of Britains kings and queens, he tells the stories of monarchs: good, bad and occasionally mad.

But while their power has waned, the stability of the institution has remained, thanks to a combination of good works, diligence and  usually  respectability, along with a dash of ceremony and pageantry.

Putin

by Philip Short

(Vintage 16.99, 880pp)

Putin by Philip Short

In meetings with foreign heads of state, Vladimir Putin liked to tell an anecdote from his hardscrabble childhood in Leningrad. The apartment block where his family lived was infested with rats, which young Vladimir and his friends used to chase. One day, a cornered rat turned and attacked him.

The memory stayed with him: No one, he would declare, should be put in a situation where they have no way out.

Putin was once a Russian leader with whom the West felt it could do business. But after Russias invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Putin was branded a blood-stained aggressor.

Shorts meticulously researched biography of Putin chronicles his journey from lowly KGB agent to the ruthless instigator of a war that has come to represent a struggle between the forces of autocracy and democracy.

Venomous Lumpsucker

by Ned Beauman

(Sceptre 9.99, 304pp)

Venomous Lumpsucker by Ned Beauman

Mark Halyard is on his way to a restaurant in Copenhagen when a lump of flesh crashes into the road ahead of his taxi.

Grown using DNA from the worlds last panda, the lump has been lobbed at Marks taxi by environmental activists. Mark is the environmental impact coordinator for an Indian mining company, whose devastating environmental impacts are offset by extinction credits, allowing them to destroy any species they do not deem as intelligent.

Unluckily for Mark, the strikingly unattractive but endangered venomous lumpsucker fish is classified as intelligent by an expert in animal cognition, just as its last remaining habitat is destroyed by one of the mining companys vessels.

Beaumans fast-moving and witty eco-thriller asks urgent questions about the value we place on the world we live in.
SOLDIER SAILOR

SOLDIER SAILOR by Claire Kilroy

by Claire Kilroy

(Faber 16.99, 256 pp)

Its been more than ten years since Kilroys last novel, The Devil I Know, a satire on how the Celtic Tiger went belly-up.

Now shes back with a phenomenally intense short novel dramatising the sleepless nights and spun-out days of early parenthood.

Its narrated by a new mother (in her eyes, a wounded soldier) addressing her baby son (Sailor). Frustrated by her strategically feckless husband, she has her head turned by the re-appearance of an old friend, now a dad himself, with a contrastingly hands-on approach.

The claustrophobic scenario exerts a vice-like grip, but what really makes the book sing is Kilroys finely-tuned ear for the inter-parental bickering that forms the soundtrack to these Calpol-soaked years.

Dark and intense, as well as richly comic, its terrifically well done  and if I had to predict what might end up on this years Booker longlist, which will be announced in July, Id say place your bets.

SMALL WORLDS

SMALL WORLDS by Caleb Azumah Nelson

by Caleb Azumah Nelson

(Viking 14.99, 272 pp)

Nelsons justly praised debut, Open Water, followed two young black lovers in South London brought together (as well as driven apart) by their contrasting experience of racism.

A slender book with much to say, it nonetheless made me wonder if the authors style had been cramped by assumptions about what a novel should do.

That question also hangs over Small Worlds, again set in South London, with another teenage narrator, Stephen  the son of Ghanaian parents  trying to find his place in the world after leaving sixth form.

When he falls for another school-leaver, Del, the stage is set for a retread of Open Water. But Nelson has a larger canvas now: his timeline involves the London riots, and theres a section in Ghana, too.

As in Open Water, the narrators deep sincerity can feel earnest. Yet rare life ripples through this hymn to a citys rhythms, even if it feels crammed into the form of a novel.

BIG SWISS

by Jen Beagin

(Faber 14.99, 336 pp)

BIG SWISS by Jen Beagin

Beagin is an American writer who has flown under the radar in the UK, but is about to hit the big time with this new novel, which is already in development as an HBO TV series starring Jodie Comer.

A zany rom-com set in upstate New York, it follows Greta, who earns her living by transcribing the tapes of sex therapy sessions. Sight unseen, she falls for one of her employers clients, Flavia, a gynaecologist who has never had an orgasm.

And then they happen to meet  embarking on a real-life affair that has no chance of lasting unless Greta can keep shtum about how Flavia first came into her life.

Beagin, previously shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for comic fiction, keeps the belly laughs flowing  but you might also see the book as an allegory for the perils of hooking up in an era when our life stories are only ever a Google search away.
Private Lessons

by Bernard OKeefe

Private Lessons by Bernard OKeefe

(Muswell Press 9.99, 368pp)

With the violent death of a private tutor to the mega rich, Inspector Garibaldi is pitched into the world of hothouse parenting. For those in the money, no price is too high for access to the best schools and universities.

Garibaldi finds that the late tutor  young, good looking and charming  had a devoted roster of students, none of whom will hear a word against him. Even so, he is convinced they are holding something back. Likewise their parents, whose priority is to protect their facade of upper-crust gentility.

While Garibaldi struggles to make sense of what appears to be a motiveless crime, the complications multiply with a succession of knife-point threats against the victims friends and fellow tutors.

As the secrets of the sheltered life of entitlement begin to emerge, the twists and turns of an exceptionally clever plot make for compulsive reading. In this, the second of the Garibaldi mysteries, Bernard OKeefe proves to be a star turn.

Murder in Dublin

by Christina Koning

Murder in Dublin by Christina Koning

(Allison & Busby 19.99, 284pp)

Blinded in the Great War, Frederick Rowlands finds that his other senses are more than adequate to make his reputation as a private detective.

In this latest in a set of Christina Koning reissues, Rowlands comes to the aid of an old flame whose husband, Lord Castleford, an English-born landowner in Ireland, has been receiving death threats, presumed to be from Irish nationalists.

Castleford refuses to take the threats seriously, even after Rowlands discovers that a riding accident involving his host was deliberately engineered. But matters take a yet more serious turn when Castleford is wrongly accused of the murder of his vindictive half-brother.

Determined to see justice done. Rowlands is caught up in a family too much at war with itself to recognise the enemy within. With vivid characterisation and a keen ear for dialogue, Christina Koning has all the qualities of a first-class mystery writer.

Dear Little Corpses

by Nicola Upson

Dear Little Corpses by Nicola Upson

(Faber 8.99, 320pp)

With the threat of a looming war, a mass evacuation takes children from the cities to the safety of the countryside.

The central character in Nicola Upsons brilliant mystery series  Josephine Tey, the renowned crime novelist from the golden age  is on hand to welcome the bewildered migrants to her Suffolk village.

When, in the chaos and confusion of a makeshift operation, a young girl vanishes without trace, the blame is put on administrative bungling.

But it soon becomes clear that more is at stake. Not all those who are ready to accept young strangers into their homes are acting selflessly. Ulterior motives begin to surface as Josephine, discreetly supporting her friend, Inspector Penrose, exposes the seamier side of a tight-knit community.

The pain of separation and loss is a recurring theme of a story that, for Josephine, takes on a personal edge as her lover prepares to leave for America. The unforgettable impact on the reader raises this novel to a class of its own.
The number of Whatsapp scams has jumped 300% in one year

TSB calls on Meta to take responsibility as new data lays bare extent of fraud

A major bank has called on Meta to do more about the fraud proliferating on its platforms, including Whatsapp, as it lays bare the scale of social media scams.

TSB has slammed Meta as it revealed scams taking place through its companies account for 80 per cent of fraud cases at the bank within its top three fraud categories.

TSB, which has 5million customers in the UK, has warned consumers to be cautious of fraud taking place through Facebook, Whatsapp and Instagram.

Banks have long warned of the dangers of social media scams, but TSB is one of the first to break cover and directly call on Meta to clean up its act.

TSB has seen a huge spike in fraud cases on platforms owned by Meta, which include Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp

Paul Davis, director of fraud prevention at TSB, told This is Money: 'Social media companies must urgently clean up their platforms to protect the countless innocent people who use their services every day.'

Facebook Marketplace has been the biggest hotbeds of frauds, accounting for three fifths of purchase fraud cases, followed by Instagram which makes up 18 per cent of cases.

Facebook Marketplace has exploded in popularity in recent years. Sellers list goods and arrange a sale with potential buyers through Facebook's built-in messaging platform.

Originally, buyers could look at what someone in their area was selling and hand over cash on the doorstep without fees. This was especially useful for bulkier items like furniture.

But as its popularity has grown, more and more items are being sold over a wider distance and items are usually sent out.

Unlike other platforms like eBay and Amazon, Facebook doesn't have its own payment platform, which means shoppers are often using bank transfers to send money directly.

This leaves them without protections offered by PayPal or credit and debit cards, where payments can be reversed if goods and services are not delivered as advertised.

As more consumers turn to Facebook to buy goods secondhand to save cash in the cost-of-living crisis, the amount of fraud happening on the platform continues to rise.

TSB said scam activity on Facebook Marketplace had risen 97 per cent in one year and had refunded over 2,000 cases from Facebook alone.

In November last year, we revealed how bank bosses were labelling Facebook Marketplace as the Wild West of fraud.

> Get the latest news on the scams doing the rounds and advice on how to beat them in our special Beat the Scammers section.

Number of 'Mum and Dad Whatsapp' scams soar

Another scam that has claimed thousands of victims has been the so-called impersonation scam.

This is when a fraudster contacts you to be from your bank, the police or another trusted organisation to convince you to send them money.

The criminals often use a tactic called 'spoofing' to make their call or text appear genuine by cloning the number or sender ID.

The 'Mum and Dad' Whatsapp scam has been another popular trick used by scammers, in which scammers pose as the victim's son or daughter, asking for money urgently.

Last year, This Is Money reported Moira Spearman's story. Moira, 71, received a message from an unknown number, claiming to be her daughter having broken her phone.

At the time, Moira had never heard of the 'Mum and Dad' scam and transferred 719 to a bank account thinking it would be used by her daughter to pay bills.

It was only when she was asked for a second payment of 820 that she realised she had been tricked.

TSB's figures show this type of fraud taking place on Meta's platforms make up 86 per cent of all impersonation fraud cases over the year.

Fraud conducted on Whatsapp accounted for two thirds of cases, marking a 300 per cent rise in just a year, with over 550 cases refunded by the bank.

Nationwide Building Society said it had seen more Whatsapp scams in recent years, and scammers were targeting older consumers. The average age of victims is 65.

Santander has also seen a marked rise in impersonation scams this year, with fraudsters even trying to impersonate their head of fraud risk management Chris Ainsley.

Fraudsters use 'spoofing' to make their text or call appear genuine by cloning the number

'Scammers leave no stone unturned in tricking victims, and as somebody working with colleagues across Santander to protect customers from fraud, it was quite a surprise to discover scammers impersonating me,' he said.

'Imitation is certainly not a form of flattery in this case, but instead a timely reminder that nobody from a bank or legitimate organisation would ever attempt to rush you into transferring funds into another account.'

Santander's data shows 10.2million worth of impersonation scams happened between January and March this year, up 11 per cent from the same period last yar. The average reported loss per customer was 6,906.

One banking insider told This Is Money that Whatsapp scams far outnumbered fraud on any other platform.

While Instagram has lower levels of purchase and impersonation fraud cases, it has been the go-to place for investment scams.

Scammers often promise life-changing returns via their get rich quick schemes on Instagram, and TSB says these now make up 59 per cent of all investment fraud cases.

Banks call on Meta to take responsibility

TSB says it has refunded 97 per cent of cases - but that is not the case at all major banks, with some refunding at a far lower level than this.

Banks believe Meta and other platforms need to take more responsibility.

Jim Winters, director of economic crime at Nationwide said: 'The exponential rise of social media has brought with it an increased risk of fraud and scams.

'Controls are yet to catch up with other industries, allowing criminals to all but freely target victims on platforms such as Marketplace and Whatsapp in particular.

'We need to collectively address this issue to avoid the problem growing and more victims needlessly losing money.

'To do that we need to a joint approach whereby social media platforms, including Meta, work with telecoms, financial services and government to stop fraud at the outset - not just after the criminals have struck.'

Santander echoed the sentiment, claiming 70 per cent of APP fraud originated on big tech and social media platforms.

A spokesman said: 'Making it harder for fraudsters to target consumers on these platforms will be essential to stopping them at source.'

'At present banks are solely responsible for reimbursement when customers unfortunately become victims of scams, but it is vital that all sectors are incentivised to invest in prevention.'

Meta recently launched a scams awareness campaign by Whatsapp and the National Trading Standards, although this will be of little comfort to those who have been scammed out of thousands already.

A Meta spokesman said: 'This is an industry-wide issue and scammers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to defraud people in a range of ways including email, SMS and offline.

'We don't want anyone to fall victim to these criminals which is why our platforms have systems to block scams, financial services advertisers now have to be FCA authorised and we run consumer awareness campaigns on how to spot fraudulent behaviour.

'People can also report this content in a few simple clicks and we work with the police to support their investigations.'

Earlier in the week, the Government announced tougher measures to crackdown on fraud.
British Airways' parent company has increased its profit forecast due to a strong recovery in demand for leisure travel.

IAG now expects underlying profits for 2023 to surpass the top end of its 1.8billion to 2.3billion (1.6billion to 2billion) prior outlook, supported by lower fuel costs, rising ticket prices and higher demand on long and short-haul flights.

The company bounced back to a small first-quarter operating profit for the first time since before the pandemic, thanks to the continued recovery in leisure travel.

International Airlines Group (IAG), which also runs Aer Lingus, Vueling and Iberia, reported an operating profit of 9million (7.8million) for the opening three months of 2023.

In the equivalent period last year, the Anglo-Spanish firm made a 718 million loss due to governments reintroducing travel restrictions in response to the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19.

Earnings: British Airways' parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) rebounded to an operating profit of 9million in the opening three months of 2023

Revenue climbed by 71.4 per cent to 5.9billion between January and March thanks to a surge in passengers across all regions and better-than-expected performances in all of IAG's divisions.

Aer Lingus and Vueling's results were buoyed by strong demand for flights to the United States, with the latter also benefiting from travel to Spain and Latin America and a faster rebound in business customers relative to other airlines.

The company forecasts full-year capacity to be at 97 per cent of 2019 volumes, helped by the resumption of British Airways services to Shanghai and Beijing this summer.

Chief executive Luis Gallego said: 'We are seeing healthy forward bookings with leisure demand particularly strong while business travel continues to recover more slowly.

'As we return to more normal operations, we continue to invest in sustainability, including more fuel-efficient aircraft, and in customer experience, updating the business cabins for British Airways and Iberia.

'Over the past year, we have recruited thousands of new employees across the Group and strengthened our operations so that we are ready to deliver for our customers during the summer peak.'

IAG and other airline groups were severely impacted by delays and cancellations last year as employee shortages left them struggling to cope with the exceptional resurgence in demand.

The industry has also been affected by a wave of strike action, causing thousands more flights across Europe to be axed.

Security officers at Heathrow Airport are currently staging the first of three planned walkouts in a dispute over pay, having just completed a 10-day strike that hit travellers over Easter.

Richard Hunter, the head of markets at stockbroker Interactive Investor, said: 'The headwinds which have blighted the sector are never far away, meaning that airline stocks have long been a traditionally hazardous investment, variously affected by virus outbreaks, industrial action, volcanic dust clouds and higher fuel costs.

'The pandemic added another level of issues, while current macroeconomic and geopolitical concerns add to a potentially dangerous mix.'

International Airlines Group shares were 2 per cent up at 1.50 just before trading closed on Friday. However, they remain about two-thirds below their value in January 2020.
A Polish wastewater pipeline repair business has become the latest company to be snapped up by Halma.

Sewertronics has agreed to be bought by the British safety equipment maker for 41million (about 36million) upfront, with up to 18million in additional payouts contingent on fulfilling certain closing conditions.

Based in Rzeszow in southeastern Poland, the company specialises in restoring sewer pipes by fitting them with lining material that is subsequently cured with ultraviolet LED technology.

Repair firm: Based in southeastern Poland, Sewertronics specialises in restoring sewer pipes with ultraviolet LED technology without requiring the digging of trenches

Aside from not having to dig trenches, Halma said the firm's technology is more efficient, environmentally friendly, less disruptive and safer than using hot water or steam.

The Buckinghamshire-based group said the business would be integrated into its environmental and analysis segment and work in tandem with manufacturing subsidiaries Minicam and Dancutter.

Completion of the deal is expected by the end of May.

Sewertronics represents Halma's third takeover since the start of 2023, having bought fire extinguishing systems designer FirePro in March and water leak and heat detection equipment maker Thermocable three months ago.

In the previous year, FTSE 100-listed Halma acquired four companies, including US-based IZI Medical Products for 138million, Weetech Holdings and underwater robots manufacturer Deep Trekker.

Buying up more companies has been a central pillar behind the firm's expansion and helped increase its profits for the past 19 consecutive years.

Marc Ronchetti, who became Halma's chief executive last month, said: 'Sewertronics is highly aligned to our purpose, helping to protect the environment by reducing blockages and leakage in wastewater pipes.

He added that the company's growth would benefit from the rising importance of mending old wastewater infrastructure and investment in machinery that minimises the disruption caused to surrounding areas by repairs.

In recent years, the UK water industry has been the target of escalating public anger over concerns that they have failed to stop vast quantities of sewage from being pumped into Britain's rivers and coastal areas.

Sewage was discharged on over 301,000 occasions into English waterways and seas in 2022, with United Utilities and Yorkshire Water the worst offenders, according to the Environment Agency.

Though this was a drop of almost a fifth on the prior year, the regulator attributed the fall to unusually dry weather rather than the actions of the water industry.

Last week, the Government announced it would introduce legally binding targets with the intention of eliminating sewage spills into the UK's rivers by the middle of the century.

Cesar Gomez, chief executive and founder of Sewertronics, said: 'Overcrowded cities, heavy downpours and climate change are all putting increasing pressure on wastewater infrastructure.'

'Our technology helps to prevent wastewater pollution while maximising efficiency and safety when repairing pipes and avoiding the need for disruptive and expensive excavation.

'Sewertronics is highly aligned with Halma's purpose of growing a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.'

Halma shares were 0.1 per cent up at 23.90 on late Friday afternoon and have risen by approximately 17 per cent since the start of the year.
A row over housebuilding has erupted again.

Labour leader Keir Starmer has said he would bring back a 300,000 annual housebuilding target, after Rishi Sunak scrapped it.

Meanwhile, some backbench Tory MPs are reportedly unhappy about their party ditching that target in the first place  with the number having featured in the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto.

At the same time Michael Gove has been cheered in many quarters for blocking a development in Kent, as it was deemed to be poor quality and ugly, but Gove is now being taken to court by developer Berkeley Homes over the decision.

So, what can we do about housebuilding and how do we get ourselves out of this mess  especially as the younger generation are squeezed out by high house prices and rents?

On this podcast, Georgie Frost, Lee Boyce and Simon Lambert dig into the myriad problems with UK housebuilding and what can be done to build better homes that people want to buy and have near them.

Is the answer just bringing back housebuilding targets or is it more complicated than that?

Is not wanting housing developments Nimbyism if theres a failure to build well and deliver infrastructure?

How can we convince local communities to back new housing?

All this and more come up for debate.

Also on the podcast:

If you are in the fortunate position of being able to buy a home but are worried about falling house prices and locking into high mortgage rates, what should you do?

Sam North, of eToro, joins us for the latest market update, including the reaction to the Fed's latest rate rise.

Will a new crackdown on scams finally stop the fraudsters?

And finally, we said it was coming. The 5 per cent savings rate is back, but should you get one?
Well done, India! You may teach Sri Lanka how to act promptly and how to silence Western voices on internal affairs.

by Our Diplomatic Affairs Editor

While Manipur rioters may look to Sri Lanka for inspiration, the Indian government has proven to be much more advanced in its counteractions. Despite the ongoing deadly violence in Manipur, which is a state situated in North-East India bordering Myanmar, neither the American ambassador nor any other European ambassadors have criticized the Indian governments counter mechanisms for controlling the situation. India has effectively kept foreign diplomatic missions on track without losing its grip on the situation, preventing them from interfering with the countrys internal affairs.

Cases of violence reportedly took place after the Tribal Solidarity March against Meetei/Meitei ST Demand called by the All Tribal Student Union, Manipur (ATSUM) was carried out in the hill districts of the state on Wednesday. [Photo Credit: Imphal Free Press]

In contrast, in Sri Lanka, the current American lady ambassador and a few other selected foreign diplomats have trained Western thoughts of school, amusing the state and government every time. Most recently, this lady ambassador, while commemorating the fourth anniversary of the tragic event, urged the Sri Lankan government to ensure justice for the victims of the 2019 Easter bombings carried out by lunatic Islamic extremists. However, she seemed unaware or blindfolded to the verdict by her own Justice department based on a thorough investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which ruled out the true perpetrators. The lady Ambassador followed conspiracy theorists in mocking Sri Lankan state and government and cried foul for justice. She did not acknowledge the compensation paid to each victim and the rapid actions taken to eliminate the vicious extremist circle.

Unfortunately, the Sri Lankan government and state apparatus continually remain indifferent, regardless of who talks against the country. Only the current president of Sri Lanka, though he is serving an accidental presidential term, has demonstrated that Sri Lanka is not subservient to Western diplomats. He has taken a straightforward approach, stating that Sri Lankas response to the riot in the capitol was similar to that of the US authorities following the defeat of President Donald Trump , albeit carried out in a more humane manner. The rest of the so-called leaders have no idea how to talk with foreigners and continue to maintain a zipped-lips behaviour, as those countries are marinating most of their true wealth.

Returning to the subject of violence in Manipur, after the violence erupted, rioters targeted many politicians and their properties. The latest news asserts that at least 11 people have died, hundreds more have been wounded, and thousands of families have been displaced. Fueling the riots, social media superstars spread misinformation and hate against government officials and other targeted subjects. Not only did the government, but also those who advocate law and order in society, take immediate action to curtail the irresponsible freedom joyfully enjoyed by those social media mongers and initiated every action to eradicate their ultra-motivated actions.

An interesting line from an editorial published in The Sangai Express reads, As in any trouble in the past, trouble started in a corner of Manipur, a village that lies between Churachandpur and Moirang in Bishnupur district, and thanks to some keyboard warriors and social media superstars, trouble soon spread to other parts of the State. The result is there for all to see. The editor adds further, A reflection of the far-reaching impact of the indiscriminate utilization of what modern technology has to offer mankind. Let the ban continue until things improve.

What happened during the so-called Aragalaya protests in Sri Lanka was a genuine social response against the government, but it was later hijacked by a few NGOs funded by Western embassies and their interests, along with social media mongers and some private media outlets. This dragged the entire country into a pool of shame and portrayed Sri Lanka as an uncivilized society before the world. The governments request to temporarily shut down social media, the main source of misinformation and hatred, was deliberately ignored by the owners. Private media houses fanned the flames of violence and motivated people to rally against the state apparatus. For the first time, the state lost its grip, and the elected leader fled through the back door. If this had happened in any other country, those companies would have been shut down swiftly, and the media licenses of those infamous media-outfits would have been revoked indefinitely. However, in Sri Lanka, a country like no other, social media superstars, keyboard warriors, and others continue to operate, while many state institutions are hindered by an incompetent group of individuals who prevent the implementation of crucial measures that could benefit the country.

In our personal viewpoint, we still believe that the then President Gotabaya Rajapaksa should not have tendered his resignation. Instead, he could have stepped back temporarily until the situation normalized. His resignation was not just the fate of a random individual but that of a man elected by the majority and who served as the head of state. That is where national shame comes into the picture.

While India has been praised for its swift and effective response to the Manipur riots, it is important to remember that each country has its own unique challenges and internal affairs that must be addressed without external interference. Just as India expects its neighbours to respect its sovereignty and allow the government to handle its internal issues, it is important for India to also refrain from interfering in the affairs of its neighbours.

Interference in the internal affairs of neighboring countries can lead to tensions and conflicts, and can even escalate to violence. It is important for countries to have mutual respect for each others sovereignty and to engage in constructive dialogue and cooperation to address common challenges.

In addition to respecting the sovereignty of neighbouring countries, it is also important for India to address the root causes of the Manipur riots and to work towards long-term solutions that promote peace and stability. This includes addressing social, economic, and political issues that may be fueling the unrest. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of all countries in the region to work together towards a shared goal of peace, stability, and prosperity. This can only be achieved through mutual respect, cooperation, dialogue, and refraining from interference in each others internal affairs.

The bottom line is that the ongoing riots in Manipur may have learned much from Sri Lanka, but the government of India knows how to address the nuances of such issues. A ban on internet use has been imposed for the next five days. Independent media houses are indeed suffering from this shutdown, but it has largely helped prevent the dissemination of disinformation by social media influencers. Despite this, no Western diplomats in Delhi are talking about it. Well done, India! You may teach Sri Lanka how to act promptly and how to silence Western voices on internal affairs.
Shop opening hours across the UK are set to be affected by the Bank Holiday weekend, which is taking place to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

Major brands including Morrisons, Tesco, Aldi and B&Q are primed to operate with altered operating times on the upcoming Bank Holiday, which will fall on Monday, 8 May, 2023.

The extra Bank Holiday has been called by the government to allow Brits to celebrate King Charles' coronation.

Ahead of the next Bank Holiday, which comes just a week after May Day here are the opening times for all major supermarkets and DIY shops.

On the day of the coronation, Tesco's larger stores will open at either 6am or 7am and close at either 10pm or 11pm

On 8 May, Morrisons stores will open at their usual time but will close at 8pm, slightly earlier than normal

The low-cost supermarket advises customers to head to its store finder to check local store opening times

Supermarket opening times on coronation day

Tesco

On the day of the coronation, Tesco's larger stores will open at either 6am or 7am and close at either 10pm or 11pm.

On Sunday, Tesco stores in England and Wales will operate between the hours of 10am and 4pm.

However, Tesco stores in Scotland will be open between 8am and 8pm, with operating until 10pm on Sunday.

On the Bank Holiday, Monday 8 May, the majority of larger Tesco stores will open from 8am to 6pm - but some may be open until 8pm. This includes stores in Scotland.

Meanwhile, the brand's Express stores will also be open as normal, opening at 6am or 7am and closing between 10pm and 11pm.

You can find your nearest Tesco with the supermarket's store locator.

Sainsbury's

On Sunday, 7 May, Sainsbury's stores in England and Wales will be open from 10am to 4pm.

However, stores in Scotland will operate with longer opening hours, from 8am until 8pm, with some open until 10pm on Sunday.

Shoppers are encouraged to check with their local branch to find out more about exact opening times.

To verify the opening hours of your nearest Sainsbury's branch, use their handy store locator tool, which can be found here.

Aldi

On Monday, 8 May, Aldi's stores will be open between the hours of 8am and 8pm.

Opening hours may vary depending on store location. The low-cost supermarket advises customers to head to its store finder to check local store opening times.

Click here to view the Aldi store finder.

Asda

If looking for opening times for your local Asda branch, shoppers should check the company's official store locator.

After finding your chosen store, you should select the holiday option from the drop down menu that appears on screen.

Lidl

People shopping at Lidl across the Bank Holiday weekend should check opening times for your local branch on the store finder before heading out.

Store opening times may vary depending upon size and location.

M&S

You can find your nearest store and check its opening hours using the locator on the M&S website or on the M&S App.

Check the opening hours of your nearest store on the M&S website before travelling to ensure it is open.

But many stores in England, Scotland and Wales will have shorter hours on the Bank Holiday Mondays.

Morrisons

Morrisons stores will open from either 6am or 7am and close at 10pm or 11pm on Saturday.

On 8 May, Morrisons stores will open at their usual time but will close at 8pm, slightly earlier than normal.

Customers should check their local store times on Morrisons store finder.

Co-Op

During bank holidays and special times of year some of our stores may open later and close earlier than normal.

You can check opening times for your local Co-op via its online store locator.

B&Q is set to open at the usual time, which is store-dependent, and close at 8pm in stores across the UK.

DIY store opening times on coronation day

B&Q

DIY and home improvements store B&Q will be open as normal and close at 8pm in stores across the UK.

To check any change in timings, view your local B&Q store's hours here.

Wickes

On Saturday, 6 May, Wickes will operate between the hours of 7am and 7pm across the UK.

Sunday, 7 May will see stores in England and Wales open at 10am and shut at 4pm. In Scotland, branches will be open to visit from 9am until 6pm

Wickes' shops will open from 7am to 8pm on the Bank Holiday Monday.

Homebase

In the UK, Homebase opening times may vary depending upon the size and location your nearest store.

The brand will operate normal trading hours in Ireland. To check if your nearest Homebase branch is open, click here.

Screwfix

Screwfix stores will open between the hours of 7am and 6pm on Saturday, 8 May across most stores in the UK.

On Sunday, 7 May, branches will open at 9am and shut at 4pm in England, Wales and Scotland.

Stores in Northern Ireland will open from 1pm to 6pm. To check the exact opening hours of your local Screwfix tool, you can use the brand's store locator tool.

Are pharmacies open on bank holidays in the UK?

Boots

Boots stated that all their usual Bank Holiday opening times will apply. Opening hours of your nearest Boots store can be found on their website.

There will also be updated pharmacy information on the NHS Pharmacy finder.

Superdrug

For the latest information on opening hours and to help you find your local Superdrug store.

To do so, you should visit the brand's online store locator, which can be found here.

Lloyds Pharmacy

The Lloyds website states: 'There will be some changes to delivery and collection times, as well as our customer service hours.

'We strongly recommend you choose delivery instead of collection, as our stores are operating on reduced hours over the May Bank Holiday period and they are extremely busy.

'If you are collecting in store, we recommend you choose a LloydsPharmacy in Sainsbury's as they are more likely to be open but will still have reduced hours.

'Please check your local LloydsPharmacy opening hours, and ring ahead before collecting to see if your store has your prescription ready.'

The company's customer service brands will also be closed on Monday, 8 May.

Changes to opening hours may affect your local Lloyds pharmacy. However, given it is a bank holiday, no UK banks will be open.

Are banks open on bank holidays?

Banks are permitted to close on bank holidays, but you may be wondering why this is.

Bank holidays only came into existence in 1871 when the banker-turned-politician Sir John Lubbock, the first Lord Avebury, introduced the Bank Holidays Act.

This was to allow banks and other financial institutions, who would not normally be allowed the extra time off, the chance to have a well-deserved rest.

Nowadays of course, the tradition extends to many industries and different types of work.
Bernie Moreno's previous interviews boasting about his 'wealthy' upbringing have raised questions about his alleged roots as a poor Colombian immigrant

A candidate vying for the Republican nomination for Senate is being accused of reinventing his family's 'outsized privilege' to compare himself with Latin American refugees who arrived in the US with 'absolutely nothing'  in a heated spat among the state's GOP.

Bernie Moreno, 56, announced his candidacy against incumbent Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown last month for what is sure to be a hotly-contested 2024 race in Ohio.

But his U-turn on his support for Donald Trump and his alleged switch from boasting about his family being 'generationally wealthy' with 'so much money', mansions, and staff in Colombia, to comparing himself to destitute immigrants, has drawn the ire of GOP strategists in his state.

In interviews with DailyMail.com some even labeled Moreno 'the second coming of George Santos', the New York Republican congressman famously caught in a series of brazen lies about his resume and past.

Moreno's spokesman, Conor McGuiness, rejected the comparison, calling it a 'desperate and cowardly' smear attempt, and says there is nothing inconsistent about the would-be Senator's statements.

Republican Bernie Moreno's previous interviews about his 'wealthy' upbringing have called into question his allegedly 'reinvented' history as a poor Colombian immigrant mentioned in his campaign ads

Moreno, 56, pictured with his wife Bridget, daughter Emily, and his granddaughter, is accused of switching up his narrative after entering politics after previously having emphasized his wealthy background

The critical comments suggest in-fighting is already beginning for the up-for-grabs Republican candidacy for the Ohio seat next year.

At two town hall events in March, Moreno said that his family came to the US with 'absolutely nothing' and 'left everything behind' in Colombia.

'Just before my fifth birthday, my mom decided, without 100 percent of my dad's commitment, to bring my six brothers and sisters to America,' he said in a recording of one event obtained by DailyMail.com.

'We left everything behind in Colombia because she wanted to live in a place where your destiny was determined by your hard work, your perseverance ... we came here with absolutely nothing nine of us in a two-bedroom apartment.'

In an August 2021 interview with the Jewish Insider, the politician said his family story is the 'same' as Cuban immigrants fleeing their own country who 'had a government that was imprisoning us for our beliefs, that was taking away our businesses, taking away our rights'.

'It was the same story I remembered as a kid growing up that I saw from Cuba,' said Moreno  who stirred controversy last month by suggesting reparations for white descendants of Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War to free enslaved people.

And in an April 2021 Senate campaign video, Moreno said he 'came from a country surrounded by the ideology of radicals like Fidel Castro and Che Guevara who promised to give everyone all they needed and solve all their problems.'

But Republicans unhappy with the Ohio businessman's story pointed out that in 2020, before entering politics, the GOP candidate was instead emphasizing his wealthy background.

In a January 2020 interview with the Up2 podcast he described his parents as 'privileged' with both coming from wealthy families in Colombia, and that he grew up with 'multiple' properties in the country, 'staff', and that his father's family home was 'so large that it was converted into the embassy for Germany'.

At two town hall events in March, Moreno said that his family came to the US with 'absolutely nothing' and 'left everything behind' in Colombia

Moreno, who already has Donald Trump's approval, is the father-in-law of Republican congressman Max Miller,who was a special assistant to the former president

Critics have also called Moreno out for flipping on his support for Trump  who he had allegedly 'trashed for years'

'So my mother's family has a long history of, I'd say, outsized privilege, which is typical in South America.

'My dad's family is the same way generationally wealthy for a long time.

'In fact, I like to joke that in a lot of these developing countries, the families that have wealth forgot how it is that they have so much money,' Moreno told the podcast.

'My mom was an only child, but her dad was extraordinarily successful. My dad was one of 11 kids and his father was extraordinarily successful,' he added.

'My dad went to the best schools, got his master's degree at the University of Pennsylvania in medicine My mom, even though it was the early 50s, came to the United States to get an education.'

Despite his comparison with socialist-run Latin American countries, Colombia was ruled by a Conservative and Liberal coalition when he emigrated in 1971  an administration in which his father worked as Minister for Health.

It was only later that the country fell into widespread violence partly fueled by drug cartels.

Unlike refugees or dissidents afraid of persecution in their home countries, Moreno said he 'traveled back to Colombia a lot when I was growing up'.

Instead he described his mother's decision to move them to America was to prevent spoiling him and his siblings.

'One day my mom decides that she is very disappointed in the way that she felt the family was being raised, that we were seven of us and that we were being raised in an entitled way and she didn't want us to be raised that way', he told the podcast.

'So she packed up 23 suitcases, seven kids, and flew to Fort Lauderdale where her mother had a condo  a two bedroom condo.'

Moreno (left) is hoping to upstage long-term Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown (right)  who has held his seat since 2007  in the November polls

Unlike notorious lying congressman George Santos, there is no evidence Moreno has made up large swaths of his family, education, or career history

McGuiness told DailyMail.com that in the Jewish Insider interview his boss 'wasn't comparing his own immigration experience to Cuban exiles,' but instead 'to the people he saw in Colombia when he went back and visited later in life, while that country was being torn apart by Pablo Escobar.'

Speaking to the Up2 podcast in 2020, Moreno described starting with a 'lower middle class type life', until his mother bought a home and worked to establish an 'incredibly successful real estate practice with three offices, 100 plus associates'.

His father had to drop to a low level hospital job in Florida when he emigrated, but also rose there to become surgery chief, Moreno said.

A 1972 letter to Moreno's father from Memorial Hospital in Hollywood, Florida, seen by DailyMail.com said they couldn't hire him due to his lack of a US medical license, and sheepishly offered him a $10,000 assistant role  which he accepted.

'We do have a position, known as Surgical Assistant, in which the unlicensed physician functions as the assistant to the operating surgeon,' the letter from the director of medical education said.

'I feel somewhat ashamed to offer the position to a man with your qualifications.'

'It's up to you to achieve wealth and not have it be given to you,' Moreno said in his 2020 interview.

GOP strategists opposed to Moreno have sought to compare him to Santos over his statements.

Earlier this year Santos admitted lying about working at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, and attending Baruch College and New York University Stern School of Business

'Bernie Moreno is the second coming of George Santos. God forbid Bernie Moreno ends up as the GOP nominee in Ohio', one strategist, who asked to stay anonymous said. 'This is a s***show waiting to happen.

'This fact pattern around Moreno is egregious because it directly calls into question his trust and credibility.

'Sherrod Brown would have a field day with it and it's the kind of liability that could spread to other Republican candidates on the ballot in the general election.'

Trump endorsed Moreno last month on Truth Social, saying he won't be 'easy to beat'

Unlike Santos, there is no evidence Moreno has made up large swaths of his family, education, or career history.

McGuinness argued that the quotes 'are not in conflict with each other in any way,' that 'Bernie has never claimed he fled Colombia ' and that the comments were a 'vile' attempt by 'desperate and cowardly political opponents to smear him anonymously'.

'Bernie is a well known businessman and community leader in Cleveland and has been for many years now. Nothing in this story shows any inconsistencies regarding his personal or professional background,' McGinness said.

'He's always been clear about his family being wealthy in Colombia and then having to restart when the family moved to Florida.'

Gus Hoyas, a former president of the Ohio Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, went to bat for Moreno, saying comparisons with George Santos were merely based on 'blatant racism and xenophobia'.

'If Bernie was white instead of South American, they wouldn't be making these ridiculous comparisons. It's disgusting,' he told DailyMail.com.

Chris Grant, a successful GOP advisor and founder of Big Dog Strategies who helped steer Santos's campaign to a House seat, has been posting photos on Twitter from Moreno's rallies this month  suggesting the former Santos advisor is now working with the Senate hopeful.

Big Dog Strategies lists over 80 Republican candidates and conservative organizations on its website.

In an interview with DailyMail.com, a former Republican County Chairman who declined to be named, rounded on Moreno for flipping on his support for Trump, and also compared him to Santos.

'Those who know Bernie are shocked with how quickly he reinvented himself. He trashed Donald Trump for years. He didn't vote for Trump and actively encouraged all Ohio Republicans to write in someone else at the polls.

'And now, just like George Santos, he creates a new persona as an outsider out of thin air. It's head spinning and voters won't fall for it.'

Critics have labeled Moreno 'the second coming of George Santos  the New York Republican congressman famously caught in a series of brazen lies about his resume and past

Social media archives show Moreno has made previous critical statements of the former president.

In now-deleted tweets, the Senate hopeful wrote in 2015 that Trump was Hillary Clinton's 'best fundraiser and ally', that the 'Bully in chief is now cry baby in chief'.

Another previous Moreno tweet said that listening to Trump was 'like watching a car accident that makes you sick, but you can't stop looking.'

Since then he has turned to praising the former president, saying he 'would be honored to have Donald Trump's endorsement' in 2021 and in February 2022 that he 'look[ed] forward to being [Donald Trump's] strongest and most loyal ally in the United States Senate.'

In a statement on his campaign website, Moreno said Trump 'stood up to everyone who rigged the system against outsiders, and he fought for Americans every step of the way.'

The flattery appears to have paid off, with his Senate run last week gaining a tacit stamp of approval from Trump.

'Word is that Bernie Moreno, the highly respected businessman from the GREAT STATE of OHIO, and the father-in-law of fantastic young Congressman, Max Miller, is thinking of running for the Senate', Trump said on his website Truth Social.

'He would not be easy to beat, especially against Brown, one of the worst in the Senate!'

'While Bernie, like many others, was initially skeptical of President Trump, he is proud to be the only candidate or prospective candidate in this race to endorse Trump in the 2024 election,' McGinness told DailyMail.com.

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who has said he is 'actively' considering running for senate, has previously called Trump's tweets racist, and after tapes emerged in 2016 of Trump saying he would 'grab' a woman 'by the p***y', LaRose called the comments 'abhorrent'.

One of Moreno's rival senatorial candidates, Matt Dolan, dodged a question of whether he would commit to supporting Trump in the general election if he becomes GOP nominee, in a February CBS interview.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla will remind millions to 'mind the gap' on train platforms across Britain this weekend.

Their Majesties have recorded an announcement which is being played between today and Monday - the Coronation weekend - at all railway stations across the UK and all London Underground stations.

In the message, the King begins by telling passengers: 'My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend.'

Camilla then says: 'Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.' The message concludes with Charles adding: 'And remember, please mind the gap.'

The message was recorded at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London.

King Charles and Queen Camilla will wish those in the UK a 'wonderful' weekend and remind them to mind the gap between the train and the platform

The message was recorded by the King and Queen Consort at Highgrove earlier this year by the audio team from Transport for London

The King is to be crowned in a historic ceremony at Westminster Abbey in the first UK Coronation since the late Queen Elizabeth's in 1953.

The ceremony itself will last around two hours and be preceded and followed by a procession from Buckingham Palace.

On Sunday, the Coronation Concert is due to take place in Windsor, while Britons can also look forward to an extra bank holiday on Monday.

Jacqueline Starr, Chief Executive Officer at Rail Delivery Group, said: 'The Coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message.

'It's wonderful that Their Majesties are including rail passengers as part of this historic moment.'

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: 'Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the Coronation and it's fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.'

Royal fans from across the UK and around the world are already descending on London

The public is warned to expect London to be extremely busy this weekend, with many road closures in the centre of the city

The outside of Buckingham Palace is expected to be crammed with thousands of royal fans on Saturday hoping to get a glimpse of the King and Queen Consort

Andy Lord, London's Transport Commissioner, said: 'With less than one day to go before the Coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe.

'We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.'

Although many eager royal fans will be keen to hear the announcements for themselves, they are being warned to expect services to be extremely busy throughout the weekend.

Queueing systems may be introduced in some areas to regulate crowds, and passengers are advised to plan their journey in advance, allow extra time and check live updates while travelling.

Ticketholders travelling to the Coronation Concert at Windsor on Sunday are also advised to plan their journey to and from the concert in advance.

National Rail advised those heading to London: 'Please note that London is expected to be extremely busy. Queueing systems may be put in place in and around railway stations, to manage crowds and keep you safe.

'Walking is likely to be the best way to get around within London and travel ambassadors will be on hand at all National Rail, London Underground and bus stations to provide directions and assistance.

'On Coronation Day, there will be road closures on many of the roads around London Victoria station. There will be limited public access to the procession route, or The Green Park and St James's Park screening sites, from the station.

'Due to the road closures and crowd management, if you exit London Victoria station you may only be able to access the screening site at Hyde Park.

'If you are leaving London late on Saturday 6 May, please be aware of when your last train departs.'

Fans from all over the world have already arrived in London ahead of the weekend, with thousands expected to travel to London on May 6 too.

Hundreds have already camped out on The Mall outside Buckingham Palace in the hopes of seeing the royal family on Saturday.
Australians have been told to brace for cold and wintry conditions all weekend as an icy blast delivers heavy winds, rain and freezing temperatures.

A cold front is set to bring the first taste of winter to Victoria, NSW, South Australia and Tasmania at the weekend.

A fresh blanket of snow had already been dumped across NSW's Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps on Friday morning.

Residents of Victoria and Tasmania will be the first to feel the cold on Friday, as the front brings cool air and strong winds.

The east coast is set to freeze this weekend as a cold front brings the first taste of winter states like Victoria, NSW, Adelaide and Tasmania (pictured is a Weatherzone map)

In the last 24 hours, ski resorts on the east coast have received a fresh blanket of snow with more falls expected over NSW's Snowy Mountains and the Victorian Alps

Jenny Sturrock, from the Bureau of Meteorology, said the cold front would bring rain to Victoria, Adelaide and Tasmania on Friday.

The system will then spread into NSW before moving into the Tasman Sea next week.

The meteorologist said in the wake of the cold front, 'very cold air would be left behind, with minimum temperatures to plummet.

Widespread frost is expected across NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and SA.

Snow is expected below 600m in Tasmania and 800m in Victoria on Sunday, with snow to fall below 900m in the wake of the polar blast.

The combination of the polar blast and cold air could see falls of more than 20cm in the Perisher Valley as temperatures in the mountains plummet.

Footage from Perisher (pictured) showed a mid-week snow storm at the popular ski resort with a thick layer of snow covering nearby peaks and runs

Forecasters say it will feel like July rather than May, with temperatures dropping to lows of -5 and highs around the freezing mark in the mountains.

Perisher reported 15cm of snow on Thursday, while Thredbo had 6cm, and Mount Hotham in the Victorian Alps recorded 2cm of snow.

Footage from Perisher showed a mid-week snow storm at the popular ski resort with a thick layer of snow covering nearby peaks and runs.

'We could get used to this, bring it on winter,' the resort posted to its Facebook page on Thursday, alongside the series of wintry photos.

'We could get used to this, bring it on winter,' Perisher Ski Resort posted to its Facebook page on Thursday, alongside the series of wintry photos (pictured)
There are over 10,000 homeless people in California currently working in the fast food industry, a new economic study says.

The study, conducted by Economic Roundtable, found that in Los Angeles County alone, there are 3,595 unhoused working for fast food restaurants.

The co-author of the study and president of Economic Roundtable Daniel Flaming said that although many unhoused working in an industry that highly profitable, low wages and a lack of full-time positions mean that many employees cannot work their way out of poverty.

Flaming estimated that 11 percent of homeless workers in California. His organization used census data to complete the study. A separate study conducted by UCLA in 2020 found that 18 percent of people in Los Angeles' homeless services system were working.

The minimum wage for workers in California is $15.50 per hour, in the city of Los Angeles, it's $16.04 per hour. The state now has nearly a third of all homeless people in the United States.

There are over 10,000 homeless people in California currently working in the fast food industry, a new economic study says

California accounts for around 1/3 of all of America's homeless population

The recent study found that the average homeless person worker in fast food, performing roles such as line cook and cashier, made around $15,000 per annum. Most only work 26 hours per week, 1,300 per year, and struggle to find full-time hours.

Those tight economic restrictions mean that many struggle to pay their rent or housing payments.

'Emergencies come up. You have to fix the car that you drive to work to get your income. And that costs you a bunch of money. These are very fragile solutions and they break down easily,' Flaming told LAist.

'My hours has been cut. I'm only making minimum wage. I'm also getting wage theft, at that. I had got a new promotion, but didn't get paid for the promotion... I feel somewhat ashamed that I work for a company that can't even pay me what I'm owed,' fast food worker and mother-of-six Anneisha Williams told ABC Los Angeles.

In California, nearly 80 percent of fast food workers are people of color, more than 60 percent are Latino and two-thirds are women.

Legislation signed in September in the Golden State would have set the state on a path to raise wages for fast-food workers to $22 per hour.

The law was met with heavy opposition from restaurant industry groups who led a successful effort to force it into a referendum in 2024.

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat with potential presidential aspirations, briefly withheld $1 billion in funding from local governments because he was unhappy with their plans to reduce homelessness

Rows of tents line the streets in Los Angeles, one of the many Californian cities that have struggled with a sharp rise in homelessness

A homeless man sits on a public bench in Beverly Grove, near Beverly Hills on April 11, 2023

The referendum raised more than 623,000 valid voter signatures to be placed on the November 5, 2024, election ballot.

The first-in-the-nation law, passed last year, establishes a 10-member council empowered to set minimum wages as well as standards for hours and working conditions for California's fast food workers. It would affect some 550,000 workers statewide.

Two industry groups, the International Franchise Association and the National Restaurant Association, promoted the referendum that would leave its fate to voters.

Opponents, who raised more than $10 million last year to fund the referendum campaign, argue that the law would burden owners of chain restaurant franchises and drive up the cost of food.

On December 30, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge temporarily blocked the state from implementing the law while ballot signatures were counted and verified.

The measure would have raised employee wages to as much as $22 an hour by the end of this year for chains such as McDonald's and Starbucks that have 100 or more outlets nationwide.

Labor groups supported the law and the referendum fight could be a bitter and costly one that could see both sides spending hundreds of millions of dollars to entice voters.

The Service Employees International Union remained confident that the law will survive the election.

'Despite fast food corporations' efforts to distort the referendum process, we know California voters see through their tricks,' SEIU President Mary Kay Henderson said in a statement. 'No corporation is more powerful than half a million workers joining together to demand a seat at the table.'

Meanwhile the state of California continues to battle its homeless problem.

Last year, Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat with potential presidential aspirations, briefly withheld $1 billion in funding from local governments because he was unhappy with their plans to reduce homelessness.

In March, the state sued the city of Huntington Beach and accused its leaders of ignoring state housing laws requiring them to build 13,000 new homes over the next eight years.

The same month, Newsom announced California will spend about $30 million to build 1,200 small homes across the state this year.

The homes, some as small as 120 square feet, can be assembled in 90 minutes and cost a fraction of what it takes to build permanent housing.

Newsom said the homes can create space to help clear homeless encampments that have sprung up across the state's major cities. Federal courts have ruled cities can't clear homeless encampments if there are no shelter beds available.

'We need to focus more energy and precision on addressing encampments,' Newsom said. 'There's no humanity there. People are dying on our watch.'
A man has been charged with murder after a woman found with serious facial injuries died.

Suzanne Henry, 54, died on Wednesday night after being found inside a house near Newcastle Road, Madeley, Staffordshire, at around 10pm on Monday.

Finn Henry, 20, of Newcastle-under-Lyme, was charged with her murder on Thursday afternoon. He will appear before magistrates at North Staffordshire Justice Centre on Friday.

In a Facebook post, Suzanne's partner Charlie said: 'We are still processing losing Suzanne.'

Police were called following reports of a man acting suspiciously on May 1, Staffordshire Police said, and a 20-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.

Suzanne Henry, 54, (pictured) died on Wednesday night after being found inside a house near Newcastle Road, Madeley, Staffordshire, at around 10pm on Monday

Mr Henry was then further arrested for murder while in custody following Ms Henry's death.

Detective Inspector Adrian Webb, from the force's Major Investigations Department, said: 'My thoughts and condolences are with Suzanne's family at this deeply traumatic time.

'I understand the state of shock, both in the family and the wider community, that such a tragic event has happened in the town of Madeley.

'We are solely focused on securing justice for Suzanne's family and making sure we do everything possible to support them through this incredibly difficult time.

'I'd like to thank all of those who have already been in touch with information and for the patience which has been shown around the cordon on Newcastle Road.

'There could still be people with valuable information that haven't come forward yet and we'd urge them to get in touch with us as soon as they can.'

Police have reiterated their appeal for anyone in the area between 5pm and 10.15pm on Monday to come forward online.

Rev Tim Watson, of village church All Saints Madeley, said: 'As a community we are all shocked by the news from the village this week.

'Following the announcement from Staffordshire Police about the sudden death of Suzanne Henry we recognise that as the nation celebrates the coronation this weekend, there will be many locally who are struggling and deeply disturbed by news from the village.'
A Sydney bikie boss has died suddenly at the age of 33 after previously begging a court to let him out of jail early to tackle his out-of-control drug habit.

Kaelib Waititi-Fitzgerald, former president of the Mongols Penrith chapter in Sydney's west, died of 'natural causes' on Wednesday, his grieving family have revealed.

'To know him was to love him,' his younger brother Steele Fitzgerald posted in a gushing online tribute.

Waititi-Fitzgerald had been in and out of jail over the past eight years for gun crimes, including a six-year sentence for shooting up a car in a Penrith car park.

He was out on bail for that when his Holden Commodore was pulled over by police in January, 2020 and they found a stolen loaded shotgun, ammo, meth and steroids.

Kaelib Waititi-Fitzgerald, former president of the Mongols Penrith chapter in Sydney's west, died of 'natural causes' on Wednesday, his grieving family have revealed

Kaelib Waititi-Fitzgerald (pictured with his daughter and nephews) had been in and out of jail over the past eight years for gun crimes, including a six-year sentence for shooting up a car in a Penrith car park

Waititi-Fitzgerald was immediately thrown back in jail for breaching his parole - but later pleaded with a court to set him free so he could go into rehab.

He told the court he had a long-term drug problem which had worsened behind bars because of the 'unfortunate ease of obtaining drugs in custody'.

His lawyer told Penrith Local Court that he wanted to be released from prison to go into a drug rehabilitation centre for the sake of his daughter, then seven.

The bikie claimed he was at a 'crossroads' in his life and hoped 'to be the father he wants to be' to his child.

But the bid for bail was revoked and he was returned to jail.

Just five days before his death he posted a picture on Facebook of himself with his daughter at the Sydney Easter Show with a horde of showbags.

He also posted a picture of his daughter with his nephews as his cover shot, which replaced an earlier photograph of a Mongols Inner West bikie club poster.

'May the memories we all share with Kaelib give us strength in the days that lie ahead and we remember him for the loving, affectionate soul that he was,' posted his brother.

Kaelib Waititi-Fitzgerald (pictured) begged to be freed for jail early to go into rehab and because of the easy access to drugs behind bars. Five days before he died, the former Mongols President swapped a picture of this bikie poster (right) for one of his daughter and her cousins

'A father who wanted to give his daughter the world, an uncle who wanted to show his nephews the world, and a brother and son whos family was his world.'

His sister in law Rene Lock said the children were 'his all-time favourite people' and added: 'You were the biggest pain in my ass but I wouldnt have had it any other way.

'I feel lost already without your millions of calls today...thank you for loving us the way you did. Love you - always my favourite.'

Police said there were no suspicious circumstances to the the death which was 'natural causes'.
A mother who allegedly strangled her three children to death then tried to kill herself by jumping off the roof of their home has been left permanently paralyzed from the waist down.

Lindsay Clancy, 32, is accused of strangling her five-year-old daughter Cora, three-year-old son Dawson, and seven-month-old son Callan in the basement of their home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, on January 24.

She had been battling post-partum depression and begged doctors for help before the deaths - and she cut her own wrists then jumped from a top floor window of the family's home following the ordeal.

Lindsay has spent the last four months receiving intense medical care and was recently moved to a different hospital while she awaits a grand jury decision on whether or not she will be charged with murder.

Now her lawyer has revealed she has been left with permanent damage and will never be able to move her legs again, according to the Boston Globe.

A GoFundMe page set up for her bereaved husband Patrick Clancy in January has raised more than $1million - but her attorney has now insisted not one cent of this was being used to pay for her defense.

Lindsay Clancy who strangled her three children to death then tried to kill herself by jumping off the roof of their home has been left permanently paralyzed from the waist down

Lindsay Clancy with her husband Patrick and their oldest children, Cora, five, and Dawson, three

She strangled her five-year-old daughter Cora, three-year-old son Dawson, and seven-month-old son Callan in the basement of their home in Duxbury on January 24

Clancy publicly forgave his wife following the ordeal in January.

Instead, Lindsay's parents have been paying for her legal bills, her attorney confirmed.

Attorney Kevin J. Reddington revealed 'she will be forever' paralyzed from the waist down following the jump from the window and cited medial records and his discussions with doctors.

She is currently being treated at Tewksbury Hospital and is in the care of the state Department of Mental Health after clinicians determined she needs long-term psychiatric help and medical care.

It's unclear if a jury has been impaneled yet, or if it is yet to convene but if charged with murder, Lindsay will face life in prison.

Her attorney is fighting for more compassionate charges, and say she will require round-the-clock medical care for the rest of her life.

The office of District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz has alleged she plotted to kill her children and asked her husband Patrick to collect food from a restaurant so she had time to commit the murders.

The next court hearing has been scheduled for July.

Reddinton said the defense has appointed a national expert on parents who kill their children and Dr. Phillip Resnick, a psychiatry professor at Case Western Reserve University, and psychologist Paul Zeizel to look at Lindsays mental health.

And the attorney is looking into whether Lindsay can raise a defense of diminished capacity.

She was arraigned in her hospital bed at Brigham and Womens Hospital on February 7 where she pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges which are pending in Plymouth District Court.

She had been battling post-partum depression and begged doctors for help before the deaths and she cut her own wrists then jumped from a top floor window of the family's home

The community set up a memorial for the three children who murdered

District Attorney Timothy J. Cruzs office has alleged she plotted to kill her children and asked her husband to collect food from a restaurant so she had time to kill the kids

Lindsay was previously being treated at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital before she was moved to Tewksbury Hospital two weeks ago.

Reddington has said she was suffering from postpartum depression or psychosis and had been improperly prescribed multiple medications for anxiety mood disorder and psychosis.

Lindsays defense has been funded by her parents but she will now likely need financial support from the court, her attorney said.

Theyre pretty much depleting everything they have to try and help her out, Reddington added.

Patrick publicly forgave his wife in January but Reddington declined to say whether he was also helping fund her case.

He said: 'I am not going to comment about Patrick, but every nickel thats been spent on her defense has come from her parents.

A GoFundMe on behalf of Patrick has raised more than $1million since January and he made his only public statement about the tragedy.

'I want to ask all of you that you find it deep within yourselves to forgive Lindsay, as I have,' he said.

'The real Lindsay was generously loving and caring towards everyone - me, our kids, family, friends, and her patients. The very fibers of her soul are loving. All I wish for her now is that she can somehow find peace.

'She loved being a nurse, but nothing matched her intense love for our kids and dedication to being a mother. It was all she ever wanted. Her passion taught me how to be a better father.'

Reddington made it clear that the money raised was Patricks and that not one cent was being used to pay for Lindsays defense.

He said: Thats Patricks money. Her parents are paying for her defense.

On January 1, Lindsay - who was herself a labor nurse herself at Massachusetts General Hospital - checked herself into the McLean psychiatric hospital in Belmont.

Lindsay was arraigned in her hospital bed on February 7 where she pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges which are pending in Plymouth District Court

Her defense is being funded by her parents but she will now likely need financial support from the court

The Clancy home in Duxbury, Massachusetts, where the children were killed in the basement

She spent five days there, according to her attorney Reddington, during which she complained about becoming addicted to benzodiazepines.

Doctors at the hospital decided to take her off Seroquel - a drug used to treat schizophrenia and depression.

She was then given Trazodone, another anti-depressant, and Ativan, a branded version of Lorazepam, according to her attorney.

The circumstances surrounding Lindsay's discharge from the hospital remain unclear, and it is also unclear whether she ever told doctors that she felt homicidal.

In the weeks before the killings, she told her husband that she felt suicidal.

Her attorney says that she went back to the doctor after leaving McLean, but he has not specified what drugs she was given then.

Twenty days later, she strangled her three children then tried to kill herself by slitting her wrists and jumping from a top floor bedroom of the family home.

A spokesman for the hospital declined to give details on her care or discharge, citing privacy laws.

'Due to federal privacy laws and our ethical standards, we are unable to comment on specific patient cases.

'The complexities of mental health are different for each individual and similarly, treatment strategies vary depending on each persons unique needs.

'Whether it be proven and effective medications, psychotherapy, peer support, complementary and alternative medicine, or a combination of multiple approaches, it is important that any care plan be evidence-based and derived from patient-centered discussions and shared decision making,' he said.

Prosecutors told a court that Lindsay told her husband she heard a 'man's voice' telling her to kill the kids and herself, and that it was her 'only chance'.

Her attorney says she had become shell of herself in the months since her third child's birth, and that she'd been overprescribed an astonishing combination of 13 different drugs to help her cope.
The CEO of JPMorgan Chase and co-founder of Google are both being asked to testify about Jeffrey Epstein's financial interests, as prosecutors in the U.S. Virgin Islands continue to try and unravel the late pedophile's financial web.

Epstein, 66, died in a Manhattan jail in August 2019, awaiting trial for sex trafficking. His accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced in June 2022.

The attorney general of the U.S. Virgin Islands, where he had a home on a private island, is overseeing distribution of funds from a compensation scheme set up to help his dozens of victims.

Denise George has requested that Jamie Dimon, the JPMorgan CEO, testify about his bank's dealings with Epstein, and sources close to the enquiry confirmed to CNN on Thursday that Dimon will testify on May 26 and 27.

The U.S. Virgin Islands is seeking unspecified damages from the largest U.S. bank for Epstein's alleged abuse of young girls and women on Little St. James, a private island he owned.

George is also seeking testimony from Larry Page, who co-founded Google.

Jamie Dimon (left) has agreed to testify about Epstein, while Larry Page (right) is being sought for questioning

Jeffrey Epstein died in August 2019 while awaiting trial. He was a client of JPMorgan's until 2013 - despite his 2008 guilty plea for sex with a minor

Epstein reportedly sought to recruit Page as a client of JPMorgan.

The subpoena, obtained by The Daily Beast, also requests correspondence between Page and Epstein, and Page and JPMorgan; documents showing fees Page paid to Epstein or JPMorgan; and records touching on 'Epstein's involvement in human trafficking and/or his procurement of girls or women for commercial sex.'

On Thursday, George sought permission to subpoena Page by 'alternative service' - usually mail, or via a public notice - because they had spent the last month unsuccessfully trying to track him down and subpoena him in person. George said they had hired private investigators, but still couldn't find him.

In 2021 the reclusive billionaire was said to be living off-the-grid in Fiji; some reports said he had since moved to New Zealand.

Last month, Page's Google co-founder Sergey Brin was subpoenaed by George, along with billionaires Mortimer Zuckerman and Thomas Pritzker.

Dimon has for several years faced questions about his bank's dealings with Epstein.

Last month, a complaint filed in New York alleged that JPMorgan Chase executives were aware of numerous sex abuse and trafficking allegations against Epstein, and overlooked them for years.

Epstein was investigated over his sexual abuse of children in 2005, by prosecutors in Miami.

Epstein owned this private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The territory's attorney general is seeking to unravel his financial web

In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to a felony charge of solicitation of prostitution involving a minor, and was sentenced to 18 months in prison; he served 13, under extremely lenient conditions.

JPMorgan did not severe ties with Epstein for five more years, until 2013.

'JPMorgan's relationship with Epstein in allowing his sex-trafficking venture to access large sums of cash each year went far beyond a normal (and lawful) banking relationship,' the filing said.

The complaint detailed internal warnings that the financier 'should go,' that there was 'lots of smoke. Lots of questions,' and that anti-money laundering officials asked that the bank 'exit this relationship.'

The complaint added an additional count alleging that JPMorgan obstructed federal law enforcement and prosecuting agencies that were pursuing Epstein.

Dimon, asked last month whether his bank should have cut off Epstein sooner, told CNN: 'Hindsight is a fabulous gift.'
According to an article published in the scientific journal Cell, plants usually emit more sounds when they are under stress. The click-like sounds are imperceptible to human ears, but can probably be heard by other plants and animals.





[Xinhua] A row of plain-looking white cabins outside the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Israel's Tel Aviv University look no different from ordinary greenhouses, yet inside one of the cabins, the secret language of plants has been unlocked by a group of Israeli researchers.





According to an article published in the scientific journal Cell, plants usually emit more sounds when they are under stress. The click-like sounds are imperceptible to human ears, but can probably be heard by other plants and animals.





Lilach Hadany, a leading researcher and professor of the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, introduces her research outside the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University, in Tel Aviv, Israel on April 19, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Junqing)





This is believed the first time that airborne sounds from stressed plants have been classified and recorded at a distance.





Walking into the lab, two ultrasonic microphones for gathering the sounds of plants are placed in front of a tomato pot. Lilach Hadany, a leading researcher and professor at the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, told Xinhua that this special equipment is mainly implemented in the study of ultrasonic signals of bats.





The microphones, able to record sounds at frequencies of 20-250 kHz, are put 10 cm away from the plant to avoid interference. With the help of the built-in sensors in the microphones, ultrasonic signals can be converted into electrical signals that are easily recognized by humans.





"Da...da...da..." It turns out that plants "talk" in clicks. The popping sounds are emitted at high frequencies of around 60 kHz, according to Hadany, beyond the maximum frequency detected by a human adult, which is 16 kHz.





It is believed that the sounds might be connected to cavitation in the stem, and the process of cavitation is producing vibrations that people can detect with the sensors, Hadany told Xinhua.





"When a plant is under stress, air bubbles can form, expand and collapse in the xylem," reported the Times of Israel.





The study focused mainly on tomato and tobacco plants, but wheat, corn, cactus, henbit and other plants were also recorded.





A statement released by Tel Aviv University elaborated on the process of the experiments: at the first stage, the researchers placed plants in an acoustic box in a quiet, isolated basement with no background noise. Before placing the plants in the acoustic box researchers subjected them to various treatments -- some had not been watered for five days, in some the stem had been cut, and some were untouched.





Then the recordings collected were analyzed by specially developed machine learning (AI) algorithms. "The algorithms learned how to distinguish between different plants and types of sounds, and were ultimately able to identify the plant and determine the type and level of stress from the recordings," read the statement.





"Our recordings indicated that the plants in our experiment emitted sounds at frequencies of 40-80 kHz, and unstressed plants emitted less than one sound per hour on average, while the stressed plants -- both dehydrated and injured -- emitted dozens of sounds every hour," she added.





Researchers believe plants suffering from different injuries may produce different kinds of informative sounds. Experiments have proved that, according to Hadany, sounds of tomato plants infected with cucumber mosaic virus are also successfully separated.





"So it appears that there is another group of sounds there. But we are just at the beginning," she said.
A new report calls for ministers to offer better education and technology in jails

Thousands of prisoners could be temporarily released from UK jails to fill employment gaps in new plans to be considered by government which aim to help the economy and slash reoffending rates.

The Prisons Minister has said there has 'never been a better opportunity' for businesses to 'unlock the potential' in UK prisons in a report by the Centre for Social Justice thinktank.

Efforts to get more of those leaving prison into work have increased since the Chancellor's budget in March, which labelled employee shortages as a major threat to economic growth.

Only around one in four of the 50,000 people released from prison each year currently get into work within six months, data shows.

The government will now consider recommendations including releasing more prisoners on licence to take up jobs and greater access to vocational qualifications, The Times reports.

The Prisons Minister has said there has 'never been a better opportunity' for businesses to 'unlock the potential' in UK prisons (file image)

Prisons Minister Damian Hinds (pictured) has said there has 'never been a better opportunity' for businesses to 'unlock the potential' in UK prison

It is understood figures within government believe uneasiness over employing prisoners has been 'overcome' and the 'chronic' shortages in some UK employment sectors mean the move could be of great benefit economically.

A source told the paper: 'There are pretty chronic staff shortages in quite a few sectors and this is a workforce that has been largely untapped for quite a long time and that can quickly change, so it is a way of filling some of those gaps.'

Prisons Minister Damian Hinds wrote in a foreword for the thinktank's report: 'There are over a million vacancies in the UK. So, there has never been a better opportunity for businesses to unlock the potential in our prisons.

'Getting more prisoners into work really is a win-win  it will cut crime by reducing reoffending and grow our economy to the benefit of us all.'

As well as wider releases for employment purposes, it goes on to call for better education in the UK's prison system, more digital technology, a wider range of vocational qualifications and earlier access to student loans.

Director of Centre for Social Justice Joe Shalam argued there is evidence that allowing prisoners out on release for work cuts reoffending.

He said: 'It wasn't that long ago that the numbers [freed on temporary licence] exceeded 11,000. There's no reason why with stringent safeguards it couldn't go beyond this level again given the huge demand from employers to fill roles.'

According to The Times, last year the number of inmates released on licence was just more than 7,000 - and around half of this number were granted release to join the workforce.

Reoffending amongst convicted criminals is thought to cost the UK 18 billion per year, and the report recommends that ministers go 'further and farther' in their efforts to increase the number of offenders in work.

Prisoners who are granted temporary release are mostly from open prisons, the lowest-security jails in the UK which hold mostly non-violent convicts.

No inmates from Category A prisons, the UK's highest security institutions, are considered for temporary work release and all inmates go through safeguarding checks before it is granted.
Shocking video showed the moment a student pulled out a knife and stabbed one of his classmates as he was passing by.

The footage showed a student in a white sweatshirt going by another student in a black hoodie. The student in the black hoodie was waiting against the wall in a common area of Mifflin High School in Columbus, Ohio, around dismissal time on Friday.

When the student in the white hoodie approached the student, the teen in the black hoodie could be seen pulling out a knife from his waist and stabbing the student in the white hoodie.

The victim immediately flinched back and tried to run away, but his assailant chased after him in an attempt to stab him again.

By the time police arrived on the scene, they said the victim had multiple stab wounds and was treated at the scene by first responders and the school nurse.

The stabber  who has not been named  was charged with one count of felony assault, the Columbus Dispatch reported, and was taken into Franklin County Juvenile Detention.

Shocking video showed the moment a student in a black hoodie stabbed one of his classmates at a high school in Columbus, Ohio on Friday

The victim, in a white hoodie, was passing by his assailant in a common area of Mifflin High School as the school was letting out for the day

It remains unclear how the student smuggled the knife into the school, as the Columbus City School District had already invested more than $3million to roll out 20 Evolv Express advanced weapons detection systems at its 17 high schools.

The systems use advanced sensor technology that uses extremely low-frequency waves to induce magnetization in metal objects passing through.

Its manufacturer said the system can distinguish between weapons threats like guns, knives and metal explosives from laptops, cellphones and keys.

Now, the district  which does not have school resource officers inside each facility  stated it will begin conducting additional random screenings of students' bags before school, and will layer that measure with the use of hand-held metal detection scanners and the Evolv Express machines.

'The district remains committed to providing all buildings with a safe and secure learning environment,' officials said in a statement. 'We will continue to explore all available measures to ensure the highest level of safety.'

The assailant, who has not been named, could be seen pulling out a knife when his classmate approaches. He is now charged with one count felony assault

The stabber chased after his victim in an attempt to stab him again

The stabbing comes amid an uptick in violence in the school district.

In just the first three months of the school year, the Columbus Dispatch reports, there were 5,202 fights, assaults, sexual offenses, guns brought to school or other 'major incidents.'

The Columbus City school district, with more than 45,000 students, has not had school resource officers since the district let its contract with the Columbus Division of Police expire in June 2020 amid racial justice protests following the death of George Floyd.

It instead employs more than 170 safety and security staff members who do not carry weapons.
The Marine who was filmed putting New York City street performer Jordan Neely in a chokehold on a subway car has hired a rival of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg to represent him.

Neely was seen in a video being held in a chokehold by a former Marine on the New York City subway on Monday.

Neely's family has said he suffered from mental illness for years. Witnesses reported Neely was yelling and pacing on an F train on Monday. That was when he was restrained by at least three people.

One of the people was a U.S. Marine, who can be seen on video with his arm around Neely's neck. Neely went limp and was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The Marine has yet to face charges, but the case remains under investigation. Advocates have called for the Marine to be criminally charged.

The Marine has hired attorney Thomas Kenniff.

'We can confirm that Raiser & Kenniff is representing an individual being investigated regarding the recent incident on the subway.

'We have reached out to both the DAs office and the NYPD. They are aware that we are handling this matter,' a spokesman for the firm told DailyMail.com.

The marine, who has still not been identified but is allegedly a 24-year-old from Queens, has reportedly hired attorney Thomas Kenniff (pictured) to represent him

Kenniff is a founding partner of Raiser & Kenniff. The bio on his firm's website states: 'He specializes in representing individuals accused of criminal offenses in federal, state and military courts.'

The attorney, an Iraq War veteran and major in the Army National Guard, ran an unsuccessful campaign for Manhattan DA, losing to the progressive Bragg in 2021.

Bragg won deep blue Manhattan by over 60 points and 170,000 votes over the Republican Kenniff.

Kenniff declined comment when asked about his new client.

Bragg's office confirmed Thursday that the investigation was still ongoing.

'As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiner's report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records,' a spokesperson for Bragg said in a Wednesday evening statement.

Neely, 30, was a famous Michael Jackson impersonator and often seen across the city dancing in a red Thriller leather jacket and the popstar's quintessential loafers.

According to his family, he suffered from autism and schizophrenia and was permanently scarred by the murder of his mother, Christine Neely, in 2007.

He was just 14 years old at the time and in the following years fell victim to homelessness and tried and failed multiple times to live with his father.

Bragg's office confirmed Thursday that the investigation was still ongoing

Jordan Neely (pictured), 30, was a street performer who was put him in a chokehold on the New York City subway earlier this week

Neely, 30, was a famous Michael Jackson impersonator and often seen across the city dancing in a red Thriller leather jacket and the popstar's quintessential penny loafers

'The whole system just failed him. He fell through the cracks of the system,' his aunt Carolyn Neely told the New York Post.

Neely's aunt spoke of her sister's death and described its impact on her nephew.

'My sister Christie was murdered in '07 and after that, he has never been the same.

'It had a big impact on him. He developed depression and it grew and became more serious. He was schizophrenic, PTSD. Doctors knew his condition and he needed to be treated for that,' Carolyn said.

A family friend told the newspaper that Neely 'suffered so much because of what happened to his mother. She was his sole support. His father sure wasn't.'

Jordan Neely's mother, Christie, was strangled to death by her boyfriend in 2007. She was described as an 'ageless beauty' by her father

That friend said he tried to live with his father on multiple occasions but the pair did not get along.

In 2012, Neely was called to testify in the murder trial against the man who murdered his mother in Bayonne, New Jersey, reported NJ.com at the time.

According to the testimony, Neely attempted to say goodbye to his mother one morning before going off to school.

He said his stepfather Shawn Southerland blocked him from going into the bedroom by padlocking it.

The following day, Neely said Southerland moved out of the home and he never saw him again.

Neely's father told the Daily News in an interview that his son became a 'complete mess' afterward.

'After we buried her, he just wasn't the same anymore,' said his father, Andre Zachery. 'They were very close. He loved her so much that he just lost it.'

He said in a tribute: 'Jordan was a good man. He was a good person. He grew up good. He always had a (temper), but he never used to hurt anyone... He wasn't bad. He was beautiful.'

Zachery said his son began mimicking Michael Jackson at the age of four or five. 'He looked just like him. He used to perform on the block. One day, people were loving him,' he said.

He said he had not seen his son for four years and that because he rarely took his autism medication it was difficult for him to find work.

According to the Daily News report, Neely was arrested 42 times over the last 10 years and last arrested in November 2021 for hitting a 67-year-old woman in the face.

The last contact Zachery had with his son was a letter sent to him while Neely was in prison. It read in part, 'Dad, I disobeyed you. And I'm sorry.'

A YouTube channel set up for Neely in 2022 sought to locate him as he had not performed his act in years

Video of the altercation where Neely died was posted online and showed a 24-year-old Marine lying beneath him, holding him in a headlock position for several minutes as he tried and failed to break free.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez called Neely's death a 'public murder.'

Rev. Al Sharpton likened the Marine's actions to that of famed subway gunman Bernie Goetz, referring to the shooting of four black men on a train beneath Manhattan just before Christmas in 1984.

'We cannot end up back to a place where vigilantism is tolerable,' he said. 'It wasn't acceptable then, and it can't be acceptable now.'

However, NYC Mayor Eric Adams urged caution on Wednesday night.

'I don't think that's very responsible at a time when we're still investigating the situation. Let's let the DA conduct his investigation with the law enforcement officials, to really interfere with that is not the right thing to do,' he said.

'To interfere with that is not the right thing to do. I'm going be responsible and allow them to do their job to determine exactly what happened.'
Authorities have said Gillis was traveling in a car with her friends when they accidentally turned onto Monahan's driveway on April 15

But Judge Robert Muller ruled Monahan is inherently a flight risk because he is a 65-year-old man facing life in prison for the death of Kaylin Gillis

The 'hot-tempered' New York homeowner accused of killing 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis when the car she was in accidentally turned onto his driveway was again denied bail Thursday.

Lawyers for Kevin Monahan hoped a State Supreme Court judge would reverse a lower court's decision to have the 65-year-old arrested without bail, arguing that he is not a flight risk and there is no evidence to suggest that he is.

Kurt Mausert, his attorney, claimed in court that Warren County Judge Adam Michelini only considered the harm caused and Monahan's history of gun use but noted that before April 15, Monahan had never been charged with any gun-related crimes, according to WNYT.

Michelini had said he opted to hold Monahan without bail on charges of second-degree murder arguing that he was known in the community as being impulsive and that the media's scrutiny gave him reason to flee.

And on Thursday, Judge Robert Muller ultimately agreed with this assessment, saying Monahan is inherently a flight risk because he is a 65-year-old man facing up to life in prison who has the financial means to take off.

A New York State Supreme Court judge on Thursday upheld a lower court's decision to deny Kevin Monahan, 65, bail for the death of 20-year-old Kaylin Gillis. Monahan is pictured in Warren County Supreme Court

Authorities said Gillis (pictured) was traveling in her boyfriend's SUV with two other friends through the town of Hebron just before 10pm when the group made a wrong turn onto Monahan's property

Authorities said Gillis was traveling in her boyfriend's SUV with two other friends through the town of Hebron just before 10pm when the group made a wrong turn onto Monahan's property.

They were trying to turn the car around when Monahan came out onto his porch and fired two shots from a 12-gauge shotgun, according to Washington County Sheriff Jeffrey Murphy, who claimed Monahan showed no remorse.

When officers arrived at Monahans house to investigate the shooting, he refused to come outside, Murphy said. Authorities spoke with him through a 911 dispatcher and in-person for about an hour before he was taken into custody, according to the sheriff.

Kevin Monahan, 65, was charged with murder in the second degree and remains in custody at Warren County Jail, officials said

Murphy noted in an interview with CNN that Monahan had already arranged legal representation before he emerged from his house and handed himself over to cops.

Additional charges for Monahan may be forthcoming.

Speaking in an interview with NBC News Gillis' boyfriend, Blake Walsh, 19, revealed he was the one driving on the fateful night.

'We thought we were at the right address. We didnt have any cell service to figure it out. As soon as we figured it out that we were at the wrong location, we started to leave, and thats when everything happened,' Walsh said.

He said one of his friends in the car alerted him to Monahan shooting, prompting him to suddenly turn the car around and drive away.

'I tried to step on the gas as fast as possible, and that's when the fatal shot came through.'

After driving for around five miles, the group finally made it to an area where they had cell service. They immediately called 911, but sadly it was too late.

'I want to believe it was instant. I'm hoping it was. I'm praying it was,' Walsh said through tears.

He added the drive to get cell service felt like it lasted just 30 seconds, 'the adrenaline was rushing so bad.'

Attorney Kurt Mausert had tried to argue in court on Thursday that Monahan is not a flight risk, but a judge disagreed

Monahan's property is on Patterson Hill Road in the town of Hebron near the Adirondack mountains

Police say that Monahan emerged from his home and fired two shots from a 12 gauge shotgun

Gillis and her friends were looking for a party when they stumbled upon Monahan's home

In an interview with CNN, Mausert said his client told him that multiple vehicles had descended onto his driveway that night, including a motorcycle, revving their engines and behaving in a menacing way.

He also told News10 the incident was a 'series of tragic mistakes, made by more than one person.

'The situation where we have an elderly gentleman and his elderly wife living out in the dark woods in Washington County with three vehicles that come roaring into his driveway at a high rated speed, shined their lights at his house and not leaving when he turns on the floodlights so certainly there was cause for an element of fear on Mr. Monahans part,' Mausert added.

Alcohol, drugs or mental illness are not thought to have played a role in the shooting, reported the Times-Herald.

The newspaper stated there had not been any reports of increased robberies or any reason for homeowners to be extra vigilant recently.

But Town Supervisor Brian Campbell told the Times-Herald that Monahan previously attended local board meetings to discuss issues such as road repairs. Campbell described the suspect as being 'very reasonable.'

Gillis is pictured here with her longtime boyfriend, Blake Walsh, 19. The two had hoped to one day get married

In an interview with NBC News, Walsh described how is life is shattered following Gillis's death

Monahan is pictured leaving the court room after being denied bail a second time on Thursday

Following Monahan's initial bail hearing on April 19, Andrew Gillis  Kaylin's father  said he hopes the accused gunman 'dies in jail.'

He thanked Judge Michelini for his decision to deny Monahan bail, saying: 'Kaylin deserves justice.

'I want to talk about Kaylin's boyfriend,' Gillis continued. 'He wanted to marry my daughter. I would have loved that.'

Walsh met Kaylin when he was a sophomore at Schuylerville High School, where she graduated from in 2021.

He said the pair would often joke about being the '2 percent,' a reference to the two percent of high school sweethearts who end up getting married. They had dated for four years.

In his address to the press, Kaylin's father said Walsh now blames himself for Kaylin's death, but her father said, 'It's Kevin Monahan's fault.'
A Service NSW employee has been stabbed several times in Sydney's CBD in what police have described as an unprovoked attack - as a man is arrested.

Emergency services rushed to Rawson Place in Haymarket, in the city's CBD on Friday morning following reports a man, 55, had been stabbed in the back, chest and shoulder.

A 37-year-old man from Sydney's south-west - believed to be a disgruntled customer who was 'extremely' well known to police - was arrested at the scene.

Detective Superintendent Martin Fileman described what unfolded as a 'unprovoked' attack.

After a short conversation with a male employee the 37-year-old male produced a bladed knife, in an unprovoked attack, has stabbed the 55-year-old male employee number of times in the torso.'

Police rushed to Service NSW office in Haymarket after an staff member was reportedly stabbed in broad daylight (pictured, police at the scene)

Police have taken a man 55, into the custody over the alleged stabbing (pictured, police at the scene)

'Police rendered first aid before he was treated on scene by NSW Ambulance paramedics,' a statement read.

The injured employee is currently undergoing emergency surgery at St Vincent's Hospital.

Secretary of the NSW Department of Customer Service, Emma Hogan fought back tears in a media conference on Friday confirming the staff member 'was stable and in ICU.'

Police said there is no ongoing risk to the public.

Police are expected to give an update about the incident on Friday afternoon

Multiple police vehicles remain at the crime scene as officers launched inquiries

The Service NSW office remains cordoned off as police put up a sign stating it will be closed for the rest of Friday.

A large police presence remains at the scene as forensic officers scour for possible evidence and take photos.

'We are closed today today for unforeseen circumstances. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.'

Distraught staff and customers who witnessed the incident were seen consoling each other at the scene.

Forensic officers spent the afternoon scouring for evidence and taking photos of the scene
A heavily tattooed graphic designer who is accused of trying to smuggle a 24-carat, gold-plated semi-automatic gun into Australia will spend at least a week in jail after she failed to make bail.

Liliana Goodson, 28, travelled to Sydney from LA on Sunday before Border Force agents allegedly detected the 1911 Colt 45-style pistol in the American's luggage.

Goodson was detained and charged with intentionally importing a prohibited item without approval - before being given a $10,000 bail.

However, in a twist, it was revealed in court on Friday that the non-binary designer, who uses they/them pronouns, had failed to pay the surety and is in custody.

Goodson lodged an appeal to be released next Monday and to be allowed three days to pay the $10,000.

However, a magistrate instead adjourned the case until next week, meaning Goodson will spend at least the weekend behind bars.

Liliana Goodson (pictured), 28, is accused of trying to smuggle a golden gun into Australia

Australian border force x-rayed Goodson's luggage and allegedly found the 24 carat gun (pictured)

A briefing on Goodson's case is also expected to be presented to court on June 28.

If convicted, Goodson could be jailed for 10 years. The designer also faces visa cancellation and deportation back to the US.

Daily Mail Australia previously revealed that Goodson - who also goes by the name River SolDorado Salvatore Chunga - had a job lined up in Australia and planned to live in the trendy beach suburb of Bondi.

But those plans have gone awry after the alleged discovery of the $2,000 gold-plated weapon inside Goodson's suitcase.

Goodson was taken to Surry Hills Police Station and charged with intentionally importing a prohibited item with without approval.

Daily Mail Australia also revealed that Goodson grew up in U.S. southern state of Alabama and studied physics at Troy University after finishing high school.

Goodson worked in a range of hospitality jobs after 2016 and had a stint as a tattoo artist in Andalusia for three years before relocating to Los Angeles and moving into freelance graphic design.

Goodson, who also goes by the alias River Salvatore, is a graphic designer from Alabama, in the US

Goodson (pictured) also planned to bring her two dogs to Sydney from LA

In March, Goodson wrote a post in an LA-based Facebook group asking whether any users would foster two dogs for about eight months.

'Im traveling overseas for work and unfortunately, the process to export my loves is a long process due to the countrys requirements,' they wrote.

Pictured: The x-ray of Ms Goodson's bag

'I would love to keep in touch for updates, as well as someone who can work with me as I continue their half year or so process so they can eventually join me overseas.'

Importing a dog from the US to Australia is a lengthy and expensive process which involves multiple government-approved vets, blood tests, parasite checks, and mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival.

Following Goodson's arrest, Australian Border Force Commander Justin Bathurst said the agency's were able to prevent the deadly weapon from entering the community through the combined efforts of ABF officer skills and sophisticated detection technology.

'We have seen just how good ABF officers are at targeting and stopping illegal, and highly dangerous, goods from crossing Australia's border,' he said.

'The ABF is Australias first and most important line of defence.

'ABF officers are committed to protecting our community by working with law enforcement partners to prevent items like unregistered firearms getting through at the border.'
Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde are turning the legal tables on their former nanny, alleging that her lawsuit, in which she claimed she was fired after requesting medical leave, is meritless - citing a variety of reasons.

The former couple says that nanny Ericka Genaro had her salary doubled in 2020 and that she was 'taken care of by the family.'

In one instance, they say that they paid for her and her dog to stay in London's Rosewood Hotel, after she left her job. The final bill came for over $22,000 thanks in-part to food and booze room service.

They also allege that Genaro was in breach of her working agreement by going to the media about the couple's intimate problems as well as lying about her criminal record. They are quoted as saying that Genaro has described herself as 'ruthless.'

Finally, Sudeikis and Wilde say that Genaro left her job of her own accord. The former SNL star and Wilde have said in legal documents that her grievances should have been taken up in arbitration in New York, reports TMZ.

The TMZ report says that Sudeikis and his former fiancee allege that Genaro only began have issues with her job when she demanded a tax-free pay raise.

Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde pictured together in 2019, the couple ended their seven year engagement in 2021

Wilde was publicly served with custody papers as she spoke on stage in April 2022

In February, Genaro filed a lawsuit in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, that her doctor had prescribed her a three-day medical leave in 2021 to deal with the stress of the couple's public split.

But when she told Sudeikis, the suit claims, he 'fired her on the spot.' She is now seeking back-pay, punitive damages and the costs of attorneys fees.

'It is unfortunate that this private matter continues to play out in the press. Our focus has been and will continue to be to steadfastly protect our family in the face of harassment of any kind. We are confident that the evidence brought forward will affirm our position to summarily dismiss this case and bring our family peace,' Jason and Olivia told TMZ in a statement.

Genaro has previously told DailyMail.com how the Horrible Bosses star would text her about his concerns as Olivia Wilde started to see Harry Styles more often, before bringing Genaro on a trip to London.

But the former celebrity couple quickly hit back at Genaro's claims, calling them 'false and scurrilous.'

Genaro was hired in 2018 to take care of Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' two children, the lawsuit says

They repeated that assertion in a statement to DailyMail.com about Genaro's lawsuit, saying: 'As parents, it is incredibly upsetting to learn that a former nanny of our two young children would choose to make such false and scurrilous accusations about us publicly.

'Her now 18-month long campaign of harassing us, as well as loved ones, close friends and colleagues, has reached its unfortunate apex. We will continue to focus on raising and protecting our children with the sincere hope that she will now choose to leave our family alone.'

Genaro's lawsuit details how she allegedly got put in the middle of the celebrity couple's split after 'Wilde abruptly left the home where she lived with Sudeikis, her two kids and Plaintiff as [a] live-in nanny' in November 2020.

'Wilde's sudden absence from the home had an adverse consequence on its emotional state, including Sudeikis leaning on the presence of Plaintiff for support,' the suit claims.

A source told DailyMail.com that in fact Wilde did not 'suddenly' move out but rather was filming between Los Angeles and Palm Springs while Sudeikis and their children were in London.

'Although this shared trauma created a bond between Plaintiff and Sudeikis, Plaintiff became increasingly anxious and stressed with Sudeikis' tendency to seemingly require Plaintiff to stay up at night after the kids were put to bed to talk, whereas that dynamic did not occur before Wilde's absence.

'The subject matter of these late night conversations with Sudeikis naturally evolved into speaking about Wilde, which Plaintiff felt compelled to engage in despite creating extreme anxiety to her as she ostensibly felt she had to 'pick sides' between the parents of the children she was ostensibly the primary caretaker [of.]'

Eventually, the suit says, Genaro reached out to Wilde to talk about the situation, which she said she thought went well.

'Plaintiff felt a genuine sense of relief and comradery with Wilde, who reacted sympathetically from Plaintiff's point of view  Plaintiff thought she got enough off her chest to be able to function without anxiety as the live-in nanny for Wilde's and Sudeikis' children, with Wilde as a reliable ear,' it says.

But when she, Sudeikis and the children were traveling to the airport in December 2020 to catch a flight to London, Genaro alleges, Sudeikis informed her that Wilde told him about their entire conversation.

Wilde is pictured with Harry Styles at the Don't Worry Darling premier in September

'Plaintiff was stunned at the abrupt announcement, and her heart sank because of its significance there was no peace when confiding in Wilde,' the suit says.

It continues to allege that Sudeikis then asked her '"Do you trust me?" as part "gotcha," part threat and part confirmation Plaintiff was on Sudeikis' side.'

By January 2021, Genaro alleges she told Sudeikis 'of her physical pain, anxiety and stress,' and soon the group therapist they were all seeing referred her to a doctor for 'physical pain, anxiety and stress.'

That doctor had apparently told Genaro she needed to stop working for the celebrity couple, and on February 1, 2021, Genaro allegedly told Sudeikis of the doctor's recommendation.

She 'immediately added a desire to stay on as long as possible, up to five months, so that a suitable nanny is found to help with the transition for the good of the kids,' the suit says.

'Sudeikis' reaction to this verbal notice was tempered,' it claims.

The very next day, Genaro saw the doctor again and told him she was having increased stress following the announcement, according to the suit.

'The osteopath's response to Plaintiff's account of her physical and mental state that morning was to prescribe Plaintiff the reaction of "radio silence" from everyone  including Sudeikis  for three days,' the suit claims.

'In other words, Plaintiff needed a three-day medical leave of absence because of her mental health  aka a stress leave.

'The osteopath relayed this restriction to the therapist who relayed them to Sudeikis.'

Within hours, the lawsuit says, Sudeikis demanded to speak with Genaro.

'When Plaintiff responded she is under the osteopath's orders to not speak with anyone because of her anxiety, Sudeikis terminated her on the spot and directed [ML Management] to get Plaintiff out of his house and into a hotel.'

Genaro then allegedly tried to reach out to Wilde 'for support in an attempt for help to merely have her restrictions honored, to no avail.

'Plaintiff is informed and believes, and therein alleges, her termination was because of her disability of anxiety/depression, and for seeking the reasonable accommodation of a three-day leave of absence for same,' the lawsuit says.

It argues she 'suffered and continues to suffer substantial losses of wages, salary, benefits and additional amounts of money.'
A large-scale search has been launched in bushland for a woman who vanished without a trace from Sydney five months ago.

Jessica Zrinski, aged 30, was last seen in Bossley Park in Sydney's south-west on November 25 before her concerned family reported her missing to police five days later.

Local police conducted extensive inquiries before homicide detectives took over the investigation under Strike Force Keder.

Inquiries have since revealed Jessica was captured on CCTV in the carpark of a hotel on Mimosa Road at nearby Greenfield Park around 10pm on November 28 before she got into a blue Holden Commodore station wagon 10 minutes later.

The vehicle is believed to have travelled west on the M4 and Great Western Highway towards the Blue Mountains.

On Friday, investigators launched a land search in the Hampton State Forest about 25km north of Jenolan in central-west NSW as part of the ongoing investigations.

Homicide detective has ramped up the search for missing woman Jessica Zrinski (pictured)

Detectives believe Jessica may have entered or visited the state forest sometime after getting into the Holden Commodore.

Investigators have vowed to leave no stone unturned in their ongoing investigations.

'Our investigators are conducting this search to find some trace that Jessica may have been here and will leave no stone unturned in our quest to locate her,' Homicide Squad Commander Detective Superintendent Danny Doherty said.

'We strongly urge anyone who may know any further information on Jessica's whereabouts to please come forward. We want to find her and provide her family with much-needed answers.'

The extensive search will include officers from PolAir, the Dog Unit, the Rescue and Bomb Disposal Unit along with SES and NSW RFS volunteers.

The search of the 5,200-hectare forest will continue through to Sunday.

The search was launched several week after investigators released eerie CCTV of Jessica's last known movements on November 28.

She was wearing an orange singlet top, long black leggings, flat shoes and carried a cream handbag at the time.

CCTV captured Jessica Zrinski's last known movements on the night on November 28

'Investigators have been told Jess is a friendly, approachable person who is known to seek lifts with people she didn't necessarily know,' Det Supt Doherty said at the time.

'It's been almost six months without anyone seeing or speaking with Jess, and we want to speak to anyone who may have had any interaction with her on the night of Monday 28 November 2022 into the following morning.

'The reality is that detectives are investigating all lines of inquiry, including whether she has met with foul play.'

Ms Zrinski is described as of Caucasian appearance, 165cm tall, thin build and has blonde hair.

She also has tattoos on her right index finger, inside her left wrist and on the back of her neck.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers.

Jessica was last seen getting into a blue Holden Commodore station wagon (pictured) in a hotel carpark in Greenfield Park around 10pm on November 28
President Joe Biden's national security adviser promised Thursday that the U.S. would do whatever was necessary to prevent Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Jake Sullivan delivered his message in a major speech at a thinktank setting out the administration's Middle East policy.

He will be in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, as Washington tries to improve often fraught relations with Riyadh.

Sullivan lamented the Trump administration's decision to abandon the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which he said had now allowed Tehran to advance along the path to nuclear weapons.

'So from my perspective, we are back in a position that we were in before where Iran is enriching, is advancing, and this nuclear programme poses a genuine challenge to our fundamental non-proliferation goals,' he said at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Jake Sullivan spoke at the Washington Institute on Thursday, setting out the administration's Middle East policy before flying to Saudi Arabia to shore up fraught relations (file picture)

This video grab taken from footage provided by the Iranian military to Farsnews agency on Thursday 29 September 2022, reportedly shows a missile launch from the Iranian Kurdistan

'And we remain determined to ensure that that challenge does not cross the line to Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon.

'Yes, we will take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

'At the end of the day, that's the fundamental test. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They do not today, and they cannot have one.'

Sullivan said Washington was working with allies including Israel to deter Iran from developing a weapon.

'We will continue to send a clear message about the costs and consequences of going too far, while at the same time continuing to seek the possibility of a diplomatically brokered outcome that puts Irans nuclear program back into a box.'

He also said he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi leaders.

A source said Sullivan is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Oil production cuts by Saudi-led OPEC+ and differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the 2018 death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi have damaged ties.

Iranian soldiers stand next to an Iranian Kheibar missile (R) and a Shahab-3 missile (L) during a rally marking al-Quds (Jerusalem) day, in street at the capital Tehran, on April 29, 2022

Sullivan said that also going to Saudi Arabia will be representatives from India and the United Arab Emirates to discuss 'new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region.'

Former President Donald Trump's administration brokered a number of normalization deals between Gulf allies and Israel. Sullivan said the United States was working hard to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

'Ultimately getting to full normalization is a declared national security interest of the United States. We have been clear about that,' he said.

'Now as a sign of my seriousness about how much we're focused on this, and how seriously we are taking this, I am not going to say anything further lest I upset the efforts we are undertaking on this issue.'

Sullivan played down U.S. tensions with Israel that have developed since Benjamin Netanyahu took over again as Israeli prime minister late last year. He said he held a video conference with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday and Netanyahu joined in for part of it.

He did not say, however, when Biden would extend an invitation to the Israeli leader to visit Washington.
Bail conditions have been softened to help the parents of Tyrell Edwards accused of driving a ute at high speed into two trees, killing five school students.

Bail requirements for a teen driver accused of killing five school students in a high-speed car crash have been eased after his parents found them too difficult to comply with.

Tyrell Edwards, 19, was behind the wheel of a silver Nissan Navara that crashed into two trees southwest of Sydney in September last year, killing five Picton High School students aged between 14 and 16 who were crammed into the vehicle.

He was previously forced to make daily visits to a police station 45 kilometres from his home in Bargo under bail conditions that meant he was only allowed outside accompanied by his parents.

However, a magistrate on Friday altered these conditions after hearing the daily drive was too onerous because his parents were looking after six other children and his mother Renee Edwards had recently received a part-time night job as a carer.

Tyrell Edwards, 19, was behind the wheel of a silver Nissan Navara that crashed into two trees southwest of Sydney in September last year, killing five Picton High School students aged between 14 and 16 who were crammed into the vehicle

Magistrate David Degnan noted Edwards had complied with strict requirements including being 'virtually under house arrest' since he was granted bail by the NSW Supreme Court in October last year.

'I am satisfied after this lengthy period of time that it is reasonable to reduce the obligation to report daily to three days a week,' he told Picton Local Court.

Other bail conditions preventing the teen from driving a motor vehicle, drinking alcohol, taking illegal drugs or going within 500 metres of any port or airport in the country remain in place.

A $100,000 bond has also been paid by his father Henry Edwards to be forfeited if his son does not appear in court.

Edwards personally appeared at the court on Friday, entering and leaving the building surrounded by family members who hid his face with umbrellas.

Crown prosecutors have officially filed upgraded charges of aggravated driving occasioning death for driving more than 45khm/h over the speed limit. These upgraded charges were previously flagged in February.

When he was first arrested on September 7, a day after the Buxton crash, he faced less serious charges of dangerous driving occasioning death.

The scene of the horror smash at Buxton in south-west Sydney in September, 2022

Flowers placed at the scene of the fatal smash shortly after it occurred in September, 2022

Mr Degnan also set down a case conference between prosecutors and Edwards' defence lawyers in which negotiations and possible guilty pleas could be hashed out before the matter returns to court on June 30.

If Edwards was to plead guilty to any of the charges, it would be best for this to be done as soon as possible, Mr Degnan said.

'If you do plead guilty, you're entitled to a larger discount then if you wait until you're in the District Court,' he told Edwards.

Lily Van De Putte and Gabby McLennan, both 14, Summer Williams and Tyrese Bechard, both 15, and Antonio Desisto, 16, all died in the crash.

Edwards suffered minor injuries.

The teenager has no criminal history, but has accumulated two speeding offences and had his provisional licence suspended in 2022 before the crash.
In the latest arms shipment to Ukraine the United States included thousands of M21 anti-tank mines. The metal, 8 kg (17.5 pound) mines that, once planted and armed, will detonate when anything moving over it weighs more than 136 kg (300 pounds), sending a curved metal bar upwards. This will blow the track off a tank and can also penetrate up to 50mm of armor. Tanks and smaller armored vehicles running over an M21 become mobility kills. This means they cannot move because of damaged tracks and/or tires/track wheels and suspension system. If this happens during combat, the vehicles and their crews are in big trouble. That often means the crew abandons the vehicle and seeks shelter elsewhere. Historically, most tank and armored fighting vehicle (AFV) losses come from mobility kills. The Ukraine War was unique because top attack ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) were able to destroy tanks and AFVs by causing the turret to explode and kill the entire crew. Now the Ukrainians are on the offensive and have to devote a lot of men and resources to removing anti-tank and anti-personnel mines. With the M21 mines the Ukrainians can protest quiet sectors of the front line from surprise armored attacks with these mines.

Russia has used a lot of anti-personnel and anti-tank mines in Ukraine and the Ukrainian forces have been supplied with equipment and training to find and destroy or disable them. Russia has deployed thousands of these mines in the southeast to disrupt a Ukrainian offensive. Russia has mapped these minefields in case they are no longer needed and the mines can be removed. If Russia is defeated, those minefield maps are unlikely to be given to the Ukrainians and the mines will be a public hazard for years to come. Ukraine will have to maintain mine-clearing teams and await reports from local civilians about minefield discoveries.

There is an international treaty banning the use of anti-personnel but not anti-tank mines. Several major nations did not sign the treaty, including the United States. The Americans had their own restrictions on the use of mines and changed those policies as needed. For example, in 2020 the United States lifted restrictions on the deployment of anti-personnel landmines by American forces. This ban had been imposed in 2014 for American troops everywhere except those in South Korea. That decision was criticized worldwide because most nations had signed and ratified the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the manufacture or use of landmines.

The new American rules allow U.S. troops to use landmines that are activated or deactivated electronically and permanently deactivated after a set period or when their battery runs out of power. The Americans believe the mines are essential in Korea because North Korea has been threatening to attack again.

The U.S. believes the Ottawa Convention is largely a failure because landmines are still widely used. While 161 nations signed the Ottawa treaty, the 36 which did not comprise some major military powers like China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel (and the Palestinians), both Koreas, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. Most of these nations still see a pressing need for landmines, although many are trying to find replacement weapons.

Landmines were outlawed in 1999 but most of the nations that rushed to sign the Ottawa Convention either didn't have landmines or didn't have any reason to use them. While landmine casualties have declined from about 20,000 a year when the Cold War ended (1991) to about 5,000 now, that was largely due to the collapse of many communist governments, which were always the biggest landmine users, mainly to keep people from entering or leaving their territory. The fall of communism led to more open borders and a lot of mines were taken out of service. Treaty backers like to take credit for 87 countries destroying 46 million landmines. The reality was that most of those mines would have been destroyed anyway because the collapse of so many communist governments made most of those mines useless and a burden to keep in storage..

Despite the anti-landmine efforts, some countries still manufacture and use them. In the last few years Israel, Libya, Syria, North Korea, Iran, and Myanmar (Burma) have planted new mines. Some nations that still use landmines, like Israel, have taken the lead in developing new technology and techniques for quickly clearing landmines, especially old ones whose location was never recorded.

In addition, there are three countries still manufacturing landmines (India, Myanmar, and Pakistan). Arms dealers still provide large quantities of Russian and Chinese landmines, many of them Cold War surplus. China, Russia, and other communist nations were the major producers of landmines during the Cold War. The mines were produced not so much for use against potential enemies but to aid in keeping the borders closed and preventing citizens from leaving unpleasant dictatorships.

There has been a growing list of outlaw organizations that are ignoring the 1999 ban. The Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan are manufacturing landmines in primitive workshops and using them against Pakistani, Afghan, and foreign soldiers, as well as Afghan civilians who refuse to support Islamic terrorism. Rebels and gangsters have not signed the international agreement and find the mines a cheap way to control civilian populations and slow down the movements of the security forces. It takes more time, money, and effort to remove these mines than to place them.

Despite the 1999 treaty, landmines are still causing over 5,000 casualties a year worldwide. About 20 percent of the victims are killed and 90 percent of them are males. This is largely because men are more likely to be out in the bush or working farmlands that still contain mines. A third of the casualties are security personnel (police and soldiers). This is because in many countries rebels and criminals are still using landmines, either factory made ones from countries that did not sign the Ottawa Convention or locally made models.

Landmines are simple to make and workshops are easily set up to do it. There's no shortage of mines out there, despite the fact that so many have been destroyed in the name of the 1999 Ottawa Convention. There are believed to be over 100 million mines still in the ground and at least as many in military warehouses for future use.

The 1999 Ottawa Convention was supposed to have eliminated the threat of landmines. It hasn't worked because the owners of the largest landmine stockpiles, especially Russia and China, refused to sign. Chinese landmines are still available on the international arms black market. China is believed to have the largest stockpile, mostly of anti-personnel mines. The old ones are often sold before they become worthless. But even these mines, which go for $5-10 each, are too expensive for many of the criminal organizations that buy them. Land mines, competitive with the factory built ones from China, can be built for less than $3 each. You can find all the technical data you need on the Internet.

Meanwhile, the most effective way to get the mine-clearing done is by training local volunteers to be part of the part-time mine-clearing teams. The government must provide training, pay (which should be good by local standards), and health and life insurance. When a new bunch of mines is found, usually by an animal coming across them, the team gets to work.

Landmines continue to be a nasty problem for many nations. This is especially true of countries in out-of-the-way places that rarely generate many headlines for any reason. A typical case is Tajikistan. One of the northern neighbors of Afghanistan, Tajikistan long had mines on its borders because of communist policies towards free movement, as in as little as possible. After becoming independent of Russia in the early 1990s, Tajikistan went through several years of civil war in which both sides planted thousands of Cold War surplus landmines. Russia helped settle that internal conflict and supplied peacekeepers, who also manned the Afghan border to try and keep the Afghan heroin and hashish out. This involved more new minefields along the Afghan border. There were also some mines planted on the new international borders (with other former parts of the Soviet Union).

While Tajikistan got some foreign aid to help with clearing all those mines, only about 30 percent of the known minefields have been cleared so far. Fortunately, the mines tend to be planted in thinly populated areas, so only about 350,000 people live near enough to the mined areas to be in any danger. Thus, since 1991, 20-30 people a year have been killed by the mines, with another 30-40 wounded. Civilians are the most frequent victims of landmines.

India and Pakistan continue to maintain extensive minefields along their 900 kilometer border. Both countries still manufacture mines. Same deal with the two Koreas and Israel on its Syrian border.

The United States believes it cannot ignore this vital tool in conventional warfare. This is especially true in an increasingly unstable strategic environment. The ethical problem is an important one. Unilateral disarmament is a fools errand when likely adversaries wont join in. Since 2016 the Americans have been developing landmines with a self-destruct and self-activate function. These landmines would be rendered harmless after a conflict. There are two approaches to the problem. The first one aims to add additional sensors and connect smart mines into wireless networks supervised by a soldier who decides whether to detonate landmines or not. The second way involves the addition of self-destruct and self-activate mechanisms that activate after a set time or when the battery power is exhausted.

There is still a problem because self-destruct mechanisms are not 100 percent reliable. International agreements allow a 10 percent dud rate. This could be higher due to the delivery method. The landmines are usually scattered by aircraft or artillery at a rate of thousands in a matter of minutes, with little precision. These are similar to cluster munitions and some landmines might fail to arm or their self-destruct system is damaged. For example, Russia has used smart mines which are still dangerous in Chechnya many years after the conflict. Even more advanced networked minefields pose a serious danger for friendly forces passing through them when in off-mode as did dumb minefields during Gulf War of 1991. In general, the demining problem remains unresolved because even in deactivated minefields some landmines will remain active, although less frequently than usual because of the new tech.
She has been charged after pleading guilty

The teen then sold it to classmates who got high

A great-grandmother has been hit with a criminal charge for providing the butter that her grandson used to sell 'cannabis-laced cakes' at his school.

Pam Annette Bickerton, 74, was sentenced on Thursday after giving cannabis-butter to her grandson in exchange for house chores, who then sold weed cupcakes at his Mount Barker, SA school.

The plot was discovered by police after several students at the high school went to the nurses office with symptoms of cannabis use, leading staff to call police.

Bickerton had pleaded guilty to one count of supplying or administering a controlled drug to a child before appearing in the Adelaide Magistrates Court.

The charge carried a maximum sentence of life in prison, but Bickerton was handed a two-year good-behaviour bond instead.

Pam Annette Bickerton, 74, was sentenced on one count of supplying or administering a controlled drug to a child

Bickerton had provided her grandson cannabis butter which he used in cakes he gave to classmates

After cleaning the kitchen for his grandma, the teenager baked the cakes which eventually sent his classmates to the sickbay, the court heard.

'Police became aware of an allegation that a student was selling cupcakes laced with cannabis at [the school after the students] presented at the sick bay displaying symptoms consistent with cannabis consumption',' Magistrate Justin Wickens said.

'Police spoke to two students who disclosed that [another student] was providing the cannabis-laced cakes.'

'This is very serious offending and supplying drugs to minors is a very serious offence,' he said.

After police arrived at the school to interview students, including one who had returned a positive urine test for the drug, classmates dobbed the teen in who then told the cops that his grandmother had supplied the ingredients.

When police arrived at Bickerton's home in the weeks after she immediately told them that she still had three bags of butter in her freezer and two bongs which were then seized.

Bickerton told the police and the courts that she began using cannabis to help with a sleeping condition and did not remember where she originally bought it from.

After her grandson used the butter to make cupcakes which he sold to other students, police got involved

Since the incident, Bickerton has given up her use of the drug.

'I'm told you are extremely remorseful for allowing this to occur,' Magistrate Wickens said.

'You are very disappointed in yourself over your actions [and] you have removed cannabis from your life completely.'

'You should understand the need to shield minors from illicit drug use for as long as possible.'

A jail sentence of 3.5 years behind bars was initially on the table for Bickerton, but dropped in favour of the two-year good-behaviour bond.

No charges were laid against her grandson for distributing the cakes.
Newly-released body camera footage shows quadruple murder suspect Bryan Kohberger arguing with a Washington police officer just weeks before the Idaho massacre.

In the footage released Thursday, Kohberger, a 28-year-old with a master's degree in criminal justice, could be seen in his sedan trying to get out of a red light ticket.

Kohberger claimed he was ignorant of Washington state laws prohibiting drivers from blocking intersections because he is from a rural town in Pennsylvania.

The body camera footage offers new insight into Kohberger's character in the weeks leading up to the deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20.

Kohberger is charged with one count of felony burglary and four counts of first-degree murder in connection to the Idaho killings, and is due back in court later this month.

Bryan Kohberger, 28, could be seen in newly-released body camera footage pleading ignorance when he is pulled over for running a red light

Kohburger is due back in court later this month in connection to the deaths of University of Idaho students Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin , 20

In the footage released Thursday evening by Washington State University police, a female officer told the murder suspect: 'I think you know why I stopped you. You ran the red light.'

But Kohberger wanted to correct the officer and said: 'What actually happened is I was stuck in the middle of an intersection, so I was forced to go left.'

Kohberger is pictured in his mugshot following his arrest in connection to the Idaho killings

The officer then replied that she was behind Kohberger 'the whole time,' and explained. 'You're not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then you're stuck in the intersection.'

At that point, Kohberger claimed he was unfamiliar with how to drive through intersections because he grew up in a rural town in Pennsylvania.

The female officer tried to explain that under Washington law, drivers are not allowed to enter an intersection unless there's enough space for vehicles on either side.

After handing over his license and registration, Kohberger then asked the officer for more clarification.

'Can you explain that to me a little bit further?' he asked. 'So in Pennsylvania, when you're in an intersection you have to make the left. What would the appropriate thing for me to have done been?'

The officer replied simply: 'You're not supposed to block an intersection like that in Washington.'

She said doing so qualifies as running a red light, and is a ticketable offense.

'So you're not supposed to proceed into the intersection until you can go, 'cause a lot of people do what you just did.'

Kohberger said in the newly-released body camera footage that there are no crosswalks where he grew up in Pennsylvania

The criminology major was ultimately let off with just a warning at the traffic stop in October

He then claimed he was confused because in the moments before he made the turn a vehicle opposite him turned right without their blinker on.

'I was just slightly into the crosswalk,' Kohberger continued.

'Where I'm from in Pennsylvania, we actually don't have crosswalks,' he stated. 'There's a little more leeway as well.'

'It never even occurred to me that was actually something wrong,' he said.

So, he said, he was confused about the law and told the officer: 'I apologize if I was asking you too many questions about the law.'

The officer then let him go with just a warning.

That video was cited in a probable cause affidavit for Kohberger's arrest in eastern Pennsylvania, with homicide detectives noting that the officer's body camera footage depicted him as the driver and sole occupant of a white sedan with a Pennsylvania license plate.

A matching white sedan was seen speeding away from the house where the four college students were murdered in Moscow, Idaho.

Washington police also released footage Thursday showing cops banging on his door on December 30, announcing their presence and serving a search warrant.

But Kohberger was already back in Pennsylvania, where he was taken into custody by state police and the FBI that same day.

Kohberger is accused of murdering the four University of Idaho students in their sleep

He is pictured appearing at a hearing in Latah County District Court in January

Meanwhile, newly-unsealed court documents describe what police noticed was missing from Kohberger's apartment in Pullman, Washington.

'We also noticed, while cleaning the apartment, it was sparsely furnished and fairly empty of belongings, including no shower curtain in the bathroom and the trash cans appeared empty,' Washington State University Assistant Chief of Police Dawn Daniels wrote.

The desk and his office were also empty.

But police said they found evidence connecting Kohberger to the brutal stabbings in Moscow, Idaho.

Authorities said they retrieved a single 'nitrite-type black glove,' eight 'possible hair strands' and a single 'possible animal hair.'

Officers also found what appeared to be blood stains, describing 'cuttings from [an] uncased pillow of reddish/brown stain' and mattress covers with multiple stains.

They also asked for, and were granted, a search warrant for a storage unit they believed belonged to Kohberger. It is not clear what, if anything, they found in the storage unit.

Washington State also released an official letter from the school informing Kohberger he is no longer welcome on the campus.

It was signed by Kohberger from his Idaho jail cell.
Phoenix Police have now arrested a suspect in his early 20s in connection with her death

Police have arrested a man on suspicion of murdering an esthetician who was 'stabbed multiple times' on a desert hiking trail in Arizona.

Lauren Heike, 29, was found dead on the Reach 11 trail on April 28, with police launching a week-long manhunt for her killer.

Phoenix Police arrested a man in his early 20s on Thursday on suspicion of murdering Heike, who had recently moved to the area from Washington.

Sources told local media that she was stabbed 'multiple times' and police tracked down the suspect after finding his 'DNA at the scene'.

Authorities have yet to name the man, but his arrest comes after a chilling clip showed a lone figure sprinting on the trail where her body was found.

Lauren Heike, 29, was hiking Friday on the Reach 11 trail not far from her Phoenix home when she was attacked and killed. Her body was found the next day

Footage captured by Telemundo Arizona showed officers cuffing the man as he was placed inside a police vehicle

He was arrested at his home, less than a mile from the trail where Heike's body was found. Police confirmed that the man taken into custody was the same man running in the footage.

Pictures of his arrest were captured by Telemundo, with the suspect sitting on the sidewalk calmly talking to police.

He is currently being interviewed by homicide detectives and police will release his name once he is booked into jail.

Sergeant Melissa Soliz said: 'Detectives are serving a search warrant at the man's apartment and he was taken into custody this evening at around 6.30pm.

'Right now, he is the person that we believe to be responsible or in connection to the murder of Lauren Heike.

'This is going to take a while for our detectives to sift through all this evidence, process it, collect it and hope to have some more answers later.

'With this man taken into custody, I can tell you that he is the same person that was shown on the video clip that we shared with you all a few days ago.

'With this information we hope that the community tonight can rest a little easier knowing that this person is off the streets.'

Pictures of his arrest were captured by Telemundo, with the suspect sitting on the sidewalk calmly talking to police

At the press conference on Wednesday, Heike's heartbroken parents (pictured) and friends gathered to plead with the public for any information

She didn't confirm whether the suspect knew Heike but said more details are expected to be released on Friday.

'Phoenix police have taken a man into custody in connection with the murder of 29-year-old Lauren Heike,' it said in a statement.

He was linked to the murder through DNA evidence, according to CBS 5.

Amber Winter witnessed the arrest as she was walking past with her pet and recorded the moment.

'It was around 6:00 p.m, I was walking my dog, saw about three SWAT trucks come in, 15 undercover vehicles pull up to a building,' she told Fox10 Phoenix.

'They literally blew the door down, went in, screaming 'get on the ground! Get on the ground!'

Heike moved to Arizona from Washington, was well-liked and left a lasting impression, according to those who knew her

On April 29, Phoenix police responded to a 'desert area' near 6500 East Libby Street to find Heike's body. It's believed Heike was killed one day prior, on Friday morning

'They detained the supposed suspect, and brought him out. He sat there for a while, while they went inside and were searching and were interviewing people.'

The arrest comes a day after Heike's mother, Laura Heike, tearfully pleaded with the public and said: 'Somebody knows this person.'

'Somebody wearing a backpack or a hoodie or whatever the video, it's hard to tell, in a sunny hot day that person will stand out.

'When you've done something, you're going to be unusual.'

Heike's father, Jeff Heike, added: 'She was my little girl. I'm really going to miss her.

'I know someone knows something and they can help us.'

Phoenix police responded to what was described as a 'desert area' near 6500 East Libby Street on April 29 after receiving a report of an injured person.

The area is not far from Heike's apartment, which is located in an upscale area of North Phoenix with houses on the market for up to $1.3 million, according to Zillow.

Heike's mother gave some insight into what her daughter's last day was like.

Heike's parents Lana and Jeff tearfully said they just want justice for their daughter

'She got up, talked to her friends. It was her day off, she got her coffee, and she went walking and she was happy, happy that helps us a lot,' Lana said.

'We need people's help to tell us what happened after that.'

In a press conference Wednesday, Phoenix Homicide Lt. James Hester said investigators believe someone might have seen the suspect before or after the attack and asked the community to come together to help find him.

'We believe someone would have noticed this person either before the attack or after he fled from our scene,' Lt. Hester added.

Further details about the murder, including how Heike was killed or if a weapon was used, have not been released as police don't want to harm the investigation.

'The behavior, in my opinion, was so heinous that I would imagine that the subject would be displaying symptoms that look out of place,' Lt. Hester added.

Loved ones said they just want justice for Heike, who they described as a 'beautiful' person inside and out who loved exercising and being outdoors.

Police have not said if this was a random attack or if it was potentially someone Heike knew

Her mother described her daughter as a beautiful, kindhearted woman who was sweet to everyone she met.

'As hard as this is for us, we're grateful because we had such a beautiful child,' she said. 'We will love her every minute that we are on this Earth.'

Police have not revealed whether it was a random attack or if it was potentially someone Heike knew.

But the Arizona woman, who had moved there from Washington, was described as a kindhearted person who left a lasting impression with everyone she met.

Heike's close friend River Hubbell told AZCentral that he spoke to her on Friday morning before her hike and they asked each other what they were thankful for - something he said they did every morning.

'I had asked what we were all thankful for that day and she had specifically just said that she was so thankful to just wake up another day so positive and to be able to go get a coffee and go on a walk,' Hubbell said, as he held back tears.

Her boss, Brian Thorne Troon North Golf Club, where she worked as a server, said they are all saddened by Heike's death and described her as a lovely person

Heike's mother tearfully said: 'As hard as this is for us, we're grateful because we had such a beautiful child. We will love her every minute that we are on this Earth'

Heike's boss, Brian Thorne of Troon North Golf Club, where she worked as a server, told local news outlets that their staff is shocked and saddened by her death. He described Heike as a lovely person and said this tragedy has been tough on everyone.

Heike had previously worked as an esthetician for Admire Medical Aesthetics in Washington. The company posted a heartfelt tribute on its Facebook page.

'It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the passing of Lauren Heike, a former esthetician for Admire Medical Aesthetics. Lauren touched the hearts of many with her kind and sweet nature, and her beloved clients always looked forward to seeing her.

'We will always remember the laughter and smiles that Lauren brought to each of us. Her warmth and compassion made her not just a great esthetician, but a wonderful human being. It is a true loss to everyone that she has touched.'

'Our condolences go out to Lauren's family during this difficult time. We hope that they find some comfort in the knowledge that Lauren's memory will always be cherished by those whose lives she touched.'

Heike's close friend River Hubbell said he spoke to her on Friday morning before her hike and they asked each other what they were thankful for - something he said they did every morning

Hubbell joined Heike's family and friends to plead with the public to help find her killer

Neighbors in the area, and hikers who frequent the trail, said they're now looking over their shoulders.

'I just woke up to all the police coming in, and they could actually see all the vehicles in the back, driving around, all the police. I would say the neighborhood is just a little bit somber right now. They're probably a little sketched out, looking over their shoulder. Definitely not something that they saw coming,' one neighbor said.

'It's heartbreaking,' hiker Tom Chamberlain told Fox10.

'I would not be comfortable if she were hiking alone on this trail now. Before, I thought it was North Scottsdale. It's totally fine.'

Some have suggested that warning signs should be posted around the community.

'It would be nice. I'm lucky we do this together. If I were to come out here in the morning for a run, it would change my opinion completely about doing this,' Naomi Kight said.

A reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case

Police have offered advice for hikers and said the safety of the community is their top priority.

'The safety of our community is our top priority. We would like to remind everyone to be aware of your surroundings. If a hike or walk is in your plans, do so with a partner. If you see something suspicious call police and be a good witness,' police cautioned.

Anyone with information is asked to call Phoenix police. To remain anonymous, you can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) or 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446). You can also leave a tip at silentwitness.org.

A reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case.
The mayor of Jacksonville, Florida has refused to succumb to 'wokeism' and order the city's lifeguards to cover their chests, after a transgender person hoping to be employed at a city pool exposed their breasts.

The transgender person, who has not been named, attended a trial session for lifeguard hopefuls at the Cecil Aquatic Center on April 27.

During the course of the tryout, the female-born person, who identifies as male but has not had top surgery, exposed their breasts and did not attempt to cover themselves.

Children were within 15 to 20 feet from the lifeguard training and the nudity was in 'clear view,' sources told Florida's Voice.

The incident happened in a group of 21 lifeguard trainees aged 15 and above.

Florida's Voice reported that the situation occurred during the swimming portion of the training.

Cecil Aquatic Center held a session for trainee lifeguards on April 27, at which a transgender person exposed their breasts

Lenny Curry, the mayor of Jacksonville, said that the behavior was unacceptable

Lenny Curry, the Republican mayor of Jacksonville, said families who were in the swimming pool at the time complained. The trans person has not been hired, Action News Jax reported.

'Through a citizen expressing concerns, my administration became aware of an incident where a biological female trainee in a lifeguard program was topless at one of our public pools,' said Curry.

'After consideration of the incident, I believe it is wrong for our public pools to be a place where Jacksonville families are forced to explain to their children why a person hired to protect public safety is exposing her breasts.'

Curry said he did not think it right to introduce a compromise solution, whereby all lifeguards - male, female and trans - would have to cover their chests.

'I see no reason for our lifeguards to be forced to make changes to existing rules mandating that biological females cover their chests,' he said.

'Our parks and public pools are meant to be a place where families can feel safe to enjoy themselves.

'We shouldn't force parents of young children to be caught in the crossfire of battles over wokeism.'

Yet Cielo Sunsarae, the executive director and founder of Queer Trans Project, accused Curry of overreacting.

Cielo Sunsarae told local news Action News Jax that they believed Curry had overreacted

'Kids don't sexualize breasts, it's the adults that are making it out bigger than what it is,' Sunsarae told Action News Jax.

'What is the difference if the person had top surgery or not?'

Florida is cultivating a reputation for being on the frontline of culture wars, with Governor Ron DeSantis proudly declaring that his state is a place 'where woke goes to die'.

The Florida state legislature passed a 'bathroom bill' this week which bars transgender people from using public restrooms that do not match the gender on their birth certificate.

The measure will now head to DeSantis' desk for final approval.
A masked man brandishing an axe has robbed a drive-through restaurant after pretending to be a motorbike rider with the bizarre incident captured on CCTV.

The man was videoed walking up to the sliding windows of the business on Herbert Street, Ingham in North Queensland at 2am on Thursday.

He then made gestures in front of one of the windows before approaching another and making off with a wad of cash from the till.

Queensland Police released vision of the armed robbery in a bid to find the culprit after patrols failed to locate the man in the area.

The footage shot from two different angles first showed him with a black, full face covering approaching one of the windows where cars pull up to order food.

The masked man was seen with blue plastic gloves doing motorbike handlebar gestures after failing to slide the restaurant window open (pictured)

He then slid it open before removing an axe (pictured) from under his jumper and demanding cash from a worker in the store

The figure was then seen trying to squeeze through the window (pictured) but he was stopped by the barriers set up

He was seen with blue plastic gloves doing motorbike handlebar gestures after failing to slide the restaurant window open.

The robber, who was sporting a black jumper, blue cargo pants, work boots and a black and white Jack Daniels cap, then shrugged and walked away to another window.

He then slid it open before removing an axe from under his jumper and demanding cash from a worker in the store.

The figure was then seen trying to squeeze through the window but he was stopped by the barriers set up.

The man stretched his arm across into the store in a desperate grab for cash and took out a wad of notes before fleeing on foot.

The man stretched his arm across into the store in a desperate grab for cash and took out a wad of notes (pictured) before fleeing on foot

He was spotted running down Herbert Street towards Gedge Street.

Two staff members in the restaurant complied with the man's demands and were physically unharmed.

Investigators are appealing to the public to help identify the man who officers described as Caucasian in appearance with a solid build.

Detectives also urged businesses and motorists in the area to check dashcam and CCTV of vision captured between 130am to 230am.

Two staff members in the restaurant complied with the man's demands and were physically unharmed
A professor at the University of California-Berkeley has come under fire after she apologized for 'incorrectly' identifying as Native American her 'whole life.'

In a lengthy statement on Monday, sociology professor Elizabeth Hoover confirmed she is not actually a member of the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq tribes as she had been told growing up in upstate New York, affirming: 'I am a white person.'

She said she never knowingly falsified her identity or tried to deceive anyone, writing on her personal website: 'I'm a human. I didn't set out to hurt or exploit.'

But now she is facing calls from more than 300 students and professors to resign from her position at the school.

They are accusing Hoover of being a 'pretendian,' or a white person who falsely claims to have Indigenous ancestry in order to profit.

Elizabeth Hoover, a sociology professor at UC-Berkeley, revealed in a statement on Monday that she is not actually Native American as she had claimed her 'whole life'

In a lengthy statement on her website, Hoover apologized to the Native community

Hoover has long claimed she was descended from the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq peoples of eastern Canada and the United States  even referencing that heritage in news accounts and while researching her doctoral dissertation for Brown University.

She also used the identity to win prestigious jobs, grants and fellowships, to publish books and papers, and to become a prominent voice in the 'food sovereignty' movement for Native cultures, critics claim.

When Hoover first joined the staff at UC Berkeley in 2020, she was heralded in campus media as one of a small but growing number of Native American scholars at the school who could help make the campus a more welcoming place for learning and researching Native American history, culture and contemporary issues.

But in November, Hoover put out a preliminary statement addressing questions about her identity.

She said her family told her she was descended from great-grandmothers who were Mohawk and Mi'kmaq, and her mother would often take her and her sisters to powwows to connect with their heritage.

Yet, she said, she and others concluded they could not verify any connection to the two tribes.

The discovery, Hoover wrote in that preliminary statement, left her, her parents and her sisters 'shocked and confused about what this information means for us,' according to the Press-Telegram.

In her new statement on Monday, Hoover went even further, writing: 'I am a white person who has incorrectly identified as Native my whole life.'

She then went on to apologize for the 'harm' she caused by betraying the trust of colleagues, collaborators, students, colleagues, friends and members of the Native American community.

'I have negatively impacted people emotionally and culturally,' Hoover wrote. 'For this hurt I have caused, I am deeply sorry.'

Hoover added she is working with 'restorative justice facilitators to better understand how members of the UC Berkeley campus community have felt harmed and betrayed, and ways I can work to meaningfully make amends for this.'

Critics say Hoover is a 'Pretendian'  or a white person who falsely claims to have Indigenous ancestry in order to profit

Hoover, center, has long claimed that she was descended from the Mohawk and Mi'kmaq peoples of eastern Canada and the United States

But many in the Native American community do not believe her apology went far enough and are calling on her to resign from her position.

They say having Hoover serve as a professor at Berkeley raises questions amongst Native American scholars about the school's academic integrity and respect for Native identity.

'The waves of harm extending from this are immense and difficult to capture,' Adrienne Keene, an assistant professor at Brown who authors the online forum Native Appropriations, and who was once good friends with Hoover, tweeted.

Mohawk scholar Audra Simpson, an anthropology professor at Columbia University also argued Hoover's professional history shows she 'lacks the requisite ethical and academic integrity to be a professor or a social scientist.'

She said the controversy could hurt Berkeley's reputation in Native circles, telling the Press-Telegram: 'This is a matter of misconduct with wide-reaching effects.

'Whether intentional or not, she has committed a form of fraud [and] she has benefitted from doing so,' Simpson said, explaining that it is possible that Hoover took jobs, fellowships or grants away from actual Native peoples.

Hoover said in her statement, that she was not hired by Berkeley as part of an effort to attract faculty with expertise in Native American issues, but instead responded to an open posting for scholars on environmental and food justice.

Still, she acknowledged she 'received academic fellowships, opportunities and material benefits that I may not have received had I not been perceived as a Native scholar.'

Desi Small-Rodriguez, an assistant professor at UCLA's Sociology Department and American Indian Studies program who is a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe called Hoover's apology a 'cop out' and a form of 'gas lighting.'

She said it makes no sense that Hoover waited so long to investigate her family's claims that they were Native American, given her professional research skills. Hoover said in her statement she dismissed inquiries into her identity as 'petty jealousy'.

And, Small-Rodriguez said, Hoover crossed a line when she misrepresented herself as Native American during her research projects, which let her gain access to ceremonies and other 'social spaces' that are specifically reserved for Native people.

'People invited me into these spaces with the understanding that I was a Native person, and I deeply regret the pain I have caused to some by entering those spaces,' Hoover wrote in her apology.

But Small-Rodriguez says 'That's a violation of research ethics alone.'

Hoover, pictured left in 2017, is accused of using a Native identity to win prestigious jobs, grants and fellowships, to publish books and papers, and to become a prominent voice in the 'food sovereignty'

She said she never knowingly falsified her identity or tried to deceive anyone

Adrienne Keene, an assistant professor at Brown who authors the online forum Native Appropriations, and who was once good friends with Hoover called her out on Twitter

Now, more than 300 scholars and Native American activists have signed an online petition calling for Hoover's resignation.

It also lists demands that she 'stop cosplaying with Indigenous jewelry, fashion, regalia, or any other performative mechanisms that seek to confuse her audience and subsequently silence questions of authenticity,' and that she 'address the pain she has caused with words, changes in behavior, and money as she has profited both academically and financially by cosplaying this persona for years.'

Additionally, the signers call on Hoover to 'repatriate gifted cultural or sacred items given to her previous persona.'

And, the petition calls on UC Berkeley to offer grant funds for students who were working with Hoover and 'assist students who had Hoover on their qualifying examination or dissertation committees in finding an alternate member.'

UC-Berkeley said it would not comment on personnel issues, but in a statement to the Press-Telegram, campus spokeswoman Janet Gilmore said the school is 'aware of and supports ongoing efforts to achieve restorative justice in a way that acknowledges and addresses the extent to which this matter has caused harm and upset among members of our community.'
The training required an 80 per cent grade to pass

Gender diversity training by one of Australia's biggest insurers is discouraging the use of common terms such as 'guys' by its employees while requiring them to score 80 per cent in an assessment to pass the course.

Brisbane-based Suncorp has introduced the training for all employees in the company, asking them to define numerous genders and reduce usage of certain terms.

Among the terms and phrases that Suncorp will no longer allow are 'guy', 'acting like a girl', and 'that's so gay'.

The training also asks questions like 'what is gender identity' and 'we cannot assume someone's gender identity just by their appearance. Is this statement true or false?'

This year Suncorp's CEO Steve Johnson also introduced 'gender affirmation leave', which grants workers six weeks paid leave and up to 12 months unpaid leave for sex reassignment surgery.

A new training module introduced at Suncorp teaches its 13,000 employees to not use terms like 'guys', 'that's so gay', and 'stop acting like a girl'

The compulsory training requires an 80 per cent grade to pass and asks numerous questions about how to interpret gender preferences

A company insider reportedly said the compulsory training implies that staff are 'bigots'.

'The vibe at Suncorp is that they are annoyed that the underlying assumption is that they need the training,' the insider told the Courier Mail.

'It implies they're all a bunch of bigots in the first place.

'Which they ain't.'

Now, instead of referring to colleagues as their gender, staff are encouraged to use terms like 'folks' and 'team', as well as adding their pronouns to social media profiles and email footers.

The training includes an assessment at the end which fails those who score less than the equivalent of a standard 'B' grade in most schools.

The 'short module', as described by a company spokesperson, was launched six months ago as Suncorp continues to transition into a more inclusive organisation.

'[The one-off] short training module was developed internally by our employees, for our employees, and aims to provide practical information so we can better support all our customers and workforce,' the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.

'The overwhelming majority of our employees have already completed this course and we have received very positive feedback.'

The primary goal of the module is to educate people that gender identity is not about 'physical markers but rather how we feel on the inside'.

Suncorp's CEO Steve Johnson also introduced 'gender affirmation leave', for workers who are transitioning

Other takeaways from the module says that it is not advised to assume anyone's gender and that instead of Mr or Ms, 'Mx' could be used as a 'non-binary option''

Course material seen by News Corp also states that 'non-binary is a gender all on its own and can also be used to recognise the fluidity and diversity that some of us feel'.

'Some people who are non-binary also describe having a trans experience. The point is we all describe our gender experience in different ways and the labels we use, if we use them, are personal.'

The term 'allyship' is also referenced several times in the material.

'Allyship is very important for all marginalised groups, including the LGBTIQ+ community.

'Which of the following statements are true? - an ally is someone who listens to, believes and amplifies LGBTIQ voices? Anyone can be an ally? Allyship means showing up, speaking up and offering support to others? Or all of the above?'

In 2019 a study by the Harvard Business Review failed to find substantial evidence that diversity training was an effective tool for business to use on employees.

The study concluded that there was an 'absence of any observable change in the behavior of male or white employees' - two audiences typically targeted by activist organisations as the worst offenders of bigotry.

It also found that 'treating diversity training as a silver bullet' was ineffective in creating change, and suggested inviting 'underrepresented talent to join, stay, succeed, and lead within [the] organisation'.
Anthony Albanese has declared there is 'nothing to be served' by keeping WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange behind bars, expressing frustration at the diplomatic stalemate.

The Prime Minister, who is in the UK for King Charles' Coronation, refused to say whether he would raise the matter with US President Joe Biden when they meet later this month.

But his push for a conclusion has the support of Opposition Leader Peter Dutton after he agreed the issue must be resolved.

Mr Assange is facing extradition from the UK on 18 charges related to the publication of classified military and diplomatic documents.

Anthony Albanese is pushing for a resolution in the case of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange

He has been in London's Belmarsh Prison for more than four years and is appealing the UK government's agreement to his extradition.

Speaking to the ABC on Friday morning, Mr Albanese reiterated 'enough was enough' but appeared frustrated by the lack of movement on the matter.

'It needs to be worked through, we're working through diplomatic channels, we're making very clear what our position is on Mr Assange's case,' he said.

'I know it's frustrating. I share the frustration. I can't do more than make very clear what my position is.

'The US administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian government's position is.'

Mr Albanese refused to say whether he would raise Mr Assange's matter with US President Joe Biden

Mr Albanese is set to meet with Mr Biden later this month when he visits Australia for the Quad Leaders' Summit in Sydney.

Mr Albanese declined to say if he would raise the issue with Mr Biden but noted the 'disconnect' between the treatment of Mr Assange and Chelsea Manning, the woman who released the information he published.

The former US Army soldier was released in 2017.

'I think that when Australians look at the circumstances, look at the fact that the person who released the information (Chelsea Manning) is walking freely now ... then they'll see that there is a disconnect there,' he said.

Last month, parliamentarians across the aisle joined together to sign a letter to the US Attorney-General to call for the end of Mr Assange's extradition.

Mr Dutton said he agreed with Mr Albanese that the case had been drawn out for too long.

'Of course I'm concerned for him at an individual level. I think it's gone on for too long and I think that's the fault of many people, including Mr Assange to be honest,' he told ABC RN.

'But the matters, I think, have to be dealt with. And if the Prime Minister's charting a course through to an outcome for that, then that is a good thing.'
A former Space Force lieutenant booted from his post for lamenting the proliferation of critical race theory in the military has spoken out about the drag queen the United States Navy is using as a recruitment ambassador.

Matthew Lohmeier, formerly in charge of the 11th Space Warning Squadron in Colorado until he was ousted in 2021 after denouncing CRT and marxism on a podcast, questioned who the Navy thought it was going to reach with its latest recruitment tactics.

'I have to wonder who it is that our senior military leaders, in fact, think they're appealing to in the recruiting process by hiring a drag queen as their digital ambassador,' Lohmeier told Fox News in a recent interview.

He was referring to Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley who was named a 'Digital Ambassador' for the Navy as part of a pilot program that started in November and ran through March.

The decision to use the drag queen as an ambassador has drawn a strong reaction as people criticize the move.

Matthew Lohmeier appeared on Fox News and questioned who the Navy hoped to recruit

Matthew Lohmeier was in charge of the 11th Space Warning Squadron in Colorado before he was removed from his post for denouncing critical race theory on a podcast in 2021

Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley goes by stage name 'Harpy Daniels,' and is now a recruitment ambassador for the United States Navy

Kelley goes by the stage name 'Harpy Daniels' and has a strong following on social media, including TikTok, with 60,800 followers and 1.3 million likes. Kelley is also on Instagram with nearly 9,000 followers.

In the videos, Kelley often starts out in uniform, and then reappears as Harpy Daniels. The non-binary drag queen dances and often shares an inspirational message about being an LGBTQ+ sailor.

Lohmeier told Fox News he was vexed by the Navy's decision, and predicted that Kelley's position as a spokesperson would not help recruitment.

He said most service members 'believe in the Western nuclear family,' and are wary of letting children be exposed to the likes of drag queens.

The former lieutenant said the situation was merely another example of leftist agendas working their way into the armed services.

'We've known for the past couple of years during the Biden administration, this has been taking place more and more,' he said. 'What's surprising is that senior military leaders continue to push an agenda like this despite the fact that it's hurting our recruiting efforts and it's hurting our retention.'

He added there were likely senior members of the military who did not like the use of Kelley, but were unable to speak out leaving it up to 'late' members of the forces to voice those opinions.

Some government officials have spoken out against Kelley's position, however.

A group of 14 Republican senators wrote a letter Wednesday to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro asking why the Navy enlisted a 'TikTok drag queen' to beef up recruitment numbers.

Sens. Ted Cruz, Rick Scott, Marco Rubio and others told Del Toro that 'we are concerned about both the promotion of a banned app and behavior that many deem inappropriate in a professional workplace.'

Kelley has said she began dressing in drag and performing in shows while still in high school

Kelley announced on TikTok in November that she would be the Navy's first 'digital ambassador,' highlighting her journey from performing on board beginning in 2018 and growing to become an 'advocate' for those who 'were oppressed for years in the service'

In the letter, the Republicans first took issue with the Navy seemingly endorsing TikTok, with the choice of Kelley as a 'Digital Ambassador.'

They pointed to the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in December, and which bars the app from being downloaded onto U.S. government devices due to its Chinese owner.

'The bottom line is that the Navy should not be promoting use of TikTok, an app banned on Department devices, on the personal devices of servicemembers or its "ambassadors,"' the letter stated.

The Republicans then moved on to the Navy's choice to make a drag queen a 'Digital Ambassador.'

'At a time when our nation's military is facing a recruiting crisis, it is as important as ever to reach broader swaths of the eligible population - but not at the cost of privacy, security, or professionalism,' the Republicans argued.

In the letter, they ask Del Toro if the Navy endorses drag shows.

'Would the Navy enlist burlesque dancers or exotic dancers to reach possible recruits?' the senators ask. 'Such activity is not appropriate for promotion in a professional workplace or the United States military,' they add.

The senators then asked Del Toro a number of questions about the ambassador program, including whether any federal funds were spent.

They gave the Navy secretary until May 24 to respond.

Kelley goes by stage name 'Harpy Daniels' and has a strong following on social media, including TikTok, with 60,800 followers and 1.3 million likes. Kelley is also on Instagram with nearly 9,000 followers

Kelley joined the Navy in 2016 and gave a drag performance for the first time as a sailor during a deployment in 2018.

In a post from November, when Kelley was named a 'Digital Ambassador,' the drag queen wrote that sharing drag with fellow sailors 'has been a blessing.'

'This experience has brought me so much strength, courage and ambition to continue being an advocate and representation of queer sailors!' Kelley wrote.

'Thank you to the Navy for giving me this opportunity! I don't speak for the Navy but simply sharing my experience in the Navy! Hooyah, and let's go Slay!' the drag queen added.

LGBTQ+ members of the military have fought for decades to serve openly.

In 1993, President Bill Clinton signed 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell,' which barred gay and lesbian Americans from serving openly, but was supposed to prohibit discrimination.

That policy got overturned by President Barack Obama and Democratic majorities in Congress in 2010.

In 2016, under the Obama administration, the ban on transgender service members was lifted.

However, in July 2017, then-President Donald Trump reintroduced the ban via tweet.

President Joe Biden reversed the ban on his fifth day in office in January 2021.

More broadly, Republicans have continued to target the LGBTQ community with new laws.

In 2023, the American Civil Liberties Union tracked 471 anti-LGBTQ bills being pushed around the country.
Later this year Israel will finally have all four of their new Saar (Saar) 6-class corvettes operational. This comes two years after the ships were completed in Germany. At that point the Saars had most of their weapons and other equipment but it required another two years in Israel to install and test additional top-secret weapons, sensors and communications systems.

In late 2o21 the last of these four Saar 6 corvettes arrived in Israel from Germany, where it was built. This came eight months after the first one arrived from Germany, where the Israeli crew conducted sea trials and other tests before making the two-week voyage to Israel. The other three did not linger in Germany and the Israeli crews quickly brought their new ships home. Israeli-designed electronics and weapons systems are only installed in their foreign-built warships once those arrive in Israel, a process that normally lasts about several months. That proved to be overly optimistic for the Saar 6s and it required about two years per ship to install and check out the new weapons and equipment.

The German builders installed structures as well as power connections and wiring so the Israeli-made equipment could be quickly installed. These weapons and electronics are Israeli designed and built, and contain a lot of tech that Israel does not share. This sometimes causes problems with foreign supplied ships and aircraft. For example, Israel was one of the first export customers to receive the American F-35 stealth fighter. Israel planned to install their own modifications to the complex software systems that give the F-35 unique capabilities. The Americans initially refused to give Israel access to the source code for that software so that modifications could be made in Israel by Israelis. The U.S. and Israel have a long and successful history of jointly developing new weapons systems and those deals usually involve sharing new tech with each other. The U.S. considered the F-35 a special case and it took months of negotiations before Israel was allowed to make its modifications to the software. Details of that deal were kept secret but the Israeli version installed in the unique Israeli F-35I were apparently shared with the United States. The F-35I was the first F-35 to operate in a combat zone (Syria) and use that tech against the most modern Russian air defense and EW (Electronic Warfare) systems. The U.S. apparently got access to the results of those encounters, which were successful and somewhat alarming for the Russians and Iran.

Some of the electronics and weapons capabilities in the Saar 6 are similarly new and meant to provide an unpleasant surprise for any future combat opponents. In addition, the 1,900-ton Saar 6s are the largest new ships to serve in the Israeli Navy. The Saar 6 is based on the 1,800-ton German Braunschweig class corvettes, which have been in service since 2008 and proven reliable and effective. Germany also builds submarines for Israel, which are modified to the point where they are considered a major upgrade to the German Type 212 and 214 subs German builds for itself and several export customers. Germany would like to form a joint development deal with Israel similar to the ones that Israel has long had with the United States. This has proved difficult to do because, while German shipbuilders see the advantages, European governments still have problems with anti-Semitism and are reluctant to cooperate as closely with Israel as the Americans do in developing new military tech and keeping the tech details secret. That may be changing because of Israel finally forming diplomatic and joint defense arrangements with Arab governments that long maintained this could never happen. These Arab states, like the Americans, recognize that Israel is the most democratic, economically successful, and militarily advanced nation in the Middle East. The Arab states wanted stronger defenses against aggressive neighbors like Iran. Europe sees Iran more as a business opportunity than a military threat.

The 1,900 ton Saar 6 design contains more weapons and new electronics than ever and has undergone upgrades even while under construction. For example, in early 2017 the design was modified to improve anti-missile capabilities. This increased the number of VLS (vertical launch system) cells to include forty Tamir (range 70 kilometers) missiles used by the C-Dome (ship-based Iron Dome) system on these ships. Another 32 VLS cells contain Barak-8 surface-to-air missiles which can handle aircraft and missiles out to 110 kilometers. The 90-meter (288 foot) long Saar 6 is equipped with an AESA radar like the one used for the American Aegis system. Both Barak 8 and C-Dome missiles use the same Israeli designed AESA radar and fire control system.

Currently the Israelis have fifteen Saar type ships in service; four Saar 6, three Saar 5 and eight Saar 4.5. All of the older Saar 4s were retired, sold off, or converted to Saar 4.5. The older Saar 4.5s are a 500-ton ships that are 61.7 meters (203 feet) long and heavily armed with a 76mm gun, eight anti-ship missiles, 32 anti-aircraft missiles, a Phalanx anti-missile 20mm autocannon, a 25mm autocannon, two 20mm autocannon, two 12.7mm machine-guns, a helicopter, and an extensive set of electronics (for a ship of that size). The Saar 5 and Saar 6 were similar in concept but larger. Israel also has five submarines and 45 patrol boats. Israel is getting a sixth submarine and building new 800-ton Reshef-class corvettes to replace the older450-ton Saar 4.5 ships. Israel is also building 1,000-ton Saar S-80 class corvettes. These are ships are designed for long ocean voyages as well as local operations.

Since the early 1970s Israel has built 36 Saar type ships. This began with the Saar 1, 2, and 3 classes of fast missile boats, all under 250 tons. These boats were variants on older German designs. The Saar 4 were a unique Israeli design for a 450-ton warship built in Israel and armed with eight anti-ship missiles, a Phalanx anti-missile 20mm autocannon plus a rather complete set of electronics for a ship of that size. These could stay out for about ten days at a time, had a top speed of 60 kilometers an hour, a crew of 45, and entered service in 1972. In 1980 the Saar 4.5 class vessels arrived as a major upgrade to Saar 4. Five 4.5s were exported but most were used by Israel.

The three Saar 5 class corvettes (also referred to as the Eliat class) were, because of their size, built in the United States. The 1,075-ton vessels are 85.6 meters (281 feet) long and carry an impressive amount of firepower that includes 64 Barak surface-to-air missiles, eight Harpoon (or Gabriel) anti-ship missiles, two triple 12.75-inch torpedo tubes firing Mk 46 torpedoes, two 25mm Sea Vulcans, a 20mm Phalanx CIWS (for destroying incoming missiles), and a helicopter. Top speed is 61 kilometers per hour. There is a crew of 74. These vessels entered service in 1993 and 1994.

The Saar 6 may be the last of the many Saar type ships Israel had developed since the 1970s. Before Saar 6, there were three 1,075-ton Saar 5s and Israel is not sure more of these large ships are what they need. The much larger Saar 6s is something of a specialist ship. They are armed with a 76mm gun, anti-missile/aircraft systems and anti-ship missiles. Saar 6 has a max speed of 46 kilometers an hour and normal endurance of 10-12 days. Crew size is 70 and these ships have a longer range than earlier Saars. That means anywhere in the Mediterranean or to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean or Persian Gulf. Israel recently held joint naval training exercises in the Red Sea with American warships. This took place off the Saudi coast with the approval of the Saudis who want to establish closer military ties with Israel. That process must proceed slowly because for nearly a century the Saudi Kingdom has been a major opponent of an independent Jewish state in the region. Saudi leaders have changed their minds but getting the Saudi population to go along takes longer.

Israel spent $100 million to equip all its Saar type ships with the latest version of the 76mm Oto Melara rapid fire cannon. The Israeli Navy has wanted these guns for a long time and American sailors who used them on the U.S. Perry class frigates spoke highly of them, as did sailors in navies throughout the world. Some 40 other navies have used these innovative naval guns and all have been satisfied. The 76mm Oto Melara has a 4.7-meter (15.5 foot) barrel and is operated remotely. The gun has an 80-round magazine under the gun turret and can fire up to 80 rounds a minute at surface targets. Thats apparently what the Israelis want the 76mm gun for, especially because a primary threat is many (up to dozens) of speedboats armed with missiles and rockets, or packed with explosives for suicide attacks. This is a tactic favored by Iran and its Lebanese franchisee Hezbollah.

The 76mm gun can hit small targets (including cruise missiles) out to 20 kilometers, or twice that using a smaller guided shell. The standard 76mm shell is 12.5 kg (28 pounds), which is capable of accurately hitting and destroying small speedboats. The gun could hit about 60 targets in a few minutes.

The fire control systems on all the Saar ships were upgraded in general and this will include the ability to handle the new 76mm gun. All active Saar type ships have received new Israeli made radars and EW (Electronic Warfare) equipment.

All the Saar type ships mainly exist to guard the Mediterranean Coast, especially the offshore natural gas fields. Israel began pumping natural gas in 2013 from deposits discovered and developed since 2008. Israeli firms have found over $200 billion worth of oil and gas there so far. Israel is using these finds to achieve energy independence. The offshore facilities and pipelines must be defended from terrorists and military threats. Some of the offshore gas wells are within range of rockets fired from Gaza or southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah does as it wants. The unguided rockets are not accurate enough to hit a gas well, unless dozens (or more) were fired at once. To counter that tactic some of the offshore platforms will also be equipped with Iron Dome batteries. Iron Dome and C-Dome have a unique feature in which the radar system computes where the incoming rocket will land. If the rocket will not hit an inhabited (by ships, people or off-shore facilities) area, it will be ignored. Otherwise, an interceptor missile will be fired.
Serbian police today arrested a suspect gunman who killed eight people and injured 14 others near the capital Belgrade last night - a day after a 13-year-old boy went on a killing spree at his school.

The 21-year-old suspect, identified only by his initials U.B., opened fire from a moving car on Thursday night, shooting his victims at random one by one as he drove through three villages, local media report.

An off-duty policeman and his sister were among those killed in the mass shooting near the town of Mladenovac, 26 miles south of Belgrade, reports state broadcaster RTS.

The gunman was arrested near the central town of Kragujevac, 60 miles south of Belgrade, after more than 600 officers launched a huge night-long manhunt.

The mass shooting comes on the heels of the worst school shooting in Serbia's recent history, after Kosta Kecmanovic, 13, shot dead nine people, including eight fellow students, and injured seven at a school in Belgrade before turning himself in on Wednesday.

Forensic police operates in the location in the aftermath of a shooting in Malo Orasje

Forensic police operates in the location in the aftermath of a shooting in Malo Orasje, Serbia, on Friday

An armed policeman is seen in the village of Dubona near the town of Mladenovac, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Serbia's capital Belgrade, on Friday following the mass shooting

In the latest shooting, the suspect was involved in an altercation in a school yard on Thursday and left but then returned with an assault rifle and a handgun, local media report.

The suspect opened fire and continued to shoot his victims at random one by one through three villages near the town of Mladenovac, 30 miles south of Belgrade, late on Thursday.

One man in the village of Dubona said he heard gunshots late last night and came out of his home.

'I could smell gunpowder. I heard noise from the direction of school. We saw people lying on the ground,' said the man, who refused to give his name because he feared for his safety.

'I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds,' recalled Milan Prokic, a resident of Dubona, a village near the town of Mladenovac. Prokic said he first thought villagers were shooting to celebrate a childbirth, as is tradition in Serbia and the Balkans.

'But it wasn't that. Shame, great shame,' Prokic added.

'This is terrible for our state, this is a huge defeat. In two days so many ... killed,' said Ivan, a Dubona resident.

Worried relatives gathered outside the emergency medical centre in Belgrade, where at least eight injured people were hospitalised, N1 television reported.

Around 600 Serbian police, including elite Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie launched a manhunt following the shooting, setting up roadblocks around the villages.

Following the all-night manhunt, officers arrested the suspect in the town of Kragujevac.

Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting a 'terrorist act', RTS reported.

The Balkan nation begins three days of official mourning on Friday following its first mass school shooting on Wednesday.

Kosta Kecmanovic, 13, confessed to opening fire on his screaming classmates inside their classroom in the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School, killing seven girls and a boy - all below the age of 14.

As the sun began to rise early Friday, there was a heavy police presence in the area of the latest shooting and a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight appearing to search for the fugitive gunman

Police block a road in the village of Dubona near the town of Mladenovac, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Serbia's capital Belgrade, on Friday after at least eight people were killed and 13 injured in a drive-by shooting

A helicopter hovers as policemen block the road near the village of Malo Orasje, just outside the town of Mladenovac, about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of Serbia's capital Belgrade, in the early hours of Friday morning

Police operate in the location in the aftermath of a shooting in Malo Orasje

Forensic police operates in the location

A security guard, identified as Dragon Vlahovic, in his early 50s, was also killed in the mass shooting, while a further six pupils and a history teacher were critically wounded in the attack on Wednesday morning.

The baby-faced teenager, who cannot be prosecuted because he is under the age of 14, was arrested by Serbian police in the school's playground on Wednesday and led away with his face covered after he called police confessing to the murders.

Kecmanovic, described as a 'star pupil' who won prizes in maths, was armed with two guns and two petrol bombs and had drawn up plans for the massacre a month beforehand.

The plan included a list of children he wanted to kill and their classes and a map of the school layout, police said.

'The sketch looks like something from a video game or a horror movie, which indicates that he planned in detail, by classes, who to liquidate,' Belgrade's police chief, Veselin Milic, said.

'After the crime, he called the police. He worked out a plan for entering the school and leaving the school. He determined the priority targets,' he added.

Serbia's President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday night that both the boy's parents - both doctors - have been arrested, and that he is to be taken to a psychiatric institution.

The latest mass shooting came a day after Kosta Kecmanovic, 13, allegedly opened fire on his screaming classmates inside the classroom the Belgrade school on Wednesday, killing seven girls and a boy - all below the age of 14

Police officers escort a minor, a seventh grade student who confessed to opening fire on his classmates at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school in Belgrade on Wednesday

Police officers guard the Vladimir Ribnikar school in Belgrade, Serbia, Thursday, following the mass shooting

Two grief-stricken girls comfort each other at a vigil following the school mass shooting after their classmate opened fire on pupils and staff in Belgrade, Serbia, on Thursday

People gather to pay their respects to the victims of a school shooting that left nine people dead, in Belgrade, on Thursday

Terrified students hid under their desks amid 'non-stop shooting' at around 8.40am on Wednesday morning.

At least eight children and a security guard were killed in the gun rampage and there are fears that the death toll could rise even further, with some sustaining life-threatening injuries.

The shooter first killed a guard at the school in central Belgrade and then three students in a hallway, police said.

He then entered a classroom - reportedly choosing it simply because it was close to the entrance - and opened fire again.

Kecmanovic then called police himself and as officers put handcuffs on him, he reportedly told local media he had shot his classmates 'because I am a psychopath'.

Anxious parents rushed to the school after being told of the shooting, waiting for news of their children.

As mothers and fathers were told their children were among those killed, they staggered backwards in utter disbelief that their child who had left their home that morning was not coming back.

Their screams and wails tore through the silence, as many collapsed in grief at hearing the horrific fate of their children.

Two of the six children who were wounded in the attack are now fighting to stay alive after being shot in the neck and head. The injured teacher, Tatjana Stevanovic, in her early 50s, was also 'in danger' after being shot in the stomach and hands.

Mass school shootings are extremely rare in Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic called Wednesday's tragedy 'one of the most difficult days' in recent history.

Serbia has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but also strict gun control laws. Automatic weapons are illegal and over the years authorities have offered several amnesties to those who surrender them.

After the school shooting in Belgrade, the Serbian government introduced a two-year ban on the issuing of new gun permits, a revision of existing permits and checks on how gun owners store their arms.

Still, the country, and the rest of Western Balkans, are awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance that remained in private hands after the wars of the 1990s.
A mother who stabbed, strangled and suffocated her three children before burning their bodies in a house fire will spend at least 25 years behind bars.

Margaret Dale Hawke, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder after killing her 10-year-old daughter and two sons, aged seven and four months, in the family's Port Hedland home on July 19, last year.

Sentencing her on Friday, Justice Michael Lundberg said it was a sad and distressing case and Hawke had failed her fundamental duty as a parent to protect her children.

'It is almost impossible to fathom how you reached a point where you knowingly ... killed your three only children in your own home at such young ages,' he told her at the Supreme Court in Perth.

Margaret Dale Hawke, 36, pleaded guilty to three counts of murder after killing her 10-year-old daughter and two sons, aged seven and four months

'It is impossible for any person to understand what you were thinking at the time and indeed, it appears you aren't entirely clear why you came to engage in such serious and brutal attacks.'

The court heard Hawke strangled her daughter with an electrical cord and stabbed her eight times in her chest and heart.

She also strangled and stabbed her seven-year-old son. He was found with three stab wounds to his chest and wounds on his neck.

Hawke tried to drown her infant son but failed and instead smothered the child before walking to a beach where she disposed of the knife.

After she returned to the family home where her dead children lay, she lit two fires and walked out into the street as it was engulfed by flames.

A witness described her as 'really calm' as she watched it burn.

Another heard her say: 'He's taken everything from me'.

Hawke then screamed and cried, saying: 'My babies, my babies ... You don't have to suffer anymore'.

Members of the public tried to enter the home and save the children but it was too dangerous.

Hawke told police she didn't know of any other way to help her children before admitting to lighting the fire.

'My three babies ... I hurt my babies. I did it to my babies,' she said.

Members of the public tried to enter the home and save the children but it was too dangerous

Firefighters put the blaze out. Hawke's elder son's body was found on a mattress in a room at the front of the property. Her daughter and other son were found in a room at the back.

Hawke was taken to hospital and later admitted she had murdered her children.

'I don't know why I did what I did. Maybe to stop the pain in all of us,' she told police in an interview after the incident, the court previously heard.

An arson investigation found the fire was deliberately lit with two ignition points in the house.

None of the children were found with soot in their respiratory systems indicating they died before the fire was lit.

Hawke was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum non-parole period of 25 years for each of the three murders and two years and eight months' jail for the criminal damage by fire, to be served concurrently.

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King Charles' close friend Jonathan Dimbleby today revealed that the monarch would find the call for millions of citizens to 'pay homage' to him at the Coronation 'abhorrent'.

The broadcaster, 78, who will be in Westminster Abbey to see the monarch crowned tomorrow, said Charles would agree with the unexpected backlash to the decision, declaring: 'That it is so different from the King that I know.'

He said: 'I can think of nothing that he would find more abhorrent. He's never wanted to be revered. He's never wanted anyone to pay homage to him, except in mock terms as a joke. He wants, I think, to feel that people will share in the event. I don't quite know how this might have happened'.

He appeared to blame Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for the so-called 'chorus of millions' to swear allegiance in the historic service. The so-called 'homage of the people' is a new addition to the ancient ceremony, announced by Lambeth Palace a week ago, but the King's friend has called it 'rather ill advised'.

It is not known if Mr Dimbleby has discussed the issue with His Majesty, but given their closeness, his intervention is the most explosive yet in the row. Some have claimed previously that Charles' biographer is 'wheeled out' when 'Charles is in a corner'.

He called the oath 'most bizarre', claiming it was likely to be the result of 'miscommunication', adding it was 'so different from the king that I know to ask for or expect homage'.

'I don't know for certain but it would seem to me that this was an initiative by the archbishop who, as we know, is strongly evangelical, who thought it would be a good thing to give everyone a chance to pay that homage. I think it was well-intentioned and rather ill-advised', he said.

King Charles receives the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby on April 5. King Charles' close friend Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured today) revealed that the monarch would find the call for millions of citizens to 'pay homage' to him at the Coronation 'abhorrent'.

Charles' friend and biographer Jonathan Dimbleby (pictured together in 1994) has often spoken out to defend his friend the King

Dimbleby became a personal friend and biographer of Prince Charles after interviewing him on TV in 1994 when the royal sensationally confessed his affair with Camilla Parker Bowles.

He recently defended Charles over the cash for honours scandal. Last year he also branded Prince Harry as 'not the brightest' and claimed he is 'led by the nose' by wife Meghan Markle.

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Dimbleby, giving an insight into the King's personality, described him as a 'perfectionist'.

He added: 'If there were a Mastermind on the histories of coronations he would definitely have it as his special subject and he would emerge triumphant. He knows his history. He believes therefore it's got to be done really well.'

Charles has been 'closely involved' with the performance of the coronation, Dimbleby said, referring to the King's interest in the theatre and acting.

'There is an element of performative in him. He is a thespian, he loves the theatre, so he wants it all to work really well,' he added.

The King also wanted to be personally involved in choosing clothes to reflect his role as a 'humble petitioner', Dimbleby revealed.

He said: 'He wanted to make sure that his clothes, for instance, made it possible for him initially to be what the role is, almost seeking the approval of the nation to become King, almost a humble petitioner, and then to emerge triumphant of this extraordinary pageant, of which he is the star.'

As King, Charles will focus on diversity and harmony in the country, leading as a 'monarch for our times', Dimbleby said.

'He sees his role, I think - I have talked about it with him - as being doing his best to achieve a sense of overarching harmony in a very diverse and often rather troubled, very troubled, often divided United Kingdom.

'That's what will be his lodestar, his guiding sense of duty.'

Dimbleby added that Charles understands he can no longer share political views as King and in public will 'only speak when he knows that he is expressing a consensus as defined by the government of the day'.

'He will honour the customs and he will be very much a monarch for our times because he is a 21st century person,' he said.

Westminster Abbey ahead of the coronation of King Charles III, where he will be crowned tomorrow

The Archbishop of Canterbury's office this weekend revealed plans to make the ceremony more of a 'People's Coronation' by scrapping the historic rite of aristocrats pledging their oath to the new sovereign.

Only the Prince of Wales will now kneel before the King and pledge to be his 'liege man of life and limb'.

In a trailblazing move Lambeth Palace said citizens of the UK and Commonwealth would be offered the chance to 'make their homage in heart and voice to their undoubted King' instead.

But the move sparked much debate yesterday as members of the public discussed whether they would heed the call. That led to a Lambeth Palace source stressing that it was an 'invitation' for people watching the ceremony on Saturday to take part by vocally offering their 'true allegiance' to the monarch and his heirs, rather than an 'expectation or request'.

Mr Dimbleby has blamed Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby for the so-called 'chorus of millions' to swear allegiance in the historic service

The order of service will read: 'All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.'

A spokesman for Lambeth Palace said: 'The Homage of the People is particularly exciting because that's brand new.

'Our hope is at that point, when the Archbishop invites people to join in, that people wherever they are, if they're watching at home on their own, watching the telly, will say it out loud  this sense of a great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King.'

While it was clear there is no diktat, both Buckingham Palace and Lambeth Palace were clearly taken aback yesterday by the strength of feeling the invitation provoked.

Many felt their well-meant rallying cry played into the hands of Republicans and critics of the ceremony, sparking an outpouring of comment on social media.

Labour MP Clive Lewis told The Guardian that he thought the proposed oath would be 'either unwelcome or ignored by many'.

Republic, the anti-monarchist organisation, said it was 'an offensive and tone-deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt'.

But Transport Secretary Mark Harper told Sky News he would be swearing the oath and said MPs already pledge allegiance to His Majesty.

He said the Coronation would be a 'fantastic opportunity' and a 'great showcase for Britain around the world'.

Labour MP Shabana Mahmood agreed, saying it was a 'lovely idea to involve the people' and that the oath was a 'lovely touch'.

Last night a Lambeth Palace source clarified that the invitation was very much optional and simply an opportunity for people to join in should they so wish.

They said: 'This is very much an invitation rather than an expectation or request, as you can see from the Archbishop's introduction to the homage.

'It's simply an opportunity offered by the Archbishop so that, unlike previous coronations, those who wish to join in with the words being spoken by the Abbey congregation could do so in a very simple way.

'For those who do want to take part, some will want to say all the words of the homage; some might just want to say, 'God Save The King' at the end; others might just want it to be a moment of private reflection.'

They added: 'We live in a wonderfully diverse society with many different perspectives and beliefs, and it's quite right that people decide for themselves how they relate to this moment.

'For those who may wish to join in, we hope it's a moment of joy and celebration  both in the Abbey, and in homes around the country and beyond.'

The Homage of the People is one of a number of significant updates to the ancient ritual to make it more inclusive and up to date.

Key roles will be handed to representatives of other faiths, as well as the Church of England. Female members of the clergy will also be involved for the first time.

Queen Camilla will also become the first consort ever to be anointed with Holy oil in full public view.

While her husband's anointing will take place behind a screen, his wife has dispensed with the canopy previously used by sovereign's wives such as The Queen Mother and Queen Mary.

Sources said it was her personal preference and would also help 'speed up' the ceremony.
A man knifed two women and a man during an hour-long rampage in Brixton just days before he stabbed a female Christian charity worker to death near the O2 venue, a court has heard.

Mohamed Nur is accused of murdering Johanita Dogbey, 31, on Bank Holiday Monday, as well as attacking two women and a man in a one-hour crime spree two day earlier.

The 33-year-old defendant was arrested yesterday and charged today with murder plus two counts of possession of an offensive weapon as well as three counts of GBH with intent.

Ms Dogbey was knifed to death in broad daylight as she walked alone through an alleyway while on the phone to her grandmother.

The three separate attacks two days before on April 29 left two women and a man with slash wounds.

Johanita Dogbey, 31, was killed in South London on Monday while she was on the phone to her grandmother

She was the founder of a charity that helped people suffering with sickle cell disease and a devout Christian who 'wanted to make the world a better place'

Nur is alleged to have been holding two silver bladed weapons, taped together with blue cloth and rubber band wrapped, thought to be an open pair of scissors, on the day of the murder.

The next day, May 2, he is alleged to have had a piece of glass taped up to be a weapon in Brixton Road, not far from the murder scene. The three attacks were said to have been carried out in the space of around an hour in Town Hall Parade, Brixton Road and Acre Lane in Brixton, police said.

At Croydon Magistrates' Court today, Nur appeared in the dock wearing a prison-issue blue jumper and tracksuit trousers. No pleas to the charges were entered and Nur only spoke to confirm his name, age, date of birth and to ask which prison he would be taken to.

District Judge Polly Gledhill told the defendant the allegations are too serious to be heard at a magistrate's court and remanded him in custody.

She said: 'Mr Nur faces an indictable only offence, the nature of the offence he is facing means he is not entitled to bail. Mr Nur your cases can only be dealt with in crown court due to the severity of the allegations. Until that hearing I am remanding you in custody.'

Tom Gregson, representing the defendant, told the judge psychiatric issues will be dealt with in the case.

Nur, of Bond Way, Vauxhall, south London, was remanded in custody until he appears at the Old Bailey next week.

Mohamed Nur, 33, of Bond Way, SW8, was charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon

Ms Dogbey was the founder of a charity that helped people suffering with sickle cell disease and a devout Christian who 'wanted to make the world a better place'. The charity worker had been out to buy a present and was returning home for a birthday celebration.

Fighting back the tears, Ms Dogbey's father Yao previously told MailOnline: 'We have no words at this moment. My daughter was beautiful and kind-hearted. I'm sorry, I can't say anything more.'

Ms Dogbey's younger brother Maurice said: 'We are trying to understand what has happened and are completely broken. As far as we know there was no link between my sister and the attacker.

'This whole thing has left us devastated. It's too much for us.'

A family friend said: 'She was a genuinely good person who loved God and just wanted to make the world a better place. It's tragic that somebody who did so much good was killed like this.'

Ms Dogbey was the founder of the Odette Foundation, a charity which worked with people suffering from sickle cell in Ghana and Togo.

In addition to providing medical support, it also raised much needed funds for those afflicted by the disease.

Met Police were called to Stockwell Park Walk in Brixton around 4.04pm on May 1 to reports of a stabbing

Ms Dogbey had been out to buy a present and was returning home for a birthday celebration

She was a regular visitor to the two West African countries as part of her charity work and also helped organise fund raising events in the UK.

Ms Dogbey helped establish the organisation with her friend Naya Faya, who posted a number of moving social media tributes to her.

In one she writes: 'God is within her she will not fall.'

Away from her charity work, Ms Dogbey, a devout Christian regularly attended a church close to her Brixton home with her parents, with friends describing them as 'God fearing people.'

She originated from Ghana and lived with her family only around 300 yards from where she was attacked, and they rushed to the scene within moments of it taking place.
A gym junkie who tried to kill his ex-girlfriend with an axe as she left work has been jailed for 14 years after being found guilty of attempted murder.

Former Government House security guard, Cameron Turgay Bardak, 32, attacked his former partner, Maria Buci, as she left the office in Brisbane's CBD on July 1, 2020.

Bardak hid behind a pillar in a car park near Ms Buci's vehicle before approaching and threatening to kill her. He then struck her with a hatchet and strangled her.

A good samaritan who was passing by on an electric scooter, David Sturgess, quickly stepped in to stop the attack and managed to wrestle the hatchet off Bardak.

Bardak was on Friday sentenced to 14 years behind bars for attempted murder, and three years in jail for wounding Mr Sturgess, both which will be served concurrently.

Former Government House security guard and gym junkie, Cameron Turgay Bardak (pictured), has been found guilty of attempting to murder his ex-girlfriend with an axe

He attacked his former partner, Maria Buci (pictured), at a Brisbane City car park on July 1 2020, saying he would kill her before striking her with a hatchet and strangling her

Speaking outside of the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday, Ms Buci thanked the good samaritans who stepped in to save her life.

'They are the reason I am alive today,' she said.

A Brisbane Supreme Court jury had been shown iPhone footage of Bardak on top of Ms Buci with his hands around her throat while multiple people tried to separate them.

Ms Buci became emotional upon hearing the jury's guilty verdict on Thursday.

'I do just want to thank everyone who has been by my side and has assisted me these past three years - the police service, the DPP, the witnesses and everyone who saved me that night,' Ms Buci said outside court.

'I am very grateful.'

Bardak had pleaded guilty to an alternate charge of causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Buci, whose hand and finger were struck by the hatchet.

She had a clump of hair pulled out and her throat was also injured during the attack, the court was told.

However, crown prosecutor Chris Cook did not accept his plea, telling the jury that Bardak had formed the idea that 'if I can't have her, nobody will'.

Ms Buci had told the jury that she was choked three times as she tried to flee her ex-boyfriend's hatchet attack.

She said the assault had left her with physical scars and she was 'still messed up mentally'.

Ms Buci said she was walking through the car park and spotted Bardak hiding behind a concrete pillar next to her vehicle.

He told her to 'get in the car'.

'He said ''I'm going to kill you'' and that's when I saw the axe. Then I started screaming and he pushed me against the wall,' she told the jury.

Bardak was only stopped when bystanders heroically stepped in to disarm him of the weapon and drag him off his former partner

Speaking outside of the Brisbane Supreme Court on Thursday, Ms Buci thanked the good samaritans who had stepped in to save her life

Ms Buci said Bardak hit her with the axe, causing her to fall down before striking her again while her hands were covering her head.

He then started choking her.

The trial heard workers from nearby offices rushed into the car park after hearing cries for help.

One witness was struck in the hand by the hatchet but was able to punch Bardak in the head and kidneys in an attempt to stop the attack, to no avail.

Others from neighbouring buildings ran to the scene and helped loosen Bardak's grip, allowing Ms Buci to flee but he chased her down.

Multiple people were then able to free her a second time, the court was told.

Ms Buci on Thursday agreed that the good Samaritans were 'heroic'.

'Absolutely. What they did you don't see it every day and I hope they don't have to see it ever again,' she told media.

After Bardak's sentencing on Friday, Ms Buci revealed she now struggles with nightmares, intimacy and has trust issues with men.

She required a colleague to walk her to and from her office in the wake of the attack and has since packed her bags and moved overseas.

'My life will go on, but it will not be the life I planned for myself as I am not the person I once was,' she told the court, the Courier Mail reported.

'The person I knew died  not physically, but mentally and emotionally.

'I have lost all independence as a human being and as a woman.'

Bardak told the court that he only bought a hatchet to force her into speaking to him again.

The jury reached a verdict after they started deliberating on Wednesday morning.

Bardak must serve 11 years before he's eligible for parole.

He has already spent three years behind bars which will count as time served.
Plans for juryless rape trials are in disarray after lawyers in Scotlands two biggest cities vowed to boycott the scheme.

Lawyers say Scottish Government proposals for a pilot scheme for judge-only trials would breach an accuseds right to a fair trial.

Now the bar associations in Glasgow and Edinburgh have said they will not take part, which could scupper the initiative entirely.

The proposed move was contained in SNP legislation published last week, which also paves the way for the abolition of the not proven verdict.

The Glasgow Bar Association said the result of a recent survey of members was overwhelmingly in favour of boycotting the single-judge pilot court.

Pictured is Edinburgh High Court on the High Street, Edinburgh. There around 530 members in total for Glasgow and Edinburgh Bar Associations

William McIntyre (pictured), a solicitor and crime writer, said: I dont know of any member firm of Falkirk and District Faculty of Solicitors that would be prepared to act in a juryless rape trial'

It said it was now looking at whether a national position and strategy can be agreed.

The Edinburgh Bar Association also voted to boycott the pilot. It added: Trial by jury is a cornerstone of our justice system.

Several other bar associations have said they will be boycotting the scheme or balloting members about participation.

William McIntyre, a solicitor and crime writer, said: I dont know of any member firm of Falkirk and District Faculty of Solicitors that would be prepared to act in a juryless rape trial. I would go as far as to say the same for the Stirling and Alloa Faculties.

There around 530 members in total for Glasgow and Edinburgh Bar Associations.

It is understood that after the pilot, the Scottish Government will give judges a report card and review the trials.

Thomas Ross (pictured), a critic of the plans, says that: 'The judiciary must have guarantees against outside pressures but the pilot scheme proposes the exact opposite'

Success or failure will be measured by the number of convictions, bringing judicial independence into question and meaning those found guilty could appeal on the grounds their trial was not free of influence.

Thomas Ross, KC, a critic of the plans, said: The judiciary must have guarantees against outside pressures but the pilot scheme proposes the exact opposite.

Scottish Tory justice spokesman Jamie Greene said: The SNP Government must fully engage with victims and the legal profession if they want to introduce long-lasting, beneficial judicial reforms.

Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: We have worked closely with the legal sector and will continue to do so during the development and evaluation of the pilot.
B&M is closing another store today, meaning customers have just a few hours to bag bargains there before its doors shut for the final time.

The store on Saddler Street in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, is open today until 5pm and has apologised for the 'inconvenience' caused to customers.

As a result, customers in the area will need to travel two miles to their next closest B&M store in Shildon.

The closure comes as the major retailer announced last month it would be closing stores across the UK in May - despite a 'very good performance' over the Christmas period with revenue increasing by almost an eighth.

But many of the closures come as B&M opens shops in nearby locations instead.

B&M announced last month it would be closing stores across the UK in May

B&M's decision to close stores but open new ones elsewhere, stands in contrast to the strife on the High Street that has seen many chains close doors permanently and without replaceent.

Major bank branches and big-name brands such as M&Co, Marks & Spencer and Clintons have announced recent closures.

Some 76 bank branches are closing for HSBC, Barclays, Lloyds, NatWest, TSB and Halifax spread across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Banks say they are cutting branches because they have noticed big drops in the number of customers visiting, as people opt for using their mobile phones or computers to manage their money instead.

But closures are expected to isolate older or more vulnerable customers who do not have access to internet or online banking and require in-person advice.

Following the pandemic, high street footfall has dropped, leaving British high streets struggling to stay afloat.

Brands have had to manage soaring energy bills, which have exacerbated the financial strain on struggling companies, whilst customers also affected by the cost-of-living crisis attempt to cut back on spending.

In February, fashion giant M&Co announced it would shut all 170 of its shops - putting 1,910 jobs at risk.

A map showing all 76 bank branches closing in the month of May

In February, fashion giant M&Co announced it would shut all 170 of its shops - putting 1,910 jobs at risk

As well as retailers shutting up shops, food and drink chains have taken a hammering too, with Wetherspoons and Frankie & Benny's announcing closures.

With shoppers being hit by ballooning costs, many are now spending less money on non-essential items to drive down their weekly bills.

The increasing popularity of online shopping and deliveries has also seen footfall in British high streets plummet, piling even more pressure on retailers.

B&M shuts stores but opens new ones nearby

A B&M store in Widnes, Cheshire will shut on Wednesday, May 17, moving to a new location in the same town before it reopens on Wednesday, May 24.

B&M released the following statement on their website: 'Your B&M Widnes store is moving from its current location at Bowers Retail Park to its new home at Widnes Trade Park (formerly The Range).'

'We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we bring you a bigger and better B&M store.'

The chain's Burnden Retail Park store in Bolton, Greater Manchester will also close for good on May 24.

However, shoppers will still be able to visit a nearby B&M, with another branch located in close proximity on Manchester Road.

The chain has shut down five of its stores already in 2023, including:
An iconic US store once owned by bankrupt retail giant Bed, Bath & Beyond is said to be preparing to file for its own bankruptcy.

Christmas Tree Shops, a legendary New England retailer which has stores across the US, is said to be in peril as lawyers ready documents amid its reported insolvency.

The store - which last year was forced to rebrand to CTS as some customers assumed they only sold Christmas trees - has 83 locations around the country, according to its website.

For more than five decades, the bargain retailer has sold household furniture, food, toys as well as the eponymous Christmas decorations.

Now, just like its old owner, the New England firm risks closing its doors to customers for good.

Christmas Tree Shops is said to be in peril as lawyers ready documents amid its reported insolvency. One of its 83 stores in Buffalo, New York, is pictured

Bed, Bath & Beyond acquired Christmas Tree Shops in 2003 before selling off 80 stores to private company Handil Holdings. A Bed, Bath & Beyond store in New York is pictured

The Wall Street Journal claimed 'people familiar with the matter' said the store was preparing their filing for bankruptcy, which could be processed as early as this weekend.

The paper also said Christmas Tree Stores had instructed lawyers from the Boston legal firm Murphy & King.

The news comes just a year after the company's CEO announced plans to open 15 new stores in the US following its rebranding to CTS.

But the legal filings might not see the complete closure of the retailer.

'Chapter 11 isn't the end of the road. It is really a way for firms to restructure,' Ken Morris from Cambridge Retail Advisors told CBS. He said there would likely be some stores that would have to close, but the better performing flagship shops may be able to keep their doors open.

Retail experts also stressed to consumers they should use any gift cards they have before further developments in the process.

Husband and wife duo Charles and Doreen Bilezikian started the company on Cape Cod in 1970. It expanded across the north-western states into Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio in the 1980s before opening up in locations around the rest of the country.

Bed, Bath & Beyond then acquired the company in 2003 before selling off 80 stores to private company Handil Holdings.

Husband and wife duo Charles and Doreen Bilezikian started Christmas Tree Stores in 1970. A store in Sagamore, MA, is pictured

This comes after Christmas Tree Shops' previous owners Bed, Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy last month.

The furnishings giant filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection at the end of April after failing to secure funds to stay afloat, announcing all 360 nationwide stores will eventually close, putting 30,000 jobs at risk.

The home goods retailer filed for bankruptcy in a District of New Jersey court, listing both its estimated assets and liabilities in the range of $1 billion and $10 billion, according to the court filing.

Bed, Bath & Beyond stores will stay open for the time being, but a liquidation process has begun which will eventually see all 360 of its stores closing.

The company said it has received a commitment of approximately $240 million in debtor-in-possession financing from Sixth Street Specialty Lending Inc, according to a separate statement.

The store has since moved to 'slash' prices to empty some of its defunct stock.

Following the April filing, Sue Gove, president & CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., said: 'Millions of customers have trusted us through the most important milestones in their lives  from going to college to getting married, settling into a new home to having a baby.

'Our teams have worked with incredible purpose to support and strengthen our beloved banners, Bed Bath & Beyond and BuyBuy BABY.

'We deeply appreciate our associates, customers, partners, and the communities we serve, and we remain steadfastly determined to serve them throughout this process.

'We will continue working diligently to maximize value for the benefit of all stakeholders.'

Bed, Bath & Beyond had previously warned of a potential bankruptcy in early January when it issued a 'going concern' notice that it might not be able to cover its expenses following a difficult holiday season.
The head of the Wagner mercenary group today declared a withdrawal from the embattled city of Bakhmut on May 10 and slammed the Russian defence minister as 'scum' over his failure to provide sufficient ammunition to frontline forces.

But senior Ukrainian officials cast doubt over Yevgeny Prigozhin's announcement, alleging it is likely a ploy designed to distract Ukraine's armed forces from another brutal Russian assault ahead Moscow's Victory Day celebrations on May 9.

Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said Wagner's proposed retreat, which would come one day after the annual events commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, was a lie and claimed Kyiv's troops were instead seeing an influx of more mercenary fighters to the front lines.

'We are now seeing them pulling (fighters) from the entire offensive line where the Wagner fighters were, they are pulling (them) to the Bakhmut direction,' Maliar said in televised comments.

'The Russians are inclined towards symbolism and their key historic myth is May 9 and they really have set the objective of taking control of Bakhmut by this date,' she said.

It comes after Prigozhin  nicknamed Putin's 'chef' for his close links to the dictator  raged against Sergei Shoigu and Russian army chief General Valery Gerasimov in a gruesome video posted on Telegram yesterday.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner private mercenary army, records a video telling Russian army chiefs his troops will leave Bakhmut on May 10

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner private mercenary army, points to piles of dead mercenaries as he rages against the Russian defence minister

The mercenary leader was filmed standing over the corpses of dozens of slain Wagner fighters  all of whom he claimed had been killed in bitter fighting earlier that day in fervent attempts to capture Bakhmut.

In an emotional and foul-mouthed rant, he said: 'These are the Wagner PMC [Private Military Company] fighters who died today  the blood is still fresh... Film them all!'

Addressing Putin-appointees Shoigu and Gerasimov, who are in charge of military operations, he said: 'Now listen to me, you ******* *****. These are someone's ******* fathers and someone's sons.

'And those scum who don't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell. Mother*******.'

Prigozhin then declared he will withdraw all his fighters from the front lines in Bakhmut by May 10 in the face of 'senseless' losses.

'My men will not take unnecessary and unjustifiable losses in Bakhmut without ammunition,' he said in a video addressed to Shoigu and Gerasimov.

'Therefore, as of May 10, 2023, we are withdrawing from the settlement of Bakhmut.

'If, because of your petty envy, you don't want to give victory to Russians in Bakhmut, then that is your problem!'

Meanwhile, Moscow today ordered the evacuation of families with children and of the elderly from Russian-held frontline areas in southern Ukraine because of an increase in shelling from the Ukrainian side.

'In the past few days, the enemy has stepped up shelling of settlements close to the front line,' the Russian-installed head of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, wrote on social media.

'I have therefore made a decision to evacuate first of all children and parents, elderly people, disabled people and hospital patients,' he wrote.

Ukraine has been preparing an offensive against Russian forces for months and some analysts say sabotage attacks and long-distance strikes behind Russian lines in recent days show it is now imminent.

An emotional Prigozhin slammed Shoigu and Gerasimov for Wagner's lack of ammo

General Valery Gerasimov, left, and Russian Minister of Defence Sergei Shoigu

Last year, the mercenary group's ranks swelled as they recruited thousands of criminals from prisons and were furnished with weapons, ammunition and equipment by Russia's then-army chief General 'Armageddon' Sergei Surovikin - a close ally of Prigozhin.

But Surovikin was demoted in January in favour of Russia's army chief Gerasimov, who with the long-suffering defence minister Shoigu is wary of Prigozhin and sees his group's success as damaging to the Russian army's ailing reputation.

Wagner has since been banned from recruiting prisoners - and Prigozhin believes Gerasimov and Shoigu are responsible for stemming the flow of vital ammunition and equipment to Wagner's front line forces.

'We're 70% short of ammunition,' the Wagner chief declared in the grisly video.

'Shoigu [and] Gerasimov: where the **** is the ammunition?

'You're sitting around, you scum, in expensive clubs. Your children are getting off on life, making videos on YouTube.

'You think you're the masters of this life and that you have the right to dispose of their lives. You think that if you've got warehouses full of shells, you're entitled to them.'

Shoigu has insisted adequate ammunition supplies have been delivered to Wagner and other frontline troops. But Prigozhin's outburst appears to confirm suspicions that the Russian defence ministry are seeking to undercut the mercenary group.

Prigozhin pointed to the bodies of his fallen mercenaries as he hit out at the Russian defence minister and army general

The bodies of dead Wagnerites are pictured lying in a field after another failed assault on Ukrainian positions

Vladimir Putin (L) is seen with Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin

Addressing Putin-appointees Shoigu and Gerasimov, who are in charge of military operations, Prigozhin growled: 'Now listen to me, you ******* *****. These are someone's ******* fathers and someone's sons!'

The Wagner boss told the defence minister: 'It's a basic calculation - if you give us the [correct] ammunition, five times fewer will die.

'They came here as volunteers and are dying for you to live in your redwood offices. Keep that in mind.'

In theory both Prigozhin and Shoigu are on the same side amid the conflict in Ukraine, and are among autocrat Putin's most loyal henchmen.

But Prigozhin has declared his own war on Shoigu and his right-hand man Gerasimov.

Putin meanwhile remains silent on the rift that threatens to tear apart his armed forces, and has appeared weak in his failure to address the issue.

Prigozhin's extreme rants against the army's high commander, of which this is the strongest, should lead him to be arrested under Putin's draconian laws preventing criticism of the army.

But Wagner has proven effective on the battlefield - more so than many regular Russian army units - and the mercenary leader seems to have been given carte blanche to operate freely without fear of reprimand.

Wagner  composed of mercenaries, volunteers and convicts  has suffered tens of thousands of losses in the war so far.

Prigozhin blames the scale of the deaths on the army's refusal to release proper supplies of ammunition and weaponry  though many of his units are also poorly trained, owing to their recent recruitment from the Russian penal system.
Congo opposition parties are warning that president Tshisekedi is following in the footsteps of former president Kabila and intends to guarantee his re-election by rigging the December 20 national elections. The key charges are that Tshisekedi has appointed crony judges and stacked the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) with his supporters. They also contend his state of siege in Ituri and North Kivu provinces has become a tool for undermining the election. Eastern Congo provinces tend to be anti-Tshisekedi.

Congolese financial auditors claim they have discovered over 145,000 civil servants on fabricated government payrolls. Another 40,000 people are paid though they do not appear on official staffing lists. All told the ghost workers cost the country over $800 million a year. The auditors say the thefts have been orchestrated by nearly a thousand corrupt payroll officers. Do the math. Approximately 8 percent of Congo's national budget ($10 billion) is stolen by crooked officials.

May 2, 2023: In eastern Congo (Ituri province) ADF (Allied Democratic Forces) Islamic terrorist rebels linked to ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) attacked a village, killing six people. Some ADF fighters are now calling themselves the ISCAP (Islamic State Central Africa Province).

May 1, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) EAC (East African Community) claims its peacekeeping force has occupied seven towns and villages previously held by the M23 rebel group. Residents are now returning to their homes.

April 30, 2023: Ugandan military intelligence arrested three men believed to be members of the ADF. Ugandan intelligence and police believe the three men have been involved in terror attacks and assassinations in Uganda and eastern Congo.

April 28, 2023: The Kenyan commander of the EAC peacekeeping force has resigned. Major General Jeff Nyagah said his attempts to carry out the mission have been obstructed. His safety has also been threatened. He asserted that there is a "systematic plan" to frustrate the peacekeeping effort.

April 26, 2023: In southern Congo (Lualaba province), Gecamines, Congos state mining company, and China's CMOC mining corporation announced they have reached a new royalties agreement that could re-open the Tenke Fungurume Mining cobalt operation.

April 23, 2023: The former prime minister of Burundi, Alain Guillaume, prime minister of Burundi from June 2020 to September 2022, has been arrested. The government says he is suspected of organizing a coup.

April 21, 2023: Eastern Congos Tutsis (known as Banyamulenge Tutsis) claim the government is trying to prevent them from registering to vote in the December election. In a recent interview Rwandan President Paul Kagame (a Rwandan Tutsi) gave his view on the Congo-Rwanda border conflict. The borders that were drawn during colonial times had our countries dividedpart of Rwanda was left outside, in eastern Congo, in southwestern Uganda and so forth. You have populations in these parts of other countries who have a Rwandese background. But they are not Rwandans, they are citizens of those countries that have absorbed those parts of Rwanda in the colonial times. A history lesson. Bad borders fuel current and future conflict. (Austin Bay)

April 20, 2023: The UN has painted two helicopters operating in eastern Congo a bright orange. UN copters assigned to humanitarian missions are typically white. The orange paint is an attempt to distinguish the helicopters and prevent rebel groups from firing on the aircraft.

ADF rebels killed at least 20 people in an attack on a village near the town of Beni (North Kivu province).

April 19, 2023: The UN reported that several days have passed without a major clash in eastern Congo. The EAC peacekeepers deploying there may be one reason. On the ground UN observers report M23 (March 23 Movement) fighters have withdrawn from some positions.

A Ugandan government minister was charged with corruption in a scandal involving metal roofing sheets in a relief program to help Ugandas northeastern Karamoja region.

Uganda confirmed it is in the process of evacuating 275 Ugandan nationals from Sudan.

April 18, 2023: In eastern Congo (Ituri province) CODECO extremists killed several dozen people during attacks on several villages.

April 16, 2023: In the Central African Republic (CAR) the propagandists are fighting over the narrative. Pro-government and pro-Russian sources blame the deaths in a March attack on CAR forces on the CPC (Coalition of Patriots for Change) rebels. The rebels blame the Russian Wagner Group mercenaries operating in the CAR for conducting the attack. Who did it? We dont know. But the UN condemned the attack. (Austin Bay)

April 14, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) M23 has withdrawn from three towns.

April 13, 2023: Malawi revised the death toll figures for Februarys Cyclone Freddy to over 1,000 killed. Originally the government said 500 died. According to the UN and NGO relief groups, Malawi still needs emergency aid.

April 12, 2023: Rwandan President Kagame said his country is exploring the possibility of using modular nuclear plants to produce electricity.

April 7, 2023: A Congolese military tribunal sentenced six men to life in prison for the February 2021 murder of Italys ambassador, Luca Attanasio. Two other men were murdered during the assassination attack.

April 5, 2023: Congos government says that it is aware that many people are apprehensive about the deployment of the EAC peacekeeping force. The government says that the force is deploying with the approval of the Congolese government with the aim of de-escalating tensions in eastern Congo.

March 31, 2023: The Ugandan troop contingent operating as part of an EAC peacekeeping force has deployed in the border town of Bunagana to observe the withdrawal of M23 rebel fighters. The Ugandan initial contingent is a reinforced battalion of 1,000 soldiers.

March 28, 2023: Senior Ugandan and Kenyan military leaders have been meeting in Kenya to discuss closer defense relations and military operations. Uganda and Kenya have established a Joint Defense Committee to coordinate joint defense operations.

March 26, 2023: In eastern Congo (Ituri province), CODECO militiamen have executed 17 hostages they took from a village north of Bunia. A CODECO source claimed the militia took the hostages after a local militia killed three CODECO fighters.

March 24, 2023: In eastern Congo (North Kivu province) Burundian soldiers have officially deployed with the EAC peacekeeping force. A Congo defense official said the Burundians have occupied ten villages. M23 rebels vacated seven of the villages.

March 23, 2023: President Tshisekedi appointed former Congo vice president Jean-Pierre Bemba as minister of defense. Tshisekedi also reassigned over 50 other government jobs. At one time Bemba spent ten years in jail on charges of war crimes.

March 21, 2023: The FCC (Front Commune pour le Congo), an opposition political party, has decided to boycott the national electoral process. The FCC says there is no agreed upon legal framework for the election and security conditions are poor.
Prince Harry may have already landed in the UK for his 24-hour visit for King Charles III's Coronation - leaving his wife and two children at home.

The Duke of Sussex is intending to fly back to California straight after the historic ceremony ends tomorrow afternoon so he can make it back to see Archie on his fourth birthday.

This morning a private jet from Van Nuys airport in California landed at Farnborough, the VIP airport closest to Windsor Castle. Van Nuys is just an hour from Harry and Meghan's Montecito mansion, but it is not yet known if he was on board.

If the duke has used a fuel-guzzling private jet instead of a commercial flight, it will raise yet more questions about Harry's campaigning on climate change, an issue which he claimed at the UN last year had left him feeling 'battered' and 'helpless'.

Tonight Harry is expected to spend a final night at Frogmore Cottage after his father decided to evict him and his American wife just days after the release of his memoir Spare.

The Duke of Sussex will see his father King Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey. But there is speculation he will have no formal role in the service and may even be sat several rows back from his brother William and other working royals.

Royal commentators have considered whether he will even be allowed to fit within the processions to the Abbey. They have also suggested that he could face uniform humiliation as he may not be allowed to wear his military garb.

A private jet that may have carried Harry to the UK is pictured at Farnborough Airport

This morning a private jet from Van Nuys private airport in California landed at the airport closest to Windsor

Harry (right) will be jetting straight back to his LA home after the ceremony to his wife Meghan and their two children

King Charles III leaves Westminster Abbey in London as the heavens opened this afternoon

It is understood the duke will only be in the UK for around 24 hours so he can get home for his son Archies fourth birthday, which is the same day as the Coronation.

The aircraft that landed at Farnborough is a 2019 Gulfstream G550 fixed-wing two-engine business jet with 20 seats on board. A new Gulfstream G550 costs $62million, while preowned models retail from $14million.

It is owned by NantWorks, a California-based parent company of firms in the biotech, healthcare AI and mobility industries.

The founder of NantWorks is Patrick Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and pharma billionaire who owns shares in the LA Lakers with his wife. He is believed to be close to the Bidens.

The founder of NantWorks is Patrick Soon-Shiong, a surgeon and pharma billionaire who owns shares in the LA Lakers with his wife. He is believed to be close to the Bidens.

NantWorks has worked with Global Citizen, with Harry and Meghan attending one of their Vax Live events to promote Covid-19 vaccine efficacy worldwide.

Dr Soon-Shiong has also supported Global Citizen, opening a plant and health facility that aims to produce vaccines by 2025.

Regarding Harrys brief visit, a source told The Sun: Harry will be in and out of the UK in 24 hours. He will only be doing the Coronation service then leaving.

Asked in an interview in January whether he would attend the Coronation if invited, Harry said the door is always open.

It was then reported last month that the duke would be coming to the Coronation alone, leaving Meghan at home with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Buckingham Palace has since said it is pleased to confirm the Duke of Sussex will be at Westminster Abbey on Saturday. There had been uncertainty at the Palace over the Sussexes attendance.

Prince William is expected to be allowed to wear military clothing but his brother may not

It was said to have left royal officials unable to sign off arrangements for seating plans, transport and security, as the dukes confirmation came after the official RSVP date.

Coronation organisers admitted that they were stressed about Harrys plans and said that it was like trying to communicate with Mars.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, royal insiders said they were still seeking confirmation of when he is coming, when he is going back and whether he is happy with his seating position in the Abbey.

Recently, Harry and Meghan's celebrity friend Gayle King declared they are in a 'really good place' and have made the 'best' decision for Meghan to stay in the US while Harry attends the Coronation in London.

Ms King has said it is 'right' that Harry will fly to the UK for May 6, missing Archie's fourth birthday, because he will be supporting his father in Westminster Abbey on the biggest day of his life.

It came as Meghan signed a mega-money deal with a talent agency representing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, LeBron James and Serena Williams that will earn her tens of millions of dollars and heralds the start of her very public comeback.
A 29-year-old man has been charged with the murder of a Bangladeshi student during a break-in at a Darwin property, with the death prompting an outpouring of condolences as it shocked the university and wider communities.

Md Ishaqur Rahman Sifat, 23, who was enrolled in a masters of engineering course at Charles Darwin University, was left in a critical condition after the early morning attack on Wednesday.

Northern Territory Police said a man entered the home at Millner, in Darwin's north, about 4.25am and allegedly assaulted the resident before fleeing the scene.

The accused was detained in a vehicle a short time later while the injured student was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital. Mr Rahman died on Thursday as a result of a traumatic brain injury.

A 23-year-old international student has died after being attacked in a home invasion in Darwin (Google street view pictured)

On Friday the man detained was charged with murder, aggravated burglary and theft.

He was refused police bail to appear in Darwin Local Court on Monday.

Northern Territory Acting Police Commissioner Michael Murphy said the alleged attack was a 'serious, senseless, heartbreaking act of violence' and he offered his heartfelt condolences to the Bangladeshi community, including the student's family who were in Darwin.

'It's just not the Darwin that we know and I can reassure the Northern Territory community that the police are doing everything we can to ensure that these senseless acts of violence cease,' he told Sky News on Friday.

The university said the incident had devastated the community, with students and staff holding rallies in support.

'We open our city and university to international students with the promise of a safe and supportive environment characterised by enduring friendships, meaningful education and training and prosperous careers,' the university said in a statement.

'To know that these opportunities have been senselessly ripped away from one of our students is deeply distressing.'

An international student died at Royal Darwin Hospital (pictured) after an aggravated home burglary

The university's Bangladeshi Student Association said Mr Rahman fought bravely but sadly succumbed to his injuries.

'Our whole community is shaken by this tragic loss,' the association said in a statement.

'Let us come together in love and support for his family and friends during this time of grief.'

NT Chief Minister Natasha Fyles said she extended her deepest condolences to all who knew and loved Mr Rahman

'Our thoughts are with his family, the Bangladeshi community, and all our international students,' she said.

'We are here for you. And we stand with you, unequivocally. This is not the Northern Territory we know and love.'

Police said they would speak with students at the university and were contacting the dead man's family in Bangladesh.

Acting Assistant Commissioner Sachin Sharma said he felt 'quite touched' by the incident as he had also come to Australia as an international student.

'The impact is quite deep. I don't think it will go away for those family members and friends of the deceased,' he said.
A frantic search is underway for a teenage girl who vanished five days ago.

Shyanne-Lee Tatnell, 14, was last seen in Henry Street in Launceston, Tasmania, on Sunday at around 8.30pm.

Her family are desperately worried and the police helicopter was up in the skies aiding the search for the teenager on Friday.

Shyanne-Lee Tatnell, 14, was last seen in Henry Street in Launceston, Tasmania, on Sunday at around 8.30pm

'Please bring our beautiful Shyanne-Lee home to us safely,' the 14-year-old's grandmother Michelle Hubbard wrote on Facebook.

'We are so concerned as to her whereabouts and safety.

'Nanny needs you home my darling girl xo'

Tasmania Police have urged Shyanne-Lee to contact them or her family to let them know she is safe and well.

Shyanne-Lee's family are desperately worried

'There are people who care for her and want to know she is safe,' the police said.

Shyanne-Lee is about 160cm tall and slim. She was last seen wearing a white hoodie.

Anyone with information on Shyanne-Lee can contact police on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania on 1800 333 000 or at crimestopperstas.com.au.
An angry van driver blasted Just Stop Oil activists who disrupted rush hour traffic this morning with a slow march through north London.

The driver shouted: 'You're wasting everyone's f***ing time. How is this saving the environment? There's about one-hundred f***ing people sitting behind me with their engines running!'

Activists in two groups set off from Gloucester Gate and St Pancras Way in Camden around 7.30am.

JSO said around 33 activists were involved in today's protest which is the latest in a series which began on April 24.

The group wants a commitment from government to end licensing and agreeing any new fossil fuel projects in the UK.

However, in a welcome move, JSO has decided to cancel their weekly slow march at Parliament Square tomorrow lunchtime due to the Coronation of King Charles III.

One angry motorist shouted at the eco activists as they disrupted traffic in Camden, north London during this morning's rush hour

Just Stop Oil protestors caused traffic chaos this morning in Camden during their latest slow march along the city's streets

It took police 30 minutes to issue a Section 12 notice ordering the protesters to leave the road and continue on the pavement

Thousands of well-wishers and tourists are expected tomorrow in key locations across the city in what will be the biggest security operation since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

As well as members of the public, a large number of world leaders are expected in London tomorrow to witness the historic event.

JSO supporter Quenton Kelley, 64, from Portsmouth, who was taking part in this morning's action said: 'A wall is being built around our city to keep the sea out. The government is still subsidising oil.

'It makes no sense! The government takes 3.5 million from the fossil fuel lobby. Then they encourage more fossil fuel extraction, ban onshore wind and channel 236 million a week of taxpayers money into the pockets of Shell and BP, who just announced obscene profits.'

The motorist claimed the protesters were causing ecological damage by creating an unnecessary traffic jam involving 100 vehicles

Activists stood out onto the road and held banners and posters up in front of frustrated drivers stuck in traffic jams

More than 30 people attended this morning's marches including this one in Camden

The dock worker added: 'The corruption and criminality is plain as day and this is the price they are putting on our childrens' heads. Now they take away our right to speak out about it and imprison anyone who resists.

'This is fascism plain and simple. I will not be silenced and neither should you. Go to juststopoil.org to sign up to march, as is our democratic right, established in international law.'

JSO claims since their campaign was launched on April 1, 2022, 2,100 people have been arrested with 138 sent to prison.

Yesterday, a former royal protection officer warned they could be shot if they disrupt the Coronation.

On Wednesday, 23 members of the group were arrested during a march from Downing Street to Parliament Square.

A record 11,500 police officers  a large number of them armed  will guard London this weekend in what is set to be the biggest security operation in British history.

This warning comes after the group have caused chaos across London for more than a week, holding slow marches in the middle of the capital's busy roads.

CLICK TO READ MORE: Police warn JSO activists they 'could be shot' if they disrupt the Coronation Just Stop Oil supporters 'peacefully marching' down Queen Victoria Street in the City of London yesterday Advertisement

Former royal protection officer Simon Morgan, now director of operations at security firm Trojan Consultancy, said demonstrators need to be aware that they will be in the middle of an armed policing operation during Charles' Coronation this weekend.

Mr Morgan said: 'It's an armed policing operation because of the threat that the UK faces, the threat that the royal family faces, dignitaries that are attending. So we have to be very careful.

'Somebody that's going to run out in front of the carriage, fiddling with something in their rucksack, who's to say that's not an IED rather than a banner that's just going to be unfolded.

'These demonstrators have to be very careful as to the environment that they're going into, the police are acutely aware of it.'

Last year, the Metropolitan Police admitted it had spent 7.5m over the course of nine weeks during JSO protests which closed the M25 motorway with activists climbing up overhead gantries.

The 7.5 million cost to the Metropolitan Police  revealed in response to a Freedom of Information request  covers the total of nine weeks from October 1 to November 14, and from November 28 and December 14.

It includes the cost of officers and staff planned to be on duty, overtime bills and costs for vehicle use.

The Government is planning to further clamp down on the right to protest by preventing activists from marching slowly along the road to disrupt traffic.

Police will be given the power to stop 'slow walking' by climate protesters under proposals unveiled by the Government.

New legislation would give officers the ability to intervene and stop the tactic, which is widely used by Just Stop Oil.

It is used to block roads in a way that does not involve sitting in the middle of the street to stop traffic, which is illegal.

Last year the group changed its approach and deployed the tactic widely after several activists were arrested for blocking roads.

Members of Just Stop Oil have vowed to continued their protests despite the threat of arrest

The legislation was introduced in Parliament by statutory instrument and complements the Public Order Bill, which will pass into law after being approved by the House of Lords.

The new legislation will support the Bill by clearly setting out what is meant by 'serious disruption to the life of the community'.

The Government says this will give police the clarity they have asked for on when they can use existing powers to break up the 'selfish, guerrilla' slow-marching tactics used to halt traffic across the UK.

The Public Order Bill creates a new criminal offence of interfering with key national infrastructure such as roads, airports and railways, with perpetrators facing 12 months behind bars.

People who lock themselves on to others, objects or buildings will face up to six months in jail or an unlimited fine.

Police will also be allowed to stop and search protesters they believe are setting out to cause 'serious disruption'.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: 'Selfish, disruptive protesters are wreaking havoc in people's everyday lives across the country and this must be brought to a stop.

'This is why we are bringing forward this new law to clearly define serious disruption as requested by police chiefs.

Police arrived at the scene after protesters began their slow march through Camden

'Not only will the Public Order Bill introduce new criminal offences for causing serious disruption, this new legislation permits the police to clear the roads of slow-marching protesters who are hell-bent on causing chaos across the UK.'

Crime and policing minister Chris Philp added: 'The British public do not deserve to have their daily lives disrupted by the self-indulgent, criminal behaviour we have seen in some recent protests.'

BJ Harrington, the National Police Chiefs' Council lead for public order and public safety, said: 'Policing is not anti-protest, but there is a difference between protest and criminal activism, and we are committed to responding quickly and effectively to activists who deliberately disrupt people's lives through dangerous, reckless and criminal acts.

'It is the responsibility of Parliament to make the law and our job to enforce it.

'We have advised and provide professional advice to the Home Office to inform decisions about public order legislation.

'This has been based on ensuring that we can discharge our responsibilities appropriately, while balancing the rights of the public who are going about their daily business lawfully and the rights of those protesting.'
If President Joe Biden's likely pick for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has a manifesto for being only the second black man in the job, it was set out in a powerful video he made at the height of racial unrest following the murder of George Floyd.

'I can't fix centuries of racism in our country, nor can I fix decades of discrimination that may have impacted members of our Air Force,' said Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. in June 2020, as President Donald Trump considered using the Insurrection Act to quell nationwide protests.

'I'm thinking about how I can make improvements personally, professionally and institutionally.

'So that all airmen both today and tomorrow, appreciate the value of diversity and conserve an environment where they can reach their full potential.'

It was an unusually public statement for such a senior officer, particularly one who was days from his Senate confirmation as Air Force chief of staff.

Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr. condemned racism across the country and in the armed force in a powerful video he recorded at the height of tensions after the murder of George Floyd

But he is now expected to be named as the successor to Gen. Mark Milley when his term ends in September.

It would mean that the top two posts at the Pentagon are held by African-Americans for the first time, with Gen. Brown serving alongside Defense Secretary Lloyd J Austin III.

And it comes after Republicans have repeatedly accused the Department of Defense of putting diversity ahead of warfighting.

In his video, Gen. Brown does not flinch from exposing the country's problems even while he is in uniform.

'I'm thinking about how full I am with emotion not just for George Floyd, but the many African Americans that have suffered the same fate as George Floyd, he said.

Floyd was an African American man who was beaten to death by Minneapolis police, triggering protests around the country.

'I'm thinking about protests in my country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, the equality expressed in our Declaration of Independence and the Constitution that I have sworn my adult life to support and defend.

'I'm thinking about a history of racial issues and my own experiences that didnt always sing of liberty and equality.'

General Brown would also be only the second black man to become chairman after Colin Powell, who served in the position under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton between 1989 and 1993.

Brown made the video in June 2020 amid major nationwide unrest following the death of Floyd

Floyd on May 25, 2020, after a police office knelt on his neck for more than nine minutes

President Joe Biden smiles as he recognizes Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brown Jr. at the Commander-in-Chief's trophy to the Air Force Academy, the White House, April 28, 2023

Charles Brown Jr. assumed command of Pacific Air Forces during a ceremony at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 26, 2018

General Brown would still need to have the appointment to the country's most senior military office approved by the Senate. President Biden is expected to make the announcement before July, Politico, which first reported the scoop, said.

If appointed, Brown would have a crucial advisory role at a time when the U.S. is precariously balancing the threat of China's military expansion and Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is a four-year term, serving as the highest ranking military officer in the armed forces.

They do not command any troops, but rather act as the principal military advisor to the President, the National Security Council, the Homeland Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense.

If he assumes the role, he would have vocal input into discussions like the provisions of U.S. arms and machinery to Ukraine amid the war with Russia.

General Brown's expected appointment would see him playing a crucial role in advising on matters of national security, particularly amid Russia's war in Ukraine and China's military expansion.

General Mark Milley's term is set to end in September after being appointed by then-President Trump to the role in October 2019.

President Biden referenced Milley's departure from office earlier this week at a dinner for combatant commanders where he praised the military's efforts to evacuate the embassy and American citizens from Sudan.

'You probably don't think about it, but you're just remarkable, remarkable, remarkable group of people. I mean that sincerely.

'Except for Milley. I'm not so sure,' Biden added jokingly.

'Actually, I don't want to - I've embarrassed him. I said [to Milley] ''You know, I'm going to really miss you.'' He said: ''I'm not going anywhere yet. Don't get sentimental on me, Biden. I'm from Boston''.'

General Charles Q. Brown, Jr. testifies during a Senate Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, May 7, 2020

General Brown would be only the second black man to become chairman after Colin Powell, who served under Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton between 1989 and 1993

While Biden has not yet given the full rubber stamp approval for his pick, it is understood that Brown's experience in Asia has played a significant role in the President's decision. Brown's previous role was based in the Pacific as chief of Pacific Air Forces.

Brown also has vast experience in the Middle East, where he commanded troops as head of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command.

His experience having served in Europe when Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014 is also expected to stand him in good stead amid deliberations over the pick.

He has served in his current role as Air Force chief of staff since August, 2020.

Other than being only the second African American in the role, Brown would also be the first Air Force officer to be chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff since General Richard Myers' term finished in 2005.
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An Australian Miss Universe finalist has tragically died following a horse riding accident that left her on life support for several weeks.

Sydney model Sienna Weir, 23, had been riding at Windsor Polo Grounds on April 2 when her horse fell, leaving the young woman with serious injuries.

She was rushed to Westmead Hospital in a critical condition and sadly passed away on Thursday.

Friends, family and modelling colleagues have since flooded social media with tributes to the budding influencer and alumni of SCEGGs Darlinghurst.

'We loved with a love that was more than love,' her heartbroken partner Tom Bull said.

The devastated friends and family of model and Australian Miss Universe finalist Sienna Weir are mourning the loss of their 'angel' following her shock death

Ms Weir, 23, died on Thursday when it's understood the decision was taken to turn her life support off after falling off a horse in April

Sydney model Sienna Weir, 23, is believed to have died on Thursday morning following an accident earlier this year

Ms Weir's last post to Instagram was a mirror selfie in April, with many leaving their condolences in what would be her last ever post.

A friend wrote: 'Heaven has gained the most beautiful angel today. I'll miss everything about you Siena, I love you.'

The same friend said Ms Weir's smile had 'lit up every room'.

'I'm so lucky to have known you. Thank you for everything,' she said.

Friends and family have flooded social media with tributes to the budding influencer who was a NSW finalist for Australian Miss Universe in 2022

Ms Weir was a keen horsewoman who had been riding and competing since she was only three

Ms Weir's modelling agency, Scoop Management, shared several photos of the 23-year-old, writing: 'Forever in our hearts'.

Photographer Chris Dwyer posted his own tribute to the budding model.

'You were one of the kindest souls in the world, you lit up the room and the world is a lot darker now that you are gone.

'Hope wherever you are, you're being the gremlin we all know and love.

'Miss you so much already.'

Ms Weir was one of 27 finalists of Australian Miss Universe in 2022, and was interviewed by Gold Coast Magazine about the experience last September.

Ms Weir said she had recently graduated with a double degree in English literature and psychology at Sydney University and was working as an editor for a social worker in 2022

She graduated with a double degree in English literature and psychology from Sydney University.

Ms Weir was planning to move to London in the coming years to spend time with her family as well as expand her professional and social networks.

When asked what set her apart from the other Miss Universe contestants, she pointed to her wide range of interests.

Ms Weir revealed she had been riding horses since she was just three-years-old.

'My family aren't quite sure where this passion came from, but I've been horse-riding since I was 3 years old and can't imagine my life without it,' she said.

'I travel to rural Sydney 2-3 times a week to train and compete around New South Wales or broader Australia every other weekend.'

The model said she was also passionate about English literature, namely poetry, and said it was an incredible way to connect with others.

'I love to represent myself in the best way possible through writing my own poetry, but I also find it fascinating to find a commonality of experience with people from completely different walks of life,' she said.
An American tourist was arrested in Israel upon boarding a flight back to the US, after announcing to an air hostess that another passenger had planted a bomb in his bag.

The man, 43 - who only planned to be in Israel for a day and flew in from New York on Thursday morning - was removed by the air hostess and sent back to border control in Ben-Gurion airport after boarding the plane back to the States on Thursday night.

He informed them that he didn't want to be on the aircraft, as a passenger in 'blue clothes' planted 'a bomb in his personal backpack,' The Jerusalem Post reported.

He had arrived in Jerusalem that morning with no issues or suspicions. The man claimed to be in Israel for a 'diving trip'.

An American tourist was arrested in Israel after boarding a flight back to the US, after announcing to an air hostess that another passenger planted a bomb in his bag (file picture)

After border control officers conducted an investigation, no bomb was found in his hand luggage, but instead they found 'photocopied pages' which discussed the 'burning of Jerusalem' from a book called Kings of the Desert.

The tourist is due to be flown back to the US within the next 24 hours.

'Not a routine night, but in situations like these, the officers don't hesitate,' said the Israeli Airports Authority to N12. 'They immediately involve the security forces.'

Another bizarre case involving explosive devices was recorded last April in Ben-Gurion airport, when an American family set off a bomb scare after showing security officers an unexploded bomb shell they found from their visit to Golan Heights, which they had packed in their suitcase.

Video at the time which circulated on social media showed panicked passengers scrambling at the departure hall.

The Israel Airports Authority had announced a man was hospitalized with injuries sustained as he tried to flee over a baggage carousel.

The 32-year-old injured passenger named Uri later spoke to Yedioth Ahronoth about the incident after suffering a rib fracture and pulmonary hemorrhage.

He said: 'My whole body hurts. I do not understand what happened there, there should be protocols for such things instead of creating chaos. I am currently thanking God that the damage is not serious.

'There was a lot of shouting, but I did not know what was there. I just felt I had to run away for my life.'

The Israel Airports Authority said the family was allowed to board their flight after an interrogation by security staff, who gave them the all clear.
BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake has reported to police how he was racially abused in a pub, MailOnline has learned.

The star visited Stretford police station in Manchester yesterday to tell officers how an unidentified drinker called him the P-word and N-word.

The veteran broadcaster, who is being supported by Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, said he was out to ensure no other person of colour was forced to endure the vile race hate of the man who insulted him outside a pub last week.

The BBC Radio Five afternoon talk show host was allegedly racially abused outside a pub in Altrincham on Friday evening.

The Radio 5 Live host, 51, was waiting for his wife outside the unnamed pub in Greater Manchester, following an evening out together watching a friend's band.

BBC presenter Nihal Arthanayake, 51, has reported to police how he was racially abused in a pub

On his Twitter video he said: 'I don't really know what just happened. I was in a place called Altrincham, which is a bit of a hole.

'I was outside this pub, which I'd been in with my wife, dancing around, jumping around etcetera. It was fun. Covers band, they were very good.

'I saw this man sitting outside, I was waiting for my wife to come out, so I said "Can I come and sit with you, can we talk?" and he was like "Yeah, yeah absolutely." Little, kind of drunk man.

'We got talking and he said "oh are you a doctor?" So I started laughing because it's a question as an Asian you might get asked. And I went "Well why would you ask that?"

'And he said "Well, because you're a p***". And then he went "oh I guess I can't say p***" then he said the n-word! Then he kind of looked at me and was like "oh sorry, you're offended aren't you?" And I said "well why did you say that word?" He said "I'm sorry I'm a massive..." and used the c-word.

'I said "You're not a massive c-word, you're just an average one. Dictators are massive c-words, you're just an average one." It was so weird.

'But you know when you come to some of these areas, I think there's just some people who still think they can say that word.'

Nihal later told MailOnline he would not back off against his bid to get the racist arrested - but has subsequently been further shocked by an outpouring of fresh racist abuse from strangers online since he posted about the pub incident.

The Radio 5 Live host was waiting for his wife Esha (pictured together) outside the unnamed pub in Greater Manchester when he said he was racially abused

He said: 'A small group of racists have begun to gaslight me online and said it never happened, with some amateur human behaviourists claiming that my body language in the video proved that I was lying.

'They then started to accuse me of being an anti-white racist. From there it escalated to being told I don't belong in the UK and I am an invader and part of a great conspiracy to replace white people with "invaders" from "s***holes".

'Then came the anti-Semitism which accused Jewish people of masterminding this influx of immigrants to supplant the "indigenous Brits", myself being one of them.'

The veteran broadcaster, who was recently a guest panellist on TV's Michael McIntyre's The Chase and has his own afternoon BBC talk show from Salford's Media City, said he tried to engage with the angry brigade.

But after keyboard hate from a Twitter usre with the name Tech One Two, Nihal replied: 'Your mum would be very upset that you have turned out this way. She has also said she will switch off the wi-fi if you carry on being a nasty little man on social media.'

The abuser responded: 'Ever talk about my mother again and I will come to Media City and you can say that to my face.' He then made anti-Jewish remarks.

Another attacker called Angie Bexley wrote: 'I absolutely accept people for who they are. I wish them well in their own countries, not ours.'

Some of the abusive accounts have been deleted, but Nihal revealed the sickening insults have not only been delivered by fellow Britons, but from abroad too.

'Bigots from mainland Europe and the US have joined in talking about black on white violence, racial purity, and a strange obsession with men with beards wearing chainmail.

'It is difficult to tell the difference between bots and real humans and it has been a strange few days.

'But even with the abuse I still believe profoundly that this ragtag bunch of sad, lonely and disgruntled racists are an eccentric minority who have been encouraged by anti-immigrant sentiment and Twitter, which seems to have allowed some of these people back onto the platform.'

He said he had been encouraged by Greater Manchester Police who are hunting the pub racist and would discuss the Twitter abuse with cops.

Nihal added that he had received 'a huge amount of love and support from friends, colleagues and lots of people across social media'.
A senior SNP MP has demanded that the party use every election in Scotland as a de-facto vote on independence, saying the referendum route to splitting the United Kingdom is 'dead'.

Pete Wishart was branded 'desperate' by unionists after using a newspaper column to attack the stance of new leader Humza Yousaf.

He said that the plan mooted by the First Minister's predecessor Nicola Sturgeon had been 'quietly parked'.

Writing in the independence-backing National newspaper he said that every election in Scotland where the SNP won more than 50 per cent should be treated as a vote for the country to leave the UK.

But even if re-adopted the idea could backfire on the party. Amid a police probe into its finances and the change of leadership the SNP is losing support ahead of the next vote, a general election expected late next year.

Pamela Nash, chief executive of Scotland In Union, said: 'The party is now divided from top to bottom and becoming increasingly desperate in how it wants to achieve the only thing it really cares about.

'The idea that elections can be used as referendums has been roundly trashed by experts and the wider public. Instead of trying to find new routes to constitutional chaos, the SNP should be finding a route to governing responsibly.'

Pete Wishart said a plan mooted by Nicola Sturgeon to use elections as proxy independence votes had been 'quietly parked'

He was branded 'desperate' by unionists after using a newspaper column to attack the leadership of new First Minister Humza Yousaf (pictured)

It came as Ms Sturgeon committed to staying in the Scottish Parliament until the next election.

Mr Wishart, 61, a former musician, has been MP for Perth and North Perthshire since 2001, and is chairman of the Scottish Affairs Committee at Westminster.

He spoke out after successive UK prime ministers refused SNP demands for a second vote on independence. The 'once-in-a-generation' vote in 2014 saw Scots back remaining in the UK by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

Writing in The National, he said: 'The referendum route to independence is now dead. The UK Government have repeatedly said that they will not grant the necessary order or powers for an agreed process to take place. If anything they have become even more assertive in that view.'

He went on: 'What I believe should now happen is that we contest every election with the first line of each successive manifesto stating that ''if the Scottish National Party secures 50 per cent plus of the vote this will mean Scotland will become an independent nation''.

'Every election will therefore become a verdict on independence and every vote secured for the SNP a vote to ensure our nation becomes sovereign.'

It came as Ms Sturgeon committed to staying in the Scottish Parliament until the next election.

Speaking on the Nicola Sturgeon Podcast, she said resigning as first minister was the 'biggest life change' she had gone through, leaving her having to 'almost rewire how my brain works'.

Ms Sturgeon, 52, said on the sixth episode of the series that she had 'not been pursuing other opportunities' when co-host Glenn Campbell put to her rumours about her getting a job somewhere like the United Nations.

'You know as well as I do, if I had been away touting myself for other jobs, you would know about it because these things would never be secret, and I haven't. I have been focused on this job, I don't know what I want to do next,' she told the podcast.

It follows weeks of turmoil for the SNP after police arrested Ms Sturgeon's husband Peter Murrell, raided the home she shared with him and her party's headquarters, seized a campervan, and then later arrested the then party treasurer Colin Beattie as part of an investigation into how more than 600,000 in donations to the party earmarked for an independence referendum had been used.

Both Mr Murrell and Mr Beattie were released without charge.

Ms Sturgeon, who joined the SNP at 16, was among the first MSPs elected to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, and became first minister in November 2014 after her predecessor Alex Salmond stood down in the aftermath of the independence referendum that year.

She told the BBC that she would remain in the Scottish parliament, but had not yet decided if she would fight to remain in Holyrood at the next election.

'And who knows what the future holds? I've said before I would probably choose to write down the last 30 years, whether anybody will ever want to read it is another matter but I would probably choose to do it for therapy,' she said.

Ms Sturgeon announced her resignation at Bute House in February.

And she told the podcast that since then it had 'become much more obvious' to her that there was 'a process of decompression' that she had to go through.

'This is the biggest life change I've ever gone through,' the former first minister said.

'I don't think it will always be easy, I think I'm going to go through a period of adjustment and having to adapt to a different way of life that at times, I guess, I will find difficult.

'I am going to have to, I was thinking about this just the other day, almost rewire how my brain works.

'And none of that is going to happen overnight. And I think I'm just going to have to take it as it comes for a while and see how it all goes.'
An inmate who killed a murderer in prison said the attack may have been 'payback' for him allegedly taking the life of his teenage girlfriend.

Zlatko Sikorsky, 37, was punched in the head at the Wolston Correctional Centre, southwest of Brisbane on November 10, 2020, and died 10 days later in hospital.

He'd been charged with murdering 16-year-old Larissa Beilby in 2018, after her body was found in a barrel in the back of a ute in Stapylton, on Queensland's Gold Coast.

Sikorsky was due to stand trial at the end of 2019 facing charges of murder, interfering with a corpse, deprivation of liberty and torture.

Fellow inmate Isaac James Martin, 29 - who lived in the cell next door to Sikorsky - on Friday pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful striking causing death in Brisbane Supreme Court.

Zlatko Sikorsky, 37, was punched in the head at the Wolston Correctional Centre, southwest of Brisbane on November 10, 2020, and died 10 days later in hospital

When a prison guard asked Martin if he was upset about Sikorsky's death he said: 'Maybe God let it happen for a reason? Maybe payback or karma for what he did to that young kid?'

'I don't give a f**k, I don't really care,' he said, the Courier Mail reported.

The court heard Martin had a severe personality disorder, as well as narcissistic and psychopathic traits due to a difficult childhood where he was neglected by his mother.

At the time of the attack, Sikorsky and Martin had been chatting outside of their cells and were believed to be friends.

Crown prosecutor Philip McCarthy said there didn't appear to be any tension between the pair before Martin suddenly launched his fist to the left side of Sikorsky's face.

Sikorsky was charged with murdering his 16-year-old girlfriend Larissa Beilby (pictured) in 2018

Sikorsky then collapsed and smacked his head on the ground before spending the next ten days in hospital where he eventually succumbed to his injuries.

Martin had told inmates Sikorsky was his 'best friend' and that 'he didn't mean to hurt him', but said he'd been hearing things.

Among his reasons for punching his fellow inmate, Martin said he believed Sikorsky and others were planning to attack him.

Martin was serving two cumulative sentences when he killed Sikorsky, and had a criminal history stretching back a decade.

He was on Friday sentenced to 11 years jail. He'd been eligible for parole in July this year after serving time for assault.

Martin must now serve 80 per cent of his new sentence before being eligible for parole.
MBABANE  The family of the late Simhle Fakudze, who was a member of political party Swazis First Democratic Front (SFDF), want the REPS to take charge of her funeral.

Fakudze, who was a police recruit at the time of her death, will be buried tomorrow morning at KaBhejisa in Hlatikhulu, after a vigil today. She died in an accident that happened along Mkhondvo Road last Saturday, while on board a vehicle she had hitched a ride in. Two other people she was travelling with also lost their lives, while one is recovering at a local hospital. Fakudzes mother, Lindiwe, stated that they had requested SFDF members to step aside and allow the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) to take over the funeral.

Confirmed

She confirmed that she communicated the message to the SFDF members, who arrived at her homestead on Wednesday, to mourn the passing of her daughter. A relative also alleged that members of the party were ordered not to attend the funeral. He alleged Lindiwe was made to choose between REPS and the party and she chose the former.

SFDF President Busi Mayisela, stated that it was true that they faced challenges when they went to grieve at the Fakudze homestead.

Mayisela said they were told that they were not welcome, as police had allegedly made it clear that if they were allowed, such would be a recipe for confusion. The president stated that they were given an alternative; to not wear their party regalia if they insisted on attending the funeral. Mayisela said there was a possibility that Fakudzes mother was not aware of the deceaseds affiliation. Such, she said was bound to happen among families. It is an individual choice to take into conscience the rights of emaSwati and their suffering. She said Simhle chose to fight for the rights of emaSwati by joining their organisation.

Mayisela further stated that they were mobilising their comrades and all the mass democratic movement (MDM) society to attend the funeral. She said there was no liSwati who was barred from joining their organisation even when occupying a Cabinet post or was a police officer, soldier, civil servant or a teacher. According to Mayisela, the issue of democracy was not for a chosen few but all emaSwati.

Supporting

She stated that there were a lot of people who were supporting them and calling them already, adding that there was some form of discrimination at work when employers discovered ones political affiliation. Mayisela said they were hoping that all emaSwati would turn up and comrade Simhle be buried in a dignified manner. Meanwhile, the death of Simhle raised eyebrows regarding the vetting process of the police service. It is known that people who are affiliated to political parties are not recruited to the countrys security forces and this was said in various quarters.



At the time when REPS started the recruitment exercise for aspiring officers, the aspirants were told that there would be a vetting exercise to ensure that only those who qualified and met the criterion of the police service would be recruited. However, it would seem that one person, at least for now, managed to slip through the vetting process.
A soldier who was accused of smacking a female colleague on the bottom as she bent over to adjust her uniform

Private Jonathan Rowell had allegedly left the soldier 'shocked' and 'uncomfortable' by smacking her as she readjusted her boots and trousers after a break at work.

However, Pte Rowell told a court martial the incident simply never happened.

After a three day trial at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, a judge directed the board to return a not guilty verdict and that the soldier be cleared.

During the case, prosecutor Lieutenant Commander Jamie Brotherton had told the court, the woman - who cannot be named for legal reasons - was walking from a smoking area when the alleged assault occurred.

The solider, Private Jonathan Rowell, had been accused of smacking the bottom of a female comrade as she bent to adjust her uniform

Rowell was cleared of a single count of sexual assault at Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire on Friday

'The complainant was outside bending down to adjust her twisties when, without consent, the defendant came up behind her and grabbed her bottom hard, causing her pain and distress,' he said.

'It was uninvited, unwanted and not consented to.

'She clearly wasn't asking for it. The defendant denied it ever happened.'

Giving evidence, the woman told the court her break, which she had taken in a smoking area, had ended so she was returning to her workplace in a group containing Pte Rowell.

She said: 'We walked up a path and Pte Rowell was behind me in a group.

'I wore twisties on the bottom of my trousers - they go around the bottom of your boots to touch the bottom of your trousers to make them look neater.

Pte Rowell, of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Berks, denied the single charge of sexual assault and was cleared by Judge Advocate Robert Hill (file image)

'I bent down to readjust them because I was going back to work, when Pte Rowell came up behind me and slapped me on the bum - it knocked me forwards.

'I shot up and obviously I was shocked. It hurt.'

She claimed that when she admonished him, Pte Rowell replied: 'Don't act like you weren't asking for it.'

'It made me feel really uncomfortable,' the woman added.

Pte Rowell, of Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, Berks, denied the single charge of sexual assault and was cleared by Judge Advocate Robert Hill after a submission from the defence legal team.
Police officers are threatening to sue their force after bosses introduce new guidelines which could force them to shave off beards and moustaches.

Police Scotland is planning to introduce a new clean-shaven policy for frontline officers meaning hundreds of staff will have to lose their facial hair by the end of the month.

The force said it was necessary so officers and staff could wear protective FFP3 masks which require users to be clean-shaven.

Four are understood to be taking legal action in relation to the policy.

And Scottish Police Federation (SPF) general secretary David Kennedy said it has been 'inundated with complaints' after the policy caused 'considerable angst' among officers.

Peter Swinger - who became viral on social media as the Hipster cop in 2015 - dons a well-groomed tache and beard

Scottish Police Federation (SPF) general secretary David Kennedy (pictured) said the policy has caused 'considerable angst' among officers

'The Health and Safety Executive guidance is that an RPE policy should only be utilised as a last resort and there have been relevant questions raised as to why this policy is now being proposed.

'There are serious concerns in relation to the proposed implementation of the policy and its proportionality to risk,' he told BBC Radio Scotland's Good Morning Scotland this morning.

The rules, which also cover civilian staff in frontline roles, have been approved by the chief constable and is due to be introduced on May 29.

During the Covid pandemic police officers were fitted with specialist masks designed to protect them from the virus.

A message posted on Police Scotland's internal website from Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said lessons learned from the pandemic identified that FFP3 masks offered the most appropriate and effective respiratory protection to officers and staff.

He said that while the risk from coronavirus had lowered, wider risks remained to officers and staff attending calls such as fires, road accidents and chemical incidents which required PPE (personal protective equipment) to be worn.

Police Scotland's new respiratory protective equipment (RPE) policy will mean that where it can be 'reasonably foreseen' that any officer or member of staff will use an FFP3 mask they should be clean-shaven.

This includes all local policing frontline officers, roads policing, firearms and public order officers.

Police Scotland said the clean-shaven rule was necessary to ensure officers can wear protective masks

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said lessons learned from the pandemic identified that FFP3 masks (pictured) offered the most appropriate and effective respiratory protection

ACC Speirs said in the message: 'The safety of our people remains a priority and it is clear that a single overarching policy on the use of protective masks is required.'

There will be exemptions for religious, cultural, disability or medical reasons. In these circumstances, the force is seeking to introduce an alternative type of respiratory protection.

Police Scotland has about 17,000 officers and 6,000 staff.

It is the UK's second biggest force behind the Metropolitan police.

The Metropolitan Police allows beards and moustaches as long as they are not unkempt

The Met's policy says 'beards and moustaches are allowed, but they mustn't look unkempt. Keep them trimmed and smart'.

Mr Kennedy said the SPF, which represents rank-and-file officers, was supporting several members who had lodged employment tribunal cases and it had sought legal opinion relating to health and safety, discrimination and human rights.

A Police Scotland spokeswoman said the safety of officers and staff was a priority and the policy was being implemented to protect those on the frontline.

She said: 'We are consulting with staff associations and our diversity associations as we gather views from officers and staff ahead of implementing this vital policy to keep our people safe.'

Later on Friday, the force said it would carry out a full consultation on the policy.

Mr Speirs added: 'We understand the frustrations among those affected on the frontline, but the use of RPE is absolutely necessary to protect officers and staff from serious health risks.

'We are listening to a wide range of views on this matter and will undertake full consultation with all relevant staff associations ahead of implementation.

'A full human rights impact assessment is also being carried out as part of this process.'
Chilling photos show three would-be assassins board a Maryland school bus to try to shoot a 14-year-old boy dead in what appears to have been a targeted attack.

The unidentified youngsters burst onto the bus in Prince Georges County, Maryland, on Monday afternoon when their intended victim was the last student on board.

They tried shooting the middle-schooler - who has not been named - in the chest at point-blank range with the boy's life only saved after the gun malfunctioned.

After failing to shoot the boy, his assailants instead assaulted him and 'pistol whipped' him with the handgun, according to Fox5.

The bus's security camera is said to have recorded the entire incident, although only still images of the incident have been released.

An armed boy is pictured boarding a bus in Prince's County, Maryland on Monday, before trying to shoot a 14-year-old who was riding the bus dead

After an attempt to shoot the boy in the head at point blank range failed, the trio of would-be assassins instead assaulted him

Cops investigating the case say they found three live rounds on the floor of the bus afterwards.

Martin Diggs, head of the local bus drivers' union, told ABC7: 'This was an attempted murder, plain and simple. Call it what it is.

'They pulled the trigger three times, but for some reason, by the grace of God, the gun didnt go off and bullets flew out of the gun.'

The victim's mother shared her relief that the shooting was thwarted, revealing that her son was pistol whipped by his attacker when the gun's firing mechanism jammed.

'They tried to kill my son three times and they failed,' she told Fox5.

'And you know what I would say to them? You are cowards. You're gonna forever be a coward. You're not gonna have any good luck. And you will get caught.'

Prince George's County Public Schools said it was 'horrified by this incident and grateful that no lives were lost'

No further details of the victim's injuries or why he might have been targeted have been shared.

Investigations into the incident are ongoing, with all three suspects believed to be juveniles.

Prince George's County Public Schools say they are working with law enforcement, and in a statement the body said: 'We are horrified by this incident and grateful that no lives were lost.

'Our highest priority is keeping students, staff and families safe inside Prince Georges County Public Schools (PGCPS) classrooms, on school grounds and school buses.'
The Walgreens security guard who shot an unarmed trans shoplifter dead has spoken out for the first time since the incident.

Michael Earl-Wayne Anthony, 33, was working at the drugstore as a security guard when he shot unarmed Banko Brown, 24, last week. A murder charge against him was dropped after the city's DA ruled the killing was self-defense, because Anthony feared being stabbed.

Speaking to The San Francisco Standard, Anthony said: '[I'm] still dealing with it, still don't understand and don't have the time to reflect.

'It's not like I go through this many times. This is a very life-changing matter.'

Anthony pointed to the pressure that security guards are under during these types of confrontations, saying: 'This is important for more people to be more aware of,' he said. It was happening too frequently.

'It's a lot to deal with. It's a lot of pressure. A person can only take so much. When you are limited to certain options, something will happen.'

'Who has my back? Nobody. You are left with no support. It's a frightening feeling with a lot of people around you.'

Pictured: Banko Brown who was shot last week during an altercation at a Walgreens store.

Brown was found with gunshot wounds and taken to a nearby hospital where he later died following the incident.

Anthony was originally booked on suspicion of murder the next day, but then released without charge after the District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Anthony was in 'mortal danger' and 'acted in self-defense'.

The decision to drop the charges against Anthony has angered protestors and at a meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, activists held up signs reading 'Justice for Banko Brown'.

One protestor, who identified herself as Lia McGeever, erupted into a scream over the death of Brown.

She said: 'I hate a lot of people on this board for the reasons that led up to Banko Brown's death.

The woman, known only as Lia McGeever, screamed down the microphone during the board meeting

'There's a lot of performative people on this board who will say one thing and support black people, homeless people, trans people, and then immediately stab you in the face  being racist, transphobic, anti-homeless.

'I don't have any words prepared today. I just want you to feel our pain.

'So, I am going to spend the next minute screaming cause that is what is going on in here.

'That is what the trans genocide in this country, in this city, has brought me to.'

Earlier this week, a group of community activists gathered outside the Walgreens in downtown San Francisco for a vigil to honor Brown's memory.

Attendees light candles in honor of Brown during a vigil

Floral tributes and candles where left in memory of Banko

Pictured: Protestors at the vigil on Monday

Floral tributes and candles where left in memory of Brown, with the Young Women's Freedom Center in the city organizing it.

In a social media post, they said: 'Our community stands strong together in the face of tragedy.

'In times like these, we show up for each other and we fight for our folks, especially for our siblings that are taken from us way too soon.

'Thank you to every voice that has spoken, every foot that has marched, and every fist raised in solidarity.'

It comes after a number of major chains announced they would be closing their stores in San Francisco due to soaring crime figures.

Retailers including Nordstrom, Whole Foods, Office Depot and Anthropologie have all announced they would be closing stores in the city.

Nordstrom chief stores officer Jamie Nordstrom blamed the state of San Francisco in recent years for reducing foot traffic 'and our ability to operate successfully.'

Remaining stores like Target have been reduced to locking up their entire stock behind glass to deter shoplifters.
Guests at the Coronation service will be unable to have a 'royal wee' for at least three hours due to the lack of toilet facilities at Westminster Abbey, MailOnline has learned.

The congregation will begin arriving at Westminster Abbey from 7.15am and have been told they must be seated by 9am.

Toilet facilities in the Abbey are 'very limited' according to advice issued to guests, and all will be closed for the duration of the service itself - from 10am until 1am.

Even at that point, after Charles and the other dignitaries have left the Abbey, 'guests are required to stay in their seats until directed by ushers', warns the strict advice leaflet.

A royal source told MailOnline: 'It sounds slightly comical in the vein of ''very British problems'' but it will definitely be an issue of concern for some guests.'

Guests at the Coronation service will be unable to have a 'royal wee' for at least three hours due to the lack of toilet facilities at Westminster Abbey, MailOnline has learned

Toilet facilities in the Abbey are 'very limited' according to advice, and will be closed to all guests including the likes of First Lady Jill Biden for the duration of the service itself

One guest in their 80s, who asked not to be named, told us: 'People, especially those of us of a certain age, are genuinely worried about how long they'll have to hold it in. With 2,000 people in the Abbey, your chances of getting to the loo before 10am are pretty slim, so you could be having to wait for several hours.'

Desperate times call for desperate measures so there has even been talk of some taking extreme action to avoid embarrassment on this most public of events.

'We've been looking into whether some might consider wearing adult nappies or incontinence pads, just in case,' added the guest. 'Apparently people who attended the last Coronation in 1953 were advised not to drink anything from midnight the night before, but that raises a different question of being dehydrated.'

As well as inhibited access to facilities - there are also concerns among some about access to refreshments during the long morning.

Lady Glenconner, 90, who was one of the Queen's Maids of Honour in 1953 recently told the Mail about how she nearly fainted at a vital point, having had no food that morning.

She recalled: 'There was just one moment I look back on that could have been disastrous: it happened when I thought I was going to faint.

'I'd eaten nothing that day; my dress was constricting, the atmosphere in the Abbey made fuggy by so many perspiring bodies.

'There was also a frightful stink of mothballs because the peers had kept their robes in boxes during the war and they hadn't been aired.

Even after Charles and the other dignitaries have left the Abbey, 'guests are required to stay in their seats until directed by ushers', warns the strict advice leaflet

As well as inhibited access to facilities - there are also concerns among some about access to refreshments during the long morning

'When I look back at the film footage, I am positively green. Just as the consecration of our new monarch was about to start, I felt dizzy and started to sway.

'Conscious that I didn't want to pass out in front of the entire British Empire, I broke my vial of smelling salts.

'But even though I inhaled the fumes and wiggled my toes frantically to help my circulation, as we'd been instructed to do, it had little effect. I still felt ghastly.'

Help arrived in the shape of Black Rod, Lieutenant-General Sir Brian Horrocks, who was standing next to her.

'Seeing me wobbling dangerously, [he] pinioned me to a nearby pillar,' she said.

'I steadied and managed to save myself from collapsing. Then, I suppose, adrenaline took over and I felt a bit better.'

Guests for tomorrow's service are warned that despite their prized invitations, they still may not be able to see anything at all of the ceremony sand will have to rely on TV screens.

In a red-bordered paragraph the leaflet advises: 'Please not that in order to ensure that as many people as possible are able to attend the Coronation, some guests will be seated in parts of Westminster Abbey that will mean they have little or no direct view of the proceedings.

'Television screens will be located in these areas and guests will still be able to enjoy being part of the historic occasion.'

Westminster Abbey was contacted for comment.
Burger King has estimated that it will have to make a historically high number of closures this year.

In a bid to keep up with its fast food rivals, CEO Joshua Kobza announced that the chain will shutter between 300 and 400 underperforming restaurants in 2023.

According to its earnings release, Burger King axed 124 locations in the year up to March, leaving 6,964 spots across the country.

One bust franchisee has already announced it will shut 27 locations across seven states this year.

Burger King is now the third-biggest fast-food restaurant in the US, after losing its second-place position to Wendy's. McDonald's remains top dog. Burger King also faces pressure from more upmarket chains including Five Guys and Shake Shack.

But why are so many stores closing - and will the dramatic cuts to its real estate portfolio help the chain catch up with its rivals and stop its crown from slipping?

The chain will shutter between 300 and 400 underperforming restaurants this year

Why is Burger King closing restaurants?

Chairman Patrick Doyle said the company is cracking down on underperforming franchisees.

Sales performance can vary greatly between Burger King locations, and the company said it is seeking franchisees with stronger finances.

'There will always be a minority [of franchisees] who aren't dedicated, enthusiastic operators. We'll work with them to leave the system and move on to do something else,' said Doyle.

'There simply is no room for franchisees who are not willing or able to work hard to operate restaurants that are better than the system average over the long term.'

The closures will target the least profitable stores, so the company can focus on its turnaround plan to boost sales and buckle down to fight its competition.

Josh Kobza, CEO of Burger King's parent company Restaurant Brands International, has said he feels 'really good' about where the firm is going

Burger King announced a $400million revamp in September last year aimed at making its products more 'premium', giving its marketing and menu a much-needed overhaul

What is the chain's turnaround plan?

Burger King set out with renewed vigor at the end of 2022 to surf the tide of the tumultuous fast food market.

It had been suffering with lagging sales, trailing behind Wendy's and its Goliathan rival, McDonald's.

One analyst told DailyMail.com that the chain was at risk of entering into a 'death spiral' if it failed to play catch-up with its rivals.

In September 2022 it unveiled its $400 million 'Reclaim the Flame' rebranding plan - with a focus on advertising, revamping rundown restaurants and targeting a younger, more diverse market.

Bosses said the campaign would make the brand more 'premium'.

The plan involved spending $150 million on advertising, and after years of 'Have it Your Way', the brand officially changed its slogan to 'You Rule', and even released its 'Whopper Whopper' jingle on TikTok and Spotify.

The ad was a fervent success and has been streamed more than three million times on the music platform.

The brand is also aiming to streamline overly complicated menus and operations.

The Whopper was taken off the value menu and given new flavor extensions.

The Ch'King sandwich was replaced with the new Royal line of chicken sandwiches. The Ch'King sandwich took 21 steps to prepare, but The Royal Crispy Chicken takes just five.

And it appears as though the chain's shiny new image may be beginning to pay off.

In its 2023 first quarter results, the company reported that - despite store closures - its comparable sales rose 8.7 percent.

Kobza said earlier this year that he 'felt really good' about where the company is going.

The brand plans to modernize and freshen up thousands of restaurants as part of its revamp

How will restaurants change?

The chain is also investing $50million over the next two years to renovate and freshen up nearly 3,000 restaurants.

The modernization consists of new restaurant technology, kitchen equipment, and building enhancements - with the aim of making the dining experience easier and more enjoyable for burger fans.

$200million will go toward restaurant remodel projects for about 800 stores in the next two years.

This includes futuristic features such as three-lane drive thrus and food delivered via a conveyor belt.

At some innovative eateries customers will be able place their orders under solar-powered canopies, where they can stay and eat.

There's also a curbside pickup area for customers who order ahead on the app. After purchasing, customers can pull up into a pickup spot, and notify the restaurant that they've arrived through the app, and employees will bring the food out to the car.

An alternative to curbside pickup are Burger King's new pickup lockers, where guests can grab the food straight from the kitchen after ordering through the app.

The Impossible Burger was launched to great fanfare in 2016, with bosses claiming they had beaten McDonald's to produce a meat-free alternative

Why was Burger King struggling?

The firm was badly positioned when the pandemic hit compared to its rivals.

Its digital platform was behind, so the brand struggled to keep up with the demand for delivery when people could not visit restaurants in person.

The chain also suffered from a series of ill-fated menu revamps - including the Impossible Burger.

Launched in 2016, bosses said it was a meat-free alternative, pipping McDonald's to the post. But they were forced into the mother of all climb downs when they admitted it would be cooked on the same equipment used for beef and chicken.

In early 2019, it tried to take on McDonald's again, this time challenging their rival's Happy Meals range.

Burger King's Real Meals included options such as the Blue Meal and the DGAF (Don't Give a F***) Meal, which were designed in conjunction with Mental Health America for Mental Health Awareness Month.

But bosses were accused of using mental health to turn a profit, with critics pointing out that the chain was not offering resources to those living with mental illness, and the products were simply gimmicks.

Two Burger King franchisees have announced a slew of closures across the country this year

Which stores are closing?

Not all of the 300 to 400 locations closing their doors this year have been revealed, as boss Kobza admitted there is 'a fair degree of uncertainty' around the plans.

But there are confirmed closures from two Burger King franchisees who have gone bust this year.

Meridian Restaurants Unlimited, which runs over 100 locations, will shut 27 restaurants across seven states including Minnesota, Montana and Utah.

The franchisee filed for bankruptcy in March, having reportedly racked up $14 million in debt.

The franchisee said it was 'possible, if not likely' they would be pressed to close more stores as they negotiated rent and operational improvements with landlords, as well as struggling with rising food costs and poor sales.

Another franchisee, EYM King of Michigan, also announced it was closing 26 restaurants across the state and laying off over 400 employees after the chain missed a deal with the Department of Labor.

In a letter to the state Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, EYM King of Michigan LLC said they had failed to reach an agreement with Burger King Corp.

Some struggling spots are expected to be bought out.

Karali Group is reportedly set to pay more than $7million for 27 locations in Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, while 37 stores in Virginia are expected to be bought for $22million by DC Burger, according to Restaurant Business.

Some locations are on the brink. Franchisee Toms King, which operates 90 units, had to be bought out of bankruptcy for $33 million in January.
Scott Morrison has taken up an advisory position at a Washington-based think tank, amid speculation the former prime minister will quit politics by the end of the year.

Mr Morrison will now be on the board of advisors for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), an independent think tank focusing on national security and defence policies.

He joins Rupert Murdoch's son James on the board.

Mr Morrison will now be on the board of advisors for the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), an independent think tank focusing on national security and defence policies

CNAS chief executive Richard Fontaine praised Mr Morrison's time as PM and described his leadership during Covid as one of the most successful in the world.

Mr Morrison's role in the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States was also praised during the announcement.

'As Prime Minister, Scott Morrison spearheaded the landmark AUKUS defense agreement and led his country's efforts to deal with an increasingly aggressive China,' he said.

'As the newest member of the CNAS Board of Advisors, his insights and expertise will strengthen the Center's research and work. We look forward to his contributions.'

CNAS was set up in 2007 by Kurt Campbell, who is now the Biden administration's National Security Council Co-ordinator for the Indo-Pacific.

The centre describes itself as being 'an independent, bipartisan, nonprofit organisation that develops strong, pragmatic, and principled national security and defense policies'.

Mr Morrison's (pictured with Boris Johnson and Joe Biden) role in the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States was also praised during CNAS' announcement

It comes after reports circulated earlier this week that Mr Morrison was considering taking a job in the UK's defence sector.

Two sources close to him said he is considering the potential job offer, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Mr Morrison is widely expected to quit frontline politics at some point after the May 9 budget and before the end of the year.

The job offer is yet to be finalised but if it is made  and Mr Morrison accepts  it would require the former prime minister to commute to the UK about once a month, with his family remaining in Sydney.

Mr Morrison did not deny the claims when contacted for comment.

'I'm very engaged with things in my local electorate and enjoying being back in my local community,' he told the publication.

Mr Morrison's exit would trigger a by-election in the seat of Cook, south of Sydney, which he held with a two-party preferred margin of 12.4 per cent at the 2022 federal election.

On Tuesday, Liberal leader Peter Dutton was asked if Mr Morrison had told him he will be resigning from parliament soon.

'No, he hasn't. I had dinner with Scott the other night,' Mr Dutton responded.

'He's obviously a distinguished former prime minister of our country and in relation to his own future, that's a question for him'.
Former Florida Democratic candidate for governor Andrew Gillum, who came within a whisker of defeating Republican Ron DeSantis in 2018, was acquitted Thursday of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions.

But the federal jury hung on charges that Gillum funneled tens of thousands of dollars in campaign money to personal accounts.

Prosecutors said they will retry him on those counts.

They had claimed Gillum was struggling financially after quitting his $120,000-a-year job with the People for the American Way group to run for governor.

Gillum was acquitted of lying to undercover FBI agents posing as developers who paid for a 2016 trip he took with his brother to New York, including hotel rooms, meals, a boat tour and a ticket to the hit Broadway show 'Hamilton.'

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum leaves the federal courthouse after he was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in a corruption case Thursday in Tallahassee

Andrew Gillum came within 34,000 votes in 2018 of becoming Florida's first black governor, being beaten by now GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis (pictured)

Outside the courthouse, Gillum thanked his family, wife, legal team and pastor for their support, but took a dig at prosecutors.

'They have quite literally tried to take everything from us. And the beauty is in our system the powers that be dont always get to decide. Everyday people like you and me sometimes get our swing at the ball,' he said.

Asked about what comes next, Gillum said 'sleep' as he walked away from a gaggle of news reporters.

Gillum had faced a potentially lengthy prison sentence if convicted, although, under federal sentencing guidelines, he would have likely gotten far less than the maximum.

The jury came back hung for public relations executive and Gillum adviser, co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hicks, in the case.

Prosecutors said they will also retry her.

Gillum, 43, a former Tallahassee mayor, sought to become the first Black governor in Florida history when he took on DeSantis in 2018.

Gillum lost by less than 34,000 votes to DeSantis, triggering an automatic recount.

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (left) and Sharon Lettman-Hicks (right) embrace after he was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in a corruption case that also involved illegal use of campaign contributions on Thursday in Tallahassee

Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum (right) calls his mother while leaving the federal courthouse with family and his defense team after he was found not guilty of lying to the FBI in a corruption case

After his loss, Gillum made headlines when he was found in March 2020 in a Miami Beach hotel room where a man was suffering from a possible drug overdose. The man was later identified as an escort.

Officers tried speaking with Gillum but were unable to comprehend him due to his 'due to his inebriated state,' a report from the Miami Beach Police Department said.

Police said they impounded three bags that 'containing suspected crystal meth.'

Gillum denied that he was using drugs, but after the incident checked himself into rehab for alcoholism.

In September 2020, Gillum came out as bisexual.

'To be very honest with you, when you didn't ask the question, you put it out there, is whether or not I identify as gay,' he told talk show host Tamron Hall. 'And the answer is, I don't identify as gay, but I do identify as bisexual. And that is something that I have never shared publicly before.'

'The truth is, is that, Tamron, everyone believes the absolute worst about that day,' Gillum said. 'At this stage, I don't have anything else to have to conceal.'
MATSAPHA  Workers at Ruchi Wholesalers in Matsapha made startling claims to the Minister of Labour and Social Security, Phila Buthelezi and his team of labour experts.

The minister and his team, which comprised of Labour Commissioner Mthunzi Shabangu and Assistant Labour Commissioner Fannie Mkhonta, among others, paid courtesy visits to two companies at Matsapha Industrial Site; Pit Bull Security Protection and Ruchi Wholesalers. The main aim of the courtesy visit was to get first-hand information on the obtaining situation in the companies, as the ministry was receiving a number of complaints on them from the media.

At Ruchi Wholesalers, the minister first met with the management and when it was the workers turn, they said the wages they earned were too little. They even suspected that they were paid below the gazetted minimum wage. As such, they said they robbed Peter to pay Paul by negotiating with public transport workers every day to accept what they had, instead of the E10 fare for short distance. They informed the minister that some of them had been with the company for at least four years, while others had worked for it for over a decade, but they were still employed on contracts - which ranged between three and six months.

Expires

They alleged that when the contract expired, the employer served them with a letter that informed them to go on leave for seven days and if their contracts would be renewed they would be recalled. They claimed that if a worker was not recalled within the seven days, it meant they had lost their job. Minister, this means that even those who have worked for the company for over a decade under this arrangement, will go home with nothing (no package), the workers said.

They added that the contracts of three to six months did not allow them to develop their lives. For example, they said they had started their own families but could not build homes, as they did not qualify for mortgages. After that, they informed the minister that they allegedly worked every day, including on holidays. They claimed that on Sundays, they were supposed to work half-day, but at times they worked more hours and had difficulties claiming overtime.

The holidays and Sundays are paid as normal hours, they claimed.

Again, they alleged that when the issue of working on holidays and Sundays started, the agreement was that workers would voluntarily come, but later on, it became compulsory - but they were given two Sundays off per month.

So, if we want to go home, we have to absent ourselves on Saturday so that we can travel to our families and come back on Sunday to prepare for work on Monday. We do this even though it affects our salaries at the end of the month, the workers claimed. They further told the minister that if they forgot to clock out when knocking off, they would be recorded as absent and money would be deducted from their salaries. On workwear, they alleged that females were given only t-shirts, while males got safety shoes on top of the t-shirts.

We have to wear our own pants, jerseys and jackets, yet we do not afford to buy clothes now and then because of the low wages we are earning, they said. They also claimed that they were ill-treated and shouted at in front of customers, among other things. In response, the Labour Commissioner, Shabangu, said they would send a team of inspectors to the company to conduct a labour inspection. Otherwise, he said on other issues, like that of allegedly being paid below the gazette, they should buy it and present it to the employer. However, they highlighted that they did not even have a committee that could meet management on their behalf.

Again, the labour commissioner said the issue of contracts would be addressed by the Employment Bill, which they hoped would be promulgated into law soon. Meanwhile, the minister said he was disappointed that some employers took advantage of the old Employment Act and workers went home with nothing after retirement because they had been working on contracts. After that, he said the issue of low wages was being addressed by the wages council as it had been given a mandate to review the minimum wage with the aim of improving it to a reasonable amount.
A California man ambushed and murdered his brother on his own doorstep in Utah before he was killed by police in a dramatic shootout that was recorded on a Ring doorbell cam.

Jeffrey Roberts, 66, killed his estranged brother Scott Roberts, 65, and also shot his sister-in-law, Jodi Roberts, before setting fire to their home. Law enforcement officials told DailyMail.com the shooting was linked to a 'family issue' but the full circumstances remain under investigation.

Roberts, who traveled 750 miles from his Long Beach home to confront his brother, then fired on police who rushed to the address in a quiet neighborhood in North Ogden before he was shot dead.

The Weber County Attorney released a tranche of shocking footage from both the Ring doorbell and police bodycam that showed how the incident on April 27 unfolded.

Scott and Jodi's daughter, Kelsey Turner, said on a fundraiser for her mother that Jeffrey was estranged from Scott but the motive for the horrific incident remains unclear.

Scott Roberts (left), 65, was murdered by his brother, Jeffrey. Scott's wife, Jodi Roberts, was also shot

Roberts calmly approached his brother's home while the couple inside were having dinner

After a brief exchange, Roberts pulls a weapon from his hoodie and shoots his brother, Scott. He then returns with a pump-action shotgun and a duffel bag stuffed with ammunition

'My mom is alive because my dad fought my uncle and told my mom to run. Knowing that my dad died a hero is bringing us a small bit of comfort,' Turner said.

'Because of the fire, my mom has been left with no clothes or personal items. We will be able to recover some things from the house but have been told most of the house was destroyed.'

Footage shows Roberts calmly strolled toward his brother's front door at around 7.11pm while the Scott was having dinner with his wife, Jodi Roberts. There's a brief exchange in which Roberts appears to say he 'came by to see mom'.

His brother says the person isn't there and just moments later - and without provocations - pulls a weapon from the pocket of his hoodie and fires a barrage of shots while barging his way into the home.

A man's voice can be heard shouting while the shooting takes place.

About two minutes later the motion-sensitive doorbell cam is reactivated as Roberts leaves the property and returns soon after with a pump-action shotgun and a duffel bag, which police later discovered was stuffed with hundreds of rounds of ammo.

The camera is activated again when police arrive and a fire alarm can then be heard after Roberts sparked a blaze inside the property. Bullet holes can be seen on the pillars of the porch.

The incident was also captured on police bodycam video. Cops killed Roberts after a shootout

Roberts ran out of the property while firing a handgun before he was shot dead by police

Roberts then started a huge blaze which partially-destroyed the home in Utah

Roberts was armed with a 9mm handgun and a pump-action shotgun. He had hundreds of rounds

A picture shows some of the 23 loaded handgun magazines that Roberts was carrying

Roberts then rushed out of the property firing a handgun. Police respond with a volley of shots that cause Roberts to fall face first onto the porch, killing him instantly.

Bodycam from the aftermath shows flames spreading inside the home, sending up plumes of black smoke which prevented officers from immediately heading inside to aid Jodi Roberts.

Homes across the street were also peppered with bullet holes after the shootout.

Brandon Miles, the chief criminal deputy in the Weber County Attorney's Office, said the shooting was linked to a 'family issue' which remains under investigation.

Investigators are also thought to be conducting inquiries in California, where Roberts lived. It's currently unclear how Roberts obtained the weapons and ammunition.

Miles said Jodi Roberts has now been discharged from hospital but the home is 'uninhabitable' following the fire. No further suspects are being sought, he added.

Turner's GoFundMe had raised $37,214 by Friday morning - more than triple its $10,000 goal.

The page included dozens of tributes to Scott and messages of support for Jodi.

'Scott was an amazing colleague, mentor and friend,' said Marcella Windmuller.

Mike Saunders added: 'Scott was a mentor and great friend. I will always remember his stories and his laugh.'
The state has been handed more than $3million to try to help those living in the vehicles find homes

Pictured taken by DailyMail.com show families living in tents and using portable barbeques as their belongings spill out of the RV's

The average household income in the county is $131,000, with 78 percent of homeless locals living in the area before being forced to the encampment

Hundreds of locals in one of San Francisco's wealthiest counties have been forced to pack up their lives into RVs and trailers after being pushed out of the housing market.

Shocking photos show the ever-growing line of trucks and other vehicles along 101 Highway  which now stretches over two miles in one of the largest encampments in the country.

Cities in Marin County, where on average homes cost $1.4million, are pushing for the line along the highway to end after the number of residents living in their cars ballooned during the pandemic.

Photos and video taken by DailyMail.com show families living in tents and using portable barbeques as their belongings spill out of the RV's and trucks.

Some appear to have used flags to mark the area of road that they use for their home, with many pulling tarpaulin over their cars to protect their possessions.

Shocking photos show the ever-growing line of trucks and other vehicles along 101 Highway  which now stretches over two miles in one of the largest encampments in the country

Pictures taken by DailyMail.com show families living in tents and using portable barbeques as their belongings spill out of the RV's and trucks

Officials say that there are at least 135 vehicles along Binford Road, on the outskirts of Novato, as the number who call it home has expanded.

The average household income in the county is $131,000  which has left those with lower incomes nowhere to turn.

Residents of the surrounding area are now coming together to try to help bring the encampment to an end by helping people find services they need.

Every month they are given free groceries, assistance with their housing case management, medical assistance and much more.

There will be a push for the services to be expanded after state funding was awarded to Novato, Sausalito and San Rafael and to Marin County for unincorporated areas like Binford Road.

Each city, and Marin County, received $500,000 to address their encampment issues  with the county bringing in $1million in resources to help each of the regions.

Low-income residents in Marin County say that they have been left with nowhere to go as a cost-of-living crisis grips the region.

Gary Naja-Riese, director of homelessness for Marin County said that their 'first and immediate priority is Binford'.

The number of vehicles have stretched over two-miles and exploded during the pandemic and has continued to grow

Many have set up solar panels on top of their vehicles to be able to run electricity and cook in the RV's

Officials say that there are at least 135 vehicles along Binford Road, on the outskirts of Novato, as the number who call it home has expanded

Residents of the surrounding area are now coming together to try to help bring the encampment to an end by helping people find services they need

Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues

Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues

Some officials have pushed for an overnight parking ban, which has not been put into place

They are also planning on hiring a full time social worker to support the encampment residents with their issues directly.

The county estimates that there are around 80 residents permanently staying in Binford, with others abandoning their vehicles at the side of the road.

Local organizations are on hand to help with social and medical issues, with the encampment mostly struggling with hypertension, diabetes and mental health issues.

But some are well enough to work full time  though none are able to afford a place to live in the county with skyrocketing costs.

Other cities in California enforced an RV ban in 2016, with many coming to blows when residents refused to move.

Officials have speculated that because Binford Road's encampment gets support, it has a reputation as one of the last remaining areas where people sleeping in their cars won't get hassled by law enforcement.

Every month they are given free groceries, assistance with their housing case management, medical assistance and much more

Each city, and Marin County, received $500,000 to address their encampment issues  with the county bringing in $1million in resources to help each of the regions

Some appear to have used flags to mark the area of road that they use for their home, with many pulling tarpaulin over their cars to protect their possessions

Some are well enough to work full time  though none are able to afford a place to live in the county with skyrocketing costs

Zoe Neil, director of Marin County's Downtown Streets Division told the San Francisco Chronicle: 'Historically, in Marin, it has been tough to sleep safely in vehicles or campsites outside.

'Binford is one of the only places that folks can go. But it's not like it's a safe haven.'

However some officials have pushed for an overnight parking ban, which has not been put into place.

The county is also seeking an additional $1.5 million in state funding that would allow it to hire two more outreach staffers and a housing-based case manager who would work full-time at Binford.

On average, the county house an average of a dozen people a month across Marin County, primarily through landlord partnership programs at Marin Housing Authority.

Around 78 percent of people who are homeless in the area had residences in Marin County before becoming unhoused.
A British teenager collapsed in the shower and died while she was visiting her aunt in Paris - moments after she said she was 'fine'.

Rhea Hourigan, 19, suffered a mystery cardiac arrest, the cause of which remains unknown, as she was getting ready for bed.

A Durham University student, Rhea had been 'thriving' before her sudden death and had decided to travel to Paris after a few days at home in Birmingham over the Easter holidays.

The apparently healthy teenager had been out all day seeing the sights in the French capital on an electric bike before tragedy struck, with her heartbroken mother saying her only comfort was that her daughter 'didn't suffer'.

Paramedics raced to the scene where, despite their best efforts, Rhea's life couldn't be saved. She was pronounced dead in the early hours of April 29, according to a GoFundMe page started to support her family.

The apparently healthy teenager had been out all day seeing the sights in the French capital on before tragedy struck. Pictured: Rhea in front of the Arc de Triomphe (undated)

Rhea's death has left her parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and brother Joel, devastated

The cause of the teenager's cardiac arrest is still not clear a week later, with reports saying she was not known to have suffered from any conditions and that there was no history of heart failure in her family.

Rhea's mother Jo paid tribute to her daughter on Facebook, saying: 'She had so many plans, dreams and aspirations she was our bright shining star.

'She hadn't even finished her first year of uni which she absolutely loved up in Durham and had made so many good friends.

'Our only comfort is that she was so happy and had such a brilliant day seeing the sights of Paris, she wouldn't have known what had happened and didn't suffer.'

Polly Townhill, a close friend of Jo, told The Mirror that Rhea's aunt had been worried after her niece had been in the bathroom for a long time.

'Her auntie knocked to say "Is everything all right you coming out?" She answered her, Rhea said: "Yeah, yeah, I'm on my way out." Then she heard a bang...'

Polly said Rhea had full travel insurance but it hasn't covered what the family will need, with costs being pushed up by necessities like an interpreter.

'There's so much red tape over there and they have to treat her death as mitigating circumstances,' said Polly.

Rhea's mother Jo paid tribute to her daughter on Facebook, saying: 'She had so many plans, dreams and aspirations she was our bright shining star'

The teenager had a job as a cashier at a Nando's branch near her home in the West Midlands

'It would still be a tragedy without this, but her parents cannot see their child. They are desperate to bring her home.'

'Those are the two main things I know and it means that they haven't been able to have an autopsy. Jo has just faced brick wall after brick wall.'

Rhea's family travelled to France after hearing of her death and have since returned, with her body remaining there ahead of an autopsy next week, according to a family friend.

It is hoped Rhea's body will be repatriated shortly after the autopsy is complete.

A Durham University student, Rhea had been 'thriving' before her sudden death, a family friend said

Rhea's family travelled to France after hearing of her death and have since returned. Pictured: The family on holiday together (undated)

To help with costs incurred during the ordeal, friends and family have raised a staggering 23,000 within just one day of a GoFundMe page being set up for Rhea's parents Jo and Dom.

Dawn Buchanan, who started the page, said that Rhea's death has left her parents Jo and Dom, grandparents, aunts, uncles and brother Joel, devastated.

Tributes have poured in for the teenager, who had a job as a cashier at a Nando's branch near her home in the West Midlands.

Lauren Cutts, a friend of Rhea's, shared on social media: 'Last Friday we lost Rhea Hourigan who was beautiful, kind, ambitious so much more. Please take a moment to read about her and donate if possible. Rest in peace Rhea.'

Friends of Rhea's parents shared their personal heartbreak at the news on Facebook, and urged people to support the 'devastated' family.

'I hope everyone can contribute,' one said of the fund, describing Rhea as a 'beautiful and kind young lady with the world at her feet.'
For a few Americans, the chance to be in London for a British monarch's coronation is worth the transatlantic flight.

For others, it'll take place too early on Saturday morning to bother waking up and switching on the television.

Those are the findings of DailyMail.com/TIPP Poll on the popularity of King Charles III, his second wife Camilla, and a centuries-old institution that's had a tough few years and lost some of its luster.

Charles has gotten off to a slow start this side of the pond.

Only 36 percent of Americans see him favorably, while a similar share  31 percent  have an unfavorable view.

William and Kate are doubtless the royal family's superstars, but Queen Elizabeth II's 71 percent posthumous approval rating still looms large

Royal super fan Donna Werner from Connecticut is in London to see the coronation wearing a home-made hat  but many Americans have hit the snooze button

The incoming Queen Camilla fares worse. She's underwater by 6 percentage points.

That puts them far behind Charles' heir, Prince William, and his wife Kate Middleton, the royal family's superstars.

Even Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, his American wife, get better popularity scores in our survey of 1,109 US adults, which was carried out this week.

The king also trails far behind his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who got a popularity bump to 71 percent in the US after her death last year, according to YouGov surveys.

Americans also appear lukewarm on Charles' performance, 239 days into the job.

Overall, 41 percent of adults say he's performed well, against 13 percent who give him a thumbs down.

That's drowned out by the nearly half of US respondents who are unsure, haven't formed an opinion  or aren't watching his reign closely enough to say.

The popularity of Charles and Camilla doubtless suffers from the legacy of Diana  Charles' photogenic younger wife who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 after their acrimonious divorce.

Nearly half of Americans are unsure or haven't formed an opinion on Charles' job performance so far

Republicans, despite the name of their party and its historical connotations, were bigger backers of the British monarchy than were Democrats

King Charles and his second wife do not appear to be resonating in the US (Pictured: Charles and Camilla pose for a picture in the Blue Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace on April 4, 2023)

The lingering controversy surrounding Diana's death has been followed by a series of royal outrages, including Prince Andrew's sex scandal and Harry's decision to quit and publish a tell-all memoir, Spare.

Prince Andrew ranks as the least popular royal in our poll  underwater by 9 percentage points among US respondents.

He's especially tarred in the US by his ties to US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail cell in 2019, and a related sex assault allegation.

Reputedly the former queen's favorite son, Andrew was stripped of most of his titles and cut from royal duties over the ensuing scandal.

The monarchy's reputation was battered further in the US by Harry and Meghan's decision in 2020 to split from the family and move to California.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Meghan, who is mixed race, alleged racism in the British establishment.

In our survey, Americans were divided over whether Harry and Meghan's exit hurt the royal family.

Some 39 percent said they had weakened the institution, 34 percent said they hadn't, and 26 percent were unsure.

Harry and Meghan remain relatively popular in the US, even as their support in Britain has dwindled

Nearly two fifths of respondents said Harry and Meghan had weakened the monarchy, 34 percent said they hadn't, and 26 percent were unsure

Americans have a pretty good grasp of the British royal family, but many struggle to recognize lesser members like Prince Edward and Anne

Prince William and Kate Middleton remain the royal family's superstars. Here they share a public kiss on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following their wedding in 2011

The royal family's hit took a hit in the US thanks to Prince Andrew's friendship with US financier Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a New York jail cell in 2019. They're pictured here with Melania Trump and Gwendolyn Beck at the Mar-a-Lago club, Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000

Likewise, respondents were split on whether it's time to call time on the monarchy.

Nearly half of respondents said it was time to cut them loose, 21 percent disagreed, and more than a third were unsure.

Republicans, despite the name of their party and its historical connotations, were bigger backers of the British monarchy, and more supportive of Charles' job performance, than were Democrats.

Still, the lackluster support for the royals in the US has not dented Donna Werner's enthusiasm.

The American travelled from Connecticut to London and plans to secure a front-row seat to watch events around Saturday's coronation of King Charles III.

'This is such a once-in-a-lifetime experience,' Werner, 71, told Reuters as she set off from her hotel towards Buckingham Palace.

'Nobody does it like the British  the pomp and the circumstance. We don't have anything like this in the States.'

Americans who stayed at home will be able to watch the regalia-heavy event, but will have to wake up early.

The king's procession to Westminster Abbey will begin at 5am Eastern time, which is 2am on the West Coast. ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News will feature live coverage, but many Americans will sleep in and catch the highlights later in the day.
Penalties for killing a grizzly can be as much as a $50,000 fine or jail time

Wildlife photographer Amy Gerber found the dead bear and managed to take photos of it laying near a highway

Federal officials have launched a probe after a huge grizzly bear was found dead and bloodied at Yellowstone National Park, sparking fears it had been illegally shot.

Local wildlife photographer Amy Gerber found and captured images of the large bear, which was left near a highway in Wyoming on Monday.

She believes the animal may have been shot and killed, because there were no signs of any impact with a car. Gerber says a bear as big as the one she found would have damaged any car that struck it, and left debris across the road.

Hunting grizzlies is illegal in Yellowstone because of ongoing conservation efforts to boost the bears' population.

Speaking to Cowboy State Daily, Gerber said: 'That bear cant die in vain.

Wildlife photographer Amy Gerber captured images of the grizzly inside the national park

'The very few people who are so vehemently hateful toward grizzlies, that doesnt represent us. Thats not Cody, Wyoming.

'It seems like theres this perception that people here hate wildlife, and particularly predators, and thats not true. The outcry over this bear being killed is strong.'

According to Amy, she had heard rumors that on Monday a grizzly had been struck by a car but said there was 'zero evidence' of road kill.

Representatives for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service confirmed that they are now investigating the incident.

Anyone with information is also urged to contact the Wyoming Game and Fish Department .

Wyoming Wildlife Advocates shared an appeal on their social media pages, saying: 'Sometime late last night or early this morning in Wyoming just outside the eastern border of Yellowstone National park, this grizzly bear was illegally killed.

'Just a bear looking for food doing what bears do.

'If you have any information on this illegal killing, please call the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Cody at 307-527-2175.'

Pictured: A grizzly near Beaver Lake in Yellowstone

The bear had been found in Yellowstone National Park.

Since September 2018, grizzly bears within the Yellowstone ecosystem have been protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Killing a grizzly bear illegally or without a justifiable cause can carry a maximum penalty of a $50,000 fine or a year in prison.

In April of last year, father and son Jared and Rex Baum of Ashton, Idaho, were sentenced for killing a radio collared grizzly bear .

Rex pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor and was sentenced to 180 days in jail, plus fines including $1,000 and court costs, as well as a $400 civil penalty.

His hunting license was also revoked for ten years while his son Jared served 30 days and was landed with fines including a $10,000 civil penalty and a lifetime hunting revocation.

The two shot a grizzly sow twelve times on the Little Warm River in Fremont County, Idaho, the year previously.

The population of grizzly bears inside Yellowstone was threatened with extinction in the 1970s but their population has grown from 136 in 1975 to around 1,063 in 2021, according to the National Park Service.

The park service advises any visitors to the area carry bear spray just incase they come across aggressive bears.
Russia launched series of missiles at Ukraine over drone strike on Kremlin

Ukraine is suspected of shooting down an 'unstoppable' Russian hypersonic missile in what would be a major blow to Vladimir Putin.

The air-launched missile was aimed at Kyiv in the early hours of Thursday after a drone strike on the Kremlin - but it is believed to have been downed by Ukraine.

Ukrainian military experts say the wreckage at the site suggests the downed missile was Russia's prized Kh-47 Kinzhal - or Dagger - hypersonic missile.

The Kyiv armed forces may have used a US-supplied Patriot system to down the suspected Kinzhal, experts said.

The 24ft-long, one-ton Kinzhal can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and Russia has boasted that the missile has no match among Western defences.

Ukrainian military experts say the wreckage left at the site suggests that the downed missile was Russia's prized Kh-47 Kinzhal - or Dagger - hypersonic missile

The Kyiv armed forces may have used a US-supplied Patriot system to down the suspected Kinzhal (pictured), experts said

The 24-foot-long, one-ton Kinzhal (file image) can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and Russia has boasted that the missile has no match among Western defences

If Ukrainian forces did down the Kinzhal, it would be the first time such a missile has been shot down.

READ MORE: Putin is seen in the Kremlin for the first time since building came under kamikaze drone attack Advertisement

Specialist Defense Express website said: 'One of the photos shows the nose cone, which is as similar as possible to the one used in the Kh-47 Kinzhal missile with a complex shape of sharp diameter transitions.

'The wreckage shows that it sustained penetration damage, which allows us to estimate the thickness of the material needed to withstand the high temperature during acceleration to hypersonic speeds.

'It also indicates that the intercept was quite effective, with the warhead destroyed in midair.

'This explains the powerful explosion heard by Kyiv residents on the night of 4 May.'

The site said: 'Outdated Soviet air defence systems are not capable of shooting down such a missile

'In most cases, defeating such a target is possible only with the help of the Patriot PAC-3 air defence system with a PAC-3 MSE kinetic interceptor.

'The hole in the wreckage indicates the possible use of such a missile.'

Russian war sites have strongly disputed the Ukrainian claim as 'nonsense'.

'Ukrainian military experts are trying to pass off the image of a water pipe as the wreckage of a rocket,' said one.

The Kinzhal can be fired from the MiG-31, Tu-160 or Tu-22M3M warplanes, and it has been used by Moscow in the war.

It has a range of 1,250 miles and its conventional version was deployed for the first time against Ukraine in March 2022.

Russian forces had launched a barrage of missiles at Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday after two drones struck the Kremlin in a strike Russia has blamed on Ukraine and the US.

If Ukrainian forces did down the Kinzhal (file image), it would be the first time such a missile has been shot down

Pictured: A fireball is seen rising over the Kremlin after an alleged drone strike by Ukraine on Wednesday

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov insisted - without providing evidence - the US was 'undoubtedly' behind the strike that he said was carried out by Ukraine - claims the White House dismissed as 'lies'.

Around 40 explosive-laden drones with 'for Moscow' scrawled on them were fired at cities that were miles away from the front line, with explosions heard in the capital Kyiv and southern cities of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

'Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington,' a furious Peskov said. 'Kyiv only does what it is told to do. Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Russia's claims Ukraine was behind the drone strike on the Kremlin and British security officials believe the attack was a 'false flag' operation by Russia to distract Kyiv from its anticipated counter-offensive and rally up support back home.

While Ukraine has demonstrated the capability to launch such attacks on the Kremlin, Kyiv is considered unlikely to risk fracturing international support by targeting the dictator directly.

A Russian 'false flag' attack appeared a more likely explanation, with the explosion intended to generate support for Putin and further Russian attacks on Kyiv, UK officials said last night.
Anger is growing in New York after a black homeless man was choked to death on a Subway train, reportedly by a former US marine.

The altercation has grim parallels to the killing of George Floyd and has sparked protests in the city.

Jordan Neely, 30, was said to have been shouting at passengers in the carriage in Manhattan and trying to tell them he was thirsty and hungry.

Witnesses said Mr Neely was then tackled by passengers and restrained by at least three people, including the ex-marine. The 24-year-old from Long Island, whose identity is unknown, pulled one arm tightly around Mr Neely's neck during the scuffle on Monday.

Mr Neely struggled to break free from the chokehold, but a second rider held down his shoulders while a third pinned his arms.

Jordan Neely, a black homeless man, was choked to death on a Subway train, reportedly by a former US marine

Jordan Neely, 30, was a Michael Jackson impersonator and was often seen around New York dancing in a red Thriller leather jacket and the popstar's quintessential penny loafers

Onlookers watched as Mr Neely lost consciousness. When officers arrived at the scene he was unresponsive.

Mr Neely was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The death has sparked outrage in New York. Protests were said to have grown in areas across the city, with chants of 'Black Lives Matter,' 'justice for Jordan Neely,' and 'the homeless matter' being heard, according to New York news website Gothamist.

The city's mayor Eric Adams has declined to comment directly on Mr Neely's death. But his office later said that the police's initial response represented the 'double standard black people and other people of colour continue to face'.

A video of the altercation, filmed by journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, showed the man lying beneath Mr Neely, holding him in a headlock position for several minutes.

His death has been likened to the murder of George Floyd, who was killed by a Minneapolis police officer who knelt on him in 2020 while the victim complained 'I can't breathe', triggering a summer of riots.

Onlookers watched as Mr Neely lost consciousness. When officers arrived at the scene he was unresponsive

Jordan Neely (pictured), 30, was a street performer and Michael Jackson impersonator

Jordan Neely set up a YouTube channel 2022 sought to locate him as he had not performed his act in years

The veteran who restrained Mr Neely was taken into custody but was released without charge.

However, the Office of Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York has ruled Mr Neely's death as a 'homicide' caused by compression of the neck.

A decision on whether to charge the marine will now be made by the Manhattan District Attorney. He has been described as a 'decorated' sergeant who was an active service member until two years ago.
The fatal collapse of a twin baby boy came as 'a complete shock' to neonatal nurse Lucy Letby, she told a jury today.

Letby, 33, originally from Hereford, is on trial for allegedly murdering seven babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital and attempting to murder a further ten. The charges relate to a period between June 2015 and June 2016.

She denies them all.

During her second day in the witness box, Letby said: 'It felt like we walked through the door into this awful situation. That was the first time I'd met (Baby) A and his parents. It was a huge shock'.

As the infant's designated nurse it later fell to her to lead the process of copying the baby's hands and feet for a memory box. His parents asked for his twin sister's prints to be taken at the same time.

Letby's barrister, Ben Myers KC, asked whether Baby A's death on June 8, 2015, had affected her.

Court artist sketch of Lucy Letby giving evidence in the dock at Manchester Crown Court where she is charged with the murder of seven babies and the attempted murder of another ten while working on the neonatal unit of the Countess of Chester Hospital

Letby, who is accused of killing Baby A with an injection of air, said she frequently swapped messages with colleagues in the aftermath of incidents on the unit

A prison van believed to contain former nurse Lucy Letby arrived at Manchester Crown Court this morning.

'Yes, it did,' she replied.

Mr Myers went on: 'It's alleged that you did this. Did you?'

'No', said the nurse.

Her barrister then asked what it felt like to be the subject of such an allegation.

She replied: 'It's awful. I wasn't even supposed to be working that night. It was such a shock to walk into that situation'.

The jury at Manchester Crown Court has heard that Baby A collapsed shortly after Letby and a nursing colleague, Melanie Taylor, had connected him to a line feeding him a solution containing 10 per cent glucose.

She said that when an alarm sounded she noticed the infant's limbs turn white and his torso and abdomen become pale.

'He was apnoeic,' she told Mr Myers. 'He wasn't breathing at that point'.

A crash call went out but despite efforts to resuscitate him Baby A died shortly before 9pm.

Letby recalled that the following morning a nursing friend on the unit sent her a WhatsApp message to say: 'You did amazing. So proud of youYou did fab xxxx'.

Moments later she said she hoped the alleged killer hadn't found the compliment patronising.

Letby replied: 'It's not patronising at all. Appreciate you saying that and thanks for letting me do it but supporting me so well'.

The defendant, who is accused of killing Baby A with an injection of air, said she frequently swapped messages with colleagues in the aftermath of incidents on the unit.

'It was my main form of support, living alone and there being no formal support in place at work. It's something we would all do. We were all regularly in touch with each other outside work'.

Letby acknowledged carrying out three Facebook searches on Baby A's mother in the days after his death.

Letby, 33, (pictured) originally from Hereford, is alleged to have injected Baby B with air, said she was asked to get the unit camera to take a picture of the mottling

A court artist sketch of Lucy Letby being questioned by her defence Lawyer Ben Myers in the dock at Manchester Crown Court

'It was just curiosity,' she told Mr Myers.

'To walk into the unit that morning and to have not met the parentsI wanted to see the people behind the awful event that had happened. They were on my mind'.

She added: 'It's a common pattern of behaviour for me. If I think of somebody I would look them up. (Baby) A and (Baby) B were on my mind at that time. I would usually look for multiple people over a short period of time'.

Letby also told the jury she could not recall the build-up to Baby B's collapse 'with any clarity'.

She was with a nursing colleague in Nursery 1 when the infant became 'quite mottled' and 'dark' all over.

Asked whether she had seen such mottling before, she said it was not unusual but it was a concern in light of Baby A's death the night before.

Letby, who is alleged to have injected Baby B with air, said she was asked to get the unit camera to take a picture of the mottling.

She returned 'very quickly' from the manager's office, but by then Baby B's colour had returned to normal and there was no mottling to photograph.

John and Susan Letby, the parents of the nurse, seen leaving Manchester Crown Court this week as their daughter gave evidence for the first time

The jury has been told that Baby C  whose mother is a GP - was born on June 10 and died four days later.

Letby told the court she had no recollection of the events leading up to his fatal collapse. It had been a 'normal' shift, she added, and she had 'no memory:' of what happened until his collapse.

This had been 'a significant event'.

She recalled being called over by her nursing colleague Sophie Ellis. Having looked at the baby, she asked Miss Ellis to put out a crash call. 'I just remember he was apnoeic and needed respiratory support.

The nurse insisted that despite what Miss Ellis had said in a police statement she had no recollection of being in Nursery 1 prior to Baby C's collapse. She did not recall being next to his cot when the alarm sounded.

Mr Myers reminded Letby about WhatsApp messages she had swapped with nursery assistant Jennifer Jones-Key in the days after Baby C's death.

At one point she told her: 'I just keep thinking about Mon. Feel like I need to be in (Nursery) 1'.

Ms Jones-Key replies: 'You need a break from full-on ITU. You have to let it go or it will eat you up. I know not easy and will need time'.

Letby refers to her time at Liverpool Women's Hospital, telling her colleague: 'I lost a baby one day'.

She went on to explain how that experience had helped her realise the importance of returning to a particular nursery following a tragedy.

Mr Myers asked whether anything in her WhatsApp conversation with Ms Jones-Key had made her want to attack any child.

Letby replied: 'No'.

Mr Myers: 'The loss of a babyis that something you wanted to happen?'

Letby: 'Not at all, no'.

The alleged killer was asked for her thoughts on 'what the parents have gone through'. She replied: 'It's unimaginable'.

At one point Letby broke off while answering a question, appearing to be startled by a noise in the courtroom.

Mr Myers noticed her hesitancy and asked whether she was able to continue. Yeah, Im very easily distracted, said Letby.

Her barrister asked: Have you always been like that?. No, she replied.

Earlier in the week  the 26th of her trial  Letby told the jury she was easily startled by unexpected noises as a result of the post-traumatic stress disorder she has suffered since her initial arrest in July 2018.

Baby D suffered three collapses on the morning of June 22. She died at 4.25pm.

Mr Myers referred her to a statement by Baby Ds mother in which she says she had a conversation with Letby at 7pm on June 21.

The nurse says she does not recall a conversation, and a WhatsApp message sent from her phone at 7.15pm refers to her being just about to leave for a night shift. Swipe data also recorded her arriving at the unit at 7.26pm.

Letby claimed to have no recollection of Baby E screaming and with fresh blood around his mouth. She said: No, he was unsettled at some points but he was not screaming.

She also rejected the mothers assertion that she had told her to leave the unit. Thats not something we would do, she told Mr Myers.

The neonatal nurse said Baby E was bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose during the resuscitation attempts to save his life.

She cried in the witness box as she recalled dressing him in a gown following his death. He had no clothes, so we found him a gown from the unit to be dressed in.

Another nurse, Belinda Simcock, helped her with that, and then Letby took photos of the infant with two small teddy bears  one for Baby E, the other for his twin brother, Baby F.

She took the photos at the request of the parents.

Wiping her eyes with a tissue, Letby described Baby Es death as very traumatic. She added: Ive never seen a baby bleed that way before.

Mr Myers asked Letby if she had gone back to Baby F to finish off anything you had started anywhere else, as is alleged?

No, she said.

Letby herself read out a medical note she had written about the infant on August 9. This read: Parents carried out cares and both had cuddles with (Baby) F. Happy that he has opened his eyes for the first time today.

Mr Myers asked whether she had done anything to harm him? Again she said no.

Her barrister then asked what her aim had been. She replied: To care for him. To get him ready to go home.

The trial resumes on Thursday.
A Google engineer, 31, jumped to his death from the 14th floor of the company's New York City headquarters.

The man, who has not been publicly identified, was found on the ground on the 15th Street side of the building around 11.30pm on Thursday.

Police received multiple phone calls about the incident and authorities said he was found unconscious. He was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Officers found handprints on the 14th-floor ledge, where an open-air terrace is located, sources told the New York Post.

There was no suicide note left behind, according to the Post.

A Google engineer, 31, has jumped to his death from the 14th floor of the company's New York City headquarters (pictured)

DailyMail.com has contacted Google for comment.

This is the second Google employee to reportedly take their own life as fellow coworker Jacob Pratt, 33, was found dead inside his apartment on February 16.

Pratt appeared to have hanged himself, an NYPD source told the New York Post.

According to his LinkedIn, Pratt was a partnership leader at the company and had been for a year and a half. He started at Google as an agency manager in May 2019.

'His interests in advertising and technology lead him to a dream job as an accounting manager at Google in Manhattan,' his obituary said.

Their deaths came shortly after Google laid off roughly 12,000 of its global workforce. It is unclear if face a job threat.

Google's parent company Alphabet axed 12,000 jobs in the latest savage round of white collar layoffs sweeping across the tech sector.

The man, who has not been publicly identified, was found laying on the ground on the 15th Street side of the building around 11.30pm on Thursday. Police were seen actively working

He was found unconscious and was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead

Sundar Pichai, Alphabet's CEO, said the losses affect teams across the company including recruiting and some corporate functions, as well as some engineering and products teams.

The mass reduction comes just days after rival Microsoft Corp said it would lay off 10,000 workers, and Amazon started to fire its 18,000 workers as the 'richcession' rips through the world's biggest firms in recent months.

The most in-demand workers right now are blue collar employees, while white-collar workers have seen major job losses in the last year.

The phenomenon has been dubbed 'richcession' by those in the field.

If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, please call the National Suicide Hotline at 988.
This is the shocking moment an Aussie mum discovers a venomous snake hiding in her daughter's shoe.

Kym Beechey, from Jilliby, New South Wales, was retrieving a lunchbox that had been left outside when she got a surprise.

There, with its head sticking out of one of her daughter's shoes, was a red bellied black snake  a species infamous for its agonising bite.

She said: 'I headed to the front porch to collect an abandoned lunch box that was in danger of becoming the subject of a science experiment.

'I leaned down to pick up the lonely lunchbox and nearly headbutted my snakey friend, so although in a shoe it was my face that was in greatest danger.

An Aussie mum discovers a venomous snake hiding in her daughter's shoe

'He was snuggled, coiled in the shoe.

'The shoe it was in is actually my daughter's mountain bike riding shoe and she was very pleased I found it and not her!'

Kym, 56, recognised the danger straight away.

She said: 'I was pretty certain it was a red belly black snake as we have had them here before.

'In fact, when I was in labour with my first child there was one in the house  and when I brought my child home from hospital, there was one in our bedroom.

'We know they can be about, so we do take care, however it is always a surprise to find them so close to you. In this case, so close to my face.'

The bite of the red-bellied black snake is characterised by severe pain  causing swelling, prolonged bleeding, and localised necrosis or skin death, sometimes leading to amputation.

The venom of the red-bellied black snake contains neurotoxins, myotoxins, and coagulants, and has haemolytic properties.

Its symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headache, abdominal pain, diarrhoea, or excessive sweating.

But it has not caused any recorded deaths down under and Ms Beechey knew it was unlikely to attack.

There, with its head sticking out of one of her daughter's shoes, was a red bellied black snake  a species infamous for its agonising bite

Photo shows Kym Beechey in Jilliby, New South Wales

She said: 'As you may have read, the species is capable of causing a dangerous venomous bite. I am aware of that but also know they are rarely aggressive.

'When I find them I like to just watch and wait for them to move on  and this one did move on.

'I was more concerned my silly dog would get bitten rather than me.'

As for why the shoes were outside in the first place, Kym said: 'Eight adults live in our house on a semi-rural property.

'Four are elite athletes and have many pairs of training shoes, work boots and outdoor shoes.

'As we have had rain recently, all stay outside.'
MBABANE  Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT) President Mbongwa Dlamini is back at work at Moyeni High School, after being away for six months.

Dlamini, a Maths and Science teacher, had not reported for work since the suspension of his salary by government in October last year. He was accompanied by the SNAT National Executive Committee (NEC). In an interview, the SNAT president confirmed that he reported back to work and was teaching on a fulltime basis. He stated that he had a very short day yesterday as he was supposed to attend SNAT business.

Requested

However, the president said he requested other teachers to stand in for him. It is not wrong to attend to SNAT meetings as they are lawful and, as a leader, I am required to attend, said Dlamini. He said these meetings fell during the week, unfortunately, and not on weekends. Dlamini stated that as a union leader, he had to participate in the meetings more often. When questioned on how the pupils managed in his absence, he said other teachers came on board to teach his classes.

He said what happened was that during the engagements, he represented the teachers to solve challenges they were faced with. SNAT Secretary General (SG) Lot Vilakati stated that when they arrived at Moyeni, they were warmly received by both teachers and learners at the school, who were happy that Dlamini was back. Vilakati said they appreciated the hospitality, which they were given by the school and the head teacher.

Asked on whether the president would be salaried this month, Vilakati said that was the agreement they had with the Ministry of Education and Training. Reached for comment, Moyeni High School Head teacher Sabelo Manyatsi stated that he could confirm that Dlamini arrived at the school but could not comment any further as he was still following up on something. I need to consult on the matter before making a statement, said Manyatsi. Acting Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education and Training, Constance Vilakati, said they recently held a meeting with the SNAT NEC to address the matter.

Salary

Vilakati said the SNAT NEC had promised that the president would be at work when schools opened this term and wanted to find out if he would receive his salary. She said the ministrys response was that there was no reason to continue suspending Dlaminis salary if he reported for work.Vilakati said she was not aware that the SNAT NEC accompanied him as the expectation was for every teacher to be at school.

Vilakati said the reason for suspending Dlaminis salary was that he was not reporting for work and his superiors had no idea of where he was. As he has resurfaced, his duty was reporting for work and we will continue to monitor the situation so that month-end he receives his salary. Vilakati said the cases on charges against the SNAT president were ongoing. He was charged, among other things, for absenting himself for 109 days, resulting in his salary being suspended by government.
After 2023 Local Election results saw the Conservatives lose a large number of seats, eyes will be on the next General Election in the UK.

Sir Keir Starmer has declared Labour on track for power as local election results showed the Conservatives were stripped of control of at least a dozen councils and shed hundreds of seats.

So when is the next general election in the UK? How long is a government term in the UK?

Read on below for everything you need to know about the next general election in the UK.

After big losses in the 2023 local elections, Rishi Sunak (pictured) could struggle to keep the Conservatives in power

Keir Starmer has declared that Labour are on track for power after making sweeping gains in the 2023 local elections

When is the next General Election in the UK?

As the current Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak is allowed to call a General Election at any point, should he wish to do so.

Mr Sunak has this power up until the date of this current Parliament's expiry, which falls on Tuesday, 17 December, 2024.

The Fixed-Term Parliament Act, which was passed in 2011, created fixed, five-year periods between general elections but that rule was scrapped in 2022.

Under that law early elections could be held only if two-thirds of the House of Commons voted in favour, or if there was a vote of no confidence in the Government.

So in 2017, Theresa May secured an early election when she passed the two-thirds threshold as MPs voted by 522 to 13 to go to the people.

But in 2019, Boris Johnson passed a new one-off act which needed only a straight majority vote among MPs to have an early General Election. After he got the vote he needed, that act was allowed to lapse.

How long is a government term in the UK?

Once a government is elected by people in the UK, it can serve for a maximum of five years before another General Election must be held, per the Fixed Parliament Act.

Boris Johnson was the winner of the last general election to be held in the UK, which took place on Thursday, 12 December, 2019

A motion of no confidence is a motion can also be moved in the House of Commons to expressing lack of confidence in the government, or the Prime Minister has requested a dissolution from the reigning monarch, triggering a general election.

The last time a motion of no-confidence triggered a change of government was in 1979.

This saw the Prime Minister at the time, James Callaghan, advise the Queen to dissolve Parliament after losing a vote of no confidence by just one vote (311 votes to 310 votes), which resulted in Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister.

When was the last UK General Election and who won?

The last general election in the United Kingdom was held on Thursday, 12 December, 2019.

It saw Boris Johnson, who was previously the Mayor of London, become Prime Minister.

The result saw the Conservatives win a landslide majority, securing victory by an 80-seat margin. This equated to 43.6% of the popular vote, which marked the highest percentage for any party since Thatcher's win in 1979.

Liz Truss endured a turbulent, and ultimately forgettable, 45 days in office as Prime Minister

Since then however, Mr Johnson has been and gone, with two more Conservative Prime Ministers governing the UK.

Mr Johnson officially left his post as Prime Minister on 6 September, 2022.

He was succeeded by Liz Truss, who endured a tumultuous period in office which lasted just 45 days before she also resigned, with Mr Sunak subsequently named as Prime Minister.
Hunter Biden is moving toward creating a legal defense defense fund as he contends with federal probes, congressional investigations, and an ongoing custody lawsuit.

The move comes as Hunter Biden's lawyer Abbe Lowell revealed he has paid $750,000 in child support to Lunden Roberts, who is battling him in court as he seeks to reduce child support payments for 4-year-old Navy Joan Roberts. He currently pays $20,000 per month in child support.

As with his art career, a defense fund that would allow people to put thousands of dollars in his pocket raises potential ethical challenges.

High-level Democrats are concerned about the appearance of the president's son soliciting funds, Axios reported. The push for cash to aid Hunter in his multi-front legal challenges comes as President Joe Biden has launched his reelection campaign  with his own first big fundraiser since announcing set for New York next week.

Hunter Biden (pictured leaving court in Arkansas this week) is moving toward forming a legal defense fund as a federal investigation nears its conclusion and he faces off GOP investigations. He is also engaged in a child support battle in court

The preparations come a week after Hunter Biden met with U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss at Justice Department headquarters in Washington D.C., in a sign that the federal investigation of him on tax matters and a gun charge are reaching a conclusion.

Anticipating potential scrutiny, Hunter's team is looking to hire ethics advisors to work with the fund.

Weiss and his federal prosecutors are weighing four charges against Hunter, three related to tax crimes and a felony charge related to a gun purchase, according to the Washington Post.

White House tensions also encouraged Hunter Biden to hire high profile lawyer Abbe Lowell, who previously represented Trump son in law Jared Kushner, according to the report.

The possible federal charges are two misdemeanor counts for failure to file taxes, a single felony count of tax evasion related to a business expense for one year of taxes, and the gun charge, also a potential felony.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans are stepping up their probes of Hunter Biden's finances and what some of them call the 'Biden crime family.'

The president's son is battling Lunden Roberts in court over the amount of child support payments for 4-year old Navy Joan Roberts

This week, Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, 89, came forward with House Oversight Committee Chairman Rep. James Comer to bring forward claims from a whistleblower that they described as a bribery scheme from when Biden was serving as vice president.

'We believe the FBI possesses an unclassified internal document that includes very serious and detailed allegations implicating the current President of the United States,' Grassley said, as Comer subpoenaed the information.

However Grassley said in an interview on Newsmax: 'It is a very serious allegation. I wish I could say that I knew it was true or untrue.'

Earlier, House Republicans viewed Special Activity Reports at the Treasury Department. Comer has tasked his investigators with running down Hunter's business dealings, even subpoenaing Bank of America for information on three of his business associates.

Last month, Lowell fired off an angry letter to a congressional ethics body demanding a probe of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's repeated comments linking the president's son to 'human trafficking.'
A wealthy Nigerian politician, his academic wife and a 'middleman' doctor have been jailed for trafficking a penniless market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney in an NHS hospital.

In the first case of its kind in the UK, Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and medical middleman Obinna Obeta were each jailed for their attempt to procure a poor street trader from Lagos for a transplant for the couple's daughter Sonia, 25.

In a televised sentencing today, Mr Justice Johnson recognised Ike Ekweremadu's 'substantial fall from grace' as he jailed him for nine years and eight months.

Beatrice Ekweremadu, who was caught with her husband by police at Heathrow with 25,000 of cash, was jailed for four years and six months and Obeta for 10 years.

Police have now issued a warning to the public, highlighting the soaring numbers of modern slavery cases in recent years with a small number involving organ harvesting.

Pictured are Sonia, the couple's daughter, and the victim, who was brought to the UK in an organ harvesting attempt

Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu (poictured) was jailed for nine years and eight months for attempting to traffic a victim and then harvest a his organs

The 21-year-old street trader was brought to the UK last year to provide the organ to Sonia in an 80,000 private transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in Camden, north London.

He claimed he was told to pretend to be Sonia's cousin to get the transplant approved.

But a consultant working in the NHS hospital refused to remove the vital organ having become suspicious because the young man appeared initially unaware he was the donor of the kidney and was clearly not 41 as his passport claimed. The Nigerian national would later tell police he had no idea his kidney was to be removed until he was taken to the Royal Free to meet the surgeon.

The victim, who cannot be named, later ran away, sleeping rough for three days, before walking into Staines Police Station on May 5, 2022. He burst into tears as he told officers that he had been trafficked into the UK from Nigeria and that someone was trying to take one of his organs.

The senior judge said: 'People-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery.

'It treats human beings and their body parts as commodities to be bought and sold.

'It is a trade that preys on poverty, misery and desperation.'

He told the defendants: 'You each played a part in that despicable trade.'

On the question of harm to the victim if the intended transplant went ahead, he said: 'He would have faced spending the rest of his life with only one kidney and without the requisite funding for the required aftercare.'

He added the risks had not been properly explained and there had been no consent 'in any meaningful sense'.

During the hearing, the victim said he only found out what was planned when he was taken to the north London hospital for an initial consultation.

In a statement read to court: 'I would never (have) agreed to any of this. My body is not for sale.'

He spoke of his fears for his own safety and that of his family in Nigeria who had been visited and told to 'drop' the case.

He said: 'I cannot think about going home to Nigeria. These people are extremely powerful and I worry for my family.

'Even though I live here in the UK at the moment I know I need to be careful too.

'I have no-one here, no family, no friends. I am having to start my life again.

'I'm worried about my family in Nigeria but I have been told my dad had been visited and was told to drop the case in the UK.'

He told police he did not want to claim compensation from the 'bad people' as it would be 'cursed and bad luck'.

He said: 'My plan now is to work and to get an education and to play football.'

Beatrice Ekweremadu has been jailed for four years and six months for the same offence

Sonia (pictured outside court) suffers from a 'significant and deteriorating kidney condition' and requires dialysis until she receives a transplant, the court heard. She was cleared of taking part in the plot

It is the first time anyone has been convicted under the Modern Slavery Act of an organ-harvesting conspiracy.

Scotland Yard declined to say whether more charges would be brought but said the investigation was ongoing.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, the Met's modern slavery and child exploitation lead, has now issued a warning against this type of crime, saying criminal exploitation of adults has soared by 30 per cent in the last 12 months.

'The trajectory of modern slavery crimes shows very little signs of slowing down.

'They are making millions and millions and millions a year, every year, most of which is transported to other parts of Europe and further afield.

'It's in our communities, it's in the services that we use.

'It's in the industry that builds road networks, buildings, or houses. It's in the beauty industry. It's in the sex industry.

'Don't think a tiny bit of information or intelligence is insignificant, you never know that might just break the back of an organized crime group that are exploiting people.

'We use all methods available to us to protect the vulnerable and reduce the harm in London's communities.

'At all times we put the victim first. They're often very scared, abused, malnourished, wary of authorities due to the extreme nature of their ordeal.

'The victim in this particular case was vulnerable, given his economic circumstances, aggravated further by significant wealth and political influence of those who have now been convicted.

'It sounds like something from fiction, from a book or a movie.

'Well, let me tell you: the abuse of power and wealth by these people over a vulnerable young man, it's astonishing.'

Bringing the first successful prosecution was his 'proudest' moment.

Paying tribute to the young victim, he said: 'His bravery has given strength to others. And now this is not the only case of organ harvesting under investigation.'

Obinna Obeta, 50, as the medical middleman in the attempted harvesting. He has been jailed for ten years

This is moment the trafficking victim arrived at Staines Police Station in tears and told officers he was trafficked for his kidney

Detective Sergeant Andy Owen described how the victim had turned up at the police station with only a mobile phone with no sim card, a toothbrush and scant clothes.

Over eight hours of interviews, he gave an account of how he was picked up in Lagos while selling phone accessorises from a wheelbarrow and brought to the UK.

He fled in fear for his life after over-hearing a plan to take him back to Nigeria for the procedure after the transplant plan in London failed.

Further inquiries led to Ike Ekweremadu, Nigeria's deputy Senate president, as 'sponsor' for the young man's travel.

Fearing that the Ekweremadus may never return to the UK, investigators prepared to wait years until they learned the couple were on a flight to Heathrow on June 21 last year.

The team was scrambled and the Ekweremadus were detained as they stepped off the plane with 30,000 US dollars and Naira, Mr Owen said.

They went on to arrest Sonia Ekweremadu, who was educated in the UK, and identified Obeta's address on the Old Kent Road in south London from the victim's phone.

A search of Obeta's home uncovered the victim's birth certificate and a fake High Court affidavit stating the victim and Sonia were biological cousins.

Detective Inspector Esther Richardson said it was a challenge preparing for trial with no case law to work with.

She said: 'This crime type sees rich and powerful people looking to exploit for vulnerable people for their organs.

'And we suspect that this happens across the world. Our victim was a commodity. And this was a transactional process, just like any drugs or firearms deal.

'This type of crime is facilitated by organised criminal networks.

'The tragedy of this is that it appeared that the welfare and well-being of the victim was of little or no consequence to Sonia getting a kidney.

'There was no evidence of any care plan for the victim.'

Ike Ekweremadu's wife is an academic and doctor and also a major public figure in Nigeria

She added: 'The victim himself showed tremendous courage to come forward and to give evidence against powerful people. He's an innocent, young and naive man.

'Having never been on a flight, he was petrified that the plane would fall from the sky.

'When he fled Obinna Obeta's flat in London, he slept on the streets, fearing that snakes might bite him.

'Our victim is very fearful for his safety, and that of his family back in Nigeria.

'He has no-one in the UK, no family, no friends, and he's having to start to rebuild his life from scratch.'

He is one of hundreds of modern slavery victims to be helped by a 'navigator' through the Justice and Care Programme.

With navigator support, 90 per cent of victims choose to and remain engaged with police investigations compared to just 44 per cent without.

Programme co-ordinator Julie Currie explained: 'They will have been told by their exploiters that they will not be believed, that they should fear the police and authorities or that their families will be harmed if they speak to police.

'All of these things are barriers to a victim speaking out.

'And it is the job of the navigator with the police to help break down those barriers and build up the confidence that any victim is going to need to go through the judicial process.'
A primary school student has been left with severe burns to his back after a horrific act of bullying from a teenage girl at a school parent-teacher evening.

Noah Lyle, ten, was telling a joke to the girl at Blacktown Youth College, in Western Sydney, when the 16-year-old poured a cup of boiling water down his back.

Noah was immediately given a cold shower by teachers until paramedics arrived but the boy has been left with huge burns to his lower back which are expected to take two months to heal.

His mother, Tessa Hennings, said although the incident was caught on CCTV, no charges will be laid, and the girl has been told to stay home from school.

'We were just up at the girl's high school for parent-teacher interviews,' she told Seven News. 'Next minute we heard Noah screaming.'

Noah's sister, Meredith, was the first to his aid, saying she 'lifted his shirt and realised that the skin was burning up'.

Ms Hennings claims to have confronted the teenager before contacting police to make a complaint.

'I said, ''Were you the one that hurt my child?' She's like ''no...'' just said nothing,' Ms Hennings said.

'That's when I called the police because this was wrong.'

The mother said she was told by officers the situation could be taken no further due to the Children's Criminal Act.

10-year-old Noah Clyde, and mother Tessa Hennings (both pictured), have recounted the horrifying moment a teenager poured boiling water down Noah's back

The Children's Criminal Act states that a child should not face criminal proceedings unless under specific circumstances.

One of these circumstances includes the 'violent nature of the offence'.

Police have looked into the incident and interviewed the teenager, who apologised for her actions.

'He said ''this is what I get for making friends'',' Ms Hennings said.
Joe Biden faces more pressure over illegal immigration as Colombia halted a returns deal over what it branded 'mistreatment' of asylum-seekers.

The move is yet another blow to Biden's battle against illicit border crossings with anti-migration emergency Covid powers set to expire on May 11.

More than 125,000 Colombians tried to sneak into the United States last year, according to data from the country's Customs and Border Protection agency.

There has been a surge in migrants from Colombia over the past year, with numbers expected to increase once Title 42 expires

The South American nation accuses U.S. authorities of mistreating its migrant citizens

But Migration Colombia chief Fernando Garcia said late Thursday that he had decided to suspend return flights from the U.S.

'There are recurring complaints about the poor conditions in detention centers and mistreatment during flights,' the country's top migration official said, claiming passengers had their feet and hands cuffed.

He also blamed U.S. immigration officials for grounding planes on May 1 and May 2 that had been set to return failed Colombian asylum-seekers home.

Garcia gave no indication as to when flights would re-start.

Authorities in Bogota had been set to receive some 1,200 migrants during the first week of May.

The scheme, dubbed 'mom returns', focused on booting out women, children and adolescents from the U.S. and sending them back to Colombia.

The plan saw expulsion flights to the country rise to around 20 per month, according to Migration Colombia.

Biden has vowed to use processing centers in Colombia in a bid to cut the number of illegal crossings. That plan is not thought to be at risk by the halting of returns

U.S immigration officials are trying to ramp up expulsions of illegals from the southern border before a Trump-era Covid diktat expires.

Emergency powers, known as Title 42, allow the Department of Homeland Security to remove allegedly bogus asylum-seekers without hearing their claim.

Derived from a near 80-year-old federal public health law, the Trump and Biden administration used Title 42 on the grounds of halting the spread of Covid.

The United States has struck a similar deal with Mexico that will see their neighbor take back failed migrants from Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba and Nicaragua.

But thousands of would-be immigrants have been camping out close to the southern border in the hope of illegally entering the U.S. once Title 42 disappears.

Officials expect at least 13,000 people will try to get over the border every day as soon as that legislation scrapped.

It is why several top Republicans have been demanding that the president consider an extension of the emergency law.

Some border towns, including El Paso in Texas, have already declared a state of emergency.

The administration says it will use different legal tools to try and stem the flow of people trying to cross.

Those powers, known as Title 8, will mean undocumented migrants detained inside the United States will be banned from ever coming to the country legally.

More than 2.3 million migrants tried to illegally cross into the United States across the Mexican border last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That is up from 1.7 million people in 2021 and just over 450,000 the previous year when much of the world was locked down during the coronavirus pandemic.
Is scheduling grief - booking a time to cry in private - tacky and tasteless, or mindful and self-aware? Most people live busy lives, so when the unexpected happens, like a sudden death, what's the best way to cope?

In the latest episode of Succession, Logan Roy's only daughter Shiv rushes from a bust-up with her siblings about the sale of their business to another, more urgent 'appointment'. We soon discover her PA has reserved another room for a 20-minute private period of 'scheduled' grief.

Shiv shuts the door and collapses, sobbing her heart out, only to be interrupted by her socially-inept husband Tom, who is incredulous.

Once again, the writers of this brilliant show have completely wrong-footed the viewers. We knew Shiv was pregnant, and that she was conflicted about how to handle that unplanned event on top of the sudden death of her father who had controlled her life from the moment she was born. I thought this 'appointment' was a call with her gynaecologist - and perhaps even a discussion about whether to go ahead with the inconvenient birth - but it turned out to be a simple desire to make space to grieve.

I carry a small paper diary everywhere and have done since I was 12.

JANET STREET-PORTER: Is scheduling grief - booking a time to cry in private - tacky and tasteless, or mindful and self-aware? (Pictured Shiv Roy in Succession)

Shiv shuts the door and collapses, sobbing her heart out, only to be interrupted by her socially-inept husband Tom, who is incredulous

It contains appointments for hairdressers, doctors, the theatre, suppers, meetings and details of travel. In all the decades of diarising my life down to the last detail, I've never thought to book a slot to sob.

I didn't cry at the funerals of my mum or dad, my sister or my best friends. Since the start of this year, people I really admired have died, but I have not stopped to mourn their passing. I rarely cry in public at all, and internalising the hurt and grief I've experienced throughout my life has become a way of coping, keeping calm and carrying on. Very British. Very stiff upper lip.

JANET STREET-PORTER: People who work in high pressure jobs - like I have done for much of my career - rarely make time for things which they haven't planned down to the last detail

Shiv showed me there could another (possibly better) way. That sorrow needs to be made space for and worked through, that it's not something you should be carrying around like a heavy suitcase which eventually causes physical damage. I schedule my physiotherapist and my favourite TV movies, so why not schedule time for mourning?

In the fallout from Logan Roy's totally expected death, his children have not stopped wheeling and dealing. Even though he was an old man who had suffered serious health problems, viewers and his fictional family both imagined Roy was somehow immortal. His off-camera death was the television drama moment of the year, maybe the decade. We sat at home with our mouths hanging open, incredulous.

No wonder then, that the subsequent behaviour of everyone who was connected to Logan Roy has been erratic and unstoppable. Board members making threats. Spur of the moment sackings. Threats and innuendo. Both sons - Roman and Kendall - have made impulsive decisions, acting on impulse as if movement and filling their time with actions will replace the huge loss of their father. Shiv too, has not known which way to turn - being sidelined by her brothers, without her father to offer guidance or just someone to rail against. Her husband is a useless f-wit who she can't decide whether to play with or dump.

Shiv even considers a flirtation with the tech billionaire intent on buying the family business, probably because he's dangerous and exciting, and the relationship would really unhinge her siblings. If she wasn't trying and failing to grieve properly, she wouldn't even consider such a liaison. Or even casually bonk the husband she despises.

JANET STREET-PORTER: In the fallout from Logan Roy's totally expected death, his children have not stopped wheeling and dealing

Once again, she's trying to carve out a role for herself in a bearpit of competing male egos within and outside her family.

By booking an appointment to grieve, Shiv has shown she's the only family member remotely capable of dealing with the huge change in their circumstances. The gaping hole at the centre of their daily existence. The person that manipulated her, directed her career, used and abused her in the corporate world in order to further his own ends, has gone. How can she have the strength to make her own life going forward?

People who work in high pressure jobs - like I have done for much of my career - rarely make time for things which they haven't planned down to the last detail. We want to move onwards and upwards in our careers, and for women to do that it requires huge discipline and commitment. When something tumultuous happens, like the death of a close friend or family member, we need to take time out - but rarely do. Not dealing with grief, we are storing up trouble for our mental health in the future.

On the day my sister died, from lung and brain cancer, I carried on and performed my one-women show in a theatre a long way from home, staying in a quiet country hotel. I knew her death was coming, but afterwards I just carried on working, making sure the diaries she wrote about her ghastly experiences on a mixed NHS ward were eventually published in the Daily Mail, and Ministers called to account on radio and television.

JANET STREET-PORTER: Shiv has (unexpectedly) shown us a better way to grieve. Book it in advance - but don't duck out

When Jonathan, my friend and personal trainer of ten years, died without warning in his early forties, I had to stop walking the places where we had cycled because it brought back too many memories. When my stepson Bunny died of stomach cancer aged just 11, my husband Frank went to pieces - and I had to hold things together. I couldn't cry because his grief was so great. When Frank died - shortly after a hugely enjoyable dinner together with his next wife - I was distraught. But I was running a TV channel where everything that could go wrong was happening.

I just carried on, not wanting to give the male executives who were making my life a total misery the pleasure of seeing me crack. How utterly ridiculous this seems in retrospect, this insane desire to be as macho as a bunch of middle aged, mediocre, over promoted men.

Bereavement leave might sound like a good idea, but few of us ever take it, and anyway it's not always the right time. Who would have thought that the solution might turn up in a television drama- albeit one, of the highest calibre.

Shiv has (unexpectedly) shown us a better way to grieve. Book it in advance - but don't duck out.
An SAS hero who earned global acclaim after almost single-handedly rescuing hostages from jihadi terrorists in a hotel siege is fighting a Ministry of Defence gagging order.

Though millions watched heavily-armed Chris Craighead storm the building in Kenya and lead terrified guests to safety, he has been banned from discussing it in a memoir or speaking tour.

The senior soldier is now taking legal action against the Government. Publication of his account is now on hold pending the outcome of the case.

Somali gunmen with the al-Shabaab terror group killed 21 people when they raided the DusitD2 complex in Nairobi in 2019. But the death toll would likely have been much higher had Craighead not intervened.

The Mail can reveal he is challenging the lifelong silence clause in his employment contract, which he was made to sign on joining the SAS.

Millions watched heavily-armed Chris Craighead storm the building in Kenya and lead terrified guests to safety

He has been banned from discussing it in a memoir or speaking tour

Defence officials maintain letting him recall his experiences would compromise UK national security.

Craigheads judicial review application argues the suggestion is spurious, because the incident is already a matter of public record.

His former SAS colleagues claim defence officials are dragging out the dispute in a bid to push up his costs.

Close friends said he has even seriously considered selling his Conspicuous Gallantry Cross (CGC) he earned to pay his legal bills.

For his friends in the elite regiment, who have spoken to the Mail, the MoD has betrayed a national hero.

They say their approach is merely the latest attempt by envious top brass to gain revenge.

Craighead was in Kenya with the SAS to train local forces and was relaxing off-duty when the siege happened. The soldier with the elite regiment - whose motto is Who Dares Wins - seized the initiative and headed to the scene dressed in jeans and a casual shirt.

He pulled on a camouflage flak jacket and a balaclava and stormed the building armed only with an assault rifle, Glock pistol and combat knife, leading a counter-attack in which he almost single-handedly defeated jihadis.

The senior soldier is now taking legal action against the Government

The soldier was seen in news footage escorting hostages from the hotel before sprinting back inside again.

The 19-hour siege left 21 people dead, including British charity worker Luke Potter.

However, senior officers and Foreign Office officials were apparently horrified to see him in action because he had not sought their approval.

Even though every second counted while terrorists were going from room to room executing those inside, it is alleged that they were more worried about Craigheads intervention causing embarrassment to the Kenyan government.

An SAS soldier said: Chris has had four years of this. His colleagues said fair play to him for what he did. But the hierarchy were aghast.

Theyd rather everyone sat on their hands than get stuck in. The rules on not discussing operations are there for good reason, but this incident is an exception.

Everyone knows about it, everyone knows what he did. So, whats the big deal? Truth is, theres an agenda against him.

Craigheads battle against British-establishment officialdom contrasts with the experiences of US special forces troops.

US Navy Seals who fought in Iraq and Afghanistan have authored books which subsequently became Hollywood movies.

While they have built lucrative second careers based on their exploits, Craigheads friends say he is the only person who cannot benefit from what he did.

The Kenya siege story is frequently discussed on podcasts and in YouTube videos.

Craighead has a book deal with publisher Simon and Schuster, titled One Man In.

As he was credited with saving the lives of US citizens, he subsequently met then-US president Donald Trump who thanked him for his courage.

Last night an MOD spokesman said: It would be inappropriate for the MoD to comment on ongoing litigation.
The former Marine who put homeless man Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on the NYC subway has been formally identified as Daniel J. Penny.

A Marine Corps spokesman confirmed Penny's identity to DailyMail.com.

He served in the 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, 2nd Marine Division as a sergeant in Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, but left the service in June 2021.

He had served four years and was the recipient of seven medals.

The former Marine who put homeless man Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on the NYC subway has been formally identified as Daniel J. Penny (right)

Penny was questioned by the NYPD but was released on Monday. He has not been arrested, but his attorneys tell DailyMail.com they have reached out to both the NYPD and DA Alvin Bragg's office

Penny was deployed between December 2018 and July 2019 in the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit across the Mediterranean.

He has not yet commented on the incident on Monday which has now been classified by NYC officials as a 'homicide'.

Penny was riding the F train when Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man and Michael Jackson impersonator, began throwing garbage and yelling, according to others on the train.

As the train approached Broadway Lafayette station, Penny put Neely in a chokehold to subdue him.

Some of those onboard say he had him in the chokehold for 15 minutes.

Video shows him holding him on the ground by the neck while two other male passengers also try to restrain Neely.

Neely was a Michael Jackson impersonator whose mental health deteriorated in recent years, according to his family

Neely was later taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Penny was questioned by the NYPD but was released on Monday.

On Wednesday, the NYC Medical Examiner's office announced that Neely's death was homicide by manner of pressure on the neck.

The ruling sparked protests in the city and led to furious calls for Penny to be arrested.

He has not been arrested, but his attorneys tell DailyMail.com they have reached out to both the NYPD and DA Alvin Bragg's office.

Neely's death has sparked an angry debate.

On one side, Democrats like AOC and activist groups including BLM have called his death a 'murder' and 'lynching'.

They say Penny should be prosecuted for murder.

Passengers said Neely yelled that he was ready to 'go to jail and die' and that he was 'fed up' about not having food

Neely's death sparked protests in New York City on Wednesday after the medical examiner ruled it a homicide

Others are calling him a hero for stepping in to protect himself and other passengers from an erratic straphanger.

Their support of him is wrapped up in the notorious crime and lack of police on New York City's subway.

Mayor Eric Adams, a former cop, has urged the public to be patient while awaiting the result of the DA investigation.

He slammed AOC and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander for their incendiary comments about Neely's death.

Neely's family earlier this week spoke of the deterioration of his mental health after his mother's murder in 2007.

'My sister Christie was murdered in 07 and after that, he has never been the same.

'It had a big impact on him. He developed depression and it grew and became more serious. He was schizophrenic, PTSD.

'Doctors knew his condition and he needed to be treated for that,' his aunt told The New York Post.
Bill Clinton has revealed that he knew as early as 2011 that it was 'only a matter of time' until Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine, after the warmonger made a chilling warning to the former US president.

During a tense discussion between the leaders in Davos, Switzerland, three years before Russia invaded Crimea, Putin made it apparent that he did not agree with a deal to respect Ukraine's borders.

The US-brokered agreement between Putin's predecessor, Boris Yeltsin, and Kyiv, stated that Ukrainian territory would not be infringed upon in exchange for Kyiv relinquishing its Soviet-era nuclear arsenal.

'Vladimir Putin told me in 2011  three years before he took Crimea  that he did not agree with the agreement I made with Boris Yeltsin,' the FT quoted the former US president as saying at a New York event.

'He said... 'I don't agree with it. And I do not support it. And I am not bound by it.' And I knew from that day forward it was just a matter of time.'

Former US president Bill Clinton revealed that Putin did not agree with Boris Yeltsin's deal during an event last night

Russian president Vladimir Putin meeting with the then-US president Bill Clinton in 2000

The revelation was made during a joint appearance at an investment firm talk with his wife, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which the couple used to urge for greater support of Ukraine.

Former Presidential candidate Mrs Clinton also took a swipe at Putin, who she has previously blamed for helping to undermine her election bid against former president Donald Trump.

She said Putin 'is in what he views as a righteous struggle to undermine western democracy and reinstitute, as much as he can, the Russian empire. So he's not going to stop.'

The Democrat politicians also reiterated the importance of Western support to Ukraine, saying that continuing to supply arms could help the country win the war.

A united Western response, they said, would also work to deter China from its ambitions in Taiwan in the short term - with Mrs Clinton saying that Xi Jinping had paid attention to the stand taken by the US, UK and others.

She added that she 'wouldn't trust' Putin at a negotiating table 'under any circumstances', saying the only way the war could end would be if Ukraine secured 'leverage' - either a military defeat or regaining its lost territory.

The Clintons' stark warnings come after Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, escalated tensions by claiming that the US was behind a drone strike which Russia said was launched by Kyiv to assassinate Putin.

The Kremlin mouthpiece insisted - without providing evidence - that the US was 'undoubtedly' behind the strike that he said was carried out by Ukraine.

Former Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton took a swipe at Putin, who she has previously blamed for helping to undermine her election bid against former president Donald Trump

It comes after Russia said that the US was behind a drone strike which the Kremlin claims was launched by Kyiv to assassinate Putin. Pictured during a meeting on May 3

The White House has roundly dismissed the claims as 'lies'.

'Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington,' a furious Peskov said. 'Kyiv only does what it is told to do. Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous.'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied Russia's claims Ukraine was behind the drone strike on the Kremlin and British security officials believe the attack was a 'false flag' operation by Russia to distract Kyiv from its anticipated counter-offensive and rally up support back home.

Around 40 explosive-laden drones with 'for Moscow' scrawled on them were fired by Putin's forces at cities that were miles away from the front line, with explosions heard in the capital Kyiv and southern cities of Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

While Ukraine has demonstrated the capability to launch such attacks on the Kremlin, Kyiv is considered unlikely to risk fracturing international support by targeting the dictator directly.

A Russian 'false flag' attack appeared a more likely explanation, with the explosion intended to generate support for Putin and further Russian attacks on Kyiv, UK officials said last night.
Prosecutors say that he committed the 'premeditated' attack and was linked to the scene by DNA evidence

The convicted felon served 16 months in the Red Rock Correctional Facility in Eloy before being released

A convicted felon is accused of stabbing an esthetician 15 times in the back and chest after stalking her on a hiking trail in Arizona.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com reveal that Zion William Teasley, 22, was captured on surveillance footage following Lauren Heike, 29, for some time on April 28.

Her body was discovered in an area just off the Route 11 trail, with police believing that she was 'chased through or over a barbed wire fence'.

Teasley was then caught on camera returning to the area where her body was discovered and climbing back over the fence.

A probable cause affidavit also revealed that the suspected killer had recently been fired from his job at a nearby sports store for being 'aggressive' to female employees and stealing.

Zion William Teasley, 22, appeared at Maricopa County Court after being charged with the murder of Lauren Heike, 29, on April 28

Lauren Heike, 29, was hiking the Reach 11 trail not far from her Phoenix home when she was attacked and killed. Her body was found the next day

His DNA was found on a shoe that Lauren discarded as she attempted to scale the barbed wire fence.

Police were able to track down Teasley because of a sample in their system from a prior felony conviction.

Teasley was released from prison in November after being sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to robbery with a deadly weapon, disorderly conduct and robbery in June 2020.

He has been charged with breaching his probation, as well as one count of first-degree murder  meaning he could face the death penalty if found guilty.

The convicted felon dropped out of the Marine Corps boot camp in San Diego after just four months, first entering the training in March 2019.

A Marine Corps spokesman confirmed that he had separated from the training in June 2019, and his arrest documents confirmed that he was not on active duty.

Lauren suffered 15 stab wounds to her upper body, and had defensive wounds on her hands.

Teasley was identified from surveillance footage by his probation officer, as well as his former employer.

Her boss, Brian Thorne Troon North Golf Club, where she worked as a server, said they are all saddened by Heike's death and described her as a lovely person

They told officers that he was 'recently terminated for being aggressive toward female employees' as well as stealing from the store.

Phone data also placed Teasley in the same area as Lauren before her death, moving in the same direction as the footage.

His employer also confirmed that he carried a pocket knife, which police say is consistent with the murder weapon.

When arrested by officers the suspected murderer said: 'There's no freaking way I'm here for a sex crime. I haven't been with anyone for a long time.'

The probable cause affidavit also stated that during his interview, he spoke about 'growing up as a Christian, and his internal struggle with his own sexuality.'

It added: 'Zion was concerned about the salvation of his soul due to his thoughts'.

He also identified himself as being the man in the footage, before telling officers he recognized Lauren from the news and 'wanted to look like her'.

Teasley claimed that he was 'walking to a nearby movie theatre', and admitted to officers he knew Lauren was attacked but 'struggled to admit she was murdered'.

Heike moved to Arizona from Washington, was well-liked and left a lasting impression, according to those who knew her

Footage captured by Telemundo Arizona showed officers cuffing Teasley as he was placed inside a police vehicle

When asked if he had planned to kill Lauren he said: 'I am definitely not the person who plans to kill another person. If I was going to do something like that it wouldn't be premeditated. '

During his first court appearance he was given a $1million cash bond for the violation, but was remanded into custody with no bond in relation to the murder charge.

Prosecutors told the court that there was 'photographic evidence' linking him to the crime, adding that people who knew him identified him as the person in the surveillance footage released by police.

A chilling clip showed a lone figure sprinting on the trail coming from the direction of where Lauren's body was found.

Lawyers confirmed that DNA evidence also linked him to the crime, as well as phone evidence, and 'circumstantial' evidence.

The court heard that several people he works with knew he had a knife which they say was 'consistent with the murder weapon.'

Police have not confirmed if Teasley knew Lauren, but confirmed in a court hearing that the incident was 'premeditated'

Pictures of Teasley's arrest were captured by Telemundo, with the suspect sitting on the sidewalk calmly talking to police

Prosecutors also confirmed that he was a flight risk, and had bought a plane ticket which was meant to leave for Detroit on Thursday evening.

Teasley remained silent during the ten-minute hearing, only speaking to confirm his name and date of birth.

He was accused of several counts of kidnapping, assault with a deadly weapon, robbery and burglary in the third degree.

Ten charges were dismissed after he struck a plea deal with prosecutors, with some of the more serious felonies being dropped.

Teasley served 16 months in the Red Rock Correctional Facility in Eloy before being released in November.

He was arrested at his home in Scottsdale, less than a mile from the trail where Lauren's body was found.

Heike's mother tearfully said: 'As hard as this is for us, we're grateful because we had such a beautiful child. We will love her every minute that we are on this Earth'

A reward of up to $2,000 was offered for any information related to the case

Heike's parents Lana and Jeff tearfully said they just want justice for their daughter

Speaking before his court appearance, Sergeant Melissa Soliz said: 'Detectives are serving a search warrant at the man's apartment and he was taken into custody this evening at around 6.30pm.

'Right now, he is the person that we believe to be responsible or in connection to the murder of Lauren Heike.

'This is going to take a while for our detectives to sift through all this evidence, process it, collect it and hope to have some more answers later.

'With this man taken into custody, I can tell you that he is the same person that was shown on the video clip that we shared with you all a few days ago.

'With this information we hope that the community tonight can rest a little easier knowing that this person is off the streets.'

Lauren had previously worked as an esthetician for Admire Medical Aesthetics in Washington before moving to Arizona.

Teasley's charge comes a day after Lauren's father, Jeff Heike, paid tribute to his daughter saying: 'She was my little girl. I'm really going to miss her.
LOBAMBA  Members of the African United Democratic Party (AUDP) were barred from making submissions to a Parliament committee because they presented themselves as a political party.

The members of the political party had intentions to make submissions on the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Voters Registration (Amendment) Bill, 2023 but their intentions did not yield fruit, owing to their desire to make submissions as a party, not as individuals. Section 25 (1) (2) of the Constitution, which the political party Secretary General (SG), Sibusiso Dlamini highlighted, depicts that a person has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

Hindered

A person shall not, except with the free consent of that person, be hindered in the enjoyment of the freedom of peaceful assembly and association, that is to say, the right to assemble peacefully and associate freely with other persons for the promotion or protection of the interests of that person, reads the Section. The members of the party were advised that constitutionally, political parties were not recognised in the country, hence it would procedurally be unacceptable for them to make submissions while under the umbrella of an institution that was not recognised.

Coincidentally, the political party members made their way into Parliament with former Secretary to Cabinet Mbuso Dlamini, who was in his individual capacity with the intention to make submissions on the two Bills piloted by the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. All persons were given the chance to introduce themselves by the Chairman of the Ministrys Portfolio Committee and Kwaluseni Member of Parliament (MP) Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini.

The SG introduced his team as members of the AUDP. something that the chairman said was not in accordance with Parliament procedures when one wished to make submissions on a Bill. This was when the SG of the party argued that political parties were recognised by the supreme law of the country, and there was no provision of the Constitution that was banning the existence of the political parties.

He also asserted that to his knowledge, government required that political parties be registered entities. However, his argument did not appease the legislator, who argued that the only way they could be allowed to make submissions in Parliament was when they did so as individuals, not as a political party. MP Dlamini maintained that political parties were constitutionally not recognised in the country.

As I sit on this chair, I am empowered by the Constitution and I follow its dictates while executing my duties. It is the supreme law of the country that depicts that political parties do not exist in the country and as such, I kindly request that you follow what I am requesting from you, submitted the legislator.

Submissions

Prior to that, EBC Legal Officer Lungile Magagula also shared advice, stating that it would be a good thing if the political party members made their submissions as individuals to avoid any conflicts with the Constitution.

The SG insisted that the Constitution was not against political parties in the country.

Sithobelweni MP Bhekitje Dlamini later intervened and called the SG to order for referring to MPs as bekunene, which he said was not procedural in Parliament. The members of the party should have it at the back of their minds that they have come to Parliament to make submissions before parliamentarians and they should address us in a proper way, he said.

The MP then proceeded to say that as much as they made their entrance with the former secretary to Cabinet, they were not together as he had come as an individual and he then suggested that since he was the first to step into Parliament, he should be allowed to make his submissions and the members of the political party be excused.

The MPs, together with the representatives of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), then engaged in a 15-minute caucus after Dlamini had made his submissions.

They later recalled everyone back into the House. The chairman of the committee, again, relayed to the members of the political party that the only option on the table for them to make submissions was when they did so as individuals not members of a political party. When the AUDP SG persisted, the Kwaluseni MP also insisted that Parliament would not hear anything from them if they maintained that they would make submissions as a political party.

Individuals

Take your status of AUDP and leave it by the gate and soon after you make your submissions as individuals, then you will recommence with your status. Whatever you wish to submit here, do it as individuals because the term political party does not exist in this House, he submitted. The legislator also advised the members of the political party not to digress from the business of the day, which was to make amendments on the two Bills. The reminder came after the SG spoke about making amendments to the Constitution.

MP Princess Phumelele intervened on the matter, just when the members of the political party were seemingly ready to conform to the advices given by the chairman of the committee. She wondered what difference it would make for the political party members to make submissions as individuals if they had initially caucused on the submissions as a unit under the umbrella of the political party.

They crafted the document as a unit and if they are going to share the ideas among each other now to present them as individuals, what difference is it going to make? she wondered. Dlamini suggested that the political party members should furnish the MPs with proof that indeed they were a fully-registered political party and that was the only way they could be allowed to make their submissions as a political party rather than individuals.

Withdrew

The chairman of the committee then withdrew the offer for the political party members to make their submissions as individuals and suggested that they should go back to the beginning and register with the clerk to Parliament as individuals not as a political party. He shared that the committee would be in Parliament today and they would be ready to hear their submissions, on condition that they did not come to the House as a political party but as individuals.

The meeting was then adjourned but the SG did not make any commitment that the AUDP members would do as advised. The displeased SG had his document containing the submissions rejected by the chairman of the committee, who shared that he would not accept it because it was labelled African United Democratic Party. I would have gladly accepted it if it was labelled an individual, not the name of the political party because that would be against Parliament procedures, MP Mabhanisi said.
Few details have been released about the nature of his medical complication

Jamie Foxx's condition has reportedly 'not changed' three weeks after the star was rushed to hospital after suffering a medical emergency.

Sources told Page Six on Friday that 'nothing had changed' and the actor was 'still in the same condition', after his health scare last month.

It comes days after Foxx, 55, appeared to break his silence by posting on social media.

In an Instagram post on Wednesday, his profile said: 'Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed' followed by praying hands, heart and fox emojis.'

It's unclear if Foxx himself made the post. No further details on his condition have been shared, leading to speculation about how serious his illness is.

Foxx was filming the action-comedy Back In Action with Cameron Diaz in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was admitted to hospital.

The Oscar-winning actor, 55, took to Instagram on Wednesday saying he was 'feeling blessed'

Jamie Foxx broke his silence on Wednesday after suffering a medical emergency three weeks ago which caused him to be hospitalized

Foxx, born Eric Bishop, is currently at a medical facility in the state undergoing tests.

The Oscar winner's account also gave a shout-out on Instagram to friend Nick Cannon who has filled in hosting duties for him on popular game show Beat Shazam.

Jamie's daughter Corinne Foxx, 29, serves as DJ on the program but will also take leave to aid in her famous father's recovery.

Resharing a post from Corinne about Nick taking over the presenting mantle, Foxx wrote on his stories: 'Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon, see you all soon'.

Celebrities including AJ McLean, Ludacris and DJ Khaled sent messages of support in response to Foxx's Instagram post.

Sources close to the comedian recently told TMZ he 'needs all the prayers and well-wishes his fans can muster'.

'He's OK, thank God,' the source said. 'He's still in the hospital and doctors are running tests but he's awake and alert. They're keeping him under observation.'

The star also gave a shout-out to friend Nick Cannon who has filled in hosting duties for him on popular game show Beat Shazam

Fans were initially alerted about the health scare when his daughter Corinne shared a grave statement on social media on April 12.

The 29-year-old actress wrote, 'We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday.

'Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery,' she continued.

'We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time,' the statement concluded.

Since then, the family has shared limited details, and it's unclear what symptoms the comedian may have been suffering from.

Grave: Foxx's daughter Corinne initially alerted fans about the health scare in a statement

Foxx and Cameron Diaz are pictured filming Back In Action on March 22 - weeks before the actor was hospitalized

Corinne Foxx has taken leave from her role as a DJ on popular game show Beat Shazam

It comes after Kevin Hart gave a positive update on Foxx's condition during Tuesday's episode of the Impaulsive Podcast.

Hart, 43, explained to host Logan Paul: 'I'm very fortunate to have the relationship that I have with Jamie and to be able to just check on him and stuff like that.'

The comedian added that Foxx's family was continuing to be 'tight and for reasons just about where he is, because Jamie's always been a private person to a certain degree.'

He stated that the outpouring of love has been a major influence in Foxx's recovery.

'The dope thing is that he's getting better in his situation, and you know, everybody's prayers, everybody's love, energy. All that stuff is seen and felt.'

'So in this case, man, you know, you just want the guy to get out of the situations and then get back home,' the Die Hart star continued.

'You know, I don't know the details, or the exact details to what's going on, but to my knowledge is there's a lot of progression and a world of better, man.'

Update: Kevin Hart, 43, gave a positive Jamie Foxx, 55, health update and revealed that 'there's a lot of progression'; seen in 2013

Filling in: Foxx reposted the statement from FOX that announced Nick Cannon was filling in on his Instagram stories, and typed, 'Appreciate ya my boy @nickcannon. See u all soon'; the actor seen in March

Cameron Diaz has continued to shoot scenes for Back In Action with a body double

Earlier this week Cameron Diaz was spotted with her husband Benji Madden and daughter Raddix in New York.

Diaz has continued to shoot scenes for Back In Action without Foxx and with a body double.

The film has been marketed as the return to acting for Diaz, whom he helped to lure out of retirement.

The movie has reportedly suffered from a string of other setbacks - including Foxx having an 'absolute meltdown' while shooting in the UK.

He allegedly booted an executive producer from the project, along with two directors and even his own driver.

There has been no word yet on when he will be able to leave the hospital or get back to filming.
Shoppers at Waitrose are complaining they have to negotiate cold and dimly lit aisles after the retailer made cuts to its energy use.

The chains stores have moved to a system of half-lighting for the first two hours that the doors open from Monday through to Friday.

At the same time the supermarket, which is part of the John Lewis group, has turned down the thermostat on the heating in its outlets, sending a chill through shoppers.

John Lewis has turned down the heating in its department stores over recent months, although there have been no changes to the lights.

Other stores, such as Morrisons and the Co-op, are taking similar steps in a move designed to cut energy use and bills against the background of spiraling tariffs.

Waitrose stores have moved to a system of half-lighting for the first two hours that the doors open from Monday through to Friday

Customers have taken to social media to express their frustration about the changes

Waitrose has explained why it has made the changes to its stores

Currys has reduced the number of TVs on display that are switched on in order to make savings.

While other businesses and public organisations have resorted to the same desperate measures, not least because many staff now work from home.

Many businesses are switching to low energy LED lights which both use less energy and have a longer life.

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Customers are unhappy at the changes with some complaining they could even be dangerous.

Francine Monks, of Beckenham, South East London, told Waitrose: My 78-year-old frail husband had to sit at the other end of the shop because he felt so unwell in the cold.

My hands were frozen! Please provide some heat.

A customer complained about conditions in the Milngavie store in Glasgow, saying: What is going in in this store?

Yesterday I had the misfortune to visit the store and could not believe how cold and dark it was inside! I am noticing it is very chilly in your store compared to other supermarkets. Why is this so?

A customer in Horsham, West Sussex, added: Wont be going again any time soon. A company with a death wish?

Another customer tweeted from a dark in-store cafe and said: This energy saving policy is doing damage to your reputation and your cafe business.

Dont open the cafe and sell goods until 10am if you dont switch the lights on till then.

Waitrose warned in December that it faced an 18million energy cost overspend.

The chain suggested at least part of the reason for the changes is to cut energy use as a green policy to reduce climate change emissions.

A spokesman insisted that the description of the policy as half-lighting does not mean that half the lights are turned down, but rather that they are dimmed slightly.

On the reduced temperatures, he said: The thermostat has just been turned down slightly - though naturally the weather is getting warmer, so its even less likely to be noticeable.

He added: Saving energy reduces our environmental impact and helps focus our investment on areas that matter for customers - like product innovation and lowering prices.

The changes have widely been well received; with the very small number of comments weve had typically linked to localised issues - like a temporary heating failure - rather than our wider energy-saving plans.
The brazen crimes of a California woman who shamelessly faked cancer for seven years - and even shaved her head for the cause - to swindle more than $100,000 from unsuspecting donors are being laid bare in a new podcast.

Amanda Christine Riley, 37, was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2022 after she scammed donors out of $105,513 to help her pay for fake cancer treatments.

The new podcast, Scamanda, by Lionsgate Sound which premieres on May 15, tells the story of how an anonymous tip to an investigative producer let to Riley's trail of lies being uncovered.

Scamanda, which is hosted by journalist Charlie Webster, also explores how the unbelieveable tale left the community of San Jose in shock.

'We are always searching for unique stories, and the wild tale behind Amanda Riley's crimes fit the bill,' said Webster, host and creative director at Lionsgate Sound.

'The psychology of what this woman did to manipulate and infiltrate her community using the power of social media is fascinating and I know listeners will be enthralled by what unfolds in the series.'

Riley's scheme started in October 2012 when she launched a blog, titled Lymphoma Can Suck It, which detailed her harrowing tale of dealing with cancer to solicit donations to cover her medical expenses.

Amanda Christine Riley, 37, was sentenced to five years in prison in May 2022 after she scammed donors out of $105,513 to help her pay for fake cancer treatments

In a Lionsgate podcast, Scamanda , which premieres May 15, the young woman's crime will be laid bare in eight episodes that will drop weekly. Riley started a blog in October 2012, detailing her harrowing tale of dealing with Hodgkin's lymphoma to try and solicit donations to cover her medical expenses

She even created a social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter documenting her fake battle with cancer, and shaved her head to keep the ruse going, according to the United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California.

As the donations rolled in, the then-Bay Area resident wasn't using the good-faith money to pay hospital bills, but instead deposited it into her personal bank accounts used it to pay for living expenses.

Her scheme was ultimately discovered by the Internal Revenue Service in 2019 and she was charged with one count of wire fraud in July 2020, which she pleaded guilty to in October 2021.

Riley shared photos of herself with captions claiming she was taking cancer drugs and receiving treatment.

She went so far as to shave her head to make it appear as if she lost her hair during chemotherapy and even falsified medical records with forged doctors' letters and medical certificates.

As the donations rolled in, the then-Bay Area resident wasn't using the good-faith money to pay hospital bills, but instead deposited it into her personal bank accounts and was used to pay for living expenses. Her scheme was ultimately discovered by the Internal Revenue Service in 2019 and she was charged with one count of wire fraud in July 2020

Her blog also linked to a support page, which included false information about her fake 'battle with cancer.'

The description reads that Riley was initially diagnosed with cancer in June 2012 and had a brief remission the following year before the lymphoma returned 'with a vengeance' as a Stage-4 metastatic cancer, requiring several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment at various hospitals around the country, including Johns Hopkins Hospital.

The now-defunct page featured a clickable 'donate now' icon for visitors to donate money online, and encouraged them to make contributions to 'support Amanda' and help her 'battle with cancer.'

Riley also received money from donors via checks that were deposited into her personal bank account from her friends, family and members of her church.

Other donations came from a Facebook challenge, CrossFit fundraiser, Christmas ornament sale, quilt raffle, Chilis Grill & Bar fundraiser, calendar sales and eBay auctions of various items, including an electric guitar autographed by country music stars John Michael Montgomery and LeAnn Rimes.

Riley even went as far as to convince family members, as well as the general public, to believe she really was sick

It has since been revealed that Riley had convinced her family members that she had cancer, and went as far as to sue one person who questioned her diagnosis.

But in reality, Riley has never had Hodgkins lymphoma or any other type of cancer.

'When people donated to Riley over the internet or at in-person fundraisers, they believed their donations would be used to pay Rileys cancer-related expenses,' according to the U.S. attorney's statement.

'In fact, Riley had no cancer-related expenses, and donors funds were simply deposited into Rileys personal bank account.'

She ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges - acknowledging that between September 2012 and January 2019, she raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars by falsely claiming she battled Hodgkins lymphoma and soliciting donations on social media.

She lost her job as principal of Pac Point Christian Academy in Gilroy, and before being sentenced to prison, she and her husband, Cory, moved with their two sons to Texas.

Ahead of her sentencing, court documents obtained by DailyMail.com, showed her attorneys arguing that she only face five years in prison.

'Ms. Riley recognizes the seriousness of her offense,' Jodi Linker, a public defender wrote to the judge, noting: 'She is extremely remorseful and is determined to do everything possible both to make restitution and to earn the forgiveness of the people she has hurt.'

The public defender went on to note that Riley 'is a devoted wife and mother, and, before her actions ended her career, she was a gifted teacher.'

Linker also insinuated in the sentencing memorandum that Riley had mental health issues, writing: 'On the surface, Ms. Riley's upbringing appears to have been relatively stable.

'Her parents fought often and sometimes imposed harsh punishments on the children, but her basic needs were met, and while she did not have many friends growing up, she was an excellent student who participated in extracurricular activities.

'As a teenager, however, Ms. Riley experienced a series of traumatic events, the impact of which went unacknowledged and unaddressed for many years.'

Any details of the 'traumatic events' were redacted from the document.
A Brazilian man who sought to lighten his mood after a divorce and attempted a pendulum jump is fortunate to be alive after the rope snapped and sent him crashing into the shallow end of a pond.

Rafael Tostas, 22, had joked with a cousin and childhood friend that he was looking to alleviate the sorrow that came with the end of his marriage when they accompanied him to a popular tourist spot in Campo Magro, Curitiba, on February 11.

Two days before the jump he was scolded by his mother when he opened up about the daredevil jump.

What he wasnt aware of was that the pendulum jump, pretty identical to bungee jumping, would almost cost him his life.

Rafael Tostas suffered fractures to his face, neck, back and lumbar following an accident while pendulum jumping in Brazil. The 22-year-old attempted the jump, similar to bungee jumping, and crashed into a pond after the harness he was strapped to broke

Still image of 22-year-old Brazilian Rafael Tostas after he dove off a platform during a pendulum jump attempt that nearly left him dead

Footage filmed by a friend shows Tostas, who was three days away from turning 22, diving off the platform as two men looked on before the safety harness snapped midair.

After the divorce I wanted to enjoy it in every way, Tostas told Brazilian outlet G1. I was doing a lot of crazy things. I wasnt valuing my life at all.

The young man was airlifted to a local hospital where he doctors found fractures to his face, neck, back and lumbar. However, the lumbar fracture did not extend to his spinal cord area.

Tostas recalled watching several other people jumping without any issues before it was his turn to. Moments before his leap, he was joking that the rope was not sturdy enough to withstand is weight.

Two individuals stop their canoe moments after Rafael Tostas crashed into a pond in Campo Magro, Curitiba

Rafael Tostas fractured his face, neck, back and lumbar and has spent the last three months going to physiotherapy sessions. He said the accident had left him with pain and weakness throughout his body

Tostas says surviving the accident provided him a new outlook in life. "You start to see life and everything. Not that I didnt care before, but I didnt look at it with that look," he said. "My life will never be the same. I dont want to be that Rafael I was before"

He remembered opening his eyes and being surrounded by strangers who advised him not to move.

He attempted to get on his feet but felt a very strong pain.

Tostas has spent the last three months attending physiotherapy sessions. The accident has caused lingering problems such as lifting heavy objects and left him with pain and weakness in different parts of his body.

The near-death experience has given Tostas a new outlook on life going forward.

You start to see life and everything. Not that I didnt care before, but I didnt look at it with that look, he explained. My life will never be the same. I dont want to be that Rafael I was before.
Buckingham Palace has released a map of inside Westminster Abbey - showing where the King will be crowned tomorrow.

The graphic is mapped onto an image looking across the royal church - with the Coronation Chair sitting ready for the big moment.

Tomorrow, Charles III will be crowned as the UK's reigning monarch as huge crowds flock to London to witness the historic moment.

With the Coronation Chair at its centrepiece, the scene will also feature the Stone of Destiny, the Throne Chairs, the Chairs of Estate and the Cosmati Pavement.

The Coronation Chair - which has been at the heart of the ceremony for over 700 years - is where the King will sit to be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The graphic is mapped onto an image looking across the royal church - with the Coronation Chair sitting ready for the big moment

Tomorrow, Charles III will be crowned as the UK's reigning monarch as huge crowds flock to London to witness the historic moment

Britain is busy preparing for the historic moment - with a worker (pictured) painting the railings at Westminster Abbey so they look fresh for the big day

While seated, he will also recieve the regalia - the Crown Jewels - and be crowned.

Normally kept safely in the Tower of London, they are sacred and secular objects symbolising the responsabilities the monarch must uphold.

Made of oak and originally covered in gold leaf with elaborate decorations of coloured glass, the throne is considered an unparalleled surviving example of medieval art  although its back is scarred with graffiti from the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Stone of Destiny sits beneath the chair - which was specially designed to hold the sacred rock.

It was specially transported under tight security from Scotland last week.

Also known as the Stone of Scone, it is an ancient symbol of Scotland's monarchy which has been used for centuries to inaugurate kings.

Its earliest origins unknown, it was said to be used by the biblical Jacob as a pillow and later kept in King Solomon's temple.

It was brought to England from Scotland on the orders of King Edward I in 1296.

It has been stored in the Great Hall of Edinburgh Castle since 1996 - but back in 1296, King Edward I of England seized the stone from the Scots, and had it built into a new throne at Westminster.

The Coronation Chair - which has been at the heart of the ceremony for over 700 years - is where the King will sit to be anointed by the Archbishop of Canterbury

The Coronation chair at Westminster Abbey in London, pictured in 1953 at the late Queen Elizabeth II's crowning

Queen Victoria depicted sitting in the famed Coronation chair in Westminster Abbey during her enthronement in 1837

The stone is more fragile than it appears, thanks to the fact that it was dropped when it was stolen from Westminster Abbey on Christmas Day in 1950 and had to be repaired.

It was taken in a daring raid by Scottish nationalists Ian Hamilton, Gavin Vernon, Kay Matheson and Alan Stuart.

Unprepared for its hefty weight, the group dropped it during the theft and it split in two.

Amid a huge manhunt that led to the closure of the England-Scotland border, the two parts were spirited back north separately before being repaired.

The police tracked the gang down when they discovered that Mr Hamilton had taken out books about the Stone and Westminster Abbey from Glasgow Mitchell Library.

In September, spoon bender Uri Geller urged Scotland to return the Coronation Chair - saying the relic would give his reign 'positive power'.

The Chairs of Estate will be positioned to the south side of the High Altar, and will be the focus of most of the Coronation's action.

The stone will be placed in the 700-year-old Coronation Chair for the enthronement of Charles. Above: The Stone of Destiny is seen under King Edward I's Coronation Chair in 1996, shortly before it returned to Scotland

The Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone, can be seen here during a welcome ceremony at Westminster Abbey ahead of Charles' coronation

The Daily Mail's original coverage of the theft of the stone reported how the border between Scotland and England was closed for the first time in 400 years

They will also be where the Queen Consort, Camilla, is crowned.

The King and Queen decided to use existing chairs held by the Royal Collection as the Chairs of Estate, which were made in 1953 by the London firm White, Allom and Company for the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

One was used by the Queen during the ceremony, with a matching companion chair later made for the late Duke of Edinburgh.

Made from carved and gilded beechwood in 17th century style, they bore the cyphers of Elizabeth and Philip, as well as the national emblems of a rose, thistle and shamrock.

Conservators have cleaned and restored the seats to the same pattern in which they were originally upholstered. However, the cyphers of the King and Queen Consort have replaced those of Elizabeth and Philip, which will be kept in the Royal Collection.

The new cyphers have been hand-embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework using cloth of gold and matching metallic thread, but the original braid and trimmings have been reused.

The King and Queen's Throne Chairs - which are also known as the Chairs of State - sit behind the Coronation Chair.

Here, the King will recieve homage from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Prince of Wales.

A member of the Royal Household works on the Chair of Estate for the Queen Consort at Frogmore Workshops in Windsor, Berkshire

They were first used by King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, in 1937.

The King has recycled the original royal coats of arms that were on the front and back of the chair for King George VI in a touching nod to his grandfather.

The Queen Consort has an identical chair, used by Queen Elizabeth, but her own coats of arms have replaced those of the Queen Mother.

Caroline de Guitaut, of the Kings Works of Art at the Royal Collection Trust, praised the Kings incredibly efficient and sustainable way of doing things.

Alongside the famous seats, the King has commissioned 100 chairs using sustainable British oak for members of the Royal Family and VIP guests, as well as ordinary members of the congregation.

In a first, these chairs will be auctioned off later this year for several charities close to Their Majesties hearts including ones supporting the homeless and victims of domestic violence.

And the ceremony will take place on the stunning Cosmati Pavement - which was laid in 1258 by order of Henry III - who is entombed in Westminster Abbey.

The elaborate mosaic inspired elements of the design for the King's Anointing Screen.

Buckingham Palace is 'confident' that King Charles's coronation will 'go to plan' on the historic day despite claims of 'chaos' and 'massive headaches' behind the scenes, an insider has insisted

The Cosmati pavement, located before the altar at Westminster Abbey, inspired elements of the design for the King's Anointing Screen

The specially commissioned an ornate, three-sided screen will offer more privacy for his moment of solemnity than any sovereign before him.

Depicting a tree with 56 leaves representing the Commonwealth nations, the hand-sewn design on the front of the screen bears the Kings cypher at the base of the trunk showing the sovereign as a servant of the family of nations.

King Charles III will be crowned in a silk garment called a Stole Royal in a ritual dating back to medieval times.

As is tradition, the golden stole has been created for the occasion by an ancient fraternity of craftsmen known as The Worshipful Company of Girdlers who presented it as a gift.

The ornately crafted stole, derived from an ancient Greek word meaning scarf, is traditionally decorated in jewels and pearls.

The garment, which is also known as the Coronation Stole, is draped around the monarchs shoulders during the investiture part of the coronation ceremony.

The stole is a long narrow embroidered band of gold silk which, like other coronation robes, relates to priestly vestments.

King Charles today met with well-wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace

A woman wears a a royal themed hat out as she camps out at The Mall - hoping for a good spot on the big day

The link to priest-like robes is a reminder of the divine nature of kingship and was first introduced at the coronation of King Edgar in Bath Abbey on Whitsunday in 973 AD.

The sovereign is invested with the stole following the anointing ceremony, the most sacred part of the service, which emphasises the spiritual role of the monarch.

The new stole forms part of the glittering traditional regalia the monarch wears at coronations - most of which will be historic items from the Royal Collection.

Girdlers were traditionally tasked with making ornate gold silk girdles or sword belts for monarchs at coronations.

The King has chosen to wear the sword belt supplied by the Worshipful Company of Girdlers for the coronation of his grandfather, King George VI in 1937.

During the coronation, Prince William will enter the theatre to bring the stole to the King along with the Royal Robe and help to clothe him.

The garments represent what the sovereign has been given by God and the Archbishop of Canterbury says: Receive this Robe. May the Lord clothe you with the robe of righteousness, and with the garments of salvation.

It is followed by the Archbishop of Canterbury handing the king the orb, ring, glove, sceptre and the rod before the crowning.

The Stole Royal is removed, with other garments, before the procession from Westminster Abbey for which the King will don the Imperial Robe.

The new stole bears significant Christian iconography, including the gridirons of St Lawrence - the patron saint of the Girdlers.

It also includes palm branches. - a symbol of martyrdom and a reminder of the humble entry of Jesus as a servant king into Jerusalem.

The girdlers - one of more than 100 livery companies of the City of London - joined together for religious observance and mutual assistance long before they received formal recognition he secrets, standards and conditions of their craft.

It also enabled the craftsmen who made girdles or belts to closely guard the secrets, standards and conditions of their trade.

Girdles were often ornate and worn outside the tunic or gown.

They would simply gather in the garment or could be used to suspend a wallet, purse or side-arms.

The craft was an important one from medieval times until the end of the sixteenth century when it rapidly declined.

They were granted the right to regulate their trade in the City from 1327 and obtained a Royal Charter in 1449.

The charter was granted to The Master and Guardians of the Mystery of Girdlers in the City of London in the reign of Henry VI.

On its website the company tells how it received a grant of Arms in 1454, embodying three gridirons, or girdle-irons.

It said: The crest is a figure of St Lawrence the Martyr, who was literally grilled by being burned to death on a girdle-iron.

Because of this punning allusion, St Lawrence is the patron saint of the Girdlers, and the Company has ancient connections with the church of St Lawrence Jewry-next-Guildhall.

Members of the Company used to wear a distinguishing livery - a gown and coloured hood, believed to have been of blue and gold.

The company has developed into a property-owning organisation concerned with the fellowship f its members and with charitable works.

While they are now not involved in the trade the company maintains the tradition which last saw them present the Stole Royal and sword belt for the coronation of the late Queen in 1953.

Its website says: The Company no longer practises its craft - though it has the honour of presenting the girdle and stole worn by the sovereign at his or her coronation.
Disgraced Canadian fashion mogul Peter Nygard must pay $203 million to billionaire hedge fund manager Louis Bacon following a bitter, years-long defamation case which has concluded in New York.

Nygard, 81, was ordered to make the record payment after 'an all out effort... to destroy Bacon' which included false claims he was a KKK member who was guilty of insider trading, a ruling said.

He spent a staggering $15 million to spread the highly damaging claims about Bacon 'out of hatred, ill-will, spite, and malice', wrote Layn Phillips, the supreme court-appointed special referee in the case.

Nygard is currently being held in a Canadian prison facing charges which include trafficking underage girls for sex. He faces extradition to the United States over the allegedly decades-long scheme, which he denies.

His false assertions about Bacon include that he was 'a member of the Ku Klux Klan and believer in white supremacy'. He also claimed Bacon was guilty of insider trading and was implicated in the death of an employee at his Bahamas property.

Peter Nygard (right) has been ordered to pay billionaire hedge fund manager Louis Bacon (left) $203 million after a bitter defamation battle in New York

The pair own neighboring properties in the Bahamas and their feud was reportedly triggered by a dispute over a shared driveway

The defamation ruling, handed down on Thursday and seen by DailyMail.com, added: 'Any one of these would have been a significant assault on his character; the combination of all four depicted him as an evildoer of the highest order.

'The effects were compounded by the almost decade-long duration of the smears and the global and multi-media distribution they were given-which included at one point a rally in the Bahamas at which participants wore t-shirts and held signs proclaiming [Bacon's] alleged racism.'

The payout, a record for a defamation case in New York state, follows a spat between Nygard and Bacon which has rumbled on for more than a decade.

The pair own neighboring properties on the paradise isle of New Providence in the Bahamas - and their feud reportedly began over a shared driveway.

They also clashed over loud parties thrown by Nygard at his property in Lyford Cay, an exclusive private gated community. A conservation group which Bacon co-founded, Save The Bays, also successfully opposed plans by Nygard to develop his property.

Nygard has since faced claims he ordered hitmen to kill Bacon and also orchestrated a campaign of harassment that included plotting a firebomb attack against a pastor linked to Bacon.

In his ruling, Phillips said 'the overwhelming nature of the evidence' against Nygard in the defamation case 'was truly stunning'.

But it's possible Bacon won't receive anything close to the $203 million he was awarded because Nygard's businesses are in bankruptcy. He was arrested in December 2020 and also faces a charge of racketeering.

Bacon was awarded the damages after Nygard was found to have caused 'loss of standing and reputation, personal humiliation, mental anguish, and the loss of community and use and enjoyment of his property in the Bahamas'.

Louis Bacon (L) and Gabrielle Bacon the 2013 National Audubon Society Gala Dinner on January 17, 2013 in New York

Nygard, pictured at a Los Angeles gala in 2014, is currently being held in a Canadian prison on charges which include trafficking underage girls for sex. He faces extradition to the United States to over the allegedly decades-long scheme, which he denies

Nygard is known for his garish displays of wealth, while Bacon keeps a lower profile. Pictured: Nygard's Mayan-themed home in the Bahamas

Bacon, who is worth $1.6 billion according to Forbes, made his fortune as a hedge fund manager and is the founder of Moore Capital Management.

Unlike Nygard, who was known for his garish displays of wealth, Bacon keeps a low profile and has committed a portion of his fortune to conservation.

The ruling detailed how Bacon was concerned 'whenever he met someone' whether they were aware of the fake claims.

'The evidence showed that [Bacon] was humiliated by the false accusations; that his children faced unpleasant questions at school and were afraid to sleep in their beds; and that [Bacon] cut back over the years on normal activities that gave him pleasure, such as attending charitable events and visiting his home in the Bahamas, lest he be forced to deal with the lingering allegations.'

The compensation was broken down as $50 million in compensatory damages, $10.3 million in mitigation damages, $100 million in punitive damages and $43.4 million to cover Bacon's attorneys' fees.
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris snuck out of the White House Friday and made a surprise trip to a D.C. taco shop to mark Cinco de Mayo.

The president and vice president motorcaded to the Northeast D.C. location of Taqueria Habanero around lunchtime Friday and ordered some carry-out Mexican food.

The liberal residents of Washington cheered Biden's arrival.

'We love you Biden!' an onlooker said. 'We love you Joe!' another shouted.

They ordered a chicken quesadilla, churros and an assortment of tacos to share with White House staff.

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris arrive to pick up a to-go order of tacos, a quesadilla and churros at Taqueria Habanero in Northeast Washington, D.C.

The president and vice president walk away with their bags of tacos. The two took an unscheduled trip to mark Cinco de Mayo

Unlike former President Donald Trump, who only ate at the restaurant at his D.C. hotel during his four years in office, both Biden and Harris have tried to occassionally be seen out on the town.

Last Cinco de Mayo, Biden and Harris went to Taqueria Las Gemelas, a Mexican spot in D.C.'s Union Market district.

The two have also both gone to Le Diplomate, restauranteur Stephen Starr's sceney French spot on 14th Street.

Earlier this week, Harris bought records at the black-owned HR Records in D.C.'s Brightwood neighborhood. She purchased Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong's Porgy and Bess 1959 studio album, Charles Mingus 1972 Let My Children Hear Music and Roy Ayers' 1976 album Everybody Loves the Sunshine, Washingtonian reported.

In February, several days after Valentine's Day, the president took the first lady to the Red Hen, an award-winning pasta spot.

Biden and Harris pose for a selfie with one of the workers at Taqueria Habanero

Biden grins as he walks away with bags stuffed with tacos as he and Harris made an unscheduled stop to pick up Mexican food to mark Cinco de Mayo on Friday

Both the president and vice president tweeted about their trip to the taco joint, with Biden including a picture of the duo riding in the motorcade

That restaurant has made political headlines in the past, but by accident.

When the owner of a similarly named Red Hen restaurant in Lexington, Virginia kicked then Trump press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders out in 2018, the D.C. one was bombarded with death threats and negative Yelp reviews.

In January, the president and vice president didn't leave the White House, but received a delivery order from Ghostburger, which after launching in a so-called 'ghost kitchen,' the kitchen another restaurant uses, has its own location now in Shaw.

And in December, when French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were in town for a state dinner, the Bidens took them out to the classic Georgetown seafood spot Fiola Mare.

Biden had previously dined at the Fiola Mare in October 2021 - and was criticized for walking through the restaurant sans face mask.

Just days after his swearing-in, Biden's motorcade pulled up to Call Your Mother's Georgetown location after the president attended church.

Son Hunter had called in for the first family's bagle order, with the Secret Service picking up the food.

The fast-growing 'Jew-ish' deli chain has an administration connection then and now.

One of the investors is White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, who previously was Biden's Coronavirus Response Coordinator.
U.S. officials bussed away migrants and inflated staffing levels during VIP visits to mask the chaos on the southwest border, a bombshell report has claimed.

The revelations came in a damning probe into the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) handling of the migration crisis.

They also follow repeated calls from Republicans to renew a Trump-era Covid diktat that allows the U.S. to boot out illegals more easily.

The report by a top government accountability watchdog grilled more than 9,000 border officials who painted a bleak picture of how authorities are coping.

The bombshell probe said U.S. border agencies are unable to cope with the surge in migrants ahead of the scrapping of Title 42 on May 11

The report found that morale is low amongst U.S. border agents who are struggling to cope with the huge rise in numbers.

The government's top oversight watchdog warned that many staff will quit or retire unless changes are made soon

They told the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said that a VIP visit to frontier posts would see bosses orchestrate a cover-up.

Top management 'would transport migrants out of the facility before a visit and return them after the visit ended', the report said.

One source said he was asked to take would-be asylum-seekers away 'and make this place look fit and proper to code.'

Border agents, speaking off the record, also claimed that senior managers would 'require more staff to work, creating the impression that they are sufficiently staffed.'

They said visitors 'are not shown how conditions are in reality' in a 65-page tirade by OIG investigators on how the DHS was failing its employees.

The damning assessment by border and immigration officers marks yet another border humiliation for Joe Biden.

The president has been repeatedly slammed by Republicans over his axing of Donald Trump's border wall two years ago.

The OIG also said that border forces are struggling to cope with the increased numbers of migrants sneaking into the country due to low staffing levels.

Its report said that the situation is 'unsustainable' in the battle against illicit crossings across the southwestern frontier.

It also warned that many agents could quit or retire early unless working conditions improve.

'Staffing at the border has not grown at the same pace as the flow of migrants and traffic into the country,' officials wrote.

Investigators said that last year there were just 16,654 border agents, levels that have barely changed in three years, facing 180,000 illegal crossings each month.

The report calls these crossings 'migrant encounters': U.S. government jargon for when asylum-seekers get in illegally but are arrested or immediately kicked out.

Biden irked Republicans when he axed his predecessor's flagship anti-immigration policy on his first day in office

The Department of Homeland Security estimates 13,000 migrants could try and across the U.S southwestern border once emergency Covid laws lapse

But the findings said staff were so overstretched that it has resulted in less enforcement' in the policing of the border.

Staffing for the U.S. border agencies is the responsibility of the commander-in-chief who can use executive orders to ramp up numbers.

The report said hiring has already hit 'authorized levels' but it called on the Biden administration to consider whether they were adequate.

But the Department of Homeland Security dismissed the idea of a review, saying there was 'no funding' available to do so.

OIG investigators said this meant asylum-seekers could escape into the U.S. more easily.

They said there were more than 600,000 'gotaways' who were spotted by border cameras or sensor technology last year, up from 389,000 in 2021.

They are asylum-seekers who eventually escaped capture or who were able to cross freely into the U.S. because 'no agents are available to respond.'

Officials also found that were just 1,414 deportation officials on the U.S. southwestern frontier struggling to cope with 18 cases each on average.

An estimated 13,000 people could try to cross each day after the expiry of Title 42, the emergency anti-immigration laws used during the coronavirus pandemic.

The powers, drawn from a near 80-year-old federal public health law, allowed both Donald Trump and Joe Biden to kick out migrants without hearing their cases.

It expires on May 11 because the current president has decided to end the coronavirus emergency.

Thousands of people have already started gathering at the border between the U.S. and Mexico in the hope of making the crossing.

But a senior Biden administration official blamed Republicans in Congress for 'blocking funds and reforms' to fix the U.S. immigration system.

The White House has deployed an extra 1,500 troops to join the already 2,500 who are already stationed on the frontier between the U.S. and Mexico.

'House Republicans are pushing a MAGA agenda of chaos and inaction. They are playing politics when they should be joining the President in pursuing real solutions,' the source said.

At least 2.3 million migrants tried to illegally cross into the United States across the Mexican border last year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

That is up from 1.7 million people in 2021 and just over 450,000 the previous year when much of the world was locked down during the pandemic.
A local television news anchor has bravely revealed that she has breast cancer live on air.

Today in Iowa anchor Calyn Thompson broke down in tears as she announced the diagnosis - just months after she did a segment on mammograms for breast cancer awareness month.

'Little did I know that interview would foreshadow the beginning of my own journey,' Thompson, who was diagnosed two weeks after she turned 28, told WHO 13 News viewers on Wednesday morning.

She grew emotional as she told viewers that there were some days when she 'didn't feel like getting up', but she felt compelled to open up in the hopes of helping others.

'If I can help even one person, it will be worth it,' she told her TV audience.

Calyn Thompson, who is just 28 years old, broke down in tears as she announced the diagnosis

In October last year, Thompson did a segment for the show reminding viewers to stay up to date with mammograms - an X-ray which is used to look for early signs of breast cancer.

On Wednesday morning, her announcement began with a clip from the segment, before turning to Thompson in the studio.

She said: 'Each day you welcome us into your homes so we can share the stories of others.

'Rarely are we the ones the story is about, but I wanted to share something personal with you thats taking place in my life.'

Growing emotional, she said: 'This past November, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

'My medical team is confident it is treatable and curable, and I am completely confident in my medical team.'

Stopping for a moment, she apologized to viewers, saying 'Sorry, I didn't think I would get emotional.'

Thompson told viewers that she has had chemotherapy and will have surgery later this month

Thompson (right) did a segment on mammograms for breast cancer awareness month in 2022

Thompson hosts Today in Iowa on WHO 13 News alongside Megan Salois and Justin Surrency

She continued: 'I have completed six chemotherapy treatments, and it feels so good to have that hurdle behind me.

'It was a shock when I found out I had breast cancer. And it honestly took me several weeks to process it.'

She told viewers that she hoped that by sharing her own story and using her platform to spread awareness, she might be able to help 'even one person' and that would 'be worth it.'

Growing tearful, she told the audience that she was diagnosed two weeks after she turned 28.

'Ive learned cancer doesnt discriminate; not with age or profession, it can happen to anyone,' she said.

'Dont put off preventative screenings. And if something doesnt feel right like it didnt for me, please go get it checked out by your doctor. Early detection does save lives.'

She told viewers that she was also sharing her story as a form of thanks.

'Helping you start your day each morning is a responsibility I dont take lightly, and little do you know how much youve been helping me these past five months,' Thompson continued.

Tears were seen streaming down her face as she said: 'There were some mornings I didnt feel like getting up and going, but you helped me find the strength to get here and deliver the news.

'Coming to work every day has been the sense of normalcy and purpose Ive needed to get through this medical journey.'

Thompson thanked her coworkers and her viewers for helping her face her cancer diagnosis

Thompson (pictured with weather reporter Gabe Prough) was diagnosed in November 2022

The above graph shows the changes in breast cancer screenings (black line) since 2017 by month. It also shows a predicted screening rate (yellow dotted line) and the Covid infection rate (blue line) in the US over the same period. Screenings were initially steady but dropped in the first year of the pandemic by as much as 14 percent

She also thanked her coworkers for being 'supportive, caring, and understanding' through her journey.

Thompson finished by revealing that she would be undergoing surgery later this month, and would be taking a few weeks off for recovery.

Users have taken to social media to send their well wishes to Thompson.

One person told the anchor: 'You had me crying right along with you this morning. I will be praying for you. You are all like family to your viewers because you are in our homes every day. I know you will fight and win this battle.'

Another said: 'Going through the same thing right now! We will get through this,' while another user wrote 'I can't imagine how hard it's been to get up early and do your job while feeling so sick. You are so strong!'.

Each year, about 264,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women in the US.

Guidelines currently state that women ages 50 to 74 should get screened for breast cancer every other year.

Those in their 40s who are concerned should make an individual decision with their clinician.

A study released in February warned tens of thousands of Americans have missed out on breast and lung cancer screenings over the two years since the Covid pandemic began.

Researchers at the University of Texas looked at data from 5.3 million screenings recorded annually in the three years before Covid to establish a baseline and compared them to those carried out in 2020 to 2022.

They found there were up to 14 percent fewer screenings for breast cancer during the pandemic.
Israel's govt continues negotiating gas extraction offshore Gaza Strip - Reports

Jerusalem, May 5 (UNI) The Israeli government is in talks with the Palestinian authorities on the development of the Gaza Marine gas field, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) off the coast of the Gaza Strip in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Israeli broadcaster Chanel 13 reported on Friday.

According to the report, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant have greenlighted the negotiations. The Israeli side in talks is led by National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi and the head of the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Ghasan Alyan.

The Gaza Marine gas field, discovered in 1999, according to estimates, can fully cover the needs of the Palestinian authorities in energy, and some of the extracted gas can also be exported to other countries. However, according to Israeli broadcaster Arutz Sheva, Tel Aviv is concerned about security issues, assuming that the Palestinian militant group Hamas could sabotage the development of the field.
Former TV presenter Tucker Carlson has made his first public appearance after being fired from Fox News last month.

Carlson, 53, had been speaking at the Oxford Performing Arts Center in Oxford, Alabama, for the annual fundraiser for Rainbow Omega on Thursday night.

A sold-out crowd of 1,189, paying prices of between $50 to $125, gathered in the arts center to hear Carlson give a wide ranging commentary during an hour long speech.

According to the Anniston Star, he immediately approached the subject of his recent firing from Fox News in his opening line.

Pictured: Carlson speaking at the event in Alabama on Thursday

Carlson, who earned $20 million a year at Fox, joked: 'I'm probably the first unemployed person you ever invited to speak.

'It's funny. I never give speeches because I'm working. When I accepted this speech six months ago or something, I didn't realize how much free time I would have.

'One never knows, does one?'

The newspaper reported that Carlson spoke at length of his love for the state of Alabama, as well as American politics.

The event had been organized as a fundraiser for Rainbow Omega, a residential facility in Alabama that houses adults with developmental disabilities.

Carlson left his Fox News show on April 23, with no official reason given for why the company let their most-watched anchor go.

The decision was made six days after Fox settled with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million.

Since then, a slew of rumors pertaining to his dismissal have emerged. They span from claims over Carlson's texts that emerged in the wake of the lawsuit, which included him claiming he hated Trump.

There were also rumors Carlson may have been fired over a gender discrimination suit filed by a former female booker on his show.

Pictured: Carlson and his wife Susan Andrews pictured for the first time after his dismissal since parting ways with Fox late last month

He told a DailyMail.com reporter that 'retirement is going great so far' outside his home in Boca Grande, Florida

It has also since emerged that Carlson sent an incendiary text message the day after the January 6 storming of the Capitol - which the board of Fox News learnt about on the eve of their defamation trial.

The pivotal role played by the January 7, 2021, text message was originally reported by The New York Times.

In the text to one of his producers, Carlson recalls seeing a mob of three white men attacking an 'Antifa kid' and wanting the victim to be killed.

But, Carlson wrote, he realized wanting the 'Antifa kid' to die was wrong.

Carlson, whose critics call a white supremacist, also asserted that white people in general do not act so dishonorably as to launch a three-against-one attack.

Since his departure, Fox News ratings have slumped dramatically

He did not specify the race of the 'Antifa kid'.

'It was three against one, at least,' Carlson wrote. 'Jumping a guy like that is dishonorable obviously. It's not how white men fight.'

Following his dismissal from Fox News, their ratings have slumped as fans of the firebrand presenter left the network in droves.

On Monday, MSNBC scored a prime time win over Fox News in both the key age demographic and in total viewers. Fox News, however, still won the week in primetime in both categories, according to Nielsen.

The network beat out its competitors with an average of 1.693million total viewers, and 176,000 in the critical 25-54 age demographic.

Fox News brought in an average of 1.598million total viewers between 8pm and 11pm, and 164,000 viewers in the demographic.
A corrupt law official was jailed for six years for illegally using Crown Prosecution Service computers to slip information to organised crime gangs.

Paralegal Rachel Simpson, 39, made repeated searches on CPS and crown court computers regarding cases she was not working on - to find vital information for the criminals.

The court heard Simpson began her corrupt research after starting a relationship with a man 'involved in serious organised crime.'

Prosecutor David Temkin KC said some of the confidential information she obtained was passed on to criminals via a third party.

But the mother-of-one was caught when investigators hacked an encrypted chat between high-level drug dealers and found a picture of a top secret CPS document.

Paralegal Rachel Simpson (pictured), 39, made repeated searches on CPS and crown court computers regarding cases she was not working on - to find vital information for the criminals

Mr Temkin said a second case where information found its way to criminals involved documents relating to convicted drug dealer Jerome Nunes (pictured) after he was jailed

The form contained details of police tactics and led criminals to change up their tactics in a bid to 'avoid detection.'

Police then searched the 'very limited number of people' who would have had access to the document and were led to Simpson.

Mr Temkin, said: 'The defendant abused her position to research and obtain sensitive information about prominent criminals and organised crime investigations in South Wales.

'She did so by unauthorised access to the Crown Prosecution Service computer system and the Crown Court digital system.'

Mr Temkin said although it could not be proved that many of the searches were passed on to criminals but twice 'did disseminate sensitive information to third parties.'

He added: 'In turn that same sensitive information found its way into the criminal fraternity.'

'Many of the cases accessed by the defendant were handled by the Crown Prosecution Service complex case unit, which deals with the most serious, sensitive or complex cases, the defendant has never worked in that unit and should have been inaccessible to her.'

He said the offending came to light after intelligence officers broke into an encrypted EncroChat messaging system used by criminals.

Mr Temkin said: 'As part of an EncroChat conversation the National Crime Agency discovered photographs of a sensitive and privileged police document.

'That had been sent from one criminal to another, both of those criminals were involved in multi-kilo trafficking of Class A drugs.

'Investigations by South Wales Police identified the case to which that document referred and the very limited number of individuals who had had access to that document and led her to this defendant.

'The defendant provided material to third parties rather than directly to the criminal fraternity.'

Mr Temkin said a second case where information found its way to criminals involved documents relating to convicted drug dealer Jerome Nunes after he was jailed.

Documents secured by Simpson were passed to Nunes' solicitors who mounted a failed appeal on the basis that the prosecution was flawed.

Simpson later told police she had notified bosses that she knew Nunes and other criminals including one called Thomas Reynolds who she described as a 'sex pest' who she had 'flirted like mad with' and exchanged Facebook messages.

Mr Temkin said: 'As part of an EncroChat conversation the National Crime Agency discovered photographs of a sensitive and privileged police document' (pictured: Mark Dobbin, who drove from Kirkby to South Wales with four kilos of Class A drugs hidden behind a seat in the van he and Taylor had hired)

Mr Temkin continued: 'That had been sent from one criminal to another, both of those criminals were involved in multi-kilo trafficking of Class A drugs' (pictured: Paul Taylor, who drove from from Kirkby to South Wales with four kilos of Class A drugs hidden behind a seat in the van he and Dobbin had hired)

Mr Temkin said: 'Investigations by South Wales Police identified the case to which that document referred and the very limited number of individuals who had had access to that document and led her to this defendant'

Cardiff Crown Court heard Simpson held a series of roles within the CPS since starting work there in 2003 including as a paralegal and victim liaison manager.

She had been issued with her own laptop by bosses and following her arrest police were able to track all of her illegal search history.

They found she would make searches late at night, on Bank Holidays or when she was off work on sick leave.

Simpson admitted unauthorised access to highly-sensitive CPS files 29 times - and two charges of misconduct in public office.

Simpson arrested by officers from the South Wales Police Anti-Corruption Unit along with four other suspects but was the only one charged.

Simpson, of Newport, Gwent, was charged with two counts of misconduct in a public office and 29 counts of unauthorised access of a computer system between 2016 and 2020 and she pleaded guilty to all these offences.

Andrew Heatherall, defending, said single mum Simpson began when starting an 'adult relationship' with a criminal and was 'vulnerable' to his requests for information.

He said: 'That was a relationship of relatively short duration but in her desire to continue it left her with a particular lever.'

He said she suffered from depression and probable autism.

Judge, Mrs Justice Jefford DBE, told her: 'You were employed by the Crown Prosecution Service and you were well aware what you were doing was illegal.

'It was a repeated and gross breach of the trust your employer had in you.

'The public, the courts, and all those engaged in the criminal justice system are entitled to expect the highest levels of integrity from the CPS, they are entitled to expect the highest levels of integrity from those who work for the CPS and they were entitled to expect that from you.

'What you did fundamentality undermines public confidence in that integrity and in the ability of the CPS to properly prosecute defendants.'

Mrs Jefford said that although her actions were 'inexplicable' and not for financial gain she began the crimes following a love affair.

She said: 'You said you had a relationship with a man for a few months. About a year later and out of the blue he asked you to look up someone at work for him. You did and you kept doing this when he asked you to.

'You wanted his attention and you would do anything that he asked. You have not identified him.'

Simpson was jailed for six years.

Andrew Penhale, Chief Crown Prosecutor, said: 'As a CPS employee, Rachel Simpson was in a position of trust and was only expected to access sensitive and confidential information when necessary for her job.

'She regularly accessed material when there was no business need and, on two occasions, the sensitive material she obtained was passed on to organised criminals.

'The CPS expects all staff to act with integrity in handling data held in its systems and Simpson fell well below these standards. We will not hesitate to prosecute individuals who engage in unlawful conduct. We also constantly review our digital systems to ensure they are as secure as possible.'

A CPS spokesman added: 'The CPS is committed to maintaining the public's confidence in our ability to effectively manage data entrusted to us.

'Action is already underway to ensure that we effectively learn from the issues identified in this case and appropriate changes are made to prevent recurrence.'
New court documents have revealed that police searching Bryan Kohbergers apartment discovered a secret storage locker they believe he used after the time of the murders of four students in Idaho.

Washington State University Police swarmed his apartment in Pullman  a 15-minute drive from the property where the murders were committed  shortly after his arrest at his family home in Pennsylvania on December 30.

Criminal justice major Kohberger, 28, is accused of killing Kaylee Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, on November 13 last year.

Documents show that police swabbed dozens of areas in the small property and had two test positive for traces of blood.

Officers also found a lock and key which matched a storage container and requested a search warrant to access the container.

Kohberger's apartment was searched hours after he was arrested at his parents' home in Pennsylvania on December 30

Kohberger's apartment in Pullman, Washington, was combed by police for evidence into the ongoing investigation

It is not clear if anything was found in the locker, but officers state that they believe Kohberger used it to store items after the murders of the four University of Idaho students.

One of the items which tested positive for blood was a pillow, which had a large stain on one side, and was taken away for further testing.

The other was a mattress cover which was on his bed, which had multiple stains on it and was also taken for further testing following testing positive for blood.

It is unclear if the blood belonged to any of the victims or Kohberger himself, and the items were simply collected by officers for further investigation.

A previous affidavit confirmed that the two items had stains on them consistent with blood, but the new documents show that they tested positive for it.

Police also seized several hair strands, including one suspected animal hair, a black glove and a computer tower.

Investigators, who raided the property back in December, also picked up receipts from Walmart and two Marshall's receipts, as well as collecting the contents of his vacuum cleaner.

Court documents show that eight strands of hair were recovered from the apartment, as well as a 'possible' animal hair.

It is unclear if the blood belonged to any of the victims or Kohberger himself, and the items were simply collected by officers for further investigation

Officers also found a lock and key which matched a storage container and requested a search warrant to access the container

Investigators believe that it was likely that the killer would have had blood evidence on their body or clothing, and hoped to find trace evidence in Kohberger's apartment

They also recovered a Fire TV stick during their search. All the items are now being stored at the Washington State University Police department.

Authorities reportedly said they wanted to see if any hair had been 'transferred' onto Kohberger and then back to his apartment  including that of Kaylee Goncalves' dog Murphy.

Murphy was found alive in Kaylee's room by investigators who were called to the scene, and has now been returned to her ex-boyfriend.

It comes after one of the surviving roommates agreed to meet with lawyers for Kohberger at her home in Reno, Nevada, after trying to argue that she should not have to testify during the various court hearings.

Court documents earlier this week revealed that Bethany Funke's lawyers were arguing that she should not have to testify at a preliminary hearing in June, or for the duration of the trial.

In new documents submitted on Wednesday, both sides came to the agreement that the defense would go to Funke for an interview in Nevada dismissing a subpoena they issued on April 11.

Forensic teams swooped on his property, less than 15 minutes from the house where the gristly murders took place

Pictured: (L-R) Dylan Mortenson, Xana Kernodle, Bethany Funke, Kaylee Goncalves and Madison Mogen

Court documents filed the same day as his arrest stated 'compelling circumstances warrant the temporary sealing ordered in this matter.'

Jack DuCoeur and Kaylee Goncalves, pictured, shared custody of the dog after they split up

It means that the surviving roommate may not be forced to appear at the preliminary hearing on June 28, depending on the information that she gives investigators.

Investigator Richard Bitonti, who is working for Kohberger's defense team, subpoenaed Fukne on the basis that she may have 'exculpatory' information.

They claimed that the information she has is 'material and necessary' to the alleged killer's defense  though it is unclear exactly what that is.

Bitonti wrote in an affidavit: 'During the course of my investigation, it became known to me that [she] has information material to the charges against Mr. Kohberger.'

He added that she 'disclosed things she heard and things she saw' when interviewed by police and was present when police were called.

However Funke's lawyers hit back by saying that the preliminary hearing is not meant to 'become a mini-trial', and is only meant to decide probably cause.

Funke (far right) may not be forced to appear at the preliminary hearing on June 28, depending on the information that she gives investigators

A new search warrant reveals that police found several hair strands, including one possible animal hair, a black glove, a computer tower and an item that was a 'collection of dark red' spotting

Investigator Richard Bitonti, who is working for Kohberger's defense team, subpoenaed Fukne (left) on the basis that she may have 'exculpatory' information

A gag also remains in place, preventing anyone connected to the case from speaking publicly.

Kohberger is yet to enter a plea in the quadruple homicide, and is charged with four counts of murder and one of burglary.

It comes after it was revealed that his lawyer will be paid $200 an hour in his case  with any additional overtime.

Chief Public defender Anne Taylor will be paid by Kootenai County for her 40-hour work week, with Latah County agreeing to give the funds to Kootenai for her work.

But any overtime that she accrues outside of those hours will be paid by Latah County directly to the attorney, with a second lawyer supporting Taylor in the case being paid $180 an hour.

Taylor is representing the 28-year-old criminal justice major after stepping down as the lawyer for Cara Northington  the mother of murdered Xana Kernodle, 20.

She was in charge of her case until January 5, the same day that Kohberger was extradited from his home in Pennsylvania to Idaho.

The lawyer is also accused of a second conflict of interest in the case after it was revealed that she represented Maddie Mogen's stepmother, Korie Hatrock, in June 2022 and oversaw a case involving her father, Benjamin in 2020.
Former executives of First Republic Bank are under investigation for their conduct prior to the bank's government seizure and sale to JPMorgan Chase, according to a new report.

The Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into whether any members of the then-executive team of First Republic improperly traded on inside information, Bloomberg News reported on Friday.

Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank early Monday, and JPMorgan agreed to buy majority of its $229 billion in assets, making it the largest US bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis.

Although the large stock sales of some former First Republic execs have drawn headlines, was not immediately clear who was under scrutiny in the SEC investigation, and no one previously or currently with the bank has been charged with wrongdoing.

An SEC spokesperson told DailyMail.com in a statement: 'The SEC does not comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible investigation.'

Former executives of First Republic Bank are under investigation for their conduct prior to the bank's government seizure and sale to JPMorgan Chase

A spokesperson for First Republic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Word of the SEC probe came a day after Senator Elizabeth Warren accused First Republic executives of 'mismanagement' in a letter to its former CEO Michael Roffler.

The letter raised questions about the failed lender's risk management as well as executive pay and bonuses.

'You owe your customers and the public an explanation for the decisions that resulted in the costly failure of your bank,' the Democrat wrote in the letter dated Wednesday, which was made public by her office.

'The primary cause of the collapse...appears to be complacency, incompetency, and mismanagement by you and other bank executives,' Warren said.

Roffler has been asked to submit responses by May 17. He could not be reached for comment on Friday.

While no First Republic executive has been named as a target of the SEC probe into possible insider trading, the stock sales of several top execs previously drew media scrutiny.

In just the past three months, First Republic Bank executives quietly sold nearly $12 million worth of the company's stock, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Executive Chairman James Herbert II (left) sold $4.5 million worth of First Republic stock in the first three months of 2023, while CEO Michael Roffler (right) sold nearly $1 million in January

Regulators seized troubled First Republic Bank early Monday, and JPMorgan agreed to buy majority of its $229 billion in assets

Executive Chairman James Herbert II sold the most of any of the other insiders, off-loading a whopping $4.5 million worth of shares since the start of the year.

In all, four of the struggling bank's top executives sold $11.8 million worth of stock so far this year, at prices averaging just below $130 a share, the Journal found.

Some of these sales came just days before the bank started facing liquidity troubles, as panicked investors sought to get their money back following the fall of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

The Journal found that Herbert made two sales in January and February, worth 7 percent and 5 percent of his holdings in the company, respectively.

At the same time, Robert Thornton, the bank's president of private wealth management sold 73 percent of his outstanding shares for $3.5 million in his first trade since 2021, and CEO Michael Roffler sold nearly $1 million in January after previously offloading $1.3 million worth of shares in November.

Chief Credit Officer David Lichtman also sold $2.5 million worth of shares over the course of three sales since 2023 began.

The last of those sales came on March 6, just two days before Silicon Valley Bank disclosed it had lost $1.8 billion, triggering a massive bank run that forced SVB to close.

Robert Thornton, left, the bank's president of private wealth management sold 73 percent of his outstanding shares for $3.5 million in his first trade since 2021, while Chief Credit Officer David Lichtman, right, sold $2.5 million worth of shares over the course of three sales

Lichtman and his spouse had already sold another $2.5 million in November and December, the Journal reports, making the most sales over just a five-month period than they ever had previously.

None of the filings for the executives' sales indicate they were executed under 10b5-1 plans, which are prescheduled sales designed to protect business executives from accusations of insider trading, the Journal notes.

But the trades went largely unnoticed as First Republic is not required to report insider sales to the Securities and Exchange Commission, thanks to a provision of the Securities Act of 1933.

Instead, the executives' trades were reported to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, which periodically discloses them on its website.
Police have opened a murder investigation after a teenage boy was stabbed to death in East London today.

The 16-year-old boy was stabbed in the chest with a large knife by a man who ran away in Waltham Forest.

Police were called at 4.09pm on Friday to reports of a stabbing at Markhouse Road in east London.

Police and ambulances rushed to the scene yet despite the efforts of emergency services with the Met confirmed with 'great sadness' the teenager died at 4.39pm.

Chief Superintendent Simon Crick leading North East Command said: 'I am totally devastated at the loss of a young man's life on our streets. My deepest sympathy and thoughts are with the victim's family at this tragic time.

Police were called at 4.09pm on Friday to reports of a stabbing at Markhouse Road (pictured today) in east London

Police and ambulances rushed to the scene yet despite the efforts of emergency services with the Met confirmed with 'great sadness' the teenager died at 4.39pm

'I, like many others, care passionately about our communities and I know this awful loss of life will reverberate far and wide.

'We must stand together in the face of such violence and I urge anyone who knows anything about what happened this afternoon to please contact us immediately.'

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy said: 'I'm absolutely devastated to share with you that there has been a murder tonight on Markhouse Road of a teenager.'

The Met Police are treating the child's death as a murder.

The 16-year-old boy died today after he was stabbed in the chest by a large knife by a man who ran away on Markhouse Road (pictured) in Waltham Forest (File image)

Walthamstow MP Stella Creasy (pictured) said: 'I'm absolutely devastated to share with you that there has been a murder tonight on Markhouse Road of a teenager'

His next of kin have been notified. A post-mortem examination will be scheduled in due course.

A crime scene, road closures and cordons remain in place. Buses are on a diversion around the area.

No arrests have yet been made.

Anyone with information or footage who has not yet spoken with police should call 101 or Tweet @MetCC quoting 4965/5MAY.

To remain 100% anonymous call the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers-uk.org.
The White House is considering a short-term extension to lift the debt ceiling so negotations between the Biden administration and Congressional Republicans won't throw the country off a fiscal cliff.

CNBC reported Friday on the administration's thinking, citing four sources familiar with the matter.

They characterized the move as being a 'last resort' or a 'fallback' option as Biden continues to demand that Republicans in Congress send a clean debt ceiling bill to his desk before June 1, when Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said the U.S. would default on its loans.

That's not, however, what the GOP-controlled House of Representatives passed - instead tying lifting the debt ceiling to hefty spending cuts.

On Friday, Biden again chided 'MAGA' Republicans for playing chicken with him, telling reporters at his meeting with the Investing in America Cabinet that GOP lawmakers were responsible for creating a 'manufactured crisis.'

On Friday, Biden again chided 'MAGA' Republicans for playing chicken with him, telling reporters at his meeting with the Investing in America Cabinet that GOP lawmakers were responsible for creating a 'manufactured crisis'

At the meeting, Biden highlighted Friday morning's better-than-expected jobs report.

'Just today they're reporting 250,000 new jobs,' Biden said. 'The last thing this country needs after all we've been through is a manufactured crisis and that's what this is: A manufactured crisis. That's what it is from beginning to end, it's a manufactured crisis driven by MAGA Republicans in the Congress.'

The economy added 253,000 jobs in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

'Unfortunately, our - now I won't say Republican because I think they're pretty well divided - but the MAGA Republicans in Congress are threatening to undo all this progress by letting us "default on the debt" unless we agree to their demands,' Biden said.

'The two are totally unrelated,' Biden complained. 'Whether you pay the debt or not, it doesn't have a damn thing to do what your budget is.'

Biden blasted the GOP for 'trying to hold the debt hostage' to usher in 'draconian' and 'damaging' cuts.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will meet Biden at the White House to discuss the debt ceiling and budget

He also made a baffling claim about the age of the United States.

'They say we're not going to increase the debt that every president's done for the last six million years here,' Biden said. 'Unless you pass our budget we're proposing.'

Biden again said: 'We're not a deadbeat nation, we pay our bills.'

He told reporters that he knew a lot of them covered foreign policy. 'You know that this is becoming an issue in other countries. What's the United States going to do? Are they really fooling around with not paying their debt?' he mused.

Biden has a planned meeting Tuesday with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries.

Biden did not take questions at Friday's meeting and thus couldn't confirm the CNBC report on whether a short-term extension was on the table.

Instead he teased that he was doing a 'major press conference this afternoon' - in reality meaning a sit-down interview with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle.
Lori Vallow and Chad Daybell referred to her kids and their spouses as 'obstacles' before they were murdered, the cult mom's trial heard today.

Texts show they plotted the killings of her husband Charles, her children JJ, seven, and Tylee, 16, and Daybell's wife Tammy, FBI agent Doug Hart told jurors.

Vallow, 49, and Daybell, 54, also engaged in toe-curling sexting sessions about showering together and 'naked activities' during their affair which started shortly after they met at a doomsday conference in late 2018.

The couple are accused of killing JJ and Tylee and burying their bodies in Daybell's backyard in Rexburg, Idaho, in September, 2019. A month later Daybell's wife Tammy was suffocated in bed. They married two weeks later in Hawaii.

Vallow is further accused of plotting the death of her estranged husband Charles who was shot by her brother in Arizona in July of that year. She is facing a separate trial over his killing.

Lori Vallow (pictured at an earlier court hearing) and Chad Daybell referred to her kids and their spouses as 'obstacles' before they were murdered, the cult mom's trial heard today

Chad Daybell enters the courtroom during his preliminary hearing in St. Anthony, Idaho, on Monday, August 3, 2020. He is being tried separately

Tylee, 16, and JJ, seven, are shown with their uncle, Alex Cox, in what is believed to be the final photo of them, taken during a family trip to Yellowstone National Park on September 8, 2019

The State says Vallow wanted 'money, power, sex' and that she also used 'those things to get what she wanted.' Vallow, who faces life in prison if convicted, denies the charges against her. Daybell is being tried separately.

FBI agent Hart told the Ada County Courthouse in Boise that he seized two iCloud accounts belonging to Vallow under the usernames lori4style and lollytime.

He pored through her data from the point after she met Daybell at a Preparing a People conference in St. George, Utah, on October 26, 2018.

'It was apparent that they were very quickly after meeting involved in an illicit affair with one and other and they made plans to get married and share a life together,' he told the court.

As part of their alleged plan Vallow and Daybell discussed how to remove the 'obstacles' of her children and their respective spouses, Charles and Tammy.

Hart said: 'There were several communications regarding JJ and Tylee that were relevant to their deaths. They discussed their deaths. After the affair began, there began to be communication regarding the deaths of Charles Vallow, Tammy Daybell, JJ Vallow and Tylee Ryan.'

Their messages were often highly sexualized - Daybell even writing Vallow an erotic novel in the form of chapterized texts.

In one typical exchange - just three days after Vallow's husband Charles was shot dead - Daybell tells the cult mom he wants to enjoy 'naked activities' with her.

'I need so badly to just gently kiss you ...for hours,' Daybell wrote on July 14, 2019. 'It would likely lead to other activities.'

Vallow replied suggestively: 'Likely or luckily?'

Daybell wrote back: 'It would LUCKILY lead to nakedness.'

Through the texts, agent Hart established that Daybell was the 'quasi-religious leader' of their cult and that Vallow acted as his conduit through which other members, like her brother Alex Cox, would seek advice.

Cox, who died of natural causes in December, 2019, shot dead Charles Vallow and is also accused of participating in the murder of Vallow's children.

Vallow and Daybell are accused of killing his wife Tammy (left) in October, 2019. Vallow is further accused of plotting the death of her estranged husband Charles who was shot by her brother in Arizona in July of that year. She is facing a separate trial over his killing.

Chad and Tammy Daybell pictured before she was murdered in October, 2019

The children's bodies were discovered in shallow graves on Daybell's property on June 9, 2020 - nine months after they vanished

'Her position was right next to Chad Daybell. The two of them were in an elevated position and others would seek their advice and counsel as it related to alleged visions and so forth,' Hart told the court.

He showed jurors texts exchanged between Cox and Vallow in which she referred to her 'source', meaning Daybell.

'Can't wait to share all the things I learned about you [kiss and heart emojis] wow U r gonna like it. It explains a lot,' Vallow told Cox in March, 2019.

He replied: 'Ok hurry up. Please.'

She wrote back: 'Going to check everything with my source tonight to make sure I got this all right but it's really good. We can talk about it tomorrow hopefully [heart emojis].'

In another exchange about a week later, Hart told the court that Vallow and Cox referred to her husband Charles as being possessed.

Cox wrote to his sister: 'Correct. Charles body is alive. What did u learn?'

She replied: 'A lot !! Still working on it. Will call u later.'

The FBI agent said: 'We see very frequent usage of that particular term, "We are working on things", and that is a direct reference to this belief that they were in a battle against zombies and dark entities so when they were talking about working on things they were talking about that.'

The court has previously heard how Vallow and Daybell referred to all of their alleged victims as being 'dark' and 'zombies' before their deaths. The twisted couple even scribbled down a ranking system with numbers denoting the extent to which someone was either 'light' or 'dark'.

On July 9, 2019, two days before Charles Vallow was shot dead by Cox, Vallow texted her niece Melani Boudreaux saying: 'Its coming to a head! This week will change everything.'

The same day she said to Cox: 'Its all coming to a head this week. I will be like Nephi I am told. And so will you.'

Lori Vallow (pictured at an earlier hearing) sat smiling - almost appearing to laugh at times - and whispered feverishly to her attorneys during Barattiero's emotional testimony at the Ada County Courthouse in Boise on Wednesday

Dr Garth Warren revealed for the first time how JJ's cause of death was 'asphyxia by plastic bag over the head and duct tape over the mouth.' The coroner suggested the boy had scratched his own neck as he struggled to break free

An Instagram post from Tylee with her mom dated May 14, 2017, when she was 14 years old

Hart explained that Nephi is an ancient prophet referred to in the Book of Mormon who is instructed by God to slay Laban. The FBI agent summarized the oblique scriptural reference, telling jurors that Laban is the 'bad guy.'

The jury were also shown texts in which Daybell told Vallow how his wife Tammy 'would be gone.'

On July 13, 2019, Daybell told Vallow he was attending a Brigham Young University graduation ceremony for his children on the 23rd of that month.

'I feel she will be gone by then, but I will still have that hoopla to deal with because a lot of ... family are coming and will stay for July 24th,' he wrote.

The following day, Daybell texted Vallow: 'Good morning my most beautiful Lili. Thanks for joining me in the shower this morning. Wow. Getting ready to leave for my meetings. Does noon your time look like a time we could talk? I love you so immensely that the whole universe knows it. And very soon the people on this little blue globe will know it too.'

Hart explained that the pair often used figurative language suggesting they were together when they were physically in different places. In this case, Vallow was not actually in the shower with Daybell but he is imagining that she was.

Hart's evidence regarding the iCloud messages was broken off due to time constraints and will resume on Monday morning.

Hart, who has since retired from the FBI, became involved in the case at the request of Rexburg PD on November 27, 2019. He began examining the iCloud accounts before the kids were found the following July - nine months after they vanished.

He examined some 4,500 text messages sent and recieved by Vallow after she met Daybell in the fall of 2019 through to November 2020, when activity ceased on the iCloud accounts.

Vallow's children were missing for almost a year before their corpses were found buried in Daybell's yard on June 9, 2020.

During the opening, prosecutor Lindsey Blake described how charred remains were all that was left of Tylee.

She told jurors: 'You will hear it explained as a mass of bone and tissue. That's what was left of this beautiful young woman.'

The key individuals in Lori Vallow's tangled family tree, including her five husbands, two dead children and killer brother

Tylee's DNA was later found on a pickaxe and shovel in a shed on the property.

JJ's body was wrapped in trash bags and duct tape - the tape binding his arms in front of him and wrapping around his head. He had been suffocated inside a plastic bag.

The two children and Daybell's previous wife Tammy were all killed because they stood in the way of the couple's relationship, the State says.

'Remember, the defendant will remove any obstacle in her way to get what she wants, and she wanted Chad Daybell,' Blake told jurors.

'The defendant used money, power and sex to get what she wanted.'

Jurors have heard from friends and relatives of Vallow that she and Daybell believed the children were 'dark' and referred to them as 'zombies' before they disappeared.

'The common theme was the body has to be destroyed,' Blake said. 'The defendant and Chad used their self-proclaimed religious teachings to justify their actions to others  their actions from affair to murder.'

Prosecutors say the couple planned to use life insurance money from Tammy's death, and that Vallow kept collecting and spending the children's social security and benefits after they died.

The trial opened on April 10 and the State is expected to rest its case next week.

Vallow denies two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of conspiracy in the deaths of her two children and Tammy Daybell.

She further denies grand theft for allegedly collecting government benefits on behalf of her children after they were killed.
The bill passed by Florida's legislature Thursday would prohibit doctors from giving minors drugs or performing state-funded 'gender-affirming' medical procedures

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will announce his 2024 presidential ambitions 'relatively soon' at an event celebrating the end of the state's legislative session.

The governor has long been expected to officially announce his intention to run for president in 2024 once the state's legislative session comes to an end, so an official announcement could be right around the corner.

He addressed speculation on his 2024 plans Friday, saying it will happen 'soon.'

'I felt very confident going into November '22 we were gonna do very well, but you really had to put up or shut up on that.'

'What happens in the future? We'll get on that relatively soon. You either gotta put or shut up on that as well. So we'll see,' he continued.

The governor is expected to sign one of the final bills that passed Thursday - banning sex change surgeries for minors as the state's legislative session comes to an end Friday,

The bill would prohibit doctors from giving minors drugs or performing state-funded 'gender-affirming' medical procedures if they are under the age of 18.

'Honestly, it's like, seriously, some of this stuff is just totally manufactured. And when you talk to people - and I know like people in your industry will dress it up with a euphemism - and they'll say it's healthcare, to cut off the private parts of a 14 or 15 year old,' DeSantis said.

'That is not healthcare. That is mutilation and we're standing up agains that,' DeSantis said Friday - the last day of the state's legislative session.

'That is not healthcare. That is mutilation,' DeSantis said Friday - the last day of the state's legislative session

Florida's Republican supermajorities in the state legislature propelled forward many signature DeSantis priorities

On Friday, DeSantis appeared to be speaking to the 'corporate media,' who he regularly slams for changing the narrative on issues that he says they don't agree with.

State Rep. Ralph Massullo, a Republican and co-sponsor of the bill, said that children 'need to come to a point where they realize their gender and are able to accept themselves.'

Florida's Republican supermajorities in the state legislature propelled forward many signature DeSantis priorities including expanding a law to cover all public school students Kindergarten through 8th grade.

He also signed laws banning abortions in the state after six weeks of pregnancy and allowing concealed carry throughout Florida.

The governor is also expected to sign a law banning diversity, equity and inclusion in state-run colleges.

'After a historic election cycle, we seized the opportunity to follow through on our promises and delivered unprecedented results for Floridians this Legislative Session,' DeSantis said Friday.

'We have secured $2.7 billion in tax cuts, and the legislature passed countless legislative priorities that will better the lives of Florida families. Thank you to the Legislature for such a productive session.'

Former President Donald Trump, who announced his reelection bid last November, has already come out swinging against DeSantis - despite him not being officially in the race

Ambassador Nikki Haley has also entered the 2024 presidential race officially

It has been reported that DeSantis, now that the legislative session has ended, will make his official presidential run announcement in June.

Former President Donald Trump, who announced his reelection bid last November, has already come out swinging against DeSantis - despite him not being officially in the race.

Trump urged DeSantis not to run against him in 2024 because he's not doing well in the polls, will divide the Republican party and 'lose the cherished and massive' MAGA vote.

The ex-president also has called DeSantis 'young' and suggested that he might have a more bright political future if he remains governor of Florida to the end of his second term in 2026.
It was a high-stakes race against time, involving top-secret missions across the Atlantic, with jet bombers and fighters flying special payloads  and a chimpanzee TV star who nearly ruined it all.

As royal fans around the world prepare for the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday, they can rest assured that whatever happens on the day, any backstage drama is unlikely to match what unfolded at his mothers crowning 70 years ago.

On June 2, 1953, the world turned to Londons Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II was to be anointed as Queen to some 2.5 billion people in a moment of supreme pomp and pageantry.

But while the ceremony would be steeped in 1000-year-old traditions, it would also reflect the modern post-war world: For the first time ever, the coronation was to be televised.

This posed unprecedent challenges. After all, it was a time before videotape, let alone satellite transmission.

But, for a US TV industry in its infancy, it was an opportunity too good to pass up.

In fact, it proved to be the first great battle for supremacy between networks  at the time limited to CBS, NBC and a fledgling ABC.

On June 2, 1953, the world turned to Londons Westminster Abbey. Elizabeth II was to be anointed as Queen to some 2.5 billion people in a moment of supreme pomp and pageantry.

While the ceremony was be steeped in 1000-year-old traditions, it also reflected the modern post-war world: For the first time ever, the coronation was televised.

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on the day of her coronation wave to crowds from the balcony at Buckingham Palace.

In 1953, around half of Americans had access to a television and, on the day, some 85 million people tuned in to watch here.

In London, only the BBC was allowed inside the Abbey, with live footage made available to foreign broadcasters for free.

But with no way at the time of broadcasting across the Atlantic, that live footage first had to be transferred on to movie film in the UK  and then physically transported across the ocean to be broadcast on US networks.

The question was then: who could do it fastest?

It was quickly apparent that newcomer ABC was too small and cash-strapped to compete, and instead arranged a deal to piggyback off the Canadian Broadcasting Corporations coverage (as a member of the Commonwealth, Canada received special delivery of the film by Royal Air Force jet).

For CBS and NBC, however, the race was on to beat each other, and Canada  and executives from both networks traveled in secret to Britain months in advance to lay their plans.

Though exact figures are not know, the expenses must have been vast.

First, processing laboratories for both networks had to be set up in central London so film could be quickly developed and packaged for travel.

Next was the rather bigger issue of flights.

At the time, jet travel was even more in its infancy than television. There was only one type of international civilian jet plane in the world, the de Havilland Comet, all models of which were operated by British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC), the forerunner of British Airways.

Pilots with the first newsreel of Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in June 1953, ready to fly from London across the Atlantic.

An NBC anchor covering the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

In secret, NBC made an offer to BOAC who were initially happy to rent them a Comet  but the airline later pulled out after suffering a string of setbacks, including a crash in India that killed 43 people.

The only other option available, then, seemed to be to form a deal with the RAF Canberra jet bomber  which would be flying to Goose Bay, Labrador, with Canadas copy of the BBC film  to get them to carry the CBS and NBC reels.

Now, Goose Bay is a long way up the Canadian Eastern seaboard, so there would still be a dash to get the reels back down to the US.

CBS and NBC both had their headquarters in New York City  but, since every minute was going to count, it was obvious they would need to get closer to the Canadian border. And attention turned further north to Bostons Logan Airport.

There, both networks spared no expense custom-building entire broadcasting facilities on site  CBS converting a hangar and NBC adapting the administration building.

Meanwhile, privately owned P-51 Mustangs, the fastest propeller-driven World War II fighters, were chartered to collect the film at Goose Bay and race down to Logan.

For added excitement, CBS constructed a podium right out on the runway, so that their anchor could be captured rushing up to the arriving plane to collect the film reels live on camera.

And so, the stage was set for the great coronation TV race. Or at least, thats what CBS thought.

For, over at NBC, deputy news chief Charles Colledge hatched a rather ingenious plan, codename Operation Astro, in a final attempt to trounce their rival.

In a great stroke of luck, it was discovered that British jet manufacturer English Electric was due to deliver one of its long-range Canberra bombers to the Venezuelan Air Force at the end of May or beginning of June.

An NBC newsman receives a reel of coronation film footage from a pilot in Boston.

In 1953, around half of Americans had access to a television and, on the day, some 85 million people tuned in to watch here.

And, with the help of a hefty financial inducement of $1000 (more than $11,000 in todays money), NBC persuaded them to make the journey across Atlantic on the day of the coronation, with a copy of its footage onboard.

Importantly, the flight was direct to Boston  cutting out the need for the change at Goose Bay, and potentially saving hours.

If NBC could pull it off, they would surely win.

But, sadly, it wasnt that simple. On the day itself, disaster struck.

Mid-flight, NBC were told that the Canberra bomber had developed problems with its fuel feed and had to turn back to Britain.

Reluctantly, they had to accept the race from Canada to Boston was back on.

Both NBC and CBS had hired some of the best racing pilots to be found  but in the end that didnt greatly matter. For the CBS plane, piloted by Joe DeBona, managed to take off from Goose Bay at 2.02pm Eastern Time, an entire 13 minutes before NBC, whose plane was hampered by ice problems.

It was a lead DeBona never lost. And, as he provided CBS with regular radio updates during the two and a half hour flight, his employers started to feel sure they would win even before he touched down in Boston at exactly 4.12pm.

While the champagne was being put on ice in the CBS hangar and its news anchors  stationed in Logans air-traffic control tower  gave viewers excited updates on DeBonas progress, a mood of silent despondency prevailed over at NBC.

But then, one of their staff had a brainwave: bribe ABC to use the coronation footage they were getting from the Canadians.

Pilot Joe De Bonac (right) in a P51 Mustang airplane in Goose Bay, Labrador, getting ready to fly CBS film of the Coronation to Boston Logan Airport on June 2, 1953.

Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her coronation.

Of course, NBS would ideally not have relied upon another broadcaster  especially one in the relative TV backwater of Canada.

Indeed, that was the entire reasoning for entering this elaborate transatlantic race in the first place. But, since the battle had now been all but lost to CBS, it was certainly worth a try.

A hasty phone call and an offer to pay for the same TV lines from Montreal that ABC was using to obtain the footage  and, at 3.56pm, with the CBS plane still in flight, NBC and ABC rolled out the first footage of the coronation.

Against the odds, they thought theyd won.

But then  again  disaster struck for NBC.

The Canadian broadcaster was showing the wrong footage  of Canadas coronation ceremonies, instead of events in London.

All the while, the CBS plane edged ever closer to Boston, and NBC executives sat helpless waiting for the Canadians to roll the correct BBC footage.

This was going right up to the wire.

But then, at 4.17pm it was over.

The London footage appeared from Canada. NBC had won by just 13 minutes.

NBC's line-up of commentators included a chimp named J. Fred Muggs who was the network's immensely popular mascot.

Muggs incensed politicians back in the UK who denounced it as an insult to the Queen and even debated the issue in parliament.

Life magazine later published a photo of four stunned CBS executives, struggling to work out how their rival was showing coronation footage while the plane carrying their footage was still in the air.

In a final twist to this epic race, however, it was also later revealed that CBS actually managed to pull a fast one itself, by starting off its coronation coverage not at the beginning (as NBC had) but half-way through, closer to the actual crowning ceremony.

This, they cheekily now claim, meant they were the real winner.

And the US news networks werent alone in playing dirty tricks that day.

Years later, it emerged that the secret Canberra bomber bringing the NBC film hadnt actually developed fuel difficulties at all.

Instead, the BBC had got wind of NBCs plan and had told the British Air Ministry. Anxious to ensure the Canadians werent scooped by enterprising Americans, officials ordered the Canberra pilots  both members of the RAF Reserve and therefore answerable to the UK government  to return home.

Meanwhile, there was also a rather bizarre row over NBCs use of a chimpanzee during their coronation coverage.

Yes  the networks line-up of commentators included a chimp named J. Fred Muggs who was their immensely popular mascot.

This incensed politicians back in the UK who denounced it as 'an insult to the Queen' and even debated the issue in parliament.

It was a bizarre, but perhaps fitting end, to this mad media battle. If only Saturdays coronation could be a fraction so exciting.
An inmate who escaped from a Virginia jail where he was being held for the murder of a North Carolina police officer was captured in Mexico.

Alder Marin-Sotelo, 26, was taken into custody by authorities in the Pacific coast state of Guerrero on Thursday, the FBI confirmed.

The 26-year-old is facing charges in the August 2022 killing of Wake County, North Carolina, Deputy Ned Byrd.

Marin-Sotelo, an undocumented immigrant, fled from the Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville, Virginia, last Sunday.

Alder Marin-Sotelo was captured in Guerrero, Mexico, on Thursday after escaping Sunday from a Virginia jail where he was being held for the August 2022 murder of a North Carolina police officer

Deputy Ned Byrd was shot while on duty on August 11, 2022 and in Wake County, North Carolina. Byrd, who died a day after the shooting, was a member of the Wake County Sheriff's Office

The U.S. Marshals Service said Friday that Marin-Sotelo had worked with his cellmate to devise a plan to escape.

Marin-Sotelo and a second inmate identified as Bruce Callahan, 44, were able to flee the jail by manipulating 'the locking mechanism on the rear exit door.'

'I think it's like it's fair to reason that they may have talked about (the escape), given that it was so similar,' US Marshals Service Chief Deputy Larry Moltzan told ABC 11. 'But they did not escape at the same time and didn't necessarily help each other in that way.'

The Piedmont Regional Jail Authority Board acknowledged that the prison had several areas with unreliable security systems, but that the area which Marin-Sotelo escaped through was not one of them.

Callahan remained on the run as of Friday. A $10,000 reward is being offered for information that leads to his apprehension.

Alder Martin-Sotelo escaped in a Mustang that his sister arranged to have been parked near the Virginia jail the night of April 29 before he drove off the early morning of April 30

Authorities are not sure how Alder Marin-Sotelo was able to cross into Mexico

Arturo Marin-Sotelo was also charged for murdering Deputy Ned Byrd

Authorities said Marin-Sotelo climbed a fence and then boarded a Mustang that was provided by his sister, Adriana Marin-Sotelo, who in currently in police custody, and traveled almost 2,400 miles to seek refuge in Mexico.

It's unknown how Alder Marin-Sotelo was able to cross into Mexico. His extradition to the United States is now pending.

Marin-Sotelo and his brother, Arturo Marin-Sotelo, were charged with murdering Byrd.

The deputy, who was in the police force for 13 years, was shot three time in the head and once In the chest on August 11, 2022 and died the following day.

The Wake County Sheriff's Office lauded the multi federal agency effort that led to Alder Marin-Sotelo's arrest in Mexico.

'The arrest of Alder Alfonso Marin-Sotelo allows every employee of the Wake County Sheriff's Office to breathe easier tonight,' Wake County Sheriff Willie Rowe said Thursday. The escape and search opened old wounds for our Office and Deputy Ned Byrd's family. We have been in contact with his family and are offering support in any way we can.'
New Delhi/Panaji, May 5 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar took to 'namaste diplomacy' while welcoming fellow SCO foreign ministers at the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers in Panaji today  a move that helped maintain equanimity while greeting his Pakistani counterpart.

EAM Jaishankar was polite and courteous while greeting and welcoming Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a namaste and polite smile at the venue, with the Pakistani FM responding in kind, as both posed for a photo. EAM then politely ushered him to the meeting room.

EAM did likewise for Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, with whom he had held a bilateral meeting on Thursday. However, the two ministers did share a few words before the Chinese FM was ushered in for the meeting.

It was a namaste with which he greeting Russias FM Sergey Lavrov too, though the two share a good rapport and on Thursday did share some lighter moments.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation membership includes Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan besides India.

UNI RN
A California teacher has shot to fame with her quick TikTok history lesson on the origins of Cinco de Mayo.

Lauren Cella, 30, teaches 10th grade world history at McFarland High School in McFarland, California.

Cella, who is of Mexican, Puerto Rican and Chinese heritage, has gathered more than 146,000 followers on TikTok for her content that explains world history through a Gen Z lens.

Her quick style videos include slang, expressions and references to pop culture and trends.

A video on Cinco de Mayo she shared has already gathered more than 1,000 comments since sharing it earlier this week and over 740,000 views.

Here, DailyMail.com explain just what the day represents, and how it is celebrated differently in both the United States and Mexico...

Lauren Cella, a California teacher, has become a TikTok star with her videos explaining Cinco de Mayo

What is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for 'Fifth of May' and is observed to mark the Battle of Puebla and Mexicos victory over French occupation in 1862 after the Reform War, that bankrupted the Mexican Treasury.

Because of this, President Benito Juarez issued a moratorium and all foreign debt payments were suspended for two years.

Britain, France and Spain sent naval forces to demand reimbursement and although the other countries withdrew, France, ruled by Napoleon III, established an empire to favour the French and was part of the plan for Latin America.

The Battle of Puebla saw the Mexicans defeat the French army on May 5, 1862 in a day long battle, with the Mexico losing 100 soldiers, but France losing over 500.

On May 9, 1862, after becoming the new Mexican President, Benito Juarez declared that the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla would be marked as a national holiday, known as the Battle of Puebla Day or Battle of Cinco de Mayo.

Pictured: President Joe Biden during a visit to Taqueria Habanero in Washington.

What do the celebrations involve?

In Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with historical reenactments, parades and meals with loved ones.

The city also hosts the Festival Internacional de Puebla which sees musical artists and dancers take to the stage.

In other countries, mainly the United States, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with an emphasis on food, drink and music.

Celebrations are also held around the globe with events planned in major cities including London, Tokyo,

Is the celebration more popular in Mexico or the US?

Although the day is not observed as a national holiday across the country, all schools are closed and it is an official event in the state of Puebla.

In the US, the day was first marked in California during the 1860s as a response to French rule in Mexico and to celebrate the resistance.

During the Chicano Movement of the 1940s, the holiday began to cross from California into the rest of the United States.

In the 1980s marketers, particularly beer companies, began to capitalize on the celebrations and began to promote it.

This commercialization means Cinco de Mayo celebrations are often more widespread in the US than in Mexico.

Beer companies in the 1980s began to use the celebration to capitalize on Cinco de Mayo

The celebration was used as a tool by marketers to capitalize on it

It then exploded in popularity and evolved into being a large part of America-Mexican culture.

According to historian Kelly Lytle Hernandez, Mexican dictator Porfirio Diaz used the Cinco de Mayo to celebrate his reign and power.

After he was deposed in the Mexican revolution, Cinco de Mayo celebrations declined in Mexico due to the association with Diaz.
Fox has warned a media watchdog which leaked behind-the-scenes footage of Tucker Carlson to stop sharing the clips because it is 'confidential intellectual property'.

A letter from lawyers for Fox Corp to Media Matters for America demanded it 'cease and desist' after the left-leaning organization published a series of clips of Carlson making off-the-cuff comments in between filming for his shows.

In one, Carlson joked about 'post-menopausal fans' and makes a comment about someone's girlfriend being 'yummy'. In another, he calls a lawyer for Dominion a 'slimy little motherf***er'.

The letter addressed to Media Matters for America CEO Angelo Carusone, sent by a lawyer for Fox on Friday, said: 'The unaired footage is FOX's confidential intellectual property; FOX did not consent to its distribution or publication; and FOX does not consent to its further distribution or publication.'

Carlson departed Fox News, where his Tucker Carlson Tonight show was the most-watched on the network, on April 25. Sources have linked his firing to his comments about bosses.

Fox has sent a legal notice to a media watchdog which has leaked several behind-the-scenes videos of Tucker Carlson since he departed Fox News in April

Media Matters for America CEO Angelo Carusone said: 'Reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism'

Media Matters for America has since shared a series of clips under the banner 'Tucker Carlson tapes. In another, Carlson said Fox Nation 'sucks' and 'no one' watches it.

The legal letter adds: 'This proprietary material was given to you without FOX's authorization.

'FOX demands that Media Matters cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Fox's misappropriated proprietary footage, which you are now on notice was unlawfully obtained.

'We reserve all rights and remedies.'

Reacting to the letter, Carusone told the Daily Beast: 'Reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that they're a news operation.

'Perhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and Hunter Biden's laptop, it will alleviate their concerns.'

One of the recently leaked clips appeared to have been recorded the same day Carlson had his deposition for the Dominion lawsuit - August 26, 2022.

Fox News agreed to pay Dominion $787.5million in an 11th-hour settlement on April 18, moments before a trial was due to begin.

Carlson can be seen wiping his face with a makeup wipe and telling his staff the opposition's lawyer 'triggered' him.

'That guy, he triggered the s**t out of me,' he can be heard saying on the video, obtained by Media Matters.

The text of the letter from Fox Corp lawyers to Media Matters for America which says leaked footage of Tucker Carlson is 'FOX's confidential intellectual property'

Pictured: Carlson and his wife Susan Andrews pictured for the first time after his dismissal since parting ways with Fox late last month

Carlson made his first public appearance on Thursday since departing Fox

''Where are you now? Where do you live?' The amount of times I had: 'First of all, f**k you,' on my lips was like, it was unbelievable. Suggesting that I was - that I was cheating on my taxes?

'Holy s**t, 10 hours [with] that slimy little motherf**ker sitting across from me,' he said. 'The amount, it was so unhealthy, the hate...the hate that I felt for that guy.'

The day before, the outlet published more leaked footage of Carlson, where he joked about his 'post-menopausal fans' with his senior staff.

Carlson made his first public appearance on Thursday night following his Fox departure with a speech at Oxford Performing Arts Center in Oxford, Alabama, for the annual fundraiser for Rainbow Omega.

Carlson, who earned $20 million a year at Fox, joked: 'I'm probably the first unemployed person you ever invited to speak.

'It's funny. I never give speeches because I'm working. When I accepted this speech six months ago or something, I didn't realize how much free time I would have.

'One never knows, does one?'
The US Supreme Court has blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip, after the state's attorney general agreed his life should be spared and Kim Kardashian spoke out to oppose the execution.

Glossip, 60, had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 for his role in the 1997 murder-for-hire of motel owner Barry Van Treese, his former boss, but Friday's ruling puts the execution on pause while the high court reviews the case.

'We are very grateful to the US Supreme Court for doing the right thing in stopping Richard Glossips unlawful execution,' Glossip's attorney told DailyMail.com in a statement. 'There is nothing more harrowing than the thought of executing a man who the state now admits has never received a fair trial.'

Last week, the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board voted to reject a clemency recommendation for Glossip, even after new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said that Glossip did not receive a fair trial.

In seeking a reprieve, Drummond, a Republican, cited serious concerns about the way prosecutors handled witnesses and evidence at trial, though he said he did not believe Glossip was innocent of the murder.

The US Supreme Court has blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip (above), after the state's attorney general agreed his life should be spared

The Supreme Court ruling puts the execution on hold while the court reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from the decision, presumably because he dealt with it earlier as an appeals court judge.

Glossip's attorney said that he was hopeful the high court would vacate his conviction.

Attorney General Drummond supported the high-court reprieve for Glossip, telling the justices, 'Glossip's trial was unfair and unreliable.'

Another man, Justin Sneed, admitted robbing and killing Van Treese after Glossip promised to pay him $10,000.

Sneed received a life sentence in exchange for his testimony and was the key witness against Glossip.

Two investigations have revealed problems with the prosecution's case against Glossip.

Drummond said Sneed lied on the stand about his psychiatric condition and his reason for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium.

Other problems included financial records that were destroyed in late 1999 or early 2000, prior to Glossip's retrial after his first conviction and death sentence were overturned.

The records could have disproved the prosecution's theory that Glossip wanted Van Treese killed to hide Glossip's alleged embezzlement from the motel, where he was manager, according to an independent report commissioned by a group of 34 Oklahoma state lawmakers, including 28 Republicans.

Justin Sneed, a handyman, (left) admitted robbing and beating Mr Van Treese (right) to death in January 1997, but said he only did it after Glossip offered to pay him $10,000

Last month, Kim Kardashian spoke out in support of Glossip, arguing his actual innocence

'This loss or destruction of evidence appears to be so critical to the defense as to cast serious doubt as to the fundamental fairness of the criminal trial against Glossip,' the report stated.

'This most likely (case) was a solitary robbery committed by Sneed who pocketed whatever money he took,' estimated at about $2,800, from Van Treese to fuel a drug addiction, according to the report.

The report also cited missing security video from a nearby convenience store allegedly showing a man leaving the motel shortly after the murder.

Glossip's case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given an earlier reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions

Glossip's case has been to the Supreme Court before. He was given an earlier reprieve in 2015, although the court later ruled 5-4 against him in a case involving the drugs used in lethal executions.

Last month, Kim Kardashian spoke out in support of Glossip, arguing his actual innocence in the case.

'Richard Glossip needs our help, urgently! He has been on Oklahoma's death row for 24 years for a crime he did not commit and is now scheduled to be executed on May 18th,' she wrote in a tweet.

Kardashian has taken an interest in criminal justice and supported several death row inmates -- but Glossip's support from Oklahoma's top prosecutor was highly unusual.

'I am not aware of an Oklahoma Attorney General ever supporting a clemency application for a death row inmate,' Drummond wrote in a letter the state's Pardon and Parole Board last week.

'In every previous case that has come before this board, the state has maintained full confidence in the integrity of the conviction. That is simply not the case in this matter due to the material evidence that was not disclosed to the jury.'

Glossip has been scheduled to be executed three times, only to be spared shortly before the sentence was set to be carried out.

Last year Glossip married his second wife in prison, 32-year-old Lea Rodger, in Oklahoma State Penitentiary

He was only hours from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug, a mix-up that helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma.

Prominent death penalty opponent Sister Helen Prejean, whose book 'Dead Man Walking' was turned into a movie, has also spoken out in support of Glossip.

Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandon - who won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Prejeans fight to save a man on Louisianas death row in the 1995 movie based on Prejean's book - took up his cause in real life.

His case also was featured in a 2017 documentary film titled 'Killing Richard Glossip.'

Glossip has been twice married behind bars. He married his first wife, Leighta Joy Jurasik, in 2018 when she was 21, and they divorced in 2021.

Last year, he married his second wife in prison, 32-year-old Lea Rodger, in Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas visited the southern border on Friday to see preparations for the end of Title 42 next week and described the situation as 'challenging.'

'The situation at the border is a very serious one,' he told reporters in Brownsville, Texas. 'A very challenging one, and a very difficult one.'

This week the White House announced is was sending 1500 troops to the border. And cities in Texas and Arizona have begun declaring states of emergency.

Mayorkas was asked whether enough had been done to cope with an expected influx.

'I think that there is no question that this is going to be extremely challenging,' he said. 'I do not want to understate the severity of the challenge that we expect to encounter.'

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks to reporters about immigration and the Trump-era expulsion policy Title 42 that is set to end next week

Hundreds of migrants are camped around the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in El Paso, Texas. The city has declared a state of emergency before the lifting of Title 42

Republicans, who have been scoring political points off the record numbers of people crossing the border, scoffed at his choice of words.

'The word Mayorkas is looking for is "crisis,"' tweeted the Republican National Committee.

Title 42 is a regulation that allows border authorities to immediately return migrants who cross the border illegally during public health emergencies.

It was invoked by the Trump administration during the COVID pandemic.

It is due to end on May 11, and so migrants will now be handled under Title 8, the nation's existing immigration law.

At least 12,000 people have congregated in the Mexican city of Ciudad Juarez, according to the mayor of neighboring El Paso, and may be waiting for the end of Title 42 before trying to cross in the mistaken believe that they will be allowed to enter the United States.

Mayorkas said the U.S. was actually making the rules tougher.

'We will by May 11 finalise the rule that we published in a proposed format that provides that individuals who do not access our lawful pathways will be presumed to be ineligible for asylum and will have a higher burden of proof to overcome that presumption of ineligibility,' he said.

'We are building lawful pathways and we are delivering consequences for those who do not use those meaningfully accessible pathways.

'The message is very clear. We are coming with the relief that our laws provide to the individuals in need.

'The border is not open, it has not been open and it will not be open subsequent to May 11.'

A member of the Texas National Guard installs a barbed-wire barrier on the border between El Paso, Texas and Ciudad JuArez. Another 1500 troops are on their way

He said smugglers who were trying to exploit the vulnerable were spreading misinformation.

Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April.

Mayorkas said it was caused by a surge in numbers of people from Venezuela.

Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this week they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said 1,500 active-duty troops will be dispatched to El Paso, Texas, adding to 2,500 National Guard troops already positioned across the border.

Ortiz said El Paso was chosen because it has been a busy corridor for illegal crossings over the last six months. The troop deployment was announced this week but not the location.
President Joe Biden teased journalists at the White House Friday telling them that he would answer their questions later that afternoon at a 'major press conference.'

The only problem was there was no press conference on the schedule - and nobody in the White House press corps was aware of one was being planned.

In reality, Biden was referring to a sit-down interview scheduled later in the day with MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle, which will air in full at 10 p.m. Friday night.

While the White House ignored requests for clarification from DailyMail.com and at least two conservative outlets - two 'sources familiar' told The New York Times that Biden was 'referring to his MSNBC interview tonight,' reporter Katie Rogers tweeted.

After talking about the job numbers and the debt ceiling stalemate at an Investing in America Cabinet meeting, Biden added, 'I'm doing a major press conference this afternoon, so I love you all, but I'd like to ask you to leave so we can get down to business.'

President Joe Biden teased journalists at the White House Friday telling them that he would answer thier questions later that afternoon at a 'major press conference'

He meant an MSNBC interview, which was scheduled for Friday after he and Vice President Kamala Harris (right) went to Taqueria Habaneros to pick up some Cinco de Mayo eats

'I'll be happy to talk to you about that, but not now,' he answered as reporters shouted questions his way.

Acknowledging a question about artificial intelligence he noted 'there are dangers.'

'We'll get a chance to talk about all of those things,' Biden said, dismissing the pool of reporters.

After the meeting, he and Vice President Kamala Harris went on a surprise taco run to mark Cinco de Mayo.

In the meantime, conservatives on Twitter mocked Biden for confusing an interview and a press conference, as he's been pressed for giving both fewer interviews and press conferences than his predecessors.

'The White House is already scrambling to walk this back,' said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel. 'Biden's last solo press conference was 172 days ago.'

Ruhle's interview with Biden Friday marked his first one-on-one with a television reporter since talking to PBS Newshour in February and the first since announcing his 2024 campaign.

Conservatives on Twitter mocked Biden for confusing an interview and a press conference. 'The White House is already scrambling to walk this back,' said Republican National Committee Chair Ronna Romney McDaniel

MSNBC's Stephanie Ruhle will be the first television journalist to have a one-on-one interview with Biden since February. It marks his first since announcing his 2024 reelection bid

It's scheduled at a time when many Americans will be out celebrating Cinco de Mayo or going to bed.

A White House official told DailyMail.com that Ruhle's sit-down was 'not a campaign interview.'

Instead it was related to the Investing in America Cabinet meeting, which is why it's airing Friday night. The official added that portions of the interview will air earlier on Friday and throughout the weekend.

The network said Biden's conversation with Ruhle would be 'wide-ranging.'

They will discuss 'the administration's infrastructure agenda, the 2024 campaign and recently announced reelection bid, the shaping GOP field, looming debt ceiling crisis, and more,' a press release from the network said.

Biden, 80, made his reelection bid official last Tuesday by releasing a video.

Since then, he has yet to hit the campaign trail - and spent most of this week out of the public eye.

Biden (right) held a bilateral press conference last week with South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol (left), where leaders answer questions from two chosen journalists from each country

The president and first lady hosted a state dinner for South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol last Wednesday - where Biden did participate in a traditional bilateral press conference, where leaders answer questions from two chosen journalists from each country.

On Saturday night, Biden attended the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he was pressed by White House Correspondents' Association President Tamara Keith to be more accessible to reporters.

'Every president privately and sometimes publicly bridles at his news coverage. And yet they invite us in and take our questions,' Keith said. 'Though, sir, maybe not as many as we would like,' she said, turning to Biden, who was seated nearby on the dais.

Two weeks ago, The New York Times called Biden's press shyness a 'deliberate strategy' noting that in the 100 years since President Calvin Coolidge took office only Republican Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan held as few news conferences as Biden.

He's yet to do a sit-down interview with an American newspaper.

Overall, before Friday's meet-up with Ruhle, he'll have done 54 interviews.

By comparison former President Donald Trump did 202 interviews during his first two years in office, while former President Barack Obama sat down for 275 interview, The Times said.

Asked Wednesday what the president was up to, as he hadn't been seen in nearly 48 hours, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, 'he's been meeting with - having internal meetings in the Oval Office.'

'I had a meeting with him earlier today with his senior - senior advisers, senior staff, talking about the issues that matter to the American people,' she told reporters.

'It's not unusual. This is something that he does every day. And like you said, you'll see him later this evening. There'll be press available for the toast the president is going to - is going to give,' she said, referencing a Wednesday night dinner the White House was hosting.

'It's going to be, as you know, an open press avail at the top. And you'll get to see the president then,' Jean-Pierre said.
It was the footage that shocked America  and put New York City on edge: for two long minutes, video captured a Marine veteran holding a homeless man in a chokehold on the floor of subway car.

The video from Monday showed 24-year-old Daniel Penny restraining 30-year-old Jordan Neely.

Witnesses say Neely was throwing trash, yelling that he wanted to 'die' or 'go to jail' and menacing other subway riders.

Its still unclear what occurred immediately before the men began wrestling, but apparently Penny tackled Neely and put him in a chokehold lasting longer than two minutes.

Penny can be seen restraining him for 45 seconds even after Neely appears to go limp, and as a bystander warned: You're going to kill him.'

Neely was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He had been known over the years for his Michael Jackson impersonations, but also more than a dozen run-ins with police - many related to his mental health struggles.

Progressive politicians, like Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, have called for Penny to be prosecuted for murder, while fellow Democrat, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, has urged people to wait for the facts of the case to be establishment before making any judgments.

However, many have already taken a position.

Protesters demanding that Penny be charged have demonstrated in the downtown Manhattan subway station where the incident occurred, and more protests are expected this weekend.

Amid all this DailyMail.com went into the citys streets and subways to ask ordinary New Yorkers  who ride the underground rails everyday  how they are reacting to this tragedy.

THINGS HAVE GOTTEN WORSE ESPECIALLY WHEN YOURE A GIRL

This weeks killing was a result of the city, and they need to do a better job, Rashad, a delivery worker who travels the trains for work, told DailyMail.com.

Overall, New Yorkers who spoke to MailOnline agreed that, while disturbing incidents have always occurred on the NYCs trains, things have noticeably deteriorated since the Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020.

Jay, an engineer living in downtown Brooklyn, just several subway stops away from the station where Neely, who was reportedly schizophrenic, was rendered unresponsive, said every time that he rides the subway, he encounters the mentally ill.

Theyre just walking back and forth, so I don't feel safe, he told DailyMail.com.

Though while most men said that they do generally feel safe, they concede that its very different for women.

My wife's five feet nothing, and Asian, so its not so safe for her, said David, a retired public transportation worker. Im her security detail every time she's got to take the subway any place.

Brianna, a young woman from downtown Manhattan, said she often faces sexual harassment. Yvette, a street vendor from Harlem, told DailyMail.com that she was even attacked while riding the subway two months ago.

Protesters demanding that Penny be charged have demonstrated in the downtown Manhattan subway station where the incident occurred, and more protests are expected this weekend.

A homeless man punched me in the face after I accidentally touched him. I said I was sorry, but he got up screaming and punched me. He was arrested, Yvette recalled. Things have gotten worse. It's not easy, especially when you're a girl.

NEW YORKERS BECOMING DESENSITIZED TO SUBWAY VIOLENCE

One fear many that New Yorkers shared with DailyMail.com is that they feel trapped when subway cars are traveling between stops, because in that time things can go horribly wrong.

Police should be inside the train instead of outside because we have to wait until we stop to get any help, Yvette said, recalling her harrowing assault.

I was being attacked for about 3 to 5 minutes until the next stop, and then the cops intervened. [Bystanders] were running to the other side of the train. They were scared and nobody knew what this guy had on him.

New Yorkers are so used to these troubling episodes that at least one woman was not even surprised to hear about Neelys death.

To me, that's normal at this point. Its how the city is, said Brianna from downtown Manhattan.

Darrio, who lives in Long Island City in the nearby borough of Queens and works in Manhattan, compared his reaction to the tragedy to the desensitization that Americans experience after school shootings.

In the beginning, you were flabbergasted. And then after a while, you stop getting so surprised, he explained. Unfortunately, something happens, and you move on.

Neely was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He had been known over the years for his Michael Jackson impersonations.

Penny can be seen restraining him for 45 seconds even after Neely appears to go limp, and as a bystander warned: You're going to kill him.'

Still, despite the constant danger, New Yorkers expressed sympathy for those living on the streets with mental illness.

SYMPATHY FOR HOMELESS AND UNDERSTANDING FOR MARINE VET

Its especially hard for the homeless because the cops mistreat them and then theyre attacked by other homeless people, too, said Yvette, even though she had been the victim of an attack herself. On top of being homeless, theyre getting mistreated by everybody around.

At the same time, many of the citys residents, including Jay, the engineer from Brooklyn, were not quick to condemn the Marine veteran who restrained Neely.

I feel the person that did it tried to do something good and protect everybody around him, he said. But I think he overdid it, and he just lost it. He held on to the person too long and when the person was unconscious, he should've realized the person wasn't a threat.

Some even defended Penny, like former MTA worker David, who believes the veteran did the right thing in a scary situation.

Others were firm in their belief that Penny should face swift justice.

I think he should be prosecuted, said Karen, a social worker from Queens who avoids taking the train as much as possible because she doesnt feel safe. He took a life.

Dario agreed, saying 100 percent [Penny should at least be charged] No matter his reason or logic as to why that was happening at the moment, we need due process.

New Yorkers though could agree on one thing - the city is not doing enough to protect them.

THE POLICE ARE NOT DOING THEIR BEST

[New York City] tells us that they're trying but, you know, at the end of the day, it's the same old stuff, Dario told DailyMail.com. The pandemic and everything really put a damper on things in respect to the safety of trains, because it was already s**t.

Indeed, subway crime rose dramatically during the pandemic, though it is still less dangerous than it was during the 1980s and 1990s - decades that saw more than two dozen murders every year.

Dario agreed, saying 100 percent [Penny should at least be charged] No matter his reason or logic as to why that was happening at the moment, we need due process.

That said, the underground carnage is difficult to write off. There were 10 murders on the train last year, compared to about two murders annually over the last five years prior to the pandemic.

One New Yorker said she felt so unsafe, and so distrustful of police that she wants to arm herself.

At this point we should be allowed to walk around with the weapons because it is very dangerous, said Moody, from Brooklyn.

I've had situations where I've always been attacked by men on the street late at night, and I feel like the police are not doing their best patrolling way to keep us safe.

The police are clearly not helping us, our system is not working, I feel like the only people who can protect us is us, she told DailyMail.com.

For now, the investigation into the incident is ongoing and an attorney for Daniel Penny tells DailyMail.com they have contacted the DA's Office and the NYPD to cooperate.

But regardless of the outcome of this case, New Yorkers certainly believe that the dangers they regularly face have not been addressed.
Prince Harry jetted into UK for the coronation on a commercial American Airlines flight yesterday morning amid gobsmacked passengers, MailOnline can reveal.

Harry flew in from Los Angeles on American Airlines flight AA136, which landed at 11.23am at London Heathrow on Friday.

The Duke of Sussex landed in the UK for his 24-hour visit for King Charles III's Coronation - leaving his wife and two children at home.

Harry is said to be flying back to California straight after the historic ceremony ends this afternoon so he can make it back to see Archie on his fourth birthday.

Harry was expected to spend a final night at Frogmore Cottage on Friday after his father decided to evict him and his American wife just days after the release of his memoir Spare.

While the Duke of Sussex will see his father King Charles III crowned at Westminster Abbey, he will have no formal role in the service and may even be sat several rows back from his brother William and other working royals.

Harry (right) will be jetting straight back to his LA home after the ceremony to his wife Meghan and their two children

Harry flew in from Los Angeles on American Airlines flight AA136, which landed at 11.23am at London Heathrow on Friday (File image)

King Charles III leaves Westminster Abbey in London as the heavens opened this afternoon

Royal commentators have considered whether he will even be allowed to fit within the processions to the Abbey. They have also suggested that he could face 'uniform humiliation' as he may not be allowed to wear his military garb.

It is understood the duke will only be in the UK for around 24 hours so he can get home for his son Archie's fourth birthday, which is the same day as the Coronation.

Regarding Harry's brief visit, a source told The Sun: 'Harry will be in and out of the UK in 24 hours. He will only be doing the Coronation service then leaving.'

Asked in an interview in January whether he would attend the Coronation if invited, Harry said 'the door is always open'.

It was then reported last month that the duke would be coming to the Coronation alone, leaving Meghan at home with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Buckingham Palace later said it was 'pleased to confirm' the Duke of Sussex would be at Westminster Abbey today. There had been uncertainty at the Palace over the Sussexes' attendance.

Prince William is expected to be allowed to wear military clothing but his brother may not

It was said to have left royal officials unable to sign off arrangements for seating plans, transport and security, as the duke's confirmation came after the official RSVP date.

Coronation organisers admitted that they were stressed about Harry's plans and said that it was like 'trying to communicate with Mars'.

Recently, Harry and Meghan's celebrity friend Gayle King declared they are in a 'really good place' and have made the 'best' decision for Meghan to stay in the US while Harry attends the Coronation in London.

Ms King has said it is 'right' that Harry will fly to the UK for May 6, missing Archie's fourth birthday, because he will be supporting his father in Westminster Abbey on the biggest day of his life.

It came as Meghan signed a mega-money deal with a talent agency representing Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, LeBron James and Serena Williams that will earn her tens of millions of dollars and heralds the start of her very public comeback.
A British journalist was spied on by TikTok in an attempt to identify the sources of her critical stories about the controversial Chinese firm.

Tech workers snooped on the location of Financial Times technology correspondent Cristina Criddle through an account she had set up in the name of her pet cat, Buffy.

The hack of Ms Criddles and another journalists phones were blamed on the misconduct of a few individuals by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance when the story first emerged in December.

But experts say significant effort must have been put into tracing her via the cat account, which did not mention her real name and had only 170 followers.

Hackers attempted to compare her IP address  the unique number for every device connected to the internet  with work colleagues suspected of briefing her, in order to prove they had been in proximity to each other.

Pictured: Cristina Criddle (file photo). The hack of Ms Criddles and another journalists phones were blamed on the misconduct of a few individuals by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance when the story first emerged in December

Pictured: Ms Criddle's pet cat Buffy. Experts say significant effort must have been put into tracing her via the cat account, which did not mention her real name and had only 170 followers

Speaking about it for the first time, Ms Criddle told the BBC that the really chilling episode was quite violating.

She added: Im super-careful now. I have to make sure that there is no chance that my devices are being tracked. If my location was being monitored 24/7, thats not just limited to my actions at work... this was in my personal life as well.

ByteDance has said it deeply regrets the significant violation of its rules and fired those involved.

Asked about the incident in March ahead of a US congressional committee, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew claimed: I dont think that spying is the right way to describe it.
The Royals have united at a massive family dinner ahead of the coronation at a luxury private club.

Prince Andrew joined his children, the Tindalls, Princess Anne and her husband, the Kents and the Wessexes at Mayfair club Oswald's - but there was no sign of the 'outcast' Prince Harry.

The club is owned by British entrepreneur Robin Birley, who also owns and runs 5 Hertford Street - where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date.

The longest-serving heir to the throne in British history will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that is steeped in the majesty of his illustrious forebears  but also embraces and emphasises the proud diversity of modern-day Britain.

The Coronation will see 7,000 servicemen and women accompanying Their Majesties, making it the country's biggest ceremonial event since 1953.

Prince Andrew joined his children, the Tindalls, Princess Anne and her husband, the Kents and the Wessexes at Mayfair club Oswald's, which is owned by British entrepreneur Robin Birley

Princess Eugenie wore a stunning velvet gown as she arrived with her husband Jack Brooksbank

Her sister Princess Beatrice wore strappy black heels, and a key-patterned dress underneath a trim charcoal blazer as she arrived beside husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Zara and Mike Tindall arrived together. Zara also opted for velvet, going for a classy navy blue suit combination

Oswald's is the most exclusive of London's private members' clubs, with the Queen Consort and Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie among those who frequent the venue.

Named after owner Robin Birley's grandfather, it is a club for both men and women - with a focus on wine.

The private members' club is thought to be the best for wine connoisseurs, where guests can either cellar their own wine, or buy in house, before enjoying them in the ground floor restaurant or on the small rear terrace.

Zara, 41, who arrived at exclusive Mayfair private members' club Oswald's alongside her husband Mike Tindall, 44, opted for a striking navy blazer and trouser combo, paired with a light blue shirt.

Her cousin, Princess Eugenie, 33, who is expecting her second child with husband Jack Brooksbank, who was also in attendance at the family occasion, seemingly took inspiration from Zara and donned an Asceno Velvet Athens Robe, costing 575.

They were joined alongside Princess Beatrice, 34, dressed in Louis Vuitton's 2,900 chain print asymmetrical long-sleeved frock, as well as other Royal Family members - including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne.

Tomorrow, they will join King Charles, Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales at the coronation in Westminster Abbey. The King, Kate and William attended a Buckingham Palace reception this evening with foreign royals and world leaders.

The Princess Royal arrived with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence

Prince Edward was sporting a bright orange tie and a light grey suit as he arrived in the rain

His wife Sophie Wessex was wearing a billowing purple floral dress with a frilly collar that mirrored her violet toenails. She matched her sleek beige overcoat with her strappy heels

The couple's children, James, Earl of Wessex, and Lady Louise Windsor, arrived alongside their parents

Also at the dinner at the luxury club were Prince and Princess Michael of Kent

Joined by her husband, Eugenie, who already shares two-year-old August with Jack, paired her glamorous red robe with black heels and a matching bag.

Coordinating with his wife, Jack opted for a smart suit, white crisp shirt and a red patterned tie.

Beatrice, meanwhile, teamed her designer dress with black heels and a matching blazer. She added a touch of glitz to her look with dazzling earrings.

Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, 39, who she shares one-year-old daughter Sienna with, looked equally sophisticated in a navy suit and a light blue tie.

Meanwhile, Zara - arriving alongside her dapper husband Mike - teamed her look with court heels and dazzling diamond earrings.

Elsewhere, Sophie, 58, and Prince Edward, 59, were joined by their children, James, Earl of Wessex, 15, and Lady Louise Windsor, 19.

Missing from the party was the Duke of Sussex, who to the surprise of gobsmacked passengers flew in from Los Angeles on American Airlines flight AA136, which landed at 11.23am at Heathrow yesterday.

Sources told the Mail yesterday that there are no plans for him to join the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace or appear in official photos.

He will not even be seen with his family on the balcony during the flypast nor will he be joining the procession back from Westminster Abbey today.

Instead, the King's youngest son - who is fifth in line to the throne - will be relegated to the third row inside the abbey for the service.

He has been, however, invited to lunch at Buckingham Palace today - although it is unconfirmed if he has accepted the invitation.

The Prince is only in the UK for 24 hours. This afternoon he will return to his wife and two children who remain in California so he can make back it to celebrate Archie's fourth birthday.

As was widely expected, it was confirmed by the Palace this morning that Harry, 38, as well as Prince Andrew, 63, will be mere spectators to the historic Coronation Ceremony given that they are no longer working royals.

The two men will also be absent from the procession behind the Gold State Coach that will carry the newly crowned King and Queen to the Palace after the ceremony.

Prince Harry, pictured last month, is not expected to play any part in todays Coronation celebrations apart from his brief appearance at Westminster Abbey

Harry, pictured with Meghan last year, will be jetting straight back to his LA home after the ceremony this afternoon to his wife and their two children

Prince Andrew was wearing a tightly-fitting white shirt and patterned dark blue tie

Princess Eugenie is heavily pregnant with her second child, which is expected later this summer

Buckingham Palace announced last month he would be attending and he was expected to fly in yesterday and spend the night at Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate.

Insiders last night said they could not rule out him having an unplanned heart-to-heart with his father after he lands in the UK.

Of course you can never say never, said one. Anything is possible, especially with him. And His Majesty loves his son despite everything.

But others felt that this was extremely unlikely.

To be honest it seems a bit pointless him being there. His place in the pecking order couldnt be clearer, another source told the Mail.

Attending is probably the right thing for him to do in the long run. He can at least say he came and made the effort to be with his father on his big day... But the red carpet is most definitely not being rolled out and, as it stands, he will just be another member of the congregation.

Buckingham Palace last month announced it was pleased to confirm Harry would attend his fathers ceremony. There had been months of speculation over whether he and possibly Meghan would attend.

It came after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex released a six-part Netflix docuseries in December where they suggested William was trapped and claimed they were not treated well by the Royal Family.

Then in January, the Duke of Sussex published intimate details of his familys private life in his memoir, Spare. All of this followed the Sussexes extraordinary Oprah interview in 2021 where they claimed an unnamed relative had asked what colour skin their baby would have.

Despite the continued hostility towards his family, King Charles was keen to extend an olive branch and invited his son to the Coronation.

Harry made him wait until the last minute before Buckingham Palace announced he would be attending on his own.

It was said to have left royal officials unable to sign off arrangements for seating plans, transport and security, as the dukes confirmation came after the official RSVP date.

Coronation organisers admitted that they were stressed about Harrys plans and said that it was like trying to communicate with Mars.

Royal insiders told how they were seeking confirmation of when he is coming, when he is going back and whether he is happy with his seating position in the Abbey.

Meghan will stay behind with Lilibet, one, and Archie, who celebrates his birthday today.

She arrived at the fancy Mayfair club, which had a floral arch at the entrance to greet the royals

Her sister Princess Beatrice's husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi sported a charming pale blue tie and navy suit

Ever-fashionable Princess Anne wore a pair of shiny black heels and a red, white and blue cravat ahead of the coronation

Lady Louise was a picture of elegance as she wore an intricate paisleyesque dress while striding ahead of her brother

In the summer of 2020 following lockdown, Birley, who is known as the king of clubs spent millions of his own money to lure members back to his fashionable Mayfair nightspots.

Oswald's attracts the likes of Dame Joan Collins, Priti Patel, David Beckham, the Earl of Snowdon, and is where Amber Heard was seen partying during the High Court in Johnny Depps libel suit against a paper last year.

Prince William, who was seen enjoying a night with friends at the club in November, is also said to be a member of 61-year-old Etonian Birley's secretive member's only club 5 Hertford Street.

Joining costs 1,800 a year and members - rumoured to include Harry Styles, Margot Robbie, Mick Jagger and numerous royals - need to be recommended by a proposer and a seconder.

The mogul gifted every member of 5 Hertford Street and Oswalds a free meal up to the value of 500 - an offer which lasted until Christmas, with members allowed to bring as many guests as they like.

There are understood to be at least 3,000 members of the two clubs so it could have set Birley back more than 1.5 million.

Robin, the son of Lady Annabel Goldsmith and late club owner Mark Birley, opened 5 Hertford Street in 2012 and it soon became Londons most exclusive watering hole.

Based in a labyrinthine townhouse, its decorated like a bohemian stately home and members are charged fees of about 2,500 a year.

Robin Birley bears facial scars left by a tiger that attacked him at a family friends private zoo when he was just 12.

The businessman made headlines in 2019 after it was claimed that he funded Boris Johnsons campaign to become prime minister.
TikTok staff in China maintained a database on users who watched LGBT content, according to a bombshell new report.

Typically users do not have to disclose their sexual preference when signing up for TikTok but videos that are related to LGBT interests are categorized internally, reports the Wall Street Journal.

A former employee told the newspaper that workers have been accessing the list for around a year. TikTok is owned by parent company ByteDance, which has offices in Beijing.

Management in the US, United Kingdom and Australia were made aware about employee's concerns regarding the monitoring of LGBT users in 2022.

Employees stressed that access to such data in countries where homosexuality is a crime could be dangerous to the app's users or could result in blackmail. Access to the list was restricted but it remained intact.

TikTok CEO Show Zi Chew appearing before a House committee in March 2023

A TikTok spokesperson has said that the lists of users who watched LGBT content was for regular business practices

The platform has 150 million American users but its been dogged by persistent claims that it threatens national security and user privacy or could be used to promote pro-Beijing propaganda and misinformation.

In March, CEO Show Zi Chew appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce to answer to some of those claims. Chew attempted to persuade lawmakers not to pursue a ban on the app or force its sale to new owners.

TikTok takes all videos produced by users and divides them into categories and then into sub-categories, the employee told WSJ.

The sub-categories for the category 'alt female' include: 'tattoos, some lesbian content, and Portland.'

Other employees told WSJ that the categorization was used to boost engagement and keep an eye on trending topics.

Despite access to the list of categories being restricted in 2022, it remains accessible to the company that maintains TikTok's data in the US, reports the WSJ.

In 2020, TikTok began a $1.5 billion program dubbed Project Texas, that places data from US users through servers controlled by Oracle, the Silicon Valley company it partnered with in an effort to avoid a nationwide ban.

Older U.S. user data stored on non-Oracle servers will be deleted this year. Under this arrangement, theres no way for Beijing to access the data, according to TikTok's CEO.

Speaking to the newspaper, the company said that the monitoring of LGBT viewership numbers was no different to the monitoring of other content viewership.

British journalist Cristina Criddle, pictured here, was spied on by TikTok in an attempt to identify the sources of her critical stories

On the same day that the Wall Street Journal report emerged, the British journalist who was spied on by TikTok spoke out about the surveillance, which was first reported in December.

British journalist Cristina Criddle was spied on by TikTok in an attempt to identify the sources of her critical stories.

Tech workers snooped on the location of Financial Times technology correspondent Criddle through an account she had set up in the name of her pet cat, Buffy.

The hack of Criddles and another journalists phones were blamed on the misconduct of a few individuals by Beijing-based parent company ByteDance.

But experts say significant effort must have been put into tracing her via the cat account, which did not mention her real name and had only 170 followers.

Hackers attempted to compare her IP address  the unique number for every device connected to the internet  with work colleagues suspected of briefing her, in order to prove they had been in proximity to each other.

Speaking about it for the first time, Criddle told the BBC that the really chilling episode was quite violating.

She added: Im super-careful now. I have to make sure that there is no chance that my devices are being tracked. If my location was being monitored 24/7, thats not just limited to my actions at work... this was in my personal life as well.

ByteDance has said it deeply regrets the significant violation of its rules and fired those involved.

Asked about the incident in March at his US congressional committee hearing, TikTok's CEO claimed: I dont think that spying is the right way to describe it.

Both the FBI and officials at the Federal Communications Commission have warned that ByteDance could share TikTok user data  such as browsing history, location and biometric identifiers  with Chinas authoritarian government.

Officials fear that TikTok, which like many other social media platforms collects vast amounts of data on its users, would be forced to give it to Beijing under a 2017 law that compels companies to turn over any personal data relevant to Chinas national security.

The White House ordered U.S. federal agencies to delete TikTok from all government-issued mobile devices. Congress, the U.S. armed forces and more than half of U.S. states had already banned the app.
Policeman allegedly commits suicide near Japanese PM office; Reports

Tokyo, May 5 (UNI) A riot police officer has allegedly committed suicide in a toilet at a checkpoint on the territory of the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's office, Japanese media reported on Friday.

The police officer was found at around 4:40 local time on Friday (19:40 GMT on Thursday) in a toilet cabin near the western gates of the premise, the Kyodo news agency reported, citing the police. The man had an open wound in the head, with a gun lying next to him. The officer was taken to a hospital, but died there, the report said.

His colleagues told the police they had heard a gunshot and then found the officer in the toilet.
Rishi Sunak faced fresh calls to cut taxes yesterday after the Conservatives suffered a drubbing at the local elections.

Tory MPs warned that the party had been punished at the polls for presiding over the highest tax burden in modern history  and urged the Prime Minister to change course.

Mr Sunak's first electoral test ended with the Conservatives losing around 1,000 seats across England, with key local authorities such as Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Plymouth and Dover all falling to Labour.

The Tories lost control at more than 40 councils as Labour became the largest party in local government across the country.

The Liberal Democrats also made inroads into traditional Conservative heartlands, taking control of Windsor and Maidenhead, Stratford-upon-Avon and Dacorum in Hertfordshire.

Rishi Sunak faced fresh calls to cut taxes yesterday after the Conservatives suffered a drubbing at the local elections

Mr Sunak's first electoral test ended with the Conservatives losing around 1,000 seats across England, with key local authorities such as Stoke-on-Trent, Swindon, Plymouth and Dover all falling to Labour

Experts said the results looked set to translate to an eight or nine-point poll lead for Labour  enough for the Conservatives to lose office at the next general election, but still short of the level needed to give Sir Keir Starmer and his party an overall majority. Seizing on the prospect of a hung Parliament, the Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn said his party could hold the balance of power, 'putting Scotland in prime position to pull the strings of a minority UK government'.

Mr Sunak admitted it was 'disappointing' to lose Conservative councillors. But he said he was 'not detecting any massive groundswell of movement towards the Labour Party or excitement for its agenda'  and insisted he would not change course.

'What I am going to carry on doing is delivering on the people's priorities,' he added.

But Tory MPs warned that the party's prospects would not improve until the crippling tax burden is eased.

Sir John Redwood said last night: 'If the PM wants to win back lost Conservative voters he should try offering some Conservative policies. Cut taxes, get better value for state spending and go for growth.'

Former Cabinet minister David Jones said Tory voters wanted 'a lower tax regime and control over illegal immigration'. Mr Sunak has acknowledged voters' frustration with the Conservative turmoil of the past year, saying that people were tired of the 'box set drama' at Westminster.

Some Tory MPs warned that the party was paying the price for ousting former prime minister Boris Johnson last year.

One source said: 'Sunak can't blame these results on last year's chaos. He started that chaos by knifing the most successful Tory election winner in 50 years.'

But former party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said the election results were 'not about Rishi', adding: 'Anyone out there saying we need to change leaders needs their head examined.'

Sir Iain added that next year's general election was still 'game on', but insisted that lowering the tax burden was 'critical' to Tory prospects of success.

'People are fed up with us, they are fed up with the level of taxation and the cost of living,' he said. 'But this is not 1996, when the whole thing was collapsing  and Starmer is not Tony Blair.

'We are in a stand-off with the electorate  a lot of our supporters stayed at home. We have now got to finally, properly deliver Brexit, including getting rid of all those regulations.'

Sir Iain added: 'And we have got to get the economy going and cut this oppressive tax burden, which is not what people want from the Conservatives.'

Alan Jarrett, the outgoing Tory leader of Medway council in Kent, was one of several Conservative councillors to blame national factors for the losses, saying the Government needs to 'get its act together'.

Sir Keir hailed Labour's results as a breakthrough and said he was on course for Downing Street.

Addressing activists in Medway yesterday, where his party took charge for the first time in more than 20 years, the Labour leader said: 'Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election.'

But elections experts said it was far from clear that Labour had the momentum to secure an overall majority next year.

In an analysis for Sky News, Professor Michael Thrasher said the results translated into an eight-point lead for Labour, which could deliver a hung parliament.

Mr Thrasher, a professor of politics at the University of Plymouth, added that, with a uniform national swing, the results 'suggest that Labour is on course to become the largest party at the next election but falling short of winning an outright majority'.

Fellow elections expert Sir John Curtice, professor of politics at the University of Strathclyde, said that while the results were 'unambiguously bad' for the Conservatives, the 'jury is still out' on whether Labour has made significant progress towards winning an overall majority.

In a separate analysis, Sir John predicted Thursday's vote would equate to a nine-point Labour lead at a general election  the party's best result since it lost power in 2010, but one which would potentially leave Sir Keir 20 seats short of a majority. His analysis concluded that Labour would have won 35 per cent of the vote had the election been nationwide, with the Conservatives on 26 per cent and the Liberal Democrats on 20 per cent.

Tory sources were last night clinging to signs that the Labour Party was still struggling to break through in some parts of the country, particularly on Teesside in the North East where the Conservatives clocked up a number of gains  including securing 11 seats in Stockton to become the largest party.

In some key swing seats, such as Peterborough and Harlow, Labour went backwards.

But the Conservatives gained only two councils, taking control at Torbay, in Devon, and Wyre Forest in Worcestershire  both of which had been under no overall control.

Rishi Sunak's just been given the rudest of wake-up calls by the local elections. He now faces a challenge to persuade his jittery party to hold its nerve and stick with his programme, writes JASON GROVES

If Rishi Sunak was in any doubt about the scale of the challenge he faces then the local election results have given him the rudest of wake up calls.

By 8am the Conservatives had already lost more than 200 seats. By the end of the day that number could well rise to 1,000 or more  very much at the worse end of expectations.

Across the country, angry Conservative councillors were blaming the Government for their woes  and there were signs that that the Tory Right will make a fresh bid to force the Prime Minister to change direction on issues like tax.

No one expected these results to be good for the Tories. After 13 years in power it would be hard for any Government to generate much excitement at this point in the electoral cycle.

Throw in the cost of living crisis, the political turmoil of the last 12 months and the highest taxes since the Second World War and it is not hard to see why many former Tory voters have switched sides in protest or simply stayed away.

From 7am to 10pm yesterday, voters across England visited polling stations to choose around 8,000 councillors in 230 councils

But there will be deep concern that Conservative support is collapsing in parts of the country like Stoke-on-Trent and Boston, in Lincolnshire, where support for Brexit was strongest.

Conservative MPs in the traditional Tory heartlands of the Home Counties will also be alarmed to see the Liberal Democrats making significant inroads in True Blue areas like Windsor and Maidenhead.

Alan Jarrett, outgoing Tory leader of Medway council, in Kent, where Labour seized control for the first time in 20 years, summed up the mood by saying the government needs to 'get its act together'.

Yet despite Labour excitement at gains in key target areas such as Stoke, Plymouth and Medway, it is far from clear that Labour has sealed the deal with the electorate in the way Tony Blair did in the local elections ahead of his 1997 landslide.

In the early results, Labour was picking up barely half of the seats lost by the Conservatives, with the rest spread between the Liberal Democrats, Greens and local independents.

The swing to Labour looks to be roughly in line with that achieved by Ed Miliband ahead of the 2015 election, which he went on to lose.

Labour sources suggest that improved prospects in Scotland mean this kind of swing is enough to put Sir Keir Starmer on course for No 10 next year.

But the failure to secure a decisive breakthrough will make it easier for the Tories to stoke fears of a Lib-Lab pact  and fuel questions about whether the public will ever embrace Labour's stuffy leader.

Rishi Sunak (pictured) now faces a renewed challenge to persuade his jittery party to hold its nerve and stick with his programme

It will also give Mr Sunak a glimmer of hope that all is not lost.

The fact he is not facing more outspoken criticism this morning is testament to the effort he has put in to calming his fractious party in recent months.

But the uneasy truce with the Tory Right is set to be tested in the coming weeks.

David Campbell-Bannerman, chairman of the broadly pro-Boris Conservative Democratic Organisation, said the results showed there was a 'price to be paid' for pushing up taxes to record levels and suggested that a return for Mr Johnson 'should not be ruled out as an option for the longer term'.

Mr Sunak will try to 'move on' swiftly next week by unveiling long awaited plans to ease access to GP appointments.

But he now faces a renewed challenge to persuade his jittery party to hold its nerve and stick with his programme.
Full details of the service at Westminster Abbey that will see the Coronation of King Charles III and his wife Queen Camilla have been released.

The Procession of The King and Queen

Following the choir, and religious and Commonwealth leaders, Their Majesties will enter Westminster Abbey to the anthem I Was Glad, a version of Psalm 122 set to music by Sir Hubert Parry, the composer of Jerusalem. Parrys setting contains the cry Vivat Rex! (Long Live the King!) which will be proclaimed by scholars from Westminster School.

A Moment of Silent Prayer

The Royal Couple take a moment to reflect and pay homage to God.

Greeting and Introduction

The Archbishop of Canterbury welcomes the congregation with a blessing.

The Recognition

This is the first element of the traditional English Coronation Rite in which the congregation affirms support for the King by exclaiming: God Save King Charles.

A representation of sovereign power, the Sovereign's Orb is placed in The Kings palm

The Presentation of the Holy Bible

A copy of the Bible is gifted to the King, symbolically setting the word of God above all human laws. The Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland will tell the King: Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God. This tradition dates back to the Coronation of William III and Mary II in 1689.

The Oaths

The Oaths are vows to support people of all faiths and beliefs. The Archbishop asks Charles III if he is willing to take the Oaths and to promise and swear to govern, to which the King will reply: I solemnly promise so to do.

The Kings Prayer

The Monarch offers a specially composed prayer which draws inspiration from Galatians 5 and the much-loved hymn, I Vow To Thee My Country.

Collect

Another prayer, written especially for the Coronation, addressing the theme of loving service.

The Epistle

Colossians 1 9:17

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will read from the first chapter of the Epistle (which translates as letter) to the Colossians.

Gospel

Luke 4:16-21

The Gospel  derived from the Greek for Good News  is St Lukes account of Jesus at worship in the synagogue.

Sermon

This is an opportunity for The Archbishop to place the ceremony within a broader religious context, and explain how the themes of the celebration relate to both the public and the monarch.

The Anointing

As The King prepares to be anointed upon the Coronation Chair, he removes the Robes of State  signifying his humility in front of God.

The Archbishop will anoint The King on his hands, breast and head. This sacred part of the ceremony will be held behind a screen and is not broadcast on TV.

Meanwhile, the choir sing Handels anthem Zadok The Priest, which he composed for the Coronation of George II in 1727.

It has been sung prior to the anointing of the sovereign at the Coronation of every British monarch since then.

The Presentation of Regalia

Peers from the House of Lords and senior Anglican bishops will present various symbols of royalty. Non-Christian peers will present regalia which does not bear explicit Christian motifs, affirming the different faiths that will serve under the King.

The Orb

A representation of sovereign power, the Orb is placed in The Kings palm.

The Sovereign's Ring 1831 is composed of a mixed-cut octagonal sapphire in a gold setting overlaid with four rectangular-cut rubies, plus one square-cut at the centre

The Ring

Similarly to rings exchanged during a marriage ceremony, the Coronation Ring is a symbol of the monarchs promise and commitment to God. The Archbishop will tell King Charles that the ring represents the covenant sworn on this day between God and King, King and people.

The Sceptre and Rod

Another piece of regalia loaded with significance, the Sceptre represents temporal power and authority. The Rod of Equity and Mercy represents the Monarchs spiritual role and his pastoral care of the people.

The Crowning

Made of solid gold and set with precious stones, St Edwards Crown (made in 1661) represents the Kings vocation before God, and is a reminder of the promises and vows he has made to the people.

As he crowns the King, the Archbishop will lead the congregation in declaring God Save the King!  a loyal exclamation that has been part of the Coronation ritual since 1689.

READ MORE: A royally BIG portrait! Digital picture of King Charles which features thousands of individual drawings from Britons is unveiled in London Advertisement

Fanfare

Richard Strausss famous Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare will follow the crowning and then the abbey bells will ring for two minutes, followed by a gun salute fired by The Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery as well as all saluting stations throughout the kingdom, including in Bermuda, Gibraltar and on ships at sea.

The Blessing

The Archbishop and other Christian leaders will deliver the blessing. It is the first time the Blessing has been shared by clergy from different denominations  a reflection of Britains ecumenical progress.

Enthroning The King

The King is settled on the throne while the Archbishop commands him to stand firm, and hold fast from henceforth this seat of royal dignity, which is yours by the authority of Almighty God  phrasing which dates back to the coronation of King Edgar in 959.

Homage

The Church of England, followed by Prince William, pays homage to the King. This is then followed by a new tradition: the opportunity for the public to swear their true allegiance to the Monarch and his heirs. A chorus of millions will participate  from members of the congregation and subjects in the streets outside to people up and down the country  in this solemn and joyful moment.

Coronation of the Queen

In a shorter sequence to that of the King, Queen Camilla has her own Coronation, which begins with a brief anointing.

The last sovereign consort to be crowned was the late Queen Mother in 1937. It is an honour that is bestowed only on female consorts, and therefore His Late Royal Highness Prince Philip had no such ceremony.

The Crowning

Queen Marys Crown is placed upon her head. The crown has been embellished with jewels from her Late Majestys personal collection, including the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds.

Enthroning The Queen

Camilla is seated beside the King, symbolising their joint vocation before God. A significant moment of music comes next, as the choir will sing Andrew Lloyd Webbers coronation anthem, Make A Joyful Noise, as the King and Queen are united in their joint vocation. This setting of verses from Psalm 98 was commissioned for this service.

The Sovereign's Sceptre with Cross has been used at every Coronation since Charles II's in 1661

Offertory Hymn

Gifts of bread and wine are brought before the King.

Eucharistic Prayer

This prayer recalls the words of Jesus at the Last Supper.

Sanctus

With words dating to the fifth century, the Sanctus will be sung to music composed by Roxanna Panufnik, a British composer of Polish heritage, one of the Kings 12 commissions for the Coronation.

The Lords Prayer

The Archbishop will invite everyone to join him in prayer, wherever they may be, in whichever language they wish. The Our Father was Jesuss gift to his followers when they asked how they should pray.

Prayer after Communion

Taken from the Book Of Common Prayer, this prayer asks God to direct us in His holy ways.

The Final Blessing

The Archbishop of Canterbury leads a final blessing, praying: Christ our King, make you faithful and strong to do his will, that you may reign with him in glory.'

Te Deum

This Latin hymn dates back to the 4th Century and is sometimes called The Hymn Of The Church. It is sung as Their Majesties go to St Edwards Chapel to be vested in the Robes of Estate and Charles puts on the Imperial State Crown.

The term Imperial State Crown dates back to the 15th Century, when English monarchs chose a crown design closed by arches to demonstrate that England was not subject to any other earthly power.

The National Anthem

God Save The King has been the national anthem for more than 250 years. It is both song and prayer, calling on God to protect the Sovereign and ensure their wise rule. The eponymous phrase is far older than the song, appearing several times in the King James Bible.

Greeting of faith leaders, representatives and the governor-generals

In an unprecedented gesture marking the significance of the religious diversity of the realms, the Sovereign will spend his final moments in the Abbey receiving a greeting from the leaders and representatives from the major non-Christian faith traditions: Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist.

In a historic first, the complete Coronation will be recorded and released as an album on the very day of the ceremony.
Your souvenir Charles III Coronation mug might be worth a fortune in the future  but youll have to wait a few centuries.

A Charles II Coronation mug made in 1660 is being offered for sale for 55,000 following its discovery last year at a Buckinghamshire car boot sale, when it was reportedly picked up for just a few pounds.

The piece  possibly the first Coronation mug ever made  is thought to be one of only four in existence.

Eric Knowles, veteran ceramics expert on the BBCs Antiques Roadshow, said: Its simply a jewel.

The couple who bought it sold it in December for 14,808 via Claydon Auctioneers in Buckingham.

The chipped coronation mug for King Charles II that was bought at a flea market for a few pounds sold for 14,000 in December but it is now on sale for 55,000

But it went on to London antique dealers E&H Manners, who will exhibit the great rarity at The Treasure House Fair from June 22 to 26.

Co-director, Errol Manners, said: Were hugely excited. Its a great rarity Its just the icing on the cake that it coincided with the forthcoming Coronation.

Less than four inches high, it was made for drinking a loyal toast to the monarch, who was reinstated on the throne after the death of Oliver Cromwell.

At that time, the only potteries that made this type of delftware were in London on the Thames in Southwark. There were about six pothouses there. Of the surviving examples, two are in public collections, including the Museum of London.

On May 29 1660, Charles II rode into London in triumph after landing at Dover. Weeks earlier, Parliament had despatched a delegation to Holland to invite him to return to his Kingdom.

Mr Manners said: Charles was greeted at St Georges Fields by the Lord Mayor of London in Southwark, the borough where our mug was made.

A huge procession, formed of the army, the London bands and City dignitaries crossed London Bridge.

The parade took seven hours to pass, and it was already early evening by the time the King reached Whitehall.

Charles was greeted by the assembled peers and MPs at the Banqueting House, which had been the scene of his fathers execution 11 years before.

The Speakers of both houses greeted him with loyal speeches and the MPs queued to kiss his hand

Whitehall Palace was hastily refurbished, and a new crown commissioned. This, the St Edwards Crown, is the one that is still used at the Coronation today. King Charles II was crowned at Westminster Abbey on 23 April 1661.

He added that the mug depicts the king in armour, which represented military prowess: This is from the period, like were in now, just before he was officially crowned, but he was still called king.
Major broadcasters were last night accused of continuing to hold UK news publishers to ransom over access to live footage of the Coronation, even though publishing outlets have now reached an agreement with the Royal Household to use the livestream.

Despite publishers being given the go-ahead by the monarchy to use images from tomorrow, TV providers, including the BBC, ITN and Sky, continue to insist on imposing high costs to access the footage.

This has led to claims that they are trying to cash in on the historic event, rather than let it be seen as widely as possible.

It is also at odds with the precedent set at the Queens funeral when British newspaper websites were given free access to the pooled footage.

A deal between the News Media Association, which represents UK national, regional and local news groups, and the Royal Household, says publishers would use the footage respectfully but there is frustration at the broadcasters high fees for it.

Despite publishers being given the go-ahead by the monarchy to use images from tomorrow, TV providers, including the BBC, ITN and Sky, continue to insist on imposing high costs to access the footage

British newspaper websites were given free access to the pooled footage for the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II

Earlier this week one industry executive said: We are being held to ransom.

Insiders have said it is wrong for the BBC to be seeking to profit from coverage it will already be making, when sharing it with others would not involve any extra cost.

They added that news publishers wanted to serve their existing readership given the public interest of this historic occasion.

A joint statement by the BBC, Sky and ITN previously said: UK broadcasters are investing heavily in the coverage of this complex and historic event and have asked for a fair and reasonable financial contribution from any third parties wishing to access the live coverage for their own use.
King Charles has paid a personal tribute to the Queen Consort by including her on his Coronation Medal, the Mail can reveal.

Camilla appears behind her husband on the medal which will be awarded to military personnel, emergency workers and civil servants  subject to eligibility criteria.

The Mail has also obtained the first image of the much anticipated medal, which is yet to be formally unveiled. Its design had been shrouded in secrecy.

King Charles has followed the example of George VI who included Queen Elizabeth on his coronation medal in 1937.

Her inclusion is considered entirely appropriate given the Queen Consorts support for King Charles in carrying out his work and duties.

King Charles has paid a personal tribute to the Queen Consort by including her on his Coronation Medal

The silver medal is expected to cost as much as 35million, according to reports.

The King and Queen Consort appear on one side, with the Sovereigns personal monogram on the other.

She also undertakes public engagements on behalf of charities and holds a number of honorary positions in the armed forces.

Tens of thousands of medals will be minted and will be awarded at a later date. The King and Queen Consort appear on one side, with the Sovereigns personal monogram on the other.

The cypher, consists of the initials of the monarchs name, Charles, and title, Rex, which is Latin for King.

The C and the R appear beneath a representation of the Crown and are surrounded by a laurel wreath.

Camilla appears behind her husband on the medal which will be awarded to military personnel, emergency workers and civil servants  subject to eligibility criteria

The Mail has learned that, following a row between government departments over who should pay for the medals, strict eligibility criteria has been imposed.

The Kings Coronation Medal will be awarded to members of the armed forces who have completed five years of service by today (Fri), frontline emergency services and prison service personnel, members of the Royal Household and living recipients of the Victoria Cross and George Cross gallantry awards.

In addition, the medal will be awarded to service personnel who provide active, contributory service to official Coronation events. Senior civil servants and officials from devolved administrations, crown dependencies and overseas territories will also receive the medal.

Coronation medals have been issued for each British monarch since the Coronation of George IV in 1821. Medals have also been issued to commemorate the late Queens Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees.
An artist has paid tribute to the King Charles by making a minute replica of St Edward's Crown and placing it in the eye of a needle.

Dr Willard Wigan, 65, who was awarded an MBE by the then Prince of Wales in 2007 for services to art, completed the unique piece after 600 painstaking hours.

The work is an incredible detailed replica of St Edward's Crown made in 1661 for the coronation of Charles II and which will be used in Saturday's solemn ceremony.

Mr Wigan told MailOnline that making the work was the 'equivalent of performing heart surgery on an ant' as it required a steady hand and the use of tiny precision instruments.

To paint the grain of sand he used one of his eyelashes and the edging at the bottom of the sculpture representing the fur of the crown is a tiny fibre from his shirt.

Dr Willard Wigan has paid tribute to the King Charles by making a minute replica of St Edward's Crown

Dr Willard Wigan (pictured), 65, completed the unique piece after 600 painstaking hours

The tiny sculpture which has fragments of gold and diamond worked into it is only visible through a microscope and is mounted in the eye of a 24 carat gold needle.

It is not much bugger than a full stop in a newspaper and Mr Wigan even had to hold his breathe and slow his heart rate down to complete the sculpture as the slightest movement could have been disastrous.

He used specially adapted hypodermic needles and acupuncture needles to sculpt the sand and flakes of diamond and gold into the right shape.

Mr Wigan told MailOnline: 'I had to work through the night and into the early hours of the morning when there are less vibrations and air disturbances.

'It really is quite a challenge and I was working over six weeks before I finished it and at times I didn't even eat in case of any false moves.

'The grain of sand has slivers of diamonds and gold in it and I painted it using one of my eyelashes and that shows you the level of microscopic detail.'

Mr Wigan made a similar sculpture for the late Queen Elizabeth and presented it to her for the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and she was delighted with it.

Mr Wigan said: 'I later received a message from Her Majesty thanking me for the work and she said she had never been given something so small that meant so much to her and that was a real honour.

'That's what inspired me to make something for King Charles coronation and I hope he gets a chance to see this but I won't be sending it to him.

'This one is for the people of Britain to look at and when they see it through a microscope I want to hear them draw their breath and be amazed as I hope Her Majesty was.'

To commemorate the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee last year, Mr Wigan created a model of the Queen's Coronation Carriage which also fit inside the eye of a needle

Pictured is a tiny model of Queen Elizabeth II a young woman which fits inside the eye of a needle

Mr Wigan, who is from Birmingham, has been an artist for more than 40 years, and has made dozens of tiny sculptures that can only be seen through a microscope.

He was diagnosed with autism and dyslexia while he was at school and told he would never achieve anything in life by a teacher.

Mr Wigan, who has also made microscopic sculptures of Robin Hood, Albert Einstein and Jesus and the Twelve apostles at the Last Supper, added:'I was underestimated and looked down upon when I was younger so this is a form of defence system for me which says just because I'm different doesn't mean I can't offer anything.'

Mr Wigan's work is currently on display at a free exhibition in Nottingham's Wollaton Hall in a show called 'Miniature Masterpieces'.

Mr Wigan has achieved two world records for the smallest handmade sculptures.

His first record, back in 2013, was for a minuscule 24-carat gold motorbike.

He then went on to break his own record in 2017 by sculpting a human embryo from a carpet fibre.

According to Guinness World Records, the sculpture measured 0.05388 mm (53.88 microns) wide and was placed inside a hollowed-out strand of Wigan's own beard hair.
Few of those receiving invitations to Westminster were allowed to bring spouses

It's been the biggest headache of all for Coronation organisers  how to hack back the guest list from the 8,000 invitees who attended Queen Elizabeth's service at Westminster Abbey in 1953 to just 2,300 today.

First step was to weed out the dukes and the peers, MPs and anyone else deemed surplus to requirements.

But the number was still so high that officials in the Lord Chamberlain's office at Buckingham Palace, who are responsible for organising the occasion, had to cut deeper.

As a result, very few of those lucky enough to have a beautifully-inscribed invitation drop through their doormat have been allowed to bring a 'plus one'.

The situation is now being referred to in aristocratic circles, only half-jokingly, as 'Slash the Spouses'  and even the wider royal family has been affected.

Lord Freddie Windsor's actress wife, Sophie, is among those who have not secured an invitation, the Mail understands. Pictured: Sophie Winkleman at the 'Together at Christmas' Carol Service in Westminster in December, last year

Lady Pamela Hicks, one of Queen Elizabeth's bridesmaids, has failed to make the cut. Pictured: Lady Pamela at her home in Piccadilly, London

George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon and his wife, Lady Fiona, have confirmed they won't be attending in any capacity. Pictured: The Earl and Countess of Carnarvon at a wedding in the Wren Chapel at the Royal Hospital Chelsea

Sir Nicholas Coleridge, is also understood to have been told that there is no room for his wife, author Georgia Metcalfe. Pictured: Georgia and Nicholas at a VIP diner in his honour in London

The Mail understands that Lord Freddie Windsor's actress wife, Sophie, is among those who have not secured an invitation. Lord Freddie is the son of the late Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent and he and his glamorous wife are both normally absolute certainties at royal events.

READ MORE HERE: King Charles Coronation LIVE - Foreign royals, world leaders and dignitaries at Buckingham Palace reception as Harry gets set to arrive in UK Advertisement

The Great Lord Chamberlain of England has also made clear he is upset that there is no space for his wife, Daniela.

Rupert Carrington is one of the six Great Officers of State, a position that dates back to William the Conqueror. 'I'm very sad it's a dress-down occasion and my wife doesn't get a seat,' he has said.

The co-chairman of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Pageant and chairman of the V&A Museum, Sir Nicholas Coleridge, is also understood to have been told that there is no room for his wife, author Georgia Metcalfe.

A source told the Mail: 'There's a lot of chatter about the lack of 'plus ones' in posh circles and a great deal of noses have been put out of joint.'

Some members of the aristocracy have already revealed they will not be attending in any capacity, including Queen Elizabeth's godson, George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon and his wife, Lady Fiona. He said: 'We haven't received anything. You can't always be part of everything.'

Lady Pamela Hicks, one of Queen Elizabeth's bridesmaids and the daughter of Lord Mountbatten, King Charles' former mentor, has also famously failed to make the cut  but did get a hurried and call from one of the king's personal secretaries to apologise.

However, her daughter, India, insisted that her 94-year-old mother wasn't offended and thought it was 'very, very sensible' to base invitations on 'meritocracy not aristocracy'.

India Hicks, insisted that her 94-year-old mother Lady Pamela wasn't offended and thought it was 'very, very sensible' to base invitations on 'meritocracy not aristocracy'. Pictured: India Hicks with her mother at Lady Pamela's home in Oxfordshire

Lady Pamela Hicks, the daughter of Lord Mountbatten, King Charles' former mentor, did get a hurried and call from one of the king's personal secretaries to apologise for the snub. Pictured: Lady Pamela at the funeral of Patricia Knatchbull, Countess Mountbatten of Burma at St Paul's Church, Knightsbridge

Lord Freddie is the son of the late Queen's cousin, Prince Michael of Kent and he and his glamorous wife are both normally absolute certainties at royal events. Pictured: Lord Freddie and Sophie Winkleman at the National Service of Thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral

Sir Nicholas Coleridge is the co-chairman of Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee Pageant and chairman of the V&A Museum, but has been told there's no room for his wife Georgia Metcalfe. Pictured: Sir Nicholas and Georgia at the Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition dinner in London

The Earl of Carnarvon said: 'We haven't received anything. You can't always be part of everything.' Pictured: The Earl of Carnarvon and his wife, Lady Fiona, at the Hennessy Gold Cup at Newbury Racecourse

The Mail previously revealed that several Conservative cabinet ministers also were unhappy that they are being denied a 'plus one'. Only Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy will receive an invitation due to 'extremely limited space', the Mail previously revealed.

'Lots of cabinet ministers, and their partners, are unhappy about it,' a government source said.

The good news for guests is that the dress code does not stipulate that female guests need to wear hats.

The Mail understands King Charles was keen that guests, many of whom are 'ordinary' members of the public being honoured for their extraordinary national and community endeavours, did not feel they had to shell out on costly headwear in addition to the bill for travel and accommodation in order to attend his coronation.

'There's a much more egalitarian feel to everything,' a source said, 'although some feel it's a bit of shame to lose so much of the tradition that people enjoy.'
What a straightforward idea: a piece of paper with coloured bars telling you how energy-efficient your home is, and suggesting ways in which you could improve it.

Indeed, the Government has such faith in Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) that it has proposed, in its latest Net Zero strategy, that landlords will be forbidden from letting properties from 2028 unless they achieve at least a C rating (there is an exemption if you can prove that it would cost more than 10,000 to bring a property up to C standard).

Landlords have been threatened with fines of 30,000 if they ignore the rules. It is already illegal to let a property in the lowest two bands  F and G.

We all want a warm home, and to do what we can to cut carbon emissions. So why are internet forums buzzing with so many landlords protesting at the Government's plans?

New rules: Government has such faith in Energy Performance Certificates that it has proposed landlords will be barred from letting unless they achieve a C rating

There's Gary from Dorset who complains that his 1980s-built flat has only been given a D when other, identical flats in the same block have been given a C rating.

Then there's Phil, who was told in his EPC to install cavity wall insulation in order to raise his property from a D to a C.

But when he sought a quote, he was told by an insulation company that it couldn't be done  his house was too far from the road for the hose to stretch in order to pump in the foam.

There are tales, too, of property owners who have spent a fortune on energy improvements only to find that their energy rating had gone down.

David Simms, a landlord from Clapham, spent 10,000 on one property, installing insulation and replacing the gas boiler with electrical heating  surely something which ought to please the Government as it seeks to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

> Energy assessors speak out against the Government's 'unrealistic' eco requirements for landlords

But the result? His property went down from a B to a D, meaning that from 2028 it can't be let.

'Energy Performance Certificates are sound in principle,' says Ben Beadle, CEO of the National Residential Landlords' Association (NRLA).

'But at the moment, they are not giving an accurate picture. A total of 65 per cent of rental properties are grade D or below, and a quarter of their owners say they will exit the market.

It is one thing spending 10,000 bringing a property up to standard if it is in Central London where property values are high. But if you own a house in the North-East that is worth 60,000, you are going to be seriously asking if it is worth it

'The Government keeps saying that the private rented sector is an important part of the housing sector, but it is hard to marry that with the changes that it has made in legislation.'

There is already a shortage of rental property, he adds, and that will become far more acute if landlords are forced to dispose of such properties.

'It is one thing spending 10,000 bringing a property up to standard if it is in Central London where property values are high.

'But if you own a terraced house in the North-East that is worth only 60,000, you are going to be seriously asking if it is worth it. That is why we have suggested a lower threshold of 5,000 for parts of the country where property prices are low.'

In other words, landlords would only be expected to spend 5,000 bringing a house up to grade C standard.

If the necessary work looked like costing more than this, a landlord could apply for an exemption certificate and let the property anyway.

I can sympathise with the landlords. In the early days of EPCs, I had two done on my house, a year apart.

The first gave me an E. The second gave me an F  in spite of the fact I had beefed up the loft insulation in the intervening period.

Can EPC ratings be relied upon?

Few in the property industry seem to have faith in EPCs. Three years ago the Government held a consultation into them. Of 145 respondents, just five believed that the reliability of EPCs was good.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities says it is still working on ways to improve reliability of EPCs, but it won't reveal how. It says it will consult on changes but won't give a date.

Among those sceptical of the accuracy of EPCs is UK Finance, which represents mortgage lenders  who as a group are been pressured to improve the average EPC rating of the properties in their lending portfolios.

EPCs, says the body are 'not fit for purpose' in their current form, not least, it believes, because they 'fail to take account of emerging heat technologies'.

An EPC is supposed to be a measure of how much it costs to heat and light a property rather than of its carbon emissions, and the reason that homes with electric heat pumps fall down is because the methodology assumed gas is a cheaper way to heat a home than electricity.

Are you a landlord worried about EPC? Get in touch: editor@thisismoney.co.uk Advertisement

The problem is that an EPC doesn't really measure how much energy your home uses.

Rather, an energy assessor takes some measurements and feeds them into a computer model which estimates energy usage. What the assessor gets out of it depends on what is fed in  and that can be little more than guesswork.

Two years ago, I looked at a couple of flats in a converted Victorian monastery. One had a B rating, the other D.

The difference? The EPC of the first one stated 'solid walls, insulated (assumed)', and the latter stated 'solid walls, uninsulated (assumed)'.

The benefits of an energy-efficient home have never been more apparent than over the past winter, with sky-high energy prices.

But if EPCs can't tell you how much you are going to spend keeping your home warm, they are worse than useless.

A better way, says Ben Beadle, would be for every home to come with a logbook showing how much previous owners have spent keeping them warm.

That might not make any difference to people like me, who wear a thermal vest and set the thermostat at 17c, but it is better than guesswork.
This will be the deepest penumbral lunar eclipse to occur until September 2042

This is where the Earth casts a shadow on the moon, causing it to change colour

Stargazers around the world will be treated to a penumbral lunar eclipse tonight

Think you know what the moon looks like? Well, you may not recognise it tonight.

That's because, for billions around the world, our natural satellite is going to change from its usual bright white to a dark grey colour.

This phenomenon is due to a deep 'penumbral' lunar eclipse, where the Earth's outer shadow - its penumbra - is cast on the full moon.

It occurs when the Earth comes between the sun and the moon, blocking light from reaching the lunar surface.

Billions of people across large parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and even Antarctica will have the chance to see it as it peaks at 6.22pm BST tonight.

A penumbral lunar eclipse is where the Earth's outer shadow is cast on the full moon, causing it to change colour. Pictured: Penumbral lunar eclipse in Skopje, North Macedonia in 2022

A penumbral eclipse occurs when the Earth comes between the Sun and the Moon, blocking light from reaching the lunar surface. Earth's outer shadow - known as its penumbra - will be cast on the moon as a result, causing a subtle lighting change

'The shadow of a planet produces an umbral and penumbral shadow depending on the location of the planet and the Sun,' Professor Don Pollacco of the University of Warwick told MailOnline.

HOW TO WATCH THE PENUMBRAL LUNAR ECLIPSE Billions of people across large parts of Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and even Antarctica will have the chance to see the penumbral lunar eclipse as it peaks at 6.22pm BST tonight. Unfortunately, it is unlikely that people in the US and the UK will see the eclipse's effects this time. But you don't have to miss out if you are not in a region where it will be visible, as the Virtual Telescope Project will be livestreaming the event for astronomy enthusiasts everywhere. You will be able to catch the eclipse on their website or YouTube channel from 7.45pm BST (2.45pm ET). In the stream, the moon will rise above the region of Maremma in Tuscany, Italy. Advertisement

'The darkest eclipses occur when the moon moves through the Earth's umbral shadow.

'A penumbral eclipse occurs as the moon moving through the shadow of the Earth.'

The event is expected to commence at 4.14pm BST on May 5 and last for just over four hours before ending at 8.31pm.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that people in the US and the UK will see the eclipse's effects this time.

But you don't have to miss out if you are not in a region where it will be visible, as the Virtual Telescope Project will be livestreaming the event for astronomy enthusiasts everywhere.

You will be able to catch the eclipse on their website or YouTube channel from 7.45pm BST (2.45pm ET).

In the stream, the moon will rise above the region of Maremma in Tuscany, Italy.

While this will be the deepest penumbral lunar eclipse to occur until September 2042, weather and patience is still required to observed these.

Professor Pollacco added that spotting the moon's darkening can be quite difficult due to the sun's continued illumination.

Yet during total lunar eclipses the Sun does not illuminate the Moon, often causing the lunar surface to change colour.

'For a total Lunar eclipse, totality lasts hours. During these eclipses, the Sun does not illuminate the Moon, but instead light from the Sun goes through the Earth's atmosphere and reaches the Lunar surface,' Professor Don Pollacco said.

'It is then reflected back to us. So instead of the Moon disappearing, it gets faint and often turns dark red  an impressive sight. Because whole hemispheres can see the eclipse these are much less rare than a Solar Eclipse and usually a typical location can see one of these every year.'

At this time of year, the moon is typically referred to as the 'Flower Moon', 'Milk Moon' or 'Corn Planting Moon' - inspired by blooming plants during early May.

Billions of people across five continents could have the chance to see a deep penumbral eclipse as it peaks at 6.22pm BST tonight

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that people in the US and the UK will see the eclipse's effects tonight. Pictured: Penumbral lunar eclipse from Islamabad, Pakistan in 2017

At this time of year, the moon is typically referred to as the 'Flower Moon', 'Milk Moon' or 'Corn Planting Moon' - inspired by blooming plants during early May. Pictured: The Flower Moon rises behind the antenna on top of One World Trade Center in New York City in 2022

This year's penumbral eclipse also comes as the Eta Aquarid meteor shower is set to peak between midnight and dawn on May 6.

This spectacle will be visible from the UK in predawn hours but favours the Southern Hemisphere overall, according to Royal Museums Greenwich.

Eta Aquarids are created from the debris left behind by Halley's Comet and happen every year from the middle of April until the end of May.

Professor Don Pollacco explained: 'The Earth passes through a number of comet orbits every year and at these times we see an increase in meteor activity, depending on the density of dust previously ejected from the comet.

'The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, so called because the radiant is in the constellation of Aquarius, occurs when the Earth crosses through the orbit of a comet called Halley.

'These meteors are best seen from the southern hemisphere where the radiant in Aquarius is better seen. From the UK you might expect to see, maybe, 10 meteors an hour in clear, dark conditions.'
It is rumoured to have a 7.6-inch screen and cost upwards of $1,700 (1,350)

Google has released an official video of its first ever foldable smartphone - the Pixel Fold.

A video shows the sleek, silver device which opens up like a book with a vertical hinge, and has a camera array on the back that is similar to other Pixel devices.

The tech giant has yet to release any technical details or price, as the full announcement will come on May 10 during its developer conference, Google I/O.

This comes just a week after footage was leaked on Twitter of an alleged Pixel Fold prototype, which looks very similar to the one in the official video.

The smartphone will see Google join Samsung, Huawei and many more of its rivals in offering a foldable device.

A video shows the sleek, silver device which opens up like a book, and has a camera array on the back that is similar to other Pixel devices

The tech giant has yet to release any technical details or price, as the full announcement will come on May 10 during its developer conference, Google I/O

Tech fans have been flooding social media with their thoughts on Google's latest offering.

Foldable phone models Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, Galaxy Z Fold Motorola Motorola Razr 2022 Huawei P50 Pocket, Mate X2 Oppo Find N2 Flip Xiaomi Mix Fold 2 Advertisement

On the YouTube announcement video, excited users wrote: 'Can't wait to see what colours this comes in!' and 'Finally, I was waiting for it for so long'.

Another added: 'As long as there's no visible and tangible crease, I'm there. Otherwise, still holding off on all smart foldables.'

Videos of some foldable smartphones have shown an unsightly crease down the centre of the screen, putting off some consumers.

Citing internal documents, CNBC said Pixel Fold will have the 'most durable hinge on a foldable phone' and will cost $1,700 (1,350) and upwards.

In comparison, Samsung's latest flagship foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 4, starts from $1,800 in the US or 1,649 in the UK.

Pixel Fold will open like a book to reveal a small tablet-sized 7.6-inch screen, according to CNBC, while the smaller exterior screen will measure 5.8 inches across.

From the video, the front appears to have a full-size screen that reaches the edges of the device, like on non-folding smartphones, but the interior screen has a thin bezel around the outside.

But some social media users are not impressed by the bezel, and the chunky unit that holds the camera lenses.

'Why does google phone's always have so much bezel! I dont understand!' commented one YouTube user.

Another wrote: 'Baby got back, dat camera bump...'

Citing internal documents, CNBC said Pixel Fold will have the 'most durable hinge on a foldable phone' and will cost $1,700 (1,350) and upwards

When the Pixel Fold is opened up, viewers can see that the typical Google apps and widgets appear to have been optimised for the larger screen.

The Android home screen features a Google search bar, clock, weather widget and app shortcuts along the bottom.

According to the CNBC leaker, the Pixel Fold will boast a larger battery and will therefore be heavier than Samsung's Galaxy Fold (283g compared with 276g).

It will also reportedly be packed with Google's Tensor G2 processor, which powers the latest Google Pixel 7 family of smartphones, released last October.

Official details about the upcoming device are scarce, although the dedicated webpage for Google I/O includes an intriguing image that appears to depict two foldables facing each other.

The company is rumoured to ship the Pixel Fold a month after the conference, which takes place in Mountain View, California, USA.

Pixel Fold will open like a book to reveal a small tablet-sized 7.6-inch screen, according to CNBC, while the smaller exterior screen will measure 5.8 inches across

Google is also expected to unveil its new Pixel Tablet and Pixel Watch, all of which may include some AI-related features.

Back in March, the firm launched its own AI chatbot, Bard, to rival ChatGPT, which had taken the world by storm.

Google execs are said to have declared a 'code red'  an emergency situation  over fears ChatGPT could now end Google's $150-billion-a-year search business monopoly.

After entering the smartphone market in 2010 with the Nexus brand, Google kicked off the Pixel line in 2016, but none of these phones have been foldable as yet.

Interestingly, the biggest Asian smartphone makers  Samsung, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi and Vivo  have all released foldable phones, while the two US giants  Apple and Google  have not.

However, some enthusiasts previously created a prototype of what a foldable iPhone might look like.

Google is also expected to unveil its new Pixel Tablet and Pixel Watch (pictured) at Google I/O, all of which may include some AI-related features

But while the stage is set for Google's first foldable phone, Apple seems to be holding out for longer.

According to one report, the bulky design of current folding phones does not align with Apple's design philosophy, although the firm is rumoured to be working on one.

Apple appears to have registered patents for a foldable phone, similar to a flip phone, with a horizontal hinge through the middle.

Other smartphone makers to release a foldable phone include Motorola, a US company based in Illinois.

The firm released its second-generation Motorola Razr last autumn  an updated version of its original 'clamshell' Razr flip phones released in the noughties.
If there is extraterrestrial life in our solar system, experts have long thought it could be hiding beneath Mars' surface, in Venus' clouds or in the icy oceans of Jupiter and Saturn's moons.

But a new study points to another possibility.

NASA scientists say Uranus' moons Titania and Oberon may also have oceans warm enough to support life, suggesting that we should look there too in our hunt for aliens close to home.

They made their discovery after re-analysing data from Voyager 2's close flybys of Uranus in the 1980s, as well as using computer modelling to look for signs of water on five of the planet's largest icy moons.

It is the first piece of research to establish how the interior makeup and structure has evolved on Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, and Miranda.

Distant ice worlds: NASA scientists say Uranus' moons Titania and Oberon may have oceans warm enough to support life. The planet is surrounded by its four major rings and 10 of its 27 known moons in this Hubble Space Telescope image taken in 1998

Delving deep: It is the first piece of research to establish how the interior makeup and structure has evolved on Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, Oberon, and Miranda

What they found is that four of those  all except Miranda, the innermost and fifth largest of Uranus moons  likely contain an ocean between their cores and icy crusts.

WHAT ARE URANUS' 27 KNOWN MOONS? Ariel

Belinda

Bianca

Caliban

Cordelia

Cressida

Cupid

Desdemona

Ferdinand

Francisco

Juliet

Mab

Margaret

Miranda

Oberon

Ophelia

Perdita

Portia

Prospero

Puck

Rosalind

Setebos

Stephano

Sycorax

Titania

Trinculo

Umbriel (Moons in bold are the five that were studied in the new NASA research) Advertisement

These bodies of water could be so vast that they are each dozens of miles deep, the NASA researchers from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California revealed.

They came to their conclusion after establishing that Ariel, Umbriel, Titania and Oberon are likely insulated enough to retain the internal heat that would be needed to host an ocean.

Better still, on Titania and Oberon these oceans may even be warm enough to potentially support extraterrestrial life, the scientists said.

This was supported by the discovery of what could be a potential heat source in the moons' rocky mantles, which release hot liquid, and would help an ocean maintain a warm environment.

In all, Uranus has at least 27 moons circling it, with the four largest ranging from Ariel  at 720 miles (1,160 km) across  to Titania, which is 980 miles (1,580 km) across.

Experts have long believed that the latter, given its size, would be most likely to retain internal heat because of the warmth created by radioactive decay.

As a comparison, here on Earth 50 per cent of the heat given off by our planet is generated by the radioactive decay of elements such as uranium and thorium.

It had been thought that Uranus' other large moons were too small to retain the heat needed to prevent an underground ocean from freezing, but the new research challenges this belief.

One of the other reasons scientists had assumed this to be the case is because the warmth created by the gravitational pull of Uranus is only a minor source of heat.

With other planets such as Jupiter and Saturn, a gravitational phenomenon known as tidal heating helps to significantly warm their moons.

This gravitational tug-of-war between the moons and the planets themselves causes the natural satellites to stretch and squish enough to warm them.

Study: Scientists made their discovery after re-analysing data from Voyager 2's close flybys of Uranus in the 1980s (shown), as well as using computer modelling to look for signs of water on five of the planet's largest icy moons

It is thought that this could help warm the moons' waters and create conditions possible for life.

WHERE ARE THE VOYAGERS NOW? Voyager 1 is currently 14.7 billion miles away from Earth, travelling northward through space. The probe sent back data to NASA once it reached interstellar space that cosmic rays are as much as four times more abundant in that region, beyond the sun's direct influence, than in the vicinity of Earth. This suggests that the heliosphere, the region of space that contains our solar system's planets, may act as a radiation shield. Meanwhile, Voyager 2 is now 12.3 billion miles from Earth, travelling south towards the interstellar region. The contrasting locations of the two spacecraft allow scientists to compare two regions of space where the heliosphere interacts with the interstellar medium. Voyager 2 crossing into the interstellar medium allows scientists to sample the medium from two different locations at the same time. Advertisement

'When it comes to small bodies  dwarf planets and moons  planetary scientists previously have found evidence of oceans in several unlikely places, including the dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto, and Saturn's moon Mimas,' said the new study's lead author Julie Castillo-Rogez, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

'So there are mechanisms at play that we don't fully understand.

'This paper investigates what those could be and how they are relevant to the many bodies in the solar system that could be rich in water but have limited internal heat.'

By studying the composition of these oceans, scientists are also able to learn about materials that might be found on the moons' icy surfaces as well  for instance if substances underground have been pushed up by geological activity.

As an example, at least one of Uranus' largest moons  Ariel  has material that could be from icy volcanos which has flowed on its surfaced relatively recently.

There are also what appear to be recent surface features on Miranda, which suggest it may have retained enough heat to have an ocean for a certain amount of time, although it likely wasn't for very long.

Thermal modelling shows that the moon loses heat too quickly and is probably frozen now.

Digging into what lies beneath and on the surfaces of these moons is important because it will help inform scientists as they prepare for future missions to the seventh planet from the sun.

For example, they need to know what science instruments would be the most helpful to attach to a spacecraft or probe which would elicit the most informative findings.

'We need to develop new models for different assumptions on the origin of the moons in order to guide planning for future observations,' Castillo-Rogez added.

Explorer: Voyager 2 (pictured) is now 12.3 billion miles from Earth, travelling south towards the interstellar region

The researchers built computer models using data from NASA's Galileo, Cassini, Dawn, and New Horizons spacecrafts, each of which discovered ocean worlds.

This information included details on the chemistry and geology of Saturn's moon Enceladus, Pluto and its moon Charon, and Ceres  all icy bodies that are about the same size as the Uranian moons.

As well as offering an insight into the porous surfaces of the worlds, the modelling revealed a high concentration of chlorides and ammonia beneath the surface.

This is significant because ammonia has anti-freezing properties, while salt would also stop water on the icy moons from freezing.

The NASA scientists now hope to continue developing models of the Uranian system in preparation for potential future missions to explore the distant ice world and its moons.

The research has been published in the Journal of Geophysical Research.
The world's on-again, off-again richest man Elon Musk casually dropped a contrarian opinion about climate change today.

'Global warming risk is overblown in the short term,' Musk tweeted, 'but significant in the long term'.

The entrepreneur's fortune skyrocketed on the back of ecologically conscious ventures: from the electric vehicles and energy storage systems manufactured by Telsa Motors, where Musk is CEO, to the solar energy installers SolarCity, which Tesla later acquired.

But over the past year, Musk's forward-thinking work building a sustainable energy future has taken a backseat to his new public persona as the new owner of Twitter.

Musk's climate comments were made in a reply underneath a tweet by conservative media activist and influencer Mike Cernovich

Musk isn't the only high-profile celebrity to dismiss climate change this year. Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked eco-zealots and said nuclear war is the much bigger threat.

'When I listened to people talking about global warming that the ocean will rise in the next 300 years by one-eighth of an inch and they talk about this as our problem, our big problem is nuclear warming which nobody even talks about it,' Trump told former Fox host Tucker Carlson late last month.

The scientific community is in agreement that climate change has occurred over the past century and that human activity has 'unequivocally' caused global warming up to 1.1C.

But what is still debated politically is the most likely impacts that warming will have, and when.

A former senior official with Greenpeace Canada, Patrick Moore, has testified before the Senate and in the media that 'the impact of climate change is wildly overblown' sharing Musk's view, in stark contrast to many prominent scientists.

In 2022, emissions from coal alone (15.5 billion tonnes) were larger than any other fossil fuel including oil and natural gas

Graphic shows global CO2 emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes (top) and their annual change (bottom) between 1900 and 2022. Note the drastic drop in 2020 due to the effect of the pandemic. Globally, more CO2 was emitted in 2022 than in any other year on records dating to 1900

This past March, the world's leading climate scientists released dire 'final warnings' alongside the final portions of the sixth assessment report for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Scientists on the panel also warned that the rising temperatures will increase the scarcity of both food and water resources for approximately 3.33.6 billion people currently living in highly vulnerable regions.

Their data showed that, between 2010 and 2020, human deaths from extreme weather triggered by climates, floods, droughts and storms grew 15-times higher than past averages in these same highly vulnerable regions.

In fact, in contrast to Musk, revised assessments by the UK's Meteorological Office determined in 2019, nearly all climate models have actually underestimated the rate of near-term global warming.

Because three-fifths of the world's surface is covered by oceans, this seemingly small change in temperature has dramatic implications.

As the UK Met Office found, revising their Hadley Center historical analysis of sea surface temperatures (SST), the hidden, underwater melting of ice sheets and glaciers worldwide is occurring hundred times faster than climate models had predicted in 2019.

Musk's climate change comments on Twitter appear to be part of a trend in which the billionaire has begun to weigh-in on controversial issues, criticizing transgender medical procedures and encouraging Americans to vote for Republicans.

Musk tweeted his new climate opinion in reply to a comment made by conservative media activist and influencer Mike Cernovich, who had recently called Global warming the largest scam in human history.

Both Musk and Cernovich made their recent climate comments in relation to Senate testimony on the taxpayer expense requested to transition the US to a carbon-neutral economy.

These plans, as detailed by the Biden White House, ironically include significant subsidies for Musks own Tesla Motors to help the company expand their network of electric vehicle charging stations by 3,500 units nationwide.
Sydney's creme de la creme gathered on Sunday for a star-studded season closing event on the luxurious SeaDeck vessel.

Over 150 industry elites turned up for the glitzy bash despite the chilly weather, and they were rewarded with one of Sydney's sunniest days on the harbour.

DJ Shiralee Coleman hosted the event, captivating the crowd with her flamboyant designer dresses and electrifying performances.

Known for her fashion-forward looks and heart-pumping tunes, Coleman boasts a whopping 226,000 followers on Instagram.

Stealing the spotlight, Coleman donned a show-stopping royal electric blue jumpsuit adorned with thousands of sequins and trimmed with ostrich feathers.

Is she the hottest DJ ever? Shiralee Coleman turned heads as she sparkles in blue jumpsuit at Seadeck soiree on Sunday afternoon

Over 150 industry elites turned up for the glitzy bash despite the chilly weather, and they were rewarded with one of Sydney's sunniest days on the harbour

The dazzling outfit, designed by American designer Debbie Carroll, retails for a jaw-dropping $920.

Paying tribute to Aussie pop-icon Kylie Minogue, Coleman closed the party with a remix of the classic disco track On a Night Like This.

The remix, titled Night Like This, debuted at number two on the iTunes Dance Charts and recently topped the charts in Europe.

The Sydney-based musician hosted the event, captivating the crowd with her flamboyant designer dresses and electrifying performances

Known for her fashion-forward looks and heart-pumping tunes, Coleman boasts a whopping 226,000 followers on Instagram

The dazzling outfit, designed by American designer Debbie Carroll, retails for a jaw-dropping $920

Fresh from a stint in Dubai, Coleman returned to Australia last month after performing at the swanky rooftop restaurant and bar 'Tonino Lamborghini Mare Nostrum,' overlooking the Dubai Marina

Fresh from a stint in Dubai, Coleman returned to Australia last month after performing at the swanky rooftop restaurant and bar Tonino Lamborghini Mare Nostrum, overlooking the Dubai Marina.

The event also saw the stunning Filipina-born beauty and UFC ring girl Red Dela Cruz partying alongside her DJ partner, Brendan Mosca, known as 15 Grams.

UFC's Red Dela Cruz and her DJ beau are set to relocate to Las Vegas, home to the international headquarters of UFC.

The couple will be embarking on the American events circuit in the coming year.

Aussie-bum model Dylan Mahoney joined the glamorous festivities, mingling with Sydney influencer Suzan Mutesi.

The stunning Filipina-born beauty and UFC ring girl Red Dela Cruz was spotted partying alongside her partner, TV personality and DJ Brendan Mosca, known as 15 Grams
Dan Edgar split from Amber Turner after suspecting she lied to him about attending afterparties in Dubai and 'went off radar' during a two-week girls' holiday.

The TOWIE hunk, 32, was left 'hurt' and 'confused' after Amber alleged on multiple occasions that she was 'home' and 'in bed' following nights on the town in Dubai, despite him being told that she was still out partying.

Amber, 29, who previously cheated on ex-boyfriend Jamie Reed with Dan in scenes filmed for the ITVBe series, extended her trip several times, leaving her partner of six years in the lurch.

MailOnline has learned that Amber began to limit communication with Dan, leading him to suspect that she had met someone else.

Dan, who stayed at home looking after their dog Oliver, unfollowed Amber and removed all trace of her from his Instagram after he gave up trying to understand her movements overseas.

Dan Edgar split from Amber Turner after suspecting she lied to him about attending afterparties in Dubai and 'went off radar' during a two-week girls' holiday

The TOWIE star was left 'hurt' after Amber alleged on multiple occasions that she was 'home' and 'in bed' following nights on the town in Dubai, despite him being told that she was still out

Amber, who previously cheated on ex-boyfriend Jamie Reed with Dan in scenes filmed for the ITVBe series, extended her trip several times, leaving her partner of six years in the lurch

A source close to the ex-couple revealed: 'Dan has been so hurt and confused over Amber's actions the past month.

'Amber went to Dubai to celebrate her mum's 60th but she didn't come home for over two weeks.

'She was out partying with girlfriends and would tell him she was in bed, but he received messages from other people saying she was still out.

'A huge assumption has been made that their split was because of Dan's lack of commitment but this time he was left questioning whether Amber can be trusted.'

MailOnline understands that the exes are still living together at their rented apartment in Stapleford Abbotts while they decide on arrangements for the future.

Amber shared an upload from the airport before jetting off to the UAE on April 16 and continued to post a number of glamorous photos from her Dubai getaway on Instagram.

As well as celebrating her mum's milestone birthday, Amber also shot her new collection with Envy shoes.

Her relationship became strained when she started partying and staying out late with girlfriends and Dan wasn't sure she was being honest about her whereabouts.

MailOnline has contacted Amber and Dan's representation for comment.

Amber shared an upload from the airport before jetting off to the UAE on April 16 and continued to post a number of glamorous photos from her Dubai getaway on Instagram

Dan, who stayed at home looking after their dog Oliver, unfollowed Amber and removed all trace of her from his Instagram after he gave up trying to understand her movements overseas

Over the years, Amber's romance with Dan has been rocked by various cheating claims with the reality star becoming known for his 'deny until you die' catchphrase amongst his co-stars

Over the years, Amber's romance with Dan has been rocked by various cheating claims with the reality star becoming known for his 'deny until you die' catchphrase amongst his TOWIE cast mates.

In April 2017, Amber finally confessed to ex Jamie that she had lied about cheating on him with Dan during emotional scenes filmed for the reality series.

When Amber's car was spotted outside Dan's house, she tried to cover her tracks by telling Jamie she was collecting her leather jacket, but she later admitted to staying the night.

In a memorable TOWIE episode, Amber claimed to Jamie 'I went to pick up my leather jacket that I left there' before he questioned 'your car was there all night' and she said 'no, it wasn't there at 7:30 in the morning, I don't know what else you want me to say.'

Six months later, Dan was forced to admit that he had betrayed Amber by sleeping with another woman during a lads' trip in Dublin and the star was left devastated dealing with the dishonesty.

During a relationship break in 2019 Dan started dating Chloe Sims but he quickly went back to Amber, leaving his friendship with the TOWIE veteran in tatters.

Despite their turbulent romance, Amber and Dan recently moved into a new property together, celebrating their fresh chapter with a housewarming party.

Dan told co-star James Lock that his life is 'different' now and his lifestyle is more 'civilised' in comparison to his former Lothario ways.

He said: 'I'm the first person to admit we've had a very rocky road and it's been very up and down and it's taken us a long way to get to where we are now.'
Kristina Keneally has undergone a complete makeover just months after announcing her latest career move away from politics.

The ex-NSW Labor premier, 54, has ditched her long bob, and debuted a shorter and sharper side-swept blonde cropped hairstyle at the prestigious annual Gold Dinner in Sydney on Thursday.

The newly-appointed CEO of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation also showed off her toned biceps and glowing tan in a floor-length metallic gold gown, which featured a glittering bejewelled collar.

She completed the look with statement earrings and heels and carried a white mesh purse.

Kristina's visage looked youthful and was glowing thanks to a glossy makeup.

Kristina Keneally has undergone a complete makeover just months after announcing her latest career move away from politics

Five hundred of the city's leading philanthropists and VIPs attended the event, which benefits the foundation.

The charity hopes to achieve a double-digit target this year after the charity gala raised $9million last year.

This year's Sydney Children's Hospitals Foundation (SCHF) Gold Dinner is set to raise millions to transform complex paediatric care in Australia.

The gala will benefit The Children's Hospital at Westmead Kids Complex Care Centre, to be known as the Kookaburra Centre.

The ex-NSW Labor premier, 54, has ditched her long bob and debuted a shorter and sharper side-swept blonde cropped hairstyle at the prestigious annual Gold Dinner in Sydney on Thursday. She is pictured last year, left, and on Thursday night, right

The newly-appointed CEO of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation also showed off her toned biceps and glowing tan in a floor-length metallic gold gown at the event that featured a glittering bejewelled collar

It comes after Kristina announced in November she had taken up a new executive role, in the wake of her humiliating defeat at last year's federal election.

The former Labor senator has been appointed CEO of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation.

Kristina was toppled by Independent Dai Le in the fight for the south-west Sydney seat of Fowler last May - which had been a safe Labor seat.

Kristina was appointed CEO of the Sydney Children's Hospital Foundation last year

It comes after her humiliating defeat at last year's federal election, where she was toppled by Independent Dai Le in the fight for the south-west Sydney seat of Fowler

The charismatic leader said she was 'thrilled' to join the non-profit organisation, which described her as a passionate advocate for 'society's most vulnerable'.

'I have long been inspired by SCHF and I am excited to join SCHF leadership team and build upon the great foundation to ensure we can continue to create an enduring and positive impact on children's health,' Ms Keneally said.

The ex-NSW Premier copped flack this year when she was parachuted from her ritzy home in the city's northern beaches to the migrant community in the city's suburbs.

But the seat was nabbed by Ms Le, a former refugee hailing from Vietnam.

The independent won the seat by a narrow margin of less than 3000 votes.

The charismatic leader said she was 'thrilled' to join the non-profit organisation, which described her as a passionate advocate for 'society's most vulnerable' (pictured, Ms Keneally at the National Press Club three days before this year's federal election)

SCHF Board Chair, Mr Len Chersky said the charity was delighted to welcome the 'calibre' of the former NSW premier.

'We know her voice and vision will help SCHF continue to make a positive impact on the lives of sick kids and their families through funding world-class healthcare and research,' Mr Chersky said.

'Kristina is a fierce advocate for children and their families, as well as improving access to healthcare for kids.

'Importantly, Kristina is a proven leader who has demonstrated her strength, discipline and composure during her career and will bring the strategic and leadership skills ... to achieve its important mission.'
With just a month and a half left before The Flash hits theaters, Warner Bros. has released three new character posters for the superhero epic.

The posters (via The Flash Twitter) offer closer looks at Michael Keaton's Batman and his iconic Batmobile, along with Ezra Miller's title character and Sasha Calle's Supergirl.

Each of the posters feature the tagline 'Worlds Collide' up top with each character below.

The film had its first public screening at the annual CinemaCon convention in Las Vegas, where many critics called it one of the best superhero movies of all time.

The Batman showcases Keaton's beloved hero in his Batcave, with bats swirling all around him and his Batmobile.

The film is inspired by the iconic Flashpoint comics, a 2011 comic book crossover story by Geoff Johns that featured several iconic characters and lead into DC's New 52 reboot.

The story follows Barry Allen as he uses the Speed Force to go back in time to save his family... but in doing so creates a whole new world without superheroes.

The film is set in multiple 'universes,' which explains why Ezra Miller plays two different versions of Barry Allen, and why there are two Batman's.

Michael Keaton returns as Bruce Wayne/Batman from his 1989 film Batman and 1992 sequel Batman Returns, who has been the Caped Crusader for many years in his universe.

Ben Affleck also returns (likely for the last time) as Batman from the main timeline of the DC Extended Universe, after starring in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, Justice League and Aquaman.

Also returning from 2013's Man of Steel is Michael Shannon as the villainous General Zod and Antje Traue's Faora, along with Aquaman's Temuera Morrison as Tom Curry.

Ron Livingston and Maribel Verdu also stars as Barry's parents - Henry and Nora - with Kiersey Clemons returning as Iris West.

Warner Bros. has set a June 16 release date for The Flash, directed by Andy Muschietti (IT) from a script by Christina Hodson (Birds of Prey) and Joby Harold (Army of the Dead).

While The Flash was receiving rave reviews from critics at CinemaCon, many are still concerned about the studio continuing to back Ezra Miller after his spate of legal troubles.

The 30-year-old actor was arrested several times earlier this year for assault and burglary, faced accusations of grooming children, and reportedly provided housing for a mother and three young children at an unlicensed cannabis farm in Vermont despite opposition from their father.

The actor issued a statement in August apologizing for his behavior while revealing that he was seeking treatment for 'complex mental health issues.'

His reps told Variety in a statement: 'Having recently gone through a time of intense crisis, I now understand that I am suffering complex mental health issues and have begun ongoing treatment.'

The statement continued: 'I want to apologize to everyone that I have alarmed and upset with my past behavior. I am committed to doing the necessary work to get back to a healthy, safe and productive stage in my life.'
Priyanka Chopra has revealed her father installed metal bars over her bedroom window when she started dating as a teenager.

The Indian actress, 40, who was crowned Miss World aged 18, said the incident occurred after one lovestruck teen jumped onto her balcony.

Detailing what happened, she said: 'One of them jumped onto my balcony at night, I saw [the teen] and screamed. My dad came and he went away'.

'The next day, my dad was like, 'You need rules. F*** this!' Bars, all your jeans are confiscated, you're going to wear Indian suits'.'

Priyanka was born in Jamshedpur the daughter of two doctors and grew up with a brother, Siddharth, she was crowned Miss India before going on to win Miss World in 2000.

Beauty: Priyanka Chopra, 40, has revealed she was so popular with boys as a teenager her father had to install metal bars over her bedroom window

Gorgeous: The Indian actress said the incident occurred after one night a lovestruck teen jumped onto her balcony (pictured aged 18 in 2001)

It comes after the stunner slammed the star-studded Met Gala after attending the event in NYC.

Turns out the wife of Nick Jonas felt the dinner would have been more satisfying if the caterers had served some bread and butter. 'There was no bread for dinner [] I was so hungry after,' the India born star told Good Morning America on Thursday.

'Maybe I have unrealistic expectations, but one roll of bread would be sufficient.'

The dinner menu consisted of 'chilled spring pea soup with baby vegetables, lemon creme fraiche, and truffle snow, followed by Ora King salmon with vegetable nage, asparagus, pickled strawberries, and radishall served on vintage china,' reported Vogue.

Priyanka said her spouse came to the rescue: 'My husband ordered pizza by the time we got to the hotel, so we were fine.'

And Chopra admitted that her criticism may have gotten her kicked off the guest list for 2024.

'There goes my invite for next year. If you don't see me at the Met, you know why.'

The Quantico actress wore a pale pink satin dress that showed her legs while on the morning program.

And she was joined by actor Sam Heughan to discuss new rom-com film Love Again.

Queen: After winning Miss India aged 18 she went on to be crowned Miss World in 2000 (pictured)

Troublesome teens: 'The next day, my dad was like, 'You need rules. F*** this!' Bars, all your jeans are confiscated, you're going to wear Indian suits' (pictured with father Ashok in 2010)

They also touched on karaoke singing Celine Dion's classic hits after days of filming, as well as shooting with Dion as well as Chopra's husband, Nick.

GMA also gave viewers an exclusive first listen to Dion's new track I'll Be from the motion picture soundtrack.

The synopsis reads, 'Coping with the loss of her fiance, Mira Ray sends a series of romantic texts to his old cellphone number, not realizing it was reassigned to journalist Rob Burns.

Rob becomes captivated by the honesty of her words in the beautifully constructed texts. When he's assigned to write a profile of superstar Celine Dion, he enlists her help to figure out how to meet Mira in person -- and win her heart.'

Unimpressed: It comes after the stunner slammed the star-studded Met Gala after attending the event in NYC - complaining about the food (or lack thereof)

Style: Priyanka cut an effortlessly chic figure as she was spotted in NYC on Thursday

Chic: She turned heads in an oversized grey wool skirt and matching sweater with diamond embellishments

Gorgeous: She sported a glam make-up palette and swept her brunette tresses high into a bun

Catwalk ready: She completed the look with white boot and toted her essentials in a black leather handbag

Priyanka's Met Gala food comments come after Teyana Taylor said she ate a plate full of Chick-fil-A she brought herself.

Teyana, 32, was called out by tablemate Pusha T, 45, who joked she was 'embarrassing' him for bringing the fast food to the exclusive bash.

'@teyanataylor is embarrassing me. She brought @chicfilausa to the #MetGala. I want her away from me... #HARLEM,' he wrote on an Instagram video capturing her plate full of fries, fried chicken, with a side of dip.

Even Usher, 44, tried to interfere - the R&B artist chuckled at the sight of Teyana munching on her fast food.

'#HARLEM @teyanataylor @usher tried to stop her...' Pusha T posted, along with a face slapping emoji.
After receiving backlash over their mother-daughter lingerie shoot, Emmy-winning host Heidi Klum and her eldest child - Leni Olumi Klum Samuel - spent 'all day' together in Manhattan's Meatpacking District in honor of her 19th birthday on Thursday.

'@leniklum day! Born in the big apple 19 long years ago,' the 49-year-old German presenter - who boasts 23M social media followers - gushed on Instagram.

'Time flies when you're having fun!'

Despite the legal drinking age being 21 in the States, Heidi and her 5ft4in mini-me with ex-partner Flavio Briatore then enjoyed plastic cups of what appeared to be champagne.

'I'm very proud of my daughter and her modeling,' Klum told People in March.

'Happy 19th birthday!' Emmy-winning host Heidi Klum and her eldest child - Leni Olumi Klum Samuel - spent 'all day' together in Manhattan's Meatpacking District in honor of her 19th birthday on Thursday

'And she's studying [interior design at a NYC college] at the same time, she's juggling already.'

The Making the Cut producer-host and Leni's street sighting came two days after Intimissimi, an Italian lingerie label founded in 1996, unveiled their second campaign captioned: 'Great style runs in the family.'

In the comments of Intimissimi's Instagram post - some called the bra and panty shoot 'nepotism,' 'uncomfortable,' 'awkward,' and 'disgraceful' while others believed it was just 'modeling' or 'sharing a passion.'

Samuel was only 18 when she and Heidi starred in their first Intimissimi's campaign, a 'celebration of women' which dropped October 10.

'I did get help starting off, and I know that people would dream to start off with what I had,' the CAA Fashion model admitted to People of her nepo-baby privilege.

'I'm so grateful that I've been able to take what was gifted to me by my mom. But I am doing the work and putting in the time. Now I'm working on my own, traveling alone, going to school. My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing.'

Leni has Klum to thank for her first magazine cover, German Vogue, which she scored at age 16 in 2020 and last year she served guest judging duties on Germany's next Topmodel.

The 'Queen of Halloween' is also mother to three younger children - son Henry, 17; son Johan, 16; and daughter Lou, 13 - from her six-year marriage to four-time Grammy winner Seal (last name Samuel), which ended in 2014.

The 49-year-old German presenter gushed: '@leniklum day! Born in the big apple 19 long years ago. Time flies when you're having fun!'

Cheers! Despite the legal drinking age being 21 in the States, Heidi and her 5ft4in mini-me with ex-partner Flavio Briatore then enjoyed plastic cups of what appeared to be champagne

'Great style runs in the family': Klum and Leni's street sighting came two days after Intimissimi, an Italian lingerie label founded in 1996, unveiled their second campaign

'This is sad': In the comments of Intimissimi's Instagram post - some called the bra and panty shoot 'nepotism,' 'uncomfortable,' 'awkward,' and 'disgraceful' while others believed it was just 'modeling' or 'sharing a passion'

'Like mother and daughter': Samuel was only 18 when she and the Making the Cut producer-host starred in their first Intimissimi's campaign, a 'celebration of women' which dropped October 10

The CAA Fashion model admitted to People of her nepo-baby privilege: 'I did get help starting off, and I know that people would dream to start off with what I had. I'm so grateful that I've been able to take what was gifted to me by my mom. But I am doing the work and putting in the time. Now I'm working on my own, traveling alone, going to school. My mom and I just have the same love for the same thing'

Thanksgiving family portrait: Heidi is also mother to three younger children - son Henry, 17; son Johan, 16; and daughter Lou, 13 - from her six-year marriage to four-time Grammy winner Seal (last name Samuel), which ended in 2014

Leni served guest-judging duties last season! Klum currently hosts/judges the Los Angeles-set 18th season of Germany's Next Topmodel, which airs Thursdays on ProSieben

$2.5M paycheck per season! Audiences can next catch the 'Queen of Halloween' judging the 18th season of America's Got Talent, which premieres May 30 on NBC

Heidi's third husband - Tokio Hotel guitarist Tom Kaulitz - is currently in Europe for his band's tour, which ends May 22 in Poland.

Klum currently hosts/judges the Los Angeles-set 18th season of Germany's Next Topmodel, which airs Thursdays on ProSieben.

Audiences can next catch the retired VS Angel and SI Swimsuit stunner judging the 18th season of America's Got Talent, which premieres May 30 on NBC.

In 2021, The Cinemaholic reported that Heidi earns $2.5M per season, judge Howie Mandel earns $1.75M per season, judge Sofia Vergara earns $10M per season, and creator/judge Simon Cowell earns $45M per season.
Things took an awkward turn on during a live cross on Sunrise on Friday, when David 'Kochie' Koch stuck his finger up at co-host Natalie Barr on air.

The co-hosts were having a bit of friendly banter when Kochie, 67, who was broadcasting from London, got 'offended' at Nat, 55, taking a playful dig at his Peaky Blinders-style newsboy cap.

'Kochie, looking good,' Matt Shirvington told him, before Nat took a cheeky swipe.

'Uncle Arthur!' Nat said.

Kochie laughed it off, before hilariously sticking up his rude finger while live on air.

Things took an awkward turn on during a live cross on Sunrise on Friday, when David 'Kochie' Koch stuck his finger up at co-host Natalie Barr on air

'He's upset, he's visibly upset,' Matt said.

'It becomes you, it's beautiful,' Natalie said through laughter.

'Despite all of that i'll take it off now. No, I'm offended,' he said, before carrying on with the job.

The co-hosts were having a bit of friendly banter when Kochie, 67, got 'offended' at Nat, 55, taking a playful dig at his Peaky Blinders-style cap. 'Uncle Arthur!' Nat said

One viewer also shared a screenshot of Kochie sticking up his finger and asked: 'Did he know he was on?'

Kochie did the live cross from London and was seen standing outside of Buckingham Palace ahead of King Charles' coronation on May 6.

It comes after Kochie scored a major royal scoop on Wednesday when he reported on a man 'throwing shotgun cartridges' into the grounds of Buckingham Palace.

As police arrested the man who was reportedly heard shouting, 'I'm going to kill the King,' in the nights leading up to the incident, a 7News crew caught the whole ordeal on camera.

It comes after Kochie scored a major royal scoop on Wednesday when he reported on a man 'throwing shotgun cartridges' into the grounds of Buckingham Palace

Kochie and his team were camped outside performing obligatory pre-coronation coverage in preparation for King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla's arrival.

A well-placed cameraman spotted the drama unfolding at the gates of Buckingham Palace and whipped his camera out just in time to film the man's arrest before another news station could catch wind of it.

Witnesses said the man was seen throwing a 'number of items' in the residence grounds before he was arrested.

A witness told The Sun that the suspect had stationed himself outside the palace over the 'last few nights' and was heard shouting: 'I'm going to kill the King.'

Police say they are not currently treating the incident as terror-related. It is understood it is being treated as an isolated mental health incident.

Buckingham Palace confirmed the King and Queen were not in residence when the incident occurred, but a Royal spokesperson would not answer whether any other relatives or family members were there when it unfolded.
Some of Australia's biggest social media influencers have become victims of tall poppy syndrome simply due to their success and privilege.

Popular Instagram account Influencer Updates urged their followers to anonymously submit controversial opinions for them to post, and the results revealed a petty jealousy among many of the account's followers.

One fan complained that influencers Sammy Robinson and Bella Varelis 'don't acknowledge that they come from rich privileged families'.

As evidence, they pointed out that Sammy's family home overlooks the Sydney Harbour Bridge and that Bella once asked her father to send her money to buy a Dior bag after she was scammed by a dodgy ATM while on vacation in Italy.

Bella, who became an Instagram influencer after appearing on The Bachelor, made headlines last year after being scammed in Europe.

Some of Australia's biggest social media influencers, including Sammy Robinson and Bella Varelis, have been attacked online simply for having rich parents

The star had planned to splurge overseas, but wasn't able to splash out at a Dior store after a dodgy cash machine stole her holiday savings.

But her daddy 'came to the rescue' by wiring over some emergency funds, which allowed her to 'spoil herself', she proudly explained to her online followers at the time.

'I saved up so much before I left so I could spoil myself with something special on the trip, and then I got scammed by an ATM the other day and ended up feeling pretty disheartened,' she explained.

The troll pointed out that Sammy's family home overlooks the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Sammy is pictured above

Bella once asked her father to send her money to buy a Dior bag after she was scammed by a dodgy ATM while on vacation in Italy

'But dad ended up coming to the rescue so I decided to still spoil myself! And today is the day,' she added.

Elsewhere, another troll blasted teenage TikTok star Sophia Dopha for making a mistake while booking tickets for a holiday, claiming that it was insensitive to people who have less money than her.

'Sophia is out of touch with reality,' the fan raged. 'Complaining about how she booked wrong dates for Europe and lost so much money whilst a lot of people are struggling to buy food and pay rent.'

Another troll blasted teenage TikTok star Sophia Dopha for making a mistake while booking tickets for a holiday, claiming that it was insensitive to people who have less money than her

Another claimed that Brittany Hockley and Laura Byrne's Life Uncut podcast is 'flopping' now, despite it being one of the most downloaded podcasts in the country.

'Life Uncut is flopping!' they wrote. 'People still love Laura but struggle to relate to Brittany. She's insufferable.'

In January, due to the enormous success of Life Uncut, Brittany and Laura landed their own weekday radio show on KIIS FM called The Pick Up.
Liberty Poole suffered an awkward wardrobe malfunction with her bikini while relaxing by the pool in Ibiza on Thursday.

The Love Island star, 23, who featured on series seven of the show in 2021, is on a trip to the Spanish island with fashion brand Shein.

The beauty has been enjoying soaking up rays by the pool and going for tasty meals with her co-stars Olivia Hawkins, Demi Jones, Lucinda Strafford and Molly Smith.

But Liberty couldn't stop laughing after she suffered a self-inflicted mishap in her stunning bikini by the pool.

She donned a sensational black two-piece which accentuated her gorgeous curves and was embellished with chain detailing.

Awkward: Love Island's Liberty Poole, 23, suffered a wardrobe malfunction in her new bikini while on holiday in Ibiza on Thursday

Oh dear: The influencer revealed she had cut into her package with a knife instead of scissors, endangering the skimpy bikini

But the star revealed that she had tried opening her new swimsuit with a knife after the waiter didn't have a pair of scissors.

As a result the tiny number was falling apart and Demi and Olivia had to come to her rescue.

'This is the current situation...' said Liv as Demi tried to cut through the bikini with a knife, while a giggling Liberty posted to her Instagram stories.

'Needs must!' laughed Liberty, who was able to see the funny side of the situation in fits of laughter.

She wrote: 'For context I had to get changed straight in my new bikini which was wrapped in paper and instead of paper the waiter brought over a knife.

'It's never the simple life with me @demijones1 love you thanks girl.'

She gave an update later on, revealing that the situation had been resolved. She continued: 'Liv sawed the chain off my whole bikini! Living life on the edge.'

Liberty famously coupled up with Jake Cornish on Love Island, even making things official - but the pair broke up before they left the villa and have not been seen together since.

Handy: Luckily for Liberty her Love Island co-stars Demi Jones and Olivia Hawkins managed to sort out her bikini woes

Stunning: She looked incredible in the black two-piece, which was embellished with chain detailing

Girls trip: Liberty (middle) is enjoying a trip to Ibiza with Demi, Olivia, Molly Smith and Lucinda Strafford

It comes after Liberty made a candid confession about editing Instagram pictures last month.

She looked nothing short of sensational in a scanty red swimsuit with a deeply plunging neckline and high-rise hips, to show as much skin as possible.

Feeling candid, in the caption on the shot, newly-brunette Liberty revealed she was 'tempted' to edit the snap to 'lift her natural boobs and shrink her bloating', but the decided she wanted to show off her normal body and quash beauty standards.

Her inspirational words read: 'Curvy and proud !! I was tempted to lift my natural boobs in this picture so they looked perfect shrink the bloating but no this is me...

'So why would I, this is real and this is a normal body despite what beauty standards say just be you . MY BODY MY STANDARDS'.

Liberty looked sensational in her sexy swimsuit, which featured a cleavage-enhancing low cut neckline and just about contained her assets.

Not content with showing her cleavage, she also showed off her bottom and hips with the perilously high-rise hips on the one-piece.

She was also using the snap to debut her newly darkened locks, with the bouncy brunette curls enhanced with lightened strands around her face.

That weekend, Liberty shared another snap from the impromptu photoshoot, taken during her sun-drenched trip to the United Arab Emirates. She was at the Cafe del Mar beach bar in Abu Dhabi, in the sexy shots.

Cheeky! Love Island star Liberty Poole took to Instagram last month to share a slew of sizzling snap - and make a candid confession about editing

Stunner: The reality personality, 23, who appeared on the show in 2021's series seven, looked nothing short of sensational in a scanty red swimsuit with a deeply plunging neckline and high-rise hips, to show as much skin as possible
Kyle Sandilands has revealed why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese didn't DJ at his wedding, despite the leader's promise.

The KIIS FM radio host, 51, explained on The Kyle and Jackie O Show on Friday morning that he'd previously asked Mr Albanese to spin the decks at the wedding reception, but later told him not to worry and instead attend solely as a guest.

Fellow wedding guest Beau Ryan recalled how he managed to have a 'long chat' with Albo and suggested the PM clearly enjoyed himself at the event.

The ex-NRL player joked the veteran politician, 60, was a 'bit pissy'.

'He has a few early, right? He has a couple of beers early,' Beau explained.

The PM was pictured throughout the wedding reception with Sandilands and his new wife Tegan Kynaston as well as with Sandilands' co-host Jackie Henderson and TV presenter Karl Stefanovic (PM with Jackie O'Henderson, Karl Stefanovic and producer Sonia Jahshan)

'He was enjoying himself, which was good. Like, he wasn't carrying on. But he was in the zone. He was good.'

While chatting with French DJ David Guetta, Sandilands said he should have gotten the Baby Don't Hurt Me mixer to take care of the music on the night.

'I asked our prime minister to DJ and he showed up to the wedding... our prime minister showed up to the wedding. I said to him, "don't worry about DJing. Leave it to the wedding DJ,"' Sandilands explained.

'But you would have been great,' he later said to Guetta, who congratulated the newlywed.

Beau Ryan told Kyle and Jackie O that Anthony Albanese was a bit 'pissy' at the wedding (pictured: Mr Albanese beaming ear to ear holding baby Otto at Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston's wedding)

Kyle Sandilands and Tegan Kynaston got married on Saturday at a highly anticipated wedding that reportedly cost more than $1m and took place at the extravagant Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for comment.

Sandilands tied the knot with his wife Tegan Kynaston last weekend in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point.

The morning of his wedding, the radio shock jock fired back at critics who said the PM should not attend after it was rumoured he'd be DJ'ing.

'These are my friends,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Many questioned Mr Albanese's appearance as he would be mingling with guests such as Sandilands chief groomsmen and convicted drug trafficker Simon Main

'I've met plenty of people over my life that have promised this and that, then been complete charlatans.'

He added: 'These guys are true men of their word and that's why they're my lifelong friends.'

During a press conference last Friday, Mr Albanese confirmed he would be attending Sandilands' nuptials to Kynaston on Saturday, noting he wasn't in charge of the invite list, and went on to describe Sandilands as an Australian success story.

'A bloke who at one stage was homeless living on the streets of Sydney and has grown into someone who is a significant public figure is part of what is an Australian success story,' he said.

The morning of his wedding, Kyle Sandilands fired back at critics who said the PM should not attend after it was rumoured he'd be DJ'ing

Mr Albanese has publicly committed to DJing at the reception - declaring on Sandilands' radio show last year: 'That's on!... I keep my promises.'

Deputy Opposition leader Sussan Ley criticised Mr Albanese's priorities in a statement, saying: 'There is nothing wrong with going to a friend's wedding, but it is curious the prime minister thinks he can take a day off just days before his first real Budget.

'Australians will rightly ask whether the Prime Minister should be spinning decks at a million dollar wedding when people can't afford their rent.'

Aussie celebrities in attendance at the wedding included NSW Premier Chris Minns, Today host Karl Stefanovic, and 'King of the Cross' John Ibrahim, among others.
Julianne Hough was every inch the golden girl while attending the New York City Ballet Spring Gala at the David H. Koch Theater on Thursday.

The Dancing with the Stars beauty, 34, dazzled in a strapless form-fitting metallic gold gown, which she paired with a matching clutch.

The Utah-born star wore her dark blonde tresses parted on the side and cascading down in light curls.

Julianne - who recently divulged why she initially turned down DWTS - accessorized her show stopping look with a pair of dangling earrings and a golden bangle.

As for glam, she opted for a soft bronze eyeshadow, a touch of mascara, and nude lipstick.

Golden girl: Julianne Hough was every inch the golden girl while attending the New York City Ballet Spring Gala on Thursday

Also on the red carpet were a number of the dancers.

Hannah Corbin opted for a plunging black romper and a shimmering black clutch. The beauty paired her look with brown strappy heels.

She wore her brunette tresses in voluminous waves cascading down her shoulders.

Ava Sautter showed off her incredible dancer's physique in a bustier style black dress with a sizzling thigh-high slit.

The Ballerina paired the look with nude heels and wore her brunette strands halfway pinned back for the occasion.

Gilbert Bolden III - who is part of the New York City Ballets corps de ballet - wore a very unique plunging white romper with elbow-high fingerless gloves.

The San Diego-born dancer paired the outfit with a black hat featuring a veil that shielded half of his face.

Olivia Boisson looked incredible in an off-shoulder vivid orange gown with a midriff cutout.

Georgina Pazcoguin stunned in a colorful gown with a long train, and wore her tresses in a high ponytail.

Victoria Berk, Felicity Strauss and Meredith Strauss made a stylish trio in stunning Spring friendly gowns.

Ballet legend Mikhail Baryshnikov, 75, also was in attendance along with his wife Lisa Rinehart, who is a former dancer with American Ballet Theatre.

Shining star: The Dancing with the Stars beauty, 34, dazzled in a strapless form-fitting metallic gold gown, which she paired with a matching clutch

Glam: The Utah-born star wore her dark blonde tresses parted on the side and cascading down in light curls

Good times: Julianne smiled while attending the gala

Stunner: Also on the red carpet were a number of the dancers. Hannah Corbin opted for a plunging black romper and a shimmering black clutch

Ballerina: Ava Sautter showed off her incredible dancer's physique in a bustier style black dress with a sizzling thigh-high slit

Ready for spring! Olivia Boisson looked incredible in an off-shoulder vivid orange gown with a midriff cutout

Colorful: Georgina Pazcoguin stunned in a colorful gown with a long train, and wore her tresses in a high ponytail

Unique: Gilbert Bolden III - who is part of the New York City Ballets corps de ballet - wore a very unique plunging white romper with elbow-high fingerless gloves

Dynamic trio: Victoria Berk, Felicity Strauss and Meredith Strauss made a stylish trio in stunning Spring friendly gowns

Dance legend: Mikhail Baryshnikov and his wife Lisa Rinehart also were in attendance

Going strong: The 75-year-old ballet legend and Lisa have been married since 2006

Mikhail looked dapper in a black suit, while Lisa added a spring look in a red floral print dress.

The Spring Gala was sponsored by Porsche and Chopard, as well as The Macallan.

Guests were treated to a cocktail reception followed by the performance and later dinner.

The gala program featured new works by choreographer and director Christopher Wheeldon and Canadian choreographer Alysa Pires and raised funds for the organization.
Joe Swash has said he had 'the worst' exit ever on EastEnders and would like the opportunity to return to the soap but he hasn't been asked.

The actor, 41, portrayed fan favourite Mickey Miller from 2003 to 2008 before briefly returning in 2011 for his on-screen brother Darren's departure.

Speaking with fellow EastEnders star Dean Gaffney in Friday's episode of I'm A Celebrity South Africa, Joe admitted he wasn't happy with how he left the show.

According to The Sun, Carol Vorderman asks Joe if he will return to Watford, to which he says: 'I wouldn't mind it.

'You know exactly what you're doing, when you're doing it, how you're doing it.

Candid: Joe Swash has said he had 'the worst' exit ever on EastEnders and would like the opportunity to return to the soap but he hasn't been asked

Role: The actor, 41, portrayed fan favourite Mickey Miller from 2003 to 2008 before briefly returning in 2011 for his on-screen brother Darren's departure

'But they've never asked me mate, not once.'

The soap star then admitted he wished he had been given a more dramatic exit storyline as many characters get.

He said: 'I had the worst outro ever! I didn't even leave at the end of the episode.

'So usually you leave at the end of the episode and you get the 'doof doof'.

'Mine, I went to Norwich to be a bell boy at a hotel and mid scene I just walked into the Vic and went, 'Right, see you later'.

'They turned back to Phil, turned back to me and I'd gone. I was like, 'What, that's it?' I was there five years and not one doof doof!'

Speaking in the Bush Telegraph, Joe reiterated EastEnders have not reached out to him to return.

He said: 'People think I can phone up EastEnders and go, 'I'm ready to come back now guys'.

Future: Joe revealed EastEnders bosses have not reached out to him to return

Success: Just a few months after leaving EastEnders, Joe took part in I'm A Celebrity and was crowned King of the Jungle (pictured in 2008)

'They have not phoned me. Let me make this clear EastEnders have never phoned me to get me back on the show.'

Just a few months after leaving EastEnders, Joe took part in I'm A Celebrity and was crowned King of the Jungle.

He then went on to present I'm A Celebrity's spin-off series a year after being crowned 'King of the Jungle'.

In 2010, he met his now wife Stacey Solomon, who had also just won the series, and the pair started dating. They have since gone on to have three children together and married in 2022.

'I'm A Celebrity holds a big place in my heart,' Joe said.

'I won it and I was lucky enough to go on to present the spin-off series on ITV2 for ten years.

'I met Stacey whilst I was out in Australia and me and Stacey have now married and we have had kids. Doing the all-stars series is closure. It finishes off the circle.

'Stacey is over the moon about me doing it. The jungle holds a big part in both our hearts. Without the jungle, we wouldn't have each other. In a way, we owe it to the jungle to say goodbye.'
Since making his debut in film in 1997, Irish actor Cillian Murphy has had his fair share of lead roles.

Most notably the Peaky Blinders star, 46, has topped the cast billing in the post-apocalyptic horror film 28 Days Later (2002), the romantic comedy Watching the Detectives (2007), the horror thriller Retreat (2012), and war tale Anthropoid (2016).

Over the course of much of his career, Murphy - who was recently spotted enjoying a drink in Soho - had appeared in five Christopher Nolan films, but it wasn't until the most recent sixth, in the upcoming Oppenheimer, that he finally landed the lead role in a Nolan production.

'I have always said publicly and privately, to Chris, that if I'm available and you want me to be in a movie, I'm there.'

'I don't really care about the size of the part,' Murphy revealed in an interview with the Associated Press. 'But deep down, secretly, I was desperate to play a lead for him.'

Dream come true: Cillian Murphy finally got the lead role in a Christopher Nolan film by playing J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American physicist credited with being the 'father of the atomic bomb' in the upcoming film Oppenheimer

And over the years, Nolan did in fact take Murphy to task on his promise, hiring him to play Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow in the three Batman movies with Christian Bale as the caped crusader in Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008) , The Dark Knight Rises (2012), as well as Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017).

It turns out Murphy didn't have a clue about getting the lead role in Oppenheimer until Nolan called him up out of the blue and offered him the part.

'He's so understated and self-deprecating and, in his very English manner, just said, "Listen, I've written this script, it's about Oppenheimer. Id like you to be my Oppenheimer,"' Murphy recalled, before adding, 'It was a great day.'

He went on to reveal that they have 'this long-standing understanding and trust and shorthand and respect. It felt like the right time to take on a bigger responsibility. And it just so happened that it was a huge one.'

in the film Murphy plays J. Robert Oppenheimer, an American theoretical physicist credited with being the 'father of the atomic bomb' for his role in the Manhattan Project - the World War II undertaking that developed the first nuclear weapons.

And interesting change of fate, much of the supporting cast consists of actors who have already been lead actors in Hollywood, some of them many times over.

Along with Murphy, the cast also includes such big stars as Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh and Kenneth Branagh, along with the likes of Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Michael Angarano, Dane DeHaan, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich and Matthew Modine.

The story focuses on the physicist as he wrestles with the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II.

Instead of focusing on the science of the atom bomb and what it entails, Murphy decided to focus his pre-shoot preps on learning more about J. Robert Oppenheimer and what inventing the atomic bomb does to the individual, the actor told The Guardian last year.

Longtime supporter: The five Nolan films that Murphy appeared in as a supporting actor began with Batman Begins (2005), and also included The Dark Knight (2008), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Inception (2010) and Dunkirk (2017); the actor is pictured in a scene with Christian Bale

Heavy burden: Oppenheimer focuses on J. Robert Oppenheimer, the man and physicist, as he wrestles with the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II

Star-studded: Along with Murphy, the cast also includes such big stars as Emily Blunt, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Florence Pugh and Kenneth Branagh

This summer: Oppenheimer is scheduled to premiere in theaters in the U.S. and UK on July 21

'You realize this is a huge responsibility. He was complicated and contradictory and so iconic,' Murphy said of Oppenheimer the man, adding, 'But you know you're with one of the great directors of all time. I felt confident going into it with Chris. Hes had a profound impact on my life, creatively and professionally. Hes offered me very interesting roles and Ive found all of them really challenging. And I just love being on his sets.'

Nolan wrote and directed Oppenheimer with a budget of at least $100 million, according to Screen Rant.

And like his previous works, the London, England native extensively used practical effects and minimal computer-generated imagery.

'I think people will be very surprised and wowed by what he does. Anything I say will just seem a bit lame as compared to seeing this in an IMAX theater,' Murphy said of Nolan.

Oppenheimer is scheduled to premiere in theaters in the U.S. and UK on July 21.
Amol Rajan Interviews Richard Branson

Rating:

Inside No. 9

Rating:

Never get into a name-dropping contest with Richard Branson. You are bound to lose.

Early in his encounter with the Virgin billionaire, bumptious Amol Rajan remarked, 'I've just been to Kenya with Bill Gates, your dear friend.'

The subtext was clear: your money doesn't impress me, pal  I know richer people than you.

Sir Richard just nodded a tight, gnomic smile and didn't respond, like a politician ignoring a heckler. But Amol's card had been marked.

A few minutes later, as the BBC man tried to draw his interviewee on drug use, Keith Richards's name came up.

Early in his encounter with the Virgin billionaire (left), bumptious Amol Rajan (right) remarked, 'I've just been to Kenya with Bill Gates, your dear friend'

Branson grinned, praised the Rolling Stones guitarist for his ability to roll the perfect joint, and launched into a sensational story about an escapade at Virgin's Oxfordshire recording studios, the Manor.

One morning, awoken by furious knocking, he opened the front door to a man demanding to know if his wife was inside with Keef.

Dognappers of the night: Motherland stars Diane Morgan and Anna Maxwell Martin joined the late Paul OGrady on For The Love Of Dogs (ITV1), hoping to adopt a pet. Anna knew just which one she wanted: a Staffie owned by comedian Julian Clary. Ill have to warn him, Paul sighed. Advertisement

Over the man's shoulder, Branson saw the Stone and the woman in question, both stark naked, fleeing across the lawn.

'They're not here,' he told the angry husband with technical truthfulness, 'but you're welcome to come in and make sure for yourself.'

If you're going to drop a name, do it like a megaton bomb and wipe out the opposition.

After that, there was little by way of confrontation during Amol Rajan Interviews Richard Branson (BBC2).

Any feints were brushed aside, dismissed with another tight little smile. When Rajan asked whether living on the Caribbean island of Necker was convenient for tax purposes, Branson replied, 'Your question, I slightly resent.'

He said much the same when asked if he 'winced' at old photos of himself with girls in bikinis.

The question was resented, and thus didn't require an answer  though he did add that, 'I don't think I ever made anybody feel uncomfortable.'

Branson was more forthcoming about his dismal experiences at boarding school, producing reports that described him as 'handicapped', 'backward' and 'stupid'.

In fact, he had undiagnosed dyslexia, which he now describes as his superpower. Certainly, most of us would like to be 'stupid' enough to own an island and a space rocket.

Though he has always loved his publicity stunts, Branson has rarely opened himself up to inquisition.

The purpose of this one gradually became apparent as he talked about the effects of lockdown on his businesses.

'We had 50, 60 planes all on the ground. There was a time when I thought we were going to lose everything.'

He saved his companies, at a personal cost of 1.5 billion, but public criticism was harsh when the Virgin Group asked for a 500 million bailout, which was refused. This interview appeared to be his attempt to restore some lustre to his reputation.

The occasion ended with Branson trouncing Rajan at chess. That was superfluous  the man from Auntie had already been roundly defeated.

Inside No. 9 (BBC2), the comic playlets written by stars Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton, are also becoming superfluous. Once packed with imagina-tion and dark invention, the series is now running out of steam.

Inside No. 9 (BBC2) , the comic playlets written by stars Reece Shearsmith (right) and Steve Pemberton (left), are also becoming superfluous

The only purpose of the latest episode was to invent a story around the word 'paraskevidekatriaphobia,' a mouthful coined to describe the superstitious fear of Friday 13th.

Co-starring Amanda Abbington and Samantha Spiro, with a cameo from Dermot O'Leary, it featured a couple of false twists, like a parody of Roald Dahl's Tales Of The Unexpected in the 1980s.

The best joke was Dermot's reaction when he was mistaken for half of Ant and Dec. He gave a tight, humourless smile  just like Branson.
EastEnders star Aidan O'Callaghan has returned to his 'normal job' after his stint playing rapist Lewis Butler.

The Irish actor, 34, starred on the BBC soap last year, portraying the sexual predator who made Ben Mitchell's life hell after he attacked him.

But away from screens, Aidan is a trained pharmacist and is back in the profession, with Aidan recently sharing a surprising photo from his day at work

Taking to his Instagram stories, the Cork native snapped a photo of himself holding a baby duck, which he says was abandoned by its mother.

Aidan captioned his image, writing 'Meanwhile in my other job a mother duck has abandoned her duckling', alongside crying laughing emojis.

Role: EastEnders star Aidan O'Callaghan has returned to his 'normal job' after his stint playing rapist Lewis Butler (pictured on the soap)

Day job: Away from screens, Aidan is a trained pharmacist and is back in the profession, with Aidan recently sharing a surprising photo from his day at work

He looked worlds away from his soap character, sporting trendy silver-rimmed glasses and a curly mop of hair.

Aidan studied pharmacy at Trinity College, Dublin and continues to locum as a pharmacist when not on screens.

While Aidan documented life at the pharmacy in between acting jobs, he previously starred in The Witcher Blood Origin following his exit from EastEnders.

He played the role of Kareg opposite Hollywood star Michelle Yeoh and comedy legend Lenny Henry.

Meanwhile, EastEnders is not the first soap role for Aidan, as he has previously starred as Mike in two episodes of Emmerdale back in 2018.

The Irish star has also appeared in Sky drama Wolfe and popular thriller The Rook.

In addition, he's also made appearances in Home Alone, Wolfe and Britain's Deadliest Lovers.

And while he hasn't been seen on EastEnders for several months, his character's name was recently mentioned on the soap.

Character: The Irish actor, 34, starred on the BBC soap last year, portraying the sexual predator who made Ben Mitchell's life hell after he attacked him

Profession: Aidan studied pharmacy at Trinity College, Dublin and continues to locum as a pharmacist when not on screens

Actor: Meanwhile, EastEnders is not the first soap role for Aidan, as he has previously starred as Mike in two episodes of Emmerdale back in 2018

His character Lewis' victim was stunned to learn that Lewis had raped someone else, which sent him on a downward spiral.

And in upcoming scenes, Ben continues to struggle as he also has difficulty coping with the financial burden of caring for his terminally ill ex Lola and their daughter Lexi.

The character, who is battling with his exhaustion, is set to lash out at Vinny Panesar as things get too much for him.
Pete Davidson announced that his beloved dog passed away in a new post shared by his close friend Dave Sirus.

The 29-year-old comedian said that his dog Henry 'got very sick very fast' and passed away at the age of two, according to the message posted by the fellow comedian and writer.

In the 'message from Pete', the actor  who ran into his ex-girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, at the 2023 Met Gala on Monday  also opened up about how Henry had saved his life.

'Hey guys,' Davidson  who does not have a social media account on Instagram had written. 'I know today is the Bupkis premiere day but I wanna use today to remember my dog Henry.'

Earlier on Thursday, his action comedy television series Bupkis premiered on Peacock.

Sad news: Pete Davidson, 29, announced that his beloved dog passed away in a new post; seen with his younger sister Casey Davidson

He shared various images of Henry in the carousel post with himself as well as his sister, Casey.

'Yesterday we lost a key member of the Davidson family,' the Bodies Bodies Bodies star had shared. 'Henry was only 2 years old but unfortunately got very sick very fast.

'My mom, sister, and I got Henry at the beginning of the pandemic and he saved our lives,' he shared in the sentimental post. 'Not sure I'd even be around without him.'

The New York native continued: 'He was the happiest and sweetest dog ever. He used to get excited when he saw me and would pee everywhere.'

In the post, the former cast member of Saturday Night Live revealed that he never watches any of his work with anybody with the exception of Henry.

'When I was working at SNL my mom would send me videos of him watching, smiling and making noise when I came on screen,' he shared.

'I don't ever really watch any of my stuff with anyone as I'm far too scared but I didn't mind watching with Henry. He was truly the best,' Davidson gushed.

'My mom, sister, and I are broken and will miss him forever,' he shared. 'We love you Henry. Thank you for making our lives fuller and reminding me what actually matters.'

His beloved dog: The comedian said that his dog Henry 'got very sick very fast' and passed away at the age of two, according to the message posted by the fellow comedian and writer

Heartbreaking loss: In the 'message from Pete', the actor also opened up about how Henry had saved his and his family's lives

Bittersweet day: 'Hey guys,' Davidson  who does not have a social media account on Instagram had written. 'I know today is the Bupkis premiere day but I wanna use today to remember my dog Henry'

His best friend: In the post, the former cast member of Saturday Night Live revealed that he never watches any of his work with anybody with the exception of Henry

Previously, Davidson talked about his beloved pooches on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon In November 2021.

'I got three dogs during the pandemic because it was hard,' he told the talk show host.

The devastating news comes days after his return to Saturday Night Live was cancelled due to the Writer's Guild of America strike.

Davidson was set to make his hosting debut on the now scrapped episode that had rapper Lil Uzi Vert slated for the musical guest.
Fort Polk, LA (71446)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High around 80F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy with showers and a few thunderstorms. Low 66F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 60%.
Jackie 'O' Henderson showed off her slimmed-down figure on Thursday as she went shopping in Paddington before talking about her 'stalkers' live on radio.

The radio queen, 48, positively glowed as she stepped out in a long knitted dress which clung to her frame and hung heavy about her ankles.

Sporting a matching black and gold Fendi bag and earrings to elevate the look, she slipped on a white dress beneath her brown, see-through frock.

Hiding her eyes behind a set of dark designer glasses, she slicked her golden tresses back into a tight pony which highlighted her genetically blessed features.

The media personality was all smiles as she bought a $430 maxi dress from Maison Essentiele before heading a few more doors down to buy something else.

Jackie 'O' Henderson, 48, (pictured) showed off her slimmed-down figure on Thursday as she went shopping in Paddington before talking about her 'stalkers' live on radio

Jackie appeared at ease despite hopping on radio the next morning to reveal she has a stalker somewhere in Australia.

Speaking with co-host Kyle Sandilands on their KIIS FM show Friday morning, they discussed Sophie Monk's recent run-in with an allegedly 'catfished' man who showed up to her house.

The shock jock jokingly asked Jackie why she didn't have any stalkers, to which the radio host replied: 'Mine don't live here thankfully.'

The radio queen positively glowed as she stepped out in a long knitted dress which clung to her frame and hung heavy about her ankles

Sporting a matching black and gold Fendi bag and earrings to elevate the look, she slipped on a black shift dress beneath her brown, see-through frock

Hiding her eyes behind a set of dark designer glasses, she slicked her golden tresses back into a tight pony which highlighted her genetically blessed features

When Kyle, 51, pushed for more information, she added: 'They're in Australia but I'm not going to say [where]. No one has turned up to my house thank god.'

He then joked Jackie moves around too much for any stalker to narrow in on her location.

It comes after the blonde beauty placed a winning bid on her dream home recently and moving on from her last luxury property in Woollahra.

The media personality was all smiles as she picked up an outfit zipped away safely in a garment bag before heading a few more doors down to buy something else

Jackie appeared at ease despite hopping on radio the next morning to reveal she has a stalker somewhere in Australia

Speaking with co-host Kyle Sandilands on their KIIS FM show Friday morning, they discussed Sophie Monk's recent run-in with her own 'catfished' stalker who showed up to her house

The shock jock jokingly asked Jackie why she didn't have any stalkers, to which the radio host replied: 'Mine don't live here thankfully'

When Kyle, 51, pushed for more information, she added: 'They're in Australia but I'm not going to say. No one has turned up to my house thank god'

He then joked Jackie moves around too much for any stalker to narrow in on her location

It comes after the blonde beauty placed a winning bid on her dream home recently and moving on from her last luxury property in Woollahra

The mother of one splashed out $13.25million on a three-storey oceanfront house in Clovelly at an open auction in March

She went up against two other keen bidders for the six-bedroom fixer upper as her 11-year-old daughter Kitty stood by her side

The mother of one splashed out $13.25million on a three-storey oceanfront house in Clovelly at an open auction in March.

She went up against two other keen bidders for the six-bedroom fixer upper as her 11-year-old daughter Kitty stood by her side.

Jackie pocketed a tidy $2million in profit on the sale of her old home in Woollahra, after paying $1million over the $10million asking price for it in 2020.

Jackie pocketed a tidy $2million in profit on the sale of her old home in Woollahra, after paying $1million over the $10million asking price for it in 2020

Sources said she barely got to enjoy the luxury property the last few years

Jackie is pictured here having picked up another item from a different store

She carried it in a white gift bag along with the garment bag she picked up

Despite her stalker fears she would share on the radio the following morning, she appeared content to be out and about

Dark designer glasses hid her eyes, protecting them from the sun

She carried a large black and gold Fendi bag over one shoulder

The accessory matched her black and gold Fendi hoop earrings
Pictured: Jock Zonfrillo, 46, who died on Monday

When 'Jock' Zonfrillo was a young boy growing up in a small village in Scotland, he wanted to be just like his grandfather - a 'kind, wise nonno' running around with all his grandkids.

But his dream of growing old and watching his own four children become parents was ripped away in the early hours of Monday morning, when police found the 46-year-old dead in his bed at the boutique Zagames House hotel at Carlton in Melbourne.

No drug paraphernalia was located, no one else was in the hotel room, and police formed the view MasterChef judge had died of natural causes.

Zonfrillo's body has now been released to his wife, Lauren Fried, and the precise cause of his death will be determined by the coroner.

Friends, family and colleagues from all over the world flooded social media with tributes to the fallen chef and, by Tuesday morning, there was little doubt in anyone's mind about the kind of person Zonfrillo was.

The words 'kind', 'caring' and 'generous' were continually repeated by those who knew him as a MasterChef judge and culinary mentor, a friendly neighbour, a devoted father, and an incredible chef.

However, missing from the published tributes were extraordinary details about his life in Ayrshire as a young boy, known then as Barry, who became the class clown because he hated going to school at Belmont Academy and didn't fit in.

His neighbours in Ayrshire were proud that someone from their small community made it big internationally, and were saddened when he passed.

Jock Zonfrillo is pictured, left, with his sister Carla and his father Ivan. He grew up in Ayrshire, Scotland

The MasterChef judge was born Barry Zonfrillo. He is pictured as a child in Scotland

His name and picture was shared three years ago in a local Facebook group by a Scotsman who was watching MasterChef Australia and realised Zonfrillo, a new judge on the show at the time, was from his area.

'Anyone know him?' the man asked.

Surprised locals flocked to the comments to say they remembered him as Barry, who was the son of well-regarded hairdressers Ivan and Sarah Zonfrillo.

'I know him,' one man said. 'Worked as a Saturday boy in his father's shop.'

Another wrote: 'Love to see someone from my home town doing really well on TV, but still Scottish.'

A third person said: 'Wow one of our own, brilliant!'

Others said they remembered him as a child at Belmont Academy, said his parents still live in Ayrshire, and shared intimate details about his extended family.

On Monday, group members were upset when the thread was updated with news of his death.

Jock Zonfrillo hated school and didn't know what he wanted to do with his life, until he discovered cooking. He is pictured as a baby with his older sister, Carla

Jock Zonfrillo used to work at his father's barber on Saturdays. He did it to spend more time with his dad

In his memoir, Zonfrillo recalled he was so desperate to spend time with his father that he volunteered to work in his barber shop on Saturdays - sweeping, washing hair, and bantering with gruff men who walked inside.

He didn't want to follow his father into barbering at the time - he felt as though he'd be wiling his life away in a shop six days a week - but as he aged, he wondered if that's what he should have done.

'I've often looked back and wished that I'd stayed in town, taken over the shop,' he wrote.

'I would have loved nothing more than being able to work with Dad every day.

'I'd probably have been bored to tears, but that would've been mitigated by the chance to have him with me through the years as I went through all life's ups and downs'.

And his life had many ups and downs. He was in trouble from the week he started school - his cousins, who shared his family name, were not well behaved and all the teachers didn't expect any less from the youngest Zonfrillo.

He found school boring, teachers said he would never amount to anything, and he was bullied by other kids for being half-Italian and having salami and garlic on ciabatta for lunch instead of a stock-standard sandwich.

But perhaps the most challenging aspect of his childhood came when he and his friends were 11 years' old and decided to break into a car yard in the dark and steal three vehicles.

None of the schoolboys had driven a car before and promptly smashed one while trying to get it down the driveway.

Jock Zonfrillo's father (pictured together) was a barber and his mother as a hairdresser. They both still live in Ayrshire

Jock Zonfrillo didn't like school and was always getting in trouble. At 11, he tried to steal a car

They got caught and two were charged, but Zonfrillo's parents managed to talk police out of laying their son with criminal charges.

Despite getting him out of legal trouble, his parents were livid. His father was so angry he couldn't speak and his mother couldn't stop screaming and yelling.

'From then on, my parents never let go of it,' Zonfrillo wrote.

'It was this weird sort of grudge that Mum and Dad held against me. While they didn't verbalise it, they never let go of it ... I don't think my parents ever really forgave me.'

Zonfrillo eventually got a job in a kitchen. He didn't like his first job washing dishes, but soon found his calling when he was offered a cooking position.

He left school to pursue what would become a extraordinary career as a chef, during which time he battled heroin addiction, moved to Australia, opened award-winning restaurants.

He had two kids with his second wife, and another two with his third wife, Ms Fried.

It is believed Zonfrillo was settling into a new life in Rome with his young family before tragedy struck on Monday.

He returned to Melbourne to undertake promotional work for the 15th season of MasterChef, which was due to premier on Monday.

The show will now air at 7.30pm on Sunday.
Colin Fassnidge has been spotted for the first time since his good friend Jock Zonfrillo's shock death was announced earlier this week.

The celebrity chef and My Kitchen Rules star, 48, who admitted that he's struggling to come to terms with the news, was seen keeping a low profile as he made his way around Sydney Airport.

Colin kept things casual in a white T-shirt and jeans, and covered up his face wearing a pair of sunglasses and a hat.

The Irish-born chef had been friends with MasterChef star Zonfrillo for 20 years. He told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week that he and the 'entire community' are struggling to process the tragic news.

Zonfrillo's heartbroken family announced his death in a statement on Monday. A Victoria Police spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they found Zonfrillo's body at about 2am on Monday after they were called to a hotel on Lygon Street in Carlton for a welfare check.

Colin Fassnidge has been spotted for the first time since his good friend Jock Zonfrillo's shock death was announced earlier this week

No cause of death has been disclosed, but police say his death is not being treated as suspicious.

On Tuesday, during a break from filming the upcoming season of their show My Kitchen Rules this week, Colin and Manu Feildel enjoyed a shot of whiskey in honour of MasterChef judge Jock, who died at the age of 46.

'Late night filming having a whiskey for our late but forever friend. Love from our My Kitchen Rules team to our MasterChef team,' Colin captioned his Instagram post, alongside a heartbroken emoji.

The celebrity chef and My Kitchen Rules star, 48, who admitted that he's struggling to come to terms with the news, was seen keeping a low profile as he made his way around Sydney Airport

Colin previously said about Jock's death: 'It's so shocking. I'm sitting on a rock right now trying to take it in, I don't know what to say. I'm floored.'

He said there was no indication anything was wrong for Zonfrillo, and the news was a complete surprise.

The pair would speak to each other regularly, but their last in-depth conversation was six months ago.

Colin previously said about Jock's death: 'It's so shocking. I'm sitting on a rock right now trying to take it in, I don't know what to say. I'm floored'

'He was flying, he was doing a great job, he had a great show, he was on top of the world,' Colin explained.

'Jock was normal, he was healthy and he was living a good life. I just feel so sorry for his other half.'

'With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,' his family said in a statement on Monday.

On Tuesday, during a break from filming the upcoming season of their show My Kitchen Rules this week, Colin and Manu Feildel enjoyed a shot of whiskey in honour of MasterChef judge Jock, who died at the age of 46

The Irish-born chef had been friends with MasterChef star Zonfrillo for 20 years. He told Daily Mail Australia earlier this week that he and the 'entire community' is struggling to process the tragic news

'With completely shattered hearts and without knowing how we can possibly move through life without him, we are devastated to share that Jock passed away yesterday,' his family said in a statement on Monday

'So many words can describe him, so many stories can be told, but at this time we're too overwhelmed to put them into words.

'For those who crossed his path, became his mate, or were lucky enough to be his family, keep this proud Scot in your hearts when you have your next whisky.'

They continued: 'We implore you to please let us grieve privately as we find a way to navigate through this, and find space on the other side to celebrate our irreplaceable husband, father, brother, son and friend.'

The Scottish-Australian chef and restaurateur became a host of the popular Channel 10 cooking show in 2019 alongside Andy Allen and Melissa Leong.

Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and Alfie and Isla, with Fried.
Oscar winner Sam Rockwell and his longtime girlfriend, Leslie Bibb, were seen walking their dog around Manhattans Soho Neighborhood on Thursday.

Rockwell, 54, wore a scarf around his neck under a black bomber jacket inscribed 'Bruce Lee' with grey jeans and sneakers.

Bibb, 48, wore a cream sweater under a blue pea coat and tied a blue top around her neck.

The beauty styled her blonde tresses with a side part behind her ears and wore stonewashed jeans, white trainers, and gold earrings.

The longtime couple has been together since 2007 when they reportedly met in Los Angeles as he was shooting Frost/Nixon.

Cute couple: Sam Rockwell and his longtime girlfriend, Leslie Bibb, were seen walking their dog around Manhattans Soho Neighborhood on Thursday

Precious pooch: Rockwell, 54, wore a scarf around his neck under a black bomber jacket inscribed 'Bruce Lee' with grey jeans and sneakers. Bibb, 48, wore a cream sweater under a blue pea paired with stonewashed jeans, white trainers, and gold earrings

The couple starred together in the 2010 Marvel superhero sequel Iron Man 2 and the 2015 comedy film Don Verdean.

Rockwell won an Oscar in 2018 for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.

He also won a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020 for portraying Broadway legend Bob Fosse in the FX series Fosse/Verdon.

After winning the award, Sam thanked Leslie 'for reading scripts with me during the Christmas break,' adding, 'I love you very much.'

Bibb scored her first recurring role on TV in The Big Easy (1997). She gained prominence by appearing as Christine Everhart in Iron Man (2008) and Iron Man 2 (2010).

In 2019, Leslie starred in Running With the Devil alongside Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne.

In 2021, she played the biblical demonic entity of Satan in the Netflix comedy series God's Favorite Idiot alongside Melissa McCarthy.

The series, created by Falcone, consists of 16 episodes and tells the story of Clark, a tech support employee who falls in love with his co-work Amily before he develops the ability to glow after getting struck by lightning.

The latest: Rockwell recently appeared in the 2022 film See How They Run alongside Adrien Brody - pictured with Saoirse Ronan

Rockwell plays the role of Inspector Stoppard in the film, which takes place in the West End of 1950s London

Whodunnit? The storyline centers around a murder investigation. Rockwell and Ronan's characters are immersed in the probe.

Going strong: The longtime couple met in 2007 when he was shooting Frost/Nixon in Los Angeles - Pictured in LA in January 2020

Rockwell recently appeared as Inspector Stoppard in the whodunnit film See How They Run alongside Adrien Brody.

The film takes place in the West End of 1950s London, where plans for a theatrical version of a successful play are halted following the murder of a crew member.

Inspector Stoppard and Constable Stalker get involved in the investigation, putting themselves in danger amid their probe.

The film was shot at famous venues in London, such as the Dominion Theatre on Tottenham Court Road, the West End's St. Martins Theatre, and Waterloo's Old Vic Theatre.
Dame Prue Leith was asked about her necklace that resembled a 'ball gag' while making an appearance on Thursday's episode of Watch What Happens Live.

The 83-year-old baking competition judge was remotely asked by a pair of Florida viewers for her reaction to a necklace she wore recently on The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer being compared to a ball gag.

Show host Andy Cohen, 54, shared a photo of the necklace the featured a single round red ball and admitted it looked like a ball gag.

'Do you know what a ball gag is?,' Andy asked Prue.

'Well, I do now,' she quipped. 'Only because of the uproary about that necklace. Now I feel sort of obliged to wear them. ...I just think it's such nonsense.'

Laughing it off! Dame Prue Leith was asked about her necklace that resembled a 'ball gag' while making an appearance on Thursday's episode of Watch What Happens Live

Fellow guest Ellie Kemper, 43, agreed and urged Prue to lean into it.

'I don't want to be intimidated by some a lot of chaps on Twitter who have a dirty mind!,' Prue added.

Andy said he thought people would have been celebrating it.

'Well, who knows,' Prue said.

A ball gag is a sex bondage item usually made of of a rubber or silicone ball with a strap passing through it that is placed into a person's mouth behind their front teeth.

It is used as a sex toy to keep a submissive partner quiet during consensual sex.

Prue's is known for her quirky fashion style that often features bright colors and bold patterns and the unusual necklace she wore in March on The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer caught the attention of viewers.

Flo said on Twitter: 'You cannot tell me that is a necklace.'

That necklace: Show host Andy Cohen, 54, shared a photo of the necklace the featured a single round red ball and admitted it looked like a ball gag

Bravo clubhouse: Prue and Ellie Kemper were guests on the Bravo talk show

Good question: 'Do you know what a ball gag is?,' Andy asked Prue

Observant: Viewers were quick to tweet their reactions after spotting the fashion accessory in March on The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer

Meanwhile, Sean Peterson-Stocks commented: 'I get the sentiment of @PrueLeith's necklace, but is anyone else seeing something else?'

A user named Tasha then replied: 'You mean it looks like a ball gag?', while another said: 'Does @PrueLeith realise she's wearing a ball gag?'

The baking judge also caused a stir in October 2017 when viewers of The Great British Bake Off compared her jewelry to a sex toy.

Prue was on the Bravo talk show along with Ellie to promote season six of The Great American Baking Show that features Prue as a judge along with her The Great British Bake Off co-judge Paul Hollywood, 57, and Ellie as a co-host.

The Roku Channel announced in May 2022 that it would be airing season six of the show and it also has ordered a seventh season of the series.
Less than a month after getting a demonic monster tattooed on her left forearm, Grammy winner Doja Cat unveiled brand new ink covering her entire back.

The skeleton of a bat has been permanently branded on to the controversial 27-year-old, who only had this to say: '"Don't explain yourself" is so corny.'

Doja (born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) also highlighted a passage reading: 'Bats often represent death in the sense of letting go of the old, and bringing in the new. They are symbols of transition, of initiation, and the start of a new beginning.'

The Kill Bill rapper enlisted Bang Bang Tattoo artist Mr. K (born Sanghyuk Ko), who Instastoried a snap of their feet at the Manhattan studio.

The Korean 42-year-old's celebrity clientele includes Matt Damon, Rita Ora, Michael J. Fox, David Beckham, Liam Hemsworth, Eiza Gonzalez, Justin and Hailey Bieber, as well as Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner.

Surprise! Less than a month after getting a demonic monster tattooed on her left forearm, Grammy winner Doja Cat unveiled brand new ink covering her entire back

Bang Bang Tattoo - where appointments start at $500 - is owned by Keith McCurdy, who famously charged Justin Bieber more than $60K between 2013-2018 for doing his extensive body art, according to the New York Times.

On April 15, Doja revealed her monster tattoo based on a Giovanni Battista Bissoni illustration from Italian philosopher Fortunio Liceti's 1634 book De Monstruorum Causis, Natura et Differentiis (On the Reasons, Nature, and Differences of Monsters).

The Central LA Area New High School drop-out flaunted her tattooed sleeves while emulating the late Karl Lagerfeld's $13M Birman cat Choupette at Monday's Met Gala with help from prosthetic artist Malina Stearns.

Doja wore a hand-beaded Oscar de La Renta gown and cat-eared hood with a million-dollar Messika diamond on her forehead thanks to the creative direction of her stylist Brett Alan Nelson.

But it might be the I Don't Do Drugs star's first and last time attending the $50K/ticket Costume Institute benefit as curators Anna Wintour and Andrew Bolton told CBS Mornings' Gayle King that 'smoking' is the best way to never be invited back.

Doja - who spends much of her time as a 'recluse' in her $2.2M Beverly Hills home - was spotted puffing away on her vape pipe as she waited to be interviewed by Vogue correspondent Emma Chamberlain.

The skeleton of a bat has been permanently branded on to the controversial 27-year-old, who only had this to say: '"Don't explain yourself" is so corny'

oja (born Amala Ratna Zandile Dlamini) also highlighted a passage reading: 'Bats often represent death in the sense of letting go of the old, and bringing in the new. They are symbols of transition, of initiation, and the start of a new beginning.'

BTS: The Kill Bill rapper enlisted Bang Bang Tattoo artist Mr. K (born Sanghyuk Ko), who Instastoried a snap of their feet at the Manhattan studio

Celeb fave: The Korean 42-year-old's (L, pictured January 15) celebrity clientele includes Matt Damon (R), Rita Ora, Michael J. Fox, David Beckham, Liam Hemsworth, Eiza Gonzalez, Justin and Hailey Bieber, as well as Joe Jonas and his wife Sophie Turner

Expression: On April 15, Doja revealed her monster tattoo based on a Giovanni Battista Bissoni illustration from Italian philosopher Fortunio Liceti's 1634 book De Monstruorum Causis, Natura et Differentiis (On the Reasons, Nature, and Differences of Monsters)

'Meow': The Central LA Area New High School drop-out flaunted her tattooed sleeves while emulating the late Karl Lagerfeld's $13M Birman cat Choupette at Monday's Met Gala with help from prosthetic artist Malina Stearns

Third eye: Doja wore a hand-beaded Oscar de La Renta gown and cat-eared hood with a million-dollar Messika diamond on her forehead thanks to the creative direction of her stylist Brett Alan Nelson

'That's a no-no': But it might be the I Don't Do Drugs star's first and last time attending the $50K/ticket Costume Institute benefit as curators Anna Wintour (L) and Andrew Bolton (M) told CBS Mornings' Gayle King (R) that 'smoking' is the best way to never be invited back

Caught red handed! Doja was spotted puffing away on her vape pipe as she waited to be interviewed by Vogue correspondent Emma Chamberlain

Airing this Sunday! For her song on the Elvis soundtrack, the Vegas hitmaker will next compete for the best song trophy at the fan-voted 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards

Mirror, mirror: Doja - who nearly quit the music industry a year ago - has been putting the finishing touches on her fourth studio album tentatively titled Hellmouth, which RCA/Kemosabe Records will release later this year

For her song on the Elvis soundtrack, the Vegas hitmaker will next compete for the best song trophy at the fan-voted 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards, which air this Sunday.

Doja faces heavy competition against Demi Lovato, Lady Gaga, OneRepublic, Rihanna, and Taylor Swift at the host-less ceremony going on despite the WGA writers strike.

The Get Into It (Yuh) singer - who nearly quit the music industry a year ago - has been putting the finishing touches on her fourth studio album tentatively titled Hellmouth, which RCA/Kemosabe Records will release later this year.

On April 11, Doja tweeted that she kept 'changing my mind' about the album's title and when Twitter user @andeizar suggested 'attention seeking' she replied: 'I have a song about that on there!'
Byron Bay influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews was slammed on Friday for complaining that she couldn't drop her bags off after arriving to the airport late ahead of a flight.

Ruby, 29, shared a series of Instagram posts from the terminal, showing off her luggage and insisting she was only 'two minutes late' to bag drop.

The model said she had already checked in ahead of the flight but couldn't believe airport staff refused to let her drop her bags off as she was travelling with her kids.

Ruby has made headlines before for her airport antics, and in 2020 she famously held up a delayed Jetstar flight as she indulged on oysters in a fancy restaurant - and then complained when she was heckled by frustrated passengers.

'Two minutes late for bag drop and they wouldn't let us drop our bags. Our flight hasn't boarded or left but we're not getting on it even though we're checked in,' she began on Instagram on Friday.

Byron Bay influencer Ruby Tuesday Matthews was slammed on Friday for complaining that she couldn't drop her bags off after arriving to the airport late ahead of a flight

'Surely you'd just let someone travelling with two kids by themselves check in three minutes late but whatever. Especially if the airport is the size of an airport for ants.'

'Oh and for the record, we already checked in, we just had to bag drop. Update we've been moved free of charge to the next flight by the hostess who is really lovely,' she added.

However, Ruby caught the wrath of social media users on Friday after an influencer sleuth account called Influencer Updates Au reposted her stories.

Ruby has made headlines before for her airport travels, and in 2020 held up a delayed Jetstar flight as she indulged on oysters in a fancy restaurant - and then complained when she was heckled by frustrated passengers

'Surely you'd just let someone travelling with two kids by themselves check in three minutes late but whatever. Especially if the airport is an airport for ants,' she said

Journalist Melissa Hoyer wrote underneath: 'Umm. You leave a little earlier. And pop the phone down for a minute. It isn't that hard.'

'Not hard to get there on time, it's your own fault. Everyone knows with kids things take extra time so she should have been more prepared. Seems like a her problem tbh,' one user added.

One airline worker remarked: 'Work for an airline and no! The bags take 25 minutes to be screened and to get out to an aircraft so that delays it and costs an airline a lot of money. That's why bag drop closes at [minus thirty minutes] to any domestic flight departure.'

Another added: 'Travelling alone with kids does not entitle you to extra time to check in. Flights have a schedule for a reason, and there is a bag cut off time for a reason too.'

However, one follower stuck up for Ruby and said if it had happened to a mum who wasn't an influencer, they wouldn't get the 'entitled tag' and people would 'feel sorry' for them.

However, Ruby caught the wrath of social media users on Friday after an influencer sleuth account called Influencer Updates Au reposted her stories

In October 2020, Ruby came under fire after she held up a delayed Jetstar flight as she indulged on oysters in a fancy restaurant - and then complained when she was heckled by frustrated passengers.

She was supposed to be flying from Byron Bay to Sydney in the afternoon but a technical issue caused the flight to be delayed.

Jetstar asked travellers to stay at the airport while they flew an engineer over from the Gold Coast and told passengers the new departure time would likely be about 7.30pm that evening.

In October 2020, Ruby came under fire after she held up a delayed Jetstar flight as she indulged on oysters in a fancy restaurant

Ruby and her travel companion decided to leave the airport to grab a bite to eat at a beachside restaurant as others ate at the airport.

The mother-of-two later posted a video to Instagram showing her eating oysters with a friend, captioning the footage: 'Flight delayed f*** my life'.

She kept frustrated passengers waiting on the tarmac, who heckled her as she boarded 30 minutes after the plane was due to take off.

Video footage shows passengers shouting 'how were the oysters' and 'what a day to be pretty' as she entered the aircraft.

While the pair were enjoying their meal, those at the airport were advised the engineer had arrived sooner than expected and the flight would be boarding at 6.20pm instead.

But passengers were forced to sit on the tarmac as Jetstar tried to trace a group of missing passengers, including Ruby and her mate.

It is understood an employee had to call her to advise her the plane was ready to depart and she needed to return to the airport as soon as possible.

When a passenger asked if the oysters were good, Ruby replied: 'Yes they were'.

Ruby was supposed to be flying from Byron Bay to Sydney but a technical issue caused the flight to be delayed

The social media star then argued with the other travellers, telling them it was an 'innocent mistake' and that they were being rude.

The influencer later took to social media where she blamed Jetstar for the incident, claiming staff did nothing to help her.

Ruby was not the only passenger who had left the airport.

Before another late passenger boarded the plane a flight attendant told travellers the other woman would be arriving shortly and asked that everyone remain quiet once she arrived.

In her rant, Ruby blamed Jetstar for what had happened and told the other passengers to 'grow up'.

'I had a pretty traumatic flight experience, thanks Jetstar, you never cease to amaze me,' she began.

'I'm sorry but it really was not my fault... we were told it was going to be taking off at 7.45pm, I had not eaten since my smoothie that morning because I had been in back-to-back meetings.

'I was like ''f*** this, I'm going to get food out of the airport, it's two hours until our flight takes off, I'm going to go''.

'I walked out, I did not hear the second announcement that apparently said ''do not leave the airport''.

'I didn't hear that, I swear to god, I wouldn't have left the airport, I'm not a d***head, I do have respect for everyone else.'

She claimed she was met with 'very personal comments' when she got on the plane.

'I was basically bullied by about seven to 10 to 14 people at different times, then they made comments about my children. No Jetstar staff stopped this at any time. I copped it hard for about 15 minutes.

'I was scared for myself because number one, I was by myself...number two, no one else who was later than me copped any abuse, it was just me alone.'

'I can handle it, I literally said ''guys, go for it, I cop this every single day, it's just another fricken thing''. But one day, there is going to be another girl not as strong as me and they're going to hop on that plane and they are going to cop that and they are going to hop off the other end and they are going to kill themselves.

'Just be kind people. To the one guy who was kind to me, thank you. To everyone else - grow up.

'I missed out on stuff too, I get it, but that was not my fault, it was a genuine mistake there is no reason to pick on me because I have influenza, I mean I'm an influencer.'
Madeleine West recently began her appeal against the AVO taken out against her to protect her ex father-in-law.

Now the former Neighbours star, 42, has been spotted out and about in Byron Bay for the first time with one of her six children, Xascha.

The pair were seen leaving the grocery store Spar in Byron Bay on Thursday, with the House Husbands star garbed in tiny white jean shorts and a blue long-sleeved shirt.

She finished her look with a pair of brown sandals, fit for the beachy tourist locale, which matched the over-sized bag hanging from her shoulder.

The blonde beauty, with razor straight tresses flowing to her derriere, picked up some pears and other snacks from the store.

Madeleine West, 42, recently began her appeal against the AVO taken out against her to protect her ex father-in-law

West struggled to juggle all the produce she bought in her hands as she opened the car door, but eventually managed to slip inside.

The lookalike mother and daughter shared a quick snack in the vehicle before pulling out of the parking lot.

It comes after West launched a formal appeal on the AVO taken out against her following accusations she pushed her ex father-in-law.

Now the former Neighbours star has been spotted out and about in Byron Bay for the first time with one of her six children, Xascha

The pair were seen leaving the grocery store Spar in Byron Bay on Thursday, with the House Husbands star garbed in tiny white jean shorts and a blue long-sleeved shirt

She was accused of assaulting her ex husband Shannon Bennett's father Benny Clifton Bennett, 75, in his son's home last year.

West denied the allegation and fronted Byron Bay Local Court for two days last month in a bid to fight the apprehended violence order.

Prosecutors alleged West pushed Mr Bennett on May 4, 2022, and forced her way into the home of her ex-husband with whom she shares six children - Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux, who are aged between eight and 16.

She finished her look with a pair of brown sandals, fit for the beachy tourist locale, which matched the over-sized bag hanging from her shoulder

The blonde beauty, with razor straight tresses flowing to her derriere, picked up some pears and other snacks from the store

West struggled to juggle all the produce she bought in her hands as she opened the car door, but eventually managed to slip inside

The court was shown CCTV of West and Mr Bennett at her ex-partner's home while the MasterChef star was in the US. Magistrate Stafford then ruled the two-year domestic violence order against West be upheld.

West appealed the decision with the matter briefly mentioned in Coffs Harbour District Court, on the NSW north coast, on Wednesday morning.

The actress did not appear and was represented by her lawyer Farshad Amirbeaggi, with the matter adjourned to June 7.

During last month's court proceedings, prosecutors allege the incident between West and Mr Bennett left the 75-year-old 'in fear' of his ex-daughter-in-law.

The lookalike mother and daughter shared a quick snack in the vehicle before pulling out of the parking lot
The film and television writers walking picket lines in Los Angeles and New York have found a new ally in Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent.

The 32-year-old reality star - who was previously engaged to film producer Randall Emmett - revealed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that she was backing out of attending the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards airing on Sunday.

Kent's series Vanderpump Rules is nominated for Best Docu-Reality Show and Best Reality On-Screen Team, which she herself is nominated for alongside the show's Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay, and Kent was also previously announced as a presenter.

The news comes just hours after host Drew Barrymore also bowed out to show support for writers, with the show still moving forward as planned, though sans host.

After Barrymore's departure, Kent is the first star to back out of the show, though it remains to be seen how many others will follow.

Ally Lala: The film and television writers walking picket lines in Los Angeles and New York have found a new ally in Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent

Backing out: The 32-year-old reality star - who was previously engaged to film producer Randall Emmett - revealed to The Hollywood Reporter on Thursday that she was backing out of attending the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards airing on Sunday

'I am so honored to be nominated this year and thankful to all my fans who have been voting but I have decided to stay home in support of the many hard working writers who deserve to be compensated fairly,' Kent said in a statement to THR.

'Although Vanderpump Rules falls under the unscripted sector of TV, that is not an excuse for me to remain silent and carry on as if there isnt so much at stake for every writer and their families,' she added.

'We have to protect our creators and I hope youll stand with me and many others as we do so until we reach a resolution (hopefully very soon),' Kent concluded.

Kent was announced as a presenter alongside her fellow Best Reality On-Scream Team nominees Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay, though it's unclear if her co-stars will present without her.

Barrymore issued a statement of her own in bowing out of her hosting gig, revealing she plans on returning to host in 2024.

'I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike,' Barrymore said.

'Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation,' Barrymore added.

'And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but Ill be watching from home and hope you will join me,' she concluded.

Honored: 'I am so honored to be nominated this year and thankful to all my fans who have been voting but I have decided to stay home in support of the many hard working writers who deserve to be compensated fairly,' Kent said in a statement to THR

Nominee: Kent was announced as a presenter alongside her fellow Best Reality On-Scream Team nominees Ariana Madix, Katie Maloney and Scheana Shay, though it's unclear if her co-stars will present without her

Other presenters include Transformers: Rise of the Beasts stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback, Yellowjackets stars Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Nelisse, and Sophie Thatcher and Joy Ride stars Ashley Park, Sabrina Wu, Sherry Cola, and Stephanie Hsu.

They will be joined by Bottoms stars Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber, and Rachel Sennott, Daisy Jones & The Six stars Camila Morrone, Riley Keough, Sam Claflin, and Suki Waterhouse, The Little Mermaid's Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King, Selling Sunset's Chelsea Lazkani and Chrishell Stause and The Summer I Turned Pretty's Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, and Lola Tung.

Haunted Mansion stars Tiffany Haddish and Jamie Lee Curtis will also present along with Busta Rhymes, Dave Burd, a.k.a. 'Lil Dicky,' Gal Gadot, Nick Viall, and Wolf Pack's Rodrigo Santoro and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards air live on May 7 at 8 PM ET/PT from Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California.
Thursday marked the third day that movie and TV writers manned picket lines at studios all over Los Angeles and New York City, with several actors also joining their cause, including Logan Browning.

The 33-year-old Dear White People star marched with a slew of other writers outside the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood on Thursday.

She was joined by actor Timothy Simons (Veep) and actor-writer Ike Barinholtz, who got his star as an actor and writer on Mad TV.

Browning also took to her Instagram to share photos of her day on the picket line, with a message of support for writers and her fellow actors.

'I remember the last writers strike. It went on for so long I ended up leaving LA,' Browning began, referencing the 2007-2008 WGA strike that lasted 100 days.

Logan supports: Thursday marked the third day that movie and TV writers manned picket lines at studios all over Los Angeles and New York City, with several actors also joining their cause, including Logan Browning

Paramount: The 33-year-old Dear White People star marched with a slew of other writers outside the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood on Thursday

Support: Browning also took to her Instagram to share photos of her day on the picket line, with a message of support for writers and her fellow actors

'Writers are that necessary. The studios have to know that. I have been a proud SAG-AFTRA member for two decades, and I stand in solidarity with the WGA,' she added.

'Money may be what moves this town, but art makes it. You cant make or move anything without writers,' she added.

'Writers deserve to have their value honored in every way. STARTING WITH LIVING WAGES,' Browning continued.

'Every industry can relate to the changing world impacting their careers. We have to stick together as humans who give a s**t about each other. Dont become a robot,' she concluded with the hashtags #AIdidnotwritethis #WGAstrong #UnionStrong #SAGAFTRAsupportsWGA.

Her 'robot' comments reflect one of the major sticking points the writers guild are fighting against, the regulation of A.I.-generated content used for films and TV.

Browning walked the picket line with an olive green short-sleeved shirt tucked into light blue jeans.

She had her dark hair pulled up into a bun with dark sunglasses, with a digital camera dangling from a strap on her arm.

The actress carried a WGA strike sign while accessorizing with a gold bracelet and gold rings, finishing her look with green New Balance sneakers.

Necessary: 'Writers are that necessary. The studios have to know that. I have been a proud SAG-AFTRA member for two decades, and I stand in solidarity with the WGA,' she added

Living: 'Writers deserve to have their value honored in every way. STARTING WITH LIVING WAGES,' Browning continued

Timothy: Other actors also joined Browning on the picket lines were Veep star Timothy Simons, who was seen outside of the Netflix building on Sunset Boulevard

Ike: Actor-writer Ike Barinholtz was also seen on the picket line outside of the Paramount Pictures lot

Breckin's sign: Another actor-writer, Breckin Meyer, marched with a self-deprecating sign, which read, 'Do you really want me acting again?'

Mad Matt: Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner also marched with his fellow writers outside the Netflix building in Hollywood

Other actors also joined Browning on the picket lines were Veep star Timothy Simons, who was seen outside of the Netflix building on Sunset Boulevard.

Actor-writer Ike Barinholtz was also seen on the picket line outside of the Paramount Pictures lot.

Another actor-writer, Breckin Meyer, marched with a self-deprecating sign, which read, 'Do you really want me acting again?'

Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner also marched with his fellow writers outside the Netflix building in Hollywood.
Millie Bobby Brown was all smiles on Friday as she attended the opening of Osaka Comic Con in Japan.

The Stranger Things actress, 19, put on a leggy display in a cropped red co-ord for the ceremony, which consisted of a studded jacket and hot pants.

She also donned a matching blazer and cowboy boots, revealing her slim figure and washboard abs.

Millie, who recently got engaged to boyfriend Jake Bongiovi, swept her brunette tresses into an up do for the event, which celebrates comic book characters.

The beauty also broke a sake barrel with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, symbolising new beginnings and the future to come.

Beauty: Millie Bobby Brown put on a leggy display in a cropped red co-ord and cowboy boots as she attended the opening of Osaka Comic Con in Japan on Friday

Stunner: Millie, who recently got engaged to boyfriend Jake, swept her brunette tresses into an up do

Fabulous: Millie was all smiles at the event, grinning and waving at crowds who turned out in force

Waves: The actress looked glowing at the ceremony, wearing a neutral makeup palette and gold hoop earrings

Millie looked in good spirits, smiling and waving at the crowds as the event began.

It comes after Millie put on a kooky display as she arrived in Milan with Jake at the end of April.

The actress donned a comfy purple Rotate tracksuit and grinned at Jake, strolling through Milan Malpensa airport and a crowd of fans.

She also made the quirky decision to put a box on her head with a face on it as she prepared for her Stranger Day meet and greet with fans at the Alcatraz in the city.

The beauty looked at her fiance lovingly as they stepped out together.

Millie wore her light brown locks in an up do, later changing into a white blazer and skirt for her event.

She also donned a pair of black and silver boots, adding inches to her height.

The beauty, who got engaged to Jake in early April, previously flashed her stunning engagement ring on Instagram.

Glam: Her show-stopping ensemble revealed her slim figure and washboard abs as she stood on stage

Pretty: Millie was at Osaka Comic Con after enjoying a meet and greet with some of her fans at Alcatraz in Milan last week

Love: The actress made a heart symbol as she looked at the audience, showing them love and appreciation

Guests: Actor Michael Rooker posed with Millie and Mads at the event as they joined a host of other stars at the Comic Con

The Stranger Things star took to social media to share how she will be launching a new coffee range through her beauty brand Florence By Mills, which she said was a venture she's been dreaming of 'ever since [she] can remember.'

After teasing the new business, which will add to her 11 million acting fortune, Millie blew a kiss to the camera that showed off her ring, which is estimated to have cost 20-year-old Jake a whopping 120,000.

While she is best known for her role as Eleven in Netflix's supernatural hit Stranger Things, Millie is a savvy businesswoman too thanks to her brand which also has a make-up line and a forthcoming fashion collection.

Millie highlighted her natural beauty in the video as she wore light touches of make-up and styled her brunette locks in a slicked-back look, the actress complemented her ensemble by accessorising with pendant earrings and a matching necklace.

In the caption of her video, Millie wrote: 'If you know me, you know I can't start my day without my morning coffee! I'm so excited that I can finally share Florence By Mills Coffee with you all!

'We have had so much fun creating and sampling the delicious coffee and I can't wait for you all to try the launch collection!

'Be sure to follow the @florencebymillscoffee account for all exclusive updates and sneak peeks! Looking forward to all of our coffee chats together! Xoxo Mills.'

Millie announced her engagement with a post showing off her glimmering rock in a monochrome picture.

Here we go: The beauty also broke a sake barrel with Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen, symbolising new beginnings and the future to come

Job done! Millie and Mads high-fived each other after breaking the sake barrel, clearly happy with their joint effort

Group: Styles On Video Japan CEO Mitsuaki Munegumi, Daniel Logan, Joonas Suotamo, Tom Sturridge, Misha Collins, Michael, Millie, Mads and C. B. Cebulski grinned at the ceremony

She penned in the caption: 'I've loved you three summers now, honey, I want 'em all'.

While Jake also shared an announcement post to his own page, simply writing 'forever' alongside two snaps of the couple.

Celebrating the joyous news, the smitten couple took part in a beachy photoshoot - with Millie dressed in a crochet dress while Jake donned a cream polo shirt.

The announcement confirms some speculation that has been circulating on social media over recent weeks, after she flashed a glimpse at the ring in a recent post.

Posing behind the wheel of a convertible car in a picture last month, Millie looked away from the camera and lifted her hand in the air, showing the prominent diamond ring on her finger.

While she also sparked rumours in August when she was seen wearing a gold diamond ring on her wedding finger during a PDA-packed outing.

Sharing that they had spent 'three summers' together in the announcement post, it comes after the actress recently dished the dirt on how she and Jake met.

Bling: Millie wore a few rings, including her engagement ring, which is rumoured to have cost fiance Jake 120,000

Love: It comes after Millie put on a kooky display as she arrived in Milan with Jake at the end of April

Delighted: The beauty, who got engaged to Jake in early April, previously flashed her stunning engagement ring on Instagram

Romance: Millie introduced Jake to her 67.2m Instagram followers in June 2021 (pictured together earlier this year)

Millie explained they connected on Instagram and became friends through the platform, before romance was sparked.

Answering the internet's most searched questions about her, she said: 'We met on Instagram. And we were friends for a bit, and then, what can I say?'

She introduced Jake to her 62.7M followers in June 2021 with a cute photo of him posted to Instagram, but it wasn't until she posted a picture of him planting a kiss on her cheek that they were 'Instagram official.'

Millie called Jake her 'partner for life', in a gushing post where she shared a series of pictures of the couple back in January 2023.
Jock Zonfrillo admitted in one of his final interviews that he struggled to feel many highs in life because of his former heroin addiction.

However, his children brought him a rare sense of joy, and before his death he spoke candidly about his addiction issues, and how his children put him in a 'euphoric state'.

The 46-year-old MasterChef star was found dead in a Melbourne hotel on Sunday, and it is believed he died of natural causes.

Zonfrillo is survived by his third wife, Lauren Fried, and his four children: grown-up daughters Ava and Sophia, from his first two marriages, and six-year-old Alfie and two-year-old Isla, with Fried.

Speaking to the No Filter podcast with Mia Freedman in August 2021, Zonfrillo admitted that his head was 'fried' from his addiction to heroin.

As an ex-heroin addict, the late Jock Zonfrillo (pictured) previously said that he found it hard to find other high's in life

'As an ex-heroin addict I have cooked certain parts of my brain, so when me and Loz [his wife Lauren] go for a sunset walk and she's like "Omg this is the best moment" and I'm like "it's just a sunset." I can't see the same beauty and joy,' he said.

'It's because you have reached such highs that a normal high isn't high anymore.'

Asked if there is anything in his life that does give him a high, the Scottish chef said cooking does, but his children bring him a greater euphoric feeling.

Asked if there is anything in his life that does give him a high, the Scottish chef said cooking does, but his children bring him a greater euphoric feeling. Pictured with his wife and children

'Restaurants and cooking for other people, sharing, teaching is amazing,' he said.

'But a thing that puts me in a euphoric state is my children, my eldest is 20 and my youngest is 7 months.

'On Sunday I got up and put on an old tracksuit and didn't get out of it all day. We played Lego, read books, I was on all fours going around the house as a horse and I had the best time of my life.'

The 46-year-old added that having a family with his wife Lauren was 'the ultimate high' and that because he had such a special relationship with his own grandfather, he couldn't wait to be a grandfather too one day.

'I have had two failed marriages and I had this weird thing where I wanted to be a nono, a grandfather,' he said.

The 46-year-old added that having a family with his wife Lauren was 'the ultimate high'

'It was weird because I hadn't even had kids yet.'

Channel 10 postponed the launch of its 15th series of MasterChef Australia after learning of the judge's death, and announced on Wednesday that it will premiere this Sunday, with the full support of the chef's grieving family.

Production wrapped on the 62-episode season at MasterChef HQ in Flemington, Melbourne, last month.

The new season reportedly cost 'millions' to make, and producers are now looking to add a special 'tribute' episode to Zonfrillo before confirming his replacement.
Maya Henry turned heads in a pink ensemble on Thursday as she attended the opening of the Saint Francis Of Assisi exhibition at The National Gallery.

The model, 21, was at a private dinner hosted by fashion designer Brunello Cucinelli where she led the glamour alongside Emma Weymouth.

She showcased her incredible figure in a pink metallic corset which she teamed with a coordinating silk midi skirt.

The beauty added an oversized knitted pink cardigan over the number and elevated her frame in a pair of dazzling towering heels.

Maya pulled her long dark tresses back in a neat high bun from a centre parting and applied a radiant palette of makeup to accentuate her beauty.

Sensational: Maya Henry (left) and Emma Weymouth (right) dressed to impress on Thursday as they attended the opening of the Saint Francis Of Assisi exhibition at The National Gallery

Glamorous: The model, 21, was at a private dinner hosted by fashion designer Brunello Cucinelli

She was joined at the dinner by the Marchioness of Bath Emma Weymouth who wowed in a shiny white suit.

The 37-year-old donned a white tube top to showcase her slim figure, which she paired with a statement shining suit.

The socialite added inches to her height with heels to match the neutral tones of her ensemble and toted her belongings in a sliver sparkly bag to add to the glitz and glam of the look.

For make-up, she wore a very glowing palette with a rosy red lip and black eyeliner to accentuate her beauty.

She posed for pictures with Brunello's daughter Carolina Cucinelli and fashion writer Pippa Vosper.

Coordinated: She showcased her incredible figure in a pink metallic corset which she teamed with a coordinated silk midi skirt

Eye catching: The beauty added an oversized knitted pink cardigan over the number and elevated her frame in a pair of dazzling towering heels

Flawless: She was joined at the dinner by the Marchioness of Bath Emma Weymouth who wowed in a shiny white suit

Stunning: The 37-year-old donned a white tube top to showcase her slim figure, which she paired with a statement shining suit

High spirits: The socialite was all smiles as she departed for the evening

Also in attendance were Mark Strong, Martha Ward, Federica Benda and Liza Marshall for the swanky evening out.

Emma's father-in-law Alexander Thynn died from Covid-19 in April 2020, making her husband the Marquess of Bath in April, and inheriting the estate Longleat, which is famous for being the first drive-through safari park outside of Africa.

Emma has been married to Viscount Weymouth Ceawlin Thynn, 48, since June 2013, with the couple sharing sons John, six, and Henry, four.

Home time: The beauty looked rather cold after stepping outside in the summering glam outfit

Night out: The socialite added inches to her height with heels to match the neutral tones of her ensemble

Socialites: She posed for pictures with author Pippa Vosper, who stunned in a netted black dress

The boys' official titles are The Honourable John Alexander Ladi Thynn and The Honourable Henry Richard Isaac Thynn.

On her wedding day, Emma became the first black marchioness in British history.

Yet in November, Emma said she doesn't want her skin colour to be a 'defining characteristic' and is a reluctant role model after becoming Britain's first black marchioness.

The Marchioness, who is the daughter of a Nigerian oil tycoon, appeared on the cover of Tatler in November 2021 talking about her grand plans for her family's Longleat estate.

Stunning: The beauty added a glittery bag for extra glitz and glam for her evening out

Radiant: Emma opted for a flawless glowy make-up palette including a rosy lip and black eyeliner to accentuate her beauty

Friends: Emma posed for pictured with Carolina Cucinelli, daughter of Brunello who was hosting the dinner

High profile: Carolina, Emma and Pippa all looked stunning at the cultural exhibition

Networking: The private dinner was held in the exquisite National Gallery for an exclusive gathering

In the interview she said she had a 'responsibility' to maintain the estate. She added: 'I aspire to a future where [my skin colour] is not a defining characteristic.'

In the past, Emma has also talked about raising her sons on the Longleat estate which contains an enormous wildlife Park.

In 2014 she told Hello! Magazine that her eldest son John was getting a varied education from living around animals.

She said: 'He's learned to roar from being around the Longleat safari park lions and the animatronic dinosaurs. He can make monkey noises, too.'

Famous faces: Stardust actor Mark Strong was also present at the stylish dinner party

Glamorous occasion: (L to R) Liza Marshall, Mark Strong, Carolina Cucinelli and Federica Benda

Style: Art historian Flora Vesterberg, who is the late Queen's cousin twice removed, looked gorgeous in a black-and-white flora dress with lace trims

Sensational: Pippa wore a semi-sheer knitted black dress, which she paired with gold twisty heels

Fashionable company: Deputy Editor of British Vogue Sarah Harris was smart in black tailored trousers with a chic white blazer

Company: (L to R) Federica Benda, Carolina Cucinelli and Director of the National Gallery Dr Gabriele Finaldi

Wow: Emily Hallie also opted for all white in a floral blazer and matching skirt - with standout red heels

Guests: Vogue contributor Candice Lake opted for a shiny maxi skirt as she posed with Martha Ward
Jackie 'O' Henderson has decided to crash Kyle Sandilands' and his new wife Tegan Kynaston's honeymoon to the South of France.

The KIIS FM host appeared to get jealous on her radio show with Kyle that she won't be escaping to Europe soon, so she invited herself along for their post-wedding celebration.

'I'm coming on his honeymoon. Why not? I have never been to the south of France before,' Jackie O said on Friday morning's show.

Kyle then said that Jackie will be a 'third wheel' on their romantic honeymoon to France.

The 51-year-old tied the knot with his wife Tegan, 37, last weekend in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point.

Jackie 'O' Henderson (pictured) has decided to crash Kyle Sandilands' and his new wife Tegan Kynaston's honeymoon to the South of France

'I'm coming on his honeymoon. Why not? I have never been to the south of France before,' Jackie O said on Friday morning's show. Kyle (pictured) then said that Jackie will be a 'third wheel' on their romantic honeymoon to France

Aussie celebrities in attendance at the wedding included NSW Premier Chris Minns, Today host Karl Stefanovic, and 'King of the Cross' John Ibrahim, among others.

Kyle moved his wedding guests to tears on Saturday as he shared a sweet tribute to his new wife.

The radio star gave a touching speech in front of 130 guests at Swifts - a late-Victorian Gothic Revival property with a $60million price tag - during the reception.

Photos of the private ceremony obtained exclusively by Daily Mail Australia show the shock jock proudly standing arm-in-arm with the blushing bride after the newlyweds took their vows.

The 51-year-old tied the knot with his wife Tegan, 37, last weekend in a $1million ceremony at the heritage-listed Swifts mansion in Sydney's Darling Point. Pictured on their wedding day

As the guests sat down to a three-course dinner at the reception that followed, the 51-year-old took the microphone to tell his bride: 'Baby  we've done it.'

'I always thought that the love I was looking for and that I wanted was a delusion and wasn't achievable,' Sandilands said in his speech.

'You've changed my life and made me a better man. I love you, baby.'

Kyle added that watching Tegan become a mother to their son Otto 'made him fall in love with her all over again'.
Molly-Mae Hague continued to show off her new pared-back style as she stepped out in her resident Manchester on Thursday afternoon.

The Love Island star, 23, who welcomed her baby Bambi earlier this year, went make-up free and left her hair in a loose down style as she headed to her swanky 120k Mercedes-Benz G-Class while toting an 1,830 Louis Vuitton holdall.

She sported a peachy hued tee with a knitted white cardigan over the top and a pair of acid-wash mom jeans as she stepped into her lavish car.

The stunner is known for her love of all-things designer and is often seen draped in expensive goods and toting pricey handbags and luggage.

Earlier in the week, she took to Instagram to showcase the stylish outfit she wore the previous day, including a 9k Chanel bag and 700 Loewe shirt having previously set tongues wagging over 'flaunting her wealth'.

Out and about: Molly-Mae Hague continued to show off her new pared-back style as she stepped out in her resident Manchester on Thursday afternoon

Heading home: The Love Island star, 23, who welcomed her baby Bambi earlier this year, went make-up free and left her hair in a loose down style as she headed to her swanky 120k Mercedes-Benz G-Class while toting an 1,830 Louis Vuitton holdall

Stunner: She sported a peachy hued tee with a knitted white cardigan over the top and a pair of acid-wash mom jeans as she stepped into her lavish car

Captioning her snap, she penned: 'Not everyday tracksuit. Much to my sadness.'

While Molly-Mae looked comfortable in her pricey ensemble, she was recently divided her social media followers, who accused her of flaunting her wealth by posing in an airport terminal surrounded by her 4,000 designer luggage.

Having just returned from a lavish family holiday in Dubai, the star cut a casual figure in a black T-shirt, matching leggings and an oversized blazer as she sat outside a Hermes boutique in a post shared on Sunday.

She styled her long blonde tresses pulled back in a claw clip leaving strands to frame her face as she leaned on her hand.

Chic: Meanwhile, the stunner also took to Instagram to showcase the stylish outfit she wore the previous day, including a 9k Chanel bag and 700 Loewe shirt

The reality star seemed less than impress in the picture as she sat next to her 2,200 Louis Vuitton suitcase and her matching 1,790 travel bag.

Molly-Mae looked ready for her flight as she kept her AirPod Max headphones, which are worth over 500, around her neck. Referencing her surroundings in the accompanying caption, she wrote: '5 star airport shopping.'

However the post, shared in the midst of a cost-of-living crisis, prompted an inevitably divided response from followers.

Replying to her latest update, one quipped: 'If there ever was a caption to humble the working class.'

'5 star airport shopping': Molly-Mae faced backlash after posed for an Instagram snap in the airport surrounded by her 3,990 designer luggage on Sunday

'5 star airport shopping': Molly-Mae faced backlash after posed for an Instagram snap in the airport surrounded by her 3,990 designer luggage on Sunday

Elsewhere a second quickly added: 'Thanks for reminding me to work harder,' while a third remarked: 'the caption is a little controversial ha'

Another simply added: 'Read the room.'

However others defended the influencer, with one fan writing: 'she isn't pictured with Hermes shopping bags though.

'She's saying 5* shopping and has a tiny paper bag from purchases... working class can walk round all shops at an airport too... people have a choice how they spend their hard earned money.'

While another added: 'Stop taking offence ffs.'
Antigoni Buxton showed off her figure in a tiny bikini as she passionately kissed her new beau Alex Coronado during a sun-soaked getaway in Athens, Greece.

The Love Island star, 27, who struggled to find a match in the villa, did not shy away from packing on the PDA with her love interest.

She flaunted her curves in the patterned two-piece, complete with a delicate gold belly chain and necklace.

Antigoni wore her blonde hair loose, tumbling down her back in natural curls and went makeup free for their relaxing day.

Meanwhile, Alex had his tattooed torso on full display, donning a pair of white swimming trunks, with the TV personality struggling to keep her hands off him.

Holiday: Antigoni Buxton, 27, showed off her figure in a tiny bikini as she passionately kissed her new beau Alex Coronado during a sun-soaked getaway in Athens, Greece

Smooch: The Love Island star, who struggled to find a match in the villa, did not shy away from packing on the PDA with her love interest

She rubbed suncream on her boyfriends back as they kicked back on a sun lounger before cooling off in the sea.

Alex is from Costa Rica and currently lives in the US, according to his Instagram page.

He boasts over 68,000 followers and regularly shares snaps from his travels.

Antigoni rose to fame on Love Island series eight, where she entered as a bombshell on day 17.

Though she went on dates with Davide Sanclimenti, Dami Hope and Jay Younger, she ultimately left single.

Antigoni does have a string of high-profile exes, including former Love Islander Jack Fowler.

It has been reported that Jack and Antigoni hooked up for a few months but things fizzled out before they got serious.

Prior to her brief romance with the reality star turned musician, Antigoni was in a nine-year relationship with her childhood sweetheart before going their separate ways so she could focus on her budding music career.

New love: Alex is from Costa Rica and currently lives in the US, according to his Instagram page

Soaking up the sun: She flaunted her curves in the patterned two-piece, complete with a delicate gold belly chain and necklace

Beach babe: Antigoni wore her blonde hair loose, tumbling down her back in natural curls and went makeup free for their relaxing day

Cheeky: Alex placed his hand on his beau's peachy bottom as they kissed on the beach

Topping up the tan: She toted her belongings in a black and white beach bag

Bronzed: She rubbed suncream on her boyfriends back as they kicked back on a sun lounger

Dating: Antigoni rose to fame on Love Island series eight, where she entered as a bombshell on day 17

'I've only ever been in love once - I don't think I've been in love since,' she said.

'I think I fall in lust and infatuation quickly,' the star also confessed when discussing her past romances before going on the show.

She has also been linked to Jack Tyrimos, who featured on Bear Grylls' Treasure Island.

Fellow UK Cypriot Jack starred on the 2019 series of the real-life show, which saw a group of individuals left alone to fend for themselves on a deserted island.

Since leaving the Love Island villa last summer after a brief stint, Antigoni has been focusing on her music career and even had hopes to represent Greece in the Eurovision Song Contest - though this has ultimately not come to be.

Casual: Alex donned a white T-shirt and quirky trainers

Sunbathing: Alex had his tattooed torso on full display, donning a pair of white swimming trunks and a matching cap

Stroll: Since leaving the Love Island villa last summer after a brief stint, Antigoni has been focusing on her music career

Former flame: Antigoni has a string of high-profile exes, including former Love Islander Jack Fowler

The reality favourite, who has Greek/Cypriot heritage, submitted three songs to the country's biggest TV channel, who broadcast the spectacle, after travelling to Athens to showcase her material

Antigoni told MailOnline at the time: 'I'm submitting three songs but one in particular is my favourite.

'It's an up-tempo, powerful, fiery and romantic track with both Greek and English lyrics.

'Combining modern sounds and Hip-hop production with Greek traditional sounds and melodies is my style.'
Adam Hills has asked why British citizens wouldn't pledge allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation on Saturday, as it's just 'a big old game'.

The Australian comedian, 52, said he will 'absolutely' be supporting the British King on Saturday.

'We are in a country where God Save The King is the national anthem that is sung before every sporting event,' he said on The Project, referring to Britain.

'The King is on the stamps, the King is on the post boxes, we have a day off for the King's birthday.

'At what point do you say okay to all that and then go "Oh I'm not going to pledge allegiance to him".'

Adam Hills (pictured) has asked why British citizens wouldn't pledge allegiance to King Charles III at his coronation on Saturday, as it's just 'a big old game'

Adam then compared the British monarchy to Game Of Thrones, saying: 'It's a big old game, it's like Game Of Thrones, why wouldn't you want to be a part of it?'

Millions of people around the globe will tune in to watch King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday.

All the pomp and splendor will start at 7.30pm AEST with the King's procession to Westminster Abbey and the Coronation will begin at 8pm.

The Australian comedian, 52, said he will 'absolutely' be supporting the British King on Saturday

Millions of people around the globe will tune in to watch King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla be crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday

Australians will be able to watch the once-in-a-generation event as it unfolds with the ABC, Sky News and Channel Seven among the outlets broadcasting the ceremony.

Having ascended to the throne in September 2022, following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, King Charles III is set to officially be crowned as the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

It will be the first coronation of a British monarch in well over half a century, after the late Queen enjoyed a 70-year reign.

Huge crowds are expected to line the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the royals, with the most ardent already camped out on The Mall.
Michael Palin was comforted by a friend as they met up just days after he announced the death of his beloved wife Helen earlier in the week.

On Tuesday, the actor, 79, announced his beloved wife had died after suffering chronic pain and kidney failure, just weeks after their 57th wedding anniversary.

Later in the week, he was seen stepping out with a friend for a meal at Lemonia restaurant in Primrose Hill. He greeted the pal with a warm hug.

Michael confirmed the devastating news in a post on his official website on Tuesday, stating that Helen had died in the early hours of the morning.

Legendary actor Michael branded his beloved wife the 'bedrock of my life' and said her death was an 'indescribable loss' for himself and their children - Thomas, 54, William, 52, and Rachel, 48.

Hurt: Michael Palin was comforted by a friend as they met up just days after he announced the death of his beloved wife Helen earlier in the week

Long time love: On Tuesday, the actor, 79, announced his beloved wife had died after suffering chronic pain and kidney failure, just weeks after their 57th wedding anniversary

Hugging his friend: Later in the week, he was seen stepping out with a friend for a meal at Lemonia restaurant in Primrose Hill. He greeted the pal with a warm hug

Solo: He was seen heading to the restaurant to meet his friend

The Monty Python star told how Helen had been suffering with chronic pain for a few years and had been diagnosed with kidney failure before her death.

The childhood sweethearts met when they were 16 and married in 1966, marking their 57th wedding anniversary weeks before Helen passed away.

Announcing the news on his blog, Michael shared a selfie of them together and wrote: 'My dearest wife Helen died peacefully in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

'She had been suffering with chronic pain for several years, which was compounded a few years ago by a diagnosis of kidney failure.

'We first met on a summer holiday on the Suffolk coast when we were both sixteen and we married in our early twenties. Two and a half weeks ago we celebrated our 57th wedding anniversary.

'Her death is an indescribable loss for myself, our three children and four grandchildren.

Back then: The Monty Python star told how Helen had been suffering with chronic pain for a few years and had been diagnosed with kidney failure before her death (pictured in 2005)

He described her as the 'bedrock of my life' and said her death was an 'indescribable loss' for himself and their three children - Thomas, 54, William, 52, and Rachel, 48

Stepping out: He spoke with his friend in the wake of the tragedy

Holding on: His friend placed a hand on Michael's shoulder

'Helen was the bedrock of my life. Her quietly wise judgment informed all my decisions and her humour and practical good sense was was at the heart of our life together. The family ask that their privacy be respected at this time.'

Last September, Michael spoke about Helen's ill-health as he revealed that she had been moved into respite care from the home they had shared for 50 years.

He explained that she had not been responding to medication for her chronic pain, saying they had moved her to help her 'manage' her symptoms.

The comedian told the Telegraph at the time: 'I don't think you can cure it, but they will help her manage it.

'It's such a bore. She was so active and still is mentally. But the body is declining. We live life with our fingers crossed.'

Stepping out: He was engrossed in chat following the meeting

Michael and Helen met as teenagers when they were both on summer holidays in Southwold, Suffolk, where they were staying in neighbouring cottages with their families.

He described Helen as a 'vision of rebellion' when he first met her and admitted their romance quickly blossomed, according to The Telegraph.

Michael was living in Sheffield at the time while Helen was in Cambridgeshire, but the pair remained in touch by writing letters and met again the following summer.

They were then reunited on Michael's first day at Oxford University, where Helen was visiting her friend for the weekend, with fate bringing them together once again.

Recalling the reunion, Michael said: 'You can see fate was actually tightening the screws on us very hard at that time.'

They tied the knot in 1966 and while Michael turned to a career in comedy, Helen worked as a teacher before becoming a bereavement counsellor.

The couple had three children together and have four beloved grandchildren.

In 2015, Michael told The Telegraph what the secret to his happy marriage with Helen was enjoying spending time together.

He added: 'What is the really important thing in a relationship, what is the main thing? Sex, or going to the theatre, or having lots of friends, or whatever?

'None of that matters. There's something underneath that works - that you're happy to be with somebody for an awful lot of the time.

'The more time you spend together, the more things you have to share, the less likely it is that you want to throw all that away.'

Speaking about his family life to MailOnline in 2012, Michael also shared how he spent his day-to-day life with his wife.

He told how he collected stamps, drank sensibly, jogged daily on Hampstead Heath and would sooner have run up and down Oxford Street with his underpants on his head than cheat on Helen.

Gushing over his wife, he said: 'I was lucky to find somebody early on when I was in my teens who I got on with really well and still get on with really well. It sort of works better as it goes along. You build up layers of experience.'

Speaking about his love for travel, he went on: 'Helen's always been really tolerant of my travels. If she said, "You've got to stay home", she'd just have a frustrated man kicking chairs in the kitchen and looking at atlases.

'So she's always been very happy to let me go. I see no reason to rupture such an extraordinary relationship. I don't like a life that's edgy and uncomfortable. I'm restless in other ways  in terms of work.'

In recent years, Michael has addressed his health and recently spoke about undergoing heart surgery in 2019 amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

In December 2020, Michael compared the coronavirus lockdown to a 'huge doctor's note' following his operation.

He said he accepted having to remain in his home quite happily, particularly after being away while filming his show Travels of a Lifetime.

Speaking to Radio Times, he said: 'The great surprise is that I've been extremely content to be in the same place for some time.

'I had heart surgery last September and was told to have rest and recuperation  then lockdown came along. I accepted it rather happily, it's been like a huge doctor's note.

'Anyway, coming home has always been the best part of the process. We live near Hampstead Heath in London and near friends.'
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Legendary 1990s Supermodels Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen and Christy Turlington enjoyed an Instagram reunion this week.

The trio of bombshells sat at the pinnacle of the fashion industry three decades ago, when their fellow supermodel Linda Evangelista famously told Vogue: 'We don't wake up for less than $10,000 a day.'

During their latest meetup Cindy, 57, Christy, 54, and Helena, 54, exuded the same megawatt glamour they were celebrated for all those years ago.

They gathered together in front of an elegant art display and smiled radiantly as they posed for snap after snap to demonstrate their lasting bond.

Their Instagram album also included special appearances by Cindy's daughter Kaia Gerber, Helena's son Mingus Reedus and Christy's daughter Grace Burns.

Legendary 1990s Supermodels: (from left)Cindy Crawford, Helena Christensen and Christy Turlington enjoyed an Instagram reunion this week

Nepo babies unite: Their Instagram album also included special appearances by Cindy's daughter Kaia Gerber, Helena's son Mingus Reedus and Christy's daughter Grace Burns

Helena slid her enviably svelte frame into a skintight chrome green cocktail dress that featured a swirling pine tree motif.

Meanwhile Cindy tucked her sleek black blouse into her high-waisted jeans in a move that emphasized her still enviably petite frame.

Christy on the other hand wrapped herself in a black blazer over a midnight blue top, wearing her hair down in luxuriously bouncy curls.

Kaia, Mingus and Grace have all followed their mothers' footsteps into modeling - now against the backdrop of a social media backlash to 'nepo babies.'

Cindy shares Kaia, 21, with her dashing second husband Rande Gerber, who co-founded the tequila brand Casamigos with George Clooney and one Mike Meldman.

Helena welcomed Mingus in 1999 with her ex Norman Reedus, who has since became a global star on The Walking Dead and is now with Diane Kruger.

Grace meanwhile is Christy's daughter by the smoldering actor Edward Burns, whom she will celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary with next month.

Mingus was sentenced to private counseling last year after pleading guilty to disorderly conduct, following allegations that he punched an unknown woman in the face at the San Gennaro festival in Manhattan.

Looking fab: During their latest meetup Cindy, 57, Christy, 54, and Helena, 54, exuded the same megawatt glamour they were celebrated for all those years ago

Details: Grace is Christy's daughter by the smoldering actor Edward Burns, whom she will celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary with next month.

Who's who: Cindy shares Kaia, 21, (left) with her dashing second husband Rande Gerber, who co-founded the tequila brand Casamigos with George Clooney and one Mike Meldman

Incidentally: Kaia, Mingus and Grace have all followed their mothers' footsteps into modeling - now against the backdrop of a social media backlash to 'nepo babies'

She still is a 10+: Cindy left in the new shoot and right in 1993 for Chanel

A pretty face: Seen looking youthful, left, and pictured in the Nineties in Paris, right

From the Bay Area: San Francisco native Christy is now a New Yorker. Seen right in 1992 for Oscar de la Renta in Paris

Although he initially stood accused of misdemeanor assault, his attorney told DailyMail.com the charge was negotiated down to disorderly conduct.

In an interview with the New York Daily News, Mingus maintained that the woman was in a group of 'girls under the influence and looking for a fight.'

He insisted that 'these girls swarmed me, one pulling my hair from the back, another throwing water in my face' - so he 'threw his arm out' as a form of self-protection and struck one of the women by mistake.

'It was instinct. I was reacting to them swarming me and was afraid for the safety of my group,' said Mingus, alleging that the band of women he fell afoul of had been 'threatening to hurt my girlfriend and her friend.'

As he recounted the sequence of events: 'Ten seconds later the police got involved. Police saw one of the girls hurt and refused to listen to the context.'
Courteney Cox kept to her classic style as she enjoyed dinner with a friend at Nobu in Malibu on Thursday evening.

The actress, 58, who admitted she regrets 'frying' her skin via too much tanning in her youth, looked chic in black slacks and a matching top with a cream toned belted jacket.

The Scream VI star stepped out in white clogs and carried a small black shoulder bag. The Emmy nominee accessorized with a stack of gold chains.

Her shoulder length raven tresses were styled straight and she wore natural looking makeup.

Courteney's friend looked equally stylish in black slacks and a burnt orange jacket with a faux fur trim.

Classic style: Courteney Cox, 58, kept to her classic style as she enjoyed dinner with a friend in Malibu Thursday, looking chic in black pants and a matching top with a cream toned belted jacket

The Alabama-born beauty has entered into a partnership with the skincare company Dermalogica.

The Shining Vale star showcased her foaming skills in a video on Instagram.

'We're going to have a contest,' she said standing next to esthetician Michael Armendarez.

'Who can make the frothiest microfoliant,' referring to the daily exfoliant the Friends star uses as part of her regimen.'

The competition goes along well until Courteney realizes she's getting behind in the competition, when in a very Monica Geller move, she pulls out a battery operated mini-mixer to take her over the finish line. 'For the record, no one can foam @dermalogica daily microfoliant better than me,' she posted next to the clip.

According to the Dermalogica website, the Mothers and Daughters star attended a class with other skincare students in late April to learn pro-tips from the experts.

Part of her 'mission' with the company is to 'highlight the original skinfluencers  professional skin therapists.'

Courteney said she first became acquainted with the company back in her Friends days.

Dinner with a friend: Courteney accessorized with a stack of gold chains. Her shoulder length raven tresses were styled straight and she wore natural looking makeup. Her friend looked equally stylish in black pants and a burnt orange jacket with a faux fur trim

White shoes: The Scream VI star stepped out in white clogs and carried a small black shoulder bag

Skincare: The Home Court founder is stepping into skincare with a new partnership with Dermalogica. She entered into a frothing contest with one of the company's estheticians to demonstrate 'Who can make the frothiest microfoliant,' which is part of her daily regimen

A bottle of Dermalogica was used as a prop in Rachel and Monica's bathroom.

The Home Court founder revealed she has turned to facial fillers in the past to try to maintain a youthful appearance, but in an interview with the Gloss Angeles podcast in March, she looks back on as a mistake.

'Thinking I was getting older when I was really young, that's just a bummer, a waste of time,' she explained.

'You don't realize that you look a little off, so you keep doing more because you look normal to yourself and then you look in the mirror and go "that looks good," you think and you don't realize what it looks like to the outside person.'

Courteney said she had her fillers removed. 'I was able to reverse most of that, and now,' she explained, 'I look, just older.'
Danniella Westbrook posed up a storm in a blue bikini on the beach in Portugal after 'the most frightening few days' saw her back in hospital following major facial reconstruction surgery.

The former EastEnders actress, 49, had a string of procedures in Turkey last week in a desperate bid to save her collapsing face.

Danniella had a thread lift, liposuction in her cheeks and lips, fat grafting on her chin and her jawline etched after her septum collapsed from excessive drug use in 2002.

And the TV star is continuing her recovery in Portugal as she soaked up the sun at the beach in a blue bikini on Friday.

Danniella pulled her blonde tresses up in a pink headscarf as she cooled off from the sun in the ocean.

Beach babe: Danniella Westbrook posed up a storm in a blue bikini on the beach in Portugal after 'the most frightening few days' saw her back in hospital following major facial reconstruction surgery

Recouperating: The former EastEnders actress, 49, had a string of procedures in Turkey last week in a desperate bid to save her collapsing face

Surgery: Danniella had a thread lift, liposuction in her cheeks and lips, fat grafting on her chin and her jawline etched after her septum collapsed from excessive drug use in 2002

The soap star showcased a hint of underboob as she raised her arms behind her head in the sea.

Since her procedure, Danniella has been wearing thick bandages around her head and nose, but took them off last Saturday.

The television personality has been shaken after a health scare saw her back in hospital, hours after landing in Portugal.

Taking to her Instagram Stories on Sunday, she penned: 'Only I could land back in Portugal after surgery only to end up in hospital.

'The pain I've experienced is unreal, most frightening few days. Need it like a hole in the head, literally.'

When Danniella first woke up after the lengthy procedure, she said she looked 'like she had done 10 rounds with Tyson Fury'.

She has wanted the reconstruction for the last seven years, but was unable to find a surgeon who would operate because her septum had completely collapse.

She told The Sun: 'I was very fearful. My mum and my son Kai were on the phone constantly - I wrote up a will before I left and my son is the executor of that.

Gorgeous: Daniella flashed her underboob in the eye catching two piece as she frolicked in the sea

Hot stuff: The TV star is continuing her recovery in Portugal as she soaked up the sun at the beach in a blue bikini

Feeling better: Since her procedure Danniella has been wearing thick bandages around her head and nose, but took them off last Saturday

Ill health: The television personality has been shaken after a health scare saw her back in hospital, hours after landing in Portugal

Posing: Danniella topped up her tan on the beach while lying on a rock

'But luckily I'm still here and I've come through the other side. Someone is looking over me. I looked like I'd gone 10 rounds with Tyson Fury.

'But the swelling has actually gone down really quickly. I'm already happy with the results.'

Danniella says she paid for the surgery herself despite being offered freebies from clinics all over the world, after a health scare last year left her in intensive care because she struggled to breathe through her nose.

Now in the recovery stage, Danniella has to just stick to ibuprofen and paracetamol, because any pain killer stronger could be a trigger for her past cocaine addiction.

Danniella previously revealed she needed five operations to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis, and was planning to have it done on the NHS.

She told The Sun: 'I've spent the last seven years trying to get somebody to do it, but they said no in case it failed and they got struck off.

'Plastic surgeons wanted 500,000 to change my face, so I thought I was never going to get it done. It was only because I went into intensive care before Christmas.

'I couldn't breathe because I had a cold. There was a build up of fluid and after I fell asleep I couldn't wake up properly and ended up in ICU.

'I was sent over to Aintree Hospital in Liverpool and it's only because I was put in front of the right doctors, or else I'd still be waiting now to find someone. 'They're doing it for me under the NHS now.'

Danniella previously underwent a rib insertion procedure in 2018, after osteoporosis rotted away her cheekbones and gums and, after spending the last year getting lip filler and Botox, in addition to surgery on her face, she is hoping to get back to her best.

The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002.

New you: When Danniella first woke up after the lengthy procedure, she said she looked 'like she had done 10 rounds with Tyson Fury'

Water baby: Danniella said she has wanted to have the reconstruction done for the last seven years, but was unable to find a surgeon who would operate because her septum had completely collapse

Money bags: Danniella says she paid for the surgery all herself despite being offered freebies from clinics all over the world, after a health scare last year left her in intensive care because she struggled to breathe through her nose

Moving on: Danniella previously revealed she needed five operations to correct her 'collapsing' face due to a previous cocaine addiction and osteoporosis, and was planning to have it done on the NHS

Difficult times: The actress' battle with drugs has been well-publicised, and she famously had her nose reconstructed after her septum collapsed from excessive cocaine use in 2002

Shock: At the height of her use it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to 250,000 on the drug

At the height of her use it was reported she would take up to five grams of cocaine a day, blowing close to 250,000 on the drug.

The star has since embarked on multiple rehab stints in order to battle her demons - and revealed she was finally clean in June 2021, after attending a clinic in Mijas, Spain.

Danniella first appeared in EastEnders in 1990 at the age of 16 and acted on the soap for three years.

She returned in 1996 but her time was cut short when her off-screen behaviour got her sacked.

She returned again shortly after, but was axed again in 2000 after further disruptive behaviour, admitting she blew 100k on cocaine at the time.

The part was recast between 2002 and 2005, and played by Kim Medcalf, but Danniella returned to the role once more in 2009 until 2010.

She was back once more in 2016 for the storyline surrounding on-screen mother Peggy Mitchell's death, which is to date her final appearance.
Frozen actor Jonathan Groff has landed a mystery role on the iconic British sci-fi series Doctor Who, it emerged this week.

The show, which began in its first incarnation in 1963, follows the exploits of a 'Time-Lord' called the Doctor who travels through various historical eras.

A string of actors including David Tennant and Matt Smith have played the Doctor, who periodically 'regenerates' and assumes a new body.

Rwandan-born thespian Ncuti Gatwa is taking on the role for the first time in the upcoming season, which is slated to premiere in 2024.

Now the BBC has told Deadline that Jonathan will enter the cast in a 'mysterious guest' capacity and 'jump aboard the TARDIS.'

Dashing: Frozen actor Jonathan Groff, pictured at the Met Gala this Monday has landed a mystery role on the iconic British sci-fi series Doctor Who

The TARDIS, which is able to travel through both space and time, is the Doctor's mode of transport and is famously disguised as a telephone box.

Russell T Davies, the program's showrunner, crowed: 'This is an incredible coup, and a great honour, to get such a huge star striding on to our set. So strap on your space boots, this is going to be a blast!'

Jonathan will be part of a cast that includes Coronation Street alumna Millie Gibson, 18, as the Doctor's 'companion,' aka his human sidekick.

The current revival of the show was kickstarted by Russell in 2005 after the legendary program had been dormant for 16 years.

He left the show in 2010 to make way for Steven Moffat, who was ultimately succeeded by Chris Chibnall until last year, when Russell returned.

During his time away from Doctor Who, Russell wrote such programs as A Very English Scandal about the Thorpe Affair and It's A Sin about the AIDS crisis.

Jonathan first shot to fame on Broadway in the 2006 musical Spring Awakening opposite rising starlet Lea Michele.

Lea and Jonathan reunited when he achieved TV notoriety during his recurring guest run on Glee, where she was part of the principal cast.

Legend: A string of actors including David Tennant (pictured) and Matt Smith have played the Doctor, who periodically 'regenerates' and assumes a new body

Dashing: Rwandan-born thespian Ncuti Gatwa is taking on the role for the first time in the upcoming season, which he is pictured filming last month in Bristol

There she is: Jonathan will be part of a cast that includes Coronation Street alumna Millie Gibson, 18, as the Doctor's 'companion,' aka his human sidekick

Nefarious: News of his casting on Doctor Who comes on the heels of first look images showing RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon in a villainous role

Since then he has made his presence felt in a number of high-profile projects including the Disney film Frozen and the original Broadway cast of Hamilton.

News of his casting on Doctor Who comes on the heels of first look images showing RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon in a villainous role.

Wrapped in robes designed with a piano motif, Jinkx' character was festooned in jewelry and could be seen shooting the camera a sinister grin.

''Here is your first look at @JinkxMonsoon in character as the Doctors most powerful enemy yet! #DoctorWho,' wrote the show's official Twitter account.
Henry Golding proudly announced that he and his wife Liv Lo are expecting baby number two together in a new, adorable Instagram post shared on Friday.

The Crazy Rich Asians star, 36, and his wife of seven years, already share two-year-old daughter, Lyla, whom they welcomed to the world in March 2021.

The Malaysian-born actor shared black and white photos as he sat on a wooden bench with his wife happily sitting next to him in Taiwan. She donned a sleeveless cropped top and a pair of comfy shorts to showcase her growing baby bump.

He gently laid his hand on her stomach and flashed a big smile towards the camera as their daughter sat in between the two lovebirds.

In the caption of the cute post, the Persuasion star penned to his 1.2 million followers, 'Inbound,' followed by a white heart emoji and a baby angel face emoji.

Baby news! Henry Golding, 36, proudly announced that he and his wife, Liv Lo, are expecting baby number two together in a new, adorable Instagram post shared on Friday

In the second snap added into the post, the couple sent smiles towards the camera while little Lyla rested her face against her mother's baby bump.

Social media users and celebrities jumped to the comment section to send their congratulations and excitement to the happy news.

Henry's wife, Liv, sweetly typed out, 'Baby daddy!' followed by red heart emojis, while his Crazy Rich Asians co-star, Gemma Chan, typed out, 'Congrats you guys.'

The Princess Bride actor, Cary Elwes, wrote, 'Yay! Congratulations to you all! So happy for you,' and actress Tan Kheng Hua humorously added, 'Yaaay!! More GOLD-ings!!'

The yoga instructor also shared the same pictures to her own Instagram page and also revealed their second child's due date. 'Oh hey! New baby otw, due Sept 1.' The gender of baby number two has yet to be revealed.

Henry first crossed paths with Liv back in 2011 on New Year's Day. After four years of dating, the happy pair became engaged in 2015 and tied the knot during a ceremony in Sarawak the following year.

The actor has previously opened up about fatherhood and revealed to People in May 2022 that his favorite part about being a parent to Lyla is, 'Seeing her grow and change.'

The Malaysian-British star further gushed that, 'She's changing so much, so every day is like a treat'

Excited! The Malaysian-born actor black and white photos as he sat on a wooden bench with his wife happily sitting next to him in Taiwan, with their two-year-old daughter in the middle

Fall due date: The yoga instructor also shared the same pictures to her own Instagram page and penned in the caption, 'Oh hey! New baby otw, due Sept 1'

Back in 2021 and only a few months after becoming a father, Golding expressed how he felt to officially become a parent while appearing on Good Morning America.

The star stated, 'It puts everything in perspective. It has allowed me to really kind of focus in on what really matters in life.'

The Snake Eyes actor also revealed that both he and his wife had initial plans to keep their daughter out of the public eye and spotlight, but soon backtracked on the decision.

'We were like, "Ah, we don't want to put her on social media too much,"' he explained during the interview.

Henry then recalled having a conversation with his wife Liv: '"I just want to share my joy of this tiny little person that's brought so much joy to our lives. There's nothing wrong with that."'

The star gushed that he believed his wife, 'felt really comfortable, of course, sort of sharing her experience. It's so important for her to share her experience as a new mother, especially all the challenges that come with that.'

Along with preparing to add another addition to his growing family, Golding has been filming his latest project titled, The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare.

Fatherhood: Henry told Good Morning America that becoming a father, 'puts everything in perspective. It has allowed me to really kind of focus in on what really matters in life'

Upcoming project: Along with preparing to add another addition to his growing family, Golding has been filming his latest project titled, The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare

The action film, which is slated to release in theaters next year in 2014, is both being directed and produced by Guy Ritchie.

Other stars that have been cast in the anticipated movie include: Henry Cavill, Eiza Gonzalez, Alex Pettyfer, Alan Ritchson, as well as Cary Elwes and After star, Hero Fiennes Tiffin.

The premise follows, 'The British military recruits a small group of highly-skilled soldiers to strike against Nazi forces behind enemy lines during World War II,' according to an IMDB synopsis.

Henry recently uploaded an Instagram photo last month in April as he relaxed on set of the project in England with a few other castmates joining in for the picture. 'For King and country #ministryofungentlemanlywarfare,' he penned in the caption.
Brendan Fraser is in the catbird seat when it comes to choosing his next project.

The actor, 54, who has continued to promote his Oscar winning performance in The Whale around the world, spoke about what's next for him at the Greenwich International Film Festival Wednesday.

'At the moment, I don't have anything  I'm really being picky right now.' People reported.

Brendan was there to honored for his work and his philanthropy as part of the festival's first ever Inspiration Talk and award.

ESPN's Hannah Storm, 60, interviewed the Critics Choice Award winner during the event in which he opened up about many aspects of his life and career, including how he prepared from his role in The Whale.

Brendan said as he prepared for the role of Charlie, he contacted the non-profit Obesity Action Coalition, according to Greenwich Time.

New honor: Brendan Fraser, 54, was honored for his body of work and his good works by the Greenwich International Film Festival, as part of the festival's first ever Inspiration Talk and award

'Their mandate is to treat the story with dignity and respect. And that meant everything from the design of Charlie's body to the way that characters speak, everything' he explained to the audience.

The foundation arranged for him to meet with 10 people over zoom and the journeyman actor said he discovered one thing that each of them had in common. They had all been on the receiving end of degrading comments from an adult.

'It just exemplifies what sets the pattern of shattering a young person's confidence and then coupling them with all sorts of reasons, they can find themselves, like Charlie, eating to medicate,' he contended.

'By repressing the pain down inside and internalizing trauma with food, it reflects how much they feel externally. And Charlie is the personification of that. So, I felt a sense of obligation to the role as their voice and as their champion.'

Brendan is also a champion for his son Griffin, 20, who was diagnosed with autism at an early age.

Proceeds from Wednesday's ceremony benefited the Connecticut-based charity Abilis, which supports and advocates for people with developmental disabilities.

The Canadian-born star shares Griffin along with sons Holden, 18, and Leland, 17, with his ex-wife Afton Smith, 55.

'The reason why I do what I do is...because of them,' he claimed.

Picky: ESPN's Hannah Storm, 60, interviewed Brendan about his career and what's next for him. 'At the moment, I don't have anything  I'm really being picky right now,' he said

'I am like a deep-sea diver at the bottom of the ocean with a tube of air coming up to the surface where my family and loved ones are. They make sure that pumps keep going so I can go on this expedition. Its a very charmed and lucky career that I've had.'

The actor, who landed his first small role in 1991's Dogfight, is starring next in Martin Scorsese's Flowers of the Flower Moon, which is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival later this month.

Brendan said he has a small role in the thriller based on the 2017 non-fiction book of the same name.

The story focuses on the murders of oil-rich members of the Osage tribe who are murdered under mysterious circumstances in the 1920s in the early days of the FBI.

'It's like my fantasies fulfilled at what it's like to be in a Renaissance master's studio,' according to People.

Oscar winner: Brendan won the Best Actor Academy Award for his portrayal of an obese English professor in The Whale

Degrading words: Brendan told the audience he had met with people struggling with obesity to prepare for his role in The Whale. The actor revealed all of those he spoke with said they had turned to food to bury the pain of degrading words spoken to them by adults

Cannes do: Brendan revealed he has a small role in the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon. The film is set to debut later this month at the Cannes Film Festival

Fantasies fulfilled: 'It's like my fantasies fulfilled at what it's like to be in a Renaissance master's studio,' Brendan said of working with Martin Scorsese, 80, on the upcoming Killers of the Flower Moon. Leonardo DiCaprio, 48, is headlining the project

'Think about that.' Somebody who has all the knowledge, hands down and surrounded by people who are so talented and enthusiastic for his vision.

Referring to the legendary director's love of theater he said, 'the work that we did was kind of being in an opera or a play because it was happening in real time.'

Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro and Jesse Plemons are some of the headliners in the crime drama.

'I can't oversell my participation in this film because it's epic,' the modest star said. 'There's so many actors in this movie when you see it. I'll arrive for a scene or two at the end.'

'Killers of the Flower Moon is set for release in select theaters October 6 and will go wide October 20. It will then make its way to Apple TV+.
This Emmy nominated Hollywood actor can morph into just about anyone.

And now he has taken on Prince Charles, who will become King Charles on Saturday during his star-studded coronation in England.

The actor was seen in a red coat with his blue sash and gold medals with red-white-and-blue ribbons in place.

On his lap was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel that stared into the camera.

The actor is well known.

He got his start on Saturday Night Live in the Eighties. Then the comedian parlayed that fame into a thriving movie career where he worked with everyone from Adam Sandler, Nicolas Cage and Mike Myers to Katie Holmes and Selena Gomez.

Can you guess who this household name actor is?

Who is he? This Emmy nominated Hollywood actor can morph into just about anyone, and now he is impersonating Charles on the eve of his coronation. He got his start on Saturday Night Live then he parlayed that fame into a movie career. Can you guess who he is?

He is 67-year-old Dana Carvey.

In honor of King Charles IIIs upcoming coronation, PetSmart and Ryan Reynolds Maximum Effort have partnered to create a video featuring Carvey.

The ad was from SixTwentySix and director Tom Morris.

Dana has reprised his memorable impersonation of King Charles III from SNL.

He encouraged viewers to adopt a dog through PetSmart Charities.

Ahead of the coronation, Carveys King Charles makes the connection between his name and that of the beloved family dog breed, a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.

He asks that viewers refrain from buying a King Charles spaniel on coronation day and instead adopt a shelter dog.

'Now be a good little doggy, daddy's got to go to work,' he begins in the video.

'Coronation day is upon us and as your new king - or as your beloved actor impersonating your king - I make the following decree, let's not all run out and buy a bunch of Cavalier King Charles spaniels ok?'

Not bad! The actor wore a red royal coat with a blue sash and medals in the clip from SixTwentySix and director Tom Morris. On the right is the official portrait to mark the 60th Birthday of Prince Charles, The Prince of Wales, taken by photographer Hugo Burnand in 2008

He reminds watchers what happened when everyone adopted Dalmatian dogs when 101 Dalmatians came out.

They were adopted and returned after they stopped being a cute idea.

'Can we please not f***ing do that again with Cavalier King Charles spaniels?' he asks.

Carvey then encourages people to adopt shelter dogs instead through PetSmart charities.

'Shelter dogs are incredibly loving dogs and will treat you like royalty!' Then a scruffy mutt named Linus jumped up on his lap.

He then finishes with, 'Dog save the king!'

On the PetSmart Instagram it read: 'While the King may be getting coronated, we know shelter pets are also deserving of the royal treatment. Bring home the next king or queen of your castle, or donate to assist homeless pets in discovering their very own throne. Make a difference today.'

This guy can do anything! He is 67-year-old Dana Carvey. Seen in Hollywood in March

Buckingham Palace announced in October 2022 that the Coronation of His Majesty The King will take place on Saturday May 6, 2023.

The Coronation Ceremony will take place at Westminster Abbey, London, and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

The Ceremony will see His Majesty King Charles III crowned alongside The Queen Consort.

'The Coronation will reflect the monarchs role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in longstanding traditions and pageantry,' the announcement said.

Dana - born Dana Thomas Carvey - is a comedian, actor, impressionist, screenwriter, and producer.

He is best known for his seven seasons as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1993,.

Movie gold: In 1992, Carvey joined Mike Myers in Wayne's World, the film. A sequel, Wayne's World 2, was filmed and released in 1993

He earned him five consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations.

Carvey was born in Missoula, Montana.

In 1957, his family moved to Anderson, California. When he was three years old, his family moved to San Carlos, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Carvey had a minor role in Halloween II in 1981, and co-starred in One of the Boys in 1982, a short-lived television sitcom that also starred Mickey Rooney, Nathan Lane, and Meg Ryan.

In 1984, Carvey had a small role in This Is Spinal Tap, in which he played a mime.

His big break came in 1986, when he co-starred opposite Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster in Tough Guys.

In 1986, Carvey became a household name when he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live alongside Phil Hartman, Kevin Nealon, Jan Hooks, and Victoria Jackson.

His top character was the Church Lady, a pious host of Church Chat.

Throughout the election and presidency of George H. W. Bush, he was the designated impersonator of the president.

Happy man: Carvey, left, and Paula Zwagerman arrives at the Oscars in 2019

In 1992, Carvey joined Mike Myers in Wayne's World, the film. A sequel, Wayne's World 2, was filmed and released in 1993.

In 1994, Carvey starred in the film Clean Slate.

He reprised many of his SNL characters in 1996 for The Dana Carvey Show, a short-lived prime-time variety show on ABC.

In 2002, he returned to films in the spy comedy The Master of Disguise.

Carvey did not appear in a film again until 2011's Jack and Jill with Adam Sandler and Katie Holmes.

In 2015 he was one of the cast member's in the animated film Hotel Transylvania 2 which also starred Selena Gomez.

Two years later he popped up in Sandy Wexler.
Zoe Ball has reportedly split from her long term partner Michael Reed with friends allegedly saying she is 'better off without him'.

The radio host, 52, had been dating the former construction worker for five-and-a-half years however sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael, 53, became 'a bit demanding'.

The publication reported that Michael has since been asked by the TV star to move out of her 1.5million sprawling Sussex home.

The source said: 'Zoe is gutted but she's better off without Michael.'

'This is a relief to many of her friends, who think she has done the right thing,' they added.

Exes: Zoe Ball, 52, has reportledy split from her long term partner Michael Reed, 53, with friends saying she is 'better off without him' (pictured together in 2021)

Gutted: The radio host had been dating the former construction worker for five years however sources told The Sun the relationship began to break down after Michael, 53, became 'a bit demanding' (pictured in 2018)

They went on to say that the couple had began arguing over 'really silly things' like Zoe spending time on the phone chatting to friends.

And despite Michael being a 'real gent' when they first began dating, he had allegedly since become 'a bit demanding'.

Going on to say the couple also began to drift apart with Zoe heading off on a holiday with her family Cyprus last month without him.

With the source saying: 'Now it seems the relationship has finally run its course. She asked him to move out and he has done so, although they have remained on good terms.'

MailOnline have contacted Zoe's reps for comment.

Zoe was previously married to DJ Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook, 59, from 1999 to 2016 and share two children together, a son Woody, 22, and daughter Nelly, 13.

Following the split she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically took his own life in May 2017 after a long battle with depression.

Thursday marked the anniversary of his death , with Zoe taking to Instagram writing: 'Six years Billy Wonder  missed madly by all who love you.'

Claims: Sources went on to say that the couple had began arguing over 'really silly things' like Zoe spending time on the phone chatting to friends (pictured in 2018)

Husband: Zoe was previously married to DJ Norman 'Fatboy Slim' Cook , 59, from 1999 to 2016 and share two children together, a son Woody, 22, and daughter Nelly, 13 (pictured in 1999)

Heartbreak: Following the split she began dating cameraman and technician Billy Yates, who tragically took his own life in May 2017 after a long battle with depression

Tribute: Thursday marked the anniversary of his death with Zoe taking to Instagram writing: 'Six years Billy Wonder  missed madly by all who love you.

On her holiday without ex Michael, Zoe looked sensational as she spent quality time with her family in the sun.

She was joined on the trip by her siblings as well as TV legend dad Johnny, 84, who playfully posed up a storm for the camera.

Zoe slipped into a strapless black and white swimsuit and donned shades as she topped up her tan besides the pool.

Meanwhile Johnny, who was married to Zoe's mum Julia until 1972, entertained his grandchildren with games of dominoes before the family enjoyed a trip on a pedalo.

The former Play School host looked happier than ever in the sunshine with fans rushing to comment on his good health.

Family time: On her holiday without ex Michael, Zoe looked sensational as she spent quality time with her family in the sun

Loving life: She was joined on the trip by her siblings as well as TV legend dad Johnny, 84, who playfully posed up a storm for the camera

On wrote: 'Ahhhh your Dad looking so well. What a legend'.

While another jokingly said: 'Your Dad simply does not age - is he a robot?'.

Zoe captioned the snaps: 'My family & other other animals'.

Johnny was a regular fixture on children's television in the late 1970s and 1980s presenting several series of mathematic and technology programmes.
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Reality TV star Gia Giudice has certainly taken after her famous mother Teresa Giudice of Bravo fame.

The 22-year-old college student was seen posing in a skimpy bikini by a rocky shoreline in her latest Instagram post shared on Friday.

Her figure looked very toned as she showed off a deep tropical tan while her highlighted hair was worn down over her bare shoulders and she added dark sunglasses. Her caption read, 'Baha' as her dad shared, 'Hi my love .'

The TV star is following in the footsteps of her mother Teresa Giudice of Real Housewives Of New Jersey fame.

Teresa often shows off her yoga-toned body in swimwear while on vacation in spots like St Barts and Positano with her new husband Luis.

Siren power: Reality TV star Gia Giudice has certainly taken after her famous mother Teresa Giudice of Bravo fame. The 22-year-old college student was seen posing in a skimpy bikini by a rocky shoreline in her latest Instagram post shared on Friday

Mama bear: She certainly takes after mommy: Her mother Teresa is known for posing in her swimwear while on vacation

In April the social media personality took to Instagram to share photos from the Shein Festival that took place in California.

The Bravo star was dressed to impress in a colorful string bikini top and matching mini skirt that made the most of her impressive figure.

The daughter of Real Housewives of New Jersey vet Joe Giudice also went Coastal Countrygirl with her ivory cowgirl boots and coordinating hat.

This comes after the college student from New Jersey was seen last week in Miami in a pink and purple bikini.

While at the Shein event she shot several images that she shared with her nearly 1million Instagram followers.

And she left a note for her fans in her caption.

'SHEIN festival day 1 @sheinofficial @shein_us #Zeuphoria #SHEINpartner Use my code GIA for 15% off the SHEIN site!' she said, making it clear she is a paid model for the brand,

Her mom Teresa left a comment as well.

Pinup power: Her figure looked very toned as she showed off a deep tropical tan while her highlighted hair was worn down over her bare shoulders and she added dark sunglasses

The look: The TV star is following in the footsteps of her mother Giudice who often shows off her yoga-toned body in swimwear while on vacation in spots like St Barts and Positano with her new husband Luis

A rest: Her caption read, 'Baha' as her dad shared, 'Hi my love '

'Wow amazing,' typed the cookbook author, adding three fire emojis.

Last week Gia was in a bikini.

The social media figure opted for a pair of white Nike Air Force One sneakers and matching sunglasses.

She accessorized with several pieces of jewelry, and her gorgeous brunette hair fell onto her chest and contrasted perfectly with the brighter tones of her clothing.

Giudice shared a set of throwback photos from her recent trip to Miami on her Instagram account last month.

In the shots, the reality television figure posed next to an ornate mosaic for a trio of snaps taken in the bathroom of Sexy Fish Miami.

The influencer wore black crop top that exposed a slight portion of her toned tummy and a matching pair of form-hugging leggings.

She kept a Christian Dior purse slung over her right shoulder and accessorized with several pieces of jewelry during her visit to Miami.

Her dark brunette hair remained free-flowing and cascaded onto her chest.

The social media figure referred to the restaurant's bathroom as the 'best picture spot' in her post's caption.

With mommy: Gia and her mom attend the Mafia Mamma New York screening at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on April 11 in New York City

Yee-haw: Gia seemed to be having fun in April as she took to Instagram to share photos from the Shein Festival that took place in California

Giudice, who studies at Rutgers University in her native New Jersey, opened up about her plans for the future during an interview with Bravo.

The reality television personality stated: 'After I graduate, I am pursuing my dream of going to law school.'

The influencer did express, however, that she was planning on branching out into the fashion world in the near future.

'My hope for the future is to become a very successful lawyer and have a lucrative clothing business on the side,' she stated.
Coronation Street fans were left in hysterics when Gail Rodwell made a very rude comment during Friday's episode.

The iconic character (played by Helen Worth) left son David (Jack P. Shepard) speechless as she made the seemingly X-rated confession over breakfast.

Speaking about her well-rested sleep, she praised her 'hand-held stimulator' which she branded a 'game changer'.

As Shona (Julie Goulding) giggled her horrified husband yelled: 'Ugh, flipping heck, did not want to hear that!'

However, the contraption was not in fact anything for after the watershed but a sleep aid, leaving fans to declare the scene 'comedy gold'.

LOL: Coronation Street fans were left in hysterics when Gail Rodwell showed off her 'stimulator' during Friday's episode

Shock horror: The iconic character (played by Helen Worth) left son David (Jack P. Shepard) speechless as she made the seemingly X rated confession over breakfast

Taking to Twitter one fan wrote: 'David and Gail comedy gold! @JackPSherpard facial expression every time Gail mentions stimulation'.

While another laughed: 'David isn't keen on Gail's new stimulator'.

And a third said: 'Must say I am thoroughly enjoying Gail's stimulator story in #Corrie'.

After Gail brought up the subject again in the pub one fan commented: 'David walking in on the stimulator conversation in the Rovers. Brilliant comedy timing!'.

It comes after Coronation Street legends reunited for a special This Morning street party on Friday ahead of the King's Coronation.

Hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary joined cast members including Jack P Shepherd who plays David Platt and Bill Roache who plays Ken Barlow.

And Norris Cole, played by Malcolm Hebden, even came back from the dead (on the show) for the knees-up after retiring from the cobbles in 2021.

The show began with special pre-recorded titles that merged Coronation Street and This Morning and continued with a series of royal-themed activities.

Saucy stuff: Speaking about her well rested sleep she praised her 'hand held stimulator' which she branded a 'game changer'

Chuckle: As Shone (Julie Goulding) giggled her horrofied husband yelled: 'Ugh, flipping heck, did not want to hear that!'

NSFW: Taking to Twitter one fan wrote: 'David and Gail comedy gold! @JackPSherpard facial expression every time Gail mentions stimulation'

As the hosts grilled stars about their experiences of meeting the firm, Jack opened up about King Charles' visit to the set when he was 12 and revealed the monarch was 'baffled' about who he was, thinking he was the son of a Corrie worker.

Jack said that he met Charles when he was still the Prince of Wales and added: 'I was 12. We met outside the Rovers Return, and I just remember he was so baffled as to what I was doing there.

'He was like, 'Who are you?' I was like, 'I'm an actor, nice to meet you.' And he was like, "But where are your parents?"

'I was like, 'My mum is about,' but he was like, 'Yes, but what do they do here? He thought I was a friend of the family or something.

'I remember my mum saying he will be the King one day, and he is.'

A few years later, Jack met Queen Consort Camilla on the cobbles, another funny meeting for the actor as she said: 'I know you, you're the naughty boy.'

Legends: Coronation Street legends reunited for a special This Morning street party on Friday ahead of the King's Coronation

Special party: Coronation Street legends reunited for a special This Morning street party ahead of the King's Coronation on Friday. (pictured L-R: Dermot, Alison, Asha (Tanisha Gorey), Craig (Colson Smith) and Billy (Daniel Brocklebank)

Reunion: Hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O'Leary joined cast members including Jack P Shephard who plays David Platt and Norris, played by Malcolm Hebden (pictured talking to Dermot) even came back from the dead

Huge crowd: A massive number of Corrie stars past and present hit the cobbles for the Coronation knees-up

Tea's up! Colson joined Jack for a cup of tea and a croissant at the Coronation party as they celebrated in style

Royally special: The show began with special pre-recorded titles that merged Coronation Street and This Morning and continued with a series of royal-themed items

Wow! Later in the show, Alison and Dermot unveiled a new waxwork of King Charles and revealed the results of a surprising poll which revealed viewers wanted one made of Alison. Pictured: Alison and Dermot with the waxwork of Charles

Alison said: 'I once said to Charles that I'd like a one to one [interview] with him, and he said 'Would I survive?'...He's great fun!'

Meanwhile, fellow Corrie legends Bill, Barbara Knox who plays Rita and Helen Worth who plays Gail Platt, also spoke about meeting royals.

Helen said of Queen Elizabeth II's visit to the set: 'It was so obvious she was enjoying herself [here at Corrie], at one point Jack was making her laugh and she loved it!'

And soap legend Bill, who has been on Corrie since the very beginning in 1960, revealed that saw the late Queen seven times.

He said: 'I did meet her seven times, and on one occasion I had five minutes on my own with her and they [royalty] love to be amused and are always very friendly and very warm.

'Charles is particularly warm and friendly The Queen set the example of the perfect monarch and he followed that and he really cares.'

The actor also shared that Camilla had once told him she watches Corrie when it is on, saying: 'I remember asking her if she ever watched the Street and she said, 'At 7.30pm on a Monday and a Wednesday, the phone is off the hook.'

Barbara spoke about getting her MBE from the Queen, revealing that she thought she was a 'wonderful lady.'

She said: 'Her Majesty was wonderful she made you feel so relaxed, I could talk to this lady.

'She had that magic! When she was here last year I said 'ma'am' as she was about to leave, and she said 'yes?', I said, 'I want to thank you for this [her MBE] I do love it, thank you very much', and instantly she said, 'Did you have a lovely day?'

Alison went on to speak to Barbara about why Corrie is so popular and she admitted: 'I think people believe us. They can love us or hate us and they become very fond of you, and we can make you laugh'

Panel: The Telegraph's Camilla Tominey joined Gyles Brandreth on the sofa with the hosts as they had a chat about the Coronation

Thirsty work! Alison and Dermot also enjoyed a cocktail making class in the Rovers Return ahead of the Coronation. (pictured L-R: Jenny (Sally-Ann Matthews), Helen McGann and Dermot and Alison)

Smiles: The hosts posed with Tanisha, who plays Dev's daughter, in the boozer as the show continued

Delighted: Alison was delighted that This Morning was broadcasting live from the cobbles as the show opened

The host added: 'And you make us cry as well so believable', while Michael who plays Kevin Webster interjected: 'You make us laugh!'

Later in the show, Alison and Dermot unveiled a new waxwork of King Charles and revealed the results of a surprising poll.

Viewers had expressed their wish to see Alison have her own waxwork in Blackpool and she said: 'Oh my god, that'd be amazing! It'd have to have a laugh wouldn't it? I can't believe it - I'm gonna be a waxwork.'

As the episode continued, there was a Coronation cocktail masterclass at the Rovers and a party food tutorial and despite some heavy rain, proceedings carried on.

Another funny moment unfolded as Josie Gibson met and hugged her secret crush in person- Michael.

Michael laughed: 'I'm a little bit shorter in real life aren't I?' and a blushing Josie replied: 'You're still a fine red wine.'

Elsewhere, Dame Maureen Lipman explained later in the show that a golden cobble plaque was set to be put on the cobbles to mark the special episode.

It reads: 'Coronation Street and This Morning celebrated the Coronation of HM King Charles III on these cobbles 5th May 2023'.

Alison and other stars posted selfies to their social media as they celebrated the Coronation together.

'Coronation Street' was initially called 'Florizel Street', but it was later named after the 1902 Coronation of Charles' great-great grandfather King Edward VII.
Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star Mama June was spotted strolling in New York on Friday with her husband Justin Stroud while shooting a segment for Access Hollywood.

The 43-year-old reality star had a courthouse wedding with Justin, 35, last March before a full family ceremony this February.

Justin and June could be seen walking arm in arm during their outing with the outlet.

At one point they sat down together on a park bench, where June could be seen gazing lovingly at Justin as they chatted cheerfully with one another.

Their united front comes after a new clip of her reality show Mama June: Family Crisis bared some of the cracks in their relationship.

Togetherness: Here Comes Honey Boo Boo star Mama June was spotted strolling in New York on Friday with her husband Justin Stroud

During her interview with Access Hollywood, the star shared an update on daughter Anna's cancer battle.

Mama June revealed that she has already done two rounds of chemotherapy with a third next week, she told the outlet.

The star added that this round she is more sleepy and tired, noting that she has her 'bad days and she has her good days.'

Mama June also jokingly called herself a 'junezilla' because her wedding will be featured on Mama June: Family Crisis, which returns on WEtv.

The program, which has lifted the curtain on June's turbulent family life and battles with addiction, is set to premiere its new season this Friday.

In the run-up to the episode, a promotional clip showed Justin taking June out to breakfast and confessing his regrets about their relationship.

'You know, this ain't how I wanted this to go,' he said to his dumbfounded wife. 'Like, this whole marriage, you know, like, and how it went down, like that's not what I wanted, like that's not how I wanted it to go.'

When June pointed out that he 'signed the papers too' at the courthouse, he countered that 'you asked me in jail. You know, it happened while I was in jail.'

Justin admitted he was 'not really' copacetic with the courthouse circumstances of their first wedding, 'to be honest with you.'

He continued: 'I was emotionally messed up, I was going through some things. Like, life isn't where I wanted to be at that point. You know, I just got out of rehab not too long before that, and just, I wasn't emotionally in it June.'

However when June asked if he had not been 'emotionally into' her, he seemed perplexed, asking: 'What are you talkin' about?'

June became convinced that he wanted to 'back out' of the marriage because she was experiencing 'all these medical issues,' but he assured her that was not so.

Union: As they soaked up the sun in the city that never sleeps this week, Justin and June could be seen walking arm in arm, looking the picture of marital bliss

Having a ball: At one point they sat down together on a park bench, where June could be seen gazing lovingly at Justin as they chatted cheerfully with one another

Meanwhile June recently reunited with her daughter Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell in the wake of her cancer diagnosis - just weeks after it was reported that she was working on their bond to mend their strained relationship.

The mother-of-four - full name June Shannon - and her 28-year-old daughter seemed to have put their tough past behind them as they smiled for a selfie together in a hospital room.

Chickadee - who was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal cancer - also posed for a selfie with a red medical cap on.

It was a family affair as they rooted Chickadee on as Mama June was also joined by husband Justin Stroud in addition to her daughters Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson and Lauren 'Pumpkin' Efird.

Chickadee's 10-year-old daughter Kaitlyn Elizabeth Clark could also be seen sitting on her mom's lap in a selfie.

The group was later seen wearing yellow medical facemasks as they exited the hospital while putting on a united front.

Earlier this month it was reported by TMZ that June was nurturing the bond with her daughter although their relationship has been tense in recent years.

Insiders told the site that Mama June and Cardwell had begun mending their relationship about a year ago, but now they're a lot closer.

Candid: Their united front comes after a new clip of her reality show Mama June: Family Crisis bared some of the cracks in their relationship

Incoming: The program, which has lifted the curtain on June's turbulent family life and battles with addiction, is set to premiere its new season this Friday

In 2021, Anna was candid about putting distance between herself and her mother when June began a romance with Mark McDaniel, who Anna said sexually assaulted her in adolescence.

Now the two are putting the past behind them as June is doing things like watching Anna's kids to help her cope with her new reality.

It was also noted that June has been accompanying Anna to her doctor's appointments as she 'wants her daughter to know she has a support system.'

Cardwell underwent her first chemotherapy session last month for stage 4 cancer in her liver, kidneys and lungs after being diagnosed in January with rare adrenal carcinoma.

Doctors are now monitoring her progress before making any decisions regarding further treatment.

The eldest daughter of Mama June Shannon reported experiencing stomach pains before testing and getting diagnosed.

In recent images, Anna appeared with her eldest daughter, Kaitlyn, 10, as the rest of the family support her and remain hopeful.

The TLC alum also took photos of herself in the middle of treatment at a hospital in Georgia.

Hospital visit: Meanwhile June recently reunited with her daughter Anna 'Chickadee' Cardwell in the wake of her cancer diagnosis

On Thursday, her 17-year-old sister, Alana 'Honey Boo Boo' Thompson, took to Instagram to confirm the devastating diagnosis by sharing an article published by TMZ.

Thompson wrote alongside a screenshot of the post: 'This is what I mean when I say you never truly know what somebody is going through at home. No matter how famous they are.'

'Yes I'm very famous, but normal s*** happens to me and my family and y'all need to realize that ASAP,' she added.

According to the American Cancer Society, adrenocortical carcinoma  also known as adrenal cortical cancer  is a disease that affects an estimated 200 Americans per year.

Sources close to the family report that they are all 'very hopeful' Cardwell will pull through and overcome the rare disease.

Stepping up: It was earlier reported that June is nurturing the bond with her daughter (pictured), although their relationship has been tense in recent years

They also revealed that the family  as well as Anna's boyfriend Eldridge Toney  are all gathering together to take care of Anna and her two children  Kaitlyn and Kylee, 8.

Cardwell first appeared on TLC's 2009 series Toddlers and Tiaras alongside her now-teenaged sister Alana and their family.

In 2012, Alana received a spinoff series titled Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which starred their entire family.

Cardwell welcomed daughter Kaitlyn in 2012 and married her then-boyfriend Michael Cardwell two years later. They called it quits in 2017.
Sofia Vergara put on a radiant display in a new Instagram photo as she enjoyed a feast under the warm sunshine in celebration of Cinco de Mayo on Friday.

The Modern Family alum, 50, who recently posted a rare throwback photo with her natural blonde hair, flashed a big smile as she relaxed in what appeared to be a spacious backyard.

The mother of one sat in a comfortable chair next to a table on an outdoor patio, with a shimmering swimming pool directly behind the actress.

A large hedge along with palm trees and other greenery outlined the blue sky as she happily soaked up the sun.

The model donned an off-the-shoulder, red-patterned dress that contained additional hues of green, white and yellow while holding a glass of refreshing water in her right hand.

Celebration! Sofia Vergara, 50, put on a radiant display in a new Instagram photo as she enjoyed a feast under the warm sunshine in celebration of Cinco de Mayo on Friday

Her voluminous brunette locks were parted in the middle, and effortlessly flowed past her shoulders in elegant waves.

She accessorized her ensemble for the special day by adding a pair of eye-catching, dangly earrings that nearly brushed the base of her neck.

Sofia's makeup was classically done, and comprised of a layer of mascara to her lashes as well as a plum-colored tint on her lips.

In front of her, various plates and bowls that contained a number of vibrant colors were placed on the large table. Tasty watermelon filled up one bowl, while tacos were arranged in an organized manner, ready to be eaten.

Tortilla chips filled another bowl, with freshly made guacamole placed directly in the middle to make dipping simple and easy.

Tall glasses could be seen near the edge of the table near a large dispenser filled with ice water and lemons.

In the caption of the post, the actress penned to her 29.1 million fans and followers, 'Muy feliz 5 de Mayo everyone!!' In translation, she wished everyone a 'Very happy May 5th.'

The beauty, who has been busy filming America's Got Talent as one of the celebrity judges, appeared to be enjoying the fresh air.

Dressed for the occasion: The model donned an off-the-shoulder, red-patterned dress that contained additional hues of green, white and yellow

Past photo shoot: Along with celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Sofia additionally shared a throwback video on her Instagram stories from a photo shoot she had done in New York City

Throwback: She added the hashtag, '#tbtNy,' meaning 'throwback to New York,' with a yellow heart placed above

Wow! Vergara slipped into a pair of closed-toed, nude-colored heels to allow the minidress to be the main focal point

Along with celebrating Cinco de Mayo, Sofia additionally shared a throwback video on her Instagram stories from a photo shoot she had done in New York City.

She added the hashtag, '#tbtNy,' meaning 'throwback to New York,' with a yellow heart placed above.

The star showcased her stunning frame wearing a figure-hugging, short-sleeved red dress that flaunted her toned physique and long legs.

Vergara slipped into a pair of closed-toed, nude-colored heels to allow the minidress to be the main focal point. Her hair was parted to the side, and cascaded past her shoulders in bouncy curls.

During the short clip, a fan off-screen could be seen blowing her locks away from her face, while a photographer snapped away as Sofia striked numerous poses.

At one point, a stylist approached the model to do a few quick touch ups before the photo shoot continued.

The Hot Pursuit actress, who tied the knot with fellow actor, Joe Manganiello, in 2015, recently spent time in the Big Apple in celebration of her new cooking competition titled, Celebrity Family Cook Off.

While Sofia is taking on the important role of executive producer, her son, Manolo, will host the six-episode Roku series, reported Deadline. The actress shares the 31-year-old with her ex-husband, Joe Gonzalez.

Glammed up: During the short clip, a fan off-screen could be seen blowing her locks away from her face, while a photographer snapped away as Sofia striked numerous poses

Striking a pose: The star could be seen showing off a few different poses with a white backdrop behind her inside a studio

Working together! Sofia will be an executive producer on the new Roku series, Celebrity Family Cook off, with her son, Manolo, taking on the role of the host

According to the publication, the premise follows two celebrities that are accompanied by one family member who compete against one another for a cash prize that will go to a charity of the winning celebrity duo's choice.

The competition will also only have two rounds: the dinner course and most importantly, dessert. With Manolo hosting, the judges of the competition are slated to be Kalen Allen and Fariyal Abdullahi.

Sofia's son told Deadline, 'Were so excited to be partnering with Roku to bring you a fun, new cooking competition! Working as a family is great and doing it in the spirit of giving back is even better.'

The America's Got Talent judge also jumped to her own Instagram page to announce the new project and wrote, 'So excited to announce our new cooking competition, Celebrity Family Cook-Off! Coming soon to Roku! felicidades @manologonzalezvergara en tu nuevo show!!! Luv u.'
Amber Heard was seen settling into her new Spanish home recently as she took a walk around Madrid with her young daughter and a friend.

The 37-year-old actress was spotted chatting with a friend and also seemingly making a phone call while walking down a city street late last week.

She also brought along an apparent caretaker who pusher her daughter Oonagh, two, in a seated scooter.

DailyMail.com exclusively reported on Thursday that Amber has retreated from the US and the hustle and bustle of Hollywood in the wake of her ex-husband Johnny Depp's mostly successful defamation trial against her in Virginia last year.

Now she has set up camp in a home just outside Madrid with her daughter, but it's unclear when she will attempt to make her wake back to Hollywood and to restart her acting career.

New home: Amber Heard, 37, was seen on a stroll in Madrid, Spain, with a friend and her daughter Oonagh, two, late last week. She is now living in a home just outside the Spanish capital, DailyMail.com exclusively reported

Amber was dressed casually for her outing in a simple white top, which she wore without a bra.

She contrasted it with a textured black midi skirt and black open-toe shoes with thick heels.

She appeared to wear modest makeup and kept her blond locks tied up in a casual bun.

In addition to a black handbag, she kept her phone on a strap around her torso, and she held it up as if making a call while walking with her companions.

Little Oonagh looked adorable in a white shirt with multicolored horizontal stripes, along with blue overalls that had started to fall down around her arms.

Amber was also seen chatting with a pal in a black tank top and a brown plaid skirt with black combat boots, while another woman in a black top and dark jeans appeared to be minding Oonagh and pushing her stroller.

Despite relocating across the world, Amber seems to be enjoying the slower pace in the Spanish capital.

'Shes bilingual in Spanish and is happy there, raising her daughter away from all the noise,' a friend of the actress told DailyMail.com.

She doesn't appear to have completely sworn off acting, but she also isn't in a hurry to get back to working on set.

I dont think she is in any hurry to return to work or to Hollywood, but she will probably come back when the time is right for the right project,' the friend added.

Casual: She wore a bra-free white top with a black midi skirt. She chatted with her friend and took a phone call while another woman pushed her daughter on a seated scooter

Taking her time: A friend says she doesn't have any plans to act again at the moment, but she may be lured back by Hollywood in the future

Her sojourn may be somewhat extended though, as she sold her home in Yucca Valley, California, in July of 2022 for a pretty profit.

One of Amber's two shot but unreleased projects was the upcoming superhero film Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom, which will be released in December of this year.

For months, it was unknown if Amber would return for the film, or if she would be cut from it over the controversy related to her legal battles with her ex Johnny Depp.

She was seemingly vindicated in the UK after Depp lost a defamation suit against The Sun for publishing her allegations of his domestic abuse.

The judge overseeing the case determined that Depp had assaulted Heard in a majority of the instances described by the publication.

But she suffered a shocking reversal of fortune back in the US after she published an op-ed in the Washington Post referencing her history of being a victim of domestic abuse, which did not name Depp, but was widely interpreted as being about her ex-husband.

This time, Depp sued her directly for defamation, and the case was decided by an unsequestered jury, rather than a judge.

The jury found that Heard's statements in the op-ed were defamatory, but, confusingly, also determined that Depp's lawyer had defamed Heard.

She was ordered to pay $10.35 million to her ex-husband, while he was forced to pay her $2 million for his attorney's defamatory statement.

After Heard was unable to pay the initial judgment, they eventually reached a settlement by which her insurer would pay Depp just $1 million.

Slowdown: Her career was derailed by her legal battles against her ex-husband Johnny Depp. She is set to appear in the Aquaman sequel and one other already filmed project, but she has nothing else lined up after they are released; seen in 2015 in LA

In her favor: She was vindicated in the UK after Depp lost a defamation suit against The Sun for publishing her allegations of his domestic abuse. The judge determined Depp had assaulted Heard in a majority of the instances described by the publication; seen in 2015 in Toronto

Setback: But she suffered a shocking reversal of fortune back in the US when Depp sued her for defamation, and the case was decided by an unsequestered jury, rather than a judge as in the UK. Confusingly, the jury ruled in both of their favors, but Depp was awarded millions more; seen in May 2022

Although both essentially were vindicated in different trials, Amber has been seemingly shunned from Hollywood, while Depp has engaged on the comeback trail.

He is set to star in the upcoming French film Jeanne du Barry, directed by Maiwenn, and he will also direct a film about the painter Amedeo Modigliani.

In May of 2022, Depp received the support of his friend, the guitar virtuoso Jeff Beck, and the two recorded and album and went out on tour together.

Beck died in January from a bacterial meningitis infection.
Noel Gallagher reportedly enjoyed a 'double date' with a stunning lingerie model this week following the announcement of his divorce from his wife Sara MacDonald in January.

The former Oasis rocker, 55, hit the town in London with his good pal James Cook on Thursday, stepping out to upmarket members' club Maison Estelle before heading to celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse.

And musician Noel was joined on the night out by actress and lingerie model Charlotte Carter-Allen, who has appeared in music videos for Kanye West and a record with Eurythmics star Dave Stewart.

The trio were joined by another female pal and it was claimed they all arrived in a Range Rover before heading off together later.

A source told The Sun: 'Noel and James are close mates  and both recently single  and were with two very attractive women when they arrived at Chiltern Firehouse.

Moving on? Noel Gallagher reportedly enjoyed a 'double date' with a stunning lingerie model this week following the announcement of his divorce from his wife Sara MacDonald (pictured last month)

Beauty: Musician Noel was joined on the night out by actress and lingerie model Charlotte Carter-Allen (pictured in 2018)

'It looked very much like a double date and everyone was clearly having a great time.

'There's no getting away from it, Charlotte is absolutely stunning, so if they are close, it's not hard to see the instant attraction.'

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Noel for comment.

It comes after it was reported Noel had split from his author lover Dorothea Gundtoft after a short-lived romance.

It is claimed the pair drifted apart after struggling to find the time to go on dates.

Musician Noel was said to have enjoyed a date with the Danish writer last month at London's Chiltern Firehouse.

A source told The Sun: 'Noel and Dorothea enjoyed some dates but it never got off the ground.

'His schedule promoting his new album is gruelling and it's been hard for them to see each other, let alone go on another date.'

New love? The stepped out to upmarket members' club Maison Estelle before heading to celebrity haunt Chiltern Firehouse

Fame game: Charlotte has appeared in music videos for Kanye West and a record with Eurythmics star Dave Stewart (pictured in Kanye West: Flashing Lights, Version 2 in 2008)

Pals: Noel hit the town in London with his friend pal James Cook (left), who is married to Poppy Delevingne (right), although they split last year (pictured in 2019)

After Noel and Dorothea's date last month, an onlooker told The Sun the pair 'looked like a couple' and appeared 'affectionate' during their reported night out together.

They told the publication: 'They looked like a couple, and there wasn't any effort to hide the fact they were there together.

'Noel is a Firehouse regular and is always photographed coming and going, so for him to go there with a female companion suggests he's quite happy for them to be seen.'

Dorothea has contributed to high-end magazines including Vogue Italia, Harper's Bazaar and Dazed, as well as design publication Icon.

She speaks languages including Danish, Spanish and English while she also published books - Real Nordic Living, New Nordic Design and Fashion Scandinavia.

It comes after it was revealed in January that Noel is set to divorce his wife Sara MacDonald after nearly 12 years of marriage.

Noel is said to have moved out of their 8million South Downs mansion in Hampshire - and now fans are wondering if the Oasis brothers will heal their feud and reform, after Liam previously claimed Sara was the one stopping them reunite.

Noel and Sara are parents to two sons, Donovan, 15, and Sonny, 12. The rocker is also father to his eldest daughter Anais, 22, from his previous relationship with ex-wife Meg Mathews.

Once blossoming romance: Musician Noel was said to have also enjoyed a date with the Danish writer (pictured) last month at London's Chiltern Firehouse

Fizzled out: After Noel and Dorothea appeared to leave the Chiltern Firehouse restaurant together last month, it is claimed they struggled to get their relationship going

A spokesperson for Noel and Sara confirmed the split to MailOnline with a joint statement, sharing: 'Noel Gallagher and Sara Macdonald has confirmed that the couple are to divorce.

'Noel and Sara will together continue to look after their children who remain their priority. Noel and Sara ask the media to respect their privacy and that of our family at this time.'

While a source told The Sun: 'It is a great shame but they are trying to keep it civilised.'

'Noel has moved out, but in time Sara might want to move back to London. They're working everything out steadily to minimise the disruption.'

Noel and Sara have been living in an 8M South Downs mansion near Hampshire's town of Petersfield since 2019, with their two young children.

But the Don't Look Back In Anger hitmaker is now said to be living apart from his wife in North London.

Noel met Sara back in 2000 at an Ibiza club named Space - a year before his divorce from his first wife Meg.

The rocker was married to Meg for four years.

Split: It comes after it was revealed in January that Noel is set to divorce his wife Sara MacDonald (pictured in October 2019) after nearly 12 years of marriage

The former couple were notorious for a party-hard lifestyle as they lived it up during rowdy nights with Kate Moss and Sadie Frost.

But following their split, it was reported the rocker had an affair with Sara during his relationship with Meg.

Noel and Sara have strongly denied this claim, with the star releasing a statement in 2001 which shared that he didn't cheat and 'left Meg because I could no longer tolerate her behaviour'.

Noel and Sara tied the knot in 2011 at the Lime Wood Hotel in the New Forest in a 60,000 ceremony, with guests including Russell Brand watching on - but Liam said he wasn't invited.

'He goes on about how he wasn't invited to my wedding. No one was at my wedding but Nic's [wife Nicole Appleton] mum and my mum. Get over it, mate. I've not been invited to his wedding,' Liam told the Chicago Sun Times.

Liam famously doesn't get along with Sara and has had a slew of public rows with the PR exec in the past.

He even hinted that she was the reason that an Oasis reunion wouldn't be happening, with Noel furious over Liam's name-calling about Sara.

It's over! The pair (pictured in October 2018) issued a statement to MailOnline in January announcing their split, saying that their two sons 'remain their priority'

Back in 2020, a fan tweeted him, asking: 'Hi Liam, do you know why Noel hates oasis reunion so much??????'

While he responded suggesting that it was her fault, penning: 'I've told you before he's rite up for it but you know who won't let him as she doesn't like oasis music [sic].

The brothers themselves have had little contact in the last ten years, after Noel publicly quit the band in 2009.

But fans are now wondering if there may be hope in the future for the band to get back together again.
Emily Blunt's Tory MP uncle attended a Sam Smith concert after receiving freebie tickets worth more than 1,500.

Crispin Blunt, 62, notorious for his liberal views on drugs, accepted a freebie from insurance giant Aviva to watch Smith at the O2 in London.

According to the Register of Members' Financial Interests, the uncle of Mary Poppins star Emily Blunt received two hospitality tickets worth a combined total of 1,512.

Sam, 30, who is gender-neutral and uses they/them pronouns, has been travelling around Europe as part of their ongoing Gloria tour.

In 2019, Sam said that after years of 'being at war with my gender' they wanted to be referred to as 'them' or 'they', was recently criticised for 'their' sexualised music videos.

Freebie: Emily Blunt's Tory MP uncle attended a Sam Smith concert after receiving freebie tickets worth more than 1,500

He told the Daily Mail's Richard Eden of the event: 'It may have taken a while to attend my first major popular music event, but I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and am grateful to, if unobliged [sic] to Aviva for their hospitality.'

Crispin told the House of Commons in 2016 that he would be 'directly affected' by a ban on legal highs, as he regularly used 'poppers'.

It comes after Sam returned to stage after cancelling a string of shows on their Gloria tour as they battled a mystery virus.

They appeared to be in good spirits as they put on an energetic performance on Monday night after recovering from a mystery illness.

They had postponed two shows on their ongoing Gloria tour last week after Sam and their team were all struck down by illness.

Sam appeared to be fully recovered as they danced across the stage and belted out their best-known hits while standing on a huge gold sculpture.

They also gestured out to the audience as their fans sang along to their tracks during the high-energy show in Berlin, after they returned to their tour in Copenhagen.

Sam's return to stage comes after they cancelled two gigs last week after being struck down by a mystery illness.

Taking to the stage: Sam, 30, who is gender-neutral and uses they/them pronouns, has been travelling around Europe as part of their ongoing Gloria tour

Night out: According to the Register of Members' Financial Interests, the uncle of Emily Blunt (pictured) received two hospitality tickets worth a combined total of 1,512

Last Monday, Sam had taken to their Instagram Stories to tell fans they would not be able to perform at the Resorts World Arena in Birmingham on Tuesday as they were well not well enough, postponing the show until next month.

Just days earlier, Sam had pulled out of performing at the OVO Hydro Arena in the Scottish city of Glasgow on Saturday.

Sam announced: 'Sailors, I am so sorry to let you know that my team and I are still really not well, so unfortunately we need to reschedule out Birmingham show to the 27th of May 2023.

'It's so important to me that we give you the very best version of Gloria. I don't want you to experience it at anything less.

'Thank you so much for understanding, I know how excited everyone is to see the show, and I feel the same about seeing all of you.

'All previous tickets are still valid for the new date. For more information, go to my website www.samsmithworld.com. All my love, Sam X.'

The star reassured fans that all tickets would be valid for the new date of Saturday 27 May.

Sam had earlier pulled out of their gig in Glasgow on Saturday after they were originally struck down by the mystery virus.

Announcing the news on Instagram, Sam shared that they would not be able to perform at the OVO Hydro Arena in the Scottish city at the weekend as they were not well enough.

Sam explained how they and their team were feeling 'really unwell' but they would be rescheduling the gig for next month.

The pop star has recently found themselves at the centre of some harsh criticism from online trolls for their choice of on-stage attire.

Some branded the recording artist 'satanic', after the star previously revealing they were shockingly spat at in the street after announcing they were non-binary.

However, Sam has continued to brush off any negative reaction and taunts as they remain confident in their performance art and strong public image.

Unwell: It comes after Sam returned to stage after cancelling a string of shows on their Gloria tour as they battled a mystery virus

Illness: They had postponed two shows on their ongoing Gloria tour last week after Sam and their team were all struck down by illness

Sam prompted 100 Ofcom complaints at the BRITs this year where they performed their single Unholy along with Kim Petras, 30, at London's O2 Arena in February.

They had dressed as the devil, complete with horns coming out of their hat, a similar look to the one they wore at the Grammys the week before.

A spokesperson for Ofcom told MailOnline: 'We received 106 complaints about The Brit Awards on ITV1 on 11 February.

'The majority of complaints related to Sam Smith's performance, with the remainder about the use of offensive language and consumption of alcohol.'
Kate Garraway lauded King Charles on Good Morning Britain on Friday, as she detailed the letter he sent her covid-ridden husband Derek Draper in 2020.

Ahead of the Coronation on Saturday, the broadcaster, 56, spoke kindly about the monarch and how he supported her husband, who has been left with life-altering after effects from his lengthy battle with the virus.

She said: 'I think he is a very careful kind man. He put: "I really hope that you'll get the chance to read this to Derek". And I have had the chance to read that to him.'

The interaction came after the start of the pandemic in 2020, saw Kate voice her fears about catching the virus after meeting King Charles just days before he tested positive for coronavirus.

At the time, she spoke about the meeting live on Good Morning Britain, revealing that the pair had got 'relatively close' at the Prince's Trust Awards on March 11. Derek was diagnosed with the virus soon after the exchange.

An honour: Kate Garraway lauded King Charles on Lorraine on Friday, as she detailed the letter he sent her covid-ridden husband Derek Draper in 2020 (pictured at the Prince's Trust Awards on March 11 2020)

Special encounter: Ahead of the Coronation, the broadcaster, 56, spoke kindly about the Monarch and how he supported her husband, who has been left with life-altering after effects from his lengthy battle with the virus

ShocK: She said: 'I think he is a very careful kind man. He put: "I really hope that you'll get the chance to read this to Derek". And I have had the chance to read that to him'

In October 2021, Kate confirmed the identity of the mystery Royal who helped support her during Derek's Covid battle.

She spoke to Charles about his kindness - which she referenced in her memoir The Power Of Hope - saying: 'And you might not remember but you were very kind to me because my husband got very sick with Covid after the last Prince's Trust awards...

'You wrote to me and gave me help, so thank you very much and he did improve.'

On Friday, following on from her words about his kindness, Kate also shared a hilarious anecdote of her second meeting with the King.

She said: 'It was the Princes Trust again and I got very wet on the way there, I was dashing from one event to another, and I found myself face to face with the now king and I had that odour of a wet dog.

Heartfelt: The broadcaster, 56, revealed King Charles wrote a letter to her husband Drake Draper about his illness - after meeting her at the Princes Trust

Shocking: Kate is a carer for her husband Derek, who continues to battle 'devastating' effects of long Covid, after falling ill with coronavirus in March 2020

'I apologised for smelling like a wet dog and as I went to shake his hand a massive thunder clap sounded and he said 'Never mind dogs, have you got contacted with Thor?'

The English MBE recalled the hilarious moment with joy as she praised him for the commitment to his new role.

'He's had a very long time to think about it and carve out his role, i think he is very spiritual as well,' she said.

'People who know him a lot better than me have said that he will take a moment tonight to think about it.'

Speaking about her role tomorrow for the King's Coronation, she said: 'I'm at Buckingham palace so I'm going to call ITV and say he's left!'

It comes after a professional impersonator of King Charles joined Kate and Ben Shephard on Good Morning Britain to speak about life impersonating his Royal Highness.

'It was the Princes Trust again and I got very wet on the way there, I was dashing from one event to another, and I found myself face to face with the now king and I had that odour of a wet dog', said Kate

Funny: Kate told: 'I apologised for smelling like a wet dog and as I went to shake his hand a massive thunder clap sounded and he said 'Never mind dogs, have you got contacted with Thor?'

Coronation: The English MBE recalled the hilarious moment with joy as she praised him for the commitment to his new role

'He's had a very long time to think about it and carve out his role, i think he is very spiritual as well,' the broadcaster said

Excited: Speaking about her role tomorrow for the King's Coronation, she said: 'I'm at Buckingham palace so I'm going to call ITV and say he's left!'

Look-alike: It comes after a professional impersonator of King Charles joined Kate and Ben Shephard on Good Morning Britain to speak about life impersonating his Royal Highness

Royals impersonators: Guy, who was sat next to Camilla impersonator Wendy Ellis, admitted that while he's busier than ever in the run up to the coronation, he's previously starring as Edward

Guy Ingle, 63, an entertainer from Ampthill, Bedfordshire, revealed that not only does he pose as the monarch, but also his younger brother Prince Edward.

Guy, who was sat next to Camilla impersonator Wendy Ellis, admitted that while he's busier than ever in the run up to the coronation, he's previously starring as Edward.

He said: 'Years ago I was on This Morning on a Thursday as Prince Edward, and on the Tuesday as Prince Charles.'

Elsewhere, Guy, who has been mimicking Charles, 74, since the nineties, revealed Charles sent a security guard over to him with a message at a polo match years ago.

The impersonator revealed His Majesty wished him 'good luck' when they first crossed paths.

He said: 'Some years ago, I actually turned up at a polo event when he did play polo and had to do a speech, and he played polo with his sons against the Argentinian polo team.

'And what happened afterwards was I actually watched him play and then the awards, and a security man came over and said, 'Prince Charles has got a message for you. He said, 'good luck to you. You've got to earn a living.'

However he admitted that the impersonator business wasn't always as lucrative and he had to pick up other jobs to get by.

He said: 'But I have to do other things as well to make a living, like during Covid, we have to do whatever, in between jobs I've worked in a cafe, I've done bar work, I've done everything.'

While in the run up to the Coronation, he has seen his workload quadruple.

Guy previously said: 'Work has never been so busy since the Queen's death as Charles is now king. Meaning I no longer play a second-fiddle character to the Queen.

'The workload has quadrupled, but I never let myself get dragged into any inappropriate gigs as I've got far too much respect for the royal family to do so.

'I've always been a huge fan of the royals, my family were always huge supporters of them.

'We were all hugely saddened by the news of the Queen's death, and I think the stress with Harry and Andrew must not have helped her I feel in her later years.'

Guy - who says he doesn't use the tube because of the stares he gets from the public - has also revealed how he operates in his unusual role.

He said: 'I have the same approach for majority of my gigs as King Charles.

'I get my agents to give me info on the person who's booked me and what the event is so I can tailor the routine.

'I learn the script and get my costume ready, I practice my lines whilst in getting the make-up done and then arrive at the venue in plenty of time.

'But I rarely use the tube to avoid stares and questions from the public as I often get stopped by them.'

Guy added that the best work he has ever done was in Los Angeles.

He said, 'The best experience I've ever had was when I was working in Los Angeles, on the set of the Superhero Movie in 2008 with the late, great Leslie Nielsen.

'I was treated like a star out there, limo trips and a five-star hotel to then be moved to an apartment in Beverley Hills.'

But achieving success has not come easy to Guy.

He said, 'The reason I got into this line of work was because I knew I could do better than most impersonators or lookalike.'

But he added that he had many rejections.

He said: 'I had constant rejection in the nineties until I finally started getting jobs with other impersonators such as Diana and the Queen.'

He also lost much work in the pandemic, so his revenue increase has come as a boost.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Henry Cavill have become the favourite choices for the next James Bond role - but a new entry looks to threatened them in the odds.

It has been revealed that a new name has entered the ring as Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu has been named by betting giant William Hill as number three contender.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of Ian Fleming's James Bond and fans are tingling as they wait for the next star to be revealed, with William Hill revealing the odds for the role and who is pipped against who.

A spokesperson said: 'There's been more interesting movement in the betting for the Next James Bond actor, with Paapa Essiedu shaking up the market and emerging as one of the frontrunners for the role...

'Essiedu wasn't even an option over the likes of Piers Morgan and David Beckham (both 1000/1) at the start of this week, but after entering the market at 8/1 on Wednesday, he is now the joint-third favourite at 3/1 to replace Daniel Craig...

'That price puts him level with James Norton to be awarded the role, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson (11/8) and Henry Cavill (5/2) still leading the way.'

Odd race: Aaron Taylor-Johnson (pictured) and Henry Cavill have become the favourite choices for the next James Bond role - but a new entry might threatened them

New bond? Although it's been a year and a half since Daniel Craig's last appearance as Bond in No Time To Die - producers are taking their time to make a choice as this role will entail one of the biggest reboot the franchise has seen (Henry Cavill pictured)

New favourite: Emmy nominee Paapa Essiedu appears to be the third most-voted choice for James Bond - as he threatens their lead

Although it's been a year and a half since Daniel Craig's last appearance as Bond in No Time To Die - producers are taking their time to make a choice as this role will entail one of the biggest reboot the franchise has seen.

It has been claimed that Aaron, 32, had a secret audition and remains the most voted star for the role. According to Puck New, Aaron sat down with producer Barbara Broccoli and sources claim the meeting went 'very well'.

In December it was reported that Aaron had shot scenes as the secret agent, filming the memorable 'gun barrel teaser footage' seen in the films over the years.

A source told The Sun at the time: 'Aaron has impressed bosses so much that he has filmed one of the franchise's famous gun barrel teaser scenes, something all the actors do. That move takes him a step closer to signing a deal.'

They added: 'Bosses at the brand were really impressed with his unique blend of acting intensity and his impressive back catalogue of action films.'

Long wait: As this year marks the 70th anniversary of Ian Fleming's James Bond - fans are tingling as they wait for the next star to be revealed

However the source went on to say that nothing was officially confirmed and it's unclear what any next steps might be.

Meanwhile other fans have been rooting for Henry, 40, to star as Bond - as he was previously considered and hope for a better outcome this time.

According to the Mail On Sunday, boss Barbara has made it clear she wanted the next actor to portray the character for 15 years, meaning that the 30-year-old is the perfect age to step into the role.

The two British heartthrobs have been contending the win - but there's one new star that joined the odd race for the 007 franchise.

Emmy nominee Paapa is said to to be the third most-voted choice for James Bond - as he threatens their lead.

Audition: According to Puck News , Aaron sat down with producer Barbara Broccoli and sources claim the meeting went 'very well' after he reportedly filmed a secret audition late last year

Odds: Meanwhile other fans have been rooting for Henry Cavill, 40, to star as Bond - as he was previously considered and hope for a better outcome this time

No chance: The claim eventually lost credibility as some executives were fearful his appearance on reality show Celebrity Big Brother in 2011 tarnished the chances of getting such a highbrow role (pictured Lucien Laviscount)

The I May Destroy You star is now 3-1 to be the next James Bond, in joint third with James Norton, according to William Hill.

Meanwhile, Henry is in second on 5-2 and Aaron remains at the top on 11-8.

One of the reasons why Paapa has suddenly caught bookies' attention as the next Bond - could be that Broccoli and her team are keen to have an ethnic-minority star to play 007 so the franchise is reflective of modern society.

In fact, Emily In Paris star Lucien Laviscount previously has won millions of fans as the next possible choice for the franchise.

The claim eventually lost credibility as some executives were fearful his appearance on reality show Celebrity Big Brother in 2011 tarnished the chances of getting such a highbrow role.

A source said: 'Lucien ticks all of the boxes. He is a super talented actor, is extremely handsome and in the past 18 months has won lots of new fans since he joined Emily In Paris.

'Bond bosses are already saying how you can see him in the 007 tuxedo, how dapper and fitting to the role he will look.

'But, there is a sticking point, and that is Big Brother. Lucien appeared on the show at a time when his acting career was not as high-profile as it is now, but he was very popular then and has a fan base now which stretches generations. That is a dream for Barbara who is very taken with him.'

Meanwhile, it can also be revealed that despite Ms Broccoli saying no announcement on a new 007 film is imminent, stunt men and women are being tested at Pinewood Studios. A source there said: 'They want to be ready for when things start moving with the new Bond.'

It follows reports It follows reports that Idris Elba walked away from 'years of talks' with movie bosses to become the next Bond, paving the way for a new 007.

After Idris declined the role - William Hill subsequently placed Henry Cavill at the forefront with 5/2, Rege Jean-Page with odds of 4/1, followed by Tom Hardy and James Norton both with 6/1 and Chiwetel Ejiofor at 7/1.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has invited investors to become a part of the journey of the Indian economy in Amrit Kaal, the 25-year journey towards its centenary as a modern nation, saying it is full of new opportunities for growth and investments.

The Indian finance minister, who is here to participate in the 56th ADB Annual Meeting, elaborated on the vision and reforms-oriented approach towards good governance under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to shape New India and redefine its place in the global economic order.

Addressing the Investors Roundtable meeting, Sitharaman spoke about recent reforms in India and highlighted initiatives like National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), National Monetisation Pipeline, Digital Public Infrastructure and Production Linked Incentive, besides real estate sector and FDI policy reforms.

The minister invited the investors to become a part of the journey of the Indian economy in Amrit Kaal, which is full of immense new opportunities for growth and investments, said Indias finance ministry.

During the meeting with the investors, she mentioned that India has stood out as a beacon of hope facing the tailwinds of the pandemic and the headwinds of the geo-political conflicts to become the fifth-largest economy in the world, it added.

The minister also appreciated the investors in South Korea for showing continued confidence in India and indicating their willingness and commitment to participate in the Production Linked Incentive scheme, especially for the mobile phone and electronic component sectors. Meanwhile, Sitharaman held a meeting with Biman Chand Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister, Government of Fiji, on the sidelines of the 56th ADB Annual Meeting.

She acknowledged that the Fiji governments whole-hearted support extended for the successful conduct of the 12th World Hindi Conference held in Nadi, Fiji, in February this year.

Prasad informed the Indian minister that the Fiji government has designated Girmit Day on May 15  marking 144 years of Indian indentured workers arrival in Fiji on May 14, 1879  as a new National Holiday in Fiji.

The two leaders discussed the upcoming 3rd Summit of the Forum for India Pacific Islands Countries Cooperation (FIPIC) in Papua New Guinea. Prime Minister Modi will chair the summit along with co-host and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape.
But it will be a tightrope walk for India as it must deal with China on the way

Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang was in India this week for the Shanghai Cooperation organisations (SCO) foreign ministers meeting. This is his second visit to India as foreign minister, the first being in March to attend the G20 foreign ministers meeting. As expected China insisted on normalcy in the bilateral ties with India even though the Indian side vociferously disagreed and made a sharp point on the border situation being anything closer to normal. It may be recalled that the Chinese defence minister Li Shangfu was in New Delhi last week to attend the SCO defence ministers meeting where he reiterated the normalcy in the border situation narrative. However, Indias defence minister Rajnath Singh in a stern message, put the border situation, and unilateral violation of existing sovereign agreements by China, as the central piece of bilateral relations between the two nations. He went further and suggested disengagement of forces on both sides to be the key criteria for restoring any sort of normalcy, in the bilateral.

His Chinese counterpart downplayed the situation suggesting India take a long-term view and put the border issue at an appropriate place in the overall bilateral. The message was clear, India and China have moved miles apart in their bilateral journeys. The Chinese state-owned media reported Li Shangfus statement to mean a stable border situation. To an Indian audience and perhaps to the rest of the globe, nothing could be further from the truth. The top military leadership of India and China met for the eighteenth time in the run of the SCO defence ministers meeting, with no significant outcomes. A Ministry of External Affairs short press statement released, post the 18th round of the corps commanders meeting stated The two sides had a frank and in-depth discussion on the resolution of the relevant issues along the LAC in the Western Sector so as to restore peace and tranquillity in the border areas, which will enable progress in bilateral relations. Later external affairs minister, S Jaishankar mentioned India China relations as abnormal and suggested that it goes against the grain of Indias current foreign policy fabric, which is more towards building warmer relationships with all countries, an oblique reference to the Chinese way of approaching diplomacy.

The China rhetoric on normalcy at the border is a copybook agenda-pushing doctrine, it has been practised with several nations while trying to unilaterally and forcefully alter their sovereignty. It takes the form of economic coercion, starting with opaque, binding financial loans for critical infrastructure projects, leading to a debt trap for smaller economies, resulting in the complete takeover of critical strategic assets by Chinese state-controlled firms. Chinese state-owned China Merchants group has recently announced building the largest logistics hub in Sri Lankas Colombo port with an investment of $391 million. It may be recalled that China already owns Sri Lankas Hambantota port, whose close proximity to Indian critical nuclear sites is a major concern. The playbook dictates China, and makes incremental advances by usurping the sovereigns economic, and geographical spaces, changing reference points and then negotiating with the nations from the altered Chinese vantage point. The recent narrative from China, on stability on border issues with India, fits into the same playbook.

However, India which holds the SCO and G 20 presidency for the year is moving cautiously to strike the right balance. It knows it has US support for now, on most disputes related to China, however, it continues to maintain warm relations with Russia, which is now increasingly being seen as Chinas shadow in international circles. Further Chinese premiere is expected to be in India in July to attend the SCO leaders meeting and may even come back for the G20 leaders summit in September. These are tough tightropes for India to walk.

(The writer is a policy analyst)
India's diverse culture and demography make Indian society prone to differences, and hate speeches can exacerbate these differences

In a recent order, the Supreme Court directed all states and Union Territories to take suo moto action and register cases on their own against those making hate speeches even if no complaint is filed in that respect. The court further directed that any hesitation to act in accordance with this direction will be viewed as contempt of court and appropriate action shall be taken against the erring officers. The court directed such an action irrespective of the religion of the maker of such speech, so that the secular character of India, as envisaged by the Preamble, is preserved and protected.

The courts order is indubitably appreciable and is made with indeed a pious aim to control hate speeches that have the inherent potential to destroy social harmony and may lead to strife and unrest in society. However, given the prevailing circumstances, it is highly likely that such an order may be misused by the political parties to settle scores with their political adversaries. Therefore, this order shall achieve its purpose truly only when the honourable apex court also simultaneously evolves certain foolproof safeguards for ensuring the prevention of misuse of an otherwise commendable and useful order.

India's diverse culture and demographic makeup make Indian society prone to differences, and hate speeches can exacerbate these differences, leading to social unrest and communal tensions. Events in the past have amply highlighted the fragile nature of Indias social fabric which is easily susceptible to such hate-fraught statements and how the volatile semblance of unity gets instantaneously tarnished resulting in a huge toll on peace and order in society.

The past few years have witnessed a flurry of incidents involving hate statements and speeches springing from politicians, political commentators, religious leaders and even common people. Most of such statements were made in political rallies, on social media platforms as well as in live debates on television channels. Hate-mongering campaigns are rampantly prevalent even on the social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter etc.

Moreover, a plethora of online channels is also becoming major sources of spreading hatred through such venomous speeches as they dont shy away in frequently inviting people with doubtful credentials to their panel discussions.

The motives for making statements potent with spreading hatred between communities vary as they may be a result of gaining political mileage through polarization, assuaging pent-up religious feelings, asserting superiority over the opponents, and even getting cheap publicity. Political campaigns often see politicians resorting to hate speech to gain votes from one particular community.

There is no doubt that such statements and speeches have an unhealthy influence on the common masses that carry such impressions in their psyche and form adverse opinions about other groups and communities. Given India is a constitutional democracy based upon the rule of law, hate speech must be strictly regulated irrespective of its source, as its untrammelled prevalence is highly potent with the danger of destabilising the national social order.

Past instances of hate speeches have caused violence and sowed deep-rooted hatred in society. For instance, the apparent rift between the Hindu-Muslim communities is based on religion and has caused significant disasters for society in the past.

Therefore, it is essential to have strict laws and regulations in place to curb hate speech and to ensure their indiscriminate enforcement without causing further harm to society, and the Supreme Courts recent decision on hate speech is a much-needed step in the right direction.

However, given the circumstances prevailing in India, especially in states, where the police frequently behave like in a police state, mostly at the instance of their political bosses, and do not refrain from implicating people under false cases, would not such an order be misused by them to serve personal interests.

In India, it is an open secret that people do not shy away even from filing false and fabricated cases to fulfil their selfish interests, and given the loopholes in the system they sometimes become successful.

India proclaims the ideal of non-violence and harmony, but these ideals will be compromised in case of the presence of hatred in the society. The question of how to effectively deal with instances of hate speech can be answered positively, but it requires the collective effort of communities and state police.

Although various provisions of the Indian Penal Code and the Representation of People Act, 1951 regulate hate speech, separate legislation on hate speech should be enacted to provide a detailed framework to deal with it along with the necessary safeguards to prevent the misuse of the law regulating hate speech. The recent directive from the Supreme Court is a welcome step in the right direction, as it is likely to curb cases of hate speech, but adequate safeguards are also required to prevent misuse of such an order.

(Sidharth Mishra is a Senior Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of Delhi and Shivani Devadiya is a law student. Views expressed are personal)
Actor Bhumi Pednekar says she will continue to concentrate on films that interest her irrespective of the length of her characters as her goal is to star in pan-India movies.

From the onset of her journey in Bollywood in 2015 with Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the 33-year-old actor said she has always given importance to well-rounded characters.

"I have never had a plan. I have been lucky that quality work has come my way and I have lapped up every opportunity that I got," the actor, known for films like "Toilet: Ek Prem Katha", "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan", and "Bala", told PTI in an interview.

"People see the number of scenes they don't see the scope of what you can do with that character. I will continue to do films that I want to do. I want to do every kind of cinema, I want to do pan-India, global work, I don't know where it ends, she said.

Her latest film is Sudhir Mishra-directed Afwaah, which revolves around the theme of standing up against dangerous rumours and the impact they can have on people's lives. The movie hit cinema halls Friday.

In the film, also starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bhumi plays Nivedita, a daughter of a politician, who she describes as an ambitious girl. She asserts the role is closer to her real self.

I wanted to do a thriller with this tonality that had something to say, besides the character really excited me. For me it is a genre breaker. I have never played a girl, who is extremely head strong, arrogant, super ambitious, a girl full of desires. She is somebody closer to my ideology. I wanted to see what I do when I play somebody who is close to me in so many ways, the Badhaai Do actor said.

Besides, Bhumi boarded the cast of Afwaah to work with Siddiqui, from whom she learnt the importance of living in the moment and that eventually helped her enhance her performance.

I have been an admirer of his (Siddiqui) work; I would hope that there would be something where he and I could collaborate. It was directed by Sudhir sir, so this felt like a perfect fit. As an actor, he is for the moment, whether that moment is for his or my character, that doesn't matter. I loved that so much," she said.

Ask her about actors being subjected to scrutiny and rumours, Bhumi said it is part and parcel of the job and she has learned to deal with it over the years.

Rumours exist in every individual's lives. I have seen it happen on a micro level in families... Because our life is public, there is a lot of agenda as well when it comes to spreading rumours about an actor. Whether an actor is spreading it themselves or somebody else, it is part and parcel of what we do. It is unfair but you just learn to deal with it, she said.

Afwaah also features actors Sharib Hashmi, Sumit Kaul, Sumeet Vyas, TJ Banu and is produced by Anubhav Sinha under his banner Benaras Media Works.
Ram Manikkalingam in SCMP:

The International Monetary Fund approved a US$3 billion loan to Sri Lanka a month ago as the first step in restructuring its debt. This is a significant victory for Sri Lankas President Ranil Wickremesinghe and could lead to a gradual stabilisation of the economy and the governments turnaround from bankruptcy.

After the staff-level agreement signed with the IMF six months ago, Sri Lankas debt restructuring has finally been approved by the IMF board. In this restructuring, China played a major role. As Sri Lankas (and the worlds) largest sovereign creditor, China joined Western governments and India in providing the assurances that unlocked the financing.

But is Chinas role in Sri Lankas debt restructuring a one-off or a signal that Chinas position on sovereign debt has shifted  something that could lead to a global policy breakthrough in negotiating debt restructuring?

More here.
The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meet for two days in Goa beginning Thursday will discuss the entire gamut of issues related to the grouping and situation in Ukraine and Afghanistan. The meet will also prepare the agenda for the SCO summit in July in New Delhi.

The SCO summit may ink 15 decisions and the ongoing SCO Foreign Ministers conclave will firm up these decisions or proposals on Friday, sources said on Thursday. The proposed decisions to be taken up in the SCO summit in July pertain to boost cooperation in trade, commerce, security and socio-cultural affairs among SCO members.

The SCO comprises China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, India and Pakistan, with Belarus, Iran and Mongolia as observers.

While the Foreign Ministers are likely to discuss the ongoing Ukraine conflict and the situation in Afghanistan, the SCO will not discuss bilateral issues like India-Pakistan ties as laid down in the SCO charter.

Secretary (economic relations) Dammu Ravi of the external affairs ministry told reporters in Goa on Thursday The most important work before the SCO foreign ministers will be to assess the status of decisions that will be approved at the SCO Summit.

The meeting will also be an opportunity to discuss the state of multilateral cooperation within SCO, reform and modernisation of the grouping, regional and global issues, and the process of admitting Iran and Belarus as full members, Ravi said.

The SCO Summit is expected to take a final decision on granting the status of dialogue partner to Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the people said.

Belarus, Iran and Mongolia currently have observer status with the SCO, which also has nine dialogue partners, including Egypt, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Ravi noted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had articulated Indias priorities as the chair of SCO with the theme of SECURE or security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, and environmental protection.

Under its presidency of SCO, India has hosted more than 100 meetings and events, including 15 ministerial meetings. These include meetings of ministers of defence, finance, environment, transport, energy, tourism and culture. Under an Indian initiative, the last SCO Summit in September 2022 agreed to create two new mechanisms focused on start-ups and innovation, and traditional medicine.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on Thursday held talks with SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming with a focus on overall agenda of the grouping.

Started my meetings at SCO CFM with a productive interaction with Secretary General Zhang Ming. Appreciate his support for Indias SCO Presidency, Jaishankar tweeted.

Indian presidency is driven by a commitment to SECURE SCO. Its key focus areas are startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, buddhist heritage and science and technology. Looking forward to a successful CFM in Goa, he said.

At the conclave, the foreign ministers will deliberate on overall challenges facing the region in the backdrop of the current geo-political turmoil and the state of bilateral ties between member nations would not impact the discussions.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.

The CFM will also witness the signing of MoUs with five countries namely Bahrain, Kuwait Maldives, Myanmar and UAE to become Dialogue Partners of the SCO.

India hosted the SCO defence ministerial meeting last week. The defence ministers of all the member nations of the grouping except Pakistan travelled to New Delhi and attended the meeting.

Special Assistant to Pakistan prime minister on defence affairs Malik Ahmed Khan joined the deliberations virtually.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

Meanwhile, reports from Islamabad said Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to Pakistan immediately after attending the SCO meet on May 5. He will hold strategic talks with the countrys top officials and is expected to attend a trilateral meeting involving Afghanistan, according to a media report.
The Manipur Government on Thursday issued shoot at sight order in extreme cases to contain spiralling violence in the State between tribals and the majority Meitei community which has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages.

Fifty-five columns of the Army and the Assam Rifles had to be deployed to contain widespread rioting across Manipur. The Army has also kept some 14 columns on standby for deployment in case the situation flares up once again, a defence spokesperson said.

The Centre, which is monitoring the situation in Manipur, also dispatched teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised force to handle riots, for deployment in violence-hit areas of the Northeastern State.

Meanwhile, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and took stock of the situation. Shah also spoke to the Chief Ministers of the States neighbouring Manipur, officials said.

The Chief Ministers with whom Shah had telephonic conversations were Neiphiu Rio (Nagaland), Zoramthanga (Mizoram) and Himanta Biswa Sarma (Assam). Sources said the force landed at Imphal airport this evening.

Internet services have been suspended for five days with immediate effect to prevent disturbance of peace and public order, a Home department order said on Thursday. Mobile internet services were suspended across the State.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday which intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks, the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) organised a Tribal Solidarity March in 10 hill districts of the stateto protest moves to give Scheduled Tribe status to the majority Metei community.

The shoot at sight order issued by the Governor of the Northeastern State said all magistrates could issue the order when all options of persuasion, warning and reasonable force have been exhausted and the situation could not be controlled.

The Army and the Assam Rifles staged flag marches in Khuga, Tampa, Khomaujanbba areas of Churachandpur, Mantripukhri, Lamphel, Koeirangi area of Imphal Valley, and Sugnu in Kakching.

So far, 9,000 people were rescued by the forces from the violence-hit areas, and given shelter, the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said some 5,000 people have been shifted to safe homes in Churachandpur, while 2,000 people each were similarly evacuated in Imphal Valley and the border town of Moreh in Tengnoupal district.

The Tribal Solidarity March was organised to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who account for 53 per cent of the States population, for the ST status.

The march was organised by tribals who account for about 40 per cent of the states population after the Manipur High Court asked the State Government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Metei community.

During the march in Torbung area of Churachandpur district, an armed mob attacked people of the Meitei community, leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, which escalated the violence throughout the State, police said.

Many shops and houses were vandalised, and gutted in arson that lasted for more than three hours in Torbung, they said.

Urging people to maintain peace, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate. However, the details of the deaths were not immediately available.

Singh said the violence was the result of misunderstanding in the society.

The State Government is taking all steps to maintain the law and order situation and additional para-military forces have been requisitioned to protect the lives and properties of the people, he said.

Central and State forces have been directed to take strong action against individuals and groups who are indulging in violence, he said.

The Chief Minister of neighbouring Mizoram, Zoramthanga, wrote to Singh, expressing concern over the violence.

As the Chief Minister of Mizoram, a lifelong neighbour that has much in common with Manipur in terms of history and culture, I am deeply pained by the violence that has flared up in parts of your State and the underlying tension between the Meitei community and the tribals there, he wrote in the letter.

Singh said he spoke to Zoramthanga on the phone and apprised him of the present situation.

Curfew has been imposed in Meitei-majority Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts.

In the Imphal valley, houses of Kuki tribals were ransacked in several areas, forcing them to flee, police said.

Over 500 residents of the Kuki-dominated Langol area in Imphal West fled their homes, and are currently staying at the CRPF camp at Lamphelpat, police said. Some places of worship were also set on fire in the Imphal valley Wednesday night, they said.

Meanwhile, around 1,000 Meiteis of the tribal-dominated Churachandpur district fled to various areas of Bishnupur district, including Kwakta and Moirang, they said. Over twenty houses were also burnt in Motbung area of Kangpokpi district. Violence was also reported from Moreh near the Myanmar border in Tengnoupal district.

Lawmakers of the valley have earlier openly endorsed the demand by some Meitei organisations for ST status, alarming communities who figure in the Scheduled Tribe list. The Meiteis inhabit the valley, which accounts for about a tenth of the former princely States land area. They claim they are facing problems because of large-scale illegal immigration by Myanmarese and Bangladeshis.

The hill districts which account for much of the states land are inhabited mostly by tribals -- including the Nagas and Kukis who are mainly Christians -- and are protected from encroachment by various laws.
Notorious gangster Anil Dujana, an accused in 18 cases of murder out on bail for the last four days, was gunned down in an encounter with Special Task Force (STF) of the UP Police at a village in Meerut on Thursday.

According to police, a STF team retaliated when the gangster opened fire at them after being cornered. His car had crashed into a pole.

Special DG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said the State Police have been keeping close tabs on 65 gangsters, including Dujana who was known for terrorising people in the national capital region (NCR) by his criminal activities.

The encounter took place on the day of polling for the first phase of the urban local body elections in the state. The Yogi Adityanath Governments major poll plank has been its strict handling of law and order.

Days earlier, gangster-politician Atiq Ahmads son Asad Ahmad and his accomplice were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police. A couple of days later, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were gunned down in Prayagraj by three men while they were being escorted to a hospital by the police.

Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh STF Amitabh Yash said, Anil Dujana (43), a wanted criminal, was surrounded by our team led by Additional SP of UP STF Brijesh Singh in a village in Meerut on Thursday afternoon. He fired at our team to escape and was killed in retaliatory firing.

In a press statement, the Uttar Pradesh STF said Dujana was alone in the vehicle at the time of the incident.

According to preliminary information, Anil Dujana was going to meet some of his gang members. The SUV he was travelling in collided with an electric pole after being surrounded by the STF team, Special DG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said.

He was recently released from prison on bail and was trying to build his gang again, the officer said, adding a case of extortion was also lodged against him at Dadri Police Station of Gautam Buddh Nagar.

The STF claimed that Dujana was travelling from Baghpat to Muzaffarnagar to meet his gang members to plan and carry out a big operation.

Four pistols and several cartridges were seized from the encounter spot, Kumar said.

Dujana had 65 cases, including 18 of murder, lodged against him in western Uttar Pradesh districts and Delhi, police said.

The first case against him was lodged at Kavinanagr police station of Ghaziabad in 2002 for murder and the latest was lodged at Dadri police station this year for alleged extortion.

According to STF officials, Anil Dujana, in his initial years, used to work for the Sundar Bhati gang in western Uttar Pradesh.

He later turned against Sundar Bhati, resulting in a gang war that continued for almost a decade. Despite his arrests on several occasions, Dujana remained active even from behind bars, even planning and ordering the killings of many of his rivals, the officials said.
Days after it filed for voluntary insolvency before the NCLT, Go First airline has cancelled all its flights till May 9, extending the suspension of operations by four days beyond the initial three-day period. It is also not taking new bookings till May 15.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Go First to refund passengers for the flights it has cancelled as per the regulation. The refund amount comes around Rs 350 crore

Go First has intimated that they have suspended sale of their flight tickets till May 15, 2023, and are working to refund or reschedule for future dates, the passengers already booked to fly with them, the DGCA said in a statement.

After examining the reply filed by Go First, the DGCA has issued an order under the prevailing regulations directing them to process the refunds to passengers as per the timelines specifically stipulated in the relevant regulation. It also said it is committed to minimising passenger inconvenience in view of the abrupt decision by Go First to suspend their scheduled operations without any prior intimation.

The DGCA had issued a show cause notice to the airline after it suddenly decided to cancel flights for three days starting May 3.

Go First took to its official Twitter handle and informed passengers that it is cancelling all its flights scheduled till May 9. Go First also said that it will issue a full refund to passengers. In a statement, the airline said: We regret to inform that due to operational reasons, Go First flights scheduled till May 9, 2023, have been cancelled. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations. A full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly.

On Thursday, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) reserved its order on crisis-hit airline Go Firsts plea seeking voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings. A two-member bench headed by President Justice Ramalingam Sudhakar concluded the day-long hearing during which the Wadia group-controlled airline sought initiation of insolvency resolution proceedings and an interim moratorium on its financial obligations.

Go First said in its plea with the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) that it has already cancelled 4,118 flights in the last 30 days and will be forced to cancel more flights given the cost and fleet constraints it is reeling under at present. In a plea to the Delhi bench of the NCLT, the airline sought directions to restrain aircraft lessors from taking any recovery action and restrain the DGCA and suppliers of essential goods and services from initiating adverse actions. Another plea is that the DGCA, Airports Authority of India (AAI), and private airport operators should not cancel any departure and parking slots allotted to the company. The airline also wants fuel suppliers to continue supplying for aircraft operations and not terminate the present contractual arrangements.
The Patna High Court on Thursday ordered the Bihar Government to stay the caste survey immediatly.

We are of the considered opinion that the petitioners have made out a prima facie case against the continuation of the process of caste-based survey, as attempted by the State of Bihar. There is also the question raised of data integrity and security which has to be more elaborately addressed by the State, said a HC division bench comprising Chief Justice K Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad.

Hearing a bunch of petitions against the caste survey, the bench directed the State Government ensure that the data already collected are secured and not shared with anybody till final orders are passed. The court has fixed July 3 as the next date for hearing.

Prima facie, we are of the opinion that the State has no power to carry out a caste-based survey, in the manner in which it is fashioned now, which would amount to a census, thus impinging upon the legislative power of the Union Parliament, the HC said.

Meanwhile, Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav claimed the survey is for public welfare and social improvement and one thing is clear, it is bound to happen.

While, Prashant Kumar Shahi, Advocate General (AG) along with his team of lawyers argued on behalf of the state government, senior advocates Abhinav Srivastava, Dhananjay Kumar Tiwari and others represented the petitioners during the argument.

During arguments, counsels for the petitioners relied on the decision in National Legal Services Authority (supra) to point out that the transgenders individual identity and entity were compromised by putting them together as a caste. Though they have been qualified as a backward community for the purpose of getting state relief, there is no reason to put them in a single caste category, which caste category does not really exist.

It was pointed out that though the Government has clarified that transgenders would not be classified as a caste, the classification remains in the guidelines issued by the state government, which prejudices them, one of the lawyers of the petitioners told the court.

Expressing concern, the court noted the governments intention to share data from the survey with leaders of different parties in the state assembly. There definitely arises the larger question of the right to privacy, which the Supreme Court has held to be a facet of right to life, it said.

The state cannot attempt to carry out a caste census in the garb of a survey, especially when the state has absolutely no legislative competence and, in that circumstance, neither can an executive order be sustained under Article 162 of the Constitution of India, the court clarified.

The essential difference between a census and survey, is that the former contemplates collection of accurate facts and verifiable details, while, a survey is intended at collection and analysis of opinions and perceptions of the general public which may be aimed at a specific community or group of people or the extended community of a polity.

Both result in an analysis of the data collected; which in the case of a census are empirical, while in a survey are mostly logical conclusions. The present exercise by the state of Bihar can only be seen as an attempt to carry out a census under the name of a survey, it said.

The HC also observed that the notification issued by the state government does not disclose any perceivable object for carrying out such a survey.

It is argued that in addition to the total absence of data integrity, there is also no measure implemented by the state to ensure data security. Even if the collection of data is on a voluntary basis, there can be no public consumption of such data, which would again violate the right to privacy of an individual; even if the data is given voluntarily, the court said.

There is no legislation to support the caste-based survey and in fact, there is no legislative power conferred on the state to carry out such an exercise. There is absolute absence of statement of objects which should also be a reasonable one having nexus with the ultimate aim and contemplated prior to the notification or simultaneous to its issuance. The action cannot be substantiated through any object or explanation, stated in the counter affidavit filed to the writ petition, the HC said.

The existing guidelines also prohibits the caste of the mother to be entered as that of the child; which is in violation of the Supreme Court declaration that the backwardness of a person, for the reason of his belonging to a caste, should be determined by the circumstance in which he grows up, the HC observed.

The first round of caste survey in Bihar was conducted between January 7 and 21. The second round started on April 15 and was supposed to continue till May 15.
The two-day Shanghai Co-operation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting began in Goa on Thursday with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holding bilateral meetings with his Chinese and Russian counterparts. A bilateral meeting with Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, however, is unlikely on the sidelines of the SCO conclave chaired by Jaishankar.

During their meeting, Jaishankar and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang discussed the prevailing tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh for the last three years, it was learnt.

Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang the importance of resolving the eastern Ladakh border row and ensuring peace and tranquillity along the LAC for normalisation of bilateral ties.

A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS, the External Affairs Minister tweeted.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Jaishankar held talks on overall bilateral cooperation, the Ukraine conflict and regional as well as global issues of mutual interest.

Comprehensive review of our bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Appreciated Russias support for Indias SCO presidency. Also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS, Jaishankar tweeted.

The talks took place at a beach resort in Benaulim on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The Russian foreign minister landed in Goa this morning to attend the SCO conclave, a day after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in an unsuccessful attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin.

There is no clarity yet on whether trade-related issues figured in the talks. India has been pressing Russia for urgently addressing the trade imbalance that is in favour of Moscow.

Indias trade deficit with Russia jumped significantly in the last few months after it procured significant volumes of discounted crude oil from that country in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.
The Aam Aadmi Party on Thursday alleged Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was being spied on by the Delhi Police with its Special Cell officials in plainclothes roaming around his residence the whole day. AAP chief spokesperson and Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj told a press conference the partys Rajya Sabha MPs Raghav Chadha and Sanjay Singh have written to Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora in connection with the matter.

The Delhi Police refused to comment on the matter but the Leader of Opposition In Delhi Assembly, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri said that the Arvind Kejriwal government is trying to divert the attention from his bungalow controversy. Their allegations that Delhi Police is spying upon CM Arvind Kejriwal & his visitors is their last ditch attempt to divert attention from Arvind Kejriwals Raj Mahal bungalow scam. Why Kejriwal is not answering the allegations of looting Rs 45 crore of peoples hard-earned money on his luxuries? The public wants to know his answers, he said. Bidhuri said that instead of answering these allegations, the AAP is trying unsuccessfully to divert the attention of the public by creating baseless issues like spying on the Chief Minister. Earlier addressing the media, Bharadwaj said, In the last two days, our MPs have written letters on a very serious issue. He then read out from the similar letters written by the MPs.

I would like to draw your attention to a serious issue. Delhis people have made Kejriwal CM thrice. There have been security lapses and he has been attacked. Police are supposed to protect the citizens. But its sad that they are not able to keep even the chief minister safe. Few days back, a drone was spotted near his residence but no one was arrested in connection with the incident, Bharadwaj said.

The MPs, he said, have further pointed out that some officers of Delhi Polices Special Cell have been roaming around Kejriwals residence for the whole day. Bhardwaj added, When asked, they said they are on a special task. What special task is this? Is the Delhi chief minister being spied upon? Under which law is the Delhi Police spying on its own CM? They are keeping an eye on people coming to the CMs residence.

The MPs also flagged the deteriorating law and order situation in the national capital.
A recent study conducted at AIIMS Bhopal examined the effects of two pranayama techniques, right nostril breathing (RNB) and left nostril breathing (LNB), on heart rate variability (HRV) in healthy kriya yogi volunteers who have been regular practitioners for the last 10-20 years. The study, titled "Immediate autonomic changes during right nostril breathing and left nostril breathing in regular yoga practitioners," was published in a PubMed indexed Journal of Education and Health Promotion.

Pranayama is an ancient Indian practice that uses voluntary regulation of breathing to make respiration rhythmic and calm the mind. Nadisuddhi pranayama involves inhaling and exhaling through alternative nostrils for successive respiratory cycles to purify subtle energy paths. Surya bhedi pranayama, which involves completing the respiratory cycle through the right nostril exclusively, is known to generate heat. On the other hand, Chandra bhedi pranayama, which involves completing the respiratory cycle through the left nostril exclusively, is known to dissipate heat and cool the body.

The study recorded the electrocardiogram (ECG) for HRV analysis using the Dinamika HRV-Advanced Heart Rate Variability Test System, Moscow, Russia. The resting and during readings of HRV parameters were compared, and post hoc analysis was done using Bonferroni and Holm multiple comparisons for repeated measures.

The results showed that the time domain parameters SDNN and RMSSD were increased at a high level of statistical significance during both pranayama maneuvers. The frequency domain parameters LF and LF/HF ratio also increased significantly. The LF values represent parasympathetic activity and can be very high when the subject is in a state of relaxation with slow and even breathing in both RNB and LNB, indicating an increase in parasympathetic activity rather than an increase in sympathetic regulation.

However, the study found that there was not much difference in the immediate effects of the two pranayamas on HRV in regular yoga practitioners.
Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi on Thursday sought inclusion of the historical Khandagiri and Udayagiri Hills in the UNESCO World Heritage list. She wrote a letter to Union Minister of Tourism and Culture G Kishan Reddy in this regard.

This is to bring to your kind knowledge that the twin hills of Udayagiri and Khandagiri within the Odisha capital city of Bhubaneswar are Centrally-Protected Monuments under Archeological Survey of India. These two hills are affiliated exclusively to the Jain pantheon and fulfil the criteria required for their incorporation in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the letter read.

Stating that the site is widely known for rock cut caves dedicated to Jainism, Sarangi said it is famous for the Brahmi inscriptions of 17 lines in Prakrit language pertaining to the period of King Kharavela of the Mahameghavahana Chedi dynasty dated 1st century BC.

This site also has prehistoric remains belonging to the Mesolithic period, she pointed out and contended that inclusion of the two hills in the UNESCO World Heritage list would result in their better preservation and development.

Various symbols are found arrayed in the caves, which are associated with Jain symbols like srivatsa, nandipada, snake and lotus. Under the circumstances, the twin hills located in the capital city of Bhubaneswar qualify to be included in the World Heritage list, the letter added.
Organs of a 62-year-old, Vijay Menon from Delhi who was declared brain-dead, have given a new lease of life to five people through organ donation.

He was declared brain dead due to a spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage at the Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Gurugram on Wednesday. The man had reached the hospital in an almost unconscious state on May 1, complaining of severe headache. The doctors transferred him to an ICU following a CT scan, but his brain ceased functioning hours later due to spontaneous intracranial haemorrhage. Recognizing him as a potential donor, the family was informed and counselled about organ donation. The family gave their approval for organ donation, saving the lives of five people, said Dr Swadesh Kumar, Medical Superintendent at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital Gurugram.
Zero tolerance towards corruption in Power Dept: Pb Minister



Chandigarh: Taking serious note of cases of corruption by some officials and officers of PSPCL in the recent past, Power Minister Harbhajan Singh ETO on Thursday said that corruption at any level would not be tolerated and the State Government will act tough against delinquent officials and no one found indulging in menace of corruption would be spared. Recently, in cases of corruption in PSPCL, swift and stern action was taken against SDO DS Sub-Division Mubarkpur Gurjinder Singh, SDO Harjit Singh, SDO Darshan Singh, SDO Chhinder Pal Singh, Junior Engineer Daljit Singh, lineman of DS Sub-Division, Bassian, Ajitpal Singh, among others. FIRs have been registered and involvement of senior officers in these cases is also being investigated. Anyone found guilty shall not be spared, he added.



AAP, BJP are two sides of same coin: Warring





Jalandhar: Slamming dictatorial decisions of AAP and the BJP, Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday said that both the parties were two sides of the same coin. They may appear opposite to each other but they have got each others back. Their sole aim is to malign the Congress image, that not only raises peoples concerns, issues, and problems in the Parliament but also stands by the voters during crisis situations, he said.



Ruksat 2022 organized at Khalsa College





Mohali: Khalsa College (Amritsar) of Technology and Business Studies, Phase-III-A, on Thursday organized Ruksat 2023 in which BCom, BCom Honours, BBA, BCA, BA senior students of PGDCA, MA Sociology, MBA and MCom were given farewell party by the Colleges junior students. Mr and Miss Farewell, and Mr Handsome and Miss Charming contest remained the center of attraction in the program. College Principal Dr Harish Kumari said that only those who work hard in life achieve their goals. Saying good luck to the students, she also inspired them to bring laurels to their parents and college and professors by becoming good human beings.



Hooda condemns misbehaviour with wrestlers at Jantar Mantar



Rohtak: The former Haryana Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda on Thursday strongly condemned the late-night misbehavior with wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Hooda said, The police are protectors, if they misbehave there then who will the players trust. The job of the police is not to torture the victims but to provide them justice, he said. Hooda further said that this is not a political issue, but a fight for justice. Everyone should rise above party politics and support sportspersons because these players are the pride of our country, he added.





Registration process of 208 acres of land for AIIMS, Rewari completed: Chief Secy



Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Thursday said that the registration process of 208 acre of land for AIIMS, Rewari has been completed, while Pt. Neki Ram Sharma, Government Medical College, Bhiwani being constructed at the cost of Rs. 535.55 crore is likely to be completed by December this year. He was participating in a virtual meeting convened by Advisor to Prime Minister Amit Khare.



DCs, SPs asked to meet public between 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM on all working days



Chandigarh: Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal on Thursday said that the state government has decided that the Deputy Commissioners (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) will now be available to meet with the public between 11:00 AM to 01:00 PM on all working days for prompt resolution of their grievances and complaints. To ensure the success of this initiative, all Head of Departments and Administrative Secretaries have been directed to refrain from scheduling video conferences or meetings during this time. In addition, every Tuesday will be designated as a 'No Meeting Day' for all purposes, including Video Conferences.



UT Administrator flags off 20 HVAC buses



Chandigarh: To strengthen the fleet of CTU on Inter-State routes, Banwarilal Purohit, Administrator, UT, Chandigarh, on Thursday flagged off 20 HVAC buses. These buses are having latest emission standards and technology. The buses will have heating and Air Conditioning System with Air Vents. According to UT officials, it has seating Capacity of 52 Passengers, CCCTV Cameras inside the bus, passenger Information Screens at front, pneumatically controlled passengers doors, GPS device and Panic button in case of emergency, mobile charging points for each row of seats. These 20 HVAC buses strengthen the CTU fleet on Inter-State to 178 buses (119 HVAC + 59 Non AC) and increase in daily operation to approx. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking now has a fleet strength of 330 buses.
The Election Commission of India has announced the bypoll schedule for the by-election to two seats of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, the upper house of the UP legislature.

The by-election to two seats from the assembly constituency has been caused by the death of Samajwadi Party member Banwari Lal and resignation of the sitting Bharatiya Janata Party member Lakshman Acharya, who was appointed as governor of Sikkim.

The other constituencies for election to UP Legislative Council are local bodies, graduate constituency, teachers constituency and six members are nominated by the governor on the recommendation of the chief minister.

The notification for filing of nomination papers would be issued on May 11 and the last date for filing papers would be May 18. The scrutiny of the nomination papers would be held on May 19 and the last date of withdrawal of papers would be May 22. Election, if necessary, will be held on May 29 and counting of votes will be taken up the same day.

As per the established practice, elections are not necessary for the bypolls as such seats are won by the ruling party on the basis of their strength in the state assembly.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Thursday, said that Basti, a city of great historical and mythological significance, was a victim of state neglect during the previous regimes of opposition parties.

Addressing a public meeting on the second day of campaigning for the second phase of urban local bodies elections to be held on May 11, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: The previous governments divided people and created a gulf in the society in the name of caste and religion. But today, under the double-engine government, development is taking place at a breathtaking speed. Basti today has its own medical college named after Maharshi Vashishtha, which was unimaginable six years ago.

He added: Basti is the land of Maharshi Vashishtha. Besides, it is a land of brave revolutionaries who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of the country. It is a land of litterateurs as well. Once a writer beautifully explained the neglect of Basti through a couplet that read Basti ko basti kahun to kako kahun ujar (if this is called basti, what is called a desolate place).

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that todays Basti had got out of that situation and was setting new paradigms of development with new vigour.

The chief minister said that there was a time when a previous government opened fire at farmers at Munderwa. Our government has set up a new sugar mill here. Today this sugar mill is becoming the identity of this place. How can a government without a vision for development carry out development? he said.

The chief minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, today India was recognised as the most reliable global leader.

The world looks towards India in times of crisis. On the one hand, Indias global prestige has gone up and, on the other, infrastructural development is taking place at a fast pace with the construction of highway networks, railways, medical colleges, universities, IITs and AIIMS. Besides, crores of houses and toilets have been provided to people while youths have been linked with skill development programmes to provide them employment and 50 crore were given Rs 5 lakh health insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat scheme, he pointed out.

The chief minister said that before 2017, there used to be terror of criminals in cities and extortion from traders was rampant; streets faced the problem of water-logging and drinking water was a big issue. But today we have given tablets in the hands of youths instead of pistols. We are going to give tablets to two crore youths of the state. Through this Rs 3,600 crore scheme, the talent of the youth will be linked with technology, to make employment opportunities available to them. Today there is no terror of criminals and cities are being developed as safe and smart cities, he remarked.

The chief minister said that 12,862 poor people had got houses in Basti (urban) whereas 4,224 street vendors had benefited from PM SVANidhi Yojana. Besides, he said, more than 14,000 destitute women, over 9,000 differently-abled and 12,000 elderly were getting an annual pension of Rs 12,000.

Not only this, more than 1.97 lakh Ayushman Golden cards have also been made for the poor people of the township while six new nagar panchayats have been created by the double-engine government, he said.

Appealing to the people to elect Bharatiya Janata Party candidates in the municipal elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that only that could ensure proper use of funds for development purposes.
The Congress, which won the state assembly elections over four months ago, on Thursday swept the Shimla Municipal Corporation (SMC) polls getting a two-thirds majority as it won 24 wards out of a total of 34, wresting the historic civic body from the BJP. While the BJP won nine wards, the CPI-M managed to win one ward even as Aam Aadmi Party could not open its account.



Both the BJP and the Congress had fielded 34 candidates each and the CPI-M had put up four candidates. The AAP had fielded 21 candidates.



The winning momentum of Congress continued in the state as it won the assembly polls in December 2022 getting 40 out of 68 seats. The victory is likely to help Congress prepare in right earnest for the Lok Sabha elections around the same time next year.



In the 2017 SMC elections, the BJP wrested the civic body from the Congress for the first time in 32 years, winning 17 wards. The Congress had won 12 wards, the CPI-M one, and the rest four wards were captured by independent candidates.



The Congress had an advantage in the civic polls as the assembly constituencies of two cabinet ministers, Aniruddh Singh (Kasumpti) and Vikramaditya Singh (Shimla Rural), and the constituency of Congress MLA Harish Janartha (Shimla Urban) constituted the SMC area.



The implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was a major factor in favour of the Congress as the SMC has the highest number of government employees.



Earlier, the counting of votes for 34 wards of the SMC commenced at 10 am and it was done in five phases on eight tables under tight security. About 59 percent polling was recorded in the SMC elections which was 1.2 percent more than the 2017 SMC polls. The polls were held on party symbols. A total of 55,385 voters comprising 29,504 males and 25,881 females exercised their franchise out of the total 93,920 people on the electoral rolls on May 2.





There was a festival-like atmosphere outside the counting centre and Congress office with enthusiastic supporters of winning candidates bursting into celebration and welcoming the winners with beating of dhols and nagaras and distributed sweets with the announcement of results.



The civic body's five-year term ended in June 2022 but the elections were delayed by 11 months.



After the results, Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu described it as a landslide victory and said it was an endorsement of policies, good governance and vyavastha Parivartan initiated by his government after coming to power in the state. "The people have reposed a big trust in the leadership and governance. I thank the people from the core of my heart as Shimla is considered the heart of Himachal. Many also call it as Mini-Himachal, he said.



Himachal Pradesh Congress President Pratibha Singh expressed her gratitude to the voters for the resounding victory of the Congress in the SMC polls and thanked party workers for toiling hard to achieve this feat. The impressive performance of the Congress in SMC polls is the beginning of victory for the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, she added. The PCC President, who was at the Congress office to greet newly elected councilors, described the party victory as a vote to four-month achievements of the government and party putting up a united show in the polls.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) condemned the cane-charge by the police on the protesting wrestlers at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Wednesday night and said it was unfortunate that the Supreme Court had closed the case of wrestlers now.

The party said that the accused MP, Brij Bhushan, was getting open protection of the Central government and that was why the Delhi Police did not act against him despite registration of a report on the direction of the Supreme Court and on the complaint of women sportspersons.

Instead of arresting the accused, the complainants are being harassed. It is extremely unfortunate that the Supreme Court has closed the case file of the wrestlers at such a critical time. This has shaken the hope of justice, CPI (ML) state secretary Sudhakar Yadav said.

He said that the role of the Central government and Delhi Police in the complaint of sexual harassment of women wrestlers was shameful.

Despite the POCSO Act being invoked, the accused is walking free and has been giving interviews in the media. Dozens of cases under serious sections of the Indian Penal Code have already been registered against him, but being from the ruling party, he was being spared. This travesty of law is happening in the capital of the country. In such a situation, there is only support for the people's movement, he said.

In another statement, the CPI (ML) state secretary, reacting to the news of the killing of gangster Anil Dujana by STF, said that the Narendra Modi government had made UP an encounter state.
Crime Branch Bhopal arrested the main accused who cheated 15 persons to the tune of Rs 35 lakh in the name of facilitating government jobs.

The accused himself prepared fake appointment letters and fake I-cards by forging the signature of DRM Bhopal. He used to pose as an officer of the Railway Recruitment Board.

The accused had made people visit Bhopal railway station in the name of training. Fake seals and WCR printed T-shirts were made from Bista Print online. Accused remained absconding for four months.

The accused absconded from Bhopal and Khandwa and started working at FNB Bakery in Kota.

Pritpal Singh Badhwa' lodged a complaint against Neeraj Nelson Bethe and Sandeep Das about fraud. In the year 2020, an acquaintance introduced Sandeep Das introduced to Neeraj Nelson Bethe and said that he is a Railway Recruitment Board officer. He took Rs.835123 for getting his son Prateek a job in the railway department and a fake appointment letter in the name of son which was also signed and sealed.

Account was also opened in which cash amount was deposited in Prateek's account for about 4 months. In the year 2021, it was found that the said appointment is fake and said that he would complain to the police.

Neeraj Nelson and Sandeep Das were booked under sections 170, 419, 420, 465, 468, 471, 473, 120B of the IPC.

Later Neeraj Nelson Bethe was arrested from Sagar Garhakota road.

A laptop and 2 stamp seals were recovered and seized from there.

The accused was earlier working at a store named Hyper City but was not satisfied with his income. Inspired by Hollywood films, he made a plan to cheat people in the name of getting jobs in railways, for this he bought a laptop and printer, after that he searched his laptop by searching for appointment orders from railways and samples of I-cards used in railways. He prepared the draft of the order and I-card.

After this, he started cheating unemployed people on the pretext of getting them jobs. The accused put the money of resident of Indore 12345 Betul in his account, after that the accused first prepared fake appointment orders of people in a planned manner, after that they bought fake seal of DRM Bhopal and printed T-shirt of WCR from Bista print. He himself signed the appointment order and I-card and handed over the appointment letters to the people.

After this, all the people were made to stay in Bhopal by getting them a room on rent in Karond and by giving T-shirts and I-cards, they made them visit Bhopal railway station and the trains standing at the station several times.

The accused also opened the salary accounts of all the people in the banks. The accused made all the people roam around for three-four months in the name of training. Some money was deposited and it was told that the full salary is not received during the training. When the people came to know that the appointment letters were fake, the accused kept assuring them to return the money and absconded to Kota.
The Chhattisgarh State Power Companies has issued appointment orders for 71 positions in the context of the Supreme Court order.

The company has issued document verification for 400 direct recruitment positions of Data Entry Operators, an official communication said.

After the Supreme Court lifted the High Court of Chhattisgarh order on reservation, the General Administration Department in Chhattisgarh issued an order to commence the recruitment process on Wednesday.

An order for the appointment of Data Entry Operators and Junior Engineers was issued, said Engineer (Human Resources) Ashok Kumar Verma.

The 40 positions include 31 applicants from the distribution company, five from the transmission company and four from the generation company.

Similarly, orders for the direct recruitment of 31 Junior Engineers have also been issued. Applicants from IT, Electronics and Computer Science branches are included in these.

Additionally, the document verification process for recruitment in 400 positions of Data Entry Operators has started. It will be completed soon.
The Himachal Pradesh government signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Indian School of Business (ISB) on Thursday to integrate data of all government departments under a common platform, ''Him Data Portal''.

The MoU was signed by IT Secretary Abhishek Jain on behalf of the state government and ISB Executive Director Ashwini Chhatre in the presence of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu.

The chief minister said ISB would collaborate with the Department of Information Technology as a research and technical support partner for building an open-source ''Him Data Portal'' that would enable visualization of multiple data sets through advanced analytics and identity-access-management-controlled dashboards and reports to support the state's policy-making and governance.

He said it would strengthen the state's benefit delivery systems through ''Him Pulse'' which would support and enhance the capacity of ''Him Parivar'' (all departments) in linking digital identity to the delivery of benefits to the targeted population.

He said the Him Data Portal would bring valuable data from multiple domains together of various departments thereby helping in visualizing patterns, gaps, opportunities and connections cohesively which would result in strengthening efficiency in governance. A website for the same would also be developed.


A 52-year-old kebab maker was shot dead in Bareilly for serving poor quality kebabs, police said on Thursday.

Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Rahul Bhati said the incident occurred on Wednesday night at an old kebab shop at Priyadarshini Nagar in Prem Nagar area.

According to police, two inebriated men came to the shop in a luxury car at night, ate kebabs and later complained to shop owner Ankur Sabarwal that they were not happy with the taste of the kebabs he had served. As the argument escalated, the two assaulted Sabarwal and returned to their car without paying for the kebabs.

When Sabarwal sent Naseer Ahmed, one of the cooks, to collect Rs 120 from the men, one of them shot him in his temple, leaving him dead on the spot, Bhati said, adding both men fled right after.

The car was traced to Kashipur in Uttarakhand on the basis of its pictures taken by the staff members, police said.

"The killers are being traced using the car's registration number. Police have registered a case of murder against unknown assailants. The body has been sent for post-mortem," Bhati said.

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a 15-year-old class 9 girl was abducted and gang-raped by three minors in a Bulandshahr village, the police said on Thursday. The accused are absconding while the police are conducting raids at their possible hideouts, officials stated.

According to the complaint filed by the girl's uncle, the incident occurred when the victim had gone out of her house to dispose of cow dung on Wednesday morning.

The accused forcibly took the girl to an abandoned house in the village, gang-raped her, and threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident before fleeing.

According to the police, the family members went searching for the girl as she did not return after nearly two hours and found her in a semi-conscious state in the abandoned house.

We took her to the primary health centre in the village where her condition deteriorated and she was referred to the district hospital in Bulandshahr. Two of the accused live in the same village while one belongs to a nearby place, said the uncle of the victim.

The police said the girls father, an army personnel, had been informed about the incident.

A case of gang-rape and another under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act has been registered. We are conducting raids to nab the culprits but they are at large, said Syana DSP Bhaskar Kumar Mishra.

The girl has also been taken for the medical examination after which her statement will be recorded, he added.
Dreaded gangster Anil Dujana was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force in Meerut on Thursday afternoon.

Following the encounter he was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead by the doctors.

This is the second high profile killing by UP STF in encounters after the killing of Atiq Ahmads son Asad in Jhansi. Asad was wanted in connection with the murder of Umesh Pal.

Anil Dujana was a resident of Dujana village under Badalpur police station of Gautam Buddha Nagar district. His real name was Anil Nagar. He was feared in parts of western Uttar Pradesh and ran an organised criminal gang. The first case against Anil Dujana was registered in 2002. Later, he joined the gang of Naresh Bhati, who was killed by Sundar Bhati.

The encounter comes in the wake of the ongoing crackdown by the Uttar Pradesh Police on crime syndicates.

In November 2022, Dujana was sentenced to three years in jail and also fined Rs 20,000. A person had lodged a murder report against a few people, including Dujana in 2011. He had been absconding despite being served several summons by the court. A chief judicial magistrate had sentenced him to three years imprisonment.

A notorious criminal, Dujana was nabbed by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police in 2021. He had 62 cases registered against him, including 18 of murders. The other cases included loot, extortion, land-grabbing and others. He was also booked under the National Security Act (NSA) and Uttar Pradesh Goonda Act. Dujana carried a reward of Rs 25,000 which was announced by the Bulandshahr police. The Noida police, on the other hand, had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 on him. He had been in jail, but was granted bail in 2021 after being nabbed by the Delhi Police. Later on a court issued a non-bailable warrant against him for non-appearance in old cases.
A group of farmers coming to Delhi to express solidarity with wrestlers protesting at Jantar Mantar was stopped by the Delhi at the Singhu border, with officials saying 24 of them have been detained.

The farmers were headed to the protest site in the national capital to join the agitating wrestlers who alleged last night that they were manhandled by Delhi Police personnel at Jantar Mantar, and appealed to people to arrive there for

support.

After the ruckus, the Delhi Police intensified patrolling, increased the number of police pickets, and put heavy barricading in the border areas. They said the borders have not been sealed yet, but strict vigil is being kept to check the movement of farmers.

A police official said Thursday they have inputs a large number of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are trying to enter Delhi with their tractors.

We have detained 24 farmers at the Singhu border. They have come from different cities of Haryana. Their vehicles have been kept at the police stations, said a senior police officer.

Meanwhile, taking to Twitter,Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Abhimanyu Kohar farmer leader Abhimanyu Kohar alleged he was arrested by the police at Singhu Border. He said on Twitter, We were peacefully going to Jantar Mantar to support the wrestlers. At Singhu Border, Delhi Police personnels stopped us, misbehaved with us, abused us and kicked senior farmers leaders.
President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday embarked on a three-day visit to Odisha for various official engagements.

For the first time after assuming the office of President, Murmu visited her home district Mayurbhanj. Accompanied by her daughter, she landed at the Badampahar helipad in an IAF chopper on Thursday morning.

Governor Prof Ganeshi Lal, Minister Prafulla Kumar Mallick, Union Minister Bisweshwar Tudu and other dignitaries welcomed Murmu at the helipad.

Breaking protocol, the President preferred to walk half a km to meet her villagers and fans, who were waving at her at the helipad, before moving towards her in-laws village Pahadpur, where she laid a wreath at the statue of her husband late Shyam Charan Murmu.

She also laid foundation-stones of a community centre at the SLS Trust School to be built by NABARD and a skill development centre. She spent some time with school students and villagers at her in-laws village.

Murmu also visited the Brahma Kumaris Centre, Hatbadra, Satapautia, where she launched an Addition-Free Odisha campaign. She attended some other programmes, including inauguration of a 100-feet-tall flag mast hoisting the National Flag near Badabandha.

On May 5, Murmu will go to her Rairangpur residence and spend about 20 minutes in the holiday home. From there, she will visit Pandit Raghunath Murmus village Dandbosh and later gp to the Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR) and spend the night at Baripada. For her visit, the STR has remained closed to visitors for two days (May 4 and 5).

On May 6, she will reach the Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanjadeo (MSCB) University, Baripada, where she will deliver the convocation address.

Then, the President will fly back to the Kalaikunda Airport in West Bengal, from where she will return to Delhi.


PNS/



In a major setback to the Punjab Government, the Centre has reduced the Market Development Fee (MDF) to two per cent and Rural Development Fee (RDF) to zero per cent in the provisional cost sheet for wheat procurement issued to the State Government  a move set to cost the state exchequer Rs 1,000 crore for the wheat procurement season alone.



Lashing out at the BJP-led Central Government over its decision to suspend Punjabs RDF and reduce MDF, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday asked the new BJP leaders if they have the courage to take up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Taking to Twitter, Mann tweeted in Punjabi to say that the reduction in RDF will cost the state Rs 750 crore and the reduction in MDF will cost Rs 250 crore more. Will Captain (Amarinder Singh), Manpreet Badal, Bains brothers, Rana (Gurmit Singh) Sodhi, (Gurpreet Singh) Kangar, Fateh Jung Bajwa, Inder (Iqbal) Atwal, who have joined BJP recently, dare to raise the issue with (Prime Narendra) Modi ji? he asked.



Mann, in his tweet, said that BJP has exposed its anti-Punjab and anti-farmer face. The Modi government has been working against Punjab and its farmers because of their defeat during the farmers movement. Today, the Centre has again shown its bitterness towards Punjab and the farmers by brazenly refusing to give Rs 1,000 crore of the state, he said.

Notably, the Centre has been paying six percent statutory charges  three per cent each of RDF and MDF  on the minimum support price (MSP) of wheat and paddy. Punjab procures wheat and paddy to the tune of nearly Rs 66,000 crore per year, and receives Rs 3,600 crore on account of RDF and MDF annually by levying it at the rate of three per cent each.



The state authorities have all along been raising the issue of non-payment of Rs 2,880 crore towards the RDF by the Centre. In fact, Chief Minister Mann had also met the Union Food and Public Distribution Minister Piyush Goyal twice to discuss the same. During his meetings, he had sought the pending dues from Rabi Marketing Season (RMS) of 2021-22.


The Chhattisgarh government on Thursday announced it will recruit 12,489 teachers in government-run schools.

The announcement came after the Supreme Court gave interim relief to the state government and gave a go-ahead for a 58 percent quota for recruitment and admissions.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has told Chief Secretary Amitabh Jain and other officials to go ahead with recruitments to pending posts at the earliest.

Earlier, the High Court in Chhattisgarh, citing the 50 percent cap in reservation, had dismissed the state governments plea.

The School Education Department has advertised for direct recruitment of 6,285 assistant teachers, 5,772 teachers and 432 lecturers, an official statement said.
South Eastern Railway (SER) authorities have announced that trains will be regulated in view of pre-non interlocking and non-interlocking work that is scheduled to take place at Raipur.

In view of Pre Non Interlocking and Non Interlocking work for Doubling between Raipur - Raipur Block Hut and Yard remodeling of Raipur Station, the train services of SER will be regulated.

The pre-non interlocking work involves preparing the tracks and signaling systems for the non-interlocking work that will follow. During the non-interlocking work, the tracks and signaling systems will be completely shut down to allow for maintenance and repair work.

As a result, trains will be regulated during this period, and passengers are advised to plan their travel accordingly. Some trains may be cancelled or rescheduled, while others may be diverted to alternate routes.

Officials have urged passengers to check the status of their train before embarking on their journey. They have also advised passengers to allow for extra time and to be patient, as delays and disruptions are expected during this period.

In a statement, railway officials emphasized the importance of the work being carried out. "This pre-non interlocking and non-interlocking work is essential to ensure the safety and efficiency of our railway network," they said. "We apologize for any inconvenience caused to passengers during this period, and we appreciate their cooperation and understanding."

The railway authorities have assured passengers that all efforts will be made to minimize the impact of the work on train services, and that normal services will be resumed as soon as possible.

Passengers are advised to stay updated on the status of their train by checking the railway's website or by calling the helpline number.

As per the communique, 12860 Howrah- CSMT Mumbai Gitanjali Express will be rescheduled to leave Howrah at 16:05 hrs. instead of 14.05 hrs. on May 4 and May 6. 22894 Howrah-Sainagar Shirdi Express will be rescheduled to leave Howrah at 16:35 hrs. instead of 14.35 hrs. on May 4 . 18030 Shalimar-LTT Express will be rescheduled to leave Shalimar at 16:35 hrs. instead of 15:35 hrs. on May 4 , May 6 and May 9. 08185 Hatia-Durg Special will be rescheduled to leave Hatia at 21:05 hrs. instead of 20:05 hrs. on May 4 .

20822 Santragachi-Pune Humsafar Express will be rescheduled to leave Santragachi at 19:00 hrs. instead of 18:00 hrs. on May 6. 18110 Itwari-Tatanagar Express will be rescheduled to leave Itwari at 01:05 hrs. instead of 00:05 hrs. on May 8. 08862 Jharsuguda-Gondia MEMU Special will be rescheduled to leave Jharsuguda at 10:20 hrs. instead of 07:20 hrs. on May 10.

Short Termination and Short Origination of Trains: 13288 Rajendra Nagar- Durg Express, journey commencing on May 8 will be Short Terminated at Bilaspur and service between Bilaspur-Durg will remain cancelled. 13287 Durg-Rajendra Nagar Express, journey commencing on May 10 will be Short Originated from Bilaspur and service between Durg-Bilaspur will remain cancelled.

08862 Jharsuguda-Gondia MEMU Special, journey commencing on May 9 will be Short Terminated at Bilaspur and service between Bilaspur-Gondia will remain cancelled. 08861 Gondia-Jharsuguda MEMU Special, journey commencing on May 9 will be Short Originated from Bilaspur and service between Gondia-Bilaspur will remain cancelled.
As a sea of humanity, including a galaxy of leaders including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, converged at the Badal village to pay homage to Punjabs five-time Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Thursday used the stage to seek forgiveness for whatever mistakes may have been committed, inadvertently or otherwise in the past by him or anyone from his family.



Sukhbir, addressing the gathering in a choked voice during the bhog ceremony of his father and Akali patriarch, said: I and my family owe an irreversible debt of gratitude to the panth and Punjabis across the world for the overflowing love and support we have received during these tough days. This sacred bond with the sangat tells me to seek forgiveness for whatever mistakes may ever have been committed at any time in the past by me, my party or anyone in our family.



The sangat has always been and shall always remain supreme for us, and we always trust and submit to the highest grace of the great Guru Sahiban and Guru Granth Sahib, he said.



Stressing that the real tribute to the senior Badal would be to work towards strengthening the party, Sukhbir said: I know I am hardly worthy of the unmatched and historic elegance of the legacy of Badal Sahib but I give you this solemn and sacred commitment that every minute and every breath of my life, I will dedicate myself to earning and deserving this legacy.



I promise the Khalsa Panth, the people of Punjab, and the country that I will strive day and night for upholding the ideals placed before us by the great Guru Sahiban through the most sacred Guru Granth Sahib. These ideals spring from a deep and unswerving commitment to seva (service) and to the concept of Spiritual Secularism as contained in the concept of Sarbat da Bhala (welfare for all). Punjabis have always lived by and taken pride in this vision, and I will not let the grounds for this pride weaken ever, he said.



Thousands of people had converged to offer last prayers to the SAD patron at a school named after his mother Jaswant Kaur at Badal village. The entire Badal family, including SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, his wife-cum-MP Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Manpreet Badal, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Parneet Kaur Kairon, Bikram Singh Majithia, Ganieve Kaur Majithia, and their children were present.



Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who along with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and other leaders participated in the antim ardas, described him as ajaatshatru (without any enemy), and bhaichare ka sardar.



With Badal sahibs death, the Sikh panth has lost its true soldierThe country has lost a true patriotand the farmers have lost their sympathizer. His death is a loss for entire nation, he said.



Eulogizing Badal as a man with a big heart who stood up against emergency as a matter of principle, Shah said that during Badals career spanning decades, he dedicated himself to the welfare of the poor. Badal sahib laid the foundation of new Punjab. He always worked for the peace and communal harmony. He always worked for the welfare of the state and stood like a rock even during the time of emergency in the State. During our party's alliance with them (SAD), he always gave those suggestions which were good for our party as well, he said.



Shah, lauding the secular credentials of the former Chief Minister, said that the latter had built a gurdwara, mandir, and masjid in his native village Badal. Badal sahibs demise is a personal blow to me, he said.



Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that Badal had remained the strongest votary of federalism throughout his life. Badal Sahab believed strong States would make a strong nation and also felt that undue Central interference in State subjects would only weaken the nation, he said.



He said that the late leader also strongly believed in the importance of regional parties as they best echoed the aspirations of the people of the area.



Senior SAD leaders also called for unity to complete senior Badals mission as well as set future goals as per the ideals of the late leader.



Ajit editor Barjinder Singh Hamdard reminiscenced how the late leader was approachable to one and all. He related how the former Chief Minister prevailed upon then Prime Minister IK Gujral to waive off the Rs 60,000 crore loan which the State had incurred during the period of militancy as well as detailing how former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh did not allow breaking of the SGPC on Badals plea.



Akali Leaders appeals Sukhbir, Manpreet to Reunite

Separated following differences in political ideologies, grief appears to be bringing two estranged cousins  Sukhbir and Manpreet Badal  together. Two senior Akali leaders on Thursday exhorted Sukhbir and Manpreet to once again join hands for honouring the former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badals wish  seeing the two brothers together in Akali Dal.



The call to bury the hatchet and rejoin politically came a day after grieving Manpreet Badal was consoled by none other than Bikram Majithia  Sukhbirs brother-in-law  when he broke down after immersing the senior Badals ashes. Moreover, ever since Badals deaths, the pictures of the two sharing a tight hug consoling one another, performing rites and rituals together, among other things are indicating that the senior Badals death has brought the two estranged brothers together.



Senior SAD leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra, addressing the gathering, appealed to Sukhbir and Manpreet to reunite. On this, public too chants slogan Waheguru ji ka Khalsa, Waheguru ji ki Fateh.



Later, former Rajya Sabha member and senior SAD leader Balwinder Singh Bhunder, considered close to the senior Badal, too appealed to both to reunite.



Former Finance Minister and now BJP leader Manpreet Badal made an emotionally charged speech, punctuated with couplets, while remembering his uncle. Badal sahib and Dass ji (his father Gurdas Badal) di Ram-Laxman di jodi would be together in the heaven today, he said.



At the same time, he urged his estranged cousin and SAD president Sukhbir Badal to take the political legacy of the Badals ahead successfully.



Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, paying tributes to the Akali patriarch, said that it was the former Chief Ministers wish that the Bandi Singhs be released from their incarceration in his lifetime.



He also submitted a memorandum in this connection to Union Home Minister Amit Shah which called for the release of all Bandi Singhs, including Bhai Balwant Singh Rajoana, in keeping with the undertaking given by the Central Government on the occasion of the 550th birth anniversary of Sri Guru Nanak Dev ji in 2019.



The statement came a day after the Supreme Court declined to commute Babbar Khalsa terrorist Balwant Singh Rajoanas death sentence to life imprisonment.



Dhami urged Union home minister Amit Shah, who was present, to ensure the release of the prisoners as a befitting tribute to the late leader. SAD and the BJP are old political allies. Now, as the BJP is in power in the Centre, the issue can be resolved. The release of Bandi Singhs was close to Badal saabs heart. It was his last wish to see the prisoners walking out of jail, Dhami said.


Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that once declared as the most backward district by NITI Aayog, Siddharthnagar was now progressing at bullet trains pace.

Addressing a public meeting in the district, Yogi said, Siddharthnagar has truly embodied the Buddha's teachings to 'Be your own light' or 'Appa Deepo Bhava'. The region has made remarkable progress in education, healthcare, agriculture, water resources, and employment."

He added that the kala namak rice here was once again making its mark on the global stage.

Praising Prime Minister Narendra Modis leadership, he said, Before 2014, Indias reputation was in decline, and Indians were viewed with suspicion abroad. However, under Prime Minister Modis leadership, India has undergone a transformation and it has become a world power.

Today there is a good network of highways, railways, airports, medical colleges, engineering colleges, central schools, and Kasturba Vidyalayas in the country, he added.

Every poor person is getting the benefit of welfare schemes. In the last nine years, crores of people have been given free housing, gas connections under the Ujjwala Yojana, and toilet facilities at home. About 50 crore people of India are getting health insurance cover of five lakhs under the Ayushman Bharat Yojana, 80 crore people are being given free ration facility, he pointed out.

Emphasising that his government prioritised empowerment over appeasement, Chief Minister Yogi said, In the state, housing facilities have been provided to over 54 lakh poor people, toilets for 2.61 crores, gas connections for 1.75 crores and ration for 15 crore poor people.

Listing governments development projects, the chief minister said, No one expected that there will be a medical college, central school, and Kasturba Gandhi vidyalaya in every block in Siddharth Nagar.

The chief minister said that Uttar Pradesh had emerged as the most progressive state in the country. Today our cities are seen as smart cities and not piles of filth. There is no terror of criminals and cities are being developed into safe cities, he added.
Amidst reports of minor clashes between supporters of political parties, missing names in voters list, technical snags in some electronic voting machines etc, the voting for the first phase of urban local bodies polls was completed peacefully on Thursday.

A voter turnout of over 50 per cent was recorded till 6 pm and at many places, voters were still standing in queues waiting to cast their votes.

According to the State Election Commission (SEC), a polling percentage of 51.67 was recorded in Shamli district, 50.57 per cent in Shravasti and 50.92 per cent in Maharajganj. Varanasi recorded a polling percentage of 32.7 and Prayagraj 24.31, till 3 pm, the SEC said.

In a shocking development, Sub-Divisional Magistrate Virendra Kumar Mittal died of heart attack during election duty in Mainpuri. The SDM was the election officer of Jyoti Khudia nagar panchayat. He was posted as additional deputy collector at the Collectorate.

Voters in 37 districts exercised their franchise in the first phase of the polls to elect 7,593 representatives, including 10 mayors and 820 corporators out of the total 44,232 aspirants, the SEC said. The districts where mayoral elections were completed in the first phase are Saharanpur, Agra, Moradabad, Firozabad, Mathura, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Gorakhpur and Varanasi. More than 2.40 crore people were eligible to vote in the first phase, the officials said, adding that all the posts were being contested on party symbols. The first phase of voting was held in 37 districts  Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Sambhal, Agra, Firozabad, Mathura, Mainpuri, Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Kaushambi, Prayagraj, Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Hardoi, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kheri, Gonda, Bahraich, Balrampur, Shravasti, Gorakhpur, Deoria, Maharajganj, Kushinagar, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Jaunpur of nine divisions of Uttar Pradesh i.e. Saharanpur, Moradabad, Agra, Jhansi, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Devipatan, Gorakhpur and Varanasi.

The voting was held amidst high security arrangements. Special Director General (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said that as many as 19,880 inspectors/sub-inspectors; 1,01,477 head constables/constables; 47,985 home guards; 86 companies of PAC; 35 companies of CAPF and 7,500 under-training sub-inspectors were posted for the first phase of the urban local bodies elections and no untoward incident was reported from anywhere.

The India-Nepal border was also sealed from 6 pm on Tuesday. The security personnel maintained a strict vigil but allowed people who had to attend weddings or had some emergency work to pass. Paramilitary and police personnel were continuously patrolling the Indo-Nepal border. Soldiers were carrying out pillar-to-pillar mobile duty for the security of the open border, Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) border outpost in-charge Jayant Ghosh said.

Meanwhile, stray incidents of clashes, missing names in voter lists including technical snags in EVMs were reported at some places. Councilor candidate of Ward No. 14 of Hassanpur municipality in Amroha, Madhusudan alias Madhua, was brutally attacked on Wednesday night. He was seriously injured and referred to higher medical centre in Ghaziabad where he succumbed on Thursday afternoon. The family members accused the rival of killing the victim.

During the voting in Gajraula, also in Amroha district, there was a ruckus at some sensitive booths. Sources said that the Muslim voters and Bharatiya Janata Party workers were engaged in brick batting. During this, vehicles were also vandalised. Due to this incident, the polling personnel stopped their work and locked their rooms from inside. Sources said that at about 11 am, some voters of a particular community were stopped from casting their votes at Jalal Nagar, a highly sensitive polling booth located in front of the municipality office. The police had a heated argument with these voters who had gathered near the mosque when the supporters of the BJP candidate reached the spot. The atmosphere heated up after the hot-talk between the two sides and then stone pelting started from both the sides. Not only this, vehicles of polling parties were also vandalised during the clash.

On the other hand, fearing ruckus, the polling personnel stopped their work and locked their rooms from inside. The police detained one of the people who pelted stones. On the other hand, the police force deployed at other polling stations was also called to the spot. Police officer Arun Singh said that the people who created ruckus were being searched.

After getting information about the incident, Samajwadi Party candidate Urvashi Chaudhary reached the spot with her husband Mukesh and another candidate Rajendra alias Uma Devi along with her son Sanjay Sagar. They had heated arguments with the police. The polling was later held peacefully and senior officers denied any irregularity, terming the allegations as baseless.

In Maharajganj, supporters of a BJP and a Congress candidate clashed with each other near a house during polling in Nichlaul town. The two accused each other of distributing money to voters, police said. The supporters left before the police reached the spot, they said.

In a separate incident, two persons were arrested after alleged bogus voting in Orai tehsil campus in Jalaun.

Arrests were also made after Bharatiya Janata Party and Bahujan Samaj Party workers clashed in Hardoi. In Unnao, an FIR was lodged with the Kotwali police after a video surfaced in which SP candidate Neetu Patel's husband Raman Patel was allegedly giving money for votes. Neetu Patel is contesting for the post of chairperson of Unnao nagar palika.

In Lakhimpur Kheri, there was an allegation that the supporters of the SP candidate threw a brick at the vehicle of the BJP candidate. The supporters of both the parties came face to face with this incident which took place in public. As soon as the information was received, the police officers also reached the spot. A video of this ruckus also surfaced. According to the information, the incident took place near DS Inter College. The BJP and SP supporters came face to face. Within no time, the dispute escalated so much that an uproar started. Meanwhile, it was alleged that someone threw a brick at BJP candidate Pushpa Singhs car, which damaged her car. Pushpa Singhs husband Awadhesh Singh accused SP candidate Rama Vajpayees husband Mohan Vajpayee and supporters of attacking the car. The police later reached and controlled the situation. However, the district magistrate categorically denied the incident. The district magistrate said polling was held peacefully.

In Sambhal also, an independent candidate and his supporters were accused of assaulting the BJP candidate.

There was ruckus during voting in Saraswati Vidya Mandir in Shamli. It was said that there was an allegation that independent candidate Anil Upadhyaya and his supporters assaulted the BJP supporters. After the incident, the police reached the spot and took some people into custody.

In Firozabad, a SP candidates son was shot at just before the elections. Local police claimed that the incident took place over some old enmity. The injured was admitted to the trauma centre for treatment.

A youth was caught during polling at Kairana in Shamli district on Thursday. It was claimed that the youth had come to cast fake votes. Police caught him at the booth of Public Inter College, Kairana. His identity was not revealed yet.

Meanwhile, voting was stopped temporarily at a polling station in Moradabad due to a technical snag in an electronic voting machine (EVM). The EVM stopped working at Shyamu Devi polling station booth number 288 in Moradabad, thus temporarily stalling the polling process.

In Lucknow, District Magistrate, Suryapal Gangwar said that all EVMs that were not working properly had been replaced.

In Saharanpur, former MLA and BSP leader Imran Masood attacked BJP, accusing it of using government machinery. Alleging that his supporters were not being allowed to vote, Masood said that it was murder of democracy. There is no point in such elections, he said.

Khadija Masood, sister-in-law of BSP leader Imran Masood, is the mayoral candidate from BSP in Saharanpur. Masood said that polling booths in Muslim-dominated areas were crowded since morning but the voters were not allowed to cast their votes.

BJP staged a drama in the name of bogus voting by holding a press conference on polling eve and we had an apprehension that BJP people would definitely do something wrong. The police lathi-charged our voters at JVS School. Complaint was made to the observer, but no one was hearing, he claimed, while accusing BJP of using government machinery.

Meanwhile District Magistrate of Saharanpur, Akhilesh Singh, said that polling was peaceful across the district. On the complaint of fake ID, some people were detained and questioned.

Meanwhile, BSP supremo Mayawati exuded confidence of a big victory for her party. Our party is contesting the polls alone. I hope that my party will get a good response and the results will be good, BSP supremo and former chief minister of UP, Mayawati, said after casting her vote at a school in Mall Avenue area of Lucknow.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Brijlal Khabri said his party was contesting all the 17 seats of mayors, and around 70 per cent seats of corporators and hoped that the party would win maximum seats.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday greeted his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China's Qin Gang and other foreign ministers with a namaste on their arrival at the venue of the India-hosted conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Though the two-day SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting began at the Taj Exotica Resort here on Thursday evening with a reception hosted by Jaishankar, the main deliberations took place on Friday.

The external affairs minister greeted each visiting foreign minister with a namaste and there was no handshake.

At Thursday evening's reception, Jaishankar shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart like he did with others, according to a few people who are part of Bhtutto-Zardari's entourage.

Bhutto-Zardari landed in Goa on Thursday, becoming the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years.

In 2011, Pakistan's then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India and held talks with her then counterpart SM Krishna.

India hosted the SCO foreign ministers' conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday.

An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, the MEA said in a statement.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, it said.

Reacting to the announcement, Macron in a tweet in French and Hindi said, "Dear Narendra, it will be my pleasure to welcome you to Paris as the guest of honour for the 14th of July parade."

The MEA said that Prime Minister Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

"This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 presidency," according to the statement.
Chinas Foreign Minister Qin Gang will travel to Pakistan today on a two-day visit after attending the meeting of the SCO Foreign Ministers hosted by India in Goa, it was announced here on Thursday. Qin is attending the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) Foreign Ministers meeting being held on May 4 and 5 at Panaji in Goa where his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari too is taking part.

Besides being the Foreign Minister, Qin is also the State Councillor, a higher rank associated with the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC). SCO bloc consists of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India holds the presidency of the grouping for this year. Significantly the Chinese Foreign Ministry while announcing the visit of Qin to Myanmar and India on May 2 did not include his visit to Islamabad though Pakistan media reported about it. Instead, the ministry announced his visit to Pakistan separately on Thursday during which he is due to take part in China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers meeting.

The trilateral is being held less than a month after the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan Foreign Ministers meeting of China, Russia, Pakistan and Iran in Samarkand, in which Qin presided. Qins visit to Pakistan, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that this will be his first visit to Pakistan after taking charge and an important part of the recent close and frequent interactions between the high levels of China and Pakistan.

The reference apparently was the just concluded maiden visit of Pakistans new Army Chief Asim Munir, here during which he held a series of meetings with top Chinese Generals and top diplomat Wang Yi who is the Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the CPC Central Committee.
Israelis blocked roads and demonstrated on Thursday against a contentious government plan to overhaul the judiciary, hoping to ramp up pressure on lawmakers after parliament reconvened this week following a month-long recess.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu paused the overhaul in March after intense pressure and the opposing sides are trying to reach a compromise agreement. But in a sign of the mistrust of his intentions, tens of thousands have continued to protest every Saturday night since.

Thursdays midweek protest was expected to be smaller, but demonstrators are hoping to remind legislators of their presence and their ability to disrupt the country over their opposition to the overhaul. Major roads and intersections in seaside Tel Aviv and elsewhere were choked off by dozens of protesters waving Israeli flags. Demonstrations took place outside the homes of Israels ceremonial president and of the countrys National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who in exchange for the plan being paused demanded Netanyahu grant him authority over a new national guard, which critics say would amount to his own personal militia. Police said one protester was arrested for causing disturbances. Protest leaders have billed Thursdays event a call for equality, expanding their criticism to the rising cost of living in Israel and the military draft exemptions granted to most ultra-Orthodox Jews. Protesters dyed white a pool of water in the square of Israels national theater in Tel Aviv, to symbolize a recent milk price hike. The plan to overhaul the countrys judiciary, advanced by Israels most right-wing government ever, plunged Israel into one of its worst domestic crises, ripping open longstanding societal rifts and creating new ones.

While the freeze in the legislation eased tensions somewhat, Netanyahus allies are pushing him to move ahead on the overhaul. The talks underway, meant to forge a path out of the crisis, do not appear to have produced any results.

Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, faced a barrage of criticism over the legal plan from a broad swath of Israeli society, including business leaders, the booming tech sector and military reservists, who threatened not to show up for duty if the plan was approved.
Mexican officials celebrated Wednesday the announcement that the country finally developed its own COVID-19 vaccine, more than two years after inoculations from the US, Europe and China were rolled out. It was unclear what use would be made of the vaccine, named Patria or Motherland, developed in a joint effort between the government and a Mexican company, Avimex, which previously did work on animal vaccines.

Vaccine uptake in Mexico dropped precipitously in late 2022 and 2023, and Mexico still has millions of doses of the Abdala vaccine it bought from Cuba.

Maria Elena Alvarez-Buylla, the head of Mexicos government commission for science and technology, said the new vaccine would be approved for use as a booster shot. She did not say whether the government medical approval agency had formally authorised the Patria vaccine.
Avantor (NYSE:AVTR  Get Rating) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $25.00 to $22.00 in a report issued on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on AVTR. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Avantor from $25.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Avantor from $26.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price objective on shares of Avantor from $29.00 to $27.00 in a report on Monday, February 6th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of Avantor from $30.00 to $27.00 in a report on Sunday, April 30th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Avantor from $25.00 to $30.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $28.75.

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Avantor Stock Up 0.1 %

AVTR stock opened at $20.23 on Monday. Avantor has a twelve month low of $17.91 and a twelve month high of $33.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The company has a market capitalization of $13.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.99 and a beta of 1.34. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $21.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.62.

Insider Activity at Avantor

Avantor ( NYSE:AVTR Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The company reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.28 by $0.01. Avantor had a net margin of 9.14% and a return on equity of 22.06%. The business had revenue of $1.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.38 earnings per share. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 8.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Avantor will post 1.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, EVP Christophe Couturier sold 1,498 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.18, for a total transaction of $31,727.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 98,650 shares in the company, valued at $2,089,407. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Gerard Brophy sold 3,914 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.00, for a total transaction of $97,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 108,715 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,717,875. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christophe Couturier sold 1,498 shares of Avantor stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $21.18, for a total value of $31,727.64. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 98,650 shares in the company, valued at $2,089,407. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 8,490 shares of company stock worth $204,188 over the last ninety days. 1.50% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Avantor by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. Asset Management One Co. Ltd. now owns 254,000 shares of the companys stock worth $5,345,000 after purchasing an additional 14,229 shares in the last quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Avantor by 442.4% in the 3rd quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 84,055 shares of the companys stock worth $1,647,000 after purchasing an additional 68,559 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Avantor in the 3rd quarter worth about $599,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can purchased a new position in Avantor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $10,225,000. Finally, Maven Securities LTD purchased a new position in Avantor during the 3rd quarter valued at about $449,000. 88.80% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Avantor

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Avantor, Inc engages in providing mission critical products and services to customers in the biopharma, healthcare, education and government, and advanced technologies and applied materials industries. It sells materials, equipment, instrumentation, and offers specialty procurement. The firm operates through the following segments: the Americas, Europe, and AMEA.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) EVP Rupert Vessey sold 50,385 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.06, for a total value of $3,378,818.10. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 47,751 shares in the company, valued at $3,202,182.06. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE BMY traded up $0.18 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $66.82. 8,583,500 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,013,596. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.14 and a current ratio of 1.25. The stock has a market cap of $140.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 0.44. The companys fifty day moving average is $68.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $72.64. Bristol-Myers Squibb has a fifty-two week low of $65.28 and a fifty-two week high of $81.43.

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Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The biopharmaceutical company reported $2.05 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.98 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $11.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.50 billion. Bristol-Myers Squibb had a return on equity of 51.63% and a net margin of 15.95%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Bristol-Myers Squibb will post 8.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Dividend Announcement

Institutional Trading of Bristol-Myers Squibb

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, May 1st. Investors of record on Monday, April 10th were paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 6th. This represents a $2.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.41%. Bristol-Myers Squibbs payout ratio is 66.47%.

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in BMY. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. GoalVest Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Coppell Advisory Solutions Corp. bought a new position in shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Live Oak Investment Partners acquired a new stake in Bristol-Myers Squibb during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, First Personal Financial Services increased its holdings in Bristol-Myers Squibb by 67.8% during the 1st quarter. First Personal Financial Services now owns 495 shares of the biopharmaceutical companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.51% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on BMY shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a strong-buy rating for the company. Bank of America boosted their price target on Bristol-Myers Squibb from $82.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. Cantor Fitzgerald started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Tuesday, January 17th. They issued an overweight rating and a $95.00 price target for the company. 51job reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Bristol-Myers Squibb in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a hold rating and a $62.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $79.43.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company Profile

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Bristol Myers Squibb Co engages in the discovery, development, licensing, manufacture, marketing, distribution, and sale of biopharmaceutical products. It offers chemically-synthesized drugs or small molecules and products produced from biological processes called biologics. The company was founded in August 1933 and is headquartered in New York, NY.

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ADT Inc. (NYSE:ADT  Get Rating) EVP David W. Smail acquired 10,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $4.91 per share, for a total transaction of $49,100.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the executive vice president now directly owns 457,210 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,244,901.10. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

ADT Stock Performance

NYSE ADT traded down $0.15 during trading on Thursday, hitting $5.13. The companys stock had a trading volume of 9,943,329 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,837,041. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.61. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $7.02 and a 200 day moving average price of $8.26. The firm has a market cap of $4.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 171.00 and a beta of 1.69. ADT Inc. has a 52 week low of $4.89 and a 52 week high of $10.10.

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ADT (NYSE:ADT  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 28th. The security and automation business reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.19 by ($0.11). ADT had a return on equity of 4.72% and a net margin of 2.71%. The firm had revenue of $1.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.59 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that ADT Inc. will post 0.68 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

ADT Dividend Announcement

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 6th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. ADTs payout ratio is presently 466.67%.

Separately, Citigroup cut their price objective on ADT from $11.00 to $9.00 in a research note on Wednesday.

Institutional Trading of ADT

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of ADT. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its stake in ADT by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 89,558 shares of the security and automation businesss stock valued at $671,000 after buying an additional 1,150 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in ADT by 198.0% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 2,980 shares of the security and automation businesss stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,980 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System boosted its stake in ADT by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 48,350 shares of the security and automation businesss stock valued at $439,000 after buying an additional 2,067 shares in the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in ADT by 11.6% in the 4th quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 20,646 shares of the security and automation businesss stock valued at $187,000 after buying an additional 2,139 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in ADT by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 91,544 shares of the security and automation businesss stock valued at $819,000 after buying an additional 2,145 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.76% of the companys stock.

About ADT

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ADT, Inc engages in the provision of security, automation, and smart home solutions. Its products include security panels, security cameras, ADT mobile application, and identity theft protection. The firm also offers home security systems, fire and life safety, smart home automation, security for renters, and multifamily solutions and services.

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Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $4.55-$4.85 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $4.73. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Edison International Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:EIX traded up $0.82 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $72.49. The companys stock had a trading volume of 2,348,410 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,947,431. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.74 billion, a PE ratio of 33.10, a P/E/G ratio of 5.32 and a beta of 0.80. The company has a quick ratio of 0.64, a current ratio of 0.68 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $70.14 and a 200 day moving average of $66.29. Edison International has a twelve month low of $54.45 and a twelve month high of $74.92.

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Edison International (NYSE:EIX  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The utilities provider reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.04 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.97 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4 billion. Edison International had a net margin of 4.48% and a return on equity of 12.05%. The firms revenue was down .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.07 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Edison International will post 4.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Edison International Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, April 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were given a $0.7375 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $2.95 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.07%. Edison Internationals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 134.70%.

EIX has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Edison International from $79.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Edison International in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Edison International in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. They issued a sell rating and a $66.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an outperform rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Edison International in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Edison International from $50.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Edison International currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $73.00.

Insider Transactions at Edison International

In other news, SVP J Andrew Murphy sold 22,471 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $1,618,586.13. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,989 shares in the company, valued at approximately $935,597.67. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.03% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Edison International

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Edison International by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 44,530,226 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,121,569,000 after buying an additional 731,841 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Edison International by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 5,732,894 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $401,877,000 after buying an additional 1,541,989 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Edison International by 33.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 5,362,970 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $341,192,000 after buying an additional 1,345,379 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc increased its position in shares of Edison International by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 5,084,384 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $323,469,000 after purchasing an additional 24,990 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Edison International in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $222,895,000. 87.19% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Edison International Company Profile

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Edison International is a renewable energy company, which through its subsidiaries, generates and distributes electric power, and invests in energy services and technologies. The company was founded on July 4, 1886, and is headquartered in Rosemead, CA.

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Shares of European Opportunities Trust plc (LON:JEO  Get Rating) crossed below its fifty day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a fifty day moving average of GBX 843 ($10.53) and traded as low as GBX 841.44 ($10.51). European Opportunities Trust shares last traded at GBX 843 ($10.53), with a volume of 176,142 shares.

European Opportunities Trust Price Performance

The business has a 50 day moving average of GBX 843 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 843. The company has a market cap of 886.70 million and a PE ratio of -12.93. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.64, a current ratio of 0.42 and a quick ratio of 0.42.

European Opportunities Trust Company Profile

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European Opportunities Trust plc is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Devon Equity Management Limited. The fund is co-managed by FundRock Management Company SA It invests in the public equity markets of Europe. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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HSBC lowered shares of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk (OTCMKTS:BKRKF  Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report report published on Monday, The Fly reports.

PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk Stock Performance

BKRKF stock opened at $0.36 on Monday. PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia has a 12-month low of $0.25 and a 12-month high of $0.36. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $0.32 and its 200 day simple moving average is $0.30.

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About PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk

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PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Micro Business, Retail Business, Corporate Business, and Subsidiary Business. The Micro Business segment offers banking products and services to individual and micro entrepreneurs.

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Loop Energy Inc. (OTC:LPENF  Get Rating)s share price dropped 1.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $0.52 and last traded at $0.52. Approximately 13,210 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 253% from the average daily volume of 3,740 shares. The stock had previously closed at $0.53.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Loop Energy to C$1.10 in a research report on Friday, March 31st. National Bank Financial lowered shares of Loop Energy from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research report on Thursday, March 30th.

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Loop Energy Stock Performance

The companys fifty day simple moving average is $0.72.

About Loop Energy

Loop Energy Inc develops, manufactures, and supplies hydrogen fuel cells to vehicle and power generation system manufacturers worldwide. The company offers its fuel cell systems for the electrification of light commercial vehicles, transit buses, and medium and heavy-duty trucks. Loop Energy Inc was incorporated in 2000 and is headquartered in Burnaby, Canada.

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Public Joint Stock Company Rostelecom (OTCMKTS:ROSYY  Get Rating)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $1.01 and last traded at $1.01, with a volume of 0 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $1.01.

Public Joint Stock Company Rostelecom Stock Performance

The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $1.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $1.01.

Public Joint Stock Company Rostelecom Company Profile

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Rostelecom PJSC provides digital services and solutions to households, governmental and private organizations. The firm provides telecommunications services to the Russian governmental and corporate customers of all levels. It also offers technology solutions to e-government, cybersecurity, data center &cloud-based services, biometrics, healthcare, education, house maintenance, and utility services.

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Seabridge Gold Inc. (TSE:SEA  Get Rating) (NYSE:SA)s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$16.68 and traded as high as C$20.16. Seabridge Gold shares last traded at C$20.15, with a volume of 68,058 shares.

Seabridge Gold Stock Up 2.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of C$1.71 billion, a PE ratio of -236.56 and a beta of 0.73. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is C$17.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$16.71. The company has a current ratio of 2.70, a quick ratio of 3.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 35.81.

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Seabridge Gold (TSE:SEA  Get Rating) (NYSE:SA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 30th. The company reported C($0.31) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C($0.09) by C($0.22). On average, equities research analysts forecast that Seabridge Gold Inc. will post -0.31 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

Seabridge Gold Company Profile

In related news, Director Eliseo Gonzalez-Urien sold 10,000 shares of Seabridge Gold stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$14.00, for a total transaction of C$140,000.00. 16.63% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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Seabridge Gold Inc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the acquisition and exploration of gold properties in North America. The company also explores for copper, silver, molybdenum, and rhenium deposits. Its principal projects are the Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell property and Iskut project located in British Columbia, Canada; Courageous Lake property situated in Northwest Territories, Canada; Snowstorm project located in the Nevada; and 3 Aces project located in the Yukon Territory.

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Shares of Slate Office REIT (TSE:SOT.UN  Get Rating) passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$3.25 and traded as low as C$2.03. Slate Office REIT shares last traded at C$2.03, with a volume of 342,570 shares trading hands.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on SOT.UN. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Slate Office REIT from C$4.75 to C$2.75 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. CIBC lowered their price target on Slate Office REIT from C$3.00 to C$2.50 in a report on Wednesday. National Bankshares lowered their price target on Slate Office REIT from C$2.75 to C$2.50 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. TD Securities lowered their price target on Slate Office REIT from C$3.75 to C$2.50 and set a hold rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Cormark lowered their price target on Slate Office REIT from C$3.40 to C$2.20 in a report on Thursday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of C$2.99.

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Slate Office REIT Stock Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of C$160.44 million, a PE ratio of -9.55 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.14, a current ratio of 0.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 182.52. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of C$3.15 and a 200-day moving average price of C$4.02.

Slate Office REIT Cuts Dividend

Slate Office REIT Company Profile

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a $0.01 dividend. This represents a $0.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 27th. Slate Office REITs payout ratio is -57.14%.

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Slate Office REIT is an open-ended real estate investment trust. The REIT's portfolio currently comprises 43 strategic and well-located real estate assets located primarily across Canada's major population centres including one downtown asset in Chicago, Illinois. The REIT is focused on maximizing value through internal organic rental and occupancy growth and strategic acquisitions.

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TheWorks.co.uk plc (LON:WRKS  Get Rating)s stock price dropped 1.7% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as GBX 30.50 ($0.38) and last traded at GBX 30.90 ($0.39). Approximately 99,227 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 75% from the average daily volume of 391,398 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 31.45 ($0.39).

TheWorks.co.uk Trading Up 4.0 %

The stocks 50 day moving average is GBX 30.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 33.72. The company has a market capitalization of 19.28 million, a PE ratio of 3,085.00 and a beta of 1.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 979.05.

TheWorks.co.uk Company Profile

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TheWorks.co.uk plc operates as a retailer of gifts, arts, crafts, toys, books, and stationery products. The company sells its products through a network of stores, as well as through its online platform. As of May 1, 2022, it operated 525 stores in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was incorporated in 2018 and is based in Birmingham, the United Kingdom.

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AlphaStar Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Bank of America Co. (NYSE:BAC  Get Rating) by 7.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,174 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 4,620 shares during the quarter. AlphaStar Capital Management LLCs holdings in Bank of America were worth $2,159,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in BAC. Roundview Capital LLC boosted its position in shares of Bank of America by 1.5% during the first quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 135,764 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $5,596,000 after purchasing an additional 2,013 shares in the last quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P boosted its holdings in Bank of America by 150.3% in the first quarter. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P now owns 1,985 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $82,000 after acquiring an additional 1,192 shares in the last quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Bank of America by 4.2% in the first quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 405,098 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $16,698,000 after acquiring an additional 16,319 shares in the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank bought a new stake in Bank of America in the first quarter worth $586,000. Finally, Pearl River Capital LLC bought a new stake in Bank of America in the first quarter worth $534,000. 68.34% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Matthew M. Koder sold 105,054 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.27, for a total transaction of $3,600,200.58. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 319,803 shares in the company, valued at $10,959,648.81. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Bank of America Stock Performance

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Bank of America from $52.00 to $45.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft downgraded Bank of America from a buy rating to a hold rating and lowered their price target for the company from $45.00 to $36.00 in a report on Friday, January 6th. UBS Group upped their price target on Bank of America from $34.00 to $36.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Bank of America from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on Bank of America from $48.00 to $39.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $36.83.

BAC traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $27.75. The company had a trading volume of 26,790,114 shares, compared to its average volume of 55,575,738. The company has a quick ratio of 0.82, a current ratio of 0.82 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The business has a 50-day moving average of $29.58 and a two-hundred day moving average of $33.13. The company has a market cap of $221.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.36. Bank of America Co. has a 1 year low of $26.32 and a 1 year high of $38.60.

Bank of America (NYSE:BAC  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.94 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.11. Bank of America had a return on equity of 11.72% and a net margin of 21.85%. The firm had revenue of $26.26 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $25.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.80 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Bank of America Co. will post 3.37 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank of America Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.22 per share. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 1st. Bank of Americas dividend payout ratio is currently 26.43%.

Bank of America Profile

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Bank of America Corp. is a bank and financial holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and nonbank financial services. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking, Global Wealth and Investment Management (GWIM), Global Banking, Global Markets, and All Other. The Consumer Banking segment offers credit, banking, and investment products and services to consumers and small businesses.

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AMN Healthcare Services (NYSE:AMN  Get Rating) had its price objective decreased by Robert W. Baird from $111.00 to $100.00 in a report issued on Friday, The Fly reports. Robert W. Bairds target price points to a potential upside of 17.51% from the companys previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on AMN. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of AMN Healthcare Services in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $130.00 to $109.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $140.00 to $105.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Benchmark reiterated a buy rating and set a $148.00 price objective on shares of AMN Healthcare Services in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group decreased their price target on shares of AMN Healthcare Services from $147.00 to $128.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $118.00.

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AMN Healthcare Services Stock Performance

NYSE AMN opened at $85.10 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $3.44 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.06 and a beta of 0.33. AMN Healthcare Services has a 12-month low of $81.15 and a 12-month high of $129.04. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $85.99 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $101.01.

Insider Buying and Selling

AMN Healthcare Services ( NYSE:AMN Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.36 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.11 billion. AMN Healthcare Services had a net margin of 8.47% and a return on equity of 49.69%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 27.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $3.49 EPS. Analysts anticipate that AMN Healthcare Services will post 8.28 earnings per share for the current year.

In related news, Director Mark G. Foletta sold 6,042 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.35, for a total transaction of $509,642.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at $680,957.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In related news, Director Mark G. Foletta sold 6,042 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.35, for a total transaction of $509,642.70. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,073 shares of the companys stock, valued at $680,957.55. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Denise L. Jackson sold 4,515 shares of the stock in a transaction on Saturday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.26, for a total transaction of $493,308.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 15,002 shares in the company, valued at $1,639,118.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,015 shares of company stock valued at $1,132,393 over the last ninety days. 0.80% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of AMN Healthcare Services

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in AMN. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC raised its position in shares of AMN Healthcare Services by 26.6% in the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 3,191 shares of the companys stock valued at $333,000 after purchasing an additional 670 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of AMN Healthcare Services in the 1st quarter worth approximately $526,000. MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of AMN Healthcare Services by 55.3% in the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 25,124 shares of the companys stock worth $2,621,000 after acquiring an additional 8,945 shares during the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers raised its holdings in AMN Healthcare Services by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 115,955 shares of the companys stock valued at $12,098,000 after buying an additional 8,046 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its holdings in AMN Healthcare Services by 7.6% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 44,349 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,762,000 after buying an additional 3,137 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.94% of the companys stock.

AMN Healthcare Services Company Profile

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AMN Healthcare Services, Inc provides healthcare workforce solutions and staffing services to healthcare facilities across the nation. Its workforce solutions include managed services programs and recruitment process outsourcing. It operates through the following segments: Nurse and Allied Solutions, Physician and Leadership Solutions, and Technology and Workforce Solutions.

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DoorDash (NYSE:DASH  Get Rating) had its target price raised by equities researchers at Bank of America from $80.00 to $82.00 in a research note issued on Friday, The Fly reports. Bank of Americas price objective would suggest a potential upside of 33.72% from the companys previous close.

DASH has been the subject of a number of other reports. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of DoorDash from $80.00 to $85.00 in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of DoorDash from $62.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of DoorDash from $70.00 to $65.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 26th. Piper Sandler cut shares of DoorDash from a neutral rating to an underweight rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $227.00 to $40.00 in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of DoorDash from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Friday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $81.95.

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DoorDash Stock Performance

Shares of DoorDash stock traded down $1.51 during trading on Friday, hitting $61.32. The companys stock had a trading volume of 4,096,502 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,461,457. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $59.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $56.07. The company has a market capitalization of $24.04 billion, a PE ratio of -16.94 and a beta of 1.51. DoorDash has a 52 week low of $41.37 and a 52 week high of $87.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

DoorDash ( NYSE:DASH Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The company reported ($0.63) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.70) by $0.07. The company had revenue of $1.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.77 billion. DoorDash had a negative net margin of 20.74% and a negative return on equity of 15.12%. As a group, analysts predict that DoorDash will post -2.15 EPS for the current year.

In related news, CEO Tony Xu sold 132,300 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.07, for a total value of $7,021,161.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other DoorDash news, CEO Tony Xu sold 132,300 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.07, for a total value of $7,021,161.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Keith Yandell sold 10,997 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $769,790.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 213,650 shares of the companys stock, valued at $14,955,500. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 738,381 shares of company stock valued at $42,601,150 over the last three months. 15.54% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On DoorDash

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James & Associates increased its holdings in shares of DoorDash by 123.4% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 6,286 shares of the companys stock valued at $737,000 after acquiring an additional 3,472 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of DoorDash by 43.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 3,825 shares of the companys stock valued at $448,000 after acquiring an additional 1,153 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. increased its holdings in shares of DoorDash by 18.3% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 4,444 shares of the companys stock valued at $521,000 after acquiring an additional 689 shares in the last quarter. US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in shares of DoorDash by 204.6% during the first quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 926 shares of the companys stock valued at $109,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of DoorDash by 305.6% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 3,553 shares of the companys stock valued at $415,000 after acquiring an additional 2,677 shares in the last quarter. 72.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About DoorDash

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DoorDash, Inc operates a logistics platform that connects merchants, consumers, and dashers in the United States and internationally. It operates DoorDash marketplace, which provides an array of services that enable merchants to solve mission-critical challenges, such as customer acquisition, delivery, insights and analytics, merchandising, payment processing, and customer support; and offers DoorDash Drive, a white-label logistics service; DoorDash Storefront that enables merchants to offer consumers on-demand access to e-commerce.

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Bank of Queensland Limited (OTCMKTS:BKQNY  Get Rating) announced a dividend on Thursday, May 4th, investing.com reports. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 10th will be given a dividend of 0.2369 per share on Friday, June 16th. This represents a dividend yield of 6.2%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 9th.

Bank of Queensland Price Performance

BKQNY stock opened at $8.35 on Friday. Bank of Queensland has a 52 week low of $8.29 and a 52 week high of $10.84. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.38.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Bank of Queensland from a neutral rating to an underweight rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st.

Bank of Queensland Company Profile

Bank of Queensland Ltd. engages in the provision of financial services to the community. It operates through the following segments: Retail Banking, BOQ Business, and Other. The Retail Banking segment offers retail banking solutions to customers managed through its owner managed and corporate branch network, ME Bank and Virgin Money distribution channels, and third-party intermediaries.

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Bio-Rad Laboratories (NYSE:BIO  Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday. The medical research company reported $3.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $3.24 by $0.10, Briefing.com reports. The company had revenue of $676.80 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $689.28 million. Bio-Rad Laboratories had a positive return on equity of 4.59% and a negative net margin of 129.66%. Bio-Rad Laboratoriess quarterly revenue was down 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $4.94 earnings per share. Bio-Rad Laboratories updated its FY 2023 guidance to EPS.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Trading Down 17.0 %

Shares of BIO stock traded down $78.64 on Friday, hitting $383.97. The stock had a trading volume of 662,007 shares, compared to its average volume of 163,894. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 5.55 and a quick ratio of 4.29. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -3.19 and a beta of 0.91. Bio-Rad Laboratories has a 1 year low of $344.63 and a 1 year high of $572.70. The companys 50 day moving average price is $472.00 and its 200-day moving average price is $441.60.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on BIO shares. Credit Suisse Group boosted their price objective on Bio-Rad Laboratories from $640.00 to $680.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 17th. TheStreet raised Bio-Rad Laboratories from a d+ rating to a c rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. StockNews.com began coverage on Bio-Rad Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on Bio-Rad Laboratories from $571.00 to $579.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $653.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Bio-Rad Laboratories

In other Bio-Rad Laboratories news, EVP Timothy S. Ernst sold 1,746 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $486.43, for a total transaction of $849,306.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 2,671 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,299,254.53. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . 17.06% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of BIO. Quantinno Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Bio-Rad Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at about $316,000. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its position in Bio-Rad Laboratories by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 501 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $283,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $267,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $248,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Bio-Rad Laboratories during the 1st quarter worth approximately $231,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.35% of the companys stock.

Bio-Rad Laboratories Company Profile

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Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc engages in the development and production of specialty chemicals used in biochemical, pharmaceutical, and other life science research applications. It operates through the Life Sciences and Clinical Diagnostics segments. The Life Science segment develops, manufactures, and markets reagents, apparatus, and laboratory instruments.

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BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Get Rating) has earned a consensus rating of Moderate Buy from the twelve ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and seven have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $756.45.

Several equities research analysts have commented on BLK shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on BlackRock from $800.00 to $779.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on BlackRock from $662.00 to $673.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on BlackRock from $760.00 to $740.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on BlackRock from $840.00 to $780.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on BlackRock from $583.00 to $542.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 17th.

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BlackRock Trading Down 1.7 %

BlackRock stock opened at $631.66 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 2.99, a quick ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33. BlackRock has a 12 month low of $503.12 and a 12 month high of $785.65. The stocks 50 day simple moving average is $663.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $693.00. The firm has a market cap of $94.90 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.27.

Insider Buying and Selling at BlackRock

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $7.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $7.71 by $0.22. BlackRock had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 28.13%. The business had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $9.52 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that BlackRock will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current year.

In other BlackRock news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 35,799 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $694.50, for a total value of $24,862,405.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 484,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,363,712.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other BlackRock news, CEO Laurence Fink sold 35,799 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $694.50, for a total value of $24,862,405.50. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 484,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $336,363,712.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Marc D. Comerchero sold 650 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.66, for a total value of $473,629.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 3,055 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,226,056.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 41,024 shares of company stock worth $28,562,554. Corporate insiders own 0.96% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of BlackRock

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Israel Discount Bank of New York increased its stake in shares of BlackRock by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Israel Discount Bank of New York now owns 594 shares of the asset managers stock worth $327,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 90 shares of the asset managers stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Nicolet Bankshares Inc. now owns 1,047 shares of the asset managers stock worth $441,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. now owns 1,767 shares of the asset managers stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HBC Financial Services PLLC increased its position in shares of BlackRock by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC now owns 42 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. 77.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

BlackRock Company Profile

(Get Rating)

BlackRock, Inc engages in providing investment management, risk management, and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. Its products include single and multi-asset class portfolios investing in equities, fixed income, alternatives, and money market instruments. The company was founded by Susan L.

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Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSEARCA:IWM  Get Rating) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 248,868 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 25,031 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. owned approximately 0.09% of iShares Russell 2000 ETF worth $43,393,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in IWM. Triumph Capital Management bought a new position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,953,000. First Manhattan Co. increased its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 21.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 1,026 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $169,000 after acquiring an additional 178 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 214.6% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 17,172 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $2,994,000 after acquiring an additional 11,714 shares during the period. Rice Hall James & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in iShares Russell 2000 ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,952,000. Finally, 1900 Wealth Management LLC increased its position in iShares Russell 2000 ETF by 4.0% in the 3rd quarter. 1900 Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,195 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $1,187,000 after acquiring an additional 280 shares during the period.

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iShares Russell 2000 ETF Stock Up 2.0 %

IWM traded up $3.41 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $173.81. The companys stock had a trading volume of 18,439,358 shares, compared to its average volume of 28,378,348. iShares Russell 2000 ETF has a fifty-two week low of $162.50 and a fifty-two week high of $201.99. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $177.43 and a 200 day simple moving average of $180.83.

iShares Russell 2000 ETF Company Profile

iShares Russell 2000 ETF (the Fund) is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 2000 Index (the Index). The Index is a float-adjusted capitalization weighted index that measures the performance of the small-capitalization sector of the United States equity market and includes securities issued by the approximately 2,000 smallest issuers in the Russell 3000 Index.

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Canadian Natural Resources Limited (TSE:CNQ  Get Rating) (NYSE:CNQ) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 4th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be given a dividend of 0.90 per share on Wednesday, July 5th. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 15th.

Canadian Natural Resources Stock Performance

Shares of Canadian Natural Resources stock opened at C$74.18 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of C$81.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 2.01. The stocks 50-day moving average is C$77.47 and its 200-day moving average is C$77.84. Canadian Natural Resources has a one year low of C$58.75 and a one year high of C$87.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 34.01, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.54.

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Canadian Natural Resources (TSE:CNQ  Get Rating) (NYSE:CNQ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported C$1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$2.21 by C($0.25). The business had revenue of C$9.69 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$9.46 billion. Canadian Natural Resources had a return on equity of 29.12% and a net margin of 25.86%. Equities analysts predict that Canadian Natural Resources will post 8.476386 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Insider Buying and Selling at Canadian Natural Resources

A number of research firms recently weighed in on CNQ. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Canadian Natural Resources from C$92.00 to C$94.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. CSFB dropped their target price on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$93.00 to C$90.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Raymond James lowered their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$87.00 to C$85.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 16th. ATB Capital decreased their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$94.00 to C$90.00 in a report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Canadian Natural Resources from C$90.00 to C$87.00 in a report on Monday, March 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$92.47.

In other news, Director Stephen W. Laut sold 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of C$80.00, for a total value of C$400,010.00. Company insiders own 2.22% of the companys stock.

Canadian Natural Resources Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Canadian Natural Resources Limited acquires, explores for, develops, produces, markets, and sells crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids (NGLs). The company offers synthetic crude oil (SCO), light and medium crude oil, bitumen (thermal oil), primary heavy crude oil, and Pelican Lake heavy crude oil.

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Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in shares of Eldorado Gold Co. (NYSE:EGO  Get Rating) (TSE:ELD) by 0.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,908,728 shares of the basic materials companys stock after acquiring an additional 120,558 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp owned approximately 10.77% of Eldorado Gold worth $166,437,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC raised its holdings in Eldorado Gold by 10.3% in the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 14,961 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $125,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its stake in Eldorado Gold by 11.1% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 15,571 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $185,000 after purchasing an additional 1,550 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC increased its stake in Eldorado Gold by 11.7% during the first quarter. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC now owns 18,544 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $208,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Eldorado Gold by 19.5% during the second quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 12,286 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 2,008 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in Eldorado Gold by 2.8% during the first quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 75,863 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $849,000 after purchasing an additional 2,086 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 57.64% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

EGO has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. National Bank Financial boosted their price target on shares of Eldorado Gold from C$16.50 to C$17.50 in a research note on Tuesday, April 18th. Stifel Nicolaus downgraded Eldorado Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Eldorado Gold in a research report on Friday, March 10th. They set an underperform rating and a $8.90 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised Eldorado Gold from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on Eldorado Gold from $11.50 to $12.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Monday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $13.08.

Eldorado Gold Stock Up 1.1 %

EGO traded up $0.13 on Friday, reaching $12.05. The companys stock had a trading volume of 769,120 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,846,428. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $10.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a quick ratio of 1.91 and a current ratio of 2.92. Eldorado Gold Co. has a fifty-two week low of $5.06 and a fifty-two week high of $12.10.

Eldorado Gold (NYSE:EGO  Get Rating) (TSE:ELD) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 23rd. The basic materials company reported $0.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.05 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $246.20 million during the quarter. Eldorado Gold had a positive return on equity of 1.62% and a negative net margin of 1.10%. On average, research analysts predict that Eldorado Gold Co. will post 0.46 EPS for the current year.

Eldorado Gold Profile

(Get Rating)

Eldorado Gold Corp. engages in the mining, development, and exploration of gold. It operates through the following segment: Turkey, Canada, and Greece. The company was founded by Richard J. Barclay, Marco Antonio Romero, and Gary D. Nordin on April 2, 1992 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Glenview Trust Co lessened its position in shares of Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE:LLY  Get Rating) by 1.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 138,197 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,361 shares during the quarter. Eli Lilly and comprises approximately 1.7% of Glenview Trust Cos portfolio, making the stock its 14th largest position. Glenview Trust Cos holdings in Eli Lilly and were worth $50,558,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Donoghue Forlines LLC raised its position in shares of Eli Lilly and by 17.8% during the 4th quarter. Donoghue Forlines LLC now owns 5,227 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,912,000 after buying an additional 791 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 144,675 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,928,000 after purchasing an additional 6,975 shares during the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $534,000. Private Capital Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Eli Lilly and by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Private Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 447,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $163,779,000 after purchasing an additional 7,016 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keating Investment Counselors Inc. acquired a new stake in Eli Lilly and in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $232,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.13% of the companys stock.

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Eli Lilly and Stock Performance

Eli Lilly and stock traded up $0.45 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $428.89. 1,431,593 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,222,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 1.02 and a current ratio of 1.30. The stock has a market cap of $407.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 68.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.37. Eli Lilly and Company has a 12-month low of $283.00 and a 12-month high of $434.20. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $351.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $353.32.

Eli Lilly and Dividend Announcement

Eli Lilly and ( NYSE:LLY Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.62 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.73 by ($0.11). The company had revenue of $6.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $6.87 billion. Eli Lilly and had a return on equity of 61.42% and a net margin of 20.54%. The businesss quarterly revenue was down 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.62 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Eli Lilly and Company will post 8.8 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 9th. Shareholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a $1.13 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $4.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.05%. Eli Lilly ands dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. SVB Securities lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $410.00 to $458.00 in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Eli Lilly and from $375.00 to $440.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and from $430.00 to $505.00 in a research note on Thursday. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Eli Lilly and from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Eli Lilly and from $430.00 to $475.00 in a research note on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $412.80.

Insider Buying and Selling at Eli Lilly and

In other Eli Lilly and news, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 200,000 shares of Eli Lilly and stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $335.82, for a total value of $67,164,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 102,748,810 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,505,105,374.20. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Eli Lilly and news, EVP Anne E. White sold 2,500 shares of Eli Lilly and stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $346.47, for a total value of $866,175.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 57,926 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,069,621.22. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, major shareholder Lilly Endowment Inc sold 200,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $335.82, for a total value of $67,164,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 102,748,810 shares of the companys stock, valued at $34,505,105,374.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 1,093,005 shares of company stock worth $403,615,977. 0.13% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Eli Lilly and Profile

(Get Rating)

Eli Lilly & Co engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of pharmaceutical products. The firms products consist of diabetes, oncology, immunology, neuroscience, and other products and therapies. The company was founded by Eli Lilly in May 1876 and is headquartered in Indianapolis, IN.

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Estate Counselors LLC grew its position in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF (NYSEARCA:BKLN  Get Rating) by 2,007.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 27,295 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after acquiring an additional 26,000 shares during the period. Estate Counselors LLCs holdings in Invesco Senior Loan ETF were worth $560,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of BKLN. Covestor Ltd grew its position in Invesco Senior Loan ETF by 186.1% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,156 shares of the exchange traded funds stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 752 shares during the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Invesco Senior Loan ETF during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in Invesco Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. Glassman Wealth Services bought a new position in Invesco Senior Loan ETF during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Romano Brothers AND Company bought a new stake in shares of Invesco Senior Loan ETF in the 4th quarter worth approximately $66,000.

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Invesco Senior Loan ETF Price Performance

Shares of BKLN stock traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $20.84. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,084,964 shares, compared to its average volume of 8,302,997. Invesco Senior Loan ETF has a one year low of $20.06 and a one year high of $21.49. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $20.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $20.86.

Invesco Senior Loan ETF Profile

The Invesco Senior Loan ETF (BKLN) is an exchange-traded fund that mostly invests in high yield fixed income. The fund tracks a market-value-weighted index of senior loans issued by banks to corporations. BKLN was launched on Mar 3, 2011 and is managed by Invesco.

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Kunlun Energy (OTCMKTS:KLYCY  Get Rating) and Onex (OTCMKTS:ONEXF  Get Rating) are both mid-cap oils/energy companies, but which is the superior stock? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, analyst recommendations, profitability, risk, earnings, valuation and institutional ownership.

Institutional and Insider Ownership

0.7% of Onex shares are owned by institutional investors. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

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Analyst Recommendations

This is a breakdown of recent ratings and recommmendations for Kunlun Energy and Onex, as reported by MarketBeat.

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Kunlun Energy 0 1 0 0 2.00 Onex 0 1 1 0 2.50

Dividends

Onex has a consensus price target of $90.40, indicating a potential upside of 103.70%. Given Onexs stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe Onex is more favorable than Kunlun Energy.

Kunlun Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.32 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.6%. Onex pays an annual dividend of $0.30 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. Onex pays out 10.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend.

Profitability

This table compares Kunlun Energy and Onexs net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Kunlun Energy N/A N/A N/A Onex N/A 2.85% 1.95%

Risk & Volatility

Kunlun Energy has a beta of 0.9, suggesting that its share price is 10% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Onex has a beta of 1.38, suggesting that its share price is 38% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Kunlun Energy and Onexs revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Kunlun Energy $21.47 billion 0.36 $3.57 billion N/A N/A Onex $442.00 million 8.11 $235.00 million $2.94 15.10

Kunlun Energy has higher revenue and earnings than Onex.

Summary

Onex beats Kunlun Energy on 8 of the 12 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Kunlun Energy

(Get Rating)

Kunlun Energy Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through four segments: Natural Gas Sales; Sales of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Processing and Terminal; and Exploration and Production. The company is also involved in the processing, unloading, storing, gasification, and entrucking of LNG; trading, distribution, and retail sale of various natural gas products; and wholesale and retail of various LPG products. It operates in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Sultanate of Oman, the Republic of Peru, the Kingdom of Thailand, and the Republic of Azerbaijan. The company was formerly known as CNPC (Hong Kong) Limited and changed its name to Kunlun Energy Company Limited in March 2010. The company was incorporated in 1991 and is based in Hong Kong, Hong Kong. Kunlun Energy Company Limited is a subsidiary of PetroChina Hong Kong Limited.

About Onex

(Get Rating)

ONEX Corp. engages in the business of investing and managing capital of shareholders, institutional investors and high net worth clients. It operates through the following segments: Investing, Asset and Wealth Management. The Investing segment includes the activity of investing Onex capital. The Asset and Wealth Management segment comprises the activities provided to private and public equity, and credit investing platforms. The company was founded by Gerald W. Schwartz in 1984 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Boston Partners raised its stake in FTI Consulting, Inc. (NYSE:FCN  Get Rating) by 19.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 329,477 shares of the business services providers stock after buying an additional 53,320 shares during the period. Boston Partners holdings in FTI Consulting were worth $52,445,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of FTI Consulting by 653.6% during the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 211 shares of the business services providers stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in FTI Consulting by 103.5% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 230 shares of the business services providers stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of FTI Consulting by 42.9% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 263 shares of the business services providers stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 79 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC purchased a new position in FTI Consulting in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of FTI Consulting by 54.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 260 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Truist Financial increased their price objective on FTI Consulting from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of FTI Consulting from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Saturday, March 18th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on shares of FTI Consulting in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. They set a neutral rating and a $167.00 price objective for the company.

Insider Buying and Selling

FTI Consulting Trading Up 0.0 %

In related news, CEO Steven Henry Gunby sold 38,908 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.86, for a total transaction of $7,231,440.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 414,006 shares in the company, valued at $76,947,155.16. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In other FTI Consulting news, General Counsel Curtis P. Lu sold 2,511 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.73, for a total transaction of $458,835.03. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now owns 28,884 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,277,973.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, CEO Steven Henry Gunby sold 38,908 shares of FTI Consulting stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $185.86, for a total value of $7,231,440.88. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 414,006 shares in the company, valued at $76,947,155.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . In the last ninety days, insiders sold 69,187 shares of company stock worth $12,795,055. 3.46% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

NYSE FCN opened at $177.14 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.51, a current ratio of 2.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.02 billion, a PE ratio of 28.34 and a beta of 0.28. The stocks 50 day moving average is $192.46 and its 200 day moving average is $173.89. FTI Consulting, Inc. has a twelve month low of $140.09 and a twelve month high of $205.63.

FTI Consulting (NYSE:FCN  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The business services provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.67 by ($0.33). FTI Consulting had a net margin of 7.19% and a return on equity of 13.81%. The firm had revenue of $806.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $795.44 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.66 EPS. FTI Consultings revenue was up 11.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that FTI Consulting, Inc. will post 7.3 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About FTI Consulting

(Get Rating)

FTI Consulting, Inc engages in the provision of financial, legal, operational, political and regulatory, reputational and transactional advisory services. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Finance and Restructuring, Forensic and Litigation Consulting, Economic Consulting, Technology, and Strategic Communications.

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Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Get Rating)s share price fell 8.1% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $32.19 and last traded at $32.19. 258 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 85% from the average session volume of 1,752 shares. The stock had previously closed at $35.01.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Grupo Simec in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company.

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Grupo Simec Trading Down 8.1 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.83 and a beta of 0.30. The companys 50 day moving average is $34.94 and its 200-day moving average is $32.29.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Grupo Simec ( NYSEAMERICAN:SIM Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 13th. The basic materials company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Grupo Simec had a net margin of 13.44% and a return on equity of 14.87%. The business had revenue of $564.09 million during the quarter.

An institutional investor recently bought a new position in Grupo Simec stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of Grupo Simec, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSEAMERICAN:SIM  Get Rating) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 7,455 shares of the basic materials companys stock, valued at approximately $273,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 0.17% of the companys stock.

Grupo Simec Company Profile

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Grupo SIMEC SAB de CV engages in the manufacture, processing and distribution of steel and structural steel products. It operates through the following geographical segments: Mexico, U.S., and Brazil. The Mexico segment represents the results of the operations in Mexico, including plants in Mexicali, Guadalajara, Tlaxcala, and San Luis Potosi.

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Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its position in shares of ServiceNow, Inc. (NYSE:NOW  Get Rating) by 0.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,434 shares of the information technology services providers stock after buying an additional 110 shares during the period. Gulf International Bank UK Ltds holdings in ServiceNow were worth $12,981,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Polen Capital Management LLC boosted its position in ServiceNow by 26.5% during the third quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 3,953,299 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,492,805,000 after purchasing an additional 827,285 shares in the last quarter. Tiger Global Management LLC boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 51.8% in the third quarter. Tiger Global Management LLC now owns 1,694,117 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $639,716,000 after acquiring an additional 577,933 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 1.9% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 16,866,914 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $6,369,116,000 after acquiring an additional 320,130 shares in the last quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 79.6% in the first quarter. Stockbridge Partners LLC now owns 483,554 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $269,286,000 after acquiring an additional 214,243 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in ServiceNow by 8.6% in the third quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,378,372 shares of the information technology services providers stock worth $898,098,000 after acquiring an additional 187,393 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.31% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on NOW. Guggenheim raised their price target on ServiceNow from $478.00 to $511.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. BNP Paribas raised ServiceNow from an underperform rating to a neutral rating and set a $410.00 target price for the company in a report on Friday, April 28th. Cowen lifted their target price on ServiceNow from $520.00 to $530.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 26th. Credit Suisse Group decreased their target price on ServiceNow from $600.00 to $575.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 27th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on ServiceNow from $500.00 to $525.00 in a report on Thursday, April 27th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $526.33.

Insider Activity at ServiceNow

ServiceNow Stock Up 1.7 %

In related news, insider Christopher Bedi sold 377 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.59, for a total value of $175,150.43. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,990 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,893,384.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In related news, insider Christopher Bedi sold 377 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $464.59, for a total value of $175,150.43. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,990 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,893,384.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, General Counsel Russell S. Elmer sold 7,796 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $456.31, for a total value of $3,557,392.76. Following the completion of the sale, the general counsel now directly owns 4,047 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,846,686.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 18,309 shares of company stock valued at $8,261,276 in the last three months. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Shares of NOW traded up $7.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $437.68. The companys stock had a trading volume of 215,663 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,640,137. ServiceNow, Inc. has a 12-month low of $337.00 and a 12-month high of $521.58. The stock has a market cap of $89.29 billion, a PE ratio of 219.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 1.17 and a quick ratio of 1.17. The companys 50 day moving average is $448.70 and its 200 day moving average is $422.95.

About ServiceNow

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ServiceNow, Inc engages in the provision of enterprise cloud computing solutions. The firm delivers digital workflows on a single enterprise cloud platform called the Now Platform. Its product portfolio is focused on providing Information Technology, Employee and Customer workflows. The company was founded by Frederic B.

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IAG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm bought 104 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $53,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ELV. Moisand Fitzgerald Tamayo LLC bought a new stake in shares of Elevance Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Crewe Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Elevance Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Elevance Health in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Destiny Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Elevance Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Sugarloaf Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Elevance Health in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. 87.66% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Elevance Health Price Performance

Elevance Health stock traded up $7.87 during trading on Friday, reaching $464.56. The company had a trading volume of 358,514 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,146,182. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $468.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $490.49. Elevance Health, Inc. has a 1-year low of $440.02 and a 1-year high of $549.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $110.13 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.43.

Elevance Health Dividend Announcement

Elevance Health ( NYSE:ELV Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The company reported $9.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $9.26 by $0.20. Elevance Health had a net margin of 3.86% and a return on equity of 20.05%. The company had revenue of $41.90 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $40.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.25 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 10.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Elevance Health, Inc. will post 32.78 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 23rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of $1.48 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $5.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. Elevance Healths dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 23.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on ELV shares. Royal Bank of Canada upgraded shares of Elevance Health from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $523.00 to $572.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $610.00 to $580.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $571.00 to $575.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. 22nd Century Group reissued an upgrade rating on shares of Elevance Health in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price target on shares of Elevance Health from $577.00 to $564.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $572.19.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Elevance Health news, EVP Gloria M. Mccarthy sold 15,098 shares of Elevance Health stock in a transaction on Friday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $444.76, for a total transaction of $6,714,986.48. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 51,435 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,876,230.60. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.35% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Elevance Health Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Elevance Health, Inc operates as a health company, which engages in improving lives and communities, and making healthcare simpler. It operates through the following segments: Commercial and Specialty Business, Government Business, CarelonRx, and Other. The Commercial and Specialty Business segment provides insurance products and services such as stop loss, dental, vision, life, disability and supplemental health insurance.

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BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:BFZ  Get Rating) major shareholder Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 300,439 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $12.01 per share, with a total value of $3,608,272.39. Following the completion of the acquisition, the insider now owns 4,032,388 shares in the company, valued at approximately $48,428,979.88. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Large shareholders that own more than 10% of a companys shares are required to disclose their sales and purchases with the SEC.

Saba Capital Management, L.P. also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Friday, April 28th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 38,783 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.79 per share, with a total value of $457,251.57.

On Wednesday, April 19th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 18,829 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.68 per share, with a total value of $219,922.72.

On Monday, April 17th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 5,400 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The shares were bought at an average cost of $11.70 per share, with a total value of $63,180.00.

On Friday, April 14th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 25,908 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.76 per share, with a total value of $304,678.08.

On Thursday, April 6th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 9,210 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.76 per share, with a total value of $108,309.60.

On Tuesday, April 4th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 15,288 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.69 per share, with a total value of $178,716.72.

On Tuesday, March 28th, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 26,517 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.42 per share, with a total value of $302,824.14.

On Thursday, March 23rd, Saba Capital Management, L.P. purchased 27,924 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $11.21 per share, with a total value of $313,028.04.

On Tuesday, March 21st, Saba Capital Management, L.P. acquired 54,414 shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. The stock was purchased at an average price of $11.38 per share, for a total transaction of $619,231.32.

BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:BFZ opened at $12.01 on Friday. BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust has a fifty-two week low of $10.03 and a fifty-two week high of $12.10.

BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust Announces Dividend

Institutional Trading of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be given a $0.039 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $0.47 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.90%.

An institutional investor recently raised its position in BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust stock. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust (NYSE:BFZ  Get Rating) by 16.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 334,300 shares of the companys stock after buying an additional 47,294 shares during the quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.s holdings in BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust were worth $3,911,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust Company Profile

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BlackRock California Municipal Income Trust is a closed-end investment fund. Its investment objective is to provide current income exempt from Federal and California income taxes. The company seeks to achieve its investment objective by investing primarily in municipal obligations exempt from federal income taxes and California income taxes.

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iShares MSCI Japan ETF (NYSEARCA:EWJ  Get Rating) hit a new 52-week high during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $59.41 and last traded at $59.37, with a volume of 3663016 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $58.74.

iShares MSCI Japan ETF Trading Up 1.3 %

The firm has a market cap of $10.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.76 and a beta of 0.68. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $57.61 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.79.

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Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in EWJ. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 15.7% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 202,282 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $12,462,000 after acquiring an additional 27,428 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 37.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 92,661 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $5,807,000 after acquiring an additional 25,415 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF by 15.3% during the 1st quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 89,447 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $5,511,000 after acquiring an additional 11,850 shares during the last quarter. Wit LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $239,000. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC acquired a new position in shares of iShares MSCI Japan ETF during the 1st quarter valued at about $2,797,000.

About iShares MSCI Japan ETF

iShares MSCI Japan ETF (the fund), formerly Ishares Msci Japan Index Fund, is an exchange-traded fund. The Fund seeks to provide investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of publicly traded securities in the Japanese market, as measured by the MSCI Japan Index (the Index).

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Kemper (NYSE:KMPR  Get Rating) had its target price reduced by Raymond James from $80.00 to $70.00 in a research report report published on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Credit Suisse Group upgraded Kemper from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their price target for the stock from $56.00 to $78.00 in a report on Monday, April 10th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Kemper from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Kemper in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. Finally, StockNews.com assumed coverage on Kemper in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $73.75.

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Kemper Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of KMPR stock opened at $43.83 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a P/E ratio of -9.29 and a beta of 0.90. Kemper has a twelve month low of $40.65 and a twelve month high of $68.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $55.29 and a 200 day moving average of $54.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.21, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Kemper Announces Dividend

Kemper ( NYSE:KMPR Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 2nd. The insurance provider reported ($0.41) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of ($0.50) by $0.09. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.39 billion. Kemper had a negative return on equity of 5.64% and a negative net margin of 5.40%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kemper will post 2.05 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.31 per share. This represents a $1.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. Kempers payout ratio is -26.27%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kemper

In other Kemper news, Director Susan D. Whiting sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.54, for a total transaction of $66,540.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 9,098 shares of the companys stock, valued at $605,380.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Alberto J. Paracchini purchased 500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $63.63 per share, for a total transaction of $31,815.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 1,065 shares in the company, valued at $67,765.95. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Susan D. Whiting sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.54, for a total transaction of $66,540.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 9,098 shares in the company, valued at approximately $605,380.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kemper

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KMPR. Foundry Partners LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kemper by 51.8% in the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 7,135 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 2,435 shares during the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Kemper during the 1st quarter valued at about $307,000. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board lifted its position in Kemper by 23.4% during the 1st quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 11,600 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $634,000 after acquiring an additional 2,200 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in Kemper by 51.6% during the 1st quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 132,575 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $7,247,000 after purchasing an additional 45,114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in Kemper by 54.2% during the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 715,749 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $39,123,000 after purchasing an additional 251,486 shares in the last quarter. 81.20% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kemper

(Get Rating)

Kemper Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the property and casualty insurance, and life and health insurance businesses. It operates through the following segments: Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance, Preferred Property and Casualty Insurance, and Life and Health Insurance. The Specialty Property and Casualty Insurance segment provides personal and commercial automobile insurance.

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McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc. reduced its holdings in The Sherwin-Williams Company (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) by 45.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 888 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock after selling 750 shares during the quarter. McKinley Carter Wealth Services Inc.s holdings in Sherwin-Williams were worth $211,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Roundview Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 8.1% during the 1st quarter. Roundview Capital LLC now owns 8,065 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $2,013,000 after acquiring an additional 607 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 189.1% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 10,409 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $2,598,000 after acquiring an additional 6,808 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. grew its stake in shares of Sherwin-Williams by 26.5% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 118,763 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $29,956,000 after buying an additional 24,884 shares in the last quarter. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Sherwin-Williams during the first quarter worth $1,231,000. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers raised its position in Sherwin-Williams by 2.6% during the first quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 11,387 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock worth $2,842,000 after acquiring an additional 287 shares in the last quarter. 76.03% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Loop Capital boosted their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $285.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sherwin-Williams from $300.00 to $275.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $260.00 to $235.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $230.00 to $220.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, January 9th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on shares of Sherwin-Williams from $285.00 to $267.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $257.83.

Sherwin-Williams Stock Down 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE:SHW opened at $227.34 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $58.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.07. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $223.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $231.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.03. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a 12-month low of $195.24 and a 12-month high of $282.16.

Sherwin-Williams (NYSE:SHW  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The specialty chemicals company reported $2.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.84 by $0.20. Sherwin-Williams had a net margin of 9.41% and a return on equity of 86.29%. The business had revenue of $5.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.14 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.61 EPS. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Sherwin-Williams Company will post 8.68 earnings per share for the current year.

Sherwin-Williams Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 19th will be given a dividend of $0.605 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 18th. This represents a $2.42 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.06%. Sherwin-Williamss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sherwin-Williams

In other Sherwin-Williams news, SVP Bryan J. Young sold 2,750 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $220.76, for a total transaction of $607,090.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 7,955 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,756,145.80. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock.

About Sherwin-Williams

(Get Rating)

The Sherwin-Williams Co engages in the development, manufacture, distribution, and sale of paint and coatings. It operates through the following segments: America Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coating Group. The America Group segment manages the exclusive outlets for Sherwin-Williams branded paints, stains, supplies, equipment, and floor coverings.

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Pinnacle West Capital (NYSE:PNW  Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.03 by ($0.06), Briefing.com reports. Pinnacle West Capital had a return on equity of 7.87% and a net margin of 11.18%. The business had revenue of $944.60 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $808.33 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.15 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 20.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Pinnacle West Capital updated its FY23 guidance to $3.95.4.15 EPS and its FY 2023 guidance to $3.95-$4.15 EPS.

Pinnacle West Capital Price Performance

Shares of PNW stock traded up $0.43 on Friday, reaching $80.12. 495,618 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 904,983. Pinnacle West Capital has a 1 year low of $59.03 and a 1 year high of $81.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $77.96 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.29. The company has a market cap of $9.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.46.

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Pinnacle West Capital Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 1st will be given a $0.865 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 28th. This represents a $3.46 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.32%. Pinnacle West Capitals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 81.03%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. HighTower Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 8.0% in the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 21,980 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,718,000 after acquiring an additional 1,630 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 23.1% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 30,693 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,397,000 after purchasing an additional 5,768 shares during the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can boosted its stake in Pinnacle West Capital by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 31,722 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $2,599,000 after purchasing an additional 1,681 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 6.8% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 494,515 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $38,620,000 after buying an additional 31,526 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised its position in shares of Pinnacle West Capital by 7.8% in the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 135,551 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $10,571,000 after buying an additional 9,777 shares during the last quarter. 85.21% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PNW has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $71.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Credit Suisse Group raised Pinnacle West Capital from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and upped their target price for the company from $77.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 14th. Mizuho lowered their price target on Pinnacle West Capital from $76.00 to $74.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Pinnacle West Capital in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on shares of Pinnacle West Capital from $69.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 6th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Pinnacle West Capital has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $74.00.

About Pinnacle West Capital

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Pinnacle West Capital Corp. is a holding company, which engages in providing energy and energy-related products. It offers regulated retail and wholesale electricity businesses and related activities, such as electricity generation, transmission and distribution through its subsidiary, Arizona Public Service Co The company was founded on February 20, 1985, and is headquartered in Phoenix, AZ.

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Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Get Rating) by 5.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,140 shares of the companys stock after selling 624 shares during the period. Regent Peak Wealth Advisors LLCs holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $1,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in MRK. Marion Wealth Management raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 18.5% in the 4th quarter. Marion Wealth Management now owns 21,538 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,390,000 after acquiring an additional 3,366 shares during the period. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC raised its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.1% in the 4th quarter. Ascent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 17,520 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,944,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Crescent Sterling Ltd. bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $806,000. Alaska Wealth Advisors bought a new stake in Merck & Co., Inc. in the 4th quarter valued at $228,000. Finally, Drive Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 181.8% in the 4th quarter. Drive Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,775 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 6,952 shares during the last quarter. 72.89% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Transactions at Merck & Co., Inc.

In other Merck & Co., Inc. news, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 39,900 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,159,575. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, insider Joseph Romanelli sold 5,000 shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.22, for a total transaction of $541,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 20,284 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,195,134.48. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Steven Mizell sold 4,436 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.25, for a total transaction of $462,453.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 39,900 shares of the companys stock, valued at $4,159,575. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 435,234 shares of company stock valued at $49,996,664. 0.29% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

Shares of Merck & Co., Inc. stock traded down $0.03 on Friday, hitting $117.34. 1,022,390 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 8,084,284. The stock has a market capitalization of $297.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.07 and a beta of 0.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.47. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 52 week low of $83.05 and a 52 week high of $119.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $110.44 and a 200 day simple moving average of $107.87.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.40 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.34 by $0.06. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 38.40% and a net margin of 22.52%. The firm had revenue of $14.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $13.81 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.14 earnings per share. The businesss revenue was down 8.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 6.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on MRK. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Merck & Co., Inc. in a report on Monday, March 6th. They issued a buy rating and a $125.00 price objective on the stock. Credit Suisse Group upped their price objective on Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $126.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. SVB Leerink raised their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $120.00 to $122.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Merck & Co., Inc. from $128.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Monday. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, sixteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $120.75.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

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Merck & Co, Inc is a health care company, which engages in the provision of health solutions through its prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies, animal health, and consumer care products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceutical, Animal Health, and Other. The Pharmaceutical segment includes human health pharmaceutical and vaccine products.

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Spirit AeroSystems (NYSE:SPR  Get Rating) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The aerospace company reported ($1.69) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.31) by ($1.38), Briefing.com reports. The business had revenue of $1.43 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.52 billion. Spirit AeroSystems had a negative return on equity of 365.67% and a negative net margin of 14.64%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 21.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.03 earnings per share.

Spirit AeroSystems Stock Down 0.3 %

NYSE:SPR traded down $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $24.54. The company had a trading volume of 2,990,512 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,486,023. The company has a 50-day moving average of $31.90 and a 200 day moving average of $30.42. Spirit AeroSystems has a 1 year low of $21.14 and a 1 year high of $38.55.

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Institutional Trading of Spirit AeroSystems

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SPR. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main grew its holdings in shares of Spirit AeroSystems by 24.7% during the 4th quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main now owns 505,446 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $14,961,000 after purchasing an additional 100,000 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Spirit AeroSystems by 20.1% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 6,695,378 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $198,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,122,570 shares during the period. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in shares of Spirit AeroSystems during the 4th quarter worth $170,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in shares of Spirit AeroSystems by 2.1% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 53,491 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 1,121 shares during the period. Finally, Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in shares of Spirit AeroSystems by 61.2% during the 4th quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 63,353 shares of the aerospace companys stock worth $1,875,000 after purchasing an additional 24,049 shares during the period. 85.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Spirit AeroSystems Company Profile

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SPR. StockNews.com began coverage on Spirit AeroSystems in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. Truist Financial upped their target price on Spirit AeroSystems from $39.00 to $42.00 in a research note on Monday, January 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Spirit AeroSystems from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein dropped their price target on Spirit AeroSystems from $38.00 to $29.00 in a research report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen cut Spirit AeroSystems from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $38.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Thursday. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $36.50.

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Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc engages in the design and manufacture of aero structures for commercial and defense aircraft. It operates through the following segments: Commercial, Defense & Space, and Aftermarket. The Commercial segment designs and manufactures forward, mid, and rear fuselage sections which related to floor beams, nacelles, struts and pylons, horizontal and vertical stabilizers, flaps and slats and wing structures.

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Boston Partners lowered its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF  Get Rating) by 7.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,319,189 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 99,438 shares during the period. Boston Partners owned approximately 0.29% of Synchrony Financial worth $43,365,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SYF. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Synchrony Financial by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 16,251 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 1,205 shares in the last quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Synchrony Financial by 30.3% in the first quarter. Panagora Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,337 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $1,160,000 after acquiring an additional 7,753 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its stake in shares of Synchrony Financial by 1.5% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 69,748 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,428,000 after acquiring an additional 1,057 shares during the period. Yousif Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Synchrony Financial by 2.3% during the first quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 101,114 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $3,520,000 after purchasing an additional 2,310 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service lifted its position in Synchrony Financial by 0.9% in the first quarter. National Pension Service now owns 962,162 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $33,493,000 after purchasing an additional 8,110 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 95.97% of the companys stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $401,323.75. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 71,664 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,597,820. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Synchrony Financial news, insider Alberto Casellas sold 39,460 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.14, for a total transaction of $1,426,084.40. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 70,040 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,531,245.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Bart Schaller sold 11,071 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $401,323.75. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 71,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,597,820. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.55% of the companys stock.

Synchrony Financial Trading Down 3.4 %

NYSE SYF opened at $26.76 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $11.47 billion, a PE ratio of 4.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.58. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $30.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.33. Synchrony Financial has a 1-year low of $26.59 and a 1-year high of $40.88. The company has a current ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20.

Synchrony Financial (NYSE:SYF  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 19th. The financial services provider reported $1.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.37 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $4.79 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.02 billion. Synchrony Financial had a net margin of 14.93% and a return on equity of 21.68%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Synchrony Financial will post 4.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Synchrony Financial declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase plan on Tuesday, April 25th that permits the company to repurchase $1.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally a sign that the companys management believes its stock is undervalued.

Synchrony Financial Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 12th. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 2nd will be issued a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 1st. Synchrony Financials dividend payout ratio is presently 16.20%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SYF shares. Barclays lowered Synchrony Financial from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and cut their price objective for the company from $41.00 to $38.00 in a report on Friday, January 6th. JMP Securities boosted their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a market outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reduced their target price on shares of Synchrony Financial from $41.00 to $35.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 5th. Citigroup dropped their price target on Synchrony Financial from $45.00 to $44.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Synchrony Financial from $37.00 to $31.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Synchrony Financial has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $36.56.

Synchrony Financial Company Profile

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Synchrony Financial engages in the provision of consumer financial services. The firm is also involved in managing credit products through the following sales platforms: Home and Auto, Digital, Diversified and Value, Health and Wellness, and Lifestyle. The company was founded on September 12, 2003 and is headquartered in Stamford, CT.

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The Hanover Insurance Group (NYSE:THG  Get Rating) released its earnings results on Tuesday. The insurance provider reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.07 by $0.06, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $1.44 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.47 billion. The Hanover Insurance Group had a return on equity of 7.98% and a net margin of 2.12%. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $3.26 earnings per share.

The Hanover Insurance Group Stock Performance

THG opened at $117.65 on Friday. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $127.38 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $135.07. The Hanover Insurance Group has a 52-week low of $115.26 and a 52-week high of $151.78. The company has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.65, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

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The Hanover Insurance Group Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th were issued a $0.81 dividend. This represents a $3.24 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. The Hanover Insurance Groups payout ratio is presently 100.93%.

Insider Transactions at The Hanover Insurance Group

Institutional Investors Weigh In On The Hanover Insurance Group

In related news, SVP Warren E. Barnes sold 862 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.51, for a total value of $119,395.62. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,075 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $564,428.25. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . Corporate insiders own 2.40% of the companys stock.

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisors Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 129.8% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 216 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its stake in The Hanover Insurance Group by 35.4% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 520 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $78,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in The Hanover Insurance Group by 45.7% in the 1st quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 542 shares of the insurance providers stock valued at $81,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in the 1st quarter worth $209,000. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of The Hanover Insurance Group by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC now owns 1,683 shares of the insurance providers stock worth $246,000 after acquiring an additional 227 shares during the period. 86.39% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, January 19th. They set a market perform rating and a $141.00 price objective for the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $148.00 to $141.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. JMP Securities reiterated a market outperform rating and set a $170.00 price objective on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. StockNews.com began coverage on The Hanover Insurance Group in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Piper Sandler boosted their target price on shares of The Hanover Insurance Group from $153.00 to $159.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $154.17.

The Hanover Insurance Group Company Profile

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The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc is a holding company that engages in the provision of property and casualty products and services. It operates through the following segments: Core Commercial, Specialty, Personal Lines and Other. The Core Commercial segment includes commercial multiple peril, commercial automobile, workers compensation and other core commercial coverage, such as general liability, commercial umbrella and monoline property.

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Free Event

Honoring those who have made the heroic sacrifice to defend our country's freedom.

Please join Calvary Cemetery and Fr. Greg Konerman as we celebrate our annual Memorial Day Mass on Monday, May 29th at 9am.

Immediately following Mass, the Knights of Columbus will host a wreath ceremony in the Soldier Section. All parking on cemetery grounds and for more information, please call 937-293-1221
AP Bhavan in New Delhi. (File Image: DC)

Hyderabad: The Centre has proposed a new option for the division of properties of AP Bhavan in New Delhi between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which is opposite the recommendation made by the Telangana government.

According to the minutes of the meeting that were circulated on Thursday, the Union home ministry proposed giving Telangana the 7.64-acre Pataudi House property while offering Andhra Pradesh the land, buildings like the Godavari and the Sabari blocks, and a nursing facility on 12.09 acres.

This goes against the Telangana state governments demand that the land, Godavari and Sabari blocks and other buildings, and a nursing facility on 12.09 acres be handed over to it, while the Pataudi House and land spread over 7.64 acres be given to Andhra Pradesh.

The minutes were recorded in the meeting held by Centre with the Telangana and Andhra Pradesh governments in New Delhi on April 26 to discuss the bifurcation of AP Bhavan.

"Special chief secretary, Government of AP, stated that there are three options for division of AP Bhavan in Delhi and if the TS government responds. The AP government will take a final view. Special chief secretary, Government of Telangana, stated that based on the discussions, TS government has arrived at two options. In the first option, TS government wants the entire piece of land consisting of Godavari block, Sabari block and Nursing Hostel along with existing buildings (12.09 acres) excluding the Pataudi House (7.64 acres). As it will be more than TS government's share as per population ratio, TS government will make financial adjustment at market value to AP government for the excess land.

Special CS, AP government responded that since a new option has been proposed by the TS government, they will take it forward for a decision."

The Centre justified the new option by contending that the share of land would be near about equal to that of the TS government share in population ratio and transaction cost will be minimal. "Any excess share will be reimbursed to by the Andhra Pradesh government to Telangana," the note on minutes released by the Union home ministry stated.
YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. (Photo: DC)

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has directed the officials to provide relief to all the affected farmers who suffered crop damage or loss due to the untimely rainfall.

"Ensure that not a single affected farmer is left out of the government's relief offer in the state," the Chief Minister said at a review meeting he held with officials to assess the impact of rainfall on crops, at his camp office here on Thursday.

The officials briefed the Chief Minister on the extent of damage across districts, based on preliminary reports. "Get reports of damage or loss to the farmers from the village secretariats on a regular basis. Purchase soaked and discoloured paddy from the farmers," he said.

He advised officials to complete the enumeration of damage or loss to the crops and prepare a list of the affected farmers. "Put the lists on display at the village secretariats for social audit to ascertain if any name of the affected farmers is missing. Once such issues are brought to the notice of the officials, they would accommodate those names too in the lists for relief," he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy further asked officials to expedite paddy purchase for the rabi season and said there should be no complaint from any quarter that the government was not purchasing paddy from the farmers. "Officials must set up a toll-free number so that the farmers could lodge complaints. Review the situation on a regular basis and resolve the problems quickly," he said.

Jagan Mohan Reddy said, "Work in a way that the farmers feel happy for the kind of support they received from the state government."
"We are of the opinion that the state has no power to carry out a caste-based survey, in the manner in which it is fashioned now, which would amount to a census, thus impinging upon the legislative power of the Parliament, the Patna High Court said. (File Photo: DC)

Patna: The Patna High Court on Thursday stayed the Bihar governments caste-based survey and directed the state government not to share the data which it has already collected. The next hearing in the case is on July 3.

The petitioner told a division bench of Chief Justice K. Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad that the

caste and economic survey was beyond the jurisdiction of the state government.

The first phase of the caste-based survey began in January. The state government was presently conducting the second phase of the survey. The stay is being seen as a major setback for Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who had earlier expressed his annoyance over the Opposition questioning the exercise.

"Prima facie, we are of the opinion that the state has no power to carry out a caste-based survey, in the manner in which it is fashioned now, which would amount to a census, thus impinging upon the legislative power of the Parliament," the court said.

On the government's intention to share the survey data with leaders of different parties, the court said: "There definitely arises the larger question of the right to privacy, which the Supreme Court has held to be a facet of right to life."

The state cannot attempt to carry out a caste census in the garb of a survey, especially when the state has absolutely no legislative competence and, in that circumstance, neither can an executive order be sustained under Article 162 of the Constitution of India, the court clarified. The HC also observed that the notification issued by the state government does not disclose any perceivable object for carrying out such a survey.

On Thursday ahead of the courts judgment, Nitish Kumar defended said the survey was supported by all political parties.

"Caste-based census was done in 2011 but its reports were not released. In 2019 a resolution was passed in the Bihar Assembly and Legislative Council demanding a caste-based census at the national level. We even met the Prime Minister but nothing happened and were asked to carry out the exercise on our own if we wanted to do it", Nitish Kumar said.

He appeared peeved over the opposition's stance on the issue. He said, "I fail to understand why people have problems with the survey. The headcount used to be conducted during British time but was stopped in 1931. The census takes into account the population of different castes among the minorities, Scheduled caste, and Scheduled Tribe. I have been saying that there should be a census of all castes and communities in the country. By conducting such an exercise we will find out about the economic condition and do everything possible to help them".

He added, "There are only a handful of people in the state who would speak against the move. The majority of people have been in favor of the survey. This was passed with the support of all parties".

The Opposition BJP slammed Nitish Kumar and his Mahagathbandhan government for not putting up its case properly in the High Court. "This raises doubt on the intention of the Bihar government. The state government did not pursue its case properly in the High Court", leader of the Opposition Vijay Kumar Sinha said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a party rally at Samserganj, in Murshidabad district, on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday prescribed a 1:1 formula for anti-BJP parties to fight the ruling party at the Centre for next year's general elections.

Explaining her formula, she said each opposition party should fight in its domain of strength to tackle the BJP.

Banerjee, the Trinamul Congress chief, said at a party rally in Shamsherganj in Murshidabad: "I call upon all the Opposition parties to be united and fight the polls on one-is-to-one basis. They should fight in wherever they are strong. We have no problem with that. Try to work unitedly."

She accused the BJP of misusing Central investigative agencies and said the party would not get votes because of it.

"They send the ED and CBI telling them to trigger blasts. If their officer says what to do as there is no case, they ask him to make a dhamaka at least to defame someone. Don't defame Ram and the country. There will be no benefits using agencies. You are not going to get votes from the agencies' votes."

Hitting back at her, state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said, "We know the fight has always been BJP versus all. We are prepared for this fight in the Lok Sabha polls. But Congress and CPI(M) need to decide if they want to join the TMC in its fight." On Banerjees allegations on the misuse of Central agencies, he said, "If someone steals, he has to face punishment for the crime. It is in the Constitution."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Photo: PTI)

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday.

An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, the ministry said in a statement.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, it said.

Reacting to the announcement, Macron in a tweet in French and Hindi said, "Dear Narendra, it will be my pleasure to welcome you to Paris as the guest of honour for the 14th of July parade."

Responding to Macron's tweet, Modi said, "Thank you my friend @EmmanuelMacron! I look forward to celebrating Bastille Day and our Strategic Partnership with you and the French people."

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Prime Minister Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

"This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 presidency," according to the statement.

In a series of tweets, the French Embassy highlighted special moments for France and India and said that it dates back to the French Revolution.

"It's a moment for the French to celebrate what binds them together, especially the values of 'liberty, equality, fraternity' -- which, by the way, are also in the Preamble to India's Constitution! Every Bastille Day, Paris' famous avenue des Champs-Elysees hosts a military parade - not very different from the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path!" the Embassy said.

France has been the Republic Day guest of honour five times since 1951, it said.

Prime Minister Modi will be the second Indian prime minister to be the Guest of Honour at Bastille Day after Manmohan Singh in 2009, the embassy said.

"His presence in Paris holds especial significance as France and India are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership this year. Indian and French troops will march side by side in the military parade in Paris. Such images speak louder than words how close France and India are!" the embassy said.

Beyond symbols, this visit also has strong geopolitical significance -- since 1947, France and India have always stood by each other in good and bad times, it said.

"And because of this trust, we have built an incredibly ambitious strategic partnership. From defence to the Indo-Pacific, from space to climate, and more: we work together to make our nations stronger, and the world safer. That is the meaning of our partnership: fostering strategic autonomy in all areas and promoting a more just, rules-based world order. We are in this together for the long run," the Embassy said on Twitter.

"When PM Narendra Modi comes to France on Bastille Day, we will celebrate our joint achievements of the last 25 years, and set our common ambitions for the next 25 years. Long live the Indo-French friendship!" the French mission said in another tweet.
BRS Chief and Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao at the inauguration of the party office BRS Bhawan in Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, on Thursday. (Photo: By Arrangement)

Hyderabad: BRS supremo and Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, the man on a mission to make a strong political statement with national ambitions, inaugurated the BRS central office at Vasant Vihar in New Delhi on Thursday on an impressive scale, with ministers, party MPs, MLAs and MLCs and senior politicians in full attendance.

Soon after the central office was inaugurated, the CM met with party leaders to discuss plans to accelerate activities at the national level after the announcement of the Karnataka Assembly election results on May 13. Rao also discussed plans to open party offices in Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh later this month.

The CM, who took a special flight to Delhi on Thursday morning. The CM hoisted the BRS flag on the office premises shortly after his arrival. At 1.05 pm, Rao cut the ribbon to inaugurate the BRS Bhavan, amid priests chanting Vedic hymns. The CM took part in special homam and Sudarshana Yagam. Assembly Speaker Pocharam Srinivas Reddy and Legislative Council chairman Gutha Sukender Reddy were present on the occasion.

After inaugurating the BRS building, the CM occupied his seat in the first floor and assumed charge by signing some official documents. The office was designed as per the Vastu Shastra standards. Separate chambers were allotted to the BRS president and working president. Along with these, a total of 18 rooms are available in the BRS Bhavan for other purposes. A spacious meeting hall will be used for the party meetings in the BRS Bhavan.

All along the two-kilometre stretch leading to the BRS office, posters and banners welcoming the CM were erected. The office was filled with religious fervour, with yagams and priests reciting Vedic 'mantras'. Since the morning, a large number of BRS workers have flocked to the new office, infusing a great deal of excitement among the leaders and party members.

Despite stringent security restrictions, party leaders and activists turned in large numbers to welcome the BRS chief with floral bouquets. The party leaders and workers indulged in big celebrations after the inauguration of the office. The Telangana and Delhi police put in place heavy security arrangements at the venue. Security was ramped up from Vasant Vihar Metro station to the BRS Bhavan. The traffic was stopped for a while for the passage of the CM's convoy.

The Chief Minister returned to Hyderabad in the evening.
The storm could hit the shores of Odisha or Bengal as one of the possibilities, with the likelihood of making landfall on the shores of Bangladesh or Myanmar being the other options, the IMD said. (Image: IMD)

Visakhapatnam: Cyclone Mocha, this years first low-pressure system, may spare Andhra Pradesh but is likely to hit Odisha and West Bengal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

IMD officials said the cyclonic circulation is likely to develop over the southeast Bay of Bengal around May 6, influencing the formation of a low-pressure area over the region around May 7 and then converge into a depression over the southeast Bay of Bengal on May 8.

The name Mocha was recommended by Yemen. It originates from the Yemeni city Mocha (or Mokha).

It is then likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm, moving northwards, towards the central Bay of Bengal. The details of its path and intensification will be known after the formation of the low-pressure area, the IMD said.

The storm could hit the shores of Odisha or Bengal as one of the possibilities, with the likelihood of making landfall on the shores of Bangladesh or Myanmar being the other options, the IMD said.

Most cyclones that formed in May, in the past, made landfall in Bangladesh, an IMD report said.

As of now, the IMD has not issued any warning of rain to Andhra Pradesh.

Dr Sagili Karunasagar, a scientist with IMD Amaravati, said that parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh and the Rayalaseema region in the state witnessed light to moderate rains on Thursday.

Veligandla of Prakasam district recorded 8 cm rainfall, followed by 7 cm rainfall in Peddapuram of Kakinada district, 6 cm in Palasa of Srikakulam, 5 cm rainfall each in Prathipadu, Araku Valley, Mandasa and Tadepalligudem in the state.

Parts of the state will witness thunderstorms for the next three days, he added.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (R) speaking with Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Zhang Ming during the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa. (AFP)

New Delhi: Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari landed in Panaji, Goa, on Thursday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting that will take place Friday, and said he was happy to represent his country at the forthcoming meeting and would attend a dinner for the SCO foreign ministers being hosted by external affairs minister S. Jaishankar on Thursday evening.

Jaishankar, meanwhile, held separate bilateral meetings with his Chinese, Russian and Uzbek counterparts, as well as the SCO secretary-general. He told Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang that the "focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the (Sino-Indian) border areas."

The reference was to Chinas perceived reluctance to pull back its troops from all friction points in the Ladakh sector where it had unilaterally amassed troops three years ago in violation of bilateral pacts with India. India has already made it clear that there can be no normalcy in bilateral ties with China unless Beijing carries out military disengagement from all these friction points.

New Delhi, which is the chair of the eight-nation SCO, on Thursday said it was "driven by a commitment to secure SCO" and that the "key focus areas" are start-ups, science and technology, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and traditional medicine.

The SCO foreign ministers meeting on Friday is expected to discuss the global and regional situation and prepare for the SCO summit that will be hosted by India in New Delhi on July 3 and 4, which is expected to be attended by the heads of state/government of the groups member-nations.

There can be no discussion on any bilateral issue between any two member-states at the SCO meeting on Friday under the SCO rules, but it remains to be seen whether the Pakistan foreign minister will rake up the Kashmir issue.

Footage released in the media showed the Pakistan foreign minister, who had earlier arrived in a Pakistan Air Force plane, seated in a room along with the MEAs joint secretary (Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran) J.P. Singh, who was earlier Indias deputy high commissioner in Islamabad. Also seated were top diplomats of the Pakistan high commission in New Delhi. It appears unlikely that there will be any formal structured bilateral meeting between Jaishankar and the Pakistani minister amid strained political ties between the two neighbours, primarily due to Islamabads continuing support for cross-border terrorism.

On the bilateral meeting with Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar said both ministers conducted a "comprehensive review of our bilateral global and multilateral cooperation", including in the G-20 and Brics forums, even as he "appreciated Russias support for Indias G-20 presidency". Moscow said the two ministers "praised the dynamics of cooperation in key areas of the (bilateral) special and privileged strategic partnership". The bilateral meeting took amid developments over the Ukraine conflict after Moscow accused Ukraine of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin earlier on Wednesday, although Ukraine has reportedly denied these allegations.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, (Photo: AP)

Mumbai: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday indicated that he may alter his decision to resign from the post of NCP president. He personally met party workers protesting outside the Y.B. Chavan Centre in Mumbai and assured them they will not have to protest after Saturday.

According to party insiders, Mr Pawar will not withdraw his decision, but the discussions are on to find some middle ground. The most likely option is that Mr Pawar will postpone his resignation till the 2024 general elections. During this period, Supriya Sules leadership will be established in the party at the national level. Ajit Pawar will continue to lead the NCP in Maharashtra.

A meeting of the NCPs core committee, which Mr Pawar announced on Tuesday to decide on his successor, will take place at the partys headquarters in Mumbai on Friday. After the meeting, the decision will be formally announced either on Friday evening or on Saturday.

The committee includes Ms Sule, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Sunil Tatkare, P.C. Chacko, Narhari Zirwal, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujabl, Dilip Walse-Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope, Jitendra Awhad, Hasan Mushrif, Dhananjay Munde, Jaydev Gaikwad and the chiefs of the partys frontal cells.

Another option before the committee is to appoint a working president who will function under Mr Pawars guidance and follow his instructions. This way, the partys remote control will remain in Mr Pawars hands. However, whichever option the committee chooses, the control of the party will remain within the Pawar family, a source said.

Mr Pawars decision to step down sent shockwaves among the party workers and cadre, who have been protesting for the last three days outside the Y.B. Chavan Centre. On Thursday afternoon, Mr Pawar personally visited them and had a brief conversation. All the protesting NCP office-bearers told him they will not withdraw their protests till he agreed to continue as the party president. They also threatened to start a hunger strike from Saturday if he did not accept their demand.

After patiently listening to the party workers for nearly 15 minutes, Mr Pawar explained his stand to them. "I have decided to step down in the interest of the party. But I have taken note of your feelings. Party leaders and functionaries from other states have also asked me not to resign. I usually make any decision after consulting all of you. But this time I took the decision alone. Because I knew that if I asked, you were going to oppose it. But now I have understood your feelings. I will be meeting leaders from other states on Friday. After that, a final decision will be announced in a day or two. But I assure you that after Saturday, you will not have to sit like this," Mr Pawar told his supporters.

A section of the NCP leaders, who will lose their importance in the party if Ajit Pawar takes charge, are strongly opposing Mr Pawars decision. At least two MLAs and several office-bearers have offered to resign after Mr Pawars announcement. The state NCP president's (Mr Patil) position in the party is also under threat. Mr Patil did not meet Mr Pawar along with other leaders on Wednesday. Instead, he met him alone at Mr Pawars residence in the evening.

"Mr Pawars decision was shocking, none of us had anticipated it. We are trying to persuade him to continue in the party presidents post till the Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections next year. I met him yesterday night. But he is firm in his decision. We have apprised him of the feelings among the party cadre. They are distraught. But Mr Pawar ended the discussion by saying he will accept the decision taken by the committee. We will continue our efforts to convince him. But it is also true that Mr Pawar is firm on his decision." Mr Patil said.

Mr Awhad said: "We always listen to Mr Pawar. But his decision to resign is not acceptable. The country needs his leadership. The 2024 elections are crucial to end the BJPs tyranny in the country. The Constitution is in danger. The Opposition needs to unite to defeat the BJP and Mr Pawar is the only leader who can keep the entire Opposition together. He has three years left in his Rajya Sabha term. At least till then, he should continue to lead the NCP. If he wants, he can resign from the party post after his Rajya Sabha term is over."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets the crowd during a roadshow ahead of the Karnataka Assembly elections, in Tumakuru on Friday. (Photo: PTI)

Ballari, Bengaluru: Stepping up the attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, the Congress had nurtured, given shelter and surrendered to terror.

Wading into the controversy over the movie The Kerala Story, at his campaign meeting in Ballari, Modi said: "In the recent years, terrorism has taken a new form. While sounds of bombs and pistols can be heard, there are efforts towards making society hollow within. 'The Kerala Story,' which is in discussion these days, shows this new face of terrorism."

"The movie sheds light on how terrorism is damaging society. And now, Congress is supporting those elements who are defending terrorism by trying to ban this film," he alleged.

The Prime Minister also addressed a public rally and took out a road show at Tumakuru. Soon after landing at the helipad in Tumakuru, he rode in his bullet-proof car, standing on the running board. The Prime Minister waved at the crowd that cheered him with chants of "Modi-Modi". The entire stretch was lined up with the BJP flags, festoons and Mr Modi's posters.

Addressing a public meeting in Ballari, the Prime Minister said, "To make Karnataka the number one state in the country, law and order are important. Karnataka's remaining free from terror is equally important. The BJP has always been harsh against terror. But whenever there is action against terror, the Congress gets a stomach ache."

" I am surprised that, for the sake of its vote bank, the Congress has surrendered before terror. Can such a party protect Karnataka and its civilians in any way? Under the climate of terror, the industries here  the IT industry, farmers and the rich culture and heritage here will be destroyed, " Mr Modi said.

Noting that the Congress has lost the courage to speak against terror, the Prime Minister alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, the party has nurtured and given shelter to terror.

"Even courts have expressed worry about this nature of terror. The film made on such a terror conspiracy, The Kerala Story is under discussion. It is said the film is based on the terrorists' deceitful policies and conspiracies in just one state. Such a beautiful state of the country, where people are hardworking and talented. This film brings out the terror conspiracies happening in that state," he said.

"It is unfortunate that the Congress can be seen standing with this terror trend that is seeking to ruin the country. The Congress is even indulging in backdoor political bargaining with people with terror inclinations. The people of Karnataka should be cautious about the Congress," he said.

At Tumakuru, he recalled former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhis statement that if his government sends Rs1 from Delhi, only 15 paise reaches people on the ground, Modi said that the former prime minister himself, in a way, had admitted that the Congress is an 85 per cent commission party.

"Even today, the identity of the Congress is 85 per cent commission party," he noted.

Talking about Sudan's civil war and the government's efforts to get stranded Indians there back to the country through "Operation Kaveri", the Prime Minister alleged that even at times of such a crisis, the Congress did not stand with the country.

"The Congress wanted to do politics on the issue and take advantage of the Sudan crisis here in the Karnataka elections, as several people stranded there were from the state," Modi said.

While claiming that his government has been successful in getting Indians back from crisis-hit areas, he said the Congress will have to pay the price in this election for playing politics at a time of crisis.

He made a point to chant "Bajrang Bali Ki Jai " and quoted a line from noted Kannada poet Kuvempu's poem hailing Lord Hanuman. "The BJP is coming (to power) with a thumping majority. There was nothing preplanned, but a mega roadshow happened due to the overwhelming crowd," he said.

He claimed that the Opposition Congress has a problem with those chanting "Jai Bajrang Bali".

Modi alleged that the Congress party looted the defence sector of the country and his accusation against the Congress was that Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has started to make profits nowadays which was not seen from its days of inception and it (HAL) was destroyed by Congress regime.

Under Congress regime, he alleged that HALs was allegedly "looted" and "none of the works got cleared without availing 85 per cent commission" and said the BJP government has established defence modern factories and making defence forces strong.
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar with party leaders addresses the media at the Y. B. Chavan Center, in Mumbai. (PTI)

MUMBAI: Ending all speculation over his future course of action, Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar on Friday announced that he will continue as the party president and focus on building a new leadership in the party.

Mr Pawar said he changed his decision to quit from the party post to respect the feelings of party workers, office-bearers and colleagues who have been pleading with him to take back his resignation.

"I announced my decision to retire from the post of Nationalist Congress Party president. After 63 years of long service in public life, it was my own decision to step down. But my decision evoked strong sentiments amongst the people. Party workers, office-bearers and my colleagues were disheartened to hear my decision. All unanimously appealed to me to reconsider my decision. At the same time, the leaders from various political parties, my colleagues and well-wishers from all over the country and especially from Maharashtra, persuaded me to change my decision," the NCP chief said.

Hinting at major changes in the party, Mr Pawar added: "Even though I am continuing in the post of president, I am of the clear opinion that there has to be a succession plan for any post or responsibility in the organisation. In future, I will focus on making organisational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities, creating new leadership. I will also work vigorously for the growth of the organisation and take our ideology and goals of the party to the people."

On the question of Ajit Pawars absence at the press conference, the NCP chief said everyone was not needed at the press conference.

Earlier in the day, a committee of NCP leaders rejected Mr Pawars resignation from the party post. The committee requested him to remain on the party presidents post at least till the 2024 general election.

The committee, which was set up by Mr Pawar himself to find his successor, met at the NCP headquarters in Mumbai at 11 am. The committee included Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, party vice president Praful Patel, state president Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal and leaders from Maharashtra as well as other states.

At the meeting, Mr Patel moved a resolution to reject the resignation of Sharad Pawar and requested him to take back his decision. The resolution was passed unanimously.

"Pawar Saheb took the decision without informing us. Considering all the demands of the party workers and leaders, we took a meeting today and the committee has passed a proposal unanimously. The committee unanimously rejects the resignation and we request Mr Pawar to continue as party president," Mr Patel said after the meeting.

Soon after Mr Patels announcement, NCP office-bearers and workers protesting outside the party office started fireworks and celebrations. A group of NCP leaders including Mr Patel, Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal then met the NCP chief at his Mumbai residence "Silver Oak" and informed him about the committees decision.

"We have been meeting Sharad Pawar for the last few days and have been telling him to take his resignation back. We cannot neglect the feelings of NCP workers from across the country. We told Sharad Pawar that he is a pillar of the party. He is a respected leader of not just the state, but the country," Mr Patel said.

Jayant Patil also confirmed that they requested Sharad Pawar not resign "at the moment". "He should stay at least till the Parliament elections. He might have taken the decision to step down from the party presidents post in order to give a chance to new faces. But we have requested him to stay on his post," he said.

Mr Pawar had announced his decision to step down from the party presidents post during the lauch of the second edition of his autobiography Lok Majhe Sangati: Political Autobiography. The development came amid speculation about Ajit Pawar along with several NCP legislators drifting towards the BJP.
After posting record revenue and boosting production in the country through contract manufacturers, Apple Inc on Friday singled out India as an incredibly exciting market and a tipping point for the company.



Apple Inc CEO Tim Cook, at a conference call after releasing the Q2 results, spoke in detail about the Indian market which posted a new record of about $6 billion in sales in the 2022-2023 financial year. The Cupertino-based electronics major has been focussing on India for the past few years not just for sales of Apple products, but also as a major hub for production.

Also Read: Apple opens store in Delhi to boost investments in India



Three contract manufacturers  Foxconn, Pegatron, and Wistron  roll out high-end Apple iPhones from their production units near Chennai and Bengaluru, while Chinese firm Luxshare, which specialises in Apple watch and Apple Airpods, is likely to begin production very soon from the old Motorola mobile manufacturing unit on the outskirts of Chennai.



Foxconn and Pegatron are looking to expand their massive facilities as Apple plans to move a significant portion of its China operations to countries like India, while home-grown Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) is in advanced talks with Wistron for takeover of India operations.



India is an incredibly exciting market. It's a major focus for usOverall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there (India). There are a lot of people coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and it's great to be there, Cook said during the call, according to a release from Apple.



Apart from India, sales of Apple iPhones increased in markets like Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Brazil, and the UAE.



Speaking about his visit to India to open two Apple stores in Mumbai and Delhi, Cook said the company did set a quarterly record, grew very strong, and in double digits year-over-year.



I was just there, and the Dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable. Over time, we've been expanding our operations there to serve more customersWe've got a number of channel partners in the country as well that we're partnering with, and we're very happy with how that's going overall. Overall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there, Cook added.



India is emerging as a major production hub for Apple iPhones with companies like Foxconn scouting for locations in various parts of the country.



According to various estimates, Apples production in India went up to 7 per cent in 2023 from a mere 1 per cent in 2020 after Foxconn ramped up its production massively following the Covid-19 lockdown.



Pegatron, which opened its facility in September 2022, too began adding to Apples kitty. Both firms now roll out high-end Apple iPhone 14 and other flagship models from their India facilities.



TEPL is supplying mobile bases for Apple iPhones from its massive electronics ecosystem in Hosur, even as it plans to assemble phones for Apple after taking over Wistron. Salcomp, which now controls the entire Nokia SEZ, is supplying chargers for Apple products.




By Dina Bass and Ian King

Microsoft Corp. is working with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on the chipmakers expansion into artificial intelligence processors, according to people with knowledge of the situation, part of a multipronged strategy to secure more of the highly coveted components.

The companies are teaming up to offer an alternative to Nvidia Corp., which dominates the market for AI-capable chips called graphics processing units, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The software giant is providing financial support to bolster AMDs efforts, and working with the chipmaker on a homegrown Microsoft processor for AI workloads, code-named Athena.

AMD shares jumped more than 6.5 per cent on Thursday, and Microsoft gained about 1 per cent. Representatives from both companies declined to comment. Nvidia stock declined 1.9 per cent.

Also Read | Salaries doubled as fierce AI talent war shifts to India

The arrangement is part of a broader rush to augment AI processing power, which is in great demand after the explosion of chatbots like ChatGPT and other services based on the technology. Microsoft is both a top provider of cloud-computing services and a driving force of AI use. The company has pumped $10 billion into ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and has vowed to add such features to its entire software lineup.

The move also reflects Microsofts deepening involvement in the chip industry. The company has been building up a silicon division over the past several years under former Intel Corp. executive Rani Borkar, and the group now has a staff of almost 1,000 employees. The Information last month reported on Microsofts development of the Athena artificial-intelligence chip.

Several hundred of those employees are working on the Athena project, and Microsoft has spent about $2 billion on its chip efforts, according to one of the people. But the undertaking doesnt portend a split with Nvidia. Microsoft intends to keep working closely with that company, whose chips are the workhorses for training and running AI systems. Its also trying to find ways to get more Nvidias processors, underscoring the urgent shortage Microsoft and others are facing.

Microsofts relationship with OpenAI  and its own slate of newly introduced AI services  are requiring computing power at a level beyond what the company expected when it ordered chips and set up data centers. OpenAIs ChatGPT service has drawn interest from businesses that want to use it as part of their own products or corporate applications, and Microsoft has introduced a chat-based version of Bing and new AI-enhanced Office tools.

Its also updating older products like GitHubs code-generating tool. All of those AI programs run in Microsofts Azure cloud and require the pricey and powerful processors Nvidia provides.

The area is also a key priority for AMD. We are very excited about our opportunity in AI  this is our No. 1 strategic priority, Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su said during the chipmakers earnings call Tuesday. We are in the very early stages of the AI computing era, and the rate of adoption and growth is faster than any other technology in recent history.

Su also said that AMD has an opportunity to make partly customized chips for its biggest customers to use in their AI data centers.

Borkars team at Microsoft, which has also worked on chips for servers and Surface computers, is now prioritizing the Athena project. Its developing a graphics processing unit that can be used for training and running AI models. The product is already being tested internally and could be more widely available as soon as next year, said one of the people.

Even if the project makes that timeline, a first version is just a starting point, the people said. It takes years to build a good chip, and Nvidia has a substantial head start. Nvidia is the chip supplier of choice for many providers of tools for generative AI, including Amazon.com Inc.s AWS and Google cloud, and Elon Musk has secured thousands of its processors for his fledgling AI business, according to reports.

Creating an alternative to Nvidias lineup will be a challenging task. That company offers a package of software and hardware that works together  including chips, a programming language, networking equipment and servers  letting customers rapidly upgrade their capabilities.

Thats one of the reasons Nvidia has become so dominant. But Microsoft isnt alone in trying to develop in-house AI processors. Cloud rival Amazon acquired Annapurna Labs in 2016 and has developed two different AI processors. Alphabet Inc.s Google also has a training chip of its own.
Karnataka Elections highlights: Defence sector was like a 'club' for Congress to 'plunder nation', says PM in Tumakuru
With Karnataka Assembly elections around the corner, political parties are in jitters as the voting slated for May 10 could change their fortunes in the state.

Parties have been striving hard to get an edge over the other with the help of their manifestos and vigorous campaigning.

While the BJP has left no stones unturned for a second term in the state, the Congress, JD(S) and all those contesting are playing on the front foot to claim the majority this time round.

While the outcome of the Assembly elections will only be determined after the counting on May 13, let us take a look at how the numbers have been stacked up in the Assembly after the 2018 elections.



Credit: IndiaVotes



The Bharatiya Janata party claimed a majority in 104 seats while the Congress came second in line with 80 seats under its leadership followed by JD(S) with 37 seats.

Also Read | BJP's defeat in K'taka to be major setback for Hindutva forces, allow oppn mount serious challenge in 2024: CPI(M)

Initially, the Karnataka Assembly elections 2018 were held for only 222 seats on May 12.

The voting process in two other seats, namely, Jayanagar and Rajarajeshwari Nagar had been postponed to May 28 owing to the death of the sitting BJP MLA, BN Jayakumar, and voter fraud respectively.

Though Congress bagged both seats, Munirathna, the winner of the Rajarajeshwari Nagar constituency left the party and joined the BJP in 2019.

In terms of vote share, the BJP had 36.2 per cent while INC and JD(S) had 39 per cent and 18.3 per cent respectively. Despite winning more seats than the Congress, the BJPs vote share was around 3 percentage points higher as per the data compiled by India Votes hinting that the voters of the Grand Old Party were more scattered than that of the BJP.

Apart from the majority winners, one seat was secured by an Independent candidate H Nagesh in the Kolar district while N Mahesh contesting from the Bahujan Samaj Party bagged a seat in the Chamarajanagar district.

R Shankar, son of M Ramachandra from Karnataka Pragnyavantha Janatha Party had won a seat in the Haveri district back in 2018.
Fox News is opposing a renewed effort by three news organisations to unseal documents related to its recently settled defamation lawsuit, saying it would do nothing but "gratify private spite or promote public scandal."

The Associated Press, The New York Times and National Public Radio asked a Delaware judge earlier this week to reveal mostly private text messages and conversations between Fox employees shortly after the 2020 presidential election The information was uncovered during the Dominion Voting Systems lawsuit.

Fox lawyer Katharine L. Mowery, in a letter sent to Delaware Superior Court Judge Eric Davis and accepted by the court Thursday, said much of the material its competitors sought wasn't relevant to the issues of the lawsuit.

Also Read | Vice Media said to be headed for bankruptcy

Some material from the vast trove of evidence that Dominion gathered has already been released and proved newsworthy, showing that Fox hosts and executives didn't believe the false allegations about Dominion's voting equipment but still continued to air them. Some messages revealed former Fox host Tucker Carlson's scorn for former President Donald Trump, including one text where he declared, "I hate him passionately."

"They have not been shy about sharing the communications with the most potential to grab headlines," Mowery wrote of the media challenging the sealed documents.

One of the reasons Fox agreed to settle the case was to "buy peace and bring an end to the media spectacle," she wrote.

David McCraw, senior vice president and deputy general counsel at The New York Times, said the newspaper was disappointed by Fox's continued opposition.

"Fox's lawyers argue that unsealing the court documents will harm journalism and undermine the First Amendment, when in fact the best interests of the public and journalism are served by judicial transparency, not secrecy," McCraw said.

While it's standard for journalists to want as much information as possible to be made public, it's also not surprising Fox would want to keep it under wraps, said Lucy Dalglish, dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland.

"I'd be shocked if Fox said, sure, let me give it to you, have fun,'" Dalglish said.

Fox may be concerned that some of the hidden information might be fodder for other legal action, she said, and wouldn't want to release it unless under a court order. Fox has said much of the material was redacted because it contained proprietary information about the company.

The material's continued relevance was evident this week when an article in the Times quoted a racist text message from Carlson saying that a group of Trump supporters beating a protester was "not how white men fight." The newspaper suggested that the message may have played a role in Fox's decision last week to fire Carlson.

His text was among the cache of Dominion documents that had been sealed from the public. The Times said that the contents of the text were disclosed in interviews with several people close to the defamation lawsuit. Fox's lawyer cited the story in her letter to Davis.

Mowery pointed out that Dominion's lawsuit had reached a conclusion, but lawyers for the news organisation said that doesn't make their request for unsealing the information moot.

It's not clear when Davis might rule. He has already cited the settlement as the reason for ending an investigation he had ordered into Fox not being forthcoming in producing certain evidence in the case.

Fox agreed last month to pay USD 787 million to end the case. Dominion had accused the network of repeatedly airing bogus claims that its voting equipment rigged the 2020 election against Trump, despite knowing those claims were false.
A 32-year-old Indian-origin man was charged on Friday for making an online post calling for Singapore President Halimah Yacobs death by hanging near the Parliament House, a media report said.

Vickreman Harvey Chettiar, who was out on bail for being previously charged with mischief and harassment, allegedly said in an Instagram post on April 30 that President Halimah should be hanged near the Parliament House, reported The Straits Times.

Vickreman was out on bail of SGD 10,000 when he allegedly made the post about President Halimah.

Also Read | Indian Navy chief Admiral Hari Kumar calls on Singapore defence minister, reaffirms military ties

He reportedly has a history of creating ruckus on several occasions including the one in the Supreme Court building on February 3, 2020.

On Nov 15, 2021, Vickremen had allegedly threatened a police investigation officer and had hoped terrorists would attack a police divisional headquarters.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Shaun Lim applied for Vickremans bail to be revoked because of the latest charge involving President Halimah, as his bail condition might have been breached, the report said.

Lim also told the District Judge that Vickreman had shown an escalation in his behaviour and asked for him to be remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

I am aware that vigilantism is uncommon here in Singapore, but I hope someone will step up!" Vickremen is claimed to have said.

He has been ordered to be remanded at IMH for a medical examination, and his case has been adjourned to May 19.

Matters pertaining to his bail will be dealt with later, the report said.

If convicted of the harassment charge involving President Halimah, he can be jailed for up to a year and fined up to SGD 5,000. According to Singapore's law, a mischief offender can be jailed for up to a year and fined, the report added.
Israel has seized around 190 crypto accounts at crypto exchange Binance since 2021, including two it said were linked to Islamic State and dozens of others it said were owned by Palestinian firms connected to the Islamist Hamas group, documents released by the country's counter-terror authorities show.

Israel's National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing (NBCTF) on Jan. 12 confiscated two Binance accounts and their contents, one of the documents on the NBCTF's website showed. The seizure was to "thwart the activity" of Islamic State and "impair its ability to further its goals," the NBCTF said on its website.

Also Read | Binance faces mounting pressure as US crypto crackdown intensifies



The NBCTF document, which has not been previously reported, did not give any details on the value of the crypto seized, nor how the accounts were connected to Islamic State.

Binance, the world's largest crypto exchange by trading volumes, did not respond to Reuters' calls and emails seeking comment.

Israel's defence ministry, which is responsible for the NBCTF, did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Under Israeli law, the country's defence minister can order the seizure and confiscation of assets that the ministry deems related to terrorism.

Regulators globally have long called for tighter controls on crypto exchanges to prevent illegal activities, from money laundering to the financing of terrorism. The seizures by Israel's NBCTF highlight how governments are targeting crypto companies in their efforts to prevent illegal activity.

Binance, founded in 2017 by CEO Changpeng Zhao, says on its website it reviews information requests from governments and law enforcement agencies on a case-by-case basis, disclosing information as legally required.

Binance has also said it checks users for connections to terrorism and has "continued to invest tremendous resources to enhance its compliance program," it told U.S. senators in March in response to their requests for information on Binance's regulatory compliance and finances.

Militant

Islamic State emerged in Syria after Iraq's civil war. At its 2014 peak, it controlled a third of Iraq and Syria, before being beaten back. Now forced underground, Islamic State militants continue to wage insurgent attacks. The U.S. Treasury said in a report last year that Islamic State had received crypto donations it later converted to cash, accessing funds via crypto trading platforms. The Treasury did not specify which platforms and declined to comment for this article.

The owner of the two Islamic State-linked Binance accounts seized by Israel was a 28-year old Palestinian called Osama Abuobayda, the NBCTF document shows. Abuoyada did not respond to requests for comment via email addresses and a phone number listed in the NBCTF document.

In a series of investigations last year, Reuters reported that Binance intentionally kept weak anti-money laundering controls. Since 2017, Binance has processed over $10 billion in payments for criminals and companies seeking to evade U.S. sanctions, Reuters reported. Binance disputed the articles, calling the illicit-fund calculations inaccurate and the descriptions of its compliance controls "outdated."

Two men suspected by Germany of assisting an Islamist gunman who killed four people in Vienna in 2020 used Binance, a letter from German police to the company said. Islamic State later claimed responsibility for the attack.

Binance shared information with the police on the clients, its legal representatives said last year. Reuters could not independently establish this.

Money exchangers

Nearly all of the 189 Binance accounts seized by Israel since Dec. 2021 were owned by three Palestinian currency exchange firms, the NBCTF documents showed.

The three are designated by Israel as "terrorist organizations," according to a list on the NBCTF's website, for their alleged involvement in the transfer of funds by Hamas, which runs the Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Last month, the NBCTF said in a document it had seized crypto worth over 500,000 shekels ($137,870) from over 80 Binance accounts belonging to the three Gaza-based companies, Al Mutahadun For Exchange, Dubai Company for Exchange and Al Wefaq Co. For Exchange.

The accounts were the property of "terrorist organizations" or used for a "severe terror crime," the document said, without elaborating. Local media outlets in Israel previously reported the April seizures.

A person with direct knowledge of Al Mutahadun said it did not work "at all" with crypto or cooperate with Hamas. "We are a money exchange company. Israeli allegations are all lies and are foundless," the person said.

Al Mutahadun was designated as a "terrorist organisation" in May 2021 by Israel, the NBCTF list shows.

Al Wefaq and Dubai Co. did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment via email and WhatsApp.

Binance did not respond to Reuters' questions on the accounts owned by the three currency exchange companies.

Hamas does not have any connection with the money exchange companies, spokesperson Hazem Qassem said. The allegations of links to the companies were an attempt by Israel to "justify its economic war against Gaza and its people," Qassem said.

Hamas's armed wing said last week it would stop receiving funds in bitcoin after an increase in "hostile" activity against donors.

Binance, its CEO Zhao and its former compliance chief Samuel Lim are facing civil charges from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for "wilful evasion" of U.S. commodities laws.

Zhao has called the charges an "incomplete recitation of the facts."

In its complaint, the CFTC said Lim received information in 2019 on Hamas' transactions at Binance. Lim told a colleague that "terrorists" usually send small sums of funds, as "large sums constitute money laundering," according to the CFTC complaint.

Lim has not publicly responded to the charges. He did not respond to messages sent via Telegram seeking comment for this article. ($1 = 3.6266 shekels)
A Japanese police officer died after being found shot in a toilet near the prime minister's residence early on Friday and police were investigating a potential suicide, multiple media outlets reported.

The 25-year-old officer of the Metropolitan Police Department's riot police was found bleeding inside the toilet of a guard station early on Friday and was taken to hospital but was soon pronounced dead, public broadcaster NHK said.

Also Read | Fumio Kishida plans to visit Yoon Suk Yeol in South Korea before G7

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who is currently stopping by in Singapore on his way back to Japan from an Africa tour, was not at the residence at the time.

Yusuke Takayama, an official with the Metropolitan Police Department said the police are "investigating the details" of the case, news agency Kyodo reported.
The head of Russian paramilitary group Wagner on Friday said he would pull his fighters from the front line in Ukraine because of ammunition shortages, berating army chiefs in a grisly video.

"On May 10, 2023 we will have to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw Wagner units to rear camps to lick our wounds," Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a statement on Telegram.

"I will pull out Wagner units from Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they are facing a senseless death," he said, adding that he was waiting for "orders to leave Bakhmut".

Wagner fighters have taken a leading role in Russia's campaign in Ukraine, spearheading the months-long fight to capture Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine -- the longest and bloodiest battle so far.

Earlier Prigozhin posted a video on Telegram showing rows of what he said were dead Wagner fighters.

Also Read | Ukraine says downed its own drone in Kyiv after device 'lost control'

In that footage, he singled out Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov for unprecedented criticism.

"Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is my fucking ammunition?" an angry Prigozhin said in the video.

"They came here as volunteers and they are dying so you can get fat in your wood-panelled offices," he said, standing by rows of bodies in military uniform.

"These guys are from Wagner. They died today. Their blood is still fresh," he said, adding that army chiefs "will go to hell" for not sending ammunition.

"We have an ammunition shortage of 70 percent," he said in his tirade, in which several expletives were bleeped out.

"You sit in your (bleeped) expensive clubs. Your children are full of life and film themselves in videos on YouTube."

"You think you are the masters of life and you have the right to decide on their lives," he said, pointing at the bodies.

Prigozhin is closely linked to President Vladimir Putin and the two started their careers in business and politics in their native Saint Petersburg following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Prigozhin is frequently critical of the Russian army's top brass over the issue of ammunition but the level of criticism and emotive language are unprecedented.
The Congress on Friday hit out at Home Minister Amit Shah's reported remarks that the BJP stands for promotion of all languages, alleging that the Modi government had spent Rs 640 crore to promote Sanskrit while just Rs 3 crore on promotion of Kannada.

Shah, in an interview to The Hindu, said the BJP stands for the promotion of all Indian languages and the accusation that it promotes Hindi at the cost of regional languages is politically motivated.

Reacting to the remarks, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet, "The HM has claimed in an interview that the BJP stands for 'promotion' of all languagesIs that why the Modi Govt has spent Rs 640 cr to promote Sanskrit and JUST Rs 3 cr to support promotion of Kannada, one of the six classical languages of the country?"

Also read | Outrageous bid to curb free speech

Is that why the man who insulted the great Kuvempu, who penned the state anthem, was made Chairman of the textbook revision committee by "the 40% Commission Sarkara" in Karnataka, he asked.

The HM has claimed in an interview that the BJP stands for promotion of all languages 1. Is that why the Modi Govt has spent Rs 640 cr to promote Sanskrit and JUST Rs 3 cr to support promotion of Kannada, one of the six classical languages of the country? 2. Is that why the  Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) May 5, 2023

"Is that why a tradition has begun with the Forest Conservation (Amendment) Bill, 2022 to do away with English names for laws and replace them with Hindi names?" Ramesh said.

"I could go on and on, Mr. HM. But then you work for a man whose motto has been Asatyameva Jayate," the Congress leader said.

Dismissing the allegation that the BJP and the Union government were trying to impose Hindi in the southern State, Shah in the interview has said the Narendra Modi government had put in systems to conduct various recruitment tests in all languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.
Shares of Hargreaves Lansdown plc (OTCMKTS:HRGLY  Get Rating) have earned a consensus rating of Hold from the eight research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $818.50.

Several research firms have commented on HRGLY. Credit Suisse Group cut Hargreaves Lansdown from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Hargreaves Lansdown from GBX 785 ($9.81) to GBX 712 ($8.90) in a report on Friday, March 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Hargreaves Lansdown from a hold rating to an underperform rating in a report on Thursday, January 19th.

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Hargreaves Lansdown Stock Performance

HRGLY opened at $20.07 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $19.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $20.56. Hargreaves Lansdown has a 12 month low of $15.95 and a 12 month high of $23.78.

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The business also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Investors of record on Friday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.2553 per share. This represents a yield of 3.72%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 2nd.

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Hargreaves Lansdown Plc engages in the provision of investment products and services, financial planning and advice. The company was founded by Peter Kendal Hargreaves and Stephen Philip Lansdown in July 1981 and is headquartered in Bristol, the United Kingdom.

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In a statement issued jointly this morning by the Bloody Sunday Trust and the Pat Finucane Centre, Tony Doherty, whose father was murdered on Bloody Sunday said:

We note with disgust that all four battalions of the Parachute Regiment are to take part in Saturdays coronation of the English King.

"At a time when so many are trying to portray the coronation as inclusive, this decision to include the Paras will rightly offend many people in Ireland who are aware of the particularly gruesome track record of the Paras in Ireland.

"In January 1972 on Bloody Sunday in Derry, the Regiment murdered 14 people and shot a further 14 civil rights marchers, an event described by former British Prime Minister as unjustified and unjustifiable following the publication of the Saville Report.

"The regiment had earlier in the summer of 1971 shot dead another 10 civilians in the 'Ballymurphy Massacre'. An inquest verdict in May 2021 found that all the dead were innocents. Victims included a priest trying to help the wounded and a mother of eight who bled to death where she lay.

"There have been no successful prosecutions in either case, despite the Parachute Regiment wrongfully killing at least 24 civilians in these two tragedies alone.

"In the last few weeks, the High Court in Belfast awarded a further 350,000 compensation for the waterboarding of Belfast man, Liam Holden, at the hands of the Paras in Belfast.

"It was in the Shankill area of Belfast, a strongly-Unionist part of the city, the regiment shot dead Ritchie McKinnie, a Protestant father of five, and Robert Johnston, another Protestant, in September 1972  killings that made Ian Paisley so angry he withdrew from political talks with London demanding an inquiry.

"One soldier described the two murders later, in evidence presented to the Saville Tribunal, as an enjoyable experience and one which greatly enhanced my standing within the battalion.

"Particularly horrific is the way the regiments members handled the body of trainee teacher, Patrick Magee, shot alongside a friend, Frank McGuinness, by members of the Royal Anglicans as they sheltered in the grounds of a Belfast school in April 1972.

"An ambulance driver in evidence to the inquest, stated how We were stopped at the front of the school and a casualty was dragged, feet first, by a member of the (Parachute) regiment from the side of the school, along the front, and down the steps, with his face banging on each step.

"Both ambulance drivers told an inquest of how they were ordered, by a Para, to drive through a nearby strongly-loyalist area where hostile crowds gathered. Ambulance driver 2 told the inquest how a Para had held up two fingers to the crowd, indicating they were carrying two patients causing some glee in the crowd.

"The Northern Ireland Office later admitted that both men were innocent and had been shot in error.

"Further atrocities committed by members of the Paras include the murder of South Armagh man Harry Thornton (28). His skull was later used as an ash-tray.

"Yet another Para killing that lives long in the memory in South Armagh is that of 12-year-old Majella OHare, shot in the back on 14 August 1976 as she walked with other children in a South Armagh country lane.

"The role of General Sir Michael Jackson in the aftermath of Bloody Sunday deserves special mention (at the time he was adjutant, with the rank of captain, of the 1st Battalion Parachute Regiment).

"Not satisfied with the men under his command killing 14 civilians he personally drew up, on the night after the massacre, in his own handwriting what has since become known as the 'shot list'.

"This was a list, entirely false, attempting to justify the shooting of all the victims by labelling the dead as 'nail-bombers', 'pistol-firers' or 'carrying rifles'. Jackson went on to become the highest officer in the British Army.

"Either King Charles is not aware of the views of a significant number of those he claims as his subjects on the actions of the Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland  in which case he is negligent.

"Or he is aware and has decided that, despite the ignominy with which the regiment is held, that he will retain the 'honour' of being its Colonel-in-Chief  in which case he dishonours himself."
The Bloody Sunday March Committee has unveiled a mural at the city's iconic Free Derry Wall, titled: Englands Bloody Empire - Coronation Special.

The mural, which was unveiled on Thursday, depicts Britains King Charles, Colonel-in-Chief of the British armys Parachute Regiment, in full military uniform. Alongside him is General Sir Michael Jackson, another officer in the Parachute Regiment, described as notorious for his role in Derry on Bloody Sunday.

The Bloody Sunday March Committee said: We were very proud to unveil our take on the Coronation of King Charles today at Free Derry Wall.

Lest anyone forget, Charles Windsor is Colonel-in-Chief of the Parachute Regiment, which has murdered countless numbers of innocents in the pursuit of England's bloody Empire.

Introduced by Kate Nash, life-long civil rights activist, Eamon McCann, who spoke at the murals unveiling, said Prince Charles should be made to shoulder a major proportion of the blame for Bloody Sunday.

It was the regiment of which he was the commander-in-chief. Anybody from this area, representing the people of this area, who trundles across to London, to express their reverent support, is betraying the place they came from.

This is a working class area. We are not represented by Tories or by senior army officers and they shouldnt dare, anybody claiming to represent an area like this, go over and, in effect, pledge their allegiance to Prince Charles, commander-in-chief of the Parachute Regiment.

Speaking to Derry News, Eamon McCann said the way of imperialism the world over was to make the pious pronouncement, Weve said sorry, sort of, so say no more, else youll be fingered as an enemy of peace.

He added: It's an exact repetition of the excuses they offer when they scuttle from colonial crime-scenes across the world.

It was the most high and mighty representatives of the ruling class who brought the blood-storm down on Derry. Kings and cabinet ministers, military chiefs, odds and sods with ribbons on their chests - guilty one and all.

King Charles and Michael Jackson are the very personifications of the social evil that erupted in Derry on Bloody Sunday.
Three men have appeared at Derry Magistrate's Court today charged in connection with a city centre assault in which the alleged victim required stitches.

Liam Murray (18) of Strand Road was charged with assaulting a man on May 4.

Conor Calhoun (27) of Balliniska Heights in Derry was charged with assaulting the same man, disorderly behaviour, resisting police and two counts of criminal damage to police property again on the same date.

Joseph Calhoun (18) also of Balliniska Heights was charged unlawfully causing GBH and possessing an offensive weapon namely a glass bottle on May 4.

A police officer connected the accused to the charges and opposed bail.

The court was shown CCTV of the incident and a man could be seen being attacked by three men who then made off on bicycles.

One the men was said to have headbutted the alleged victim and another man was said to have struck him with a glass bottle.

Bail was opposed for all three due to the risk of re-offending and fear of flight.

The officer said that Murray had 62 previous convictions and had only been released from prison last week.

At interview he told police he only wanted to 'scare' the alleged victim away.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott said that his client may be telling the truth as he did not take part in the more serious aspects of the incident.

He said that Murray had an address in Fermanagh that he could reside in.

The court was also told that when arrested Conor Calhoun shouted and swore and then urinated in a police vehicle.

When placed in a cell he defecated on the floor and smeared it on the walls.

The officer said he had 21 previous convictions and his proposed address was unsuitable as it was less than one mile from the alleged victim.

Defence counsel Grainne McAnaney said that her client had indulged in 'horrendous behaviour'.

District Judge Barney McElholm said that he didn't believe a word of what Murray had said but would grant him bail on condition he does not enter Derry.

As regards Conor Calhoun he said his behaviour was 'disgraceful' and added that his address was too close to the alleged victim.

He refused bail for both Calhouns.

All three will appear again on June 1.
Urgent action needs to be taken to save GP services in Northern Ireland, the British Medical Association has said.

The Department of Health has confirmed that Cullybackey Health Centre in Co Antrim is the latest service to announce that it is handing its contract back.

The department said it would now begin a process to secure alternative arrangements to ensure patients are not left without a GP service.

It is the 15th practice to hand back its contract in Northern Ireland within the past year.

New contractors have been appointed to a number of the practices affected.

Dr Alan Stout, BMA NI GP committee chair, said: This is becoming an increasingly desperate situation for general practice in Northern Ireland, its staff and the patients we care for.

Dr Stout said the latest announcement would affect more than 7,000 staff.

He added: Such is the speed and number of these contract hand-backs  15 in the past year alone, affecting tens of thousands of patients  that this is in danger of becoming the norm.

This is far from a normal situation and is hugely significant for all patients, staff, GPs and the local communities they serve.

The risks to other neighbouring practices of a list dispersal are even more destabilising.

This practice will not be the last to fall and is the fourth practice in this locale to hand back its contract.

Dr Stout said primary care was the most basic function of the health service, and warned that if it fails, then the whole NHS will fail.

He added: Urgent action needs to be taken now to save general practice before we are past the point of no return.

In the short term that means stabilising workloads, correcting funding allocations to meet current demand, removing disproportionate admin requirements and finally addressing indemnity rates.

Long term, we have a workforce crisis that needs meaningful action and the required funding.

New GPs are coming through, but this number is not keeping up with the amount of older GPs we are losing to retirement and burnout.

A number of practices have struggled to recruit GPs to fill several vacancies.

The Department of Health (DoH) said the current contract at Cullybackey Health Centre would end in six months.

A spokesperson said: DoH will now begin a process to secure alternative arrangements for these services.

A number of different options are available to ensure patients are not left without a GP service.

The preferred option is to secure a GP contractor  or grouping of GPs  to take over the practice through a formal recruitment process.

In some circumstances, health and social care trusts can take over a GP contract as an interim solution.

We want to reassure patients that the existing Cullybackey Health Centre will continue to retain the contract to deliver GP services for the next six months.

The spokesperson added: Patients at the practice do not need to take any action.

They should continue to contact the practice as normal. We will be writing out to all practice patients to keep them informed as this process begins.

The department said it acknowledged ongoing and significant pressures on GP practices, stemming from the fact that demand for their services is outstripping capacity to provide it.

The spokesperson added: Notwithstanding budgetary pressures, the department is committed to building the GP workforce.

We have made significant progress in relation to the number of GPs we train each year.

The number of GP training places in Northern Ireland has been increased by 70% from 2015 levels in recent years.

The review of places is ongoing and the department will consider recommendations from the review of training places in the future.

The department has also recently streamlined the processes for GPs who qualified in a number of countries to take up roles in Northern Ireland.
Transcom, backed by Norwegian SWF, expected to maintain double-digit growth in 2023

Transcom, Inc., a Taiwan-based IDM specializing in microwave semiconductor components and sub-system products, is seeing a steady growth momentum for 2023. As Taiwan's only IDM focusing on compound semiconductors, Transcom has been riding on Taiwan's recent endeavor to build a resilient and self-sufficient defense industry.

According to Transcom's latest financial result, its April revenue was NT$145 million (US$4.73 million), a 65.7% growth compared to March. First-quarter 2023 revenue was NT$2.22 million, a year-on-year growth of 17.82%.

Transcom's power amplifiers (PA) can be found within Taiwan's domestically developed missiles, such as the Tien Kung series of anti-ballistic and anti-aircraft missiles, the Tien-Chien series of air-to-air missiles, and the Hsiung Feng series of anti-ship and surface-to-surface missiles. Expecting to progress further in the governmental defense tendering process, Transcom expects its PA shipment volume to gradually pick up in the second quarter, likely allowing the company to maintain a double-digit annual growth in revenue and profit in 2023. In the past three years, Transcom's defense-related shipments have also been maintaining a double-digit growth rate, and order visibility has extended to 2024.

According to sources, Taiwan's state-owned National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) contributes to approximately 80% of Transcom's revenues. NCSIST undertakes the designing and manufacturing of Taiwan's main weapon systems. Meanwhile, Israel is reportedly Transcom's main foreign customer, accounting for about 5% of the company's annual revenue.

Amidst rising tension in the Asia-Pacific region, as reported by Taiwanese media Business Today, the growth potential of Transcom has recently attracted investors like Norway's sovereign wealth fund, which is Transcom's third largest shareholder with a 2.58% stake.

Alongside defense-related products, Transcom is also broadening its reach into 5G base stations and low-earth orbit satellites via its mmWave power amplifiers.
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The Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies held the third lecture of its monthly series on Tuesday 2 May 2023, hosting Ghanim Alnajjar, Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Kuwait University, to present The Political Economy of Land in the Gulf: Land Acquisition Policy in Kuwait. The lecture was held at the Arab Center and moderated by researcher Abdulrahman Albaker.

Alnajjar began his lecture by stressing the importance of the land, referring to the principle he adheres to that the land is real, while the state is imagined. He clarified that what distinguishes this principle is the concept of sovereignty, which in itself is a relative concept. He explained that a real economy cannot be established in the state without reclaiming land capable of contributing to economic production and development. Given that the Gulf states are newly established, the issue of land and its ownership is partly linked to how state property is distributed and the role of the ruling families in that, and to the private ownership of land. This varies from one Gulf state to another and there are difficulties in collecting data on how land is used in these countries.

Alnajjar then moved on to talk about Kuwait, which, in his opinion, as one of the few countries that nationalized its lands, presents a unique case in the region. In Kuwait, 97% of the land became state property, not the property of the ruling family, so the latter could not distribute it. He traced this back to the increase in oil revenues starting from the early 1950s, when the political leadership in Kuwait at that time, represented by Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah (1895-1965) invested these profits in two channels. The first was investments, as the British persuaded Sheikh Al-Sabah to invest these funds in the UK, so the Kuwait Investment Board was established in London in 1953. This became the first sovereign wealth fund in the world, according to Alnajjar, and it has enjoyed different tax exemptions from all other parties, and it remains in this capacity.

The second channel was represented in development projects, which necessitated expropriation. Before that, land ownership was not an issue, as the land was common, and some members of the ruling family were gifting deeds to land in a process marred by corruption, especially when the land registry began. This led to the emergence of an economic-political conflict, as several members of the ruling family and merchants objected to land registration based on gift deeds. Therefore, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salim Al-Sabah issued, in 1954, a decision to nationalize state land. Therefore, the expropriation process continued until 1982.

Alnajjars analysis of the expropriation process showed that this process was not based on equality or justice. The state expropriates land that falls on private property to establish a project by force for public benefit. If the owner wants to file a complaint in this regard, they must resort to a grievances committee, which can at most increase the value of the land but is unable to refuse the states appropriation of the land. He concluded that the nationalization of lands and the policy of expropriation disrupted the possibility of establishing economic projects and became rooted in politics, in addition to the fact that land ownership was linked to the issue of housing, exacerbating the problem of land ownership and valuation. He called for more research into land policy in the Gulf countries.
A new major hour-long documentary on the Civil War is set to air on RTE this week (May 10).

The documentary will cover the most divisive chapter in Ireland's history and will focus on Britain's role in perpetuating the split between men who had once killed together and were now killing eachother.

Former British Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Portillo, will bring a unique insight into the events surrounding the conflict, as his predecessors in the job were the men who supplied the pro-Treaty side with the arms and ammunition they desperately needed.

Documents featured in the documentary show how the British were also prepared, should the anti-Treatyites have gained the upper hand, to re-deploy their own troops into the conflict.

Intriguing sub-plots feature in the documentary, including a threat to send bombs raining down on the centre of Dublin, the changing relationship between the two men of action, Collins and Churchill, and an extraordinary request to clear anti-Treaty strongholds.

Taking Sides: Britain and The Civil War airs Wednesday May 10 at 9.35pm on RTE One and RTE Player.
Bolstering Garda numbers following pandemic disruption to recruitment has taken time, the justice minister has said.

Simon Harris said forced closures of Templemore Garda training college during the Covid emergency resulted in around 1,000 fewer recruits joining up.

He insisted efforts to replenish the ranks were now making progress, with more resources being made available to the Garda commissioner.

Mr Harris was commenting as he and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris attended the official opening of a new 999 Garda call handling facility at the National Train Control Centre (NTCC) at Heuston Station in Dublin.

At the event, the minister was asked by reporters about calls for the Garda to establish a dedicated public transport unit. He said he was less fixated on what Garda units were called than what they did.

I know as a public representative, I know as minister for justice that often people flag that feeling of not being safe on public transport, he said.

Therefore, I do want to see as Garda numbers grow, the ability for the commissioner to increase the visibility of gardai in and around public transport hubs.

I think today is a step in the right direction. So, I dont fixate on whether these are called transport police or anything else. We have a police force, its called An Garda Siochana, and they do a really good job. I want to grow the number of people working in An Garda Siochana so that the Garda commissioner has an ability to employ more people right across our country and particularly in relation to public transportation.

He added: I know people may not like people harping back to Covid, but it is a statement of fact that we saw the Garda College in Templemore closed at least twice during the Covid pandemic.

We probably, as a result, saw at least a fewer thousand sworn members of An Garda Siochana as a result of that closure of the college.

It takes time to then ramp back up what is a pretty major machine around Garda recruitments because it involves vetting, it involves medicals, it involves fitness tests and of course it involves the completion of the training itself.

Im very confident that thats now beginning to work, that we now have the funding in place to recruit 1,000 additional gardai this year and, more importantly, that were now back seeing regular intakes into the Garda College.

So, youre seeing a new class start in the Garda College now every 10 to 11 weeks and I believe you will, as a result of that, the trend will be upwards in terms of classes growing and in terms of Garda numbers growing.

The Gardas Dublin Metropolitan Regional Control Room has been relocated to the National Train Control Centre at Heuston station.

The Dublin centre is the busiest of the four 24/7 999 call facilities the Garda operates in Ireland. It is staffed by 100 gardai and Garda staff and receives between 800 to 1,000 calls a day.

It is envisaged that the Garda will co-occupy the centre with Irish Rail, Dublin Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and Dublin City Council, with the aim of increasing collaboration between key state agencies.

At the official opening, commissioner Harris paid tribute to those Garda staff who handle 999 calls.

They are very dedicated to their work, he said.

They are people on the front line. They take on what at times can be the most challenging and time-sensitive calls that one can imagine, very often theyre dealing with exceptionally difficult and traumatic situations.

But our team here play an absolutely invaluable role being on the end of the phone dealing professionally with individuals in their greatest need.
President of Ireland Michael D Higgins will meet the King on Friday night ahead of becoming the first Irish head of state to attend a coronation.

Mr Higgins and his wife Sabina will be guests at a reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the coronation ceremony in London.

It will be the ninth occasion the two heads of state have met and continues a long-standing friendship between the two.

Mr and Mrs Higgins will then attend the coronation on Saturday at Westminster Abbey.

To mark the event, the president and his wife requested the Tree Council of Ireland to plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.

The gesture was to acknowledge the Kings commitment to environmental sustainability.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is also expected to attend the coronation.

Political leaders from Northern Ireland have also been invited.

Among those who will attend is Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill in another demonstration of the markedly improved relations between the republican movement and the royal family since the peace process.
Postmasters have called on the public to use their Post Office, to sustain local services which support communities and businesses.

Speaking ahead of the Irish Postmasters Union (IPU) annual conference in Cork this weekend, General Secretary Tony Howard said members of the public have a central role to play in keeping their local Post Office open  by using it.

The Post Office Network has been evolving year on year and offers comprehensive banking services, including a full a current account. An advantage of the Post Office is that these services can be accessed in person in almost 900 locations  the largest retail network in the country.

Our Network is playing the leading role in keeping financial services available locally, following the withdrawal of other banks. Post Offices also offer collection of social welfare, payment of utility bills, parcel services, State savings and licence renewal.

Furthermore, we know that cash withdrawn at the Post Office has a significant multiplier effect for other shops and services within the community. By deciding to value and use the local Post Office, people influence the future and keep services available for everybody, and importantly for those who are not online, Mr Howard said.

Postmasters annual conference is at the Maryborough House Hotel and will be attended and opened by the Tanaiste Micheal Martin on Saturday.

This weekend Paddy OShea, who is Postmaster for the past 42 years at Upper Aghada in East Cork, is set to retire from the IPUs Executive Committee after long service.

Mr Howard thanked Mr OShea for his significant contribution. Paddy OShea has served his community with huge commitment and consistency through his work with the IPU. He has been an IPU Executive member since 2000 and served two terms as President. We thank Paddy and wish him every health and happiness.

IPU President Sean Martin said the Post Office can be the State on your doorstep, the provider of choice and the front office for all Government Services.

Postmasters are working closely with Government and An Post to develop and evolve the services which the public can use. To sustain our Network  the public has its role to play too. Our message is simple  use your Post Office and encourage others to use it too.
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IF EVER I hear of someone who has died by suicide now, my first thought is of their family and loved ones and what a terrible journey lies ahead of them. No words can describe this journey: despair, darkness, desolation capture it only to a small degree.

The question that everyone who has travelled this route usually begins with is: Why?  a question that can never be answered becoming a lonely scream in the dark that nobody hears, an inner wail that can never be calmed.

This question is usually followed at breakneck speed by the awful questions: Why didnt I spot it? Why didnt I stop it?.

If ever I was to give words of comfort to families and friends who have lost someone through suicide, I would tell them in total honesty that the answer to these questions is  because family and friends are the last people to know. Many people say that their loved one showed no signs of suicidal intent. They are right; the loved one in distress was trying to protect them.

I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt. With all deaths, there are regrets about not spending more time with the person who died, or being kinder when they were alive, but suicide comes with a particular type of guilt that will forever remain. Regrets circle endlessly: I should have known; I could have prevented it; why didnt I listen harder or take them seriously? Guilt is the one emotion that eats away at your core.

Every day I would surround myself with books and articles on suicide. With every article and every book, I read on the subject, however, I was becoming increasingly despondent, feeling increasingly guilty, because I was learning that the death of the person I was grieving might have been prevented. I became depressed. I was functioning on a basic level. I would continue to leave my children off to school, but I would go back to bed immediately afterwards. Over the days, weeks, and months that followed, regardless of what I read, I wasnt getting any relief. That is, until one day.

As usual, I was lying on my bed and the children were at school. I found myself surrounded by books. These were about bereavement, depression, mental health, and, of course, suicide. On that morning, however, for some reason I picked up a book that was not about any of those topics. This book dealt with art through the centuries, revealing remarkable paintings and sculptures. One artist whom I will never forget: Michelangelo.

This young man, at just 23 years of age, had carved a sculpture out of one large piece of marble. His main model of inspiration was a woman called Mary of Nazareth.

This humble, ordinary woman became the focus of the sculpture, the Pieta. Housed in the Sistine Chapel in Rome, the Pieta shows Mary, a mother, cradling the dead, broken body of her crucified son. His lifeless body is sprawled across her lap, while she looks intently into his face.

This incredible sculpture held something truly magical for me  staring at the mothers expression was an epiphany for me. It was the look of incredibly tender, compassionate acceptance written on her face that made me sit upright and realise that this is what our country needed. We needed a Pieta in every community so that we, too, could look on people who were in distress with tenderness and compassionate understanding.

It was a lightbulb moment that made me jump out of bed. With this look of compassion still in my head, I ran down to Lucan village to Kieran Bradys office. Kieran is an auctioneer whom I knew, admired, and trusted. I told him I wanted to buy a house. What I had in mind was a house where the person in crisis would be embraced and held until they could walk on their own again. A professional service that would provide a new therapeutic model, which would view people as people in short-term crisis rather than people who needed medical intervention.

After listening intently to me, he said with great wisdom: Joan, what you want is to create a charity.

After my conversation with Kieran, I spoke to my brother John Lowe (who later became known as the Money Doctor). They both convinced me to start a charity, an organisation that would help people in suicidal crisis, openly, compassionately, and with incredible acceptance.

In January 2006, Pieta House opened its doors.

That was my beginning, and yet every new milestone for Pieta House became the beginning. Every person who wanted to take up the baton, or who wanted to take a service to their community, every person who was drowning in grief and wanted to atone for their loss  that was a new beginning.

The following stories are from the people who made that new beginning  who made Pieta House and, indeed, Darkness into Light the incredibly soothing and hopeful light it is today.

Extracted from Darkness into Light: A Nations Response by Joan Freeman. Published by Beehive Books.
THE number of Ukrainian pupils in Cork City and county schools has surpassed 1,600, according to the Department of Education.

As of Sunday, April 30, 15,458 Ukrainian pupils were enrolled in primary and secondary schools across Ireland.

9,987 pupils are in primary schools, while 5,471 are in post-primary schools.

In Cork, 1,606 Ukrainian children are enrolled in schools across the city and county  1,076 at primary level and 530 at post-primary level.

These figures represent an increase of 23 Ukrainian students attending primary and post-primary schools in Cork City and county, compared to the previous month.

There has been an increase of 18 Ukrainian students attending primary school, while five more students are attending post-primary schools in Cork City and county.

The department said that there is an enrolment rate of 89% among Ukrainian children aged 5-18.

To assist with the transition of Ukrainian students and their families into Irish schools, Regional Education and Language Teams (REALT) continue to operate, hosted by the 16 regional education and training boards around Ireland and staffed by regionally-based education support personnel.

Separately, 64 modular homes will be handed over in Ballinure, Mahon, on Thursday, May 18, with Ukrainian families expected to move in mid-June.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration, and Youth are rolling out a national housing programme, which will house 2,000 Ukrainians in modular homes at a number of sites nationwide.

Ciaran OConnor, of the OPW, told the Oireachtas housing committee last Tuesday that the units were delivered fully fitted out. Mr OConnor added that the first group of units will be handed over in a fortnight.
Uisce Eirean has warned that its latest round of flushing works of Cork city water mains may cause temporary discolouration of water supplies in some parts of the northside.

The water utility company, which rebranded from Irish Water at the start of the year, said it and Cork City Council will begin a ten-day programme of flushing works on Monday which will affect residents on Redemption Road, Commons Road, Mary Aikenhead Place, Farranree and the surrounding areas.

The company said the flushing works would clear watermains of sediment and would reduce discolouration of the water supply.

This is the third such round of flushing works to be carried out by Uisce Eireann in recent months, and it follows flushing works in the Douglas Road and South Douglas Road area in February and in the Ballinlough Road, Browningstown Park, Beechwood Park, and Shrewsbury areas in April.

Water discolouration became a serious and recurring problem in many parts of Cork city in the months since summer of last year, when Irish Water opened its new Lee Road water treatment plant.

As previously reported in The Echo, after the new facility opened in July 2022, the water utility company became inundated with complaints as brown and orange discoloured water began to flow from taps in multiple locations across the city.

According to documents released to Socialist Party TD Mick Barry after a Freedom of Information request, the number of complaints about water quality in Cork city last year rose from 20 per week in the Lee Road plants first week of operation to 119 complaints in one week last August.

In the four months after the plant opened, the company received 610 complaints of discoloured water from residents across the city.

In 2022, Irish Water received 29 reports from people in Cork city complaining of illnesses suspected to have been caused by water consumption, compared to just one such complaint in 2020 and two in 2021.

Last October, after a series of questions from The Echo, Irish Water admitted that it had been responsible for the discolouration of at least some of the citys drinking supply since last summer.

The company said an adjustment of the chemicals used in water preparation had caused rusty sediment to be stripped from the inside of Cork citys century-old water mains, resulting in discoloured water pouring out of household taps in homes across the city.

In the correspondence released to Mick Barry TD under FOI was an email, dated 22 August 2022, from Irish Water informing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of an increase in complaints of discoloured water in Cork city.

The mail noted that water from the new Lee Road plant had entered the supply on July 29 2022 and added: There is the potential that process changes, particularly the change in the pH corrective chemical in use, i.e. from Lime to Caustic, may be contributing to the problem and causing the water to become more corrosive.

Uisce Eireann has insisted that discoloured water does not pose a health and safety risk, while simultaneously warning people not to drink discoloured water and issuing assurances that water is safe to drink if taps are kept on until the water runs clear.

Speaking about the latest round of flushing works, Pat Britton, operations lead with Uisce Eireann, said the work would allow the company to further investigate and get a better understanding of discolouration issues.

At the moment discolouration complaint volumes are low, he said.

However, when dealing with an old and vast water network like we have in Cork City, there are always going to be a small number of incidences of discolouration.

Uisce Eireann said ongoing testing and analysis of the water supply continues, in conjunction with extensive monitoring across the citys distribution network, ensuring water is compliant with drinking water regulations and is safe to drink.

The results of these ongoing tests are shared with the EPA and the HSE, the company said.

There are approximately 600km of water mains in Cork city, 60% to 70% of which are made from cast iron and up to 100 years old.

Uisce Eireann said this, combined with improvement works across the city, unplanned outages or bursts, and new infrastructure being brought online, is adding to discolouration issues normally associated with an aging network for what it called a small number of customers.

The Uisce Eireann customer care helpline is open 24/7 on 1800 278278.
PepsiCo has unveiled Irelands largest rooftop solar panel installation at its facility in Carrigaline.

The project, which will significantly reduce the amount of electricity used by PepsiCos Carrigaline facility, commenced in 2022 and was completed in April 2023.

In total, there are over 4,500 individual solar panels that make up the installation.

Over the course of a year, the solar panels will provide 25% of the electricity required by the site. During the summer months, the solar installation will have the capacity to provide 100% of the site's electricity needs.

This installation is the latest effort by PepsiCo to ensure operations are conducted in a sustainable manner.

In 2021, PepsiCo launched pep+ (PepsiCo Positive), a strategic end-to-end transformation of the organisation, placing sustainability at the heart of everything PepsiCo does.

Speaking at an event to mark the completion of the solar installation project, Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence said: Climate change is the biggest global challenge facing us and sustainability is very much to the fore of public consciousness.

This is why it is great to see companies like PepsiCo leading by example, by utilising sustainable sources of energy in order to protect our planet.

The food and beverage sector is a vital part of the Irish economy and I would like to acknowledge PepsiCos ongoing commitment to investing significantly in its Irish operations, supporting high-quality manufacturing and jobs, as it marks the 20th anniversary of this facility here in Carrigaline.

Senior Vice-President and General Manager of PepsiCo Global Concentrate Solutions, Randall Lovorn, said: In 2021, PepsiCo launched our pep+ corporate strategy. pep+ changed how we view and do business. Our actions are now driven by the three pillars that uphold pep+, Positive Agriculture, Positive Value Chain, and Positive Choices.

Todays announcement of the largest rooftop solar panel installation in Ireland and one of the largest globally for PepsiCo, is the latest example of our commitment to ensuring sustainability and human capital is at the heart of our work.

The development coincides with the 20th anniversary of the Carrigaline facility opening, nearly 50 years after PepsiCos Little Island facility opened in 1974.

Manufacturing Director of PepsiCo Vincent Goggin said he is proud to say that over the course of those 20 years, PepsiCo has built up its operations while embedding itself in the local Carrigaline community, now employing over 300 people at this site.

In fact, 11 of our current employees have been with PepsiCo since day one of operations at this facility, he said.
A Cork City school which has long-campaigned for a school warden has asked the Ombudsman for Children to intervene as hopes for a warden being allocated have dwindled.

The board of management of the Cork Educate Together National School (CETNS) on Grattan Street has written to the ombudsmans office seeking support, saying the situation on Grattan Street is intolerable and dangerous.

CETNS had repeatedly applied for a warden to no avail, but hopes had been piqued following budgetary allocation by Cork City Council for two additional wardens.

Video dated October 14, 2021

However, in the correspondence to the ombudsmans office, the school said it has not yet received confirmation as to whether it will be allocated a school traffic warden.

Our understanding is that a sub-committee has been convened to determine the allocation of these positions.

It is with a sense of growing unease and frustration that the deliberations of this sub-committee remain opaque to us, the board said.

We quite reasonably expected to be informed, by now, of our status within these deliberations.

The school has frequently highlighted safety concerns, stating that the Zebra crossing adjacent to the school is frequently ignored by motorists.

Short of a traffic warden alerting inattentive drivers of the pedestrian crossing and managing the flow of traffic to facilitate the safe crossing of children, the situation  the board said - remains wholly unacceptable.

The board claimed that, following the budgetary allocation for more school traffic wardens and - having laid plain its concerns to local public representatives - it was led to believe it would soon receive this service.

The board said the school may now look to take protest action.

As the urgency of the situation has, if anything, increased, absent reassurance that our case is being given due consideration, we reserve the right to engage in actions that we would rather werent necessary.

Following a meeting with the Middle Parish Community Association and Community Garda on Thursday the 4th of May, we are confident of their full support in escalating our campaign to address the ongoing hazard that blights our community, it said.

We have identified the health and safety risks and notified An Garda Siochana and Cork City Council on many occasions.

We must seek to protect the children in our care. We believe that we have done our utmost to secure the provision of a traffic warden and yet we are no closer, the board continued.

The situation we find ourselves in is untenable and it is unfathomable that we are forced to contemplate the very real prospect of a serious accident involving a member of our school community.

We are frustrated, fearful and disappointed that this ongoing situation has yet to be resolved through the provision of a school traffic warden.
A 30-year-old heroin addict was jailed for three years for the manslaughter of a 45-year-old man in Cork city where he claimed that the deceased said: Ive had enough of you bums around the place, when asked for a cigarette.

Judge Catherine Staines imposed a sentence of four years on David Sweeney with the last year suspended at Cork Circuit Criminal Court.

The judge also noted in the sentencing hearing that the deceased produced a knife during the verbal altercation before the fatal aspect of the incident.

Detective Garda Malcolm Walsh outlined what happened on Lower Glanmire Road near Kent railway station just after 9pm on November 4 2021.

Gardai were dispatched to the area and found a man lying unconscious on the footpath. He was 45-year-old Mark Foley. He was taken to Cork University Hospital where he died a month later on December 5 2021.

An investigation pieced together what happened from CCTV and witness statements.

David Sweeney, who is a heroin addict, went to Lower Glanmire Road where he bought and consumed crack cocaine that evening. He went to Your Local Shop at 102 Lower Glanmire Road and was given permission to charge his phone there as he was living in a tent on the grounds of St. Patricks Church at the time.

Mark Foley was living on Lower Glanmire Road and left his home to go to the shop. David Sweeney asked him for a cigarette and words were exchanged.

Defence senior counsel, Tom Creed, said the words from the deceased consisted of him saying: Ive had enough of you bums around the place.

Det Garda Walsh said: David Sweeney came up behind him and punched him in the head. He gave him a number of punches and kicks to his body before he had a chance to get up from the ground. It is clear from CCTV that Mark Foley is disoriented and dazed and he places his left hand on a shutter of the shop.

David Sweeney again approaches and punches him another blow to his face causing him to fall to the footpath. The back of his head took the full force of the fall to the footpath.

The defendant was identified and initially charged with assault causing harm and subsequently charged with manslaughter instead.

30-year-old David Sweeney of Mill House, Cork Simon Community, Andersons Quay Cork, pleaded guilty at Cork Circuit Criminal Court to the single count of unlawfully killing Mark Foley.

Mr Creed said that when the deceased was in the verbal altercation with the defendant he produced a Stanley knife and threatened David Sweeney he would cut his throat and that he had slashed at his girlfriends arm. Judge Catherine Staines was told that there was some ripping of the cloth of the arm of the jacket.

Mr Creed said of the accused: He became incensed and struck what appears to have been the fatal blow  Mr Foley falls helplessly to the ground and bangs his head to the ground. The deceased had three times the alcohol limit for driving, which did not help the situation. He survived a month but did not come out of the coma.

Mr Sweeney was under the influence of crack cocaine and is a heroin addict He asked the shopkeeper to call an ambulance.

Mr Creed said the sacristan at the church where the accused had his tent knew him as a courteous gentleman and never had the slightest difficulty with him over several years.

The accused said in a letter: I want to apologise to Marks family. I may have hit him through fear. I should have reacted differently Mark and his family are always in my thoughts and my prayers.

"I dont expect them to forgive me but they really are in my thoughts and prayers.

The judge noted that there was no victim impact statement from the family of the deceased and that they were not present in court but she expressed her deepest sympathy to them on their loss.
THE Echo said farewell to long-standing editor Maurice Gubbins on Friday, and the colleagues who gathered to wish him well heard tributes to his kindness, fairness, and true professionalism.

His contribution to the Examiner Group spans more than 40 years, during which time he played a key role in the editorial development of the company.

Throughout his 22 years as editor of The Echo and more recently of EchoLive.ie, Mr Gubbins has had a major influence on those with whom he has worked.

Managing Director of The Irish Examiner and The Echo Karen ODonoghue said he will be sorely missed by all his colleagues.

Speaking at The Echo offices in Blackpool on Friday, Ms ODonoghue congratulated Mr Gubbins on his retirement and Irish Examiner editor Tom Fitzpatrick thanked Mr Gubbins for the mentorship and guidance he provided to so many colleagues through the years.

Dan Linehan, General Manager of the Irish Times Regionals highlighted the many changes and improvements which took place in The Echo and on EchoLive.ie with Mr Gubbins at the helm.

Maurice Gubbins retired from his role as Editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie after a contribution of 44 years to the Examiner Group, pictured with Grainne McGuinness the newly appointed editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie Pic Larry Cummins

He has developed the brand, he has improved the content and hes improved the people who work for it and he has seen it change from being an evening paper to a morning paper - The Echo and EchoLive.ie - and Maurice done a phenomenal job on it, he said.

Speaking about the number of talented teams Maurice has developed and nurtured, Mr Linehan said: He leaves behind an incredibly strong team in The Echo. I would say Maurice is good at recruitment but he was brilliant at encouragement.

He was exceptionally good at identifying potential talent and delivering that and nurturing every person on a one-to-one basis where everybody felt special and were all the better for his kindness.

Mr Linehan described Mr Gubbins as an absolute gentleman, an extraordinary man, and kind.

Kindness is default in Maurice, he said.

Speaking on behalf of The Echo team, newly-appointed editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie Grainne McGuinness acknowledged the tremendous leader we are losing today.

Maurice has been a tower of strength for every single person in The Echo, both those who have been here for years, newer members of the team, and those who have been with us previously and left, she said.

He has been a constant support to us all, always available to offer us guidance and helping us all to become better journalists and to make The Echo what it is today.

Maurice Gubbins retired from his role as Editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie after a contribution of 44 years to the Examiner Group. ( l to r) Karen O'Donoghue, Managing Director of The Irish Examiner and The Echo, Maurice Gubbins, retired editor The Echo and EchoLive.ie, Grainne McGuinness, newly appointed editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie, and Tom Fitzpatrick, Editor, The Irish Examiner in the editorial offices at Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Pic Larry Cummins

Ms McGuinness described him as a genuine person who never lost sight of the importance of the team and their personal and family lives, making sure they all felt supported in every single way.

The team that is in place today and the team that Im thrilled to be working with in the future wouldnt exist without Maurice.

Addressing his colleagues for the final time, Mr Gubbins said he was proud to work with every single person in the room and with his many other colleagues back through the years.

I want to thank my little team at the core of The Echo, he said.

Maurice (Moss) Gubbins retired from his role as Editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie after a contribution of 44 years to the Examiner Group. ( l to r) Karen O'Donoghue, Managing Director of The Irish Examiner and The Echo, Grainne McGuinness, newly appointed editor of The Echo and EchoLive.ie, Maurice Gubbins, retired editor The Echo and EchoLive.ie, Mikie Sheehan, CFO, Irish Times Group, and Dan Linehan, General Manager, Irish Times Regionals. Pic Larry Cummins

I always say this but I actually really mean it, I think that our present team is one of the best that weve ever had over the years.

He thanked the news team who embraced the young fella from Fermoy when he first started in the newsroom and who took him into their circle and helped him to be a reporter, and as the years went on, to work across various roles within the company, before being appointed Editor of The Echo in 2001..

One thing that has never changed, Im delighted to say because I know all of you, is the basic decency which prevails in the place, which has always prevailed in the place, and which continues to prevail in the place, he said.

We look after each other, we have always done so and we will continue to do so and I am very confident that will continue to be the way.

I am proud of having worked with every one of you and I would go into battle with every one of you. Thank you all.
A judge offered to step back from hearing the case of a delivery driver who pleaded guilty to kicking a dog as he told the court Im a dog owner and have been for many years.

Judge James McNulty put the possibility of recusing himself from the case to solicitor Killian McCarthy, who was defending former DPD driver Stephen Desmond in Bandon District Court.

Mr Desmond, 33, had pleaded guilty to kicking a Shih Tzu belonging to a man in Kinsale and to whom he was delivering a parcel.

The householder spotted Mr Desmond kicking the dog as he entered the gate of the property while carrying the parcel on his homes CCTV system. He then reported the incident to gardai last October.

Judge McNulty was told that at 11am on October 25 last Mr Desmond was making deliveries and entered the gate of the property in Kinsale. He left the parcel outside, having rang the doorbell, and told the householder he did not need a signature for the delivery.

Sgt Paul Kelly said that the resident at the property noticed that one of his two Shih Tzus appeared to cowering and then ran straight into the house to its bed, while the other dog was acting completely differently.

On checking his CCTV the householder saw Mr Desmond kick the dog in the head and jaw area.

During an interview with gardai two days later Mr Desmond admitted he had kicked the dog and was very apologetic for what happened, adding that he had thought the dog might run past him onto the road.

Mr McCarthy said there had been a previous incident where Mr Desmond had been blamed when a dog escaped as he had made a delivery.

The court heard Mr Desmond had no previous convictions and had once received the benefit of the Probation Act.

Judge McNulty said: I am a dog owner. So if you think that disqualifies me, I will disqualify myself.

Mr McCarthy said that was not necessary. He said his client had been working for a multi-national prior to the pandemic and had joined DPD in March 2020.

Stephen Desmond had a previous address at 21A Church St, Shandon St, Cork but Mr McCarthy said he was now living and working in the UK. He said his client was very apologetic, had contacted the dog owner directly and had offered to pay for any veterinary visits and to make a charitable donation.

The judge gave Desmond credit for his early guilty plea and travelling to Ireland to meet the case. He declined the offer of a charitable donation and convicted Desmond off the offence, fining him 300. Recognisance for a subsequent appeal was set at Mr Desmonds own bond of 300.
THE parents of a suicidal young man were so worried when they saw cocaine in his room that they called the gardai and handed over what they found.

Detective Garda Grainne Duggan testified about the seizure at the house in Millstreet which resulted from an unusual tip-off.

Gardai went to the house on April 5, 2021, and were handed a bag of white powder weighing 54 grammes.

Two days later, gardai were handed more drug-related items and a further 42 grammes of white powder.

Det Garda Duggan said the combined value of the drugs seized on the two days was 6,800.

They also found 4.5 grammes of bulking powder used for mixing with cocaine powder.

These items were handed over by his parents who were concerned about him.

Sean McCaffrey was extremely cooperative throughout the whole process. Now 32 years old, he was not working at the time of the offence. Since April 2021 he has not caused gardai any trouble. He did not make any gain from the offence, said Det Garda Duggan.

The accused had three previous convictions for having drugs for his own use. Defence barrister Mahon Corkery, said: He has shown he is willing to work with the probation service.

He had attempted to take his own life. He has very significant mental health difficulties. He was fully cooperative from the get-go. He had a debt accrued from the purchase of alcohol. He pleaded guilty  I think he did that to save his parents who were the only other witnesses. His brother  who is present in court  is a positive, pro-social influence in his life. He wants to turn his life around.

Judge Catherine Staines said that apart from the aggravating factor of the amount of cocaine involved, there were several mitigating factors and she imposed a suspended sentence of two years.

Turning to the accused, Sean McCaffrey of Lackabawn, Millstreet, Co Cork, the judge said: The court has given you a chance  dont waste it.
A man who received a kidney transplant has been handed a six-month jail sentence for persistent stealing while drunk.

Piotr Barglick pleaded guilty to a string of small thefts from supermarkets in Bandon but had already come before the courts on similar charges last year, with sentencing deferred at that time due to his health issues, including issues with his kidneys.

Bandon District Court heard that Barglick, 54, was pleading guilty to six theft charges.

The first, from March 27 last year, was when he concealed items worth 3.78 in his pockets and left a Lidl store having paid for other items. The next, on April 1 last year, saw him take items worth 5.96 from Lidl.

Both incidents were captured on CCTV and two days later a Garda observed Mr Barglick on a street in Bandon with a backpack, which contained items from Aldi. On viewing CCTV from that store he was seen taking items worth 21.99.

Another charge related to a date in October last year when Barglick took meat worth 7. A Garda check at his property detected other items. Another incident at Dealz resulted in Barglick taking items worth 9.56.

Judge James McNulty heard that Barglick, of 15 North Main St in Bandon, had 15 previous convictions but that he had also been before the court in Bandon last year in relation to three other thefts. The judge said that at that time the court had deferred penalty on hearing of Mr Barglicks health problems - he had received a kidney transplant and was on dialysis for a time.

His solicitor, Plunkett Taaffe, told the court Mr Barglick had recently been discharged from hospital and had kidney and liver issues.

He suffers from significant alcoholism, Mr Taaffe said.

"When drunk he loses the run of himself.

But the judge said: His compulsion is driven by his stomach. When drunk and when he has no money, he steals.

Judge McNulty said that the court had previously been told that Mr Barglick was the recipient of a new kidney.

He got the new kidney in Ireland, he said. Referring to the donor, he added: God bless that person.

Ireland has been good to him, the judge said, adding that Barglick was not law-abiding and he is re-offending".

I dare say he has all the benefits that are due to him.

The judge said Barglick was a thieving nuisance and sentenced him to three months in prison on the earlier pleas made to the court last June, and then another three months, to be served consecutively, on the most recent offences before the court, meaning a total of six months.

Recognisance for appeal was set at Mr Barglicks own bond of 100.
THIS week, audiences get the chance to see Star Wars with an Irish twist.

The second season of the animated show Star Wars: Visions lands on Disney + on May 4. The second episode, Screechers Reach, is directed by Paul Young, one of the founders of Cartoon Saloon, and written by Cork screenwriter Will Collins, who was behind the script for the Oscar-nominated Wolfwalkers.

The first season of Star Wars: Visions was inspired by Japanese storytelling, and different Japanese animation studios made each episode. For season two, the makers decided to widen the storytelling and asked several prominent international animation studios to make an episode influenced by their local culture and history.

Nora Twomey, founder of Cartoon Saloon, who is from Cork.

Young, who founded Cartoon Saloon with Cork woman Nora Twomey and Tomm Moore, stepped into the directors chair for the first time. He says the time was right to move from producer to director. Star Wars: Visions provided the perfect opportunity.

Nora and Tomm had been encouraging me to direct. I produced their films and own the studio with them, and my intention was always to direct, but then 20 years went by, and I was still producing. Nora and Tomm said, youre always talking about it, so why dont you come up with something to direct?

Young started to wonder what a Cartoon Saloon sci-fi film might look like when an unexpectedly timely call came from LucasFilm executive Jacqui Lopez, asking Cartoon to produce an episode of Visions.

Jacqui asked if we would be interested in doing a Star Wars episode, and when I said I was thinking of directing, she said it would be wonderful if I wanted to do it myself. They were very good to trust a first time director.

One of the biggest selling points for me was I could go to Skywalker Ranch in California (LucasFilms studio) to do the sound and postproduction. Working on a Star Wars project as a first-time director was quite nerve-racking, but being able to go over there at the end was wonderful.

Young says he could turn to Twomey and Moore, who have directed all the studios previous work, for advice and support. Twomey, of Midleton, acted as executive producer on the new show.

When we are at the script stage, everybody reads them and gives notes. Its very collaborative in the studio; we work with each other as closely as possible, especially around that initial story and concept stage.

As a new director, I was lucky to have so much experience supporting the decisions and choices. I was in good hands with the crew.

Castlemagner writer Will Collins is no stranger to Cartoon Saloon. As well as co-writing the script for Wolfwalkers, he wrote the script for the animation studios previous Oscar-nominated film, Song Of The Sea. Collins collaborated with Jason Tammemagi on the script for their latest outing, and Young says he always looks forward to working with Collins.

Jason joined us as a producer not long before we started working on this, but we have worked with Will for a long time, so there is a shorthand there. Will is a very talented writer, but he is also great fun, and you know when you speak with him, you will have really interesting conversations.

LucasFilm asked us to pitch them a couple of ideas, which we did, but there was one we liked best: a twist of the Cave of Evil in The Empire Strikes Back. They liked the pitch immediately, and we were generally given free rein to make it.

Will Collins a Cork screen writer.

Each episode of the series is a contained story, and the Irish one sees a ragtag bunch of friends embark on an adventure to get away from the daily grind of working in a rural workhouse.

Screechers Reach reunites Cartoon Saloon with Eva Whittaker, who voiced Mebh, the young wolf walker in critically acclaimed 2021 film, Wolfwalkers. Young says she was the perfect actor to play Daal, who leads her friends on the adventure.

Eva is great because even when she was young and working on Wolfwalkers, she understood the story and what we were trying to do. She is a natural storyteller as well.

The best actors are people who understand the script and understand the scene, actors who know what is going on and instinctively know how to play (the scene).

Most of the cast is Irish, and it is a real treat to hear Irish voices in a Stars Wars film, but one expression initially ruffled some feathers.

We managed to fit in a very Irish phrase which involved using the word arse. We did have to talk about the standards and practices of people at LucasFilm and explain to them that we really wanted to use it because of its cultural significance. It was almost a matter of cultural respect that we were allowed to keep it in.

The film also stars Hollywood legend Angelica Hueston, and Young says she was a wonderful addition to the voice cast.

It was awesome to cast her, not just because she is a great actor but also because she has Irish heritage. She went to school here, and her dad John (the director), was very influential in the success of the Irish film industry due to the number of movies he shot here, so it was lovely to have her on something like this.

Star Wars: Visions streams on Disney + from May 4.
IF youre looking for something different, (Un)holy Blood, a multidisciplinary show fusing contemporary circus, abstract film and immersive soundscapes, is exactly that.

Running for just one night at St Lukes on May 6, its unlikely to resemble anything youve experienced before.

The show is the brainchild of two impressive women, Kerry-born writer Sadhbh Moriarty and Croatian circus artist Lidija Sola.

In 2015, Moriarty was awarded the Eamon Keane theatre award but moved to writing fiction shortly after. It was a chance meeting with Lidija that encouraged her back into the world of theatre following a seven year hiatus.

I was moving into the house that Lidija was leaving, and we just got chatting. We clicked instantly. Lidija started talking about this film she loved and it really just went from there.

The film, Santa Sagre, by Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, is a surrealist thriller. One scene in particular had stayed with Lidija: where a site of violence against a young girl is turned into a temple. The temple is bulldozed at the end of the scene.

We chatted at length about this story in the film. We imagined what might happen if a feminist church rose up in response to the bulldozing of the temple. We took this scene and propagated it into the world (Un)Holy Blood - an alternate universe with a corrupted feminist church at its centre, explains Sadhbh.

Lidija on Trapeze. Picture: David Hegarty

Contemporary circus artist Lidija moved to Ireland in 2019 with just enough time before the pandemic to connect with the Circus Factory. She plays the lead role of the high priestess of this feminist church. She is also the director, co-writer and creator of the show. However, with a background in physical theatre, the speaking part of the performance is new to her.

I had never really spoken on stage before so I relied on Sadhbh for that. She helped me with developing my voice.

Sola started her circus career by doing aerial silks training ten years ago in her native Croatia as a way to exercise alongside friends.

I became more interested in the circus as an art discipline. Over time I began producing solo and collaborative performances and educational projects.

She eventually left her day job to work as a circus artist.

Nobody believed me when I said I was leaving work to join the circus. They thought I was leaving to work with a competitor and was just making up an elaborate story.

Herself and her friend eventually set up their own experimental circus collective, Tricycle Trauma, in order to tackle topics that interested them.

Contemporary circus is not just entertainment, it combines other disciplines like dance and theatre and often deals with serious topics like abortion and rape. It is a much broader endeavour than people might think.

And so we have (Un)Holy Blood, written about female solidarity by a pair of female writers who seem to have flourished in one anothers company.

Moriarty explains that the show started as an exploration of the ways we engage in Feminism but grew to develop a critical edge, commenting on the pitfalls of hierarchy and organised religion.

The duo performed a half-hour version of the show as part of the Pitchd festival in 2021. Realising how well they worked together as a team, they then applied for the Project Award with the Arts Council and Cork City Council, culminating in this one night only performance at St Lukes. In many ways, this female solidarity is at the thematic and creative heart of the show. Each woman has grown from the expertise of the other.

During the initial showcase, it was absurd, says Sadhbh. I didnt know you could do so much with your body until I saw Lidijas work. We would talk about our ideas and Lidija would do something so unexpected.

Going forward, I was able to visualise more easily how we could house our narrative in a very different and exciting way that would maximise the impact of Lidijas performance. Sadhbh Moriarty hopes their show will challenge audiences, that they will leave, fifty minutes later, questioning the ways in which we are feminists.

Id like us to ask ourselves whether we are standing on top of other women or truly supporting one another, she adds.

Lidija explains that broken spirits are depicted in the show. One is a representative of a survivor of the mother and baby homes and the other an Iranian activist martyred for womens rights.

The priestess recognises what happened to women in the past but has forgotten that oppressive things are still happening to women. People sometimes get comfortable in their own world, they forget about other narratives, says Lidija.

The pair are not presenting feminism as a corrupt church. This is a dystopian world. It shows what can go wrong despite great miraculous beginnings, when the purpose of a movement is lost.

Lidija and Sadhbh at Pitch'd. Picture: David Hegarty

Sadhbh references seeing a priest she knew growing up in Kenmare, Fr Kevin McNamara on RTEs The Confessors two years ago - a show documenting priests contending with Covid restrictions.

I remember him saying when a church is on its knees, it is closer to God. He was the kind of priest who would tell you to go out and hug your parents for your penance following confession. He was truly spiritual.

When you visit the Vatican and see pillars of solid gold constructed at the same time as great famines, theres a terrible dissonance. I guess what were saying is that movements should stay true to their purpose.

The show is not about picking feminism apart, but challenging the ways we engage with it, so we acknowledge the past and know how to best navigate the future.

The relationship between the two women is a central inspiration in their collaboration and in their thoughts on womanhood. They discuss the goosebump moments they shared whilst working on the project.

We would meet up twice a week outside during Covid, complaining how difficult it is to be a woman. But we both realised we wouldnt want to not be women either. Why would we? There is such power in women. We wanted to explore and demonstrate this in the show as well. Theres such strength and resilience in women, said Sadhbh.

Audiences should also expect a degree of levity in the 50-minute show also. Lidija, more inclined towards the dark and absurd, learned a lot from her collaborator in this regard, she says.

In the first version, it was too dark and heavy. That makes people want to switch off so we brought a little humour to get people to engage. There is a healthy balance of light and dark throughout.

The creative team behind the show is impressive, including award-winning film -maker Shaun OConnor and Cormac OConnor on projection.

A lot of inspiration for (Un)Holy Blood came from David Lynchs work. A song from Lynchs Eraserhead is re-worked by writer Sadhbh and the pair hope the haunting melody will remain with the audiences long after the show.

From the sounds of it, it will be more than the song we remember.

Tickets are available for (un)Holy Blood, Saturday, May 6 at 8.30pm on Eventbrite
Rising sea levels, accelerated coastal erosion, severe flooding and drought, rapid melting of Arctic sea ice and more frequent and intense wildfires are all symptoms of climate change that are changing our planets landscape. In some places, these changes are happening too fast for plants and animals to keep up.

A recent study by researchers at University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley), and the United States Forest Service have uncovered warning signs that forests in the Western U.S. are struggling to adapt to the rapidly changing climate.

If youre concerned about forest health then one thing you want to observe is whether the rate at which forest composition changes is roughly equivalent to the rate at which the climate changes, said lead author of the study Kyle Rosenblad, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, in a press release from the Rausser College of Natural Resources. We found that climate change is outpacing the ability of forests and tree biomass to keep up, which is a potential concern for forest managers.

The study, Climate change, tree demography, and thermophilization in western U.S. forests, was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the study, in the past ten years, forests in the West have become more and more dominated by trees better equipped to survive climate conditions that are drier and hotter  a process called thermophilization.

The precise factors affecting the thermophilization process can differ in individual forests, but on the whole, the changing composition of forests is failing to keep up with climate change.

In many ecosystems, water is often limited, and higher temperatures can cause trees to lose water more quickly. When a trees access to water gets dangerously low  in other words, the tree becomes highly drought-stressed  its vascular system (akin to our veins and arteries) is under so much tension that air bubbles can develop and destroy sections of the vascular system, Rosenblad told EcoWatch in an email. Some trees protect themselves against these dangers by building special vascular structures that make it more difficult for bubbles to form and spread. Trees leaves can also wilt under drought stress, and some trees defend against this danger by closing the pores on their leaves to minimize evaporation, or by stockpiling solutes in their leaf cells so it becomes physically more difficult for water to leave.

Each decade, scientists from the Forest Service conduct a tree census by measuring plots of trees and collecting data all over the U.S. This survey gives the scientists an idea of the condition and health of the millions of acres of forest across the country. It also allows them to track temporal changes.

Our study included the roughly 100 tree species that live in the western half of the continental United States. Common examples include quaking aspen, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir, Rosenblad told EcoWatch. Every tree species has its own geographic range, and one of the trends reflected in our study is that species have tended to struggle most with climate change in the warmest, driest parts of their geographic ranges, where just a little bit of warming might be enough to push them beyond their physiological limits. Quaking aspen is a good example of a species struggling heavily with climate change, although other factors like disease play a role as well.

The research team from UC Berkeley looked at almost 45,000 subplots of forest that had been measured in the most recent tree census, the press release said. Their analysis found that the temperature in Western forests had increased an average of 0.57 degrees Fahrenheit from 2011 to 2020.

During this same time period, forest thermophilization rates were 10 times slower than the mean temperature increase.

According to the findings of the study, the most dramatic changes in forest composition occurred in plots that were on hillsides facing north, those that experienced the most extreme warming and drought and those that were subjected to insect attacks.

[W]hen heat causes trees to become drought stressed, the trees also become more susceptible to insects like bark beetles, which can decimate large swaths of forest in a short time. Some trees can defend themselves by pushing sap into the holes formed by the beetles before the beetles can lay eggs, Rosenblad said. Lastly, high heat and dry vegetation can make wildfires burn hotter and spread more widely, thus making tree death more likely. Some trees defend themselves against wildfire by developing thick bark and frequent self-pruning  i.e., dropping of low branches that are no longer growing well and might otherwise help a fire climb to the canopy. Other trees embrace wildfire as a new growth opportunity, either by resprouting from a stump after the fire, or by producing seeds that germinate post-fire.

Senior author of the study David Ackerly, who is dean of Rausser College of Natural Resources and a professor in the departments of Integrative Biology and Environmental Science, Policy, and Management, said trees that are able to tolerate the warming temperatures are not replacing those that cant at a rapid enough pace to keep forests healthy.

This research shows that tree species with low temperature tolerances are dying, and new trees are not growing fast enough to compensate for these changes, Ackerly said in the press release. These trends are an early warning that changes in the forest are lagging behind the pace of climate change, which may make them more vulnerable to warmer and drier conditions in the future.

Rosenblad said that if the West continues to experience extreme heat and drought, the divide between the transition of forests and their changing climate will become more pronounced. This will result in successive cycles of tree death that interfere with essential ecosystem functions and allow carbon that had been stored in the trees and soil to be released back into the atmosphere.

Healthy forests provide human society with many important services, like food, clean drinking water, wood, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, spiritual and mental health benefits, and  ironically  defense against climate change. Not only do healthy forests provide shade from the sun, they also pull carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and lock the carbon into the forest ecosystem, where it cannot contribute to the greenhouse effect until it very slowly cycles back into the atmosphere again. If we cannot maintain healthy forests, then all of these benefits will be compromised, Rosenblad told EcoWatch.

In some areas of the country, the effects may be so pronounced that landscapes change entirely.

In some parts of the western U.S., its likely that forests are going to disappear and be replaced by other ecosystems like grassland or shrubland. In these places, like some low-elevation parts of Californias Sierra Nevada mountains, the best thing to do is start preparing to have fundamentally different relationships with our local ecosystems, Rosenblad said. In other places, healthy forests might persist, but they would likely be populated by different types of trees than those that live there today. However, one of the key findings from our study is that tree species are not filling in new parts of the map quickly enough to keep up with climate change. We may be able to help hasten their arrival through carefully planned and monitored tree planting projects. Some work like this has already begun in some parts of the country, and it is an active area of research.

Rosenblad told EcoWatch that building sustainable forests in the face of climate change should involve looking to Indigenous peoples and their forest management practices for guidance.

We can also help forests respond to climate change and other environmental threats by restoring land rights and sovereignty to Indigenous people. Most importantly, restoring Indigenous sovereignty is a moral obligation, but an additional benefit is that Indigenous people have built relationships with their local ecosystems over thousands of years and often have a wealth of knowledge about how to interact with these ecosystems sustainably, Rosenblad said. For example, before European colonization, many Indigenous groups practiced carefully planned cultural fire, which brought numerous benefits like increased food production and thinning of thick vegetation that could otherwise have fueled dangerous high-severity megafires. When European colonists forced Indigenous people to stop practicing cultural fire, vegetation density increased, and high-severity megafires became increasingly frequent and destructive.
Founded in 2005 as an Ohio-based environmental newspaper, EcoWatch is a digital platform dedicated to publishing quality, science-based content on environmental issues, causes, and solutions.

This week, the first photovoltaic (PV) solar farm to connect directly to the UKs National Grid transmission network started generating power. The project links Cero Generation and Enso Energys 49.9 megawatt (MW) Larks Green solar array to the National Grids 400 kilovolt Iron Acton substation near Bristol, England, a National Grid press release said.

The renewable energy power source will include a 49.5 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) capable of generating 99 megawatt hours (MWh) of electricity.

Solar power has a critical role to play in the clean energy transition, so connecting the first PV array to our high voltage transmission network represents a key step on that journey, said Roisin Quinn, director of National Grid Customer Connections, in the press release.

The solar plant is the first-of-its-kind tandem solar and battery system and could help the UK come closer to meeting its 2035 carbon goals.

Completion of this project is a major milestone for renewable energy in the UK and provides further evidence that co-located solar and battery storage projects connecting directly to the transmission network will play an important role in the delivery of the UKs net zero plans, said Ian Harding, co-founder and director of Enso Energy, as Power Technology reported.

The solar farm sits on 200 acres, is made up of 152,400 solar modules and will generate more than 73,000 MWh each year  enough to power more than 17,300 homes.

The innovative solar-to-grid connection will offset 20,500 tons of carbon dioxide annually when compared to fossil fuel energy production.

Using the BESS to store energy during peak production times will mean more available clean power when demand is high and ensure maximum efficiency of the site.

Before the Larks Green solar array was connected to the National Grid, solar farms in the UK relied on the countrys lower voltage regional grids to bring power to residences and businesses.

By connecting solar energy directly to the National Grid, clean energy can be transported farther, and this project opens the door for bigger projects to be connected to them in the future.

As the countrys first solar project to connect to the transmission network, it represents true innovation that paves the way for others to follow and enables the rapid deployment of much more clean energy, said Marta Martinez Queimadelos, CEO of Cero Generation, in the press release.

A recent report from energy security plan Powering Up Britain reaffirmed the governments goal of a five-fold increase in solar energy deployment by 2035, including the installation of as much as 70 gigawatts of capacity  enough to power about 20 million homes.

According to the press release, the design and layout of the solar farm and BESS will include local wildlife resources, including the planting of woodlands to provide food and shelter for an array of protected species, and will result in net biodiversity gain.

Were proud to be celebrating a major step in the UKs renewable energy mission and in our journey into battery storage, recognising the vast benefits of co-location in moving the green transition forward and contributing to our mission of delivering a net-zero future, for this and every generation, Queimadelos said.




China approves safety of gene-edited soybean

China has approved the safety of a gene-edited soybean, its first for the crop technology, with higher levels of oleic acid, World-Grain reported.

Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology developed the soybean, which contains two modified genes.

According to a document published last week by China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the safety certificate has been approved for five years beginning April 21.

Unlike genetically modified organisms, which introduce foreign genes into a plant, gene editing modifies existing genes. Gene editing is regarded as less dangerous than GMOs and is less regulated in some countries.

Shandong Shunfeng Biotechnology said it is China's first company attempting to commercialise gene-edited crops. The company is working on another 20 gene-edited crops, including higher yielding rice, wheat and corn, herbicide-resistant rice and soybeans, and vitamin C-rich lettuce.

US-based company Calyxt developed a high oleic soybean in 2019, yielding a healthy oil that was approved as the first gene-edited food in the US.

Before Chinese farmers can plant the gene-edited soybeans, several steps must be completed, including seed variety approvals.

- World-Grain
Hollywood writers demand protections against AI exploitation They want assurances that the studios won't use ChatGPT and their own words against them.

Luddites had the right of things all the way back in the 1800s. When textile factory owners in early 19th century England used the industrialization of their industry as an excuse to underpay and overwork employees in dangerous, dehumanizing conditions, the secret organization of workers set about smashing the machines of the capitalists who exploited them. Today, the Writers Guild of America faces a similar threat from those in control of a new transformative technology, generative AI, and its part of the reason theyre currently on strike for better working conditions.

On March 7, 2023, WGA members voted to approve the 2023 Pattern of Demands by a count of 5,553 voting yes to 90 nos. On Tuesday morning, more than 11,000 members of the Writers Guild of America shut Hollywood down for the first time since 2007 when they last had to fight for their livelihoods.

Though we negotiated intent on making a fair deal  the studios responses to our proposals have been wholly insufficient, given the existential crisis writers are facing, read a statement from WGA leadership to CNN on Wednesday. They have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. No such deal could ever be contemplated by this membership.

As such, the guild is demanding significant increases to the industrys minimum compensation to address the devaluation of writing in all areas of television, new media and features as well as standardize the amount writers are paid writing for streaming or theatrically released features, among a host of other long-deferred needs. The guild is also looking towards the future in its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in efforts to prevent the studios from using AI and their own words) to put WGA writers out of work.

It is not the tool itself, it's not an objection to the tool, WGA member and writer behind Sinister, Doctor Strange and The Black Phone, C. Robert Cargill told Engadget regarding generative AI systems. What we have asked of the studios is that they do not generate any material themselves that they have not been handed by writers.

This is because writing contracts in Hollywood are very specific about the circumstances of how credit is attributed because residual payments are paid out based on them, Cargill explains. For example, writing the first draft of a feature pays at a higher rate than the subsequent rewrites and the amount of residuals the first screenwriter receives depends on what percentage of their original script made it into the final product.

The immediate fear of AI isnt that us writers will have our work replaced by artificially generated content. Its that we will be underpaid to rewrite that trash into something we could have done better from the start. This is what the WGA is opposing and the studios want.  C. Robert Cargill (@Massawyrm) May 2, 2023

The fear here is very simple, Cargill said, and one that is already being realized in the wake of the strikes launch. Which is, they get an idea and they put it into one of the generative programs and then it kicks out something that looks like a script. Then what they do is they hand it over to a writer and say, we're going to pay you your rewrite wage to go ahead and make it sound more like a human wrote it and to fix any of the problems.

This would essentially preclude human  more importantly, unionized  writers from earring the highest pay rate while forcing them to still perform the highest pay grade work. What Hollywood can be doing is cutting us out of that very lucrative first step of generating the initial script and story ideas, he said.

The guild is also, rightfully, concerned with the potential for their existing writing content be used to train future iterations of generative AIs. I had a fan reach out to me because he was playing around with [ChatGPT] a few weeks ago and wanted to get a couple ideas to a horror story, Cargill recalled. He says, Give me some horror prompts based on, I want to write a horror movie that is a mystery thriller, I want it to be creepy and kind of like Sinister.

What it spit back out was the plot to Sinister, Cargill, who wrote Sinister. A family moves into a house and finds a videotape of the murder of the family that previously lived there, and the only thing that was changed from my movie is ours happened on film and not video  and that's how it changed it.

Cargills concern is that by using our previous scripts, what the studios will be doing is essentially getting lines of our dialogue and our jokes sent back into the industry  but without our attribution, without our credit, without our pay.

He elaborates that the guild is not seeking a full ban on generative AIs use and that screen are welcome to use it if they want. In the same way that you don't have to use a computer with spellcheck. You can write your script on yellow line paper by hand if you want  Quentin Tarantino still does that.

You don't you don't have to use the technology, he continued. But if you want to you can but what we want is to make sure studios aren't using that to replace that and then pay us lower rates just to rewrite what a computer sent back.

The WGA did not respond to multiple written requests for comment. The AMPTP issued the following response:
Vice President Harris tells tech CEOs they have a moral responsibility to safeguard AI Google, Microsoft and OpenAI are among those who met the Vice President.

The Biden administration may be funding AI research, but it's also hoping to keep companies accountable for their behavior. Vice President Kamala Harris has met the CEOs of Alphabet (Google's parent), Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic in a bid to get more safeguards for AI. Private firms have an "ethical, moral and legal responsibility" to make their AI products safe and secure, Harris says in a statement. She adds that they still have to honor current laws.

The Vice President casts generative AI technologies like Bard, Bing Chat and ChatGPT as having the potential to both help and harm the country. It can address some of the "biggest challenges," but it can also be used to violate rights, create distrust and weaken "faith in democracy," according to Harris. She pointed to investigations into Russian interference during the 2016 presidential election as evidence that hostile nations will use tech to undercut democratic processes.

Finer details of the discussions aren't available as of this writing. However, Bloomberg claims invitations to the meeting outlined discussions of the risks of AI development, efforts to limit those risks and other ways the government could cooperate with the private sector to safely embrace AI.

Generative AI has been helpful for detailed search answers, producing art and even writing messages for job hunters. Accuracy remains a problem, however, and there are concerns about cheating, copyright violations and job automation. IBM said this week it would pause hiring for roles that could eventually be replaced with AI. There's been enough worry about AI's dangers that industry leaders and experts have called for a six-month pause on experiments to address ethical issues.

Biden's officials aren't waiting for companies to act. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration is asking for public comments on possible rules for AI development. Even so, the Harris meeting sends a not-so-subtle message that AI creators face a crackdown if they don't act responsibly.
The National Blood Transfusion Council (NBTC) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare governs the Indian blood donation policy. The NBTC is the apex body responsible for formulating policies about collecting, storing, and distributing blood and blood products in India. The latest policy governing blood transfusion is the Guideline on Blood Donor Selection and Blood Donor Referral, 2017, which also determines the population group eligible for donating blood, as prescribed by the NBTC.

A member of the transgender community has filed a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging clauses 12 and 51 of the prescribed guidelines. The said clauses expressly prohibit transgender persons, gay men, and female sex workers from donating blood by classifying them as

a high-risk category for having HIV/AIDS. In response, in its affidavit, the union health ministry had submitted a plethora of scientific evidence to justify the need for a blanket exclusion. The ministry proposes that the blood donation system being such an intrinsic part of the Indian healthcare ecosystem, the move was necessary to ensure peoples faith in the integrity of the same. However, disqualifying an integral part of the Indian population from donating blood in the first place does not seem to be a step in the right direction towards achieving the goal of maintaining a safe public health system.
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A taxpayer-funded financing mechanism meant to increase the supply of affordable housing  and that was conceived in San Antonio  has been under increasing scrutiny here in recent years, criticized by local figures ranging from neighborhood activists to Mayor Ron Nirenberg.

More recently its sparked outcry in Dallas, Houston and other cities  even leading Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner to call for a pause on its use.

Now, increasing awareness of the programs negative impact on school district and other local budgets and debate over the affordability of housing it creates could lead state lawmakers to significantly reform the program that awards property tax breaks and other giveaways for developers to build income-restricted apartments.

If a bill that won wide approval in the House gets a similar response in the Senate and is signed into law, it could drastically change how affordable housing is built across Texas.

EARLY QUESTIONS: City nonprofit fights soaring housing costs, but at what price?

What is a PFC? PFC is shorthand for public facility corporation  typically, a nonprofit set up by a governmental entity. Bexar County, for example, has one known as the Bexar County Public Facility Corp. The term PFC deal refers to an arrangement that has been allowed under state law since 2015. The deals work like this: A developer partners with a PFC to either build or buy an apartment complex. The PFC keeps ownership of the land and, under state law, the complex receives a full property tax exemption and other giveaways. The developer must rent at least half of the complexs units to tenants making no more than 80 percent of the local area median income. State law doesnt require any rent restrictions, so the developer can charge whatever rates it wants. For years, housing activists have said that apartments pegged to 80 percent of median income arent truly affordable because their rents are close to market-rate. How have PFCs been used in San Antonio? The use of PFCs was pioneered by developer Dan Markson  who led the local office for apartment builder NRP Group until his death in 2019  working with the San Antonio Housing Trust Public Facility Corp. represented by local attorney Jim Plummer. Under their guidance, the tool gave rise to apartment complexes such as Cevallos Lofts in Southtown and Salado at Red Berry at the East Sides Red Berry Estate. Since becoming executive director of the San Antonio Housing Trust in 2019  shortly after the trusts PFC deals came under criticism in a city-commissioned report  Pete Alanis has walked back from such deals. The trust no longer partners with private developers and focuses on deeper levels of affordability. Yet several other PFCs exist in San Antonio. Hemisfair, the city nonprofit redeveloping the former site of the Hemisfair 68 worlds fair, has its own PFC, for example. So does Opportunity Home San Antonio, formerly known as the San Antonio Housing Authority.  Richard Webner See More Collapse

And it would have a major impact in San Antonio.

The San Antonio Housing Trust, a nonprofit arm of the city that once awarded more tax breaks than any other agency in the state, has stopped making such deals with developers. But the tool is still used by other local agencies, including the Bexar County Public Facility Corp., an arm of the county that is considering awarding the tax break to developers who want to convert the downtown Tower Life Building into housing. Its also playing a role in the residential portion of a long-sought development at Hemisfair and has already been used in dozens of others.

The Houston Housing Authority recently approved two-dozen PFC deals  so called because theyre typically done by a governmental nonprofit known as a public facility corporation  on top of the 77 it has already done. And theyre still being used in other cities across the state.

Theres just been an explosion in the use of this tool over the past two years, said Heather Way, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin School of Law.

In 2020, she published a study that raised questions about whether the tax break that partners government housing agencies with developers is creating affordable housing or just doling out tax breaks. It showed the program has resulted in private developers receiving tens of millions of dollars in property tax breaks and saved them millions more in tax-free construction costs.

The tax exemptions are taking billions of dollars of revenue away from local tax entities across the state. One PFC apartment complex in San Antonio  the Flats at River North, on Broadway in downtown  carries an exemption that spared it from paying $1.2 million in taxes last year, according to the Bexar Appraisal District. And there are many more.

NOT AFFORDABLE: How a big Texas tax break created not-so-affordable housing

Were not just talking about a handful of deals here and there  were talking about hundreds of projects that are removing billions of dollars of properties off the tax rolls, Way said.

Substantive reform

The programs proliferation has caught the attention of lawmakers whod like to enact reforms. Multiple PFC-related bills have been filed this session. One has made progress.

House Bill 2071 is a bipartisan reform bill that would require more transparency into the programs use and stricter income limits for apartment complexes receiving the exemptions. It was overwhelmingly approved last month by the House on a vote of 142-5.

Despite the strong backing, its future is uncertain. Groups such as the Texas Apartment Association have withdrawn their support after amendments were added shortly before passage that they say would limit the programs use too severely.

In the Senate, the bill is being shepherded by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, a Houston Republican who has proven himself a staunch opponent of the program. Having served for 10 years as Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector and as CEO of his own property tax protesting company, he has made property tax relief his legislative priority. Hes tried before to amend the program the Legislature quietly approved in 2015.

Bettencourt has also filed his own bill, which would repeal PFCs altogether, saying he is appalled at how the programs has been abused.

In an interview Wednesday, Bettencourt said hes confident there is going to be a substantive reform bill passed in this session. On Monday, members of the Senates Local Government committee, which he chairs, heard testimony from Jane Hughson, the mayor of San Marcos, and others in favor of PFC reform.

I think many of the senators were appalled at what they heard in testimony, and they should be. It was quite eye-opening, he said.

Abuses

In the 2021 legislative session, Bettencourt and other lawmakers introduced reform bills but none passed. But Way, the UT professor, and others said theres greater awareness of the program and its shortcomings this time around. More than a half-dozen bills have been filed this session.

One of them is SB 1546  also drafted by Bettencourt  which would ban the practice of governmental nonprofits awarding the tax break outside their jurisdiction. The senates Local Government committee voted the bill forward Monday.

It is partly in response to a public agency named SH130 Municipal Management District No. 1, which the Legislature created in 2019 with the intention that a group of businessmen would use it to develop land near Austin. The district went on to create its own public facility corporation, the Texas Essential Housing PFC, which has secured property tax exemptions to build housing far outside its jurisdiction, according to an investigation by Hearst Newspapers.

LONG REACH: How a tiny Texas government is scoring big tax breaks for developers across the state

In effect, Texas Essential Housing is taking millions of dollars off the tax rolls in far-away communities with no say from the people who live there. It is active in Bexar County, too: Over the past two years it has purchased at least three local properties, according to records from the Bexar County Clerk.

Way called the practice the biggest abuse that has come to light. And Pete Alanis, executive director of the San Antonio Housing Trust, said Texas Essential Housings actions were the biggest issue facing the state relative to PFCs.

Part of what Im hoping to see out of this legislative session, on correcting it, is number one to kill it, he said.

Aundre Dukes, president and chairman of Texas Essential Housing, said in an emailed statement that PFC agencies are a critical piece to solving the workforce housing crisis and are actively engaged with the legislature in reforming this critical program.

The PFC reform bill that has moved farthest in the legislature is HB 2071  the bipartisan bill that passed the House last month.

Drafted by state Rep. Jacey Jetton, R-Fort Bend County, the bill would introduce rent caps  which the program has not required  and would force PFC developments to accept those using housing choice vouchers, commonly known as Section 8. Like SB 1546, it would ban the practice of an agency awarding the tax break outside its jurisdiction.

The bill has 16 co-sponsors: 10 Republicans and six Democrats.

The best path

Before HB 2071 passed the House, Rep. Gary Gates, R-Fort Bend County, drastically changed it by introducing amendments which would, among other things, enact a 10-year limit on the property tax exemptions (now, they last up to 99 years) and require the affected taxing entities, such as health systems and school districts, to approve each deal.

One of the amendments would deepen the bills affordability requirements, requiring that a portion of units in PFC developments be reserved for those making as little as 50 percent of area median income. In the original bill, the lowest affordability required was for tenants making up to 60 percent of AMI. The current minimum is 80 percent.

The bill previously had the backing of industry groups but some stepped back after the amendments were made. David Mintz, vice president of government affairs for the Texas Apartment Association, said in an email the amended bill would make it virtually impossible for new affordable housing to be built or acquired under this program.

We hope some middle ground can be reached that allows this tool to remain available to help meet the tremendous demand for affordable housing in our state, he said.

Alanis questioned whether the 10-year exemption limit would be good policy.

After that 10 years, youre going to have people that are rent- and income-restricted, and all the sudden those protections are not in place, he said. Youre going to lead to conversion of those units to market  and whats going to happen to all those tenants?

Gates  who owns dozens of apartment properties in Houston  said he expected the bill to be tweaked in the Senate.

There probably needs to be some pullback to make sure we dont completely shut the system down, he said. I was talking with the governors office. We want to make sure that we do it right. Now that weve got a good reform bill, lets make sure with what happened there on the House floor, that we didnt go too far.

Gates is confident something will be done this session, though.

At the end of the day, whats going to happen is were probably going to end 90 percent of these deals, he said. But the 10 percent that are done are going to produce more affordable housing than all the others combined.

Bettencourt suggested that he filed SB 805  the bill that would eliminate PFCs altogether  as a way of forcing passage of reform.

What I wanted was for the House to speak first, and send us the best bill they could, he said. So we laid out these bills purposefully. Effectively, we put goalposts on the field.

According to Ways report, many of the legislators in the Senate didnt know what they were doing when they passed an amendment in 2015 that created the tool for establishing PFCs. It was misrepresented on the Senate floor as being only for the use of nonprofits. Discussion lasted only four minutes.

When it passed in 2015, I believe the intention on the floor was that this only be done for charitable purposes, Bettencourt said. In my mind, Senate Bill 805 is a statement of the obvious by me, that theres been way too many abuses to ignore. Im willing to pass that bill if I have to, because the status quo is unacceptable.

Gov. Greg Abbotts office didnt respond to a request for comment.
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An arbitrator has ruled in favor of a San Antonio couple whose builder attempted to sell the home they paid for out from under them, but they're still fighting to get possession of the property where they planned to live out their retirement.

The arbitrator awarded Robert and Karen Rickman title to the house and land at 24442 Canyon Row in North Central San Antonio and about $399,000. Their attorneys also will receive almost $318,000 for fees and expenses.

State District Court Judge Antonia Toni Arteaga earlier this month confirmed the arbitration award, which is now regarded as a judgment against the defendants. She simultaneously denied an application to vacate the award that was filed by the defendants, San Antonio contractor Haitham Taleb and his companies Land Star Builder LLC, Mustang Eias LLC and EHL Construction Inc. Mustang Eias is the property's current owner.

On Express-News.com: San Antonio couples plans for home they envisioned retiring in go awry in fight with builder

Matthew Swantner, the Rickmans lawyer, said his clients were pleased the arbitrator granted them most of the relief they requested while rejecting the defendants' claims.

However, the defendants still have possession of their home and have so far refused to comply with the arbitrators decisions, Swantner said. "The Rickmans intend to pursue every remedy available at law to recover their home and their money."

William Sommers, a lawyer for the defendants, did not respond to a request for comment so it's not known if they intend to appeal.

In their motion to vacate, the defendants argued that neither Taleb nor Mustang Eias agreed to arbitrate the dispute. They had asked Arteaga to set aside the arbitration entirely or modify the award so it would only be against Land Star Builder.

The Rickmans, both 68, filed a lawsuit in October 2021 over the house where they believed they would live out their twilight years. The couple paid $10,000 to Land Star in late 2017 and signed a construction contract in April 2018. The purchase price was almost $439,000.

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The city issued a building permit in July 2018 and construction was expected to be completed by March 2019.

But it had not been completed more than three years after the permit was issued, the Rickmans alleged in their lawsuit. They blamed the delays on various issues including staffing and unpaid subcontractors.

Sommers pointed the finger back at the Rickmans. In an interview in 2021, he said the couple actively interfered with the contractor's ability to get it done on time. That resulted in increased costs of several hundred thousand dollars. The Rickmans also told Taleb that they no longer wanted the house, Sommers said.

Before they filed their lawsuit, the Rickmans discovered that Taleb and Mustang Eias borrowed $230,000 from Miami-based Amadco Inc. in August 2020. The loan was secured by the house the Rickmans already paid $423,000 for, the lawsuit said.

Sommers countered that delays caused by the Rickmans led Taleb to borrow money on the property.

In November 2021, visiting state District Judge Larry Noll granted the Rickmans' application for a temporary injunction that prevented Taleb from selling the house pending the outcome of the dispute.

Noll also ruled the Rickmans would have to arbitrate the dispute. The construction contract spelled out that any disputes must be arbitrated rather than litigated in court.

Arbitrator John Boyce III of San Antonio found that Taleb and his companies breached the construction agreement in failing to complete the home in a timely, workmanlike manner by the estimated completion date.

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"The goal of relief in this case is simple: to award (the Rickmans) the benefit of their bargain as if Respondents had not breached the Residential Construction Agreement," Boyce said in the award. "The benefit is that (the Rickmans) are entitled to a house  and on land on which it is built."

Boyce directed the defendants to convey the property to the Rickmans.

Almost $316,000 of the $399,000 Boyce awarded the Rickmans will go to pay off the lien on the property. About $56,500 was awarded to complete construction.

The defendants can appeal the arbitration award, but the Rickmans would be entitled to $50,000 in attorneys' fees if the defendants lose.
Editor's note: A previous version of this report misstated the amount subsidized to Cha-Cha's New Gen Cafe by the city of Leon Valley.

Leon Valleys elected leaders talked about how Cha-Chas New Gen Cafe was a bad investment. They talked about late payments and bad checks. They talked about $5,400 of subsidized rent and other olive branches extended to the daughter of a longtime local restaurant family.

Finally, more than an hour into it, the Leon Valley City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to allow Cha-Chas to stay at its city-owned location at 6417 Evers Road, for now.

Cha-Chas will remain on a month-to-month basis as the city opens the property for competitive bids from other businesses. The popular restaurant initially had until June 30 to vacate the property.

You might also like: Leon Valley City Council can now ban library books

City Council in April decided not to renew Cha-Cha's lease, as the Express-News reported. But this week the city decided to allow the restaurant to remain at the site on a month-to-month basis while Leon Valley seeks competitive bids from other potential occupants.

Cha-Chas originally opened in 1984 and closed in 2017. It was reborn in recent years with a healthy, vegetarian twist under new owner and chef Bania Ruiz. She is the daughter of original Cha-Chas founders Margarita and the late Ricardo Ruiz and is a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Austin.

Ruiz told Leon Valley City Council on Tuesday that her husband took over Cha-Chas finances after she had fallen ill. She said he wrote bad checks by mistake from a closed account.

She urged elected leaders to allow her to stay, which would give her enough time to find another location or submit a proposal during the citys competitive bid process.

Rose Ryan, a board member for the Northwest San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, said: This is the Ruiz family that not only had an iconic restaurant business here for 32 years, but paid taxes and brought in sales tax dollars.

More government coverage: Your guide to the city of San Antonios May 6 election

Opponents argued that Cha-Cha's has not shown a history of being profitable or offering regular payments, even with its rent reduced. When Ruiz was approached about renewing the lease and rising rent, she said she could not afford it.

Cha-Chas was given the lease in November 2020 shortly after Leon Valley Cafe was forced to close due to nearby construction and the pandemic.

The City Council gave a $400-a-month lease to Cha-Chas without a competitive bid process that is common for local governments.

Residents in 2020 questioned the nature of the original agreement and said it didnt sit right and seemed like an insider deal, City Councilman Josh Stevens said.

Stevens said the intention of opening it up for bids in 2023 was to do what should have been done years ago.

The restaurant's rent then went up to $800, well below the $2,100 market rate, officials said.

City Councilman Jed Hefner said that the city has subsidized $5,400 in rent for Cha-Chas and also had to contend with payments issued long after their due date. Nearly all of her payments were at least two weeks late, he said.

Councilman Benny Martinez talked about how hard it was to own a business and make a profit. Martinez, a business owner, said he has struggled for the last 19 years and was recently forced to relocate outside of Leon Valley because of rising rents.

But now, with its liquor license, Cha-Chas was finally moving in the right direction.

Martinez urged the agreement month-to-month until the end of the year to let them prove that they are a profitable business. At least let them put their money where their mouth is.

He pointed to the popularity of the restaurant and the deluge of public comments in support of extending the lease. Proponents argued it was one of the few places in Leon Valley for fine dining.

Councilman Will Bradshaw said its the councils job to be good stewards of taxpayer money.

And Cha-Cha's is a bad investment," Bradshaw said. "Its a bad deal."

timothy.fanning@express-news.net
Paul Stephen/Staff

If you're craving a margarita or other grown-up libation along with your view of the Tower of the Americas and the downtown San Antonio skyline, you're in luck. The rooftop bar at the new Rosarios ComidaMex & Bar location in Southtown is now open for business.

The sprawling, 5,000-square-foot space offers plenty of seating on its tile-lined surface with some covered, shady areas equipped with fans to keep things cool in the blazing summer heat of Texas. The rooftop space is outfitted in paint, furniture and decor in muted tones of olive drab, mellow cream and pale terracotta subtly suggesting the green, white and red of the Mexican flag.
Visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial usually requires a trip to Washington, D.C.

But this weekend, that solemn experience will be available in Central Texas.

The Wall That Heals, a three-quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, will be on display in the Hays County city of Kyle this weekend.

The traveling exhibit, which includes a mobile education center, is sponsored by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Since 1996, the exhibit has traveled to more than 700 cities and towns.

More Hays County coverage: Grand jury declines to indict San Marcos officers in fatal shooting of ex-cop

The traveling exhibit honors the more than 3 million Americans who served in the U.S. Armed Forces in the Vietnam War and it bears the names of the 58,281 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice in Vietnam, the exhibit's website says.

The names of the more than 58,000 U.S. service members who died in Vietnam are engraved onto the stone. Visitors are encouraged to use paper to do name rubbings of the service members listed on the wall.

The exhibit opened on Thursday at Lake Kyle Park, 700 Lehman Road, and will be available to the public until 2 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free.

Barry L. Harrell/Express-News staff

Kyle is the walls last stop in Texas this year, after visits to College Station and Edinburg.

The real memorial in the nations capital is a V-shaped, black granite monument that is 246 feet long and about 10 feet high.

The chevron-shaped replica is 375 feet in length and about seven and half feet tall at its highest point. It is designed to mimic the originals rising effect as you walk toward its apex.

A closing ceremony in Kyle is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Sunday, with remarks from area veterans, a closing prayer and a rendition of Taps before the wall heads to its next destination, Great Bend, Kansas.
Artist DezaRey Perezs roots in a West Side celebration began with a nudge from a family member.

Her aunt Anna Huitzuil encouraged the artist to share her talents at the Rinconcito de Esperanza  Little Corner of Hope. Perez walked from her aunts nearby home and spoke to Graciela I. Sanchez, director of the Esperanza Peace & Justice Center, who welcomed her to the nonprofit.

Now, Perez creates art with a purpose. And her artwork is part of Paseo por el Westside, a festival that celebrates the cultural and historical preservation of the San Antonio neighborhood near downtown.

Im excited to be included and asked to do something like this, Perez, 34, said. As an artist, you get handed this ticket, and now Im using the ticket.

READ MORE: Once controversial West Side residential complex for young women could house dozens by early 2024

Perez is one of the volunteers at the event Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Rincoccitos courtyard, surrounded by historic structures at 816 S. Colorado St. The festival is free and open to the public.

The Paseo is sponsored by Esperanza, the Westside Preservation Alliance and the Historic Westside Residents Association. The community-led event is part of National Historic Preservation Month.

Art vendors and sounds of traditional music will greet visitors at Esperanzas courtyard. The fest includes activities hosted by artists, historians, long-time residents and musicians. Historic films of the West Side and storytelling sessions will offer a glimpse of life in the Mexican American working-class community.

The hosts invite guests of all ages to join in Mexican childrens songs and old games, such as canicas (marbles), trompos (wooden spinning tops) and zancos (stilts). Pinata and kite-making demonstrations are among the interactive workshops. Women from the MujerArtes Clay Art Cooperative will show how they shape ceramic pieces and sculptures that depict their lives and offer their works as Mothers Day gifts.

There will also be a peek at the Museo del Westside, a new building connected to the historic Rubens Ice House that dates back to the 1930s. When the new adobe structure is completed, the community museum will house cultural exhibits in the building.

Blanca Rivera will teach visitors about different types of chiles used in cuisine. Healer Margarita Elizarde will offer limpias (energy cleanses) to bring balance back to the spirits of a limited number of attendees. Perez will assist Elizarde. This is her second year volunteering at the festival.

In 2010, the Paseo began as a walking tour. Two walks kick off the event at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. starting at the Guadalupe Theatre. The walking tour will include at least 13 stops that include La Popular Bakery, a family-owned panderia; shotgun houses in the 300 block of Fite Alley; and Teatro Guadalupe, built in 1942, where audiences enjoyed live performances and Spanish language films.

The Esperanza director said each tour usually takes an hour but could run longer depending on input from community members.

They teach us as much as we share, Sanchez said. Its a learning experience for everyone.

READ MORE: Ayala: King Charles III once toured San Antonio's West Side with Henry Cisneros

Sanchez said the Paseo is also about dispelling myths about the West Side. Esperanzas director said segregation, poverty and past lack of city services cast the community as the bad side of town. Sanchezs parents raised her and her siblings to be proud of the neighborhood thats been their familys home since the 1890s.

They instilled in us that we were good people, Sanchez said. We have to challenge stereotypes. This makes things human. You find the treasures of your community and people start feeling good about themselves. Then you teach that to your kids and have self-respect.

Thats the philosophy of young activists such as Perez, who grew up on the West Side but moved away years ago. She credits her aunt for drawing her to the Esperanza and back to the neighborhood, where the Paseo is a tradition.

Its never really left me, Perez said. Its still opening its arms to me. Its part of my history.
A Texas man was sentenced to five years in prison for extortion and cyberstalking of a Utah woman and her family for more than a year.

Jordy Julian Alvarez, 28, of Harris County, was sentenced Tuesday. After he is released from prison, he will serve three years' probation.

According to the Department of Justice, Alvarez spent a year repeatedly harassing and intimidating the woman to give him sexually explicit videos, saying that if she didnt, he would make public compromising photos and videos that he already had.

READ ALSO: Texas cyberstalker sentenced to prison after harassing, swatting woman who rejected his advances

The woman had willingly given Alvarez images and videos in 2019, but several months later said she no longer wanted to continue doing so. After she refused to send more images and videos, Alvarez started contacting her father, brother and grandmother, sending them harassing and intimidating messages to pressure the woman.

Alvarez sent her a message on Instagram saying, Do I really have to start blowing all of your family up? and told her father that she will be crying tears of blood when Im done with her, a federal complaint said.

In texts to the womans brother, Alvarez threatened to kidnap her, saying dont get mad or upset when your sister ends up missing, the complaint said.

Alvarez used fictitious social media accounts, email accounts and anonymous phone numbers to contact the woman and her family. He also used fake accounts to sell compromising images of the woman.

READ ALSO: San Antonio man, 21, sentenced to 17 years for posting sexually explicit pics of teen ex-girlfriend

The messages continued through December 2021.

When arrested, Alvarez admitted to multiple counts of cyberstalking that caused fear and emotional distress.

Jordy Alvarez is a cyber predator who relentlessly harassed, bullied and extorted the victim for an extended amount of time, causing substantial emotional harm, said acting Special Agent in Charge Cheyvoryea Gibson of the Salt Lake City FBI. Cyberstalking is a serious federal crime.
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A once controversial West Side residential complex to support low-income young women is well on its way to housing dozens of people by early next year.

Renovation of a building in the former St. Andrews Convent at 2318 Castroville Road is slated to begin in June.

There will be 30 units for women  and their children  ages 18 to 25 who are at risk of becoming homeless or fleeing domestic violence. Youths aging out of the foster care system are also welcome.

Francesca Rattray, YWCA San Antonio CEO, said she hopes construction will be complete and ready for people to move in by the end of the year, but the units likely wont be available until March.

And housing is just the first part of the effort. In phase two, which will break ground in August, the YWCA will build a childcare center on the nine-acre YWCA Womens Live & Learn Campus.

This is a clear commitment by our city to empower young women and their children with a step forward to a life that they can live and call their own, said District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo, whose district includes the center.

READ MORE: Controversial West Side YWCA project one step closer to reality in San Antonio

Construction for the two phases will cost about $9.5 million. Rattray said YWCA San Antonio has about 40 percent of the funds it needs to complete construction and is working to secure the rest, largely through grants.

On Thursday, City Council approved the reallocation of $2.3 million to help YWCA pay down its acquisition loan and start renovations.

Its a dream come true, Rattray told a City Council committee last week. Knowing how young women take two steps forward and three steps back, at times, when theyre trying to break the cycle of poverty. We are building that safety net to allow them to continue to take steps forward.

Women who qualify to live at the center can stay there for up to four years. The first two will be free, but they will pay rent for the next two years based on their income level.

Rattray said the four-year timeframe will allow women time to go to school or complete job training and certifications.

YWCA San Antonio purchased the former convent in December 2021. In March 2022, the city approved rezoning to make way for a human services campus, despite concern from the surrounding community that the location could become a gathering place for homeless people.

A human services campus could also allow drug and alcohol treatment and shelter for homeless people. But YWCA San Antonio does not plan to develop the space for such uses and agreed to restrictions that prohibit such efforts.

RELATED: San Antonio, Bexar County to greenlight nearly $43 million for housing with services for homeless

For the past year, YWCA has kept an office in one of the three buildings on the property and has provided classes and workshops on the site.

YWCA has operated in San Antonio since 1910. The group operates several programs aimed at breaking cycles of poverty with basic needs and pathways to careers and financial security.

Rattray said she hopes that YWCA can eventually put tiny homes or townhomes on the former convent property for women to graduate out to as they gain financial independence.

District 8 City Councilman Manny Pelaez, who often pushes for domestic violence prevention resources, applauded the work and invited YWCA to expand into his area of the city if they so choose.

We need facilities like this up in District 8 as well, he said.
The University of Texas System board of regents has unanimously voted to create a new college at the University of Texas at Austin to house the Civitas Institute, a center criticized by faculty as politically motivated because it was conceived with the help of conservative donors and state lawmakers.

The decision by the board came before Texas lawmakers could vote on a bill by Sen. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, intended to turn the Civitas Institute into a college. The boards creation of the new college makes that legislation unnecessary.

The Civitas Institute will be a leader in research, education and policy based on free markets and individual liberty, Creighton said in a statement. I applaud Chairman (Kevin) Eltife and the Board of Regents for their support, which will provide the organizational structure to hire faculty and staff. 

The motion was added to the agenda April 28 and approved Thursday in the last portion of the boards two-day meeting.

According to the approved motion, the new college will be called the School of Civic Leadership. The university will appoint an inaugural dean by the end of November, who will have the ability to hire up to 20 new faculty within the first three years. Faculty could be housed in the school or could be joint appointments within other areas of the university. The school would be able to hire faculty through existing university procedures and protocols.

According to system rules, the board must notify the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board once it approves a new college or school, but no state approval is required.

We believe that investment in this endeavor is essential for leading American universities and we hope UT-Austin will be a model for the best way to provide for scholarship and teaching that will prepare leaders and citizens, Eltife said in a statement before the board approved the move. Eltife compared the new school to Princeton Universitys James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions and Arizona State Universitys School of Civics and Economic Thought and Leadership.

Eltife left the meeting after it adjourned and did not make himself available for further questions.

The Civitas Institute was officially established less than a year ago with the help of state and system funds totaling $12 million. Proposals for the center, originally called the Liberty Institute, were obtained by the Texas Tribune from Lt. Gov. Dan Patricks office in summer 2021. The proposals showed that Patrick and multiple high-power donors were working with UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell and Eltife to create an institute dedicated to the study and teaching of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets and to bring intellectual diversity to the flagship university in Austin.

Faculty immediately raised concerns that the university is allowing state lawmakers and donors to infuse their political agendas onto the campus by creating a center outside of traditional university channels. They were especially concerned with aspects of the proposals that suggested the center should be managed by a board of overseers of alumni and friends who would manage donations and help the UT-Austin president approve the centers leadership. A separate board of scholars appointed by that board of overseers would advise on faculty hiring.

During the fall 2021 semester, UT-Austin administrators attempted to reassure faculty that the new institute would operate within the university's traditional protocols. Last year, two professors originally involved with the project accused Hartzell of walking back the original plan in the wake of faculty criticism. Patrick also claimed publicly that UT-Austin faculty shot it down because they wanted to have control of hiring. UT-Austin did not respond to multiple requests for comment regarding these accusations.

But after Thursdays board meeting, Hartzell said the college will work under normal protocols similar to other colleges in the university, including the role of the new colleges board of advisers in the school.

(Theyll act as) sort of sounding boards for the dean and provide input and counsel all kinds of things, but as per norms, Hartzell said.

The move by the regents is the latest step to expand the centers presence on campus after the Civitas Institute launched last July and the university hired Justin Dyer to lead the center. Since then, the center, which is self-described as a university-wide initiative to support the study of the ideas and institutions that sustain a free society, has largely hosted lecture series with the help of faculty fellows from across UT-Austin and other universities across the country. It also created an undergraduate fellowship program.

Disclosure: The University of Texas at Austin and the University of Texas System have been financial supporters of the Texas Tribune. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribunes journalism.
The University of Texas System Board of Regents voted Thursday to create a new college to house the Civitas Institute, an Austin-based center championed by conservative legislators and dedicated to the study of limited government.

The board approved the flagship universitys School of Civic Leadership in a regular meeting, rendering unnecessary a proposed bill to turn the existing Civitas Institute into a civic leadership college. The legislation had not progressed beyond a committee this session.

UT SYSTEM: Regents approve tuition increases for graduate, out-of-state undergraduate students

An inaugural dean, who will be appointed before December, will have the authority to hire up to 20 new tenure and tenure-track faculty over the next three years. They will also appoint a board of advisers in a structure similar to other colleges at the university, UT-Austin President Jay Hartzell told the Texas Tribune.

The school will offer undergraduate and graduate degrees. In addition to housing the Civitas Institute, the college could eventually support the Clements Center for National Security, according to the systems motion approved Thursday.

As the states flagship public University, UT Austin has a longstanding tradition and unique responsibility to equip and train civic leaders for our state and nation, and this new school reflects an expanded commitment for the next generation of leadership, Hartzell said in a statement. This interdisciplinary school will both develop new programs and foster collaboration across campus to elevate this important mission, enabling UT to advance our leadership position in Texas and across the country.

The Civitas Institute was established with $12 million in state and system funds last July and has since drawn criticism for its origins. The Texas Tribune found that Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and other conservative donors were working with Hartzell and the UT System to create an institute dedicated to the study of individual liberty, limited government, private enterprise and free markets.

GRADUATIONS: Commencement speakers, dates and more for the Class of 2023

The donors also said they hoped to bring intellectual diversity to UT-Austin. Some faculty feared a political agenda, especially because a board was originally proposed to oversee donations and approve leadership, the Tribune reported.

Since its creation, the Civitas Institute has hosted a variety of lectures and has created a fellowship program, according to the centers website.
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For 38 years, Raissa Marking struggled with a mental health diagnosis.

The deaths of three family members sent her spiraling. Markings depression was so deep she isolated herself from her family.

In late 2020, she sought recovery at the San Antonio Clubhouse, a nonprofit that helps adults diagnosed with mental illness. Today, shes on the San Antonio Clubhouse board of directors.

They helped me immensely, Marking, 59, said. The sense of community there was amazing. My life turned around because of that.

Now, Marking is offering her experience as a team member of Divine Women, a new nonprofit on the East Side at 847 E. Drexel Ave. The team serves marginalized women who are survivors of sex trafficking, domestic violence, substance abuse and mental health issues.

READ MORE: Personal growth as well as leafy greens thrive in San Antonio nonprofits new hydroponic farm

Divine Women falls under Form Communities, an umbrella organization that provides targeted resources, outreach programs and support services across the state.

Eric Estrada, executive director of Form Communities, said the program is an example of focusing on mental health outcomes. He said funds from Methodist Health Care Ministries and the city of San Antonio that support women and younger adults are funneled to the Divine Women program.

The need is great across all sectors, and the approaches that we take are universal, Estrada said. Theres no limit to that. I believe that a lot of work were doing in the community is going to be based on the way that Divine Women is created. Were trying to see how this kind of program can be re-used and re-designed for other communities as well.

Members share their experiences with visitors, things theyve overcome in a private space. The program is open to women of all ages Tuesday through Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Mark Stoelje, peer specialist and consultant, said the concept is similar to services provided by the Clubhouse. Divine Women is one of the Clubhouses harbor sites that serve different populations in the city, such as the homeless and seniors.

Robin Jerstad

Its about relationships and working together for a common purpose, Stoelje said. This is something that we can all benefit from.

Angelina Guajardo, program director, and team member Sabrina Grijalva, 25, are trained as mental health peer support specialists. Grijalva said shes also suffered from depression and can relate to women who may have anxieties. She said peer support is a way to share her story.

The moment they hear you say, Ive been through that as well, it opens their eyes, Grijalva said. Its making them feel that they matter in this world, to be seen and understood. They have a seat at the table. This is how we create change.

Guajardo said shes been through a relationship that involved domestic violence. She looks forward to helping others going through the same trauma.

A lot of times, we forget about ourselves as women, that were people, Guajardo said. Its a good thing to have other women going through the same things that you are going through.

READ MORE: Commentary: Getting mental health treatment is more complicated than you think

Guajardo said a key point is that self-care is vital. She said theyre people like anyone else, women supporting women.

The program director said theyre creating a safe space where women can learn tools on stressful days. Even if women arent grappling with an issue, the staff welcomes them to help those who are struggling.

Every one of us has been through something, Guajardo said. No one glides through life without problems. If I can change my life, anyone can.

For more information about Divine Women, call 210-879-7209.
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Architectural mockups are typically built to be seen, not touched.

But architecture students at the University of Texas at San Antonio created 3-D and floor plan models that were fingered, stroked and caressed by leaders of the local blind and visually impaired community  a group not normally afforded such consideration when it comes to building design.

I was kind of surprised that they were focusing specifically on sight loss. Because thats not something we generally come across, said Wendy Walker, local chapter president of the National Federation of the Blind, which estimates more than 700,000 Texans are visually disabled.

READ MORE: UTSA gets green light for new downtown building

Walker, who has retinitis pigmentosa and gradually lost her eyesight starting when she was a teenager, advised 10 students on their conceptual designs for a theoretical health care campus near the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River, close to the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind & Vision Impaired.

The students also collaborated with the local American Institute of Architects chapter and disABILITYsa, a nonprofit advocacy group. They developed seven projects, individually or in pairs, and presented them this week at AIAs downtown offices.

Neda Norouzi, assistant professor at UTSAs School of Architecture and Planning, has led design courses since 2017 that center on special needs, including people who are deaf or autistic.

But this is the first class that is solely focused on visual impairment, she said. These models are designed and built to be touched. We wanted to make sure individuals who are blind could touch them and then could understand them and tell us if weve done them correctly or if we need to change something.

Justin Joyce, a senior, used foil for windows in his models, plus silk for a projection screen, wood for walls, chipboard for sidewalks and plastic for the nearby river, so people could literally feel their way through his design.

He conceptualized a sharkfin textured wall covering with a vibrating handrail in a two-building campus equipped with light and heat sensors and noise and vibratory devices to help with way-finding. Some of the features would connect with smartphone apps for the visually impaired.

Say youre a foot away from a doorway or a point of collision or a turning point, youd get a little soft buzz on your hand to tell you somethings going to happen, said Joyce, 32.

In previous projects, students worked through basic functions and aesthetics of designing a house or commercial structure. This one forced them to research specific needs of the blind and visually impaired and develop designs for a one-stop health center offering labs and clinics for services such as eye exams, checkups, occupational therapy and living skills.

This is the first time weve had to kind of flip everything weve learned and think about the experience itself, versus the aesthetic appeal to kind of an ocular-centered world we live in, Joyce said.

A more rounded design was produced by Chris Feyen, 33, a senior, and Cynthia Cuauro, 20, a junior. It had a central atrium providing an indoor-outdoor environment and adjustable lighting for the rooms without windows.

One challenge, they said, was imagining a building that serves a community with a broad spectrum of issues, including colorblindness and sensitivity to light as a result of brain injury.

Everybodys different. So the solution that fits one person isnt necessarily going to fit another person, Feyen said. We thought, if we closed our eyes and we were walking into a room, maybe we would want it to turn gradually. So thats where we came up with the circles. But to other people, that might disorient them, and they could get lost. So it was a game of trying to figure out what we believed would work the best way possible.

We really tried to think about all kinds of people, and how can we make this building help everyone with different kinds of problems, Cuauro said.

We really focused on that research, and I feel like it really showed in our building.

READ MORE: UTSA students considering 'philosophy of space exploration'

Norouzi, who will grade the students' projects, said she hopes the course has taught them about design approaches for all ages and ranges of mobility.

When you practice good design, its easy and useful for everyone, she said.

Melanie Cawthon, co-founder and executive director of disABILITYsa, said it was encouraging that the students dug down into the research and could be part of a new generation of architects who will address a current shortage in accessible housing and structures.

Were looking at who are we going to include in the next hundred years in our community, and architecture really determines where people get to live, Cawthon said. Instead of adapting buildings after the fact, projects like this help to create environments where more of our community can participate.
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Texas schools may start teaching 8-year-olds how to apply tourniquets.

The third graders will learn to wrap the strap around a bloody arm or leg. Theyll twist the rod until the bleeding stops and maybe note the time.

They could save a classmate, teacher, school worker, parent or themselves. The kids will practice their trauma care skills every year until they graduate high school or use them in real life.

Along the way, they may hear how tourniquets were once considered a last resort. However, those words land differently now as some state politicians deploy these tools of war and emergencies to Texas classrooms while, at the same time, others refuse to address the tools of war that create the wounds.

On ExpressNews.com: Popovich speaks about gun safety as politicians falter

Tourniquets, along with more locks, fences, cameras and armed guards, are all treating symptoms of a much larger problem.

The concept of cinching something around a limb to stop bleeding is at least 2,600 years old, but the word, tourniquet, is much younger. First noted in the late 1600s, its French roots carry whispers of guillotines and mud. Three syllables with a history of atrocity and miracles that say, save your life or maybe not today.

Gruesome. Necessary. Another device to quell the effects of humanitys oldest diseasekilling one another. Shootings arent the only reason someone may need a tourniquet, but they are the genesis for the law. The lifesaving devices have moved from the battlefield to the classroom as another hedge against mass violence. More troubling and effective than the Ten Commandments, their presence is a reminder of the real obscenity facing our children.

The third graders will also learn about chest seals, compression bandages, space blankets and other parts of school Bleeding Control Stations that Texas legislators required in 2019. The law requires tourniquets approved for use in battlefield trauma care by the armed forces of the United States.

On ExpressNews.com: Oath Keepers and the safety that wasnt

San Antonio-area state Rep. Barbara Gervin-Hawkins authored, in 2019, House Bill 496, which called for the stations and associated training. In addition to school staffers, that law required all students in the seventh grade and up to learn how to use the equipment.

But this is America, a place where guns are the leading cause of death for children, and this is Texas where an 18-year-old wielding an AR-style rifle killed 19 kids and two teachers in Uvalde last year. It was the nations second-worst school shooting, and as we approach the one-year anniversary of the massacre, state politicians have failed to act on any wide-ranging gun safety measures.

Most Texans76 percentsupport raising the age to buy a gun from 18 to 21, according to a University of Texas poll released Wednesday, but a bill proposing that change remains stalled in committee.

And, like so many across the state, instead of treating the main cause of the bleeding, Gervin-Hawkins is conducting triage. Her update to the 2019 law, introduced in March as House Bill 1147 would lower the training age to third graders.

On ExpressNews.com: The haunting knowns, and unknowns, about Uvalde

If the House isnt open to passing meaningful gun reform, we need to enact legislation like this that will give life-saving knowledge and resources to our children, she told Newsweek. In a perfect world, this legislation wouldnt be needed. Unfortunately, with mass shootings becoming more and more common, it is necessary to give students tools that could help them save a life if they are confronted with this terrible situation.

Gun advocates characterize regulation as a slippery slope. We can apply the same logic to protecting kids against gun violence. A political ad released last fall that depicted a child in a helmet and body armor on the first day of school captured the sentiment.

Im thankful schools have Bleeding Control Stations. Unfortunately, theyre necessary pieces of equipment, but where do we draw the line on battlefield trauma care for kids? Will they someday need to carry personal first-aid kits like U.S. soldiers in war zones around the world?

During Americas wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, troops sometimes wore tourniquets on their arms or legs before going to battle. In some places including Afghanistan, all U.S. service people were required to carry tourniquets in a shoulder pocket.

They carried the tourniquets overseas in hopes their children wouldnt have to carry them at home.

brandon.lingle@express-news.net
The presidential race sure does seem like itll wind up coming down to Joe Biden vs. Donald Trump  and a whole lot of people would rather have an alternative.

Heres an important early message: Even if you arent thrilled by the Republican and Democratic options come Election Day, dont vote for anybody else.

Were talking here about the attraction of third parties. So tempting. So disaster-inducing.

The lure is obvious. Trumps terrible and Bidens boring. Much more satisfying to go to the polls and announce youre too far above the status quo to vote for either.

The way so many people did in 2016, when Trump won the presidency thanks to the Electoral College votes of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. Which Hillary Rodham Clinton would probably have carried if the folks who were appalled by Trump had voted for her instead of the Libertarian or Green Party candidates.

OK, ticked-off swing staters, how did that work for you in the long run?

This brings us to No Labels, a new group thats warning it might launch a third-party candidacy if it isnt happy with the two major party nominees.

We care about this country more than the demands of any political party, No Labels announces on its website. Its founding chair, Joe Lieberman, told interviewers that his group believes the American people are so dissatisfied with the choice of Presidents Trump or Biden that they want a third alternative.

Yeah. But lets stop here to recall that Lieberman is a former U.S. senator, D-Conn. Who ran for vice president with Al Gore on the Democratic ticket in 2000, hurt Gores chances with a terrible performance in a debate with Dick Cheney, then made a totally disastrous attempt to run for president himself four years later.

Hard to think of him as a guy with big answers. And about that business of voters wanting a third choice: A lot of them do, until it turns out that option throws the race to the worse of the top two.

Remember all the chaos in the 2000 Florida vote count? The entire presidential election hinged on the result. In the end, Ralph Nader, the Green Party nominee, got more than 97,000 votes there. In a state that George W. Bush eventually won by 537.

Now Nader had a phenomenal career as a champion of consumer protection and the environment. But this was a terrible finale. His candidacy gave Floridians who felt that Gore was not very exciting a chance to declare their disaffection. It gave them a chance to feel superior. It gave the country a new President Bush. And a war in Iraq.

I talked with Nader about his role much later, and he basically said the outcome was Gores fault for being a bad candidate. This conversation took place when the country was bearing down on the 2016 election, and Nader vowed not to vote for either Trump or Clinton. Theyre not alike, he acknowledged, but added, theyre both terrible.

Think that was the last time I ever consulted Ralph Nader.

The third-party thingy also comes up in legislative races. Remember the 2018 Senate contest in Arizona? No? OK, thats fair. The Democratic candidate was Kyrsten Sinema, who seemed to be in danger of losing because the Green Party was on the ballot, capable of siphoning off a chunk of her supporters. Even though Sinema had a good environmental record! Well, a few days before the election the Green candidate  have I mentioned her name was Angela Green?  urged her supporters to vote for Sinema. Who did squeak out a win.

As senator, Sinema became an, um, unreliable Democratic vote. Who you might call either principled or egocentrically uncooperative. In any case, it didnt look like shed have much chance of being renominated. So now shes very likely to run as  an independent.

Another senator who frequently drives Democratic leaders crazy is Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who hasnt announced his own plans. But hes started to flirt with a presidential run. On a No Labels ticket? I dont rule myself in and I dont rule myself out, he helpfully told an interviewer.

Sigh.

Politicians are perfectly well aware of what effect a third option can have on elections. Back in 2020, a group of Montanans whod signed petitions to put the Green Party on the ballot discovered that the Republicans had spent $100,000 to support the signature-gathering effort  undoubtedly in hopes that the Green candidate would take votes away from former Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock when he ran for the Senate. The irate voters went to court and a judge finally ruled that they could remove their names.

Didnt help Bullock win, but it does leave another message about the way too many options can be used to screw up an election. Really, people, when it comes time to go to the polls, the smartest thing you can do is accept the depressing compromises that can come with a two-party democracy. Then straighten your back and fight for change anyhow.

Dont forget to vote! But feel free to go home after and have three or four drinks.
America is the land of plenty. From our bountiful natural resources and wide open spaces to our dynamic cities and growing national population, it is little wonder the U.S. emerged as a global superpower.

But the blessing of plenty also brings the problem of waste  and its a problem we need to fix.

Just look at how we use our energy resources.

At the peak of American energy consumption in 2008, the United States was 5 percent of the worlds population, but represented nearly 20 percent of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions.

The world has never had higher demand for the oil and gas that we could export, and each wasted BTU  British Thermal Unit  becomes a missed opportunity for trade. At the same time, with wildfires blazing, King Tides rising, and droughts spreading, that waste also pushes us closer to the precipice of a climate crisis.

The problem doesnt stop with natural resources. Every day we waste the potential of men and women stuck in an inefficient and ineffective criminal justice system.

The United States is home to 5 percent of the worlds population but houses about 20 percent of the global imprisoned population. Cash bail keeps Americans stuck in jail before trial, away from their jobs, families and communities  not because theyre dangerous but because they cant afford to pay. Unnecessarily long sentences keep Americans incarcerated long past the point of potential criminality, denying them the ability to work, raise families and contribute to society.

Were wasting human capital and natural capital. This troubling dynamic cuts across policy silos  a dynamic that underpins so many domestic political challenges. Were talking about a fearful defense of the status quo, and a stubborn refusal to remove the barriers that stand in the way of readily available alternatives.

Far too many policymakers presume that we need to inflict harm in order to reap benefits. We need pollution to have abundant energy. We need mass incarceration to have safe communities. We need to waste to have plenty.

Yet, in reality, this attitude holds America back.

Greenhouse gas emissions disrupt societies and make the world less safe and healthy for future generations. Storms will grow worse, seas will rise, families will lose their homes and be displaced from their communities. Resources that could have been dedicated to building for the next generation  investing in ourselves  will be spent protecting or relocating climate victims. And it wont stop at the U.S. border. The military is already preparing for the challenge of millions of global climate refugees looking for safety as once-habitable cities and towns succumb to climate change.

Likewise, mass incarceration destroys entire communities and rips people from their homes and families, creating a rippling impact that cascades from one generation to the next. Nearly 2 million people are in U.S. jails and prisons. More than 5 million children in the United States have had an incarcerated parent. Families lose potential breadwinners and communities lose potential leaders. And taxpayer dollars that could have been reinvested in our neediest neighborhoods are instead wasted on razor fences and iron bars.

We live in Texas, the most energy-consumptive state in what a decade ago was the worlds most energy-consumptive nation. Texas also has the nations largest incarcerated population. Our state prison system holds nearly 121,000 people, about 33 percent more than second-place California, despite its larger population.

Yet Texas is also proof that you can produce energy without increasing carbon emissions, and you can reform the criminal justice system without increasing crime.

We have reduced our carbon emissions over the last two decades faster than Germany or Canada by using our abundant natural gas, wind and solar to displace much dirtier coal; investing in statewide energy infrastructure to bring clean resources to our cities, ports and factories; deploying smart meters and distributed energy resources; making energy markets more competitive; and setting efficiency goals for government buildings.

As a consequence, the Texas fuel mix is much cleaner than a decade ago and the energy sector is enjoying a remarkable boom in production.

Natural gas produced in Texas has displaced coal in other states, too, cleaning their air and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Because of exports of liquefied natural gas, those same benefits can be enjoyed in other countries, which is particularly important for our European allies grappling with an energy crisis while trying to get out from under the thumb of Russias energy exports.

Texas is also showing how basic reforms can help shrink the footprint of the criminal justice system alongside our collective carbon footprint. Bail reform has kept people out of jail while reducing recidivism rates. Police have tested a new type of hot-spot policing tactic that drives down homicide rates while arresting fewer people. Bexar County specifically has been on the forefront of using citations in lieu of arrests for low-level offenses, avoiding more than 7,400 unnecessary arrests and saving taxpayers more than $5.6 million over a three-and-a-half year period. And over the past 20 years, state leaders have effectively shrunk our prison system by roughly 30,000 people even as the state population has grown by roughly one-third.

No doubt, Texas still has much further to go in reducing the harms of our criminal justice system and improving its ability to protect and serve all Texans. But were learning that simply adding more arrests, more pretrial detention, and more prisons isnt the key to safety  and can make things worse. Thats a fact the entire nation is coming to see. A multiyear study published last year out of Kentucky found that holding people in jail before trial is associated with a higher likelihood of recidivism, not lower. And earlier this year a new study found that Illinois could reduce many long prison sentences without impacting crime rates.

Were also learning that a boom in wind and solar production isnt a threat to the oil and gas sector  rather they rise together.

These may seem like two disparate issues, yet the philosophical underpinnings remain the same.

America has been blessed with a wealth in people and resources unlike anywhere else on Earth. If we dont stop wasting it now, future generations will be stuck paying for our debt.

Evan Mintz is the former deputy editor of the Houston Chronicle Editorial Board and 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing. Michael Webber is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources at the University of Texas at Austin.
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Broadband internet service is equivalent to the creation of the farm-to-market road of the 21st century.

That transformative road network connected Texas farmers to urban areas and allowed not only their greater participation in the modern economy, but the accelerated growth of our regional population centers. Broadband holds a similar promise to more closely knit rural Texas and historically underserved pockets of urban centers into the fabric of the states booming, high-tech economy.

To realize that promise, though, depends a lot on what lawmakers accomplish this legislative session, now entering its final weeks.

We estimate nearly 3 million Texas households still lack access to broadband internet and another 5 million lack access to reliable, adequate digital connectivity. The network will only be as strong as our weakest digital connection point.

In a Texas 2036 poll, 88 percent of Texas voters said that it was important for the Legislature to maximize its drawdown of federal broadband funds with 64 percent saying it is extremely or very important.

Tools are coming online, though, to facilitate closing the digital divide in Texas and we need to be agile to reap the benefits.

The federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program encourages the expansion of high-speed internet access by providing funding for planning and deployment of broadband infrastructure nationwide.

Texas is well positioned to draw down what may be billions of dollars in federal funding by leveraging the maximum in federal dollars available to the state for broadband expansion. The Legislature has with House Bill 9 a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest a significant portion of the states historic revenue balance toward ensuring all Texans have access to this important resource.

In addition to broadband expansion, ready access to clean drinking water is another linchpin to the states continued economic expansion.

Lawmakers are hard at work this session on legislation that would help create the water resources to support a growing Texas over the coming decades.

This sessions signature water legislation, Senate Bill 28 and Senate Joint Resolution 75, would establish separate constitutionally dedicated funds to support improvements to aging, leaky water systems and to expand water supplies through technologies such as water desalination or importing water from sources outside Texas.

We estimate Texas will need to spend more than $150 billion during the next 50 years on water infrastructure.

According to recent Texas 2036 polls, 89 percent of voters support directing some of this years revenue surplus to fix aging, deteriorating water systems across the state. Also, 82 percent of voters support using surplus funds to develop new water supplies.

We began this legislative session in January with the welcome news that Texas had a historic $32.7 billion revenue surplus that could serve as a springboard for generational investments into vital infrastructure. Establishing these constitutionally dedicated and directed funds for broadband expansion and certainty of our water future are long-term, high-impact investments.

Theres still time for Texas lawmakers to close the deal on these important legacies for future generations of Texans. Were watching to make sure that happens.

A.J. Rodriguez is the executive vice president of Texas 2036, a nonpartisan and nonprofit public policy organization.
True to our states limited government heritage, the Texas legislative process is constitutionally designed to make it difficult to pass new laws. The vast majority of bills introduced each session never are signed into effect. As the Legislature enters the final weeks of its biennial session, the San Antonio business community is focused on a number of bills essential for our region.

The I-35 corridor between San Antonio and Austin is one of the fastest-growing regions in the United States. Moving people and goods safely and efficiently through the corridor is essential for our regional economy as well as freight traffic tied to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement and the national economies of its three partners. Yet anyone who travels I-35 with any regularity has experienced gridlock.

One solution would be to provide drivers with a new option to connect to State Highway 130 between San Antonio and Austin. House Bill 2795 from Rep. Terry Canales, D-Edinburg, and SB 1071 from Sen. Donna Campbell, R-New Braunfels, would create a non-tolled connector between I-35 and State Highway 130 in the New Braunfels area. The House has passed its measure, but the Senate has yet to give the companion bill a hearing.

The San Antonio region contends on a global stage to attract businesses. Our competitors in other states and other countries utilize lucrative economic incentives. Texas has offered modest incentives that, along with our workforce and business-friendly environment, have helped bring Toyota, Microsoft, Caterpillar and Navistar, among others, to the San Antonio area.

One of those state incentive programs, known as Chapter 313, expired at the end of 2022. Major electric vehicle and high-tech companies that had been eyeing Texas for multi-billion-dollar manufacturing facilities have selected other states. House Bill 5, authored by Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, would level the playing field and restore an important tool for attracting jobs and investments while increasing the transparency and accountability of the incentive program.

Since 2013, state law has allowed Dallas and Fort Worth to use hotel taxes normally collected by the state for projects that support tourism and conventions through the designation of project financing zones. San Antonio - the states top tourist destination  should have the same ability. Senate Bill 2220 by Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, would allow our city to access this critical mechanism to keep us in the hunt for major industry and political conventions and sporting events, such as the NCAA Mens and Womens Final Fours. The measure has passed the Senate and awaits House action.

Finally, much attention has been focused on the many bills filed this session that would limit the ordinance-making authority of Texas municipalities. Most of these bills reflect a reaction to overreaching and ill-considered local ordinances that have proven detrimental to economic growth and opportunity and have been overturned by Texas courts.

However, some of these bills are far-reaching and would likely have unintended negative consequences for municipalities, including San Antonio. Senate Bill 130, also from Campbell, strikes the right balance by narrowly focusing on employment benefit ordinances and codifying the Third Court of Appeals ruling (in response to an Austin ordinance) that local paid leave ordinances are unconstitutional because they violate the Texas Minimum Wage Act.

Lawmakers have 140 days every other year to address matters of importance to Texans. As we enter the homestretch of the 88th Legislatures regular session, the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and area business leaders are working to ensure that our leaders in Austin pass legislation that supports the economic vitality, job growth and quality of life in the San Antonio region.

Katie Harvey is board chair of the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce and CEO of KGBTexas Communications.
The watchdog responsible for tracking U.S. funds flowing into Afghanistan published its latest report Tuesday, and yet again, the findings are troubling.

The assessment from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, or SIGAR, describes ongoing hardships Afghans face under Taliban rule, questions the effectiveness of U.S. aid and highlights the difficulties in ensuring the resources get to the people who need them.

Especially concerning is the revelation that the Taliban is likely benefiting from U.S. aid as the State Department and U.S. Agency for International Developments fail to provide SIGAR with information thats required by law.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: 20 years later, Senate votes to repeal Iraq war authorization

Since the Taliban takeover, the U.S. government has sought to continue supporting the Afghan people without providing benefits for the Taliban regime, wrote John Sopko, the special inspector general. However, it is clear from our work that the Taliban is using various methods to divert U.S. aid dollars.

Despite spending more than $146.81 billion in Afghanistan reconstruction efforts since 2002, the situation remains bleak. An estimated 4 million Afghans will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2023; human rights violations, especially against women and girls, abound; and the country remains riddled with violence. Also, the Taliban continues to interfere with the humanitarian aid efforts of the United Nations and non-governmental organizations.

The decision by Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden to withdraw U.S. military forces from Afghanistan fundamentally altered every subsequent decision by U.S. government agencies, the Ghani administration and the Taliban, the report said. Actions taken by each ultimately combined to accelerate the collapse of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) in August 2021.

On ExpressNews.com: Editorial: Congress fails to honor our Afghan allies

After the shambolic U.S. departure in August 2021, the worlds attention turned away from Afghanistan as the Taliban oppressed the countrys citizens.

As Western aid flows to the country, its paramount such assistance is bolstering human rights, addressing hunger and reducing violence. SIGARs oversight points to the consequences of abandoning Afghanistan and the need for a better approach in delivering aid.
Re: West Texas leaders tell fed panel of worker needs, Business, April 27:

The Express-News coverage of employers struggling to train, recruit and keep their workforce in a post-pandemic era highlights the strong need for flexible, accessible upskilling and reskilling programs. As reported, leaders in the Permian Basin told the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas during a recent listening session that workers are burdened by financial costs, including not being able to afford certification courses.

Upskilling students, particularly those in rural areas and those in mid-career, without requiring them to relocate means we can train more people for the jobs that are available in their communities. This is a commitment to and investment in the future of West Texas.

Online learning programs are a valuable tool with increased usefulness across Texas.

Linda Battles, WGU Texas regional vice president and chancellor

All weapons are not equal

Re: Root cause of the problem, Your Turn, Sunday:

The letter both inspired and frustrated me. While I strongly agree with everything he said regarding three simple tenets, (the golden rule, mutual respect and integrity), he equates weapons such as fists, knives and cars to guns. That makes no sense.

The primary weapon used in mass shootings are assault-style rifles, deadly weapons designed to inflict maximum damage meant to be used by trained, disciplined soldiers in war.

All examples listed in the letter, including clubs and bottles, have no inherent danger built in. To drive a car, you not only need a license but a registration. And there are real consequences for breaking the many traffic laws.

Even if we teach every student in every school the three tenets, there will always be a criminal, a drunk or someone in a fit of uncontrollable rage who can easily wipe out dozens of people in minutes. This is not possible by using a fist or a club. But it happens all too often by a finger on the trigger of an assault rifle.

Martha Wood

Texans deserve better

Re: Texans deserve truth, Your Turn, Monday:

Texans know Sen. Ted Cruz from his trip to Cancun during the February 2021 freeze, his actions as a Donald Trump ally, and conversations with Fox News, which has just settled its defamation case brought by Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million.

Cruz voted not to certify the election of President Joe Biden, pushing Donald Trumps lies that the election was rife with fraud. Cruz sought an electoral commission to investigate allegations of fraud, when no credible claims of this exist. Was Cruz attempting to overthrow our American Democracy? For what? And why?

Cruzs credibility continues to suffer as Texans see through him. Texans deserve better, and the opportunity to elect another senator comes in 2024.

Andy Parsons
The Texas House gave initial approval Thursday to legislation that would revive the states largest corporate tax break program, a proposal that closely mirrors the controversial incentives many of the same lawmakers refused to extend nearly two years ago.

BACKGROUND: Texas Republicans' plan to revive a major corporate tax break would exclude renewables

The old Chapter 313 program gave manufacturing and energy companies a decade of steep discounts on their school property taxes in order to lure them to Texas over other states. Its new iteration, House Bill 5, would provide even more lucrative incentives for most companies, while newly excluding renewable energy projects.

The revival, and the billions of dollars in tax breaks it would provide, is a top priority of Republican House Speaker Dade Phelan and had faced little opposition from House members heading into Thursday's vote. The House approved the bill on a 118-22 vote and is expected to give it final approval Friday, after which it will head to the Senate.

As it stands, HB 5 would carry over the same loose eligibility criteria that were a central criticism of Chapter 313, including a requirement that most projects easily clear, in which the tax breaks are a "determining factor" for them being placed in Texas over another place. A 2021 Chronicle investigation found many projects would have come to Texas regardless of the incentives, and that lawmakers had repeatedly weakened the program's job creation requirements.

HB 5 would sweeten the deals even further by waiving all school district maintenance and operations taxes while a project is under construction. The tax break could kick in as soon as shovels hit the dirt and last up to 10 years, and that's on top of the baseline 10-year tax break offered under the program, which would start after construction is completed.

The proposal would also open the door to new types of water and natural gas projects, and would exempt some from needing to show they ever considered building outside of Texas. And in a key change from Chapter 313, tax breaks could flow not just to new facilities but also plant expansions.

Republicans  including Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who leads the Texas Senate and played a major role in Chapter 313s demise two years ago  have zeroed in on excluding renewable energy projects from the new program, even though the vast majority of the old tax breaks went to manufacturing and oil and gas companies. Phelan's district in East Texas contains or overlaps seven districts with a combined 31 active Chapter 313 projects, including numerous petrochemical plants and liquid natural gas export terminals.

The debate over renewables flared up Thursday when state Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, tried to amend the bill to extend tax breaks to "grid reliability projects" that generate electricity from wind and solar energy, not just fossil fuels.

Smithee withdrew his amendment after the bill's author, state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, reiterated his opposition to the change.

Between us, I have no problems with the renewable industry, Hunter said, explaining that he had committed to excluding wind and solar from the bill so that we can get various groups on board.

University of Texas at Austin professor Nate Jensen, an expert on Chapter 313, said he was shocked by the similarities between HB 5 and its predecessor, given how much lawmakers criticized the old program in 2021. For instance, under the new proposal, school boards would still be incentivized to sign on to the tax breaks  the state will pick up the tab for any lost tax revenue, and the districts can keep part of the companies' tax savings.

"What made Chapter 313 so different from almost any other program in the country is that school districts were encouraged to say yes through a structural problem in the law  and theyve kept that same flaw, Jensen said. Its just an automatic yes vote.

The bill emerged from the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee with several notable tweaks from its last draft, including a change in the tiers used to determine how many jobs a project has to create, how much it can be taxed and how much a company must invest in a project before tax breaks kick in.

The new standard still appears to grant more lucrative tax breaks than what most companies received under Chapter 313. About two-thirds of projects with active agreements under the expired program would see bigger discounts using HB 5s model, according to a Chronicle analysis.

Still in the latest draft are job-creation guidelines that would give companies more flexibility to count certain jobs toward their required target, such as one that allows them to count the hours worked by several part-time workers as one full-time job, as long as the combined hours top 1,600 a year. Companies could also count 10 temporary construction jobs as one permanent full-time job.

Before passing the bill Thursday, lawmakers reinstated a Chapter 313 provision  absent from earlier versions  that requires recipients to provide employee health insurance.

The program would expire at the end of 2033 unless renewed by lawmakers.

mike.morris@houstonchronicle.com

jasper.scherer@houstonchronicle.com
Texas Republicans are pushing to revive the states largest corporate tax breaks, filing legislation this week that would restore the controversial incentives and, for the first time, exclude renewable energy projects.

The old program, known as Chapter 313, gave manufacturing and energy companies steep discounts for 10 years on their school property taxes in order to lure them to Texas over other states. Democrats and hard-line conservatives refused to extend the tax breaks two years ago, blasting the program as a corporate piggy bank.

LATEST: Texas doles out $31 billion in property tax breaks for business as Chapter 313 expires

The new draft legislation, filed Tuesday, has a lot of missing details. It doesn't limit the length or amount of the tax breaks, doesn't mandate that the projects create jobs and doesn't specify that companies must be considering sites outside of Texas in order to qualify. There are also no penalties for companies that violate their agreements.

The bill does appear to make far more projects eligible for the program -- while blocking solar and wind energy projects from participating, a change that could win over some conservatives but cost Democratic votes. While most of the applications under the old Chapter 313 program were filed by renewable energy companies, the vast majority of actual tax breaks -- worth a projected $31 billion over the life of all active projects -- have gone to manufacturers, including some of the worlds largest oil and gas companies.

Gov. Greg Abbott, who last month offered broad support for a new iteration of the program, said Wednesday that he does not want it to include renewable energy projects.

"There's already federal incentives for renewable projects, and those will continue to be allowed," Abbott said at an event outside the governor's mansion, where he accepted an award from Site Selection magazine  the same publication, it turns out, whose typo spurred the creation of Chapter 313 over 20 years ago.

The lone requirement in the draft so far is that a project provides "a net economic or financial benefit to the state, as determined by the projected tax revenue it would generate over 25 years. The state comptroller would make that ruling.

Corporations were subject to a similar test when Chapter 313 was active and essentially never failed. Even with additional hurdles to clear under the former program, the comptrollers office approved almost 98 percent of applications, a Chronicle investigation found.

House members lining up in support

Dick Lavine, a senior fiscal analyst at the left-leaning think tank Every Texan and a leading Chapter 313 critic, said it seems as though stakeholders havent reached consensus on key parts of the bill, such as how much of the tax savings should go to local school districts and what the project approval process should look like.

Austin Interfaith, an affiliate of an interfaith congregation nonprofit network that has lobbied against reviving the program, said the legislation looks like it was written on the back of a napkin.

You could literally throw this bill in the air and read it on the way down, the group wrote in a statement.

But business groups hailed the proposal as a starting point to ensure Texas economic security and promote technological and manufacturing independence from foreign nations.

Research shows that Texas voters overwhelmingly agree that limited, temporary property tax discounts make sense when exchanged for long-term revenue and economic development, the Texas Association of Business wrote in a news release.

The former program, which expired Dec. 31, was hardly seen as a model. Lawmakers who shot down the renewal in 2021 argued that its guidelines had eroded over the years, allowing companies to secure massive tax breaks even if they were already planning  or in some cases had already started building  projects in Texas. That echoed findings highlighted by the Chronicle investigation, which also revealed that lawmakers had repeatedly undercut the programs job and wage goals by weakening requirements for companies.

Proponents have been scrambling to revive Chapter 313 ever since. Those include House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Beaumont Republican who told reporters in January that he wants to enact a new program with more oversight and transparency and accountability.

On Tuesday, Phelan listed the new bill as one of his priorities for the session and said it would provide a critical economic development tool to create additional jobs, investments and tax revenue, keeping the state competitive in drawing businesses to relocate or expand here.

Though the legislation does not yet have limits on the tax breaks, Phelan said the incentives will be targeted and temporary.

The bills author, state Rep. Todd Hunter, R-Corpus Christi, did not respond to a request for comment.

By Wednesday, 19 other House members had shown their support by signing on as joint or co-authors, including several of Phelan's top lieutenants and three Democrats: state Reps. Ann Johnson, Oscar Longoria and Joe Moody.

State Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, a San Antonio Democrat who helped orchestrate Chapter 313's demise, said he believes certain projects are worthy of tax incentives  such as the Toyota truck plant built in his hometown, one of Chapter 313's early recipients.

"I think where negotiations fall apart is when you create policies that just give a corporate handout to companies that may not deserve one, because they bring very little benefit back to our state," said Martinez Fischer, who chairs the House Democratic Caucus.

Last month, Texas most influential business groups signed onto an open letter warning lawmakers that Texas had lost out on several multibillion-dollar deals since Chapter 313 expired. They cited several projects that have been earmarked for other states, including a $5 billion electric car plant in Georgia and a semiconductor factory in New York.

University of Texas professor Nate Jensen, who has studied Chapter 313, noted that the semiconductor plant already had secured eight Chapter 313 deals for its multiphase plan before the program expired but chose New York anyway.
Bozeman city commissioners gave final approval this week to a ban on the sale and discharge of most all types of fireworks.

The ordinance bans fireworks and all novelty items except for sparklers without magnesium, and also includes county islands that are entirely surrounded by the city. Fire Chief Josh Waldo cited increasing drought concerns and ever denser development as two reasons behind the ban.

City commissioners first voted to approve the ordinance in mid-April, and Tuesdays vote was a final approval. It will go into effect in 30 days.

Bozeman previously banned the discharge of fireworks until 2004, when commissioners passed an ordinance allowing them to be used for a few days around July 4 and the New Year.

Waldo said at the April meeting that the city also fields a fair number of complaints each year related to fireworks, particularly from people with small children, pets, or from those suffering with PTSD.

In the past five years, Waldo said fireworks have caused an average of two to three fires in the city and 43 calls about fireworks-related injuries or noise complaints per year.

Waldo said the change would bring Bozeman in line with other Montana cities  Missoula prohibits most fireworks except novelty items and Billings and Helena have a total ban.

Several fireworks stand owners came to Tuesdays meeting to urge the city commission to pause on approving the ban and to focus on education efforts rather than outright banning fireworks.

Renee Tofslie, who runs the Bobcat Discount Fireworks stand with her husband, said during public comment that they had little notice of the ordinance and would have liked the chance to work with the city on it.

Tofslie said customers typically ask them what sort of fireworks they are legally allowed to set off at their homes when they are buying products.

We know these laws and we want to help our customers understand and to celebrate within the laws, Tofslie said during public comment.

Britta Oliverson, who has run the TNT Fireworks stand on Bridger Drive for nine years, also said she had no notice of the ordinance. She told the Chronicle she feels like only a small number of people complain about fireworks.

To take that right away on the day that were celebrating freedoms is a really tough pill to swallow, Oliverson said during public comment.
The following is a press release from the Missoula County Sheriff's Office

MISSOULA, Mont. - On the afternoon of May 4, Montana FWP personnel were conducting research in the Gold Creek area when they found several pieces of womens clothing. They immediately marked the location and contacted 911 as they were aware of missing Nefataree Bartell, who was last seen in the Gold Creek area on February 21, 2023.

Missoula County Search and Rescue, who were already in the Gold Creek area searching for Bartell responded to the location where the clothing was found. Missoula County Search and Rescue located the clothing, and after a short search, they also found human remains. The clothing and remains were transported by Missoula County Sheriffs Office Coroner to the Medical Examiners Office in Missoula for identification and cause of death.

Missoula County Sheriff, Jeremiah Petersen stated, Missoula County Search and Rescue have shown great dedication and perseverance in their search efforts over the last several weeks. These folks are volunteers who give of their time, not only to conduct search and rescue missions, but to continually train to provide the highest level of service to Missoula County and surrounding areas. We also greatly appreciate the attention to detail by Montana FWP employees and their immediate conveyance of information.

City of Missoula Police Department is leading the investigation into the disappearance of Nefataree Bartell. More information will be provided as it becomes available.

Info sought on missing woman last seen in Missoula area MISSOULA, Mont. - The Missoula Police Department is asking the public for information relating to the search of missing woman Nefataree Bartell.
Montana State Representative SJ Howell speaks in support of Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr as the legislature discusses a motion to bar her from the house chamber at the Montana State Capitol in Helena, Montana on Wednesday, April 26, 2023. (Photo by Mike Clark for the Daily Montanan)

Rep. SJ Howell said they needed to check the status of a child care bill before they could sit down to talk.

Otherwise, Ill be thinking about it the whole time, the Missoula Democrat said.

Howell, a transgender non-binary Missoula Democrat who goes by they/them pronouns, spoke to the Daily Montanan at the tail end of a whirlwind week, the last of the 2023 legislative session.

Besides the typical end-of-session rush, the Montana Legislature took national center stage after a protest erupted in the House gallery last Monday following the third time Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender woman who also serves as a Democrat representing Missoula, wasnt recognized to speak on the floor by House Speaker Rep. Matt Regier, R-Kalispell.

After Zephyrs ensuing censure last Wednesday, Howell was the last transgender voice on the House floor.

Howell said Friday they felt deeply unhappy at business as usual.

We all feel the weight of what has happened, and when we sat on the floor yesterday, our first floor session without Zooey, Howell said in an interview with the Daily Montanan on Friday. The biggest thing that I feel is having to participate in a system that has fundamentally broken down.

Howell said they were still in the Capitol to do their job, but it is not at all the way I wanted to serve.

Regier said in a press conference following Zephyrs censure last week Howell was an example of someone who could articulate their point of view on the floor within the rules decorum. At the rally prior to the protest on Monday, Howell said they refused to be the good transgender person, a point they reiterated Friday.

Im not speaking on the floor in the way that I do because I want to make sure people are comfortable, Im speaking from my heart, Howell said. The idea that Zooey should just be more like me, I think that the underlying message there is I guess wed sit for this if you could just make it more comfortable for us.

Howell rejected that idea, saying its fundamentally undemocratic and un-American.

If the courage of your conviction is not strong enough to listen to dissent, then dont bring these bills, Howell said. Otherwise, were going to stand up, and were going to push back, and thats how our country operates.

The legislature pushed out a number of bills targeting the LGBTQ+ community that largely passed on party line votes in the 2023 session. Republicans held a supermajority and the Governors Office this session and introduced and passed the most bills in recent years.

Howell said they were frustrated that when push came to shove, party loyalty took precedence over shared values and built relationships.

I dont think its good for Montana, Howell said. I dont think its good for the breadth of diversity that we have and constituents across the state who want to be represented not as a party bloc, but by their representative whos listening to them; who they elected.

One bill, Senate Bill 458 sponsored by Sen. Carl Glimm, R-Kila, would define sex in a binary of male and female. The bill has been opposed by Medical professionals as not being medically accurate. The ACLU of Montana and the Human Rights Campaign have said it is the most discriminatory bill against the LGBTQ+ community in the country, leaving out intersex and nonbinary people, like Howell, from legal code.

I think it does a real disservice to Montana, Howell said.

The bill, which touches more than 40 parts of state law, would impact nonbinary and intersex Montanans from their birth certificates to nearly all the legal documentation in their life requiring a gender marker until their death certificate. A legislative fiscal division analysis found the bill could risk half the states budget, $7.5 billion dollars, due to its conflict with federal protections for sexual orientation and gender identity.

Howell said theyve talked to a number of people on both sides of the aisle but not Glimm on the bill.

I wont assume that hes not interested in my experience, but you know, in fairness, he also doesnt come to talk to me, Howell said.

Glimm responded to a request for comment Thursday in a text saying, Everyone is included in this code.

He said people are either male or female, in terms of sex.

Glimm and other Republicans have largely said that sex is binary but its gender that has a spectrum and said Democrats should define gender in legal code. The origin for this bill came after his bill from the 2021 session targeting the ability to amend gender markers on birth certificates temporarily stopped in Yellowstone County District Court.

Sitting in the House Judiciary Committee, Howell said the nationalization of politics was evident.

Ive heard a lot of people come into committee and share talking points that arent about Montana, theyre not their own personal experiences. Theyre not experiences from Montana. Theyre their national talking points, Howell said.

Howell said its not a good way to craft policy.

But it is effective in pushing a scary narrative that legislators have to contend with, they said.

Howell said they hope in coming months and years legislators will listen to Montanans to whats right. But I guess time will tell.

Howell serves alongside Zephyr in the House Judiciary committee.

It helps to have a shared experience, have somebody else there, Howell said. And at the same time, were very different people and we often sit down and have a conversation about something and have really different perspectives to share and learn from one another.

Howell said its not fun being in that room some days, even though its a job they signed up for, and especially after the debate over decorum held in the House.

I will just say that I do not feel that people came in with respecting me and my experience at the top of their list. I dont think that we, as a committee, asked proponents to hold themselves to that standard, Howell said. It rankles at the end of the day when were told that the same wont be true when we speak on the floor.

Howell said it was hard but not impossible to deliver for constituents and on their campaign promises as part of the super minority. They pointed to the Best Beginnings Scholarship Program, House Bill 648, which they co-sponsored, as an example of a bill that would represent a historic investment in the states part in childcare for low income families.

Howell brought the bill first, but it was tabled in committee in February.

After that bill was tabled, we sat down and crafted another one that Representative Buckley is carrying that represents a more collaborative approach that still incorporates a lot of the elements that were in my bill, Howell said of Best Beginnings. Its gonna make a big difference for working families and Im really proud of that.

The bill passed the Senate on third reading 28-22 on Friday and is headed for the Governors desk.

Howell said they were also proud of a bill they introduced that would require businesses provide accrued earned paid sick days for employees, even though it too died, because it was the first time the legislative body debated the topic.

The folks who keep our state running deserve the chance to stay home when theyre sick, they said. Im excited to keep working on it.

Howell is not new to the Capitol, working for a decades worth of sessions as an advocate with Montana Women Vote. They said that experience helped them get a sense of the process in the building, but said its been fun being on the other side as a legislator.

I think that one of the things that I really have found that is different is that when you do committee work, as a legislator, you really focus much more in depth on a set of issues along with a smaller group of colleagues, Howell said.

Rep. Laurie Bishop, D-Livingston, who worked with Howell on the House Judiciary Committee as vice chairperson, said in an interview Thursday she knew Howell previously from their advocacy work and said, like House Minority Leader Kim Abbott, D-Helena, coming in with that background gives them a leg up from the start of the session. She said advocates come in with an understanding of how things work, policy history, and come in with existing relationships with legislators.

That committee always has an incredibly heavy lift, and I think this session was the heaviest of all, Bishop said. And so to have them as just an anchor a caucus member ready to go that can be relied on, that was comfortable addressing things that had an area of expertise that I leaned on often, was just a gift to me, and I think a gift to their district and a gift to the legislature as a whole.

Bishop said Howell had one of the strongest voices on the floor, with the ability to craft a narrative and argument that everyone in the room could understand and relate to.

Thats thats powerful, no matter who you are, Bishop said. But I think thats especially powerful when youre representing a community that people are still trying to get to know and understand.

Howell said they receive messages of support from constituents and said they got an email that morning from a parent of a nonbinary child who said it meant a lot to be able to see a nonbinary person living a public life and in public service.

Howell said growing up in Billings, they didnt have nonbinary role models.

I certainly didnt see the life that I sort of wanted to imagine for myself reflected back, Howell said. And I think thats really important. Its not just for queer and trans kids, but for everybody to see their future and role models in the state.

Bishop said the possibilities for Howells political future are up to them to decide, but Bishop sees them in leadership.

I certainly am looking forward to Howell being able to step into more leadership in the next sessions, Bishop said. You dont have to be in leadership to have a strong voice on the floor. But I think that it carries a different weight when you do.

Howell said as a student of organizing, they recognize Zephyrs censure and the anti-LGBTQ legislation as a response to progress being made.

Im hopeful that all of the people who are shocked and outraged and moved to action because of what has happened here will continue to speak up and act in their values over the next few years, Howell said. And well start to see a shift both in representation in the Capitol and the important policy work that were able to do.

The post SJ Howell on delivering for Missoula and being the last transgender voice on the House floor appeared first on Daily Montanan.
Most of us learned about the virus we now call SARS-CoV-2 just over three years ago, on January 6, 2020. Reports of a fast-spreading respiratory infection that was hospitalizing and killing people in the southern Chinese city of Wuhan quickly became the dominant news story, and by January 20 the first domestic case was registered in Washington State. We were told, first, that coronaviruses of this kind were known to spread among bat populations in China, and that the virus likely leapt from bat to human at a live-animal market in Wuhan. The pangolin was the likely culprit. (Three years later, its the raccoon-dog.) But all the while, lurking in plain sight, was the Wuhan Institute of Virology, a biosafety-level 4 lab with funding from the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) that openly engages in coronavirus research. It felt only natural to ask: Could this virus have originated in a lab?

Qualified people asked this question from the beginning. Asking it is not the same as asking whether Covid-19 was engineered by bad actors, state or otherwise, with terroristic intent. No one worth paying attention to was talking about bioterrorism. What many scientists and journalists were asking about instead was the increasingly mainstream theory that this novel coronavirus did not, in fact, make first contact with humans via an animal (the zoonotic origin theory). They wondered, rather, whether it was the product of one or another virus research methodgain of function being the key term here, referring to a set of practices ranging from benign to necessary to highly riskyand had subsequently leaked out of the Wuhan Institute of Virology and into the civilian world, unintentionally.

Today, both the U.S. Department of Energy and the FBI endorse the lab-origin position as the most likely. But efforts to discredit the theory as racist and conspiratorial in 2020 and 2021 were swift, unequivocal, and bewildering.

Bret Weinstein, the evolutionary biologist whose dramatic pillorying by a student mob at Evergreen State in 2017 sparked broader conversations about cancellations on university campuses, was among the first to observe publicly that the SARS2 genome contained something called a furin cleavage site, and that this particular mutation appeared to indicate human interference in the viruss genetic sequence. The furin site was known to enhance the viruss infectiousness and quicken its spread in human tissue; it had never been observed in similar, naturally occurring coronaviruses.

Arkansas senator Tom Cotton was also early to mention the possibility of a lab leak; the Atlantic Council responded by dismissing the senators statements as evidence of a growing infodemic of false claims about Covid.

Nicholas Wade, a former science writer at the New York Times, wrote a remarkable essay for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists in 2021 which details not only the scientific plausibility of the lab-leak theory but the connections between the Wuhan lab and the nonprofit EcoHealth Alliance. Wade points out that EcoHealth, with money from the NIH, funded coronavirus research at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. EcoHealth president Peter Daszak was the lead author of a February 2020 letter in the Lancet, signed by 27 scientists, which unequivocally denounced lab-origin speculation as not only incorrect but conspiracy theorizing. (If the lab-leak theory were true, Daszak would potentially be implicated.) As recently as last month, Democratic congressman Raul Ruiz attempted to remove Wade as a witness in a Covid origin hearing, accusing him of espousing racist and white supremacist views.

Meantime, then-president Donald Trump unhelpfully referred to Covid as the China virus, a rhetorical move that achieved little more than to offer mainstream liberal media a blank check to write off further discussion of the lab-origin hypothesis as racist drivel. Apoorva Mandavilli at the New York Times mused on Twitter that the lab-leak theory had racist roots, and that it was therefore time to stop talking about it. To believe the mainstream media, it was somehow more racist to be skeptical of an internationally funded research institution than it was to place blame on the Chinese cultural practice of wet-market trading.

As has become common today, suppression of the story became the story. Consider the ongoing discourse around Matt Taibbis Twitter Files reporting, which has produced a number of breaking stories but is persistently mired in slander to the degree that public interest has shifted away from the content of Taibbis reporting and onto the blatant efforts to dismiss it. In the case of Covids origins, what should have been a relatively dispassionate conversation has become heated largely because of how powerful individuals and institutions have tried to quash any serious discussion of the lab-leak theory.

We know that our public-health officials were paying attention to the lab-leak possibility as early as the spring of 2020. Recently obtained emails between Anthony Fauci and prominent virologists and epidemiologists show that, despite the lack of consensus about the scientific evidence, a paper in Nature Medicine was rushed to publication in order to preempt the perception that the U.S. government had been caught flat-footed on the question of the viruss origin. Soon afterward, and despite expressing private uncertainty on the matter, Fauci announced at an April 2020 press conference that he endorsed the papers findings. Titled On the proximate origin of SARS-CoV-2, the paper claims that [their] analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct. It is now one of the most-read scientific papers of all time, with 5.7 million reads and over 2,000 media citations. After the April 2020 press conference, outlets such as ABC News ran snide headlines, such as, Sorry, conspiracy theorists. Study concludes COVID-19 is not a laboratory construct.

The New York Timess David Wallace-Wellsalong with Fauci, for that matteris right to argue that an indisputable resolution to the Covid-origin question may be not only unattainable but also unnecessary to future pandemic preparedness. What is necessary, however, is a free-speech atmosphere in which Americans are not routinely cowed by elite media institutions into questioning whether they are racist, conspiratorial, or ignorant when they ask rational questions about observable realities.

Aaron Sibarium, soon after the Department of Energy leak, phrased the situation well with a thought experiment on Twitter: Suppose you are investigating a murder. According to the forensic analysis, there is a 99% chance the exit wound came from a pistol. But the only gun at the sceneand youve searched very thoroughlyis an AR-15. This is roughly the epistemic dilemma of the lab leak debate.

While the 99% figure may be overstated for effect, Sibarium is observing that the strong genetic case for a zoonotic origin has led many serious scientists to conclude that Covid came from an animal. This is still a theory, howeverand its still in competition with the empirical reality of the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the nature of the institutes work and its proximity to the epicenter of the outbreak, and even the scientific evidence that favors a lab leak. To date, however, merely observing this possibility continues to prompt scorn from outlets ranging from The New York Times and the Washington Post to the Lancet and Nature, which condemn views held by serious people, such as Wade and Weinstein, as beneath consideration.

This denialism does more than stifle open debate. It erodes our shared empirical reality and shunts significant segments of the population into conversational spaces that will actually breed toxic conspiracy theorizing. That COVID-19 might have come from a lab was from the beginning an intuitive, even common-sense, hypothesis; in rejecting it out of hand and stigmatizing those who proposed it, many of our leading institutions have degraded our future ability to formulate a coherent public response to emergencies.

Encouraging signs have emerged, however. Facebook has now reversed its earlier decision to censor posts discussing a lab origin, and Twitter, under Elon Musk, is opening channels of conversation about Covid that have long been closed. News media is reengaging with the lab-origin theory (even by stealth editing old stories, in some cases) and Congress is conducting investigations. It would be naive to assume, though, that millions of Americans will forget how their rational questions were dismissed. And it is best that they dont forget, even as the public conversation of Covids origin proceeds, albeit tentatively, in the way it should have done three years ago.
As the 2023 legislative sessions began across the country, state leaders jockeyed in competitive fashion to address some of the most pressing issues on the minds of voters  made clear by results we saw at the November 2022 ballot. Governor Ron DeSantis won reelection with historic margins, buoyed by voter support for policies he has advanced with the legislature that put parents back in control of their childrens educations, challenge progressive social agendas, keep the economy open for businesses, and ensure that taxpayer resources are protected from coercive corporate and union political agendas. Early in his second term, he announced that Florida would lead nation in protecting the paychecks of public employees  especially teachers  a bill that hell likely sign into law in the coming days. However, as the proposal moved through the legislature, other states took note and acted, resulting in 2023 becoming the biggest year for the expansion of worker freedom at the state level in decades.

On April 26, Floridas House passed paycheck protection legislation with Gov. DeSantiss backing, which will impact nearly 300,000 employees in the Sunshine State. Once signed into law, these employees shall expect:

A notice sent regularly about their right to abstain or withdraw from union membership without penalty or fee  a right affirmed in 2018 by the United States Supreme Court in Janus v. AFSCME

Information on the cost of union dues

An end to governments role in deducting union dues automatically from employee paychecks (except for public safety employees)

A requirement that unions obtain a minimum 60% membership rate to avoid triggering an election, which would allow public employees a vote on whether that union, a different union, or any union represents them in the workplace. The state will also have more oversight and accountability over ensuring that the unions are accurately reporting their numbers

A requirement that public unions submit annual audits performed by a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)

Other states have embraced some of the same spirit with proposals of their own, with some states even passing reforms before the paycheck protection bill passed the legislature in Florida.

In Kentucky, the legislature not only voted to end the states role as bill collector for the teachers union, but overrode their Democratic governors veto to cement the legislation into law. The Bluegrass States achievement came after several years of work to build consensus among legislative leaders and the Republican Caucus, but received a jolt of adrenaline following Gov. DeSantiss announcement that he would ask his legislature to take up the issue this session.

Similarly, lawmakers in Tennessee have filed legislation for years that sought to remove the states role in the teacher union dues collection process, but previous efforts failed to gain traction in the House. After watching the bill die in committee over the last two legislative cycles, Gov. Lees team  days after Gov. DeSantiss press conference outlining his paycheck protection proposal  decided to wrap the dues deduction repeal into his administrative package this year. Lawmakers in the Volunteer State were finally able to overcome past hurdles just two weeks before Floridas bill passed, and the legislation is now awaiting Gov. Lees enthusiastic signature.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders also capitalized on the momentum by swiftly introducing a paycheck protection proposal to end the states collection of union dues for teachers. The Republican legislature moved the bill rapidly through their chambers, with Gov. Sanders signing the bill earlier this month.

Oklahoma is currently considering a proposal, passed by the Senate and being debated in the House, which would retain the states role in the dues collection process, but require annual proof of consent that employees agree to pay the dues before funds can be withheld from employee paychecks.

The preponderance of state action to reform the union dues collection process  for teachers unions in particular, which have a unified dues structure requiring a portion of those dues to be exported to the National Education Association for spending across the country  is record-setting and telling of a bigger story thats still unfolding.

Floridas Cadillac legislation sets a high standard of excellence for the protection of public employees rights, but taken collectively, these latest state efforts are creating tremendous momentum for expanding transparency and accountability around government union activity in the year to come.

Lindsay Killen is Vice President for National Strategy at the James Madison Institute and senior national advisor for Workers for Opportunity, a project of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy.
Early explorers believed California to be an island, and while its physical attachment to the rest of North America eventually became evident, it nevertheless has sought to forge an island-like cultural and political identity  a nation-state in Gov. Gavin Newsoms description.

There are, however, limits. Legally, California is still just one of 50 states and thus is subject to federal law, including the U.S. Constitution.

California politicians sometimes ignore that basic fact of civic life in their zeal to lead the parade. But when they cross the legal line, as defined in federal law, they get their comeuppance.

For instance, the federal appeals court that oversees California recently overturned an ordinance passed by city leaders in Berkeley, one of the states more adventuresome jurisdictions, to ban natural gas service in newly constructed buildings.

The 2020 ordinance, cheered by environmentalists as a gesture to reduce greenhouse gases, was challenged by the California Restaurant Association for violating federal authority to set energy efficiency standards.

A federal trial judge upheld the ordinance but the 9th District Court of Appeals declared that federal law did, indeed, preempt the issue so Berkeley could not strike it out on its own.

Californias governors and legislators are also prone to enacting new laws that run afoul of the U.S. Constitution, federal law or, in some cases, the states own constitution.

Chris Micheli, a lobbyist who is also a student of legislative procedure and teaches at the University of the Pacifics McGeorge School of Law, has assembled a lengthy list of legislative decrees that later fared poorly in the courts.

They include such recent laws as those mandating female and members of unrepresented communities on corporate boards and prohibiting doctors from making politically incorrect statements about COVID-19.

One entire class of California laws, those imposing sometimes unique restrictions on private gun ownership, has fallen prey to constitutional challenges in recent months, thanks to the U.S. Supreme Courts expansive interpretations of the constitutional right to bear arms.

While gun organizations have been challenging Californias array of gun control laws for years, the Supreme Courts landmark Bruen decision last year, invalidating New Yorks almost total ban on the carrying of personal weapons, opened the door. One by one, Californias laws are being invalidated.

Just last month, for instance, a federal judge in Southern California overturned the states law prohibiting the sale of handguns that dont meet stringent  and technically unworkable  safety requirements, declaring that it runs afoul of the Bruen decision.

Even before the Bruen decision, a San Diego federal judge, Roger Benitez, had tossed out Californias ban on magazines holding more than 10 rounds, the states ban on assault rifles, and a law requiring background checks for ammunition purchases.

Another law that fell recently was one dreamed up by Newsom and the Legislature as a symbolic stunt  authorizing lawsuits against some gun manufacturers with conditions that made defense almost impossible. It was patterned after a Texas law making it easier to sue those who performed abortions, and Attorney General Rob Bonta didnt even try to defend it when the inevitable lawsuit challenged it.

Undeterred by the serial invalidation of California gun laws, Newsom and legislators are working on another measure that, they say, would fit within the constraints of the Bruen decision. Senate Bill 2 would create new standards for the issuance of concealed weapons permits and list a number of new places where carrying weapons would be prohibited, even by those having permits.

Whatever emerges from this years session would face new legal challenges, and given the states recent record, would also likely be shot down in court.
NORTH ROYALTON, Ohio  Ellsworth Acres has 3 acres of earth that is rich and fertile. The air is fresh and clean. Its a place where you can heal and grow, and tell your addiction story.

I was drinking wine like water, said Susan Quinn, a woman in recovery from alcohol addiction. I was probably the epitome of the functional alcoholic for most of my life, drinking 25 bottles of wine a week.

Quinn said she became legally blind at one point.

I am convinced it was from drinking, she said. She has been on the farm for 20 months.

No judgment is placed on anyone who comes to the farm, which has been helping women recover for about five years.

Ellsworth Acres is located in North Royalton and has helped many women turn their lives around. The recovery farm program is designed to help women heal from the trauma of dependency and build a new life through agriculture.

Something more

Erin Helms started Ellsworth Acres when she noticed that addiction recovery services did not address the person as a whole. She was working as a counselor at a treatment center in Ohio and felt that there was something missing from the traditional treatment model.

In 2014, she opened her first recovery house in Lakewood to provide women with holistic support, both physically and emotionally. She saw a need for a workforce development program for women and created a paid training program. She also saw that agriculture offered so many tangible skills for employment. Women can learn budgeting, planning, science, maintenance, record-keeping, bookkeeping, marketing, research and customer service.

Farming is just like recovering, Helms said. Nothing is done quickly. Nurturing growth is vital, and its important to always be present.

You have to give yourself time when things are out of your control, she said. Its just like farming. We cant predict what will happen.

Renee Rosenbaum has been on the farm for almost a year. She has been through more than 10 recovery programs and feels like she has found her place in life at Ellsworth Acres.

This is the longest Ive ever had in recovery, and Im still finding my journey. Its difficult to say why things clicked, but Im putting in the work, she said.

Slow flowers

The work around the farm includes planting flowers like ranunculus, marigolds and snapdragons. Later in the summer, the women will harvest cosmos, sunflowers, dianthus and eucalyptus.

We want to make it look good. We want it to smell good, and we want it to be successful, Rosenbaum said.

This training program has evolved into an entrepreneurial program, and the flowers will be sold to small local businesses and clients. Its a national trend to try to bring back the floral industry to the U.S., Quinn said.

Most fresh flowers are mass-produced and come from Kenya or the Netherlands, and were trying to bring back flowers in this area because there are not a lot of flower farms, she said. Its called the slow flower movement.

The slow flower movement assures that sustainable, organic growing practices are part of a farms ecosystem. It is also more economical to be local and seasonal and the movement focuses on relationships as well.

For example, the women are working with a business called In the Weeds, which is a flower shop, within a restaurant and bar. Presently, the women are preserving tulips for Mothers Day and are beginning to plant spring flowers for the shop.

This is my purpose, Quinn said. I knew that if I was going to get sober, I needed a purpose that I loved.

Rosenbaum agreed.

This is just a really great community where we help each other out, she said.

Other work includes studying sustainable agriculture at Lorain County Community College. Rosenbaum wanted to pursue something in the agricultural field while it was winter and the off-season, so she started classes in sustainable agriculture.

I dont have any professional background working in agriculture, but I liked the lifestyle and I like being an environmentalist, she said. Rosenbaum is also learning to cook.

I am finally living my life, and this place incorporates everything for me, she said. I feel like Im home.

Becoming whole

This is a family environment and this is home, Helms said.

The women are members of Alcoholics Anonymous and also participate in a new recovery concept called Dharma recovery. The Ellsworth Acres philosophy is a focus on a life-long holistic process. The women can stay as long as they want and will move out when they feel ready. Most become gainfully employed and stay sober after they move out. Very few of the women lapse.

When the women are not planting, they are raising and tending to backyard chickens. Ellsworth Acres has four of them and they recently bought two chicks.

We love the chickens, but we have to be careful of the hawks and the coyotes, Helms said. The chickens are housed in covered coops at the back of the farm.

The farm is presently supported by a grant to assure that the women are paid.

As the women prep for spring planting, Quinn looks back at her life.

You know, Im 61 years old, and I had no coping skills, she said.

Right before coming to the farm, Quinn attempted suicide, but she found her way to the Cleveland Clinic and through a series of events, she interviewed at the farm and was accepted.

She was given a second chance. She is now a certified peer supporter and is training to be an addiction counselor.

I wish I would have known about this sooner in my life. It would have made a big difference. Now, I have gratitude, and I cant wait to get up every morning, she said.

(Reporter Nella Citino can be reached at nella@farmanddairy.com or 323-643-2353.)
Food Standards Scotland has appointed four new board members to help drive the organisations work in protecting consumers from food safety risks.

The new members, Christina Bichan, Dr Paula Charlesworth, Phillip Couser and Kate Richards, will all serve for four years.

Mr Couser took up the role on 14 November 2022, while Mrs Bichan, Dr Charlesworth and Miss Richards began their appointments in April 2023.

Miss Richards, who was a farm vet in Aberdeenshire, said her interest in public health had been woven through her career as a vet involved with food production and hygiene.

"I have also worked in industry and government in policy and regulatory roles and this mix of experiences drew me to the FSS Board," she said.

"FSSs vision of a safe, healthy and sustainable food environment that benefits and protects the health and wellbeing of everyone in Scotland resonates very strongly with my values and beliefs.

At the April board meeting, Alban Denton, who has been involved in many of Scotlands food businesses over the past 30 years, was appointed as deputy chair for a two-year term.

Heather Kelman, chair of the FSS board, said it was an "extremely important time" for the organisation since its founding in 2015.

Scotland continues to feel the impacts of our departure from the EU and the implications this has on consumer safety, and the cost of living crisis affects many aspects of our relationship with food.

"Our new appointments breadth of expertise will help ensure that we continue to protect Scottish consumers and promote healthy eating during these challenging times.
The Scottish government must do more to protect the sheep sector following further discussion to reintroduce lynx to the countryside, industry leaders have said.

The potential for reintroducing lynx was debated in the Scottish parliament, after a motion by Scottish National Party (SNP) received cross-party support to engage this discussion.

The motion highlighted the case for the species return, and explained how its reintroduction could make Scotlands natural world richer and stronger.

This would be via a managed reintroduction, following appropriate assessments, the SNP said.

But the National Sheep Association (NSA) said protecting the people managing the environment, as well as the species at risk now, should be the priorities for the government.

NSA Scottish region coordinator, Grace Reid said: "NSA members have been at the sharp end of species reintroductions, from poor consultation processes, illegal releases, no management strategies, and no mitigation, exit or recognition of the impacts to farming businesses and livelihoods.

"We are increasingly concerned around the contradictions which could arise in government policy.

As new UK wide farming policies are incentivising habitat creation, the NSA said it was 'short sighted' to be considering the release of a species that could "severely damage the biodiversity of existing habitats".

The body added that the argument that Lynx would only feed on deer was "not acceptable", warning there was "no doubt" sheep would be an easy target for predation.

Evidence has shown that some European sheep flocks continue to suffer disproportionately great losses due to lynx predation.

Ms Reid continued: Those in favour of a reintroduction argue the UK has fallen behind in terms of species diversity.

"But there is a history of greater land use and land use change in Scotland than Europe has seen and therefore comparisons cannot be made between the UK and Europe due to the vast land scale and landscape differences.
Giraffes are able to do maths.

Giraffes know how to do basic maths

A team from Barcelona Zoo believe that the long-necked animals have figured out basic statistics by predicting the odds of getting their favourite snack.

The experts tested the abilities of two male and two female giraffes and showed each animal two containers containing various amounts of their preferred snack carrot sticks and less-preferred courgette sticks.

The researcher discreetly picked up some food from each container in a closed fist so that the giraffes could not see what had been selected and gave them both options to choose from.

In 17 out of the 20 trials, the giraffes selected the carrot sticks.

The ability to make inferences based on statistics has only previously been studied in large-brained animals such as parrots but the boffins believe that the function could be widespread across the natural world.

Alvaro Caicoya, first author of the study and a PhD student at the University of Barcelona, said: "The results of the study suggest that large relative brain sizes are not a necessary prerequisite for the evolution of complex statistical skills.

"Statistical abilities might provide crucial fitness benefits to individuals when making inferences in a situation of uncertainty, and it should not be surprising if these abilities are widespread across animal taxa."
Volodymyr Zelensky is convinced that Vladimir Putin will face justice for war crimes.

Volodymyr Zelensky expects Vladimir Putin to be prosecuted for war crimes

The Ukrainian president says that the world has a "historical responsibility" to make sure that the Russian despot stands trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the atrocities of the Ukraine war.

Speaking during a visit to The Hague - the home of the ICC - Zelensky said: "We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law.

"The aggressor must feel the full power of justice. This is our historical responsibility."

Zelensky fully expects to see Putin face the music when Ukraine triumphs in the war.

He said: "We will see that happen when we win... and we will win."

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin in March over the suspected deportation of children from Ukraine, which is a war crime.

Russia - which is not a member of the ICC - has labelled the charges as meaningless but they have made it more challenging for Putin to make trips abroad as nations signed up to the court are obliged to obey the warrant.

Zelensky used the speech to strengthen calls for an international tribunal to try the Russian leader over his invasion of Ukraine last year.

He said: "If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions."
King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort have recorded special messages to be broadcast in train stations across the UK over the coronation weekend.

King Charles and Queen Camilla have recorded announcements to be played at train stations

The new monarch and his wife will be crowned at a ceremony in Westminster Abbey on Saturday (06.05.23) and they have celebrated by recording announcements which will be played at railway stations all over Britain and in London Underground stations from Friday (05.05.23) until Monday (08.05.23).

In the announcement, Charles says: "My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful coronation weekend," and Camilla then adds: "Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey."

The message then concludes with Charles reciting the most well-known phrase in Tube station announcements, adding: "And remember, please mind the gap."

The announcements were recorded at the King's Highgrove estate earlier this year.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: "Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the Coronation and it's fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla."

Andy Lord, London's Transport Commissioner, added: "With less than one day to go before the Coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe.

"We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla."

It comes after the Prince and Princess of Wales travelled by tube to a London pub on Thursday (04.05.23).

Prince William and his wife Catherine boarded the London Underground at Acton Main Line in west London to take the a train on the newly-opened Elizabeth line - named after the late Queen Elizabeth.

During the outing, the royal couple chatted to Transport for London (TfL) workers about their plans for King Charles' coronation this weekend, before travelling three stops to Tottenham Court Road, where they got off to head to the Dog + Duck in Soho.

According to Britain's HELLO! magazine, Catherine was asked about the coronation and said: "Yes, it's going to be a busy time. We're getting there. I still feel like we're trying to get ducks in a row." William enjoyed a pint in the pub and admitted he loved chatting to people in bars. He told a group of local businessmen: "You always have the best conversations in pubs  you never know who you are going to meet."

The 40-year-old prince joked he would have to watch how much he drank and "get back into work mode". He echoed his comments when he left the pub, telling waiting crowds he had "just had a bit of cider" but would be putting his responsibilities first. According to People magazine, he said: "I will drink after the coronation but not now." The couple's eldest son, Prince George, nine, will be one of Charles' Pages of Honour at Westminster Abbey and the princess said the youngster was "excited" about the ceremony and had been taking part in rehearsals.
Todd Fisher has denied his niece Billie Lourds allegations he tried to capitalise on the death of his late sister Carrie Fisher.

Todd Fisher has denied his niece Billie Lourds allegations he tried to capitalise on the death of his late sister Carrie Fisher

The 65-year-old director was slammed by Scream Queens actress Billie, 30, who also hit out at her aunts Joely Fisher, 55, and Tricia Leigh Fisher, 54, on Wednesday (03.05.23) for how they handled the aftermath of her mothers death in December 2016, and Todd has now spoken out to defend himself against her claims.

He told Page Six: I never capitalised on either Carrie or my mother Debbie (Reynolds) deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie... and that is the truth.

Billie had said: Days after my mom died, her brother and her sister chose to process their grief publicly and capitalise on my mothers death, by doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money, with my mom and my grandmothers deaths as the subject.

She also blasted her uncle and aunts for failing to consult with her or think about how this would affect our relationship before speaking publicly about Carries death, saying she chose to deal with her mothers loss in a much different way.

Todd  who released the book My Girls: A Lifetime with Carrie and Debbie in 2018  insists Billies dad Bryan Lourd was well aware months in advance of its release.

He added the autobiography was a loving and truthful homage to the incredible lives (not deaths) of Carrie and Mom and the 60-plus years I spent with them both.

Todd said: I was not aware of the permissions needed from Billie, who came along 40 years later.

Carrie died aged 60 after suffering a heart attack and going into a coma, and her Singin in the Rain actress mum Debbie, who played Kathy Selden in the iconic 1952 classic, passed away the following day aged 84.

Billie confirmed Todds and her aunts actions was the reason she didnt invite them to her late Star Wars actress mums Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Tuesday. (01.05.23)

Joely and Tricia stated on Instagram about not being invited: This is something Carrie would have definitely wanted her siblings to be present for. The fact that her only brother and two sisters were intentionally and deliberately excluded is deeply shocking.
Recently, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina encouraged US companies to increase their investments in Bangladesh's renewable energy, shipbuilding, automobile, and pharmaceutical industries, pledging a dedicated special economic zone (SEZ) for these businesses.

She was addressing a high-level business roundtable with the theme US-Bangladesh Economic Partnership: Shared Vision for Smart Growth organised by The US-Bangladesh Business Council in Washington, DC.

At a recent business roundtable in Washington, DC, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged US businesses to invest more in Bangladesh's renewable energy, shipbuilding, automobile and pharmaceutical sectors, promising a special economic zone dedicated to them. She assured them of topmost priority to improving the country's investment environment.

"I invite you to invest in our many vibrant and high-potential sectors, such as renewable energy, shipbuilding, automobile, pharmaceuticals, light and heavy machineries, chemical fertilisers, ICT [information and communication technology], marine resources and medical equipment, among others," she was quoted as saying by Bangladesh media reports.

"I also call on you here to remain and be with us as partners in our journey to a developed, prosperous, and Smart Bangladesh by 2041," she added.

She also inaugurated the US Bangladesh IT Connect portal (us.itconnect.gov.bd) at the event.

Bangladesh is currently setting up 100 SEZs and 29 hi-tech parks.

She assured giving topmost priority to improving the countrys investment environment.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Azerbaijan and Turkiye have signed a protocol amending the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), reflecting Azerbaijan's confidence in the further growth of bilateral trade. Over the past five years, Turkiye's apparel exports to Azerbaijan have surged by more than 150 per cent, while fabric exports have also seen substantial growth. Azerbaijan is emerging as a significant textile market for Turkiye.

The implementation of the document will give a further impetus for increasing the trade turnover with the brotherly country, Mikayil Jabbarov, minister of economy of Azerbaijan, said in a tweet.

Azerbaijan and Turkiye have signed an amended Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), boosting confidence in growing bilateral trade. Turkiye's apparel exports to Azerbaijan increased by over 150 per cent in 5 years, with fabric exports also witnessing substantial growth. Azerbaijan accounted for just 0.41 per cent of Turkiye's total apparel exports in 2022.

Textile and apparel exports from Turkiye to Azerbaijan have experienced robust growth in recent years. Exports rose to $87.620 million in 2021 from $28.286 million in 2018. However, there was a decline, with exports reaching $75.186 million in 2022. The outbound shipments increased by 167 per cent in 2022 compared to 2018 trade. Exports were recorded at $38.890 million in 2020 and $34.701 million in 2019, according to Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro.

Fabric exports to Azerbaijan have nearly doubled in the last five years. Shipments reached $26.316 million in 2022, up from $14.623 million in 2018. Exports were recorded at $22.224 million in 2021, $18.294 million in 2020, and $18.431 million in 2019, as per data obtained from TexPro.

Although Azerbaijan is an emerging market for Turkiye's textiles and apparel, it is still a relatively small market. In 2022, it accounted for just 0.41 per cent of Turkiye's total apparel exports of $18.449 billion.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Dhaka needs two key initiatives to address the likely challenges after it graduates from the least developed country (LDC) status in 2026, Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori recently said.

The country must improve its investment and business environment to attract more Japanese companies and sign the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) to enjoy duty-free market access to Japan, the envoy said.

He identified lengthy approval procedures, bureaucratic red tape and duties as the primary obstacles to attracting Japanese investment.

Dhaka needs two initiatives to tackle the likely challenges after it graduates from the least developed country status. It should improve its investment and business environment to attract more Japanese firms and sign the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement to enjoy duty-free market access to Japan, Japanese envoy to Bangladesh Iwama Kiminori has said.

He noted that neighbouring countries in Southeast and South Asia have a more congenial investment environment compared to that in Bangladesh, and therefore, Japanese entrepreneurs consider them better destinations to invest.

The Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) would accelerate industrial activities and make Matarbari a hub, benefitting not only neighbouring countries, but also Bangladesh, he was quoted as saying by media outlets in the country.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Additionally, the report mentioned that Aamir Khan has been offered numerous projects from various production houses in the film industry. He is said to be in discussions with Sneha Rajani for a content-driven drama and has also been offered Prashanth Neel's Pan-India film with Jr. NTR. However, all of these projects are still in the preliminary stages of discussion at the moment.

Aamir Khan announced in November of last year that he would be taking a break from acting, for the first time in his career, to focus on producing films after the release of his latest film, Laal Singh Chaddha. Last year, he also announced that he will be producing RS Prasanna's Champions, a remake of a Spanish film with the same title. A recent buzz suggests that he will collaborate with a South Indian director for his next film, six months after his initial announcement.A news portal has reported that Aamir Khan is interested in making a sequel to his 2008 action thriller, Ghajini. Sources claim that the actor has been travelling to Hyderabad frequently for a while now to discuss his next project.The report further states that Aamir Khan has been discussing a potential project with producer Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts. They reportedly met again last week to discuss various project ideas and are keen on collaborating. However, there has been no concrete development yet, and it remains just a conversation at this point.Both Aamir and Allu Aravind are allegedly interested in taking Sanjay Singhania's story forward and are planning to finalise a script in the coming months. However, all details regarding the project have been kept under wraps for now.
In an interview with a leading news portal, Nushrratt Bharuccha expressed that when an actor's work is appreciated, they tend to develop a special connection with it. She mentioned that her 2019 film Dream Girl holds a special place in her heart for this reason.

Talking about her Dream Girl co-star Ayushmann Khurrana, she said, "Also because Ayushmann was genuinely a delight to work with, and he's someone whom I honestly call my closest friend from the movie business. He was the only person who called to check on me when I had fallen sick and had vertigo."

Nushrratt Bharuccha has shared her disappointment at not being involved in the sequel to her 2019 film Dream Girl, titled Dream Girl 2. In a recent interview, she expressed that it was disheartening to not be a part of their second journey.In addition, Nushrratt Bharuccha mentioned that her director Raaj Shaandilyaa, with whom she also worked on Janhit Mein Jaari, is very dear to her. She expressed that the entire team of Dream Girl is special to her. Although it was disheartening for her not to be a part of the sequel, she wished the best for the film and plans to watch it on its opening day. She also hopes that the film surpasses the 200-300 crore mark.Nushrratt Bharuccha starred alongside Ayushmann Khurrana in the 2019 film Dream Girl. The comedy film was helmed by Raaj Shaandilyaa in his directorial debut and produced by Ekta Kapoor. It also starred Annu Kapoor, Manjot Singh, Vijay Raaz, and Abhishek Banerjee.Dream Girl 2 has Ananya Panday playing the female lead opposite Ayushmann. The film is all set to be released on August 25. It also stars Annu Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Vijay Raaz, Manoj Joshi, Rajpal Yadav, Seema Pahwa, Manjot Singh and Abhishek Banerjee.
First Indian Film At Cannes: The prestigious 76th edition of the Cannes Film Festival will begin on May 16, and everybody is eagerly waiting to see what unfolds during this year's festival.

The Festival de Cannes takes place annually in May and brings together film professionals from all around the world, including artists, directors, and actors. The event is held on the French Riviera to honour cinema.

Ahead of the celebrations, it's a moment for Indians to take pride as Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is set to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this year. The Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi actress happens to be the brand ambassador of L'Oreal and will probably be representing the brand at the film festival.

Cannes Film Festival 2023: Remember Aishwarya Rai's CINDERELLA Gown? A Lookbook At Her Red Carpet Hit & Miss

Over the years, there have been several Indian films, and notable celebrities have represented the country at the film festival. But did you know that it was 76 years ago when the first Indian film took over the global stage and also won the grand prize?

CHETAN ANAND'S NEECHA NAGAR FIRST INDIAN FILM TO PREMIERE AND WIN AT THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

It is always Satyajit Ray's 1955 film Pather Panchali that is regarded as the movie that took Indian cinema global. But way before Ray's classic, it was producer and actor-director Chetan Anand's Neecha Nagar that first represented India on a global platform at its 2nd edition. And sadly, it was the last Indian movie to win an honour on the French Riviera.

The movie captures the essence and harsh times during the Indian-Pakistan partitions and the cruelty of the landlords prevalent during those times. And Neecha Nagar is the only Indian film to receive the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

Top Bollywood News: Salman Khan Takes A Jibe At His Ex-Girlfriends, Sunny Leone's Look From Kennedy

Neecha Nagar is regarded as one of the most underrated films of its time, and unfortunately, it was never released in the country but won top honours at Cannes.

It was not an easy win for Neecha Nagar, as it had tough competition with films such as Roberto Rossellini's Rome, Open City (Italy), David Lean's Brief Encounter (UK), and Billy Wilder's The Lost Weekend (USA).

Neecha Nagar starred Uma Anand, Rafiq Ahmed, Rafi Peer, and Zohra Sehgal.
Payal Malik Discharged: YouTuber Armaan Malik and his family are finally in a celebratory mood and rightfully so. After all, it's his eldest son Chirayu Malik's seventh birthday today. And adding to the celebration, Armaan's first wife Payal Malik has been discharged from the hospital.

For the uninitiated, Payal, who had recently given birth to twins (a boy and a girl), was rushed to the hospital after she complained of blood in her cough. She has been in the hospital for around three days and was diagnosed with a lung infection. And now, as per the recent update, Payal has finally been discharged.

In the recent vlog, Payal asserted that her condition is quite stable now. She also emphasised that she was keen to get back home for Chirayu aka Chiku's birthday and she couldn't keep calm after the doctors gave her a go ahead. However, Payal will continue to be on medication for a couple of days and has been advised bed rest.

On the other hand, as Maliks have been gearing up for Chiku's birthday, Payal got a warm welcome from Armaan's second wife Kritika. In the vlog, Kritika appeared to be beaming with smile with Payal's return and made sure that the new mommy gets to spend time with all the newborn kids.

Meanwhile, Kritika had also made all the arrangements for Chiku's birthday celebration which had panda theme. It was a midnight celebration on the terrace of their house and Payal was in awe to see Kritika's effort for their son.

Interestingly, as Payal Malik's health had deteriorated, Armaan was trolled by netizens for not taking good care of his wife. Giving a befitting reply to the trolls, Armaan said, "Maine inke haath nahi roke huye. Main inko bahut dhyan rakhta hu, main inse puchta hu 'tumhe khana kya hai'. Jo main khata hu wo to ye haath bhi nahi lagati. Ye to chicken ko haath bhi ni lagati dono". To this, Payal added, "Aap ghaas phus khaate ho, wo nahi khaya jata mujhse".
Azeem Threatens Joe Michael? Joe Michael Praveen has sought information under the Right to Information Act about the votes won by Bigg Boss Season 6 Title Winner Azeem. "As a result, Azeem and his friends are threatening to kill me" says Joe Michael in a press conference.

Azeem, who is a small screen Tamil actor participated in Bigg Boss Tamil Season 6. He was sworn in as the title winner in Bigg Boss Season 6.

Azeem Is Known For Controversies

When he was inside the Bigg Boss house, every week he started a fight with fellow contestants and created controversy. However, his supporters were increasing every week and finally the show organizers have given him the title winner trophy and cash prize.

Also, it is noteworthy that, Shivin and Vikraman, the other two contestants qualified for the Bigg Boss finale and secured the second and third positions. Although many have lamented that this title victory cannot be accepted, they couldn't do anything against it so far.

In such a situation, Joe Michael Praeen have sought information under the Right to Information Act. Joe Michael Praveen, who runs a training institute that prepares girls for beauty pageants, has requested more information about the number of votes.

Joe Michael Praveen's Petition

In the said petition, he asked "Has Bigg Boss been duly certified by BCCC for telecasting? Are there pending cases in Madras High Court to ban Bigg Boss reality show from telecasting? Are there any criminal cases registered against Bigg Boss show? Provide details of crime cases registered from season 1 to season 6 of Bigg Boss Tamil reality show. On what basis were the contestants of Bigg Boss Tamil season 6 reality show evicted from the show every weekend?

Are Bigg Boss season 6 reality show terms and conditions recorded correctly? Also, how many votes did Azeem get?" He has submitted a petition to the Central Board of Film Certification raising several questions on the basis of which Azeem won. Joe Mizhael Praveen also shared this information on his Twitter page.

Azeem Threatens To Kill Joe Michael?

In this situation, YouTuber Joe Michael met with the media after he complained to the Chennai Police Commissionerate that Azeem and his supporters were threatening him to withdraw Michael's petition. In a private event, YouTuber Joe Michael has said that he has questioned Azeem's victory under the Freedom of Information Act at the Indian Foundation in Delhi.

He said, "As a result, Azeem and his friends Devaraj, Singaravelan started threatening to kill me." Joe Michael have filed a complaint against them for threatening to withdraw his petition under the Freedom of Information Act.

Michael also added, "I have registered with RBI that there is some irregularity in that matter. I did not put it anywhere in the press. I shared it on my twitter page. Asking to delete it, Azeem and his supporters, Desinga Cholan, Singharavelan and Imadh, all four of them are making defamatory comments about me on YouTube for three hours every day. Then they call and threaten me. In that they say that Azeem is Mass and Azeem is Gethu."

This statement from Joe Michael Praveen is going viral on social media now. Azeem fans are still supporting him but on the other hand, neutral netizens started trolling Azeem and his friends for such a cheap act. But at the same time, Azeem's friend Imadh has shared a troll post about Joe Micael Praveen's complaint and captioned it, "Naanga mirattal vidromaam (We threatened him it seems). Uruttals.... It's good that it's legal now."



Naanga mirattal vidromaam.

Uruttals.... It's good that it's legal now.https://t.co/aL89Gq460q  Imadh (@MSimath) May 3, 2023

Let's wait till the Police department start an investigation and come up with the truth on this regards.
The Kerala Story Releasing Today: The film 'The Kerala Story' is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah and directed by Sudipto Sen. Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani and many others have acted in the film. The film hits the screens today in Tamil Nadu.

Controversial Subject:

The teaser of the film was released in November last year. It featured a woman wearing a hijab saying that 32,000 women had been converted and trafficked to countries like Syria and Afghanistan. There were strong objections from many quarters that the film incites religious hatred.

The trailer of the film was released on 1st May. There were some detailed scenes showing how conversion was done. The team had announced that it will release on May 5 in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

People already started writing their opinion about the film. Twitter is floading with the hashtag KeralaStory. Checkout this space for some interesting Twitter reviews about The Kerala Story.

Strong Opposition:

There has been strong opposition to the film in Kerala. Both sides had petitioned the Supreme Court to ban the film. When both the petitions came up for hearing separately, the Kerala High Court refused to entertain the plea and directed the petitioner to approach the Kerala High Court and rejected the petition. Then this case is going on in the Kerala High Court.

How Can You Guess The Story Without Watching The Film?

Meanwhile, a case has been filed in Madras High Court not to release this film, "Why are you coming so late? If you had come earlier, you could have asked someone to watch the film and decide. You haven't seen the film yet. How can you guess that there will be problems? Also, the Kerala High Court has already taken up the matter." The Madras High Court dismissed the petition by telling the petitioner.

DGP Orders Security For Theaters:

The Kerala Story will be released today (5.5.2023) as planned. On this occasion, DGP Shailendra Babu has ordered all Police Commissioners and Superintendents of Police to provide security to the theaters where The Kerala Story will be released. Further precautions should be taken to prevent accidents. He also said that the controversial posters should be removed.
Tamil star Radhika Sarathkumar redefined the outlook of soap operas when she debuted into small screens with the popular series, Chithi. While she has acted in several other series after that, nothing could quite beat the classic serial. And now, it looks like fans of TV serials are in for a treat. A recent update about the upcoming series Kizhakku Vaasal is amping up the excitement of fans.

Yesteryear actor to join the cast of Kizhakku Vaasal

It has been revealed that TV star Venu Aravind will join the cast of Kizhakku Vaasal. The actor has already worked with Radhika in several serials including Chithi and Vaani Rani. He has also starred in K Balachander's serials such as Kadhal Pagadai and so on. He took a break from acting owing to the vain tumor that he was suffering from. Now that the actor has recovered well, he is set to make a comeback to the small screens.

Here's what Venu Aravind says about it

"I am excited to join in the super hit show Kizhakuvasal. After a long time, I'm returning to the Television industry and I'm happy to work alongside Radhika yet again," Venu Aravind was quoted as saying by The Times Of India.

What do we know about Kizhakku Vaasal so far?

The serial was supposed to have Sanjeev Venkat in an important role. However, he is no longer a part of the show due to unknown reasons. SA Chandrasekar will also be seen playing an important role in the serial. While the makers have not yet announced which TV channel bagged the airing rights, it is expected that the show will be aired on Vijay TV. Radika Sarathkumar's Raadan Pictures is reportedly financially backing the project. Reshma Muralitharan will be seen playing an important role in Kizhakku Vaasal. Let's wait for the makers to come up with more announcements.
Soundous Moufakir Urfi Javed: Soundous Moufakir, the Moroccan beauty who's popularly known for winning Splitsvilla X4, is the only one from the show to be a part of the stunt based reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi in its 13th season.

Earlier yesterday, Soundous was spotted at a cafe in the suburbs of Mumbai, wherein the reality show star was seen donning a cool outfit with Khatron Ke Khiladi, Splitsvilla, and Roadies printed on the t-shirt.

Soon after this, pictures of her in this outfit went viral on the internet, and as it started doing rounds around social media, netizens were quick enough to compare Soundous and her outfit to Urfi Javed and her fashion sense.

SURPRISING! Urfi Javed Spotted In Full Clothes Leaves Internet In SHOCK, Netizens Asks 'Is This 8th Wonder'

SOUNDOUS MOUFAKIR ABOUT URFI JAVED

Talking about the comparison with Urfi Javed, Soundous said, "I love Uorfi Javed's style. But that is her style and this is my work. Her designs and work are totally different from mine"

And amidst all these comparisons between Soundous and Urfi, Urfi Javed herself posted a story of the former appreciating her and sending her best wishes that said, "Soundous Moufakir all the best queen bee "

Following several television stars, Salman Khan's Jai Ho actress and dancer, Daisy Shah, is set to join the upcoming season of Khatron Ke Khiladi!

Khatron Ke Khiladi 13: Salman Khans Heroine Joins Shiv Thakare, Archana Gautam As Contestant? DEETS Out

Having locked the deal just a couple of days ago, a source closely associated with the show's development informed ETimes, "We had been in talks with Daisy for quite some time and the contract was signed recently. Every year, we try to put together a mix of celebrities from different domains. This season, we have names from Bollywood, music, reality shows and daily soaps."

Furthermore, the source has also claimed that the team will be leaving to shoot the Rohit Shetty survival show in South Africa in the second week of May.
Anupamaa twist: And the drama continues in Rupali Ganguly and Gaurav Khanna's daily soap. Just when we thought that Anupama and Anuj will finally reunite and stay together forever, makers delivered another googly in the form of Maya.

MAYA ABUSES ANUJ IN ANUPAMAA

Crossing all limits, Maya tried to 'abuse' Anuj to stop him from attending Samar-Dimpy's wedding in Ahmedabad. Her only motive was to not allow Mr. Kapadia to meet his wife as she knew that their reunion would spoil her plans to living with him.

From forcing herself on Anuj to locking him in the room, Maya stooped to another low. Her actions have received a negative reaction on social media. Netizens lashed out at her for trying to meddle into the lives of Anupamaa and Anuj despite knowing that they are married.

THIS CHARACTER TO DIE IN ANUPAMAA

FANS SLAM MAYA FOR HER BEHAVIOUR

Expressing disgust over the way Maya behaved with Anuj, Twitterati shared thoughts about the track. One user wrote, "If a man is loyal+ respects every woman, if faces sexual abuse + ilzam lagta h,to he becomes depressed, many committed suicide because of fake allegations, once a F student did this to M teacher, teacher died of suicide, ispe serial bhi bana h, Anuj was already depressed, ab kya hoga uska (sic)."

Another user mentioned that Maya should be arrested for assaulting Anuj. The tweet read, "This is literally case of abuse. This lady Maya is abusing him. Come on Anuj get Maya arrested soon please."

ANUJ ARRESTED BEFORE MEETING ANUPAMAA? WHAT WE KNOW

If a recent report in Serialgossip is to be believed, Anuj will get arrested after Maya will file a complaint against him. In a rage of anger, she will tear her clothes, making it appear that Anuj attempted abuse her. She will break down into tears in front of the cops following which they will arrest Anuj, the report added.

Anuj will plead innocent; however, the policemen will not listen to his pleas. It remains to be seen how Anupamaa will react to the accusations against him. Will she support him or Maya will manage to make MaAn split forever.

Keep watching this space for more updates.
Jr NTR & Wife Lakshmi Pranathi's 12th Wedding Anniversary: Today truly marks a very special day for the adorable couple Man of the Masses NTR Jr and his wife Lakshmi Pranathi, as the duo celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary.

Being showered with good wishes and love, the two exchanged vows in Hyderabad on May 5th, 2011 in the presence of their family and close friends. For the unversed, they are now parents to two adorable sons, named Abhay and Bhargava.

A match made in heaven, both Man of the Masses NTR Jr and his wife Lakshmi share similar personalities and like to keep their private lives out of the public eye.

NTR 30: THIS Cute-Looking Telugu TV Actress Roped In For Jr NTR, Janhvi Kapoor, & Saif Ali Khan Starrer! Deets

Looking back, the couple welcomed their first child, Abhay, in the year 2014, followed by the birth of their second son, Bhargava, in 2018. Despite not coming from a cinematic background, Lakshmi Pranathi has always been a solid support for the actor on multiple occasions.

Last year too, she was seen joining him at various international premieres of the blockbuster RRR, among many other instances. Hailing from a simple family background, the lady continues to have a grounded personality even after being married to a superstar.

A strong backbone to Man of Masses NTR Jr, she has always encouraged the latter to achieve big while simultaneously taking care of their home and children.

In one of his past interviews, the actor shared how, during a month-long night schedule of RRR, his ladylove would keep him posted about their kids due to the difference in sleep routine those days.

Calling her one of the biggest influences in his life, Man of Masses NTR Jr has never shied away from praising his wife. The actor finds her to be an anchor in his life after his mother. Thanks to his social media, we often get to see a glimpse of this lovely, close-knit family through various pictures and videos.

NTR 30: Is Jr NTR Playing A Dual Role In The Action Drama Starring Janhvi Kapoor? This Is What We Know!

Looking at their sweet, happy life, it can be said that Man of Masses NTR Jr gets his strength from wife Lakshmi to take on new challenges in life.
How to Watch August 16 1947 on OTT

1. You may install the Tentkotta or Amazon Prime Video OTT App or go to the original Tentkotta or Amazon Prime Video website to view the film streaming online on the OTT service.



2. If you're a new user, register with your email address or phone number and create a password. If you already use the service, type your username and password.



3. You will be sent to the home page after logging in, where you can check out the newest movies that are streaming on the OTT platform.



4. You could track the search tab by typing "August 16 1947" into the search bar.



5. You can enjoy watching the movie by selecting a language and clicking the "Play Now" button.


CANBERA (dpa-AFX) - Australia And New Zealand Banking Group Ltd. (ANZ.AX, ANZBY.PK, ANZ) reported that its profit attributable to shareholders of the company for half year ended 31 March 2023 rose to A$3.55 billion or 112.8 cents per share from A$3.53 billion or 116.7 cents per share in the prior year. ANZ Chief Executive Officer, Shayne Elliott, said, 'The next six months will be more difficult than the last. Competition in retail banking is as intense as it has ever been, both in Australia and New Zealand.' Cash profit from continuing operations for half year ended 31 March 2023 grew to A$3.82 billion from A$3.11 billion in the prior year. Net interest income for the period was A$8.50 billion up from A$7.10 billion in the prior year. But other operating income was A$1.50 billion down from A$2.31 billion last year. The company said its board considers an interim dividend of 81 cents per share is appropriate for the current operating conditions. ANZ also stated the Dividend Reinvestment Plan will continue to apply for the Interim 2023. 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.
LONDON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ninety One has announced the appointment of Dr. Khalid Alsweilem to the position of Chief Global Sovereign Funds Advisor and Chairman of the firm's new Saudi Arabian entity, which is currently under formation and subject to approval from the Saudi Arabia Capital Market Authority.

Dr. Alsweilem said: "I am pleased to be taking on this role to help steer and develop Ninety One's business in Saudi Arabia and Middle East more broadly. This is a time of great transformation and opportunity for the region as Saudi Arabia implements its Vision 2030 programme. As a global investment manager with expertise in emerging market equities, natural resources, Asia and Mainland China equities, energy transition and infrastructure debt, Ninety One is well positioned to capitalise on the major economic developments taking place throughout the region. Their roots in emerging markets give them a keen sensitivity to how investment capabilities should serve Saudi Arabia and the region's needs."

Hendrik du Toit, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Ninety One, said: "Dr. Alsweilem is the right person to help guide our growth in Saudi Arabia and the region, given his unique knowledge of the investment industry and environment. Ninety One has had an active presence as an investor of international capital in the region for many years and is experienced in developing investment businesses with local relevance. The creation of a formal entity in Saudi Arabia is our next step in a productive journey to even greater engagement and service of clients."

Dr. Alsweilem is a world-renowned expert on sovereign wealth funds and their connection to the real economy. He is one of the longest-serving and most successful sovereign fund practitioners, having previously served as Chief Counsellor and Director General of Investment at SAMA, the Central Bank of Saudi Arabia, where he held senior positions since 1991. He is a Visiting Scholar at the Stanford Centre of Sustainable Development and Global Competitiveness and at the Stanford Long-Term Investing Initiative, as well as a non-resident scholar at MIT Golub Center for Finance and Policy. Prior to that, he was a scholar at Stanford Global Projects Center and a fellow expert at Harvard Kennedy School, where he was the lead author on major sovereign funds research and publications. He is an engineer and holds a PhD in Economics and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at Harvard University.

Ninety One is an active, global investment manager listed in London and Johannesburg with more than $160 billion in assets under management (as at 31 March 2023). The firm's goal is to provide long-term investment returns for clients while making a positive difference to people and the planet. Established in South Africa in 1991 as Investec Asset Management, the firm has since expanded to 21 offices in 14 countries across five continents, with 258 investment professionals. In 2020, the firm demerged from the Investec Group to become Ninety One.

www.ninetyone.com

Disclaimer

All investments carry the risk of capital loss. The information contained in this press release is intended primarily for journalists and should not be relied upon by private investors or any other persons to make financial decisions. Furthermore, the material contained herein is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, or solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell securities either generally or in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted. Offers are made only by prospectus or other offering materials and upon an investor meeting certain suitability standards and any other applicable requirements as required by law. All of the views expressed about the markets, securities or companies in this press comment accurately reflect the personal views of the individual fund manager (or team) named. While opinions stated are honestly held, they are not guarantees and should not be relied on. Ninety One in the normal course of its activities as an global asset manager may already hold or intend to purchase or sell the stocks mentioned on behalf of its clients. The information or opinions provided should not be taken as specific advice on the merits of any investment decision. This press release may contain statements about expected or anticipated future events and financial results that are forward-looking in nature and, as a result, are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, such as general economic, market and business conditions, new legislation and regulatory actions, competitive and general economic factors and conditions and the occurrence of unexpected events. Actual results may differ materially from those stated herein. Telephone calls may be recorded for training, monitoring and regulatory purposes and to confirm investor's instructions. Ninety One's Privacy Notice is available at www.ninetyone.com/privacynotice .

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/ninety-one-appoints-dr-khalid-alsweilem-as-chairman-of-new-saudi-arabian-entity-301816461.html
Evolva Holding SA / Key word(s): Agreement

Evolva signs multi-year agreement with leading CMO partner to enable supply of Vanillin to global F&F customer of around CHF 35 million until 2026



05-May-2023 / 07:00 CET/CEST

Release of an ad hoc announcement pursuant to Art. 53 LR

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





PRESS RELEASE | AD HOC ANNOUNCEMENT PURSUANT TO ART. 53 LR



Evolva signs multi-year agreement with leading CMO partner to enable supply of Vanillin to global F&F customer of around CHF 35 million until 2026

Reinach, 5 May 2023 - Evolva (SIX: EVE), a pioneer in the field of natural molecules and industrial biotech, has reached a major milestone to boost its commercial performance by signing a multi-year agreement with a leading CMO partner as basis to secure the Vanillin business with a global F&F customer of around CHF 35 million until 2026.

Thanks to its proprietary precision-fermentation platform and the newly signed CMO agreement, Evolva is now able to supply Vanillin to a global customer in the Flavors & Fragrances industry (F&F) within a framework of defined volumes and very competitive pricing over a multi-year period. The move is a further testimony to Evolva's core capabilties of having successfully developed and upscaled high-grade Vanillin from lab to industrial scale production and now towards full commercialization.

Based on the newly signed agreement with the selected CMO partner, Evolva expects to generate revenues of around CHF 35 million over the next three and a half years from supplying a global customer with Vanillin for use as natural ingredient to the flavors industry. As such, the agreement further substantiates Evolva's mid-term plan.

In 2023, the corresponding revenues are expected to be in the mid-single digit range. For production reasons, these revenues will fully accrue in the second half of the year, leading to a shift in revenues from the first to the second half of the year when compared to 2022.

Vanillin is a widely used ingredient in the F&F industry. When plant derived, it is only available in limited quantities and often subject to price and supply fluctuations as crop yields are heavily dependent on climate conditions. Thanks to its proprietary precision-fermentation platform, Evolva is able to offer nature-based, high-grade Vanillin of European origin with a superior sensory profile at very attractive conditions. This allows customers to replace expensive vanilla bean extracts as well as synthetic vanillin (which is obtained through a chemical process), meeting the increasing demand of consumers for more natural ingredients which are responsibly and sustainably produced.

CEO Christian Wichert comments: "The signing of this agreement is a huge and exciting milestone for the new Evolva. It demonstrates our ability to successfully deliver commercial growth to bring Evolva to the next level. I am very proud of the team having successfully created the basis for this exciting new business for Evolva, combining Evolva's core competencies along the entire value chain."

Evolva aims to become an industrial biotech leader, providing solutions around natural ingredients addressing the global megatrends of health, wellness and sustainability. Based on the company's proprietary precision-fermentation platform, Evolva is well positioned to resolve supply bottlenecks of nature.

Important dates

24 August 2023 Half-year 2023 results



Contact

Doris Rudischhauser

Head of Investor Relations and Corporate Communications

+41 79 410 81 88

dorisr@evolva.com



About Evolva

Evolva is a Swiss biotech company focused on the research, development and commercialization of ingredients based on nature. We have leading businesses in Flavors and Fragrances, Health Ingredients and Health Protection. Evolva's employees, half of which are women, are dedicated to make the best products that can contribute to health, wellness and sustainability. Find out more at evolva.com and connect with us on LinkedIn .

For Evolva multimedia content, please visit: evolva.com/multimedia-library .

Disclaimer

This announcement is not an offer of securities into the United States. The securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act"), and may not be offered, pledged, sold, delivered or otherwise transferred, directly or indirectly, in the United States, except pursuant to an exemption from, or transaction not subject to, the registration requirements of the Securities Act. No public offering of securities is being made in the United States. Further, the securities referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the applicable securities laws of Canada, Australia or Japan or under the applicable securities laws of any other jurisdiction where to do so might constitute a violation of such laws.

This press release contains specific forward-looking statements, e.g. statements including terms like believe, assume, expect or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may result in a substantial divergence between the actual results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and those explicitly or implicitly presumed in these statements. Against the background of these uncertainties readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The company assumes no responsibility to update forward-looking statements or to adapt them to future events or developments.
ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (5 May 2023) - "IMCD N.V. ("IMCD" or "Company"), a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and ingredients, today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of KOI Products Solutions and Engineering Ltd ("KOI Products Solutions").

Founded in 1986, KOI Products Solutions has developed long-standing partnerships with some of the world's leading suppliers of specialty products and predominantly serves the composite, paint, cosmetics, coatings, and ink markets. The company, based in Petach Tikva, Israel, generated a revenue of above EUR 8 million in financial year 2022 and adds 13 employees to the IMCD Israel team.

"The acquisition of KOI Products Solutions represents another important step into the expansion of our industrial business in Israel. KOI's Products Solutions' established supplier and customer base in Advanced Composites and Coatings, their deep understanding of the local market and strong team, make them an excellent fit for IMCD. We are very glad to welcome KOI Products Solutions to our company and look forward to working together to deliver even greater value to our customers," commented Frank Schneider, Member of IMCD Group Executive Committee and Business Group Director IMCD Coatings & Construction.

"KOI Products Solutions is honored to become part of IMCD in Israel. We are confident that by combining IMCD's experience, know-how, line of products and approach with KOI Products Solutions' strong and faithful suppliers, customers, and employees, it will position IMCD & KOI Product Solutions as one of the leaders in our unique market. We are very excited and fully committed to fulfilling our joint vision by delivering a better value to our partners," said Erez Harpaz, Chairman of KOI Products Solutions and Danny Kaplan, CEO of KOI Products Solutions.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to take place in June 2023.

Attached, the full press release in pdf format, the main visual and the photo caption.

Attachments
Geneva, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Investor group NewGAMe and Bruellan comment on Liontrust's offer for GAM Holding AG

Geneva, 05 May 2023 - The investor group comprised of NewGAMe SA and Bruellan, which holds approximately 8.3% of the issued share capital of GAM Holding AG, has taken note of the offer by Liontrust Asset Management PLC, which was announced on 4 May 2023. The investor group is of the view that Liontrust's offer undervalues GAM and does not reflect the significant upside that a successful turnaround could generate for GAM's current shareholders. In addition, the fact that Liontrust only offers its own shares, and is not making any cash offer, implies that GAM shareholders will be subject to the volatility of Liontrust shares without any firm price for a business that has significant intrinsic value. The investor group further notes that the transaction proposed by Liontrust is subject to significant execution contingencies, since the risk of an unsuccessful exit of GAM's fund management services business in Luxembourg and Switzerland (on which almost no information is being provided) is being shifted to GAM shareholders.

The investor group is therefore contemplating not to accept Liontrust's offer under the current terms.

The investor group has also taken notice of the decision of the Swiss Takeover Board dated 21 April 2023 that was published yesterday, and notes that the decision would allow Liontrust to make its offer conditional upon GAM's successful exit from its fund management services business in Luxembourg and Switzerland. The decision further contemplates the granting of significant exemptions from the Swiss takeover rules to Liontrust, in particular for what regards the obligation to offer a cash alternative to GAM shareholders and to comply with the best price rule. As a holder of a qualified shareholding in GAM, the investor group is reviewing this decision and will consider whether a legal challenge is warranted.





Media contacts

Cornelia Schnepf - FinElk

newgam@finelk.eu

info@newgam.ch

www.newgam.ch

About NewGAMe

NewGAMe SA is a Geneva-based company owned by a number of investors with experience in the financial sector. It is controlled by Rock Investment, a French-incorporated entity that is owned by NJJ Holding, the personal holding company of Xavier Niel. Albert Saporta, a hedge fund industry veteran with 40 years' experience in global financial markets, serves as the director of NewGAMe SA.

About Bruellan

Bruellan SA is an independent provider of global wealth management solutions. The company was founded in 1991 and is located in Geneva, Lausanne, Crans-Montana and Verbier.

https://www.bruellan.ch/
Regulatory News:

AZELIS GROUP NV (Brussels:AZE)

Posthofbrug 12, box 6

2600 Berchem

Enterprise number 0769.555.240

RPR/RPM Antwerp, division Antwerp

(the "Company

The board of directors of the Company (the "Board of Directors") invites the shareholders of the Company to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting of the Company which will take place on Thursday, June 8, 2023 at 11.00 a.m. CEST at Park Inn by Radisson Berchem, Borsbeeksebrug 34, 2600 Berchem, Belgium to deliberate and decide on the agenda set out below.

Applicable participation formalities are detailed at the end of this convening notice. The Company uses the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com) to facilitate participation and voting in the annual general shareholders' meeting. The Board of Directors strongly recommends shareholders to make maximum use of the Lumi Connect platform to complete all participation formalities and to vote digitally and remotely at the general meeting. The Lumi Connect platform is free of charge for shareholders.

There is no quorum requirement for the annual general shareholders' meeting. Without prejudice to applicable legislation, each share is entitled to one vote. Resolutions are validly adopted if at least the majority of the votes cast is in favor of a proposed resolution.

AGENDA

The agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting and the proposed resolutions are as follows:

1. Report of the Board of Directors and report of the statutory auditor on the consolidated annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2022

2. Consolidated annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2022

3. Report of the Board of Directors and report of the statutory auditor on the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2022

4. Approval of statutory annual accounts and allocation of the result

Discussion of (i) the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2022 drawn up by the Board of Directors and (ii) the proposed allocation of the result, including the granting of a power of attorney to the Board of Directors.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the statutory annual accounts for the financial year ending December 31, 2022 and of the proposed allocation of the result, including the approval of a dividend for an aggregate gross amount of EUR 67,776,698.37, payable on June 23, 2023. Such dividend currently represents a gross amount of EUR 0.29 per share based on the number of shares outstanding at December 31, 2022. Granting of a power of attorney to the Board of Directors to determine the further terms of payment of the dividend.

5. Approval of remuneration report

The Belgian Code of Companies and Associations ("BCCA") requires the general meeting to approve the remuneration report each year by separate vote. This report includes a description of the application of the Remuneration Policy during the year 2022 and information on remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Executive Committee.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the remuneration report included in the annual report of the Board of Directors for the financial year ending December 31, 2022.

6. Approval of changes to the remuneration of the Board of Directors

The Remuneration Policy of the Company was approved by the ordinary general shareholders' meeting of June 9, 2022. The Board of Directors proposes an adjustment to the Remuneration Policy, in relation to the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors, which requires the approval of the general shareholders' meeting in accordance with article 2:50 of the BCCA. The proposed change is to add a fixed annual cash remuneration of EUR 20,000 for the Chairs of each of the Audit and Risk Committee and the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, in addition to their remuneration as members of the Board of Directors, to be effective as from August 2022, subject to the approval by the general shareholders' meeting. The Board of Directors considers such additional remuneration justified for the purpose of retaining the necessary professional capabilities to steer the committees within the Board of Directors and to ensure a strong corporate governance of the Company. The remaining components of the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors remain unchanged. For more details on the total remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors during the year 2022, please refer to the remuneration report.

Proposed resolution: Approval of the revised Remuneration Policy, reflecting the approval of an additional annual remuneration of EUR 20,000 for the Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee and for the Chair of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee.

7. Discharge from liability to the directors

Proposed resolution: To grant discharge from liability to the directors who were in office during the financial year ending on December 31, 2022 for the exercise of their mandate during said financial year.

8. Discharge from liability to the statutory auditor

Proposed resolution: To grant discharge from liability to the statutory auditor for the exercise of its mandate during the financial year ending on December 31, 2022.

9. Appointment of director

Following the resignation of Mr. Jurgen Buchsteiner as a non-executive and independent director on August 2, 2022, the Board of Directors has, on the same date and upon the recommendation of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, appointed Mr. Thomas Edward ("Tom") Hallam as a non-executive and independent director and as member and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee by means of co-optation in accordance with article 17, 1 of the Articles of Association and the BCCA. The appointment of Mr. Tom Hallam as a member of the Board of Directors by way of co-optation must be ratified by this general shareholders' meeting in order for his mandate to continue. According to the information provided to the Company, Mr. Tom Hallam meets the independence criteria as foreseen in article 7:87 of the BCCA and by provision 3.5 of the Corporate Governance Code 2020. Upon ratification, Mr. Tom Hallam would remain member of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Audit and Risk Committee. Based on various previous financial positions held by Mr. Tom Hallam as financial director, group controller and chief financial officer, the Company considers that Mr. Tom Hallam has the necessary competence in accounting and auditing as required by the BCCA.

Proposed resolution: Upon recommendation of the Remuneration and Nomination Committee, to ratify the appointment of Mr. Tom Hallam as a non-executive and independent director for a term of three years, expiring at the shareholders' meeting deciding on the approval of the Company's annual accounts for the financial year ending on December 31, 2024.

10. Change of control clauses

In accordance with article 7:151 of the BCCA, only the general shareholders' meeting may grant rights that either could have a significant influence on the Company's assets or could give rise to significant liability or obligations for the Company dependent on the occurrence of a public takeover bid on the shares of the Company or a change of control over the Company.

10.1 EUR 150.5 million Schuldschein loan agreements entered into on December 15, 2022

On December 15, 2022, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Azelis Finance NV has entered into seven Schuldschein loan agreements (Schuldscheindarlehen) for an aggregate amount of EUR 150.5 million as borrower with Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg as original lender. Each of these Schuldschein loan agreements is guaranteed by the Company and includes a section 4 (2), according to which the respective lenders are entitled, following a change of control over the Company and in certain circumstances, to request immediate repayment of their loan, together with accrued interests and any damage incurred by the early repayment of the loan.

Proposed resolution: Ratification and approval, to the extent necessary, of the terms and conditions of the seven Schuldschein loan agreements dated December 15, 2022, for an aggregate amount of EUR 150.5 million, between, amongst others, Azelis Finance NV as borrower and the Company as guarantor, and Landesbank Baden-Wurttemberg as original lender, in accordance with article 7:151 of the BCCA.

10.2 EUR 400 million Senior unsecured Notes due 2028 issued on March 15, 2023

On March 15, 2023, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary Azelis Finance NV has issued Senior unsecured Notes due 2028 for an aggregate principal amount of EUR 400 million, which are governed by an indenture entered into between Azelis Finance NV, the Company and Citibank Europe plc on the same date. The Senior unsecured Notes are guaranteed by, amongst others, the Company. The indenture includes a section 4.14, according to which the holders of the Senior Notes are entitled, following a change of control over the Company and in certain circumstances, to request repurchase of their Senior unsecured Notes by Azelis Finance NV.

Proposed resolution: Ratification and approval, to the extent necessary, of the terms and conditions of the indenture dated March 15, 2023, governing the Senior unsecured Notes for an aggregate amount of EUR 400 million issued on that date by Azelis Finance NV and guaranteed by, amongst others, the Company, in accordance with article 7:151 of the BCCA.

11. Power of attorney

Proposed resolution: Power of attorney to each director of the Company and Mr Gerrit De Vos, Corporate Secretary, each acting alone and with the power of substitution, to do everything that is needed to execute the decisions taken by the annual general shareholders' meeting and to carry out the formalities related to their publication.

PARTICIPATION FORMALITIES

Please note that all dates and times mentioned herein are final deadlines, and that these will not be extended due to a weekend, holiday or for any other reason.

Admission

To be admitted to the annual general shareholders' meeting, shareholders must comply with the following formalities:

1. Registration of shares

Only persons who are shareholders on May 25, 2023 at midnight (24:00 Central European Summer Time) (the "Record Date") will be entitled to participate in and vote at the annual general shareholders' meeting, regardless of the number of shares held by the shareholder on the day of the meeting. Shareholders must be registered as shareholders on the Record Date

for registered shares , in the shareholders' register of the Company;

, in the shareholders' register of the Company; for dematerialized shares , on a securities account with an authorized account holder or clearing institution (see section 2 below).

2. Notification of intention to participate

Shareholders must, by June 2, 2023, 4.00 p.m. CEST at the latest notify their intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting and, to the extent they hold dematerialized shares, submit a certificate of registration:

for shareholders who choose to use the Lumi Connect platform, via this platform, at www.lumiconnect.com. This platform will allow shareholders holding dematerialized shares to request the direct issuance of a certificate of registration. This will constitute notification of the intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting. Therefore, shareholders will not have to take further steps with their bank or with the Company; or

for shareholders who wish to attend the meeting physically or via a proxyholder and who do not choose to use the Connect platform, by sending a notification in the form available on the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) or their proxy, as the case may be, accompanied by a certificate of registration to be requested from their authorized account holder or clearing institution, (i) by email to agm@azelis.com, or (ii) by post or delivery at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary.

The Company draws the shareholders' attention to the obligation for holders of dematerialized shares to attach a certificate of registration from their authorized account holder or clearing institution, evidencing the number of dematerialized shares registered in the name of the shareholder on the accounts of the authorized account holder or clearing institution on the Record Date, which such shareholder has indicated in the intention to participate to the annual general shareholders' meeting, if they do not use the Lumi Connect platform.

For holders of registered shares, the Company will verify if they are effectively registered in the share register of the Company for the number of shares indicated in the intention to participate to the annual general shareholders' meeting.

An issuer of certificates relating to registered shares must notify its capacity of issuer to the Company, which will record such capacity in the shareholders' register. An issuer who refrains from notifying this capacity can only vote at the annual general shareholders' meeting if the written notification indicating its intention to participate in that meeting specifies its capacity of issuer. An issuer of certificates linked to dematerialized shares must notify its capacity of issuer to the Company before exercising any vote, at the latest through the written notification indicating its intention to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting, failing which such shares cannot participate in voting.

Participation and voting

Only shareholders who have complied with the admission requirements in due time will be allowed to participate and vote in the annual general shareholders' meeting, either: (i) physically, (ii) by proxy (written or electronic) or (iii) by remote voting form.

1. Physical attendance

Subject to the requirements and restrictions referred to below, each shareholder has the right to participate in the annual general shareholders' meeting physically.

To allow an efficient registration process, the shareholders or proxyholders who physically attend the annual general shareholders' meeting are requested to register at the meeting premises between 10.00 a.m. and 10.30 a.m. CEST.

Before being admitted to the general meeting, the shareholders or their proxyholders participating physically in the meeting are required to sign an attendance sheet, indicating their first name, last name and place of residence or corporate denomination, enterprise number and registered office, as well as the number of shares in respect of which they are participating in the meeting. Representatives of legal entities must provide the supporting documents that demonstrate their power of representation as members of a governing body or their assignment as special proxyholders. The natural persons, shareholders, members of governing bodies or proxyholders who take part in the general meeting must be able to prove their identity. Once the General Meeting has started, shareholders are kindly requested to stay in the room until the end of the general meeting.

2. Attendance through a proxyholder

A shareholder may be represented by a proxyholder at the annual general shareholders' meeting, using the proxy form drawn up by the Board of Directors. The shareholder who wishes to be represented by proxy must deliver a proxy in written or electronic form by June 2, 2023, 4:00 p.m. CEST at the latest, as set out below:

by completing and submitting the proxy form via the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com); or

(www.lumiconnect.com); or by submitting a completed, signed and dated written or electronic copy of the proxy form that can be obtained from the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) to the Company (i) by email at agm@azelis.com, or (ii) by post or delivery at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary.

The appointment of a proxyholder must be made in accordance with applicable rules of Belgian law, including the rules on conflicts of interest and the keeping of a register. In addition, shareholders appointing a proxyholder must meet the admission requirements described above.

Shareholders who have voted by proxy may also attend the meeting physically. Please note that shareholders who have given a proxy can no longer vote during the physical meeting but may ask questions live.

3. Remote voting before the general meeting

Shareholders may vote remotely in electronic form before the annual general shareholders' meeting. Remote votes may be cast:

via the Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com), by June 7, 2023 at the latest; or

(www.lumiconnect.com), by at the latest; or by submitting a completed, signed and dated paper or electronic copy of the voting form made available by the board of directors on the website of the Company (www.azelis.com/investor-relations), which must reach the Company (i) by email at agm@azelis.com, or (ii) by post or delivery at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, by June 2, 2023, 4:00 p.m. CEST at the latest.

In addition, shareholders choosing to vote remotely must meet the admission requirements described above.

Shareholders who have voted remotely may also attend the meeting physically. Please note that shareholders who have voted remotely can no longer vote during the physical meeting but may ask questions live.

MISCELLANEOUS

1. Additional agenda items and proposed resolutions

In accordance with article 7:130 of the BCCA, one or more shareholders owning (together) at least 3% of the share capital of the Company may request to add items to be included on the agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting and submit proposals for resolutions concerning existing or new agenda items.

Shareholders that wish to exercise this right must, in order for their request to be discussed at the annual general shareholders' meeting:

prove their ownership of at least 3% of the share capital of the Company on the date of their request by (i) a certificate of registration of the relevant shares in the shareholders' register of the Company, or (ii) a certificate of registration issued by the authorized account holder or the clearing institution certifying the book-entry of the relevant number of dematerialized shares in their name on their securities account; have satisfied the admission requirements described above for such percentage of the share capital; send a written request with, as the case may be, the text of the agenda items to be added and the corresponding resolutions proposals, or the text of the resolution proposals to be added to the agenda, (i) by email at agm@azelis.com, or (ii) by post or delivery at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, which must have been received by the Company on the latest on May 17, 2023

If shareholders have duly exercised this right, the Company will publish an updated agenda on its website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) and on the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com), before or at the latest on May 24, 2023. In such case, the Company will make available revised proxy forms and remote voting forms together with the revised agenda on its website and on the Lumi Connect platform. Powers of attorney and votes cast remotely that reach the Company prior to the publication of an updated agenda remain valid for the agenda items to which they apply, subject to the applicable legislation and the further clarifications set out in the proxy forms and the forms for remote voting.

2. Questions to the directors and/or the statutory auditor

In accordance with article 7:139 of the BCCA, each shareholder has the right to ask questions to the directors or the statutory auditor of the Company, relating to their respective reports or items on the agenda of the annual general shareholders' meeting.

Questions can be asked during the meeting or can be submitted in writing prior to the meeting. Written questions must reach the Company (i) by email at agm@azelis.com, or (ii) by post or delivery at Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium, to the attention of the Corporate Secretary, at the latest on June 2, 2023, 4:00 p.m. CEST

For shareholders who choose to use the Lumi Connect platform: this platform enables them to submit questions in writing in advance, subject to the above-mentioned deadline.

3. Documents

All documents relating to the annual general shareholders' meeting that are required by law to be made available to shareholders are available on the Company's website (www.azelis.com/investor-relations) and on the Lumi Connect platform (www.lumiconnect.com) as of the date of this convening notice. Shareholders can also obtain a free copy of this documentation at the registered office of the Company (Posthofbrug 12, box 6, 2600 Berchem, Belgium) or by email to agm@azelis.com.

4. Data protection

The Company is responsible for the processing of the personal data it receives from shareholders and proxyholders in the context of the annual general shareholders' meeting in accordance with the applicable data protection legislation. The processing of such personal data will in particular take place for the analysis and management of the attendance and voting procedure in relation to the annual general shareholders' meeting, this in accordance with the applicable legislation and the Company's privacy policy. This personal data may be transferred to affiliated entities and with third-party service providers for the purpose of providing assistance in the management of attendance and voting procedures, and for analyzing the composition of the investor base. The personal data will not be stored any longer than necessary in light of the aforementioned objective and will therefore be erased or made anonymous in accordance with the Company's privacy policy.

Shareholders and proxyholders may consult the Company's privacy policy on its website (www.azelis.com/privacy-statement). Shareholders and proxyholders can exercise their rights with regard to their personal data provided to the Company by contacting the Company at privacy@azelis.com.

5. Communications to the Company

Shareholders may address questions concerning the organization of the annual general shareholders' meeting or this convening notice to Mr Gerrit De Vos, Corporate Secretary, by email to agm@azelis.com.

The Board of Directors

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504005016/en/

Contacts:

Azelis Group NV
Revenue from activity +12% in Q1 2023 to 435 thousands

Sales of products and services +13% in Q1 2023 to 321 thousands

The Company is well funded for 2023

Regulatory News:

Genomic Vision(FR0011799907 GV, the "Company"), a Euronext-listed biotechnology company that develops products and services for the highly accurate characterization of DNA sequences, today announced its revenue and cash position for the first quarter ended on March 31, 20231

Q1 2023 revenue

In thousands -IFRS standards Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Total revenue from sales 321 284 +13% Other revenue 113 104 +9% Total revenue from activity 435 389 +12%

Total revenue from activities reached 435 thousand in the first quarter ending March 31st, 2023, reflecting a 12% increase compared to the same period in the previous year. The revenue comprised:

sales of products and services of 321 thousands, up 13% compared with 2022. This is explained by good on-going sales and teams restructuring.

of 321 thousands, up 13% compared with 2022. This is explained by good on-going sales and teams restructuring. other revenue of 113 thousands during the first quarter ended March 31st, 2023, related to a Research Tax Credit.

Over the course of the period, Genomic Vision has continued the implementation of its strategic plan. A detailed presentation of the business and the on-going projects can be found in the Universal Registration Documentation 2022, which was published on April 28th, 2022, and is accessible on Genomic Vision's website.

Financial structure

As of March 31st, 2023, Genomic Vision had cash and cash equivalents amounting to 43 thousands compared to 0.76 million on December 31st, 2022. The Company's cash usage is attributable to the day-to-day activities and the gradual implementation of its strategic plan.

Given the revised assumptions for sales growth as well as the investments in R&D, sales, marketing, general expenses, the associated working capital assumptions and the contract signed with Winance, Genomic Vision has the necessary resources for its business development throughout 2023.

As disclosed on May 20th, 2022, the Company has entered into a contract with Winance to establish a financing line by issuing convertible bonds (the "OC") into ordinary shares to each of which will be attached a share subscription warrant (the "BSA" and together with the shares to which they are attached the "ABSA" and with the OC the "OCABSA"), for a maximum total amount of 28.8 million (30 million nominal value). The extraordinary shareholders meeting of the Company held on May 23rd, 2022 approved the implementation of this financing line.

The Company can potentially use, as of March 31st, 2023, up to 23.96 million (25 million nominal value) out of its financing program. The main terms of this program structured in 15 tranches of OCABSA are described in the prospectus approved by the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) on May 20th, 2022 under no. 22-170, consisting of the universal registration document filed on April 14th, 2022 under number D.22-0293, the amendment to the universal registration document filed on May 20th, 2022 under number D.22-0293-A01, a transaction note and a summary, available at the Company's registered office (80/84 Rue des Meuniers, 92220 Bagneux), on the Company's website (www.genomicvision.com) and on that of the AMF (www.amf-france.org).

The investment and growth financing requirements are based on the following key strategic priorities:

Investment in R&D to strengthen ongoing projects and enlarge the Company's portfolio of applications.

1) Develop new and innovative solutions for the following markets:

Gene analysis, Gene Editing and Bioproduction Fundamental oncology focused clinical research

2) Improvement in the performance and design of new products:

New integrated and automated system from sample preparation to full analysis Automation on all instruments to improve user experience

Investment in Sales, Marketing and Support Teams:

1) Increase market coverage notably in the USA and Europe

2) Aim to sign large industrial partnerships to leverage Genomic Vision products and capabilities

Upcoming financial publications2

First Semester 2023 Financial Report: Friday September 29 th , 2023

, 2023 Q3 2023 Revenue: Tuesday November 14th, 2023

ABOUT GENOMIC VISION

GENOMIC VISION is a biotechnology company developing products and services dedicated to the structural and functional analysis of genome modifications as well as to the quality and safety control of these modifications, in particular in genome editing technologies and biomanufacturing processes. Genomic Vision proprietary products and services, based on DNA combing technology and artificial intelligence, provide robust quantitative measurements needed for high confidence characterization of DNA alteration in the genome. These products and services are also used for monitoring DNA replication in cells to improve anti-cancerous drugs development. Genomic Vision, based near Paris in Bagneux, is a public company listed in compartment C of Euronext's regulated market in Paris (Euronext: GV ISIN: FR0011799907).

For further information, please visit www.genomicvision.com

Member of the CAC Mid Small and CAC All-Tradable indexes

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENT

Genomic Vision has set up a financing line in the form of convertible notes with warrants (OCABSA) with Winance, which does not intend to remain a shareholder of the company, after receiving the shares resulting from the conversion or exercise of the securities.

The shares resulting from the conversion or exercise of the aforementioned securities will, in general, be sold on the market very quickly, which is likely to create strong downward pressure on the share price as well as a strong dilution.

Shareholders could therefore suffer a loss of their invested capital due to a significant decrease in the value of the company's shares. The company has carried out several dilutive financing operations, and investors are advised to be very careful before making a decision to invest in the company's securities.

This press release contains implicitly or explicitly certain forward-looking statements concerning Genomic Vision and its business. Such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions that Genomic Vision considers to be reasonable. However, there can be no assurance that such forward-looking statements will be verified, which statements are subject to numerous risks, including the risks set forth in the "Risk Factors" section of the universal registration document filed with the AMF on April 14, 2022 under reference number R.22-0293, as updated by the amendment filed with the AMF on May 20, 2022, under number D.22-0293-A01, available on the web site of Genomic Vision (www.genomicvision.com) and to the development of economic conditions, financial markets and the markets in which Genomic Vision operates. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are also subject to risks not yet known to Genomic Vision or not currently considered material by Genomic Vision. The occurrence of all or part of such risks could cause actual results, financial conditions, performance or achievements of Genomic Vision to be materially different from such forward-looking statements.

This press release and the information contained herein do not constitute and should not be construed as an offer or an invitation to sell or subscribe, or the solicitation of any order or invitation to purchase or subscribe for Genomic Vision shares in any country. The distribution of this press release in certain countries may be a breach of applicable laws. The persons in possession of this press release must inquire about any local restrictions and comply with these restrictions.

1 Unaudited figures

2 Indicativedate, subjecttochange.

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Contacts:

Genomic Vision

Aaron Bensimon

CEO

Tel.: +33 1 49 08 07 51

Email: investisseurs@genomicvision.com

Ulysse Communication

Media Relations

Bruno Arabian

Tel.: +33 1 42 68 29 70

barabian@ulysse-communication.com

Consilium Strategic Communications

International Investor Relations

& Strategic Communications

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700

GenomicVision@consilium-comms.com

NewCap

Investor Relations

Tel.: +33 1 44 71 94 94

Email: gv@newcap.eu
Current Chairman, Dr Alessandro Riva, MD, to become Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Hedi Ben Brahim to retire as CEO.

Decision made by AstraZeneca to terminate the oncolytic virus R&D collaboration.

Transgene remains focused on its strategic priorities.

Conference call to be held today at 4:00 p.m. CEST 10:00 a.m. EST (details below)

Regulatory News:

Transgene (Euronext Paris: TNG), a biotech company that designs and develops virus-based immunotherapeutics against cancer, announced that the Board has appointed Dr Alessandro Riva, MD, as the Company's new Chairman and CEO to accelerate the development of its innovative immunotherapy portfolio. Alessandro Riva, who has been the Chairman of Transgene's Board of Directors since May 2022, will replace Hedi Ben Brahim, effective June 1st, 2023.

The Board has appointed Dr Alessandro Riva, MD, as the Company's new Chairman and CEO to accelerate the development of Transgene's innovative immunotherapy portfolio. Alessandro Riva has been the Chairman of the Company's Board of Directors since May 2022.

Dr. Riva has an outstanding track record in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, leading to the approval of innovative oncology treatments in the US and in Europe. He aims to work closely with Transgene's Board of Directors and the whole organization to realize the potential of the Company's product portfolio to benefit patients with solid tumors.

Dr Alessandro Riva, new CEO and Chairman of the Board, commented: "I am excited to become the CEO of Transgene at this crucial time in the company's development. The promising early results that we have generated with our therapeutic vaccines, using both personalized and shared tumor antigens, and oncolytic viral therapies have the potential to transform the treatment and the lives of many patients suffering from solid tumors.

I look forward to working with the team to unlock the full value of our innovative pipeline. I would like to thank Hedi Ben Brahim for his commitment to Transgene. I am convinced that Transgene is currently positioned in very attractive fields of immunotherapy and that we can build upon the considerable progress that the company has achieved over the last two years."

Hedi Ben Brahim said: "Alessandro is the best person to bring Transgene to a new level based on the recent progress of our product portfolio. It has been an honor and a pleasure to work with such a great team. I will be working closely with Alessandro to ensure a smooth transition."

Dr. Riva's appointment will be effective on June 1st, 2023. Hedi Ben Brahim will retire from the CEO position, which he has held since January 2021, and will stay on as a strategic advisor until the transition is complete.

Further details of Dr Riva's biography are at the end of this release.

Transgene's strategic priority remains to deliver on the significant potential of its innovative pipeline of therapeutic cancer vaccines and oncolytic viruses

Transgene's strategy builds upon the recent promising clinical data obtained for all of its key assets and accelerating their development towards registration.

Therapeutic cancer vaccine pipeline

New Phase I results for TG4050, a highly innovative individualized cancer vaccine currently assessed HPV-negative head and neck cancer patients (adjuvant setting) were recently presented at AACR 2023 and in a subsequent KOL call held on 19 April 2023.

Based on these very encouraging data, Transgene confirms its decision to move forward with the development of TG4050.

For TG4001, Transgene's most advanced therapeutic cancer vaccine, the positive outcome of the interim analysis of the Phase II trial in HPV-positive cancers, announced in November 2022, serves as a basis to prepare a potentially registrational trial in an HPV-positive indication.

Oncolytic virus platform AstraZeneca Collaboration Update

The Company has been informed by AstraZeneca of its decision to terminate its oncolytic virus research and development collaboration with Transgene that was signed in 2019.

The decision was made by AstraZeneca following a strategic review of its pipeline.

Following termination, Transgene will regain the global rights to the oncolytic virus drug candidate that was in-licensed by AstraZeneca in December 2021. This intravenous drug candidate has been granted a US IND.

This decision has limited impact on Transgene's financial guidance. The Company confirms its financial visibility until early 2024.

Dr Alessandro Riva commented: "Through the research that we have conducted as part of our collaboration with AstraZeneca, we have been able to advance our Invir.IO oncolytic virus platform technology resulting in the design of novel oncolytic viral drug candidates. Transgene remains confident that this unique platform has the potential to generate intravenous drug candidates that can safely deliver significant treatment improvements to cancer patients through their three-pronged mechanism of action."

Initial clinical data on Transgene's Invir.IO oncolytic virus drug candidates were presented by Transgene, including at the recent AACR annual conference. They confirm their ability to be safely administered to patients, including via intravenous administration.

In addition, Transgene's Invir.IO oncolytic viral backbone has been shown, when given intravenously, to reach the tumors of interest, replicate selectively within cancer cells, express a functional payload in the tumor micro-environment and induce anti-tumor immune mechanisms.

Transgene is continuing to develop two clinical-stage Invir.IO based oncolytic viruses:

TG6050, a novel oncolytic virus expressing IL-12 and anti-CTLA4 antibody in clinical development for the treatment of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer via intravenous administration. The Delivir Phase I trial is currently enrolling its first patients.

BT-001, which encodes BioInvent's anti-CTLA4 antibody that is being assessed in an ongoing Phase I trial injectable tumors, including melanoma.

Compensation of the Chairman and CEO changes to the "say-on-pay" resolutions during today's shareholders' meeting

In connection with the combination of the roles of Chairman and CEO and the appointment of Dr Riva to this position, the 2023 compensation of the Chairman and CEO is going to be revised.

The Compensation Committee, which met to discuss this change of governance, proposed to the Board of Directors that the Chairman's specific compensation (100,000) lapse and that the Chairman and CEO's compensation be set at 600,000 (from 240,000 currently, for the CEO's position only). The other elements of the CEO's 2023 compensation package will remain unchanged for the Chairman and CEO. The Board of Directors, acting on the recommendation of the Compensation Committee, approved this proposal, which reflects the expertise that Dr. Riva will bring to the Company at this key juncture, and which is in line with the international market for top biotech executives.

The annual shareholders' meeting of Transgene is taking place today, at 9:00 am. The required "say-on-pay" ex ante resolutions are on the agenda. To effect the change in the Chairman and CEO compensation for 2023 described above, it is proposed to amend the relevant resolutions (n 9, 10 and 11). This will take place during the course of the meeting, through a shareholder' s proposal.

Dr Alessandro Riva, MD Biography

Dr. Riva has nearly 30 years' experience in the Life Sciences industry. He was CEO of Intima Bioscience which specializes in cell therapies for solid cancers and was previously CEO of Ichnos Sciences.

Dr Riva was also Executive Vice President (EVP), Global Head of Oncology Therapeutics and Cell Gene Therapy at Gilead Sciences, where he was instrumental in the acquisition of Kite Pharma and led its integration and growth. He also managed the US and EU approvals of Yescarta, the first approved CAR-T cell therapy for adult patients with diffuse large B cell lymphoma.

Prior to Gilead, Dr. Riva was EVP, Global Head of Oncology Development and Medical Affairs at Novartis Pharmaceuticals.

Dr. Riva currently serves on the Boards of BeiGene and Century Therapeutics. He received his bachelor's degree in medicine and surgery from the University of Milan and a certificate board in oncology and hematology from the same institution.

A conference call in English is scheduled today at 4:00 p.m. CEST (10:00 a.m. EST) Webcast link to English language conference call: https://channel.royalcast.com/landingpage/transgene/20230505_2/ Participant telephone numbers: France: +33 (0) 1 7037 7166 Confirmation code: Transgene United Kingdom: +44 (0) 33 0551 0200 United States: +1 786 697 3501 A replay of the call will be available on the Transgene website (www.transgene.fr) following the live event.

About Transgene

Transgene (Euronext: TNG) is a biotechnology company focused on designing and developing targeted immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer. Transgene's programs utilize viral vector technology with the goal of indirectly or directly killing cancer cells.

The Company's clinical-stage programs consist of a portfolio of therapeutic vaccines and oncolytic viruses:

TG4050, the first individualized therapeutic vaccine based on the myvac platform, TG4001 for the treatment of HPV-positive cancers, as well as TG6002, BT-001 and TG6050, three oncolytic viruses based on the Invir.IO viral backbone.

With Transgene's myvac platform, therapeutic vaccination enters the field of precision medicine with a novel immunotherapy that is fully tailored to each individual. The myvac approach allows the generation of a virus-based immunotherapy that encodes patient-specific mutations identified and selected by Artificial Intelligence capabilities provided by its partner NEC.

With its proprietary platform Invir.IO, Transgene is building on its viral vector engineering expertise to design a new generation of multifunctional oncolytic viruses.

Additional information about Transgene is available at: www.transgene.fr

Follow us on social media: Twitter: @TransgeneSA LinkedIn: @Transgene

Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. The occurrence of any of these risks could have a significant negative outcome for the Company's activities, perspectives, financial situation, results, regulatory authorities' agreement with development phases, and development. The Company's ability to commercialize its products depends on but is not limited to the following factors: positive pre-clinical data may not be predictive of human clinical results, the success of clinical studies, the ability to obtain financing and/or partnerships for product manufacturing, development and commercialization, and marketing approval by government regulatory authorities. For a discussion of risks and uncertainties which could cause the Company's actual results, financial condition, performance or achievements to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, please refer to the Risk Factors ("Facteurs de Risque") section of the Universal Registration Document, available on the AMF website (http://www.amf-france.org) or on Transgene's website (www.transgene.fr). Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and Transgene undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504006105/en/

Contacts:

Transgene:

Lucie Larguier

Director Corporate Communications IR

+33 (0)3 88 27 91 04

investorrelations@transgene.fr

Media Transgene:

MEDiSTRAVA Consulting

David Dible/Sylvie Berrebi

+44 (0)203 928 6900

transgene@medistrava.com
LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Halma plc (HLMA.L), the global group of life-saving technology companies, on Friday announced that it has agreed to acquire Rzeszow, Poland-based Sewertronics Sp. Z o.o. Sewertronics' technology repairs and rehabilitates wastewater pipelines without the need to dig a trench, by inserting a lining into the pipe, which is then cured using its innovative and patented ultraviolet (UV) LED technology. The initial cash consideration for Sewertronics is 41 million on a cash- and debt-free basis, to be funded from Halma's existing facilities. Additional considerations of up to 18 million may be payable in cash, based on the fulfilment of certain conditions. The deal, which is subject to certain closing conditions, is expected to be completed by the end of May 2023. Sewertronics' unaudited revenue for the 12 months to 31 December 2022 was 8.1 million. Further, the company stated that Sewertronics will be a standalone company within Halma's Environmental & Analysis sector, and will collaborate with Minicam and Dancutter, existing Halma portfolio companies, who operate in the same end-user markets. 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.
THE HAGUE (dpa-AFX) - Ithaca Energy (IAE.L) has signed an agreement with Shell U.K. Limited which defines a marketing process for Shell's 30% working interest in Cambo. Ithaca Energy would retain at least a 50% working interest in Cambo and will remain the operator of the asset. The Cambo field is an undeveloped oil and gas discovery in the UK North Sea, located in the West of Shetland region. Shell's Senior Vice President, UK Upstream, Simon Roddy, said: 'Following an internal review, we have decided to sell our 30% working interest in Cambo and have agreed a process with Ithaca Energy for the sale of Shell's stake in the field this year.' The agreement provides an option for Shell to sell any remaining portion of its own stake, which is not sold to a third party to Ithaca Energy, following the conclusion of the marketing process, that will run six months from the date of signing the agreement. 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.
- 2022 revenue reached 128.998 bln yuan, first time surpassing 100 bln yuan

- Net profit in 2022 stands at 14.812 bln yuan, up 63.02% y-o-y

- LONGi says its 2023 revenue expected to surpass 160 bln yuan

XI'AN, China, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- LONGi Green Energy Technology, a global leading renewable energy company, released its annual report for 2022 and 2023 Q1. According to the financial report, the company achieved a revenue of 128.998 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year increase of 60.03%. This is the first time that LONGi's yearly revenue stands above the 100 billion yuan level.





For the first quarter of 2023, LONGi's revenue reached 28.319 billion yuan, up 52.35% from last year. In the report, LONGi announced that its 2023 revenue is expected to surpass 160 bln yuan.

LONGi's 2022 net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 14.812 billion yuan, a y-o-y increase of 63.02%. Its net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company after deducting non-recurring gains and losses was 14.414 billion yuan, a y-o-y increase of 63.31%.

The report shows that in 2022 LONGi has produced a total of 85.06GW of monocrystalline silicon wafers, including 42.52GW for external sales and 42.54GW for internal use, steadily ranking 1st in global shipments of monocrystalline silicon wafers for 9 consecutive years. In 2022, LONGi produced 46.76GW of monocrystalline silicon modules, including 46.08GW for external sales and 0.68GW for internal use, steadily ranking 1st in global shipments of modules and market share for 3 consecutive years.

During the reporting period, LONGi's net cash flow from operating activities was 24.37 billion yuan, an increase of 97.77% y-o-y. The company's monetary funds was 54.372 billion yuan, accounting for 38.96% of total assets, with a y-o-y increase of 86.38%.

From 2020 to 2022, LONGi's asset-liability ratio was 59.38%, 51.31% and 55.39% respectively. The company adheres to a prudent business philosophy and maintains a reasonable asset liability ratio. And the company's weighted average net return on assets is 27.23%, 21.45% and 26.95% respectively.

Since its IPO in 2012 to September 2022, LONGi has invested over 18 billion yuan on R&D. By the end of 2022, the company has obtained 2,132 patents. LONGi now has a team of 4,036 employees for R&D and technological innovation, accounting for 6.66% of its entire global staff.

During the reporting period, LONGi has set a new world record of p-type HJT silicon solar cell efficiency at 26.81%, certified by the Institut fur Solarenergieforschung in Hameln (ISFH). And the maximum mass production efficiency of its innovative module product Hi-MO 6 exceeds 23.2%. LONGi has made continuous breakthroughs in the industrialization of new high-efficiency solar cells, the R&D of original module technologies, and the transformation of industrial achievements.

By the end of 2022, LONGi's production capacity for monocrystalline silicon wafers, cells, and modules have respectively reached 133GW, 50GW, and 85GW.

The report also shows that LONGi has accelerated digital transformation and smart manufacturing development. With the transformation and upgrade of its manufacturing units and production lines, the company has reduced costs and improved efficiency.

The company has also announced its goals for 2023, with the company's production capacity for monocrystalline silicon wafers expected to expand to 190GW, monocrystalline silicon cells expected to expand to 110GW, and monocrystalline silicon modules expected to expand to 130GW.

For product shipments, LONGi is expected to achieve 130GW of monocrystalline silicon wafers (internal use included) and 85GW of monocrystalline silicon modules (internal use included).

LONGi said the company had achieved sustained and stable growth by ensuring product delivery, and the company had proactively undertaken the pressure of higher costs of raw materials. With the expansion of production capacity and the increased output of silicon materials, silicon materials prices of the industrial chain have returned to normal levels. The company is expected to achieve good performance in 2023.

For international markets, LONGi said the company has increased investment and accelerated the construction and upgrade of high-efficiency production lines in China to satisfy the increasingly diversified needs of the clients. The company has also optimized its investment internationally, including increasing investment in its production base in Kuching in Malaysia and completing the upgrade of its production base in Vietnam. The company is working to improve its production and operation capabilities internationally to satisfy the growing market demand outside of China.





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Seven Prominent Institutional Investors Join Clarity AI to Discuss Challenges and Opportunities in Sustainable Finance

Clarity AI, the leading sustainability tech platform, recently held its inaugural Customer Advisory Board Meeting for investment managers. The event brought together prominent companies in the industry, including Lazard, Metlife, Invesco, PGIM, La Francaise, Lansforsakringar, and Santander, to discuss pressing issues related to sustainability and ESG analytics.

Led by a group of Clarity AI's executives, including Mark Coriaty, Global Head of Solutions, Angel Agudo, VP of Product, Lorenzo Saa, Chief Sustainability Officer, and Patricia Pina, Head of Product Research Innovation, the meeting tackled several key issues related to sustainable finance.

The board stressed the importance of allowing investors to build their own sustainable investment methodologies, and suggested finding ways to compare these approaches with others in the industry, which Clarity AI can support today with its Sustainable Investment product which defines whether a security is sustainable or not according to SFDR's Article 2(17). It was also noted that Clarity AI is uniquely positioned as a tech player in a legacy industry to continue to rapidly adapt to regulatory changes at scale and to continue to provide coverage and capabilities based on customer needs, including areas that are emergent, such as biodiversity.

"The inaugural Customer Advisory Board Meeting was a great success," said Lorenzo Saa, Chief Sustainability Officer at Clarity AI. "It provided valuable insights into the challenges facing the industry and highlighted the need for collaboration between industry players and third-party providers to drive progress towards sustainability. We are excited to work with our customers to tackle these challenges and drive positive change."

The event was a significant milestone for Clarity AI, as it showcased the company's commitment to working with industry players to drive progress towards sustainability. The meeting provided a forum for investment managers to share their experiences and challenges, and to work collaboratively with Clarity AI to develop solutions.

About Clarity AI

Clarity AI is a sustainability technology platform that uses machine learning and big data to deliver environmental and social insights to investors, organizations, and consumers. As of November 2022, Clarity AI's platform analyzes more than 50,000 companies, 320,000 funds, 198 countries and 188 local governments two to thirteen times more than any other player in the market and delivers data and analytics for investing, consumer research, corporate research and reporting for sustainability regulations worldwide. Clarity AI has offices in North America, Europe and the Middle East, and its investor client network manages tens of trillions in assets under management, while its consumer partnerships allow it to be part of millions of daily ecommerce transactions and to reach hundreds of millions of consumers at over 400,000 merchants.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005025/en/

Contacts:

Media Contact

Edelman

clarityAI@edelmansmithfield.com
After ten years, Campari is announcing the evolution redesign of its bottle inspired by Milano , birthplace of the Aperitivo ritual, with an innovative and timeless design.

To mark the occasion, on May 4th and 5th, Campari will light up the Milanese skyline with a never seen before display of illuminated drones flying over Parco Sempione.

The event marks Campari's support for the City of Milano in the reopening and renovation project of the Nuovo Cinema Orchidea, with the aim of bringing one of the city's important cultural landmarks back to life.

MILAN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Campari celebrates the bond that has always existed between the brand and its hometown, Milano, with the launch of the new Campari bottle design inspired by a shared history that began in 1860. To mark this occasion, a never seen before drone show will light up the Milanese sky with the unmistakable Campari Red on the evenings of Thursday, May 4, and Friday, May 5. This special tribute will demonstrate how the stories of the brand and of Milano are closely connected and united by the same innovative and pioneering spirit that, over time, has made them style icons.





In fact, since its creation the Campari bottle has been changing shape and evolving alongside the city, drawing continuous inspiration from it. The new bottle, inspired by Milano, reflects the sleek, minimalist fashion and contemporary design that the city is known for - it is a visual homage to the city, combining effortlessness and understated elegance, just like Milano itself. The direction of the lines, with a modern and direct cut, symbolize the journey of the Aperitivo ritual from Milano to the rest of the world, leading the eye to the city's name in the center of the bottle. In addition, the dynamic movement and the tapering of the lines reflects the vitality and transformation over time that Milano and Campari have undergone together, from the past to the future, with an innovative and forward-thinking approach.

To launch the new bottle, on May 4th and 5th Campari will host the largest drone show ever seen in Europe, lighting up the city's skyline, specifically Sempione Park - viewed from across the city. The display will last 12 minutes and bring the iconic Milanese symbols to life through a spectacular show of illuminations. "With this event and the presentation of the new Campari bottle, we wanted to pay homage to Milano, its resourcefulness and its excitement, traits that deeply bind it to the spirit of our brand"- explains Julka Villa, Campari's Global Head of Marketing -"Not only seeing the sky of Milano lit up in red through an incredible spectacle, but also with a concrete contribution by investing in a cultural project that will further enrich this city to support the art of filmmaking, something that has always been part of Campari's soul."

The harmonious union of two icons, Campari and Milano has continued for more than 160 years, a sign that the brand has found the city to be the perfect ally: a combination of modern and historical, classical and pioneering, entrepreneurial and enjoyable, reflecting the very essence of Campari. Milano can encompass creative souls of the most diverse facets, from the world of design to that of art and cinema. And it is precisely in this last art form that Campari's love for the city comes to fruition, through its support to the City of Milano and the reopening project of the historic Cinema Orchidea located on Via Terraggio, a few meters from the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio. After over 60 years of service and definitive closure in 2009, it will once again become an important center as an audiovisual and cultural reference point. Campari, which has always chosen film as a means of communication used to express the essence of the brand and its Red Passion, is committed to the establishment of new projects with a high social impact, in addition to the support of existing ones.

The brand's bond with the city will also be celebrated through the special cocktail list of the Camparino in Galleria, the famous Milanese venue founded in 1915 by Davide Campari overlooking Piazza Duomo, an icon and symbol of the Milanese aperitif par excellence.

www.campari.com

https://www.youtube.com/EnjoyCampari

https://www.facebook.com/Campari

https://instagram.com/campariofficial

Media Contacts

ABOUT CAMPARI

Campari, the iconic, unforgettable Italian red spirit sitting at the heart of some of the world's most famous cocktails. Campari was founded in Milan in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, and pioneered by his son, Davide, who created something so distinctive and revolutionary that its secret recipe has not been altered since. Vibrant red in colour, Campari's unique and multi-layered taste is the result of the infusion of herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. As well as being unique and distinctive, Campari is extremely versatile, offering boundless and unexpected possibilities. As a source of this passionate inspiration since its creation seen through its founders' creative genius, artists in different fields and the world's best bartenders, Campari stimulates your instincts to unlock your passions, inspiring limitless creations.?

ABOUT CAMPARI GROUP??

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. Campari Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 22 countries. Campari Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: http://www.camparigroup.com/en Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

ABOUT CAMPARINO

Camparino in Galleria is the legendary bar opened by Davide Campari in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in 1915. The bar was opened opposite to Caffe Campari, the establishment opened by Gaspare Campari - Davide's father and the creator of the bitter liqueur - in 1867. An instant hit with the people of Milan, the bar became synonymous with the city's aperitivo tradition and in 2015 marked its 100th anniversary. Following a renovation project, the bar reopens to the public in autumn 2019 with a refreshed identity and food and drink offering designed to consolidate its status as one of the most influential establishments in the world for lovers of mixology and gastronomic innovation.

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Industry veteran Marco Reggiani joins as CEO

Thaleia will support the energy transition and the national energy security also through acquisitions, building on its initial focus on gas

MILAN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP ("Davidson Kempner"), a global investment management firm, and One33 SpA ("One33"), a key operating partner for Italy, announce the launch of Thaleia, a dedicated energy transition infrastructure platform, with a strong focus on supporting national and European energy security and resilience.

Thaleia will be led by Marco Reggiani, both as CEO and General Manager, an industry veteran with 25 years' experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He previously held leadership roles including Chairman at Stogit, the largest Italian player in gas storage and among the largest players in Europe, and Chairman at Italgas, Italy's leading gas distribution operator. He also served as General Counsel of Snam.

Thaleia's establishment follows Davidson Kempner's acquisition, with One33's support, of the "Cugno le Macine Stoccaggio" natural gas storage concession in Basilicata. Thaleia aims to develop the full potential of the largest natural gas storage site in southern Italy.

"The European goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 cannot be achieved through individual actions alone. It will require a structural effort involving the whole energy supply chain, in collaboration with the worlds of industry, agriculture, and infrastructure. The energy system is changing radically to achieve sustainability goals, and natural gas is playing a crucial role in enabling this, while delivering a response to global growing energy demands," said Mr. Reggiani. "Moreover, the international geopolitical evolution clearly shows the need for increasing supply chain security and demonstrates how the availability of affordable energy is increasingly central to the long-term sustainability of the economic and production systems."

Thaleia's main objective is to build an energy and infrastructure platform on a European scale with a particular focus on the Mediterranean region. The growth strategy is grounded in an ambitious acquisition plan implemented in full collaboration with the governments and local communities in the countries where Thaleia will operate. This approach has been successfully implemented by Davidson Kempner in the energy transition space before, most notably with Nature Energy, a Danish company that was previously owned by several municipalities and which has since become a world leader in biomethane production.

Further information on Thaleia is available at www.thaleia.it

About Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP

Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP is a global investment management firm with more than 39 years of experience and a focus on fundamental investing with a multi-strategy approach. Davidson Kempner has approximately $38 billion in assets under management and over 500 employees across seven offices: New York, Philadelphia, London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Mumbai. Additional information is available at: www.davidsonkempnere.com

About One33

One33 is a key operating partner for Davidson Kempner's corporate investments in Italy. Davidson Kempner and One33 have been working together on a specific investment strategy for Italy focused on special situations where One33 can provide sophisticated structuring technical solutions and intense operational activity contributing to develop important and ambitious projects capable of playing a significant role in the transformation of industrial sectors. Additional information is available at: www.one33.it

Press Contacts

Greenbrook

Rob White/Matthew Goodman/Teresa Berezowski

Email: DavidsonKempner@greenbrookadvisory.com

Tel: +44 207 952 2000

Community

Roberto Patriarca

Email: davidsonkempner@community.it

Tel: + 39 335 6509568

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/davidson-kempner-and-one33-launch-thaleia-a-european-platform-dedicated-to-the-energy-transition-301816444.html
5 May 2023

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC

("Ananda" or the "Company")

Shareholder Update, Redemption of Loan Notes and Transfer and Exercise of Warrants

Ananda's ambition is to be a leading provider of high-quality cannabis-based medicines for the treatment of complex, chronic inflammatory pain conditions.

Highlights

Tender documents are being finalised for construction of GMP1 cannabis processing facility, for release to shortlisted construction companies

Acceleration of the genetic stabilisation programme

Early indications of superior plants from stable seeds compared with clones

MRX1 cannabidiol based unlicensed medical cannabis oil now agreed in principle to be listed with three medical cannabis clinics

Ananda's CEO, Melissa Sturgess, commented: "The highlight of the month has been to see the quality of our cannabis plants grown from second-generation pure-bred seed genetics, compared with the same cultivar grown from clones. The results are excellent. We believe our strain stabilisation programme and plan to cultivate in the long term from stable seeds is a key part of a sound strategy."

Commercial

DJT medical cannabis flower, cultivation, and processing

On site this month, the team at DJT Plants Limited ("DJT") has been preparing the tunnels for the 2023 cultivation activities. This work has been more intensive compared with preparations for last year's trial cultivation. The 2023 cultivation will be conducted to comply with GACP (Good Agricultural and Collection Practice) to ensure the cultivation team gains experience in these processes ahead of commercial growing, subject to the requisite licences being obtained. Three cultivars have been selected from the results of the 2022 trials and these plants are currently being readied for planting. The cannabinoid profiles of these cultivars have been identified by UK based medical cannabis specialised prescribers as having the potential to fulfil unmet medical needs. Following recent scientific findings that balanced THC:CBD cultivars have been efficacious in the treatment of cancer pain, DJT confirms that balanced strains are included in the 2023 plans.

MRX: cannabidiol based medical cannabis oils

MRX has continued to engage with medical cannabis prescribing clinics ahead of product launch and has now received agreements in principle for three clinics to carry MRX1, its first cannabidiol based unlicensed cannabis medicine.

Research

DJT Genetic Stabilisation

As previously mentioned in Company announcements, there have been several recent breakthroughs in the Company's genetic stabilisation programme. These breakthroughs relate to:

The agents used to encourage male flowers to appear on a female cannabis plant, and The method used to pollinate the plant with itself.

These method changes have now been implemented across the programme for several months and have led to a 50 per cent reduction in the time taken to move from one generation to the next. The method changes have also increased the number of seeds collected per plant by 100 per cent and have also improved the quality of the collected seeds.

The second generation of seeds from the self-crossing programme were planted on 30 March 2023 and, for comparison purposes, several clones of the same cultivar were also planted at the same time. The second-generation seeds have 3 more generations of self-crossing to complete before they are considered stable, however the difference between the seeds and clones at this point is significant. The seed grown plants demonstrate enhanced vigour, faster growth, expansive leaves, and a stronger root system when compared with the plants grown from clones, which exhibit an absence of tap root, age-related stress, and shorter, thicker leaves.

These findings provide the Directors with confidence that cultivars grown from stable seed genetics in a commercial environment will be better performers than cultivars grown from clones. These findings show that propagating cannabis from seed leads to enhanced plant vigour, faster growth rates and strong root systems, with the likelihood of superior yields and plant health. Additionally, seed propagation has increased disease resistance, reducing the likelihood of pests and diseases which can compromise crop success. Producing seeds, storing them, and sprouting them requires orders of magnitude less space, time, and other resources.

Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) using MRX1 cannabidiol based medical cannabis oil

The Company's MRX1 medical cannabidiol oil formulation is being prepared for stability trials for the CIPN (Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy) and endometriosis RCTs to be conducted by the University of Edinburgh. The preparation work includes technical manufacturing documentation and validation of analytical methods to ensure the IMP (Investigative Medicinal Product) meets the MHRA Clinical Trial requirements for IMPD (Investigational Medicinal Product Dossier) submission.

Redemption of Loan Notes and Transfer and Exercise of Warrants

Ananda is pleased to announce that the Company has redeemed, in full, the 550,000 of 12.5% Convertible Loan Notes ("CLNs") issued by the Company in July 2021 ("Redemption"). The CLNs have been redeemed alongside the exercise of 137,500,000 warrants to subscribe for ordinary shares of 0.2p each in the Company ("Ordinary Shares"; Warrant Shares"), as part of a transaction which is cash neutral for the Company.

Redemption of CLNs

The Company has redeemed the CLNs at par for a total cash cost of 550,000. Interest on the CLNs, which had been accruing at the rate of 12.5% per annum and was due to be settled in Ordinary Shares at the end of the CLNs' life, has been waived by the holders of the CLNs.

Transfer and Exercise of Warrants

On 19 December 2022, Charles Morgan, Chairman of the Company, was issued with, amongst other things, 574,084,000 warrants to subscribe for Ordinary Shares at a price of 0.4p per share (the "Warrants").

To facilitate Redemption and simplify the capital structure of Ananda, Charles Morgan has transferred 137,500,000 of the Warrants held by him to the holders of the CLNs, pro rata to their holdings of CLNs and for nil consideration.

In return, the holders of the CLNs have used the proceeds from Redemption to exercise the Warrants transferred to them. Accordingly, a total of 137,500,000 Warrant Shares have been issued at a price of 0.4p per share, generating gross proceeds of 550,000 for the Company.

Concert Party Interests

Charles Morgan, Ananda's Chairman and Melissa Sturgess, Ananda's Chief Executive Officer, each held 125,000 of CLNs, which have been redeemed, and each have been allotted 31,250,000 Warrant Shares following the exercise of the Warrants transferred to them.

Charles Morgan and Melissa Sturgess (who are members of the Concert Party as defined in the circular to Ananda shareholders dated 24 November 2022) are husband and wife and therefore regarded as a single shareholder for the purposes of the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers (the "Code"). Following the exercise of the Warrants by them, Charles Morgan and Melissa Sturgess will together be interested in 1,532,667,014 Ordinary Shares, representing 53.33 per cent of the Enlarged Issued Share Capital.

For so long as Charles Morgan and Melissa Sturgess together hold shares carrying more than 50 per cent of the Company's voting share capital, they may, whether or not the Concert Party still exists, increase their interest in the Ordinary Shares in the Company without incurring any obligation under Rule 9 of the Code to make a general offer for the remaining shares.

Application for Admission

Application will be made for the Warrant Shares to be admitted to trading on the AQSE Growth Market and admission is expected to become effective on 11 May 2023.

The Warrant Shares will, on admission, rank pari passu in all respects with the Ordinary Shares in issue and will rank in full for all dividends and other distributions hereafter declared, paid, or made on the ordinary share capital of the Company.

Total Voting Rights

Following the exercise of the Warrants, Ananda has 2,873,847,451 Ordinary Shares in issue, each share carrying the right to one vote.

This figure of 2,873,847,451 Ordinary Shares may be used by shareholders in the Company as the denominator for the calculations by which they will determine if they are required to notify their interest in, or a change to their interest in, the share capital of the Company under the FCA's Disclosure and Transparency Rules.

To stay abreast of the latest developments at Ananda, we encourage you to follow our social media channels which are:

 Instagram: https://instagram.com/anandadevelopments?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/anadevelopments/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/anandaplc's=21&t=9yeIC_xYCfzgDn7j26sfuA

-Ends-

The Directors of the Company accept responsibility for the contents of this announcement.

ANANDA DEVELOPMENTS PLC



Chief Executive Officer

Melissa Sturgess



Chief Operating Officer

Jeremy Sturgess-Smith +44 (0)7463 686 497

ir@anandadevelopments.com PETERHOUSE CAPITAL LIMTED



Corporate Finance

Mark Anwyl



Corporate Broking

Lucy Williams

Duncan Vasey +44 (0)20 7469 0930

About Ananda Developments

Ananda is an AQSE-listed medical cannabis company whose ambition is to be a leading provider of high-quality medical cannabis for the treatment of complex, chronic inflammatory pain conditions for the UK and international markets.

For more information, please visit: https://anandadevelopments.com

Market Abuse Regulation (MAR) Disclosure

The information contained within this announcement is deemed by the Company to constitute inside information. Upon the publication of this announcement via a Regulatory Information Service, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
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.
Coty to explore a dual listing on the Paris Stock Exchange

Coty CEO, Sue Y. Nabi, enters new long-term equity program and employment agreement through 2030

Coty will report its fiscal 2023 Q3 earnings on Tuesday, May 9th

Coty Inc. (NYSE: COTY) one of the world's largest beauty companies with a portfolio of iconic brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, skin and body care, today announces that its board of directors ("Board") has authorized the Company's management to explore a listing on the Paris Stock Exchange (PAR). If the Company initiates a listing process, Coty Inc. would become a dual listed company on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and on the Paris Stock Exchange (PAR), further strengthening Coty's presence in Europe and providing an additional vehicle to reach untapped investors in the market. The structure aligns with Coty's 100+year heritage in France and its substantial business footprint in Europe.

Under the leadership of Sue Y. Nabi, Coty has made significant progress against its strategic objectives since they were announced in November 2021, reclaiming the company's status as a global beauty powerhouse. This progress is evidenced by 10 consecutive quarters of strong growth and results in line with or ahead of expectations; returning Coty's heritage consumer beauty brands CoverGirl, Bourjois, Max Factor, and Rimmel, to growth; the highly successful launches of fragrances for Burberry, Hugo Boss, Marc Jacobs, Gucci, and Chloe; solidifying Coty's position across the three core beauty categories by dramatically accelerating in skin care; and building momentum in China through the success of Gucci beauty, Burberry beauty and Lancaster. As a result of the effective implementation of this strategy, Coty is now financially stronger, with projected Free Cash Flow of over $400M in FY23 and on track to achieve leverage towards 3x exiting CY23. Recognition of this progress has been reflected in the quadrupling of Coty's market capitalization since Sue Y. Nabi's appointment in September 2020.

The Board is also pleased to announce the extension of its long-term partnership with Sue Y. Nabi, Coty's Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Nabi's renewed compensation agreement is anchored on a long-term equity program which runs through 2030. The agreement includes a significant portion of performance related shares alongside a performance related bonus, further aligning all stakeholders' interests.

"Paris is the historic home of beauty, and the industry still holds a special attraction for investors there. The Board's interest in exploring a potential listing on the Paris Stock Exchange has been made possible thanks to the progress Coty has made under Sue's leadership", said Peter Harf, Coty's Chairman. "We have seen consistent growth over the last 10 quarters, in line with or ahead of market expectations, underpinned by targeted investment, disciplined cost controls and a clear debt reduction program. The strength of this performance is testament to Sue's reputation as one of the beauty industry's most innovative and talented figures, and the leadership team she has built at Coty."

Sue Y. Nabi added, "As a long-term shareholder in the company, I am grateful to the Board for their continued support and trust, and delighted to have the opportunity of leading Coty through this next chapter of growth and value creation. We are committed to driving sustainable innovation across fragrance, color cosmetics and skincare as we rise to meet the consumer needs of the future, while simultaneously campaigning to change outdated definitions of beauty through the undefinebeauty campaign."

Coty will report its fiscal 2023 Q3 earnings on Tuesday, May 9th. Participants can register for the management's presentation at https://investors.coty.com/ which will be followed by Q&A.

About Coty Inc

Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty is one of the world's largest beauty companies with a portfolio of iconic brands across fragrance, color cosmetics, and skin and body care. Coty serves consumers around the world, selling prestige and mass market products in more than 130 countries and territories. Coty and our brands empower people to express themselves freely, creating their own visions of beauty; and we are committed to making a positive impact on the planet. Learn more at coty.com or on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements

The statements contained in this press release include certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the securities laws. These forward-looking statements reflect Coty's current views with respect to, among other things, its outlook, expected guidance, trends and strategic information. These forward-looking statements are generally identified by words or phrases, such as "anticipate," "are going to," "estimate," "plan," "project," "expect," "believe," "intend," "foresee," "forecast," "will," "may," "should," "outlook," "continue," "target," "aim," "potential" and similar words or phrases. These statements are based on certain assumptions and estimates that Coty considers reasonable and are not guarantees of Coty's future performance, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Coty's control, which could cause actual events or results to differ materially from such statements, including the factors identified in "Risk Factors" included in Coty's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022 and its subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. All forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date of this press release, and Coty does not undertake any obligation, other than as may be required by law, to update or revise any forward-looking or cautionary statements to reflect changes in assumptions, the occurrence of events, unanticipated or otherwise, or changes in future operating results over time or otherwise.

Coty provides guidance only on a non-GAAP basis and does not provide reconciliations of such forward-looking non-GAAP measures to GAAP due to the inherent difficulty in forecasting and quantifying certain amounts that are necessary for such reconciliation, including adjustments that could be made for restructuring, integration and acquisition-related expenses, amortization expenses, adjustments to inventory, and other charges reflected in our reconciliation of historic numbers, the amount of which, based on historical experience, could be significant.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005084/en/

Contacts:

Investor Relations

Olga Levinzon +1 212 389-7733

olga_levinzon@cotyinc.com

Media

Antonia Werther +31 621 394495

Antonia_Werther@cotyinc.com
LONDON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Takeaways-





This powder coatings market is anticipated to amplify with a CAGR of +7% over the assessment timeline.

The market will be influenced by two major factors - the imposition of stringent regulations aimed at reducing VOC emissions and the encouragement of the use of powder coatings through government initiatives.

Asia Pacific and North America to dominate the market in terms of revenue share.

and to dominate the market in terms of revenue share. Lower VOC emissions compared to liquid paints offer a strong business opportunity for market players, as they can comply easily as well as economically with the regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Get Sample of Report@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/downloadSample/PostId/2390

Competitive Hierarchy

The powder coatings market is dominated by a limited number of international players holding a significant share and numerous local players operating in individual countries. The major players in this market include Axalta Coating Systems LLC, Akzo Nobel NV, PPG Industries Inc., Jotun, and The Sherwin-Williams Company.

Segmental Outlook

The powder coatings market is divided into various segments based on resin type, end-user industry, and geography.

The market is categorized by resin type into epoxy, acrylic, polyurethane, polyester, epoxy-polyester, and other resin types.

Based on the end-user industry, the market is segmented into automotive, architecture and decorative, industrial, and other industries.

Get Methodology @ https://brandessenceresearch.com/requestMethodology/PostId/2390

Region-Wise Outlook

Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific region held the largest revenue share of the powder coatings market. The growth in infrastructure development in countries like China and India is anticipated to drive the demand for powder coating in architectural applications, such as aluminum extrusions utilized in kitchen windows, building facades, and doorframes. Nevertheless, the preference towards anodized aluminum extrusion is likely to hamper the overall powder coating's demand in architectural applications particularly in the Asia Pacific region in the near future.

North America

The North American market is expected to experience an increase in demand for powder coatings, mainly due to the growing automotive industry and rising concerns over VOC emissions released from coatings used in automobile production.

Elaborating The Key Trends and Dynamics of This Industry

Coatings serve a dual purpose of providing color and texture while also protecting and extending the shelf life of various objects. Powder coatings, in particular, offer several advantages over other types of coatings, including lower operating costs, immediate availability, minimal VOC emissions, consistent appearance, and even thickness. Additionally, they are easy to apply in thick layers, resulting in a smooth and uniform finish.

Major Growth Drivers

The architectural and building market is experiencing rapid growth in the use of powder coatings, largely due to their durability. This growth is further propelled by the expansion of polyester resin technology, particularly in the form of stable, low-gloss formulas, which has created opportunities for powder coating in the architectural market. With a wide range of colors and finishes available, many construction companies are now turning to powder coatings to provide long-lasting exterior finishes for outdoor venues and public works projects.

Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the production of raw materials used in the manufacturing of coatings and paints. Several major economies in the Asia Pacific region, including Japan, India, China, Thailand, and Singapore, are centers for the paints and coatings manufacturing industry. The pandemic has greatly impacted the supply of these raw materials negatively.

Opportunities

The rising population and increased disposable income of consumers have led to a surge in demand for various products such as furniture, automobiles, industrial and household appliances, electronics, and agricultural equipment. Powder coatings are being widely used to coat surfaces of these products, such as pipes, engine parts, metal parts used in household appliances, and others. Therefore, the growing demand for finished goods has resulted in an increasing demand for powder coatings in these countries.

Restraints

Faraday's cage effect: The application of powder coatings in certain areas, such as inside corners, can be challenging as it may impair the leveling and film flow. In addition, the "Faraday's cage effect" can occur, resulting in a low film thickness in these areas. This effect happens when electrically charged particles are attracted to the nearest point on the surface, causing fewer lines of powder to reach the deeper areas of the surface. As a result, thinner layers are formed in these areas, leading to potential coating defects. To overcome this limitation, solvent coatings such as paints are used to coat the substrate edges where powder coatings cannot be applied. However, this has restricted the growth of the powder coatings market, adversely affecting its growth.

On Special Requirement Powder Coatings Market Report is also available for below region:

North America

U.S, Canada

Europe

Germany , France , U.K., Italy , Spain , Sweden , Netherland, Turkey , Switzerland , Belgium , Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

South Korea , Japan , China , India , Australia , Philippines , Singapore , Malaysia , Thailand , Indonesia , Rest Of APAC

Latin America

Mexico , Colombia , Brazil , Argentina , Peru , Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Saudi Arabia , UAE, Egypt , South Africa , Rest Of MEA

Purchase Copy of Report @https://brandessenceresearch.com/Checkout?report_id=2390

Major Developments

Launches

In August 2022, PPG announced its plan to invest USD 11 million in doubling the manufacturing capacity of its powder coatings factory located in San Juan del Rio, Mexico. With the expansion project expected to be completed by mid-2023, the factory will be capable of meeting Mexico's projected demand for powder coatings.

In May 2022, AkzoNobel Powder Coatings unveiled a new range of ready-to-ship (RTS) powder coatings, primarily targeted towards the North American market. This range incorporates AkzoNobel's well-known powder coating brands, Resicoat and Interpon, and is specifically designed to cater to time-sensitive coating projects.

Acquisitions

In April 2022, PPG Industries acquired the powder coatings division of Arsonsisi, an industrial coatings company headquartered in Milan, Italy. Through this acquisition, PPG gains access to a state-of-the-art, highly automated powder production facility in Italy that is capable of producing both small and large batches of powder coatings.

Partnerships

In April 2021, a subsidiary of the Jababeka Group, PT Jababeka Morotai, partnered with the OISCA International College Foundation (OISCA International) to develop the Morotai Special Economic Zone (KEK) in the North Maluku Province of Indonesia. As part of this collaboration, a World War II monument and supporting facilities will be constructed within the KEK.

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M & A Advisory: Merger & Acquisition, and Capabilities

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Contact:

Mr.?Vishal Sawant?

Email:?vishal@brandessenceresearch.com?

Email:?Sales@brandessenceresearch.com?

Corporate Sales:?+44-2038074155?

Asia Office:?+917447409162

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EQS Post-admission Duties announcement: Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd. / Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG [the German Securities Trading Act]

Haier Smart Home Co.,Ltd.: Announcement on the Shareholdings of the Top Ten Shareholders and the Top Ten Shareholders without Selling Restrictions in the Share Repurchase



05.05.2023 / 13:48 CET/CEST

Dissemination of a Post-admission Duties announcement according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 WpHG transmitted by EQS News - a service of EQS Group AG.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Third country release according to Article 50 Para. 1, No. 2 of the WpHG

Announcement on the Shareholdings of the Top Ten Shareholders and the Top Ten Shareholders without Selling Restrictions in the Share Repurchase

Qingdao / Shanghai / Frankfurt / Hong Kong, 5 May 2023 - Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. (the "Company" or "Haier Smart Home", D-share 690D.DE, A-share 600690.SH, H-share 06690.HK) today published an announcement in accordance with applicable trading rules of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, and applicable PRC laws in relation to the Announcement on the Shareholdings of the Top Ten Shareholders and the Top Ten Shareholders without Selling Restrictions in the Share Repurchase.

The announcement is fully available at:

https://smart-home.haier.com/en/dggg/P020230505654454362100.pdf?appdesc=Announcement%20on%20the%20Shareholdings%20of%20the%20Top%20Ten%20Shareholders%20and%20the%20Top%20Ten%20Shareholders%20without%20Selling%20Restrictions%20in%20the%20Share%20Repurchase

IR Contact:

Haier Smart Home Hong Kong

T: +852 2169 0000

Email: ir@haier.hk

Press Contact:

CROSS ALLIANCE communication GmbH

Sara Pinto

Sven Pauly

pi@crossalliance.de

T: +49 (0) 89 1250903 35

About Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd.:

Haier is one of the world's leading manufacturers of household appliances with a focus on smart home solutions and customized production. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. develops, produces and distributes a wide range of household appliances. These include refrigerators, freezers, washing machines, air conditioners, water heaters, kitchen appliances as well as small household appliances and an extensive range of intelligent household appliances. The Company distributes its products through leading household brands such as Haier, Casarte, Leader, Candy, GE Appliances, AQUA and Fisher & Paykel. Haier Smart Home Co., Ltd. has launched Smart Home Experiential Cloud, which connects homes, users, enterprises and ecosystem partners, and facilitates the integration of Haier's online, offline and micro-store businesses and supports user interaction to further optimize the user experience.

05.05.2023 CET/CEST The EQS Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases.

Archive at www.eqs-news.com


THIS NEWS RELEASE IS INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION IN CANADA ONLY AND IS NOT INTENDED FOR DISTRIBUTION TO UNITED STATES NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Pelangio Exploration Inc. (TSXV:PX)(OTC PINK:PGXPF) ("Pelangio" or the "Company") announces that, subject to approval of the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSX-V"), it intends to extend the expiry date of certain of the Company's outstanding warrants (the "Warrants"). The Warrants were initially issued pursuant to a non-brokered private placement on May 19, 2020 and May 27, 2020 and initially extended in April 2022 until May 19, 2023. The Warrants' current and new expiry dates are detailed in the below chart.

Number of Warrants Outstanding Amended Expiry Date New Expiration Date 5,000,000 May 19, 2023 December 3, 2024 4,420,000 May 19, 2023 December 3, 2024

For further information concerning the original issuance of the Warrants, please refer to the press releases of the Company dated May 19, 2020, May 27, 2020, and April 14, 2022.

In connection with the extension of the Warrants to December 3, 2024, the Warrants will also be deemed to have been amended to include an acceleration provision whereby, if at any time following each Warrant's original expiry date (i.e., May 19, 2023), the volume weighted average price of the Company's common shares on the TSX Venture Exchange is equal to or greater than $0.30 for a period of 15 consecutive trading days, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by disseminating a press release, and in such case the Warrants will expire at 5:00 p.m. on the 20th day after the date on which such press release is disseminated. All other terms and conditions of the Warrants, including the exercise price of the Warrants, remain unchanged. The Warrant extension is subject to acceptance by the TSX-V.

A total of 425,000 Warrants are held by Ingrid Hibbard (President, CEO, and a director of the Company) (a "RelatedParty"). Therefore, the amendment of Warrants constitutes a "related party transaction" as such term is defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). However, the Company can rely on exemptions from the MI 61-101 valuation and minority approval requirements for related party transactions in connection with the amendment of the warrant terms under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involves the Related Party, exceeds 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101).

About Pelangio

Pelangio acquires and explores world-class land packages on strategic gold belts in Ghana, West Africa and Canada. In Ghana, the Company is exploring its two 100%-owned, camp-sized properties: the 100 km2 Manfo property, the site of seven near-surface gold discoveries, and the 284 km2 Obuasi property, located four km on strike and adjacent to AngloGold Ashanti's prolific high-grade Obuasi Mine, as well as its Dankran property located adjacent to its Obuasi property. In Canada, the Company is currently focused in Ontario on its Dome West gold property, situated 800 meters from the Dome Mine in Timmins, as well as its Gowan base metals property located 16 kilometers east of the Kidd Creek Mine.

For additional information, please visit our website at www.pelangio.com , or contact:

Ingrid Hibbard, President and CEO

T: 905-336-3828 / TF: 1-877-746-1632 / Email: info@pelangio.com

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements herein may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements or information appear in a number of places and can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate" or "believes" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements and information include statements regarding the extension of the Company's Warrants. With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, we have made numerous assumptions, including assumptions about applicable regulatory approvals for the Warrant extension and the acceptance and extension to the term of the Warrants by the TSX Venture Exchange. Such forward-looking statements and information are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the Company's actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statement or information. Such risks include our ability to conduct our exploration programs as planned, changes in equity markets, share price volatility, volatility of global and local economic climate, gold price volatility, political developments in Ghana, increases in costs, exchange rate fluctuations, speculative nature of gold exploration and other risks involved in the gold exploration industry. See the Company's annual and quarterly financial statements and management's discussion and analysis for additional information on risks and uncertainties relating to the forward-looking statement and information. There can be no assurance that a forward-looking statement or information referenced herein will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements or information. Also, many of the factors are beyond the control of the Company. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. We undertake no obligation to reissue or update any forward-looking statements or information except as required by law. All forward-looking statements and information herein are qualified by this cautionary statement.

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: Pelangio Exploration Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753087/Pelangio-Exploration-Announces-Warrant-Extension
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / ZincX Resources Corp. ("ZincX" or the "Company", (TSX Venture Exchange:ZNX)(OTCQB:ZNCXF)(FRA:A2JLRM) is pleased to provide a general update on recent company activities.

The Company is currently in the initial stages of evaluating plans for the upcoming season across the full breadth of its highly prospective base metal projects in the Kechika Trough. Collectively these properties form a suite of zinc-dominated assets in a massive potential development pipeline located in northeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Company's efforts remain focused on its flagship Akie property (at the southern terminus of the Kechika Trough) that hosts the premier Cardiac Creek Zn-Pb-Ag deposit. Historical exploration drilling on the Company's Mt. Alcock property highlights the prospectivity of the Main Zone.

The 100% owned Akie property consists of 46 claims covering 11,583 hectares that overlies the prospective middle to late Devonian black, siliceous, carbonaceous fine-grained shales of the Gunsteel Formation that hosts the Cardiac Creek Zn-Pb-Ag deposit. Drilling on the deposit since 2005 has outlined a significant deposit. The 2018 indicated and inferred resource at a 5% Zn cut-off is listed below.

5% Zinc Cut-Off Grade Contained Metal: Category Tonnes

(million) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (g/t) Zn (B lbs) Pb (B lbs) Ag (M oz) Indicated 22.7 8.32 1.61 14.1 4.162 0.804 10.3 Inferred 7.5 7.04 1.24 12.0 1.169 0.205 2.9

The Cardiac Creek deposit is comprised of two main zones of mineralisation, the Cardiac Creek Zone (CCZ) and the Footwall Zone. A third, new, Hangingwall Zone was recognized in the 2021 drilling program. The deposit remains open for expansion along strike and at depth.

The 100% owned Mt. Alcock property consists of 21 claims covering 9,173 hectares and is located approximately 40 kilometres to the northwest of the Akie property and 20 kilometres from Teck Resources/Korea Zinc's Cirque property. The Mt. Alcock property remains a high-priority for the Company and is host to a prominent, highly visible barite kill zone that has been subject to historical drilling. The limited and extremely shallow drilling by previous operators intersected mineralisation with significant grade such as 9.30% combined Zn+Pb and 1.20 oz/t Ag over a downhole thickness of 8.8 metres in drill hole AK-89-3 including 14.20% combined Zn+Pb and 1.60 oz/t Ag over 3.6 metres (*) hosted in Gunsteel formation shale. Facies models derived by the Company from close examination of the Cardiac Creek deposit can be applied to the Mt. Alcock prospect and greatly assist in vectoring future targeted drilling at depth and down dip of prospective lithology.

(*) Murrell M. and Roberts W., 1990. 1989 Exploration Program on the Mt. Alcock Property in the Kwadacha Recreational Area, Northern British Columbia, Ministry of Energy and Mines, Assessment Report 19829, 111p.

Zinc has now been designated as a Critical Mineral in both Canada and the United States. Similar to copper or lithium, zinc will be crucial for the ever demanding and increasing green economy (Solar, Wind, Battery Storage applications). The recognition of zinc as a Critical Mineral has led to recent significant investments in the Canadian zinc junior space. Fireweed Metals' Macmillan Pass project has attracted notable investment from the Lundin Family ($25 million) and Osisko Metals' Pine Point project recently received a large investment from Appian Capital ($100 million). These projects, along with ZincX's Akie Project, are all at the Preliminary Economic Assessment stage of development. As a result of these recent transactions, the Company's flagship Akie Project, specifically the Cardiac Creek Zn-Pb-Ag deposit, has been the target of increasing market interest.

President and CEO Peeyush Varshney stated:

"Our Akie Project and the premier Cardiac Creek deposit is one of the most compelling zinc opportunities in the zinc space globally. The two recent transactions in the Canadian junior zinc space clearly highlight how undervalued the Company currently is and the tremendous potential to realize a much higher valuation. The Cardiac Creek deposit has the potential to represent an important, long-life mine in a safe, stable jurisdiction producing zinc to supply a variety of markets and the green economy during this time of energy transition."

The Company will continue to evaluate its plans for the Akie and Mt. Alcock properties in the near term and provide an update when available.

ZincX Resources Corp. (TSX V: ZNX, US: ZNCXF, FRA: M9R) is a Canadian exploration and development company creating value in the critical metals space - with a focus on zinc. Zinc is a versatile and essential material for the energy transition to a lower-carbon economy. It is already one of the most used metals in the world behind iron, aluminum and copper but also has applications in energy storage. It also plays a vital role in enabling other clean energy technologies like solar and wind.

ZincX Resources is well-positioned to take advantage of the worldwide looming shortfall in zinc production with the development of its Cardiac Creek (Akie property) deposit - which can help Canada meet its need for the critical mineral zinc and the global push towards decarbonization to combat climate change.

The Akie Zn-Pb-Ag Project

The 100% owned Akie property is situated within the Kechika Trough, the southernmost area of the regionally extensive Paleozoic Selwyn Basin and one of the most prolific sedimentary basins in the world for the occurrence of SEDEX zinc-lead-silver and stratiform barite deposits.

Drilling on the Akie property by ZincX Resources since 2005 has identified a significant body of baritic-zinc-lead SEDEX mineralization known as the Cardiac Creek deposit. The deposit is hosted by siliceous, carbonaceous, fine-grained clastic rocks of the Middle to Late Devonian Gunsteel Formation.

The Company updated the estimate of mineral resources at Cardiac Creek in 2018, as follows:

5% Zinc Cut-Off Grade Contained Metal: Category Tonnes

(million) Zn (%) Pb (%) Ag (g/t) Zn (B lbs) Pb (B lbs) Ag (M oz) Indicated 22.7 8.32 1.61 14.1 4.162 0.804 10.3 Inferred 7.5 7.04 1.24 12.0 1.169 0.205 2.9

The Company announced robust positive results from the 2018 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA). The PEA envisages a conventional underground mine and concentrator operation with an average production rate of 4,000 tonnes per day. The mine will have an 18-year life with potential to extend the life-of-mine (LOM) through resource expansion at depth. Key parameters for the PEA are as follows:

Parameter Base Case1 Tonnes Mined 25.8 Mt Mined Head Grades 7.6% Zn; 1.5% Pb; 13.08 g/t Ag Tonnes Milled 19.7 Mt Milled Head Grades (after DMS2 upgrade) 10.0% Zn; 1.9% Pb; 17.17 g/t Ag Total Payable Metal (LOM) $3,960M3 Initial CAPEX $302.3M including $45.7M contingency LOM Total CAPEX $617.9M including $58.5M contingency All-in Total OPEX $102.4 per tonne milled Pre-Tax NPV7% $649M Pre-Tax IRR 35% Pre-Tax Payback 2.6 years After-Tax NPV7% $401M After-Tax IRR 27% After-Tax Payback 3.2 years

1. The base case used metal prices are calculated from the 3 year trailing average coupled with two year forward projection of the average price; and are: US$1.21/lb for zinc, US$1.00/lb for lead and US$16.95 for silver. A CDN$/US$ exchange rate of 0.77 was used. The NPV discount rate is 7%. 2. DMS = dense media separation. 3. All dollar amounts expressed in Canadian dollars.

The PEA is considered preliminary in nature and includes mineral resources, including inferred mineral resources that are considered too speculative geologically to have the economic considerations applied to them that would enable them to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves have not yet demonstrated economic viability. Due to the uncertainty that may be attached to mineral resources, it cannot be assumed that all or any part of a mineral resource will be upgraded to mineral reserves. Therefore, there is no certainty that the results concluded in the PEA will be realized.

Kechika Regional Project

In addition to the Akie Project, the Company owns 100% of eight of eleven large, contiguous property blocks that comprise the Kechika Regional Project including the advanced Mt. Alcock prospect. The Kechika Regional Project also includes the Pie, Yuen and Cirque East properties which the Company maintains a significant 49% interest with partners Teck Resources Limited (TSX: TECK.B) and Korea Zinc Co. Ltd holding 51%. These properties collectively extend northwest from the Akie property for approximately 140 kilometres covering the highly prospective Gunsteel Formation shale; the main host rock for known SEDEX zinc-lead-silver deposits in the Kechika Trough of northeastern British Columbia. These projects are located approximately 260 kilometres north northwest of the town of Mackenzie, British Columbia, Canada.

Zinc (Zn)

Zinc is one of many critical metals facilitating the transition to a low-carbon and greener future and is used in renewable energy storage systems and through the protection of steel to improve its durability and service life in solar and wind turbine applications. The primary uses of zinc are the galvanization of steel protecting against corrosion due to weather conditions, the production of brass and bronze, and in die-casting to produce a wide range of metal products. In agriculture, zinc can also increase crop yields and crop quality and is an essential nutrient in human development and disease prevention.

Ken MacDonald P.Geo., Vice President of Exploration for the Company, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the technical information contained in this release. Mike Makarenko P.Eng, JDS Energy and Mining, is the designated Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 and is responsible for the PEA technical information contained in this release.

The TSX Venture Exchange has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this press release.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

ZINCX RESOURCES CORP.

"PEEYUSH VARSHNEY"

PEEYUSH VARSHNEY, LL.B

CEO & CHAIRMAN

Contact:

Investor Relations

Phone (604) 684-2181

info@zincxresources.com

SOURCE: ZincX Resources Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753080/ZincX-Resources-Provides-Company-Update
LYON, France and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amolyt Pharma, a global company specialized in developing therapeutic peptides for rare endocrine and related diseases, today announced that the company has had multiple abstracts accepted for presentation at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE), which is being held May 13-16 in Istanbul, Turkey, and at the 2023 Endocrine Society Meeting (ENDO), which is being held June 15-18 in Chicago, Illinois. These presentations cover both of Amolyt's development programs, eneboparatide entering Phase 3 for hypoparathyroidism and AZP-3813 entering Phase 1 for acromegaly.



Details of the presentations are as follows:

25th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE) - May 13-16, Istanbul, Turkey

Title: Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH-1 Receptor Agonist, Has No Impact on Bone Parameters Following Chronic Treatment of Non-Human Primates

Format: Oral Presentation

Session: Oral Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m. CEST

Title: Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH-1 Receptor Agonist, Induces Rapid Reduction and Normalization of Urinary Calcium in Chronic Hypoparathyroid Patients

Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14 - 3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16

Title: Treatment of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism by Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH Receptor-1 Agonist: Results from a Phase 2a Study

Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14 - 3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16

Title: AZP-3813, a Bicyclic, 16-Amino Acid Peptide Antagonist of the Human Growth Hormone Receptor, Effectively Suppresses IGF1 in Beagle Dogs

Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communication 7: Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology 2

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14 - 3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16

2023 Endocrine Society Meeting (ENDO) - June 15-18, Chicago, Illinois

Title: Repeated Treatment with AZP-3813, a Bicyclic, 16-Amino Acid Peptide Antagonist of the Human Growth Hormone Receptor, Induces Enhanced Suppression of IGF1 in Beagle Dogs

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Neuroendocrinology: Neuroendocrinology and Pituitary: Growth Hormone and Acromegaly - Basic and Translational

Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023

Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST on Thursday, June 15

Title: Treatment of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism with Eneboparatide (AZP-3601), a Novel PTH 1 Receptor Agonist: Results from a Phase 2 Trial

Format: Oral Presentation

Session: Bone 2 - PTH-Relevant Biology, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutics

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 9:45-11:15 a.m. CST

Title: Variations in Clinical Practice Patterns for Hypoparathyroidism

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Bone and Mineral Metabolism: Hypoparathyroidism

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 17

Title: AZP-3601, a Novel PTH 1 Receptor Agonist, Induces Rapid Reduction and Normalization of Urinary Calcium in Chronic Hypoparathyroid Patients

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Bone and Mineral Metabolism: Hypoparathyroidism

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 17

About Amolyt Pharma

Amolyt Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, is building on its team's established expertise to deliver life-changing treatments to patients suffering from rare endocrine and related diseases. Its development portfolio includes eneboparatideor follow us on Twitterand LinkedIn.

Media Inquiries:

Jordyn Temperato

LifeSci Communications

jtemperato@lifescicomms.com

Investors Inquiries:

Ashley Robinson

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

arr@lifesciadvisors.com

+1.617.430.7577
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / 3BL Alerts:

Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE:DIN), the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, IHOP, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop restaurants, released its 2022 ESG report to provide a comprehensive overview of the continuation of their ESG journey, focusing on the pillars of People, Planet, Food, and Governance.

"We recognize the important role our company and brands play in creating long-term sustainable value," said John Peyton, CEO of Dine Brands. "Our 2022 ESG report reflects our commitment to transparency and accountability as we strive to positively impact the world around us."

A majority of Applebee's, Fuzzy's Taco Shop, and IHOP locations are franchise-owned and operated, enabling entrepreneurs to establish and run their own enterprises while creating a strong relationship between their restaurants and the local neighborhoods in which they reside.

The 2022 Dine Together, Grow Together report highlights include the following:

Achieved the Great Place to Work Certification.

38 metric tons of food donated by Dine Brands' Glendale Restaurant Support Center as well as Applebee's and IHOP U.S. Franchisees and their Distribution Centers.

More than $1.3M raised by Applebee's U.S. franchisees to support Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

$872,000 raised by IHOP U.S., Puerto Rico, Mexico, and Canada franchisees to support children's charities.

592,000 free meals served to U.S. active-duty military and veterans on Veterans Day at Applebee's and IHOP.

Applebee's and IHOP are currently 91% EPS-free and are on track to meet their goal of being 100% EPS-free by 2023, a year ahead of schedule.

29% (5,691 metric tons) of total waste was diverted from landfill at former company-owned Applebee's restaurants.

911M estimated gallons of water saved annually by using more efficient dipper wells.

22.3% of eggs were cage-free, exceeding the 20% target set for 2022.

"We are proud of the continued progress we are making," Peyton said. "We have a distinctive opportunity to make a meaningful impact and we are fully committed to our plans and the ESG work we are doing."

For more information on the 2022 Dine Together, Grow Together report, please visit https://www.dinebrands.com/en/social-good.

About Dine Brands Global, Inc.

Based in Pasadena, California, Dine Brands Global, Inc. (NYSE: DIN), through its subsidiaries and franchisees, supports and operates restaurants under the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar, IHOP, and Fuzzy's Taco Shop brands. As of March 31, 2023, these three brands consisted of 3,600 restaurants, across 17 international markets. Dine Brands is one of the largest full-service restaurant companies in the world and in 2022 expanded into the Fast Casual segment. For more information on Dine Brands, visit the Company's website located at www.dinebrands.com.

Media Contact:

Susan Nelson

SVP, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer

Dine Brands Global, Inc.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from 3BL Alerts on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: 3BL Alerts

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/3bl-alerts

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: 3BL Alerts

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753133/Dine-Brands-Global-Releases-2022-Environmental-Social-and-Governance-ESG-Report
WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The Labor Department will release U.S. jobs data for April at 8:30 am ET Friday. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major counterparts. While it was steady against the franc, it rose against the rest of major rivals. The greenback was worth 134.25 against the yen, 1.1010 against the euro, 1.2597 against the pound and 0.8934 against the franc as of 8:25 am ET. 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.
The list of North America's 50 Best Bars 2023 was announced at a live awards ceremony in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Double Chicken Please , New York City , is crowned No.1 at the second annual North America's 50 Best Bars

, , is crowned No.1 at the second annual 50 Best Bars This year's list features 28 U.S. bars, 14 from Mexico , 7 hailing from Canada and 1 based in the Caribbean

, 7 hailing from and 1 based in the Handshake Speakeasy , at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Mexico

, at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Civil Liberties , Toronto , at No.12, earns The Best Bar in Canada

, , at No.12, earns The Best Bar in La Factoria, Puerto Rico , at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Caribbean

, at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Cuban drinks legend Julio Cabrera from Miami wins the Roku Industry Icon

from wins the Roku Industry Icon Manhatta , New York City , is awarded Campari One To Watch

, , is awarded Campari One To Watch Rayo , Mexico City , earns the London Essence Best New Opening

, , earns the London Essence Best New Opening Yacht Club , Denver , wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award

, , wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award Allegory, Washington, D.C. , wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

, wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Overstory , New York City , is the Nikka Highest Climber

, , is the Nikka Highest Climber Bar Pompette, Toronto , wins Disaronno Highest New Entry

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The list of North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at a live awards ceremony on May 4, 2023 at Hacienda Los Picachos in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This represents the first time the awards ceremony was staged in Mexico and salutes its presence on the global cocktail scene. The annual ranking features bars from across the North American continent, including the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. New York City'sDouble Chicken Please is crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North Americaand The Best Bar in Northeast USA, sponsored by Perrier, with Mexico City'sHandshake Speakeasy ranking No.2 and claiming the title of The Best Bar in Mexico, followed by New York City'sKatana Kittenat No.3.

Toronto'sCivil Liberties (No.12) wins the title of The Best Bar in Canadafor the second year in a row, while Puerto Rico'sLa Factoria, at No.24, retains its title of The Best Bar in the Caribbean. Overall, the USA leads the list with 28 bars, with Mexico fielding 14, Canada boasting seven and the Caribbean celebrating one top bar.

The full list of North America's 50 Best Bars 2023 is at the bottom of this press release.

The brainchild of GN Chan and Faye Chen, Double Chicken Please is a groundbreaking New York City bar with an ingenious cocktail program based on the concept of "hacking design." Here, cocktails are deconstructed then reassembled in new, playful and creative ways. At Double Chicken Please, drinks are inspired by food and food is inspired by drinks, creating surprising, delightful and unexpected sensory experiences. Their mind-boggling cocktails, like the Key Lime Pie and Cold Pizza, leave their guests delighted and utterly perplexed as to how these unique flavors are so accurately transmogrified into liquid works of art. Last year, the bar burst on the global stage at The World's 50 Best Bars, coming in at No.6 and earning the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award, as well as placing at No.17 on the inaugural list of North America's 50 Best Bars.

Mark Sansom, Content Director for 50 Best, says: "We commend Double Chicken Please and its visionary founders, GN Chan and Faye Chen, for reaching the peak of cocktail excellence on the North American continent. Double Chicken Please is truly pushing the boundaries of flavor in cocktails and doing so with staggering creativity and precision, not to mention a wonderful sense of humor, humility and always flawless hospitality. This remarkable achievement did not come overnight. The duo persevered through the very challenging days of the pandemic, never once compromising their original vision for cocktails inspired by food dishes, even though their dream bar's very viability was at risk. They not only survived but thrived, sending joyful shockwaves through the New York City drinks community that have reverberated across North America and globally. We congratulate GN, Faye and the team at Double Chicken Please for this deserved accolade, as well as all the other fantastic bars on this year's list."

Elisa Gregori, Perrier Global Business Unit Director, says: "Since its presence on the tables of the best bars and hotels in the 1800's, Perrier has always had deep historic roots with the North American continent. Today, Perrier is proud to be the leading partner of North America's 50 Best Bars and excited to be able to return for a second edition in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It's our honor to recognize the hard work, creativity and innovation of the talented bartenders, mixologists and professionals who continue to elevate the international bar scene daily. Having our roots in the French cafe society, we're proud to commemorate and shine a spotlight on the exceptional talents behind the awarded North America's 50 Best Bars. The entire Perrier team is grateful to the bar community for the hard work and dedication that goes into creating unforgettable experiences for all who enter your doors. We raise our glass to you, congratulations!"

USA: The Big Apple Accounts for a Lion's Share of Top U.S. Bars

A stalwart of the craft cocktail movement, New York City continues to field a lion's share, 12 of the 28 U.S. drinks listees, including the continent's highest achievers. They include Double Chicken Please (No.1), Katana Kitten (No.3), Dante (No.6) and Overstory, winner of the Nikka Highest Climber that jumped 27 spots to No.7. These notable watering holes are joined by last year's No.1 winner, Attaboy, now at No.13, Employees Only (No.14), Mace (No.18), new to the list Martiny's (No.29) and Maison Premiere (No.39), The Dead Rabbit (No.44), Clover Club (No.46) and new listee Milady's (No.50).

Other mixological hotbeds across the U.S. include New Orleans'Jewel of the South, which bounced up 24 spots from last year to rank No.5 and earn The Best Bar in South USA, with Cure ranking No.36. In the Windy City, Chicago'sKumiko (No.8) was named The Best Bar in Midwest USA, with new entry Milk Room ensconced at No.38.

Los Angeles' Thunderbolt lands at No.10 and again wins the title of The Best Bar in West USA. Also representing the West are Las Vegas'Herbs & Rye at No.27, San Francisco's new listee Pacific Cocktail Haven at No.28, Los Angeles'Death & Co at No.30, Phoenix's new-to-the-list Platform 18 at No.48 and San Diego's new entry, Youngblood, at No.49.

In Washington, D.C., Service Bar (No.33) is joined by Allegory (No.45), a new entry that garnered the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu title. Other U.S. bars on the list include Miami'sSweet Liberty (No.34), Honolulu'sBar Leather Apron (No.41), as well as Denver'sYacht Club (No.42), a new listee that also earned the Ketel One Sustainable BarAward.

Mexico: Mexico City Continues Its Leadership, Fielding 8 Bars of Mexico's 14

Now firmly established as a global cocktail destination, Mexico City accounted for more than half of the best bars in Mexico. Handshake Speakeasy (No.2) retains its position and is again named The Best Bar in Mexico, with Licoreria Limantour at No.4. They are joined by Baltra Bar (No.16), list newcomer Rayo (No.17), Hanky Panky (No.20), Cafe de Nadie (No.25), Kaito del Valle (No.26) and new listee Brujas (No.47).

That being said, cocktail excellence is rippling through the bar scene across the formidable Latin American nation. Playa del Carmen's Zapote Bar places No.11, Guadalajara'sEl Gallo Altanero comes in at No.21, Oaxaca'sSabina Sabe secures No.22, Tulum'sArca finishes at No.23, Oaxaca'sSelva ranks No.31 and Tijuana's new listee, Aruba Day Drink, arrives at No.40.

Canada: The Most Northerly Nation on the Continent Boasts 7 Bars, Including 3 Newcomers

Toronto'sCivil Liberties (No.12) earns The Best Bar in Canada for the second year in a row. It is followed by list newcomers Bar Pompette (No.15), also in Toronto, Botanist Bar (No.19) in Vancouver, B.C. and Atwater Cocktail Club (No.32) in Montreal. These bars surged ahead of list veterans Cloakroom (No.35) in Montreal, as well as Toronto'sMother (No.37) and Bar Mordecai (No.43).

The Caribbean: All Eyes on Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico'sLa Factoria (No.24) is once again crowned The Best Bar in the Caribbean as the sprawling complex of six drinking dens celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Special Awards

Among the glamorous evening's highlights, New York City'sManhatta was presented the Campari One To Watch, an accolade given to a bar outside the main list that the 50 Best team believes has the ability to break into the ranking in future editions.

Allegory (No.45) in Washington, D.C., earns the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award. The pioneering menu allegorically tells the story of Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges as seen through the lens of Alice in Wonderland. Any bar on the North American continent was eligible to enter this award, which is graded by a panel of Academy Chairs. The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award was introduced in 2021 and rewards innovation, design, drinks craft and idea communication.

Julio Cabrera of Miami's Cafe La Trova (No.9) receives the laurels as Roku Industry Icon. For this award, all 260 members of the voting Academy are asked to name the person who has done more for the progress of the bar industry than any other individual. The Cuban-born bartending legend is credited with transplanting the island nation's proud cantinero-style to the U.S., where it has taken root and flourishes at Cafe La Trova in a high energy, modern guise.

Mexico City'sRayo earns the London Essence Best New Opening title at No.17, as the bar that enters the list in the highest position of any that have opened during the voting period. Rayo celebrates Mexican and global spirits in cocktails that tell stories. Its name is inspired by the legend of the goddess Mayahuel, who took the form of an agave plant. When struck by a lightning bolt (rayo), it released a liquid that, when fermented, became pulque.

Denver'sYacht Club, owned by Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges, nabs the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, which is bestowed on a bar that demonstrates the strongest commitment to sustainability. The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is independently adjudicated by 50 Best's audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Additional special award winners announced in the run-up to the May 4 event included Vancouver'sBotanist Bar, which was feted with the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award and Christine Wisemanof Bar Lab Hospitality in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles, was celebrated as the winner of the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award.

EDITOR'S NOTES:

1-50 LIST

Position Bar Town 1 Double Chicken Please New York City 2 Handshake Speakeasy Mexico City 3 Katana Kitten New York City 4 Licoreria Limantour Mexico City 5 Jewel of the South New Orleans 6 Dante New York City 7 Overstory New York City 8 Kumiko Chicago 9 Cafe La Trova Miami 10 Thunderbolt Los Angeles 11 Zapote Bar Playa del Carmen 12 Civil Liberties Toronto 13 Attaboy New York City 14 Employees Only New York City 15 Bar Pompette Toronto 16 Baltra Bar Mexico City 17 Rayo Mexico City 18 Mace New York City 19 Botanist Bar Vancouver 20 Hanky Panky Mexico City 21 El Gallo Altanero Guadalajara 22 Sabina Sabe Oaxaca 23 Arca Tulum 24 La Factoria San Juan 25 Cafe de Nadie Mexico City 26 Kaito del Valle Mexico City 27 Herbs & Rye Las Vegas 28 Pacific Cocktail Haven San Francisco 29 Martiny's New York City 30 Death & Co (Los Angeles) Los Angeles 31 Selva Oaxaca 32 Atwater Cocktail Club Montreal 33 Service Bar Washington, D.C. 34 Sweet Liberty Miami 35 Cloakroom Montreal 36 Cure New Orleans 37 Mother Toronto 38 Milk Room Chicago 39 Maison Premiere New York City 40 Aruba Day Drink Tijuana 41 Bar Leather Apron Honolulu 42 Yacht Club Denver 43 Bar Mordecai Toronto 44 The Dead Rabbit New York City 45 Allegory Washington, D.C. 46 Clover Club New York City 47 Brujas Mexico City 48 Platform 18 Phoenix 49 Youngblood San Diego 50 Milady's New York City

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About North America's 50 Best Bars

Following the success of The World's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, and the establishment of Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2016, 50 Best launched North America's 50 Best Bars, with the first edition of the awards held in New York, N.Y. on June 7, 2022. It shines a much-deserved spotlight on the region as a world-class drinks' destination and acts as a mouthpiece for the outstanding talent coming through. The inaugural North America's 50 Best Bars awards ceremony and unveiling of the list provided a unique opportunity to unite bartenders, bar owners, cocktail aficionados and drinks media from all over the region at a captivating celebration of drinks, hospitality, passion and talent. North America's 50 Best Bars includes voting for bars from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. William Reed, which owns the 50 Best brand, is entirely responsible for the organization of the awards, the voting system and the respective lists.

How the Voting Works

The ranking for North America's 50 Best Bars reflects the best bar experiences based on the votes of the Academy members, who comprise anonymous North American bar industry experts (including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs) from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2023, the Academy was expanded to 260 members. This change was implemented to obtain a wider snapshot and ensure a greater number of diverse voices voting for the awards. Moreover, as per all 50 Best lists for restaurants, bars and hotels, 25% of Academy members are refreshed annually to keep the perspectives dynamic and relevant. Members of the 50 Best organization do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list.

The Academy is divided into 8 regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico; and the Caribbean. Each region has its own panel of members including a chairperson, called the Academy Chair. The Chairs each then select a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection. Each North America Academy member will vote for 7 bars, with a maximum of 5 in the home country (or state in the U.S.) where they are based. Voters also have the option to vote for a further 2 (or more) bars located outside of their home country (or U.S. state) up to a maximum of 7.

Voting is carried out individually and strictly confidentially on a secure site and remains confidential before the list announcement. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions. They are neither spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.

The list is the result of a poll of more than 260 experts (all within the North American continent), who each cast votes for the bars where they have had their 'best experience' during the last 18 months before the voting deadline. The list is a simple computation of votes by North American voters for bars in North America. Further information on the Academy Chairs and how the voting works is available on the FAQs page here.

About the main sponsor: Perrier

For more than a century, Perrier has collaborated with some of the world's most influential major artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Bernard Villemot, and Jean-Gabriel Domergue, each of whom in their own way have demonstrated a certain artistic irreverence. With a history that began in 1863 in Vergeze, in the Gard region of France, the Perrier brand is now recognized worldwide thanks to its iconic green bottle. Appreciated in more than 140 countries, the brand is acclaimed for its natural mineral water combined with the power of its bubbles.

Our Partners:

San Miguel de Allende - Official Host Destination Partner

- Official Host Destination Partner Perrier - Official Water Partner; sponsor of The Best Bar in North America

Michter's - Official American Whiskey Partner; sponsor of Michter's Art of Hospitality

Nikka Whisky - Official Whisky of the World Partner; sponsor of Nikka Highest Climber

Ketel One - Official Vodka Partner; sponsor of Ketel One Sustainable Bar

Siete Misterios - Official Mezcal Partner; sponsor of Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

The London Essence Co. - Official Mixers Partner; sponsor of London Essence Best New Opening

Disaronno - Official Italian Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Disaronno Highest New Entry

Roku Gin - Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Roku Industry Icon

Altos Tequila - Official Tequila Partner; sponsor of Altos Bartenders' Bartender

Matusalem - Official Rum Partner; sponsor of ceremonial scarves

Naked Malt - Official Scotch Whisky Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Remy Martin - Official Cognac Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Campari - Official Bitters Partner; sponsor of Campari One To Watch

Tia Maria - Official Coffee Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

- Official Coffee Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award Torres Brandy - Official Brandy Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

- Official Brandy Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award Scrappy's Bitters - Official Cocktail Bitters Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Bareksten - Official Aquavit Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Live Aqua - Official Hotel Partner

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NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Lori Shaffer, Kimberly-Clark's vice president of global nonwovens, recently participated in an 'Empower Hour: Women in Leadership' panel and led a breakout session at the 9th annual American Manufacturing Summit in Chicago.

During the conversations, Lori discussed the people and experiences that have inspired her leadership style, how her personal purpose impacts how she shows up as a leader, insights into how purpose is embedded in Kimberly-Clark's DNA, and ways to leverage purpose to both attract and retain manufacturing talent.

"Being a leader is having a front row seat to seeing someone realize their hopes and dreams and grow into the person they were meant to be," said Lori.



About Kimberly-Clark

Kimberly-Clark (NYSE: KMB) and its trusted brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Fueled by ingenuity, creativity, and an understanding of people's most essential needs, we create products that help individuals experience more of what's important to them. Our portfolio of brands, including Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, Kotex, Cottonelle, Poise, Depend, Andrex, Pull-Ups, GoodNites, Intimus, Neve, Plenitud, Sweety, Softex, Viva and WypAll, hold No. 1 or No. 2 share positions in approximately 80 countries. We use sustainable practices that support a healthy planet, build strong communities, and ensure our business thrives for decades to come. We are proud to be recognized as one of the world's most ethical companies by Ethisphere for the fifth year in a row. To keep up with the latest news and to learn more about the company's 150-year history of innovation, visit kimberly-clark.com.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from Kimberly-Clark Corporation on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: Kimberly-Clark Corporation

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/kimberly-clark-corporation

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: Kimberly-Clark Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753143/Kimberly-Clarks-Lori-Shaffer-Shares-Insights-on-Purpose-Driven-Leadership
DENVER, CO / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Total Helium Ltd. (OTC:TTLHF), a helium exploration and production company, has completed the acquisition of a joint venture agreement for a helium field. The purchase agreement was made in January 2023 and subsequently amended from all cash to include shares as part of the agreement. The agreement was for a stake in the Pinta South project, a helium-rich natural gas field in the Holbrook Basin, Arizona.

The Joint Venture (JV) agreement was entered into by Brooks Range Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Total Helium, and its new partners Pinta South Operating Company LLC, Butler Minerals I LLC and Mid America Exploration LLC.

The JV gives Total Helium a 20% interest in two currently producing wells, plus a 50% interest in eight additional existing wells. The purchase price is $12 million, and with the update to the venture, Total Helium paid $8 million in cash, and provided just under 11 million common shares, at the deemed value of $0.50 per share.

Stock Agreement Incentives Project Success For JV Partners

By paying for the deal with stock as well as cash, Total Helium has ensured all the JV partners are incentivized to see the success of the project and to increase shareholder value. The Pinta South project has a very high helium concentration of 5-8%, and the shallow-producing formation is ideal for lower-cost drilling and completion. The company has plans to have 20 operational wells by the end of the first half of 2023. Total Helium satisfied the cash portion of the agreement, as well as the costs for developing the project, with a brokered private placement. In connection with the completion of the offering, it issued 25 million special warrants to raise gross proceeds of $12.5 million.

The agreement comes at a time of sustained demand for helium. The industry was worth $4.4 billion globally in 2022 and is predicted to reach $5 billion in 2023, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 12%. Non-renewable gas is essential for the technology, industrial and medical device sectors , with uses ranging from semiconductors and rockets to fiber optics and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices.

As the U.S. government's reserves of helium get depleted, Total Helium looks to be positioning itself to be a leading domestic supplier of the gas. The Pinta South venture will play an important role in the company's production of a stable helium supply, and all the JV partners have a stake in securing the project's development.

"Total Helium is thrilled to announce this joint venture," said Total Helium CEO, Robert B. Price. "It is my belief that this joint venture will create significant value for our shareholders for many years to come."

Other helium exploration and production companies include Desert Mountain Energy Corp. and Air Products & Chemicals Inc.

Visit its website to learn more about Total Helium .

Featured photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

Contact:

Dan Lane

dan.lane@totalhelium.com

SOURCE: Total Helium Ltd.

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MARKHAM, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Zoglo's Food Corp. (CSE:ZOG)(FSE:KX9) ("Zoglo's" or the "Company"), a plant-based food company, is pleased to announce that effective May 15, 2023, the Company will move its distribution network to Altra Foods. Altra Foods prides itself on being a full-service food distributor with complete inventory and multi-temperature storage facilities in Montreal and Toronto. Altra Foods has a national reach from Atlantic Provinces to British Columbia, supporting Canadian grocery stores and specialty food distribution networks.

Altra Foods has a large staff of well-managed, experienced salespeople spread across the country to service customers from coast to coast.

"We are proud of everything we've accomplished and look forward to carrying the momentum we've built into national grocery expansion with Altra Foods," says Val Jedras, CEO of Zoglo's. "The new business venture with Altra Foods will assist Zoglo's in the next growth phase."

Zoglo's also announces that its trading symbol on Frankfurt Stock Exchange has changed to "KX9".

Subscribe to updates about Zoglo's Food here: https://zoglos.com/

ABOUT ZOGLO'S FOOD CORP.:

Zoglo's Food Corp. is a publicly-traded plant-based food company that offers nutrient-rich, plant-based appetizers, veggies, and meat substitutes to fulfill consumers' needs for all occasions and cooking requirements. The Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, Zoglo's Food Inc., currently offers 14 products through its Traditional Green Box product line and aims to offer 12 innovative products for the mainstream market through its new Zoglo's Black Box product line. Over the past 25 years, Zoglo's products have been distributed in over 3,000 retail stores across Canada including Walmart, Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, and Loblaws, and have representation in the United States and Europe. The Company trades on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker: ZOG and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the ticker: KX9.

Visit our website and follow us on our social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter.

ON BEHALF OF ZOGLO'S MANAGEMENT:

Val Jedras

CEO

ir@zoglos.com

+1 (647) 478-9585

The CSE does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE: Zoglo's Food Corp.

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Researchers at the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland said that chemical energy storages were needed for short and long-term balancing in every climate region, especially in the northern climates. Meanwhile, companies are moving forward with their plans to produce hydrogen in Namibia and Morocco.A research team from the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland found that hydrogen was a significant energy vector in all future energy systems based on renewables. "Electrofuel storages were needed in all systems and their capacity was the highest in the northern Hemiboreal system. Absence 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.
ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / In 1948, a group of determined doctors came together with a shared mission: "We have to do something about arthritis." In the 75 years that have followed, what is now known as the Arthritis Foundation has invested over $500 million to support the development of groundbreaking arthritis treatments, created innovative resources and nurtured a vibrant, caring community for the millions of adults and children who live with arthritis. As the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to providing tools and resources, advocacy, scientific research and support, the Arthritis Foundation is the go-to source for information on arthritis.

In a memorable moment to raise awareness of arthritis and commemorate the Arthritis Foundation's anniversary, national and regional landmarks across the country - Boston City Hall, San Francisco City Hall, Houston Astrodome, and Chicago's Willis Tower -- will light up green on May 6th and throughout May which is Arthritis Awareness Month.

"Our organization was founded with a clear goal to attack the challenges of arthritis through a national program to fund medical research and provide better services for patients," said Steven Taylor, CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. "Today, seventy-five years later, we have made significant progress in improving quality of life for the millions of people living with arthritis."

In its mission, Arthritis Foundation works at local, state and national levels. Among the many highlights of its accomplishments:

Scientific Advancements

Arthritis Foundation has inspired and helped fund important studies in the quest to cure arthritis and provide symptom relief. Notably, in 1983, the organization funded a research grant to explore the role of interleukin-1 in rheumatoid arthritis, ushering in the biologic era - fundamental to modern treatments.

And the organization funded research leading to the 2015 FDA approval of secukinumab (Cosentyx) to treat ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.

More about the Foundation's scientific agenda and its impact can be found on the Arthritis Foundation's website.

Fierce Advocacy

From its early days, the Arthritis Foundation has been a staunch advocate of people living with arthritis and since 2014, it has helped pass over 150 state lawsin all 50 states to improve access to care and to mitigate issues such as surprise billing, prior authorization and co-pay assistance.

In addition, the Arthritis Foundation was instrumental in the federal Children's Health Act of 2000, which intensified juvenile arthritis research and addressed the pediatric rheumatology shortage.

The organization also co-wrote model legislation on step therapy reform, the basis for bills passed in 34 states to-date - and for the federal Safe Step Act bill currently under consideration.

Education and Resources

Arthritis Foundation offers a wealth of information ranging from education to support in real time. Among its resources:

Launched in 2015, a toll-free Helpline offers licensed, clinical social workers and trained staff members who connect people to arthritis information, doctors and local resources in English Spanish, and in many other languages, online and over the phone. The number to call is 1-800-283-7800.

Live Yes! Connect Groups, launched in 2017, now number 75 online and in-person groups - all offering empowering support and bringing people together to share common interests and challenges with arthritis. Connect Groups include groups by topic, such as Newly Diagnosed, and by specific disease, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.

The JA Family Summit, launched in 1987, offers specific support and resources to children and their families living with juvenile arthritis. Families, children, teens and young adults affected by JA gather annually for this four-day educational conference focused on health, wellness and connection to others like them, helping them realize that they are neither different nor alone.

How To Get Involved

The Arthritis Foundation invites everyone to engage in one or more ways:

People are encouraged to join the movement to GoGreenforArthritis in May by lighting their home in green or wearing green to support the arthritis community.

Inspiring Stories of Yes can be found on the Arthritis Foundation's website arthritis.org including 75 Stories of Yes which will appear over the balance of 2023.

To know more about the Arthritis Foundation's history and impact, check out an interactive timeline at arthritis.org/history.

And all are invited to share their arthritis stories on social media, tagging #75YearsofProgress, GoGreenforArthritis, WeJourneyTogether and WeLiveYes.

Social Media Links

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

LinkedIn

YouTube

About the Arthritis Foundation

The Arthritis Foundation is fighting for all people who live with arthritis. As Champions of Yes, the Arthritis Foundation's mission is to turn the obstacles arthritis causes into opportunities. The Arthritis Foundation champions life-changing solutions and medical advancements, and it also provides ways for people to connect, break down barriers in health care and join the fight to conquer arthritis - uniting hearts, minds and resources to change the future of arthritis. To join the fight to conquer arthritis, visit arthritis.org.

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# # #

CONTACT:

Jill Konopka/Mary Gendron

Email: jkonopka@mower.com / mgendron@mower.com

Ph: 959.888.1554/212.980.9065

SOURCE: Arthritis Foundation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753204/CORRECTION-Arthritis-Foundation-Marks-75-Years-Of-Progress-In-Supporting-People-Living-With-Arthritis-Through-Science-Advocacy-Education-And-Support
MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - The White House has denied allegation by Russia that the United States directed its ally Ukraine to carry out the alleged attack on the Kremlin, purportedly targeting President Vladimir Putin. 'Undoubtedly, such decisions, the definition of goals, the definition of means - all this is dictated to Kyiv from Washington,' Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN when asked about Wednesday's purported drone attack on the official residence of Putin. 'We are well aware that decisions on such actions and such terrorist attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington. And Kyiv is already executing what it is told to do,' he added. Peskov was referring to a claim that Russia made earlier this week that Ukraine launched a drone attack on the Kremlin. Moscow says it was a 'planned terrorist attack' aimed at killing Putin. Ukraine has denied the allegation. Speaking about this alleged drone attack at the Kremlin at a news conference Thursday, John Kirby, the US National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, said, 'the United States was not involved in this incident in any way, contrary to Mr. Peskov's lies. And that's what they are: just lies'. 'We're still trying to gather information about what happened, and we just don't have conclusive evidence one way or the other,' he added. Kirby said that over the past few days, Washington has noticed that Russia continue to launch dozens of missiles and armed drones into Ukraine, striking civilian homes and killing innocent Ukrainians, including shoppers at a supermarket. 'Russia is continuing to wage a brutal war against the Ukrainian people. And we're committed to continuing to support Ukraine as they defend their country from that aggression, including, as you just saw this week, with yet another package of security assistance,' he told reporters. 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.
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Join 350+ senior peers at Reuters Events: The Future of Insurance Europe 2023 (28-29 November, Amsterdam) to discuss strategy, technology, customer, and the industry's trajectory.

What? - Europe's most senior insurance meeting

When? - 28th-29th November, 2023

Where? - Hotel Novotel, Amsterdam City

Who? - 350+ executives from all major European insurance providers

Get the key information you need ahead of FOIEurope and pre-order the brochure here.

By pre-ordering the brochure, you will be the first to receive information about the 2023 speaker line-up, event agenda, networking activities, pass discounts and most importantly, who else will be in Amsterdam with you.

Reuters Events will have 65 senior exec speakers and 350 decision makers attending, with CEOs, CXOs, VPs, Heads of Department and Board members - plus, a whole host of dedicated networking designed to fast-forward your business strategy through connections and learning from others.

Companies in attendance last year included:

Admiral, Aegon, Ageas, AIG, Allianz, Aon, AXA, Cigna, ERGO Group AG, Gallagher Re, Generali, Hannover Re, Helvetia, Irish Life, Marsh McLennan, Munich Re, NN Group, RSA, Swiss Re, UNIQA, Zurich and many more

Pre-order The Future of Insurance Europe 2023 brochure here.

Speakers already confirmed include:

Amelie Breitburd, CEO , Lloyd's Europe

, Henrik Ryden, CEO Nordics , Marsh McLennan

, Tibor Boettcher, CEO , Volkswagen Insurance Company

, Ian Thompson, Group Chief Claims Officer , Zurich

, Cyril Steffen, Chief Claims Officer, Europe , AXA

, Imre Sztano, Chief Digital Officer , NN International Insurance

, Raphael Gusdorf, Chief Digital Officer, AG2R La Mondiale

among many more.

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Contact:

Nuriya Powell

nuriya.powell@thomsonreuters.com

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164958
REYKJAVIK, Iceland, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Investors looking for a more lucrative approach to investing may want to consider investing in unlisted companies that have tokenized shares are planing to sell on Myntexchange.io

Myntfund is thrilled to announce the formal opening of Myntexchange on June 1st. The revolutionary platform offers a unique investment opportunity that allows investors to invest in unlisted companies with tokenized shares, providing access to early-stage investment opportunities that are not available on public markets.

Investing in unlisted companies that have tokenized shares and are selling on Myntexchange has never been easier or more accessible. The platform allows investors to participate in the growth potential of these companies from an early stage, potentially resulting in significant returns on investment.

Myntexchange understands that valuing private companies can be challenging. That's why they offer investors several methods, including valuation ratios, discounted cash flow analysis, or internal rate of return, to make informed investment decisions. Comparing the valuation ratios of a private company to a comparable public company is also an effective way to value a private company.

At Myntexchange, they believe in diversification to reduce overall portfolio risk. By investing in unlisted companies with high growth potential, investors can potentially reduce their portfolio risk by diversifying across different asset classes. This can lead to a more balanced portfolio that is less exposed to market volatility.

Myntexchange wants to remind investors that investing in unlisted companies carries significant risks. However, with the potential for high returns and growth potential, investors who take a long-term approach to investing and educate themselves on the opportunities available can potentially reap significant rewards.

The Myntexchange team is committed to providing a safe and secure platform for investors to invest in unlisted companies with tokenized shares. They believe that their innovative platform will disrupt the investment landscape, providing investors with unique investment opportunities that were previously inaccessible.

The company invites all to join them on June 1st for the formal opening of Myntexchange. Discover the endless possibilities of investing in unlisted companies with high growth potential and start the journey to potentially significant returns on investment.

The company would also like to take this opportunity to express their gratitude to its dedicated team for their hard work and commitment to the success of Myntexchange. Their expertise and dedication have enabled Myntexchange to offer a seamless and user-friendly platform for its investors. Myntexchange is particularly grateful to its design team for their exceptional work in finishing the UI design of the platform. Thank you for your tireless efforts and for bringing our vision to life. We could not have done it without you.

CONTACT:

www.myntcoin.io

www.myntexchange.io

info@myntcoin.io

Linkedin

The following files are available for download:

https://news.cision.com/myntfund-ehf-/i/front-pageui-design,c3175167 Front PageUI design https://mb.cision.com/Public/22165/3764393/8e5419caf225235b.pdf MyntExchange UI Design

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/investing-in-unlisted-companies-with-tokenized-shares-a-more-lucrative-approach-to-investing---myntfund-ehf-301817201.html
Highlights:

Highest gold-in-soil values to date at Golden Horseshoe Zone, up to 629.2 ppb Au;

Multiple Au-in-soil anomalies at the Golden Horseshoe Zone cover an area approximately 15 km north to south and up to 10 km east to west;

First-ever drilling planned for 2023.

VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Gander Gold Corp. ("Gander" or the "Company") (CSE:GAND)(OTCQB:GANDF) is pleased to provide a further update on its 956 sq. km Mount Peyton Project in Newfoundland, strategically located between Sokoman Minerals' Moosehead discovery to the west and New Found Gold's series of high-grade gold discoveries to the east highlighted by the Keats, Lotto and Golden Joint Zones.

Gander Gold has carried out more work on the large Mount Peyton Project than any other company in Newfoundland exploration history, completing over 13,000 soil samples, airborne geophysical surveys (MAG-VLF, LiDAR), and structural analysis. Results to date are extremely encouraging, significantly elevating Mount Peyton's prospectivity within Gander's pipeline of eight separate projects. First-ever drilling at Mount Peyton is planned for 2023.

In addition to the new Goldenrod Zone in the northwest portion of the property (refer to April 17, 2023 news release), most recent work has expanded the Golden Horseshoe Zone in the southwest corner of the property while also revealing an emerging target area in the southeast.

Additional Golden Horseshoe Highlights:

Gander has taken approximately 4,669 B and C-horizon soil samples within the Golden Horseshoe Zone area (2021 and 2022), showing anomalous to extremely anomalous values across the approximate 150 sq. km target area (see attached maps);

Of the 17 Au-in-soil samples reporting >100 ppb Au at the Mount Peyton Project, five occur in the Golden Horseshoe Zone (186.7 - 629.2 ppb Au);

The Golden Horseshoe Zone, interpreted to be a fold hinge, defines the western margin of an area of "major structural discordance";

Associated with Au-in-soil anomalies are NE-SW trending Cu-in-soil anomalies which align with the axial plane of the Golden Horseshoe interpreted fold structure;

Based on soil geochemistry results and geophysical survey interpretation, the area's geology may be significantly different from that which is indicated in available coarse public data;

The large egg-shaped Mt. Peyton Property is made up of a granite intrusive surrounded by gabbro. It is conceivable given the location of the property relative to recent gold discoveries within the Gander Gold Belt that the granite intrusive is a possible heat engine which provided an impetus for gold to remobilize in deep-rooted favourable structures.

Mr. Ian Fraser, VP-Exploration for Gander Gold, commented: "We will be focusing our Mount Peyton 2023 exploration at the Goldenrod and Golden Horseshoe Zones. Both areas are structurally significant and also very anomalous in Au-As-Cu soil geochemistry. This project continues to surprise to the upside, so we're excited to be closing in on drill targets."

Emerging New Zone

A third target zone at Mount Peyton may emerge along the east -central portion of the project area, close to the Dog Bay Line and associated Appleton Fault structures. Here, As-Au-Sb-in-soil anomalies align with potential splays emanating from the Dog Bay Line - Appleton Fault system. Follow-up work will be performed in 2023 to further develop this emerging target zone.

Gander Gold Corporate Video

To view the latest Gander Gold corporate video, click on the link below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=op06adMXkHs

Mount Peyton Project Map

Golden Horseshoe Zone Map

Gander Gold Issues Stock Options and Restricted Share Units (RSUs)

The Company also announces that it has granted an aggregate of 225,000 incentive stock options ("Options") at an exercise price of $0.20 per common share for a period of five years to certain directors, officers and/or consultants (the "Eligible Persons") in accordance with the provisions of the Company's Option Plan and an aggregate of 2,975,000 restricted share units ("RSUs") to certain Eligible Persons in accordance with the Company's RSU Plan.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

Gander Gold Corporation has contracted the services of GroundTruth Exploration to conduct its soil geochemistry programs in Newfoundland. Soil samples are collected at pre-determined sites, placed in soil sample bags and all metadata associated with a sample is recorded. Once sorted and logged, samples are shipped to Eastern Analytical in Springdale, Newfoundland for sample preparation. At Eastern Analytical individual samples are dried and sieved and 50g splits are prepared and then shipped by courier to Bureau Veritas Commodities Canada Ltd. (Bureau Veritas) in Vancouver, British Columbia for analyses. Eastern Analytical and Bureau Veritas are ISO / IEC 17025 certified laboratories and independent of Gander Gold Corporation. At Bureau Veritas 15g splits are partially digested by aqua regia digestion and analysed for gold plus 36 additional elements by ICP-ES/MS (method AQ201). GroundTruth Exploration crews took a field duplicate every 25th sample and inserted certified reference material (OREAS 47) at a frequency of 1 in 55 samples which were inserted into the sample stream to monitor the quality of analysis for the soil sampling program. In addition, the lab was requested to perform repeat analyses at multiple intervals within the sampling stream.

Qualified Person

The technical information in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ian Fraser, P.Geo., Vice- President of Exploration for Gander Gold. Mr. Fraser is the Qualified Person responsible for the scientific and technical information contained herein under National Instrument 43-101 standards.

Acknowledgment

Gander Gold acknowledges the financial support of the Junior Exploration Assistance Program, Department of Natural Resources, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.

About Gander Gold Corporation

Gander Gold is "All Newfoundland, All the Time". The Company is one of the island's largest claimholders targeting new high-grade gold discoveries with a current focus on the large Gander North, Mount Peyton, BLT (Botwood-Laurenceton-Thwart Island) and Cape Ray II projects where there has been very promising early exploration success. Other opportunities advancing through the pipeline are Carmanville, Gander South, Little River and Hermitage.

Contact Info:

Mark Scott Terry Bramhall Chief Executive Officer & Director Gander Gold - Corporate Communications info@gandergold.com 1.604.833.6999 (mobile) 1.604.675.9985 (office) terry.bramhall@gandergold.com

Caution Regarding Forward Looking Statements

Investors are cautioned that, except for statements of historical fact, certain information contained in this document includes "forward looking information", with respect to a performance expectation for Gander Gold Corp. Such forward looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections formulated using assumptions believed to be reasonable and involving a number of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. Such factors include, without limitation, fluctuations in foreign exchange markets, the price of commodities in both the cash market and futures market, changes in legislation, taxation, controls and regulation of national and local governments and political and economic developments in Canada and other countries where Gander carries out or may carry out business in the future, the availability of future business opportunities and the ability to successfully integrate acquisitions or operational difficulties related to technical activities of mining and reclamation, the speculative nature of exploration and development of mineral deposits, including risks obtaining necessary licenses and permits, reducing the quantity or grade of reserves, adverse changes in credit ratings, and the challenge of title. The Company does not undertake an obligation to update publicly or revise forward looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws. Some of the results reported are historical and may not have been verified by the Company.

The CSE has neither approved nor disapproved the contents of this news release. Neither the CSE nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

SOURCE: Gander Gold Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753167/Gander-Gold-Expands-Golden-Horseshoe-Zone-at-Mount-Peyton-Project


WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - Vice President Kamala Harris and senior Administration officials met with CEOs of four American companies at the forefront of Artificial Intelligence Innovation to share concerns about the risks associated with the most modern information technology.



At a meeting held at the White House, the tech giant bosses were told they must protect the public from the dangers of Artificial Intelligence (AI).



President Joe Biden dropped by the meeting to underscore that companies have a fundamental responsibility to make sure their products are safe and secure before they are deployed or made public.



Given the role these CEOs and their companies play in America's AI innovation ecosystem, Administration officials also emphasized the importance of their leadership, called on them to model responsible behavior, and to take action to ensure responsible innovation and appropriate safeguards, and protect people's rights and safety.



The White House said the meeting included frank and constructive discussion on three key areas: the need for companies to be more transparent with policymakers, the public, and others about their AI systems; the importance of being able to evaluate, verify, and validate the safety, security, and efficacy of AI systems; and the need to ensure AI systems are secure from malicious actors and attacks.



Administration officials and CEOs agreed that more work is needed to develop and ensure appropriate safeguards and protections, and CEOs committed to continue engaging with the Administration to ensure the American people are able to benefit from AI innovation.



Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, were reminded of their 'moral' duty to safeguard society.



Speaking to them, Kamala Harris said the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products.



She insisted that every company must comply with existing laws to protect the American people. 'I look forward to the follow through and follow up in the weeks to come,' she added.



The Vice President made it clear that the Biden administration is committed to advancing potential new regulations and supporting new legislation to control the AI sector.



Harris said AI is one of today's most powerful technologies, with the potential to improve people's lives and tackle some of society's biggest challenges. At the same time, she warned that AI has the potential to dramatically increase threats to safety and security, infringe civil rights and privacy, and erode public trust and faith in democracy.



Copyright(c) 2023 RTTNews.com. All Rights Reserved



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Kostenloser Report: Gefallene Big-Techs - Hier winken jetzt bis zu 200%! Marktexperte ist uberzeugt: Diese groen Tech-Aktien sind zu stark gefallen und kommen jetzt zuruck! Hier klicken
Recognition underscores the critical role of contextualized data and geospatial expertise in delivering valuable location-based insights for confident decision-making

Precisely, the global leader in data integrity, today announced that Devon Cornwall Police have won a prestigious Geospatial World Excellence Award in the category of Public Safety. The UK police force was recognized for its ground-breaking use of geographic information system (GIS) technology for security planning during the 2021 G7 Summit, with MapInfo Pro from Precisely playing an important role to unlock maximum context from geospatial data.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005016/en/

Devon Cornwall Police recognized by Geospatial World for its innovative use of geographic information system (GIS) technology during the 2021 G7 Summit, with MapInfo Pro from Precisely playing an important role to unlock location-based context from geospatial data (Photo: Business Wire)

Announced live from the Geospatial World Forum, the internationally acclaimed Excellence Awards recognize exemplary practices in the global geospatial industry. Devon Cornwall Police are being celebrated for their innovative use of GIS software to enhance safety measures during the annual gathering of policy leaders from seven of the world's major democracies, hosted in Cornwall, UK during June 2021. The police force combined MapInfo Pro, a powerful desktop mapping solution that unlocks location-based context from data, with third-party 3D visualizations to create a digital twin that enabled precise contingency planning based on a model that had an accuracy of up to five millimeters.

"The G7 Summit went off without security hitch, with the GIS technology widely credited as being central to its success," said Robert Goldsmith, GIS and Mapping Manager, Devon Cornwall Police. "The team are very proud to receive this award and look forward to our continued work with Precisely, harnessing location intelligence to drive even greater opportunities and efficiencies for our police force and for the wider community."

Precisely received additional recognition during the Geospatial World event with two of its location intelligence experts, Neena Priyanka, PhD, Product Manager, and Amarsh Chaturvedi, Director of Software Development, named in the 2023 50 Rising Stars list. The initiative serves to highlight the outstanding accomplishments of young professionals in the field of geospatial technology as well as its real-world impact on the environment, society, and the economy.

"We're thrilled to see the exceptional talent of our location intelligence team recognized in this way by one of the world's leading voices on geospatial technology," said Clarence Hempfield, SVP Location Intelligence at Precisely. "The unbeatable combination of our deep domain expertise, market-leading geo addressing, and spatial analytics solutions empower organizations around the world to unlock valuable location-based insights and deliver trusted, contextualized data whenever and wherever it's most needed."

To learn more register for the Precisely Trust '23 Data Integrity Summit, where Hempfield will be joined by a panel of location intelligence experts in a session exploring why context is key and how organizations can reveal hidden insights through data enrichment and business-friendly spatial analytics. Sign up for free today.

About Precisely

Precisely is the global leader in data integrity, providing accuracy, consistency, and context in data for 12,000 customers in more than 100 countries, including 99 of the Fortune 100. Precisely's data integration, data quality, data governance, location intelligence, and data enrichment products power better business decisions to create better outcomes. Learn more at www.precisely.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005016/en/

Contacts:

Emma Forrest (Global)

press@precisely.com
REEDVILLE, VA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Ocean Harvesters, Omega Protein's fishing partner, kicked off the 2023 fishing season by christening two new vessels for the Atlantic menhaden fishery. The F/V Reedville and the F/V Little River are the two latest additions to the fleet of Ocean Harvesters, which fishes for menhaden in Virginia and operates a long-term supply contract with Omega Protein.

The vessels were christened on Saturday April 22 in a ceremony at Omega Protein's facility in Reedville, Virginia. Kathy Deihl, Kelly Walker, Kristy Hall and Faye Hall, all long-time members of the local fishing community with ties to Omega Protein, served as sponsors of the vessels and assisted in breaking the ceremonial champagne bottles over their hulls. Hannah Long, the environmental manager for the Reedville plant, served as master of ceremonies, with remarks given by members of the Ocean Harvesters team.

F/V Reedville

"This is a symbol of continued investment," said Monty Deihl, the CEO of Ocean Harvesters, as part of his opening remarks. "It's not just [an investment] in the plant and in the vessel fleet, but it's also an investment in the people here and the community of Reedville, and those people who are dependent on this business to support their families."

F/V Little River

Both the Reedville and the Little River previously served in the Gulf of Mexico as supply ships for the offshore oil industry, before being acquired and refitted by the Omega Shipyard in Moss Point, Mississippi. Reedville was originally built in 1982, and will mark its first fishing season this year. Little River, built in 1977, began its new career fishing in 2020, but was officially christened this season after delays due to Covid.

Ocean Harvesters CEO Monty Deihl, delivering remarks at the ceremony

Reedville and Little River are names with storied histories in the fishery. Both names were previously bestowed on a pair of older, long-serving fishing vessels, which were converted from World War II service boats and then went on to work for decades catching menhaden.

F/V Reedville

"As a 3rd generation employee in the menhaden fishing industry, I am pleased to see this multimillion-dollar investment in the future of our business," said Andy Hall, General Manager of Reedville Operations for Ocean Harvesters. "It represents Ocean Harvesters' continuing commitment to provide our employees with the best, safest, and most state-of-the-art menhaden fishing vessels in the world. My hope is that the Reedville and Little River will fulfill their destinies of support to the local communities for decades to come, much like the original Reedville and Little River."

About Omega Protein

Omega Protein Corporation is a century old nutritional product company that develops, produces, and delivers healthy products derived from menhaden, a fish found abundantly off the U.S. Atlantic Coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Omega Protein Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary and division of Cooke Inc., a family-owned company based in New Brunswick, Canada.



Through its subsidiaries, Omega Protein owns three menhaden manufacturing facilities in the United States. Omega Protein also has a long-term supply contract with Ocean Harvesters, which owns 30 fishing vessels which harvest menhaden. All fishing vessels owned and operated by Ocean Harvesters, an independent company, were formerly owned by Omega Protein. Any references to commercial fishing of menhaden relate to Ocean Harvesters, not Omega Protein or Cooke Inc.

PRESS CONTACT:

Ben Landry

ben.landry@oceanfleetservices.com

SOURCE: Omega Protein

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/751973/Omega-Protein-Fishing-Partner-Christens-Two-New-Vessels-Reedville-and-Little-River
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / IBM



Originally published on the IBM Blog

By Lydia Logan

Three of my four grandparents were teachers. Their love of learning and passion for lighting a spark in their students impressed upon me the power that teachers have to change lives and shape the future. As I'm writing this, I am in Jacksonville, Florida, just a few miles from where my grandmother, Rosalie Gordon-Mills, was an educator for over 40 years in the St. John's County public schools in St. Augustine. Being here reminds me of one of her star students, W.D. McCoy, who with her support and encouragement, grew up to be an engineer and director of a major university's engineering school.

Teachers play an essential role in helping the next generation of learners develop science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills that will prepare them for the jobs of tomorrow. They inspire innovators and cultivate the creative thinking that will solve the world's biggest challenges. Through my work with IBM SkillsBuild, IBM's signature global education and skilling program, I am honored to connect with educators, as well as partners and policymakers, who are passionate about helping teachers do what they do best.

Learn more about IBM SkillsBuild for teachers

STEM resources enhance student learning

Teachers have told us about the variety of challenges they face every day, from creating appealing content to keeping up with STEM tools and trends like artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity. Teachers need resources and support that are cost-effective and easy to implement. IBM SkillsBuild shares free resources that are developed with input from teachers, and we partner to provide free STEM training to teachers across the country.

Johnna Walker Jackson, a high school teacher at Compton Unified School District, told us about a student who struggled with core curriculum but excelled when given the opportunity to use IBM SkillsBuild to explore content related to her career interests and to work independently at her own pace. This is a great example of why teacher toolkits are key. Teacher-facing resources (including curriculum maps, lesson plans, slide decks, rubrics, student worksheets and hands-on activities) can help teachers create content that's appealing and resonates with their students. For these toolkits to be truly successful, we also need to provide comprehensive training on technical and programmatic implementation, such as registration and learner management, as well as courses on how to teach topics including cybersecurity, emerging tech, AI and professional skills.

Technology training can transform lives. With most STEM training, learners often don't know where to start or think it's too expensive. Topics and tools like cybersecurity and generative AI are making their way into classroom discussions, so we're helping teachers connect their students with relevant learning journeys. The IBM SkillsBuild course catalog helps students and teachers explore the courses and the digital credentials available. It provides background and information about each role, the core skills required and details of the learning journey.

Jennifer Lucia, a former teacher who is now part of my team at IBM, saw firsthand how students sometimes struggle to communicate the value of the skills they have acquired. IBM SkillsBuild helps teachers guide students to relevant online learning and equips them with the language to illustrate their knowledge in real-world settings.

Training teachers through collaboration

Another ongoing challenge teachers face is finding training and support that is cost-effective. That's why we're excited to be working with the Teaching Institute for Excellence in STEM (TIES) to develop a training program to equip hundreds of K-12 teachers with no-cost STEM education and career readiness resources for their students. I'm excited to see the exponential impact that this initiative will have as we reach underrepresented communities in tech.

Whether you're a teacher, a student, a parent or a job seeker, IBM SkillsBuild provides over 1,000 free courses on technology and professional skills. The IBM SkillsBuild teacher toolkit provides more than 200 teacher-facing resources created with input from teachers, including implementation training. Through IBM SkillsBuild, we continue to progress towards our commitment to skill 30 million people globally by 2030.

Sign up for IBM SkillsBuild as an educator for free

Learn more about bringing IBM SkillsBuild into your school or organization

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from IBM on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: IBM

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/ibm

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: IBM

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/753185/Supporting-Teachers-in-Their-STEM-Skilling-Journeys
EQS-News: Aggregate Holdings SA / Key word(s): Statement

Aggregate Holdings S.A. successfully completes sale of VIC Properties, one of the largest real estate developers in Portugal



05.05.2023 / 17:49 CET/CEST

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.





Aggregate Holdings S.A. successfully completes sale of VIC Properties, one of the largest real estate developers in Portugal

Sold to a consortium led by institutional investors and including VIC management

Simplifies Aggregate's capital structure and refocuses operations on Germany

Significant reduction in Aggregate group net debt by more than 670 million

Full release of Aggregate's guarantee in respect of VIC Bonds

Luxembourg 5 May: Aggregate Holdings S.A. ("Aggregate") announces that today it has completed the sale of its subsidiary VIC Properties S.A. ("VIC Properties", or "VIC"), one of the largest real estate developers in Portugal (the "Sale"). Aggregate has been fully released from its guarantee in respect of the VIC Properties' 250 million 3.00 percent secured Pre-IPO Convertible Bonds due 2025 ("VIC Bonds"), and in total guarantees relating to VIC of c. 475 million are being released. In connection with the Sale transaction, a consent solicitation relating to the VIC Bonds was passed, with holders representing 92% in aggregate outstanding nominal amount of the VIC Bonds voting in favour of the proposals.

The Sale forms part of Aggregate's strategy to simplify its capital structure and asset base, and refocus on its core German markets. As at 30 June 2022, VIC accounted for net assets of 1,150 million and total assets of 1,882 million, including goodwill of 1,135 million, and the transaction will result in a reduction of net debt of more than 670 million. Under the terms of the transaction, Aggregate received an equity participation in the post-sale group, entitling it to receive 5% of all net distributions to the new investors in excess of 1 billion.

This Sale demonstrates the increasing interest in Portugal as an investment market for international investors that has occurred since Aggregate acquired VIC in 2018. The existing VIC management team remains in charge to lead VIC into the next phase of its development. Following the sale, VIC Properties will receive significant new funding to continue and further accelerate the development of its residential projects in Lisbon and in the region of Comporta and Melides.

"Aggregate has again demonstrated its ability to successfully close major strategic transactions in the current environment. This represents another significant milestone in in Aggregate's strategy to simplify its capital structure and asset base, and completes the refocusing on our core German markets. Aggregate is continuing to work on realising the underlying value of its prime Berlin-based assets over time to pay down debt and de-lever the company", commented Cevdet Caner, Chief Executive Officer of Aggregate.



Contact

John Nacos, Chief Investment Officer

Tel: +352 20 30 14 60

Email: j.nacos@aggregateholdings.com

Boris Lemke, Investment Director

Tel: +352 20 30 14 60

Email: b.lemke@aggregateholdings.com

John Ward, Vice President, Corporate Finance

Tel: +352 20 30 14 60

Email: j.ward@aggregateholdings.com

Alix Marie Walther, Manager of Communications & Marketing

Tel: +352 20 30 14 60

Email: a.walther@aggregateholdings.com



About Aggregate Holdings

Aggregate Holdings S.A. is a predominantly German-focused real estate investment company. As at H1 2022, the company had 7.9 billion of assets and a project portfolio with 10.2 billion Gross Development Value. In its Build & Hold division, Aggregate owned Quartier Heidestrasse, the largest mixed use real estate development project in central Berlin with c.371,000 sqm of gross floor area ("GFA"), Fuerst, the prime commercial asset located on Kurfuerstendamm in central Berlin with c.183,000 sqm of GFA, and Walter and Green Living projects in Berlin with a combined GFA of c.762,000 sqm.

Important Notice

This announcement contains statements about Aggregate and/or VIC that are or may be forward looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts included in this announcement may be forward looking statements. Without limitation, any statements preceded or followed by or that include the words "targets", "goals", "should", "would", "could", "continue", "plans", "believes", "expects", "aims", "intends", "will", "may", "anticipates", "estimates", "hopes", "projects" or words or terms of similar substance or the negative thereof, are forward looking statements.

Such forward looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could significantly affect expected results and are based on certain key assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in any forward looking statements. Due to such uncertainties and risks, readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. Aggregate and VIC disclaims any obligation to update any forward looking or other statements contained herein, except as required by applicable law or regulation.

05.05.2023 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.

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CHICAGO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The semiconductor manufacturing equipment market is projected to reach USD 149.8 billion by 2028 from USD 91.2 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of 10.4% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The major factors driving the growth of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market include surging demand for AI chips driven by future AI-driven workloads and applications and increasing demand for semiconductor fabrication facilities.





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Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment Market Report Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $91.2 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $149.8 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 10.4% Market Size Available for 2019-2028 Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Units Value (USD Million/Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Front-end Equipment, Back-end Equipment, Fab Facility Equipment, Product Type, Dimension, Supply Chain Participant and Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Rest of World Key Market Challenge Lack of skilled workforce worldwide Key Market Opportunities Shortage of semiconductors leading to development of new manufacturing facilities Key Market Drivers Adoption of 5G technology and IoT increases demand for advanced semiconductors in US

The lithography segment is expected to account the largest size of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2023

In 2023, the lithography equipment segment is expected to hold the largest share due to the globally increasing demand for semiconductor devices, which has led to the increased use of photolithography equipment. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), there was a significant rise in annual sales of semiconductors, with figures increasing from USD 139.0 billion to USD 573.5 billion, representing a surge of 313% between 2001 and 2022. During the same time frame, there was a surge in unit sales of semiconductors by 290%, demonstrating a rise in demand for semiconductors across various sectors of the economy across the world.

The chemical control equipment segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Chemical control equipment is used widely for checking the flow and level of chemicals used in wafer fabrication, cleaning, and other processes. Contamination control through chemical control equipment has a significant impact on yield and equipment efficiency, as these equipment provide repeated and reliable delivery of pure chemicals during the semiconductor manufacturing processes. Thus, widespread adoption of chemical control equipment is being observed, and this trend is anticipated to continue in the coming years. Due to this, the chemical control equipment segment is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The 2D ICs segment is expected to account the largest size of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2023

The 2D ICs are used since long as 2D integration of diverse technologies improves device performance. Also, 2D ICs developed using flip-chip technique provides higher input/output rates and occupies less space. They are also cost effective compared to 2.5D and 3D ICs as well as found application in numerous electronic devices. Due to this, the 2D ICs segment is expected to account for the largest size of the semiconductor manufacturing equipment market in 2023.

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Asia Pacific is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period

Asia Pacific has been a game-changer for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry according to the Semiconductor Industry Association, strong government support and increased R&D expenditure in China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan have led to the emergence of these countries as leading semiconductor players globally. In addition, the region houses semiconductor fabrication facilities of a few major IDMs such as Intel Corporation, Micron Technology, Inc., NXP Semiconductors, SK Hynix Inc., Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Texas Instruments Incorporated, ASMPT, SHIBUYA CORPORATION, Kulicke and Soffa Industries, Inc., and SHINKAWA Electric Co., Ltd. The presence of local players such as Nikon Corporation and Canon Inc. also contributes to the growth of the regional market. Thus, the region is expected to register the highest CAGR during the forecast period.

The report profiles key players in semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies such as Tokyo Electron Limited (Japan); Lam Research Corporation (US); ASML (Netherlands); Applied Materials, Inc. (US); KLA Corporation (US); SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd. (Japan); Teradyne, Inc. (US); Advantest Corporation (Japan); Hitachi, Ltd. (Japan); Plasma-Therm (US).

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Browse Adjacent Market: Semiconductor and Electronics Market Research Reports &Consulting

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Wafer Cleaning Equipment Market with COVID-19 impact analysis by Equipment Type (Single-wafer Spray System, Batch Spray Cleaning System, and Scrubbers), Application, Technology, Operation Mode, Wafer Size, and Geography - Global Forecast to 2025

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Vallourec to resume full production at its Pau Branco iron ore mine

Meudon, France, 5May2023 - Vallourec has obtained the necessary permissions from the state mining and environmental authorities for the full release of the Cachoeirinha core waste pile. The Pau Branco iron ore mine is set to return to full production by the end of Q2 2023 at the latest.

Operations at the Pau Branco mine were temporarily suspended in January 2022 following flooding-related damage to its core Cachoeirinha waste pile. Operations were partially restarted in May 2022 using alternative waste piles, albeit at lower-than-normal capacity levels. The production sold in 2022 reached 4.0 million tonnes, well below the full potential of 8.7 million tonnes per annum. Vallourec now confirms that production sold in Q1 2023 was in line with guidance for approximately 1.5 million tonnes, and April production sold was approximately 0.6 million tonnes. The mine is now expected to return to its full production potential by the end of Q2 2023 at the latest.

Philippe Guillemot, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vallourec, commented:"We are delighted at the prospect of fully reopening our Pau Branco mine and the resumption of normal operations. This will enable our mining business to contributemore meaningfullyto the financial performance of Vallourec."

About Vallourec

Vallourec is a world leader in premium tubular solutions for the energy markets and for demanding industrial applications such as oil & gas wells in harsh environments, new generation power plants, challenging architectural projects, and high-performance mechanical equipment. Vallourec's pioneering spirit and cutting edge R&D open new technological frontiers. With close to 16,000 dedicated and passionate employees in more than 20 countries, Vallourec works hand-in-hand with its customers to offer more than just tubes: Vallourec delivers innovative, safe, competitive and smart tubular solutions, to make every project possible.

Listed on Euronext in Paris (ISIN code: FR0013506730, Ticker VK), Vallourec is part of the CAC Mid 60, SBF 120 and Next 150 indices and is eligible for Deferred Settlement Service.

In the United States, Vallourec has established a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt (ADR) program (ISIN code: US92023R4074, Ticker: VLOWY). Parity between ADR and a Vallourec ordinary share has been set at 5:1.

For further information, please contact:

Investor relations

Connor Lynagh

Tel: +1 (713) 409-7842

connor.lynagh@vallourec.com (mailto:connor.lynagh@vallourec.com)



Press relations

Heloise Rothenbuhler

Tel: +33 (0)1 41 03 77 50

h eloise.rothenbuhler@vallourec.com Individual shareholders

Toll Free Number (from France): 0 800 505 110

actionnaires@vallourec.com (mailto:actionnaires@vallourec.com)





Attachment
Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Deveron Corp. (TSXV: FARM) ("Deveron" or the "Company"), a leading agriculture service and data company in North America, is pleased to announce that further to its press releases of April 14, 2023 and April 25, 2023, the Company has completed the first tranche of its previously announced prospectus offering through the issuance of 16,224,194 common shares (each, a "Common Share") in the capital of the Company at a price of $0.31 per Common Share for gross proceeds of $5,029,500.14 (the "Offering"). The distribution of the Common Shares is qualified by the Company's shelf prospectus supplement (a "Prospectus Supplement") dated April 26, 2023, to the Company's short form base shelf prospectus for each of the provinces of Canada, except Quebec, dated November 30, 2021 (the "Base Shelf Prospectus").

Gross proceeds of the Offering will be to fund Deveron's M&A strategy, consolidating the fragmented soil lab and crop consultant market in North America.

In connection with the Offering, the Company paid certain eligible persons (each, a "Finder") an aggregate of $144,577 and issued an aggregate of 451,613 broker warrants (each, a "Broker Warrant"). Each Broker Warrant entitles the holder thereof to acquire one Common Share at a price of $0.31 per Common Share for a period of 18 months from the date of issuance. The Broker Warrants 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.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons as defined under applicable United States securities laws unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

The Offering constituted a related party transaction within the meaning of TSX Venture Exchange Policy 5.9 and Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101") as insiders of the Company acquired 3,372,282 Common Shares pursuant to the Offering. The Company is relying on the exemptions from the valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(b) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101, as the Company is not listed on a specified market and the fair market value of the participation in the Offering by the insider does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company in accordance with MI 61-101. The Company did not file a material change report in respect of the related party transaction at least 21 days before the closing of the of the Offering, which the Company deems reasonable in the circumstances in order to complete the Offering in an expeditious manner.

In addition, the Company announces it has granted an aggregate of 350,000 stock options (the "Options") to purchase common shares (the "Common Shares") of the Company exercisable at a price of $0.33 per Common Share and expiring on May 5th, 2029, to employees of the Company. The common shares issuable upon exercise of the options are subject to a four-month hold period from the original date of grant.

About Deveron: Deveron is an agriculture technology company that uses data and insights to help farmers and large agriculture enterprises increase yields, reduce costs, and improve farm outcomes. The company employs a digital process that leverages data collected on farms across North America to drive unbiased interpretation of production decisions, ultimately recommending how to optimize input use. Our team of agronomists and data scientists build products that recommend ways to better manage fertilizer, seed, fungicide, and other farm inputs. Additionally, we have a national network of data technicians that are deployed to collect various types of farm data, from soil to drone. Our geographic focus is the US and Canada where 1 billion acres are actively farmed annually.

For more information, please visit www.deveron.com.

Phil Linton

VP Corporate Development

Deveron Corp.

Plinton@deveron.com

Tel: 647-622-0076

"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."

This news release includes certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of that phrase under Canadian securities laws. Without limitation, statements regarding future plans and objectives of the Company are forward looking statements that involve various degrees of risk. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current views with respect to possible future events and conditions and, by their nature, are based on management's beliefs and assumptions and subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties, both general and specific to the Company. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in our forward-looking statements. The following are important factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward looking statements: changes in the world-wide price of agricultural commodities, general market conditions, risks inherent in agriculture, the uncertainty of future profitability and the uncertainty of access to additional capital. Additional information regarding the material factors and assumptions that were applied in making these forward looking statements as well as the various risks and uncertainties we face are described in greater detail in the "Risk Factors" section of our annual and interim Management's Discussion and Analysis of our financial results and other continuous disclosure documents and financial statements we file with the Canadian securities regulatory authorities which are available at www.sedar.com. The Company undertakes no obligation to update this forward-looking information except as required by applicable law. The Company relies on litigation protection for forward looking statements.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165066
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - TrustBIX Inc. (TSXV: TBIX) (OTCQB: TBIXF) ("TrustBIX" or the "Company") announces that on April 30, 2023, Mr. Tom Ogaranko stepped down as Chief Innovation Officer and has agreed to join the TrustBIX Advisory Board. The Board of Directors expressed their tremendous gratitude for Tom's contributions to the Company over the years.



"We thank Tom for his excellent work as Chief Innovation Officer. He has been key to the success of our development and growth strategies, allowing us to deploy our technology and support sustainability in many industries. We are excited to continue working with him as one of our advisors," said Hubert Lau, TrustBIX CEO.



In addition, on May 3, 2023, Ms. Deborah Wilson has stepped down as an Officer of the Company and her role has changed from Chief Industry Engagement Officer to the new position of Senior Vice President, Channel Sales and Industry Relations. This will allow her to redirect her focus away from executive operational duties to revenue growth. She will be responsible for developing and realizing BIX solutions with the Company's resellers and industry partners to ensure mutual revenue and profits.

About TrustBIX (TSXV: TBIX) (OTCQB: TBIXF)

The vision is to create a world where we trust more and waste less by leveraging BIX and the use of its technology solutions. TrustBIX delivers independent validation of provenance and sustainable practices within multiple supply chains and industries.

BIX Location Services offer solutions to supply chains that bring situational awareness for high-value assets.

ViewTrak Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, provides a suite of hardware and software solutions to the livestock industry in North America and China.

www.trustbix.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Hubert Lau

President and CEO

Telephone: (780) 456-2207

Email: info@trustbix.com

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165062
Cast: Bhumi Pednekar, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sumeet Vyas, Sharib Hashmi, T.J. Bhanu, Sumit Kaul, Eisha Chopra, Rockey Raina

Director: Sudhir Mishra

Language: Hindi

What is the meaning of butchery? Is it the slaughter of animals  that motif used so routinely in commercial Indian cinema and the public discourse to stereotype and demonise Muslims  or is it the slaying of people? Is it the killing of a beast by a business establishment that sells meat for human consumption and nourishment, or the killing of a person to provoke social unrest? By articulating this question not through words, but with visuals, director Sudhir Mishra makes an explosive statement in the opening minutes of his new film Afwaah (Rumour).

Produced by Anubhav Sinha, written by Mishra, Nisarg Mehta, Shiva Shankar Bajpai and Apurva Dhar Badgaiyann, and edited by Atanu Mukherjee, Afwaah is set in a Hindi belt pradesh where the young politician Vicky Bana (Sumeet Vyas) makes a provocative speech that leads to deadly communal violence  supposedly a riot, but actually orchestrated. Vickys fiancee Nivedita (Bhumi Pednekar) is outraged but realises that he has support within her own family. The extent of that support becomes evident to her only later.

On what seems like a parallel track at first, we meet Rahab Ahmed (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) who has returned home from the US and is a celebrated advertising professional here.

That these two stories will converge is clear from the initial seconds, when they briefly collide before being thrown apart. The inevitability of that subsequent meeting gradually builds tension on screen as Nivedita-Vicky and Rahabs strands move at differing paces and with differing rhythms for a long stretch of time, until they crash into each other at an unexpected moment.

What follows is a saga of intersectionalities between extreme patriarchy, religious sectarianism and right-wing militancy steered by a neta who is committed not to an ideology or individual, but to himself alone. The second half of Afwaah is not as firmly structured as the first, nor as finessed, but the point it makes is powerful and unequivocal. The effect is startling considering how servile most of Bollywood has become and how even liberals in this industry, with some honourable exceptions, have either fallen silent or have been walking on eggshells around political themes in contrast with some of Indias other film industries.

There is much more to Afwaah than its courage though. As the primary characters hurtle down a highway to apparent doom, Mishra delivers a gripping political drama that is unafraid to call a spade a spade and an evil opportunist exactly that.

Sumeet Vyas (Ribbon, Unpaused) approaches Vicky with a balance that is not easy to attain since he is not written as a cartoon. This is the kind of cold-hearted, polished politician you might meet at social gatherings in south Delhi, who wears the appearance of a conscience on his sleeve and about whom even the educated public is known to say, He is not a bad guy, its the party that is to blame. It is tempting to believe in him even after seeing how low he can go, because Vyas makes it so hard not to believe.

Bhumi Pednekar as Nivedita a.k.a. Nivi keeps it real, as she always does, giving the character a will of steel through her understatement. This is a woman caught between contrasting worlds, under pressure from the conservatism of her background but guided by her own progressive mindset, and Bhumi plays her with a knowing expression, almost as if Nivi is watching her life from the outside even as she is embroiled in the goings-on.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is cast as a man who stumbles over his English but has the confidence not to care in a society that considers the language a mark of sophistication. He occasionally slips over Rahabs swag, but embodies the mans bemusement when he is sucked into a whirlpool of behind-the-scenes politicking and crime.

In a largely though not entirely solid supporting cast, watch out for the consistently excellent Sharib Hashmi as a politicians minion, Chandan, and T.J. Bhanu as a policewoman. In one of Afwaahs most telling scenes, Chandan beautifully exemplifies the enslavement of the enslaved and the manner in which patriarchy binds both oppressed and oppressor communities.

The latter half of Afwaah is not as tightly constructed as the preceding half, particularly dipping when it chooses to repeatedly stress a point already made. No one needed to spell out why this title was chosen, but after a conversation in which it is needlessly underlined, the repetition in the use of the word suggests that the team of the film under-estimates the audience. We get it. This film is about how an individual or organisation with resources can spread a lie like wildfire on social media, mining the publics confirmation bias against the marginalised  religious minorities, women, anyone  until that falsehood is deemed to be the truth.

The acting by those playing Vickys IT Cell and the writing of that set of people comes across as caricaturish. Certain moments  Nivi becoming aware of Rahabs religious identity, the climax of a dance performance  are set up with such obviousness that their impact is lost because they can be seen coming from a mile. There is a zing missing in the editing of the scene featuring the stage show that makes it stick out from the tautness pervading the rest of the film. The epilogue too feels at least partially superfluous.

These criticisms are vastly outweighed by what Afwaah gets right. The chase scenes  far removed from the Fast and the Furious genre of cinema, more akin to Anurag Kashyaps Black Friday  are so real that I almost felt I was running with the characters involved, straining to catch my breath. And that other scene in which two pivotal players in the plot are on either side of a busy road and one of them can see a potential tragedy unfold was first rate. The writing and direction of Afwaahs most captivating scenes are well-complemented by DoP Mauricio Vidals clever frames that hide as much as they reveal, and the muted tone adopted by sound designers Bhaskar Roy and Kunal Lolsure, composers Karel Antonin (who is credited for the background score) and Shameer Tandon (music).

Afwaahs ending may seem optimistic, but make no mistake about this: this is not a film about simplistic solutions, as we learn from a story Rahab tells an enthralled audience vs his attempt at re-enacting it in the present. Equally important, it means so much to see a Muslim lead who is just a regular guy, and a woman protagonist who is valiant without being a Rani of Jhansi.

After Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011), it has seemed as if Mishra was struggling to get back in the groove with his craft and the politics of his cinema. Inkaar and Serious Men were troubling in the latter arena. Afwaah marks a return to form of the veteran who is forever hailed as the maker of Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi. Long before these films were made, keep in mind that he co-wrote Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro with Kundan Shah, a cult classic about which liberals these days often say: this film can never be made today. Maybe it can, maybe it cannot, there is no way to conclusively prove this hypothetical assumption, but Afwaah is a concrete example of a Hindi filmmaker pushing back against a repressive system and his work seeing the light of day despite the circumstances in which he operates.

While Mishras and Team Afwaahs bravery is laudable, it is also true that bravery alone cannot birth quality. Afwaah is riveting cinema. Riveting and incredibly relevant.

Rating: 3.5 (out of 5 stars)

Afwaah is in theatres

Anna M.M. Vetticad is an award-winning journalist and author of The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic. She specialises in the intersection of cinema with feminist and other socio-political concerns. Twitter: @annavetticad, Instagram: @annammvetticad, Facebook: AnnaMMVetticadOfficial

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Great Britains royal family turns the page on a new chapter Saturday with the coronation of King Charles III  a spectacle that echoes medieval times but featuring modern flourishes.

The Coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla promises to be a display of pomp and pageantry that will celebrate the start of the new monarchs reign. But when Britain is languishing and the economic condition is in doldrums it is highly insensitive on the part of Charles to have aCoronation. And with public purse strings continuing to be tightened, it is questionable whether an event of such extravagance and cost is appropriate. The Royal family of Britain is like an unproductive consumer, feeding not only on Britains resources, but also the global resources. The Royal family needs to understand that the Coronation of Charles and Camilla comes at a time when the cost of living crisis continues to tighten its grip on peoples finances.

The pomp, pageantry and symbolism dates back more than 1,000 years, but the crowning of this king will feature new twists on the tradition and changes from the coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, 70 years ago.

Queen Elizabeth, who died last September aged 96 after 70 years on the throne, had become UKs monarch in 1952 following the death of her father. Her son King Charles IIIs coronation ceremony is expected to be modest and considerably shorter. The celebration will include key elements associated with the hallowed religious service and reflect King Charles vision of a trimmed-down modern monarchy, the Buckingham Palace said. Plans for the ceremony at Westminster Abbey call for a more toned-down affair than the last one, even though royals from other nations, heads of state and most of Charles family will be there, and the monarch plans to wear the same vestments as Elizabeth did.

Why a coronation when Charles is already a king

Charles automatically ascended to the throne when Elizabeth died Sept. 8, and he was officially proclaimed Britains monarch two days later in an ascension ceremony broadcast for the first time on television. Charles said he was deeply aware of this great inheritance and of the duties and heavy responsibilities of sovereignty which have now passed to me.

There is no legal requirement for a coronation, and other European monarchies have done away with the ceremonies. But the deeply religious and regalia-heavy event is a more formal confirmation of his role as head of state and titular head of the Church of England and was intended to show the kings authority was derived from God.

During the service conducted by the churchs spiritual leader, the archbishop of Canterbury, Charles will be anointed with oil, receive the traditional symbols of the monarch  including the orb and scepter  and have the St. Edwards Crown placed on his head for the first time. Charles wife, Camilla, will be crowned as queen consort.

How different will it be from the previous coronation?

The coronation ceremony dates back to the medieval period, and much of it remains unchanged. Westminster Abbey has been the setting of the ritual since William the Conqueror was crowned in 1066.

Elizabeth IIs coronation in June 1953 was the first to be televised live. The broadcast in black and white drew an audience of tens of millions in Britain and was later played to a worldwide audience. In the age of streaming and social media, people will be able to watch Charles crowning live  and in vivid reds, blues and golds  from virtually anywhere on the planet and post their hot takes with a crown emoji created for the occasion.

Charles has said he plans to slim down the monarchy. His coronation is expected to reflect that with a ceremony shorter than his mothers three-hour extravaganza and no more than 2,800 guests in the audience  far fewer than the 8,000 who assembled to see Elizabeth crowned.

In a nod to the change in the religious makeup of the United Kingdom, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religious leaders will play a role at the coronation. That reflects Charles vow to be the defender of faiths, as opposed to the defender of the faith.

The procession after the ceremony also will be decidedly shorter than the 5-mile (8 kilometer) route that Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, took around London in 1953. Charles and Camilla plan to take a more modern set of horse-drawn wheels for the 1.3-mile (2-kilometer) route from Buckingham Palace to the abbey. Once crowned, they will step back in time and retrace the journey in the 260-year-old carriage  notorious for its rough ride  used in every coronation since William IVs in 1831.

The guest list

A hundred heads of state are expected to attend along with royalty ranging from Japans Crown Prince Akishino and his wife, Kiko, to Spains King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia.

The U.S. will keep alive its streak of a president never attending a British royal coronation, although first lady Jill Biden is set to attend. William, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne, is expected to kneel before his father and pledge his loyalty in whats known as the Homage of Royal Blood.

His younger brother, Prince Harry, the disgruntled Duke of Sussex, is not expected to take part in the service. His explosive memoir Spare, which became a bestseller early this year, made unflattering claims about the royal family. Until three weeks ago, there was a question of whether Harry and his wife, Meghan, would attend the crowning after leveling charges of racism and media manipulation at the royal family.

While Harry will be there, the duchess is to remain at the couples Southern California home with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The coronation is just a few days before the first of Harrys lawsuits against the British tabloid press goes to trial. The case could reveal more family secrets. During a hearing in a similar case last week, Harry said in court papers that Buckingham Palace, with the approval of the queen, had an agreement with Rupert Murdochs English newspapers to settle phone hacking allegations without a lawsuit. Harry said he was directed by palace staff to drop his litigation because his father wanted to curry favor with the press.

The family drama doesnt end there. Charles brother, Prince Andrew, is also not expected to play any role in the ceremony. Andrew gave up royal duties and was stripped of military titles and patronages after revelations of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew settled a lawsuit with a woman who said she was forced to have sex with him when she was a teenager.

Importance of the coronation

With opinion polls showing support for the monarchy has weakened in recent years, this is the chance for Charles to seek and showcase the publics embrace.

Crowds are expected to line the streets to cheer the new king, and throngs will stand outside Buckingham Palace waiting for him to appear on the balcony after the procession.

While criticism of the crown was relatively muted in recent years out of respect for the queen and her decades of service to the country, there is likely to be much more discussion of whether Britain still needs this antiquated institution or if it should become a republic with an elected head of state.

The Royal family drama continues

Until three weeks ago, there was a question of whether Harry and his wife, Meghan, would attend the crowning after leveling charges of racism and media manipulation at the royal family. While Harry will be there, the duchess is to remain at the couples Southern California home with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The coronation is just a few days before the first of Harrys lawsuits against the British tabloid press goes to trial. The case could reveal more family secrets. During a hearing in a similar case last week, Harry said in court papers that Buckingham Palace, with the approval of the queen, had an agreement with Rupert Murdochs English newspapers to settle phone hacking allegations without a lawsuit. Harry said he was directed by palace staff to drop his litigation because his father wanted to curry favor with the press.

The family drama doesnt end there. Charles brother, Prince Andrew, is also not expected to play any role in the ceremony. Andrew gave up royal duties and was stripped of military titles and patronages after revelations of his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew settled a lawsuit with a woman who said she was forced to have sex with him when she was a teenager.

On the other hand, critics have questioned the price tag of such a lavish event that comes at a troubling financial time for the country. The Operation Golden Orb committee, which is in charge of planning the coronation ceremony, estimates that the event could cost around 100 million pounds (over 1021.5 crore), Time magazine reported.

Buckingham Palace balcony guessing game continues

Even at this late stage there is no confirmation on which members of the Royal Family will be on the famous balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Coronation service. This will be one of the most iconic images of the day so nothing will be accidental about how it is staged.

Initially when the guest list was not ready, The New York Post had reported that Harry and Meghan had requested a spot on the famed Buckingham Palace balcony and a formal acknowledgement of their two children during the May 6 ceremony.

Now there is news about Harry skipping the coronation

Prince Harry could skip his father King Charles IIIs coronation as hes looking for an excuse to avoid the landmark ceremony, a royal biographer has claimed. According to geo.tv report, Royal expert Tom Bower has warned King Charles and the royal family of Harrys last-minute stunt ahead of the ceremony.

Bower, as per a report by GB News, has shared his opinion that there are chances Harry might reverse his decision to join the ceremony, saying: I think there is more to come Im sure that when Harry is here, or just before he arrives, something else will come out of California. And unfortunately, itll overshadow what the Coronation is meant to be about.

(With inputs from AP)

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When King Charles took over the reins after the demise of his darling mama  as he called the late Queen Elizabeth II  he not only succeeded her as British monarch but as monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms.

As the new King receives the sovereigns orb, sceptre and coronation ring, and is anointed with an oil specially sacralised in Jerusalem, his subjects around these 15 countries will be invited to take an oath with these words  I swear that I will pay true allegiance to your majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God. But a lot has changed since the last coronation 70 years ago. The monarchy no longer enjoys popularity and people are reluctant to pledge allegiance to the new king.

The coronation on 6 May, is a moment of pomp and pageantry. But, more importantly, it is also a time of questioning: Do these countries want King Charles III as their head of state?

Countries that recognise Charles as head of state

Today, besides Britain, King Charles III is recognised as head of state in 14 countries. These are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

It is important to note here that under Queen Elizabeth IIs reign  which lasted for more than 70 years  17 countries left the British monarchy  including, most recently, Barbados in 2021. Interestingly, Charles had attended the ceremony in November last year and had then said, From the darkest days of our past, and the appalling atrocity of slavery, which forever stains our histories, the people of this island forged their path with extraordinary fortitude. Emancipation, self-government and independence were your waypoints. Freedom, justice and self-determination have been your guides.

Not my King

With Charles coronation, some countries like New Zealand are planting thousands of native trees while Australia is making a donation toward protecting the critically endangered Western Ground Parrot. But there are others who are wishing to jettison the monarchy.

In fact, a recent poll by Lord Ashcroft, former chairman of the UKs Conservative Party, shows that Australia, Canada, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Solomon Islands, and Antigua and Barbuda are all supporting the idea of ditching their constitutional monarchies.

Nowhere is the feeling more pronounced than in the Solomon Islands. As per a recent survey, 59 per cent say they would abolish the monarchy.

Some royal watchers believe that Jamaica may be the next country to dump Charles as their head of state. The Caribbean nation has talked for years about removing the British monarch as head of state.

And these voices were amplified during William and Kates visit to the nation last year. Prime Minister Andrew Holness during a meet with the royals had said: We are moving on and we intend to attain, in short order, our development goals and fulfill our true ambitions and destiny as an independent, developed, prosperous country. He had said his country will transition to a republic before the 2025 general elections. And since the death of the Queen in September, Jamaica has stepped up its plans for removal of the British monarch as head of state.

In March, Jamaicas prime minister announced the 14 members of the new Constitutional Reform Committee, which will be responsible for the countrys transition to a republic.

In fact, according to Marlene Malahoo Forte, the countrys legal affairs minister, Charles coronation has spurred the process even further. Speaking to Britains Sky News television, she said, Time has come. Jamaica in Jamaican hands. We have to get it done, especially with the transition in the monarchy. My government is saying we have to do it now.

Not too far from Jamaica, similar feelings are brewing in Belize. A former British colony, this country too wishes to step away from the monarchy. Belizes prime minister John Briceno told The Guardian newspaper it was quite likely his country would be the next Commonwealth realm to become a republic. He added that Charles coronation evoked no excitement among his colleagues.

The country of Belize last year passed legislation creating a constitutional commission to look into methods to becoming a republic. Briceno said he would put its recommendations, due next year, to a referendum, but did not rule out potentially abolishing the countrys monarchy via parliament.

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Antigua and Barbuda  another Commonwealth realm  has also expressed a desire to move away from the monarchy. Gaston Brown, prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda, said he plans to hold a referendum in the next three years on whether or not they should remove the king as head of state.

It does not represent any form of disrespect to the monarch. This is not an act of hostility, or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, Browne told ITV News. It is a final step to complete the circle of independence to become a truly sovereign nation.

In Australia, one would hardly believe that the nation is celebrating Charles coronation. As one 73-year-old resident of Sydney told the BBC, I dont care, its irrelevant.

Another local had even more disdain for it. Speaking to The Guardian, a resident of Melbourne said, The monarchy is a complete and utter disgraceful waste of time and money. Its a great tourist attraction for England but, as far as this country is concerned, we dont need it.

Australias prime minister Anthony Albanese, a staunch republican, has also expressed support to replace the British monarch as the countrys head of state. However, he has said that this was not the time to do so.

This isnt the first time that Australia has expressed his desire to jettison the crown. In 1999, it held a referendum on the same in which 54.87 per cent voted against becoming a republic.

Its the same story in nearby New Zealand. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins this week said hes a republican and believes the country will ideally leave the monarchy one day. However, theres no decision taken on the same as of now.

The Bahamas with a population of around 400,000 too recognises the British monarch as their head of state. However, after Queen Elizabeth IIs demise last year, the prime minister, Philip Davis, had said a constitutional referendum to transition to a republic was always on the table.

Davis told reporters after signing the book of condolence for the Queen: The only challenge with us moving to a republic is that, as much as I would wish to do it, I cant do it without your consent. I would have to have a referendum and the Bahamian people would have to say to me, Yes.

St. Lucia and St. Kitts and Nevis both seek to remove Charles as their head of state and become a republic. The governments of both nations have said that the process to move away from the monarchy is ongoing and they would do so in a few years.

Tuvalu, an exception

However, the feelings in Tuvalu, which at just 10 square miles is the smallest country to have retained the British monarch as head of state, is quite contrary. The leaders express hope and optimism with King Charles taking the throne. They believe that his passion for the environment and nature will be beneficial to them and for the fight against climate change.

Charles will be coronated tomorrow. However, how King Charles takes the monarchy forward beyond the glitz and glamour of the coronation is unknown. Will he be able to boost the popularity of the monarchy or will it sink to its demise? That only time will tell.

With inputs from agencies

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One mans loss is another mans gain, goes the popular adage. And it seems that China has learnt this well and is imbibing it in its policy too. Reports have emerged that Beijing is looking to recruit Nepals famed Gorkhas into its Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) and its long dreams of doing so may finally come true.

What are we talking about? Who are the Gorkhas? Why are they so well-respected in the Indian Army? Why is their recruitment into the Indian forces under a cloud? Heres all you need to know on the matter.

The Gorkhas and their history

For years, China has wanted to induct Nepals famous warriors, the Gorkhas, into their military. This is because they have acquired the reputation of being fearless and valiant. But who are they?

These are hardy and strong soldiers who have been part of the British Army and Indian Army for years. Their motto Better to die than be a coward reflects their bravery. These fearsome Nepali fighters became a part of the British army when the British East India Company suffering heavy losses during the invasion of Nepal signed a hasty peace deal in 1815, which also allowed it to recruit from the ranks of the former enemy.

Since their induction into the British forces, they have loyally fought and received 13 Victoria Crosses. For the unaware, the Victoria Cross is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour in the presence of the enemy to members of the British Armed Forces.

Besides the British Army, the Nepali Gorkhas are also inducted into the Indian Army. This came about through the tripartite treaty signed between Nepal, India and Britain at time of Independence. Under this treaty, four Gurkha regiments from the Indian Army were transferred to the British, eventually becoming the Gurkha Brigade.

In 2022, it was reported that the Indian Army had seven Gorkha regiments, comprising 28,000 Nepali citizens.

Through the years, the Gorkhas in the Indian Army have served courageously and shown their mettle through the wars fought. In the 1965 war with Pakistan, the Gorkhas distinguished themselves in the assault on 10,000 feet Pir Kanthi Hill and in the epic battle of Zojila. In the Kargil War of 1999, the Gorkha battalions recaptured various posts which were captured by the Pakistani Army and the intruders.

It is said that in every war ever fought by the Indian Army post Independence, the Gorkhas have played a gallant role. So much so that they have earned several Param Vir Chakras, the highest award for gallantry.

Such is their bravery that even Indias most decorated Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw had once said that If anyone tells you he is never afraid, he is a liar or he is a Gorkha.

China coveting Gorkhas

It is this bravery and their sturdy nature that has China wanting to add them to their PLA numbers. In August 2020, Beijing had gone as far as commissioning a study in Nepal on why the youth from the Himalayan nation joined the Indian Army.

It was then reported that China had funded a Nepali Rs 12.7 lakh study to understand the age-old tradition of young boys joining the Indian Army. Experts state that this was first-of-its-kind study by China.

The Agnipath problem

And now it seems that Chinas dream of Gorkha soldiers may become a reality after Nepal has refused to send its recruit to the Indian Army over the recently launched Agnipath scheme.

Announced on 14 June 2022, the Agnipath scheme is one in which recruits are taken into the Armed Forces for a short period of four years following which only a fourth of the troops will be absorbed into the forces while the remaining will be discharged with a package. This was done in order to reduce the burden of pensions on the defence budget as well infuse new blood into the armed forces.

Also read: How Indian Army will recruit Nepali Gorkhas under Agnipath scheme and why its a concern

However, Nepal is not in favour of this scheme, and last year had stated that they wouldnt send troops for recruitment rallies as they felt that the Agnipath scheme needed approval from them. The government in Kathmandu believe that the scheme will short-change the 1,400 or so Gurkha recruits.

Nishchal Nath Pandey, director at the Center for South Asian Studies in Kathmandu, explained to Foreign Policy, The concern is that these young lads will return in a few years without the wherewithal of what to do next in their lives. They can go into alcoholism, drugs and even join some sort of insurgency as they will be trained in combat.

Theres also the economic fallout from the Agnipath scheme. According to information, annual pensions for Nepal-domiciled Gorkhas total about Rs 4,000 crore. Serving soldiers send money home, amounting to around Rs 1,000 crore every year. However, with the Agnipath drive, this number would reduce drastically and the money that was being pumped into Nepals economy would reduce significantly.

Theres also the worry that some foreign countries could take advantage of the trained forces for covert activities within Nepal. This could embroil Nepal further into the geostrategic nightmare, which could spiral out of control.

Also read: Why India cant let inimical forces in Nepal stop Gorkhas from joining Indian Army over Agnipath

And seeing that Nepal is still mulling the future of its troops in the Indian Army, Beijing has taken this opportunity to cash in. They have been establishing closer ties with the Communist government in Kathmandu and have also been investing heavily in the region.

If China is able to sway Nepal, it would be a huge setback to India-Nepal ties as well as endangering New Delhis national security. This is because China would entrench itself even deeper into Nepal  a neighbour of India.

With inputs from agencies

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London: The coronation of King Charles III will feature a vast array of characters, each with roles steeped in history  some of which have been tweaked to fit the 21st Century.

Those undertaking these historic roles in the service have been chosen to recognise, thank and represent the nation due to their significant service, Buckingham Palace said.

The Archbishop of Canterbury

The most senior cleric in the country will officiate over the ceremony, and crown and anoint the new king and queen.

Justin Welby, 67, has been the spiritual leader of the Church of England since 2013.

The former oil industry executive had to prepare the order of service.

The leader of the worlds Anglicans has admitted 6 May is giving him nightmares, saying he had dreamt of reaching the point of coronation and then realising he had forgotten the crown.

The Earl Marshal

The hereditary role of organising state events belongs to the Duke of Norfolk, who acts as Earl Marshal.

Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 66, organised Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral, as well as King Charles accession and the state openings of parliament.

The duke was banned from driving for six months in September for using his mobile phone at the wheel, despite claiming he needed his licence to arrange the coronation.

Governors-general and prime ministers

Charles is the head of state of 14 countries besides Britain. Their governors-general  effectively viceroys  plus the prime ministers, will be the first to enter Westminster Abbey following faith leaders.

The flags of each country, including Australia, Canada, Jamaica and New Zealand, will be carried by national representatives.

Royal Air Force Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee will carry the British flag.

Standard bearers

The Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Dundee, the Marquess of Anglesey and the Earl of Caledon will carry the standards representing England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.

The Duke of Westminster, Hugh Grosvenor, 32, is one of the richest people in Britain. Charles is his godfather.

Francis Dymoke, whose family has been the King or Queens Champion since medieval times, will carry the Royal Standard.

The Kings Champion would previously ride on horseback into the coronation banquet and challenge any who doubted the right of the King or Queen to the throne, Buckingham Palace said.

There has not been a coronation banquet since that held by King George IV in 1821 so the champion has instead undertaken a different role since, usually bearing a flag or standard.

The Duke of Wellington

Charles Wellesley, 77, is descended from the 19th-Century prime minister and victor of the Battle of Waterloo whose statue in Glasgow is regularly topped by a traffic cone.

Also Read: Tone-deaf gesture? Why a pledge of allegiance to King Charles has stirred a row

He will carry Queen Marys Crown, which will be placed on Queen Camillas head by Welby.

Former Bishop of London Richard Chartres, a close friend of King Charles, will also help with Her Majestys Regalia by carrying the Queen Consorts Ring.

The Lord High Steward of England

The Lord High Steward is the most senior of the Great Officers of State in England, though the post has largely remained vacant since 1421.

As such, they get to carry St. Edwards Crown, which Welby will place on King Charles head.

General Gordon Messenger  the governor of the Tower of London, where the crown jewels are kept  has been appointed Lord High Steward, an office held only for the day.

It is a huge and unique honour, said former senior Royal Marines officer Messenger, 61, who led troops in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Other bearers of regalia

Former MI5 spy chief Elizabeth Manningham-Buller, 74, will carry St. Edwards Staff.

Nursing professor Elizabeth Anionwu, 76, will carry the Orb.

Also Read: Not My King: How Britain is going after anti-monarchists ahead of Charles coronation

Trinidadian-British actress, childrens television presenter and parliamentarian Floella Benjamin, 73, will carry the Sceptre with Dove.

Penny Mordaunt, 50, who ran to become prime minister in 2022, will carry the Sword of State, as Lord President of the Council.

Royal Navy Petty Officer Amy Taylor will be the first woman to carry the jewelled Sword of Offering.

Prince George of Wales

King Charles nine-year-old grandson, who is second in line to become king after his father Prince William, will be one of eight Pages of Honour during the service, joining a procession through the nave and assisting with holding the robes.

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Milan: Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday abruptly cancelled a trip to Paris, calling unacceptable remarks by the French interior minister criticising the Italian premiers migration policy.

Italy had demanded clarification of the remarks by French minister Gerald Darmanin to RMC radio blaming Italian premier Giorgia Meloni for increasing numbers of migrants, notably minors, at the French-Italian border.

Darmanin told the broadcaster that Meloni is incapable of resolving the migration problems for which she was elected.

He also accused her of lying to the population, a vice he said that was shared by the far-right.

The remark was both a dig at Meloni and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, noting that Meloni was elected by Le Pens friends. The president of Le Pens National Rally had visited the border area on Wednesday, seemingly to revive the migration issue.

Darmanins comments came as Tajani was preparing to fly to Paris to meet with his French counterpart. The Italian foreign minister said the offenses launched by the minister against the Italian government werent in the spirit in which shared European challenges should be faced.

The French Foreign Ministry backed off of Darmanins remarks, saying that French-Italy ties are founded on mutual respect, between our two countries and between our leaders. The statement said the French government wants to work with Italy on the issue of migration, particularly in the central Mediterranean, in a spirit of solidarity, in a reference to Tunisia.

Italy and France have sparred over migration police since Meloni took office last year as Italys first post-war far-right leader.

Her government ushered in hardline policies on migration, including standoffs with humanitarian rescue ships. Tensions spiked last fall after Italy forced Frances hand to accept the Ocean Viking with 234 migrants aboard, after Italy had refused it port for weeks.

Italys defence minister, Guido Grosetto, who is one of Melonis closest associates and a staunch supporter of her emphasis on national sovereignty, insisted Darmanin should apologise to both the Italian government and to Meloni.

This strange and incomprehensible habit of some exponents of European governments to try to interfere in Italian public life today crossed the alert level, Crosetto said in a written statement released by his ministry.

The Italian minister added: It doesnt take a genius to understand that to damage the relations between founding nations of the EU (European Union) cannot but weaken each of us. He said Italy would like to discuss even with France how to solve immigration problems in a serious and common way, not squabble in public to obtain a newspaper headline or one more vote.

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Washington: Facing the risk of an unprecedented US government default by months end, President Joe Biden has invited the top four congressional leaders to face-to-face talks at the White House next week.

Its the first concrete step toward negotiations on averting a potential economic catastrophe, but theres a long way to go: Biden and Republicans cant even agree on whats up for negotiation.

Whats the problem?

If the governments legal borrowing limit of $31.4 trillion (Rs 2.56 lakh crore) is not raised or suspended in the next few weeks, the result could be financial havoc. If the government cant borrow money to keep paying its bills for an extended period, there could be millions of job losses, businesses left bankrupt, crashes piling up across financial markets and lasting economic pain.

The damage would be financial, but the cause would be political, a breakdown between Republicans and Democrats, rather than a problem with the underlying health of the US economy.

The scheduling of next Tuesdays White House meeting suggests that leaders of both parties understand the risks at hand. But its just a meeting, nothing more so far. There is still a chasm between Democrats and Republicans on what should be done.

What caused Biden to schedule the meeting?

Tax receipts in April were less robust than expected. This means there is less of a financial cushion before the government runs out of money.

The Treasury Department has been using extraordinary measures since January to keep the government operating, short-term accounting tweaks to buy lawmakers time.

But Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen now says that time is running short.

After reviewing recent federal tax receipts, our best estimate is that we will be unable to continue to satisfy all of the governments obligations by early June, and potentially as early as 1 June, if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit before that time, Yellen wrote in a letter to lawmakers that became public late Monday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined on Tuesday to say how the letter might have influenced Bidens thinking.

But after the letters release, Biden invitations to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NewYork, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-NewYork, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R- Kentucky, became public.

Why not meet immediately?

The US capital runs on calendars  and those can be perpetual obstacles to getting stuff done.

The House is in recess this week.

McCarthy was in Jerusalem on Monday, speaking to its Knesset. In his statement reacting to the Yellen letter, he did not mention the White House invite, even though he has been pressing for talks with the president for weeks.

Biden will be in Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia from 17 May to 25 May.

In short, 9 May is when all the principal leaders are in Washington.

Why cant they agree?

Though government finances are complex, the divide is simple.

Republican lawmakers want spending cuts in return for raising the debt limit, saying the budgets current path is unsustainable. Biden and congressional Democrats want to raise the debt limit without any conditions, saying any choices about spending should be a separate discussion rather than an excuse for holding the government hostage.

Biden has said he wont negotiate about the debt limit, but he is willing to discuss government spending with McCarthy. White House officials say he plans to tell congressional leaders at next weeks meeting that the US must avoid a historic default  but also begin separately to put together a fiscal 2024 budget.

Happy to meet with McCarthy but not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended, Biden told reporters last week. Thats not negotiable.

Whats happening with the budget?

The president had dared McCarthy to produce a budget plan and the Republican leader delivered. House Republicans narrowly approved a bill to reduce deficits by $4.8 trillion (Rs 39,200,640, crore) over 10 years.

It would do so by cutting discretionary spending to 2022 levels and placing an annual cap of one per cent on increases going forward. The bill would also claw back unspent COVID aid, remove the clean energy tax credits that Biden signed into law last year and reverse Bidens student debt forgiveness and repayment plan.

House Republicans did their job and passed a responsible bill that raises the debt ceiling, avoids default and tackles reckless spending, McCarthy said in a statement.

Its unclear how the Democrats can get a debt ceiling increase without support from House Republicans. But Democrats say the GOP bills unspecified budget cuts would harm the economy, as domestic spending would likely be cut by 22 per cent compared to the baseline. Moodys Analytics estimated that the Republican bill would cause the loss of 780,000 jobs next year.

Democratic lawmakers, hoping to generate public opposition, are predicting terrible economic pain.

Speaker McCarthy has created a situation where he knowingly passed an extreme bill, has been boxed by his Republican colleagues into a corner, and now has little room to manoeuvre, Schumer said Tuesday. McCarthy is giving us two terrible options  either default on the debt or default on our country.

Would Republicans spending cuts actually fix the debt?

Not quite.

The Moodys Analytics estimates indicate that compared to the status quo, the GOP plan would reduce the debt as a share of the overall economy. But the impact would be relatively modest.

Also Read: Why Republican presidential candidates are avoiding the debate on the US debt ceiling

The long-term drivers of the debt that create the challenges of sustainability are Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Both McCarthy and Biden have vowed not to cut Social Security and Medicare, popular programs that provide health care and retirement income to older people.

Without deeper cuts, higher taxes or changes to those programs, analyses by the Penn Wharton Budget Model suggest the debt will hit troubling levels in the coming decades.

How will this end?

No one really knows.

Government officials, economists and past aides who handled past debt limit increases are willing to speculate, though they have generally insisted on anonymity to do so.

Administration officials have considered whether Biden could bypass Congress by citing the Constitutions 14th Amendment that the validity of US debt shall not be questioned. But the president has long deferred to the legislative branch given his 36 years in the Senate.

Jeffries, the House Democratic leader, said Tuesday his caucus would launch the process to force the House to consider a clean debt ceiling vote under the discharge calendar, though that process could take months.

GOP lawmakers could cave if financial markets panic, Senate Budget Committee Chairman Sheldon Whitehouse, D-Rhode Island, and others have suggested. A possible deal might be struck that includes permit reform for energy projects that Republicans and Biden have both sought.

Most likely: Democrats and Republicans could agree to a short-term extension, which would prevent a default but keep the issue pending until a budget was agreed to.

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The Manipur government on Thursday appointed retired IPS officer and former CRPF chief Kuldiep Singh as its security advisor in view of the spiralling violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community in the state, sources said.

They said Singh has reached Imphal.

The Indian Police Service officer of the 1986 batch retired from service in September last year. He also headed the National Investigation Agency (NIA), in an additional capacity, as its director general.

Also Read: Kindly help, my state Manipur is burning, boxer Mary Kom appeals to PM Modi amid violence

Clashes broke out in the state on Wednesday and they intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks, after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a Tribal Solidarity March to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the majority Metei community.

The state government on Thursday issued a shoot at sight order in extreme cases to contain spiralling violence in the state between tribals and the majority Meitei community which has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages.

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A Thai woman has been accused of murdering at least 14 people with cyanide in a case that has gripped a nation.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who is four months pregnant, was arrested last week by Thai police.

Her ex-husband Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, a former police officer, surrendered to the police on Thursday after an arrest warrant was issued.

Lets take a closer look at Sararat:

The 32-year-old first came under suspicion after the death of a friend while they were on a trip together in April, as per BBC.

Police began making inquiries after the victims family pointed the finger at Sararat.

Police said Sararat and her friend Siriporn Khanwong a couple of weeks ago went to Ratchaburi province where they participated in a Buddhist protection ritual at a river.

Khanwong suddenly collapsed in the middle of the ritual and passed away.

Her body was found without her phone, her bags and her money. The autopsy showed traces of cyanide, as per BBC.

A source told the Thai newspaper The Nation that police found a bottle of cyanide in Sararats possession.

Khanwongs mother said she suspected Sararat as shed recently made friends with her wealthy daughter.

She added that she approached the deputy police chief directly with her concerns as Sararats former husband is a police officer.

Police then compiled a list of around a dozen other individuals  between the ages of 33 and 44  who passed away after being in contact with Sararat.

The victims families said jewellery and money  anywhere from 60,000 to 300,000 baht  was missing from their bodies and bank accounts, as per BBC.

The BBC reported that Thai police think Sararats modus operandi is to get in the good books of wealthy people and then convince them to join her on a trip or for a meal.

Sararat would murder her victims by giving them cyanide bills  either as herbal medicine or mixing it in their food and drink.

One alleged victim who claims to have survived being poisoned by Sararat after she lent her 250,000 baht said she was saved just in the nick of time.

ThaiPbsWorld reported that Kantima Pae-saard told police Sararat gave her cough medicine pills when they were at a department store.

Kantima, while driving home, began feeling discomfort in her chest. She attempted to contact Sararat, but was unable to. She then reached out to a medical hotline  who sent help just in time to save her life.

Now, I suspect that she tried to poison me, Kantima was quoted as saying.

She asked people she knows for money because she has a lot of credit card debt and if they asked her for their money back she started killing them, deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn was quoted as saying by BBC.

According to CBS, Surachate has said Sararat borrowed hundreds of thousands of dollars from her victims.

We are investigating the amount of money that she got from victims, Surachate added.

According to The Mirror, Sararat has been denied bail by the court as she is thought to be a flight risk.

She is at the Central Womens Correctional Institution.

The newspaper quoted her lawyer as saying that she denies all the charges and that her blood pressure spiked while in custody.

According to CNN, Sararats husband Witoon lost his job as a local deputy police chief last week.

Witoon, who held the rank of Lt. Colonel, has been booked for fraud and embezzlement in the case.

Surachate said the couple have continued their relationship despite being divorced and that Witoon has denied any hand in the murders.

Surachate told CNN Witoon has said he is willing to cooperate.

Lets see how much he can do or if he is really sincere, Surachate was quoted as saying by the outlet.

With inputs from agencies

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NATO is planning to open its first Asia office in Japan.

The report by Nikkei Asia citing Japanese and NATO officials says the office is meant to enable periodic consultations with key partners in the region.

The move comes in the backdrop of China emerging as a threat and a continued focus on Russia.

But what could this mean? Lets take a closer look:

What is NATO saying?

NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said the alliance would not go into details of ongoing discussions.

NATO has offices and liaison arrangements with a number of international organisations and partner countries, and allies regularly assess those liaison arrangements to ensure that they best serve the needs of both NATO and our partners, she said.

Lungescu said NATO has a close partnership with Japan that continues to grow.

Practical cooperation includes a wide range of areas, including cyber defence, maritime security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, non-proliferation, science and technology, and human security, she said.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg visited Japan in January and pledged with Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to strengthen ties in the face off historic security challenges, citing Russias invasion of Ukraine and Chinas rising military power.

What is Japan saying?

Not much.

While Japan isnt part of NATO, it has been designated a global partner.

Japans foreign minister Yoshimasa Hayashi previously said that Tokyo welcomes the increased involvement of NATO member states in the Indo-Pacific region, where China has become increasingly assertive militarily.

During an extended session of the two-day NATO foreign ministerial meeting in Brussels last month, Hayashi also pledged to boost Japans cooperation with the trans-Atlantic alliance amid an increasingly volatile global security environment, made worse by Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Japan cannot achieve its goal of realising a free and open Indo-Pacific, a term popularised by the late former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, on its own, Hayashi was quoted as saying by Japans Kyodo news agency.

The concept has been used to raise awareness about Beijings growing military and economic clout in the region.

Japan and NATO are seeking to deepen cooperation on cyber threats, disruptive technologies and disinformation, aiming to sign an individually tailored partnership programme before a NATO summit in July, Nikkei Asia reported.

The Nikkei Asia report said the proposed office is due to open next year in Tokyo but details such as whether Japan would provide the space or NATO would fund it were under negotiation.

NATO has similar liaison offices in New York, Vienna, Ukraine and other places, it said.

Danish Ambassador to Japan Peter Taksoe-Jensen told Nikkei Asia this is more than just a symbolic move.

It would be a very visible, real way to strengthen the relations between Japan and NATO, he said.

Peter Taksoe-Jensen also noted the changed geopolitical landscape.

At the time, Russia was considered a potential partner and there was no mention of China. In 2022, at the Madrid Summit, allied leaders decided that Russia was no longer a partner but a foe, and that there was also an acknowledgment that Chinas rise would and could have an impact on trans-European security, he said.

This is why it is important for NATO to keep up relations with our partners in this region.

What is China saying?

China said on Thursday high vigilance was needed in the face of NATOs eastward expansion.

Mao Ning, spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said Asia was a promising land for cooperation and development and should not be a battle arena for geopolitics.

NATOs continual eastward expansion in the Asia-Pacific, interference in regional affairs, attempts to destroy regional peace and stability, and push for bloc confrontation calls for high vigilance from countries in the region, Mao told a regular press conference.

According to AA.com, Chinas top diplomat Qin Gang in March claimed the Indo-Pacific Strategy is an attempt to gang up to form exclusive blocs, to provoke a confrontation by plotting an Asia-Pacific version of NATO.

Chinas reaction also comes ahead of the third summit of the Quad grouping  which Japan is a part of  in Sydney on 24 May.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and US President Joe Biden  are scheduled to attend the summit.

Beijing has previously criticised the Quad grouping, saying it is actually a closed and exclusive clique targeting China.

What do experts say?

That though this is a step in the right direction, there is virtually no chance that this could result in Tokyo joining NATO.

This is a very important and positive development for Japan, which is deeply concerned that in the event of China attacking Taiwan, European countries would not come to the assistance of Japan and the United States, said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor of politics and international relations at Waseda University, told SCMP.

North Korea is also an obvious concern as it continues to develop nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles, he added.

NATO has previously claimed that though Russia remains its most significant threat, China now poses systemic challenges to security.

Robert Dujarric, co-director of the Institute of Contemporary Asian Studies at the Tokyo campus of Temple University, told the newspaper, Japan wants to show that it is actively contributing to global security and  this new office [is] a way of educating Europe about the threats that exist in this part of the world.

He added that this is a positive step that will add an extra layer of co-operation.

For NATO, China is also a concern, as are North Korea and, increasingly, Russia, so this is a way of formally establishing a firmer link with the US most important non-Nato ally, Dujarric said.

Arnav Jha, writing in News9, said that NATO made the move because it realises that no region can operate in its own little bubble in todays world.

contrary to Beijings rhetoric, NATOs move eastward is not driven by expansionism, much less some kind of explicit intent to contain China, Jha wrote.

The security and well-being of NATO members, a key focus of the alliance, can no longer simply be secured by concentrating on the western world and its specific problems.

Jha pointed out that the Indo-Pacific is set to be an unparalleled growth engine for the world economy and, having taken that into consideration, it is easy to comprehend why NATO would want to establish itself in the region.

With inputs from agencies

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled all his scheduled programmes in poll-bound Karnataka in the wake of clashes in parts of Manipur.

Sources say that Shah is currently monitoring the situation in Manipur closely. He will also hold meetings with authorities in the state, about the prevailing scene and measures being taken to restore normalcy.

The Union Home Minister called off all his meetings in Karnataka to speak with the chief ministers of Assam and Manipur.

The Union Home Minister Shah had a discussion late at night with Manipur CM N Biren Singh and other top officials in view of the situation in state, sources added.

On Thursday, Shah held meetings with the neighbouring states of Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam in view of the situation in Manipur.

Moreover, to keep the situation in control, the central paramilitary forces were rushed to Manipur.

According to sources, there was speculation that Shah could visit the violence-hit state, but the speculations were turned down by the party leaders, who said that as of now, he will be monitoring the situation from Delhi.

Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches were also taken out to keep the situation under control.

Violence broke out on May 3, during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category.

This prompted the state government to issue prohibitory order and suspend internet services across the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state.

With inputs from agencies

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In an inspiring story of fighting against odds and taking a stand for himself, an Andhra Pradesh man proved his staggering courage and determination by securing a seat in the prestigious IIM Ahmedabad, despite being paralysed in both hands and legs. This is the story of an aspiring youngster Chandramouli from a small village in Andhra Pradesh. The young man who wanted to become a mechanical engineer saw his dreams come crashing down after a tragic accident left him paralysed and disabled. However, determined to achieve his dreams, Chandramouli defied his disability and is now on the way towards a fresh start in life.

Chandramoulis inspiring story

Chandramouli who hails from the small village of Kothakota in the Anakapalle district of Andhra Pradesh comes from a middle-class family. While his father runs a small business, his mother works as a school teacher.

Chandramouli, who always wanted to become a mechanical engineer completed his B.Tech with utmost determination and hard work. However, just before he could find his dream job, he met with a tragic fate. In an incident where he accidentally touched a live electric wire, Chandramouli was completely paralysed in both his legs and hands and had to get them removed through surgery. It was also the time when he was preparing for the GATE exam.

As a result of the accident, Chandramouli went through a difficult phase of depression, however, he received complete support from his friends and family, which helped to boost his confidence and morale. While his dream of becoming a mechanical engineer was over, he didnt give up and aimed to become a magistrate. After having completed his LLB, Chandramouli came to know that he requires at least one hand to become a magistrate.

It was then that he shifted his focus towards preparing for the CAT (Common Admission Test). After months of effort and dedication, Chandramoulis hard work paid off and he successfully bagged admission to the countrys prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad.

As per a News18 report, Chandramouli shared how the accident left him helpless in the initial few months. He further added how he didnt give up and continued working on his skills and preparation. Chandramouli not only prepared for the entrance exams but also became proficient in operating a mobile phone and laptop on his own.

I am excited to join IIM-Ahmedabad in June and become a manager, he said while envisioning his future goals.

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A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist has been arrested by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) for providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent.

The scientist was allegedly in touch with an agent of a Pakistan Intelligence Operative through WhatsApp and video calls, an ATS official said.

It was a case of honeytrap, he added. The accused, who held a senior position in the premier defence research institute, was arrested on Wednesday.

The scientist, by misusing his position, despite knowing that the official secrets in his possession if obtained by the enemy country can pose a threat to the security of the country, provided the details to the enemy country, an ATS release said.

An offence under relevant sections of the Official Secrets Act has been registered with the Kalachowki unit of the ATS in Mumbai and further probe is on, it added.

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New Delhi: Sharad Pawar will continue to remain the President of the NCP till 2024.

The core committee of the NCP unanimously passed a proposal on Friday and rejected Sharad Pawars resignation.

I cant disrespect your sentiments. Due to your love, I am respecting the demand that was made to me to withdraw my resignation and the resolution that was passed by senior NCP leaders. I withdraw my decision to step down as the national president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), the veteran leader said.

Praful Patel, Vice-President of the party said Several leaders including me met Pawar Saheb and requested him to rethink his decision as the country and party need him at this hour. Not only NCP leaders but other party leaders and eminent personalities also requested him to continue as party chief,.

The committee, which includes Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union leader Parful Patel and Bhujbal has rejected the resignation of Sharad Pawar who quit the post of the party president in a surprise move this week.

Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.

The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.

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Rajouri Encounter: Two Indian Army soldiers were martyred and four others were injured when terrorists triggered a blast during an anti-terror operation in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The Army team has suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers including an officer, a statement by Northern Command said.

The statement added that additional Indian Army teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of the Rajouri encounter while the injured soldiers were evacuated to the Command Hospital at Udhampur in the Jammu region.

Officials told the media that Fridays Rajouri encounter is part of relentless intelligence-based operations by the Indian Army to hunt down a group of Pakistan-backed terrorists involved in an ambush on an Indian Army truck at the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in the Poonch district of Jammu region last month.

Five soldiers from a Rashtriya Rifles unit of the Indian Army had been martyred in that attack.

On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3, 2023. At about 7:30 am on May 5, 2023, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs, the official statement said.

As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group.

The operation is underway. Further details are being ascertained, officials said.

Earlier on Friday, an encounter broke out between terrorists and a joint team of the security forces in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

According to media reports, the security forces had managed to cordon off a group of terrorists in the Kandi area of the Kotranka sub-division on Friday morning.

However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the trapped terrorists were involved in the ambush of an Indian Army vehicle Bhatta Durian in Poonch district last month in which five soldiers from a Rashtriya Rifles unit had attained martyrdom.

(With agency inputs)

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Rajouri Encounter: An encounter broke out between terrorists and a joint team of the security forces in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Friday.

According to media reports, the security forces had managed to cordon off a group of terrorists in the Kandi area of the Kotranka sub-division on Friday morning. Around three terrorists are believed to be trapped.

However, it is yet to be ascertained whether the trapped terrorists were involved in the ambush of an Indian Army vehicle Bhatta Durian in Poonch district last month in which five soldiers from a Rashtriya Rifles unit had attained martyrdom.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the law and order situation in Manipur with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and top officials through video conferencing, as the Centre sent additional security forces and anti-riot vehicles to the violence-hit Northeastern state.

Around 1,000 more central paramilitary personnel with anti-riot vehicles arrived in Manipur on Friday, PTI said citing sources.

Sources told PTI that Article 355 of the Constitution has not been invoked in Manipur. Under the provision, the central government can handle the law and order machinery of a state.

Shah, who is staying put in the national capital away from the poll campaign in Karnataka, is also taking regular inputs from security and intelligence agencies about the Manipur situation.

Clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday and intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a Tribal Solidarity March to protest against a proposal to give Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community.

Shoot-at-sight orders in Manipur

The state government on Thursday issued shoot-at-sight orders in extreme cases to contain the spiralling violence which has displaced thousands of people from their villages.

A Defence spokesperson said a total of 13,000 people were rescued and shifted to safe shelters, some in army camps as the army brought Churachandpur, Moreh, Kakching and Kangpokpi districts under its firm control.

On Thursday, Shah held two meetings via video-conferencing attended by the Manipur chief minister, the states chief secretary, the police chief, the Union home secretary and other top officials of the central government.

He also held telephonic conversations with chief ministers of Manipurs neighbouring states. The dialled Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, Zoramthanga of Mizoram and Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam.

Meanwhile, at least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked with coordinating the deployment of various security forces in Manipur. Some of these senior officers are being rushed in from Delhi and Ranchi, PTI said citing sources.

With inputs from PTI

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Battling constant exposure to pollution, drastic weather conditions, and damaged roads, traffic police officials are known for constantly serving their duties throughout the year, no matter how challenging their task is. Traffic cops are rightfully called the kind of heroes who dont wear capes, but continue to make efforts to make this world a better place. Speaking of which, the internet has recently dug up one such story of an unsung hero who was seen winning hearts with his thoughtful gesture during his duty hours. While it is very common for roads to get slippery during rainy seasons, it can be a potential cause of accidents.

While authorities are entitled to work on such roads, a Mumbai traffic police officer was recently seen taking up the responsibility on his own shoulder as he unpacked a bag of mud on a slippery intersection of a road.

A video of the same has gone viral on social media showing how the traffic cop was seen emptying a bag of dust on the slippery road, that looked visibly wet due to the rains. A Twitter user named Vaibhav Parmar clicked a picture of the cops considerate gesture and shared it on the microblogging platform to appreciate the same. As per the tweet, the episode took place at the Bhandup Pumping signal in Mumbais Mulund East.

Check:

*Appreciation Post* Today at Bhandup Pumping signal many bikes were slipping due to rain, 1 traffic officer called fire brigade but didn't wait he himself covering road with dust to make sure safety of commuters. Salute to the man.  @MumbaiPolice pic.twitter.com/DOfgPxkb0y  Vaibhav Parmar (@ParmarVaibhav7) May 2, 2023

Today at Bhandup Pumping signal many bikes were slipping due to rain, 1 traffic officer called fire brigade but didnt wait he himself covered road with dust to make sure safety of commuters. Salute to the man, the user wrote. In reaction to the post, social media users were seen lauding the officers gesture. A user commented, Our police force have a tough job, working long hours, through extreme temperatures, inhaling toxic fumes throughout the day, with no protective equipment, while another wrote, A few great people in Police department has helped me maintain faith in the system. They care about safety of citizens, going beyond their assigned duty. Otherwise, most complaints to traffic dept regarding wrong side driving etc go on deaf ears. Very few left, 2-3 years back 2 traffic policeman were seen filling pot holes on WEH during monsoons  hats off to these policemen, a user commented.

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India on Friday wrapped up Operation Kaveri, launched to rescue its nationals stranded in crisis-hit Sudan, with the transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force making its final flight to bring 47 passengers home, PTI reported

India launched Operation Kaveri on 24 April to evacuate its nationals from Sudan, which has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and paramilitary group RSF.

With the arrival of the Indian Air Force C130 flight on Friday, 3,862 people have been moved out of Sudan through Operation Kaveri, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

The Indian Air Force operated 17 flights and the Indian Navy ships carried out five sorties to move Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, he said.

An Indian Air Force C130 J flight carrying 47 passengers has landed in India. With this arrival, 3862 persons have been moved out of Sudan through #OperationKaveri. Prime Minister @narendramodi s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our pic.twitter.com/Ham0Ci3zdh  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 5, 2023

Jaishankar said 86 Indians were evacuated through countries bordering Sudan.

The flight from Wadi Sayyidna which was executed at great risk also deserves recognition, he said, adding that air force and commercial flights were pressed into service to bring people home from Jeddah.

Jaishankar also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting Indians rescued from Sudan and facilitating the evacuation process. He also appreciated the support of Chad, Egypt, France, South Sudan, the UAE, the UK, the US and the United Nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our inspiration, he said.

Jaishankar also lauded Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who was present in Saudi Arabia to oversee the rescue efforts.

Muraleedharans presence on the ground was a source of strength and reassurance, he said.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh also announced closure of the transit facility created at the International Indian School in Jeddah for evacuees from Sudan.

The facility provided comfort to more than 3,500 evacuees and served as a nerve centre for planning their onward movement to India, the embassy said on Twitter.

Applaud the spirit, perseverance and courage of all those involved in Operation Kaveri. Our embassy in Khartoum (Sudan) showed exceptional dedication in this difficult time. Efforts by Team India stationed in Saudi Arabia and MEA Rapid Response Cell coordinating in India were commendable, Jaishankar said.

With inputs from PTI

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The registration of pilgrims for the Kedarnath yatra has been suspended till 8 May. According to the officials, there was a high possibility of bad weather in Kedarghati for the next three to four days.

The official press release stated, Registration for the visit to Kedarnath Dham will be banned till May 8. There is a possibility of bad weather in Kedarghati for the next three to four days. In view of this, the government has taken this decision, reported ANI.

Around 1.26 lakh pilgrims had already registered for the yatra on 10 May, and till 4 May, around 1.23 lakh devotees had visited Kedarnath Dham, according to the records of the tourism department.

On Thursday, the Kedarnath Dham Yatra route, which was closed after a fragment of a glacier broke at Bhairon in the afternoon, has been made smooth for the pilgrims travelling on foot.

Uttarakhand | Kedarnath Dham yatra route closed for movement after a fragment of Bhairav glacier broke off. The administration asks the pilgrims to take precautions. pic.twitter.com/BF4heC9TdW  ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) May 4, 2023

The personnel of DDMA, SDRF, DDRF, NDRF, YMF and police have done the work of removing snow from a glacier and the Kedarnath Yatra route has been made smooth for the pilgrims travelling on foot. The travel route for horses and mules has not been opened yet, the snow removal work is being done by the labourers at a fast pace, read the release, reported ANI.

The Kedarnath temple is one of the most revered temples in the country dedicated to Lord Shiva and people from across the country visit the temple during the six months when the temple is open.

The Char Dham Yatra in Uttarakhand is one of the most popular Hindu pilgrimages in India. This pilgrimage is a tour of four holy sites  Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri  nestled high up in the Himalayas.

With inputs from agencies

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The Kerala Story: In a major boost for the film The Kerala Story, the Kerala High Court on Friday rejected a petition seeking a stay order on the release of the movie.

The movie, which depicts an alleged Islamist plot to convert non-Muslim girls to Islam and persuade them to join the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria, has been at the epicentre of a raging debate in recent days.

While handing out its judgment, a division bench comprising Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Mohammed Nias CP asserted that the secular Kerala society will accept the film for what it is, adding that the movie is not expected to create sectarianism and conflict in the society.

Asking the petitioner why he thought The Kerala Story was an objectionable movie, the high court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society.

Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer? the bench observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film.

So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in the society? the court added.

The petitioners had claimed that the film will inject poison into the minds of innocent people and create problems in society.

The petitioners went on to claim that the law enforcement agencies are yet to detect the existence of Love Jihad in Kerala.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, The Kerala Story has triggered a massive controversy with various political leaders reacting to the upcoming film.

The Kerala Story stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sens film The Kerala Story came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS.

Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description.

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The Kerala Story film is based on a terror conspiracy, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday during an election campaign in Karnataka.

Starring Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in lead roles, the film was released today.

The film, The Kerala Story, shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists design, the Prime Minister said in Ballari.

Attacking Congress, the Prime Minister said that the party has been opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies.

Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank, PM Modi said.

#WATCH | The Kerala Story film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank: PM pic.twitter.com/qlUQlc3qQf  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

"I am surprised to see that Congress has succumbed to terrorism for the sake of its vote bank. Can such a party ever save Karnataka? In the atmosphere of terror, the industry, IT industry, agriculture, farming and glorious culture here will be destroyed," the Prime Minister said.

Directed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, 'The Kerala Story' has triggered a massive political row.

The trailer of the film came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from Kerala went missing and later joined the terrorist group, ISIS.

Earlier in the day, Kerala High Court refused to issue stay order on the release of 'The Kerala Story', observing that the film only says it inspired by true events and that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has certified the film for public viewing.

The producer of the film told the court that the teaser, which claimed that more than 32,000 women from the state were recruited to the Islamic State will be removed from their social media accounts.

'The Kerala Story' and controversy

'The Kerala Story' centres around forced religious conversion and reportedly claims that approximately 32,000 women in Kerala were converted to Islam. The film further says that many of the women were taken to IS when the terror group was at the peak of its power.

After the film's trailer was released, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court seeking a stay on its release on grounds of "worst kind of hate speech" and "audio-visual propaganda". However, the apex court on Tuesday refused to entertain the request saying that the 'The Kerala Story' has got certification and has been cleared by the board.

Following criticism, the film's teaser on YouTube, which had earlier claimed to tell the gut-wrenching stories of 32,000 women in Kerala, toned it down to three girls.

While Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed it saying its a propaganda film, Sashi Tharoor has called 'The Kerala Story' out for gross exaggeration.

With inputs from agencies

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It is time to call the bluff on Europes moral posturing as the conscience-keeper of the world. The notion must be challenged that a continent built over centuries on a foundation of warfare and armed conflict, an imperialist force with its history of colonial expansion, has transformed into a normative power that prioritizes values and human rights over strategic priorities and self-interests.

For all its self-righteous smugness and browbeating of the Global South for not choosing sides in the Russia-Ukraine war  essentially a European conflict  Europe can be remarkably clear-headed when it comes to choosing between ethical norms and material interests in more distant geographies.

Europeans demand that countries in Global South and rising powers such as India become a party to punishing Russia at the cost of their own food or energy security, yet when it comes to economic relations with China, another authoritarian, revanchist power that specializes in territorial aggrandizement and has long-running sovereignty disputes with several countries  suddenly the world is no longer black and white, and decoupling is not a viable concept, as European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen recently said during a keynote address in Brussels.

In September last year, French president Emmanuel Macron accused nations that took a neutral stance on the Ukraine conflict of complicity with Russian aggression. A few months later, Macron went to Beijing, claimed to be a stoic, slammed the United States and assured Xi Jinping of Europes non-intervention in Taiwan. The question whether Macron was speaking for the entire continent, only for France or Western Europe is moot.

His semantic jugglery and attempt to create space for boosting trade and military ties with China brings home Indias external affairs minister S Jaishankars criticism of Europes sense of entitlement when he said Europe has to grow out of the mindset that Europes problems are the worlds problems, but the worlds problems are not Europes problems.

The sum and substance of Macrons comments while in Beijing were clear. Regardless of Chinas bullying of countries in East China Sea and South China Sea, military face-off with India along the LAC, ratcheting up of cross-strait tensions over Taiwan (that Xi has threatened to annex by hook or by crook) or bullying of nations in its own continent such as Lithuania, Europe has no wish to get caught up in crises that are not ours. As the French president told journalists while flying back home, Europe is not Americas vassal and it is not in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan.

In his column for Indian Express, C Raja Mohan writes, the fact is that both principle and power are at stake in Ukraine and Taiwan. If Russias use of force to seize its neigbhour is unacceptable to the world, so should Chinas territorial expansionism in Asia.

While Macron was trying to shield Europes interests in case a war breaks out between the US and China over Taiwan, it reinforces Europes obsession with mercantilist market access and the emptiness of its commitment to values.

This, perhaps, shouldnt be a surprise. The colonial enterprise of industrialized Europe and its practice of empire-building was built on the premise of finding captive markets for their machine-produced goods. Trade patterns steered their geopolitical moves and interests. Has anything changed?

The veneer of morality falls apart when commercial interests are at stake. Europes luxury carmakers made a beeline for the Chinese market as soon as Xi reopened the Chinese economy last year. Three of the biggest German carmakers  Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Audi  kicked off their EV vehicle production facilities in China in June alone.

EV is a big part of the German automotive sectors plans for upgradation. As a report in Quartz points out, Mercedes-Benz plans to be all-electric by 2030, Audi will end production of internal combustion engine cars by 2026 and BMW expects sales to be 50 per cent EVs by the end of this decade.

The idea is to set up production units in a region that dominates the EV supply chain. Since China monopolises the global supply of several key materials including magnesium and rare-earth metals, European carmakers therefore have decided to stay invested in China.

So, on the one hand, European lawmakers and members of the 17-nation EU bloc are vowing to diversify the critical raw material supply chain for green technologies such as lithium, cobalt, silicon and rare-earth metals away from China European businesses are doubling down on Beijing that controls 98 per cent of Europes rare earth supply, 93 per cent of magnesium and 97 per cent of Europes lithium needs.

Mercedes Benz chief said last week that cutting ties with China would be unthinkable for almost all of German industry. The reason is obvious. China was the most important global market for Mercedes cars last year with a 37 per cent market share  compared with 31 per cent for Germany and other European markets and 15 per cent for the US.

Citing data from a US research group, Financial Times reported on Wednesday that European investment in Chinas automotive sector has hit a record high, going up to 6.2 billion euros last year, compared to 1.7 billion in 2018. The difference between what Europe says and what it does is stark.

During her keynote address in Brussels on 30 March, a speech that has been defined as Europes consistent and unified strategy on China, Von der Leyen sought to de-risk Europes ties with Beijing and deliver a tough message to Xi. Calling China more repressive at home and more assertive abroad, the EU Commission chief said how it continues to interact with Putins war will be a determining factor for EU-China relations going forward.

She referred to Chinas show of military force in the South China Sea and East China Sea, and at the border with India, underscored the importance of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, slammed Xi for grave human rights violations occurring in Xinjiang, describing it as cause for great concern and stated that how China meets international obligation regarding human rights will be another test for how  and how much  we can cooperate with China.Von der Leyen also mentioned the Critical Raw Materials Act that EU has put forward to strengthen its global engagement with reliable partners, and vowed to enhance cooperation on sectors such as digital and clean tech, through the Trade and Technology Council with India.

The EU chief had delivered the address a few days before she was scheduled to visit Beijing along with French president Macron. In her words, managing this relationship and having an open and frank exchange with our Chinese counterparts is a key part of what I would call the de-risking through diplomacy of our relations with China. We will never be shy in raising the deeply concerning issues I have already set out.

To reinforce Von der Leyens message, and to put forward a message of unity and clarity, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell lashed out at Xi for siding with the aggressor, and said that there is a clear expectation from a permanent member of the (UN) Security Council to stand up in defense of international rules-based order and China as a moral duty to contribute to a fair peace. Borrel even claimed that Chinas position on Russias atrocities and war crimes will determine the quality of our relations with Beijing.

All that moral bluster was followed by Macron travelling to Beijing and giving a display of cynical self-interest and European disharmony and completely upending Europes China policy.

As Thorsten Benner writes in Foreign Policy, Macron brought a 50-strong business delegation that included a member of the board of directors of Huawei France and former Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who is the French equivalent to Gerhard Schroder selling out to both Russian and Chinese interests. That is anything but a signal that because of the support for Russias war it is no longer business as usual in EU-China relations.

It is unfair to single out Macron, however. Around the time that Von der Leyen was setting Europes terms of engagement with China, Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez during a speech at Boao Forum was calling China a firm believer of strong, transparent and rules-based multilateral system. Sanchezs obeisance to Xi is understandable. Spain-China trade has almost doubled from 32 billion euros to 57.7 billion euros between 2017 and 2022 and Beijing is Spains leading supplier and the largest market in Asia.

Meanwhile, German chancellor Olaf Scholz is in favour of reactivating the controversial EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment, or CAI, that was rushed through by his predecessor Angela Merkel in 2020, the year Chinese troops killed 20 Indian soldiers in Galwan clash. CAI was put in the freezer after Beijing imposed sanctions on several European lawmakers for criticizing human rights violations in Xinjiang.

While the European Parliament remains opposed to the agreement, the European Council president also hopes to resuscitate the deal and according to a report in Politico, has been talking to CCP leaders on this. Beijing has reportedly made overtures to Michel and other sympathetic European leaders, suggesting China could unilaterally lift its sanctions on members of the European Parliament  but only with a guarantee the CAI would eventually be ratified.

Not just this. The German chancellor and his Social Democratic Party (SPD) party allies are trying to push through the controversial Hamburg port deal where Chinese investment has come under scrutiny, going against his coalition partners and despite the fact that the facility has been declared as critical infrastructure.

United States has cautioned Germany against tying its critical infrastructure too closely to Chinese state-owned firms, Scholzs coalition partners are calling for a complete ban on COSCOs buying of 24.9 per cent stake in the Hamburg Tollerort terminal, but Scholz and his allies want to seal the deal ahead of the German-Chinese summit on June 20 in Berlin, reports Politico.

Beyond Europes ritual incantation of Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity lie a cold calculation of material interests The EU vows to adopt values-based engagement with Beijing but it appears to the rest of the world as rhetorical gaslighting.

Europe is still buying Russian oil. Moscows energy is still lighting European homes and powering its cars despite an express ban on seaborne crude imports from Russia. The only difference is India is filtering all the muck and delivering morally distilled fuel to Europe at a markup. This way, Europe not only gets to keep itself warm and running but also gets the moral authority to call countries such as India laundromats for buying Russian oil and delivering it to Europe.

Europes talks of diversification away from China are either half-baked, unimplementable, or plain poppycock. For Europe, China is China. Money talks. Europes naked hypocrisy carries an important lesson for India. Notwithstanding the moral bluster, Europe remains at heart a mercantilist power that prioritizes economic interests over ethical norms. As long as India can present itself as a lucrative destination for European businesses, strategic partnership wont be an issue. It certainly wont depend on whether not India keeps buying Russian oil.

The author is deputy executive editor, Firstpost. He tweets @sreemoytalukdar

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Space is not only the ultimate vantage point, but man-made satellites have become powerful enablers and enhancers of all activities on planet Earth. The thin line between air and space has shrunk, and also the near space has become an area of interest and action. More objects are transiting through both air and space in the same flight or mission. Ancient Indian texts indicate Vimana the aerospace craft. The day is not far when an airliner flying between London and Sydney may transit through space for a short period and complete the flight in just two hours. There is space tourism evolving. Space will be exploited for minerals, power generation, and zero gravity industrial production and agriculture, and soon there will be colonies on the moon. The militarization of space has been there since the very beginning. Many countries have now begun treating the air and space domains as a single merged entity to be able to harness their full potential. Since, currently, militaries exploit the two regions much more; let us look at the advantages of merging the two domains.

Domain definitions

The earths lower atmosphere is where most of the aviation activity takes place. The troposphere is the lowest layer and goes up to around 15 kilometres, and holds 75-80 per cent of the mass of the atmosphere. The stratosphere extends from 15 kilometres and 35 kilometres and absorbs most of the ultraviolet radiation that Earth receives from the Sun. Thereafter the atmospheric gases begin to thin considerably. It is generally accepted, for purposes of spaceflight, that the Karman line, at an altitude of 100 kilometres marks the beginning of space. But there is no sharp physical boundary. The expression near space is often used to refer to a region between 20 and 100 kilometres. Some aircraft and balloons do operate in this region. The vast universe beyond 100 km can be called space. Some term it as outer space.

Space support for military operations

The elements in space support greatly improve military effectiveness and national security. Sensors in space are crucial for supporting Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) which improves battle-space awareness, adversary capability assessment, adversary course of action assessment, and battle damage assessment in all domains. ISR also supports all space, counter-space, and counter-counter-space operations.

Space allows weapon launch detection; missile tracking, and environmental monitoring. Satellite communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing are powerful enablers. The ability to exploit space for military advantage requires space asset protection by incorporating both active and passive measures to suppress attacks. Space Situational Awareness (SSA) becomes important.

Space-based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) have a global utility for economic growth, transportation navigation and safety, homeland security, and military operations. It allows synchronisation of operations and improve communications security. Satellite navigation is used by everyone. PNT allows satellites for position autonomy for autonomous operations.

Satellite communication (SATCOM) provides global coverage for both military and civil requirements. Uninterrupted SATCOM capability is critical for providing command and control to forces in operations.

Environmental monitoring is required for both space and earth-based assets. It provides data on meteorological, oceanographic, and space environmental factors that may affect military operations and determine if there could be potential disruptions to space services.

Air and space boundaries become less distinct

The 21st century technologies have increasingly blurred the air and space domains. The two allow multi-domain and multi-dimensional operations. Both domains are almost seamless. The two domains are contiguous and with increasing interdependencies. Today, militaries are exposed to effects delivered on earth from space, conversely from air to space. World over, doctrine and conceptual thinking is looking at how the two would be exploited, as conjoined entities, for better military effect. The fusion of air and space will support the delivery of outcomes above the surface, on the surface and below the surface of the earth from platforms and capabilities that operate in the air, from space, and across the air-space continuum.

The air and space domains have the greatest physical horizontal and vertical spans. These domains are also increasingly vital to both economies and security. Maritime doctrine identifies and looks at the security of maritime trade routes, air and space that are enablers of all activities on earth and the national security challenges must be met together.

Agile and adaptive Command and Control (C2), can be maximised through the combined attributes of height, speed, reach, agility and ubiquity of air power with attributes of perspective, access, persistence and versatility of space power. Synergies between air and space are important. Indian Space Policy 2023 gives emphasis to operational capabilities, Space Situational Awareness and defence of own assets in space.

Systems transiting air and space

Most spacecraft, manned or unmanned, are launched from the Earth and are meant to return to the Earth one day through a controlled re-entry. Re-entry takes place around 100-kilometre altitude. Objects re-entering experience atmospheric drag, aerodynamic heating, and mechanical stress. Reusable spacecraft make more regular transits. The space shuttle was a partially re-useable system. The privately owned Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) makes reusable rockets which regularly transit to and from space. Ballistic missiles also transit from air to space and back. Hypersonic Glide Vehicles (HGV) will ride ballistic missiles and will transit air and space. Spy plane Lockheed U-2 used to fly at 22 km altitude and Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at 26 km altitude. Fighter aircraft like MiG-31 and F-15 can launch ASAT weapons or launch small-satellite launch vehicles (SSLV). Tourism and spy balloons go up to near space. Concorde supersonic airliner used to fly at 18 km. American companies are once again looking at supersonic airliners. There are many hypersonic aircraft projects.

Operational imperatives

There are overlapping jurisdictions between air and space for missile defence, especially with a space layer for sensors. Air defence today extends to the limits of space. There are similarities between air defence and space defence. There are similarities between Air Traffic Services and Space Traffic Management. There are SSA overlaps between the orbital and sub-orbital regions including near space. A common air and space situation picture is required for missile defence. Tactical actions in manoeuvre warfare in space are very similar to tactical actions when an air strike force is intercepted by the adversary. The concepts for military space control are drawn from principles of control of the air. And the most critical point is the need to maintain a contiguity in the detection and engagement of incoming threats in the transition zone between space and airspace.

Major Combined Air and Space Forces

The US Air Force Space Command was established in September 1982 with all operational space assets. The United States Space Force Act was passed in December 2019. The newly created United States Space Force (USSF) along with its sister branch, the US Air Force, remained part of the Department of the Air Force. They work closely with technology development and command and control of the domains. The United Kingdom Space Command (UKSC) was established in April 2021. It is a joint command organised under the Royal Air Force, and headed by an RAF officer. Clearly, the two contiguous domains are considered linked. The French Air Force became the French Air and Space Force in September 2020. The French Space Command is part of it. It reflect an evolution of its mission into the area of outer space. The Russian Space Forces were re-established following 1 August 2015 merger between the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces after the independent arm of service was dissolved in 2011. On August 1, 2015, the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces were merged to form the Russian Aerospace Forces. The Russian Space Force is now one of three sub-branches. The Peoples Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF) was established in December 2015 and includes the space, cyber, and electronic warfare. It is the fifth arm of the PLA. Chinese model is somewhat different. It can be seen that most modern armed forces have combined air and space entities.

Way ahead India

As major future action shifts to the air and space domains, they become a greater part of the national security priority. Air and Space doctrinal leaps must make aerospace a future fused war-fighting domain. The future force concept of merging the two domains needs clear analysis and simulation of such a review. Such a review will then decide the force structures, platforms, capabilities, and weapons. The aerospace craft that will operate in both domains is evolving. Newer technologies will deliver the improvements in speed, reach, persistence, coverage, survivability, and precision necessary to provide an increased range of options across the globe and beyond in space. Hypersonic flight, satellites on operational readiness with the launch on demand are already a reality. Synergetic air-breathing rocket engines are under development that will be capable of Mach 5+ by 2030.

Satellites with quantum technology radar and electro-optical sensors now allow producing a recognised air and space picture. This can be amalgamated in IAFs renamed Integrated Aerospace Command and Control System (IACCS). Each node could now be called an air and space operations centre, capable of directing, commanding, and controlling air and space activities at home and abroad.

High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) like Airbuss Zephyr allow persistent (months), loitering, and reusable technology to enhance communications and ISR coverage within the upper atmosphere. The application of Directed Energy Weapons (DEW) to air and space operations will also be significant. It will be possible for a high-altitude aircraft to use a DEW against satellites. Developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and autonomous technologies may bring about a Revolution in Military Affairs that alters the nature of war itself. Information advantage can best be supported by air and space together. AI and autonomy will support Human-Machine Teaming in air and space and will be a true force multiplier.

The blurring of the air and space domains allows synergy and operations from the inner-atmosphere aviation, near space, and outer space. IAF is already providing significant support for surface operations of the army and navy. The addition of Space will bring additional support tasks. Wherewithal for the same would have to be created. There is already congruence in air and space industry. Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) makes many structures and components for Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

Aviation is around 120 years old, and the first artificial satellite was launched in 1957. Both have come a long way and are today the dominant domains of warfighting. Going forward, air and space power will quite literally know no bounds. The air and space domains are distinct, but they have many potential advantages of a continuum when used as a single entity. Merging the air and space domain is a national security requirement and should not be seen as turf-building activity. We have good global models to learn from the US, Russia, France and UK.

Prime Minister Modi has increasingly been using the term aerospace domain. During many recent seminars, CDS, General Anil Chauhan, and the IAF Chief, Air Chief Marshal VR Chaudhari have called for building offensive and defensive space capabilities to safeguard assets, while stressing that the race to weaponise space has been on, and that the next war would be fought across the land, sea, air, cyber and space. IAFs Aerospace Doctrine 2022 has spelt out the missions. It is time to move from the conceptual to the physical implementation stage.

The writer is Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed are personal.

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There is a bright side to the Rs 45 crore Sheesh Mahal. Apart from the imported marble, and hideously expensive fittings, furnishings, electricals and sanitaryware, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has reportedly deemed it necessary to have 22 TVs, including 13 with jumbo screens, in his new official home. This shows he is solidly in step with the zeitgeist that has seen SmartTVs (that comprise 90 per cent of sales in India) clock 28 per cent growth in 2022.

Of course, buying 22 TVs for a family that comprises the chief minister and his spouse, his parents and two children may seem excessive  even for Sheesh Mahal. But then, you know children, spouses and grandparents these days. No two people want to watch the same programme at the same time; some even watch two shows at the same time. Rather than have a Mahabharata over the issue it is easier to provide several TVs for each of them to watch Mahabharata or whatever.

It is curious, however, that the chief ministers newly refurbished abode has only 22 TVs, given that they are not luxuries anymore, unlike automatic doors and imported marble floors. Indeed TVs now tend to roost everywhere from balconies to bathrooms, not just sitting rooms and bedrooms. The Sheesh Mahal must have more than 22 rooms; thus, far from being proof of excess, less than a TV per room can be spun by the chief ministers media team as evidence of his continuing excessive modesty.

Never mind that back in 2015, the very same chief minister who has now spent Rs 45 crore on a 13,000 sq ft official mansion (but with only 22 TVs) had self-righteously asked officials from the Public Works Department to remove all air-conditioners from the original bungalow. Back then the PWD had, equally self-righteously, declined to follow his orders as removing the wall and window ACs would leave huge gaps in the masonry requiring additional expenditure on repairs!

The PWD had also insisted that the house, although unoccupied for a while, was in excellent condition. Yet in seven years, it was declared dilapidated beyond repair, and totally rebuilt as Sheesh Mahal. But then, as countless TV programmes  watched on one or 22 TVs  would vouchsafe, stranger things happen in India. At least there is Sheeh Mahal to show for the Rs 45 crore spent, unlike the invisible cowsheds built by another chief minister in another state, in another time.

Of course, the Delhi chief ministers Sheesh Mahal lags way behind the grandeur of the Telangana chief ministers new residence-cum-office complex sitting on a nine-acre plot in Hyderabads Begumpet area that reportedly cost Rs 50 crore to build back in 2016. The actual vastu-compliant residential area for the chief minister is a two-storey 40,000 sq ft faux-Palladian villa with its own theatre-cum-auditorium to seat 250, and front lawns that can reportedly accommodate 5,000 people.

There must be far more than just 22 TVs in that mansion  not to mention the rest of the buildings in the Pragathi Bhavan complex  but then the Telangana chief minister has never averred that he is just an aam aadmi. Now the Andhra chief minister is also going ahead with plans for three state capitalsfor the executive at Visakhapatnam, the legislature at Amaravati and judiciary at Guntur. That must mean at least one residence plus two camp offices to build or renovate for the chief minister

A few may remember that in 2018 when former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati finally vacated the small portion of the palatial building at 13A Mall Road in Lucknow that she had occupied while in office  and out of it  after a Supreme Court order, the media was finally allowed to see her marble-clad, air-conditioned modest living area. She had it designated as a memorial to her late mentor Kanshi Ram in 2011 and reportedly renovated it at a cost of Rs 86 crore at that time.

As the media teams swarmed over the vast marble floors and eagerly documented the dimensions, decor and fittings of Mayawatis mahal, the ubiquitous presence of TVs in every room was unmissable. Except the kitchen and bathrooms, that is. The importance of TVs in the quotidian lives of chief ministers is therefore manifest, even though in financial terms they may figure far below imported marble, high-tech architectural finishings, security features and automatic curtains.

Thus, details dug up by the media reveal that the chief ministers Sheesh Mahal packs in a lot more for the chief minister than just 22 TVs too. Besides Rs 11.3 crore spent on decor, Rs 6 crore was forked out for Vietnamese marble (Italian would be politically inconvenient presumably), Rs 5.43 crore for smart lighting, electrical and firefighting systems, Rs 1 crore each for automatic curtains, kitchen appliances, wooden floors and even consultancy and much, much more.

The Prime Ministers vigorous advocacy has resulted in the construction of lakhs of toilets for the common man. It is thus heartening to note that the Aam Aadmi chief ministers complex has 15 bathrooms. Two of them even have smart commodes (reportedly priced at Rs 4.28 lakh each) and are presumably in the bathrooms attached to the CMs bedroom and office. Others denied this premier experience have probably been compensated with some of those 13 jumbo TVs.

Given the self-professed unworldliness of the chief minister and his party, unscrupulous contractors and vendors could well have gypped them by sneakily providing inflated cost estimates  often referred to as gold-plating. Ingenues in the relevant Delhi government departments then innocently signed off on the excessive bills to be paid with public funds without a second thought. No one wondered how six clothes almirahs could cost Rs 40 lakh or water heaters Rs 24 lakh.

Maybe both politicians and bureaucrats were too preoccupied with managing the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2022, not to mention gearing up financially and physically for their Goa, Punjab and Gujarat election forays. They would not have had the spare time and mind space to pore over the details of the chief ministers house renovations. The same or similar pressing concerns are probably what made them also take their eyes off the ball on the issue of Delhis liquor policy.

To prove to his devoted Delhiwallas that he remains an aam aadmi, Delhis chief minister should now do a Mayawati and take the nation, via the media, into his Sheesh Mahal and show that reports of excess are exaggerated. Especially since his bete noire, Delhis Lieutenant Governor, has ordered all documents relating to the renovations be secured and examined. Eventually, it may be found that the only items that were actually as per their stated cost were those 22 TVs

The author is a freelance writer. Views expressed are personal.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the BJP has the roadmap to make Karnataka No. 1 and hit out at the Congress for peddling fake narratives in its manifesto and shielding terrorists for vote bank.

Addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnatakas Ballari, he said, We have the roadmap to make Karnataka number 1. But Congress manifesto has only fake narratives and bans in it. They are in such a condition that they are shivering. They dislike me invoking Bajrang Bali.

#WATCH | We have the roadmap to make Karnataka number 1. But Congress manifesto has only fake narratives and bans in it. They are in such a condition that they are shivering. They dislike me invoking Bajrang Bali, says PM Narendra Modi in Ballari, Karnataka pic.twitter.com/HefULVJtsI  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

On Wednesay, PM Modi chanted Jai Bajrang Bali during all the three public meetings he addressed in the state, in what was seen as a counter to the Congress, which has promised to ban right-wing outfit Bajrang Dal in its election manifesto.

Along with Bharat Mata Ki Jai, Modi made a point at the beginning as well as at the end of his speech to raise Jai Bajrang Bali in Mulki in Dakshina Kannada district, Ankola in Uttara Kannada distinct and Bailhongal in Belagavi district.

PM Modi said the Congress has succumbed to terrorism for its vote bank.

Can such a party ever save Karnataka? In the atmosphere of terror, the industry, IT industry, agriculture, farming and glorious culture here will be destroyed, he added.

Talking about The Kerala Story film, he said the flick is based on a terror conspiracy and shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists designs.

However, the Congress is opposing the film and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank, the Prime Minister added.

Accusing the Congress of misleading voters, he said since Independence the grand old party has worked to corrupt the countrys systems as well as its politics.

In the last few years, Congress has also created another disease in the politics of India. To win elections, Congress creates false narratives on the basis of its ecosystem, on the basis of money. Congress tries to mislead the public by doing this, the PM said.

He said the Congress makes fake narratives and surveys to win elections.

They attempt to mislead the voters in the state. Congress manifesto is all about appeasement, it is all about bans. The people of Karnataka are watching their (Congress) politics of appeasement, he added.

The PM listed strong security apparatus and law and order as the most important requirements to make Karnataka number one state of the country and at the same time also emphasised the need for it to remain free from terrorism.

BJP has always been tough against terrorism. But Congress gets stomach ache whenever action is taken against terrorism, PM Modi said as he addressed a huge gathering in Ballari.

Invoking former PM Rajiv Gandhi, he said that the Congress is a party which works with 85 per cent commission.

The double-engine government under the leadership of Yeddyurappa ji and Bommai ji got a chance to serve for only three-and-a-half years. When Congress government was here, it gave priority to corruption instead of Karnatakas development. What was the reason for this? Congress former PM Rajiv Gandhi himself said that his government sent 100 paise from Delhi, but only 15 paise reached the poor. In a way, he himself accepted that Congress is a party with 85 per cent commission, said the PM.

Shifting his focus to Sudan, he said that his government was proactive in its efforts to bring back its people

The situation of civil war in Sudan is such that even big countries refused to evacuate their citizens from there, but the Government of India was engaged in its efforts. We conducted Operation Kaveri and brought back our people from such places where it was difficult to reach by plane and the Congress did not support the country in such difficult times, he said.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend this years Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on July 14 in Paris this year.

PM Modi has been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Parade in Paris.

According to the official statement, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts.

The news was confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday. He tweeted both in French and Hindi, expressing his pleasure over PM Modi's visit.

"Cher Narendra, heureux de t'accueillir a Paris comme invite d'honneur du defile du 14 juillet !," Emmanuel Macron tweeted in French, which translates to, "Dear Narendra, happy to welcome you to Paris as guest of honor on July 14!"

PM Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the official statement read.

India and France defend the goals and tenets of the United Nations Charter, which serve as the cornerstone of collaboration between the two nations in the Indo-Pacific region, and share a vision for peace and security, particularly in Europe and the Indo-Pacific.

This historic visit of PM Modi will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 Presidency, the official statement added.

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Mehul Reuben Das

After introducing it earlier this year at CES 2023, Samsung has finally officially launched the premium Neo QLED TVs in India. This year, the business unveiled new 8K TV models in a range of sizes, including a new 98-inch model. It has been selling 98-inch TVs that can display 4K resolution but not greater resolution.

The newest Neo QLED TVs from Samsung include an Infinity Screen and Infinity One design, allowing for an ultra-slim profile. Samsungs sophisticated Neural Quantum technology, which weve seen in previous models, drives the recently introduced Samsung Neo QLED TV. The chip powers the Quantum Mini LED-lit TVs 14-bit processing and AI upscaling.

The new Neo QLED 8K and Neo QLED TV lineup focus on increased connection, security with Knox Vault, personalization, gaming experience, and sustainability. Samsung expects to double its revenue in 2023 as a result of this new series.

The Neo QLED 8K TVs will be available in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch sizes for Rs 3,14,990. The Neo QLED 4K TVs will be available in panel sizes ranging from 50 to 85 inches, with prices beginning at Rs 1,41,990. Until May 25, 2023, Samsung is also providing a free Samsung Soundbar HW-Q990 worth Rs 99,990 with select Neo QLED 8K TVs and a free Samsung Soundbar HW-Q800 worth Rs 44,990 with Neo QLED 4K TVs.

In the QLED TV segment, which is synonymous with premium TVs, we saw growth of 2X between 2020 and 2022, Mohandeep Singh, Senior Vice President of Samsungs Consumer Electronics Business, told Business Today. We expect to rise by 2X in 2023, owing to the forthcoming Neo QLED 8K and Neo QLED TV lines. Furthermore, the QLED 8K TV market grew 2X in 2022 and is expected to grow 3X in 2023.

For example, between 2020 and 2022, sales of Samsung TVs larger than 55 inches increased by 150 per cent. 65-inch and larger TVs increased by 230 per cent, while 75-inch and larger TVs increased by 300 per cent. Samsung anticipates a 2X increase in 55-inch and larger TV sales in 2023 over the previous year.

Surprisingly, Samsung maintains that demand for premium smart TVs is not limited to metros and major cities. Tier 2 and other smaller cities are growing twice as quickly as major cities. Over the last few years, two major trends have emerged: consumers are opting for larger screens, upsizing, and embracing premium TVs like never before.

Weve also witnessed an increase in the number of young people purchasing expensive QLED TVs in recent years. The average age of a premium TV buyer has steadily decreased, from 38 in 2020 to 34 today, Singh continues.

Samsung will also expand its retail approach in order to increase its market share. Samsung plans to increase the number of QLED TV retailers in the country from the current 2,500 to 5,000 this year.
After two back-to-back mass shootings that rocked Serbia, President Aleksandar Vucic vowed to launch a large-scale disarmament plan which will effectively remove thousands of guns from the country.

We will do an almost complete disarming of Serbia, Vucic said during a live broadcast, hours after the latest shooting killed eight people.

The plans will include a large-scale review of registered weapons in the country and authorities will also crack down on illegal arms.

As per statistics provided by the president, Serbia currently holds more than 760,000 registered firearms in the country of roughly 6.8 million.

In Serbia, shooting ranges are widely used by citizens. However, people can possess firearms only if they hold special permits.

The wars in the Balkans during the 1990s amid the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia also saw a large number of weapons circulate in the region.

The latest incident happened less than 48 hours after the worst school shooting in Serbias recent history, when a 13-year-old killed nine people, including eight fellow students, at a school in downtown Belgrade on Wednesday.

With inputs from agencies

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China has appealed to the international community to support the efforts of the Taliban government of Afghanistan to establish an inclusive government, practise moderate governance, establish cordial ties with its neighbours, and combat terrorism.

The international community need to step up contact and dialogue with the Afghan interim government, support its effort of reconstruction and development, and encourage it to build an inclusive government, exercise moderate governance, develop friendly relations with its neighbors and firmly fight terrorism, Mao Ning, spokeswoman for Chinas foreign ministry was quoted as saying by the media.

Ning stated at a press conference that the Foreign Ministers Meeting among the Neighbouring Countries of Afghanistan and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers Dialogue are both important forums for exchanges and cooperation on Afghanistan-related issues and conducive to greater consensus among regional countries on the Afghan issue.

At the dialogue, China hopes to discuss the situation in Afghanistan and trilateral cooperation with Afghanistan and Pakistan in order to forge consensus, strengthen mutual trust, and jointly promote regional peace, stability, development, and prosperity.

They dont want to lose all the value they have in the world and the region because of the issue of Afghanistan. Afghanistan is important to them and they can play a significant role, said Bilal Fatemi, a political analyst.

The Chinese are thinking that they can control the Taliban in cooperation with Pakistan, said Noorullah Raghi, another political analyst.

Yue Xiaoyong, the special representative of China for Afghanistan, has informed RIA Novosti that Beijing does not have any immediate plans to recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

According to Yue Xiaoyong, a special representative of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the United States (US) should assume major responsibility for reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan as its protracted military presence has resulted in significant suffering in the country.

In an interview conducted on the margins of the International Conference on Afghanistan, which came to an end on Tuesday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, Yue made the remarks.

The U.S. should bear primary responsibility for the present and future reconstruction of Afghanistan, because 20 years of US military occupation caused [great] suffering in the country. We, together with many other participating countries, urge the US to unfreeze the overseas assets of Afghanistan. At the same time, we also oppose the US playing geopolitics and following double standards when combating terrorism, Xiaoyong noted.

Taliban leader Suhail Shaheen, the head of the Islamic Emirates political office in Qatar, appreciated Chinas perspective on how the international community should work with the present government in Afghanistan.

We welcome the remarks of the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, who said that the countries of the world should interact with the government of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Shaheen said.

The Islamabad meeting is going to be held in accordance with the Doha meeting. The future vision of the Taliban administration and the future vision of Afghanistan would be clarified in this meeting, said Sayed Jawad Sajadi, a university lecturer.

Acting foreign minister of Afghanistans Taliban-led Islamic Emirate, Amir Khan Muttaqi, is scheduled to travel to Pakistan tomorrow to meet with a number of Pakistani officials in Islamabad to talk about political ties, transit, trade, and regional stability.

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Another Hindu temple, BAPS Swaminarayan temple, has been vandalised by Khalistani supporters in Australia in the early hours of Friday. Graffiti Declare Modi Terrorist (BBC) was spray-painted on the front wall of the temple and also a Khalistani flag was hanging on the gate of the religious place.

The management of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Western Sydneys Rosehill suburb, where the act of vandalism took place, reported the incident to the police.

The incident comes two months after a series of acts of vandalism perpetrated by pro-Khalistan elements in Australia.

A report by Australia Today quoted the temple management saying that the NSW Police officers have visited the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Rosehill and CCTV footage was provided to help them in the investigation.

The act of vandalism comes just days ahead of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit to Sydney on 24 May for the QUAD summit.

India condemns vandalism of temples in Australia

India has persistently been condemning the vandalism against the Hindu temples in Australia and has also raised the issue with the Australian government.

During the visit of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to India, PM Modi raised the issue to which he assured the Indian leader of strict action against those involved in the vandalism of Hindu temples.

Australia wont tolerate any extreme actions and attacks that took place in religious buildings, and there is no place for such action against Hindu temples, Albanese had said.

In February, when Indias External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar met his Australian counterpart Penny Wong during his visit to Australia, he stressed the need for vigilance against radical activities targeting the Indian community in Australia.

Noted the forward movement on our bilateral agenda. Emphasised the need for vigilance against radical activities targeting the Indian community, Jaishankar had tweeted after his meeting with Wong in Sydney.

Hindu temples vandalised in Australia

In 12 January, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in the Mill park area of Melbourne was vandalised by Khalistani supporters who spray-painted anti-India slogans on the walls of the temple.

On 16 January, the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria. The pro-Khalistani elements vandalised the religious place and spray painted anti-India messages on the buildings wall.

Khalistani cult members set their sights on Sydney, defacing the BAPS Hindu temple at Rosehill. This is the fifth such attack on Hindu institutions in Australia, only reinforcing what @amenksingh said on 30 April: hatred of Hindus is the fuel that drives the Khalistani movement. pic.twitter.com/mARACByWLM  Australian Hindu Media (@austhindu) May 5, 2023

On 23 January, the walls of ISCKON temple in Melbournes Albert Park were vandalised with graffiti "Hindustan Murdabad".

In March, the boundary wall of the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane was vandalised.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: US President Joe Biden on Thursday called the deadly violence in Sudan an unconscionable betrayal as the White House announced new sanctioning powers aimed at ending the crisis.

The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy  and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese peoples clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy, said Biden in a statement.

I join the peace-loving people of Sudan and leaders around the world in calling for a durable ceasefire between the belligerent parties.

In a letter sent to Congress, he said he was expanding the scope of a previous national emergency declared with regard to Khartoum, finding that the situation in Sudan  constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.

Ready to abide by new 7-day truce

Hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan since battles began on 15 April between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhans forces and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglos Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

As the latest ceasefire expired at midnight (2200 GMT), the army said it was ready to abide by a new seven-day truce, but there was no word from its foes in the paramilitary RSF.

Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that broadens authority to impose sanctions on those responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan and undermining Sudans democratic transition, the US leader said in a statement without naming potential targets.

Within hours of the latest supposed ceasefire taking effect, witnesses in Khartoum reported explosions and exchanges of fire on the streets around dawn and clashes during the day in the city of five million people.

The foreign ministry later accused the RSF of attacking the Indian embassy and other evacuated diplomatic missions.

In El Obeid, some 300 kilometres (185 miles) south of the capital, witnesses also reported battles.

The fighting has killed about 700 people so far across Sudan, most of them in Khartoum and the western Darfur region, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

With inputs from agencies

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Canada has increased the amount of settlement funds required for skilled workers. According to the notification by the Canadian government, the candidates who want to apply for permanent residency programs must show that they have the required funds.

The Express entry includes three immigration streams, i.e. the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, and the Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program.

But the new rules will only be applied to skilled workers under the Federal Skilled Worker program, and the Federal Skilled Trades program.

Applicants under FSW and FST, who have a valid job, and are currently working in Canada are not required to show the proof of funds.

The notification by the Canadian government stated that the fund required as the settlement fund would depend on the size of the family of the applicant, which includes the applicant, the spouse, and any dependent children. They are counted even if they are not going with applicant to Canada or not. They are also counted even if they are citizens of Canada or permanent residents.

The Express Entry system is used to manage immigration applications from skilled workers.

What are the three categories under the Express Entry System?

1- Canada Experience Class (CEC): This is for the skilled workers who have Canadian work experience, and it should have been gained three years before applying.

2- Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW): This is for the skilled workers with foreign experience, and they must meet criteria for other factors.

3- Federal Skilled Trades Program (FST): This is for the workers who are qualified and skilled, and must have a valid job offer.

With inputs from agencies

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Beijing emerged as the biggest global jailer of journalists with more than 100 media personnel put behind bars last year in China, according to a press freedom group, as the ruling Communist Party in China tightened control over society.

Xi Jinpings government has already enforced strict controls on media in China, where all newspapers and broadcasters are state-owned. Websites and social media are required to enforce censorship that bans material that might spread opposition to one-party rule.

Xis government also was one of the biggest exporters of propaganda content, according to Reporters without Borders. China ranked second to last on the groups annual index of press freedom, behind only neighbour North Korea.

Xi, Chinas most powerful figure in decades, called during a 2016 meeting with journalists who had been awarded official prizes for them to adhere to the correct orientation of public opinion.

Xi is pursuing a crusade against journalism, Reporters Without Borders said in a report Wednesday. It called Chinas decline in press freedom disastrous.

Beijing operates what is regarded as the worlds most extensive system of internet controls. Its filters try to block the Chinese public from seeing websites abroad operated by news outlets, governments and human rights and other activist groups.

Chinese journalists have been prosecuted on charges of spying, leaking national secrets and picking quarrels, a vague accusation used to jail dissidents. Others are subjected to surveillance, intimidation and harassment.

Journalist Dong Yuyu, who worked at a ruling party-affiliated newspaper and is a former Harvard University fellow, faces espionage charges after being detained for more than one year, his family said last week.

In 2022, Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei was tried in China on national security charges but has yet to learn the verdict, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in March.

Cheng worked for CGTN, the English-language state TV channel aimed at foreign audiences. She was detained in August 2019 and accused of sharing state secrets.

In Hong Kong, the Communist Party forced a prominent newspaper, Apple Daily, to shut down as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy sentiment.

Apple Dailys founder, Jimmy Lai, was convicted of fraud last year that his supporters said was politically motivated. Six other former executives of the newspaper pleaded guilty.

With inputs from agencies.

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Geneva: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that Covid-19 pandemic is over as a global health emergency.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, made the announcement while addressing a media briefing on Covid-19 and global health issues.

It is therefore with great hope that I declare #Covid19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat. Last week, Covid-19 claimed a life every three minutes  and thats just the deaths we know about, he said.

As we speak, thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units. And millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post-#Covid19 condition, the Director General of WHO added.

The WHO had declared Covid-19 as a global emergency in January 2020.

1221 days ago, WHO learned of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China. On the 30th January 2020, on the advice of an Emergency Committee convened under the International Health Regulations, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of #Covid19  the highest level of alarm under international law, Tedros said.

At that time, outside China there were fewer than 100 reported [#Covid19] cases, and no reported deaths. In the 3 years since then, Covid-19 has turned our world upside down. Almost 7 million deaths have been reported to WHO, but we know the toll is several times higher  at least 20 million, he noted.

What this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing #Covid19 alongside other infectious diseases, he added.

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Russian men changing gender to avoid Ukraine war draft

In a bid to ensure that no one evades mandatory military conscription, the Russian Parliament will launch a crackdown on gender reassignment without surgeries to disable men from registering themselves as women.

The Russian Duma is urgently working on a bill to bring the new rules into effect. Amendments will soon be introduced in the State Duma to officially ban gender reassignment without surgery, the head of the Duma Committee on Family, Women, and Childrens Affairs told Russian Kommersant.

Explaining the purpose of the law, a source said that the amendments will not only protect family values but also ensure more men in the military.

According to several media reports, young Russians are now considering the option of changing their genders without undergoing surgeries to avoid military conscription. In fact, since the war began last year in February, Moscow has been witnessing a steady growth in people going to private clinics to get their gender reassignment certificates.

Talking about the amendments, Konstantin Chuychenko, the Russian Minister of Justice, said, This will allow us to rule out the possibility of changing a persons gender purely by changing the documents.

Man gets up and decides he is a woman

State Duma speaker Vyacheslav Volodin estimated that over the past couple of months there have been 2,700 cases of gender reassignments in the country.

Decisions can be made in private clinics. A man gets up in the morning and decides for himself that he is no longer a man, but a woman; not a woman, but a man. He goes to a paid clinic  the service costs from 30 thousand to 60 thousand rubles  receives a certificate and with this certificate goes further to the registry office, to the passport office to change his last name, first name and patronymic, he added.

The bill could be adopted by May 15.

Russia to ban trans people changing gender on passports

The Russian Justice Ministry is also mulling over a bill to tighten rules enabling transgender people from changing their genders on passports.

LGBTQ rights activists in Russia have flagged concerns about the amendment as it will make gender transition tougher in the country.

The move comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin unveiled new restrictions under his gay propaganda law that prevents the positive representation of LGBTQ community in Russia.

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At least 130 people were killed after powerful floods and landslides hit the country, leaving thousands homeless.

Rwandans grieved Thursday for lost loved ones and destroyed homes as rivers of mud swept away homes and other infrastructure and cut off roads after heavy rains in several areas, particularly the Western Province bordering Lake Kivu where the worst devastation was reported.

I found my child buried under rocks and bricks that fell on him during the heavy rains. He died at the hospital, Anonciata, who only gave one name, told AFP in the hard-hit district of Karongi.

It is very devastating for our family. One of my other children also got badly injured on the head. I pray he survives.

Imacule Kankwanzi said normal life had come to a halt in her village with nothing to eat and the roads blocked.

Our houses are destroyed or flooded, she told AFP. My house is completely under water. In short, we are desperate and without hope.

In Rubavu, another district badly affected, survivors said the floodwaters brought their homes crashing down.

I kept calling, asking and wondering where my children were, Nshimiyimana Egide told AFP.

He and his wife were able to find shelter in trees but unfortunately all our kids were already dead, he added.

Others were counting their blessings while coming to grips with the scale of destruction.

Jacqueline Mukamana rushed out of her home at midnight when neighbours warned her the river was flooding only for her home to be swept away.

Our house, and everything (else), has been destroyed, she said.

Another resident, Paul Bizimana, said he was grateful he managed to get his family out: I managed to rescue my kids and family members at least they are safe.

Over 5,100 homes destroyed

The government was racing trucks of emergency supplies to the worst-hit areas where evacuees are sheltering in tents.

They have been advised to remain there until the rain stops, amid fear of further mudslides and flooding with rivers still raging and land unstable.

The death toll is now 130 people. We do not know the total number of homeless people at the moment, but counting is ongoing, deputy government spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda told AFP.

What we know is over 5,100 homes were destroyed and they all had families living in them.

Another 2,500 homes have been partially damaged, according to a government tally.

Mukuralinda said 77 people were hurt in the disaster, including 36 still in hospital with serious injuries.

Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente toured the worst-affected regions Thursday and joined mourning families as they prepared to bury relatives.

Ngirente urged survivors to be strong, adding that the government would help them to settle properly again we will help the wounded and hopefully life will continue.

The government will extend compensation of 100,000 Rwandan francs ($110) to each family for every member killed in the disaster.

The African Union, UN agencies and countries such as France were among those sending condolences to Rwanda.

The Vatican said Thursday that Pope Francis was deeply saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the floods.

His Holiness also offers the assurance of prayers for the dead, injured, and displaced, the Vaticans secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, wrote in a telegram.

East Africa often suffers from wild weather during the rainy seasons, and Uganda has also suffered in recent days with six people reported dead in a landslide.

Last month, at least 14 people died after heavy rains triggered floods and landslides in southern Ethiopia, while hundreds of livestock perished and scores of houses were damaged.

In May 2020, at least 65 people died in Rwanda as heavy rains pounded the region while more than 200 people died in floods and landslides in the first four months of 2018.

Experts say extreme weather events are happening with increased frequency and intensity due to climate change  and Africa, which contributes the least to global warming, is bearing the brunt.

With inputs from agencies.

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During the midnight hours of May 3-4, 2023, a C-17 Globemaster aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) took off from the Hindan airbase and flew through the night to land at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in the early morning hours.

The IAF aircraft refueled at Jeddah and undertook a nonstop flight from Saudi Arabia during which it evacuated Indians stranded amidst the conflict in war-torn Sudan before returning to India. The aircraft carried excess fuel from Jeddah to avoid a situation of non-availability of fuel and refueling delays in Sudan.

The mission was one of a kind, with the aircraft carrying 192 passengers, mostly ladies, children and elderly persons, who either were NRIs, foreign nationals or OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India). These people were not permitted a landing at Jeddah, and hence were required to be flown directly to India in a nonstop flight by the heavy jet.

At Sudan, the IAF aircraft carried out an overhead steep tactical arrival followed by an assault approach to land the heavy military transport plane. During the entire duration of the ground operations, the aircraft engines were kept running in readiness of a quick exit from the airfield, in case of such a need arising.

The crew encountered another unplanned emergency when one of the passengers became unconscious during the flight. This situation was immediately and proficiently handled by the crew who administered him 100% oxygen to stabalise him.

The aircraft landed at Ahmedabad late in the evening on May 4 before going on to reach the home base of Hindan late in the night on the same day. The crew thus flew through extended duty periods of nearly 24 hrs to get some of the last Indians stranded in war-torn Sudan back to India.

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Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reaffirmed that the situation at the China-India border is generally stable and that both sides should build on their current successes and strictly adhere to any relevant agreements while urging for further cooling and easing of the conditions for lasting peace and tranquilly at the border.

Qin reiterated Chinas frequently-repeated recent position that the situation on the China-India border is generally stable during his discussions with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at Benaulim in Goa on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting on Thursday, in an apparent reference to the ongoing military standoff in Eastern Ladakh that caused the relations to come to a standstill.

According to a press release on the Qin-Jaishankar talks released here on Friday, Qin stated that the two sides should continue to implement the significant consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the existing accomplishments, strictly adhere to relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation, and maintain sustainable peace and tranquilly in the border areas.

In a tweet after the talks, Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas, he said.

A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS. pic.twitter.com/hxheaPnTqG  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 4, 2023

Jaishankar said the discussions were also held on issues relating to the SCO, G20 and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

Qin maintained that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernisation.

He said we should draw lessons from history, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respect, learn from and make achievements from each other, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development and common rejuvenation among major neighbours, so as to lend impetus to national rejuvenation and inject stability and positive energy into world peace and development China is ready to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and stable development.

Qin Gang said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role for the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, the press release added.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on border pacts

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that Chinas violation of existing border agreements eroded the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on 27 April took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.

Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff at a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on three mutuals  mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.

With inputs from agencies

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India-France Strategic Partnership: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macrons invitation to attend this years Bastille Day Parade in Paris.

The invitation was accorded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by President Emmanuel Macron on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.

PM Modi will now attend the Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the Guest of Honour on July 14 this year.

To mark this important milestone, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts.

According to an official statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for the strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation between the two nations. This includes co-operation in a wide range of industries.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Both India and Russia underlined their commitment to enhancing cooperation on multilateral venues at the 12th Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting on counterterrorism and bilateral consultations on UN and other matters.

On May 34, Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma travelled to Moscow for the Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and bilateral engagements between India and Russia on UN and multilateral matters, according to a statement released by the Ministry of External Affairs today.

On May 3, Secretary (West) and Oleg Syromolotov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, co-chaired the JWG meeting on counterterrorism.

Representatives of the pertinent departments and agencies attended the session from both India and Russia.

Both parties discussed current terrorist threats at the international and regional levels and reviewed their experiences in combating terrorism and extremism, according to the official statement.

The Russian side praised the New Delhi Declarations approval, which put an emphasis on preventing the use of cutting-edge technology for terrorist purposes, and expressed gratitude for Indias election to lead the UN Security Councils (UNSC) Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2022.

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Vershinin, participated in bilateral negotiations between India and Russia on UN-related matters on May 4.

There were lengthy conversations between the two sides on a variety of UNSC-related subjects, including its reorganisation. Indias status as a permanent member of the reconstituted UN Security Council (UNSC) has once again received backing from Russia.

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Calling for a representative government in Afghanistan, the foreign ministers of India, Russia and Pakistan on Friday urged the Taliban to respect the rights of all Afghans.

The ministers were speaking at the day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in the Indian coastal resort state of Goa, just ahead of a meeting scheduled over the weekend in Pakistan between the foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan.

The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.

Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities, he said.

No country has recognised the Taliban who took over Afghanistan in August 2021, after a 20-year insurgency against U.S.-led forces, with a speed and ease that took the world by surprise, following which President Ashraf Ghani fled the country.

Russias Sergei Lavrov said Moscow expected the Taliban leadership to deliver on their promises to come up with an inclusive government.

The assurances that were given in regards of human rights, security in the territory of Afghanistan, and the eradication of terrorist threats, drug trafficking, we are keeping an eye on this, Lavrov said.

Pakistans Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the situation in Afghanistan presents new challenges as well as opportunities.

After being the playground for great powers, time and time again, we owe it to the people of Afghanistan to not repeat the mistakes of the past, he said.

A united international community must continue to urge the Afghan authorities to adopt universally accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls right to education.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres this week warned of a severe shortfall in financial pledges for its humanitarian appeal this year, which is just over 6% funded, short of the $4.6 billion requested for a country in which most of the population lives in poverty.

The Taliban have also tightened controls on womens access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls high schools.

The SCO is a political and security union of countries spanning much of Eurasia, including China, India, Pakistan and Russia, and is seen as a counterweight to Western influence in Eurasia.

The meeting in Goa is expected to finalise the expansion of the group to include Iran and Belarus.

It will also prepare the ground for an SCO summit in India in July that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to attend.

With in[puts from agencies.

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Panaji: Reiterating his stand on India-China border issues, External Affairs Minister S Jaishnakar on Friday made it clear again that the ties between the two countries cannot be normal until peace and tranquillity are maintained on the Land of Actual Control (LAC).

Addressing a press conference at the conclusion of the Foriegn Ministers Meeting under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), S Jaishankar was asked to share details about his talks with Chinese Foriegn Minister Qin Gang.

To this, the EAM replied, The issue is that there is an abnormal position in the border areas, along the boundary. We had a very frank discussion about itWe have to take the disengagement process forward.

I have made it very clear, publically as well, that India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in the border areas are disturbed Jaishankar added.

I have been very consistent about it and I have not changed my position in this meeting either, he added.

Regarding the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), Jaishankar said, It was made very clear twice that connectivity is good for progress but it cannot violate the integrity and sovereignty of states.

This has been our long-standing position and nobody should have any doubt about it and I assure you nobody in this room has any doubt about it. I made sure of that, Jaishanakar added.

Chinas CPEC projects in Pakistan have slowed down due to the prevailing economic crisis in the neighbouring country.

Pakistan has been slow to complete infrastructure projects and China has been slow to fund new ones, reported Foreign Policy. Citing a case in point, the report said a reactor that was inaugurated by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in February was funded by China to strengthen Pakistans energy security. The work on the reactor began in 2016 after the launch of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The slowing pace of the CPEC projects is not only because of the ongoing economic crisis in Pakistan as it cannot afford the infrastructure loans extended to it, but also due to Beijings own economic slowdown.

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Washington: US State Secretary Anthony Blinken on Thursday said that the US is intensely engaged with the Russians in seeking the release of jailed Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reporter Evan Gershkovich.

According to a statement released by State Department, Blinken while speaking at a World Press Freedom Day event organised by the Washington Post, said, Its a sombre day, for the reasons that my alter ego cited just a few minutes ago. We know that journalists around the world are increasingly under siege  under siege in a whole variety of ways.

Thats now manifested itself once again very powerfully in Evans detention and incarceration, in Moscow  profoundly, unjustly  for doing his job. Were intensely engaged with the Russians to seek his freedom, to seek his immediate release  short of that, just to get what Russias obligated to provide, which is consular access, which theyve done once but have yet to repeat, he added.

He added that US Ambassador Lynne Tracy had the opportunity to meet Evan around ten days ago; she described Gerschkovich as being incredibly strong of mind and spirit, which is a really potent quality in this circumstance.

Blinken claimed that Russia like some other countries is wrongfully detaining people, using them as political pawns, using them as leverage in a practice that is absolutely unacceptable and that were working both broadly to try to deter but also at the same time to try to secure the release of those who are being unjustly detained.

Answering a question whether State Secretary had a conversation with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Blinken said, I spoke to Foreign Minister Lavrov shortly after Evan was detained. I havent spoken to him since. I made clear the imperative of releasing Evan. I made clear the imperative of getting consular access. We did get consular access after that. We have a channel that President Biden and President Putin established, some time ago, to try to work on these cases, so were engaged.

I wish I could say that at this moment there was a clear way forward. We dont have that at this moment, but its something that were working on every single day, he added.

Earlier, even before Blinken had a chance to reply to those questions, someone from the audience interrupted him and asked about Julian Assange, as per the statement.

We cant use this day without calling for the freedom of Julian Assange, someone from the audience asked.

The Biden administration must (inaudible) Julian Assange. Stop the extradition request of Julian Assange, again someone asked from the audience.

Blinken didnt answer any of these questions, according to the statement.

With inputs from agencies

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Apple Inc reported their earnings that have gone above forecasts on Thursday, demonstrating the tech giants resilience in a slowing global economy thanks to higher-than-expected iPhone sales and significant gains in India and other emerging economies.

Apples stock gained 2 per cent after the firm topped Wall Streets revenue and profit projections for the first quarter ended April 1. The companys earnings contrast with dismal data from major chipmakers due to Chinas slower-than-expected economic recovery.

Apple has officially disclosed results for the second quarter of 2023, with quarterly revenue of $94.8 billion, a 3 per cent decrease year on year. Earnings per share remained unchanged year on year at $1.52. The net profit for the quarter was $24.16 billion.

Also read: Taking a Big Bite: Why Apples first store in India is a big deal

Apple also achieved a new all-time high for Services and a March quarterly record for iPhone revenue.

Analysts predicted $92.96 billion in revenue and $1.43 in earnings per share for the quarter. Net income fell marginally from $25.01 billion to $24.16 billion in compared to the previous year. Revenue decreased from $97.28 billion.

Apple no longer publishes unit sales for any of its products, instead providing a revenue breakdown by product category. Here is the complete breakdown for fiscal Q1 2023 versus fiscal Q1 2022 numbers.

iPhone: $51.33 billion (estimated at $48.84 billion)

Mac: $7.17 billion (expected $7.80 billion)

iPad: $6.67 billion (expected $6.69 billion)

Wearables, Home, and Accessories: $8.76 billion (expected $8.43 billion)

Services: $20.91 billion (expected at $20.97 billion).

According to Refinitiv statistics, Apples gross margin will be between 44 per cent and 44.5 per cent, according to Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri. However, he also predicted that Apples revenue would likely fall slightly. Analysts predicted a 2.1 per cent increase to $84.7 billion for the companys fiscal third quarter ended in June.

Also read: India has such an incredible energy: Apple CEO Tim Cook praises Indian culture

In 2023, Apples stock has outpaced the majority of Wall Street, rising 28 per cent year to date. During this period of economic uncertainty, investors see the company as a defensive play.

Apple increased its dividend to 24 cents per share, up from 23 cents per share the previous year. The board approved a $90 billion share repurchase programme, the same as last year.

In an interview with Reuters on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said the firm established a fiscal second-quarter record for iPhone sales, owing in part to new customers in nations such as India, where Cook just travelled for the inauguration of the countrys first Apple shops.

We were thrilled by our performance in emerging markets, Cook added. We set records for the installed base of the iPhone in every geographic segment, and we had very strong new to (sales in) emerging markets, particularly in Brazil, India, and Mexico.

Cook also claimed that supply-chain bottlenecks are eliminated. We had no material shortages at all during the quarter across any of the products.

The electronics slowdown affected not all of Apples business segments. Mac sales were down substantially, while iPad revenue was down. Sales in China fell 2.9 per cent, which was somewhat higher than the total reduction in sales.

Apple still needs China to drive sales and profits in the near term, said Tom Forte of D.A. Davidson. In the long run, emerging markets, particularly India, are important in terms of supply chain and sales.

Other technology firms predict a second-half rebound. Wall Street anticipates that Apple would rebound quicker and report slight year-over-year revenue increase in its fiscal third quarter, which ends in June.

Investors are still anticipating the release of the companys next significant hardware product. According to Bloomberg, Apple might launch a mixed-reality headgear as soon as next month at its annual software developer conference. Recently, the corporation announced the launch of additional service businesses, such as a high-yield savings account.

According to Refinitiv, Mac sales plummeted more than 30 per cent compared to analyst projections of a 25 per cent drop. According to Canalys, Apples sales were only marginally higher than the markets PC unit shipments, which plunged 33 per cent in the calendar first quarter.

Also read: iPhone 15 to be made in India as Tata Group is set to takeover Wistrons Apple plant this month

Apples wearables division, which includes gadgets such as AirPods and the Apple Watch, decreased less than 1 per cent compared to a 4.4 per cent drop predicted.

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Jerusalem: The Ukrainian envoy to Israel on Thursday said that a missile detection system with Israeli design is being tested in Kyiv and might be operational in two months, giving Ukrainians more time to seek cover from Russian missile attacks.

Israel agreed to share technologies with Ukraine last year even as it delayed fulfilling Kyivs requests for weapons.

The Iron Dome, a short-range interceptor that Israel frequently used to take down rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza, was one of those requests.

Israeli officials have withheld information regarding the detecting system being created for the Ukrainians in consideration of their governments efforts to preserve good relations with Moscow.

Ambassador Yevgen Korniychuk said the system, fed with data from Ukrainian radars, is now being tested in the capital.

It allows for identifying the different objects, including ballistic missiles, and calculates where they will go and basically that allows us to close certain parts of the country rather than the whole country, Reuters quoted him as saying, referring to the air-shelter orders current being issued when under attack.

When complete, the system will warn residents of areas about to be struck by Russian missiles or drones, either by sounding sirens nearby or with alerts on cellphones, he said.

The system would allow more precisely tailored messages that would sound the alarms in individual neighbourhoods under threat. It will allow us to close Kyiv sectorially, Korniychuk said.

Some residents will be told on their phones how much time they have to jump into their shelter, while in other parts of Kyiv people will be able to sit and have coffee.

What I know from our experts is that they have already started work and I do hope that, in accordance with our internal schedule, it will take another month or two to get it working in Kyiv, he said, adding that five other cities would follow.

The account appeared to track with the missile detection system used in Israel, which, according to one official, divides the country into around 1,700 zones, with Tel Aviv and Jerusalem subdivided into four or five zones each.

The alerts, delivered over cellphone, automatic loudhailers and websites, give times to shelter in accordance with the distance of the target to the source of the launch, the official said. The shortest is 15 seconds, the longest three minutes.

The alerts appear on the cellphones of Israelis who download the relevant military app  but only if they are in the impact zone. The app does not otherwise track users cellphones and is only activated if they happen to be in the impact zone.

With inputs from agencies

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When Microsofts new Bing search engine debuted in February of this year, it was chastised for going insane and behaving strangely. Bing AI first made headlines for all the wrong reasons, from gaslighting users to blackmailing them and even falling in love with some of them. However, Microsoft worked on its AI-powered Bing, and it has come a long way since then.

According to the companys most recent blog post, Bing has over 100 million daily active users. The new Bing may aid users with searching, producing graphics, offering summaries of webpages, and helping individuals write content, among other things. And now, Microsoft is boosting Bings capabilities to better serve its users.

End of Bings waitlist

Previously, only certain users could gain access to Bing AI by joining the waitlist. Users will no longer have to sign up for any waitlists and will be able to utilise Bing AI instantly.

Announcing the same, the company said in a new blog post, Thanks to tremendous customer adoption, engagement and feedback, were ready to take the next step and are announcing the new Bing is now in Open Preview and no longer has a waitlist.

This means that everyone will be able to sample the new Bing and Edge more easily than ever before by just enrolling into Bing with their Microsoft Account.

Tools now understand many languages, including Hindi

Bings picture-generating capabilities are also commonly used. According to the firm, Bing image generator has been used to produce over 200 million photos. Now, the business is making the AI-powered picture generator more accessible by equipping it with the ability to interpret over a hundred languages, including Hindi.

We are expanding Image Creator to all languages in Bing  thats more than 100 languages  so you can now create images in your native language, according to the companys blog post.

Where AI is heading?

With Bing, Bard, and all the other chatbots that are expected to follow, the internet is entering uncharted territory. Language models can now ingest large portions of the internet and regurgitate the information on demand for the first time. This might have a significant impact on the information economy.

However, these machines continue to have serious issues. A generative AI, such as the GPT-infused Bing, does not necessarily know what is true; it just knows what it has already heard. These robots will even manufacture sources to defend lies. Nobody knows how to put an end to these hallucinations yet. Even the godfather of AI, who just resigned from Google, has raised reservations about AIs hazards. Its an exciting new world.

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Kathmandu: Nepals Rashtriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has decided to withdraw its support to the Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda government and instead stay in the Opposition, a senior party official said on Friday.

The development comes as the Ravi Lamichhane-led RSP during a joint meeting with the partys central committee and parliamentary party held on Friday took the decision to withdraw the support that it had been providing to the government, party spokesperson Mod Dhakal said.

However, the decision to withdraw the support will not immediately affect the position of the Prachanda-led government, but it may result in a political crisis after some time.

The RSP has decided to withdraw its support to the Prachanda government. However, the decision to withdraw the support will not immediately affect the position of the Prachanda-led government, but it may result in a political crisis after some time, said CPN-Maoist Centre central committee member and former Environment Minister Sunil Manahdhar.

We still have a majority in the House of Representatives even after RSP withdraws support, he pointed out.

Following the November 20 general election, the RSP joined the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government on December 25, 2022.

However, the party called back its ministers on February 5, though it continued its support to the government.

After the RSP won two seats in the by-election held on April 23, Prime Minister Prachanda invited the party to join the government.

However, the party decided to withdraw support to the government after it failed to reach a power-sharing deal and include its agenda in the common minimum program of the coalition government.

The RSP has also alleged the Prachanda government for its failure to address the issue related to curbing corruption.

The RSP, the fourth-largest party in Nepals Parliament, has 22 lawmakers in the lower house.

Lamichhanes Parliament membership was revoked by the Supreme Court earlier this year after he was found guilty of not producing a valid citizenship certificate to contest the parliamentary election. He was compelled to obtain back his citizenship and prepare for the by-election.

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New Delhi: Russia has confirmed its supplying highly enriched uranium to two Chinese reactors, according to a report.

TVEL, a subsidiary of the state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, will be allowed to export the fuel to China over the next three years, South China Morning Post reported citing Sputnik News.

The fuel will be sent to the CFR-600 power plant at Xiapu in the southeastern province of Fujian. The project has two fast-neutron reactors, both with the capacity to produce 600 megawatts of power, the first of which is expected to connect to the grid later this year, added the report.

In January, World Nuclear News reported that three batches of fuel had been transported by rail from TVEL to the plant since September.

However, the report, citing Sputnik, revealed that the supplies are highly enriched uranium, with a concentration of just over 30 per cent of uranium-235  which is found in less than 1 per cent of naturally occurring uranium.

Fast reactors require a concentration of over 20 per cent of uranium-235, while nuclear weapons usually contain about 90 per cent uranium-235 and plutonium.

The United States has become increasingly concerned about nuclear energy cooperation between China and Russia.

Direct threat to US security

Leading Republicans in Congress urged the Biden administration to stop Rosatom and the PRCs dangerous cooperation in a letter to US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in March, describing it as a direct threat to US security.

In the same month, John F Plumb, assistant secretary of defence for space policy, during a posture hearing at the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Force, said that various open-source outlets reported how Rosatom was providing highly enriched uranium for Chinese fast breeder reactors.

Its very troubling to see Russia and China cooperating on this, said Plumb had said.

They may have talking points around it, but theres no getting around the fact that breeder reactors are plutonium, and plutonium is for weapons. So I think the [Defence] Department is concerned. And of course, it matches our concerns about Chinas increased expansion of its nuclear forces as well, because you need more plutonium for more weapons, Plumb added.

China and Russia have placed nuclear weapons, space warfare and long-range strike at the center of their strategies to counter the United States and its allies and partners, he said.

China is engaged in a significant and fast-paced expansion and diversification of its nuclear forces. Also, Russia and China view space as a warfighting domain, he said.

China also has an ever-growing inventory of sophisticated long-range strike systems putting US forces at risk at greater and greater distances, Plumb said.

Russian President Vladimir Putins irresponsible nuclear saber rattling has further underscored the importance of the US nuclear deterrent, which is the bedrock of national security, he said.

Russia-China deal

The fast reactors are part of Chinas plan to develop a closed nuclear fuel cycle, which reprocesses the remaining uranium and plutonium isotopes in spent fuel, as a way of reducing the risk of shortages.

During Chinese President Xi Jinpings visit to Russia in March, Rosatom and Chinas Atomic Energy Authority signed a comprehensive long-term cooperation deal on fast-neutron reactors and closed nuclear fuel cycle development.

In fast reactors, uranium-238  the most commonly found isotope  can be used to generate plutonium-239, which can in turn be used as nuclear fuel or in nuclear weapons.

With inputs from agencies

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SCO Summit: Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has slammed Ukraine and its allies in the West for alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers conclave in Goa on Friday, Sergey Lavrov said that Ukraines denial of its role in the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin  the epicentre of political power in Russia  is typical of the ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie.

The ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie is very well known and the entire situation is illustrating the crisis which is much deeper than just behaviour of regime followed by Zelensky, the Russian Foreign Minister said.

If you think as soon as US and Ukraine rejected the accusations, we should stop thinking about the attack that is not the case, Sergey Lavrov added.

Sergey Lavrov is participating in the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) which started in Goa on Friday.

#WATCH | If you think as soon as US and Ukraine rejected the accusations, we should stop thinking about the attack that is not the case. The ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie is very well known and the entire situation is illustrating the crisis which is much pic.twitter.com/Gj0WqQ17u3  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

On Wednesday, Russia had accused Ukraine of carrying out a drone attack on the Kremlin. According to Russia, the attack was an unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

When asked if the drone attack on the Kremlin was discussed during his bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar earlier on Friday, Sergey Lavrov responded that "he didn't discuss in detail" and that he is aware of India's "position."

"We didn't discuss in detail the terrorist attack against the Kremlin. We know the position of India which is in favour of stopping any provocation and terrorist attacks there is no doubt about this," he said.

Russia has asserted that it reserves the right to take countermeasures following the attack.

The government of Russia has claimed that two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been used during the alleged attack on Vladimir Putin's residence in the Kremlin. However, the Russian authorities announced that the drones had been disabled by electronic defences.

"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president's life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned," the Kremlin said in a statement.

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SCO Summit: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar made a pointed but indirect barb at Pakistan when he appealed to the participating nations at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meet in Goa to eradicate terrorism in all its forms.

The menace of terrorism continues unabated. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO, EAM S Jaishankar said in his remarks at the start of the conclave.

#WATCH | The menace of terrorism continues unabated. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO: EAM pic.twitter.com/xsdqz1Tz0I  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

This SCO summit is also significant because it features Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who is first top level leader from his country to visit India in around 12 years.

The run-up to this SCO meet also featured a meeting between Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart, which is significant, given the tension at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) between the two nations in recent years.

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At least eight people were murdered and 13 others were injured in a drive-by shooting late on Thursday near a town close to Belgrade, according to official media. This was Serbias second such mass killing in two days.

According to an early Friday RTS report, the assailant fired shots at random at persons close to the town of Mladenovac, which is located about 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of the city. According to the story, police were seeking for a suspect, age 21, who escaped following the assault.

Helicopters flew over the site, there was a significant police presence, and several ambulances flocked to the scene.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation unused to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings are extremely rare. Wednesdays school shooting was the first in the countrys modern history. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursdays shooting a terrorist act, state media reported.

Special police and helicopter units have been sent to the region as well as ambulances, it added.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

Earlier Thursday, Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade, as they paid silent homage to peers, killed a day earlier. Thousands lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the nine people who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The tragedy also sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts whose aftermath has created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

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HEFEI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- During the May Day holiday, a homestay nestling in hills in Lujiang County, east China's Anhui Province, became a popular destination among holidaymakers. Covering an area of 142 mu (about 9.47 hectares), the homestay was transformed from abandoned farmhouses and features clear brooks and lush trees. Tourists can enjoy coffee at a cowshed-turned-cafe and barbecue in what was once a shabby stone house. "Many families enjoy a slow and idyllic life here. All 50 rooms had been booked up by mid-April," said Ma Fengyu, who is in charge of the homestay in Changchong Village, Wanshan Township. The popular tourist destination was once a run-down area where 13 abandoned farmhouses were overgrown with weeds. In 2018, the local government started to purchase the houses from local farmers and invited design teams to renovate them into a modern homestay, while seeking to preserve their original characteristics. "We maintained the original natural scenery and the layout of those farmhouses. We also employ many local farmers as staff at the homestay," said Ma. The homestay is a fine example of Lujiang's efforts to vitalize idle farmhouses over recent years. Currently, a total of 16 boutique homestays have been built and 34 more are under construction. Local farmers have also turned their idle houses into over 200 homestays and restaurants. Many farmhouses have also been transformed into offices to meet the needs of companies seeking a more idyllic working environment. Anhui Zhenwei Architecture Engineering Co., Ltd., for example, has established its branch office in a courtyard near a beautiful creek. Zhenwei was one of the first enterprises to settle in Lujiang County after authorities last year began encouraging locals to renovate idle farmhouses into offices to attract businesses. "The house has been completely renovated, and even equipped with cooking ware. We just need to bring our luggage to move in," said She Chengbing, a manager with Zhenwei. "The rural environment is great, and I feel relaxed working here." The manager added that transportation to the county is also convenient, allowing his company to interact easily with businesses in neighboring regions. To attract more enterprises, Lujiang County provides long-term free use of a renovated farmhouse for newly registered enterprises whose annual average tax payment reached a stipulated amount, said Wu Nana, deputy head of Wanshan Township. "Our town has made 110 idle farmhouses available, and signed contracts with over 70 enterprises in various fields," said Wu, adding that more than 240 enterprises have settled in Lujiang. After being renovated to create homestays or offices, these once idle farmhouses have become new resources and drivers of the local economy. At present, the program has increased the income of local village collectives by more than 20 million yuan (about 2.89 million U.S. dollars) a year, and created about 1,400 jobs for local villagers. "We will continue to revitalize rural idle resources, in an effort to develop rural industry, utilize resources and promote local culture," said Su Rong, director of the culture and tourism bureau of Lujiang County.
Following a series of explosions that rocked the capital on Thursday, the Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down a drone of its own that had lost control over Kyiv.

The explosions came after a flurry of Russian assaults on Wednesday and Thursday that lasted all night. They reverberated throughout Kyiv for around 15 to 20 minutes.

At about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) a Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial device lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region the target was destroyed! the air force said, adding it was establishing the cause of a likely technical malfunction.

A drone that air defence was attempting to take down was seen by AFP photographers at the time of the explosions, and the Kyiv city military administration reported that air defence is at work.

At the exact moment the Kyiv city military administration declared the air raid alarm to be ended, journalists noticed a cloud of black smoke in the air.

Firefighters put out a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey shopping centre, according to Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko, in the Solomyansky neighbourhood.

There were no reported casualties despite the fire spreading over 50 square metres (538 square feet) and inflicting some minor surface damage, according to Klitschko.

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Washington: The United States on Thursday rejected Russias ludicrous claim of being involved in the purported drone attack on the Kremlin, according to a report.

I would just tell you Mr. (Dmitry) Peskovs lying. I mean, its obviously a ludicrous claim. The United States had nothing to do with this. We dont even know what happened here, a CNN report quoted John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, as saying.

But I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever, he added.

The latest in a long line of unusual claims regarding the incident on Wednesday, Russia earlier charged that the US was complicit in the drone strike on the Kremlin and an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

We are well aware that decisions on such actions and such terrorist attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington. And Kyiv is already executing what it is told to do, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, without providing any evidence.

Russia on Wednesday, while releasing several footages, had claimed of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) strikes on Putins Kremlin residence. The strikes were termed terrorist attacks by Ukraine on Russia.

After two UAV strikes, Russia also released videos claiming attacks on an Oil Depot in Krasnodar and also on the Senate Palace.

The Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin on the night of 2 May, when it was targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in an official statement said that there was no doubt that the Kyiv regime is behind these attacks.

Kyiv has a long-standing record of intentionally supporting and employing terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and civilians, including the October 8, 2022, explosion on the Crimean Bridge, strikes against non-military targets in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions, as well as many acts of sabotage. Now comes Moscow. The terrorist activity and acts of sabotage by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been gathering unprecedented momentum, the statement said.

This crime is aggravated by the fact that the Moscow Kremlin serves as the residence of the head of state. What makes the actions of the neo-Nazi Ukrainian authorities especially cynical is that they made an attempt to assassinate the President of Russia ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where Great Patriotic War veterans, who had shed their blood in the fight against Nazism and fascism, including on Ukrainian territory, will be present, it added.

In the overnight drone attacks, Putin did not get injured and Russia considers the drone attacks, an attempt on Presidents life, Presidents press service announced on Wednesday, Russia Today reported.

According to Putins staff, Ukraine launched two drone attacks overnight with the intention of hitting his apartment in the Kremlin.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: Hitting back Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto after commented on the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu & Kashmir on the sidelines of the Shanghai Corporation Organization (SCO), External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar advised the former to Wake up and smell the coffee, as Article 370 is history.

Bhuttos statement marked a violation of international commitment.

Also coming down hard on the neighbouring country over its falling global standing, the External Affairs Minister said, Pakistans credibility is depleting faster than its forex reserves.

Rebutting Bhuttos comment on the upcoming G20 conference in Srinagar, Jaishankar further said, Pakistan has nothing to do with G20 and also not with Srinagar.

Meanwhile, the spectre of terrorism surfaced again in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday, with the Army engaged in a fierce standoff with Pakistan-backed terrorists in the Rajouri district.

The gunbattle broke out on a day Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in Goa to take part in the SCO meet.

Five soldiers lost their lives in the anti-terror operation in the Kandi area of Rajouri on Thursday.

Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat, Jaishankar said, hitting out at Pakistan.

Jaishankar said victims of terrorism fight terrorism.

Responding to a question from a Pakistani journalist on whether a visit by the foreign minister of the neighbouring country after a long time will help normalise relations with India, the EAM said India and Pakistan are not on the same boat.

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SCO Summit: Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar accorded a rather cold welcome to Pakistans foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari ahead of Fridays Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conclave in Goa.

Visuals showed Jaishankar greeting his Pakistan counterpart with a namaste with Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari reciprocating the gesture.

However, Jaishankar sported a somewhat cold expression and allowed the assembled media a brief photo session before asking Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to step away with a curt gesture.

Jaishankars behaviour with his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari was in sharp contrast to how he welcomed other representatives at the SCO meet. His treatment of Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov was particularly warm, symbolising Indias traditional ties with Russia.

Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is the first top level leader from Pakistan to visit India in nearly 12 years. A bilateral meeting between the foreign ministers of India and Pakistan hasn't been officially confirmed yet, though.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/SzLmR4GEIF  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

The SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) conference Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is attending in India takes place as tensions between the two nations remain high over a number of topics, notably Islamabad's use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

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Indian foreign minister S Jaishankar on Friday called his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari a promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of the terrorism industry.

On Bhutto Zardaris comments on tackling terrorism, Jaishankar said Pakistans credibility in dealing with is depleting even faster than their forex reserves.

Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating the menace, the external affairs minister said, Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

Jaishankar also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir was, is and will always be part of India.

The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. Do not see it as anything more than that, he added.

On the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

He said as a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly.

With inputs from agencies

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A video has gone viral on social media where a Russian representative can be seen snatching a Ukraine flag from the hands of a lawmaker of the country. This soon escalated to a one-on-one fight at an international conference.

The videos show punches being thrown in Ankara, after the man ripped the flag from the hands of Oleksandr Marikovsky, who had been posing for a photo. As per a report in Daily Mail, the incident occurred after members of the Ukrainian Parliament tried to disrupt a speech by Russian delegates during the meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

The incident occurred over 14 months after Russia invaded Ukraine.

In the video doing the rounds, Ukrainian Oleksandr Marikovskyi was seen holding his country's flag when the unidentified Russian representative approached him. He then went on to rip his flag and started walking away. The MP gave chase and landed a few punches on him, before being intercepted by other officials. He had managed to snatch the flag back by then.

As per Daily Mail report that cited Pravda, the Ukrainians had apparently unfurled their country flag behind the Russians' as they were giving their speech. The disruption led to a break in the meeting as the delegation from Ukraine was escorted out of the hall, which was followed by a physical confrontation between Ukrainian Member of Parliament Oleksandr Marikovsky and an unnamed Russian delegate outside the hall.

The incident comes days after Russia accused Ukraine of trying to assassinate their President, Vladimir Putin with a double drone strike on Kremlin in Moscow, which was denied by Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Meanwhile, Moscow, on Thursday, accused the US of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin, a charge which has subsequently been denied by Washington. Russia further said that Ukrainian sabotage on Russian territory had reached 'unprecedented momentum'.

With inputs from agencies

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New Delhi: Taiwan Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng on Thursday said that the island nation will treat Chinese drone or jet incursions into its airspace as a first strike, amid rising concerns over Beijings strategy of flying unmanned surveillance craft around the island.

The ministry does not wish for war to break out in the Taiwan Strait, which will be very tragic, Bloomberg quoted Kuo-cheng as saying in response to questions from lawmakers on Thursday.

The comments appeared to be a reiteration of Taiwans prior statements against planes breaking the 12-nautical-mile (22-kilometer) boundary that Taiwan considers to be the definition of its territorial waters and airspace. Despite sending more and more aircraft into the islands much wider air defence identification zone, China has avoided the smaller area that Chiu was referring to, reported Bloomberg.

Beijing exerting pressure on Taiwan

Beijing, which sees the autonomous island as a part of its territory, has been exerting growing pressure on Taiwan.

This pressure includes almost daily warplane intrusions across the median line, an unofficial border dividing the two sides in the middle of the busy waterway, and across the Taiwan Strait.

Twice within a one-week period, China has sent autonomous aircraft around much of the island, though they have not strayed into the 12-mile limit Chiu said would represent an attack.

Chinas new normal

However, lawmakers voiced worries about the new normal of China probing Taiwans defences, whether through drone flights or crossings of the median line.

Over 1,700 more military flights were made around the island by the Peoples Liberation Army last year compared to the previous year.

Chiu also said that Taiwans biggest annual live-fire drill simulating Chinese attacks, the Han Kuang Exercise, will incorporate scenarios of eastern Taiwan being attacked. That comes after Chinas Shandong aircraft carrier battle group conducted training in the waters east of Taiwan.

Separately, Taiwan authorities said in a report published Thursday that the island will receive its first batch of 66 F-16V jets from the US later than planned, in the third quarter of 2024 rather than the end of this year.

The US is also expected to deliver four MQ-9 drones that Taiwan ordered in 2025, another Taiwanese defense ministry official told lawmakers.

With inputs from agencies

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Wishful thinking by Western news agencies, said Moscow as it rubbished media reports claiming the suspension of settling India-Russia trade in Indian rupees.

Both India and Russia have been in talks for over a year in facilitating trade in INR. However, reports by some western media, on Thursday, suggested that negotiations on settlement of trade using rupee had failed to convince Moscow.

No change in bilateral developments, Wishful thinking by Western news agencies, news agency ANI quoted a Russian official as saying.

Russia was one of the first among the 19 countries who have agreed to facilitate bilateral trade settlement with India using INR. Sanctions were imposed by the US and its allies on Moscow last year after Vladimir Putin announced full scale military operation in Ukraine.

Following the sanctions, Russia started trading with other countries in their local currency.

Western media reports on Russia-India trade in INR

A report by Reuters on Thursday quoted an official from the Indian government saying that due to the high trade gap, Russia believes it will end up with an annual rupee surplus of over $40 billion if such a mechanism is worked out and feels rupee accumulation is not desirable.

The report quoted another official from the Indian government saying that Russia was not comfortable holding INR and instead wanted to be paid in Chinese yuan of other currencies.

We dont want to push rupee settlement any more, that mechanism is just not working. India has tried everything we could to try and make this work but it hasnt helped, the report quoted a third source directly aware of the developments as saying.

De-dollarization

There has been a clamouring call by a number of countries to dump dollar as the global reserve currency and instead use local money to settle trade.

The decision to ditch dollar gained momentum after sanctions were imposed on Russia. Also, nations believe that transaction and conversion costs would be lower if trade settlement is done using local currency.

As per Reuters report, the Indian rupee is not fully convertible and Indias share of global exports of goods is just about 2 per cent. These factors effectively have reduced the necessity for other countries to hold INR.

India-Russia trade

Until 5 April, Indias imports from Russia have reportedly risen to $51.3 billion from $10.6 billion in the same period last year.

There has been a remarkable increase in the imports by India from Russia over the past few months. Discounted oil has constituted a large part of Indias import and has seen a twelve-fold surge during the period.

With inputs from agencies

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Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 smartphone in Phantom Black, Green, Lavender and Cream colours in India earlier this year. Today, the company has confirmed the launch of new lime colour in India later this week.

The addition of the new lime colour will give more colour choices to consumers looking to buy Samsungs most premium smartphone, said the company.

For the first time, Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 Ultra in online-exclusive colours- Red, Graphite, Lime and Sky Blue in India, along with the standard Phantom Black, Cream and Green colours. It is not clear if the Galaxy S23 in Lime will be online-exclusive like other countries.

It should retain the same starting price of Rs. 74,999 when it goes on sale in the coming days. Samsung is still offering Rs.5000 instant discount on HDFC Bank Credit/Debit Cards EMI & Credit Card Full Swipe, as well as upgrade bonus.
Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN! Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2021.
OpenAI Poached Google Engineers To Build ChatGPT Claims A Report Tech Biz oi -Alap Naik Desai

ChatGPT from OpenAI is clearly leading the race of Generative AI platforms while Google is trailing behind with its Bard AI. A new report claims the Microsoft-funded company managed to one-up Google because it poached talent from Google.

Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT and Dall-E have been making serious waves on the internet. Although millions of internet users rely on these chatbots, many are unaware of the costs and expenses to design, develop, maintain, and improve them.

OpenAI Hired Google Engineers To Build ChatGPT?

A new and potentially explosive report has claimed that OpenAI managed to develop ChatGPT because it poached key employees from Google. Besides the costs involved in the actual development and maintenance, OpenAI's expenses are exceptionally high because it paid handsomely to these poached employees, suggests the report.

One of the most notable examples is AI researcher Jacob Devlin, who worked at Google before moving to OpenAI. Incidentally, Devlin even reportedly tried to warn Google not to use ChatGPT data to train its AI chatbot Bard.

While Devlin's claims haven't been verified, there were a few reports which claimed several of Bard's answers to user queries started to look too similar to ChatGPT. If true, Google may have violated OpenAI's terms of service and usage.

Google has strongly denied these allegations. However, it is possible that the search giant may have taken a few remedial steps to ensure Bard's answers are relevant, comprehensive, and simple to understand while being noticeably distinct from ChatGPT.

OpenAI and Google Paying Heavily To Win The Generative AI Race

Be it OpenAI's ChatGPT and Dalle-E, or Google's Bard, Generative AI platforms are expensive. It is no wonder then that OpenAI's losses last year doubled to $540 million.

Apart from hiring talent at high salaries, companies must spend on the computational power and storage required to train the models that eventually spit out answers to complex questions.

Needless to say, the cloud computing bills have been staggering and continue to rise. Moreover, cloud service providers had to dedicate "thousands of GPUs" to ensure these platforms run efficiently, smoothly, and reliably.

It appears OpenAI is leading the race primarily because it poached the right talent at the right time. Combined with the considerable fund infusion from Microsoft, the American AI research company co-founded by tech giants like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel, managed to strike first.

Generative AI undoubtedly has massive potential. In fact, Microsoft is already looking at ways to recoup the losses. The company is even taking steps to make Generative AI platforms such as ChatGPT become a revenue source in the future. Meanwhile, Google's Bard appears to be stumbling.

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U.S. and Nigerian officials join to celebrate $38 million in Kainji Air Force Base improvements

Senior U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense officials joined Nigerian Air Force Air Vice Marshal IG Lubo, representing Nigeria's Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, and other Nigerian partners to celebrate the completion of $38 million of improvements to the air base April 27.

By U.S. Africa Command Public Affairs , United States Africa Command KAINJI AIR FORCE BASE, NIGERIA May 04, 2023

KAINJI AIR FORCE BASE, Nigeria -- Senior U.S. Department of State and Department of Defense officials joined Nigerian Air Force Air Vice Marshal IG Lubo, representing Nigeria's Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao, and other Nigerian partners to celebrate the completion of $38 million of improvements to the air base April 27.

The construction of the air base improvements is key to facilitating the operation and maintenance of the A-29 Super Tucano wing, and associated munitions, stationed here. The base improvements were delivered as part of a larger, historic $500 million U.S. foreign military sale to Nigeria, which also included the delivery of 12 A-29 Super Tucano aircraft, precision munitions, and world-class training, including in air-to-ground integration to make airstrikes more accurate and thereby mitigate the risk of civilian harm.

U.S. Charge d'Affaires for Nigeria David Greene, Director of the U.S. Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate Brig. Gen. Joel Safranek, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division Commander Col. John Lloyd, and other U.S. officials joined Amao and other Nigerian Air Force partners to celebrate the completion of the final phase of the construction program for A-29 Super Tucano support facilities.

"Since my arrival in Nigeria last year, I have closely tracked the progress of the A-29 program and am grateful, today, to celebrate the fruits of U.S.-Nigerian partnership and commitment," stated Charge d'Affaires Greene. "Nigeria's A-29 program is the largest U.S. foreign military sales case to date to a country in Sub-Saharan Africa, an example of Nigeria's leadership in being, as is the Nigerian Air Force's motto, 'willing, able, and ready' to contribute to security and stability at home and around the region."

The base improvements were delivered in two main phases, with the first phase completed in summer 2021 to allow for the safe delivery of the first A-29 aircraft, which now play a key role in Nigerian Air Force operations to combat violent extremist organizations, such as ISIS-West Africa and Boko Haram.

Crews are now finishing the second and final phase of air base improvement projects, which include improved base security, munitions storage and maintenance, aircraft hangars and aprons, and training facilities to ensure the continued successful operations of the new fighter wing.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Europe District, which is part of the larger U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, North Atlantic Division, oversaw the construction of these projects, which are key to facilitating the operation and maintenance of the 12 A-29 Super Tucanos and their accompanying munitions.

"The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers proudly supports our international partners like Nigeria by providing unique engineering expertise to bolster security capabilities, strengthen strategic relationships, and contribute to regional security," Lloyd said. "Here at Kainji Air Base, it has been an absolute privilege to partner with the U.S. Embassy, U.S. Air Force, and the Nigerian Air Force to deliver these support facilities for their new fleet of A-29 Super Tucano aircraft."

The U.S. Air Force Security Assistance and Cooperation Directorate is managing the overall $500 million foreign military sale as part of its larger mission of administering security assistance programs around the world.

"Today is a proud occasion, not only for the country of Nigeria and the Nigerian Air Force, but also for the United States of America, the United States Air Force, and the United States Army," said Safranek. "These new capabilities will help address the growing security challenges in the region, and counter the significant impact and threats posed to the people of Nigeria. It proves that together, as Partner Nations, and Military Allied Partners, we can accomplish great things which, in the end, make the country of Nigeria and the world a safer place."

This is the largest U.S. foreign military sales case in sub-Saharan Africa and demonstrates the strong partnership between the United States and Nigeria. The United States is committed to assisting Nigeria in its efforts to create a more peaceful, prosperous nation.

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New York, New Jersey officer candidates train with Albanian counterparts

By Eric Durr, New York National Guard May 4, 2023

DURRES, Albania -- New York and New Jersey Army National Guard officer candidates honed their leadership skills with their Albanian Armed Forces Academy counterparts April 10-24.

"Training with the Albanian officer candidates was a really great experience," said Officer Candidate Katherine Murrell. "There were challenges with communication. But they weren't as big as I thought they would be."

Officer Candidate Jason Frantz said the training "surpassed all my expectations."

Five New York National Guard officer candidates enrolled in the 106th Regional Training Institute Officer Candidate School and six New York cadre members were invited to Albania for the training by the New Jersey Army Guard OCS program.

Seventeen New Jersey officer candidates and six New Jersey OCS cadre participated in the training near Durres on the Adriatic coast.

The New Jersey National Guard has a State Partnership Program relationship with Albania and New Jersey's 1st Battalion, 254th Training Regiment, has been working with the Albanians to improve that nation's officer training program, according to Lt. Col. Stuart Loy, the training regiment's commander.

New Jersey sent their officer candidates to train in Albania in 2022, Loy said. This year he wanted to expand the effort, so he invited New York to participate.

His goal is to expand the number of countries participating in the annual training event, Loy said. He wants to invite the New York Army National Guard again in 2024 with another state OCS and another NATO country.

Sgt. 1st Class Everitt Speros, the New York OCS course manager, said he was surprised at the quality of the training.

"I thought it would be a little too much dog and pony," Speros said. "I was worried that the training was going to be dumbed down and not as intensive and I was worried the candidates would not get a lot out of it."

Instead, said the veteran of the 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry's fight for Route Irish in Baghdad during the Iraq War, the training was excellent.

"No candidates have had more squad tactical lane reps," Speros said. "Each candidate did close to 30 squad lanes in April. This is enormous and gives them a tremendous leg up."

Speros said the candidates got plenty of chances to go through troop-leading procedures, deliver operations orders and lead a squad.

Murrell and Frantz said the repeated opportunities to run the tactical problems really helped them learn. "It was a lot of fun when we started to figure out how to coordinate everything," Frantz said.

The opportunity to work with troops from another NATO country was also invaluable, said Capt. Edwin Ponce, an OCS training officer. "It gave them a little bit of a taste of what they will be doing in the real world once they get commissioned as lieutenants," Ponce said.

The New York and New Jersey National Guard officer candidates and 37 Albanian academy cadets in their second year of training were integrated into squads together.

"It was a little challenging for them, in the sense of the language barrier, especially when it came time to plan and execute training," Ponce said.

Murrell said the Americans and Albanians managed to work things out. Some Albanians spoke excellent English and could translate, she said, and others spoke enough to get by. And when it came time for the tactical exercises, they also used signs to communicate.

The training focused on five exercises, Speros said. The officer candidates and cadets had to conduct a movement to contact, conduct a squad attack, knock out a bunker, set up an ambush and react to an ambush. The trainees were given a platoon order and then put together their squad operations orders.

On a Friday night to Sunday training weekend, each officer candidate would get to be a squad leader twice, Speros said. On this training mission, they were able to lead twice a day.

"They got a tremendous amount of reps and a tremendous amount of one-on-one attention," Speros said.

The Albanian Armed Forces Academy commander and Albania's Chief of Defence visited to observe the training.

Speros said the Albanians "were thirsty to learn."

The Albanian military, originally based on Russian models of command, is now trying to incorporate Western military leadership styles, Loy explained. Training with National Guard troops helps them do that, he said.

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May 4, 2023

Transcript

Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary, Holds a Press Briefing

Sabrina Singh, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary

DEPUTY PRESS SECRETARY SABRINA SINGH: Hi. Good afternoon, everyone. I just have a few items at the top here to pass on and then I'd be happy to take your questions.

So getting started right at the top, as you probably have seen, the Department of State's mission in Sudan is evolving, which means that the Department of Defense and U.S. Africa Command's (sic) support to the mission will also change. We will make decisions about how and when to move U.S. forces when the conditions are right to do so, and while I don't have any specific announcements to make right now, we are still prepared to support if asked.

Being responsive and having the ability to surge capacity and capability when it is needed is a key tenet of military readiness. In the AFRICOM area of responsibility, the U.S. military routinely coordinates with the Department of State and our Ambassadors in Africa, and we will continue to be engaged as this situation evolves.

Yesterday, the Secretary hosted President Marcos of the Philippines. They discussed the remarkable strides the U.S. and the Philippines have made to expand and modernize bilateral defense cooperation, including an increased tempo of combined maritime activities.

Secretary Austin commended President Marcos for successfully hosting the largest ever iteration of the annual U.S.-Philippines Exercise Balikatan last month, which included more than 17,000 participating troops and leveraged, excuse me, three Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, or EDCA, sites.

In addition, Secretary Austin and President Marcos discussed plans to operationalize the four new EDCA sites, and these sites will enable combined training exercises and other cooperative activities, including to support the U.S. and Philippines Armed Forces' maritime security, maritime domain awareness, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.

Also yesterday, the department announced the 37th presidential drawdown in security assistance to meet Ukraine's critical security and defense needs. The package included additional ammunition for U.S.-provided HIMARS, additional howitzers, artillery and mortar rounds, and anti-armor capabilities.

And last, switching gears, U.S. Sixth Fleet and Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO will kick off the biannual Exercise Formidable Shield 2023 next week. The exercise will take place from May 8th to 26th and it involves 13 NATO allied and partner nations, more than 20 ships and 35 aircraft. This long-planned exercise encompasses live fire rehearsal events in a multi-domain environment against subsonic, supersonic, and ballistic targets.

This three week exercise demonstrates the unprecedented cohesion of the NATO alliance, our unmatched capacity and capability, and our combined commitment to deterrence and defense of the Euro-Atlantic area and the High North.

And with that, I'd be happy to take your questions. Start off with Lita.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

Q: A quick Sudan question and then border -- at this point, are there any additional ship transits planned by the U.S. out of Sudan currently?

MS. SINGH: So right now, the Brunswick continues to operate near the Port of Sudan and is currently transporting approximately 200 people over to Jeddah. Our force posture remains the same and hasn't changed. So the ships that were on their way that we had announced at the -- I believe last week, are continuing to make their way.

Q: Right, but is -- do you expect this is the last transit or will -- would they be -- do you have plans for more?

MS. SINGH: As of right now, I have nothing more to announce. Our force posture just hasn't changed on that front.

Q: Now -- and on the border, do you have any additional details at this point on the border deployment? How many Marines? How many Army? What states do you expect them to be deployed to? And where do you expect they will be coming from? Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Sure. Great question, Lita, and I'm sorry, this will be a wholly unsatisfying answer for you. I would refer you to the Services for that, for their numbers of where they're pulling their units from to go to the southwest border. We are anticipating an initial arrival around May 10th but I would refer you to the Services for more information on that.

Q: Just for the record, could you tell the services --

(CROSSTALK)

MS. SINGH: Sure. Yes?

Q: -- just don't have the answers, which is why I was asking.

Q: They just say --

MS. SINGH: Got it. Yep, I will -- I will -- I'm happy to -- happy to -- happy to do that. I believe they're also in the process of notifying those units, and that is -- you know, of course they're -- they're doing that on their own timeline, but I'd be happy to circle up with them as well. Great.

Yeah, Natasha: Can I hand you this, Roger? Sorry, one second.

Q: Thanks. Just one on the drone attacks on the Kremlin. Has the Secretary spoken to his Ukrainian counterpart about that specific incident and/or have Ukrainian military officials been in touch with Pentagon officials about it? And one follow-up.

MS. SINGH: Yeah, sure. I don't have any conversations to read out that the Secretary has made. I'm not aware of any calls that he's made to Minister Reznikov today.

Q: And then can you give us an update on the balloon that was spotted over Hawaii? Where is that right now? Have there been any other balloons that have been spotted in recent days or weeks?

MS. SINGH: So no -- in terms of any other balloons or unidentified objects, I don't have anything to announce today of anything that's been spotted.

In terms of the location of the balloon, all I can say is it's not near U.S. territory or U.S. airspace, and I just have to leave it at that.

Sorry. Thanks. Yeah, any other questions? (Mike ?), yeah? Right over here. Oh, one sec.

Q: Hello. Can you -- this -- this drag queen recruiting initiative, is that strictly a Navy project or are you going to have the other services also get involved? Is there going to be an Army drag queen, Air Force drag queen, that sort of thing? Is it strictly a Navy project or what?

MS. SINGH: Well, I would say first -- at the top, just looking at this holistically -- we are incredibly proud of those who decide to serve, and that's every young American who decides to serve and to take the oath, to put their (life) on the line in defense of our country.

Again, the program I believe that you're referring to was the Navy Digital Ambassador Program, which was a pilot outreach effort, it was not a recruiting effort. For more information on that, I would direct you to the Navy, but this pilot program has concluded and the Navy is evaluating the program and how it exists in the future.

Ryo, yeah?

Q: Yeah, thank you very much. One question on Japan and South Korea. Last week, the U.S. decided to take additional steps to make extended deterrence to South Korea more credible. So do you assess the U.S. has to do -- take some similar steps for Japan as well, who is also threatened by North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenal?

MS. SINGH: Sure. Well, I don't want to get ahead and get into any hypotheticals, but what I will say is that the alliance between the United States and Japan is stronger than ever. We obviously share common areas of focus and values. And so when it comes to promoting peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, that's something that the U.S. shares with Japan, and we will continue to keep those conversations open and always welcome those regarding our national security. But I just don't have anything to announce.

Yeah? Tom?

Q: Hi.

MS. SINGH: Wait -- one sec.

Q: Hi, Sabrina. Good afternoon. Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Good afternoon.

Q: Is Secretary Austin satisfied with the Army's decision to stand down the Caisson unit at Arlington National Cemetery as a way to further review the treatment of the horses there? Thanks.

MS. SINGH: So I know what you're referring to. I just don't have more information on that. I'd be happy to take that question and get back to you and provide an answer.

Q: Thank you.

MS. SINGH: Yeah, no problem.

Wow, it's -- everyone's really quiet before the weekend. Yes?

Q: Thank you. I have a quick question on Ukraine and Bakhmut. In February, Gazprom, the Russian oil company, was said to have created a private military to assist in Russia's war efforts in Ukraine. And well, I was wondering if there was any update on that information. And then also, this week on May 1st, the Ukrainian land force commander said that assault groups of Wagner and fighters of other private companies are parti -- like, are attacking in Bakhmut, and I was wondering if you -- the reference to the private companies was a reference to the Gazprom private military.

MS. SINGH: I'm not aware of a Gazprom private military. I'm not aware of the reports that you're referring to, so I'd have to take a look at that. I'm just not aware of anything.

In terms of Bakhmut, I mean, we've seen the Wagner force is continuing to entrench themselves within the east there. Bakhmut remains a contested region, but we've certainly seen an increase in Wagner presence. But in terms of private companies, I'm just not aware of any other additional support that Wagner has other than Wagner itself being a private, you know, company that works with the Russian military.

Travis? Got anything? No? This is going to be a really short briefing if we want it to be today.

Q: (inaudible).

MS. SINGH: Sorry?

Q: (inaudible) it's Thursday.

MS. SINGH: It's -- did I say Friday?

Q: I thought it was Friday.

MS. SINGH: No, I mean, anything else, I'm happy to take any others, otherwise, we can make it a really fast briefing today.

Yeah, Lara, go for it.

Q: (inaudible) if you have any sense of the timing for when an announcement is going to come on the location of Space Command Headquarters?

MS. SINGH: I don't have an -- I don't have a timeline on that. I would refer you to Space Command for any additional announcements that they are going to be making, but I just don't have a timeline on that.

Oh, we got Tom. I'm going to go to Liz, and then I'll come (inaudible).

Q: On the border, when were the services formally notified that they would be sending troops to the border?

MS. SINGH: In terms of when the actual units, or the -- like, when the department?

Q: Like, when did the Department of Defense notify the Army and the Marines that they would be sending troops and units?

SING: So on April 29th is when the Department of Homeland Security requested the additional support, and that would be 1,500 military personnel to supplement efforts at the border, and on May 2nd is when the Secretary approved that request. Again, as you know, this is a 90-day temporary deployment of our military personnel at the border. They will not be conducting any law enforcement activities. Their role and responsibility will really remain back-of-house, including data entry and helping with any ISR capability and monitoring. But again, no this -- their mission is not in a law enforcement capacity.

Q: (inaudible) --

MS. SINGH: Sorry. Liz has one more follow-up, and then I'll come back.

Q: So --

MS. SINGH: One sec, one sec.

Q: So they were notified when Secretary Austin signed it?

MS. SINGH: I would say when the secretary approved the temporary increase is when services started to be notified. But I -- you know, in terms of individual units, I would defer to each service of when that happened.

Q: Okay, thank you.

MS. SINGH: Yeah.

I'll go to Tom, and then come back to Mike.

Q: Thanks again, Sabrina. I'm asking this question knowing that it's going to violate -- it's calling on you to speculate, calling on you to offer perhaps intelligence matters, and to offer a timetable. I'm asking this on behalf of Mr. Glen, who clearly is calendar-challenged, since he thinks this is Friday. This is, however, the month of May, and we were told at one point that we would be going back to the PBR in May, which I think is this month. So if you could possibly speculate when we may be back, we'd be grateful. Thank you.

MS. SINGH: I believe there's a sign outside the PBR that says when we're tentatively scheduled to return.

(CROSSTALK)

MS. SINGH: I will just say that our team had done an amazing job creating this space for everyone while we are going through a transition of modernizing and upgrading our press briefing room. I'm expecting the end of May. I don't remember the exact date off the top of my head, and I'm not taking that question.

(Laughter.)

Mike, go ahead.

Q: Yeah, you said the military's not going to have a law enforcement role, but are they going to have any other kind of role where they're actually engaging with the migrants coming over in a support-type, or helping them out-type or anything, or is it's -- because I understand there's a difference between law enforcement-type and -- so is it going to be any interaction between them and the migrants at all?

MS. SINGH: So there's not an anticipated interaction between our personnel that are going down and the migrants there. Their responsibilities are strictly back-of-house, or mainly back-of-house, or back-of-warehouse, I should say. They'll be doing data entry and monitoring and helping with surveillance capabilities, but the intention is not for them to be interacting with migrants. For that, that would be more of a DHS role, and I would refer you to, you know, Customs, Border Patrol and also DHS just for more specifics on what they do when interacting with migrants.

Yeah, Travis?

Q: I just wanted to check to make sure that there aren't any outstanding requests from other agencies for military assistance at the border, and whether there is an anticipation that there will be a need for more U.S. troops to go down there.

MS. SINGH: At the moment, I'm not aware of any other requests for DOD support at the border. I mean, it'd mainly come through DHS, and of course, they made that request. This is a temporary positioning of our service members down there. Of course, if DHS requests more or re- -- requests an extension, we would certainly review that option, and haven't ruled anything off the table. But for right now, that deployment is just for those 90 days. Yeah.

Yes, in the back?

Q: (inaudible) been claimed that they're going to launch satellite as their schedule, so do you have any indication if Korea prepared a launch satellite?

MS. SINGH: I don't have any -- I don't have anything more to share on that front. Sorry.

Yeah? Yes, Ryo?

Q: Yeah, thank you very much again. I want to ask a question about the trilateral cooperation with Japan, South Korea and the U.S. The three countries has been working to share real time intelligence of North Korea's missile data -- this -- to respond swiftly to North Korea's missile launches.

So do you have any timeline to complete the process to share real time intelligence among the three countries? How much do you think the recent President Yoon's visit to the U.S. would be helpful to expedite the process?

MS. SINGH: Well, we are certainly in touch with our allies and partners in the region. I'm -- wouldn't get ahead or share any of what our conversations, in terms of intelligence that we share. We continue to monitor the destabilizing activities and continued test launches that the DPRK engages in but I just don't have anything more to read out about our conversations with allies and partners. Okay?

We can make this a short briefing. Just want to say thanks and happy Thursday to everyone. Great.

https://www.defense.gov/News/Transcripts/Transcript/Article/3385411/

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European Peace Facility: Council adopts assistance measures to support the defence sector of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia

European Council / Council of the European Union

Council of the EU

Press release

4 May 2023



Today the Council adopted two assistance measures under the European Peace Facility (EPF) in support of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces to enhance national security, stability and resilience in the defence sector of both countries.

With these new assistances, we continue to support the modernisation of the capacities of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces. In a challenging geopolitical context and in line with their European aspirations, we are helping to strengthen their defence sectors and enhance their ability to participate in EU military missions and operations. This is the third assistance package for both countries under the EPF, clearly underlining the EU's unwavering commitment to the region's security and stability.

- Josep Borrell, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy

Building on previous EPF support, the latest assistance measures will contribute to enhancing the operational effectiveness of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova and the Georgian Defence Forces, and accelerate their compliance with EU standards and interoperability, thereby allowing for better protection of civilians during crises and emergencies. The measures are also aimed at strengthening the Moldovan and Georgian capacities with respect to their participation in EU military missions and operations in third countries.

Republic of Moldova

The adopted assistance measure is worth 40 million over a period of 36 months and will finance non-lethal equipment, supplies and services, to the units of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Moldova including technical training, where requested. The approved equipment includes air surveillance, mobility and transportation, logistics, command and control, and cyber-defence equipment.

The assistance measure was requested by the Republic of Moldova on 6 February 2023, and complements the 40 million assistance measure adopted in June 2022 and the 7 million one adopted in December 2021.

Georgia

The 30 million assistance measure adopted today will cover a period of 36 months, and finance non-lethal equipment, supplies and services, to the units of the Georgian Defence Forces, including technical training where requested. The approved equipment includes engineering, command and control, medical, logistics and cyber-defence equipment

The assistance was requested by Georgia on 8 February 2023, and complements the 20 million assistance measure adopted in December 2022 and the 12.75 million one adopted in December 2021.

Background

The European Peace Facility was established in March 2021 to finance the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) actions in the areas of military and defence, with the aim of preventing conflict, preserving peace and strengthening international security and stability. In particular, the European Peace Facility allows the EU to finance actions designed to strengthen the capacities of non-EU countries and regional and international organisations relating to military and defence matters. Other beneficiaries have been among others Ukraine, the African Union, Niger, Mozambique, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Mali.

The EU is committed to a close relationship in support of strong, independent and prosperous Republic of Moldova and Georgia, based on their respective Association Agreements. Pursuant to these agreements, the EU is intensifying its dialogue and cooperation with Moldova and Georgia, and promoting gradual convergence in the area of foreign and security policy, including the common security and defence policy (CSDP).

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Foreign Affairs Council (Development): Press remarks by High Representative Josep Borrell upon arrival

European External Action Service (EEAS)

04.05.2023

EEAS Press Team

Check against delivery!

Good morning,

Today we are going to have the [Foreign] Affairs Council Development with very important issues.

First, we will have an exchange with Rebeca Grynspan, the Secretary General of the United Nations [Conference on] Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

This is an important meeting with Rebeca [Grynspan] because we continue facing this triple crisis of food, energy and finance and many of our partners around the world are suffering from this triple crisis - especially due to Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

During the meeting, the Ministers will for sure underline again our commitment to the United Nations and the international community, to give a new boost to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Another very important discussion will be about the need to sustain the global response to the food crisis, and you know what is important on that is the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Thanks to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, we have been able to export almost 30 million tonnes of grain, and other products. I want to thank the United Nations, and in particular Rebeca Grynspan, for its work, and we will exchange with her. And after discussing with Rebeca [Grynspan], we will discuss how to phase the reconstruction of Ukraine, which are the needs, in view of the Ukraine Recovery Conference that will be taking place in London next June.

Then, we will discuss about the [multilateral] development banks' reform. We had [discussed] about that at the last informal meeting [of Foreign Ministers] in Stockholm. We have to continue advancing on the reforming of the multilateral development banks system. Well, we call it a system, maybe it is not a system, but it is a set of banks. Among them, the World Bank, but also our European [Investment] Bank (EIB) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). We are - Member States and the European Union - leading global development partners, and we have a strong interest that multilateral development banks will be fit-for-purpose, starting with our own banks.

We just had a breakfast with the European Investment Bank President, Mr Werner Hoyer, and we discussed mainly this issue of the reform of the multilateral development banks.

Going to concrete geopolitical issues, Sudan continues being a source of concern. Yes, we evacuated our nationals, but tens of thousands of Sudanese people are leaving Khartoum - going to Egypt, to South Sudan. It means that a sustainable ceasefire is absolutely needed in order to offer safety to civilians and allow humanitarian support to be deployed.

We are going to support Egypt on receiving this big flow of migrants. I had a phone call with the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister [Sameh Hassan Shoukry] yesterday, and today we will discuss how we can scale up, and address the consequences of this conflict.

We will have to pay attention to Afghanistan. There has been a Conference [hosted by] the United Nations about how to deal with Afghanistan, and you know that the Taliban continue undermining women and girls' rights. The latest news is the ban of Afghan women from working at the United Nations agencies. First, they banned them from working for the Non-Governmental Organisations. Now, they ban women from working with the United Nations agencies.

This is very grave because the United Nations is the most important partner in delivering basic needs assistance and humanitarian support to the Aghan people. So, if the United Nations' agencies have to stop operating because the women cannot work for them, who will help the Afghan people?

This is a decision against the Afghan people directly, and the Taliban have to understand this.

We will study the result of the United Nations' Conference on Afghanistan. I have [received] a letter from the [acting] Afghan Foreign Affairs Minister talking about that. I will share that with the [EU] Ministers and see what we can do in order to continue supporting the Afghan people in spite [of] all the difficulties and all the decisions that the Taliban are taking, which are directed against their own people.

Q&A

Q. About yesterday's drone attack over the Kremlin - the so-called 'attack' -, Russia and Russian officials have threatened to target Mr [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy [President of Ukraine] personally. What can you say about this kind of new escalation and developments?

Look, yes, I know that. I have heard the news, I have seen the pictures and I listened to President Zelenskyy. And President Zelenskyy has stated very clearly that the Ukrainians are not involved in this attack, that they are defending their country, but they are fighting on their soil - that they are not attacking Russian soil. This is what [President] Zelenskyy has said, and this is what I have to say.

Q. About the global consequences of the war, with the last escalation, do you take into consideration making some kind of emergency plans in case this war escalates more?

We call [on] Russia not to use this alleged attack as an excuse to continue the escalation of the war. This is what worries us. What worries us is [that] this can be used in order to justify more conscription of people, [of] soldiers, more attacks to Ukraine. The most important thing that we have to continue doing is to support Ukraine militarily, politically and economically, and the best solution for the war - the only solution for the war - is Russia stopping the attacks and withdrawing their troops from Ukraine.

Link to the video: https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/video/I-240798



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Azerbaijan: Joint Press Release on the 4th EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue

European External Action Service (EEAS)

04.05.2023

EEAS Press Team

The fourth meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue was held on 3 May 2023 in Brussels.

The participants discussed the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, regional security issues, and the EU's role in supporting peace and stability in the region. They also engaged in a constructive discussion on issues of mutual interest in the area of foreign and security policy, and possible future cooperation, among others, on cyber and hybrid threats, fighting violent extremism and terrorism, and on space-related activities. Azerbaijan's role as a reliable energy partner was also highlighted.

"In our fourth EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue, the EU reconfirmed its interest in enhancing cooperation on foreign and security policy issues, and readiness to work for the benefit of peace, security and stability, especially in the current challenging international context marked by Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU is driven by the goal to contribute to building a stable, peaceful South Caucasus. The EU's key interest is that the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan progresses. The EU stands ready to support the peace process, also in the trilateral Brussels format facilitated by President of the European Council Charles Michel", said EEAS Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora.

"Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of the EU in the region. Azerbaijan significantly contributes to the energy security of Europe. Azerbaijan actively promotes peace and stability in the region and contributes to global efforts to fight against terrorism, radicalism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking. Currently Azerbaijan conducts unprecedented reconstruction and humanitarian mine clearance in its territories. We highly appreciate the financial support of the EU on mine action. Azerbaijan presented five basic principles for a peace treaty to Armenia, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty. Azerbaijan supports the initiatives to normalize relations with Armenia, including the Brussels peace process facilitated by President of the European Council Charles Michel", said Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev.

In conclusion of the meeting, the EU and Azerbaijan agreed to continue regular exchanges on foreign and security policy issues relevant for them and for the wider region. They also agreed to pursue further work on emerging connectivity issues in the region.

The meeting was co-chaired by Mr. Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, and Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.





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Meeting of the international donor group for Palestine (AHLC): Dialogue in a difficult conflict

Government of Norway

Press release | Date: 04/05/2023

'It is positive that the Israelis and Palestinians have had constructive discussions with the donor countries in Brussels this week, at the meeting chaired by Norway. The situation in Palestine is very difficult. It is therefore essential that we help to maintain the dialogue between the parties, along the lines of the recent talks in Aqaba and Sharm el-Sheikh,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Anniken Huitfeldt.

Norway organised a meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), the international donor group for Palestine, on 3-4 May in Brussels, with the EU as host. The meeting was opened by EU HRVP Josep Borrell Fontelles and chaired by Norway's Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process Hilde Haraldstad.

'The discussions over the last two days have highlighted how serious the situation is on the ground. We focused on how Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and the international community can contribute to improve the dire situation. The Palestinian economy is not sustainable due to the various challenges that the Palestinians are facing, including the Israeli occupation. The need for continued Palestinian Authority (PA) reform was also on the agenda. There were some positive results and signals on issues we intend to focus on in the period leading up to the next meeting in New York in September', said Special Representative Hilde Haraldstad.

The AHLC consists of 30 countries and organizations and was established with a view to creating an institutional and economic basis for a Palestinian state within the framework of a negotiated two-state solution. The Palestinian delegation was led by Minister of Finance Shukri Bishara. Israel, the US, and European, Arab and other countries, as well as the IMF and the World Bank, were represented at senior official level. The UN was represented by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland.

'At the meeting in Brussels, the international community strongly urged the Israelis and Palestinians take steps at the political level to address the core issues driving the conflict. This is essential to enable the parties to resume negotiations on a two-state solution and to achieve peace', said Foreign Minister Huitfeldt.

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The United States will increase navy activities in the Baltic Sea and contribute to air defence enhancement in the eastern flank of NATO

Republic of Lithuania - Ministry of National Defence

2023-05-04

International cooperation

Wednesday Minister of National Defence Arvydas Anusauskas met with United States Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall as part of his visit to the United States. Minister received assurances about a consistent enhancement of U.S. Navy presence in the Baltic Sea, as well as about U.S. support to Lithuania's intent to seek a stronger air defence in the eastern flank of NATO.

"We are grateful for the U.S .leadership and support in ensuring the security of our region in air and sea domains. We cannot underestimate Russia, it will recover shortly and only a significant U.S force presence in the regional will deter it from conducting yet another attack," said A. Anusauskas.

Meeting Secretary of the Navy C. Del Toro, Minister highlighted to him that Lithuania was monitoring intense Russian Navy activities in the Baltic Sea, as well as how important to Lithuania was the U.S. Navy exercises held in the Baltic Sea and arrivals of U.S. warships and infantry units in Lithuania.

"We wish to and we are ready to host more of your capabilities. Our investment in Host Nation Support and required infrastructure is intense as we aim to offer the best training conditions we can for your rotational forces," said A. Anusauskas receiving assurances from C. Del Toro that U.S. Navy activities were set to increase in the Baltic Sea.

At the meeting with U.S. Secretary of the Air Force F. Kendall, minister pled for his personal support for a stronger air defence in the eastern part of the Alliance, as well as for a heavier air training schedule in Lithuania.

"We will place practical air defence enhancement in the region high on the agenda at the NATO Summit in Vilnius: we aim for NATO decisions regarding additional deployment of Allied air defence capabilities and we call for support for such decisions are taken. It would give a very clear signal that the Baltic airspace shall be defended," Minister stated.

A. Anusauskas underscored that infrastructure at the Lithuanian Air Force Base at Siauliai was being upgraded along with the other efforts to develop all conditions necessary for a more extensive presence of U.S. and other Allies in Lithuania.

The United States is a strategic partner to Lithuania and one of the key Allies to the security in the Baltic region. The Americans actively contribute to the assurance measures in the Baltic states with troops and equipment and financial assistance for strengthening Lithuania's defensive capabilities and thus enhances regional security and stability.

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FSC security dialogue outlines key role of wider Black Sea region as integral part of European security

4 May 2023

The future of security in the Black Sea region was the focus of the first Security Dialogue organized by the Bulgarian Chairpersonship of the Forum for Security Co-operation, held on 3 May. Drawing on the gravity and long-term consequences of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the meeting provided an opportunity for in-depth discussions about the state of play of security in the wider Black Sea region and its role as an integral part of European security.

During the session, two distinct approaches were highlighted: outlining the critical factors that influence the security environment and surveying the varying perceptions of the challenges, threats and possible opportunities.

The key messages in the discussion stressed that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine had fundamentally changed the European security environment, leading to a less co-operative and multilateral international system. With regional co-operation mechanisms, such as those established under OSCE auspices, also being affected. The war further evidenced the significant impact of the security challenges in the wider Black Sea region and beyond.

The forum was addressed by Yordan Bozhilov, Director of the Sofia Security Forum, Gheorghe Magheru, Member of the Scientific Council, New Strategy Center, Romania, Tacan Ildem, Chairman of the Center for Economics and Foreign Policy Studies in Turkiye and Dr. Deborah Sanders, Reader in Defence and Security Studies at King`s College London.

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Sudan truce efforts in tatters as fighting enters 20th consecutive day

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 6:26 PM

Media reports and witness accounts indicate gunfire and explosions gripped Sudan's capital, Khartoum, for a 20th consecutive day, leaving the latest ceasefire efforts in tatters.

Within hours of the latest ceasefire taking effect, witnesses reported loud explosions and exchanges of fire on the streets around dawn Thursday. They also reported clashes during the day.

The army said it was ready to abide by a new seven-day truce, but there was no word from its foes in the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

The foreign ministry later accused the RSF of attacking the Indian embassy in Khartoum.

UN rights commissioner Volker Turk said the situation was "heartbreaking" and "catastrophic." He pointed to an airstrike by the regular army near a hospital and the RSF using civilian buildings as bases.

The UN secretary-general on Wednesday admitted failure to prevent clashes in Sudan. "The UN was taken by surprise" by the conflict, because the world body and others were hopeful that negotiations to settle the political crisis would be successful, Antonio Guterres told reporters in Nairobi.

Mediation efforts have multiplied since the conflict began, but the army said Wednesday it favored those of the East African regional bloc IGAD, because it wanted "African solutions to the continent's issues."

On May 7, Arab League foreign ministers are to meet to discuss the conflict ahead of a summit in Saudi Arabia later this month.

Latest figures show the fighting has killed about 700 people so far, most of them in Khartoum and Darfur. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) says nearly 450,000 civilians have fled their homes.

The UN refugee agency has said it is preparing for an outflow of 860,000 people from the country, adding $445 million would be needed to support them just through October.

Biden paves way for new US sanctions tied to Sudan

President Joe Biden of the United States on Thursday threatened to impose new sanctions over Sudan's conflict, saying the fighting "must end." Biden signed an executive order that broadens authority to impose sanctions on those responsible for the violence. He said in a statement that those facing the sanctions were "individuals responsible for threatening the peace."

Sudan conflict 'likely to be protracted', top US intelligence official says

US Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee that fighting in the country is "likely to be protracted."

"The fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces is, we assess, likely to be protracted as both sides believe they can win militarily and have few incentives to come to the negotiating table."

The foes, she continued, both are seeking "external sources of support," which if forthcoming, "is likely to intensify the conflict and create a greater potential for spillover challenges in the region."

The ongoing violence, Haines warned, is worsening "already dire humanitarian conditions" and forced aid organizations to curtail operations amid growing fears of "massive refugee flows."

Hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan since the fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's forces and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo's RSF began on April 15 over a dispute on the planned integration of the paramilitary into the regular army.

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Top opposition official says he's not worried about court's arrest warning

Prominent labor activist Rong Chhun joined the Candlelight Party as its vice president earlier this year.

By RFA Khmer 2023.05.04 -- The vice president of the opposition Candlelight Party said he's not concerned about being arrested sometime before the July 23 election - a comment that follows a pro-government newspaper's report that warned of a possible arrest if he's found in violation of his court probation.

Rong Chhun, a prominent activist who has held several top labor roles in Cambodia, joined the Candlelight Party in January, saying that he supports the party's platform of "freedom, human rights, justice and democracy."

His decision came amid a wide-ranging crackdown by authorities against the Candlelight Party, with Prime Minister Hun Sen repeatedly attacking his opponents in public forums.

Those actions have continued in recent months, with some party activists facing harassment and threats at the provincial level while more senior members of the party have been targeted with arrests and lawsuits. Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian People's Party have also persuaded a number of activists to switch their allegiance to the CPP.

Rong Chhun is expected to submit his application with the National Election Committee on Saturday to be listed on the ballot as Candlelight's top parliamentary candidate in central Kandal province. That would put him in direct competition with Hun Sen, who is running as the CPP's top candidate in Kandal.

"Hun Sen must be open to my candidacy and to having a fair and just competition," he told Radio Free Asia on Thursday.

"It is not worth it if you win without competition," he said. "If we are competing and you've done bad things against competitors, the world will think that it is worthless to win."

'It will backfire on them'

In 2021, authorities sentenced Rong Chhun to two years in prison for criticizing the government's failure to address disputes over the country's shared border with Vietnam in 2020. He was later ordered to serve for 15 months, with the remainder of the sentence suspended with a three-year probation.

The court said he is required to tell authorities of any changes in address or employment or any plans to travel abroad. He must also appear for meetings with court officials when summoned.

On Thursday, the spokesman for Phnom Penh Municipal Court told the Fresh News newspaper that Rong Chhun would be arrested if he's found to have disregarded any of the probation requirements.

Rong Chhun told RFA that he hasn't been banned from voting and has the right to run for any office in the July 23 general election. Also, the Ministry of Interior has already recognized him as the Candlelight Party's vice president, he said.

"I have nothing to be worried about because I've done nothing wrong. There is no ban that says I can't involve myself in politics. If I am arrested and people think it is not correct, it will backfire on them," he said, referring to the CPP.

Translated by Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Armenia, Azerbaijan Make Progress On Difficult Issues At U.S.-Hosted Talks, Blinken Says

By RFE/RL May 04, 2023

Azerbaijan and Armenia made significant progress toward addressing difficult issues at "intensive and constructive" U.S.-hosted talks this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on May 4.

Blinken said in a statement that after a series of bilateral and trilateral discussions during four days of talks both sides "demonstrated a sincere commitment to normalizing relations and ending the long-standing conflict between their two countries."

The two sides agreed in principle to certain terms and have a better understanding of one another's positions on outstanding issues, Blinken said.

He proposed the ministers return to their capitals "to share with their governments the perspective that, with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach."

Baku and Yerevan will continue to have the full support and engagement of the United States in their effort to secure a durable and sustainable peace, Blinken said.

Washington hosted Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at a new State Department facility in Arlington, Virginia, a suburb of Washington.

Blinken said at the start of the meetings that dialogue between Yerevan and Baku is key to achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over Nagorno-Karabakh -- in 1990 and 2020 -- and regularly clash over the territory.

Tensions flared anew last month when Azerbaijan installed a road checkpoint at the start of the Lachin Corridor, the only route linking Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Armenia says the checkpoint, set up on April 23, is a violation of the 2020 Moscow-brokered cease-fire that brought an end to six weeks of fighting. Azerbaijan said it established the checkpoint in response to what it said were Armenian weapon supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. Yerevan denies that charge.

A joint statement issued by the parties after the talks said Mirzoyan and Bayramov and their teams "made progress in mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral agreement on the 'Establishment Of Peace And Interstate Relations.'" The statement also noted that positions on a number of key issues remain different.

"The ministers presented their views on the current situation and expressed their positions on the existing problems related to the regulation of relations," it said.

"The two ministers expressed their appreciation to the American side for hosting the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties have agreed to continue discussions," the statement concluded.

In addition to meeting Blinken, the ministers also met with national-security adviser Jake Sullivan.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/armenia-azerbaijan-talks- washington-blinken/32396534.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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208 Nationals of Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan

Saudi Press Agency

Thursday 14/10/1444

Jeddah, May 04, 2023, SPA -- In continuation of the evacuation efforts made by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia under the directives of the Kingdoms Leadership, several evacuees arrived from the Republic of Sudan to the city of Jeddah today by H M S Taif, which included 208 individuals of the following nationalities: (Norway, Australia, the United States of America, Canada, Turkiye, Eritrea, Egypt, Malta, Germany, Switzerland, France, the Netherlands and Syria).

The Kingdom worked to provide all the necessary needs of foreign nationals in preparation for facilitating their departures to their countries, bringing the total number of evacuees from Sudan since the evacuations began to approximately 6073 persons, to include 246 Saudi citizens and 5827 individuals belonging to 104 nationalities.

--SPA

17:35 LOCAL TIME 14:35 GMT

0024

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OIC Condemns Continued Israeli Aggression on Nablus City

Saudi Press Agency

Thursday 14/10/1444

Jeddah, May 04, 2023, SPA -- The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has condemned the horrific crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces in the city of Nablus, the State of Palestine. Following the recent Israeli military aggression against Gaza Strip, three Palestinian citizens were killed, and dozens were injured.

The OIC called on the international community to intervene to put an end to these ongoing Israeli crimes and provide international protection for the Palestinian people.

--SPA

16:12 LOCAL TIME 13:12 GMT

0021

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Four New US Bases in Philippines Will Not Be Used to Attack Anyone - President

Sputnik News

20230504

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. said on Thursday he assured Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang that the four new US bases to be built in the Philippines will not be used to attack anyone.

"Last month, the Philippines granted four new bases to the United States. I assured the foreign minister of China these are not intended to be military sites to attack anyone," Marcos told a podcast interview at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday.

"The United States has never brought up the possibility that these sites will be used to attack anybody. That is not the purpose of these sites and this is not the way that they will be used," Marcos said on Thursday in his comments at CSIS.

The Philippines and the United States have agreed to increase their joint military exercises in the region with the goal of boosting agility and quick responses to emerging threats amid increasing tensions between China and the two nations, he added.

Marcos also said that the United States has not asked the Philippines to provide any military forces in the event of a US-China war over Taiwan.

When Marcos was asked if the Biden administration had requested any Philippine military forces be supplied in the event of a US conflict breaking out with China over the status of Taiwan, he replied, "No."

The Philippines and China are also "slowly inching" toward a resolution of their disagreement over which nation should enjoy control and sovereignty over oil and gas fields in the South China Sea, Marcos said.

The Philippines and the United States have agreed to increase their joint military exercises in the region with the goal of boosting agility and quick responses to emerging threats amid increasing tensions between China and the two nations, the Philippine president added.

Under the Biden administration, the US-Philippine relations saw a renewed strengthening as the island nation moved away from its predecessor's independent foreign strategy stance. In fact, the new partnership saw the incoming Marcos government agree in February on establishing four bases that would indefinitely house a rotating crew of American troops.

Marcos said on Monday that the Philippines government was opposed to any military provocations in the region and would not allow itself to be turned into any staging post for any country's military campaigns.

Earlier reports detailed that potential base locations included sites in the country's northern Cagayan, Isabela and Palawan provinces.

News of the development sounded alarms across the region as the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have remained at a stalemate over territorial disputes in the South China Sea. The resource-rich waterway serves as key passage for global trade and sees upwards of $3 trillion in trade transit the contested area.

 Sputnik

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UK Evacuates Almost 2,500 People From Sudan Since April 25

Sputnik News

20230504

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that the last evacuation flight from conflict-torn Sudan departed on May 3, bringing the total number of rescued people to over 2,450.

"The final UK evacuation flight from Port Sudan departed last night (03 May), concluding the longest and largest evacuation of any Western nation. The successful operation has evacuated more than 2,450 people on 30 flights, the vast majority of them being British nationals and their dependents," the ministry said in a statement, adding that over 1,200 evacuees are citizens of other countries, including the United States, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany, and Australia.

In addition, the United Kingdom will provide 5 million pounds ($6.3 million) in humanitarian assistance to "those fleeing the violence," the statement noted.

On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group, with the epicenter located in Khartoum. Government forces accused the RSF of mutiny and launched airstrikes against their bases. Abdel Fattah Burhan, the head of the Sudanese military, has issued a decree disbanding the RSF. The parties have since introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires but the conflict has not been settled yet.

So far, around 600 people have died in the clashes, the Sudanese Health Ministry said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization reported over 450 dead and more than 4,000 injured.

 Sputnik

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US Rushes to Restock Javelin Missile Systems - Reports

Sputnik News

20230504

Javelin anti-tank missile systems are portable, shoulder-fired missile launchers capable of taking out armored vehicles and fortified structures. They are guided by infrared technology with a range of up to 4,750 meters and have the ability to lock onto a target before launch, making them extremely accurate.

US companies Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have signed a contract with the Pentagon for the purchase and production of Javelin anti-tank missile systems, according to media reports citing a press release from the US Army.

The total amount of the contract is $7.2Bln.

No delivery date or number of units has been revealed, but the order is due to be with the Army between the years 2023 and 2026.

The US military, which is responsible for the logistics of the troops, says it is working with industry to shorten the production and delivery of Javelin systems to restock the troops' shortfall as quickly as possible.

According to analysts, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin at present together produce around 400 Javelin systems per month. Previously, the figure was 1,000 kits a year.

Since the start of Russian special military operation, the United States has supplied more than 10,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. According to a rough estimate, Ukraine has received one third of the US stock of anti-tank missile systems of this modification.

Earlier, it was reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had problems maintaining Javelin missile launchers. They are more difficult to use than other types of portable missiles, and require batteries and an argon cooling agent to operate.

In April, the Pentagon said it awarded a $215Mln contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne to expand and modernize the production of Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS), Javelins and Stingers for Ukraine.



 Sputnik

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Sudan's Military Agrees to 7-Day Humanitarian Truce

Sputnik News

20230504

KHARTOUM (Sputnik) - The Sudanese armed forces have agreed to a seven-day humanitarian truce, proposed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in Eastern Africa, from May 4-11, the military said on Wednesday.

"The armed forces express their approval of the [IGAD's] proposal, based on the principle of an African solution to the problems of the continent, and taking into account the humanitarian aspects of our citizens," the military said in a statement.

Sudan's army also continues to consider the US-Saudi ceasefire initiative, the statement read.

"We hope that the rebels [the Rapid Support Forces] will respect the requirements of the proposed truce," the military said.

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry of South Sudan said the leaders of the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Response Forces (RSF) have agreed to the truce from May 4-11. According to the statement, Gen. Abdel Fatah Al Burhan, the Chairman of the Sovereign Council and the commander in chief of the Sudan military, and RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo agreed to name their representatives to begin negotiations.

However, Yusuf Izzat, an adviser to RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Tuesday that the RSF has yet to agree to the truce, stressing the RSF does not reject the truce and welcomes all initiatives aimed at resolving the internal conflict in Sudan.

Gen. Brigadier Nabil Abdallah, the Sudanese military spokesman, told Sputnik Tuesday that Saudi-American mediators of the ongoing conflict in Sudan have proposed to hold negotiations between the sides in Saudi Arabia's city of Jeddah.

On April 15, violent clashes broke out between the Sudanese regular armed forces and the RSF, with the epicenter located in Khartoum. The parties to the conflict have introduced a number of temporary nationwide ceasefires since then, but none has helped in settling the conflict yet.

According to the Sudanese Health Ministry, at least 550 people have been killed in the conflict, and nearly 5,000 have been injured.





 Sputnik

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Designation of Three Former Colombian Officials Due to Involvement in Gross Violations of Human Rights

Press Statement

Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State

May 4, 2023

The United States has proudly supported Colombia's Peace Accord since its signing in 2016. Colombia's Peace Accord addresses conflict-related atrocities and abuses which took place over more than 50 years, through a Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation, and Non-Repetition. This system relies on several transitional justice institutions that advance justice and accountability. In particular, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) works to end impunity for conflict-related crimes. The JEP integrates reparative justice and acknowledgment with criminal prosecutions to ensure victims play a central role in all stages of the peace process.

Today, we are taking action to promote accountability for three former Colombian officials for their involvement in gross violations of human rights during Colombia's decades-long internal armed conflict. The Department of State is designating former Colonel Publio Hernan Mejia Gutierrez, former Colonel Juan Carlos Figueroa Suarez, and former General Ivan Ramirez Quintero pursuant to Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2023. As a result of today's action, Mejia Gutierrez, Figueroa Suarez, and Ramirez Quintero are ineligible for entry into the United States. As part of this action, five of their family members are also being designated.

The United States commends the JEP for its vital work in support of conflict victims and survivors and will continue to work alongside Colombian and international partners to support the full implementation of the 2016 Peace Accord.

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UK completes largest and longest Western evacuation from Sudan

The UK government has concluded its successful evacuation operation and announced that it will provide 5 million of lifesaving aid to people fleeing Sudan.

4 May 2023

the final UK flight departed from Port Sudan airport last night after an 8-day, multi-route evacuation

2,450 people evacuated via Wadi Saeedna airfield and Port Sudan since flights started on Tuesday 25 April

the UK will deliver 5 million of lifesaving aid for people fleeing the violence in Sudan

The final UK evacuation flight from Port Sudan departed last night (3 May), concluding the longest and largest evacuation of any Western nation.

The successful operation has evacuated more than 2,450 people on 30 flights, the vast majority of them being British nationals and their dependents.

It comes as the UK announces it will provide an initial 5 million of life saving aid to help meet the urgent needs of those fleeing the violence. As a longstanding and committed donor to Sudan, the UK has contributed more than 250 million in humanitarian aid in the past 5 years.

Humanitarian organisations face enormous obstacles in delivering support in Sudan, with the eruption of violence leading to aid workers being attacked and killed and humanitarian supplies being looted. Many relief agencies have ceased operations in the country in the wake of the volatile conditions.

The UK is working in close coordination with international organisations and partners to push for safe access for humanitarian workers. This will allow aid to flow to those worst affected by the violence.

The aid will ensure practical items such as food, shelter, medical care and clean water for tens of thousands of people reaches the most vulnerable.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said:

The UK has coordinated the longest and largest evacuation of any Western country and brought 2,450 people to safety from Sudan. We remain focused on supporting those who are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and continue to press for a long-term ceasefire.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:

I am truly grateful for the dedication and professionalism of the men and women of our armed forces who have evacuated more than 2,000 people from Sudan from over 20 counties and continue to provide medical and humanitarian support from Port Sudan, supported by the Royal Air Force. Their efforts are a source of national pride.

International Development Minister Andrew Mitchell said:

The package we have announced today will provide food, shelter, medical care and clean water for tens of thousands of people who have fled the violence in Sudan. While this aid will help alleviate some of the immediate suffering in the region, the ongoing violence is creating huge additional needs. The UK continues to pursue all diplomatic avenues to end the violence, de-escalate tensions and secure safe humanitarian access, including engaging with the African Union and partners to help coordinate these efforts. There can be no aid without safe access and a ceasefire which is permanent.

The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and Africa Minister have engaged, directly or through intermediaries, with the 2 military leaders to urge a ceasefire, and have coordinated with key international partners on the global response to the crisis.

As part of the evacuation efforts, the UK has helped evacuate more than 1,200 people from other nations, including the US, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada, Germany and Australia.

Background

The humanitarian support will be provided in South Sudan and Chad.

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Report by the Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo, May 2023: UK response

Acting Ambassador Deirdre Brown thanks the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Davenport, for the Mission's ongoing work to strengthen Kosovo's institutions.

4 May 2023



I would like to welcome Ambassador Davenport back to the Permanent Council. Thank you to you and your team for this comprehensive report, which provides a helpful summary of developments and activities over the reporting period.

The United Kingdom highly appreciates the work of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, its close engagement with government institutions, municipalities, and civil society, and its delivery of important initiatives across the three core pillars of its mandate.

The UK commends the Mission's engagement and support on electoral legal reform during the reporting period - including through technical support to the Central Election Commission, and amendments to legislation in line with the recommendations of international election observation missions.

The UK also appreciates the recent work of the Mission in monitoring the overall security situation during the early municipal elections in northern Kosovo on 23 April - while noting that the Mission did not have a direct role in the election process itself. We regret the lack of participation of Kosovo Serb political parties in these elections, and the resulting lack of choice for Kosovo Serbs. Reports of pressure and threats to not participate are concerning.

The UK values the Mission's continued support to government institutions on human rights and inter-community relations. In particular, the support for the development of an action plan to address the issues of non-majority communities, implementation of a strategy on property rights, facilitating dialogue among communities on freedom of religion or belief, and continuing to support the protection of cultural heritage. The UK also highly values the Mission's ongoing work in support of tackling domestic and gender-based violence.

Mr Chair, for many years Kosovo has faced a unique challenge - the absence of a normal relationship with its neighbour Serbia. This has implications for regional stability, and a detrimental impact on communities in both countries. It is vital that all parties work towards creating the conditions for a secure and safe environment in the north of Kosovo - one which provides space for sustainable agreement and growing prosperity, rather than isolation and a continued security vacuum.

In this context, we welcome the considerable progress that has been made in recent months in the Normalisation Dialogue under EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak - including the 27 February Brussels Agreement, and its Implementation Annex negotiated on 18 March in Ohrid. The 2 May declaration on missing persons is a positive first step, but work on the remaining parts of the Agreement must continue without delay. It is important that both parties engage in the Dialogue in good faith, honour their commitments, and avoid actions or rhetoric that could reduce prospects for a comprehensive and sustainable normalisation agreement. In line with the Brussels and Ohrid agreements, we urge both parties to engage constructively, including on the establishment of an Association of Serb Majority Municipalities as soon as possible.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom remains a long-standing and strong supporter of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state. We remain committed to supporting an inclusive, diverse and multi-ethnic democracy in Kosovo, and its full participation in the international system. We value and appreciate the Mission's continued engagement and commitment to its work to strengthen Kosovo's institutions. The considerable improvement over the last year - reflected in Freedom House's international rankings on political rights and civil liberties - is testament to Kosovo's progress.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you, Ambassador Davenport, for your leadership of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo during this reporting period, and to thank your team for their continued expertise, engagement and hard work over the last six months.

Thank you, Mr Chair.

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UK unlocks funding for operation to avert major oil spill from Red Sea tanker

The UK and the Netherlands co-hosted a conference of nations, companies and organisations to raise funds for the UN operation to prevent an oil spill off the Yemen coast.

4 May 2023



The UK and the Netherlands, in partnership with the United Nations (UN), co-hosted a fundraising event which now enables the UN to start the operation to prevent a major oil spill from the FSO Safer oil tanker off the coast of Yemen.

Unmaintained since 2015, an explosion or leak from the tanker could occur at any moment, spilling over one million barrels of oil into the Red Sea. Such a spill would cost an estimated 16 billion to clean up, devastate marine life, exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation in Yemen, and hinder an estimated 10% of global trade costing billions more every day.

The conference raised over 6 million. This followed 80 million already pledged by over 20 other countries and a range of private sector donors. With this boost in funds, the United Nations can now start the operation to transfer the oil onto a replacement vessel and resolve the immediate threat.

Minister for Development Andrew Mitchell announced an additional 2.5 million from the UK bringing our total commitment to 8 million.

FCDO Minister for Development and Africa Andrew Mitchell said:

This conference has made vital progress towards avoiding an environmental, economic and humanitarian catastrophe on a massive scale. The Safer tanker is at real risk of leaking. I am proud of the UK's leadership on this crisis and we now look to the UN to begin the emergency operation as soon as possible.

Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Liesje Schreinemacher said:

The international community has a unique opportunity to stave off disaster. Let's demonstrate our commitment to protecting people and the planet.

We call on the rest of the international community and the private sector to work together to secure the remaining funding necessary to fully cover the costs incurred by the UN and provide a long-term solution for the tanker.

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Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell on the escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan

UNICEF

04 May 2023

NEW YORK/NAIROBI, 4 May 2023 -- "The situation in Sudan is teetering toward catastrophe, and children are increasingly caught in the crossfire. While we are unable to confirm estimates due to the intensity of the violence, UNICEF has received reports that 190 children have been killed and another 1,700 injured in Sudan since conflict erupted almost three weeks ago. For the sake of Sudan's children, the violence must stop.

"As in any conflict, children are the most vulnerable and every effort must be made to keep them out of harm's way. UNICEF calls on parties to the conflict to abide by their legal obligations under international humanitarian law and ensure that children are not caught in the line of fire. This includes stopping all attacks on health centres, schools, and water and sanitation systems and other infrastructure on which children rely.

"Children have been living amid terrifying violence for nearly three weeks, and countless families are now on the move to safety in Sudan and beyond its borders. Humanitarian workers have also been attacked, while humanitarian facilities, vehicles and supplies - including those of UNICEF - have been looted or destroyed.

"These attacks are undermining our capacity to reach children across the country with lifesaving health, nutrition, water and sanitation services. It is critical that parties to the conflict adhere to international law by ensuring that humanitarian actors can safely operate on the ground to support civilians in need. We call for unlimited, unimpeded, and uninterrupted imports of humanitarian and essential commercial supplies, including food and fuel, by sea, air and road - no matter who controls these areas.

"UNICEF also calls for a long-term political solution to the crisis, so that Sudan's children can grow up in an environment of peace and look ahead to a more hopeful future."

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First of its Kind Submarine Visit Forges Relationship

US Navy

04 May 2023

From Lt. Eric Uhden, Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 Public Affairs

NAVAL BASE GUAM -- Senior leaders from the navies of Japan, South Korea and the United States visited Naval Base Guam to embark a U.S. Navy Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine operating off Guam, April 18.

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander, Submarine Group 7/Task Force 74, was joined on USS Maine (SSBN 741) by Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Vice Adm. Tateki Tawara, commander, Fleet Submarine Force, and Rear Adm. Su Youl Lee, commander, Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy Submarine Force. During their time at sea, the senior leaders toured the sub, including demonstrations of the unit's capabilities. The ballistic missile submarine operates globally under U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM).

"This underway embark onboard USS Maine in Guam reflects our special relationship with Japan and the Republic of Korea, as well as our ironclad commitment to each alliance," said Seif. "These submarines, which patrol continuously, provide a critical, stabilizing, and highly effective element of the U.S. nuclear deterrence force."

This was the first trilateral embark onboard a ballistic missile submarine involving senior commanders of the submarine fleets of the three nations.

"This tour facilitated our understanding of a U.S. strategic operational asset," said Tawara. "I am convinced that the deepening of mutual understanding among the commanders of the three nation's submarine forces through such visits will strengthen the alliance with the United States."

"This year marks the 70th anniversary of the ROK-U.S. alliance, which remains the linchpin of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. As such, this visit was an opportunity to reaffirm the security commitment and capabilities that the U.S. provides to the ROK." said Lee.

The embark was an example of how U.S. forces are advancing the U.S-Japan-ROK trilateral relationship that is forward-leaning, reflective of shared values, and resolute against threats that challenge regional stability.

USSTRATCOM forces are on watch 24/7 globally, operating in all domains, while supporting other commands, to defend the nation and our allies.

Maine is the 16th Ohio-class of ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), and the third U.S. Navy ship to bear the name.

Maine was commissioned on July 29, 1995 at Kittery, Maine.

Maine is one of eight ballistic-missile submarines stationed at Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor, Washington, and is capable of carrying up to 20 submarine-launched ballistic missiles with multiple warheads.

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Armenia, Azerbaijan Make 'Tangible Progress' in Peace Talks, Blinken Says

By VOA News May 04, 2023

Azerbaijan and Armenia made "tangible progress" toward reaching an agreement in Washington-hosted peace talks over the past few days, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday afternoon.

The four-day negotiating session did not lead to a peace agreement, but Blinken said he believed a deal was "within sight, within reach."

The talks, which began Sunday, were convened as tensions between the neighboring, former Soviet republics increased in recent months over Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin corridor.

The corridor is the only land route giving Armenia direct access to the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh, where ethnic Armenians are a majority.

"The two sides have discussed some very tough issues over the last few days, and they've made tangible progress on a durable peace agreement," Blinken said at a closing session for negotiation.

He said reaching an agreement would be "not only historic but would be profoundly in the interests of the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia and would have very positive effects even beyond their two countries."

Blinken also said Washington will continue to help both countries reach a final agreement.

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, who led their respective delegations, did not speak at the closing ceremony.

The two sides met at a State Department diplomatic facility in Arlington, Virginia.

In a telephone briefing, a senior State Department official, speaking on background, told reporters Monday the United States expected the talks to conclude with "commercial movement of goods" to start soon in the blocked Lachin corridor.

"About Lachin, we have been very clear throughout the last few months about the importance of ensuring the free movement of commercial and humanitarian traffic and people through the Lachin corridor between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. We continue to engage in those discussions," the official said.

Blinken held separate meetings early Monday with the Armenian foreign minister and his Azerbaijani counterpart.

Monday's meetings occurred after Blinken's call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday, when the top U.S. diplomat reiterated Washington's call to reopen the land route "to commercial and private vehicles as soon as possible."

The State Department had voiced "deep concern" that Azerbaijan's establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts for peace talks.

A representative from Armenia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Mirzoyan's working visit to the United States is to discuss "the agreement on normalization of relations" with Azerbaijan.

The two countries have had a decadeslong conflict involving the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is inside Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

The Lachin corridor allows supplies from Armenia to reach the 120,000 ethnic Armenians in the mountainous enclave and has been policed by Russian peacekeepers since December 2020.

VOA State Department bureau chief Nike Ching contributed to this report.

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New Uzbekistan Constitution: Genuine Reform or Authoritarian Makeover?

By Navbahor Imamova May 04, 2023

As of this week, Uzbekistan has a new constitution. The country's Central Election Commission says more than 90% of voters approved the new basic law in an April 30 referendum, with  turnout rate of 84.5%.

International observers expressed reservations, noting that "there was no organized opposition to the amendments" and that as with previous Uzbek elections and referendums, the balloting fell "short of genuine political pluralism and competition."

But CEC Chairperson Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev insisted the process "was conducted in full compliance with international norms and standards, our referendum legislation, and generally accepted democratic principles such as openness and transparency."

Nizamkhodjaev acknowledged "some shortcomings," which he said were "being investigated in a timely manner and under public control." Among them was a case in which a commission member was caught filling out multiple ballots and stuffing them into a box.

According to the CEC, the referendum was monitored by 383 international observers from 45 countries, including from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and from the Association of World Election Bodies.

Of the 19.7 million people registered to vote, Nizamkhodjaev said, ballots were filled out by 16.7 million, including Uzbeks living abroad in 39 countries.

The announced results were greeted with overwhelming cynicism on social media, where writers pointed out that neither the turnout nor the government's position has been reported at less than 80% in any Uzbek election or referendum.

However, VOA reporting ahead of the 155-article referendum had shown broad support for the proposed changes and the margin of approval was in line with results registered at the Uzbek Embassy in Washington, where VOA observed the process.

Votes cast by 903 people in Maryland, Virginia, Florida and Washington were tallied at the embassy, with 88% approving the proposed changes. Among the dissenters, a few drew cartoons on the ballot to express their disagreement, while one even tore up the paper in protest.

'We need a constitution that works'

But several voters expressed optimism. Maryland resident Zulfiya Karshiyeva, who has lived in the U.S. for about 20 years, wants Uzbekistan's doors to remain open to naturalized Americans like herself.

"I recently spent three months in Uzbekistan. I like that the government now treats us with respect. I voted 'yes' today without any hesitation," Karshiyeva said.

She represents a growing community, many of whom worry that Tashkent may enact restrictions on them for possessing foreign passports. Uzbek consular services deny any pressure but emphasize that other citizenships are not recognized if a person remains a citizen of Uzbekistan.

Virginia-based Doniyor Yusupov told VOA that he sees the new constitution as part of a reform agenda initiated by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev after taking office in 2016.

Yusupov's family business is involved in industrial construction and maintenance and has major investments in Uzbekistan.

"I'm happy that our native country welcomes our projects that we believe are improving its technological capacity," he said.

Sharifa Murod, a journalist from Ferghana, in eastern Uzbekistan, stressed that the real picture back home is not as glossy as some may imagine.

"We don't need a new constitution. We need a constitution that works," Murod said, echoing thousands of Uzbeks on Facebook, Telegram, and other social media platforms.

Like many citizens, she complained that Uzbek authorities have a tradition of overpromising and underdelivering.

"People are struggling with so many critical issues that require attention and action, beginning with serious economic challenges and corruption. Something resembling the rule of law would represent real political progress, not this referendum," Murod said.

Lack of political pluralism, open debates

Several voters told VOA that they are happy with the new constitution, especially its articles providing for gender equality and increased social protections but said they also long for political pluralism and open deliberations.

ODIHR's initial report said that how the referendum was conducted "highlighted the need to further encourage alternative views, provide opportunities for independent civil society and respect for fundamental freedoms, which continue to be restricted."

It also pointed out that "media did not provide impartial and balanced information, undermining voters' ability to make an informed choice."

On social media, many Uzbeks questioned the CEC's reported turnout, noting that they did not vote themselves. ODIHR found serious violations during the voting and counting, "undermining the integrity of the process."

"The proposed amendments affecting approximately two-thirds of the constitution were voted on as a single package, not providing the opportunity for voters to make a choice about each distinct issue featured in the amendments, and not in line with international good practice," ODIHR said.

Tashkent-based political scientist Bakhrom Radjabov said he was not surprised by the ODIHR's evaluation, which resembled its findings and recommendations after previous missions.

"While we heard 'yes' voices, we barely heard 'no' voices. Though they consist of less than 10%, it is critical to listen to them since they exist," Radjabov told VOA.

The constitutional commission said it received more than 220,000 proposals from citizens during the drafting process.

"Which were picked and why?" asked Radjabov, who argued that the Uzbek public would only win from "transparency and debate on proposed changes and critique."

Authoritarian modernization?

Luca Anceschi, a professor at the University of Glasgow, who has observed elections in Central Asia, regards the ODIHR assessment as key indicator that there was, as always, a top-down process.

"The referendum was conducted by the regime for the regime."

Anceschi sees significant obstacles to genuinely competitive elections and political campaigns in Uzbekistan.

"We saw that in the 2019 parliamentary election, where the range of options available to voters was restricted to regime-adjacent parties, and in this recent referendum, wherein the range of constitutional articles to be amended was carefully selected by the regime without any public discussion."

Anceschi views a change in the presidential term as the most consequential part of this referendum. Mirziyoyev, who was nearing the end of his second and final term, may now be able to run for two more terms.

"Government propaganda informed us that there is a new range of rights enshrined in this new draft, as if Uzbekistan's governance problems had to do with the content of its constitution rather than to the practical implementation of constitutional dictates," Anceschi said.

He believes Mirziyoyev is more interested in "authoritarian modernization" than in introducing a democratic system of governance.

"The political history of post-Soviet Central Asia tells us that such referenda are instruments of authoritarian consolidation, insofar as they extend, often indefinitely, presidential terms," he said. "I'd be surprised if Uzbekistan turns out to be the exception to this norm."

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Laos Government Critic Survives Shooting

By Tommy Walker May 04, 2023

A critic of the Laos government has been hospitalized after being targeted by a gunman in the capital, Vientiane. Early reports of his death appear to have been erroneous.

Anousa "Jack" Luangsuphom was reported dead after he was shot in the face and chest at point-blank range while sitting in a cafe Saturday.

Luangsuphom, who runs the Kub Kluen Duay Keyboard (Driven By Keyboard) Facebook page, is widely known for posting criticism of the nation's communist authorities and the government.

Local and foreign media Wednesday reported the critic died on his way to hospital after being shot by an unidentified gunman. Reports said the shooting took place at 10:26 p.m. on Saturday in the After School Chocolate & Bar shop in the Chanthabury district in Vientiane.

But a photo seen by VOA shows Luangsuphom bandaged and recovering in a hospital bed. Luangsuphom's Facebook page later reposted the same photo of the 25-year-old Wednesday evening. The social media post states the family said he had died to prevent the gunman from returning and killing Luangsuphom.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch, received the news about Luangsuphom's survival at a press freedom event in Bangkok on Wednesday evening.

"We're thrilled that the news has come out that Anousa is purportedly still alive," Robertson told VOA. "We understand that the person who went with him to the hospital said that he had died in order to ensure the gunman didn't return to finish the job.

"We also understand that the Lao police has visited him in the hospital, but he is unable to speak because of his injuries. Our major concern is that he is protected, and no harm comes to him while he recovers from his very grievous injuries."

Security camera footage of the attack, which surfaced online on Wednesday, shows an unidentified gunman in a black cap and long-sleeved shirt approaching the entrance of the cafe. He briefly leaves the cafe before quickly returning and firing two shots at Luangsuphom at close range. He then flees as two women can be heard shouting "Jack, Jack." The women then rush to secure the door and help the activist.

Elaine Pearson, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, urged the Laos government to investigate the attack, stating that Lao authorities "have long failed to prevent or adequately respond to attacks against critics of the government, human rights defenders, and political activists."

A landlocked Southeast Asian country situated between Thailand and China, Laos is a one-party state ruled by the Lao People's Revolutionary Party. Critics of the government are often intimidated by authorities.

VOA did not receive a response to requests for government comment from both the secretary and consular office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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Russo-Ukraine War - 05 May 2023 - Day 436

Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While GlobalSecurity.org takes utmost care to accurately report this news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

On 24 February 2022, Ukraine was suddenly and deliberately attacked by land, naval and air forces of Russia, igniting the largest European war since the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a "special military operation" (SVO - spetsialnaya voennaya operatsiya) in Ukraine in response to the appeal of the leaders of the "Donbass republics" for help. That attack is a blatant violation of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine. Putin stressed that Moscow's goal is the demilitarization and denazification of the country. The military buildup in preceeding months makes it obvious that the unprovoked and dastardly Russian attack was deliberately planned long in advance. During the intervening time, the Russian government had deliberately sought to deceive the world by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.

"To initiate a war of aggression... is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole." [Judgment of the International Military Tribunal]

The UK Ministry of Defence reported that a recent uptick in Russian rail accidents in areas bordering Ukraine, attributed to sabotage committed by unknown actors, has almost certainly caused short-term localised disruption to Russian military rail movements.

Although its Railway Troop Brigades are capable of restoring lines quickly, these incidents will increase pressure on Russia's internal security forces, who will highly likely remain unable to fully protect Russia's vast and vulnerable rail networks from attack.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported that the Russian Federation continues to use terror tactics. Today, Russian forces launched 2x missile strikes, 26x air strikes and carried out about 20x rounds from MLRS. Civilians suffered, private residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were destroyed and damaged. The threat of launching missile and air strikes on the entire territory of Ukraine remains high.

Russia continues to focus its main efforts on conducting offensive actions on the Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Mar'yinka axes. Units of the defense forces of Ukraine repelled more than 30 Russian attacks on the indicated areas of the front during the day. The fiercest battles are going on for Bakhmut and Mar'yinka, Ukrainian soldiers are steadfastly defending.

Volyn' and Polissya axes: no signs of the formation of Russian offensive groups were detected in the. Certain units of the armed forces of the Russian Federation will continue to be located on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.

Sivershchyna and Slobozhanshchyna axes: Russia maintains a military presence in the in the Bryansk, Kursk and Belgorod regions bordering Ukraine. During the day, they carried out artillery and mortar attacks on the settlements of Buchka, Chernihiv Oblast; Znob-Trubchevska, Stara Huta, Baranivka, Tovstodubov, Bachivsk, Volfine of the Sumy Oblast, as well as Chervona Zorya, Udy, Veterinarne, Graniv, Kozacha Lopan, Hoptivka, Hlyboke, Lukyantsi, Neskuchne, Staritsa in the Kharkiv Oblast.

Kupyansk axis: the settlements of Bolohivka, Krasne Pershe, Figolivka, Novomlynsk, Dvorichna, Liman Pershi, Pishchane, Stelmakhivka of the Kharkiv Oblast were hit by Russian artillery and mortar fire.

Lyman axis: Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations. The settlements of Makiivka in the Luhansk Oblast and Nevske, Yampolivka, Bilogorivka, Verkhnokamianske, Spirne in the Donetsk Oblast were hit by artillery fire.

Bakhmut axis: Russian forces continue to conduct offensive actions. Heavy fighting continues for the city of Bakhmut. In addition, during the day, Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensive actions in the axis of the settlements of Hryhorivka, Ivanovske, and New York. Vasyukivka, Minkivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Markove, Hryhorivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Kostyantynivka, Oleksandro-Shultine, Pivdenne, Toretsk, Severne and New York of the Donetsk Oblast were affected by Russian shelling.

Avdiivka axis: Russian forces carried out offensive actions in the Avdiivka area, without success. They shelled the settlements of Orlivka, Lastochkine, Avdiivka, Tonenke, Karlivka, Netaylove, and Pervomaiske of the Donetsk Oblast.

Mar'yinka axis: Ukrianian defenders repelled numerous Russian attacks in the Mar'yinka area during the day. Kurakhove, Georgiyivka, Mar'yinka, Pobyeda, Elizavetivka, Katerynivka and Novomykhailivka of the Donetsk Oblast got under Russian fire.

Shakhtars'ke axis: during the current day, Russian forces did not conduct offensive operations. They carried out shelling of Shakhtars'ke, Prechistivka and Vugledar settlements of the Donetsk Oblast.

Zaporizhzhia and Kherson axes: Russia continues to conduct defensive operations. At the same time, during the day, it shelled more than 40x settlements. Among them are Burlatske, Vremivka, Novosilka, Zelene Pole, Novopil of the Donetsk Oblast; Olhivske, Malynivka, Gulyaipole, Zaliznychne, Gulyaipilske, Biloghirya, Mala Tokmachka, Mali Shcherbaki, Kam'ianske and Stepnohirsk of the Zaporizhzhia Oblast; Nikopol', Dnipropetrovsk Oblast; Zolota Balka, Dudchany, Vesele, Dniprovske, Kizomys of the Kherson Oblast and the city of Kherson.

The Russian occupiers continue the forced passporting of the population of the temporarily occupied territory of the Kherson Oblast. For this purpose, the Russian invaders use mobile passport control groups. Threatening with deportation and confiscation of property, representatives of mobile groups accept documents and issue russian passports at the place of residence of Ukrainian citizens.

During the day, the Air Force of the Defense Forces carried out 6x strikes on areas where the Russian forces' personnel and military equipment were concentrated. Also, tonight, two Russian UAVs of the "Shahed-136/131" type were shot down.

During the day, units of missile forces and artillery struck 5x areas of concentration of weapons and military equipment, 3x warehouses of ammunition and fuel and lubricants, 1x means of anti-aircraft defense and 5x more important Russian targets.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that in Kupyansk direction, the attacks, launched by aviation and artillery of the Zapad Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU units near Dvurechnaya, Ivanovka and Krakhmalnoye (Kharkov region).

The actions of three Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance groups have been thwarted near Sinkovka, Timkovka and Berestovoye (Kharkov region).

The enemy losses were up to 95 Ukrainian servicemen, eight motor vehicles, one Akatsia self-propelled artillery system and one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system.

One munition depot of the AFU 127th Territorial Defence Brigade has been destroyed near Ogurtsovo(Kharkov region).

In Krasny Liman direction, the attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery of the Tsentr Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the AFU units close to Nevskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), Torskoye and Serebryanka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy losses were up to 65 Ukrainian servicemen, one armoured fighting vehicle, one pickup truck, and D-20 and D-30 howitzers.

One artillery ammunition depot of the AFU 66th Mechanised Brigade has been destroyed near Petrovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic).

In Donetsk direction, the assault detachments continued to conduct offensive actions against the enemy in the western part of Artyomovsk.

The paratroopers provided support and restrained the enemy on the flanks.

The attacks, launched by Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, as well as artillery of the Yug Group of Forces, have resulted in the neutralisation of the enemy manpower and hardware close to Kalinovka and Krasnoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

Russian units have destroyed the bridge used by the AFU to transport ammunition and reserves to Artyomovsk close to Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic).

The aviation have made 7 sorties in this direction. The Group's artillery have performed 69 firing missions.

Two ammunition depots of 54th and 110th mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have been destroyed near Kramatorsk and Avdeyevka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy losses were up to 300 Ukrainian servicemen and mercenaries, three infantry fighting vehicles, four armoured fighting vehicles, one Grad MLRS, and one Akatsiya self-propelled artillery system.

In South Donetsk and Zaporozhye directions, the attacks, launched by aviation and artillery of the Vostok Group of Forces have resulted in the neutralisation of the enemy units close to Vodyanoye and Ugledar (Donetsk People's Republic), Malinovka, Chervonoye and Novodanilovka (Zaporozhye region).

The actions of one Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group have been disrupted close to Novomikhailovka (Donetsk People's Republic).

The enemy losses were over 90 servicemen, one tank, five motor vehicles, one D-30 howitzer and one U.S.-manufactured M777 artillery system.

In Kherson direction, the enemy losses were up to 80 Ukrainian servicemen, fifteen armoured fighting vehicles, 23 motor vehicles, one Msta-B howitzer, as well as three D-30 howitzers.

Operational-Tactical and Army aviation, Missile Troops and Artillery of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation have neutralised 107 artillery units of the AFU at their firing positions, manpower and military hardware at 123 areas.

Two AFU Su-25 aircraft have been destroyed by air defence close to Zolotaya Balka and Tyaginka (Kherson region).

Seven HIMARS multiple-launch rocket system projectiles have been also intercepted.

Air defence forces have also intercepted 14 unmanned aerial vehicles close to to Tokarevka, Olshana (Kharkov region), Troitskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), Ivanovka (Donetsk People's Republic), Lesnoye and Malaya Belozyorkva (Zaporozhye region).

In total, 418 airplanes, 230 helicopters, 3,963 unmanned aerial vehicles, 421 air defence missile systems, 8,992 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,096 fighting vehicles equipped with MLRS, 4,739 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 9,986 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed since the beginning of the special military operation.





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4 Proud Boys Leaders Convicted of Seditious Conspiracy in US Capitol Attack

By Masood Farivar May 04, 2023

A federal jury in Washington has convicted the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys and three associates of seditious conspiracy for their role in the violent siege of the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Former Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio and regional leaders Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean and Zach Rehl, also were found guilty Thursday of conspiring to obstruct Congress from certifying Joe Biden's victory over Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election.

But the jury failed to reach a verdict on both conspiracy charges against a fifth defendant in the case, Dominic Pezzola.

Pezzola is a former Marine and boxer who joined the Proud Boys after the 2020 election but held no leadership position.

The five defendants faced a total of nine charges related to the attack on the Capitol, including obstructing an official proceeding and conspiracy to prevent Congress and federal officers from discharging their duties. They were found guilty of most.

Pezzola was also convicted of an additional charge of robbery for stealing a police officer's riot shield to smash a Capitol window.

The verdict marked a major victory for the U.S. Justice Department as it probes the deadly rampage that led to the deaths of five people, injured more than 100 police officers, and sparked one of the largest criminal investigations in U.S. history.

Prosecutors faced a daunting challenge in the case: to build and prove a seditious conspiracy charge that is notoriously difficult to prosecute.

Seditious conspiracy is a rare charge that dates to the early days of the American Civil War. The law defines seditious conspiracy as plotting to use force to overthrow the U.S. government, oppose its authority or "prevent, hinder, or delay the execution of any law of the United States."

In a statement, Attorney General Merrick Garland said evidence at trial revealed "the central role these defendants played in setting into motion the unlawful events of that day."

"The Justice Department will never stop working to defend the democracy to which all Americans are entitled," Garland said.

FBI Director Christopher Wray hailed the case as "a crucial step to hold criminally accountable those who attempted to undermine the peaceful transfer of power."

"The FBI will uphold the rights of all Americans to participate in peaceful First Amendment-protected activities, but we are just as committed to holding criminally responsible those who engage in violence to undermine the workings of our democracy," Wray said in a statement.

The verdict followed five days of jury deliberations and a complex trial that lasted four months and featured dozens of witnesses and numerous legal fights.

The convictions mark the third time members of an extremist group involved in the attack of January 6 have been convicted of seditious conspiracy.

In two earlier cases, juries convicted Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and a top lieutenant of seditious conspiracy in November and found four other members of the anti-government militia guilty of the charge in January. They have yet to be sentenced.

In all, 14 members of the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys have been convicted or pleaded guilty to seditious conspiracy, a charge that carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

The Proud Boys, a self-described group of Western chauvinists known for their anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant rhetoric, emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign and became among Trump's most fervent supporters during the 2020 race.

The group caught national attention when Trump declared during a September 2020 presidential debate: "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by!"

After Trump lost the election and refused to admit defeat, he launched a relentless campaign of lawsuits to overturn the outcome.

But as his legal efforts floundered, he rallied his supporters to come to Washington on January 6, the day Congress would confirm Biden's win.

In an infamous tweet repeatedly referenced during the trial, Trump wrote on December 19, 2020: "Be there, will be wild."

The Proud Boys took that as a call to arms, prosecutors alleged.

To prepare for January 6, Tarrio assembled a group of comrades that he dubbed the "Ministry of Self Defense."

Under the guise of organizing protests, the group acted as "a violent gang that came together to use force against its enemies," prosecutors said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor Mulroe said in his closing arguments that the Proud Boys saw themselves as a "fighting force" for Trump and were "ready to commit violence on his behalf" to overturn the election results.

Defense lawyers countered that there was no evidence of a coordinated plan to attack the Capitol.

They said the Proud Boys were so disorganized that they couldn't plan a trip to McDonald's.

Prosecutors, the defense argued, failed to show any evidence of a conspiracy to use force against the government.

The defense also tried to shift responsibility for the events of January 6 to Trump.

Nayib Hassan, Tarrio's lawyer, told the jury that his client was not in Washington on January 6 and that prosecutors were using him as "a scapegoat for Donald J. Trump and those in power."

In the end, however, the defense "failed to generate reasonable doubt in the minds of the jurors," said Jordan Strauss, a former Justice Department official who is now a managing director at Kroll, a risk consultancy firm.

The unprecedented assault on the U.S. Capitol set off one of the largest and most complex criminal investigations in the Justice Department's history.

As part of the ongoing probe, the FBI has arrested more than 1,000 people, and says it is seeking information about more than 260 others suspected of committing violence on the Capitol grounds.

More than 500 defendants, including members of the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, have pleaded guilty to various federal charges, while dozens have been convicted at trial.

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ADF helps foreigners flee Sudan

4 May 2023

The ADF has assisted with evacuating 67 Australian and foreign nationals from war-torn Sudan.

Under Operation Carnelian, the ADF deployed two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) C-130J Hercules from RAAF Base Richmond with a small contingent of flight, security and maintenance personnel on board.

The aircraft conducted operational planning tasks in Cypress before deploying to Port Sudan.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) led a whole-of-government response to the conflict in Sudan that required meticulous planning.

Squadron Leader Jamie Minor said the ADF contingent deployed on short notice to establish a staging area in Cyprus, where they met with government officials and assisted with planning the operation.

"Key considerations included the movements of displaced Australians and foreign nationals out of a conflict area while providing them safety and support," Squadron Leader Minor said.

"The ADF was able to provide rapid planning, deployment and execution in support of DFAT."

When the C-130J Hercules arrived in Port Sudan on May 2, a team of DFAT and ADF personnel promptly processed and evacuated the 67 people.

Assistant Secretary DFAT Jenny Da Rin said the mission was a success thanks to strong cooperation between Australian and partners.

Among the group evacuated in the RAAF aircraft were 36 Australians and people from the UK, US, Canada, New Zealand, Sweden and Ireland.

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China has no interest in interfering in Canada's internal affairs: Chinese FM

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 04, 2023 12:20 PM Updated: May 04, 2023 12:14 PM

China never has any interest in interfering in Canada's internal affairs, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday, after a Canadian lawmaker called on the Canadian government to expel a Chinese diplomat accused of having sought to "intimidate" him and his family in Hong Kong region over the lawmaker's criticisms of China.

Canadian Conservative MP Michael Chong made the call on Wednesday, during a heated exchange in parliament in which Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government was put on the back foot, according to the South China Morning Post.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning responded to questions during a press conference on Thursday, saying that China consistently opposes any country's interference in another country's internal affairs, and China has never had any interest in interfering in Canada's internal affairs.

At the same time, China firmly upholds its sovereignty security and development interests and firmly opposes any acts of interference in China's internal affairs or harm to China's interests, Mao noted.

The outcry followed a report on May 1 by the Globe and Mail claiming that the Canadian government turned a blind eye to China's interference in Canadian affairs. Citing classified documents and an anonymous security source, the newspaper claimed that China's intelligence agency had planned to target Chong and his relatives with sanctions for having voted in February 2021 for a motion condemning China's policy in Xinjiang region as "genocide."

The Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto strongly refuted on Thursday the baseless claims and groundless accusations hyped up by certain Canadian media outlets and politicians.

The spokesperson of the Chinese Consulate-General in Toronto issued a statement saying certain Canadian media outlets and politicians recently have been intentionally hyping accusations that officials from the consulate-general were involved in "coercing" a Canadian member of parliament and his family, noting these claims are completely baseless and groundless, which the consulate-general strongly disagrees with and firmly opposes.

The spokesperson emphasized that the consulate-general has always strictly adhered to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations and exercises its consular function under the Consular Agreement Between the Government of China and the Government of Canada. Consular officials have never engaged in any activities that are inconsistent with their official roles.

Certain Canadian media outlets and politicians have spread false information with the intent to damage the reputation and image of the consulate-general, and maliciously disrupt normal communication and cooperation between the two sides, the spokesperson said.

The consulate-general urged these media outlets and politicians to respect the facts and immediately stop spreading rumors and engaging in slander.

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Western politicians interfering with HKSAR judiciary only brings shame upon themselves: Chinese authorities

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 04, 2023 05:08 PM Updated: May 04, 2023 05:00 PM

The Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) issued a statement on Thursday to warn certain politicians in the West that interfering with the judiciary of the HKSAR will only bring shame upon themselves.

The spokesperson for the Commissioner's Office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the HKSAR expressed strong condemnation and resolute opposition in the statement against the resolution concocted by the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the Hong Kong-related fallacies delivered by the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC), which openly defame and smear China's National Security Law (NSL) for Hong Kong and the rule of law and human rights situation in the HKSAR and provide support for anti-China elements like Jimmy Lai.

The spokesperson pointed out that the actions of the Western politicians will only expose their own ugliness and allow the world to see their true nature and sinister intentions in colluding with and sheltering anti-China elements and interfering with and disrupting the rule of law in the HKSAR.

According to the spokesperson, since the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, the practice of the One Country, Two Systems has been widely recognized as a success, receiving strong support from the over 1.4 billion Chinese people, including the people of Hong Kong, while gaining praise from the international community. Under the protection of NSL and the new electoral system, the rule of law in HKSAR has returned to the right track, and the rights and freedoms of Hong Kong citizens have been better protected in a more secure environment. People in Hong Kong from all walks of life and the international community have truly felt the positive impact across Hong Kong and have full confidence in the prospects of the HKSAR in future development.

The spokesperson emphasized that the rule of law is the cornerstone of Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, and the society of Hong Kong must operate under the rule of law.

People will not forget that during the "anti-extradition bill" turmoil, the "Hong Kong independence" forces and the black-clad rioters went on the rampage, and the external forces openly instigated "color revolution" activities, the spokesperson said, adding that there were riots, looting, and arson everywhere, with the intention of separating Hong Kong from the motherland.

People will not forget either that anti-China elements like Jimmy Lai made provocations, openly begging the US to sanction the Chinese mainland and the HKSAR and even clamoring to "fight for the US." The crimes they have committed must be punished by the law, the spokesperson added.

The spokesperson stressed that the days when external forces could arbitrarily point fingers at and stir up trouble in Hong Kong's affairs are gone forever. The fact of the successful practice of One Country, Two Systems principle cannot be distorted or reversed by the groundless smears, and the historical process of One Country, Two Systems which moves forward steadily cannot be stopped by so-called declarations or resolutions.

We urge Western politicians to correct their position, recognize reality, immediately stop interfering with and defaming the One Country, Two Systems principle and Hong Kong's affairs, or they will only suffer repeated failures, the spokesperson said.

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Foreign Ministry Spokesperson's Remarks on State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang's Visit to Pakistan and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Pakistan

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

2023-05-04 10:11

Q: Following up on your announcement that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will visit Pakistan, can you share the program of the visit and China's expectation?

A: This will be State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang's first visit to Pakistan and an important part of the recent close and frequent interactions between the high levels of China and Pakistan. During the visit, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will meet with the leader of Pakistan and co-chair the fourth round of China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The two sides will have in-person and in-depth communication on bilateral relations and the international and regional situation.

China and Pakistan are all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends. The friendship is time honored. Last November, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif paid a successful visit to China, during which the leaders of the two countries charted the course for the bilateral relations. The Prime Ministers of the two countries had a phone call on April 27. China hopes that this visit will follow through on the important common understandings between the leaders of the two countries, further deepen strategic communication and practical cooperation, promote the building of an ever closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era, and contribute positive energy to the region and the wider world.

Q: We noted that State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attended the fourth Foreign Ministers' Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan in Samarkand and the "Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan Plus Afghanistan" Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, and chaired the second Informal Meeting on Afghanistan Between Foreign Ministers ofaChina, Russia, Pakistan and Iran not long ago. Now in less than one month, he will attend the fifth China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue. What is China's consideration behind this?

A: Although the people of Afghanistan have tided over the most difficult time, they still face severe challenges at the moment and are in dire need of more support and help from the rest of the world. The international community need to step up contact and dialogue with the Afghan interim government, support its effort of reconstruction and development, and encourage it to build an inclusive government, exercise moderate governance, develop friendly relations with its neighbors and firmly fight terrorism.

The Foreign Ministers' Meeting among the Neighboring Countries of Afghanistan and the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue are both important platforms for exchanges and cooperation on issues related to Afghanistan and conducive to more consensus among regional countries on the Afghan issue. China hopes to exchange views with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the situation in Afghanistan and tri-party cooperation at the Dialogue, so as to build up consensus, consolidate mutual trust, and jointly contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region.



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Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on May 4, 2023

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the People's Republic of China

At the invitation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom, President Xi Jinping's special representative Vice President Han Zheng will attend the King's coronation ceremony to be held on May 6 in London.

At the invitation of the governments of Portugal and the Netherlands, Vice President Han Zheng will visit the two countries from May 7 to 12.

Xinhua News Agency: On May 4, the National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center of China and 360 Total Security jointly issued a report entitled "'Empire of Hacking': The US Central Intelligence Agency". What is your comment?

Mao Ning: I have noted the report. According to the report, over the years, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has gathered intelligence information from foreign governments, enterprises and citizens, organized, carried out, directed and supervised trans-boundary covert actions, and secretly conducted "Peaceful Evolution" and "Color Revolution" around the world. The Agency has provided encrypted network communication services, reconnect service of the network, and on-site command communication tools for demonstrations to conflicting parties, developed relevant software and the "Anti-censorship system", and carried out espionage activities. The international community need to stay on high alert against these moves. The large number of real cases in China and other countries disclosed by the report once again testifies to CIA's cyber attack activities around the world over the years.

The US must take seriously and respond to the concerns from the international community, and stop using cyber weapons to carry out espionage and cyber attacks around the world.

Yonhap News Agency: On May 2, the ROK President expressed concerns on the DPRK's violation of UN Security Council resolutions and China's refusal to implement sanctions against the DPRK. What is your response?

Mao Ning: The Korean Peninsula issues are political and security issues. The crux of the issues is the failure to transit from armistice to a peace mechanism and to settle the legitimate concerns of all parties in a balanced way. In particular, the US has yet to respond to the DPRK's legitimate security concerns. We hope relevant parties will have a clear understanding on the crux of the Peninsula issues and provide targeted remedies instead of "climbing a tree to catch fish", as a Chinese idiom says.

China always earnestly performs its due international obligations. The Security Council resolutions are not just provisions on sanctions. They also include provisions on support for dialogue, humanitarian assistance and alleviation of sanctions, and should be understood and implemented fully and accurately.

TASS: The Kremlin Press Service said yesterday that two Ukrainian drones attempted to attack the Kremlin and were disabled by Russian radar systems. Russia views the incident as a terrorist attack and an assassination attempt targeting the Russian head of state launched by Ukraine. What's China's comment?

Mao Ning: We have noted relevant reports. China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation.

RIA Novosti: I also have a question on the Ukrainian government's drone attack on the Kremlin. Will it influence China's plan of sending the representative to visit Ukraine?

Mao Ning: About the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs' visit to Ukraine and other countries, we will make further announcements in due course. China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis.

CCTV: John Neuffer, President and CEO of the US Semiconductor Industry Association, said in an interview with Bloomberg recently that China is "our biggest market" and that American semiconductor companies want access to the China market despite US government national security concerns. What's China's comment?a

Mao Ning: I have noted relevant reports. China is the biggest semiconductor market in the world. It is in no party's interest to push for decoupling from China, sever supply chains and disrupt the market.

To maintain its hegemony, the US has for some time been overstretching the concept of national security, abusing export control measures and limiting exports to China. It is not only China that the US is trying to contain and bring down, but also a large number of developing countries. The US is taking away their right to scientific and technological progress and development that they deserve and keeping them at the lower end of industrial chains. Such selfish and bullying practices in science and technology are unfair and inconsistent with economic and trade rules. They will destabilize the global industrial and supply chains, hamper global economic development and ultimately backfire on the US itself.

China is committed to high-level opening up. We are ready to achieve common development with all other countries by sharing opportunities. We, at the same time, will firmly defend our lawful rights and interests. Containment and suppression cannot hold back China's development. Instead, it will only strengthen China's resolve and capability to pursue self-reliance and technological innovation.

Beijing Youth Daily: The just-ended May Day holiday brought a great boom to the market. Nationwide food and beverage consumption and long-haul travel accommodation bookings far exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The holiday was celebrated as "the most prosperous one in history". Some foreign media outlets said that it demonstrates the strong vitality of the Chinese economy and serves as a major boon to world economic recovery. What's your comment?

Mao Ning: With the hustling and bustling and the economic vitality of China, this May Day holiday is indeed a "golden week". According to relevant data, a total of 274 million domestic trips were made during the May Day holiday, generating 148 billion yuan of tourism revenues, up by 70.83% and 128.9% year-on-year respectively. Outbound travel bookings of Chinese tourists soared by nearly seven times year-on-year.

I also noted the Regional Economic Outlook for Asia and Pacific report published by IMF, which shows that the strong rebound of the Chinese economy provides great impetus for the Asia Pacific and global economy. The Chinese economy is expected to expand by 5.2 percent this year and contribute 34.9% of global growth. It is believed that the vibrant Chinese economy will inject more vitality into world economic recovery.

AFP: US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry said on Wednesday that China has invited him to visit the country soon. Can you confirm the visit and provide the exact date?

Mao Ning: China's position on climate change is consistent. On your specific question, I will refer you to competent Chinese authorities.

Bloomberg: It's been reported that Vice President Han Zheng will meet with the UK Foreign Secretary when he goes to the coronation. Does this mean or is this an indication that James Cleverly the Foreign Secretary will be invited to China in the near future?

Mao Ning: China is always open to dialogue and exchange. That being said, for any dialogue to happen, mutual respect and efforts in the same direction are necessary.a

Reuters: Chinese financial data providers, including Wind, have recently stopped providing key corporate information to overseas clients, according to media reports. Can you confirm if this is true and do you have any comment on it?

Mao Ning: I'm not aware of that and would like to refer you to the competent Chinese authorities.

AFP: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang paid a visit to Myanmar this week. Could you give us more details on the outcomes of this visit?

Mao Ning: Thank you for your interest in State Councilor Qin Gang's visit to Myanmar. During the visit, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing and former Chairman of the Myanmar State Peace and Development Council Than Shwe, and held talks with Minister for Foreign Affairs of Myanmar Than Swe. He elaborated China's policy and proposition towards Myanmar and stressed that China's friendly policy towards Myanmar is for all the Myanmar people. China respects Myanmar's sovereignty and territorial integrity, firmly supports Myanmar in safeguarding independence, maintaining political stability and achieving sustainable development, and supports Myanmar in exploring a development path suited to its national conditions and with Myanmar characteristics and steadily advancing its political transition process. We hope that all parties and factions in Myanmar will bear in mind the interests of the country and the nation, seek a solution through dialogue and consultation, restore social stability and resume the political transition process at an early date. China stands ready to work with the international community to continue providing constructive assistance to Myanmar.

Reuters: The US laid out in very clear terms under bilateral security guidelines with the Philippines that it will come to its defense if its armed forces, including coast guard vessels, came under attack anywhere in the South China Sea. Do you have any comment on this?

Mao Ning: With the concerted efforts of regional countries, the situation in the South China Sea has maintained overall stability. The US-Philippines defense guidelines is a bilateral arrangement. China firmly opposes any country's move to meddle in the South China Sea issue to harm China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests by citing the guidelines.a

I would like to stress that the South China Sea is the shared home for countries in the region, not a hunting ground for forces outside the region. When regional countries are committed to mutual trust, solidarity, cooperation and properly handling differences, they have in their hand the key to peace and stability in the South China Sea.

PTI: State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang is attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meetings in India. Do you have any update on his engagements as well as anything that China wants to highlight in this particular round of Foreign Ministers' Meeting?

Mao Ning: If there is anything new on State Councilor Qin's activities in India, we will keep you posted. Please check back for updates.

AFP: A Canadian lawmaker on Wednesday called for Ottawa to expel a Chinese diplomat accused of having sought to intimidate him and his family in Hong Kong over the MP's criticisms of Beijing. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: China is opposed to any interference in a country's internal affairs. We never interfere in Canada's internal affairs and have no interest whatsoever in doing so. At the same time, we are resolute in defending our sovereignty, security and development interests and opposing actions that interfere in China's internal affairs and harm China's interests.

TASS: NIKKEI reported on Wednesday that NATO is planning to open a liaison office in Japan next year. The station will allow the military alliance to conduct periodic consultations with Japan. Do you have any comment?

Mao Ning: Asia is an anchor for peace and stability and a promising land for cooperation and development, not a wrestling ground for geopolitical competition. NATO's continued eastward foray into the Asia-Pacific and interference in regional affairs will inevitably undermine regional peace and stability and stoke camp confrontation. This calls for high vigilance among regional countries.

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Government study recommends China build second capital in Xinjiang

'It would end the historical concept that the region is the Uyghur people's motherland,' expert says.

By Adile Ablet for RFA Uyghur 2023.05.04 -- A Chinese government-funded study has recommended a second capital in the country's far-western Xinjiang region to rebalance China's economy, address ethnic tensions and strengthen ties with Eurasian nations.

Published in the Chinese-language journal "Social Sciences in Xinjiang" on April 21, the report proposes that the purpose-built capital be close to Urumqi, capital of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, or to Kashgar, one of the westernmost cities of China near the border with Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan.

The report, based on four years of research by Zhou Wen of Fudan University in Shanghai and Mi Jun of Sichuan University, evaluates risks and opportunities of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a massive infrastructure development project that seeks to connect China to many other parts of the globe.

But the study does not provide details about how the central government would distribute its functions between Beijing and the potential second capital, according to a report on it in the "South China Morning Post."

With expansive desert and mountainous areas, Xinjiang is home to more than 11 million predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other Turkic minorities who have been repressed by the Chinese government in recent years through detention in "re-educations" camps, torture and forced labor.

The study has raised questions among experts and researchers abroad who focus on the Xinjiang region about possible motives for considering a second capital in the region as well as its impact on Uyghurs and other minorities who live there.

Pressure to Sinicize

Erkin Ekrem, vice president of the World Uyghur Congress and an associate professor of history at Hacettepe University in Turkey, believes that the proposal to establish a second capital in Xinjiang is related to China's be a global power by 2049, the year that will make the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

"The Uyghur region is critical for China to achieve its dream," he told RFA. "It is a gateway to Central Asia, Western Asia, Turkey and Europe. Therefore, establishing a secondary capital in the Uyghur region has strategic importance for China."

At the same time, the plan would create unfavorable conditions for the Uyghur people, Erkin said

"For China to establish a secondary capital in East Turkistan, it must first Sinicize the region," he said, using Uyghurs' preferred name for Xinjiang.

The vast territory's lack of arable land would require China to bring water into the region, which would necessitate the resettling of more Han Chinese, said Erkin.

"None of these issues are favorable for Uyghurs, resulting in them disappearing by melting away," he said.

Sean Roberts, an international affairs professor at George Washington University, who has written extensively about China's Uyghurs and Central Asia said the potential move would have a dual purpose.

"On the one hand, it's likely about integrating the northwest of the country more into China's governance, which has been something that China's been trying to do since the 1990s," he said. "I would say it's something that is one of the motivating factors for the repression of Uyghurs and related peoples in the region now."

On the other hand, a potential second capital also would be a defensive move, Roberts said.

"For a long time, China has been concerned about integrating the northwest more into the country and under the state's purview because it worried that it could be a source of instability, perhaps aggravated by external forces."

"This doesn't mean that [the Chinese] are concerned about Central Asia or Russia invading, but they might be concerned about there more instability in Eurasia and wanting to have a second capital close by to ensure that China's borders are secure in that it doesn't spill over into China," he said.

In the end, the plan would not bode well for the Uyghurs, Roberts said.

"If implemented, this would end the historical concept that this region is the Uyghur people's motherland," he said. "I believe this also would accelerate the speed of Sinification in the area. This plan would change the entire landscape of the Uyghur Region and its relationship with the central government in Beijing."

Other factors at play

Abdulhakim Idris, director of the Center for Uyghur Studies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, has a different take on possible motives for a second Chinese capital in Xinjiang.

If China and the United States clash militarily over Taiwan, Beijing will be vulnerable to a U.S. naval attack because of its location.

"If it moves its capital to our motherland, then it will be safer because it would be farther away from the U.S. Pacific Fleet,' he said.

China also is hoping to pry Central Asia from Russia's grip and play a more dominant role in the region to promote Belt and Road projects and to guarantee its energy and trade security., Idris said.

Translated by the Uyghur Service. Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Hong Kong's security law leads to 'boring' news coverage amid climate of fear

Former journalists at pro-democracy news outlets struggle to bring non-government voices to Hong Kong audience

By Lee Yuk Yue for RFA Cantonese 2023.05.04 -- Hong Kong journalists still working in the city are being reduced to the status of government stenographers, as a climate of fear leads to widespread self-censorship, former reporters from the now-shuttered Apple Daily and Stand News warned in recent interviews with Radio Free Asia.

International press freedom groups say the ruling Communist Party under supreme leader Xi Jinping has "gutted" press freedom in the formerly freewheeling city amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent in the wake of the 2019 protest movement.

Hong Kong journalists who fled the city after Beijing imposed a national security law from July 1, 2020, continue to campaign for press freedom for the city from overseas, while some eke out a freelance living following the closure of pro-democracy news outlets.

Lam Yin-bong, former assignment editor at Stand News, which shut down under investigation by national security police a few months after the Apple Daily was forced to close, said there are plenty of stories that are largely ignored by mainstream media outlets in Hong Kong these days.

"Quite a lot of voices have disappeared in the mainstream media in Hong Kong," Lam said. "For example, protesters who are about to go to prison or are about to be released from prison seem to have disappeared from public view."

He cited the recent release of "fishball rebellion" protester Lo Kin-man, jailed for "rioting" in the wake of 2016 unrest in the Mong Kok section of the city.

"He was given the longest sentence out of all the defendants, and the Mong Kok riot was a major event in Hong Kong history, and he was the last one to be released from prison, so personally, I think this is a news story," Lam said.

"Yet when he was released from the fairly remote Tong Fuk Prison, I was the only one waiting for him."

Trying to fill a gap

Lam, who set up his own ReNews online news service a year ago, said he is trying to fill a gap left by self-censorship in Hong Kong's mainstream media, but lacks resources to make much of a difference.

Meanwhile, the mainstream media is inundated by a seemingly endless supply of trivial reporting on politically important topics, such as the recent visit by Beijing's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office chief Xia Baolong.

"The Hong Kong government's manipulation of the media is more obvious and its methods more mature than before, and the mainstream media is only too willing, or has gotten into the habit, of following the official lead," Lam said.

"When Director Xia Baolong visited Hong Kong, a bunch of journalists filmed him going to Kowloon Bay for dim sum, and even quoted sources as saying what kind of dim sum he had," Lam said. "What is the significance of that information?"

"The mainstream media is flooded with this sort of [trivial] information," he said. "It's not that nobody writes about the other stuff. The problem is that there is a huge amount of boring information in the media ... which drowns out the other stuff."

Risker interviews

Former Apple Daily reporter Shirley Leung, who has moved to the democratic island of Taiwan to set up the Hong Kong-focused Photon News, has carried out in-depth interviews with former 2019 protesters, as well as academics, politicians, civil society leaders and rights activists, in a bid to make sure their voices are recorded.

Those kinds of interviews are now much riskier under the national security law for journalists still in Hong Kong, she said.

"Since the Apple Daily and Stand News went, I would say that 80% of the people who once took part in protests and campaigns have disappeared from mainstream media reporting," Leung said.

"There is an atmosphere of fear that made me feel that I had to be able to write freely or report fully what my interviewees are saying," she said of her move to democratic Taiwan.

"Back when I was in Hong Kong, it was very difficult -- frankly there was a lot of self-censorship and I felt like what I wrote was lifeless."

With Photon News, Leung is hoping to exercise the old freedoms once enjoyed by Hong Kong's journalists, and "bring different perspectives back to Hong Kong," she said.

But she said it is getting harder and harder to find people in Hong Kong who are still willing to give media interviews, in the current political atmosphere.

"Those awaiting sentencing are already behind bars, and the ones getting out don't want to talk about it," Leung said. "This is all totally understandable, and very human."

In April, British lawmakers called on their government to issue emergency visas to journalists at risk of arrest or prosecution in Hong Kong, and to apply targeted sanctions to individuals responsible for the arbitrary arrest and pending trial of former Apple Daily founder Jimmy Lai.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Hong Kong rewrites district poll rules, citing 2019 protest vote 'disaster'

The new rules will ensure that only 'patriotic,' pro-China candidates can run in local elections

By Lee Yuk Yue for RFA Cantonese 2023.05.04 -- Hong Kong authorities have rewritten the electoral rules for the District Council, the city's last bastion of political opposition, amid an ongoing crackdown on dissent under a draconian security law, sparking criticism from exiled councilors who fled overseas.

Under the new rules, the number of directly elected seats on the council will be slashed from 95% to 20%, chief executive John Lee told a news conference on May 2.

"First of all, it is not the 2019 protests ... it's the attempt to cause disaster to Hong Kong society as a whole that we need to prevent," Lee said, citing the minority of frontline protesters who fought back against heavily armed riot police with Molotov cocktails, bricks and arrows, and "independence" activism, which wasn't a part of the protesters' demands.

"We have to bear that in mind so as to ensure that in the long run, the system will protect us from all this chaotic and harmful situation to arise again," said Lee, who was "elected" unopposed following changes to the electoral rules last year.

The change to the rules comes after millions of voters in Hong Kong delivered a stunning rebuke to Beijing and their own government with a landslide victory for pro-democracy candidates across the city's 18 district councils at the height of the 2019 protests.

Pro-democracy candidates won 388 seats, an overwhelming majority of the 452 council seats up for grabs, after 71 percent of registered voters -- nearly half the city's population -- turned out to vote in a poll that handed control of 17 out of 18 districts to pro-democracy groups.

Lee described that result as "a disaster" on Tuesday, saying that the new rules were designed to ensure that "the bad situation doesn't come back again."

'Only patriots'

Exiled district councilors said the 2019 council had enjoyed the mandate of the people of Hong Kong, however.

"Over [their] 40-year history, the district councils have frequently discussed issues of a city-wide political nature, making it as a whole, a political organization with legitimate power to represent ... the people of Hong Kong," read a statement signed by dozens of exiled councilors.

They included former pro-democracy lawmaker Ted Hui, now in Australia, and former Wong Tai Sin councilor Carmen Lau, who has resettled in the United Kingdom.

The government said it would also set up a vetting committee for candidates in forthcoming District Council elections, with only candidates approved as "patriotic" allowed to stand.

The Communist Party-backed Global Times newspaper said the moves would ensure that "only patriots govern the city."

'Great step backwards'

Current affairs commentator Johnny Lau said Beijing is clearly looking to wield "watertight" political control in Hong Kong.

"Hong Kong's electoral system has become just like that of the mainland in recent years," Lau said. "They are just allowing a tiny number of voting opportunities to citizens to make it look like democracy, but in essence, it's a very long way from most people's understanding of democracy."

Democratic Party Chairman Law Kin-hee said he was "very disappointed" with the move, which he described as a "great step backwards" for democracy in Hong Kong.

Cyrus Chan, who heads the district-level pro-democracy group Concern Group for Tseung Kwan O People's Livelihood, called the new system "absurd," and "worse than under the British."

"I didn't expect that such a small proportion of seats would be directly elected," Chan said, adding that mergers of constituencies also made it harder for community-based groups to fight local election campaigns.

"One constituency is equivalent to 10 constituencies under the old system, which isn't do-able, logistically or financially," he said.

Shatin District Council chairman Chris Mak said only candidates with considerable political capital, connections and financial resources would be able to run under the new system.

"First, [candidates] will need excellent community relations, and second, they'll need huge amounts of support," Mak said. "In the past, anyone could be a district councilor if they served the public well, but this has now been completely distorted."

He said there would also be fewer channels through which citizens could monitor what their government was up to, under the new system.

"Elected district councilors were used as a channel to monitor and communicate with the government, but the government has destroyed that," Mak said. "Even popular candidates will need to build relationships with different stakeholders and get government support, which will discourage a lot of people from running."

He said directly elected councilors are typically far more popular among local voters than appointees, and that the sheer size of the new constituencies will make it harder for councilors to serve their communities properly.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Experts: China Finds Threat in Latest Move By US-South Korea Alliance

By Christy Lee May 04, 2023

A declaration of intent by Washington and Seoul, South Korea, to boost nuclear deterrence against North Korea has prompted Beijing to lodge criticism that shows China views a stronger alliance as a threat to its sphere of influence, experts say.

"We noted the relevant content of the Washington Declaration," Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOA's Korean Service on Tuesday.

"The U.S. behavior is a result of its Cold War mentality. What the U.S. has done stokes bloc confrontation, undermines the nuclear nonproliferation system and hurts the strategic interest of other countries," he said.

In the Washington Declaration that U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued April 26, the allies agreed to widen Seoul's say in U.S. nuclear planning through a newly created body called the Nuclear Consultative Group and to deploy a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine regularly to South Korea.

The measures were issued in response to "unprecedented and growing" threats from North Korea," Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, has repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S., which Pyongyang considers its enemies. His words were emphasized by a record number of missile launches last year, at a pace that continues. Since last year, activities at North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site show it is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time.

"Beijing is predisposed to see any steps to strengthen U.S. and allied defense posture as secretly aimed against China," said Daniel Russel, who was the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration.

"Beijing chooses to ignore the massive expansion of North Korea's nuclear and missile arsenal or its increasingly threatening language and instead interpreted the strengthening of extended deterrence as an anti-China move," said Russel, now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

In an article citing Chinese experts published on April 29, China's state-run Global Times said the joint declaration reflected Yoon's "overwhelming pro-U.S. policy" that has "lost balance" and "appear[s] more hostile to its three important neighbors," including North Korea and Russia.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing on Monday that China should not "overreact" to the joint agreement.

Opposition to alliance

Patricia Kim, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies, said, "Beijing's critical response to the measures announced during President Yoon's visit to the United States is rooted in China's tendency to see any strengthening of the U.S.-ROK alliance as directed toward itself, when in reality, they are intended to address South Korea's fundamental growing threat posed by North Korea."

After his state visit to Washington, Yoon rejected Chinese criticisms. He told a group of more than 150 reporters at a press luncheon in the Yongsan presidential compound in Seoul that the Chinese should help reduce threats from North Korea by enforcing sanctions.

"If they want to take issue with us and criticize us for adopting the Washington Declaration and upgrading our security cooperation to one that is nuclear based, they should reduce the nuclear threat" of North Korea, "or at least abide by international law and stick to U.N. Security Council sanctions," Yoon said on Tuesday.

Although China helped to pass sanctions in response to Pyongyang's nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017 as a permanent member of the Security Council, it has blocked the international body from passing new resolutions condemning recent launches.

Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asia affairs at the White House's National Security Council during the administration of George W. Bush, said "the Washington Declaration merely confirmed for Beijing that President Yoon is going to take a tough stance toward North Korea and a tough stance toward China."

Taiwan

Wilder said South Korean leaders "have always been careful to avoid entanglement in U.S. policy on Taiwan," but "President Yoon is the first South Korean president to have involved himself directly on the Taiwan issue, and from the Chinese point of view, that is totally unacceptable."

Before Yoon's trip to Washington, he said in an interview with Reuters released on April 19 that tensions surrounding Taiwan resulted from "attempts to change the status quo by force," and the matter is "not simply an issue between China and Taiwan" but "a global" one.

In the joint statement that Biden and Yoon issued following their summit, they stressed "the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait" and "strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific."

Beijing views the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory that must be reunited with mainland China.

"This is a broader geopolitical issue for Beijing that [it's] watching as a bunch of countries on China's periphery align more closely with the United States," said Zack Cooper, former special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Defense Department.

"It's South Korea [and] Japan. It's India, Taiwan and the Philippines. As these Chinese neighbors are pushing back against Beijing, the Chinese leadership is feeling more isolated. That's creating this frustration in China" and causing it to "lash out in very critical ways," said Cooper, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

China's increasing military aggression in the Indo-Pacific has led the U.S. and its allies and partners to strengthen their ways to defend Taiwan and to maintain freedom of navigation in the region.

"From China's point of view, President Yoon is expanding South Korea's military reach a or seems to be a into the Taiwan Strait situation," Wilder said.

Jiha Ham contributed to this report.

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Regional Talks Expected to Highlight China's Interests in Pakistan, Afghanistan

By Roshan Noorzai May 04, 2023

Senior officials from China, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban will hold two days of talks starting Friday in Islamabad, where observers expect to learn more about Beijing's priorities in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will meet with Pakistani officials. The international community has ostracized the Taliban over hard-line policies targeting Afghan women and others.

Not only has Beijing encouraged the international community to continue to talk to the Taliban, but it also has said it supports encouraging the Taliban to "build an inclusive government, exercise moderate governance, develop friendly relations with its neighbors and firmly fight terrorism."

Besides participating in the trilateral talks, Qin and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will co-chair the fourth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue. The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the two countries as "all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends."

China's Afghan priorities

Beijing's priorities in Afghanistan are mitigating security threats and looking for economic opportunities, said Zafar Iqbal Yousafzai, author and researcher at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington think tank.

Last month, China said its development plans for the country would depend on improvement in the security situation.

"Security is the foundation and prerequisite of development," the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an 11-point policy paper published last month titled China's Position on the Afghan Issue.

A more pressing issue is whether China can pressure the Taliban to form a more inclusive government. In its Afghan policy paper, Beijing said: "We hope the Afghan Interim Government will protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups."

Yousafzai said there is now substantial international consensus on what should happen in Afghanistan. "The interest of China converges with that of the U.S. and other countries," he said.

Indeed, China and Russia have joined the international community in pressuring the Taliban.

On April 13, a day after China released its Afghanistan policy, the foreign ministers of China, Russia and five of Afghanistan's neighbors met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and demanded that the Taliban form an inclusive government and respect women's and minorities' rights.

Yousafzai said China wants an inclusive government because "stability is very far-fetched" without such a government in Afghanistan.

"Not in terms of the West to be a stable democracy, but they want Afghanistan to be stable in their own terms," Yousafzai said.

Development projects

China wants stability in Afghanistan, Yousafzai said, because the country is crucial for Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative and because of fears it could become "a hotbed for terrorists."

China's BRI is a global land and sea infrastructure project that was launched in 2013.

During a meeting in July between China and Afghanistan, Beijing said it hoped to "support the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan."

Beyond communication and transportation links, Beijing is also interested in Afghanistan's mineral and oil reserves.

In January, the Taliban and a Chinese petroleum company signed an agreement to extract and develop oil reserves in northern Afghanistan.

The Taliban's minister for mines and petroleum, Shahabuddin Delawar, said last month that a Chinese company, Gochin, was interested in investing $10 billion in Afghanistan's lithium mines.

The main holdup for such development projects appears to be the security situation. In December, China urged citizens to leave Afghanistan after a hotel in Kabul frequented by Chinese nationals was attacked. Beijing is also concerned about the potential spillover of militants from Afghanistan into China's western Xinjiang region.

Grateful to China

The Taliban remain warm toward Beijing at a time when China is increasingly seen as a possible economic lifeline for Afghanistan. In an April 14 interview with Chinese state-run news outlet CGTN, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban were "grateful" to China.

He said that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, "China has kept its embassy open and [remained] active diplomatically. It also stays true to its economic projects in Afghanistan and renewed contracts repeatedly."

He added that China's interest in investment in Afghanistan was "commendable."

The #Taliban-led government spokesperson @Zabihullah Mujahid told CGTN in an exclusive interview that it is grateful for China to maintain interactions among #Afghanistan and its neighboring countries, which is key to regional stability. He also said China's aid plays an... pic.twitter.com/uYGJ5s5SMP

a Frontline (@Frontlinestory) April 14, 2023

Hamidullah Farooqi, a former Afghan minister of transport and civil aviation, told VOA that the Taliban and China mutually benefit from having good relations.

"It is good for propaganda purposes," he said. "The Taliban use this by telling people that things will change as China is going to invest. China also benefits from it, showing that it has a presence in the region and is interested in economic development."

No recognition

Beijing, however, has not yet recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

Shinkai Karokhail, a former member of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Afghanistan's parliament, told VOA that by not recognizing the Taliban, "China wants to show that they share the international community's concerns."

China wants to make sure that the Afghan government is "cooperating" in fighting extremism, she said. "Right now, the presence of extremist groups in Afghanistan is the main concern."

"The only way to fight extremist groups is to have an inclusive government," Karokhail said.

Analysts will be watching the talks in Pakistan for signs that Beijing is willing to use its economic influence in Afghanistan to encourage the Taliban to adopt reforms broadly backed by the international community.

This report originated in VOA's Afghan Service.

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Chinese and Russian FMs exchange views on sidelines of SCO event in India

Global Times

By Global Times Published: May 05, 2023 10:57 AM

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Goa of India on Thursday, during which the two sides agreed to maintain the overall unity and cooperation of the SCO, and build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation among member states.

Qin said that since President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Russia not long ago, exchanges at all levels between China and Russia have become increasingly active, and cooperation in various fields has been comprehensively launched, according to a release from China's Foreign Ministry.

China is willing to work with Russia to implement the important consensus reached by the two heads of state, strengthen strategic communication, and consolidate and deepen cooperation in various fields, said Qin.

Lavrov said that President Xi's successful visit to Russia has injected strong impetus into the development of bilateral relations. Russia is willing to work with China to strengthen cooperation in various fields and push bilateral relations to a higher level.

The two sides agreed to plan and arrange high-level and various-level exchanges between the two countries in the next stage, strengthen economic and trade cooperation, deepen people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and promote the facilitation of personnel exchanges.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen communication and coordination with member states of the SCO, maintain the overall unity and cooperation of the SCO, and build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation among member states.

Moreover, during Qin and Lavrov's meeting, the two sides also agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation under multilateral frameworks such as BRICS, the G20, and the United Nations, oppose all forms of hegemony, safeguard the common interests of emerging markets and developing countries, and safeguard international fairness and justice.

The two sides agreed to strengthen communication and coordination in the Asia-Pacific region, oppose the "new cold war" and maintain regional peace and stability. Qin and Lavrov also exchanged views on other international and regional issues of common concern, including the Ukraine crisis.

Qin said that China will persist in promoting peace talks and is willing to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis.

Lavrov said that Russia attaches importance to China's position paper on the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, agrees with China's principled position, and is willing to maintain close communication with China in a candid manner.

Shortly after the SCO Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Qin is scheduled to visit Pakistan from May 5 to 6 and attend the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Dialogue in Pakistan, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning announced on Thursday.

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Iran Air Force pushing for enhancement, modernization

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

May 4, 2023

Tehran, IRNA -- The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) continues to leap forward with the latest reports indicating that it plans to display new achievements in the coming days.

The new capabilities will be in the field of both manned and unmanned aircraft, according to the IRIAF's Commander Brigadier General Hamid Vahedi.

"... the air force is growing (in power) and as I have stated before we must never stop for a moment because if we do, we will fall behind," Vahedi said in an interview with Mehr News agency.

Despite the fact that Iran has one of the lowest military budgets in the West Asia region, the circumstances have not prevented the country from enhancing its defensive powers as it has faced constant threats by the US and the Zionist regime in addition to severe and inhumane economic sanctions over the past decades.

The IRIAF is slated to take delivery of the first batch of the state-of-the-art Sukhoi Su-35 heavy air superiority fighter jets in the coming weeks.

The last time the force received advanced fighters of the similar class was in the mid-1970s, when the Grumman F-14A Tomcat fighter aircraft arrived in Iran.

Unlike the F-14A model which had very limited air-to-ground and air-to-sea capabilities and a pair of troublesome engines, the Su-35 is a fighter that excels in all types of missions.

Like its counterpart, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Aerospace Force (IRGCAF), the IRIAF has begun transitioning to modern warfare in the recent years by acquiring new armaments such as Kaman-22 and Kaman-12 unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs), Yasin precision-guided glide bomb, Qader anti-ship missiles (AShM), Shahin jamming, self-protection pod, and the recently unveiled Asef land-attack cruise missile with an expected range of 2,000 km.

Furthermore, the IRIAF has also taken concrete steps to enhance survivability and second-strike capability by adopting passive defense strategies in form of building sophisticated, self-sustaining underground bases such as Oghab-44 strategic airbase.

In the field of manned aerial platforms, Iran has steadily worked on a decades-long project to domestically develop a light weight fighter jet using combat-proven designs such as that of Northrop F-5, as a starting block, a path often taken by other key powers such as India and China which helps by vastly lowering the needed resources.

Iran's efforts have so far culminated in the introduction of Kowsar fourth-generation fighter jet, Yasin training jet, as well as the Simourgh light transport aircraft.

In addition to safeguarding the skies over the critical Persian Gulf region, the IRIAF has also played a pivotal role in defeating the US-sponsored terror groups such as the ISIS and carrying large volume of humanitarian aids to Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan in the past few years.

4208**2050

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Rights Groups, Iranian Activists Create Coalition To Continue Pressure Over Violations

By RFE/RL's Radio Farda May 04, 2023

Rights organizations and activists say they have joined forces to form the Keep It On coalition to ensure pressure remains on the authorities to stop ongoing human rights violations in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan-Baluchistan Province.

In a joint statement signed by various media rights platforms such as Haalvsh and Baloch Activists Campaign, along with organizations including PEN America and United for Iran, as well as Iranian human rights activists such as Shirin Ebadi and Fariba Baluch, the coalition emphasized that Internet shutdowns in the province are being carried out to "cover up human rights violations" in the province and called for an immediate halt to them.

The province, particularly the city of Zahedan, has been the epicenter of protests in Iran for months and has recently experienced Internet shutdowns every Friday coinciding with prayers and subsequent protests.

The statement also refers to "Bloody Friday" in Zahedan, when security forces opened fire on protesters, stating that "the Iranian government has resorted to various measures to suppress the ongoing protests, including causing severe disruptions to mobile data in the province, especially in areas where protests are taking place."

Almost 100 people were killed and hundreds injured by security forces in Zahedan on September 30 amid unrest triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini and the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a local police commander.

The signatories of the statement called on the International Telecommunication Union and its secretary-general to pressure Iran to stop the Internet disruptions.

They also emphasized that they are "seeking further investigation of human rights violations" by the Islamic republic, including attempts to "silence citizens." The people of Sistan-Baluchistan "deserve to express their opinions freely and without fear of retribution," the statement says.

NetBlocks, a network that tracks Internet access worldwide, has frequently reported a "significant disruption" in connectivity in Zahedan.

Anger over Amini's death in police custody on September 16 has prompted thousands of Iranians to take to the streets nationwide to demand more freedoms and women's rights. The widespread unrest represents the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.

Her death, which officials blamed on a heart attack, touched off a wave of anti-government protests in cities across the country. The authorities have responded to the unrest with a harsh crackdown that rights groups say has killed more than 500 people, including 71 children.

Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the population in Sistan-Baluchistan Province in southeastern Iran, where Abdolhamid is based, but make up only about 10 percent of the population in Shi'a-dominated Iran overall.

Written by Ardeshir Tayebi based on an original story in Persian by RFE/RL's Radio Farda

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-coalition-sistan- baluchistan/32394922.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Israeli Minister Claims Iran Has Enough Enriched Uranium for Five Nukes

Sputnik News

20230504

Ilya Tsukanov

Tel Aviv successfully lobbied Washington into scrapping the Iran nuclear deal in 2018, since holding joint drills with US forces practicing attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities. Tehran has denied having any ambitions to build a nuclear bomb and blasted the West over its silence on Israel's own widely suspected nuke stockpiles.

Iran is continuing its uranium enrichment effort, and has already amassed enough uranium to build five nuclear weapons, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has alleged.

"Make no mistake - Iran will not be satisfied by a single nuclear bomb. So far, Iran has gained material enriched to 20% and 60% for five nuclear bombs," Gallant said, speaking alongside Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos during a visit to Athens on Thursday.

The Israeli defense minister did not elaborate on how Iran's uranium stockpiles were sufficient for five bombs, given that uranium must typically be enriched to 90% or more to be considered weapons grade. The US nuclear bomb dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945 had an average enrichment rate of about 80%.

"Iranian progress, and enrichment to 90%, would be a grave mistake on Iran's part, and could ignite the region," Gallant warned.

Iran dropped self-proscribed restrictions on uranium enrichment in 2019, just as it promised, exactly one year after the United States pulled out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) nuclear deal, and after the agreement's European signatories - Britain, France, Germany and the European Union - failed to come up with a workaround to crushing US sanctions.

Despite its enrichment activities, Tehran has stressed repeatedly that its nuclear activities are strictly peaceful, and that religious edicts, or fatwas, issued by both of its successive Supreme Leaders prohibit the creation of nuclear bombs.

The Islamic Republic has instead entrusted its security to its vast arsenal of conventional ballistic and cruise missile - stockpiles the Pentagon believes to number in the thousands.

Iran's authorities have offered harsh criticism for the US, its allies and the International Atomic Energy Agency over the strict monitoring regime placed on the Iranian nuclear program, while Israel, faces no repercussions for flouting the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons. Israeli forces are estimated to possess 80 or more aircraft, missile and submarine-deliverable nukes.

Iran gave up its stocks of chemical weapons in the 1990s before signing the Chemical Weapons Convention, and never used them during the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980s in spite of its legal right to do so.

After coming into office in 2021, the Biden administration restarted negotiations on a possible US return to the JCPOA. However, talks have since stalled, with US President Joe Biden pronouncing negotiations "dead" in a leaked video published last year.

Last year, the US and Israel signed a joint declaration pledging to "never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon." The two countries have also staged joint military drills simulating strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, with Tel Aviv setting aside a special $1.5 billion fund in its military budget specifically for preparations to strike Iran.

The Islamic Republic has repeatedly warned Israel not to test its conventional capabilities, and has called on Washington to stop taking its marching orders from Tel Aviv.

A Sputnik

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Ex-Wife Of Nazarbaev's Jailed Nephew Gets Seven Years In Prison

By RFE/RL's Kazakh Service May 04, 2023

ASTANA -- A court in the Kazakh capital, Astana, has sentenced the former wife of a jailed nephew of the Central Asian country's former authoritarian president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, to seven years in prison on charges of abduction and actions aiding the commission of a crime.

The Baiqongyr district court No. 2 sentenced Gulmira Satybaldy on May 4.

In her final statement to the court, Satybaldy called the charges against her politically motivated.

Gulmira Satybaldy was arrested along with her ex-husband, Qairat Satybaldy, in March 2022. He was tried separately in September and sentenced to six years in prison after being found guilty of fraud and embezzlement.

She was also charged with embezzlement and the illegal appropriation of shares and assets of a number of enterprises. A trial on those charges is pending.

The probes launched against the couple are part of a series of investigations targeting relatives and allies of Nazarbaev.

Last week, courts in Kazakhstan's largest city, Almaty, sentenced in separate trials the former chief of police of the Almaty region, General Serik Kudebaev, and the former chief of the city's branch of the National Security Committee (KNB), Nurlan Mazhilov, to 10 and six years in prison respectively on charges of abuse of power during unprecedented anti-government protests that turned into deadly mass disorders in January 2022.

Also last week, a court in Astana gave former KNB chief Karim Masimov, known as a close ally of Nazarbaev for years, an 18-year prison term on charges of high treason, attempting to seize power by force, and abuse of office and power.

Masimov's former deputies, Anuar Sadyqulov, Daulet Erghozhin, and Marat Osipov, were sentenced to 16, 15, and three years in prison respectively at the same trial.

After the mass protests in early January 2022, the Kazakh regime began to quietly target Nazarbaev, his family, and other allies -- many of whom held powerful or influential posts in government, security agencies, and profitable energy companies.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-satybaldy- gulmira-nazarbaev/32394741.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Report: Almost 700,000 people in Myanmar have fled their homes since January

U.N. office is planning to provide humanitarian assistance to 4.5 million in the country this year.

By RFA Burmese 2023.05.04 -- Intense fighting has caused the number of internally displaced persons in Myanmar to grow by more than 680,000 between January and April 20, according to independent research group ISP-Myanmar.

That number is more than a quarter of the total number of people uprooted after the February 2021 military coup d'etat, the group said.

More than 2.6 million have fled their homes since the coup, mostly due to armed conflict between military junta troops and the joint forces of the People's Defense Forces and ethnic armed organizations, according to an April 27 report from the group.

That's in addition to the 1 million Rohingya who have fled across borders in recent years to take shelter in Bangladesh, India and Thailand.

More than 1.3 million refugees have left Myanmar's northern Sagaing region. Magway region and Kayah state have the second and third largest number of refugees.

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, or UNOCHA, told Radio Free Asia that it plans to provide humanitarian assistance to 4.5 million people in Myanmar in 2023, including 1.6 million people who have fled their homes.

The U.N. continues to face obstacles in distributing humanitarian aid, cutting through red tape, defending against attacks on aid workers and raising funds, UNOCHA said in an email to RFA.

'Clear grounds with nothing in it'

Junta troops have been carrying out fierce area-clearing operations in Sagaing recently, an Inn Pat village resident said.

"There are more than 600 or 700 houses in our village. The junta has burned it down four times," the resident said. "Nearly 200 houses were burned and the residents whose houses were damaged in the fire can longer live in their own homes.

"The places where their houses used to stand are clear grounds with nothing in it," he said.

The junta has burned down nearly 5,000 civilian houses in 70 villages in Khin-U township since the coup, and refugees are having trouble with drinking water shortages, he said.

In the same way, junta troops are clearing areas in Magway, which is adjacent to Sagaing.

On March 28, more than 100 houses were burned down in Kin Mun Chon village in Salin township. A resident said villagers have been surviving in the jungle in very poor conditions since then.

'Direct threat to children's survival'

In Kayah state, where around two-thirds of the total population have fled their homes, residents said junta troops have been conducting military operations and restricting the transportation of food and medicine.

The Progressive Karenni People Force, or PKPF, announced on May 1 that 134 refugees from Kayah had died as a result of insufficient food and medicine and from the fighting.

Banyar, director of the Karenni Human Rights Organization, criticized the junta for deliberately creating difficulties for refugees and local residents.

"It is becoming more and more difficult for pregnant mothers to get the necessary vaccinations due to shortages of medicines and the junta's blockage of medicine transport," he said. "In addition to this, there are shortages of vaccination for newborn babies, too. This is a direct threat to children's survival."

The junta's chairman of the humanitarian aid management department and the minister for international cooperation, Ko Ko Hliang, did not immediately respond to a phone message left by RFA.

Translated by Myo Min Aung. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Bangladesh delegation with Rohingya to visit Myanmar, see repatriation preparations

By Kamran Reza Chowdhury and Abdur Rahman 2023.05.04 -- Bangladesh is moving full steam ahead with a China-backed project to begin repatriating Rohingya to Myanmar, a plan that Human Rights Watch warned would put the lives of the persecuted refugees at "grave risk."

On Friday, a delegation of 27 people, including 20 Rohingya from refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, is scheduled to visit Maungdaw in Myanmar's Rakhine state, to assess preparations for the planned move this month of about 1,000 refugees.

Bangladesh's refugee relief and repatriation commissioner said the trip would be a follow-on action to a visit in March by Burmese officials to verify the identities of the Rohingya who were part of a mass exodus who fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown against the stateless minority group.

"We are going to help the forcibly displaced people of Myanmar to assess whether the situation in Rakhine is favorable for return," Mohammed Mizanur Rahman told BenarNews on Thursday.

"Our plan is to start the repatriation by this month," he said, insisting that Dhaka would not force any refugees to go back.

Despite its questionable role in this repatriation program, the United Nations refugee agency said in March that conditions in Rakhine state were not favorable for the safe return of 1,000 Rohingya.

Abul Kashem, a Rohingya leader from the Cox's Bazar camp who is part of the delegation visiting Friday, told BenarNews that refugees were not interested in going back to camps in Myanmar.

"Once we go there, we can see whether the situation is conducive to return. We, the Rohingya people, want to return to our homesteads, but not to camps there," he said.

Bangladesh diplomatic observers said the plan really is a "ploy" by Myanmar's military rulers to stave off international pressure ahead of a hearing next month at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in an application to the court by The Gambia that says Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya.

The United States in March 2021 declared as a genocide the Myanmar military's 2017 deadly crackdown against Rohingya Muslims that killed thousands and forced nearly 740,000 people to flee across the border to neighboring Bangladesh.

Myanmar is "interested in starting repatriation, though on a limited scale," said Faruk Khan, the chairman of the Bangladesh foreign ministry's parliamentary watchdog committee.

"Myanmar has come to understand that they must take their people back. Otherwise, they would face more international sanctions and pressures," he told BenarNews.

"China has also come to understand that the Rohingya crisis must be settled. So they have been using their influence over Myanmar. I would not say that all people would return in a year, but once the repatriation starts, gradually the pace would be faster," he added, about the Beijing-backed plan.

A former foreign secretary, Md. Shahidul Haque, expressed skepticism about the repatriation move.

"The Rohingya refugees want to return to their original homesteads, while Myanmar says they must live at guarded camps for 120 days before going to their villages; a big question remains what freedom the Rohingya would get in Rakhine," Haque told BenarNews.

"Myanmar is set to submit their counter-[argument] at the ICJ. Keeping this issue in mind, Myanmar has been showing interests in repatriation. They become active in repatriation before every ICJ hearings, and cut off communications afterwards."

In March, Human Rights Watch urged Bangladesh to halt the repatriation plan. The prospect of durable returns has grown ever more distant since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, carried out by the same generals who orchestrated the 2017 mass atrocities, HRW said.

"Voluntary, safe, and dignified returns of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar are not possible while the military junta is carrying out massacres around the country and apartheid in Rakhine State," said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for the watchdog group.

"Bangladesh authorities should stop deceiving these refugees to get them to engage with junta officials when it's clear that Rohingya will only be able to return safely when rights-respecting rule is established."

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news organization.

Copyright 1998-2023, RFA. Used with the permission of Radio Free Asia, 2025 M St. NW, Suite 300, Washington DC 20036. For any commercial use of RFA content please send an email to: mahajanr@rfa.org. RFA content May not be used in a manner which would give the appearance of any endorsement of any product or support of any issue or political position. Please read the full text of our Terms of Use.

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Takfiri terrorists gun down 7 teachers in northwestern Pakistan

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 9:33 PM

Takfiri terrorists have gunned down at least seven teachers at a rural high school in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

The incident occurred on Thursday in the Parachinar area of the Kurram tribal district, which is located less than one kilometer away from Pakistan's border with Afghanistan, Pakistani officials said.

Detailing the incident, witnesses said that two gunmen had entered the school as teachers were monitoring an exam.

"Teachers were arranging and compiling the papers when the gunmen entered the school," said Amir Nawaz, a senior government official in the area.

According to Pakistan's Samaa TV satellite news channel, the victims belonged to the local Toori Bangash tribe.

"An emergency was imposed in hospitals" and "transport routes across the district were closed due to security concerns" following the atrocity, the channel reported on its website.

Local police said they were gathering more information as they investigated the incident.

Pakistani President Arif Alvi has decried the deadly violence, saying, "The attack on teachers by the enemies of knowledge is condemnable."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also strongly condemned the incident, while federal minister Sajid Hussain Turi asserted, "Strict action should be taken against the elements involved in the incident."

"The state cannot afford to ignore rising #militancy in KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) when even schools are once again falling prey to wanton violence," said the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

Also on Thursday, officials said six soldiers had been killed in clashes with suspected militants belonging to the Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- an umbrella group of several militant groups -- in north Waziristan, another part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province.

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Militants kill six Pakistani soldiers near Afghan border

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 3:26 PM

Heavily-armed militants have killed at least six Pakistani soldiers in a shootout with the military near the border with Afghanistan.

According to a statement by the army on Thursday, the exchange of fire took place in North Waziristan District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban and other militant groups.

"A fire exchange took place between terrorists and our own troops," the army said. Six soldiers were "martyred" and three militants were killed, it said.

Less than a week ago, a bomber drove into a military base camp just outside the rugged Pakistani district, killing three soldiers.

The Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of several militant groups, has been behind attacks against the state, which have become more frequent since last year after it revoked a ceasefire and peace talks with the government in Islamabad collapsed.

The government says the peace talks allowed the release from prison of hundreds of the militants and their leaders, enabling them to regroup and launch fresh attacks.

Islamabad says the militants enjoy safe haven in Afghanistan to plan and execute the attacks, a charge Kabul denies.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, foreign minister of Afghanistan's Taliban administration, is arriving in Islamabad on Friday for meetings with his Pakistani and Chinese counterparts.

The outlawed TTP has a strong presence in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the region. It is allied with the Afghan Taliban. The 2021 Afghan Taliban takeover has emboldened the Pakistani Taliban, who have stepped up attacks since then. The military in recent weeks has also carried out multiple raids on militant hideouts in the northwest.

Over the past years, the TTP militants have been involved in multiple terrorist attacks, including targeted bombings and killings of members of religious communities and security officials across the country.

On December 16, 2014, the group attacked Peshawar's Army School, where more than 150 people, mostly children, were killed, one of the deadliest massacres in Pakistan's history.

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Several Teachers Killed In Outburst Of Sectarian Violence In Northwestern Pakistan

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal May 04, 2023

At least seven people, including schoolteachers, have been killed in two separate shooting incidents in northwestern Pakistan near the border with Afghanistan.

District police chief Muhammad Imran told RFE/RL that both incidents took place on May 4 in the Kurram district of the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The first shooting occurred around 1 p.m. local time when unknown assailants attacked a vehicle, killing one person.

The incident enraged people in the area, and they entered a school in which they believed people belonging to opposing sectarian groups were working as teachers. They opened fire, killing six people including four teachers, Imran said.

The police chief said that the people killed in the school were residents of different areas of Kurram.

The first person killed in the attack on the vehicle was a Sunni Muslim, while those shot in the second attack at the school were Shi'ite Muslims, a regional commissioner, Saiful Islam, told Reuters.

Based on preliminary information, both incidents are due to sectarian disputes between tribes over land and forests, but Imran said that the investigation is ongoing. The situation is under control, he said.

"It is not clear whether the second incident was a reaction to the first one," Islam said, adding that security has been heightened in an area already tense due to sectarian violence.

The violence occurred on the same day that Islamist militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in an exchange of fire with the military. An army statement said three militants were killed and two were injured during the clash in North Waziristan, which borders Kurram to the south.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of several Sunni militant groups, claimed responsibility.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-shooting- violence-teachers-pakhtunkhwa/32396460.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Islamist Militants In Pakistan Kill Six Soldiers Near Afghan Border

By RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal May 04, 2023

Islamist militants killed six Pakistani soldiers in an exchange of fire with the military in a northwestern tribal district bordering Afghanistan, the army said on May 4.

An army statement said the gunbattle took place in North Waziristan, which has long been a hotbed of militants operating on both sides of the border.

The statement said three militants were killed and two were injured during the clash.

The outlawed Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of several Sunni militant groups, claimed responsibility.

The TTP claimed its fighters first targeted a military vehicle with a bomb, killing four soldiers, then shot at the remaining soldiers.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the grieved families.

"No matter how long the battle, our valiant armed forces, with the support of the nation, will root out terrorism in its entirety," he said in a statement.

The bloodshed comes after Pakistan declared a new offensive against militants following a resurgence of attacks, including a mosque bombing that killed more than 100 people in February.

The militants have been increasing their attacks in some areas, including in the northern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Local residents, political parties, and councils have repeatedly protested against the insecurity and called on the government to increase safety.

The government and the military have stressed that the security department is conducting regular operations against insurgents and has achieved success in recent years.

Pakistani military spokesman General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry last month told a news conference that this year there have been 8,269 small and large-scale operations against the militants. The result was 157 suspected terrorists killed and 1,378 arrested. He said 137 soldiers were killed and 117 wounded in clashes with militants during the operations.

With reporting by Reuters

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/pakistan-islamist-soldiers- killed-afghan-border/32394996.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Telephone conversation with President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro

Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro at the Venezuelan side's initiative.

May 4, 2023

21:00

Nicolas Maduro resolutely condemned the Kiev regime's attempt to attack the Kremlin with drones, and expressed solidarity and support for Russia on behalf of the people of Venezuela.

During the telephone conversation, the presidents also discussed important issues of further promoting bilateral strategic partnership, including the implementation of joint trade, economic, energy and humanitarian projects.

The presidents agreed to continue contacts at different levels.

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Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang

4 May 2023 17:29

857-04-05-2023



On May 4, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China Qin Gang on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's Foreign Ministers' Council meeting in the state of Goa, India.

The two ministers praised Russian-Chinese relations for the momentum they have gained against the backdrop of growing geopolitical instability. They discussed matters relating to carrying out the agreements resulting from the talks between President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping on March 20 and 21, 2023, in Moscow. The agenda also included several topical matters from the bilateral agenda, including specific hands-on cooperation projects.

The two officials exchanged views on the current state of and prospects for developing the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, welcoming the collective efforts by its member states to ensure peace and security in Eurasia. They also mentioned the SCO's growing prestige in international affairs and its key role in the regional security architecture.

During the meeting, Sergey Lavrov and Qin Gang reaffirmed their mutual commitment to stepping up coordination efforts within the UN, the SCO, BRICS, RIC, the Group of Twenty and other key international organisations and dialogue mechanisms. They discussed several hot topics, including efforts to promote a peace settlement in the Ukraine crisis.

The meeting also included a confidential exchange of views on the latest international matters with a focus on the developments in the Asia-Pacific Region considering the fact that extra-regional actors have been increasingly active in seeking to set up various exclusive blocs and formats that undermine the ASEAN-centric security and stability framework in the region.

The two ministers share the view that modern neo-colonialist practices are unacceptable and have a destructive effect on most countries around the world and international relations in general.

As usual, the conversation was constructive and took place in an atmosphere of trust.

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Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's meeting with Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Panaji

4 May 2023 17:59

859-04-05-2023

On May 4, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on the sidelines of the meeting of the SCO Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Goa, India.

They discussed the current state of Russian-Pakistani relations, regional and international affairs, and exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan.

The ministers praised Russia and Pakistan's interaction on the global stage, including at high-profile multilateral platforms such as the United Nations and the SCO.

The officials agreed to further expand contacts between the foreign ministries of the two countries.

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Strategic cooperation deal marks new chapter in Tehran-Damascus relations, Raeisi says

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 3:13 PM

Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi has lauded a comprehensive agreement on long-term strategic cooperation between Tehran and Damascus, saying the deal marks the beginning of a new chapter in "brotherly and friendly ties" between the two Muslim nations.

Raeisi made the remarks on Thursday in a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous in Damascus on the second day of his landmark visit to the Arab country.

The Iranian president called on the Syrian prime minister to pay special attention to the implementation of the deal and the agreements signed during his trip, and stressed that the two countries should expand cooperation in economic and trade spheres so that their nations would reap great benefits.

For his part, Arnous hailed Iran's support for Syria throughout the Arab country's foreign-backed militancy and conflict, and said the Syrian nation won't forget Iran's assistance in hard times.

He welcomed the expansion of Damascus-Tehran ties, and pledged to seriously follow up on the implementation of the 14 cooperation documents and the strategic cooperation deal signed between the two sides.

The "comprehensive plan for strategic and long-term cooperation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic" was signed by Iranian Raeisi and his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad at the Syrian Presidential Palace in Damascus on Wednesday.

During the event, top officials and ministers from the two countries signed 14 other agreements on cooperation in various fields, including trade interaction, oil and energy industries, technical and engineering sectors, house construction, railroad and air transportation, free trade zones, private sectors, telecommunication, earthquake safety, rescue operation, and facilitation of pilgrimage.

Raiesi: Closer Iran-Syria economic ties to benefit both nations

Later on Thursday, Raeisi underlined the importance of bilateral economic relations between Tehran and Damascus, and said closer trade relationship will benefit both nations.

"Syria and Iran have managed to turn all threats and sanctions that enemies imposed against them into opportunities. The Islamic Republic of Iran has made tremendous [scientific and technological] progress despite all sanctions - something which has deeply stunned enemies. Such threats and sanctions will be turned into opportunities in Syria as well, and will accordingly bring about an improvement in the living conditions of dear Syrians," Raeisi told a group of Iranian and Syrian business figures and entrepreneurs in Damascus.

The Iranian president underlined that Iranian companies can help Syria with oil and gas exploration, petrochemical engineering, power generation and transmission, and share agricultural expertise with Damascus.

"We expect businessmen and entrepreneurs to shine brightly in the field of bilateral economic cooperation just as the Syrian government and nation managed to move past major difficulties and problems through resilience," Raeisi said.

Raeisi's two-day official visit to Syria, which started on Wednesday, was the first by an Iranian president to the Arab country in over 13 years.

'Iran a friend during difficult times'

In a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, the president said Iran is a friend of the regional countries during difficult times.

"Iran was a friend and supporter of the Syrian nation and government during the resistance period, and the brotherhood between the two resistant nations of Iran and Syria will continue," he said.

The president said the resistance, especially in Palestine, has paralyzed the Zionist regime, and Israel's expansionist and occupation policy has failed.

"The Zionist regime also planned to divide Syria with the support of the United States and Western countries, as well as the fielding of terrorist groups created by the United States, but they did not succeed," he said.

President Raeisi said the Zionists are currently pursuing the same policy with the support of the West against Sudan in order to break up the country.

"The people of Sudan and the Muslim world must be careful of the Zionists' plots and know that the most important need for Muslim nations today is unity," he said.

The Islamic Republic, President Raeisi said, is the herald of unity among all Muslims.

Foreign Minister Mekdad touched on growing relations between Syria and Iran.

Iran, he said, has good capacities in the fields of economy, trade, energy, science and technology, which can be used to improve the level of relations between the two countries.

"We must seriously follow the implementation of agreements reached between the two countries."

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Syria's return to Arab League 'very likely' during next summit in Saudi Arabia: Aboul Gheit

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 2:03 PM

Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit says there is a very high chance for restoration of Syria's membership in the 22-member regional organization as a founding member during the next Arab summit in Saudi Arabia later this month.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Arabic-language Asharq News, Aboul Gheit underscored that Syria's return to the Arab League is "very likely" as heads of Arab states would come together in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh on May 19.

He noted Syria's return to the Arab League will take place gradually and step by step.

The 80-year-old Egyptian politician and diplomat added that a series of meetings will be held initially to assess the process, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad will be invited to the Arab League summit in Riyadh once member states reach a consensus on the matter.

According to the contacts made and the actions taken, Aboul Gheit said, there is a really very high chance that the Arab League would restore Syria's membership at the Riyadh meeting, unless something unexpected happens.

Earlier this week, a group of Arab foreign ministers met with their Syrian counterpart in Jordan to discuss how to normalize diplomatic ties with Damascus and bring the country back to the Arab fold.

The Monday meeting was part of a Jordanian proposal to reach a political solution to more-than-a-decade-old Syrian conflict.

Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan and his Egyptian and Iraqi counterparts, Sameh Shoukry and Fuad Hussein, traveled to Amman on Monday for the meeting with Syria's Faisal Mekdad.

A spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry said the meeting came as a follow-up to talks in Saudi Arabia last month between the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council members, as well as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq.

The spokesman added that those countries aimed to build on their contacts with the Syrian government and discuss a "Jordanian initiative to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis."

At the Jeddah meeting, there was resistance to the move to invite Assad to the May 19 Arab League summit, with Qatar, Jordan and Kuwait saying it was premature before Damascus agrees to negotiate a peace plan.

Jordan has called on Damascus to engage with Arab states on a roadmap to end the conflict, and tackle such issues as refugees and drug smuggling across the war-ravaged country's borders.

In recent weeks, Saudi Arabia a which once backed Takfiri militant groups in Syria a has reversed its stance on the Syrian government and is pushing its neighbors to follow suit.

The Saudi foreign minister visited Damascus last month for the first time since the kingdom cut ties with Syria more than a decade ago.

Saudi Arabia has said, after its rapprochement with Iran, a new approach was needed towards Damascus, which is under Western sanctions.

The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in November 2011, citing an alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria has denounced the move as "illegal and a violation of the organization's charter."

Syria was one of the six founding members of the Arab League in 1945. In recent months, an increasing number of countries and political parties have called for the reversal of its suspension from the Arab League.

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Taiwan won't receive financial compensation for U.S. F-16V delays: Minister

ROC Central News Agency

05/04/2023 01:43 PM

Taipei, May 4 (CNA) Taiwan will not receive financial compensation over a nearly one-year delay to the delivery of F-16V fighter jets purchased from the United States, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (ea) said Thursday.

Speaking with reporters on the sidelines of a legislative session into the Air Force's ongoing plan to upgrade its fighter jets to counter Chinese military threats, Chiu said that the contract signed with Washington for the planes did not include financial penalties for late delivery.

However, the United States has promised to provide F-16V spare parts and logistics accessories ahead of schedule as a result of the delay, Chiu said, without elaborating.

Consequently, Chiu said that Taiwan's Air Force would need to increase its fighter jet availability on its own for now.

In the meantime, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan's defense mission in Washington D.C. and the American Institute in Taiwan to help speed up the delivery from the jets' maker, Lockheed Martin, Chiu said.

According to the MND, Taiwan has purchased 66 new F-16Vs fighter jets and the delivery of the first two -- one single, one two-seat model -- was set to take place before the end of this year.

However, the ministry said that it was recently notified by the U.S. side that the delivery will be postponed until the third quarter of 2024, with the U.S. citing the pandemic as the reason for the delay.

Despite the delay, Taiwan will still receive all 66 fighter jets before the end of 2026 as scheduled, according to the MND.

According to the defense ministry, Taiwan has been asking Washington to sell it more advanced fighter jets since 2003. The administration of former U.S. President Donald Trump finally approved the sale of 66 F-16Vs in 2019.

The U.S. Air Force formed an ad hoc office responsible for the project in March 2020 before the first meeting on the project was held in July of the same year.

Taiwan's government has allocated a total of NT$247.2 billion (US$ 80.5 million) to make the purchase, the MND added.

In addition to the 66 new F-16Vs, Taiwan began a program in 2016 to retrofit all of its existing 140 F-16A/Bs into the more advanced F-16V format, which is expected to be completed later this year.

Also during Thursday's legislative session, Art Chang (aa e ), head of the military's top research unit, National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, told lawmakers that his institute is mulling whether to build retired F-5 trainers into unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or as target drones.

Taiwan has been building its own "Brave Eagle" advanced jet trainers to replace aging F-5 trainers.

(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)

Enditem/ASG

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Taiwan island encirclement drone flights, far sea voyages highlight enhanced PLA capabilities of national defense

Global Times

By Liu Xuanzun Published: May 04, 2023 09:07 PM

The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) carried out multiple, intensive activities over the past week, highlighting its enhanced capabilities in safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interests, even in distant waters, analysts said on Thursday.

The activities included encircling the island of Taiwan with drones, dispatching warships to the Sea of Japan, holding joint maritime drills with Singapore and evacuating Chinese personnel from Sudan with naval vessels.

Among dozens of PLA aircraft and vessels spotted by the defense authority on the island of Taiwan since last week, two drones attracted particular attention from the media.

On April 28, the island of Taiwan's defense authority said it spotted a TB-001 armed reconnaissance drone that encircled the island by flying from the island's southwest through its east to its north over the previous day, completing a full encirclement flight counterclockwise.

Then on Wednesday, the island's defense authority said it spotted a BZK-005 reconnaissance drone, and this time it encircled the island clockwise from the north to the east, then to the southwest.

Media reports said these were the first times the PLA conducted Taiwan island encirclement drone flights, with analysts saying that the drones could conduct reconnaissance on the eastern side of the island and provide target guidance for fire strikes. Others said that the drones could carry out decapitation strikes on secessionist leaders should a conflict break out.

The PLA has been holding routine patrols and exercises around the island of Taiwan, including with drones, so such island encirclement drone flights could also become regular, a Beijing-based military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Thursday.

Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force spotted a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of a Type 055 large destroyer, two Type 052D destroyers, a Type 054A frigate and a Type 903A comprehensive replenishment ship when the vessels sailed from the East China Sea through the Tsushima Strait to the Sea of Japan on Sunday, Japan's Ministry of Defense Joint Staff said in a press release on Monday.

This seems to be a routine far sea training exercise, observers said. Type 055 large destroyers have been leading flotillas in similar voyages over the past few years, with some of them circumnavigating Japan and others reaching the Bering Sea to locations near the US state of Alaska.

After wrapping up the five-day China-Singapore Exercise Maritime Cooperation 2023 on Monday, a PLA Navy flotilla consisting of a frigate and a minesweeper hunter participated in the International Maritime Defense Exhibition Asia in Singapore starting on Wednesday, China's Ministry of National Defense said in a press release on Thursday.

In the joint drills, the two countries' navies practiced anti-sea mining, minefield transit guidance, maritime replenishment, live-fire naval artillery shooting, joint search and rescue as well as medical aid missions, the Chinese Defense Ministry said. The exhibition is expected to enhance mutual trust and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

Fu Qianshao, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times that the joint drills and the exhibition will provide a stabilizing factor in the South China Sea amid the Philippines' leaning toward the US, an external force.

After completing the mission to evacuate Chinese personnel from Sudan, the PLA Navy destroyer Nanning and the comprehensive replenishment ship Weishanhu left the Red Sea and rendezvoused with the frigate Sanya and continued their escort mission in the Gulf of Aden on Tuesday, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on the day.

The operation showed that the PLA Navy now has the capability that matches China's international status and the country's security and development interests, the PLA Daily quoted military expert Li Jian as saying.

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Taiwan Mitigating Consequences of Modern F-16V Jets Delivery Delay

Sputnik News

20230504

Last year, Taiwanese officials complained about delays of FIM-92 Stinger AA systems and other military equipment, as manufacturers directed their supplies to Ukraine. The issue has raised concerns among US lawmakers amid rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Taiwan's Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng announced on May 4 that the delivery of 66 new F-16Vs from the US has been delayed due to disruptions in the supply chain. The ministry is reportedly working to minimize the damage and "make up deficiencies."

The $8bn deal, approved by the US in 2019, would add to Taiwan's fleet of F-16s, making it the largest in Asia. The deal is intended to reinforce the Taiwanese defenses in the face of escalating tensions in the region, with the US and Taipei fearing China's growing strength and speculating about Beijing's purported plans to seize the island.

Taiwan has been converting 141 F-16A/B jets into the F-16V type and has also ordered 66 new F-16Vs, which feature new avionics, weapons, and radar systems, designed to counter the PLA Air Force, including the latter's fifth-gen J-20 stealth fighter. The first of the new F-16Vs was supposed to be delivered in Q4 2023, but the pandemic-related supply chain disruptions have pushed that back to Q3 2024, the minister said.

Chiu has reportedly asked the US to "make up the deficiency," including prioritising spare part deliveries for the existing fleet. The ministry is using diplomatic channels, such as the de facto US diplomatic mission in Taipei, to resolve the problem. The ministry still expects the full order to be delivered before 2026.

Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, said during a visit to Taipei last month that he was doing everything possible to expedite arms deliveries.

China has been raising concerns over the US arming Taiwan with modern weapons to "counter proposed Chinese invasion," as Beijing considers the island its own territory and treats any foreign contacts with Taiwan to be a gross intrusion in China's domestic matters.

A Sputnik

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Defence sector delivering on Prime Minister's priorities with major boost to UK economy

The second Joint Economic Data Hub report outlines the value of the defence sector to UK jobs, businesses and exports

4 May 2023

Defence sector continues to show growth in employment across the UK, delivering on the Prime Minister's priority to grow the UK economy.

Defence activity showed resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, with defence turnover growing by 2.1% in the surveyed companies.

Approximately 130,000 indirect jobs supported by the Defence Growth Partnership companies in the UK supply chain in 2021, with many in highly-skilled roles.

High wages with 8.2% wage growth since 2020 in the surveyed companies.

Delivering on one of the Prime Minister's key priorities, the Defence industry has been recognised as a key contributor to the UK economy, with jobs, businesses and exports being boosted, a new report has detailed today.

Building on the inaugural Joint Economic Data Hub (JEDHub) report published last year, this year's report highlights several insights, including the important contribution international business makes supporting UK defence turnover, with around 40% of defence turnover in surveyed companies coming from international sources in 2021.

Continuing to show significant growth in employment, the report also highlights that, despite wider manufacturing contractions, there has been a 3.5% growth in surveyed defence full-time employees from 2020, also showing how the sector is driving demand for high productivity, highly skilled and high wage jobs across the UK.

The report found that 130,000 indirect jobs were supported in the UK supply chain by the 11 Defence Growth Partnership (DGP) companies in 2021, with a quarter of new recruits made up of apprentices and graduates in 2021.

Additionally, of the companies surveyed, 45% of the roles were in STEM-related employment and over 25% of activity was in Research and Development, contributing to future skills, technologies and defence capabilities.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said:

This second JEDHub report provides new insights into how the defence sector continues to contribute to the economic wellbeing of communities right across the UK, including through high-paying jobs. I am delighted that industry and government are continuing to work together in helping us grow our understanding of that vital contribution.

The report recognised high average wages in the sector, with an 8.2% growth on 2020; and provides greater insights on skills, apprenticeships and graduates, the defence supply-chain and defence capabilities.

The report also shows a significant level of activity across each of the lifecycle activities, contributing to a diverse skill-set, with the growth in R&D activity contributing to future skills, technologies and defence capabilities. 7.9% of surveyed defence employment is made up of trainees on apprenticeship and graduate trainee programmes, with growing investment in trainee programmes in the defence sector ensuring future skills availability.

This report draws on the results of a JEDHub industry survey as well as data from other sources, including the Office for National Statistics. Based at the UK Defence Solutions Centre (UKDSC), the JEDHub is a collaborative initiative, supported by government, industry and academia to improve understanding of the defence sector's contribution to the UK economy, and was an important deliverable of the 2021 Defence and Security Industrial Strategy (DSIS).

Chief Executive of ADS, Kevin Craven, said:

The second JEDHub report highlights how the strong and agile UK defence sector continues to grow as global threats and volatility increase in a challenging geopolitical environment. The ability to use impartial and objective statistics and data to identify the strengths of the UK defence sector are essential for its future success. The JEDHub project is another example of successful Government and industry collaboration which is essential to strengthen UK capability. We look forward to timely projects including on international alliances and programmes such as AUKUS and GCAP which exemplify the UK's enduring commitment to supporting global defence and security.

The latest JEDHub Annual Economic Report builds on the success of last year's report and an all-new industry survey, providing a detailed picture of the UK defence sector in 2021.

This year's report captures economic data in 2020 and 2021, which includes the period during the COVID-19 pandemic which will have uniquely impacted key metrics such as recruitment and turnover.

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Canada welcomes release of report by Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on deportation of Ukrainian children

Global Affairs Canada

Statement

May 4, 2023 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada

The Honourable MAlanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:

"Since the beginning of Russia's unjustifiable full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Canada, in partnership with Ukraine and other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE], has invoked the OSCE Moscow Mechanism three times to examine Russia's ongoing war crimes and violations of human rights in Ukraine, most recently regarding the transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children.

"Today, while Canada welcomes this report, we are outraged by the violations that it documentsaviolations of international humanitarian law and international human rights. Its findings further support the International Criminal Courts' arrest warrants for President Putin and Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for their alleged war crimes.

"Specifically, the mission of experts found that as a result of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, thousands of unaccompanied and separated children have been deported to Russia or forcibly transferred to temporarily occupied territories.

"Such actions are unconscionable. Canada joins with the other 44 states that invoked the OSCE Moscow Mechanism to urge Russia to implement the report's recommendations. Children are amongst the most vulnerable in conflict, and it is the duty of all involved to ensure their safeguarding.

"The multiple OSCE reports show Russia's clear pattern of gross violations of human rights and grave breaches of international humanitarian law. Canada will always advocate for the rights and protection of children, especially in conflict settings. We stand with our partners in our combined efforts to ensure accountability for these serious international crimes.

"Children cannot be spoils of war. Russia must return the children of Ukraine to Ukraine now."

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks with President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen

Prime Minister of Canada - Justin Trudeau

May 4, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

Today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.

The leaders discussed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and its impacts, including for the Global South. They agreed to further pursue joint efforts with Allies and G7 partners to support those most affected by the consequences of Russian aggression, and increase equitable access to concessional financing for low- and middle-income countries.

The Prime Minister and the President discussed the importance of close coordination between partners and Allies to build resilient supply chains, and recognized the importance of Canada and the European Union's carbon pricing mechanisms. They looked forward to further advancing bold action on climate and the transition toward low-carbon economies.

The two leaders agreed on the need to stabilize the crisis in Haiti, including through a coordinated approach to address impunity, hold those who promote violence and instability accountable, and facilitate Haitian-led solutions.

Prime Minister Trudeau and President von der Leyen agreed to continue coordinating closely on shared priorities.

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China calls for avoiding escalation in Ukraine crisis after Kremlin drone attack

Global Times

Incident 'likely linked with extremists', hegemonic support: experts

By Chen Qingqing and Bai Yunyi Published: May 04, 2023 07:02 PM

Ukraine denied Russia's accusations that it had tried to attack the Kremlin with drones in an attempt "to kill Russian President Vladimir Putin," prompting even more speculation over the incident. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China has noted the relevant reports, and China calls on all parties to avoid any action that could further escalate the situation.

"China's position on the Ukraine crisis is consistent and clear. All sides need to avoid taking actions that might further escalate the situation," Mao Ning, spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, told a routine press conference on Thursday.

Some Chinese experts considered the attack as likely to be linked with Ukraine extremists who advocate prolonging the Russia-Ukraine conflict and coercing high ranking Ukrainian officials to continue the fight, while the odds are that there was support or even encouragement from international hegemonic forces for the operation.

Online footage showed a flying object exploding in an intense burst of light near the dome of the Kremlin Senate building. The Russian government said early Wednesday that Kiev "attempted a drone strike against the residence of the President of the Russian Federation" at the Kremlin.

The aircraft were downed using electronic warfare measures and caused no casualties or damage, RT said, citing a presidential administration statement. Moscow considers the incident an act of terrorism.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has denied the Russian claims, saying that "we don't attack Putin, or Moscow, we fight on our territory and defend our towns and cities," the Guardian reported on Wednesday.

But on Thursday, Russia accused the US of being behind of the drone incident. "Attempts to disown this, both in Kiev and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kiev but in Washington," Putin's spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying in a Reuters report.

When asked about whether the incident would affect the visit of the Special Representative of the Chinese Government on Eurasian Affairs to Ukraine, the spokesperson said we will make further announcements in due course. China will continue to work with the international community to play a constructive role for the political settlement of the Ukraine crisis..

On the battlefield in Ukraine, both sides have paid a heavy price but neither has fully achieved their purpose in the war, and now both sides' willingness to continue the war is undergoing a great test, some Chinese experts said. Ukraine has been the defensive side, unwilling to see a large area of its land being controlled by Russia, but it has been unable to launch a large-scale counteroffensive, they noted.

"With divergences growing inside Ukraine, the conflict between those advocating for peace and those advocating for war has escalated," Wang Xiaoquan, an expert with the Institute of Russian, Eastern European & Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Thursday.

The drone incident is likely to be the work of extremists advocating for war in Ukraine, with the aim of suppressing those pro-peace forces and coercing Ukrainian senior officials to continue fighting the war, Wang noted. "Also, there may have been support or even encouragement by international hegemonic forces," Wang said.

In response to the drone incident, Russia said in a statement on Wednesday that it "reserves the right to take countermeasures wherever and whenever it deems appropriate," which leads Chinese experts to believe that Moscow will retaliate in a massive way.

The incident crossed the new red line of the Ukraine crisis. After more than one year of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, neither side has attacked the other's government residences and leaders. [After this incident] Ukraine's government buildings could be targeted in the next phase, experts said.

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Moscow Mechanism experts present report on Ukraine to OSCE Permanent Council

OSCE | Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

4 May 2023

The OSCE Moscow Mechanism mission of experts undertaken by Professor Veronika BAlkovA, Dr. Cecilie Hellestveit and Dr. ElAna A teinerte presented their findings to the OSCE Permanent Council on 4 May 2023, collected in the report entitled 'Report on Violations and Abuses of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity, related to the Forcible Transfer and/or Deportation of Ukrainian Children to the Russian Federation'.

The three experts were selected after 45 OSCE participating States, following consultation with Ukraine, invoked the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism on 30 March to "build upon previous findings and establish the facts and circumstances surrounding possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments, violations and abuses of human rights, and violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, as well as possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity, associated with or resulting from the forcible transfer of children within parts of Ukraine's territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia and/or their deportation to the Russian Federation; and to collect, consolidate, and analyze this information with a view to offer recommendations, as well as provide the information to relevant accountability mechanisms, as well as national, regional, or international courts or tribunals that have, or may in future have, jurisdiction".

The Mechanism, agreed by all OSCE participating States, allows for one or more participating States to request ODIHR to "inquire of another participating State whether it would agree to invite a mission of experts to address a particular, clearly defined question on its territory relating to the human dimension".

The Permanent Council is one of the OSCE's main decision-making bodies, and convenes each week in Vienna to discuss developments in the OSCE area and make decisions on future activities.

The observations of the mission of experts are available here.

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Drone attack causes fire at Russian oil refinery: media

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 13:12, May 04, 2023

VLADIVOSTOK, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A fire broke out at an oil refinery in southern Russia after it was attacked by an unknown drone, Russia's TASS news agency reported on Thursday.

The incident occurred at the Ilsky Oil Refinery in the Seversky district of the Krasnodar region, causing no casualties, according to Veniamin Kondratyev, governor of Krasnodar.

"Firefighters and emergency workers are already on site," Kondratyev wrote on his social media channel, adding there was no threat to nearby residents.

This is the second drone attack on an oil facility in Krasnodar this week. On Wednesday night, another drone attack took place at an oil reservoir in Volna village in Temryuk district, causing a fire that covered an area of 1,200 square meters.

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Russia alleges key US role in Kremlin drone attack

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 11:11 AM

Russia has blamed the US for planning "a deliberate attempt" to kill President Vladimir Putin in a drone attack against the Kremlin, vowing retaliatory measures when it deems appropriate.

Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov underlined in a Thursday statement that Moscow is aware that Washington had selected the target of the drone strike and that Kiev was merely carrying out the US plan.

Another Kremlin statement declared earlier on Wednesday that a drone attack was foiled on the official residence of the Russian president in the early hours of the day.

Peskov emphasized later that Moscow reserves the right "to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

He further noted that Russia had several retaliatory options under consideration and that the response, whenever it came, would be carefully examined and balanced.

He added that an urgent probe into the attack was underway, but could not predict when the results would be announced.

US officials, however, insist that they were still assessing the incident, claiming they had no information about who might have been responsible.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken further stated he had seen reports from Moscow about the alleged attack, but "can't in any way validate them."

"We simply don't know," Blinken claimed on Wednesday.

"We'll see what the facts are. And it's really hard to comment or speculate on this without really knowing what the facts are," he added.

Ukraine also denied involvement in the incident, accusing Russia of terrorism in response as its usual practice.

Ukraine's presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak also denied Kiev's involvement, claiming that Moscow's statements were an attempt to control the narrative ahead of what Ukraine and its Western sponsors keep repeating as a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Video that appeared on social media shows a bright flash and a puff of smoke over a part of the Kremlin.

After the initial report of the incident, another video appeared on social media showing the moment a drone exploded above the Kremlin.

According to an analysis of the video by CNN, the incident supports the Kremlin's statement that two drones were flown above the Kremlin early Wednesday morning.

Prior to the incident, Russia had repeatedly blamed Kiev forces for carrying out multiple drone attacks inside Russian territory.

Earlier this year, the governor of the Moscow region said a Ukrainian drone had crashed near the village of Gubastovo, southeast of the capital.

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Ex-Russian president urges retaliation against 'Ukraine's attack on Kremlin'

Iran Press TV

Thursday, 04 May 2023 6:13 AM

A senior Russian security official urges retaliation against an earlier drone attack on the Kremlin, which Moscow has denounced as a direct assassination attempt by Kiev against Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"After today's terrorist act, there are no options left but the physical removal of [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky and his clique," Dmitry Medvedev, himself a former Russian president, who is currently serving as the deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, wrote on the Telegram messaging app on Wednesday.

Moscow said earlier that two drones had been used in the attack on Putin's residence in the Kremlin's citadel overnight, adding that the aircraft had been disabled using electronic defenses.

A Kremlin statement called the incident a "terrorist attack" by Ukraine.

The Kremlin has asserted that "the Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of Russia's parliament, has, meanwhile, demanded the use of "weapons capable of stopping and destroying the Kiev terrorist regime."

The developments came amid an ongoing "special military operation" by Russia against Ukraine.

Russia launched the military campaign last February to stop Kiev's persecution of the pro-Russian population in eastern Ukraine and also to "de-Nazify" the ex-Soviet republic.

Adding to his remarks, Medvedev drew an analogy between Ukraine and Nazi Germany.

"We don't need him (Zelensky) to sign [their] unconditional surrender. Hitler, as it is known, didn't sign his either," said the official.

"There will always be someone like Admiral Doenitz to sit in as president," he added, referring to the Nazi officer, who officially replaced Hitler after he committed suicide in April 1945 and presided over Germany's capitulation.



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Zelenskiy Calls For Special Court To Try Russia's Aggression Against Ukraine

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service May 04, 2023

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a speech at the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICC) in The Hague, has called for the creation of a special court to try Russian war crimes in Ukraine and for the prosecution of President Vladimir Putin for his "criminal actions."

Zelenskiy made the comments on May 4 in The Hague in a speech at the International War Crimes Tribunal (ICC) during a rare trip outside of Ukraine as it fights to repel invading Russian forces.

"We all want to see a different Vladimir here in The Hague, the one who deserves to be sanctioned for his criminal actions here, in the capital of international law. I am sure this will happen when we win," Zelenskiy said.

The ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin on March 17, accusing Putin of responsibility in the illegal deportation of children from Ukraine, which constitutes a war crime, since he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Zelenskiy said the special court should be modelled on the Nuremberg tribunal implemented by the Allies at the end of World War II to try Nazi war crimes.

Zelenskiy said later at a press conference that the tribunal would "show that these people are not untouchables," and stressed that the invasion itself should be seen as the "primary offense" committed by Moscow.

He also told the news conference that Ukraine wants assurances that it will be admitted into NATO once the war is over.

Zelenskiy's surprise visit to the Netherlands came amid an escalation of Russia's deadly strikes on Ukrainian civilian targets.

Russia overnight launched another wave of drone attacks across Ukraine. Most of the incoming drones were shot down by the Ukrainian air defenses, the military said on May 4, a day after more than 20 civilians were killed by Iranian-made Shaheds.

Ukrainian defenders downed 18 out of 24 drones across Ukraine, the Air Force Command said, adding that the attack was again launched from two directions -- from the western Russian region of Bryansk to the north and from the Sea of Azov to the southeast.

Air raid alarms sounded late on May 4 in Kyiv because of a suspected drone attack, but the Ukrainian Air Force said later the aircraft that caused the alarm was one of its own.

The drone lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region and was shot down, a statement from the Air Force said.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko said an explosion had been heard in the Solomyansk district of the Ukrainian capital and a fire had broken out. He said this was probably due to the impact of a drone.

City authorities reported falling wreckage from a drone, saying it caused two fires in Solomyansk and Pechersk districts, and said no one was injured.

All drones aimed at the city the night before were destroyed, the city's military administration said. No casualties were reported, however debris from the falling drones damaged vehicles and roads in parts of the capital.

The attacks came on the heels of deadly drone strikes on May 3 that killed at least 25 people -- 23 of them in the southern city of Kherson -- in attacks that Zelenskiy said hit a residential building and civilian commercial areas.

Moscow has repeatedly denied targeting civilians since the start of its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, despite air attacks often hitting hospitals, residential buildings, schools, and other civilian infrastructure.

The Kremlin, meanwhile, accused the United States on May 4 of being the mastermind of an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin intended to kill Putin.

The Kremlin on May 3 claimed Ukraine attempted to hit Putin's residence with two drones that it said were destroyed "as a result of timely action by the military and special services."

"Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on May 4, without providing any evidence to support the claim.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said in response that Peskov was "just lying" and that the United States neither encouraged nor enabled Ukraine to strike outside its borders.

Ukraine denied any involvement in the alleged attack, suggesting Moscow staged it ahead of an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.

Russian forces continued to launch wave of unsuccessful assaults on the city of Bakhmut, in the eastern region of Donetsk, the Ukrainian military said in its daily update on May 4.

Russia's main efforts remain focused on attacks on the Bakhmut-Maryinka-Avdiyivka front line, where the fiercest combat and incessant Russian shelling is under way, Ukraine's General Staff said, adding that its forces repelled 40 attacks over the 24-hour period ending early on May 4.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-drones-bakhmut- russia/32394366.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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The Kremlin And The Drones: An Audacious Attack, A Provocation, A False Flag, Or Something Else?

By Mike Eckel May 04, 2023

Prior to May 3, the last time the Kremlin was attacked -- bombed, in fact -- was in 1942, when Nazi forces were closing in on Moscow. Before that, you'd have to go back to Napoleon, when French forces entered the Kremlin, albeit without much of a fight.

Now add to the list a pair of mysterious, dead-of-night drone flights that set the roof of one Kremlin building partly ablaze, just days before President Vladimir Putin hosts the Kremlin's most prominent annual spectacle: the Red Square military parade commemorating the defeat of Germany in World War II.

More than 24 hours after the incident, caught on surveillance videos, the questions of who was behind the drone flights -- and what was the goal -- remain shrouded in mystery and wartime obfuscation.

The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine, accusing it of trying to assassinate Putin, who was not even on the premises at the time, according to his press service. Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, denied involvement, while also suggesting that Russia itself could have staged the incident as a "false flag," a pretext to escalate the war in Ukraine.

And if Ukraine did in fact pull off the incident, it would be a major embarrassment for Russian military and air defenses, particularly coming less than a week before the Victory Day parade just outside the Kremlin.

"Let's be clear on what this is not," said James Nixey, who heads the Russia and Eurasia Program at Chatham House, a London-based think tank. "It's not an assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin. That's just what the Kremlin is saying."

"The two most likely possibilities are a 'warning shot across the bows' by Kyiv - 'look what we can do'--- or a false-flag operation by Moscow designed to justify more intense attacks in Ukraine or more conscription," he told RFE/RL.

The flight of the drones, which occurred 16 minutes apart, at around 2:30 a.m., was captured on several surveillance videos, at least one of which may have been controlled by the Russian security services.

One video showed part of the doomed roof of the Senatsky Dvorets, the Senate Palace that overlooks Red Square, set ablaze. Other videos showed a flying object moving toward the dome, as several people climbed a rooftop ladder, before the object exploded near a flagpole on the roof.

This should be the second of two alleged drones. You can see people climbing the dome and running around with flashlights near the tower gates. Additionally, there must have been something that prompted the person who filmed this to start recording. https://t.co/bTCfB9OHO3

a Mark Krutov (@kromark) May 3, 2023

There were no injuries, the Kremlin said, and damage to the building appeared to be minimal.

The Kremlin, which issued its first statement about 12 hours after the incident, claimed that it was an assassination attempt against Putin by "the Kyiv regime," and that air defenses had brought down the objects. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov later cast blame not only on Ukraine, but also the United States, which denied involvement.

"We know very well that the decision for such actions and terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington," Peskov told reporters on May 4, providing no evidence.

Ukraine has repeatedly denied launching attacks on Russian soil. "We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities," Zelenskiy said during a visit to Helsinki on May 4.

However, Ukraine appears to have been waging a covert, low-level campaign within Russia for months, using drones and possibly special forces to strike things like fuel depots and pipelines.

A Russian air base that is home to strategic bombers and located hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border has been attacked twice.

Russia's military has claimed to have shot down drones in the airspace in and around Moscow. Russian ships and other targets in and around occupied Crimea, where Russia's Black Sea Fleet is based, have been hit repeatedly, including in recent days.

A Ukrainian drone hit a fuel depot in Sevastopol early this morning. pic.twitter.com/q6naijS3v8

a Mike Eckel (@Mike_Eckel) April 29, 2023

A fire that erupted at a refinery in the southern Rostov region late on May 3 was the third apparent drone strike on a Russian depot in two days.

Mykhaylo Podolyak, a top adviser to Zelenskiy, suggested the May 3 drone incident could allow Russia to justify targeting civilian sites in Ukraine. He also alleged that "guerrilla activities of local resistance forces" could be responsible for drones flying within Russia.

"Something is happening in [Russia], but definitely without Ukraine's drones over the Kremlin," Podolyak said in a post to Twitter.

'Performative Strike'

Most experts concluded that it was highly unlikely that the incident was an assassination attempt on Putin: The Russian leader rarely spends the night at the Kremlin, preferring to stay at the official state residence in the suburb of Novo-Ogaryovo, or at an opulent Black Sea palace in Sochi.

If Ukrainians were responsible, however, it would be a massive embarrassment, a stunning breach of Russian security and air defense reminiscent of the 1987 incident when a German teenager, Mathias Rust, landed a light propeller plane directly on Red Square.

"If we presume it was a Ukrainian attack, consider it a performative strike, a demonstration of capability and a declaration of intent: 'don't think Moscow is safe'," Mark Galeotti, a longtime expert on Russian security services, said in a post to Twitter.

Baza, a Telegram channel believed to have links to Russian law enforcement, cited unnamed officials as saying the drones had been reported by people in the Moscow region, but defense officials did not take the reports seriously until the drones were in Moscow airspace, and then it was too late to respond.

"If...Kyiv did it, then it's yet another shocking security lapse by the Russian state," Nixey said.

Another violent incident inside Russia that Moscow has blamed on Ukraine was the assassination of Darya Dugina, the daughter of a far-right imperialist philosopher Aleksandr Dugin. She was killed last August when a bomb detonated under the car she was driving outside Moscow.

Ukraine denied involvement in that case, but U.S. intelligence officials told The New York Times they believed that unnamed officials in the Ukrainian government were responsible.

Ukrainian officials have reportedly plotted to attack Moscow directly. The Washington Post last month cited leaked U.S. intelligence reports saying that Ukrainian military intelligence chief Major General Kyrylo Budanov wanted to stage "mass attacks" on Moscow and elsewhere on the anniversary of Russia's February 24, 2022 invasion.

U.S. officials, however, persuaded Budanov to not go through with the plan, the report said.

'A Shaker Of Salt'

Officials in Washington said the United States had no advance warning of plans for such an attack. The White House said it couldn't confirm the reports, but spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that the United States was not pushing Ukraine to launch attacks on foreign soil.

"Since the beginning of this conflict, the United States is certainly not encouraging...or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its borders," she told reporters on May 3.

White House national-security spokesman John Kirby denied any U.S. involvement, saying that Peskov was "just lying" when he pointed the finger at Washington. And U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken cast doubt on the Kremlin's assertion that it was a Ukrainian plot to kill Putin.

"I would take anything out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt," he told Washington Post columnist David Ignatius.

The Kremlin's initial public statement on the incident was threatening: "The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit."

That fueled speculation that it might have been a Russian-orchestrated "false flag" incident, aimed at creating a pretext to take more, or new, actions against Ukraine. Dmitry Medvedev, the former president who is now a rabid advocate for the war on Ukraine, called for the "physical elimination" of Zelenskiy.

"A terrorist attack on the president. This is an attack on Russia," Vyacheslav Volodin, a close Kremlin ally who heads the lower house of parliament, wrote on Telegram.

Overnight, Russia launched the latest in a series of missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and the Black Sea port of Odesa. And Russian rockets battered the southern city of Kherson, hitting a train station and a shopping mall, killing at least 23 people and injuring dozens more.

"How would you respond to the attack on the Kremlin?" Kremlin-allied political analyst Sergei Markov asked in a post, raising the option of attacking the Pentagon, using tactical nuclear weapons, or targeting Zelenskiy directly.

Since the Soviet collapse, there's been at least one other incident whose circumstances have long been scrutinized as a possible "false flag"-- the 1999 apartment building bombings that led to the Second Chechen War, and, many Russian experts and activists say, cleared the path for Putin to become president months later.

"If it's Moscow and a false flag, then it reeks of desperation," Nixey said. "And it's a high-risk strategy likely to be exposed, considering how poor their tradecraft seems to be."

Prepare For The Offensive

Along with the drone incident, the uptick in border-region explosions and even the apparent sabotage of railroad trains, comes amid growing anticipation about a planned Ukrainian counteroffensive against Russian forces in eastern or southern Ukraine.

Coming after a grinding winter with both sides pummeling each other and making little tangible progress, the counteroffensive could be a major inflection point in the 15-month conflict, with Ukraine desperate to show its Western allies that it's still capable of punching Russia hard -- and the West should keep the weapons flowing.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/russia-kremlin-drone- attack-ukraine-provocation-false-flag/32396332.html

Copyright (c) 2023. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Foreign Ministry statement on the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin - the residence of the President of the Russian Federation

4 May 2023 12:01

850-04-05-2023

The Foreign Ministry firmly condemns the attempted terrorist attacks against the Moscow Kremlin on the night of May 3, when it was targeted by unmanned aerial vehicles.

There is no doubt that the Kiev regime is behind these attacks. It has a long-standing record of intentionally supporting and employing terrorist methods against civilian infrastructure and civilians, including the October 8, 2022, explosion on the Crimean Bridge, strikes against non-military targets in the Bryansk, Belgorod and Rostov regions, as well as many acts of sabotage. Now comes Moscow. The terrorist activity and acts of sabotage by the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been gathering unprecedented momentum.

This crime is aggravated by the fact that the Moscow Kremlin serves as the residence of the head of state. What makes the actions of the neo-Nazi Ukrainian authorities especially cynical is that they made an attempt to assassinate the President of Russia ahead of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade, where Great Patriotic War veterans, who had shed their blood in the fight against Nazism and fascism, including on Ukrainian territory, will be present.

Crimes like this cannot go unanswered. The Investigative Committee of Russia has opened a criminal case into actions designed to intimidate and terrorise people, inflict damage and kill people as a means of influencing the decision-making process by government agencies. We are certain that those who bear the blame for these acts will be identified. They will face imminent and inevitable punishment.

The Kiev regime's criminal actions confirm yet again that Kiev does not want peace or to settle the conflict by political and diplomatic means. This makes fulfilling all the objectives and goals of Russia's special military operation even more obvious. There must be no security threats emanating from the territory of Ukraine and no terrorist attacks must be perpetrated from there.

It has been an open secret for the international community that the Kiev regime enjoys the support of Western countries, which provide it with weapons, intelligence data, train its fighters and assign targets. The silence on behalf of the collective West demonstrates its connivance with the terrorist methods employed by the neo-Nazi extremist regime in Kiev.

The Foreign Ministry believes that the international community and international organisations which are free from double standards and seek guidance from international law must condemn this new criminal undertaking by the Kiev regime. Kiev must be forced to live up to its commitments as regards fighting terrorism, international humanitarian law and human rights.

The Foreign Ministry reaffirms that Russia reserves the right to take countermeasures in response to these outrageous acts of terrorism. Russia's response will hinge on the assessment of the threats posed by Kiev to the leadership of our country.

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Kiev Faces Most Intensive Air Attacks Since Start of 2023 on Wednesday Night - Authorities

Sputnik News

20230504

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The intensity of Russia's air attacks on Kiev on the night from Wednesday to Thursday was the highest since the beginning of 2023, following a drone attack on the Kremlin the day before, Serhiy Popko, the head of the Kiev military administration, has said.

"Another air attack on Kiev. It is already the third [attack] over the four days of May for the capital! Our city has not experienced such a dense intensity of strikes since the beginning of this year," Popko said on Telegram.

Earlier, an air raid alert was declared in Kiev and other major Ukrainian cities.

The intensity was increased apparently after an attempted attack by two drones on Russia's Kremlin early on Wednesday. Moscow said the attack had been Kiev's assassination attempt on Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Ukrainian government has denied involvement in the attack.

Precision strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure have been launched by Russia since October 10, 2022, two days after the terrorist attack on the Crimean Bridge.

A Sputnik

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Ukraine Concentrating Forces at Forefront in Zaporozhye Region

Sputnik News

20230504

SIMFEROPOL (Sputnik) - Ukraine has concentrated its forces at the forefront to launch a counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye Region, Vladimir Rogov, a senior official of the Zaporozhye regional administration, told Sputnik on Thursday.

"The enemy has accumulated enough forces on the front line to launch a counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye Region. Their tactic is to conduct reconnaissance operations in order to break through our first line of defense, and then use the main forces for a breakthrough and a full-scale offensive," Rogov said.

Russian troops are well aware of Ukraine's plans, according to which the city of Tokmak could become one of the main directions of the counteroffensive, the official told Sputnik.

At the same time, Rogov noted that Ukraine's counteroffensive in the Zaporozhye Region could become "the beginning of the end for the existence of the entire Kiev regime."

On Wednesday, Rogov said that Russian troops had repelled an offensive by Ukrainian forces near the city of Orekhov in the Zaporozhye Region.

The Ukrainian government has been planning a major counteroffensive against Russia for several months. Ukrainian and Western military experts have repeatedly called the Zaporozhye Region one of Kiev's main targets, as it would open the access to the Azov Sea and cut off the land corridor to Crimea.

Russia has considered the Zaporozhye Region to be part of its territory since September 30, 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin and the head of the region signed an agreement on its accession to the country, following a referendum in which an overwhelming majority of the local population supported becoming part of Russia.

Around 70% of the region is currently controlled by Russia, but Ukrainian troops are still holding the region's capital and biggest city, Zaporozhye.

A Sputnik

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'Laughable' Claims by West That Kremlin 'Attacked Itself' Similar to Nord Stream Fallacies

Sputnik News

20230504

Svetlana Ekimenko

Two UAVs attempted to strike the Kremlin in Moscow on 3 May in what Russia says was a Ukrainian assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin. The drones were downed through the use of electronic warfare equipment. The Kremlin said that no injuries or "material damage" was caused. Kiev has denied involvement in the attack.

Speculation in the Western media that the 3 May attack on the Kremlin by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) was planned by Moscow itself are no better than the ludicrous allegations that Russia blew up its own Nord Stream gas pipelines, American journalist and lawyer Glenn Greenwald has said.

Greenwald went on Twitter to dismiss such claims as "laughable", and included in his post a link to a story in a US media publication.

The outlet in question was referring to Wednesday's incident, when two drones approaching the Kremlin were spotted by Russian security personnel who immediately moved to intercept and neutralize the threat. Both UAVs were brought down with the help of electronic warfare equipment, with their debris scattered on the Kremlin's premises. According to the Kremlin's press service, the attack did not result in any injuries or "material damage".

When the attack was launched days ahead of Victory Day - a major Russian holiday commemorating this country's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, otherwise known as the Great Patriotic War - President Vladimir Putin, who has continued to perform his duties, was not present at the Kremlin, his press service announced. In a statement issued later that day, the Kremlin described this attack as a "planned terrorist act and an attempt on the life of the President of the Russian Federation" Vladimir Putin.

After the incident, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced a ban on the use of UAVs in the city, except for those "used by state authorities".

The regime in Kiev responded to the attack by denying any involvement.

"We didn't attack Putin," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, speaking from Helsinki, Finland, during a meeting with the leaders of Nordic states and Zelensky's adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, went so far as to suggest that "domestic opponents" of the Russian President could be responsible for the attack.

The developments come as speculation has gone wild about Ukraine's planned "spring offensive", as well as in the wake of a series of high-profile sabotage and terrorist attacks in Crimea foiled by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).

Western media speculation that "the Kremlin itself was responsible" for the incident involving the UAVs can, in fact, be likened to claims surrounding the Nord Stream sabotage.

The Nord Stream and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, built to deliver gas under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany, were hit by explosions last September. Nord Stream's operator, Nord Stream AG, said that the damage was unprecedented and it was impossible to estimate how long it would take to repair. Russia considers the explosions at the two pipelines an act of international terrorism. Although there are no official results of the investigation yet, US journalist and Pulitzer Prize winner Seymour Hersh alleged that the explosions were organized by the United States with the support of Norway. After Hersh's report, Moscow reiterated its calls for an impartial and thorough investigation. The US has denied its involvement in the incident, with Washington and its NATO allies initially even trying to implicate Russia in the bombing attack that severed three out of four undersea pipelines on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 route from Russia to Germany.

Western media outlets "unreasonably prefer to blame Russia for everything. We would prefer that they pay more attention to the topic of the terrorist attacks on Nord Stream and the need for a transparent, urgent, and broad international investigation of these unprecedented terrorist acts of sabotage," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters back in April.

A Sputnik

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OSCE report on deportation of Ukrainian children highlights immense suffering caused by Russia's war: UK statement at the UN Security Council

Ambassador James Kariuki gave a statement at the United Nations Security Council meeting on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

4 May 2023

Thank you Mr President, and thank you, Foreign Minister Osmani, for your briefing.

For almost 50 years, the OSCE has played a vital role in promoting peace, stability and security in Europe, and it remains a critical institution for European and Euro-Atlantic security.

During a challenging period for multilateralism, we welcome the positive role played by the OSCE in supporting the Security Council on international peace and security.

I will highlight 3 areas in particular:

First, the vital contribution of OSCE through its autonomous institutions, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, and its field missions in Central Asia, the Western Balkans and Moldova. We also strongly support OSCE efforts to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno-Karabakh.

Second, the OSCE's work across all dimensions underpins our common security and prosperity. This includes its actions on economic development, environmental protection and climate change, which have our full support.

And finally, we welcome the OSCE's ongoing work through the Moscow Mechanism to expose violations and abuses of international humanitarian and human rights law. This includes reporting on the brutal crackdown on political and media freedoms in Belarus and holding Russia to account for its actions in Ukraine.

Mr President, when Russia launched its unprovoked, full-scale invasion against Ukraine in February 2022, it transgressed all of the OSCE's core principles - sovereignty; respect for territorial integrity; inviolability of borders; and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

The publication today of the OSCE's Moscow Mechanism report on the deportation of Ukrainian children once again highlights the immense suffering caused by Russia's war.

It outlines the grave human rights violations and abuses Russia has committed and supports growing evidence that several thousand Ukrainian children have been removed from their families, friends and homes, and forcibly transferred out of the country.

In these times of crisis, we need functioning and effective regional organisations to address shared problems and uphold the principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. The OSCE has an important role to play. But, to fulfil this role, it relies on participating States fulfilling their commitments.

Instead, Russia is choosing to obstruct the Organisation. It does so by delaying key decisions on its budget, blocking leadership appointments and frustrating the work of its human rights institutions. We urge all 57 OSCE participating States, including Russia, to support the Organisation and ensure it is fully functional and adequately funded to deliver on its important work.

The United Kingdom remains steadfast in our appreciation for the work of the OSCE and our support for North Macedonia's Chairmanship.

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Moscow Mechanism report on deportation of Ukrainian children: UK statement to the OSCE

Acting Ambassador Deirdre Brown welcomes the OSCE Moscow Mechanism report and calls for an immediate end to deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia.

4 May 2023

Thank you, Mr Chair. I wish to make a statement in my national capacity, to supplement the statement delivered by the Ambassador of Finland.

Dr Hellestveit and Dr A teinerte - welcome to the Permanent Council. Professor Bilkova - welcome back. Thank you for your expertise, independence and diligence in providing such a comprehensive report on this distressing issue.

Mr Chair, the United Kingdom strongly supported the invocation of the first and second Moscow Mechanisms in Ukraine, which highlighted the truly terrible humanitarian impacts of Russia's invasion. This third report has further exposed the abhorrent actions carried out at the behest of the Russian leadership.

While the independent authors of the report were not able to ascertain the exact number of children deported so far, the report indicates figures in the several thousands, with the true figure likely to be far higher. Several thousands of children - taken away from their homes, families and friends - and forcibly placed in strange and unfamiliar environments, exposed to yet more trauma caused by Russia's inhumane practices.

Mr Chair, the report makes clear that these children were mostly deported without the consent of their parents or guardians. Many were separated from their families at filtration centres, removed from institutions, or simply never returned from so-called 'recreation camps'. Moreover, the report makes explicit that, in violation of international humanitarian law, there is no functioning mechanism for the reunification of children with their relatives, or repatriation to Ukraine. Rather Russia has created obstacles to the return of these children.

We simply cannot imagine the pain this inflicts on the children, parents and families involved. At one filtration point, Russian forces separated a father from his 3 children - aged just 12, 7 and 5 years old. The 12-year-old was able to contact his father to inform him he had just 5 days to collect them, or they and their siblings would be placed in an institution or adopted. A single mother sent her son to a so-called 'recreation camp', only for the Russian authorities to subsequently refuse to return him. The mother was forced instead to travel to Russia twice before the Russian authorities would release her son. These are just 2 stories of thousands. Many families still do not know the whereabouts of their children at all.

Mr Chair, Russia's intention is clear. It is attempting to forcibly and permanently alter the demographic makeup of Ukraine. It is attempting to erase Ukrainian identity and culture, and it is attempting to erase Ukraine's future. The independent authors of the report received numerous reports suggesting children in the temporarily Russian-controlled territories and, especially in the Russian Federation, are exposed to pro-Russian information campaigns often amounting to targeted re-education.

Moreover, the report outlines the clear steps Russia has taken to simplify the process for changing the citizenship of orphaned or unaccompanied Ukrainian children. We are deeply concerned that the easing of requirements for obtaining Russian citizenship may be used to facilitate adoptions.

Mr Chair, the report concluded that the Russian Federation has committed numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported, including their right to identity, family, education and liberty. Russia must immediately cease the practice of forcible transfer or deportation of Ukrainian children to temporarily Russian-controlled territories and to the Russian Federation. We demand immediate, safe and unfettered access of humanitarian organisations to all places were children who have been forcibly transferred or deported are residing. We demand the immediate return of all affected Ukrainian children. And, we vow to Ukraine's children and their families, that the UK will do all in our power to ensure those responsible face justice.

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Moscow Mechanism report on deportation of Ukrainian children: joint statement

Vesa HAkkinen, Finnish Ambassador to the OSCE, gives a statement on behalf of 45 OSCE participating States on the Russian deportation of children from Ukraine.

4 May 2023

Mr Chairperson, I am delivering this statement on behalf of 45 participating States: Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, TArkiye, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union member states.

Being gravely concerned by the continuing impacts of Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, in particular on the civilian population, including children, our delegations invoked the Moscow Mechanism on 30 March 2023. We requested ODIHR to inquire of Ukraine whether it would invite a mission of experts to 'establish the facts and circumstances surrounding:

possible contraventions of relevant OSCE commitments

violations and abuses of human rights, and violations of International Humanitarian Law and international human rights law

as well as possible cases of war crimes and crimes against humanity

associated with or resulting from the forcible transfer of children within parts of Ukraine's territory temporarily controlled or occupied by Russia and/or their deportation to the Russian Federation.'

We are very grateful to the Moscow Mechanism rapporteurs, Professor Bilkova, Dr Hellestveit and Dr A teinerte, for producing such a thorough and professional report. While we are still reviewing the report in detail, it is clear that the mission's findings confirmed our serious cause for concern.

The report states that while the Mission has not been able to establish the exact number of deported or transferred children, 'it is clear that these numbers are measured in several thousands'. The total number may be much higher still, as 'both the Russian Federation and Ukraine indicate figures amounting to hundreds of thousands of children'.

Further, the report states 'non-consensual evacuations, transfers and prolonged displacement of Ukrainian children constitute violations of International Humanitarian Law, and in certain cases amount to grave breaches of the Geneva Convention IV and war crimes'. The rapporteurs are of the understanding that 'it is common procedure to separate parents and children at filtration points' that have been 'established by the Russian occupational authorities', a practice that we are particularly appalled by.

The Mission states that it 'has been able to establish with certainty that by and large the deportation of children cannot be qualified as voluntary'. Worryingly, the rapporteurs concluded that 'the practice of the forcible transfer and/or deportation of Ukrainian children to the temporarily occupied territories and to the territory of the Russian Federation may amount to a crime against humanity'.

What is more, the Mission found that 'numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported to the Russian Federation have taken place', including denying 'their right to identity, their right to family, their right to unite with their family'. The rapporteurs conclude that Russia has 'manifestly violated the best interests of these children repeatedly'.

Finally, the Mission states that far from adhering to its obligation under International Humanitarian Law to facilitate the return of children, Russia 'creates various obstacles for families seeking to get their children back'. This constitutes 'a violation of the Geneva Conventions that exacerbates the gravity of other violations'.

Mr Chairperson, OSCE participating States have committed 'to actively promote children's rights and interests, especially in conflict and post-conflict situations' (Istanbul 1999). Children are among the most vulnerable in times of war and require special attention and safeguarding. It is clear from the report that Ukrainian children have been left without this safeguarding. To the Russian Federation, we would like to highlight the following recommendations from the report:

to immediately cease the practices of forcible transfer of Ukraine's children within temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and/or their forcible deportation to the Russian Federation

without delay provide comprehensive lists of the names and whereabouts of all children who have been forcibly transferred or deported

establish appropriate procedures for and actively assist family reunifications of all children who have been forcibly transferred or deported from Ukraine

immediately cease the current practice of expedited admission into the Russian citizenship of Ukrainians, especially children

We, the invoking states, take note of the Mission's recommendation to other states and the international community and encourage all other participating States to do the same. Recommendations include supporting Ukraine to locate children who have been forcibly transferred or deported, with a view to enable their return.

Mr Chairperson, this report is clear. Russia must return the children of Ukraine, to Ukraine, now.

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Russian leadership is not serious about peace in Ukraine: UK statement to the OSCE

Acting Ambassador Brown says that if Russia wanted peace, it would stop bombing Ukraine's civilian population, demonstrate commitment to the Black Sea Grain Initiative and cease its campaign of disinformation.

4 May 2023

Thank you, Mr Chair. Last week, in this room, the Russian Federation argued that it wants to see peace in Ukraine. We heard the Russian representative talk of "missed diplomatic opportunities" being measured in human lives and suffering. But let us be clear, Russia showed us clearly in the run up to the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine that it was not serious about engaging in diplomacy - it was focused only on deceit and furthering its territorial ambitions. And since then, Russia has shown us - week in and week out - that it is not serious about peace.

No-one wants peace more than Ukraine. Innocent Ukrainian people, who last Friday woke to the sound of missiles striking Uman and Dnipro. In Uman, six children were reported to be amongst those killed when Russian missiles hit a high-rise residential building. This was the first major wave of cruise missile strikes against Ukraine since early March, and followed drone strikes across several cities, including Kyiv and Odesa, in April, and further missile strikes affecting civilian infrastructure and residential areas in Kharkiv. This - the true face of Russia's war effort - shows us that the Russian leadership is simply not serious about peace.

If Russia wanted peace, it would not be bombing Ukraine's civilian population. Russia would not be targeting Ukraine's critical civilian infrastructure, including power generation and hospitals. Russia would not have illegally seized control of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, subjecting its staff to horrific treatment, and increasing the risk of a nuclear incident which could threaten citizens of Ukraine and neighbouring countries. And certainly, as satellite imagery has revealed, Russia would not have constructed fighting positions on the Plant's nuclear reactors. If Russia was serious about peace, it would withdraw all military personnel and equipment from the Plant, ensure its safe operation and return full control to its rightful owner - Ukraine.

If Russia was serious about peace, it would demonstrate its commitment to the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has helped stabilise global food prices and alleviated a global food crisis severely exacerbated by Russia's illegal war. Russia would stop using food as a weapon, by stopping threats to unilaterally leave the initiative and agree to a more sustainable, stable deal and unhindered inspections of those vessels waiting to join.

If Russia wanted a peaceful end to this war, it would cease the campaign of disinformation that it has peddled since the run-up to the full-scale invasion. It is clear that Russia aims to sow discord, obfuscate its responsibility for actions in Ukraine, and pin blame on the West and Ukraine's partners. In this forum, and others, the UK will continue to call out Russia's lies to ensure the world knows the true motives behind this illegal invasion.

In closing, Mr Chair, when Russia is serious about an end to its war, it must immediately cease attacks against Ukraine - including harming both critical national infrastructure and innocent civilians - and withdraw its forces from the entire territory of Ukraine. As long as Russia's aggression persists, the United Kingdom will seize every opportunity to put pressure on Russia to stop its barbaric war, to expose Russia's lies and to support Ukraine to protect and defend Ukraine's sovereignty.

Thank you.

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At the Dutch Air Force base, Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the Ukrainian military and observed the samples of weapons being transferred to Ukraine

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 20:57

As part of his official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the Dutch Royal Air Force base.

The Head of State met with the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine undergoing training in the Netherlands, cadets of the Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as well as with wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation in medical institutions.

"Here and now, we see what help is and what life protection is. This is the most honorable mission - to do everything for life to prevail," Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized.

Addressing Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren, the President thanked them and everyone in the Netherlands who helps Ukraine.

According to the Head of State, the weapons from this base, which help Ukrainian defenders, will protect the normal, free life of Ukrainians and all Europeans based on respect.

"All this brings victory closer, our common victory. We will defeat the Russian evil and protect our freedom, our common European way of life," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

For her part, Kajsa Ollongren noted that this base is one of the locations where the Netherlands prepares military equipment and weapons for Ukraine.

"The dedication of your soldiers is truly inspiring. They are fighting for a free Ukraine. For Ukraine they can pass on to their children. And the stakes are high for Ukraine, for all of us here in the Netherlands, and for all who share the values of democracy, international law and territorial integrity," she said.

The Minister of Defense said that the Netherlands has prepared a mobile forensic laboratory for the International Criminal Court in Ukraine. This is very important for bringing those responsible for crimes to justice.

She emphasized that the Netherlands will continue to help the Ukrainian people in their efforts to repel Russian aggression.

"We will continue to make a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities. Now and in the future, for as long as it takes," said Kajsa Ollongren.

Together with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Defense of the Netherlands, Volodymyr Zelenskyy observed the samples of military equipment being transferred to Ukraine.

The President spoke with instructors who conduct training for Ukrainian servicemen, particularly on the use of modern Western weapons systems.

The Head of State also spoke with Ukrainian defenders who are undergoing rehabilitation after combat wounds.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine is proud of its warriors.

"I thank you for your service and wish us all victory," he said.

In addition, the President spoke with forensic experts who are collecting evidence of Russian crimes on the territory of Ukraine.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Our task today is to provide the army with weapons, the second aspect is NATO and European integration

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 19:36

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasizes that the main purpose of his foreign visits, in particular to the Netherlands and Finland, is to ensure the prompt provision of the necessary weapons to the Ukrainian army to repel Russian aggression and liberate all Ukrainian lands. He said this during a meeting with media representatives following talks with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De roo in The Hague.

"Our task today is to supply our military with weapons. This was my mission yesterday. This is my mission today as well. We planned these visits to strengthen our army. One of the aspects is security. The second aspect is NATO and European integration," the Head of State said.

According to him, Ukraine's foreign partners have received relevant requests.

"We are coming back with a lot. There are substantial packages from our partners, and this is the key thing," Volodymyr Zelenskyy added.

Regarding the issue of providing Ukraine with F16 fighter jets, the President said that the discussion should begin with training of pilots.

"These training missions can only be provided to us by those countries that have the appropriate sites, that have F16s in service. But this is as complicated an issue as the issue of consolidation of countries regarding our future in the European Union and our future in NATO. We are working on it. I am confident that we will get a positive result, because we have no other choice," the Head of State emphasized.

Answering the question about the counteroffensive, the President noted that Ukraine believes in its victory and success of the counteroffensive. All countries and the entire society are working to strengthen the Armed Forces.

At the same time, Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the price paid by the Ukrainian people for the liberation of their lands would be high, and therefore Ukraine expects concrete steps from its partners.

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Ukraine - the Netherlands Declaration on accountability for Ukraine

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 18:51

We, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime-Minister Mark Rutte, have come together in The Hague on the 4th of May, the day the Kingdom of the Netherlands commemorates its victims during the Second World War or anywhere else in the world in situations of war or during peacekeeping operations since then. Here in The Hague, the city of Peace and Justice, we stress that there can be no peace without justice for the violations of international law, nor for the terrible crimes committed after the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.

The aggression against Ukraine by the Russian Federation is a manifest violation of the Charter of the United Nations and a grave breach of international peace and security, which threatens the rules-based international order, violates human rights and undermines democratic values. We hold Russia accountable for these violations.

Furthermore, Russian officials and other individuals who planned, prepared, initiated, ordered and/or executed international crimes must be held to account in a court of law. Our aim is to exclude impunity for these crimes, which include forcible deportations and intentional attempts to erase Ukrainian identity and ethnicity, including culture and language.

Today we therefore reaffirm our commitment to pursuing accountability for all international crimes and other violations of international law, committed in or against Ukraine and throughout the world

In this context, we recall the Political Declaration of the Ministerial Ukraine Accountability Conference of 14 July 2022 in The Hague that marks our commitment to upholding international law. We also recall resolution A/RES/ES-11/6 of the General Assembly of the United Nations of 23 February 2023, that deplores the dire consequences of the Russian aggression for Ukrainian citizens, including the continuous attacks against critical infrastructure across Ukraine. In this resolution the international community expresses its grave concern at the high number of civilian casualties, including women and children, at the high number of internally displaced persons and refugees in need of humanitarian assistance, and at violations and abuses committed against children. The international community also emphasizes the need to ensure accountability for the most serious international crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine, through appropriate, fair and independent investigations and prosecutions at the national or international level, and to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes. The road toward justice for Ukraine will be long, but important first steps have already been taken by Ukraine and its international partners.

We welcome the Order of 16 March 2022 of the International Court of Justice on provisional measures in the Allegations of Genocide under the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Ukraine v. Russian Federation). This Order stipulates that the Russian Federation must immediately suspend its military operations. We call on the Russian Federation to immediately and unconditionally comply with this binding order.

We are strongly committed to President Zelenskyy's Peace Formula that aims to not only bring just and sustainable peace to Ukraine, but also to restore rules-based security for the whole world. Item 7 of the ten-points Peace Formula relates to the restoration of justice, which is a sine qua non for achieving peace. The Kingdom of the Netherlands has committed to a leading role on item 7 and has been working closely with Ukraine in this regard.

We commit to building a comprehensive system of accountability for Ukraine. This 'web of accountability' as it was referred to during the United for Justice conference in Lviv in March 2023 will consist of the following tiers:

1. The investigation and prosecution of international crimes at the national and international level;

2. The establishment of an ad-hoc special tribunal for the crime of aggression;

3. Ensuring full reparation of harm suffered by Ukraine and the Ukrainian people through the establishment of the international compensation mechanism.

To ensure an effective coordination of the international efforts to support Ukraine on all these tracks, we commit to the work of the Strategic Dialogue Group on Accountability for Ukraine ("the Dialogue Group"), with the objective of promoting dialogue across the various national, European and international accountability and documentation initiatives relevant to the situation in Ukraine, as well as the identification of opportunities for enhanced coherence of action in these efforts.

The fight against impunity concerns all. We therefore remain committed to engage with all interested international partners to join us to combat impunity in Ukraine and throughout the world.

The investigation and prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide

We commend the efforts of the International Criminal Court following the referral by fourty-three states of the situation in Ukraine to its Prosecutor. In particular, we welcome the arrest-warrants issued by the ICC on 17 March 2023 against President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. We call on all States Parties to the Rome Statute to take all necessary actions to execute these arrest warrants, as well as any forthcoming arrest warrants by the ICC in relation to international crimes committed in Ukraine.

We recall the strong support for the ICC that was expressed by more than thirty states during the London conference of Ministers of Justice on 20 March 2023. We will continue to support the ICC in its endeavours, in particular - in the case of the Netherlands - by sending two more forensic missions to Ukraine in 2023 under the flag of the ICC.

We recognize that the vast majority of international crimes will need to be prosecuted by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General and his office and the enormous burden this will place on the Ukrainian Justice system. We commend the work carried out to date by the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine and Ukraine's entire law enforcement and justice system investigating and prosecuting international crimes. The Netherlands stands ready to continue its financial and practical support. We applaud all efforts made by the international community to support the Ukrainian justice sector, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA).

We strongly condemn sexual and gender-based crimes in all their forms, including as a weapon of war, and reaffirm their absolute prohibition in times of war and peace, and underline the need for a victim-centered approach, specialized support and gender-sensitive, child-sensitive and trauma-sensitive treatment that takes into account individual needs of all victims.

The establishment of an ad-hoc special tribunal for the crime of aggression

We recall UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/1 (2022) of 2 March 2022, which deplored in the strongest terms the aggression by the Russian Federation against Ukraine in violation of Article 2(4) of the Charter. And, in recognition of the fact that no current international mechanism can exercise jurisdiction with respect to the crime of aggression committed in Ukraine, we commit to the establishment of an ad-hoc special tribunal for the prosecution and adjudication of this crime, with the involvement of the international community. We welcome the commitment of thirty-six states, as of today, which have joined the Core Group on the Special Tribunal for the Russian crime of aggression to deliver on a concrete proposal that will ensure legitimacy, credibility and effectiveness of such a tribunal. We call on other states to join this endeavour to ensure justice and exclude impunity.

We strongly believe that The Hague as the city of Peace and Justice is the place to host the special tribunal.

We strongly welcome the establishment of the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression (ICPA) at Eurojust in The Hague and we commend the member states of the Joint Investigation Team, as well as the European Commission and Eurojust, for their efforts. We see the ICPA as the first step towards justice for the crime of aggression committed by the Russian Federation and its leadership.

The establishment of a register of damage and an international compensation mechanism

We recall UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/ 5 of 14 November 2022, which recognized that the Russian Federation must bear the legal consequences of all of its internationally wrongful acts, including making reparation for the injury, including any damage, caused by such acts, and therefore also recognized the need for the establishment of an international mechanism for reparation for damage, loss or injury, arising from the internationally wrongful acts of the Russian Federation in or against Ukraine.

We thank the Council of Europe for its commitment to establish a Register of Damage caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine in the form of an Enlarged Partial Agreement, to be confirmed at the upcoming Fourth Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe in Reykjavik.

We confirm that such a Register of Damage will be hosted in The Hague.

We emphasize that the Register is the first step towards the establishment of an international compensation mechanism that is required to ensure full and effective reparation by the Russian Federation for all damage, loss or injury caused by its aggression against Ukraine, as recognized by UN General Assembly resolution ES-11/5 of 14 November 2022. This duty under international law is not conditional upon Russia's consent.

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President of Ukraine had a meeting with the King of the Netherlands

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 17:59

During an official visit to the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

The Head of State expressed gratitude to His Majesty for the comprehensive support of the Netherlands for Ukraine in the defense of our freedom and independence, as well as for the personal care of the King and the Royal Family for Ukrainians who came to the Netherlands seeking refuge from the war.

"Since the first days of Russia's attack, we have felt that the Netherlands and the entire Dutch people stand with Ukraine," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

The Head of State praised the close partnership that Ukraine and the Netherlands have built over the past year at many levels.

The President of Ukraine also noted the symbolism of the fact that the audience with the King of the Netherlands took place on the important Remembrance Day for his country, when the Dutch people pay tribute to the soldiers and civilians killed during World War II, as well as in other military conflicts and peacekeeping missions.

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President: Ukraine stands against hybrid formats of tribunal for Russian crime of aggression

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 17:04

Ukraine continues to work on the establishment of a Special Tribunal for the crime of aggression, and any hybrid formats of such a tribunal are unacceptable. This was stated by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a meeting with media representatives following the negotiations with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo in The Hague.

The Head of State emphasized that 35 countries have already joined the Core Group to establish a Special Tribunal.

"We will work without any hybrid formats, we will work on a specific tribunal to ensure accountability for their crimes, murders, and torture. We understand who gave the orders. These people must not be untouchable. This is very important for us, this is one of the fundamental issues," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

The President noted that Ukraine will not agree to any hybrid formats of a tribunal for Russia's crimes.

"We have seen the Minsk agreements since 2014 - they were a kind of hybrid peace. We know what it led to. Therefore, Ukraine does not want to agree to any hybrid peace, hybrid tribunal as a continuation of this," the Head of State emphasized.

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President of Ukraine following the negotiations with Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Belgium: We are meeting in The Hague to bring peace closer and restore justice

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 16:55

During an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Croo.

The talks took place both one-on-one and in a trilateral format.

Speaking to the media following the talks, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said: "We are meeting here in The Hague to bring peace closer and restore justice. We need justice."

The President of Ukraine expressed gratitude to Mark Rutte and the people of the Netherlands for their powerful assistance in strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.

"The Patriot and other weapons that the Netherlands provided us have already saved thousands of Ukrainian lives! Thank you!" he said.

The Head of State thanked Prime Minister Alexander De Croo and the whole of Belgium for solidarity in the protection of common European values.

"Thank you for your support of sanctions against Russia and aid packages for our country and people," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

During the talks, the parties focused on security issues. As the President of Ukraine emphasized, the main thing now is the speed of delivery of the promised weapons.

"I have called on our partners, both the Netherlands and Belgium, to help us implement the agreements on military assistance - as quickly as possible. Very important is that we are working to create a coalition of armoured vehicles to complement the existing coalition of tanks. We hope that the Netherlands and Belgium, together with the Nordic countries and all our partners, will effectively support our initiative to create a coalition of armoured vehicles," the Head of State emphasized.

In addition, according to Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it is time to make positive decisions for Ukraine regarding modern aircraft.

"There is no rational reason to postpone such decisions. To train our pilots and to strengthen the wings for Ukraine means to speed up the peace we all want," the President noted.

The interlocutors also discussed common Euro-Atlantic security.

"De facto, Ukraine has already become a part of NATO - we cooperate, we trust each other and together we truly make Europe stronger. So, it stands to reason that Ukraine should become part of the Alliance de jure - the thirty-third NATO country. The algorithm of actions in this regard can and should be approved by political decisions at the Vilnius summit of the Alliance this summer. And we count-on the support of our partners," the President emphasized.

The agenda of the talks between Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mark Rutte and Alexander De Croo also included relations between Ukraine and the EU. The President noted that he expects a positive assessment of Ukraine's progress in implementing the European Commission's recommendations.

"We are doing our best during the war, we are doing all the reforms that we have to do, and this will be the time when political positive momentum will open the way to a new and long-lasting positive history both for Ukraine and for the whole of Europe," Volodymyr Zelenskyy is convinced.

The Head of State expressed gratitude for the support of the Ukrainian Peace Formula that can not only restore territorial integrity and security of Ukraine, but also reliably guarantee long-term security of Europe and the world.

"This is our joint task - to restore the full force of the UN Charter and international law in general - everything that was violated by Putin and Russia. Peace calls for sanctions to be stronger, for the isolation of Russia to be more complete. Peace calls for assets of the terrorist state to be confiscated. And peace calls for damages to be repaired and ruins to be rebuilt. And I am sure - we will do it together," the Head of State said.

For his part, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands emphasized that his country will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle, and Russia must be held accountable for the crime of aggression and injustice it commits against the Ukrainian people.

"The Netherlands will do everything possible to ensure justice for Ukraine, no matter how long it takes and no matter how difficult it is," said Mark Rutte.

According to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Russian aggression reminds the world every day that the rule of law must be constantly protected.

"Ukraine will remain in our hearts and memory not only today, but every day until peace and freedom are restored in your country," he said.

The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium reminded that his country, like the Netherlands and many other countries, has been supporting Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale invasion, and called for the continuation of this support.

"We will continue this support and demonstrate our solidarity with Ukraine. Now it's our turn to help Ukraine get rid of the brutal and illegal occupation again. This is the same occupation that our countries experienced during World War II. That is why the Belgian government is preparing a new package of military assistance to Ukraine," assured Alexander De Croo.

He reminded that since the beginning of the war, Belgium has frozen more than 50 billion euros in assets of Russian individuals and legal entities.

"We are now exploring how we can fully utilize the proceeds of these Russian assets to support the reconstruction of Ukraine. Belgium is ready to play a leading role in this in the European Commission," said the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Belgium.

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Speech by Volodymyr Zelenskyy to representatives of the public, political and expert circles of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and international institutions based in The Hague

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 16:53

First of all, I would like to thank you for your attention and respect for Ukraine that I have felt today. This is attention and respect from people who value freedom and do not tolerate tyranny as much as we do not in Ukraine! Thank you!

Dear Minister Hoekstra! Dear members of Parliament!

Dear ambassadors and journalists!

Dear representatives of international organisations, political and judicial communities!

Dear people of the Netherlands!

I'm glad to be in your strong country now - the land of freedom and justice, which are universal values, and it is about these things that I will speak today.

Of course, we all want to see a different Vladimir here, in The Hague. The one who deserves to be sentenced for his criminal actions right here, in the capital of international law.

I'm sure we will see that happen, when we win. And we will win. And when we win not just on the battlefield, not just against this aggression.

Look at how countries around the world are coming together to help Ukrainians defend themselves. What is at the heart of this desire to help? The feeling that more than the fate of one country is at stake. The feeling that more can be achieved than the defeat of one aggressor.

We can now stop wars of aggression as such. We can defeat aggression as a criminal idea that originates in the mindset of someone who is used to impunity.

Impunity is the key that opens the door to aggression. If you look at any war of aggression in history, they all have one thing in common - the perpetrators of the war did not believe they would have to stand to answer for what they did.

They must stand to answer for war! Whoever brings war, must receive judgment.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

Defeating impunity of aggressors means destroying the origins of aggression.

Victory in the war is won by force of arms - that's how the job gets done. And I am grateful to you and the Netherlands for every piece of weapon supplied to Ukraine - for everything that helps us to maintain our defence and gradually prepare our active actions.

But we know that the lasting peace after victory is achieved by nothing else but the strength of values. First of all, it's the strength of freedom and of law, which must work to the full to ensure justice. Not hybrid promises instead of human rights, but real freedom. Not hybrid impunity and symbolic formalities, but full-scale justice. Not hybrid peace and constant flashes of violence on the frontline, but reliable peace. When one respects values - true freedom, true justice, true peace is respected instead of hybrid forms, but it's exactly what we need now.

Please think about one number. This number is - six thousand one hundred and thirty-nine. This is the number of war crimes committed by the Russian occupiers this April alone.

These Russian crimes led to the death of two hundred and seven Ukrainian civilians. Among them are eleven children. Another seventeen children and four hundred adults were injured. In a month alone...

And the full-scale Russian invasion has been going on for the fifteenth month. Just yesterday, in our Kherson region alone, Russia killed twenty-three people, forty-nine were wounded. I'm speaking about civilians.

And it all started more than nine years ago with the occupation of Crimea and Russia's bloody hybrid war in the Donbas. Thousands and thousands of war crimes, thousands and thousands of victims.

The Russian rocket that killed twenty-three people in the city of Uman, and each of the millions of strikes fired by Russian artillery in the Donbas... Every person killed by the occupiers in Bucha and every filtration camp that Russia set up on our independent land... Every prisoner who was tortured in Russian captivity, and every city deliberately burned by Russia... And all the pain suffered by the Dutch people, after the downing of MH-17 flight with the use of the Russian weapons, by Russian hands... Exactly by Russian hands.

Please observe a minute of silence in memory of all those whose lives were taken by Russia, by its terror.

Thank you very much.

Ladies and Gentleen! Friends!

Only one Russian crime led to all of these crimes. This is a crime of aggression. The start of evil, the primary crime. There should be responsibility for this crime! And it can only be enforced by the Tribunal.

Europe and the world have already had to deal with something like this. As a result, we can see the following words in the text of the judgment of the International Tribunal in Nuremberg: "To initiate a war of aggression, is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime differing only from other war crimes in that, it contains within itself the accumulated evil of the whole". That's absolutely true.

We must transform the experience of the Nuremberg process into an operating rule! That's why we insist on the Tribunal creation.

When there is a tradition of inevitable punishment for aggression, then there will be a tradition of guaranteed non-repetition of aggression. If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of current international law, but make bold decisions that will correct the shortcomings of those norms that, unfortunately, exist in international law. This is exactly what the creators of Nuremberg did. We should do the same now.

It would be a weakness for you and for us and for all of the nations to leave full justice only to history. It would be unfair to our children and grandchildren to hand them problems that we can solve. That's what the Tribunal is for. The sustainability of peace arises from the complete justice towards the aggressor.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It is wrong that someone in the world is still afraid to give full force to justice. You and I are not afraid! I am sure most of the world is not afraid. The aggressor must fear the full power of justice. Only him!

Yet this is our historical responsibility - of the modern generations - to make the total punishment for aggression inevitable; to prevent the aggression against our country and also new wars. There are potential aggressors in the world. And the world must seek justice to see peace fully secured.

Ukrainian courts will ensure responsibility for most of the crimes of the Russian occupiers.

I am thankful to the International Criminal Court and to the entire team working at and with the ICC for the sake of justice.

But only one institution is capable of responding to the original crime - the crime of aggression. A Tribunal! Not something hybrid that can formally close the topic... Not some compromise that will allow politicians to say that the case is allegedly done... But a true, full-fledged Tribunal. True and full justice.

And I am thankful to you, the people and leaders of the Netherlands, the Prime Minister, the Government, the Parliament for being with us on this path. It is so important for us. I thank you for supporting the establishment of the Special Tribunal. I am grateful that the International Centre for the Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression will work right here in The Hague. Same here, in The Hague, the Register of damages from aggression will be established. And this is a step forward to creating a Compensation Mechanism: damages from aggression must be compensated at the expense of the assets of the aggressor himself. And this is also a punishment for war - as well as justice.

I thank you for the fact that for you and us, justice really matters!

Thank you, the Netherlands! Let justice really work!

And when today, as always on the fourth of May, at eight o'clock in the evening, you will honor the memory of all those whose lives were taken away by wars - World War II and others - please also remember Ukrainians - men and women, adults and children, who would have been alive now but for this aggression. The war we didn't want, the one we have to make the last. We'll do it!

 NNN!

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Joint Declaration by Ukraine, the Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of the Netherlands at the occasion of the visit of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Netherlands on 4th of May 2023

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 16:32

The Kingdom of Belgium and the Kingdom of the Netherlands reiterate their unwavering support for Ukraine's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders, as well their full support to Ukraine's inherent right to self-defence and to choose its own security arrangements.

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands reiterate their demand, in accordance with the 16 March 2022 Order of the International Court of Justice, that the Russian Federation immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including military or irregular armed units which may be directed or supported by the Russian Federation, as well as any organizations and persons which may be subject to its control or direction.

Belgium and the Netherlands reaffirm their solidarity with Ukraine and its people in their heroic defence of their freedom and our shared values.

Belgium and the Netherlands remain committed to provide Ukraine with the necessary military, humanitarian and financial support to help it prevail against the Russian war of aggression for as long as it takes.

(1) Measures to meet Ukraine's urgent needs for military and defence equipment

Belgium and the Netherlands will continue to provide military support for Ukraine aimed at enhancing the ability to defend effectively its territories on land, at sea and in the air. Our support consists of weapon systems, armour, munition, and various other forms of assistance, as well as training of the Ukrainian armed forces, including training for advanced Western weapon systems.

Ukraine highly appreciates all assistance being provided by Belgium and the Netherlands in order to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities.

Belgium and the Netherlands will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes and will continue to provide strong military and defence support to Ukraine.

(2) Ukrainian Peace Formula

Belgium and the Netherlands acknowledge Ukraine's sovereign decision on the peace process and express their support to Ukrainian Peace Formula, aimed at establishing a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in Ukraine for global security.

Express their readiness to participate in the implementation of Ukrainian Peace Formula and encourage the maximum possible number of other countries to join.

Confirm their commitment to help to convene the Global Peace Summit and to participate at high level.

(3) Future security cooperation

Belgium and the Netherlands commend the determination and courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces and acknowledge their significant contribution to the security of Euro-Atlantic area and beyond.

Together with partners and through international cooperation in the European Union, NATO, Ukraine Defence Contact Group and other formats, Belgium and the Netherlands will support Ukraine's military, and security and defence sector in the longer term.

Until Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, Belgium and the Netherlands are committed to support Ukraine on its path to further Euro-Atlantic integration and strengthening Ukraine's capacity to defend itself against the current Russian war of aggression and against any future threat.

The security of Ukraine is of great importance to the Alliance. Within the framework of the NATO-Ukraine partnership, Belgium and the Netherlands will promote long term NATO interoperability, reform and reconstruction of Ukraine's defence industry, institution and capacity building. A clear roadmap for the sustainable transition of Ukraine's armed forces to NATO standards, doctrine and institutions is a priority, as well as sufficient financial support. Ukraine, the Netherlands and Belgium look forward to discussing these issues at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.

(4) Accountability and Restoring Justice

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands underline their firm commitment to bringing to justice those responsible for war crimes and other atrocity crimes committed in connection with Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, and to support the establishment of an appropriate justice mechanism to ensure effective accountability for the crime of aggression.

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands underline the importance of the prosecution of international crimes by the Ukrainian Office of the Prosecutor General and the Ukrainian investigative agencies as well as the essential role of the International Criminal Court in establishing accountability for all crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, ordered or enabled in Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.

(5) Sanctions and compensation of war damages for Ukraine

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands recognize that the Russian Federation must be held to account for all violations of international law in or against Ukraine, including its aggression in violation of the Charter of the United Nations as well as grave breaches of international law, and that it must bear the legal consequences flowing from these internationally wrongful acts. It must cease its wrongful conduct, provide assurances and guarantees of non-repetition, and provide full reparation.

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands agree that international sanctions are an integral part of the international response against the Russian aggression.

Belgium and the Netherlands are committed to further increase pressure on Russia through additional European Union sanctions where possible, as well as effective implementation and EU-wide and G7 efforts to counter circumvention of the sanctions regime.

Ukraine, Belgium and the Netherlands will pursue the work to develop international mechanisms to provide compensation for losses, injuries and damages caused by Russian aggression. Belgium and the Netherlands are committed to the EU-efforts to explore the possibilities of using frozen and immobilized Russian assets to support Ukraine's reconstruction and for the purpose of reconstruction as part of reparation.

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Strong communities are an important factor in Ukraine's resilience - Oleksiy Kuleba during a meeting with Georg Milbradt

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 16:32

Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Oleksiy Kuleba met with Georg Milbradt, Special Envoy of the German Government to Ukraine for Decentralization, Good Governance and Public Service.

During the meeting, the participants discussed the development of decentralization reform and the strengthening of democracy in the midst of a full-scale invasion, Ukraine's European integration processes, and communities' participation in state development.

Oleksiy Kuleba thanked Georg Milbradt for his many years of personal contribution to the development of the decentralization reform and consistent assistance to our country during the war.

"Ukraine is fighting for democratic values shared with Western countries. Despite the full-scale aggression, the processes of decentralization and European integration in Ukraine have not stopped, but, on the contrary, continue and develop. Recently, the Verkhovna Rada has adopted an important law "On Service in Local Self-Government Bodies". This law is not only a necessity for building a rule-of-law democratic state, but also an important component of institutional adaptation to the EU and a step towards fulfilling Ukraine's obligations under the Association Agreement," said the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office.

Oleksiy Kuleba emphasized that local government bodies and the central government are working closely together to ensure victory and quality life support for Ukrainians in the war.

"We are developing platforms for ongoing cooperation and coordination. In particular, this is the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities under the President of Ukraine. An example of the successful scaling of the Congress is the International Summit of Cities and Regions, which was recently held in Kyiv and brought together more than 400 representatives of communities, regions and associations from around the world," said the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office.

For his part, Georg Milbradt emphasized that strong communities united by one goal will be the key to the successful restoration and development of Ukraine.

"The strategic reform to strengthen local self-government is an important investment in Ukraine's overall capacity and resilience. Strong local self-government will be a key factor in successful reconstruction. Confident citizens - strong communities - safe country!" said the Special Envoy of the German Government to Ukraine.

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The Hague is becoming a real hub of justice for all victims of aggression and other international crimes - address by the President of Ukraine in the Dutch Parliament

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 14:52

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It's an honor to address you - the representatives of both houses of the Parliament of the Netherlands, the chairpersons of the parliamentary committees, and you, honorable speakers of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the States General.

When democracy is real with a stable tradition in the country, the parliament is the heart of such country. I'm sure that the heart of the Netherlands today will feel what the hearts of Ukrainians long for.

A year has passed since I addressed the Parliament and the people of the Kingdom of the Netherlands for the first time. On the thirty-sixth day of the full-scale war, I spoke about why you and I and all Europeans, the whole world should unite... Unite to defend freedom and human lives. A year ago, I said that this war cannot be forgiven - none of the crimes committed by Russia. I said that The Hague knew exactly - how to bring all Russian murderers to justice.

And today is the time to thank all of you, your great country and your leadership. I'm grateful to you for the fact that we've achieved the greatest unity in Europe, which people only dreamed of for decades. And it wouldn't have happened without the Netherlands - without your leadership.

I am grateful to you for helping to protect what you value. The Netherlands defends freedom, defends the rule of law and democracy, defends Europe and our common way of life - the lives of free people... Free not at the expense of someone else's slavery, but thanks to the rights and respect for all, - this is our Europe.

No aggressor will now think that he can burn the values of our Europe in the fire of aggression! It seemed to Russia that Europe was weak. Well, now Russia tries to figure out how to hide its own weakness.

I'm grateful to you that The Hague, a city associated with international law in the world, is becoming a real hub of justice... Justice in the name of all those who suffered from aggression and other international crimes.

This is the year of our cooperation with you!

I'm here to thank everyone in the Netherlands. Everyone... From the parliament to the smallest community, from His Majesty the King and the Royal Family to every citizen of the Netherlands, from the Government and to every family that helped us - my great appreciation - helped Ukrainians who found refuge in your country... Thank all of you! Together we're truly making life protected.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

It's time now to identify new issues to take stock of the year. Issues that are important not only for Ukraine but for all Europe and everyone in the world who values freedom the same way you and I do.

I will mention three points. The first one: Ukrainians are united by the desire to win. But it is not only our desire to win back what belongs to us. And we definitely don't want to grab someone else's. We want to destroy the villainy with which the terrorist state came.

The villainy is when Russian anti-ship missiles strike ordinary shopping centres... Yesterday and the day before yesterday... Each week we see something like this terrible tragedy... The villainy is when a terrorist state has a goal to leave the neighboring nation in winter in total blackout... The villainy is when Russia occupies a nuclear power plant, puts multiple launch rocket systems on its territory and, under the cover of nuclear reactors, fires at neighbouring towns...

All this concentrated villainy should lose together with Russia. And when the blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flag returns freedom to the lands occupied by Russia, in parallel with this, the terrorist state must feel that the world does not want even to cross paths with Russia and anything Russian.

So, yes - to sanctions. Yes - to Russia's isolation. Yes - to the pressure on Russian citizens to make them looking for the regime change in their country. Yes - to sentences for the terror. Yes - to universal rules for all jurisdictions to seize Russian assets and use them to compensate for damages from aggression.

We have to achieve this to the maximum to bring joint peace faster!

The second point. This summer Europe has a historic opportunity to cut off oxygen to Russian revanchism once and for all. NATO July Summit is quite the time that allows to remove the security uncertainty in Europe.

Can you imagine that a part of your country... let's say - Eindhoven or Groningen... could be outside the common security and legal space of the Netherlands? In a "gray zone", which will attract the attention of international criminals. It's impossible, it's absurd.

The same way, it is impossible and absurd to leave Ukraine outside of the security and legal space of our common homeland - Europe.

Ukraine should receive a decision on the algorithm for joining the Alliance. It is clear that we cannot join NATO now, while the war is going on, but it is possible and necessary to remove the security uncertainty now - it is a political decision. Russia must see that Ukraine's security will be guaranteed in order to begin to realize itself, Russia, only within its own borders.

I call on the Netherlands to make this strategically important decision for the security of Europe! Decision on Ukraine and NATO.

And the third point. Defence means people - armed people. The more powerful the weapon and the longer the fire range is, the more lives are saved from enemy strikes. So, cherishing the value of life and maintaining defensive taboos among allies who are supposed to protect life - is an obvious contradiction.

The longer the taboos on weapons persist - the more our soldiers give their lives on maintaining the defense when the weapons are not powerful or not long-ranged enough... or when Russian fighter jets are more effective than the aircrafts of those who really defend Europe.

As of now, all this persists unfortunately... the taboos on weapons. Is it for a long time? It depends on all of us.

Ladies and Gentlemen!

We remember the leadership of the Netherlands in initiating the delivery of the Panzerhaubitze 2000. We are grateful for such a brave decision, for your Patriot system and other weapons. We remember that the Netherlands were the first to say that the F16 - is not a taboo... Your leadership truly provides results. So let's together provide new ones!

I believe that during my next visit - I believe I will have it, of course if you invite me after this meeting - I will be able also only to thank you - the way I do it today. I believe that Ukrainians and all Europeans will be able to thank you, in particular, for bringing the peace closer and for saved lives... Saved by joint actions as we've already seen.

May we never forget all men and women, children and adults, whose lives were taken away by wars! And glory to every hero who fights for life to win! To win now!

Thank you for your attention, for your support!

 NNN!

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with the President of the International Criminal Court and the ICC Registrar in The Hague

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 13:15

During his official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with President of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Piotr HofmaAski and Registrar of the Court Osvaldo Zavala Giler.

The Head of State emphasized that bringing to justice all those responsible for war crimes against humanity and genocide of the Ukrainian people is a matter of principle for Ukraine.

"For us, the result is only concrete sentences for all Russian war criminals, including the top leadership of the aggressor country," Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted.

He praised the work of the International Criminal Court in this area, in particular, noting the importance of the decision to issue arrest warrants for the President and the Commissioner for Children's Rights of the aggressor state on charges of deporting Ukrainian children.

"These crimes require special, priority attention. We must increase pressure on Russia to stop mass deportations and create a universal mechanism for the protection of children," the Head of State said.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized the level of cooperation between the ICC and national law enforcement agencies, and added that Ukraine has done and will do everything necessary to investigate and prosecute within national jurisdiction the mass atrocities committed by the Russian Federation during this war, as well as to establish effective cooperation with the ICC.

The President emphasized the importance of opening a branch of the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in Kyiv in the nearest future, which would further strengthen the relevant interaction.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy separately raised the issue of the importance of the comprehensive work of our state, which is being carried out to create institutional frameworks for bringing to justice those responsible for the crime of aggression against Ukraine.

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Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with speakers of the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Netherlands in The Hague

President of Ukraine

4 May 2023 - 12:27

During an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Netherlands Vera Bergkamp and President of the Senate Jan Anthonie Bruijn.

The Head of State thanked the leaders of the Dutch Parliament for a clear and active position of the legislative body in support of Ukraine and important steps that helped our country to repel Russian aggression.

"Today, the Netherlands is among the leaders of support for Ukraine and one of our key allies in protecting the values of freedom," he emphasized.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy praised the adoption of a number of resolutions in support of Ukraine by the Dutch Parliament, in particular on the country's leadership in the international prosecution of Russia's crimes in Ukraine and the establishment of a Special Tribunal in The Hague to try Russia's top leadership.

The President expressed special gratitude to the Dutch Parliament for its support in granting Ukraine the status of an EU membership candidate.

The Head of State noted that our country does everything possible to complete the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission on the status of a candidate for membership in the European Union and counts on a positive assessment of these efforts. He emphasized the importance of launching negotiations on accession to the EU by the end of this year.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy placed emphasis on the preparations for the NATO Summit in Vilnius. The Head of State emphasized the importance of adopting specific decisions on Ukraine's membership in the Alliance and providing our country with security guarantees until it joins NATO.

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UN in Ukraine 'appalled and saddened' at deadly airstrikes and attacks

4 May 2023 - The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine issued a statement on Thursday saying he and colleagues were "appalled and saddened" at the series of airstrikes and attacks, which have killed and injured dozens of civilians there.

According to news reports, Russian airstrikes targeted the capital Kyiv for the third time in four days, following on from what Russian authorities said was an assassination attempt by drone strike, on President Vladimir Putin, earlier on Wednesday.

Ukrainian authorities, who deny any involvement in the drone incident in Moscow, said Thursday morning's large-scale attack on Kyiv was repulsed by the city's air defences without casualties. There were drone explosions in the southern coastal city of Odesa, news reports said.

"We are extremely concerned for the plight of civilians after almost a week of nightly airstrikes and attacks which have killed and injured dozens of people", Humanitarian Coordinator Matthew Hollingworth said.

Critical infrastructure has also been destroyed, compounding the dire humanitarian situation, he added.

Carnage in Kherson

Mr. Hollingworth said it was "particularly alarming to see how dozens were killed or injured in Kherson, when a train station and a supermarket where people buy their groceries, were hit during the busiest hours of the day."

More than 20 were killed due to Russian shelling nearly the southern Ukrainian city, according to news reports, with over 45 people injured. Those who died included three engineers who were trying to repair damage inflicted by earlier attacks.

"We share the grief of families who have lost loved ones and wish a quick recovery to those injured", said the UN Humanitarian Coordinator.

Ukrainian troops recaptured the city of Kherson last November, following some eight months of Russian occupation, but shelling continues from across the Dnipro River.

Briefing journalists in New York on Thursday, UN Deputy Spokesperson, Farhan Haq, said that in eastern Ukraine, a power plant was reportedly hit close to the front line of the fighting, cutting energy supplies for around 100,000, according to the Ukrainian Government.

'Humanitarian crisis' in Marinka

"Our colleagues on the ground also warn about the humanitarian crisis in the area surrounding Marinka, in the Donetsk region. Here, some 5,000 civilians - according to the colleagues - are enduring heavy ground fighting and hostilities that have escalated over the past two months", Mr Haq continued.

The UN humanitarian coordination office, OCHA, issued a flash update warning that the crisis was "rapidly unfolding", across the contested area, where heavy ground fighting has "dramatically escalated over the past two months."

OCHA said the neighbouring communities of Kurakhove and Vuhledar, home to a further 24,000 civilians - were also impacted, both due to the violence and pressure over limited services and resources, with people taking refuge there from other parts of Donetsk.

So far, the UN and partners have provided 13 truckloads of humanitarian aid for the three communities, targeting around 15,000 in need.

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Putin 'Probably' Scaling Back Short-Term Goals in Ukraine, US Officials Say

By Jeff Seldin May 05, 2023

A once-confident Vladimir Putin may finally be giving up on his designs to quickly subdue Kyiv and conquer Ukraine, according to the most recent assessment by U.S. intelligence officials.

U.S. intelligence agencies have previously argued the Russian president believes it is necessary for him to conquer Ukraine for him to fulfill his destiny.

But as the war drags into its second year, U.S. intelligence agencies believe the Russian leader has conceded, somewhat, to realities on the ground.

"We assess that Putin has probably scaled back his immediate ambitions, to consolidate control of the occupied territory in eastern and southern Ukraine and ensuring that Ukraine will never become a NATO ally," Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday.

"Russian forces gained less territory in April than during any of the three previous months as they appeared to transition from offensive to defensive operations along the front lines," Haines said.

"Russian forces are facing significant shortfalls in munitions and are under significant personnel constraints," she added. "If Russia does not initiate a mandatory mobilization and secure substantial third-party ammunition supplies, beyond existing deliveries from Iran and others, it will be increasingly challenging for them to sustain even modest offensive operations."

Haines, echoing a warning from her testimony before Congress in March, said Russia and Ukraine remained locked in a "brutally grinding war of attrition in which neither military has a definitive advantage."

Ukraine, she said, remains reliant upon Western military aid to push back against Russia's manpower advantage while the Kremlin is being forced to rely more heavily on asymmetric threats and tactics because of the degradation of its ground forces.

Russia's ground forces are "relying on reserves and reserve equipment," said Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

"It's going to take them a while to build back," he told lawmakers while testifying alongside Haines. "The estimates go from five to 10 years based on how sanctions affect them and their ability to put technology back into their force."

Despite losses, #Russia "is still an existential threat w/the nuclear arsenal that they have" per @DefenseIntel's LtGen Berrier Says Russia's strategic nuclear forces have "largely been untested" during the war in #Ukraine

a Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) May 4, 2023

Nuclear option

Berrier, however, warned that the degradation of Russia's ground forces should not been seen as an indication of overall weakness.

"Even though their ground forces are degraded right now, they will quickly build those back," he said, describing Moscow as "still an existential threat" because of its nuclear forces, which have not yet been tested.

But as for whether Putin might be inclined to use nuclear weapons to alter the course of the war in Ukraine, the U.S. intelligence leaders said, as of now, not so much.

"There are a number of scenarios we've thought through," Berrier told lawmakers. "Right now, I'd say we think it's unlikely."

"From an IC [intelligence community] perspective, it's very unlikely," Haines added.

Kremlin drone attack

Like other senior U.S. officials, Haines and Berrier urged caution regarding Russia's accusation that Ukraine launched a drone attack against the Kremlin this week as part of an attempt to assassinate Putin.

"You've seen the Ukrainian government deny having engaged in this and, at this stage, we don't have information that would allow us to provide an independent assessment on this," she said.

Haines said it is well known that Putin does not usually spend the night at the Kremlin, which casts some doubt on the Russian claim.

The DIA's Berrier also said that the available photos suggested the attack was staged with drones that would need to have been controlled by someone on the ground, within sight of the Kremlin.

Russia, China

Both Haines and Berrier told lawmakers that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had bought Moscow and Beijing closer together.

"Since the invasion, that closeness has accelerated to some extent and, in part, this is due to the fact that Russia is increasingly beholden to and needs China," Haines said.

"And China perceives Russia increasingly as a country that was already in the sort of little brother role, is often how it's described, but nevertheless is now even more beholden and therefore they have greater leverage."

Haines warned that this has led to greater cooperation between the two countries in the Arctic.

"Russia recognizes that they're going to need China and their investment in order to get to some of the resources that they're interested in in the Arctic," she said. "And as a consequence, China sees an opportunity, and an increasing one in light of the current scenario."

China, US

As relations between China and Russia deepen, ties between China and the United States have become "more challenging," Haines said.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is growing ever more distrustful of the U.S., she said, reflecting a growing pessimism among Chinese officials who increasingly seek to portray Washington as the root of the world's problems.

"Perceiving the #UnitedStates as a threat, the PRC seeks to undercut US influence and is looking to portray the United States as the root of global problems" per @ODNIgov's Haines

a Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) May 4, 2023

Still, Haines said U.S. intelligence analysts "continue to assess that Beijing wants to preserve stability and avoid triggering additional technology restrictions."

Taiwan

U.S. intelligence agencies are also taking note of Xi's rhetoric on Taiwan.

"We continue to assess that he [Xi] would prefer to achieve unification of Taiwan through peaceful means," Haines told lawmakers. "But the reality is that he has directed his military to provide him with the military option."

If and when Xi might decide to use force to take Taiwan is less clear.

"There are a number of dates out there that mean different things to different people," Berrier testified. "Bottom line is he's told his military to be ready. For what, we are not sure. When, we are not sure."

Islamic State, Afghanistan

While much of the U.S. focus has shifted to great power competition with China and Russia, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group (IS) and al-Qaida remain a concern.

But Haines suggested that one of IS's key affiliates has suffered a significant setback.

In March, the commander of U.S. Central Command, General Michael Kurilla, told lawmakers that the IS affiliate in Afghanistan, known as IS-Khorasan or ISIS-K, could launch attacks against U.S. interests or Western allies in under six months.

Haines, however, told lawmakers there is reason to think that external attack capability has been degraded.

"There have been some developments we can talk about in closed session since that statement was made that I think could affect the timeline," she said.

FISA

Haines also urged lawmakers, again, to renew authorities granted under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which expire this year.

FISA Section 702 allows U.S. intelligence agencies to gather electronic data of non-Americans without first obtaining warrants. But its use has been controversial because of repeated incidents in which officials have collected information on U.S. citizens.

FISA Section 702 "is utterly fundamental" to U.S. national security, Haines said. "Fifty-nine percent of every PDB, our president's daily brief articles, are sourced to 702 information."

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Moscow condemns Ukraine for Kremlin drone attack while Kiev denies involvement

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 10:52, May 05, 2023

MOSCOW/KIEV, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia on Thursday condemned Ukraine for a drone attack on the Kremlin, while Kiev denied involvement in the alleged strike.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said Kiev is behind the attack on Wednesday, adding that the Ukrainian actions were particularly ironic as "an attempt to assassinate the Russian president was made on the eve of Victory Day and the May 9 Parade."

Kiev once again "confirm its unwillingness for peace and the settlement of the conflict through political and diplomatic means," the ministry said, stressing that "such crimes will never go unanswered."

"Russia will respond in accordance with an assessment of the threat that Kiev has created for the leadership of our country," it said.

Ukrainian Presidential Advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on Wednesday that Ukraine was not involved in the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.

"Ukraine did not attack the Kremlin or any other facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation," Podolyak told the government-run Ukrinform news agency, adding that Ukrainian military forces are targeting solely military facilities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

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Latest in Ukraine: Zelenskyy Wants Investigation Into Russia's 'Crime of Aggression'

By VOA News May 05, 2023

New developments:

Ukraine shoots down its own malfunctioning drone over Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, calls for international war crimes investigation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia accuses United States of orchestrating drone attack on Kremlin, which Washington denies.

Southern Russian refinery targeted by drone.

Kyiv, Odesa targeted by Russian missiles and drones.

Ukraine shot down one of its own drones that was malfunctioning over central Kyiv on Thursday evening.

Initial reports from government officials said the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle was an enemy drone, but later the air force said that the vehicle was Ukrainian.

The air force said in a statement that the uncontrolled presence of the drone in the sky could have led to "undesirable consequences."

There were no reports of any injuries when the drone was shot down.

Earlier Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin would eventually face an international war crimes trial for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In a speech at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Zelenskyy said, "Only one Russian crime led to all of these crimes: this is the crime of aggression, the start of evil, the primary crime. There should be responsibility for this crime."

The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin on a war crimes charge involving the alleged deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Zelenskyy said Putin "deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law."

"And I'm sure we will see that happen when we win. And we will win," he said.

The ICC cannot prosecute the crime of war aggression itself. But Zelenskyy appealed for a full-fledged tribunal to prosecute that overarching crime.

"If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions that will correct ... shortcomings that unfortunately exist in international law," he said.

Zelenskyy was welcomed outside the ICC building by the court's president, Poland's Piotr HofmaAski. The court staff crowded at windows to watch Zelenskyy's arrival and raised a Ukrainian flag next to the court's own flag outside the building.

The ICC said in a March 18 statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of [children] and that of unlawful transfer of [children] from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court does not have a police force to execute its warrants, and the Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICC's 123 member states that are under an obligation to arrest him if they can. Neither the U.S. nor Russia recognizes the authority of the court.

Zelenskyy's speech came a day after he denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for what the Russian government alleged was an attempt to assassinate Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin. Moscow promised retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday accused the United States of being behind the alleged attack. He said Russia was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington."

"And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

In Washington, U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby rejected the Russian accusation, telling MSNBC, "I can assure you that there was no involvement by the United States. ... We had nothing to do with this, so Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple."

U.S. officials also have voiced skepticism about the attack itself, including whether it was possibly staged by Moscow. "I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

On the battlefront, Ukraine's military claimed three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had "for Moscow" and "for the Kremlin" written on them, seemingly signaling the drone attacks were specifically retaliatory. Also, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, was the target of an air attack for the third time in four days.

Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted 18 of the 24 Iranian-made drones launched by Russian forces in various regions. No casualties were reported.

Fuel depot fires

A product storage area at a refinery in southern Russia caught fire after a drone attack Thursday. However, the Russian Tass news agency said the fire at the Ilsky refinery, near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in the Krasnodar region was put out after two hours and the facility was now working normally.

Wednesday, Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia's southwestern Krasnodar region, said on the messaging app Telegram that a fuel depot in the village of Volna was targeted by a drone. He said there were no reports of casualties from the fire.

Volna is near the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait that separates mainland Russia from the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The bridge, which is a vital link for Russia's military to transport supplies to its soldiers in Ukraine, was partially destroyed by a truck bomb last October that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

Wednesday's fuel depot fire comes after a suspected drone attack last Saturday on an oil depot in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

The British Defense ministry in its daily intelligence update posted on Twitter said the attacks on Russian fuel depots in occupied Ukraine and the Russia Ukraine border area "will likely force adjustments to Russia's military refueling operations to mitigate targeting."

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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MONTREAL, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) ("Osisko Development" or the "Company") is pleased to announce underground diamond drilling ("DD") results as part of its ongoing exploration program at its 100%-owned Trixie test mine ("Trixie"), within the Company's wider Tintic Project ("Tintic" or the "Tintic Project"), located in the historic East Tintic Mining District in central Utah, U.S.A.

Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development, commented, "These drill results from the 2022 underground diamond drilling campaign continue to showcase the continuity of the high-grade mineralization within the T2 structure and wider zones of mineralization within the T4 stockwork zone. Our current underground drill program is building upon these results and this work is expected to support a future update to the existing Trixie mineral resource estimate."

DRILL ASSAY HIGHLIGHTS

This news release includes assays from 8 DD holes (refer to Table 1). Select assay highlights include:

128.50 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 220.00 g/t silver (" Ag ") over 0.52 meters (" m ") in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (" oz/t ") Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (" ft. ")

and 220.00 g/t silver (" ") over 0.52 meters (" ") in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (" ") Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (" ") 17.63 g/t Au and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.)

and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.) 7.51 g/t Au and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.)

and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.) 36.81 g/t Au and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 134.50 g/t Au and 65.00 g/t Ag over 0.61 m (3.92 oz/t Au and 1.90 oz/t Ag over 2.00 ft.)

and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 20.88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 154.00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (4.49 oz/t Au and 11.58 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.)

and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 105.50 g/t Au and 177.00 g/t Ag over 0.91 m (3.08 oz/t Au and 5.16 oz/t Ag over 3.00 ft.)

and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 84.40 g/t Au and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.)

and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.) 15.61 g/t Au and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.)

and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) 10.78 g/t Au and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.)

and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.) 57.50 g/t Au and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.)

and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) 78.80 g/t Au and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.)

and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.) 42.10 g/t Au and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.)

and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.) 16.86 g/t Au and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.)

and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.) 30.80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.90 oz/t Au and 3.33 oz/t Ag over 7.40 ft.)



DRILL SUMMARY

The high-grade intercepts disclosed in this news release are located within the T2 structure and T4 stockwork in the central and southern areas of the current Trixie Mineral Resource Estimate (" Trixie MRE ") (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE.

") (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE. The T2 structure continues to intersect high-grade mineralization including 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 and 30.80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (see Figure 3).

The T4 stockwork zone returned several anomalous intervals, displaying both high-grade structures analogous to the T2 structure and wider mineralized zones as seen in hole TUG-625-037 that intersected 20.88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m and 42.00 g/t Au and 60.40 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (including 154.00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m).



EXPLORATION NEXT STEPS

The Company currently has two underground diamond drill rigs in operation at Trixie conducting exploration activities.

Follow up exploration targets include drill testing of the contact beneath the Ophir Shale cap rock, where mineralization appears to be concentrated, as well as testing the 75-85 structure at depth.

In 2022, the Company completed 28 surface reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes near Trixie totalling approximately 8,753 m (28,718 ft.) and 66 underground DD holes in the 625 level at Trixie totalling approximately 2,985 m (9,796 ft.). To date, assays have been received for 8 RC drill holes and 64 DD holes.



About Trixie

The Trixie test mine is one of several gold and base metal targets within the larger Tintic Project consisting of >17,000 acres of patented mining claims and mineral leases within the historic East Tintic Mining District of Central Utah, U.S.A. The T2 and T4 structures at Trixie show multi-ounce gold grades associated with high sulphidation epithermal mineralization, structurally controlled and hosted within quartzites. The T2 structure mineralization consists of native Au, and rare Au-Ag  rich telluride minerals with quartz. The T4 is a mineralized stockwork zone is located in the hanging wall of the T2 and is comprised of Au-Ag rich mineralization in host rock quartzite with quartz-barite-sulphosalt stockwork veining. Mineralization reports consistent multi-ounce gold grades along the entire strike length.

Information relating to the Tintic Project and the Trixie MRE is supported by the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Trixie Deposit, Tintic Project, Utah, United States of America", dated January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the "Tintic Technical Report"). Reference should be made to the full text of the Tintic Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is available electronically on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com.

Figure 1: Trixie Project Area

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/c42b6f1f-0208-4e7b-b758-ac468d78fff0

Figure 2: Drill Plan Map

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/9c8d0ca9-e6c4-4305-ac93-d12381686446

Figure 3: Cross Section of Underground Drilling at 625 L at Trixie

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/477fe43a-4468-4b73-9bf7-43c053ad2772





Table 1: Drilling Length Weighted Assay Composites at Trixie

METRIC IMPERIAL Hole ID Depth from (m) Depth to (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Depth from (ft.) Depth to (ft.) Length (ft.) Au (oz/t) Ag (oz/t) Comments TUG-625-034 2.23 2.74 0.52 128.50 220.00 7.30 9.00 1.70 3.75 6.42 T4 TUG-625-034 16.61 20.57 3.96 17.63 175.81 54.50 67.50 13.00 0.51 5.13 T4 TUG-625-034 25.76 31.55 5.79 7.51 50.19 84.50 103.50 19.00 0.22 1.46 T4 TUG-625-034 Including 26.37 28.04 1.68 9.99 17.25 86.50 92.00 5.50 0.29 0.50 T4 TUG-625-034 and 30.48 31.55 1.07 22.90 234.00 100.00 103.50 3.50 0.67 6.83 T4 TUG-625-034 33.83 34.44 0.61 7.59 99.00 111.00 113.00 2.00 0.22 2.89 T4 TUG-625-036 0.91 4.27 3.35 36.81 30.89 3.00 14.00 11.00 1.07 0.90 T4 TUG-625-036 Including 0.91 1.83 0.91 32.10 38.30 3.00 6.00 3.00 0.94 1.12 T4 TUG-625-036 and 1.83 2.44 0.61 134.50 65.00 6.00 8.00 2.00 3.92 1.90 T4 TUG-625-037 1.37 7.01 5.64 20.88 45.08 4.50 23.00 18.50 0.61 1.31 T4 TUG-625-037 Including 2.13 2.65 0.52 10.70 23.00 7.00 8.70 1.70 0.31 0.67 T4 TUG-625-037 and 5.18 5.94 0.76 42.00 60.40 17.00 19.50 2.50 1.23 1.76 T4 TUG-625-037 and 6.55 7.01 0.46 154.00 397.00 21.50 23.00 1.50 4.49 11.58 T4 TUG-625-037 9.60 12.04 2.44 53.27 90.24 31.50 39.50 8.00 1.55 2.63 T2 TUG-625-037 Including 10.52 11.43 0.91 105.50 177.00 34.50 37.50 3.00 3.08 5.16 T2 TUG-625-037 and 11.43 12.04 0.61 44.60 75.30 37.50 39.50 2.00 1.30 2.20 T2 TUG-625-037 18.99 19.51 0.52 4.67 10.90 62.30 64.00 1.70 0.14 0.32 T2 FW TUG-625-071 35.87 37.34 1.46 2.26 7.27 117.70 122.50 4.80 0.07 0.21 T4 TUG-625-082 2.74 4.11 1.37 14.27 66.52 9.00 13.50 4.50 0.42 1.94 T4 TUG-625-082 Including 3.66 4.11 0.46 37.10 81.30 12.00 13.50 1.50 1.08 2.37 T4 TUG-625-082 6.71 7.16 0.46 9.07 72.60 22.00 23.50 1.50 0.26 2.12 T4 TUG-625-082 10.97 11.43 0.46 16.45 18.45 36.00 37.50 1.50 0.48 0.54 T4 TUG-625-085 2.16 2.90 0.73 84.40 301.00 7.10 9.50 2.40 2.46 8.78 T4 TUG-625-085 23.47 25.91 2.44 15.61 163.56 77.00 85.00 8.00 0.46 4.77 T4 TUG-625-085 24.38 25.15 0.76 32.20 283.00 80.00 82.50 2.50 0.94 8.25 T4 TUG-625-085 28.04 29.11 1.07 3.46 48.80 92.00 95.50 3.50 0.10 1.42 T4 TUG-625-094 1.52 2.83 1.31 26.70 104.00 5.00 9.30 4.30 0.78 3.03 T4 TUG-625-094 17.37 21.34 3.96 10.78 38.15 57.00 70.00 13.00 0.31 1.11 T2 TUG-625-094 Including 19.20 19.96 0.76 25.70 64.20 63.00 65.50 2.50 0.75 1.87 T2 TUG-625-094 30.78 31.55 0.76 57.50 246.00 101.00 103.50 2.50 1.68 7.18 T2 Footwall TUG-625-100 2.13 5.82 3.69 20.47 7.00 19.10 12.10 0.60 0.00 T4 TUG-625-100 Including 3.66 4.11 0.46 34.00 94.70 12.00 13.50 1.50 0.99 2.76 T4 TUG-625-100 and 5.18 5.82 0.64 78.80 106.00 17.00 19.10 2.10 2.30 3.09 T4 TUG-625-100 11.13 12.50 1.37 42.10 69.90 36.50 41.00 4.50 1.23 2.04 T4 TUG-625-100 16.92 21.46 4.54 16.86 60.26 55.50 70.40 14.90 0.49 1.76 T2 TUG-625-100 19.20 21.46 2.26 30.80 114.00 63.00 70.40 7.40 0.90 3.33 T2

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Maggie Layman, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Osisko Development, and a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Quality Assurance (QA)  Quality Control (QC)

True width determination is estimated to be approximately 0.3 m to 2.4 m (1 to 8 ft.) wide for the T2 structure and approximately 3 m to 25 m (10 to 80 ft.) for the T4 mineralized stockwork zone located in the hanging wall of the T2 structure. All drill core and exploration samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratory for offsite sample preparation and analysis. Samples are assigned a unique sample ID. All geological and sampling information is entered into Datamine Fusion database. Core is sawn in half and half are sampled. Certified standards and blanks inserted into all sample dispatches. Samples are collected by Old Dominion Transportation and dispatched to ALS Laboratory in Reno, NV. Sample submission forms accompany the samples, and digital copies emailed to ALS.

All sample preparation is completed by ALS, including crushing and pulverizing (Prep31) of samples. Analytical assays include gold and silver by fire assay of 50 g sample with AAS finish (Au-AA26), over limits by gravimetric analysis (Au-Grav22). Multi element analysis is by four acid digest (ME-MS61). The pulps are returned to Osisko Development and coarse rejects are disposed after 90 days. Assays are reported to Osisko Development, and then loaded into Datamine Fusion, QA/QC samples are checked, and assays merged with sample information for future reporting.

About Osisko Development Corp.

Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company's objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central BC, Canada, the Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company's project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company's strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources.

For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.:

Sean Roosen Philip Rabenok Chairman and CEO Director, Investor Relations Email: sroosen@osiskodev.com Email: prabenok@osiskodev.com Tel: +1 (514) 940-0685 Tel: +1 (437) 423-3644

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Test Mining Without Feasibility Study

The Company cautions that the decision to commence small-scale underground mining activities and batch vat leaching at the Trixie test mine has been made without the benefit of a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of material or the cost of such recovery. The Company cautions that historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. Small scale test-mining at Trixie was suspended in December 2022, if and when test mining re-commences there is no guarantee that production will continue as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. The failure to continue production may have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs may have a material adverse impact on the Company's cash flow and potential profitability. In continuing current operations at Trixie after closing, the Company will not be basing its decision to continue such operations on a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The Company cautions that mining at Trixie could be suspended at any time.

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors

The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result reports information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, in accordance with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by NI 43-101. As such, such information concerning mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, is not comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forwardlooking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forwardlooking statements. Information contained in forwardlooking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments; the utility and significance of historic data, including the significance of the district hosting past producing mines; future mining activities; the unique mineralization at Trixie; the potential of high grade gold mineralization on Trixie; the results (if any) of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources; the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization; the ability to generate additional drill targets; the ability of management to understand the geology and potential of Trixie; the ability of the Company to expand mineral resources beyond current mineral resource estimates at Trixie; the timing and ability of the Company to complete upgrades to the Trixie MRE (or any subsequent MRE) (if at all); the timing and resumption of test mining activities at Trixie; the information and the scope of the contemplated Trixie MRE (and any subsequent MRE); the impact of the Trixie MRE; the ability of the Company to complete its exploration objectives in 2023 in the timing contemplated (if at all); the ongoing advancement of the Trixie decline; the deposit remaining open for expansion at depth and down plunge; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward looking information". Material assumptions also include, management's perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company's ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company for the contemplated exploration and development at Tintic; the ability to continue current operations and exploration; regulatory framework and presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability to expand operations or complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property and stream interests in the Tintic Project; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals and permits; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal and commodity prices; fluctuations in the currency markets; dilution; environmental risks; and community, non-governmental and governmental actions and the impact of stakeholder actions. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as the Financial Statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, which have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the SEC's EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company's believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available as of the date hereof, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
NEW YORK, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of adidas AG (adidas or the Company) (OTCMKT: ADDYY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.



The investigation concerns whether adidas and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

In the fall of 2022, musical artist Kanye West, Adidass design partner for the Companys popular Yeezy shoe, made a series of overtly anti-Semitic and racially offensive remarks in public. On October 25, 2022, following mounting public pressure, Adidas canceled its partnership with West.

Then, on November 27, 2022, The Wall Street Journal published an article entitled Adidas Top Executives Discussed Risks of Staffs Direct Exposure to Kanye West Years Ago. The article revealed that Adidass leadership, including Chief Executive Officer Kasper Rrsted, had discussed the risk of the Company continuing a relationship with West as early 2018, citing the artists often erratic and controversial behavior.

On this news, Adidass American depositary receipt (ADDYY) (ADRs) fell $2.20 per ADR, or 3.13%, to close at $62.34 per ADR on November 28, 2022.

Then, on February 9, 2023, Adidas warned that the Company could shift from a profit to a loss if it failed to sell its inventory of Yeezy shoes following the termination of its partnership with West. Specifically, the Company stated that it expected sales to fall at a high single-digit rate in currency-neutral terms because of the significant adverse impact of not selling the existing stock of Yeezy products. Failure to sell the stock of Yeezys (valued at 1.2 billion euros) would accordingly lower Company revenue by 1.2 billion euros (or about $1.29 billion), and operating profit by 500 million euros.

On this news, Adidass ADR price fell $7.4 per ADR, or 8.96%, to close at $75.16 per ADR on February 9, 2023.

Finally, on February 21, 2023, S&P Global announced that it was downgrading Adidas to A-/A-2 From A-1 On Deteriorating Credit Metrics; Outlook Negative. S&P largely attributed the downgraded to the financial impact of the termination of Adidass partnership with West.

On this news, Adidass ADR price fell $3.56 per ADR, or 4.62%, to close at $73.59 per ADR on February 21, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered billions of dollars in damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com .
NEW YORK, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Teleperformance SE (Teleperformance or the Company) (OTCMKTS: TLPFY). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.



The investigation concerns whether Teleperformance and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On August 4, 2022, Forbes published an article alleging that Teleperformance had subjected its workers to poor working conditions, using real, graphic images and videos of child sexual abuse to train its TikTok content moderators, while conversations with former employees reveal[ed] the extent to which moderators were both under-trained and overworked.

On this news, Teleperformances American Depositary Receipt (ADR) price fell $7.75 per ADR, or 4.6%, to close at $160.94 per ADR on August 5, 2022.

Then, on November 9, 2022, Time reported that Colombias Ministry of Labor has launched an investigation into TikTok subcontractor Teleperformance, relating to alleged union-busting, traumatic working conditions and low pay.

On this news, Teleperformances ADR price fell $24.55 per ADR, or 18.6%, to close at $107.77 per ADR on November 10, 2022.

Finally, on March 22, 2023, four months after the Company unanimously decided to exit the highly egregious content moderation business, Teleperformance announced that it would be reentering the field. Market analysts observed that the move was an indication of the Companys overall business and growth prospects. One HSBC Global Research analyst report stated that the U-turn on content moderation raises concerns about communication, governance and broad fundamentals.

On this news, Teleperformances ADR price fell $6.87 per ADR, or 5.7%, over three trading sessions to close at $112.82 per ADR on March 24, 2023.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, London, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com .
Innosuisse supports 53 companies out of 752 applications with total CHF 112M



Araris awarded grant will be used to support further development and advancement of Araris antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidates

AU ZH, Switzerland, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Araris Biotech AG (Araris or the Company), a company pioneering a proprietary antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology, today announced that, Innosuisse, the Swiss innovation agency committed to promote science-based innovation in the interest of the economy and society in Switzerland, has supported Araris with CHF 2.5M non-dilutive grant funding through the Swiss Accelerator program for the development and advancement of its ADC candidates.

The Innosuisse Swiss Accelerator grant provides an opportunity for Swiss SMEs and start-ups to receive direct financial support for innovation projects with significant potential. Innosuisse received 752 project applications. Out of those, 53 projects were selected for approval after a three-stage assessment process. The Swiss Accelerator programs total funding grant amounted to CHF 112M (~$125 million) with support per project amounting to a maximum of CHF 2.5M (~$2.8 million).

We are honored to have been selected for the Swiss Accelerator grant and grateful to receive this support from Innosuisse, said Philipp Spycher, Ph.D., chief executive officer and co-founder of Araris Biotech. This non-dilutive funding will be beneficial as we continue to develop and advance our pipeline of next-generation ADC candidates, developed using our proprietary linker technology, towards the clinic.

Araris ADC linker technology enables payload attachment to off the shelf antibodies without needing to re-engineer or reduce antibodies, resulting in highly homogenous, stable and potent ADC therapies. It also has the potential to address challenges associated with current ADCs, including unstable linkage, which can result in toxicity issues or lack of efficacy.

About Araris Biotech AG

Araris Biotech AG is pioneering the development of its novel antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)-linker technology to enable efficient and precise production of ADCs. Its linker platform enables the attachment of any drug payload to off the shelf antibodies, without the need for prior antibody engineering. The resulting ADCs have shown very high activity at low doses and an improved therapeutic index compared to multiple FDA-approved ADCs. Araris is a spin-off company from the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and ETH Zurich.

For more information, please visit www.ararisbiotech.com or follow Araris on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Corporate Contact:

Philipp Spycher, Ph.D.

Chief Executive Officer

info@ararisbiotech.com

www.ararisbiotech.com

Media Contact:

Veronica Eames

LifeSci Communications, LLC

veames@lifescicomms.com

646-970-4682
LAFAYETTE, Ind., May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wabash (NYSE: WNC), the visionary leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries, today announced it was recognized among Newsweeks list of Americas Greatest Workplaces for Job Starters 2023.



Wabash was awarded four out of five stars on its score and is the only trailer or truck body manufacturer to be recognized. It is one of seven Indiana-based companies to make the list.

Were honored to be recognized as one of America's Greatest Workplaces for Job Starters, said Kristin Glazner, senior vice president, general counsel and chief human resources officer. This recognition is a testament to our commitment to fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment for our employees, especially those just starting their careers. We believe that investing in our people not only benefits them personally, but also drives the success of Wabash as a whole. This recognition validates our efforts and inspires us to continue creating a positive workplace culture that empowers our employees to grow and thrive in their careers.

As part of the companys commitment to learning, Wabash offers a variety of development opportunities for employees, including welding and skills training courses, self-directed learning modules and targeted development programs through external partnerships, all at no cost to employees.

Wabash employees have on-demand access to thousands of courses through the companys customizable Learning Management System  Wabash U  which offers self-directed and instructor-led online coursework on a variety of professional development topics. In addition, targeted learning and development opportunities are created through external partnerships, including special development programs for front-line leaders.

For employees interested in pursuing a degree program or certification at an accredited college or university, Wabash offers the Accelerator tuition reimbursement program. The Accelerator program not only eases the financial burden of certifications and undergraduate and graduate degree studies, it also connects employees with a personal education advisor to guide them through the selection process to ensure they find the right program for their needs. Their assigned advisor remains connected to the employee throughout the learning experience to help ensure individual success.

To underscore its commitment to fostering an inclusive workplace, Wabash offers an Emerging Leaders Development Program (ELDP) that aims to cultivate a sense of community and belonging among new college graduates. This program is tailored to their needs and interests, allowing them to gain exposure to various roles within their respective fields and facilitating their career growth. Through ELDP, Wabash aims to provide its emerging leaders with the resources and support they need to thrive in their careers and feel valued as members of the team.

Finally, for aspiring professionals looking to enter the workforce, Wabash provides an immersive summer internship program that offers valuable work experiences and networking opportunities. In fact, the company will welcome 28 college interns to its Indiana, Arkansas and Kentucky operations this month.

Newsweek and data research firm Plant-A Insights compiled the Americas Greatest Workplaces 2023 for Job Starters list by conducting a large employer survey with respondents who have working-experience of five years or less, working in the U.S. for companies with at least 1,000 employees. The study collected over 146,000 reviews of companies in total based on criteria such as company image, corporate culture, working environment, work-life balance, training and career progression, compensation and benefits, sustainability awareness and proactive management of the diverse workforce.

Our Americas Greatest Workplaces for Job Starters ranking highlights the companies that care about providing a positive working environment and career progression, said Nancy Cooper, Newsweek's global editor in chief. Congratulations to everyone at Wabash for earning this recognition.

Newsweeks Americas Greatest Workplaces for Job Starters list is available at newsweek.com/rankings.

To explore career opportunities at Wabash, visit onewabash.com/careers.

Wabash: Changing How the World Reaches You

Wabash (NYSE: WNC) is the visionary leader of connected solutions for the transportation, logistics and distribution industries that is Changing How the World Reaches You. Headquartered in Lafayette, Indiana, the company enables customers to thrive by providing insight into tomorrow and delivering pragmatic solutions today to move everything from first to final mile. Wabash designs, manufactures, and services a diverse range of products, including: dry freight and refrigerated trailers, flatbed trailers, tank trailers, dry and refrigerated truck bodies, structural composite panels and products, trailer aerodynamic solutions, and specialty food grade processing equipment. Learn more at www.onewabash.com.

Media Contact:

Dana Stelsel

Director, Communications

(765) 771-5766

dana.stelsel@onewabash.com

Investor Relations:

Ryan Reed

Sr. Director, Corporate Development & Investor Relations

(765) 490-5664

ryan.reed@onewabash.com

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d74df936-b3bc-4791-b4d3-015d2e0242c9




BANGOR, MAINE, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Husson Universitys School of Nursing announced today that they will be holding a pinning ceremony honoring the graduates of their Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) programs. The ceremony will take place on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 2 p.m. at Hussons Newman Gymnasium in Bangor.

This years keynote speaker will be Maine State Representative Anne Perry. She has served the community as a family nurse practitioner. Her work at Calais Regional Medical Services improved the health of uncounted patients.

Annes work as a member of the Joint Standing Committee on Health and Human Services has had a significant impact on the quality of healthcare here in Maine, said Dr. James Nash, dean of the College of Health and Pharmacy at Husson University.

Issues, processes and legislation addressed by her committee have included health and medical data; MaineCare, Medicaid, and Medicare Part D; mental health services; child care; public health and disease control; prescription drugs; health care facilities and their health care workforce; substance abuse; home and community-based long-term care; aging, elderly and disability issues; maternal and infant health; nursing facilities and residential care, continued Nash. I can think of no one more qualified to talk to our students about what it means to serve the community than Anne.

Undergraduate and graduate nursing students are symbolically welcomed into the nursing profession as part of the pinning ceremony. The nursing pins presented to the students show that they earned their degrees from Husson Universitys School of Nursing, said Dr. Valerie Sauda, chief nurse administrator, director of undergraduate nursing, and associate professor in Husson Universitys College of Health and Pharmacy. The ceremony is considered a time-honored nursing school tradition.

During the pinning ceremony, graduating nurses are presented with their BSN or MSN nursing pins, said Dr. Annette DeRoche, the director of the graduate nursing program and an assistant professor in the Universitys School of Nursing. Nurses cherish the meaning of the pinning ceremony. It is a combined celebration of their accomplishments and eagerness, as they anticipate the next steps in their new role within the nursing profession

As part of the ceremony, graduate nurses and registered nurses (RNs) receiving a higher degree will be asked to recite a pledge based on an oath originally created by Florence

Nightingale[1], a renowned nurse and the founder of the first secular professional training school for nurses.[2]

A pinning ceremony is an acknowledgement by our faculty that a student is ready to fulfill the requirements of being a nurse, said Nash. Its an important career milestone where students are recognized as elite members of a select community dedicated to healing others.

History of the Pinning Ceremony:

The pinning ceremony has been a part of Husson Universitys nursing school tradition since 1986 when the first class of BSN students graduated. This rite of passage can be traced back to the Crusades of the 12th century. During this time, the Knights of the Order of the Hospital of St. John the Baptist tended to injured and infirm Crusaders. When new monks were initiated into the order, they vowed to serve these sick soldiers in a ceremony where each monk was given a Maltese cross, the first badges given to those who nurse.[3]

The modern ceremony dates back to the 1860s, when Florence Nightingale was awarded the Red Cross of St. George in recognition for her tireless service to the injured during the Crimean War. To share the honor, she in turn presented a medal of excellence to her brightest graduates. By 1916, the pinning of new graduates was a standard practice throughout the U.S.[4]

The Pledge:

I solemnly pledge myself before God and in the presence of this assembly, to pass my life in purity and to practice my profession faithfully.

I will abstain from whatever is deleterious and mischievous, and will not take or knowingly administer any harmful drug.

I will do all in my power to maintain and elevate the standard of my profession, and will hold in confidence all personal matters committed to my keeping and all family affairs coming to my knowledge in the practice of my calling.

With loyalty will I endeavor to aid the physician in his work, and devote myself to the welfare of those committed to my care.

More about Maine State Representative Anne Perry:

Representative Anne C. Perry is a member of the Maine State House of Representatives. She represents District #9 which includes Baileyville, Baring Plantation, Calais, Eastport, Grand Lake Stream Plantation, Passamaquoddy Indian Township, Meddybemps, Perry, Pleasant Point Voting District, and Robbinston.

Representative Perry is a retired family nurse practitioner who worked at Calais Regional Medical Services. She is serving her eighth non-consecutive term in the House, where she is currently the chair of the Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services Committee.

Representative Perry previously served in the Maine Legislature from 2003-2010, and was House chair of the Joint Standing Committees on Insurance and Financial Services as well as Health and Human Services.

She is a member of the St. Croix Area Rotary Club, a board member of Northern Light Health Systems, a board member of the Regional Medical Center at Lubec and a past president of the Maine Nurse Practitioner Association.

Representative Perry holds a bachelors degree in nursing from the University of Southern Maine and a masters in nursing from Husson University.

More about Husson University:

Husson Universitys School of Nursing provides the advanced knowledge students need to become caring professionals dedicated to meeting the health needs of all people. Graduates help patients achieve their maximum health potential. Nurses comprise the largest component of the expanding healthcare sector[5], providing opportunities for individuals who seek one-on-one relationships with patients to executive positions in the health industry, from mental health nurses to primary care.

Students can choose to enroll in undergraduate and graduate nursing programs. The undergraduate program is a four-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree thats available on campus. The University also offers a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree program online with a choice of adult-gerontology acute care nurse practitioner (AGAC-NP), family nurse practitioner (FNP), and psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) options.

Students can also earn post-master's certificates in these areas. Additionally, there are executive nursing business management and nursing global health certificate options.

The School of Nursing is just one of several schools that are a part of Husson Universitys College of Health and Pharmacy. Others include the School of Physical Therapy, the School of Occupational Therapy and the School of Pharmacy.

The facilities at Husson University include a state-of-the-art nursing simulation learning center with lifelike mannequins that give aspiring nurses the opportunity to practice their skills, a cadaver dissection lab, excellent library resources and wireless computer access.

For nearly 125 years, Husson University has shown its adaptability and strength in delivering educational programs that prepare future leaders to handle the challenges of tomorrow through innovative undergraduate and graduate degrees. With a commitment to delivering affordable classroom, online and experiential learning opportunities, Husson University has come to represent a superior value in higher education. The hallmarks of a Husson education include advanced knowledge delivered through quality educational programs. According to an analysis of tuition and fees by U.S. News & World Report, Husson University is one of the most affordable private colleges in New England. For more information about educational opportunities that can lead to personal and professional success, visit Husson.edu.





# # #

[1] Wikipedia, Nightingale Pledge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale_Pledge, Accessed 5/4/23

[2] Wikipedia, Florence Nightingale, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Nightingale, Accessed 5/4/23

[3] Lapel Pins and Coins, the History of Nursing Pins, https://lapelpinsandcoins.com/blog/history-of-nursing-pins/, Accessed 5/4/23.

[4] Walden University, The History of the Pinning Ceremony: A Nursing School Tradition, https://www.waldenu.edu/programs/nursing/resource/the-history-of-the-pinning-ceremony-a-nursing-school-tradition, Accessed 5/4/23.

[5] American Association of Colleges of Nursing, Nursing Fact Sheet, https://www.aacnnursing.org/News-Information/Fact-Sheets/Nursing-Fact-Sheet, Accessed 5/4/23

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Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Contract Manufacturing Market Size, Trends, and Growth Opportunity, by Product, by End-user, by Distribution Channel by Region and Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global contract manufacturing market was valued at USD 246.51 Billion in 2022 and is slated to reach USD 512.74 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 9.58 % from 2023-2030.

Companies Mentioned

Nordson Corporation

Viant Technology LLC

Integer Holdings Corporation

Jabil Inc.

Celestica Inc.

Sanmina Corporation

FLEX LTD.

Plexus Corp.

Synecco

Phillips-Medisize

West Pharmaceutical Services Inc

In cases where one company arranges for another company in another country to manufacture its products - a practice known as international subcontracting or international outsourcing - contract manufacturing is used. All requirements and, if necessary, the materials needed for the production process are given to the manufacturer by the company.

This kind of contract lays forth the specifications that the manufacturer must satisfy on the quality of the products, certification, quantity, conditions, and delivery dates, among other things.

Additionally, it defines regulations for the product testing and inspection carried out by the business that outsources manufacturing or by its customers. It also describes order adjustments, assurances, and payment in the event of contract violations. This form of contract can be used by a variety of different businesses and industries because the procedure fundamentally involves outsourcing production in foreign markets to a partner who will privately brand the finished product.



Market Drivers



For both public and private sector organizations, inefficient production, time-consuming manufacturing, and management are substantial challenges. They are also necessary for dealing with complex issues because it takes more than one organization to effect change and, occasionally, the necessary results.

The government and commercial sectors will have more prospects thanks to the contract manufacturing businesses. The leading companies are being pushed towards strategic initiatives by the growing demand for contract manufacturing with better precision and fewer time constraints.

By releasing the overhead costs necessary to invest in equipment, materials, and additional labor, owning contract manufacturing streamlines the supply chain and makes it easier to produce goods. Due to the escalating demand in the pharmaceutical sector, it takes significant production investments to rapidly release a new drug onto the market. Because some pharmaceuticals have complicated formulations and need particular tools and processes when mass-produced, advanced technology and abilities are essential.

For speedy and efficient manufacturing, the use of cutting-edge technologies like machine learning, big data, and artificial intelligence to produce pharmaceutical medications or manufacture medical devices is being studied. These technological developments also facilitate rapid scaling and mass production.



Market Restraints



To cut costs, the majority of pharmaceutical corporations are constructing manufacturing facilities to create pharmaceutical products. The introduction of cutting-edge technologies and the digitization process are manufacturers' top priorities. New business models and a population that is more focused on personalized medicines and treatments are two more factors causing changes in the pharmaceutical industry.

As a result, there is a great need for individualized care. Occupational profiles are also evolving; while some professions are being replaced by technology, others are being created from scratch. Consequently, the expansion of the worldwide contract manufacturing market during the forecast period may be hampered by the growing number of pharmaceutical businesses establishing their manufacturing facilities.



Key Attributes:

Report Attribute Details No. of Pages 262 Forecast Period 2022 - 2030 Estimated Market Value (USD(BN)) in 2022 USD(BN)246.51 Billion Forecasted Market Value (USD(BN)) by 2030 USD(BN)512.74 Billion Compound Annual Growth Rate 9.5% Regions Covered Global

Key Topics Covered:



1 Introduction



2 Research Methodology



3 Executive Summary



4 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Outlook

4.1 Overview

4.2 Market Dynamics

4.2.1 Drivers

4.2.2 Restraints

4.2.3 Opportunities

4.2.4 Cumulative Impact due to recent Energy Crisis

4.2.5 Cumulative Impact due to nearing Economic Downturn

4.2.6 Post Covid-19 World Supply and Demand Conditions

4.2.7 Cumulative Impact of Russia-Ukraine Conflict

4.3 Porters Five Force Model

4.4 Value Chain Analysis



5 Global Contract Manufacturing Market, By Product

5.1 Y-o-Y Growth Comparison, By Product

5.2 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Share Analysis, By Product

5.3 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Size and Forecast, By Product

5.3.1 Medical Device Manufacturing

5.3.2 Pharmaceutical Products Manufacturing



6 Global Contract Manufacturing Market, By End User

6.1 Y-o-Y Growth Comparison, By End User

6.2 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Share Analysis, By End User

6.3 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Size and Forecast, By End User

6.3.1 Pharmaceutical Companies

6.3.2 Biotechnology Companies

6.3.3 Biopharma Companies

6.3.4 Medical Device Companies

6.3.5 Original Equipment Manufacturer

6.3.6 Research Institutes



7 Global Contract Manufacturing Market, By Distribution Channel

7.1 Y-o-Y Growth Comparison, By Distribution Channel

7.2 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Share Analysis, By Distribution Channel

7.3 Global Contract Manufacturing Market Size and Forecast, By Distribution Channel

7.3.1 Retail Sales

7.3.2 Direct Tender

7.3.3 Others



8 Global Contract Manufacturing Market, By Region



9 North America Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

10 Europe Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

11 Asia Pacific Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

12 Latin America Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

13 Middle East Contract Manufacturing Market Analysis and Forecast (2023-2030)

14 Competitive Analysis

14.1 Competition Dashboard

14.2 Market share Analysis of Top Vendors

14.3 Key Development Strategies

15 Company Profiles

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/atzboi

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.
NEW YORK, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.



Class Period: August 18, 2021 to May 17, 2022

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 30, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in TGT:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/target-corporation-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=39074&from=3

Target Corporation NEWS - TGT NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Target Corporation made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) Targets difficulty maintaining a balanced inventory of in-demand goods was far worse than the Company had represented; (ii) Target was severely impacted by changing consumer preferences; (iii) Targets inventory mix was significantly more sensitive to changing consumer preferences due to Targets practice of buying larger quantities ahead of season, and was therefore at significant risk of having to use markdowns to sell out-of-demand goods; and (iv) as a direct result of these changing preferences, Targets inventory increasingly became out-of-balance and overweight in bulky and unsellable goods throughout the Class Period forcing Target to markdown its out-of-demand goods, thereby negatively impacting revenue.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Target you have until May 30, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Target securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the TGT lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/target-corporation-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=39074&from=3

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

jk@kleinstocklaw.com

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com
NEW YORK, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Klein Law Firm announces that a class action complaint has been filed on behalf of shareholders of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPR) alleging that the Company violated federal securities laws.



Class Period: April 8, 2020 to April 13, 2023

Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 5, 2023

No obligation or cost to you.

Learn more about your recoverable losses in SPR:

https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/spirit-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=39089&from=3

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. NEWS - SPR NEWS

CLASS ACTION CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. made materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Spirit lacked effective production quality controls; (2) as a result, Spirit incorrectly installed fittings designed to join the aft fuselage to the vertical tail for some Boeing 737 Max airplanes that Spirit sent to Boeing; (3) as a result, Spirit would have to develop an inspection and repair procedure for the affected fuselages; (4) the foregoing would negatively impact Spirits financial results; and (5) as a result of the foregoing, defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis.

WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOU AS A SHAREHOLDER: If you have suffered a loss in Spirit you have until July 5, 2023 to petition the court for lead plaintiff status. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.

NO COST TO YOU: If you purchased Spirit securities during the relevant period, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket fees.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR FINANCIAL INTERESTS: For additional information about the SPR lawsuit, please contact J. Klein, Esq. by telephone at 212-616-4899 or click this link: https://www.kleinstocklaw.com/pslra-1/spirit-lawsuit-loss-submission-form?id=39089&from=3.

ABOUT KLEIN LAW FIRM

J. Klein, Esq. represents investors and participates in securities litigations involving financial fraud throughout the nation. The Klein Law Firm is a boutique litigation firm with experience in a wide range of areas including securities law, corporate finance and commercial litigation. Since 2011, our experienced attorneys have achieved superior results for our clients with a personalized focus. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

J. Klein, Esq.

535 Fifth Avenue

4th Floor

New York City, NY 10017

jk@kleinstocklaw.com

Telephone: (212) 616-4899

www.kleinstocklaw.com
New York, NY, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Le Vian, the family-owned celebrity jewelry brand known for their quality, originality and value and for its ancestors who guarded the Koh I Noor diamond in 18th century Persia, has announced the launch of its new Coronation Collection exclusively at KAY Jewelers. This collection is a tribute to King Charles' historic coronation and is available in four precious gems of the earth - diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and rubies.

The Coronation Collection is a masterpiece created by Le Vian's skilled artisans who have a passion for crafting unique jewelry pieces. The collection includes a KAY exclusive coronation ring that represents the love and status of the wearer. It is a perfect way to indulge and show your love and adoration for the queen of your life.

Le Vian's Coronation Collection is a celebration of its guardianship of the jewels of ancient royalty and its prominence on the red carpet of today. The jewelry pieces are rich with history taking as a starting point in the form of a royal crown in a sumptuous, eye-catching design.

"We are thrilled to launch the KAY Exclusive Coronation Collection to commemorate the historic coronation of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla exclusively at KAY Jewelers," said Eddie LeVian, CEO of Le Vian. "Our skilled artisans have worked tirelessly to create unique and exquisite pieces that represent the love and status of the wearer. We believe that our customers will love this collection as much as we do."

Read Eddie LeVians Expert Analysis on What Jewelry will be worn during the Coronation on May 6th, 2023 on levian.com.

KAY Jewelers, the worlds largest diamond jeweler and the worlds largest retailer of Le Vian jewelry is proud to present the KAY exclusive Le Vian Coronation jewelry collection featuring the worlds most precious natural gems, inspired by the historic Coronation.  Bill Brace, President of KAY Jewelers

The Coronation Collection is now available exclusively at Kay Jewelers. For more information about the collection, please visit the Kay Jewelers website.

About Le Vian

Once a guardian of royal jewels in 18th century Persia, Le Vian has transformed itself into a contemporary celebrity jewelry powerhouse catering to the whos who of music and film. Le Vian has a mission to make the worlds most beautiful and desirable jewelry accessible to every household and the current generation of the Le Vian dynasty is fully committed to realizing this goal. Le Vian is at the forefront of creating the most exquisite natural fancy color diamond jewels in a kaleidoscope of colors including pink, yellow - and the exclusive Le Vian Chocolate Diamonds, which have in the last 20 years attracted 5 million collectors. Le Vian regularly submits its entire manufacturing process to independent audit and verification as a certified member of the Responsible Jewelry Council. Visit levian.com for more information.

About KAY Jewelers

For over 100 years, KAY Jewelers has helped millions of people express love and celebrate life's most meaningful moments. Operated by Signet Jewelers Ltd., KAY Jewelers is America's #1 jewelry retailer and the world's largest retailer of diamond jewelry. For additional information on KAY Jewelers visit www.Kay.com.

Images: LINK

Attachments
SACRAMENTO, Calif., May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dairy Council of California, a leader in nutrition education and advocacy, has awarded a $5,000 community grant to the City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC initiative. Funding the Empowering Healthy Choices: Cooking with Rancho Cucamonga Teens project will engage youth leaders to increase opportunities for local students to learn about healthy eating and build skills to prepare nutritious and culturally inclusive meals.



Seeing the excitement of the teens faces as they tried the delicious recipes we made was rewarding. These healthy cooking skills are vital in supporting their well-being and will inspire them for the future and beyond, states Joanna Marrufo, youth advisor for the City of Rancho Cucamonga Health Equity Nutrition Research Youth Empowerment Program.

Community grants advance the activation of Dairy Council of Californias Lets Eat Healthy initiative, engaging Lets Eat Healthy champions to support equitable access to science-based nutrition education, as well as food and agricultural literacy that encompasses the role of dairy in sustainable food systems. Funds also help make healthy, wholesome foods, including milk and dairy foods, more accessible for local California communities.

Dairy Council of California CEO Amy DeLisio explains further: The $5,000 Lets Eat Healthy Community Grant is an impactful tool for the City of Rancho Cucamonga, Healthy RC initiative to engage with youth in the community. Supporting youth leadership and engagement are vital to solving nutrition and health problems locally and globally. This grant supports lived culinary experiences that are valuable in providing opportunities where children, families and communities can build positive and culturally diverse connections in support of lifelong health.

This year, the Lets Eat Healthy Community Grant program has awarded a total of $20,000 to Lets Eat Healthy partners to assist California school districts and community organizations to facilitate innovative and sustainable solutions to foster healthy eating through a myriad of strategies and partnerships to meet their local communities needs.

About the Lets Eat Healthy Initiative

Launched by Dairy Council of California, Lets Eat Healthy is an initiative that brings together community leaders and stakeholders with expertise in education, school foodservice, public health, health care and agriculture, inviting these change-makers to elevate the health of children and families through the pursuit of lifelong healthy eating habits. Through coordination and collaboration, Lets Eat Healthy strives to provide sustainable solutions to champion community health and make healthy, wholesome foods accessible to all. Join the initiative and make a difference at HealthyEating.org.

Contact:

Meggan Rush

Communications Manager

Dairy Council of California

916.633.3644

mrush@dairycouncilofca.org

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/155d8c0b-a455-4925-8a58-d9721c84ef14
TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sprott Inc. (Sprott) (NYSE/TSX: SII) announced today the results of its Annual and Special Meeting of shareholders held on May 5, 2023 (the Meeting). Sprott is pleased to announce that all resolutions put forward in the Management Information Circular dated March 21, 2023 (the Circular) to its shareholders were approved.



Results of the matters voted on at the Meeting are set out below.

Election of Directors

Sprotts six (6) director nominees were elected:

Nominee Votes For (percent) Votes Withheld (percent) Ronald Dewhurst 98.427% 1.573% Graham Birch 93.087% 6.913% Whitney George 99.008% 0.992% Barbara Connolly Keady 93.704% 6.296% Judith OConnell 94.289% 5.711% Catherine Raw 98.677% 1.323%

Appointment of Auditors

KPMG LLP, Chartered Accountants, was re-appointed as auditor of Sprott and the board of directors of Sprott was authorized to fix the auditors remuneration and terms of engagement.

Votes For (percent): 99.630%

Votes Withheld (percent): 0.370%

Unallocated Awards Under the Employee Profit Sharing Plan for Non-U.S. Employees

The unallocated awards under the employee profit sharing plan for non-U.S. employees as more particularly described in the Circular were approved.

Votes For (percent): 58.197%

Votes Against (percent): 41.803%

Unallocated Awards Under the Equity Incentive Plan for U.S. Service Providers

The unallocated awards under the equity incentive plan for U.S. service providers as more particularly described in the Circular were approved.

Votes For (percent): 72.794%

Votes Against (percent): 27.206%

For further details on each of the above matters, please refer to the Circular available under Sprotts profile on the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com.

Final voting results on all matters voted on at the Meeting will be filed on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About Sprott

Sprott is a global leader in precious metal and energy transition investments. We are specialists. Our in-depth knowledge, experience and relationships separate us from the generalists. Our investment strategies include Exchange Listed Products, Managed Equities and Private Strategies. Sprott has offices in Toronto, New York and Connecticut and the companys common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol (SII). For more information, please visit www.sprott.com.

Investor contact information:

Glen Williams

Managing Partner

Investor and Institutional Client Relations;

Head of Corporate Communications

(416) 943-4394

gwilliams@sprott.com


MIRAMICHI, May 04, 2023 - SLAM Exploration Ltd. (TSXV: SXL) (the "Company" or "SLAM") announces that it has closed a private placement of 6,055,000 units (the "Units") at a price of $0.05 per Unit for gross proceeds of $302,750.00 (the "Private Placement"). Each Unit is comprised of one common share in the capital of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (the "Warrant"). Each Warrant will entitle the holder thereof to acquire one common Share at a price of $0.08 for a period of 24 months from the date of issuance. The Units are subject to a statutory hold period of four months and one day which will expire on September 5, 2023.



In connection with the closing, the Company issued 298,000 Finder Warrants and paid $14,900.00 in cash as Finders' Fees. Proceeds received from the Units will be used for corporate purposes and to fund exploration on SLAM's gold and critical element projects in Canada with the main focus on New Brunswick. For more information on SLAM's activities and projects, click SXL-Presentation.

This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. Persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

MI 61-101 Disclosure

One insider of the Company participated in the Private Placement for an aggregate total of 500,000 Units. The participation by such insiders is considered a "related-party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Company has relied on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 contained in sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(1)(a) of MI 61-101 in respect of related party participation in the placement as neither the fair market value (as determined under MI 61-101) of the subject matter of, nor the fair market value of the consideration for, the transaction, insofar as it involved the related parties, exceeded 25% of the Company's market capitalization (as determined under MI 61-101).

The Company did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the expected closing of the Private Placement as the details of the participation therein by related parties of the Company were not settled until shortly prior to closing of the Private Placement and the Company wished to close on an expedited basis for sound business reasons. The Private Placement remains subject to final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange.

For additional information call Mike Taylor at 506-623-8960.

About SLAM Exploration Ltd:

The Company continues to generate cash and collect securities from other companies through mineral property option agreements. During the past 6 months, the Company has received a total of $529,250 from a combination of mineral property payments and private placements. The Company currently hold 2,760,949 common shares received pursuant to mineral property agreements.

Targeting critical elements as well as gold, the Company aggressively pursues new exploration opportunities such as the recently staked Highway project with known occurrences of cobalt, copper and silver as well as gold.

SLAM's exploration team is prospecting and trenching on recent gold discoveries reported at Jake Lee. Both Highway and Jake Lee projects are located in southwestern New Brunswick where Galway Metals recently announced a 2.3-million-ounce gold deposit at Clarence stream. The Company plans further work at its drill-ready Menneval gold project in northern New Brunswick and intends to explore cobalt, nickel and copper geochemical anomalies on its Portage project in the Bathurst Mining Camp ("BMC"). The Company is evaluating the Cumberland Bay rare earth element (REE) project in central New Brunswick and the Keezhik gold project in Ontario.

The Company has sufficient funds for the work currently in progress. To view SLAM's corporate presentation, click SXL-Presentation. Additional information is available on SLAMs website SLAM and SEDAR filings at www.sedar.com. Follow us on twitter @SLAMGold.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information in this press release may constitute forward-looking information, including statements that address the Private Placement, the closing of the Private Placement, future production, reserve potential, exploration and development activities and events or developments that the Company expects. 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. The Company 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 the Company. There are a number of risk factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those described herein. Information identifying risks and uncertainties is contained in the Company's filings with the Canadian securities regulators, which filings are available at www.sedar.com.

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.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Mike Taylor, President & CEO

Contact: 506-623-8960 mike@slamexploration.com

Eugene Beukman, CFO

Contact: 604-687-2038 ebeukman@pendergroup.ca
VANCOUVER, May 4, 2023 -

TSX VENTURE COMPANIES

BULLETIN TYPE: Cease Trade Order

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Company

A Cease Trade Order has been issued by the Saskatchewan Securities Commission on May 3, 2023 against the following company for failing to file the documents indicated within the required time period:

Symbol Tier Company Failure to File Period Ending (Y/M/D) HTC 1 HTC Purenergy Inc. Audited annual financial statements for the year, as required by Part 4 of National Instrument 51-102 Continuous Disclosure Obligations ("NI 51-102). 2022/12/31





A Form 51-102F1 Management's Discussion and Analysis relating to the audited annual financial statements for the year, as required by Part 5 of NI 51-102. 2022/12/31



Upon revocation of the Cease Trade Order, the Company's shares will remain suspended until the Company meets TSX Venture Exchange requirements. Members are prohibited from trading in the securities of the companies during the period of the suspension or until further notice.

________________________________________

Integra Resources Corp. ("ITR")

Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("MPM.WT")

BULLETIN TYPE: Plan of Arrangement, Private Placement Non-Brokered, Private Placement Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

Plan of Arrangement:

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to an arm's length arrangement agreement dated February 26, 2023 (the "Arrangement Agreement") between Integra Resources Corp. ("Integra") and Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("Millennial"). On May 4, 2023, pursuant to the terms of the Arrangement Agreement and a court-approved plan of arrangement (the "Plan of Arrangement") under Division 5 of Part 9 of the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia), Integra completed the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding common shares of Millennial (the "Arrangement").

Under the Arrangement, former Millennial shareholders received 0.23 of an Integra common share (each, an "Integra Share") for each one Millennial share (each, a "Millennial Share") held.

Millennial shareholders approved the Arrangement on April 26, 2023 at a special meeting of shareholders. The Supreme Court of British Columbia approved the Plan of Arrangement on May 1, 2023 and the Arrangement closed on May 4, 2023.

As part of the Arrangement, the common share purchase warrants of Millennial (symbol: MPM.WT) (the "Warrants") have been adjusted such that the Warrants are now exercisable to acquire 0.23 of one Integra Share, all pursuant to a supplemental warrant indenture dated May 4, 2023. No fractional Integra Shares will be issued on exercise of the Warrants and therefore the Warrants will need to be exercised in sufficient numbers to provide for the delivery of a whole number of Integra Shares. All other material terms of the Warrants remain unchanged.

There is no change in the Warrants CUSIP number and trading symbol and no consolidation of capital.

Capitalization: 21,562,500 Warrants, authorized by a warrant indenture dated June 16, 2022, as supplemented by a supplemental indenture dated May 4, 2023, of which 20,092,415 Warrants are issued and outstanding.



Transfer Agent: TSX Trust Company Trading Symbol: MPM.WT (UNCHANGED) CUSIP Number: 60041N112 (UNCHANGED)



No action is required by holders of Warrants with respect to the adjustments above under the Plan of Arrangement and the certificates currently representing the Warrants will continue to evidence the rights outlined above in respect of the Warrants until replaced against transfer.

For more details, please refer to Millennial's management information circular dated March 27, 2023 and Integra and Millennial's joint news releases issued February 27, 2023, March 16, 2023 and May 4, 2023, each of which is available on SEDAR.

Private Placement:

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Subscription Receipts Brokered and Non-Brokered Private Placement announced on February 27, 2023, converted as follows:

Number of Shares: 50,000,000 shares



Purchase Price: $0.70 per share



Number of Placees: 31 placees

Insider / Pro Group Participation:









Placees # of Placee (s) Aggregate # of Shares





Aggregate Existing Insider Involvement: NA NA Aggregate Pro Group Involvement: 4 18,004,739



Agent's Fee: Raymond James Ltd. received $440,916.66 cash, BMO Nesbitt Burns Inc. received $440,916.66 cash, and Cormark Securities Ltd. received $440,916.66 cash.



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Warrants Finder's Fee: NA NA NA



Pursuant to Corporate Finance Policy 4.1, Section 1.11(d), Integra has issued a news release announcing the closing of the private placement and setting out the expiry dates of the hold period(s) on March 16, 2023.

Additional Information:

Please see elsewhere in today's TSX Venture Exchange bulletins for information regarding the delisting of the Millennial Shares from TSX Venture Exchange.

________________________________________

Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("MPM")

BULLETIN TYPE: Delist, Plan of Arrangement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

Delist - Common Shares

Effective at the close of business, Friday, May 5, 2023, the common shares will be delisted from TSX Venture Exchange at the request of the Company.

Plan of Arrangement

The delisting of Millennial Precious Metals Corp. results from a Plan of Arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia) involving the Company and Integra Resources Corp. ("Integra"), an Exchange-listed issuer. Under the Arrangement, the Company's shareholders received 0.23 of an Integra share for each Company share held at a deemed price of $0.18 per share. Shareholders of the Company approved the Arrangement pursuant to a special resolution passed by shareholders of the Company on April 26, 2023. The Supreme Court of British Columbia granted a final order in connection with the Plan of Arrangement on May 1, 2023.

For further information, please refer to the information circular of Millennial Precious Metals Corp. dated March 27, 2023 and the Company's news releases dated February 27, 2023 and May 4, 2023.

________________________________________

OSISKO DEVELOPMENT CORP. ("ODV") ("ODV.WT.U")

BULLETIN TYPE: New Listing-Warrants

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

Effective at the opening on Monday, May 8, 2023, 11,363,933 warrants of the Company (the "Warrants") will be listed and admitted to trading on TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). The Company is classified as a "Gold and silver ore mining" Company (NAICS Number 212220). This security will trade in U.S. dollars.

Corporate Jurisdiction: Canada



Capitalization: 11,363,933 Warrants issued and outstanding



Warrants Exercise Price: US$10.70 per Share at any time on or prior to May 27, 2027



Transfer Agent: TSX Trust Company



Trading Symbol: ODV.WT.U



CUSIP Number: 68828E239



The Warrants are governed by the terms and conditions of a warrant indenture dated March 4, 2022, between TSX Trust Company and the Company, as amended and supplemented on March 29, 2022, and as further amended and supplemented on March 17, 2023.

OSISKO DEVELOPPEMENT CORP. ("ODV") ("ODV.WT.U")

TYPE DE BULLETIN: Nouvelle inscription - Bons de souscription

DATE DU BULLETIN: 4 mai 2023

Societe du groupe 1 de Bourse de Croissance TSX

11 363 933 bons de souscription de la societe (les  bons de souscription ) seront inscrits et admis a la negociation sur Bourse de Croissance TSX (la  Bourse ) a l'ouverture des affaires le lundi 8 mai 2023. La societe est categorisee dans le secteur  extraction de minerais d'or et d'argent  (Numero SCIAN 212220). Ces titres transigeront en dollars U.S.

Juridiction de la societe: Canada



Capitalisation des bons de souscription: 11 363 933 bons de souscription emis et en circulation



Prix d'exercice des bons: 10,70 $ US par action a n'importe quel moment le ou avant le 27 mai 2027



Agent des transferts: Societe de fiducie TSX



Symbole au telescripteur des bons: ODV.WT.U



Numero de CUSIP: 68828E239



Les bons de souscription sont regis par les termes et conditions d'une convention relative aux bons de souscription datee du 4 mars 2022 entre Societe de fiducie TSX et la societe, telle que modifiee et completee le 29 mars 2022, et telle que subsequemment modifiee et completee le 17 mars 2023.

________________________________________

OSISKO DEVELOPMENT CORP. ("ODV") ("ODV.WT.A")

BULLETIN TYPE: New Listing-Warrants

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

Effective at the opening on Monday, May 8, 2023, 7,752,916 warrants of the Company (the "Warrants") will be listed and admitted to trading on TSX Venture Exchange (the "Exchange"). The Company is classified as a "Gold and silver ore mining" Company (NAICS Number 212220).

Corporate Jurisdiction: Canada



Capitalization: 7,752,916 Warrants issued and outstanding



Warrants Exercise Price: $14.75 per Share at any time on or prior to March 2, 2027



Transfer Agent: TSX Trust Company



Trading Symbol: ODV.WT.A



CUSIP Number: 68828E221



The Warrants are governed by the terms and conditions of a warrant indenture dated March 2, 2022, between TSX Trust Company and the Company, as amended and supplemented on March 17, 2023.

OSISKO DEVELOPPEMENT CORP. ("ODV") ("ODV.WT.A")

TYPE DE BULLETIN : Nouvelle inscription - Bons de souscription

DATE DU BULLETIN : 4 mai 2023

Societe du groupe 1 de Bourse de Croissance TSX

7 752 916 bons de souscription de la societe (les  bons de souscription ) seront inscrits et admis a la negociation sur Bourse de Croissance TSX (la  Bourse ) a l'ouverture des affaires le lundi 8 mai 2023. La societe est categorisee dans le secteur  extraction de minerais d'or et d'argent  (Numero SCIAN 212220).

Juridiction de la societe : Canada



Capitalisation des bons de souscription : 7 752 916 bons de souscription emis et en circulation



Prix d'exercice des bons : 14,75 $ par action a n'importe quel moment le ou avant le 2 mars 2027



Agent des transferts : Societe de fiducie TSX



Symbole au telescripteur des bons: ODV.WT.A



Numero de CUSIP : 68828E221



Les bons de souscription sont regis par les termes et conditions d'une convention relative aux bons de souscription datee du 2 mars 2022 entre la Societe de fiducie TSX et la societe, telle que modifiee et completee le 17 mars 2023.

________________________________________

TOTAL HELIUM LTD. ("TOH")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement; Resume Trading

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

Property-Asset Purchase Agreement:

TSX Venture Exchange ("Exchange") has accepted for filing documentation the Purchase and Sale Agreement dated January 17, 2023, and the amendments therein (collectively, the "Agreement"), between a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Company ("Purchaser") and a group of arm's length parties (collectively, the "Vendors"). Pursuant to the terms of Agreement, the Purchaser has entered into a joint venture with the Vendors and has acquired a 20% interest in two producing wells and a 50% interest in eight additional existing wells which are being connected to a helium processing plant, and which together comprise the Pinta South Project ("Project"). The Purchaser also holds a 50% working interest in all future wells drilled as part of the Project. In consideration of the acquisition, the Purchaser remitted a total cash payment of $8,000,000 USD, and issued 10,810,812 common shares of the Company ("Shares") at a deemed price of $0.50 per Share. Additionally, the Purchaser has funded $2,000,000 USD into a capital development program for the Project.

The Company has agreed to issue 324,324 Shares at a deemed price of $0.50 per Share to an arm's length management and advisory company, in consideration for administrative services provided in connection with the transaction.

Insider / Pro Group Participation: None



This acquisition is considered an Arm's Length transaction.

Resume Trading:

Effective at the opening, Monday, May 8, 2023, the common shares of Total Helium Ltd. (the "Company") will resume trading.

For further information, please refer to the Company's news releases dated March 20, 2023; April 5, 2023; and May 1, 2023.

________________________________________

23/05/04 - TSX Venture Exchange Bulletins

TSX VENTURE COMPANIES

AZINCOURT ENERGY CORP. ("AAZ")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to the arm's length acquisition of a 60% interest in the Big Hill Lithium Project (3 exploration licenses, 7,500 hectares) located in Newfoundland and Labrador.



CASH ($) SECURITIES WORK EXPENDITURES (S) CONSIDERATION $225,000 13,850,000 Common Shares $3,250,000



The property is subject to an existing 1% NSR, with the Company having the right to repurchase one half for $1,000,000 at any time.

An arms-length finder will receive $20,000 cash and up to 1,310,000 common shares.

For further details, please refer to the Company's news release dated April 21, 2023

________________________________________

BRUNSWICK EXPLORATION INC. ("BRW")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation relating to an option agreement (the "Agreement") between Brunswick Exploration Inc. (the "Company") and an arm's length party. The Option Agreement allows the Company to acquire a 100% interest in 96 mining claims located in the Baie-James area, province of Quebec.

CONSIDERATION CASH ($) SECURITIES* WORK EXPENDITURES ($)







Effective date $25,000 $25,000 in shares representing up to 55,556 common shares N/A







6 months $12,500 $12,500 in shares representing up to 27,778 common shares N/A







First year $62,500 $62,500 in shares representing up to 138,889 common shares $100,000







Second year $50,000 $50,000 in shares representing up to 111,111 common shares Aggregate of $300,000







Third year $100,000 $100,000 in shares up to 222,222 common shares Aggregate of $1,000,000



* The common shares will be issued at a minimum deemed value of $0.45 per share.

The vendor will retain a 3% gross overriding royalty. The Company may purchase 1% of the royalty for $1,000,000.

For further details, please refer to the Company's news releases dated January 24, 2023 and April 25, 2023.

BRUNSWICK EXPLORATION INC. ( BRW )

TYPE DE BULLETIN : Convention d'achat de propriete d'actif ou d'actions

DATE DU BULLETIN : Le 4 mai 2023

Societe du groupe 2 de TSX Croissance

Bourse de croissance TSX a accepte le depot de documents relative a une convention d'option (la  convention ) entre Brunswick Exploration Inc. (la  societe ) et une personne sans lien de dependance. La convention d'option offre a la societe la possibilite d'acquerir 100 % d'interet dans 96 claims miniers situee dans la region de la Baie James dans la province du Quebec.

CONTREPARTIE ESPECES ($) TITRES ENGAGEMENTS AU TITRE DE TRAVAUX ($) Date d'effet de l'entente Minimum 25 000 $ 25 000 $ en actions representant un maximum de 55 556 actions ordinaires S/O







6 mois 12 500 $ 12 500 $ en actions representant un maximum de 27 778 actions ordinaires S/O







Premiere annee 62 500 $ 62 500 $ en actions representant un maximum de 138 889 actions ordinaires 100 000 $







Deuxieme annee 50 000 $ 50 000 $ en actions representant un maximum de 111 111 actions ordinaires Total de 300 000 $







Troisieme annee 100 000 $ 100 000 $ en actions representant un maximum de 222 222 actions ordinaires Total de 1 000 000 $



La societe accordera une redevance brute sur les metaux de 3 %. La societe peut racheter 1% de cette royaute pour la somme de 1 000 000 $.

Pour plus d'information, veuillez-vous referer aux communiques de presse emis par la societe les 24 janvier 2023 et 25 avril 2023.

________________________________________

BRUNSWICK EXPLORATION INC. ("BRW")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation relating to a purchase agreement between Brunswick Exploration Inc. (the "Company") and an arm's length party, in connection with the purchase of a 100% interest in 5 mining claims located in the province of Quebec, Canada, in consideration of $5,000 in cash and 12,500 common shares.

The vendor will retain a 2% NSR royalty. The Company may purchase half of the royalty for $1,000,000.

For further details, please refer to the Company's news release dated April 25, 2023.

BRUNSWICK EXPLORATION INC. ( BRW )

TYPE DE BULLETIN : Convention d'achat de propriete d'actif ou d'actions

DATE DU BULLETIN : Le 4 mai 2023

Societe du groupe 2 de TSX Croissance

Bourse de croissance TSX a accepte le depot de documents relative a une convention d'acquisition entre Brunswick Exploration inc. (la  societe ) et une personne sans lien de dependance, relativement a l'acquisition d'un interet de 100 % portant sur 5 claims miniers situes dans la province du Quebec, Canada, en consideration de 5 000 $ en especes et 12 500 actions ordinaires.

Le vendeur conservera une redevance de 2 % NSR, dont la moitie (1 %) peut etre rachetee par la societe pour la somme de 1 000 000 $.

Pour plus d'information, veuillez-vous referer au communique de presse emis par la societe le 25 avril 2023.

________________________________________

CANALASKA URANIUM LTD. ("CVV")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to the arm's length acquisition of one (1) mineral license and ten (10) mineral claims in Manitoba, referred to as the Mel Project.



CASH ($) SECURITIES WORK EXPENDITURES ($) CONSIDERATION $300,000 2,000,000 Common Shares N/A



For further details, please refer to the Company's news release dated March 6, 2023.

________________________________________

CARTIER RESOURCES INC. ("ECR")

BULLETIN TYPE: Private Placement - Non-Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Non-Brokered Private Placement:

Number of Shares: 5,140,000 federal flow-through common shares (the "Fed FT Shares") and

4,545,455 Quebec flow-through common shares (the "QC FT Shares")



Purchase Price: $0.155 per Fed FT Share and

$0.165 per QC FT Share



Number of Placees: 3 Placees



Insider / ProGroup Participation: N/A



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Warrants Finder's Fee: $46,401 331,435 Shares 0 Warrant



The Company has confirmed the closing of the Private Placement in news release dated May 1, 2023.

RESSOURCES CARTIER INC. ( ECR )

TYPE DE BULLETIN: Placement prive sans l'entremise d'un courtier

DATE DU BULLETIN: Le 4 mai 2023

Societe du groupe 1 de TSX Croissance

Bourse de Croissance TSX a accepte le depot de la documentation de la societe en vertu d'un placement prive sans l'entremise d'un courtier:

Nombre d'actions: 5 140 000 actions ordinaires accreditives federales (les  Actions Acc fed ) et

4 545 455 action ordinaires accreditives du Quebec (les  Actions Acc QC )



Prix : 0,155 $ par Action Acc Fed et

0,165 $ par Action Acc QC



Nombre de souscripteurs: 3 souscripteurs



Participation d'inities / Groupe Pro: N/A



Montant total en especes # total d'actions # total de bons de souscription Honoraires d'intermediation : 46 401 $ 331 435 actions 0 bon de souscription



La societe a confirme la cloture du placement prive dans un communique de presse date du 1er mai 2023.

________________________________________

CLEAN SEED CAPITAL GROUP LTD. ("CSX")

BULLETIN TYPE: Warrant Term Extension

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has consented to the extension in the expiry date of the following warrants:

Private Placement:

# of Warrants: 3,017,500 Original Expiry Date of Warrants: May 6, 2023 New Expiry Date of Warrants: May 6, 2024 Exercise Price of Warrants: $0.35 (Unchanged)



These warrants were issued pursuant to a private placement of 6,035,000 shares with 3,017,500 share purchase warrants attached, which was accepted for filing by the Exchange effective May 6, 2022.

________________________________________

ENEREV5 METALS INC. ("ENEV")

BULLETIN TYPE: Property-Asset or Share Purchase Agreement

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation pertaining to an acquisition agreement (the "Agreement") dated November 17, 2022, between the Company and arm's length parties (the "Vendors"), whereby the Company has expanded its Barbara Bay project in Quebec by additional 171 claims comprising approximately 9,234 hectares which now totals 33,200 hectares of contiguous claims. As consideration for the Agreement, the Company issued 5,000,000 common shares at a deemed price of $0.05 per share to the Vendors. The Company has also reimbursed the Vendors for their government staking fees ($11,687.50) plus staking costs ($1,000) for a total of $12,687.50.

For further details, please refer to the Company's news releases dated November 18, 2022 and December 5, 2022.

________________________________________

INFINITUM COPPER CORP. ("INFI")

BULLETIN TYPE: Private Placement-Non-Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Non-Brokered Private Placement announced on March 15, 2023:

Number of Shares: 23,850,131 shares



Purchase Price: $0.07 per share



Warrants: 23,850,131 share purchase warrants to purchase 23,850,131 shares



Warrant Exercise Price: $0.14 for a two-year period



Number of Placees: 41 placees

Insider / Pro Group Participation:









Placees # of Placee (s) Aggregate # of Shares





Aggregate Existing Insider Involvement: 5 3,068,275 Aggregate Pro Group Involvement: 1 1,428,275



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Warrants Finder's Fee: $84,481.94 NA 1,206,883



Finder's Warrants Terms: Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at the price of $0.14 for a period of 2 years from the date of issuance.

The Company issued a news release on April 24, 2023 and April 28, 2023 confirming closing of the private placement. Note that in certain circumstances the Exchange may later extend the expiry date of the warrants, if they are less than the maximum permitted term.

________________________________________

Millennial Precious Metals Corp. ("MPM") ("MPM.WT")

BULLETIN TYPE: Halt

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 1 Company

Effective at 4:52 a.m. PST, May 4, 2023, trading in the shares of the Company was halted, pending news; this regulatory halt is imposed by Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, the Market Regulator of the Exchange pursuant to the provisions of Section 10.9(1) of the Universal Market Integrity Rules.

________________________________________

NEWRANGE GOLD CORP. ("NRG")

BULLETIN TYPE: Private Placement-Non-Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Non-Brokered Private Placement announced on March 6, 2023 and April 25, 2023:

Number of Shares: 4,905,112 shares



Purchase Price: $0.09 per share



Warrants: 4,905,112 share purchase warrants to purchase 4,905,112 shares



Warrant Exercise Price: $0.12 for a three-year period



Number of Placees: 19 placees

Insider / Pro Group Participation:









Placees # of Placee (s) Aggregate # of Shares





Aggregate Existing Insider Involvement: 3 600,000 Aggregate Pro Group Involvement: 1 100,000



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Warrants Finder's Fee: $12,383 N/A 137,589 Warrants



Finder's Warrants Terms: Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one common share at the price of $0.12 for a period of three years from the date of issuance.

The Company issued a news release on May 2, 2023 confirming the closing of the private placement. Note that in certain circumstances the Exchange may later extend the expiry date of the warrants, if they are less than the maximum permitted term.

________________________________________

RAILTOWN CAPITAL CORP. ("RLT.P")

BULLETIN TYPE: Resume Trading

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

Effective at 6:30 a.m. PST, May 4, 2023, shares of the Company resumed trading, an announcement having been made.

________________________________________

TOTAL HELIUM LTD. ("TOH")

BULLETIN TYPE: Private Placement-Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Brokered Private Placement announced March 20, 2023 and April 5, 2023:

Number of Special Warrants: 25,000,000 special warrants (each, a "Special Warrant")



Purchase Price: $0.50 per Special Warrant



Special Warrant Term: Each Special Warrant, subject to a Penalty Provision (as defined below), will be automatically converted into one unit of the Company (each, a "Unit") without payment of any additional consideration at a price of $0.50 per Special Warrant on the date that is the earlier of: (i) the date that is three business days following the date on which the Company obtains a final receipt from the British Columbia Securities Commission for a short form prospectus, qualifying the distribution of the common shares and warrants issuable upon exercise or deemed exercise of the special warrants (the "Qualification Date"); and (ii) the date that is 4 months and one day following the closing date of the offering (the "Qualification "Deadline"). Each Unit consists of one (1) common share of the Company and one (1) common share purchase warrant (each, a "Warrant").



Penalty Provision: In the event the Qualification Date has not occurred prior to 4:00 pm (Toronto time) on the Qualification Deadline, each unexercised Special Warrant will be deemed exercised and will automatically be exchanged for 1.1 Units without further payment or action by the holder thereof on the first business day following the Qualification Deadline.



Warrant Term: Each Warrant will entitle the holder to acquire one common share at an exercise price of $0.75 per share for a period of 24 months following the closing date.







Number of Placees: 225 placees

Insider / Pro Group Participation:









Placees # of Placee (s) Aggregate # of Special Warrants





Aggregate Existing Insider Involvement: 1 1,000,000 Aggregate Pro Group Involvement: 28 3,993,330

Agent's Fee:

Haywood Securities Inc. - $750,000 cash, a corporate finance fee of 500,000 common shares and 1,376,100 compensation special warrants (each, a "Compensation Special Warrant").

Finder's Fee:



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Compensation Special Warrants

N/A N/A 123,900



Compensation Special Warrant term: Each Compensation Special Warrant is non-transferable and exercisable into one (1) compensation option (a "Compensation Option"), for no additional consideration, at any time, subject to the Penalty Provision, and each Compensation Special Warrant not previously exercised shall be deemed exercised on the later of (i) the Qualification Date; and (ii) the Qualification "Deadline. Each Compensation Option will entitle the holder to purchase one Unit at an exercise price of $0.50 for a period of 24 months following the closing date.

The Company issued news releases on May 1, 2023 and May 3, 2023, confirming closing of the private placement. Note that in certain circumstances the Exchange may later extend the expiry date of the warrants, if they are less than the maximum permitted term.

________________________________________

VALORE METALS CORP. ("VO")

BULLETIN TYPE: Private Placement - Non-Brokered

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

TSX Venture Tier 2 Company

TSX Venture Exchange has accepted for filing documentation with respect to a Non-Brokered Private Placement announced April 5, 2023:

Number of Shares: 18,365,000 common share units ("Units"), each Unit consisting of one common share in the capital of the Company ("Share") and one-half of one Share purchase warrant ("Warrant").



Purchase Price: $0.20 per Unit.



Warrants: 9,182,500 whole Warrants to purchase 9,182,500 Shares.



Warrant Price: $0.30 exercisable until April 21, 2025, being a period of two years from the date of issuance.



Number of Placees: 13 placees.

Insider / Pro Group Participation:

Insider= Y /

Name Pro Group= P Number of Units Aggregate Existing Insider Involvement:



[5 Existing Insiders] Y 15,915,000 Aggregate Pro Group Involvement:



[1 Pro Group Member] P 62,500



Aggregate Cash Amount Aggregate # of Shares Aggregate # of Finder Warrants Finder's Fee: $9,000 N/A 45,000



Finder Warrants may be exercised by the holder thereof at an exercise price of $0.30 per Finder Share until April 21, 2025.

The Company issued a news release on April 21, 2023, confirming the closing of the Private Placement. Note that in certain circumstances the Exchange may later extend the expiry date of the Warrants, if they are less than the maximum permitted term.

__________________________________

NEX COMPANY:



Horizon Petroleum Ltd. ("HPL.H")

BULLETIN TYPE: Resume Trading

BULLETIN DATE: May 4, 2023

NEX Company

Effective at 6:30 a.m. PST, May 4, 2023, shares of the Company resumed trading, an announcement having been made.

________________________________________

SOURCE TSX Venture Exchange
Vancouver, May 5, 2023 - Reagan Glazier, president and CEO of Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PBM) ("Pacific Bay" or the "Company") reports that Pacific Bay and Brixton Metals Corp ("Brixton") have agreed to amend the terms of the definitive option agreement entered into by the parties on May 4th, 2022 enabling Pacific Bay to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Atlin Goldfields Property in northern BC (the "Agreement"). The amending agreement (the "Amendment") provides Pacific Bay additional time to complete the required first anniversary cash payment and work commitment, as outlined below.

Under the Amendment, the $200,000 cash payment due May 4th, 2023 may be paid by Pacific Bay on the earlier of July 10th, 2023 or five days following the completion of a private placement financing by the Company. The Amendment also permits Pacific Bay to complete the required $500,000 in year one expenditures during the second year of the Agreement. The 1,000,000 Pacific Bay shares payable to Brixton under the Agreement are to be issued forthwith. Pacific Bay will also forthwith file approximately $250,000 in Atlin expenditures to date as assessment work.

"Pacific Bay is very bullish about the Atlin Goldfields project and we appreciate the flexibility provided by Brixton to advance this exciting gold camp," said Reagan Glazier, President & CEO of Pacific Bay. "We will shortly be updating investors about our financing plans and exploration strategy for Atlin."

Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. Per/

Reagan Glazier, President & CEO

Contact: Reagan Glazier, 604-682-2421, reagan@pacificbayminerals.com

This news release contains "forwardlooking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing for payment of the option payments, timing regarding any future financings of the Company and timing for completion of future expenditures and plans relating to exploration of the Property, the magnitude and quality of the Property and spending commitments. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Pacific Bay will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition, results of exploration activities and development of the Atlin Goldfields Property, risks associated with the Agreement, including that the Agreement may be terminated or the option not exercised, risks relating to regulatory approvals, and the ability of the Company to complete a private placement financing. Although Pacific Bay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forwardlooking statements, 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 forwardlooking statements. Pacific Bay does not undertake to update any forwardlooking statements, except in accordance with 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164951
VANCOUVER, May 5, 2023 - China Gold International Resources Corp. Ltd. (TSX:CGG); (HKEX:2099) ("China Gold International Resources" or the "Company") provides an update on the operations of its Jiama copper-gold polymetallic mine ("Jiama Mine").

Reference is made to the Company's announcement dated on March 31, 2023. On May 27, 2023, an overflow occurred at the Guolanggou Tailings Dam at Jiama Mine (the "overflow"). The Company quickly contained and repaired the breach to ensure no damage to the environment or neighboring communities. Subsequent to the overflow, Jiama Mine has suspended its operations while the Company takes the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive safety assessment of and repair work on its tailings dam with the assistance and supervision of government safety authorities. The Company does not have an exact timeline for the re-start of production.

The overflow occurred at the top 19th subsequent dyke of the Guolangou Tailings Dam. However, other levels of subsequent dykes and the starter dyke were also damaged to varying degrees. The Company is conducting a comprehensive inspection and assessment of all 19 levels of subsequent dykes and the starter dyke of the tailings dam and is making permanent repairs and reinforcements of the dam. The repair and reinforcement construction is expected to be completed by the end of July 2023. Following the completion of the construction, the Company will conduct a safety assessment of the entire tailings pond and submit an assessment report to the regulatory authority by the end of August 2023. The government regulators will decide when to grant permission to resume production based on the assessment report.

Due to the uncertainty of the date of resumption of production at Jiama Mine, the Company is withdrawing its annual production guidance for 2023 as set out in the announcement of the Company dated January 20, 2023. Once the impact of tailings overflow on the operation can be more clearly evaluated, the Company will re-issue the production guidelines. However, the Company notes that production operations at the Company's CSH gold mine are normal and stable.

About China Gold International Resources

China Gold International Resources is a gold and base metal mining company incorporated in BC, Canada and operates two mines, the Chang Shan Hao Gold Mine in Inner Mongolia, China and the Jiama Copper-Gold Polymetallic Mine in Tibet, China. The Company's objective is to build shareholder value through growing production at its current mining operations, expanding its resource base, and acquiring and developing new projects internationally. The Company is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: CGG) and the Main Board of The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (HKEX: 2099).

For further information on the Company, please refer to SEDAR's website at www.sedar.com, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited's website at www.hkex.com.hk, the Company's website at www.chinagoldintl.com, or call the Company at +1-604-609-0598 and email to info@chinagoldintl.com.

Cautionary Note About Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information regarding China Gold International Resources contained herein may constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements may include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Although China Gold International Resources believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to have been correct. China Gold International Resources cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, most of which are beyond its control, and that future events and results may vary substantially from what China Gold International Resources currently foresees. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration results, continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. The forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The information contained herein is stated as of the current date and subject to change after that date.

Copyright (c) 2023 TheNewswire - All rights reserved.
Lewis Hamilton likened Florida to Saudi Arabia as he touched down for this weekend's grand prix in Miami.

When asked about recent Florida legislation aimed to minimise children's exposure to transgender education in particular, the seven time world champion said: "It's not good at all.

"I support the community here," the Mercedes driver is quoted by La Presse.

"I hope they will continue to fight. I will have the rainbow on my helmet. It's no different from when we were in Saudi Arabia."

Some, including Hamilton, questioned whether Formula 1 should travel to Saudi Arabia for similar political reasons, but he stopped short of saying the sport he represents should boycott Miami.

"It's not for me to decide," said the 38-year-old Briton.

"I have heard and read some of the decisions made here - I don't agree with them and I don't support them. It's not the people of Miami who make these decisions, it's the government people."

(GMM)
Group petitions BoG over locked up funds

Business Desk Report Business News May - 05 - 2023 , 10:58

The Locked-up Investment Holders Forum (LIHF) has petitioned the Bank of Ghana over what it describes as the regulators silence on the locked up funds in finance houses and savings and loans companies.

A release signed by the convener, Dr Adu Anane Antwi said customers whose money have been locked up in these financial institutions regulated by the central bank included individuals, churches, credit unions, associations, pension funds, trust funds, provident funds and insurance companies.

The release noted that when customers of some banks, microfinance institutions faced similar challenges in 2017, the BoG stepped in to settle the deposits and investments of customers of the affected institutions.

We believe that we are entitled to, and should be given the same treatment. We are therefore worried and disappointed that the BoG has created a situation reminiscent of regulatory inertia and has neglected its regulatory responsibilities owed to investors in these affected finance houses and savings and loans companies, allowing us to suffer undue financial hardships.

Respectfully, we find the silence of BoG to our plight as gravely wrong and unacceptable. Apart from the personal hardships and pains caused us, despite planning for our lives to avoid such hardships and pains, the silence does not promote the culture of saving and investing in the country, the release pointed out.

The release further requested the central bank to take immediate steps to work to secure the locked- up investments.

We wish to state that we shall do all things legitimate, to ensure that BoG works to protect us and get us back our locked-up investments, in line with its investor protection role which is a key objective of financial market regulation, and a mandate imposed on BoG by law.

Respectfully Sir, we wish to advise that, if we do not receive a positive response from you towards the resolution of our complaint, we shall explore other means of getting a resolution to our complaint, the release cautioned.
Ghanaians in the diaspora dominate new Netflix sensation The Diplomat

Joy Entertainment Showbiz News May - 04 - 2023 , 15:19

The Diplomat is quickly becoming one of the most talked-about Netflix shows, and Ghanaians everywhere are taking note of the talented actors of Ghanaian descent who are making waves in the series.

David Gyasi, Ato Essandoh, and Nana Mensah are all standouts in the series, bringing depth and nuance to their roles.

David Gyasi plays the role of Austin Dennison

Gyasis portrayal of Austin Dennison, the British foreign secretary, is particularly noteworthy. He brings a unique perspective to the role, as an actor of Ghanaian descent portraying a British political figure.

Gyasi spoke to Netflix about the opportunity, saying, we hadnt had a foreign secretary that looked like Dennison. And I just thought thatd be really fun to explore and also to explore what itd be like to be in a Tory government and look like Dennison.

His performance has been praised by viewers and critics alike.

Ato Essandoh plays the role of Stuart Hayford

Essandohs portrayal of Stuart Hayford, Kates deputy chief of mission, is also receiving praise. He brings a savvy, behind-the-scenes perspective to the show, having previously worked as a campaign manager.

Essandoh spoke to Tudum about what drew him to the role, saying, what I love about the show is very powerful women are the centrepiece  Keri Russell obviously, Alis character, Nana Mensahs character.

His chemistry with Russells character, Kate, adds an extra layer of depth to the show.

Nana Mensah perfectly delivered the character, Billie Appiah

Nana Mensahs portrayal of Billie Appiah, the White House chief of staff, is equally impressive.

She brings tenacity and skill to the role, and her characters relationship with Stuart adds a unique dynamic to the show. Mensah is a rising star in Hollywood, and her performance in The Diplomat only solidifies her as a talent to watch.

Its exciting to see actors of Ghanaian descent taking on such prominent roles in a major Netflix series. The Diplomat is proof that diversity in casting leads to stronger, more interesting storytelling. Viewers are eager to see what these talented actors will do next.

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Felling trees for construction projects; a silent threat to fight against climate change

Mohammed Fugu Opinion May - 04 - 2023 , 16:57

Whenever we drive or ride on highways, we test how fast our cars or bikes can speed, boast of how faster we reach our destinations but not even for a moment we spare a thought on how the highways might have been constructed.

While we continue to fight for good roads and other infrastructure as citizens to make life convenient for us, the environment bares the impact of the construction activities.

The impact of construction activities on the environment has been recognised in the developed countries, but the situation appears to be different in many developing countries including Ghana as most contractors often cause havoc to the environment with impunity.

In most instances, trees by highways and forest reserves are cut down by contractors during road constructions, while streams and other water bodies are mostly contaminated without any environmental sustainability measure.

Situation

A recent visit to the North East, Savannah and Upper West Regions where massive roads constructions works are ongoing saw a number of trees by the roads sites destroyed to pave way for the construction activities.

For instance, on the Nalerigu to Bunkpurugu and Wulugu to Kpasenkpe stretch roads, it was observed that economic trees including shea, dawadawa, cashew and rosewoods bared the brunt of the construction works.

An Environmental Activist, Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa said the number of trees that had been cut down for roads construction and housing projects in the country for the past years cannot be underestimated.

Considering the fact that this year being the Year of Roads and government undertaking constructions across the country, you can imagine the number of trees that will be affected in the construction process, most especially roads that are passing through forest reserves.

Whenever the issue of environmental destruction arises, as a country we turn to focus only on illegal lumbering, gallamsey and charcoal burning but it appears the attention is not given to the impact of road construction works he stated.

When roads are being constructed the first thing we see is bulldozers clearing the land and we lose large number of trees every year to road construction so if you multiply it by 10 to 20 years and the kind of roads we had then it will tell you the magnitude of the harm we are causing to our environment he added.

Nana OseI-Darkwa expressed worry about the development and said if pragmatic measures were not taken to address the menace it would draw back the fight against climate change.

Permit

The construction industry would continue to impact the physical environment as long as the citizens yearn for massive development, and this would assume huge environmental significance with the rapid growth in population and the attendant implications for natural resources.

In the light of the growing phenomenon, state institutions which are mandated to protect the environment are often having tough time with some contractors who destroy the environment for construction works because of the lack of political will to deal with the offenders.

The Northern Regional Director of Urban Roads, Kwasi Darko in a recent interview said per the law contractors were supposed to always seek permit from institutions mandated for preserving and managing the environment before they could be allowed to fell trees to pave way for their construction activities, adding that if they are granted permission, the Forestry Commission can take stock of the affected trees and ask them to pay for the trees so that they can use the money to replant.

He said in instances where the construction project was a special roads project such as the Sinohydro construction project an environmental sustainability assessment was often conducted to ascertain the impact of the project on the environment.

The issue is really worrying and we need to pay much attention to it, some contractors just clear the trees without considering the negative impact on the environment he said.

Reforestation/policy

In 2019, residents of Sandema in the Upper East Region fiercely protested against a road expansion project over concerns that iconic trees that had beautify the town were going to be destroyed.

According to the residents, though there was the need to expand the road and fix its poor state to reduce accidents, it would be good for authorities to undertake the road project without endangering the trees.

Nana Osei-Darkwa said such bold decision taken by the residents was the best way to ensuring that the environment was not endangered, saying lets all emulate the decision the people of Sandema took to protect the environment since protecting the environment is a collective responsibility.

He proposed to the Ministry of Roads and Highways to initiate a policy that would ensure the allocation of a certain percentage of contractors fees to re-invest into replanting of trees that they cut down to make way for road constructions and other building projects.

if the ministry takes up this suggestion we will get huge sum of money because contractors earn huge sum of money, one contractor can earn like over 100 million dollars and if we are allocating even 0.5 percent of that for trees planting, I think collectively we will have a pool to do a lot because that is one of the best ways government can make money to restore the depleting environment he said.

Climate change

The phenomena is having a toll on the vegetative cover of the country, particularly Northern Ghana as the few forest reserves and economic trees such as shea, which constitutes about 90 per cent of the ecology is being destroyed.

With the rampant destruction of the vegetation through the indiscriminate feeling, many have raised concerns that if the menace is not immediately checked by authorities, the area would soon lose its already depleted vegetation, worsening the climate change situation.

The Forestry Commission estimates that about 6.6 million hectares of Ghanas 8.2 hectares of forest trees have been depleted over the years through indiscriminate human activities.

Currently, the countrys remaining forest cover of 1.6 million hectares is threatened by illegal mining, lumbering and other human activities.

Wayforward

The call for sustainable construction is very necessary because of the significant contribution to environmental sustainability and the fight against climate change.

The rate at which trees especially economic trees are being destroyed for construction projects without replanting was alarming and if not checked by authorities, the country would soon lose its already depleted vegetation, worsening the climate change in the process.
Pope defrocks Rwandan priest accused of fathering child

International News May - 05 - 2023 , 06:54

Pope Francis has sacked a Rwandan-born man, who has been serving as a clergyman in northern France for almost three decades, from priesthood.

A communique circulating online signed by the bishop of Evreux says that Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, 64, automatically loses clerical rights and is excluded from serving anywhere else as a priest.

The Office of the Diocese of Evreux has confirmed to the BBC the authenticity of the communique, which says it is based on a papal decree dated in March.

Mr Munyeshyaka, who fled to France after the Rwandan genocide in 1994, hasnt commented on the decision.

He was suspended by his diocese in December 2021 after it emerged that he has legally acknowledged being a father of a 10-year-old boy.

Mr Munyeshyaka was ordained a priest in Rwanda in 1992, where he is accused of playing a role in the killing of hundreds of Tutsis who had fled to his church in the capital, Kigali, during the genocide.

Courts in France have cleared him of the genocide charges.
South Africans ask UK to return diamond in Charles crown jewels

International News May - 04 - 2023 , 17:18

Some South Africans are calling for the United Kingdom to return the worlds largest diamond, known as the Star of Africa, which is set in the royal sceptre that King Charles III will hold at his coronation on Saturday.

The diamond, which weighs 530 carats, was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and presented to the British monarchy two years later by the colonial government in the country, which was then under British rule.

Now amid a global conversation about returning artwork and artefacts that were pillaged during colonial times, some South Africans are calling for the diamond to be brought back.

The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture, said Mothusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg who has promoted an online petition, which has gathered about 8,000 signatures, for the diamond to be returned.

I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but its also to take back what has been expropriated from us.

Officially known as Cullinan I, the diamond in the sceptre was cut from the Cullinan diamond, a 3,100-carat stone that was mined near Pretoria.

A smaller diamond cut from the same stone, known as Cullinan II, is set in the Imperial State Crown which is worn by British monarchs on ceremonial occasions. Along with the sceptre, it is kept with the other crown jewels in the Tower of London.

A replica of the whole Cullinan diamond, which is about the size of a mans fist, is displayed at the Cape Town Diamond Museum.

I believe it should be brought back home because, at the end of the day, they took it from us while they were oppressing us, said Johannesburg resident Mohamed Abdullahi.

All proceeds of colonialism, slave trade and imperialism are illegitimate transactions, Everisto Benyera, associate professor of African Politics at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, told Al Jazeera. As such, whether the British monarch purchased the Cullinan diamond at a nominal fee, or whether it was gifted to them by the Transvaal government, does not negate the fact that this transaction occurred within the broader occurrence of colonial relations.

The British monarchy must play its part in breaking this colonial relationship by acknowledging the role that it played, added Zimbabwean-born Benyera. And one of the biggest ways that it can acknowledge is to stop using our diamonds on their regalia, is to stop using our resources during their ceremonies, because we are no longer part of the British Empire.

Others said they did not feel strongly about it.

I dont think it matters any more. Things have changed, were evolving, said local resident Dieketseng Nzhadzhaba. What mattered for them in the olden days about being superior  it doesnt matter to us any more.
Driver jailed for stealing motorbike from accident scene

Gloria Apprey Life May - 04 - 2023 , 16:14

A 25-year-old driver, Emmanuel Kye, who assisted in clearing a motorbike involved in an accident but later stole it, has been convicted to two years imprisonment by an Adentan Circuit Court presided over by Mr Isaac Addo.

The convict returned to the scene and claimed he was a relative of the accident victim who had been sent to collect the motorbike.

On April 25, 2023, he was convicted to two years imprisonment by the court.

He pleaded guilty to the charge of stealing and begged the judge for mercy but that did not work.

Presenting the facts of the case, Chief Inspector Juliana Awuku said the complainant/accident victim was one Clement Kojo, who lived at Dodowa, while the convict resided at Adentan-Amanfrom in Accra.

C/Insp Awuku said on February 12, 2023, the complainant, who wanted to attend a church programme at Pokuase, borrowed the said motorbike from one Richard at Dodowa.

The prosecutor said on his way, the complainant got involved in a head-on collision with a saloon car when he reached a spot near the Mother Love Hospital at Adentan-Mile 11.

According to the prosecutor, the impact of the accident landed the complainant and his motorbike in a gutter rendering him unconscious.

The convict, who was riding a bicycle along the same route, chanced upon the accident scene and stopped to assist other road users to clear the road.

The prosecutor said the convict and the saloon car driver conveyed the complainant to a nearby hospital for medical care.

The convict then returned to the scene, took the motorbike and went into hiding.

The prosecutor said on April 20, 2023, police intelligence led to the arrest of the convict at Dodowa. During interrogation, the convict confessed stealing and selling the motorbike to one Nana at Madina, Zongo Junction for GH2,400.

C/Insp Awuku added that the convict, could not lead the police to the said Nana and after investigations, he was charged and put before the court.
Apostle Nyamekye chairs Church of Pentecost again

Emmanuel Bonney May - 05 - 2023 , 07:34

The Church of Pentecost has re-elected Apostle Eric Nyamekye to serve as its Chairman for the next five years.

This was during the church's 46th General Council Meeting yesterday at the Pentecost Convention Centre in Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region where Apostle Nyamekye secured an overwhelming majority of the votes.

He won 1,255 YES votes out of the 1,262 total votes cast, representing 99.45 per cent.

Apostle Nyamekye assumed office as the Sixth Chairman of the Church in 2018, securing 98 per cent of the votes cast.

Vision

He immediately set in motion a five-year strategic vision, titled "Vision 2023", with the overarching theme of "Possessing the Nations.

The Vision 2023 plan has led to the expansion of the church's ministry scope, with the introduction of new ministry interventions such as the Home and Urban Missions, Ministry to Persons with Disabilities, Chieftaincy Ministry, Chaplaincy Ministry, School Outreach Ministry, PENSA (Pentecost Students Association) International and Pentecost Workers Guild, among others.

Through these ministry interventions, the church is said to have brought and reformed many unreached persons and marginalised groups such as commercial sex workers, street dwellers, drug addicts, African migrants, expatriates and herdsmen, among others, to the saving knowledge of Christ.

Service

The re-elected Chairman was called into ministry in 1991, and has since served in many stations, including South Africa, where he was a missionary.

Before his election, he served as a member of the churchs Executive Council for five years, and worked with the churchs Youth Ministry, where he served as a member of the National Executive Committee and later as a Patron.

He holds a Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Commercial Management, UK, a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Theology from the University of Manchester, UK, and a Master of Arts degree in Religious Studies from the University of Ghana, Legon.

Apostle Nyamekye is married to Mary, with whom he has six children.

Leadership

Under the leadership of Apostle Nyamekye, the Church of Pentecost has made strides also on the national and global fronts.

The church's membership has grown by 29.1 per cent, from 3,257,699 to 4,203,077 worldwide, and it has won 1,151,723 souls for Christ, out of which 782,578 have been baptised in water between 2019 and 2022.

Within the same period of his administration, the church constructed 57 water facilities and spent over GH23 million on educational support and more than GH8 million on health support to members.

Apostle Nyamekye's administration also initiated various social development projects in deprived communities and institutions across the country, including the construction of reformation centres for the Ghana Prisons Service, where the church has completed and handed over two of the five facilities to the service, while the three others are at various stages of completion.

Overall, Apostle Nyamekye's first term is viewed within the church as remarkable, and his re-election as Chairman of the Church of Pentecost will inspire optimism for what the Lord has in store for the church in the next five years.

Award

The church was also presented with a national award by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for its instrumental role in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

The church also played a crucial role in evacuating some stranded citizens from Ukraine to Ghana following the outbreak of the war with Russia.
Dress-A-Kid Foundation supports Volta School For The Deaf

GraphicOnline May - 04 - 2023 , 17:41

The Dress-A-Kid Foundation (DAK), a group of volunteers, recently made a donation of food items, detergents, and other necessities to the Volta School for the Deaf and Blind - Hohoe, located in the Volta Region of Ghana.

The donation was made on Monday, May 1, 2023, and was part of the group's commitment to promoting the well-being of children, particularly those in rural areas or with special needs, throughout Ghana.

Included in the donation were bags of rice, maize, beans, gari, cooking oil, toiletries, bibles, and clothes.

The Headmistress of the Volta School for the Deaf and Blind, Madam Ophelia Kushigbor, expressed her gratitude to the group for their kind gesture, stating that the school was running low on food supplies, making the donation very timely.

Mad. Kushigbor went on to appeal for additional support for the school, as many of the students come from low-income families.

Speaking on behalf of the volunteers, Mrs. Anita Mensah expressed that the donation was just one of many ways to positively impact the community.

She added that the Dress-A-Kid Foundation has made around 30 donations since its inception in 2013 and has visited the Volta School for the Deaf twice.

Mrs. Anita Mensah also thanked WATS, a Rana Motors sister company, and SRSA (Dunlop Tyres) for supporting the donation with a Hyundai bus and other travel expenses for the volunteers from Accra to Hohoe and back.

The Dress-A-Kid Foundation is an online charity group comprised of friends who believe in the spirit of giving and has helped many children throughout the country succeed and thrive, both inside and outside of the classroom.
Ghana Prisons Service trains officers in agriculture

Yaa Kuffour Senyah May - 05 - 2023 , 07:01

THE efforts of the Ghana Prisons Service to improve its agricultural initiatives, to contribute to the sectors development is on course, the Rector of Prisons in charge of agriculture, Hanson Kwame Adu Awuku has announced.

Already, 22 of the services agric stations have received support from its agriculture revolving fund to engage in production of crops and trees such as maize, rice, vegetables, cowpea, soyabean, cassava, cocoa, oil palm, woodlots and livestock such as pigs, rabbits, sheep, goats, grasscutters, broilers production and aquaculture.

According to Mr Awuku, the investment was to give further credence to the fact that agriculture was the backbone of the service as products from the venture supplemented inmates ration bills.

He was addressing a training programme for some selected officers on agriculture.

The training was under the Design Thinking Approach (BRADETA) project in collaboration with the University of Ghana School of Agriculture.

It was aimed at building the capacity of nonagricultural trained officers in the service to supplement governments inmate ration, provide skills as well as funds to carry out agric-related expansion activities.

Drawn from different stations, including Kenyase, Kpando, Amanfrom, Adwira and Jamestown, the officers would be taken through theory and physical modules to adequately boost their knowledge on agricultural studies and practices.

Farming station

Mr Awuku explained that the training programme was geared towards equipping non-agric staff in five farming stations of the service in basic agriculture.

He indicated that over the years, the service played a critical role in the internal security of the country by keeping its clients in safe custody and ensuring public safety.

However, international best practice advocates a deviation from the old warehousing of inmates to the provision of beneficial skills which, he said, was part of their mandate in the provision of reformation and rehabilitation and vision of the current administration to increase internally generated fund through agriculture.

Thus the training was an investment to build the capacity of the officers in maize, rice, cassava among other crop planting processes.

Aside from the skills acquired by inmates in our farming stations, agriculture has been the backbone of the Ghana Prisons Service as products from the venture supplement inmates ration bills from the government, he emphasised.

Mr Awuku revealed that efforts were being made to add value to cassava and palm fruits through processing to obtain gari and palm oil respectively.

He, therefore, entreated the course participants to take the training seriously as it was intensive.

Though not examinable, the service demands from you a high level of professionalism and discipline during the training, he added.

Readiness

The Dean for the School of Agriculture, University of Ghana, Professor Irene Egyir, commended the service for taking up the initiative as she stated that the service was known for its farms across all the regions where they engaged in livestock, poultry, crops, cereals, legumes among other agricultural activities.

She said the training was part of efforts to augment the number of agricultural trained officers within the service and build upon their capacity to engage in agriculture and do it in the right manner.
Information Ministry urges investigation and prosecution of attackers of Dagbon FM journalist

GraphicOnline May - 05 - 2023 , 06:37

The Ministry of Information has issued a statement regarding an alleged assault on a radio presenter from Tamale-based Dagbon FM, Abubakari Sadiq Gariba.

The Ministry has called upon the Ghana Police Service and other pertinent agencies to investigate and prosecute the two individuals responsible for the attack.

The Ministry emphasized the importance of swift and decisive action from law enforcement authorities to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

The victim reported that he was assaulted due to his criticism of one of the attackers during a live radio program on World Press Freedom Day.

A video of the incident has been circulated on social media, showing the two unidentified assailants confronting and threatening the presenter.

Mr. Gariba ultimately left the studio with the attackers.

The Ministry strongly condemned the assault, affirming that attacks on journalists are unacceptable and that it is imperative to maintain Ghana's reputation for upholding press freedom.

The Ministry of Information has noted with concern reports of assault on a journalist at Dagbon FM, in Tamale. The Ministry condemns the act and urges the Ghana Police Service and relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators. Attacks on journalists should not be countenanced. Severe and speedy response from law enforcement agencies is necessary to prevent copy-cat acts and maintain Ghanas status in upholding press freedom, the Ministry said in a statement.
International Clergy Association honours Pastor Kumuyie for his service to humanity

Zadok Kwame Gyesi May - 04 - 2023 , 15:14

The International Clergy Association Inc. (ICA) has honoured the General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor Dr W. F. Kumuyie, with a Global Lifetime Achievement award.

The award is in recognition of Pastor Kumuyies thousands of hours of service to humanity.

Pastor Kumuyie, who is also the Convener of the Global Crusade with Kumuyie (GCK), is well known for his unwavering commitment to biblical holiness, Pentecostal preaching, and godly lifestyle that prioritizes divine mandate over earthly ambitions.

The President of ICA, Bishop Dr Charles Abban, who presented the plaque to Dr Kumuyie at a Professional Conference held alongside the global crusade, congratulated Pastor Kumuyie on his unwavering determination to win souls for Christ and the Kingdom of God.

The International Clergy Association is proud to present you with the Global Lifetime Achievement award he said, adding by sharing your time and agape love, you are helping people to discover and deliver solutions to the challenges we face and the solutions that we need now more than ever.

For Bishop Abban, society was living in a moment that called for hope, light, and love, pointing out that Pastor Kumuyie was that man who provides for all these three.

Hope for our futures, light to see our way forward and love for one another. Through your service, you are providing all these three, he noted.

He said the ICA recognised the great anointing upon Pastor Kumuyies life, and his selfless and volunteered leadership to the body of Christ, saying You have touched the life of millions on earth. The whole world and the world to come will never forget your impact. You are blessed.

In his acceptance remarks, the Deeper Life Bible Church leader, expressed his gratitude to the ICA for the honour.

He also appreciated the church in Ghana for acknowledging his service to God and humanity, saying

I receive this award with a new challenge and will continue in the same grace, same power, and the same faith.

Pastor Kumuyie, therefore, admonished the church and Christians all over the world to use their talents, gifts and resources to serve humanity as they propagate the Good news.
Lets change negative perception about Africa

Nana Konadu Agyeman May - 05 - 2023 , 08:00

THE Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has called on African leaders to strive to help change the negative perception that has been associated with the African continent in order to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FID) critical to the development of the continent.

He said the mention of Africa in many parts of the world evoked images of civil unrest, corruption, war, poverty, diseases and mounting social problems, a perception that drove away FDI.

Our leaders now should have the courage and the willingness to change, and we will need to do something about this negative perception to attract FDI, he said.

Addressing students, faculty members and educational leaders at a reception held in his honour at the Newark campus of Essex Country College (ECC) in New Jersey, USA, last Friday, the Okyenhene said: Leadership would do well to remember that there are other developing nations where it is much easier to generate similarly attractive returns with considerably less hassle.

Africa, the richest continent on the face of the earth, is a continent blessed with such abundance in diversity, yet the continent has earned the enviable position of being the headquarters of poverty, he said.

Reception

The Okyenhene, accompanied by his wife, Nana Asabea Ofori-Atta, and sub-chiefs, was welcomed to the colourful event by the Mayor of Newark, Ras Baraka; the President of ECC, Dr Augustine A. Boakye, and the Director of the colleges Africana Institute and Sociology Department, Dr Akil Khalfani.

The Okyenhene is the second prominent Ghanaian leader to be hosted by the college. In 2001, the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, addressed students and faculty members during the opening of the colleges African Institute.

We must change

Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin noted that Africa could not continue to suffer from the entrenched negative stereotypes, which he described as status quo paralysis, by doing the same thing over and over and expect different results.

In his view, life was not meant to be this endless treadmill of monotonous existence in deprivation, pain and hopelessness that was always exhibited in many parts of the continent.

We must change.

This change of attitude and institution we call for is not for the faint-hearted, neither is it for those unwilling to make hard choices or compromise on principles.

Leadership should not be petrified about change, he said.

He recalled how the civilised world tore Africas young people from their villages, packing them into wretched slave ships and selling them into slavery.

Such dehumanising trade, he said, sucked the economic blood from the continent through exploitation.

They fostered war and peddled lethal weapon, used nations and peoples as pawns in deadly, real life war games.

That is the legacy of the West and the victims of these heinous crimes have survived, he said.

The Okyenhene stressed that the conviction that Africans could not rise out of their environment and that they were the victims of circumstances had dulled our senses and dampened our human spirit and caused us untold tragic failures.

Education is bedrock

Dwelling on education, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin said education was the bedrock of any social and economic development anywhere in the world.

In his view, countries that had made impressive strides in their social economic life had done so not based on what those countries had but what they knew.

The unfolding of these creative ideas and knowledge is the principal reason for some countries to progressively do more with less, he said.

Women empowerment

With female children entering a world that was at best prejudiced against them and at worst dangerously hostile, the Okyenhene expressed concern over how in some societies girls bodies were painfully mutilated by female genital circumcision.

They are traditionally denied participation in the management and control of the development process, he said, and called on African leaders to declare their commitment to enable women to participate in all phases of development and at all levels of management.

It is known that in societies where women have been given equal opportunities and rights, those societies or communities thrive, he said.
Stolen identity! Many at risk from SIM card re-registration

Emmanuel Bonney May - 05 - 2023 , 11:17

The SIM card re-registration process has slumped into controversy following revelations that the Ghana Cards of some members of the public have been used to register SIM cards that they do not own.

Indeed, some SIM card owners are alarmed that their Ghana Cards have been used on their blind side to register numbers that do not belong to them.

The revelations have come about as the mobile network operators, the Ministry of Communication and Digitalisation and the National Communications Authority (NCA), offered a check route through the short code *402*1# as a security assurance in order not to nullify the essence of the re-registration exercise.

In one instance, a victim, Adwoa Vic, said she could not believe it when she went through the checking process with the short code.

My card is registered with five unknown numbers aside from mine. I use only one sim card, an MTN number, she said.

She asked whether subscribers were safe in the country, given the revelations about the virtual theft of peoples Ghana Card details for indiscriminate SIM card registration purposes.

The short code allows persons to cross-check the list of SIM cards registered with their Ghana Card.

The system allows subscribers to request a SIM card to be delinked if they were unaware of the SIM card registered in their name.

If you identify any unknown mobile number(s) linked to your Ghana Card, request for a delinking of the number(s) from your service provider as soon as possible, the communication to that effect said.

Observation

Observing some people verify the number of sim cards linked to their Ghana Card, the Daily Graphic realised that while those who completed their sim re-registration at the offices of the moble network operators (MNOs) had no problem with their cards, many of those whose cards were linked to numbers not known to them had completed the two-phase process with some authorised agents.

In the peak of the re-registration exercise, some interventions were rolled out to make the process of registration more accessible and convenient as the offices of the MNOs recorded large crowds of people who wanted to complete the process.

Experiences

In separate interviews with the Daily Graphic, some SIM card owners said they were amazed how their Ghana Cards were used to register other multiple numbers without their consent or knowledge.

A victim, Kwame Kankam, said he was only alerted by his network service provider that he had exceeded the maximum 10 SIM cards registrations permitted by the system.

The message from MTN, dated April 15, 2023, read: Dear Valued Customer, you have exceeded the maximum of 10 SIMs that can be registered by an individual. Kindly visit the nearest service centre before April 17, 2023, for further assistance as the additional SIMs will be disconnected. Kindly treat as urgent.

Mr Kankam said he was told at the MTN office that not only were some unknown MTN numbers registered with his Ghana Card, but that several AirteltiGo numbers had been registered in his name as well.

He explained that while it did not take long to delink the eight additional numbers from his Ghana Card at the AirteltiGo office, he had to go back and forth to do same at the MTN office.

He said he suspected his Ghana Card was used by an agent he had transacted business with to register some MTN and AirteltiGo lines he knew nothing about.

For now they have delinked all the numbers; it is now left with the MTN line, he said.

Paul Nyonyo, also a victim, said three other additional Vodafone lines he did not own were registered in his name with his Ghana Card.

I had two Vodafone lines, but when I checked, they had registered three other lines with my card. I went to their office in Cape Coast where I met other people in a long queue with a similar problem. After waiting for my turn, the other three numbers were delinked from my Ghana Card number, he said.

He said he did not understand how the problem happened since he bought and registered his sim card at a Vodafone office.

Doho Haruna said he detected through the checking process that his Ghana Card had been linked to three numbers.

I do not own the third number, which is a Vodafone number. I have only one Vodafone line, which I have used for more than a decade, he said.

Crucial intervention

Another subscriber, De-Graft Aboagye Williamson, however, described the cross-checking initiative as a good intervention, saying at least, we have made some progress so far.

He expressed the hope that other challenges would be addressed going forward.

Also, Yaw Adjei, whose card was linked to three numbers he did not know, described the intervention as crucial as it would save people like him from trouble.

I see this Ghana Card identity theft as similar to what happens to ATM card fraud. This intervention is very crucial because some of us will be there and suddenly picked up for a crime we have not committed, but which has our ID linked to that crime.

Other people who also spoke to the Daily Graphic said that the NCA coming up with such an intervention was indicative of the problem. They expressed the hope that the efforts to clean up the system would also not encounter any subtle impediment from the mobile network operators (MNOs) that may want to hold on for their numbers to look good.

NCA

At a recent news conference, the NCA said SIM registration was a key national assignment fundamental to the countrys digital transformation agenda.

According to the Director-General of the NCA, Joe Anokye, the exercise was critical to build trust and confidence in the use of telecommunications, financial and other essential services, adding that a reliable SIM register will support security and law enforcement activities to safeguard our common peace and promote socio-economic development.

Efforts to get the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications to also indicate what interventions they were putting in place to ensure that the issue was resolved in order not to pose any threat to those who had identified the illegal linkage of their Ghana cards to unknown numbers were unsuccessful.

SIM registration

The SIM card registration exercise in the country began on October 1, 2021.

After an initial six-month deadline, the exercise has been extended a number of times to enable all subscribers to register.

Individuals can register up to 10 SIMs while businesses can register more.

The NCA, at a news conference recently, gave customers of telecommunication networks who were yet to register their SIM cards up to May 31, 2023, to do so or be deactivated.

This is likely to affect some 11,122,295 (30.4 per cent) persons who are unregistered and yet to complete the SIM card registration process to link their phone numbers to the Ghana Card.

The NCA further said it would deactivate and delink SIM cards that had not completed the SIM registration process with the Ghana Card.

As of Wednesday, April 26, 2023, there were 36,571,256 active SIM cards of the various telecommunication networks in the country.

About 6,178,452 SIM cards have since been deactivated and delinked as a result of the failure to complete the SIM registration process.

A total of 25,448,962 (69.6 per cent) persons have completed the two-stage registration process.
Two members of syndicate sentenced to 12 Months imprisonment for mobile banking fraud

GraphicOnline May - 04 - 2023 , 16:47

On Thursday, April 6, 2023, an Accra High Court convicted and sentenced two members of a criminal syndicate to 12 months imprisonment for their involvement in mobile banking application fraud and sim swap fraud.

Linda Abakah and Solomon Ofosu were found guilty of conspiracy to steal, stealing and money laundering.

The court, presided over by Her Ladyship Justice Afia Serwah Asare-Botwe, (Mrs) J.A., sitting as an additional High Court Judge, also ordered the accused persons to pay a fine of two thousand (2000) penalty units each or in default serve twenty-four months in prison in hard labour.

It will be recalled that in April, 2022, the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) in a joint collaboration with the Ghana Association of Bankers (GAB) and the Ghana Police Service arrested a criminal syndicate based in Assin Fosu.

The syndicate was involved in mobile banking application fraud and sim swap fraud.

The court held that the two accused persons having been in custody for a significant period of six (6) months and the fact that the bulk of the benefit or proceeds of the crime has not been accrued to them they were given a relatively lenient sentence.

The other two accused persons, Derick Obeng aka Chilling and Ezekiel Otoo who were at large at the time of sentencing, were however charged with same offences.

According to reports, the syndicate operated using sim swap and mobile banking application fraud schemes.

The mobile application fraud is an online scamming method in which monies are stolen through social engineering by luring customers of banks to divulge their phone numbers, passwords, pin codes, and One Time Password (OTP). After having access to these information, they take over the customers bank account, mobile and electronic cash.

The fraudsters fraudulently withdrew the remaining balance from the customers accounts at Agency Points. This was mostly achieved with the support of agents from the banks and staff of telecommunication companies to swap sim.

Through their fraudulent activities, customers mobile numbers were swapped without their knowledge and allowed the syndicate to gain access to their mobile banking application to steal funds. They were able to illegally withdraw an amount of GH257,472.22 from 11 customers.
Western solutions unsustainable; use home-grown solutions to resolve economic crisis - Prof Duncan

Shirley Asiedu-Addo May - 04 - 2023 , 17:06

The President of the COA Research and Manufacturing Company Limited, Prof Samuel Duncan has called support for the development of plant and herbal based medicine to augment efforts at resolving the nations economic challenges

He said there was a critical need for home grown solutions to the countrys current economic challenges.

He said waiting for the western world to redeem the economy of the country was not a viable and sustainable option to efforts to resolve the nations economic woes.

Explore plant medicine

Prof Duncan who is also the President of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Associations (GHAFTRAM) indicated that the country and for that matter Africa could leverage on its huge tracts of greenery and optimize its potential in plant and herbal based medicine production to change its fortunes.

It cannot be that a country and continent that has greenery everywhere is still poor, he stated.

He made the remarks when two institutions honoured him for his meritorious work to the development of plant and herbal medicine development and to humanity at Wosurokrom on Friday.

The two institutions are the West Africa International Press and the World Council of Apostles and Bishops.

Prof Duncan said as a country we have failed to utilize what we have to better the state of the people in the country.

Look inward

He said until the nation begun to look inward and support initiatives that would impact the economy and its people it could not come out of its economic misery.

Prof Duncan said it was unfortunate that as a country we did not believe in what we have but would accept anything from the west as good.

Potency

He observed that the potency of plant based medicines were high with little side effects compared to artificial medications saying artificial medications brought along artificial diseases.

He called for education to reorient Ghanaians called for the use of naturally produced chemicals

Commendation

The Vicar General of the World Council of Apostles and Bishops, Most Rev Prof Gordon Davies commended Prof Duncan for his contribution to humanity and towards peace in the country.

The Chief Executive Officer of West African International Press, Dr Otsibu Asare also appreciated Prof Duncan for adding to plant medicine knowledge and for the sacrifices to his community.
WHO declares end to Covid-19 global health emergency, but warns of ongoing threat

GraphicOnline Health May - 05 - 2023 , 14:09

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that Covid-19 no longer qualifies as a global health emergency, marking a significant milestone towards the pandemic's end.

This virus has taken a devastating toll worldwide, causing over 6.9 million deaths, disrupting the global economy, and devastating communities.

The WHO's Emergency Committee has recommended that the Director-General declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern, a status that focuses international attention on a health threat and strengthens collaboration on vaccines and treatments.

Although this step is indicative of progress in these areas, the WHO has stated that Covid-19 is still a global health threat, and the virus will remain present even after lifting the emergency status.

The death rate has decreased considerably from the peak of over 100,000 weekly deaths in January 2021 to just over 3,500 weekly deaths by April 24, 2023, as per WHO data.

Despite this progress, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that Covid-19 remains a health threat worldwide. The WHO does not declare the beginning or end of pandemics, though it began using the term for Covid in March 2020.

"Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I've accepted that advice. It's therefore with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency," said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Some countries, including the United States, have started to discontinue their domestic state of emergency for Covid, which means they will no longer pay for items such as vaccines.
Samsung's Galaxy S23 has so far been available in India in Phantom Black, green, Lavender, and Cream. But soon, these hues will be joined by a fresh new one.

It's Lime (hence "fresh", get it?). This has been seen before in other countries, mostly as an online exclusive, and it's unclear whether it will be the same when it lands in India.

Speaking of which, there isn't yet a release date to keep in mind and block in your calendar. All we have is the above tweet from Samsung India's official Twitter account, simply advertising all that freshness that's due to arrive in the country soon.

Of course, as this is just a new colorway, the specs will remain the same as for the other versions, and the price should stay unchanged too. Currently, Samsung is asking for INR 74,999 for the S23, with an INR 5,000 instant discount on some bank cards, as well as an upgrade bonus.

If you're intrigued by the impending arrival of the lime Galaxy S23 and want to get ready for the launch by getting to know the phone better, make sure you check out our in-depth review.

Via
Senators on Friday afternoon received an overwhelming opposition to the idea of raising Guams $9.25 hourly minimum wage, but committee on economic development chairman Sen. Roy Quinata said no wage increase bill has been drafted yet.

Forcing an increase when the tourism industry and the economy as a whole is still at the early stages of pandemic recovery would be "somewhat catastrophic," Jovyna Lujan, merchandise manager for DKSH Guam Inc., told senators during a nearly two-hour informational briefing.

"As we stand today, the timing is not good," she said, while also imploring senators to pass a bill seeking to fund a new round of Local Employers Assistance Program to help still-struggling tourism-related businesses. Lujan is also chairwoman of the Guam Travel and Tourism Association.

Quinata read one written testimony in support of raising the minimum wage.

"If the minimum wage is not a living wage, but a starting wage, then we are saying when you start out contributing to society, the economy, paying taxes, etc., you do not deserve to be paid enough to live," Noah Austin, a father of four, wrote to the committee.

The last time Guam raised its minimum wage was on Sept. 1, 2021.

The Guam Hotel and Restaurant Association, the Employers Council, the Guam Chamber of Commerce and other business sector representatives asked senators to leave the minimum wage as is, and made known their strong objections to any increase at this time.

They said forcing an increase now would result in more business closures, more employee layoffs, reduction in worker benefits, and increased prices for consumers, resulting in overall harm to the economy.

In the end, they said, the very people that a minimum wage increase intended to help could be the ones to hurt the most when their employers have to choose between retaining all workers or letting go of others to comply with increased minimum wage.

GHRA President Mary Rhodes asked senators to follow Public Law 32-178, which requires that an economic impact study be done before considering a minimum wage increase. Sen. Amanda Shelton thanked Rhodes for bringing up this law.

Guam Chamber of Commerce President Catherine Castro reiterated the organizations long-held position that minimum wage is not a living wage but a starting wage.

She said any minimum wage increase should be determined by market conditions and not arbitrarily dedicated by government mandate.

Castro and others asked senators to instead help beef up efforts to improve Guams education system so that more would be able to qualify for higher-paying jobs.

Rhodes, of GHRA, said many dont seem to understand that a lot of private sector employers have been paying their employees above the minimum wage, as dictated by market conditions.

Raising the minimum wage would also mean raising the salaries of all the other employees to ensure equity.

Those who testified at the briefing said they heard discussions about raising the minimum wage to $11 an hour to as much as $15 an hour, which would be a 62% jump.

Employers Council Executive Director Catherine Denight Gayle told senators that the council is "against an increase in the minimum wage."

"At the very minimum, we asked for a measured, balanced, incremental approach to any minimum wage discussions," Gayle said.

A key question, she said, is the rationale behind the idea of raising the minimum wage. Quinata said nationwide, theres been seismic increments in wages, which sparked the conversation.

Earlier, Quinata said the idea of raising the minimum wage also partly came about as a result of the 22% pay increase that many government of Guam employees have received.

The goal is to find a common ground, he said at the briefing, whether any increase would be in increments of 50 cents and so forth.

Raising the minimum wage by 22% would bring it to about $11.28 an hour.

Guam Economic Development Authority public finance manager Tina Garcia, who read GEDA Administrator Melanie Mendiolas written testimony, said the agencys position is that minimum wage should be raised more regularly than it is, rather than seven to 10 years and perhaps peg the increase to an index such as the cost of living one.

Rhodes, whos also a Guam Visitors Bureau board director, said even with new LEAP funding approved, any additional costs imposed on tourism-related businesses will hinder any progress made.

Sen. Chris Duenas said senators are in support of a new LEAP funding round, but said the proposed funding source is inverted and should be reversed.

Instead of having the $15 million coming from the General Fund and the $5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan under the governors purview, Duenas said the $15 million should be funded by ARP money and the $5 million from the General Fund.
The military might need to condemn additional land on Guam to build the islands new missile defense system, according to the Missile Defense Agency, which is preparing an environmental impact statement for the $1.5 billion project. The military currently owns 27% of the island.

The Missile Defense Agency in fiscal 2022 started working on the 360-degree defense system, which is intended to supplement existing systems and better protect the island from different types of missiles.

The Missile Defense Agency on Friday announced it is starting an environmental impact assessment at 20 possible locations for the missile defense system, which will require multiple sites for radar, launchers and interceptor systems. The military also might need additional housing and support facilities for missile defense personnel and their families.

The agency started the projects scoping period, during which the public can weigh in on the scope of the environmental assessment, potential alternatives, and any concerns which should be considered during the assessment.

A draft environmental impact statement will be issued in the spring of 2024, and a final statement will be issued in early 2025, according to the Missile Defense Agency, which anticipates the new system will be operating in 2027.

A map prepared by the Missile Defense Agency shows 19 of the candidate sites for the defense system are on military property. One possible site, in the hills of Humatak, is not on military property. The map states the site is in Malesso, but the area marked is in the municipality of Humatak, inland from Fort Soledad.

Fridays public announcement states site selection is evolving, and the missile defense system could require additional nonfederal land for the systems components or for safety zones.

The map shows six candidate sites at Andersen Air Force Base; four sites at Naval Base Guam; two sites at Naval Magazine; one site at the Tenjo Vista fuel farm; one site at Dandan, Inalahan; one site at South Finegayan; one site at Andersen South; one site at Radio Barrigada; one site at the former Nimitz Hill housing area, called Y Puntan; one site at the Apra Palms housing area; and the Humatak site.

The military has scheduled public meetings in several villages, starting June 14, to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the environmental assessment, which will examine the potential impacts on land use, recreation, water resources, cultural resources, air quality, airspace management, noise, socioeconomics, environmental justice and protection of children, geological resources, terrestrial biological resources, infrastructure and utilities, public health, safety and transportation.

The June 14 open house scoping meeting will be in Mangilao, followed by a June 15 open house in Dededo and a June 16 open house in Santa Rita. Meeting locations in those villages have not been announced.

Comments for the scoping period must be submitted by June 27 and can be emailed to info@EIAMD-EIS.com.

The projects website is www.mda.mil/system/eiamd.html.
School health inspections are proceeding now that the Guam Department of Education is required to come into compliance with sanitation regulations by the start of the upcoming school year.

Lawmakers recently passed Public Law 37-4, which sped up the timeline for schools to comply. The previous deadline was next summer.

The number of possible closures is so far unknown.

According to a statement from the Department of Public Health and Social Services, inspectors with the Division of Environmental Health are already heading out into the field to conduct inspections. Between three and five inspectors out of a total of nine will be working every day to inspect all 41 local public schools, a task which will pull workers from other areas.

The new law, will have a significant impact on the DEHs ability to conduct sanitary inspections of other health-regulated establishments, according to Public Health. The agency is now actively recruiting inspectors.

Newer schools, which may be more likely to pass their inspection, will be prioritized, according to the agency. Schools that have already failed but remain openSimon Sanchez High School, Southern High School, and Oceanview Middle Schoolwill also be reinspected, and will have to pass to have their sanitary permits reinstated.

Its unclear exactly how many schools may fail, according to the agency. It is expected that due to the aging school facilities on Guam, many of the schools may potentially fail the inspections.

A provision in the new law that allows for variances will not work as expected, either, according to the agency.

Education Chair Sen. Chris Barnett, who introduced the legislation, provided that Public Health could issue variances, or exemptions, if a school were actively working to correct a violation and if the violation would not have otherwise caused a shutdown.

Barnett told the PDN it was meant to provide flexibility to Public Health.

Let's take Southern High, for example, Barnett said. "There are entire wings of the school that they don't use, that when you factor them in and you inspect the whole facility, it just weighs the inspection grade down.

But the new language prohibits Public Health from issuing variances, according to a release, as schools are shut down when they receive 41 demerit points.

According to agency Public Information Officer Don Sulat, any violation that factors into those 41 points cant be excused.

If the total demerits are 41 and up, then the sanitary permit would be suspended. At that point, the school would have to clear all the violations and cannot apply for a variance to reinstate the sanitary permit, he told the PDN.

Barnett said he had not spoken to Public Health Director Art San Agustin as of Friday morning.

The senator said he was willing to work with the agency if a fix was needed, but did not intend to throw out the baby with the bathwater.

He said, on-site learning is a big consideration. But I think the bigger consideration is, making sure that our kids go to school and conditions that meet the basic health safety sanitation guidelines.

Schools like Oceanview and Southern High, where large portions of the school were being unused, may not need to be closed, he said.

Acting Superintendent Judi Won Pat had already committed to monthly reports to the Legislature, Barnett said, and Guam DOE was looking forward to a very busy summer ahead of the deadline.




Haiti - FLASH : Major fire at the Shada market (Petion-ville)





On the night of May 3 to 4, 2023 around midnight, a fire broke out in the Shada market in Petion-ville, located between Rigaud and Geffrard streets, not far from the Peace Court and the Saint Jean Bosco Church.



The firefighters intervened to try to control the disaster but encountered fuel problems... Arrived as reinforcements, the firefighters of Delmas and Tabarre could only contain the fire because of a lack of water, to effectively put out this monstrous fire, the flames had already devoured a good part of the market, reducing hundreds of small businesses to nothing.



At daybreak, in the midst of charred and smoking sheets and a few still active fires that the firefighters made sure to extinguish, against a background of cries of desolation and despair, several dozen merchants devastated by the tragedy, having for the most part lost everything, were desperately trying to recover some products that the fire had miraculously spared.



According to initial assessments, the damage and losses are considerable and most of the tradespeople affected, are in debt and have lost everything and are urgently requesting State aid to restart their trade and repay their loans...



Most of the space in front of the church where coal and food products are sold, among other things, is now only ashes...



The cause of the fire is currently unknown, but fortunately no loss of life has been reported so far.



S/ TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Corruption: Ambassador Bocchit Edmond defends himself and points the finger at former Minister Claude Joseph





Following the "recall" of Bocchit Edmond the Ambassador of Haiti in Washington D.C. and in the absence of explanations from the Haitian Chancellery, speculation that this "recall" is linked to a affair of corruption are rife. Faced with all this noise, Ambassador Bocchit Edmond takes stock in a note of these allegations, which he describes as wacky.





Note from Ambassador Edmond:



"Outlandish allegations purport to implicate me in acts that are dishonest and detrimental to the interests of the State. I disagree with this cabal orchestrated by the hands of a master who only aims to tarnish my 32 years of public service in the diplomacy of my country.



While waiting for the competent authorities to finally inform the general public of the conclusions of the interministerial commission which investigated the matter from April 18 to 21, 2023, I would like to point out that I am not responsible for any harmful act, even for corruption, as my country's Ambassador in Washington.



Also, I would formally request that an audit be carried out at the Embassy. Is it enough at this point to recall that the basis of this cabal is the undeniable fact that US Customs, in June 2021, had seized packages containing $50,000 from Chile and sent by courier at the personal residence of Gelorme Juste, cousin of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time, Claude Joseph, who had appointed him responsible for the consular section of the Embassy. It is common knowledge that I had no control over Gelorme Juste, who dealt directly with his Minister cousin.



For my part, I affirm to have nothing to do, neither directly nor remotely, with this affair, which had only been brought to my attention through the diplomatic channel of the United States Department of State in August 2021. I immediately informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for appropriate follow-up.



Also, the Interministerial Commission could find no evidence corroborating the allegations of the report produced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headed by former Minister Claude Joseph.



The duty of discretion to which I am bound as a senior civil servant, enjoins me not to say more on this subject, at this stage, except to defend my honor and my acute sense of civic duty and patriotic commitment for 32 years of public service, often under extremely difficult conditions.



Ambassador Bocchit Edmond"



Last minute : Jean Victor Geneus, Minister of Foreign Affairs confirms that Ambassador Edmond has been officially revoked and that the United States, country of accreditation has been notified. Former Ambassador Edmond is under investigation.



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39455-haiti-flash-the-ambassador-of-haiti-in-washington-bocchit-edmond-recalled-in-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36150-haiti-justice-the-embassy-of-haiti-in-washington-targets-allegations-of-embezzlement.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35565-haiti-flash-youri-latortue-accuses-the-embassy-of-haiti-in-washington-of-embezzlement.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-32310-haiti-diplomacy-appointment-of-12-new-ambassadors.html



HL/HaitiLibre






















Haiti - USA : A Haitian convicted of having bitten 3 ICE agents faces 20 years in prison





A Federal jury, after 2 hours of deliberations, convicted on May 2, 2023 a Haitian national, Jubenson Dominique, in a court in San Antonio for two counts of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees and inflicting bodily injury and one count of assaulting, resisting, or impeding certain officers or employees involving physical contact.



Dominique's defenders Me Angela Saad Lindsey and Me Marina Thais Douenat, tried to convince the jury that someone else may have bitten the ICE agents during the confusing incident on the plane... For his part Dominique denied having bitten the officers...



According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were loading 112 Haitian nationals onto a contract aircraft in San Antonio bound for Port Au Prince, Haiti in September 2021, when a disturbance involving several individuals occurred in the middle section of the aircraft. Jubenson Domenique was identified as the main instigator of the disturbance and a decision was made for three officers to remove him from the aircraft.



During Domeniques extraction from the aircraft, he bit the officers, breaking the skin and leaving teeth marks on all three. Emergency Medical Services responded, and one officer was treated at a local hospital, provided prescriptions for medication and began treatment and testing for possible infections, including six months of HIV treatment.



U.S. Attorney Jaime Esparza of the Western District of Texas and Special Agent in Charge Jennifer Huerta of the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility announced that Dominique faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of inflicting bodily injury and eight years in prison for the third count.



U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez will hand down Dominique's sentence on August 30.



SL/ HaitiLibre


























Haiti - News : Zapping...





Opinions on bandit hunting

Paul Denis, former Minister of Justice :

According to Paul Denis, the former Minister of Justice believes that the "Bwa Kale" movement triggered by members of the population in several neighborhoods to neutralize armed bandits is a self-defense movement in a country where citizens are abandoned by the rulers.



Historian Georges Michel :

Georges Michel believes that the lynchings of bandits are a sign of the growing exasperation of the population, however, he warns of the risk of personal score settling See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-39452-haiti-news-zapping.html



Emmelie Prophete, Acting Minister of Justice :

Minister Emmelie Prophete says that there can be no question of tolerating summary lynchings by the population of alleged bandits. However, she says she understands the population but asks them to hand over the suspect individuals captured in the hands of justice.



PNH : Operations in Savanne Pistache and Village de Dieu

Thursday, May 4th, 2023, the National Police reinforced its presence in the area of Savanne Pistache and Village de Dieu. Several specialized units and the heavy machinery section are mobilized for a series of operations aimed at dismantling the hotbeds of gangs that establish their bases in these areas.



Ex-Senator Latortue front justice

Thursday April 4th, 2023, former senator Youri Latortue was heard by the investigating judge Marthel Jean Claude. He is allegedly involved in a corruption case with his mother, a file revealed by an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC).



Freedom of the press, words of PM

Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry:

"This May 3 marking World Press Freedom Day, I salute the courage, commitment, sense of duty and responsibility of the journalists who devote themselves body and soul to information. Thus, I would like to renew my Government's determination to continuously guarantee freedom of expression and to work to strengthen the rule of law and the security climate, parameters that are essential to the proper functioning of the press."



Vues dAfrique, film about Dessalines awarded

The film "Jean-Jacques Dessalines le vainqueur de Napoleon Bonaparte" by Haitian director Arnold Antonin, won the Best Documentary Award at the Festival Vues d'Afrique 2023 in Montreal.



47th edition of the Henri Deschamps Literary Prize

The Lucienne Deschamps Foundation informs writers in particular that the 47th edition of the Henri Deschamps Literary Prize has been launched. Manuscripts must be submitted between May 29 and June 30, 2023. The Prize rules are available on the website : www.fondationluciennedeschamps.org



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2023/05/04 | Source

Korean movie of the week "Escape from Mogadishu" (2021)

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Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

With Kim Yun-seok, Zo In-sung, Huh Joon-ho, Koo Kyo-hwan, Kim So-jin, Jung Man-sik,...

Re-release date: 2022/09/07

Synopsis

"Escape from Mogadishu" deals with a real-life defection incident between the two Korean embassies in Somalia back in the nineties that purports to explore the relevant motives behind the event.

Release date in Korea : 2021/07/28

Read Panos's review

Where to Watch Powered by JustWatch

Available on Blu-ray and DVD
Published on 2023/05/04 | Source

New stills added for the upcoming Korean drama "Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938" (2023)

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Directed by Kang Sin-hyo

Written by Han Woo-ri

Network: tvN

With Lee Dong-wook, Kim So-yeon, Kim Beom, Ryu Kyung-soo, Hwang Hee, Kim Yong-ji,...

12 episodes - Sat, Sun 21:20

Follow up to "Tale of the Nine Tailed"

Synopsis

The story of Lee Yeon, a gumiho who was summoned back to a chaotic 1938 after being embroiled in an unexpected incident.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2023/05/06
The worker was linguistically challenged, and had no knowledge of the employee rights in Finland. During her years-long employment, the worker did not have any actual days off or enough annual leave, and worked from early morning to late night doing housework, serving the couple's visiting relatives and acquaintances at home, and occasionally working in the couple's restaurant.



The worker received practically no salary for her work, as the small compensation paid for her work in Finland was given to her family in Nepal. While the agreed-upon salary was paid into a Finnish bank account in the worker's name, she was not allowed to use the account, as her employer controlled the online banking and debit card, and the salary paid into the account was redirected back to the employer. The worker was also in debt to her employer due to unpaid wages. She had limited social life and was afraid and respectful of her employers.



According to the district court, the compensation for the worker's work was unreasonably low and violated her human dignity. Furthermore, her privacy was infringed upon during the employment due to living conditions, and her employer had checked her private messages on her phone. The worker had no other real option but to submit to the abuse.



The district court found that the couple had used deception, taking advantage of the victim's dependent position and insecure status, as well as the victim's reliance on them to enter Finland, to traffic the worker. The couple took control over the worker's life, including where she lived and worked, and subjected her to inhumane working conditions, leading to forced labor.



In addition, the same judgment dealt with another Nepalese employee, who was found to have been a victim of aggravated extortion by the restaurant-owning couple. The couple had extorted the worker by taking most of her salary, making her pay for her own accommodation, and threatening her with deportation.



This case is a harsh reminder of the dangers of human trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable individuals. It is important for employers to recognize the rights of their workers, especially those who may be at a disadvantage due to their linguistic and social limitations. Such violations of human rights and human dignity cannot be tolerated, and the law must be enforced to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

HT
Both the National Coalition and Finns Party, the poll found, have seen their popularity increase since the elections, the former by 0.8 percentage points to 21.6 per cent and the latter by 0.5 points to 20.6 per cent.

THE PECKING ORDER between the National Coalition, Finns Party and Social Democrats has stayed unchanged after the parliamentary elections held in Finland on 2 April, indicates a poll by YLE.

Support for the Social Democratic Party has not moved from 19.9 per cent.

Tuomo Turja, the research director at Taloustutkimus, stated to the Finnish public broadcasting company that the results are typical for a post-election poll in that they align fairly well with the election results.

Support for the Centre falling by 1.1 points from the elections to 10.2 per cent is indicative of another common trend. What has happened traditionally is that the party that lost the most in the elections continues on the same trend, said Turja.

The Green League and Left Alliance share fifth place in the poll after the former gained 0.4 points and the latter 0.5 points to climb to 7.5 per cent.

Even though support for the two left-green parties has rebounded since the elections, Turja cautioned against interpreting it as a sign that those who voted tactically are reaffirming their support for their usual party of choice. The polling data show that an unusually high proportion of respondents  more than 90 per cent  stands by the same party they supported in the elections.

At least nine in ten of those who voted for a party one month ago think that theyd still vote for that same party, said Turja. In that light, the Social Democrats isnt in a situation where voters who prefer the Greens or Left Alliance are having regrets.

The Social Democratic Party benefited by far the most from tactical voting in the elections, according to a survey conducted for Toivo Think Tank by Kantar Public. Almost a quarter (23%) of its voters revealed that the party was their secondary choice and received their voice because they tried to ensure or prevent the forming of a certain kind of ruling coalition.

Secondary votes made up an average of 8.7 per cent of the vote share of the other parties.

The think tank is affiliated with the National Coalition.

Turja on Thursday also drew attention to another sign of little mobility among voters: the Social Democrats seems to be unaffected by Prime Minister Sanna Marins announcement that she is not seeking re-election at the helm of the party.

The Christian Democrats and Swedish Peoples Party have swapped places since the elections, with the former gaining 0.1 points to 4.3 per cent and the latter dropping 0.2 points to 4.1 per cent. The Swedish Peoples Party is thereby the only of the four parties involved in the coalition formation negotiations to see its popularity decline since the elections.

The negotiations are being held between the National Coalition, Finns Party, Swedish Peoples Party and Christian Democrats.

Taloustutkimus interviewed 2,594 people for the poll between 3 April and 2 May. As many as 2,098 of the respondents were able and willing to reveal which party they would vote for if the elections were held today.

An unusually high share, nearly 81 per cent stated their preference, Turja highlighted to YLE.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT
THIEVES made off with tools worth more than 2,500 after breaking into vans at Henley Rugby Club.

Electrician Matthew Pearce parked his van in the car park at Dry Leas, off Marlow Road, which he has been using for several weeks while he works on rewiring the Kenton Theatre in New Street.

Mr Pearce, who lives in Greys Road, said: When I came back at the end of the day, my van and my co-workers van and two others had been broken into.

I went to speak to the rugby club to see if we could get their CCTV to get a number plate or anything but they told me it hadnt worked for a year.

Mr Pearce spoke to the police, who said they were unable to help.

He said: They asked, Was there CCTV? No. Were there witnesses? No. Then they said, Well you could try knocking on the doors of any of the houses that are overlooking to see if anyone saw anything. I replied, Well, thats not really my job.

They were more interested in giving me a crime reference number and moving on.

The incident took place on Tuesday, April 18. The thieves broke into four vans and tried and failed to get into a fifth.

Mr Pearce said: They smashed the lock in the back doors. I believe you can get a screwdriver through the lock. Mine was completely mangled.

One van had holes drilled into the back to release the lock. They know exactly what theyre doing and the quickest way to get into different types of van. Thats how they get away with it, even in the middle of the day.

His tools werent insured. Mr Pearce said: Once the tools get past a certain age, with premiums it would have cost more than they were worth. The reason insurance dont want to do it is because its a real problem. Its really prevalent. Not many people in our industry havent been robbed.

People lose their livelihoods when tools are stolen. I lost about 500 but my co-worker lost 2,000 and then couldnt go to his job later as he didnt have the tools so he lost that too. It was a double whammy.

Unfortunately, you get used to it. You hear about it happening every day and the police couldnt give a damn. Theres no real protection. It would be a miracle if it didnt happen to me again. Now all my tools are with me every day. I take them into my house at night. I have to move them all the time, which is not a lot of fun.

Mr Pearce still parks his van at the rugby club but he and his co-worker now park their vehicles back to back in the hope of stopping thieves from being able to open the doors.

Alistair Beynon, commercial manager at the rugby club, said: Were looking at getting new cameras installed at some point but obviously it comes down to cost.

This was very much an isolated incident. Of course its very regrettable but its very rare for it to happen, especially in the middle of the day. It surprised us.

As a club, we are being more vigilant and have regular patrols of the car park to make sure theres nothing untoward going on.
FindSupport.gov and HHS Children and Youth Resilience Challenge will increase access to health resources and support.

Secretary Becerra, at the HHS Mental Health Summit, announced new initiatives by the Biden-Harris Administration to increase access to mental health resources and support.

The two initiatives  FindSupport.gov and the HHS Children and Youth Resilience Challenge  will increase access to health resources and support for those working to address mental health challenges.

The launch of FindSupport.gov will help Americans identify available resources, explore information about various treatment options, and learn how to reach out to get the support they need for issues related to mental health, drugs or alcohol. FindSupport.gov is a user-friendly, online guide that helps people navigate through common questions when they are at the start of their journey to better behavioral health, such as how to ask for help, how to help others and how to search for a health care professional or support program that meets their needs. The website provides information on how to find treatment and support based on insurance status, including Medicaid, Medicare, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care, TRICARE, private insurance, and no insurance. It also features resources on how to set up an appointment so that when people meet with a health care professional, they can feel confident that they are taking the right steps.

The HHS Children and Youth Resilience Challenge will provide $1 million in funding for innovative community-led solutions to promote resilience in children and adolescents affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and other disasters, and promote positive strategies to help children and adolescents thrive. The Resilience Challenge, which was developed by the HHS Behavioral Health Coordinating Council Subcommittee on Children and Youth, is recognized as part of the Presidents Uniy Agendat and Mental Health Strategy and advances HHS Roadmap for Behavioral Health Integration.

Thanks to President Biden, we are finally and seriously saying to anyone struggling with their mental health: support is here. I am proud that we are changing the way mental health is viewed in this country because mental health is health, period. said Secretary Becerra. At HHS, we will continue tackling our nations mental health crisis by increasing understanding of the challenges people are facing, decreasing stigma associated with these challenges, and improving access to support by better integrating it inside and outside of the health care system.

The Biden-Harris Administration set forth a bold vision of integrated, equitable and accessible behavioral health care. These initiatives are part of our commitment at HHS to realizing that vision and to ensuring all Americans have the support and resources they need, said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. I started my career working in behavioral health and I know the real, tangible difference that these initiatives can make. HHS will continue to advance the policies and resources necessary to enhance the health and well-being of all Americans.

Additional information on the two initiatives:

FindSupport.gov

Nearly 1 in 3 adults have mental health, substance use or co-occurring issues, according to SAMHSAs most recent National Survey on Drug Use and Health. In 2022, SAMHSAs National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) received more than 1.1 million calls and the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which launched in July 2022, received more than 2.1 million contacts (calls, texts, and chats) between July and December 2022.

FindSupport.gov features inclusive success stories in plain language that illustrate different types of behavioral health experiences; lists of how to talk to someone about getting help; steps on how to cope with mental health, drug or alcohol issues; signs of when to seek help and tools to ask for help; and information on how to pay for treatment with or without insurance.

The website is intended to support the Presidents Unity Agenda and its goal to increase access to mental health and substance use resources. Using human-centered design methods, site developers aimed to deliver a product that responded to the publics needs. The concept for FindSupport.gov was developed by HHSs Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and based on research showing that people were looking for an unbiased, trustworthy source of information on how to get support for mental health and substance use issues.

To learn how to get support for mental health, drug or alcohol issues, visit FindSupport.gov. If you are ready to locate a treatment facility or provider, you can also go directly to FindTreatment.gov or call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

A video guide of FindSupport.gov is available for download and use in reporting, courtesy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Resilience Challenge

Children and youth in the United States are experiencing a mental health crisis. The U.S. Surgeon Generals Advisory reports rising rates of psychological distress, including anxiety, depression, and other emotional and behavioral symptoms among children and youth. Among youth ages 12 to 17 who experienced a major depressive episode, nearly half perceived that the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected their mental health. Emergency department visits for mental health concerns have also increased significantly. These patterns are intensified among children and adolescents exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Promoting youth resiliencetheir ability to adapt in the face of adversityis critical to avoiding long-term negative mental health outcomes.

The Resilience Challenge will include a proposal phase and a pilot phase for selected finalists. Proposals are due Friday, July 7, 2023. An informational webinar open to the public will be held on May 18, 2023, from 3-4:15 pm ET in English, with Spanish translation available. Please register for the webinar at this link: https://acf-hhs-gov.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_Pw1dAVtmS0Ka9-jmylGT7A.

For more information about the Challenge and how to submit a proposal, please visit www.challenge.gov/?challenge=resilience.
Mridula Garg ran into trouble for writing Chittacobra back in 1979. Her novel was branded obscene and she was briefly arrested along with her publisher. Chittacobra was Gargs third Hindi novel  an intense and intimate love story between two young married people  an Indian woman and a missionary from Scotland. Reita Faria having breakfast in bead at the Waldorf Hotel in London the morning after she was crowned Miss World in 1966. Chittacobra is set in the same era. (HT Photo)

In a piece in Scroll last year, Garg, who now has 30 books to her credit, wrote that her depiction of a married woman treating her husband as a commodity during the sexual act was what had caused offence. They could not digest the fact that while participating in the physical act fully, the wife was thinking of philosophical and intellectual matters. She was not thinking of her lover, that would have been acceptable. She had the temerity to just think, thus objectifying the husband, she wrote. This was very hurtful to male egos. Women are forever reduced to bodies and commodities but women arent allowed to do that to men, to their husbands. I think this is the reason everyone got so angry, she pointed out.

202pp, Rs350; Speaking Tiger

The controversy erupted shortly after the Hindi weekly magazine Sarika published excerpts from the novel, which were seen as offensive. Complaints were sent in, claiming the book was obscene and the magazines stocks were seized, prohibiting further sales. What hurt Garg was that none of the complainants had read the book, and none of her fellow writers, with the exception of one, stood up for her. Interestingly, a concerted campaign against the book was launched soon after it had received glowing reviews and was featured in Lothar Lutzes book on the post-colonial literature of India.

In 1982, when the book was already in its fifth edition, she was arrested under Section 292 of the Indian Penal Code for publishing obscene material. The controversy ended when her lawyer approached the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi at the time, and the latter decided to withdraw the case half an hour before it was to come up for hearing.

By translating this iconic work into English, Garg, who writes with proficiency in both Hindi and English, has presented her sensitive exploration of love and desire between Manu and Richard to a new generation of readers.

One of the most lauded works of modern Hindi literature, Chittacobra raises important questions about how women are viewed as either good or bad within the patriarchal structure of a heterosexual marriage. This is true even today. However, Gargs story of love and passion skillfully avoids all the usual middle-class tropes.

Told from Manus perspective, this intimate story of infidelity interrogates the structural inequalities embedded in marriage and sexuality and shows how both are conveniently tied to reproduction. Set in the late 1960s, when Indias first Miss World was crowned, the novel follows a married woman who meets and falls for a Protestant missionary during the rehearsals of a play in Jamshedpur. The lovers talk about love, life, death, capitalism, communism, Gandhi, Marx and Christ. Richard wants to reform the bastees of the world and has joined the Church to fulfil his mission. He doesnt stay in a country for long, has learnt six languages during his gypsy-like travels, and is yet to

find a permanent home. He tries to sneak into India every year for a minimum of five days to spend time with Manu. On one of his visits, Manu decides to get drunk. I want to know what I actually do when under the influence, not what a man thinks a woman would do. I need a description, not a world view, she tells him.

We were so different. He was English no, Scottish. I was Indian. He was a parson. I an atheist. He was married, so was I. His family was in London, mine in Delhi, Manu reminisces when Richard hasnt shown up for two years during the mid-1970s when Emergency was imposed in India.

At home, she is a typical middle-class housewife, always ready to welcome her husband, Mahesh, home with a cup of tea. Mahesh does not love her, however, he is sympathetic towards her. As she approaches the twilight of her life, Manu reflects on her life with Mahesh: All the love was on my side. I had never asked him if he loved me because I was afraid, he might say no I had quietly committed myself to giving him all that I believed an average husband wanted from his wife. A well-appointed house. Healthy and well-behaved children. An attractive, attentive and well-groomed wife. A hospitable hostess attuned to the needs of the social circle.

Mahesh does not regard marriage ties as binding. However, when Manu asks him what hed think if she fell in love with someone else, there is a long silence. Then he tells her that if she does, she should try and not tell him.

Author Mridula Garg (Bharat Tiwari)

Richard decides not to tell his wife Jenny about his affair. Confession, he tells Manu, is for the cowardly. It might lighten Richards burden by making him feel self-righteous, but his wife would lose her peace of mind forever.

For the record, Garg coined the term Chittacobra; Chitta means consciousness in Sanskrit. A few years ago, the Juggernaut app published an English translation of Chittacobra as Banjara Love. Garg has written extensively across various genres; she has authored eight novels, four plays, four collections of essays, a memoir, a travel account, and 90 short stories. In 2004, her novel Kathgulab won the Vyas Samman and Miljul Mann was awarded the Sahitya Akademi Award in 2013. Chittacobra has been translated into English, German and Russian.

In the years since Garg wrote this novel, little has changed. Marriage is still plagued by unequal gender dynamics and women are still viewed as possessions to be sexually controlled by men. That is why this novel is as pertinent now as it was five decades ago.

Lamat R Hasan is an independent journalist. She lives in New Delhi.
River Spirit (Saqi Books, UK) is set in late 19th century Sudan, during the turbulent times of the Mahdist wars and the Ottoman rule. How did you decide on this particular historical moment? Author Leila Aboulela (Rania Rustom)

I initially wanted to write about a more peaceful time in Sudans history, the time of rebuilding and fresh hopes after the British invasion of 1898 which brought an end to the Mahdist state. In 2018, I was awarded a fellowship, at the Rockefeller Centre in Bellagio, Italy, based on a proposal to write such a novel. However, following conversations in Bellagio, in which I was encouraged to tackle a more charged period of history, I changed my focus and went further back in time. Although the Mahdist state was an independent state, free of foreign rule, an island of self-rule in a sea of European and Ottoman imperialism, Mahdism was a reactionary and parochial movement. It was based on a belief in a false Messiah, and it caused the destruction of the capital Khartoum, which was a cosmopolitan and attractive city with a crisscrossing of rivers and trade routes. The rise of the Mahdi, the siege of Khartoum and the assassination of its British Governor Charles Gordon was the thrilling historical story I had grown up with and studied in school and university. By writing about it, I wanted to share it with a contemporary audience and look at it with a fresh perspective.

In the novel, the self-proclaimed Mahdi rises to power and becomes a central figure in Sudans fight for independence. Can you discuss the historical and religious significance of the Mahdi in the context of Islamic history, and how his prophesied role as a redeemer of Islam is portrayed in the novel?

The Mahdi is not mentioned in the Quran. He is, though, described in great detail in many of the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad , the Hadith. He is described as the Rightly Guided One, who would, close to the end of Time, bring justice and prosperity after years of earthquakes, tyranny and oppression. The Turkish-Egyptian government, which ruled Sudan in the 19th century, heavily taxed the people, most of whom were impoverished. There was an acute sense of grievance and the idea of the Mahdi as a saviour started to circulate. When a man named Muhammed Ahmed Abdallah made this claim, he was believed because he was pious and charismatic. When he took up arms against the government, his successes were spectacular given his meagre resources. With each successive victory, his followers increased until most of the country was on his side. One of the characters in River Spirit, is Musa, a young soldier and a fervent adherent of the Mahdi. We get to hear his perspective and understand his unshakable belief but then the novel switches to other characters who denounce the Mahdi as an imposter.

How did you approach researching the historical and cultural context of Sudan for this novel? What kind of sources did you consult, and what challenges did you face in recreating the period?

I had to wade through propaganda and even many of the primary texts about the Mahdist period were edited, translated and published by British officials keen to whip up support for a full-scale invasion of Sudan, or afterwards to justify British colonialism! It was not easy at all. It helped that I am bilingual and I could access the original Arabic resources and other Arabic sources that had never been translated. As a novelist, though, I did not want to be uncritically patriotic. Instead, I wanted to dive in and approximate, as closely as possible the perspective of the historical characters themselves.

The novel touches upon themes of family, inheritance, and legacy. How did your personal family history influence your writing of the novel, if at all?

My great grandfather was an immigrant from the south of Egypt, and he was an employee in the colonial government. He was staunchly opposed to the Mahdi in every possible way. When the Mahdi and his army entered Omdurman, my great grandfather dug a pit in his yard and hid his five daughters there because he was afraid they would be raped. This fear and sense of impending chaos was always something that struck me. Although I tried my best in the novel to present a wide spectrum of Sudanese opinions and perspectives, the final sway was towards my familys position.

I did not think that I was writing a love story but in fact this is what I actually ended up doing! (Saqi Books (UK))

Akuany and Yaseens relationship is at the heart of the novel, but it is also deeply influenced by larger political and social forces. How did you approach balancing the personal and political aspects of their story?

Writing a love story was not my main focus. I did not think that I was writing a love story but in fact this is what I actually ended up doing! My concern was telling the historical narrative in such a way that each of the characters would pick up the baton of the story and pass it on to the next character. I had to make a decision about which character would be placed to convincingly describe a particular event and of course it had to sound natural and unforced. I did not want to shoehorn a character in a particular place or situation. I spent a lot of time making sure that the story evolved organically or at least gave the impression of doing so. At the same time, I was also keen to be as accurate as possible and not to take liberties with the historical facts.

Akuanys journey from a child survivor of a village raid to a slave is an emotional one. How was the process of writing about her experiences?

She was the most fictionalized of all the characters and so I enjoyed writing about her. The nucleus for the idea about her came from the Sudan Archives at Durham University, where I found a bill of sale for a woman called Zamzam (the name that Akuany is given when she becomes enslaved). I was shocked by this discovery. I knew that slavery existed in nineteenth century Sudan, but to hold in my hand a bill of sale, with an actual monetary figure and the names of the people involved, was quite startling. I also found a petition detailing the case of an enslaved woman who had escaped with a stolen item of clothing from her mistress. She had gone back to her former master, and it was against him that the petition was raised. I found this situation intriguing and complex enough for me to want to fill in the gaps with fiction. I started researching East African slavery, with the explicit intention of finding out what the texture of life must have been like for someone like Akuany.

The novel grapples with the complexities of power and control, particularly in the context of imperialism and colonialism, politics and religion. How did you approach these themes in a way that isnt simplistic or reductive?

By telling the truth, by working in as many nuances as I could, I avoided a simplistic portrayal. In fact, it would have been difficult for me to present a simplistic portrayal. I am able to see both sides of the situation and after seeing it, I cannot unsee. There are four main characters in River Spirit who are completely different from each other  in addition to Musa, the soldier fighting on the side of the Mahdi, Yaseen is a merchant who then travels to Al Azhar University to study the Quran and becomes a jurist; Robert is a Scottish artist working as an engineer, and Akuany, who is enslaved. There are another four supporting characters, three of whom are women, one of them elderly. Each of these different characters tells the story in their own words from their perspectives. Often in the first person, but sometimes in a close third person, which gives the reader access into their interiority.

The novels ending raises profound questions about what we believe and what we are willing to sacrifice for our beliefs. What do you think is the significance of this ending and what do you hope readers will take away from it?

It is always difficult to predict how readers respond to a text. What they take from it also depends on what they need and how they initially approached the novel. In the ending, although the characters are sacrificing and paying a huge prize, they are winning the things that they truly loved whether it is social position, career success, love or the freedom to practise their faith.

Your novels have been praised for their rich and nuanced depictions of Islamic spirituality and political life. How do your personal experiences and background influence your writing?

I believe that writers write about what fascinates them. I am fascinated by the challenges that Muslims face especially when such challenges are in direct opposition to their values and faith. Western literature is Christian-centric, what new stories could be told if Muslim experience is the focus? What new ways of thinking and knowing could Muslims bring to an understanding of the world? How resilient, how flexible, how accommodating could Islam be in new situations and futures? And if, by definition, such characters are seeking and relying on divine help, how can an author incorporate that in a work of fiction without resorting to miraculous events or deux ex machina. I moved from Sudan to Britain over 30 years ago and the focus of my personal energies has been about living as a practising Muslim and bringing up my children as Muslims in a non-Muslim, non-religious environment. I am grateful that this has been possible. In my fiction, I am attracted to situations that are more dramatic and dangerous than mine; characters who face much greater trials.

Shireen Quadri is the editor of The Punch Magazine Anthology of New Writing by Women Writers. She tweets at @shireenquadri
Forex trading constantly evolves, and traders must keep up with the changes to stay competitive. Selecting a reliable Forex broker is a crucial step for beginners and experienced traders to ensure optimal trading conditions.

Traders Union experts discuss the best Forex brokers of 2023 and explain how to choose the companyfor your specific needs.

What is a Forex broker?

TU defines a Forex broker as an intermediary between a trader and the currency market. These companies provide traders the platform and tools to buy and sell currencies. Forex brokers earn their income through spreads (the difference between the buy and sell price) and commissions on trades. They play a significant role in the FX market by providing traders access to the global currency markets and offering various trading instruments and account types to cater to individual preferences and strategies.

How to choose the best Forex broker?

According to Traders Union experts, several factors should be considered when choosing the best Forex broker:

Regulation and licensing: Ensure a reputable authority regulates the broker and holds the necessary licenses to operate in your region;

Trading platforms: Choose a broker that offers user-friendly, reliable, and advanced trading platforms with a range of tools and features;

Spreads and commissions: Compare the spreads and commissions charged by different brokers to find the most cost-effective option;

Trading instruments: Evaluate the variety of trading instruments offered, such as currency pairs, commodities, and indices;

Customer support: Opt for a broker with responsive and knowledgeable customer support available in your preferred language.

Best Forex Brokers

TU analysts have compiled a list of the best Forex brokers for 2023:

RoboForex

RoboForex is a popular choice among traders, offering various trading instruments and platforms. The broker is known for its low minimum deposit, unique investment program CopyFx, and exceptional customer support. RoboForex has received numerous awards and holds licenses from FSC Belize and CySEC.

Pocket Option

Pocket Option stands out for its low initial deposit requirement, fast verification process, and extensive educational resources. The broker provides access to over 100 trading assets and a unique platform alongside the popular MT5. Pocket Option operates under an International Financial Market Relations Regulation Center license.

Tickmill

Tickmill is renowned for its minimal spreads and innovative approach to brokerage services. The broker is particularly popular among scalpers and traders using Expert Advisors (EAs). With multiple awards under its belt, Tickmill offers a mobile app trading platform and a variety of trading instruments.

Exness Group

Operating since 2008, Exness Group is a well-established broker with a monthly trading turnover of $325.8 billion. Multiple financial authorities regulate the broker and offer various trading instruments, including CFDs for cryptocurrencies, stocks, and more than 120 currency pairs. Exness is known for its low commissions, instant order execution, and multiple account options.

FXPro

FxPro is a globally recognized broker with a strong track record and numerous awards. The company provides access to over 70 currency pairs, futures, and stocks and a range of trading platforms, including MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, and cTrader. FxPro is regulated by CySEC, Bahamas SCB, FCA (UK), and South African FSCA, ensuring a secure trading environment for its clients.

Conclusion

Selecting the best Forex broker is a crucial decision for any trader, as it directly impacts trading performance and success. Consider factors such as regulation and licensing, trading platforms, spreads and commissions, trading instruments, and customer support when evaluating potential brokers. Traders Union has presented the top five Forex brokers for 2023, each with their unique features and benefits, to help you make an informed choice. Users can learn more about these top Forex brokers and explore additional resources to help them succeed in the Forex market by visiting Traders Union's official website. By staying informed and making educated choices, you can maximize your trading potential and achieve your financial goals in the dynamic world of Forex trading.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/ editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/ subscribe to the contents of the article/advertisement and/or views expressed herein.

Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the views, opinions, announcements, declarations, affirmations etc., stated/featured in same. The decision to read hereinafter is purely a matter of choice and shall be construed as an express undertaking/guarantee in favour of Hindustan Times of being absolved from any/ all potential legal action, or enforceable claims. The content may be for information and awareness purposes and does not constitute a financial advice.
In today's fast-paced digital age, finding the right SEO company is crucial to success. However, with countless options available in the bustling city of Ahmedabad, choosing the top SEO company such as Zib Digital India will help your business shine on the web and make you highly visible.

As the saying goes, "A stitch in time saves nine." The right decision made today can save you from never-ending headaches and expenses. In this article, we will explore some key factors to consider when selecting the top SEO company in Ahmedabad to help your business achieve exceptional benchmarks on the digital landscape.

Navigating To the Perfect SEO Company with These Vital Tips

You will find hundreds of options in Ahmedabad to choose an SEO company. However, selecting an SEO agency based solely on its outward appearance and brand name is a wrong approach. To ensure the best choice for your business, a thorough research is required.

To narrow down your search, here are some of the characteristics to help you choose the best SEO agency.

Explore The Conversion Horizons Of SEO

While it's important to prioritize SEO, it's also crucial to look at the bigger picture and explore other avenues to boost your website's success. Ultimately, the end goal is not just to drive traffic but to convert that traffic into revenue, so look out for these pointers:

Find an SEO agency that understands conversion rate optimization (CRO)

The right agency should understand AB testing and use it to optimize headlines, button copy, color schemes, and landing pages

CRO can attract and retain more customers, ultimately increasing the bottom line

Effective SEO is just one piece of the puzzle

Prioritizing CRO can lead to long-term success for the brand.

Discover Firsthand Experience And Embrace Referrals

When it comes to finding the right SEO agency for your business, referrals from trusted sources can be a valuable asset.

Rather than solely relying on a company's self-proclaimed success and rankings on industry lists, asking for referrals from other businesses and past clients can provide you with a more accurate and honest picture. For instance, Zib Digital India is ranking on top when we search SEO company in Ahmedabad, it can because of their good reviews from clients and their effective services.

In this way, you can gain an understanding of the agency's level of expertise, responsiveness, and communication style.

By taking the time to gather referrals and thoroughly research potential SEO agencies, you can make an informed decision and select a partner that can help take your business to the next level.

Peek Into The Team's Diversity

Transforming your SEO vision into increased rankings, website traffic, leads, and sales requires a skilled and diverse team of specialists.

When an SEO firm promises big results without revealing its team, hold on tight. It could mean they're just starting with limited staff or, worse, they plan to outsource your project to untested freelancers from unknown platforms. This can lead to miscommunication and a lack of transparency, which is never a good sign.

But when you work with an established agency, you get a whole team of experts at your fingertips. These folks range from strategic leaders and project managers to specialized teams who make your growth dreams come true. And the best part? Top-notch agencies are proud to show off their amazing staff members

So, if you want to ensure your SEO success, work with a reliable and competent team of experts who know the ins and outs of the industry. Don't settle for less!

Ok Then.

What are the Red flags to look out for?

Keep reading to know more

Selecting the right SEO agency is crucial for your business's success. However, it's important to keep your eyes peeled for certain warning signs that could indicate a bad partnership. After all, collaborating with the wrong agency could result in costly blunders and wasted efforts.

To ensure a fruitful partnership, watch out for these potential red flags when selecting an SEO agency:

Taking Rankings Abstractly

As the old saying goes, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is." This is particularly relevant when it comes to SEO companies that promise guaranteed results. Quality SEO requires patience and effort and no reputable agency makes such guarantees.

The algorithms used by search engines are complex and constantly changing. This makes it impossible for anyone to guarantee a specific ranking or placement for your website.

The true value of SEO lies not in empty promises, but in the actual results that are achieved over time through hard work and diligent effort. Take the time to do your research and find a reputable agency that can deliver real, sustainable results over time.

Ultra-Low Price

The saying, "you reap what you sow" proves true when it comes to SEO agencies flaunting ultra-low prices. Unfortunately, these companies often fail to deliver on their promises.

Their strategies can be mediocre, using copy-and-paste tactics that yield impractical results. Or, they may neglect to maintain communication with your team, leading to a woeful customer experience and little to no return on investment. In the world of SEO, quality comes with a price tag, which is why it's crucial to have a practical budget.

Don't let your business's online visibility suffer due to cut-rate services. Invest in a reputable agency that will provide customized solutions and outstanding customer support. Remember, when it comes to SEO, quality should never be sacrificed for cost.

Lack Of Portfolio Or Real Customer Testimonials

In the pursuit of optimizing your online presence, taking a leap of faith with an untested SEO agency might not be the best approach. Its always advisable to exercise caution and conduct extensive research before signing a contract.

If the potential agency doesnt have a portfolio or customer testimonials, it is a signal to proceed with caution. While the agency might still possess the necessary expertise or just starting, it is advisable to stay observant.

Check for online reviews, seek out case studies or examples of their work, and make an informed decision. Remember, the success of your online endeavors is at stake, and it is always better to err on the side of caution

Bonus: Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Expert Company

Apart from the above factors, you must evaluate the communication and expertise of the potential agency to make an informed decision. So, here are some questions you must ask your agency before making a deal.

1. How long have you been working in the SEO field?

The scammers are not inclined to have a substantial presence or a steady track record of business dealings.

It's imperative to inquire about the longevity of your SEO collaborator's presence in the industry and conduct a thorough background check to verify their claims.

Reputable SEO agencies likely have served businesses like yours, which enables them to effectively tackle your SEO challenges and furnish prompt resolutions.

2. Can you share your clientele and how you drove results for them?

Discovering an agency's track record and reputation can be a revealing exercise. The experiences of previous clients and their assessments can serve as a powerful insight into the company's abilities.

While you don't need to dive deep into the complete clientele, simply investigating a few major brands and how they benefited from the agency's services can be an encouraging sign.

If, on the other hand, the SEO agency cannot present any noteworthy results, it may be an indication that they have not delivered results for reputable brands or have not worked with them at all.

3. How will you improve my SEO ranking?

Inquiring about the cause of a website's poor performance is a difficult question for any SEO agency to answer without thoroughly analyzing the situation.

Nevertheless, posing this question provides insight into their methodology.

An outstanding SEO firm initiates a comprehensive technical audit to identify the underlying reason why the client's website is performing poorly on search engine results pages (SERPs) or not ranking at all.

4. How updated are you with algorithm changes?

Search engines like Google frequently modify their algorithms, and it's crucial to keep pace with these changes

An effective SEO partner must stay up-to-date with the latest algorithm updates to formulate strategies that align with them.

It's important to keep in mind that this factor holds immense significance for the well-being of your website and the success of your business.

5. How will you keep me posted about the changes you make to my site?

Entrusting an SEO agency with access to your website is typically among the initial steps taken when engaging their services.

A reliable SEO company prioritizes keeping you informed about any modifications made to your site as part of its optimization efforts for search engines. They furnish you with periodic weekly or monthly reports and consolidated reports upon request.

Wrapping Up!

SEO is more than just technical jargon; it's a valuable investment that can significantly boost your brand's presence and reputation. Partnering with a top-notch SEO company in Ahmedabad can be a game-changer for your business.

However, finding the perfect match can be quite challenging. Seek out a team of dedicated professionals that are just as vested in the prosperity of your business as you are.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Pune, 5th May 2023: Symbiosis Institute of Computer Studies and Research (SICSR), one of the leading institutes of computer studies in India, has invited the candidates who have registered for SET 2023 to apply for its undergraduate programmes in the field of information technology, computer applications and business management.

From the current academic year (June 2023), SICSR is offering 4-year UG programmes namely BCA Honours with Major and Minor and BBA(IT) Honours with Major and Minor as per New Education Policy (NEP). Both the programmes have exit options after the first year (Certificate will be given), second year (Diploma), third year (BCA or BBA(IT) degree) and Fourth year (BCA Honours with Major and Minor, BBA(IT) Honours with Major and Minor).

The candidates who wish to apply for the SICSR programmes must fill out the online application form available on the official website of the institute (https://www.sicsr.ac.in/) and pay the application fee of INR 1000/- per programme by 26th May 2023. Admission to SICSR programmes is based on the performance in SET 2023 followed by Personal Interaction and Writing Ability Test (PI-WAT). The computer-based SET 2023 exam will be conducted in two slots on May 6 and May 14, 2023.

SICSR Pune offers UG programmes such as BCA, BCA (Honours), and BBA (IT). The institute also offers PG programmes like MBA (IT), MBA (Digital Transformation), and MSc (Computer Applications). All these programmes are designed to equip the students with the latest skills and knowledge in the field of information technology, computer applications and business management.

Furthermore, SICSR Pune is ranked among the top institutes in India for its academic excellence and placement record. The institute has been ranked #1 in the West Zone for BCA and #3 for BBA (IT) in the Best Colleges 2022-2023 Survey Report by OPEN Magazine. It has also been ranked #2 among the top BCA colleges and #8 among the top BBA colleges in India by India Today-2022. The institute has also received recognition from Outlook, CSR GHRDC, and other reputed agencies.

SICSR Pune boasts of a strong industry interface and a dedicated placement cell that provides ample opportunities for students to get placed in reputed companies. Some of the top recruiters of SICSR Pune include Deloitte, Amdocs, Infosys, HPE, Titan, Capgemini, ZS Associates, TCS, Vodafone Shared Service, ATOS Syntel, Cognizant, D.E. Shaw India Pvt. Ltd, Amazon, DeltaX, WIPRO, FIS Global, IBM, Byjus, Persistent Systems, TCS, HSBC, VMWare, Larsen and Toubro Infotech, and many more. With the highest packages of Rs. 21.5 LPA and Rs. 14 LPA for UG and MSc. (CA) programmes respectively, the SICSR cohort has demonstrated its immense potential.

The Institute also has a distinguished alumni network that works at leading companies such as Google, Microsoft Corporation, Facebook, Apple, RBS, Intel, Deutsche Bank, Oracle, HDFC, Goldman, Sachs, Accenture, Veritas, Technologies, ITC, Infotech, Michelin, and many more.

SICSR Pune invites all aspiring candidates to apply for its UG programmes and unlock lucrative careers with new-age programmes and attractive placement offers. For more details about the programme's eligibility criteria admission process fee structure scholarships and facilities visit https://www.sicsr.ac.in/ or https://www.set-test.org/sicsr.html.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
UniFest is the largest Apple-only festival in India, and it's back this year with unbelievable deals on your favourite Apple products. Get ready to experience the best of Apple at UniFest, where you can enjoy fantastic discounts and amazing benefits. UniFest is organized by Unicorn, India's largest Apple premium reseller.

Experience the Unmatched Quality of Apple Products at UniFest!

UniFest is the perfect opportunity to buy Apple products at a discounted price. If you've been contemplating buying the latest iPhone or MacBook, now is the time to purchase. From the iPhone 13 to Apple Watch, Macbooks, and AirPods, UniFest has everything you need. You can buy the iPhone 13, iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max, MacBook Air, iPad, Apple Watch Series 8, and AirPods at incredible prices during the festival. Take advantage of HDFC cashback offers. Get an exciting exchange bonus when you exchange your current device with Cashify.

Unbelievable Discounts and Benefits on Your Favorite Apple Products!

The UniFest deals on Apple products are too good to miss. You can get the iPhone 14 with a flat 21% discount, the effective price of INR 31,999*, with an exclusive offer of an iPhone case and tempered glass for only INR 2799. Buy the iPhone 14 Plus with a 20% discount, an effective price of INR 39,999* with tempered glass, and an iPhone case worth INR 2799. The iPhone 13 is also available with a flat 18% discount, an effective price of INR 25,999*, tempered glass and an iPhone case for INR 2499.

UniFest is also offering a 23% discount and +3% Student discount on the MacBook Air M1, the iPad for a flat 14% discount and +3% Student discount, the Apple Watch Series 8 for upto 12%, and Apple AirPods for a flat 5% discount.

But the savings don't stop there. Unicorn Store is also offering a range of additional benefits exclusively to UniFest attendees. These include attractive finance schemes, gifts with select purchases, and other exciting giveaways. So, if you want to maximize your Apple shopping experience, there's no better time than at UniFest.

Shop Smart this UniFest and Get More Than You Bargained For!

Not only will you be able to take advantage of the biggest Apple product sale of the year. Additionally, it is convenient for you to make purchases with no cost EMI by taking advantage of the financing options offered by HDFC, BAJAJ FINSERV, ICICI BANK, IDFC FIRST BANK, and PAYJUST.

This is an incredible opportunity to save big on your favorite Apple products. Now is the time to grab the best deals.

UniFest is the ultimate event for Apple enthusiasts in India. With the largest Apple-only festival of the year, UniFest promises to bring the best of Apple to its customers at unbeatable prices. Attendees can look forward to getting unbelievable value on their favourite Apple products, exclusive benefits, and giveaways.

So, mark your calendars and head to the Unicorn Store to experience the magic of UniFest!

*Terms & Conditions Apply

Limited Period Offers

The discount indicates is on purchase of accessories bundle only

Price may vary at store as per selected bundle options.

Product features vary by model.

Product subject to availability

Offers and price at the sole discretion of Unicorn Infosolutions Pvt. Ltd.

 and  2023 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
The Civil Services Preliminary Examination, is one of the most prestigious and competitive exams in India. This year, the Prelims exam is scheduled for 28th May 2023, and aspirants across the country are getting ready to take the first step towards realizing their dream of joining the Indian Civil Services and serving the nation.

Preparing for the UPSC Prelims can be an enormous task, especially in the last few weeks leading up to the exam. Some of the most significant challenges that students face are time management, revising the vast syllabus and memory retention while appearing in Mock Tests.

These challenges are compounded by the added pressure to perform well in this exam, lack of confidence in ones abilities and preparedness, the uncertainties accompanying the final outcome and the fear of failure.

Practicing Mock Tests and continuous improvements thereof have proven to be highly effective in addressing the above challenges. Tests not only result in targeted revision, better retention and recall, time management across and within subjects but also build the confidence of students to perform well in the final examination.

Abhyaas Test 3 scheduled to be held on 7th May, 2023 provides an excellent avenue for students to not only assess their preparation level before the UPSC Prelims Examination but also provides them a way forward for the remaining three weeks before the UPSC Prelims.

The earlier two tests in the Series were held on 2nd and 23rd April respectively. Students were able to assess their preparedness in different domains such as General Studies, Current Affairs and CSAT. With the help of post-test analysis, students were able to identify the learning gaps and areas that needed focused attention.

At the same time, these tests also provided students with an opportunity to validate revision techniques, test taking approaches, and different strategies for boosting the performance. The All India Ranking of students released with test results is reflective of their attainment and acts as a motivating factor for further consolidation.

Abhyaas tests are designed to simulate the civil services prelims examination conducted by UPSC. By appearing in these tests, students develop a better understanding of the demand of the examination, their natural responses when under pressure. The combined effect of these experiences enhances physical and mental preparedness for the upcoming Prelims examination.

The Abhyaas Test 3 would be the final opportunity for students to assess their knowledge, skills, score maximization strategies, and enhance their psychological readiness. The outcomes and experiences from this test would determine the learning path for the remaining time before the prelims examination.

Consequently, the areas of strengths need to be further consolidated by adopting quick revision techniques with the help of short notes, practice questions and its explanations, and post-test analysis.

Core subjects like Modern Indian History, Economy, Polity, Environment, Geography and Current Affairs should find a central place in the learning plan to be followed now.

Regular practice of questions, revision of key concepts in different subjects and integration of Map work in Geography, fundamentals of Environment, and applications of concepts in Economy must be undertaken to improve the command over the content and reduce the likelihood of missing out on questions from these topics.

Other subjects such as Art and Culture, Science and Technology should be given due attention and solving questions on these subjects can deliver better results and outcomes.

In recent years, CSAT has become a make-or-break paper for many students. Various instances have been observed wherein despite scoring well above the cut off marks in the GS Paper-1, students were not able to qualify for the Mains stage as they failed to score the minimum qualifying marks in CSAT Paper.

A strategy designed to score the minimum qualifying marks in CSAT carries the risk of falling through if the nature of questions is not on expected lines which is a possibility as UPSC is known to challenge the students with surprising elements.

Abhyaas Test is an innovative assessment solution by VisionIAS which aims to equip students with necessary knowledge, skills, and competencies to effectively face these challenges and surprises posed by UPSC and ensure their success in the Prelims examination.

With a continued thrust on research and innovation, VisionIAS has established itself as a pioneer research and training organization for UPSC Civil Services Examinations. Over the years, it has helped thousands of aspirants in realizing their dream of joining civil services.

Its innovative assessment system, a comprehensive classroom ecosystem, dedicated student mentoring platform, and adherence to organizational ethos and value system, have played a significant role in achieving this outcome.



As the UPSC Prelims 2023 draws closer, it's natural to feel overawed by the occasion. However, it's crucial to remember that success is not just about the outcome but also the journey. Every day of your preparation, every mock test you take, and every mistake you make is an opportunity to learn and grow. Remember, there's no substitute for hard work and dedication, and with the right mindset, you can achieve anything you set your mind to. So, stay motivated, stay positive, and give it your best shot. We wish all the UPSC aspirants the very best for the upcoming exam!

"It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Sir Edmund Hillary

Visit us at: www.visionias.in/abhyaas

Or Call us at: 8468022022, 9019066066

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.
Cash-strapped airline Go First on Friday announced the suspension of flights till May 12.



We apologise for the inconvenience caused by the flight cancellations. A full refund will be issued to the original mode of payment shortly. We acknowledge the flight cancellations might have disrupted your travel plans and we are committed to providing all the assistance we can, the airline stated.



On Thursday, Go First had announced that it had suspended flights till May 9. In response to this, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had asked the air carrier to offer refund to the affected passengers. On Tuesday, Go First filed for insolvency resolution proceedings in the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).(Representative Photo)

"Go First has intimated that they have suspended sale of their flights till 15 May 2023 and are working to refund or reschedule for future dates, the passengers already booked to fly with them," the aviation regulator had said in a statement. The airline had already informed the DGCA it had suspended sale of tickets till May 15.



ALSO READ: Insolvency petitions against Go First to be heard on May 8



On Tuesday, the airline had filed for voluntary insolvency before the National Company Law Tribunal. The company had said it was forced to ground half of its fleet due to faulty engines supplied by Pratt & Whitney. The company said it has lost revenue worth 10,800 crore due to the grounding of close to 50 per cent of its A320neo fleet.

On Monday, the NCLT will hear two petitions seeking insolvency proceedings against the airline. Go First faces liabilities worth 11,463 crore and a financial crunch. After hearing a plea by SS Associates Services Pvt Ltd seeking a claim of 3 crore, the tribunal reserved its order, PTI reported.

A pilot has also filed a petition claiming dues for his services provided to the airline. The amount involved is more than 1 crore. The two petitions are scheduled to be heard by the Principal Bench of the NCLT.



(With PTI inputs)

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MG Motor on Friday officially revealed the pricing details of its Comet EV, which it launched in India at a starting price of 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom), doing so on April 26. Comet, which is MG's second electric car for the country (after 2020's ZS EV), will be available in three variants, the British auto giant announced. Comet, MG's second EV for India, made its debut in the country last week.

MG Comet EV: Price

The three variants have been named Pace, Play, and Plush. Of these, Plush is the standard trim, and it is this variant that is available for the 7.98 lakh starting price. Play, the middle trim, comes at a starting cost of 9.28 lakh (ex-showroom), while the top-spec Plus costs 9.98 lakh (ex-showroom).

It is to be noted, however, that these rates are introductory in nature, and will be applicable only to the first 500 bookings.

MG Comet EV: Bookings

According to MG, customers can book their Comet EV from 12 noon on May 15. Pre-bookings, however, began on Friday itself. Also, through its Trace and Track app, the company aims to give buyers a unique experience to track the delivery status of their booking, starting right from the manufacturing facility.

MG Comet EV: Delivery

The carmaker will commence deliveries for Comet EV from May 22, and in a phased manner. Additionally, there is a buyback plan, under which MG is promising at least 60% of the car's value if sold after three years of ownership.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday predicted a thumping victory for the BJP in Karnataka, saying the crowd that turned out at an unplanned roadshow and at a public meeting here was proof of the party coming out on top. BJP will retain power in Karnataka with thumping majority: PM Modi(PTI)

Also Read - Congress manifesto is all about appeasement: PM Modi in Bellary

The Prime Minister held a massive roadshow in the city before heading to the venue of the public meeting to canvass for the ruling party.

At an election rally here, Modi made a point to chant 'Bajrang Bali Ki Jai' (Hail Hanuman) and quoted a line from noted Kannada poet Kuvempu's poem hailing Lord Hanuman.

"BJP is coming (to power) with a thumping majority. There was no pre planned programme but a mega roadshow happened due to the overwhelming crowd, he said.

He also claimed that the opposition Congress has a problem with those chanting 'Jai Bajrang Bali'.

On the final stretch of electioneering, both the ruling BJP and opposition Congress are fighting tooth and nail in their bid to win the high-stakes Karnataka Assembly election. Voting is on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13.
Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 LIVE Updates: As Karnataka is set to vote in less than a week, all major political parties are busy with campaigns, rallies and roadshows, with prominent leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi touring the state.

Karnataka is also reeling with a controversy over the recently-released Congress manifesto, which vowed to ban groups such as the Bajrang Dal. In response, BJP leaders and members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal have held protests and recited the Hanuman Chalisa. Meanwhile, the Congress party backtracked and said they only mean to say that organizations like PFI and the Bajrang Dal are disturbing law and order in the state.

The BJP on the other hand is looking for a final push before the last day for campaigning, with PM Modi's two-day mega roadshow in the state capital over the weekend.

Karnataka will vote next Wednesday, with results due to be released on May 13.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is campaigning in Karnatakas Bellary has mentioned the Hindi film The Kerala Story in his speech and alleged that the Congress is trying to oppose the film. PM Modi invokes The Kerala Story, says anti-India plot exposed in film

Speaking at Bellary, PM Modi said, The movie The Kerala story is trying to expose the consequences of terrorism in a society, especially in a state like Kerala which is beautiful land of hardworking, talented and intellectual people. The Congress party is now trying to ban the film and support the terror elements. It only knows to ban things and completely ignore development. The party even has a problem with me chanting Jai Bajarang Bali 

He also lauded the film and told that it tried to expose the new form of terrorism in the society. Terrorism has taken a new form now. Apart from using weapons and bombs, they are working towards making the society hollow from inside out. 'The Kerala Story' movie has exposed this new face of terrorism. The Congress has kneeled down before the terror outfits when in power. We have suffered because of the violence for very long and the Congress never protected this country from terrorism. Can the Congress protect Karnataka? he questioned while delivering his speech.

PM Modi has been widely campaigning across Karnataka, ahead of the assembly elections on May 10. He is also set to cover 17 constituencies in Bengaluru alone in the span of two days with over 30 kilometers of road show.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bengaluru road show got rescheduled for the second time, as there is a NEET examination on May 7 and the road show might lead to a traffic snarl. The BJP unit has now decided that a 26-kilometer road show will be preponed to May 6 and the rest eight kilometers will be covered on May 7, which is set to conclude by 11.30 am. PM Modi's Bengaluru road show gets rescheduled again.

Also Read - Karnataka Assembly Election 2023 LIVE Updates: Shobha Karandlaje recites Hanuman Chalisa with BJP workers

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya said that PM has ordered the BJP unit in Karnataka to not cause any inconvenience to the students who will be taking the NEET exam. Tejasvi tweeted, On account of NEET exams on 7th of May, Hon. PM Sri @narendramodi Ji directed us to prepone the 26 km road show to the 6th of May and shorten the roadshow distance on 7th to conclude it before 11.30 am. His one-line directive was - I dont want even a single medical student in Bengaluru to be inconvenienced. Proud to belong to a political party that is so sensitive and responsible to our students.

Initially, PM Modis 36-kilometers road show was scheduled on Saturday, and it is covered in a way that PM Modi covers 17 constituencies in Bengaluru on a single day. However, keeping the traffic snarls in mind, the roadshow was later divided into two days, which is Saturday and Sunday.

PM Modi's roadshow in Karnatakas capital is expected to be a major part of the BJP's campaign for this assembly elections as the ruling party is aiming to retain its power in the southern state.
After a series of Kannada actors, the BJP has roped in Tollywood actor and comedian Brahmanandam to campaign for the party in Karnataka. The Telugu actor will campaign for the health minister Sudhakar in his Chikkaballpur constituency on Friday, where there is a significant number of Telugu speakers. Tollywood actor Brahmanandam(Twitter)

K Sudhakar said, Sri Brahmanandam, a well-known comedian of Telugu film industry, will campaign for the BJP today in Chikkaballapur assembly constituency. Brahmanandam will campaign at three different locations in the Chikkaballapur area on Friday.

Kannada actors, Kichcha Sudeep and Darshan are also campaigning for the BJP in the state, ahead of the assembly elections. The actors have been conducting roadshows across the key constituencies in the state. Meanwhile, actor Shivaraj Kumar and Duniya Vijay were seen with Congress leader Siddaramaiah in Varuna constituency. They pledged full support to the Congress party and were seen in a road show in the former CMs home turf in Karnataka. Brahmanadam is the first Telugu actor to campaign in Karnataka elections. He is also likely to campaign in a few places at border areas of Karnataka.

The elections in Karnataka will be held on May 10 and the results will be declared on May 13. BJP, Congress and the JD(S) expressed their confidence in forming the government on their own in the assembly polls.
Taking a dig at the BJP after its defeat in the Shimla municipal corporation polls, the Congress on Friday said that the people have rejected the saffron party which instead of local issues sought votes on Prime Minister Narendra Modis name. Industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan (right) and education minister Rohit Thakur in Shimla on Friday. (HT Photo)

The BJP leaders tried to turn the election into Modi versus Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and the people of Shimla rejected them, said industries minister Harshwardhan Chauhan and education minister Rohit Thakur in a joint press conference held in Shimla.

We are thankful to the people of Shimla and Himachal Pradesh, who voted for the Congress, Chauhan said, adding that it was the third state win for the Congress after the by-elections and general assembly polls.

This is also the first time that any party has won 24 out of 34 seats in the Shimla civic body, he said.

The industries minister also blamed the BJP for trying to destabilise the Congress government in the state and said that the saffron partys nefarious designs would not be successful in Himachal. When the Congress assumed power, we heard about Operation Lotus, but now they have lost the MC elections too. They blamed us for enrolling voters from outside Shimla. But they should rather tell what happened in assembly elections. They dont work and only seek votes in Modis name, the minister said.

Reacting to Jai Ram Thakurs statement that the state government tried to influence the voters, Chauhan said it was the BJP which attempted to win the election by using money power.

He also refuted the claims that the Congress government had enrolled voters from the outside in the Shimla MC electoral rolls to win the elections.
The Haryana cabinet meetings will be held under the chairmanship of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on May 8 and 9 at 4 pm at the Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. A notification to this effect was issued by the cabinet branch on Friday.

Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar (HT file photo)
The Haryana government has set in motion the process to select the next head of the state police force. The tenure of the incumbent director general of police (DGP), PK Agrawal, comes to an end on August 15. The state home department has sought dossiers, including performance appraisal reports (PARs) and vigilance clearance, of all Haryana cadre IPS officers who are not below the rank of the additional director general and have completed at least 30 years of service as on the date of the occurrence of the vacancy for preparing a proposal. These officers will fall in the zone of consideration. The tenure of the incumbent director general of police (DGP), PK Agrawal, comes to an end on August 15.

The proposal will be sent to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) which will prepare a panel of three officers and communicate it to the state government. The state government will then select the next DGP from among the three shortlisted officers.

Names of 11 IPS officers will be sent to UPSC

There are 11 eligible IPS officers whose name will figure in the proposal conveyed to the UPSC. They are 1988 batch IPS officer and former DGP Manoj Yadava, two 1989 batch officers  Muhammad Akil and RC Mishra, two 1990 batch officers  Shatrujeet Kapur and Desh Raj Singh, two 1991 batch officers  Alok Kumar Roy and SK Jain, two 1992 batch officers  OP Singh and Ajay Singhal and two 1993 batch officers  Alok Mittal and AS Chawla. Strictly going by the seniority, the top three  Manoj Yadava, Muhammad Akil and RC Mishra  among the 11 could make the cut.

Though Manoj Yadava, who remained the DGP from 2019 to 2021 and is presently on a central assignment as the DG (investigation), National Human Rights Commission, is unlikely to return to his parent cadre, the state government will have to send his name in the proposal to the UPSC.

MHA: Consent of officer not required for empanelment as DGP

The Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) had in January clarified before an apex court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud that the consent of an officer is not required for the purpose of empanelment as the DGP of a state. The MHAs response came during the hearing of an interlocutory application filed by the Nagaland government seeking a direction to the UPSC to strictly comply with the mandate in Prakash Singh judgement and to include the name of IPS officer A Sunil Acharya in the panel of eligible officers.

The SC said during the course of the deliberations before the UPSC, it has emerged that Nagaland cadre officer A Sunil Acharya who is presently on deputation to the Union government had not consented to being considered for appointment to the post of the Nagaland DGP. The SC on January 9 had asked the MHA to file an affidavit on whether concurrence of an officer is necessary for empanelling him/her for appointment as the DGP where the officer is on Central deputation and whether the services of Acharya were required due to the exigencies of service on Central deputation or whether he can be empanelled for the post of the Nagaland DGP in view of the fact that a sufficient number of eligible officers are not available for empanelment.

The MHA clarified the position stating that the consent of the officer is not required for the purpose of empanelment as the DGP of a state but since Acharya is on central deputation, posted as the additional secretary in the cabinet secretariat, having regard to the nature of the posting it would not be possible to relieve him for the appointment as the DGP.

The MHA can make a similar contention before the UPSC in case of Manoj Yadava. That would mean that Muhammad Akil, RC Mishra and Shatrujeet Kapur will then make it to the panel of three, said an official familiar with the process.

SCs criteria for selecting DGP

The apex court had said a DGP would be selected by the state government from three senior-most officers of the department, who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC on the basis of their length of service, good record and range of experience for heading the police force. Once selected for the job, the DGP will have a minimum tenure of at least two years, irrespective of his date of superannuation, the apex court had ruled.

The apex court had in March 2019 clarified that the recommendation for the appointment to the post of the head of the police force by the UPSC and preparation of a panel should be purely on the basis of merit, and of officers who have at least six months of service prior to their retirement. The top court had on July 3, 2018, directed the state governments to send their proposals with regard to the appointment of the next DGP to the UPSC at least three months prior to the date of retirement of the incumbent DGP. The SC directions were reiteration of the 2006 Prakash Singh judgment on police reforms.

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In a four-and-a-half-month-old case of recovery of 25 spools of banned plastic kite from a cycle repair shop, the Sadar police of Khanna booked a woman constable and her aides for planting the banned kite string in the shop with intention to implicate the owner following an old rivalry. The Ludhiana police said woman cop and her aide had planted kite string in the shop following an old rivalry with the shop owner. (HT Photo)

The names of the accused, constable Ravinder Kaur, alias Ravi, who was deputed at the city police station of Khanna, and her aide Gurdeep Singh, alias Deepi of Alaur village, came to the fore after the arrest of their aide Chandar Sharma, alias Manu Sharma of Gobindgarh. According to the police, Chandar had kept a gunny bag containing 25 spools of plastic kite string at the cycle repair shop of Jasvir Singh of Alaur village.

Khanna senior superintendent of police (SSP) Amneet Kondal suspended constable Ravinder Kaur and ordered to send her to the Police Lines with immediate effect.

The police had arrested Jasvir for possessing banned plastic kite string and recovered 25 spools from his shop. A case under Sections 188 and 336 of the IPC, Section 51 and 39 of the Wildlife Protection Act and Section 15 of the Environmental Protection Act was lodged against him. During investigation, Jasvir said a bike-borne man had kept the gunny bag at his shop stating that he will return in a few minutes and will take the bag. Minutes after he left, the police conducted a raid and arrested him.

Inspector Hardeep Singh, SHO at police station Sadar of Khanna, stated that the police started investigation on the basis of claims made by Jasvir. The police on April 24 identified the man as Chandar, who had kept the spools of plastic kite string in the shop. On May 1, the police arrested the accused. During questioning, Chandar told the police that he had kept the banned kite string in the shop at the behest of Gurdeep and Ravinder. Later, they informed the police about the spools.

The police said Gurdeep and Ravinder had planted kite string in the shop following an old rivalry with Jasvir.

Later, the police added Sections 451, 211, 417, 420 and 120-B of the IPC in the FIR. A hunt is on for their arrest.
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday expressed concern over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Capt Amarinder said if the situation continued like this, nobody will come to invest in Punjab which will badly hit the states economy. (HT Photo)

Addressing a public meeting in support of the BJP candidate for Jalandhar Parliamentary byelection, Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal here, Capt Amarinder said, if the situation continued like this, nobody will come to invest in Punjab which will badly hit the states economy.

The former chief minister pointed out how murders were taking place in Punjab with criminals having no fear of law, while the dreaded gangsters were ruling the roost from the jails and even giving interviews to the media.The youth of the state were already migrating out of the country as they do not see any future here, he said. He asked the chief minister Bhagwant Mann to address these pressing issues the state was faced with. The former CM also expressed concern over the prevalence of drugs in the state and blamed the Aam Aadmi Party government for its failure to curb this menace.
A multitude of factors, including a change in Pakistans strategy and lesser presence of security forces, are claimed to be the reasons behind the spike in terrorism in the twin border districts of Jammu and Kashmir -- Rajouri and Poonch -- in the past two years. A multitude of factors, including a change in Pakistans strategy and lesser presence of security forces, are claimed to be the reasons behind the spike in terrorism in the twin border districts of Jammu and Kashmir -- Rajouri and Poonch -- in the past two years. (ANI)

K Rajendra, former DGP of Jammu and Kashmir, said, In my opinion, the spike in terror activities in Rajouri and Poonch could be attributed to the G20 summit meets. Pakistan has terrorism as its state policy to foment trouble in the region.

Over the past few years, presence of security forces has also been diminishing in the area. We should not forget the fact that both the districts are close to the Line of Control, he added.

The former DGP said though the population of Rajouri and Poonch is largely patriotic, the presence of overground workers, who provide terrorists with logistics, is also among the major factors behind the spike in terrorism in the region.

An army official, who wished not to be named, said, In the past three decades, security forces have contained terrorism in Kashmir and brought it to almost zero, especially after the revocation of Article 370, but at the same time south of Pir Panjal has been witnessing a surge in terror activities.

In the past two years, we have lost nearly two dozen soldiers in terror attacks and other activities in both the districts, he said, adding that perpetrators of twin Dhangri attacks and terror strikes at an army camps gate and Bhata Dhurian still remain at large.

The Line of Control lies to the west of Rajouri, north of Poonch, east of Reasi and south of Jammu district.

A number of villages lie between the Indian fence and the Zero Line along the 225km-long LoC in Poonch and Rajouri districts, where presence of sleeper cells of various terror outfits, including narco-smugglers, remains no secret, the army official said.

Rajouri district is largely inhabited by Gujjars, Bakarwals and Paharis. At 6.42 lakh, Muslims comprise 63% population of the district, while Hindus constitute nearly 35%.

South of Pir Panjal range, where Rajouri and Poonch districts lie, has a hilly terrain spread over 4,304 square kilometres with the Line of Control meandering along the two border districts that till date remains the most preferred route of infiltration for Pakistani terrorists.

Brijmohan Sharma, a government teacher from Bal Jarallan village, claimed, Army in the past two years has trimmed the deployment of its men in both the districts, while Pakistan has apparently changed its strategy which now focuses more on Rajouri and Poonch than Kashmir.

Sharma attributed the shift in Pakistans strategy to its attempts to trigger ethnic cleansing of minorities from the south of Pir Panjal.

Militancy started rearing its ugly head in Rajouri and Poonch districts in 2020, but the administration overlooked it and today, terrorists are roaming around in the jungles of Rajouri and Poonch, which has natural caves that provide them safe haven, he added.

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The Uttarakhand government said families rendered homeless due to land subsidence in Joshimath will not be asked to vacate from hotels or temporary camps until May 31, a senior government official said At least 995 members of 296 families have been living in various relief camps under Joshimath Nagar Palika Parishad. (AP photo)

According to the official, the state government extended the deadline from April 30 to May 31 on a proposal forwarded by the Chamoli district administration.

Ranjit Kumar Sinha, secretary, disaster management, confirmed the development saying the proposal has been accepted.

He said, We have accepted the proposal sent by the local administration to allow the displaced families to continue to put in hotels until May 31.

Also Read: Joshimath disaster: Measures yet to be taken to address land subsidence issue

Sinha said they were working on plans to shift them to a suitable place once the deadline ends.

Earlier, the hotel owners had given an ultimatum to affected families to vacate their properties in view of the forthcoming yatra season for Char Dham yatra.

According to the Chamoli district administration, at least 995 members of 296 families have been living in various relief camps under Joshimath Nagar Palika Parishad, at relatives places and on rent.

As many as 868 residential buildings and other structures developed cracks since the first week of January.

Meanwhile, 181 have been put in the unsafe zone.

Recently, a few residents of the town claimed new cracks have appeared in their houses and sought a fresh survey of their residences.

On January 25, eight technical agencies, such as Central Building Research Institute and IIT Roorkee, who conducted studies on the sinking town, submitted their report to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

The report is yet to be made public.

In February, the Uttarakhand cabinet approved a policy for compensation and permanent rehabilitation for affected residents during a meeting chaired by chief minister Dhami.

In a statement, the government said the rate of compensation for land will be decided on the basis of survey reports received from the technical institutes.
Two persons who were part of Jitender Maan alias Gogis gang, were arrested with 12 pistols and 30 cartridges that they had procured from illicit firearms manufacturers in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar to execute the escape of their gangs jailed gangster Karambir alias Kaju in Delhi and Haryana, special cell of Delhi Police said on Friday. The arrested duo had attempted jailed gangster Karambirs release from a Delhi hospital last year. (HT photo)

The arrested duo along with their associates had attempted Karambirs release from a Delhi hospital last year.

The plan could not be executed as Karambir was not taken out of the escort van due to the non-functioning of a CT-Scan machine at the hospital, the special cell officers said.

Also Read:Suspects latched jail cells in Delhis Tihar before attacking Tajpuria

The arrested Gogi gang members were identified as Abhishek alias Amit (24), and Naveen alias Shanichar (38) both from Sonepat in Haryana.

They were arrested on April 27 with illicit arms and ammunition by the special cells New Delhi Range (NDR) team after a scuffle near Jagatpur flyover in north Delhis Timarpur area, said special commissioner of police (special cell) HGS Dhaliwal.

The two had also been purchasing arms and ammunition to carry out their criminal activities of extortion and land grabbing in Delhi, Haryana and other adjoining states, said Dhaliwal.

The special CP said that in April, information was received that the criminals of the Gogi gang were purchasing firearms in bulk from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

On April 27, the team received information that two members of the gang who were in possession of such weapons would assemble near Jagatpur flyover.

Accordingly, a trap was laid, and the suspects were caught after a brief scuffle.

A total of 12 pistols and 30 bullets were recovered from their possession.

During the interrogation, the arrested duo  Abhishek and Naveen disclosed that they were procuring illegitimate weapons for over a year for their gang.

Abhishek revealed that he was close to gangsters Gogi, who was shot dead by two hitmen of the rival Tillu gang at Rohini court in September 2021, and Karambir alias Kaju.

In 2022, Abhishek along with his associates, Shivam, Manjeet and others, planned the escape of Karambir from the custody of Delhi Police from Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini. All of them armed with weapons and chilli powder, reached the hospital. On that day, Karambir Kaju was brought by the police in a van from Tihar Jail for CT scan/X-ray, but due to technical snag in the machine, this test could not be done and Karambir was not taken out of the jail van by the escort team. Hence, their planning to get him released from custody, failed, added Dhaliwal.

This year too, Abhishek met Karambir in jail and planned his release from police custody during his next visit to any jail or court.

His arrest, however, has yet again foiled the release attempt.

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The investigation into the brutal murder of gangster Sunil Baliyan alias Tillu Tajpuriya inside a Tihar jail cell was transferred to the Special Cell, Delhi Polices anti-terror unit, from the west district police, senior officers aware of the matter said. Rohini Court shootout case accused Tillu Tajpuriya was killed allegedly by rival gang members inside the Tihar jail, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI)

The Special Cell will probe the larger conspiracy behind the crime apart from the Tuesdays incident as well as the alleged connivance of the jail staff, the officers added. HT had accessed the CCTV footage from inside ward number 5 at Tihar jail number 8&9 and reported on Thursday that the brutal assault on the slain gangster continued in the presence of the jail staff when he was being taken to the jail hospital on a stretcher.

A portion of the video was shared on social media and WhatsApp groups later on Thursday showing the brazen attack. The 2.49-minute clip shows the four attackers -- Deepak Dabas alias Titar, Rajesh Bawania alias Karambir, Yogesh alias Tunda and Riyaz Khan  climbing down from their cells on the first floor into the courtyard of the ground floor even as Tillu rushes inside his cell as soon as he spots the first killer.

As Tillu tries to lock himself inside the cell by holding on to the iron gate three more attackers slide down bed sheets tied to the iron grill on the first floor and launch the murderous attack on Tillu, forcing him to open the gate. Then, they drag him out and stab him incessantly, shows the video.

A Special Cell officer who asked not to be named said the crime was not spontaneous but meticulously planned. They added that the Special Cell probe will check the involvement of others in the case, how the attackers procured improvised knives, and the larger conspiracy.

The recovery of at least five such weapons and the fact that no security personnel tried to stop the attack has given us reason to probe the alleged connivance of jail staffers with the attackers. Since some messages were posed on the social media in the name of some of Tillus rivals, including fugitive gangster Goldy Brar, celebrating Tillus killing, we will probe their role in the crime as well, the officer added.

On Thursday, Tihar Jail administration held a meeting with superintendents and deputy superintendents of all three jails in Delhi. In the meeting, we decided to prepare a fresh standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding the handling of high-risk prisoners and allotment of their accommodations, keeping in mind their rival inmates, said Director General (Prisons) Sanjay Baniwal.

Jail officials said that the internal inquiry initiated to identify the lapses and fix the responsibility of jail staffers was on and the report is likely to be submitted to the jail administration by Monday.

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A Class X student of a government school was allegedly stabbed by his classmates in south Delhi's Tigri area, police said on Friday. According to the injured student's statement, he was appointed monitor by his classteacher on Thursday. When one boy was creating a nuisance in the class, the victim marked his name on the blackboard. (File)

The alleged incident took place on Thursday, they said.

The victim has been admitted to a hospital with stab injuries on the shoulder and the back, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Chandan Chowdhary said.

According to the injured student's statement, he was appointed monitor by his classteacher on Thursday. When one boy was creating a nuisance in the class, the victim marked his name on the blackboard, Chowdhary said.

Annoyed, the boy and his friend stopped the victim outside the school and allegedly stabbed him, the police said.

According to the medico-legal case, the doctor has endorsed the nature of injury as grievous, they said.

A case under sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intension) has been registered and two accused apprehended. Further investigation is underway, the police added.
A purported CCTV video of slain gangster Tillu Tajpuriya's body being dragged in Tihar jail has gone viral. The footage shows the gangster's body being taken out of the cell. Soon few inmates begin stabbing the body in the presence of police personnel inside the prison.



Sunil Mann alias Tillu Tajpuriya, was killed after being stabbed 92 times by rival gang members Yogesh Tunda and others in Tihar jail on May 2. The purported CCTV video of the body of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya being dragged by cops inside Tihar jail. (Twitter/ANI)

Jailed gangster Tillu Tajpuriya, an accused in the Rohini court shootout case, was killed after being attacked by rival gang members Yogesh Tunda and others in Delhi's Tihar jail.

The gruesome murder was caught on the CCTV camera inside the high-risk ward of Tihar. Tajpuriya was stabbed 92 times as blood splattered the ground where the gang war erupted. He was taken to Delhi's Deen Dayal Hospital where he was declared dead.

According to a police official, Yogesh alias Tunda and Deepak alias Teetar had attacked Tajpuriya by breaking the iron grills of the ward which separated both the gangs in the same ward.



They used bed sheets to climb down to Tajpuriya's ground-floor ward from the first floor around 6.15 am and attacked him.

Tajpuriya, 33, was the mastermind behind the killing of Delhi's dreaded gangster Gogi, who was shot inside Rohini court premises in 2021.

Gogi had come to court for hearing when he was shot dead by two gunmen. The assailants were members of the Tillu gang and were shot dead by the police team.

After his murder, Tajpuriya had been lodged at a ground floor ward and was facing a life threat. He was aresident of Tajpur village near Alipur in Delhi. Tajpuriya was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and since then had been in jail.

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A body of a 38-year-old cab owner was found dumped along the Gurugram-Delhi Expressway near Iffco Chowk at about 4am on Friday, said Gurugram police. Delhi cabbie murdered; body dumped on expressway in Gurugram

Police said they suspect the cab was hired by the assailants and the victim was murdered inside the vehicle.

Investigators said there were multiple stab injury marks on the victims neck, chest and abdomen. Police said the unidentified suspects fled with the vehicle after dumping the body on the expressway.

Investigators said the body was unidentified for several hours, but probe revealed that the deceased was a resident of Karol Bagh in the national Capital and hailed from Madhubani in Bihar. He was identified as Nand Kumar, they added.

Inspector Haresh Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of Sector 18 police station, said a single sharp weapon was used to stab the victim several times in quick succession.

The cab could not be found yet. The deceased had last interacted with his family members on Thursday night, SHO Kumar said, adding that some commuters had spotted the body lying along the expressway and alerted the police control room.

SHO Kumar said the body was handed over to the deceaseds family members after a post-mortem. He said an FIR against the unidentified suspects was registered under Section 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sector 18 police station.
Once again, illegal constructions have cropped up in Aravallis, prompting environmentalists in Gurugram to write to the district administration on Thursday, demanding an Aravalli task force and the re-establishing of checkpoints to crack down on encroachers and the mining mafia. Illegal constructions come up in Aravalli, environmentalists seek task force, checkpoints

Their demand assumes significance as none of the 51 forest check posts that were set up in the Aravallis zone of Gurugram and Sohna in 2016 exist as of date, an HT investigation had found, underlining the vulnerability of the eco-sensitive region which has suffered irreversible damage over the years due to the plunder by the mining mafia.

Raising concerns about these illegal encroachments, constructions and mining activities in the protected Aravallis, environmentalists claimed that these activities are going on despite the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ordering the demolition of all illegal structures on December 9, last year.

They said boundary walls are being erected, trees are being felled, terrain is being flattened and stone are being quarried from the hillocks of Aravallis and demanded Aravallis task force and checkpoints to curb the illegal activities.

Raising these issues, at least five environmentalists wrote to Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav and forest department on Thursday.

In January 2018, the government promised to set up a task force and 51 check posts to prevent exploitation of the hills by the end of the year. In December 2018, Gurugram-based environmentalist Vaishali Rana filed a right to information application, seeking information about these check posts, and the status of the Aravallis task force.

In reply, she was informed by the forest department that there were no check-posts in the Aravallis and that a task force will be constituted soon.

Rana alleged that the local administration has failed to comply with the NGT order, which decreed that illegal activities in Aravallis must be stopped. These blatant encroachments and constructions, highlight the fact that an Aravalli task force must be constituted, which should also comprise active citizens/activists/locals, and all 51 check posts must be re-established and made functional again, she said.

Rana claimed that the committee which was constituted to oversee the protection of the Aravallis is currently non-existent.

She also said there has been mindless pillaging of the Aravallis in Sohnas Raisina. This clearly shows that the committee, constituted to monitor the encroachments and carry out demolition under the supervision of the conservator of forests, is not doing its job and is whiling away time, allowing the deliberate destruction of Aravallis, said Rana.

Roma J Vinayak, a city based environmentalist, said Gurugram has a total area of 73,880 hectares and 8,650.67 hectares is recorded as forest area. Of the total forest area, 214.89 hectares is reserved forest.

An area of 188.14 hectares is protected forest, The area where these encroachments , felling of trees, construction of swimming pools and farmhouses are happening are in Gairatpur Bas in Sohna, which has 22.60 hectares of protected forests. Farmhouses have come up as part of the Aravalli Retreat, a gated community in Raisina, Sohna , and they have been built on land protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act Section 4 and 5 as gair mumkin pahar (uncultivable land), which are protected by the SC 1992 notification. The protected forest area is under the protection of Forest Conversation Act, 1980, but authorities are not doing anything, she said.

DC Yadav said he will form a team to visit the spots and submit a report. Our teams are already checking the violations and action has been taken in the past, he said.

Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said they will hold meetings with forest officials and ensure that check posts are set up again to curb illegal activities. We will form an Aravalli task force within two months and regular patrolling will be done by the teams to curb illegal activities, he said.

Nuh-Gurugram mining officer Anil Kumar on Wednesday said they have penalised suspects involved in illegal mining and their teams have visited six spots this week after they received complaints on the helpline number.

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The 14th state-level refresher course Indian Medical Association College of General Practitioners (IMA CGP) Update 2023 is going to be organised at Allahabad Medical Association (AMA) convention centre in Prayagraj on Sunday. This year, the theme of the course will be Neurology- Hematology Update 2023. The goal of this conference is to keep our general practitioners updated with the latest development in medical sciences, informed AMA president Dr Subodh Jain. (FOR REPRESENTATION)

The topics of the course have been specially compiled keeping in mind the changing clinical trends in the management and diagnosis of common ailments. The goal of this conference is to keep our general practitioners updated with the latest development in medical sciences, informed AMA president Dr Subodh Jain.

The inauguration of the conference will be held at 2pm. The chief guest of the occasion will be Dr YR Yadav, president, neurological society of India, while Prof SP Singh, principal of MLN Medical College, Prayagraj will be the guest of honour, he added.

There will be two orations during this conference. Dr VK Agarwal oration on Recent indications of Endoscopy in CNS Diseases will be delivered by Prof YR Yadav, head of the department of neurosurgery at NSCB Medical College, Jabalpur. Likewise, Dr KS Neogis oration on Management and Evaluation of Tremor will be given by Prof Achal Srivastava, department of neurology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi.

A number of experts will deliver their talks during the meeting including Dr Pawan Kumar Verma, associate professor, department of neurosurgery at SGPGIMS-Lucknow on Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Guidelines and Recommendations and Dr Nimisha Verma, associate professor, department anaesthesia and pain management, IMS, BHU on Overview of chronic pain management among others.
LUCKNOW Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. (File Photo)

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari has moved a local court in Uttar Pradeshs Barabanki against the use of terms like mafia don and baahubali in the media, alleging that the derogatory terms were being used by his political rivals to malign his image and influence court proceedings.

Some electronic media are running stories with the headlines  Mafia Don Mukhtar Ansari, Mukhtar Ansari Bahubali... Such terms and adjectives are used to malign his image, the former Mau MLAs lawyer Randheer Singh Suman said in the petition. I request the court to take measures to stop such things keeping in mind the circumstances.

An MP/MLA court in Ghazipur on April 29, sentenced Ansari, and his brother Afzal Ansari, a former BSP MP, to 10 years and four years in jail, respectively, under the Gangsters Act, 2007, in connection with the 2005 killing of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai, and the 1997 kidnapping and murder BJP leader Nand Kishore Rungta.

In his plea, Ansaris lawyer has alleged that some serving and retired police officers were running an agenda to malign his image and promote media trial against him even as a case under the Gangsters Act was pending.

Proceedings against Ansari, and 12 others, are pending in case lodged last year under the Gangsters Act by Barabanki police in connection with the use of a luxury ambulance for his transportation to court while lodged in Punjab jail between January 2019 and April 2021.

Police officials, however, said that Ansari was listed as a mafioso in police records. We (UP Police) dont call him mafia don, but he is listed as one of the criminal mafioso in police records, with several cases of heinous crime registered against him, said Prashant Kumar, special director general, law and order, UP Police.

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LUCKNOW Upset over poor quality of kebabs, two SUV-borne assailants allegedly shot dead a 52-year-old cook of a non-veg eatery outside the Bareilly Development Authority (BDA) office in Bareilly on Wednesday night after they were asked to pay for the food they consumed. The duo - Mayan Rastogi alias Golden Baba and his friend Tazim Shamsi  was arrested from Rampur on Thursday evening, said police officials. The two men came to the shop located in Priyadarshini Nagar in an inebriated condition and complained to the shop owner that they were not happy with the taste of the kebabs. (Pic for representation)

The two men came to the shop located in Priyadarshini Nagar in an inebriated condition and complained to the shop owner Ankur Sabarwal that they were not happy with the taste of the kebabs. As the argument escalated, the duo assaulted Sabarwal and returned to their car without paying for the food, said Rahul Bhati, additional superintendent of police (city).

When Sabarwal sent Naseer Ahmed, one of the cooks, to collect 120 from the men, one of them shot him in his temple, leaving him dead on the spot, he said.

After the incident, the assailants fled towards Nainital road. The SUV was traced in Kashipur (Uttarakhand) on the basis of its pictures taken by staff members, said the ASP.

An FIR under IPC Section 302 (murder) has been registered against unknown assailants and the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. We have approached the Uttarakhand police to trace and arrest the assailants, said Bhati.
The Lucknow University students objected to the presence of pet dogs on hostel premises after a dog bite incident was reported late on Thursday night. University spokesperson Durgesh Srivastav said the assistant provost has resigned from the post and the university would take care of proper medical treatment of the injured girl. (HT File)

Reportedly, a girl student residing at Kailash Hostel was bitten by a dog owned by an assistant provost. The students alleged that it was the second such incident after the issue was brushed under the carpet a few months ago.

The protesting students said they were constantly facing problems from pet dogs owned by assistant provost Garima Tiwari.

They alleged that such incidents have now become common in the university, which has never taken serious note of the issue. The All India Students Association (AISA) has condemned the laxity on the part of the university in taking measures.

University spokesperson Durgesh Srivastav said the assistant provost has resigned from the post and the university would take care of proper medical treatment of the injured girl.

Instances of dog bites in the city

Jan 7: 10 stray dogs attacked a 27-year-old in an apartment complex.

Jan 9 A pack of stray dogs attacked Shivangi Singh, a 24-year-old law student, in Swapnalok Colony of Lucknows Kamta area

Jan 3 A 40-year-old woman was attacked during her evening stroll.

Feb 9 Seven to eight stray dogs attacked a maintenance worker at Srishti Apartments

Feb 28 A 13-year-old boy was attacked while playing in the building lawn of Srishti Apartments
While the city is gearing up to host G-20 delegates later this month, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporations (BMC) decision to illuminate trees on the routes the dignitaries will take from the airport has sparked outrage among environmentalists. Mumbai, India - December 15, 2022: Green curtains put up to conceal the view of Jogeshwari slums on Western Express Highway, in wake of the ongoing G20 Summit under Indian presidency, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, December 15, 2022. (Photo by Vijay Bate/HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

The second meeting of the G-20 Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group will be held in the city from May 23 to 25.

Last week, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal reviewed the preparations and directed the departments to complete the related works on time. As part of a beautification plan, the civic body has issued a tender to permanently install LED lights in nearly 15,000 trees on five roads  from the airport to Taj Hotel, BKC, Taj Lands End, Juhu beach, and Worli.

We want Mumbai to look better. The issue of illuminating 15,000 trees on five important roads was discussed with higher authorities. We took presentations from companies. Instead of taking the lights on rent, we will purchase them and maintain them so that they can be permanently on our trees, Chahal said.

The G-20 disaster group had had their first meeting in the city in January, and at that time, the BMC had conducted a beautification drive.

Environmentalists and activists have claimed that electrical fittings will harm trees.

Kaustubh Bhagat, a professor in environmental studies, said, When one installs lights on trees, they emit heat, and this is harmful. In many wedding venues, trees are lit up as well. This is not allowed as per the Maharashtra Trees Act.

However, Chahal said these LED lights have a near zero LUX level (a standardised unit of measurement of light level intensity) and dont emit heat. They will consume very less electricity as well.

D Stalin from NGO Vanshakti said, Trees are nesting and resting sites for birds and lights are disturbing to them; nocturnal birds like owls would get disoriented. This must be avoided. It is unfortunate that people who come to discuss environment and social issues are missing this important point.

A horticultural assistant from the BMC said nails would be used to fix lights on trees.

The issue of Mumbai beautification was recently discussed with chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, and the latter pointed to the media criticism on nails being drilled in trees ahead of the G-20 members visit to Nagpur in March, sources at Mantralaya said.

More than 120 G-20 delegates are expected to attend the three-day event in the city. On the sidelines of this meeting, representatives of the working group are expected to visit the BMC headquarters and inspect the control room of the disaster management department. Chahal is likely to hold another review meeting next week.
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) on May 3, directed SpiceJet to renew the service contracts of several of its employees which had expired on December 31, 2021. spicejet aircraft at IGI airport Delhi

The order was passed while hearing a petition by SpiceJet challenging the January 10, 2022, order by the Central Government Industrial Tribunal-2, Mumbai (CGIT-2) directing the airline to renew the service contracts of the employees. The tribunal had held that the 463 employees were not guilty of any misconduct and therefore their contracts should be renewed.

SpiceJet had approached HC claiming that due to the Covid-19 pandemic, their daily flights had come down from 144 to 44 and there was no work for the employees hence it could not renew the contracts.

The single-judge bench of justice NJ Jamadar, which was hearing the petition of the chairman and managing director of SpiceJet Ltd., and another represented by advocates Kiran Bapat, Mahesh Shukla and Niraj Prajapati, was informed that the members of the India Spice Jet Staff and Employees Association had not been retrenched as per the Industrial Disputes Act (IDA).

As their contracts had expired on December 31, 2021, the company had exercised its choice of not renewing their contracts. The airlines advocates submitted that the members were employed on Fixed Term Contract basis, and it was not a case of termination of their services.

However, senior advocate Sanjay Singhvi for the employees union argued that the Tribunal had held that as there were no allegations of misconduct as contemplated under the IDA against any of the 463 members, and hence, the company should provide employment to them as an interim arrangement. Thereafter the company renewed the contract of 60 employees only.

After hearing the submissions, the bench noted in its order There is material on record to indicate that the employees were working for a number of years. Prima facie the claim of the petitioners (SpiceJet) that the employees were covered by exclusion Clause (bb) of Section 2(oo) of the Act, 1947 does not seem sustainable. The termination of their employment while the reference awaited adjudication before the Tribunal was clearly to the prejudice of the employees.

The airline claimed that 120 employees had resigned and only 371 employees were to be reinstated. The bench said that the remaining employees, who had not yet resigned, shall inform the airline either individually or through the Union that they are willing to work with SpiceJet on or before May 31, 2023.
Mumbai:A dispute over a drum filled with water led to a family of three in Nalasopara being attacked with swords. In the scuffle, a 17-year-old suffered a severe cut in his back and had to get 65 stitches. On Thursday morning, Mishra alleged that members of the Idris family had stolen a water drum, which ignited a feud between the families. According to Pelhar police, the water drum had cost the family a mere  15. The altercation subsided but around 7pm the same evening, Mishra and his accomplices barged into Idriss house and attacked the family with swords. (HT PHOTO)

The clash ensued over sharing water  a precious commodity in this suburb  at Rashid Compound in Pelhar, Nalasopara East, on Thursday evening, between the Idris and Mishra families.

On Thursday morning, Mishra alleged that members of the Idris family had stolen a water drum, which ignited a feud between the families. According to Pelhar police, the water drum had cost the family a mere 15. The altercation subsided but around 7pm the same evening, Mishra and his accomplices barged into Idriss house and attacked the family with swords.

Idris and his wife suffered minor injuries in the attack, but his 17-year-old son Aslam suffered a severe cut on his back as he resisted the attackers. He was soon rushed to a private hospital in Vasai (East) where his condition is said to be stable, after receiving the stitches.

The Pelhar police have arrested four assailants - Pradeep Ram Sharan Mishra, 38, Durga Vijay Dinesh Singh alias Munna, 36, Ankit Omprakash Chaudhary, 23 and Deepu Suresh Mali, 25. Apart from them, eight others have also been booked for the attack carried out on 48-year-old Shakeel Ahmed Idris and his family.

Shashikant Awghade, police sub-inspector at Pelhar police station, said, Four of the 12 persons involved in the attack have been arrested, and others are absconding. The four arrested were produced before the court and have been remanded to police custody till May 12. We are in the process of arresting the other accused.

The accused have been booked under sections 307 (attempt to murder), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 324 (voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon or means) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
NAVI MUMBAI: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is targeting 424 small scale industries (SSI) to collect 148.61 crores due in property tax from them. It is all set to issue notices for recovery to the defaulters this week. HT Image

The drive comes following a Supreme Court (SC) order on April 19, which the civic body says directs the small scale industries located in the MIDC TTC industrial belt under the civic body jurisdiction to pay their property tax arrears by August 2 and allowing it a recourse to attach properties of defaulters. The SC order has come amidst a 22 year court battle.

Of the 1,650 SSIs from which property tax is collected, 995 have paid their taxes. Of the rest, while 597 have not paid the penalties for delay, 424 have not paid the tax.

NMMC has in the financial year 2022-2023 collected 632 cr in property taxes. It is now concentrating on recovering the arrears in the current financial year to boost its revenue.

Said municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, NMMC has started the process to collect the property tax arrears as per the directions of the SC. The defaulters will be issuenotices this week.

He added, The SC order which is a major victory for the civic body in our 22 year legal battle, has come following detailed presentation to the court of the services and infrastructure being provided by NMMC in the MIDC region.

Dismissing the opposition by the SSIs, he said, We know the court has clearly ordered that they pay the dues and then come for the August 2 hearing.

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What the SSIs say

The TTC MIDC Industries Association (TMIA), formerly Small Scale Entrepreneurs Association (SSEA-TTC) which has been waging the court battle claims that NMMC has misrepresented facts to the court which has made the observations sans hearing its side.

Said R. Srinivasan, CEO of TMIA, We have written to the prime minister on the issue. We are not against paying taxes, but will pay to the right authority and the right amount. NMMC is simply putting out various figures sans explanation to pressure the SSIs to pay.

He alleged, NMMC is twisting the SC order and there are still legal issues that need to be addressed before the final order comes.

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The legal battle

SSEA-TTC had in 2001 filed a writ petition in Bombay High Court (HC) disputing NMMCs right to collect property tax from the industries in the TTC-MIDC belt of Navi Mumbai claiming MIDC was its nodal agency to which it pays taxes and that NMMC had done little work in the region. The HC had after 10 years of legal battle, rejected the petition, following which SSEA-TTC had approached the SC in 2010.
SHILLONG: Sixteen people were arrested in connection with a clash between two groups of students in state capital Shillongs Nongrim Hills on Thursday evening, the Meghalaya police said. East Khasi Hills SP Sylvester Nongtnger said police received information about the clash between two groups of students on Thursday evening at about 5:30pm (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

East Khasi Hills SP Sylvester Nongtnger said two groups of students belonging to Kuki and Meitei communities from Manipur brawled on Thursday. At about 5:30pm, Laitumkhrah police station received information about a clash near Mizo Morden school, he said.

The officer said 16 people were taken into custody and issued a warning not to vitiate peace in the state capital. The students also had to give an undertaking under section 107 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to maintain peace.

The district police chief appealed to people to maintain peace and ensure that the ethnic violence in Manipur does not spill over into Meghalaya. Mobs torched houses, shops and religious places in Manipur over the last few days, leading the state government to order district and executive magistrates to issue shoot-at-sight orders in extreme cases after all forms of persuasion, warning, reasonable force etc. have been exhausted.
As many as five people were killed and 10 others sustained serious injuries in a road accident on Kaiserganj-Huzoorpur road under Kaiserganj police station area here on Friday, police said. (Pic for representation)

Expressing grief over the loss of lives, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed officials to provide immediate help to the injured persons.

According to police, a tempo carrying about 15 people was returning from Ruknapur village after a tilak ceremony around 1 am on Friday. As the tempo reached near Madni hospital, a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction rammed against it, killing five people, including a woman, on the spot. The truck driver managed to escape from the scene along with the vehicle.

SHO Kaiserganj Daddan Singh said the deceased were identified as Bhagwan Prasad, 40, Harish Chandra, 45, Anil kashyap ,13, Khushboo, 30, and Jay Karan, 40, all residents of Puraini village under Kaiserganj police station area. The injured were being treated at Medical College in Bahraich. Two of the injured Satya and Nandlal have been referred to KGMU Trauma Centre in Lucknow.

District magistrate of Bahraich Dinesh Chandra also reached Bahraich Medical College and enquired about the injured. The DM instructed the health authorities to provide best possible treatment to them.

Sub inspector (SI) Dinesh Tripathi said an FIR has been lodged against an unidentified driver under section 279, 337, 338, 304-A of the IPC.
As many as five people were killed and ten others sustained severe injuries in a fatal road accident on Kaiserganj-Huzoorpur road under Kaiserganj police station area here on Friday, said the police. (Pic for representation)

Expressing condolences on the loss of lives, chief minister Yogi Adityanath has instructed the administrative officials to provide immediate help to the injured persons.

According to police a tempo carrying about 15 people was returning from Ruknapur village after a tilak ceremony around 1 am on Friday. As the tempo reached near Madni hospital, a speeding truck coming from the opposite direction rammed into the tempo. The accident was so fatal that five people including a woman died on the spot while ten others sustained severe injuries. The truck driver escaped from the scene along with the vehicle after the accident.

Hearing screams, locals rushed in to help the victims. On being informed, SHO Kaiserganj Daddan Singh, circle officer (CO) Kamlesh Singh and sub divisional officer (SDM) Kaiserganj Mahesh Kumar Kaithal reached the spot and rushed the injured to the district hospital. Superintendent of police Prashant Verma reached the spot and gave necessary instructions to the police.

SHO Kaiserganj said the deceased have been identified as Bhagwan Prasad, 40, Harish Chandra, 45, Anil Kashyap ,13, Khushboo, 30 and Jay Karan, 40, all residents of Puraini village under Kaiserganj police station area. The injured being treated at Medical College in Bahraich were identified as Rajit Ram, 9, Nanhu, 30, Chandan, 12, Kailasa, 50, and Shanti, 60.

District magistrate Bahraich Dr Dinesh Chandra also reached Bahraich Medical College and inquired about the injured. The DM instructed the health authorities to provide all possible help and best treatment to the injured. SDM Bahraich Subhash Singh Dhami and city magistrate Shalini Prabhakar also reached the hospital to know about the situation.

Meanwhile, Satya and Nandlal whose condition was stated to be critical, have been referred to KGMU Trauma Centre in Lucknow. Sub inspector (SI) Dinesh Tripathi said an FIR has been lodged against an unidentified driver under section 279, 337, 338, 304-A of the IPC.
The Meghalaya government plans to evacuate over 200 students studying in violence-hit Manipur. Chief minister Conrad K Sangma called an urgent meeting to discuss the situation in Manipur. (Twitter)

We are in touch with the students and are making arrangements to try and evacuate them, said chief minister Conrad K Sangma after chairing an emergency meeting over the situation in Manipur on Thursday.

He added that they have also started a helpline number for the students and their parents. Students and parents can call on a 24-hour basis if they require any help, he said.

Sangma said that there was no need to panic. We are monitoring the situation and are in touch with the Manipur government.

Manipurs governor issued shoot-at-sight orders on Thursday and the government snapped all internet services as it struggled to quell ethnic violence sweeping the northeastern state. Mobs torched houses, shops, and religious places, and attacked a lawmaker in the state capital of Imphal.

Clashes broke out on Wednesday in Churachandpur after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a proposal to grant scheduled tribe status to the majority Meitei community.
A Bangladesh Airlines flight (BBC371) to Kathmandu made an emergency landing at the Patna airport on Friday afternoon following a technical snag in the aircraft but left for its destination after four hours at 4pm, Patna airport officials said. Kathmandu-bound Bangladesh Airlines aircraft made an emergency landing at Patna airport following a technical snag. (HT photo)

The Boeing 738 aircraft from Dhaka to Kathmandu, carrying 77 passengers, was diverted to Patna due to technical problem. The flight landed here at 12:01pm and departed at 4pm after aircraft engineers attended to the fault, said airport director Anchal Prakash.

The Biman Bangladesh aircraft had developed snag in the flap of its left wings, said officials aware of the development.

Engineers of the Air India inspected the aircraft and attended to the fault.

The stranded passengers were made to wait inside the aircraft till the fault was rectified and the aircraft resumed its onward journey to Kathmandu, said airport officials.

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The Bihar government on Friday filed an interim application before the Patna high court for early hearing of caste-based survey in the state. The court has fixed July 3 as the next date of the hearing. (Patna HC | Facebook)

The development comes a day after Patna HC had put an interim stay on the survey.

We have filed an interim application for an early date of hearing in the case. The court has fixed July 3 as the next date of the hearing. We have prayed for an early hearing, and it is for the court to decide, said advocate general PK Shahi.

Shahi said the government is weighing on the options available at their disposal.

Also Read: Lalu Prasad Yadav backs Bihars caste-based survey

The order is being studied and whatever the government decides will be done, he added.

The bench of chief justice of HC K Vinod Chandran and justice Madhuresh Prasad had on Thursday directed the Bihar government to immediately stop the caste-based survey and ensure that the data already collected are secured and not shared with anybody till final orders are passed in the writ petition.

Barely a few hours later, the government issued an order to all the district magistrates to ensure compliance of the court directive and necessary instructions to other officials in this regard.

Chief secretary Amir Subhani said that the General Administrative Department (GAD) was studying the order to decide the future course of action.

The officials are studying the order, he added.

The GAD is with the chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The HC hearing took place after the Supreme Court observed, while hearing the petitioners, Youth for Equality, an organisation that works against caste-based policies and reservations, that the division bench should hear the matter on merits before deciding on whether or not to grant interim relief.

The HC heard the case for two days and stayed caste survey on the third day in its detailed order.

The apex court had directed the Patna high court to look into the matter and dispose of the case in three days preferably.

The first round of the caste survey in Bihar was conducted between January 7 and 21.

The second round started on April 15 and was scheduled to continue till May 15.

The court observed that the caste- based survey is a census in the garb of a survey; the power to carry out which is exclusively on the Union Parliament which has also enacted a Census Act, 1948.

There is also the question raised of data integrity and security which has to be elaborately addressed by the state. Prima facie, we are of the opinion that the state has no power to carry out a caste-based survey, in the manner in which it is fashioned now, which would amount to a census, thus impinging upon the legislative power of the Union Parliament, it observed.

Emphasising the larger question of right to privacy, which the Supreme Court has held to be a facet of right to life, the court said, We also see from the notification issued that the government intends to share data with the leaders of different parties of the state assembly, the ruling party and opposition party which is also a matter of great concern.

True, there is a compulsion by way of an obligation on the citizen under the Census Act and unhindered entry conferred on the authorized officers; but also, a protection from the records of census not being open to inspection nor admissible in evidence. Though it has been vehemently urged that both Houses of the State Legislature have sanctioned the survey, there is nothing placed on record regarding the deliberations made or the objects sought to be achieved by embarking upon such a massive exercise, that too for the collection of details which include the sensitive issue of caste, the HC added.

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A day after the Patna High Court stayed the caste survey Bihar with immediate effect, the state government on Friday filed an interim application before it for an early hearing of the case. Patna high court (HT file)

We have filed an intern application for an early date of hearing in the case. The court has fixed July 3 as the next date of hearing. We have prayed for an early hearing, states advocate general PK Shahi said.

Shahi said the order is being studied and the government will decide on its options.

The bench of Chief Justice of HC K Vinod Chandran and Justice Madhuresh Prasad had on Thursday directed the Bihar government to immediately stop the caste-based survey and ensure that the data already collected are secured and not shared with anybody till final orders are passed in the writ petition.

Barely a few hours later, the government issued an order to all the district magistrates to ensure compliance of the court directive and necessary instructions to other officials in this regard.

Chief Secretary Amir Subhani said the general administrative department (GAD) was studying the order to decide future course of action. The GAD is with chief minister Nitish Kumar.

The HC order came days after the Supreme Court told the petitioners that the Patna high court should hear the matter on merits and decide as early as possible, preferably in three days.

The first round of the caste survey in Bihar was conducted between January 7 and 21. The second round started on April 15 and was scheduled to continue till May 15.

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A court at Jhanjharpur in Bihars Madhubani district has given a go-ahead for narco and polygraph tests to be conducted on two police officers accused of assaulting a judge at the same court in November 2021, a case that had drawn the attention of the Supreme Court. he case pertains to alleged assault on the then additional district judge (ADJ) Avinash Kumar inside his chamber at Jhanjharpur subdivisional court on November 18, 2021. (HT file)

The court of additional chief judicial magistrate at Jhanjharpur on Thursday approved the lie detector tests on police sub-inspectors Gopal Krishna and Abhimanyu Sharma after they gave their consent to undergo the procedure.

The case pertains to alleged assault on the then additional district judge (ADJ) Avinash Kumar inside his chamber at Jhanjharpur subdivisional court on November 18, 2021. Krishna was then the station house officer (SHO) of Ghoghardiha police station while Sharma was his subordinate.

Krishna was removed from his post after the judge registered an FIR (first information report) against him for assault.

The CID (crime investigation department) of the Bihar Police, which is probing the case on Patna High Courts orders, had sought consent of the two accused police officers and two witnesses produced by the complainant judge to conduct lie detector tests on them. The two witnesses, Dipak Raj and Awakash Mishra, have refused to undergo the procedure.

Counsel for the two police officers, Abhishek Ranjan, told reporters that his clients gave their consent to the tests before the court during the hearing on Thursday.

Investigators said the tests were necessary since both the witnesses were changing their statements and not cooperating in the probe.

Officials familiar with the matter said the narco test of police officers will be conduct in Gujarat or New Delhi on June 15.

Earlier, in November 2021, the Patna High Court had asked the CID to probe the case.

On August 4, 2022, the HC had asked the Bihar Police to immediately withdraw an FIR that was lodged against Avinash Kumar, the then additional district and sessions judge (ADJ) of Jhanjharpur.

Sub-inspector Gopal Krishna filed an appeal with the Supreme Court, challenging Patna High Courts order that accepted the closure report in his complaint against the ADJ in which he had alleged that he was assaulted in the judges chamber.

On December 5, 2022, the Supreme Court directed the chief justice of Patna High Court to investigate the police officers complaint.

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The directorate of enforcement (ED) on Friday told the special PMLA (Prevention of Money Laundering Act) court that IAS officer Chhavi Ranjan misused his office of Ranchi deputy commissioner and connived with land brokers, officials and other beneficiaries to facilitate fraudulent sale of atleast three land plots at premium locations in Jharkhands state capital, including one under possession of the Indian army since independence, by manipulation of official records in Ranchi and Kolkata. He was arrested after 11 hours of questioning in connection with the money laundering probe. (Representative file image)

The 2011-batch IAS officer was arrested on money laundering charges on Thursday and was produced before special PMLA court of Dinesh Rai on Friday, which sent him to judicial custody.

We have sought remand of 10 days from the court. But arguments over the remand application would be done on Saturday. Ranjan was forwarded into judicial custody for the day, an ED official said.

While the court will hear arguments over remand on Saturday, the federal agency in its remand note has alleged that Ranjan had connived with the syndicate that was involved in fraudulent sale of the army land by a fake land owner Pradip Bagchi to one Kolkata-based company M/S Jagatbandhu Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd, of which Amit Agrawal, a Kolkata-based businessman, was a beneficial owner.

Also Read:Irrigation scam: ED attaches  70-crore properties of contractor

The members of this syndicate included seven persons arrested by the federal agency last month in connection with the case, besides Prem Prakash and Amit Agarwal.

Prakash, a businessman, was arrested by the agency last year in connection with the separate illegal mining case and is in jail.

Similarly, Agrawal was arrested by ED on money laundering charges for allegedly influencing Jharkhand high court lawyer Rajeev Kumar and frivously roping the government officials and judiciary for frustrating the PIL 4290/2021.

The agency alleged that Ranjan was an associate of Agrawal against whom the CBI has also filed an FIR in New Delhi for conspiracy to malign the judiciary. In the said FIR, the CBI has also enquired and found that Chhavi Ranjan tried to influence advocate Rajeev Kumar on behalf of Agrawal, the agency said.

Mr. Chhavi Ranjan, then DC of Ranchi knowingly assisted these persons to acquire the above property by deliberately misusing his official position and overlooking the records of available with his office, the agencys remand note added.

The agency further alleged that Ranjan had received complaints against the sale of the property.

Therefore, it was in the knowledge of the accused persons that the property was in possession of the defence and there was dispute between defence and Jayant who had sold the property to 13 different people. The defence had also requested DC to cancel registration of the said property. Being aware of the fact, Ranjan in collusion with other accused persons, knowingly entertained the frivolous claim of Pradip Bagchi, held meetings with the accused persons and even directed the circle officer to conduct inquiry regarding the claim of Pradip Bagchi. This was knowingly done to register the property and transfer its ownership to Jagatbandhu Tea Estates, a beneficial company of Amit Agrawal, the agency told court.

Besides, facilitating the fraudulent sale of the land in possession of army, the agency alleged that Ranjan was also instrumental in illegal sale of two premium plots in Ranchi of one acre in Cheshire Home road and 7.16 acres in Hehal area of Ranchi.

During investigations, the agency said, it has been established through seizure of digital devices and forged documents that Ranjan had directed the circle officer to allow mutation of the Cheshire Home road in favour of businessman Bishnu Agrawal although there were existing disputes.

The agency has claimed they have digital evidence to establish quid pro quo, wherein Bishnu facilitated Ranjans family tours to Goa and had foot the bills for their stay at Taj Fort, Aguada.

The agency had raided the residence of Bishnu last year and summoned him for questioning on May 8.

In the case of Hehal land deal, Ranjan allegedly misused his office to facilitate registration and mutation of the plot on basis of a fake deed in favour of one Binod Singh despite objections from original the land owners.

He also used his official position in helping the illegal owner in taking its possession and get boundary wall constructed at the plot by providing police security.

The agency has alleged bribe was paid to Ranjan in lieu of his connivance with the syndicate. Bribe amounting to 1 crore was paid by the accused persons arrested earlier to the present accused (Ranjan) through Prem Prakash for unblocking one plot of land at Bargain Mauja from the restricted list. Further, it is also revealed that a fixed amount of money ranging from 2-2.5 lakh was paid from circle offices to the accused person which was deposited to one of his close confidants, the agency said.

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CBSE Result 2023 Live Updates: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will announce Class 10, 12 result 2023 in due course of time. The date and time will be shared with students ahead of resuts. Both Class 10 and 12 results are expected on the same day.

Candidates who have appeared for CBSE Class 10, 12 board exams in the country and abroad can check their results on various platforms- websites, mobile app and also through SMS. The official website to check cbse results is cbseresults.nic.in along with official website of CBSE  cbse.gov.in and cbse.nic.in.

This year CBSE Board exams 2023 started on February 14, 2023 for both Class 10 and Class 12. The Class 10 board exam ended on March 21 and Class 12 exam concluded on April 5, 2023. A total of 38,83,710 students  21,86,940 Class 10 and 16,96,770 Class 12  were eligible to appear in this years exams. Follow this blog for latest updates on result date and time, websites to check, toppers, pass percentage and other details.
Deepika Padukone was at her comfiest best in a white co-ord set as she was spotted at the Mumbai airport on Thursday. She was travelling with her father and badminton legend Prakash Padukone. The two were seen arriving at the airport Thursday morning to catch a flight. Also read: Deepika Padukone's sister Anisha Padukone is in love with Maldives; posts pics of dreamy beach holiday: 'My happy place' Deepika Padukone and her father Prakash Padukone at Mumbai airport. (Varinder Chawla)

Deepika was beaming with joy as she travelled with her dad and smiled wide while posing for the photographers. She had paired her white co-ord set with matching sneakers and dark shades. She also wished the photographers good morning when they greeted her at the airport. A paparazzo account shared a video of Deepika on Instagram.

A fan commented on the video, Sooooo refreshing #deepikapadukone divinely charismatic. Another wrote, Her smile though. A fan wrote in Hindi, garmio ke liye uchit kapde dheele dhaale (right clothes for the summer - loose and comfortable).

Deepika is currently working on her next, Fighter. This is her second film with director Siddharth Anand after they delivered this year's biggest hit, Pathaan. The film will have Deepika opposite Hrithik Roshan for the first time and also stars Anil Kapoor, Akshay Oberoi and Karan Singh Grover. It will release in theatres on January 25 next year. She also has Project K with Prabhas and Amitabh Bachchan.

Last month, Deepika was on a break and went on a solo trip to Bhutan. After some of her holiday pictures surfaced on the internet, the actor shared a series of pictures on Instagram. She shared a solo picture in which she was seen resting in a forest while hiking. She went on to share glimpses of the forest, religious places, rivers, bridges, local cuisines and a picture of herself with a few kids.

It was revealed Deepika was in Bhutan when a few pictures and videos from her trip made their way to the fanpages.On Instagram, the official page of YourCafe Restaurant shared pictures of the actor with the staff. "Thank you so much for your visit to Neyphug Heritage, Your Cafe, Bhutan. It's been a great pleasure to serve you and your family! Such a down-to-earth soul," the team captioned the post.

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Actor Kartik Aaryan took to Instagram and informed fans about the time when cancer sneakily crept into his family as he opened up about his mother's cancer diagnosis. His mother Mala Tiwari battled breast cancer. He shared a photo with his mother and penned a long post talking about how his family was initially shaken and felt helpless. His post earned him love and support from his fans and celebrities in the industry. Also read: Kartik Aaryan attends his spotboy's wedding Kartik Aaryan's mother was diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kartik wrote, Some time ago during this month the Big C - Cancer sneakily crept in and tried to rattle the lives of our family! We were frazzled and helpless beyond despair! But thanks to the willpower, resilience and never give up attitude of this fierce soldier - My Mom, we turned to the Bigger C- Courage and marched with all our might and won the dark but destined to win war! What it taught us eventually and continues to teach us every day, is that theres no superpower bigger than the love and support of your family!

Soon after his post went live, celebrities like Vicky Kaushal, Ekta Kapoor, Sonal Chauhan and Sanya Malhotra sent their love to the actor.

Last year, Kartik was seen spending time with cancer survivors in a video, posted on his Instagram account. It was from an event organised at a Mumbai hospital on the occasion of National Cancer Awareness Month. During the event, he had said that his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about five years ago and recovered successfully.

Indian Express quoted the actor saying, It was a very emotional time for all of us, but I am so proud of my mom that she conquered this disease. I stand here in respect for all those who couldnt make it, and all of you guys (the survivors) who conquered it. You all are real heroes," he also added.

Kartik was last seen in Shehzada. He also appeared in Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor's Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar in a special cameo appearance. The actor will be next seen in Satyaprem Ki Katha, co-starring Kiara Advani. He is also a part of Aashiqui 3 which will begin shooting later this year.

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Asked about rumours that she is dating rapper Honey Singh, Nushrratt Bharuccha has said that it is the first time that there is a dating rumour about her. Nushrratt and Honey Singh worked together in his music video Saiyaan Ji which came out in 2021 and featured her. (Also read: Honey Singh threatens to file defamation case after kidnap, assault allegations) Nushrratt Bharuccha responds to rumours of dating Honey Singh.

After a video showed Nushrratt and Honey walking hand-in-hand while stepping out of an event, fans have been speculating that they are dating. On their way out, the paparazzi greeted them but they walked away without speaking or posing.

Asked about rumours that she is dating Honey Singh, the actor told Indian Express, You know what yeh mere life ka pehla dating rumour hai (This is my lifes first dating rumour). Everywhere that I have been, there has been no rumour. Also, because I have never been with anyone. When this came, I was like Wow, I finally have one. Now when people ask me these questions in rapid fire, I can at least tell them that I too had a dating rumour. I think people have no work in life and they also have a great imagination. So karte raho, I have no problem.

Nushrratt awaits the release of her latest film Chatrapathi on May 12. Directed by VV Vinayak, the film is a Hindi remake of SS Rajamouli's 2005 film by the same name. The original Telugu film featured Prabhas and Shriya Saran while the upcoming movie stars Telugu actor Bellamkonda Sreenivas alongwith Nushratt. Bellamkonda is best known for his films such as Sita, Kavacham and Alludu Adhurs.

In a press statement, Nushrratt had shared her views on the new film and said, "I am excited, but I also have goosebumps. This is my first pan-India action drama, and I couldn't have asked for anything better than a film like Chatrapathi. I am so thrilled to have worked with a team of such brilliant technicians and an amazing co-star, Sreenivas."

Chatrapathi tells the story of a protagonist who rose against oppression to become a saviour of immigrants that suffered massive exploitation. The upcoming film also features Sharad Kelkar, Bhagyashree, Amit Nair, Sahil Vaid, Shivam Patil, and Rajendra Gupta, among several others.

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Buddha Purnima is celebrated on May 5 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, also known as Mahatma Buddha. To mark the Buddhist festival, actor Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram Stories to ask her followers to meditate on Buddha Purnima. Speaking about how he became Lord Buddha, Kangana also said 'Indians never get enough credit for leading the world' as she gave the example of Lord Ram, Shiva and Krishna. Also read: Inside Kangana Ranaut's Haridwar-Dehradun trip with Ganga arti, temple visit and feasting on faluda kulfi. See pics Kangana Ranaut shared a special message on Buddha Purnima 2023. (File Photo/ ANI)

Along with an illustration of Buddha, Kangana wrote, "Before he became Buddha, he was just a boy called Siddhartha. Indians never get enough credit for leading the world..." She further wrote, "Like Shiva, like Lord Rama, like Krishna, here's another Indian, who was bestowed upon with the ultimate realisation... the world is still shining in his glow..."

Kangana also asked her followers to meditate on Buddha Purnima and said she was blessed to be born in India. She wrote, Bowing down to this land that has raised so many Gods... meditate on this Buddha Purnima and feel blessed to be born in Bharat.

To mark Buddha Purnima 2023, Kangana Ranaut took to Instagram Stories.

Kangana often takes to social media to share her views on the film industry, religion and society in general. She also often documents her travels. She was recently in Dehradun and Haridwar, where she not only attended the Ganga Aarti, and offered prayers, but also feasted on desserts. The actor also shared her opinion on same-sex marriage and showed her support, when asked about it during her recent Uttarakhand visit.

Kangana had said during a media interaction, Jo shaadi hoti hai, woh dil ke rishte hote hai, ye sab hi jante hai. Jab logo ke dil mil gaye hai, baaki kuch logo ki jo preference hai, usme hum kya bol sakte hai (Marriage is a matter of the heart, and everyone knows that. When hearts have met, what can we say about people's preferences)?

This year, Kangana will be seen in the Tamil film Chandramukhi 2 and her solo directorial debut Emergency. Kangana will be seen playing former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the period drama. Besides Chandramukhi 2 and Emergency, Kangana also has Tejas in the pipeline, where she will be seen as an Indian Air Force pilot.

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Swara Bhasker was spotted at the Afwaah screening on Thursday. She was in a purple saree with a heavy necklace. While posing for the photographers, she told them to talk to her like they did with supermodel Gigi Hadid during her India visit. Videos of paparazzi saying ikde (this side) to Gigi, while asking her to pose had gone viral last month. Also read: Swara Bhasker celebrates her pehli Eid, shares pics with husband Fahad Ahmad and his family Swara Bhasker at Afwaah screening on Thursday. (Viral Bhayani)

A video of Swara from the Afwaah screening was shared by a paparazzo account on Instagram. It shows Swara posing in the purple saree as photographers continued to call her by her name, while asking her to pose in different angles. Swara is seen telling them, Ikde bolo nahi to nahi dekhenge. Jaise Gigi Hadid ko bola, waise humse baat karo aap. Jo aapka Hollywood ka standard hai abhi (Say ikde otherwise I won't pose that way. Talk to me like you talked to Gigi Hadid, like your Hollywood standard these days). 

Swara Bhasker celebrated her wedding with politician Fahad Ahmad in March. He is the state president of Samajwadi Party's youth wing -- Samajwadi Yuvjan Sabha. Breaking the news of their court wedding, Swara had written on social media, "Sometimes you search far & wide for something that was right next to you all along. We were looking for love, but we found friendship first. And then we found each other! Welcome to my heart @FahadZirarAhmad Its chaotic but its yours!" Bhasker captioned a video featuring her husband.

Retweeting her post, Fahad Ahmad, 31, had written: "I never knew chaos can be so beautiful. Thank you for holding my hand love @ReallySwara."

The couple then celebrated their union with a multiple day celebration in Delhi, which included a Carnatic musical evening, a qawwali night, and a star-studded reception which had various politicians like actor Jaya Bachchan, Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi in attendance.

Swara was last seen in the film Jahaan Chaar Yaar last year. She will next be seen in Mrs. Falani.

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Turkish actor Burak Deniz was spotted at Mumbai airport on Thursday. Hours later, the actor, who is known for shows such as Dont Leave and The Ignorant Angels, attended an event with actors Anil Kapoor, Sobhita Dhulipala and Aditya Roy Kapur. Videos of them greeting each other and posing for photos at the event held on Thursday in Mumbai were shared on paparazzi and fan pages. Also read: Aamir Khan meets Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan as he shoots for Laal Singh Chaddha Burak Deniz with Anil Kapoor in Mumbai; the Turkish actor poses with a hotel personnel.

Burak Deniz made his first visit to India to be a part of the 23rd edition of FICCI Frames, which was organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. In a video shared on Instagram by a paparazzo, Burak shook hands with veteran actor Anil Kapoor as the two met on stage during the event. Burak also greeted Aditya in the clip before meeting fans and posing for photos with them. He wore an all-white look for the event  white shirt paired with white trousers and white sneakers.

Sharing a picture of him hugging Anil Kapoor, Burak took to Instagram Stories and wrote, " Thank you (smiley emoji)." The actor also documented his Mumbai trip in a series of videos and photos that he shared on Instagram Stories. He dropped a video of him listening to Aamir Khan and Salman Khan's famous song Ye Raat Aur Ye Doori from their cult film Andaz Apna Apna as he commuted in a car.

The actor not just gave a glimpse of Mumbai traffic but also of his white shirt and matching traditional Indian stole outfit. Burak also shared a picture of his dinner, and one of him posing with a hotel personnel. The video garnered likes and comments from many after it was shared on Twitter by a fan. "Seems like Burak is also a Bollywood fan," a Twitter user said. "Hahahaha he is so cool," another one wrote. "This video of him grooving to Ye Raat Aur Ye Doori made my day," a fan wrote.

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Sushmita Sen, who won Miss Universe in 1994, became a single mother at 24. She adopted her daughter Renee Sen in 2000 just as she was at the peak of her career in Bollywood. The mother-daughter duo have a close bond. In an old interview on Rendezvous With Simi Garewal, Sushmita had even appeared on the show with Renee, who was just a toddler at the time. The little girl had melted hearts when she sang the theme song from Barney which was a special song for their family. A clip of the interview can be found on Instagram and fans are impressed by younger Sushmita's relationship with Renee and how adorable her daughter is. (Also read: Sushmita Sen swings double swords in impressive video from Aarya 3 shoot, fans hail her: The tigress is back) Sushmita Sen and her elder daughter Renee Sen both had appeared in an episode of Rendezvous with Simi Garewal.

Simi had shared the throwback video earlier this year and captioned it, "RENDEZVOUS GEMS!! #Throwback. Adorable little Renee Sen.. Pure enchantment!!. It's laudable how Sush, as a single mother, has raised her children! You can see she's spent time with Renee.. teaching her songs, social behaviour and lavishing her with dollops of love & encouragement.. Watch.. And get charmed!" In the short video, Simi Garewal gently asks Renee, "Everyone says what a lovely voice you have. You sings lots of songs." Sushmita then encourages her to sing the song they both love and says, "What does Barney sing that Mama really likes?"

Renee replies, "I love you" and then proceeds to sing the song on TV. The toddler accompanied her mother for the interview with her Barney soft toy that she offered to Simi as well earlier in the interview. Fans were impressed by Sushmita's handling of Renee and her decision to become a single mother so young. One fan stated, "Just look at Sushmita ma'am.....at such a young age she became a mom!!!! Most girls don't even know what they want from life...and here she is raising two beautiful girls..." Another praised the actor and added, "My favorite was Sushmita asking Renee, 'do you want to sing them the song?' Allowing her to decide for herself (even at that age)made her more comfortable. Only love to this mother-daughter match made in Heaven." Yet another fan shared, "My heart gets full of love whenever I see this video. I have utmost respect and love for Sushmita who raised her daughters so beautifully."

In 2010, Sushmita adopted her second daughter Alisah Sen. Renee made her acting debut with a short film in 2021 and Sushmita still shares occasional videos of her singing on her Instagram account. Earlier this year, Sushmita suffered a cardiac arrest in Jaipur while she was shooting for the third season of the web series Aarya. She had an angioplasty afterwards to clear the blockage and has since returned to set to resume filming for the third season.

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After a tumultuous few years in the public eye, actress Amber Heard has reportedly left Hollywood behind and moved to Madrid, Spain with her young daughter Oonagh Paige. According to a friend of the actress, Heard is bilingual in Spanish and is happy to be raising her daughter away from the noise of Hollywood. Amber Heard, known for her roles in 'Aquaman' and 'The Rum Diary,'has reportedly left Hollywood and moved to Madrid, Spain with her daughter Oonagh Paige.

Heard has been spending plenty of time in Spain since selling her Yucca Valley, California home in July 2022 for $1.1 million. Last October, the "Aquaman" star was seen flaunting her bikini body on the beaches of Palma de Mallorca, and was later spotted playing with her daughter at a kids' park during a Spanish getaway.

The move comes nearly a year after Heard's highly publicized defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp. The trial ended with the court ordering Heard to pay Depp $10 million in compensatory damages plus $350,000 in punitive damages for defaming him in a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote for The Washington Post. Heard later asked the judge to toss the verdict and requested a retrial.

Also read | Hollywood actor Kevin Costner and wife Christine Baumgartner call it quits after 17 years of marriage

While Heard's move to Spain may come as a surprise to fans, it seems the actress is content to live a quieter life away from the public eye. Whether or not she will return to Hollywood remains to be seen, but for now, it seems Heard is happy to call Spain home.
Fans of Hollywood star Jamie Foxx are getting restless over the actor's health condition. Foxx remains hospitalized for undisclosed "medical complications" in Atlanta, Georgia. Jamie Foxx(REUTERS)

Few days back, Foxx's friends had appealed to the fans to pray for him over uncertainty about the Oscar-winning actor's health. As per a report by Page Six, it has emerged that the Foxx's health condition had seen no improvement when his friends made the appeal for prayers on social media.

ALSO READ| Keanu Reeves planning to marry girlfriend Alexandra Grant?

Nothing had changed. He was still in the same condition, a source was quoted as saying by Page Six.

On Monday, Foxx's friend Charlie Mack had posted on Instagram "Good morning IG, I need you all to constantly keep our beloved brotha @iamjamiefoxx up whom we all loe & care for dearly in our Hearts, Minds & Prayers!!!! We need you back Bro. As I always state a true champion isnt the one that wins, its the one that meets & overcomes adversity!! Youre test becomes your testimony!! We all cant wait to receive you back home to celebrate, laugh with and applaud you!!".

While the mystery around Foxx's health grows, there have been positive updates from some of his friends too. On Wednedsay, his friend Kevin Hart interacted on the Impaulsive podcast and said there has been a lot of progression in Foxxs health. However, Hart also admitted that he didn't know the exact details of Foxx's condition.

In the second week of April, 55-year-old Foxx had got hospitalized in Atlanta, Georgia where he was present for the filming of his upcoming movie Back in Action". Back then, his 29-year-old daughter, Corinne posted on Instagram: We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time."

Meanwhile, on Thursday, Foxx took to Instagram and thanked fans for their prayers and support. He posted "Appreciate all the love!!! feeling blessed". But still there is no official confirmation about his exact health condition.
Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre marks the fourth pairing of director Guy Ritchie and muse Jason Statham- who has been a Ritchie regular since Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels. Here, as the stakes go higher in fast-paced, globe-trotting Mission Impossible-like iterations, the convoluted instincts of this espionage thriller come together to provide an engaging, screwball delight. Aubrey Plaza in a still from Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre.

Yet, Ritchie knows exactly what he's doing with the demands of a slick, formulaic caper beneath its fastidious title. Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is about an invincible spy who is coupled with a series of international assignments that demand a playful yet glamorous bunch of people beside him. There are also some slick action set pieces, but nothing that we haven't seen before. Still, it playfully ticks these boxes to thread together a stylish thriller that is surprisingly not bowed down by its own version of machismo.

Working with a script co-written with Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies, Operation Fortune revolves around Jason Statham's Orson Fortune, who is a private contractor on a mission, hired by the British government official Nathan (Cary Elwes) to retrieve The Handle, which is in the possession of Greg Simmons (Hugh Grant). He must stop him, and in this mission he assembles a team that includes femme fatale plus tech wizard Sarah Fidel (a scene-stealing Aubrey Plaza), sniper JJ Davies (Bugzy Malone) and Hollywood star Danny Francesco (Josh Hartnett).

All the elegantly orchestrated action aside, there's a lot of panache that pays off the obvious narrative exasperation of Operation Fortune. Ritchie is not even interested in building an opening sequence to count on the strategies first, he dives headlong into connecting the distance between two assignments by slipping away into a different location altogether. The cast takes the cunning more seriously than the film does at times- especially Statham, who is conveniently welcoming here with his guiding star presence. Hugh Grant plays Hugh Grant with a cocky accent like only he can (not always for a delight), but it is Aubrey Plaza who injects a much-needed cynicism required for the film with her trademark deadpan delivery. Plaza's performance is sharper than the entire film put together.

One doesn't arrive at Operation Fortune with an air of insistence. You let the action sweep your chances of taking it all too well. Ritchie succeeds in that regard to a massive degree, pulling together the loose and silly ends of Operation Fortune with a hard-to-resist efficiency. It is a slick entertaining ride, and Ritchie has got hold of that sense of familiar, action-packed intrigue really well. Fortune will return, if this delicious operation pays off, and it will be interesting to see where this exercise takes off next.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is now streaming on Lionsgate Play.
BTS member Jin surprised fans on their online fan community Weverse as he responded to a fan's post in the sweetest way possible. Not only that, Kim Seok Jin also talked about J-Hope who recently enlisted in the military. From asking about his days in the military to his well-being, Jin penned quite a lot of questions as he showed his caring side and melted the hearts of his fans online. Also read: J-Hope undergoes training on handling gun, poses with soldiers in pics from military camp BTS: Jin and J-Hope are serving in the military.

The fan wrote to J-Hope, J Hope miss you alot.take care of yourself and don't be sick actually I am missing out world wide handsome too.

In reply, Jin who is also serving in the army but on a different camp site than J-Hope commented, as per the translation of @BTStranslation_ on Twitter, Jwehope How is it over there Are you getting rained on Are you using px (the convenience store for military personnel) Did you gain weight Are you not calling me because youre conscious/ nervous Did you receive the internet letter that I sent.

It continued, "Have you gotten hurt anywhere Did you shave the other friends (fellow BTS members or fellow new recruits) heads too Does the food there taste well Theres still a long time before your vacation Ha ha ha Im spending my military life while looking at you. You should also look at the next one (BTS member) it gives a lot of strength during military. life Ha ha ha.

Soon after Jin replied to the post, the fan wrote back, Thank you very much Jin..I am still in shock that you really replied to me. Is it a dream. I am really really happy.

Jin is the first member of BTS to enlist for the mandatory 18 months of military service. last month it was J-Hope who joined the army as an active soldier. He is currently at a boot camp in Wonju, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) east of Seoul, where he is receiving training.

The other five members of BTS--RM, Suga, Jimin, V, and Jungkook-- are yet to join the South Korean military. As a group, BTS is on a hiatus and will return after completion of the member's military service, sometime in 2025.

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Its the end of an era for fans of Lisa Vanderpumps Pump restaurant in West Hollywood. The iconic eatery, famous for its beautiful evenings under the olive trees, is closing its doors after 10 years due to an astronomical rent increase. With the rent reportedly reaching nearly $1 million per year, the reality star and her husband Ken Todd have decided not to renew the lease, calling it untenable for their business. Lisa Vanderpumps Pump restaurant in West Hollywood is closing due to rent increase.

But the Pump closure is just the latest blow for Vanderpump, who also had to close down her Beverly Hills restaurant, Villa Blanca, in 2020 due to similar rent increase issues. However, the couple is not letting this setback stop them, as they already have plans to open two new restaurants at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.

Television personality Lisa Vanderpump poses for photographers as she arrives at the annual White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington,(AP)

While Vanderpumps restaurant empire is taking a hit, her Bravo show Vanderpump Rules is still going strong. The reality series, which follows the lives of the employees at SUR Restaurant and Lounge, is currently airing its tenth season on Wednesdays at 9pm ET. However, the show has not been without its share of drama, as recent headlines have been dominated by a cheating scandal involving two of the shows stars, Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss.

Despite the drama, fans of Vanderpump and her restaurant empire will surely miss Pumps beautiful ambiance and delicious food. But with the reality stars tenacity and business savvy, were sure this is not the last well see of her in the restaurant world.
The release date for the second season of crime-thriller The Night Manager is out. Headlined by Anil Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, The Night Manager 2 will premiere on June 30 on Disney+ Hotstar. (Also read: Turkish actor Burak Deniz meets Anil Kapoor in Mumbai, decks up in ethnic look) The Night Manager 2 is set for a digital release on June 30.

Sharing the announcement clip, Anil wrote on Twitter, "The most awaited showdown of the year is almost here! Shaan vs Shelly, who'll break first? Hotstar Specials The Night Manager Part 2, streaming on 30th June only on Disney+ Hotstar.

The Night Manager is a Hindi adaptation of the British show The Night Manager, which in turn was a screen adaptation of the novel by John le Carre. The upcoming Hindi web series is created and directed by Sandeep Modi.

Aditya plays the lead role of former intelligence guy Shaan Sengupta and Anil Kapoor essays the negative role of Shailendra Rungta. Sobhita Dhulipala, Tillotama Shome, Saswata Chatterjee, and Ravi Behl also feature in the web show.

Talking about the second season, Aditya Roy said in a press statement, "The success of the first part has been truly humbling, and we are excited for audiences to see what lies ahead in the journey of Shelly and Shaan. The twists, the thrill and the tension - will all conclude. The wait for The Night Manager: Part 2 is finally over and we're looking forward to all the reactions".

Anil added, "I am overwhelmed with the love and support that our fans have shown for The Night Manager. Their enthusiasm has pushed us to work harder. I can't wait for everyone to witness the twists and turns that lie ahead. Shelly will be seen at his best."

Creator and director of the movie Sandeep Modi also narrated his thoughts on the sequel as he promises more fun to the viewers. He said, It's overwhelming to see the response for the first part and I am grateful for the love received by everyone. The Night Manager: Part 2 is twice the action and thrill. The strong alliance between Shaan and Shelly will shake the crux of everything and spin a new web of conspiracies and deception. There is a lot more to see in the coming part and the audience will enjoy each bit of the series.

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As the world population touched eight billion in November 2022, India entered into a new age as the worlds largest country in 2023 with a high proportion of the working age population with the potential to produce a phenomenal demographic dividend to catapult India into the top three economies of the world in the next 25 years. Our case is that harnessing the gender dividend is even more critical and transformational. Pregnancy(Photo by Mauricio Gutierrez on Unsplash)

The 2023 State of World Population report paints an optimistic portrait -- 8 billion people, infinite possibilities: the case for rights and choices by noting that history has shown that fertility policies designed to increase or lower birth rates are very often ineffective and can undermine womens rights. Global experience has shown that family planning targets can lead to gender-based discrimination and other harmful practices. Deleterious effects of such targets include: Prenatal sex determination leading to sex selective abortions and imbalanced sex ratios, preferential health and nutrition for male children, violence against women for giving birth to girl children, and coercion of women to have fewer or greater numbers of children.

In 2021, the Government of India, emphasised its opposition to coercion in family planning, and stated in several forums, including in Parliament, that it did not support such policies, as they would prove to be counter-productive. As Indias fertility rate falls below 2.1 (the replacement level), India has a unique historical opportunity. India is a youthful nation, with significant and unique demographic diversity across states that can be converted into economic benefits through additional investments in health, education, and quality jobs for young people -- especially through targeted investments in women and girls. Indias demographic dividend can be further secured by incorporating the impact of mega trends such as climate change, urbanisation, migration and ageing into policy initiatives.

With declining fertility and a change in age structure, a greater number of women will appear in the working age group and have the potential to drive economic growth provided they are healthy, skilled, educated and empowered. This will help reap the so-called gender dividend. A new UN policy brief underlines that higher economic growth combined with investments in human capital determinants such as nutrition and public health, which reduce mortality especially among children; increased levels of education, particularly for girls and women, often associated with declining levels of mortality and fertility; urbanisation; expanded access to reproductive health care services, including family planning; and womens empowerment and labour force participation will make a difference.

Indian women and girls are knocking at the frontiers of a new future. To unlock their full potential and reap the gender dividend, India needs to prioritise at least seven policy actions with adequate investments:

More women and especially younger women need to get access to modern family planning methods so that they can plan their families. Currently 9% of women have an unmet need. Mission Parivar Vikas with its successful model shows how to reduce the unmet need further. India will need to reduce early marriages and unwanted pregnancies as they prohibit women and men from achieving their personal goals and ambitions. One in four women marry before the age of 18. Some states in India demonstrate good practices and lessons, sharing of which across states is the way forward. More Indian girls need to complete at least 10 years of schooling, which currently only two out of five complete. India will need to tackle and reduce the cases of violence faced by women in public and private lives. One in three is a victim. Indias skewed sex-ratio at birth which shows strong son preference has started to show improvements, after decades, thanks to several programmes and interventions in recent years. This momentum needs to continue. India cannot afford the direct and indirect costs of thousands of missing girls at birth. More Indian women and girls need to be empowered to work and productively contribute to the economy and society. Reducing the digital gender divide will include designing digital solutions with the full engagement of women and girls in co-creation. This will accelerate digital adoption using the major government initiatives such as Digital India Mission.

Ultimately women and girls need to be at the centre of development policies and programmes. Adopting a life-cycle approach, where girls and women are empowered at every stage of their lives, gender responsive work arrangements (for both men and women) that enable women to continue engagement in decent work in the long run and improved access to finance will allow women and girls to pursue their life-time aspirations and mobilise untapped potential.

When rights, choices and equal value of all people are truly respected and held, only then can we unlock a future of infinite possibilities.

Much is at stake. For if India succeeds, the world succeeds.

This article is authored by Poonam Muttreja, executive director, Population Foundation of India and Andrea Wojnar, India representative and country director Bhutan, United Nations Population Fund.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said that Ukraine's denial of its role in the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin is typical of the "ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie." Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar, left, and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov greet prior to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) council of foreign ministers' meeting, in Goa, India, Friday, May 5, 2023. (AP)

"The ability of our Ukrainian and Western friends to lie is very well known and the entire situation is illustrating the crisis which is much deeper than just behaviour of regime followed by Zelensky", the Russian Foreign Minister said while responding to a query by ANI at a media briefing here.

Lavrov is visiting India to participate in the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa today.

Moscow had on Wednesday accused Kiev of making an unsuccessful attempt to attack the Kremlin and assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"If you believe that as soon as the United States and Ukraine rejected the accusations we should stop thinking what we know about. This is not the case," the Russian Foreign Minister said.

Read Here | SCO meet: Jaishankar holds talks with Chinese, Russian, Uzbekistan counterparts

On being asked if the recent attacks were discussed with the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar during his bilateral meeting here, the minister said that "he didn't discuss in detail' and that he knows the "position of India."

"We didn't discuss in detail the terrorist attack against the Kremlin. We know the position of India which is in favour of stopping any provocation and terrorist attacks there is no doubt about this," said Lavrov.

Russia has meanwhile reaffirmed that it reserves the right to take countermeasures on the attack.

It said that two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been used in the alleged attack on Putin's residence in the Kremlin citadel, but had been disabled by electronic defences.

"We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the president's life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned," the Kremlin said in a statement.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has denied that his country carried out the drone attack on the Kremlin.

"We don't attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities," he said during a visit to Finland.

On Thursday, the United States too dismissed Russia's allegation that Washington was behind what it said was a drone attack on the Kremlin, terming Moscow's assertion was a lie.

"Obviously it's a ludicrous claim," White House national security spokesman John Kirby said hours after Russia blamed the United States for what it called an attack aimed at killing President Vladimir Putin.

"The United States has nothing to do with it. We don't even know exactly what happened here, but I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever," Kirby said on CNN.
The Gauhati High Court rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas BV in connection with the allegations of harassment levelled by Angkita Dutta. Indian Youth Congress chief Srinivas BV (File photo)

Angkita Dutta, the former president of Assam Youth Congress was expelled from the party for anti-party activities on April 22.

Hearing the pre-arrest bail petition of Srinivas BV, Justice Ajit Borthakur said in his order that - ".......consideration of the various pleas taken by the petitioner and the documents he filed, this Court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case to grant the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner. Accordingly, the pre-arrest bail application of the petitioner stands rejected."

According to the order copy, the petition was filed under Section 438 Cr.P.C, for granting the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner, namely Srinivas B.V. apprehending arrest in connection with Dispur Police Station Case No. 692/2023 under Sections 509/294/341/352/354/354A (iv)/506 of the IPC read with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 (for short 'I.T. Act').

The case was registered at Dispur Police Station against Srinivas BV following the complaint lodged by Dr Angkita Dutta, former president of Assam Youth Congress.

"The First Information Report (FIR) reveals the allegations that the informant/victim, is the former President of the Assam Youth Congress and the present petitioner is the President of the Indian Youth Congress. It has been alleged that the petitioner has been persistently harassing the informant/victim woman mentally by way of sexist and slang words and also threatening her with dire consequences if she complained the same before the high office bearers of the Youth Congress. It is further alleged that when the alleged victim went to Raipur in the state of Chhattisgarh to attend the plenary session of the Congress Party held on 25.02.2023, she was received by one Bhupen Bora, the President of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) at Mayfair Hotel and met other high office bearers of the Congress party. At the entrance of the hotel when she came across the petitioner, he heckled her by holding her arms and also threatened her by using slang words. It is also alleged that despite complaining about the persistent unwarranted conduct of the petitioner on several occasions to the high office bearers of the Congress Party, her complaint did not yield any result and as such, she lodged the instant FIR," said in the order copy.

According to K.N. Choudhury, learned Sr. Counsel appearing for the petitioner, the FIR has been lodged with an ulterior motive to malign the reputation of the petitioner and to avoid any litigation for making defamatory statements made by the informant on social media against him.

"Opposing the pre-arrest bail application, M. Phukan learned Public Prosecutor, submits that the petitioner had filed two pre-arrest bail applications before the learned Sessions Court in Bengaluru, Karnataka and both the said petitions have been rejected after appreciating the materials on the case diary. Phukan further submits that the petitioner was given the notice under Section 41A Cr.P.C. calling upon him to appear before the Officer-in-Charge of Dispur P.S. on 02.05.2023 at 11 a.m. However, Phukan submits, the petitioner has not complied with the said notice to avoid his apprehension of being arrested in connection with the aforesaid non-bailable offence under Section 354 of the IPC as per Section 41A(3) Cr.P.C. Phukan submits that the victim, in her statements recorded under Sections 161 and 164 Cr.P.C., has implicated the petitioner with the alleged offences," it read.

"Phukan submits, that the alleged offences, as a whole, being related to outraging the modesty of the informant woman, the privilege of pre-arrest bail may not be granted in favour of the petitioner. A perusal of the statements of the victim woman under Sections 161 and 164 Cr.P.C., it is revealed that she has implicated the petitioner with the alleged offences. The alleged victim is aged about 35 years as it appears from the order, dated 21.04.2023, passed by the learned Addl. Chief Judicial Magistrate, Kamrup (M) at Guwahati in the said case, who recorded the statement of the victim under Section 164 Cr.P.C. after giving her a period of two hours for reflection and thereafter, on being satisfied that she deposed voluntarily and without being under any pressure or influence from any side," said in the order copy.

The order copy also stated that the FIR appears to have been registered on 20.04.2023 after a preliminary enquiry was done by a Police Officer and the investigation is at its nascent stage.

"For the above-stated reasons as well as consideration of the various pleas taken by the petitioner and the documents he filed, this Court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case to grant the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner. Accordingly, the pre-arrest bail application of the petitioner stands rejected. Return the case diary. This disposes of the anticipatory bail application," said in the order copy.

On the other hand, Crl. Pet. No. 377/2023 under Section 482 Cr.P.C. filed by Srinivas BV praying, inter-alia, for quashing of the above-noted case has been dismissed vide Judgment and Order, dated 04.05.2023.
The army on Friday said the situation in Manipur has been brought under control a day after shoot-at-sight orders were issued and internet services were snapped to quell ethnic violence in the northeastern state. Incidents of vandalism and arson were reported from across Manipur. (ANI)

On Thursday, army and paramilitary forces were flown to Manipur as mobs torched houses, shops, and religious places, and attacked a sitting lawmaker in the state capital Imphal.

The proposed scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community triggered clashes on Wednesday in Churachandpur when tribal Kuki groups called for protests against it. Violence spread to other parts of the state as thousands of people fled burning homes and neighbourhoods.

Thousands of army and paramilitary personnel marched through the deserted streets across the states violence-hit towns to restore peace and evacuated at least 9,000 people.

Guwahati-based public relations officer (defence) Lt Col Mahender Rawat said the situation was brought under control through coordinated actions. He added deployment of additional security personnel airlifted to Manipur started on Friday morning.

Deployment of fresh columns is still underway. So, it would not be possible to give a figure on how many columns have been deployed till now. Evacuation of civilians from all communities from affected areas continued through Thursday night and is still going on.

Flag march continued in Churachandpur, one of the worst-hit districts, and other sensitive areas.

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Thursday blamed prevailing misunderstandings between two sections of society for the violence. He added vandalism and arson were reported from Imphal, Churachandpur, Bishnupur, Kangpokpi, and Moreh.

Singh said lives were lost and property damaged, but did not specify the number of fatalities.

On April 19, the Manipur high court asked the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government to submit recommendations to the Union government to consider the inclusion of Meiteis on the ST list. Meiteis account for around 53% of the states population and are largely Hindus concentrated in the Imphal Valley region.

The order sparked concerns among the tribals, who live in the hill districts and constitute about 40% of the states population. Manipur has 31% reservation for STs in jobs and education.

On Wednesday, thousands of tribals took to the streets across the states 10 hill districts. In Churachandpur, a portion of the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial was set ablaze sparking clashes and retaliatory attacks.

Visuals on Thursday showed vehicles, shops, and homes burnt and damaged. In Imphal, Vungzagin Valte, a Kuki legislator, was hospitalised in critical condition after his vehicle was attacked while he was returning home after a meeting with Singh.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and other right-wing organisations intensified their attack on the Congress over its manifesto for Karnataka Assembly elections in which it has pledged to ban organisations like Bajrang Dal. Linking the proposed ban on Bajrang Dal with alleged disrespect of Lord Hanuman, BJP workers on Friday gathered outside the Congress party office in Hyderabad to recite Hanuman Chalisa but were detained by the police. Bengaluru: Bajrang Dal workers protest against Congress' manifesto for Karnataka elections, in Bengaluru, Wednesday, May 3, 2023.(PTI)

The Congress party, meanwhile, appeared to go on the defensive to mitigate any potential damage from its manifesto promise to ban Bajrang Dal in Karnataka, with Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar doing a temple run at Chamundi Hill in Mysuru, and promising to build more Hanuman temples or renovate the existing ones all over the state.

The temples of Lord Ramas escort Anjaneya (Hanuman) are everywhere. We have constructed Anjaneya temples, and we too are his devotees, especially we Kannadigas in this state, where there is evidence to show that Anjaneya was born here, Shivakumar, who is contesting the election from Kanakapura constituency in Ramanagara, told reporters.

Senior Congress leader and former Karnataka chief minister Veerappa Moily said there was no suggestion before the party to ban the Bajrang Dal. Addressing reporters in Udupi, Moily also said that state governments did not have the right to ban such organisations.

The BJP, which now adores Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, forgets that Patel had banned the RSS at one juncture, he said, adding that Jawaharlal Nehru later revoked the decision. The Supreme Courts stand over hate politics is very clear. We had made the statement in our manifesto as a part of it. But we have no intention of banning Bajrang Dal. KPCC president D K Shivakumar has made it clear today.

BJP turncoat Jagadish Shettar echoed Moily and said the party should not restrict itself to this issue. When asked about his stand on banning Bajrang Dal, the former Karnataka chief minister said, Banning any organization is the power of the central government, not the state government. Veerappa Moily clarified that there is no question of banning Bajrang Dal.

Reacting to Shettar's remarks, All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi tweeted, 'So No BAN it was only a JUMLA to deceive voters once again Chamchas have been proven wrong."

(With ANI inputs)

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PATNA: A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight made a full emergency landing at the Patna airport due to a technical snag on Friday afternoon, people familiar with the matter said. The aircraft, operating as BBC371 from Dhaka, took off from Patnas Jay Prakash Narayan International airport for its destination, Kathmandu, four hours later. Patna: A Kathmandu-bound Biman Bangladesh Airlines airplane at Jai Prakash Narayan Airport following its emergency landing due to a technical problem in Patna on Friday. (PTI)

The Boeing 738 aircraft from Dhaka to Kathmandu, carrying 77 passengers, was diverted to Patna due to technical problem. The flight landed here at 12:01pm and departed at 4pm after aircraft engineers attended to the fault, said airport director Anchal Prakash.

The Biman Bangladesh Airlines aircraft had developed problem with with its left wing flaps, a second official aware of the development said.

Two fire tenders of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) were kept ready at the pre-determined position, about 70 metres from the runway, to tackle any exigency as the aircraft made a full emergency landing at Patna.

The 77 passengers waited inside the airports terminal building till Air India engineers inspected the aircraft the attended to the fault, the second official said.

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China on Thursday pushed the narrative that the boundary situation is stable with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang telling his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar, on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting that both sides should work towards maintaining sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang with his Indian counterpart, S Jaishankar. (Twitter)

Qin, according to the Chinese readout on the meeting, said, the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable.

This comes against the backdrop of the failure of the two countries to normalise ties amid the unresolved three-year-old military stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

New Delhi has blamed Beijing for violating border agreements and the ongoing standoff. It has repeatedly pointed out that resolving the ongoing tension is key to normalising the ties between the two neighbours.

The Chinese minister, who is also the state councillor, told Jaishankar that the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

In a tweet after the one-hour meeting at a seaside resort in Goa, Jaishankar said the border was the focus of the meeting. A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. He added they discussed SCO, G20, and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

The Chinese statement in Mandarin, which was issued early on Friday, quoted Jaishankar as saying that the Indian side hopes to continue to seek to maintain peace and stability in the border area through consultations with the Chinese side.

Jaishankar described China-Indian ties as abnormal during his talks with Qin in early March on the margins of the G20 foreign ministers meeting in India.

The two ministers also discussed the overall state of ties.

Qin Gang said China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernisation.

He called China and India major neighbours and said the two countries need to draw lessons from history, approach our bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective

He said the two countries should respect each other and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development, and common rejuvenation.

China is ready to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and stable development, Qin said.

Besides exchanging views on international and regional issues of common concerns, Qin said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role in the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination.

India and China have been locked in a standoff in the Ladakh sector for three years since May 2020 with both sides deploying thousands of troops and heavy armament along the LAC.

A deadly clash at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh in June 2020 left 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese troops dead  the first fatalities along the LAC since 1975.

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Amid backlash over the Congresss promise to ban organisations such as the Bajrang Dal in Karnataka, the partys state unit president DK Shivakumar alleged on Friday that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was raking up the issue because they had no work to show. He also accused the Bajrang Dal of orchestrating coordinated attacks in the name of moral policing, and indulging in extortion. Karnataka Congress president DK Shivakumar speaks during a press conference, in Bengaluru. (PTI)

In its manifesto released on May 2, the Congress accused organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI of promoting enmity or hatred, and promised to ban them if it came to power in the state. The announcement, however, triggered a wave of political reactions from the BJP and right-wing organisations, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi likening the promised ban on the Bajrang Dal to locking up Lord Hanuman -- who is also referred to as Bajrang Bali -- and his devotees.

The Congress has since looked to mitigate any possible damage to its electoral chances. On Thursday, Shivakumar did a temple run in Mysuru, and promised to build more Hanuman temples or renovate the existing ones all over the state.

Talking to HT on Friday, Shivakumar said that the Prime Minister was using such emotions to take away attention from lack of development in the state under the BJP. He should be talking about how many jobs were created by his party or how much land they irrigated, but they are creating a ruckus over these issues. We have said that whoever disrupts the peace in society should be kept away. That is all. About the Bajrang Dal, they are responsible for coordinated attacks in the name of moral policing, they are involved in extortion, and much more. I think there is an unnecessary amount of attention on this issue and it diverts attention from real issues that concern the voters of the state.

On the contrary, he added, the Congress is focussing on ensuring development in the state and meeting its five key poll promises -- free rice and electricity, an unemployment stipend, a stipend for women and free bus rides for women. Prices have skyrocketed and it has become difficult for people to sustain (themselves). That is why we want to introduce these schemes, and ease the burden on them. Our state budget is more than 3 lakh crores, and whatever schemes we have announced are feasible. Most importantly, when we put an end to the 40% commission system the BJP is running now, under which project estimates are doubled to facilitate bribes, we can get more funds for these..

As campaigning hits a crescendo ahead of the May 10 elections, the Congress has also doubled down on its promise to work on the aspirations of marginalised caste groups and hike the quantum of reservation to 75%, attacking the ruling BJP for removing 4% reservation for Muslims, and distributing it among Lingayats and Vokkaligas -- the two pre-eminent communities in the state. This issue is now before the Supreme Court, which will hear the matter next on May 9; the state government has agreed before court to continue with the 4% reservation for Muslims till that date.

We want to give a reservation that is proportionate to the population. It is important to give this benefit for the social justice needs of the communities, Shivakumar said.

The state Congress president asserted: I am not just a Vokkaliga leader, I stand for all sections of the society.

Since I have become the KPCC president, there is a change in attitude in the party and in the Lingayat communitys outlook towards our party. They trust me, they love me and they will stand by the Congress, he added.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Shobha Karandlaje slammed Congress for comparing Bajrang Dal with PFI. Congress in its manifesto has said that it will ban PFI and Bajrang Dal. PFI has already been banned. It is not right to compare PFI and Bajrang Dal. RSS is trying to instil patriotism among people. BJP is part of the RSS and Bajrang Dal is its youth wing. Show your strength by banning Bajrang Dal. Speak about it during your speeches across Karnataka, lets see. Bajrang Dal was never involved in any violence, said Karandlaje.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and the results will be announced on May 13.

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JAMMU: It was around 7.30am on Friday when a team of army commandoes from the 9 Para SF and 60 Rashtriya Rifles made contact with a group of terrorists who had taken shelter in a network of caves shrouded in the thick foliage of Kandi forests in Rajouri, Jammu. As they closed in, the terrorists triggered a hidden explosive before opening indiscriminate fire with assault rifles, officials aware of Fridays deadly attack told HT. Security personnel near the site of the encounter with terrorists in Kandi area of Rajouri district on Friday. (PTI)

The soldiers had entered the forest to hunt down the terrorists behind the April 20 ambush on an Indian army truck at Tota Gali, which killed five soldiers.

According to officials aware of the matter, the special operations group of the J&K police and the CRPF launched a joint operation in Kandi forests. On Friday, around 6.30 AM army commandoes from 9 Para SF and soldiers of 60 RR entered the forest on a specific input.

HT_PHOTO

An hour later, the IED and the gunfire left five soldiers with fatal wounds.

At 8.35am, reinforcements were rushed and helicopters and drones were pressed into service to track-down terrorists, people aware of the matter said, adding that by then, the attackers had managed to escape into the thick jungle.

At around 8.45am, the injured soldiers were evacuated to Command Hospital in Udhampur, where three of them victims succumbed to their injuries.

The army, SOG and CRPF for now have halted operations but a cordon remains in place, people aware of the matter said.

The Director General of Jammu and Kashmir Police (DGP), Dilbag Singh, on Friday said that six terror operatives, which included the entire family of one of them, colluded on the instructions of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and provided logistical support that included arms, ammunition, grenades and cash dropped by a Pakistani drone besides food and shelter to the terrorists who ambushed the army vehicle on April 20.

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Five Army soldiers were killed, and four others including an officer have been injured after terrorists triggered an explosive device during an encounter that broke out with the security forces on Friday morning in the Kandi area of Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir. According to army officials, terrorists belong to the same group that ambushed an army truck on April 20 in which at least five soldiers were killed and one more was injured.



On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi forest in the Rajouri sector, a joint operation was launched. A search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs, the Indian army said in a statement. Encounter breaks out in Kandi area of J&K's Rajouri

The operations are still in progress.

The injured personnel have been taken to the Command hospital in Udhampur and additional teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of the encounter, the army officials said.

As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorists' group, the statement said.

Meanwhile, mobile internet services have been suspended in Rajouri district, reported PTI citing officials.

On Thursday, suspected terrorists opened fire upon security forces in the Bijbhera area of South Kashmir's Anantnag district during which one police personnel sustained minor injuries. "Suspected militants on Thursday evening fired upon security forces at the Bijbhera area of South Kashmir's Anantnag district. In this incident, one cop received minor injuries. He has been shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The area has been cordoned off to nab the attackers," the Jammu and Kashmir police said.
Five Indian soldiers were killed and an officer was wounded in a terror ambush in Rajouris Kandi forest area on Friday morning, but it wasnt immediately clear whether the attack was carried out by the same group of terrorists that ambushed an army truck and killed five soldiers on April 20. While officials familiar with the matter said it was, others said there could be two groups, both with two-three Pakistani terrorists and additional local ones. Security personnel at the site of the encounter in Rajouri district on Friday. (PTI)

Read here: Hidden IED, indiscriminate fire: How Rajouri attack unfolded

The deaths of 10 Indian Army personnel in two ambushes in the same area in a span of two weeks is cause for concern, experts said. While there was no confirmation of the terrorists being killed, some security officials said there is a very high likelihood of casualties among the terrorists too, given the intensity of the Indian reaction.

Four of the soldiers killed on Friday were commandos from the 9 Para (Special Forces) while the fifth was from a Rashtriya Rifles battalion, people aware of the matter told HT. The army identified them as Havildar Neelam Singh from Akhnoor, Naik Arvind Kumar from Palampur, Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat from Gairsain in Uttarakhand, Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri from Darjeeling, and Paratrooper Pramod Negi from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.

The soldiers were part of army squads trying to hunt down the terrorists responsible for the April 20 ambush.

They were killed as they closed in on the position of the terrorists, who triggered an IED (improvised explosive device), officials said.

The injured officer is a Major, and is undergoing treatment at the Northern Command Hospital in Udhampur.

On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in Rajouri sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3. At about 7.30am, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists who were well entrenched in a cave. The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation, said Jammu-based defence spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Devender Anand.

Read here: Pakistan-based terror groups shift focus from Valley to Rajouri, Poonch

Security officials said the Kandi terror attack may have been handled from across the Line of Control , specifically from Kotli, by Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) commander Habibullah Malik alias Sajjid Jutt; from the terror groups HQ in Muridke by Reyaz Ahmed alias Qasim and Rafiq Nai alias Sultan. The officials, who asked not to be named, said Jutt is married to a Kashmiri, involved in dropping weapons in Jammu by drones, and in charge of coordinating recruitment, weapons smuggling, and financing. The officials added that he is believed to be behind the Rajouri attack too. Qasim, according to the officials, was behind the terror attack at Dhangri on January 1, and has a local network that provides logistical support to terrorists. The officials said that Sultan has been active in the Poonch-Rajouri sector, and provided support to the terrorists involved in the Bhata Dhurian attack that left nine Indian soldiers dead.

The focus now needs to be on the possibility of local support to terrorists who appear to have excellent knowledge of the terrain and hideouts in the area. The two ambushes are a matter of serious concern, said military affairs expert and former army vice chief Lieutenant General AS Lamba (retd).

Additional teams from the vicinity were rushed to the site after the IED explosion.

Officials said terrorists may still be trapped in the area, and there is a likelihood of casualties on their side as well.

The operations are still in progress, Anand said.

Besides commandos of 9 Para SF, men from the Central Reserve Police Force and special operations group of Jammu and Kashmir Police were also involved in the operation.

The army has deployed choppers and drones to scan the jungles to track down the terrorists, whose numbers are estimated to be between seven and nine, the officials said, asking not to be named. The operation is taking place in the jungles of Kotranka, around 180 kms from Jammu.

Defence minister Rajnath Singh had on April 28 asked the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) regional bloc to work towards eliminating terrorism and hold those who aid it accountable at the defence ministers meeting of the grouping, even as Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif skipped the event.

On Friday, external affairs minister S Jaishankar lashed out at Islamabad after a meeting that involved his Pakistani counterpart, calling it a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan.

In 2021, the army lost nine soldiers in three days in the Bhata Dhurian jungles of Poonch.

While five army personnel including a junior commissioned officer (JCO) were killed on October 11 in Chamrer area, a JCO and three soldiers were killed on October 14 in Nar Khas forest  but this was during a counter-terror operation. The first attack, the ambush on the truck, was the first of its kind targeting the army in years.

Read here: 5 soldiers killed during ongoing anti-terror operation in J&Ks Rajouri

A group calling itself the Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), regarded as an offshoot of Jaish-e-Mohammad, which had claimed responsibility for the April 20 ambush, also claimed responsibility for the latest attack. It shared a press release on social media, issued by spokesperson Tanveer Ahmad Rather linking the April 20 ambush and Fridays attack.

HT, however, couldnt independently vouch for its veracity.

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BENAULIM, GOA: A meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) became the venue for an intense face-off between India and Pakistan over terror on Friday, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar accusing his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of being a justifier [and] spokesperson of a terrorism industry. External affairs minister S Jaishankar addresses a press conference at the end of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) council of foreign ministers' meeting in Goa on Friday (AP)

Watch: Jaishankar names and shames Bilawal; Spokesperson for terror industry

Responding to remarks made by Bhutto Zardari at a meeting of SCO foreign ministers and at a subsequent news conference, Jaishankar said India will counter and delegitimise cross-border terrorism and call out Pakistans backing for it. He lashed out at Bhutto Zardaris efforts to link the resumption of dialogue to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmirs special status, saying the only issue up for discussion would be Islamabads vacation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier, and Im sorry to say, spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered, including at the SCO meeting itself, a visibly aggressive Jaishankar told a news conference at the conclusion of the multilateral meet.

Victims and perpetrators of terror dont sit together to discuss the issue, Jaishankar said while asserting Indias right to defend, counter, call out and delegitimise acts of terrorism. That is exactly what is happening. So, to come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat  I mean they are committing acts of terrorism, he said.

While noting that he didnt want to jump the gun on the death of five soldiers in an explosion at Rajouri on Friday, Jaishankar said Pakistans credibility in the context of terrorism is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

Jaishankar rubbished Bhutto Zardaris remarks at the news conference that criticised the holding of a G20 meeting in Srinagar and the abrogation of Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and said Pakistan has no locus standi on these matters.

There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir, which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said.

[On] Article 370, I have a phrase, which is wake up and smell the coffee, [Article] 370 is history. The sooner people realise it, the better, he added.

Jaishankar also responded to Bhutto Zardaris remarks at the SCO meeting on weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, saying it unconsciously reveals Pakistans mindset. What does weaponising something mean? It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it...That means they think terrorism is legitimate, that we should not weaponise it, he said.

While replying to a Pakistani journalists question on whether Bhutto Zardaris visit to India represented a breakthrough, Jaishankar said: He came here as a foreign minister of an SCO member state...Please do not see it as anything more than that...It was not treated as anything more than that and I think nothing from what he said, or what I heard he said, deserves for this to be treated [as] more than that.

People familiar with the matter said several factors were behind the tough stance taken by Jaishankar at his news conference, including the upcoming election in Karnataka, the deaths of the Indian soldiers at Rajouri, and Bhutto Zardaris efforts to bring up contentious issues in interviews with the Indian media and at his news conference with Pakistani journalists.

The Pakistani foreign minister has been facing the heat from the opposition at home and any success on his part in raising these contentious issues would have allowed him to score in domestic politics. There was also a need to counter what he said in his media interactions in Goa, one of the people cited above said.

Though the external affairs ministry spokesperson sought to limit the questions on Pakistan at Jaishankars news conference, the minister himself said he was ready to respond to all the queries.

Earlier at the SCO meeting, Jaishankar urged members of the grouping to crack down on non-state actors and terror financing. Addressing a gathering that also included Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SCO states in the context of connectivity projects.

Jaishankar subsequently said at the news conference in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that he made it clear twice during the SCO meeting that connectivity is good for progress but cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

India has long opposed CPEC since it passes through PoK.

Bhutto Zardari, in his speech, described CPEC as a force multiplier for regional connectivity that can enable all countries to move towards full regional economic integration.

The SCO meeting at Taj Exotica Resort in this seaside village was closely followed because of the participation of Bhutto Zardari, the first Pakistani foreign minister to travel to India in nearly 12 years. As the foreign ministers arrived at the venue on Friday morning, Jaishankar greeted all of them with a namaste, thus obviating the possibility of a handshake with Bhutto Zardari in the full media glare.

While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks.

The channel of finances for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, he said.

In a subsequent tweet, Jaishankar added: We must not allow anybody  individual or state  to hide behind non-state actors.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar noted Indias priorities for SCO, as contained in the acronym SECURE, which stands for security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environmental protection.

With SCO in its third decade, Jaishankar highlighted the need for reform and modernisation of the grouping to keep it relevant in a rapidly changing world. Expressing Indias active support for this process, he noted the progress made for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full members of SCO and for recognising Indias long-standing demand to make English the third official language of the grouping.

He said four countries would sign an MoU to be associated with SCO as dialogue partners. Though Jaishankar didnt name the countries, officials identified them as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives and Myanmar.

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Benaulim, Goa: India on Friday asserted that the situation in the border areas with China is abnormal, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar saying bilateral ties cannot be normalised if peace and tranquillity along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) continues to be disturbed. External affairs minister S Jaishankar with Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang during the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa on Friday. (PTI)

Jaishankar forcefully pushed back against repeated descriptions by the top Chinese leadership of the situation on LAC as stable, and said he had a very frank discussion on the situation along the border with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang during their bilateral meeting on the margins of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet on Thursday.

I think the issue is that there is an abnormal position in the border areas along the boundary and we had a very frank discussion about it. Its not the first discussion, I had spoken to foreign minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of the G20 as well, he told a news conference.

India and China have to take forward the process for disengagement of frontline troops in Ladakh sector of LAC, he said. He added that this is something he had conveyed to the Chinese side in a clear and frank manner in both public and private conversations.

What I say within the room is not different from what I say outside  which is that India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if the peace and tranquillity in the border areas is disturbed. Ive been very, very clear [and] very consistent about it and I have not changed my position at this meeting either, he said.

Jaishankar also referred to a meeting held by Qin with members of an India-China friendship organisation in Goa on Thursday that had discussed the contributions of the noted Indian doctor Dwarkanath Kotnis and people-to-people contacts, and reiterated that bilateral relations are not normal.

So, to suggest somehow that they are and everything else can continue and...while the relevant issues, the central problems are not being effectively addressed, I think it wont wash, he said.

While there may be an endeavour by the Chinese side to project a picture that the situation on the LAC is stable, India will not play along with it, he added.

According to a readout issued by the Chinese side following Thursdays bilateral meeting, Qin had described the situation on LAC as generally stable. Qin also told Jaishankar that the two sides should continue to implement the consensus reached by Indian and Chinese leaders, consolidate existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity.

The dragging standoff on LAC, which has entered its fourth year, and a brutal clash at Galwan Valley in June 2020 that killed 20 Indian soldiers and an unspecified number of Chinese troops have taken bilateral ties to their lowest in six decades.

Jaishankar also responded to a question on whether SCO is perceived as an anti-West grouping by saying: How people perceive it is something I cannot answer for. What I can say is it is a grouping where membership serves Indias interests. India has a multidirectional foreign policy with many partners, and its not always necessary or sometimes possible that all partners necessarily get along with other partners.

This, he said, is a characteristic of Indias foreign policy in todays fluid, multipolar, uncertain and volatile world. We are members of SCO because it serves our interests. It is a major Eurasian grouping, he said.

Jaishankar said in response to another question that there wasnt a focused discussion on developments in Ukraine at SCO meet. There were some references to the crisis in formal and informal discussions, he said.

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External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity along the border areas are disturbed. Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, left, and India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar meet on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, Thursday, May 4, 2023. (Javed Dar/Xinhua via AP)(AP)

On meeting with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional bloc meet in Goa, the minister said in a briefing, ...issue is that there is an abnormal position in the border areas, along the boundary. We had a very frank discussion about it.

We have to take the disengagement process forward. I have made it very clear, publicly as well, that India-China relations are not normal & cannot be normal if peace & tranquillity in the border areas are disturbed, EAM added.

During the 18th Corps Commander meet held last month, both the Indian and Chinese sides had agreed to stay in close touch and work together on a mutually acceptable solution to remaining issues in eastern Ladakh. But there was no headway in ending the standoff.

The ties between India and China have been strained after the June 2020 clash in the Galwan valley. Both the troops are locked in a standoff in a few friction points along the LAC in the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

ALSO READ: 'Terror industry promoter's positions called out, countered': Jaishankar on Bilawal at SCO

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on "three mutuals" -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
With the rise of China as a global economic and military super-power inevitable this decade, India will be the odd man out in the SCO and the BRICS as virtually all the members of these groupings are recipients of copious infrastructure aid from Beijing in the name of Belt-Road Initiative (BRI). Brazil is still to join the BRI but has already received some USD 66 billion in infrastructure investment from China with its Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva cozying up to President Xi Jinping in Beijing last month. Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It is quite evident that China with its economic and political heft will out-gun every member of these two groupings with the strong exception of India and try to impose its own vision of global order on the multilateral groupings. The SCO summit is being hosted by India and the BRICS summit by Brazil in 2023.

While India is pushing for English to be a working language in the SCO apart from Mandarin and Russian, the multilateral institution faces the challenge of Beijing using these platforms for disseminating President Xi Jinpings vision of international order like the Global Security Initiative (GSI) and Global Development Initiative (GDI).

Fact is that China wanted to introduce President Xi Jinpings 14-point Thought in the communique of the 2017 SCO summit in Astana, Kazakhstan and the matter was discussed during the SCO Foreign Ministers Meeting on June 18-19, 2017. India, which was admitted to the SCO formally in 2017, was represented by then Minister of State for External Affairs Gen Vijay Kumar Singh. The idea of introducing President Xi Jinpings Thoughts on Socialism with the Chinese Characteristics for a New Era was dropped after India wanted to introduce cross-border terrorism in the same communique with Pakistan becoming a formal member of SCO that year.

Just as the SCO faces the challenge of becoming China-centric with Russia bogged down in the Ukraine war, the BRICS platform faces the same issues with South Africa recipient of over USD six billion of investment from Beijing as part of the BRI and Russia also recipient of over USD 10 billion BRI investment from the Middle Kingdom.

While India under Narendra Modi is ready to stand alone in both the SCO and BRICS on its convictions but also prepared to converge with fellow members on global good issues, the situation is getting complicated with new SCO membersIran and Belarusalso part of the Chinese BRI project.

However, according to global watchers, even though the majority of states are part of the Chinese BRI, they have a strong sense of national interest and will take decisions only on the basis of their national interest, particularly power like Russia, not merely based on the aid given by Beijing. The fact that all decisions in SCO and BRICS are taken on consensus is a saving grace.

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In another rescue mission carried out by the Indian Air Force (IAF) from Sudan, a C-17 heavy-lifter of the IAF airlifted 192 people from the war-torn country on Thursday, with the full mission lasting almost 24 hours with a refuelling stop at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, officials familiar with the matter said on Friday. The mission comes on the back of a rescue mission carried out by a C-130J special operations aircraft in April-end (Photo:IAF)

The mission comes on the back of a rescue mission carried out by a C-130J special operations aircraft in April-end.

The IAFs C-17 aircraft took off from Hindan on May 3-4 at midnight, landed and refuelled in Jeddah on May 4 morning, then flew to Port Sudan, from where it airlifted the passengers - mostly children, women and elderly- to Ahmedabad in Gujarat before flying back to the Hindan air base on Thursday night, the officials said.

Also Read: 40 return to Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad from war-torn Sudan

At Sudan, the aircraft carried out an overhead steep tactical arrival followed by an assault approach to land the heavy jet, the IAF said in a statement on Friday.

During the entire duration of the ground operations, the aircraft engines were kept running in readiness of a quick exit from the airfield, in case of such a need arising, IAF said.

India has thus far evacuated 3,862 people from Sudan under Operation Kaveri, including 47 passengers who arrived on Friday in a C-130J aircraft.

Prime Minister @narendramodis commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our inspiration. Moving passengers to Port Sudan from various locations across the country in precarious security circumstances was a complex exercise. Via 17 Indian Airforce flights and 5 Indian Navy Ship sorties, our people were moved from Port Sudan to safety in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 86 nationals were evacuated through the countries bordering Sudan, external affairs minister S Jaishankar wrote on Twitter on Friday.

The C-17 aircraft took excess fuel from Jeddah to avoid a situation of non-availability of fuel and refuelling delays in Sudan, the IAF said in a statement.

The mission was one of a kind, with the aircraft carrying 192 passengers, mostly ladies, children and elderly persons, who either were NRIs, foreign nationals or OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India). These people were not permitted a landing at Jeddah, and hence were required to be flown directly to India in a nonstop flight by the heavy jet, said IAF.

The crew encountered an emergency when a passenger fell unconscious during the flight, but the crew immediately administered oxygen and stabilised him, it stated.

The crew flew through extended duty periods of nearly 24 hours to get some of the last stranded countrymen back to India, it added.

The IAF had carried out another remarkable operation on April 27-28 at midnight when a C-130J rescued 121 personnel from a small airstrip at Wadi Sayyidna, about 40 km north of Khartoum. The airstrip had a degraded surface, with no navigational approach aids, fuel or landing lights.

Also Read: Operation Kaveri: Herculean task of evacuating Indians from Sudans El Fashir achieved

Upon landing, the aircraft engines were kept running while eight IAF Garud Commandos secured the passengers and their luggage into the aircraft. As with the landing, the take-off from the unlit runway was also carried out using night vision goggles, IAF had said.

The flight from Wadi Sayyidna which was executed at great risk also deserves recognition, Jaishankar wrote on Twitter on Friday.

Operation Kaveri comes on the back of Indias gruelling rescue and relief effort, codenamed Operation Dost, in earthquake-ravaged Turkey in February. India was one of the first responders to the natural disaster that hit parts of Turkey and Syria and killed tens of thousands of people.

The evacuation of Indian nationals from Sudan has again turned the spotlight on the impressive humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) capabilities created by Indias armed forces in recent decades and its ability to reach out to citizens in distress in far corners of the world.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Army is laying the groundwork for the induction of a raft of new systems and technologies that will lead to improved battlefield transparency, enable commanders to make faster and more accurate decisions, and tighten the so-called sensor-to-shooter loop(time taken to acquire and attack targets). Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan with Chief of the Army Staff General Manoj Pande.(PTI)

Read here: India lashes out at Pak terror industry at SCO

The overarching plan to boost capabilities includes the setting up of a mini Gati Shakti platform, named Project Avagat, that will bring in multi-domain spatial awareness on a single GIS (geographic information system) platform, officials familiar with the development said on Friday.

Among the key projects being implemented by the army is Project Anuman for providing accurate weather forecasts to the armys deployments along the China border, where India and China have been locked in a border row for three years, for more efficient operations.

The projects being pursued are aimed at transforming the army into a future-ready, technology-driven, lethal and agile force, said one of the officials cited above, asking not to be named.

These include implementing a new battlefield surveillance system, upgrading the artillery combat command and control system (ACCCS) with highly accurate defence series maps, a new situational awareness module for the army (SAMA) and a system for better situational reporting, Hindustan Times has learnt. Army chief General Manoj Pande is monitoring the implementation of the projects. The army is observing 2023 as the Year of Transformation.

The army project based on the Gati Shakti model has been named Avagat, and will be operationalised in a phased manner.

It will bring together inputs from the operational domain, logistics inputs, satellite imagery data, and topographic and meteorological inputs on a common platform, and the system is expected to be fully operational by the year-end, said a second official, who also asked not to be named.

Launched in 2021, Gati Shakti is a digital platform that has brought 16 ministries, including railways and roadways, together for integrated planning and coordinated implementation of infrastructure connectivity projects. The army has been inspired by Gati Shakti and has emulated the platforms design, he added.

Leveraging technological advantage remains central to all perspective plans undertaken by the army for force modernisation by focusing on capacity enhancement and capability development. The present times are marked by the existence of an unprecedented and unique eco-system, both within and outside the army, and the army is well poised to seize the opportunity, said the first official.

The armys new battlefield surveillance system, called Project Sanjay, has undergone comprehensive trials in plains, desert and mountains, and it is now headed towards deployment, the officials said. The project will result in the setting up of scores of surveillance centres in the armys field formations by December 2025, they said. Bharat Electronics Limited, Ghaziabad, is the projects system integrator.

Read here: Pakistan-based terror groups shift focus from Valley to Rajouri, Poonch

Project Sanjay involves the integration of hundreds of sensors -- ranging from satellite sensors to unmanned aerial vehicles to radars -- and it will help present an integrated surveillance picture to commanders and staff at all levels. It will also complete the sensor-to-shooter grid in integration with the ACCCS, said the second official.

The ACCCS, or Project Shakti, involves the upgradation of the armys oldest and most successful operational information system with defence series maps, and several other new features that will optimise its functioning and enable application of artificial intelligence and machine learning on data aggregated through its exploitation, the officials said. Defence series maps are topographical maps of different scales with height, contours and full content without dilution of accuracy, and are placed under the restricted category.

The Indian Army is working towards attaining a comprehensive integration of concepts, capability, organisation and systems, said military affairs expert and former army vice chief Lieutenant General AS Lamba (retd). Improved battlefield surveillance, faster decision making and appropriate weapon response using automated means and technology will help meet the challenges of the future, Lamba added.

Project Anuman for weather forecasts with increased reliability and accuracy along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) is being pursued in partnership with the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF) under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.

Meteorological inputs are of great significance to commanders on the ground. The artillery uses them on a regular basis before firing projectiles. Data from NCMRWF has helped artillery fire more accurately. Under Project Anuman, the army will help NCMRWF collect observations along the Northern Borders (with China) and will receive, in near future, customised products for its components deployed there, said the first official.

SAMA, another key project, is an in-house decision support system, developed in partnership with Bhaskaracharya National Institute for Space Applications and Geoinformatics (BISAG-N), an autonomous scientific society under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. It will undergo field validation in a corps headquarters zone in May, the officials said.

SAMA has successfully integrated inputs from ACCCS, battlefield surveillance system, e-Sitrep and other systems. The application has been designed to present a comprehensive battlefield picture to commanders at all levels based on authorisation and roles, said another official.

E-Sitrep refers to situational reporting over an enterprise-class GIS platform. Situational reporting is the cornerstone of all operational correspondence, which keeps the operational staff working, the officials said. This workflow has matured over the years, and over the last few months it has undergone a major transformation. From June 2023, situational reporting will start happening on an enterprise-class GIS platform configured for the armys operational needs, the second official said. The system will be first operationalised in the armys operationally critical Northern Command in June 2023, with the other commands migrating to it later.

The ongoing infusion of technology will help rightsize the army, the officials said, without giving any numbers.

Read here: Hidden IED, indiscriminate fire: How Rajouri attack unfolded

One of the pillars of the transformational initiatives is the review of the armys systems, processes and functions to make them efficient, outcome oriented and reduce manpower. In this, we are focussed on automation, digitisation and networking for enhancing the efficiency of procedures, said the first official.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar launched a fierce attack on Pakistan on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on Friday, accusing his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of being a justifier [and] spokesperson of a terrorism industry. Jaishankar with Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto in Goa on Friday. (ANI)

On a day when five Indian soldiers were killed in a terror attack in Jammu & Kashmirs Rajouri district, Jaishankar minced no words, saying India will counter and delegitimise cross-border terrorism and call out Pakistans backing for it. He also lashed out at Bhutto Zardaris efforts at the meeting of SCO foreign ministers to link resumption of dialogue with restoration of Jammu & Kashmirs special status, saying the only issue up for discussion would be Islamabad vacating Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier, and Im sorry to say, spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered, including at the SCO meeting itself, an aggressive Jaishankar told a news conference at the conclusion of the multilateral meet.

Victims and perpetrators of terror dont sit together to discuss the issue, Jaishankar said while asserting Indias right to defend, counter, call out and delegitimise acts of terrorism. That is exactly what is happening. So, to come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat  I mean they are committing acts of terrorism, he said.

While noting that he didnt want to jump the gun on the death of five soldiers in an explosion at Rajouri on Friday, Jaishankar said Pakistans credibility in the context of terrorism is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

Jaishankar rubbished Bhutto Zardaris remarks at the news conference criticising the holding of a G20 meeting in Srinagar and the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir, and said Pakistan has no locus standi on these matters. There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir, which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, he said.

[On] Article 370, I have a phrase, which is wake up and smell the coffee, [Article] 370 is history. The sooner people realise it, the better, he added.

Jaishankar also responded to Bhutto Zardaris remarks at the SCO meeting on weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, saying it unconsciously reveals Pakistans mindset. What does weaponising something mean? It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it... That means they think terrorism is legitimate, that we should not weaponise it, he said.

While replying to a Pakistani journalists question on whether Bhutto Zardaris visit to India represented a breakthrough, Jaishankar said: He came here as a foreign minister of an SCO member state... Please do not see it as anything more than that... It was not treated as anything more than that and I think nothing from what he said, or what I heard he said, deserves for this to be treated [as] more than that.

People familiar with the matter said several factors were behind the tough stance taken by Jaishankar at his news conference, including the deaths of the Indian soldiers at Rajouri, and Bhutto Zardaris efforts to bring up contentious issues in interviews with the Indian media and at his news conference with Pakistani journalists.

The Pakistani foreign minister has been facing the heat from the opposition at home and any success on his part in raising these contentious issues would have allowed him to score in domestic politics. There was also a need to counter what he said in his media interactions in Goa, one of the people cited above said.

Though the external affairs ministry spokesperson sought to limit the questions on Pakistan at Jaishankars news conference, the minister himself said he was ready to respond to all the queries.

Earlier, at the SCO meeting, Jaishankar urged members of the grouping to crack down on non-state actors and terror financing. Addressing a gathering that also included Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SCO states in the context of connectivity projects.

He subsequently said at the news conference in the context of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he had made it clear twice during the SCO meeting that connectivity is good for progress but cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

India has for long opposed CPEC since it passes through PoK.

Bhutto Zardari, in his speech, described CPEC as a force multiplier for regional connectivity that can enable all countries to move towards full regional economic integration.

The SCO meeting at Taj Exotica Resort in this seaside village was closely followed because of the participation of Bhutto Zardari, the first Pakistani foreign minister to travel to India in nearly 12 years. As the foreign ministers arrived at the venue of Friday morning, Jaishankar greeted all of them with a namaste, thus obviating the possibility of a handshake with Bhutto Zardari in full media glare.

While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks.

The channel of finances for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, he said.

In a subsequent tweet, Jaishankar added: We must not allow anybody  individual or state  to hide behind non-state actors.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar noted Indias priorities for SCO, as contained in the acronym SECURE, which stands for security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environmental protection.

With SCO in its third decade, Jaishankar highlighted the need for reform and modernisation of the grouping to keep it relevant in a rapidly changing world. Expressing Indias active support for this process, he noted the progress made for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full members of SCO and for recognising Indias long-standing demand to make English the third official language of the grouping.

He said four countries would sign an MoU to be associated with SCO as dialogue partners. Though Jaishankar didnt name the countries, officials identified them as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives and Myanmar.

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India and Pakistan sparred on the issue of cross-border terrorism at a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers on Thursday, with external affairs minister S Jaishankar urging members of the grouping to crack down on non-state actors and terror financing. Jaishankar greeted Pakistan foreign minister with a namaste. (ANI)

Addressing a gathering that included Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar emphasised the importance of respecting sovereignty and territorial integrity of all SCO states in the context of connectivity projects.

Though Jaishankar didnt go into specifics, India has for long opposed the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) since it passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

Bhutto Zardari, in his speech following the opening remarks by Jaishankar, contended that terrorism shouldnt be weaponised for diplomatic point scoring.

He described CPEC as a force multiplier for regional connectivity that can enable all countries to move towards full regional economic integration.

Also Read:Is India odd man out in China-dominated SCO and BRICS?

The SCO meeting at Taj Exotica Resort in this seaside village was closely followed because of the participation of Bhutto Zardari, the first Pakistani foreign minister to travel to India in nearly 12 years. As the foreign ministers arrived at the venue on Friday morning, Jaishankar greeted all of them with a namaste, thus obviating the possibility of a handshake in the full media glare.

While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism, and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar said in his televised opening remarks.

The channel of finances for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction.

Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, he said.

In a subsequent tweet, Jaishankar added, We must not allow anybody  individual or state  to hide behind non-state actors.

In his opening remarks, Jaishankar noted Indias priorities for SCO, as contained in the acronym SECURE, which stands for security, economic development, connectivity, unity, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity and environmental protection.

He added in his tweet, Underlined that while connectivity is key to progress, it must come with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states.

In an apparent response to Jaishankars remarks, Bhutto Zardari said in his speech that the collective security of the people of SCO states is a joint responsibility.

Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Lets not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, he said.

He referred to the assassination of his mother, former premier Benazir Bhutto, by terrorists and said, We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism, including state sponsored terrorism.

Pakistan, he said, is firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts to eradicate terrorism.

This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach... It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship, he added.

Bhutto Zardari said practical and pragmatic solutions exist to counter terrorism and called for SCOs Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure (RATS) to be strengthened to address growing threats to peace and security in the region.

Backing the long gestating CPEC, Bhutto Zardari said CPEC states have often lamented the lack of connectivity between themselves.

CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbor China. CPEC offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to...connect the dots towards full regional economic integration, he said.

In an apparent reference to Indias actions on Jammu and Kashmir, Bhutto Zardari also said unilateral measures by states in violation of international law and [UN] Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives.

The SCO Charter does not allow the raising of bilateral issues, and both Jaishankar and Bhutto Zardari spoke about the concerns of their countries without any direct references to India and Pakistan.

However, their remarks left no doubts about the intent of their messaging.

Jaishankar said the situation in Afghanistan remains at the center of SCOs attention and the groupings efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people.

Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities, he said.

With SCO in its third decade, Jaishankar highlighted the need for reform and modernisation of the grouping to keep it relevant in a rapidly changing world.

Expressing Indias active support for this process, he noted the progress made for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full members of SCO and for recognising Indias long-standing demand to make English as the third official language of the grouping.

He said four countries would sign an MoU to be associated with SCO as dialogue partners. Though Jaishankar didnt name the countries, officials identified them as Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Maldives and Myanmar.

Jaishankar said India has also proposed a declaration for the SCO Summit in July and thematic joint statements for cooperation in de-radicalisation, strategies, digital transformation, promotion of millets, and sustainable lifestyles to address climate change.

Bhutto Zardari said his participation in the meeting in Goa reflects the importance Pakistan attaches to SCO, which has emerged as a platform for promoting mutual understanding, security and development in a world facing geo-political flux.

He also highlighted the threat posed by the climate crisis and the grave challenges due to the situation in Afghanistan.

The solution to our collective challenges should be collective action, not a divided reaction... We must isolate these issues from hyper-partisan geopolitics if we are to succeed, he said.

Bhutto Zardari also lauded the role of Pakistans close ally China in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which are associated with SCO, and said this can lead to regional integration and economic opportunities.

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External affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday welcomed his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The two exchanged pleasantries and posed for photographs before Bhutto-Zardari headed for the crucial meeting in Goa. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries on a host of issues, including cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir. External affairs minister S Jaishankar with his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

Jaishankar also welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and foreign ministers of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan for the CFM meeting in Goa.

On Thursday evening, Bhtutto-Zardari attended a reception hosted by Jaishankar for the visiting foreign ministers. While a few people who are part of Bhutto-Zardari's entourage claimed Jaishankar shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart as he did with others, there was no confirmation of it by the Indian side, according to a PTI report.

Earlier, the Pakistan foreign minister was received at the airport in Goa by JP Singh, the joint secretary heading the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division at the external affairs ministry.

"I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful," Bhutto-Zardari told reporters.

In a tweet with the caption 'Salaam, from Goa India', Bhutto-Zardari said: "Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet".

"I will first hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister. Then, will hold a meeting with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers..," he said in a short video.

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Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP) founder Bhim Singh's son has been removed from a blacklist and issued an emergency visa to attend his mother's funeral after he apologised to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for participating in an anti-government protest in London last year. Ankit Love, the son of Bhim Singh, former president of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party.(Facebook)

Ankit Love (39), who is based in London, was given a three-month emergency visa on Thursday to attend his mother's last rites, which, according to him, will take place on the banks of Devika river in Udhampur district on Friday afternoon.

I am reaching Jammu tomorrow (Friday) morning to say the final goodbye to my mother, Love told PTI on the phone from Delhi on his arrival from abroad.

He said he is happy that his apology was considered by the government and he was provided with the visa to perform the last rites of his mother, whose body is lying in a mortuary for the past week.

Earlier, Love shared a copy of his visa on Facebook with the message, "Thank you India for taking me off the blacklist so that I may go and attend my mother's funeral. God bless".

The only son of JKNPP founder Bhim Singh has apologised to Prime Minister Modi for participating in an anti-government protest in February last year that led to him being blacklisted by the High Commission.

In an open letter to the prime minister, Love said that he regrets throwing eggs and stones at the High Commission during the February 2022 protest and requested the prime minister to intervene so that he could return and perform the funeral of his mother Jay Mala (64).

Mala, a Supreme Court lawyer, died on April 26 and her body has been kept at the mortuary of Government Medical College (GMC) hospital in Jammu after Love requested it be kept there till he returns to perform the last rites.

This comes even as his relatives are engaged in a tussle to take control of the Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party (JKNPP), which has been in disarray following Bhim Singh's death on May 31, 2022. Love could not attend his father's funeral as well.

"Praise Shiva! Mom, I will be there tomorrow! Promise. Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi and everyone for your loving support to get me back home for my mom's funeral. Peace & #Love ProfBhim Singh," he said in another post on Facebook.

According to Love, he was blacklisted by India after the British police arrested him following a protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on February 14, 2022.

In the open letter to the prime minister on Tuesday, Love said he deeply and sincerely regrets his actions and apologises for his mistake of throwing eggs and stones at the High Commission.

"I will be deeply thankful if you could kindly forgive me and allow me to visit Jammu to perform the last rites of my mother -- I need to reach Jammu urgently as everyone is waiting for my arrival to perform the last rites," he said, adding it was also the wish of his mother.

Mentioning the Indian High Commission's denial of approval for his travel, he said, "I assure you that henceforth there will be no such act by me against my Nation which I love very much and am very much proud of."
Madras high court on Friday decided to hear the bail plea of a Kalakshetra Foundation faculty member Hari Padman, arrested on charges of sexual harassment on April 3, only after knowing the outcome of the joint petition of seven students of the Foundation on June 15. Madras HC to hear Hari Padmans bail plea on June 15. (HT Archives)

The decision came after the Tamil Nadu state commission for women who had received close to 100 complaints of sexual harassment from students opposed any relief to Padman.

The commission filed an intervening petition.

We opposed it on the grounds that if he comes out on bail, there are chances of him approaching the witness and trying to influence the procedure, said women commission head AS Kumari.

When the case is still on-going and we are still collecting evidence related to him and others, he cannot come out, Kumari said. Padman has remained in prison since his arrest.

After inquiry, the commission had submitted a report to chief secretary Irai Anbu stating that prima facie a case of sexual harassment has been made out. So the state governments counsel (additional public prosecutor A Damodharan) also submitted to the court that they oppose the bail, according to people familiar with the matter.

During the hearing, justice GK Ilanthiraiyan said that Padmans bail plea will be heard on June 16, a day after the order of justice M Dhandapani who will hear the petition of the seven students of the Rukmini Devi College of Fine Arts run under Kalakshetra.

The students who have been allowed to keep their identity protected in the case have sought a safe learning environment and a redressal mechanism to deal with complaints on campus.

In the earlier hearing on April 26, Justice Dhandapani directed the Kalakshetra Foundation to produce profiles of members in the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) constituted earlier on April 3 and to frame a new policy which includes parents and teachers and then reconstitute the ICC.

The premium performing arts institution in Chennai has been in the spotlight after students went on protests alleging sexual harassment by four teachers.

The Adyar All Women Police Station in Chennai arrested one of the accused, Padman, based on the complaint of an alumni of Kalakshetra who came forward after protests by current students. Padman, an assistant professor, has also been suspended by Kalakshetra but not before the institution dismissed the allegations.

On March 19, Kalakshetras administration released a statement that said their ICC found no truth in the allegations.

The students began protesting on March 30 demanding that four teachers including Padman be suspended for alleged sexual harassment against female and male students. The protest was temporarily called off on March 31 following the intervention of the head of the Tamil Nadu State Women Commission Kumari. The commission had submitted its report in a sealed cover to the court in the previous hearing.

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The Indian Army on Friday said the situation in violence-hit Manipur has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. A scooterist rides past a damaged water tanker that was set afire during a protest by tribal groups in Churachandpur in Manipur. (REUTERS)

As clashes broke out across Manipur, the Northeast Frontier Railway has stopped all trains to the northeastern state.

Top updates on Manipur violence:

1. The Indian Army said the Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft. Induction commenced on the night of 4th May and additional columns commenced domination with effect from wee hours of May 5, the army said.

2. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas underway, the army said.

3. Following the law and order situation, the Northeast Frontier Railway has stopped all Manipur-bound trains. "No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement, said Sabyasachi De, CPRO of NF Railway, told to news agency ANI. Four trains have been cancelled. Initially, this decision has been taken only for May 5 and 6, the Indian Railways.

4. The army urged the citizens to rely only on content from official and verified sources. This comes after the Indian Army cautioned about several fake videos on the security situation in Manipur were being circulated.

5. Some media reports indicated that Union home minister Amit Shah will not be travelling to Manipur on Friday. On Thursday, Shah spoke with the chief ministers of Manipur and its neighbouring states and held meetings with top central and state bodies through video conferencing to review the situation in the state.

6. Internet services have been suspended in the state amid tension.

7. Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

8. Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods. The violence didnt abate till late on Thursday evening even as thousands of army and paramilitary personnel fanned across the state, marching through the deserted streets of the states violence-hit towns to restore peace, and evacuating at least 9,000 people.

9. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Vungzagin Valte from Thanlon constituency in the Pherzawl district was attacked by a mob while returning from the chief minister's secretariat on Thursday afternoon. The incident reportedly occurred on the RIMS road when a mob attacked the car carrying the lawmaker.

10. On Thursday, the Manipur governor issued shoot-at-sight orders as it struggled to quell ethnic violence that saw mobs torch houses, shops and religious places, and even attack a sitting lawmaker in Imphal.

(With inputs from Utpal Parashar in Guwahati)

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A minor victim accompanied by his parents appeared before the Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) in Tirunelveli on Friday in connection with the case of suspended IPS officer Balveer Singh who has been accused of custodial torture. A minor victim of custodial torture appears before CB-CID on Friday. (Representational Image)

Several men have accused assistant superintendent of police (ASP) Singh of torturing them in custody across four police stations in his jurisdiction in Tirunelveli districts Ambasamudram. They have alleged that Singh broke and pulled out their teeth. Two men have said he crushed their genitals. Two boys aged 16 and 17 have also complained that he thrashed them. Rajeshwari, the mother of the 17-year-old minor boy and Arun Kumar, 22 had in a press conference in Chennai on April 5 revealed the alleged torture against her sons. She said that police told her that they were bleeding because they fell down and sent her to bring back change of clothes for both her sons and their two friends.

Based on this, the CB-CID on May 1 booked Singh under section 75 ( if any person having control of child, assaults, abandons, abuses or willfully neglects the child) of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and three sections of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989.

The Tamil Nadu police registered an FIR against Singh under four sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on April 17. Human rights activists and the ruling DMKs ally CPM have been demanding an FIR against Singh since the allegations came to light in March and have criticised the government and the police for the delay.

The case has gone through several rounds of enquiries. Before transferring the case to the CB-CID on April 19, the Tamil Nadu government appointed senior IAS officer P Amudha on April 7 to investigate the case against Singh following a preliminary investigation report submitted by the Cheranmahadevi sub-collector and sub-divisional magistrate Mohamed Shabbir Alam on April 3 recommending a high-ranking officer to lead the inquiry.

The victims had earlier also complained that they were being pressured by the police to withdraw and state that they broke their teeth by falling down. This led to action against nine police officers, including shifting of the Tirunelveli superintendent of police (SP) P Saravanan to a compulsory wait.

The allegations of custodial torture came to light on March 26 when a few men showed their missing teeth in videos and photos and accused Singh of pulling out their teeth and beating them in custody on March 10. Singh, a 2020 IPS batch officer, was first put on vacancy reserved and later suspended on March 29 on the orders of chief minister MK Stalin.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers were seen rejoicing outside the Y B Chawan centre in Mumbai after the party supremo Sharad Pawar withdrew his resignation from the top position of the party. Workers were seen raising slogans in support of the party. NCP cadres celebrate Sharad Pawar's decision to withdraw his resignation.(ANI)

Pawar withdrew his resignation as the party president on Friday. I can't disrespect your sentiments. Due to your love, I am respecting the demand that was made to me to withdraw my resignation and the resolution that was passed by senior NCP leaders. I withdraw my decision to step down as the national president of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)," the leader said hours after an NCP panel rejected his resignation.

Speaking about the NCP panel's rejection of Pawar's resignation, party leader Praful Patel said, The committee in today's meeting has passed a resolution unanimously. The resolution says that Sharad Pawar should continue as the national president. His decision to step down from the president's post has been opposed by everyone unanimously.

Sharad Pawar's decision to resign from the party's leadership position came amid rumours of rebellion brewing within the NCP. There were reports that a section of NCP MLAs were planning to leave the party along with Ajit Pawar and join the BJP.
A committee of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders picked by Sharad Pawar to pick his successor met at 11 am today at the party headquarters. The panel rejected Pawar's resignation and met at his house to convince him to continue as chief of the party.

The veteran leader had named the members of the panel after announcing his decision to step down as the NCP chief on Tuesday. The committee comprises senior members like Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Jayant Patil, Chhagan Bhujbal, Dilip Walse Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Rajesh Tope and others.

Pawar's decision to step down had sent shockwaves among the party workers and cadre, who urged him to take back his decision. After pressure from party cadre mounted, the 82-year-old leader said he would take two-three days to rethink his decision.
All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) president Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar for allegedly seeking votes on the basis of majority religion in the upcoming Karnataka Assembly elections. Owaisi was referring to the prime minister's request to vote in the name of Lord Hanuman and DK Shivakumar's assurance to prioritise the construction of Lord Hanuman temples in various parts of the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and All India Majilis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Will Congress promise reconstruction of demolished dargah in Hubli? It has surrendered on its ideological battle with BJP. Will Modi be ok if I asked people to raise TAKBIR? The skies would fall, Owaisi said in a tweet.

Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday urged the people of Karnataka to punish those indulging in abuse, while casting their vote in polling booths on May 10. Addressing a public meeting here in Uttara Kannada district, he said: "Will anyone in Karnataka accept this abuse culture? Will anyone like abusing someone? Does anyone like even a small man being abused? Will Karnataka forgive those abusing?"

"What will you (people) do this time? Will you punish them? Will you punish the abusers?... When you press the button in the polling booth, punish by saying 'Jai Bajrangbali'...," he added.

Addressing a gathering in Katnataka's Kolar, Owaisi retorted, The prime minister asked to raise slogans of Bajrangbali while casting vote, what secularism is this? Today, the Karnataka state president of Congress said that if Congress comes to power, they will build more Hanuman temples.

If I say here that while voting on 10th (May), press the button chanting 'Allahu Akbar', then the media will make a hue and cry that Owaisi has made the issue communal, the AIMIM chief added.

The polling for Karnataka elections will take place on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honour at Frances Bastille Day celebrations on July 14. An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, said the ministry of external affairs (MEA). France's President Emmanuel Macron, in a tweet in both French and Hindi, expressed delight as he said he would be happy to welcome Modi as the guest of honour in Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (@EmmanuelMacron)

What is France's Bastille Day parade?

1. July 14 is marked as Frances National Day. Its a moment for the French to celebrate what binds them together, especially the values of liberty, equality, fraternity - which, by the way, are also in the Preamble to Indias Constitution! said French embassy in India.

2. One of the revolutionary days in Paris and now a national holiday, the July 14 ("Bastille Day") is celebrated with a mixture of solemn military parades and easygoing dancing and fireworks. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789 has been commemorated in France for more than a century.

3. Every Bastille Day, Paris famous avenue des Champs-Elysees hosts a military parade - similar to India's Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path.

4. French heads of state have been the Republic Day guests of honour five times since 1951. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the 2nd Indian PM to be the guest of honour at Bastille Day, after Manmohan Singh in 2009.

5. PM Modi's presence in Paris will also hold special significance as France and India are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership this year. Indian and French troops will march side by side in the military parade in Paris, French embassy in India said.
The Congress party has issued a national advisory in mockery of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Slamming Modi for his busy campaigning ahead of the Karnataka elections, Congress wrote on its Twitter handle, "National Advisory: PM Modi is busy campaigning for the Karnataka elections. If you have a problem or your state is in turmoil, just be "Aatmanirbhar" and find solutions on your own." Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate (HT File / ANI)

In view of the hon'able PM's visit to Bengaluru for the Karnataka elections, citizens of other states, regardless of which party they voted for are requested to govern themselves The following issues will remain unaddressed until vote counting concludes on 13th May - Manipur Burning, Wrestlers' Protest, Poonch Terror Attack, Crony Capitalism, Economic Slowdown, Unchecked Price Rise, Corruption it lists out.

The Congress' mockery of the PM comes amid his campaigns in the poll-bound state of Karnataka and the deteriorating condition of Manipur. Slamming PM Modi, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, Modiji you are an elected prime minister of the country and the people of Karnataka are also watching what is happening in Manipur and want that you should save Manipur from burning and restore peace in the state first, said Shrinate.

This is a fit case where Home Minister of India Amit Shah should resign or should be sacked forthwith. This is a fit case where the BJP government in Manipur should be dismissed and Article 356, that is President's rule, should be imposed, she added.

Meanwhile, the Manipur government on May 4 issued a shoot-at-sight order in extreme cases, as escalating violence following a tribal solidarity march displaced more than 9,000 people in the state. Scheduled Tribe communities, mostly from the Kuki-Zomi tribal group, are protesting against a move to grant the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community, which makes up the majority of Manipur's population.

(With PTI inputs)
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi with French President Emmanuel Macron in New Delhi. (File Photo)

An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, the MEA said in a statement.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, it said.

Prime Minister Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the MEA said.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

"This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 presidency," the statement said.
A day after the Patna high court temporarily suspended Bihars caste-based survey, ruling Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Friday backed the exercise saying a bulk of the people want it. In a tweet in Hindi, Yadav questioned why the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was afraid of the exercise. RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav. (ANI)

Yadav said those opposing the survey are against equality, humanity, and supporters of poverty, unemployment, and backwardness as well as social and economic discrimination. He added the people have understood the BJPs maneuvering over it.

Chief minister Nitish Kumar has refrained from commenting on the stay. His deputy and RJD leader, Tejashwi Yadav, on Thursday said their government was keen on conducting the survey for the empowerment of the weaker sections. He added they would decide the future course of action after examining the high court order.

The court said the exercise in its present form virtually amounted to a census and impinged upon Parliaments domain while temporarily suspending the survey.

The order dealt a blow to Bihars plans of counting the castes in the state for the first time since independence.

The BJP demanded the resignation of Nitish Kumar, who spearheaded the demand for the survey.

Case enumeration was discounted after 1931. Only scheduled castes and tribes have been counted since independence. Parties such as RJD hope enumeration of castes will help reverse religious polarisation.

Nitish Kumar has maintained the state was not conducting a caste census but only collecting information related to peoples economic status for specific steps to serve them better

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Hours after the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) panel, selected by Sharad Pawar rejected his resignation, Uddhav Thackeray faction leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that the veteran leader's leadership is important for the unity of opposition parties. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut. (HT PHOTO)

Someone who since the day they entered politics has been working towards social and political welfare. That politician is only a true politician then The committee that was set up to make a decision, they did not have any other solution That is why they went back to Pawar sahab and asked him to continue his leadership of the party", Raut said.



All opposition party leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray ji, expressed their feelings to Sharad Pawar saying the country needs him. This kind of politics being played in the country, especially about the talk of opposition unity, would require a leader and politician like Pawar sahab, he added.

Raut further said, "If Pawar sahab does not remain the chief of NCP, it would affect the party. If a big political party's leader, especially someone like Pawar sahab who is widely respected, does not remain chief of the party, it obviously affects the party.

Speaking about the role of central agencies in Pawar's resignation, Raut said, All opposition leaders are under pressure. The Centre and central agencies want opposition parties to diminish and more opposition leaders to join the BJP party. This kind of pressure, I have heard, has been put on several NCP leaders along with Shiv Sena leaders.

The NCP early on Friday passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar's resignation as party president and has requested him to continue to lead the party that he founded, senior NCP Praful Patel said after the party's core committee meeting to choose its next chief.

The decision was taken days after Sharad Pawar dropped a bombshell saying he would step down from the post. Celebrations by NCP party workers erupted soon after senior Patel announced the committee's decision at a press conference.

Mr Pawar expressed his desire to step down as president of the party. We unanimously reject the resignation. We have decided unanimously that we will request him to carry on as party president, Patel said at the press conference.

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Mumbai Three days after abruptly announcing his resignation amid buzz of some of his party men wanting to ally with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Sharad Pawar, 82, was back in charge of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) with the huge public outpouring of support for him from party leaders big and small (and even leaders of other political parties). Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar with party leaders addresses the media at the YB Chavan Center, in Mumbai. (PTI)

Pawar on Friday withdrew his decision to step down as NCP president after immense pressure from grassroots workers, effecting a dramatic turnaround just three days after announcing that he was stepping down after two decades at the helm of the party.

The surprise move, which unified the party around him, came after a fortnight of suspense and speculation about his nephew Ajit Pawars desire to ally with the BJP, along with several other senior NCP leaders.

Pawars announcement brought to a close, at least for some time, the churn that has engulfed his party in recent weeks. He also announced that he will be working on a succession plan and said, without naming anyone, that those in his party who wished to leave and join hands with BJP could not be stopped.

I cannot disrespect the feelings of party workers. I am overwhelmed with the love, trust and faith showered on me. Considering the appeals made by all of you and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party, I am withdrawing my decision to retire, said Pawar, reading out from a prepared statement at YB Chavan Centre in Mumbai on Friday. Ajit Pawar was conspicuous by his absence.

The announcement came hours after the NCP panel selected by him to pick his successor  it included Ajit Pawar  passed a resolution rejecting the resignation and insisting that he continue as party chief. Pawar, a former Maharashtra chief minister, also said that his daughter and Baramati MP Supriya Sule refused a suggestion to become the partys working president, indicating that she, not Ajit Pawar, was seen as a natural successor to him. And those who wanted to go, could go, he seemed to suggest. No leader in the NCP was interested in joining hands with the ruling BJP, but those who want to go, cannot be stopped.

Pawars shock announcement on Tuesday, made at the Mumbai launch of his autobiography Lok Mazhe Sangati, left his party reeling, with many senior leaders breaking down while yet others clambering onto the dais entreating him not to quit. For over two hours, they would not let Pawar leave the stage.

Over the next four days, senior NCP leaders, some lawmakers who were reportedly chafing at the bit to align with the BJP, were all left pleading with Pawar to continue as their leader and mentor. Grown men wept, others swarmed around him begging him to reverse his decision, one of them wrote a letter in his blood, while another doused himself in kerosene, threatening self-harm if Pawar did not take back his resignation. As a show of strength, it was immaculate.

The committee to find his replacement, comprising 19 members, rejected the resignation. Pawar expressed his desire to step down as president of the party. We unanimously reject the resignation. We have passed a resolution that we will request him to carry on as party president, NCP vice president Praful Patel told reporters before leaving for the senior leaders residence.

Ajit Pawar, a former deputy chief minister who had a short-lived dalliance with the BJP in 2019, released a statement later in the day welcoming his uncles decision.

Sharad Pawars decision to continue as national president of NCP by agreeing to the request of all party leaders and workers across the state and country will boost the enthusiasm of every worker of the NCP including me, he said in it.

Sharad Pawar, too, downplayed his nephews absence. Not all people can be at all places, he said, and asked the media not to read too much into his nephew not being present. I had given a slight hint about my resignation to Ajit (Pawar), but did not tell anyone else sitting here, he added.

Sharad Pawar said leaders from various political parties requested him to continue, and also spoke about a possible role on the national stage.

Bringing all parties together is important when it comes to the elections. I enjoy personal relations with many who said that I was required for this. They include Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury and many more, he added.

Even though I am continuing in the post of president, I am of the clear opinion that there has to be a succession plan. In future, I will focus on making organisational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities, and creating new leadership, said Pawar.

He also clarified that his successor will not be decided by him alone. It cannot be an individual decision. New faces, he said, should be given bigger opportunities. Those working for 10-15 years at the district level will be given state level responsibilities while those working at state level will get responsibilities at the national level, he announced.

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External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Thursday called out Pakistan over terror at the ongoing Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign minister's meeting in Panaji. The minister was unsparing in his attack on Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the meeting.



Here are the five big attacks by the external affairs minister on Pakistan.



1. While chairing the conclave, Jaishankar in a veiled reference to Pakistan, said, "Taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated".



2. Addressing the gathering which also included Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar said, "We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism, and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism".



3. Without naming Pakistan, the minister called for an end to terror financing. "The channel of finances for terror activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, he said.



4. Jaishankar said Zardari was treated accordingly as a foreign minister of an SCO member state. As a Foreign Minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and countered including at the SCO meeting itself, he said.



5. Addressing a briefing, Jaishankar again took a swipe at his Pakistani counterpart. Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here & preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat, he said.



6. They are committing acts of terrorism. I don't want to jump the gun on what happened today but we are all feeling equally outraged. On this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistan's credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves, the minister said.



7. "I said they (Pakistan) have nothing to do with G20. I will also say that they have nothing to do with Srinagar. There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir," the minister said.



8. On a question on abrogation of Article 370, the minister told Pakistan, ...wake up and smell the coffee. 370 is history. The sooner people realise it, the better it is.

External affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar gestures as he speaks during a news conference for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting.(AFP)
Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, on Friday slammed those opposing the film The Kerala Story and called the movie an eye-opener. Thakur said that freedom of expression is very selective for such groups of selective outrage. A banner from The Kerala Story film,(HT File Photo)

This ecosystem reacts in a typical pattern whenever any film/research work brings out some chilling and untold stories like #TheKeralaStory. This chaotic ecosystem, which is so angry and desperate, tried to create similar narratives against The Kashmir Files to hush up the genocide of Hindus by Pakistan sponsored terrorists in J&K, he tweeted.

"Freedom of expression is very selective for such groups of selective outrage. The Kerala Story is an eye-opener; it is time to save Kerala and our brothers and sisters from the monster of terrorism," the minister added.

The minister's reaction comes a day after Communist Party of India (CPI) Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam wrote to him claiming that the film is based on Islamophobic propaganda and intends to malign the image of Kerala.

The film claims to unearth the story of 32000 women who went missing from the state of Kerala. This claim is based on lies and extrapolations I urge you to initiate and enquiry into the fallacious claims made through the movie. Makers should corroborate their narrate with facts before the movie is released he wrote.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnataka's Ballari, invoked the film. 'The Kerala Story' film is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists' design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank, he said.

Meanwhile, the Kerala HC which is hearing the petitions against the film had refused to stay its release observing that the film is inspired by true events. There is something called freedom of speech and expression. They have artistic freedom, we have to balance that also, Live Law quoted Justice Nagaresh as saying.

(With inputs from agencies)
The Kerala high court asked the petitioners seeking to stay the release of The Kerala Story, which hit theatres on Friday, as what was there in the film that's against Islam. 'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma (in pic) Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles.

The high court, while refusing to issue a stay order on the release of the film, observed that there was no allegation against a religion, but only against the organisation Islamic State or ISIS.

"There is something called freedom of speech and expression. They have artistic freedom, we have to balance that also", Justice Nagaresh orally stated while refusing to grant an interim order.

A division bench comprising Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Mohammed Nias CP considered the matter.

What is there in the film that is against Islam? There is no allegation against a religion, but only against the organization ISIS," Justice Nagaresh said.

The bench watched The Kerala Story trailer before refusing to stay its screenings, saying that there was nothing offensive to any particular community in it.

The court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society.

Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer? the court observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film.

"So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in society?" the court observed.

The petitioners argued that the film would inject poison into the minds of innocent people. The petitioners argued that no agency has yet detected the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala.

Meanwhile, the producer told the court that the teaser, which claimed that more than 32,000 women from the southern state were recruited to the Islamic State or ISIS, will be removed from their social media accounts.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie.

'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles.

(With inputs from ANI)

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The producer of the controversial film The Kerala Story told the Kerala high court that the teaser, which claimed that more than 32,000 women from the southern state were recruited to the Islamic State or ISIS, will be removed from their social media accounts. The division bench of Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Sophy Thomas recorded the submission of the producer, Live Law reported. The official poster of The Kerala Story which will be released on May 5. (PTI)

The court also refused to stay the release of the film, observing that the film only says it inspired by true events.

The bench stated that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) has certified the film for public viewing.

Interestingly, the bench watched the trailer of the film before refusing to stay its screenings saying that there was nothing offensive to any particular community in it.

The bench also noted that none of the petitioners has watched the film and that the producers have added a disclaimer that the film is a fictionalised version.

"There is something called freedom of speech and expression. They have artistic freedom, we have to balance that also", Live Law quoted Justice Nagaresh as saying.

What is there in the film that is against Islam? There is no allegation against a religion, but only against the organisation ISIS," Justice Nagaresh added.

The court sought to know whether the entire trailer was against society.

"Nothing will happen just because the film is screened. The teaser of the film was released in November. What was offensive in the film? What is wrong in saying that Allah is the only God? The country gives the citizen the right to believe in their religion and God and spread it. What was offensive in the trailer?" the court observed while considering a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film, news agency ANI reported.

"So many movies have already come out about such organisations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in society?" the court observed.

The petitioners argued that the film would inject poison into the minds of innocent people. The petitioners added that no agency has yet detected the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala.

Helmed by Sudipto Sen and produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the film has triggered a massive political row with various leaders reacting to the upcoming movie.

'The Kerala Story' stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani and Sonia Balani in the lead roles. The trailer of Sen's film 'The Kerala Story' came under fire as it claimed that 32,000 girls from the state went missing and later joined the terrorist group ISIS.

Faced with backlash the makers then withdrew the figure and called the movie the story of three women from Kerala, in its trailer description.

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It was a cold November night. At a wedding ceremony in Ghaziabad, guests ambled about, light woollens obscuring their finery. A throng of young men surrounded the groom, local gangster Sundar Bhati. Police near the encounter site where Anil Dujana was shot dead in Meerut district on May 4. (PTI)

Read here: Gangster Anil Dujana cremated in Greater Noida after being killed in an encounter

The rituals were about to start when a tall, dusky man in his 20s walked in, a gang of men with AK-47s trailing him. A shower of bullets rained on the grooms party, leaving three people dead. The perpetrator  Anil Dujana  had ordered and executed a hit on his former ringleader, Bhati, at the behest of his new boss, Randip Bhati.

Born in 1980, Dujana started his life in crime in 2002 but the daring murders in Ghaziabad in 2011 catapulted him into the top echelons of the strongmen whose sway shaped almost every aspect of life in western UP. Shortly afterwards, he started his own gang, fuelling the lore around his sharp-shooting skills that led many to call him the Chota Shakeel of Meerut, a reference to the dreaded don from Mumbai who remains one of Indias most wanted men. The sensational killing of a block chairman in 2013 in Muzaffarnagar bolstered his notoriety.

Between 2011 and 2023, Dujana raked up 62 criminal cases, 18 of them murders. Often working as a shooter for hire, he trained around 100 other men, say police. Even his arrest in 2012 did little to tame his criminal enterprise, which he ran from behind bars.

His life of crime came to an abrupt halt on Thursday as the special task force of UP Police controversially gunned him down in an encounter near Meerut. Though questions abound about the tactics of the UP Police to neutralise criminals rather than bringing them to justice, Dujanas death put the spotlight on the class of hitmen and sharpshooters who were nurtured by gang lords and strongmen with political links.

In the impoverished hinterland of eastern and western UP, where industries are sparse, jobs are scarce and law enforcement erratic, these shooters often helped enforce a virtual writ and created parallel structures of administration and law. These hitmen are classified into three categories, say senior UP Police officials. The first are the expendables, deployed for a specific job and then disposed of to make the crime trail cold. The second are the ones who are used and then made to surrender if police pressure mounts. The third are hitmen, who are only used sparingly and for high-risk jobs. Dujana was one among a list of 10 most-notorious hitmen who terrorised UP. HT spoke to 14 retired and serving police officers with vast operational experience to profile the other nine.

Underworld has never been short on hitmen, one goes, 10 replace the one, said Vijay Shankar Singh, retired inspector general of police, who worked against the eastern UP mafia. There are variety of reasons but biggest is mafias using the impressionable minds to work for them out of glamour and gradually turn into a pro criminal.

Shri Prakash Shukla

The Gorakhpur man was amongst the most notorious names in UP in the late 90s, and was almost single handedly responsible for the creation of the special task force (STF) in 1998. Shukla executed some high-profile murders using AK series rifles and semi-automatic pistols, and police said he may have even considered taking on a 6 crore contract to kill then chief minister Kalyan Singh. On September 22, 1998, Shukla was killed in an encounter with the UP STF.

Read here: Who is Anil Dujana - gangster killed in UP police encounter?

Guddu Singh

Operating in almost the same timeframe as Shri Prakash Shukla, Guddu Singh also hailed from Gorakhpur. But unlike the former, he operated independently with a motley group of loyalists in eastern UP. In 2002, he targeted politician Syed Shahabuddin in Bihar, but missed. He had raked up at least 20 counts of murder when he was shot dead by Shahabuddins gunmen in the Barh court room in Bihar in 2004.

Sanjiv Maheshwari Jeeva

In jail since 2017, this diminutive man from western UP was involved in two of UPs most-sensational political murders in the last 25 years  the 1997 killing of BJP minister Brahmdutt Dwivedi in Farrukhabad and the murder of BJP lawmaker Krishna Nand Rai in Mau in 2005. In his work for gangsters Mukhtar Ansari and Munna Bajrangi, he was involved in shootouts across UP, Bihar and West Bengal. Anil Pintoo, his main hitman, was arrested in Shamli in 2022 with a gun and 1,300 live cartridges following an attack on the dean of agriculture at Meerut University, Rajveer Singh. The hit was ordered by Maheshwari. Pintoo is currently in Mainpuri jail.

Kripa Chowdhary

A native of eastern UP, Chowdhary worked as a hitman for gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari and was among the first criminals in UP to use semi-automatic weapons in murders, say police. In 1998, he allegedly gunned down three people publicly in Mirzapur with an AK-47. Then he exchanged fire with the police team on the spot, killed an inspector and injured two other constables. In 2006, Chowdhary was shot dead by the UP STF in Mumbai, where he was in hiding.

Indra Dev Singh

Singh, a resident of Ghazipur, rose in the world of crime taking advantage of the fractious rivalry between Mukhtar Ansari and gangster-politician Brajesh Singh. His reign of terror in eastern UP lasted for years but came to an abrupt end in 2013, when he murdered Satish Singh, a cousin of Brajesh Singh, and Raju Khalnayak and his wife who handled Brajesh Singhs affairs. Police say that since then, he has gone underground and maintains a low profile, eschewing the use of even a mobile phone.

Kanhaiya Vishwakarma Girdhari

A dreaded hitman of a gangster-politician in UP, Vishwakarma was ambidextrous and can fire with equal precision using either hand. Months before he was gunned down in February 2021 in Lucknow, he killed block pramukh Ajit Singh in public in Lucknow.

Rashid Kalia

This hitman from central UP doesnt have a mugshot on file in the police records, but authorities say during their investigations his footprint has been found in at least 35 murders. In 2020, Kalia killed gangster-politician Pintu Sengar in Kanpur and abducted another person in Jhansi whom he murdered later, after taking ransom. Police say Kalia stays away from mobile phones, works alone, and lives like a common man. His last location was traced to Kanpurs Gadiyana in 2020.

Balraj Bhati

The shooter of the Sundar Bhati gang in western UP was specifically used by gangs to shoot down witnesses in Haryana, Bulandshahr and Meerut, often in public places. He was killed by the UP STF in 2019, but not before his name cropped up in at least 20 murder cases in western UP.

Read here: Blood lust: Mahua Moitra slams Yogi after gangster Anil Dujana killed in encounter

Munir

Munir, who only goes by one name, shot to infamy when he killed the deputy superintendent of police of the National Investigation Agency, Tanzeel Ahmed Khan, in 2017 by pumping 57 bullets into his body. After his arrest in 2016, police connected him to another 31 murders and 20 robberies. In 2021, Munir died of illness in jail.

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Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Thursday dismissed the criticism of party chief Uddhav Thackeray in Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar's autobiography as wrong information. Pawar, in his revised autobiography Lok Majhe Sangati, questioned Thackeray's absence from the chief minister's office during the coronavirus pandemic (Covid-19), an issue often raised by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He wrote it was difficult to fathom why Thackeray as chief minister chose to visit the state secretariat only twice during the coronavirus pandemic. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray (centre), party leader Sanjay Raut (left) and NCP supremo Sharad Pawar.(PTI)

This is wrong information. He (Thackeray) was regularly going to office. His visits (to Mantralaya) reduced during coronavirus pandemic because there was a central government directive to work from home, Raut said, adding that the prime minister, Union ministers and other chief ministers too were not going to the office during the pandemic.

In the book, which focuses on events post-2015, Pawar also blamed Uddhav Thackeray for failing to quell the discontent within his own party that saw a vertical split last year and for resigning as Maharashtra chief minister without putting up a fight.

Thackeray resigned as chief minister without facing the trust vote called by the Maharashtra governor following a rebellion by Eknath Shinde that brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Shinde went on to become the chief minister with the support of the BJP.

Pawar wrote that a chief minister needs political acumen and must remain well-informed about political developments, and we all felt that these things were lacking.

Downplaying the autobiography, Sanjay Raut said, I have not read the book. I will read it. People read a book for two days and then it goes into the library. Let it go. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief (Uddhav Thackeray) is giving an interview on this very soon. He will respond to what is written about him.

On Thursday, Thackeray expressed his displeasure over the criticism but added that he would not let the issue affect the unity of the MVA. Reacting to the remarks in Pawars autobiography about his working style as CM and his not attending office in Mantralaya, Thackeray said, Everyone has the right to write an autobiography but what I have done as chief minister is a known fact, he said. The people of Maharashtra have appreciated my work (during the Covid pandemic) and look upon me as a family member. I will not say anything more than that.

(With PTI inputs)

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In the village of Varuna, from where the high-profile constituency gets its name, Channappa Basvappas afternoon siesta under a banyan tree is interrupted by a passing auto-rickshaw blaring election music fora politicalparty from its speakers. Basvappa curses the driver, but there is another more politically significant reason for his irritation. Senior Congress leader Siddaramaiah has won the seat in 2008 and 2013. (PTI)

We have voted for both Siddaramaiah and his son, but we still dont have proper drainage here. Shouldnt the chief ministers former constituency be a role model for the state? We voted for him because his village is not far from here, but are sad because he has not done any work for us, Basvappa said.

With assembly elections less than a week away, the Varuna constituency in Chamarajnagar district is being watched closely. The seat has been a bastion for Siddaramaiahs family, with the former chief minister winning in 2008 and 2013, and his son Yathindra winning the seat in 2018. And yet, even as the Congress professes confidence in the rest of the state, the announcement of senior BJP leader V Somanna, an influential Lingayat leader, may mean that the aspirant for the states top post may have a sticky battle on his hands at home.

In the village, most are guarded about what decision they will take come voting day on May 10, but 31-year-old Shivanna Mahadevappa breaks the silence among one group and says, Nodi (you see), there is no hiding that for the first time, the Lingayats have a choice. There are several villages like ours that voted for the Congress because we didnt have any alternative. This time, some (Lingayat) votes could go to Congress and some could go to BJP as well, he said.

But it wont be easy to unseat Siddaramaiah in his stronghold.

Wooing the Lingayats

Of the total electorate of 230,00 in the constituency, around 60,000 voters are Lingayats; Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have around 51,000 voters; and 20,000 Kurubas and 15,000 Vokkaligas are the other significant communities.

In fielding Somanna, the BJP has attempted to take away Lingayat voters from the Congress. Senior BJP leaders said that they hoped for a shift of at least 40% of the Lingayat votes to the party, with a particular focus on the constituency -- home minister Amit Shah and former chief minister BS Yediyurappa have both campaigned in the constituency.

In an interaction with Lingayats on Thursday, Somanna asked: Is this how a former chief ministers constituency should look? The villages here look like no one has paid attention to them. Give me five years to serve you and you can see the development that I will bring to Varuna like I brought to Govindaraj Nagar constituency. When you can give 15 years to former chief minister Siddaramaiah, why cant you give five years to me?

Somanna told HT that the Congress had taken the constituency for granted. We are offering people development. I think voters here are intelligent enough to understand that they have been ignored. They were waiting for a chance and we are offering change, he said.

Somannas campaign has also reached out to other communities that have seen murmurs of dissent against the Siddaramaiah, such as Madegowdana Hundi, which has around 2,000 votes and a large Vokkaliga population. The village has four water tanks to provide drinking water to other villages, and yet, residents say, their own supply has never been robust. We are openly supporting the BJP here. Most of the Vokkaliga votes would go there, said Darshan Gowda, a resident of the village.

Siddaramaiahs stronghold

While that there is a sense of a contest in this election is clear, several villagers, and the Congress, believe that Siddaramaiahs connection with the constituency, and the fact that he may go on to be chief minister again if the party wins, will take them through. In speeches, Siddaramaiah has said that Varuna is where he was born, and his last election should be from here. In Chikkalli, for instance, also a Lingayat-dominated village, 28-year-old Chandrashekhars assertion that he will vote against the Congress is contested by the group of elderly men around him.

There are concerns and there will be concerns in every place. People here might raise their voices against Siddaramaiah but eventually vote for him because there is a bond. A chief minister coming from our constituency is a matter of pride regardless of our caste lines, said Shivabasappa Chikkalli.

Jyothi, a homemaker from the village, says she is skeptical about the promises made by the Congress. But when it comes to voting, we have more trust in Siddaramaiah than Somanna, who is not even from here. Even if Siddaramaiah here is not here, the doctor (Dr Yathindra S, younger son of Siddaramaiah and sitting MLA) is available to us, she said.

In non-Lingayat areas, Siddaramaiahs image of an AHINDA (a Kannada acronym that stands for minorities, Backward Classes and Dalits) has meant a loyalty towards him from these communities. In Sidddaramana Hundi, where Kurubas are in substantial numbers, people talk about the wave of prosperity that came after Siddaramaiahs political rise. We got uninterrupted power and water supply. We have concrete roads. Even before we ask maintenance work is undertaken. We vote blindly for Siddaramaiah here, said Sidde Gowda, a local villager.

The party has been continuously campaigning in the consistently to ensure that SC/ST votes stay intact with Congress even as the JD(S) and BSP have fielded Dalit candidates, hoping to split the important vote.

Internal BJP struggles and the Cong future

The BJP has also been hamstrung by simmering tension within. Somanna is fighting from two constituencies, Chamarajnagar and Varuna, and faces some dissension from party leaders that wanted BS Yediyurappas son BY Vijayendra to contest the seat. Even as Vijayendra is eventually fighting the elections from his home turf of Shikaripura, there are still quiet conversations within the party cadre over the relationship between Yediyurappa, seen as the BJPs largest pan Karnataka and Lingayat leader, and Somanna.

Some even point to a video that emerged in march, where a member of Somannas family is allegedly taking potshots at Vijayendra, saying that he was touring Karnataka as if he was the chief minister himself. An upset Somanna, whos son was not given the Varuna ticket, even travelled to Delhi before the BJP lists were announced, but was assuaged after a meeting with Shah, party leaders said.

On the other hand, leading the campaign for Varuna, is the incumbent MLA and Siddaramaiahs son, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, who often calls himself an accidental politician. Yathindra left medicine and joined politics in 2018 after the death of his elder brother Rakesh Siddaramaiah who had largely been seen as the former chief ministers political heir first. In the 2018 assembly elections, Yathindra fought from the bastion of Varuna and won, while his father contested from Chamundeshwari and lost. With his father now contesting the elections, Yathindra professes confidence in a Congress win, but says he is unclear about his own future.

Honestly, I have not thought about what is next for me. As of now, Im the face of the party here and the people will judge the party based on my work. Since the father is busy with the campaign, Im leading the campaign here. I have worked hard in the last five and that gives us confidence, he said.

Yathindra also dismisses any caste churn against the family. We couldnt have won with a margin of 50,000 votes all communities had not supported us, he said. Whether the BJP fields a Lingayat here or Sommana uses his money power, we have the goodwill of people from across communities.

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Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar met with King Charles III ahead of the coronation ceremony in London on Saturday. The vice president "conveyed greetings on the occasion of his Coronation and reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted. Vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar meets King Charles ahead of coronation.

Vice president Jagdeep Dhankar is on a two-day visit to London from May 5 to 6 to attend the coronation ceremony on behalf of the Government of India.

In 2022, President Droupadi Murmu visited London on September 17-19 to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II and offered her condolences.

King Charles will be crowned alongside his wife, Camilla, in a religious service at Westminster Abbey.

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Memory is a tricky thing. No one quite knows how core memories form, or what the mind might remember, unbidden, years later. But we know that once the mind holds on to something  a flavour perhaps, the taste of a meal made with love  no power on Earth can shake it. Divya Prabhakars Bengaluru Oota Company, which takes pre-bookings only, serves typical Gowda cuisine like Bannur mamsa pulav, and Mangalorean snacks.

Its probably why so many Indians whove moved away from their home towns miss the food of their communities the most. The farther away from home, the more acute the longing. Restaurants help, but only so much  their generic recipes, and substitutions for hard-to-source ingredients often making things worse. For many years, the representation of dum aloo and rogan josh in big cities bothered me, says Gurugram-based Nalini Moti Sadhu Sadhu, 60 who grew up in Rajbagh, Srinagar. She opened her restaurant, Matamaal (which means Grandmothers home in Kashmiri) in Gurugram in January 2016, with her husband, Surender Sadhu.

Sadhu isnt a trained chef. She learnt to cook traditional Kashmiri food, such as mutton kalia and other rich gravies, from her grandmother and her mother-in-law and would cook for family, friends and on request before she opened Matamaal. Across India, Indians have been giving lesser-known cuisines a larger platform, taking community cooking to an appreciative audience in the process.

Tanisha Phanbuh, 29, was born into a food-obsessed family in Shillong, Meghalaya, and loved hosting weekend dinner parties at which she and her mother experimented with food of the North-East. Theyd whip up everything from Khasi syrwa (a stew with fish or veggies) and Assamese fish tenga (a sour fish curry) to Burmese khao suey. So when she moved to Delhi, in 2015, she felt both unmoored from home and aghast at how little the locals knew of the regions food. Whenever I mentioned I was from Shillong, people would ask where it is or say Oh, Cherrapunji? Their misconceptions were mostly food related: Meat, momos, chowmein, and smelly food. It pushed me to start conversations about the real food and habits of the people from back home, she says.

Nalini Moti Sadhu picked up the nuances of traditional Kashmiri cuisine from her grandmother and mother-inlaw. Like the vegetarian thali she serves at her Guurugram eatery, Matamaal.

Phanbuh started Tribal Gourmet, a pop-up kitchen, in 2017. She focuses on food from her home state  not just obvious choices such as doh neiiong (pork in black sesame), but everyday home cooking. Theres a curry made with fermented bean paste and fermented fish, and the Khasi-stye delicacy doh jem, a kind of liver pate. Her patrons include other transplants from Meghalaya, and a small but growing number of folks who have never been to the region.

Its possible to feel unmoored even on your home turf. In Bengaluru, Divya Prabhakar, a former sales and marketing executive now in her 40s, found that while the city had plenty of restaurants serving international cuisines, no one was putting out food from the native Gowda farming community to which she belonged. She set up her set-menu restaurant and catering service Bengaluru Oota Company, more than seven years ago.

Prabhakar describes the community as avowedly omnivorous. We have a dish for every part of the goat-from nose to tail, she says. They eat chicken and pork too. The kitchen turns well-honed home recipes into four- and five-course menus. Its the full Gowda experience. Prabhakars restaurant operates out of a traditional local home. The spread includes Bannur mamsa pulav, which uses the fatty meat; goli or Mangalorean street-style fried bhajji; and badaam halwa.

Substitute teaching

Regardless of where these food ventures operate, traditional cooking presents its own set of challenges. Sourcing the right ingredients is key. For a recent pop-up at The Park in New Delhi, Phanbuh struggled to source ingredients. Initially, I would ask mum to source everything and courier it to me, she says. These days, there are weekly produce supplies in speciality markets. Still, there are a few things I bring from Shillong, such as fermented bean paste, fermented fish, black sesame, perilla and Lakadong turmeric, because the taste varies depending on how they are stored.

Sadhu is strict about where spices come from, too. Its the most crucial aspect of the cuisine, she says. The mild but bright red Kashmiri chilli powder is what gives rogan josh its appearance and taste. Even a slight change in the quality of this spice can drastically alter this dish., Sandhu explains. Years of sourcing have helped her develop a network strong enough to set up an online platform to deliver Kashmiri spices, dry fruits, raw honey, saffron, across the world. She named it Kanz & Muhul, which translates to Mortar and Pestle.

Sharing the love

Some journeys however, are easier. Phanbuh uses social media to educate viewers about the cuisine and the region. Shes made Reels about specific ingredients and how to work with them. I also post during my travels back home, especially what and where I am eating, she says.

Tanisha Phanbuh serves food from Meghalaya. There are obvious choices alongside homestyle staples, like the fish curry made in every household.

Sadhu also credits social media for Matamaal and Kanz & Muhuls success. Her feeds are about food but also include snippets of information about ingredients and life in Kashmir. I felt responsible for telling people about our way of life, she says. Weve become a forum for people to connect and cherish one thing: good food.

Prabhakars offline efforts have made Bengaluru Oota Company a success outside the Gowda community. Were still on peoples must-visit, must experience list when they visit Bengaluru, she says. Its a near-impossible feat for a company that isnt active on social media.

From HT Brunch, May 06, 2023

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Everything changed in the pandemic. Were still wary of crowds and sneezes. Workplaces are more fluid. And in our homes, a subtler, more lasting change is unfolding. Many of us are realising that we can do without a once-treasured frill, habit or object. See what Indians have given up in the last few years and what made them do it. Months of relying on their own kitchen at home during the pandemic has made people more health conscious. Impulse dining out and snacking have been done away with. (Shutterstock)

Gym memberships and gear. Yoga instructor and fitness content creator Prerna Sinha had a workout-related epiphany in the pandemic. She realised that she could combine her cardio, strength training, flexibility and mobility routines right at home. She is done with gyms and a separate workout wardrobe. I am almost always in workout wear anyway, I dont even need so much, she says. Her fitness expenses, she says, are a fifth of what they used to be before 2020.

Impulse dining. I would eat out anytime of the day, whenever I felt like it, says photographer Amit Ashar. He has a particular weakness for Asian food, and hed follow his cravings to the nearest place that served a hearty bowl of soupy noodles. Months of relying on his kitchen at home have made him more conscious of his health. He gradually realised that not every urge needs to be addressed. When the impulse hits now, he prefers to make the effort to prepare it himself, to the best of his abilities. It ensures a cleaner and more hygienic eating habit, rather than an unmindful dining-out one.

Fashion designer and celebrity chat-show host Pria Kataaria Puri has reined in her habit of picking up luxury purses and clutches. (@priakataariapuri)

Luxury handbags. Fashion designer and celebrity chat-show host Pria Kataaria Puri says shes reined in her habit of picking up luxury purses and clutches. For someone who works in fashion and is always in the public eye, having the It bag for every occasion was a way of making a statement, she says. I went through cupboards and cupboards of expensive handbags that I had accumulated over 20-25 years, she says. I was shocked. They are all beautiful and in very good condition. I had forgotten all about them. The pandemic stocktaking led her to make conscious efforts to draw from her closet  spending less and hoarding less.

The snacking habit. No one can eat just one, but Radhika Ghai, founder and CEO of wellness focused e-commerce platform Kindlife, no longer eats chips or packaged snacks. I prefer consuming cleaner, fresher and healthier. And this shift makes it happen from the inside out, she says. The mindless impulse of munching out of stress or boredom, the 5pm cravings, are now satisfied with nuts, makhana or fresh fruit. I noticed the impact the shift had on my body when we got back to a post-pandemic world, she says. I felt lighter and was less groggy.

Virtual veggies. Filmmaker and LGBTQ+ activist Sridhar Rangayan simply gave up buying fruits and vegetables online after lockdown curbs were lifted. The simple pleasure of physical market visits, where you can see and touch the produce you want, is a joy.

At content creator Prajakta Kolis home, a DIY compost pit replaced domestic fertilisers in the pandemic. (@mostlysane)

Synthetic fertiliser. At the home of content creator Prajakta Koli, domestic fertilisers were a long-standing household purchase for the familys 100+ indoor and outdoor plants. We would end up spending a lot of money on fertiliser for this mad collection, she says. She and her family decided to create their own compost pit instead, reducing waste and giving plants a home-grown boost. Leftover kitchen and dining discards get composted and used as plant food for a greener impact in all senses of the term.

International souvenirs. Theyre almost always overpriced, picked up during a weak, heady moment, to mark a happy trip. But Anjana Menon, author and founder of content strategy firm, Content Pixies, decided shed had enough buyers remorse, enough clutter. I travel a lot. I used to pick up a lot of stuff to fill my own home or office spaces with, or as gifts to friends. Ive stopped doing that completely, she says. Shes realised, from her visits to Japan, Slovenia, Laos and the UK, that tchotchkes are no substitute for living in the moment. So, no knick-knacks and memorabilia such as key chains, curios or commercially produced crafts. She hoards memories instead.

From HT Brunch, May 06, 2023

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Any ruling party in Karnataka can expect to struggle to win re-election. No government has achieved that since 1985. The states voters are demanding, sophisticated, and impatient. Yet, the task for the principal challenger, the Congress, is also not straightforward. Both sides face challenges. PREMIUM The BJP can take some encouragement from some findings in a recent, reliable pre-poll survey by CSDS-Lokniti. It found that voters were reasonably satisfied with key state government programmes to provide benefits (ANI)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government came to power after inducing lawmakers from other parties to first resign, and then defect to it. That set up an inevitable factional fight for election tickets between long-term loyalists and newcomers. Two other things made the conflict worse. The BJPs national leaders chose to promote younger people and sideline some formidable veterans who reacted, sometimes aggressively. And those same national leaders strongly promoted hardline Hindutva.

That is a departure from BJP traditions in Karnataka, and it triggered resistance from some of the old guards in the state. Former chief minister (CM) BS Yediyurappa, who built and dominated the BJP in the state until recently, has openly opposed that trend. It also runs counter to CM Basavaraj Bommais approach during a long political career. And it has unleashed conflict between their reassurances to Muslims that they will be protected, and the new drive for communal polarisation.

The campaign also saw the BJP focusing on the caste calculus, highlighting its efforts, just before the elections were announced, to tweak the reservation matrix and sub-dividing the Scheduled Caste bracket. But the robust promotion of Hindutva remains visible in the campaign, as exemplified by Yogi Adityanaths tour of the state, and echoes of his message by hard-liners within the state BJP. In the past, communal polarisation has found little traction in Karnataka outside of a few pockets. By promoting it, the BJPs national leaders are taking an audacious, but perhaps unwise, gamble.

The BJP government also stands accused of serious corruption and, in the words of one of its leaders caught on tape, serious ineffectiveness. Since even some previous governments with positive records tasted defeat, this might be expected to hurt the party this time.

The BJP can take some encouragement from some findings in a recent, reliable pre-poll survey by CSDS-Lokniti. It found that voters were reasonably satisfied with key state government programmes to provide benefits. But the survey also contained grim news: 49% of the rich and 52% of the middle class disapprove of the government. Those groups have been core supporters of the BJP, and these surprisingly high negative numbers suggest that the party may be in trouble. That same survey also found that the issues that most concerned rural voters were unemployment and poverty. This could also be bad news for the BJP since state elections in Karnataka are always won (and lost) in rural constituencies in the maidan (plains) areas of northern and central Karnataka.

The Congress, the BJPs main rival, also faces internal conflicts. Former CM Siddaramaiahs Ahinda (a coalition of minorities, backwards, Dalits) theme reaches out to disadvantaged groups while DK Shivakumar appeals to his fellow Vokkaligas, a traditionally dominant landed caste. This presents a contradiction, but the party has attempted to reconcile this by replicating the strategy adopted five decades ago by another former CM, the late D Devaraj Urs. In 1972, he broke the dominance of the Lingayats and Vokkaligas in state politics since Independence by mobilising support from newly awakened disadvantaged groups who outnumbered the landed castes. He changed the rules of Karnataka politics. Since then, parties in Karnataka can only hope to gain and retain power by appealing to a broad diversity of social groups. Urs insisted to this author in 1979 that his pro-poor policies attracted support from poorer members of the landed castes  and his successes in elections suggested that he was right. A recent poll conducted by Kannada outlet Eedina found that many poorer members of all social groups, again including some from the landed castes, may be leaning towards Siddaramaiahs strategy.

Some senior Congress leaders have expressed worries that their campaign got off to a slow, late start. But they are hopeful that their recent improvement in ground-level operation, and tactics  partly based on their successful effort in the recent Himachal Pradesh elections  will bring them a majority or something close to it.

Both the Congress and the BJP hope to win seats from the Janata Dal (Secular) or JD(S) in its stronghold in southern districts  old Mysuru. The BJP has traditionally struggled in that region, but the Congress hopes that Shivakumars appeal among the Vokkaligas  the main base of the JD(S)  and Siddaramaiahs popularity among Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in those districts will produce gains, though, in the past, this hasnt worked well.

The JD(S) has suffered some recent defeats in special elections there, and several of its leaders have defected in frustration with the stranglehold of HD Deve Gowdas family over the party. But the former prime minister (PM) remains an appealing leader who has often been underestimated by commentators. And the JD(S) has adroitly advocated some new policies to benefit farmers. So, it may still win enough seats to undermine the two main parties drives for majorities.

The Dalit vote in the state has long been split fairly evenly between a ritually left-hand group which backs the BJP and a right-hand group that mainly supports the Congress. It would be surprising if this changed much, even though the new Congress national president, Mallikarjun Kharge, is a Dalit from Karnataka. He is stubbornly regarded by left-hand Dalits as a leader of the right-hand group. His main contribution may be to prevent national Congress leaders from inserting incompetent supervisors over the state campaign  something that has damaged the party before.

In the final weeks of the campaign, PM Narendra Modi has embarked on an extensive campaign blitz, and his skills and the vast edge in campaign funds that the BJP enjoys may produce gains for the BJP, as it has done in a string of other states. But Karnatakas voters have a history, from 1985 onward, of focusing on state rather than national leaders. And in roughly 70% of the state elections in Karnataka and elsewhere since 1980, the parties with the most money to spend have actually lost. So, it remains to be seen if this factor proves decisive. For now, the political winds offer mixed signals rife with many unknowns. We must wait for the voters to have their say.

James Manor is a professor in the School of Advanced Study, University of LondonThe views expressed are personal
Manipur saw one of its darkest and longest nights on May 4. The delicate balance between the people of the hills and those from the plains was disturbed once more. It is unfortunate. Manipur was taking small but significant steps towards progress as the shadow of our violent past was dissipating. But we have now taken a giant step back. PREMIUM Manipur saw one of its darkest and longest nights on May 4. The delicate balance between the people of the hills and those from the plains was disturbed once more (PTI)

By all accounts, the anger was simmering. It all started when on April 19, the Manipur high court (HC) issued directions to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government to submit recommendations to the Centre to consider the inclusion of the Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list and consider the case within the next four weeks. The Meiteis are the dominant community in Manipur. They have embraced Vaishnavism and in many circles are considered Brahmins. The tribal groups, categorised as ST, protested the high court order, given that the Meitei already come under the other backward classes (OBC) category. The hill tribes believe the safeguards they enjoy under this ST categorisation will be voided once the dominant Meiteis are brought under the same umbrella. I am told that Meiteis were initially divided about the demand to be included in the ST category, with a section believing that they have the wherewithal to manage without State support.

Then came the states decision to earmark forests, which the tribes have always accessed for food, into reserved and protected forests, allegedly without the consent of the hill tribals. While the state claims that some people are encroaching on reserved and protected forests, the hill tribes say they have always inhabited these forests, even before the formal creation of the Manipur state. The tribal chiefs and human rights organisations challenged the states declaration, saying they are indigenous to the hills, which were only put together as part of Manipur by the British. The hill tribes are the first stakeholders and should have been made to understand the implications of the forests being declared reserved and protected.

Manipur has had a long history of ethnic feuds. I personally witnessed one in 1997 when two warring groups of the Kuki and Paite communities fought a brutal war. Good sense prevailed, and peace eventually reigned. But this time, the vandalism of multiple places of worship and the loot that followed soon after homes were targeted and burnt down, is new, especially in Imphal.

moved on from those dark days. Of late, the state capital was showing signs and promise that it has The capitals Night Plaza was opened in 2017, where people could walk the street free of fear. With good music, food and shops, the plaza lured people into believing that peace had indeed returned.

Yet this weeks turn of events tells another story. Angry mobs from both sides of the divide threaten to outnumber the forces. My own family was rendered homeless overnight. Manipur is burning, and we have just stepped back into darkness.

Hoihnu Hauzel is a journalist and founder, www.thenestories.com.

The views expressed are personal.
Bharat, the country of historical values and sentiments overflowing with cultures and religions, changes with every mile, but is still known for preserving its rich cultural heritage. Moving towards global tourism, the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways recently created an experience for people that brought forth the historical, cultural and religious significance of our rivers. In January and February, the global tourism and cruise sector was abuzz with the news of the worlds longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas. The cruise covered nearly 32,000 km over 51 days, crossing 27 river systems across five states and two countries, via the Ganga-Brahmaputra river systems. Starting from the heart of Uttar Pradesh in Varanasi to Dibrugarh in Assam, it had several stops and visits to nearly 50 locations. Cities of northern India with cultural significance were covered during the voyage, depicting the tales from the Ganga Aarti of Varanasi ghat to cities such as Patna (Bihar), Sahibganj (Jharkhand), Kolkata (West Bengal), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Guwahati (Assam), showcasing a composite ethos. (PTI)

Cities of northern India with cultural significance were covered during the voyage, depicting the tales from the Ganga Aarti of Varanasi ghat to cities such as Patna (Bihar), Sahibganj (Jharkhand), Kolkata (West Bengal), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Guwahati (Assam), showcasing a composite ethos. European tourists experienced the ancient temples and sites such as Sarnath, where Buddha delivered his first sermon after enlightenment. The tour depicted the rich history through visits to war memorials and museums, representing different facets of the nations journey, with institutions such as Banaras Hindu University, Vikramshila University, Bihar School of Yoga depicting our rich tradition of education and learning. The journey also explored the unique and varied flora and fauna, from the Royal Bengal tigers of the Sunderbans to the one-horned rhino of Kaziranga National Park.

The voyage proudly showcased everything Indian  the Make in India vessel MV Ganga Vilas, with the decor done by Indian designers. The journey provided the tourists with an insight into the local arts and crafts and a first-hand glimpse of initiatives such as Vocal for Local and One District One Product.

The Act East Policy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the focus on developing the national waterways made this historic voyage a reality. It was also a true demonstration of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) with a domestically manufactured vessel, a fully Indian crew, Indian decor, Indian cuisine, Indian art and craft, and products being showcased. The vessel with a zero-discharge policy also used the Indian Oil Corporation-manufactured green fuel with the Dolphin Deterrent Device, fully compatible with the Panchamrit commitments for environmental conservation and sustainability.

The integration of North India with northeastern India through river systems is in line with the Look East Policy. The international trade routes via the Indo-Bangladesh Protocol Route will be further strengthened for trade as it will revive the once-vibrant trade route between Dibrugarh and Kolkata. The cruise will also have a multiplier impact on the economy of the states with improvements, such as the construction of terminals, the development of a regulatory environment, cabotage relaxation regime, discounted tariff policy, ongoing revision of standard operating procedures, marketing engagements with leading cruise operators; workshops and conferences in India. The cruise has laid the foundations for future developments in tourism resulting in benefits for the economy, trade and commerce and has encompassed the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshta Bharat (One India, Greatest India).

Sudhansh Pant is secretary, ministry of ports, shipping and waterways

The views expressed are personal
King Charles III's coronation is set to take place on May 6. Amid the various social media posts about the coronation and the King, a news about a rare frog species named after King Charles is going viral. According to the official website of the British Royal Family, the frog is called Hyloscirtus Princecherlesi or Prince Charles Magnificent Tree Frog. The rare species of the frog was named after King Charles to honour him.(Instagram/@theroyalfamily, Twitter)

The rare species of the frog got its name back in 2008 to honour the then Prince Charles who has always supported environmental campaigns, reports Huffington Post. He has been campaigning for decades to help save the remaining rainforests of the world.

The frog is a brown-coloured amphibian that has large orange blotches all over its body. It was discovered by Dr Luis A Coloma, an Ecuadorian scientist. Initially, the species was discovered among preserved museum specimens. However, later Coloma led a team of scientists to the homeland of the frog and discovered a few living amphibians.

Here's a Twitter post about the frog named after King Charles:

King Charles coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London. The event will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Alongside, King Charles III, Camilla, The Queen Consort, will also be crowned.
After uncovering the unhygienic conditions at a McDonald's in London, the fast food chain was fined 4,97,000 (approximately 5,12,00,000.) The discovery was made by a customer, who realised that there were droppings of mouse in his cheeseburger. According to Waltham Forest Council, the customer was halfway through eating the burger when they noticed the mouse droppings. Mouse droppings found in McDonald's burger.(Twitter/@wfcouncil)

After a complaint was registered in 2021, Environmental Health Officers visited the restaurant. They "found conditions at the premises presented a real risk to the health of customers. Amongst the officers' findings were the decomposing remains of a mouse and numerous mouse droppings throughout the premises. The inspection also uncovered several areas in the kitchen that were greasy, dirty, and dusty."

When the officers thought that the restaurant posed an 'imminent risk to health' it was closed for ten days. It was later reopened after the Council was satisfied with the health conditions. Now, the fast food chain has finally been charged 4,75,000 plus 22,000 in costs at Thames Magistrates' Court, the Waltham Forest Council shared the news on Twitter. They even shared pictures of the dirty restaurant at the time of the inspection.

Take a look at their post below:

Cllr Khevyn Limbajee, Waltham Forest Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety, said in a press release. "We are grateful for the quick thinking of the customer in this case for reporting the matter to the Council for investigation. There was a significant risk posed to the health of residents and visitors to Waltham Forest, and as such, the Council had no option but to take formal action in this case.

He further added, "McDonald's is a large and well-experienced food business operator in the fast-food sector who serves thousands of meals per week to its customers, therefore, the risk presented at the Leytonstone store was significant. It was appreciated that McDonald's pleaded guilty and admitted wrongdoing at the first opportunity. However, as a Council, we take food hygiene seriously and won't hesitate to follow up on complaints and take action where appropriate, irrespective of who operates the food business."
King Charles III will be crowned on May 6 at Westminster Abbey, London, in a grand ceremony conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. The Coronation will also see Queen Consort Camilla crowned alongside The King. As the Coronation of King Charles III is just one day away, let us take a moment to look back at a memorable incident that occurred during the Coronation of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. Representational image of a black cat.(Unsplash)

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June 2, 1953, almost 70 years ago. On the day of the ceremony, a black cat named Matins was found sleeping on the chair in the Coronation theatre. The cat belonged to one of the Abbey clergy and regularly visited the Abbey during the coronation preparations of Queen Elizabeth II. Later Queen Elizabeth II was crowned and became Britains longest-reigning monarch.

The incident was shared on Instagram by Westminster Abbey with the caption, Queen Elizabeth II wasnt the only one who occupied the Coronation Chair on the day of her Coronation - a black cat made itself comfortable in the seat before her. Find out how.

Watch the video below:

Since being shared a few hours ago, the video has raked up more than 25,700 views, and the numbers are still increasing. The share has also received a flurry of comments from netizens.

Check out the reactions below:

This is the best story!! My black cat would definitely make himself at home on a new chair in his place, posted an Instagram user. Another added, If I fits, I sits. Wonderful story! commented a third. A fourth wrote, Everyone knows you cant move a sleeping cat from a chair.

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Archeologists have found the remains of a 19th-century quarantine hospital and cemetery on a submerged island in the Dry Tortugas national park, off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. University of Miami graduate student Devon Fogarty examines the headstone of John Greer who died while working at Fort Jefferson on Nov. 5, 1861. The gravesite is now completely underwater.(NPS)

According to the park officials, only one grave has been identified while historical records indicate dozens of people  mostly US soldiers stationed at Fort Jefferson  may have been buried at the site now in waters west of Key West, Florida, reported The Guardian.

A statement by the National Park Service said that the small quarantine hospital was used to treat yellow fever patients at the fort between 1890 and 1900.

In August 2022, park cultural resources staff, assisted by members of the National Park Services Submerged Resources Center, the Southeast Archeological Center, and a University of Miami graduate student conducted a survey that led to the findings. Since that time, they have been researching historical records to learn more about the site and the individual, the park service added.

While mostly known for its use as a military prison during the American Civil War, the islands and waters surrounding Fort Jefferson were also used for a naval coaling outpost, lighthouse station, naval hospital, quarantine facility, and more generally for safe harbor and military training.

As the population of Fort Jefferson swelled with military personnel, prisoners, enslaved people, engineers, support staff, laborers, and their families, the risk of deadly communicable diseases, particularly the mosquito-borne yellow fever, drastically increased. Major outbreaks of disease on the island exacted a heavy toll on those staying there, killing dozens throughout the 1860s and 1870s.
Andrew Tate, the controversial social media influencer and businessman, has once again made headlines with his latest Twitter thread. Tate, who has been under house arrest in Romania, shared a childhood incident with his father in a series of poetic tweets that caught the attention of his followers. Andrew Tate arrives at the Bucharest Tribunal, in Bucharest, Romania.(AP)

In the thread, Tate described getting into a fight in the schoolyard when he was young and being put in a headlock by a bigger kid. He asked his father for advice on how to get out of a headlock, to which his father responded by telling him to fight.

Tate's father then asked him what he would do if he lost the fight. When Tate replied that he didn't want to die, his father told him to fight anyway. The thread went on to describe how Tate's father taught him to play chess and encouraged him to take risks and fight back even when the odds were against him.

The thread, which has since gone viral, has been met with mixed reactions. While some praised Tate for his resilience and determination, others criticized him for promoting violence and toxic masculinity.

This is not the first time that Tate has faced controversy. In the past, he has been accused of promoting harmful and dangerous ideas, including advocating for the legalization of drugs and prostitution. He has also been embroiled in legal issues, including his current house arrest in Romania.

Also read | Andrew Tate's house arrest gets extended again for 30 days

Despite the criticism, Tate remains a popular figure on social media and has a significant following. Whether his latest Twitter thread will help or hurt his reputation remains to be seen, but one thing is for sure: Andrew Tate is not one to shy away from controversy.
Vice President Kamala Harris met on Thursday with the heads of Google, Microsoft and two other companies developing artificial intelligence as the Biden administration rolls out initiatives meant to ensure the rapidly evolving technology improves lives without putting people's rights and safety at risk. US president Joe Biden and vice president Kamala Harris

President Joe Biden briefly dropped by the meeting in the White House's Roosevelt Room, saying he hoped the group could educate us on what is most needed to protect and advance society.

What you're doing has enormous potential and enormous danger, Biden told the CEOs, according to a video posted to his Twitter account.

The popularity of AI chatbot ChatGPT  even Biden has given it a try, White House officials said Thursday  has sparked a surge of commercial investment in AI tools that can write convincingly human-like text and churn out new images, music and computer code.

But the ease with which it can mimic humans has propelled governments around the world to consider how it could take away jobs, trick people and spread disinformation.

The Democratic administration announced an investment of $140 million to establish seven new AI research institutes.

In addition, the White House Office of Management and Budget is expected to issue guidance in the next few months on how federal agencies can use AI tools. There is also an independent commitment by top AI developers to participate in a public evaluation of their systems in August at the Las Vegas hacker convention DEF CON.

But the White House also needs to take stronger action as AI systems built by these companies are getting integrated into thousands of consumer applications, said Adam Conner of the liberal-leaning Center for American Progress.

Were at a moment that in the next couple of months will really determine whether or not we lead on this or cede leadership to other parts of the world, as we have in other tech regulatory spaces like privacy or regulating large online platforms, Conner said.

The meeting was pitched as a way for Harris and administration officials to discuss the risks in current AI development with Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the heads of two influential startups: Google-backed Anthropic and Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

Harris said in a statement after the closed-door meeting that she told the executives that the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products.

ChatGPT has led a flurry of new generative AI tools adding to ethical and societal concerns about automated systems trained on vast pools of data.

Some of the companies, including OpenAI, have been secretive about the data their AI systems have been trained upon. That's made it harder to understand why a chatbot is producing biased or false answers to requests or to address concerns about whether its stealing from copyrighted works.

Companies worried about being liable for something in their training data might also not have incentives to rigorously track it in a way that would be useful "in terms of some of the concerns around consent and privacy and licensing, said Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at AI startup Hugging Face.

From what I know of tech culture, that just isnt done, she said.

Some have called for disclosure laws to force AI providers to open their systems to more third-party scrutiny. But with AI systems being built atop previous models, it wont be easy to provide greater transparency after the fact.

Its really going to be up to the governments to decide whether this means that you have to trash all the work youve done or not," Mitchell said. "Of course, I kind of imagine that at least in the U.S., the decisions will lean towards the corporations and be supportive of the fact that its already been done. It would have such massive ramifications if all these companies had to essentially trash all of this work and start over.

While the White House on Thursday signaled a collaborative approach with the industry, companies that build or use AI are also facing heightened scrutiny from U.S. agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws.

The companies also face potentially tighter rules in the European Union, where negotiators are putting finishing touches on AI regulations that could vault the 27-nation bloc to the forefront of the global push to set standards for the technology.

When the EU first drew up its proposal for AI rules in 2021, the focus was on reining in high-risk applications that threaten peoples safety or rights such as live facial scanning or government social scoring systems, which judge people based on their behavior. Chatbots were barely mentioned.

But in a reflection of how fast AI technology has developed, negotiators in Brussels have been scrambling to update their proposals to take into account general purpose AI systems such as those built by OpenAI. Provisions added to the bill would require so-called foundation AI models to disclose copyright material used to train the systems, according to a recent partial draft of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press.

A European Parliament committee is due to vote next week on the bill, but it could be years before the AI Act takes effect.

Elsewhere in Europe, Italy temporarily banned ChatGPT over a breach of stringent European privacy rules, and Britains competition watchdog said Thursday its opening a review of the AI market.

In the U.S., putting AI systems up for public inspection at the DEF CON hacker conference could be a novel way to test risks, though not likely as thorough as a prolonged audit, said Heather Frase, a senior fellow at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Along with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, companies that the White House says have agreed to participate include Hugging Face, chipmaker Nvidia and Stability AI, known for its image-generator Stable Diffusion.

This would be a way for very skilled and creative people to do it in one kind of big burst, Frase said.
The Canadian Government is assessing whether it should expel a Chinese diplomat who is alleged to be behind targeting an opposition MP through intimidating his family in Hong Kong. HT Image

The outlet Globe and Mail, in a recent report based on documents from Canadas spy agency Canadian Security Intelligence Service or CSIS, stated that Chinas intelligence service, the Ministry of State Security or MSS, wanted to target Canadian MPs who were behind a February 2021 motion in the House of Commons terming the treatment of Uighurs as tantamount to genocide. That motion, which passed, was moved by opposition MP Michael Chong, who is believed to be singled out by Beijing. A CSIS reported claimed Beijing wanted to make an example an example of Chong by imposing potential sanctions on his relatives in China. The Chinese diplomat tasked by state intelligence is alleged to be Zhao Wei.

Global Affairs Canada, the countrys foreign ministry, summoned Chinas Ambassador to the country, Cong Peiwu on Thursday.

Foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly described the tactics used by China against Chong as unacceptable and said in the House of Commons that the Government was assessing the consequences that well be facing in case of diplomatic expulsion, because there will be consequences.

Chong was infuriated by that response, as he said, This individual, Mr Zhao Wei, should be on the first plane out or declared persona non grata.

China has already warned against such measures. A release from its Embassy in Ottawa said its Ambassador had convoyed to Global Affairs Canada that it protested strongly on the Canadian sides threat to expel the relevant Chinese diplomatic and consular personnel based on rumors of the so-called China Interference hyped up by some Canadian politicians and media.

Once again, China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce, not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end, the statement stressed.

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Canadian police is looking for at least three suspects, in connection with an assault that occurred in March as protestors, including pro-Khalistan elements, prevented Indias High Commissioner in Ottawa from attending an event in the town of Surrey in British Columbia. Canada police release video of suspects in assault at Surrey protest

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was scheduled to be the chief guest at a reception organised by the Friends of India & Canada Foundation in Surrey on March 19. However, he was forced to cancel his attendance as nearly 200 protestors, some wielding swords, gathered in front of the venue, the Taj Park Convention Centre.

Some of those who had come to attend the event, including at least one journalist, complained about being assaulted by the protestors, who were inflamed over rumours over the arrest of Waris Punjab De leader Amritpal Singh in India.

The Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or RCMP released two videos of an incident of alleged assault, and are seeking three persons in that connection.

The RCMP respects the right to peaceful protests, but unlawful and violent activity such as assaults, will not be tolerated, Corporal Sarbjit Sangha, Surrey RCMP Media Relations Officer, said in a release issued on Thursday.

It is not always safe for police to take immediate enforcement action within a large group of protesters; however, these offences continue to be fully investigated and could lead to subsequent arrests or charges, the statement added.

Police said they were monitoring a protest when a fight broke out in the crowd, resulting in an assault. Police officers intervened and were able to extract the injured male victim and take him to safety, where he was provided medical care for non-life threatening injuries. While the elderly male has not been identified by the police, he is believed to be Gurtej Singh Gill, who has been active in the Indo-Canadian community in the Metro Vancouver region.

The videos from the scene show three suspects who are believed to be involved in the assault.

The first video has a suspect, described as a South Asian man in his mid-20s to early-30s, with a long black beard, wearing all dark clothing, blue vest and a small blue turban. The second video shows the second suspect who is described as a South Asian man in his mid-20s to early -30s, with short black beard, wearing all black clothing, black vest and a small black turban. This suspect is seen holding a yellow colour flag in his hand. The same video shows the third suspect, who is described as a man in his early 20s, wearing all black clothing and a bright orange colour mask.

While the police did not specify the nature of the flag, it appears to be one for Khalistan, and others can be seen in the background to the videos.

Surrey RCMP had advised the High Commissioner against attending the function.

Before that, there were online threats to disrupt meetings and events being attended by Indian diplomats in the country including that of the High Commissioner. The call to the protestors asked them to Mask up and to leave their IDs and cellphones at home.

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Tragedy struck the Manhattan headquarters of Google when a senior software engineer jumped to his death from the 14th floor of the search giant's headquarters in Chelsea late on Thursday. The man's identity has not been revealed by the authorities, as they are yet to inform his family about the incident. In this file photo, a woman walks past Google offices in New York.(AP File photo)

According to police sources to New York Post, multiple 911 calls were made after an unconscious person was found lying on the ground near a building on West 15th Street, opposite the 15-story Art Deco building. The police rushed to the spot and found the man unconscious. He was immediately taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Reports suggest, investigators found handprints on the ledge of a 14th-floor open-air terrace, leading them to believe that the man had jumped from there. However, they have not found any suicide note or video of the incident.

This incident comes just a few months after another Google employee, Jacob Pratt, was found dead in an apparent suicide. Pratt, who was 33 years old, was also a software engineer working at the Manhattan headquarters. He was found hanging in an apartment on West 26th Street and 6th Avenue in Chelsea on February 16th.

Google has not issued any statement regarding the incident as of now. However, the incident has once again brought to light the issue of mental health in the tech industry and the need to address it.

Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).

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With just two days left for the Coronation of King Charles, many have been curious about where Prince Harry will be seated during the ceremony at Westminster Abbey, especially given his strained relationship with some members of the royal family. However, according to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the Duke of Sussex won't be "hidden behind a pillar" and will be given a prime seat at the event. Britain's Prince Harry's seat in the coronation won't be hidden behind a pillar according to experts.(REUTERS)

Nicholl believes that Harry, as a family member and the King's second son, cannot be "shoved into one of the lesser pews," and his seating arrangement must reflect his position. Meanwhile, royal historian Gareth Russell opined that where Harry is placed within the Abbey will send a message to the world about how he is being treated by his family.

Russell further suggested that placing Harry up close and centre would be good for PR, as relegating or punishing him would look petty and heartless. He added that the occasion is not just a family reunion, but an occasion of state and theology, which needs to be visually appealing.

Harry announced his attendance at the historic event several weeks ago, but the seating arrangement has played a key part in his decision to attend. A source recently revealed that the prince is still in the dark about where he will be seated at the Coronation.

Also read | Prince Harry Estranged: Why Madame Tussauds took his waxwork away from Meghan Markle's statue

It has also been reported that Harry will skip the Coronation concert to fly back home to the US after watching Charles being crowned. Although he has not been told where he is sitting yet, he will show up to support his dad and doesn't have any agenda other than getting in and getting out.

(Source: Mirror)
One of King Charles' closest friends hit out at Prince Harry over "hurtful" and "cruel" claims that he made against his father and the royal family. Lord Nicholas Soames, grandson of late UK PM Sir Winston Churchill made the comments ahead of Prince Harry's arrival in the UK for King Charles' coronation. Prince Harry: Britain's Prince Harry is set to attend King Charles' coronation.(AP File)

In January, Prince Harry released his tell-all memoir Spare in which he made bombshell claims against members of the royal family.

Lord Nicholas Soames slammed Prince Harry for "hurtful" behaviour of "the cruellest kind" toward his father. On King Charles, Lord Nicholas Soames said, "I love him and admire him very, very much indeed."

In respect of Prince Harry, I just think its the most tragic. I mean, I cant put myself in the position where my own son, if he did something like that to me, it would just be the cruellest and one would mind, he said, adding, "of course, the King was very, very sad", describing the situation as "tragic".

We all have families. Weve all lived through it. But it was a terrible blow, he added.

I think it would have been a great pity if Prince Harry hadnt come to his fathers Coronation. He is coming and I just hope that we can keep all this in proportion. This day is about the King and the Queen, not about Prince Harry, Lord Nicholas Soames said.

Of course it was hurtful, you could see it, written all over his face. Put oneself in his position. It was just painful beyond words, he asserted.

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Former US President and businessman Donald Trump has expressed surprise that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited to King Charles' Coronation after the claims made in his horrible book Spare, branding them "very disrespectful". Donald Trump expresses surprise at Harry and Meghan's invitation to King Charles' Coronation. (Image Credit: AP)

The comments came after Harry released his memoir, Spare, which contained bombshell and electrifying revelations about the Royal Family.

The 45th US President described Harrys Spare as "horrible" and said he was surprised that Harry had been invited to the celebrations taking place on Saturday, May 6, 2023.

I was actually surprised that Harry was invited to be honest, he expressed.

The former president went on to criticize Meghan, saying she had been "very disrespectful" to the late Queen Elizabeth II, whom he described as "incredible" and "never controversial" throughout her decades of service.

In a recent interview with GB News, Trump said, "I think she [Meghan] has been very disrespectful to the Queen, added How can you be so disrespectful to the Queen? She was incredible, for decades and decades she never made a mistake. I cannot think of a mistake she made, she was never controversial."

Trump ushered another page that despite his thoughts on Harry and Meghan, he believed the Coronation would be a "great day" and that King Charles and Queen Camilla "will do a great job".

This is not the first time the former US president has criticized Harry and Meghan. Last year, he predicted that their marriage would "end bad", and called Harry an "embarrassment" and a "whipped man". He also criticized Harry for not attending Prince Philip's memorial service, calling it a "terrible thing".

In Spare, Harry alleged a fight with his brother Prince William, as well as his bonding with his stepmother, Queen Camilla. The memoir sparked controversy within the Royal Family, with some members reportedly upset about the details that were revealed.

Despite all of these controversies, Harry has confirmed that he will attend his father's Coronation, while Meghan will remain in California to celebrate Archie's fourth birthday.

Prince Harry will attend the Coronation alone. (Image Credit: Getty)

The Coronation will be Harry's first public appearance with Charles, Camilla, William, and Kate since the release of Spare. The Royal Family recently came together to rehearse their roles for the Westminster Abbey service.

ALSO READ| Donald Trump defends lewd remarks, calls accuser a nut job in new video

The controversy surrounding Harry and Meghan continues to be a topic of discussion and dissection in the media and among the public.
The US ambassador to the United Kingdom expressed "hope" that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will put aside family differences and support King Charles III's coronation. King Charles will be crowned in a historic ceremony at London's Westminster Abbey alongside Queen Consort Camilla. Prince Harry is set to be present at the ceremony while Meghan Markle will stay in California. Prince Harry: Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry are seen.(AP)

The ceremony will mark the first time that Prince Harry will be publicly reunited with his family since the publication of his memoir, Spare, and the release of Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan.

Jane Hartley said, Listen, I've said this before, every family has their issues [...] You know, I just hope that for this coronation there's support for the king. That's what I would want.

"Support for the king," Jane Hartley added.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle receive less media coverage in the US, she added, saying, I mean, if you look at our media, look at our New York Times, look at our Washington Post, whatever, I mean they're not getting that much coverage to be very honest with you.

The coverage right now really is about the coronation. The coverage right now is about what the UK is doing with us in terms of Ukraine. The coverage right now is the alliance that President [Joe] Biden has put together. So, you're not seeing them in mainstream media, if you want to know the truth, in my view, she said.

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King Charles III is set to be crowned alongside his wife Camilla as the couple begin a new chapter in their relationship that has spanned over 50 years. Charles and Camilla first met in 1970 and married 18 years ago in a low-key ceremony. Their love story has been linked to marriage of Charles and his ex-wife Princess Diana owing to which it was not accepted by royal fans. King Charles coronation will take place on May 6.

Here's a look at their complicated love story:

1970 - Charles and Camilla meet

Charles met Camilla at a polo match at Windsor Great Park. Camilla said to Charles as per People, My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common. The couple then began dating.

February 1973 - Charles joins Royal Navy and Camilla gets engaged

After meeting Camilla, Charles joined the Royal Navy. Camilla then announced her engagement to Andrew Parker Bowles.

July 1973 - Camilla gets married

Camilla married Andrew Parker-Bowles.

July 1980 - Charles starts dating Diana

Charles and Diana met in 1977 and grew close a few years later.

1981 - Charles and Diana announce their engagement

Charles and Diana announced their engagement. In Diana: In Her Own Words, the Princess of Wales recalled the joint interview the couple gave the same day, saying, "We had this ghastly interview the day we announced our engagement. And this ridiculous [reporter] said, Are you in love? I thought, what a thick question. So I said, Yes, of course, we are, and Charles turned round and said, Whatever love means. And that threw me completely. I thought, what a strange answer. It traumatised me.

1986 - Charles and Camillas affair begins

Charles' affair with his ex-girlfriend Camilla began in 1986, it has been reported.

December 1992 - Charles and Diana announce separation

On 9 December, the Prince and Princess of Wales separated amicably.

January 1995 - Camilla and Andrew announce divorce

Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles announced that they intended to divorce.

August 1996 - Charles and Dianas divorce is finalised

The couple were finally legally separated in 1996, almost four years after their separation was announced.

September 1997 - Princess Diana is killed in a car crash

The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris.

February 2005  Charles and Camilla announce their engagement

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles formally announced their engagement.

April 2005  The couple marry

Charles and Camilla married 35 years after their first meeting.

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King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla are set to be crowned during a symbolic coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London. The nearly 1,000-year old ceremony will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. But the coronation of King Charles will be different from Queen Elizabeth IIs 70 years ago. From the dress code to the role given to King Charles' grandson Prince George, these are some of the ways the coronation will break from royal protocol: King Charles Coronation: A man takes a picture of a portrait of King Charles III painted by Alastair Barford, in London.(AP)

Dress code

According to Buckingham Palace, the coronation ceremony will reflect the monarchs role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry.

King Charles is expected to embrace modernity through his own outfit, as reports claimed that rather than the silk stockings and breeches, the monarch may instead wear his military uniform.

The attendees are also expected to be seen in more casual dresses as The Telegraph reported that members of the House of Lords have been asked to dress down for the ceremony.

Shorter ceremony and a smaller guest list

The ceremony is expected to be shorter than Queen Elizabeth IIs own three-hour coronation in 1953. King Charles' coronation will also feature a much smaller guest list of just 2,000 guests. Late Queens coronation was attended by 8,000 dignitaries from 129 nations.

Prince George

Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles' grandchild Prince George, the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will hold a special role as a Page of Honour during the ceremony. The decision marks the first time that a future monarch is officially involved in the service.

Foreign monarchs

A number of foreign royals have confirmed that they will be attending the ceremony.

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King Charles is feeling relaxed and looking forward to his coronation, one of the ceremonys key clergymen said as per the Mirror. The Dean of Westminster said that rehearsals for the ceremony had gone well, saying that the event will be jaw dropping. King Charles Coronation: Britain's Prince Charles and Camilla, in the background, leave after attending the annual Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey in London.(AP)

Rev Dr David Hoyle said King Charles had been relaxed and gracious during the Westminster Abbey rehearsals as "he took time to thank all the many people around him who are making this happen.

So while he has a huge burden on him and theres a lot for him to do, he doesnt give the sense of being really anxious about this. Not at all," he added.

On Kings grandchildren, Dean said that Prince George and Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte had watched with huge interest.

The Dean will handle the crown before the Archbishop of Canterbury places it on King Charles head.

I am used to ceremonies on a national level but even I think this is pretty jaw-dropping. Among leaders welcomed by the King at Buckingham Palace yesterday was Amazonian elder Uyunkar Domingo Peas," he said.

Almost 100 heads of state will be among dignitaries from 203 countries attending the coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey which is decked in seasonal blooms and foliage to mark the coronation of King Charles.

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King Charles III surprised royal fans who were gathered outside Buckingham Palace on the eve of his coronation. People in the crowd screamed his name as Charles stepped from his car wearing a blue suit. Fans could also be heard yelling God save the king" as the British monarch approached them.c The coronation ceremony of Britain's King Charles III is scheduled to take place at Westminster Abbey, in London, on May 6.(AFP)

Charles thanked the well-wishers for coming while shaking hands. Theresa Iredale said she trembled when the king approached her.

I saw his hand coming out to mine and I was like, I cant believe Im shaking the kings hand, she said as per Associated Press.

One royal fan from Australia had a cheeky request for the monarch as she said, "Thank you for coming sir. I met you years and years ago and I told you I come from Australia. It was lovely to meet you and enjoy your day tomorrow, sir."

King Charles thanked her and then asked, "You're not camping, are you?"

To which she replied: "I am, I'm just over there. Come and see me in the night," to which the monarch chuckled loudly.

King Charles was accompanied by Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton for the walkabout. William and Kate, the Prince and Princess of Wales, also took a subway train and visited a pub in Soho ahead of the coronation.

Talking about her children, Kate Middleton said: "They're really well thank you. Excited, a bit nervous, obviously with a big day ahead. But no, they can't wait actually."

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UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will read from the biblical book of Colossians at the King Charles coronation as he will continue the tradition of British premiers reading at State occasions, the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury informed. Indian-origin Rishi Sunak, a practising Hindu reading from a biblical book, will resonate with the multi-faith theme of the Christian ceremony. Britain's King Charles III (L) is greeted by Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.(AFP)

"The Archbishop of Canterbury has selected a new Epistle for this Coronation, which will be Colossians 1:9-17. This passage has been chosen to reflect the theme of service to others, and the loving rule of Christ over all people and all things, which runs through this Coronation Liturgy," Lambeth Palace said.

"Following the recent tradition of British Prime Ministers giving readings at State occasions  as Head of the host Nation's government  this will be read by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, it added.

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will also be at the head of a procession of flag-bearers as the UK flag is carried by a high-ranking Royal Air Force (RAF) cadet at the coronation.

"Flags of each Realm will be carried by national representatives accompanied by the Governors-General and Prime Ministers. Bearing the flag of the United Kingdom ahead of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Mrs Akshata Murty will be Cadet Warrant Officer Elliott Tyson-Lee, Buckingham Palace said.

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A friend of King Charles said that the monarch would be horrified by the public pledging allegiance to him. Broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby, a close friend of King Charles said that the idea was ill advised and not something the monarch wanted. Britain's King Charles III.(AFP)

I cant think of anything he would find more abhorrent. Hes never wanted to be revered. Hes never wanted anyone to pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke," Jonathan Dimbleby said, adding, He wants, I think, to feel the people will share in the event and I dont quite know how this might have happened.

During the coronation, the Archbishop will call upon all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all.

Jonathan Dimbleby said it seems that the idea came from the Archbishop who is strongly evangelical.

I think it was well-intentioned, but rather ill-advised, Jonathan Dimbleby asserted. Anti-monarchy group Republic called the invitation an offensive and tone deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt.

The order of service at the coronation will read, All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: All: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.

It will be followed by the playing of a fanfare.

A spokesman for Lambeth Palace, the Archbishops office, said, The Homage of the People is particularly exciting because thats brand new.

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A royal expert claimed that King Charles has doubts on whether his son Prince Harry will attend the coronation amid claims that the the Duke of Sussex gave no details of what day or time he would be arriving in the UK for the ceremony. Britain's Prince Harry is seen. (AP)

Terming it "last-minute power play" by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, royal expert Neil Sean said that courtiers told him directly that Buckingham Palace was given no idea what plane Prince Harry agreed to travel on or what day and time he was arriving.

Until we see him at the castle gates being driven up by the Met Police security here in England, then we wont believe he is coming and that tragically is the feeling of the king, Neil Sean said, adding that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle "could get even more publicity if he fails to show up".

Attacking the couple, the royal expert accused Meghan Markle of sitting back "idly waiting for an apology from the royals for making her relevant and internationally famous".

She declined the invite to the event of the decade because she wanted to stay home for a 4-year old's birthday party. Truthfully, can anyone recall their fourth birthday?, Neil Sean said.

I might add also the feeling from the new team pushing Meghan into the limelight  once again  would be a snapshot of her husband Harry at the coronation with her children both looking on adoringly missing their papa, while he stands alone in London, on a newly launched Instagram account, the royal expert claimed, adding, To finish off the PR plug, the text, I am told, will be something along the lines of being, 'So proud of her husband and her children', ensuring the limelight  at least sprinkles  a little in her direction.

The royal expert also claimed that King Charles wanted to invite the couple to UK for Christmas last year but was not able to contact Harry.

"I can reveal in fact they were both cordially invited way back late last year, with an offer directly from the king, to spend the festive season with them and the family," he claimed, adding, The truth is they had no idea at that time on how to get in touch with Harry as his phone keeps changing due to 'security', so again not the truth but Meghan and Harry's truth.

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King Charles Coronation LIVE Updates: King Charles' and his wife Queen Consort Camilla have been crowned at Westminster Abbey in London. Ahead of event, King Charles, along with his elder son Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton, greeted well-wishers near Buckingham Palace. The slimmed-down ceremony was attended by 2,000 guests, including world leaders, members of the royal family and celebrities.

The world's attention turned to the royal family at a time when the institution has undergone many changes in the recent past- Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down as senior royals and the passing away of the country's longest-reigning monarch Queen Elizabeth II.
President Joe Biden appointed a top Indian-American Democratic Party figure, Neera Tanden, as his domestic policy adviser on Friday, making her the first Asian-American to lead any of the top White House advisory councils in history. Neera Tanden (Department of Labor)

In a statement, Biden said, I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education.

Tanden, who has served as Bidens staff secretary in this term, will replace Susan Rice, a former American national security advisor and ambassador to the United Nations who worked as Bidens top domestic policy advisor since his presidency began.

Biden said that as his staff secretary  a role in which she processed all the paperwork that landed on the Presidents desk  Tanden had overseen decision-making processes across domestic, economic and national security teams.

She has 25 years of experience in public policy, has served three Presidents, and led one of the largest think tanks in the country for nearly a decade. She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform, Biden said in his statement.

Saying that Tanden, while growing up, had relied on some of the same programmes she will now oversee, Biden said that her insights will serve his administration and the American people well.

Tanden was born in Massachusetts to Indian immigrant parents, and studied at the University of California Los Angeles and Yale University. Her appointment is particularly significant as America heads towards elections in 2024, where domestic policy will be a key area of focus and contestation. The Biden White House also faces a more immediate challenge from a Republican-dominated House on the debt ceiling, with the Republicans asking for drastic spending cuts in return for a compromise on debt ceiling. Tanden, a strong advocate of social security and health care programmes, is expected to strongly argue against cuts, a position that aligns with Bidens public statements on the issue.

Read here: US plans to provide $500 million worth arms aid to Taiwan: Report

Tandens appointment is one more symbol of the rise of Indian-Americans in American politics. The Biden White House, in particular, has been inclusive and diverse of the various ethnicities that make up America. Among other Indian-Americans who serve Biden are the Presidents chief speechwriter, Vinay Reddy, and his Covid-19 advisor, Ashish Jha.

Tanden has served as the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. In the Barack Obama administration, she served as senior advisor for health reform at the Department of Health and Human Services. This was the time when Obama passed his signature health care legislation.

Tanden also worked as the director of domestic policy for the Obama-Biden presidential campaign, and, before that, as the policy director for the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Tanden has been a close Hillary Clinton aide, also serving as her senior policy advisor when she was the First Lady. She also helped run Clintons Senate campaign in 2000 and served as her legislative director in the Senate.

Biden had first tapped Tanden to be his director for the Office of Management and Budget. But when her nomination ran into trouble with the Senate, due to her fierce criticism of Republicans on Twitter, Biden appointed her as his staff secretary, a role that did not require Senate confirmation.

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Prince Harry "had to wait for some time" for invite to King Charles' coronation invite, according to Omid Scobie- co-author of best-selling royal biography Finding Freedom. Prince Harry had been in touch with his father to express his desire to attend the ceremony but has had "minimal contact" with his brother Prince William since Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, the royal expert claimed. Prince Harry will soon be seen at his father King Charles III's coronation in the UK.

There was never any question about whether [Harry] would want to come or not. It was a question at one point of whether he would be invited, I think. From what I understand, the Sussexes had to wait for some time to really get that confirmation that they were 100 percent welcome at this event, Omid Scobie said.

Of course, this all follows the release of [the Duke of Sussex's memoir] Spare, but for Harry, there was certainly no question about it. Ultimately, he's fifth in line to the throne. He's a counsellor of state. There's a serious constitutional reason for him to be here, and he still takes that seriously, even though he's not a working member of the royal family, the royal expert added.

But also, as we've heard from him time and time again in his interviews, despite the pain he's experienced from his own family, he still cares for them. So much can happen over time, and I don't think he would ever want to look back and regret not being here for that moment, he claimed.

As Prince Harry's wife Meghan Markle will remain in California on the day of the coronation, Omid Scobie said that she was staying back to avoid the limelight.

People around the Sussexes guided press at the time that this was very much about Archie's 4th birthday. I disagree with that to some extent because I also know from friends of hers that she's protecting her peace as well. She is aware of how much of the spotlight goes on her when she sets even a foot near the story, Omid Scobie said.

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British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday announced that his country will contribute 80 million pounds ($101.15 million) to the Amazon Fund, a major development for Brazil as the South American nation tries to garner more donors to the initiative aimed at fighting deforestation. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak greets President of Brazil, Lula da Silva. (Reuters)

Sunak's pledge in a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at 10 Downing Street follows a similar commitment by US President Joe Biden earlier this year, joining previous donors Norway and Germany.

"There are so many interests we have in common," Sunak told Lula at the meeting, mentioning higher trade and the fight against climate change. "I'm delighted to announce we will be investing in your Amazon Fund and I pay tribute to your leadership in this initiative."

The prime minister later wrote on Twitter that Britain would donate 80 million pounds.

Lula thanked Sunak and said it was time to "normalize" relations between the United Kingdom and Brazil, adding that "much more can be done in terms of trade."

He again stated that countries with large forests need support - especially from developed nations - to protect them, while reaffirming Brazil's commitment to zero deforestation by 2030.

First launched in 2009, the fund works to combat deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and spur sustainable development. It was reactivated by Lula this year after his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, froze it in 2019.

British environment secretary Therese Coffey had already told Reuters in a January interview after Lula's inauguration that Britain was considering joining the initiative.

Biden last month announced that he would request from Congress $500 million over five years to contribute to the fund and related activities. France and Spain have shown interest in contributing, according to Brazil.
King Charles' wife Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned with an existing crown at the coronation which has undergone a transformation owing to many controversies. Camilla, will wear a modified version of the Queen Mary's Crown during the service, according to Buckingham Palace. The changes to the crown include removal of the replica of the Kohinoor diamond, the original version of which was first set on Queen Mary's Crown in 1911. King Charles Coronation: People walk by an art installation depicting the St Edward's crown in central London.(AP)

The diamond passed through the hands many emperors before being presented to Queen Victoria by the deputy chairman of the East India Company in the 1840s. Owing to the controversy surrounding the symbolism of the Kohinoor diamond, Camilla decided to exclude the gem from the crown she wears at the coronation as even though the UK has retained ownership of the diamond over the years, it remains a point of contention.

According to Buckingham Palace, Camilla's decision to not commission a new crown was made, in the interests of sustainability and efficiency and "the choice to adorn the crown with new jewels is part of a, longstanding tradition that the insertion of jewels is unique to the occasion, and reflects the Consorts individual style.

Camilla's crown will instead feature the Cullinan III, IV and V diamonds as a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, according to Buckingham Palace. The diamonds- known as the "Lesser stars of Africa"- are part of a group of stones discovered in 1905 in South Africa. They are controversial as the Cullinan diamond was purchased by South Africa's Transvaal government prior to being gifted to King Edward VII as a "symbolic gesture".

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Prince Harry "doesn't really exist" without Meghan Markle, royal expert and author Tom Quinn said as the Duke of Sussex is set to travel to the UK for King Charles' coronation while Meghan Markle will remain in the US with the couple's two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The royal expert that Prince Harry's attendance at the historic event will likely be very "awkward" - particularly as he is attending the ceremony alone. Prince Harry-Meghan Markle: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex are seen.(AP)

Author of Gilded Youth: An Intimate History of Growing Up in the Royal Family Tom Quinn said, "He doesn't exist without Meghan anymore. What Harry was before Meghan, that's all gone. The pheasant shooting, dressing up as a Nazi, not being interested in all the stuff that she is into - that's all disappeared."

The royal expert then speculated how Prince Harry will feel at the coronation, saying, "He's going to feel very isolated without the person who makes him into what he really is. Being on his own, it will be very difficult."

The event will also be "embarrassing" for Prince Harry too as royal watchers will likely notice that awkwardness, the expert claimed.

The royal author suggested there could be a "curt" exchange between Prince Harry and the royal family- particularly Prince William.

At best, there will be a curt nod between William, especially, and Harry. So it is not going to be good, the royal expert said.

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Prince William and brother Prince Harry's relationship broke down partly due to Meghan Markle's treatment of palace staff, a royal historian claimed. In 2021, an investigation was launched where past and present palace employees talked about their experiences of working for Meghan Markle. It was alleged that Meghan pushed out two personal assistants and staff who she had "humiliated" on several occasions. Meghan Markle: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex watches as the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II is placed into the hearse.(AP)

Meghan Markle has denied the bullying allegations with her spokesperson calling them "a calculated smear campaign based on misleading and harmful misinformation".

The allegations came to light before Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.

Royal historian Robert Lacey claimed that the poor treatment of staff by Meghan Markle began the rift between Prince Harry and Prince William.

William split with Harry because he did not feel Meghan was treating her staff well. Nothing to do with race  she was accused of mistreating her staff, thats not the way royal people are supposed to behave. I have spoken to people who saw these members of staff weeping, crying  who felt they had been belittled by Meghan. Now Meghan denies this, but thats the issue, Robert Lacey said.

Harry leapt to defend his wife. William leapt to defend the monarchy and the institution, he added.

Tensions between the couple and royal family continue as Prince Harry is set to attend his father King Charles' coronation while Meghan will remain at home in California with their two children Prince Archie and Princess Lillibet.

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Russia's Security Council is likely to discuss later on Friday what the Kremlin has described as an attempted Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin, a Kremlin spokesman said. A picture of the Kremlin senate.(Reuters)

Kyiv has denied it was behind the incident, which took place in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Russia, which has also accused the United States of being behind the attack, something Washington has rejected, has said it reserves the right to retaliate.
A Moscow court on Friday ordered the arrest of a theatre director and a playwright on charges of "justifying terrorism" over an award-winning play about Russian women recruited online to marry radical Islamists in Syria. Russian theater director Yevgeniya Berkovich, detained on charges of justification of terrorism over her award-winning play.(AFP)

Director Yevgeniya Berkovich and author Svetlana Petriychuk were placed in custody until July 4, Russian news agencies reported.

The case comes as Moscow has launched an unprecedented crackdown on dissent at home as troops fight in Ukraine and as much of the Russian arts community has fled the country.

Berkovich is also an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin's more than year-long Ukraine offensive, publishing poems criticising the military campaign.

Unlike many members of Russia's liberal arts scene, the 38-year-old refused to leave the country during the offensive.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

The women were detained a day earlier, a move that shocked Russia's shrinking theatre community.

Thy were accused of "justifying terrorism" in their play titled "Finist, the Brave Falcon."

The women-only performance about Russian women who went to marry men in Syria won two prestigious Golden Mask theatre awards last year.

Berkovich was a student of Kirill Serebrennikov, one of Russia's most innovative and successful directors, who left the country.

"Such people in culture in a normal country are a rarity, a miracle, pride. But in Russia, everything is now the other way around," Serebrennikov said after her arrest was announced.

"You are a star," he said, calling Berkovich his "most talented" student.

Ukraine poems

Russia's exiled community rushed to the two women's defence, with many suggesting the director was targeted because of her position on Ukraine, and decrying charges they called absurd.

"It is a bit like arresting Dostoyevsky for justifying killing old ladies after writing 'Crime and Punishment'," the journalist Alexander Baumov was quoted as saying on the Meduza news website.

A book that featured Berkovich's poems had recently been published in Israel, according to her Instagram page.

Her emotional poems were heavy with the victims of Moscow's Ukraine offensive.

"We need clothes for a woman / 70-years-old / from a city that no longer exists," one of them read.

"Size M -- for Mariupol," read another extract, referring to the city captured by Russian forces after being virtually razed to the ground last year.

An AFP journalist saw about 100 people outside the court, including 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner journalist Dmitry Muratov.

At least 2,000 people signed an online petition in defence of the two women. The letter calls on Russian authorities to "persecute murderers instead of poets".

Berkovich, who is from Saint Petersburg, is the granddaughter of a well-known writer from Russia's second city. She has adopted two teenage girls.

"Her children are waiting for her at home. Her mother and grandmother are waiting in Saint Petersburg," the letter in her support said.
At least eight people were killed and 13 injured in a drive-by shooting near Belgrade late Thursday, state-run media reported, a day after nine people were shot dead at an elementary school in the Serbian capital. At least eight people were killed and 13 injured in a drive-by shooting near Belgrade late Thursday(REPRESENTATIVE IMAGE)

Near Mladenovac on Thursday, an attacker armed with an automatic weapon opened fire from a moving vehicle before fleeing, state-run RTS television reported. Police were searching for the attacker.

A heavy security presence was deployed while helicopters buzzed over the area, according to an AFP photographer on the scene.

Police had blocked the road leading to the villages of Malo Orasje and Dubona.

Worried relatives gathered outside the emergency medical centre in Belgrade where at least eight injured people were hospitalised, N1 television reported.

Health Minister Danica Grujicic briefly visited the centre.

Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the shooting a "terrorist act", RTS reported.

The Balkan nation is already reeling from a rare deadly school shooting on Wednesday, when a 13-year-old student killed eight peers and a security guard at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in downtown Belgrade.

Another six students and a teacher were wounded in that incident, while health officials said two injured remain in critical condition.

While spring is normally a festive time in Serbia with people flocking outdoors, a three-day mourning period will begin on Friday.

- 'Difficult days' -

Mass school shootings are extremely rare in Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic called Wednesday's tragedy "one of the most difficult days" in recent history.

In a national address after the school shooting, Vucic proposed stricter gun control measures, including a two-year moratorium on issuing permits for firearms.

The Interior Ministry has appealed to all firearm owners to keep their guns locked in safes -- warning those who do not abide will have their weapons seized.

The Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school remained sealed off on Thursday, with police guarding the entrance to the building.

Hundreds continued to flock to the school to pay their respects, placing flowers, toys and candles at a makeshift memorial.

People in the Croatian capital Zagreb and the Bosnian Serb administrative capital Banja Luka also lit candles and laid flowers for the victims.

Masses for the victims were held in Belgrade churches while the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Patriarch Porfirije, called the shooting a "catastrophe, the likes of which has never happened in our nation and our homeland".

In the Mladenovac region, a villager killed 13 relatives and neighbours in an April 2013 shooting.
The Sudanese army said late Friday that it had sent envoys to Saudi Arabia to discuss "details of the truce in the process of being extended" with its paramilitary foes. A view shows a fire at the industrial area given as Omdurman, Sudan.(Reuters)

Regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had given his backing to a seven-day ceasefire announced by South Sudan on Wednesday, but early on Friday the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they were extending by three days a previous truce brokered under US-Saudi mediation.

Multiple truces have been agreed since the fighting between the rival security forces erupted on April 15, but none has been respected.
US President Joe Biden's administration plans to send $500 million worth of weapons aid to Taiwan using the same emergency authority that has been used more than 35 times for Ukraine, a source familiar with the plan said on Friday. US President Joe Biden(AP)

As a part of the 2023 budget, Congress authorized up to $1 billion worth of weapons aid for Taiwan using Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), a type of authority that expedites security assistance and has helped to send arms to Ukraine.

This drawdown, which authorizes the president to transfer articles and services from US stockpiles without congressional approval during an emergency, would be the first from that $1 billion authorization.

China views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory and has increased military pressure on the island over the past three years. It has never renounced the use of force to bring the island under its control.

Last month, China staged war games around Taiwan after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy in Los Angeles.

In February, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee that he intended to make use of drawdown authority, a Pentagon spokesperson said on Friday. The spokesperson declined to comment on whether the U.S. was moving ahead with the $500 million aid package.

"Our approach remains consistent with longstanding US policy... We're hard at work fulfilling our obligations under the TRA (Taiwan Relations Act), and we're going to continue to do so," the spokesperson said.

Since 1979, the US-Taiwan relationship has been governed by the Taiwan Relations Act, which gives a legal basis to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, but does not mandate that the United States come to Taiwan's aid if attacked.

It was unclear what would be included in the aid package for Taiwan, which was first reported by Bloomberg news. The timing was also unknown.

Taiwan has since last year complained of delays to U.S. weapon deliveries, such as Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, as manufacturers turned supplies to Ukraine as it battles invading Russian forces. The issue has concerned some U.S. lawmakers.

Taiwan Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng said on Thursday that the delivery of 66 advanced new F-16Vs from the United States had been delayed due to supply chain disruptions and the ministry was working to minimize the damage and make up deficiencies.
The United Nations said on Friday it will continue to keep Afghan staff working from home after the Taliban administration began enforcing a ban on Afghan women working for the world body a month ago. A Taliban fighter stands guard as a woman walks past in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The United Nations has some 3,300 Afghan staff, of whom about 400 are female, while about 600 international staff in the country are not affected by the ban. The UN had said it would review its operations and keep Afghan staff home until May 5.

Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday there had been no change to "our posture on the ground."

"We're working to come to decisions on appropriate working modalities," Haq told reporters in New York. "Obviously, we have a challenge because the needs of the Afghan people are immense, and we intend to fulfill those needs, but at the same time, our operations are clearly impeded."

The Afghan people are in for a "very difficult year ahead," the top U.S. aid official warned this week, as donors grapple with challenging a Taliban administration crackdown on women and girls, more crises around the world, and less funding overall.

Haq said aid work continued in areas like health and education where the U.N. had been able to get some limited exemptions to the ban on Afghan women. He indicated, however, that some U.N. agencies may be taking a different approach.

"I believe that different agencies have different mandates about the provision of aid and so they have had different ways of handling the situation as I characterized it," Haq said.

The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew following 20 years of war. It has since also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools.

The Taliban says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an "internal issue."

The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan and the chair of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls - both mandated by the UN Human Rights Council - visited Afghanistan between April 27 and May 4.

"We are deeply concerned about the apparent perpetration in Afghanistan of gender persecution  a systematic and grave human rights violation and a crime against humanity," they said in a joint statement on Friday.
Amid escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, a video has surfaced on social media in which a Ukrainian MP, Oleksandr Marikovskyi, can be purportedly seen punching an unidentified Russian representative who snagged the Ukrainian flag from his hands during a conference in Turkey's capital Ankara. The incident took place on Thursday during the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation in Ankara.(Source: Twitter)

The incident reportedly took place on Thursday during the 61st General Assembly of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) where countries of the Black Sea region gathered to discuss ways to develop multilateral and bilateral ties on the economic, technological, and social fronts, Turkey's state-run news agency Anadolu Agency reported.

The clip, posted by Jason Jay Smart, a special correspondent for the Kyiv Post on Twitter, and a political adviser, posted the video on Twitter, has gained more than 3 million views as of Friday morning.

Marikovskyi also posted the clip on his Facebook account. Newsweek also reported on the incident, citing Marikovskyi's post.

"He really deserved that punch. Delegate from #Russia sparks scuffle at Black Sea Economic Community event in #Ankara, #Turkey, after forcibly taking the flag of #Ukraine from MP Marikovskyi's hands," tweeted advocate Ibrahim Zeidan.

During the summit, the video of the unnamed Russian representative can be seen approaching Marikovskyi, who was holding his country's flag. The Russian delegate forcibly took the flag from Marikovskyi's hands, but Marikovskyi retaliated by pushing and punching the representative in the face to reclaim the flag.

The incident highlights the heightened tensions between Russia and Ukraine, which have been exacerbated by Russian President Vladimir Putin's ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The conflict, which began in February of last year, has now spread to major cities such as Kyiv, Kherson, Odesa, and Bakhmut.

Russia blames US for masterminding Kremlin drone attack

Moscow on Thursday accused the US of masterminding a drone attack on the Kremlin, a charge denied by Washington, and said Ukrainian sabotage on Russian territory had reached unprecedented momentum.

Moscow said Putin was working from the Kremlin the day after the attack, which it said was a Ukrainian attempt to kill him. "Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kyiv, but in Washington," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Ukraine has denied responsibility, with President Volodymyr Zelensky saying "We do not attack Moscow or Putin."

The United States has also denied any involvement.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Britain's ruling Conservatives were plunged into crisis on Friday as they suffered big losses in Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first major electoral test since he took office last year. Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.(AFP)

In the depths of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the local council elections held across swathes of England on Thursday illuminated the main parties' standing ahead of a UK-wide general election expected next year.

The worst fears of Sunak's Tories were confirmed as results came in through Friday, the party losing more than 1,000 seats and control of dozens of councils before even all the counting had ended.

Earlier in the day Sunak, who took power last October, admitted the results looked "disappointing". But the 42-year-old claimed he was "not detecting any massive groundswell of movement" towards the main Labour opposition or "excitement for its agenda".

However, with most of the 8,000 seats counted by early evening -- just as Britain gears up for Saturday's coronation of King Charles III -- Labour had gained more than 500 councillors and seized at least 21 new districts.

Its leader Keir Starmer crowed that "the results are clear".

"Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election," he told cheering activists in Medway, southeast England, one of the councils won by his party from the Tories.

"We've won the trust, the confidence of voters, and now we can go on to change our country."

Older news

Starmer has been remoulding the party after it suffered its worst general election performance in decades in 2019, when ex-prime minister Boris Johnson won by a landslide vowing to "get Brexit done".

The party has enjoyed double-digit national polls leads since late last year, as the Conservatives felt the fallout from several chaotic weeks when they ditched Johnson and then Liz Truss as leader in quick succession.

Tory transport minister Huw Merriman indicated his party was still paying the price for that tumult, after it lost control of at least 45 councils.

Local constituents have been "talking about older news about former prime ministers -- but saying your current leader seems to have what it takes", he told the BBC, insisting that Sunak was on the right track.

However, two projections of how the vote would translate in a general election -- expected next year -- showed Labour with leads of eight and nine points over the Conservatives.

Pollsters warned that did not guarantee the opposition party an outright majority.

Nonetheless Labour was celebrating notable wins nationwide. It wrested control of prized targets such as Dover and Medway in southeast England, Plymouth in the southwest and Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands -- where in 2016, 70 percent of voters backed Brexit.

Labour is particularly targeting former strongholds in northern England, the so-called "red wall", which crumbled in 2019.

Exceeding all expectations

The smaller Liberal Democrat party was also performing strongly, gaining over 400 seats and control of 11 more councils.

It was making inroads in wealthy Conservative districts on the edge of London that are represented nationally by members of Sunak's cabinet -- the "blue wall".

The centrist opposition party took control of the council in Windsor and Maidenhead, west of London, an area represented in Westminster by former prime minister Theresa May.

"We are exceeding all expectations," Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said.

"We have delivered a hammer blow to the Conservative party in the blue wall ahead of next year's general election."

Meanwhile, the Green Party took full control of a council for the first time, in Suffolk in eastern England.

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, noted that the Conservatives were already defending a dismal showing the last time the same council districts voted in 2019.

"Voters may well return to the Conservative fold" at the next general election, he told AFP.

"But yes, it's looking pretty bad for them so far. To do badly from a very bad baseline in 2019 is very, very bad indeed."

Sunak meanwhile defended a law change requiring voters to show photo identification for the first time, a move denounced by Labour and others as an attempt to suppress the vote.

The Electoral Commission vowed to review numerous reports of voters being turned away on Thursday.
The US border with Mexico will not be thrown open when Donald Trump-era restrictions change next week, the Biden administration said Friday. View of a temporary detention centre for illegal immigrant children and teenagers at Tornillo, Texas, US near the Mexico-US border.(AFP File Photo)

During a visit to the Texas frontier town of Brownsville, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said safeguards were in place to prevent a tide of migrants entering when Title 42 lapses on Thursday.

The US is building legal pathways for those who qualify to reach the country safely, he told reporters -- and enforcing consequences for those who arrive at the southern border "irregularly."

"The message is very clear. We are coming with the relief that our laws provide to the individuals in need. The border is not open, it has not been open and it will not be open into May 11," Mayorkas said.

President Joe Biden's administration is under pressure from Republican Party opponents who claim that Latin Americans are already flooding over the border.

They say the situation is expected to deteriorate next week when Title 42 expires.

The rule was imposed early in the Covid pandemic, ostensibly to prevent infected people entering the country, and allows border guards immediately to turn people away without even accepting their asylum applications.

"May 11 is a nightmare day for the American people, particularly people in New Mexico and Texas," Senator Lindsey Graham said this week.

"In the next 90 days, you're going to (see) from 900,000 to 1.1 million" migrants crossing the border, Graham predicted, adding: "America is under siege here."

Figures from US Customs and Border Protection show officials had 192,000 "encounters" with migrants at the southern border in March, the last month for which figures are available.

An individual would-be migrant can have multiple encounters with officials, and the figure does not translate to the number of people attempting to cross the border.

The Biden administration announced Tuesday it was mobilizing 1,500 more troops to help monitor and manage the migrant flow -- in addition to 2,500 already in place -- in anticipation of a surge of crossings Thursday.
The brand-new build is officially complete, with 122 rooms and public spaces including four distinct culinary concepts helmed by James Beard nominated Chef Ashleigh Shanti.

Hotel Genevieve, a new boutique hotel project from Austin's acclaimed hospitality group Bunkhouse in collaboration with real estate development firm, Mountain Shore Properties, has officially opened its doors in the heart of Louisville's East Market District. The opening marks a series of firsts for the brand and city, including Bunkhouse group's first hotel project in Kentucky and the first boutique hotel for the growing East Market district, also known as NuLu.

The property is Bunkhouse's largest hotel to date featuring 122 rooms on six floors, a lobby art gallery that pays homage to Louisville, and retail shop, alongside four culinary spaces all concepted by James Beard-nominated Chef Ashleigh Shanti, including an all-day ground-floor restaurant, rooftop bar and lounge with expansive city views, and intimate secret bar, in addition to a vibrant mini market that is set to open in late May. The name is inspired by a regional type of limestone, Saint Genevieve, which is a key ingredient in bourbon production and is prevalent throughout Texas, providing a link to the origins of Bunkhouse to this new chapter in Kentucky. Saint Genevieve is also the patron saint of Paris, celebrating both the French origins of Louisville and the many women working on the project.

Designed in collaboration by Bunkhouse and ROHE Creative, a female-owned and operated Philadelphia-based interior design firm, with architecture by Memphis-based LLW Architects, Hotel Genevieve is inspired by a city that is much more layered than bourbon and horses, with design that represents the nuances that make Louisville a destination for all. Bunkhouse's first urban core hotel, the design is inspired by the patron saint of Paris in celebration of the French origins of the city, and all things Louisvillethink French modernism meets Old World charm Overall, the spaces are feminine and playful to juxtapose the masculinity often associated with bourbon and downtown, which can be seen throughout the rooms, offering a truly immersive experience with colors that reflect a modern take on a historical color palate of cool and natural combinationssuch as shades of blue, terracotta and warm yellowenveloping every surface including the ceiling to energize the space and bring the outdoors in. Custom, curvaceous consoles from ROHE in an ivory high-gloss lacquer reflect the saturated hues and add another layer of luminescence to the room. Kentucky's quilt culture also became a muse, including modern quilting patterns in the corridor carpet and bedroom throws. This myriad of inspiration culminates in a design that is effortless, vibrant, and, in the best ways, a bit over the top.

Four distinct culinary concepts are found throughout the hotel, concepted by Culinary Director Ashleigh Shanti, who brings a distinct voice rooted in African American foodways to the city. Awarded 2019 Eater Young Gun and named a 2020 finalist for the James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year, Shanti weaves her passion for food history and storytelling to create an inviting culinary perspective. Each concept features unique, immersive takes on Southern classics with global flair.

Rosettes, the ground-floor all-day restaurant named for the ribbons won in horse races, offers a lively food experience driven by simple, local ingredients and inspired by al fresco Parisian cafes and Shanti's Southern/Appalachian background. Attached to the lobby, the space is elegant while maintaining a warm atmosphere, boasting brasserie detailscafe curtains, Royer-inspired lighting, and outdoor seatingthat invite guests to linger over morning coffee and celebratory dinners.

The first rooftop for the Bunkhouse brand, Hotel Genevieve Bar offers cocktails and light-fare inspired by French street food with Mediterranean influences set against sweeping views of the city and the Ohio River. With French nods to the city's namesake, King Louis XVI, the light-filled space with indoor and outdoor seating is loaded with toast-worthy accents, like a grand chandelier from Olde Good Things, and features an elevated and fun take on traditional, shareable bar food.

The hotel is also home to Lucky Penny, an intimate speakeasy open for cocktails and bar snacks late into the night, which is hidden inside Mini Marche, the soon-to-open neighborhood market with a bright yellow design offering local Kentucky provisions along with coffee and grab-and-go selections for breakfast and lunch including breakfast sandwiches, Chef Ashleigh's famous banana bread, and fresh produce.

As Bunkhouse's first hotel in Louisville, Genevieve plans to collaborate with local partners to offer community-driven experiences that the Bunkhouse brand is known for, celebrating Louisville's culture through programming with partners such as Black Soil Kentucky, Louisville Orchestra, and the Olmsted Parks Conservancy. This will include an art walk created in collaboration with a neighbor of the hotel, the acclaimed Rabbit Hole Distillery, highlighting local and US-based artists through rotating mural installations, which will enhance connectivity to the distillery. Rabbit Hole will also create a brand new, signature single barrel bourbon for the hotel, with curated artist-designed labels adorning the bottle. Additional collaborations, including the in-room zine with local creative studio Zimmer-Design and artwork sourced from Wheelhouse Gallery, illuminate the sensibilities and idiosyncrasies of the city.

SNAPSHOT

Operator and Creative: Bunkhouse

Interior Design: ROHE Creative and Bunkhouse

Developing Partner: Mountain Shore Properties

Architect of Record: LLW Architects

Address: 730 East Market Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40202

Website:www.hotelgenevive.com

Instagram: @hotelgenevieve_louisville + @rosettes_louisville

Hotel Genevieve's Phone: (502) 676-7199

Rosette's Phone: (502) 586-7049

Hotel website
IHG today announces that Keith Barr has informed the Board of his decision to step down from his role as Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and from the IHG Board. Keith intends to return with his family to the US. His final day as CEO will be 30 June, after which he will remain available to support and advise the business until the end of 2023.

Keith will be succeeded by Elie Maalouf, a member of IHG's Board and Executive Committee, who has led IHG's Americas business as regional CEO for the past eight years. Elie will take up his new position on 1 July and will be based in the UK to lead the business.

Keith has been a part of IHG for more than 30 years and was appointed to the Board and as CEO in July 2017. Executing a clear strategy, he has transformed IHG to position the company for long-term sustainable growth, surpassing 6,000 open hotels, broadening the portfolio with the addition of seven brands in six years, significantly investing in IHG's digital capabilities and loyalty offer, embarking on a 10-year responsible business strategy, and progressing in key areas of DE&I. During Keith's tenure, IHG has also successfully navigated a global pandemic and continued to grow its footprint and reputation with key stakeholders around the world.

Elie joined IHG as Americas CEO in February 2015. Under his leadership, the region's estate has grown from approximately 3,700 hotels to more than 4,350. Elie led the delivery of record profits, oversaw the launch of new brands and formats, and strengthened how the business drives value for our hotel owners. Elie has spent several decades in the global hospitality sector and has a breadth of experience spanning hotel development, branding, finance, real estate and operations management, as well as food and beverage expertise, with a strong track record of delivering exceptional results. Elie has lived and worked internationally including in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the US, and speaks four languages.

To support Elie and Chief Financial Officer Michael Glover and to help ensure a smooth transition, Keith will remain available to the business over the rest of 2023. A process is underway to appoint a successor to Elie as Americas CEO.

IHG

Windsor Berkshire

United Kingdom Website
Oetker Collection is delighted to announce the appointment of Andrew Jeffries as Executive Head of Sales & Marketing at Jumby Bay Island in the Caribbean, with immediate effect. Set in one of the most beautiful locations in the world, Jumby Bay Island is a private island just two miles off mainland Antigua. Ringed with coral reefs and reachable only by boat, with not a car in sight, the pristine island is a place to unwind and reconnect with nature in the most luxurious of surroundings. Jumby Bay Island is renowned as one of the world's most exclusive resorts.

A native New Yorker, Jeffries commenced his hospitality career in Los Angeles in 2005 at The Kor Group (now Viceroy Hotel Group) as their first Management Trainee, gaining managerial experience in every hotel across their varied portfolio of properties. After receiving his Masters of Management in Hospitality (MMH) from Cornell University in 2008, which included a position with One&Only Resorts working in their marketing and finance departments, Jeffries relocated to London where he assumed the role of Duty Manager at the iconic Claridge's in Mayfair.

In 2010, Jeffries joined the Maybourne Hotel Group, parent company of Claridge's, The Connaught, and The Berkeley, serving in various Sales & Marketing roles for the next 9 years. Working in Maybourne's New York office, he was responsible for implementing the company's sales and marketing strategies for The Americas. Jeffries joins Jumby Bay Island from The Mark Hotel in New York, where he has held the position of Director of Sales & Marketing for the past four years.

Jeffries' new responsibilities will include the development and execution of the annual sales and marketing plan. He will lead the Sales, PR, Events and Reservations team through implementation of effective sales strategies in line with the overall resort positioning. Jeffries will work closely with Jumby Bay Island's Managing Director Will Oakley, in addition to Oetker Collection's Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Communications, Simon Neggers, to deliver results.
Ennismores combination of entrepreneurialism and individuality has arguably become the envy of the hotel world. Valued at more than US$2.2 billion, Ennismore is not just s a hotel group. Instead, it is a lifestyle collective. There are more than 15 individual brands, each challenging what hospitality can be. The London-born business has grown from operating only The Hoxton brand to a global force, backed by the worlds wealthiest governments.

From the first Hoxton, in Londons Shoreditch, back in 2012, Ennismore has created an empire of more than 130 properties, following a merger with Accor in 2021. With that, Ennismore became the umbrella group brands such as 25hours (originally from Bavaria) and SLS (which launched in Miami). Other hotel flags include Mondrian, SO/and Hyde, and Ennismore also operates non-hotel brands such as the co-working space Working From_ and F&B companies Paris Society and Carte Blanched.

Orignal Ennismore boss Sharan Pasricha remains co-CEO of the group, involved in the creative direction and overall tactility of his company. But, following the merger with Accor, the man getting down to business is Gaurav Bhushan.

Read the full article at hoteliermiddleeast.com
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] today announces that Keith Barr has informed the Board of his decision to step down from his role as Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and from the IHG Board. Keith intends to return with his family to the US. His final day as CEO will be 30 June, after which he will remain available to support and advise the business until the end of 2023.

Keith will be succeeded by Elie Maalouf, a member of IHGs Board and Executive Committee, who has led IHGs Americas business as regional CEO for the past eight years. Elie will take up his new position on 1 July and will be based in the UK to lead the business.

Keith has been a part of IHG for more than 30 years and was appointed to the Board and as CEO in July 2017. Executing a clear strategy, he has transformed IHG to position the company for long-term sustainable growth, surpassing 6,000 open hotels, broadening the portfolio with the addition of seven brands in six years, significantly investing in IHGs digital capabilities and loyalty offer, embarking on a 10-year responsible business strategy, and progressing in key areas of DE&I. During Keiths tenure, IHG has also successfully navigated a global pandemic and continued to grow its footprint and reputation with key stakeholders around the world.

Elie joined IHG as Americas CEO in February 2015. Under his leadership, the regions estate has grown from approximately 3,700 hotels to more than 4,350. Elie led the delivery of record profits, oversaw the launch of new brands and formats, and strengthened how the business drives value for our hotel owners. Elie has spent several decades in the global hospitality sector and has a breadth of experience spanning hotel development, branding, finance, real estate and operations management, as well as food and beverage expertise, with a strong track record of delivering exceptional results. Elie has lived and worked internationally including in Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and the US, and speaks four languages.

To support Elie and Chief Financial Officer Michael Glover and to help ensure a smooth transition, Keith will remain available to the business over the rest of 2023. A process is underway to appoint a successor to Elie as Americas CEO.

It has been a pleasure to work with Keith, and on behalf of the Board and our colleagues I want to thank him for his successful leadership of IHG and congratulate him on his remarkable contribution. Starting in our hotels in the US before moving into corporate roles that have seen him work across international markets, Keith has used all his experience to lead a true transformation of IHG in his six years as CEO. He has rallied a business around a clear strategy with hotel owners and guests at its heart, strengthened IHGs enterprise platform, and placed the business on a path to long-term sustainable growth and to continue an excellent track record of shareholder value creation. He has achieved this with great warmth and personality  not least during the depths of the pandemic  and we wish him the very best for the future. Succession planning has been a hallmark of the business for many years and Elies appointment is the result of a rigorous process and a commitment to invest in the development of our leaders, as was the case when Keith became CEO in 2017. Elie has been an instrumental part of our business in his eight years running our largest operating region and as a member of the Board since 2018. His significant industry experience and deep understanding of our business makes him extremely well placed to take on the role of CEO and ensure we continue to progress and execute against our successful strategy. The Board and I look forward to working with him in his new position. Deanna Oppenheimer, Chair of IHG

I feel incredibly privileged to have spent three decades as part of IHG, working alongside the many talented colleagues that make it such a special company, and in partnership with our hotel owners who share our passion for hospitality. I have been lucky enough to experience this in multiple countries over the years and to have spent the last six as CEO has been an honour. After a long time living abroad, now is the right time for me and my family to return to the US. I am proud of the strong position that IHG is in today, thanks to the investments we have made to transform every aspect of our business, deliver for our guests and owners, and grow and operate our brands in the right way around the world. Im excited for what lies ahead for IHG and having worked so closely together, to see Elie lead the business and build on all he has achieved in the Americas. Keith Barr, CEO

I am extremely proud to be appointed CEO of one of the worlds leading hotel companies and excited to work with our talented teams and owners around the world on what will be an important new chapter for IHG. Working closely with Keith and as an Executive Committee, weve made a number of critical strategic investments in recent years that position us with exciting opportunities to realise IHGs full industry leading potential, by driving the performance and growth of our fantastic brands and delivering strong returns for all our stakeholders. Elie Maalouf, Americas CEO and CEO Designate

About IHG

IHG Hotels & Resorts [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is a global hospitality company, with a purpose to provide True Hospitality for Good.

With a family of 17 hotel brands and IHG Rewards, one of the world's largest hotel loyalty programmes, IHG has over 6,000 open hotels in more than 100 countries, and a further 1,800 in the development pipeline.

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC is the Group's holding company and is incorporated and registered in England and Wales. Approximately 350,000 people work across IHG's hotels and corporate offices globally.

Visit us online for more about our hotels and reservations and IHG Rewards. For our latest news, visit our Newsroom and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.
Life House has been selected to manage two more hotels in California - Hotel Royal in Long Beach and Hotel La Rose in Sonoma County. Life House now operates seven hotels throughout California. Both owners faced similar challenges prior to switching to Life House, including fatigue keeping up with the day-to-day operations and a heavy reliance on expensive OTAs, all while desiring to preserve their connection to the property.

Hotel La Rose, a landmark 48-key property in the heart of Santa Rosa, has been welcoming travelers for over 100 years. The owners were attracted to Life House's ability to enhance their hotel's profitability while allowing them to devote more time to their other businesses. For the hotels owners, Lukhbir Gill, Hardeep Gill and Jim McCalligan, preserving the historic charm and unique character that had been cultivated through a century of heartfelt operations was very important.

We wanted to free up our time, but deeply care about Hotel La Rose and the special experience our guests have enjoyed for so many years. Therefore, we could never see it being flagged, said Hardeep Gill. Life House is the perfect solution to operate this historic asset in a very sophisticated manner to optimize profitability, whilst maintaining the specialness & extraordinary charm.

Hotel Royal, a 1923 Art Deco boutique hotel in Long Beachs trendy East Village Arts District, had just celebrated its 100 year anniversary when the owner Victor Beauchamp retained Life House to take over management. I had spent 20 years renovating and building our unique brand, Beauchamp shared. I was exhausted and needed help but couldnt allow our family legacy to become just another corporate hotel. Life Houses personalized approach really appealed to us as a chance to maximize performance and compete with bigger, better resourced hotel brands while retaining what we love most about our property.

This is a familiar tale for independent hotel owners who pour their heart into their properties but have difficulty keeping up with technological advances and increasing operational complexity. From transition through ongoing management, Life Houses partners have a dedicated Asset Manager who liaises with 140+ corporate experts within all pillars of hospitality operations, ensuring that the hotels employ best-in-class systems & processes at all times.

The owners of both Hotel Royal and Hotel La Rose were encouraged by the 258% increase in NOI versus pre-Life House management that was experienced by a historic property in close proximity to Hotel La Rose. Life House boosted revenue and decreased operating expenses by automating back-of-house functions, increasing profitability without adversely affecting the guest experience.

The Management Agreements for both properties were executed early this year. With an efficient transition process, they have both already launched under Life House management.

We are excited to partner with the owners of these special hotels, as they seek to spend their time in more meaningful ways, said Rami Zeidan, Founder & CEO of Life House. Were excited to continue growing in California as there is an abundance of quaint independent hotels with similar attributes to the many hotels weve helped on the East Coast.

About Life House

Life House is a vertically integrated hotel management & technology company focused on serving small and medium independent hotels with institutional quality service. Life House uses advanced software & operating systems to increase profitability and reliability for independent hotels throughout North America. Life House was founded in 2017 by real estate, hospitality, and technology veterans and is backed by world renowned private equity and venture investors. The company is ambitiously investing in its operational systems to make hotels fare more profitable, predictable, and seamless for owners. Today the company operates over 80 hotels across North America. To learn more, visit www.life-house.com.
New job postings decline by 19.1%

Key themes driving hiring trends are Cloud, AI and Big Data

The first quarter (Q1) of 2023 saw many companies across the globe announcing layoffs amidst a continuous decline in job postings. Major players like Salesforce, Accenture, and JP Morgan Chase & Co are among the companies that have announced job cuts. Despite this, sectors such as Retailing, Healthcare, and Technology continued to hire actively. key themes driving hiring trends being Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data, reveals the Job Analytics Database of GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalDatas latest report, Global Hiring Activity  Trends & Signals Q1 2023, reveals that the global hiring activity continued to decline in Q1 2023, as active jobs declined by 27.8%, with new job postings declining by 19.1% and closures rose 36.3% compared to postings.

North American HQ companies posted 91.4% of jobs in North America; 4% in Asia-Pacific; 3.4% in Europe; 0.6% in South & Central America and 0.6% in Middle East & Africa.

Retailing, Healthcare, and Technology continued to hire actively although active jobs declined by around 30% sequentially in Q1 2023.

 Source: GlobalData Plc

Sherla Sriprada, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, comments: Foodservice, travel & tourism, business and consumer services, and construction had higher job postings and lower closures than other industries in Q1 2023. AmRest Holdings SE, Marriott International Inc, and Black & Veatch Corp were among the top recruiters during the same period.

In terms of themes, Digitalization, AI, and Renewable Energy had higher job postings and lower closures during the quarter. For instance, Digital Marketing Manager by Lego AS is a new role which will support the Global Marketing Teams in executing world class digital campaigns, primarily across social media and proximity marketing to increase awareness of LEGO Retail channels, drive footfall to store / LEGO.com and increase sales.

Another new role by ReVision Energy LLCs Director of Community Solar Farms looks at co-developing and implementing ReVisions community solar strategies across Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts to increase access to cost-saving solar for low-income families and other individuals and organizations with limited onsite solar potential.

Sriprada concludes: While the decline in job postings and the surge in layoffs are concerning, the key takeaway is that industries need to adapt to digital transformation and upskill their workforce to stay relevant.

About GlobalData

4,000 of the world's largest companies, including over 70% of FTSE 100 and 60% of Fortune 100 companies, make more timely and better business decisions thanks to GlobalData's unique data, expert analysis and innovative solutions, all in one platform. GlobalData's mission is to help our clients decode the future to be more successful and innovative across a range of industries, including the healthcare, consumer, retail, financial, technology and professional services sectors.

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As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, the hospitality and tourism industry is no exception. Sustainability in the hospitality industry is becoming increasingly important, and EHL Passugg recognizes this movement by offering a Sustainable Management major. Swiss Professional Degree graduates with this specialization have a wealth of career opportunities available to them. In this blog post, we will discuss five of the most promising career paths in sustainable hospitality.

5 career opportunities for sustainable hospitality professionals

1. Sustainability Coordinator

One of the most obvious career paths for graduates with a degree in Sustainable Management is that of a sustainability coordinator. These professionals are responsible for creating and implementing sustainable initiatives within hotels, resorts, and other hospitality businesses. They may work with other departments to develop plans for reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste, and promoting eco-friendly practices. Sustainability coordinators must be knowledgeable about sustainable technologies and practices and should possess excellent communication skills to ensure that their initiatives are understood and implemented by staff members.

These are 3 specific examples of sustainability coordinator positions in the hospitality industry:

Sustainability Coordinator at Marriott International

Environmental Coordinator at Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Corporate Sustainability Manager at Hilton Worldwide

2. Green Event Planner

Green event planning is a relatively new field that is growing in popularity. Green event planners are responsible for planning events that have a minimal impact on the environment. This can include sourcing sustainable materials, minimizing waste, and reducing energy and water consumption. They must also be knowledgeable about sustainable catering practices, such as sourcing local and organic foods and reducing food waste. A degree in Sustainable Management is a great starting point for a career in green event planning.

Here are three career opportunities as green event planner:

Sustainable Event Coordinator at Sustainable Events Ltd.

Green Event Coordinator at New Leaf Events

Senior Event Manager at Conscious Conferences

3. Eco-Tourism Specialist

Eco-tourism is a form of sustainable tourism that focuses on environmental conservation and the promotion of local cultures. Eco-tourism specialists are responsible for creating and promoting eco-friendly travel experiences. This can include working with local communities to create sustainable tourism initiatives, promoting responsible tourism practices, and organizing sustainable tours and activities. A degree in Sustainable Management is an excellent foundation for a career in eco-tourism.

These are some convincing job positions as eco-tourism specialists:

4. Sustainable Food and Beverage Manager

Sustainable food and beverage managers are responsible for ensuring that their hotel or restaurant operates sustainably. They may work with chefs to source local and organic ingredients, minimize food waste, and promote sustainable eating practices. They may also be responsible for managing the restaurant's energy and water consumption and reducing waste in the kitchen. A degree in Sustainable Management can provide the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in this career path.

A few examples of sustainable food and beverage manager positions:

Sustainable Food and Beverage Manager at The Ritz-Carlton

Director of Food and Beverage at Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants

Food and Beverage Sustainability Manager at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

5. Corporate Social Responsibility Manager

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) managers are responsible for ensuring that their company operates ethically and sustainably. In the hospitality industry, this can include implementing sustainable initiatives such as reducing energy and water consumption, minimizing waste, and promoting eco-friendly practices. CSR managers must be knowledgeable about sustainable technologies and practices and possess excellent communication skills to ensure that their initiatives are understood and implemented by staff members. A degree in Sustainable Management is an excellent foundation for a career in corporate social responsibility.

These are 3 specific examples of CSR manager positions in the hospitality industry:

Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at AccorHotels

Director of Corporate Social Responsibility at MGM Resorts International

Sustainability Manager at IHG Hotels and Resorts

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, the demand for sustainable hospitality professionals is growing. Graduates with a degree in Sustainable Management have a wide range of career opportunities available to them, from sustainability coordinators and green event planners to eco-tourism specialists and sustainable food and beverage managers. A degree in Sustainable Management can also lead to a career as a corporate social responsibility manager, ensuring that businesses operate ethically and sustainably. By pursuing a degree in Sustainable Management, graduates can make a positive impact on the hospitality industry and help create a more sustainable future.

EHL Hospitality Business School

Communications Department

+41 21 785 1354

EHL

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Exploring Safety Systems and Devices: A Virtual Education Preview from Solution Providers

How does an industry that is required to offer a relaxed, discreet, unobtrusive, and unencumbered experience for guests and members, reconcile those goals with offering guests and members a secure environment? Every company is responsible for creating and maintaining a safe environment for its employees.

Understanding that there is potential for danger, hospitality properties need to counter it with preemptive response planning. It is imperative for organizations to implement appropriate security measures, collaborate with local authorities and train staff in proper prevention and reaction methods.

Employers can provide a safe and secure working environment by using a thorough security system including access control systems, CCTVs, keycards, and emergency notification devices, along with training the employees about security procedures, and constant improvement of a safety management system program.

HFTP recently hosted a webinar entitled Safety Systems and Devices that focused on some of these security measures and devices designed for the hospitality industry to keep people safe and properly protected. The panel for the webinar included representatives from companies who will be exhibiting their safety solutions in the exhibit hall at HITEC Toronto 2023. Keep reading for advice from the solution providers who participated in the webinar.

HITEC Toronto will be held at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, June 26-29. (Visit the HITEC website for a complete list of the 300+ hospitality technology companies that will be exhibiting at HITEC this year. Register to attend today.)

Did you miss the live Safety Systems and Devices webinar? Visit the HFTP 2023 Virtual Education Archive Library to watch the recorded session.

Exploring Smart Safety Solutions with:

Fiona Moloney, CEO at HaloSOS (Visit HITEC Booth #2533)

Lucie Deuel, CEO at SIGFLOW

Sandy Murray Hanson, VP of Sales, Hospitality at ROAR (Visit HITEC Booth #1905a)

David Branca, NE Regional Sales Manager at PinPoint (Visit HITEC Booth #1150a)

Statistics show that by the year 2025, it is estimated that there will be more than 75 billion IoT connected devices in use. We are in the midst of a digital transformation right now, and IoT is leading the way with solutions such as panic buttons, asset tracking, energy usage monitoring, and more. IoT sensors are solving unique and complex monitoring challenges by combining an intelligent network of sensors and gateways with industry-leading monitoring applications, real-time reporting, and instant SMS text message alerts. It is now possible to connect your sensor data to any platform, deploy plug and play solutions, and manage all sensor activity through a single pane of glass.

These IoT devices include wearable panic buttons that are designed to protect hotel workers who may find themselves alone in vulnerable or dangerous situations and can send emergent, location-tracking alerts with the push of a button. According to PinPoint, hospitality is in the top five most dangerous industries to work in, with significant percentages of hotel workers indicating: sexual harrassment (58 percent), indecent exposure (49 percent), and verbal abuse or violence (10 percent) from guests or customers.

Smart wearables like panic button devices should allow communication between teams, emergency alerts, crisis communication, smart messaging and scalability. When considering this technology, look for a solution that is:

Developed for the people who are using it.

Designed with integrity by people who care and is simple to use, private and secure.

A truly mobile and smart safety solution that cannot be knocked off or removed easily, is discreet to guests, and easy and comfortable to use.

Multifunctional (able to do more than one thing).

Other important considerations should be made, as well:

The product should work within the confines of your current business operations.

Consider the power source. Can it be unplugged, what is the battery life, and is the hardware discrete to guests?

Confirm the solutions accuracy and speed, both indoors and outdoors, during active threats (this is paramount!).

Determine the level of redundancy provided.

Does it offer teamwide communication, room messaging, improving operations and scalability?

Is it Union-tested, does it pass these tests, and does it comply with brand standards?

Are references provided?

Finally, there are a few things you can do on your end throughout the selection and implementation of a new solution:

Have your priorities and a plan in place, rather than expecting a solution provider to come up with these for you.

Perform regular updates and equipment checks, much like changing the oil in your car.

Make sure your staff understands the system, how and when to use it  as well as the culture behind your protocols. Your staff should have confidence in the system. It will only work as well as your staff understands the protocols and procedures behind it.

For more valuable information, watch the webinar recording or feel free to reach out to any of the companies who contributed their knowledge of these security technologies.
The New Braunfels Police Department is warning residents about a recent string of targeted thefts known as bank juggings  a crime that state bankers associations say is increasing statewide.

Jugging refers to thieves targeting people who have withdrawn money from an ATM, bank or credit union. The robbers typically follow those people and attempt to rob them, in some cases by breaking into their unattended vehicles or even their homes.

This week, New Braunfels police arrested two men whom they accuse of breaking into the vehicle of a man they saw withdraw money from a bank. Police say the suspects broke into the mans Toyota Rav4 while he was in a gas station.

Julian Hayward Fite, 31, and Marshawn Devonte Gillis, 31, were arrested and face charges of theft of property greater than $2,500 and less than $30,000, vehicle burglary, unlawful use of a criminal instrument and accident involving damage to a vehicle greater than $200.

MORE FROM NEW BRAUNFELS: School board names lone finalist to be districts next superintendent

The New Braunfels Police Department would like to remind all residents to never leave cash (especially large sums of money) in your vehicle, the department said in a Facebook post.

Jugging isnt new, but it has been increasing in recent years, according to law enforcement experts.

The Texas Bankers Association is currently partnering with the Texas Department of Banking on a jugging safety campaign, according to a release from the association. Posters and tipsheets related to jugging are available for download at the associations website, texasbankers.com.

This is an area that is impacting bank customers on a daily basis, Texas Banking Commissioner Charles Cooper said. By providing customers with information and tools to protect themselves, we can make a difference in preventing jugging and keeping our communities safe.
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A pair of West Texas ranches are suing ERCOT, claiming the states power grid operator violated a 2021 law when it failed to stop a Chinese billionaires wind farm from moving forward in Val Verde County.

Its the latest battle over the Blue Hills wind farm, a 46-turbine project planned near Comstock and started by Houston-based GH America Energy, whose parent company is owned by Chinese businessman Sun Guangxin. In response to the project, the Legislature passed the Lone Star Infrastructure Act in 2021, barring entities from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from having direct access to critical infrastructure, citing concerns over security of the electric grid.

GH America applied to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas before the law went into effect to connect the wind farm to the Texas electric grid. In the lawsuit filed late last month in state District Court in Val Verde County, the ranchers, whose properties abut the site, claim that ERCOT should have canceled that interconnection application when the Lone Star Infrastructure Act became law.

Spanish renewable energy company Greenalia, which was also named as a defendant in the suit, announced that it took over the wind farm in 2022 from GH America, but it is unclear who owns the ground beneath the planned turbines.

Brazos Highland Properties, a company widely reported as controlled by Guangxin, owns 187 properties in Val Verde County. Records show Greenalia entered into a lease and easement agreement with Brazos Highland last July to develop and operate the wind farm on the Carma Ranch north of Comstock.

A spokesperson for Greenalia did not return a request for comment Friday.

The plaintiffs, Ward-Walker Seven Oaks Ranch and Cole Ranch, say ERCOT is jeopardizing the security and reliability of the grid and are asking the court to void the interconnection application previously filed by GH America. The lawyer representing the ranches, Dallas Barrington, said any new entity that takes over the wind farm should have to restart the application process to connect to the grid.

An ERCOT spokesperson said the grid operator does not comment on pending litigation. A spokesperson for GH America could not be reached Friday.

Randy Nunns, a board member at Devils River Conservancy, which opposes the project, said the proposed influx in wind energy poses a threat to an area known for its wilderness. People travel there to hunt and be in nature, spending thousands of dollars a night to stay at some Val Verde County ranches.

Opponents say the project could also hurt unique wildlife habitats that monarch butterflies, migratory birds and bats call home.

"Everybody is opposed to 700-foot-tall turbines in the county no matter who owns 'em, Nunns said. If it was Willie Nelson building 'em, we still wouldnt want 'em.
Retreating oil and natural gas prices are prompting oil and gas producers to cut back on their drilling plans.

Oilfield services firm Baker Hughes said Friday the US rig count it has released weekly since 1944 slumped seven rigs to 748, the biggest weekly decline since February and breaking a two-week win streak. The count is still 43 rigs or 6% above the 705 counted this time last year.

The number of rigs drilling for crude oil fell three to 588, the biggest weekly decline since March but still 31 rigs higher than the 557 drilling for crude last May. The number of rigs drilling for natural gas dropped four to 157, the biggest weekly decline since February yet 11 rigs more than the 146 reported a year ago.

Texas saw its rig count sink nine rigs to 368  24 more than the 344 drilling across the state last year. New Mexico was unchanged at 107. North Dakota (1) joined Texas as the other producing state to see a decline in activity. California (1), Louisiana (1) and Oklahoma (1) were the producing states to see increases in activity.

The Permian Basin also saw drilling activity fall, with the regions rig count dropping five rigs to 356  21 more than 335 a year ago. It was the steepest decline among the nations producing basins, followed by the Eagle Ford, down three rigs.

Eddy County, New Mexico, remains the most active county in the Permian with 56 rigs, up two for the week. Lea County, New Mexico, is second with 49 rigs, down two.

Reeves County was unchanged at 44 rigs while Martin County had 41, also unchanged for the week. Midland County reported 32 rigs for a second week. Loving County had 26 rigs, unchanged. Upton County fell one rig to 17. Howard County also lost one rig, to 13 for the week. Andrews County and Ward County each had 12 rigs, up one for Andrews and unchanged for Ward. Reagan County reported 10 rigs for a second week.

Crane and Dawson counties are seeing renewed activity with one rig at work in each county. Crockett County saw no activity this week, losing its one rig.

Enverus Foundations, part of the energy-focused Software as a Service firm Enverus, said its US rig count during the week ended May 3 was 794, down by 18 rigs from the previous weeks high point. The count is down 5%, or 38 rigs, in the last month and down 1% year over year.

In major plays, Enverus Foundations said the largest declines were recorded in the Anadarko Basin (down five rigs to 62), Permian Basin (down three to 345) and DJ Basin (down two to 18). The Williston and Appalachian basins dropped one rig apiece to hit 38 and 53. The Gulf Coast was flat week over week at 95
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One company was looking to expand its Permian Basin business. Another was looking to expand its focus on another segment of its operations. In the end, the two companies made a deal that met both goals.

Zealous Energy and Environmental Services has acquired the Roustabout Services division of Danos LLC, it was announced this week.

Danos is committed to the Permian Basin; the divestiture enables us to expand our production services business and deliver the excellent service and support our customers rely on, Paul Danos, chief executive officer and owner of Danos, told the Reporter-Telegram by email.

Kenneth LeBlanc, Zealous chief executive officer, told the Reporter-Telegram by telephone that he knew Danos was exiting the roustabout sector at the same time Zealous was looing to expand. So it was a natural fit to pursue the deal.

Acquiring Danos roustabout services not only brings Zealous a strong group of quality personnel that allows it to further serve its customers in the region, he added. The addition of the 40 Danos employees  or 10 crews  will bring to 300 Zealous employees in the Permian Basin, he said.

According to LeBlanc, the Breaux Bridge, Louisiana-based company has been around the Permian Basin for the last 10 years with more than $100 million in completed construction projects.

Zealous is a full-service energy and environmental construction organization that includes roustabout services. LeBlanc said the company has between 40 and 50 active clients, from almost all the major operators to independents to midstream companies.

The Permian Basin is the most dynamic region, he said. Its important for the nations energy security and its important for the nations energy needs.

LeBlanc said Zealous entered the Permian in 2011, working primarily in the Jal, New Mexico, area.

That was our initial relationship in the Permian Basin, he said. We basically followed the rigs. As drilling increased, demand increased.

The company has weathered cycles from the commodity price retreat of 2014-2015 to the pandemic that began in 2020 and saw activity drop 75%, according to LeBlanc.

The worst of times led to the best of times for the company in our being well-positioned for growth, he said. He is forecasting 100% growth, and the Danos acquisition is part of that forecast.

We are bullish on the Permian Basin. The majors are looking for larger positions to secure reserves, and that bodes well for the Permian Basin and Zealous, he said.

Even as the energy industry has evolved technologically, he said the level of expertise is the same, with the skill sets needed on major construction projects or maintenance projects the same.

Thats critical from a safety standpoint, he said.

Everyone talks about safety and getting partners and employees home in the same condition they left, LeBlanc said. Its so critical to our partners and our employees to return home safely. We have over 1 million manhours  about three years  without a lost-time accident. Safety is a big focus for our company. Its our No. 1 driver.
A Washington, D.C.-based company has purchased 123 acres of undeveloped land at Texas Research Park outside Loop 1604 in west Bexar County, where it plans to build a large data center.

It would border a data center complex developed by Microsoft Corp., which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in several such facilities in the area over the past 18 years.

This week, a limited liability company affiliated with global data center company CloudHQ acquired the property at Omicron and Lamda, which had been owned by the University of Texas board of regents. Its unclear what CloudHQ paid, how big its data center will be and whether Microsoft or another company will use it. Site plans show iterations with four or five buildings.

RELATED: 'Industrial mega-site' in the works for 188 acres on South Side of San Antonio

CloudHQ and UT did not respond to inquiries. Microsoft declined to comment.

CloudHQ designs, develops and operates hyperscale data centers for tenants and has built a dozen facilities in Illinois, Virginia, Brazil, Italy, Germany, Mexico, France and the United Kingdom, according to its website. Hyperscale centers typically house hundreds of thousands of servers and are built for the worlds largest companies.

Courtesy of Google Earth

Microsoft operates roughly a half-dozen data centers in western Bexar County and was the biggest taxpayer in 2022 by taxable value, with an assessed value of nearly $1.8 billion across its properties, according to the Bexar Appraisal District. The company built its first data center  a 427,000-square-foot facility in Westover Hills  in 2005.

In 2015, Microsoft acquired158 acres at Texas Research Park from the Texas Research and Technology Foundation to develop a $1 billion, 1-million-square-foot data center. It has since expanded its facilities there and submitted plans this year for a $175.9 million building. Work is expected to begin in June and conclude in September, according to a filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

Microsoft has also bought or built and expanded data centers off Rogers and Wiseman.

Other companies, including Frost Bank, Amazon and Valero, have also built or plan to construct data centers in western Bexar County. It is an attractive location for such projects because of its affordable and ample electricity and CPS Energys reliability. Several of the utilitys substations are in the area.
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The owners of the popular Maryz Mediterranean restaurants have poured their heart into their newest dining concept, now open in River Oaks.

Albi, the Arabic word for my heart, is a new Mediterranean restaurant now open at 1947 W. Gray in River Oaks Shopping Center. It comes from siblings Nano and Jimy Fakhoury, operators of Maryz, working with restaurateur/partner Aladdin Nimri.

The upscale restaurant arrives with a menu marrying Lebanese, Turkish, and Greek cuisines from consulting chef Mark Cox, who Houston diners know from his many years helming Marks American Cuisine. Cox, working with executive chef Christian Hernandez, formerly chef de cuisine of March, have created a menu inspired by the Levant region of the Middle East with dishes such as shrimp falafel with heirloom tomatoes, beets with yogurt and pickled berries, tuna tartare with Aleppo peppers and apricot coulis, trumpet mushroom shawarma with tzatziki sauce, Texas wagyu steaks, kebabs and seafood, and jidori chicken roulade stuffed with sausage and golden raisins. For dessert theres lemon halva tart with olive oil ice cream, Basque cheesecake, and pistachio tiramisu.

NEW ITALIAN: Dante's River Oaks opens on Westheimer in former Concura space

The menu is designed to pair with Albis wine program (more than 90 labels including wines from Lebanon, Italy, France, Spain, Greece, and Israel) as well as a list of cocktails with Mediterranean influences including Shah of Sunset (arak, lime, sugar, and Topo Chico), Baklava Old Fashioned (baklava-flavored elixir with walnut bitters), and Waters of Petra (rosewater-infused cardamom gin, elderflower liqueur, and champagne foam).

The 6,600-square-foot restaurant with seating for 220 in the main dining room, has been designed with luxury in mind: velvet banquettes and chairs, ornate gold stands, marble and mirrors, chandeliers, jewel-tone shades, and red silk lamps. The restaurant was designed by architect Adel Sadek of Studio Five, responsible for the recent Ciel showstopper.

Albi, situated across from the bustling Brasserie 19 and Zanti Cucina Italiana, will add to the neighborhoods dining hotspot reputation.

We look forward to creating something very special for Houstonians  an ambience that evokes a very distinctive vibe of the Levant area of the Middle East, which refers to the region along the eastern Mediterranean shores, a vibe we feel will resonate beautifully in this relaxed but buzzy corridor, said Nano Fakhoury. We cant wait to bring exceptional service, phenomenal food, and a modern, energetic atmosphere to the neighborhood.

Albi is open for dinner Tuesday through Thursday 5 to 11 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Greg Morago writes about food for the Houston Chronicle. Follow him on Facebook or Twitter. Send him news tips at greg.morago@chron.com. Hear him on our BBQ State of Mind podcast to learn about Houston and Texas barbecue culture.
Japanese cheesecakes could be having another moment in Houston.

Uncle Tetsu Cheesecake, the international Japanese bakery, is adding its first-ever Texas location at the Katy Grand. The shopping center has already established itself as "the first" destination for a number of concepts, including the Michelin-starred Tim Ho Wan and Korean soft-serve dessert shop SomiSomi.

The Grand spent roughly three years trying to get Uncle Tetsu, developer Heather Nguyen said. The chain has more than 40 locations around the world, including in Japan, Pakistan and Australia.

"We worked hard recruiting these concepts and they've done very well," Nguyen said. "It shows how diverse Texas is and how welcoming they are. They're driving in from the Heights, Sugar Land and everywhere for a new food destination."

LEGEND RETURNS: Huntsville's Cafe Texan relaunches with multi-million dollar international museum

Uncle Tetsu's menu features a variety of Japanese cheesecakes, including strawberry and matcha. The shop also serves Basque cheesecakes, tarts and biscotti.

The bakery is expected to start construction soon, but a specific opening date has yet to be determined.

Last year, Nikko's Cheesecakes opened in Asia Town's Diho Square to ravenous attention. Bryan and Nikki Song's fluffy desserts have been selling fast ever since.
The spring of 2020 was a haze of pandemic chaos and racial reckoning.

That June, shortly after George Floyds killing by a Minneapolis police officer, Michelle Miller, a CBS News correspondent and morning show co-host, was asked by a producer to offer her perspective about the protests erupting across the nation.

In her piece, Miller delved into her experience in covering Black communities scarred by racism, hate and police brutality and the hope she found in the voices of the people she covered. Then Miller got personal, revealing that she had been abandoned at birth by her fair-skinned Hispanic mother, whose family would not approve of the relationship with her Black father, a prominent surgeon and civil rights activist. Her father was also unhappily married at the time.

MORE FROM JOY SEWING: Milby students, alumni carry on the legacy of the Cadettes drill team, nearly 100 years later

Miller was the product of an interracial relationship that my father celebrated and my mother, to this day, does not acknowledge, she said in the segment.

No one on that side of my family knows who I am, knows I exist. That really, I guess, is at the core of who I am as a journalist, Miller told CBS Morning News co-host Gayle King. Acknowledgment is power. Racism impacts me to this day in that way,

Millers explosive revelation led to her recent best-selling memoir, Belonging: A Daughters Search for Identity Through Loss and Love, (HarperCollins) with co-writer Rosemarie Robotham.

(Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)/Getty Images

Its a powerful and remarkable story about her struggle with racial identity, growing up motherless and continually searching for maternal figures. Much of her childhood was filled with doubt, insecurities and a sense of not belonging anywhere, Miller said.

I wouldnt be who I am without all of this, she said, but I was made to feel abnormal. Yet this is something that plays into a lot of families. Unfortunately, people make assessments. They layer judgments and make people feel as if theyre less than who they are and that their possibilities arent as amazing as anyone elses.

Miller lived with her grandmother in South Central Los Angeles, while her father, Dr. Ross Miller Jr., made frequent visits. (He was the first doctor to assist Robert F. Kennedy on the night of his assassination in 1968.)

Miller was bused to predominantly white schools and excelled academically, but she never fit in.

SEWING: My Houston foster-care journey ended with courtroom joy. I wish more kids got this chance.

When she was 24, her father, dying of prostate cancer, urged her to find her biological mother, whom she refers to in the book as Laura Hernandez, a pseudonym. They met, and Hernandez made it clear that her family could never know she had a Black child. Miller promised her mother never to expose her.

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My story was validated with this book because I never thought it was worthy of this, Miller said.

Millers story is far from tragic, though growing up motherless can create deep wounds and a distorted lens by which daughters judge themselves. Being rejected because of skin color adds even more weight to the issue.

It helped that Miller was raised with love, means and exposure, with her physician father and a grandmother who was an astute businesswoman and retired teacher. She attended the prestigious Howard University in Washington, DC, landed her first journalism job at the Los Angeles Times and later married the love of her life, Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League and former mayor of New Orleans. They have two children.

JENNIFER ZDON/AP

Her belonging, she said, comes from a lifetime of reflection and acceptance. Its also something that comes from within, as cliche as that sounds.

Miller is currently working on a book for teens and young adults who are doubting who they are and who cant see behind the moment, she said. Its due out next year.

I want people to know that they dont have to be defined by other peoples limitations, defined by their origin story or defined by that little voice in their head that doubts who they can be, she said.

Im my ancestors wildest dreams, and I still live in that.
The 149th Kentucky Derby is May 6. Horse racing fans know the event as the "Greatest Two Minutes in Sports." For the style set, Saturday becomes an unofficial runway show at Churchill Downs.

Two well-known Houstonians will represent the Bayou City on the big day. Reagan Bregman and Victoria Pappas Bludorn are both Louisville-bound for this weekend's annual "Run for the Roses." Bregman opted for a black and white style from Hat Haven Louisville, while Bludorn went to Tootsies for her topper.

Courtesy of Reagan Bregman

Planning to watch the race from a Kentucky Derby party in town? Louisville-native turned Texan Madison Ewing shares what to wear, and what not to wear:

Run for the roses

Traci Ling

"Saturday is the traditional derby, the Run for the Roses," Ewing says. "So there's a lot of red, but it's really the day that anything goes."

The great hat debate

LICARI

"I truly believe Saturday is the day for hats," Ewing shares. "Fascinator and hatinators are more for the other days. We've seen a lot of headpieces or headbands with Swiss-dot veils recently, too."

Though popular at weddings across the pond and other social events, fascinators are not permitted for the Ascot's Royal Enclosure in England and Ewing understands why: It's not traditional.

However, when it comes to size, she encourages shoppers to be bold. "Theres no such thing as a hat thats too big."

Comfort is key

Courtesy of Victoria Pappas Bludorn

Yes, the Kentucky Derby is glamorous, though it's also grueling. Ewing explains that there are no soft surfaces at Churchill Downs. It's all concrete and hours of standing on end. Plus, there's a high chance that a mint julep or two might get spilled on your footwear  so choose wisely.

Her big no-no? Never, ever go barefoot.

"I have a strict dont-take-your-shoes-off rule," she explains. "I actually think its important to have some sort of insole. A lot of girls will wear flip-flops, or tuck those fold-up ballet flats that Dr. Scholls makes into their handbag."

Do your research

Traci Ling

In addition to Instagram  Ewing recommends @blairadiebee and @fashionattheraces for outfit inspiration  she also turns to far-flung locales to see what other women are wearing.

"My tradition is that I look to Australia and Ireland because their race season is during our winter, so they kind of set the race fashion trends," she shares.

Pastels vs. prints

Traci Ling

"I think we've seen a movement toward softer hues, and prints are big right now," Ewing suggests. "Jewel tones have been popular, too. On the softer side we're seeing romantic silhouettes in the pastels."

What's her best tip to dressing like a Kentucky Derby veteran? "Its one place where everyone gets to experiment with their style. Theres no such thing as being overdressed," she says.

amber.elliott@chron.com
When Elizabeth Dorsey Fertitta was in high school, she unpacked boxes at her mother's Longoria Collection store, never imagining that she would someday co-own the shop and help her mom expand into having their own branded merchandise.

Today, the Uptown store run by Elizabeth and Sylvia Dorsey carries coffee table books, home accessories and a variety of high-end decor along with an extensive inventory of bedding, including their own brand, Look Lifestyle, plus Matouk, Sferra Bros., Peacock Alley and Yves Delorme.

Other mothers and daughters might not be able to navigate working together for 24 years, but Sylvia and Elizabeth recognize what the other is good at, and stay out of each other's way. Sylvia handles design work and a fair amount of the creative side, while Elizabeth is more business oriented, yet they bounce all of their ideas off of each other.

The two women were on vacation, and Sylvia told Elizabeth that she wished she'd started her own bedding line years ago. "Imagine where we'd be now if we'd done that 25 years ago," Sylvia said to her.

"I don't want to be saying the same thing in 25 years, so let's do it," Elizabeth replied. "We immediately started thinking about what factory we wanted to use and what it would look like and what we'd name it."

They named it Look Lifestyle and its inventory grew from bedding made in Italy  sheets, pillow cases, duvet covers and blankets  to towels made in Portugal and, now, nightgowns inspired by 1950s-era Hollywood styles.

The 100 percent Italian bedding is classic white and can come with pink, blue, green or gray embroidered trim, but the two are contemplating adding a print pattern. Much of what they have can be monogrammed. The bedding is affordable compared to other luxury linens; you'll pay around $370 to $445 for a set of king size sheets and pillow cases. Bath towels run $15-$54 and nightgowns are $188.

Their soft, quilted silk Dorothy blanket is named after Sylvia's mother; their Boobie Pillow was born when Sylvia wanted something to help smooth lines on her decolletage. You hug the pillow to your chest when sleeping, and Sylvia is so convincing about its effectiveness that they sell like hot cakes.

Sylvia has always done design work, first working with her husband of more than 50 years, Tommy Dorsey of Dorsey Custom Homes, and later, taking on clients who wanted help with interior design.

The client who launched Sylvia's design studio was her college friend, the actress Farrah Fawcett. Fawcett, known for her role in "Charlie's Angels," among others, had asked Sylvia to decorate her home, and it ended up being featured in Vogue and other magazines.

The Dorseys lived in California for four years after the 1980s oil bust in Texas, but returned to Houston to resume their construction-design work. Sylvia, recognizing that there wasn't enough really good bedding in the city, opened Longoria Collection.

"People would spend a lot of money on a bed and then there were no good bed linens. There was Ralph Lauren and Laura Ashley, and neither was my look," Sylvia said. "Houston needed a store with beautiful linens and everything you needed to accessorize and refresh a home."

Her first location was at Woodway and Voss, then she moved to her current site in the Uptown Park shopping center.
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DENVER (AP)  A man who says he was repeatedly stunned with a Taser while handcuffed, including once in the face, is suing a Colorado sheriff's department, alleging excessive force by two deputies and also a failure by leaders to train and discipline their employees.

Kenneth Espinoza was arrested Nov. 29, 2022, after he stopped to wait when Deputy Mikhail Noel of the Las Animas County Sheriffs Office pulled over his son, whom he had been following to a car appointment.

According to the lawsuit filed in federal court this week, Lt. Henry Trujillo and then Noel ordered Espinoza to leave, saying he should not be near a traffic stop. After initially refusing, Espinoza then started to drive away but Noel pointed his handgun and ordered him to stop.

The suit alleges that Noel used a Taser to stun Espinoza directly on his body while he was in his truck, calling them drive stuns.

Body camera video then shows Espinoza being pulled from the truck, handcuffed and squeezed into the back of a patrol car.

As the deputies struggle to get Espinoza into the car, video shows, one warns that he is going to use the Taser on him, and uses an expletive.

One device can be seen contacting Espinoza's body along with the wires that carry Taser electrodes, as crackling sounds are heard.

Espinoza was hit in the lip after he turned toward the deputies because of the pain of the shocks, according to the lawsuit. The video does not appear to show Espinoza being stunned in the face, but photos released by his lawyer, Kevin Mehr, show him with large scabs on his lip.

Mehr said one probe was lodged 3 centimeters into Espinoza's gum, according to medical records. He estimates Espinoza was hit about 35 times by Tasers, mostly in the drive stun mode directly to his body.

Trujillo and Noel were placed on paid leave during an investigation by an outside agency, Sheriff Derek Navarette said in a statement.

He added that the investigation did not start until April 24 because sheriff's officials were waiting to find out whether prosecutors would pursue charges against Espinoza. Prosecutors informed them that day, the same one that Espinoza's lawyer released the body camera video, that they were not going to prosecute. Navarette said prosecutors acknowledged there had been a delay in telling the sheriff's office of their decision.

He said he would not comment further because of the lawsuit.

A message left at a phone number believed to belong to Trujillo was not immediately returned. A telephone number could immediately not be found for Noel.

Nathaniel Espinoza, the plaintiff's son, who joined Mehr at a news conference announcing the lawsuit Tuesday, said he and his father were the only cool heads during the whole interaction with the deputies, which he thinks helped prevent them from being killed. He added that he does not have a problem with all police, but some are problematic.

Cops are people, and there are bad people all over, Nathaniel Espinoza said.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  A person has died after being hospitalized for injuries suffered during a vicious tornado that tore through Mississippi on March 24, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency announced Thursday.

The agency did not release a name but said the person had lived in Sharkey County, an area hit hard by the tornado that lashed the Delta with 200 mph (320 kph) winds.
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El Paso-based organizations Perches Funeral Home and Operation H.O.P.E. El Paso have donated five caskets to the families of the victims of the Cleveland mass shooting.

Francisco Oropeza, 38, is accused of killing five people in a San Jacinto County home April 28 after they complained about him firing an AR-15 rifle late at night near the house as a baby was trying to sleep.

Oropeza fled and remained at large for four days until authorities arrested him in the town of Cut and Shoot, which is about 45 miles from Houston. Oropeza was found hiding under a pile of laundry.

The victims have been identified as Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21; Julisa Molina Rivera, 31; Jose Jonathan Casarez, 18; Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25; and Daniel Enrique Laso, 9, all from Honduras.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Mass shooting survivors say small request of neighbor led to unthinkable tragedy in San Jacinto County

Donated caskets after 2019 El Paso shooting

Angel Gomez, a co-founder of the nonprofit Operation H.O.P.E El Paso, said helping families who have lost loved ones in tragedies with funeral expenses began after the mass shooting at Walmart on Aug. 3, 2019.

Gomez said he reached out to funeral homes in El Paso to help the families of the Walmart shooting.

We all agreed to do the services at no charge, Gomez said.

Perches Funeral Home, owned by Salvador Perches, has continued to work with Gomez in donating services and other funeral needs to families. The two organizations donated caskets to the victims of the Robb Elementary School shooting in Uvalde last May.

Gomez said Perches owner Salvador Perches has always been willing to help families.

Founded in 2009, Operation H.O.P.E helps families during times of hardship by delivering food baskets during the holidays, helping with home improvements and repairs and scholarships.

Jorge Ortiz, general manager of Perches Funeral Home in El Paso, said Wilson Garcia reached out for help.

Garcias wife and son were killed in the Cleveland shooting.

We dont want the burden of (a funeral) to be part of the hard situation they are dealing with emotionally, Ortiz said. We want them to focus on giving their loved ones a dignified final service.

Charges against Oropeza

Oropeza is charged with five counts of murder and is being held on a $7.5 million bond at the San Jacinto County Jail.

Officials with the San Jacinto County District Attorneys Office expect those charges to be upgraded to capital murder making Oropeza eligible for the death penalty.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Suspected Texas mass shooter arrested after days-long manhunt, officials say

Officials said Oropeza had been deported four times in recent years. Authorities have not said how he obtained the semi-automatic rifle he is accused of using in the killings.

Other charges related to Oropeza manhunt

Oropezas common-law wife, Divimara Lamar Nava, 52, was arrested on Wednesday and charged with impeding authorities' attempts to find her husband. She is being held on a $250,000 bond in Montgomery County.

Nava, who is not a U.S. citizen, also is on hold by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nava will remain in the Montgomery County Jail until immigration officials have an opportunity to determine if they are interested in detaining her for deportation. She is set to appear in front of 435th state District Judge Patty Maginnis at 9 a.m. on May 30.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Cleveland Texas shooting: Survivors question delayed police response

Officials have charged Domingo Castilla-Castillo, 30, with being an "alien in possession of a firearm" after agents with the Texas Department of Public Safety interviewed him at his home Tuesday, according to court documents. During the interview, Castilla-Castillo, who is a friend of Oropeza, said he had firearms in his home, and he permitted the agents to search the home.

U.S. immigration officials determined Castilla-Castillo was not authorized to be in the U.S. and that the California driver's license in his possession was fraudulent; it turned out he had used a fake Social Security number to obtain it, according to court records.
Five valedictorians and one salutatorian will graduate from Bellaire High School this spring, a sharp drop from the number who had shared the top spot the past few years, according to Houston ISD.

Bellaire set records and made national headlines under former principal Michael McDonough, who resigned early last year following a months-long district investigation, with 13 valedictorians in 2022 and nine valedictorians the prior year.

BELLAIRE: HISD reinstates Bellaire baseball coach after players allegedly made monkey noises at Black pitcher

When asked about the decline, Bellaire PTO president Judy Cheng said in an email that class size changes every year and the school continues to have the most National Merit Scholars, compared to other high schools in the district. Bellaire offers an excellent learning environment that allows students to explore and excel, she said.

"We should not be comparing the number of valedictorians and diminish the other students' accomplishments," she said. "All students should be celebrated for their achievements in all areas, both academic and extracurricular."

Houston ISD celebrated 106 valedictorians and salutatorians from the Class of 2023 last month at a special recognition event at Hilton Americas. August Hamilton, chief of staff, spoke on behalf of Superintendent Millard House II to congratulate the students.

"Give yourselves a hand  it's an amazing accomplishment," he said. "You're here because of your hard work, you're here because of your dedication, you're here because of your perseverance. You're here because your academic excellence has not gone unnoticed."

Bellaire's valedictorians include seniors who plan to study computer science, computer engineering, business, mechanical engineering and biomedical engineering in college, according to district leaders.

FAILURE RATES: Chronically struggling HISD elementary school 'moving in right direction' as TEA takeover nears

At least one plans to attend the University of Texas at Austin, another is enrolled at Brown University and others were undecided at the time of the scholars banquet. The district would not release the names for this article.

"We are so proud of you," said HISD board president Dani Hernandez at the ceremony. "Your parents, your relatives and your friends are so proud of you. You should be enormously proud of yourself."

Valedictorians are the students who earned the highest grade-point average in their class and salutatorians earned the second-highest GPA, according to the district.

Principal Michael Niggli, a 20-year HISD veteran, is now wrapping up his first school year as principal at Bellaire.
The Houston Independent School District board met Thursday to discuss potential cuts to the districts $2.2 billion budget as it faces a growing deficit and a looming takeover by the Texas Education Agency.

Superintendent Millard House II has already walked back plans to slash school budgets by roughly $40 million after an outcry from the Board of Trustees, which insisted against campus-level cuts. That leaves cuts of just $15.3 million to the HISD central office with the district facing a projected $118 million deficit that could rise to $258 million by the 2024-2025 school year, as enrollment drops and pandemic-related funds dry up.

Most of those $15.3 million in savings would come from closing unfilled positions. The district had previously proposed reducing small school subsidies and high school allotments, along with returning to an attendance-based school funding policy that was suspended due to COVID-19, before those suggestions were nixed by the board.

Abbott Visits Houston: Abbott touts school choice in Houston visit as protesters slam vouchers, HISD takeover

HISD expects enrollment to continue to decline by nearly 3 percent between this school year and the next, from roughly 189,000 students to 184,000. The districts enrollment has already fallen by about 31,000 students since the 2016-2017 school year, according to HISD data.

As enrollment declines, thats an impact to our revenues. Thats less money coming in than we have to be able to spend, said Jim Grady, a consultant who presented the proposed budget to the board.

District II Trustee Kathy Blueford-Daniels raised the possibility of redistributing one-time funding from magnet schools which, according to Blueford-Daniels, had been receiving the money for several years in a row. House said that he would be hesitant to take away funding from schools at this point in the budget discussion, but the broader suggestion was met with enthusiasm from several other trustees.

We have world-class, beautiful schools and Im not upset about that but I want a strategic plan in place immediately for the next 10 years that serves our most underserved schools first, so that, like (District IV Trustee Patricia Allen) said, we can share those resources now, said District I Trustee Elizabeth Santos.

More from Sam Gonzalez Kelly: Gerry Monroe, one of Houstons most outspoken education activists, dead at 55

Thursdays budget discussions come with less than a month until TEA Commissioner Mike Morath appoints a nine-member board of managers and a new superintendent to replace House and the local elected trustees. Morath will make his appointments after June 1, with a vote on the budget scheduled for June 8. Under state law, the district has until June 30 to approve its budget.

Its not clear how the impending state takeover will affect the budgeting process, but the local board is moving forward with their plan to lay out a financial plan as normal. Another, final budget workshop is scheduled for May 18.
Houston Chronicle

Houston ISD was one of a number of school districts across the country to receive a "general threat" on social media Friday morning, according to the district.

No evidence has been found to substantiate the threat, and students and schools are safe, the district said in a call to HISD parents. Schools remained open Friday morning.
When state officials announced that the Texas Education Agency would be taking over Houston ISD, they cited Wheatley High Schools five consecutive years of unacceptable accountability ratings and a 2019 state investigation that found misconduct by HISD board members as a justification for the intervention.

Critics quickly pushed back by pointing out the academic improvements at Wheatley that had earned the school a passing accountability rating of C in 2022, breaking its streak of unacceptable performance ratings from the state. Additionally, the HISD district as a whole improved between 2019 and 2022  80% of its campuses earned A and B ratings in 2022 compared to only 48% in 2019. The district was given an overall rating of B, the same as it did in 2019.

HIGHLAND HEIGHTS: Chronically struggling HISD elementary school 'moving in right direction' as TEA takeover nears

In reality, however, Wheatley was only one of several low-achieving campuses in HISD whose accountability ratings put them at risk for mandatory state intervention. Three campuses including Highland Heights Elementary school  which has not had a passing grade since 2013  continued to struggle in 2022.



Under the current law, the education commissioner is required to appoint a board of managers for any campus that receives five consecutive years of unacceptable accountability ratings from the state.

The Houston Chronicle identified the five HISD campuses with the highest failure rates under TEAs A-F accountability rating system, and profiled them below.

Most chronically-failing campuses in HISD

1. Highland Heights Elementary School

TEA rating 2022: Not-rated (SB-1365)

Campus score 2022: 63

Economically disadvantaged students (2022): 99%

As of 2022, Highland Heights Elementary had four consecutive years of unacceptable ratings. However, the school has not received an acceptable performance rating  a rating of C or above  since 2013. After two years of paused ratings during the COVID pandemic, the school received a scaled overall score of 63 and received a Not Rated designation under SB 1365  which exempted schools that would have received a D of F from rating in 2022. The Not Rated designation for 2022 does not reset the schools tally of consecutive years of unacceptable performance, however, and if the school receives another failing grade in 2023, it will hit the threshold for mandated intervention by TEA.

The school has only made marginal improvements to its scores across the three domains that TEA uses to calculate final campus ratings. For example, the school's STAAR scores, which factor into all three domain scores in different ways, have only increased from 50 to 54 in the last four years, and the schools overall score actually went down by one point from 2019 to 2022.

YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED: What to know about the Texas school rating system

2. Kashmere High School

TEA rating 2022: Not-rated (SB-1365)

Campus score: 68

Economically disadvantaged students (2022): 95%

In 2016, the state appointed Doris Delaney to be a conservator for Kashmere High School after the school received its fourth consecutive improvement required rating from TEA. The school continued to struggle under state control for the next couple years before finally earning a passing rating of C in 2019.

However, in 2022, the school landed back on the D and F list with an overall score of 68. The schools score qualified it for exemption from rating under SB-1365, and received Not Rated designation for the year.

3. Wheatley High School

TEA rating 2022: C

Campus score: 78

Economically disadvantaged students (2022): 95%

In 2019, Wheatley High School received a failing accountability rating for the seventh consecutive year, triggering a 2015 law that required Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath to either close Wheatley's campus or replace the school board. Wheatleys failing performance ratings, along with a 2019 TEA investigation that found misconduct within HISDs board, thrust HISD into a years-long legal battle that culminated in TEAs announcement in March that it will take over the district.

After a ratings pause for the 2020 and 2021 school years during the COVID pandemic, Wheatley brought all three of its domain scores up significantly and received an overall C rating from the state in 2022. Despite its improved performance recently, the Fifth Ward community worries that the 96-year-old school will still be shut down when TEA takes over the district. As of writing, TEA has declined to comment on whether it intends to close Wheatley.

4. Henry Middle School

TEA rating 2022: C

Campus score: 76

Economically disadvantaged students (2022): 98%

In 2022, Henry Middle School received a C rating from TEA, breaking the campuss long streak of unacceptable performance ratings. The campus had four consecutive years of unacceptable performance ratings prior to 2022, and received a D in 2019  which staved off TEA intervention and bought the campus more time to improve its scores.

Though the campus raised both its Closing the Gaps and School Progress domain scores, the schools STAAR scores have only shown marginal improvements since 2018  increasing by only four points from 52 in 2018 to 56 in 2022.

TEXAS RANKINGS: As HISD faces state takeover, database shows schools in Texas that received failing rankings

5. North Forest High School

TEA rating 2022: C

Campus score: 74

Economically disadvantaged students (2022): 97%

North Forest High School received a passing rating of C in 2022, the first passing grade the campus had received since 2014. Like Henry, North Forest earned a D rating in 2019 before ratings were paused for two years for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The school had the biggest performance gains in its Student Achievement domain due to increased scores for its college, career, and military readiness component  which includes indicators such as college entrance exam performance.
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Three Texas A&M University students died over span of several days last week, including a 19-year-old who fell from a balcony in New Orleans.

The deaths were unrelated. A second student died of a heart-related illness, and a third died by suicide, a university spokeswoman confirmed.

We recognize the profound loss and far-reaching extent to which these deaths have affected those who loved and knew these students, said Brig. Gen. Joe E. Ramirez Jr., vice president for student affairs. As we mourn their deaths and struggle to understand the overwhelming loss of our fellow Aggies, lets honor them by checking in and supporting one another during this difficult period. Do not hesitate to reach out to your fellow Aggies and provide support and comfort to one another as we all cope with the loss of these Texas A&M students.

A&M: Enrollment has soared, but the Corps of Cadets hasn't kept pace. Leaders want to change that.

The university identified Maddie Hall, of Channelview, as the student who died in a medical incident concerning her heart. She was set to graduate next week.

Aggies are also mourning Beaumont teen Andrew Thomas Henges,who died in an accidental fall Saturday after leaning over a balcony railing in New Orleans, KBTX in College Station reported.

Henges studied biology at A&M with hopes of attending medical school and becoming a neurosurgeon, according to his obituary. He achieved a perfect GPA in his first semester, extending his academic success beyond his alma mater, Monsignor Kelly Catholic High School, his family wrote.

The middle of three children, Henges had strong relationships with his older and younger brothers, the obituary reads. He counted his friendships and faith as some of the most important parts of his life.

"Andrew did not waste words and did not engage in idle chatter, but instead spoke when he had something of substance to say," the obituary reads.

COLLEGES: Texas A&M puts aside UT rivalry to help longhorn with abnormally heavy horns

Henges most recently enjoyed playing cards and spending time in the gym, according to his obituary. He was responsible and "laser-focused" to his tasks, and he was usually seen with a small grin planted on his face, his family said.

Members of Henges fraternity, Delta Tau Delta, said the freshman was soft-spoken and carried a heart of gold.

His passing is and will always be unbelievably tragic, but the impact he had on the men of this fraternity and everyone he knew outside of it is far from that, the fraternity posted on Instagram. He was known to be humble, selfless, loving, strong, and proud. This fraternity is terribly saddened by the death of our brother, Andrew, but we are forever thankful for the wonderful memories that he left for us all.

In a message to the A&M students, Ramirez urged the use of A&Ms Counseling and Psychological Services for free appointments.

The three students will be remembered in the fall at A&Ms first Silver Taps of the next semester. The ceremony is a monthly tribute for deceased Aggies.
In the coming years, Texans will be able to access at least six new state parks, with two of them in Houston's back yard.

A commemorative issue of the Texas Parks and Wildlife magazine provided an update on the state parks. Earlier this year, state officials announced their support for preserving and expanding the number of state parks to keep up with the park's increasing demand.

In the magazine, Director of Texas State Parks Rodney Franklin said Texas does not have enough places for people to enjoy the outdoors.

There is a need to provide more recreational opportunities for the growing population of Texas  we really dont have enough places for the people of Texas to enjoy the outdoors, Franklin said. Until the recent passage of Proposition 5, we havent had the funds to develop some of the properties we have in our inventory. Now, given the stability of the sporting goods sales tax, its time to strategically plan how were going to provide that opportunity using these properties.

Here are the state parks the TPWD says could open in the coming years:

Davis Hill State Natural Area

In Liberty County near Houston, the site is currently inaccessible. According to the magazine, TPWD is working on land acquisitions to allow access for visitors.

Davis Hill State Natural Area has some of the most diverse plant communities in the state, according to the magazine. It was acquired in 1983 and is approximately 1,700 acres.

Palo Pinto Mountains State Park

Shannon Tompkins/Houston Chronicle

Expected to open later this year, Palo Pinto Mountains State Park will be 4,871 acres of land located approximately 75 miles west of Fort Worth and 75 miles east of Abilene. It is expected to be the first new state park in North Texas in 25 years.

Dan A. Hughes Unit of Devils River State Natural Area

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Slated to open early 2024, the Dan A. Hughes Unit of Devils River State Natural Area is in Southwest Texas, at the intersection of the Chihuahuan Desert, the Edwards Plateau and the Tamaulipan shrublands.

The area is known for being the home of many animals, including black bears, foxes, jackrabbits and bald eagles. According to the magazine, the terrain is rough so TPWD is expecting delays in its opening.

Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area

John Davenport/Associated Press

About 45 miles northwest of San Antonio, the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area is in the late planning and design phase and TPWD anticipates the area will be open to visitors within the next five years.

The terrain has a plethora of native plants and animals, including foxes, ring-tailed cats, Texas alligator lizards and golden-cheeked warblers.

Powderhorn State Park

Courtesy Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

Only two hours away from Houston, Powderhorn Ranch will become a state park, although construction for the park may be years away.

The 17,351-acre property near Matagorda Bay was purchased with funding from the BP Horizon oil spill mitigation, the TPWD Foundation, The Nature Conservancy, The Conservation Fund, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other private donations.

According to TPWD, it's one of the largest remaining tracts of unspoiled coastal prairie in Texas. Most of the land is part of the Powderhorn Wildlife Management Area but 2,253 acres will be developed as a state park.

Chinati Mountains State Natural Area

PAUL RATJE/AFP via Getty Images

In the Chihuahuan Desert in West Texas, the 39,000-acre Chinati Mountains State Natural Area will offer an opportunity for guests to explore the rich natural history of the region.

According to TPWD, humans have lived for over 8,000 years in the Chinati Mountains and have left rock paintings and petroglyphs.

Development has not begun on the property so there is no opening date yet.
RENO, Nev. (AP)  A Nevada judge ordered a private investigator on Thursday to identify the person who hired him to track Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve and an ex-county commissioner with GPS devices attached to their cars ahead of the November election.

Lawyers for private investigator David McNeely argued that the name of his client was a trade secret and that release of the information would harm his ability to do business in violation of state trade laws.

But Washoe County District Judge David Hardy ruled that Nevada trade law provides him no such immunity. He ordered McNeely to produce documents identifying the client and said most of the claims in a lawsuit filed by Schieve and former Washoe County Commissioner Vaughn Hartung could proceed. The lawsuit targets McNeely and his company.

Hardy denied McNeely's motion to dismiss the lawsuit. He also dismissed three of eight claims for relief sought by Schieve and Hartung, including one alleging negligence, but said the others would go forward, including allegations of invasion of privacy.

The use of a GPS tracking device to monitor the movements of a person could be a tortious invasion of privacy because a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy with respect to his or her daily movements in a motor vehicle, Hardy wrote in a six-page ruling.

The identity of a private investigator's single client (in contrast to voluminous customers lists) is not embedded within the definition of a trade secret, he wrote.

Hardy said discovery in the case could continue. He has not yet scheduled any new court appearances.

Hardy also wrote in a footnote of the ruling that McNeely asserted a novel legal theory in good faith.

The judge acknowledged the irreparability of harm if Mr. McNeely's client's identity is disclosed now but an appellate court later reached a different conclusion.

Therefore, he said he was inclined to grant a stay of proceedings if McNeely chooses to appeal the matter to the Nevada Supreme Court or seek other temporary relief on an emergency basis.

The tracking device was on Schieves vehicle for at least several weeks and on Hartungs vehicle for several months, their lawsuit says.

Schieve filed suit in December. The suit was amended in February to include Hartung's claims.

Both won re-election in November. Hartung since has resigned to accept an appointment as chairman of the Nevada Transportation Commission.

Schieve said in court documents she brought the GPS tracking device to neighboring Sparks Police Department after a mechanic noticed it while working on her vehicle last year in the thick of campaign season  about two weeks before she won re-election for mayor. Sparks police were able to determine that it had been purchased by McNeely.

The lawsuit alleges that the investigator trespassed onto Schieve's property to install the device without her consent. It says Schieve was unaware until a mechanic noticed it while working on her vehicle.

Hartung said in court documents he discovered the other tracking device after being made aware of records that showed his vehicle locations at his personal residence and other places.
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP)  Louisianas Republican-dominated House advanced a budget plan Thursday that does not include a $2,000-a-year teacher pay raise sought by the governor and would instead steer a windfall of hundreds of millions of dollars in extra state revenue toward paying down retirement debt.

Republicans called the plan financially responsible and said it would save school districts money in the long run by letting them spend funds as they best see fit, which could include wage increases for educators.

How do you take one-time dollars and make it a long-term recurring benefit? Republican state Rep. Jerome Zee Zeringue said Thursday. I hope we demonstrate (how) through this bill.

Democrats countered that without the Legislature specifically allocating money for teacher pay raises, there is no guarantee that districts will do so on their own.

Youre not funding a teacher pay raise by voting for this bill, purely and simply, Jay Dardenne, Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards chief budget architect, told lawmakers. Youre saying you hope local school districts will vote for a pay raise.

The 2023-24 budget bill, which passed 77-33 in the House and now advances to the Senate, has illustrated GOP political resistance to Edwards' efforts to pass legislation in his final year in office.

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle agree that teachers need to be paid more so the state can attract and retain talented educators. Teachers salaries in Louisiana, which routinely has one of the worst education rankings in the country, are $3,000 lower than the average for the South.

We have a shortage of teachers, not enough students are enrolled in colleges of education and we are in a fierce competition with neighboring states to keep the teachers we have, Edwards said during his State of the State address in April.

Edwards and Democrats say that in a year where $2.2 billion in extra state revenue is forecasted, teacher pay raises should be a top priority.

But Republicans say the state, which has had seen significant budget shortfalls and cuts in years past, would see a better impact by using the windfall to pay off part of Louisiana's retirement debt. Lawmakers are concerned about a projected $418 million annual loss of revenue when a temporary sales tax hike expires in 2025, according to The Advocate.

Zeringue said teachers should theoretically see an increase in their paychecks by not paying 4% of their salaries into the retirement system. Additionally, he said that by making extra payments that were proposing in the budget this year and next, the state and our school systems save hundreds of millions of dollars in the next few years.
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RENO, Nev. (AP)  A spontaneous road-rage killing? Or an execution by a traffic vigilante determined to rid the streets of a dangerous reckless driver in a typically quite suburban Reno neighborhood?

The commission of a burglary, because a bullet entering an open car window counts as an illegal entry to the vehicle? Or a trumped-up legal theory intended to satisfy alternating theories put forth by prosecutors to improve their chances of securing a murder conviction?

The Nevada Supreme Court heard oral arguments from lawyers on both sides this week while considering an appeal from Washoe Countys district attorney seeking to reinstate a Reno murder conviction the justices overturned last year.

In a 2-1 decision in September, the high court overturned Wayne Cameron's conviction in the 2020 death of Jarrod Faust after concluding the district judge wrongly determined the fatal gunshot through a truck window constituted a burglary.

This week, the court started wading back into the nuances and ambiguities in related Nevada laws, some dating to the Civil War-era before the Nevada Territory became a state.

This court has never reviewed what is an entry with regard to this statute, Richard Cornell, Camerons lead defense attorney, told the justices during Tuesdays oral arguments in Carson City.

In a nod to the complexities, the high court requested friend-of-the-court briefs from the Nevada District Attorneys Association representing DA's in all 17 counties and its statewide counterpart for public defenders, the Nevada Attorneys for Criminal Justice.

It was not clear when the court expected to rule.

Alexander Chen, a Clark County prosecutor arguing on behalf of prosecutors, said there are sure to be subsequent appeals regardless of the outcome of the pending challenge.

No matter what you decide, it's not over, he told the court Tuesday.

The justices indicated the lack of clarity in state law may ultimately have to be addressed by the Nevada Legislature.

The incident began in February 2020 when Cameron said he tailed Faust for several minutes after Faust nearly hit a motorcyclist, finally confronting him in a cul-de-sac named Welcome Way.

Police said Cameron shot Faust as he sat, unarmed, in his truck. They said Cameron admitted to a friend minutes later that he shot Faust in a road-rage incident. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole.

Prosecutors had argued it was first-degree murder because Cameron  later characterized as a traffic vigilante  acted with premeditation and/or deliberation.

Mr. Cameron regarded himself as almost a de facto law enforcement officer, Jennifer Noble, a Washoe County prosecutor, told the justices Tuesday. He testified he was doing a public service. He shot this man in the head. He did it with malice.

Prosecutors had argued alternatively that the trial jury could find him guilty because Nevada law dictates that any killing committed during the course of a burglary is murder regardless of whether the perpetrator intended to kill.

They said the bullet that entered Faust's pickup truck was an unlawful entry satisfying the legal definition of a burglary.

Cameron's lawyers disagreed and the Supreme Court sided with them in September.

Burglary at its most basic level requires entry, Kathryn Hickman, a Washoe County public defender, told the justices Tuesday.

Nevada law excludes a bullet on its own crossing a threshold, she said. The novel legal theory that the prosecution offered, that the bullet itself (satisfies entry), seeks to broaden the legal definitions."

Defense attorney objected to that prosecution argument during trial, but the judge overruled the objection, which effectively endorsed it as a legal theory, Hickman said.

Justice Kristina Pickering wrote in the dissenting opinion in the 2-1 ruling in September that the jury reasonably rendered a verdict regardless of whether Nevada law forecloses an entry-by-projectile theory of burglary because there was sufficient evidence to suggest premeditation and deliberation.

She pressed that point when questioning lawyers on Tuesday.

But Justice Abbi Silver wrote in the majority opinion the burglary theory was not legal because Cameron or the gun itself had to cross into the truck to establish burglary.

Hickman reiterated that Tuesday, saying, We dont know which legal theory the jury used."

We dont know if some used the bullet itself (as evidence of a burglary), or if some believed it was predetermined. ... It's impossible to separate, Hickman said. That's the legal error."
For more than a century the balance of power in Texas has been a point of pride: a relatively weak legislature, weaker governor and control held as close to the people as possible through city and county governments.

And if the state Legislature wanted to preempt an area of local power, it had to do so with unmistakable clarity.

The so-called Death Star Bill that has worked its way through the Texas House and is advancing in the Senate seeks to upend that balance, leaving the crystal-clear standard a muddied mess.

Is it really a planet-destroying superlaser? Not quite, but planet weakening, yes.

House Bill 2127 author Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, is confident, he told colleagues in a March committee hearing, the bill wouldnt even affect the vast majority of existing local ordinances such as parking requirements or noise regulations. But Houstons city leaders, and others across the state, arent so sure and theyre rightly concerned the bill could invite waves of litigation that corrode local power and chill innovative leadership at the city and county level.

For years, Republicans who control state government have butted heads with big cities, now largely controlled by Democrats, fighting over individual ordinances that state lawmakers found objectionable. Burrows' bill and its companion, Senate Bill 814, represent an even more aggressive, and largely unnecessary, approach.

The bill would preempt local governments from enacting regulations in eight specific, but far-reaching, areas of the state code, including labor, occupations, natural resources and agriculture.

Despite Burrows assurances, the bills language is broad. Local governments cannot adopt, enforce, or maintain measures in a field of regulation that is occupied by a provision of the relevant code. The bills supporters talk about rules banning gas stoves and plastic bags, or requiring paid sick leave. None of these have gone into effect due to court rulings or specific state laws that block them, but Burrows says the Legislature cant play Whac-A-Mole trying to quash whatever new onerous ordinances get passed by cities.

Essentially, I think its progressive activists who cannot get their agenda through at the statehouse, Burrows told the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative advocacy group. They now go down to our city councils and get them to pass rules and ordnances which are hurting business, hurting our economy.

The truth is, the states blue metropolitan areas are the economic powerhouses of the state, contributing the bulk of its gross domestic product, according to a new analysis from Brookings Metro.

For a bill that seeks to address a confusing and complex patchwork of requirements, as the bills analysis puts it, the bill has created a lot of confusion for local leaders. Can we still require electricians to be certified? Can a city require door-to-door salespeople to obtain a permit?

I think we have spent weeks trying to make sense of this bill. Weve literally had a team of attorneys going combing through every single code, Jeff Coyle, the assistant city manager for San Antonio, said in the March committee hearing.

Were doing our best here, too.

The back and forth surrounding the bill has produced some positive changes but not enough. After opponents raised concerns about the loss of local payday lending regulations that protect low-income people from the most predatory practices, a compromise allows those existing payday lending ordinances to stay, but would prohibit any new ones. Why prohibit them at all?

The bills latest analysis promises that it would not affect zoning, noise and nuisance ordinances, safety protections, and other powers expressly granted by state law.

Cities could still deal with short-term rentals. The bill wouldnt affect watering restrictions. At the state affairs committee hearing, Burrows answered capably, but showed his frustration at the seemingly endless potential of what about this one questions.

What did he expect? Local governments are understandably concerned about which ordinances will be affected and which wont. Cities have different needs, different issues and circumstances. Thats why it doesnt make sense for the Legislature to try and govern them from Austin. We reached out to Burrows but his office declined an interview and sent pre-prepared written documents.

So if this bill, as Burrows said in March, would not ultimately threaten the bulk of local ordinances on the books, what would it do?

One ordinance caught in the crossfire, for example, demonstrates the potential impacts of the bill.

In response to high numbers of worker deaths due to heat and dehydration, water break protections for construction workers have passed in a number of cities, though not Houston. A Democratic state representative of Dallas raised the issue with Burrows, who told him that if it isnt already addressed by federal regulations, hed work with the representative.

Is this how things would work under the new bill? Cities have to ask lawmakers to craft legislation any time they want an ordinance slightly outside of whats already regulated? And that legislation, intended to help solve a local problem, would need to pass muster with an entire state body? The Legislature is only in regular session for four months every two years.

This is so counterintuitive to the way Texas has pursued policy-making in the past, Steven Pedigo, a professor and director of the University of Texas LBJ Urban Lab, told us. We have been a local-first, small c conservative form of government.

State lawmakers have had the ability, and have used it, to strike down local regulations they deem problematic.

Instead of making the state enforce this bill, the legislation empowers any citizen who has sustained an injury in fact, actual or threatened, from a municipal or county ordinance to sue.

Burrows has complained about progressive activists harassing local governments. But conservative cities should also take note. If the winds of power shift at the state level, what protects their right to local governance? Perhaps thats why local leaders and communities, including some Republican ones, oppose the bill.

A poll conducted in April across a handful of districts, including Burrows', found that even Republican voters were concerned about the likely preemption bill. Most respondents  64 percent of Republicans, 79 percent of pure independents, and 81 percent of Democrats  agreed that Local lawmakers are closer to the people they represent and should be allowed to pass policies that reflect the needs and values of their community," per the poll by Unified Texas, reported by Quorom Report.

Not only do we agree that cities know their own needs best, we also think its their job to be responsive to residents.

As the department that gets most frequently petitioned, let me tell you that we feel like its our job to listen to the citizens who come in to petition us, Tina Paez, director for Houstons administration and regulatory affairs departments, told us this week.

Thats why we pay them, right? At its core, this flawed legislation seeks to undercut our closest, most accountable form of government: local. Lawmakers who stand for traditional Texas-style governance should oppose it.
Houston Chronicle Staff

In Cleveland, Sonia Argentina Guzman Taibot, Diana Velazquez Alvarado, Obdulia Julisa Molina Rivera, Jose Jonathan Casarez and 9-year-old Daniel Enrique Lazo Guzman were shot to death. In Kansas City, Mo., Ralph Yarl is recovering from a gunshot to the head. In upstate New York, Kaylin Gillis is dead. In the Texas Hill Country, Payton Washington was recently released from the ICU. All because a few strangers thought their unjustified fear  or annoyance  was greater than these peoples right to live.



Their lives were taken for the simple act of asking a neighbor to be quiet at night, for knocking on the wrong door, for mistakenly identifying a car. Countless more lives were ripped apart  all in the span of a couple of weeks.



Im furious on behalf of the victims and their families. Im especially furious with the gun lobby for pushing this dangerous shoot first, ask questions later mentality for decades, both through its culture of illogical fear, gun rights absolutism and deification of violent vigilantes such as Kyle Rittenhouse. The gun industry wants Americans to feel constantly under siege because, well, its good for business.



How did we get here? It wasnt by accident  it was by design. Over the past 25 years, the gun lobby has systematically crafted this dystopian version of America by stoking fear and passing laws that encourage violence, including stand your ground laws in 30 states. A recent report by Giffords Law Center and the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund found that these laws create more violence by allowing people to use deadly force in public, even when they could easily de-escalate a situation.

Joshua Roberts/Getty Images

Stand your ground laws dont allow people to shoot someone simply for a perceived insult, for ringing a doorbell or for turning down their driveway. But they do create a culture where people feel emboldened to use deadly force, and racist biases can turn deadly in the blink of an eye.
Its been quite a week in the letters to the editor section. Dozens of longtime and first-time letter writers chimed in on the contentious question of the Chronicles daily Bible verse. Thank you to all the readers who shared their thoughts on whether we should keep it, expand it or let it go the way of the telegraph. I was not expecting the huge response (including from former Chronicle staffers), and it was a pleasure to read your arguments for or against it. I can tell you were carefully taking your points into consideration. If you missed the conversation in print, be sure to check out the full array of letters online.

We also received several letters reacting to the senseless mass shooting in Cleveland, and Gov. Abbotts callous response to it. Our own editorial board was fresh off of examining the state of mental health reforms after Uvalde when the news broke. Editorial writer Nick Powell was on the breaking news shift, meaning he had to take the lead on addressing yet another act of gun violence. I asked Nick what its like to have to cover this sort of tragedy time and time again. The Q&A below has been condensed for clarity.

I know you went into journalism straight out of college, and spent time reporting in Philadelphia and your home state of New York before coming to the Chronicle in 2017 as a Gulf Coast reporter. Youve covered your fair share of horrific events in that time. Could you talk about your first meaningful experience writing about gun violence?

It was a culture shock, coming to Texas, because gun culture is just not a thing in New York. So the first time I really had to write about a shooting in an intimate way was May 2018. Since I covered the Gulf Coast, I was in Galveston, and Santa Fe is about a 20-minute drive away. I got a text from one of the news editors saying that we were getting reports of an active shooter at a high school and asking me to check it out.

It was my day off, but I got in my car and drove to the school. I was the first Chronicle reporter on the scene, and when I got there, it was complete chaos. You couldn't get close to the school, so I parked maybe like a block or two down. And I saw kids just streaming out of the building, distraught. Crying. Terrified. It was clear it was all still happening or the worst had just finished.

Because I had no real instruction, I just started talking to people. I tried to be sensitive, to get details without asking too much of people. You have to read their reaction to see how theyre dealing with it. It was a lot to unpack. Really, it was a crash course.

Marie D. De Jesus

How has covering gun violence been different since you joined the Chronicle editorial board in 2021?

On the opinion side I have more freedom to have my own perspective and get that on paper, with the consensus of the board. Its been helpful for me because we try to approach the gun issue from a wide variety of angles  including historical, legislative, cultural and emotional  but its still hard for me to entirely remove my own very strongly held beliefs and fears about guns. I find it difficult to reconcile that with the sheer political inertia around this issue in the Texas Legislature. Somehow Uvalde can move Congress to do the bare minimum of passing a bipartisan package of federal gun laws, but here, in the state where it happened, that tragedy is not enough to bring about reform? That strikes me as sad. I feel deep sadness for those families.

How do you battle against those feelings of frustration over how little has changed in Texas after so many shootings?

I try to find inspiration against that hopelessness. I find inspiration in the Uvalde parent who waited 12 hours to testify for a minimal gun control bill in the Legislature. Or by writing about a Texas NRA member who gave up his membership after Uvalde and had a wonderfully nuanced perspective with depth. Stuff like that is inspiring. Im inspired more by the people who are affected by gun violence and fighting for change than by the hope that something is going to change.

Why do you think its important to keep writing about these issues?

As journalists, were taught at a very fundamental level that we have to kind of be above the story or to avoid getting too close to it. I don't fully agree with that idea. But I do think it's important to not get too pessimistic or defeated, particularly writing as the board, because I like to think people look to us to help them sort out their own views on really critical, hot button issues.

To the extent that there are still people out there willing to be persuaded on guns, the hope is that we can reach them and, by continuing to explore every possible angle, get through to people. Little by little, that can make a change.

But Ill be honest, having covered mass shootings has changed my life profoundly. And its extremely hard every single time. I have intense waves of anxiety and sadness that wash over me every time I sit down to write about this. Its a process. You dont forget all of the really upsetting aspects.



If you have a question youd like to ask Nick or any other member of our board, send us a letter at viewpoints@chron.com.
Pappas Restaurants is set to vacate Hobby Airport next week after a state district judge on Friday denied the companys request to remain in the terminals while its ongoing legal case against the city proceeds.

After providing food and beverage services at the airport for two decades, the restaurant chain lost its lucrative contract in March to a competing vendor and sued the city of Houston over what it alleged to be an unfair and improper procurement process.

MORE ON PAPPAS: Houston council ousts Pappas from Hobby Airport, giving deal to new group after month-long debate

Friday's decision marked the second time a district judge has rejected Pappas Restaurants' request for a restraining order that would allow it to remain at Hobby. In April, State District Judge Beau Miller rejected the company's initial request to keep the status quo and continue to operate at the airport while the court reviews its lawsuit.

In an amended lawsuit filed Thursday, the company demanded again to have the city rescind its termination notice to Pappas Restaurants and suspend its new contract with the replacement vendor. Judge Kristen Hawkins denied the request during a hearing Friday morning.

The temporary restraining order was unfortunately denied, said Christina Pappas, the marketing director for the restaurant company. Our legal team is focused on our next legal steps. Our team at Hobby is working extremely hard to close our restaurants properly.

In the 515-page amended lawsuit, attorneys for Pappas Restaurants reiterated their allegation that a flawed procurement process led to the city awarding a 10-year, $470 million food and beverage contract to Areas USA, a subsidiary of a Spanish company, and its local partners in March.

Mayor Sylvester Turner has accused the restaurant group of running a smear campaign against the citys procurement process. City officials have cited the companies different cost proposals as the driving factor behind the decision to award the contract to Areas. The winning company offered the city 22 percent of its revenues, while Pappas offered 15.5 percent.

Today, for the second time, a Harris County Judge has denied an application for a temporary restraining order sought by Pappas to delay the expiration and move-out of Pappas Hobby Airport operations," City Attorney Arturo Michel said Friday. "This ruling thwarts Pappas latest attempt to obstruct Hobby Airports newest vendor from timely beginning operations. Pappas newest allegations do not undercut the legitimacy of the citys procurement process."

REAL-TIME DELAYS: How Houston airports compare for flight delays and cancellations, according to data

As the May 11 move-out date approaches, Pappas Restaurants and the city are clashing over which fixtures, such as sinks, refrigerators and water heaters the company can take when it leaves the premises, according to attorneys from both sides.

The city has sent a default notice to recover the costs of some disputed fixtures, which Pappas Restaurants lawyers say would affect the companys credit. The newly denied temporary restraining order also sought unsuccessfully to force the city to take back the default notice and avoid similar actions in the future.

During the hearing, the citys legal representatives questioned why a corporation the size of Pappas Restaurants would quibble over kitchenware and defended the default notice as a means to cover costs arising from such disputes.

Pappas said the city's refusal to compensate the restaurant group for some fixtures and forcing it to leave these items for Areas USA serves as further proof of the administrations favoritism toward the new vendor.

In addition to the City of Houston's egregiously flawed procurement process, the city continues to work directly on behalf of Areas Group, she said. Failing to recognize the startling issues in the procurement process and the city's continued forceful attempts to promote Areas Group is a disservice to all Houstonians.

The latest filing came weeks after attorneys for Pappas Restaurants withdrew their original lawsuit, saying they needed more time to arrange witnesses and review evidence before bringing the case to a hearing.

yilun.cheng@houstonchronicle.com
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As Gov. Greg Abbott continues to send busloads of migrants north, the mayor of New York City this week suggested on national television that Abbott is racially motivated because hes picking cities that have Black leaders.

It is a charge Abbott has not addressed directly, though his spokeswoman fired back, saying Mayor Eric Adams is spreading falsehoods and outright lies.

The clash began when Adams said Abbott's decision to send buses of migrants to his city is morally bankrupt and added, It is also impossible to ignore the fact that Abbott is now targeting five cities run by Black mayors.

But Adams wasnt correct. He suggested Los Angeles and Denver were also getting buses from Texas, but they are not. He also didnt mention Philadelphia, which is a destination for the buses but has a mayor who is white.

Adams, a Democrat, later went on CNN to insist he wasnt calling Abbott a racist but added that he's not sure whether Abbott is trying to undermine Black mayors or if he is motivated by race.

Adams said he was pointing out facts.

These are cities that have Black mayors, Adams said. And that is a fact. That is not my opinion, and that is not defining why hes doing it. Im laying out the facts.

Fox News host Laura Ingraham on Wednesday asked Abbott to respond to that charge.

They are the chosen cities by the migrants themselves, Abbott said. Every one of these migrants who gets on a bus, they volunteer to go and they choose the cities they go to. They want to go to New York. They want to go to Chicago.

In April 2022, Abbott began busing migrants to Democratic cities to draw attention to the struggle Texas is having in managing the record flow of migration over the last two years across the Rio Grande.

So far, more than 16,000 migrants have been bused to New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. More than 9,100 of those migrants have been sent to Washington, D.C.

New York has received more than 5,200 from Texas, with more sent just this week.

The back-and-forth between the two is likely to carry on Sunday when Abbott is scheduled to be on "Fox New Sunday" to talk about immigration issues, including Thursday's deadline for Title 42 to be lifted. That is the pandemic-era public health provision that former President Donald Trump first used to block asylum-seekers from coming into the United States to make their claim.

The Biden administration has already warned that a surge of people is likely to try to cross the border when that order lifts next week, despite Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warning people in Central and South America not to come.

Let me be clear, our border is not open and will not be open after May 11," Mayorkas said last week.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional soldiers to the border to join 2,500 others already there.

That move has triggered criticism from Democrats and Republicans. U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., has been among the most vocal.

The Biden administrations militarization of the border is unacceptable," Menendez said.

On the Republican side, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn called it completely inadequate.

"It does demonstrate to me how out of touch the Biden administration is that they think 1,500 troops sent to the border are going to change things -- the dynamics there," said the Texas senator, who was first elected in 2002.
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Googles Project Magi AI-driven search will change fan engagement forever

Project Magi will change the way your fans engage with you and your platforms on Google. Heres what you need to know

by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0

Google has been the major search engine for a whole generation of users now, and were all accustomed to the 10 results per page when youre looking to find something. Thats all gone out the window now thanks to AI-driven services like ChatGPT and Bard. Google is not sitting on its laurels though, and rumor has it that 160 of its engineers are working on the next generation of search called Project Magi.

Answers Not Links

Project Magi is said to have a conversation-like AI-driven interface where all you do is ask it a question and it will give you an answer. This differs from the current configuration where it just gives you links to numerous sites that might have the answer youre looking for.

That means that all that work youve done on site SEO might just go out the window, but heres where it might actually be a better thing for you in regards to engaging with your audience.

Google is a public company that needs to please its shareholders and that means it has to make money. Until now this was driven by ads in the search results, but if theres not longer search results, how will it see any revenue?

Its All About The Transaction

The new Google will be centered around selling you merchandise. Think about it  if Google can sell you the item youre looking for instead of sending you to Amazon or a website, it will make more money via commissions. But that also means that your customer will be one step closer to buying your merch.

As we all know, its so easy to get distracted from the time you click a link until the time you actually find that thing you wanted to purchase. Sometimes a well-meaning search to buy something can result in going off on a tangent and never actually purchasing the item you meant to. In other words, the Project Magi version of Google will cater to the impulse buy, especially since they already have Google Pay to make it easier.

Project Magi has not been released and we have no idea when that might occur, but we know its coming soon, especially since ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. For sure it will change SEO as we know it, but it will also change our buying habits as well.

Bobby Owsinski is a producer/engineer, author and coach. He has authored 24 books on recording, music, the music business and social media.





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BCC to Sign Articulation Agreement with Western New England University

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Community College (BCC) announces it intends to sign an articulation agreement with Western New England University (WNE) in Springfield, Massachusetts, allowing BCC students to transfer seamlessly to WNE.

The official signing ceremony will be held at BCC's Berkshire Science Commons on Monday, May 8 at 12 pm.

Attending the ceremony from WNE will be Provost Maria Toyoda, Associate Provost Lisa Celovsky, Director of Transfer Admissions Mike Russell and Assistant Vice President for Public Relations Margaret Boyle. Attending from BCC will be Dean of STEM Allied Health & Business Frank Schickor, Vice President of Academic Affairs Laurie Gordy, Coordinator of Transfer Affairs/Articulation Geoffrey Tabor and Director of Academic Operations Erin Lynn.

According to a press release, the Joint Admissions Program, which is consistent with the individual missions, policies and regulations of each institution, seeks to:

Strengthen the academic and student support partnerships between BCC and WNE;

Facilitate student access to baccalaureate and graduate education; and

Provide barrier-free movement for students enrolled in an associate degree program at BCC to the baccalaureate graduate degrees at WNE.

"The articulation agreement with Western New England is particularly exciting for BCC because of the excellent quality of education at WNE, and because of the geographical proximity of the two schools," said BCC Vice President of Academic Affairs Laurie Gordy. "We're pleased that our BCC graduates will have another option to continue their education in the Commonwealth, and we're proud to be able to make the transition easy and accessible for our students."

Students will be informed about the opportunity to participate in the Joint Admissions Program at the time they are applying to BCC. In order to satisfy the conditions of admissions into WNE, participating students must earn a minimum 2.50 cumulative grade point average (based on a 4.00 scale), earn at least a grade of a C- or better in their major coursework and earn their associate degree. Students seeking joint admissions into specialized programs such as business, engineering, computer science, chemistry or biology must satisfy all program requirements and earn the minimum cumulative grade point average established for those programs.

Students who satisfy the requirements of the Joint Admissions Program are eligible for the following benefits:

Guaranteed acceptance to WNE, provided they complete an approved associate degree program at BCC and meet the requirements of the Joint Admissions Program and major-specific requirements;

Guarantee of junior status at WNE upon matriculation with an associate degree; and

Guarantee of 60 transfer credits, with some stipulations.
Award recipient Linda Dulye poses with some of the scholarship winners at the Ruth P. Boraski Celebration at Proprietor's Lodge on Thursday.

Ruth P. Boraski Celebration Honors Scholars and Woman Leader



Linda Dulye is this year's recipient of the 'She Knows Where She's Going' Award, presented by the Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center. See more photos here. PITTSFIELD,Mass.  Community leaders, organizers, and residents gathered at the Proprietors Lodge on Thursday night to recognize scholarship and award recipients for the Ruth P. Boraski Celebration.

Amongst those in attendance included City Council President Peter Marchetti, City Councilor Peter White and Berkshire Black Economic Council President A.J. Enchill.

The Ruth P. Boraski Fund for Girls Inc. of the Berkshires at the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation was established as part of the Go Girl Fund in 2011 and since has awarded more than $145,000 in grants for Girls Inc. programs and scholarships, Gladys Allen Brigham Community Center CEO Kelly Marion said.

The programming provides girls with the opportunity to learn skills that will last a lifetime, Marion continued.

"We know the importance of being able to connect with our girls and with their families through all of our programming. It confirms to us the importance of Girls Inc of Berkshire's and the vital role this program in our agency has to the success of not only these girls, but also our community," she said.

"These young women deserve our grace and congratulations for what they've accomplished in their livesThey are strong. They are smart and they're bold achievers."

The center's Chair Melissa Mazzeo provided the audience with a brief overview of the scholars accomplishments, ranging from 4.0 GPAs, volunteer experience, acceptance to Yale University, and more.

"It's these young women that are sitting next to me, that when I started reading their bios, you're going to wonder what you were doing high school because you certainly weren't doing that," she said.

"I get tired just thinking about what they did. So each one of these girls have gone above and beyond to earn their spot to be here with us tonight and we are so honored for everything they've done."

The room cheered and clapped as each scholar was presented with a carnation and certificate, moving some recipients to tears.

"This is why we love these girls so much because they give so much and they don't want to be recognized but we need to let them know that we recognize all the amazing things that girls do. We're so proud. It's just incredible," Mazzeo said.

The community also recognized Dulye & Co. / Dulye Leadership Experience President and founder Linda Dulye with the "She Knows Where She's Going" award.

The award honors powerful women in the community so that they can pass the torch down to the young women receiving these scholarships.

"The women who receive this award are not only leaders in their field but they also prioritize philanthropy, altruism and empowerment," Scholarship Committee member Barbara Emanuel said.

"[Dulye] has personally invested in the professional development of hundreds of rising leaders right here in the Berkshire as well as hundreds more across the US and beyond."

This has been a monumental year, Dulye said, with her consulting firm turning 25, the celebration of her 30th wedding anniversary, and now becoming a recipient of this award.

The previous award recipients are inspirational women who selflessly and zealously contributed to the advancement of the Berkshires, she said. This is a resolve that she shares and hopes to give back and help others move forward.

Emanuel read a citation from House Speaker Ronald Mariano and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier as they were unable to attend the celebration.

"Representatives of this Commonwealth of Massachusetts House of Representatives via here by announce all the Massachusetts House of Representatives offers its sincerest congratulations to Linda Dulye  in recognition of the 2023 'She Knows Where She's Going' Award, well deserved, and the entire membership of the House of Representatives extends its very best wishes and expresses the hope for future good fortune and continued success in all its endeavor," Emanuel read.

Dulye attributes her success from the example her nonna, Mary Pagano Vuolo, and her mother, Ann Vuolo Dulye.

"They shaped my values and my beliefs. They taught me to be a lifetime learner to set ambitious goals and to embrace change. They showed me that worse are worth taking. And that setbacks may be stronger. And although neither are physically here today, they're vibrant spirit is swirling in this room," she said.

"I have been blessed to have these remarkable, self-made resilient women as my role models. They taught me to be curious, compassionate, considerate, and to work hard. Inspiring me to carve my own path as a corporate leader, a business owner, a philanthropist, and community activist. Hard work plus genuine passion is a success formula for personal and professional growth and development."

Dulye told the scholarship recipients and attendees to connect with people by taking stock of their conversation, asking questions, and removing communication barriers like the children's table.

"We're gonna stop the polarizing practice of segregating kids from the adults and elders during family gatherings. Stop it. Children should be seen and heard with a seat at the table where they can learn how to communicate with others who are different from them," she said.

Conversation has been a casualty of COVID-19 and the devices created to foster conversation no longer serve that purpose, Dulye said.

She encouraged those at the gathering to try and have at least three conversations a day and then steadily improve that weekly by increasing their number, duration and engagement.

Ruth P. Boraski Fund Scholarships

Taibat Ahmed, Pittsfield High School

Sadiya Auge, Taconic High School

Tatiana Curtis, Taconic High School

Tiffin Martin, Taconic High School

Gracie Samrith-Friend, Taconic High School

Sydney Wilk, Lenox Memorial Middle & High School

Jane Wong, Taconic High School

Berkshire Community College Foundation Scholarship

Italytzia Ruiz Santana, Taconic High School

Rotary Club of Pittsfield Scholarship

Molly Sullivan, Mount Greylock Regional High School

Zonta Club of Berkshire County Scholarship

Jackie Roccabruna, Pittsfield High School

She Knows Where She's Going Award Recipient

Linda Dulye, Dulye & Co. / The Dulye Leadership Experience
Get our free weekly email for all the latest cinematic news from our film critic Clarisse Loughrey Get our The Life Cinematic email for free Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to the

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James Gunn has ensured that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will be different every time you watch it.

The director has worked with Marvel to create 600 versions of the new film that will offer a different experience for cinemagoers.

These changes will not consist of any alterations to the story, but have been designed to ensure every exhibitor in the United States and in most international territories has the option to maximise their screen size for the audience.

Disneys vice president of finishing and stereo, Evan Jacobs, told The Hollywood Reporter: So wherever you go to see it, youre gonna see the best version.

Each version has been designed for a different aspect ratio, meaning you may witness more or less action depending where you see the film.

While every Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film comes in hundreds of different aspect ratios, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 has broken the record for the most.

Jacobs said: It wouldve been harder, frankly, to accommodate this kind of creative vision on a different delivery schedule. But we had the time and we were able to make it work.

Reviews are in for the film, and they have been mostly positive. Find The Independents verdict on the film here.

Earlier this week, on the day of the films UK release, lead star Chris Pratt was urged to remove a hideous Instagram post, which prompted a reply from his mother-in-law, Maria Shriver.
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Authorities in Indias northeastern state of Manipur issued shoot at sight orders in some extreme cases on Thursday after spiraling violence in the region between the Kuki tribe and the majority Meitei community.

The order issued by the state government headed by Indias ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was issued on behalf of the governor, reported Press Trust of India.

The order said shoot at sight could be resorted to when persuasion, warning, and reasonable force have been exhausted and the situation could not be controlled.

Violence was reported in several districts of Manipur, which first broke out on Wednesday following a Tribal Solidarity March called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM), reported The Indian Express.

The march was organised in protest against the demand for inclusion of the majority Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category, following a 19 April Manipur High Court directive.

Under Indian law some government jobs, college admissions and elected seats  from village councils to parliament  are reserved for communities under the scheduled tribe category as a form of affirmative action to tackle historical structural inequality and discrimination.

The high court order directed the state government to submit, within four weeks, a 10-year-old recommendation to the federal ministry of Tribal Affairs for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST list.

Tribal groups have opposed the Meitei communitys inclusion in the list fearing opportunity and job loss due to the groups demographically and politically advantageous position.

The outlet reported that violence first started in an area bordering Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts.

By Wednesday evening, violence had spread from the hill districts of the state to other parts including capital Imphal.

On Thursday violent mobs burnt houses and torched vehicles allegedly belonging to a tribal group.

Two churches have also allegedly been torched.

In hill districts of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi, pockets with Meitei residents were allegedly under attack.

Mobs also blocked arterial roads in Imphal as paramilitary forces and police tried to bring the situation under control.

No official figures have yet been released on the number of casualties.

On Thursday, an internet shutdown order was issued for the next five days in the state, reported EastMojo.

In a video message on Thursday, chief minister N Biren Singh said precious lives have been lost besides damage of property of residents.

He called the developments very, very unfortunate and said that the situation was born out of a prevailing misunderstanding between two sections of the society.

According to a report in The Hindu, Manipurs Imphal valley makes up about 10 per cent of its landmass and is dominated by the non-tribal Meitei community which accounts for over 64 per cent of the state population and sends around 40 legislators to the states 60 MLA-strong assembly.

On the other hand, the states hill districts include 90 per cent of geographical area and is inhabited by more than 35 per cent recognised tribes and sends only 20 MLAs to the Assembly.

While a majority of the Meiteis are Hindus followed by Muslims, the 33 recognised tribes, broadly classified into Any Naga tribes and Any Kuki tribes are largely Christians.

While the immediate trigger of the violence is believed to be the Meitei communitys demand to be included in the ST list and the high court order, the Kukis have been unhappy over the governments multiple eviction drives on their lands as well as claims that they are illegal immigrants from neighbouring Myanmar.

On Friday, authorities said around 20,000 people had been evacuated and moved to camps under army protection.

The situation is not fully under control but it is gradually improving, P Doungel, the states top police official told reporters in Imphal, reported Reuters.

More soldiers were being deployed to strengthen security and about 20,000 people were evacuated from violence-hit areas, he said, adding that three makeshift camps had been set up to lodge and protect people.

Following the violence, federal home minister Amit Shah cancelled his trip to poll-bound Karnataka to monitor the developments in Manipur.

Neighbouring states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Tripura, have offered their support to Manipur as well.

The North East Frontier Railways has suspended all train operations through Manipur for the next 48 hours due to the prevailing unrest.

Federal government teams of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), a specialised force to handle riots, for deployment in violence-hit areas of the Northeastern state have also been sent to the state.

A defence spokesperson told the Press Trust of India that 55 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed across the state to contain the violence.

An additional 14 columns have been kept on standby.

The violence in the state has also drawn condemnation for the BJP from opposition parties which have accused the government of ignoring Manipur due to the upcoming polls in Karnataka.

Congresss Randeep Singh Surjewala wrote: While BJP ruled Manipur today burns, PM Modi & HM Shah, look the other way!

Former parliamentarian Rahul Gandhi tweeted: The Prime Minister must focus on restoring peace and normalcy. I urge the people of Manipur to stay calm.

Olympian and former Rajya Sabha MP boxer MC Mary Kom also appealed to the prime minister to help her state on Thursday.
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A clinical psychologist has revealed the four signs a relationship is going to last, saying that arguing is OK providing couples fight fair.

Dr Kathy Nickerson, who has 22 years experience in the field, said indicators that a relationship is strong include it feeling easy, genuinely caring about your partners happiness, and being intentionally gentle and kind to one another.

The psychologist from Orange County, California, said: After working with couples for so long, I know that it's never too late to make a relationship better.

The four points I mentioned are clinical observations I have made  but if your relationship is not where you want it to be, don't give up, take action.

Think about what you're really craving, then find a kind and gentle way to ask for this. Then ask your partner to do the same.

Couples that commit to talking frequently about what they feel and what they need do far better than couples who shut down, settle for what's offered, and don't talk about how to heal sore spots.

It feels easy most of the time

A relationship feeling easy is critical to its health, states Dr Nickerson.

What I mean by this is that it does not feel like a daily struggle or challenge to connect with your partner or get emotional support from your partner, she says.

Even though life might be difficult and you might face personal challenges, your relationship feels safe, comfortable, and easy.

She adds that while all relationships experience difficult patches, the ones that are most likely to last are those where the rough spots feel few and far between.

You fight fairly

On the subject of fighting fair, she explains: Couples who have healthy relationships know that the point of a fight is to communicate, not destroy each other.

They care about each other's feelings; they're careful about tone and how they phrase things.

The goal of good communication is to be honest, authentic, and kind - not nasty, critical, defensive, or dismissive, she says.

You care about your partners happiness

Be mindful of what makes your partner happy (Getty Images)

Caring about your partners happiness is vital, says Dr Nickerson, because at the heart of a good relationship is a solid friendship.

We feel closest to people who like us, who actively care for us, and who go out of their way for us, she says.

Healthy couples do this and they're mindful about what makes their partner happy.

The strongest couples casually track the fairness in their relationship, especially when it comes to things like household chores and choices made for the family, like what restaurant to eat at.

They strive to make sure both partners get equitable treatment, she says.

You are intentionally gentle and kind to each other

The fourth and final sign according to Dr Nickerson is remembering to be gentle and kind to each other, even when things get difficult in life.

She says that couples with staying power recognise that they are a safe harbour for each other.

They are intentional about being gentle with their words and kind with their behaviours.

They go out of their way to ensure their partner feels secure, valued, and loved.

When their partner is hurt or upset, they drop everything to listen to them, comfort them, and support them.

They actively listen for their partner's feelings and they validate those feelings, she says.

Of the four signs, Dr Nickerson believes that the most important is that your partners happiness matters to you.

If this element of your relationship is true, she says, you will instinctively do things to support them and show compassion for them.

You'll ask them about their dreams, their feelings, and their fears, she says.

You will do what you can to help alleviate the fears and make the dreams come true.

She adds: We all want to stay in relationships where we feel respected and valued for who we really are.

If your partner's happiness truly matters to you, you'll naturally do many things that convey acceptance and admiration.

Dr Nickerson shared her advice in a TikTok video which has racked up more than 400,000 views.

On the subject of a happy relationship, she adds: I think a good relationship is the most precious gift you could ever receive.

My advice to everyone would be... act like this in your relationships and if this person is ready for you and right for you, the relationship will last.

Additional reporting by SWNS
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A kind-hearted British couple are giving away a five-star holiday to help cash-strapped people across the globe  and its free to enter.

Jon and Annmarie Nurse, who are originally from Dorset, first hit the headlines during the pandemic, when they decided to raffle off their Italian villa.

Now, theyre doing it again but this time, the prize is a luxury trip worth 5,000 including spending money  plus a donation to the winners charity of choice to the tune of a further 5,000.

Our ethos is to give back, Jon, founder of Win Holidays VIP, told Jam Prime.

We want to change someones life and to date we have given away two villas and two houses in Italy, all while supporting childrens charities.

Its such a buzz to do something like this; it can create a positive difference to someones life and provides them with opportunities and experiences that they may never have had before drawing that winning ticket.

With a lot of people so cash-strapped right now, we really hope that the winner will be someone who deserves lady luck to shine on them  and thats also why weve decided to make it free to enter.

The live draw allows the winner to choose their own VIP holiday with a total prize pot of 10,000 (including the charity donation).

From travel to the airport to private tour guides, everything on the holiday is paid for up to 5,000.

However, if the winner would rather not go on holiday, they can swap the holiday for cash instead.

Annmarie said: We wanted to create a turn-key competition, something that doesnt cost you anything.

Previously, the couple has raffled off four homes and raised 170,000 for The Childrens Society and Braceo Di Faro.

Jon said: We loved the hard work, the grit and the amazing people [from the property raffles], so didnt want to stop.

Everyone wants luxury, not everyone wants a home abroad.

Holidays means we can reach more people and give away more of them.

We love the process and the live draws.

It is so lovely to spread good news and 99.9% of the feedback we get is positive.

Jon and Annmarie Nurse, who are originally from Dorset, first hit the headlines during the pandemic, when they decided to raffle off their Italian villa. (Jam Press/ winvipholidays.com)

This isnt the couples first holiday draw  they did a trial run in September 2022 with an all-expenses paid trip to Italy  though this is the first time winners can choose to take the money instead.

The winner of the trial run, Ross Bury (65) from Victoria, Australia received business class flights, a chauffeur, five-star hotel, Michelin star food, private tours and much more.

Winning the trip was a life-changing experience, to be able to stay in the finest Italian hotels and experience Michelin star dining could only be summed up as a truly magnificent experience, he told Jam Press.

Jon, Annmarie, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this truly amazing holiday, the detail that has gone into this holiday is truly unbelievable.

I believe you have created a lasting legacy with the charities that benefit from your past, present and future generosity.

While the winner can choose any charity they want, for Jon and Annmarie, The Childrens Society and Braceo Di Faro are especially close to their hearts.

After their local hospice struggled to stay afloat during the pandemic, the pair decided something had to be done to help the children affected.

Annmarie said: We used to go to the hospice summer fete, however there was no fete during Covid. All the cash had dried up.

We like to give and these kids deserve a chance.

Kids were affected more during the pandemic.

It affected mental wellbeing, drove people into poverty situations and, in some cases, abusive situations.

The odds were stacked up against them.

We need to safeguard the next generation.

The prize draw closes on 28 May and is open to everyone aged 18 and over.

Anyone wanting to enter simply needs to register their details at Win VIP Holidays.
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The coronation of King Charles III will finally take place on Saturday 6 May 2023, almost eight months after he ascended to the British throne following the death of his mother Queen Elizabeth II.

Ahead of the big event, many may be wondering what the royal familys tree looks like.

Up until 8 September 2022, when she passed away at her beloved Balmoral estate in rural Aberdeenshire aged 96, the late Queen sat at the top as she had throughout her extraordinary 70-year reign, the longest of any monarch in our history.

That began when she succeeded her father George IV in 1952, and ended in the year of her platinum jubilee celebrations with her inviting her 15th prime minister, Liz Truss, to form a new government.

In her final hours, spent under medical supervision at her Scottish residence, many of the Queens immediate family raced to be at her bedside to say goodbye, including her sons Charles, Andrew and Edward and grandsons William and Harry (whose bitter estrangment has dominated royal concerns in recent months).

The Queen married Prince Philip in 1947. The Duke of Edinburgh was her husband, consort and rock for almost 74 years until he passed away in April 2021.

The couple had four children: Charles, now King Charles III and formerly the Prince of Wales, born in 1948; Anne, the Princess Royal (born 1950); Andrew, the Duke of York (1960); and Edward, Earl of Wessex (1964).

Charles had two sons from his ultimately unhappy marriage to the late Princess Diana, William and Harry, the former now the heir to the British throne.

(Getty)

Prince William married Kate Middleton in 2011 and the now-Duke of Duchess of Cornwall and Cambridge have three children of their own, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, all of whom happened to be taking part in their first full day at Lambrook School in Berkshire on the day of the late Queens passing, hence their absence, and that of their mother, from Her Majestys bedside.

Prince Harry married the American actress Meghan Markle in 2018 but the couple have since acrimoniously severed their official ties with the royal family and relocated to the US. They have two children: Archie and Lilibet Mountbatten-Windsor.

Princess Anne meanwhile presented the Queen with two grandchildren from her first marriage to Captain Mark Phillips: Peter Philips and Zara Tindall, the latter a successful equestrian married to the former England rugby player Mike Tindall.

The Queen with members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace (PA)

Mr Philipps and his ex-wife Autumn have two daughters, Savannah and Isla, while the Tindalls have three children: Mia, Lena and Lucas.

The Duke of York, who has recently faced difficult questions about his friendships with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell, is likewise divorced but has two daughters from his marriage to Sarah Ferguson, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

Both princesses have married and each had their first child last year  Beatrice gave birth to a daughter, Sienna Mapelli Mozzi, and Eugenie a son, August Brookbank  bringing the late Queens total number of great-grandchildren to 12.

Lastly, Prince Edward has two children from his marriage to Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex: Lady Louise Mountbatten-Windsor and James Mountbatten-Windsor, Viscount Severn.
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Dame Joan Collins has recalled a naughty thing that King Charles wrote about her.

The actor, 89, appeared on Fridays instalment of Good Morning Britain, where she discussed the charming King Charles III.

Recalling the moment he presented Collins with her damehood in 2015, she told hosts Kate Garraway and Ben Shepard that Charles said: And about time, too.

She said: How charming [Charles] was when he gave it to me. And you know, he has the most fantastic voice, very mellifluous and deep.

The Dynasty star added: Id met him a few times. In fact, he wrote about me in his book, I cant say what it is on morning TV because its a bit naughty.

The Independent has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.

Joan went on to say that on one occasion that she met Charles, she was wearing a very low-cut dress.

It comes days after Collins praised the King for his skills on the dancefloor in a tribute to the monarch ahead of his coronation.

Joan Collins said that King Charles was charming when he presented her damehood (Getty Images)

The actor recalled a fond memory of meeting the King for the first time in the Eighties, when he was the Prince of Wales and, at the time, married to the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

She met him at a charity ball held by Armand Hammer in Palm Beach, Miami, where they had a little dance together that Collins said was very nice.

Hes quite a good dancer! she told British Vogue, and described the King as charming, as well as having a wonderful voice and a dry, dry sense of humour.

The actor shared another time that she met Charles at the Safeway Picnic concert in aid of his charity, The Princes Trust, in 2002.

She said that the King loves modern music and was jiving along to performances by Diana Ross and Shirley Bassey.

Collins predicted that Charles will be a very good leader as he prepares to be crowned alongside Queen Consort Camilla tomorrow (Saturday 6 May).

Follow the latest coronation updates here.
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The public pledge of allegiance to King Charles at the coronation ceremony will be changed, according to reports.

Earlier this week, Charles asked for the peoples oath to be toned down, following backlash from the public and his own allies, including broadcaster Jonathan Dimbleby.

Dimbleby, a close friend of the King, called the homage of the people an ill-advised idea and not what the monarch would have wanted.

I cant think of anything he would find more abhorrent, he told the Today Programme.

In a statement to The Guardian, a spokesperson for Lambeth Palace has confirmed the introductory words to the pledge will be changed ahead of the Kings coronation on Saturday 6 May.

The homage of the people was always an invitation rather than expectation, they said.

The decision to change the wording reflects the collaborative approach that has been taken throughout the coronation planning, the spokesperson added.

The nation has been invited to pledge allegiance to the King for the first time (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

During his appearance, Dimbleby said: [Charles] never wanted to be revered. Hes never wanted anyone to pay homage to him except in mock terms as a joke.

He added: He wants, I think, to feel the people will share in the event and I dont quite know how this might have happened.

Late on Friday (5 May), The Times reported that the wording of the new Homage of the People would be altered at the kings request.

The Archbishop was initially set to call upon all persons of goodwill in The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of the other Realms and the Territories to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted King, defender of all.

Instead, he will now invite people to offer their support, emphasising that this could be with a moment of private reflection.

Night rehearsals for the coronation took place this week (PA Wire)

Dimbleby said it seemed the initiative had come from the Archbishop, who is strongly evangelical.

I think it was well-intentioned, but rather ill-advised, he added.

The oath had been branded an offensive and tone-deaf gesture that holds the people in contempt by the campaign group Republic.

The order of service at the coronation will read: All who so desire, in the Abbey, and elsewhere, say together: I swear that I will pay true allegiance to Your Majesty, and to your heirs and successors according to law. So help me God.

It will be followed by the playing of a fanfare.

Royal fans camping outside along the mall in preparation for the coronation (AFP/Getty)

The Homage of the People will replace the traditional Homage of Peers, in which a long line of hereditary peers used to kneel and make a pledge to the monarch in person. The purpose of both oaths remains the same, however: to represent the pledge takers dedication to the monarch as the monarch is crowned.

A spokesman for Lambeth Palace, the Archbishops office, said: The Homage of the People is particularly exciting because thats brand new.

Jonathan Dimbleby said the decision for the public to pledge allegiance is ill-advised (EPA)

Thats something that we can share in because of technological advances, so not just the people in the Abbey, but people who are online, on television, who are listening, and who are gathered in parks, at big screens and churches.

Our hope is at that point, when the Archbishop invites people to join in, that people wherever they are, if theyre watching at home on their own, watching the telly, will say it out loud  this sense of a great cry around the nation and around the world of support for the King.
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King Charles IIIs coronation, which takes place on Saturday 6 May, is set to be attended by 2,000 guests, including foreign monarchs across the world.

The coronation will be held in London at Westminster Abbey, which can seat up to 2,200 people. The limited guest list marks a departure from the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony.

In early April, Buckingham Palace unveiled the official invites for King Charles and Queen Camillas coronation. The elaborate invitation, which was reportedly sent to 2,000 people, invited guests to attend The Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III & Queen Camilla  By Command of the King the Earl Marshall is directed to inviteto be present at the Abbey Church of Westminster on 6th day of May 2023.

As the Kings coronation fast approaches, theres been much speculation over who will be attending the slimmed-down service. While members of the British royal family are likely to attend, many royal families throughout the world are also expected to attend the coronation.

The move marks a break from royal tradition. According to The Telegraph, the coronation was considered a sacred ceremony between a monarch and their people in the presence of God, but Charles is set to do away with the tradition and invite his counterparts from around the world.

Heres a list of all the foreign royals who have confirmed their attendance so far.

On 11 April, Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife Crown Princess Kiko of Japan confirmed they will be attending the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, according to local media.

The Imperial Household Agency announced they received an invitation from the British royal family in March requesting that the head of state or proxy attend the ceremony. The crown prince will represent his brother, Emperor Naruhito, at the coronation, seeing as the emperor doesnt attend foreign royal coronations per protocol. However, Emperor Naruhito and his wife, Empress Masako, attended the Queens funeral last September.

Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko confirm attendance at Kings coronation (Getty Images)

The Danish royal family also confirmed their attendance at the coronation earlier this month. In an announcement shared to the Danish Royal Houses website, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark said they will participate in the coronation of HRH King Charles III and Queen Camilla of Great Britain at Westminster Abbey in London. Frederik attended Queen Elizabeths funeral in September with his mother, Queen Margrethe II.

In addition to Denmarks royal family, the Swedish Royal Court has also confirmed the coronation attendance of King Carl XVI Gustaf, along with his daughter and heir, Crown Princess Victoria. The Swedish monarch is one of the few foreign rulers to attend the British kings coronation, rather than sending a consort to represent him.

Prince Albert II of Monaco was the first foreign head of state to confirm he would be attending the Kings coronation. In January, Monacos reigning sovereign told People that he and his wife, Princess Charlene, will be among the guests at Westminster Abbey.

Im certain that its going to be an incredible ceremony and a very moving one, the 64-year-old royal said. Weve maintained contact since His Majesty became King, but I havent talked to him personally since the Queens funeral.

Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022 (Getty Images)

The prince shared that hes certain the King will add his own personal touches to the coronation. However, he was unsure whether their eight-year-old twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella, will be invited.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain confirmed their attendance on 11 April, as well as King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands will also attend the coronation, while their daughter, Princess Catharina-Amalia, and Willem-Alexanders mother, Princess Beatrix, will attend the reception at Buckingham Palace on 5 May.

Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit will represent Norway at the coronation, following their recent visit to the UK where they were hosted by the Prince and Princess of Wales at Windsor Castle in March. Grand-Duke Henri of Luxembourg and Grand-Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg will also attend, along with Queen Anne-Marie of Greece and her son and daughter-in-law, Crown Prince Pavlos and Crown Princess Marie-Chantal.

A source previously told The Mail on Sunday: At the Queens Coronation there were no crowned monarchs, only the protectorate rulers like the Queen of Tonga. Its been a tradition for centuries. Inviting the King of Jordan, the Sultan of Brunei, the Sultan of Oman and the Scandinavian royals  who are all friends of Charles  will be a good bit of soft power and diplomacy.

Buckingham Palace previously announced that King Charles III has invited more than 850 community and charity representatives to his and Queen Camillas coronation. More than 450 British Empire Medal (BEM) recipients were invited to see the service from inside Westminster Abbey, while some 400 young people representing charities will be able to watch the coronation and procession from a special private viewing at the nearby St Margarets Church.

Although not a foreign monarch, President Joe Biden has confirmed that he will not be attending King Charles IIIs coronation. Instead, his wife First Lady Jill Biden will be going on behalf of the United States.
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King Charles III is Britains new monarch, following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on 8 September 2022.

Charles wife, Camilla, was subsequently named Queen Consort as the couple began a new chapter in a relationship that has spanned more than 50 years.

Having first met in 1970, Charles and Camilla were married 18 years ago at Windsor Guildhall in a low-key ceremony.

For most royal fans, the couples journey will always be intrinsically linked to the story of Charles and his ex-wife Lady Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales.

Over the years, the public, and other members of the royal family, became more accepting of the match. Yet for decades the couple were pursued by gossip and scandal following Charless fraught marriage to Diana.

Here, we detail Charles and Camillas complicated love story.

1970 - Charles and Camilla meet for the first time

A 22-year-old Charles met Camilla Shand, 24, the daughter of a British Army officer, at a polo match at Windsor Great Park. In 1992, People magazine reported that, when the pair met for the first time, Camilla said to Charles: My great-grandmother was the mistress of your great-great-grandfather. I feel we have something in common.

The couple subsequently began dating.

February 1973 - Charles goes away to the Caribbean and Camilla gets engaged to someone else

After meeting Camilla, Charles joined the Royal Navy. He was assigned to frigate HMS Minerva in November 1972 and, in February 1973, the ship was posted to the Caribbean, not to return until November that year.

While Charles was away, Camilla announced her engagement to Andrew Parker Bowles, then a lieutenant, whom she met in the late 1960s.

The Prince of Wales was reportedly heartbroken by the news, which Camilla shared with him herself in a letter. In his book about Camilla, The Duchess: The Untold Story, royal author Penny Junor wrote: She wrote to Charles herself to tell him. It broke his heart.

July 1973 - Camilla gets married

Andrew and Camilla Parker Bowles together in 1992 (PA)

Camilla married Parker-Bowles at the Guards Chapel in London on 4 July, followed by a reception at St Jamess Palace.

The ceremony was attended by The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret and Princess Anne, who Andrew Parker Bowles was rumoured to also previously have had a relationship with.

July 1980 - Charles starts dating Lady Diana Spencer

Charles and Diana initially met in 1977 when Diana was just 16 and Charles was 29 (and dating her older sister). Diana and the Prince of Wales grew close a few years later when Diana went to stay with a mutual friend, Philip de Pass, at his family home in Sussex for a weekend.

While there, Diana spoke to Charles about the assassination of his great uncle, Lord Mountbatten, with whom he had been very close.

The next minute, he leapt on me, practically, she claimed in the tapes that were released in Diana: In Her Own Words. But then it sort of built up from there, she added of their courtship.

1981 - Charles and Diana announce their engagement

Prince Charles and Diana at Caernarvon Castle during an official tour of Wales in October 1981. (Getty)

Charles and Diana announced their engagement on 24 February. However, all already didnt seem well between the pair. In Diana: In Her Own Words, the Princess of Wales recalled a joint interview the couple gave the same day.

Charles married Diana at St Pauls Cathedral in London on 29 July 1981 (AFP/Getty)

"We had this ghastly interview the day we announced our engagement, she said. And this ridiculous [reporter] said, Are you in love? I thought, what a thick question. So I said, Yes, of course, we are, and Charles turned round and said, Whatever love means. And that threw me completely. I thought, what a strange answer. It traumatised me.

1981 - Charles buys a bracelet for Camilla

Weeks before his July wedding to Diana, Charles bought a bracelet for Camilla, which was engraved with the letters G and F. This stood for Gladys and Fred, the couples nicknames for one another, which were inspired by BBC radio programme The Goon Show.

Diana discovered the bracelet, she later told her biographer Andrew Morton.

She said: I was still too immature to understand all the messages coming my way. And then someone in his office told me that my husband has had a bracelet made for her.

I walked into this mans office one day and I said, Ooh, whats in that parcel? And he said Oh, you shouldnt look at that. So I opened it and there was the bracelet. I was devastated, and I said Well, hes going to give it to her tonight.

So rage, rage, rage. You know, Why cant you be honest with me? But no, absolutely cut me dead. It was as if hed made his decision, and if it wasnt going to work, it wasnt going to work.

1986 - Charles and Camillas affair begins

American journalist and historian Sally Bedell Smiths biography of Charles, Prince Charles: The Passions and Paradoxes, states that his affair with his ex-girlfriend Camilla began in 1986.

In 2017, Camilla spoke about having been initially reviled by the press and the effect it had on her.

She told You magazine: It was horrid. It was a deeply unpleasant time and I wouldnt want to put my worst enemy through it. I couldnt have survived it without my family.

1989 - Diana confronts Camilla

Lady Diana Spencer and Camilla Parker-Bowles together in 1980 (Getty Images)

In 2004, an audio tape Diana made for her biographer Andrew Morton was broadcast for the first time on NBC for the first time.

On the tape, Diana recounted an incident at a party in 1989 when she confronted Camilla, interrupting a chat between Camilla, Charles and another man.

I was terrified of her. I said, I know whats going on between you and Charles and I just want you to know that, Diana is heard saying in the recording.

I said to the two men, OK, boys, Im just going to have a quick word with Camilla and Ill be up in a minute," she said. And they shot upstairs like chickens with no heads and I could feel, upstairs, all hell breaking loose  What is she going to do?

Diana said Camillas response was very interesting.

She recalled: She said to me: Youve got everything you ever wanted. Youve got all the men in the world fall in love with you and youve got two beautiful children, what more do you want?

So I said, I want my husband. And I said, Im sorry Im in the way... and it must be hell for both of you. But I do know whats going on. Dont treat me like an idiot.

December 1992 - Charles and Diana announce separation

On 9 December, Prime Minister John Major announced that the Prince and Princess of Wales had separated amicably.

1993 - Charles and Camillas explicit phone call revealed

Details of a secretly recorded explicit phone call between Charles and Camilla, which took place in 1989, were published by tabloid newspapers.

The leaked phone call did not make it into royal drama The Crown as Josh OConnor, the actor who portrays Charles, point-blank refused to do it.

When they offered me the role, he told SiriusXM. One of my first questions was  I say questions, I think it was pretty much a statement  We are not doing the [phone call].

January 1995 - Camilla and Andrew announce divorce

Camilla and Andrew Parker Bowles announced that they intended to divorce. However, Charles still refused to confirm divorce proceedings between him and Diana, with a spokesperson telling The New York Times that a previous statement denying that a divorce was in the works was still absolutely the case.

The original statement said that there is no truth in reports which state that it has been agreed that a divorce should take place or that there have been discussions about a financial settlement between the parties.

November 1995 - Princess Diana is interviewed by Martin Bashir

Diana during her interview with Martin Bashir for the BBC (PA)

In her now-infamous BBC Panorama interview, Princess Diana said there were three people in her marriage, a reference to her husbands relationship with Camilla.

Diana said that womans instinct meant she knew about Charless affair but that she was also told by her staff and those who minded and cared about our marriage.

Bashir asked the princess: Do you think Mrs Parker-Bowles was a factor in the breakdown of your marriage?

Diana replied: Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded.

August 1996 - Charles and Dianas divorce is finalised

Newspapers reporting that Queen Elizabeth had sent a letter to both Prince Charles and the Princess Diana spelling out her desire for an early divorce (AFP/Getty)

The couple were finally legally separated in 1996, almost four years after their separation was first announced.

July 1997 - Charles hosts birthday party for Camilla

Charles hosted a 50th birthday party for Camilla at his home Highgrove in Gloucestershire.

Sept 1997 - Diana is killed in a car crash

The Princess of Wales died in a car crash in a road tunnel in Paris while being chased by paparazzi. Her partner, film producer Dodi Fayed, also died in the accident alongside the couples driver, Henri Paul.

A woman places flowers in front of the Pitie Salpetriere hospital in Paris where Diana was admitted following the fatal crash (AFP/Getty)

August 1999 - Charles vacations with Camilla and his sons

Camilla joined Charles, Harry and William on a holiday to Greece.

2000 - The Queen attends an event Camilla is invited to

Up until this point, the Queen had declined invitations for events Camilla was going to be attending, including a private 50th birthday party for Charles in 1998.

In 2000, however, she accepted an invitation to a 60th birthday party for the King of Greece at Charless home in Highgrove.

2003  Camilla moves into Clarence House

Charles and Camilla moved into official London residence Clarence House in 2003.

February 2005  The couple announce their engagement

Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles formally announced their engagement, and that the wedding date had been set as 9 April 2005. In a statement released at the time, the Prince of Wales said the occasion would mark a very special day for us and our families.

Princes William and Harry also released a statement, which said: We are both very happy for our father and Camilla, and we wish them all the luck in the future."

It was also announced that Camilla would use the title HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, following her marriage to Prince Charles. It is intended that Mrs Parker Bowles should use the title HRH The Princess Consort when The Prince of Wales accedes to The Throne, the statement continued.

April 2005  The couple marries 35 years after first meeting

A family photo taken on Charles and Camillas wedding day (Getty Images)

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall married on 8 April  35 years after their first meeting  at Windsor Guildhall, with Prince William as best man.

The Queen and Prince Philip didnt attend the civil ceremony, but were present for the service of prayer in St Georges Chapel, after the civil ceremony.

Camilla wore a cream dress by Anna Valentine.

April 2020  The couple celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary

The couple marked 15 years of marriage amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

They released a picture of them with the duchesss dogs Bluebell and Beth on the anniversary.

February 2022  Queen Elizabeth II acknowledges Camilla as Queen Consort

The Queen said she hoped the Duchess of Cornwall will be known as Queen Consort when Prince Charles takes the throne.

She used her Platinum Jubilee message  celebrating her 70th year as the monarch  to set out her hopes for her daughter-in-law, once a royal mistress, to be called Queen.

This was a a huge U-turn after Camilla took the lesser title Princess Consort when she married Charles 17 years ago,

The late Queens message, expressing her succession support for Charles, read: And when, in the fullness of time, my son Charles becomes King, I know you will give him and his wife Camilla the same support that you have given me; and it is my sincere wish that, when that time comes, Camilla will be known as Queen Consort as she continues her own loyal service.

September 2022 - Prince Charles and Camilla receive new titles after Queen Elizabeths death

After Queen Elizabeth IIs death on 8 September, Prince Charles immediately became King Charles III.

Addressing the nation outside 10 Downing Street, the countrys new prime minister Liz Truss said: Today the Crown passes  as it is has done for more than a thousand years  to our new monarch, our new head of state: His Majesty King Charles III.

The Duchess of Cornwall was bestowed the title of Queen Consort, as per the late Queens wishes.

On 9 September, King Charles referred to Camilla as Queen Consort officially, in his first address to the nation since his mothers death.

In the televised speech, recorded from the Blue Drawing Room of Buckingam Palace, he said: I count on the loving help of my darling wife, Camilla. In recognition of her own loyal public service since our marriage 17 years ago, she becomes my Queen Consort.

I know she will bring to the demands of her new role the steadfast devotion to duty on which I have come to rely so much.
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King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will be crowned on Saturday 6 May 2023 during a symbolic coronation ceremony.

The coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey in London and will be conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury in a ceremony that follows nearly 1,000 years of tradition.

Although there are many ways in which the coronation will be similar to Queen Elizabeth IIs 70 years ago and that of her father, King George VI, in 1937, there will also be a few key differences as King Charles announces departures from tradition.

From the dress code to the role given to his grandson Prince George, these are some of the ways in which King Charles is expected to break from royal protocol during his coronation.

A relaxed dress code

According to Buckingham Palace, the coronation ceremony will reflect the monarchs role today and look towards the future, while being rooted in long-standing traditions and pageantry.

For the King, this means choosing to replace some of the historical remnants of the symbolic ceremony with more modern approaches.

One way Charles is expected to embrace modernity is through his own outfit, with reports suggesting that, rather than the silk stockings and breeches traditionally worn by Kings and Queens during coronation ceremonies, the King may instead wear his military uniform.

Senior aides think breeches look too dated, a source told The Sun whileThe Daily Mail has previously reported that the King is unlikely to partake in multiple outfit changes.

In addition to changes to his own outfit, the event is also expected to see a more casual dress code for attendees.The DailyTelegraph has reported that members of the House of Lords have been asked to dress down for the ceremony by swapping the coronation robes and coronets typically donned for the occasion for the parliamentary robes used during the State Opening of Parliament each year.

The change stems from an effort to be sensitive to public attitudes towards the royal family and a desire to avoid excess during the cost of living crisis, according to the outlet.

A shorter ceremony, a smaller guest list and a possible multiple-faith oath

The dress code will not be the only aspect of the coronation pared back. The ceremony itself is also expected to be shorter than Queen Elizabeth IIs own three-hour coronation in 1953.

The Kings coronation will also feature a much smaller guest list of just 2,000 guests, whereas the late Queens coronation was attended by 8,000 dignitaries from 129 nations.

Additionally, The Telegraph reports that the coronation is expected to reflect the ethnic diversity of Britain with a diverse guestlist. The King is also reportedly planning to acknowledge multiple faiths during the service while still pledging to be Defender of the Faith.

The alleged amendment to the service comes after Charles explained in 2015 that he feels he can be protector of faiths while at the same time being Defender of the Faith.

Prince George will make history in his role

Buckingham Palace announced last month that the Kings grandchild Prince George, the eldest son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will hold a special role as a Page of Honour during the coronation.

The decision to grant the nine-year-old, who is second in line to the throne, the honour of being one of the Kings four pages marks the first time that a future monarch is officially involved in the service, according to People.

Foreign monarchs have been invited, and plan to attend

Unlike coronations for British Kings or Queens in the past, where foreign monarchs would typically send an heir or family member, a number of foreign royals have confirmed they themselves will be attending the upcoming ceremony.

Prince William may be the only duke to perform traditional ceremonial role

As a result of the pared-back guest list, the portion of the coronation during which royal dukes typically pledged to serve the monarch may also look different.

It has been reported that Charles eldest son will be the only duke to carry out the gesture of kneeling and swearing allegiance to the King.

You can find all the details about King Charles coronation here.
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In the mere five years since she married into the British royal family in 2018, Meghan Markle went from the small screen to one of the most recognised women in the world. The actor-turned-royals arrival on the scene proved to be explosive, in more than one sense of the word. Together with her husband, Prince Harry, Meghan has caused wave after wave both inside the royal family and outside of it.

But long before she became the subject of intense media scrutiny, Meghans beginnings were relatively humble. Born to Thomas Markle Sr, an Emmy-award winning TV lighting director and director of photography and makeup artist Doria Ragland in 1981, Meghans family was firmly middle class  worlds away from the highborn status of her future husband. Her mother is African-American while her father is white, and she identifies as half-black and half-white.

Her parents separated when she was two years old, but they continued to co-parent her. Doria described her daughter as a very congenial child who was always making friends and very empathic very mature. Meghan has said she would live with her mother during the week and spend the weekends with her father, and that she was a daddys girl my whole life.

Through Thomas, Meghan had an older half-sister Samantha and half-brother Thomas Jr. They are 17 and 15 years older than Meghan respectively. Her relationship with them is not a close one, as she told Oprah Winfrey in 2021 that she was an only child and saw Samantha only a handful of times. Meanwhile, Samantha claimed that she practically raised Meghan  which the duchess countered in her and Harrys Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan last year when she said: I dont know your name. I dont know your birthday. Youre telling these people you raised me, and you coined me Princess Pushy? Meghan is currently estranged from her father and siblings, but remains close to her mother.

Meghans interest in social justice and feminism began when she was a child. At age 11, she and her classmates wrote to Procter & Gamble to request that they change the slogan for one of their dishwashing soap commercials that was targeted exclusively at women. In an interview with Nick News at the time, Meghan said she did not think it was right for children to grow up believing mothers should be the only ones doing housework. Her letter led to the company altering their slogan from women to people.

As a teenager, her humanitarian work continued. She volunteered at a soup kitchen in Skid Row in Los Angeles, a neighbourhood known for its concentrated homeless population. After getting into Northwestern University in Illinois, she volunteered for the Glass Slipper Project, a charitable prom organisation in the US that provides prom dresses and accessories to those who cant afford to buy them. She later interned as a junior press officer at the US embassy in Buenos Aires, but did not progress any higher up in the US State Department. Instead, she followed in her fathers footsteps and entered showbiz.

Her acting career started with brief appearances and cameos on the small screen, on shows like CSI: NY and Century City. She also did a number of modelling and contract acting jobs; from 2006 to 2007, she appeared as a briefcase girl on the US version of Deal or No Deal. She later said she left the show because she didnt like feeling forced to be all looks and little substance. Later, she made it to the big screen, but her roles continued to be small in 2010s Get Him to the Greek and 2011s Horrible Bosses.

She finally got her big break with Suits, a hit legal drama that spanned nine seasons. In it, she played Rachel Zane, a paralegal who achieves her ambition of becoming an attorney and has a romantic relationship with the main character, Mike Ross (played by Patrick J Adams). She appeared in 108 episodes of show, leaving at the end of the seventh series, which aired in 2018.

(L-R) Rick Hoffman, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle, Sarah Rafferty, Gina Torres and Gabriel Macht of Suits attend USA Network and Mr Porter.com Present A Suits Story on June 12, 2012 (Getty)

Meghan first met Prince Harry in person on a blind date after being set up by a mutual friend in 2016, but they had been corresponding over Instagram beforehand. Meghan recalled that Harry was late to their date, which almost put her off  but the prince won her over after he arrived as a hot, sweaty red ball of mess who was genuinely so embarrassed and late.

The couples love story is known far and wide. Meghan and Harrys fairytale wedding in May 2018 took place at St Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle and they were conferred the titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex by the late Queen Elizabeth II. Across the UK, the press gushed over the handsome couple, with the Sunday Times calling the wedding a great British occasion and the Sun on Sunday hailing it as a historic change for monarchy. Meghan is believed to have become the first woman of colour to marry into the British royal family since at least the 18th century.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex wave from the Ascot Landau Carriage during their carriage procession on the Long Walk as they head back towards Windsor Castle in Windsor, on May 19, 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

But the press infatuation with the couple soured quickly, and has become the source of Meghan and Harrys main grievances. Even before they were married, Meghan came under intense scrutiny and was subjected to headlines like the Daily Mails (Almost) Straight Outta Compton story, which has been widely criticised for being racist. But following the wedding, things took a turn for the worse and the couple have claimed that Buckingham Palace was briefing the press against them by leaking and planting negative stories about Meghan to distract from less favourable coverage about other royals.

Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended first Trooping the Colour together in 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

In 2019, during the couples tour of South Africa, Meghan hinted at the tensions between her and the rest of the royal family. She told ITV journalist Tom Bradby that her friends had warned her British tabloids would destroy your life, but she had no idea the extent of it. She added that she never thought this would be easy, but I thought it would be fair. And thats the part thats really hard to reconcile. Things came to a head in 2020 when Harry and Meghan announced they were stepping back as senior royals and would be moving to the US.

Harry and Meghan announced thry were stepping back as senior royals in 2020 (Getty)

Since then, the couple have had two children  Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet  and have settled into life in Montecito, California. Despite no longer playing a prominent role in the royal family, the couple has continued to send shockwaves through it. Their explosive interview with Oprah in 2021 revealed a number of bombshells, including accusations of racism or unconscious bias and a lack of care for Meghans suicidal thoughts while she was pregnant with Archie. The interview has caused division among royal watchers, with half fiercely defending the royals and the other half rooting for the Sussexes.

Today, Meghan continues to be a hot topic for the very same press she and Harry deride. Despite the couples continued calls for privacy, the public interest remains substantial and every move they make is put under a microscope. But, as a recent statement put out by her team suggests, Meghan is going about her life in the present and will continue with her humanitarian and media work as she sees fit.
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Prince George has been given an official role at the 6 May coronation  a Page of Honour to the King.

King Charles III and the Queen Consort each have four Pages of Honour supporting them on the day of the coronation, including schoolboys who are family friends or close relatives.

George, the nine-year-old future monarch, is the most prominent among them. Camillas three grandsons will also join George in the role.

The Kings pages are: his grandson George; Nicholas Barclay, 13, grandson of Sarah Troughton, one of the Queens Companions; Lord Oliver Cholmondeley, 13, son of the Marquess of Cholmondeley, also known as filmmaker David Rocksavage, and a friend of the Prince of Wales; and Ralph Tollemache, 12.

The Queen Consort will also have two Ladies in Attendance  her sister Annabel Elliot and her trusted friend the Marchioness of Lansdowne  whose roles will be to support her through elements of the service.

It comes after it was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales were debating whether George should be included in the congregation at Westminster Abbey.

The Telegraph reports that his siblings Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, are expected to attend the ceremony as spectators and wont have an official role to play.

Meanwhile, the decision to include Camillas grandchildren in the procession is seen as an unprecedented move considering that her grandchildren are from the Parker-Bowles side of her family. Reports suggest that the decision was made to reflect the reality of a modern blended family.

Reports suggest that Prince George could be given a formal role in the coronation procession (AFP via Getty Images)

Her son Tom Parker Bowles has two children aged 15 and 13 and her daughter Laura Lopes has a 15-year-old daughter and twins aged 13.

The last time Britain held a coronation ceremony was 70 years ago when the Queen was crowned on 2 June 1953 at the age of 27.

Prior to that, her father King George VIs coronation ceremony took place 16 years earlier in 1937, when Queen Elizabeth II was just 11 years old.

Buckingham Palace has evealed that the Kings coronation will be a slimmed-down affair. At the event, there are expected to be 2,000 guests in attendance, a stark contrast to the 8,000 guests present at the Queens coronation in 1953.

Read everything you need to know about King Charles coronation here.
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As King Charles IIIs coronation approaches, Princess Charlotte of Wales, the only daughter of Prince William and Kate Middleton, will be in attendance.

Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana was born at St Marys Hospital in Paddington, London on 2nd May 2015, and on the day of Charless coronation, she will be eight years old.

As the second child of the Prince and Princess of Wales, she is third in line to the throne, after her older brother and father, since King Charles is her grandfather.

Due to the introduction of the Perth Agreement, which replaced male preference in the line of succession with absolute primogeniture  when the child of the sovereign has the same right to the throne no matter their gender  Charlotte did not move down the line of succession when her younger brother, Louis, was born. This makes her the first British princess to rank above her brother in the line of succession.

When she was born, her official title was Charlotte, Princess of Cambridge, before her parents took the Wales title following the death of Charlottes great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, who died in September.

She is affectionately called Lottie by her parents.

In March 2016, William and Kate took Prince George and Charlotte to the French Alps  their first holiday as a family of four before Louis was born.

Later in June, she made her first public appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the Trooping the Colour parade.

That Christmas, Charlotte and George both attended their first Sandringham Christmas Day Service at St Mary Magdalene.

Later that year, she joined her parents and her big brother on her first overseas tour  an official visit to Canada.

Charlotte also accompanied her family on their official visit to Poland and Germany in July 2017.

To mark her second birthday, the then-Duke and Duchess of Cambridge shared a photograph of Charlotte at their home in Norfolk, which was taken by Kate. The family lived primarily in Anmer Hall in Norfolk during Charlottes infancy, before moving primarily to Kensington Palace in 2017.

The royal family at the late Queens Platinum Jubilee in 2022 (Getty Images)

In January 2018, Charlotte started at Willocks Nursery School in South Kensington, London.

In April of the same year, Charlotte became a big sister to Louis. Charlotte and her big brother George went to visit their mother at the hospital to greet the newborn.

Charlotte began attending school at Thomass Battersea Preparatory School in London, joining George, in September 2019.

Along with her older brother, Charlotte met David Attenborough in September 2020. A video was released of the children asking Attenborough questions regarding environmental conservation.

Later that year, the children made their first red carpet appearance accompanying their parents to the London Palladium for a performance of a pantomime held to celebrate key workers for their efforts during the pandemic.

Charlotte made her debut in a royal carriage procession at her great-grandmothers platinum jubilee celebration weekend and joined the Trooping the Colour carriage procession in 2022.

On the same weekend, Charlotte and George made their first official visit to Wales with their parents, where they attended concert rehearsals in Cardiff Castle. The next day, Charlotte accompanied her parents, the late Queen, Charles and Camilla on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

In September 2022, Charlotte and her older brother Prince George accompanied their parents to the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

William and Kate have kept efforts to shelter their children from the press and only appears on official visits or in officially released photographs. The family currently reside in Adelaide Cottage in Windsor Home Park.
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King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain have confirmed their attendance at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

On 11 April, the Spanish royal family joined the line-up of foreign monarchs who have confirmed their attendance at King Charles coronation, which takes place at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday 6 May.

The coronation will be attended by some 2,000 guests, a stark difference from the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony. In fact, Charles decision to invite his counterparts from around the world marks a break from royal tradition entirely.

Much like King Charles, Queen Letizia of Spain is also one to break royal protocol  having been the first Spanish queen to be born a commoner.

Born Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano on 15 September 1972 in northern Spain, the soon-to-be queen was raised in a middle-class family. Her father, Jose Ortiz Alvarez, was a journalist and her mother, Maria de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodriguez, was a registered nurse and hospital union representative. Letizia comes from a long line of journalists; her paternal grandmother was also a radio broadcaster for 40 years.

Letizia pursued a bachelors degree in journalism at the Complutense University of Madrid, as well as a masters degree in audiovisual journalism at the Institute for Studies in Audiovisual Journalism. During her time at university, she worked multiple jobs in media  first for the newspaper La Nueva Espana and later for the Spanish newspaper ABC, before working at the major international news agency, EFE.

After briefly working as a journalist in Mexico, she returned to Spain where she reported for the Spanish versions of Bloomberg and CNN. In 2003, she gained prominence as a TV anchor for Telediario 2, the most-viewed daily evening news programme in Spain. Throughout her career, Letizia has reported from the United States on presidential elections, broadcasted live from New York following the 9/11 attacks, and reported on the Iraq War.

Queen Letizia and King Felipe attend a dinner at Royal Palace in Madrid on 27 February 2019 (Getty Images)

Her engagement to King Felipe, then Prince of Asturias, came as a surprise to many throughout Spain. They met at a dinner party in 2002, organised by fellow journalist Pedro Erquicia, where they reportedly formed an instant connection. The couple maintained a low-profile romance for several months, before announcing their engagement on 1 November 2003.

Prince Felipe and Letizia Ortiz pose during an official engagement ceremony on 6 November 2003 at Palacio del Pardo in Madrid, Spain (Getty Images)

Not only did Letizias engagement to Felipe grab attention for her being a commoner from a middle-class family, much like Kate Middleton, but she was also a divorcee. In August 1998, she tied the knot with Alonso Guerrero Perez, a writer and high school literature teacher, after 10 years together. However, they divorced one year later.

Her previous marriage likely wouldve posed challenges for the couple who wanted to be married in the Catholic Church, considering the Vatican would have to grant special permission that allowed her to marry Felipe. Luckily, her previous wedding to Perez was only a civil ceremony.

On 22 May 2004, Felipe and Letizia were officially wed at the Catedral de Santa Maria la Real de la Almudena in Madrid. The bride wore a white wedding gown designed by Spanish fashion designer Manuel Pertegaz for the special occasion. Her veil, which was a gift from Felipe, was made of off-white silk tulle.

In several photos from the special day, the newlyweds were seen smiling and gazing at each other as Felipe kissed his newlywed wifes forehead.

Prince Felipe kisses Letizia Ortiz on their wedding day on 22 May 2004 (Getty Images)

The then-Prince and Princess of Asturias went on to welcome two daughters. Their eldest daughter  Leonor, Princess of Asturias  was born on 31 October 2005, while their youngest  Infanta Sofia  was born on 29 April 2007.

The royal couple became King and Queen of Spain in 2014 when Felipes father, King Juan Carlos, abdicated the throne. Letizias new title proved to be historic for Spain, making her the first Spanish-born queen consort since 1878 and the first Spanish queen to have been born a commoner.

The royal couple are parents to two daughters: Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofia (Getty Images)

Since then, Queen Letizia of Spain has continued much of the work that she focused on during her time as journalist: raising awareness towards social issues such as childrens rights, culture, and education.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia of Spain are set to join the many European royals  including Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco, Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden  who are attending King Charles IIIs coronation on Saturday 6 May.
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Authorities were looking into possible casualties and damage after a strong earthquake hit Friday afternoon near central Japan, but there were no reports of a tsunami threat.

Government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that authorities were checking into possible casualties, putting human life first. There was a report of buildings being damaged, but details were still being confirmed, he said.

The 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture at 2:42 p.m. near the central west coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's earthquake information center. The Japan Meteorological Agency put the preliminary magnitude at 6.3, but later raised it to 6.5. They measured the depth at about 12 kilometers (7.5 miles).

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two people were reported hurt in Ishikawa's Suzu City, on the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula: One person was found without vital signs after falling from a ladder, and another was injured when a cabinet fell on top of them. Other details were not immediately available.

There were no reports of any problems at the two major nuclear facilities in the area, according to Matsuno.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations. A massive 2011 quake in the country's northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown that still reverberates today.
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Britain's free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia will come into force by the end of this month, the leaders from the three nations said Friday.

The announcement came while the prime ministers from the two Southern Hemisphere nations are in London for the coronation of King Charles III.

The deals are part of Britain's efforts to expand its economic ties after it left the European Union. Both deals were first agreed to in 2021.

New Zealand officials say its deal will help boost sales of products like wine, butter, beef and honey, and will increase the size of its economy by up to 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($629 million).

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a gold-standard agreement.

"The market access outcomes are among the very best New Zealand has secured in any trade deal, Hipkins said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal with New Zealand reflected the close relationship between the nations.

This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, drive growth, boost jobs, and, most importantly, build a more prosperous future for the next generation, Sunak said in a statement.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it would mean more market access for its exporters.

So for beef, for our sheep products, for our seafood, for our other products it will mean much greater access to the British market, Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview.

Albanese said it would also mean greater access for younger Australians to work in Britain and vice versa after the terms of a working holiday arrangement were expanded.

A similar scheme between New Zealand and Britain has also been expanded, increasing the length of working visas from two years to three years and the maximum eligible age from 30 to 35.
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North Koreas foreign minister on Friday called the Group of Seven wealthy democracies a tool for ensuring the U.S. hegemony as she lambasted the groups recent call for the Norths denuclearization.

The top diplomats from G-7 nations, who met recently in Japan, had jointly condemned the Norths recent ballistic missile tests and reiterated their commitment to the goal of North Koreas complete abandonment of its nuclear weapons. Their communique was prepared as a template for leaders at the G-7 summit next month in Hiroshima, where North Koreas nuclear program will likely be discussed again.

North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said her country will take unspecified strong counteraction if G-7 countries  the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, Italy and the European Union  show any behavioral attempt to infringe upon the fundamental interests of North Korea.

G7, a closed group of a handful of egoistic countries, does not represent the just international community but serves as a political tool for ensuring the U.S. hegemony, Choe said in a statement carried by North Korean state media.

Choe said the G-7 communique malignantly raised the Norths legitimate exercise of its sovereignty.

North Korea has steadfastly argued it was forced to develop nuclear weapons because of U.S. nuclear threats against it. It has said the United States' regular military drills with South Korea are a rehearsal for invasion, though U.S. and South Korean officials have said their drills are defensive and they have no intentions of attacking the North.

North Korea has test-fired about 100 missiles since the start of last year in the name of responding to U.S. military training with South Korea. But many experts say North Korean leader Kim Jong Un likely uses his rivals' military drills as a pretext to advance his weapons programs, cement his domestic leadership and be recognized as a legitimate nuclear state to get international sanctions on the North lifted.

North Korea has been hit with 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions because of its past nuclear and ballistic missile tests banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions. Kim has previously said those sanctions "stifles" North Korea's economy.

The G-7 foreign ministers in their communique Tuesday said North Korea will never have the status of a nuclear-weapons state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

The treaty sought to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons beyond the five original armed powers  the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France. It requires non-nuclear signatory nations to not pursue atomic weapons in exchange for a commitment by the five powers to move toward nuclear disarmament and to guarantee non-nuclear states access to peaceful nuclear technology for producing energy.

Choe also said the Norths position as a nuclear weapons state will remain as an undeniable and stark reality. She said North Korea is free from any of the treaty's obligations because it withdrew from the treaty 20 years ago.

North Korea joined the NPT in 1985 but announced its withdrawal from the treaty in 2003, citing what it called U.S. aggression. Since 2006, North Korea has conducted six nuclear tests and a slew of other weapons tests to develop nuclear-tipped missiles designed to attack the U.S. and South Korea.

South Koreas Unification Ministry said later Friday that North Korea must halt its threats against neighbors and pay heed to international concerns about its reckless nuclear and missile programs. Deputy spokesperson Lee Hyojung told reporters that North Korea cannot earn what it wants from its nuclear program so it must not insist on a wrong path.

Kim said earlier this week his country has built its first military spy satellite that will be launched at an unspecified date. Last week, North Korea test-launched a solid-fueled intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time.

North Korea is expected to perform more weapons tests as the United States and South Korea continue their joint aerial exercise into next week.

___

Find more AP Asia-Pacific coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/asia-pacific
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A 33-year-old man has been charged with murder after a woman was stabbed to death in south London.

Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey, 31, died in Stockwell Park Walk, Brixton, after being attacked at just after 4pm on Monday.

Mohamed Nur, of Bondway, Vauxhall, has been charged with murder and having an offensive weapon, Scotland Yard said.

He has also been charged with a further count of having an offensive weapon and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm against two women and a man.

The women and man suffered slash injuries in separate incidents in Town Hall Parade, Brixton Road and Acre Lane in Brixton within a one-hour period on April 29.

Nur will appear at Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday.

At the time of her murder, Ms Dogbey was reportedly on her way home from buying a birthday gift for her mother and speaking on the phone to her grandmother, who heard a terrible scream.

Ms Dogbey was walking when she was attacked from behind by a stranger, detectives believe.

Her loved ones described her as a smart, dedicated and loving girl who always helped anyone.

In a statement released through the Metropolitan Police, they said: She hasnt got one bad bone in her body. She wouldnt hurt a fly.

We cant believe a senseless crime like this has happened as we cant imagine who would do this to her.
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A record-breaking owner of one of the largest collections of royal memorabilia in the world has flown from rural Australia to join the crowds in London during the Kings coronation.

Jan Hugo, 64, owns more than 10,000 objects honouring the royal family and has known for months that she would be flying across the world for the once-in-a-lifetime event, she told the PA news agency.

Starting in the early 1980s with a coin commemorating the engagement of Charles and his late wife Diana, Ms Hugo has amassed thousands of collectibles dating back to Queen Victorias reign, which she displays in her home in Nulkaba in New South Wales.

Ms Hugo, who owns Australias largest collection of royal memorabilia, also used her trip to the UK as an opportunity to meet Anita Atkinson, whose museum in Crook, County Durham, houses more than 12,000 items.

Ms Hugo said Ms Atkinson gave me a big hug as soon as I got out of the car and showed her Aussie counterpart objects from her impressive collection, which Ms Hugo said was a lovely experience.

Ms Hugo explained that she had sent Ms Atkinson a Christmas card and a letter and the English collector got in touch with her and said come on up.

She said: Theres no way I will ever catch up to her because she gets things here for a couple of pounds and for me to get things in Australia, it could be 200 dollars for the same thing.

Ms Hugos house holding her collectibles  which she said is just like being in a museum  opened up to visitors in 2014, before closing after the Covid-19 pandemic meant it just wasnt worth it anymore.

Ms Hugo said tourists would sometimes tell her and her husband David, 66, about their memories of past royal celebrations and the couple was inspired to be among the crowds for the coronation.

She said: Some of the older people would tell us they remembered Elizabeths coronation when they were little children or, you know, their parents went to the coronation.

We thought, this is our chance now to be a part of history so we can tell our grandchildren that we were there.

After travelling to England in 2011, Ms Hugo and her husband had been planning for a long time to fly back to the United Kingdom and saw the coronation of Charles as the perfect time to come.

She said that the morning the date of the coronation was announced we were on the phone booking the flights and the accommodation.

She added: Well be too old when William becomes king so it was now or never.

Reflecting on the kings reign so far, she said: He certainly had someone who knew what they were doing, and hes followed in her footsteps so I cant see why he wont be a good king.

She added: With all the issues that people have had with Camilla, I think it might be really nice to show that shes now our queen and we should have a little bit more respect for her.

Not letting the celebrations distract her from growing her collection further, Ms Hugo said she has gathered a suitcase full of more royal memorabilia to take back to Australia.
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The Foreign Secretary said he broached areas of deep disagreement during a meeting with the Chinese vice-president in London.

James Cleverly said he made plain the UKs position on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan during talks on Friday with Han Zheng ahead of the coronation.

The Chinese politician, who has been blamed for overseeing a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong, was recently appointed as President Xi Jinpings deputy and is set to represent China at the royal event on Saturday.

Conservative MPs have criticised the UK Governments decision to invite Mr Han due to his previous role in Hong Kong.

It also comes at a time of increasingly fractious relations between London and Beijing, with a vocal section of Tory backbenchers calling for the UK to become more hawkish towards China due to security concerns.

Ministers updated the UKs integrated review on foreign and defence policy in March, describing China under Communist Party rule as representing an epoch-defining and systemic challenge to almost every aspect of Government policy and the everyday lives of British people.

Mr Cleverly, writing on Twitter on Friday, said: Engagement with China means discussing areas of deep disagreement and vital co-operation.

Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan.

We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links.

The Foreign Secretary has taken a less harsh line with China than some in his party would like.

In a speech last month, the Cabinet minister said isolating China would be a sign of weakness.

But some senior Tories want ministers to go further in distancing the UK from China and want the Government to be more outspoken in criticising the Far East countrys leadership.

Former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is among those to have criticised the invitation for Mr Han to attend the Westminster Abbey service.

The vice-president led Hong Kong affairs for Beijing between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed the national security law after mass protests in the city, stifling opposition and criminalising dissent.

The move strained relations with the UK and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hongkongers to come to Britain.

The UK has said China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it has a duty to uphold Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms.

Hong Kong was handed over from the UK to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a one country, two systems framework.

On Taiwan, there are international fears that China could look to take the self-governed island by force.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland.

The island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

In Xinjiang, there has been international condemnation of human rights abuses against the Uyghur people, with some being kept in mass incarceration camps.

Beijing describes them as re-education centres for the Muslim minority people.

Human rights charity Amnesty International said the UKs decision to invite Mr Han to Charles crowning sent a very dangerous message as it called for ministers to hold the senior Chinese figure accountable for his role in the brutal crackdown in Hong Kong.

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of the charitys UK arm, said: The invitation to Han Zheng risks sending the very dangerous message that the UK is prepared to prioritise the financial rewards that come from good relations with China over its atrocious human rights record in places like Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

There must be no question of the UK authorities allowing the coronation to be used as a tool for international diplomacy for anyone involved in human rights abuses.
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A former Crown Prosecution Service worker has been jailed after she downloaded and passed on highly sensitive files that ended up in the hands of criminal gangs.

Paralegal Rachel Simpson, 39, from Newport, South Wales, had worked for the CPS since 2003 and is known to have started illegally accessing material from around 2016 until 2020.

The single mothers inexplicable actions were said not to have been financially motivated but were rather to maintain the attention of an ex-boyfriend, Cardiff Crown Court heard on Friday.

The court was told how most of the information obtained by Simpson during that four-year period related to complex police operations into high-level conspiracy to supply drugs and money laundering cases in South Wales.

Searches entered by Simpson on the CPS and Crown Court computer systems were often the names of well-known drug dealers  some of whom she was said to be acquainted with.

Documents from those systems were later found to have been downloaded by Simpson onto her laptop. She is also known to have made hard copies of some of those files which were then passed onto a third party.

One bundle of documents printed off by Simpson in April 2019 were anonymously handed in to a solicitors firm in Birmingham that was representing Newport gangster Jerome Nunes  who had been jailed for his role in flooding the citys streets with over 10 million of class A drugs.

The documents came to the attention of the police after they were submitted to the court as part of an appeal to have Nunes conviction overturned.

Simpsons fingerprints were discovered on the papers along with the fingerprints of Nunes girlfriend and associate.

In May 2020, Simpson downloaded an eight-page document detailing a surveillance operation being carried out on a drug gang in Porth, Rhondda Cynon Taf.

A picture of the document was shared a day later between criminals  one of which was former Newport kingpin Stephen Gibbons  on EncroChat, an encrypted messaging platform.

Prosecutor David Temkin KC said the information caused those being surveiled to modify their criminal strategy.

Some of the messages sent over EncroChat included references to a busy fella in Newport who gets CPS papers for us.

The image was discovered by Tarian, the Regional Organised Crime Unit for South Wales, when they were given access to EncroChat data by the National Crime Agency (NCA) after French authorities hacked the service.

It led investigators to Simpson, who officers then arrested at her home in June 2020.

She was later charged with and admitted two counts of misconduct in a public office and 29 counts of unauthorised access of a computer system.

Other information Simpson was found to have accessed included applications by the police to use as evidence calls made on prison phones by former drug-dealer David Perry.

Victim personal statements written by a barrister and a detective chief inspector which were read to the court by Mr Temkin detailed how Simpsons actions had impacted them individually but also undermined the trust between the CPS and police, and between different police units due to suspicions raised over how the information was being leaked.

Edward Hetherington KC, defending Simpson, told the court his client had a matrix of vulnerabilities due to her long-term depression and diagnosis of probable autism and that she was susceptible to influence and exploitation.

Sentencing Simpson to six years in prison, High Court Judge Mrs Justice Jefford DBE said: Your offending was not a one-off error of judgment.

In addition to the two instances of misconduct, you accessed or attempted to access material once in 2016, twice in 2017, twice in 2018, then 17 times in 2019 and eight times in 2020 before you were stopped. On some occasions you did that multiple times in one day.

The evidence is that you often did so when you were not at work, late at night or off sick making it all the more obvious that you knew that what you were doing was wrong.

When interviewed by the police, you never offered an explanation or motivation for what you have done, the judge continued.

Investigations have been carried out to see whether youve benefited financially and there is no evidence at all that you did. In one sense, your actions are inexplicable.

You said that you had had a relationship with a man for a few months in 2012 to 2013. About a year later, and out of the blue, he asked you to look up someone at work for him. You did, and you kept doing this when he asked you to.

You wanted his attention, and you would do anything that he asked. You have not identified him.

She added: You were well aware that what you were doing was illegal. You had signed the Official Secrets Act.

The public, the courts, and all those engaged in the criminal justice system are entitled to expect the highest levels of integrity from the CPS.

What you did, fundamentally undermines public confidence in that integrity, and in the ability of the CPS properly to prosecute defendants.

Detective Inspector Matt Houghton of Tarian Police said: Simpson enjoyed a position of trust and responsibility within the Crown Prosecution Service which she betrayed, letting down her colleagues, the police and the public.
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A young man has been found guilty of stabbing an 18-year-old to death while wearing a scary skull mask popularised by the Call Of Duty video game.

Timothy Adeoye was 18 when he plunged a large kitchen knife into Donavan Allen at a block of flats in Enfield, north London, on February 7 last year.

Mr Allen died as a result of a single stab wound to the chest, the Old Bailey was told.

Adeoye, now 20, who was known as T-Trapz, had denied being the person behind the distinctive skull mask.

On Friday a jury at the Old Bailey found him guilty of murder and possession of a knife and making threats to another person with a blade.

Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC had described how the defendant had travelled from Barking in east London to Enfield on the day of the murder carrying a knife.

Whatever the underlying issues or grievances those involved with this case may or may not have had with each other, fundamentally this case is about a young man losing his life due to the actions of this defendant Prosecutor Alan Gardner KC

Just after 2.30pm, the defendant appeared on CCTV footage at Barking Station wearing the very distinctive face mask with a skull design on it.

Mr Gardner said: That face mask is an important feature in this case, it is something the defendant wore during the course of the afternoon and at the time of the murder.

A police officer trawled through hundreds of hours of video from the area and Adeoye was the only person wearing that style of mask.

The court heard he had spent some time walking around the Enfield area looking for the victims friend.

A couple of teenagers described being approached by the defendant wearing a scary mask or balaclava asking for information.

Learning where he might find the man, Adeoye went to a flat said to be used as a drug house and threatened to shank up the occupants, jurors were told.

When Mr Allen and his friend arrived, the defendant grabbed a second larger knife from the kitchen and went to confront them, the court was told.

Mr Gardner said he had threatened them with the knife but was interrupted by a neighbour.

The defendant followed them and confronted them again and, during an exchange, Adeoye stabbed Mr Allen in the chest.

Mr Gardner said: It was an unprovoked and motiveless attack. There is some evidence that the defendant had an issue with (the victims friend), likely connected with drugs, but there is no evidence that he had any issue with Donavan Allen.

Mr Allen collapsed in a stairwell nearby and died soon afterwards, the court was told.

His friend had handed his mobile phone to a neighbour to ring 999.

He was heard in the background to name the attacker, saying: Its T-Trapz. I screwed someone, T-Trapz is looking for me.

As Adeoye fled the scene, he dumped the knife in a drain outside the block of flats.

It was found the next day and tests linked it by DNA to the victim and defendant.

Jurors were told he sent a text message to the victims friend saying: Better not (rat emoji).

Adeoye left London and travelled to Bristol and Wilshire, where he was arrested three days later.

Mr Gardner said the background to the case surrounded the supply of cannabis, in which the defendant, Mr Allen and his friend were alleged to be involved.

But he told jurors: Whatever the underlying issues or grievances those involved with this case may or may not have had with each other, fundamentally this case is about a young man losing his life due to the actions of this defendant.

Following the verdicts, the defendant was remanded into custody to be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Chief Inspector Linda Bradley, of Scotland Yard, said: Adeoye is a dangerous individual and while I am pleased with this guilty verdict, there is no court outcome that could return Donovan to his family. My thoughts are very much with them today.
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Two victims of the Windrush scandal have lost High Court battles with the Government over their level of compensation.

Surjit Kaur brought legal action against the Home Office over being denied a compensatory award for decades of lost work and benefits.

Ms Kaur, 82, who came to the UK from India in 1963, claimed she had not been given documentation to prove her lawful immigration status and fell into abject poverty with her six children.

Vernon Vanriel, 67, pursued a legal claim against the department over its alleged refusal to compensate him for a loss of benefits after he was wrongly prevented from re-entering the UK.

The ex-boxer and electrician, who came to the UK as a child in 1962, was in poor mental health, unable to work, destitute and homeless in the 10 years after he was denied permission to return from a visit to Jamaica in 2008, the court was told.

Ms Kaur was granted 40,000 under an impact on life award after she applied to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, but the Government later said she had not provided evidence of being rejected from jobs due to a lack of documentation.

Mr Vanriel received just over 103,500 under the scheme and was offered an award of 29,250 in relation to his homelessness, but Home Office lawyers said he had no entitlement to compensation for loss of benefits.

In two separate rulings issued over the past week, judges rejected both individuals bids for more compensation.

Mr Justice Henshaw was told at a hearing in London in February that after Ms Kaur came to the UK to join her husband, he had died and she had to sell their home to support her family.

She claimed to have lacked support from the Government and lived her life as an outcast.

Ms Kaur told a caseworker she was forced to live a miserable life with no financial support without enough heating or lighting and that she sat with her children in rooms lit by candlelight.

She described being huddled up together as they could only afford to heat one room and said life was akin to life in the Victorian era.

Ms Kaur claimed to have been rejected from jobs due to being unable to prove her immigration status and that when showing her Indian passport at job centres she was told she was ineligible for benefits.

But in a ruling on Friday, the judge rejected her claim, saying there was no failure lawfully to assess her evidence and no flaw in an earlier review of her case and that her award was not irrational nor otherwise unlawful.

Mr Vanriel returned to the UK in September 2018 and received a personal apology from former home secretary Priti Patel over the shameful injustice and hardship suffered by him and other members of the Windrush generation.

He won a separate High Court challenge over the Home Offices refusal to grant him British citizenship following his return to the UK in December 2021.

Arriving aged six, he lived in the UK continuously from 1962 until 2005, starting his own electrician business and becoming an accomplished boxer who rose to number two in Britain and fighting at the Royal Albert Hall.

In July 2005 he visited his youngest son in Jamaica but was refused re-entry to the UK three years later, leaving him stranded and destitute in Jamaica.

At another hearing in February, Mr Justice Griffiths was told he was forced to live in shelters, including a disused chicken coop and an abandoned grocery shack without electricity or a bathroom.

Mr Vanriels lawyers said he had received incapacity benefit, income support and disability living allowance before leaving the UK, and was eligible for benefits on his return years later.

They said his September 2021 acceptance of a full and final settlement of his compensation claim did not prevent him bringing further claims for more money.

But in a ruling issued on April 28, the judge concluded that by accepting the settlement Mr Vanriel agreed that his claim was at an end.

Mr Justice Griffiths said it was an abuse of process for (Mr Vanriel) to pursue a claim for judicial review in respect of an award under the scheme which he has accepted in full and final settlement and been paid.
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A High Court order which aims to prevent protesters from disrupting Britains busiest motorway has been extended.

National Highways obtained the injunction covering the M25 and several feeder roads last May, and Mr Justice Cotter approved its application for it to continue for a further year on Friday.

The order means that anyone who blocks the roads or fixes themselves to gantries above them can be found in contempt of court and face imprisonment, the seizure of assets, and an unlimited fine.

Some 139 environmental protesters are named in the order, but it also applies to persons unknown causing the blocking of, or endangering, or otherwise preventing the free flow of traffic on the specified highways.

Along with the M25, which encircles Greater London, the order also covers major roads in Kent including routes leading to the Port of Dover.

National Highways said the M25 is used by up to 200,000 vehicles each day and is a vital link to the rest of Englands road network, while Dover is the busiest port in the country and a major trade route with Europe.

The Government agency said it applied for the injunction extension over concerns that Just Stop Oil will target these roads again.

Tim Reardon, National Highways general counsel, said: Millions of people rely on the strategic road network every day and they have a right to expect it to operate as it should.

We are really pleased to have obtained an extension to this injunction, so anyone intending to protest on the M25, its feeder routes and main roads around the Port of Dover  in additional to structures on the M25  will run the risk of imprisonment, an unlimited fine or a seizure of assets, or a combination of all three.
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A Nigerian senator, a poor street trader and an 80,000 cross-continental plot to harvest organs  it sounds like something out of a movie  but for the 21-year-old victim, the ordeal was a very real nightmare that could have ended horribly.

Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice and medical middleman Dr Obinna Obeta were in March found guilty of conspiring to bring the young man to Britain to give his kidney to the politicians sick daughter, Sonia.

It was the first verdict of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act but when Detective Sergeant Andy Owen briefed his team on the details of the landmark investigation months earlier in June 2022, he expected it to go on for years.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (right), his wife Beatrice, 56, and Dr Obinna Obeta, 50, who were accused of treating the man and other potential donors as disposable assets (Met Police)

Just hours later, his team boarded a plane, minutes after it touched down at Heathrow Airport, to arrest the pair after they arrived in the UK from medical tourism hotspot Turkey.

We never thought the Ekweremadus would return to the UK, Mr Owen said. I received information that they were arriving in Heathrow Airport so I scrambled my team there and we were directed on to the runway and to the steps of the plane, which was being held.

Specialist officers embarked on the plane where they were both arrested. They had approximately 30,000 cash in dollars and naira, Mr Owen, the Mets Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Lead said.

It sounds like something out of a fiction book or a movie, he added.

The swoop on the pair came a month after the 21-year-old street seller, from Lagos, had made a desperate plea for help to officers at Staines Police station. Having fled the London home of Obeta, 51, who was working with the Ekweremadus to secure the victims organs, he initially told police he was 15 years old so they would help him.

After his escape and before seeking help, he slept rough for three days in a country he didnt know, able to speak little to no English. Before he was brought to the UK by the couple, he had never even seen a plane  officers said he believed the aircraft would fall from the sky, he was so petrified. It was a far cry from Lagos where he had spent his days selling mobile phone accessories from a wheelbarrow making as little as 50p a day as the main provider in a large family.

Ike Ekweremadu was the head of a powerful family with national status (AFP/Getty)

It was from those streets that the Ekweremadus approached him with a promise of work and a better life. Instead, he trafficked all over Nigeria for tests before being brought to the UK where he eventually found out the promise of a new life was actually a plot to have his kidney given to a stranger. He did not even touch his own passport.

When he arrived in London, the victim was housed with Obeta and spent his days going to and from the Royal Free Hospital in north London where tests and interviews were conducted ahead of the prospective kidney transplant.

Obeta and Ike Ekweremadu paid an Igbo interpreter 1,500 to trick doctors into agreeing to perform the 80,000 surgery with a plan to give the kidney to Sonia Ekweremadu  the daughter of the politician who suffers from a rare kidney disease, FSGS nephrotic syndrome, and requires dialysis four times a week.

Sonia Ekweremadu posing with the trafficked victim who was almost her organ donor (Metropolitan Police)

However, despite their efforts, doctors deemed the victim to be unsuitable for the procedure after they learned he had undergone no counselling or received any advice about the risks of the surgery.

After returning to Obetas home the victim said some men came to examine him and pressed his stomach before he overheard a conversation appearing to suggest he would be sent back to Nigeria for the procedure to be done there.

Terrified, he fled and sought help from the police. He spent eight hours detailing what happened to him in interviews and, with help from the Home Office, it was revealed that the medical visa, on which he had travelled to the country, was sponsored by none other than the wealthy Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu, 60.

The powerful senator was the head of a family with national status and one that was held in high esteem. Ironically, he played a key role in a 2014 law change prohibiting the very act for which he has now been convicted.

Nigerian politician Ike Ekweremadu is extremely wealthy owning several properties and had a staff of 80 people (AFP via Getty Images)

Ike Ekweremadu used middlemen to distance himself from this crime and to apportion blame on others, detective inspector Esther Richardson said.

Our victim was a commodity, she added. And this was a transactional process, just like any drugs or firearms deal. This type of crime is facilitated by organised criminal networks. Their motivation was always financial.

Desperate to find a solution for Sonias deteriorating health, her parents had sought to arrange a transplant for her. But their crimes almost landed the Coventry University graduate behind bars as officers made the difficult decision to arrest her at her north-west London home on the same day her parents were detained.

Next, detectives secured a warrant to search Obetas home on 12 July 2022 where they found a copy of the victims birth certificate, and a high court affidavit falsely stating the victim and Sonia were biological cousins.

There was also significant material evidence pointing to trafficking and exploitation of the victim, including messages about recruitment, travel within Nigeria, testing, and the application for passport and visa documents. Crucially, they also found the 8,000 Obeta charged Ekweremadu as an agents fee for helping to facilitate the transplant in London and a donor fee for the victim.

Sonia Ekweremadu, 25, was cleared of any wrongdoing by the jury (PA Wire)

The trio all denied charges against them.

At trial, Ike Ekweremadus lawyer tried to convince the jury that the politician acted altruistically  and that his kidney donation was a selfless act. But the prosecution rejected those claims and argued that the Ekweremadus and Obeta treated the victim as disposable assets  spare parts for reward.

Beatrice Ekweremadu, 56, however, who worked at the Nigerian auditor generals office and has a PhD in accountancy, tried to shield herself from the charges. She claimed that her husband took care of the household finances and denied being involved in the donor search.

Hugh Davies KC, prosecuting, said the Ekweremadus entered an emotionally cold commercial transaction with the man. He said evidence showed Ike Ekweremadu had called on his medically trained brother Diwe in the autumn of 2021, who made contact with his former classmate Obeta, who previously had a private kidney transplant at the Royal Free with a Nigerian doctor.

Dr Obeta then engaged with Dr Chris Agbo, of Vintage Health Group, a medical tourism company, as well as an agent to arrange a visa for the donor.

All three were convicted and sentenced for their part in the plot at a hearing on Friday. Ike Ekweremadu was jailed for 10 years and eight months, while his wife was sentenced to four years and six months. Obeta wept as he was sentenced to 10 years in jail.

A jury cleared Sonia of any wrongdoing and despite her parents crimes, she is still in search of a kidney.

In September 2022, while her parents were still in custody, the 25-year-old took to social media pleading for a donor to come forward to save her.

She wrote on her Instagram: I, Sonia Ekweremadu, hereby appeal to the general public to come to my aid and save my life.

I dropped out of my postgraduate studies at the University of Newcastle in 2019 when I was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease, FSGS nephrotic syndrome.

Beatrice Ekweremadu denied any knowledge of the plot (PA)

The last three years have been extremely challenging. The charges being faced by my parents in London presently are directly connected to my illness and have [been a] complicated matter for me and my family.

In the appeal, Sonia said she was confident that the truth would prevail but her parents were found guilty of conspiracy to traffic a human to harvest their organs months later.

The victim is now being safeguarded in the UK but it is not yet clear if he will be able to remain here permanently.

Chief crown prosecutor Joanne Jakymec described the case as a horrific plot to exploit a vulnerable victim by trafficking him to the UK for the purpose of transplanting his kidney.

The convicted defendants showed utter disregard for the victims welfare, health and wellbeing and used their considerable influence to a high degree of control throughout, with the victim having limited understanding of what was really going on here, she said.

DI Esther Richardson, from the Metropolitan polices modern slavery and exploitation command, said: This is a landmark conviction and we commend the victim for his bravery in speaking against these offenders.
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Sir David Attenborough said the future of humanity depends on state leaders giving their full backing to environmental issues which he believes the King will do.

The broadcaster and naturalist, who turns 97 on Monday, appeared on BBC One with Kirsty Young as part of its coverage ahead of the Kings coronation on Saturday.

Sir David said Charles very clearly understood the relationship and importance of the natural world right from being a small child.

He said: When he became prominent and an adult, he took a strong line at a time when nature conservation was regarded as being slightly specialist.

But he realised what it was about and he was mocked actually, because he said trees are so important I feel like talking to trees.

But in fact, he was absolutely right and the world has come to see the world as he saw it.

He continued: The fact is 20 or 30 years ago, it really was sort of oddball to a lot of people.

But now everybody realises that the future of humanity is dependent upon a healthy natural world.

The way ahead demands that leaders of the state should actually give their full backing and Im quite sure that as King he will lead this country in a very important way.

Sir David said Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, was very vigorous in ordering conservation, adding: Im quite sure King Charles will be the same.

He also spoke about first meeting the then-Prince Charles when he visited the BBC studios at the age of nine and held his pet cockatoo named Cocky.

I had just come back from New Guinea with a load of animals which were going to the London Zoo, but I had a pet cockatoo and I was asked to bring it to the studios, which I did, he said.

Dear little Cocky is sitting on his (Charless) hand but in fact they have a very powerful beak and a very powerful bite and although I was fairly confident about Cocky, he could actually have removed his little finger.

But all was well and it was a very happy occasion.

Speaking about the coronation on Saturday, Sir David said he was looking forward to the whole panoply of the military, the parade, and, of course, the ceremony itself which he said will be deeply moving.
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Rishi Sunaks Tories are braced for a bruising set of local election results as votes continue to be counted across England.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said regrettably some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

The Electoral Commission said that overall the elections were well run but the requirement to carry photo ID posed a challenge and some people were unable to vote as a result, although detailed work will be needed to understand the scale of the problem.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.

Opponents of the voter ID requirement claimed thousands of people had been turned away.

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups opposed to the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote UK and Open Britain, said: Today has been a dark day for British democracy.

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

The Association of Electoral Administrators chief executive Peter Stanyon said there had been many anecdotal reports of people being unable to vote but it is still too early to gauge how introducing voter ID has gone.

The results of the elections will be keenly studied with the prospect of a general election in 2024.

The Tories expect a difficult night but have sought to manage expectations by pointing to forecasts by academic experts Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher which suggest they could lose more than 1,000 seats if things go badly.

The Tories will seek to portray any defeat below that scale as better than expected  although the loss of hundreds of councillors would not bode well for Mr Sunaks hopes in the general election.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the party had experienced a bit of a blip following the turmoil in No 10 which saw Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ousted before Mr Sunak took office.

He attempted to present the expected losses as mid-term blues for the Tories, telling Sky News : The British people are very sensible group of folk and they understand whats important.

Occasionally they like to give political parties a bit of a reminder of who the politicians serve. Certainly when you get into being mid-term in a government you get quite a bit of that.

The analysis by professors Rallings and Thrasher suggested gains of more than 700 for Labour would represent Sir Keir Starmers partys best performance for at least a decade, which could put them on the path to becoming the largest party at a general election  even if short of an overall majority in the Commons.

But 250 gains or fewer would be disappointing, while under 150 extra councillors would be effectively a step backwards, the academics said.

Shabana Mahmood MP, Labours national campaign co-ordinator, said: If the Conservatives go backwards from their disastrous 2019 local election results, the voters will have sent a damning message about Rishi Sunaks leadership.

Its going to be a long night and the full picture of results will not form until well into Friday afternoon but we expect to make gains and show were making the progress in the places we need to win at the next election.

The Tories are nervous about the situation in Bolton, where they were the biggest party, and  ahead of coronation weekend  they also fear for their control in Windsor and Maidenhead.

Labour expects to make significant gains in Plymouth and take control of the council in the city which contains Veterans Minister Johnny Mercers seat  a key general election target.

Meanwhile, the Lib Dems hope to make further cracks in the Tory blue wall in southern England.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative government. Tonight their voices will be heard.

In early results:

 Labour retained control of Sunderland.

 Labour held Halton.

 The Tories held Broxbourne.

 The Conservatives picked up a seat from Labour as they held Harlow.

The row over the voter ID requirement follows a change in the law requiring voters to have a photograph document from a defined list to protect against the potential risk of electoral fraud, despite there being no evidence of a large-scale problem.

The Government has estimated that about 4% of Britains population  or two million people  were unlikely to have a valid form of photo ID to vote.

Passports, driving licences and blue badges are among the IDs permitted, as are the free certificates that could be applied for ahead of the vote.

Photo ID will be required in England during future general elections under the policy.

On Thursday, more than 8,000 council seats were up for election across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

The last time the same council seats were contested was in May 2019, when the Tories performed poorly under Theresa May as she struggled with Brexit and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn also suffered.

The Conservatives lost more than 1,300 council seats and majority political control of 44 councils, meaning they had less to lose on Thursday than they might have done.

About a quarter of the votes are expected to be counted overnight, with the rest counted during the day on Friday.
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Britons would rather see Prince Andrew attend the coronation of King Charles III than the Duchess of Sussex, new polling suggests.

In an exclusive survey for The Independent, 43 per cent of people thought the Duke of York should attend the historic service marking his brothers ascension to the throne.

The same proportion believed he should not attend, according to Savanta polling conducted just over a year after he reached a multimillion settlement in the sexual assault case brought against him by Virginia Roberts Giuffre.

Meanwhile, just 40 per cent of the 2,274 people surveyed thought Meghan should go to Saturdays historic ceremony, while 44 per cent felt she should not.

Following the lingering fallout from his memoirSpare, Prince Harry confirmed last month that he would attend the coronation alone, with Meghan staying home in the United States with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

The couple opted to step back as senior royals and leave Britain in 2020, just two years after their wedding. Even before that decision, Harry had condemned the abuse and harassment and racial undertones in the relentless British press coverage of the former Suits actor.

Prince Andrew was stripped of his military titles and royal patronages last January by the late Queen after he was accused by Ms Giuffre of sexually assaulting her on three occasions when she was 17 and being trafficked by his late friend, the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The Duke of York was interviewed by BBC Newsnight about his relationship with Epstein and the allegations against him (BBC/PA)

The pair reached an out-of-court settlement two months later, in which Andrew accepted no liability, and he always rejected any claims of wrongdoing. But he faced further humiliation as York councillors voted last April to strip the 63-year-old of his Freedom of the City title.

While the duke was permitted to play a significant role in the events marking his mothers death last September, he faced heckling from crowds during a procession of his mothers coffin along Edinburghs Royal Mile.

YouGov polling in April placed Andrew as the least popular royal in its regular surveys, with just 10 per cent of respondents viewing him favourably.

He was followed by Meghan and Harry, of whom 24 and 29 per cent respectively had favourable views.

In Savantas new polling for The Independent, Britons were considerably more opposed to both Andrew and Meghan attending the coronation than the idea of inviting Sinn Fein, the party formerly known as the political wing of the IRA, which overtook unionists for the first time in Northern Irelands 2022 election.

Thirty-two per cent of people felt Sinn Fein should attend, while 38 per cent did not. Michelle ONeill, vice-president of the party which still refuses to take its seats in the House of Commons, has confirmed she will attend the Westminster Abbey ceremony.

The strength of opposition to Andrew and Meghans attendance was closer to that of a Chinese government representative going to the ceremony, to which 46 per cent are opposed and just 30 per cent are in favour.

While senior Conservatives have called the move outrageous and an insult to the freedom-loving people of former British colony Hong Kong, Chinas vice-president Han Zheng is expected to be present on Saturday.
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Drones will be deployed as part of the operation to protect crowds celebrating the Kings coronation in Windsor.

Heavy security will be in place around Windsor Castle over the coming days, with police expecting thousands of people to watch the event on big screens and attend a concert.

Assistant Chief Constable Christian Bunt of Thames Valley Police said a graded security operation would be intensifying in the lead-up to the weekend.

Weve got drone capability, specialist investigation teams, security screening and search for the concert, and vehicle barriers to prevent vehicles causing a danger to the public, he told a press conference.

All of these tactics are aimed at ensuring that we can deliver a safe, secure and enjoyable event.

Security services are working to monitor and address any potential threats from terrorism, crime, or fixated people who are obsessed with the royal family.

A man was arrested outside Buckingham Palace after throwing shotgun cartridges over its gates on Tuesday evening. The royal residence was the scene of an attempted terror attack by an Isis supporter in 2017.

On Christmas Day in 2021, a man armed with a crossbow entered the grounds of Windsor Castle and told police he wanted to kill the Queen.

Thames Valley Police are responsible for security in Windsor (Thames Valley Police)

Counterterrorism police have said there are extensive measures in place to mitigate risk and monitor the terrorist threat, but are urging members of the public to report any concerns.

While Saturday will see the worlds eyes on the royal procession through London and the coronation itself, which will take place at Westminster Abbey, celebrations will move to Windsor on Sunday.

Just under 1,000 officers are involved in the local operation, with many sent from other regional forces. They will carry out a mixture of visible and covert patrols.

Mr Bunt said that, from Thursday, people would notice an increase in uniformed officers in Windsor  a measure that is intended to act as a deterrent for any persons looking to disrupt events.

There will also be armed units, mounted police, intelligence teams, behavioural detection teams who look for suspicious activity, and a range of cover officers on the ground.

Republicans are expected to protest during the coronation (AP)

Thames Valley Police have not yet been notified of any proposed demonstrations, but said they were planning to mount a lawful and proportionate policing response to any protests.

We need to balance the rights of individuals to protest with the rights of those attending to enjoy the event, Mr Bunt said.

Due to the nature of this event, we will be adopting a lower tolerance level for any disruption  protests or otherwise. This includes action that undermines the safety of the event or poses a serious risk of disruption to the celebrations. We have a range of existing legislation which we can use, but we also have at our disposal the new public order legislation passed this week.

The controversial Public Order Act has created a new threshold for police intervention against serious disruption, allowing for the arrest of demonstrators who break any of the conditions imposed.

Suella Braverman, the home secretary, called for police to make full use of the new powers, and hit out at so-called eco-warriors causing disruption and wasting millions of pounds of taxpayer money.

Three days of events are planned to mark the Kings coronation (AP)

The Metropolitan Police have also said their tolerance for any disruption will be low around the coronation, where they will be deploying live facial recognition cameras to search for wanted criminals.

Privacy campaigners have called the technology dangerously inaccurate, after a series of trials of the cameras in London resulted in few arrests and numerous false positives in which the wrong people were identified as matches to police watchlists.

Emmanuelle Andrews, policy and campaigns manager at Liberty, said: Facial recognition is a dystopian tool that violates our rights and threatens our liberty.

We all have the right to go about our lives without being surveilled and monitored, but this weekend, anyone in the vicinity of the Kings coronation is at risk of having their face scanned by this oppressive technology.

We have already seen a huge crackdown on protest ahead of the coronation, with new measures brought in this week to further restrict the ways in which people can make their voices heard.
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Madeleine McCann, a three-year-old girl from Rothley, Leicestershire, went missing from the Portuguese holiday resort of Praia da Luz on the Algarve on 3 May 2007, a case still unsolved and still the subject of intense interest among the public and press.

Her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, posted a statement on the Find Madeleine website on 3 May 2023 marking the latest anniversary of their daughters disappearance, reiterating their hopes of being reunited with her one day and posting a poem, The Contradiction by Clare Pollard, to express their feelings.

Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleines abduction. Still missing... still very much missed, they wrote.

The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support- it really helps.

Here is a reminder of the events of the case.

The story began when the McCanns  affluent doctors Kate and Gerry, their three-year-old daughter Madeleine and her two-year-old twin siblings  joined a group of seven family friends and their five children on holiday at the Ocean Club in the village of Praia da Luz on the southwestern tip of Portugal on 28 April 2007.

After a pleasant spring break by the sea, the adults in the party went out for dinner at the resorts open-air tapas bar on 3 May, gathering at 8.30pm. The children were left behind sleeping in their respective apartments with the doors unlocked and a rota system in place among the parents to ensure that someone returned every half-hour to check on them.

When Kate McCann took her turn and returned to her apartment at 10pm, she raced back to the restaurant screaming Madeleines gone! Someones taken her! The police were quickly called and 60 staff and fellow guests searched the complex, calling out the girls name in vain until daybreak the following morning.

Border police and airport staff were put on alert and hundreds of volunteers joined the efforts to find the missing girl over the coming days, the case fast becoming a sensation.

Madeleine McCann (PA)

The Portuguese authorities would later attract criticism over their conduct in the crucial earliest hours of the investigation when the trail might still have been warm, accused of making rudimentary mistakes like failing to conduct a house-by-house search of every local residence or interview all of the other guests at the resort, acting slowly to erect roadblocks and potentially compromising forensic evidence at the crime scene.

The police initially stated that they believed Madeleine was still alive and had been abducted from the room by a stranger as the parents described their anguish and despair over her vanishing, a worst fear realised for any parent.

On 26 May, police issued a description of a suspicious man seen on the night of the girls disappearance. The individual in question was spotted by Jane Tanner, one of the McCanns dining companions, who said she had seen a Mediterranean man with dark hair and beige trousers carrying a child close to the apartment when she went to check in on her own children. Scotland Yard would later come to dismiss the sighting as a red herring.

The search continued as the summer progressed amid a wild media circus and with huge fundraising activities underway, the McCanns setting up Madeleines Fund on 15 May to raise cash to support further investigation and keep the profile of the case high, attracting generous donations from celebrities like Richard Branson, Simon Cowell, JK Rowling and Coleen Rooney. By 30 May, the case was such a cause celebre that they were being flown out to meet the Pope at the Vatican in Sir Phillip Greens Learjet.

A local man, Robert Murat, subsequently became its first suspect and had his house and car searched, his swimming pool drained and his electronic devices confiscated but no evidence was found to link him to Madeleine and the matter was soon dropped.

By June, the Portuguese police admitted that they had failed to protect potentially useful evidence at the scene as frustration with the lack of developments grew and the media began to question whether the McCanns themselves had been involved in the matter.

Lurid tabloid allegations suggested the couple and their friends might have been swingers and that the McCanns, as physicians, might have been in the habit of sedating their children, while others claimed inconsistencies in their version of events.

Gerry and Kate McCann (AP)

The intensity of the hostility towards the parents would later be described by Roy Greenslade of The Guardian as no journalistic accident, but a sustained campaign of vitriol against a grief-stricken family, singling out The Daily Express and Daily Star for particular condemnation.

In July, assistance offered by former South African police officer Danie Krugel  who claimed his handheld matter orientation system could help to find Madeleine  was rubbished, while British police sent over two springer spaniel sniffer dogs to search for DNA.

Relations with the local authorities would ultimately sour as the latter came to resent British intrusion into a Portuguese inquiry, according to Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swans book Looking for Madeleine (2014).

By August, Madeleine has been missing for 100 days and police admitted for the first time that she may never be found. They also told the McCanns that they were no longer considering the matter an abduction case but, rather, a murder inquiry.

The McCanns themselves were interviewed as arguidos (suspects) by Portuguese police in September, with the parents told that the dogs had discovered DNA evidence from the missing girl in the boot of their holiday rental car, lines of inquiry that had already been leaked to the British press. They vehemently denied having any part in her disappearance.

Despite being listed as suspects (a designation that would linger until the following July), the McCanns were allowed to return to Britain on 9 September. A day later, chief inspector Tavares de Almeida of the Policia Judiciaria in Portimao signed a nine-page report concluding that Madeleine McCann had died in their apartment as a result of an accident, that the tapas dinner and rota checks on the McCann children had been part of a planned cover-up, that the familys friends had helped to mislead the police and that the McCanns had concealed the body and then faked an abduction. A public prosecutor subsequently applied for the confiscation of Kate McCanns diary and Gerry McCanns laptop plus the groups phone records.

On 2 October, chief inspector Goncalo Amaral was removed from the case and transferred after alleging that the British police were only interested in pursuing leads favourable to the McCanns. He would later publish a book, Maddie: The Truth of the Lie, the following summer, resulting in a lengthy libel battle with the McCanns that would run back and forth through the courts until March 2017.

Back in Britain, Gerry McCann issued a video that November in which he speculated that his family had been watched by a predator during their stay at Praia da Luz. His wife had come to believe that a potential perpetrator could have seen a note in the resorts guest book visible to all in reception noting their dining arrangements on the evening of Madeleines disappearance. The couple followed up on 20 January 2008 by releasing a sketch of a creepy man they said other holidaymakers had said they had seen loitering at the Ocean Club.

In April, a month before the one-year anniversary of the fateful night, Portuguese police travelled to Leicestershire to conduct further interviews with the McCanns friends.

Then, on 21 July, Portugals attorney general, Fernando Jose Pinto Monteiro, announced that there was no evidence to link either the McCanns or Robert Murat to the disappearance and closed the case, unsolved.

With the trail cold and no closure in sight, the McCanns continued to publicise their cause, issuing computer-generated images of how Madeleine might look now that she had aged on 3 November 2009 and condemning the release of previously unseen Portuguese police files  detailing possible sightings of their daughter  to British newspapers in March 2010.

The McCanns published a book of their own about their ordeal in May 2011, entitled simply Madeleine, which was serialised in The Sun as the newspaper led a campaign calling on British prime minister David Cameron to launch a new inquiry. He did so.

Commenced by then-home secretary Theresa May, the Metropolitan Polices Operation Grange would be led by commander Simon Foy and comprise a team of three detective inspectors, five detective sergeants, 19 detective constables and six civilian staff.

It began to yield results in 2013, with Scotland Yard formally announcing a new investigation in July and saying in October it had identified 41 potential suspects. That same month, BBC Crimewatch released an e-fit image of a man of particular interest who had been seen in Praia da Luz with a child matching Madeleines description in May 2007.

Detectives arrived in Portugal in January 2014 promising new arrests and finally searched the village in June, interviewing four people the following month but without unearthing new information. The quartet would be definitively ruled out in April 2017, before the UK government said it would continue to fund the investigation until 2020, having already admitted it had cost 10m in its first four years of operation.

That investment had enabled detectives to have tens of thousands of documents translated, investigate over 8,000 potential sightings, take 1,338 statements, collect 1,027 exhibits and investigate 650 sex offenders and 60 persons of interest, all without definitively establishing the truth.

The Madeline McCann case lay dormant before suddenly exploding into life in June 2020 when German media revealed that Christian Brueckner, a 43-year-old prisoner with a track record of child abuse and drug trafficking, had been identified as a new suspect by the public prosecutor of the German city of Braunschweig.

Christian Brueckner (Italian Carabinieri)

He had reportedly been living in a Volkswagen camper van in the Algarve at the time of Madeleines disappearance and one woman has since come forward to suggest she saw a girl that might have been Madeleine speaking German in a supermarket in Portugal in 2017.

German investigators classified their probe into his movements as a murder inquiry, saying they were working on the assumption that Madeleine is dead and reporting in July 2021 that they had found an abandoned cellar beneath his former allotment near Hanover where she could, theoretically, have been held captive.

Hans Christian Wolters, the prosecutor leading the investigation into Brueckner, has said he was very confident the inmate is responsible for kidnapping her.

If you knew the evidence we had you would come to the same conclusion as I do but I cant give you details because we dont want the accused to know what we have on him  these are tactical considerations, he told the BBC.

It was subsequently revealed that Madeleines Fund still had 773,629 to spend as of 31 March 2020, meaning the McCanns can continue to bankroll a private investigation to find their daughter long after the police hunt is finally drawn to a close, should they choose to.

Brueckner was formally made a arguido in relation to the case on 21 April 2022.

On 19 September, the McCanns lost their libel case against Mr Amaral, the former chief inspector who had investigated the disappearance, before the European Court of Human Rights.

The couple had attempted to argue that Mr Amaral was responsible for damaging their reputation and breaching their rights to respect for their private life and to be presumed innocent after taking exception to his book and associated media appearances in which he had repeatedly suggested they were responsible for the vanishing.

Their complaint also argued that Portugals Supreme Court had failed to allow them proper redress over the alleged libel by Mr Amaral after judges threw out their earlier claim in 2017.

The verdict left the McCanns with three months to appeal against the decision.

In February 2023, a Polish woman called Julia Faustyna made headlines by claiming she was Madeleine, using the Instagram name @iammadeleinemccann.

Ms Faustyna, 21, did not provide any supporting evidence but sought DNA tests to prove her origins. The results ultimately revealed that she was entirely of Polish origin, with no British heritage, disproving her claims for good.

In April 2023, a court in Braunschweig dropped a rape charge against Brueckner, unrelated to the Madeleine McCann case, concluding it did not have jurisdiction.

Police in Germany continue to claim they have concrete evidence that Madeleine is dead but this has still not been confirmed and their investigation is ongoing, with Brueckner still not charged in the McCann case.

Like her parents, Madeleines sister Amelie, now 18, observed the 16th anniversary of her disappearance in May 2023.

Speaking publicly for the first time at a prayer meeting in Rothley, she said: Its nice that everyone is here together but its a sad occasion.

Amelie McCann reportedly joined in with chants including Never never give up, leave no stone unturned, dont forget about me and still missing, still missed.
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Madeleine McCanns sister has spoken publicly for the first time since her siblings disappearance 16 years ago.

At a vigil marking the anniversary, Amelie, now aged 18, said: It's nice that everyone is here together but it's a sad occasion.

The informal prayer meeting, attended by about 70 people, took place in the family's home village of Rothley in Leicestershire on Wednesday evening. Parents Kate and Gerry McCann took part, although Sean, Amelie's twin brother, did not.

They wrote: Today marks the 16th anniversary of Madeleines abduction.

Still missing .. still very much missed. It is hard to find the words to convey how we feel.

Amelie, accompanied by a friend, joined in repeating mantras read out by people in the crowd including Never never give up, leave no stone unturned, dont forget about me and still missing, still missed.

Gerry and Kate also shared a poem titled The Contradiction by Clare Pollard which they said resonates strongly with them.

Gerry and Kate McCann released a poem marking the 16th anniversary of Madeleines disappearance (PA Wire)

It contains the lines:

The absence contradicts itself.

The missing conjures what we miss.

You are not here, Im not myself,

But still I talk to you like this.

Rob Gladstone, leading prayers at the event, told supporters: We are here this evening to show our loving concern for Madeleine and for all young children who have been taken away from their families against their will.

We are also here to encourage one another to keep up hope and pray for a renewal of strength even after this long time.

The parents added: The police investigation continues, and we await a breakthrough. Thank you to everyone for your support- it really helps.

Madeleine disappeared in Praia da Luz, Portugal in 2007 (METROPOLITAN POLICE/AFP via Gett)

It comes after a rape charge against the main suspect in the McCann investigation was dropped after a German court said it did not have jurisdiction over the case.

Christian Brueckner was due to go on trial for an alleged rape in Portugal but a court in the city of Braunschweig threw out the case, Bild newspaper reported. The rape allegation is not linked to Madeleines case.

The courts decision means that legal authorities in Braunschweig have no jurisdiction over Madeleines case, who disappeared in Portugal in 2007 aged three, lawyer Friedrich Fuelscher said.

Bruckner spent many years in Portugal, including in the resort of Praia da Luz around the time of Madeleine's disappearance there in 2007. He has denied any involvement in her disappearance.

A rape charge against suspect Christian Brueckner was dropped (Reuters)

The suspect is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for a rape he committed in Portugal in 2005.

In the German legal system, a court must decide, after it receives an indictment from prosecutors, whether to take a case to trial.

The Braunschweig state court said its supposed responsibility for the case had been based on Bruckers last residence before going abroad and then to prison.
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Martin Lewis has issued a warning to pensioners who could miss out on a 301 payment from the government.

The consumer champion shared the advice on Wednesday's Good Morning Britain, where Mr Lewis helps viewers navigate the cost of living crisis in his Wallet Wednesdays segment.

He warned that around a million people have just over two weeks to access a Pension Credit benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions.

Pension Credit is a top-up benefit that helps those of state pension age who are not getting enough income. Now, I've long been saying there are one million pensioners in the UK eligible for it who do not claim it. It's an absolute tragedy, Mr Lewis told viewers.

They've paid into the system for all of their lives and they're not getting this important top-up.

He added that it is a really crucial time to be accessing these payments.

While the current Cost of Living payment has already started being paid out and for most people the eligibility period is over, Pension Credit can be backdated, so what this means is if you are eligible you will get that 301 and you've got until the 19 May in order to claim.

Simply by claiming Pension Credit, even if you're only entitled to a small amount, you will get the 301.

The warning comes as more than seven million households across the UK will have received a 301 cost-of-living payment by the end of Wednesday, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has said.

The payments are part of a package of wider government support announced to tackle the cost of living in 2023-24, including a further 300 payment for eligible families in autumn 2023, with a payment of 299 in spring 2024.

Mel Stride, work and pensions secretary, said: Paying more than seven million households 301 in a little over a week underlines our commitment to ensure those on the lowest income are protected from the worst of rising prices and give them peace of mind.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said: We know the impact that rising prices are having on families, which is why we are providing significant support to millions through these direct cash payments.

People will be eligible for the 301 cost-of-living payment if they have been entitled to a payment for certain benefits between 16 January and 15 February 2023, including, for example, universal credit, pension credit and child tax credit.
A mid-air crash was narrowly avoided when a passenger plane flying over East Sussex came as close as 16ft to a suspected illegal drone, a report reveals.

The easyJet Airbus A320 was 5,000ft above ground, having taken off from Gatwick Airport, when the pilots spotted the object nearby.

Safety officials recorded it as a category A incident  the highest level of five, which meant there had been a serious risk of collision.
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Jill Biden visited 10 Downing Street on Friday, 5 May, ahead of King Charles III's coronation.

The US First Lady will be attending Saturday's ceremony without her husband, US president Joe Biden, who has said he will not be attending the celebrations.

The White House confirmed in a readout of Mr Bidens call with the King, shared on 4 April, that the first lady will be going to the coronation to represent the US.

His Majesty's coronation will be attended by 2,000 guests including foreign monarchs from across the world.

The limited guest list marks a departure from the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests, with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony.

Almost the entire UK royal family will attend the coronation, apart from the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of York, as well as the Queen Consorts ex-husband Andrew Parker Bowles.

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Rishi Sunaks Tories were on course for heavy losses in the Prime Ministers first electoral test as Labour and the Liberal Democrats both made gains in elections across England.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said regrettably some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

Labour gained control of Plymouth, where the Tories had run a minority administration  a result branded terrible by Government minister and local MP Johnny Mercer  then did the same in Stoke-on-Trent, another general election battleground.

In Hertsmere, where Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden is MP, the Tories lost control of the council, with 13 councillors voted out while Labour gained seven and the Lib Dems six.

Tamworth, Brentford, North West Leicestershire and East Lindsey also fell from Tory administrations to no overall control.

Labour replaced the Tories as the largest party in Hartlepool and Worcester.

The Liberal Democrats appeared confident in Windsor and Maidenhead, which would be a shock defeat for the Tories.

Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term blip, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

They have sought to manage expectations by pointing to forecasts which suggest they could lose more than 1,000 seats if things go badly.

The Tories will seek to portray any defeat below that scale as better than expected  although the loss of hundreds of councillors will not help morale within the Conservative ranks.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the party had experienced a bit of a blip following the turmoil in No 10 which saw Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ousted before Mr Sunak took office.

He attempted to present the expected losses as mid-term blues for the Tories, telling Sky News: The British people are a very sensible group of folk and they understand whats important.

Occasionally they like to give political parties a bit of a reminder of who the politicians serve. Certainly when you get into being mid-term in a government you get quite a bit of that.

Veterans Minister Mr Mercer told the BBC the Plymouth result was due to local factors and insisted that the Prime Minister was the sort of strong leader this country needs at this time.

The councils decision to fell dozens of trees in the city centre contributed to the loss of Tory support.

Mr Mercer said: I think, locally, it has been very difficult. The Conservative Group here has been through a very difficult time. We have seen that reflected on the doors, in the campaign and we have seen that reflected in the results tonight but you know, we take it on the chin.

In Tamworth  the seat of scandal-hit former Tory whip Chris Pincher  Labour made seven gains, pushing it from Conservative into no overall control.

I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative government. Tonight their voices will be heard Daisy Cooper

But in Hull, Labours attempts to regain the council from the Liberal Democrats failed, with Sir Ed Daveys party tightening its grip on the authority.

With full results from 45 out of the 230 councils where elections were being held:

 The Tories lost control of five councils and suffered a net loss of 102 councillors.

 Labour had gained control of one council and put on 84 councillors.

 The Liberal Democrats had a net gain of 30 councillors.

 Labours Chris Cooke won the battle to become mayor of Middlesbrough, defeating the independent incumbent Andy Preston with a swing of almost 20%, a result the party said was beyond our expectations and exactly the kind of progress we needed to make in Teesside.

Labour claimed that, based on the aggregate vote, the party would have won the Westminster constituencies of Hartlepool, Stevenage, Dudley South, Ipswich, West Bromwich East, Great Grimsby and Aldershot, which has been held by the Tories since its creation as a seat in 1918.

A Labour source said: Tory MPs will be very worried. This is supposed to be Rishi Sunaks political honeymoon, but on these results they would have lost a bunch of seats  including one theyve held for over 100 years.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative government.

The elections were branded a dark day for British democracy by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people had been denied their right to vote.

But Mr Heaton-Harris insisted the policy was a thoroughly good thing even though the elections watchdog said some people had been turned away from polling stations.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups opposed to the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote UK and Open Britain, said: Today has been a dark day for British democracy.

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

The Association of Electoral Administrators chief executive Peter Stanyon said there had been many anecdotal reports of people being unable to vote but it is still too early to gauge how introducing voter ID has gone.

More than 8,000 council seats were up for election on Thursday across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

The last time the same council seats were contested was in May 2019, when the Tories performed poorly under Theresa May as she struggled with Brexit and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn also suffered.

The Conservatives lost more than 1,300 council seats and majority political control of 44 councils, meaning they had less to lose on Thursday than they might have done.

About a quarter of the votes were being counted overnight, with the rest counted during the day on Friday.
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Foreign dignitaries arrived at 10 Downing Street on Friday, 5 May, ahead of King Charles III's coronation.

International representatives have travelled to London for Saturday's ceremony, in which the King and Queen Consort will be crowned at Westminster Abbey.

His Majesty's coronation will be attended by 2,000 guests including foreign monarchs from across the world.

The limited guest list marks a departure from the late Queen Elizabeth IIs coronation, which was attended by 8,000 guests, with 129 nations and territories officially represented at the ceremony.

US President Joe Biden has revealed that he will not be attending the coronation and that his wife Jill Biden will be going without him.

The White House confirmed in a readout of Bidens call with the King, shared on 4 April, that the first lady will be going to the coronation to represent the US.

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Rishi Sunaks Tories are braced for heavy losses, with Labour and the Liberal Democrats both making gains in elections across England.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said regrettably some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.

The Conservatives lost control of councils in Tamworth and Brentford, while Labour replaced them as the largest party in Hartlepool.

Senior Conservatives have sought to present the setbacks as a mid-term blip, but with the prospect of a general election in 2024 there will be concerns that they have suffered losses in the north, south and the Midlands.

They have sought to manage expectations by pointing to forecasts by academic experts Professors Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher which suggest they could lose more than 1,000 seats if things go badly.

The Tories will seek to portray any defeat below that scale as better than expected  although the loss of hundreds of councillors will not help morale within the Conservative ranks.

Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said the party had experienced a bit of a blip following the turmoil in No 10 which saw Boris Johnson and Liz Truss ousted before Mr Sunak took office.

He attempted to present the expected losses as mid-term blues for the Tories, telling Sky News : The British people are a very sensible group of folk and they understand whats important.

Occasionally they like to give political parties a bit of a reminder of who the politicians serve. Certainly when you get into being mid-term in a government you get quite a bit of that.

The Tories are nervous about the situation in Bolton, where they were the biggest party, and they also fear for their control in Windsor and Maidenhead.

The Liberal Democrats claimed to have made big gains in the royal borough, with control on a knife edge.

Labour expects to make significant gains in Plymouth and take control of the council in the city which contains Veterans Minister Johnny Mercers seat  a key general election target.

In Tamworth  the seat of scandal-hit former Tory whip Chris Pincher  Labour made seven gains, pushing it from Conservative into no overall control.

I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative government. Tonight their voices will be heard Daisy Cooper

But in Hull, Labours attempts to regain the council from the Liberal Democrats failed, with Sir Ed Daveys party tightening its grip on the authority.

With full results from 25 out of the 230 councils where elections were being held:

 The Tories lost control of two councils and suffered a net loss of 36 councillors.

 Labour had a net gain of 38 councillors.

 The Liberal Democrats had put on a net eight councillors.

Labour claimed that, based on the aggregate vote, the party would have won the Westminster constituencies of Hartlepool, Stevenage, Dudley South, Ipswich, West Bromwich East, Great Grimsby and Aldershot, which has been held by the Tories since its creation as a seat in 1918.

A Labour source said: Tory MPs will be very worried. This is supposed to be Rishi Sunaks political honeymoon, but on these results they would have lost a bunch of seats  including one theyve held for over 100 years.

Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said: I have knocked on countless doors in recent weeks and heard real anger and frustration from voters who are sick and tired of being taken for granted by this Conservative government. Tonight their voices will be heard.

The elections were branded a dark day for British democracy by campaigners opposed to the introduction of photo ID, who claimed thousands of people had been denied their right to vote.

But Mr Heaton-Harris insisted the policy was a thoroughly good thing even though the elections watchdog said some people had been turned away from polling stations.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said: We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections.

Tom Brake of Unlock Democracy, who is leading a coalition of groups opposed to the policy including the Electoral Reform Society, Fair Vote UK and Open Britain, said: Today has been a dark day for British democracy.

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced.

The Association of Electoral Administrators chief executive Peter Stanyon said there had been many anecdotal reports of people being unable to vote but it is still too early to gauge how introducing voter ID has gone.

More than 8,000 council seats were up for election on Thursday across 230 local authorities, while mayors were being chosen in Bedford, Leicester, Mansfield and Middlesbrough.

The last time the same council seats were contested was in May 2019, when the Tories performed poorly under Theresa May as she struggled with Brexit and Labour under Jeremy Corbyn also suffered.

The Conservatives lost more than 1,300 council seats and majority political control of 44 councils, meaning they had less to lose on Thursday than they might have done.

About a quarter of the votes are expected to be counted overnight, with the rest counted during the day on Friday.
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The Greens have won their first outright majority on a UK council in what it hopes cements a coming of age moment as a mainstream party.

Mid Suffolk fell from a minority Conservative administration to sole control of the Greens as they made inroads elsewhere during the local election results on Friday.

The left-wing environmentalists have controlled local authorities in minority and coalition administrations before, but this is the first time they will have outright control.

With eight more results to be declared, the Greens victory was declared when they won 18 of the East Anglia councils 34 seats.

Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay told the PA news agency: For the first time anywhere outside Australia weve seen the Greens take the majority control of a council.

Its enormous because what weve seen over the last four sets of election since 2019 is the Green party really coming of age as a mainstream party in this country.

Mr Ramsay said the Greens have been part of around 20 local administrations in the past but capturing overall control is a really significant moment that paves the way for success at the general election.

He said his party is picking votes from both Labour and the Conservatives across rural and urban areas.

Caroline Lucas has been the partys sole MP, but Mr Ramsay hopes to enter the Commons in the new Waveney Valley constituency, which includes much of Mid Suffolk.

Carla Denyer, who shares the Green leadership, plans to run in Bristol Central, where she will change strong Labour support.

But doing so would edge out another left-wing candidate, putting at risk Sir Keir Starmers chances of winning a general election.

Mr Ramsay said: Getting more greens elected will hold other parties feet to the fire and will raise the issues that need to be challenged in terms of the climate emergency but also cost of living and growing inequality.

The Greens were also behind the Conservatives losing overall control of East Hertfordshire, where no party won a majority. Seventeen Green candidates won spots on the council on Thursdays votes.

In Mid Suffolk, Mr Ramsay vowed to be responsive to local concerns and focus on housing which is currently far too expensive for local people and outside their reach.

He said the Green-run council plans to advocate for more social housing and being tougher with developers on affordable housing.
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Members of the UK Armed Forces deployed overseas will mark the coronation through a variety of events around the world.

The military personnel will be taking part in celebrations ranging from tea parties and village fetes to flypasts and gun salutes.

Persian Gulf personnel will spend the day revelling at a street party and village fete dubbed Desert Orb, while in Cyprus soldiers will attend a celebration alongside 20 dignitaries from the UN mission and Allied High Commissions.

In Gibraltar, soldiers have attended street parties and a 21-round gun salute by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment, while a parade snaked through the streets in the centre of the headland on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Royal Navys HMS Spey will be dressed for the coronation with flags and bunting before hosting a Big Lunch including a large cake with the Union Jack and Kings Cypher on for the whole ships company.

A flypast of aircraft already based at Mount Pleasant Complex will take place above the skies of East Falkland.

Personnel deployed in Malaysia are poised for a Five Power Defence Arrangements coin ceremony, and around 150 members of the armed forces from Commonwealth countries will receive a unique coronation coin.

Soldiers from the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand who are deployed in support of Ukraine have joined a tea party near their headquarters in Germany, the Equipment Support at International Donors Coordination Cell (IDCC).

Col Andrew Rogers, Commander of IDCC, said: This has been fantastic event and on behalf of the British and Commonwealth team Id like to thank the USO for enabling us to share a small part of this momentous occasion with our international partners.

Our deployed personnel will join the rest of the UK, the Commonwealth and the globe in enjoying this historic occasion throughout the weekend of celebration.
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Ahmaud Arberys mother should be celebrating with her son on his 29th birthday.

Instead, shes organising a run in his honour - and reflecting on what the latest shooting of a Black boy at the hands of a white man says about any progress made since his murder.

Ahmaud, a 25-year-old Black man, had gone for a jog on the bright spring afternoon of 23 February 2020.

In the predominantly-white Satilla Shores neighbourhood, three white men jumped into their pickup trucks and chased him down. One of the assailants then shot Ahmaud twice with a shotgun at close range, leaving him dead in the street.

His killers tried to claim self-defence for why they chased and opened fire on the unarmed Black man who was jogging through the neighbourhood in broad daylight.

While it didnt work for them, three years later its a defence now expected to be used by an 84-year-old white man for why he shot a Black 16-year-old boy who rang his doorbell.

This 13 April, Ralph Yarl had gone to pick up his younger twin brothers from a friends house in Kansas City, Missouri, when he got muddled up with the address and accidentally went to the wrong home.

When he rang the doorbell, the homeowner inside opened fire on him, shooting him twice.

Ahmauds mother Wanda Cooper-Jones tells The Independent that while she was shocked to hear about the shooting, she sees echoes of her sons murder in what happened.

I was shocked as I couldnt believe a young guy  a baby  rang the doorbell at the wrong residence and was shot and could have been killed. It was unreal, she says.

Ralph wasnt doing anything wrong. He just rang the doorbell to the wrong residence.

Like Ahmaud  he was jogging and didnt do anything wrong and he was shot and killed.

Unlike Ahmaud, Ralph survived.

A mural in memory of Ahmaud Arbery (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

He was shot twice  once in the head and once in the arm  but managed to stumble away to get help. After being admitted to hospital, he was released to recover at home days later.

But the aftermath of the shootings also drew comparisons.

It was 74 days before any of Ahmauds killers were arrested for his murder.

They were only brought to justice when one of them (thinking it would help their case amid an uproar in the community) leaked smartphone footage showing them chasing Ahmaud in their trucks and shooting him dead.

Last month, Ralphs shooting sparked similar outrage when the homeowner walked free for several days without any charges being brought.

Despite the disturbing similarities in both the shootings and the aftermaths of Ahmaud and Ralphs cases, Ms Cooper-Jones feels some key differences prove that there has been some change.

No video footage was needed to secure an arrest for Ralph Yarl and  instead of 74 days  it took four.

At the time of the shooting of Ralph there wasnt an arrest immediately. [The homeowner] was allowed to stay home and clear up the glass from his porch, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

It was not an immediate arrest but at the same time it was an arrest. So we have to appreciate that there is some progress.

Reflecting on the last three years, Ms Cooper-Jones does feel that some progress has been made in the three years since her sons murder shone a spotlight on racism in America.

She points to some other Black men and women whose deaths led to a racial reckoning across the country in 2020.

In the case of Breonna Taylor they did bring federal charges against the officers, she says.

Lee Merritt, Wanda Cooper-Jones and Rev. Al Sharpton (from right to left) outside the courthouse in Georgia after the Black joggers three killers were found guilty of murder (Getty Images)

George Floyd got justice in his case... So I think we are seeing some progress.

In Georgia, Ms Cooper-Jones own fight to get justice for her son was key to making progress in the state.

At the time of his murder, a Civil-War era citizens arrest law was still in place while there was no hate crime laws.

Following Ahmauds death, the Republican-led state legislature repealed the citizens arrest law  a law that the killers tried to use as a defence.

And Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed hate crime legislation into law meaning that further charges can now be brought for crimes motivated by a victims race, colour, gender, sex, sexual orientation, religion, national origin or disability.

While these changes may have come too late to hold Ahmauds killers to account, Ms Cooper-Jones says the laws now work in favour of anyone else ever put in her sons shoes.

Unfortunately the people who killed Ahmaud couldnt be charged with a hate crime [under state law] as the charge was not in place at the time of his murder, she says.

But the good thing is if it happens again, there will be charges.

Change has come and if someone who looks like Ahmaud decides to run down the street and they are gunned down by people because they dont look like them, then those people can be charged.

But despite some meaningful progress, Ms Cooper-Jones is aware that some things are more difficult to change.

Research suggests that shootings like that of Ralph and Ahmaud are part of a bigger societal problem with the adultification and dehumanisation of Black boys and young Black men.

Adultification refers to racial bias where people look at Black children as being older, bigger and less innocent than their white counterparts.

Research shows that this bias means people view Black children as more angry than white children.

Similarly, research published by the American Psychological Association finds that people perceive Black men as larger and more threatening than white men of the same size.

Participants also believed that the Black men were more capable of causing harm in a hypothetical altercation and, troublingly, that police would be more justified in using force to subdue them, even if the men were unarmed, the researcher wrote.

Ralphs shooter claimed he was scared to death of the approximately 6 feet tall Black man (his family say he is 5 foot 8). Ahmauds killers claimed they believed he must be responsible for crime in the area (no evidence of this was ever found).

Such racial bias and discrimination can be harder to change than laws.

Protesters holding signs calling for Justice for Ahmaud Arbery (REUTERS)

We cant change what people think, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

If thats the way people see Black boys its very sad but if thats your thinking, we cant change your thinking.

We just have to try change the way our boys do things to try to prevent them from being at risk, she says.

One way Ms Cooper-Jones is working to support Black boys and young men is through The Ahmaud Arbery Foundation set up in her sons memory.

The organisations mission is to create safe spaces for Black boys to run freely and to promote the impact running can have on the physical and mental health of Black boys like Ahmaud.

As part of this, this Saturday (6 May), people will take part in the organisations second annual Run With Maud event.

The 5k run  two days before Ahmauds 29th birthday on 8 May  will raise money to support Black boys aged seven to 17 in the community.

All proceeds go back out to the community, says Ms Cooper-Jones.

I think its very important that Black boys and boys that look like Ahmaud have mental health resources as thats an area that I think is neglected and thats why we have so many Black boys struggling in that area.

She adds: Ahmaud ran every day and he ran because it made him feel better.

The run is of course poignant  as the very thing Ahmaud was doing when he was murdered.

Thats something his mother wants people to remember when they join in the event  or whenever they go out for a run.

I want people to know that Ahmaud was running for a sense of therapy and while he was running he was chased and killed, she says.

I hope people dont forget that this isnt just a run and that they put themselves in Ahmauds shoes on that Sunday when he was jogging and was chased and was gunned down.

Theyre not only running for Ahmaud. Theyre running for all social justices.
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A University of California Berkeley professor is facing calls to resign, after she admitted to mistakenly claiming Native American heritage throughout her career researching indigenous food sovereignty.

In uncritically living an identity based on family stories without seeking out a documented connection to these communities, I caused harm, Elizabeth M Hoover, an associate professor at the Berkeley school of Environmental Science, Policy, and Mangement, said in a statement posted on her website on Monday. I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms.

The professor said she was raised being told by family members that she descended from members of the Mohawk and Mikmaq tribes, but failed to investigate whether those ties in fact existed.

Before taking part in programs or funding opportunities that were identity-related or geared toward under-represented people I should have ensured that I was claimed in return by the communities I was claiming, added. By avoiding this inquiry, I have received academic fellowships, opportunities, and material benefits that I may not have received had I not been perceived as a Native scholar.

The scholar said she does not plan to resign, but is working with restorative justice facilitators to better understand how members of the UC Berkeley campus community have felt harmed and betrayed, and ways I can work to meaningfully make amends for this.

Desi Small Rodriguez, an assistant professor in UCLAs Sociology Department and American Indian Studies Program and a member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe, told the San Jose Mercury News that the professors apology amounted to gaslighting, and said a high-profile scholar researching Native American issues should be held to a high standard before making claims about identity.

An average person could get away with accepting family lore, but Hoover is PhD from an Ivy League Institution, she said. Its totally unacceptable.

Adrieenne Keene, an assistant professor of American studies and ethnic studies at Brown University and member of the Cherokee Nation, wrote on Twitter earlier this week that the waves of harm extending from this are immense and difficult to even capture.

I have been devastated, enraged, and exhausted over this for the past year, she added. I have spent countless hours supporting her current and former students, trying to process my own emotions, and having to continue on at an institution that gave her a PhD, her first job, and tenure.

Others defended the Berkeley professor and her work.

Josh Sargent, a member of the Akwesasne Mohawk, said Professor Hoover had done important research about the impact of industrial contamination in the St Lawrence River, calling her a good person and always welcome here, in an interview with the Mercury News, arguing debates about her identity are happening in the bubble of academia.

In October, the Berkeley professor announced that after researching her genealogy, she would stop identifying as a person of Mohawk and Mikmaq descent.

Now, without any official documentation verifying the identity I was raised with, I do not think it is right for me to continue to claim to be a scholar of Mohawk / Mikmaq descent, she wrote at the time.

Last year, the late Bay Area-based actress and activist Sacheen Littlefeather, who famously read a speech criticising Hollywoods portrayal of indigenous people during the 1973 Oscars, was exposed by her family as having falsely claimed Native heritage.
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The woman who was killed during a mass shooting in Atlanta on Wednesday has been identified as a worker at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the agency.

Amy St Pierre, 38, was killed after Deion Patterson, 24, allegedly open fired in the waiting room of the Northside Hospital in Midtown Atlanta.

He allegedly shot Ms St Pierre and wounded four other women. Ms St Pierre died at the scene, according to police.

The other women who were wounded are Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel, and Alesha Hollinger, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing Mr Patterson's charging papers. They are reportedly still in critical condition, according to Grady Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Robert Jansen.

A CDC spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Ms St Pierre was an employee, and that the agency "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss, according to the paper.

Ms St Pierres family offered the following statement to The Independent.

Our beloved Amy was brilliant, kind, big-hearted and simply the best of the best. An Emory honors graduate and Georgia State MBA, Amy traveled the world with curiosity and courage. She was driven by compassion, both in her work in the field of maternal mortality, and in her everyday life. Amy was selfless always, she wanted more for others but never for herself. Generous supporter of worthy causes, she was the social conscience of our family.

Loving wife and mother of two, middle sister to two brothers, and cherished daughter, she was truly our pride and joy. Amys friends are the best reflection of the person she was. Their outpouring of tears, love and support are beyond measure.

She will be missed but never, ever forgotten.

Her family has asked for privacy and said they will not be making further comment at this time.

Ms St Pierre was remembered on Twitter by one of her friends, who vowed to honour the advocacy work the woman did in life.

"She was my friend. My neighbor. My comrade. A forest defender. A mom. A wife. She deserved better. Her sweet kids and husband deserved better. Im so sorry, Amy," her friend, Shannon, wrote on Twitter. "We honor you by fighting for change."

Shannon said that "Amy quietly supported local and regional movements for social Justice for years."

"She was one of the most politically rigorous, gigantic hearted humans I ever got the privilege to learn from and throw down with," she wrote. "The ripples of her generosity will be here with us forever."

Mr Patterson allegedly fled the scene on foot after the shooting, and was later arrested after an hours-long manhunt. He has been charged with murder and four counts of aggravated assault.

The suspect's mother, Minyone Patterson, is a nurse and accompanied him to the hospital, she told the Associated Press. She said that her son had some mental instability going on from medication he received from the Veterans Affairs office.

Amy St Pierre, a mother, social justice advocate, and worker at the US CDC, was killed during a mass shooting in Atlanta (screengrab/Facebook)

Mr Patterson was formerly a member of the US Coast Guard.

Ms Patterson said her son had requested Ativan but was given something different.

Those families, those families, Ms Patterson told the Associated Press, crying. Theyre hurting because they wouldnt give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldnt listen to me.
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New bodycam footage shows Bryan Kohberger being pulled over by police almost exactly one month before he is accused of stabbing four University of Idaho students to death in an attack that sent shockwaves across America.

In the footage, the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD student is seen going on the defence when a female officer carries out a traffic stop on 14 October.

The video, released by WSU on Thursday, shows the officer approaching Mr Kohbergers white Hyundai Elantra  the same vehicle which was at the centre of a six-week manhunt to find the college killer.

She tells Mr Kohberger that she pulled him over for running a red light at the intersection.

The 28-year-old accused killer is somewhat argumentative, pushing back on the officers version of events and asking a series of questions about the law in Pennsylvania.

What actually happened is I was stuck in the middle of the intersection, he says.

So I was forced to go to the left.

The officer tells him that drivers are not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then youre stuck in the intersection.

Mr Kohberger tells the officer that he is not familiar with driving in Washington state as he is from a rural part of Pennsylvania and asks her to explain the rules to him.

Can you explain that to me a little bit further? he asks.

So in Pennsylvania, when youre stuck in an intersection, you have to make the left. What would the appropriate thing for me to have done been?

The officer explains: Youre not supposed to block an intersection like that in Washington.

At the end of the minutes-long interaction, Mr Kohberger apologises for asking too many questions.

Bryan Kohberger goes on the defence as he is pulled over by female officer (WSU Police)

I do apologise if I was asking you too many questions about the law, he says.

The officer says she is letting him off with a warning.

Almost exactly one month later  on 13 November  Mr Kohberger allegedly murdered Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, that the three women shared with two surviving students.

Over a month later on 30 December, Mr Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania and charged with their murders.

WSU police also released bodycam footage on Thursday of the search warrant being executed on the suspects apartment in Pullman, Washington, on the day of his arrest.

The footage shows officers stating their presence outside the property and serving the warrant but does not capture the search once the officers enter.

Mr Kohberger was not present at the time as he had travelled cross-country with his father in the white Hyundai Elantra in mid-December to spend the holidays at his family home in Albrightsville, close to the Poconos Mountains.

New details also emerged about what was found during that search of his apartment and at a storage unit rented by Mr Kohberger.

The newly-released court documents show that two items found in his apartment tested positive for blood.

The two items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which had visible reddish brown stains.

The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

Ethan Chapin and Xana Kernodle (Jazzmin Kernodle)

Multiple other items seized from the apartment were also tested for blood but came back negative.

Investigators seized a string of items from his home including possible human and animal hair strands, a disposable glove and a computer.

The murder weapon  a fixed-blade knife  was not recovered during the searches and it has still never been found.

However, the affidavit, released in January, revealed that Mr Kohbergers DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the scene of the murders.

It also revealed that his white Hyundai Elantra was caught on surveillance footage at the crime scene and that one of the surviving roommates came face to face with the killer  masked, dressed in head to toe black and with bushy eyebrows  as he left the home in the aftermath of the murders.

It is still unclear what connection the WSU PhD student had to the University of Idaho students  if any  prior to the horror attack.

As a criminal justice PhD student at WSU, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there that summer, having just completed his first semester before his arrest.

Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves pictured together before their murders (Instagram)

Before this, he studied criminology at DeSales University  first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022.

While there, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

He also carried out a research project to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.

Now, the criminology PhD student is set to appear in Latah County Courthouse in Idaho for his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

He is facing life in prison or the death penalty for the murders that have rocked the small college town of Moscow and hit headlines around the globe.
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The husband of the ex-wife of slain Microsoft executive Jared Bridegan could face the death penalty for his roadside murder in Florida.

Prosecutors say they intend to seek the death penalty for Mario Fernandez Saldana, who is accused in connection with the February 2022 killing.

Bridegan was murdered amid a family court fight with his ex-wife Shanna Gardner-Fernandez over custody and finances related to their 10-year-old twins.

The 33-year-old father of four was driving with his two-year-old daughter in Jacksonville when he stopped to move a tire out of the road. Investigators say that when he got out of his vehicle he was gunned down in cold blood.

Henry Tenon, who was a tenant of Mr Fernandez Saldan, has pleaded guilty to carrying out the murder and is cooperating with prosecutors. He faces 15 years to life in prison.

Mr Fernandez Saldana, the new husband of Ms Gardner-Fernandez, committed the crime for pecuniary gain and in a cold calculated and premeditated manner without any pretense of moral or legal justification, prosecutors alleged.

According to his arrest warrant, investigators found that he wrote Mr Tenon three checks and the pair made dozens of calls to each other during February 2022.

Mario Fernandez Saldana (OCJ)

The decision to pursue the death penalty in the case comes just days after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a new law requiring that only eight out of 12 jurors need to agree on the death sentence.

An old booking photo of Henry Tenon, now 61, who has been charged with second-degree murder connected to the 2022 death of Jared Bridegan in Jacksonville Beach, Florida (Florida Department of Corrections)

It replaces the previous law which needed a unanimous vote for the death penalty.
 Close Georgia shooting: Police investigate as multiple people dead after gunman opens fire

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A McDonalds manager has been identified as one of the three victims killed by suspected gunman Kentavious White in a shooting spree across three different locations in Moultrie, Georgia, on Thursday.

White, 26, is believed to have shot and killed his 50-year-old mother at her home as well as his 74-year-old grandmother at her home next door in the early hours of the morning.

He then allegedly travelled to the fast food restaurant, where he was an employee, and shot dead his manager 41-year-old Amia Smith.

Surveillance footage, seen by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, captures White arriving at the restaurant and then getting Smith to come to the door. White then allegedly shot Smith before entering the McDonalds and turning the gun on himself.

The motive behind the incident remains unknown.

A neighbour told The Associated Press that police had been called to the property that White shared with his mother just one day before the shooting spree after the suspect had come outside and fired a gun while shouting.
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At least two items seized from the home of accused killer Bryan Kohberger tested positive for blood, it has been revealed.

Court documents, released by Washington authorities on Thursday, show that multiple items taken from the 28-year-old Washington State University criminology PhD students apartment in Pullman had been tested for the presence of blood.

While most items came back negative, two items were positive.

Those items were a mattress cover on the bed and an uncased pillow, both of which were described as having visible reddish brown stains. The documents do not reveal who the blood belongs to.

The items were all seized when police executed a search warrant at Mr Kohbergers address on 30 December  the day that he was arrested for the murders of University of Idaho students Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21.

Investigators also seized other items such as possible human and animal hair strands, a disposable glove and a computer.

The murder weapon  a fixed-blade knife  was not recovered during the searches and it has still never been found.

However, the affidavit, released in January, revealed that Mr Kohbergers DNA was found on a knife sheath left behind at the scene of the murders.

WSU police also released bodycam footage on Thursday of the search warrant being executed at the Pullman apartment.

The footage shows officers stating their presence outside the property and serving the warrant but does not capture the search once the officers enter.

Mr Kohberger was not present at the time as he had travelled cross-country with his father in the white Hyundai Elantra in mid-December to spend the holidays at his family home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania.

Separate bodycam footage was also released showing Mr Kohberger being pulled over by police on 14 October  almost exactly one month to the day before the killings.

Bodycam shows Bryan Kohberger on the defence as he is pulled over by female officer (WSU Police)

In the footage, he is seen going on the defence when a female officer approaches him in his white Hyundai Elantra  the same vehicle which was at the centre of a six-week manhunt to find the college killer.

She tells Mr Kohberger that she pulled him over for running a red light at the intersection.

The 28-year-old accused killer is somewhat argumentative, pushing back on the officers version of events and asking a series of questions about the law in Pennsylvania.

What actually happened is I was stuck in the middle of the intersection, he says.

So I was forced to go to the left.

The officer tells him that drivers are not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then youre stuck in the intersection.

Mr Kohberger tells the officer that he is not familiar with driving in Washington state as he is from a rural part of Pennsylvania and asks her to explain the rules to him.

Can you explain that to me a little bit further? he asks.

So in Pennsylvania, when youre stuck in an intersection, you have to make the left. What would the appropriate thing for me to have done been?

The officer explains: Youre not supposed to block an intersection like that in Washington.

The college home where the students were stabbed to death (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

At the end of the minutes-long interaction, Mr Kohberger apologises for asking too many questions.

I do apologise if I was asking you too many questions about the law, he says.

The officer says she is letting him off with a warning.

Almost exactly one month later  on 13 November  Mr Kohberger allegedly murdered the four students.

The four victims were found stabbed to death in an off-campus home in Moscow, Idaho, that the three women shared with two surviving students.

Mr Kohberger was arrested at his parents home in Pennsylvania on 30 December and charged with their murders.

It is still unclear what connection the WSU PhD student had to the University of Idaho students  if any  prior to the horror attack.

As a criminal justice PhD student at WSU, Mr Kohberger lived just 15 minutes from the victims over the Idaho-Washington border in Pullman. He had moved there from Pennsylvania and began his studies there that summer, having just completed his first semester before his arrest.

Before this, he studied criminology at DeSales University  first as an undergraduate and then finishing his graduate studies in June 2022.

While there, he studied under renowned forensic psychologist Katherine Ramsland who interviewed the BTK serial killer and co-wrote the book Confession of a Serial Killer: The Untold Story of Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer with him.

He also carried out a research project to understand how emotions and psychological traits influence decision-making when committing a crime.

Now, the criminology PhD student is set to appear in Latah County Courthouse in Idaho for his preliminary hearing on 26 June.

He is facing life in prison or the death penalty for the murders that have rocked the small college town of Moscow and hit headlines around the globe.
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A man who shared a prison cell with convicted sex offender Jesse McFadden has revealed the deviant sexual behaviour he exhibited in jail, as outrage mounts over the alleged Oklahoma killers early release and how he was able to remain free despite facing charges of soliciting a minor.

Oklahoma authorities confirmed on Wednesday that the property near Henryetta where seven bodies were found earlier this week was the scene of a murder-suicide. Investigators determined Jesse McFadden, 39, shot dead his wife Holly Guess, 35, and her children Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13.

The childrens friends 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 15-year-old Brittany Brewer, who stayed at the home over the weekend for a sleepover, were also killed. McFadden then staged the grisly scene and turned the gun on himself. He was set to stand trial over child porn charges on the day authorities made the gruesome discovery.

McFadden, a registered sex offender, had already served 16 years in prison following a conviction for the rape of a minor. He was released in 2020, three years before his sentence was set to end, despite being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor.

Now, a man who claims to have been McFaddens cellmate at Joseph Harp Correctional Center in 2015 has come forward with shocking details about McFaddens disturbing behaviour in prison.

He [was] a very sexual person, you know, like everything that he talked about was just always sexual, James Fleming, who was jailed at JHCC on drug charges, told The Independent in a phone interview. Every time we had a conversation, he would always try to lead it up to something sexual ... the way that he tried to push it on me was just very uncomfortable.

Fleming also recounted often being awoken in the middle of the night by McFaddens deviant dreams. Fleming, who has since been released on probation, said that McFaddens odd behaviour left a negative impression on him for years after they were sent to different facilities.

I remember telling my [new] cellmate ... just how weird he was, Mr Fleming said. Like he would say stuff in his sleep. And excuse my language, but hed be like, Come here, bi***. Give me that . you know, you can elaborate on it.

It comes as local news station KFOR revealed on Wednesday that authorities left behind a trove of stomach-churning evidence at McFaddens property after releasing the scene and reportedly claiming that part of the investigation was over. While touring the residence with the owners authorisation, a crew of reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia that have since been seized by Okmulgee Police.

Fleming said that he didnt initially know McFadden was in jail for a sex offence, but shortly after they were paired together, he realised that McFadden was consumed by sexual thoughts. When reached by The Independent, a spokesperson with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections confirmed that both McFadden and Fleming were jailed at JHCC in 2015. The state agency declined to confirm or deny they were cellmates citing protocol over security concerns.

Although he first thought the arrangement was a success because they had the same prison job and schedule, Fleming said that learning about McFaddens previous offences completely changed his mind about the rapist and would-be mass killer.

[He talked about sex] all the time. I mean, it wasnt once a week, it was all the time, all the time, Fleming told The Independent. And I talked to somebody yesterday and I told him, If I wasnt mentally and physically strong as I was, I believe that he would have tried to molest me in there.

When you find out that about somebody, it just changes the way you think about them because its so horrific, he added. He tried to justify the rape but I knew that he got sentenced to 20 years in prison for that and you dont get sentenced to 20 years if its statutory rape and youre 18 and shes 17 and the parents got mad at you and called the cops on you.

A crew of KFOR reporters found hand restraints, sex toys and drug paraphernalia at McFaddena home (KFOR )

The evidence has since been seized by Okmulgee Police (KFOR/Screenshot)

Fleming, who was released in 2021, said that he tried to warn Henryetta Police Department about McFadden back in February of this year. Screenshots of what appears to be a conversation between him and the departments Facebook page show that Fleming described McFadden as a predator with multiple offences.

A spokesperson with Henryetta Police Department told The Independent that McFaddens address was located in an unincorporated part of Okmulgee County, where his registration was up to date, and deferred to Okmulgee Police Department.

Due to his home address. Henryetta Police Department would have no records kept of his registration, Henryetta Police said in a statement.

After his release in October 2020, McFadden was arrested the next month and then released on a $25,000 bond pending trial, which was repeatedly delayed, partially due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Relatives of the victims have expressed disbelief after learning about McFaddens early release, especially in light of the seriousness of the new charges against him.

Ivy and Brittanys parents have said they did not know McFadden had been convicted of raping a minor, while Guess mother has said she only found out very recently. McFadden was on the states sex offender registry, but it is unclear whether local registries are readily available for the public.

According to Oklahoma law, registered sex offenders are not allowed within a 2,000-foot radius of schools or facilities caring for children. The Independent has reached out to Okmulgee County Sheriffs Office.

Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17 (Associated Press)

McFaddens 2003 rape victim Krystle Strong also told The Independent earlier this week that she had tried to stop his early release.

I called the jail, Ms Strong said. I believe I left a voicemail and tried to get transferred and I kept getting the runaround. I told them, Look, Ive called you guys over the years several times trying to get updates and Ive seen that you guys are still going to let him out even after you found contraband child porn on his phone. If this doesnt show that somebody isnt rehabilitated, then I dont know what else would.

Ms Strong said she was violently attacked by McFadden at knife-point when she was just 16 years old, and he was 19. Guess family told NewsNation on Wednesday that McFadden reportedly paid a woman to impersonate Ms Strong and tell Guess that it was all a misunderstanding and she was 19 when the rape took place.

He paid people to lie to her. He literally found somebody, whoever, and he paid that person to go to Holly and say that I made up the whole story, Ms Strong said. And I dont believe the knife that he held in my throat was ever brought up either.

Brittany Brewer, 15, and Ivy Webster, 14 (Brewer family / Webster family via Facebook)

Defence attorney Lee Berlin told the Associated Press on Wednesday that hes shocked by what he described as a panoply of errors in the McFadden case. He said they include releasing McFadden from prison despite serious charges pending against him as well as low bail for McFadden once he was arrested on the new charges.

Im a sex-crimes defence attorney  this is all I do all day every day  and Im like, how the hell does that happen? Mr Berlin told the AP.

And they rushed him out of prison. How? Guess mother Jannette Mayo also told the AP. Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children, my daughter and my grandchildren are all gone ... Im never going to get to see em, never going to get to hold them, and its killing me.

McFadden had vowed not to return to prison in a series of ominous messages with the teenager whom he had allegedly been texting while behind bars. According to screen grabs of the messages by KOKI in Tulsa, McFadden said his great life was crumbling and blamed the teenager for the latest set of charges against him that could put him back in prison for decades. A solicitation conviction can mean a 10-year sentence, while a pornography charge could mean 20 years behind bars.

A memorial is placed at the home of Brittany Brewer in Henryetta, Okla., on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 (OKLAHOMAN)

Now its all gone, McFadden texted. I told you I wouldnt go back.

This is all on you for continuing this, he said.

The victims all suffered between one to three shots to the head. McFadden used his wifes gun to carry out the attack.

The outrage sparked by the handling of McFaddens case has prompted local residents to create a Change.org petition demanding for harsher sentences and no early release for convicted sex offenders. More than 700 people have signed the petition as of Friday morning.

We are also asking that it be mandated that all city police stations and schools in Oklahoma have a board set up with all local sex offenders pictures and information on them and kept up to date, the description of the page read.

This is so important so we can help our local people, police, and school staff [stay] aware of offenders in our area because the man responsible for these horrendous murders, like other offenders, [was] able to manipulate people into believ[ing] false information.
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Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man, was killed in a New York City subway train on the afternoon of Monday 1 May 2023 after he apparently suffered a mental health episode, leading a fellow passenger to wrestle him to the floor with the help of two others, holding him in a chokehold.

The shocking incident was captured on phone video at the scene, sparking debate among New Yorkers about the rights and wrongs of the vigilantes actions and the extent to which Neelys behaviour could have been interpreted as a threat to the safety of his fellow passengers.

Eyewitness Juan Alberto Vazquez, a freelance journalist, told The New York Post precisely what happened after Neely boarded the northbound F train at Second Avenue station.

He starts to make a speech. He started screaming in an aggressive manner, Mr Vazquez said.

He said he had no food, he had no drink, that he was tired and doesnt care if he goes to jail. He started screaming all these things, took off his jacket, a black jacket that he had, and threw it on the ground.

It was at this point that the stranger, 24-year-old Marine veteran Daniel Penny, stepped in to tackle Neely, whose death has already inspired angry protests denouncing the injustice as authorities continue their investigations before deciding whether or not to press charges against the younger man.

Raiser and Kenniff, PC, the law firm representing Mr Penny, said in a statement on Friday: Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death. We hope that out of this awful tragedy will come a new commitment by our elected officials to address the mental health crisis on our streets and subways.

Responding strongly via Mills and Edwards, their own legal representatives, Neelys family called the statement not an apology nor an expression of regret, branding it a character assassination and adding that Mr Pennys actions on the train, and now his words, show why he needs to be in prison.

Andre Zachery, the victims has meanwhile given an interview to The New York Daily News in which he said that he had not seen his son for four years but that Neely had experienced tragedy as a teenager when his mother, Christine Neely, 36, with whom he had lived in Bayonne, New Jersey, was murdered by her boyfriend Shawn Southerland.

Her body was found in a suitcase by the side of the Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx in 2007 and Jordan Neely had testified at Southerlands trial aged 19, telling the court: The relationship had been crazy. A fight every day. Southerland was ultimately convicted and sentenced to 30 years in jail in 2012.

His mother perished; she also got killed. And him now? Her boyfriend fatally shot her. And he now? By another person? Mr Zachery said.

Carolyn Neely, the deceaseds aunt, told The Post: My sister Christie was murdered in 2007 and after that, he has never been the same.

It had a big impact on him. He developed depression and it grew and became more serious. He was schizophrenic, PTSD. Doctors knew his condition and he needed to be treated for that.

The whole system just failed him. He fell through the cracks of the system.

But Jordan Neely had grown up to be known as an expert Michael Jackson impersonator, honing his act at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan before performing on the subway and in Times Square, his skills evident in a number of videos widely shared on social media in the wake of his death.

A neighbour of Mr Zacherys told The Daily News that dancing had enabled Neely to deal with the mental health issues he had suffered in the wake of his mothers murder.

He used to get tough, they said. He knew how to move. A moonwalk. He was always pleased doing it. He would do it while he was getting ready to go to work. He used to be fantastic.

A school friend, Wilson Leon, now 30, told The New York Times: Everyone called him Michael Jackson. The Michael Jackson of Washington Irving. He would be very passionate about dancing. Very good behavior with the teachers.

Mr Leon said he would continue to run into Neely after the latter dropped out of school: Sometimes 42nd Street, sometimes the L train... We would say hi to each other.

Neely would also become well known to social work teams involved in outreach to New Yorks homeless community, an employee of the Bowery Residents Committee told The NYT, adding that the dancer was included on a Top 50 list of personalities thought to be most in need of care.

Neely was reportedly arrested more than three dozen times, often for minor offences like turnstyle-jumping, but also for violent assaults on four occasions. Care workers also told the newspaper he had become dependent on K2, a synthetic marijuana, and begun to lose weight around summer 2019.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital for a week in March 2020, as the pandemic began to take hold, before reaching crisis point when he was arrested in November 2021 for punching a 67-year-old woman on the street in the Lower East Side, for which he was charged with assault and spent 15 months in jail, pleading guilty in February this year in the hope of securing treatment.

However, he appears to have abandoned the facilty to which he was assigned in the Bronx after just 13 days, entering a spiral of erratic behaviour that would ultimately end in tragedy.

Ray Tarvin, a minister who knew Neely, told The Guardian: He was a nice person, not aggressive or violent. Everyone who knew him knows that.

Hed accept anything you had  many of the homeless down here are sober. Theyre needing food or shelter or clothing, not strung out and shooting up dope.

Jason Williams, a fellow New Yorker, recalled enjoying Jordan Neelys Michael Jackson act on the streets and told The Daily Mail: He embodied the hustle spirit of New York. He was a great performer and its a real tragedy that he [died] so senselessly.
 Close Sean Hannity audience member cheers NYC subway rider who killed homeless passenger

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A veteran New York photojournalist was arrested on Monday night during a vigil and a protest demanding authorities make an arrest for the death of Jordan Neely, a homeless street performer who was placed in a fatal chokehold on a Manhattan F train last week.

At least 10 people were arrested by NYPD officers, including photographer Stephanie Keith, who was filmed being detained near the Broadway-Lafayette Street subway station in downtown Manhattan.

Footage posted on social media also show her shouting Im a press photographer at officers.

The NYPD later said in a statement that officers also discovered a Molotov cocktail during protests.

Calls for justice continue to grow one week on from Neelys death.

Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old former Marine, placed Neely in a fatal chokehold on 1 May. He has not been charged with a crime, and the Manhattan district attorneys office and police are investigating.

Attorneys for Neelys family criticised a statement released by a legal team for Mr Penny, calling the statement an admission of guilt and neither an apology nor an expression of regret.
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On a Monday afternoon F train in Manhattan, a passenger wrestled another man to the ground and wrapped his arm around his neck for several minutes. He died moments later.

Jordan Neelys death was recorded by another passenger and preserved in a widely shared video. The 24-year-old former US Marine who placed Neely in a chokehold was identified by his attorneys on 5 May as Daniel Penny. He was released from police custody after the incident without any charge.

His cause of death was a homicide. The 30-year-old Black man  known for his precise Michael Jackson impersonations on subway platforms while experiencing homelessness in New York City  died from the compression against his neck, according to the citys medical examiner.

New Yorkers are no strangers to unstable or disruptive people who ride the citys 6,500 subway cars; subway riders typically keep to themselves and ignore them.

But Neelys death has revived volatile media narratives about New Yorks homeless population, spinning an act of vigilantism to blame the person killed by it. The mayor and governor have not explicitly condemned the act of lethal violence, raising questions among New York leaders whether the city considers the life of a homeless Black man less valuable than a white stranger prepared to use deadly force.

Advocates and lawmakers told The Independent that the deliberate and explicit rhetoric surrounding people experiencing homelessness, compounded by prolonged failures of policies meant to help them, have exposed thousands of New Yorkers and vulnerable people across the country to the kind of vigilante violence that killed Neely.

Jordan Neelys death was a homicide, and charges must be immediately brought against his killer, the citys elected public advocate Jumaane Williams said in a statement shared with The Independent. To say anything else is an equivocation that will only further a narrative that devalues the life of a Black, homeless man with mental health challenges and encourages an attitude of dehumanization of New Yorkers in greatest need.

Elected leaders and media coverage have created an environment that encourages fear of and violence against people who are struggling, that paints them as a threat to public safety, he added. But being homeless is not a capital crime. Struggling with mental health is not a capital crime. Being Black is not a capital crime.

Neely, Jordan, 30-year-old male, Undomiciled

When he walked into a subway car on 2 May, Neely complained of hunger and thirst, according to journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez, who posted a video of part of the incident on his Facebook page.

He wrote that Neely was yelling and said he was tired, didnt care whether he went to prison, and was ready to die. He said Neely threw his jacket to the floor of the train car before another passenger slammed him to the ground in a headlock. Others grabbed at his arms.

This continued, Mr Vazquez said, for 15 minutes, until Neelys eyes closed and his body went limp.

Officers administered CPR on arrival, according to an incident report from the New York City Police Department reviewed by The Independent. Emergency medical personnel transported Neely to Lenox Health Greenwich Village, where he was pronounced dead.

He was identified by law enforcement as Neely, Jordan, 30-year-old male, Undomiciled.

Coverage in The New York Post described Neely as unhinged and a vagrant. The Federalist thanked the brave men who saved riders. On 4 May, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blamed Neelys death on Democratic lawmakers and George Floyd, who was murdered by Minneapolis police officer in 2020. (Derek Chauvin and three other now-former officers involved in Floyds death have been convicted of state and federal charges.)

Media depictions of people experiencing homelessness and mental illness, and the political debates surrounding public safety, have created a group of people who are OK to hate and be violent toward, and the idea that society sanctions that, goes into peoples heads that theyre justified in what theyre doing, Steve Berg, chief policy officer at the National Alliance to End Homelessness, told The Independent. One of the ways it plays out is the violence we see, the random violence towards homeless people.

Mayor Eric Adams said in the aftermath that theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further, before adding, however, we do know that there were serious mental health issues at play here, appearing open to the suggestion that Neely was responsible for his own death.

In an interview on CNN on 3 May, after the citys medical examiner formally declared Neelys death a homicide, Mr Adams said that each situation is different and we dont know exactly what happened here.

I was a former transit police officer, and I responded to many jobs where you had a passenger assist someone, he added.

US Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose congressional district includes parts of Queens and The Bronx, said the mayors statement feels like a new low.

Not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem too low to care about, she added.

Governor Kathy Hochul also avoided making an unambiguous condemnation of the killing, telling reporters on 3 May that there are people who are homeless in our subways, many of them in the throes of mental health episodes.

Her lieutenant governor Antonio Delgado was more blunt: The consequences for mental health problems in New York should not be death.

In comments to reporters the following day, nearly 72 hours after Neelys killing, the governor clarified that Neelys family deserves justice.

This was an unarmed individual who had been on the subway many times, known by many of the regular travelers, she said. Sometimes people have an episode where theyre displaying their feelings in a loud and emotional way, but it became very clear that  he was not going to cause harm to these other people. And the video of three individuals holding him down until the last breath was snuffed out of him  I would say it was a very extreme response.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg confirmed in a statement to The Independent that senior, experienced prosecutors are investigating the case.

This is a solemn and serious matter that ended in the tragic loss of Jordan Neelys life, press secretary Douglas Cohen said in a statement shared with The Independent. As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the [medical examiners] report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records.

In a statement shared with The Independent shortly after 7.30pm on 5 May, attorneys for Mr Penny said that when Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.

Daniel never intended to harm Mr Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death, the statement added. For too long, those suffering from mental illness have been treated with indifference. We hope that out of this awful tragedy will come a new commitment by our elected officials to address the mental health crisis on our streets and subways.

More than 1,500 New Yorkers have died while homeless within two years

Two days after Neelys death, dozens of protesters crowded on the Broadway-Lafayette subway platform in lower Manhattan demanding justice for his killing and an urgent need for social services to support thousands of New Yorkers like him.

In February, 74,762 people were sleeping in the citys shelter system. That figure does not include the thousands of New Yorkers on the citys streets and subways.

Last year, three people in New York were stabbed, one fatally, while sleeping on the street. A shooting spree across New York and Washington DC resulted in the killings of two men, and three others were injured.

That year, at least 15 homeless New Yorkers were murdered. A year earlier, 22 homeless New Yorkers were murdered. Of the 640 deaths among homeless New Yorkers in 2021, 151 were unsheltered.

In the deadliest year on record for New Yorks homeless population, 815 people died while homeless in 2022.

An epidemic of violence against people experiencing homelessness in cities across the country follows a series of policy failures that have forced more than half a million Americans on the streets each night,according to the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative at the University of California, San Francisco.

Last year, advocates for the citys homeless population and other civil rights groups and city officials roundly criticised a mandate from Mr Adams to involuntarily hospitalise mentally ill New Yorkers, which would police officers permission to remove people from the citys streets and subways regardless of whether they are believed to pose any danger to themselves or others.

They warned against increased law enforcement interaction with vulnerable populations that are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators.

Advocates argued that the city should instead expand access to voluntary inpatient and outpatient psychiatric care and open up all available housing and hotel space for unhoused people.

Protesters crowd a subway platform on 3 May to demand justice for the killing of homeless New Yorker Jordan Neely (AP)

Meanwhile, state and local governments across the US increasingly are criminalising homelessness, from laws banning public camping or prohibiting where you can sleep or sit, or whether you can sleep in your car, loiter or ask for money, while public restrooms are closed overnight in many places. At least 47 states have laws on the books criminalizing homeless people.

Not having housing makes it extremely difficult to try to deal with any kind of disability or health-related problem, from being able to stay in contact with your care providers to keeping up with your appointments, according to Mr Berg with the National Alliance to End Homelessness.

The continuation of mass homelessness is just making all these problems worse, he said. We have all these systems in place to intervene, but not enough investment in getting people in their own homes. The instability of any temporary housing system and the lack of permanent housing [makes it] harder to take advantage.  We know exactly what to do about it, and the public wants these problems solved.

US Rep Daniel Goldman, whose district includes lower Manhattan, said Neelys death underscores a desperate need for mental health services.

Mental illness should never be a death sentence, and he would still be with us in a more caring and compassionate society, he said in a statement shared with The Independent. We need to better address the mental health crisis in our city and country.

Police officers observe a crowd of protesters on a subway platform in Manhattan on 3 May (AP)

Dave Giffen, executive director with the New York-based Coalition for the Homeless, said in a statement that Neelys killing reflects a complete failure of the city and state plans to provide critical mental health services desperately needed by so many people in our city.

Whats more, the fact that someone who took the life of a distressed, mentally ill human being on a subway could be set free without facing any consequences is shocking, and evidences the citys callous indifference to the lives of those who are homeless and psychiatrically unwell, he added. This is an absolute travesty that must be investigated immediately.

Jawanza Williams, director of organizing of New York advocacy organisation VOCAL-NY, said the mayor and governor have successfully campaigned to keep poor people in jails, flooded our subways with cops, and a white man can kill a Black man and be released without charge.

The murder of Jordan Neely is a direct result of the sustained political, systemic abandonment and dehumanization of people experiencing homelessness and mental health complexities, fueled by press coverage that clearly influences policies and emboldens vigilantes, she said in a statement.

Neelys blood is on their hands, and any semblance of justice here requires accountability and a reversal of Adams austerity budget and Hochul to stop blocking progressive policy in Albany, she added.

This was initially published on 4 May and has been updated with developments
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Fox News anchor and former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany appeared to use racist tropes to mock demonstrators who took to the street in New York City in recent days to protest the killing of Jordan Neely, a Black homeless man who was choked to death by a white former Marine.

On Friday, after showing a clip of activists chanting, What do we want? Justice. When do we want it? Now and other slogans to the beat of a drum, Ms McEnany cracked a smile and said, Well, at least they have rhythm, eliciting laughs from her cohosts.

The Fox anchor also condemned people who have already made up their minds about the killing, in which 24-year-old Daniel J Penny was filmed choking Neely for an estimated 15 minutes.

Kat Abughazaleh, an analyst at watchdog group Media Matters for America, said Ms McEnanys rhetoric mocks Black people protesting the killing of Jordan Neely.

Ms McEnany didnt know what race the protesters were and didnt actually see the video being played on air when she made her comment, the anchor said in a statement to The Independent through a network spokesperson

Neelys death, ruled a homicide by city officials, occurred on 2 May on the F train in Manhattan.

Witnesses said Neely, a 30-year-old known for impersonating Michael Jackson, came onto the train and complained out loud about being hungry, tired, and thirsty, before throwing his jacket on the floor.

The killing has sparked a heated conversation in the city, with critics arguing local officials and the media alike have callously blamed Neely for his own death at the hands of a vigilante.

Jordan Neelys death was a homicide, and charges must be immediately brought against his killer, the citys elected public advocate Jumaane Williams said in a statement shared with The Independent. To say anything else is an equivocation that will only further a narrative that devalues the life of a Black, homeless man with mental health challenges and encourages an attitude of dehumanization of New Yorkers in greatest need.

Mr Williams said elected officials and media tropes created an environment that encourages fear of and violence against people who are struggling, that paints them as a threat to public safety.

Following Neelys killing, The New York Post described Neely as unhinged and a vagrant, while The Federalist thanked the brave men who saved riders. On Fox News host Greg Gutfeld blamed Neelys death on Democratic lawmakers and George Floyd, a Black man who was choked to death by a Minneapolis police officer in 2020.

New York mayor Eric Adams has come in for criticism as well.

After Neelys homicide, Mr Adams said theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further, before adding, however, we do know that there were serious mental health issues at play here.

Following the comments, New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted, Jordan Neely was murdered. But bc Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. Its disgusting.
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Just a day after police across the Atlanta area fanned out in search of a man who shot five people at a medical facility, the small town of Moultrie, Georgia experienced a mass shooting.

The shooter who opened fire, killing three women before shooting himself, has been identified as 26-year-old Kentavious White.

White, who died by suicide, shot three other people, including his 50-year-old mother, whom he lived with, and his 74-year-old grandmother, who lived nextdoor, as well as killing a coworker at the McDonalds fast food restaurant where he worked.

Thursdays shooting was not the first time police had encountered the gunman, the Associated Press reports.

Jerry Goodwin, who lived next door to the alleged shooter, said police previously were sent to the mans home a day earlier when he came outside, shouted something, and fired a gun.

I had never seen him hurt anybody or try to hurt anybody before this, Mr Goodwin said.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is assisting local police with their investigation.

Police presence temporarily shut down traffic in the town of 15,000 residents.

Gun violence in Georgia is nothing new.

The state is among the deadliest for gun violence in the country, according to data.

Georgia ranks 14th in gun violence mortality, according to the CDC, with a death rate of 20.3 deaths per 10,000 people.

The day before the Moultrie shooting took place, Deion Patterson allegedly opened fire at an Atlanta medical facility, killing one and injuring four others, before being captured at a swimming pool in Cobb County.

State officials say mental healthcare is available for residents processing what happened.

Due to the situations that have happened recently as well as concerns of overall mental health, we want to remind community members that Georgia Pines is available to provide services for them, Julio Ginel of Georgia Pines, a state mental health contractor, told The Moultrie Observer.
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An arrest has been made in the murder of a hiker in north Phoenix.

Arizona police released a video of a person of interest after an esthetician was attacked from behind and murdered on a desert hiking trail.

The body of Lauren Heike, 29, was discovered in the north Phoenix desert on Saturday morning, the day after she went out to exercise.

Investigators say the alarm was raised the following morning and she was pronounced dead at the scene with her body showing signs of trauma.

A press conference was held a few hours after the arrest, when officials said that the suspect is a man in his early 20s, but they didnt share his identity, Fox10 reported.

The authorities said the suspect was detained at his apartment complex and they had a search warrant for his home. The suspect was taken in for questioning.

Before the press conference where police announced the arrest, Fox10 reported receiving a video from a viewer showing the moment when police arrested the suspect.

Witness Amber Winter told Fox10 that It was around 6.00pm, I was walking my dog, saw about three SWAT trucks come in, 15 undercover vehicles pull up to a building.

They literally blew the door down, went in, screaming get on the ground! Get on the ground! They detained the supposed suspect and brought him out. He sat there for a while, while they went inside and were searching and were interviewing people.

Lauren Heike, 29, found murdered on desert hiking trail in Arizona after being attacked from behind (Phoenix Police Department)

Heikes mother Lana said during a previous press conference that the whole ordeal is horrific. As hard as this is for us, were grateful because we had such a beautiful child.

Were grateful because she had such beautiful friends, she added.

Her father Jeff, said: She was my little girl, and Im going to miss her terribly. I just hope they can find whoever did this to her.

Lauren Heike, 29, found murdered on desert hiking trail in Arizona after being attacked from behind (Phoenix Police Department)

Phoenix Homicide Lt James Hester previously told reporters that Heike was attacked from behind as she hiked and died due to the injuries she suffered.

He said that the victims body was found in a location that is not easily visible from the community trail, which is an area where people often ride horses or off-road vehicles.

Heike was found with trauma on her body, according to police, on 29 April along a trail close to Mayo Boulevard and Scottsdale Road in North Phoenix.

Fox10 reported that an area resident said that it was his wife who found Heikes body as she was walking her dog. They knew of the 29-year-old because she often hiked that trail, and she lived in a nearby apartment complex.

On 2 May, officials shared a blurry video of the suspect who at the time was described as a person of interest.
 Close Seven bodies found in search for two missing Oklahoma teens, police say

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Jesse McFadden is believed to have texted the mother of one of his victims posing as the murdered teenager, it has been revealed.

Ivy Websters mother told NewsNation that she got a final message from her daughters phone on Sunday morning but now thinks McFadden wrote the message pretending to be her daughter.

Authorities said on Wednesday that McFadden shot his six victims in the head with his wifes gun before staging the grisly scene on his rural property.

The victims were identified as McFaddens wife Holly Guess, 35, her children, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17, Michael James Mayo, 15, and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, as well as two other teenagers Ivy, 14, and Brittany Brewer, 15  both of whom were friends with Guesss children.

McFadden was a convicted sex offender who was sent to prison in 2003 for raping Krystle Strong. He was released early in 2020.

Ms Strong told The Independent that she begged several Oklahoma state agencies to halt his early release  which came despite McFadden being hit with fresh charges in 2017 after he was caught using a contraband cell phone to exchange nude photos with a minor.
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A sailboat crew jumped into action to rescue two tourists out of their sinking car after they drove it straight into a boat harbour while reportedly following GPS direction.

The incident took place last Saturday at the Honokohau Small Boat Harbour in Kailua-Kuna, a region located on the west coast of Hawaii.

In a video captured by witness Christie Hutchinson, quick thinking sailboat crew members can be seen springing to action, helping the passengers out of their silver Chrysler Town and Country through the front window.

The crew could be seen using a rope to drag the sinking car back into the shallow water.

"I was just sitting there trying to seek shelter from the rain, and then the next thing, I saw a car drive directly past our boat straight into the harbor at a pretty decent speed," Ms Hutchinson told the Washington Post.

"It was so confidently done, they didnt have a look of panic on their face. They were still smiling."

The video showed the cars windshield wipers still moving as the car tipped forward into the water. Eventually, the tourists unbuckled themselves, with driver opening the door to move out while, the woman on the passenger seat escaped through the window.

The eyewitness also captured the moments car sank into harbour and then disappearing beneath the surface.

"I think they just mustve taken their eyes off the road for a second, and I think everyone is a bit shocked because we saw this car go straight into the harbor," she told Hawaii News Now.

Ms Hutchinson later told the Insider that she believes tourists in the car were sisters and that no one was hurt in the incident. The car was eventually towed out of the habour.

Meanwhile, Samantha Tavares, an information specialist for Hawaiis Department of Transportation, told the Washington Post that it was rare incident because the GPS directions are usually accurate in the state.
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Protesters on Wednesday used US Secretary of State Antony Blinkens appearance at a World Press Freedom Day event to call for the freedom of jailed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.

Mr Blinken had just taken the stage at the event to be interviewed by Washington Post columnist David Ignatius when protesters including CodePinks Medea Benjamin took the stage to call for Mr Assanges release.

Excuse us, Ms Benjamin said. We cant use this day without calling for the freedom of Julian Assange.

As security rushed onto the stage to eject Ms Benjamin, she hooked her leg around Mr Blinkens chair to make it more difficult to remove her.

Mr Blinken remained relatively calm throughout the protest, at one point asking security to take it easy on Ms Benjamin.

While Ms Benjamin struggled to get her message out from the stage, another protester in the audience at the event yelled that attendees had heard nothing about Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian journalist allegedly killed by Israeli forces in the Jenin Refugee Camp in the West Bank in May of last year.

Israel has refused to open a criminal investigation into the IDF soldiers who allegedly shot and killed Ms Abu Akleh despite the fact that an investigation by CNN found that her death was likely the result of a targeted assasination. Other independent investigations reached similar conclusions, and the US Department of Justice opened an investigation into the killing last November over Israeli objections.

Still, a number of observers have implicated the US in Ms Abu Aklehs death given its steadfast support for Israel and its military. Ms Abu Akleh was a celebrated and highly visible Palestinian journalist who had reported for Al Jazeera for a quarter century.

Mr Assange, meanwhile, remains the target of a US extradition request  wanted on espionage charges for publishing thousands of classified military documents leaked to him in 2010 and 2011. Mr Assange is currently incarcerated in the UK and fighting the extradition request. He faces up to 175 years in prison in the US if convicted of the charges hes facing.

Protesters insist there is an irony in the US celebrating press freedom while attempting to lock up Mr Assange, whose supporters argue he is being persecuted simply for carrying out journalism. Mr Assange was granted asylum by Ecuador and lived in the countrys embassy in London from 2012 to 2019, when he had his asylum withdrawn and was arrested by UK police. He still remains a celebrated figure for proponents of free speech and opponents of state power.

After Ms Benjamin was removed from the stage, the event continued.

Were here to celebrate freedom of expression, and we just experienced it, Ignatius said.
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Chile will vote Sunday to choose 50 delegates to a council that will draw up a new Constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed charter last year that was widely described as one of the worlds most progressive.

It's the latest step in a process to replace the countrys dictatorship-era charter that began with massive protests in 2019. For the most part, though, Chileans appear to be greeting this latest phase with a collective shrug.

Im only going to vote because I dont want to pay the fine, said Patricia Borzone, a 45-year-old architect.

Borzone is hardly alone as surveys have shown theres a general apathy in this South American country regarding the vote while many seem to know little about who is on the ballot. Polls conducted by Criteria and Cadem in late March and April, respectively, indicated that nearly 70% of those surveyed said they had little or no interest in Sundays vote.

The election Sunday will be a key step in the effort to come up with a new proposal for a Constitution after 62% of voters rejected the previous proposed charter in September, which was the first in the world to be written by a convention split equally between male and female delegates. Critics had said the document was too long, lacked clarity and went too far in some of its measures, which included characterizing Chile as a plurinational state, establishing autonomous Indigenous territories, and prioritizing the environment and gender parity.

The overwhelming rejection of the first document is one of the reasons theres so much disinterest in the process now because it led to frustration, discontent and a sense of hopelessness, said Gonzalo Muller, head of the Public Policies Center at the University for Development.

In addition, theres been little political mobilization from the candidates, who have not done much campaigning on the streets, leading many to not know any of the 351 people who will be on the ballot Sunday, said Carmen Le Foulon, who coordinates the public opinion division of the Public Studies Center, a local think tank.

For many Chileans the idea of rewriting the constitution takes a back seat to more bread-and-butter issues.

The problems our country is facing in terms of public safety, a profound migration crisis and an economic crisis have led the urgency of the day-to-day to overshadow the interest in constitutional matters, Muller added.

That is precisely why Borzone is less than enthused about heading to the polls Sunday, saying that she doubts the constitutional process will guarantee concrete improvements in education and healthcare, which are fundamental for the country to truly develop.

People want to know how theyre going to be able to buy things, how they can have a better quality of life. And the Constitution, after all, is just a piece of paper. Its not something that can solve personal problems for you, Savka Pollak said in Chiles capital.

Voters will choose delegates for their part of the country, with more populous districts sending more delegates to the council.

Voters generally will choose between five competing political parties or electoral coalitions: the leftist bloc of President Gabriel Boric, a center-left group, a center-right group, the populist Party of the People, and the conservative Republican Party, which has long been opposed to changing the constitution that was imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Numerous polls have shown that the opposition, and in particular the Republican Party, is likely to come out on top.

Even some close to Boric appear to be getting ready for disappointing results.

Sen. Juan Luis Castro, who is a Boric ally, said its inevitable that the government will suffer a setback because theres no interest, theres distrust and there is a high level of disapproval of the government. Borics approval rating is around 30%.

Once elected, the councilors will not start from scratch, but rather work from a preliminary document drafted by 24 experts who were approved by Congress.

The experts are working on 12 constitutional frameworks, including Chile as a unitary state, the recognition of indigenous peoples as part of an indivisible nation, the separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers, and the guarantee of respect for rights and freedoms, including the right to life, property, and equality before the law.

The councilors will receive the draft on June 6 and will have to submit their final version in October. The document will once again be put up for a plebiscite on Dec. 17.

Chile embarked on a closely watched effort to rewrite its Constitution after the country once seen as a paragon of stability in the region exploded in student-led street protests in 2019. The unrest was sparked by a hike in public transportation prices, but it quickly expanded into broader demands for greater equality and more social protections.



Associated Press journalist Daniel Politi contributed to this report from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Centers for Disease and Control Prevention Director Dr Rochelle Walensky announced that she would resign from her position after managing the agency throughout the first two years of the Biden administrations handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

President Joe Biden made a statement on Friday praising Dr Walensky upon her announcement: Dr. Walensky has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American. As Director of the CDC, she led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity. She marshalled our finest scientists and public health experts to turn the tide on the urgent crises weve faced.

Ms Walensky took the reins of the CDC as Mr Biden took office and began to marshal efforts to vaccinate much of the general public. During that time, she also oversaw the development of both the delta and omicron variants of Covid-19.

At the same time, she and the center received intense criticism for her management of the pandemic. In 2022, the American Medical Association criticised the centers shortening the advice for quarantining from ten days to five days.

A negative test should be required for ending isolation after one tests positive for COVID-19, the association said in a statement early last year. Reemerging without knowing ones status unnecessarily risks further transmission of the virus.

Dr Walensky also received criticism when she said on Good Morning America that deaths from Covid-19 among vaccinated people occurred in people who had at least four, so really these were people who were unwell to begin with. She later apologised in a meeting with disability rights advocates. But many disability rights activists continued to criticise the administrations policies.

Dr Walensky will reportedly step down by the end of June, The Associated Press reported.

Her announcement comes the same day the World Health Organisation announced that Covid-19 is no longer a global health emergency.
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E. Jean Carroll testified in sometimes searing detail about the day she says Donald Trump raped her in a department store dressing room two decades before he became president, allegations the Republican has repeatedly and vehemently denied.

Taking the witness stand in support of Carroll this week, two friends told jurors that they spoke with the former magazine columnist shortly after the alleged 1996 attack, and that they believe she is telling the truth. Other women testified about separate encounters; one said Trump grabbed and groped her while they were on a flight in the late 1970s, the other told jurors he forcibly kissed her at his Florida home in 2005.

The accounts, shared during the civil trial on Carroll's claims of battery and defamation against Trump, mark the first time that any of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against the former president have been heard in a court trial. Given a chance to rebut Carroll's accusations on the witness stand, Trump declined to make an appearance, instead traveling overseas. He told reporters in Ireland that he may still testify in person, though his attorney said in court that he will not and that they will not present other witnesses.

For most politicians, the allegations laid out in a New York courtroom would be enough to torpedo any future aspirations. But Trump isn't the average politician, a fact that became clear when he won the 2016 presidential contest a month after the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he boasted about sexually assaulting women and said that as a star, you can do anything.

Now, as Trump campaigns for a 2024 presidential bid, the Carroll case provides another test of Trump's ability to survive scandals that would sink others. Some political observers say the public already has hardened opinions of the former president  love him or hate him  and that claims about him abusing women arent new.

At this point, the American people have a pretty good sense of Donald Trumps character, so it is unlikely that the Carroll trial will change many voters minds, said Christina Wolbrecht, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies politics and gender.

She said a more relevant question is whether a verdict against Trump in this trial, or convictions in other cases, will scare away potential donors or advisers.

In addition to the Carroll case, Trump was recently charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush-money scheme to cover up allegations of extramarital affairs during the 2016 campaign. He is also under criminal investigation over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss and his retention of classified documents after leaving office.

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who has worked with President Joe Biden, said that during recent focus groups she's been conducting with Democratic and independent likely voters on Trump and his legal troubles, women kept volunteering that the case they were most troubled by is the rape case. That has left Lake thinking the trial testimony could be more damaging than she initially assumed.

I was flabbergasted, because I thought this was baked in to how voters feel about Trump, Lake said. They knew he didnt respect women and that he was a real playboy, but rape is different.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trumps campaign, did not respond to a message seeking comment for this story.

Trump's other legal issues have so far brought limited political fallout, but that could change, according to a poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

It found only 4 in 10 U.S. adults believe Trump acted illegally in the New York hush-money case. About half of voters believe he broke the law in Georgia, where he is under investigation for interfering in the 2020 election vote count, the poll found.

It also showed about half feel similarly about Trump's role in his supporters' storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and his handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. The poll did not ask about the Carroll case.

Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump while he was still president, over denials and insults he made about her. She filed the rape claim in November, under a New York state law that temporarily allows sexual assault victims to sue over alleged attacks that happened even decades ago. Because it is a civil and not criminal case, Trump faces no prison time; Carroll is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Jurors did see parts of a recorded deposition in which Trump answered questions under oath last fall. He called Carroll a nut job and mentally sick," adding, She said that I did something to her that never took place." The jury also was shown the Access Hollywood tape.

Trump, his attorneys and his supporters have dismissed Carrolls allegations as politically motivated attacks and an attempt to sell more copies of her memoir. Trump has said he wasnt at the department store with Carroll and had no clue who she was when she first aired the story publicly. On his social media network last week, Trump called the case a made up SCAM.

At trial, Trumps attorney also questioned why Carroll didnt report the alleged assault to police at the time; Carroll, 79, said many people her age were conditioned to keep quiet about such attacks. Carroll, a registered Democrat, also testified that she voted for Trumps Democratic opponents in 2016 and 2020 but said that has nothing to do with her lawsuit.

Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of Women's March, said she is hopeful that Carroll's case will mobilize voters. After Trump's election, millions of people turned out to protest him at women's marches across the country, and the events have been credited with sparking increased political involvement by women, including seeing a record number of women elected to the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms.

I hope that we can take this moment as another proof point of the absolutely dire, critically dire need to build womens political power in this country, she said.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle Price in New York contributed to this report.
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A video recording of former President Donald Trump being questioned about the rape allegations against him was made public for the first time Friday, providing a glimpse of the Republican's emphatic, often colorful denials.

Jurors got to see the video of Trump's October 2022 deposition over the past few days at the trial over a lawsuit filed against him by advice columnist E. Jean Carroll. Written transcripts of Trump's testimony had also previously been made public, but not the recording itself.

The video was made available Friday to news organizations covering the proceedings.

The video shows Trump answering questions in his trademark navy suit and a bright blue tie. He called Carroll's claim that he raped her in a luxury Manhattan department store "a false, disgusting lie.

Its a disgrace. Frankly its a disgrace that something like this can be brought, Trump said.

Trump reiterated his assertion that Carroll is not my type, but also mistook her for his second wife, Marla Maples, when shown a photo of him meeting Carroll and her then-husband at an event in the 1980s.

Trump was also asked about the infamous Access Hollywood video in which Trump bragged about grabbing womens genitals. He said, as he has previously, that he was was engaging in locker room talk. Trump justified his comments about famous people being able to have their way with women, saying: Historically thats true with stars.

All planned testimony in the trial concluded Thursday, clearing the way for closing arguments by the lawyers to happen Monday barring a last-minute decision by Trump to testify.
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Footage of Donald Trump's video deposition for the E Jean Carroll sexual battery and defamation case revealed that he twice mixed-up his accuser with his ex-wife Marla Maples.

The video was released in response to a records request made by MSNBC's Rachel Maddow.

Ms Carroll alleges Mr Trump sexually assaulted her in the changing room of a Bergdorf Goodman store in the mid-1990s.

The recently released documents include Ms Carroll's attorney, Roberta Kaplan, confronting Mr Trump on his claim that she was not his "type" when denying her accusations, according to Law&Crime.

When confronted with the photo of Carroll and himself from a party before the rape, Trump twice misidentified Carroll as his ex-wife Marla Maples, insisting it was Maples smiling at him in the photo, when in fact the woman he was pointing to was Carroll herself, she said, according to the documents.

The documents and footage show Mr Trump saying "that's Marla, yeah, that's my wife."

Ms Kaplan then asks which woman he is pointing to, prompting Mr Trump's lawyer, Alina Habba, to interrupt and say "no, that's Carroll."

"Oh, I see," Mr Trump replies.

Ms Kaplan argues that Mr Trump's inability to tell Ms Carroll from his ex-wife undermines his argument that his accuser was not his "type."

Ultimately, Trumps lawyer had to correct his mistake (which obviously undercut any assertion that Carroll was not his type), the document says.

Ms Carroll's attorneys also alleged that Mr Trump did not properly research what Ms Carroll actually said before he accused her of being a political operative on a witch hunt. The team noted that Mr Trump admitted that he did not know Ms Carroll's political beliefs.

Trump never read (or even saw) Carrolls article or book before he set out to destroy her, the court documents say.

He also accused Ms Carroll of making multiple allegations of sexual misconduct against other powerful men. When pressed on why he believed that, he said "it's what I heard." When asked where he heard it, he said "I don't know."

The court documents note that Mr Trump frequently insulted and downplayed her allegations during the deposition.

Mr Trump called her a "very deranged, sick person" who "made it up" with the intention "to sell her book or for her own ego. He also claimed there was "something a little off with her mentally" and said he would "sue her after this is over," calling her a "wack job" and a "nut job."
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Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Albaneses comments Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old Assange, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the United States.

Before that, Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Albanese said Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is, Albanese added.

Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Albanese said there was a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Albanese has said he has advocated for Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials. On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Assange with Biden when Albanese hosts the U.S. leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works ... is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, Albanese said. Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr. Assanges mental health, Albanese said. There was a court decision here in the United Kingdom that was in overturned on appeal that went to Mr. Assanges health as well and I am concerned for him.
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The last time the world turned its eyes to Westminster Abbey to see St Edwards Crown placed on the head of a new British monarch, most Americans living today had not yet been born.

The United States was the worlds leading economic and military power, challenged only by the Soviet Union, which was still recovering from the effects of the Second World War.

Television was a relatively new medium, broadcast over the airwaves on a handful of channels for a limited amount of time each day. Phone calls were often made through operators, with long-distance calling a prohibitively expensive luxury for most. And the idea of mobile telephones, much less an all-in-one device delivering video, phone calls and messages to the palm of ones hand, was the stuff of science fiction, nothing more.

But in the United States, 85 million people tuned in to watch recorded highlights of the ceremony that made Queen Elizabeth II one of the most famous and recognisable women in the world.

Charles and Camilla with President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the White House in 2015 (AFP via Getty Images)

Starting in 1951, when then-Princess Elizabeth visited the US for the first time, the late Queen was held in extremely high esteem by citizens of a nation that had won its independence from Great Britain in a bloody war of independence less than two centuries before. Yet the two former enemy nations had since mended ties and together formed what Sir Winston Churchill dubbed the Special Relationship that has formed the backbone of a transatlantic alliance that begat Nato and led the West to a victory over communism after nearly a half-century of Cold War.

Over her seven decades on the British throne, Elizabeth II was the head of state through the terms of 15 prime ministers and 14 American presidents, all of whom she met personally save for Lyndon Johnson.

The man who will be crowned King on Saturday, Charles III, cant quite match his late mothers record, having only met 10 of the last 14 occupants of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

But over his 64 years as Prince of Wales, the King has spent significantly more time in the US than his mother did over her lifetime.

According to Buckingham Palace, then-Prince Charles has crossed the Atlantic to visit America on 22 separate occasions, with his first trip occurring in July 1970 and his most recent visit taking place in December 2018.

Prince Charles at the White House in 1970 with Richard Nixon (AFP via Getty Images)

Its possible that he wasnt so interested in the government that replaced the rule of Parliament under his ancestor George III when he first visited Washington more than five decades ago.

At the time, he was gifted an official copy of the United States Senate rulebook during a tour of the Capitol and Senate chamber.

Instead of making it onto a bookshelf in the then-Prince of Wales residence at Highgrove House, the leatherbound volume  one of 450 printed at the outset of the 91st Congress  was found decades later in a used book store, still embossed with the title of its original recipient: His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales.

While he may not have been so interested in the gift, he later expressed deep gratitude for the reception he and his sister Princess Anne received at the White House when visiting with then-president Richard Nixon and his family.

In a thank-you note to Nixon, Charles wrote that the kindness shown to him and Anne was almost overwhelming.

Both my sister and I take back to Britain the most heartwarming evidence of what is known as the special relationship between our two countries and of the great hospitality shown to us by you and your family, he added.

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan welcome the Prince and Princess of Wales to the White House in November 1985 (AFP via Getty Images)

In a decades since, Charless subsequent interactions with American leaders have been more focused on his passion for addressing climate change.

When he met with President Joe Biden at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow, the climate crisis was the subject of their discussions. The two men also discussed climate-related matters when Mr Biden visited Buckingham Palace for a reception held by the late Queen during the G7 leaders summit in Cornwall.

But the King has acknowledged that his new role wont allow him the freedom to continue his climate activism.

In a 2018 documentary, he was asked if hed keep on campaigning in the same way once he was on the throne.

Former US president George HW Bush greets Prince Charles at the funeral of Ronald Reagan in Washington, DC in June 2004 (AFP via Getty Images)

Im not that stupid, he said. You cant be the same as the sovereign if youre the Prince of Wales or the heir.

Given the politically-fraught nature of debates over human-caused climate change  particularly in an oil-producing, automobile-loving nation such as the United States  one could argue that the Kings past activism could make him persona non grata among American policymakers if a fossil fuel-friendly Republican administration retakes the White House.

But members of Congress queried for their thoughts on the new King by The Independent didnt think his past outspokenness would put any sort of dent in the Special Relationship.

Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, told The Independent in a text message that the Kings work on climate issues could connect him with Americas youth.

King Charles years of sincere climate activism can help him forge a bond with Americas youth. He has an opportunity to lead on this issue globally and deepen the bonds between our nations, he said.

But James Lankford, the Republican senior senator from oil-rich Oklahoma, said he is confident that Charless opinions wont find their way into the official positions of His Majestys Government.

I dont think itll have any effect, he said. Parliament is going to determine what their policies will be as a nation.

Charles and Camilla tour damage done by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in November 2005 (AFP via Getty Images)

His GOP colleague, Senator John Kennedy of Louisiana, also told The Independent he does not believe the Kings past activism will be a factor in the US-UK relationship as he moves forward as sovereign.

Mr Kennedy, who earned a Bachelor of Civil Laws from Magdalen College, Oxford in 1979, said he expects Charles III to be far less loquacious when it comes to controversial subjects compared to Charles, Prince of Wales.

Charles and Camilla welcomed to the White House in 2005 by US President George W Bush and First Lady Laura Bush (Getty Images)

He was outspoken when he was Prince Charles  you can do that when youre not the King or the Queen, but I think he will find that hell have to be more circumspect. Im not saying hes wrong on the things about which he has spoken. But being the heir is one thing, being the actual King or Queen is quite another, he said, comparing the difference between being the sovereign and Prince of Wales to the difference between being a US Senator and President of the United States.

Senators can sort of say stuff and it the whole world doesnt listen, but a president is different and so is a King or Queen. And I think he will find out pretty quickly, hes going to have to pick and choose carefully the areas in which he decides to wade, he added.

Joe Biden accepts state visit invitation from King Charles: 'They have a very good relationship'

But the Louisiana Republican said he hopes Charles will continue to be a source of stability for the UK in the same way his late mother was over her seven-decade reign, especially since the UK government has been anything but stable in recent years.

They dont make policy. But they do make stability, and they do make continuity. And the monarch is a symbol of the extraordinary history of the UK, the growth in the UK, the mistakes that the UK has made  and the future of the UK.  it is an extraordinary symbol of not just cultural values in the country, but freedom, he said.

Prince Charles speaks to a future US president and first lady  Donald and Melania Trump  at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2005 (AFP via Getty Images)

Senator Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat who served as ranking member of the upper chambers foreign relations committee from 2015 to 2018, told The Independent he doesnt believe Charles III will have much of an impact on the US-UK relationship because it is already solid.

Prince Charles with Donald Trump at Buckingham Palace in June 2019 on the first day of the US presidents state visit to the UK (Getty Images)

Virginia Senator Tim Kaine, who said he once met the then-Prince of Wales while serving as the mayor of Richmond, Virginia, said Americans know the King well and predicted that the US-UK relationship will stay strong during his time on the throne.

Pressed about Charless climate activism, Mr Kaine said he appreciates the Kings past work, but while he noted that it was a longstanding and sincere interest of the former Prince of Wales, he told The Independent he doesnt see it having an impact on US-UK relations.

But his Maryland colleague, Mr Cardin, said he hopes Charles will use his new position to continue drawing attention to the climate crisis, comparing the new King to Pope Francis, who has also commented on the need to address climate change.

Barack Obama hosts Prince Charles at the White House in May 2011 (AFP via Getty Images)

I think this is a global commitment we all have, and I think hes speaking about the facts of reality, he said.

We do expect to see leadership on global issues from the point of view of responsibility from world leaders, and the King of England is a world leader.
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New York City Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez pushed back on a statement issued by New York City Mayor Eric Adams on the death of a man riding the subway, saying Mr Adams reached a new low with his response.

Mr Adams issued a statement on Wednesday, as reported by the Gotham Gazette journalist Ben Max, in which the mayor addressed the death of an unhoused man on a New York City subway.

Any loss of life is tragic, Mr Adams statement began. Theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further.

However, we do know there were serious mental health issues in play here which is why our administration has made record investment in providing care to those who ended it and getting people off the streets and subways, and out of dangerous situations, the statement continued.

The unhoused man, identified as 30-year-old Jordan Neely, died after being placed in a chokehold by a subway passenger  something Mr Adams did not address in his statement.

The incident began on Monday (1 May) after Mr Neely allegedly expressed verbal frustration to fellow passengers on the train.

An unidentified passenger then placed Mr Neely in a chokehold.

An autopsy conducted by the medical examiners office ruled Mr Neelys death a homicide and the manner of death as compression of neck.

They noted that any criminal culpability and charges would be left to law enforcement to pursue

This honestly feels like a new low, Ms Ocasio-Cortez said on Twitter on Wednesday in response to Mr Adams statement.

Not being able to clearly condemn a public murder because the victim was of a social status some would deem too low to care about, Ms Ocasio-Cortez added.

A video, taken by freelance journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez and shared online, shows the passenger holding Mr Neely down with his arm around Mr Neelys neck as other passengers attempted to restrain Mr Neelys arms.

After police were called, Mr Neely was taken to a hospital but died.

In his statement, Mr Adams called on elected officials and advocacy groups to Join us in prioritizing getting people the care they need and not just allowing them to languish.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez called out Mr Adams for being hypocritical.

She tweeted, The last sentence is especially rich from an admin trying to cut the very services that could have helped him.

The reference may have been to Mr Adams policy change to forcibly remove people experiencing homelessness from subways who seem to be in a psychiatric crisis.

Additionally, Mr Adams latest budget proposal will cut funding to the Department of Homeless Services (DHS).

In a statement provided to The Independent, the Manhattan District Attorneys Office said they are investigating the matter.

As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiners report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records. The investigation is being handled by senior,e experienced prosecutors and we will provide an update when there is additional public information to share, a spokesperson for the Manhattan DA said.
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On 4 May, Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the far-right Proud Boys street gang, was found guilty of treason-related charges, alongside three other top figures in the neo-fascist hate group, for their role in encouraging the violent storming of the US Capitol on January 6.

The verdict was among the most high-profile convictions in the Justice Departments sprawling prosecution of the riot, in which more than 1,000 people have been charged for their role in the attack intended to halt the certification of the 2020 election results and reinstate Donald Trump.

These defendants saw themselves as Donald Trumps army, fighting to keep their preferred leader in power no matter what the law or the courts had to say about it, Conor Mulroe, a trial attorney for the US Department of Justice, told jurors in closing arguments.

The convictions, which join the successful January 6 prosecutions of other far-right militia leaders from the Oath Keepers, may be a major win for the DoJ, but the Proud Boys remain a violent and influential force in American political life.

The January 6 prosecutions have decapitated the group, but its tactics are now morphing and going after a new target on a local level: LGBTQ+ people. The only thing that remains the same is the synergy, somewhere between official and unofficial, between the right-wing vigilantes and the ideals of the mainstream Republican party.

4 Proud Boys Members Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy

Formed in 2016 by Vice magazine founder Gavin McInnes, the Proud Boys quickly came to function as the muscle of the American right, instigating street fights across the country at protests while using semi-ironic memes and tactics to spread antisemitic, racist, and misogynist ideals, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes

All the while, the group was steadily accumulating influence, collaborating with other far-right groups like Patriot Prayer, and making violent shows of force, mounting a large presence at the infamous 2017 Charlottesville neo-Nazi demonstration.

By 2020, the group was closely aligning with Donald Trump, turning out to conspiracy-driven Stop the Steal protests and appearing alongside Trump confidante and adviser Roger Stone, as well as meeting with campaign surrogates, links that were scrutinised by the January 6 committee in Congress.

At the first 2020 presidential debate that September, Mr Trump spoke directly to the group on stage, a moment later seen as a call-to-arms by far-right groups.

Trump refuses to denounce white supremacism and instead tells Proud Boys to stand back and stand by'

Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but Ill tell you what, somebodys got to do something about antifa and the left because this is not a right-wing problem, Mr Trump said when asked about the far-right. This is a left-wing problem.

Later that year, during riots in Washington, DC, Tarrio burned a Black Lives Matter flag hanging from a historically Black church. Throughout much of 2020, Donald Trump demonised the racial justice movement as thugs and in June stood in front of a Washington church holding a Bible shortly after demonstrators were tear gassed near by to clear the way.

By 2021, the Proud Boys were so emboldened they had allegedly hatched plans to take over Washington.

Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio

Prosecutors alleged Tarrio was in possession of a document called 1776 Returns with plans to occupy crucial buildings in Washington, including House and Senate office buildings, on January 6.

We need many people as possible inside these buildings, the document states. These are OUR buildings, they are just renting space. We must show our politicians We the People are in charge.

Proud Boys march at a protest in Colorado on January 6 (Getty Images)

As prosecutors turned up the heat on the Proud Boyss most high-profile figures, and Canadian officials went so far as to designate the gang a terrorist entity, the group fanned out across the US at the local level, threatening LGBTQ+ focused events like drag story hours.

According to extremism researchers, in 2022, the group joined or lead anti-LGTBQ+ protests once a week on average, right as GOP leaders across the country were ratcheting up attacks on the LGBTQ+ community through book bans, smearing opponents as groomers, attacking gender education, and attempting to ban transgender healthcare.

The group has appeared at or threatened events in Ohio, Maryland, and New York in recent months, where brawls have broken out and LGBTQ+ people have been harassed with vulgar insults.

Members of the Proud Boys join protests against a drag queen storytelling event at a public library in New York City. (AFP via Getty Images)

The shift in tactics is a reflection of the groups role as unofficial paramilitary backers of whatever the main Republican priority of the day is.

Chuck Tanner, research director of the Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights, told the BBC that the recent attacks on LGBTQ+ people show the Proud Boys acting as "far-right muscle.

"Theyre not the movement thinkers out in front, they chase a lot of issues," he said.

Mr Trump, possibly chastened by the swift and forceful condemnation of his stand by comments, hasnt appeared to directly engage with the Proud Boys as he mounts a 2024 comeback run at the White House.

Perhaps out of legal strategy, or genuine disaffection, Tarrio distanced himself from Trump during the trial, as well.

It was Donald Trumps words. It was his motivation, attorney Nayib Hassan told jurors in closing arguments. It was not Enrique Tarrio. They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald J Trump and those in power.

Still, despite the distance, Donald Trump still regularly touches on violent right-wing ideas in his campaign.

In March, the former president kicked off his run with an appearance in Waco, Texas, the site of an infamous, lethal standoff between federal agents and armed religious sect members 30 years before which galvanised the modern militia movement.

Donald Trump plays footage of January 6 at a recent campaign rally (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Observers said the choice meant, as ever, Donald Trump was playing with fire.

Mr Trump opened the event with a song in tribute to those in prison for the January 6 insurrection, and speakers spoke in violent terms about the government.

Before Mr Trump took the stage, conservative rocker Ted Nugent delivered a guitar solo version of the Star Spangled Banner, but not before asking the crowd for January 6-inspired moment of silence for the political prisoners in the gulags of Washington, DC, because of jackbooted thugs in our own government.

During his remarks, the former president avoided mentioning the standoff itself, but offered scattered warnings of sinister forces, World War III, and an apocalyptic final battle for America.

Either the deep state destroys America, or we destroy the deep state, he added. Were at a very pivotal point in our country.

The conviction of Tarrio and his associates may be a major blow, but it may not be a fatal one to the Proud Boys, who often carried this violent message to the street and attempted to make it literal.

The Proud Boys reputation will certainly be damaged due to the revelations during the trial and todays convictions, but it wont signal a death blow to the organization, and we expect their local activity to continue, Lindsay Schubiner, director of programs at Western States Center, a civil rights group, told The Wall Street Journal.

Additional reporting by Alex Woodward
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The US Supreme Court on Friday agreed to temporarily stay the execution of Oklahoma death row inmate Richard Glossip, scheduled for 18 May, as it considers taking the mans appeal.

Glossip, convicted of the 1997 murder-for-hire of motel owner Barry Van Treese, has long maintained his innocence.

At this stage, the inmates last chance of a reprieve will likely come from a Supreme Court decision or a pardon from Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt.

In recent years, numerous officials of both parties in Oklahoma, including the states Republican attorney general Gentner Drummond, have urged that Glossip get a new trial, amid major questions about the credibility of the states key witness and other evidentiary issues.

On 26 April, Oklahomas state parole board denied a clemency request from Glossip, which was supported by Attorney General Drummond.

Earlier that month, a state appeals court rejected a request from Glossip for a new trial.

This case has been thoroughly investigated and reviewed in numerous appeals, the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals wrote in its ruling.

Critics argue that the evidence that Glossip orchestrated a murder-for-hire scheme against Van Treese is shaky at best.

Polices main point of evidence is the testimony of Justin Sneed, a then-19-year-old with a history of past criminal offences and drug use who alleged Glossip paid him to beat Van Treese to death.

Subsequent evidence showed Sneed, who offered conflicting versions of what happened each time he was interviewed, was the subject of a highly coercive police interrogation before ultimately cutting a deal with officials and avoiding a death sentence.

Sneed, who is now serving life in prison, has allegedly confessed to carrying out the murder of his own volition on the inside, according to a signed affidavit from a fellow inmate.

At various points during his incarceration, Sneed also communicated with his lawyers that he was considering recanting his testimony, writing at one point, Do I have the choice of recanting at any time during my life? and sending another message describing his testimony as a mistake.

Glossips attorneys were not aware of these potential admissions of doubt until decades after his original conviction.

Considering everything I know about this case, I do not believe that justice is served by executing a man based on the testimony of a compromised witness, the Oklahoma attorney general said in April after reviewing the case.

In 2022, law firm Reed Smith reinvestigated the case at the request of state lawmakers. A team of 30 attorneys working through 12,000 documents concluded the case against Glossip was full of holes.

Our conclusion is that no reasonable juror, hearing the complete record, and the uncovered facts ... would have convicted Richard Glossip of capital murder, Reed Smith attorney Stan Perry said in June.

Governor Stitt has granted clemency to other high-profile death row residents, such as converting the death sentence of Julius Jones into life in prison in 2021, following a nationwide activist movement.

The Independent and the nonprofit Responsible Business Initiative for Justice (RBIJ) have launched a joint campaign calling for an end to the death penalty in the US. The RBIJ has attracted more than 150 well-known signatories to their Business Leaders Declaration Against the Death Penalty - with The Independent as the latest on the list. We join high-profile executives like Ariana Huffington, Facebooks Sheryl Sandberg, and Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson as part of this initiative and are making a pledge to highlight the injustices of the death penalty in our coverage.
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A Mar-a-Lago insider is helping Special Counsel Jack Smiths investigation into the former presidents handling of top secret documents at his luxury Florida estate, a report says.

Federal investigators have issued a string of new subpoenas in the probe and are trying to discover if Mr Trump ordered boxes containing confidential documents to be moved out of a storage room as the government attempted to recover them, sources told The New York Times.

The Special Counsels prosecutors are trying to establish if Mr Trump attempted to hide some documents even after the Justice Department issues a subpoena for their return last May, reported the newspaper.

The insider, whose identity has not been released, reportedly provided investigators with a picture of the Mar-a-Lago storage room where the documents were kept.

The newspaper says it is not known what else information the witness may have provided, or how long they may have been cooperating with the Justice Department.

Almost everyone who works at Mar-a-Lago has now been subpoenaed in the probe, sources told the newspaper, with at least four employees over the last few weeks alone.

Prosecutors have also issued several subpoenas to the Trump Organization, to obtain additional surveillance footage from Mar-a-Lago, sources told the Times.

Prosecutors are reportedly trying to establish why some footage from the storage room cameras is missing or unavailable and have also subpoenaed the software company that handles the footage from Mr Trumps private club and home.

Mr Smith, a longtime prosecutor, was appointed as Special Counsel to oversee the Trump investigation by US Attorney General Merrick Garland.

Mr Trump handed over 15 boxes of documents in January 2022, but suspecting that more remained prosecutors secured a search warrant and FBI agents carried out a search of Mar-a-Lago last August finding more classified documents.
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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20, he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the U.N secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Rutos mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country, he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important, he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONEs Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholzs statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage, he said in a statement.
 Close Vladimir Putin accuses the West of creating real cult of Nazism

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Russia fired cruise missiles at Kyiv on Tuesday and paraded troops across Red Square for its annual celebration of victory in World War Two.

In a fiery 10-minute speech in front of the Kremlin walls, Vladimir Putin thundered against Western global elites and said civilisations was at a decisive turning point.

A real war has been unleashed against our homeland, said the Russian leader, who last year ordered what the West calls an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, destroying cities and killing thousands of civilians.

Meanwhile, Wagner chief said he had been told he and his men would be regarded as traitors if they abandoned their positions in the city of Bakhmut.

A combat order came yesterday which clearly stated that if we leave our positions (in Bakhmut), it will be regarded as treason against the motherland. That was the message to us, Prigozhin said.

(But) if there is no ammunition, then we will leave our positions and be the ones asking who is really betraying the Motherland, he added.
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Russias special military operation in Ukraine has been raging for one year now as the conflict continues to record devastating casualties and force the mass displacement of millions of blameless Ukrainians.

Vladimir Putin began the war by claiming Russias neighbour needed to be demilitarised and de-Nazified, a baseless pretext on which to launch a landgrab against an independent state that happens to have a Jewish president in Volodymyr Zelensky.

Ukraine has fought back courageously against Mr Putins warped bid to restore territory lost to Moscow with the collapse of the Soviet Union and has continued to defy the odds by defending itself against Russian onslaughts with the help of Western military aid.

Battle tanks from the US, Britain and Germany are now being supplied for the first time and Mr Zelensky toured London, Paris and Brussels in early February 2023 to request fighter jets be sent as well in order to counter the Russian aerial threat, a step the allies appear to have reservations about making, although Joe Biden has since visited Kyiv in a gesture of solidarity.

Much of the fighting has been concentrated around the key eastern city of Bakhmut of late, with bombardments and heavy artillery fire taking place as Russian forces ramp up a major new offensive with the one-year anniversary of the war looming.

In the autumn, Mr Zelenskys forces launched a major campaign of their own to retrieve the besieged city of Kharkiv and succeeded in driving Russian orcs out of Kherson but, as Ukraines resistance grows, Mr Putins threats of escalating the fight grow too, causing concern globally about the prospect of nuclear warfare being unleashed.

Mr Zelensky has said Russian officials have begun to prepare their society for the possible use of nuclear weapons but added that he does not believe the Kremlin is ready to use them.

The president believes action is needed now to avert that scenario, pointing out that Russias threats pose a risk for the whole planet and that Moscow has made a step already by occupying the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europes largest nuclear station.

In response to the ever-growing sense that his invasion has backfired, Mr Putin staged a televised address in September in which he ordered a partial military mobilisation of 300,000 reservists and reiterated his threat to use nukes against the West, a major escalation of his rhetoric in which he assured the world: Its not a bluff.

Vladimir Putin (Mikhail Klimentyev/AP)

The Kremlins faltering troops, otherwise saddled with outmoded equipment and sub-standard supplies, have employed brutal siege warfare tactics throughout the war, surrounding Ukraines cities and subjecting them to intense shelling campaigns, a strategy previously seen in Chechnya and Syria.

Ukrainian cities in the east and south have been battered by Russian missiles in pursuit of gradual gains, while the targeting of residential buildings, hospitals and even nurseries and memorials have led to outraged accusations of civilians being intentionally targeted and of war crimes being committed on a massive scale.

The discovery of mass graves in towns like Bucha and Izium have shocked the world.

Mr Zelenskys initial appeals for Nato to implement a no-fly zone remain unanswered as the West fears such an act would be interpreted as a provocation by Russia and draw the alliance into a much larger war over Eastern Europe.

However, US president Joe Biden, his European counterparts Rishi Sunak, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz and UN secretary general Antonio Guterres have all condemned the Kremlins unprovoked and unjustified invasion and promised to hold it accountable, with the West introducing several rounds of tough economic sanctions against Russian banks, businesses and oligarchs while supplying Ukraine with additional weapons, hardware and defence funding.

The Ukrainian president has recently shown signs of frustration with allied dithering over next steps and the West has also faced criticism for not doing enough to support the millions of refugees from the conflict, who have fled their homeland for neighbouring states like Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova.

Ukrainian refugees wait in front of the consular department of the Ukrainian embassy in Berlin, Germany, in April 2022 (AP)

So what are the key issues behind the conflict, where did it all begin and how might it unfold?

How did the crisis start?

Rumbling tensions in in the region first began in December 2021 when Russian troops amassed at its western border with Ukraine, creating widespread international concern but not acting until the final week of February 2022, when Mr Putin moved to officially recognise the pro-Russian breakaway regions of the Donetsk Peoples Republic (DPR) and Luhansk Peoples Republic (LPR) as independent states.

This enabled him to move military resources into those areas, in anticipation of the coming assault, under the guise of extending protection to allies.

That development meant months of frantic diplomatic negotiations pursued by the likes of US secretary of state Antony Blinken, Mr Macron, Mr Scholz and then-UK foreign secretary Liz Truss in the hope of averting calamity had ultimately come to nothing.

Going back even further to 2014 gives the current situation more context.

Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula that year in retaliation after the countrys Moscow-friendly president, Viktor Yanukovych, was driven from power by the midwinter mass protests seen in Kyivs Maidan Square, an angry reaction to his decision to reject a treaty strengthening economic and diplomatic ties between his country and the EU, probably acting under pressure from the Kremlin.

Ukrainians return to Kyivs Maidan Square to celebrate the liberation of Kherson in November 2022 (AFP/Getty)

Weeks later, Russia threw its weight behind two separatist insurgency movements in Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, the Donbas, which eventually saw pro-Russian rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk declare the DPR and LPR independent states, although their claims went entirely unacknowledged by the international community.

More than 14,000 people died in the fighting between 2014 and 2022, which devastated the region.

Both Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of sending troops and weapons to back the rebels but Moscow has denied the allegations, stating that the Little Green Men who joined the separatists cause were not really Russian soldiers or had done so voluntarily, hence their lack of identifying insignia, an argument few believe.

A 2015 peace accord  the Minsk II agreement  was brokered by Francois Hollande of France and Germanys Angela Merkel to bring Mr Yanukovychs eventual successor Petro Poroshenko and Mr Putin to the table in the hope of ending the bloodshed.

The 13-point agreement obliged Ukraine to offer autonomy to the separatist regions and amnesty for the rebels while Ukraine would regain full control of its border with Russia in the rebel-held territories in return.

Former German chancellor Angela Merkel mediates a tense meeting between then-Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and Vladimir Putin at a D-Day commemoration in 2014 (AP)

The agreement is highly complex and remains contested, however, because Moscow continues to insist it has not been a party in the conflict and is therefore not bound by its terms.

In point 10 of the treaty, there is a call for the withdrawal of all foreign armed formations and military equipment from the disputed DPR and LPR: Ukraine says this refers to forces from Russia but Mr Putin is adamant in his denials that his country has any of its own troops in the contested regions, despite the obviousness of the untruth.

In 2021, a spike in ceasefire violations in the east and a Russian troop concentration near Ukraine fuelled fears that a new war was about to erupt but tensions abated when Moscow pulled back the bulk of its forces.

How is the situation at present?

As discussed, the fighting has become entrenched around the towns of Bakhmut and Soledar since late 2022, with Russias savage Wagner Group mercenaries battling Ukrainian forces in heavy mud, rubble and sub-zero temperatures in what has become a savage war of attrition.

Of the latest aggressions against Bakhmut, the deputy commander of Ukraines Svoboda battalion, Volodymyr Nazarenko, said: The city, the citys suburbs, the entire perimeter, and essentially the entire Bakhmut direction and Kostyantynivka are under crazy, chaotic shelling.

But after months of costly and violent warfare like this, it is believed that Russian citizens are finally beginning to see through the fog of Kremlin propaganda and understand Mr Putins misjudgement of the war for what it is, the aggressor having suffered devastating losses and economic consequences as a direct result of its leaderships actions.

Ukrainian servicemen drive along a street with BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle in the frontline town of Bakhmut in February 2023 (Yevhenii Zavhorodnii/Reuters)

The news that the average number of Russian soldiers dying per day has hit 824 in February 2023, four times higher than the rate of casualties recorded in June and July 2022, will only increase the pressure on Mr Putin at home.

A growing reluctance to see more conscripts killed and living standards fall, especially in support of a war so ill-defined, is likely and could eventually lead to street protests.

Sir Jeremy Fleming, director of the intelligence, cyber and security agency GCHQ, said Russians are now feeling the consequences of the Kremlin leaders war choice.

What might happen next?

In October, Russia responded to Ukrainian strikes on a major bridge connecting Crimea to its territory  a matter of huge pride to Mr Putin when it was first opened  by launching a widespread missile bombardment of Ukraine, some of which killed civilians in Kyiv.

Mr Putin called the destruction of the bridge along the Kerch Strait an act of terrorism aimed at destroying critically important civilian infrastructure.

In response to these assaults, Mr Zelensky accused Russia of trying to wipe his country off the face of the earth while his foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, added that the strikes show Mr Putin is a terrorist who talks with missiles.

Volodymyr Zelensky (AP)

Meanwhile, the West continues to assess the risk of nuclear warfare.

Mr Biden has warned explicitly that the conflict could lead to nuclear armageddon. However, the White House has insisted that it has no reason to believe there is an imminent threat of Mr Putin using such weapons just yet.

But the Kremlin leader did make clear in that September address that Russia would consider the use of nuclear weapons against Nato if its territory were to be threatened as a result of the invasion.

At the time, Mr Putin warned: To those who allow themselves to make such statements about Russia, I would like to remind you that our country also has various means of destruction, and for some components more modern than those of the Nato countries.

The threat was the most significant suggestion of the use of nuclear weapons by a leader with access to those weapons in decades and threatened to return Washington and Moscow to the height of tensions not seen since the Cold War.

The question of fighter jets now needs to be resolved with some urgency as the war enters a new stage with the coming of spring.

A Ukrainian man surveys the damage caused by a missile strike on a residential area near Kyiv's main train station (Getty)

It is feared that Mr Putin, humiliated by the failure of his conquest so far, could now resort to even more drastic measures as the first anniversary of the war approaches, given that he will be under enormous pressure to present demonstrable wins to a Russian public growing impatient with a futile conflict.

The prospect of the war finally spilling out over Ukraines borders and engulfing the rest of Europe can also not be dismissed, although Nato remains hugely reluctant to take up arms against Russia and will do everything in its power to avert that nightmare scenario.

Ukraine is not (yet) a member of the military alliance, hence Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty not having been triggered before this point.

However, the world saw a near-miss on 15 November when what appeared to be a Russian rocket crossed into Poland, killing two people when it hit a grain silo in Przewodow, Lublin, an act that might well have been interpreted as an attack on a Nato ally necessitating the entire alliance entering the fray to come to its defence.

Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and investigators concluded that the blast had actually been caused by a Soviet-era relic from Ukraines own arsenal, which had been fired in an attempt to bring down one of the aggressors projectiles targeting Lviv and drifted off course by mistake.

The West breathed a collective sigh of relief but the episode served to illustrate just how quickly matters could escalate into a much wider war over continental Europe.
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Police attended the scene where a suspect was arrested on Friday, 5 May, after the second mass shooting in Serbia in a week.

Eight people died and at least 14 were injured after a gunman fired an automatic weapon in a suspected drive-by attack near Dubona, south of Belgrade, late on Thursday.

A suspect, identified by authorities by the initials UB, was arrested early on Friday near Kragujevac, 60 miles south of Belgrade.

It is the nation's second mass shooting in as many days.

Thursday night's incident comes after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade before calling the police and being arrested.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic described Thursdays drive-by shootings as a terrorist act" in comments cited by Serbian media.

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A crowd gathers in the commercial centre of Sultangazi, one of Istanbuls historically Kurdish neighbourhoods, where the Republican Peoples Party (CHP) is opening a new campaign office. It comes just ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections that are seen as crucial in deciding Turkeys future  with the partys leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, regarded as a real threat to the current president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The location is important. The CHP was established a century ago by Turkeys secular founder, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, with a strong tradition of nationalism that alienated much of the countrys Kurdish minority. But Turkeys Kurds are in the middle of a historic political realignment. An overwhelming number of residents encountered in Sultangazi say they will vote for Kilicdaroglu, as they aim to end Erdogans two-decade domination of the countrys politics. Kilicdaroglu is backed by a six-party opposition alliance and has the explicit endorsement of Turkeys second-biggest opposition party, the pro-Kurdish HDP.

People are excited and enthusiastic to vote because they have great expectations, says Zubeida Ince, a local leader of the HDP, which is campaigning this year under the banner of the Green-Left Party. This is thanks to a pending court case that, in a sign of the crackdown Erdogan has instigated in recent years, alleges links between the HDP and Kurdish militants. Our voter base is very political, and they know how to operate on the ground, Ince says.

Zubeida Ince, a Kurdish political official (Yusuf Sayman)

There is visible change afoot, and the shift is in large part attributable to Kilicdaroglus efforts to reinvent the CHP as a party with a broader support base.

CHP used to be non-votable for Kurds, but not any longer, says Sezgin Tanrikulu, a Kurdish member of the CHP who is now running for office as the top candidate in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir, the largest Kurdish-majority city in Turkey. We did a lot of work over the last 10 years.

Erdogan continues to draw support from a significant, but arguably shrinking, core of pious Kurds who identify with his appeals to faith and tradition. But it is no mystery why many other Kurds, who make up perhaps a fifth of Turkeys population, have soured towards Erdogan.

Kurds have their own distinct language and culture, and have resisted decades of efforts  including those made by the CHP  to assimilate.

After courting the Kurdish vote for much of his political career, Erdogan, together with the Islamist-rooted Justice and Development Party (AKP) he co-founded, shifted course in 2015 and partnered with the ultra-nationalist Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) of Devlet Bahceli. It has an even worse history of animosity towards Kurdish aspirations than the CHP.

After the instigation of the AKP-MHP partnership, a sometimes violent crackdown ensued on Kurdish political parties and institutions. Scores of elected officials were removed from their posts. Anti-riot vehicles and water cannons were turned on protesters in neighbourhoods like Sultangazi. Cultural and educational organisations were shuttered. Selahattin Demirtas, the charismatic 50-year-old lawyer emerging as the leader of the countrys Kurds and leftists, was jailed.

Late last month, authorities rounded up 150 people, including journalists and politicians, and charged them with being members of the outlawed Kurdistan Democratic Party (PKK), which Turkey, the US and the EU consider a terrorist organisation.

Vedat Demir, a 27-year-old rapper (Yusuf Sayman)

Kurdish neighbourhoods like Sultangazi  and rural districts heavily populated by Kurds  remain under intense surveillance. In cafes where old men play backgammon, many are afraid to speak about politics, worried that undercover plainclothes security officials may be scouring the area.

People are scared to speak. We are under siege, says Ince, who has been in and out of prison for years. You either have to shut up and submit or go to jail.

In recent years, the CHP has been courting Kurds and others by endorsing an inclusive centre-left message. In 2021, a leading CHP official travelled to northern Iraq and met with representatives of the Barzani clan, which leads Iraqi Kurds in the self-rule region that has emerged as an important commercial and strategic partner to Turkey.

Perhaps more importantly, under Kilicdaroglu, the party convinced its own long-time secular base that a partnership with Kurds was the way to defeat Erdogan. Demographic and cultural shifts helped. Hyphenated identities are more accepted in Turkey, as well as worldwide. Younger voters are less fixated on issues of ethnic identity than their parents and grandparents are, and open bigotry towards ethnic minorities is less tolerated.

People today are not like the old people, says Vedat Demir, a 27-year-old Kurdish rapper and textile worker in Sultangazi. I am very much a part of this country.

The first successful test of the partnership was in 2019, when Istanbuls secular old guard  known as White Turks  and Kurds allied in an effort to propel the CHPs Ekrem Imamoglu to victory over the candidate of the AKP.

Kurds, angry at Erdogan, put aside their long-time hostility to the CHP and voted in droves for Imamoglu. We showed [Erdogan] in Istanbul that the people are bigger than one man, says Ince.  We decided to show him by voting for the CHP.

That Istanbul election was also a turning point for secular Turks, convincing them that Kurds could be a useful political partner, says Tanrikulu. White Turks saw defeating Erdogan as the most important thing, and they see Kurds as the most important bulwark against the Islamists, he says.

Erdogan himself appears intimidated by the alliance of the Kurds and White Turks who have long opposed him, and has begun to lash out. In a speech on 1 May, Erdogan warned that Turks would refuse to hand power to a president supported by armed Kurdish separatists.

A cost of living crisis has hit the Sultangazi district of Istanbul hard, regardless of ethnicity or religion (Yusuf Sayman)

My nation will not hand over power to them if they are elected president by the support they get from Qandil, he said, referring to the northern Iraqi mountains where PKK guerillas are headquartered.

Kilicdaroglus identity as a member of Turkeys religious Alevi minority, from a historically ethnic Kurdish region of the countrys east, may also endear him to some Kurds, while it could turn off some pious Sunni Kurds.

But all the questions about ethnicity and faith, cultural values and political orientation that have characterised Turkish history over the last century may be moot in the forthcoming election. Among Turkish and Kurdish voters, dissatisfaction with the economy is running at an all-time high. Turkey is undergoing its worst economic crisis in decades, and many blame Erdogan.

In Sultangazi, voters say they are unable to make ends meet. Prices for food and rent have rocketed across the country. One voter says she cannot remember the last time she was able to purchase meat.

We cant buy anything; we cant afford anything, says a 70-year-old retiree, who does not want to give his name. He is living on a monthly pension equivalent to 225. Meanwhile, rents have risen to more than 400 for a basic flat. People cant afford even going out to a cafe because they cant afford tea.

With the economic crisis has come a flood of social problems, such as broken homes and criminality  including drugs and gangs.

Tekin Tan, a 55-year-old operator of a tobacco and liquor shop, says he was shocked when a boy who looked no more than 10 years old walked into his shop and asked to purchase cigarette papers. He was shocked, but he believes it as a by-product of a society going backwards, pulled down by a terrible economy and a lack of action from those in power.

There is no justice. There is so much corruption, he says. We want change.
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A Ukrainian leader assaulted a Russian delegate who ripped Ukraines national flag out of his hands during a summit in Ankara on Thursday, according to reports.

Ukrainian leader Oleksandr Marikovski was seen unfurling the national flag of his country as Russian delegate Olga Timofeeva was being interviewed.

On seeing this, the Russian team member Valery Stavitsky was seen approaching Mr Marikovski and ripping the flag out of his hands.

The two delegates had gathered at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation.

As the Russian delegate walked away, the Ukrainian MP charged at him and landed a couple of blows as other people present at the venue tried to intervene.

The 43-second-long video purportedly captured Mr Marikovski assaulting the Russian delegate and snatching Ukraines national flag out of his hand.

Mr Stavitsky is not seen retaliating to the blows from the Ukrainian MP. He was also taken away by a few personnel present at the spot.

The video has been widely circulated on social media.

Mr Marikovsyki was also seen smoothing out the flag while others looked on.

The video was shared by him on his Facebook page. Local Russian media reported that Mr Stavitsky was taken to hospital for a check-up.

Another video from the conference also showed members of the Ukrainian delegation unfurling Ukraines flag behind Ms Timofeeva while she was addressing the conference in Ankara.

Kyiv and Moscow have not issued any official statement on the incident.
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The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group has dramatically announced he will be withdrawing his troops from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut in a row over support from Vladimir Putins government.

The group founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin  a Putin ally  has been spearheading Russia's attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

Follow the latest in our live blog here

"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on 10 May, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Mr Prigozhin said in a statement.

"I'm pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they're doomed to perish senselessly."

Given that Mr Prigozhin has given advance notice of the withdrawal, it may end up that the threat is an act of brinkmanship to force Moscow into action, as he has frequently posted impulsive comments in the past. However, the stated withdrawal date of May 10 gives defence chiefs just five days to fill the significant gap a Wagner pullout would create. It also threatens to overshadow annual celebrations on 9 May, where Russia commemorates victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War. Mr Putin when is due to address the nation from redSquare that day.

The Kremlin declined to comment on Mr Prigozhins comments, but the state-owned RIA news agency later reported that the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, had instructed one of his deputy ministers to ensure troops had all the weapons they needed.

The withdrawal was announced in a statement addressed to the chief of the general staff of the armed forces, the defence ministry, and President Putin as supreme commander. "Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we're advancing despite the fact that the enemy's resources outnumber ours fivefold," it said. "Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day."

It was accompanied by a video from in which Mr Prigozhin appeared in full combat gear in front of dozens of his fighters, an automatic rifle dangling from his shoulder.

"My lads will not suffer useless and unjustified losses in Bakhmut without ammunition," Mr Prigozhin added in the video.

"If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that's your problem," he said.

Mr Prigozhin said he expected to face criticism. "After a while, there will be clever people who say that we should have stayed in Bakhmut longer," he said. "Whoever has critical remarks - come to Bakhmut, you're welcome, stand up with guns in your hands in place of our killed comrades."

That statement followed another expletive-filled video published early on Friday in which Mr Prigozhin, surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, yelled and swore at Mr Shoigu, and the chief of the general staff of the armed forces, Valery Gerasimov. He said they were to blame for Wagner's losses because they had starved it of ammunition.

"We have a 70 per cent shortage of ammunition. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the f****** ammunition?" he yelled into the camera.

Those responsible would go to hell, Mr Prigozhin shouted, before saying that Wagner's losses would be five times smaller if it was adequately supplied.

"These are Wagner lads who died today. The blood is still fresh," Mr Prigozhin said, pointing to the corpses around him. "They came here as volunteers and they're dying so you can get fat in your offices."

In another video issued later, he accused Mr Shoigu and General Gerasimov of being responsible for tens of thousands of Wagner dead and injured and said he would hold them to account.

Mr Prigozhin began publicly feuding with defence chiefs last year, accusing them of incompetence, and of deliberately depriving Wagner of ammunition out of personal animosity towards him as a Putin ally. Andriy Yusov, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson, said Mr Prigozhin's latest remarks shows the feud is not over. "The confrontation continues," he said.

In a further embarrassment for Moscow, Russian former deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has reportedly joined Wagner as a deputy commander. In two videos posted by pro-war Russian accounts on Telegram, Col Gen Mizintsev  clad in Wagner-branded combat gear  was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in Bakhmut.

Col Gen Mizintsev, who orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year, was dimissed last month, having only been made deputy defence minister in charge of logistics and supplies last September.

The European Union imposed sanctions on Col Gen Mizintsev in June, calling him the "Butcher of Mariupol" for his role in the siege, which devastated the city.

The announcement of the Wagner withdrawal comes at a key juncture in the war, with Ukraine set to launch a long-expected counteroffensive. Kyiv has said that it is making final preparations for the assault, but has not said when it is expected to begin in earnest, Mr Zelensky has said it will be soon.

Moscow sees Bakhmut  which had a pre-invasion population of around 70,000 but is now almost entirely abandoned  as a stepping stone to other larger cities in the region of Donetsk. Taking control of the area known as Donbas, Ukraines industrial heartland that includes the regions of Donetsk and neighbouring Luhansk is a major aim of Mr Putins invasion of Ukraine. The fierce, months-long battle for Bakhmut has gained an outsized political importance for both Moscow and Kyiv, with neither side wanting to be seen to lose it.

For President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian military, the city has become a symbol of the countrys resistance against a Russian winter offensive. Moscows military chiefs and the Kremlin will be desperate for a battlefield victory to trumpet given how little progress his countrys push for more territory in Ukraine has been.

A senior Ukrainian official said Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from along the front line to Bakhmut to capture it by Victory Day. "We are now seeing them pulling [fighters] from the entire offensive line where the Wagner fighters were, they are pulling [them] to the Bakhmut direction," the deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said on Ukrainian television.

In recent weeks Mr Prigozhin had been claiming incremental gains by his forces around Bakhmut, with Ukraines military chiefs saying that the situation on the ground was difficult for Ukranian troops. But those pronouncements by the Wagner chief have slowly morphed into complaints about a lack of support.

Western allies of Ukraine, have been warning for months that they believe Russia could be running short of weapons and ammunition and defence officials in Moscow have recently asked companies to up production.

On Wednesday, Mr Prigozhin said that he believed troop movements for the counteroffensive by Ukrainian troops had already begun and that his forces were observing heightened activity along the frontline.

"I believe the advance of the Ukrainian army has already begun ... We are seeing the greatest possible activity both on the perimeter and within the front lines," Mr Prigozhin said. "I therefore believe that it has all already started. And I believe it will all enter an active phase in the very near future."

There is little doubt that Wagner forces make up a significant part of the losses Russia has faced in recent months. On Monday, the White House said that US intelligence estimates suggest more than 100,000 Russian fighters been killed or wounded since December alone.

Half of the 20,000 killed have been Wagner mercenary forces, the majority of whom have been thrown into combat in Bakhmut, national security council spokesman John Kirby said. He added they lack sufficient combat training, combat leadership or any sense of organisational command and control.

Reuters contributed to this report
A woman who snuck 22 snakes and a chameleon onto a plane by packing them into her check-in luggage had the animals seized by airport authorities in India.

Customs officers in Chennai intercepted the passenger's baggage after she arrived from Kuala Lumpar on 28 April.

The animals were seized under the Wildlife Protection Act, Indian officials said.

Footage released by Indian authorities shows customs officers handling one of several huge snakes in Chennai.

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Police blocked off a street near Belgrade on Friday, 5 May, after a suspect was arrested following Serbias second mass shooting in two days.

Eight people died and at least 14 were injured after a gunman fired an automatic weapon in a suspected drive-by attack near Dubona late on Thursday.

A suspect, identified by authorities by the initials UB, was arrested early on Friday near Kragujevac, 60 miles south of Belgrade.

Thursday nights incident came after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade.

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Dramatic footage captures the moment a Ukrainian delegate punched his Russian counterpart in the face during a meeting of Black Sea nations in Turkey on Thursday, 4 May.

The brawl broke out after MP Oleksandr Marikovski unfurled the Ukrainian flag behind Russian politician Olga Timofeeva, as she was being interviewed at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC).

Earlier during the assembly, a scuffle broke out between Ukrainian and Russian delegations as Ukrainians tried to stage a protest next to Ms Timofeeva as she was due to speak.

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Ukrainian forces destroyed one of their own drones on Thursday, 4 May, after control was lost over the device in Kyiv.

The incident occurred during a planned flight, the air force said in a statement on Telegram.

As the uncontrolled flight of the drone in skies over the capital could have led to undesirable consequences, the decision was taken to use mobile fire groups. The target - destroyed, they said.

The air force said the drone had likely suffered a technical failure.

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The hotel is being sold by Charles Sinnott who opened it in 1997

The sale is understood to value the 98-bedroom, four-star Brooks Hotel at around 50m

Billionaire John Malone-backed MHL Hotel Collection has agreed a deal to buy Dublins Brooks Hotel on Drury Street in the city centre, the Irish Independent has learned.

Staff at the family-owned Brooks are understood to have been informed a deal was agreed on Tuesday.

It is being sold by businessman Charles Sinnott who opened the hotel in 1997 before extending it in 2003.

The sale is understood to value the 98-bedroom, four-star hotel at around 50m, similar to the price MHL paid in 2019 for the 200-bed Powerscourt Hotel and Resort in Enniskerry, just outside Dublin.

Brooks Hotel is located in the heart of Dublins fashionable south city centre, close to the Grafton Street shopping district and surrounded by bars and restaurants on nearby South William Street and South Great Georges Street.

Asked to comment on the deal, MHL confirmed it expects to complete the purchase over the next month or so.

Paul Higgins, Partner, MHL Hotel Collection said: We have long admired Brooks Hotel and believe it will be a great addition to our hotel collection. We look forward to working with the team there and, post-acquisition, to continuing our tradition of continuous investment in our product and people.

The deal will cement the MHL groups status as the second biggest chain in the capital where it operates a number of five-star and four-star properties including the five-star InterContinental and Westin hotels. Its properties outside the capital including Glenlo Abbey in Galway, and the Limerick Strand Hotel.

Following the Brooks deal, the group will operate 13 hotels across Ireland with a combined 2,100 bedrooms.

MHL was formed in the wake of the financial crisis by US telecoms billionaire John Malone along with two Irish partners, hotelier John Lally and financier Paul Higgins.

Separately, the Radisson Hotel Group has announced plans for its first Prizeotel-branded property in the UK and Ireland which will open in Dublins Liberties.

Radisson said the Prizeotel brand aims to offer affordable, high-design accommodation. The property on James Street in Dublin is scheduled to open in early 2025.
PIB is one of a handful of large insurance companies from the UK and US piecing together businesses in Ireland   Getty Images/iStockphoto

British specialist insurance group PIB has expanded its Irish footprint once again with its 14th acquisition in just two years.

Campion Insurance, the Kilkenny-based firm which leads PIBs Irish business, has bought Gleeson Insurance, a general insurance broker in Ennis, Co Clare.

The deal is the latest in an ongoing frenzy of consolidation in the sector that has seen private equity money pour into the fragmented Irish market.

The transaction, which brings PIBs headcount in Ireland to more than 400 employees, builds on the groups strategy of adding bolt-on businesses to expand into new specialist areas and complementary regions.

It follows Campions recent purchases of Landmark Insurance and Halligan Insurance in February, and Dublins BHP in December.

PIB said that it would continue to invest significantly in the Irish market this year, with a focus on scooping up local brokers to add to its network.

The addition of this business once again highlights our ambition in the Irish market and aligns with our strategy of developing our specialist insurance offerings for the benefit of our customers, said Jim Campion, chief executive of Campion Insurance.

Gleeson has been in business for 35 years and has a strong local presence in Co Clare, where it focuses primarily on motor, home, farm and commercial lines of insurance.

PIB is just one of a handful of large insurance companies from the UK and US piecing together businesses in Ireland.

Smaller firms have been driven in recent years to seek deep-pocketed buyers due to increased costs and regulatory demands, while rich valuations have been hard to turn down.

US-listed insurance broker Gallagher, which is branded as Innovu in Ireland, closed a deal for First Ireland in January, making it one of the largest broker groups in the country.

Aston Lark Ireland, which is owned by UK giant Howden, has made more than a dozen bolt-on acquisitions in the last couple of years, the two most recent being Gateway and Sparrow.

Irish group Arachas, owned by large UK independent Ardonagh, bought Glennon Insurances last July, part of an aggressive buying spree extending back to 2017.

Other consolidators in the market include NFP, Assured Partners and Chill Insurance owners Three Rock.
In cinemas; Cert 12A

We interrupt this troublesome spell in the never-ending Marvel story to bring you some good news. It appears someone has finally fixed the machine. For the first time in a long time, these characters have something to do that doesnt involve maddening discussions about silly infinity stones and irrelevant multiverse travels.

There is, would you believe, a working plot on the table, and the performances are up there with the best of them. Is this what a decent superhero film looks like? Its been a while, but I think so.

If, at this point of the tale, you know your Guardians from your Avengers then there is no need for a recap. All things considered James Gunns crowded yet capable threequel explains itself well. But getting here wasnt easy.

Along the way, its writer-director survived a public cancellation. In 2018, Disney fired Gunn over a series of offensive tweets in which hed joked about things he really shouldnt have.

He apologised profusely and quietly accepted his punishment. But the troops (cast, creatives, industry giants) rallied around and signed all the necessary petitions  and Gunn was subsequently reinstated.

Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Photo: Marvel Studios   Courtesy of Marvel Studios

There is a bigger problem: the Marvel brand has, since the conclusion of its mighty Avengers saga, fallen into an unfortunate state of flux. If you ask us, nobody really knows what they are doing, and the studios current cinematic output lacks focus and imagination. It falls to this plucky, playful effort to restore our faith in a wobbly product.

We begin with a drunken space adventurer. Poor Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is in an awful funk following the death of his beloved alien girlfriend in Avengers: Infinity War. Technically, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) still exists, but she is an alternate version from another timeline  and she has zero recollection of Peter and his crew. Keep up down the back, please.

Anyway, the self-proclaimed Star-Lord will have to put his bad mood on hold, because a muscular artificial being (Will Poulters Adam Warlock) is about to crash in on Guardians HQ. Long story short, Adam is after Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), the genetically engineered raccoon with a mysterious past.

Rockets Guardian pals prevent a kidnapping, but not before Adam seriously injures their furry friend. With the wee fella at deaths door, and some magical cure just out of reach, Peter and his ragtag crew of intergalactic misfits embark on a hectic save-the-racoon mission that puts them directly in the path of a deranged Doctor Moreau-esque scientist (Chukwudi Iwuji as The High Evolutionary). The team eventually calls on the alternate Gamora for assistance.

Chris Pratt as Peter Quill. Photo: Marvel Studios   Courtesy of Marvel Studios

Too many of these films wind up in the same place they started  not Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which works hard to craft a rich, coherent and emotionally engaging tale from a busy set-up.

It isnt perfect. At 150 minutes Gunns film is a tad too long, and there isnt enough room for everyone (poor Poulter barely gets a look-in after that explosive opener). Despite its flaws  and one too many prog-rock tunes  this latest Guardians chapter just about stays inside the lines.

Witty, inventive and surprisingly moving, Gunns film puts itself first, which is to say that we are not here to lay foundations for future Marvel instalments. Instead, this lively, likeable display comes with a beginning, middle and end. A basic requirement, I know, but how refreshing it is to experience a superhero film that doesnt feel like a glorified trailer for the next one.

Instead its a thrilling, self-contained caper that occasionally plays out like a classic Star Trek feature. Its a splendid-looking film, too, and its trusted director has enormous fun toying with his endearing space warriors.

The films best scenes take place on an alternative Earth where everything looks and sounds oddly familiar  but the galaxys mightiest protectors have trouble driving a manual car.

Comical stuff, and our star performers are in fine form. Pratt, especially, looks to have finally mastered a role that hasnt always suited him, and the awesome Dave Bautista delivers the goods as Drax the Destroyer, a mountain of a man who comes out with the strangest things.

Whats more, Gunn signs off on his epic trilogy with a devastating side tale that explains how Rocket the yappy racoon got his voice. It nearly broke me. Well played, everyone.

Four stars
Angus Woods: Heres what farmers can do to fight back in milk price wars

Consolidation in milk processing is one of the few ways Irish dairy farmers can limit the damage caused by supermarket cuts

Concern: The number of individuals that control the buying of milk and butter for retailers in Ireland is very small. Photo: Roger Jones

Angus Woods Fri 5 May 2023 at 09:34
China has been a key export destination for New Zealand over the last five years, with 53pc of the countrys total sheep meat exports going to China during this period.

As tighter sheep meat supplies have been estimated in New Zealand, there may be further falls in exports to the UK and the EU-27, according to the UKs Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).
Justice Minister Simon Harris has hit back at criticism of proposed hate speech legislation in Ireland, saying any time the Trump family or Elon Musk have a different view to you is not a bad day at the office.
Nurses who are threatening a potential winter hospital strike will be challenged today by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who will dampen their call for safe staffing levels to be protected by law.

Delegates at the annual meeting of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) yesterday voted in favour of a ballot for industrial action in mid-September if progress is not made on safe staffing levels.

However, Mr Donnelly, who will address the nurses today, is expected to make a hardline response, saying very few countries have legislated for safe staffing based not just on numbers but skill mix.

Wales has legislated for safe staffing, but it continues to have recruitment and retention issues.

The Department of Health, having engaged with world experts in safe staffing, has said there is currently insufficient evidence to support legislating at this point.

This will continue to be kept under review.

Mr Donnelly will also tell the nursing union there are 6,200 additional nurses and midwives in the health service since 2019.

Nurses at the conference yesterday said, however, the lack of nurses and skill mix were impacting services.

Mr Donnelly will say that Ireland has the highest number of nurses per 1,000 population in the EU.

Data from last year shows that the average remuneration per nurse here is 63,000 including basic pay, premia, allowances and overtime.

Earlier, HSE chief Bernard Gloster told the meeting he intends to ditch the traditional winter plan drawn up every autumn. Instead he will put a three-year plan in place, saying emergency overcrowding is now year-round.

He wants to see patients who are no longer in need of acute medical care being transferred faster to nursing homes.

He told the nurses that there is no doubt the progression of implementation of the safe staffing framework was hampered by the pandemic. That said, there has been a solid focus on investment.

For phase one, medical surgical wards, 397 new nursing posts have been approved and 356 filled in addition to 71 new healthcare assistant posts, of which 55 have been filled, he said.

For phase two, emergency department, 101 new nursing posts approved and 29 filled.

The support of the Minister for Health and the department in this effort is reflected in the sum of 31m new investment to date to make this happen.

As you are aware the minister announced yesterday that he has sanctioned the posts this year for full implementation in all hospitals. This is significant and in support, we now need to move to commencement in all hospitals in 2023 and completion where possible in as many as the workers are available to achieve this.

In nursing terms this means a requirement for 687 WTE (whole-time equivalent) in addition to healthcare assistants. We will achieve this through an approved agency staff conversion of more than 330 people and more than 350 new posts. The conclusion of phases one and two will result in approximately 1,200 additional nurses for safe staffing measures.

It is my intention to finalise the remaining implementation plans by June of this year and then to ensure every effort and process is deployed to make those plans happen.

I have no doubt there will be challenges along the way but working together and being flexible in achieving both the letter and spirit of the framework will result in a significant shift in the care of the patients you encounter every day.
Individual hospitals may be allowed to use capital funding to provide some form of accommodation for nurses who are struggling in the housing crisis.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said today it could be up to the HSE and the hospitals to put together bids for accommodation and it is something he is looking at.

He was speaking after delegates at the annual meeting of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) called for affordable purpose-built housing to be made available nearer their workplace amid warnings some are facing two hour drives home after fourteen hour shifts putting themselves in danger.

It has added to recruitment and retention difficulties. A weighting allowance was called for to support nurses in city hospitals.

Other nurses who come here from abroad are sharing rooms with strangers and are leaving their jobs for Canada or Australia because of the cost of finding somewhere to live.

Asked about the impact of the housing crisis on healthcare staff the minister said he believed there is no reason why accommodation for workers could not be part of the capital plan for next year.

We will be allocated a certain amount of capital as yet undetermined that will be part of the Estimates process.

And as part of that, then it would be up to the HSE and the hospitals to put together bids for this kind of accommodation and certainly that can be that can be looked at.

He said the issue has been raised with him by hospitals already.

The proposals are coming to me actually from hospital managers. He was in Galway University Hospital, some time back and they pointed an administration block that could actually used to be a nurse accommodation unit.

I've had a conversation just in the last week with the Mater Hospital, where they're looking at various properties in Dublin close to the hospital that they could either by retrofit to make them appropriate for accommodation, or indeed start to build their own individual blocks.

So individual hospitals are now looking at this. I think that's very positive, because I think the hospitals that are that are having the most difficulty in hiring people in because of the lack of rental accommodation, they're the ones that really are looking to prioritise this.

So what we'll do is we'll continue to have those conversations with the department, with the HSE and with the estates team in the HSE, and see where we might be able to invest to start creating some of this accommodation.

He acknowledged there needed to be extra supports put in place for international healthcare professionals who are coming here.

Earlier, a number of nurses who have come to work here from abroad told the conference the accommodation crisis was urgent.

It was a disincentive to nurses to stay in their jobs here.

Eilis Corcoran, a Cork nurse pointed out a twelve hour shift can run to fourteen hours, and then someone may have to commute two hours to get home.

"You have a two hour drive and you are just turning around for your next shift, she said, adding: I cannot imagine driving that distance.

Meanwhile, Mary Tully of the Cavan branch said modular housing could be built near hospital sites to accommodate nurses who have to travel a long distance.

I am going to suggest two ways of dealing with the issue in the short-term for nurses, this is just specifically for nurses and midwives. I am suggesting maybe to build modular homes on available land or in close proximity to hospitals, they dont cost huge money.

They range in prices from 50,000 more or less. They could accommodate nurses who are commuting long distance, I know there are nurses commuting very long distances, driving home and it is very unsafe. If they wanted to do their shifts and stay, that would be a way of accommodating them. 

Karen McGowan the unions President said some nurses recruited from abroad by agencies were being placed in Airbnbs thirty miles away from where they worked. In other instances, newly recruited nurses are spending 77pc of their take-home pay on rent.

Meanwhile, Mr Donnelly also promised to roll out safe staffing in all hospitals by the end of the year .

He added that over the past three years, the number of nursing and midwifery places had been increased by around 350 and he is hoping to add another 400 but has yet to get s Government sign-off.

Ms McGowan also paid tribute to the late CervicalCheck campaigner Vicky Phelan, describing her as her heroine and inspiring her to change from emergency department nursing to training as an advanced nurse practitioner in gynaecology.
Donald Trump drives a golf cart while playing at his course in Doonbeg, Co Clare. Photo: Brian Lawless/PA   PA

A neat stack of steel barricades outside the wall of the church may or may not have been a visible emblem of what Doonbeg had hoped of this trip.
An office worker who suffered extreme distress and trauma when her male colleague came from behind and tried to pull down her trousers in front of other staff has been awarded over 50,000 compensation.

The Workplace Relations Commission ordered the maximum sum it could to the worker  having found that her employer, Deadline Direct Ltd trading as Deadline Couriers failed in its duty to put harassment prevention measures in place before the sexual assault and that its handling of the affair afterwards did not mitigate [this] in any way.

The complainant, Charlotte OBrien had been accused by the firm of failing to engage with its appointed investigator, the company accountant  who left a WRC hearing in February early, before he could give evidence to back up that claim.

Adjudicating officer Breiffni ONeill found that Ms OBrien had done what was asked of her in the company investigation  and that she gave uncontradicted and wholly credible evidence before the WRC of being subjected to a sexual assault by her colleague.

Mr ONeill noted that he had watched the CCTV footage of the attack on 27 May 2021 himself and witnessed a male colleague named only as Mr X both placing his hands on [Ms OBrien] and making an attempt to pull her trousers down.

Ms OBrien said she was leaning against a wall in an open-plan office, with her hands full with rolls of shrink-wrap and sellotape, when Mr X carried out the assault.

It was done in front of a room full of male colleagues while her hands were occupied, she said.

Mr X then proceeded to joke and mimic what he had just done to other female workers. None of the numerous male colleagues who witnessed this said anything or assisted [her], said her barrister Mary Fay BL, who appeared instructed by solicitor Walter Mee.

Ms OBrien said she left the room and reported the matter to a duty manager, who didnt tell her to go home and didnt do anything  adding that when she went back to the office, Mr X was still in his seat and had not been told to leave.

She said Mr X had been making comments on her appearance and weight for several months before this.

The tribunal heard that the company began an investigation in June 2021, with the companys accountant, Austin Bergin, formally interviewing her on 2 July.

Ms OBrien took sick leave seven days later, and the firm stopped her pay a week later, she said, leaving her to use her annual leave entitlement and then take up a social welfare payment.

The complainant reported the matter to the gardai, was attending a counsellor and remained unfit to work, but despite this the respondent continued to put pressure on her to return to work, her solicitor said.

Mr X resigned without being interviewed and Ms OBrien was not given any investigation report.

The investigator appointed by the firm, Mr Bergin, left the hearing before he gave evidence, stating he did not think the matter would take so long, the tribunal noted.

Solicitor Sean Foley of Century Law, appearing for the company, said none of its staff had ever made a complaint against Mr X prior to 27 May 2021 and that it was so unique that it could not have been reasonably foreseen.

He submitted that the companys procedures were effective but that Ms OBrien did not fully engage with the grievance process and failed to invoke its grievance procedure  arguing the firm was prevented from taking steps to address the matter in accordance with their legislative requirements because of her alleged refusal to use its grievance process.

The companys chief executive, David McCann, said in evidence that these had been provided to the complainant in a company handbook.

However, in his decision, the adjudicator, Mr ONeill, wrote that there was no documentary evidence supporting that contention, which was disputed by the complainant, who said she did not receive the handbook.

He found the employee handbook did not contain a clear and distinct policy on sexual harassment had not been provided to the complainant  and no evidence of training having been provided to employees prior to the date of the sexual assault, he wrote.

There were no preventative measures taken whatsoever taken by the respondent, he wrote, adding that the alleged investigation by the accountant, Mr Bergin, did not mitigate this in any way.

Mr Bergin is the respondents accountant and there was no evidence presented to suggest that he had any expertise in these... If he had, I believe that he would have produced a report with findings, Mr ONeill wrote.

I noted the extreme distress and trauma that she displayed when giving her direct evidence, almost two years after the assault, as well as the apparent and understandable breakdown of her trust in the respondent given their actions after she made her complaint. In particular, it is scarcely credible that she has still not received an outcome of the very serious complaint that she made, he added.

Mr ONeill said a complete investigation report could have reversed some of the effects of the discriminatory treatment.

He said a new dignity at work policy since brought in by the company will be of little benefit to Ms OBrien, who Mr ONeill noted was still an employee but unlikely to get back to work soon.

He ordered the firm to pay the maximum compensation in the matter, two years pay, to Ms OBrien, a sum of 50,440.
Watchdog paints worrying picture of mental health services  as only 22pc of children say their mental health is good

Children with mental health problems are being let down by an unacceptable service that leaves them waiting too long and sometimes does not help them at all.

A new report by the Childrens Ombudsman paints a very worrying picture of the mental health of children in Ireland, with 28pc describing their mental health as not good, and saying they needed help. Only a small minority  a little over a fifth  said they have good mental health.

More than 40pc of children who attended Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) said it didnt help with their mental health issues, and many said that waiting lists were the biggest challenge when trying to get support.

It has prompted Dr Niall Muldoon, the Ombudsman for Children, to support plans to have professional psychologists and counsellors in both primary and secondary schools, as a crucial support for young people with mental health problems.

A Piece of My Mind is a new report on childrens mental health published by the Ombudsman for Childrens Office (OCO) today. The report surveyed more than 2,000 children between the ages of 12 and 17 about both their mental health and their experiences of trying to manage it.

The study found significant numbers of children are suffering from poor mental health, with only 22pc saying their mental health is good.

More girls than boys reported poor mental health problems, while an overwhelming majority of children who identified their gender as other, reported issues with their mental health.

Read more Child mental health is in a poor state in Ireland, and new report highlights the causes and consequences

Half of young people asked said they sometimes felt low, stressed or anxious but they could manage it themselves.

Children viewed school and exam pressures as a top source of stress, depression and anxiety. More than a quarter said school and exam pressure was the most important stressor and three-quarters included it in their top five.

Of the children surveyed, 6pc were using CAMHS at the time and 12pc had accessed the service at some point.

More than 60pc of those who turned to CAMHS for help said they had found it difficult to access the service.

The single biggest difficulty in accessing CAMHS was the time children had to wait to get the service, with 44pc of children saying they waited over three months. All other difficulties, such as getting a referral (10pc) and distance to the CAMHS (7pc), were reported by fewer children, the report said.

While the report recognised some children had reported positive experiences of CAMHS, unfortunately, many more children reported having difficulties with the CAMHS service.

A significant proportion (42pc) believed the services did not deal with their problem or the cause of their difficulties, the report stated.

Frequently children believed that only some parts of the service were helpful, with 34pc identifying this as an issue. Almost a quarter (23pc) of the children believed they did not get to attend the service for long enough for it to help them.

It is concerning that 27pc of the children believed that the CAMHS staff were dismissive, while only 11pc of the children believed that the staff listened to them.

The report criticised the HSEs mental health services for children, questioning why young people would be left waiting so long for a service that may be substandard.

Long waiting times for a service that is excellent and addresses the needs of children may be temporarily excusable and provide a strong basis for development. To wait long periods for a service that is below par in the views of service users is entirely unacceptable, the report said.

Commenting on the findings, Dr Muldoon said the report painted a very worrying picture.

We must remember that for children to have to turn to CAMHS in the first place they are really struggling with their mental health, he said.

It simply isnt good enough that so many of them are having to wait long periods of time to access services, and that when they do, the standard of those services falls short.

It is also clear from the results the emphasis children place on having proper mental supports available to them in school.

This is something the OCO has been calling for, and we welcome recent plans from the Department of Education for a pilot programme in primary schools.

He suggested this should be extended to secondary schools, adding: Children who need and would benefit from these supports in primary school may carry this need into second level.

"A continuum of support for such children, as well as professional supports for children who experience mental health difficulties for the first time in their teens, could have a crucial role to play in improving mental health among the second level student population.
Ann Noonan spoke of the inner turmoil experienced by nurses in understaffed hospitals

Two stressed-out senior staff nurses have lifted the lid on the toll working in understaffed hospitals can take.

They spoke about how, even when they go home, they agonise over patients whose care may have been delayed.

Ann Noonan of University Hospital Limerick and Mary Dunne, who works in the emergency department of University Hospital Waterford, said the guilt is not of their making.

They said it was down to overwhelming demands which can leave one nurse doing the work of three.

Ms Noonan (55), who has worked for 39 years, said when there is such an extreme level of pressure nurses can end up avoiding eye contact with a patient in case they ask you something because they are so busy.

She said it is no wonder highly trained nurses who cannot perform to the standard they want are tempted by the far away hills and are leaving for hospitals abroad.

Ms Dunne said the fire at Wexford Hospital and the diversion of patients has led to added demands on staff.

You go home from your shift and you worry about patients, [such as] the one who had to wait unnecessarily because there was no space.

We have very good management in Waterford but we have seen the attendances go up.

She said when too few nurses have to share the load of looking after so many patients, it can end up being to the detriment of care

Ambulances rock up and you are trying to prioritise which patient you will let in next.

Patients should ideally be triaged within ten minutes of arriving at hospital but that is not always possible.

If someone has a heart attack or stroke it is time-critical. We talk about the golden hour for someone who has sepsis.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), Ms Noonan said while she doesnt work in the emergency department, she knows her colleagues there are constantly under ferocious pressure.

This has been exacerbated by the legacy of Covid, which left many patients without timely care.

The impact on more advanced cancers is now being seen.

She said there are times the emergency department in Limerick resembles a war zone.

Both nurses called for safe staffing to be rolled out, including not just more nurses on a shift but the right mix of skills to optimise care for patients.

Meanwhile, Sarah Maher, a nurse in Letterkenny, Co Donegal, told the conference that nurses were dreading the arrival of September as it signals the first signs of the autumn and winter ahead.

She said the Government has not learned lessons from the horrendous last winter when there was record overcrowding.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has come under fire for allegedly failing to respond to civil servants concerns about their privacy being breached when internal meetings were secretly recorded.

Ciaran Rohan, general secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, called on the minister to clarify comments made last year that such recordings could be in the public interest.

He complained in a letter to the minister last November that leaked recordings of department meetings caused considerable upset to his members.

The recordings were made by a department official who had concerns about mismanagement of the health budget. They led to extensive media coverage.

Mr Rohan was speaking ahead of the unions annual delegate conference tomorrow. A motion has been tabled by its health branch on the recording of meetings without consent.

The motion notes with concern comments made by government ministers that recordings made without consent of internal civil service work meetings were made in the public interest.

It asks the unions executive to continue to act to protect the privacy rights of members.

The Minister for Health didnt reply to our letter about covert recordings and people are annoyed about that, said Mr Rohan. The privacy of members should be protected, and this has highlighted serious issues around that. If you cant have a frank conversation with colleagues, where are you? Sure we all do it.

You have to have some form of robust debate internally. You stifle that level of debate if individuals could be recorded.

He said the issue is still a big concern as many civil servants are doing blended work, spending three days in the office and two at home.

Mr Rohan said there are no guidelines around the issue, although sometimes it was announced at the start of meetings that they are not being recorded and people did not have consent to do so.

However, if someone goes ahead and records it, what can you do? he asked. Wed appreciate a response from the minister. The first thing is for him to respond, and then discuss what can be put in place to address this.

The letter to the minister said the union represents 3,700 senior managers in the public service, including over 200 principal officers and assistant principal officers in his department.

The Irish Independent has asked the Department of Health for a comment.
The Department of Children and Equality recorded a number of complaints from refugees

Refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine complained this year of dire conditions in their accommodation in Ireland, with mice infestations, damp causing their children to fall ill and black mould.

A log of issues from the Department of Children and Equality reveals how some people were being housed in what appeared to be an old maintenance room with a constant foul smell.

Residents there said they could not even open the door to air it out because the exit led directly out on to a street.

There were two complaints about an infestation of mice while another wrote about how their accommodation was very damp with heating being hit and miss.

A summary of the persons letter said: Construction work has been happening daily on the premises. The management attitude towards residents is not nice or welcoming. Hygiene standards are low.

Another explained how they were being served rotten food but that they were still being forced to pay for it.

When residents said they were not willing to continue paying, the management threatens to evict them.

Multiple Ukrainian refugees said children were becoming ill due to the quality of food they were getting with stomach aches and other issues.

Another wrote about unacceptable conditions with residents in tiny rooms that were only separated by plywood.

One entry in the log said: Bad living conditions with constant humidity and black mould everywhere. This is causing some residents to become sick. Request to move.

Damp was a problem for another resident who said once the weather became cold, the floors were soaked with condensation that had got into wardrobes. The conditions are not safe for children, who often become sick, said the complaints log.

In another centre, heating was set to come on for just two hours out of nine, leaving some older residents and children struggling with the cold.

Discussions with the management have not been successful, said the department records.

One refugee said there was a lot of mould and dampness in their accommodation, with 12 people sharing a single toilet at the end of a corridor.

In another centre residents always had to queue to use a toilet because there were not enough to cater for all the residents there.

A note of their complaint said: Many people in one room which is not ventilated and some are sick. There is no appointments in the local GP and the premises is cold.

The department records also detail a complaint about how hot water was only available at certain times of the day, and even when it was, it was too hot to be used.

The lift is broken for three months now, it also said.

The Department of Children and Equality said they could not release the original complaint records nor the location of the accommodation to which they referred.

They said they were releasing a summary to ensure transparency while preserving the complainants right to make complaints to this department in confidence.

A spokesperson added: The Department considers all complaints received in relation to the provision of temporary accommodation and takes the appropriate action.
Fish could become a potential new catch, but other sea life is being driven away

Anchovies can often be used as an indicator of ecosystem change. Photo: Getty   Getty Images

Anchovies could be the next addition to the countrys food exports as warming seas bring shoals of the fish to Irish waters.

That may be the only positive outcome of climate changes effect on Irelands marine environment, however.

A new report from the Marine Institute sets out the consequences of the changing climate, warning that its effect is already being observed.

Irish waters are warming and have become more acidic; the distribution and abundance of key plankton, fish and seabird species are shifting, and sea levels are rising in most coastal waters, it says.

Higher sea temperatures drive away other fish that are the mainstay of the fishing industry. Increasing acidification of the water, an associated impact, inhibits shell development in shellfish and also stymies skeleton and coral growth.

Harmful algal blooms, which are becoming a year-round feature, pose an additional threat.

The Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem report says sea temperature has risen most significantly on the north coast where it has increased by about half a degree in the last 10 years.

It says the south-west is also on track to become notably warmer and less saltier in the next decade.

Sea level has risen by 2-3 mm every year since the 1990s, with larger increases in Dublin and Cork. That has implications for coastal areas where sea and freshwater mix, and for the marine life those regions support.

Important plant life in salt marshes, already under threat, could further decline and growth of phytoplankton, essential food for marine creatures, could suffer.

Abnormal growth of sea lettuce has already been observed.

Paul Connolly, the Marine Institutes chief executive, warned that changes in the ocean not only brought changes to seafood and biodiversity but weakened the oceans ability to absorb carbon, moderate weather and keep the climate in balance.

The oceans provide 50pc of the oxygen we breathe, he said. They are a critical element of the global climate system in their role to regulate atmospheric processes and for distributing heat, salt, and organisms.

This research shows the impact of climate change is already evident in Irish marine waters.

The arrival of high densities of anchovies off the southeast coast is significant because they are more normally found in the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean.

Anchovy can respond quickly to changes in climate and can often be used as an indicator of ecosystem change, the report says.

While they could become a potential new catch, there is a tough trade-off in the reduction of herring and cod, which need colder waters.

The report warns, however, that there can be multiple factors at play and that further research is needed.

One of the biggest challenges to determining climate-change impact on fish species is disentangling the simultaneous pressure of fishing, it says.

An over-exploited stock may be more sensitive to environmental changes.

The report is a collaboration between the Marine Institute, Met Eireann, several universities, the Environmental Protection Agency and other scientific bodies.
Clusters of slow cabins are set to pop up in secret locations throughout Ireland. Could they be the antidote to the stress of our post-lockdown lives?

Were not trying to save the world with Slow Cabins. Its not something youd prescribe in the future for being extremely stressed or burnt out. Were trying to change peoples mindset to take a moment out and sort of get to know each other.

So says Matthew Parkinson, the man responsible for bringing Slow Cabins to Ireland this summer.

The concept, which began in Belgium, sees guests book blind, receiving the secret locations of their boltholes two weeks before travel. The cosy cabins are less than 40 sq m in size, hidden away in nature, eco-friendly and inspired by Japanese and Scandinavian design  from log-burning stoves to picture windows and uncluttered interiors.

Oh, and theres a conscious lack of Wi-Fi, with guests encouraged to leave their phones in a detox box inside as they arrive.

Were addicted to checking our phones, as Parkinson says. There are so many studies out there linking habit-checking your phone to the disruption of a special moment you could have had.

Guests should read up on what to expect before booking, he adds. The cabins are minimal and chic, rather than luxury layovers. They come with a queen-size bed, stove, loo, shower, small cooker and fridge. There are towels, cookware, fuel and utensils, but youll need to bring meals or cook food on the small gas burner or barbecue. A solar-charged battery is provided for power, and rainwater is harvested, in keeping with the sustainable approach.

The interior of a Slow Cabin in Belgium

Rooted in slow travel, a philosophy favouring a mindful and sustainable approach over mass tourism, the companys earnest, all-in language may raise a cynical eyebrow or two. The short-stays are places that allow time off for the always on, where guests can sense emotional minimalism or choose Slowify over Spotify, it says.

Personally, Id sleep in a cowshed if it was beyond my 5k right now, and I can take or leave being encouraged to relearn how to live according to the rhythms of nature, but its not hard to see why the concept chimes in this moment.

Parkinson calls the cabins pandemic-ready, and the lifestyle sits easily within several travel trends many expect to take off as we emerge from lockdown this summer  from staycations to social distancing and renewed focuses on sustainability, reconnecting with nature and outdoors living.

Insta-friendly cabin porn was a thing well before Covid, of course, and Ireland is not alone in having witnessed an explosion of quirky Airbnbs, rustic self-catering and glamping options in recent years (it sometimes feels like there are more pods than people out there). Forest retreats like Center Parcs Longford Forest and Co Cavans Cabu by the Lakes have brought a wow factor back to Irish woodland holidays, and the smart, modern construction of Slow Cabins should help offset any weather concerns. Theyre almost fully booked throughout Belgium for summer, the company says, and it hopes to expand in the Netherlands and France as well as Ireland in the months ahead.

Inside a Slow Cabin in Belgium

The start-up was founded by entrepreneur Xavier Leclair in 2017, in response to his own struggles with work/life balance. He had a brainwave, Parkinson says. He saw we need to give people space and time to recharge and get back in touch with one another. He paints a picture of a small, tight-knit operation whose employees share the same slow tourism and environmental values.

Subject to final planning permission, the first Slow Cabins should be on the ground in Ireland towards the end of summer, Parkinson says, priced from 390 for two people sharing a two-night minimum stay. While we agreed not to reveal the exact location, I can say that the first mini-cluster of cabins will be set on farmland by the shore of Lough Derg, in Irelands Hidden Heartlands. Covid-permitting, the company hopes to go on to install cabins in several other locations here in the years to come.

The off-grid, sustainable aspect suits us well, the Lough Derg host says. Visitors staying in Slow Cabins will see how a beautiful landscape can be both food-producing and friendly to nature and biodiversity. Its all about the diversity here  from hills to woods, hedgerows, sloping fields down to the gorgeous, untouched lakeshore. The topography is beautiful and adds to the sense of privacy for people staying, with a vista and a surprise around every corner.

The settings are idyllic, but are these remote stays secure? Were making people feel secluded, but in a safe environment, Parkinson replies. Check-in is remote, properties are fenced off, there is secure parking, a point of contact by phone and access for emergency services, he adds. There are health and safety checklists, too.

After booking blind, he says, guests will receive directions two weeks before travel, along with general information and a gentle encouragement not to spoil the secret location on social media.

We want people to trust us, trust that we will send you somewhere within a certain distance and time of where you live, and somewhere you probably wouldnt previously have thought of. We want you to trust us to deliver that and be comfortable with it.

We are a fast-paced species, he adds. As travel resumes, the hope is that more of us will want to slow down.

How to slow down...

Slow Cabins aims to have several sites live in Ireland, starting with its first location in late summer. Prices will start from 390 for two nights, in cabins sleeping up to two people. To register your interest as a future guest, or enquire about becoming a host, visit slowcabins.ie.
The document included a photo of the former UK Prime Minister as well as his correct date of birth  19 June 1964.

Dutch police arrested a man whose bogus driving licence named him as Boris Johnson over the weekend.

The document included a photo of the former UK Prime Minister as well as his correct date of birth  19 June 1964.

However, the Ukrainian driving licence was not due to expire for another millennium - it was valid until December 3000.

The photo supplied on the document is also featured on Mr Johnsons Wikipedia page.

The suspect had been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after a car crashed into a pole near a bridge in the city of Gronigen shortly after midnight on Sunday, a police spokesperson said.

Officers discovered the vehicle abandoned with the fake drivers licence inside.

They later located the driver, who was standing on the bridge.

The person could not identify himself and refused to undertake a breathalyser test, police spokesman Thijs Damstra told the AFP news agency.

Inside, police found a fake driver's licence belonging to Boris Johnson.

As far as I'm aware, the real Mr Boris Johnson was not in The Netherlands at the time.

It is not known if the suspect holds Ukrainian citizenship.
"Racism" is behind the decision of some accommodation providers to not accept asylum seekers, Junior Minister Joe OBrien has said.

The Minister for Integration, whose department is responsible for the States handling of the refugee crisis, said some providers will only take in people from Ukraine and refuse others.

He made the comments while discussing the ongoing uncertainty facing Ukrainian people staying at the Skellig Star Accommodation Centre, in Cahersiveen, Co Kerry.

The planned relocation of the 75 Ukrainian refugees at the centre, to create accommodation for international asylum seekers, has been paused following backlash locally and an intervention by Education Minister and local TD Norma Foley.

The relocation was due to begin today, but work is now underway to find alternative solutions.

Mr OBrien said officials from his department are meeting with local groups in the Kerry village to figure out a way to accommodate those affected.

Certain providers will accept international protection applicants, others won't. The one .[The Skellig Star] in Cahersiveen was willing to accept international protection applicants and that's probably the baseline of the issue that we have at the moment overall, he told RTEs Drivetime programme.

There are some people we can't get accommodation for and that's why sometimes we have to move people out of where they are to accommodate others.

Mr OBrien said the problem with the States international protection system in terms of the accommodation it provides, is that we are too dependent on private providers and as things stand, those managing the refugee crisis cant pick and choose which providers they must work with.

Those are the choices we have to make, he said.

When asked why the State cannot compel providers to accept those referred to them by the State, whether they are Ukrainian or otherwise, Mr OBrien said: They express a preference for one, we offer one type of contract, they refuse another type of a contract It's a private provider who can choose to go for a contract or not go for a contract. It's inherently problematic, I know that, and that's one of the reasons why we're trying to procure more public buildings for the purpose of offering people accommodation who are seeking protection.

Mr OBrien said his department is facing a number of issues and racism is one of them.

He said some providers will not take international protection applicants because of their own views, while others are fearful of public disapproval if they provide accommodation to them.

In both circumstances, racism is involved, he added.

It comes as Minister OBrien has launched a new 1 million fund to tackle racism.

The Ireland Against Racism initiative will provide funding for national and local initiatives that aim to combat racism and foster racial equality and community cohesion, in order to support the implementation of this plan and the achievement of its objectives.

The are two funding streams as part of initiative. Stream A will provide grants, ranging from 50,000 to 100,000, to organisations for national and regional project, while Stream B will provide grants, ranging from 5,000 to 10,000, to organisations for local projects.
Low-key is not a phrase often associated with Donald Trump, but by his own carnival-barker, decibel-level standards, it is how his Doonbeg visit might be described.

His arrival on the back-end of the barn-storming, back-slapping brouhaha that attended President Joe Bidens blitzkrieg through the country shows what a difference being in or out of office can make.

To be clear, this is a private visit and therefore has no government or embassy involvement, which accounts for much of the scaled-back nature of the occasion. In contrast, Mr Biden had touted deep and long-established Irish roots. He had spent his whole political career promoting Irish interests and building ties with the country; so any time he spent here was likely to be marked by shows of pomp and circumstance, with an army of well-wishers in the background.

He had laid out his stall in 2020 to be a unity candidate, one who might bridge the great divide in both politics and society. There is every prospect he may once again find himself squaring up against his bitter adversary in the 2024 race.

Both men may not be best loved by their parties or people for different reasons, yet each carries sufficient heft to make it very difficult for any usurper within their ranks to displace.

In the pre-Trump era, a candidate ran for the presidency. But Donald Trump brawled his way to the top. He tapped into the energy of polarisation and built a platform out of reductionism and superficiality. Messages were bite-sized and easily digestible. They left followers hungry for more.

Republicans looked on aghast as the renegade rallied the masses. Whether he can do so again is less certain. He no longer has either the element of surprise or the outsider appeal of originality.

He is also hampered by the most formidable legal obstacle course ever confronted by an American president. He recently declared that his victorious 2016 presidential campaign rescued the Republican Party from freaks, neocons, globalists, open-borders zealots and fools.

His critics would argue that he has replaced them with an assortment of hard-bitten, gun-toting, red-toothed Maga-crazed hob-goblins.

Whatever side you come down on, you can not deny he is a force to be reckoned with.

Those who have failed to see him as credible have generally paid for their mistake.

He has done more than enough to arouse both suspicion and begrudging respect  if only for his resilience.

The January 6 investigations and a number of very dark legal shadows now hover over his bandwagon. Whether they will be enough to stop it in its tracks remains to be seen.

What is beyond question is that he has commanded sufficient support to be taken seriously.

He may be easily derided and ridiculed, but not so easily dismissed.

Yet for all the bluster, it is reassuring that the true power still rests with the people and their inviolable right to decide who to best trust with their vote.
Students from the Patrician Academy pictured with teachers Ann Marie Walsh and Regina Glynn and Sheelagh O'Shea of Mallow Tidy Towns during weeding in the school surrounds last Tuesday. Photo's...Eugene Cosgrove

Patrician Academy students Ciaran Heavin, Roman Hogan, Conor O'Sullivan and Evan Victor Collins hard at it weeding near the Academy on Tuesday,

In recent weeks Mallow Library has been advertising for people to join a newly formed group called Mallow Repair Cafe.

The groups functions include advising people on how to repair broken or damaged household items, including clothing/textiles, electrical goods, bicycles, furniture etc.

Roger Nagle has successfully managed to recruit a number of like-minded volunteers and the first Repair Cafe will take place in Mallow Library on Saturday, May 6 between 10am and 12.30pm. All are welcome.

Ballyclough and District

Community open day

The Ballyclough and District Community Text Alert Group are hosting an open day on Sunday, May 7, from 12 noon to 3pm in the Ballyclough Community Hall to raise awareness of the services available to households in the local community.

Please come along and visit the display stands and take the opportunity to engage and speak with local groups, Text Alert, Community Gardai, Fire and Ambulance Services etc who will be on hand to answer any queries you may have.

Also on the day there will be CPR and Defib demonstrations by members of the Community First Responders who play an ever more critical role in responding to medical emergencies in the area.

Refreshments will be available and a raffle fundraiser for a local Ukrainian family whose young son is very ill in Crumlin Hospital in Dublin will also be held. All Welcome.
Documentary peaked presidents interest in events at Clonbanin where his father fought

Retired Sergeant Michael Kelly, Mallow, chatting to President Higgins Aide de Camp Officers, Captain Peter Dunne and Sergeant Paul Mulligan at Aras an Uachtarain during the Clonbanin Centenary Commemoration visit last week.

Corney Vaughan, Boherbue, presented President Higgins with a copy of the Documentary Clonbanins Journey through the War of Independence

Sheila Fitzgerald and Mike Sheehan pictured with Sabina Higgins and President Higgins after performing a set of Irish themed songs for the gathering at Aras an Uachtarain. Photo by Sean Radley

Charlie Drake, Derinagree, who coordinated the visit to Aras an Uachtarain chatting to Sabina Higgins and President Higgins

Clonbanin Ambush Centenary Commemoration Committee members with their spouses and guests pictured with President Michael D Higgins and Sabina Higgins during their visit to Aras an Uachtarain last week. Photos by Sheila Fitzgerald

President Higgins welcoming his cousins Donal and Cormac Canty, Liscarroll, to Aras an Uachtarain last week during the Clonbanin Ambush Centenary Commemoration Committee visit

What was described as the visit of a lifetime took place last week when members of Clonbanin Ambush Centenary Commemoration Committee and their spouses and friends visited Aras an Uachtarain and enjoyed a wonderful reception hosted by President Higgins and Sabina Higgins.

The invitation to Aras an Uachtarain came about as a result of President Higgins interest in the recent historical Documentary DVD Clonbanins Journey Through the War of Independence which was produced by the Committee in the autumn of 2022.

After personally welcoming all present, President Higgins addressed the gathering and reiterated his own close links with North Cork. The Presidents father, John Higgins, who was a member of the Charleville Battalion, fought at the Clonbanin Ambush and took part in numerous other engagements around the North Cork area.

In addition, his mother Alice Canty, a native of Liscarroll, was a very prominent member of Cumann na mBan.

The President spoke at length about the War of Independence, the ensuing Civil War and the long term effects these conflicts had on families, communities and the population in general. He commended the Clonbanin Committee for their commitment and professionalism in compiling a documentary that contains such an in depth historical account of one of the most important engagements of the War of Independence.

In reply, Charlie Drake from Derinagree, who co-ordinated the visit, said he was extremely honoured and privileged to be trusted to represent the group in Aras an Uachtarain.

President Michael D. Higgins, you have bestowed on us what we regard as the highest honour in the land  to be invited to Aras an Uachtarain. This is testament to your understanding of the ordinary people.

You are a noble professor, a distinguished politician, a renowned and respected historian and poet, statesman and leader of our country, yet President you are one of the boys and that is what we like about you.

You have travelled to many lands and addressed the leaders of those nations with honesty, dignity and integrity. I can honestly state on behalf of everyone here, you make all of us Irish citizens very proud of our very own President and Mrs Higgins, Charlie continued before adding his thanks to Kevin McCarthy and the Aras staff for their help in organising the visit.

Following the official speeches, Chair of Clonbanin Ambush Centenary Commemoration Committee Corney Vaughan presented a copy of the DVD documentary to President Higgins. Pat O Brien presented a specially commissioned framed photograph of the Centenary Commemoration Monument. Retired Army Sergeant Michael Kelly presented a copy of his book Life Stories and Sabina Higgins was delighted to receive a bouquet of flowers from Ellen Drake.

The President then invited the guests to join him in the State Dining Room for lunch where the gathering enjoyed a selection of Irish themed songs performed by Sheila Fitzgerald and Mike Sheehan.

Later, to round off a great day, the group was treated to a tour of the State Rooms and the grounds of Aras an Uachtarain.
Joe Scally (81) has been missing from his home in Raheny since May 3

Gardai are appealing to members of the public for help in locating a man who went missing from his Dublin home earlier this week.

Joe Scally, aged 81, has been missing from his home in the Tonlegee Road area of Raheny, Dublin 5, since Wednesday, May 3.

Mr Scally is described as being about 5 ft 11 in height, of strong build, with grey short hair.

He was last seen wearing a black puffer jacket and dark coloured trousers and his disappearance has sparked concern from family members.

Anyone with information on Joes whereabouts is asked to contact Coolock Garda Station 01 666 4200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.
More dogs are being abandoned due to the housing crisis

The Dublin County Dog Shelter in Newcastle has dogs sleeping outside and in wooden crates due to the lack of space

A dog shelter in south Dublin is experiencing an increase in people giving up their dogs due to the housing crisis.

The Dublin County Dog Shelter in Newcastle has kennel capacity for 40 dogs. However, it is at over-capacity with dogs sleeping outside and in wooden crates on the floor due to the lack of space.

Emily Nash, assistant manager, said the shelter is seeing a knock on effect from the housing crisis, with people ringing to surrender their dogs as they have nowhere else to go.

DSPCA rescue two adorable puppies from a cardboard box in South Dublin

Every single phone call is, I want to surrender my dog, Im becoming homeless today, Im becoming homeless next week, said Ms Nash.

We dont have space and then those dogs are technically stray. We have to take them because they have nowhere else to go.

The shelter has been running since October 2021 and is experiencing an increase in dogs purchased during the pandemic being surrendered.

Its mostly Covid dogs we are seeing. When we opened, it was quite quiet and over time its started building up. But the last few months have just been mental, said Ms Nash.

Bull breeds especially, they seem to have been a fashion of Covid, and everyone has gone back to work or they didnt put in the training that dogs need.

The shelter currently has 29 bulldog breeds for adoption

We have dogs living outside in the runs and sometimes we dont have space to let out the dogs which are in the kennels because we have dogs in the runs.

We have crates in the office Its just mayhem at the moment, she added.

The shelter currently has 29 bulldog breeds for adoption, which are vaccinated and micro-chipped.

Ms Nash said adoption is a quite an easy process, you come up for a meet and greet, sometimes you might come up for a few meet and greets if you have kids or another dog.

South Dublin Dog Shelter is located at Hollygrove Kennels in Newcastle.
The swimmer got into difficulty at the popular Forty Foot in Sandycove

A swimmer is in serious condition in hospital following a rescue operation at the Forty Foot in Dublin on Thursday evening.

A rescue operation was launched after a call was made by a member of the public who spotted the swimmer in difficulty.

The Irish Coast Guard responded with Rescue 116, the Dun Laoghaire RNLI, as well as the national ambulance service, the Dublin Fire Brigade and gardai.

The person was retrieved from the water by the Dun Laoghaire lifeboat and received medial assistance onsite before being transferred to hospital. It is believed the person remains in serious condition.

A spokesperson for the Department of Transport said: The Irish Coast Guard were alerted to a person in difficulty at the 40 Foot at Sandycove.

Dun Laoghaire RNLI, Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard Unit and Dublin-based Helicopter R116 were tasked to the scene.

The casualty was recovered by Dun Laoghaire Lifeboat and transferred to the care of the HSE ambulance on scene.

A spokesperson for An Garda Siochana said gardai attended the scene in a crowd management capacity to disperse crowds.

On social media, the Irish Coast Guard has advised swimmers to use caution when sea swimming.

Conditions were not ideal for swimming due to easterly winds. Please exercise caution when making a decision to swim. Any doubt, dont swim, it said.

Remember if you see anyone in difficulty in or near the water, dial 112 or VHF channel 16 immediately and ask for the Coast Guard.
Milltown farmer and ICMSA Dairy Committee Chair Noel Murphy has warned that retailers price cuts must not be reflected in farmers pay cheques.
Sinn Fein vice-president Michelle ONeills decision to attend the coronation of King Charles III in London has split opinion among republicans. Heres what Kerrys Sinn Fein representatives have to say.

Charles and Camilla will both crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday Photo by Jon Super / PA   Jon Super

A night time rehearsal in central London last Wednesday for the coronation of King Charles Photo by James Manning   James Manning

Britain's King Charles reacts as he meets well-wishers during a walkabout on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of his and Camilla, Queen Consort's coronation, in London Photo by Toby Melville/Reuters   REUTERS

When Michelle ONeill attends Saturdays Coronation of King Charles III in London it will generate criticism and praise.

Accepting the invite for the coronation of a monarch is the archetypal Marmite moment for many Irish republicans insofar as they will either love it or hate it.

In one corner is the view that ONeills presence represents a new departure for Sinn Fein, one of maturity and representation of all the people in Northern Ireland  nationalist and unionist.

In the opposite corner are feelings of discord that her decision represents a fundamental step away from Sinn Feins redline and underlines its acceptance that a monarch continues to reign over a part of Ireland.

Kerry is arguably one of the most staunchly republican counties on the island. It is represented by a Sinn Fein TD in the Dail, and four councillors elected to Kerry County Council. Heres what they think about their vice-presidents coronation attendance:

Deputy Pa Daly: Michelle ONeill is a designated First Minister in Northern Ireland. She has always said she would be a First Minister for all in the six counties. When she says it, she means it.

While the monarchy might not mean much to me. It does mean a lot to a lot of people in the north. I respect her decision to decide to go to the coronation.

There is no acceptance of a monarchy. We are republicans, so we fundamentally disagree with the idea of a monarchy. We prefer to be citizens than subjects.

However, she is a First Minister for all the people; she is representing the electorate who want her to be the First Minister in the north. I support the decision she has taken.

Cllr Robert Beasley: Look, thats her own decision. I suppose things have changed and I have no difficulty with it.

Personally, I have no interest in monarchy wherever they are, never had and never will. If shes attending it, shes attending it. It doesnt bother me.

But I certainly wouldnt be doing it myself. You will always have critics and I respect their decision.

I wont be watching it. There has been a lot of changes since the Good Friday Agreement, we all must live with different situations. But I certainly wouldnt attend it, nor would I watch it.

A night time rehearsal in central London last Wednesday for the coronation of King Charles Photo by James Manning   James Manning

Cllr Cathal Foley: My feeling is she is elected by the people in the six counties to represent everyone on both sides of the community. I dont see a problem with it.

Personally, I have no interest in it and I wont be watching it. There is a significant population of the six counties, and probably here as well, who look up to royalty. Thats their entitlement and belief.

Michelle ONeill is representing all those people. It would have been very unfair of her, or anyone else, not to go and represent these people.

Martin McGuinness has met with the royals in the past and the relationship is better than it ever was before. Mutual respect is important.

Were still republicans, we dont want monarchies, they should be abolished all over the world. But I respect the beliefs of those who support them.

Im sure there are people too who had hoped Michelle ONeill would have turned down the invitation so they could criticise her. She made the right decision.

Cllr Deirdre Ferris: My feeling is she has made the right decision. You cant talk about inclusivity and respecting peoples beliefs and not show it.

As a member of the nationalist community in the six counties, she knows only too well what it feels like to be marginalised on the periphery with no voice or representation.

If she wants to be a representative, she must respect the opinions and beliefs of the unionist and loyalist communityIm very happy with her decision to be there.

As far as Im concerned, for us to achieve our main ideological belief of a united 32-county republic, the only way we can do that is by ensuring every member of every community in Ireland feels included, is listened to, and respected.

At the end of the day, compromise is important when it comes to bringing two jurisdictions together.

Charles and Camilla will both crowned at Westminster Abbey on Saturday Photo by Jon Super / PA   Jon Super

Cllr Tom Barry: I think its a good thing and I have no issue with it. She is the First Minister. I think it is the way forward.

We celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement recently; no reasonable person can deny that it hasnt been a positive step forward.

There is no future without agreement. Look at the progress we have made since the Good Friday Agreement. Michelle ONeill is the First Minister for the whole community.

By sitting around a table 25-years ago to work out an agreement, thats how we got to where we are today.

I definitely agree with Michelles decision to go to the coronation. She is doing the right thing. People have their opinions, and these opinions have been expressed to me.

But my opinion is she will be in London as someone who represents all the views and opinions in Northern Ireland.
Pictured Waldemar, who runs Peach Perfect Weddings, one of the first customers in the Ballyheigue Deployment Area to be connected to the NBI network, Niamh Hogg, Marketing Manager at National Broadband Ireland and Kevin Kelly, Business Development Manager at Ivertec Broadband. Photo by Domnick Walsh.

More than 11,000 homes and businesses in Kerry are now ready to connect to high-speed broadband under the National Broadband Plan (NBP), as National Broadband Ireland (NBI) announced this week that the roll-out has now extended into premises on the Dingle Peninsula.

In a statement issued today, NBI said that 1,500 premises in the Ballyheigue Deployment Area, which covers the Dingle Peninsula, can now order or pre-order a high-speed connection.

It brings to over 11,000 the number of premises in Kerry ready to connect. A total of 28,000 premises in the county have been included in the States Intervention Area. Homes, businesses, farms, and schools within this intervention area will be able to obtain broadband speeds of at least 500 megabits per second under the roll-out by NBI, the company delivering high-speed fibre-to-home broadband under the NBP.

Kerry has been allocated 107million worth of government investment under the NBP.

NBI CEO Peter Hendrick today encouraged residents within the Ballyheigue Deployment Area to check if they can now connect.

We are calling on residents in the Ballyheigue deployment area to visit nbi.ie to check their Eircode to see if they can connect today, he said. It is our goal to give homes and businesses throughout Ireland the opportunity to experience the life-changing benefits that high-speed broadband provides. We understand the role that high-speed broadband now plays in everyday lives and want to give the people of Ireland every opportunity to avail of it.
A large group of Treasure Leitrim members met with Green Party Minister Eamon Ryan, in Sligo on Thursday evening to raise concerns regarding the issuing of prospecting licenses just over a year ago to Flintridge Resources for 47 townlands in Leitrim.

The group were also accompanied by their 'Trojan Horse' sculpture which symbolises prospecting licenses as a Trojan Horse for the gold-mining industry.

The minister spoke with a number of those outside the Glasshouse Hotel, where he was holding a public meeting, about their concerns regarding gold-mining and its potential negative impact on the landscape, air and water quality, and the possible damage to existing industries like tourism.

Treasure Leitrim member Jamie Murphy spoke to the Minister.

"Minister Ryan was kind enough to talk with some of us prior to the meeting and we expressed numerous concerns about the threat of gold mining ,not only for this area but for the country as a whole. There is almost 30% of land available for prospecting which is an astonishing figure. The track record of the industry as a whole was highlighted as was the record of Flintridge Resources specifically.

I also mentioned to the Minster that there was a sense in this part of the country that we are under siege from various extractive industries such as non native forestry plantations, fracking previously and now mining. While the Minister listened it was disappointing that he ultimately still felt that possible mining would be necessary in the country.

Many of those present outside then made their way into the public meeting to listen to Minister Ryan answer questions on a range of topics. Treasure Leitrim Chairperson James Gilmartin raised an important issue regarding the rights of companies such as Flintridge Resources to access land for prospecting.

He said there were concerns that companies could seek injunctions against landowners who refused access to companies and this would obviously be worrying for farmers and landowners who didnt not wish to give the company permission to enter their land. He also raised the matter of whether Minister Ryan would support a ban on the use of cyanide in processing of gold/silver as had been done by Leitrim County Council. Treasure Leitrim is hoping to get clarity on these matters from Minister Ryan in the near future and reaffirmed their commitment to making sure the gold-mining industry is not allowed to gain a foothold in the region.
Retro Cannonball finished in Wexford on the quay in 2022 with huge crowds and a fantastic show. Now Retro Cannonball 2023 is all set to begin in Wexford this year on May 26th.

JJ Doyle (10) from Offaly pictured at the launch of Retro Cannonball which starts in Wexford this year on May 26th.   Gareth Chaney

JJ Doyle (10) from Offaly pictured with Cannonball Founder Alan Bannon at the launch of Retro Cannonball which starts in Wexford this year.   Gareth Chaney

A convoy of more than 100 of the finest classic cars you can image will hit the road from Wexford later this month as Retro Cannonball 2023 gets into gear.

Having seen thousands of auto enthusiasts from across the south east descend on Wexford quay for the finish line of last years event, this year founder Alan Bannon was determined to bring an array of beautiful cars back to the beautiful surroundings of Co Wexford once more, this time for the starting line.

This years Retro Cannonball event will get under way at the Wexford County Council car park in Carricklawn at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 26, as organisers once again seek to raise significant funds for The Jack and Jill Childrens Foundation.

Over the course of two days, the cannonballers will take in Wexford, Waterford, Cork and Tipperary before reaching the finish line in Tullamore on May 27.

Among the classic car convoy this year will be some rare Jaguar E-Types, Ferrari will be well represented with a number of 348 GTS, some beautiful Mercedes-Benz SL classics, a Lancia Beta, a BMW 635CSI, a Porsche 911 Carrera and a Porsche 911 Targa, an MG Midget, a Ford Escort Cosworth, a beautiful Chevrolet Corvette, a classic VW Beetle, a Ford Thunderbird, a mini cooper and many more.

We are welcoming cars from the golden era of the 60s,70s, 80s and early 90s to take in stunning drives and many famous Irish landmarks. said Cannonball founder Alan Bannon Classic cars not only appeal to car lovers, but also to lovers of engineering, design, art and history. They retain an incurable romance and that is the reason why people do, and always will, love classic cars.

For more details or to take one of the last remaining spaces on the run, visit cannonball.ie. Registration is also open for supercar event Cannonball Ireland which will take place from September 15 to 17.
Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Anthony Stafford from Clongeen, Irene and Mary Farrell from Cork. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Eva Mullins from Longraigue and Issabelle Browne from Loughnageer. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; John Breen and Betty Stafford from Clongeen. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Nell and Martin Colfer from Rochestown and Mary Kelly from Foulksmills. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Catherine Wall from Ballinamona, Mary, Katie and Niamh Kehoe from Clongeen and Mary OConnor from Foulksmills. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Fr. Jimmy Curtis from Clongeen and Fred Casey from Tinnerath and Bishop Ger Nash. Photo; Mary Browne

Clongeen hall blessing by Bishop Ger Nash. From left; Catherine Butler from Foulksmills, Breda Byrne from Garryrichard, Mary Cullen from Newcastle and Diane Murphy from Clongeen. Photo; Mary Browne

Bishop Ger Nash with members of the Clongeen Hall committee at the official opening.

Bishop of Ferns Ger Nash was given a warm Clongeen welcome for the official blessing ceremony of the village hall recently.

Bishop Nash attended the hall  which was opened in October by Minister of Justice, Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands, Heather Humphreys.

Fr Matt Boggan welcomed the bishop to Clongeen at the parish church, with Michael Murphy of Clongeen Community Development Group welcoming the bishop to the hall where he performed the blessing.

A huge spread was laid on for Bishop Nash and the crowd in attendance.

The hall project began in 2018 and was driven by the Clongeen Community Development Group  with assistance from Wexford Local Development. Works were completed on the main phase of the extension last autumn, with the asbestos roof the next part requiring funding.

Boosted by LEADER and Wexford County Council funding and Rural Regeneration funding, and aided by a Buy A Brick fundraiser, the hall extension was built by local company Mythen Bros. The community facility provides a modern, comfortable and accessible facility for the community of Clongeen, including large multi-purpose meeting rooms, function hall, fully equipped stage and changing rooms, kitchen, youth hub, and community office.

Works were carried out on developing youth facilities which saw renovations to an existing space to create a dedicated youth facility. This was achieved through the renovation and fit out of an existing room within the centre.

A Silver Circle Draw takes place on Monday, May 22 at 8 p.m. in the hall, with committee members selling tickets at 40 for six months, all for the benefit of people living in Clongeen parish.
Horeswood school Scoil Mhuire  where Irish prop Tadhg Furlong attended as a child  was named one of Irelands Travel Schools of the Year for their participation in the first ever Staffroom Challenge at a ceremony in Dublin.

An Taisce Green-Schools presented the school with their award at the event honouring the winners of this years Green-Schools BIG Travel Challenge 2023 in Haughton House of Dublin Zoo. Eleven other schools were also awarded on the day for their efforts promoting sustainable and active travel modes to school.

During February schools undertook the Big Travel Challenge, which asked them to concentrate on one sustainable transport mode for two weeks to see if they could achieve real, lasting change in the travel behaviour of their staff and students. The challenge is an initiative of the Green-Schools Travel theme, which is supported by the NTA and the Department of Transport.

Scoil Mhuire, a rural school with staff travelling from great distances, excelled and embraced the challenge. Staff were encouraged by volunteers and went from 0pc of staff choosing a sustainable mode of transport at the beginning of the challenge to up to 50pc of the staff being involved on various days of the challenge!

Congratulating Scoil Mhuire, and the other awarded schools on their achievements, Green-Schools Travel Manager Ciara Norton said: My team and I have been so inspired by the many ways schools approached the Big Travel Challenge this year. The winning schools created incredible change in a short period of time, showing the desire among young people to travel to school independently, actively and in a mode that is mindful of our climate and local environment. Well done to all!
When I told my friends that out train was most likely a train from the former East German Railway, they laughed, suggesting it could not be so old, as it looked in pristine condition. But our locomotive driver told us I was right.

Over the years Ive travelled here and there. I lived in Italy and Germany, which meant flying backwards and forwards relatively regularly.

Back home, living in Ireland, I lost interest in foreign travel. My sights instead were fixed on West Kerry.

I was beginning to wonder why so many people were taking to the skies, especially for short visits to crowded cities all over the world. Then came Covid, which means it must be seven or eight years since I sat in a plane.

Some weeks ago two friends and I decided wed take flight. After work on the Thursday of the May Bank Holiday weekend we met at Dublin Airport to take a Ryanair flight to Nuremberg in the southern German State of Bavaria.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw the milling crowds at the airport. It was a different world from the airport I remember of the 1960s, 70s, even 80s. I can recall my parents dropping me at the airport and leaving the car outside the main entrance door.

Home now and thinking about the wonderful few days we had, I cant believe there is not a direct rail service to the airport, which saw 400,000 people go through its doors over the May Bank Holiday weekend.

Getting off the plane at Albrecht Durer Airport in Nuremberg I felt a great sense of being back in Germany, back to a country where Ive always felt at ease.

It seems everything in Nuremberg is called after the famous engraver, Albrecht Durer, who was born the city in 1471. His friendship circle included Leonardo da Vinci and Emperor Maxmilian I.

We did many of the touristy things, including a four-hour walking tour of the city. We visited the infamous place where Hitler held his rallies. I cannot believe what I saw there: a newly married couple using the remaining structure, which was a memorial for the war dead, as a backdrop for their wedding pictures. The world is indeed, a strange place.

And then my mind took a detour and I was thinking of the war in Ukraine and the lives being lost and ruined for ever.

We travelled by rail to nearby Regensburg. On our return that evening we took a regional train, which happened to be a double-decker. When I told my two friends it was most likely a train from the former East German Railway, they laughed, suggesting it could not be so old, as it looked in pristine condition. Our stop was the trains destination so I cheekily went up to the locomotive and asked the driver. He assured me I was correct.

All four of us ended up having an animated conversation about trains, his workload, even to the point where he produced his roster sheet and showed us how many hours he worked that day.

From May 1 German Rail is offering a 49 monthly unlimited ticket across the German network on all its regional trains.

The highlight of the holiday? Certainly chatting with the train driver was high up on my list.

Thank you to my two friends. That 49 rail ticket is an added incentive to return. And soon.
The Jobs Fair will take place in the library in Wicklow town.

BUSINESSES are being encouraged to take part in a Jobs Fair which will be taking place in Wicklow Library.

The Jobs Fair is being organised by Wicklow Town Community Development in association with Wicklow County Council and Wicklow Town and District Chamber of Commerce and takes place from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, May 12.

Any businesses are invited to take part in the event if they are struggling to fill vacancies in your business. The Jobs Fair will provide businesses with the perfect opportunity to meet potential candidates first-hand.

The target market will be jobseekers in Wicklow who would like to get a job and the Jobs Fair will be open to everyone, including the communities of Ukraine and non-nationals who are now living in Wicklow and environs.

The cost to enter a stall is 40 and if you are interested you can contact wicklowcdl10@gmail.com or info@wicklowchamber.ie.
Wedding to rugby hero Conor Murray is scheduled for this summer.

Model Joanna Cooper has jetted off on a hen trip to Barcelona, in advance of her big wedding to Irish rugby sensation Conor Murray.

The Derry native will marry her Irish rugby star fiance on June 5, 2023.

Taking to Instagram this morning, the model reposted a video of herself wearing a veil in Dublin Airport while enjoying a pre-flight tipple.

Joanna enjoys a drink

The group are seen enjoying mimosa cocktails, while later photos are shared of Joanna taking in the sun on a lounge bed.

The blonde beauty looks glamorous in a white outfit with matching veil and sunglasses.

The former Miss Universe Ireland announced her engagement to the rugby player last March, after four years together.

Conor, 34, proposed to Joanna, 29, while they were on holiday in Dubai.

Happy couple

At the time, Joanna posted a video to Instagram showing the moment when the rugby player popped the question. She captioned the post, which also featured various clips from their trip: A dream week followed by four emojis including an engagement ring.

The Derry girl gave her Instagram followers a glimpse of her ring as she posted a photo with her fiance showing off the jewellery.

Engagement

The snap shows the pair enjoying a drink as the bride-to-be plants a kiss on her future husbands cheek as he smiles down the camera.

Last day of the best week ever, she wrote, tagging Conor.

The Limerick man also filled his fans in on the big news by posting a photo on his grid of him and Joanna, where she shows off the ring, writing: Phew 21/03/2022.

The couple first began dating in 2018 after meeting on a night out in London in 2017.

They moved in together in early 2020 and adopted a puppy called Kevin.

Joanna previously revealed that she and Conor will tie the knot in Portugal this summer.

She revealed the pairs plans on Ireland AM, opening up about their sun-soaked wedding venue.

"We're getting married on a Monday because there were no weekends free.

"And then everyone gets engaged and married in the same week, literally! I don't know when we'll get a honeymoon, it will be way later [in the year]."
I lost everything. Complete financial ruin  Designer Helen Cody opens up about divorce, the death of her son and how she had to start all over again after the crash
Lindy McDowell: Not quite ostracised, but still an awkward day for Spare Harry who walked up aisle of Westminster Abbey on his own
Porcupines have been blamed for causing devastating floods in Italy that killed two people, led to the evacuation of hundreds of locals and prompted the declaration of a state of emergency.
A Kremlin spokesman yesterday directly accused the United States of ordering what Moscow has alleged was an attempted assassination of Vladimir Putin with two drones that were sent to attack the Russian presidents official residence.
Ukrainian leader is convinced the Russian president will be brought to justice

Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is convinced Russian president Vladimir Putin will face an international war crimes court when Ukraine wins the war that has been raging for over a year.
Image credit: Twitter/DC_Ziro

Ziro: Arunachal Pradesh's Ziro region recently hosted the Tribal Artisan Mela (TAM) to showcase the talents of the local artisans.

The mela was organized by Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India Limited ( TRIFED) under the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Govt. of India and supported by Arunachal Pradesh Rural Livelihoods Mission ( ArSRLM) and District Mission Management Unit (DMMU) Ziro unit.

The Northeast Handicraft and Handloom Development Cooperation (NEHHDC) was also part of the empanelment team being a partner of TRIFED, reports Arunachal 24.

TAM was conducted under the scheme Marketing and Logistics Development for Promoting Tribal Artisan Products from Northeastern Region (PTP-NER) for strengthening the livelihood opportunities of tribal artisans of Northeastern region.

The primary purpose of TAM is to highlight the creative tribal arts and artifacts to facilitate national exposure for potential business perspective towards enriching the livelihoods of tribal artisans.
Image: Unsplash

The land of five rivers, Punjab, once a symbol of fertility, prosperity, and the birthplace of the brave Sikh community, has been grappling with a different reality in recent years. A crisis that has ravaged the youth of the state  drug abuse. With the statistics painting a grim picture, the Sikh community has taken it upon themselves to combat this problem and preserve the future of Punjabs generations.

The extent of the drug abuse issue in Punjab is alarming. According to a Times of India report, an estimated 70% of the states youth are affected by drug addiction. Substance abuse ranges from prescription medications to street drugs like heroin and synthetic drugs like crystal methamphetamine. The reasons behind this epidemic are multifaceted, involving a combination of socioeconomic factors, political influences, and the easy availability of narcotics.

Youth in Punjab are especially vulnerable due to the states strategic location, situated near the Golden Crescent  the drug-producing region encompassing Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. This geographical proximity has facilitated easy access to drugs, making them cheaper and readily available.

The impact of drug addiction on Punjabs youth is devastating. Many face health complications, social isolation, and mental health issues as a result of their addiction. With the majority of the workforce being affected, the states economy and social fabric are also under threat. To tackle this challenge, the Sikh community has played a significant role in raising awareness and providing rehabilitation services.

Gurdwaras, the Sikh places of worship, have been at the forefront of this fight. They have opened their doors to those struggling with addiction, offering food, shelter, and support without discrimination. Gurdwaras have also established rehabilitation centres, providing a safe space for addicts to recover under the guidance of trained professionals. These centres not only focus on physical detoxification but also on mental and spiritual healing, employing the principles of Sikhism to help individuals rediscover their purpose and reconnect with their faith.

The Sikh community has also been instrumental in spreading awareness about drug addiction, with religious leaders addressing the issue during sermons and community gatherings. Many Sikh organizations have started programs to educate the youth about the dangers of drug abuse and the importance of leading a healthy, purposeful life. They have been reaching out to the most vulnerable sections of society, including those in rural areas, to ensure that their message of hope and healing is accessible to all.

A shining example of the Sikh communitys efforts is the work of the Baba Farid Center for Special Children, founded by Gurpreet Singh in 2003. The centre focuses on providing holistic care to children and young adults affected by drug addiction and various disabilities. The centres success in rehabilitating and reintegrating its wards into society serves as a beacon of hope for the community.

The Punjab government has also taken note of the Sikh communitys work and has partnered with them to amplify their efforts. The government has initiated several measures, such as implementing stricter drug control policies and providing financial assistance to community-run rehabilitation centres.

Despite the progress made, the road to recovery for Punjabs youth is a long one. The Sikh communitys resilience and dedication to saving their future generations offer hope and inspiration to others facing similar challenges. Their efforts embody the spirit of Chardi Kala  the unwavering optimism and the relentless pursuit of progress in the face of adversity. As the Sikh community continues to lead the charge against drug abuse, the battle for Punjabs future is far from over, but the prospects of winning are brighter than ever.
Image Credit: Twitter/@DrSJaishankar

New Delhi/Panaji/UNI: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross border terrorism, in his address to SCO Foreign Ministers, with Pakistans Bilawal Bhutto Zardari present in the room.

In his opening remarks at the Meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation in Goa, EAM Jaishankar also sought the support of member states for Indias long-standing demand to make English the third official language of the organisation.

In his address, EAM said that India attaches great importance to the development of multi-faceted cooperation in the SCO and to the promotion of peace, stability, economic development, prosperity and closer interaction between the countries of the grouping.

As the chair of the SCO, PM Modi has articulated Indias priorities as moving towards a SECURE SCO. Secure stands for Security, Economic Development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Integrity and Environmental protection. These have remained our priority in the course of our work as the chair of the SCO this year, he said.

EAM Jaishankar said that India has successfully concluded more than 100 meetings and events, including 15 ministerial level meetings of the SCO, and has received enthusiastic participation from member states, as well as observers and dialogue partners of the grouping.

He said many of the events hosted by India were first time ones.

It is gratifying to note that the further deepening of the bonds of friendship and cooperation in the SCO, and events like the SCO Millet Food Festival, Film festival, Cultural showcase at Surajkund Mela, the SCO Tourism Mart, conference on Shared Buddhist Heritage, were all successfully hosted by India.

I am particularly delighted that Varanasi as the first SCO cultural and tourist capital 2022-23 hosted several colourful events with active participation from member states.

He said that India as SCO chair has initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 socio cultural events.

EAM said that following the Covid 19 pandemic and geo political upheavals, in reference to the Ukraine conflict, the world is today facing a multitude of challenges.

These events have disrupted global supply chains, leading to serious impact on the supply of energy, food and fertilisers, and cascading effect on developing nations. These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner, he added.

These challenges are, however, also an opportunity for member states of the SCO to collaborate and address them collectively.

With more than 40 percent of the worlds population within the SCO our collective decisions will surely have a global impact, the EAM said, in a significant statement as the West is watching the growing relevance of the grouping that comprises Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, with Iran set to join as full member.

On terrorism, he said: While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Talking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross border terrorism.

The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be ceased and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO.

On Afghanistan, he said that the unfolding situation in the neighbouring country remains at the centre of attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people; our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities.

India has always stood for multilateral approaches to address global challenges and has always been a willing partner to sharing our expertise and experience. In this regard, Indias own achievement in the field of startups and innovation is a remarkable journey.

Today there are more than 70,000 startups in India, of which more than a 100 are unicorns. We stand ready to share our experience with member states.

He also expressed gratitude for members who supported Indias proposal for creation of two new working groups-- on startups and innovation and on traditional medicines last year.
Image Credit: PIB

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be travelling to France to attend the Bastille Day Parade in Paris as a guest of honour on July 14.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted President Emmanuel Macrons invitation to attend this years Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on 14 July 2023 in Paris, said an official statement.

An Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Bastille Day Parade alongside their French counterparts to mark the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership milestone.

Prime Minister Modis visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, read the statement.

India and France have a shared vision of peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of Indias G20 Presidency, the statement said.
Image Credit: Video Grab

Bellari (Karnataka): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today called out Congress for opposing the controversial film 'The Kerala Story,' a movie based on terrorist conspiracy, as he accused the grand old party of not taking a tough stand against terrorism in order to appease its vote bank.

At a BJP election rally in Karnataka's Bellari, Modi said bombs, guns, and pistols may create loud noise, but they cannot create the kind of hollowing effect on society that a terrorist conspiracy can.

The courts have also expressed concerns about this form of terror, and currently, there are debates about the movie 'The Kerala Story,' which focuses on such a conspiracy, Modi said.

He accused Congress of opposing the film about terrorism and standing with those who justify terrorist actions.

'The Kerala Story' depicts the alleged radicalisation and conversion of young Hindu and Christian women to Islam in Kerala and their recruitment into the terrorist organisation Islamic State or ISIS.

Both Congress and CPI(M) have criticised the movie for painting Kerala as a hub of religious extremism and spreading hate propaganda against the state. They have accused the filmmakers of exaggerating and distorting the reality of Kerala.

Modi said, 'The Kerala Story' portrays a terrorist conspiracy in one state of the country, which has elicited concerns about the destructive impact of such acts of terror. A terrorist conspiracy has come to light in a state where people are so hardworking and talented.

He said the pre-poll surveys stating that Congress has an edge over BJP in the May 10 elections is disinformation.

Congress used corruption to loot the country since the eve of Independence and now it is using disinformation to fool the people, Modi alleged, adding that it will "go to any extent for appeasement".

"The Congress is afraid to see the huge support we are receiving. They get frightened even if I utter 'Jai Bajrangbali," he declared, and urged the audience to repeat the chant with him multiple times, as he had done in his previous rally in the state.

Modi said the Congress party equated the banned Islamic group Popular Front of India (PFI) with Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, affiliated with the RSS.

In its manifesto for the Karnataka elections, Congress stated that it will ban such groups that promote "enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. The BJP has always taken a tough stance on terrorism, but whenever the party takes action against it, the Congress party opposes it, he stated.

The entire world is currently concerned about terrorism, which is against humanity, human values, and development. It is surprising that Congress has surrendered to terrorism for the sake of its vote bank. Can a party like this protect the people of Karnataka and their interests? Under such an environment of terror, the industries, IT sector, farmers, and rich culture and heritage of Karnataka will be destroyed. The Congress party has sheltered and supported terrorism, thundered Modi.
Image: UNI

New Delhi/IBNS: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Friday called his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari the "promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry".

"Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism," Jaishankar was quoted as saying in the media after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.

"Bhutto Zardari came as Foreign Minister of a SCO member state; that's part of multilateral diplomacy and we don't see anything more than that," Jaishankar said.

The two foreign ministers did not hold a bilateral at the SCO meeting.

"On terrorism, Pakistan's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves," Jaishankar said taking a dig at Pakistan's struggle with a huge financial crisis that has forced the country to knock from door to door for loans.

Jaishankar's comments come on a day when five Indian Army soldiers were killed in action during an operation to find terrorists hiding in a forest near Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch.

The terrorists, suspected to be Pakistanis, had ambushed an army truck last week, killing five other soldiers.

Speaking at the SCO meeting, Jaishankar called for united efforts to fight terrorism. He said taking eyes off terrorism would be bad for the SCO.

"We must not allow anybody - individual or state - to hide behind non-state actors... While the world was engaged in facing Covid and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated. Taking our eyes of this menace would be detrimental to our security interests," Jaishankar said.

Bilawal Bhutto's visit to India for the SCO-CFM meeting will mark the first time a Pakistani foreign minister has travelled to India in almost 12 years. The last Pakistani foreign minister to visit India was Hina Rabbani Khar in 2011.

India has sent formal invitations to all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) including Pakistan and China for the upcoming foreign ministers' meeting.
Imphal/IBNS: As Manipur continues to remain on the boil, a BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte was critically injured in an attack by a crowd in the states capital Imphal on Thursday when he was returning from the state secretariat after a meeting with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, media reports said.

The law-and-order in the state remains turbulent even as the Manipur Governor on Thursday gave his approval to shoot at sight order in "extreme cases" after violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community engulfed the state.

Valte, a three-time MLA from Thanlon in the Pherzawl district, was returning to his official residence in Imphal when he was attacked. While Valte and his driver sustained injuries, his PSO escaped.

The MLA is currently undergoing treatment at the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Imphal.

Valte belongs to the Kuki ethnic group and served as the Tribal Affairs & Hills minister of Manipur during the previous BJP administration.

On Wednesday, the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) conducted a 'Tribal Solidarity March' across the ten hill districts of Manipur in protest against the request made by non-tribal Meiteis, who make up 53% of the state's population, for being granted the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Amid the 'Tribal Solidarity March' by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district, an armed mob allegedly attacked people belonging to the Meitei community, which led to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, ultimately leading to widespread violence throughout the state.

According to Indian Express, the immediate spark for the violence was provided by a counterattack by Meitei mobs, who destroyed the Anglo-Kuki War Memorial Gate in Leisang and razed Vaiphei houses in Kangvai village. This came after a Meitei driver was beaten up for a traffic accident involving a bike and a tripper truck that ran over water bottles kept for peaceful tribal protestors in Lamka on the same day.

In the past 12 hours, Imphal East and West districts witnessed sporadic incidents of arson and attempts by inimical elements to establish a blockade.

#Manipur remains tense amid ethnic #violence, several establishments were torched by rioters. Army and #AssamRifles rescued 13000 people from troubled areas. The Army held flag marches and took control of sensitive areas, also interacted with locals, assured them of safety pic.twitter.com/oNMVBjtgQ2  India Blooms (@indiablooms) May 5, 2023

Urging people to maintain peace, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said, "Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate." The CM said the violence was the result of "misunderstanding" in society.

Sources said mobs burned several houses in Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Imphal valley areas on Friday despite the shoot-at-sight orders by the government.

In the past, for approximately 48 hours, Indian Army, Assam Rifles and Air Force along with civil administration led proactive rescue operations, Indian Army said in a statement.

Nearly 13000 civilians have been rescued and are currently staying in various temporary boarding facilities specifically created for the purpose within Company Operating Bases & Military Garrisons, the army said.

Till now, more than 100 columns of the Indian Army are working tirelessly towards restoring law and order in Manipur at the earliest, the statement said.

The Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster & AN 32 aircraft.

Induction commenced on the night of 04 May and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of 05 May, Friday, the satement said.

The Army conducted flag marches and took control of violence-hit areas. The Army personnel also interacted with locals and influencers to reassure them of their personal safety, the Indian Army said in the statement.

Flag march and area domination in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway, the Indian Army said.
Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh Home Minister Bamang Felix on Friday said that the state government is making every possible attempt to safely rescue and evacuate the Arunachal Pradesh students and citizens who are stuck in Manipur due to the ongoing violence.

The Government of Arunachal Pradesh is in constant touch with its counterpart in Manipur and is closely monitoring the situation. Communications have also been made with the stranded students and people of Arunachal Pradesh, the Home Minister informed during a press briefing at his official residence here this evening.

Deadly clashes erupted on Wednesday after the All Tribal Students' Union, Manipur (ATSUM) organised a protest rally against the Court order of the Manipur High Court which gave direction to the Manipur government to take a decision on the demand of the Meitei community to include them in the ST list.

A large number of houses were burnt in Bishenpur, Moreh, Imphal East, Imphal West, and Churachandpur districts. There was massive protest throughout the state as reports of alleged rape of women came from the Churachandpur district.

According to the data available from the government, altogether 263 students are stranded in

Manipur while 34 students have managed to safely return to Arunachal Pradesh, he informed.

As of now, all stranded students are within their respective campus, and are safe, the Home Minister said, while informing that request for additional security has also been made for their protection.

I urge all affected students and their parents to remain calm and not panic during these challenging times. Students who are on their campus should continue to remain inside the campus, Felix said.

As per the latest ground report, the situation is limping back to normalcy in Manipur. However, on the direction of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, a Control Room has been established at the State Civil Secretariat here under the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to handle the situation, he informed.

Parents and students seeking support and assistance can also call the helpline numbers of Manipur - 8730931414/ 8794475406/ 7005257760 and 8471889572 (AIGP Itanagar), 7086026788 (DRC, Guwahati), and 7630090058 (Additional SP, Itanagar), the Minister said.

Commenting on the governments evacuation effort, Felix informed that a chopper was requisitioned for the task but could not get clearance from the Air Traffic Control in Manipur this afternoon due to congestion.

Efforts are also underway to charter flights and as soon as the ATC gives clearance, it will initiate the evacuation process, he said.

(With UNI inputs)
Image Credit: Unsplash

Belgrade/IBNS: A drive-by shooting near Belgrade resulted in the loss of eight lives and injuries to 13 people on Thursday evening.

This incident occurred just one day after a tragic event where nine individuals were shot and killed at an elementary school in the capital city of Serbia, reported AFP.

As per the state-run RTS television, an individual wielding an automatic weapon attacked on Thursday near Mladenovac by firing shots from a moving vehicle before escaping. Authorities are currently on the lookout for the attacker.

An AFP photographer present at the scene reported that there was a significant security presence, including helicopters buzzing over the area.

Police had blocked the road leading to the villages of Malo Orasje and Dubona.

N1 television revealed that concerned family members had gathered outside the emergency medical center in Belgrade, where at least eight injured individuals were receiving treatment. Health Minister Danica Grujicic made a brief visit to the center, while Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic referred to the shooting as a "terrorist act," as reported by RTS.

The Balkan nation is grappling with the aftermath of a rare school shooting incident that occurred on Wednesday.

A 13-year-old student killed eight peers and a security guard at the Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school in downtown Belgrade, leaving six students and a teacher wounded.

Health officials stated that two individuals remain in critical condition.

Despite the usual festive atmosphere during spring in Serbia, a three-day mourning period is set to begin on Friday.

Serbia seldom experiences mass school shootings, making Wednesday's incident a tragic and unforgettable event in recent history, according to President Aleksandar Vucic.

In a national address following the school shooting, Vucic suggested stricter gun control measures, including a two-year pause in issuing firearm licenses.

The Interior Ministry has appealed to all gun owners to keep their weapons locked away in safes; those who do not comply will have their guns confiscated.

The Vladislav Ribnikar elementary school remained cordoned off on Thursday, with police guarding its entrance.

Hundreds of individuals continued to visit the school to pay their respects, leaving flowers, candles, and toys at a makeshift memorial.

In addition, people from other cities, such as Zagreb in Croatia and Banja Luka in the Bosnian Serb administrative capital, also lit candles and laid flowers to honor the victims.

Churches in Belgrade held services for the victims, while the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC), Patriarch Porfirije, referred to the shooting as a "catastrophe," one that has never occurred in the nation's history.

In the Mladenovac region, a villager shot and killed 13 of his neighbors and relatives in April 2013.
File photo by Omeas Mumtaz Siddiqui via Wikimedia Commons

Islamabad: Security workers of the Tarbela Dam region in Haripur area of Pakistan recently observed a token strike against changes to duty timings by the newly-appointed general manager (security), media reports said.

The protesters staged a sit-in outside the office of the Tarbela Dam GM and dispersed peacefully after an hour after learning that the GM is in Islamabad to attend an official meeting, reports Dawn News.

GM (security) retired Brigadier Mohammad Tufail notified changes to duty hours of all security personnel. He abolished the previous eight hours duty, the newspaper reported.

According to the new duty timings, each security man will work for four hours and get a two hours break before resuming work for the next four hours.

However, security personnel rejected the move saying they belong to far-off areas, so they cant perform duty in two shifts.


Representational image by CEphoto, Uwe Aranas via Wikimedia Commons

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian police have hit a scam syndicate from China who preyed on older women by duping them into buying medicine and paying for prayers in return for curing their illnesses, media reports said.

The bogus bomoh (shaman) scam syndicate was made up of foreign nationals, police was quoted as saying by The SOuth China Morning Post on Tuesday.

Five suspects  four women and a man, all aged 40 to 50  who are accused of being part of the syndicate were arrested at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday last week while trying to escape to China.

We also seized nine mobile phones, five bags, various types of jewellery, 11 watches of various brands, and a total of 94,300 yuan (US$13,600), Deputy Commissioner Fisol Salleh, deputy police chief of Penang state, told a press conference as quoted by the newspaper at state police headquarters on Tuesday.

Fisol said the scam syndicates modus operandi was to go to public markets early in the morning and approach women over the age of 60.

He said the syndicate would offer medicine that could purportedly cure chronic illnesses.The members of the syndicate also gave their phone numbers to the victims to offer follow-up treatment, he said.
Representational image by US Military on Flickr via Wikimedia Commons

Taipei: Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) has said 27 Chinese military aircraft and seven naval vessels around the country between 6 am on Tuesday (May 2) and 6 am on Wednesday (May 3), media reports said.

At 9 am on Wednesday, the MND said that 27 People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) military aircraft and seven People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) vessels had been tracked around Taiwan.

Of the detected aircraft, 13 crossed the median line or entered the southwest, southeast, and northeast sections of Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ), reports Taiwan News.

The aircraft tracked in the ADIZ included three Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets, four Chengdu J-10 fighter jets, two Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, one Harbin BZK-005 Reconnaissance (RECCE) drone, one Shaanxi Y-8 reconnaissance plane, one Shaanxi Y-8 electronic warfare (EW) plane, and one Shaanxi Y-8 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) plane.

The fighter jets circled over the median line, while the three Y-8 aircraft penetrated the southwest corner of the ADIZ, reported the news portal.

The BZK-005 entered the southwest corner of the ADIZ from the southwest edge of the median line. It then flew to the southeast, east, north, and northwest sections of the ADIZ before exiting over the northeast end of the median line.
Image credit: Twitter/Arindam Bagchi

Ottawa: Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs met Canadian Foreign Ministry's Assistant Deputy Ministers Weldon Epp and Alexandre Leveque when they shared a vision for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region.

MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted: "Secy (East)@AmbSaurabhKumar met Assistant Deputy Ministers in the Canadian Foreign Ministry, Weldon Epp & Alexandre Leveque."

"Discussed ways to strengthen India-Canada relations & our shared vision for a peaceful and stable Indo-Pacific region," Bagchi said.

Meanwhile, the India-Canada Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) were held on Apr 11 in Ottawa.

Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East) in the Ministry of External Affairs and David Morrison, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Affairs Canada led the respective delegations.

Both sides took the opportunity to review ongoing bilateral cooperation across different domains.

They agreed to enhance momentum in commercial ties, and strengthen cooperation in science & technology, energy, education, consular issues, counter-terrorism, and streamline mobility.

"They welcomed regular dialogue and meetings of bilateral mechanisms, including upcoming Ministerial visits which would help broaden the bilateral agenda," read a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs earlier.

Both sides also discussed contemporary regional issues including the Indo-Pacific region and cooperation in multilateral organizations.

In the context of Indias ongoing G20 Presidency, Canada expressed support for Indias leadership. Both sides will work together to ensure G20s success.

The discussions were productive and substantial. The next FOC will be held in India on a mutually convenient date.
The Supreme Court on Friday rejected the bail plea of former CMD of Amrapali Group of Companies Anil Kumar Sharma and said that he did not deserve any sympathy.

Sharma and other top officials of Amrapali Group have been in jail after their arrest in 2018 for cheating around 42,000 homebuyers.

BCCL

You cheated thousands: SC

"You have cheated thousands of home buyers. You siphoned off their hard-earned money and their life savings. You do not deserve any sympathy," a bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and Bela M Trivedi said.



Yours is not a case of simple cheating. See the plight of thousands of home buyers. You cannot have our sympathy. You better enjoy being in jail... This court is very aware of what you did. You created the mess and we are not able to find a way out of it. A large number of home buyers are suffering," the bench said further.

BCCL/FILE

Amrapali accused of syphoning off customer money

The former CMD of the real estate group and other directors of the firm were arrested at the top court's direction after the forensic audit report revealed that the management siphoned off a large amount of home buyers' money.



The apex court, in its July 23, 2019 verdict, had cracked down on errant builders for breaching the trust reposed by home buyers and ordered the cancellation of registration of the Amrapali Group under real estate law RERA and ousted it from prime properties in the national capital region (NCR) by nixing the land leases.

BCCL

The top court had directed a probe by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) into alleged money laundering by realtors, providing relief to over 42,000 home buyers of the Amrapali Group with the verdict.



Sharma booked for murder

Besides the cheating case, Sharma is also accused of murder over the death of one Dr Sharad Chandra, who was shot dead in Bihar in 2014.

It is alleged that Dr Chandra, who was the then secretary of Balika Vidyapeeth in Lakhisarai, was shot dead in August 2014 to take over the land and assets belonging to the educational institution. Chandra was removed from his post after Anil Sharma, with the help of some others, seized the land and assets of the institution.

BCCL

In January this year, the CBI said that Anil Sharma had usurped the trust of Balika Vidyapeeth with the help of Rajendra Prasad Singhania, Dr Praveen Kumar Sinha, Shyam Sunder Prasad, and Shambhu Sharan Singh.

"Sharad Chandra was targeted before his death as well as he had raised questions regarding the functioning of the school under the new trust. He had been threatened, attacked, shot at, and even his house was damaged for questioning the trust," the agency added.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.
In a bizarre robbery attempt, three criminals in Huancayo, Peru, broke into a shoe shop and stole more than 200 shoes, but only the right-footed ones. The BBC reported the incident, and although the police were alerted, the thieves managed to escape before they arrived.

Peruvian authorities have dubbed a group of thieves the "dumb criminals of Peru" after they attempted to rob a shoe store but only stole right-footed shoes.

Unsplash

The burglary occurred in Huancayo at night, and the shop owner estimates a loss of nearly $13,000. However, the perpetrators could not sell the shoes because they were incomplete pairs.



(Also read: Great Indian Failed Robbery: 11 Thieves With The Dumbest, Most Hilarious Robbery Attempts Ever!)

Stealing 200 shoes and finding theyre all the same foot?



In the past Ive bought and sold shoes in Peru.



So this story on BBC News brought a smile to my face.

https://t.co/3RjTi4tTYi  Strong Biz (@NotWorkingCo) May 4, 2023

Police are now hunting for the suspects, using CCTV footage and fingerprint data to identify and arrest them.

It remains unclear what motivated the thieves to steal only right-footed shoes. Some speculate that the criminals did not plan their heist thoroughly and made a significant blunder.

Others suggest they may not have realized their mistake until after the robbery.

screenshot

The CCTV footage shows the thieves breaking the padlock and collecting the shoes on a tricycle. The thieves stole shoes from various small and large brands.

The police expressed surprise at the thieves' actions and vowed to catch them using the CCTV footage and fingerprint data.

The store owner & the manager right now pic.twitter.com/vo3tzbMok3  The Chosen One (@7CHOSENONE1) May 4, 2023

Business Idea .



Go in, buy all the left pairs (for next to nothing) and put them on Marketplace for those who stole the right pair to buy at discounted rates.  The other Son Of God. (@9jaDisciple) May 5, 2023

Tell them I need a few pairs pic.twitter.com/8Q1nDVwXef    (@9illeh) May 4, 2023

The thieves leaving the store pic.twitter.com/lLmOHlN9rb  Autumn_skyee (@Autumn_skyee735) May 4, 2023

How stupid can someone be bro  DOMINYKAS (@dominykas) May 5, 2023

One user joked, "They must be hopping mad!" Another quipped, "Bet they haven't sold any of it!" And yet another suggested, "One-legged man among suspects."

(For the latest trending stories, keep reading Indiatimes)


On developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, he pointed out both countries' strong volition to address the challenges by supporting initiatives for stability and security in the region.
Just few days to commence the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal hearing, a former Head of State, General Yakubu Gowon (rtd), has urged Nigerians to accept the decisions of the court as final, when delivered.

Recall that the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu, had on March 1 declared All Progressives Congress Bola Tinubu the President-Elect on the grounds that his party scored the majority of votes cast in the polls.

Tinubu polled 8.8 million votes to defeat Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 6.9 million votes, Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) who polled 6.1 million votes and 15 others.

However, Atiku and Obi are disputing the result, filing separate petitions seeking orders to annul the election or declare them the winners of the polls.

Gowon, who spoke at the 15th Edition of Punuka Annual Lecture & Symposium, organised in honour of a late Justice of the Supreme Court, Justice Chike Idigbe, urged all the petitioners and Nigerians to accept decisions of the tribunal in good faith.

He described the judiciary as the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law, saying it has overtime proved itself as the hope of the common man.

However, the former military leader who was a special guest at the event, warned the judiciary to be strong, Independent and impartial so as to be able to ensure the protection of democracy in the country.

He said: As a Nation, we have come a long way since our independence in 1960, and we have faced many challenges along the way- to put it moderately.

READ MORE: INEC Tells Tribunal To Dismiss Peter Obi, LPs Petition Against Tinubu

It is no secret that the judiciary plays a vital role in nation building and in keeping us united as a nation.

The judiciary, in essence, is the guardian of the constitution and the rule of law. The judiciary provides a check on the powers of the executive and legislative branches and ensures that the rights and freedoms of the citizens are protected through the instrumentality of the Court.

As a former military leader (Head of State), I have seen and known firsthand the importance of the judiciary in maintaining stability and order in our society.

The judiciary serves as the bedrock of our democracy, and it is only through a strong, independent and impartial judiciary that we can ensure the protection of our democracy and the advancement of our nation.

The judiciary has overtime maintained their enviable status as the beacon of hope for our democracy, serving as the balance between every class and truly the hope of the common man.

As we move forward as a nation, let us not forget the role that the judiciary plays in nation building especially the apex court in its carrying out its duty of questioning the veracity of the decisions of the lower courts.

As such we need to allow the apex court, their deliberations and come up with their decisions and as the public to be humble enough to accept their decision as final in order to maintain the sanctity of the judiciary as individuals and institutions.

This is very important at this stage in view of the post-election litigations that are now going on.

Let us give the Judiciary the opportunity to do that work and let us accept their decision as it is.
The decomposing body of the nursing mother, Kehinde Jibril, abducted by suspected kidnappers at Ago-Oja town in the Asa Local Government Area of Kwara State has been discovered.

The corpse was reportedly found on Thursday on Ojoku road in Ago-Oja area after frantic efforts to locate and rescue her from her abductors.

Kehinde had since been buried according to Islamic rites at Ago-Oja.

READ ALSO: Son Stabs Mother To Death In Kano Over Disagreement

Another victim abducted alongside Kehinde on the same day in the town, Oriyomi Babatunde, was also injured during the abduction and later died in the hospital.

The traditional chief of Ago-Oja, Daudu Arolu, confirmed the discovery of the corpse and burial of Kehinde in a telephone interview with The Punch.

The family of the deceased had reportedly made part payment of the ransom demanded by the kidnappers.

Sources close to the family of the deceased disclosed that latest part payment of N6m demanded by the kidnappers was allegedly delivered before the discovery of the nursing mothers corpse.

The kidnappers had last Friday reportedly directed the family of the deceased to bring the ransom for her release to Eiyekonrin town, a suburb of Ilorin, and later to Ogbomoso in Oyo State, but they could not be located.

Kehinde was abducted two days to the Eid-el-Fitr celebrations at her husbands residence in Ago-Oja.

It was gathered that the kidnappers initially targeted her husband, said to be a cattle dealer, but abducted the wife because the husband was not at home when the kidnappers came calling.
Hauwa Malta, one of the two girls from the Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, recently rescued by the military, said that she was forced to marry three terrorists within nine years after their abduction by Boko Haram in 2014.

While speaking with newsmen on Thursday, Hauwa expressed delight with their rescue, explaining that the military rescued them when they went out to fetch water in the forest.

When asked if they were forced to get married to three husbands, she said: Yes, it was Shekau that married us to them. The first husband went away. Unfortunately, he never returned and Shekau said the marriage had collapsed since they chose to be infidels.

We did not do it intentionally. I married three different men. There, I married another fighter at the village, and he died after a fight between the Shekau soldiers. I have two children with him before the last one.

Ibrahim Ali, the Theatre Commander, North-East Joint Operation, Hadin Kai, while briefing journalists at the Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, said that Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus, both serial numbers two and 103 in the list of the missing victims, were rescued on April 21, 2023, by troops of 114 Taskforce Battalion Bitta at Lagara, under the 21 Armoured Brigade Bama during operations.

READ ALSO: After Nine Years, Two Chibok Girls Escape Boko Harams Captivity

He said that Hauwa Maltha, 26-year-old, and Kibaku by tribe from Jila in Chibok Local Government of Borno State, and her 3-year-old baby were rescued.

According to him, while in captivity, Hauwa got married at Gulukos, a village in Sambisa forest, to one Salman, a cameraman to Abubakar Shekau.

Salman later died in Lake Chad. Thereafter, Hauwa Maltha got married to one Mallam Muhammad in Gobara and had two children for him who later died due to sickness. Muhammad, her second husband, was also killed in Ukuba terrorist enclaves in Sambisa forest during clashes between Boko Haram/ISWAP.

Hauwa who was about eight months and two weeks pregnant during the time of her rescue delivered a bouncing baby boy on 28 April 2023 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima at 7 Div Medical Hospital and Services, he said.

Ali explained that while in captivity, 26-year-old Esther was forcefully married to one Garba, also known as Garus, a Boko Haram fighter who was killed during troops offensive operations on terrorists enclaves.

She was later married off to another insurgents, Abba, in Ukuba terrorist enclaves in Sambisa forest until her rescue by troops of Operation Hadin Kai.

Since their rescue, they have undergone thorough medical examination along with their babies and are adequately resuscitated and will be handed over to the Borno State government for further administration.

These results are evident as troops have rescued about 14 Chibok girls recently.

The girls rescued so far include; Aisha Grema, serial number 11 on the abducted Chibok girls list, Hannatu Musa, number 7 on the list, and Sera Luka, number 38 on the list.

Others are; Ruth Bitrus, number 41, Mary Dauda, number 46, Hauwa Joseph, number 18, Falmata Lawan, number 3, Asabe Ali, number 12, Jankai Yamal, number 20, Yana Pogu, number 19, Rejoice Sanki, number 70 and Hassana Adamu, number 35, he said.

The District Head of Chibok, Zanna Modu Chibok, reacting to the development, said he was elated with news of the rescue of more girls but he wished they had all come out.

It is a thing of joy to all of us that hope is not lost, we sincerely thank all who have made this possible. We salute our gallant troops for this feat and more. We shall continue to pray for the safe return of others who are still captives, he said.
A former senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, says he is willing to fight again as hes one of those who fought for and brought back democracy from military dictators.

Sani, who is one of the concerned stakeholders under the Citizen Action Movement has called for an urgent citizen-driven action to preserve the fragile foundation of Nigerias democracy, even as the inauguration of the new government draw nigh.

Speaking in an interview with Arise TV on Thursday, Sani stated that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) had a history of never accepting defeat in elections, saying that they often challenged the results in court, which is why other opposition parties are challenging their (APCs) victory in the recently concluded presidential election.

The human rights activist, who was a founding member of the ruling APC, claimed that the party was once an opposition party that protested and challenged the victories of other parties in court.

READ ALSO: Buhari Shifted Burden To Tinubu Because He Doesnt Have $1.8bn For Census  Shehu Sani

He however added that the APCs actions had set the stage for people to not accept election results when they lose.

Our democracy is a product of struggle. People fought for it. People like me went to jail during the military rule. We made sacrifices and we see the ones who brought democracy to Nigeria. So we cant fold our arms even if we dont join political parties to contest and see this democracy dissolve on the platform of complacency.

So I believe that as Nigeria moves to a new government, theres the need for them to be reminded that they won the election to serve people and not a war that theyve fought to conquer everyone.

The fact that I was a member of a political party does not deny me the right to fight for democracy. I was at the forefront for June 12. We brought this democracy. This democracy is a product of what we fought. I will fight for it again, he said.
Napoli has won their first Serie A title in 33 years after they drew 1-1 with Udinese at Dacia Arena to spark jubilant celebrations back in Naples.

They last won the league in 1990 with a Diego Maradona-inspired side adding to their first title three years earlier.

Victor Osimhen smashed in a 52nd-minute equaliser after Sandi Lovric had given Udinese a shock lead.

READ MORE: UCL: Victor Osimhen Scores As Napoli Fail To Reach Semi Finals

And Napoli held on to the point they needed to win their third Serie A title with five games to spare.

Seeing Neapolitans happy is enough to give you a sense of that joy they are feeling, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti told DAZN.

These people will look to this moment when life gets hard, they have every right to celebrate like this.

You feel a bit more relaxed knowing that youve given them this moment of happiness.

Napolis previous two titles came in the days of Argentina legend Maradona  who their stadium is now named after  in 1987 and 1990.

Following those glory days the club fell into financial decline, relegation and bankruptcy; playing in Serie C as recently as 2006.

They have won the Coppa Italia three times in the past 11 seasons but it is the Scudetto the Napoli fans craved.

They now have a new cast of superstars, with Nigeria forward Victor Osimhen scoring 21 goals in 26 league games and Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia contributing 12 goals and 10 assists.

At 64 boss Luciano Spalletti, who twice won the Coppa Italia with Roma, becomes the oldest manager to win Serie A.

His team had the chance to lift the title with six games to spare last weekend but could only draw with local rivals Salernitana.

But with a 16-point advantage over second-placed Lazio their third Serie A title is now confirmed.
Following the conviction for organ trafficking last year, the people of Mpu community, Enugu, have sought divine intervention for the former Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice and their medical doctor, Obinna Obeta, who will receive their sentence today in Britain, United Kingdom (UK), under the Modern Slavery Act.

Recall that the Nigerian Senate, House of Representatives, Prominent serving and past leaders such as the former president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo among others have written the UK Court and Government asking for mercy on the Ekweremadus.

But the senators kinsmen both old, young and widows gathered at the community primary school, Amagu Mpu playground, to pray for Ekweremadus deliverance, according to DailyPost.

However, it wasnt the first time the people of Mpu community and Aninri Local Government Area (LGA) in general gathered for such a prayer vigil.

The residents also decried that the long absence of the lawmaker, who transformed Aninri LGA and gave a new lease of life to thousands, was already affecting them.

READ ALSO: Ekweremadu: Temper Justice With Mercy  Reps Tell UK Govt. Ahead Of May 5 Sentencing

Nathaniel Nwankwo, pastor in charge of Ancient Path Revival Assembly Mpu, maintained that the community had not relented in praying and crying to God for help, mercy, and intervention for Ekweremadu, his wife, and their doctor to be released irrespective of the offence.

He said, No human being is above mistake, but since they have pronounced Ikeoha and our caring mother guilty, we pray that God showed mercy to Hezekiah; who showed mercy to the woman that committed adultery in John chapter 8 verses 1:11; will also see reasons to touch the heart of the British authorities to show mercy to the Ekweremadus.

Our prayer is that God should turn our tears into manifestation of joy and Senator Ekweremadu and wife will be freed irrespective of the offence.

His good works speak volume of him in a positive manner. This is a man whom the suffering and cry of the poor hurts so much so that each time he visits home, he throws his gate open and nobody visits him without smiling home. Apart from gifts, he would sit with you, hold your hands, comfort you and solve your problems as much as he could.

The Bible says that blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. This is the hour that Senator and wife should be rewarded with mercy.
Governor Wike Nyesom of Rivers State has expressed worry over the challenge of maintaining his numerous legacy projects in the State once he exits office.

Recall that earlier in the week, Wike recieved president-elect Bola Ahmed Tinubu to inaugurate the Rumuola/Rumuokwuta Flyover and a new Magistrate Courts Complex in the State.

He further wondered why the Nigerian system still make excuses when incentives are provided to ensure proper maintenance.

His words, I feel so bad that you built a structure as this, and those responsible for maintaining it make a mess of it when you come back in six months and you ask yourself why did I even have to build it.

READ ALSO: Project Refund: I Owe You Nothing, Its Your Road  Tinubu Tells Wike

We lack maintenance culture. Just like when we handed over the Law School to the Council of Legal Education. The state government gave N400milion; to say put it in an account for maintenance of this structure. We provided revenue-generating properties to make the school self-sustaining.

We never wanted a situation where they will make excuses, to say the federal government has not released subventions or that the money released is too small. So we say let the federal government pay you salaries, but take these incentives and ensure proper maintenance of the place. But I was told the other day there was no light, no water in the school. I cant understand our system, he stated.

Wike assured the State Chief Judge of a monthly maintenance allowance of N20 million for the State Magistrate Court for the next year, warning that he would not be happy with the authorities if he visits the court within the period and see the place unkempt.
Josef Onoh, chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Bola Ahmed Tinubus spokesman in the south east, has accused Emeritus Cardinal John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja, of forcing God to join one of the political parties in Nigeria.

His reaction stems from Onaiyekans interview where he made political statements positioning himself to have resentment against the incoming national administration of the president-elect, Tinubu, as reported by Information Nigeria.

Onoh however said he most respectfully asks the Emeritus Archbishop to seek Gods divination before dragging the Almighty into Nigerias mainstream politics or excuses God out of Nigeria politics.

He referred Onaiyekan to Patrice Lumumbas address to the church, where the Congolese politician and African Independence leader told church delegates that religion has been abused by most custodians of the church and misused in many dimensions.

Responding to the Cardinal, Onoh said: Onaiyekan is forcing God to join a political party on earth. His outburst is an attempt to force God to join a political party on earth. But priests should continuously remain priests. Its disappointing that someone such as a Cardinal like Onaiyekan has failed to separate politics from the church and so he is trying to interfere in the affairs of political parties, while hiding personal interest.

The people we looked up to for the teachings of the Lord have become buccaneer priests and have balkanized the church, hiding their preferences in religious opinions. I expected him to advise Nigerians who have faith in God to always do the right thing irrespective of circumstances or religious inclinations.

I expected him to encourage Nigerians to support a candidate with compassion, fear of God, either in Allah or Christ, because God is universal. But his outburst was born out of emotions, sentiments, rather than general collective interest and that is an attempt to force God to join a political party on earth. His outburst goes against the doctrine of the church.

Cardinal John Onaiyekan, should not forget hes the Emeritus Archbishop of the Catholic Diocese of Abuja while Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the National leader of our ruling party the APC. Asiwaju is one of the best tactical politician in the current political sphere of Nigeria and amongst the best in Africa. Hes our president-elect, hence may I remind Cardinal John Onaiyekan, that jesus said, Give unto Caesar that which is Caesars, give unto God that which is Gods (Mark 12:17).

READ ALSO: May 29: You Cant Stop A Moving Train  Fani-Kayode Tells Onaiyekan

Jesus refused to become involved in politics but the Bible stressed obeying the authorities. As God made it clear throughout scripture, he puts whomever he wants in charge (Romans 13:1 & 2). God knew your capabilities when you chose to be a priest and neither did our president-elect, our party, the APC, nor Nigerians take a negative position against your emergence as the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, rather we respected and revered the position God has bestowed upon you and your mandate was more of a spiritual guidance and service to humanity.

Jesus when questioned by Herod and Pilate refused to give an answer to defend himself. Jesus didnt involve himself in politics but insisted that taxes and respect be paid to those governing. He also made it clear that when mans laws were at odds with Gods, then Gods law trumps and must be followed by Christians (John 19:8-11).

May I point out that your current utterance against our president-elect goes against the teaching of Jesus, hence even if you are unhappy that your preferred candidate lost to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our and your president-elect, going by the teachings of Jesus your clearly in no position to be the judge and jury of the pending opposition legal adventure in the court.

One would have expected you to respect God and believe his power over mans laws rather than casting your faith in mans laws above Gods power based on your latest Comments.

Jesus is considered the Christian Exemplar and in all matters Christians follow Jesus, his words, actions, etc. As a respected man of God you should be and lead a life both in action and comments that are exemplar and inspiring to be emulated. Leave politics to politicians, for the thorny road of politician doesnt differentiate between political foes, oppositions, vile and venemous verbal attacks cast in the brutal fields of politics that even men of God are seen no different from the rest, hence I urge you to focus more on the word of God that the polling unit.

Jesus managed to understand it all and keep it straight, staying on the path, knowing that there is something more  he saw the heavens open at baptism.

Christians imitate his behavior to the best of their ability, and rely on his sacrifice for errors. Paul said to keep your eyes on the prize, focusing on the things to come while obeying Jesus Christ in the here and now (Colossians 2:17, 18).

I urge Cardinal John Onaiyekan to keep away from making inciting political statements. Like jesus, learn to keep it straight and desist from attempting to use the name of God to promote a selfish political position knowing how gullible Nigerians can be deceived by Religion.

Its a promise to Christians that this world is not the end all. Its made very clear in the book of Revelation where this system of things is headed. God will control things so Christians should not feel compelled or stressed out to fix things politically. In other words, He has it covered (Revelation 21:1, 2).

Once again like the words above, Jesus must have had your current outburst in mind when he made this statement so I urge Cardinal Onaiyekan to desist from sining against God and going against his words hence he should stay away from making unwarranted and political statements with intention to incite Nigerians against our president-elect in the pursuit of his personal agenda to avoid the wrath of God.

Finally, may I remind Cardinal John Onaiyekan that some things are a matter of Christian conscience with study and prayer. Christians love God wholeheartedly, and love their neighbor as themselves. Beyond that the Bible seems to indicate were just trying to do Gods work which isnt practical. For only God can give power hence today despite all odds, all the treacherous terrains, and ridding through the eye of the storm.

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu our dear president-elect emerged victorious, God has chosen him to lead Nigeria and you Cardinal John Onaiyekan to serve him and spread his word and yes Daddy I believe together we shall all come together to renew hope and if you doubt all Ive said and referenced in the bible, youre free to go and verify.
The Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey, United Kingdom (UK), has sentenced Ike Ekweremadu, 60, former deputy senate president, to nine years and eight months in prison for organ harvesting.

According to British Broadcasting Corporation, his 56-year-old wife, Beatrice, was handed four years and six months jail term at the sentencing on Friday.

On March 23, the jury pronounced a guilty verdict on the senator, his wife, Beatrice, and Obinna Obeta, a doctor who acted as the middleman.

The jury held that they conspired to bring the 21-year-old at the centre of the matter to London to exploit him for his kidney.

Meanwhile, the verdict is the first of its kind under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 of the UK.

READ ALSO: Kinsmen Undergo Prayer Vigil As UK Court Sentences Ekweremadu, Wife Today

The judge, Justice Adam Johnson, during a televised sentence hearing, recognised Ike Ekweremadus substantial fall from grace.

He said: People-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery.

Their victim, a poor street trader in Lagos, was brought to the UK to provide a kidney for Ekweremadus daughter, however, he fled in fear of his life and walked into a police station exactly a year ago to report what had happened after the Royal Free Hospital called a halt on the private 80,000 procedure.
Operatives of the Delta State Police Command have neutralized one kidnapper along the Warri-Sapele road and arrested five other suspects.

Spokesperson of the command, DSP Bright Edafe, who disclosed this in a statement on Thursday, May 4, 2023, said the arrested suspects are among kidnappers and robbers terrorizing Warri, Ughelli and environs.

On 3/5/2023, the Deputy Commissioner of police operations DCP Johnson Adenola, had a brainstorming meeting with key officers in the Command where strategies were mapped out to nip the activities of kidnappers in the bud. Tactical commanders were directed to proceed to Ughelli and Warri alongside their men to reinforce the divisions, the statement read.

READ ALSO: Gunmen Reportedly Kill Three Policemen In Anambra

This effort paid off when the DPO B Division Warri, SP Bolarinwa Alabi on 4/5/2023 at about 0013hours, received a distress call that some armed robbers snatched a black lexus cars along warri-sapele road and have been robbing innocent citizens using the said car. The DPO swiftly mobilized and led a striking force team of the Division, trailed the hoodlums, and caught up with them.

The hoodlums upon sighting the police exchanged firing with team. The hoodlums, numbering about four, escaped into the bush while firing at the police but one of them was hit and fatally wounded.

The injured suspect gave up the ghost while receiving treatment. One locally made cut-to-size double barrel gun with two live cartridges, one suspected stolen vehicle with reg. no PYN 595 PW were recovered.

In another development, on 1/5/2023, at about 2200 hours, as a proactive measure, the DPO Ughelli division led police operatives to patrol along Ughelli/Asaba road, during which, they intercepted one Odogun Ifeanyi m 36yrs and one other suspect and when search was conducted on them, one locally made single barrel gun with four live cartridges, one jack knife were recovered.

On the same date, the DPO and his men also arrested one Ediri Omote m age 45 years, and two others, and one locally made single barrel gun with nine expended cartridges were recovered from them.

The DCP operations assure Deltans that the command will leave no stone unturned in the fight against crime and criminality while appealing to Deltans to help the command in the area of information. The Police rely heavily on information from the public, and it is expected that any suspicious persons or movements will be promptly reported to the police.

The following dedicated phone lines are available to the public to reach the command, as a quick response contact for any complaint or distress situation during the election exercise: CONTROL ROOM NUMBERS: 1. 08036684974, 2. 08125958005, 3. 09053872287.

See photos below:
The Federal Government has said that the cost of electricity consumption in Nigeria is the cheapest and most defaulted by consumers in the world.

According to the Government, electricity is highly subsidized in Nigeria by the federal government which made its cost to be cheapest across the globe.

Speaking in Abuja during an interactive session with the Senator Gabriel Suswam, Peoples Democratic Partys Benue North East led Senate Committee on Power, the Minister of State for Power, Engineer Abubakar Aliyu backed up his claim by making comparative analysis of cost of electricity in Nigeria with those of the neighbouring countries.

READ ALSO: 34-Year-Old Woman Breaks IBEDC Officials Leg Over Electricity Bill

The Minister who was accompanied by heads of various agencies in the Power sector said, Cost of electricity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe , particularly gas to Power, which is highly subsidized.

For example, while cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cent per kilowatt, it is 42 cent in Niger Republic, 23 cent in Republic of Benin, 25 cent in Mali, 28 cent in Senegal, 27 cent in Burkina Faso etc.

Aliyu lamented that while government was doing everything possible to make electricity affordable and available for Nigerians, many of the ordinary consumers and even critical agencies of government, default in payment of bill.

On his part, the Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria ( TCN), Engineer Sulyman Abdulaziz said that high rate of defaults on electricity bills by critical government agencies led to disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Kaduna and Kano from the National grid recently.

According to him, though they have been temporarily reconnected but must make payment through the affected DISCOs to TCN within the 60 days grace given.

In his remarks, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Gabriel Suswam and other members like Senators Adamu Aliero , Yusuf Abubakar Yusuf, among others on the way forward, suggested that there should be deduction from source, electricity bills of such agencies by the Ministry of Finance.

Senator Suswam who noted that one of the complaints made by the DISCOs, particularly those of Kaduna and Kano was enormous debt incurred by them from electricity bills defaulters, said, The DISCOs as stated in the written complaint specifically mentioned military formations across the country, Educational Institutions, State Governments etc.
Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has reacted to the return of the first batch of Nigerians that were evacuated from Sudan, saying none should be abandoned.

Information Nigeria had reported that the 376 evacuees landed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja, at 11:35 pm on Wednesday after being airlifted by the Nigerian Air Force on the NAF C-130H aircraft and Air Peace at about 4 pm on Tuesday afternoon from Aswan, Egypt.

Reacting via his verified Twitter handle on Thursday, the former Vice President expressed joy at reports of their safe return.

Atiku also appreciated the management of Air Peace Airline, the Nigerian military, and other Ministries, Departmentsand Agencies (MDAs) involved in the rescue of Nigerians stranded in Sudan.

He charged the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all agencies concerned with the evacuation to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind or discriminated against based on ethnicity or religion.

READ ALSO: First Batch Of 376 Sudan Evacuees Arrive Nigeria

He wrote: Im elated at reports of the safe return of the first batch of Nigerians evacuated from Sudan.

While welcoming home the evacuees, I wish to congratulate again and thank the management of Air Peace Airline, @flyairpeace, the Nigerian military, and other MDAs involved in this rescue of our compatriots stranded in Sudan.

I wish to acknowledge the expression of interest of @MaxAirLtd to answer the patriotic call to also help in the evacuation of our citizens. Our appreciation also goes to the Egyptian authorities for granting Nigerians safe passage after the initial setback through their territory.

Furthermore, I will charge the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all agencies concerned with the evacuation to ensure that no Nigerian is left behind or discriminated against based on ethnicity or religion. It is the obligation of every responsible government to come to the aid of its citizens in periods of emergencies such as we are having with Nigerians stranded in the crisis in Sudan.
Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Hudu Yunusa-Ari, who is under police probe may have been granted bail.

Recall that two of the commissioners and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) undergoing interrogation at the Police Headquarters in connection with the Adamawa Governorship Election fiasco were freed to go.

They were released on administrative bail and with conditions. But, they must deposit their travel passports; and their movement is restricted within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

It was gathered that a senator stood surety for Yunusa-Ari after he was interrogated for three days while in the custody of the police.

Inspector-General of Police Alkali Baba also personally interrogated the REC, the national commissioners and the others.

According to sources exchanged words with the INEC commissioners over the claim that he fled and was incommunicado.

The session dwelt on allegations of bribing during the April 15 Supplementary election after which REC declared All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate Ayisetu Dahiru Binani as governor-elect, which collation of results was going on in usurpation of the Returning Officers role.

READ MORE: Police Confirm Arrest Of Suspended Adamawa REC, Yunusa

It was gathered that the police restricted the suspects movement to enable them to invite all the officials at short notice when needed.

Vanguard Newspaper who quoted a source said: Our investigators have interacted with the REC, some INEC National Commissioners and other officials undergoing interrogation. We have asked the affected officials to submit their travelling documents.

The REC promised to drop his passport at the Force Headquarters yesterday.

 And if it is necessary to arraign any of the officials after the conclusion of the ongoing investigation, it will be easier.

The source added, In line with the law and international best practices, the police have granted bail to the REC, the National Commissioners and all officials under investigation. They have been released accordingly.

The bail surety for the REC is a Senator.

But all those quizzed got an advisory to limit their media visibility for unfettered investigation.

The source said placing the REC and others on bail will not prejudice the probe.

The source added: With the involvement of the IGP and his management team, you can determine the commitment attached to this case. Granting bail will not hamper the investigation.

There were allegations and counter-allegations on nocturnal meetings, choice dinner and bribery scandal during the elections.

Detectives will look into this dimension of influence peddling and bribery. The scope of investigation will be widened. 

All those summoned were grilled by the Police Election Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation Team unit of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB).
Data lakehouse provider Databricks is doubling down its investments in India and plans to increase its headcount in India by at least 50% while opening a new research and development (R&D) hub in Bengaluru, a senior company official said.

We are investing big time in India as it is one of the key markets for the company and therefore we plan to grow our 250-strong workforce in India by at least 50% in 2023, said Anil Bhasin, vice president of India and South Asia at Databricks.

Currently, the Databricks India division, which started operations in 2019, mirrors the global organization in skills and the staff is distributed among divisions such as sales, solutions architecture, delivery, channel focus, customer support, and marketing.

The increase in headcount will see Databricks India expanding its local team of technical specialists, sales and support engineers, and go-to-market resources to support our customers success, Bhasin said.

Databricks strategy to hire more staff in India could be attributed to the country seeing a strong increase in business and engineering activities by global technology firms because of the combination of local market opportunities on the demand side and the availability of technology talent at scale and competitive salaries on the supply side, according to Pareekh Jain, the lead analyst at Pareekh Consulting.

On the demand side, as India is moving towards a $5 trillion economy, a huge amount of data is generated daily in the public and private sectors. This data must be combined from different sources, organized, and cleaned before making it available for analytics. These are target markets for Databricks and these markets are seeing acceleration due to generative AI, Jain said.

New R&D center in Bengaluru to support product innovation

In addition to increasing its staff count in India, the company is planning to unveil a new R&D hub in Bengaluru, which will serve as the first such hub in the Asia Pacific and Japan region, the company said, adding that it has five other such hubs in San Francisco, Mountain View, Seattle, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

The R&D hub in Bengaluru will look into product engineering and product innovation, supporting the companys global offerings, Bhasin said, adding that the 50% increase in the workforce did not include any roles for the R&D hub.

The company is expected to announce more details about hiring for the R&D hub later.

Databricks strategy to open an R&D center in India mimics strategies of other global technology firms, according to Jain.

We have seen that India often becomes the second largest R&D center location for many tech companies, second only to headquarter countries. This is for talent availability at scale and competitive salaries, Jain said.

The companys decision to hire new staffers comes when technology and other companies have laid off employees due to waning sales or a weak economic outlook.

The latest job cuts include Cognizant, IBM spin-off Kyndryl, Red Hat, Amazon, Meta, Google, and Accenture.

Databricks, too, earlier in the year, eliminated a few positions in the US.

The proliferation of AI, accelerated by the advancement of generative AI, has also stoked fears of continued layoffs in the industry. IBM CEO Arvind Krishna recently said his company could reduce around 7,800 jobs, mostly back-office roles, with AI in the next five years.

High interest in Databricks offerings from Indian enterprises

Another reason for Databricks investment in India is the interest in its offerings in the country from various sectors such as financial services, retail, e-commerce, healthcare, insurance, and utilities among others, Bhasin said, without giving details about Indias contribution to Databricks global revenue.

However, the top executive pointed out that though Databricks started offering its products and services only three years ago, relatively the interest in its offerings was high.

The companys customers in India include InMobi, Swiggy, Dream11, Air India, MakeMyTrip, Meesho, Narayana Health, Myntra, CRED, and Parle.

Databricks, according to Bhasin, has more than 100 partners in India and has tripled its partnership ecosystem since last year. The companys key partners include EY, Deloitte, Accenture, Fragmadata, LTI, Tech Mahindra, Infosys, TCS, and Wipro.

On Wednesday, Databricks said it was in the process of acquiring AI-centric data governance platform provider Okera for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition is expected to boost Databricks data governance capabilities while training and managing large language models (LLMs), such as the recently released Dolly 2.0.

The company said it has been experiencing nearly 90% year-on-year growth in the Asia Pacific region.
The exterior of the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum in Lower Merion on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The museum opens to the public on May 6 after a five-year renovation houses St. Josephs University's art collection. Read more

This weekend, the historic building that once held the Barnes Foundation collection will reopen to the public, now as the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum.

Does the city really need another museum? The answer is yes, if we can collect things that other museums dont have, and we have done that, said curator Carmen Croce, who has overseen and expanded St. Josephs Universitys collection for 55 years. The neighboring school is leasing the original Barnes building and arboretum.

The renovated 15-gallery space in Lower Merion displays the universitys art collection of some 2,500 artworks spanning 3,000 years. The museum will also host rotating exhibits, classes, performances, and more.

The universitys collection, a wide assortment of religious paintings, contemporary art, and historical artifacts, has never been displayed as a whole before, and its certainly a contrast from Albert Barnes precise layout of Impressionist art that commanded these walls between 1925 and 2011. But these are no longer the same rooms Barnes walked through.

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Philadelphia architecture firm DIGSAU knocked down some walls to make bigger gallery rooms, adding doorways to create easier walkways. They also fixed the buildings exterior while preserving its historic facade, and added an accessibility ramp. It was actually quite complicated, maneuvering all the steps out and sliding a ramp in, in a way that we believe augments the historic quality of the building, said Jamie Unkefer, a principal at DIGSAU.

Another challenge was procuring the same limestone used in the original building to add to the exterior, which Unkefer and his team tracked down in France. It was the last stones from the quarry that were originally used for the building, he said.

On view in the new museum is a significant collection of colonial Latin American art including paintings, sculptures, and textiles from Mexico, the Philippines, and South America dated between the 17th and 19th centuries. Historic sculptures from various African countries, with a focus on Christian art from Ethiopia, are also on view. Then, there are prints and paintings from Japan, India, and China.

Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, and Romare Bearden share space with Philadelphia artists Paul Keene and Andrew Turner. There are life-size plaster and bronze casts by Michelangelo and others  some gifted and some on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art  and a room of 100 stained glass windows.

Each room has a distinct focus, which helps bring clarity to an otherwise scattered vision.

Efforts to reopen the building began in 2018 after the Barnes Foundation leased its former gallery space and arboretum of the same name to St. Joes. A year earlier, the university had received a $50 million gift from local philanthropists James and Frances Maguire which helped renovate the museum. The familys foundation also gifted $10 million recently to expand Chestnut Hills Woodmere Art Museum.

The museum is named after Frances, affectionately known as Frannie, a painter and beloved figure in Philadelphias arts scene who died in 2020. Her portrait of a brooding man, titled Thinker, can be found in the second floor hallway.

For the Maguire family, the museums opening is emotional. This isnt just money to clean up the building, this is really preserving my moms legacy, said Megan Maguire Nicoletti, Frannies daughter, who now runs the Maguire Foundation. Art was really her way of expressing love, and she wanted especially children in the city of Philadelphia to have access to art.

[Frances Maguires] interest in making art accessible for the blind, for all of these groups  that really has been a part of our charge, said Emily Hage, the Maguire Art Museum director who also teaches art history at St. Joes. Art needs to be accessible and it is relevant to everything, and thats whats nice about being a university museum is that we have all of these experts, these faculty, students, staff  we can harness that to make ourselves relevant and to show how relevant art is.

Much of the artwork in St. Joes permanent collection is rooted in religious practices across many cultures and generations. Black | Communion: Philadelphia Artists, an exhibit in the teaching gallery curated by a professor-student duo, examines photography, painting, and sculpture by Black Philadelphians from the 1930s to present day.

Shifting Ecologies: Contemporary Artists and the Environment is the museums first temporary exhibit, showcasing 15 artists, including many from the region.

Fort Lee, N.J.-based Tai Hwa Goh created honeycomb-shaped wax paper designs that mimic flowers and placed them in the spouts of plastic or metal pipes. Also protruding from the gallery walls is Gratitude Code Root Mural, a striking sculpture by Brooklyn-based Indigenous artist Jude Norris, who also goes by the name Bebonkwe. The exhibit runs through June 25.

The Maguire Art Museum is located at 50 Lapsley Lane, Lower Merion, and officially opens May 6. The museum will be open on subsequent weekends 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday. Admission is free, though there is a suggested donation of $10.
Raghu Arghal, a Ph.D. student at University of Pennsylvania, spoke to fellow student workers at a GET-UP rally on April 26 about why he wants to form a union. Read more

Several hundred people gathered near the University of Pennsylvanias Van Pelt Library last week, many carrying posters emblazoned with the United Auto Workers logo and personalized with slogans about their worker grievances.

Student workers took turns talking into a microphone, describing their frustration over long hours, low pay, and lack of resources for international students. Onlookers shouted labor chants in unison between each testimonial.

As the event wrapped up, emcee Clancy Murray instructed student workers in attendance to pull out their phones, find the union card form online and send it to all the grad workers they know.

We didnt get to this point by standing around and cheering. We got to this point because we spent actually thousands of hours organizing, said Murray, a political science Ph.D. student and teaching assistant at Penn. That isnt going to stop today because as I said earlier, its just the beginning.

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The rally was held by GET-UP, a group of Penn doctoral, masters and undergraduate student workers aiming to unionize. GET-UP organizers said more than 1,900 student workers have signed union authorization cards so far, and the total proposed membership would be more than 4,000.

If theyre successful, the GET-UP organizers will have created the largest union to take shape this year at Penn, which employs more people in Philadelphia than any other business, but it may not be the only one. In the last two years, three other groups of Penn employees have pursued unionization.

More than 1,400 Penn Medicine residents and fellows are voting this week on whether to unionize. Another group of workers, roughly 200 resident assistants and graduate resident assistants, recently filed papers with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to form a union.

Meanwhile, Penn Museum Workers United, which formed in 2021 to represent roughly 30 museum workers, continues to bargain for its first contract.

The Penn chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), while not recognized as a labor union by university administration, has been publicly supporting the student workers as a solidarity union. Since AAUP affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers last year, its members now have more robust organizing resources at their disposal.

Nothing could be more exciting or more needed than this union wave at Penn, said Lu Denegre, a conservation technician at the Penn Museum, during the GET-UP rally. Unions belong at Penn.

Asked about these simultaneous organizing efforts, university spokesperson Ron Ozio said the university is proud of its collaborative culture.

We believe that our graduate students interests are best served by our commitment to collaboration and sitting at the table together, Ozio said in an email. We encourage students to learn as much as they can about what unionization might mean for them.

Give us a chance

The union wave is not unique to Penn. New union formations and strikes by existing unions are popping up at schools across the country.

Solidarity from existing unions at nearby universities is helpful, but on-campus support from current students and faculty is more important, said William Herbert, executive director of Hunter Colleges National Center for the Study of Collective Bargaining in Higher Education and the Professions. Generally, students have been showing up to lend that support, he said.

When Penn resident assistants filed their petition to unionize with OPEIU Local 153, they asked students to call on university administration not to run an antiunion campaign, and nearly 1,000 students have done so, according to the unions letter-writing webpage. The AAUP and other faculty have also publicly expressed support.

A majority of university administrations engage in antiunion activities, said John Castella, business agent with United Service Workers Union and labor studies lecturer at Rutgers University. But, he noted, antiunion actions can backfire by fueling organizers motivation.

The more Penn resists, the more momentum is going to move this forward, Castella said.

Several established unions at Penn represent campus workers such as tradespeople, housekeepers, library workers, and police. Ozio said these relationships have been productive and that university leaders have encouraged students to vote in union elections.

Penn Medicine residents, who started their union election Wednesday, have been getting emails and texts to their personal and work phones since March about why unionizing is bad, third-year resident Madison Sharp said. Signs around campus urged the physicians to Give us a chance and Vote No.

Denegre, of the Penn Museum union, said university management ran an aggressive antiunion campaign two years ago, mailing pamphlets and calling museum workers, urging them to vote against unionization.

As an educational institution, we believe information and education is vital to the decisions made by individuals regarding their right to decide if they want to engage with a union if lawfully permitted to do so, Ozio said.

Penns AAUP chapter cannot seek union recognition and bargaining power through the National Labor Relations Board, under federal labor law, because its membership includes tenured professors at a private university. The group could hold its own election, but university administration would not be required to recognize it, said Penn English professor David Kazanjian, the chapters communications secretary. The chapter has requested to meet with university president Liz Magill, but she declined, Kazanjian said.

So instead AAUP-Penn is focusing efforts on supporting other bargaining units at Penn, said Kazanjian. Theyre collecting survey information about employee salaries so they can increase pay transparency, and regularly publishing facts about existing employee work conditions and labor organizing.

Penn doesnt give anything to its workers unless theyre embarrassed or pressured, said Kazanjian, who has taught at Penn since 2005. They have opposed and tried to undermine graduate student organizing for many years, just like many of the private universities have done.

A new era?

This isnt the first attempt at organizing a union for GET-UP, which was founded in 2000. Previous campaigns garnered support and organizers pursued recognition in 2003 and 2017, but were ultimately unsuccessful. The university could have at any moment recognized a graduate-student union, but it did not, Kazanjian said.

In 2016, the NLRB ruled that Columbia University grad student workers were allowed to unionize, but activity picked up more when President Joe Biden won the White House. Democrats now hold the majority of NLRB seats.

If higher ed is ever thinking about organizing, now is the time to do it, Castella said. Rutgers, where he teaches, was recently in the spotlight when the unions representing 9,000 university educators went on strike for the first time.

State Sen. Nikil Saval noted the Rutgers strike at GET-UPs rally, as well as a strike by Temple Universitys graduate student union earlier this year. He also pointed to recent organizing efforts by student workers at other large private universities, like Columbia and Stanford.

The era in which trustees, presidents, and provosts were striding the world like colossuses is over, said Saval, a democrat who represents that part of the city in the Pennsylvania Senate.

Student workers who shared testimonials at the rally spoke not only about personal struggles, and their general desire for a more democratically run workplace and educational system.

Electrical engineering Ph.D. student Raghu Arghal said the pain points student workers have faced for years are becoming stronger as increased cost of living and stagnated wages cause people to feel stretched thinner than ever.

I dont think its a coincidence at all that a lot of us are standing up at the same time, Arghal said.
From left, Brian Healion, Freedom Vy, Zach Rehl, and Isaiah Giddings pose for a photo on Jan. 6, 2021, in the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.), according to federal prosecutors. Read more

On Thursday, four members of the Proud Boys  including Zachary Rehl, the president of the Philadelphia chapter  were convicted of sedition for the role they played in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

The first thought I had when I heard the news was: Its the end of an era.

The monthslong trial served as a daily painful reminder of the role Rehl has played in my life.

The first time the Proud Boys came to my home to threaten me, I was out of state, traveling to attend a family function. It was June 2019, and they arrived at nearly midnight.

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My downstairs neighbor was home, out on our buildings porch for a smoke break. The far-right gang members approached him, demanding to know if I was there.

He didnt know, he told them. They demanded that he tell me to stop writing about their racist activities and posting members names on Twitter. Then they plastered a sticker with their logo onto my front door. They placed more around the neighborhood for good measure.

When we got home, I called the cops. These guys had been threatening me for months, furious. Now theyd shown up to frighten me in person, vandalizing my home. Surely that was actionable?

The Philadelphia police officer who took my report didnt seem impressed. They were probably trying to scare me, he said.

Well, yes. But in a functioning democracy, shouldnt violent intimidation of political opposition be considered  worrisome, at least?

He didnt seem to think so.

Neither did his union, apparently. In July 2020, members of the Philly Proud Boys partied at the private bar belonging to the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police, a tacit endorsement of the same far-right brownshirts who had vandalized my home almost exactly a year prior.

The same brownshirts who called a rally at the park across the street from me in September 2020, threatened to kidnap me off my porch that day, and taunted me by name as they patrolled in front of my building with what appeared to be a firearm visible.

The same brownshirts who, months later, would forge official Megans Law posters with my home address, falsely alleging I was a convicted pedophile.

As the aftermath of Jan. 6 unfolded and Philly Proud Boys president Rehl was accused of acting as one of the lead generals of the insurrection, Ive found myself reflecting more and more deeply on how it was that Rehl  by all accounts one of the more careful, deliberate, and strategic members of his national far-right gang  ended up so emboldened. How did the guy who made his fascist career staging ostentatious shows of back the blue end up charging police barricades and facing trial for violent sedition?

Then again, Im not totally surprised. Because time and time again, there were members of the Philadelphia police force who showed the Proud Boys  and Rehl, specifically  that they were willing to apply the law unequally, and in favor of the white far-right gangs, just as long as those gangs gave appropriate lip service to their police protectors.

Rehl didnt make it into the highest national leadership echelons of the Proud Boys because he was a streetfighter  quite the opposite. Rehls elevation happened because he developed a reputation for caution and strategy, for his history of relatively intelligent organizing, and his consistent ability to evade legal consequences for his actions.

It is that history of chummy and enabling behavior by some members of our police force locally and nationally that convinced Rehl he would walk away from that occupation of the Capitol building a free man.

Rehl comes from a cop family. His grandfather was a cop.

Even after his very public journey into far-right extremism, there were cops who protected and enabled him. A retired cop bar owner even allowed Rehl to use his establishment to recruit.

There were cops who protected and enabled him.

Other cops invited him and his violent, illegal gang into their own private drinking club to party, despite his ongoing campaign of escalating violence against me and others.

Again and again, Rehl found police officers who were ready to make him feel that he was not just above the law, but an honored ally and friend of law enforcement.

So, as the Jan. 6 Proud Boy sedition trial comes to a close, lets not just talk about the Proud Boys themselves. Lets talk about the behavior that made those Proud Boys think they could show up and try to overthrow the government with impunity.

Lets talk about how there were cops who led them to believe that they could do whatever they wanted and skate free. There were cops who taught them they were above the law.

When Black Lives Matter protesters marched, police tear-gassed and scarred nonviolent protesters with rubber bullets. Proud Boys, though? They found police officers who would ignore their menacing behavior, time and time again.

 READ MORE: Im a protester getting part of the $9 million settlement. Its not enough. | Opinion

Rehl may be headed to jail, but the police officers who taught him to believe that he was above the law likely still patrol our streets with guns, likely facing no repercussions or critique for their role in the creation of this insurrectionist and this insurrection.

Prison for Rehl wont fix the problem, because Rehl is just a symptom.

Gwen Snyder is a writer, researcher, and longtime Philadelphia organizer.
Philadelphia Proud Boys president Zachary Rehl (left) and Ethan Nordean, another leader of the group, march toward the U.S. Capitol in Washington, in support of President Donald Trump on Jan. 6, 2021. Read more

The morning after the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, before the disillusionment and recriminations set in, Zach Rehl  head of the Philadelphia Proud Boys  messaged other leaders of the far-right group exulting in the chaos theyd unleashed.

Im proud as f of what we accomplished, he wrote, adding in a later message: This is what patriotism looks like.

On Thursday, a federal jury in Washington disagreed, convicting him of plotting to carry out one of the most serious attacks on the nations halls of power in centuries.

The guilty verdict in the seditious conspiracy case against Rehl and three other leaders of the neofascist Proud Boys  including the groups former national chairman Henry Enrique Tarrio  delivered federal authorities perhaps their most significant win to date in their efforts to hold accountable the hundreds of Americans who participated in the attack.

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But for Rehl, 37, of Port Richmond, his conviction marked the culmination of a path thats seen him evolve in just five years from a relative unknown to a locally prominent right-wing provocateur and now only one of a handful of people in the nations history ever found guilty of the rarely used sedition charge  a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison.

It doesnt make sense, his attorney, Carmen Hernandez, insisted during closing arguments to the jury. How did Rehl, this nice guy, become labeled as a violent insurrectionist?

The answer, evidence presented during the four-month trial showed, lies largely in Rehls own words.

 READ MORE: Proud Boys verdict: Who is Zach Rehl, the Philly leader of the right-wing group, convicted at Jan. 6 sedition trial

Testifying in his own defense, Rehl portrayed himself on the witness stand as a harmless contrarian who just liked a good protest  and the partying that often came after even more.

While he said he now views what unfolded on Jan. 6 as a disgrace, he insisted that he came to Washington on Jan. 6 only to get [his] voice heard and only learned afterward that the protest he thought hed participated in had become a violent riot.

But prosecutors balked at Rehls self-portrayal and maintained that his image of an ultimately harmless hard-drinking, own the libs instigator was carefully crafted to obscure the more serious threat he and his codefendants posed.

Unlike others convicted of playing a role in the riot, Rehl was not charged with any specific acts of violence or destruction that day. Instead, prosecutors pursued an unusual legal theory that the Proud Boys provocation and rhetoric in the run-up to Jan. 6 was designed to rile up the normies  Donald Trump supporters unaffiliated with the group  to do anything necessary, up to and including violence, to keep the former president in power.

 READ MORE: Former Proud Boys extremist group leader Enrique Tarrio convicted of seditious conspiracy for Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Rehl, government lawyers maintained, proved a master of the kind of provocative trolling and doublespeak that had become a Proud Boys trademark  by turns, eschewing and embracing violence depending on the audience.

A former Marine, Rehl insisted from the witness stand that his service record demonstrated his respect for law and order. And yet in private chats with other Proud Boys after the 2020 election, he endorsed firing squads for the traitors that are trying to steal the election.

Hes repeatedly cited over the years his status as the son and grandson of Philadelphia policemen as proof of an abiding respect for law enforcement.

And yet, in those same chats, Rehl referred to Washington D.C. police using a gay slur, and described officers who defended the Capitol on Jan. 6 turncoats who deserve to be tarred and feathered.

Video that surfaced during the trial appeared to show him attacking police outside the Capitol with pepper spray  an incident he maintained on the stand he couldnt recall.

He shrugged off his fiery talk on social media as bravado  a bunch of shoulda-coulda-woulda crap  that didnt mean he truly advocated violence. He accused the government of attempting to send him to prison for exercising his First Amendment rights.

A lot of time people say theyre going to show up and do this or that and really they want to silence their opponent. Its bluster, its trash talk, he testified. The point of activism is to make your opponents uncomfortable.

But throughout the trial, prosecutors relied on social media posts and thousands of encrypted chat messages to link the rhetoric of Rehl and the other Proud Boys leaders to specific acts of violence they instigated among others in the pro-Trump mob.

Social media wasnt a private diary, Assistant U.S. Attorney Conor Mulroe said during closing arguments. It was a megaphone, and they used it to radicalize followers.

To that end, prosecutors argued, the Proud Boys began their preparations for Jan. 6 within moments of Trumps announcing plans for a rally in Washington the same day Congress was set to certify President Joe Bidens electoral victory.

Tarrio, the Proud Boys national chairman, selected Rehl along with a small group of other chapter leaders from around the country  including their codefendants Ethan Nordean, of Washington, and Joseph Biggs, of Florida  to help organize the response.

They carried out their planning in a chat group dubbed the Ministry of Self Defense  a nod to their claim that the only plan they had was to show up to protect Trump supporters from the threat of violent counterprotests.

In truth, Mulroe said, the groups intent was the opposite  to whip up a fighting force for Trump. The goal, he said wasnt to prevent violence. It was to channel it.

Rehl came armed with experience of this type of organizing.

A graduate of Northeast Prep and Temple University, he joined the Proud Boys in 2018 to, as he told jurors, expand his network as he attempted to launch his own business.

But since then, hes led a 2018 pro-Trump We the People rally outside Independence Hall in Philadelphia that drew a minuscule crowd of supporters but provoked heated clashes with a larger group of counterprotesters. And he was among the group of Proud Boys spotted drinking beer, openly carrying the groups flag and chanting slogans with police officers at a Back the Blue rally outside the Fraternal Order of Police lodge in Northeast Philadelphia shortly after the citys racial justice protests in 2020.

During a late 2020 video chat, he warned the others in the Ministry of Self Defense group that Jan. 6 would be a completely different operation as they would be more than just flexing our [arms] and s. And as the group descended on Washington on Jan. 5, he arrived with a group of Proud Boys from Philadelphia and New Jersey preparing to march the next day.

Videos from Jan. 6 shared widely on social media show Rehl  in a Make America Great Again cap and with a Temple Owls backpack  and other Proud Boys leading a group of hundreds on a walk from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building.

And as rioters first breached the police barricades outside it, Rehl and his codefendants stood at the vanguard.

F  em. Storm the Capitol! he shouted in a cellphone video shot moments after the first breach. And within minutes, according to the video presented by prosecutors at trial, he was deploying pepper spray against the police in his path.

Civil War started, he wrote as the caption to a photo he sent other Proud Boys leaders as the rioters advanced. Rehl, in his testimony, shrugged off that remark as an ironic reference to mainstream media panic around that day.

Photos also surfaced of Rehl inside the building, smoking a cigarette while carousing with a mob of rioters in the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.)  the one thing Rehl did acknowledge during his testimony that he shouldnt have done.

Beyond that, he told jurors, If you believe I did anything wrong that day, I really do truly apologize.

But throughout his testimony, Rehl bristled as prosecutors confronted him again and again with his own bombastic talk in the Proud Boys group chats and the fiery rhetoric of others.

Its not my job to police a chat room, he said. If a man goes into a chat and says something stupid, thats on him.

On that point, the jurys verdict suggested Thursday, the panel and Rehl agreed.
Senior students LaShae Smith (left) and Taniya Aviles work between classes at Charles Brimm Medical Arts High School in Camden, NJ on Thursday, Feb. 23, 2023. Both girls take AP courses. Read more

Taniya Aviles, a senior at Charles Brimm Medical Arts High School, has three demanding Advanced Placement courses this year, and thats enough for the aspiring FBI agent.

Her magnet school, located on the sprawling Camden High campus, offers five AP classes for juniors and seniors. The more rigorous classes are widely viewed as a stepping stone to college, giving students a head start.

The options are good, said Aviles, 17, currently ranked the top in her class. Its an added benefit.

She represents a stark racial divide, however, in New Jersey, where Black and Latino students are less likely than white and Asian students to take any Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate courses. In economically distressed districts such as Camden and Trenton, schools also tend to offer fewer AP courses, lagging behind many suburban districts: Cherry Hill, for instance, with about 10,000 students, offers three times as many AP and IB classes as Camden, with about 7,500 students. Newark, a poorer district and the largest school district in the state, is the exception, offering 39 classes, according to state data.

According to the latest data available from the New Jersey Department of Education, about 35% of juniors and seniors statewide were enrolled for the 2021-2022 school year in at least one AP or IB course. Thats down slightly from 2020-21, when 35.7% of students statewide were enrolled.

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The 2021-22 numbers tell a different story when broken down by race: Enrolled in at least one AP or IB course were 68% of Asian students, 39% of white students, 28% of Alaskan or Native American students, 22% of Latino students, and 18% of Black students. There was also a divide by gender  AP and IB enrollment comprise 40% females compared with 29% males. (About 34% of students are nonbinary or did not designate their gender.)

The course offerings available to students vary widely by district. Students in more affluent suburban districts such as Haddonfield and Cherry Hill had more choices, making it possible to accumulate more college credits.

David Sciarra, the former longtime executive director of the Education Law Center, which has fought for decades for equal funding for poor districts, says the state has fallen short in making sure districts have a level playing field for AP classes.

This is a racial and social-economic disparity in opportunity, Sciarra said. These problems cant be dealt with by solely blaming the district. It needs help.

The Camden school district, which has two comprehensive high schools and two magnet high schools, offered 10 AP courses for the 2021-22 school year, including art history, biology, calculus, chemistry, English literature and composition, environmental science, music theory, and U.S. history.

In nearby Haddonfield, 28 courses were offered in 2021-22. Cherry Hill offered 33 and Washington Township 27.

While we are not where we need to be, we as a district are cognizant of the disparity, said Camden Superintendent Katrina McCombs. We know that this countrys education system didnt always cater to children who are poor and of color.

McCombs, who grew up in Camden and was educated in the public schools, said many students need to work and pursue schedules that allow them to get paid apprenticeships and internships. Others are focused on Career Technical Education, or CTE, as a path to jobs after graduation, she said.

We are trying to meet our students where they are, McCombs said.

In 2021-22, just 16.9% of students in Camden were enrolled in an AP or IB course, a number that has fallen since 2019-20, when 26.5% of students in the district were enrolled.

The school had a lower percentage of students enrolled in 2021-22 than both Newark and Winslow public schools  19.5% and 19.7% respectively  but a higher percentage than Trenton, where enrollment was just 3.6%.

McCombs said Camden must work harder to attract teachers who can teach AP courses. The district said it plans to add a U.S. history AP class for sophomores next year and an AP precalculus class for juniors and seniors. Camden was selected by the state Department of Education for a two-year pilot program as one of 26 high schools to offer a new AP African American history class for the 2023-2024 school year. Currently, the course is offered at one New Jersey school.

There is a growing debate about whether AP classes, developed by the College Board, actually help students get into college. Taking the AP test gives students the ability to earn college credits or be excused from college classes that may save them thousands of dollars in tuition costs.

The School District of Philadelphia offers at least one AP course at 34 of its 56 high schools, said spokeswoman Marissa Orbanek. About 4,300 students districtwide are enrolled in 32 courses, she said.

Joshua Glazer, an associate professor of education policy at George Washington University, said the priority should be providing marginalized students in struggling school systems with rigorous learning, support, and resources to succeed.

This is a dilemma that goes beyond AP, Glazer said. Its not enough to just open the door to the class. You have to be prepared to support these kids.

Aviles, the Brimm honor society president, took her first AP course  U.S. history  as a junior, along with 11 other students. She was the only student who passed the AP exam with a score of three.

This year, Aviles took three AP courses: calculus, English, and world history. She believes the rigorous course work will help in the future: She hopes to major in criminal justice at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her friend LaShae Smith, 18, also a senior, signed up this year for AP English and world history. The aspiring veterinarian, who ranks fourth in her class, said she couldnt manage a heavier course load.

I feel like this is all I can handle, said Smith. Two is enough for me.

The AP students say they enjoy the small class sizes and one-on-one attention from teachers. Some classes, such as biology, have only a few students. Some students decided not to take the exam, which requires a score of three or higher to earn college credits, though colleges may require higher scores for credit or reject the class altogether.

During a recent visit, Christian Watson, a Brimm senior, sat in Jenny Chens AP calculus class learning about the fundamental theorem of calculus. (The two other students in the class were absent because they were visiting colleges.)

Around the corner in Geoff Weismers AP biology class, two students were working on independent photosynthesis projects in the science lab as soft jazz played. The class has five students, all seniors.

Weismer said he expects the enrollment numbers to improve in the coming years. About one-third of the 18 sophomores currently taking honors biology are on the right track to move on to his AP biology class as seniors.

AP is pretty intense for biology, said Weismer, in his second year at Brimm. It is a lot of materials.

World history teacher Mark Carcanague has six students in his AP class. None is expected to pass the AP exam to earn college credits but will likely get passing marks for the class, he said.

They have been working their tails off, Carcanague said.

Carcanague said that 11 students took his class, an elective, in the 2020-21 school year, and none passed the AP exam. The class wasnt offered in the 2021-22 school year when Camdens high schools remained virtual, he said.

Teachers say Camdens AP program has faced challenges getting back on track after the pandemic. The high schools were among the last in the region to resume in-person instruction after the coronavirus shut down schools in 2020.

The district also shifted to block scheduling this year, with 82-minute periods every other day, which results in about 60% less overall classroom time. In the past, classes were shorter but were held every day. Carcanague said 30% of his students passed the exam when class was held daily.

Weve really got our work cut out for us, Carcanague said. I hope we make changes for the better.

Glazer and others say students still benefit from AP courses, whether or not they pass the exam. They are exposed to college-level courses, critical thinking, and higher expectations.

If youre taking one or two AP classes, thats fantastic, Glazer said. You dont need to take 12.
The seal for the U.S. Department of Justice is displayed on a podium in Washington last month. The U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia this month filed a False Claims Act lawsuit against James F. McGuckin, alleging that the Radnor physician collected at least $6.5 million for performing hundreds of medically unnecessary procedures from 2016 through 2019. Read more

The U.S. Attorneys office in Philadelphia sued a Radnor doctor last week, alleging that the vascular and interventional radiologist collected at least $6.5 million from Medicare and other government sources for performing hundreds of medically unnecessary procedures.

Its at least the third time state and federal government officials have alleged that James F. McGuckin or clinics he controlled subjected patients to unproven or unneeded treatments.

Washington state sanctioned him in 2015 for using an experimental procedure on multiple sclerosis patients. In 2018, McGuckin signed a multi-million-dollar False Claims Act settlement of whistleblower complaints in New York and Louisiana against a Philadelphia-based chain of clinics he controlled  and subsequently put into bankruptcy, according to state and federal officials.

The newest lawsuit, filed in U.S District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, focuses on procedures McGuckin did on people with peripheral artery disease between 2016 and 2019. The condition is a narrowing of arteries that restricts blood flow to the arms and legs and can cause severe pain while walking, but only rarely warrants the interventions McGuckin did frequently, according to the government.

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On June 18, 2019, for example, McGuckin performed multiple procedures for leg pain while walking on a patient who was paralyzed on her left side and couldnt walk, the 85-page complaint alleges. The procedures included inserting a stent into the femoral artery of her right leg. He collected $17,499 for that work, according to the complaint.

Performing medically unnecessary procedures puts patients at risk and contributes to the soaring costs of health care, especially the invasive vascular procedures alleged in this case, U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero said in a news release.

An attorney for McGuckin, David A. Dorey, who works in Blank Rome LLPs Wilmington office, denied that McGuckin is guilty of the latest baseless allegations regarding treatment of people with a diagnosis of peripheral artery disease.

Dr. McGuckin has dedicated his career to treating this debilitating disease in accordance with industry standards and data-driven best practices, appropriately billing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for his services, according to the statement.

A trail of investor litigation

For seven years McGuckin has been fighting in Delaware County Court of Common Pleas with an investor who put $11 million into Vascular Access Centers, a company McGuckin founded in 2005. At its peak, the Philadelphia-based company had more than 20 locations nationwide. It was subject to the 2018 False Claims Act settlement in New York and Louisiana.

The investor, W. Whitfield Gardner, who was the majority owner of Vascular Access Centers, accused McGuckin of improperly siphoning company profits to himself and using company resources to open competing clinics, including Main Line Vascular Institute in King of Prussia.

After that litigation took a negative turn for McGuckin in 2019, he put Vascular Access Centers into bankruptcy with the help of another investor in the company and his brother. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Ashely M. Chan ruled that McGuckin orchestrated the filing of this bankruptcy in bad faith to block the investor lawsuit.

In a rare bankruptcy move, Chan then appointed a bankruptcy trustee to oversee and sell Vascular Access Centers, finding that McGuckin was untrustworthy, and consistently puts his own interests ahead of the company.

The trustee, Steven V. Falanga, on Friday did not respond to a question about how much money Vascular Access Centers had paid toward its $3.85 million false claims settlement in New York.

From one disease to the next

While the new False Claims Act lawsuit in Philadelphia alleges that McGuckin billed for medically unnecessary treatments for peripheral artery disease, the New York settlement, which covered July 2012 through December 2016, focused on treatments for people with end-stage renal disease.

Federal officials alleged that McGuckins Vascular Access Centers performed fistula grams (an injection of dye to visualize the flow of blood) and angioplasties used to restore blood flow on patients as a matter of routine, regardless of whether there was a justifiable clinical reason to do so.

Washington state in 2015 sanctioned McGuckin for performing experimental vascular procedures, including angioplasty and stenting, for the purported treatment of multiple sclerosis. As part of a consent order he had to stop doing the procedures he had been doing from 2010 to 2013, refund money to patients who had paid out-of-pocket, and take an ethics course.

McGuckin failed the ethics course twice and only passed after taking the course with the help of a one-on-one tutor, according to last weeks complaint.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's previous newsroom at 801 Market St., where the gathering for Bykofsky was held in July 2019. Read more

The Inquirers parent company has withdrawn a lawsuit against former columnist Stu Bykofsky, and both sides have agreed to a settlement that ends a years-long drama that generated national headlines.

Per the settlement, Bykofsky and The Inquirers parent company, the Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, agreed to not pursue future litigation against one another. The company agreed to discontinue its suit against Bykofsky, with both parties paying their own legal costs.

That lawsuit, filed in June, sought to have Bykofsky pay back a $58,738 buyout, as well as unspecified damages, for allegedly violating a separation agreement from 2019. Bykofsky, the lawsuit claimed, broke a non-disparagement clause in the wake of a viral encounter with architecture critic Inga Saffron at a July 2019 gathering marking his last day at the company.

As part of the settlement, the company agreed that the non-disparagement clause is no longer applicable. It declined to comment on the settlement.

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During the roast-style send-off, Saffron made negative comments about Bykofsky, including a reference to what she called an infamous column about his taste for child prostitutes in Thailand. Published in 2011 in the Daily News, that controversial column dealt with Bykofskys trip to Thailand to visit a friend who, he wrote, moved there in part for low-cost, no-guilt sex.

Bykofsky, the Inquirers lawsuit said, provided a video of the confrontation taken by his girlfriend to Philadelphia magazine. The magazine posted the video, and the encounter gained substantial attention online.

Bykofsky filed a defamation lawsuit against The Inquirers parent company, as well as Saffron, in March 2020. In December, a jury ordered The Inquirers parent company to pay him $45,000 in compensatory damages, as well as for Saffron to pay him $1,000 in punitive damages.

Mark Schwartz, Bykofskys attorney, said that he was pleased with the companys decision to withdraw its lawsuit and not enforce the non-disparagement clause going forward. He called the lawsuit a mean-spirited retaliation against Bykofsky for filing his defamation action.

It was small-minded and petty, and it shouldnt have been brought in the first place, Schwartz said.

When reached for comment, Bykofsky referred The Inquirer to his website, where he has posted a column discussing the settlement.

As a subscriber, it saddens me that a newspaper that begs for donations in full-page ads decided to waste thousands of dollars on lawyers, money that would have been better spent on quality journalism, Bykofsky wrote. Who makes these foolish decisions?
Police holding the crime scene in the 2200 block of North Camac Street, where officers fatally shot a man Thursday. Read more

Police fatally shot an armed 32-year-old man during a foot pursuit and physical altercation Thursday afternoon in North Philadelphia, a department spokesperson said.

Policed on Friday identified the man as Curtis Smith.

Smith fired a gun during a struggle with an officer, according to Philadelphia police spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp. One or two officers then shot Smith multiple times, police said, and he was later pronounced dead at Temple University Hospital.

Both officers were wearing body cameras, which were turned on during the shooting, said Gripp, who gave this account:

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Just after 2:20 p.m., two officers responded to a call to investigate a possible stolen automobile parked in a field on the 2300 block of Fawn Street.

Several people were seen near the vehicle, and two ran off when they saw the officers, while the third  Smith  ran from the area separately.

One of the officers chased Smith down the 2200 block of North Camac Street through an abandoned lot before he ran into an alley behind a property on Dauphin Street.

According to Gripp, Smith then pulled out a handgun and aimed it at the pursuing officer .

In response, the officer fired at least at once, though it was unclear whether that gunfire struck Smith.

When the second pursuing officer arrived, he saw the first officer in a physical altercation with Smith, who was still holding the handgun.

Smith fired at least once during the struggle, and that led the second officer to fire his weapon several times toward the man, and that stopped the struggle.

We do not know which of the officers struck this male, Gripp said. We dont know if it was one of the officers, the other, or both of them.

He said each officer fired multiple rounds, though the number would not be known until an Internal Affairs investigation was complete.

Police later said Smith was shot seven times and that a handgun was recovered from the scene.

The officers, who were not injured, flagged down a responding police vehicle, which transported Smith to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 3:06 p.m., Gripp said.

The officers, who were not identified, have been placed on administrative duty pending the outcome of an internal investigation, he said. The departments officer-involved shooting unit was on scene Thursday.

There are a lot of cameras around, theres gonna be a lot of witnesses, and our detectives have a lot of work ahead of them, Gripp said.

Temple University, which is located just south of the shooting scene, issued an alert about the police activity on Camac Street.

Neighbors, meanwhile, were distressed to find that their block had become a crime scene.

A woman, who asked not to be identified for privacy reasons, told reporters she was a longtime friend of the mans grandmother, and knew him from the neighborhood. She said she was skeptical of the police narrative.

Imagine losing your loved one in the street, the woman said.

She said the man was a father of a young child.

Wheres the heart at? This is a community, she said. We care about each other. Were working people.
Police have arrested the mother of a 3-year-old by who was shot in the cheek on Sunday, alleging that she lied to authorities about the incident. Read more

Philadelphia police have arrested the mother of a 3-year-old boy who was shot in the cheek in Grays Ferry on Sunday, alleging that she lied to authorities about the incident.

Police arrested Laylaah Muhammad, 23, on Wednesday, and charged her with criminal conspiracy, endangering the welfare of child, unsworn falsifying, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, and false reports.

Following the incident, Muhammad told police that she saw two men in dark clothing running as she carried her 3-year-old son along the 1500 block of South Taney Street around 5 p.m. Sunday. When she looked down at the child, she noticed he had been shot in the cheek, initial reports from police said.

The child was taken to the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, where he was placed in critical but stable condition. A stranger who happened to be driving by gave Muhammad and the boy a ride to the nearest fire station.

Police now say that investigators have since uncovered evidence indicating the shooting happened inside a property on the 1500 block of South Taney Street, and not on the street.

A preliminary hearing is scheduled for later this month, court records show.
Universal Vare Charter School, on South 24th Street, will be closed for the rest of the year because of asbetos. Read more

Another Philadelphia school building will be closed for the rest of the year.

Universal Vare, a charter school operated in a district building in South Philadelphia, was closed last Friday after damaged asbestos was discovered during a routine inspection.

This week, Universal CEO Penny Nixon told Vare families that the school will need to remain closed for in-person instruction through the remainder of the school year.

We understand this has been a difficult time for students, staff, and school families of Universal Vare, and we thank you for your patience and understanding while the School District of Philadelphia continues to complete work to address environmental issues at multiple schools, Nixon said.

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 READ MORE: The Philly school systems annual report card is in. It shows drops in academics and attendance.

After the initial discovery, more asbestos was discovered this week, mainly above ceiling tiles and on top of ductwork, Nixon said.

The school district has assured us that they are working diligently to develop plans for repairs, cleaning, and air quality testing to determine a timeline for the next steps and the reopening of Universal Vare, Nixon wrote.

Vare students taking state tests have been bused to Universal Audenried High School, but spokesperson Devon Allen said Friday night that it will not be a long-term learning option. Vare students can learn virtually only.

Vare was the sixth district school to close because of asbestos issues this school year.

Building 21, the first district building closed because of asbestos, on March 21, reopened this week, but closed after a day because of water damage.

Plaster loosened by water damage fell Tuesday night, damaging two Building 21 staircases. Students at the West Oak Lane high school attended classes virtually on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Building 21 Assistant Principal Ben Koch told families in a letter Friday that students cant return  yet  to the school.

The School District of Philadelphias facility team has made progress in repairing damaged areas in the building, Koch wrote. They will continue to work throughout the weekend.

Students will learn virtually Monday, and the district will provide an update then, Koch said.

C.W. Henry Elementary, in Mount Airy, will re-open Monday, chief operating officer Oz Hill said in a letter sent to families Friday night.

nuWe know these past few weeks have been challenging for families and staff as the Office of Environmental Management & Services worked diligently to address environmental concerns and prepare the building for the return of students and staff, Hill wrote.

Henry was cleared for re-opening after both district staff and a representative from the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers completed side-by-side air sampling tests and the results met re-occupation standards.

Henry has been closed since late April. Hill said the schools art and dance rooms will remain closed while a lead paint stabilization project is completed.

Families at Frankford High, also closed for the year, are awaiting news about a possible relocation site for the school. Hill told City Council Tuesday that Frankfords special-education students are likely to land at Olney High next week, but that no site has been decided for the rest of the 900-student school.

Another Philadelphia school, Mitchell Elementary, closed at the same time as Frankford, but its students have relocated to McMichael Elementary in West Philadelphia.
School performance suffered in 2021-22 as students and teachers coped with the academic and emotional aftershocks of the pandemic. Read more

Returning from the pandemic made for tough conditions last school year  and it shows.

New Philadelphia School District data for 2021-22 show drops across the board in academics and attendance, both on the school and the district level.

Officials on Friday released the School Performance Report on Education and Equity, an internal report card measuring metrics from test scores and attendance to graduation rate and out-of-school suspensions. The report is aligned to the school boards Goals and Guardrails.

This data does show that in many of the areas, we are missing the targets, said Tonya Wolford, the districts chief of accountability, research and evaluation. However, this has to be considered in the sense these goals were set before the pandemic, and they hadnt been adjusted since the pandemic.

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 READ MORE: A different kind of learning loss

District-wide, just 27% of the districts 218 schools hit at least 34% of their goals around proficiency on state assessments and attendance. Most district schools  73%  met between zero and 33% of those targets.

In the charter sector, 36% of 100 schools (some schools had multiple reports because they serve grades that span both elementary and high school) met at least 34% of their goals, and 64% met 33% or fewer of their targets.

Overall, 34% of district students met state standards in reading in 2021-22, down from 36% in 2018-19, the last regular administration of Pennsylvania standardized tests prior to the pandemic. In math, 17% hit the mark, down from 22%.

The districts four-year graduation rate was 71%, up slightly from 2020-21s 70%, but not yet back to the high-water mark of 72% the prior year. Forty-nine percent of district graduates matriculated to a college or university.

 READ MORE: A look inside the challenging, complicated year at one Philly elementary school.

For the first time in years, the district is also reporting its dropout rate. Nineteen percent of district students dropped out in 2021-22.

Data show that just 18% of district students met standards in AP or IB exams or dual enrollment courses; a full 67% of district students participated in no AP or IB classes.

On the attendance scorecard, 37% of students attended school 95% of the time or more, a steep drop from the 58% of the prior year. One in five students had less than 80% attendance.

The district just started reporting out its teacher retention numbers, and those stood at 81% in 2021-22.

On educator effectiveness, also a newly reported statistic, 15% of the districts teaching force received distinguished ratings, and 84% were proficient.

The district did make progress in providing mental health supports, per its report card: 80% of schools had at least two behavioral or mental health workers per 500 students, up from 53% the prior year.

Citywide, 95% of students participated in visual and performing arts, slightly up from 94% the year before.
Its burger season. What season is that, you ask? Well, really all of them. A burger is just as good on a hot day by the pool as it is in a cozy pub on a winter night.

Philadelphia has many great burgers, but we have some clear favorites, ranging from an off-menu, secret burger to patties from an old-school spot that has been serving burgers for nearly 100 years.

How we choose our best lists What makes something the best? Our recommendations are based on our reporters' deep regional knowledge and advice from local experts. We also strive to represent the geographic and cultural diversity of the city and region. Spot an error or omission? Email us at phillytips@inquirer.com

Here, in no particular order, are our favorite burgers in Philly and the suburbs. This list has been updated, and well continue to, as we eat more of the most delicious burgers the city has to offer.

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Price: $18

The burger royale at chef Christopher Kearses modern French destination in Old City is one of the most indulgent anywhere. The off-menu burger is two patties, done smash-style with comeback sauce. A junior version of the burger is on the happy hour menu for $12, too.

 233 Chestnut St.,  forsythiaphilly.com,  @forsythia_philly

Price: $19.95

Chef-owner Derek Davis has been doing permutations of his Parker burger (cheddar, crispy onions, oven-dried tomatoes, black truffle mayo) since his days in Manayunk at his late, great destination, Dereks (formerly Sonoma). Now served at his bistro in Washington Square West, this is a big burger  10 ounces and thick  that may require cutlery and several napkins.

261 S. 13th St.,  libertinephilly.com,  @libertinephiladelphia

Price: $18

Owners Stew and Julie Keeners not-so-secret weapon, pairing with the house-brewed beers, may be the burger. When planning the menu it was decided theyd grind the meat themselves. Its about a half-pound of chuck-brisket blend, topped with Cabot mild cheddar, a sauce of Thousand Island dressing and house hot sauce, red onion, Bibb lettuce, and house-made bread-and-butter pickles. Treat: Get it and brunch, and your side will be the home fries (red bliss potatoes and stout-caramelized onions).

1720 Fairmount Ave.,  barhygge.com,  @bar_hygge

Price: $3-$7

Charlies Hamburgers, the Delco throwback to elemental slider comfort that dates to 1935, has long been a reluctant holdout to the in burger of now, whatever in might be at the time (things like truffle-topped burgers and crab-topped burgers both had their moment at other burger joints). Their old-school griddle powers result in greasy, beefy little patties, all stacked up in crumbly burgers tucked inside their griddle-crisped buns. The Bunny, Charlies, and Peg special combos have transcended the shops 2019 move from Kedron Avenue and not lost one ounce of their charm.

 237 E. MacDade Blvd., Folsom,  facebook.com/OriginalCharlies

Price: $23

The in-demand Mother Rucker burger at River Twice was once an off-menu delicacy, but now you can find it in the additions section of the restaurants tasting menu. The burger, named for the restaurants James Beard-nominated chef and owner Randy Rucker, is a true two-fisted indulgence of a stacked burger whose drippy pink juices are almost too much for its bun to hold. The ingredients are local, with two four-ounce patties from next doors Primal Supply Meats and Cooper Sharp American cheese; house-pickled red onions and an everything-spiced mayo are the finishers.

 1601 E. Passyunk Ave.,  rivertwicerestaurant.com,  @rivertwicephl

Price: $6

The ultimate bar burger can be found at East Passyunks Fountain Porter, which is served with house pickles and should be ordered with one of their many craft beers. For years, the burger was five bucks and while the price was recently raised to $6, its still a steal for one of the best burgers in the city.

1601 S. 10th St.,  fountainporter.com,  @fountainporter

Price: $9-$16

As the name suggests, the burgers are the main draw at SpOt Gourmet Burgers (though its cheesesteak is worth a visit, too). Here, youll find a selection of 10-plus burgers, all available in their classic sirloin style, or as chicken or veggie burgers. Of particular note is the aptly named Umami burger, which comes with mushrooms, grilled onion, lettuce, pickled daikon, ssamjang (a spicy Korean paste), cucumber, and pickled daikon.

 2821 W. Girard Ave.,  spotburgers.com,  @spotburgers

Price: $22

For the double-patty burger at Ardmores Ripplewood Whiskey & Craft, chef and co-owner Biff Gottehrer stacks two quarter-pounders with extra fat content and dry-aged beefy oomph between melty layers of Gouda, house-pickled onions, a special sauce with smoked tomatoes, capers, and shallots over a pain au lait bun thats soft without being eggy. Most importantly, its got local personality: two thin pads of fried Lebanon bologna slipped between the patties that add a touch of smoky sweetness where, in other burgers, bacon plays the common role.

 29 E. Lancaster Ave.,  ripplewoodbar.com,  @theripplewood

Price: $10 during happy hour, $17 during brunch

Marcie Turney and Valerie Safrans 13th Street empire went retro with the opening of Bud & Marilyns in 2015, and ever since, the lively corner restaurant has become a favorite spot for comforting, greasy (in the best way) food. Its happy hour special burger (comes with two patties when ordered at brunch hours), with bacon, pickles, two layers of cheese, and creamy special sauce, served with a rotating craft ale, is a must-try.

 1234 Locust St.,  budandmarilyns.com,  @budandmarilyns

Price: $14-$16

There are two burgers on the menu at the always buzzing Center City bar, but the must-try burger is their signature, which is stuffed with blue cheese and covered with caramelized onions. Funnily enough, this burger also drove one of us (Craig) to create a burger music video back in 2007. You should watch it, ideally while eating one of these cheese-stuffed burgers.

 224 S. 15th St.,  gooddogbar.com,  @gooddogbar

Price: $10-$28

Rittenhouses Village Whiskey is known not only for its beverage namesake but also for its juicy burgers, which range from classic options, like a single or double smashburger, to an eight-ounce, $28 burger that is loaded with blue cheese, bacon, and foie gras.

 118 S. 20th St.,  villagewhiskey.com,  @villagewhiskeyphl

Price: $20

Royal Boucherie has its burger down. A six-ounce patty is sandwiched between a fluffy bun thats spread with bone marrow butter. Watercress and gruyere cheese round out the meal, along with a hefty helping of crispy fries. If thats not enough for you, bacon is available to top it all off.

 52 S. Second St.,  royalboucherie.com,  @royalboucherie

Price: $24

The double-pattied burger made with a mix of beef chuck and brisket at a.kitchen + bar comes layered with oozy cheese, creamy dijonnaise, and cornichons, which combine into one magnetic fistful of carnivorous lust.

 135 S. 18th St.,  akitchenandbar.com, @a.kitchenphilly

Price: $23

Melty cheddar cheese, thinly sliced pickles, smoked bacon, and the restaurants signature Churchill sauce sit atop the Dandy Burger at British-inspired pub The Dandelion. Its available during lunch, brunch, and dinner, and makes a fine partner for one of the restaurants many draft beers.

 124 S. 18th St.,  thedandelionpub.com,  @thedandelionpub

Price: $16

Beer and burgers go together. Its as simple as that. And on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough, New Ridge Brewing Co. pairs housemade beers with its double-pattied Ridge Burger, made with Primal Supply beef layered with Cooper Sharp cheese and a mayo-based special sauce that encapsulates all of the traditional burger topping flavors (ketchup, pickles, and mustard).

 6168 Ridge Ave.,  newridgebrew.com,  @newridgebrewing

Price: $22

The burger at Rittenhouse Square-facing Rouge has long been one of the citys iconic burgers; you can order it with the classics  tomato, lettuce, and dill pickles  but the addition of caramelized onions and creamy gruyere sets it apart. Rouges burger has been a menu staple since 1998 and its popularity drove the owners to open the now-shuttered 500 Degrees, a burger-only spot on Sansom.

 205 S. 18th St.,  rouge98.com,  @98rouge

Price: $10 for single-patty, $16 for double-patty

This low-lit Cajun-inspired pub, which gets its name from a mountain pass in Pakistan, brings southern flare to their Khyber Burger. A place well-known in Old City for its vegan options and southern comfort food, this burger packs a punch with its kick of chipotle remoulade atop a Happy Vally beef patty with american cheese, pickled green tomato and lettuce, sandwiched between a classic potato roll.

 56 S. 2nd St.,  khyberpasspub.com,  @khyberpasspub

Price: $10.50-$14.50

Luckys Last Chance didnt need luck to win Phillys Burger Brawl, it just needed its series of award-winning burgers  there are a lot of them. Choose between their crowd favorites like the Mak Attack mac and cheese burger to peanut butter and bacon burgers and burgers topped with shredded chicken, perogies or fried pickles. For a good price and meal filled with creativity, Luckys is a good bet.

 (Manayunk) 4421 Main St., (Queen Village) 848 S. 2nd St, (Roadside Stand) 5154 Ridge Ave. luckyslastchance.com,  @LuckysManayunk

Price: $6-$11

One of South Streets coolest dive bars serves a top-tier pub burger that offers the best of both worlds  it can be made classic or vegan. The only difference is the patty and cheese, everything else the same, with the patty of your choice being cooked on a flat top grill for a nice crispy bite complemented by LTO with a pickle and your choice of American, cheddar or vegan gouda cheese. Dont forget the in-house classic burger sauce with a kick of heat. On Wednesdays from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., Tattooed Mom mixes it up with a $6 smash burger special, beef or vegan, with a dill pickle and banna pepper relish, cheddar cheese and a smoky, sweet smash sauce. Smash burger special also comes with a $3 PBR.

 530 South St.  tattooedmomphilly.com,  @tmoms

Price: $19

The Pro Tap burger at this essential Callowhill neighborhood gastropub is made with two beefy patties and layers of classic burger toppings: cooper sharp cheese, pickles, caramelized onions, charred onion aioli, and lettuce all piled on a bun. It comes with hand-cut fries, but you can swap in a house salad for free.

 501 N. 13th St.,  prohibitiontaproom.com,  @prohibition_taproom

 READ MORE: Our best Philly tips: Read our most useful stories
Sheriff Rochelle Bilal attends the United Democratic Spring Dinner at the Sheet Metal Workers banquet hall Tuesday. Read more

It was a brazen claim offered without evidence. And it wasnt true.

Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal last week accused Michael Untermeyer, one of her Democratic primary opponents, of paying Alexandra Hunt to criticize the Sheriffs Office.

Hunt, a Democratic candidate for city controller, responded with a cease-and-desist letter from a lawyer who said Hunt took no money from Untermeyer and threatened to sue Bilal if she did not retract that claim.

Bilal caved this week, editing the Facebook posts where she made the accusation. In return, Hunt agreed to edit social media posts that suggested Bilal was pocketing money from the Sheriffs Office process of selling seized properties.

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Hunt and an attorney for Bilal confirmed the resolution Thursday.

Bilal, on her campaign Facebook page, touted her backtracking as a sign of accountability.

Untermeyer this week issued his own cease-and-desist letter to Bilal, threatening to sue her for other claims she made in Facebook posts.

Bilal called Untermeyer, a lawyer and real estate investor who has donated $250,000 to his campaign, a multi-millionaire self-proclaimed money laundering expert who owns a piece of every major development in Philly.

She also noted that Untermeyer has run for office before, and her Facebook post included a false claim that he ran for Philadelphias school board in 2019.

Philadelphia does not have an elected school board.

Untermeyers lawyer wrote to Bilal on Tuesday, calling her claims inaccurate and defamatory and demanding they be deleted.

Attorney Lee Herman noted that Untermeyer does have expertise in money laundering  from his time as a prosecutor for the state Attorney Generals Office.

Untermeyers campaign was still waiting on a response from Bilal Thursday.

Bilal won office in 2019, running as a reformer. She is now seeking a second term amid controversy for how she runs the Sheriffs Office.

So what does she have to say about all this?

Clout sent her a text message Tuesday to a cell phone number weve previously used to contact her. Clout then noted we got no response when we first wrote about this Tuesday afternoon.

Bilal attended the Democratic City Committees spring dinner Tuesday evening, where Clout asked if she had any evidence to support her (now retracted) claim about Untermeyer and Hunt.

Youre a liar so you can stop talking to me, Bilal replied, insisting she did not get our text earlier that day.

Clout kept asking for evidence and Bilal kept calling us a liar  11 more times until she walked away.

Clout then called Bilals cell phone and heard her recorded voice asking callers to leave a message. So we did, while standing next to Bilals communications consultant. We mentioned in our message that the consultant was a witness to our latest attempt to contact Bilal.

A sign of more union trouble for Jeff Brown

Its tradition: people arriving at Philadelphias Democratic City Committee spring dinner pass a surfeit of campaign signage on their way into the catering hall run by Local 19 of the Sheet Metal Workers union on Columbus Boulevard.

Lawn signs for Jeff Brown on Tuesday were plucked from the unions lawn by Local 19 members, a sure signal that the mayoral candidates troubles with the Building Trades unions linger on.

Democratic Party chair Bob Brady told Clout that Local 19 president Gary Masino ordered the removal.

He said, You need to have permission to put up signs on my property, Brady said of Masino, who did not respond to a request for comment.

During a televised debate last week, Brown knocked the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council for backing Cherelle Parker and claimed he didnt want that endorsement. The Sheet Metal Workers are part of that council.

Building Trades leader Ryan Boyer insisted Brown did ask for the councils support and said any union backing Brown should drop him.

Brown spokesperson Kyle Anderson suggested folks are feeling threatened by a potential Brown victory.

Theyre trying to silence Jeff because they know he will bring the change we need in Philly, Anderson said.

Pa. top court candidate ducks election question

Carolyn Carluccio, the Pennsylvania Republican Partys endorsed candidate for Supreme Court, told the Erie County Republican Party two weeks ago that she wants a chance to rework Act 77, the 2019 law passed with strong GOP support that greatly expanded mail voting.

Carluccio, president judge in Montgomery Countys Common Pleas Court, noted at the beginning and end of her comments that she had to tread carefully but then declared the law bad for the Commonwealth and raised the specter of unproven hanky panky with mail ballots.

Clout wondered: Does Carluccio think the states 2020 and 2022 elections were free and fair? Many in the Republican Party, from former President Donald Trump on down, have embraced election denialism without offering evidence that could convince judges in court.

Carluccio responded with a word-salad statement that didnt come anywhere close to answering Clouts question. She offered this instead:

If even one Pennsylvanian has concerns about our electoral process, we must address them, she wrote. Our government cannot simply dismiss the concerns of a large portion of our electorate.

A CBS News-YouGov Poll released Monday showed that 75% of Republican voters still believe Trump won in 2020. That seems to be the portion of the electorate on Carluccios mind.

Clout provides often irreverent news and analysis about people, power, and politics.
City Councilmember Cindy Bass is facing a challenge from Seth Anderson-Oberman in the Democratic primary for the 8th Council District in Northwest Philadelphia. Read more

Issues of real estate development and affordable housing are at the heart of a Northwest Philadelphia City Council race, as incumbent Councilmember Cindy Bass faces a Democratic primary challenge from a progressive union organizer.

Seth Anderson-Oberman portrays Bass as a neglectful leader whose office has been tarnished by poor leadership decisions, failed redevelopment plans, and political cronyism.

This is essentially a decision about whether were going to keep going in the same direction, with more out of control development, no affordable housing, and destabilization, or whether were going to go in a new direction, Anderson-Oberman, 52, said in an interview.

Bass, 55, is seeking her fourth term leading the 8th Council District. She defends her record and emphasizes her experience against Anderson-Oberman, casting him as a lofty idealist who doesnt understand what its like to hold office.

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Voting for a political novice would be akin to turning over our keys to someone who has never driven a car before, she said at a combative debate that drew hundreds to the Germantown Jewish Center last week.

The economically and racially diverse district stretches from wealthy and largely white Chestnut Hill, to the more mixed-race and progressive Mount Airy, to the working-class, majority Black enclaves of Germantown and North Philly. It has long been riven by political factions, but Bass hasnt seen serious challengers before this year. She now faces one of the few competitive district Council races in the May 16 Democratic primary.

Anderson-Obermans platform focuses on expanding affordable housing by using vacant lots in the district, and reining in the development boom that has brought major real estate interest to neighborhoods like Germantown for the first time in generations.

Bass has characterized him as an outsider whose progressive wish list sounds nice, but would be hard to enact amid upheaval in City Hall and a gun violence crisis. But he has built a considerable base of support, and has raised enough money to mount a serious challenge, according to campaign finance reports.

A civically engaged, but divided district

A North Philly native and one-time policy adviser to former U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, Bass was elected in 2011 with a plan to bring jobs, businesses, and unity to a politically fractured district.

She positions herself as an evenhanded leader who holds public institutions accountable, from denouncing city contracts with foster agencies that excluded LGBT parents, to critiquing leaders at the Free Library of Philadelphia for alleged racial discrimination, to pressuring the mayor to distribute Rebuild money for parks and rec centers in her district.

Her supporters say she is a champion for business and the community.

Cindy has listened, said Mo Rushdy, a developer with the Riverwards Group. Cindy has had her issues with developers, but she is someone that we are able to talk to and have access to.

But to some critics, Bass has a history of playing favorites.

When preservationists and neighbors argued against the demolition of the historic Germantown Boys and Girls Club for a newer facility, she accused them of racism. She championed legislation to ban bulletproof glass at takeout beer counters that pitted Asian shopkeepers against Black residents  a crackdown Bass vowed to revisit, if given another term.

Its just a lot of blaming others, putting people up against each other racially, said Bernard M. Jordan Lambert, of Germantown, an Anderson-Oberman supporter. Im just ready for new ideas.

Bass rejects the idea that she has ever stoked racial tensions in the district.

I specifically chose to live in an integrated neighborhood, she wrote in a statement. The work Ive done with disenfranchised and marginalized communities to support their fight for equality clearly demonstrates my commitment to inclusivity and parity.

Lambert and other Bass critics point to several large projects that have stalled in the district, where developers allied with Bass have won bids for historic buildings but have proven slow to begin work, including the Germantown Town Hall and the historic YWCA.

Bass said her commitment to working with developers of color has ruffled a few feathers.

A Germantown native, accused of outsiderism

Born to a Black and Jewish family in Germantown, Anderson-Oberman said he grew up among activists. He leveraged a career as a line cook into union organizing for restaurant workers, and later worked with the American Federation of Teachers and the New Jersey AFL-CIO, before resettling in his native city in 2007.

Yet Bass and her allies have repeatedly attempted to cast him as an outsider.

Ive been very active in Germantown for 15 or 20 years and Ive never met him or seen him, he just hasnt been around, said Patrick Jones, a district ward leader and former Bass staffer who ran against her in 2019 but is endorsing her this year. I wouldnt want someone whos never done a surgery before operating on me.

Anderson-Oberman called it a pathetic attempt to discredit his track record and roots.

My great grandparents ran one for the first Black-owned funeral homes in North Philadelphia, he said. My grandfather had one of the first Black-owned real estate companies, and sold many people in East Mount Airy their first home.

At the debate last week, moderators also questioned Anderson-Oberman about his time as a member of the Communist Party USA  an activist experience in his early 20s that he said hes proud of, to applause from supporters.

His campaign has raised a competitive sum without taking money from major real estate interests or corporations. His largest contribution from a political interest group came from the progressive SEIU union, which represents service sector workers. Bass has received tens of thousands from real estate interests and powerful unions like the Laborers District Council. We dont think Seth is ready, said Ryan Boyer, business manager of the Philadelphia Building & Construction Trades Council.

But Steve Paul, a lifelong district resident who works with progressive advocacy group One PA, said Anderson-Obermans bona fides within the labor movement and his progressive agenda make him a viable alternative.

People are frustrated with the changes and the disinvestment in the district, Paul said. And now folks have an option.

Debate over development

At the combative debate last week, the two candidates differed on the issue of rent control. Anderson-Oberman said hed support legislation that targeted corporate landlords, while Bass said it would burden small property owners.

When it comes to managing development, Anderson-Oberman said he would seek to implement a zoning overlay requiring developers to include affordable units in new multifamily housing projects. Bass countered that similar legislation for West Philadelphia hasnt produced any affordable housing since it went into effect last July.

Meanwhile, neighborhood groups have pressured Bass for delaying an unrelated zoning overhaul crafted by city planners. (Bass says the bill is still under review.)

Bass has also faced criticism for sitting on over 1,000 parcels of unused city land rather than turning it over to affordable housing and other development projects. She blamed delays on the new Land Bank process and said two developments are now underway.

Still, some said she remains a business ally.

We see a huge opportunity in Cindys district, because she is sitting on a lot of public land, said Rushdy, of the Riverwards Group. Shes not shutting out business.
The top five contenders for Philadelphia mayor are Helen Gym, Cherelle Parker, Rebecca Rhynhart, Allan Domb, and Jeff Brown. Read more

Five Philadelphia mayoral candidates and groups supporting them are blanketing the citys airwaves with television advertising in the final days of the neck-and-neck race, and the messaging is getting more negative by the day.

For weeks, each of the top five contenders have been running positive commercials about themselves and their accomplishments. A couple even feature their kids.

But now, four candidates are the subject of attack ads, and cease-and-desist letters are flying.

 READ MORE: Philly mayoral candidate Helen Gym facing attack ads for 2019 pharmaceutical bill vote

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This week, a political group largely funded by labor unions that is supporting Cherelle Parker for mayor began running ads against three of her opponents. One targets Rebecca Rhynhart for her work on Wall Street and in City Hall, and another portrays both Jeff Brown and Allan Domb as millionaires trying to buy the mayors office.

Those commercials come just days after a new political-action committee whose donors arent yet known started running attack ads about Helen Gym.

With less than two weeks until the May 16 primary election, Parker is now the only candidate among the top tier of contenders to not be specifically targeted by negative advertising on television.

 READ MORE: The Philadelphia mayors race is essentially a five-way tie, poll shows

A large swath of the citys Democrats in a recent poll were undecided, meaning they could be swayed by a last-minute ad blitz. With as many as five candidates within striking distance, the nominee could win by a small margin  and is likely to prevail in November given the citys strong Democratic leaning.

The mayoral candidates and interest groups supporting their bids have already spent about $18 million on advertising alone, the vast majority on television, according to media-tracking firm Ad Impact.

More than $8 million of that was spent by Domb, a real estate magnate and former City Council member who has poured at least $7 million of his own money into his campaign.

 READ MORE: Which Philly mayoral candidate do you align with the most? Take our test and find out.

Rhynhart facing attacks over budget cuts

Attack ads solely targeting Rhynhart and Gym could reflect how political opponents perceive their position in the race as campaigning comes to a close. Both campaigns have asked stations to pull the ads, saying they make false claims  to no avail.

New commercials targeting Rhynhart, Brown, and Domb are paid for by a pro-Parker super PAC called Philadelphians For Our Future, which is largely funded by building trades unions. The group has poured nearly $2 million into advertising.

The ad focused on Rhynhart refers to her as a Wall Street banker. She was a credit analyst and then a managing director at Bear Stearns, an investment bank she left in 2008 just weeks before it collapsed amid the financial crisis.

Rhynhart joined former Mayor Michael Nutters administration in 2008 as city treasurer and was largely focused on managing the citys debt. The ad says that while Rhynhart managed Philadelphias finances the city failed to pay vendors on time and closed pools and libraries.

The city in 2009 stopped paying some vendors amid a massive budget hole following the financial crisis. Around the same time, Nutter proposed closing pools and libraries, but his plan to close libraries was rejected. Rhynhart was later Nutters budget director, beginning in 2010.

Jeff Sheridan, a consultant for the super PAC running the ads, said Rhynhart, who has made much of her campaign about her time as budget director, cant have it both ways.

She cant boast about her time in the Nutter administration on one hand, he said, and pretend like she wasnt the architect of decisions to not pay small businesses and close schools, pools, and libraries on the other.

 READ MORE: Rebecca Rhynhart once defended Nutter-era budget cuts. But she says she wasnt responsible for them.

Rhynhart has said she was carrying out Nutters vision. Kellan White, her campaign manager, said the ads are a false, desperate smear campaign and that Parker should call on her own super PAC to pull this ad down immediately.

A spokesperson for Parkers campaign said, We have no more standing to ask a super PAC to take down an ad than we do to ask the Rhynhart campaign to take down their current ads.

Brown, Domb take heat for political donations

The pro-Parker super PAC is also running a new ad that attacks Brown and Domb, saying they both made contributions that helped anti-choice Republican politicians.

Brown has contributed more than half a million dollars to political candidates and causes over the last 15 years, the vast majority aligned with Democrats, records show. In 2013, he donated $1,500 to former U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, and he has contributed to a PAC run by the Wakefern Food Corp., which has given to Democrats and Republicans.

Browns campaign said in a statement they are focused on sharing Jeffs vision for improving the lives of Philadelphians and would let others waste their time and resources trying to tear down other candidates. They have said the donation to Toomey was made after the former senator pressed for expanded background checks for gun purchasers.

Domb has made contributions to a PAC run by the National Association of Realtors. That PAC gave to both Democrats and Republicans.

Jared Leopold, a spokesperson for Dombs campaign, called the attack silly and pointed out that the Realtors PAC has also donated to two members of Congress supporting Parkers candidacy.

 READ MORE: Super PACs have already spent more than $5M to influence the Philly mayors race

Philadelphians For Our Future is the only outside group spending big on television right now. Another super PAC that supports Gym and is largely funded by the city and national teachers union is also expected to run ads in the final stretch of the campaign.

A third super PAC that was backing Brown had put more than $3 million into the race but stopped spending money meant to influence the outcome of the election after it was accused in a lawsuit filed by the citys Board of Ethics of illegally coordinating with Brown.

Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts of money if they do not coordinate with the campaigns they support. The group, called For A Better Philadelphia, has denied wrongdoing, and a lawsuit against them is pending.

Browns campaign has tried to claw its way back with viewers, pouring nearly $1 million into commercials over the last three weeks, according to Ad Impact. Several polls have showed that Brown, a grocer and first-time political candidate, had appeared to have lost some ground with voters over the last few months.

The campaign this week had to change an ad after a complaint by Drexel University. The commercial touted that Brown is supported by local police including Drexel and Penn Police. But Brown was endorsed by the unions that represent those police  not the departments themselves.

A spokesperson for Drexel said the university is a nonprofit and prohibited from endorsing political candidates, and asked that Browns campaign make a distinction between the police departments and the unions that represent officers.

The campaign revised the ads.

Inquirer data journalist Aseem Shukla contributed to this article.
Philadelphia City Council at-large candidate Nina Ahmad has triggered the so-called millionaires amendment with less than two weeks left before the Democratic primary. The provision doubles the fundraising limits for every at-large candidate effective immediately, an 11th-hour move that has drawn ire from some rivals in the highly competitive race.

Ahmad wrote a $150,000 check to her own campaign this week, which put her above the $250,000 self-financing threshold to trigger the amendment, the Board of Ethics announced Thursday.

With the amendment in play, candidates for City Council at-large can now accept contributions up to $6,200 from individuals and $25,200 from political action committees for as long as Ahmad remains in the race. Candidates are required to alert the Board of Ethics within two days of triggering the provision.

This is not the first time that Ahmad  a scientist, womens rights advocate, real estate developer, and former Philadelphia deputy mayor  has self-financed a run for office. She spent over $1 million on two unsuccessful bids for statewide office for lieutenant governor in 2018 and auditor general in 2020.

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 READ MORE: Progressive vs. pro-business? Philly City Councils ideological divide emerges in crowded at-large race

While her campaign has gathered endorsements from labor unions, advocacy groups, and elected officials, Ahmad said she feels she is still an outsider in the race, and has turned to self-financing after struggling to raise money from Democratic donors.

Outsiders, particularly women of color have a harder time raising resources and thats what holds a lot of us back, she said in a statement. Im not willing to let that happen and so Im betting on myself that my story and commitment to making Philadelphia healthier and safer will resonate with voters.

Some of Ahmads rivals accused her of trying to undermine political contribution limits that are meant to create an equal playing field between wealthy and working-class candidates.

We think grassroots fundraising is the way to win and the wealthy should not be able to buy their way into office, said Vanessa Clifford, the partys regional political director.

The progressive Working Families Party has two candidates running in the general election, and has endorsed a slate of Democrats for at-large seats, some of whom view Ahmad as a close competitor. (The WFPs national political arm reported spending over $200,000 on canvassing operations to support its candidates.)

Ahmads campaign has now raised more than $350,000  one of the largest war chests in the 27-way race for the five Democratic at-large seats. Her personal contributions account for more than two-thirds of that haul, according to campaign finance reports.

An immigrant from Bangladesh who has built an expansive career, Ahmad and her husband, developer Ahsan Nasratullah, have found success in real estate through their firm JNA Capital, Inc.. The financing firm sources debt and equity for both nonprofit and commercial developments, with the Crane Chinatown apartment tower being one of the firms most prominent projects.

 READ MORE: GOP mega-donor Jeffrey Yass joins Philly developers to sway City Council race

The fundraising amendment was triggered four months ago in the crowded mayoral race. Former Councilmember and real estate magnate Allan Domb and grocer Jeff Brown have already sunk millions into their campaigns for the citys top job. The vast sums pouring into that race  more than $22 million as of early April  have led two candidates to drop out, citing fundraising struggles.

It remains unclear what impact the amendment could have on the lower-profile City Council race, where most front-runners typically only raise a few hundred thousand dollars to remain competitive. But by waiting until two weeks before the May 16 election to trigger the amendment, Ahmad left her rivals with only a small window to seek out more money from donors who had contributed the maximum amount to their campaigns.

The doubled limits do not apply to district Council races, where there are only a handful of competitive matchups.
The Streets Department demonstrates a four-foot wide mechanical broom (Ravo street sweeper truck) in North Philadelphia in August 2021. Read more

Philadelphias Democratic mayoral candidates agree that the city should expand street sweeping in residential neighborhoods.

That means its likely sweeping efforts will continue into the next mayoral administration come 2024. But the issue has long been contentious in Philadelphia  which is known for its litter problem, and where politicians have hesitated to make residents move their cars for mechanical sweepers.

Mayor Jim Kenney promised to roll out citywide sweeping when he ran for office in 2015, and launched a pilot program in 2019 as he ran for a second term.

Sweeping has since expanded to 14 residential neighborhoods, and the Streets Department plans to add other areas this year.

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Heres what to know about the mayoral candidates stances on street sweeping and the current state of Kenneys program.

What do the mayoral candidates say about street sweeping?

The Inquirer asked the Democratic mayoral contenders if they are in favor of expanding street sweeping. They all said yes, but offered few details about how theyd expand or improve the program. Instead, they shared why they think its important.

Amen Brown, for example, said in his response that clean streets were essential to attracting new businesses and tourism, while Helen Gym pointed to the fact that excess litter can clog the citys drainage system, and said shed support biweekly cleaning.

Rebecca Rhynhart, meanwhile, underscored Philadelphias pariah status when it came to street cleanliness, and Jeff Brown said that restoring city services to their full potential was a top priority and that sweeping should be done in a manner that minimizes inconvenience to neighbors.

Allan Domb said hed expand the pilot to every neighborhood in the city. Cherelle Parker touted an initiative she championed in City Council that funded commercial corridor sweeping and employed formerly incarcerated individuals.

We all suffer whenever anyone calls the city we love Filthadelphia because the streets and sidewalks arent clean, Parker said.

What is the current status of Philly street sweeping?

Street sweeping resumed in 14 high-litter neighborhoods last month, marking the fourth year of Kenneys program.

Those neighborhoods include Kensington, Strawberry Mansion, and Germantown, Nicetown, Frankford and Southwest Philadelphia, among others.

Sweeping runs through November. Streets Department Commissioner Carlton Williams said the city cleans streets primarily using mechanical sweepers, while handheld blowers are used for bulk trash pileup on some sidewalks.

Residents are required to move their vehicles once a week during their designated two-hour cleaning window, or face a ticket. Residents received windshield notifications earlier this spring warning them that ticketing would resume, according to Williams.

We try to make it as easy and convenient as possible for residents to comply, Williams said.

This week, residents in Point Breeze awoke to a flurry of $31 tickets on their windshields for blocking the path of the citys trucks, according to 6abc.

The Streets Department plans to add six more neighborhoods to the sweeping schedule before Kenney leaves office, bringing the total to 20. But the continuation of those plans will depend on the next mayoral administration.

Whats the history of street sweeping in Philly?

Philadelphia has been the only large U.S. city without a citywide sweeping program since the early 2000s, when budget restraints and complaints about moving parked cars for the cleaning trucks brought an end to the effort, save for high-traffic business corridors.

When Kenney ran in 2015, he promised to bring back citywide sweeping, including in Black and brown neighborhoods that he said were often hit hardest by illegal dumping.

In 2019, his pilot program launched in select neighborhoods.

The launch didnt come without growing pains, including complaints over leaf blowers that sanitation workers used to remove trash from under cars, alleviating the need to move them but stirring up dust in the process.

A 2019 survey conducted by the city found the program popular among residents in neighborhoods where the pilot launched. About 96% of residents in each of the six neighborhoods said theyd support expanding the program citywide, while 91% said theyd move their vehicles to allow for mechanical sweeping.

Then the pandemic hit.

As COVID raged and the city departments faced financial shortfall and staffing shortages, the future of street sweeping looked uncertain. A glimmer of hope came in 2021 when sweeping returned to several residential areas, and by 2022, the department began its 14 neighborhood expansion.

Now, the future of street cleaning will depend on the next mayor.
Im proud that for the fifth year, AXA XL is sponsoring the Young Gun of the Year International Award, said Sydney-based Catherine Carlyon, the firms country manager for Australia. Insurance is often overlooked as a career choice  we need to keep attracting talent as well as celebrating and supporting the development of the passionate individuals who are contributing to the future of insurance in Australia.
Im deeply honored to be named president and CEO of AXIS and to have the opportunity to build on the foundation established by Albert and the team, Tizzio said. I express my gratitude to Albert, Henry, the board of directors, and our colleagues worldwide for placing their trust in me. Its my strong belief that we are only just beginning to tap into our potential as a great underwriting company that stands apart for the specialty expertise and acumen of our people and the value that we provide to our customers. In the current dynamic market, there is a greater need than ever for the tailored specialty insurance products and services that we offer.
(Pixels are) an analytics tool that helps you measure how effective your ad companies are by monitoring the actions of people on your website. Simply put, its code that allows you to collect and track user actions and behaviours on a website, he said. They measure and improve the effectiveness of online advertising and user interactions with that website. The pixels can be added either manually by a developer or through a partner integration.
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The body of a worker who died in an explosion at a Newburyport, Massachusetts chemical plant has been recovered and identified.

The deceased has been identified by his family as Jack OKeefe of Methuen. The body was recovered about 5:30 p.m. He was one of five employees who were in the building at the time of the fierce explosion. Four other workers were taken to the local hospitals, where they were treated and released.

The tragedy has raised questions about the future of the plant that is operated by pharmaceutical manufacturer Seqens, also known as PCI Synthesis, and has a history of health, safety and environmental problems.

While the fire at the facility has been extinguished, Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen H. Bradbury III said emergency crews are expected to remain at the scene of the seven-alarm hazardous materials incident at an industrial park throughout the day.

About 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, 911 operators received a report of an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way. Responding fire crews saw that an industrial-sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion, and it was sitting in an adjacent parking lot. The explosion ripped the roof off part of the building also.

Emergency crews were met with heavy fire and dangerous conditions including hazardous chemicals and contaminated air. It took hours before they were able to safely access the part of the facility where the explosion occurred and the missing body was recovered.

There is major structural damage to the building, preventing firefighters and technical rescue crews from entering the building to begin a search, Bradbury said.

As part of the on-going response, air meters have been set up around the scenes perimeter and they have shown no hazards in the air. Officials in this coastal city about 35 miles northeast of Boston have determined there is no current danger to the public.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is on scene at this time. The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) also are assisting on scene.

The company has a history of safety and environmental violations, The factory has been cited on numerous occasions by OSHA for violations of workplace safety and health and by the EPA for violations of hazardous waste laws.

This explosion was the third at the plant since 2020. It moved to the Newburyport plant in 2005 from a facility in Leominster, where there had been two explosions.

Newburyport Mayor Sean Reardon told the Newburyport Daily News he wants the plant closed until a full investigation is completed. He questioned whether it should be allowed to reopen.

Others questioned why the plant has been allowed to keep operating given its history.

Why are we allowing companies to continue to operate knowing that theres a laundry list of these kinds of concerns already brought to their attention? Al Vega, chief of strategy for the Massachusetts Coalition For Occupational Safety And Health (MassCOSH), asked on WBUR radio. MassCOSH is a coalition that represents workers.

Senators Edward J. Markey and Elizabeth Warren and Representative Seth Moulton wrote to Seqens North America, the facilitys owner, demanding answers about the explosion and the facilitys history of serious and repeated safety violations.

This explosion is only the latest avoidable disaster at this facility, following years of serious safety violations, multiple fines, and other explosions, the lawmakers wrote. We write seeking the explanation as to why this latest incident occurred and how, after years of fines and regulatory enforcement actions, Seqens could have allowed unsafe conditions to persist.

The plant houses the contract development and manufacturing operations of Seqens North America. In January of this year, Seqens opened a state-of-the-art, 15,000 square-foot research and development center in Devens, Massachusetts. The new $5 million lab replaced an older, smaller lab.

Globally, Seqens operates 24 manufacturing sites and 10 research centers with 3,400 employees.

According to its website, Seqens provides active pharmaceutical ingredient and drug substance development services for pharmaceutical and medical device firms in human and animal health. It assists the firms with their pharmaceutical and biotechnology applications for complex, niche and small molecule programs.

The company vowed to cooperate with all investigations.

Photo: Site of hazardous materials explosion in Newburyport, Mass. on May 4,2023. Photo Courtesy Newburyport Fire.

Topics Massachusetts Training Development
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Former President Donald Trumps lawsuit against The New York Times over a 2018 investigative series into his familys wealth and tax practices was dismissed by a state judge Wednesday.

The lawsuit accused the Times and three of its investigative reporters of relentlessly seeking out his estranged niece, Mary Trump, as a source of information and convincing her to turn over confidential documents. The $100 million suit claims the reporters were aware of a settlement agreement barring her from disclosing the documents.

Plaintiffs claims against The Times defendants, as an initial matter, fail as a matter of constitutional law, Robert Reed of the New York State Supreme Court wrote. He said that legal news gathering is at the very core of protected First Amendment activity.

Reed also ordered Trump to pay legal expenses for the newspaper and its reporters, Susanne Craig, David Barstow and Russ Buettner.

Trump attorney Alina Habba said we will weigh our clients options.

All journalists must be held accountable when they commit civil wrongs. The New York Times is no different and its reporters went well beyond the conventional news gathering techniques permitted by the First Amendment, she said in an email.

The Times reporting challenged Trumps claims of self-made wealth by documenting how his father, Fred, had given him at least $413 million over the decades, including through tax avoidance schemes.

The series was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Legislation New York
An Exxon Mobil unit is in breach of insurance obligations for its first offshore oil project in Guyana in part due to errors by the environmental regulator, a Guyanese court ruled on Wednesday, a decision the government rejected.

Exxon engaged in a disingenuous attempt to dilute its obligations under its environmental permit for Liza One, the project that inaugurated Guyanas oil production in 2019, High Court Justice Sandil Kissoon said in the ruling.

An Exxon-led consortium that includes U.S. oil firm Hess and Chinas CNOOC is producing about 380,000 barrels of oil per day  the South American nations entire crude output.

Guyanas Environmental Protection Agency and the energy ministry so far has approved five offshore oil and gas projects submitted by the group.

Liza Ones environmental permit requires the provision of two forms of insurance coverage, one from the affiliate that stands at $600 million in case of an oil spill, and a parent guarantee committing to cover all costs beyond the $600 million threshold.

According to Kissoons ruling, Exxon must furnish Guyanese authorities with a liability agreement from an insurance company by June 10, or the Liza One environmental permit will be suspended. The agreement would cover potential damages from incidents including spills.

The company engaged in a course of action made permissible only by the omissions of a derelict, pliant, and submissive Environmental Protection Agency, the judge wrote.

The ruling is what it is and we will comply at this time, a spokesperson for the EPA said.

Exxon is reviewing the court decision and evaluating next steps, a company spokesperson said.

The government said the ruling breached its statutory duty by failing to enforce compliance by Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, and that the Judge fell into error in his findings.

The ruling will be appealed and orders sought to suspend the judgment, the government said in a statement.

(Reporting by Kiana Wilburg in Georgetown; additional reporting by Sabrina Valle; editing by Grant McCool)

Photograph: In this April 23, 2018, file photo, the logo for ExxonMobil appears above a trading post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File)

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.

Topics Energy Oil Gas Pollution
Britains markets watchdog is aiming to improve its procedures for finance workers who report on suspected wrongdoing after finding that some whistleblowers didnt feel listened to enough and perceived the regulator as reluctant.

The Financial Conduct Authority now seeks to give whistleblowers its rationale for taking or not taking action, and will improve its webform, according to a statement Thursday. The watchdog said it will also engage with the Department for Business and Trade to support a review of whistleblower legislation.

The FCAs ability to share information about how it has acted on the information provided by whistleblowers is often restricted by legal confidentiality obligations, said Therese Chambers, the FCAs executive director of Enforcement and Market Oversight. The regulators tweaked approach will provide as much information as possible within these legislative constraints.

In the past, whistleblowing has allowed the FCA to tackle issues such as misselling of loans or unauthorized firms taking on customers, it said. The regulator has been criticized for allowing then-Barclays Plc Chief Executive Officer Jes Staley to hold onto his job after investigating his two attempts to identify a whistleblower within the bank.

The Bank of England also published a consultation paper on Thursday setting out changes designed to encourage speedier investigatory outcomes. The proposals provide a route for early cooperation in appropriate cases and look to introduce a larger settlement discount in appropriate cases of up to 50%.

Copyright 2023 Bloomberg.
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This edition of International People Moves details appointments at BMS Re, Arch Insurance International, and SiriusPoint.

A summary of these new hires follows here.

Wheeler Promoted to President of BMS Re

BMS Re, the specialty reinsurance arm of the global broking group BMS, announced the promotion of Andrew Wheeler to president, effective immediately. Wheeler will report to Pete Chandler, CEO of BMS Re.

A veteran of BMS, Wheeler assumes the role with more than 20 years of experience within the organization. Wheelers expertise covers casualty, P&C, treaty, and refinance across both the London and US markets.

Andrew has had an incredible career within BMS. From the day I walked through the doors, he has distinguished himself as an absolute class act, a spectacular broker, a magnificent leader, and an even better friend, commented Chandler. To have someone who knows BMS strengths inside and out is exactly what BMS Re needs to continue growing/evolving our business. I am delighted to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

***

Arch Insurance Intl Names Heads of Onshore, Offshore Energy

Arch Insurance International announced the promotions of Hannah Hutton to head of Onshore Energy, and Michael Poulteney to head of Offshore Energy, effective immediately.

Hutton and Poulteney have both been promoted from their previous roles as underwriting managers, and they are responsible for managing underwriting activities across the London Market Onshore and Offshore Energy teams. Both portfolios provide a broad range of solutions, on a worldwide basis, across the conventional and renewable energy sectors.

Hutton and Poulteney report to Jake Gibbs, head of Marine & Energy.

Hutton has more than 20 years of insurance market experience. She has worked at Arch for 18 years and was appointed Underwriting Manager for Onshore Energy in 2020.

Poulteney brings over 15 years of experience in the Offshore Energy sector to his new position. He joined Arch in 2015 from QBE and became underwriting manager for Offshore Energy in 2019.

***

SiriusPoint Appoints Industry Veteran Masojada to Board of Directors

SiriusPoint Ltd., the Bermuda-based specialty insurer and reinsurer, announced it has appointed Bronek Masojada to the companys Board of Directors, effective May 2, 2023.

An insurance industry veteran, Masojada brings to the SiriusPoint board nearly 30 years of public company executive leadership experience. Masojada spent 28 years at Hiscox Group, a global specialist insurer and reinsurer, including more than two decades as its chief executive officer. Masojada also brings a wealth of experience in driving growth and optimizing operations. Under his leadership, Hiscox significantly grew its revenue to almost $5 billion, and expanded its geographic footprint to 34 locations across the world. Currently, Masojada serves as chair of Placing Platform Limited, the industry utility driving digitization of the London insurance market.

Masojada first joined Hiscox in 1993 as group managing director. Prior to joining Hiscox, Masojada began his career at McKinsey & Co. Masojada served as deputy chairman of Lloyds from 2001 to 2007 and as chairman of the Lloyds Tercentenary Research Foundation from 2008 to 2014.

Masojada chairs the East End Community Foundation which serves residents in Newham, Tower Hamlets, Hackney and the City of London. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of KwaZulu Natal, and a Master of Philosophy in Management Studies from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.

We are delighted to welcome Bronek to the SiriusPoint board. His extensive industry and executive leadership experience complements our existing board and will be a great asset to SiriusPoint, commented Sharon Ludlow, interim chair of the board. With his background of company development and growth, he is exceptionally well placed to support SiriusPoints management team in the delivery of their strategic goals and continued focus on performance and value creation.

Gretchen A. Hayes, as previously announced, has made the decision to not stand for re-election at the companys 2023 meeting of shareholders. Following the appointment of Masojada and the departure of Hayes, the SiriusPoint board will consist of nine directors, six of whom are independent.
LM Wind Power Blades, Inc, a wind turbine blade manufacturer based in Grand Forks, North Dakota, violated federal law when it subjected an African American employee to a racially hostile work environment and then retaliated against him for complaining, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed May 4, 2023.

According to the EEOCs lawsuit, the African American employee was the target of sustained racial hostility from white employees and supervisors, which included racial slurs and threats of violence. White co-workers referred to the employee using the N-word, described him as a monkey on social media, and tagged him in online posts discussing white power. A white supervisor threatened to slap the black off the employee, and, when challenged, said he wished to hang him from a bridge or drag him behind a truck. Despite the employees frequent complaints, LM Wind Power failed to meaningfully discipline the harassers, and instead allowed the abusive conditions to continue. Eventually, LM Wind Power fired the employee in retaliation for his complaints.

Such alleged conduct violates Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits race-related harassment and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of North Dakota (Civil Action No. 3:23-cv-086) after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

LM Wind is an affiliate of General Electric and claims to have facilities in nine countries across four continents.

Topics Lawsuits Manufacturing
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Three out of four Americans believe gun owners should be required to have firearm liability insurance, according to a recent survey.

Those are the numbers out of a new ValuePenguin survey of 1,995 people ages 18 to 77 exploring attitudes about the role insurance could play in reducing gun violence.

While some may say that it isnt the insurance industrys place to get involved in the countrys ongoing debate about requirements regarding gun control, insurance has long been an instigator and standard bearer when it comes incentivizing and implementing safety measures that protect people and property.

Insurance drives safety

Insurance companies offer discounts to drivers who buy vehicles with safety features and homeowners who install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, for example. To encourage safer gun ownership practices, insurers could give discounts to gun owners who show that they have purchased gun safes and implement other gun safety measures, even in jurisdictions that dont require them.

And those in the survey recognized the parallels, stating support for liability insurance on guns (75%) in the same league as support for liability insurance on homes (72%) or cars (84%).

Currently, most insurers dont require disclosure of gun ownership, said ValuePenguin. Mandating gun insurance could change this, and prompt insurance companies to require policyholders to declare gun ownership and perform checks for firearms, including those purchased from private dealers or gun shows.

Gun insurance coverage and costs

How much liability coverage should a gun owner carry? Between $50,000 and $250,000, said 77% of those surveyed, with 7% calling for $1 million or more. The majority of those in favor of the coverage (44%) think separate policies should be required for each weapon. In comparison, 31% say a single policy per owner would be enough.

However, more than half of those surveyed (56%) did not know that homeowners insurance offers some coverage for guns. Most standard policies already cover theft or a firearms-related accident up to the policyholders personal property coverage and liability coverage limits. Policyholders can elect to pay for more personal property coverage or liability coverage, bearing in mind that insurance wont cover them if they are charged with using a gun to commit a crime or accidentally shoot a household member. Those whose guns are used in crimes could face higher insurance costs when obtaining another firearm.

[Editors Note: To read more on how a homeowners policy could handle firearm coverage, click here.]

Who should be liable for gun-related violence?

When a gun is used, the overwhelming majority (82%) of those polled in the survey said gun owners should be held liable, even if they didnt pull the trigger, placing increased responsibility on gun owners to maintain and restrict access to weapons.

According to the survey, gun owners should be held criminally liable, said 39% of respondents  a sentiment highest among parents with underage children (45%)  while 15% say they should be subject to civil liability, and 28% say they should be held liable for both.

Survey says: Americans support firearm restrictions

The study indicates that 95% of Americans support some form of restriction on firearm access. The most supported restrictions center around mental health (73%), criminal history (70%) and age (60%).

Almost half of those whove never owned a gun (47%) are more likely to say firearm permits should be mandatory, while less than a third (31%) of those who currently own a gun support mandatory permits, the survey stated. Non-gun owners were also more supportive of requiring gun owners to have proof of liability insurance and safe storage.

ValuePenguin commissioned Qualtrics to administer the March 2023 online survey, which used a non-probability-based sample and quotas to ensure the sample base represented the overall population.

Topics Trends Gun Liability
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Egglestone Global Head of Claims at Resilience

Resilience today promoted Tom Egglestone to global head of claims. Joining Resilience in July 2022 as international claims leader, UK and Europe, he will now be supporting Resilience clients globally. With prior experience working at industry-leading companies such as Tokio Marine Kiln, CFC Underwriting, and Hiscox, he brings over a decade of experience and responsibility for complex specialty claims and insurance operations in the London market. Bulin Named Head of Investment Consulting at Actuarial Risk Management

Actuarial Risk Management Ltd., based in Austin, Texas, has named Dave Bulin head of investment consulting.

Before joining ARM, Bulin was the head of risk platform and reporting at The Hartford, overseeing the enterprise-level risk reporting across all exposures. He started his actuarial career as the first investment actuary at predecessor companies to Aviva USA and later joined Lincoln Financial Group as their investment actuary and head of equity risk management.

Distinguished Programs Names Meister as Chief Sales Officer

Distinguished Programs has appointed Kurt Meister as chief sales officer. Meister takes on the position with 35 years of experience in the insurance industry.

Meister joined Distinguished in 2006 as senior vice president of sales and distribution. Before joining Distinguished, Meister held executive positions at National Specialty Underwriters and Aon Affinity Insurance Programs.

Distinguished Programs is headquartered in New York, New York.

Topics Claims
NEW ORLEANS (AP)  Two white Louisiana sheriffs deputies who forced a Black woman facedown to the ground in 2020 as they investigated an allegation that she had been riding a motorcycle without a helmet asked a federal appeals court Wednesday to throw out a lawsuit the woman filed against them.

U.S. District Judge Wendy Vitter refused to dismiss the civil case last year against St. Tammany Parish Deputies Kyle Hart and Ryan Moring, ruling that there was evidence of constitutional violations against Teliah Perkins and her son, then 14, arising from the May 2020 arrest for resisting an officer in front of her home. The deputies lawyer told the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that Vitters ruling was wrong and that video clearly shows the officers actions were justified.

Perkins is seeking damages for herself and her son, who was threatened with a Taser as he recorded the arrest.

One issue before the three appellate judges hearing the case Wednesday morning: whether they have the authority to overrule the lower court based on video evidence at this point in the lawsuit, which has not yet gone to trial before a jury.

Were here on a very limited standard of review, Judge Cory Wilson said at one point as attorney Chadwick Collings argued for the deputies. How do we get beyond what the district court found to be a genuine issue of fact?

Vitter had ruled there was evidence supporting Perkins claims that the officers used unnecessary force even after shed been subdued and that her son was clearly not interfering with her arrest when Moring shoved him in the chest and threatened him with a Taser as the teen recorded. The evidence of constitutional rights being violated overcame the deputies claim that the suit should be thrown out under the doctrine of qualified immunity, which protects police from lawsuits arising from the scope of their work.

Collings argued that the appeals court has the right to throw out the case at this stage based on three videos by the son and others that he said clearly show the officers actions were justifiable.

Exactly what the videos show and how they should be interpreted was at issue throughout the hearing  including whether Perkins was choked at some point during her arrest.

The video shows the officers hand on her neck, Wilson told Collings at one point.

For two seconds, Collings replied.

In fairness, the video is a bit hard to follow, Judge James Ho said later in the hearing.

Judge Jennifer Walker Elrod did raise doubts about Perkins claims that the officer brandishing a Taser rose to an unconstitutional threat against her son.

This is a non-lethal weapon, Elrod said.

Keith Cohan, representing Perkins and her son, said the officer brandishing the Taser and shoving the teen constituted violations of his rights.

Perkins didnt deny in her lawsuit that she resisted arrest or that she was subsequently found guilty of resisting a police officer. Perkins lawyers argued that the force used during the arrest  at one point she was held face down with a deputys knee in her back, at another she was face up with a deputys hand briefly on her throat  was clearly excessive. And they say it continued after she stopped resisting.

Perkins alleges the incident left her with chronic pain in her legs, back and neck, as well as depression, anxiety and insomnia that require medication. Her suit claims her sons injuries include post-traumatic stress disorder.

The lawsuit was filed as part of the Justice Lab project of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana, which enlists the aid of private attorneys in suing over racially discriminatory police practices.

There was no indication when the 5th Circuit panel would rule.

Judges Ho and Wilson were nominated to the court by former President Donald Trump; Elrod was nominated by former President George H.W. Bush. Vitter was nominated for the district court judgeship by Trump.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Louisiana
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Maury, Donnelly & Parr, a Maryland-based broker and risk consultant thats almost 150 years old, has acquired CANUSA Insurance Services in Sarasota, Florida.

The merger marks a continued expansion by MDP, which acquired Connecticut-based Northeastern Underwriters in 2021.

CANUSA is headed by Charles Hosie, who has 35 years experience in personal lines insurance. The offices name and branding will remain the same, the companies said in a news release.

MDP was founded in 1875 as a marine insurer for businesses using the Port of Baltimore.

Topics Mergers & Acquisitions
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A federal jury has awarded a Georgia couple $135.5 million for damages to their property by a Tennessee-based solar company and its contractor.

The award against Silicon Ranch Corp. and its contractor, IEA Inc., was announced Friday by James E. Butler, attorney for plaintiffs Shaun and Amie Harris who live near Lumpkin, Georgia, south of Columbus, WRBL-TV reported.

According to the lawsuit, Silicon Ranch Corp. has developed more than 160 solar panel facilities across the country, many of which were built by IEA. At Lumpkin Solar, IEA cleared and mass-graded about 1,000 acres of timberland, farmland and land near the Harris couple that was previously used for recreational hunting and fishing  without installing adequate measures for erosion and sediment control, Butler said in a news release.

The result was what one would expect  when it rained, pollution poured downhill and downstream onto the neighbors property, inundating wetlands with silt and sediment, and turning a 21-acre trophy fishing lake into a mud hole, Butler said.

The companies created, operated and maintained a nuisance  that caused sedimentation to pollute plaintiffs wetlands, streams and lake. The court further finds that this nuisance has continued for approximately two years unabated, U.S. District Judge Clay D. Land said in the order.

The jury returned a compensatory damage verdict of $10.5 million.

In the punitive phase, where jurors consider an amount that would punish the companies for their actions, the panel found that SRC, IEA and and an IEA subsidiary  IEA Constructors, LLC  acted with specific intent to cause harm. The jury imposed $25 million in punitive damages against SRC, $50 million against IEA Inc., and $50 million against IEA Constructors, LLC, the news release said.

Westwood Professional Services Inc., the engineering firm that designed the erosion and sediment control plan for SRC and IEA, was released from any liability, the law firm said.

The SRC/IEA litigation and trial strategy was to blame everyone else and deny responsibility, said plaintiffs counsel, Dan Philyaw. They blamed Westwood, they blamed Shaun and Amie, they blamed too much rain, and they blamed erodible soils.'

Meanness is not neighborly, Butler said in summarizing the case, and it is a terrible litigation and trial strategy.

Silicon Ranch, located in Nashville, Tennessee, said in a statement emailed to The Associated Press that it would appeal the verdicts.

We relied on our contractor to carry out this scope of work in compliance with applicable law and in keeping with industry best management practices, as specified by the appropriate regulatory bodies in the state of Georgia, the company said.

As the long-term owner of this facility, Silicon Ranch remains committed to the continued success of Stewart County and the surrounding region, the company continued. While we sincerely regret the unintentional damage to our neighbors property, Silicon Ranch does not believe the verdict in this trial is supported by the facts in this case.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Georgia Agribusiness
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Alabama lawmakers legalized medical marijuana two years ago this month. But it came with a high hurdle: Dispensaries, growers, processors and other license applicants must have at least $2 million of liability and casualty insurance.

Now, the Alabama Department of Insurance says it cant find an insurance market for that and is asking insurers to fill the prescription.

At this date, the Alabama Department of Insurance has had difficulty determining whether such liability and casualty insurance in the medical cannabis area is available in the Alabama market, reads a bulletin posted last week. The Department encourages property and casualty insurers to submit rates and forms

The cannabis law, known as the Darren Wesley Ato Hall Compassion Act, after the son of a state representative who died of AIDS more than a decade ago, took effect in May 2021. The window for marijuana business applications closed Dec. 31, 2022. Some 90 enterprises, including some of larger names in the cannabis business, have applied for licenses, according to the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. But the lack of available insurance appears to be a missing ingredient in approving the licenses.

The department noted that the filing process for insurers may not be so onerous: All insurance filings will be file and use, except for workers compensation coverage, which must be approved by the department before policies are offered. The filing fee is $100 per form or rate, with a maximum of $5,000 per submission.

Cannabis-related rates would remain in effect for three years or until DOI actuaries are better able to forecast rates based on statewide experience. More information is available from erick.wright@insurance.alabama.gov.

Some 38 states now allow the medical use of cannabis products, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and insurance requirements vary greatly. Florida regulations require a performance bond of as much as $5 million. Georgia may require a surety bond in some cases, according to Insureon, an insurance brokerage.

But some states, including nearby Mississippi and Tennessee, have no business insurance requirements, Insureon and ALDOI noted.

The bureaucratic hurdles in some states have led to delays and frustration for dispensing firms and users. In Georgia, the states first medical marijuana dispensaries opened in late April, solving a years-long bureaucratic puzzle where it was legal to treat medical conditions with cannabis products  but not legal to buy them.

Trulieve Cannabis Corp. opened dispensaries last week in Macon and Marietta, with people lining up at both locations.

Jim Wages, the first customer in Marietta, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his 19-year-old daughter Sydney uses cannabis oil to treat her epilepsy, the Associated Press reported. Now he said he can buy it legally instead of importing it across state lines in violation of federal law.

We just hit the lottery. We finally got to a point where we could actually walk in instead of having to meet in a parking lot and pick up our oil, Wages said. Its such a relief.

Its been legal for people in Georgia to use low-THC cannabis oil to treat a variety of diseases since 2015, but a rollout of legal sales has been delayed for years by regulatory challenges. More than 27,000 Georgians have registered to use the oil. Stores can only sell to people who have gotten a registry card approved by a physician.

Several companies that were denied grow or dispensary licenses have sued. Four additional production licenses are tied up in litigation.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Carriers Alabama
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The Green Rush may be gone, but now is the opportunity for the true insuring cannabis specialists to rise to the occasion and outshine the dabblers in the field.

That was one takeaway from a panel of experts in the specialty.

Our latest podcast covered some outtakes from our popular 4/20 webinar, Selling Cannabis Insurance in a Cash-Strapped Environment.

The webinar featured Matt Johnson, vice president at QuadScore Insurance Services, Stephanie Bozzuto, with Cannabis Connect Insurance Services, and Karl Long, senior director of risk management for Trulieve.

Following are takeaways from that conversation.

Long, who handles risks for the second largest cannabis operator for in the U.S., spending millions of dollars in premiums, first offered a bright outlook on the industry.

I think the industry as a whole is going to be fantastic, Long said. We were on a rocket ship, and the rocket ships got to plateau at some point, and weve got to scale, and focus on blocking and tackling.

He said he sees the markets current state as a natural evolution, and that during this breather period, Truleive is focused on making improvements to its operations.

Bozzuto, who has been focused on cannabis since around the time California legalized it over a half-dozen years ago, followed up with some things to keep in mind for those who are selling to these businesses.

First off, be responsible. Understand your industry, she said. Weve had so many individuals come into this space because predominantly its a green rush and they want to get their piece of it. But no one really quite understands the involvement that it takes to really fully commit, and be fully present and really understand the market, because its not just about insurance.

Regulations involved in cannabis must be considered by local jurisdiction, county, and state, and beyond regulations and compliance there are many layers involved such that theres really no other industry like it.

She added: Its been one of those industries where you dont just dip your to in, you really get fully committed, fully present, get involved in different boards, get involved on a local level, show your clients that you are here for the long run. Youre here to truly help them and provide ethical and responsible insurance and read the forms every single year.

Johnson also talked about the importance of knowing the business of cannabis  which is unsurprising, considering he and his company run employees though a cannabis 101 course before they deal with a cannabis customer.

You wouldnt go and buy a brand new car from someone who only rides a bicycle, right? he said. So, you dont want to deal with an insurance broker whos never placed a cannabis insurance policy. When youre working with a cannabis operator, you certainly need to understand their business.

Beyond understanding how cannabis businesses operate, Johnson also likes his employees to understand the science behind cannabis, which products are which, and how these products are being made, stored, distributed, and so on.

So, its important to know clearly the ingredients, the test results, what products are they selling? CBN, CBG, CBD, different levels of THC content. Whats the max THC content that theyre selling? Johnson said.

Before Long became a risk manager at Trulieve, he was director of risk management at Harvest Health and Recreation. His more than 30 years of insurance industry experience includes numerous roles with Insurance Office of America, and EMC Solutions.

Over his time in insurance and risk management, hes developed a number of likes and dislikes, and some tough questions for brokers who want his business.

Its frustrating when a broker will say, Hey, you know theres lack of capacity in the cannabis space. You know, reinsurance treaties are harsh in the cannabis space, you know cannabis is federally illegal. Hey, I just saw you had a situation with OSHA over your production process. And, yes, all of the above is true, yet we are wonderfully successful and we will continue to be successful. And you, as a broker, are coming to be a critical part of my team. Are you bringing new ideas? You bringing new solutions? Are you bringing expertise? Are you bringing bandwidth? Or in our case, are you bringing some of the largest global insurance carriers to the table?

Related:

Topics Cannabis
One potential consequence of Californias ballooning budget deficit: Higher taxes for businesses, with increases possible every year for the next decade.

Business owners pay a tax on each of their workers. The money goes into a fund that states use to pay unemployment benefits when people lose their jobs. During the coronavirus pandemic, so many people lost jobs that many of these funds ran out of money.

Twenty-two states borrowed from the federal government so they could keep paying unemployment benefits. Those states must pay that money back, plus interest. Most states have already done this. But California is one of five states that hasnt. The state owes $18.9 billion.

If California doesnt pay the money back, businesses have to do it through higher taxes. California was supposed to start paying off the debt this year with $1.5 billion  $1 billion toward the debt, plus another $500 million to help small businesses pay their increased taxes.

But that was before California had a $22.5 billion budget deficit. Now, Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to cancel $1.25 billion of that spending to help cover the states budget shortfall. That means businesses will have to pay an additional $21 per employee in federal unemployment insurance taxes this year. That tax will keep increasing by $21 every year over the next decade that the debt is not paid off.

It could take at least 10 years for businesses to pay off the debt, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Analysts Office. Meanwhile, the Newsom administration expects California will have a multibillion dollar budget deficit not just this year, but also in each of the next three years  meaning its not likely the state will start paying off the debt anytime soon.

California could have paid off the debt, or at least a sizeable portion of it, in the past two years when it had a combined general fund budget surplus of $119. 4 billion. But state officials didnt do that, to the frustration of business owners like Denise Duncan who are now stuck paying the higher tax.

The tax increase wont be a significant burden for Duncan this year because she only has two employees. But she said it angers her shes stuck paying for something that wasnt her fault after the government ordered many businesses to shut down during the pandemic.

Were getting hit over the head with hammers every time we turn around with increased costs, whether its gas doubling, whether its insurance and utilities,  said Duncan, owner of AT Industrial Products in Pomona. They had a surplus. So why didnt they use it?

One reason is simply the massive size of Californias debt. As the nations most populous state, California also has the largest economy and the most workers. Its $18.9 billion debt is more than twice as large as every other state.

Instead of paying off its unemployment debt, the Democrats in charge spent the money on other things. They gave $21.4 billion of it back to taxpayers, sending three rounds of stimulus checks to help people weather the pandemic and offset rising gas prices. The rest of it went to things like public schools, roads and bridges, health care and homelessness programs.

The Governors January budget proposal delays some longer-term debt payments to meet the states more immediate needs, Newsom spokesman Alex Stack said. Having said that, were still allocating $250 million to pay down this debt, which will save businesses money.

Stack noted the governor will release an updated budget plan next week, adding, he looks forward to working with the Legislature and stakeholders on state spending priorities.

Legislative Analyst Gabriel Petek, whose nonpartisan office advises the Legislature on budget issues, told lawmakers earlier this year that even if the state were to restore the $750 million payment toward the debt, it would not lower taxes for businesses because the the tax rate only changes if the debt is paid in full.

If the Legislature wanted to make this optional payment a couple of years down the road, it probably wouldnt have a material difference for those paying the tax, Petek said.

But the business community says paying at least part of the debt will show the state is serious about paying down the debt.

Yeah, we have the biggest deficit. But you have to start paying it down somewhere, said Rob Lapsley, president of the California Business Roundtable. Its just like it doesnt exist. I think theyre just going to let employers pay it. They just intend to push through a hidden tax increase.

In spring budget hearings, Newsom administration officials said their plan was to hope that the federal government would forgive the debt. But Robert Moutrie, policy advocate for the California Chamber of Commerce, said the business community doesnt believe more federal aid will be coming froma divided Congress with Republicans controlling the House and Democrats, the Senate.

Democrats in the state Senate last week proposed raising taxes on 2,500 large corporations so the state could cut taxes 25% for 1.6 million business owners. State Sen. Nancy Skinner, a Democrat from Berkeley and chair of the Senate Budget Committee, said the proposal was not specifically in response to higher unemployment insurance taxes.

Still, Newsom opposes the Senates plan. He will update his budget proposal next week.

Copyright 2023 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California
Source: Streetwise Reports

May 5, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Lion One Metals Ltd. has entered into a CA$27 million "bought deal" offering of units with a syndicate of underwriters for the development and exploration of its Tuvatu project in Fiji.

After reporting multiple bonanza-grade zones and visible gold at its Tuvatu project in Fiji, Lion One Metals Ltd. (LIO:TSX.V; LOMLF:OTCQX; LLO:ASX) has entered into a CA$27 million "bought deal" offering of units with a syndicate of underwriters.

Net proceeds from the sale of 29.35 million units of the company at CA$0.92 per unit will be used for development and exploration at Tuvatu, working capital, and general corporate purposes, the company said.

Lion One has already begun extracting material for its processing facility at Tuvatu from one lode, URA1, and is expected to begin extracting from another recently discovered lode, URW1, soon.

"This remains one of my favorite stories, and I believe that . . . the very high grades being revealed will result in some very robust operating margins," wrote newsletter author Jay Taylor of J Taylor's Gold, Energy & Tech Stocks. "Then, when the markets finally wake up to the enormous exploration potential for this alkaline project, I think Lion One could be one of the biggest winners in 2023."

Results from grade-control drilling close to a newly discovered mineralized zone at the project included 88.07 grams per tonne gold (g/t Au) over 5.7 meters, including 1,396 g/t Au over 0.3 meters; 27.52 g/t Au over 5.55 meters; 20.93 g/t Au over 7.2 meters; 16.12 g/t Au over 9.3 meters; 16.48 g/t Au over 9.6 meters; 14.6 g/t Au over 6.6 meters; 14.97 g/t Au over 5.4 meters; and 10.85 g/t Au over 6.9 meters.

Visible gold was also seen in several drill holes, the company said.



Source: Lion One Metals Ltd.

Mining at URW1 is expected to begin soon while workers have already extracted 475 tonnes from 14 cuts at the URA1 lode, the company said.

To date, 34 diamond drill holes totaling 3,538 meters have been sunk in the URW1 lode system.

The URW1 "system represents the next main area of mining and extraction of high-grade mineralization at Tuvatu," the company wrote in a release. "Development has commenced with first-grade control and mapping expected shortly."

After the release of the results from URW1, technical analyst Clive Maund of CliveMaund.com posted that the stock was an "immediate speculative Buy."

"Its recent performance has been rather lackluster compared to many stocks across the sector, which has been due to a supply overhang that we can see on longer-term charts," Maund wrote. "But as they say, 'Past performance is not always a guide to future performance.'"

The Catalyst: A Syndicate of Underwriters

Eight Capital is the lead underwriter and sole book runner for the bought deal on behalf of a syndicate of underwriters, the company said.

Each unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the company and one-half of one common share purchase warrant of the company. Each warrant shall be exercisable for one common share at a price per warrant share of CA$1.25 for a period of 30 months from the offering's closing date, which is expected to be on or about May 11.

The company has also agreed to grant the underwriters an option, exercisable in whole or in part, for a period of 30 days after the closing of the offering, to purchase up to an additional 15% of the number of units sold on the same terms as the offering.

Earlier this year, Lion One announced a US$37 million financing facility provided by Nebari Gold Fund 1 LP, Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund I LP, and Nebari Natural Resources Credit Fund II LP. It said has received US$25 from the first tranche of the funding and Nebari's completion of a US$2 million equity private placement in the company.

The money will be used to fund mine and mill construction at Tuvatu, Taylor wrote.

One of the World's 'Highest-Grade Gold Mines'

When the company's mining lease at the project was extended last year through February 2035, ROTH Capital Partners analyst Mike Niehuser called Tuvatu "one of the highest-grade gold mines in the world."

"We believe that Tuvatu is competitive with Fiji's Vatukoula, which has operated for over 85 years," Niehuser wrote in a December note. "The granting of the Tuvatu Mining Lease (SML 62) de-risks the project, making it attractive to major mining companies."

ROTH has a Buy rating and a CA$2.50 per share target price on the stock, which would be nearly three times Thursday's price of CA$0.86 per share.

Lion One plans to operate the plant at an initial production capacity of 300 tonnes per day for the first 18 months before increasing capacity to 500 tonnes per day in mid-2025. Initial mining will focus on the near-surface resource while advancing underground development.

The drilling campaign at Tuvatu this year will be focused on grade control of the near-term production blocks, identifying separate mineralized systems within the greater Navilawa caldera, and completing geophysical surveys to delineate further drill targets, the company said.

Tuvatu is on the island of Viti Levu in the archipelago nation. A September 2020 Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) outlined an indicated resource of 1,007,000 tonnes grading 8.48 g/t Au for 274,600 ounces Au and an inferred resource of 1,325,000 tonnes grading 9 g/t Au for 384,000 Koz Au. The study used a cut-off grade of 3 g/t Au.

Ownership and Share Structure

About 14% of the company is held by insiders, about 6% by institutions, about 20% by other investors, and about 60% is retail.

The CEO Berukoff owns about 11.8% or 20.9 million shares, according to Reuters. Franklin Advisers Inc. owns 4.27% or 7.56 million shares.

Lion One's market cap is CA$152.13 million with 176.9 million shares outstanding, 155.66 million of the free-floating. It trades in a 52-week range of CA$1.66 and CA$0.59.

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Source: Streetwise Reports

May 5, 2023 (Investorideas.com Newswire) Silver X Mining Corp. has announced its intention to acquire the Revenue-Virginius mine and other assets located in the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, Colorado. Read more to see the details of this and what the company has planned for the future.

Silver X Mining Corp. (AGX:TSX.V) has announced its intention to acquire the Revenue-Virginius mine and other assets located in the San Juan Mountains near Ouray, Colorado. The TSX Venture Exchange accepted documentation for an asset purchase agreement, forming a part of the company's application for acquisition.

The company will make aggregate cash payments, up to a total of US $4.5 million, according to a series of situations, including US$200,000 once the purchase asset agreement has been executed and US$1 million upon the closing of the transaction.

Aurcana had previously aimed to make the Revenue-Virginius mine profitable again but failed in the endeavor, which led to the company collapsing. Aurcana has spent tens of millions of dollars on the mine in its attempt to make it profitable, meaning Silver X is taking it over in a strong position.

According to its website, Silver X Mining is "a rapidly expanding silver developer and producer in the Americas." It aims to consolidate and develop undervalued assets and owns 20,000+ hectares of land in Peru, which is comprised of the Nueva Recuperada Silver District and a 720 tpd processing plant.

The company produces silver, gold, zinc, and lead from the Tangana Mining Unit. As well as the Nueva Recuperada Silver District project, Silver X operates the 2,000-hectare Coriorcco Gold Project in Ayacucho, which is in its exploration phase, and is focused primarily on gold.

Analyst Timothy Lee of Red Cloud Securities said in an April note that the move to acquire Revenue-Virginius is a positive one for Silver X Mining because the mine is "past-producing" and that it could "easily be brought back online." He also said that a feasibility study conducted in the recent past shows the mine producing "17.7 Moz of payable Ag eq over a 6.25-year life, including average annual production of 3.1 M z Ag eq for the first five years, at an all-in-sustaining cost of US$11.01 per ounce of Ag eq."

Silver Demand Continues

Peter Hobson of Ahead of the Herd wrote that global demand for silver 'rose by 18%' in 2022 and was undersupplied by 237.7 million ounces. Hobson stated that, according to the Silver Institute, more shortages can be expected. The Institute itself referred to it as "possibly the most significant deficit on record."

There are several reasons behind the demand for silver. Possibly the most pertinent is its integral role in solar energy technology as the planet shifts slowly to a greener, more sustainable future.

The Silver Institute cites it as the world's best conductor and says that it plays an important role in photovoltaic (PV) technology, which is the top source of green energy.

As green technology advances, so too will the demand for silver.

Spotlight on Silver X Mining and Upcoming Catalyst

Silver X says that it's committed to adding resources in a cost-effective manner through efficient drilling and developing galleries.

Its large land package also offers plenty of opportunity, and it has recently enjoyed eight consecutive months of increased processing, on a 3-month moving average from January 2022.

Silver X Mining President and CEO Jose Garcia said the move to acquire the Revenue-Virginius Mine "complements Silver X's growth strategy by adding an advanced-stage exploration project to our pipeline at an attractive price." He added that the company believes the project will benefit from its "distinct approach to exploration aimed at generating value by reactivating past producing districts with good potential."

He said that the company's focus remains in Peru, but it aims to "execute an exploration program over the next 12-18 months to confirm and strengthen the data" and its understanding of the "potential resource."

In terms of coverage, Silver X has garner the attention of multiple analysts and newsletter writers.

When discussing Silver X Mining in a March update, Technical Analyst Clive Maund said, "The picture remains quite strongly positive with the sector starting to take off higher" and that there is "plenty of upside potential."

Simply Wall Street asserted that the company is "possibly approaching a major achievement in its business."

In April, Caesar's Report noted that there is "an existing resource estimate on the mine with 1 million tonnes in the measured and indicated resource categories and 320,000 tonnes in the inferred resource category." It also mentioned that the total silver content across all categories is around 30 million ounces, as well as "an additional 55 million pounds of zinc and 117,000 million pounds of led as by-products."

Silver X Mining has big plans for 2023. It aims to file an Environmental and Social Impact (ESIA) Statement to expand capacity from 720 tpd to 2,500 tpd. The company will also continue drilling at Tangana and throughout the district in order to increase and upgrade its resources. Silver X also plans to commence development of the Plata Mining Unit, with an aim to bring it online in 2024/2025.

Ownership and Share Structure

Headquartered in Vancouver, management and insiders at Silver X owns 17% of shares. President and CEO Jose Garcia owns 8.67%, with 13.64 million shares. VP of Corporate Development and Director Sebastian Wahl owns 8.17%, with 12.87 million. [OWNERSHIP_CHART-10239]

12.39% is held by strategic investor Baker Steel Resources Trust Ltd., with 19.50 million shares, per Thomson Reuters.

Institutional investors hold 9.56% of the company's stock, according to Reuters. U.S. Global has 5.31%, with 8.36 million shares. Earth Resource Investment Group has 3.07%, with 4.83 million, and Sprott Asset Management LP has 1.18%, with 1.85 million.

The rest is in retail.

At the end of 2022, the company reported CA$1 million in the bank.

Silver X has 157.7 million shares outstanding, including 174.3 million fully diluted shares. It has 16.5 million warrants, stock options and RSUs.

There are 8,147,827 outstanding warrants, at an average price of CA$0.379 each. It trades trades in the 52-week range between CA$0.17 and CA$0.48, and has a market cap of CA$57.6 million.

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Disclaimer/Disclosure: Investorideas.com is a digital publisher of third party sourced news, articles and equity research as well as creates original content, including video, interviews and articles. Original content created by investorideas is protected by copyright laws other than syndication rights. Our site does not make recommendations for purchases or sale of stocks, services or products. Nothing on our sites should be construed as an offer or solicitation to buy or sell products or securities. All investing involves risk and possible losses. This site is currently compensated for news publication and distribution, social media and marketing, content creation and more. Disclosure is posted for each compensated news release, content published /created if required but otherwise the news was not compensated for and was published for the sole interest of our readers and followers. Contact management and IR of each company directly regarding specific questions.

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Medtech company Dexcom has announced plans to build a new manufacturing facility in Galway which will create up to 1,000 jobs in the next five years.

The site in Athenry will be injected with 300m in investment over a five year period and will be used to make the company's glucose monitoring product for people with diabetes.

Dexcom said it expects to provide about 500 construction jobs while the facility is being built and up to 1,000 high tech graduate and technician level positions once the site is running at full capacity.

The facility is still subject to planning permission but has been backed by IDA, the State body responsible for securing foreign direct investment.

Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney said if the site is approved, it will become Dexcoms first manufacturing facility in Europe. It already has operations in the US and Malaysia.

Dexcoms ambitions for Galway fits into an overall plan by IDA to create a cluster of Medtech and manufacturing firms around the West of Ireland.

Ahead of this announcement, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar met with Dexcom representatives last year at the companys headquarters in San Diego.

This will be one of the biggest single private sector investments ever in the West of Ireland, said Mr Varadker.

The development has the capacity to produce millions of Dexcom CGM sensors each year, which are used by people with diabetes.

With the continued success of our Dexcom G7 (glucose monitoring product) in Europe, we are pursuing an ambitious growth strategy that requires increased manufacturing capacity to support our rapidly expanding European user base, said Barry Regan, executive vice president of global operations at Dexcom.
Shannon Transport & Warehouse Company has been ordered to pay more than 109,000 to 11 drivers and helpers for their mass unfair dismissal concerning alleged unscheduled and undocumented alcohol deliveries to a Dublin pub, the Bridge Tavern.

Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudicator Andrew Heavey found that this is not a situation where a member of staff deserves summary dismissal for gross misconduct especially where no loss to the company was identified.

Mr Heavey has ordered individual compensation for each of the 11 people involved, ranging from 2,320 to 21,000.

Mr Heavey also found that the workers actions did not amount to gross misconduct especially where none of the practices in question were included in the employers disciplinary procedures and are still not included more than three years after the dismissal.

Mr Heavey also stated that it should be pointed out that despite the suggestion of theft and loss throughout the complaints, the employer has confirmed that everything balanced  deliveries and payments to all clients with no complaints made.

Mr Heavey also found that the actions of the company in dismissing the workers were not within the range of reasonable responses of a reasonable employer.

In total, the firm dismissed 15 drivers and helpers, and 13 brought complaints to the WRC alleging unfair dismissal, with 11 of those legally represented while a further two were represented by their trade union.

Dispute

The employer stated that it became aware of unscheduled and undocumented deliveries to the Bridge Tavern between January and March 2019.

The firm stated that the background to the deliveries was that some pubs in the locality were claiming that they were subject to delays in getting deliveries whereas the Bridge Tavern was getting deliveries every other day. Surveillance was placed on the premises by drinks giant Diageo and the footage was passed on to the employer for consideration, and for management to address the matter.

All 15 staff identified making the deliveries to the Bridge Tavern stated that if the deliveries were made off schedule and undocumented, it was due to a swap and was done following a request from another pub on the route.

This was not accepted as credible by the firm as it stated that no other pub amongst 70 pubs questioned confirmed a swap arrangement.

In his findings, Mr Heavey said the complaints stated that swaps take place and have been done ever since they were employed at the company and continue to take place.

Mr Heavey stated that the employer confirmed the issue of swaps is not currently included in its procedures as something that is prohibited nor is the issue of undocumented and unscheduled deliveries included in procedures as an example of gross misconduct that may lead to summary dismissal.
Farmers are calling for more funding to be allocated to the National Liming Programme to "satisfy demand".

A collection of the latest news, views and analysis from the farming desk on the topic of Agribusiness and technology.

Irish Farmers' Association rural development chairman Michael Biggins has called for the Department of Agriculture to ensure that all farmers who applied for the programme are accepted into the scheme in full.

His comments follow the department confirming in recent days the "huge interest" among farmers in the programme, with 4.5m tonnes sought by 41,000 applicants.

The 8m National Liming Programme 2023 opened for applicants in mid-March and closed on April 20.

For participating farmers, the measure will provide 16 per tonne of calcium ground limestone or magnesium ground limestone applied.

"Theres huge focus on farmers regarding the climate challenge. However, what isnt acknowledged is the significant ambition among farmers to improve on-farm efficiencies and their environmental footprint," Michael Biggins said.

"Theres huge demand for the National Liming Programme because farmers want to improve their soil fertility and thereby reduce chemical fertiliser usage."

Limiting support 'counterproductive'

Earlier in the year, there were 46,000 applicants for 30,000 places in the new agri-environmental scheme ACRES, and Mr Biggins said that the minister "found a way to get all applicants into the scheme".

"He now needs to do the same for tranche 2 of ACRES later in the year, but more immediately for farmers who applied to the National Liming Programme," Mr Biggins added.

"There was only 8m provisionally allocated, but obviously more will be needed to satisfy demand.

"Limiting support per tonne or eligible volumes will prove counterproductive overall."

Due to the unprecedented level of demand for the programme, the Department of Agriculture said this week that, in line with the programmes terms and conditions, it will have to limit approvals to stay within the allocated budget for the programme.
It is more than a decade since Claire Kilroy last published a book. She tells me this is her first interview in years  not that one would ever guess from the acclaimed author's easy eloquence.

The writers block is not a topic she dances around: she faced it head-on in her extraordinary essay 'F for Phone', which featured in the Winter Papers anthology in 2015. In it, she recounts with raw honesty the visceral shock of giving birth to her son, and how becoming a mother had affected her ability not only to write but to think, bringing her close to a breakdown: Writing used to be the answer to all my problems  it enabled me to make something out of the bad things in my life, to use them  but now I can no longer write. So I can no longer fix my life.

The essay was the catalyst for her to start writing again, and the result is her fifth novel Soldier Sailor, a powerful, affecting and exquisitely written exploration of the nerve-shredding enormity of early motherhood.

Kilroy stresses the line that needs to be drawn between fact and fiction, however. In 'F for Phone', she relates how she spent two days away giving a reading, and how, on her return, she was composing a suicide note to my baby while walking him in his pram. A friend stepped in and arranged an appointment with a perinatal psychiatrist  the nameless mother in Soldier Sailor is not offered the same lifeline.

One is fiction, one isnt. It took a long time to decide where to start this novel. It kind of did start in that episode related in Winter Papers  coming back from Paris and having some class of meltdown. But then the fiction kicked in. What actually happened to me, I rang my friend and I got an appointment and I got sorted.

"Obviously, in the novel, this character has no friend, and doesnt get sorted immediately. So yes, it was such a huge incident in my own personal life that it did become the starting point of the novel, but the great happiness thats related in that piece is the awareness of having ideas again.

"My child was two-and-a-half when I wrote that and I hadnt had any ideas because ideas happen in a strange way where you have to allow them happen. And if youre constantly fielding demands and trying to stay on top of stuff, you dont have ideas. Well, I didnt  its different for everyone.

Soldier Sailor will resonate with anyone who has struggled through the hormonal fug of childbirth and everything that comes with giving your entire self to a helpless and completely dependent human being. For Kilroy, there was also a reckoning with isolation and the loss of identity that led her to reassess her attitude to motherhood, ingrained since childhood.

The loneliness was completely unexpected and it's just a loneliness for adult company. You dont see your friends anymore, either youre too busy or theyre too busy. I remember this huge discrepancy between what I thought it would be and what it was.

"All through school in the '80s and '90s, nobody actually said it to us, but we were taught to aspire to careers, in a way that denigrated the very wonderful job of motherhood. I remember looking at women pushing prams and thinking, Im not going to do that, I've got bigger plans. And its so deeply patronising to the job, which is more important than anything most of us ever do.

"I'm shocked at how I was taught to look down on it. So that's why I wanted to write about it and say this is what it is, its huge. And its really important, valuable work.

Soldier Sailor, by Claire Kilroy

Kilroy says women have not been served well by economic forces  the exorbitant cost of childcare was another contributing factor in her struggle to write.

After the Winter Papers essay, I did start writing for a few hours a day because I started earning money as a teacher, and I could pay for a creche. As a writer, theres no salary. Mothers now have to be mothers and generate money. Theres no way around that in our economic environment.

"Somehow it's still all being left to the women and if the men want to opt in, great, but we're still in this inflection point of reassessing what the job is. Do I think we should all start having babies before the university education? Absolutely not. That would be a triumph for the patriarchy ... its actually the role of motherhood that has to be reassessed, revalued and supported.

I mention the envy I felt in early motherhood when I would read articles about women who had written actual books during their babies nap times.

But Kilroy, who was awarded the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature in 2004, says the pressure to produce a book was more internal than external.

Barbara Kingsolver said she would breastfeed her child and write with the other hand. I couldn't do it. I was aware that I need to write for my own clarity of knowing who I am. No-one gives you the job of writer, it is something you start doing as a child and you keep doing it because you need to.

"I felt this low-level anxiety all the time, that I wasnt doing the thing I was put here to do. Mothers talk a lot about guilt. But for me, it was anxiety that I wasnt progressing. And I wasnt. Here I am 11 years later, you know? All the other books took three years and the milestones would tick off  there was one in 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, had a baby, then 2015 passed, 2018 passed, I thought I'm close here and then covid happened. So I thought it would be 2020. And here we are, 11 years. And its very strange. 11 years. Wow.

In Soldier Sailor, Kilroy also captures how maternal love can be completely overwhelming, a deep and primal bond formed beyond consciousness.

When I started writing this novel, I didnt know what it was going to be. I sat there crying a lot of the time not because I was sad but because it was so emotional. It was just I love you, I love you, God nothing can happen to you. Barriers dissolve when you become a mother. Its a very intense experience.

Motherhood is a topic that is being explored more creatively in recent years, especially in personal essays and auto-fiction. Kilroy attributes this partly to the changes in the publishing arena.

Sally Rooney has changed the whole scene. Its all about women now. So of course the narrative is going to change. Its like this huge untold story. There seems to be a black hole here and its coming out as memoir and life-writing. Certainly when I wrote 'F for Phone', its the most read thing Ive ever written. If I wasnt so married to the novel, I would have gone on with personal essays. The novel is the great love of my life and I wanted to bring the glory of what a novel is to this story.

Kilroys joy at having resumed her love affair with the novel is palpable, as is her relief at reclaiming her identity as a writer once again.

I am writing another novel, it is about ghosts. I dont know what it is yet until I write it but the main thing is that I am writing it. I am now a writer again and there wont be a 11-year gap. My child said to me, this is a while ago, daddy fix things and I said what does mammy do and he went mammy clean things. I said, no, no, come in here, and I showed him some of my books with my picture on the back and I said mammy write things.
Pensions administrator Christina McCartney wasnt thinking of ovarian cancer when she got really bad back pain in August 2021. She put it down to working from home during the pandemic.

She thought her abdominal pain and bloating were due to bad periods, eating rubbish and grieving her mum, whod died just nine months earlier from osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer.

When the now 35-year-old Meath-based woman started needing to go to the toilet more often, she went to her GP, thinking she had a kidney infection. A urine sample came back clear, antibiotics for a week changed nothing  but an ultrasound showed a mass on Christinas ovary. MRI and CT scans followed.

Everything goes through your mind right through to the worst-case scenario, recalls Christina, who couldnt help thinking of her mum.

Surgically taken biopsies showed no evidence of cancer but Christina, whos single, needed more surgery to remove the tumour  located beside her pelvis and bowel. Further biopsies were done and she returned to the Mater Hospital in early December  accompanied by her dad  to be told she had ovarian cancer and needed total hysterectomy. The timing was difficult, she says  her mums first anniversary had been just days earlier.

But we needed to get this done because the cancer was so advanced. I was going to lose my fertility  but if it was my fertility or my life, I was going to choose my life. I went into turbo mode and started asking questions as if I was asking for somebody else. I couldnt connect the emotion with what was going on.

Christina had surgery in January 2022  part of her bowel was also removed and her urethra re-sectioned. Six rounds of precautionary chemo followed  to clean up any remaining cancer cells  which she finished in June last year. I was told then I was stable and thats how I am now.

Christina McCartney: Everything goes through your mind right through to the worst-case scenario

Common symptoms

Around 16% of ovarian cancer cases are in premenopausal women. However, this cancer most commonly strikes women when theyre postmenopausal and aged around their mid-60s.

Research from the Irish Network of Gynaecological Oncology (INGO) shows four out of five women dont know the common symptoms. Symptoms can be vague and often very non-specific. Women dont suspect a problem straightaway and it can also make diagnosis quite challenging, explains consultant gynaecological oncologist Dr Claire Thompson.

The most common symptoms, says Thompson are caught in the acronym BEAT:

Bloating thats persistent and doesnt come and go.

Eating less and feeling full quicker.

Abdominal and pelvic pain you feel most days.

Toilet changes (need to pass urine often or issue with bowel habit).

Some of the initial symptoms can be similar to irritable bowel syndrome but IBS tends to start at a younger age  it rarely starts in your 50s, says Thompson, highlighting other symptoms that can occur with ovarian cancer: bleeding, back pain, weight loss.

Its the persistence of symptoms that should prompt a GP visit. Tell your GP any new symptoms and communicate any family history of cancer  between 15-20% of ovarian cancer can be linked to an inherited faulty gene, most commonly BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes.

Ovarian cancer risk increases with age  Irelands incidence is likely rising due to our population living longer (about 400 women are diagnosed yearly).

Thompson highlights the challenges ovarian cancer poses for all countries. Most cases present when it has already spread beyond the ovaries, up to 75%. Its also a cancer that, despite best possible treatment, has a high chance of coming back.

She warns that cervical screening does not detect ovarian cancer. Theres no connection between the HPV virus and ovarian cancer. Its important women are aware that cervical screening doesnt detect ovarian cancer, she says, while highlighting the importance of cervical screening.

Clinical trials

The two cornerstones of treatment for ovarian cancer are surgery and chemotherapy. Surgery aims to remove all visible cancer where possible. Weve advanced our surgical techniques, often working in teams to ensure best care, says Thompson, explaining surgeries can last several hours and include procedures to the bowel and other abdominal organs.

While chemotherapys traditionally given intravenously via drip, a heated solution of chemotherapy (HIPEC) can now be given into the patients abdomen at the time of surgery. Its a relatively new treatment and isnt suitable for every patient. Currently, its still under investigation by a clinical trial in the Mater, explains Thompson.

Other new treatments include targeted therapies. These drugs can change how cells work and help the body control growth of cancer. An example is a PARP inhibitor. Other therapies include drugs that block the ability of cancers to maintain their blood supply  for example, Bevacizumab or Avastin. Immunotherapy drugs stimulate the patients own immune system to fight the cancer but theyre still under investigation by clinical trials for ovarian cancer.

Meanwhile, researchers in Ireland are working to identify markers in the blood that might enable earlier diagnosis  or determine how a patient may respond to treatment. They are also trying to understand why immunotherapy hasnt been as effective in ovarian cancer as in other cancers.

Thompson highlights the great hope that now exists around ovarian cancer.

Improvements in existing treatments and development of new therapies mean many women are living longer with ovarian cancer. They can often have further treatment when or if it comes back. We encourage patients to get involved in research or clinical trials if possible for them.

Christina says everything goes quiet after chemotherapy. You think, Whats after happening? I went straight into menopause post-surgery. It was automatic. Now my biggest issue is a lot of hot flushes. I have a bit of insomnia too.

Being referred for psychological support at the Mater has been incredibly helpful in dealing with the emotional fallout. Christina is under high surveillance and is scanned every three months  and will be for the next few years. Her message: Due to my age, I never thought I could get ovarian cancer. I thought it was [solely] a cancer of older women. Clearly, its not. Theres no screening, so know your symptoms. Get any symptoms checked out  you know your body best.
A swimmer has been rushed to hospital in a "very serious condition" after being rescued by the Irish Coast Guard in Dublin on Thursday evening.

Emergency services responded to calls from members of the public after they saw a swimmer having difficultly at the Forty Foot in Sandycove.
Tributes have been paid to Maurice Gubbins, the long-serving editor of The Echo in Cork, who has retired after more than two decades at the helm.

A collection of the latest business articles from - and about - the Cork region from the Irish Examiner's business team and their contributors.

Mr Gubbins, who started his career in journalism in the 1970s, was described as a gentleman and mentor who developed the newspaper's brand, improved its content, and fostered journalistic talent over the years.

Dan Linehan, general manager, Irish Times Regionals; Mikie Sheehan, CFO, Irish Times Group; Tom Fitzpatrick, editor, Irish Examiner; Grainne McGuinness, newly appointed editor of 'The Echo' and EchoLive.ie, and Karen O'Donoghue, managing director of the 'Irish Examiner' and 'The Echo' with work colleagues and friends in the editorial offices at Assumption Rd, Blackpool, Cork. Picture: Larry Cummins

Deirdre Veldon, the managing director of the Irish Times Group, paid tribute to his outstanding service to both the Echo and Examiner over 45 years.

He has played a key role, not only in the digital transformation and success of the Echo title in recent years, but also to the Irish journalism industry through his efforts in developing a new generation of talented journalists, she said.

Mr Gubbins described himself as incredibly fortunate and blessed to have worked with so many great colleagues. He recalled his first day joining the news team in a cigarette-smoke-filled Echo and Examiner newsroom in 1978.

I was quite in awe of them because I knew their work, but they embraced the young fella from Fermoy, he said.

They took me into their group and helped me to get my work done, to be a reporter, and as the years went on, to do the other roles.

Eoghan Dinan, John McHale, Rory Noonan, and Maurice Gubbins. Picture: Larry Cummins

One of the country's most experienced journalists, Mr Gubbins, who celebrates his 66th birthday next week, started his career in journalism with The Southern Star in the 1970s before joining The Corkman newspaper.

He joined the then- Cork Examiner in 1978 where he worked as a reporter, education correspondent, senior correspondent, night news editor, and group news editor, covering major stories including the Buttevant train crash, the Air India tragedy, and the Whiddy Island disaster, before he joined The Echo as deputy editor in 1997 and was appointed editor in 2001.

Dan Linehan, the manager of Irish Times Regionals, and former chief executive of The Echo who appointed Mr Gubbins as editor, paid tribute to his ability to identify and nurture journalistic talent.

Karen O'Donoghue, managing director of the 'Irish Examiner' and 'The Echo'; Grainne McGuinness, newly appointed editor of 'The Echo' and EchoLive.ie; Maurice Gubbins, retired editor 'The Echo' and EchoLive.ie; Mikie Sheehan, CFO, Irish Times Group; and Dan Linehan, general manager, Irish Times Regionals. Picture: Larry Cummins

It is some testament to the man that if you go back 22 years before his appointment, there were six editors of The Echo in that time, he said. "He is still as hungry and good today as he was when he started."

He also paid tribute to his decency and kindness and said: Kindness is the default in Maurice.

Karen ODonoghue, the managing director of the Irish Examiner and The Echo, described him as a true gentleman.

He always saw the positive, and he found a solution, she said.

It has been a privilege to work alongside him."

Tom Fitzpatrick, the editor of the Irish Examiner, who worked under Mr Gubbins on The Echo some 15 years ago, praised him for his encouragement and support of so many journalists over the years.

Maurice Gubbins with 'Irish Examiner' editor Tom Fitzpatrick. Picture: Larry Cummins

 The Echo is a heartbeat of the city, and the fact that it is still so integral to peoples lives is a testament to this man, he said.

Meanwhile, Ms Veldon also announced the appointment of Grainne McGuinness as Mr Gubbins successor as editor of The Echo and Echolive  the paper's first female editor.

Ms McGuinness, who joined the group in 2014, has worked as news editor of The Echo and Echolive since 2020.
Justice Minister Simon Harris has slapped down criticism of Ireland's hate crime laws from Donald Trump Jnr and Elon Musk, saying anytime he has a different view to them "is not a bad day at the office".

Donald Trump Jnr called the proposed legislation insane, while the Twitter boss said the laws were very concerning.

The Incitement to Violence or Hatred and Hate Offences Bill 2022 has passed the Dail and is currently in the Seanad. It updates laws criminalising hate speech and legislates against hate crimes for the first time.

Anytime Donald Trump and Elon Musk have a different view to you is not a bad day at the office, Mr Harris said. Funnily enough, I don't take my political philosophy from the Trump family or from Mr Musk or his associates.

He said there was not much the Government and the opposition agreed on, but all parties overwhelmingly supported the laws.

It's not about policing thought, it's not about stopping freedom of expression," he said. "What it is about is keeping people safe, and making sure that people can go about their lives and not be discriminated against and as a result of that discrimination, seeing them often be physically assaulted, or [suffer] incitement to hatred."

He said: I even said myself speaking at committee stage of this legislation, it's absolutely your right to say offensive things, but it's not your right, absolutely not your right, to say something that incites hatred or danger towards another person. Its absolutely not your right to try and whip up homophobic activity and violence against people.

He added: When you see Donald Trump  junior, senior, whatever member the Trump family  and Elon Musk opposing legislation and when you see Fianna Fail, Fine Gael, the Greens, Sinn Fein, Labour, all these people coming together to vote in favour of something  theres no conspiracy here.

Garda 999 call centre

The minister was speaking at the opening of a new Garda 999 call centre inside a newly-constructed high-security Irish Rail building at Heuston Station.

The launch was attended by Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, the entire Garda command for Dublin and Irish Rail officials.

The commissioner said the new Garda Command and Control Centre for Dublin would house new Garda Safe software for taking 999 calls and dispatching responses.

He said the system, already in place in the Southern and the North Western Region, would be installed by early autumn and forms part of the Garda response to concerns highlighted in Policing Authority reports on 999 calls.

Mir Harris said he was very confident An Garda Siochana had taken incredible efforts since the authority reports on 999 calls.

He acknowledged authority warnings last week on the impact of Garda staffing shortages on services: What we do need to fixate on is how can we give the gardai the resources to do their job, because we know, when we resource like An Garda Siochana, they do a very good job."
Bolstering Garda numbers following pandemic disruption to recruitment has taken time, the justice minister has said.

Simon Harris said forced closures of Templemore Garda training college during the Covid emergency resulted in around 1,000 fewer recruits joining up.

He insisted efforts to replenish the ranks were now making progress, with more resources being made available to the Garda commissioner.

Mr Harris was commenting as he and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris attended the official opening of a new 999 Garda call handling facility at the National Train Control Centre (NTCC) at Heuston Station in Dublin.

Justice Minister Simon Harris and Garda Commissioner Drew Harris arriving at the National Train Control Centre at Heuston Station (Brian Lawless/PA)

At the event, the minister was asked by reporters about calls for the Garda to establish a dedicated public transport unit. He said he was less fixated on what Garda units were called than what they did.

I know as a public representative, I know as minister for justice that often people flag that feeling of not being safe on public transport, he said.

Therefore, I do want to see as Garda numbers grow, the ability for the commissioner to increase the visibility of gardai in and around public transport hubs.

I think today is a step in the right direction. So, I dont fixate on whether these are called transport police or anything else. We have a police force, its called An Garda Siochana, and they do a really good job. I want to grow the number of people working in An Garda Siochana so that the Garda commissioner has an ability to employ more people right across our country and particularly in relation to public transportation.

He added: I know people may not like people harping back to Covid, but it is a statement of fact that we saw the Garda College in Templemore closed at least twice during the Covid pandemic.

We probably, as a result, saw at least a fewer thousand sworn members of An Garda Siochana as a result of that closure of the college.

It takes time to then ramp back up what is a pretty major machine around Garda recruitments because it involves vetting, it involves medicals, it involves fitness tests and of course it involves the completion of the training itself.

Im very confident that thats now beginning to work, that we now have the funding in place to recruit 1,000 additional gardai this year and, more importantly, that were now back seeing regular intakes into the Garda College.

So, youre seeing a new class start in the Garda College now every 10 to 11 weeks and I believe you will, as a result of that, the trend will be upwards in terms of classes growing and in terms of Garda numbers growing.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris paid tribute to 999 call handlers (Brian Lawless/PA)

The Gardas Dublin Metropolitan Regional Control Room has been relocated to the National Train Control Centre at Heuston station.

The Dublin centre is the busiest of the four 24/7 999 call facilities the Garda operates in Ireland. It is staffed by 100 gardai and Garda staff and receives between 800 to 1,000 calls a day.

It is envisaged that the Garda will co-occupy the centre with Irish Rail, Dublin Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service and Dublin City Council, with the aim of increasing collaboration between key state agencies.

At the official opening, commissioner Harris paid tribute to those Garda staff who handle 999 calls.

They are very dedicated to their work, he said.

They are people on the front line. They take on what at times can be the most challenging and time-sensitive calls that one can imagine, very often theyre dealing with exceptionally difficult and traumatic situations.

But our team here play an absolutely invaluable role being on the end of the phone dealing professionally with individuals in their greatest need.
Nurses and midwives are so tired after working in short-staffed units that some are even bringing sleeping bags in their cars so they can nap on the way home.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisations conference in Killarney has been told of fatal crashes happening because staff are battling extreme tiredness after working long shifts.

The union's president told Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, who attended the conference on Friday: "Minister, we work long shifts, compounded by hours of commuting and the risks to exhausted nurses/midwives driving long distances home after their shifts, which has tragically been proven catastrophic for some of our members over the years."

Delegates pointed out that the danger of tiredness is being compounded by the long drives nurses face after their shifts because they cannot afford to live close to the hospitals. Those who do are, the conference heard, having to spend up to 80% of their earnings on rent particularly if working in hospitals in the likes of Dublin or Cork.

Under questioning, Stephen Donnelly said hospitals have confirmed to him that they are examining the possibility of building staff accommodation. He said, in particular, those hospitals which are struggling with recruitment are evaluating properties where accommodation could be located.

INMO midwives section chair Lynda Moore told the conference: Each of us knows people going home from night duty who have crashed their cars, whove had quite a serious accident. She added that most were single-car crashes.

Ms Moore, a midwife on the Domino Scheme at Cork University Maternity Hospital, said in her experience this does not only affect midwives driving long distances between work and home.

They all have a sleeping bag in their cars, she said.

They set their alarm on their phone for half an hour's sleep. So they pull into the side of the road and they make it look casual  they dont want to make it look obvious they are having a sleep at the side of the road.

All units are facing a staffing crisis, she said. Our labour ward would be two to four midwives short practically every shift, she said.

Midwives can then find it difficult to take a break and make time to eat. Midwives are going off (shift) stressed, hungry, headachy, starving in some cases, feeling sick in some cases, she said.

Sometimes midwives go home and you stuff your face with food because you are so hungry, and others just go straight to sleep because they are so tired  and they are the ones who are losing weight or lacking nutrition.

"We are fortunate though in Cork that it is our normal practice that it is one midwife per woman in labour, we have on the whole maintained that."
New leads have opened up in Eastern Europe in the search for a Buttevant woman wanted for questioning by Gardai on fraud allegations.

A horse linked to Catherine O'Brien placed last in a race in Bratislava on April 22, while three other horses connected to her are currently based in a Slovakian training yard.

It is understood she has been using the alias Katie O'Brien in her dealings with trainers in Slovakia.

Listen to Episode 1 on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

O'Brien, who has been convicted of animal welfare breaches, is the subject of a bench warrant in connection with that conviction and is also being sought in relation to alleged frauds amounting to millions of euro.

Slovakia connections

While she herself is not thought to be living in Slovakia, the horses in question have been relocated there since 2021. One of the horses, Shakespurr, placed last in a race in Bratislava on April 22.

While the Irish Examiner cannot establish the ownership of the horses, an ongoing investigation by this newspaper has confirmed her involvement with the animals.

Gardai believe the Buttevant native, who has an address in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, has gone abroad after spending a number of months in Northern Ireland. However, sources in Eastern Europe do not believe she is in Slovakia.

The house owned by Catherine O'Brien at 28 An Grianan, Ballinroad, Dungarvan. Picture: Eddie O'Hare

A woman calling herself Katie OBrien has enlisted the services of trainers and agents by phone  including from a phone number known to have been used by Catherine OBrien in Ireland.

The first horses arrived in Slovakia in late 2021 after contact was made with a trainer she later hired, Josef Chodur. Shakespurr arrived a year ago and first raced last October, coming in third in field of nine and winning 250. The four-year-old came in last in a race on April 22, also in a field of nine.

She has engaged a new trainer, Jaroslav Brecka, in recent months.

The name of the breeder on the racing card for the April 22 event was that of an operation set up in Ireland with which OBrien was known to be involved.

Slovakia hosts 20 horse racing meetings per year, and prize funds are usually small, although one feature race in Bratislava next Sunday has a 19,000 winner's prize.

Costs such as trainer fees, meanwhile, can be as little as 400 per month.

OBrien has taken judicial review proceedings against the Director of Public Prosecutions arising out of her conviction in absentia of more than 30 counts of animal welfare breaches.

The warrant was issued for her arrest at Gorey District Court in June 2021, following her conviction on 34 counts of animal cruelty under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. This related to the seizure of thoroughbred horses in a malnourished state in Ballygarrett in Wexford in 2019.

The judge opted not to sentence her in her absence when the case was in court in June 2021, and the bench warrant remains live.

She was convicted under Section 12(1) of the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013. Under the act, there are penalties of up to 250,000 and/or imprisonment of up to five years.

A convicted person can also be the subject of an order disqualifying them from owning, having any interest in, keeping, dealing in, or having charge or control, directly or indirectly, of an animal.

Ms OBrien initiated legal proceedings in July 2021, and that case is now scheduled to be heard in July.

Some 25 of the horses remain in the care of the Irish Horse Welfare Trust.

In February 2022, the High Court ruled that a 151-registered Land Rover Discovery could be seized by the Criminal Assets Bureau after bureau officers alleged that Catherine OBrien had bought it through the proceeds of criminal frauds.

She appealed the decision by Mr Justice Alexander Owens, and it was listed for directions in the Court of Appeal in Dublin on June 24. However, a spokesman for the Courts Service said the appeal never went in for hearing. Instead, it was struck out, subject to an unless order, on July 15.
A campaign is under way to invite the royal family to Co Tipperary to visit a graveyard where one of their distant relatives is buried.

Lady Elizabeth Poyntz  who died in 1673 and is buried in St Marys graveyard in Thurles  is an ancestor of Britain's King Charles.

She was married to Viscount Thomas Butler of the House of Ormond and lived in Black Castle where she died at 86 years in 1673.

Local historian and founder of the Durlas Eile Eliogarty memorial committee, John Wort, said he wants the new king to visit Lady Elizabeth's grave while on his official trip to Ireland later this year.

A proper invite has to be sent to the royal family from Government, it is only right the king learns about his family, and now it's coronation weekend, the politicians should use the opportunity to tell him about this place," he said.

We have a memorial garden here that is so steeped in history, you wouldnt believe it.

Lady Elizabeth is related to the royal family as well as Lady Dianas family, the Spencers, and she is here in St Marys graveyard in Thurles.

The history over the years has proven, she lived in the Black Castle with her husband Thomas Butler. Their son was the Duke of Ormond, who is related to King Charles.

"When Thomas died, she married a second time into the Matthews family.

There is also a link to Princess Diana. Lady Elizabeth, through her ancestors the Hamiltons, is related to the Spencer family.

Beside the main church, that is where we believe she is buried. We came across a stone there, it was a very unusual stone for the Matthews and that was her family.

The graveyard was so run down for years, and we are working on this grave for about a year. We have set up a memorial committee.

The royals owned from Kilkenny Castle to Cahir in Co Tipperary, and she was married into that family.

It is only right that we get the politicians now to back this campaign.

The newly crowned king and his wife Camilla will make an official state visit to Ireland in early June.

Local Independent councillor Jim Ryan echoed Mr Wort's call.

This has been a missed opportunity for years," he said.

"The late queen visited Cashel when she was here, and its only a few miles out the road, and she could have been invited here for Lady Elizabeth.

We are one part of the country where we really look after our old graves. The council provides a 700 grant every year for voluntary groups to keep the old graveyards clean and tidy, they work hard to preserve the abandoned graves too, but St Marys is a very special place.

I just feel someone is not doing their job by not passing this information on to the royal family.

"It has been a missed opportunity for years and really, the government should be behind this.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has been contacted for a response.
A judge has ruled that a dog who "savaged" the leg of a jogger in an attack is to return to "doggie school" for further training.

At Ennis District Court, Judge Mary Larkin has ordered that Belgian shepherd dog Rocco is to continue with his training programme after carrying out the jogger attack at Ballycar Rd in the village of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, on March 18, 2022.

The 29-year old male jogger was running on the footpath when warming up for a local fun-run that day when Rocco went for him.

Judge Larkin commented that the dog had savaged the jogger where the man had visible injuries to his thigh.

Roccos owner, Ellen Ward, 64, of Ballycar Rd, Newmarket-on-Fergus, has pleaded guilty to not having Rocco under her control on the day, contrary to Section 9 and 27 of the Control of Dogs Act.

Arising from Ms Wards plea, Rocco was sent for training to curb the behaviour that resulted in the attack on the jogger.

Solicitor for Ms Ward Daragh Hassett told Judge Larkin he had a progress report on the dog from a training college in Co Tipperary and this was the first time he has ever had to hand in a progress report on a dog to a court.

He said on the day, a family member had Ms Ward's dog on a telescopic lead when the dog went towards the runner.

Mr Hassett said Ms Ward purchased the dog out of concern for a young male relatives behavioural issues and the dogs arrival resolved those issues overnight.

Mr Hassett described the dog training centre as "Templemore for dogs".

'Fierce-looking dog'

Sergeant Louis Moloney told the court the "fierce-looking dog" had been to "doggie school".

Reading from the report from the dog training centre, Judge Larkin said that dog has been "lunging at the trainers and has to wear a muzzle".

From the body of the court, Ms Ward said that this was from the first week of training.

Judge Larkin said: If you have a dog your business is to train, manage or get rid a dog. The dog should have been trained before going out on the road attacking a jogger. The jogger was entitled to run the road minding his own business.

Judge Larkin admitted: I am not a doggie person, but said dogs are animals and have to be trained properly.

She said: If a dog has attacked someone it is at your peril if you decide to hold on to the dog.

Judge Larkin said she would adjourn the case for a further year to allow the dog get more training.

She said: A judge has to be satisfied that the dog is not going to come back again.
09:30 | Cusco (Cusco region), May. 5.





The foreigners were found near the Casa del Guardian (Guardian's House), which is located in the upper part of the Llaqta (citadel), from where the entire Inca site is usually photographed.





The visitor who evaded the surveillance was identified as Gilles Metroz, 26. He carried a Swiss passport.





The other tourist, Lucas Yves Marc Deveque, was a 23-year-old French national, who photographed Metroz.









The incident was immediately reported to the Peruvian National Police, and the foreign nationals were taken to the police station as their behavior was contrary to morals and good manners.





The Decentralized Culture Directorate (DDC) in Cusco reported on the implementation of the Visiting Regulations for the Inca citadel. After that, the photos taken by the offenders were deleted in the presence of police agents.





The head of DDC-Cusco, Maritza Rosa Candia, lamented the behavior of the visitors and called for complying with the provisions contained in the Visiting Regulations and the recommendations provided by the security staff of the Inca citadel.





(END) PHS/TMC/JOT/RMB/MVB

A Swiss tourist, who was naked, and another visitor, who photographed him in the citadel of Machu Picchu (Cusco region), were caught and taken to the police station in the town of Machu Picchu formerly called Aguas Calientes by the security guards from the Peruvian Ministry of Culture Publicado: 5/5/2023
A third-level student wants the High Court to order the removal of "fake and defamatory" material posted by an Instagram account holder who has allegedly been blackmailing him and sending altered sexualised images to his contacts.

The student, who cannot be identified by order of the court, claims his image alongside one of male genitalia that are not his has been sent to various contacts and followers of his social media accounts.

He claims he received a message from an Instagram account which contained a picture of the student, alongside an image of another male, who he does not know, and the image of another male's genitals.

The student says he also received a message from the account user, with whom he had connected sometime earlier this year thinking it might be somebody he knew, demanding he pay them or else the account holder was going to send what were described as "nudes" to all his Instagram and Snapchat contacts.

The court heard the account holder informed the student in a message that he should "make a payment" and should "co-operate" or else the account user would "ruin your life and make sure this goes viral".

If he failed to comply, he was told by the use that they were "Gonna make your life miserable."

The student said that after he blocked the Instagram account he recovered several communications from persons on his contact list, including from contacts at the college he attends, after they were sent the images by account.

Complaint to Meta

The student, who did not pay his blackmailer, claims he made a complaint to Meta, which owns Instagram, about the posts in an attempt to have the material about him removed.

However, he claims Meta has not taken any action in relation to the account and in a response to the student said the matters complained of do not breach Instagram's "Community Guidelines".

As a result, the student has brought High Court proceedings where he seeks an order restraining Meta Platforms Ireland Limited from publishing any further statements about him on the instagram account.

The application against Meta came before Mr Justice Brian O'Moore on Friday afternoon.

The judge, who acknowledged the serious implications the alleged activity has had on the applicant, granted the student's lawyers permission on an ex-parte basis to serve short notice of the injunction proceedings against Meta.

The judge adjourned the matter to early next week.

The judge, noting the nature of the complaint and the evidence put before the court, said this was a case where the court was prepared to make a temporary order anonymising the applicant.

This was a case involving an allegation where more than just the plaintiff's privacy rights have been breached, he said.

Defamed

Seeking the orders, John Temple Bl for the student, said his client had been defamed by the posts, and his privacy rights have been breached.

The sharing of the false images had caused his client great upset and distress, counsel said.

Despite requests from the student and his solicitor Sinead Mulhall to remove the material complained of, Meta counsel said, had done nothing, and its only response to his client was to say the material did not breach its Community Guidelines.

His client was left with no other option other than to go to court and seek an order against the social media platform.

Counsel added that as well as bringing civil proceedings, his client has reported the matter to gardai, who are investigating his complaints.
Limerick criminal Ger Dundon has been jailed for 10 years in the UK for his role in a plot to blackmail two brothers.

Dundon, who has changed his name to Darren McLean by deed poll, was sentenced at Wood Green Crown Court in London after what Staffordshire Police said was an extensive investigation.

Dundon, 38, who has an address in Hackney in London, was also given a further five years in prison for other offences.

Judge John Dodd described him during the sentencing hearing as "a committed career criminal" and a gangland enforcer who was prepared to use violence to achieve his aims.

Judge Dodd also said he must serve at least half the 15-year term before applying for parole.

Dundon is a member of the notorious McCarthy-Dundon crime gang in Limerick which was involved in a murderous feud with the Keane-Collopy gang.

He has more than 100 convictions and went to the UK after leaving prison in Ireland in 2018.

Dundons sentencing follows his conviction in January on two charges of conspiracy to blackmail and one count of conspiracy to falsely imprison, relating to an incident involving two brothers from Stoke-on-Trent.

Evidence was heard during the case that the two brothers travelled to London in July 2020.

A statement from Staffordshire Police said: They were subjected to blackmail threats, and in the days that followed, mobile phones were used to demand large sums of money, over 300,000, to secure the release of one of the brothers.

"These demand calls continued for the next few days until on July 16, armed police stopped a yellow transit van leaving a Travellers site in Cambridgeshire.

As officers approached the van, driver Darren McLean caused deliberate damage to a mobile phone he was carrying, which was later identified as being one of the phones used to make threats and demands.

"The victim, who McLean claimed was a friend, was found inside the rear compartment, lying on a mattress.

He reported being threatened with violence and racially abused.

The men were given sleeping tablets and made to wash with Dettol spray during the ordeal.

Threats were made to the two men that they would be shot in the head, with their brains all over the road".

Describing the incident as a terrifying experience for the brothers, deputy senior investigating officer Detective Sergeant Garry Jackson said: It also had a profound impact on their family members and friends.

He said the investigation was incredibly complex, involving a number of police forces including the Metropolitan Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.

He added: Were pleased that McLean will now be serving a substantial sentence which reflects the seriousness of this disturbing crime.

He was one of six people arrested and subsequently charged as part of the investigation. However, he was the only one to be convicted.
When you leave hospital after treatment or surgery, recovery and convalescence are paramount, and promoted, both by the medical community and your own. Theres an unquestioned understanding that youre not in a position to be of service to others, the opposite in fact, and the length of time it takes to get back on your feet is certainly not limited to a single day. Wed laugh at that.

And yet, when women give birth, either vaginally or via caesarean section, they are immediately in service to another being  scars, tears, bleeding, leaking and trauma aside

This week marks Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, looking at mental health during and after pregnancy. Articles like this are usually confined to women-focused publications, the health sections within major publications, or else, in women-dense spaces online, like certain Instagram accounts.

But, tens of thousands of babies are born in Ireland every year. In 2021, there were 58,443 births. Theres a ripple effect there, for partners whose lives are also changed, newly pronounced grandparents, siblings and friends.

Maternal mental health, is therefore, not a womens issue  its an us one.

New findings from the School of Nursing and Midwifery in Trinity College Dublin found that more than one-third of first-time mothers are giving birth by caesarean section in Ireland. That is women, newly initiated into motherhood, having had several layers of skin, tissue, muscle, and organs cut through. These women then go home to feed, burp, change and wash a brand new life. In no other major abdominal surgery of this kind, would we expect a person to walk out the door of the hospital, with someone else to mind  the idea, again, seems laughable. But its the accepted way of doing things.

In any other medical treatment our empathy seems endless, our understanding of recovery time generous, but when it comes to maternal health such awareness is lacking at best, and completely absent at worst

So when we have a week such as this, and hashtags trend, and women give their stories to major publications and radio stations for the day thats in it, there seems to be a missing piece of the puzzle. What role is the village, or the State, playing, or not playing, when it comes to maternal mental health?

I will not be alone as being the recipient of the many varying, yet similar stories of postpartum life. One woman, who birthed nearly a dozen children back when contraception was illegal in Ireland, always shared the one story, and with a smile, like it was some kind of a family heirloom. And this story was repeated by the other women in the bloodline  how she returned from hospital to a bath full of washing. This was not only pre-contraception Ireland, but pre-washing machine Ireland too.

Then, of course, there are all the stories about mothers and aunts birthing alone, because the men werent, or couldnt, come in for the event. These people, who birthed alone, often came to my mind during the pandemic restrictions when a campaign was launched to allow and extend partner support during labour in Irish hospitals.

Other stories include a first-time mother, two weeks postpartum on the morning of her partners return to work. As he was about to walk out the door, she asked for assistance with the baby while she readied herself a quick breakfast before facing a day all alone with a newborn. The response was that she had to get it together because she was on her own from here on out. The partner was not entirely wrong in his compassion-lacking logic. She proceeded to sign up to every baby group going and grew her own village.

But what if your mental health is so tested postpartum that leaving the house or walking into a room full of strangers is just not on the cards for you?

What if the time of the group coincides with the time of your childs guaranteed nap? What if you have a second or third child to accommodate?

When it comes to facts and statistics surrounding maternal mental health one in five women and one in 10 men will experience perinatal mental health issues. Peri being Latin for around and natal meaning Latin for birth.

In the NHS, perinatal means the time you are pregnant and up to 12 months after giving birth. Another statistic matters here very much  70% of women affected by perinatal mental health issues will hide or underplay how unwell they are. So what happens 13, 14, and 15 months postpartum  are problems no longer maternal mental health related?

These are all issues that affect mothers, yes, but entire families too, so maternal mental health can not be confined to a womens issue any longer

Often after having a child, the question is: How are they sleeping? This once sleep-deprived mother, upon having someone compare two babies sleeping patterns, one ideal, one non-existent, replied with: Are we now grading babies solely on their ability to sleep?

The topic of conversation promptly ended, never to be discussed again, but the question of how are they sleeping is often an attempt by someone in your village to see how you are.

And sleep is a tremendous and foundational building block of mental health, but one sorely lacking in the early years of parenthood, so much so it made its way into the poetry of people like Eavan Boland.

I crook the bottle.

How you suckle! This is the best I can be: Housewife to this nursery, where you hold on, dear life. writes the late poet in Night Feed.

Early parenthood is so much about survival, holding on for dear life, and yet the areas of focus are bouncing back in terms of the aesthetic and mass of your body, routines, routines, routines, and obsessing over maintaining an immaculate home.

One observation is that as parents get further into the journey of parenthood the hobbies return and the shoulders drop, notwithstanding the fact that problems about sleep or tantrums, or food refusal, are now problems about phones and porn, and possibly illicit substances. This dropping of shoulders seems to correlate almost perfectly with a pick-up in support  the Early Childhood Care and Education (15 State-supported hours from around 3 years old) and the start of primary school.

One mother of triplets, discussing motherhood in an article for this newspaper, said her life only vaguely returned after her children turned 5  the start of school. Thats a long stretch of time to care for another without adequate support. So in our conversations around Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, lets hope they start happening outside the realms of women-dense spaces and include not just mothers, but all of us.

Support in every area of life, from grieving to recovering to early parenthood, is something that makes the world of difference.
The Peter McVerry Trust, a charity synonymous with housing in recent years, has expanded its remit into education, in particular early intervention for school leavers or those at risk of leaving.

Its reason for doing so is simple: The link between educational disadvantage and homelessness is huge.

Major research the charity conducted with the Dublin City University (DCU) Educational Disadvantage Centre found rates of expulsion and suspension from school are significantly higher among the young men who use its services, versus the national average.

More than half (55%) of the young homeless men surveyed had experienced reduced access to education via suspension, rolling suspension, or expulsion. Almost two thirds (65.5%) of their permanent exclusions were due to non-violent behaviour, more than a third (37.9%) were due to difficult relationships with teachers, and more than a quarter (27.6%) were due to poor attendance.

The high number prompted researchers to call for a national target where no student would be suspended or expelled, but instead given multidisciplinary team support at both primary and post-primary level.

Read More More than 900 young people expelled from schools in the last six years

Since that research was released in 2019, almost 490 students have been expelled from Irish post-primary schools. Since September 2017, 922 students have been expelled, and since September 2020, 28 children have been expelled from primary school.

It is a small figure compared to the overall number of student enrollments, but restricting a childs access to school, be it through a reduced timetable, suspension, or expulsion, is a serious matter.

An expulsion should not permanently end a childs access to education, but it is closely linked to later educational outcomes.

Those who leave school early are more likely than those who remain in school to have been expelled or suspended.

Early school-leavers tend to be over-represented in Irish prisons, and similar findings are echoed at Oberstown. Many children sent to the detention campus were found not to be engaging in any education prior to being sent there.

Researchers called for a national target where no student would be suspended or expelled, but instead given multidisciplinary team support.

A proposal to expel a student is made by the schools board of management, in accordance with the schools code of behaviour.

According to the Department of Education, it is a very serious step, and one which should only be considered in extreme cases of unacceptable behaviour and following significant efforts to address misbehaviour.

The decision must be made on serious grounds. This includes a students behaviour being a persistent cause of significant disruption to their peers or teachers, a student being responsible for serious damage to property, or the students continued presence in the school constituting a real and significant threat to safety.

In exceptional circumstances, a board of management may decide that a student be expelled for a first offence. Examples of this include a serious threat of violence against another student or member of staff, actual violence or physical assault, supplying illegal drugs to fellow students, or sexual assault.

Once notified of a schools intention to expel a student, a Tusla educational welfare officer convenes what is called a Section 24 meeting.

According to the Department of Education, this meeting is to make all reasonable efforts to ensure provision is made for the continued education of the student until the final decision is taken by the schools board of management.

A student should not be expelled before the passing of 20 school days following the receipt of a written notification by the Tusla Education Support Service (TESS).

If the board of management proceeds with the expulsion, it is required to confirm this in writing to TESS.

Appeals process

Families can appeal the decision through a process called a Section 29 appeal.

Here, an appeals committee will consider the nature, scale, and persistence of any behaviour alleged, and whether or not such behaviour is confined to specific classes in the school.

The appeals committee can also examine the merit of any explanation offered by the student in relation to their behaviour, as well as the reasonableness of any efforts made by the school to enable the student to participate.

Given that there are over 500,000 pupils currently attending Irish primary schools, the fact that there have been only 28 pupils expelled in the last three years is evidence of the caring, inclusive, and understanding environments that are present in our schools," said Seamus Mulconry, secretary general of the Catholic Primary Schools Management Association (CPSMA).

The advice of CPSMA to boards of management is that expulsions are only considered as a last resort when all other possible alternatives have been explored and exhausted, he added.

While there may be no upward trend in expulsions following the pandemic, these crucial support services have been put under pressure following lockdowns. Last month, school completion officers warned that the current budget for mental health supports in schools is insufficient to cope with rising demand.

The joint managerial body which represents voluntary secondary schools has also warned of high absenteeism rates in some secondary schools post-covid, which has resulted in students falling behind.

The Department of Educations own review of out-of-school education provision included interviews with school managers who felt that most schools were doing all they could within their resources to keep students in mainstream provision but are often unable to give the time and resources to some students who require it.

While expulsions are not now common in mainstream schools, those students who are expelled or asked to leave a school may struggle to find other mainstream schools to accept them," they said.

The reputation for children develops early in school and it is difficult for it to be changed. Once they leave one school it is difficult to get another due to the reputation which has developed.
At least eight people have been killed and 10 people have been wounded in a drive-by style shooting south of Belgrade on Thursday night, Serbian state TV reported.

The attacker used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, 30 miles south of the capital, the Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) report said early on Friday.

Police were looking for the 21-year-old suspect, who fled after the attack, the report said.

RTS reported special units are involved in the search operation for the suspect and the minister of police, Bratislav Gasic, is treating the shooting as a terrorist attack.

School children mourn the victims near the Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade, Serbia (Armin Durgut/AP)

On Wednesday in Belgrade, a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns in a school shooting rampage that killed eight of his schoolmates and a school guard.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through the Balkan nation which is not used to such mass murders.

Dozens of Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, paid silent homage on Thursday to peers killed a day earlier.

The students filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they streamed in from all over the city.

Earlier, thousands had lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the eight children and a school guard who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The tragedy sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts which has created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them safe, away from children.
Serbias president has said the gunman in the latest mass shooting to hit the country targeted people at random and vowed to 'disarm' his country in response to the attack.

Aleksandar Vucic said the assailant shot at people wherever they were, and branded the assault an attack on the whole country.

The gunman killed eight people and wounded 14 others in three Serbian villages south of Belgrade on Thursday, authorities and media reported. Police arrested a suspect on Friday following an all-night manhunt.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow pupils and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

Mr Vucic vowed to the nation in an address that the suspect in the shooting will never again see the light of the day.

The populist leader called the shooting a terrorist attack, as is typical in Serbia.

He announced a series of anti-terrorist measures, including the hiring of 1,200 policemen and putting a police officer on guard each day at schools.

Reports said that the suspect in the latest shooting, identified by initials UB, was arrested near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac, about 60 miles south of Belgrade.

Reports of the arrest followed an all-night search by hundreds of officers, who sealed off an area south of Belgrade where the shooting took place late on Thursday.

The attacker shot randomly at people in three villages near Mladenovac, some 30 miles south of the capital, broadcaster RTS said.

Serbian interior minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursdays drive-by shootings a terrorist act.

This weeks bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, Wednesdays school shooting was the first in the countrys modern history.

The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbia spent much of Thursday reeling from its first mass shooting in 10 years. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent tribute to the dead.

Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and to demand changes.

President Vucic proposed an array of measures to improve gun control and bolster security in schools.

He suggested a moratorium on gun permits regardless of weapons type, in what he called a "practical disarmament" of Serbia, along with more frequent medical and psychological checks of gun owners.

The government would also hire 1,200 new police officers to improve security in schools, said Vucic, who wore a dark suit.

"There will be justice. These monsters will never see the light of the day, neither the little monster nor the little older monster," he said, referring respectively to the suspected gunmen from Wednesday and Thursday.

Vucic said he had proposed the reintroduction of the death penalty but said the government was against such a step.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people in hospital  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

Authorities have said the shooter, whom police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in the highly divided country, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished.

They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.

- additional reporting by Reuters
The owner of Russias Wagner Group military contractor has threatened to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russias military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a millionaire with long-standing links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9.

That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

However, Mr Prigozhin said his forces have not received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday.

Ukrainian Border Guard soldiers participate in a military exercise in central Ukraine (AP)

Known for his bluster, Mr Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he has not carried out.

Hours before releasing the statement, Mr Prigozhins spokespeople published a video of him angrily demanding ammunition from Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu and general staff chief Valery Gerasimov.

In the video, Mr Prigozhin stands in front of around 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are the bodies of Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone.

Mr Prigozhin speaks in a furious tone and uses numerous expletives in the video.

Ukrainian soldiers fire a cannon near Bakhmut (AP)

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Mr Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

He alleged that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Mr Prigozhins statement continued. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest  and likely bloodiest  battle of the war. The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.

Two days, two great summits  Nordic Europe plus Ukraine,  &  plus . As a result, more weapons for our soldiers, new steps to strengthen Europe together, closer the punishment for the  aggressor. I'm grateful to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Iceland for the strong pic.twitter.com/9PZ90vaSVE    (@ZelenskyyUa) May 4, 2023

Mr Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.

Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Bakhmut, located about 34 miles north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it will not be decisive in the wars outcome.

The city had a pre-war population of 80,000 and was an important industrial centre. It is now a devastated ghost town, but it has become an important symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russias invasion, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky saying its capitulation could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Mr Prigozhins statement said that Wagner will be forced to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 and have Russias regular army take over, because without ammunition, (Wagner fighters) are doomed to a senseless death.

Ukrainian servicemen inspect a part of a drone downed in Kyiv (AP)

He accused jealous military bureaucrats of denying him ammunition.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter, with both sides resorting to long-range bombardments.

It is not the first time Mr Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. He has already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week, if the situation with ammunition does not improve.

Asked by The Associated Press about Mr Prigozhins statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen refences to it in the media but refused to comment further.

The Russian military did not immediately comment on the statement either.

Also Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region which borders the annexed Crimean Peninsula briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It marks the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had came under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions on the border with Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.
Two Nigerian women abducted as schoolgirls by a jihadi militant group nine years ago have been rescued, the West African nations military has said.

One of the two women had one-year-old baby, while the second gave birth to her second child days after gaining her freedom.

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were among 276 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok by Boko Haram militants.

They were rescued in April by Nigerian soldiers and reunited with their families in the north-eastern Borno state, according to Maj Gen Ibrahim Ali, who leads the Nigerian military operation against the extremist violence experienced in the north-east region for more than a decade.

The two women were kidnapped nine years ago in Chibok in an event that shocked the world (AP)

Boko Haram fighters stormed the school in Borno nine years ago as the girls were preparing for exams.

The mass kidnapping sparked global outrage and led to the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.

More than 20 of the girls have regained their freedom in the past year, but nearly 100 are still missing.

Maltha and Marcus, both 26, were forcibly married to extremists while in captivity, Maj Gen Ali told journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday.

His comments echoed concerns of parents and activists about the maltreatment of the girls by Boko Haram, whose name in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden.

Both girls were married three times as one husband after another was killed during clashes with the Nigerian military.

The two women spent nine years in the captivity of the jihadi militant group (AP)

Hauwa was about eight months and two weeks pregnant during her rescue, delivered a bouncing baby boy on April 28 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima, said the military commander.

The girls return brought excitement and also sadness to many in the Chibok community. As one local leader said: It has made the memories fresh for the parents that their children are still missing.

Several of the girls have returned home in recent months mostly after escaping the Sambisa Forest, a known hideout for the extremists.

Most of those who returned had babies after either being forced into marriage or after losing hope that they would ever regain their freedom, their parents and the freed girls have said.

Since the girls abduction in 2014, Boko Haram has grown in reach and influence.

Most of its members now operate as a more brutal faction backed by the so-called Islamic State group.

More than 35,000 people have died and around two million have been displaced by the extremist violence in Nigeria, according to the UN Development Programme.
Burma Indian State-Owned Oil Firm Announces Expansion to Myanmar Resistance Stronghold

An NRL filling station in Assam State, India. / NRL

Indias state-owned Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) plans to enter Myanmar by setting up retail fuel outlets in strife-torn Sagaing Region, according to Indian media reports.

NRL has been exporting oil to Myanmar via the 421-kilometer road linking Numaligarh in Assam state to Moreah on the border with Sagaing, NRL chairman and managing director Bhaskar Jyoti Phukan told a media event organized by NRL and Oil India Ltd.

The regime change delayed the plan. The area close to Moreah  is Sagaing Region of Myanmar. This is an area of high potential, a totally unserviced area. Around 4 million people are living in the area. We have chalked out a detailed plan for it, Phukan told the media.

He said that NRL has already selected a partner for the project in Sagaing, where its oil retail outlets would open once the situation becomes conducive.

NRL made its first foray into Myanmar in 2017 with the export of high-grade diesel by road. However, it was priced out of the market by cheaper fuel from China.

NRL did not disclose the name of its Myanmar partner or its timeline for the Sagaing project.

Sagaing is a hotbed of resistance to military rule and has been the site of some of the worst war crimes and atrocities committed by junta troops.

About 47,775 of the 60,459 homes burned down across the country by junta troops and affiliated groups as of Feb 28 were in Sagaing State, according to figures from Data For Myanmar, an independent research team.

Since the coup in February 2021, the regime has carried out crackdowns nationwide in a bid to suppress public opposition to its rule, with the resistance stronghold of Sagaing Region suffering the highest death toll.

The Indian state-owned companys expansion to Myanmar was condemned by U Nay Zin Lat, a member of the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and the operations commander of People Defense Force (PDF) Battalion 2 in Sagaings Kantbalu Township.

The attempt by an Indian state-owned business to invest during this time of junta rule is not the act of a good neighbour, he said.

Foreign investment was helping to finance the juntas campaign of atrocities and war crimes against civilians, he added.

In these circumstances, we have to stand against any investment that provides a flow of income to the regime in our Sagaing Region, he said.
Guest Column What Myanmar can Learn From Sudans Predictable Tragedy

Smoke billows over buildings in Khartoum on May 1, 2023 as deadly clashes between rival generals' forces entered their third week. / AFP

Sudan over the past several weeks has been rocked by escalating warfare between the countrys two largest, and formerly allied, armed forces, the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). Despite bizarre proclamations from the head of the United Nations (UN) in Sudan that this violence came totally as a surprise, there was nothing startling about it, particularly to the 45 million Sudanese people who, yet again, are still living under military dictatorship.

Painfully, Sudans is a story all too familiar for the people of Myanmar. Both countries follow an unfortunate pattern: military dictatorships; a transition supported by the international community that did nothing to fundamentally take the military out of the countrys politics, economy, or governance; repeated coups; and the predictable return to military dictatorship. This is all layered with painful rounds of peaceful protests by a countrys citizenry brutally suppressed through the deaths and imprisonment of thousands, all the while there is another international push for one more transition fundamentally founded on further accommodating the same deplorable military. It is worth understanding Sudans situation as it illuminates much that Myanmars people can consider as they push forward their own revolution for federal democracy.

Frustrated by decades of oppressive military dictatorship, never-ending civil war, and withering economic conditions, hundreds of thousands of normal Sudanese citizens began peaceful protests in December 2018 demanding political and economic reforms: fundamentally an end to military dictatorship and the creation of a democracy. Over the coming months, large scale protests and other forms of civil disobedience escalated across the country, routinely met by atrocities committed by the governments armies  the RSF and SAF  at the behest of the countrys dictator of three decades, Omar al-Bashir. Hundreds were left dead and thousands in prison as al-Bashir attempted to consolidate power after declaring a state of emergency.

Events culminated in early-April 2019 when a massive protest comprised of several hundred thousand civilians encamped in front of the militarys national headquarters in Khartoum. On 11 April, al-Bashir was deposed in a military coup comprised of both the RSF and SAF and replaced by a junta called the Transitional Military Council (TMC).

Given the scale of protests and civil disobedience across the country, the TMC was forced into half-hearted negotiations with protest and civic leaders about a return to civilian rule. These negotiations proceeded nowhere and provoked more large-scale protests across the country that culminated in early June with mass protests of hundreds of thousands in Khartoum. On June 3, 118 protesters were massacred by junta forces, who also imposed internet blackouts across the country. Events escalated further the following week through a national strike that saw students and large parts of the civil service join the protests along with widespread closures of banks, public transport, and markets. An umbrella organization of protest groups, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) agreed to end the strike if the junta released political prisoners and ceased violence against protesters. The TMC and FFC then agreed to negotiations for a process leading to civilian rule.

Over July 2019, negotiations between the FFC and TMC laid the outlines for a transition to civilian rule and democracy. Agreed in August 2019, the Draft Constitutional Declaration laid down a framework for a transition based on civilian-military power sharing. This transition was to be 3 years and 3 months and led by a Transitional Sovereignty Council comprised of both military and civilian leadership. A military member was to lead it for the first 21 months followed by a civilian member for the latter 18. The Transitional Sovereignty Council was to be supported by a cabinet composed of civilian ministers, amongst a raft of other seemingly positive steps, such as investigative mechanisms into the larger massacres, and all of which was to conclude with democratic elections at the end of the 39-month transition period.

The TMC was officially dissolved in August 2019 and the Transitional Sovereignty Council, with its mandate to transition the country to democracy, begun. This period has been widely dubbed the Sudanese Revolution, as it showed how a popular uprising, manifest through non-violent methods, could yield agreement [in theory] from a military to a fixed, time-bound transition to democracy. Amidst all this, and way beyond the word limit of an op-ed, was a vast array of extensive involvement by international actors, from the African Union to the UN to a wide range of neighboring countries as well as those further afield, like the USA and UK.

For a time, the Transitional Sovereignty Council, chaired by SAF General Abdel Fattah el-Burhan in Khartoum, continued working along with the civilian Prime Minister, Abdalla Hamdok. However, protests across the country persisted, driven by economic stagnation and resentment over the lack of accountability for atrocities committed during the decades of al-Bashirs dictatorship and the Sudanese Revolution. Tensions within the Transitional Sovereignty Council simmered, rendering it generally dysfunctional and key aspects of the Draft Constitutional Declaration unimplemented, such as the creation of a legislature.

Over late 2020 and into 2021 public discontent with the performance of the Transitional Sovereignty Council continued, especially as the economy continued to deteriorate. Despite a cabinet reshuffle, public disappointment in the pace of the transition and effectiveness of the Transitional Sovereignty Council never abated. At the same time, some countries moved to normalize relations with the Transitional Sovereignty Council and hence Sudan, with the USA, for instance, restarting full diplomatic relations and removing it from its list of states sponsoring terrorism.

With ongoing protests, a lack of implementation of basic transition agreements, and worsening economic conditions, tensions across Sudanese society and governance only escalated. Unsurprisingly, the chair of the Transitional Sovereignty Council, General El-Burhan, staged a coup on 25 October 2021 with support from the RSF. The coup was met with a wave of huge nationwide protests, often reciprocated with overt violence by security forces. Prime Minister Hamdok officially refused to leave his post, calling the coup a crime. Tellingly, the African Union suspended Sudan pending a return to power of the prime minister and the transitional government comprised of civilian ministers.

El-Burhan, faced with domestic and international pressure, relented to offer a 14-point plan for a return of the transitional framework, which was initially rejected by Hamdok as well as large parts of the population who continued to peacefully protest but who were now adamant against power-sharing transitions with the military. In late November, Hamdok relented, under international pressure, and signed on to the 14-point plan only to fully resign at the beginning of January 2022. With that, Sudan was once again under the full control of a military junta led by General El-Burhan.

In the subsequent 15 months the country was under the autocratic control of the El-Burhan junta, which truculently maintained the name Transitional Sovereignty Council. Perversely, the junta, which excluded civilian members calling for a return to a civilian-led transition, kept emphasizing its role as transitional, routinely proclaiming there would still be elections as stipulated in the 2019 Draft Constitutional Declaration at the end of the transition period.

Critically, within the junta, El-Burhan kept as his deputy in the Sovereignty Council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the feared paramilitary army, the RSF. In this manner, the SAF and the RSF were clear partners in the October 2021 coup and subsequent junta. The RSF leader Dagalo, also widely known as Hemedti, a nickname bestowed on him by his original benefactor Omar al-Bashir, had come to prominence first in 2003 as a key actor in the Darfur genocide that left over 300,000 dead. Hemedti had been a senior leader of local militias known as Janjaweed that were responsible for the mass killings, with the support of SAF and authorization from al-Bashir. In 2013, al-Bashir formalized the Janjaweed militias into the RSF to act as auxiliary forces for the SAF.

On 15 April 2023, warfare started between the SAF, led by El-Burhan, and the RSF, led by Hemedti. Since then, it has only escalated, placing the country and its already brutalized population under the threat of an extended war that will only worsen dire economic and humanitarian conditions. The violence is full-on warfare by conventional military forces  including the use of tanks, fighter jets and artillery  in civilian dense areas like central Khartoum and other major cities. Anger amongst the Sudanese people is, understandably, widespread and visceral, not just against the two militaries now fighting each other, but particularly a wider sense amongst the public that much of the blame for the current tragedy lies in the hands of the international community, with its many parts, and its role in the transition period.

The crux of Sudans unfolding tragedy is the formulaic, naive, self-serving, dogmatic, imbecilic, and utterly asinine insistence by the international community that transitions to democracy involving genocidal militaries are possible and that key actors and coalitions from the international community, such as regional organizations, have the political savvy and capital to support them through to fruition.

For instance, a key example is the nauseating arrogance of leading organizations like the UN, with support from key donor nations, that they can sustain transition processes through the formation of woefully bureaucratic entities like the United Nations Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan. The convoluted UNITAMS may have been created to aid the countrys political transition starting in 2019, but as mentioned, recently claimed to be blindsided by the return to open warfare in April 2023. This is either laughable insincerity or contemptible, near criminal, ineptitude; the UN can take its pick.

Sudans current crisis has provoked the predictable spike in temporary international attention. Much of it has focused on how it came to be that two former allies are now in open warfare with one another. At heart of the reflection is a basic question: why was the international community so adamant about trusting a military, which ran the country for decades as a brutal dictatorship plus the militia it enabled to conduct the 2003 genocide in Darfur, to be the key stakeholders guiding a transition to democracy?

Amongst numerous recent media commentaries, one by CNN offers a collective of valid observations for consideration by the Myanmar people. Prominently, the question of why the political aspirations of the Sudanese for peace, stability and democracy were allowed to be utterly hijacked, stands out. As one long-time international correspondent acknowledged: Looking at Sudan right now I cant help but think of the 2019 revolution. Everyone I spoke to back then was clear: No military rule, no RSF. As another analyst added, Sudans current events were the culmination of years spent by the international community legitimizing the two military rivals as political actors, entrusting them with getting a democratic transition across the line in spite of many signals they had no intention of doing so. The crux of the matter was obvious enough, as one longtime analyst and diplomat noted: the fateful mistake regarding both SAF and the RSF was coming up with a political framework agreement.that gave them equal standing to civilians.

What makes this observation even starker in its simplicity is the vile history of these military actors. As further noted in the CNN article, the main protagonists [SAF and RSF leaders] started their careers in the killing fields of Darfur. Even twenty years after the Darfur genocide, the international community across the board was too willing to accept the word of genocidal generals. How is it not obvious enough that there are no good generals in military dictatorships, especially ones with decades of atrocities and genocides under their belts? There are no militia leaders who committed genocide that are redeemable.

Perversely, unlike al-Bashir, Hemedti was never even indicted by the International Criminal Court for the Darfur genocide. As one long-time Sudan analyst concluded: We avoided exacting consequences for repeated acts of impunity that might have otherwise forced a change in calculus. Instead, we reflexively appeased and accommodated the two warlords. We considered ourselves pragmatic. Hindsight suggests wishful thinking to be a more accurate description. This is being generous, wishful thinking stands starkly against the uneasy question of the role of western countries and diplomats in emboldening the countrys security elites who started a war and sabotaged popular aspirations for democracy.

Sudans recent history is a convoluted story, but it is worth sharing with Myanmar. This author likely made some minor mistakes in summarizing it given how convoluted it is. But, overall, it is not a unique story because underlying it are the same dynamics that afflict the international response to Myanmars current crisis. The crux of the matter is the unending insistence that military actors can be equal partners to civilian parties, ultimately being empowered as reputable political players, i.e., as key stakeholders worthy of inclusion in transitions to democracy. This theme underpinned the wide range of international actors who pushed negotiations in Sudan after the 2019 protests, ranging from the United States and Britain, as well as the United Nations, African Union, and multiple African and Arab governments.

With the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Five-Point Consensus peace plan [which is going nowhere] and the new Track 1.5 Dialogues pushed by India and Thailand, it can be expected that Myanmars democracy movement will eventually be pressured to accept a framework agreement built around accommodating the military. Despite thousands of years of history with one side or another winning, the whole notion that the right side of history can win anymore is thoroughly repressed by the international community, and particularly the Western-funded aid industry.

With no faith in a clear outcome, particularly one that favors liberal forces and democracy, an entire lexicon and industry has been built up around perpetual conflict, underpinned by notions like transition, much of it encouraged and facilitated by those proclaiming to be against violence. Terms like all stakeholders, inclusive dialogue and nobody can win through war are pervasive. The West has been waging wars for hundreds of years; still does. The pacifism entrenched in the Western-funded aid industry is nauseating hypocrisy. Countries fight wars, and peoples stage revolutions, because they want conclusive outcomes. That is understandable enough.

Moreover, international justice systems place no real emphasis on institutions, rather focusing on individuals. This has an unfortunate outcome where some individuals, for instance Omar al-Bashir, can be charged for something, namely genocide, requiring a vast number of people to commit. But, later on, the international community can cherry pick which parts of the guilty institution are now good and ought to be key stakeholders. Of course, dialogue and mediation are the only way forward.

Particularly onerous and disingenuous is the oft used term of stalemate, regardless of the actual military situation. It is habitually used not as an objective term to assess a military situation but rather as a pseudo-normative term to push the notion that dialogue and mediation [by aid actors and diplomats] are the only option. This becomes obvious when certain international policy institutes are forced to concede that institutionally they will only support mediation and dialogue.

Moreover, stalemate is too easily accepted and used in a crass, self-serving manner by diplomats to either justify their actions or lack thereof. Often, these same diplomats fall into endless cycles of both side-ism and whataboutism justifying including genocidal maniacs as key stakeholders together with a countrys citizenry pushing for democracy.

Contrasting with this moral vacuousness, on the other extreme are regional neighbors, whose emphasis on nobody can win and we must include all stakeholders [not really, just the military] are self-serving countries that pursue nothing but their own narrow commercial and/or strategic interests, shamelessly calling their actions favoring the junta non-interference; the countrys people be damned. Perhaps more lamentable are those regional neighbors who cant even be bothered to care. A weak, fragile country is fine; likely it always has been. A military junta is perfectly acceptable to them. That isnt going to change. However, at least one positive highlight from Sudans experience is worth sharing: the African Union automatically suspends states where coups have been staged. ASEAN, by comparison, is decades behind in such basic rules of international civility.

The story told above doesnt need detailed relating to Myanmar; it is all too obvious. Given the 10 years of transition that ended in the February 2021 coup, ceaseless atrocities ever since, and a completely inept effort from the international community to protect the Myanmar people from military violence, transition is now a dirty word amongst Myanmars public, especially when it involves further trusting a genocidal military. The Myanmar people should reject any effort at a framework agreement laying out a transition process brokered by the international community that includes any part of the Myanmar military. There are no good generals in this military; there never will be goodwill for change from it, certainly not for democracy and a military under civilian control which cant relentlessly loot the country.

Fundamentally, the take-away for both Sudan and Myanmar is that salvation comes primarily from within. Heavy international involvement likely means your country becomes a medium for endless pontification by some countries that would never apply such standards to themselves, rapacious manipulation by others for their own narrow commercial and strategic self-interests, and contemptable incompetence and hypocrisy by the UN and regional associations. Key is to not stop momentum to topple a military dictatorship when you have it because international actors are pushing for a peaceful transition. The Sudanese should have kept protesting in June 2019, especially since some units of the security forces were switching to their side.

Myanmars revolutionaries should persevere because they can win. What positive international support that should be pushed for by democracy movements should narrowly focus on denying the military regime diplomatic recognition, economic pressure, blocking access to weapons and funding, and ensuring humanitarian aid through non-junta actors. Transition has been in quotes throughout this piece for a reason. It is a shill of a term pushed mostly by outsiders to justify their myopic and/or cynical involvement. Some help is needed but it requires careful management. To the Myanmar people, fundamentally it is better to win your own revolution on your own terms and to do so conclusively than to place your trust in the international community.

Matthew B. Arnold is an independent policy analyst who has been researching Myanmars politics and governance since 2012. He was an aid worker in Sudanese refugee camps over the early 2000s, in Darfur over 2004, and co-authored the book South Sudan: From Revolution to Independence (Oxford University Press, 2012).
"Here are your governors and mayors (are) in your districts; I want to work in the broadest unity, with Peru of all bloods; (let's) work and strengthen the homelands development, and thus go down in history as the first woman president that solved what in 30 years couldn't (be solved)," Mrs. Boluarte expressed.

Within this framework, the Head of State indicated that what was worked on during the two-day event constitutes the start of "that precise approach," which is intended to be implemented in each region, because "one cannot continue walking with disdain but rather do what is necessary."

The top official announced that this new dialogue and coordination mechanism will meet again in the first week of August so as to assess the progress of the commitments assumed by various Peruvian regions.

"We will meet again meet during the first week of August so that we can assess all progress made this way; on a certain date, we are going to work and set in motion what we agreed on," she added.

The President thanked each regional governor for wanting to resolve the requests from their peoples "hand-in-hand with the Executive Branch."

"You are new authorities, and we are not going to disappoint the trust that people had placed in you through their vote; following this Regional State Council, we are not going to disappoint anyone, as we are sending a message of hope and confidence so that people can trust authorities once again," she specified.

Furthermore, Head of State called on State ministers not to delay the procedures for public works to be executed in regions and to meet with regional governors whenever they request so.

?????? Trabajamos por la gobernabilidad y por el desarrollo de las regiones del pais!

? Junto a ministros de Estado, gobernadores y el alcalde de @MuniLima, la presidenta Dina Boluarte clausuro el Consejo de Estado Regional, donde remarco que el Gobierno busca trabajar en la mas pic.twitter.com/NulHYqDYW8
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El emb Luis Ugarelli intervino hoy en el Foro de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion de la @ONU_es a nombre de Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay y Peru ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? ???? para reiterar la importancia de cerrar las brechas digitales y promover la innovacion (1/4) pic.twitter.com/bUVgk7zfVr
Today

Mostly sunny with gusty winds developing this afternoon. High 89F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight

Clear and windy. Low 59F. Winds W at 25 to 35 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tomorrow

Sunny skies. High 81F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
" " Sloths, like this three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) are known to suffer immense stress when handled by humans and should never be part of any sort of animal experience. Juan Carlos Vindas/Getty Images

I'm an animal lover and a wildlife advocate. But in 2017, I royally screwed up. My family and I were halfway through our Pacific Northwest road trip when the activity I'd been waiting for  feeding sloths at the what appears to be now-defunct Sloth Center Sanctuary in Rainier, Oregon  was finally up next.

TripAdvisor reviews convinced me this was "a wonderful experience for any animal lover." The center's website (it's also now offline) went on and on about conservation research. Except, the center wasn't wonderful. And that research? Yeah. It still hasn't published a study.

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The "sanctuary" label temporarily blinded me from the glaring truth: Sloth selfies and sloth sleepovers aren't conservation. They're cruel. Sloths suffer immense stress when handled by humans; according to World Animal Protection, it can even shorten their life span.

Had I known this going into our trip, there's no way I would have booked it, and I'm sure the millions unknowingly supporting harmful wildlife attractions feel the same.

Wildlife attractions make up 20 to 40 percent of global tourism, according to a wildlife tourism study. As animal experiences grow in popularity, well-meaning travelers (like me) are prey to faux animal sanctuaries. Here's some good news, though: Not all sanctuaries are bad. Here's how to find the good ones.
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is on a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic, had a meeting with the Prime Minister of that country, Petr Fiala. First, the official welcoming ceremony of Prime Minister Pashinyan took place, the national anthems of both countries were performed, after which the Prime Ministers greeted the members of the delegations, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Afterwards, Nikol Pashinyan and Petr Fiala had a private conversation, followed by the negotiations continued in an expanded format within the framework of the official dinner.

A wide range of issues related to the further development and expansion of Armenian-Czech relations were discussed at the meeting. In particular, the partnership in the political, economic, and humanitarian spheres and the prospects of their deepening were discussed.

Prime Minister Pashinyan referred to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and highlighted the consistent response of the international community to what is happening.

After the meeting, Nikol Pashinyan and Petr Fiala made statements summarizing the results of the negotiations for media representatives and answered their questions.

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala - Good day ladies and gentlemen. I am very happy to have the opportunity to welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia here in Prague again. I am very happy because this year we are celebrating the 30th anniversary of our excellent diplomatic relations.

During the previous meeting with the Prime Minister, we shared the opinion that we highly value our friendly relations. We agreed that we share the same democratic values and confirmed this by now signing the joint statement on our diplomatic relations. Both sides hope that cooperation will expand and deepen in various fields.

When I mention that we share the same democratic values, I am not saying it just for itself, this statement is not an end in itself, we should value the role Armenia plays in the region. We should also commend the fact that the European Parliament published a report in March this year, in which it emphasized that Armenia is the leader in the region in terms of democracy.

Such things do not just happen, its necessary to work in that direction, we must definitely support that position, that situation and support the country. I am sure that we will see its reflection in the relations between our two countries, as well as in the relations between Armenia and the European Union. Armenia is moving forward in this way, rising to a higher level, and this is an interesting factor for additional further reforms.

In October 2022, the Prime Minister participated in the first summit of the "European Political Community". At that summit, we talked about many global issues, various challenges, and we also managed to organize a meeting of the Prime Minister with the President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev. In that sense, Prague became one of the places where an attempt was made to take a step forward in Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

Armenia is among the priority countries in our transformation cooperation program. That program is mainly about supporting civil society, human rights and independent media. I already mentioned that we have friendly relations between the Czech Republic and Armenia, successful relations, which we want to further deepen.

We also see additional opportunities for deepening our cooperation in the field of economy, science, research and education. Let me mention a few areas, for example, nuclear energy and energy in general. Nuclear energy is very important for both the Czech Republic, and Armenia. Czech scientists are involved in safety improvement works at the Metsamor nuclear power plant, our experts are participating in ongoing repairs, and this is an example of our successful cooperation.

The Czech Republic can also offer many high-quality technologies to Armenia, for example, in the field of smart cities. We presented our smart city technologies last year during a conference we organized for the Eastern Partnership countries. We are also glad to see that our cooperation in the field of aviation continues to deepen. There is a plan, it is possible to produce small airplanes of "Balus Tech" company in the city of Stepanavan, where an airport was built after the earthquake.

There are several other important factors, the 6th session of the Czech-Armenian intergovernmental commission will take place here in Prague. It is an intergovernmental commission that will deal with issues of economic and industrial cooperation. During that meeting, naturally, other areas of cooperation will be outlined.

I am also happy that our societies are able to get to know each other much better now, our peoples have more opportunities to learn about Armenian culture and the Armenian language. I would like to mention two new initiatives. First, at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, in February of this year, a department, or a chair of Armenian art and culture was opened, and in the future, the teaching of the Armenian language will be resumed at Charles University.

You see, ladies and gentlemen, our two countries cooperate in many directions in various public spheres: culture, education, scientific research works, and it is wonderful.

We are not indifferent to all the problems and challenges facing Armenia. We are aware of the difficult situation, the political, security, geographical situation. We are concerned about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which is caused by the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. We agree with the position of the European Union on this matter. We believe that all possible steps should be taken to establish peace and stability in Nagorno-Karabakh and the entire Caucasus region.

As for the territorial integrity and the discussions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, we emphasize the fact that a peace agreement should be signed that will be acceptable to all parties. Through our discussions with the Prime Minister, I understood that Armenia is, of course, interested in the prospect of strengthening peace and stability in the region. Armenia is very interested in finding lasting solutions.

Thank you again, Mr. Prime Minister, for the visit, thank you for having an open and honest discussion with me, thank you for the development of Czech-Armenian relations, thank you for looking for new areas of cooperation. And I can assure you that the Czech Republic will take the necessary steps in its international policy, on all international platforms, to help you achieve lasting stability and peace in your country.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan

Honorable Mr. Prime Minister,

Dear media representatives,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am glad to be in the Czech Republic today on an official visit. The visit takes place on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and the Czech Republic. Armenia attaches great importance to the continuous development and strengthening of relations with the Czech Republic, for which all prerequisites are present. This is also evidenced by the high-level mutual visits between our countries.

I must note with satisfaction that the friendly relations between our peoples, based on a common value system, continue to strengthen and deepen thanks to consistent work.

I am deeply grateful to Mr. Fiala for the invitation and warm welcome. Today, Mr. Prime Minister and I had quite rich discussions in a constructive atmosphere, which cover various spheres of bilateral cooperation. Apart from the bilateral agenda, we also touched on issues of security and regional developments.

I highly commend existing cooperation between our two countries in both bilateral and multilateral formats, including in the context of the Armenia-EU partnership, as well as the Czech Republic's active support for the development of these relations.

I thanked Prime Minister Fiala for supporting Armenia's democracy. In this context, I emphasized the Czech Republic's support for the decision to deploy a long-term EU monitoring mission on the territory of Armenia along the border with Azerbaijan.

I regret to note that despite all efforts, the situation in our region remains tense. The reason for this is that, despite the well-known agreements, Azerbaijan continues the policy of using force and the threat of force, constantly escalating the situation on the border with Armenia, in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the Lachin Corridor.

Azerbaijan's decision to install a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor and the blockade of the corridor before that are a gross violation of the trilateral declaration of November 9, 2020 and the interim decision of the International Court of Justice in February. For four months, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been deprived of the possibility of free movement. Moreover, Azerbaijan disrupted the supply of natural gas and electricity to Nagorno-Karabakh. Food is sold in coupons in Nagorno-Karabakh and thus we have a humanitarian crisis there.

We believe that the international community should make a clear and targeted assessment of the situation, especially since in our opinion the above-mentioned actions of Azerbaijan are preparations for carrying out ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. In this context, we consider it necessary to send an international fact-finding team to Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor.

At the same time, I would like to emphasize that despite all the difficulties, the Armenian government has adopted the peace agenda. We believe that peace in our region has no alternative, which is not just a goal, but also a means for the normalization and further development of relations between peoples and states.

We are fully involved in the negotiation process with Azerbaijan and will remain involved in the near future, being ready to record results, and not to negotiate for the sake of negotiation. To achieve this goal, we hope that Azerbaijan will renounce the policy of using force and the threat of force, and we expect that the international community will also issue a similar message addressed to Azerbaijan.

Dear attendees,

Armenia and the Czech Republic have the necessary legal and effective tools for close cooperation, there are the prerequisites for further deepening of bilateral relations, which you also rightly emphasized.

Today, the sixth session of the Armenian-Czech intergovernmental commission is being held in Prague, within the framework of which an Armenian-Czech business forum will also be held. I am confident that both the session and the business forum will further contribute to the expansion of Armenian-Czech economic relations. Armenia attaches great importance to the most effective use of the existing potential of our two countries in the economic, trade and investment spheres, and we are interested in the development of cooperation in all the directions that you have listed.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you again for the warm welcome. I am confident that this visit will add new quality and substance to Armenian-Czech relations. Thank you.

ARMENPRESS news agency - My question is about economic cooperation between the two countries. When we look at the trade and economic indicators, in 2022, of course, there was an increase compared to the previous year, but the indicators seem to be modest, where the main structure is the import from the Czech Republic to Armenia, while the indicator from Armenia to the Czech Republic is even smaller. Where do you see the problems and what priorities will you indicate for the near future in order to activate the economic relations between the sides?

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan - Of course, we also discussed that agenda and talked about the activation of exports from Armenia to the Czech market. Of course, I am thankful to Prime Minister Fiala for his willingness to provide support in this matter.

Of course, we are also discussing these issues in Armenia. There are political, economic and other problems related to entering the European Union market, but addressing this message mainly to our economy, I think that, as I have had many occasions to point out in Armenia, it is important that we work in the direction of constantly raising the quality standards of our production and products. But already now, we can record that there are products that can already be competitive in the Czech market today by their standards. During the meeting, our ambassadors confirmed that this potential exists, and they promised to actively deal with this issue.

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala - I would only like to say that we are happy that the volume of trade is increasing. The increase in 2022 was not little, it actually increased by 157 percent, which is a sharp increase in foreign trade. And that's good. Of course, you are right when you say that the foreign trade turnover is not completely balanced. We also talked about what products might be interesting to export to the Czech market. I think we have compiled an adequate list of those products.

As for boosting bilateral trade, it depends on many factors. For example, we agreed that we want to deepen the ties, deepen ties between peoples, tourism. All this will contribute to bilateral cooperation and strengthening of trust. Eventually people will find your products more attractive as well. I believe that there are other steps and measures being taken apart from trade and economic measures that will help to improve the trade balance in the future.

Public TV Company - My question is addressed to the two Prime Ministers. First of all, Mr. Fiala, the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh was already discussed, you mentioned that you understood from your conversation with Mr. Pashinyan that Armenia is ready to establish peace and is moving towards it, but instead, Azerbaijan continues to threaten by setting up a checkpoint in the Lachin Corridor, constantly harshens the rhetoric, carries out aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia. To what extent is it possible to go to peace under these conditions, how do you assess these actions of Azerbaijan? And also, don't you see the need to impose sanctions on the government and leadership of Azerbaijan? Also, Mr. Pashinyan, how is it possible to make peace with Azerbaijan in this situation?

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala - The Czech Republic can and will support peace initiatives and efforts that will lead to stability in the region. Earlier, in my introductory speech, I said that the recognition of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia and Azerbaijan is of fundamental importance. Here in Prague, a step was taken during the first summit of the European Political Community, which I had the honor of hosting.

It can be considered a historical milestone in the relations between the two countries. Of course, it would not be in the interest of the exisiting situation if I unilaterally assess who and how violates what. Our common goal, the joint goal of the Czech Republic and the EU member states, is to achieve stability in the region and lasting, long-lasting peace, which also means guaranteeing the rights of Armenia, guaranteeing the rights of Armenians. It is an important factor.

We have taken concrete steps in this direction. The Czech Republic contributed to the deployment of the monitoring mission, there are Czech experts in the mission. We are ready to participate in other measures and other similar activities that will help de-escalate the situation and allow us to reach a lasting and comprehensive peace and a peaceful solution.

The Prime Minister informed me in detail about his steps and how he sees the situation, how the negotiations are going. I think this is very valuable for me, because I have a unique opportunity to convey this information to my European colleagues, and based on this, we can consider and find out what steps will be appropriate, what steps the European Union can take to support the efforts for permanent and lasting peace in the region.

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan - Thank you, dear journalists, honorable Mr. Prime Minister, lately, especially from the platform of our parliamentary debates, I have been constantly saying that questions can be answered, approached and responded to from several perspectives.

And I've been trying to test other perspectives in the context of the conversations we've had in the recent period, apart from the ones that are obvious. What the respected journalist said in his question is absolute and complete truth, but I can say the following: In your question, yes, you also rightly question the possibility of peace under these conditions.

I would like to notice that by the logic of changing the point of view, your question and content emphasize the need for peace, because on the one hand, one can ask how peace is possible under these conditions, but on the other hand, based on this, it can be emphasized that peace is necessary. We try not only to have an obvious point of view to that and similar events, not only to approach from the obvious point of view, but also to try to look at it from another point of view. And to your question, also using this platform, and also in the presence of my esteemed partner, I want to emphasize that all of this actually emphasizes the need for peace, and we must serve that need, build our policy by positioning ourselves correctly in relation to that need.

Question from the Czech media - Prime Minister Fiala, you already mentioned the blocking of Lacin Corridor. I want to ask you again: why is the Czech government silent, why is the Czech media silent, how can the Czech Republic influence Azerbaijan and why the European Union does not apply sanctions, because we do not see progress in this regard.

Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala - I am of the opinion that we should continue to take steps that will lead to a peaceful solution, we have created an opportunity for this in Prague, we support the efforts of Armenia aimed at a peaceful solution. I think that we should not look at the obstacles or the problems on this way, on the contrary, we should try to achieve a lasting peace, and to do this, we need the other side as well. We need Azerbaijanis, we need goodwill from both sides. It is not like that we will remain silent and not comment. During the opening speech, I already said that we have expressed concerns about the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the reason for which is the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

The European Union made a statement, and we support that statement, and there is a call there to ensure the security and freedom of movement of the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as a number of other things. But we should think about the future. I highly appreciate the peace-oriented perspective, the perspective with which the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia addresses this issue. I consider this the right approach, it is the right way. He can expect our support, the support of the European Union and other member states, because we have to keep one thing in mind, this cannot be a temporary solution.

We all need to consider how to provide the best approach and ensure development for Armenia, and for this we need lasting, permanent peace and security in the region. This should be our common goal in all our endeavors, we should be oriented at it.
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov held negotiations on May 1-4 in Arlington, VA, ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia.

The Ministers were hosted in George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. While in Washington they met with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

The Ministers shared their views on the current situation and stated their positions on existing issues related to normalization of relations.

The Ministers and their teams advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent.

Both Ministers expressed their appreciation to the US side for hosting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties agreed to continue the discussions.
YEREVAN, MAY 5 , ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday extended condolences to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on the two mass shootings in the Balkan nation this week.

I am deeply shocked by the news of the tragic events that claimed numerous lives in the Vladislav Ribnikar school in Belgrade, as well as in Mladenovac, PM Pashinyan said in a telegram sent to President Vucic. On behalf of the Armenian people, at this difficult time I express sincere condolences and support to you, the families and friends of the victims, wishing resilience and patience, and speedy recovery to all those wounded, he added.

Serbian law enforcement agencies have arrested the suspected gunman in the second mass shooting this week when eight people were killed and at least 14 were injured.

The gunman fired an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle near a village 60km (37 miles) south of Belgrade.

The interior ministry said the suspect was arrested after "an extensive search".

Police announced the latest arrest around 08:40 local time (07:40 BST) on Friday. The suspect - who has only been identified by his initials UB - was detained near the city of Kragujevac, the BBC reported citing the Serbian interior ministry.

Reports on local media say the suspect - who the interior ministry said was born in 2002 - started firing at people with an automatic weapon after having an argument with a police officer in a park in Dubona on Thursday evening.

On Wednesday, a thirteen-year-old boy shot dead eight fellow pupils at his school in Belgrade, as well as a security guard. It prompted the Serbian government to propose tighter restrictions of gun ownership.
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. There are key disagreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan on a number of issues, one of which concerns Nagorno Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports, Prime Minister Pashinyan said, answering the following question of RFE/RL in Prague: What are the issues on which the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan remained in disagreement after the Washington negotiations?

"Although it was recorded in Prague and Sochi that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other's territorial integrity, we are still unable to reach an agreement on the wording of the draft peace treaty that would give us confidence that Azerbaijan recognizes Armenia's 29,800 square kilometers", Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister emphasized that there are differences in addressing the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, and they are preserved.

"Next, any agreement, even the most unambiguously written ones, have interpretations, the way these interpretations should be resolved is a very important issue, and in the end, the issue of guaranteeing peace after the signing of the peace agreement is a very important issue. Both international and local mechanisms are taken into account, particularly in connection with the withdrawal of troops, should we not have a demilitarized zone? Regarding addressing the rights of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, there are misinterpretations, and they are preserved. Of course, there is a certain move, if before the difference between the positions of the parties was 1 km, now it is 990 meters, it is a move, but there is still a huge difference," the Prime Minister noted.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced on Thursday that Azerbaijan and Armenia have made tangible progress towards reaching an agreement after holding talks over the past few days.

Blinken added that a final agreement was within sight. This week, Washington is hosting the foreign ministers of both South Caucasus rivals.

Tensions between the two have resurfaced after Azerbaijan installed a road checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, the only route connecting Armenia to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh territory.

Blinken said, The two sides have discussed some very tough issues over the last few days, and theyve made tangible progress on a durable peace agreement.

 He believes that an agreement is on the horizon, and Washington will continue to help both countries get there.

Karabakh is recognised internationally as part of Azerbaijan but is primarily home to ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan vowed to keep the route open as part of the Russian-brokered ceasefire in 2020, which ended a six-week conflict between both countries.

Azerbaijan claimed that it established the checkpoint in response to alleged weapon supplies from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenia denies.

On Tuesday, the Kremlin announced that any efforts to resolve the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan were welcome, but the 2020 Russian-brokered peace agreement should serve as the foundation for any long-term solutions.

The faceoff is viewed as a test of Russias resolve to mediate disputes in the area. Armenia, which is a formal ally of Russia through a mutual self-defense pact, has repeatedly requested that Moscow use its peacekeeping force to stop what it calls Azerbaijans gross violation of the peace agreement.

The parties have agreed to hold discussions in Moscow sometime in the future, although no date has been set yet.

Despite years of attempted mediation, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been unable to reach a peace agreement that would address outstanding issues like border demarcation and the return of prisoners.
Latest dispute between France and Italy over migration is downplayed by France

The French government downplayed a new migration row with Italy on Friday, calling Rome an essential partner after a dispute with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Italys foreign minister cancelled a visit to Paris on Thursday over unacceptable comments from French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who said Meloni was incapable of resolving her countrys migration crisis.

Italy is an essential partner to France our relationship is founded on mutual respect, said French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne late on Friday. We will prioritize consultation and calm dialogue to continue to work together.

Earlier on Cnews channel, French government spokesman Olivier Veran said that there was no desire from the interior minister to ostracize Italy in any way at all.

Italian media reports on Friday suggested that Darmanins comments had infuriated Rome, with Meloni rumored to be canceling her planned visit to Paris.

The French and Italian governments have clashed repeatedly in recent years over the management of their common land border and the admission of humanitarian boats carrying migrants rescued while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Separately on Friday, the head of French immigration authority OFII said that almost half of the migrants arriving on Italys Mediterranean shore were from French-speaking sub-Saharan African countries, with citizens of Ivory Coast being the largest group.

Thats why there are strong tensions between the two countries, said OFII boss Didier Leschi.

EU rules require migrants to be registered in the country of arrival first, and for subsequent discussions to determine which migrants should go to which EU member country.

It is urgent to improve the burden distribution across the EU, Leschi said.
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Ann Arbor (Informed Comment)  Hard line Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took a victory lap in Syria this week. He led an Iranian delegation of officials and cabinet members to Damascus for consultations with Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Among those in the entourage were Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Defense Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, and Oil Minister Javad Oji. Iran was one of the few supporters of the Baathist regime during the youth revolt and subsequent Civil War, and proved instrumental in saving the government from falling.

Raisi has had a number of wins lately. Saudi Arabia has agreed to reduce tensions with Tehran, using Chinese good offices to restore diplomatic relations and dial down the tension between the two. Raisi condemned Israel for having opposed this rapprochement and said that it demonstrates that the Israelis want to pit Middle Eastern states against one another.

Raisi was seeking to expand trade and other economic relations between the two countries. He also, however, wanted to underline the central role that Iran played in upholding the status quo in Syria against Sunni fundamentalist challengers such as al-Qaeda and ISIL. He falsely accused the United States of being behind the rise of these extremists, which he described as takfiri, those who excommunicate and call for the death of other Muslims with whom they disagree. Iran, he said, had demonstrated the success of resistance to imperialism and had shown it was steadfast and that steadfastness is a recipe for victory. He quoted Ruhollah Khomeini to the effect that whatever the cost of resisting, the cost of surrender is much higher.



Office of the President of Iran/ Jamaran

He also praised the small Lebanese party-militia, Hezbollah, which intervened to support al-Assads Syrian Arab Army against the al-Qaeda-linked Succor Front. He also lauded the advisory role of the special operations Jerusalem Brigade of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, which under the leadership of the late Gen. Qasem Solimani had reinforced Syrias ability to stand against the rebels. Solimani was rocketed to death by Donald Trump in early January 2020.

Raisi presented Iran and Syria as champions of rationality against the irrational fanaticism of al-Qaeda and ISIL. He trumpeted the failure of the American maximum pressure sanctions against Iran. He condemned the US military presence in Syria and called for a return of Syrian sovereignty over all its territory. [There are about 900 US troops at a small base in eastern Syria.]

Officials from the two countries signed memoranda of cooperation in the fields of commerce, oil and energy, engineering, housing, rail and air transportation, the private sector, communications and technology. They also agreed to cooperate on the earthquake relief and to facilitate pilgrimage to Mecca.The United States has slapped wide ranging sanctions on Syria, but Khamenei boasted that these had proved ineffectual. Some 14 economic agreements were signed.

EcoIran writes, Irans state-owned railway company has long dreamed of expanding its network through Iraq and Syria, connecting it to the Syrian port of Latakia on the Mediterranean Sea a project that Syrian opponents and critics of Tehran see as an attempt on Irans part to increase its political influence.

The two countries announced that they will start a joint bank together, presumably as a way of sidestepping US sanctions.

While in Damascus, Raisi met with Palestinian delegations. He said that the liberation of Jerusalem was the most important issue for the Islamic world. Visiting with representatives of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Raisi called for Palestinian self-rule and democracy. He said if the West werent hypocritical about supporting democracy, they would want Palestinians to exercise their democratic rights.
MONTREAL, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) ("Osisko Development" or the "Company") is pleased to announce underground diamond drilling ("DD") results as part of its ongoing exploration program at its 100%-owned Trixie test mine ("Trixie"), within the Company's wider Tintic Project ("Tintic" or the "Tintic Project"), located in the historic East Tintic Mining District in central Utah, U.S.A.

Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development, commented, "These drill results from the 2022 underground diamond drilling campaign continue to showcase the continuity of the high-grade mineralization within the T2 structure and wider zones of mineralization within the T4 stockwork zone. Our current underground drill program is building upon these results and this work is expected to support a future update to the existing Trixie mineral resource estimate."

DRILL ASSAY HIGHLIGHTS

This news release includes assays from 8 DD holes (refer to Table 1). Select assay highlights include:

128.50 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold ("Au") and 220.00 g/t silver (" Ag ") over 0.52 meters (" m ") in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (" oz/t ") Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (" ft. ")

and 220.00 g/t silver (" ") over 0.52 meters (" ") in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (" ") Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (" ") 17.63 g/t Au and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.)

and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.) 7.51 g/t Au and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.)

and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.) 36.81 g/t Au and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 134.50 g/t Au and 65.00 g/t Ag over 0.61 m (3.92 oz/t Au and 1.90 oz/t Ag over 2.00 ft.)

and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 20.88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 154.00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (4.49 oz/t Au and 11.58 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.)

and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 105.50 g/t Au and 177.00 g/t Ag over 0.91 m (3.08 oz/t Au and 5.16 oz/t Ag over 3.00 ft.)

and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 84.40 g/t Au and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.)

and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.) 15.61 g/t Au and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.)

and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) 10.78 g/t Au and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.)

and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.) 57.50 g/t Au and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.)

and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) 78.80 g/t Au and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.)

and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.) 42.10 g/t Au and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.)

and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.) 16.86 g/t Au and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.)

and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.) 30.80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.90 oz/t Au and 3.33 oz/t Ag over 7.40 ft.)

DRILL SUMMARY

The high-grade intercepts disclosed in this news release are located within the T2 structure and T4 stockwork in the central and southern areas of the current Trixie Mineral Resource Estimate (" Trixie MRE ") (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE.

") (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE. The T2 structure continues to intersect high-grade mineralization including 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 and 30.80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (see Figure 3).

The T4 stockwork zone returned several anomalous intervals, displaying both high-grade structures analogous to the T2 structure and wider mineralized zones as seen in hole TUG-625-037 that intersected 20.88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m and 42.00 g/t Au and 60.40 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (including 154.00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m).

EXPLORATION NEXT STEPS

The Company currently has two underground diamond drill rigs in operation at Trixie conducting exploration activities.

Follow up exploration targets include drill testing of the contact beneath the Ophir Shale cap rock, where mineralization appears to be concentrated, as well as testing the 75-85 structure at depth.

In 2022, the Company completed 28 surface reverse circulation ("RC") drill holes near Trixie totalling approximately 8,753 m (28,718 ft.) and 66 underground DD holes in the 625 level at Trixie totalling approximately 2,985 m (9,796 ft.). To date, assays have been received for 8 RC drill holes and 64 DD holes.

About Trixie

The Trixie test mine is one of several gold and base metal targets within the larger Tintic Project consisting of >17,000 acres of patented mining claims and mineral leases within the historic East Tintic Mining District of Central Utah, U.S.A. The T2 and T4 structures at Trixie show multi-ounce gold grades associated with high sulphidation epithermal mineralization, structurally controlled and hosted within quartzites. The T2 structure mineralization consists of native Au, and rare Au-Ag  rich telluride minerals with quartz. The T4 is a mineralized stockwork zone is located in the hanging wall of the T2 and is comprised of Au-Ag rich mineralization in host rock quartzite with quartz-barite-sulphosalt stockwork veining. Mineralization reports consistent multi-ounce gold grades along the entire strike length.

Information relating to the Tintic Project and the Trixie MRE is supported by the technical report titled "NI 43-101 Technical Report, Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Trixie Deposit, Tintic Project, Utah, United States of America", dated January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the "Tintic Technical Report"). Reference should be made to the full text of the Tintic Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") and is available electronically on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the Company's website at www.osiskodev.com.

Table 1: Drilling Length Weighted Assay Composites at Trixie

METRIC IMPERIAL Hole ID Depth from (m) Depth to (m) Length (m) Au (g/t) Ag (g/t) Depth from (ft.) Depth to (ft.) Length (ft.) Au (oz/t) Ag (oz/t) Comments TUG-625-034 2.23 2.74 0.52 128.50 220.00 7.30 9.00 1.70 3.75 6.42 T4 TUG-625-034 16.61 20.57 3.96 17.63 175.81 54.50 67.50 13.00 0.51 5.13 T4 TUG-625-034 25.76 31.55 5.79 7.51 50.19 84.50 103.50 19.00 0.22 1.46 T4 TUG-625-034 Including 26.37 28.04 1.68 9.99 17.25 86.50 92.00 5.50 0.29 0.50 T4 TUG-625-034 and 30.48 31.55 1.07 22.90 234.00 100.00 103.50 3.50 0.67 6.83 T4 TUG-625-034 33.83 34.44 0.61 7.59 99.00 111.00 113.00 2.00 0.22 2.89 T4 TUG-625-036 0.91 4.27 3.35 36.81 30.89 3.00 14.00 11.00 1.07 0.90 T4 TUG-625-036 Including 0.91 1.83 0.91 32.10 38.30 3.00 6.00 3.00 0.94 1.12 T4 TUG-625-036 and 1.83 2.44 0.61 134.50 65.00 6.00 8.00 2.00 3.92 1.90 T4 TUG-625-037 1.37 7.01 5.64 20.88 45.08 4.50 23.00 18.50 0.61 1.31 T4 TUG-625-037 Including 2.13 2.65 0.52 10.70 23.00 7.00 8.70 1.70 0.31 0.67 T4 TUG-625-037 and 5.18 5.94 0.76 42.00 60.40 17.00 19.50 2.50 1.23 1.76 T4 TUG-625-037 and 6.55 7.01 0.46 154.00 397.00 21.50 23.00 1.50 4.49 11.58 T4 TUG-625-037 9.60 12.04 2.44 53.27 90.24 31.50 39.50 8.00 1.55 2.63 T2 TUG-625-037 Including 10.52 11.43 0.91 105.50 177.00 34.50 37.50 3.00 3.08 5.16 T2 TUG-625-037 and 11.43 12.04 0.61 44.60 75.30 37.50 39.50 2.00 1.30 2.20 T2 TUG-625-037 18.99 19.51 0.52 4.67 10.90 62.30 64.00 1.70 0.14 0.32 T2 FW TUG-625-071 35.87 37.34 1.46 2.26 7.27 117.70 122.50 4.80 0.07 0.21 T4 TUG-625-082 2.74 4.11 1.37 14.27 66.52 9.00 13.50 4.50 0.42 1.94 T4 TUG-625-082 Including 3.66 4.11 0.46 37.10 81.30 12.00 13.50 1.50 1.08 2.37 T4 TUG-625-082 6.71 7.16 0.46 9.07 72.60 22.00 23.50 1.50 0.26 2.12 T4 TUG-625-082 10.97 11.43 0.46 16.45 18.45 36.00 37.50 1.50 0.48 0.54 T4 TUG-625-085 2.16 2.90 0.73 84.40 301.00 7.10 9.50 2.40 2.46 8.78 T4 TUG-625-085 23.47 25.91 2.44 15.61 163.56 77.00 85.00 8.00 0.46 4.77 T4 TUG-625-085 24.38 25.15 0.76 32.20 283.00 80.00 82.50 2.50 0.94 8.25 T4 TUG-625-085 28.04 29.11 1.07 3.46 48.80 92.00 95.50 3.50 0.10 1.42 T4 TUG-625-094 1.52 2.83 1.31 26.70 104.00 5.00 9.30 4.30 0.78 3.03 T4 TUG-625-094 17.37 21.34 3.96 10.78 38.15 57.00 70.00 13.00 0.31 1.11 T2 TUG-625-094 Including 19.20 19.96 0.76 25.70 64.20 63.00 65.50 2.50 0.75 1.87 T2 TUG-625-094 30.78 31.55 0.76 57.50 246.00 101.00 103.50 2.50 1.68 7.18 T2 Footwall TUG-625-100 2.13 5.82 3.69 20.47 7.00 19.10 12.10 0.60 0.00 T4 TUG-625-100 Including 3.66 4.11 0.46 34.00 94.70 12.00 13.50 1.50 0.99 2.76 T4 TUG-625-100 and 5.18 5.82 0.64 78.80 106.00 17.00 19.10 2.10 2.30 3.09 T4 TUG-625-100 11.13 12.50 1.37 42.10 69.90 36.50 41.00 4.50 1.23 2.04 T4 TUG-625-100 16.92 21.46 4.54 16.86 60.26 55.50 70.40 14.90 0.49 1.76 T2 TUG-625-100 19.20 21.46 2.26 30.80 114.00 63.00 70.40 7.40 0.90 3.33 T2

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Maggie Layman, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Osisko Development, and a "qualified person" within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Quality Assurance (QA)  Quality Control (QC)

True width determination is estimated to be approximately 0.3 m to 2.4 m (1 to 8 ft.) wide for the T2 structure and approximately 3 m to 25 m (10 to 80 ft.) for the T4 mineralized stockwork zone located in the hanging wall of the T2 structure. All drill core and exploration samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratory for offsite sample preparation and analysis. Samples are assigned a unique sample ID. All geological and sampling information is entered into Datamine Fusion database. Core is sawn in half and half are sampled. Certified standards and blanks inserted into all sample dispatches. Samples are collected by Old Dominion Transportation and dispatched to ALS Laboratory in Reno, NV. Sample submission forms accompany the samples, and digital copies emailed to ALS.

All sample preparation is completed by ALS, including crushing and pulverizing (Prep31) of samples. Analytical assays include gold and silver by fire assay of 50 g sample with AAS finish (Au-AA26), over limits by gravimetric analysis (Au-Grav22). Multi element analysis is by four acid digest (ME-MS61). The pulps are returned to Osisko Development and coarse rejects are disposed after 90 days. Assays are reported to Osisko Development, and then loaded into Datamine Fusion, QA/QC samples are checked, and assays merged with sample information for future reporting.

About Osisko Development Corp.

Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company's objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central BC, Canada, the Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company's project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company's strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources.

For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.:

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Test Mining Without Feasibility Study

The Company cautions that the decision to commence small-scale underground mining activities and batch vat leaching at the Trixie test mine has been made without the benefit of a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of material or the cost of such recovery. The Company cautions that historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. Small scale test-mining at Trixie was suspended in December 2022, if and when test mining re-commences there is no guarantee that production will continue as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. The failure to continue production may have a material adverse impact on the Company's ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs may have a material adverse impact on the Company's cash flow and potential profitability. In continuing current operations at Trixie after closing, the Company will not be basing its decision to continue such operations on a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The Company cautions that mining at Trixie could be suspended at any time.

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors

The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result reports information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, in accordance with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by NI 43-101. As such, such information concerning mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, is not comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC").

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forwardlooking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forwardlooking statements. Forwardlooking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as "may", "will", "would", "could", "expect", "believe", "plan", "anticipate", "intend", "estimate", "continue", or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forwardlooking statements. Information contained in forwardlooking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management's perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments; the utility and significance of historic data, including the significance of the district hosting past producing mines; future mining activities; the unique mineralization at Trixie; the potential of high grade gold mineralization on Trixie; the results (if any) of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources; the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization; the ability to generate additional drill targets; the ability of management to understand the geology and potential of Trixie; the ability of the Company to expand mineral resources beyond current mineral resource estimates at Trixie; the timing and ability of the Company to complete upgrades to the Trixie MRE (or any subsequent MRE) (if at all); the timing and resumption of test mining activities at Trixie; the information and the scope of the contemplated Trixie MRE (and any subsequent MRE); the impact of the Trixie MRE; the ability of the Company to complete its exploration objectives in 2023 in the timing contemplated (if at all); the ongoing advancement of the Trixie decline; the deposit remaining open for expansion at depth and down plunge; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be "forward looking information". Material assumptions also include, management's perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company's ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company for the contemplated exploration and development at Tintic; the ability to continue current operations and exploration; regulatory framework and presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management's geological modelling; the ability to expand operations or complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property and stream interests in the Tintic Project; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals and permits; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal and commodity prices; fluctuations in the currency markets; dilution; environmental risks; and community, non-governmental and governmental actions and the impact of stakeholder actions. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as the Financial Statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, which have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Osisko Development's issuer profile and on the SEC's EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company's believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available as of the date hereof, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has demanded a special tribunal to hold Russia accountable for its "crime of aggression" which, unlike other war crimes, is not fully covered by the International Criminal Court.

The ICC in The Hague is currently probing possible war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the war in Ukraine, but it has no mandate to pursue the broader crime of aggression.

It has issued an arrest warrant for Russia's Vladimir Putin over a war crime charge, linked to the alleged deportation of Ukrainian children.

We look at the different categories of the most serious crimes known to man.

- War crime -

War crimes are serious violations of international law against civilians and combatants during armed conflict.

The parameters of what constitutes a war crime are set out in Article 8 of the 1998 Rome Statute that established the ICC.

It defines them as "grave breaches" of the 1949 Geneva Conventions covering more than 50 scenarios, including killing, torture, rape and the taking of hostages as well as attacks on humanitarian missions.

Article 8 also covers deliberate attacks on civilians or "towns, villages, dwellings or buildings which are undefended and which are not military objectives" as well as the "deportation or transfer of all or parts of the population" of an occupied territory.

Ukraine's authorities say they have received thousands of complaints of alleged war crimes by Russian forces since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.

- Crime against humanity -

The notion of such a crime was first laid down on August 8, 1945, and codified in article 7 of the Rome Statute. It involves "a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population" including "murder" and "extermination" as well as "enslavement" and "deportation or forcible transfer".

Crimes against humanity can occur in peace time and include torture, rape and discrimination, be it racial, ethnic, cultural, religious or gender-based.

- Genocide -

Genocide as a legal concept dating back to the Nuremburg trials of Nazi war criminals, with Polish-Jewish lawyer Raphael Lemkin coining the term to describe the Nazi extermination of six million Jews.

The crime of genocide was formally created in the Genocide Convention of 1948 to describe "acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group".

Genocide is a "very specific international crime" which is difficult to prove, says Cecily Rose, professor of international law at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands, noting that it demands proof of the "mental motivation" behind it.

- Crime of aggression -

The ICC added a crime of aggression to its remit in 2017 to include attacks on "the sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence" of another country.

The offence aims to ensure that political and military leaders are held accountable for invasions, but it cannot be used against the dozens of ICC members that have not recognised the court's jurisdiction, including Russia, nor against non-members. Ukraine is a non-member, but accepts the court's jurisdiction over the crimes.
US President Joe Biden on Thursday threatened to impose new sanctions over Sudan's conflict, saying the fighting "must end", as gunfire and explosions rocked Khartoum for a 20th straight day.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Sudan since the fighting between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan's forces and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo's Rapid Support Forces began on April 15 over a dispute on the planned integration of the RSF into the regular army.

As the latest ceasefire expired at midnight, the army said it was ready to abide by a new seven-day truce, but there was no word from its foes in the paramilitary RSF.

Biden signed an executive order on Thursday that broadens authority to impose sanctions on those responsible for the violence, although it does not name potential targets.

The US leader said in a statement that those facing the sanctions were "individuals responsible for threatening the peace, security, and stability of Sudan; undermining Sudan's democratic transition; using violence against civilians; or committing serious human rights abuses."

"The violence taking place in Sudan is a tragedy -- and it is a betrayal of the Sudanese people's clear demand for civilian government and a transition to democracy. It must end," he said.

Within hours of the latest supposed ceasefire taking effect, witnesses in Khartoum reported loud explosions and exchanges of fire on the streets around dawn and clashes during the day in the city of five million people.

The foreign ministry later accused the RSF of attacking the Indian embassy in Khartoum, the latest in a spate of such incidents which the diplomatic mission did not immediately confirm.

The fighting has killed about 700 people so far across Sudan, most of them in Khartoum and Darfur, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project.

- 'Peace at stake' -

The UN refugee agency said it was preparing for an outflow of 860,000 people from the north African country, adding $445 million would be needed to support them just through October.

"The needs are vast, and the challenges are numerous. If the crisis continues, peace and stability across the region could be at stake," said Raouf Mazou, the UNHCR's assistant chief of operations.

More than 100,000 people have already fled Sudan since the fighting erupted.

On the day the fighting began, Burhan and Daglo had been due to meet with international mediators to discuss the RSF's integration into the army -- a key condition for the transition to democratic rule.

Instead, Khartoum awoke to the sound of gunfire ringing through the streets.

The UN's top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, on Wednesday visited Sudan to try to negotiate safe passage for aid and aid workers, after six trucks laden with food supplies from the World Food Programme were looted on their way to the war-torn western region of Darfur.

Darfur is still scarred by a war that erupted in 2003 when then president Omar al-Bashir unleashed the Janjaweed militia, mainly recruited from Arab pastoralist tribes, against ethnic minority rebels.

The Janjaweed -- whose actions led to war crimes charges against Bashir and others -- later evolved into the RSF.

The United Nations said Darfur civilians were again being armed in the latest fighting.

The Norwegian Refugee Council said violence in the West Darfur state capital, El Geneina, has "resulted in the loss of at least 191 lives".

"Dozens of settlements have been burnt and destroyed, and thousands have been displaced," it said.

- 'African solutions' -

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres acknowledged Wednesday the international community had "failed" Sudan.

"A country like Sudan, that has suffered so much... cannot afford a struggle for power between two people," said the UN chief.

Mediation efforts have multiplied since the conflict began, but the army said Wednesday it favoured those of the East African regional bloc IGAD, because it wanted "African solutions to the continent's issues".

It said it was also considering a Saudi-US bid to halt the fighting.

Arab League foreign ministers are to meet on Sunday to discuss the conflict ahead of a summit in Saudi Arabia later this month, a diplomat told AFP.

Nearly 450,000 civilians have fled their homes since fighting began, the International Organization for Migration said, including the more than 115,000 who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

Since Bashir's ouster in a 2019 coup, international mediators have sought to bring civilians and the military to the negotiating table.

But in the process, analysts believe, they gave too much credit to Burhan and Daglo, who worked together in the coup that derailed the transition to elective civilian rule before falling out in a power struggle.

Exiled rebel leader Abdel Wahid Nur -- a veteran of decades of fighting in Darfur -- said "the Sudanese people want neither of them".

"They want a civilian government," he told AFP, adding there can be "no winner" in the current conflict.
Hundreds of thousands of children may have been transferred to Russia since 2015 after Moscow annexed Crimea, international experts probing the "massive" assimilation of Ukrainian minors said Thursday.

A mission of three experts, established under the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said it found that "numerous and overlapping violations of the rights of the children deported to the Russian Federation have taken place".

"It seems there is a plan to assimilate them (children) on a massive scale," one of the experts, Veronika Bilkova, told reporters.

She said the exact numbers of children brought from Ukraine to Russia remained uncertain, with findings showing such transfers since 2015.

"The lowest estimates that we have been able to find put this number at at least 20,000 children... But both Russian sources and Ukrainian sources indicate numbers which are 10 or even more times higher. So we are really speaking about a massive phenomenon," Bilkova said.

Russia has taken "legal and policy measures... to grant Russian citizenship to some of these children and to facilitate their placement in foster families," the experts found in their 82-page report.

They also detailed that once in Russia, children "are exposed to pro-Russian information campaign often amounting to targeted re-education as well as being involved in military education."

The report on the "forcible transfer of children" is the latest carried out under the OSCE's so-called Moscow Mechanism, which allows for an ad hoc team of experts to be established to assist in resolving an OSCE member state's problems.

To do the report, which was finalised by April 23, 2023, the experts collected written material, conducted more than 25 online or in-person interviews and visited Kyiv from April 14-20.

Russia did not answer an invitation to contribute to the report, according to the experts.

More than 19,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia since the February 2022 invasion, according to Kyiv, with many allegedly placed in institutions and foster homes.

Russia denies the allegations, saying instead it has saved Ukrainian children from the horrors of the war.

In March, the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war crime accusation of unlawfully deporting Ukrainian children.

The OSCE began in the early 1970s as a forum for dialogue between East and West.

The Vienna-based body has 57 member states on three continents -- including Russia, Ukraine and the United States.

Michael Carpenter, the US ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), on Thursday called for an immediate halt to "the abduction, kidnapping, stealing" of children, calling it "horrific".
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. The visit to the Czech Republic was quite productive and meaningful, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community in the Czech Republic, summing up his official visit to the Czech Republic.

"The official visit ends. I must say that we had very meaningful meetings. I think that we were able to make our views more understandable to our Czech partners. We were able to understand their understandings and perceptions about us, about the developments in our region. Meetings with Armenians, direct questions and answers with representatives of the community are among the important components of my visits. They are very useful," ARMENPRESS reports, Nikol Pashinyan said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is on a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic. Nikol Pashinyan met with the Head of the Czech Government Petr Fiala. First, a private conversation between the Prime Ministers of the two countries took place, and then the negotiations continued in an extended format. Then, Nikol Pashinyan and Peter Fiala made statements for mass media representatives. The leaders of the two countries discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest: regional, security, economic issues.

Next, the Prime Minister had meetings with the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament, Marketa Pekarova Adamova, and the President of the Senate, Milos Vistarcil.
Belgium police have arrested an Iraqi immigrant suspected of belonging to an Al-Qaeda cell that carried out deadly car bombings in Baghdad in 2009-2010, prosecutors said Friday.

The man, identified by the initials O.Y.T., born in 1979, was detained on Wednesday when police raided an address in the town of Hasselt, in eastern Belgium, on orders of an anti-terrorist judge, they said in a statement.

He was appearing in court on Friday on charges of "several murders with terrorist intent, participation in the activities of a terrorist group, war crimes and crimes against humanity" to determine whether he would remain in custody.

He is believed to have been part of an Al-Qaeda cell "partly responsible for several bombings in the Green Zone of Baghdad (Iraq) in 2009 and 2010, which killed at least 376 people and injured more than 2,300," the statement said.

Among the targets of those car bombings were Iraqi government buildings, it said.

Prosecutors said the Iraqi had been living in Belgium since 2015 under refugee status and the probe against him was launched in 2020.

His arrest follows that of a 38-year-old Syrian man on March 28 who was suspected of carrying out "war crimes" in Syria for the Islamic State group.

The Syrian, too, had been given refugee status in Belgium.
Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was 28 when he fled to the United States on an American military plane after a revolution ousted his dictator father and sent the disgraced family into exile.

Nearly 40 years later, Marcos used his presidential jet to fly to Washington where he was given a red-carpet welcome and hailed by President Joe Biden as the best partner he could have.

Marcos's meeting with Biden on Monday capped months of intense diplomatic courting by Washington, which is seeking to strengthen its alliances across the Asia-Pacific region to counter China's growing military might.

Beyond the warm words, the talks showed how the complex history between the United States and the Marcoses had come full circle -- Washington was once again backing a Marcos president in a geopolitical tussle for influence in Asia.

Before his overthrow in 1986, Marcos's late father and namesake ruled the Philippines for 20 years.

Rights groups say Marcos Sr's regime jailed, tortured or killed tens of thousands of critics, including church leaders, journalists and student activists.

Washington, which saw him as a bulwark against the spread of communism during the Cold War, supported him.

At the time, the United States had two major military bases north of the capital Manila, and used them to deploy troops to the Vietnam War.

Years of protests forced the closure of the bases in the early 1990s, but US troops were eventually allowed back into the Philippines for joint training and exercises.

After his father's death in 1989, Marcos and the rest of the family returned home and began a remarkable political comeback that culminated in him winning the 2022 presidential election.

Marcos's landslide victory was fuelled by a massive online misinformation campaign that portrayed his father's time in office as a golden era for the Philippines.

- Just enough, not too much -

Since taking office less than a year ago, Marcos has been feted around the world as he drums up business and investment for the Philippines.

Before the election, Marcos offered few clues on how he would govern, but his admiration for his father had raised concerns that he may adopt a similar style.

Those fears were exacerbated by his decision to team up with vice presidential candidate and eventual winner Sara Duterte, the daughter of former president Rodrigo Duterte, who trashed the US alliance during his six-year term.

The pair embraced some of the elder Duterte's key policies, including his brutal drug war that killed thousands of people and sparked an international investigation into possible crimes against humanity.

Like Duterte, Marcos appeared during his election campaign reluctant to stand up to China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

As soon as he won the election, however, Marcos broke with his predecessor on foreign policy by signalling he wanted stronger ties with the United States while vowing to stop China trampling on the Philippines' maritime rights.

A 2014 agreement giving US troops access to five Philippine military bases, which became dormant under Duterte, was expanded to comprise four additional sites, including one near the disputed South China Sea and another not far from Taiwan.

China claims almost the entire waterway despite an international ruling that its claims have no legal basis, while it sees democratic self-ruled Taiwan as part of its own territory.

The Philippines' close proximity to both has raised its strategic importance to the rival superpowers.

Wary of angering China, his country's biggest trade partner, Marcos hedged his bets before arriving in the United States this week, insisting the bases would not be used as staging posts for what he described as offensive actions.

"This is fundamentally about getting the Goldilocks level of security cooperation with the United States," political analyst Richard Heydarian said.

Marcos wants "just enough cooperation for the Philippines to have a bargaining chip and some deterrence capability against China, but not too much cooperation that ... potentially provokes China."

- 'Practical trumps principle' -

Marcos's visit to the White House -- the first by a Philippine president in more than a decade -- was an example of how the "practical trumps principle", said Andres Bautista, who once led a Philippine government agency tasked with tracking down the Marcoses' ill-gotten wealth.

The elder Marcos and his wife Imelda, who is still alive, allegedly plundered billions of dollars from state coffers and presided over widespread human rights abuses.

Dozens of court cases have been filed against the family in the United States and the Philippines, but no member of the family has ever been jailed.

And Marcos still faces a US contempt of court order relating to the family's failure to pay compensation to thousands of victims of human rights abuses during his father's regime.

As a senator in early 1986, shortly before the collapse of the Marcos regime, Biden accused the dictator and his supporters of carrying out "widespread fraud, intimidation and violence" in elections that were "not free and fair", congressional records show.

But as he greeted the younger Marcos in the Oval Office on Monday, Biden said: "I can't think of any better partner to have than you".
To listen to the podcast, click on the "play" button below:

In April fighting erupted in Sudans capital Khartoum between the army and the paramilitaries. Civilians have been caught in between. Many foreigners have been evacuated and thousands are on the move to escape the conflict.

On the podcast, we have covered Sudan in the context of the referral of Darfur to the International Criminal Court way back in 2005. Now theres a case in The Hague, that of Abad al Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb. You can check the details here.

To understand what is happening now and what the Darfur roots are of the current fighting, we turned to two great experts. Rebecca Hamilton is a law professor at the American University in Washington DC. Tajedin Abdalla Adam is a Darfuri analyst who has experience of war crimes cases. They helped with answering all our basic questions.
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. The government of Artsakh, through Russian peacekeepers, has sent a truckload of food, medicine and other essential goods to the communities of Hin Shen, Mets Shen, Yegtsahogh and Lisagor in the Berdadzor sub-district of Shushi region, which are under bilateral blockade after the installation of the illegal checkpoint by Azerbaijan on April 23, ARMENPRESS reports, Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan informed on his Facebook page.

"Dear compatriots,

After Azerbaijan installed an illegal checkpoint on the highway connecting Artsakh to Armenia on the border with Armenia (Lachin (Kashatagh) corridor) on April 23, the four communities of Berdadzor sub-district of Shushi region (Hin Shen, Mets Shen, Yegtsahogh and Lisagor) appeared under a bilateral blockade, deprived of all possibilities of connection with the rest of Artsakh and Armenia. Due to the Azerbaijani obstacles, all humanitarian supplies to the residents of these villages were also stopped, and in recent days, an acute humanitarian crisis emerged there, without any stock of basic necessities.

Today, we were finally able to send one truckload of food, medicine and other essential goods to the residents of the mentioned communities through the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation.

Azerbaijan continues the complete blockade of Artsakh through both the illegal checkpoint on the Artsakh-Armenia border and the road near Shushi, already openly and illegally blocked by the Azerbaijani state. And the humanitarian supplies to Artsakh are carried out by the Russian peacekeeping troops, in very limited volumes. We are making additional efforts to restore transportation by the International Committee of the Red Cross," said the Artsakh State Minister.
Song Hye Kyo wowed the fans with her gorgeous glow at the 2023 Met Gala at New York City earlier this month.

Much to their excitement, Vogue Korea took everyone behind the scenes of the Met, and shared exclusive photos of the Hallyu superstar. Read to know more.

Song Hye Kyo Boasts Ethereal Glow With Fendi

Song Hye Kyo is among the dazzling stars who made a breathtaking appearance at the 2023 Met Gala in New York City on May 1.

With the theme "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty," the celebrities each donned their sophisticated and designer-helmed dresses to celebrate fashion, beauty and excellence.

Stars like Doja Cat, Anne Hathaway, Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Jackson Wang and BLACKPINK Jennie were also present at the distinguished event.

Song Hye Kyo was one of the most mentioned stars at the event who trended worldwide. Vogue Korea amplified the tension, and released exclusive behind-the-scenes snaps of the Hallyu actress as she prepared for the event.

In the photos, Song Hye Kyo is a personified goddess as she wore the SS23 Couture design which was helmed solely for her by Candy Couture and Women's Wear Artist Director Bob Jones.

The Fendi champagne-colored dress features the combined elements of undergarments and evening wear, creating an ultra-feminine look. Song Hye Kyo coupled the dress with a clutch bag that attracted more attention.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Yay or Nay? Song Hye Kyo's Met Gala Look Garners Mixed Reactions

More importantly, Song Hye Kyo's "hime" hairstyle also added a different feeling to Song Hye Kyo's aura. Fans left generous compliments on the photos, praising Song Hye Kyo's beauty and elegance.

Song Hye Kyo Unlocks New Milestone

Earlier this month, the Hallyu superstar Song Hye Kyo unlocked another milestone apart from her participation at the 2023 Met Gala!

Song Hye Kyo received a round of applause after she took home the Best Actress in Television Drama at the 59th Baeksang Arts Awards for her exceptional performance in "The Glory."

The actress beat equally talented stars Park Eun Bin, Kim Hye Soo and Suzy, who all dominated the past year with their amazing works, proving her influence and success.

During its release and at the moment of this writing, "The Glory" is still the most streamed series on Netflix, making it to the Top 10 Non-English Series in more than 78 countries.

Even more so, the series was also hailed as the Best Drama of the Year while Lim Ji Yeon, the main antagonist in the drama, took home the Best Supporting Actress Award.

YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN THIS: Lim Ji Yeon & Lee Do Hyun Spotted Dating In THIS Place - Here's What Happened

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Lee Soon Jae made headlines after he made an NSFW comment on Lee Seung Gi and Lee Da In's wedding. Months after the celebrity couple's ceremony, the veteran actor explained the reason behind his remark.

During his appearance on the YouTube channel "Jung Young-jin and Choi Wook's Mae-bul Show," the 88-year-old actor recalled his experience during the wedding and mentioned the speech he gave at the ceremony.

Lee Soon Jae Adresses R-Rated Comment He Delivered During Lee Seung Gi & Lee Da In's Wedding

For Lee Soon Jae, he pointed out that getting intimate is a physical act that helps couples feel closer to one another.

"When I officiate, I emphasize making love vigorously when you are young. If you don't want to do that, why are you getting married?" he said, as obtained by a media outlet.

He also added that having an intimate moment makes marriage and relationships healthy for couples.

The veteran actor also explained why it is a fundamental factor in a strong relationship.

"Couples often quarrel over some small problem. When I make a mistake, if I don't solve it, I feel uncomfortable and can't work. I will definitely solve it within that day. It's all over. It's the basis of married life," he said.

Lee Soon Jae gave advice to young couples and said, "You can't live only with love and passion. From there, trust, duty, and will are created."

Lastly, as for the "five times a week" statement, he said that it "was an impromptu ad lib."

During Lee Seung Gi and Lee Da In's wedding, the veteran actor blessed the newlyweds and delivered an unforgettable speech.

Lee Soon Jae joked that he was expecting to participate at the wedding by being the officiator, but it turned out to be Yoo Jae Suk. His speech took a different turn after he advised the newlyweds to "make love passionately and aggressively," adding that they should do it "at least five times a week" since they wouln't be able to enjoy it once they get old.

Lee Seung Gi was taken aback, while Lee Da In was spotted laughing shyly as she heard the speech.

Netizens Find Lee Soon Jae's Comment Inappropriate

Although the newlyweds and the guests played along with the actor's comment, netizens saw it the other way. The public deemed Lee Soon Jae's comment inappropriate for a wedding.

Others also pointed out that the speech was a "little too over the top" for a ceremony.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Did You Know? Lee Da In's Tiara Was Custom Made For Her Wedding

For more K-Drama, K-Movie, and celebrity news, keep your tabs open here at KDramaStars.

KDramaStars owns this article

Written by Geca Wills
After being subjected to life-changing predicaments individually, Lee Do Hyun and Ahn Eun Jin are now forced to adapt to the new lives they have now.

Read on to know more about what happened in the fourth episode of the brand new dramedy "The Good Bad Mother."

Choi Kang Ho's New Childhood Memories

After suffering from a traumatic car accident, Choi Kang Ho (Lee Do Hyun) becomes an amnesiac who only remembers his childhood memories.

Because of this, he becomes child-like again. In "The Good Bad Mother" episode 4, Choi Kang Ho spends his time in his childhood home, playing with the village kids.

He's only punished when they do mischievous things, which Jin Young Soon (Ra Mi Ran) finds endearingly adorable.

Lee Mi Joo's Heartbreaking Situation

Lee Mi Joo (Ahn Eun Jin) is dejected when she finds out that her colleague robbed their nail salon and has run away to Los Angeles.

She cries her heart out as he is racked with regrets and guilt. She remembers the beautiful time she had with Choi Kang Ho, who encouraged her to do her best and live a life that she deserves.

Meanwhile, Oh Tae Soo (Jung Woong In) almost pees his pants when the truck driver that hit Choi Kang Ho sends a confessional suicide letter to his wife.

When Song Woo Byeok (Choi Moo Sung) threatens him, he reminds the CEO about what he knows: that Song Woo Byeok killed Choi Kang Ho's late father.

Jin Young Soon Discovers Choi Kang Ho's True Colors

Jin Young Soon goes to Seoul to clear out Choi Kang Ho's place. She learns that a lot of people hate her son due to the nature of his job.

On the other hand, Choi Kang Ho patiently waits for his mother while playing with the village kids. He also remembers bits of things from his past but he shrugs it off.

In Seoul, Jin Young Soon finds gold bars among Choi Kang Ho's possessions. She soon realizes that his son has grown into an evil person.

Choi Kang Ho apologizes for his past despite not remembering what he did. In the end, she couldn't resist but comforted his son and let him cry in her arms.

After getting reenergized, Choi Kang Ho decides to explore all around the village. When he is about to go home, he meets Lee Mi Joo who returns home after getting fired from her job.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
Hillary Clinton appears on stage at the Clinton Global Initiative, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2022, in New York. The former U.S. secretary of state is set to take the stage at the Liberal party convention. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Julia Nikhinson
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien on Thursday hosted a reception in honor of World Press Freedom Day for Armenian media representatives and other stakeholders, news.am informs, citing the US Embassy in Armenia.

May 5, 2023, 10:34 US ambassador announces $17.3M investments in Armenia media sector

STEPANAKERT, MAY 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: In her remarks, Ambassador Kvien underscored the important role a free press plays in democratic societies to inform the public and hold governments and those in power accountable.

Media plays a critical role in facilitating an open exchange of information and ideas, keeping people informed, and holding those in power accountable, efforts that are vital in every democratic society, said Ambassador Kvien.

The Ambassador highlighted U.S. support for the Armenian media sector, including through USAID and Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) programming.

In March, USAID Armenia signed a $15 million agreement to implement the Media Program in Armenia project with Internews Network, a U.S. organization, in collaboration with local media development NGOs, the Media Initiatives Center and the Yerevan Press Club, and an international group, the Zinc Network. The project will strengthen the information space in Armenia by enhancing journalistic standards and content quality, catalyzing the competitiveness and financial viability of public interest media, and fostering the enabling environment for independent information flow.

The U.S. Embassys Public Diplomacy Section announced it will make a $2.3 million investment into a U.S. exchange programs for journalists, as well as graduate-level journalism education in Armenia. The first project will be the U.S.-Armenia Professional Partnership in Journalism, a U.S. exchange program for professional journalists. The second project will take the form of a U.S.-Armenia university partnership to establish a Center for Excellence in Journalism at an Armenia university.

More details about these projects will be released by the Embassy later this year.
Kennesaw State celebrates appointment of Monica Swahn as Dr. Betty L. Siegel Distinguished Chair in Health and Wellness

KENNESAW, Ga. | May 5, 2023

Monica Swahn, dean of Kennesaw State Universitys Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, was installed as the inaugural Dr. Betty L. Siegel Distinguished Chair in Health and Wellness on Thursday during a celebration in her honor.

The appointment celebrates Swahns nearly three-decade career in public health, both in government and in higher education.

A chair position is one of the highest honors and recognitions that you can have as somebody who has accomplished a great deal in their career, said Kennesaw State President Kathy Schwaig. We're grateful for those who make this support possible. We're grateful to Monica for her leadership and for her commitment to excellence. Standing L to R: Ivan Pulinkala, Debbie Pike, Lance Burchett, Kathy Schwaig; Sitting: Monica Swahn

The Dr. Betty L. Siegel Distinguished Chair in Health and Wellness recognizes the leadership and record of intellectual achievement of the dean of the Wellstar College. The endowment provides the dean with invaluable support for research, teaching, and the Colleges highest-priority initiatives and programs.

The endowment comes from a $1 million donation from Debbie Pike, who made the donation along with partners in a restaurant group she helped found. A KSU Foundation trustee who was close friends with Betty Siegel, Pike said Swahn embodies Siegels desire to transform lives through education and advocacy.

That transformative philosophy connects Dr. Siegel with the Wellstar College of Health and Human Services, with a focus on transforming lives, whole-person wellness, and serving the needs of our community, Pike said. With the vision and dedication of Dr. Swahn and her team, the supportive President Schwaig, along with this new endowment, we are convinced that we will all benefit from world-class healthcare in the future, provided by KSU students and graduates.

Swahn came to Kennesaw State in 2021 after serving as a Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Georgia State University. She previously served as the universitys associate vice president for research and as associate dean for research for the College of Health and Human Sciences. Prior to Georgia State, Swahn spent 10 years in several positions within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), including the Office of the Chief Science Officer.

Since arriving at Kennesaw State, Swahn has continued her research on public health with ongoing projects in Kampala, Uganda, studying mental health among adolescent girls and young women there. Swahn has said that people are the driving force in all she does, both as Wellstar Colleges chief administrator and as a researcher, citing the collaborative nature between KSU leadership and faculty as a key point of the Colleges success in the past two years.

This collaborative and caring culture is not something we can ever take for granted. It must be cultivated and nurtured, and its something I treasure every day, she said. Of course, Im also surrounded by a fabulous, talented and very generous team of deans, and I have also been fortunate to put in place a terrific leadership team for our Wellstar College. But all of us share a vision for student success, higher education and service, which is so very powerful and makes KSU such a special place to serve.

The investiture took place at a ceremony Thursday in the plaza at Prillaman Hall. The ceremony was attended by students, faculty and staff of Wellstar College and the University. Debbie Pike and her husband, Chris, also a KSU Foundation trustee, attended as well, as did Swahns family and friends.





-Photos by Judith Pishnery

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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.
Air defense units of the Ukrainian armed forces had to shoot down a Ukrainian drone above the capital Kiev late on Thursday, the Command of the Ukrainian Air Force said on social networks, Tass informs.

May 5, 2023, 12:16 Ukrainian armed forces had to shoot down their own drone above Kiev

STEPANAKERT, MAY 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: "At around 8:00 p.m. [Moscow time] on May 4, control was lost over a Bayraktar-TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle performing a scheduled flight in the Kiev Region," the Air Force Command said in a statement on its Facebook page.

"The drones uncontrollable flight in the capitals airspace could have led to undesirable consequences, so a decision was made to refer the matter to mobile groups. Target destroyed!" the statement says.

Presumably, the loss of control occurred "as a result of a technical malfunction." Its causes will be investigated.

No casualties were reported as a result of the air defense engagement and subsequent fall of debris.
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No one feels sorry for American doctors. They are some of the highest-paid in the world and spend their lives in the country with the highest nominal GDP in the world. But why is it so hard to find any doctors who actually like their job? Why do so many dream of walking away? Here are five reasons why.

The electronic medical record (EMR)

Technology is amazing, and the EMR is no exception. Gone are the days of hunting down old paper records, and access to patient-related data is at an all-time high. So whats the problem? There are a few.

To start, as the one taking care of an individual patient, the quantity of data is unimportantquality and relevance are key. Trying to find what you need in a bulky EMR that hasnt been optimized for user experience is a battle.

Along the same lines, reading the notes of other providers is equally grueling. Such notes are filled with auto-populated information, and identifying human insight regarding the patient (if any exists) can be like finding a needle in a haystack. To compound matters, these notes are often copied from one encounter to the next, making the scavenger hunt a regular exercise.

Finally, writing your own notes, assuming you want them to be useful, takes time. Dictation and typing are required, and when repeated up to 30 times a day, the hours accumulate. Its no wonder older physicians still pine for the days of pen and paper. Its also no wonder that the use of the EMR is strongly associated with physician burnout.

The RVU situation

When physicians work for health care systems, they are often paid by an RVU (relative value unit) system. Everything they do is assigned a given number of RVUs, and they are paid a certain rate per RVU.

For example, 3 RVUs x $50/RVU = $150. (Obviously, the health care system is paid more than $150 for the work and pockets the difference.)

As patient care is a huge revenue generator for health care systems, physicians are encouraged to generate a lot of RVUs. No big deal. Capitalism at work.

But heres the concern. Physician A generates 5,000 RVUs per year, taking meticulous care of their patients and earning the trust of families and colleagues alike. Physician B generates 6,000 RVUs per year, providing marginal care and ensuring that no colleague would place a family member under their care. In the eyes of the health care system, Physician B is the superior employee. Physician A is unmotivated at best and a liability at worst.

The tone-deaf administration

Doctors, like all other employees, have a tendency to whine. In this case, the whining is directed toward administratorsthe ones who sit in those boardrooms and eat Panera Bread all day. The conversation typically goes something like this.

Physician: Im not sure I can keep up this pace. Anyone can work this hard for six months, maybe a year, maybe even five years. But to think Im going to be doing this for the next 30 years is hard to imagine.

Administrator: I totally understand. Tell you whatgo ahead and work harder. Well just have a Physician Appreciation Day. Well get cookies, keychains, and maybe even those reusable bags you can take to the grocery store. Itll be great.

The PA/NP phenomenon

As health care systems look to provide care to the populations they serve, they have turned to physician assistants (PAs) and nurse practitioners (NPs).

First, such providers fill a void that cannot be filled by the current number of physicians.

Second, these providers can often deliver the same work as a physician at a lower cost to the system.

The issue that gets raised is not one of competence but rather one of embarrassment.

Most physicians in the U.S. must spend 11 to 15 years after high school before being able to practice independently, landing them in their 30s. During that window, six-figure student loans and unimpressive wages are the norm. If unhappy with specialty choice, a physician must obtain training in another specialty, a process that usually takes at least two years.

In the case of a PA, the post-high-school period lasts about six years, meaning less student loans and an earning potential that starts much earlier. If unhappy with specialty choice, a PA can change fields the next day.

These discrepancies have left many physicians feeling like  suckers.

The mindfulness thing

With the above stressors in play, emphasis has been placed on so-called mindfulness. While no one actually knows what that means, on the surface, the concept seems relatively benign. Unfortunately, its practical application translates into additional meetings or online activitiessome of which are mandatoryto get in touch with your feelings.

In other words, you are asked to devote more hours to work in order to feel better about it.

Most would argue that simply working less would be a more logical approach.

With all this said, there is no reason to feel bad for American doctors. Much of the world is dealing with far worse problems. In fact, many would advise doctors to simply suck it up. And thats actually fine. Just dont expect them to enjoyor continuetheir work.

Amol Shrikhande is a nephrologist.
Azerbaijani foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had a telephonic conversation Friday, news.am informs, citing Azerbaijani media.

May 5, 2023, 16:02 Azerbaijan FM consults with Turkey colleague after talks with Armenia counterpart

STEPANAKERT, MAY 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: During the talk, the [two] foreign ministers exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation issues between the two countries, as well as the current regional situation. The ministers also discussed recent talks on the draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. They touched on other issues which arise mutual interest, Azerbaijani media reported.
The Constitutional Court in Kampala has nullified the entire Narcotic, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 2016 on grounds that it was passed without the required quorum in Parliament.

Five Justices led by Deputy Chief Justice Richard Buteera, Supreme Court Judge Stephen Musota, Muzamiru Mutangula Kibeedi , Irene Mulyagonja and Monica Mugyenyi have today unanimously allowed a 2017 petition filed by Wakiso Miraa Growers and Dealers Association Limited against the Attorney General.

The petitioners through their lawyers led by Isaac Ssemakadde challenged the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act for prohibiting and criminalizing the cultivation, possession, consumption, sale, distribution, transportation, and exportation of Miraa commonly known as Mairungi by classifying it as a prohibited plant.

In the premises, I would declare the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, 2015 null and void for lack of quorum on the part of parliament contrary to articles 88 and 89 of the Constitution and rule 23 of the Rules of Procedure of the 9th parliament ,2012 made, pursuant to articles 88 and 94 of the Constitution, Justice Muzamiru Mutangula Kibeedi said.

According to the petitioners, the prohibition was not backed up by any scientific evidence yet it had a disruptive effect on the livelihood , property, cultural, and social economic rights of the petitioners who are Mairungi farmers, sellers, and consumers.

However, Vincent Nsubuga the Chairperson of Wakiso Miraa Growers and Dealers Association Limited explained that the crop should be treated as a delicacy as it is a source of their family incomes and their childrens school fees.

In their judgment, the Justices have agreed with Mairungi farmers that the process of passing the bill was flawed as the required number of MPs was absent on November 19, 2015, when the said Bill was passed and the Deputy Speaker by then did not take it upon himself to ascertain the existence of required quorum.

As such, the Justices have ruled that Parliament breached its own rules of procedure as the existence of quorum at the voting stage means the bill receives the majority of the sufficient number of votes in order for it to be lawfully passed.

Consequently, the Justices have declared the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Act of 2016 null and void and accordingly ordered the government to pay the farmers costs they have spent on this petition.
Analysts have questioned the criteria used to deploy bodyguards to Very Important Persons (VIPs) in the country. This follows Tuesdays incident where a bodyguard shot dead his principal in Kyanja, a Kampala suburb.

Private Wilson Sabiti shot dead the State Minister for Labour, Employment and Industrial Relations, Charles Engola and injured his aide Lt Ronald Otim before turning the gun on himself.

Investigations are still ongoing on the motive behind the soldiers act but many have pointed to the general welfare of security officers and their mental wellbeing.

Speaking to KFM, Godber Tumushabe, the associate director at the Great Lakes Institute for Strategic Studies has recommended that the process of deployment of bodyguards, the training received, and their personal characters be examined critically.
The Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Gharibashvili expressed his belief in Georgia's deserving the status of a candidate for EU membership during his speech at the annual conference of conservative political action in Budapest. He reiterated that Georgia's belongs to Europe and that the country is as close to achieving this goal as ever.According to Gharibashvili, Georgia is eagerly awaiting a fair and forward-looking decision from Europe regarding its candidacy for EU membership. Gharibashvili emphasized that Georgia's desire to become a full member of the European family of nations, which is based on Christian values, has been a driving force for centuries.The Prime Minister also noted that due to the extensive reforms implemented by his government, Georgia is now closer than ever before to achieving its goal."It is the ideal of freedom that drives Georgia for centuries in its quest to become a full-fledged member of the family of European nations. Europe, which is based on Christian values. As a result of large-scale reforms carried out by our government, today we are closer to this goal than ever before," said Gharibashvili.The Prime Minister stated that the establishment of state institutions and the strengthening of public institutions deserve recognition from impartial and objective evaluators worldwide."The construction of state institutions and the strengthening of public institutions rightfully deserve the recognition of impartial and objective evaluators all over the world," said the Prime Minister.The Minister of Justice of Georgia Rati Bregadze had a meeting with members of the European Union Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag. Reforms were among the topics discussed during the meeting. Thomas Hacker, one of the members of the committee, mentioned that the issue of media freedom and Nika Gvaramia was also addressed in the meeting with the Minister of Justice.Thomas Hacker stated that during their meeting with the Minister of Justice of Georgia, they discussed Georgia's development and its path towards Europe. The committee was informed about the progress that has been made in terms of legislative changes and reforms.Additionally, Hacker raised the issue of Nika Gvaramia and media freedom, requesting to visit Gvaramia but was refused due to the general policy of not allowing foreigners to enter prisons in Georgia. The committee did not discuss the topic of Mikheil Saakashvili."We had a meeting with the Minister of Justice of Georgia. We talked about Georgia's development and path towards the European Community. We received information about the achieved legislative progress and reforms. Also, on my behalf, I once again asked to visit Nika Gvaramia, and once again I was refused. I was told that foreigners do not have the opportunity to enter the prison in Georgia. This is a general decision, so it is not possible for me. The issue of Mikheil Saakashvili was not discussed. We talked about progress, media freedom, and the special case of Nika Gvaramia," said Thomas Hacker.
The EU believes that the only viable peace plan for Ukraine is the plan put forward by Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Brussels does not take the Chinese initiative seriously, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on Friday, Tass informs.

May 5, 2023, 16:28 EU considering only Zelensky's peace plan, sees Chinas proposal as not serious  Borrell

STEPANAKERT, MAY 5, ARTSAKHPRESS: Brussels top diplomat said, at the State of the Union 2023 conference in Florence, that the EUs point of view is that diplomatic negotiations for achieving peace in Ukraine would not currently make any sense.

Borrell also criticized China for supporting Russia, but pointed out that, according to Brussels, China was not yet supplying Russia with weapons.

"The only thing that could be called [a] peace plan is Zelensky's proposal. Because the Chinese 'peace plan,' well, it's not a peace plan, it's a set of wishful consideration[s], wishful thinkings, but it's not a peace plan. The only one [plan] is the one that has been proposed by the Ukrainians, but, certainly, it has not been accepted by the Russians. <> So, peace plans are good, but you need someone that wants to talk about peace, really. If you find someone who says, 'I have military objectives, and I will continue bombing, I will continue fighting, until I got them [the objectives], well, what kind of a peace talk would you want to do?" Borrell asked rhetorically.
Mayor of Kilkenny, Cllr David FitzGerald has welcomed the move of the National Veterinary College to the Kildalton Campus in South Kilkenny.

The National College for training Vets is part of the South East Technological University ( SETU) expansion into the County of Kilkenny.

Cllr FitzGerald said this development is a huge moment for the South East.

"This is a major boost for the Education and Agriculture sectors in the South East. It is logical placement for the National Veterinary College in the heart of an established and successful Agriculture College in Kildalton. The reality is a large number of potential veterinary students head elsewhere in Europe for their studies and return to Ireland in specialised small animal practices.

"The agriculture sector needs a significant number of vets who are capable of treating large animals, I think the home for the Veterinary Kildalton facility makes a lot of sense. This announcement is a gamechanger for veterinary students, this will provide for a more rural experience to support the agriculture sector. This facility will require a multi million-euro investment to establish the facilities on top of the already well regarded Kildalton campus. 

Cllr David FitzGerald has welcomed the move ahead of the South East Technological University (SETU) strategic plan which will be launched later this month.

"I welcome the news of the National Centre for training for the next generation of vets in Kildalton. Ive been part of the lobbying for a Kilkenny SETU campus both within the county and city. The strategic plan is the long-term planning for the SETU and therefore is crucial that Kilkenny is included and represented within that plan. This will set down the template for the delivery of campus and facilities across the South East. The opportunities which I always hoped and have been aspired to through the SETU are eventually being realised.

"SETU has the potential to knit together all the counties in the South East, to allow the region to become a major force within the country. The unemployment rate is the highest in the country and thats because weve been at a disadvantage from an education point of view. Weve been sandwich between Dublin and Cork for generations this is our opportunity now to make our own mark to develop our own facilities and educate our local students," he added.
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(Kitco News) - Comex gold futures prices are lower and have extended overnight losses following a U.S. economic report that came in better than market expectations and falls into the camp of the Federal Reserve monetary policy hawks. Profit-taking by the shorter-term futures traders is featured to end the trading week, after Comex gold futures prices hit a record high of $2,085.40 Thursday. June gold was last down $24.60 at $2,031.80 and July silver was down $0.172 at $26.03.

The just-released April U.S. jobs report from the Labor Department showed a rise in non-farm payrolls of 253,000. The key number was forecast to come in at up 180,000. However, the March jobs report saw non-farm payrolls revised down, at up 165,000 versus the initial number of up 248,000. The U.S. unemployment rate in April was 3.4% versus expectations for a rate of 3.6% and a rate of 3.5% in the March report.

Global stock markets were mixed to firmer overnight. U.S. stock indexes are pointed toward higher openings when the New York day session begins, following losses posted every day this week. Risk aversion remains elevated to end the trading week, mainly on concerns over the health of the U.S. banking sectorespecially regional banks. Reports said the U.S. government is investigating potential trader manipulation of banking stocks.

The key outside markets today see the U.S. dollar index slightly higher. Nymex crude oil prices are higher and trading around $70.50 a barrel. Meantime, the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note yield is presently fetching around 3.5%.

Other U.S. economic data due for release Friday includes the global services PMI and consumer credit.

Technically, the gold futures bulls have the strong overall near-term technical advantage. Bulls next upside price objective is to produce a close in June futures above solid resistance at $2,100.00. Bears' next near-term downside price objective is pushing futures prices below solid technical support at the April low of $1,965.90. First resistance is seen at $2,050.00 and then at the April high of $2,063.40. First support is seen at todays low of $2,027.60 and then at $2,016.00. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.5

The silver bulls have the solid overall near-term technical advantage. Silver bulls' next upside price objective is closing July futures prices above solid technical resistance at $27.50. The next downside price objective for the bears is closing prices below solid support at $24.50. First resistance is seen at the April high of $26.435 and then at $26.75. Next support is seen at Thursdays low of $25.70 and then at $25.355. Wyckoff's Market Rating: 8.0.
HONG KONG/SYDNEY/NEW YORK, May 5 (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co, travels to mainland China this month for the first time in four years, sources said, the latest in a series of visits by top foreign financial executives since the lifting of tough COVID-19 curbs.

The trip comes as JPMorgan (JPM.N) hosts three conferences in the financial hub of Shanghai at the end of the month, said four sources, who all have direct knowledge of the matter.

The visit is Dimon's first to mainland China since the pandemic gathered pace in 2020 and closed the world's second-largest economy for almost three years as it enforced some of the world's most stringent restrictions.

JPMorgan will host the Morgan Tech Exchange conference, the China New Economy Forum and the Global China Summit over a three-day day period in Shanghai towards the end of this month, according to two of the sources.

The sources sought anonymity as the information is not yet public.

Dimon will attend the conferences and hold internal and external meetings, one of the sources said. He will also visit Hong Kong in early June after the Shanghai trip, two of the sources added.

Dimon visited the Asian financial hub of Hong Kong to meet the bank's staff and clients in November 2021.

A JPMorgan spokesperson in Hong Kong declined to comment on Dimon's visit to mainland China and Hong Kong.

JPMorgan's China business presence includes its wholly-owned securities venture, which offers securities underwriting and advisory services. The Wall Street bank acquired 100% ownership of its funds management joint venture in January.

The approval process for the funds business stretched more than two years.

Almost 1,500 people, mostly foreign investors, will attend the Global China Summit, one of the sources said, in a sign that overseas investors remain interested in buying back into China after its January re-opening from its "zero-COVID" policy.

In recent years, Wall Street and European financial firms have stepped up expansion efforts in China, seeking to boost their presence via new set-ups and joint-venture partnerships.

Late in March, a flurry of top financial executives visited China for the first time since the COVID pandemic, as global financial giants seek to cement ties with Beijing at the start of President Xi Jinping's new term.

Goldman Sachs (GS.N) CEO David Solomon, HSBC (HSBA.L) CEO Noel Quinn and Standard Chartered (STAN.L) boss Bill Winters were among those who held face-to-face meetings with Chinese officials and regulators at the time.
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(Kitco News) - As Kenya explores ways to shore up its finances and increase government revenue, lawmakers in the country are looking to tax cryptocurrency and nonfungible token (NFT) transactions as a potential source of income according to a newly introduced bill to the Kenyan parliament.

Received by the national assembly on May 4, the Finance Bill 2023 is looking to amend the Income Tax Act by inserting a section that establishes a tax to be known as digital asset tax that shall be payable by a person on income derived from the transfer or exchange of digital assets.

Based on the text of the bill, the owner of the platform or the person who facilitates any exchange or transfer of a digital asset will be responsible for collecting the appropriate tax and submitting it to the Commissioner.

A person who is required to deduct the digital asset tax shall, within twenty-four hours after making the deduction, remit the amount so deducted to the Commissioner together with a return of the amount of the payment, the amount of tax deducted, and other such information the Commissioner may require, the bill reads. The rate of tax in respect of digital asset tax shall be three percent of the transfer or exchange value of the digital asset.

Non-residents who own a platform on which Kenyans conduct digital asset exchanges will be required to register under the simplified tax regime.

A digital asset is defined as anything of value that is not tangible, including "cryptocurrencies, token code, number held in digital form and generated through cryptographic means or otherwise, by whatever name called, providing a digital representation of value exchanged with or without consideration that can be transferred, stored or exchanged electronically.

The definition also included non-fungible tokens (NFTs), or any other token of a similar nature.

The income derived from the transfer or exchange of a digital asset will be determined by the gross fair market value consideration received or receivable at the point of exchange or transfer of a digital asset.

Highlighting the changing landscape of the global employment market, the bill also looks to impose a tax on digital content monetization, applying a 15% tax on content creators who are paid to promote various products and services online. This includes activities such as sponsorships, affiliate marketing, paid subscriptions, licensing content, crowdfunding and merchandise sales.

The bill is set to undergo five rounds of readings, committees and reports by the National Assembly before coming up for a final vote. If passed, it will then go to the president to be signed into law.

According to a September report from Chainalysis that looked at global crypto adoption, Kenya ranks 19th in the world in the overall index ranking, indicating that the country has one of the more active blockchain communities. A report presented at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development in August indicates that 8.5% of Kenyas population owns crypto, making it the fifth-ranked country globally behind Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela and Singapore.

Last November, the government of Kenya made its first effort to regulate the countrys growing cryptocurrency industry by introducing amendments to its capital market laws requiring those who own or deal in crypto to report information on their activities to the authorities.
May 5 (Reuters) - Russian bank National Bank Trust said it had filed a lawsuit in the British Virgin Islands against a number of major commodity traders and was seeking over $1 billion in relation to what it said was fraud.

The bank - which is 99% owned by the Russian central bank - said late on Thursday that traders from Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Bunge, Quadra, Xangbo and Liberty Commodities had "wilfully participated" in what it called illegal schemes.

Louis Dreyfus declined to comment. None of the other companies immediately responded to requests for comment.

The case is linked to the central bank's 2017 bailout of two private banks - Rost Bank and B&N Bank (Binbank). National Bank Trust is the legal successor to Rost Bank, which it says was defrauded by employees working for the commodity traders.

The lawsuit also targets offshore companies linked to Mikhail Shishkhanov, the former owner of Rost Bank and Binbank.

"Between 2013 and 2017, as Bank Trust claims, Mr. Shishkhanov conspired with traders from international agricultural and commodity trading companies, such as Cargill, Louis Dreyfus, Bunge, Quadra, Xangbo and Liberty Commodities, to conceal transfers from Binbank that were intended to dissipate funds in violation of financial regulations," Bank Trust said in a statement.

Shishkhanov could not immediately be reached for comment. An email and phone calls to three numbers at one point associated with him went unanswered.

A Bank Trust spokesperson said its international legal teams had carried out a large-scale investigation and it had extensive evidence to support its case.

Bank Trust, which is an umbrella for the non-performing loans of banks rescued by the central bank in 2017, has been attempting to recover at least some of nearly 3 trillion roubles spent by the central bank on the bailouts.

The central bank aims to liquidate Bank Trust in 2027.
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(Kitco News) - Terraform Labs, the company behind the Terra/Luna stablecoin pair whose collapse led to a series of cascading bankruptcies and the onset of the crypto winter, is petitioning to have a U.S. class action lawsuit dismissed.

The class action was filed by investor Nick Patterson in June 2022, claiming that Terraform Labs algorithmic stablecoin tokens UST and LUNA were actually securities, and that the company committed racketeering, mail and wire fraud.

On May 2, the firms attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the suit in a California federal court, challenging the jurisdictional and legal applicability of each of Pattersons allegations in turn.

Federal securities law, the mail and wire fraud statutes, and RICO [the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act] apply domestically, not extraterritorially, they wrote. Lead Plaintiffs securities claims based on his acquisition of UST challenge conduct that is not domestic: The federal securities laws do not apply because the SAC does not allege that any of the protocols at issue were developed domestically, that any challenged statements by Defendants were made in the U.S., or even that Lead Plaintiffs UST purchase was made in the U.S.

The lawyers also argued that the Plaintiffs mail and wire fraud allegations are not sufficiently domestic to support a RICO claim, saying that claiming Terraform used U.S. wires to communicate or send and receive money are not enough. [A]llegations that racketeering conduct was directed from or to the United States are necessary, they wrote.

The lawyers challenge of Pattersons allegation that the Luna and Terra tokens are securities relies on the now-familiar criticisms that crypto firms have been leveling at the SEC for years.

Lead Plaintiffs attempt to rely on the SECs allegations regarding the Terra Tokens being securities is fatal, they wrote. First off, they say Patterson cannot simply base his claim on the SECs allegations. Secondly, the SEC is wrong and [the Howey test] does not apply to digital assets. And finally, Patterson does not adequately plead that any specific Terra Token satisfies the Howey test.

Do Kwon, the founder and CEO of Terraform Labs, and the companys chief financial officer Han Chang Joon Kwon, were arrested at the airport in Montenegro's capital city of Podgorica on March 23 after being caught attempting to travel to Dubai under fake Costa Rican traveling documents.

Kwon fled his native South Korea following the collapse of the Terra ecosystem in May 2022, with a South Korean court issuing an arrest warrant on Sept. 17 and Interpol issuing a Red Notice two weeks later.

On Feb. 17, 2023 the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged Do Kwon with securities fraud, writing that Kwon and Terraform orchestrated a multi-billion dollar crypto asset securities fraud involving an algorithmic stablecoin and other crypto asset securities.

If Terraforms motion to dismiss the class action suit fails, it will be heard by federal judge Trina L. Thompson on September 19, 2023 in San Francisco.
Iran's navy says it has forced a US submarine to surface as it entered the Persian Gulf, but the United States Navy's Fifth Fleet has denied such the incident.

"The US submarine was approaching while submerged, but the Iranian submarine Fateh detected it and carried out... manoeuvres to force it to surface as it went through the Strait (of Hormuz). It had also entered into our territorial waters but ... it corrected its course after being warned," Iranian navy commander Shahram Irani told state television on Thursday.

"This submarine was doing its best, using all its capacities, to pass in total silence and without being detected," Irani said.

"We will certainly reflect to international bodies the fact that it had violated our border."

The US Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, denied what it called Iranian "disinformation".

"A US submarine has not transited the Strait of Hormuz today or recently," Commander Timothy Hawkins told Reuters.

"The claim represents more Iranian disinformation that does not contribute to regional maritime security and stability."

The US Navy said earlier this month that the nuclear-powered, guided-missile submarine Florida was operating in the Middle East in support of its Fifth Fleet.

Iranian and US forces have had a number of confrontations in the past. In early April, the Iranian navy said it had identified and warned off a US reconnaissance plane outside the mouth of the Gulf.

In 2019, Iran shot down a US drone which it said was flying over southern Iran.
St Helier, 05.05.2023 (PresseBox) - Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc ("Caledonia" or the "Company" - https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/caledonia-mining-corporation-plc/) announces that yesterday Leigh Wilson retiredfrom his roleas Director and Non-Executive Chairman of the Company. His successor as Chairman will be announced after the upcoming annual general meeting to be held on May 9, 2023, with John Kelly, Non-Executive Director, acting as interim Chairman in the intervening period.

Commenting on Leigh Wilsons retirement, Mark Learmonth Chief Executive Officer,said:

"On behalf ofCaledonia's board of directors, I thank Leigh for his contribution to Caledonia.Leigh became Chairman in May 2013, after a successful career in international business and financial services having served in senior executive and management positions with Union Bank of Switzerland in London, and with Paribas Group in Paris and New York, where he served as CEO of Paribas North America.

"Caledonia was a very different company when Leigh became Chairman and, over this time, he has made many contributions to its success. Under his leadership, Caledonia has increased production from approximately 45,000 ounces in 2013 to just over 80,000 ounces in 2022. A key component of this growth was the completion of the Central Shaft project which has established a solid foundation for its growth.

"Over the last 18 months, Caledonia has acquired an attractive portfolio of high-quality exploration and development assets in Zimbabwe. We now have a clear pathway to build on the success at Blanket Mine with the objective of creating a multi-asset, mid-tier, Zimbabwe-focused gold producer over the course of the next 5 to 7 years.

"Achievements such as this require strong leadership: management and the Board are extremely grateful to Leigh, where his strength, skills and experience proved invaluable over this period.

"Caledoniahasalsoimprovedits relevance to international capital markets, with Caledonia shares now traded on the NYSE American, AIM in London and the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange inZimbabwe. Caledonia's share price has been one of the top performers in its peer group: since January 2013, Caledonia's market capitalisation has increased from $56 million to $278 million; over the same period, we have paid almost $30 million in dividends to Caledonia shareholders and total shareholder return over the period has been 670 per cent. An outstanding performance by any criteria.

"On behalf of the Board of Directors, the management team and our shareholders, I thank Leigh and wish him all the best in the future.

Commenting on his retirement, Leigh Wilson said:

"It has been a privilege to serve Caledonia and its shareholders as a Director and Non-Executive Chairman over the last ten years. During this period, the business has been transformed from a junior gold miner with one producing asset to a company that has now laid the foundation to realise its vision of becoming a multi-asset, mid-tier, Zimbabwe-focused gold producer.

The Directors, Executive Management of both Caledonia and Blanket Mine, and staff have worked hard to build and expand the business. It has been an honour to help guide them on this journey. As a shareholder, I will remain closely interested in Caledonias future and I have no doubt that the excellent team at Caledonia, Blanket and now Bilboes will continue to deliver on this strategy.

Note: This announcement contains inside information which is disclosed in accordance with the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (MAR) as it forms part of UK domestic law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 and is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of MAR.

Cautionary Note Concerning Forward-Looking Information

Information and statements contained in this news release that are not historical facts are forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation that involve risks and uncertainties relating, but not limited, to Caledonias current expectations, intentions, plans, and beliefs. Forward-looking information can often be identified by forward-looking words such as anticipate, believe, expect, goal, plan, target, intend, estimate, could, should, may and will or the negative of these terms or similar words suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Examples of forward-looking information in this news release include: production guidance, estimates of future/targeted production rates, and our plans and timing regarding further exploration and drilling and development. This forward-looking information is based, in part, on assumptions and factors that may change or prove to be incorrect, thus causing actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by forward-looking information. Such factors and assumptions include, but are not limited to: failure to establish estimated resources and reserves, the grade and recovery of ore which is mined varying from estimates, success of future exploration and drilling programs, reliability of drilling, sampling and assay data, assumptions regarding the representativeness of mineralization being inaccurate, success of planned metallurgical test-work, capital and operating costs varying significantly from estimates, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects and other factors.

Security holders, potential security holders and other prospective investors should be aware that these statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: risks relating to estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources proving to be inaccurate, fluctuations in gold price, risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, risks relating to the credit worthiness or financial condition of suppliers, refiners and other parties with whom the Company does business; inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks and hazards, employee relations; relationships with and claims by local communities and indigenous populations; political risk; risks related to natural disasters, terrorism, civil unrest, public health concerns (including health epidemics or outbreaks of communicable diseases such as the coronavirus (COVID-19)); availability and increasing costs associated with mining inputs and labour; the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development, including the risks of obtaining or maintaining necessary licenses and permits, diminishing quantities or grades of mineral reserves as mining occurs; global financial condition, the actual results of current exploration activities, changes to conclusions of economic evaluations, and changes in project parameters to deal with unanticipated economic or other factors, risks of increased capital and operating costs, environmental, safety or regulatory risks, expropriation, the Companys title to properties including ownership thereof, increased competition in the mining industry for properties, equipment, qualified personnel and their costs, risks relating to the uncertainty of timing of events including targeted production rate increase and currency fluctuations. Security holders, potential security holders and other prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. By its nature, forward-looking information involves numerous assumptions, inherent risks and uncertainties, both general and specific, that contribute to the possibility that the predictions, forecasts, projections and various future events will not occur. Caledonia undertakes no obligation to update publicly or otherwise revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or other such factors which affect this information, except as required by law.

This news release is not an offer of the shares of Caledonia for sale in the United States or elsewhere. This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the shares of Caledonia, in any province, state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such province, state or jurisdiction.
Toby arrived at the Finger Lakes SPCA of CNY on March 9. He is a mixed breed, 3-year-old, medium sized canine. Toby enjoys dry food and will sit politely if you offer him a tasty snack like Milk-Bones or Pup-Peroni! Toby previously lived with another dog and has spent time with children, too. Tobys fun-loving personality is best seen when he is outside playing fetch or tug! Toby loves to snuggle on the couch, as he is the perfect size to crawl up in your lap for some extra one-on-one time! Prior to Tobys arrival at the shelter, he broke one of his front legs. Since then, it has healed and does not slow him down during leash walks or playtime in our yard. If interested in meeting Toby, please visit or call the shelter at (315) 253-5841.

Shelter news

We welcome the community to join us for our open house from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, May 6! Our team will be showing off all the recent shelter updates and changes, as well as the new blueprints for our upcoming expansion project!

Some of the dogs and cats have even prepared special paintings for a Silent Auction. You will have the chance to take home one-of-a-kind shelter pet art!

Im excited to share our new vision for a reimagined shelter, said Nick Lapresi, the new executive director who took over the shelter in October. Its something that not only benefits animals, but the entire community. Were making a greater impact in the community than ever before.

Join us as our new team features highlights of the animals available for adoption, presentations of our services and upcoming projects, and staff-led tours of the shelter! During the event, community members will also be able to learn about volunteer and foster opportunities! All are welcome to join us for this free event, sponsored by Auburn Party Rental! (Note: Pets are not allowed, and light refreshments will be served.)

The shelter has changed drastically in only a few short months, said Anastasia Zygarowicz, president of the shelter's board of directors. We wanted to create an event that showed off all of these changes and also a place to answer questions, especially if you are looking to get involved. With so many animal lovers in the community, we are hoping this event attracts new volunteers and supporters of the shelter.
KLTZ and Mix-93 are teaming up with area sponsors to give away prize packs for Mothers Day again this year! Stop by our participating stores and register your mom - then tune in Friday morning, May 12th, at 7:15 a.m. for the list of the winners! No purchase is necessary.

Our sponsors and prizes:
Shenandoah, IA (51601)

Today

Sun and clouds mixed. High 79F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low 61F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
City

 Jeffrey W. Strachan, 47, 7 Perrine St., Auburn, was charged May 2 with fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree reckless endangerment.

 Jennifer L. Wilmot, 36, 38 E. Genesee St., Auburn, was charged May 2 with endangering the welfare of a child.

 Robert J. Johnson, 31, 7 Arlington Ave., Auburn, was charged May 4 with third-degree menacing.

 Mark W. Shear, 36, 101 Quill Ave., was charged May 4 with aggravated family offense, fourth-degree criminal mischief and second-degree criminal contempt.

County

 Bryan M. Tucker, 38, 4088 Vanderscouw Road, Niles, was charged May 3 with endangering the welfare of a child.

 Jon A. Shufelt, 49, 1921 State Route 14, Geneva, was charged May 3 with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

State

 Daniel P. Mitchell, 55, Madison, was charged May 3 with driving while intoxicated-first offense and aggravated driving while intoxicated.
Manhattan prosecutors are conducting a "rigorous ongoing investigation" into the death of a man seen in video being put in a chokehold by another rider on the New York subway.
The Chiba Bank, Ltd. (OTCMKTS:CHBAY  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $37.38 and last traded at $37.38, with a volume of 0 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $37.38.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Daiwa Capital Markets downgraded shares of Chiba Bank from an outperform rating to a neutral rating in a report on Wednesday, April 5th.

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Chiba Bank Price Performance

The stocks fifty day moving average price is $37.38 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.66.

About Chiba Bank

The Chiba Bank, Ltd. engages in the business of banking services. The company offers general banking services including deposits, loans, domestic and foreign exchange transactions; and financial services such as leasing, securities brokerage, credit cards and others. It also develops software; and provides business management and staffing services.

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Eldorado Gold Co. (TSE:ELD  Get Rating) (NYSE:EGO) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$15.84 and last traded at C$15.77, with a volume of 845209 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at C$15.17.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ELD has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. National Bank Financial downgraded shares of Eldorado Gold from an outperform overweight rating to a sector perform spec overwgt rating in a research note on Monday, January 16th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Eldorado Gold from C$12.00 to C$14.00 in a research note on Friday, February 24th. National Bankshares upped their price target on shares of Eldorado Gold from C$13.50 to C$16.50 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Eldorado Gold from a buy rating to a hold rating and upped their price target for the stock from C$16.00 to C$16.50 in a research note on Thursday, April 20th.

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Eldorado Gold Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 2.28, a current ratio of 2.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 15.71. The stock has a market cap of C$2.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 160.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 56.20 and a beta of 1.34. The companys 50-day moving average is C$13.92 and its 200-day moving average is C$11.86.

About Eldorado Gold

Eldorado Gold ( TSE:ELD Get Rating ) (NYSE:EGO) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 23rd. The company reported C$0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.07 by C$0.12. The company had revenue of C$334.27 million during the quarter. Eldorado Gold had a negative net margin of 1.64% and a positive return on equity of 0.36%. Equities research analysts expect that Eldorado Gold Co. will post 0.5806335 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Eldorado Gold Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the mining, exploration, development, and sale of mineral products primarily in Turkey, Canada, Greece, and Romania. The company primarily produces gold, as well as silver, lead, and zinc. It holds a 100% interest in the Kisladag and Efemcukuru gold mines located in western Turkey; 100% interest in Lamaque gold mines located in Canada; and Olympias, Stratoni, Skouries, Perama Hill, and Sapes gold mines located in Greece, as well as the 80.5% interest in Certej development projects located in Romania.

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Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach (OTCMKTS:FMBL  Get Rating)s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $5,601.01 and last traded at $5,601.01, with a volume of 16 shares. The stock had previously closed at $5,670.00.

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $654.98 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.92 and a beta of 0.40. The stocks 50 day moving average is $6,212.00 and its 200 day moving average is $7,088.13. The company has a current ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.53.

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Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a dividend of $28.00 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a dividend yield of 1.6%. Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beachs dividend payout ratio is 13.83%.

About Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach

Farmers & Merchants Bank of Long Beach engages in the provision of personal and business banking services. The firm offers business checking, money market, and investment accounts, merchant card services, and small business, real estate, construction, commercial, church, and nonprofit loans. It also provides personal checking, personal money market, and personal savings accounts, as well as personal and home loans.

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Gamble Jones Investment Counsel lowered its position in shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV  Get Rating) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 96,205 shares of the companys stock after selling 145 shares during the period. AbbVie comprises approximately 1.2% of Gamble Jones Investment Counsels holdings, making the stock its 19th largest holding. Gamble Jones Investment Counsels holdings in AbbVie were worth $15,548,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Retirement Income Solutions Inc purchased a new position in AbbVie in the first quarter valued at about $204,000. Ergoteles LLC grew its stake in shares of AbbVie by 17.8% during the first quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 5,605 shares of the companys stock worth $909,000 after acquiring an additional 847 shares during the last quarter. First Western Trust Bank purchased a new stake in shares of AbbVie during the first quarter worth about $1,150,000. Wsfs Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of AbbVie during the first quarter worth about $562,000. Finally, Bridgewater Associates LP grew its stake in shares of AbbVie by 80.4% during the first quarter. Bridgewater Associates LP now owns 75,516 shares of the companys stock worth $12,242,000 after acquiring an additional 33,661 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.71% of the companys stock.

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AbbVie Trading Down 1.4 %

ABBV stock traded down $2.02 during trading on Thursday, reaching $147.23. 1,684,569 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,026,332. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $156.78 and its 200-day moving average price is $155.13. AbbVie Inc. has a 52-week low of $134.09 and a 52-week high of $168.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.42, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.84. The firm has a market capitalization of $259.73 billion, a PE ratio of 35.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 0.58.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

AbbVie ( NYSE:ABBV Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.46 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.44 by $0.02. AbbVie had a return on equity of 147.43% and a net margin of 13.37%. The company had revenue of $12.23 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $12.23 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $3.16 earnings per share. The firms quarterly revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that AbbVie Inc. will post 10.96 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th will be issued a $1.48 dividend. This represents a $5.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.02%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, April 13th. AbbVies dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 139.95%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Elaine K. Sorg sold 6,130 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total transaction of $1,011,450.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 35,330 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,829,450. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Elaine K. Sorg sold 6,130 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $165.00, for a total value of $1,011,450.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 35,330 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,829,450. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Carrie C. Strom sold 28,541 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $151.04, for a total value of $4,310,832.64. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 37,921 shares in the company, valued at $5,727,587.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 191,897 shares of company stock worth $29,455,233 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.26% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on ABBV shares. StockNews.com upgraded AbbVie from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research note on Friday, April 14th. Piper Sandler boosted their price target on AbbVie from $157.00 to $163.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Atlantic Securities decreased their price target on AbbVie from $157.00 to $154.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 10th. Barclays upped their target price on AbbVie from $155.00 to $160.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Argus cut AbbVie from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $162.56.

About AbbVie

(Get Rating)

AbbVie, Inc is a research-based biopharmaceutical company, which engages in the development and sale of pharmaceutical products. It focuses on treating conditions such as chronic autoimmune diseases in rheumatology, gastroenterology, and dermatology, oncology, including blood cancers, virology, hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), neurological disorders, such as Parkinsons, metabolic, comprising thyroid disease and complications associated with cystic fibrosis, pain associated with endometriosis, and other serious health conditions.

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A library media specialist within the Cato-Meridian Central School District has been acknowledged by a state senator for their ability as a librarian.

Jenna Landon, library media specialist with Cato-Meridian Elementary School, was one of 10 people across to the state to be recognized in the 2023 Outstanding Librarian Awards as a part of Library Week, according to an April 27 news release from the state Senate website. The senate unanimously passed a resolution recognizing Library Week, introduced by State Sen. Iwen Chu, chair of the libraries committee, the release said. The week was observed April 23-29 this year.

To mark Library Week, the release said, Chu solicited nominations from throughout the state for librarians "who go above and beyond to serve their communities," with Chu picking the winners.

"Jenna has created several dynamic spaces for children to embrace reading, try new things, and share their learning with each other and the school community," the news release from the Senate website said. The release also said Landon devotes time "to volunteering on school committees to help broaden the opportunities for our students and has helped our staff with understanding and utilizing new technology. Jenna shares an open-mind and a message of acceptance and kindness with our students every day."
Acadia Realty Trust (NYSE:AKR  Get Rating) updated its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $1.17-$1.26 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $1.22. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Acadia Realty Trust Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AKR traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $13.40. 832,787 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 633,422. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 1.05 and a current ratio of 1.05. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $13.58 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $14.27. Acadia Realty Trust has a 12 month low of $12.28 and a 12 month high of $21.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.28 billion, a PE ratio of -34.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 1.47.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on AKR shares. StockNews.com raised Acadia Realty Trust from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Thursday. TheStreet raised Acadia Realty Trust from a d+ rating to a c- rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Acadia Realty Trust has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $18.17.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Acadia Realty Trust

Acadia Realty Trust Company Profile

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new position in shares of Acadia Realty Trust in the first quarter worth about $45,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in Acadia Realty Trust in the 1st quarter worth approximately $75,000. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its holdings in Acadia Realty Trust by 39.7% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 11,636 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $147,000 after buying an additional 3,308 shares in the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp boosted its position in Acadia Realty Trust by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 11,728 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 984 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Acadia Realty Trust in the 4th quarter valued at $151,000.

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Acadia Realty Trust is a real estate investment trust, which engages in delivering operating platforms and investment strategy. It operates through the following business segments: Core Portfolio, Funds, and Structured Financing. The Core Portfolio segment consists of retail properties. The Funds segment handles retail real estate.

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Americold Realty Trust (NYSE:COLD  Get Rating) updated its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.16-$1.26 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.97. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Americold Realty Trust also updated its FY23 guidance to $1.16-1.26 EPS.

Americold Realty Trust Stock Performance

Americold Realty Trust stock traded up $0.36 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $29.20. 888,356 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,353,301. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.18 and a quick ratio of 0.18. Americold Realty Trust has a fifty-two week low of $21.49 and a fifty-two week high of $32.99. The company has a market capitalization of $7.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -412.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.94 and a beta of 0.50. The firms fifty day moving average is $28.71 and its two-hundred day moving average is $28.75.

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Americold Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.22 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.01%. Americold Realty Trusts payout ratio is -1,256.96%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Institutional Trading of Americold Realty Trust

COLD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial lowered shares of Americold Realty Trust from a buy rating to a hold rating and set a $34.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Americold Realty Trust from $31.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Barclays raised shares of Americold Realty Trust from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating and increased their price target for the stock from $30.00 to $32.00 in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $32.94.

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Americold Realty Trust by 12.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 12,214 shares of the companys stock worth $341,000 after acquiring an additional 1,370 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in Americold Realty Trust by 4.0% during the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 70,576 shares of the companys stock worth $1,970,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Americold Realty Trust during the first quarter worth about $149,000. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can raised its stake in Americold Realty Trust by 2.6% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 227,009 shares of the companys stock worth $6,570,000 after purchasing an additional 5,684 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its stake in Americold Realty Trust by 29.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,735,991 shares of the companys stock worth $76,279,000 after purchasing an additional 619,710 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.98% of the companys stock.

Americold Realty Trust Company Profile

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Americold Realty Trust, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which focuses on the ownership, operation, development, and acquisition of temperature-controlled warehouses. It operates through the following segments: Warehouse, Third-Party Managed, Transportation, and Other. The Warehouse segment collects rent and storage fees from customers to store frozen and perishable food and other products within the firms real estate portfolio.

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TELUS (NYSE:TU  Get Rating) (TSE:T) had its price objective lifted by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from C$32.00 to C$33.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday, The Fly reports.

Several other brokerages have also commented on TU. National Bank Financial decreased their target price on TELUS from C$31.00 to C$30.00 in a research report on Friday, February 10th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of TELUS in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. Desjardins lowered their price objective on shares of TELUS from C$33.00 to C$32.00 in a research report on Friday, February 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of TELUS from C$36.00 to C$33.00 in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Finally, TD Securities boosted their price objective on shares of TELUS from C$31.00 to C$32.00 in a research report on Friday.

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TELUS Stock Up 0.7 %

TU stock traded up $0.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $21.00. 1,310,591 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,521,947. The company has a market capitalization of $30.20 billion, a PE ratio of 23.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. TELUS has a twelve month low of $18.85 and a twelve month high of $25.50. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.35 and a 200 day simple moving average of $20.60.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

TELUS ( NYSE:TU Get Rating ) (TSE:T) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.21 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.68 billion. TELUS had a return on equity of 9.49% and a net margin of 8.82%. On average, research analysts forecast that TELUS will post 0.86 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in TELUS by 60.9% in the first quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 14,694 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 5,560 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in TELUS by 36.2% in the first quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 29,093 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $761,000 after purchasing an additional 7,737 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in TELUS by 59.3% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,666 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $148,000 after purchasing an additional 2,109 shares during the period. Aviva PLC lifted its position in TELUS by 156.0% in the first quarter. Aviva PLC now owns 479,131 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock worth $12,536,000 after purchasing an additional 291,979 shares during the period. Finally, Cetera Investment Advisers acquired a new stake in TELUS in the 1st quarter valued at about $206,000. 51.42% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About TELUS

(Get Rating)

TELUS Corp. is a telecommunications company, which engages in the provision of telecommunication services and products primarily for wireless and wireline voice and data. It operates through the following segments: TELUS Technology Solutions (TTech) and Digitally-led Customer ExperiencesTELUS International (DLCX).

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California Public Employees Retirement System decreased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) by 2.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,912,104 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after selling 102,575 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned 0.28% of Abbott Laboratories worth $539,300,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fairfield Bush & CO. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter worth about $131,000. United Bank boosted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 7.2% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 27,280 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $3,229,000 after buying an additional 1,826 shares in the last quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 813,253 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $96,257,000 after acquiring an additional 15,521 shares during the last quarter. Kinneret Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Kinneret Advisory LLC now owns 19,467 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $2,304,000 after acquiring an additional 436 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lumature Wealth Partners LLC boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 636.2% in the 1st quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 2,216 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 1,915 shares in the last quarter. 72.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of ABT traded up $0.58 on Friday, reaching $111.44. The stock had a trading volume of 775,150 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,247,369. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a quick ratio of 1.23 and a current ratio of 1.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $193.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $103.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $105.35. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $93.25 and a 12-month high of $118.23.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE:ABT Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $9.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.64 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 22.48%. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue was down 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.73 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 13th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is currently 62.01%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Bank of America reduced their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $115.00 in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein boosted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $132.00 to $133.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. BTIG Research raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $125.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $122.37.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total transaction of $5,551,000.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 6,825,316 shares in the company, valued at $757,746,582.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total transaction of $5,551,000.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 6,825,316 shares of the companys stock, valued at $757,746,582.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 8,226 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.56, for a total transaction of $909,466.56. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 70,427 shares of the companys stock, valued at $7,786,409.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 60,197 shares of company stock worth $6,659,607. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

(Get Rating)

Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products. It operates through the following business segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment refers to the international sales of a line of branded generic pharmaceutical products.

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CIBT Education Group Inc. (TSE:MBA  Get Rating)s stock price passed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$0.47 and traded as low as C$0.41. CIBT Education Group shares last traded at C$0.41, with a volume of 22,625 shares.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Fundamental Research set a C$1.42 price target on CIBT Education Group and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, March 14th.

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CIBT Education Group Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 165.01, a current ratio of 0.17 and a quick ratio of 0.10. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of C$0.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of C$0.47. The company has a market cap of C$27.68 million, a P/E ratio of -1.58 and a beta of 1.18.

About CIBT Education Group

CIBT Education Group Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an education and student housing investment company in Canada and internationally. The company engages in education and real estate development businesses. It offers English as second language accredited programs, such as general English, college preparation/pathway, business English, medical English, English language test preparation, vacation English, online English; Career training college accredited programs in the fields of business management, customer service, TESOL teacher training, Interpreting and translation for Koreans, and online English teacher training.

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StockNews.com cut shares of DHT (NYSE:DHT  Get Rating) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Thursday.

Several other brokerages also recently weighed in on DHT. TheStreet upgraded DHT from a c rating to a b- rating in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on DHT from $11.00 to $12.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group downgraded DHT from a buy rating to a hold rating and cut their price target for the company from $12.00 to $10.00 in a report on Thursday.

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DHT Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE DHT opened at $8.26 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $10.45 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 3.15. The company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74 and a beta of -0.19. DHT has a 12 month low of $4.98 and a 12 month high of $12.13.

DHT Cuts Dividend

DHT ( NYSE:DHT Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The shipping company reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.30 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $93.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $97.36 million. DHT had a return on equity of 10.68% and a net margin of 22.92%. The firms revenue was up 142.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.14) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that DHT will post 1.27 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 25th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.23 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 17th. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 11.14%. DHTs payout ratio is 400.01%.

Institutional Trading of DHT

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of DHT by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,778,811 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $113,475,000 after buying an additional 406,794 shares during the last quarter. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of DHT by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,587,417 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $57,362,000 after buying an additional 545,424 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of DHT by 8,080.0% during the 4th quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 4,523,219 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $40,166,000 after buying an additional 4,467,923 shares during the last quarter. Hosking Partners LLP increased its holdings in shares of DHT by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. Hosking Partners LLP now owns 4,328,360 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $38,436,000 after buying an additional 1,491,365 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its holdings in shares of DHT by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 3,405,270 shares of the shipping companys stock worth $30,239,000 after buying an additional 269,600 shares during the last quarter. 54.61% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About DHT

(Get Rating)

DHT Holdings, Inc engages in the operation of a fleet of crude oil tankers. It operates through its integrated management companies in Monaco, Singapore, and Oslo, Norway. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda.

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Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Essex Property Trust (NYSE:ESS  Get Rating) from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a report published on Monday morning, The Fly reports. They currently have $271.00 price objective on the real estate investment trusts stock, up from their prior price objective of $242.00.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on ESS. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Essex Property Trust from $219.00 to $226.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on shares of Essex Property Trust in a report on Wednesday, March 29th. They issued an underweight rating and a $208.00 price objective for the company. Scotiabank upgraded Essex Property Trust from a sector underperform rating to a sector outperform rating and set a $240.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an outperform rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Essex Property Trust in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Essex Property Trust from $242.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Essex Property Trust currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $248.33.

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Essex Property Trust Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of NYSE:ESS opened at $216.60 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.88, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.01. The companys 50 day moving average is $213.67 and its two-hundred day moving average is $217.52. The company has a market cap of $13.96 billion, a PE ratio of 28.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.75. Essex Property Trust has a 52 week low of $195.03 and a 52 week high of $325.41.

Essex Property Trust Increases Dividend

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Investors of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $2.31 per share. This represents a $9.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.27%. This is a positive change from Essex Property Trusts previous quarterly dividend of $2.20. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. Essex Property Trusts payout ratio is presently 122.55%.

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Commerce Bank grew its holdings in shares of Essex Property Trust by 8.8% in the first quarter. Commerce Bank now owns 3,969 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $830,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 26.0% in the 1st quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 17,255 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,609,000 after buying an additional 3,565 shares in the last quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC increased its holdings in Essex Property Trust by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 6,438 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 259 shares in the last quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Essex Property Trust by 21.5% during the 1st quarter. FourThought Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,515 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,363,000 after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its position in shares of Essex Property Trust by 53.4% during the 1st quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 21,005 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $4,393,000 after buying an additional 7,316 shares in the last quarter. 91.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Essex Property Trust Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Essex Property Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust. It engages in the ownership, operation, management, acquisition, development, and redevelopment of predominantly apartment communities. The company was founded by George M. Marcus in 1971 and is headquartered in San Mateo, CA.

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Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund (NYSE:JQC  Get Rating) shares crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $5.17 and traded as low as $4.99. Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund shares last traded at $5.01, with a volume of 450,466 shares.

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $5.10 and a 200-day moving average price of $5.16.

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Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Monday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.047 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 11.24%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund Company Profile

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fiduciary Alliance LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Robinson Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 3,922.5% in the 3rd quarter. Robinson Capital Management LLC now owns 8,045 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 7,845 shares in the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund by 803,600.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 8,037 shares of the investment management companys stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 8,036 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund in the 4th quarter worth approximately $45,000. Finally, Nomura Holdings Inc. bought a new stake in Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $52,000.

(Get Rating)

Nuveen Credit Strategies Income Fund is a closed-ended balanced mutual fund launched by Nuveen Investments, Inc The fund is managed by Symphony Asset Management, LLC. It invests in the fixed income and public equity markets of the United States. The fund invests in senior secured and second lien loans, preferred securities, convertible securities and related instruments.

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StockNews.com downgraded shares of Provident Financial Services (NYSE:PFS  Get Rating) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the company. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Provident Financial Services from $25.00 to $22.00 in a research report on Monday. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Provident Financial Services from $27.00 to $25.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $23.25.

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Provident Financial Services Stock Performance

NYSE PFS opened at $15.15 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.14 billion, a PE ratio of 6.56 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a current ratio of 1.01, a quick ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00. Provident Financial Services has a twelve month low of $14.54 and a twelve month high of $25.61. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $19.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $21.27.

Provident Financial Services Announces Dividend

Provident Financial Services ( NYSE:PFS Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The savings and loans company reported $0.54 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.59 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $130.48 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $132.22 million. Provident Financial Services had a return on equity of 10.81% and a net margin of 28.77%. Provident Financial Servicess revenue was up 13.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.58 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Provident Financial Services will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.34%. Provident Financial Servicess dividend payout ratio is currently 41.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Provident Financial Services

In other news, CEO George Lista acquired 1,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $20.62 per share, with a total value of $30,930.00. Following the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 5,241 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $108,069.42. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Robert Mcnerney sold 2,500 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $23.87, for a total transaction of $59,675.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,713 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $207,979.31. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO George Lista purchased 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $20.62 per share, for a total transaction of $30,930.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the chief executive officer now owns 5,241 shares in the company, valued at $108,069.42. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have bought 3,000 shares of company stock valued at $59,220. 4.29% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Provident Financial Services

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in Provident Financial Services by 35.7% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 1,785 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 470 shares in the last quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. lifted its holdings in Provident Financial Services by 132.8% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 1,867 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,065 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in Provident Financial Services by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,886 shares of the savings and loans companys stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 632 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Middle East FZE purchased a new position in shares of Provident Financial Services during the 4th quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, First Manhattan Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Provident Financial Services by 106.8% during the 4th quarter. First Manhattan Co. now owns 2,130 shares of the savings and loans companys stock worth $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares during the period. 65.22% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Provident Financial Services Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Provident Financial Services, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of banking services to individual and corporate customers in Northern and Central New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania. The company was founded on January 15, 2003 and is headquartered in Jersey City, NJ.

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Whitestone REIT (NYSE:WSR  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $0.95-$0.99 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $0.97. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Whitestone REIT Stock Down 1.7 %

WSR stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $8.49. The companys stock had a trading volume of 277,897 shares, compared to its average volume of 372,392. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.47. Whitestone REIT has a 52-week low of $8.15 and a 52-week high of $12.71. The firm has a market capitalization of $419.61 million, a P/E ratio of 13.06, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.42.

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Whitestone REIT Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a monthly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, June 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.04 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $0.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.65%. Whitestone REITs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 73.85%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Insider Transactions at Whitestone REIT

A number of research analysts have commented on WSR shares. EF Hutton Acquisition Co. I restated a buy rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Whitestone REIT in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Whitestone REIT from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $12.10.

In other Whitestone REIT news, Director Amy Shih-Hua Feng acquired 3,650 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $9.67 per share, with a total value of $35,295.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,742 shares of the companys stock, valued at $84,535.14. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 5.50% of the companys stock.

Whitestone REIT Company Profile

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Whitestone REIT engages in the operation of commercial properties in culturally diverse markets of major metropolitan areas. The company was founded on August 20, 1998 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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AUBURN  Students in the Cayuga County area reported using drugs and alcohol in a survey that appears to reflect that some of their behavior mimics the adults in their lives.

During an April 27 meeting, the Auburn City Council heard a presentation from Gennessa MCLeod and Corey Parkman Jr., students in the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES criminal justice program, and JoLynn Mulholland, the STOP Act Coordinator for the Drug-Free Community Coalition through the Cayuga Community Health Network and acting prevention coordinator for the organization Confidential Help for Alcohol & Drugs.

Mulholland told councilors both CHAD and the STOP Act program worked with students in the criminal justice program to make a youth-led adult guidance survey to collect information on the substance use and mental health status of Cayuga County youth. She said criminal justice students "came up with the questions and they actually implemented it in the BOCES programs for grades 11 and 12, and they're just going to provide you some information and stats that they found that our students in Cayuga County are facing."

A total of 297 students in the Cayuga-Onondaga BOCES district schools responded to the survey, Parkman said. All of the students answered anonymously. The slides for the presentation, available through the city's website, showed that students from all nine component districts participated in the survey, the largest amount said they were from the Auburn school district, at 35.81% of the respondents

For a question asking students their primary substance of choice, 23.99% said marijuana and 8.78% said alcohol.

Out of the 296 students who answered the question, over half, at 51.69%, said they do not use substances. Nicotine was named as the preferred substance for 10.47% of respondents. Prescription drugs, acid and mushrooms each accounted for less than 2% of the vote, while 3.04% said other.

Parkman noted around 29% of respondents said it was "very easy" for them to obtain substances, while 20% said it was "somewhat easy."

On depression and anxiety, 66.30% of respondents said they have anxiety, with others saying ADD/ADHD. Twenty-one respondents did not answer the question, while 16.67% said they have post-traumatic stress disorder.

When asked why they use substances, 12.54% of the anonymous respondents said it is due to anxiety, 6.44% said depression and 4.41% said trauma. The slides said 16.95% of the respondents said they use substances for fun, which Parkman said was "kind of scary." The majority of the respondents said they don't use substances, coming in 53.56%

Around 26 percent of the students responding to the survey said their parents or guardians are aware of their substance abuse, with 12.59% saying their parents or guardians don't know. When asked if they ever use drugs or alcohol to relax, feel better about themselves or fit in, 36.27% said yes while 63.73% said no. Of the responding students, 57.88% said they would reach out for help if they wanted to stop using substances but 32.88% said they would not reach for help. Around 9% said they would not know where to go for assistance.

Asked if they had ever ridden in a car driven by someone, including themselves, who was "high" or had been using alcohol or drugs, Mulholland said nearly half of the students said they had, at 46.96%. The slides added that 53.04% said they hadn't.

"When we started doing a focus group with our students, we found out that our students are actually in vehicles with their parents under the influence," Mulholland said. She also noted "that goes hand-in-hand with what we've been seeing in Cayuga County" with the number of people in the area who have received driving while intoxicated and driving while under the influence charges. Law enforcement officials in Auburn and Cayuga County have expressed unease over recent increases in such arrests.

"It's really concerning, because how do we teach kids as prevention providers to tell their parents they're not going to get in the vehicle with someone under the influence?" Mulholland said.

Around 20% of respondents said they had witnessed an overdose from substance abuse, which Mulholland said comes out to 61 students, adding, "that's a lot of students in Cayuga County that are facing this."

She said these statistics were "concerning things that we wanted to bring to (the council's) attention as marijuana and things are becoming more legalized in our community." Recreational cannabis use for adults was legalized in New York state in 2021. The Auburn city government did not "opt out" of allowing recreational marijuana retailers and consumption sites within the city.

"We're seeing that our kids are facing a lot of challenges post-COVID, and it's concerning, the numbers are very concerning," Mulholland said. However, she did argue local prevention strategies related to prescription drugs have had a positive impact, citing a survey answer in which 87.41% of respondents said they had not ever taken a prescription medication not prescribed to them. She also mentioned that around 38% of respondents said they would be interested in taking part in Narcan training.

MCLeod noted that as she and Parkman went into the classrooms, they told the students that the information being collected from them as all confidential "and no one would ever see their names, so that was a big part of it, knowing that their names will never be said or out in public."

Councilor Jimmy Giannettino asked what the next steps would be with the data, and Mulholland said CHAD is working with the local BOCES to create a agreement to implement prevention services in each of the county schools.

"Our status is really concerning. The schools are reaching out constantly, they're in a crisis with our kids, both with mental health and substance use," she said. "We're running into an era of kids who were raised by parents who were in active addiction or are currently in treatment or some form of recovery. So we have a big challenge ahead of us and COVID didn't really help us that much." Mulholland said also the data is being shared with other agencies.

MCLeod said she was surprised by the number of students who said they don't partake in marijuana or nicotine usage. Parkman said he knew a lot of the students he and MCLeod talked to, which he said he believes helped with students responding. Mulholland she believes the fact that it wasn't a school survey assisted with getting people students to participate.

"They knew that it wasn't coming from the school. The schools didn't even have access to it, it came to me," she said.

Mulholland said she anticipates CHAD doing more surveys and programs like this if allowed by the school districts.

"That's how we make change in a community. Everything is data-driven. You can't make a change by just hearsay, you have to have data to back it up," she said.
BTS's Jungkook has issued a stern warning to sasaeng fans, urging them to stop sending unsolicited food deliveries to his home. He made the announcement on the fan community platform Weverse, where he cautioned that he would take action if the intrusive behavior persisted.

Invasion of Privacy

Sasaeng fans are known for their excessive obsession with specific celebrities, often going to extreme lengths to invade their private lives. In the past, Jungkook has been a target of such unwanted attention from sasaengs.

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During a 2019 V Live broadcast, he received multiple calls from obsessive fans, forcing him to block the incoming calls. In 2022, a similar incident occurred during a live broadcast from a hotel room, where the idol received several phone calls but no one was on the other end. Jungkook found the situation unsettling, comparing it to a horror movie.

Past Incidents with Sasaengs

Jungkook has previously expressed his frustration with sasaeng fans. During a V Live session in 2019, he shared that he gets many calls from sasaeng fans and has no choice but to block them.

i'm so serious. whoever was doing prank calls on jungkook's hotel room's phone and was scaring him, i hope you have a very bad night and that your pillows are warm both sides and that you bump your little toe on some furniture!  jungkook admirer (@dreamjeons) April 5, 2022

In another live broadcast in 2022, Jungkook voiced his annoyance and fear when the calls continued despite his pleas to stop. "I don't like the phone call ringing sound. I'm annoyed and it's scary. I'm getting goosebumps," he stated.

Jungkook's Message to Sasaengs

Addressing the issue on Weverse, Jungkook wrote, "Please do not send food deliveries to my home. Even if you do, I won't eat it. I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm taking care of myself. Please use the money for yourself. I'm warning you. If you send food again, I will find the order number from the receipt and take action. So please stop."

ARMYs' Support for Jungkook BTS fans, known as ARMYs, have been vocal in their support for Jungkook, condemning the intrusive behavior of sasaeng fans. They have taken to social media platforms like Twitter to voice their concerns, trending phrases like "LEAVE HIM ALONE" and "sasaeng" to show their solidarity with the idol. Many have pointed out that true fans of the group would respect the members' privacy and well-being.

if yall sasaeng motherfuckers are gonna be the reason for jungkook's inactivity I WILL END YOU ALL LIKE FUCK YOU HOW DARE YOU DO THIS TO HIM??? fuck your "i only sent him food cuz i love him" excuses because invading his privacy is NOT love??? THAT'S FUCKING INSANITY??? GET HELP.  zee  (@pjmsilogcart) May 4, 2023

by the other person before you do something and please leave him alone. this is a violation of privacy, whoever you are, you're a sasaeng and you're not an ARMY neither do you actually care about jungkook or the boys  Sel (@BTStranslation_) May 4, 2023

V's Recent Warning to Sasaengs

BTS's V, also known as Kim Taehyung, shared his own concerns with sasaeng fans in a recent Weverse live broadcast. He expressed his frustration over repetitive and inappropriate comments made by fans during the session. V emphasized the need for fans to ask more thoughtful and creative questions to make their interactions more engaging and enjoyable.

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This incident highlights the growing issue of sasaeng fans overstepping boundaries and invading the personal lives of the BTS members, causing discomfort and urging the idols to address the situation publicly. Fans are encouraged to maintain a respectful atmosphere and show genuine interest in their idols' lives.

In recent months, several idols have become more open about their experiences with sasaeng fans, including TXT's Beomgyu. Their candidness in sharing their struggles has been met with praise from fans and netizens alike.

Follow and subscribe to KpopStarz for more K-pop news and lists.

Cassidy Jones wrote this.

KpopStarz owns this article.
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BLACKPINK Jennie showed off her cute yet luxurious charm as "Human Chanel."

Jennie attended the world's largest fashion charity event Met Gala, held under the theme "Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, USA on the 2nd (Korean time).
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- China's vehicle inventory alert index (VIA), which reflects the inventory pressure on automobile dealers, dropped 2.0 percentage points month on month in Apr. 2023, according to the China Automobile Dealers Association (CADA).

The VIA stood at 60.4% last month, dipping 6 percentage points from the previous year.

The index in Apr. 2023 was still above the official warning threshold (50%).

With the opening of the Auto Shanghai 2023 and other spring auto shows in late Apr., and the intensive release of new car models, the terminal prices of cars tend to stabilize and consumers' expectations of price reductions have eased, accelerating the fading of the stimulus effect of price cuts, said the CADA.

However, most dealers believe that promotional price reductions are still the main theme of the market. Due to the price war in the first quarter, some of the car consumption demands in April were overdrawn. It is estimated that the terminal sales of passenger vehicles in April will be around 1.7 million vehicles, slightly higher than that of March, the association added.

In Apr. 2023, the VIAs of imported & luxury brands and mainstream joint-venture brands stood at 53.5% and 63.4%, dipping 6.5 and 0.2 percentage points over a month ago, respectively. Nonetheless, Chinese locally-owned brands monthly index climbed 4.2 percentage points from Mar. 2023 to 66.6%.
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Beijing (Gasgoo)- Beijing-based major automaker, BAIC Motor Corporation Limited (BAIC Motor), reported a stable overall performance in the first quarter (Q1) of this year, with a slight increase in operating income.

BEIJING X7; photo credit: BAIC Motor

According to the data recently released by BAIC Motor, its operating income for Q1 2023 reached 47.696 billion yuan, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.29%. Its quarterly net profit was 4.156 billion yuan, which decreased by 8.84% compared to the same period last year. Meanwhile, the companys net profit attributable to the owners of the parent company came down to 1.455 billion yuan, with a year-over-year drop of 7.09%.

In the first three months of 2023, BAIC Motor's R&D expenses stood at 186.011 million yuan, up by 24% from a year ago.

As for sales volume of the first quarter, BAIC Motor sold a total of 247,000 vehicles across its four major vehicle units, namely the BEIJING brand, Beijing Benz, Beijing Hyundai, and Fujian Benz, representing a 9.3% increase from a year ago. Among them, the sales volume of its self-owned brand BEIJING surged significantly by 77%.
Shanghai (Gasgoo)- SAIC-GM-Wuling (SGMW), General Motors' joint venture with Chinese partners SAIC Motor and Guangxi Automobile Group, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) a few days ago with the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, as part of its efforts to strengthen its commitment to developing the battery-based electric vehicle ecosystem in Indonesia.

The MoU was signed for the investment in Wulings new KBLBB (Battery-Based Electric Vehicles) project in the country. At the signing ceremony, SGMW also delivered 50 Air EVs as official vehicles for the ASEAN Summit 2023 to the Indonesian government.

Photo credit: SGMW

"This is a new milestone in Wuling's journey to support the acceleration of vehicle electrification launched by the Indonesian government. The signing of an MoU with the Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment and the handover of electric car batteries produced in collaboration with Gotion Hi-Tech is certainly a real commitment of Wuling to developing the ecosystem and battery-based electric motor vehicle industry from upstream to downstream," said Shi Guoyong, President Director of Wuling Motors.

As the largest economy in the ASEAN region, Indonesia has a population of nearly 280 million. As the first Chinese automaker to invest and build factories in Indonesia, SGMW has invested there over 1 billion US dollars since 2015, and has built a complete vehicle manufacturing factory, a parts supplier park, and over 140 sales and service outlets. In 2022, Indonesia's total auto sales reached 1.048 million units, over 30,000 units of which were sold by PT SGMW Motor Indonesia.

The Air EV, officially launched in Indonesia in August 2022, is highly favored by local consumers in Indonesia, with its cumulative local sales exceeding 8,600 units so far, said SGMW.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C.Adam & Eve Franchise Corporation (AEFC), a division of online retailer AdamEve.com, has opened its 102nd location in the Houston, Texas area, which arrives as the chain's 18th store in Texas.

"Our Texas franchise operators are seeing significant growth this year, which provides us more opportunities to support this regions franchisees," said David Keegan, vice president of franchising for Adam & Eve Stores. "Houston continues to be a lucrative market for the brand and its franchise operators, and we fully expect that trend to continue through the balance of 2023."

"AEFC delivers a tremendous opportunity for us as franchise operators in the Houston area. We're grateful to be part of the amazing Houston business community and for our connection to this trusted brand," said Houston Adam & Eve franchise operator Bob Strother.

Located at the southwest corner of I-69 and Belfort Avenue at 10701 W. Belfort Avenue, this new location expands area services and products to neighbors across the Southwest Houston communities of Stafford, Sugarland, Missouri City, Richmond and beyond. For more information on Adam & Eves Houston locations, visit AdamEveHouston.com.
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) The Congress on Friday described the outgoing BJP government in Karnataka as "corrupt" and accused it of having "sold governance" in the southern state.

Ahead of the May 10 Karnataka assembly election, the Congress released a set of posters listing out the "corruption rates" in the state between 2019 and 2023 while dubbing the BJP government a "trouble engine".

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The Congress has been hitting out at the BJP government in Karnataka with the "40 per cent commission sarkar" jibe.

The "40 per cent commission' row erupted in the southern state following the death of Belagavi-based contractor Santosh Patil who had earlier alleged that then minister K S Eshwarappa demanded 40 per cent commission for the release of funds for the civil works undertaken by him at a village.

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Posting a photo of the "corruption rates" poster released by the Congress, the party's general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "The rate at which BJP has sold governance in Karnataka. This is the BJP double engine of 'DelhiJhoot' and 'BengaluruLoot'."

Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Surjewala tweeted, "The Digit '40' is ingrained in BJP! The 40 km roadshow in Bengaluru by prime minister today seems to depict the symbolism of 40 per cent BJP Sarkara! As Manipur burns, PM is busy electioneering. Is this the way PM follows Raj Dharma?"

The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in Karnataka, the only state in southern India where the saffron party is in power.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Shillong (Meghalaya) [India], May 5 (ANI): Alert personnel of Border Security Forces (BSF) Meghalaya rescued 70 cattle from the international border of West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya which was being smuggled from India to Bangladesh, the force informed through a press statement.

The mobile checkpost of 4 Bn BSF Meghalaya rescued 70 cattle from the bordering area of West Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya on May 4, which were meant for smuggling to Bangladesh, the statement said.

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According to the statement, both the apprehended persons are residents of Assam. The seized cattle and nabbed persons were handed over to Amlarem police station for further action.

"BSF Mobile Check Post deployed in Amlarem area intercepted 5 trucks crammed with 70 cattle which were approaching towards the bordering area. BSF chased the trucks for about 3 Km before impounding them when drivers accelerated even on being signalled by BSF troops to stop for checking", the statement said.

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The statement further informed that the truck drivers tried to flee the spot taking benefit of thick vegetation and undulating ground along the road.

"The BSF party managed to seize five trucks and one Bolero pickup and nabbed two helpers from the spot," the statement read. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], May 5 (ANI): Former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Friday paid a courtesy call to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami at his residence on Friday.

Koshiyari discussed various contemporary issues related to the state with the Chief Minister.

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Earlier in the day, Uttarakhand CM Dhami visited Dol Ashram, Almora and participated in the anniversary program of Shri Kalyanika Himalaya Devasthanam.

Along with worshipping 1100 girls, Chief Minister unveiled the Nar-Narayan idols, He also offered prayers at Shreeyantra.

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Addressing the gathering, he said, "Param Pujya Maharaj Kalyandas ji did continuous spiritual practice for five decades as a seeker and created many such projects in the whole of India, through which the upliftment of people, born in ordinary homes, was done."

"The way he has installed Shreeyantra in this ashram, in the coming times not only India but people from all over the world will come to this ashram to know peace, spirituality and culture," he added.

The Chief Minister congratulated all those present on Buddha Purnima and asked them to follow the path of religion, peace and non-violence of Mahatma Buddha.

The Chief Minister said that while this ashram is promoting religious tourism on the one hand, the great work of educating the youth about Indian culture is also being done through it.

"To be born in Devbhoomi Uttarakhand is a great fortune in itself. This ashram is a living example of our old civilization and culture. It is a grand and divine centre of meditation and spirituality. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, our government is continuously moving ahead with the resolution of the new Uttarakhand," Dhami said.

He said that our government is committed to preserving culture in the state, and for this, our government has come up with a strict conversion law. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kishtwar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 5 (ANI): Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi on Friday interacted with pilots of ALH MK III, who was injured in an operational flight near Kishtwar on Thursday, at Command Hospital in Udhampur.

Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi commended them for their devotion to duty and wished them a speedy recovery.

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Earlier in the day, he paid glowing tributes to the aviation technician, who succumbed to his injuries in the mishap.

An Army Aviation ALH Dhruv helicopter, on an operational mission, crashed while making a 'precautionary landing' on the banks of Marua River in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar, officials said on Thursday.

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As per an official statement, there were two pilots and a technician on board. The condition of two injured pilots was reported to be stable.

"#LtGenUpendraDwivedi, #ArmyCdrNC & All Ranks #Northern Command offer tribute to supreme sacrifice of CFN (Avn Tech) Pabballa Anil, in the line of duty during Operational flying of ALH MK III near #Kishtwar #JammuKashmir & offer deepest condolences to the bereaved family," the official Twitter account of Northern Command of the Indian Army posted.

The pilots had reported a technical fault to the Air Traffic Controller (ATC) and proceeded for a 'precautionary landing' at about 11.15 hours on May 4.

"Due to the undulating ground, undergrowth and unprepared landing area, the helicopter apparently made a hard landing," the Army statement read.

The deceased aviation technician along with two pilots was rushed to the command hospital in Udhampur but succumbed to injuries.

According to officials, the Army ALH Dhruv Helicopter crashed near Machhna village in the Marwah area of Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar around 11.45 am. Following the crash, immediate rescue operations were launched by Army teams which reached the site.

"Two pilots and a technician were on board. All three injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur," added the statement.

A court of inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the cause of the crash. (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], May 5 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over violence in the northeastern state. Manipur government has issued shoot at sight orders in "extreme cases" to deal with the law and order situation.

Internet services continue to remain suspended in the wake of the violence that broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday.

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Amit Shah held two video-conference meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, Union Home Secretary, Director IB and other concerned officials in the state as well as the Centre, sources said.

Shah also spoke with the Chief Ministers of the neighbouring states of Manipur.

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Sources said several companies of BSF, CRPF and Assam Rifles along with the Army was deployed in the state and there will be more deployment of security forces.

Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey appealed to the people to maintain peace and harmony in the state.

"I am very pained with the violent incidents in Manipur over the past two days. I appeal to the people to maintain peace, tranquillity and harmony I appeal to the people to not take part in any violence or arson activity, and not to pay heed to any rumours. The people should bring up their concerns to the government and cooperate with the authorities. I pay condolence to those who died in the violence, and wish for the recovery of those injured," she said.

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called for an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from Meghalaya.

In the meeting attended by senior government officials, the CM highlighted that the safety of all students must be ensured. He also directed the officials to come up with a plan for the evacuation of students if the situation arises.

Sangma said that over 200 residents of Meghalaya are studying in Manipur and that the government is putting in place a helpline number for students or family members to reach out to in case of emergencies.

Biren Singh had a telephonic conversation with his Mizoram counterpart Zoramthanga and urged him to appeal for peace in the wake of the recent violence.

Mizoram Chief Minister's Office (CMO) sources told ANI that the two CMs spoke for more than 45 minutes on the violent situation in the state of Manipur.

Urging people to maintain peace, N Biren Singh said, "Precious lives have been lost, besides damage of properties, which is very unfortunate."

He said the violence was the result of "misunderstanding" in the society.

"The state government is taking all steps to maintain the law and order situation and additional paramilitary forces have been requisitioned to protect the lives and properties of the people. Central and state forces have been directed to take strong action against individuals and groups who are indulging in violence," he said.

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio informed about helpline numbers for the people from Nagaland in Manipur and Imphal City.

"State Police Control Room: 0370 2242511, Fax: 0370 2242512, Whatsapp: 08794833041, Email: spcrkohima@gmail.com, NSDMA: 0370 2381122/ 2291123," he stated in a tweet.

Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the State government has suspended mobile internet in the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the State.

In view of the situation, curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that he is deeply concerned about Manipur's rapidly deteriorating law and order situation.

"Deeply concerned about Manipur's rapidly deteriorating law and order situation. The Prime Minister must focus on restoring peace and normalcy. I urge the people of Manipur to stay calm," he said in a tweet.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the BJP for the situation in Manipur.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee also expressed her concern over the situation.

"I am deeply concerned about the situation in Manipur. It is not the time for politics. Politics and elections can wait but our beautiful state Manipur has to be protected first. Thus I urge the Prime Minister and Home Minister to first take care of Manipur, restore peace there. I also urge our brothers and sisters of Manipur to stay calm, uphold peace and harmony. If we burn humanity today then we will seize to be a human tomorrow," she said in a tweet.

Sources said two issues have led to the present situation in Manipur including Biren Singh's move to protect the reserved forests that faces resistance from illegal immigrants and drug cartels.

Also, the Manipur High Court's recent direction to the state government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in list of Scheduled Tribes has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are already in the category, sources told ANI.

Last week, an open gym, which was supposed to be inaugurated by CM Biren Singh in Churachandpur, was torched by some miscreants.

Following the incident, additional state forces were deployed to maintain law and order in the district.

The recent steps taken up by the N Biren Singh government in Manipur to protect the reserve and protected forests in the State have faced major resistance from a section of tribal communities.

Sources said there has been massive deforestation in the state due to poppy plantations and this has been happening for the last 15-20 years.The poppy plantations are known to have grown exponentially allegedly due to the huge influx of illegal migrants from Myanmar.Sources said steps have been taken up to identify the illegal immigrants in the state to counter anti-national elements.A sub-committee has been formed to carry out identification drives of illegal migrants in the various districts, the sources said, adding that Manipur Population Commission has been constituted to gather data and ground reports.The state government is also setting up temporary shelters for Myanmar nationals who have entered the state. (ANI)

As far as the current situation is concerned, two issues in the State have led to the situation.

First, chief minister Biren Singh's move to protect the forest faces resistance from illegal Immigrants and drug cartels, and the second is linked to the Manipur High Court's recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in the Scheduled Tribe category which has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST.

Thousands of tribals -- who make up about 40 per cent of the state's population -- joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status for the Meitei. (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, May 5 (PTI) SpiceJet too seems to be facing headwinds, with a lessor filing a plea seeking insolvency resolution proceedings against the no-frills airline and the petition is scheduled for hearing before the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) next week.

It also comes at a time when competitor and cash-starved Go First has cancelled flights and has filed for voluntary insolvency resolution proceedings.

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Aircraft lessor Aircastle (Ireland) Ltd has filed the petition against SpiceJet for initiating insolvency resolution proceedings. The plea was filed on April 28 and it is to be heard by the NCLT Principal Bench on May 8, according to an update on the tribunal's website.

A SpiceJet spokesperson said presently, there are no aircraft from this lessor in the airline's fleet and that the development will in no way affect its operations.

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"All aircraft from this lessor have already been returned by SpiceJet...

"We are confident of resolving the matter without court proceedings and we are in discussions with their senior leadership team for the same," the spokesperson said in a statement.

Further, the airline spokesperson said the comments provided here are without prejudice to the airline's rights and in no way should be deemed as admission of any liabilities.

Shares of SpiceJet declined 2 per cent to close at Rs 31.93 apiece on the BSE on Friday.

According to the NCLT website, two more petitions for insolvency resolution proceedings against SpiceJet are pending. The plea by Willis Lease Finance Corporation was filed on April 12 and the one by Acres Buildwell Private Ltd was filed on February 4.

There was no immediate comment from SpiceJet on the two petitions.

In February, SpiceJet announced that Carlyle Aviation Partners will acquire a 7.5 per cent stake in the airline by converting outstanding dues as well as snap up shareholding in the cargo business, a move that will help the airline reduce its debt by USD 100 million.

The NCLT on Thursday reserved its order on Go First petition after nearly a four-hour long hearing where aircraft lessors vehemently opposed the airline's plea.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Brad Pitt will be on the race track soon.

The A-list actor is starring in an as-yet-untitled film for Apple Studios about Formula 1. Joseph Kosinski, the producer for Top Gun: Maverick, is also part of the project.

Importantly, seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is also working as a producer on the film. The movie will soon begin filming on-site at the British Grand Prix, and Pitt will be behind the wheel, reports the auto racing publication, The Race.

Previously, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali criticized the project as invasive. Pitt will drive on-track when races arent being held.

Pitt, who plays an F1 driver who returns from retirement to race alongside a rookie, will drive an adapted F2 car, according to The Race. A small 6K camera will be installed to capture footage.

To ensure the movies realism, Hamilton says hes consulting with filmmakers about the script.

Weve got a really great and diverse cast. Joes focus is to make us as embedded in this sport as possible, he told reporters before the Miami Grand Prix this weekend. For me its to make sure its authentic, and that all of you and racing fans see its authenticity and say this is believable, and have a view of racing from a different perspective than you might see on TV.

With Pitt as the lead actor, and Hamilton as lead advisor, the film seems like its designed for success. In addition to being an F1 legend, Hamilton admirably never sacrifices his values, either.

A longstanding ally of the LGBTQ community, Hamilton plans to wear a rainbow flag on his helmet all weekend to protest Floridas anti-LGBTQ laws.
Benaulim (Goa), May 5 (PTI) A day after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the situation along the border in eastern Ladakh is "abnormal" and India-China relations cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas is disturbed.

Jaishankar also said that there is a need to take the disengagement process forward.

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The standoff between the India and Chinese troops in certain friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh entered its fourth year.

Jaishankar and Qin held bilateral talks on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this beach resort.

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"I think issue is that there is abnormal position in border areas along the boundary. We had very frank discussions about it," Jaishankar said at a press conference when asked about his talks with Qin.

"We have to take the disengagement process forward and we have made it very clear publicly as well. What I say within the room is not different from what I say outside which is that India, China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if the peace and tranquillity in the border areas is disturbed," he said.

"I have been very clear about it; I have been very consistent about it and I have not changed my position at this meeting either," Jaishankar said.

Asked about China's claim that the situation along the border is stable, Jaishankar suggested that it is not so.

The meeting between the two foreign ministers was their second in the last two months. The Chinese foreign minister visited India in March to attend a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Jaishankar held talks with Qin during which he conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the state of India-China relations is "abnormal" because of the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.

Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff in a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on "three mutuals" -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], May 5 (ANI): Odisha's first rare surgery for an uncommon variety of 'Throat Cancer' was performed at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Bhubaneswar to save the life of a young woman.

Twenty-five-year-old Ayesha Parween suffering from a rare variety of throat cancer got successfully treated after 14 hours of difficult surgery.

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A group of 10 doctors comprising the Department of ENT, Surgical Gastroenterology at AIIMS Bhubaneswar performed surgery for a rare variety of Larynx (Voice box) cancers (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma).

The woman from Jagatsinghpur district was affected with an advanced stage of cancer at the junction of food and windpipe, causing difficulty in breathing and swallowing. Unlike the usual variety of cancer, this was resistant to radiotherapy and chemotherapy. With the progression of the disease, the voice, respiration and food intake for the patient became challenging.

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Prior to coming to AIIMS Bhubaneswar, the patient had consulted at multiple hospitals for around one year seeking treatment.

The doctors took 14 hours to perform the challenging procedure. The ENT surgeon removed the voice box (Larynx), the upper part of the windpipe (Trachea), Pharynx, the upper part of the food pipe (Esophagus) and part of the thyroid gland.

The Gastro surgeon dissected the colon and mobilized it into the neck through a tunnel made between the Sternum (Breast bone) and the heart connecting the base of the tongue with the stomach, making a new food channel. Postoperatively the patient was managed in the ICU.

After two months of surgery, the patient is doing well with normal breathing and food intake.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director Dr. Ashutosh Biswas congratulated the team of doctors for the life-saving surgery.

Dr Dillip Kumar Samal, Associate Prof. ENT, Dr Tanmay Dutta, Asst. Prof Surgical Gastroenterology and Dr Ajitesh Sahu, Asst. Prof. (Anaesthesia) Dept. of Trauma & Emergency led the procedure. Dr Pradipta Kumar Parida, HoD ENT guided the team. DDA(I/c) Rasmi Ranjan Sethy has also congratulated the team for the effort. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Cachar (Assam) [India], May 5 (ANI): In the wake of violence in Manipur, more than 1000 people from the State have entered into Cachar district of Assam to take shelter.

The Cachar district administration has made all arrangements for the refugees and has provided food and drinking water facilities in various parts of the district.

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Speaking to ANI, Superintendent of Police, Cachar Numal Mahatta said that the district administration has made all arrangements for those from Manipur entering into the district.

"More than 1000 people of Manipur have now taken shelter in the district. They are now taking shelter in various parts of the district. We have made all arrangements for them in a few schools and other places in the district. We are monitoring the situation. Assam Rifles and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have also supported us. The locals also help the people who come from the violence-hit places of Manipur," Mahatta said.

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He further said that the administration are now monitoring the situation.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam.

"I have requested the District Administration of Cachar to take care of these families. I am also in constant communication with the Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and have pledged the full support of the Assam Government during this hour of crisis," Chief Minister Sarma said.

Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state.

Earlier, the Northeast Frontier Railways cancelled all Manipur-bound trains. "No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement," Sabyasachi De, Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) of Northeast Frontier Railway told ANI.

Meanwhile, the Indian Railways have also cancelled the operations of four trains for May 5 and May 6 following violence in the State.

"Manipur state authorities have advised to stop train operations in Manipur due to the prevailing Law and Order situation there. Four trains have been cancelled. The decision was taken initially only for May 5 and 6," the railways said.

Moreover, Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches are being held to control the situation after violence erupted broke out on May 3 during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighbouring states over the situation in the northeastern state. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tumakuru (K'taka), May 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday flayed the Congress for allegedly "hindering" the future of children by proposing to scrap the National Education Policy (NEP), which enables a child to pursue his or her studies in one's mother tongue.

Addressing an election rally here, the Prime Minister said NEP has been formulated to ensure that the lack of knowledge of English should not stop an economically weaker child from rural areas from becoming a doctor or an engineer.

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However, the Congress has said in its election manifesto to scrap NEP and introduce Karnataka Education Policy which, he alleged, will spoil the future of a child.

Amidst the best efforts of the BJP government, the Congress has become an "enemy of rural children", according to him.

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The Congress, in its manifesto released earlier this week, said it will reject the National Education Policy 2020 and form a 'State Education Policy'.

"The BJP government has distorted the textbooks by insulting the great souls of Karnataka like 'Vishwaguru' Basavanna, 'Rashtrakavi' Kuvempu. The Congress will restore the true values of Bharat and Karnataka and scientific temper in the textbooks to make the students evolved and complete," the opposition party said in its poll manifesto.

Modi said the BJP government at the Centre introduced the NEP to meet the requirements of the 21st century.

This NEP was prepared under the leadership of one of the greatest scientists of India -- former ISRO chairman Dr K Kasturirangan, the Prime Minister said adding, Karnataka had been the 'karmabhoomi' (land of his work) of the veteran scientist, who was also the Karnataka Knowledge Commission Chairman.

After consultations with thousands of domain experts and on the suggestions of crores of people of India, the NEP was introduced, the Prime Minister said.

The biggest advantage of this policy is that it lays emphasis on studying in the regional language of the state, the Prime Minister added.

Any child from a village can pursue education and study to whatever extent in their mother tongue but now the Congress has made an announcement in writing that whenever it comes to power, it will put a "lock" on the NEP, Modi said.

"I want to ask you, shouldn't the child of a poor woman, who could not get an admission in an English-medium school, have the right to become a doctor or engineer? Doesn't he have the right to study and go further? Should the future of the child be sealed only because he cannot study in English medium? Should his future be blocked?" Modi asked.

"The Congress wants to stop the children of poor families from becoming doctors only because he did not go to English-medium school. This election is a way to punish the Congress," he said.

The Prime Minister said the BJP-led Centre wants to make the economically weaker children doctors and engineers, an expert in the domain of technology.

"Language should not become a barrier to progress in his life but the Congress is saying that technical education cannot happen in Kannada. Our children who do not know English aren't entitled to a good education?" Modi sought to know.

Further explaining the importance of NEP, the Prime Minister said sometimes a child takes admission in some stream and realises later that another stream was better for them and can excel if they study in that subject.

Earlier, students did not have the choice to change the track once they entered a particular stream. The only option before them was that either they should move forward or drop and go home, he added.

"We said today's youth are intelligent enough to make a decision on their own. A student studies a subject for a year but later he thinks that he could excel in another domain. If the student wishes to change the subject, without spoiling his (academic) year, he can do it. This is the NEP," the Prime Minister asserted.

The Congress wants to stop this, Modi charged. He added that the Congress wants to take away all the alternatives that are made available for the children and compel them to tread on the same track.

"Our government is working with a vision that the students here should have a degree as well as skill in their hands. Congress wants to seal the future of the children and destroy it," the Prime Minister charged.

Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10 and results will be declared on May 13.

(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, May 5 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday.

An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, the ministry said in a statement.

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On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, it said.

Reacting to the announcement, Macron in a tweet in French and Hindi said, "Dear Narendra, it will be my pleasure to welcome you to Paris as the guest of honour for the 14th of July parade."

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that Prime Minister Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

"This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 presidency," according to the statement.

In a series of tweets, the French Embassy highlighted special moments for France and India and said that it dates back to the French Revolution.

"It's a moment for the French to celebrate what binds them together, especially the values of 'liberty, equality, fraternity' -- which, by the way, are also in the Preamble to India's Constitution! Every Bastille Day, Paris' famous avenue des Champs-Elysees hosts a military parade - not very different from the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path!" the Embassy said.

France has been the Republic Day guest of honour five times since 1951, it said.

Prime Minister Modi will be the second Indian prime minister to be the Guest of Honour at Bastille Day after Manmohan Singh in 2009, the embassy said.

"His presence in Paris holds especial significance as France and India are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership this year. Indian and French troops will march side by side in the military parade in Paris. Such images speak louder than words how close France and India are!" the embassy said.

Beyond symbols, this visit also has strong geopolitical significance -- since 1947, France and India have always stood by each other in good and bad times, it said.

"And because of this trust, we have built an incredibly ambitious strategic partnership. From defence to the Indo-Pacific, from space to climate, and more: we work together to make our nations stronger, and the world safer. That is the meaning of our partnership: fostering strategic autonomy in all areas and promoting a more just, rules-based world order. We are in this together for the long run," the Embassy said on Twitter.

"When PM Narendra Modi comes to France on Bastille Day, we will celebrate our joint achievements of the last 25 years, and set our common ambitions for the next 25 years. Long live the Indo-French friendship!" the French mission said in another tweet.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad, May 5: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is scheduled to stage a rally and address a public meeting in Hyderabad on May 8. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) working president Mahesh Kumar Goud informed about the visit of Priyanka Gandhi to Hyderabad on Thursday.

Talking to ANI, the TPCC leader said, "People are waiting for Priyanka Gandhi's visit. She resembles the late Indira Gandhi. Priyanka Gandhi's visit is the first of its kind. She is going to address a public meeting in Saroornagar, Hyderabad for the first time." Rahul Gandhi Shares Joyful Moment With Sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra During Bharat Jodo Yatra (See Pics and Video).

"She is busy in the Karnataka elections now. After completing the schedule in Karnataka, she will come to Hyderabad and address a massive public meeting in connection with the Telangana Public Service Commission (TSPSC) and Secondary School Certificate (SSC) paper leak case," he added. Congress Leader Navjot Singh Sidhu Meets Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi After Being Released From Jail, Says Met My Friend, Philosopher and Guide.

Hitting out at the Telangana government, the TPCC working president said that the government is least bothered about the TSPSC paper leak case and the future of 30 lakh educated unemployed youth.

"Nearly 30 lakh educated unemployed have registered in TSPSC. The government is least bothered about them. We will teach a lesson to the government and make the people aware of the TSPSC and SSC paper leak cases," said the TPCC leader.

"There are also farmers' issues in the state. Priyanka Gandhi will participate in a massive rally and public meeting in Hyderabad to address all these issues. The rally will start at the statue of Srikanth Chari, who sacrificed his life for Telangana and go for about two kilometres at the Saroornagar playground where the public meeting will take place," he added.

Goud also reacted to the Bharatiya Janata Party's call reciting Hanuman Chalisa across Karnataka on Thursday and alleged that since the Karnataka BJP government has failed in governance, they were seeking votes in the name of caste and community.

He said, "Karnataka BJP government has miserably failed in governance. There is a lot of corruption. There is a 40 per cent commission in every developmental activity. BJP is asking for votes in the name of caste and community. We are all Hindus. We also perform pooja of Shiva, Ram and Hanuman. But who has given them(BJP) the right to ask for votes in the name of Hinduism?"

Amid the row over Congress's promise to ban Bajrang Dal in its manifesto for the upcoming Karnataka elections, BJP recited Hanuman Chalisa across Karnataka on Thursday evening.

(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], May 5 (ANI): With the murder of dreaded gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside Delhi's Tihar jail raising questions on security inside the prison, the jail administration is set to launch an investigation into the lapses.

However, according to the sources, the team of Special Cell can go to Tihar Jail today for interrogation of the accused arrested in Tajpuriya's murder.

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Preparing needles by the inmates of the jail inside prison and carelessness by the jail authority has exposed the security system.

The CCTV visuals from inside the Tihar jail showed Tillu Tajpuriya being brutally stabbed to death by killers.

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The CCTV footage provided by the Delhi Police shows the three killers pulling Tajpuriya out from his cell, and assaulting him. The killers can be seen stabbing and attacking him multiple times leaving him in a pool of blood.

The footage is from around 6:10 am on May 2. In the visuals, no police officer is seen coming to save the gangster from the assailants. Some prisoners can be seen there, but no one was able to stop the attackers.

According to sources, first, the leaves of the windows and exhaust fan inside the jail were broken, after that, they were sharpened by rubbing the leaves on the stone for several days.

Meanwhile, the case has now been transferred to a special cell for investigation. The case was registered in Hari Nagar police station under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Members of the rival gang namely Deepak Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw.

According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya.

Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since.

Sunil Balyan alias Tajpuriya was the main accused in the Rohini court shootout case in September 2021 which left his friend-turned-rival gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi dead.

The shooters, alleged associates of Tajpuriya had come dressed in lawyer's clothes and gunned Gogoi dead inside a courtroom in Rohini court.

The two gunmen were immediately shot dead by the police team.

According to a source, the Jitendra Gogi gang had also provided automatic pistols to kill Tillu Tajpuria and the same guns were used to kill gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf. "This disclosure was made by the shooters in front of the Special Task Force (STF)," the source told ANI.

Tajpuriya and his gang's rivalry with another gang led by notorious gangster, Jitender Gogi dates back to 2009 when the pair were friends but supported different candidates in elections in Swami Shraddhanand College in Outer Delhi.

The attack on Tillu Tajpuria in Tihar is raising many questions at a time when the STF is interrogating the three shooters and connecting the links to Atiq Ashraf's murder.

The killing of dreaded gangster Tillu Tajpuriya in Delhi's Tihar Jail on Tuesday marked the second such incident inside the high-security prison in less than a month.

In April this year, Prince Tewatia, a Lawrance Bishnoi gang member, was killed in a gang war inside Tihar Jail. Lodged in Jail number 3, Tewatia was stabbed five to seven times before he succumbed to his injuries in Delhi's Deen Dayal Hospital.

Earlier, another undertrial in Tihar Jail named Dilsher Azad, who had been lodged in the Delhi Jail since September 2019 was attacked to death in November 2020 by three other under-trial prisoners using an improvised sharp object.

There are many big gangsters in Tihar jail including Hashim Baba, Kala Jathedi, Nasir alias Chhenu, Anil Bhati, Deepak Boxer, Sampat Nehra, Neeraj Bawania and Rohit Moi.

Apart from Naveen Bali, Rohit Chowdhary, Chhota Rajan is also lodged in Tihar Jail. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Poonch (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], May 5 (ANI): Two drug peddlers were arrested and seized nearly 6 kg of drugs from their possession in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch on Thursday, police said.

Rohit Baskotra, Poonch Senior Superintendant of Police said, "We have got information on more people who're involved in this drug network."

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The accused have been identified as Mohammed Marshuk and Mohammed Maruk.

According to Poonch Senior Superintendent of Police, a case has been registered against them under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.

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"Probe is on and efforts to burst the whole network are underway,".

Further investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, four people including a Nigerian national were arrested for allegedly selling drugs in Maharashtra's Mumbai on Thursday. Police said that narcotics with an estimated value of Rs 32 lakh in the international market were seized from their possession.

The arrested persons were identified as Suraj Habib Sheikh, Zaheer Wahabuddin Qureshi, Riyaz Nasir Ali Sayyad and Sunday John Ambaze who was a Nigerian national, the police said.

A case has been registered against them under the NDPS Act after which all of them were sent to police custody till May 6. (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, May 5 (PTI) Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL) on Friday announced it will acquire a majority stake in women's branded apparel company TCNS Clothing, in a deal worth Rs 1,650 crore.

The Aditya Birla group firm has entered into definitive agreements to acquire a 51 per cent stake in TCNS Clothing, which owns ethnic brands such as W, Aurelia, Wishful, Folksong and Elleven, said a joint statement.

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As per the deal, it will acquire TCNS Clothing's founding promoter's stake through an SPA (Share Purchase Agreement) and a conditional public open offer followed by a merger between the two entities, it said.

"The value of the promoter stake and open offer consideration for TCNS is Rs 1,650 crore for 51 per cent stake, making this one of the largest deals in the Indian fashion space," the statement said.

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TCNS Clothing had a turnover of Rs 896.05 crore for the financial year which ended on March 31, 2022.

"The acquisition is in line with the company's objective of building a comprehensive fashion portfolio across consumer segments and price points," it added.

Besides, the acquisition is also subject to regulatory approvals from the Competition Commission of India (CCI), SEBI, stock exchanges, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and approval by the requisite majority of shareholders of the ABFRL, the statement said.

The company expects the deal to be completed within 9-12 months.

"Pursuant to the above, TCNS will be amalgamated with ABFRL under the merger scheme wherein public shareholders of TCNS (as on effective date) will receive 11 shares of ABFRL for every 6 shares that they hold in TCNS," it added.

Over the cost of acquisition or the price at which the shares are acquired, ABFRL said it is "at a consideration of Rs 503 per sale shares, subject to adjustments under the SPA".

Moreover, the "open offer is being made at Rs 503 per equity share, which has been determined in accordance with SAST Regulations," the statement added.

Under the open offer, ABFRL "will acquire up to 29 per cent of the Expanded Share Capital, subject to Minimum Level of Acceptance," it added.

Commenting over the development, Aditya Birla Group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said for ABFRL, the TCNS deal is indeed a significant milestone as it complements its existing portfolio of exceptional brands across the entire spectrum of Indian fashion.

"By embracing TCNS's portfolio of loved women's ethnic brands, we are reinforcing our commitment to ethnic wear, the largest category in the apparel industry. With this acquisition, the fast-growing ABFRL platform is poised for the next phase of transformational growth," he said.

TCNS managing director Anant Daga said, "Over the last 20 years, we have built India's most successful women's franchise on the back of our leading brands. The market continues to offer long-term growth opportunities and our partnership with ABFRL will help us fully realise this potential."

"ABFRL's proven brand-building capability, distribution strength and strong ecosystem of partners will help our brands into its next phase of growth and profitability," he added.

ABFRL earned a revenue of Rs 8,136 crore for the financial year which ended on March 31, 2022. It is India's first billion-dollar pure-play fashion powerhouse.

The company has a network of 3,468 stores and a presence at 6,515 points of sales in department stores across India, as on March 31, 2022.

It has a repertoire of India's largest brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England. It also owns leading fashion retail chain Pantaloons.

Besides, it is also a multi-brand retailer of international brands and has long-term exclusive partnerships with Ralph Lauren, Hackett London, Ted Baker, Fred Perry, Forever 21, American Eagle and Reebok.

In the ethnic wear business, it owns brands such as Jaypore, Tasva & Marigold Lane.

ABFRL also has strategic partnerships with designers Shantanu & Nikhil, Tarun Tahiliani, Sabyasachi and the House of Masaba.

(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, May 5 (PTI) IT services and consulting firm Accenture on Friday said senior managing director and chairperson for Accenture in India Rekha Menon will retire on June 30.

The company also announced that it has done away with the position of chairperson and created two new roles, Country Managing Director and Lead for India Market Unit, for India.

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Ajay Vij has been appointed as Country Managing Director, and Sandeep Dutta takes over as the Lead for India Market Unit.

"Ajay Vij has been appointed to the newly created role of Country Managing Director, and Sandeep Dutta takes over as the lead for its India Market Unit. The primary responsibilities of the Chairperson will now be undertaken by the new appointees," Accenture said in a statement.

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As country managing director, Vij will expand his current responsibilities as the Corporate Services and Sustainability lead for India to provide overall leadership and drive coordinated decision-making for key company priorities.

Dutta, at present serving as the India Sales Lead, will now lead Accenture's India Market Unit, serving as our India business lead responsible for driving business and operations in the domestic market, focusing on growth, market differentiation, and clients.

In an expansion of this role, Dutta will now also be responsible for working with the local business communities and representing Accenture with local industry and trade bodies.

Menon has been with Accenture for the last 20 years and was appointed to the position of chairperson in 2015.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Rekha for her more than two decades of extraordinary leadership. She helped build a strong foundation for Accenture in India across many aspects of our business," Accenture's Chief Executive Officer for Growth Markets Leonardo Framil said.

Accenture at present employs around 3 lakh people in India.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Parking at the Flagstaff Airport will not be free for much longer.

Starting on or around July 1, travelers will have to pay between $2 and $8 to park at Pulliam. For those who arent planning to leave their vehicle overnight, the fee is $2 per hour. Depending on the lot a traveler chooses, overnight parking could cost $6 or $8 a day  the maximum weekly rate is $48.

Airport leadership told the Arizona Daily Sun that kiosks will only accept credit cards when the system gets up in running in July.

A couple of weeks before that well be opening the economy lot, and youll be seeing the infrastructure related to that paid parking system -- the gates, ticket kiosks and things like that -- in operation even though there wont yet be a parking rate," explained Brian Gall, who started his role as the Flagstaff airport director on Monday. "Itll be set to zero. Thatll allow people to get used to the system, allow us to troubleshoot it and make sure that everybody who has entered has the ticket that they would need to leave. It gives us some time to figure all that stuff out.

While Gall is new to the role of airport director, he has been involved with the parking improvement project at the Flagstaff airport for some time. Hes got a background in civil engineering and expertise in capital improvements and development.

Park Flag, the branch of the City of Flagstaff that monitors the pay-by-plate parking system in downtown Flagstaff, will be brought on board to offer its expertise on this particular topic as the airport implements its new system.

Theyll be helping us to provide enforcement, instructions and traffic control just generally around the airport terminal moving forward, Gall said. In addition ... were looking into some options for remote customer service on the system. So, if youre exiting the system or entering and you have a question and you press the intercom on any of the parking equipment, itll go to a live person. They can help you troubleshoot that issue and hopefully sort it out very quickly.

Since 1997, the airport parking situation in Flagstaff hasnt changed until now. There are 385 parking spaces. The lot had been built at the same time as the terminal, and it hasnt been expanded for decades.

Gall said over the last 10 years theres been a sizeable increase in the amount of air travel in the region. In the 2010s, the average number of customers boarding commercial aircraft in Flagstaff topped out at about 60,000 travelers annually.

Today, that number is closer to 100,000.

The existing parking lot, Gall said, was simply over capacity.

With the limited parking we had, we had people trying to park in drive aisles or using an overflow lot or even parking in landscaping sometimes. Even though it was free, it wasnt nearly as convenient as wed like it to be for our travelers, he said. So, even though theres going to be a cost associated with this, people are going to get convenience in exchange for that fee.

In addition to repaving and adding meters to the existing lot, now called the terminal lot, the airport built a second 415-space parking area. Itll be called the economy lot and feature a $6-per-day fee, as opposed to the $8 fee in the terminal lot.

Revenue from the new card-only pay-to-park system will first go toward paying off the construction of the brand-new lot, Gall said.

To pay for that economy lot, we had to borrow some money from the citys general fund. The paid parking system that were moving to will help us pay back that improvement, he said.

Subsequent revenue will then fund maintenance moving forward -- the kinds of tasks that have been challenging to plan and complete under the free system.

With that original parking lot, since its so close to full all the time, theres no way we can move traffic completely off of it to perform maintenance activities, Gall explained. As soon as the new system is in place and our economy lot is able to open, well be able to close sections of the existing terminal parking lot to allow us to perform maintenance activities on that.

Gall said the airport is in the final stages of planning to have the terminal parking lot completely repaved, and added the bulk of the construction will go forward this summer.

This summer, it turns out, might challenge travelers planning to fly out of Flagstaff. For six days in July, the airport will close in order to repave roughly 10 highway miles of runway.

The asphalt runway requires regular sealing and hasnt been fully repaved since 2017. For this project, the city has partnered with the Arizona Department of Transportation, which will assist in the process.

The project is scheduled to shut down commercial and private air travel out of the airport July 9-15.

Thats smack dab in the middle of the summer  while students are on vacation, and people are picking destinations for their annual dose of R&R.

Despite that, Gall said, the decision to close in July was strategic.

We tried to choose a time when the closure would allow us to finish that work in the shortest window of time possible without any unexpected delays, or without having to push that project to a later date, he explained. The weather that is required in order to get these materials in place requires even overnight temperatures to be warmer than we can get at other times of the year.

In a press release, the airport notes that it gave American Airlines six months advance notice to plan for the closures. By now, passengers who had booked travel between the closure dates should have received revised itineraries; if not, travelers need to contact the airline directly, according to the press release.

Gall said he hopes the summers paving operations will ultimately make travel smoother and reduce headaches for customers.

With the more than doubling of our parking spaces, people should be able to always find a spot, hopefully very quickly, and as close to the building as theyd like to be, hopefully spending less time looking for a parking area, said Gall.

The paid parking system might also free up more spaces. According to Gall, the airport has had to contend with abandoned vehicles over the years  a problem thats not unique.

Airport parking lots plan for visitors to leave their vehicles, often for extended periods of time. The trouble is, sometimes those cars and trucks are never claimed.

Especially in the case of the Flagstaff airport, in its current situation with the free parking, it can be challenging to determine when a vehicle goes from being parked long term to abandoned, Gall said.

If airport staff suspected a vehicle had been abandoned, they brought in police to try to contact the owner.

The paid lots will make it easier to determine if a vehicle has been left on purpose, he said.

We will also be going back to [city] Council for some changes to the airport rules and regulations, to set an amount of time that will define what an abandoned vehicle is. Most airports define that as somewhere between 30 and 90 days, Gall said. Our initial idea is to target 60 days for maximum parking length without prior approval.
Sao Paulo, May 5 (AP) Jonathan Schmidt just made the deadline, arriving at Federal Police headquarters in the centre of Rio de Janeiro with a travel bag carrying a golden pistol and seven rifles, one peeking out of the zipper.

"I'm in love with guns," said Schmidt. "I'd have over 2,000 if the government allowed."

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He had already registered his firearms with the army, as required by law for sport shooters like him, but experts have cast doubt on the reliability of its database and said lax oversight has allowed such guns to fall into criminal hands. Schmidt was adding his guns to the police registry Wednesday on the final day to comply with a decree by Brazil's new left-wing president  or face confiscation.

Over four years in office, former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to convert a country with few weapons into one where firearm ownership and lack of regulation meant personal freedom.

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Now, his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been moving to undo Bolsonaro's pro-gun policies, and that started with requiring gun owners to register their weapons with police. After initial resistance, he started seeing success.

But more than 6,000 restricted-use guns previously registered with the army, which include assault rifles, were not presented to police by the May 3 deadline, Justice Minister Flavio Dino told reporters Thursday. Those are likely to have been diverted to criminals, and are now targets for investigation and potential seizure, he said.

In Brazil's last gun-control campaign, in 2003, Brazilians were invited to turn in their guns and receive a symbolic payment from the state. It boasted a high level of participation.

In the eyes of right-wing Bolsonaro, however, the disarmament statute was a historic blunder. Echoing aspects of American conservativism, he was the first Brazilian presidential candidate to campaign on a pro-gun platform, saying "good citizens" are entitled to firearms to protect their families and assets. He altered the rules for how much ammunition one can possess and access to restricted guns. He repeatedly claimed that "an armed populace will never be enslaved."

Instituto Sou da Paz, a non-profit that monitors public security, estimates that the number of guns in civilian hands nearly tripled  to 2.2 million in a country of 214 million people  under Bolsonaro. It remains far lower than in the United States and Brazil has no constitutional right to bear arms.

"We had sharp growth in firearm access, including restricted-use weapons," Michele dos Ramos, who is leading the workgroup in charge of gun policy within the Justice Ministry, told the AP by phone. "In order to write any guidelines to restructure gun and ammunition policies and regulations, it is important we have a diagnosis of the situation of these weapons."

On his first day in office, Lula issued a decree requiring gun owners to register their weapons with the Federal Police and the original deadline was delayed by a month. At Rio's Federal Police headquarters, officers have registered guns belonging to as many as 50 people per day.

But people had been wary.

"There was a lot of concern primarily at the beginning when they arrived here. They believed we were going to confiscate their guns," Marcelo Daemon, the head of the Rio police's department overseeing arms control, said in an interview in his office. "A lot of fake news circulated on social media and people came here with fear."

Some politicians had contributed to a general reluctance to register guns. On March 17, federal lawmaker Julia Zanatta shared a picture of herself holding a machine gun and wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "COME AND TAKE IT" and an image of Lula's hand pierced by three bullet holes. Paulo Bilynskyj, a lawmaker and former police chief from Sao Paulo, shared instructions to follow in case one's weapons were seized.

"We have a more armed country, a stronger gun culture, more representatives focused on the pro-gun agenda," said Carolina Ricardo, executive director of Instituto Sou da Paz, adding that Congress will be the "thorn in the side" of groups pushing for stricter gun control. The so-called "bullet caucus" of pro-gun lawmakers gained dozens of new seats in last year's election.

Before the registration initiated by Lula's government, the army gathered and retained data on gun ownership for sport shooters, collectors and hunters, known as CACs. Bolsonaro scrapped the requirement for such registrants to undergo the arduous process of submitting documentation, justification and psychological exams to the Federal Police, which for its part registers guns owned for self-defence, and so limited the force's visibility on the total number of guns in circulation.

Army data until recently showed 7,62,365 firearms were purchased by CACs since May 7, 2019, when Bolsonaro made major changes to firearm and ammunition access. But Instituto Sou da Paz and the Igarape Institute, another security-focused non-profit, estimate the figure fails to reflect roughly 1,00,000 additional guns, based on data collected via freedom of information requests. Late last month, the army quietly updated its database to reflect almost 2,00,000 more registered guns, according to the Justice Ministry.

By requiring in-person registration, the government hoped to determine precisely how many guns and what types are no longer with their original owners and, potentially, in the hands of criminal groups.

Minister Dino presented data Thursday showing 9,39,154 guns was registered with Federal Police, which includes most of those on the army's database after the recent boost to its total.

"This (amount) is probably greater than the arsenal of practically all of the military police in the whole country," he said. "We already have a lot of guns in private hands in Brazil."

Gun advocates mostly came around, though some had encouraged their followers to do so only begrudgingly. Marcos Pollon, a federal lawmaker who leads a pro-gun group often compared to the National Rifle Association, in mid-March called the government effort "absolutely illegal and unconstitutional." A week later, he published a video on YouTube, where he has over 1,50,000 subscribers, saying he registered his gun and that those who didn't would face the consequences.

The Justice Minister plans to propose a new decree for Lula by May 15 to impose new rules for shooting clubs and gun shops, and limit the amount of guns and ammunition civilians can obtain.

Schmidt, the gun owner in Rio, had viewed the government's registration effort as an embarrassment. But now, he says, he recognizes it is important for the Federal Police to know of all weapons owned by civilians.

"This way, we remain legal," he 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)
Panaji (Goa) [India], May 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan and Kazakhstan after the completion of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers Meet in Goa on Friday.

Jaishankar met Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyz Republic, Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan and Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan and held bilateral talks on various issues such as trade, connectivity and multilateralism.

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"Nice to meet FM Zheenbek Kulubaev of Kyrgyz Republic. His warm words for our SCO presidency are greatly appreciated. Discussed development cooperation, connectivity, trade, S&T and our partnership in multilateral forums," Jaishanker tweeted.

"Good meeting with FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan. Appreciate his support for Indian SCO presidency. Agreed on increasing the frequency of meetings of our institutional mechanisms. Discussed connectivity, energy & digital cooperation. Exchanged perspectives on the region," Jaishankar wrote on Twitter after meeting the Foreign Minister of Tajikistan.

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"Warm conversation with DPM and FM Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan after SCO CFM in Goa. Thanked him for supporting our presidency. Discussed broad-basing our economic and political cooperation and increase engagement with the region," the EAM tweeted.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members.

India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Sao Paulo, May 6 (AP) Britain pledged Friday to give about USD 100 million to the Brazilian government's fund to protect the Amazon rainforest, as the South American country beefs up protection of the environment under its new leadership.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who took office in January, announced the contribution to the Amazon Fund on Friday after meeting in London ahead of Saturday's coronation of King Charles III.

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The fund was launched in 2009 to fight against deforestation and build sustainable initiatives in the Brazilian rainforest, a vital natural reserve soaking up fumes from oil, natural gas and coal in South America. The committee that governs it was partially dismantled when rightist President Jair Bolsonaro took office in 2019, and rebooted by the leftist Lula this year.

"President Lula has exhibited great leadership on climate change," Sunak said on Twitter, adding that he was pleased that Britain would contribute 80 million pounds (USD 101 million) to the fund, "so we can help stop deforestation and protect biodiversity."

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Earlier this year, U.S. President Joe Biden pledged to join Norway and Germany in resuming donations to the initiative that had been suspended during Bolsonaro's presidency.

Biden said in April he would seek congressional approval to send USD 500 million over five years to the Amazon Fund. However, administration officials have been pessimistic about getting congressional approval for climate support abroad, especially with a Republican-controlled House. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Panaji (Goa) [India], May 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Thursday held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China, Russia and Uzbekistan on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting here.

The two-day-long meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states began in Goa on Thursday. India hosted a cultural event on Thursday evening ahead of the main meeting on Friday.

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Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held bilateral talks on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Goa. The two leaders reviewed bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation between the two countries.

"Comprehensive review of our bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Appreciated Russia's support for India's SCO presidency. Also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS, " Jaishankar said.

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Russian Foreign Ministry said in the statement that a confidential exchange of views took place on the main issues of bilateral relations, including the schedule of upcoming contacts, as well as topical issues on the global and regional agenda

It said the two leaders appreciated the dynamics of cooperation in key areas of the especially privileged strategic partnership between the two nations.

"The intention was confirmed to strengthen coordination activities to develop common approaches within the framework of interaction at the most important international platforms, including the SCO, BRICS , the UN and the G20," the statement said.

Russian Foreign Minister arrived at Goa's Dabolim airport on Thursday. This is his second visit to India this year. He had attended the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting in New Delhi this March.

S Jaishankar also held a meeting with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The discussions focussed on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring "peace and tranquillity" in the border areas.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

It is the second time that the Chinese Foreign Minister is on a visit to India this year.

Jaishankar also met Uzbekistan counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov on the sidelines of SCO Foreign Ministers meeting and expressed confidence that the bilateral partnership will continue to grow in different domains.

"Welcomed FM Bakhtiyor Saidov of Uzbekistan on his first visit to India in this capacity. Appreciated Uzbekistan's strong support for India's SCO presidency. Also recognized our long-standing multilateral cooperation. Confident our bilateral partnership in different domains will continue to grow," Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is in Goa for the SCO meeting, held a bilateral meeting Lavrov.

Russian Foreign Ministry in the statement said the parties discussed the current state of Russian-Pakistani relations, regional and international issues, and exchanged views on the situation in Afghanistan.

"The two leaders appreciated the interaction between Russia and Pakistan on the world stage, including at multilateral platforms like the UN and the SCO."

Lavrov also met his Chinese counterpart on the sidelines of the SCO meeting.

Sergey Lavrov and Qin Gang discussed issues related to the implementation of the agreements reached during the meeting held between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping in Moscow in March.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said that a number of topical topics on the bilateral agenda were considered, including individual projects of cooperation in practical areas." The two leaders appreciated the dynamics of the development of ties between Russia and China.

The two leaders exchanged assessments of the current state and prospects for further development of the activities of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, according to a Russian Foreign Ministry statement. They welcomed the collective efforts of the Member States to maintain peace and stability in Eurasia.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar held a bilateral meeting with the Secretary General of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Zhang Ming.

The theme for India's chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is 'Secure-SCO'.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Manama [Bahrain], May 5 (ANI): Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on Friday interacted with the Indian community in Bahrain and complimented them for the role they play in strengthening the bonds of friendship between India and Bahrain.

The Union Minister also paid a visit to a 200-year-old Lord Sri Krishna (Shreenathji) temple in Bahrain."Glad to interact with Indian Community and Friends of India in Bahrain at the Reception organized by @IndiaInBahrain. Commended them for the dynamic role they play in cementing bonds of friendship between India and Bahrain," MoS Muraleedharan tweeted.

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"Blessed to offer prayers at the 200-year-old Lord Sri Krishna (Shreenathji) temple in Bahrain. The temple is among the oldest in the Gulf region," he said in another tweet.

Before this on the same day, the Union Minister also paid a visit to historical buildings Bab al Bahrain and Manama souq.

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After his visit, Muraleedharan tweeted, "Paid a visit to iconic Bab al Bahrain and Manama souq. Also, nice to get a feel of 'Little India' in the heart of Manama souq. The place reflects rich cultural and people to people connect between our two countries which date back thousands of years."

Earlier, the union minister on Thursday held a meeting with Bahraini Minister of Labour Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan and discussed avenues of future cooperation between the two nations, including on skilling.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, Muraleedharan expressed gratitude to Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan and Bahraini authorities for the welfare of Indian workers and professionals.

Muraleedharan tweeted, "Pleased to meet H.E. Mr. Jameel bin Mohammed Ali Humaidan, Bahraini Minister of Labour in Manama. Thanked him and Bahraini authorities for the welfare of Indian workers and professionals. Discussed avenues of future cooperation including on skilling."

During his visit, Muraleedharan held a meeting with Bahraini Minister of Social Development Osama Bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor and discussed matters of common interest.

Sharing details of the meeting, Muraleedharan tweeted, "Happy to meet H.E. Mr. Osama Bin Ahmed Khalaf Al Asfoor, Minister of Social Development of Bahrain in Manama. Discussed matters of common interest & thanked the Kingdom's support to Indian community."V Muraleedharan also held a productive meeting with the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa in Manama. The two sides discussed various aspects of the wide-ranging partnership, regional and multilateral developments.

He tweeted, "Had a productive meeting with H.E. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Undersecretary for Political Affairs of @bahdiplomatic in Manama, Bahrain Discussed various aspects the wide-ranging bilateral partnership, regional & multilateral developments."

The Ministry of External Affairs in a press release said, "MOS (VM)'s visit to Kingdom of Bahrain will be his second visit to the country. He had last visited Bahrain in August 2021."The MoS MEA will hold discussions with various Bahraini dignitaries and meet Indian community organisations and Indians working in different sectors, according to the press release.

Muraleedharan will also inaugurate the Indo-Bahrain Dance and Music Festival being organised by Bahrain Keraleeya Samajam and the Embassy of India with the support of Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities as part of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav (AKAM), the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Lahore, May 5 (PTI) A Pakistani court on Friday turned down the request of former prime minister Imran Khan to dismiss a Rs 10 billion defamation lawsuit against him filed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

The sessions court directed Premier Sharif to present evidence against Khan in the next hearing on May 20. The case has been pending for the last six years.

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In Friday's proceedings, Khan's counsel argued that the defamation suit filed by Sharif is liable to be dismissed. The premier's counsel, however, opposed the application, arguing the defendant filed the application only to delay the suit proceedings and frustrate the process of the court.'

He said Khan had already lost his right to defend the lawsuit through an order passed by the trial court in November last year.

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The defendant had no right to file such applications to hinder the process of the adjudication of the suit, he said.

Additional District & Sessions Judge Muhammad Irfan Basra after hearing the arguments from both sides observed the application of Khan holds no ground and is hence dismissed.

Sharif in 2017 filed the defamation suit against Khan for accusing him of offering the latter Rs 10 billion through a common friend in exchange for withdrawing the Panama Papers case from the Supreme Court.

Sharif sought a decree for recovery of Rs 10 billion as compensation from Khan for the publication of defamatory content.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Benaulim (Goa) [India], May 5 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang at the venue for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa on Friday. Jaishankar's traditional 'Namaste' was reciprocated with a traditional 'fist and palm' salute by Qin Gang.

Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart had on Thursday held bilateral talks here on Thursday.

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During the talks, Qin Gang dwelled on "drawing experience and lessons from history" while pointing out that the current situation on the border is "generally stable" and that the two neighbouring countries should maintain "sustainable peace and tranquillity" in the border areas, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China.

The Chinese foreign minister also stated that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernization.

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"We should draw experience and lessons from history, grasp bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, respect each other, learn from each other, achieve mutual success, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development, and common rejuvenation among neighbouring major countries, and provide assistance for the rejuvenation of our respective nationalities," he added, the Chinese foreign ministry said.

The official statement of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Qin Gang also talked about injecting stability and positive energy into world peace and development.

"China is willing to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues, and push China-India relations back to the track of healthy and stable development," it added.

Qin Gang also pointed out that the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable and that the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements and agreements, promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation, and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas, as per the official statement.

Meanwhile, Jaishankar introduced India's views on India-China relations and said that India and China need to strengthen cooperation in many aspects. The Indian side hopes to continue to seek to maintain peace and stability in the border area through consultations with the Chinese side.

Qin Gang also said that China supports India in hosting the SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating presidency, will play an active role in making the summit a success in the spirit of unity and cooperation. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern. The two foreign ministers also held detailed discussions revolving around SCO, G20 and BRICS, said Jaishankar.

After he commenced bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Jaishankar tweeted, "A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. The focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border area. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS."

The Chinese Foreign Minister had arrived at Goa airport on Thursday to attend the two-day-long meeting of foreign ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) that began yesterday in the coastal State here.

This is the second time that the Chinese Foreign Minister is in India this year. He was in New Delhi this March for the G20 Foreign Ministers' meeting.(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, May 5: The BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Australia's Sydney was found vandalised in the early hours on Friday (local time), The Australia Today reported. This comes almost two months after temples in Melbourne and Brisbane were vandalised by pro-Khalistan supporters.

According to The Australia Today, a news outlet focused on multicultural communities and the Indian subcontinent, authorities at the temple in Western Sydney's Rosehill suburb said they found unwanted graffiti on the structure's front wall and a so-called 'Khalistan flag' hanging on its gate. Australia: Khalistani Supporters, Pro-India Crowd Clash at Sikhs For Justice Referendum Rally in Melbourne (Watch Video).

"When I went this morning for prayers I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall," a local resident of Harris Park and a daily visitor to the Swaminarayan temple told the Australian media outlet.

The Australia Today media report said it understands that local police were notified by the temple management as early as 7 am, and the latter has told the media outlet that NSW Police officers have attended the temple and CCTV footage has been provided to assist them in the investigations.

Earlier this year too, there were reports of temple vandalisation in Australia. Three temples in Melbourne and two in Brisbane were vandalised by Khalistan supporters. The latest episode of temple vandalisation by anti-social elements comes days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to attend in-person the Quad Leaders' Summit scheduled on May 24 in Sydney. Indian Australian Diaspora Foundation will host a grand community reception in honour of PM Modi a day ahead of the QUAD Leaders' Summit. Australia: Hindu Temple in Brisbane Gets Threat Calls; Asked to Raise Khalistani Slogans.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had earlier raised concerns with his Australian counterpart, to which he assured that the safety of the Indian community is a special priority.

"I gave him the assurance that Australia is a country that respects people's faith. That we don't tolerate the sort of extreme actions and attacks that we've seen on religious buildings, be they Hindu temples, mosques, synagogues, or churches. This has no place in Australia," Albanese said addressing a press conference during his recent India visit, which was reported by ANI on March 11

In the US and Canada too, the pro-Khalistan supporters had attempted on various occasions to vandalise temples and Indian diplomatic installations after police in India lodged a manhunt on radicalist Amritpal Singh. The radical preacher of separatism was on the run for over a month and surrendered before Punjab Police on April 23 from Moga. He was later flown to Assam's Dibrugarh jail, where several of his aides were kept and booked under the stringent National Security Act.

Amritpal Singh leads "Waris Punjab De", a radical organisation started by actor and activist Deep Sidhu, who died in a road accident in February last year. Punjab Police had launched a crackdown on him and members of his outfit 'Waris Punjab De' on March 18, a month after his supporters stormed a police station in Ajnala for the release of one of his aides.

A day after police in India launched the operation to arrest, Amritpal, a propaganda meeting in Australia's Brisbane by Khalistan sympathisers was organised, which they called a referendum, but it failed badly. The propaganda meeting did not manage to gather steam, as just a handful of people had turned up.

A handful of Khalistani supporters who attended the propaganda meet were trying to mobilise people to join in, but their outreach attempt too had failed.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Vijaywada, May 5: The Board of Secondary Education, Andhra Pradesh today announced the date and time for the declaration of AP SSC Results 2023. As per reports, Andhra Pradesh Class 10 Results will be declared tomorrow, May 6 at 11 am. Once declared, the AP Class 10th Result 2023 will be put up on the official website and students can check their scorecards by visiting bse.ap.gov.in.

Along with the AP SSC Results 2023, the Andhra Pradesh education board will release the pass percentage, toppers list and other statistics. Students are advised to visit the official website of BSEAP regularly for more details and the latest updates. Media reports show 6.6 lakh students registered for Andhra Pradesh class 10th board exams. The board conducted SSC exams from April 3 to 18 in 3349 exam venues.

How To Check AP Class 10 Results 2023:

Go to the official website: bse.ap.gov.in .

. On the homepage, look for the AP Class 10 Results 2023 link.

Click on it, and a new login window will be displayed.

Enter the asked login credentials.

Click on the submit tab.

BSEAP SSC marks memo will appear on the screen.

The Andhra Pradesh Board of Intermediate Education (BIEAP) announced the results for inter 1st-year and 2nd-year examinations on April 26. The Andhra Pradesh Board declared the BIEAP 1st-year and 2nd-year exam results 2023 at around 6 pm. According to reports, a total of 10,03,990 students appeared for the Andhra Pradesh Inter exams 2023, Of these, 4.84 lakh students undertook the AP Inter 1st Year exam while 5.19 lakh appeared for the AP Inter 2nd Year exam.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 05:54 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Scholz has arrived in Kenya to continue his visit to the East African region. Berlin and Nairobi share close ties going back to Kenya's independence 60 years ago.You can watch the event in this article or on our Youtube channel

Also Read | SCO Foreign Ministers Meet 2023: No Handshake, S Jaishankar Greets Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, Qin Gang, Other SCO Counterparts with Namaste (Watch Videos).

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz landed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Friday, a day after arriving in Ethiopia to kick off his four-day trip to East Africa.

Also Read | Jammu and Kashmir: Two Soldiers Killed, Four Injured in Encounter Between Terrorists and Security Forces in Rajouri (Watch Video).

He was received by Kenyan President William Ruto with military honors before the two hold talks that are expected to focus on economic relations between the two, regional conflicts and the use of renewable energies  an area in which Kenya has excelled.

Germany considers Kenya its most important trading partner in the region and the ties between the two countries go back to Kenya's independence from the British Empire 60 years ago when Germany became the first country to grant it official recognition.

What will Scholz be discussing in Kenya?

Scholz's visit to Ethiopia on Thursday saw him meet with the head of the African Union (AU) which has its headquarters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The topic of violence in Africa, especially the recent outbreak of conflict in Sudan, was likely to continue to dominate the agenda as the German chancellor crossed into Kenya.

Berlin considers Kenya a hub of democratic governance in the region, but Ruto has recently come under fire for his heavy-handed response to opposition-led protests.

Kenya's renewable energy

But talks will also focus on the use of renewable energies. Kenya is a frontrunner in this field, producing between 80% and 92% of its electricity from renewable sources.

However, the real amounts remain relatively low, with just 12-gigawatt hours (GWh) produced for its population of 53 million in 2020, compared to Germany's 573 GWh produced in the same time period, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Scholz also brought a dozen business representatives on his trip. Kenya is hoping to attract foreign investment to increase its electricity production capacity and with it its industrial base.

On Saturday the German chancellor will be visiting the Lake Naivasha geothermal plant  the largest in Africa.

ab/wd (dpa, AFP)

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 03:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Election workers tabulate Pinal County ballots on Election Day during the November 2022 midterms. Election officials documented glaring discrepancies in the ballot totals, but recommended certifying the election anyway. Photo via Pinal County election night livestream | Youtube

By the time Virginia Ross appeared before Pinal Countys supervisors one last time, she had already sold her house.

The elections director just needed the supervisors to vote yes on Nov. 21, finalizing the November election, and she would be on her way to retirement.

I stand by the results, she assured them.

This article was originally published by Votebeat , a nonprofit news organization covering local election administration and voting access.

A lot hinged on this moment. After a primary election debacle in August, the county manager had brought Ross on to right the ship. The county paid her handsomely: more than $40,000 a month leading up to the election. Thats more than five times what the past two elections directors had made. Plus, she would get a $25,000 bonus if supervisors voted yes.

The supervisors made it easy for her: They didnt ask her any questions, voting unanimously to certify the results. She got her bonus, and quickly moved to an East Texas town with fewer than 1,000 residents.

It would be another month before Arizona voters learned what internal evidence already showed  that Ross had botched the count in a way that excluded hundreds of votes from the original results, enough to nearly overturn the outcome of a statewide race.

While county officials have repeatedly said the county didnt know of potential problems with the results before the supervisors vote, a Votebeat investigation found that election officials had documented numerous errors counting ballots and witnessed several red flags before the vote. One supervisor publicly said he had heard of problems that could have affected the count. But election officials didnt resolve the problems, didnt say anything publicly, and recommended certifying the results anyway.

By reviewing hundreds of internal documents, emails, and text messages as well as publicly-available meeting footage, Votebeat has found that:

A half-dozen election experts from other states who reviewed the discrepancies in the countys reports were shocked Pinal officials didnt immediately hit the brakes.

I cannot even fathom seeing those reports, seeing how the numbers were off and not doing everything I could as a leader of the organization  the person that is ultimately responsible for the integrity of the election  to figure out what happened, said Jennifer Morrell, founder of an elections consulting firm and an expert on post-election reconciliation.

Morrell said she couldnt believe Ross left before ensuring the results were accurate.

As a former election administrator, the thing that shocks me is the person that was in charge just walked away without reconciling all of this, she said. I cant believe she just walked away.

The errors were only made public during Decembers statewide recount, required because of tight results in three races. It revealed that Pinal election officials originally failed to tabulate hundreds of ballots cast on Election Day, and also failed to properly count some votes on dozens of others. The new tally nearly overturned the attorney generals race.

Without the recount, the errors would not have come to light.

The recount process also showed no other Arizona county had made such significant mistakes. In todays election atmosphere, where even the smallest problems can provoke false claims of fraud or malfeasance, election experts elsewhere told Votebeat that they were surprised by the lack of diligence, especially in a county the size of Pinal, with more than 145,000 ballots cast in the midterm. The errors in the master spreadsheet alone were alarming, Morrell said.

I cant imagine being off more than 10 and not panicking, she said.

Only Pinal County Attorney Kent Volkmer  who acknowledged the gravity of the mistakes  agreed to an interview for this article, and he only agreed to address specific questions about his knowledge of events.

Other county leaders refused to talk in person or by phone and declined to answer specific questions about the documents they provided in response to Votebeats records requests.

In a statement to Votebeat, County Spokesperson James Daniels said the county recorder, county attorney, supervisors, and other leadership didnt know about problems with the counts prior to certifying the results, but he refused to say how much election officials knew at the time of the supervisors vote. County leaders, he wrote, are looking to the future and not to the issues of the past, and therefore there is no appetite to do an interview.

Ross did not respond to requests for comment. No working phone number or email could be found, and county officials earlier this year said they had no way to relay an interview request. Votebeat mailed two certified letters, to her new address and post office box in Texas. The local post office documented receipt of both letters, though Ross did not respond.

Just a lot of work to do

Ross, a Republican, had been the countys elected recorder for nearly a decade when she was put in the elections director spot. The county manager agreed to pay her such a striking sum because the county was already in recovery mode from the primary.

About one-fourth of polling places had ballot shortages on Election Day. County Manager Leo Lew swiftly fired the elections director, David Frisk, and pulled in Ross. The supervisors more than doubled her staff and said they trusted her to fix the system in the three months before the general election.

Volkmer now says that was a mistake.

This was a result, in my opinion, of having people without a ton of experience in very important jobs and having single points of failure, not having redundancies in place to catch mistakes, he said. There are proactive steps the county is taking so that this doesnt happen again.

As recorder, Ross had experience running early voting, but tabulating and finalizing the vote totals were not among her responsibilities.

A month before Election Day, she took questions from reporters inside the historic Florence courtroom now used for supervisors meetings. Sitting behind a desk near the entrance, Ross told Votebeat that she had been working every weekend.

She was almost fully staffed, she said, but everyone was new. She had already rewritten the countys poll worker training manual, created more detailed and longer in-person training, added an additional accuracy test of tabulation machines, and organized a mock election.

There is just a lot of work to do, Ross said.

Ross was confident in how the election would go  although she was worried about the countys new two-page ballot. Pinal County had been forced to split its ballot into two pages for the first time anyone could remember, because of the number of contests. Officials knew that was going to make tracking and tabulating ballots logistically challenging.

The county had set up the open house in the name of transparency, but officials refused to talk about what exactly happened during the primary  they said because it was still under investigation. And they stopped short of providing explanations for the larger choices the county had made, over time, that could have prevented the problems.

Asked why voters should feel confident the November election would go well, Ross said just putting her in charge should improve public confidence. People know me, she said.

In his office that same day, Supervisor Jeffrey McClure  then serving as chairman  exuded confidence. The supervisors were paying Ross a high salary  first reported by The Arizona Republic  because they needed to make this work, he said. The directive was what does it take to fix it, who do we need to fix it, give it to her, and go do it.

He said he didnt want to be like Maricopa County. You know, always in the news.

McClures quip still resonated the day after the election, when Maricopa County was consuming the medias attention with widespread problems tabulating ballots.

Meanwhile, everything seemed to have gone well in Pinal County. County officials highlighted a few minor errors, including a noticeable delay in reporting election results they said was caused in part by the two-page ballot. But, otherwise, county supervisors praised the elections team for a job well done.

It was good to not be the center of attention, bottom line, Supervisor Mike Goodman said. Im pretty confident that we have put back the confidence of our voters here in Pinal County.

An absolute nightmare

The election had not entirely gone as planned, though  in ways that werent immediately evident.

For one, election officials hadnt properly loaded voter registration information into the countys database before the election, so poll workers couldnt properly check some voters in on Election Day  a problem county officials eventually acknowledged publicly.

Also, the forms that poll workers used to outline how ballots were used at their locations, called ballot reports, were filled with errors, according to copies provided to Votebeat  perhaps because of a confusing form, the two-page ballot, lack of proper training, or all three. The forms ensure that the correct number of ballots have been counted and are all returned from the polling location, but poll workers appear to have not understood which numbers they should put where when filling it out.

Recently shown Pinal Countys forms, Morrell and Michele Forney, elections director in Pinal until 2019, said the paperwork was confusing and that they were unsurprised by the number of errors.

The errors on those reports were an absolute nightmare, and had immediate repercussions on election night, said Jennifer Hilsbos of San Tan Valley, an official political observer for the Democratic party that night.

Workers who received the ballots at the countys election headquarters tried to sort out the numbers but often were unable to reach poll workers, Hilsbos said. This meant the temporary workers charged with tabulating the ballots often didnt know exactly how many ballots they should have to begin with, making it difficult for them to check their work as they went.

They didnt realize at the time that, as paper jams occurred and other small mistakes piled up, some ballots were never tabulated. Also, county officials had erred while programming the machines, causing them to fail to count unclear votes on some ballots, which means some ballots were only partially tabulated. The county disclosed that in a report on the problems released after the recount results were announced. Workers also failed to use a separate log to compare the starting number of ballots to the number of ballots theyd scanned, which experts agree is a best practice.

Maricopa County, for example, has detailed and clear forms for this point in the process. The number of ballots cast and then tabulated is tracked by machine, batch, and day. Maricopa Elections Director Scott Jarrett said discrepancies are resolved on the spot  workers and supervisors move into a separate room to huddle and figure out whats wrong. In 2022, he understood his numbers down to the last ballot, he said.

None of this appears to have happened in Pinal County, where ballot counting stretched into the early hours of the day after the election  most workers didnt leave until 4 a.m., logs provided by the county show.

Red flags prior to certification

A little-noticed sign the results were off came during the countys required hand-count audit a few days after the election, when political party appointees counted the votes cast in four randomly selected races on a small percentage of early and Election Day ballots.

As workers hand-counted ballots from two polling places, or about 435 ballots total, they tallied one extra vote for three candidates in three of four races. No one could figure out why, but they carried on anyway.

Geraldine Roll, who was a deputy county attorney at the time in training to replace Virginia Ross as the next elections director, mentioned this five days later as she updated the supervisors as to how the counting was going.

The board spent several hours trying to figure out where that discrepancy came from, and finally determined that because it was under the margin of error they would move on, Roll said at the Nov. 16 supervisors meeting. The root of the problem  that the county had originally failed to tabulate two ballots from one of those precincts  was not unraveled until the recount results were final on Dec. 29.

Roll also told county officials that, as of the Nov. 16 meeting, she was unaware of how many unused ballots were left over at polling places, something other election officials told Votebeat should have been obvious from the ballot reports. She did not highlight any problems with these forms at the meeting.

Instead, she told the supervisors that elections staff would compare the number of unused ballots with the used ballots and cast ballots to verify the results prior to certifying them. Ross, the elections director, had previously told supervisors that they would use a master spreadsheet to track everything, which would allow them to spot errors and balance the numbers before the results were certified  a process also called a canvass.

A copy of this spreadsheet obtained by Votebeat shows that it was never balanced.

For example, on the first row, which shows data from the countys first precinct  the small eastern Pinal town of Kearny  workers reported that voters cast 308 ballots. But the number of ballots counted by the tabulation machines from that location only says 210. The recount found that the county originally failed to tabulate 90 ballots  nearly one-third of all ballots from voters in the town.

After the recount results were announced, Roll, the elections director in training, told supervisors that looking at the numbers for this precinct had made her think hmmm, but it isnt clear when she first saw them. Neither she nor other county officials would comment on why the election was certified despite the obvious errors, nor would they say who had access to the spreadsheet prior to the vote. The documents properties show it was created by Ross.

Minimally the audit board  which election directors are legally required to assemble  should have reviewed the numbers. By law, their work includes sifting through documents containing ballot and voter numbers to verify the results, according to requirements of Arizonas Elections Procedure Manual, a detailed document outlining how elections must be run in the state that has the force of law.

The audit board must resolve errors before the results are certified, according to the EPM. The county didnt provide any documents showing that this occurred. Also, the audit board should have met between when officials finished counting ballots and when the elections director packaged the results for the supervisors approval.

In Pinal County, the time period for holding that meeting was a half-hour or so on the afternoon of Nov. 17, according to Roll.

Supervisor Kevin Cavanaugh, after reviewing Votebeats findings, said he wanted to know how the county could have met the audit board requirement.

Roll revealed to the supervisors at a Jan. 4 meeting that she had seen enough potential problems in the results before the supervisors vote to believe they should postpone certifying while they looked into them, and it wasnt her decision to go ahead. There was still more than a week left before the countys deadline to finalize results. It was Ross decision to move forward when they did, Daniels, the county spokesperson, wrote in a statement.

Roll didnt raise her concerns publicly or to Volkmer at that time, though, according to Volkmer. Neither did Scott Johnson, an attorney who was working closely alongside Ross and Roll on a temporary assignment as deputy elections director and who was looking into errors in voter numbers before the certification, according to an email he sent to the secretary of states office.

It was Roll, not Ross, that was actively supervising tabulation on election night, according to Hilsbos, the observer. Key card logs show both Roll and Johnson were in and out of ballot storage repeatedly in the days just before the results were certified. Roll and Johnson declined to comment on what exactly they knew about the problems and when. By the time the certification of the results took place on Nov. 21, these election officials had not publicly discussed any major errors.

The same week Ross made the decision to move forward, she sold her San Tan Valley house, county property records show.

No irregularities

During the supervisors meeting the morning of Nov. 21  just before they voted  Supervisor Jeff Serdy said that although he didnt really want to discuss it now, he was hearing about issues that could have affected the count.

Volkmer, the county attorney, responded with surprise, saying this was news to him and everything would suggest there has been no irregularities.

No one suggested looking into this further before certifying.

I can tell you that I am incredibly confident, as confident as I could possibly be, in the numbers that are being provided to this board, Volkmer said. I dont believe there is anything nefarious.

The day after the results were certified, Lewis, the recorder, emailed an employee in the secretary of states office with the subject line Situation  Pretty Important, saying she was seeing discrepancies when looking at early voting totals.

While Lewis declined to speak to Votebeat about her email, the employee at the secretary of states office explained in detail that this referred to an unrelated problem that didnt affect the countys election results. Still, its unclear why Lewis hadnt noticed and resolved these discrepancies in her numbers prior to the county certifying results.

That same day, the day after the certification, Ross was quoted in a local newspaper saying that she was aware that some workers hadnt followed procedures when a ballot failed to tabulate properly.

We had a couple of instances where our poll workers needed a little more training on how to handle that scenario, but that will be addressed in some post-election training well be implementing, she told the reporter.

The county became one of the first, to certify their results. Under state law, they still had another week before the deadline.

In a difficult spot

Geraldine Roll officially signed a contract to take over for Virginia Ross on the last day of November  two working days before Arizona certified its statewide results. Her contract came with a $154,000 salary. The two most recent election directors, Frisk and Forney, had both made about $100,000.

That same day, Roll called Volkmer to tell him she knew that 245 ballots had not been counted across four precincts, according to Volkmer. Despite the imminent statewide certification, Volkmer told Votebeat no one mentioned these errors to the secretary of states office.

The state then certified the results on Dec. 5 and the court ordered the statewide recount, barring county and state officials from talking about recount results. County and state officials say they took that as a gag order preventing them from talking about errors in the original count.

County officials say they first told the secretary of states office about errors in the results on Dec. 7  more than two weeks after the county certified its election. A spokesperson for Gov. Katie Hobbs  a Democrat who was secretary of state at the time  explained that her office did not share this fact in court proceedings over the results, including losing Republican attorney general candidate Abe Hamadehs election contest, because of that gag order.

Asked why the county did not say anything publicly or to the secretary of states office about the errors during the short period between when Volkmer knew about them on Nov. 30 and when the gag order was issued Dec. 5, Volkmer said that county officials knew a recount would be ordered because of the tight results and  because the county had already certified results  officials saw it as their only real way to recount all ballots effectively. We were in a difficult spot where we didnt have the ability on our own to do the recount, he said.

If the county didnt believe a recount would happen, he said, we probably would have taken a different position.

Once the errors were announced publicly, some residents said in public comments at a Jan. 4 meeting that county officials should have said something sooner. Ally Miller, a former Pima County supervisor, questioned why Volkmer didnt notify the court in the Hamadeh case.

Why didnt your attorney, who is an officer of the court, notify the court of these discrepancies? Miller asked supervisors. I know it is the duty of the secretary of state to report that. She didnt, and I think everyone was watching that.

Cavanaugh, the only supervisor that responded to Votebeats request for an interview, said if the recount hadnt happened, these errors and bad practices would never have been discovered.

How long have we had chain of custody and counting errors? he said.

After overlooking 442 ballots, a $25,000 bonus

On Dec. 16, as the recount progressed in Arizona, Virginia Ross finalized the deed on a newly-constructed house down a two-lane road in East Texas.

Around the same time, Pinal officials decided they didnt feel confident in their initial recount and would start on a third count of the Election Day ballots.

When the recount results were released on Dec. 29, they showed a laundry list of easily preventable problems. Among them: Because of worker errors programming and operating ballot tabulators, the county had entirely failed to count 442 Election Day ballots. The county had also failed to count some votes on 63 other ballots, in races where voter selections were unclear.

The recount had included three races: the attorney general race, the state superintendent race, and  in a different part of the state  a legislative race.

Prior to the recount, Democrat Kris Mayes was leading Hamedeh in the attorney general race by 511 votes statewide. In the recount, Hamadeh picked up 392 votes in Pinal County and Mayes gained 115. Statewide, Mayes lead shrunk to just 280 votes out of more than 1.25 million ballots cast.

At the first public meeting after the results were announced, on Jan. 4, residents said they were astounded by the mistakes. Pete Sabin of Marana pointed out that, if looking just at the 36,000 Election Day ballots, there was about a 1.4% error rate.

We wouldnt tolerate this with our money in banks if it was being counted with that level of inaccuracy, and we shouldnt allow that with our vote, which arguably is much more important to a republic, Sabin said.

Miller and other residents said they were offended by Ross high pay and bonus, and told supervisors to try to get the $25,000 back.

At least one supervisor was interested in trying to claw back the bonus, which was tied to a few requirements, including successful training of poll workers. At a meeting to discuss this on Feb. 1, Volkmer told supervisors the county was setting itself up for a losing legal battle if it tried to get the money back, because of the way the contract was written and because poll worker training still had improved from the primary.

At that meeting, County Manager Leo Lew said that Ross had written the terms of the contract herself, he approved it, and he didnt run it by Volkmer before finalizing it.

Lew defended the terms, the high rate, and Ross.

I think that Virginia did substantially do her job and I think she did substantially fulfill this contract and Im grateful that she did, Lew said.

Ross had asked for such a high rate in part because, county officials said she told them, by leaving her position as recorder before she hit the 10-year mark, her pension would be calculated at a lower rate. But elected officials pension rates do not increase at the 10-year mark, according to officials with the states retirement system. The only additional credit Ross would have received would have been for additional months in the system.

As it is, she receives $1,549 per month.

Moving forward, the state has been working directly with Pinal County to try to improve their processes, said Paul Smith-Leonard, communications director for current Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, a Democrat. He said it is clear they understand the cause of the issue and plan to ensure procedures are followed going forward to prevent it.

Our office has met with Pinal to communicate about required election processes and helped connect Pinal with other election subject matter experts around the state and country to help them build in some best practices, he said.

Fontes is also asking the state legislature for six additional positions in his office to support, guide, and train counties, he said in a written statement.

His office will host election officer certification training starting in June, and it will include specific guidance to help ensure that issues like those that occurred in the last election, do not happen again, Fontes wrote.

For Pinal Countys part, leaders are trying to build out a team of experienced election officials around Geraldine Roll, and are working to create more substantial oversight for future elections, Volkmer said, such as building an internal procedures manual and adding audits.

County officials refused to answer specific questions from Votebeat for this article, but after receiving them, Roll addressed some publicly on May 3.

Elections staff are making poll worker forms easier to understand, better training staff on how to tabulate ballots, and adding more documents to track ballots during tabulation, Roll told supervisors.

I have no plans in bringing you a canvass Im not 100% confident in, Roll said.

In a phone interview after the meeting, Cavanaugh said the county needs to have a fuller discussion.

If we cant acknowledge the problems that have occurred in the past, we are not likely to fix them, he said.

Sweeping them under the rug is not a good policy.
Imphal, May 5: In view of the prevailing widespread unrest in Manipur, the Central Government has imposed Article 355 in the state to control the situation, top police officials said on Friday.

Article 355 is a part of emergency provisions contained in the Constitution that empowers the Centre to take all necessary steps to protect a state against internal disturbances and external aggression. Manipur Violence: Why Are Tribal Communities Protesting? Know Everything About the Tension Between Meities and Kukis in Northeastern State.

Director General of Manipur Police, P. Doungel while talking to the media said that after reviewing the overall situation, Article 355 has been imposed in the entire state allowing the Centre to take all necessary steps to bring the situation under control and protect the lives and properties of the people.

The police chief said that some miscreants looted arms from a police station in Bishnupur district and he urged them to return the arms and ammunition failing which stern action would be initiated against them.

"The situation in Manipur is expected to be brought under control in a day or two," the DGP said. Army and Assam Rifles continued to conduct flag marches in several trouble-torn districts of Manipur for the third day on Friday even as sporadic incidents were reported from different areas. Manipur Unrest: Centre Airlifts Five RAF Companies Following Violence During Tribal Solidarity Marches, 10 More CRPF Companies To Be Sent Soon.

A defence spokesman on Friday said that flag marches were underway in several areas specially in the most volatile Churachandpur district. He claimed that the situation was brought under control in many areas through coordinated actions by all stakeholders.

"Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties to carry additional Army and Paramilitary troops from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on the night of Thursday and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of Friday. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night," the Defence PRO said.

The Manipur government on Thursday appointed Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Ashutosh Sinha as the overall Operational Commander to control the situation and bring normalcy in the state.

Sinha on Friday said that 23 police stations, mostly in mountainous districts of the state, have been identified as most vulnerable and Army and central para-military forces were deployed in these police stations.

The ADGP, accompanied by senior other police officials, told the media that over 20,000 affected people of different communities have been evacuated and sheltered in safer places. "We urge the people not to fall prey to any rumour and if they need any assistance contact the nearby police stations and the government authorities," Sinha said.

Retired IPS officer Kuldiep Singh, a former CRPF Chief, has been appointed security advisor by the Manipur government. Meanwhile, more than five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate the deployment of various security forces in violence infested Manipur.

A senior official of Manipur Home Department said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur round the clock and he is in constant touch with top functionaries of state and Centre.

The Home Minister since Thursday held two video-conference meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, State Chief Secretary, DGP, Union Home Secretary and other top officials.

Shah also spoke to Chief Ministers of several northeastern states and discussed the Manipur situation and about the wellbeing of the students and people living in Manipur. Various state governments of the northeastern states are in touch with the Manipur authorities on the safety and security of the students and people belonging to different northeastern states living in Manipur.

Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram governments have set up 24 X 7 help lines for the benefit of the students and people living in Manipur. The situation turned seriously volatile after thousands turned up for the 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

In view of the prevailing situation, the Manipur government on Thursday authorised all District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and all Executive Magistrates to issue "Shoot at sight orders" in extreme cases.

A defence spokesman said that Army and Assam Rifles personnel conducted flag marches and aerial reconnaissance in areas of Khuga, Tampa, and Khomaujanbba areas of Churachandpur district, Mantripukhri, Lamphel, and Koeirangi area of Imphal West District, and Sugnu in Kakching districts.

In an appeal to the people, the Chief Minister urged them to maintain peace and calm and cooperate with the state government. "Wednesday's incidents took place due to misunderstanding between the communities. The government will settle the genuine demands and grievances after talking with all the communities and leaders," Singh said in a video message.

Rumours of several deaths are being spread creating problems for the law enforcement agencies. However, authorities have not confirmed any fatalities. Chief Ministers of all the northeastern states and six-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom separately urged the people to maintain ethnic harmony, peace and calm.

The situation in Manipur turned volatile as thousands of tribals on Wednesday turned up for the march called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in all the 10 hill districts to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category.

Acting on a writ petition filed by the Meetei (Meitei) Trade Union, the Manipur High Court on April 19 had directed the state government to consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list expeditiously.

The valley is dominated by Meitei and they are seeking the ST category status, alleging infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar, destroying the demographic pattern in the state.

Following the rally, clashes, attacks, counter-attacks among different communities and burning of houses and shops took place in different districts, forcing authorities to suspend mobile internet services for five days, while a night curfew was also imposed in several tension-ridden mountainous districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Tenugopal, and Churachandpur.

The state government on Wednesday night requisitioned the Army and Assam Rifles to control the ethnic violence in at least six districts.Tribals - the Nagas and Kukis who are mainly Christians - constitute about 40 per cent of the state's around three million population and inhabit the hill districts which account for much of the state's land.

Protesting against the state government's action to evict them from forest lands and destruction of illegal poppy cultivation in the reserve and protected forests, the tribals had on March 10 organised protest rallies in three districts -- Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal, during which five people were injured.

Fresh incidents of violence, including arson and vandalisation of government properties, were triggered on April 27 in Churachandpur district after the tribals launched fresh protests against the state government's action against illegal poppy cultivation.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 03:55 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Mumbai, May 05: Sienna Weir, 23-years-old Australian Miss Universe Finalist passed away on Friday. Following the shocking and tragic news of the model's passing, her family in Sydney confirmed it and paid tribute to their angel.

According to reports, the latter was admitted to a Hospital post an accident earlier this year. Recently, her family took the decision of turning off her life support. It is assumed that the accident took place during a horseback riding session. Christina Ashten Gourkani Dies of Cardiac Arrest: OnlyFans Star and Kim Kardashian's Doppelganger Passes Away at 34 After Plastic Surgery.

Her lover Tom Bull paid tribute to her in an Instagram post as he wrote, "We loved with a love that was more than love." Her farewell Instagram post, which was recently posted, received reactions by her friends and relatives who expressed their sympathies to Weirs family.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Sienna Weir (@sienna_weir)

Heaven has gained the most beautiful angel today. I'll miss everything about you Siena, I love you, one of her friends wrote, while another said, Im so lucky to have known you. Thank you for everything.

Her management company, Scoop Management, uploaded a video with many images of the Miss Universe contestant along with a caption that read, Forever in our hearts.

You were one of the kindest souls in the world, you lit up the room and the world is a lot darker now that you are gone. Hope wherever you are, you're being the gremlin we all know and love. Miss you so much already, photographer Chris Dwyer wrote in his tribute to the latter.

The model graduated from Sydney University with a dual degree in psychology and English literature. She intended to relocate to London in order to be closer to her family and to expand her social and professional networks. Charlbi Dean Dies at 32; Model-Actress Was Known for Palme D'Or Winner Triangle of Sadness.

In 2022, Sienna was one of 27 Australian Miss Universe finalists. Sienna previously talked about her passion for horseback riding in an interview with Gold Coast Magazine.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 05:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Patna, May 5: A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu with 77 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Friday afternoon after developing a technical glitch.

Both the passengers and the flight crew are safe, sources said. The pilot of the flight detected the snag in time and contacted the ATC Patna, which was the nearest at that time. Biman Bangladesh Airlines Flight BG147 Hijack Attempt Reported: Boeing Aircraft Traveling From Dhaka to Dubai Evacuated at Chittagong Airport; Watch Video.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed the emergency landing by the Biman Bangladesh Airways flight No. 371 at Patna airport. Aircraft maintenance engineers of Air India immediately reached the spot to detect the glitches. Bangladesh Plane BG147 'Hijacker' Was Armed with Just a Toy Gun.

Last year, a SpiceJet flight carrying 185 passengers had to make emergency landing at the Patna airport after a bird hit.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 05, 2023 08:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
On 4 May, Mexicos Presidentdefended his sons in the face of corruption allegations.

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On 4 May, Perus Prime Ministerdefended the security forces recent crackdown on anti-government protesters, in response to a report by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) which identified serious human rights abuses which may amount to extrajudicial killings.

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On 4 May(2015-2019), a former governor of the province of Buenos Aires, withdrew from Argentinas presidential race.

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After losing a Mexico rescue dog in February near the Syrian border, the Turkey government presented the Mexican armed forces with a new puppy on Wednesday, CNN reported.

The three-month-old German Shepherd puppy will join Mexico's renowned canine team, which is trained to assist in finding survivors after earthquakes and other disasters.

After an online vote, the black and beige dog with perky ears and big paws was given the name "Arkadas," which means "friend" in Turkish.

The army said the trainer who trained Proteo, the rescue dog that was killed during the Turkey earthquake, will be responsible for Arkadas's training.

After a magnitude 7.8 earthquake devastated a large area near the southern border with Syria, killing at least 54,000 people in both countries, Mexico sent rescue dogs to Turkey.

READ NEXT: Mexico: Rescue Dogs Sent to Help

Mexico Rescue Dog P roteo

Several civilian and military teams in Mexico have canine units trained to search for survivors after natural disasters like earthquakes, BBC noted.

After the devastating earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, Mexico sent rescue teams equipped with dogs to help find survivors in the rubble.

A nine-year-old German Shepherd named Proteo was among the deployed dogs; he located a man and a woman out from under the debris.

His trainer said the dog died of "exhaustion" after the long trek and the problematic hours searching for survivors in icy circumstances, refuting allegations that the dog had been hit by falling debris.

His body was brought back to Mexico, where an emotional ceremony was held in his honor before he was laid to rest.

Turkey generously sent a puppy to Mexico, and the country's Ministry of Defence said on Facebook that they were "waiting with open arms" for the puppy, hoping it might one day follow Proteo's "pawsteps."

Turkey Earthquake

The Pazarck district of Kahramanmaras province was the epicenter of a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Southern Turkiye in the early hours of February 6.

Nearly 16 million people, including about 1.8 million Syrian refugees, live in the provinces of Adyaman, Kahramanmaras, Hatay, Osmaniye, Kilis, Gaziantep, Malatya, Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Elaz, and Adana, all of which were affected by the earthquake.

After nine hours, a second major earthquake of magnitude 7.5 struck the area, causing additional destruction of damaged buildings. Aftershocks were recorded in the disaster area.

The Interior Minister has confirmed that 50,399 persons perished in the earthquake. After 60 days, 1,200 people are still missing and presumed dead, according to ReliefWeb.

The most recent official numbers put the injured over 107,000.

The tragedy was the worst in modern Turkey's history, causing the collapse or severe damage to more than 160,000 buildings and 520,000 apartments.

Approximately 2 million people were reported to have fled the area following the initial quake and the more than 11,000 aftershocks that followed, according to a statement released by AFAD.

Over 350,000 tents in "tent cities" were erected in 332 locations. A total of 162 sites had container-based communities developed, according to Reuters.

READ MORE: Why Police Raided Jair Bolsonaro's Home

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WATCH: Mexico gifted a new search puppy from Turkey - From Reuters
The seditious conspiracy trial for five members of the pro-Trump right-wing extremist group, the Proud Boys, including Cuban-American founder Enrique Tarrio, concluded on Thursday, and it concluded in the criminal convictions of four of them for their roles during the January 6 Capitol insurrection.

While four, including Tarrio, were convicted of seditious conspiracy, all five Proud Boys defendants were found guilty of obstructing official proceedings, as well as other felonies. They now face several decades in prison, as the most serious charges carry up to 20 years in prison.

Among the charges that all five defendants were found guilty of included conspiracy to prevent officials from discharging their duties, as well as impeding officers during civil disorder, and destruction of a fence protecting the Capitol. Members of the far-right extremist group were part of the plot to overturn the 2020 presidential election results and keep then-President Donald Trump in power.

While their seditious conspiracy charge was clear, BBC reported that a mistrial was also declared on 10 of the charges against them as the jury failed to agree on whether they were guilty or not.

Proud Boys Acted as 'Donald Trump's Army' During January 6

The ones convicted of seditious conspiracy were Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, and Zachary Rehl, as well as Enrique Tarrio himself. Dominic Pezzola, who became infamous for smashing a Capitol window to get inside the building, was not found guilty of that charge.

However, while the trial focused on the group's actions, it also mentioned former President Donald Trump several times, with the prosecution frequently reminding the jury of how much the Proud Boys revered the former president.

Throughout the case, the Proud Boys were presented as "Donald Trump's Army" as the prosecution argued that they wanted to keep their preferred leader in power as opposed to the Democratically-elected Joe Biden.

READ MORE: Donald Trump Used Proud Boys As a Scapegoat

According to The Guardian, many considered Trump as the "lynchpin" in the actions of the Proud Boys, as well as other right-wing militia groups like the Oath Keepers, as they acted on Trump's call to "fight like hell" to keep him in power.

Tarrio was not present on January 6, but testimonies from Proud Boys members have shown that he was directing things remotely.

Donald Trump Legal Woes Could Worsen Because of Proud Boys Convictions

MSNBC pointed out that in just half a year, three sets of guilty verdicts, totaling 10 convictions, were made for the rare crime of seditious conspiracy. These verdicts were made for pro-Trump right-wing groups like the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers.

Their convictions could also be more bad news for Trump, as the Proud Boys members were not shy about admitting that the former president used them as scapegoats.

The findings, in this case, would be used by Special Counsel Jack Smith in his investigations into the former president's attempts to overturn the elections, given how much the Proud Boys believed they were acting on Trump's behalf during the January 6 riot.

READ MORE: Oath Keepers Founder Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy

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WATCH: 4 Proud Boys members found guilty of seditious conspiracy | full coverage - CBS News
The four sons of Sinaloa Cartel boss Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman Loera, collectively known as "Los Chapitos," have denied allegations that they were major drug traffickers flooding the United States with fentanyl.

In a letter published by Mexican news outlet Milenio late Wednesday, El Chapo's sons wrote: "We have never produced, manufactured or marketed fentanyl or any of its derivatives."

The letter was sent to Milenio by Jose Refugio Rodriguez, who confirmed to Reuters that he is a lawyer of the Guzman family, according to U.S. News.

In the letter, the Los Chapitos also denied being the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, saying they were just victims of an international misinformation campaign by firms, the media, and public figures that have painted them to be notorious drug traffickers.

"We are not the head of the Sinaloa Cartel nor are we interested in being... We are victims of persecution and have been made into scapegoats," they wrote.

The letter of Los Chapitos was a response to last month's press conference in Washington, where senior US officials said the Sinaloa Cartel was the main supplier of illegal fentanyl to the US.

The officials particularly blamed the Los Chapitos of the Sinaloa Cartel for worsening the opioid addiction epidemic in the US.

READ NEXT: El Chapo Sons Eyeing to Foster Weed Business

El Chapo's Sons, Los Chapitos, Denied Feeding Rivals to Tiger

El Chapo's sons, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar, and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar, are the Los Chapitos.

Aside from accusations of drug trafficking and being the leader of one of the most notorious Mexican drug cartels, US prosecutors alleged that the Los Chapitos torture and sometimes feed Mexican federal agents and rivals to their pet tigers.

An indictment unsealed on April 14 in the New York Southern District revealed that the Sinaloa Cartel would use the animals to feed many of their victims, dead or alive, to the tigers kept by two sons of El Chapo, namely Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo.

But in the letter, the Los Chapitos denied such accusations, saying they do not even have tigers.

CBS News reported that the US indictment also noted that the Los Chapitos used corkscrews, electrocution, hot chiles, and waterboarding to torture their rivals and associates who refused to pay debts.

The New York Post also reported that the victims were disposed of once they gave out the information the cartel members wanted. The indictment further noted that one Sinaloa Cartel member used a corkscrew to remove a muscle of a Mexican federal law enforcement officer.

However, Los Chapitos claimed that many people and groups were claiming to be Sinaloa Cartel's members and leaders for their own advantage.

"What does exist is a countless number of small and large groups that have their base of operations in the state or are made up of people from Sinaloa and operate in other parts of the country or even in other parts of the world," El Chapo's sons noted.

They added: "These groups operate completely independently of others and are not accountable to us, nor do we request them."

The US Department of Justice charged 28 members and leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel, including Los Chapitos, last month. The indictment charged the four sons of El Chapo with large-scale drug trafficking, money laundering, and "violent crimes," Daily Mail reported.

Reward for Sinaloa Cartel Boss' Sons, Known as Los Chapitos, Doubled by US

The US has recently doubled its reward for information leading to the arrest of two of Sinaloa Cartel boss El Chapo's sons.

According to Daily Mail, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) now offered $10 million apiece for information leading to the capture or conviction of Ivan Archivaldo Guzman Salazar and Jesus Alfredo Guzman Salazar.

The reward for Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo is now among the highest offered by federal officials in US history.

The increase in the reward was announced after the DEA added Ivan Archivaldo to its 10 most-wanted drug traffickers list, joining his older brother, Jesus Alfredo.

El Chapo's four sons reportedly operate half of the Sinaloa Cartel, while the other half is managed by its co-founder Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada.

Los Chapitos had reportedly assumed leadership roles in the Sinaloa Cartel after their father was arrested and extradited to the U.S.

Only three of the Los Chapitos remain at large as Ovidio Guzman was already arrested last January 5 by Mexican authorities in Mexico's Sinaloa state. He remains detained in Mexico pending extradition proceedings to the U.S.

READ MORE: Sinaloa Cartel Continues Growing Despite El Chapo's Absence

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WATCH: Sinaloa Cartel Members, Including El Chapo's Sons, Charged by DOJ - From ABC 7 Chicago
California police said Thursday that a former UC Davis student was arrested in connection with the three stabbings near the campus within the span of five days.

According to CNN, Carlos Dominguez, the 21-year-old former student at the University of California, Davis, was arrested on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted murder.

The stabbing incidents in Davis City had left two people dead, one in critical condition, and the community reeling in fear.

In a press conference on Thursday, Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel finally linked the three attacks, saying all three stabbings "are connected" and "they have evidence and information" that only one person was responsible.

A woman named Kimberlee Guillory was critically injured in the latest attack near campus on Monday night. Pytel said Guillory was "severely wounded" but is now recovering at the UC Davis Medical Center after surgery.

On April 29, or two days before Guillory was stabbed, a concerned individual contacted 911 to report a disturbance in Sycamore Park, about 1.5 miles northwest of Central Park.

The caller said before calling 911, he went outside to find out what happened and found a man who appeared to have been stabbed numerous times.

The victim, a male in his early 20s, was found by police, and emergency workers pronounced him dead at the scene. Authorities identified the second victim as UC Davis student Karim Abou Najm, 20.

David Henry Breaux, 50, a frequent visitor to Central Park, was named the first victim. Davis police responded to a call of a man discovered unconscious in the park on April 27.

Emergency responders found Breaux with several stab wounds, and he was later pronounced dead.

Dominguez was a third-year student at the university until he was "separated for academic reasons" on April 25, according to a news release by UC Davis.

READ NEXT: Homeless Woman in Critical Condition After 3rd Davis Stabbing Incident

Former UC Davis Student in California Arrested

Carlos Dominguez was arrested as a person of interest after police discovered a large hunting knife in his bag, according to Pytel, Fox 40 reported.

The knife seemed consistent on the weapon used in the initial stabbing, but police said they still have to examine if it is the knife used in the attacks.

Pytel noted that Dominguez was cooperative throughout the interrogation and appeared to know that the police were looking for him.

A warrant for Dominguez's arrest was issued on Thursday afternoon, and he was formally taken into custody as a suspect. Police searched his Davis apartment for evidence and spoke with his housemates.

Davis Mayor Will Arnold noted that it was remarkable to bring this case to this point quickly.

"I commend and thank our partners, professionals who worked around the clock to ensure this criminal was taken out of our neighborhoods... I thank the community members that helped crack this case," the mayor said.

Davis Stabbing Suspect Could be a Serial Killer

Pytel said investigators believe that Carlos Dominguez is from Oakland but are still working to learn more. Police noted that the definition of a serial killer could be applied to this case, according to ABC 10.

Police are still determining if the suspect had a criminal record before this arrest or if he knew the victims. Dominguez is now in the Yolo County jail. Pytel said the suspect is set to be arraigned in the Yolo County courthouse on Monday.

READ MORE: Teen Commits Suicide After 'Sextortion' Scam

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WATCH: Davis community reacts to the aftermath of stabbing suspect Carlos Dominguez's arrest | To The Point - From ABC10
US' scramble for South Pacific is intensifying. Washington is set to open a new embassy in Tonga this month, said a senior US diplomat on Tuesday, according to Reuters. It's also reported the US will continue to engage with Vanuatu and Kiribati about opening proposed new embassies in those countries.

Not only that, US President Joe Biden will make a historic visit to Papua New Guinea (PNG) on May 22, becoming the first sitting US president to visit the country in at least a century. Every step of US' promotion in ties with South Pacific countries seems to be saying ''America is back.'' But what's really back is US' utilitarianism, as well as the weaponization of regional countries.

Since February when the US reopened its embassy in the Solomon Islands after a 30-year absence, a lengthening list of US' plans on opening embassies in the region is frequently reported. It would be a good thing if the US is to sincerely help Pacific island countries in promoting their development. However, US officials and media outlets are being quite explicit, noting it is all about China.

Take the new embassy in Tonga, Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel J. Kritenbrink said this is part of efforts to step up its diplomatic presence in the Pacific region to counter China, according to Reuters. Then, how will South Pacific countries feel about US blatantly treating them as pawns?

The US is struggling with a strong sense of strategic and tactic anxiety, as China's mutually beneficial cooperation with the South Pacific region has gained wide recognition and warm welcome from the island countries. Washington is thus eager to regain its influence in the region with a series of high-profile, hustle and bustle diplomatic offensive, including establishing new embassies or carrying out blitz tours there. The trend will continue, not because the US wants to help the region in any aspect, but because the US needs the region to contain China in its Indo-Pacific Strategy, Chen Hong, executive director of the Asia Pacific Studies Center at East China Normal University, told the Global Times.

In the eyes of the US, the South Pacific is merely a tool. It has been proved time and again in history. As a testing ground for US nuclear weapons, Washington's attitude toward the region has always been "coming and going as it pleases."

In 1988, the US officially opened an embassy in the Solomon Islands due to the growing influence of the Soviet Union in the region. In 1993, shortly after the disintegration of the US' Cold War rival, the embassy was closed. For the following 30 years, the South Pacific region has been cast a cold eye in US geopolitical spectrum. Until China becomes the largest trading partner and one of the leading investment partners for quite some regional countries, especially after China and the Solomon Islands officially signed the inter-governmental framework agreement on security cooperation, the US panicked, and South Pacific once again entered US' vision.

Establishing embassies may be just the first step, and boosting military deployment in the South Pacific could be the next. In ties with the three members of the Freely Associated States (FAS) in the North Pacific - the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau - the US enjoys the right to construct military facilities and operate military bases on their soil. Among them, Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, a world-class range and test facility for technologies involved in long-range missile testing, missile defense, and space domain awareness, is located in the Marshall Islands. This is apparently not enough for the US. It has been keeping hyping up so-called "China threat" and "China expansion" theories, paving the way for militarizing South Pacific.

This is entirely an act of hegemonism. The US can have military bases all over the world, including in the South Pacific, but its rivals better be totally bare-handed, Yu Lei, chief research fellow at the Research Center for Pacific Island Countries of Liaocheng University, told the Global Times.

The US is turning Australia into an American military base with kangaroos. Obviously, the South Pacific is the next on the list. Cooperation with the US is never about development, but about US exploiting the South Pacific countries, making them unsinkable aircraft carriers to counter China. In other words, the US is casting clouds of war over the South Pacific, Chen said.

Be it Tonga or PNG, the countries need to address the climate crisis and achieve economic growth. Geopolitics is meaningless for them. Yet the US will hardly help them with the issues they care about. Most of the US' aid is carried out in political and ideological fields, including training the civil servants, police and those working in the judiciary system with Western values, Yu said.

In June 2022, a journalist from the Solomon Islands, published an article in The New York Times, saying little remaining legacy of US' help can be seen in South Pacific countries, adding that meanwhile, Chinese-run businesses  construction, hardware, fishing, transport and other sectors  have quickly become part of the local economy.

The cooperation between China and Pacific island countries is actually focused on economic and trade with mutual benefits, rather than US-imagined expansion or military threat. If the US continues to pursue military confrontation when interacting with the South Pacific, it won't take long - maybe in five or 10 years - people will find that the cooperative relationship between the Pacific island countries and China will be even closer than before, Yu added.

After all, what Pacific island countries would anticipate from the US is further exploitation of their strategic resources, without any genuine respect. The rhetoric that the US is going to be back to the South Pacific would be interpreted as an ominous signal for the island nations to be instrumentalized or even weaponized, Chen said. Source: Global times)
The suspect in the murder of Arizona woman Lauren Heike was arrested, with investigators saying he was caught at the apartment complex where he lived.

According to Fox10 Phoenix, investigators said in a press conference Wednesday that the suspect was taken to the Phoenix Police headquarters for questioning after a search warrant was served on his apartment.

A video from a FOX10 viewer showed moments before police officers arrested the suspect. The viewer, Amber Winter, told the outlet that she was walking her pet when she saw what happened in apprehending the suspect.

She noted that it was around 6 p.m. when she saw about three SWAT trucks coming in, with 15 undercover vehicles pulling up to a building.

Winter said the officers then brought the suspect out of his apartment and sat outside while police were searching his place and interviewing people.

Phoenix police officials did not release the suspect's name or any other information, including a motive, but they announced his arrest.

READ NEXT: Arizona and Texas Sending Buses Full of Migrants to Washington

Arizona Woman Lauren Heike Murdered in Phoenix Trail

The 29-year-old Arizona woman was "viciously" attacked from behind during a solo hike on a north Phoenix trail and was "fatally injured" on Friday, police said.

According to PEOPLE, Lauren Heike sustained "trauma to her body." However, her exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

Police said a passerby reportedly found her dead in an area not easily visible the day after they believed she was killed.

Before the suspect was apprehended, police described him as between 5'8" and 60 tall man with a dark complexion, last seen wearing dark clothing and a backpack.

Heike was an esthetician who had recently moved to Phoenix from Washington. She was believed to hike alone on the Reach 11 trail not far from her home when the assailant murdered her between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.

Heike's father, Jeff Heike, earlier said that her daughter was his "little girl," whom he would miss "terribly," adding that he hoped authorities "can find whoever did this to her."

Lauren Heike

Phoenix police said the location was described as a "desert area" near 6500 East Libby Street. It was close to where she was residing.

Daily Mail reported that Lauren Heike's apartment was located in an upscale area of North Phoenix, where houses are marketed for up to $1.3 million.

Heike's mother said her daughter got up and talked to her friends during her last day. It was Heike's day off, and she got her coffee and went walking.

Police also did not release information on how the Arizona woman was killed or if a weapon was used, as they did not want to harm the ongoing investigation.

Loved ones had described Heike as a "beautiful person" inside and out. They said she loved exercising and being outdoors. Heike's mother described her daughter as a pretty, kind woman who was sweet to everyone she met.

READ MORE: Attempted Abduction in Miami Caught on Cam

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WATCH: Family of Woman Found Dead in the Desert on Saturday Speaks Out - From ABC 15 Arizona
Chicken lovers could soon gain a new spot to feast if a popular southern-based chain gets the nod to build its first regional site in Lehigh County.

Louisiana-based Raising Canes on April 17 submitted plans before the Lower Macungie Planning Commission to build the eatery at the Trexler Business Center, along Hamilton Boulevard. The chain has more than 600 locations in various states with the next closest sites to the Lehigh Valley being in the Philadelphia area. The company also is aggressively expanding into New Jersey.
A prominent French-style bistro and brasserie for over a decade in downtown Easton has shuttered for good.

Maxims 22, 322 Northampton St., is closed indefinitely, its owner states on the eaterys voicemail recording. Its unclear what led to the closure; owner Josh Palmer did not immediately return messages seeking more information Friday morning.
An Easton man is accused of holding a woman at gunpoint for hours Thursday and threatening to kill her in his apartment, city police said.

Joshua Clark, 31, of the 700 block of West Lincoln Street, was charged Thursday night with aggravated assault, prohibited possession of a firearm, and four misdemeanors including false imprisonment and false restraint.

He was sent to Northampton County Prison after failing to post $100,000 bail, records show.

City police were called at 3:35 p.m. Thursday to Cheston Elementary School on Coal Street for a woman seeking refuge in the school.

The woman reported Clark, whom she knows, pointed a gun at her head Thursday morning and threatened to kill her, court records say.

Clark allegedly held with woman at gunpoint in his apartment until about 2:25 p.m., police said.

Clark was previously convicted of possession with intent to deliver drugs, and he is prohibited from having a firearm, police said.

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Late night television programs have turned to reruns and soon production on scripted shows may halt as the Writers Guild of America went on strike.

The first Hollywood strike in 15 years meant 11,500 members stopped working with the expiration of their contract as they look for improved pay during the streaming era.

We have several interview clips with celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and Josh Gad weighing in with their support of writers. How long will the strike last? Co-host Bruce Miller suggests 100 days, which could delay the start of the fall season and lead to more reality shows.

In the meantime, we turn our attention to the coming-of-age movie "Are You There God? Its Me, Margaret." The film is based on the 1970 novel of the same name from Judy Blume. The film adaptation stars Rachel McAdams, Abby Ryder Fortson, Elle Graham, Benny Safdie and Kathy Bates.

We then turn our attention to icons. What makes an icon? Philanthropist billionaire David Rubenstein, who is a collector of historical artifcats like the Magna Carta and Declaration of Independence, is the host of "Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein."

Miller talks with Rubenstein about history, iconic items and locations, and collecting. You can also read more:

Finally, Miller and co-host Terry Lipshetz talk about the upcoming summer blockbusters, which we'll preview in next week's episode. Did you know "Jaws" is considered the first summer blockbuster?

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About the show

Streamed & Screened is a podcast about movies and TV hosted by Bruce Miller, a longtime entertainment reporter who is now the editor of the Sioux City Journal in Iowa and Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer for Lee Enterprises based in Madison, Wisconsin.

Episode transcript

Note: The following transcript was created by Adobe Premiere and may contain misspellings and other inaccuracies as it was generated automatically:

They've got to get a fair deal. So, yeah, I'll do whatever I can to support them. Those are the sounds of picketers as well as a clip of Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon as the Writers Guild of America went on strike. Audio Courtesy The Associated Press. Welcome to another episode of Streamed and screened and entertainment podcasts about movies and TV.

I'm Terry Lipshetz, a senior producer at Lee Enterprises and the co-host of the program, along with the iconic Bruce Miller, editor of the Sioux City Journal and longtime entertainment reporter. Bruce, you are an icon, aren't you? I have been through many writer's strikes in Hollywood and seen different things that they've done over those years. I remember one time actually being in Hollywood when the writers strike began and there were picketers out front of our hotel because producers were in there and they wanted to to let their message be known.So I guess I've seen writer's strikes like you can't believe, you know, the people ask, Well, now are we having no television? Has there been no movies? Is everything going to disappear? This is just terrible. Well, settle down. You'll be okay. This is how we got reality TV. If you may remember, in 2007, it wasn't that big of a deal.

And reality TV is supposed oddly unscripted, even though it is largely scripted. They give them an outline, but they don't have to come up with the lines themselves. So I think what you're going to see are these things where, you know, you don't need any kind of writing done. They don't need to write the questions. It will affect things like Jeopardy because they have to write those questions.

So game shows aren't necessarily immune from this. Some talk shows like the late night shows, are scripted. They will not be around. They'll show reruns. You'll be able to see those things for a while. The stuff that you really don't care about, probably you'll see more of it. Sporting events, they'll do that. Award shows. This will be our first test.

The ACM awards, Country Music Awards that are coming up would probably have some scripted stuff if they haven't written it already. They're going to have to just ad lib. And so I don't know how good Dolly Parton is at ad libbing, but we'll this will be a test of what it's like. She'll be on her toes. Yes, she'll be good.

The Tony Awards are coming up. Are they going to be able to do any kind of writing around those things? Who knows? But it will be interesting. And they're assuming that it'll go at least 100 days. Wow. Because within that 100 days, there are other contracts that would come due and it gives the the companies, the studios, the whatevers an opportunity to end those contracts.

And they they spent a lot of big money buying talent. You know, when streaming came in, it was like, oh, we've got to lock up x, Y and Z because then they'll make product for us for the next ten years. You saw Ryan Murphy got a big contract. Shonda Rhimes got a big contract. So all those people have these contracts that could be affected by that.

And then they can just say, We no longer have that contract, let's renegotiate, let's see what happens. So the 100 day window is kind of awaited. Now, they could end it by this week and then everything all bets are off. But likely there will be a ride out there because they want to see this kind of change. They want to see change because everybody went crazy over streaming and spent a lot of money.

Now, what does this leave us, the viewer, at home? Well, if you noticed, we were seeing a lot of shows from Korea. We were seeing shows from other countries. There's Swedish shows, Norwegian shows, Spanish shows. And they would subtitled them or they would dub them. That's likely that we're going to see a lot of those. And how else did we get things?

Like Parasite was a foreign made film that came over here, did very well. The Squid game, there's another one that you know did well, and that was a foreign product. So I think you would see other shows that we didn't get a chance to see from other countries. That's where they'll look for some of the product. A long time ago, they took old scripts and just rebuild them.

And that was, I think, a bust, a real bad idea because do you want to see new people playing Mission Impossible? You know, with a script written in 1967? I don't think so. They can't make changes and they can't do things. Now. Some scripts are already written and they would be able to film them, but they wouldn't be able to like if they didn't like the way a line landed.

They couldn't fix it. They'd have to just go with the line as it was. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Because really the I mean, we see the immediate impact with late night TV, Saturday Night Live, that kind of thing, because it's live, it's daily or weekly. Right. And obviously this the strike has shut them down. But in reality, anything that was kind of already written and in production is probably okay other than what she said.

You know, if there needs to be changes or rewrites, that would be the biggest problem. Yeah, they wouldn't let them do that. Now, you know, news shows technically are written, but they get a pass because it's the news. And so they would be able to still do those kind of scripts. You know, look at some of Fox News.

A lot of times it's just people sitting around talking so they're not affected by those things. Probably the fall season is where we might run into the biggest. If it goes like you said, three months. If it goes beyond three months or why would even imagine if it went a full three months? Because it's already May right now.

So, you know, those September shows will probably go into production when? In July? August. But August is usually kind of the starting date for many of their if they're coming back, if there are new show they they've made their first episode, they may have made a second episode, but they wouldn't go back into production until August because they figure September would be the start date for all of that.

So, you know, and they could always delay the start of a season if they knew that they'd be done by September with the contracts and all this. They could back it up in the fall season, wouldn't start October or November and then fill in with with, you know, other kind of special programing that they might have or a very special episode of whatever or bingeing.

And I think that's what what hurt all this really is They used to have orders for 22 episodes a year, and that kind of ensured that you were going to get a decent paycheck if you were a writer, because you would be on staff for 22 episodes. That doesn't mean you're writing all 22, but you would be under there under their contract, if you will, and you'd get a paycheck now because there are ten episode shows, eight episode shows.

That's a short run. And they're, you know, the production companies are saving money on this. And so they're not making what they thought they were and they're having to look for another another line of work. So it is, you know, there's a reason for them to strike. Let's go back to some audio. I've got two more clips. One is of Josh Gad.

He's a comic and an actor. You probably know him, of course, as the voice of Olaf in Frozen. But we also have a writer named Sean Crespo, who's I would consider a little bit more of a rank and file writer. This is somebody that is really going to be affected by the writers strike. So let's go and listen to them now.

But as sort of a hybrid here. I'll just speak on on behalf of the actor side of me is we are nothing without their words. We have nothing without them. It's just a pile of abuses that have you know, you can't address them every day. They only negotiate once every few years. So these things have piled on like this.

There's just not there's too much work and not enough pay. Like there's no there's not really a path to middle class living anymore as a writer, I have a friend who just got a job on a series and now won't be writing because they're they're striking. So, you know, what do you do? You have this job, do you all the time open and don't do anything.

Do you go work at a grocery store? What do you do during that interim? So it is a concern and it's a trickle down. If they're not producing shows, that means people who are in the, you know, not non front of the camera jobs are also unemployed. So it just it trickles down. You don't have people who need to do the costumes or do the sheds or whatever it might be.

They're unemployed as well. So it isn't an easy thing and it is a big A you are looking at George Clooney suddenly losing a lot of money or anybody like that. It's it has nothing to do with that. It has everything to do with being a little fairer about spreading the wealth around to those who are making it.

A lot of these executives will get huge bonuses and none of it trickles down, even though maybe their network or their their streaming service performed really well. This doesn't save that poor guy is making whatever from doing another kind of job. He isn't going down to the Kroger's and saying, suddenly I'm going to be I'll stack shelves for you, you know.

So and it happens all the time. They should be prepared before it even gets to this point. I mean, I think the misconception, too, is because we heard from, of course, like Jimmy Fallon and he, of course, wrote on Saturday Night Live. So I presume he was a striking guild member at some point. But he's obviously at a point now where he's got a big contract as a TV host.

But he's a small piece of this puzzle. It's you're talking about a lot of gig workers. A lot of folks said, well, not even gig workers. They're contracted workers. And if the show goes off, they're not making a salary. So it's you know, a lot of folks that are just kind of getting by. And it's you've got your your light crews and your audio crews and your camera crews and all of those folks aren't aren't working right now, but they're sticking together.

And I did see that NBC, at least for a short period of time, it sounds like they're going to pay the writers, the crew members, I think like two weeks from The Tonight Show, for instance. And I think Jimmy Fallon is going to pay another week out of his own pocket. So the writers and the crew members, they'll get about three weeks of pay.

But then it's kind of, you know, buckle up for the long haul. We're not going to keep paying you. We won't have to worry about what we're going to watch. There will be content and there probably is content that's in the hopper right now because they've already filmed it and they can just start, you know, sorting it out.

It's a year from now that you'll have to wonder what what are they going to do because they aren't done with that. And technically, writers are prevented from writing. Well, they're on strike, you know, you say, oh, write a movie, just write yourself a little another series or something. You can write all of it. Well, they're not supposed to do that.

So the idea that you would suddenly end the strike and come in with ten episodes of a show, that's not going to happen. Exactly. So we'll move on now from the writers strike to what's going on in the theater. See anything good recently, Bruce? You know, I did see. Are you there? God, it's me, Margaret, not my wheelhouse.

I'll just be honest. It was not a film that I was, you know, excited about. But I do remember vaguely the controversy about Judy Blume's book and that she was writing these very adult books for young people. And now when we hear all this, you know, we've got to ban books because they're telling kids too much stuff. Mhm.

If this was something they were worried about, boy I can give you a list of stuff we should worry about now that it's very benign. If I had a kid, I think it would be even a little too juvenile for somebody who is the same age as the characters in the sixth grader. She's about 12 and they, you know, barely, barely talks about puberty and change of life and things like that.

Barely. It's more like, how do you deal when things happen? She moves, for example, from New York City to New Jersey. And that is a big trauma for a kid. You know, I'm going to have to go to a new school. I'm going to meet new people, where will I fit in? But this being a thing that you would even consider banning is like beyond me.

I thought it was very harmless. I thought the Wonder years as a TV series which covered the same era, was far more adult and far more educational. Maybe in some of those areas, like when I watched The Wonder Years, I go, Oh yes, I remember that kind of situation and what that. And they also played world affairs a little better.

They talked about the Vietnam War. They talked about other things that were happening in the world. Well, they were doing that the the living, if you will, with this idea. There really isn't that much about the world around them. Mom is living in a town where she isn't working. She's a stay at home mom. And that's different for her.

And trying to adjust to that. But for the most part, I thought it was a a pleasant little film, but hardly a controversial one. So Rachel McAdams plays Barbara. The mother thinks she's not given enough credit for the things she's able to do. But even with just a look, she can convey things that weren't in the script at all.

And I think she's really, really talented. And I hope this doesn't mean that now she's just going to play mothers because I think there's a lot more for her to do. Abby Ryder Fortson played the 11 year old Margaret in the movie. How did she perform? Just a sweetheart. She you know, you feel her a more pressing issue with this is religion.

Her father is Jewish, her mother is Christian, or they're from those families. The mom and dad really don't practice religion. And so she really doesn't kind of know where she fits in. Is she Jewish like her grandma? Is she Christian like her grandparents on the other side? Where does she fit in all of this? And she even goes to a priest at one point and goes to confession and thinking maybe that's what she needs.

But it's a more questioning film about religion. And where do you fit in with that? It doesn't answer the question, but it does help you. You know, consider that maybe that's an important question to be asking at that age. This sounds like a movie for me, Bruce. I know my dad is Jewish. It's my dad is Jewish, my mom is Catholic.

I they moved me from New York City to New Jersey when I was five. So not quite 11. Yeah, this sounds like God, it's me, Terry. I think my wife is going to take my daughters to go see it, though. My my girls are they just turned 12. Have twin daughters. They're they're in sixth grade. So this is in their wheelhouse in interesting thing because it is based on the Judy Blume book.

You can't find this book anywhere. So my wife has been checking out like every library in the area. Yeah, Yeah. It's no, it's not bad. You just can't get it because everybody wants it because of the movie. Yeah. So the local library, it's checked out and there's like 12 people in front of us that want to reserve it.

She was checking with another library. She checked her school library. She checked the middle school library. She teaches. She's kind of friendly, of course, at the library and in the school and the library and says, Give me a few minutes. I'll check it out. I'll see if I can find it. And she tracked down a copy at the high school and they were going to pull it over.

So my daughters to read it, you know, in that case, I would buy it. Yeah. That was going to be the next step, you know, like this thing called Amazon I've heard of. Have you heard of it? I've heard, yeah. You know, at the top of the show, I asked you, Bruce, are you an icon? Are you an icon?

I am not an icon. You're not? No, no, no. I. I wish I were. Wouldn't that be fun? Is there anyone here that can identify an icon? Well, and a yes, an icon is something that you can look a picture a if there's a picture of it and you can immediately identify what it is, you can say that is a Coke bottle, for example, that would be an iconic sculpture container, whatever you might want to call that.

But you would look and, you know, as that kind of green glass, it has that kind of ribbed look and it has the Coca-Cola script on it. So that's iconic. Mount Rushmore is iconic because you look at it, you mean identify it, the Statue of Liberty, iconic. Those are things that that stand the test of time. But then there are things that disappear.

I talked to David Rubenstein, who's doing a PBS series on icons, and he wanted to look into this and see what really fit that definition. And he said, you know, sometimes things are like the Ambassador Hotel, the ambassador Hotel was where Bobby Kennedy was, was shot and they closed the hotel. And then it just sat there for a long time.

And now they've torn it down. But, you know, at one point they used it for filming TV shows. I went there and saw a filming of Love Boat, and they were filming inside the hotel like it was a cruise ship. And so it was still used, but it wasn't used as a hotel because it had perhaps a negative connotation and people didn't want that to be kind of the the overriding attention it got.

But that would be considered the Oscar. The Oscar is an icon. You could easily look at that. And there are so many stories about that. You know, where where did it get its name? Even the people who are doing research on it, I don't agree. They don't you know, it's maybe this person, it's maybe that person. It could even be Betty Davis.

And they've all been kind of debunked in terms of who actually gave it the name and why it happened. But icons are things that are around us that we can immediately identify and why are they iconic? And that series is kind of fun to lean into. I had a chance to talk with David and he explained some of the things.

He's a huge collector. Of course he's also a billionaire. So I guess if I were a billionaire, I could be an iconic whatever. But he collects a lot of things and what he loves loves to collect our documents. What would you think immediately you'd have to have a copy of, I don't know, the Declaration of Independence. A declaration?

And he does have the Declaration of Independence. And, you know, and I thought, Well, why do you want this? And he said, it's to be able to give it so that others can see it. He loans these things out, these documents out to libraries, museums, whatever, so that then we all can have a shot at looking at we all can go to the Smithsonian, we all can't go to the White House, we can't go to those places.

But if they tour and travel, you would get an opportunity to look at those things. So icons, He talks about what makes an icon interesting. So let's go ahead and listen to that interview with David Rubenstein. We'll be right back.

Can I ask what what really makes an icon? What is an icon? An icon is something that people no know it. They think they know a lot about, about it. They don't need to know as much as they think. But for example, if I showed you a picture of an icon, you would say, Well, I know what that is.

So I showed you a picture of the White House. You would know what that is. I showed you a picture of the Washington Monument. You know what that is? Those are iconic because they are so well known that everybody kind of has a sense of what they mean. And the purpose of this series, we took iconic symbols that mean some things to people about our history.

So Statue of Liberty means something to people or the Golden Gate Bridge or Hollywood sign, things like that. You look at things like that. Andy Warhol did. He painted a lot of things that he, I think, even had a series called Icons. He did. He he did. And yes, he what he did is when he did the Campbell's Soup thing, he basically was taking something everybody recognized and he made it a work of art.

And yes, you're right. So could those things, though, fall out of favor we look at now when they when statues are taken down. And I'm sure for many people in that area, a statue would be considered an icon for them. Yeah. Yes. Well, nothing is forever. So there may be some iconic buildings that are torn down, You know, let's say in Hollywood or L.A., there was an iconic hotel.

Was that the ambassador or the one that and Robert Kennedy, an ambassador? Yeah, I think that wasn't that torn down. Yes, it was. Right. So there is an iconic building is gone. So sometimes iconic buildings, they don't stay forever iconic things. All the things that we did in the series are probably likely to be around for a while.

When you were making your list then of the ones that you wanted include how long was the list and then how did you winnow it? Well, we went through maybe 25, 30 that we thought were appropriate. And then you have to you want to have a balance. We wanted something from the South, something from the West, something from the Midwest.

So we wanted that. Secondly, we wanted things that we thought would have an interesting story. So, for example, take the Statue of Liberty. Everybody thinks they know what it means, has nothing to do with immigration. When it was put together, it was really for Franco-American friendship and thanking us for getting rid of slavery. Thank you. You know, it's, you know, so we're we're trying to do is have iconic symbols that people think they recognize it, but they don't really know the history of it.

So, for example, take the the American bald eagle. It's many people think that's our national bird. We don't have a national bird. We never had one. There's a old story that Benjamin Franklin wanted to be the turkey over the bald eagle. But that isn't true either. But bald eagle. Why did that become such a iconic symbol of our country, even if it's not officially national?

Bird And what's so unique about the bald eagle? And you know, it's only in the North America, though, there are there are these American bald eagles. So we wanted to educate people about it. Take the American cowboy. American cowboy is an iconic thing. The Marlboro ad is the most famous ad, but turns out that cowboys are not what you probably saw on TV when you were growing up.

It turns out that cowboys were not fighting Indians. They were really hurting cattle to take them to slaughter. Really. That's what their real mission was. And they weren't all white. They were indigenous, they were white Latinos, they were African-Americans, and they weren't even carrying guns. They basically were just dealing with the the cow. And they it's a tough, tough job they have.

But it was not something people think they know something about, but they don't really know as much as they think they do. And that's why we try to educate people about it, where, one, I would think that you would automatically have it would be Mt. Rushmore. But is that too easy? Is that one that people would say, Oh, come on now, everybody knows what that is.

And it isn't to Mt. Rushmore. If we did another eight, probably that'd be a good one to do. Mount Rushmore is one we thought about. It's it's it's it's a good symbol. The controversy was very controversial. Pick who the presidents were giving their person the permission to do it. He had some really controversial things in his background. And interestingly, though, the man that carved that got yeah.

Hudson Borglum you know, he actually carved the was responsible for the initial effort to carve the Confederate symbols in Stone Mountain. And and he was was a member of the Ku Klux Klan at one point. So so some of these stories go much deeper than we would even expect when you take I mean I think I know a reasonable amount about American history for a nonprofessional, but I was astounded to learn some of the things I learned about some of these symbols.

You know, when we look today, though, and things that are happening in politics, people trying to co-opt symbols as somehow they they have a greater hold on it than anything else. And the flag is a real example, a perfect example. Richard Nixon started wearing a little flag here was that means he's more patriotic than I am if I'm not wearing it.

But I think the Republican Party has done a pretty good job of for a while for Democrats going on to having flags in the backdrop when we're on Reagan to make speeches, they put flags behind them. Right. So Democrats finally figured out that's a good thing. But but it wasn't that for a while, Richard Nixon kind of co-opted the idea that the American flag was something that was Republican and he was more American than the Democrats.

Yeah, it's just in, say, how you want to scream at times and you think, wait a minute, now, you don't have the right to this just yourself. But I guess it's first come first gets and well that somebody probably thought up some of these things but think about you know people today they wear symbols on their lapels, you know, Ukrainian Americans or whatever.

And they they're trying to co-opt iconic symbol and make people think that they all kind of own it or they're more Ukraine pro-Ukrainian than I am because I'm not wearing a Palestinian ribbon is when ribbon started coming out. And then it became like, well, what does this color mean and what is this for? And it's it it just keeps going.

You know, if people want to co-opt the iconic symbol because they want people to think about them, a certain thing and a symbol can can do it quicker than a word, than words. Other words. Richard Nixon doesn't have to come out and say, you know, I really I'm more American than George McGovern. Just wears a little lapel here.

The flag and the symbol does it like, you know, pictures worth a thousand words I say. So you're a collector, right? How do you choose what you collect? I collect different types of things. But in the historic documents area, there are a lot of very famous historic documents. And so I want to get the ones that are they're available.

But the most I'd say the most famous one I own is the Magna Carta. But but in this country, people know the Declaration of Independence better. So I own probably more copies of the Declaration, anybody. But I put them all on display so people can see. And my whole effort is to educate Americans about our history on the theory that we have a more educated population, we have a more informed democracy.

When that country was set up, they the theory was that white Christian men who owned property would be the guy People voted, but we wanted them to be educated and that we can educate. Now. All voters are better off. People don't know what they're voting about. That's not good. And we don't teach history or civics as much as we did 40, 50 years ago.

Does it lose value then? Because we know. Sure. So, for example, if you don't know, two thirds of Americans, when asked in a survey, what are the three branch of the federal government cannot answer the question. So is that a good thing? It's probably not a good thing. It's better to have people know a little bit more about the history of your country.

Also know the bad things. The theory about studying history is that you want to learn the bad of the past so you don't repeat it. That's the main point of learning history and you can learn about the good and hopefully get a better. But you want to learn something like, for example, when you went to grade school, were you what?

There was a beat in over your head that Thomas Jefferson and George Washington were slave owners? Probably not. I didn't have that when I'm obviously older than you, but when I went to school, I was George Washington, the great man, never told a lie, chop down a cherry tree or his father, all that stuff, which wasn't true. And he didn't emphasize he was a slave owner.

Thomas Jefferson said all men are created equal, and he did that when he had slaves with them and he had 600 slaves in his lifetime. So I think we should educate people about the good and bad and then just make sure people can can make informed decisions about the future. And if you put your collection on on display at all times, well, it's a very is places.

So I have collections on display in lots of places around the country. But I, for example, buy a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation and Lincoln signed the original, which is in the archives. He signed 47 souvenir copies of which 20 are left. I own two of them. I put one in the African-American History and Culture Museum and one tours around the country or the 13th Amendment, which I in end of slavery.

I own four rare copies of that. And I put I put them on display at various museums or or exhibitions that people ask me to. Are there holy grails that you're still looking for, that you're trying to get the Gettysburg Address? There are only five copies of that Lincoln actually brought out five copies of They're hard to get those.

One is owned by Cornell, one of the Lincoln Museum, one in the White House, and two in the Library of Congress. I probably market to better by them. But the problem with being a collector is what do you do with the collection? And you can only do three things for them. In the end, you give it to a museum, you sell it and take the prophecy abuse for yourself or you, you know, make a charitable contribution with it or you give them to your children.

I have three children. They're all well-educated. I went to great schools, Harvard, Stanford and so forth. They have no interest in any of my collections, so they don't want it. They just said, We don't care about it. So I could go to museums and give them my collections and maybe I'll do that. I, you know, I'm the chair of the Library Congress Board, so obviously you invite them and I was the chair of the Smithsonian.

And so I think the Smithsonian is great, but I haven't decided yet. It's in my will if I die tomorrow, there's a way to handle it. But I'm always changing my mind so I know you know who's nice to me today is the person who gets it right? Right. With the Hollywood side. That is such a kind of an interesting choice to be on this bunch.

Well, we wanted to do things on all parts of the country. And this was a poor Southern California. It's an iconic symbol. You can find others. But it's interesting. Most people think it's designed to promote Hollywood. As you may know, it was a land development company, Hollywood land. And then it over the years has been it's almost taken down.

It's been fixed, it's been restored, and it's become a symbol of Hollywood. Now, Hollywood, as you know, is doesn't really exist in a meaningful way. All the Hollywood studios are not in Hollywood, but it's kind of a symbol. So if you go to somebody in Iowa and say, if you let's go to let's go to Hollywood, we'll see some movie stars, they might think that there's actually some movie stars walking around all of that, but there's nobody there.

The idea, though, that they would do a second one on the other side of the mountain I think is a really stupid idea. Maybe that's just my. Oh, that's the other side. Yeah. Another take where you could actually have your picture taken in front of the Hollywood sign and it would be easier to get your picture than it would be to, you know, where do you hike to get the best picture of you and whatnot.

And I find, you know, should there be more than one of some of these things? I don't know. Oh, obviously devalues the currency of you're more of them. But for now. But what I really want do is people talk about history and talk and learn more and and appreciate more about American history. Well, the theory that they will make us a better country.

All right. Thank you, Bruce, for that interview with David Rubenstein. You know, I actually met his ex-wife. Did you know that I was? Yes. Yes. Not nobody, Nothing. Nothing. When I wasn't the cause of their divorce or any money woes, Buzz cries. No, no, no. Alice Rogoff is his ex-wife. And actually, I believe the mother of his children is a media publisher.

She she used to own the Alaska Dispatch. She purchased the Anchorage Daily News in I think it was like 2014 or so and merged them to the Alaska Dispatch News. So she was the publisher of that newspaper paper. And as publisher, it took a few editorial staff members to the Poynter Institute, which is now. It's an organization that helps journalists like you, like myself.

It's training and things like that. And we were in a group together and at the time I was the digital director at the Louisville Courier Journal in Kentucky. She was the publisher of the Alaska Dispatch News. Her paper, my paper, along with the Denver Post and The Virginian Pilot, we were in a group together, so I met her.

We talked a bit. We we were collaborating. Did she say you want to look at the Magna Carta? I've got one in my bag. She didn't know. She did not bring up the Magna Carta at all. But what was funny is this is in 2017 and it was part of a year long program. So we went to Florida, we all met.

We all hung out together for a little bit. And then shortly after we met, the paper went into bankruptcy. Oh, no. And then she was forced to sell. So then when we got back to in 2018, she wasn't there. The newsroom was kind of reorganizing and and that was kind of that. But yeah, that our six degrees of separation are you, you, me, David Rubenstein.

Very small. We didn't even have to get to Kevin Bacon. You know, he said his kids don't want these things. So do you think we could be in the will? Maybe we have a personal connection to the family. He's there right with us. Right. I'll take one of the documents I can bring Mom. Right. Well, Michael's. I'll go to Michael's with my my Declaration of Independence and I'll say, yeah, could you frame it So it looks nice.

It's. It's a gift from a friend. You got to wait, though, with Michael's until they've got that, like, buy one. Yeah. I want 50% of the coupon. Yeah. Yeah. I can't do it unless I can save some money. No, no, no. We're. We're going to do it right. But on a budget to do the, the decorating. Want it to look nice so it hangs in our office and we could point to and say, there's my Declaration of Independence.

There it is. The Magna Carta, though. So just now. So I will take the Magna Carta. You're going to take the declaration I get the number because, you know, I write Big I and I'm sure we get at our names on the bottom if you wanted to, we'll just we'll just add John Hancock to the bottom. We can, but we can put some some tape, some electrician's tape or something, and then we'll write our own names on the bottom.

So if we needed to keep it right, we were B, we'd be okay. Hey, you know what's coming up this next week? What's that? We're getting into the big summer movie season, and yeah, it's not affected at all by the writers strike. It is not going to be stopped. Barbie is coming this summer. Barbie, goodness be with us so we don't have to worry about.

Suddenly she's holding out and saying, No, I'm not going to do a movie. It's done. So next week, let's look at those new kind of summer movies. That should be the it's always considered blockbuster season in the summer. And this week we started with the first one. Really, that'll be a big moneymaker and that's Guardians of the Galaxy Volume three, the last one of the films.

So watch that. We'll talk about that one and then we'll will preview the ones that are coming up next week. That sounds good. So before I let you go, though, why do all the blockbusters come out during the summer? What is is it just because everyone's off from school and they're on vacation? I always wondered that, like why?

Why is it like basically Memorial Day through almost like July 4th is kind of the big drop, too. Why is that? There was a little film back in 1975 that changed the course of history. That little film said that people would flock to the theaters if they weren't in school, if they were, and they wanted to have something fun to see.

And it made a huge amount of money. That movie was Jaws. Jaws considered the first blockbuster, and it did so well that they realized they should program for that. And they looked for those kind of high concept films that would be good to release at those times. There are seasons that are big for this. Memorial Day weekend is always big.

4th of July is always big. Labor Day is Christmas and the fall are considered far more, I don't want to say intelligent pictures, but certainly ones that take a little they're they Oscar bait. They're going to be the films that are going to win awards, but summer ones are usually ones that are fun, exciting and have a lot of action in them.

And get you to eat and drink a lot. And you're more willing to do that when you feel like you're on vacation than any other time. So you can blame Jaws for setting off the concept of blockbusters. It is readily recognized as the first big blockbuster. Oh, I did not know that. So little, little history. Some iconic history.

A little history there. Yeah. And Steven Spielberg has to be the king of blockbusters because he had a lot of them. And yes, was his company is behind a big one this summer. That's right. We'll talk more about that next week. Until then, thank you for listening to streams and screens. We're not going on strike.
A Northampton County man was arrested Thursday in a shooting last weekend in Carbon County, Pennsylvania State Police said.

Investigators determined the victim of the shooting was at his home Saturday, April 29, in Lower Towamensing Township when a vehicle arrived. The victim went outside, where a confrontation occurred that led to the shooting, state police at Lehighton said.

The suspect then fled and was subsequently identified by investigators as 19-year-old Ivan Jordan Gonzales, of Walnutport, according to police.

Gonzales was arraigned Thursday afternoon on felony charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault (two counts) and criminal use of a communication facility, in addition to misdemeanor reckless endangerment.

He was sent to the Carbon County prison with bail denied due to the attempted homicide charge, according to court records.

A preliminary hearing is tentatively scheduled May 17 before District Judge William J. Kissner to determine if there is sufficient evidence to send the charges toward trial in Carbon County Court.

Court records were not immediately updated with an attorney for Gonzales.

State police had said while the investigation was active there was no threat to the general public, describing the shooting as an isolated incident.

Police did not immediately release the victims name or condition.

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Kurt Bresswein may be reached at kbresswein@lehighvalleylive.com.
One person was injured in a truck fire that stopped traffic Friday afternoon on Interstate 78 in Northampton County, Pennsylvania State Police said.

The blaze was reported at about 1 p.m. on I-78 West at mile marker 71, near the Route 33 interchange in Lower Saucon Township.

The operator was injured and was taken to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest for treatment, Trooper Nate Branosky said.

Flames and a thick plume of black smoke could be seen coming from the tractor-trailer on the highways shoulder.

All lanes of I-78 West were stopped, as was traffic from Route 33 to I-78 West.

By 1:21 p.m., the shell of the trailer was still smoking, but the flames were out. Traffic was moving on the ramp from Route 33, but still stopped on I-78 West.

By 2 p.m., all lanes of I-78 West were still closed by the fire scene and westbound traffic was backed up to the New Jersey border.

A truck fire on on May 5, 2023, stopped traffic on Interstate 78 West in Northampton County.Image via PennDOT traffic cameras

A truck fire on on May 5, 2023, stopped traffic on Interstate 78 West in Northampton County.Image via PennDOT traffic cameras

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Sarah Cassi may be reached at scassi@lehighvalleylive.com.
In Pennsylvania, Act 38 of 2020 sadly became law and should be repealed. This law modified the stop-arm camera law for illegally passing school buses. It assumes a vehicles owner was driving, and takes away all the persons rights. It also allows multiple entities to reap profits, based upon the number of tickets, which will act as an incentive to make sure the tickets keep flowing.

The goal should be to prevent illegal school bus passing, not try to rake in revenue without trying to correct a potential problem. The law will do nothing to solve anything, as that is not the point.

Where is a requirement for a minimum flashing yellow duration? How about mandating stop-arm extenders to block the next lane? Making bus stops only on the right side of the bus to prevent crossing the roads? Adults to cross the kids, as some areas do? Moving bus stops to smaller roads and away from intersections?

If a flashing yellow is too short, what is the incentive to fix it? Same for moving bus stops to more suitable locations. In some places, you may not see a bus, may not be able to safely stop, or not know if you must stop. Pennsylvania law differs from those of most states, as there is no nationwide standard.

You will not see a bus on intersecting roads. What happens if you are already near the bus when the lights change to flashing reds? Are split-second violations issued? Also, people may end up slamming the brakes or flooring it, if they think they could get tickets. This would actually create an unsafe situation, perhaps?

James Sikorski Jr. is a member of the PA Advocate National Motorists Association. He lives in Wapwallopen.
Sign up to get positive Black news stories, words of affirmation and weekly curated playlists delivered to your inbox twice a week: Enter your email to subscribe to Black Joy.

All the mommas of Black Joy put your hands in the air and say, AYY!

Mothers Day is next Sunday yall. Were showing love to people who bring so much love and nurturing into our lives. So send us your photos and kind messages through this Google form so we can brag about your momma on Instagram. It doesnt matter if you choose to celebrate your grandmother or a nonrelative who became a mother figure in your life. We understand motherhood comes in many forms, and we are here for all of it!

You still got some time to get mom a nice gift of joy.

So for now, its time to saddle up and take a horse ride through history as we honor Black culture in the equestrian world. Dont forget to send this newsletter to your friends and fam cause you definitely dont wanna miss out on the knowledge we got for yall today.

 Starr

That time when the derby was Black AF

What comes to your mind when you hear the words Kentucky Derby?

Some of you may think about the sophisticated fashion trends. Others may ponder about the prestige presented during the nations oldest continuously running sporting event.

Black Joy is switching up the conversation by uplifting the Black jockeys who started the most popular horse race in the world. Reckon sis Khavolshaia Howze chatted with Alicia Hughes, who is the only Black woman reporter in the nation covering thoroughbred racing. Alicia schooled us on the Black history of the Kentucky Derby.

Mercury got her tight microbraids in again. So heres the YouTube link just in case the video below freezes up on ya.

If you are tired of the erasure of Black cowboys and cowgirls, we feel you. Thats why we hit up three Black equine-lovin folks who are preserving the culture. You can read snippets of their stories below or you can read the extended version of our newsletter featuring their full stories.

Aint horsin around with our healing

Daryl Fletcher poses with his horse as the founder of SOOFA Ranch near Atlanta.

Daryl Fletcher is a man of many mantras. One of them is within the name of Daryls nonprofit SOOFA Ranch. The acronym stands for Step Out on Faith Again. After living that entrepreneur life for the majority of his adulthood, Daryl said he learned a thing or two about hope.

You have to believe in what you want to do and put forth the action that supports that belief, Daryl said. So many times when things are not going the way you want them to, you have to step out on faith and try again. We have had to do that with our ranch several times because the task that were trying to do and accomplish is not an easy feat.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and Daryls 71-acre oasis is just a 30ish-minute drive from bustling downtown Atlanta. But SOOFA Ranch does more than just guide you on a peaceful stroll on horseback. Book a trail ride and your coins will help those in need get access to equine-assisted therapy. Daryl partners with multiple mental health professionals to create a healing experience as guests care for and/or ride the horses.

About 85 percent of the ranchs clientele are people of color, and the majority of those folks have never ridden a horse before. Which is why the SOOFA Ranch fam doesnt just stay in the woods. They hit the streets through their Horses Healing the Hood program with a mission to improve the wellbeing and personal development of underserved youth.

Part equine assistant and part certified counselor, Daryl said has an interesting perspective while providing these services. Hes reining in two taboos at once: one about mental health and another concerning the behavior of horses. He said many people are afraid that a horse will bite or kick them, which tells Daryl that clients are basing their relationship with horses from old western movies.

One of the things we try to do in order to disarm people is that we tell them dont do anything that you see on TV or on social media because our horses are trained specifically to serve them for their benefit and safety, Daryl said. We try to make sure people understand that horses are healing because theyre sentient beings that have feelings. The unique thing about horses is they will begin to match your emotions. If youre feeling happy, that horse is going to start feeling good. If you feel excited, that horse will start feeling it.

The goal of his nonprofit is to open ranches in communities of color across the nation to increase access to equine-assisted therapy.

Communities of color have been systematically underserved. So if weve been systematically underserved, we have to begin to intentionally serve them, Daryl said.

Many people would like to forget we started out as a property in this country, or even below property in many instances, Daryl continued. My grandfather  a man who I saw, touched, walked with and learned from  was born in 1914. His grandfather was a slave. So Im impacted by slavery not just indirectly, but directly. He impacted the way my mother thinks. My mother impacts the way I think. Therefore, Im not that far removed from slavery. So we have to be in these different arenas and different communities because we have to unlearn some things that we have learned from previous generations, not just with those who are byproducts of slavery, but those who have been a byproduct of societys stigmas, societys way of thinking and societys way of life. Thats reason why we want to be in these communities.

During his 20 years working as a youth pastor in both Miami and Maryland, he watched youth flow in and out of the prison pipeline. Daryl built up his confidence and character while spending his summers on his grandparents farm where he dreamed up an idea to help youth by opening a ranch of his own. That dream came true when he moved to Georgia and opened SOOFA Ranch in 2018.

Daryl is familiar with the healing nature of horses. His father plopped him on a horse when he was seven. He said that adventure with his dad liberated him from the fearful way he used to see the world back then.

The fear was removed, and the liberation was replaced. It was just one of those things where I was like, wow, this is great, Daryl said. To people who struggle with fear, everything is a threat. Its hard for them to enjoy certain things because they think things are out to get them. So understanding how to break that down with horses, I just kept pushing at it. Kept going, and thats where I found my sweet spot.

Although his father died that same year, he still feels his fathers presence. Daryl said horseback riding has healed his mental health by giving him a way to decompress. And Seeking peace is a necessary ritual as a Black man, he believes.

Were under pressure in so many different instances, He said. " Sometimes we are pressured at home. Sometimes we are under pressure in the streets. We are constantly under pressure by society. So you need that moment to exhale. You need that moment to say, You know, Im OK. Its typically challenging to do that because you can be labeled as soft. You can be labeled as, Oh, Black men dont cry. Men dont cry. Or whatever the case may be. So all these labels that can be put upon you, it can be sometimes overwhelming. Daryl said.

Tameka takes the reins of her Blackest joy

Tameka Claiborne poses with a big bay gelding named Devine. The 23-year-old assistant horse trainer is working with another equestrian of color to diversify the industry in Aiken, S.C.

Tameka Claiborne grew up with the absence of Black cowgirls  and it showed.

A woman who grew up talking to the trees, wind and animals as if they were kin, she took up the sport of eventing during her junior year of college. Tameka described eventing as a triathlon for horses. Sis also describes it as a sport filled with mostly white people. While performing in front of the white gaze, her Blackness became a stranger. Code switching became her best friend. she tinkered with how she talked and the music she vibed to.

Yeah..sis dont do that no mo.

The most important thing is reminding myself that I belong and need to take up space, Tameka said. It got to the point where I fully realized, No. I absolutely belong anywhere I take myself. You will see me, and you will see me as I am. You are not going to be colorblind about the situation. You are not going to diminish my skills, my talent, my persona.

A 23-year-old assistant horse trainer in Aiken, S.C., Tameka is changing the racial landscape of the industry on the Gram and alongside her Puerto Rican and indigenous homegirl Michele Arana. On May 20th, theyll be hosting the grand opening of In-Stride Equestrian, which is on a mission to encourage and uplift equestrians of color, Tameka said.

Its a barn with a Black woman and a Puerto Rican woman, and were blasting Bad Bunny. Were blasting Lil Nas X. Were blasting like all of our stuff and just being authentically ourselves. Tameka said. Ive always had a saying like, Happy riding and you belong. Dont ever let anybody tell you what it is you can and cant do. One of my secrets in my opinion is the Black joy in standing in that truth. You deserve all the happiness, contentment, peace and healing you possibly can in life.

Tamekas main goal is to open her own eventing academy, where she can finance the passion of Black and brown horse lovers who just want to enjoy the sport of horseback riding. But money, elitism and lack of representation are common barriers for people of color getting into the arena. Even when Tameka Googles Black equestrians, she gets pictures of Black horses.

I dont understand why this is such a foreign concept because equestrians of color have been around since equestrianism has been a thing, Tameka said. Why arent we seeing that? Why is that not being represented? There are thriving communities of color. Why are we not highlighting them, and why are we choosing to ignore them when we are creating products or when we are crafting campaigns? Why are we only focusing on one sector of constituents when it comes to our equestrian companies and brands? I think those kinds of concepts and things need to be addressed.

Until then, Tameka is being the change. Shes talking to her local Boys and Girls Club to see if the youth could ride down to their barn to simply interact with the horses, because then they will see that a career with horses is possible.

A big big dream of mine is literally  I call it being surrounded by sea brown, she said. I want to go to a barn, and all I see is different shades of brown everywhere. Everybody is a person of color. Everybody is laughing and enjoying themselves, and is skilled in caring about their horses.

Hartley brothers continuing the legacy of history

Ke'elronn Hatley poses with his racing horse Black Wall Street.

Bringing back another oldie but a goodie with this one! Last June, I wrote about Hatley Brothers Racing Stables, which is run by the first Black family to run quarter horses in Texas. James Hatley Sr. kicked off the legacy by purchasing the familys first racehorse in 1961.

The closure of two major racetracks in the area forced the family to stop racing and start rodeoing during the 90s. But James sons Keelronn Hatley and James Hatley Jr. picked up the reins in 2020 with their racehorse Black Lives Matter. The brothers became popular on social media and on the race track, especially after Black Lives Matter won a race at Louisiana Downs Casino and Racetrack in January 2022. The horse had his own fan club, yall. Seeing that many Black people wearing Black Lives Matter shirts made Keelronns heart swell with pride. He said he wants folks to know the truth about Black horse racing.

We were the originals. The first Kentucky Derby was worn by Black jockeys and Black trainers, but they dont even mention it, Keelronn said. They just act like its non-existent. So kids need to know that this mess they teach in history now is just pure baloney. They dont tell the truth.

Unfortunately, Keelronn said Black Lives Matter was killed during a common medical procedure at a veterinarians office. The family filed a lawsuit against the white vet last fall. Keelronn suspects that the lawsuit is going to take longer than theyd hoped because they havent been to trial yet.

They basically murdered our horse all because of his name and what he represented, and what he stood for, Keelronn said. Thats why we started all of this. We cant bring him back, and some things are just irreplaceable.

The family was devastated, but the Black joy must go on. The brothers wasted no time finding another horse for the culture. Last year, they named their new steed Black Wall Street, which honors the Black businesses and homes they were demolished by a white mob in Tulsa, Okla. The family is still working out some kinks with Black Wall Street, but Keelronn laughed when he mentioned his next race, which is going to take place in Oklahoma next week.

We wanted to keep the name of Black going on and going strong, he said. When you go into these sales and these arenas and things, everything is predominantly white people. On the walls inside the building white people are hung up everywhere and the Black and Mexican people are working in the back area. Just walking through these places Im like, Is this really how it is? When will this ever stop? so I was just like, Well, why dont we call him Black Wall Street. Because we want black businesses to be able to thrive from his name.

Just like Black Lives Matter, Black Wall Street has his own fan page, where people can soon buy merch before his next race. To Keelronn, the solution to diversifying the racing industry is simple.

Get Black people involved. Get Black veterinarians. Get Black trainers. Get Black attorneys. Get more Black people in offices making these decisions and writing these rules and all that. You know those are very powerful moves that need to be done.

Now gallop into the sunshine and spread the Black joy! See ya next time!
The Arts Office of Laois County Council is hosting a four-week memoir writing course with Eileen Casey at Laois Arthouse, Stradbally as part of the Bealtaine Festival.

Eileen's digging memoir workshops are geared towards unearthing personal or family history treasures and she believes that mining past lives helps to illuminate and revitalise our own precious life story.

The Laois Arts Office says each session will be facilitated in a relaxing, enjoyable and thought provoking way. The various types of memoir will be explored together with important memoir elements such as identifying timeline, bringing scenes and characters to life and how to avoid that familiar tyranny  too much information.

Eileen is originally from the Midlands but is now based in Dublin. Her poetry, prose and short fiction are widely published in anthologies by Dedalus, Crannog, New Island, Arlen House, Faber & Faber, The Nordic Irish Studies Journal, Ireland of the Welcomes, among others.

She is a Hennessy Award Winner (Emerging Fiction) and a Patrick and Katherine Kavanagh Poetry Fellowship recipient. Her memoir pieces are anthologised in A Fascination with Fabric (Arlen House), The Irish Times, Portrait of a County (New Island) and broadcast on Sunday Miscellany (RTE). Black Ball Gown (memoir poem) featured as a short film by Paris based artists Cleary/Connolly.

She received a number of Arts Council Awards together with commissions from County Offaly Arts.

She holds an MA (Creative Writing) from The Oscar Wilde Centre, The School of English, Trinity College, Dublin.

The course runs for four Mondays durin may May (8th, 15th, 22nd and 29th) from 11 am to 1 pm.

Spaces are limited but booking is essential. Fees to be paid in advance. Fee: 5 per session or 15 for four sessions

Contact Laois County Council Cash Office  05786 74308 for payment. Please quote: Bealtaine Memoir Writing workshop.

The Cash Office is opening from Monday to Friday 9.30am  3.30pm.

Full Laois Bealtaine 2023 programme can be found here on www.laois.ie For further information: Email: artsoff@laoiscoco.ie or ring 057 868 9386
American music legend Bruce Springsteen has paid a surprise visit to Rathangan just over the Laois border in Kildare this week to check out his ancestral roots and sing a song in the local pub.

The Boss visited The Burrow pub, the community centre and also was shown where his relations may have come from in the townland of Mount Prospect.

There was a warm welcome for him as he greeted people during the private visit.

The CPA Rathangan pupils performed for the man from New Jersey in the Community Centre

Watch the Boss singing My Hometown the Burrow

Cllr Mark Stafford said the council had extended an invitation to Springsteen to visit the town and they had been in communication with his team.

"We were told that he doesn't make a decision on where to visit until he actually arrives in the country he is visiting." he said.

Cllr Stafford explained how he got word late last night that Springsteen wanted to come to the Kildare town.

"We were told he was interested, but on the strict condition that it was to be a private visit and he didn't want any large gatherings. You can understand that as it was a personal visit. Anyone he did meet, he was very obliging and he had all the time in the world for them."





"He was delighted to be here and was interested in learning all about his heritage."

Earlier in the day he paid a visit to the library in Newbridge where historians, who had carried out research into his family roots, made a presentation to him.

It was revealed in 2016 that Springsteen's great-great-grandmother Anne Garrity emigrated from the Mount Prospect area of Rathangan during the Famine and settled in New Jersey in the US.
Laois Gardai arrested two people and seized heroin and cocaine worth over 200,000.

Approximately 230,000 of suspected heroin and cocaine during a number of searches in Portlaoise on Wednesday and Thursday, May 3 and 4.

The searches were conducted as part of Operation Tara by the Laois Drugs Unit.

A male in his 30s was stopped and searched on Mountmellick Road in Portlaoise and was found in possession of 3,920 worth of heroin on Wednesday. He was arrested and detained under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.

On the same day, a search of a residence in Portlaoise led to the discovery and seizure of 15,680 heroin and 880 cocaine. An adult female, aged in her late teens, has since been arrested and detained at a Garda station in the Midlands under the provisions of Section 2 Drug Trafficking Act, 1996.

Follow-up searches were conducted, aided by the Garda Dog Unit, at two further residences in Portlaoise where approximately 1.5kg of suspected heroin, to a value of 210,000, was seized on Thursday, May 4.

The drugs seized totalling 230,000 heroin and 880 cocaine will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.

The arrested male has since been charged and appeared before Portlaoise District Court. The arrested female has since been charged and is due to appear before Nenagh District Court this afternoon, Friday, May 5.
Workers and families in Laois have to get protection from greedy companies making huge profits while they are overwhelmed by energy bills due to 'rip-off' prices, according to Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley.

The Laois Offaly representative said he is also urging TDs to support struggling workers and families by voting for a Sinn Fein motion that calls on the government to intervene to "reduce rip-off energy bills".

The TD made his case in a statement.

Households are struggling to keep their heads above water in this cost-of-living crisis as the government continues to prioritise the profits of energy companies over workers and families at every turn. All TDs have an opportunity to show that they stand on the side of domestic householders.

Average gas and electricity bills have doubled over the last year to the point that the price of electricity here is the highest in Europe and the price of gas is eighth most expensive.

There is no excuse for this. Wholesale prices of gas and electricity have fallen significantly - electricity by half - yet there have been no efforts to pass these savings on to customers.

As energy companies rack up eye-watering profits, the number of people living in energy poverty doubled over the last year and at its peak was a shameful record-breaking high of 40%. The British owners of Bord Gais saw its profits surge to over 3.5 billion last year.

One in five Irish homes are now behind on their gas bills - of those 679,000 people that rely on gas to heat their homes, 139,785 were in arrears at the end of December with this rising to 152,276 by the end of February," he said.

The Laois Offaly TD said his party wants the government to act by taking a range of measures.

Sinn Fein is calling on the government to introduce a windfall tax which addresses the superprofits of energy companies.

Government must also provide financial relief and certainty to households by reducing domestic electricity prices to their pre-Ukraine invasion levels and capping them at that level - as has been done in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands.

They must also reverse the increase in carbon tax, and introduce new regulatory powers for the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities that empowers them to tackle instances of price-gouging and to ensure that it has the resources to do so. Of note is that over 790 million was brought in by the Government last year on Carbon Tax.

These are all sensible measures that the Government can and must introduce to protect struggling households from greedy profiteering", he concluded.

The Laois Offaly TD is chairperson of the Dail Public Accounts Committee.
A warning has been issued by gardai about an email scam where fraudsters tell a person they are being investigated for serious crimes.

The scam messages threatens an arrest warrant and national wanted notice against the person who receives the hoax letter.

The scam message tells the recipient that they have a "criminal history" of crimes including "pornography, exhibitionism, cyberpornography, cyber onanism". The mail is made to look like it is from a member of the gardai.

Gardai said on social media: "We do not and will not contact a person that is under investigation in this way".

Gardai posted a screenshot of the letter on Twitter.

It states the person will face penalties of up to seven years imprisonment and a fine of 180,000 euros.

The fake warrant adds: especially if the offences were committed on the internet.

We're aware of an e-mail based scam/fraud involving correspondence that claims to be from An Garda Siochana.



We do not and will not contact a person that is under investigation in this way.



Our fraud prevention advice: https://t.co/1edQLQmmu4#KeepingPeopleSafe pic.twitter.com/y1dCmOmneB  Garda Info (@gardainfo) May 4, 2023

The email features the logo of both An Garda Siochana and Interpol. It tells the recipient that they committed these offences after being approached on the internet on advertising sites, pornographic sites, dating sites, opening an exhibitionist page'

"The accused is invited to give his version of the facts, unconditionally within 48 hours by email for examination of sanctions," the scam document warns.

"However, if the deadline is not met, a report is sent to the European Criminal Court of Justice to issue an arrest warrant to the police and a national wanted notice against you," the document states.

Gardai issued its fraud prevent advice, which can be read here
The GAA and the charity ALONE recently came together to launch a campaign to benefit the senior members of its communities.

Eslin GAA Healthy Club were offered the opportunity to participate in the pilot scheme for this initiative.

It was offered to a select number of clubs nationally and the event was held recently in Eslin Community Centre.

Stuart Moloney, the health coordinator for Connacht, said the GAA is conscious of how they can have a role in ensuring supports for the senior members of our society.

This is where clubs with the help of the nationwide charity ALONE can offer assistance.

ALONE deal with the key issues facing older people and the impact they have on persons physical and mental health.

The suite of supports and services ALONE provides to people 60+ range from co ordinated support to assistive technology/ phone services.

ALONE have a vision where people can age happily and securely at home and are strongly connected to their communities.

Eslin GAA and their Healthy Club were delighted to be involved in this initiative and set about planning an event for the community. The Eslin community first responders came on board and the Community Gardai were also happy to join in.

On Saturday, April 29 the event was held in Eslin with a large crowd present. Eslin Chairperson Lisa Mulligan opened the event and welcomed all present and spoke about the excellent work of Eslin GAA Healthy Club and all its members

Pauline Rooney, senior project officer and Jessica Gallagher head of services with ALONE delivered an excellent presentation on their work and what is available to people in rural communities particularly to continue to live in their own homes.

Everyone present absorbed this information while enjoying a lovely lunch. It was fantastic to see neighbours and friends together and some new people to the area get a great oppurtunity to meet new people.

Katrina Sheerin from Eslin First Responders gave a talk on their work in the area and launch the message in a bottle system which aims to help the people such as ambulance, gardai and responders to an incident.

Everyone present was given one of these packs for their home.

Community Garda Declan Conway gave great info on their work in the county and he updated all on the new Leitrim Alerts app.

This is a new country wide emergency messaging system with alerts issued on crime, weather, Irish Water, council and community alerts.

You can contact Eslin GAA for more info 0860380801.

Eslin GAA would like to thank all who helped with the event. The Eslin Community Centre committee were fantastic as always.

All the people who baked cooked cleaned made tea, served food and helped things run smoothly. Thanks to John and staff at Bellz Mohill for the catering. Special mention to Cait Reynolds who was so helpful as always. Bernie Mulligan Dolan the chairperson of Leitrim GAA Healthy Club attended and was a great support. Thanks to Tommy O'Dowd from St. Vincent de Paul Carrick for his attendance too.

Finally, thanks to all our senior members of our community for coming along, we hope you had a wonderful afternoon. It was great to see the fun, banter and enjoyment by everyone.
Fort Peck releases to be cut

Releases from Fort Peck Dam will be reduced from 9,000 cubic feet per second to 6,000 cfs on May 22 to allow maintenance work, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced.

Releases will be increased back to 9,000 cfs on June 2. If the maintenance work is completed early, releases will return to 9,000 cfs as soon as possible.

Maintenance at the Fort Peck powerhouse, on the power tunnel, requires Units 1, 2 and 3 to be unavailable.

The lowered releases will not have a significant impact on reservoir elevations at Fort Peck, said John Remus, chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Basin Water Management Division. However, downstream users, such as irrigators and water supply intakes, will need to plan for the lower releases during this period.

Releases will be gradually increased from 6,000 cfs beginning May 6 reaching 9,000 cfs May 12, prior to the scheduled power tunnel maintenance. Then, decreased May 22 during maintenance.

The decreased releases from Fort Peck Dam will not have an effect on system storage or releases from downstream projects, nor will system releases from Gavins Point dam be changed, Remus added.
"La Derniere Reine" ("The Last Queen") by Adila Bendimerad and Damien Ounouri. JOUR2FETE

Algerian actress Adila Bendimerad plays Queen Zaphira in La Derniere Reine (The Last Queen), a film she wrote and directed with Damien Ounouri. In an interview, Bendimerad discusses the legend of this historical figure, playing feminist characters and how she's inspired by the women around her today.

Over the past few weeks in France, you've been holding a lot of meetings with the public. Did you anticipate this sort of reception?

Adila Bendimerad This week, 12 new theaters are hosting the film and we are really happy about that. The reaction has been overwhelming. Algerians living in France, French people of Algerian origin, French people, people from elsewhere: Everyone has been moved by this story and this Algeria that they were not aware of.

In the movies, our country is still viewed mainly in the context of colonization and the years of terrorism. Nonetheless, we've seen that the public is fascinated by this queen and also by this legacy that has never been depicted on the screen. It is the first Algerian film of the period featuring the outfits and languages of the time that have not been reduced to caricatures. Yet it isn't simply a film of traditional headdresses and sabers.

Where does this story come from?

We did not invent Zaphira. Stories circulate even today about this queen throughout Algeria. She is a legend, part of our intangible heritage. We could have chosen a historical figure who is better known and about whom there is more information. But what interested us were the unexplored and uncertain areas of this story.

We are obviously much more informed about the male characters, such as Aroudj Barberousse (played by Dali Benssalah), a strong, romantic character with a prosthetic arm made of silver. He is at once feared and formidable, as well as the liberator of Algiers against the Spaniards.

The figure of Zaphira has always been repeatedly disappearing and reappearing. She reminds me of Algiers itself and its battered Casbah, more than 80% razed during the colonial period. Their fates are similar: They have been erased. In the end, this is why we persisted with Damien, to put an end to the double erasure of a woman and a city. It is poetic and it allows us to create a mythology.

What image of Zaphira did you want to convey?

That of a woman who improvises, one who evolves. If King Salim Toumi (Mohamed Tahar Zaoui), her husband, had not died, she probably would not have left the palace. But with the threats to Algiers, with this new population that has arrived with the Corsairs and this historic upheaval in the 16th century, it all opened up opportunities for power to her. She was no longer invisible. By saving her son, she saved Algiers. At this point, she has become truly interesting.

There are other female characters in the film: Chegga, the second wife of the king, and Astrid, the Scandinavian wife of Aroudj. What do they tell us?

Yes, the film could have been called "Les Reines" ("The Queens"). Chegga (Imen Noel) is part of a tradition where the kings of Algiers would always marry a Kabyle (Berber) princess for political and military purposes. She makes her first appearance while observing the men discussing politics from behind her mashrabiya (wooden screen). She would like to intervene but is unable to.

And then there is Aroudj's Scandinavian wife (Nadia Tereszkiewicz). At one point, she says, "I wanted to harm Zaphira, but she reminds me of myself when I was a slave and struggling alone." Laboring in the shadows, she has done everything for her man. Yet he casts her aside once he is on the verge of achieving his goals: conquering Zaphira and Algiers.

You place a female perspective on a male world. How did that come about?

We wanted to tell this little-known story by way of women. But we worked together. And again, [our influence] is not necessarily where you'd expect it to be. I wrote most of the scenes where the Corsairs are throwing things at each other. I was raised with boys and had only brothers. As for the emotional scenes, they were mostly written by Damien. He grew up around women!

Some feminists have pointed out to me that Zaphira is not feminist enough. Neverthless, just because I'm an activist doesn't mean I'm going to put words in Zaphira's mouth. She didn't think about feminism. It wasn't easy to step outside the bounds and enter the public space. Those who dared to do so were and are special. My source of inspiration is Algerian women, those with whom I used to live and those I live with today. It makes a movie a bit androgynous.

You were in Merzak Allouache's films (Le Repenti (The Repentant) and Les Terrasses (The Rooftops)) and in Damien Ounouri's previous film (Kindil El Bhar, (Jellyfish)). These are all roles involving women who set out to become free. Is this a deliberate choice?

In Algeria, when we do theater or cinema, there are always roles where the woman becomes impressive once she is out of her depth. In Kindil El Bahr, the woman I play is not a revolutionary. She is on the beach with her children, chaperoned by her mother and waiting for her husband. When she realizes that he won't be coming, she refocuses on herself, enters the water and begins doing tricks, to free herself. She has already become a hypothetical beast. It is only after his death that she becomes a vengeful sea monster. I like those characters who allow room for being moved, for the world to act on them, and who come out transformed. I always come back to these deeply affected women.

Laetitia Fernandez Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrive at the White House for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris on artificial intelligence, on May 4, 2023, in Washington. EVAN VUCCI / AP

Political leaders want to show that they care about artificial intelligence (AI). On Thursday, May 4, the White House invited the CEOs of major players in generative AI, which is making headlines with its software capable of creating text or images: Sam Altman of OpenAI (creator of the conversational robot ChatGPT), Sundar Pichai of Alphabet (Google's parent company), Satya Nadella of Microsoft (OpenAI's partner and investor) and Dario Amodei of Anthropic (an OpenAI alumnus who created a start-up in which Google has invested).

On Friday, May 5, the OpenAI boss was also supposed to have a videoconference with French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire, but the meeting was postponed due to scheduling issues. American President Joe Biden told the leaders, "What you're doing has enormous potential and enormous danger. I know you understand that. And I hope you can educate us as to what you think is most needed to protect society."

The American approach does not rule out new regulations, but it is not expected to lead to legislation on artificial intelligence in the short term, especially since Congress is politically divided. Instead, the White House is calling for a more flexible and less restrictive corporate responsibility approach. "The private sector has an ethical, moral and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products," said Vice President Kamala Harris, who organized the meeting, in a statement. "Its good to try to get ahead of this. Its definitely going to be a challenge, but its one Im sure we can handle," said Altman, of OpenAI, when speaking to reporters.

'Ensuring this hard-learned history doesnt repeat itself'

This presidential meeting is part of a series of initiatives by the US executive branch. In October 2022, the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights was published, advocating the principles of safety and the fight against algorithmic discrimination, as well as data protection and public information. This legislation aims to respond to certain problems which have already arisen in the United States, such as discrimination linked to algorithms used in recruitment and access to credit. But this blueprint has no binding authority.

In the same spirit, President Biden signed an executive order in February 2023 on equality in public service, which directs federal agencies to avoid algorithmic discrimination. On April 25, four of them, including the Federal Trade Commission (FTC, competition and consumer protection authority), issued a joint letter reiterating that AI algorithms are subject to their authority.

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People walk along the Mall where British and Commonwealth countries flags have been put, ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles III, in London on April 27, 2023. ALBERTO PEZZALI / AP

Jamaica and Belize are looking at ditching King Charles III as their head of state and becoming republics, leading politicians from both countries said on Thursday, May 4, ahead of his coronation. The comments come just before the monarch, who ascended the throne when his mother Queen Elizabeth II died last September, is formally crowned at London's Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Jamaica and Belize are former British colonies in the Caribbean that have been independent nations for decades. But, like 12 other Commonwealth countries outside Britain  including Australia, Canada and New Zealand  they retain the constitutional monarchy system of government and have King Charles as their head of state, with a local governor-general performing duties on his behalf.

Marlene Malahoo Forte, Jamaica's minister for legal and constitutional affairs, said King Charles's coronation has accelerated the island's plans to become a republic. "Time has come. Jamaica in Jamaican hands," she told Britain's Sky News television. "We have to get it done, especially with the transition in the monarchy. My government is saying we have to do it now."

Malahoo Forte said Jamaica could hold a referendum as soon as next year. She said becoming a republic would be "saying goodbye to a form of government that is linked to a painful past of colonialism and the transatlantic slave trade."

Belize 'likely' next

Belize's Prime Minister John Briceno meanwhile told The Guardian newspaper it was "quite likely" his country would be the next Commonwealth realm to become a republic, after Barbados did so in 2021. He said "there is no excitement" among his compatriots for the coronation.

The government of Belize last year passed legislation creating a constitutional commission, which convened in November, to consider instituting various reforms, including becoming a republic. Briceno said he would put its recommendations, due next year, to a referendum, but did not rule out potentially abolishing the country's monarchy via Parliament.

Charles is the symbolic head of the 56-member Commonwealth and has sought to put it at the heart of his reign, as his mother did. But there are questions about whether he can inspire the same respect and devotion as his mother, who reigned for a record 70 years.

During a rocky Caribbean tour by Charles's elder son Prince William and his wife Kate in March last year, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness said his country was "moving on." The royal couple faced calls to apologize for the slave trade that helped make past British royals' fortunes and were accused of appearing "tone deaf" over elements of the visit.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda  another Commonwealth realm  said he aims to have a referendum on the issue within three years.

'Undoubted king'

Leaders from the Commonwealth realms are among those gathering in London ahead of the coronation. William met Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at Kensington Palace on Thursday, while King Charles met New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday. Both PMs are republicans.

The coronation service will see Charles "solemnly promise" to govern the peoples of Britain and his other realms according to their respective laws and customs. The Archbishop of Canterbury, who will crown King Charles, will call upon "all persons of goodwill" in Britain and the 14 other realms "to make their homage, in heart and voice, to their undoubted king, defender of all."

Le Monde with AFP
People outside the polling station in Kings Langley, England, Thursday, May 4, 2023. HARRY STEDMAN / AP

Britain's ruling Conservatives suffered high-profile losses as results poured in on Friday, May 5, from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's first major electoral test since he took office last year.

In the depths of the worst cost-of-living crisis in decades, the local council elections held across swathes of England on Thursday illuminated the main parties' standing ahead of a UK-wide general election expected next year.

Sunak admitted results looked "disappointing" but claimed he was "not detecting any massive groundswell of movement" towards the main Labour opposition or "excitement for its agenda." However, with over half of the 230 English districts having declared by late afternoon, his party had lost nearly 600 seats and control of almost 30 councils. Labour had netted more than 300 new seats and control of 12 new districts.

Vote counting in the more than 8,000 seats will only be complete later Friday, just as Britain gears up for Saturday's coronation of King Charles III. But Labour leader Keir Starmer crowed that the trend was already clear.

"Make no mistake, we are on course for a Labour majority at the next general election," he told cheering activists in Medway, southeast England, one of the councils seized by his party from the Tories. "We've won the trust, the confidence of voters, and now we can go on to change our country."

'Older news'

Starmer has been remolding the party after it suffered its worst general election performance in decades in 2019 when ex-prime minister Boris Johnson won by a landslide vowing to "get Brexit done."

The party has enjoyed double-digit national poll leads since late last year, as the Tories felt the fallout from several chaotic weeks when they ditched Johnson and then Liz Truss as a leader in quick succession.

Conservative transport minister Huw Merriman indicated his party was still paying the price for that tumult. Local constituents have been "talking about older news about former prime ministers  but saying your current leader seems to have what it takes", he told the BBC, insisting that Sunak was on the right track.

However, Labour was projected to have won a nine-point lead over the Conservatives if all of Britain had gone to the polls, enough, it claimed, for Starmer to become prime minister.

The party won control of prized targets such as Medway in southeast England, Plymouth in the southwest and Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands  where in 2016, 70% of voters backed Brexit.

Labour is particularly targeting former strongholds in northern England, the so-called "red wall," which crumbled in 2019.

'Exceeding all expectations'

The smaller Liberal Democrat party was also performing strongly, gaining more than 200 seats and control of six more councils.

It was making inroads in wealthy Conservative districts on the edge of London that are represented nationally by members of Sunak's cabinet  the "blue wall." The centrist opposition party took control of the council in Windsor and Maidenhead, west of London, an area represented in Westminster by former prime minister Theresa May.

"We are exceeding all expectations," Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said. "We have delivered a hammer blow to the Conservative party in the blue wall ahead of next year's general election." Meanwhile, the Green Party took full control of a council for the first time, in Suffolk in eastern England.

Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit, noted that the Conservatives were already defending a dismal showing the last time the same council districts voted in 2019.

"Voters may well return to the Conservative fold" at the next general election, he told Agence France-Presse (AFP). "But yes, it's looking pretty bad for them so far. To do badly from a very bad baseline in 2019 is very, very bad indeed."

Sunak meanwhile defended a law change requiring voters to show photo identification for the first time, a move denounced by Labour and others as an attempt to suppress the vote. The Electoral Commission vowed to review numerous reports of voters being turned away on Thursday.

Le Monde with AFP
Senate Judiciary Committee member Sheldon Whitehouse shows a copy of a painting depicting Justice Clarence Thomas with other conservative leaders at a hearing on Supreme Court ethics reform in Washington, D.C., May 2. The painting was commissioned by billionaire Harlan Crow. CHIP SOMODEVILLA / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Friendship is priceless. This seems particularly true in Clarence Thomas' case. A Supreme Court Justice since 1991, he is one of the nine most influential judges in the United States, the ones who ultimately shape major societal choices. As such, his commitments and associations are closely scrutinized. And so, Thomas' bond with the Texas billionaire Harlan Crow, a renowned real estate developer, has become embarrassing. He would have followed him to the end of the world, and that is exactly what he did. In the company of his wife, Virginia Thomas, known as "Ginni," an influential advisor within the American right, the magistrate left for Indonesia for nine days in 2019  at the businessman's expense, aboard his private jet and then his luxury yacht, the Michaela Rose. According to ProPublica, which revealed this information on April 6, the cost of this stay would have been up to $500,000 (453,000 euros) if the couple had had to pay for it. Thomas' salary is $285,000 a year.

Friendship is first of all about loyalty. The website states that the judge has been a regular passenger on Crow's private jet for two decades, never mentioning these trips in his annual financial disclosures to the Supreme Court. Together, they frequented the exclusive men's private club in Bohemian Grove, California. Together, they spent time at the billionaire's ranch in Texas. Together, they gather for a week each summer at his sprawling Camp Topridge estate, deep in the woods and out of sight, in the heart of the Adirondack Mountains, near the Canadian border. The main reason for these trips is to fish, and also to relax in beautiful riverfront lodges.

But when we think of friendship, we also think of sharing. On Thursday, May 4, ProPublica revealed that Crow had paid for a year of schooling for the Thomases' grandnephew in Georgia. The magistrate had assumed custody of him, starting when he was six. The site  whose revelations include a bank transfer made to the school in 2009  says it does not know the full extent of the expenses incurred for the teenager, which could have exceeded $150,000, for four years of study in two schools. In a statement, the billionaire said he has "long been passionate about the importance of quality education and giving back to those less fortunate, especially at-risk youth."

The closeness between the Thomases and Crow has long been known. In 2011, Politico revealed that Crow was the initial backer  to the tune of $500,000  of Ginni Thomas' consulting firm, Liberty Consulting. The purpose of this structure was to build a bridge between the populist Tea Party movement and the Republican Party apparatus. In 2020, Ginni Thomas espoused and relayed conspiracy theories about alleged fraud in the presidential election. The blending of the couple's activities and beliefs is obvious. But, as with his friendship with Crow, Clarence Thomas argues that there is a strict wall of separation.

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Never before has the choice of a vice president been so important in an American election. Joe Biden's age  80  is a handicap that raises questions about whether, if he is re-elected in 2024, he will finish his term in good health. Is Kamala Harris, who could be asked to replace him, up to the task? Her competence is evident from her long political career as attorney general and California state senator. But will she be able to convince voters, especially African-American Democrats?

In the short Biden-Harris video that launched his presidential campaign, Biden said, "Let me finish the job. That's why I'm running for re-election." His running mate is prominently featured: She appears 12 times in the video, five of them for long stretches next to the president, and in the presence of both White and Black women, including Justice Ketanji Jackson, the first Black woman appointed to the Supreme Court.

A particularly thankless role, the position of vice president has traditionally been the subject of cruel mockery and ridicule. Dan Quayle, Bush Sr.'s vice president, was mocked as "Eagle-faced, but short as a chicken!" Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon's vice president, was ridiculed for his primitive anti-communism, convoluted insults and corruption (which ended his career). In self-deprecating fashion, John Adams, the first vice president in US history, under George Washington, did not mince words about his position, which he said was "the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived or his imagination conceived." Daniel Webster, a senator and secretary of state, refused to become vice president in 1848, saying, "I do not propose to be buried until I am dead!"

More recently, the unemotional Mike Pence, a figure frozen behind the boisterous Donald Trump, narrowly avoided being lynched by an angry crowd of the president's supporters during the assault on the Capitol on January 6, 2020. In contrast to such excesses, the relationship between Barack Obama and Biden, twice his vice president, was exemplary: The latter never overshadowed his boss, except once, when he defended same-sex marriage. At the time, Obama simply preferred to legalize civil unions between homosexuals.

A difficult task for a mixed-race woman

Harris' mixed heritage  a Jamaican father and an Indian mother raised in a Brahmin family in the state of Tamil Nadu  helped shape her into a cosmopolitan, bright, generous and accommodating personality, according to Los Angeles Times reporter David Shribman, who documented her high school years in Quebec, where she lived with her mother and sister from 1976 to 1981. Yet experiencing foreign cultures is not necessarily valued in the United States, where local matters trump international ones.

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THERE has been a large increase in footfall to heritage sites across Limerick, it has been revealed.

Almost 30,000 people visited Office of Public Works (OPW) heritage sites in Limerick last year, an increase of over 9,000 people compared to 2021.

The OPW tourist sites in Limerick are Desmond Castle, Newcastle West; Desmond Castle in Adare and Askeaton Castle.

Desmond Castle in Newcastle West was the most visited out of all the OPW sites in Limerick with 25,928 visitors during 2022.

Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW Limerick TD Patrick ODonovan said he is thrilled to see Desmond Castle reopened in Newcastle West

Desmond Castle is among the OPWs most impressive medieval heritage sites, a lot of upgrade work has gone into the site over the last number of months by the OPW, and there are many exciting plans for the site into the future, said the Limerick TD.

The OPW is working hard to safeguard our national landmarks and the preservation of these heritage sites shows the clear investment by the State in our heritage portfolio, he added.

The OPW manages and maintains some of the most important historic buildings and heritage.

We take meticulous care of the 780 heritage sites in our charge and, at the 70 sites with visitor services, we work hard to present them to their best potential, making sure that we give visitors from Ireland and abroad the best experience we possibly can, a spokesperson for the OPW said.
AN 11-YEAR-OLD boy who had only attended 180 days of school in his whole life - the equivalent of one school year - has now only missed four of the last 37, a court has heard.

The boys mother - who cannot be named to protect the identity of the child - was prosecuted by Tusla over her sons non-attendance at a primary school in Limerick.

A court sitting last October heard the boys last day at school was in early 2020. On that date, Judge Patricia Harney said she was deeply shocked at the lack of school attendance. She said it would be a dereliction of her duty as a judge if she didn't take the most serious view.

Judge Harney said she would jail the mother and put her children into foster care if it is the only way I can get the child to school.

My obligation is to your child. I will give you this opportunity (to send the boy to school). All I want is that child to have his chance. He is coming from a tremendous disadvantage and it will be very difficult to reintegrate. I want him to be supported every inch of the way, said Judge Harney last year.

The mothers solicitor gave a commitment that the boy would be in school on the following Monday. The case was adjourned to the end of April for an update.

At last weeks court sitting in Kilmallock, a Tusla employee said the boy has missed four of the last 37 days and three of the absences were due to sickness.

It is a great improvement. He is getting on very well, engaging well, working hard and is well-liked by staff and students. We are happy with the attendance, said the Tusla employee.

Judge Harney said he is a clever little boy and she asked if he is managing to catch up?

He is a remarkably resilient young man. He partakes in everything, said the Tusla employee.

Judge Harney she said was delighted to have some good news. However, she said she was reluctant to finalise matters and was holding onto the case with a certain degree of tenacity.

Judge Harney adjourned matters until July for a further update on the boys school attendance. She reiterated reporting restrictions on any information that could identify the child or his family.
AUTHOR Grainne OBrien is all smiles as she talks about releasing her first book, why Limerick is like a "scrappy little sister" and powerful women being "her brand."

The author has recently published A Limerick Fairytale, a fun and irreverent re-telling of Cinderella. Once upon a time, a prince was looking for some excitement  the kind of thrilling life you read about in fairytales. Prince wants a princess to have his happily ever after, but when hes certain he has found the love of his life in Limerella, shes not so sure she agrees.

The childrens buyer for OMahonys Booksellers, Grainne is also the founder of Rontu Literary Service, which is dedicated to supporting writers of fiction for children as they seek publication of their manuscripts. In 2018, she completed the MA in Creative Writing in UL and received an Irish Arts Council Agility Awards in both 2021 and 2022.

A third of an established series published by OBrien, A Limerick Fairytale came to life after Grainne advocated for Limerick to be included in a series retelling fairytales in Dublin and Galway.

I advocated, when they were subbing me, that they should consider doing Limerick because Limerick people love Limerick in a way that is like impossible to understand if you don't live here. So, they asked me to write it, she explains.

According to her, it took a while to settle on what the story would look like. There was a lot of back and forth about it with Michael OBrien, who unfortunately passed away suddenly last year.

The author would have liked to see Michael read the fairytale. "Im sad that he hasn't seen A Limerick Fairytale finished because the original draft with Limerella started as a joke. I needed a place name for the princess and I called her Limerella in my drafts, but we ended up keeping it."

Surprisingly enough, the author has no intention of writing childrens literature.

It always surprises everyone because I work in children's books. When youre on the front line, book selling is the front line of publishing, its hard to separate yourself from it, she says.

The children's publishing market is so complicated, so hit or miss, and very much dependent on the parents rather than the kids. It was never my intention to write children's literature. I always wanted to write adult fiction.

For the last three years, she has been working on a novel  one that caters for adults.

Its something that I won't stop doing until its done. Its edgy and dark, you'd be very surprised. I think the writing style comes through, powerful women is my brand.

The women Grainne wants to write about are respected, and they know what they want. After all, as she pointed out, powerful women is her brand.

In A Limerick Fairytale, Limerella portrays a strong heroine  a person the author herself tries to emulate in her day-to-day life.

Speaking of the character, she says: Limerella was always her own person, she was always her own character, and she knew what she wanted. She's definitely who I wish I had been when I was younger. As I've gotten older, she is definitely a person that I try to emulate more, just have the power to do your own thing, and wear flat shoes if you want to.

With her Limerick version of Cinderella, Grainne aimed to get Limerick into the story as much as possible. I didn't want it to just be Limerick city, I wanted it to be in the county as well, she notes.

Speaking of the city that owns her heart, she points out: I've lived in Limerick since I was 25, and I just can't imagine being anywhere else. I love how people like are so grumpy about it sometimes, but then if you try to say anything negative about it, it's like a family member - I can criticise it, but you can't. It gets kicked and kicked and kicked, and it just refuses to stay down, and I love that about Limerick.

According to her, the Treaty City is like your scrappy little sister.

Theres so much personality in the city, its got a scrappy personality. Dublin is just so clinical, but Limerick is just like your scrappy little sister, giving you the more interesting stories. Its got more texture and grit, theres so much to get inspired by here, she smiles.

For the Clare native, books are like breathing and theyve always been there. Growing up, Grainne used to read the Eloise and the series The Song of The Lioness.

Speaking of the latter, she recalls: Its about a girl who disguised her gender to become a knight. They're great, and definitely my first introduction into feminism.

In a Limerick city bookshop, she oversees the childrens department, but Grainne has one mission. I view it as my responsibility to encourage every child that comes to me to love reading and fall in love with books. I think it's so important.

Sometimes, with the best intentions, parents make it seem like a chore. And reading for pleasure is just one of the greatest gifts that I've been given. It taught me that reading is about fun and escapism, she concludes.
A GROUP of students from Limerick who have transformed recycled materials into couture fashion are are set to showcase some of their designs on a global stage.

The students from Colaiste Nano Nagle in the city were among the 10 winners announced at the Junk Kouture Dublin City Final at the 3Arena earlier this week.

The International Finale will take place in London in October when the students will again get the chance to showcase their unique style creations, made from 100% recycled materials.

The winning Limerick groups design, entitled Tonnes of Tradition, and was made from tonne bags, wool, up-cycled curtains, curtain rings, wires, keys and bed sheets.

The Limerick group includes Aisha Khan, Khadija Bibi and Harjass Kau.

The standard of sustainable designs and the creativity on show from students right across Ireland just seems to go from strength to strength as tonight's winning designs have powerfully demonstrated, said Suzanne Kelly, Group Head of Children's and Young Peoples Programming in RTE.

A team of celebrity judges including Louis Walsh, Keilidh Cashell, Tara Kumar and Stephen McLaughlin decided who will continue to compete at the Junk Kouture World Final in the Ovo Arena, Wembley in London on October 12.

Judging panel member and Irish music manager, Louis Walsh, wished all 10 finalists the best of luck as they head to the international stage later this year.

Ive been judging Junk Kouture a long time and I can say it never gets any easier to choose the winners  but I think weve got this decision right!

It was important we picked designs who really rocked the stage of 3Arena as the World Final is the biggest event in the Junk Kouture calendar  youve got to bring it to a new level!

RTE will broadcast highlights from the final on RTE 2 at 7pm on May 18.
The Billings Police Department is asking the public help in its investigation of a recent homicide.

A Billings man was shot and killed at a carnival east of downtown Billings Saturday, and detectives are searching for any kind of photos or footage taken in the area the night of the shooting.

Officers responded to calls of shots fired at a carnival in the parking lot of Berrys Cherries near MetraPark. There were previous reports of a large group of juveniles assaulting someone attempting to drive away from the carnival in a vehicle.

When police reached the parking lot, they found the body of Kian Manuel Banderas, who was pronounced dead at the scene. He was 20 years old and a father of two. The carnival grounds were taped off by police into the following morning.

Investigators determined that several people fled on foot and on bicycles after the shooting, BPD Lt. Matt Lennick wrote in a statement issued Thursday. They traveled toward Sixth Avenue North from North Seventh Street and into the neighborhoods surrounding North Park. BPD has provided an aerial snapshot highlighting the region where they may have ran.

Detectives are asking anyone who attended the carnival on Friday or Saturday to look through any photos or videos they may have taken that might assist in identifying those connected to the shooting. Police are also asking home and business owners in the area to look through surveillance footage of Saturday from 10:50 to 11:30 p.m.

Anyone willing to share photos or footage that may assist in this investigation can contact BPD Det. Annalisa Jones at jonesa@billingsmt.gov.

Yellowstone County has seen at least six homicides in 2023, and prosecutors have filed criminal charges in connection to half of those cases.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is convinced that Russian president Vladimir Putin will face an international war crimes court when Ukraine wins the war that has been raging for over a year.

In a speech titled No Peace Without Justice For Ukraine given in The Hague, the city that hosts the International Criminal Court, the Ukrainian president said that Mr Putin deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law.

And Im sure we will see that happen when we win. And we will win, he said.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Putin for alleged war crimes in Ukraine, relating to the abduction of children.

The ICC cannot prosecute the crime of war aggression itself and Mr Zelensky appealed for a fully fledged tribunal to prosecute that overarching crime.

If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions that will correct that shortcomings that unfortunately exist in international law, he said.

Mr Zelenskys speech came a day after he denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for what the Kremlin called an attempt to assassinate Mr Putin in a drone attack on Moscow. The Kremlin promised retaliation for what it termed a terrorist act.

On Thursday, Mr Putins spokesman accused the United States of being behind the alleged attack.

Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington.

And then Kyiv does what its told to do, Mr Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as ludicrous.

Mr Zelensky said in the Netherlands that he was not interested in the Kremlins opinion.

Meanwhile, Ukraines military claimed three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early on Thursday had for Moscow and for the Kremlin written on them, seemingly referring to the strikes in Moscow. Also, Kyiv was the target of an air attack for the third time in four days.

In total, Ukraines Air Forces intercepted 18 out of 24 Iranian-made drones launched by Russian forces in various regions. No casualties were reported.

Mr Zelensky was welcomed outside the ICC building by the courts president, Polands Piotr Hofmanski. Staff crowded at windows to get a glimpse of Mr Zelenskys arrival and raised a Ukrainian flag next to the courts own flag outside the building.

Judges at the ICC last month announced they found reasonable grounds to believe that Mr Putin and his commissioner for childrens rights were responsible for the unlawful deportation and transfer of children from occupied areas of Ukraine to Russia.

But the chances of Mr Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court does not have a police force to execute its warrants, and the Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICCs 123 member states that are under an obligation to arrest him if they can.

The ICC said in a March 18 statement that Mr Putin is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of (children) and that of unlawful transfer of (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation.

ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has made repeated visits to Ukraine and is setting up an office in Kyiv to facilitate his ongoing investigations.

However, the ICC does not have jurisdiction to prosecute Mr Putin for the crime of aggression  the unlawful invasion of another sovereign country. The Dutch government has offered to host a court that could be established to prosecute the crime of aggression and an office is being established to gather evidence.

The new International Centre for Prosecution of the Crime of Aggression should be operational by summer, the European Unions judicial cooperation agency, Eurojust, said in February.

Mr Zelenskys visit to The Hague came as questions continued to swirl around Russias claim that it foiled an attack by Ukrainian drones on the Kremlin early on Wednesday. Moscow branded it an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Mr Putin and promised retaliation for what it termed a terrorist act.

Mr Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time and was at his Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russias state news agency RIA Novosti.

There was no independent verification of the purported attack, which Russia authorities said occurred overnight but presented no evidence to support it.

Questions also arose as to why it took the Kremlin hours to report the incident and why videos of it also surfaced later in the day.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the US was unable to confirm the authenticity of Russias claims of a Ukrainian attack on Moscow.

Asked whether the US believed Mr Putin was a lawful target of any potential Ukrainian strike, Ms Jean-Pierre said that since the start of the conflict, the US was not encouraging or enabling Ukraine to strike beyond its border.

Asked whether the US was concerned that the accusation might have been a false flag operation by Russia to serve as a pretext for more aggressive military action on Ukraine, Ms Jean-Pierre said she did not want to speculate, but added: Obviously Russia has a history of doing things like this.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort since Russias invasion last year.

Among military equipment Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government has promised are 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year.

The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.

Among other military hardware, it also sent two Patriot air defence missile systems and promised two naval minehunter ships as well as sending military forensic experts to assist war crime investigations. Mr Zelenskys visit came on the day the Dutch remember their war dead.
Stephanie Cobian |

Lincoln University of Missouri (LU) was named as one of ten recipients of Home Depot's 2023 Innovation Lounge Grant at the Retool Your School Award Celebration held at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, April 11. LU will receive $75,000 in grant funds to transform a space on campus into an Innovation Lounge for future innovators, entrepreneurs and creators.

Innovation in education is about empowering students to become life-long learners who will be agents of change, stated Lincoln University President John Moseley. With the new Innovation Lounge, LU students will have the opportunity to unleash their entrepreneurial spirit and take their knowledge of business and personal development to new heights. As they come together to explore new ideas, they will unlock fresh perspectives and innovative approaches to problem-solving, impacting their schools, places of work, communities and beyond.

Grant funds will convert the former print shop of Schweich Hall into the new Innovation Lounge where students can congregate, collaborate and ideate. Centrally located on campus and adjacent to the quad area that houses several halls where students attend and congregate between classes makes the new Innovation Lounge easily accessible to all students. With a mix of public and private spaces, the space will offer dedicated study and learning areas and meeting rooms that will encourage gathering and spontaneous collaboration where everyone from a distinct set of knowledge, skills and viewpoints come together to ideate and create solutions.

Not only will the new Innovation Lounge provide students with a space to study, meet, and collaborate, but it will also offer workshops through the LU Small Business Development Center that focus on business planning, finance, management, and marketing. Additionally, the Lounge will function as a hub for student mentorship as they develop their own businesses and will host events for personal development.

Providing an Innovation Lounge will make a positive impact on the students, increasing student engagement, knowledge and skills. The lounge will foster a collaborative culture among students that promotes innovative thinking.

Molly Battin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer of The Home Depot, stated that the company's commitment to HBCUs goes beyond financial support. "We recognize that HBCUs are fundamental to academic success and professional development in both the communities they serve and our nation as a whole. We're committed to preserving that incredible history and seeing that it continues to grow."

The Home Depots Retool Your School program has been a critical initiative for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) since its inception 14 years ago. This year, 36 HBCUs were awarded more than $2 million in grants to enhance their college campuses. In an effort to meet the evolving needs of HBCUs, The Home Depot has expanded the 2023 Retool Your School program to include an additional $2 million in needs-based grants. These grants will support essential programs such as innovation lounge renovations, internship and externship programs, scholarships and more, empowering HBCUs to pursue their unique visions of progress.

The Retool Your School program's grants provide much-needed resources to HBCUs, allowing them to invest in their facilities and create an environment conducive to academic success. The Retool Your School grant program by The Home Depot aims to give back to the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) that have contributed so much to their communities by providing funding for campus uplift and beautification. Established in 2009, Retool Your School has invested over $9.25 million to support 227 campus improvement grants for 71 percent of the nation's HBCUs. To learn more about Retool Your School and its impact, visit RetoolYourSchool.com
Stephanie Cobian |

Lincoln University held its second annual Show Your Blue Stripes Showcase research conference on April 11 and 12, which was hosted in Page Library. Fourteen undergraduate students presented their independent or course research conducted during Fall 2022 or the current Spring semester to the public and Lincoln community. Among the participants, Chyler Hughes, Tyler Roe and Steve Ross won 1st, 2nd and 3rd place at the event, respectively.

Executive Director of Academic Initiatives Dr. Darius Watson gave the opening remarks, followed by students presentations. Each student was allotted 15 minutes to present their research on a wide array of topics ranging from Black pioneers in mental health, current events, and ethics and anthropology to plant and animal science, which were evaluated by a panel of judges from Lincoln Universitys faculty and staff.

This is a great opportunity for the students to not only become a published author but also to develop the skills and confidence to speak in front of an audience in their future endeavorswhether it be in grad school, business or out in public, stated this years event organizer and Lincolns Reference and Instruction Librarian Ari Pappas.

To prepare for the showcase, students worked with an assigned advisor, who offered them opportunities practicing presenting and giving individualized feedback. Anthropology & Sociology Associate Professor Dr. Christine E. Boston served as one of the faculty sponsors for five students. Serving as an impromptu judge, Boston commented, I was thoroughly impressed at the students' hard work in their research. They completed some great results with their individual research projects, followed by producing new material for their public presentations. The three winners epitomize Lincoln excellence, but all the students exemplify the greatness of Lincoln students, at every levelfrom novice to advanced researchers.

First place winner, Chyler Hughes, a junior majoring in agriculture with an emphasis in natural resources management attributed her success to the encouragement and guidance she received from her presentation advisor, Professor of Psychology Dr. Mara Aruguete and Lincoln University College of Agriculture, Environment and Human Sciences (LUCAEHS) Project Manager Amy Bax. The Kentucky native believes their advice to practice and give statistics was instrumental in winning first place. Hughes spoke on Native Plant Testing: Community Response to EcoFarm Tour, an analysis of the results she received based on a survey given to participants who attended a FINCA tour and tasted samples of food that used native plants. After receiving feedback from participants, Hughes and her team made improvements to the recipes that will be used for future visits to FINCA EcoFarm. The FINCA is a small demonstrative farm with mostly native plants on campus led by Lincoln University Cooperative Extension Specialty Crops Specialist Dr. Nadia Navarrete-Tindall.

Second place went to psychology major, Tyler Roe, from Kansas City, Missouri. Roe, who will graduate in December 2023, gave his presentation on the Archaeology of Homelessness.

Psychology major Steve Ross from Omaha, Nebraska, won third place with his topic Primate Profile: Sumatran Orangutans. The freshman shared it was a great learning experience, giving him the practice needed for future classes and beyond college.

I recommend that other students participate in this event in the future, Ross said. We should be proud of our research and be excited to show it off on a platform such as this.

An awards ceremony acknowledging the students achievements took place after the presentation. All three students won cash prizes, and Hughes research will be published in the Blue Tiger Commons.

On April 21-22, both Roe and Hughes presented their research at the 60th Annual Missouri Academy of Science (MAS) Meeting held at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri. MAS was established with the intent to promote interest in science and social science and to encourage collaboration among the various scientific fields in Missouri, making it an excellent platform for students to attend and participate. The event drew 250 participants from around the state and over 170 scientific posters and oral presentations.

The conference kicked off with a social and improv session centered on science. After presentations, Mr. Chad Pregracke, the founder of Living Lands and Waters, delivered the keynote speech to students, followed by a business meeting giving students the opportunity to network with other students and colleagues from a broad range of backgrounds.

Hughes took part in the showcase as she recognized the importance of public speaking skills for her future career in intelligence. She also encouraged other students to participate and believes the biggest takeaway was that "its okay to make a mistake, just keep going.

For more information on the Show Your Blue Stripes Showcase, please contact Mx. Ari Pappas at pappasa@lincolnu.edu.
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As the crypto market continues to fluctuate, analysts suggest investing in Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), and Collateral Network (COLT) through a DCA stratergy. In particular, Collateral Network (COLT) is gaining attention as it enters its second presale phase, providing an opportunity for investors to potentially gain substantial returns.

>>Join COLT Presale Here<<

How much is 1 Ethereum right now?

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that allows developers to create smart contracts and decentralized applications. In the past month, Ethereum (ETH) has experienced a substantial decrease of 10.1%, pushing its value below the crucial $2,100 level once again. Despite this, the high Ethereum (ETH) gas prices have been a persistent issue since 2020, leading to increased interest in Layer 2 Ethereum (ETH) solutions, which aim to address the network's scalability difficulties.

Layer 2 Ethereum (ETH) solutions have seen a yearly increase of 160% in smart contract implementation, indicating growing Ethereum (ETH) development activity. Experts suggest that sharding, a process that splits the Ethereum (ETH) network into smaller parts, may also be a viable solution for cutting gas prices. Additionally, the recent Shanghai update, which was implemented on April 12th, allowed the removal of approximately 1 million staked ETH worth over $2 billion. As of now, Ethereum (ETH) is just below the $2,000 threshold.

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Is Solana a good price?

Solana (SOL) is a high-performance blockchain that aims to offer scalability and transaction speeds beyond those of other existing blockchains. Solana's (SOL) cutting-edge technology allows processing up to 65,000 transactions per second, making it a preferred blockchain for decentralized applications and decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.

A DCA strategy may be a wise decision for investors looking to invest in Solana (SOL), as its potential for growth in the long term is significant. Solana (SOL) is expected to average a price fo $28.02 in 2023. However, looking down the line, Changelly predicts Solana (SOL) will reach a price of $447.52 in 2030.

With its increasing popularity and high transaction volume, Solana (SOL) is expected to attract more investors and gain wider adoption. By investing in Solana (SOL) through a DCA strategy, investors can benefit from potential price appreciation over time while mitigating the risks associated with volatility in the cryptocurrency market.

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Collateral Network revolutionizing the lending industry

Collateral Network (COLT) has emerged as a unique platform that leverages blockchain and NFT technology to offer easy borrowing solutions to users by using tangible assets as collateral. The platform is the only one currently on the blockchain able to do this.

The Collateral Network platform will be completely decentraliized meaning users from any country can unlock liquidity by leveraging tangible assets like real estate, luxury products, luxury watches, vintage cars, and Gold to obtain crypto loans . The entire lending process is automated and relies on smart contracts, eliminating the need for intermediaries and reducing transaction times and costs.

The COLT tokens play a crucial role in the platform's ecosystem, providing holders with lower transaction costs, staking incentives, and improved borrowing rates. The Collateral network team is fully doxxed and KYC audited with years of experience is the asset-lending space. For added security the smart contract has been fully audited by SolidProof and InterFi Network.

COLT is still in the early stage of its presale, where tokens can be acquired for only $0.014. This represents a 40% increase on the opening price of $0.01.

Clearly, the platform's innovative approach and aims to disrupt the trillion-dollar lending marrket, coupled with the growing demand for easy and accessible lending solutions, positions Collateral Network as a promising player in the DeFi space and a good addition to any portfolio.

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Find out more about the Collateral Network presale here:

Website: https://www.collateralnetwork.io/

Presale: https://app.collateralnetwork.io/register

Telegram: https://t.me/collateralnwk

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Collateralnwk

Disclaimer: This article is a paid publication and does not have journalistic/ editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/ subscribe to the contents of the article/advertisement and/or views expressed herein.

The reader is further advised that Crypto products and NFTs are unregulated and can be highly risky. There may be no regulatory recourse for any loss from such transactions.

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Buddha Purnima, also known as Buddha Jayanti or Vesak, is celebrated every year on the first full moon of the Hindu calendar month Vaishakha.

This day marks the birth of Lord Gautam Buddha, who was born as Prince Siddhartha Gautam in Lumbini (now in present-day Nepal) around 563 BC. Buddhists around the world celebrate this day with great enthusiasm.

Buddha Purnima falls in the months of April or May, as per the Gregorian calendar, and this year it will be observed on May 5 (Friday). The Purnima Tithi begins on May 5, 2023, at 04:14 AM and ends on May 6, 2023, at 03:33 AM, according to Drik Panchang.

Here are some wishes and quotes that you can share on the occasion of Buddha Purnima today.

1. On this special occasion, let us come together to honour and reflect upon the teachings of Lord Buddha. Wishing you a joyous Buddha Purnima 2023!

2. May the teachings of Lord Buddha continue to guide us on our life's path. Wishing you a happy Buddha Purnima 2023!

3. From our family to yours, we wish you a happy Buddha Purnima!

4. Wishing you great success and the blessings of Lord Buddha in all your endeavours. Happy Buddha Purnima 2023!

5. May Lord Buddha bestow upon you and your loved ones good health, wealth, knowledge, and compassion. Wishing you a blessed Buddha Purnima 2023!

Quotes by Buddha

1. Speak only endearing speech, speech that is welcomed. Speech, when it brings no evil to others, is a pleasant thing."

2. Should you find a wise critic to point out your faults, follow him as you would a guide to hidden treasure."

3. In separateness lies the worlds greatest misery; in compassion lies the worlds true strength."

4. Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule."

5. "Anger will never disappear so long as thoughts of resentment are cherished in the mind. Anger will disappear just as soon as thoughts of resentment are forgotten.
New Delhi: Indian secretary (West) Sanjay Verma visited Moscow on May 3-4, 2023, for the 12th India-Russia Joint Working Group (JWG) on counter-terrorism and bilateral consultations on UN and multilateral issues. The JWG meeting was co-chaired by Verma and Russian deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, Oleg Syromolotov, with representatives from both countries in attendance.

During the meeting, both sides shared experiences in combating terrorism and extremism, discussing global and regional terrorist threats. Russia praised Indias role as Chair of the UN Security Council Counter-Terrorism Committee in 2022 and the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration, which focused on countering the use of new technologies for terrorist purposes.

Both nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation on bilateral and multilateral platforms.

On 4 May, India-Russia bilateral consultations on UN-related issues were held with Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Vershinin. The two sides discussed various issues related to the UN Security Council (UNSC), including its reform. Russia reiterated its support for India as a permanent member in a reformed UNSC.

The meeting comes amid the ongoing global threat of terrorism, with numerous countries facing extremist group attacks. The India-Russia partnership on counter-terrorism cooperation is expected to bolster efforts to combat this menace.
Apple Inc. chief Tim Cook singled out India as pivotal for the iPhone maker. He added that how the worlds most populous country is on the cusp of becoming both a major market and production base.

Cook, who presided over the opening of Apples first two Indian retail outlets last month, joined his lieutenants in mentioning India roughly 20 times on an conference call after unveiling earnings, a report by Bloomberg stated. The tech giant's sales in India reached a new record of nearly $6 billion for the year ending in March which showed the growing significance of the Indian market for Apple, and highlighted its efforts to expand its presence and offerings in the region.

While speaking to analyst on call, Cook said, There are lot of people coming into the middle class and I really feel that India is at a tipping point." And the dynamism in the market. The vibrancy is unbelievable," he added as quoted by Bloomberg.

The company reported profit of $24 billion and revenue of $94.8 billion in the first quarter of this year.

We are pleased to report an all-time record in services and a March quarter record for iPhone despite the challenging macroeconomic environment," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in an earnings release. Apple's iPhone sales rose 1.5% to $51.33 billion. Mac sales fell more than 30% to $7.17 billion. Sales in wearables business, which includes devices like AirPods and the Apple Watch, declined less than 1% to $8.76 billion.

Apple's biggest growth segment was its services business, which includes products like iCloud and Apple Pay, which grew 5.5% to $20.9 billion.

As per Reuters report quoting Cook, the company set a fiscal second-quarter record for iPhone sales. We were thrilled by our performance in emerging markets," Cook said.

"We set records for the iPhone installed base in every geographic segment, and we had very strong 'new to' (sales in) emerging markets, particularly in Brazil, India and Mexico," he added.

Apple seeks to accelerate growth in a country of 1.4 billion where rising incomes are boosting consumer spending, at a time smartphone sales are plateauing elsewhere in the world. The company doesnt break out India revenue in its earnings statements, but Bloomberg News has reported Apple posted almost $6 billion of sales there in the year through March.

Its also keen to tap an immense labor pool. Apple is exploring ways to reduce its reliance on China as tensions between Washington and Beijing continue to escalate. Its longtime partners, who make most of the worlds iPhones from sprawling factories in China, have added assembly lines at a rapid pace over the past year.

(With inputs from Bloomberg, Reuters)
The Indian Army on Thursday said that the situation in the Moreh and Kangpokpi areas of Manipur was brought under control and is now stable. All efforts are underway to restore normalcy in Imphal and Churachandpur areas too, the Army stated.

"Situation in Moreh and Kangpokpi brought under control and it is stable. All efforts are underway to restore normalcy in Imphal and Churachandpur. The precautionary build-up of additional troops in Manipur continued," said Indian Army officials as quoted by ANI.

Additional columns were also redeployed from Nagaland, they said. Following this, an uneasy calm prevailed in Manipur on Friday morning as no fresh violence was reported overnight between communities amid heavy presence of security forces, police said.

However, gunfights were reported between security forces and hill-based militants in various parts of the state, they said.

Here's a 10-point guide on Manipur violence

1) The exchanges of fire were reported at Kangvai in Churachandpur district, western hill range of Phougakchao in adjoining Bishnupur district and Dolaithabi and Pukhao in Imphal East district, a senior police officer said.

2) Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches are being held to control the situation after violence erupted broke out on May 3 during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category.

3) It also urged the citizens to rely only on content through official and verified sources. This comes after the Indian Army cautioned about several fake videos on the security situation in Manipur were being circulated.

4) "Fake videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of the attack on Assam Rifles post are being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. Indian Army requests all to rely on content through official and verified sources only," tweeted SpearCorps.IndianArmy.

5) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday called an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from Meghalaya following reports of violence in Manipur.

6) He highlighted that the safety of all students must be ensured. He also directed the officials to come up with a plan for the evacuation of students if the situation arises.

7) Violence broke out on May 3 during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

8) The state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state.

9) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighboring states over violence in the northeastern state.

10) Sources said several companies of BSF, CRPF and Assam Rifles along with the Army were deployed in the state and there will be more deployment of security forces.

(With inputs from agencies)
A former member of the Montana National Guard was sentenced Friday to nearly five years in prison after getting caught in a joint operation targeting pedophiles in the Billings area.

Thomas Clay Sebastian admitted in federal court that in 2021 he drove to a park in Billings thinking he was meeting a 13-year-old girl for sex. Instead, he was arrested by local and federal agents.

Everything he valued about himself is gone, the 25-year-old said at his sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters. He no longer has a career in the military, all of his friends have left him and he cant be an uncle to his nieces. Tearfully, Sebastian apologized to his family.

Sebastian, who enlisted in the National Guard at 17, was just days away from a deployment in October 2021 when he began an exchange online with someone he thought was a 13-year-old girl. The conversation became sexually charged, with Sebastian sending photos of himself and asking for pictures of the girl with her mouth open. They agreed to meet at Stewart Park, where police arrested Sebastian.

He was one of several people apprehended in a massive effort by multiple law enforcement agencies to catch online predators. Yellowstone County prosecutors initially charged Sebastian with child sex abuse. Those charges were dismissed when Sebastian was indicted in federal court with one count of attempting to coerce and entice a person who he thought was a minor into sex. In June 2022, Sebastian reached a plea agreement with federal prosecutors in which he admitted to one count of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

In her argument for sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie R. Patten asked Judge Watters for a 60-month sentence. Given the opportunity, Patten said, Sebastian would have had sex with a 13-year-old girl. David Merchant, representing Sebastian, argued that he should be sentenced to no more than 60 months.

Watters honored the plea agreement, sentencing Sebastian to 60 months, subtracting three months that he spent in custody following his arrest. She also required that he be placed on federal supervision after he is released from prison. Sebastians life will be difficult, Watters told him, but it is not over. She recommended that Sebastian undergo sex offender and substance abuse programs available through the Bureau of Prisons.

I dont want you to think that this is the end. Life will go on, and you do have what it takes to be successful, she said.

Sebastians was one of several county and federal cases involving child sex abuse in Billings this week. On Thursday, a Billings man admitted to sexually abusing a girl on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation over a decade ago. Travis Ridenour, 34, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of abusive sexual contact, court documents said. Ridenour is facing up to 10 years in prison for molesting a 13-year-old girl at a Busby home while she was sleeping in 2009.

On Wednesday, Steven Richard Kroll, another Billings man, pleaded not guilty in Yellowstone County District Court to multiple counts of child sex abuse. In April, an agent with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation reviewed several cyber tips of suspected child sex abuse material from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, tasked by congressional mandate to process reports of child sexual exploitation and share those reports with law enforcement.

The agent allegedly connected several images of child sex abuse material to an IP address, which was used by an internet subscriber at a residence on Nimitz Road in Billings. Kroll, court documents said, was one of those living at the residence.

DCI agents arrested Kroll May 1, according to charging documents, and he said he uses his laptop to search for and save child sex abuse material. Agents allegedly seized his laptop, and Kroll was booked into Yellowstone County Detention Facility. He left custody on a $100,000 bond, and is scheduled to go to trial in October.

Last year, the NCMECs CyberTipline received over 32 million reports, the vast majority of which involved child sex abuse material. Reports of enticing children into sexual acts through the internet went from around 44,000 in 2021 to 80,524 the following year. Electronic service providers, such as Facebook, Instagram and Google, accounted for nearly all of the CyberTipline reports submitted last year.
A committee formed by Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar to decide on his successor will meet on Friday at the party office in South Mumbai at 11 am, said a senior NCP leader on Thursday.

The committee members include Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, his nephew Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, and Chhagan Bhujbal, among others, according to the news agency PTI.

Here's a 10-point guide on Sharad Pawar's resignation

1) Pawar on Tuesday announced his decision to step down as NCP chief, the political party which he founded and helmed since 1999, but not retiring from public life.

2) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin spoke to Sule over the phone to enquire about developments in the NCP after Sharad Pawar's announcement to quit as its chief, the party sources said.

3) NCP leaders continued to demand that Pawar reconsider his decision. The party workers, on the condition of anonymity, said that Baramati Lok Sabha MP and Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule is likely to be the party's national chief while Ajit Pawar will take charge of the Maharashtra unit.

4) As per party leaders, the mantle of NCP chief is likely to remain within the Pawar family as giving the reins to someone from outside may lead to rifts and power tussles in the outfit formed in 1999, PTI reported.

5) NCP's national vice president Praful Patel on Wednesday said Sharad Pawar has not relented despite repeated appeals from party leaders and supporters that he withdraw his decision to step down.

6) The party committee, which Sharad Pawar himself set up on Tuesday to decide on his successor, did not meet on Wednesday, he said.

7) "If the situation arises, the committee will decide on Sharad Pawar's successor and the decision will be unanimous. He sought time to think over his decision after the party asked him to reconsider it, and till the final decision is arrived at, there is no question of deliberating on his successor," Patel said as quoted by PTI.

8) On speculation about Supriya Sule emerging as the choice for NCP's national president and Ajit Pawar as the Maharashtra unit chief, Patel said, "There is no vacancy. Whether Sharad Pawar remains president or not, he is the party's identity and soul."

9) The party was trying to persuade Sharad Pawar to reconsider his decision, he added.

10) Moments after NCP chief Sharad Pawar announced his resignation from the party president's post on Tuesday, his nephew Ajit Pawar supported the former's decision saying that the next party chief will work under Sharad Pawar.

(With inputs from agencies)
Around 1500 TCS employees were evacuated from their office building after the TCS' Hyderabad office received a bomb threat call from an unknown person on Thursday. The call was reportedly made to the top IT company in Kondapur, Hyderabad.

The unidentified caller contacted the security team at Tata Consultancy Services Kondapur campus at 11 am on Thursday. The caller informed about the bomb kept inside the office premises. Alerted by the threat call, the company's security officials immediately contacted the police and began the evacuation process, claimed media reports.

At the time of receiving the bomb threat, around 1500 employees were present inside the building. Along with police, the bomb disposal unit also reached the spot and began its search operation. However, the unit later confirmed that the bomb threat was a hoax.

By that time, police and company officials were able to find out that the caller was a former TCS employee working at the company's security wing. Moreover, he called back the company officials to inform them about the bomb threat being fake. Despite the confirmation, the bomb disposal unit thoroughly searched the whole premises and ensured the safety of the TCS office.

The call was made from Bengaluru, and the police officials are trying to track his exact location to arrest him.

Earlier, a hoax bomb threat was received by the Indian Railways for Purushottam Express at Dagmagpur station. The train was travelling from Puri to Delhi. The fake call received by the Dagmagpur Station Superintendent created panic and took the authority on alert. Later, the train was halted for hours and resumed its operation only after receiving clearance.

Days ago, a similar incident was seen in two schools in Delhi. An unknown person informed about a bomb kept inside Delhi Public School, Mathura Road on April 26. This time, the hoax bomb threat was made via email. The matter turned out to be of fake bomb threat when Delhi Police reached the spot and followed its SOP. The threat call was made by a student "just for fun".
New Delhi/ Mumbai: Even if owners Wadias plan to make a bid for Go Airlines (India) Ltd under its voluntary insolvency, the resolution process is largely expected to be driven by the airlines creditors, legal experts said. They added that the promoters would be treated at par with other resolution applicants.

A day after the airline said it sought voluntary insolvency resolution citing persistent problems with engines, its chief executive Kaushik Khona told a television channel that the promoters are still committed" and that the company is ready to restart operations as soon as a moratorium is available under the insolvency.

These moratoriums are normally on any asset sales or lawsuits against the debtor, among other things. As commencement of insolvency impacts pay out to creditors on account of moratorium that kicks in on admission, creditors would prefer being consulted as the they would like to be in the drivers seat on decision-making," said Ajay Shaw, Partner DSK Legal.

Others said that at the time of submission of a resolution plan, promoters can submit their own rescue plan if they are not disqualified under Section 29A of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. For instance, if the company account has been declared wilful defaulter or account has been a non-performing asset for more than the stipulated period, then the promoters will not be able to submit the resolution plan," said Ashish Pyasi, partner, Dhir & Dhir Associates. Legally, there is no difference in the treatment of promoters or their rights once the process commences. Once the corporate insolvency resolution process commences, it is creditor-driven and all decisions are made by the Committee of Creditors," said Dhiraj Mhetre, dispute resolution and insolvency, Khaitan Legal Associates.

Mhetre said promoters who have triggered insolvency on their own have no special rights in this process.

The jury is still out on whether the Wadia Group can be allowed to bid for Go Airlines.

There is a provision for promoters to bid for a company once it is admitted in insolvency. But that is broadly applicable for micro, small, and medium enterprises where there often are no buyers or resolution applicants who are interested and is not applicable to a big corporate like Go Air as this sets a dangerous precedence," a lawyer associated with an insolvency case said.

Established in 2005, the Mumbai-based airline filed for insolvency at the Principal Bench of New Delhi as the companys registered office is based in the national capital and hence the jurisdiction for insolvency proceedings falls in Delhi.

The company has blamed faulty engines by US-based Pratt & Whitney for 30-50% inactive fleet since 2020 resulting in loss of revenues and additional expenses.

The bench has stated that interim moratorium was not possible for the company as that is possible only in the case of individual debtor. It was a good move to file voluntarily for insolvency to get all lenders on one table for an expeditious and easier debt-restructuring process but they should have sought for immediate admission of plea rather than seeking interim moratorium," another lawyer said.
Calls for greater regulatory oversight of short selling practices have grown as regional bank shares continue to be under pressure. Short sellers borrow shares they expect to fall in value and then hope to repay the loan at a lower cost, profiting from the difference. According to analytics firm Ortex, short sellers gained $1.2 billion in the first two days of May.

In the wake of the banking crisis, short sellers have raked in profits as shares of regional banks continue to plummet. US federal and state officials have begun to investigate the possibility of market manipulation behind the significant fluctuations in banking share prices over recent days. The White House has also vowed to monitor "short-selling pressures on healthy banks".

The collapse of First Republic Bank, the third mid-sized US lender to fail in two months, has seen shares of regional banks resume their downward trajectory this week. On May 4 alone, short sellers profited $378.9 million from betting against certain regional banks. The increased short-selling activity and share price volatility have caught the attention of regulators in recent days.

Although the banking sector has sound fundamentals and sufficient capital levels, increased short-selling activity and stock price fluctuations have raised concerns among state and federal officials and regulators. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has promised to go after any form of misconduct that might threaten investors or markets.

Ban on short selling?

While short selling is not illegal and considered part of a healthy market, manipulating stock prices is. The SEC defines manipulation as "the intentional or willful conduct designed to deceive or defraud investors by controlling or artificially affecting stock prices".

Despite worries over bank soundness hitting share prices, the SEC official said on Wednesday that the agency was "not currently contemplating" a short-selling ban. US officials at the federal and state level are, however, looking into the possibility of market manipulation behind the significant fluctuations in banking share prices over recent days.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler told Reuters that the SEC was focused on identifying and prosecuting any form of misconduct that might threaten investors, capital formation, or markets more broadly.

(With Reuters inputs)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Sounak Mukhopadhyay Sounak Mukhopadhyay, who also goes by the name Sounak Mukherjee, has been producing digital news since 2012. He's worked for the International Business Times, The Inquisitr, and Moneycontrol in the past. He's also contributed to Free Press Journal and TheRichest with feature articles. He covers news for a wide range of subjects including business, finance, economy, politics and social media. Before working with digital news publications, he worked as a freelance content writer. Read more from this author
It is hard not to be worried when the so-called godfather of artificial intelligence, Geoffrey Hinton, says he is leaving Google and regrets his lifes work.

Hinton, who made a critical contribution to AI research in the 1970s with his work on neural networks, told several news outlets this week that large technology companies were moving too fast on deploying AI to the public. Part of the problem was that AI was achieving human-like capabilities more quickly than experts had forecast. Thats scary," he told the New York Times.

Hintons concerns certainly make sense, but they would have been more effective if they had come several years earlier, when other researchers who didnt have retirement to fall back on were ringing the same alarm bells.

Tellingly, Hinton in a tweet sought to clarify how the New York Times characterized his motivations, worried that the article suggested he had left Google to criticize it. Actually, I left so that I could talk about the dangers of AI without considering how this impacts Google," he said. Google has acted very responsibly."

While Hintons prominence in the field might have insulated him from blowback, the episode highlights a chronic problem in AI research: Large technology companies have such a stranglehold on AI research that many of their scientists are afraid of airing their concerns for fear of harming their career prospects.

You can understand why. Meredith Whittaker, a former research manager at Google, had to spend thousands of dollars on lawyers in 2018 after she helped organize the walkout of 20,000 Google employees over the companys contracts with the US Department of Defense. Its really, really scary to go up against Google," she tells me. Whittaker, who is now president of encrypted messaging app Signal, eventually resigned from the search giant with a public warning about the companys direction.

Two years later, Google AI researchers Timnit Gebru and Margaret Mitchell were fired from the tech giant after they released a research paper that highlighted the risks of large language models, the technology currently at the center of concerns over chatbots and generative AI. They pointed to issues like racial and gender biases, inscrutability and environmental cost.

Whittaker rankles at the fact that Hinton is now the subject of glowing portraits about his contributions to AI after others took much greater risks to stand up for what they believed while they were still employed at Google. People with much less power and more marginalized positions were taking real personal risks to name the issues with AI and of corporations controlling AI," she says.

Why didnt Hinton speak up earlier? The scientist declined to respond to questions. But he appears to have been concerned about AI for some time, including in the years his colleagues were agitating for a more cautious approach to the technology. A 2015 New Yorker article describes him talking to another AI researcher at a conference about how politicians could use AI to terrorize people. When asked why he was still doing the research, Hinton replied: I could give you the usual arguments, but the truth is that the prospect of discovery is too sweet." It was a deliberate echo of J. Robert Oppenheimers famous description of the technically sweet" appeal of working on the atomic bomb.

Hinton says that Google has acted very responsibly" in its deployment of AI. But thats only partly true. Yes, the company did shut down its facial recognition business on concerns of misuse, and it did keep its powerful language model LaMDA under wraps for two years in order to work on making it safer and less biased. Google has also restricted the capabilities of Bard, its competitor to ChatGPT.

But being responsible also means being transparent and accountable, and Googles history of stifling internal concerns about its technology dont inspire confidence.

Hintons departure and warnings hopefully will inspire other researchers at large tech companies to speak up about their concerns.

Technology conglomerates have swallowed up some of the brightest minds in academia thanks to the lure of high salaries, generous benefits and the huge computing power used to train and experiment on ever-more-powerful AI models.

Yet there are signs some researchers are at least considering being more vocal. I often think about when I would quit [AI startup] Anthropic or leave AI entirely," tweeted Catherine Olsson, a technical staff member at AI safety company Anthropic on Monday, in response to Hintons comments. I can already tell this move will influence me."

Many AI researchers seem to have a fatalistic acceptance that little can be done to stem the tide of generative AI, now that it has been unleashed to the world. As Anthropic co-founder Jared Kaplan told me in an interview published Tuesday, the cat is out of the bag."

But if todays researchers are willing to speak up now, while it matters, and not right before they retire, we are all likely to benefit.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. A former reporter for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes, she is author of We Are Anonymous."

This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is preparing to discuss Pakistan's financial year 2024 budget plans, as part of the lender's support program to the cash-strapped nation, which the country's parliament would need to pass by June, the IMF's Pakistan mission chief told Reuters on Thursday.

Pakistan's former foreign minister Miftah Ismail said that the Washington-based financial body will finalize the staff-level agreement after reviewing the Budget that is going to be announced in June this year.

He informed that the Budget documents will be shared with the IMF and if it approves the Budget, then the staff-level agreement will be finalized. The federal government earlier started preparations for Budget 2023-24.

It is said that the conditions forwarded by the IMF are likely to be implemented in the Budget 2023-24. Sources revealed that the budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 would be the toughest budget in Pakistan's history, the report said.

The Budget will be the merger of the mini-budget in the country and the people will be overturned with taxes worth 680 billion. In addition, the tax relief for the protected class can also be tighter," ARY News added.

Pakistan has been in economic turmoil for months with an acute balance of payments crisis while talks with the International Monetary Fund to secure $1.1 billion as part of a $6.5 billion bailout have not been successful.

Both are locked in a debate over an unfinished loan program required for the ongoing financial collapse and have been negotiating since early February on an agreement that would release USD 1.1 billion to the cash-strapped, nuclear-armed country of 220 million people, and it's supercritical for the liquidity-challenged country.

The Pakistani government has made various economic modifications including hikes in fuel prices, raising taxes, and others demanded by the financial body for loans.

The funds are part of a USD 6.5 billion bailout package the IMF approved in 2019 -- vital to Pakistan to avert defaulting on external payment obligations.

However, the Washington-based financial body is still seeking further assurances to ensure Pakistan has fulfilled the condition of arranging the $6 billion financing to reach a staff-level agreement.
China's foreign minister, Qin Gang, said China will persist in promoting peace talks for the Ukraine crisis, and is "willing to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis".

The statement referred to Qin's meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa, India, on Thursday.

This is not the first time China has talked about peace talk between the two-war torn nations. Earlier in April, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday for the first time since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fulfilling a longstanding goal of Kyiv which had publicly sought such talks for months.

Zelenskiy, described the hour-long phone call as "long and meaningful", signalled the importance of the chance to open closer relations with Russia's most powerful friend, naming a former cabinet minister as Ukraine's new ambassador to Beijing.

Zelenskiy said in an evening video address that there was "an opportunity to use China's political power to reinforce the principles and rules that peace should be built upon." "Ukraine and China, like the absolute majority of the world, are equally interested in the strength of the sovereignty of nations and territorial integrity," he had said.

Analysts have said that China is in a better position than Turkey to mediate because it has more leverage over Russia. China is Russia's most important ally and has been buying Russian oil and provided a market for Russian goods shunned by Western countries.

China also has some leverage over Ukraine, which would not want to torpedo the chances of Chinese support for its reconstruction, said Samuel Ramani, a Russia expert at Oxford University. China expanded trade with Ukraine after Russia invaded Crimea in 2014 and did not recognise the annexed territory as Russian, he said.

(With inputs from Reuters)
Chinas struggle against spying is extremely grim", said a spokesman for the countrys rubber-stamp parliament late last month. The techniques used by foreign spooks, he added, were becoming ever harder to detect. To tackle this, the legislature approved a new, more sweeping, version of the countrys counter-espionage law on April 26th. Among foreigners in China, it is causing jitters. In what Chinese officials call their smokeless war" against spies, risks to the innocent are growing.

Even before the law was passed, anxieties had been rising. The arrest in March of a Japanese businessman in Beijing caused shivers among fellow executives in China. The man, a senior employee of a Japanese drug firm, Astellas Pharma, and a longtime resident of China, has been accused of spying (no other details have been released). Such charges are far from rare. The foreign ministry in Tokyo says he was the 17th Japanese to be seized by Chinas counter-espionage police since 2015. But the latest detainee was unusual: a prominent member of the business community from a big company.

In April family members of a Chinese journalist, Dong Yuyu (pictured), revealed that he had been arrested last year while meeting a Japanese diplomat in Beijing, and accused of spying. Mr Dong is well known among foreign diplomats and journalists. He had been working as a senior editor at Guangming Daily, one of the countrys official newspapers. He also contributed to Yanhuang Chunqiu, a magazine, when it was strongly pro-reform (it was neutered after a hostile takeover in 2016), as well as the Chinese website of the New York Times. On the same day as the revised law on spying was passed, the authorities announced the arrest of Li Yanhe, a China-born Taiwanese publisher who had been visiting the mainland. He has been accused of endangering national security". Books produced by Mr Lis firm include works critical of Chinas Communist Party.

Recent police raids on firms offices have also rattled foreign businesspeople. In one such swoop, in March, five Chinese employees of Mintz Group, an American due-diligence firm, were detained in Beijing for reasons that have not been made public. In April police in Shanghai questioned staff at the premises of Bain, an American consultancy, and took away computers and phones, according to the Financial Times. Again, the reason is unclear. But amid growing tensions between China and America, Western businesspeople worry that police may be looking for excuses, whether security-related or otherwise, to flex muscle.

For the police, the new wording of the counter-espionage law provides plenty of excuses to target people they dislikeboth Chinese and foreign. The old version listed colluding to steal, pry into, purchase or illegally provide state secrets or intelligence" as one kind of espionage. Now it also applies to other documents, data, materials or items related to national security or interests". In theory this could mean that obtaining non-classified information on topics ranging from the economy to politics could be construed as spying.

In practice it has always been so. But making this clearer in law aims to send a message to Chinese: they must be super-cautious about sharing with foreigners any information that is not available in the countrys highly censored public-facing media. China also has many publications that provide news of a more genuine kind, but they are classified. The partys main mouthpiece, the Peoples Daily, produces a thrice-weekly digest of commentary from social media, but even this is restricted to internal" circulation among officials.

Since the country first adopted its spying law in 2014, it has mounted a publicity campaign mainly aimed at ordinary citizens. Propaganda teams even tour villages, urging vigilance against foreign spooks. In 2015 the Ministry of State Security set up a hotline, 12339, for people to report suspected threats, with substantial rewards offered. That year the government also declared that April 15th would be marked annually as National Security Education Day. It says it wants the whole of society" to mobilise to make it difficult for criminals who engage in spying and sabotage even to take a step". It is certainly making foreigners feel less welcome.

Subscribers can sign up to Drum Tower, our new weekly newsletter, to understand what the world makes of Chinaand what China makes of the world.

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
In 2020 Britain devised a new tactic to insult its European neighbours, a long-standing hobby. The diplomat representing the EU in London would henceforth be denied the rank of full ambassador, a courtesy routinely granted to the bloc despite its not being a country. Instead, the Man from Brussels would be granted the lowlier status as an envoy of an international organisation, sending him tumbling down the protocol order. (The plan was later reversed after the EU reciprocated.) Contrast that with this week, when the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was invited to meet King Charles III at Windsor Castle. Forget the tabloid barbs about unelected Eurocrats; a royal aide dubbed her a world leader" of the sort worthy of high tea. Whatever the opposite of a diplomatic snub is called, this was it.

Ms von der Leyens tea capped a watershed visit. On February 27th she reached an agreement with Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, on how to handle issues pertaining to Northern Ireland. This had been the last and most intractable piece of the Brexit puzzle, because the region needs somehow to remain largely part of both the EUs single market and the United Kingdom, to avoid having to reinstate a previously troublesome border with Ireland. A complex deal has put the issue to bed. The divorce between Britain and Europe had legally been pronounced in 2020, four years after the referendum in June 2016. But only now do we know what the future living arrangements will look like.

Wonks are currently poring over the Windsor framework". It looks like a balanced agreement that allows both sides to save face and move on. Looking at the overall shape of Brexit as it has been haggled over in the past seven years, however, leaves a different impression. Just a glance at the cast present at the final stage of Brexit talks offers a hint of which polity has had a rougher time since talks began. Mr Sunak is Britains fifth prime minister since the referendum, and his Conservative Party is headed for a thumping defeat next year, thanks in no small part to endless spats over Brexit. Ms von der Leyen by contrast is just the second person in her job in that time, and will probably get another five-year term next spring. The manner in which Britain left the EU has turned into a national psychodrama; polls indicate most Brits think leaving the club was a mistake. In Brussels dealing with Britains latest twist was only an occasional agenda point.

Vote Leave campaigners had claimed London would hold all the cards" in talks with the EU. In fact the opposite turned out to be true. Britain imagined it could craft a way to leave the union but retain the stuff it cared about, like some access to the single market. Or did it? In truth nobody ever worked out what Britain really wanted. Setting priorities was terribly square for the likes of Boris Johnson, the dishevelled foreign-turned-prime minister who steered Britain through much of the haggling. Far better to quip about wanting a cake and eating it too. A rotating cast of Brits arrived in Brexit talks with fuzzy notions of being treated like Switzerland or Ukraine. Opposite them were seasoned Eurocrats carrying weighty briefing packs pointing out why that was not to be.

This was no whizz team to beat at the negotiating table, yet the EU deserves plaudits. Its own aims were clear: Brexit should be a one-off event, not serve as a precedent. No country remaining in the EU could be in any doubt that departing from the club would leave it worse off. To achieve this, Britain would need to get a raw deal. London had hoped it could divide and conquer the remaining 27 members of the EU. An often savvy negotiator for its own interest in the 47 years it was a member of the bloc, it turned out to be all at sea negotiating against it. Michel Barnier, a former French foreign minister who became Brusselss point man on Brexit, ensured national capitals were kept fully up to speed in the talks.

When it came to the nitty-gritty of coming to an agreement on terms, the triumph of the EU side was to play to its reputation as an inflexible bureaucracy capable only of ticking boxes. Countries looking to join the EU are familiar with this approachheres what you have to do, now do itwhich was broadly recycled for the only country trying to leave it. Once the 27 remaining countries had decided among themselves what they thought was fair, Britain had little choice but to jump through hoops designed by its negotiating foes. The tone was set early on. Britain had to agree to pony up over 35bn ($42bn) to get to the next stage of talks, for example, to fund its share of future Eurocrat pensions. It tried to quibble but ultimately just had to pay. And so it went.

One last insult for the road

In an irony that slews of discarded Brexit negotiators in London will not have missed, the Windsor deal shows the inflexible-EU approach had been an act all along. It turns out the commission had lots of scope to accede to British demands, and ask for permission from member states later. It just hadnt wanted to before. Indeed, Britain has achieved a better deal than anyone expected, though that may not be saying much. In part that is because the EU had long ago achieved its main aim: not even the maddest populist on the continent thinks leaving the club would leave it better off nowadays. The departure of Mr Johnson, once a purveyor of souped-up Brussels-bashing stories for the Daily Telegraph, also helped. The war in Ukraine has stressed the importance of continental unity: Britain remains a key NATO ally. America pressed both sides to do a deal. Having bulldozed its way to negotiating victory, the EU saw little point in hammering home the point.

The offer of a royal meet-and-greet was but one sign that a happier relationship between Britain and the continent may be in the offing. Nothing is likely to change in the short term: Europe has continent-wide elections next spring, a few months before Britain goes to the polls. For now all sides are relieved that, after seven years of talks, this deal is finally done. But one side has quite a bit more to be happy about than the other.

Read more from Charlemagne, our columnist on European politics:

Why Vladimir Putin will never stand trial in The Hague (Feb 23rd)

Whats behind Frances fatal fascination with Russia (Feb 16th)

Europe should not respond to Americas subsidies binge with its own blunders (Feb 9th)

 2023, The Economist Newspaper Limited. All rights reserved. From The Economist, published under licence. The original content can be found on www.economist.com
A Colorado man is free on $65,000 after denying charges that he repeatedly kicked a Columbus Police officer in the stomach and arms, resulting in injury earlier this month.

Zane Ian Joseph Strange, 46, appeared in 22nd Judicial District Court last week and pleaded not guilty to felony assault on a peace officer. Strange also pleaded not guilty to misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest, obstructing a peace officer, driving with a suspended or revoked license and driving without registration.

Strange had previously posted $65,000, which was continued until the case is resolved. Strange grew up locally but currently lives in Colorado, according to defense attorney Brian Haynes.

District Judge Matt Wald allowed Strange to leave the state to return home, but placed him under specific court-imposed conditions by which he must comply or face consequences. Haynes told Wald that Strange was home visiting family at the time of his arrest.

Columbus Police Chief Gary Timm told the News this week that his officer is OK.

According to court documents, on April 18 at 8:50 p.m., Columbus Police Officer Matthew Grieshop was on patrol when he saw a 1971 Chevy truck parked near the Columbus Town Pump.

The license plate on the truck came back as inactive with the registered owner being deceased. The officer watched the truck leave the area and travel south, at which time he tried to conduct a traffic stop near the intersection of North 9th Street and East Third Avenue North.

The driver of the truck, later identified as Strange, continued to drive until finding a parking spot on East First Avenue North. When Officer Grieshop approached the trucks window and introduced himself and asked for a drivers license, he saw Strange talking on a cell phone and was greeted with Ya one sec, according to court documents.

Officer Grieshop said he would not wait and again asked for the drivers license. The driver then stated he was on the phone with 911. When Officer Grieshop asked why, the driver replied, Article 3. Based on his experience, Officer Grieshop knew the driver was acting like a sovereign citizen, so he requested backup, according to court documents.

Grieshop continued to asked for a license, which was met by continued sovereign citizen comments, according to court documents.

At one point, Strange began to reach into his backpack, which prompted the officer to draw his duty weapon and tell Strange to stop.

The driver reached into the backpack and removed some papers and then continued talking. When Officer Grieshop ordered the driver to provide his license, he replied, I dont have a drivers license, because Im traveling, and I dont have to have a license to travel, according to court documents.

Strange did produce a passport for identification purposes.

When Strange asked if he was being detained, the officer responded yes, saying he was being arrested for obstructing.

Stillwater County Sheriffs Deputy Toby Reissig arrived on scene, allowing Grieshop to return to his patrol car and have dispatch run a check on Strange. Grieshop then told Strange why he had stopped him and asked him to get out of the truck. Strange responded Absolutely not, according to court documents.

Strange refused to leave his car, despite being told to do so numerous times, and requested a supervisor.

At that point, Columbus Police Chief Timm arrived at the scene and told Strange that if he did not get out of the truck voluntarily, he would be removed by law enforcement.

Strange still refused. Timm then instructed the officer to take out the window. Grieshop told Strange watch his hands, at which point Strange began to reach for something, according to court documents. Reissig pulled his service weapon and pointed it at Strange as Grieshop broke the trucks drivers window with his baton and cleared most of the glass.

Grieshop then opened the door of the truck and tried to pull Strange out, but Strange immediately fought back, kicking the officer several times in the stomach and arms and holding on the steering wheel in an attempt to anchor himself in the truck, according to court documents.

Strange was removed from the truck but continued to fight on the ground for a period of time before he was finally handcuffed. An ambulance was then called to the scene to check Strange over, but he refused medical treatment.

Found on Strange was a knife, money, marijuana edibles and a long glass pipe. The sheriffs office K9 was summoned and alerted on the passenger side of the truck. The truck was impounded and secured as evidence and the case remains under investigation, according to court documents.
Sharks are often called "living fossils," and for good reason: The first sharks appeared in the fossil record roughly 450 million years ago and have lived through all five mass extinctions , including the one that wiped out the nonavian dinosaurs. In addition to being long-lived as a group, individual sharks have long life spans. So just how long can sharks live, and what's the oldest shark on record?

On the lower end of the longevity scale, the great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) lives about 44 years, although one individual caught by a fisher in Florida was estimated to be as old as 50. The great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) can live up to 70 years, according to a 2014 study in the journal PLOS One .

But of all the shark species, one stands out for its mind-boggling longevity.

Oldest shark on Earth

"The Greenland shark is the longest-lived shark species by far," Brynn Devine, a marine biologist at the University of Windsor in Ontario and an expert in Greenland shark conservation, told Live Science.

Related: The longest-living animals on Earth

Greenland sharks (Somniosus microcephalus) scour the ocean floor in the North Atlantic and Arctic. These huge sharks, some the size of great whites, are truly remarkable.

"Greenland sharks are not just the oldest sharks," Devine said, "but they are possibly the oldest animals with backbones, which is crazy to think about."

In a 2016 study in the journal Science, researchers determined that the average age of a group of 28 Greenland sharks in their sample was 272 years old. The oldest in the group was estimated to be 392 years old, plus or minus about 120 years. That led to a widely held  but now debunked  misconception that the oldest shark was 512 years old.

The oldest Greenland shark

In a 2016 study in the journal Science, researchers determined that the average age of a group of 28 Greenland sharks in their sample was 272 years old. The oldest in the group was estimated to be 392 years old, plus or minus about 120 years. That led to a widely held  but now debunked  misconception that the oldest shark was 512 years old.

But even at almost 400 years old, the Greenland shark identified in the study could have been traversing Earth's oceans around the same time the Mayflower was transporting the Pilgrims to the New World.

John Fleng Steffensen (opens in new tab), professor of marine biology at the University of Copenhagen, was an author on the Science paper. "The age of the largest shark we have caught was between 272 and 512 years, and that was 'only' about 502 cm (16.4 feet) long. We believe Greenland sharks can be up to 550 cm (18 feet) long, and since they are growing slower the larger they are, a 550 cm long female may be maybe 100 years older."

A Greenland shark swimming in the Northeast U.S. Canyons in 2013. (Image credit: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)

Typical aging methods didn't work for that 2016 study. "Aging is typically done by counting growth rings in calcified structures, like vertebrae or spines," which are laid down seasonally, like tree rings, Devine said. But those methods can be inaccurate if the shark doesn't grow at predictable rates throughout its life, so researchers usually check dating from this method against other evidence. Age estimates can be verified with mark-recapture studies, which involve tracking a population of animals over time.

Dr. Brynn Devine Fish biologist and Arctic fisheries advisor for Oceans North Canada Dr. Brynn Devine is a fish biologist and Arctic fisheries advisor for Oceans North Canada. Her research focuses on sustainable fisheries and conservation of deep-water species and ecosystems. Brynn continues to work on bycatch species caught in northern fisheries, particularly Greenland shark. She earned her PhD from Memorial University of Newfoundland, where her research explored the environmental drivers of deep-sea fish distributions in Atlantic Canada and the Eastern Arctic.

"For Greenland sharks, conventional dating methods simply don't work," Devine said. Most deep-sea-shark skeletons don't calcify enough to produce usable growth rings, and these sharks lack the spines used for dating in other sharks. Even if scientists could determine ages from growth rings or spines, manually verifying the sharks' ages with annual mark-recapture studies is out of the question, given that Greenland sharks in any study will easily outlive a researcher's great-grandchildren.

Instead, researchers relied on radiocarbon dating to estimate the sharks' ages. For this, the researchers sampled tissue from the eye lenses, which form at birth, and determined each animal's age based on the ratios of carbon isotopes, or versions of the element, in their eyes. Because radiocarbon dating is rather imprecise, and the exact physics of how carbon behaves in a Greenland shark's body are not known, there is a large margin of error in the final estimates.

"Unfortunately, there aren't a lot of alternative techniques, so this is a major challenge in aging deep-sea sharks," Devine said.

Because researchers know so little about the Greenland shark's metabolism, it is unclear what enables them to live so long. Steffensen said the low temperatures in which they live probably contributes, as it lowers their metabolic rate. Animals with lower metabolic rates tend to live longer (opens in new tab) than those with fast ones. "There are probably several other factors that we do not know yet," he said.

One thing we do know, according to Devine, is that female Greenland sharks might not reach sexual maturity until 134 years old. To put that into perspective, the person widely considered to be the oldest human to have ever lived, Jeanne Calment, died at the age of 122 , having outlived her own grandchildren. A Greenland shark born on the same day as Calment would still have been awaiting shark puberty when she died.

"They are truly remarkable deep-sea animals," Devine said.

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in August, 2021 and updated April 25, 2023
'The Lost Wife,' by Susanna Moore

Set before and during the Civil War, Susanna Moore's seventh novel concerns itself with a far less celebrated conflict: the United States' war against Native Americans in the Great Plains. The story revolves around Sarah Brown, who escapes a violent husband, makes the wretched journey from Rhode Island to the Minnesota Territory to join a childhood friend - who, alas, has died. Sarah, a practical woman, finds a husband in a doctor; the couple have two children and move further west. Around them, the Dakota Sioux have been cruelly cheated by government agents, and by 1862, they are starving and desperate. Led by Little Crow, they rise up, killing hundreds of settlers and taking hostages, among them Sarah and her children who become incorporated into tribal life. But federal retaliation is ruthless, with hundreds slaughtered and hundreds captured and condemned to hang (though, Lincoln commuted the sentences of all but 38). Sophie Amoss narrates this heartbreaking tale in a compassionate, sometimes heated voice, conveying both the immense injustices dealt to the Dakota and Sarah's strength of mind and resourcefulness. (Random House Audio, Unabridged, 5 1/4 hours)

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'Wanderlust: An Eccentric Explorer, an Epic Journey, a Lost Age,' by Reid Mitenbuler

Writing with panache and insight, Reid Mitenbuler serves up the many-faceted life of Peter Freuchen (1886-1957), Danish Arctic explorer, trading-post operator, writer, journalist, lecturer, actor, environmentalist, supporter of the Danish Resistance and winner of the immensely popular quiz show "the $64,000 Question." (This last made him a celebrity where his death-defying feats and creative accomplishments had not.) Beginning in 1906, he spent almost 20 years living among the Inuit in Thule, Greenland. He married a Native woman and took part in several grueling arctic expeditions, one of which cost him a foot and part of a leg, frozen when he was trapped beneath packed snow. The book has found the ideal narrator in Peter Noble, who has a fine storytelling voice and conveys the drama of events in a measured fashion, without theatricality. It's a fine achievement given the larger-than-life details - one or two of which strike the listener as being embellished by Freuchen's penchant for a good yarn. (HarperAudio, Unabridged, 19 1/4 hours)

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'The East Indian,' by Brinda Charry

Brinda Charry's novel begins in her native India and draws on her study of English Renaissance literature, specifically Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It's an unlikely pairing that never quite works - but what does, and does so splendidly, is her fictional recreation of the predicament of Tony from India's Coromandel Coast. He travels to England as a young servant to a master who dies; he is soon snatched from a London street and transported to the English colony of Jamestown in 1635. There he is indentured to a series of masters, all demanding, one brutal. Tony, the first East Indian to arrive in America, falls between racial categories which are hardening into social identities. Lonely and often despised, Tony perseveres with a plan to practice medicine. His adventures illuminate the precarious circumstances, superstitions and outlook of this ill-favored, tobacco-producing colony. Vikas Adam narrates the book in a clear, gentle voice. His delivery is a real pleasure, despite his repeated mispronunciation of "victuals." (Simon & Schuster Audio, Unabridged, 10 3/4 hours)

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Katherine A. Powers reviews audiobooks every month for The Washington Post.
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LONDON (AP)  Prince William has poured a pint of ale and taken a ride on the subway with his wife Kate as part of a royal ramble in central London before King Charles III's coronation.

With just two days to go until Saturday's coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey, William and Kate took time to chat with royal fans, tourists and Londoners on Thursday in the U.K. capital's bustling Soho entertainment district.

The pair took their first trip on the Elizabeth line, named after Queen Elizabeth II and the latest line on London's busy train network. They then stopped at the historic Dog and Duck pub, where William went behind the bar and poured a pint of Kingmaker, a pale ale brewed to celebrate the coronation.

William joked that he would have to watch how much he drank and get back into work mode."

Hundreds of royal fans  some hailing from China, Canada and the United States  lined the streets of Soho, hoping for a glimpse of the couple, a handshake or a brief chat.

Kate told well-wishers that her eldest child, Prince George, was excited about the coronation. The 9-year-old royal, who is second in line to the throne after his father, is expected to carry Charles' robes as one of the king's four pages of honor on Saturday.

George and his younger siblings Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis attended a rehearsal for the ceremony alongside other members of the royal family on Wednesday.

Thursday's royal visit came as London prepared for the United Kingdom's first coronation since Elizabeth II was crowned 70 years ago.

Union Jack bunting and crown decorations have appeared across the capital, while Big Ben was lit up in red as part of late-night dress rehearsals around midnight on Wednesday.

Some 100 heads of state, representatives from 200 countries and hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on London for the historic event. Many die-hard royal fans are already camped out near Buckingham Palace to secure the best viewing spot.

Weve always been a massive fan of the royal family. I was also over for the (queen's) jubilee, so all the big moments that we can, we come over," said Luisa Rawes, from Portugal. It is a massive occasion."

Thousands of police are being deployed across London for one of the most complex security operations in U.K. history, bracing for any disruptions and anti-monarchy protests.

On Tuesday night, officers arrested a man who threw shotgun cartridges into the grounds of Buckingham Palace, and blew up a suspicious bag belonging to the man. Police said the man was searched and a lock knife was found.

Authorities said Thursday that the 59-year-old suspect, who hasn't been named, was detained under mental health laws and taken to a hospital. No one was injured, and Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, weren't at the palace at the time.

___

Follow APs coverage of King Charles III and the coronation at https://apnews.com/hub/king-charles-iii
Juan Manuel Lara II, a student at the Dr. Leonides G. Cigarroa High School and Sabas Perez Early College High School, was selected for the prestigious Gates Scholars Class of 2023. Lara was one among 750 outstanding students selected from a pool of over 51,000 applicants from across the nation for this prestigious, nationally recognized scholarship that will support higher education for the recipients.

The Gates Scholarship is known to be a highly selective scholarship for outstanding, minority, high school seniors from low-income households. Gates scholarships are one of the fully-funded undergraduate scholarships which can be renewable for five years. Each year, the scholarship is awarded to exceptional student leaders, with the intent of helping them realize their maximum potential.

During a seven month long process with multiple phases, Lara expresses he underestimated how well he did during the application process. I did not expect to get so far in the process. I honestly expected to be knocked out during the semifinals! I did not see my essays making it far. They were sort of outside the box. As silly as it sounds, I mentioned media like Dragon Ball, Red Dead Redemption, Pokemon, and Transformers, and how their lessons would help shape who I am today, he said.

To those who know Lara, it came to no surprise he would accomplish something as grand as this. My parents cried, my brother was not surprised, and my sister was happy to go eat somewhere, he added. Lara shares the moment he realized he was among the chosen scholars felt very cinematic. I was listening to My Way by Frank Sinatra and when the last chorus hit, I read Congratulations! I had a pretty big reaction, and made sure to call my friends right after. The most rewarding part is knowing I will be able to attend my dream school with no financial burden on my family.

The Gates Scholars are selected based on their academic record, demonstrated leadership and a variety of other criteria, which includes essays, recommendations and interviews. The scholarship covers fees, housing, boarding, books and supplies, computer, transportation, personal expenses, loan fees, internship programs, study abroad, and health insurance.

Lara is an active CHS state winning robotics team Xtreme Robotics, founding member of the Water Boys, Regional Placed UIL One Act Play, Superintendents Student Advisory Council, Health Occupations Students of America, Senior Class, Principals Advisory Board, Sabas Perez ECHS Advisory Board, Junior Achievement, National Honor Society, and UIL Congress Speech and Debate.

An accomplished student within the top 4% of his class and a dually enrolled student at Laredo College, he has earned a variety of academic recognition due to his determination. These include the Honor Roll, State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness Master Performance in U.S. History, English II, Algebra I, and English I, and recipient of the U.S Border Patrol Youth of the Month Award. Furthermore, Lara is certified in American Red Cross Lifeguarding Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)/Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and American Red Cross Lifeguarding Blended Learning.

Additionally, he volunteers his time within the community. This includes volunteering with Larga Vista Community Center, Imaginarium Financial Literacy Workshop, Mile One School Supply Drive, and Webb County Sheriffs Office Share-A-Bear Drive.

As a member of The Gates Scholarship Inaugural Class of 2023, Lara will attend The Gates Scholarship Summer Institute (TGSSI). The mandatory four-day, overnight, conference is designed to welcome and empower the scholars, give them an opportunity to meet and connect with each other, and expand their professional networks by participating in workshops and social activities aimed at preparing and inspiring Scholars for their first year of college and beyond. The Gates Scholarship will cover all costs associated with the conference.

Campus mentors and administrators have expressed their happiness and pride as theyve witnessed Lara grow and mature over the years. Juan Manuel Lara is now part of this elite class of young leaders who represent high achievement in academics, service, leadership ability, and commitment. Juan Manuels hard work and perseverance has set him apart from other students across the nation Sabas ECHS Director Dr. Rocio Lopez said.

During his study, he demonstrated initiative and perseverance. Juan has proven that he possesses the intellect, initiative, and perseverance necessary to further his education. He is hardworking and dedicated; he works well with others and is a leader when needed. And now, he is a proud recipient of the Gates Scholarship, which I am sure will help him in his path to success, CHS English Language Arts and Reading Teacher Gloria Salinas said.

In addition to funding, The Gates Scholarship will provide further support to Scholars, by engaging with them and their institutions in a variety of ways, to ensure they have access to the resources and services they need, from their first to last day of classes, through graduation and the transition to their chosen careers.

Lara will be attending University of Oregon this fall. He plans on exploring a career in the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) field. I hope I proved that even if you come from South Laredo, you can achieve the wildest things with a little commitment, creativity, and an unwavering heart, Lara said.
A firefighter from the Cascade City/Farmer Rancher Rural Volunteer Fire Department who died from COVID-19 will be honored this weekend during the 42nd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend.

Firefighter/EMT Kenneth Lemanski, 37, will be among 79 firefighters honored who died in the line of duty in 2022 and 65 firefighters who died in previous years.

Lemanski died on Oct. 20, 2021, due to complications of COVID-19. The U.S. Fire Administration said he was exposed to a COVID-positive patient while on duty during an emergency medical service incident and died shortly thereafter.

Each firefighter's name will be inscribed on a bronze plaque and become a permanent part of the National Memorial in honor of their sacrifices.

The event is May 6-7 in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

Lemanski was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force with 16 years of honorable service.

He was a key volunteer for the Cascade Farmer Rancher City Volunteer Fire Department and an active volunteer EMT with the Cascade Country I-15 Quick Response Unit, according to an obituary on the National Fallen Firefighters website. Survivors include his wife Crystal, daughter Abigail and son Theodore.

The Cascade City/Farmer Rancher Rural Volunteer Fire Department asked people in Cascade to put out red lights, window covers and flags to show support of the past service of the fallen firefighters being recognized.

The public was also asked to join the department at the Cascade Firehall, 21 1st St. N., Cascade, from 6-8 p.m. Friday in honor of Lemanski.

The National Fallen Firefighters Candlelight Service is 5:30 p.m. Mountain Time on Saturday. The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service is 8 a.m. Mountain Time Sunday.

Both events will be shown live on the National Fallen Firefighters Foundations website, firehero.org, YouTube channel, and Facebook page.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
UPDATE: High school senior offered admission at more than 170 colleges has chosen his collegiate destination
The case for the development of a Mid Shannon Wilderness Park was made to Environment Minister, Eamon Ryan as he visited Longford on a charm offensive launching the 2021 to 2027 programme of the EU Just Transition Fund.

The Minister was in town highlighting the EU fund targeting businesses and community organisations affected by the move away from fossil fuel industries.

As part of the Minister's visit to the region local Green Party Member, Catherine Joseph, arranged a meeting with pupils from St Mel's Transition Year Horticulture and Sustainability course, farm representative bodies, the disability representative on the County Longford Public Participation Network (PPN) and local Irish Wildlife Trust members.

Ms Joseph highlighted the importance of cooperation: To make the transition to a more environmentally conscious society we must all work together, she told the gathering.

Minister Ryan told the assembled guests that the Just Transition Fund will promote jobs, bogs and buses.

He said: It seeks to lift the Midlands with investment and with opportunity.

The Minister spoke of the devolution of responsibility: Each local authority has responsibility of developing a plan in the next year. It has to be a plan that delivers Just Transition. It has to restore nature, but also it has to revive communities and economies all over the country.

Longford paint reuse project is a win-win A local social enterprise project that has a strong focus on sustainability was highly praised by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, with special responsibility for Land Use and Biodiversity, Pippa Hackett.

John O'Hanlon Ulster/North Leinster Senior Regional Executive of the IFA acknowledged the role farmers have to play in addressing environmental concerns: We are custodians of the land and we have a huge part to play in what is going to happen going forward.

We in the IFA would like to see more engagement between the Minister and farmers, I would ask the Minister to engage with IFA at the top level. We need to have ongoing engagements.

St Mel's Transitions Year pupils presented the Environment Minister with a selection of the vegetables and leaves they grew as part of their Horticulture and Sustainability course.

Teacher Yika Durkin explained that the pupils were providing fresh produce for use in the Longford Arms kitchen.

Longford Arms chef, David Porter, explained that the link up with the students is a mutually beneficial arrangement, with the Hotel getting fresh produce and the students getting funding for essential resources like polytunnels.

Marie Kielty, disability representative on Longford PPN raised a number of issues of concern, including issues with Irish Rail and disability badges.

Addressing the Minister campaigns officer with the Irish Wildlife Trust, Padraic Fogarty, made the case for the development of a Mid Shannon Wilderness Park.

The proposed park location would rest between the Royal Canal and Lough Ree on the River Shannon. Much of the land involved is in State ownership.

Partnership will be key to Longford's Just Transition - Ryan Environment Minister Eamon Ryan has said the delivery of a 169m EU led Just Transition package will be heavily reliant on communities and State bodies working in tandem with each other.

The IWT spokesperson said it has the potential to be a major tourism attraction of international importance.

These areas include Lough Ree, the Rivers Shannon, Inny and Camlin, the Royal Canal, Newcastle Wood and other forests and the future rehabilitated Bord na Mona bogs.

Mr Fogarty said the amenity areas are in very close proximity to each other and can be developed and combined to create the Wilderness Park.

It would be a spectacular project for the entire community, the IWT spokesperson said, all the pieces are already there.
By Azernews

Qabil Ashirov

The first meeting of the Azerbaijan-Albania Economic, Industrial, and Technological Cooperation Working Group was held in Tirana, Albania, Azernews reports, citing the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry.

The Ministry said that prior to the meeting, there was a bilateral meeting between the co-chairs of the Working Group, Minister of Energy of Azerbaijan Parviz Shahbazov, and Deputy Prime Minister of Albania - Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Bellinda Balluku.

The meeting heard the development of cooperation relations between the two countries in various fields.

At the meeting, the role of the heads of states in the development of inter-country relations was discussed, especially the importance of the Azerbaijani President lham Aliyevs visits to Albania and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Raman to Azerbaijan. Joint action within the framework of the Working Group and the plan to upgrade this cooperation format to the status of an Intergovernmental Commission, the political decision regarding the opening of the Azerbaijani embassy in Tirana was marked as a manifestation of the intention to deepen Azerbaijan-Albania relations.

Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov said that Azerbaijan and Albania are members of the TAP project, which plays a strategic role in diversifying the energy supply of European countries and ensuring energy security. The expansion of the Southern Gas Corridor and the establishment of a local gas distribution system with the support of Azerbaijan are prospects that will increase the benefits of TAP for Albania:

"The gasification project of the city of Korcha is in the stage of the initial feasibility study. If the gas network is built, not only the country's energy balance will be diversified, but we will jointly participate in strengthening the energy security of the Balkan region. Intensive consultations are also currently underway on a number of new projects that will contribute to SOCAR's activity in Albania and our energy cooperation."

Albania's Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Infrastructure and Energy Bellinda Balluku said that Albania is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and is determined to strengthen its strategic partnership. She noted that today Albania identified many areas of potential cooperation. Among these fields, energy is of special interest to both countries.

The meeting discussed the development of cooperation in the fields of trade and investments, energy, agriculture, transport and infrastructure, tourism, culture, education, and science. Albanian companies were invited to cooperate in Karabakh and Eastern Zangazur, Alat Azad Economic Zone, and green energy projects. It was agreed to establish an Intergovernmental Commission on the basis of the Working Group.
Gov. Greg Gianforte rejected two bills targeting fixes at the Montana State Hospital on Tuesday, the same day the Legislature adjourned its 2023 session.

Gianforte, a Republican, sent back both House Bill 29 and Senate Bill 4 to their respective chambers with amendatory vetoes, meaning the lawmakers could consider his suggestions to the bills. However, due to the somewhat scrambled order of events as the Legislature adjourned on Tuesday, the amendatory vetoes are moot.

Gianforte will now consider both bills as they were originally sent to his desk or to veto them outright. In other words, any compromise is off the table.

Both bills were the product of bipartisan legislative work before the 2023 session got underway. At that time, lawmakers were learning patients had died due to the hospital's own neglect to meet health and safety standards, and the federal government terminated its funding agreement with the facility because of those failures.

The amendatory veto to House Bill 29, the larger of the two, is reflective of the standoff that played out throughout the session between the legislative and executive branches over how to address admissions to the state hospital.

Rep. Jennifer Carlson, R-Churchill, carried the bill that would end the practice of admitting patients with dementia, Alzheimer's or traumatic brain injury. That prohibition already exists in the hospital's policy and in state law, Carlson said.

"I'm hopeful the governor will sign it," Carlson said Wednesday. "It's good policy."

Patients have still been committed to the state hospital by the courts in instances where they have nowhere else to go. The Legislature this session sought to boost the number of available beds in community settings by upping the Medicaid reimbursement rate paid by the state, theoretically giving assisted living facilities the funding to actually pay for the cost of care.

The bill would create a commission to oversee the transfer of current patients who fit into this category to community placements in assisted living facilities, far less restrictive environments than Montana State Hospital in Warm Springs. The commission would have until June 30, 2025, to develop a plan and transfer the patients out of the state hospital.

The governor's amendatory veto eliminated that commission and called it "unnecessary and duplicative." The deadline to transfer patients it deemed "unworkable."

"The activities of DPHHS are already overseen by several legislative committees, both standing and interim, and the department is committed to keeping the Legislature apprised of its ongoing efforts to ensure that civilly committed patients are being served in the most clinically appropriate care settings through these existing forums," the amendatory veto letter states.

Gianforte's administration has expressed a willingness to "fix" the state hospital, making a mention of the facility in his State of the State address in January.

Last year the state health department contracted with a third party to examine staffing issues and how to become recertified with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after the federal government terminated its certification with the Warm Springs facility last year. The department also rolled out a $300 million behavioral health initiative that he said would enhance the state's continuum of care for generations to come.

The letter and amendatory veto would open a pathway for the department to exercise its own proposal for dementia and Alzheimer's patients at the state hospital, which was to seek out other placements, most likely Montana Mental Health Nursing Care in Lewistown, a facility more remote than Warm Springs to most Montanans.

During the legislative process, a fiscal note for HB 29 prepared by the governor's budget office laid this option and its cost out to lawmakers, rather than reflecting the proposal in Carlson's bill.

The state health department's facilities chief, Will Evo, testified against HB 29 in each public hearing on the bill, telling lawmakers the timeline was "too rigid" and mandates discharges without consideration for patient needs.

Advocates, meanwhile, have pushed back. Rose Hughes, executive director of the Montana Health Care Association, told a committee in January the 2025 deadline was in fact a safety valve for the Legislature that year to adjust if the commission's work did not follow expectations.

"What I find is, when you pass a bill like this, you are telling the agency, 'This is important to us, focus on it,' because the agency could have been doing this all along," she said.

Legislative records show the bill returned to the Gianforte's desk on Thursday. As of print time, the bill remained in waiting.

"Going forward my real hope is regardless of what happens with HB 29, people with dementia, Alzheimer's and TBI are not placed in Warm Springs but placed in appropriate, least restrictive care, because that's what the law requires," Carlson said in an interview Wednesday. "There's no reason the department can't come up with a better policy."

The other proposal, Senate Bill 4, was intended as an accountability measure, opening up abuse and neglect reports to Disability Rights Montana, designated by Congress to have access to certain records in order to protect and advocate for patients in that facility.

In his amendatory veto letter signed Tuesday, Gianforte agreed with the proposal to provide those documents to DRM. His changes sought to change a provision requiring the director of the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services provide those reports, requiring the state hospital to provide the records to DRM.

Legislative records online indicated Thursday the bill had not yet returned to the governor's office since the Legislature adjourned.
The organisers of Legan Nifty 50's are delighted to announce that they are back again this year for their 11th annual Motorbike Run in aid of the Irish Cancer Society, taking place on Sunday, May 21.

All motorbikes are welcome to participate and registration on the day is at Mitchell's Bar, Legan from 10am until 12.15pm, with the run getting underway at 12.30pm.

Upon returning to Legan, there will be a BBQ at Mitchells with DJ Playing afterwards. There will also be a raffle on the day.

One of the Legan Nifty 50 Motorbike Run organisers, Emma Mannion, explained, We are currently looking for sponsorship and spot prizes / vouchers.

We would like to thank all shops around Longford, Mullingar and surrounding areas for their donations and sponsorship over the last 11 years and to all the bikers for coming.

We are looking forward to seeing you all again this year for the laughs and craic, and it is all for a very worthy cause, Irish Cancer Society.

For more information contact Emma on 086 3244914 Or John on 087296450 or email at emmamannion15@gmail.com
Local News, Seasonal & Current Events

By Jacob Alvear Published: May 05 2023

The Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach in New York will return on May 27-28, 2023

Bethpage, NY - Bethpage Federal Credit Union, New York States largest credit union, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, announce the final performer line-up for the much-anticipated Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach, taking place on Saturday, May 27, 2023 and Sunday, May 28, 2023, from 10 AM  3 PM.

The U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds return to Long Island for their 9th headliner performance. Military performers joining the Thunderbirds include the United States Army Golden Knights Parachute Team, the United States Marines F-35B Demonstration Team, the United States Navy F-18 Growler Legacy Team and the United States Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod.

Civilian performers include the world-famous Skytypers and their flight squadron of five vintage WWII aircraft; Mike Goulian, North Americas most decorated aerobatic pilot; Folds of Honor Biplane with Ed Hamill; the American Air Power Museum Warbirds; Long Islands own David Windmiller; Warbird Thunder Airshows; the Civil Air Patrol; and the Farmingdale State College Flying Rams, who will fly several of their 22 college-owned aircraft.

We have a full line up of exciting performers this year, and of course we are very happy to welcome the Thunderbirds back to Long Island, said George Gorman, Regional Director, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation  Long Island Region. During their last visit in 2021, our weekend performances were rained out, but the Thunderbirds remained for our unprecedented Memorial Day show. We will be forever grateful to them for this decision.

We are weeks away to Long Islands unofficial summer kick-off event and we couldnt be more excited! said Linda Armyn, Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer, Bethpage. Thank you again to all of our sponsors who help make this beloved event possible.

Returning again for the 2023 show is the Bethpage Air Show Mobile App. Text Airshow to 516-842-4400 to download the app for performer and sponsor information, a site map, helpful FAQs to help prepare you for the show, and more to come. Available now on the App Store and Google Play.

The Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach is one of the largest, most respected and most popular air shows in the country. Over 366,000 people attended the Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach the last time the squadron headlined a full weekend show in 2019.

The Bethpage Air Show at Jones Beach is sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Newsday, WABC-TV Channel 7, Northrop Grumman, Natural Heritage Trust, Connoisseur Media Long Island, Catholic Health, Rallye Motor Company, PSEG Long Island, News 12 Long Island and Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum. The show can be heard in its entirety on WHLI 1100 AM and 104.7 FM.

The Bethpage Air Show is free to the public, but the standard $10.00 vehicle use fee will be collected each day upon entry to the State Park. For 2023 NYS Empire Pass Card holders, there is no vehicle use fee charge.

Available for $80, the 2023 Season Empire Pass is a wallet-sized scannable card that can be shared within a household and not assigned to a specific vehicle. The Empire Pass Card provides unlimited vehicle access to most facilities operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 2023 Season Empire Pass Cards are available for purchase at any Long Island State Park beginning April 1, 2023, and can be utilized immediately and are effective until December 31, 2023 to enjoy the forests, the seashores and the lakefronts of New York States parks through all of New Yorks beautiful seasons.

For up-to-date information about this years show, please visit www.bethpageairshow.com or https://www.facebook.com/ BethpageAirShow/, or contact the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Regional Office, Recreation Department at 631/321-3510.
This year, the news that Gosmans Docks went up for sale again hit the streets. The must-stop for visitors to Montauk Point for decades was founded in 1943 by Robert and Mary Gosman. Here we present some crazy and historical facts about Gosman's Dock.

Robert Gosman was from Amagansett and Mary Gosman was from Ireland

According to one interview , it was Mary Gosman who first brought over Irish students and housed them at the dock

At the time it was founded, the Gosmans were fish packers and fishdrummers (agents for Fulton Market)

The Gosmans bought the original property in 1943 from the Bonner Fuel Company

In 1946 the first restaurant was built, nothing more than a shack

The Gosman family bought additional properties in 1950 and additional land in 1958

The restaurant started out as a chowder stand - the chowder cooked by Mary Gosman

They also sold breakfast to the local fishermen

They expended the menu eventually to include lobster rolls

Dans Papers reported that the eight-seat lunch counter, home to a $3 lobster roll served with fries, slaw, and crackers, was immensely popular.

According to family history, back then people sat on old fish boxes to eat

In 1960 the restaurant was expanded with an outside deck

A bell in the bar has the date May 21, 1968, the day the bar area opened

Before Montauk Harbor was dredged you could walk from Gosman Dock to Star Island

There was a free concert series at Gosman's Dock in 1972, including artists like Richie Havens, Ruth Brown, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans, and the Heath Brothers

Robert died in 1983 and Mary in 1997

The wholesale lobster and fish business and the quality of the seafood encouraged the family (five sons and a daughter) to develop the Gosman's Restaurant and Clam Bar to what it is today

As the restaurant developed, clothing and gourmet food shops and tourist services were added

According to an article about the property consists of nine properties on 11.6 acres on Montauk Harbor

There are four restaurants, six retail stores, a wholesale lobster and fish business and four staff housing properties, totaling 48,145 square feet of space, plus the dock and marina

The property was previously on the market in 2006 for $55 million

In 2016, was listed for $52.5 million

The property almost sold in 2019 but the deal fell through
Crime

By Chris Boyle Published: May 05 2023

Employee Gabriel DeWitt Wilson killed 49-year-old manager Raymond Wishropp and attempted to murder two other workers.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly announced that a former supermarket employee was convicted today of murdering a supervisor and attempting to murder two coworkers at a West Hempstead Stop and Shop in April 2021.

Gabriel DeWitt Wilson, 33, of Hempstead, was convicted by a jury of one count of Murder in the Second Degree (an A-I felony), two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree (a B violent felony), two counts of Assault in the First Degree (a B violent felony), and two counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree (a C violent felony). The trial, before Judge Helene Gugerty, began on April 24, 2023, and the jury deliberated for less than six hours before delivering their verdict. The defendant was remanded and is due back for sentencing on June 8, 2023. He faces a potential maximum of 90 years to life in prison.

The defendant was acquitted of two counts of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree.

Disgruntled employee Gabriel Wilson entered the West Hempstead Stop and Shop with a loaded semi-automatic gun and the intent to kill, DA Donnelly said. The defendant went into an office on the second floor, pointed his weapon at two coworkers and struck both of them. He then proceeded to another room where he encountered 49-year-old Raymond Wishropp, the grocery manager who was eating a sandwich on his lunch break, and shot the man directly in the chest at point-blank range. Gabriel Wilson calmly left the building and walked to Hempstead where he was subsequently arrested due to the brave police work of the Nassau County and Hempstead police departments. This defendant has shown zero remorse for his actions. We thank the jury for their service and our thoughts are with Rays many family members, friends, and longtime coworkers  many of whom attended the trial  as they continue to mourn his senseless loss.

DA Donnelly said that, according to the trial testimony, on April 20, 2021, at approximately 11:19 a.m., Wilson, an employee of the Stop and Shop Grocery Store at 50 Cherry Valley Avenue in West Hempstead, entered the store and went to the second floor, where the manager offices are located. The defendant was not scheduled to work at that time. Wilson then entered the store managers office where he shot one victim in the face and twice in the chest area. He then shot a female manager, hitting her in the shoulder, with the bullet exiting her back. Wilson then entered a second office where he fired multiple rounds and struck 49-year-old Raymond Wishropp in the chest and leg. Wishropp was pronounced dead at the scene.

The defendant was arrested at approximately 3:50 p.m. in Hempstead by members of the Nassau County Police Departments Bureau of Special Operations and the Hempstead Police Department.
Community, Charity & Cause

By Chris Boyle Published: May 05 2023

Legislature approves Kara Hahn's effort to rename greenspace in honor of beloved former teacher, principal and school administrator.

The Suffolk County Legislature has approved naming Port Jefferson Stations Terryville Greenbelt in honor of former Comsewogue School District Superintendent and Terryville Fire Department volunteer Dr. Joseph Rella. The initiative was led by Legislator Kara Hahn, in honor of the highly regarded teacher, principal and administrator who passed away in February 2020 at the age of 69.

Described as one of the most courageous and inspiring educators ever, Dr. Rella began his 25-year career with the Comsewogue School District as a part-time music teacher in its John F. Kennedy Middle School. He also served as principle of Comsewogue High School prior to becoming school superintendent in 2011, a post he held until his retirement from the district in 2019.

Dr. Rella was absolutely beloved in the community. Every child in the Comsewogue School District knew he cared about them, knew he believed in them and knew he loved them, said Legislator Hahn. His impact upon the district, his students lives and this community have been profound and through this tribute we honor the lasting legacy of his actions.

Located within the Central Suffolk Special Groundwater Protection Area, the Terryville Greenbelt is situated between Route 112 and North Bicycle Path in Port Jefferson Station. The greenbelt area is over 75 total acres that Suffolk County and the Town of Brookhaven have each pursued preserving through individual and joint purchases of open space parcels.

According to Legislator Hahn, The Terryville Greenbelt adjoins Comsweogue High School so forever linking this preserved land to the school where Dr. Rella served and to the greater community seems fitting.

The bill, which has been co-sponsored by neighboring Legislators Sarah Anker and Nick Caracappa, now goes to County Executive Bellone for his signature.

It is anticipated that once the naming becomes official, a ceremony will be held in recognition of Dr. Rellas contribution to education and to his community.
Maj Gen Qassem Soleimani, the chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, addressed last month a commemoration held in Iran for slain Lebanese Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh (AKA Hajj Radwan). State-affiliated media outlets published different versions of the same speech.

Mughniyeh was a founder of Hezbollah, serving as its international operations chief and liaison with Iran. He was the architect of a string of notorious bombings, kidnappings, hijackings and assassinations including the bombings of the US embassy and Marine barracks in Lebanon in the 1980s. More Americans died in his orchestrated attacks than anyone else prior to 9/11. Mughniyeh died in a car bombing in Damascus in 2008. Initial suspects were the Syrians or the Israelis. Later revelation pointed to the latter, with the help of the Central Intelligence Agency.

They [Israel] know, but must more seriously know that the qisas [retribution] of Imad and all the Imads whove been martyred in Palestine, Lebanon and Iran is not the firing of a missile and killing someone, Soleimani warned, the qisas of these bloods is the destruction of the child-killing Zionist regime, and this is a certain matter.

Throughout the speech, Soleimani hailed Mughniyeh  often making exaggerate statements for propaganda. He understands a principle that Niccolo Machiavelli observed in The Discourses in the 16th century: The great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they are realities, and are often even more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are.

Imad Mughniyeh established Hezbollah with his actions prior to the establishment of Hezbollah, Soleimani said. Mughniyeh was indeed with the network that later became Hezbollah in 1985.

To say that Imad Mughniyeh was the son of Imam [Khomeini] is very accurate, Soleimani said, He had high regards for the Imam and the Supreme Leader [Ali Khamenei].

Soleimani called Mughniyeh a legend and expert in guerrilla warfare and who would fight at the front lines. Leadership from the front is a principle that Soleimani has stressed in his speeches.

The general said Mughniyehs distinguishing characteristic was his attachment to spirituality. He described that as the key factor in not only withstanding hardship, but also distinguishing the faithful from the Americans who specialize and provide military traininglike in Blackwater. If skills are not placed in the service of high spirituality, they are destructive and like a bulldozer that destroys any building, he said.

Soleimani also spoke that while Mughniyehs name was well known, no one knew him. He recounted a story: during a meeting, someone asked Mughniyeh, who are you to come here, eat and go? You have to wash the dishes. Imad told him youre right, and then washed the dishes. That indicates Mughniyehs operational security even within own organizations, which made him more elusive and difficult to track.

I want to say something, but Im unsure how much the Lebanese people would accept this considering the current political infighting, Soleimani said elsewhere in his remarks, but I believe that Imad Mughniyeh broke and slapped fear in Lebanon. He was able to transform Lebanese society from one that was successively defeated by the enemy into an independent place, and was able to cease the actions against Lebanon, to the extent that Lebanon reached its current excellent place. Imad Mughniyeh began this trend, and its completion was done by heads-held-high Hezbollah and its dear leader, Seyyed Hassan Nasrollah.

Hezbollah, in fact, has been one of the key destabilizers of Lebanon. It triggered a devastating war with Israel in 2006. Hezbollahs continued hostility toward Israel is raising the risk of yet another war.

Many of the Hezbollah cadres that have been trained in various countries are trained by the school of Imad, Soleimani said, he trained his forces in such that they had the power to tolerate difficulties. Lebanese operatives have certainly been instrumental in training Arab militiamen outside of Lebanon at the IRGCs behest.

The Iranian commander praised Mughniyehs role in the 1997 Ansariah Operation, which was an ambush against Israeli commandos in Lebanon that led to the death of 12 soldiers. Hezbollah has touted that operation in its propaganda. Soleimani said Mughniyeh intercepted the Israeli reconnaissance drone that provided the intelligence to set up the ambush.

Soleimani also credited Mughniyeh with leading a successful insurgency against the Israeli-backed, Christian-led South Lebanon Army, assassinating senior commanders and eroding morale. Soleimani claimed that moral dropped so low that it eventually forced Israel to withdraw from Lebanon in 2000.

Mughniyeh was indeed the architect of Hezbollahs war of attrition against Israel, and the group did believe that a collapse of the SLA would leave Israel in a very difficult position in South Lebanon. Soleimani, however, exaggerated Mughniyehs role in the ultimate withdrawal of Israel. That ignores predominant factors including domestic Israeli pressure and other actors including Syrian intelligence that played roles in complicating Israels occupation of south Lebanon.

The Iranian general also highlighted Mughniyehs role in striking an Israeli frigate during the 2006 war  but again misrepresented facts. According to Soleimani, Mughniyeh destroyed the frigate and completely took the Zionists Navy out of the picture. In reality, however, while Hezbollah struck INS Hanit with an Iranian-supplied C-802 anti-ship missile, the ship was damaged and returned to service shortly afterwards. That one strike hardly overcame Israels naval superiority.

Imad Mughniyeh was the first who brought Yasser Arafat to Iran, Soleimani switched topics. Mughniyeh knew Arafat from his time in Fatah, in which he initially joined in the 1970s.

Soleimani credited Mughniyeh with helping Fathi Shaqaqi establish the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). Mughniyeh made many efforts to strengthen Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), Soleimani said. It was his thought that was able to transform Gaza into an unconquerable fortress, and today we see that Gaza in southern Palestine and Lebanon in north of Palestine have transformed to points that produce constant anxiety for the Zionists, he claimed. That underscores the Guard Corps strategy toward Israel. But, again, Soleimani exaggerated Mughniyehs role, as well as the ability of Hamas to withstand a full Israeli clearing assault, the way Russia, the Syria and Iran have conducted their war against insurgents in civilian areas in Syria.

In transcripts of the speech published in IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News, Soleimani had said that the basis of the destruction of the Zionist regime will be from these areas.

Imad believed that all of the world of Islam must be transformed into bases for jihad in order to cripple the enemies of Islam, he proclaimed.

Soleimani also described what he claimed were Mughniyehs ability to persuade the enemies of Hezbollah through discussion. When his words were not effective, he told them that Im not Radwan but am Imad Mughniyeh. He would appear like a sword in his own time and would disappear like electricity.

While Im not in a place to call someone an Ayatollah [high-rank cleric meaning sign of God] from a jurisprudence persepctive, but [Hezbollah chief] Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah is an Ayatollah because he gave many signs of God against the enemies, Soleimani said.

The Iranian commander claims that in order bolster the narrative that the creator of the universe is on their side. He is also broaching into public discussion Nasrallahs status as an Ayatollah, which clerics attain following decades of dedicated studies in seminaries. While it was a play on words, Islamic Republic officials dont just use that throw that phrase around for any mid-ranked cleric.

Today, the breadth of the resistance front has expanded, and the path of Imam Mughniyeh, Jihad Mughniyeh and the other martyrs of the resistance will continue, he proclaimed, We beseech the perfect God to defend us in this path by saving Islam and Muslims.

Tens of children are born and raised in this school of Islam and fill the place of martyrs, Soleimani said, the destruction of enemies of the movement of falsehood is the divine promise and we trust in the divine promise.

Sources

The qisas of the blood of Imad is the dismantling of the child-killing Zionist regime, Mehr News Agency

Commander Soleimani: the qisas of the blood of martyr Imad Mughniyeh is not the firing of a missile but is the dismantling of the Zionist regime, Tasnim News Agency

The qisas of the blood of Imad Mughniyehs is the dismantling of the child-killing Zionist regime, ISNA

Matthew Levitt and David Schenker, Who Was Imad Mughniyeh?, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

Matthew Levitt, Why the CIA Killed Imad Mughniyeh, Politico

Thomas Joscelyn, Death By Car Bomb in Damascus, The Weekly Standard

Iver Gabrielsen, The evolution of Hezbollahs strategy and military performance, 19822006, Small Wars and Insurgencies.

Israels Navy is preparing for any kind of threat,' Ynet News

Amir Toumaj is a independent analyst and contributor to FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Qais al Khazali (center), the leader of the Asaib Ahl al Haq, and Akram al Kaabi (center-right), the commander of Harakat al Nujaba.

Senior U.S. State Department officials spoke at the same conference as Qais al Khazali, a known Shia terrorist who is responsible for arming, training and forming the deadly Iranian-backed militias that are known to have killed hundreds of U.S. troops in Iraq. Khazali is listed by the U.S. State Department as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and his group, Asiab Ahl al Haq or the League of the Righteous, is listed as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Instead of boycotting the event, Alina Romanowski, the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq, and Barbara Leaf, the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, attended and spoke at the Iraq Forum, which Khazali participated as a keynote speaker, according to Iraqi Qahwa. Romanowski and Leaf were photographed smiling with three other women as the the logo of the Iraq Forum is in the background.

AAH SecGen Qais Al-Khazali speaking at the same event in Baghdad as the U.S. Ambassador & the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs. Qais participates as a keynote speaker at the Iraq Forum along with the US Ambassador & US//t.co/lwqb9NPAYz pic.twitter.com/vT2p816RKk  Iraqi Qahwa   (@IraqiQahwa) May 4, 2023

Khazali: an Iranian proxy

Khazali has a long history of supporting and directing the Iranian-backed Shia militias. Before Khazali and his brother, Laith, along with a senior Hezbollah military commander known as Musa Ali Daqduq, were captured by British forces in March 2007 and transferred into U.S. custody, they played a significant role in forming what U.S. military commanders called the Mahdi Army Special Groups.

Daqduq, who had served as the commander of Hezbollahs special forces, was tasked by Quds Force to organize, train, and advise the Mahdi Army Special Groups. These Special Groups were established as an analogue to Lebanese Hezbollah, Irans premier proxy in the Middle East. Daqduq worked closely with the Khazali brothers.

These groups received training, funds, weapons, intelligence and other key aid from Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF or Qods Force). During his detention, Khazali admitted to playing a key role in the Special Groups formation and subsequent attacks on U.S., Coalition, and Iraqi forces. [See LWJ report, Iraqi militant Qayis Khazali warned us about Iran. We ignored him.]

The League of the Righteous is responsible for thousands of attacks on U.S. forces. However, its assault on the Karbala Provincial Joint Communications Center in 2006 was particularly brazen and significant. The operation was plotted with the help of Qods Force. The League of the Righteous fighters who carried out the attack trained in an Iranian mock up facility. The plan was to bring captive American soldiers to Iran. Khazali issued the order to kidnap the American soldiers, but when the operation hit a roadblock, five American soldiers were executed in cold blood.

Despite their involvement in the deadly Shia insurgency in Iraq and their complicity in kiling hundreds of American troops, the U.S. military freed Khazali and his brother, Laith over the course of 2009. More than 100 League of the Righteous commanders and fighters were also freed. Daqduq was handed over to the Iraqi government in 2011, and freed shortly afterward. State listed Daqduq as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist in late 2012.

The U.S. military released the Khazalis and their men because it believed then that they the League of the Righteous would lay down their arms and join the political process. They did no such thing. Upon his return, Qais retook control of the League of the Righteous, and serves as its Secretary General to this day. The League of the Righteous remains one of the premier Iranian-backed militias in Iraq and has expanded its activities into Syria under the banner of Harakat al Nujaba.

Designation of Khazali and the League of the Righteous

In March 2020, the U.S. State Department added the League of the Righteous to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations. Additionally, the Khazali brothers were added to the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists. [See LWJ report, State designates Iran-backed League of the Righteous as Foreign Terrorist Organization.]

The League of the Righteous and its leaders are violent proxies of the Islamic Republic of Iran, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in the press release that announced the designations. Acting on behalf of their masters in Tehran, they use violence and terror to further the Iranian regimes efforts to undermine Iraqi sovereignty.

States designation acknowledged the League of the Righteous is extensively funded and trained by Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force.

According to State, the League of the Righteous has claimed responsibility for more than 6,000 attacks against U.S. and Coalitions forces since its creation in 2006. AAH has carried out highly sophisticated operations, including mortar attacks on an American base, the downing of a British helicopter, and an attack on the Karbala Provincial Headquarters that resulted in the capture and murder of five American soldiers.

Khazalis designation as well as his position as the leader of a Foreign Terrorist Organization should have at the minimum precluded the U.S. Ambassador to Iraq and the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs from attending and speaking at the Iraq Forum.

Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.

Are you a dedicated reader of FDD's Long War Journal? Has our research benefitted you or your team over the years? Support our independent reporting and analysis today by considering a one-time or monthly donation. Thanks for reading! You can make a tax-deductible donation here.
Sometimes, its all about expectations. Apples second financial quarter of 2023 results was a bit like a movie with bad word of mouthbut then you see it, and it wasnt that bad. In fact, maybe it was good? Sort of?

Or, to put it another way, when the economy looks shaky, its awfully nice when one of the most valuable companies in the world generates $94.8 billion in revenue and a $24.2 billion profiteven if its down slightly from the same quarter a year ago. After ringing a lot of warning bells three months ago, Apples business still seems pretty solid. If this is what a weak quarter looks like, Apples as blue-chippy as a blue-chip company could be.

As always, amid the numbers and Apples traditional phone call with financial analysts, there are a few nuggets to be gleaned about what Apples doing and what Apple CEO Tim Cook and CFO Luca Maestri are thinking. Im just here to chew gum and mine nuggets, and Im all out of gum.

A sigh of relief

This was a sigh-of-relief kind of quarter. Apples total revenue was off only three percent from last year, making it the second-largest Q2 in Apple history. The iPhone, Apples prime revenue generator, was slightly upand set all-time records in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and the UAE. Apples second-largest budget line, Services, was also up slightly and set a new all-time record.

The Phone is setting sales records in several international markets. Dominik Tomaszewski / Foundry

The rest of the business was mixed. While Apple always tries to cart out some superlatives for the Mac, iPad, and wearables product segments, they were few and far between this quarter. Its become clear that the Mac and iPad are victims of their own recent success, at least when it comes to sales trends: both products sold well during the early days of the pandemic, and the Mac also got a huge sales boost due to the arrival of Apple silicon. But with those days behind them, both products have to live up to the tough compare of last years second quarter, where the first Apple silicon MacBook Pros and the M1 iPad drove sales that this years models simply couldnt match.

I wouldnt worry about it too much, iPad and Mac fans. Both products are selling at levels never seen before the last couple of years, and theres a lot of growth in the installed base of both. Apple also said that more than half of last quarters iPad sales were to first-time iPad buyers, which shows the growth potential of the platform.

Looking at emerging markets, especially India

After Tim Cooks trip to India last month, there was a lot of talk about India during the analyst call. And the news was good, with Apple setting a quarterly record and posting strong double-digit growth. Cook called it a major focus with unbelievable vibrancy. Most importantly, Cook cited the rapid growth of a key customer base for Apple products: There are a lot of people coming into the middle class in India, he said, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and its great to be there.

If this sounds familiar, its because Cook said a lot of similar things about China a decade ago. But when asked specifically to compare the potential in India to that of China in the past, Cook demurreda politically wise decision. I think each country is different and has its own journey, he said. Every country is a snowflake, but huge-population snowflakes with rapidly growing middle classes are Apples favorite.

Beyond India, though, Apple threw some love at other emerging markets where its doing well. It was a great quarter for emerging markets in general, despite the [currency] headwinds, Cook said. Were putting efforts in a number of these markets and really see, particularly given our low share and the dynamics of the demographics, a great opportunity for us in those markets. In other words, in many of these markets, Apples overall market share and presence are so small that theres almost unlimited room for growth. And Wall Street analysts sure love hearing about growth potential.

A little bit about AI

Veteran analyst Shannon Cross of Credit Suisse asked Cook if he had anything to say about the hot topic of the tech industry, artificial intelligence. And Cook had an interesting, if circuitous, response.

I do think its very important to be deliberate and thoughtful in how you approach these things, Cook said. And theres a number of issues that need to be sorted, as is being talked about in a number of different places. But the potential is certainly very interesting. And weve obviously made enormous progress integrating AI and machine learning throughout our ecosystem, and weve weaved it into products and features for many years, as you probably know. You can see that in things like fall detection and crash detection, and ECG. These things are not only great features, but theyre also saving peoples lives out there. And so its absolutely remarkable. And so we view AI as huge, and well continue weaving it in our products on a very thoughtful basis.

While Apple is often portrayed as being behind on AI because it doesnt have its own Siri chatbot in beta, the truth is that the company has been using machine-learning-based technology in all sorts of corners of its platform, from sensor analysis on the Apple Watch to face- and object-detection in the Photos app. As for other stuffIm looking at you, Siriits hard to tell if Apples lost the plot or is just keeping everything secret until the moment it springs a new AI-driven Siri 2.0 on us all. But weaving it in our products is not a bad way to describe what Apple has done, thus far, with AI.

Siri started Apples AI ball rolling, but theres more to it than a voice assistant. iStock

Horribles on parade

So what have we learned? Mostly, things are weird, and weve all been through a lot recently, but Apple is gonna be all right. On Thursday, Tim Cook carted out a new phrase to describe our weird era: parade of horribles, which actually sounds kind of fun in a Willy Wonka sort of way.

But it cant compare to the cocktail of headwinds that Apple faced nine months ago. And when Cook introduced the phrase, he did so to emphasize that Apple was doing okay: Despite this parade of horribles we feel good about what we are and what our plans are.

Sometimes youre one of the horribles; sometimes youre the guy with the broom at the end of the parade, sweeping up after the horribles. And all the while, you get the feeling that Apples been watching the parade from its shaded luxury box.
We grew up poor, [in] working-class families. Her dad owned pubs and she hung out in pubs a lot when she was a kid and my mum worked in pubs and a lot of my family loved being in a pub so ... I was in pubs a lot when I was a kid, like all through my childhood, he laughed.
For Mallorca's politicians, arguments regarding Palma Son Sant Joan Airport have in recent years focused on plans for expansion and passenger numbers. These feed into debates concerning the island's carrying capacity, the volume of tourism, the environment and climate change. From both right and left have come calls for co-management, implicit to which are the deriving of direct financial benefit and a regulation of flights, the practicalities of which have never been delved into. This co-management may at one time have been conceivable, but after the partial privatisation of the Aena airports authority it ceased to be. Palma, the third busiest airport in the Aena network of 46 airports in Spain, is the most profitable. Forty-nine per cent of Aena shareholding is private. The Spanish government has recently stated that the "current model" for the network effectively excludes any involvement by regional governments.

Of less importance to the politicians, or so it has seemed, have been issues related to control and so ones that impact passengers. Passport and security controls are matters for the state - Aena, the Guardia Civil, the National Police. Even if they wished to, the island politicians would be unable to do anything about these issues; they don't have any powers. This vital infrastructure for Mallorca is ultimately a matter for Madrid. But, and as recent events prove, as soon as passengers leave the building, the management responsibilities shift.

The airport grounds and facilities are Aena's responsibilities, but into the equation come the Council of Mallorca because of main road management (but not roads inside the grounds), the Balearic government for transport inspection and Palma town hall for policing, e.g. roads and transport operators. But as the town hall has made abundantly clear, it will not provide a permanent police presence. There is no service agreement with Aena for police, so the town hall receives no payment, while there is also a question about resourcing - police are needed elsewhere in a city of over 400,000 people.

The chaos on the access road to the arrivals parking area and the clashes between taxi drivers and so-called pirate operators have attracted sufficient negative publicity to have elevated the airport into an issue for the elections on May 28, especially the Palma town hall election. Distant from the arguments about expansion and co-management, these are practicalities that require solutions.

From the left, the three parties of the current coalition administration, Mayor Jose Hila of PSOE says that "the local police will have a daily presence at the airport facilities and permanent communication with Aena so that if any incident occurs, the police can act urgently". Which sounds like a movement in the town hall's position regarding a permanent police presence. Hila is of the view that thirty minutes free parking at the express car park for arrivals will solve the traffic chaos; it is currently fifteen minutes.

Neus Truyol of Mes is more concerned with Aena. "The situations that have occurred at the airport highlight the problems that derive from an activity completely aimed at obtaining benefits for Aena, who do not plan the number of flights in relation to criteria such as sustainability or simple common sense."

Lucia Munoz of Unidas Podemos defends taxis as "an essential public service". This defence includes support for the decree which prevented Uber and similar from entering the market. "Vigilance and sanctions" are needed to deal with pirate transport, while public transport - more buses - would be a solution to the arrivals parking problems.

On the right, Jaime Martinez of the Partido Popular advocates more licensed drivers and temporary taxi licences. He will guarantee that there are more police, "their presence is essential", and insists that there needs to be more inspection, having a dig at the current government for not having carried out inspections of transport operators "over the past eight years".

The Vox candidate for mayor, Fulgencio Coll, says that problems would be solved by having more police presence, forcing compliance with the regulations and eliminating all kinds of unfair competition. "Any professional activity related to transport must be properly regulated and controlled, so that altercations do not occur."

Eva Pomar of Ciudadanos says that her party is "totally against" pirate transport and intrusion. As to the parking, she says that the Council of Mallorca should study solutions to improve airport road access and exit.

Well, at least they're talking about the issues. Meanwhile, a meeting has been convened for today at which representatives of the taxis and the pirate operators may just be able to arrive at some form of accommodation, regardless of what the politicians say.
On the Legislatures last day earlier this week, representatives in the state House held a final vote on House Bill 551 from Rep. Casey Knudsen, R-Malta.

The vote on whether to pass a constitutional referendum establishing permitless concealed firearm carry in the state Constitution came on the final board of a whirlwind floor session and only minutes before the House voted to adjourn sine die. Sixty two Republicans voted for the measure while 32 Democrats and four Republicans against, leaving HB 551 five votes short of the 100 needed.

Despite late amendments to sustain a handful of proposed constitutional referenda, Montana voters will not be asked by lawmakers to amend the state Constitution.

Republicans held a supermajority in the 68th Legislature with 102 GOP lawmakers. That meant that constitutional referenda, which require the votes of 100 members, could be advanced with only Republican votes. Voters would then decide in 2024 whether to vote the measures up or down.

Before the session Republicans requested drafts for nearly 50 constitutional referenda, but ultimately introduced only about one-fifth of those. Lawmakers debated amendments on firearms, hunting rights, college campuses, citizen grand juries, redistricting, establishing a mental health trust fund and axing state Supreme Court elections in favor of governor appointments.

A pair of rallies filled the Capitol rotunda opposing the referenda, and Democrats unified around opposing changes to the states founding document  several Democratic senators did vote for the mental health trust.

Republicans said early they would be thoughtful with which proposals to bring forward, that voters would make the final decision, and pointed out that the Constitution has been amended many times, including most recently in 2022.

Ultimately, none of the referenda were able to garner enough Republican support to make it to the 2024 ballot.

Senate President Jason Ellsworth, a Republican from Hamilton, said he did not see it as a loss that no referenda passed and called Democrats messaging a lie.

I think our conversations that we did have here are going to be conversations that will continue down the road, he said. And I'd like to say last session, we actually had a constitutional issue ballot initiative passed. So we can still do it. And I enjoyed that we had good conversation about the tough topics that do need to be talked about.

Senate Majority Leader Steve Fitzpatrick of Great Falls said the fact no referenda could secure 100 votes came as little surprise, and that much of the noise about the proposals came from outside the Capitol.

We had members who were very clear from the very beginning, they weren't going to vote for them. What it was, it was a distraction, to be all honest, he said. I mean, we had a lot of people worked up about constitutional amendments that were never going to pass. I think we spent very little time in leadership talking about constitutional amendments. So I mean, there was a lot of noise outside the building that was a very minor topic of conversation.

Rep. Alice Buckley, D-Bozeman, chairs the House minority caucus, and said concerns that Republicans could unilaterally advance constitutional referenda were very real. She was surprised none made it to the ballot.

I think we all felt really worried about the integrity of our Constitution, and that was because Republicans came in explicitly talking about their interest in changing that, she said. (To) sort of get to the end of the session with all of those feelings, its pretty stunning to me (that none passed). It makes me think about how Montanans value what we value.

Buckley believes that public pressure played a major role in persuading some Republicans to vote against the measures.

I think you saw the Republicans who voted against those constitutional amendments voting that way  because the people in Montana showed up for their Constitution and for their inalienable rights, she said.

House Majority Leader Sue Vinton of Billings said her Republican caucus spent a great deal of time discussing the proposed referenda, but said that is a very heavy lift.

While we did not get the votes that we needed to put any of those on the ballot, there was a great discussion, and generally much agreement, much more agreement than disagreement on any of those issues, she said.

State Bureau reporters Seaborn Larson and Holly Michels contributed to this story.
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ONEKAMA  And then there were two.

The Onekama Consolidated Schools Board of Education narrowed the field of candidates vying to fill the district's superintendent position Wednesday from four to two.

The school board interviewed Joanna Bennink, director of West Michigan Academy of Arts and Academics in Spring Lake; and Daniel Boyer, middle/high school principal of Beal City Public Schools, on Tuesday. Aaron West, middle school principal of Spring Lake Public Schools; and Craig Carmoney, retired superintendent of Meridian Public Schools, were interviewed Wednesday.

Following Wednesday's interviews the board members discussed the candidates and decided to invite West and Carmoney back for a second round of interviews to be held Monday.

West told the board he has dedicated his career to helping students find success.

"I just have a passion for being around young people," he said. "Whether they're 12 years old and doing well, or 19 years old and maybe struggling a bit, or everywhere in between, I just have a real strong desire and strong passion for being with young people."

West said he considers himself a servant leader willing to do whatever it takes to make sure his staff has all the tools it needs to educate students effectively.

"I don't know that a staff member has ever come to me and said 'I need this for our students' and I haven't been able to help them work that out," he said. "... Even if it seems like a pretty big ask, if you're telling me that you really feel strongly that you have to have this for the best interest of our students, then we'll find a way to make it happen."

Michael Sinke, board trustee, said he was impressed with West's experience.

"(He has) 31 years in education," Sinke said. "He definitely has a passion for students and education of the students. It seemed like he's aware that we're looking for someone that's a strong leader for the long term."

Carmoney retired after serving as superintendent of Meridian Public Schools for 12 years. He is currently serving as principal of Saginaw Chippewa Academy in Mount Pleasant.

"My passion is using my talents and time to serve children and to serve educators," he said. "I consider myself to be a servant leader. I spend a great deal of my time  whether in the role of a superintendent or in the role of a principal  with students and with staff."

Carmoney was named the Michigan 2021 Superintendent of the Year by the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators.

"The job of the leader is to make everyone better  you want your people to become greater than you are," he said. "You have to put your ego aside and try to be helpful and support them to be the best that they can possibly be and be comfortable enough to challenge you as a leader  respectfully, of course."

Margaret Punches, board treasurer, said she liked Carmoney's philosophy of putting students' needs first.

"He repeated several times that he supports the children, builds relationships with the children, children are the most important," Punches said. "He's right there with them. He gets to know them."

John Scholten, Michigan Leadership Institute consultant, said picking a superintendent to lead the district is likely the most important job a school board can have.

"They take the job very seriously and they put a lot of time into it," he said. "They've also invested a lot with this community to getting input on the type of leader you all believe like they believe you need next."

The board praised Bennink for being personable, innovative and genuinely caring about students.

Nick Dye, board secretary, wondered if Bennink's experience as a director of a charter school adequately prepared her for a superintendent position.

"Of the four (candidates), she did the best job of giving specific, personal examples, but what does kind of concern me is there's a comfort level I would say at a charter school," Dye said. "There's more security. We face a lot of different and unique challenges than a charter school."

Board members said Boyer struck them as honest, energetic and having a great personality.

Gary Madden, board trustee, said he was concerned about Boyer's ability to seamlessly take the reins of the district.

"He commented about needing a learning curve  some time to fit into the position," Madden said. "I'm not sure we have time to spare."

West and Carmoney's second interviews will be scheduled to take place in a special meeting open to the public at 5 p.m. on Monday. The two candidates are expected to tour the school prior to the interviews.
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DICKSON TWP.  The Manistee County Sheriff's Office on Thursday released the identity of the drowning victim who was found near the Tippy Dam Recreation Area at 2:43 p.m. Tuesday.

"The decedent is identified as Chad Randall Hetherington, 49, of Gladwin, Michigan," reads a news release, in part.
The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies worldwide and killed at least 7 million people worldwide.

WHO said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasnt come to an end, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. The U.N. health agency says that thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week.

Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadnt yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

Read more: Tufts Medical Center reports zero COVID patients for first time since 2020

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped many of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems he described as ill-prepared.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

WHO made its decision to lower its highest level of alert on Friday, after convening an expert group on Thursday. The U.N. agency doesnt declare pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway.

WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the worlds response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded. In January 2020, WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the countrys lack of cooperation.

WHO also recommended against members of the public wearing masks to protect against COVID-19 for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHOs reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agencys lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure by failing to share shots with poor countries.

Most recently, WHO has been struggling to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavor that has also become politically fraught.

After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as extremely unlikely.

But the U.N. agency backtracked the following year, saying key pieces of data were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab.

A panel commissioned by WHO to review its performance criticized China and other countries for not moving quicker to stop the virus and said the organization was constrained both by its limited finances and inability to compel countries to act.
A Pembroke elementary school student was rushed to a hospital for evaluation after school officials said he grabbed  but later learned he did not eat  a cannabis gummy from a paraprofessionals bag Friday morning.

Pembroke Public Schools Superintendent Erin Obey said a Hobomock Elementary School paraprofessional brought a backpack that contained cannabis-infused gummies into a classroom on Friday morning.

The paraprofessional later realized a student went into their bag and grabbed the gummies. Obery said school staff immediately reported the incident. Although the child appeared unaffected, they were rushed to South Shore Hospital for an evaluation and observation.

Medical staff later determined the child didnt eat any of the cannabis-infused gummies.

Obey said the childs parents were notified of the event. The Pembroke Police Department and the state Department of Children and Families are looking into the incident.

The superintendent said the paraprofessional has since been placed on paid administrative leave as the school district investigates.
Its officially paddlefishing season, and so far things are looking up for fishing upstream from Fort Peck to Fort Benton.

Compared to last year, our flows are way better than they were all last season, said Region 6 Fisheries Biologist Cody Nagel. The fish are moving up into the river from Fort Peck.

The fish typically begin moving upstream to spawn as flows approach 10,000 cfs, which Nagel said was the case at the Fred Robinson bridge last week.

As of late last week, Nagel said the majority of fish were downstream from Rock Creek, though he observed some between the Fred Robinson bridge and Rock Creek.

Not many, but mostly males there, Nagel noted. The bulk of the run is still below the Rock Creek boat ramp.

As the temperature warms and flows increase toward 15,000 cfs, fish will push further upstream.

As soon as we get some warmer days, itll start bumping flows up, said Nagel.

One thing to note is the recruitment from 2011, a high-water year that was particularly productive for paddlefish reproduction.

In 2011, we did document a good class of juveniles that are now starting to show up on the river; young males between 14 and 20 pounds, said Nagel. It will still be five years before the females start entering the river.

Males will begin to travel upstream to spawn between eight and ten years old, while females will first spawn between 14 and 16.

Nagel was out on the river tagging fish last week, which helps determine population estimates. If an angler catches a tagged fish, they should report it to Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks. There is also a mandatory reporting requirement for those snagging and keeping fish with a valid tag.

This year, there are four self-check stations, located at James Kipp campground, Jones Island, Slippery Ann, and Rock Creek. Those keeping paddlefish can choose to report their catch at one of the stations, or call it in to FWP.

Anglers can submit sections of the lower jaw for aging and can qualify for a free paddle fishing hat, said Nagel of the self-check stations. Theyll also get an age letter which tells how old the fish is.

Last year, only 280 paddlefish were harvested, which was a particularly bad year due to low flows.

On average, 350-450 are harvested each year, said Nagel.

Based on historical catch data and angler behavior, FWP looks to hit about 500 harvested each year of the 1,000 tags issued. Anglers might be on track for that target with high flows this year.

Conditions are really nice, said Nagel.
SPRINGFIELD  The Springfield School Committee adopted a $588 million operating budget this week that did not include an additional $4 million to fund teen mental health services, leaving teen leaders disappointed.

Davian Pagan, a sophomore at the Springfield Honors Academy and an organizer with the Pioneer Valley Project, said he did not feel heard by all committee members.

I feel like there was a whole lot of talking and not much listening going on, Pagan said.

Superintendent of Schools Daniel Warwick said the district had already allocated $30 million to build on the mental health services the district provides.

With a unanimous vote Thursday, the adopted budget rose 7.9%. Funding for mental health services remained the same. The budget becomes effective July 1.

Warwick said the district shared the data presented by the PVP teen activists with city principals. He said the principals were made aware of the teens request, as they plan budgets for next year. Since then, two schools have hired additional adjustment counselors.

We know it is a topic of utmost importance to our students and staff, families and community, and we have been investing heavily in mental health services  especially since the onset of the pandemic, Warwick said.

Vice Chair LaTonia Monroe-Naylor said the districts goal is to give schools autonomy. The schools are entrusted with shaping a spending plan that best addresses student needs. Families should bring their calls for specific spending directly to school leaders, she said.

The money is there and the committee mandates policies, she noted, but it is up to principals to decide what is in the budget.

That approach doesnt sit well with Pagan, of the Pioneer Valley Project.

Elected officials are supposed to use their voices to speak up for students, yet theyre deflecting their responsibilities onto the principals, Pagan said. It will depend on how the principals will use the money.

Districts approach

According to Warwick, allowing schools to customize their own spending plans has proven successful in the past.

It also gives schools latitude to invest in new and innovative data-driven programs, curriculums, and initiatives, Warwick said.

PVP teen leaders originally addressed the School Committee at a public speak-out March 16.

A survey suggested teens were struggling with anxiety, depression, isolation and the loss of community support in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teen leaders then proposed a $4 million amendment to the school budget to provide additional mental health resources.

Organizers asked the committee to allocate $1.32 million for 14 additional adjustment counselors, $950,000 for wellness centers, $150,000 for restorative justice training, $100,000 for culturally competent professional development and $1,510,000 for extracurricular activities and transportation.

The teens said their mission was to ensure that high school students in Springfield have access to services and supports in all buildings, just as in other districts in the region.

The districts investment of almost $30 million will fund various mental health services, Warwick said.

According to Warwick, the district employs a range of school, adjustment and graduation counselors.

No matter what the title, all counselors are trained to provide counseling, Warwick said.

Additionally, 24 agencies partner with the district to provide mental health and wraparound services through the City Connects program, Warwick said.

Denise Hurst, a committee member, questioned whether adjustment counselors are keeping up with the increased social emotional needs of students.

There is no savior district, and the school committee cant do everything, but it was helpful that PVP team leaders spoke to and identified where the gaps in services are, she said.

Monroe-Naylor said the district will use money from this years budget to study the issue. That inquiry will specify services schools are providing, enabling the district to judge the need for additional funding to schools, Monroe-Naylor said.

The feasibility study should be completed before the end of the school year, she said.

Essence Burton-Jordan, a PVP teen organizer and senior at Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy, said she was expecting a different outcome on the budget.

This was not it, Burton-Jordan said.

Burton-Jordan said even though she will be graduating soon, she will continue to push for mental health services in schools.

Were going to keep pushing and fighting to get change. We need to see something different, she said.
Roots music legends Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore will play the Academy of Music in Northampton on Aug. 27.

The pair joined forces in 2017 after discovering they shared similar musical roots. Although Texas-born Gilmore was named Country Artist of the Year twice by Rolling Stone, and California native Alvin started out with hard-rocking rhythm & blues band The Blasters, both men shared a passion for old blues and folk music.

Since that discovery, Alvin and Gilmore have recorded music and continued to tour together with their band, The Guilty Ones, swapping songs, telling stories, and sharing their life experiences on stage.
The Big Y grocery store in Longmeadow was evacuated around 1:30 p.m. on Friday afternoon, according to employees of stores across the street.

The Longmeadow Police Department did not immediately respond for comment, and the Longmeadow Fire Department replied that the activity there was over as of 3 p.m. and would not comment further on the situation.

Laurie Lemieux, a salesperson at In Chiq Boutique, confirmed to MassLive around 2:40 p.m. on May 5, that thered been several emergency vehicles at the Big Y earlier that afternoon and that the store had been evacuated.

Lemieux stated she did not know why the store was evacuated, and that a UPS driver had stopped into the boutique around 1:30 p.m. inquiring about the mass of people standing outside the grocery store.

People came over from the grocery store saying they were told to leave their carts and just immediately evacuate over the intercom, Lemieux said.

Later, a person came into the boutique and told Lemieux theyd tried to enter the store, but had been turned away and told it was closed.

As of 2:40 p.m., Lemieux said the scene was quiet. There was no activity going in or out of the front of the store that Lemieux could see at that time, she said.

I think everybodys out of the building now ... theres just some employees in the far end of the parking lot, most of the customers look like theyve driven off ... theres one [police] cruiser that we can see, but thats about it, Lemieux said.

An employee at Delaneys Market next door to In Chiq, who did not wish to be named, described the earlier scene with approximately six police cruisers, an ambulance and a firetruck.
HOLYOKE  On Thursday, City Hall hosted an observance of the National Day of Prayer, whose origins began in 1775 and became an annual event in 1952 thanks to a congressional act.

Seventeen clergy members offered prayers during the service, which resembled an impromptu revival replete with spirituals, spontaneous blessings and expressions of faith.

Mayor Joshua A. Garcia said that despite different beliefs and faiths, it was essential to come together and pray for good health, positivity and well-being. He prayed for the children, public schools, world leaders, local leaders, teachers, and military personnel.

Its amazing, the positive energy that is born out of people coming together in faith, that reflects positively the things that were praying for, Garcia said.

Several pastors and fellow congregants expressed their strong beliefs in a higher power.

The Rev. Albert Scherer of Our Lady of Cross Church said COVID-19 had shaken some peoples faith, while others found comfort in prayer or renewed their commitment to God.

For other people, their faith has been their lifeline that helped them to get through the pandemic. It gave them the strength they needed to appreciate, Scherer said.

Vasily Ivanova attended the ceremony with his Suffield, Connecticut, church group. He proclaimed he was a Bible-believing Christian.

My faith is all that I have. Without my faith, I am nothing, he said.

Pastor Maria Aponte from Springfield shared how her faith has been her foundation and what keeps her going every day. She compared her faith to the foundation of a house and said it has deepened over the years.

The gathering represented a collective faith for Millie Torres.

Because when you have a heart in somebody else, or you come in like today in unity, thats your faith in Jesus Christ, the word of Jesus Christ, she said.

Ruth Garcia described faith as expecting the best in life and believing in the same force and God that everyone else believes in, regardless of the form it takes.

She stressed the importance of unity, love for others, and using the life force to better oneself daily.

Pastor Daniel Torres was the master of ceremony and led the opening prayer.
A former academic dean in Boston Public Schools was sentenced to 18 years in prison on May 4, after the man recruited students to the Latin Kings and attempted to murder a student hed recruited who was selling marijuana in the high school, the Office of U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins said.

Shaun Harrison, 63, also known as Rev or King Rev as a gang member of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, was sentenced on Thursday to 218 months in prison after he pleaded guilty in August 2022 to charges of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, Rollins office said.

Harrison had been hired in 2015 as an academic dean at The English High School in Boston, the office stated. His role was to act as a mediator between teachers and students, contact families when students were struggling, work with students who were at-risk and to run an after-school anger management program for 10 boys, Rollins office said.

While working at the high school, Harrison would specifically target at-risk students into the Latin Kings and provide the children with marijuana and other drugs to sell at the high school of which he would collect the proceeds, Rollins office said.

Harrison was the architect of ruin for an entire generation of promising young lives  exclusively targeting and grooming vulnerable, at-risk youth. The very thing he was hired to work against, Rollins said.

In March 2015, Rollins office said Harrison thought one of the students hed recruited to sell marijuana had stolen money from him and wanted to get out of crime, and believed the student was going to go to the police.

Harrison met up with the unnamed student on March 3, 2015, and shot the student in the back of the head at point-blank range with a handgun.

The shooting was caught by a surveillance camera, Rollins office stated. The student miraculously survived the shooting, Rollins office said, but now has partial face paralysis, neuropathy in his neck and face and permanent hearing loss, amongst other significant injuries.

Harrison was arrested shortly after and charged in Suffolk Superior Court, then convicted to serve 25 years in state prison in 2018. However, Harrisons communication with the Latin Kings did not end there: the former dean continued to associate with gang members, even through jail calls to other co-defendants.

The Latin Kings rewarded Harrison for his loyalty to the gang and for refusing to give up other names by putting money into his jail accounts, Rollins office said.

Harrison is also responsible for recruiting a number of high-level and known Latin Kings gang members, including four former students who are collectively serving almost nine years in prison for their gang-related activity, Rollins office said.

One of those individuals, Wilson Peguero, was known as King Dubb and became the Inca or the leader of the D5K Chapter of the Latin Kings. Another, Alexis Peguero, became the Cacique or second-in-command of that chapter, and was known as King Lexi.

In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings for suspected racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges.

Of the 62 charged, 60 of those defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing, Rollins office said, and two are fugitives. Harrison is the 59th to be sentenced in the group.

Shaun Harrison led a double life  using his position as a high school dean to engage in violence and recruit at-risk youth into a violent criminal enterprise. Todays sentence ensures he will stay in prison and off our city streets for a significant period of time, said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, special agent in charge of the FBIs Boston Division.
A wealthy attorney who made a name for himself in the nations capital before returning home to Maine to run for governor vowed to seek redemption Thursday after he pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse.

Eliot Cutler, who came close to being elected governor in 2010, sat stone-faced at times in court, but his voice cracked with emotion when he addressed the judge. He apologized first to the victimized children and their families.

My behavior helped to support an industry built upon their abuse, and I hope with all my heart that they can find healing and dignity, Cutler said.

The plea agreement, accepted by the judge, calls for Cutler to serve nine months in jail for four counts of possessing sexually explicit material of a child under 12.

It marked a remarkable fall for a man who once served as an aide to the late Sen. Edmund Muskie, as the top energy and environmental adviser to then-President Jimmy Carter, and launched a powerful environmental law firm in Washington, D.C.

His attorney, Walter McKee, said all of Cutlers life achievements will now be nullified in many peoples opinions because of his possession of so many images of children being hurt  a punishment that goes beyond the jail term.

The 76-year-old Cutler, meanwhile, made no excuses for his addiction and said he would devote his remaining years to redemption.

He told the judge that he had opportunities to reach out for help but neglected to do so and was embarrassed, ashamed, and deeply, deeply sorry for his actions. I failed to meet my obligations to myself, to my family, to my friends and to civilized society, he added.

Afterward, Hancock County District Attorney Robert Granger acknowledged many people outraged by Cutlers actions will be unhappy with the sentence, but he said the penalty falls in line with similar cases over the past decade.

Theres a lot of commentary from folks in the public that are enraged by the conduct. But unfortunately, we just cant jump to a maximum sentence in these types of situations, Granger told reporters afterward.

Law enforcement officials said they found thousands of images of children under 12 on Cutlers electronic devices, and his lawyer said Cutler acknowledged downloading hundreds of images at a time of children being sexually assaulted.

After his arrest, Cutler spent some time in a residential treatment center for sex offenders, and his attorney said Cutler never engaged in inappropriate conduct with children. His attorney said the likelihood of recidivism was virtually nil.

But advocates for child sexual abuse victims were having none of any attempt to downplay Cutlers crimes.

Paul Kendrick, a critic of the Roman Catholic Church during clergy abuse scandal, said Cutlers actions supported sexual violence against children. The otherwise healthy lives of victims of child pornography are wrecked forever, he said.

Cutler used his personal wealth to bankroll two campaigns for governor as an independent. He narrowly lost  by less than 2 percentage points  to Republican Paul LePage in 2010 and lost again by a much larger margin in 2014.

In 2021, Cutler sold his oceanfront mansion in Cape Elizabeth for $7.55 million to a nephew of former President George H.W. Bush. After his arrest, he sold another home that he owned in Portland, Maines largest city.

Cutler was freed after his arrest last year at his waterfront home in Brooklin, a coastal community 130 miles (210 kilometers) from Portland.

The terms of probation prevent Cutler from possessing sexually explicit materials, require his online activities to be monitored and limit his ability to be around children. He also must register as a sexual offender for life.

Judge Robert Murray said he is hopeful that something good could still come from the shame that has accompanied Cutlers fall from grace.

The good which comes from this shame depends entirely upon you and how you respond. Youve alluded to that in your remarks. I cant measure your sincerity in that regard. That will only be proven with the passage of time, Murray said.
The worker who died following an explosion at PCI Synthesis in Newburyport on Thursday has been identified.

The Essex County District Attorneys office identified him as Jack OKeefe, 62, of Methuen. The Newburyport Fire Department and its mutual aid partners recovered the workers body at about 5:30 p.m., Acting Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury III said.

Dispatchers received calls of an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way at about 12:45 a.m., Bradbury said. When firefighters arrived, they saw that the explosion caused an industrial-sized vat from inside the building to move about 30 feet.

Five workers were rescued Thursday, taken to a local hospital, treated and released. OKeefe was unaccounted for during much of Thursday.

The explosion happened at the location of PCI Synthesis, a chemical manufacturing plant that produces active pharmaceutical ingredients, according to its website.

Originally referred to by Bradbury as a hazardous materials incident, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were requested to the explosion site. Environmental cleanup crews are assessing any impact the incident may have caused to local streams, Bradbury said.

PCI Synthesis belongs to Seqens, a multinational company based in France, which said to the Boston Globe in a statement that it was deeply saddened to report that a long-time member of our PCI family died during the accident. The entire group and its employees are extremely shocked by this accident. At this tragic moment, all our thoughts and prayers are with our friend and colleague and his family during this difficult time.

The Globe also reported that the plant underwent OSHA inspections in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The inspections found multiple violations of workplace safety rules.

That includes chemicals burning in 2019, prompting a hazmat emergency, and a more dangerous hazmat emergency involving a series of chemical explosions that cascaded through the building, the Globe said.

What caused the most recent explosion is under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshals Office, Bradbury said.

OKeefes body will be turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, before the Essex County District Attorneys Office conducts a death investigation.
On May 5s Google Doodle, a bespectacled man cradles a camera while men and women hold signs in protest, a man in a turbin waves a small U.S. flag and a man stands before a locomotive. What does this all mean?

As part of Googles celebration of U.S. Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, the doodle celebrates the life and legacy of photographer and journalist Corky Lee, whose photos recorded the diversity and nuances of the Asian Pacific American community often overlooked by mainstream media, the tech company said.

May 5 was designated as Corky Lee Day to honor his contributions to New Yorks communities, Google added.

Lee was born on Sept. 5, 1947 in Queens, New York, to Chinese immigrant parents. As a child, he was captured by the famous photograph of the completed Transcontinental Railroad, taken by Andrew J. Russell at Promontory Summit in Utah on May 10, 1869.

Chinese laborers, who made up the backbone of the Central Pacific Railroads construction, were not represented in the photograph, according to the National Park Service and Google. Lee took careful note of this before teaching himself photography and attending Queens College to study history.

Lee attended protests, rallies and demonstrations all throughout his career to capture the struggles of Asian Americans, even snapping the photo of young Chinese American Peter Yew as he was dragged away by police in 1975, Google said. Yew stepped in after seeing a 15-year-old boy who was being beaten by police after an alleged traffic violation.

Yew, who was also beaten by the police, is seen in the photograph being dragged away, blood rushing down his face, according to a Stanford University exhibit featuring Lees work. Two weeks later, Chinatowns streets were shut down as residents protested police brutality, with banners demanding, END ALL OPPRESSION, FIGHT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, and END POLICE BRUTALITY.

Lees photographs appeared in Time, the New York Times, New York Post and several other publications. His work included restaurant workers going on strike and a turbaned Sikh with an American flag draped around his shoulders shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Stanford said.

Lee eventually went to Promontory Summit, this time to recreate Russells photo with the descendants of those same Chinese laborers in an effort to show that Asian American history is American history, Google said.

Read more: Backlash against Ted Nugent cancels concert at Alabama brewery

Lee died from COVID-19 on Jan. 27, 2021. His New York Times obituary said he was determined to correct history that left out Asian-Americans... and quoted him calling his railroad reenactment photos as an act of photographic justice.

Thank you for your dedication to preserving the stories of so many, Corky, Google said. Yours, too, is not forgotten.
Theres not a sense of urgency to pass a tax relief package in the Senate, where members are focused on advancing an annual budget bill and finding out why April tax collections took such a precipitous nosedive, according to a ranking Ways and Means Committee member.

Sen. Patrick OConnor, the committees ranking Republican, said Thursday that senators are grappling with the very concerning news about Aprils state revenue collections. The Department of Revenue released data Wednesday showing a plummet of $2.163 billion from the same month last year, a development that suddenly put the state at risk of confronting a fiscal 2023 budget deficit.

In conversations that Ive had with legislative leadership, theres obviously going to have to be briefings and explanations as far as what happened here, OConnor told reporters at the State House, expressing hope that the latest numbers could be an outlier. Aprils our biggest tax month, and to have our biggest tax month show that big of a loss  that literally took us from almost a billion dollars up to almost a billion dollars down  we need to be well aware of what happened and adjust policy as need be moving forward, whether it be the budget, whether it be the tax package.

He added, I dont think that theres a sense of urgency to get that tax [relief] package done.

The House in April passed its tax relief package and then built its impacts into its fiscal 2024 budget. Senate Democrats wont say if they plan to follow the same process, and OConnor suggested Thursday that consideration of tax relief in the Senate may occur after late-May state budget deliberations.

OConnor, of Weymouth, said that for now senators are all in on fiscal 2024 budget development.

I think that sometime after that, we potentially do the tax package just because theres a lot of looming things that are going on right now, in general, OConnor said. Theres a huge uncertainty out there, right now, with the April numbers. Lets take our time. Lets make sure we get this right.

Still, OConnor balked at the premature prospect of pursuing a tax package of less than $1 billion, after the House and Gov. Maura Healey backed plans to expand the child and family tax credit, rental deduction cap and senior circuit breaker while overhauling the short-term capital gains and estate taxes.

I wouldnt consider this as an immediate cause of concern to change the policy or sort of plan that we have in place for the tax structure, OConnor said of April revenue numbers. So Id still like to have everything on the table. As we go through briefings and talk with economists and figure out what happened in April, I want to then sort of reassess at that point in time.

To bolster Massachusetts competitive edge, OConnor said the state must raise the estate tax threshold above $1 million, cut the capital gains tax rate and provide tax breaks to families who are paying for the outrageous cost of childcare.
SPRINGFIELD  The Springfield Symphony Orchestra and its musicians have signed a labor agreement following a protracted and sometimes bitter contract negotiation complicated by the pandemic.

In announcing the signing of a two-year pact Thursday, the musicians and orchestra administrators pledged to work together to bring back loyal fans and attract new and diverse listeners.

The challenges are very real and we have to do everything in our collective power to work on them, said Paul Lambert, who took over as president and chief executive officer of the symphony in January 2022. The fact that Springfield has a symphony at all is practically a miracle.

The labor agreement will officially begin at the June start of the organizations fiscal year. It guarantees the symphony will play a minimum of six classical concerts and two pops concerts. The 64 musicians will receive a 5% raise in the first year and another 5% increase in the second, officials said.

Musicians are part-time and generally paid by the concert, earning an average of $5,000 a year, said Beth Welty, president of the Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians and a violinist with the orchestra.

The musicians are thrilled and we stand ready, eager and cant wait, she said. We are here to work with everyone to bring us to greater heights.

Beth Welty is president of Local 171 of the American Federation of Musicians. The musicians are thrilled and we stand ready, eager and cant wait, she said. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

The negotiations grew so hostile over nearly three years that union officials filed an unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board. That complaint, which was scheduled to be heard Tuesday, has been dropped, she said.

The musicians also formed an independent orchestra called the Musicians of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra in the 2021-22 season, when the Springfield Symphony Orchestra was on hiatus in part due to COVID-19. The symphony returned to offer eight shows this season, which is ending May 13 with a performance at 7:30 p.m. at Symphony Hall in Springfield.

The Musicians of the Springfield Symphony will continue to play in small groups, which it does now. As part of the pact, it will change the name to the Springfield Chamber Players because orchestra officials complained the existing name is confusing, Welty said.

We will put on chamber music at different places and we will use it as marketing for the symphony, she said. We can tell audiences, if you like the three of us, you should hear 65 of us.

The musicians gave up demands for 10 concerts a year, compromising on eight. While they said they want to play as much as possible, Welty said they also understand the financial constraints the orchestra is facing.

They also agreed that the symphony will continue to be conducted by a series of guest musicians for the coming season, as it continues to rebuild. Lambert said they will hire a musical director soon.

The city pledged to support the orchestra, offering a $280,000 grant that will be spread over two years and an additional $80,000 from Springfields $123.8 million in federal pandemic money. The federal grant is earmarked to be used for educational purposes, Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said.

For each and every one of you, let the show go on, Sarno said. He came to the announcement, which fell on his birthday, carrying the baton he was given when he served as a guest conductor of a past holiday pops concert.

Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno brought a baton to the announcement that the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has reached a new labor agreement with Local 171 of the Musicians Union. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)

He acknowledged the negotiations followed an arduous path and thanked his staff as well as Lambert and the musicians for all their work.

Many communities the size of Springfield have not been able to keep a symphony alive. Sarno said he is grateful to have the musicians, saying the orchestra is a valuable part of the city.

Officials often talk about the number of people who come downtown for a Springfield Thunderbirds game  and how that benefits other businesses. When the symphony is here, downtown is hopping too, he said.

Lambert and Welty said the $80,000 in pandemic relief funding is a key component in rebuilding the orchestra. It will introduce Springfield students to classical music, some of whom have never seen a live symphony performance.

I hope we can bring the kids back to the hall, Welty said. In the past, the Symphony Orchestra would bus in schools and perform special concerts for students.

In fact, Lambert said he hopes to build the diversity of the audience in all ways, bringing in people of all ages and races to concerts. Some of the challenges we face is the symphony audience is aging and more people are in the habit of staying home because of the pandemic, he said.

The symphony also must broaden its base of donors, he said.

We need new businesses to help us. Write a check. Bring your staff to a concert, Lambert said. We are open to many new ways of marketing.

While the symphony has agreed to eight concerts, Lambert said he also hopes to add a few, if he can get sponsors and other financial support. He aims to provide a free concert on Juneteenth to celebrate that holiday, if he can secure the needed donors.

It would celebrate this wonderful new holiday and combine jazz and symphonic music and gospel, he said, noting that Springfields Black community has a rich history and he would like to commemorate that and educate people about it through music.
To a casual eye, the lawmaking process can look only like a bunch of people talking into microphones.

But when looking through the lens of a camera, it's a process that runs the gamut of human emotion and experience.

On display is anger and joy, solidarity and betrayal.

It can be quiet at times and loud at others.

Its a process that is a sum of its characters. From the lawmakers and lobbyists all trying to push their interests and ideas, to staff and security that keep the whole thing running. The public is the star of the show as citizens provide testimony, and legislators herald the work in their honor.

And it all plays out in Montanas crown jewel of a building. With rooms washed in natural light, dark hallways, timeless art and commanding architecture.

But for now, the peoples work in the peoples house has come to a close.
A worker who was unaccounted for most of Thursday after an explosion at a chemical plant on the North Shore has been found dead.

Newburyport Fire Acting Chief Steve Bradbury said in a statement that that the Newburyport Fire Department and its mutual aid partners recovered the workers body, who has not yet been publicly identified, at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday. The explosion happened at around 12:45 a.m.

Dispatchers received calls of an explosion at 9 Opportunity Way at about 12:45 a.m., according to an earlier statement from Bradbury III. The explosion was referred to as a hazardous materials incident. Later, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection were at the site of the explosion, as well as members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Environmental cleanup crews are assessing any impact the incident may have caused to local streams, he said in his follow-up statement.

PCI Synthesis, located at 9 Opportunity Way, is a chemical manufacturing plant that produces active pharmaceutical ingredients, according to its website.

When firefighters arrived, they saw that the explosion caused an industrial-sized vat from inside the building to move about 30 feet, now sitting in an adjacent parking lot.

Five workers were at the plant at the time of the explosion, Bradbury said. Four of those workers were found, taken to a local hospital, treated and released.

What caused the explosion is under investigation by the Newburyport Fire Department and State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit attached to the State Fire Marshals Office, Bradbury said. The workers body will be turned over to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, before the Essex County District Attorneys Office conducts a death investigation.
Not surprisingly, the Smith College School for Social Work is coming in for ridicule for renaming its Office of Field Education to avoid what it termed negative associations.

The graduate programs April 28 email announcement linked the change to Smiths Toward Racial Justice Plan, a document it said calls us to reflect on our past and present to build a more just and inclusive future.

Not only is that a noble goal, its an urgent one. We applaud institutions that work to eliminate bias and inequity. In this case, though, we think Smith  in copying a California universitys move  went after a language problem that didnt exist.

In January, the University of Southern California was lampooned by conservative opinion-writers who leap on any chance to assail something woke. Those campaigns are for the most part coded criticism of anything perceived to be Black. The people who run the Smith grad program surely knew their announcement would come in for the same derision, as it already has.

It would be wrong not to act on a principle out of fear someone will make fun of you.

But in putting its reputation on the line, Smith feeds a narrative it should have avoided, inadvertently giving cultural wars critics an opening that overlooks the important service graduates of this nationally known program deliver, on the ground, to countless people in desperate need of someone who listens and counsels.

The word field has been scrubbed from the programs website, though it still comes up in Google indexing. In its email, the program parroted language from USCs announcement. USC said this: Language can be powerful, and phrases such as going into the field or field work may have connotations for descendants of slavery and immigrant workers that are not benign.

Smith said this: We recognize that language is powerful and that phrases such as going into the field or field work may hold negative associations.

Its not quite plagiarism, but Smith clearly tips a hat to USC, though for some reason it stops short of making clear the negative association is slavery. Is slavery seen as a triggering word at Smith?

Lets hope not.

The college wants, and deserves, different headlines, as it received in 2021 when it eliminated the use of loans in financial aid packages. And as it got in 2022, when it committed to using only renewable energy by 2030.

As of Friday afternoon, MassLives coverage of Smiths distancing from the word field had prompted more than 2,600 comments on the websites Facebook page.

One commenter, Dorcas Bethel, wrote: I am a descendant of slaves and I had no issue with the term field work when I went to social work graduate study. It was challenging unpaid labor. I like the new language but the justification for implementation is spurious. If you want to rename the office then just do so. I believe that as social workers we need to move past the cosmetic changes wokeism encourages.

This comment came in from another social worker, Julia Sophia: This performative virtual signaling is obnoxious, she wrote. If they want to make real changes for BIPOC, maybe they should focus on advocating for unions and higher wages, paid internships, and lowering the ridiculous price for licensure exams which would ensure that those who are not wealthy can attain education and licensure.

Here and there, we found comments in muted support of the programs decision. But most were disappointed by Smith, or worse. We give them the last words:

 We use field so often in our profession and no one has ever found it offensive ever. Faculty, students, other healthcare professionals. If we start eliminating words that people find offensive there will be no words left!

 Phew, Im so glad we moved past that troubling term. Maybe Ill go for a walk in the farm open area thingy tomorrow.

 Its only racist because they want it to be. The rest of us understand the English language.

 Just stop  you cant erase history just because you dont like it. Also theres nothing shameful about doing fieldwork or working in a field.

Kiernan Majerus-Collins posted that he wished liberal institutions would stop giving right-wingers material to make us look bad. Liberals (at least the kind I know) arent the language police. Were the folks who believe in free speech, and who will fight like hell against the fascists banning books.

And this, from Eric Peloquin: This is what Malcolm Muggeridge was talking about when he spoke of those who would become educated into imbecility.
As dozens of stores look for another home after the Eastfield Mall announced it will close this summer, at least one has found a new home, right across the street.

On the other side of Boston Road from Springfields Eastfield Mall propertys major $85 million redevelopment, the M&T Bank will make way for Hannoush Jewelers.

Hannoush Jewelers will move out of its current Eastfield Mall location into the former M&T Bank building at 1630 Boston Road, according to a Republican report. Jewelry chain-store owner Norman Hannoush purchased the bank property in 2022 in anticipation of relocating.

For the past 20 years weve been here (in the mall), Hannoush told the Republican in February. Its wonderful ... for us. Customers come in to see us. Were a destination.

M&T was set to move out in April. The building is under construction. Hannoush Jewelers owners expect to open its new doors across from the defunct Eastfield Mall sometime this summer.

Hannoush also recently opened a store in a former Midas building on Memorial Drive in Chicopee.

Hannoush Jewelers recently opened a store on Memorial Drive in Chicopee. Nicole Simmons

In April, Onyx Partners Limited purchased the Eastfield Mall property from Mountain Development for $4.5 million.

Onyx Partners are planning a major redevelopment of the Eastfield Mall site. Owners told the Republican in April that the project will cost somewhere between $65 million and $85 million and construction will take about two years.

Owners added theres a high probability theyll bring in a Chick-fil-a, Old Navy, Burlington clothing store and PetSmart to the former mall property.

Plans Onyx submitted to the Springfield Planning Board didnt list business names but featured a drawing of a potential layout with new retail spaces numbered as buildings 1-17.

After 56 years, Eastfield Mall is set to permanently close its doors in July.

Onyx, the city and the Western Massachusetts Economic Development Council are planning to help the malls 43 small businesses and 10 national retailers find new locations.

The Onyx leasing team is also communicating with current tenants about returning to the property once construction is completed.
The Brimfield Flea Markets  also known as the Brimfield Antique Flea Markets  will start on Tuesday, May 9, and the forecast for much of the event looks promising for attendees.

After a warm weekend across much of Massachusetts, including what the National Weather Service anticipates to be a gorgeous Saturday, temperatures in Brimfield are expected to hover between the 60s and 70s through the week.

In Brimfield, the opening two days of the market on Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be in the mid-60s before reaching just over 70 degrees on Thursday. Conditions are expected to fluctuate from partly cloudy and cloudy before sunshine dominates the skies on Thursday, May 11, according to the weather service forecast.

The Weather Channel expects partly cloudy skies with temperatures reaching the mid-70s on Friday and Saturday, and no chances for precipitation.

The last day of the markets, Sunday, May 14, is when forecasters anticipate some showers hitting Brimfield. The Weather Channel expects a 30% chance of rain developing later in the day and a 40% chance of rain by the evening.

Even if theres a last-minute change-up in the forecast, the Brimfield Flea Markets said on its website that the events are held rain or shine from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., though times vary depending on when booths are open. For the full schedule of events and when booths are open, head over to their website at the link here.

After May 14, the next round of flea markets will be held July 11 to July 16, then once more in 2023 between Sept. 5 and Sept. 10.
Lawyers for the Diocese of Worcester were in court Thursday petitioning to dismiss a civil lawsuit brought against it by Nicole Bell, who accused former diocese food program director William Billy Riley of sexual misconduct in 2022.

Attorney Robert Pierce, who represented the Diocese of Worcester, St. Johns Catholic Church, Bishop Robert McManus and the Rev. John Madden  but not Riley  argued that the case against the non-Riley defendants should be dismissed primarily because it was beyond the statute of limitations.

In the commonwealth, most civil cases have a statute of limitations of three years, meaning legal proceedings cant be initiated three years after an event. Pierce argued the statute had expired because the misconduct occurred in 2014.
The Worcester School Committee filed a petition for a mediator after the Educational Association of Worcester rejected its latest offer in contract negotiations that it claims would provide an average salary increase of 18.3% for teachers, according to a press statement from Worcester Mayor Joseph Pettys office and Worcester Public Schools.

The committee filed the petition with the Massachusetts Department of Labor Relations on Friday after its offer for a teachers contract was rejected Tuesday.

The department will determine if the parties have negotiated for a reasonable amount of time and if an impasse exists. If one does exist, the department will appoint a mediator to assist the parties to reach an agreement, according to the departments website.

Read more: Worcester union to take no confidence vote if educator contract not reached

The EAW did not offer a counter proposal, according to the mayors office, and has not moved forward with a contract agreement for paraeducators.

The Worcester School Committee has repeatedly proposed sizable wage increases for our dedicated teachers and continuously engages in good-faith bargaining, Petty said in a statement. We are requesting a state-appointed mediator so that our hard-working educators do not wait any longer for the fair and competitive compensation package they truly deserve.

Petty is chair of the school committee, which is responsible for contract negotiations with unions representing Worcester Public Schools faculty and staff.

MassLive has reached out to EAW President Melissa Verdier for comment.

The union has scheduled a press conference for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, May 5 at Worcester City Hall to provide an update on the status of contract bargaining and related union activities, according to a press statement.

Verdier previously told MassLive that if the union does not have a contract signed by Friday, May 5, they will take a vote of no confidence in school committee members and city councillors.

The union has worked without a contract since Sept. 1, 2022.

Membership is getting very frustrated and feels like the committee is not hearing what theyre asking for, Verdier told MassLive April 28, a day after a rally at Worcester City Hall drew more than 1,000 people to call for a fair contract for educators.

The no-confidence vote is to let people know the membership does not feel the school committee is working its hardest to get the union a fair contract, according to Verdier.

The offer the district made Tuesday included an additional $40.5 million in wage increases and benefits for teachers over four years, the mayors office and school district claim.

The $40.5 million would allow for raises between 15% and 19.4% for all teachers and additional compensation for educators with more than 10 years of experience.

The committees offer also included an increase in the hourly pay rate for school and summer work from $37 to $60 an hour.

The raises would be broken up over four years and the baseline 15% increase would be broken down to a 4% raise in the first year, another 4% raise in the second, a 3% raise in the third and a 4% raise in the fourth.

The district provided an example of what the raise in the latest offer would look like for a teacher with a masters degree at the top of the salary scale who works 185 days a year. The teachers current salary of $85,647 would increase to $99,232 over the course of four years.

The offer also included an increase in longevity payments. Teachers who have worked for WPS for 10 years currently receive $1,144; that would increase to $2,000 in the latest offer. Teachers with 15 years in the districts payments would go from $2,185 to $3,000; 20 years would increase from $2,185 to $3,000; 25 years would increase from $2,705 to $4,000 and 30 years would increase from $3,225 to $6,000.

The districts offer also included new stipends for paraeducators for high-needs, specialized work during school hours, increased stipend payments to compensate for elementary class sizes and educator mentorship and increasing elementary teacher preparation periods from four to five per week.

The offer for paraeducators includes an entry-level salary increase of up to $14,000 annually, one-time payments of up to $1,500 for all paraeducators and an increase from $17.50 to $25/hour for summer work.

The district has also asked that the teachers work an extra two days a year for professional development outside of the classroom. It would increase the total number of days teachers work a year from 183 to 185.

According to the mayors office and committee, nearby districts work between 184 and 186 days.

Additionally, the district asked that new hires contribute 1% of their earning to the Other Post Employment Benefits Trust Fund to address the citys growing cost of supporting retiree health insurance.

The last three-year contract the union had expired in 2020. The union signed on to a two-year contract that year, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, that was purely financial and kept all the same language as the previous contract, Verdier has previously explained.

The union is asking for an increase in wages for teachers, as current wages are making retention and recruitment impossible, she said April 28.

The union is also looking to increase stipends for educators performing work outside of their primary role and raise the hourly rate for work outside of normal school hours, for work during after-school programming and the summer.

Teachers earn on average $10,000 to $13,000 less per year than comparable districts, including in districts right next door, a form letter the union is calling for people to send to city officials reads. This has created a retention and recruitment crisis as Worcester struggles to attract and retain highly qualified educators to our district and adequately staff the schools.

Since January 2022, the Worcester School Committee and Worcester Public Schools have participated in more than 20 bargaining sessions with the union.
Larry McAdams stood in the snow at Fort Washakie on the Wind River Reservation. In a crisp gray ball cap, sunglasses and a blue medical mask, the Eastern Shoshone elder knew he was in for a long afternoon. McAdams was upset, and he was not alone; roughly 30 tribal members were with him, all holding signs and demanding answers from the tribal nations business council.

Were here to protest House Bill 83  and the councils involvement with that. McAdams said. The state of Wyoming, or any state, has no authority over our recognized treaty tribes.

In April 2022, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council had approached Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordons office to express an interest in addressing off-reservation hunting. Many tribes have treaty-protected hunting rights that extend beyond reservation boundaries, and the business council wanted to open up a dialogue with the state on possible collaboration. And while the talks between Gov. Gordons office and the Eastern Shoshone Business Council were casual, many tribal members were upset when, less than a year later, in January 2023, members of the Wyoming Legislature introduced a bill  H.B. 83  that would allow Gordons office to negotiate with tribes over tribal members off-reservation hunting, fishing and trapping rights. For McAdams and the rest of the protesters, any issue involving treaty hunting should first be brought to the Eastern Shoshones General Council, which is the constituencys governing body.

The issue of off-reservation hunting rights is a thorny one for tribal citizens in Wyoming, largely due to the states ongoing desire to have a legal and political say over the activities of Indigenous hunters. Before the U.S. Supreme Courts Herrera v. Wyoming decision in 2019, which upheld treaty-protected off-reservation hunting rights, the state maintained that statehood trumped treaty obligations.

The Eastern Shoshone Business Council originally supported H.B. 83. The councils vice chairman, Mike Ute, who spoke at a Wyoming House Appropriations Committee meeting in favor of working with the state to prevent future litigation, expressed his desire for the state and Eastern Shoshone Business Council to be on the same page. An agreement could help avoid any tense encounters between tribal hunters and state law enforcement who might be unfamiliar with treaty hunting rights.

But after the bill was advanced to House committee hearings, the Eastern Shoshone Business Council changed its mind. In a letter to the governor, the council wrote, We apologize for this development; however, we now believe that the bill will jeopardize and compromise the rights of our tribe and other tribes if it becomes state law.

The business council explained that it changed its position after conferring with the Shoshone-Bannock Tribes. The tribal nation is located on the Fort Hall Reservation in Idaho, but, like the Eastern Shoshone, is a signatory of the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868, which protects off-reservation tribal hunting rights for citizens of both nations.

Claudia Washakie, a member of the Fort Hall Business Council, spoke in opposition to the bill before the House Appropriations Committee. She said that the Shoshone-Bannock work in partnership with the state of Idaho, but emphasized that the tribe makes its own policies governing its members off-reservation hunting, fishing and gathering. Washakie cited language in Article 4 of the Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868, which supports off-reservation hunting.

According to the treaty, tribal members would make reservation land its permanent home, but they shall have the right to hunt on the unoccupied land of the United States so long as game may be found thereon, and so long as peace subsists among the whites and Indians.  In short, the law is already clear: The tribe does not need permission from either Idaho or Wyoming to establish its own hunting regulations.

In a contemporary sense, tribes have the sovereign authority to regulate all aspects of hunting, fishing and gathering under our treaty rights  free from interference by state regulation, Washakie said. Tribes are not required to externally collaborate with any agency prior to implementing any activity protected by a reserved treaty right.

Monte Mills, the director of the Native American Law Center at the University of Washington, said bills like H.B. 83 are not unique, and agreements with state officials regarding conservation exist elsewhere. But, Mills continued, Wyomings version is particularly rigid, outlining specific ways in which tribal nations and the governors office can enter into agreements.

From a tribal perspective, there might be objections to saying that were essentially going to follow everything that the State Wildlife Commission does, Mills said. Were going to follow their seasons, or were going to follow whatever the limitations that are set out on the governors ability to negotiate may not be acceptable to tribal partners.

As evidenced by Februarys protest, treaty hunting, fishing and gathering rights are an important issue for the tribes on the Wind River Reservation, particularly given the fact that the state has just poured public resources into fighting treaty hunting rights in court. Eastern Shoshone tribal members like McAdams were also upset by what they saw as a clear circumvention of their nations governing process by the business council. Many tribal citizens only found out about the proposed policy change after the bill was introduced.

That creates a lot of political tension and pressure, Mills said. The tribal government itself may be kind of caught between the political realities of working with the state of Wyoming and making sure to represent the interests of the constituents.

Even though H.B. 83 died in the Senate  members of the Legislature complained that Gov. Gordon should not be allowed unilateral power to enter into agreements with tribes without input from state representatives  tribal hunting rights will almost certainly be re-examined later.

Meanwhile, many Eastern Shoshone tribal members remain disappointed by the business councils handling of the issue. During the protest in Fort Washakie, Eastern Shoshone Business Council Vice Chairman Mike Ute stepped outside the council offices to address the crowd, saying the business council never initiated conversation with the governors office with the express desire of creating a bill like H.B. 83. He then added that the law itself did not make agreements, it only allowed the state to enter into agreements with tribes.

Thats not the point, a voice called out from the crowd. You should have come to us first. They held a sign that read: Respect and Honor the Shoshone General Council.
A proposal to provide free school meals to low-income K-12 students took the long road through the North Dakota Legislature, but the program won approval from lawmakers with the clock running out on their biennial session.

Both chambers of the Legislature voted by wide margins April 28 to pass Senate Bill 2284, a broad school funding proposal that contains $6 million to cover meal costs for students from low-income families over the next two-year budget cycle.

The bill now goes to Gov. Doug Burgum, whose spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A federal program already provides free meals to students from families making below 130% of the federal poverty level, so the state allocation would cover kids with family incomes between 130-200% of the poverty level.

That means families of four with incomes at or below $60,000 would qualify for the free lunch program in North Dakota, according to current poverty level income figures.

Last month, the Republican-led Senate killed a bill containing the free lunch funding by a one-vote margin. The GOP-run House, which had previously passed the lunch funding, then resurrected the $6 million appropriation by inserting it into Senate Bill 2284.

Several senators spoke against the lunch funding April 28, arguing that the issue of paying for low-income students meals had been twisted out of proportion by the news media.

Sen. Judy Estenson, R-Warwick, said House members who amended the lunch funding into a larger bill were forcing the Senate to swallow a bitter pill that weve taken a lot of heat for.

The bill received no vocal resistance in the House on April 28, where representatives did not debate the lunch funding or any other piece of the proposal.

Rep. LaurieBeth Hager, a Fargo Democrat who sponsored the original lunch funding bill, told Forum News Service she is relieved that the $6 million appropriation made it through the Legislature, adding that she was stunned and saddened by the Republican pushback on the proposal.

Well-fed kids will learn better in school, and the state should pick up the tab for students meals as it does for other materials like desks and books, Hager said.

Nick Archuleta, president of teachers union North Dakota United, said hes very happy with the Legislatures decision, noting that attendance at school is compulsory and children shouldnt be charged for lunch.

Hager and Archuleta said they hope to see the program expand in future years.

Burgum signed a separate bill earlier this month that prohibits K-12 schools from denying meals provided through federal breakfast and lunch programs to students with unpaid meal balances.

That bill also bars lunch shaming by forbidding schools from publicly identifying or punishing students who fail to pay meal debt.
A 19-year-old man who was shot Thursday by a Bismarck police officer was still hospitalized Friday and is under arrest on suspicion of terrorizing, according to the department.

Police say two men at an Arlington Drive residence asked Daedyn Lewellyn, of Bismarck, to leave the home about midday but he refused. The men argued, and Lewellyn allegedly pulled a gun on one of them, who is also 19, the department said. The two men fled to the back of the residence and Lewellyn left the area.

Police about 2:30 p.m. found Lewellyn leaving the U-Haul storage center on Interstate Loop. He had a weapon and was shot by an officer, the department said. The extent of Lewellyn's injuries is not clear. No officers were injured. The officer who fired at Lewellyn is on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation by the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Police on Thursday said Lewellyn was known to police and the subject on an ongoing investigation. They did not elaborate Friday on the nature of that investigation. Formal charges from the Thursday incident are not listed in court documents.
The Friends Of the Rail Bridge on Thursday filed an appeal with the South Central District Court in a bid to save the 140-year-old Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge.

The North Dakota Department of Water Resources in late April issued two state permits that gave Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway the last regulatory permissions it needed to replace the Bismarck-Mandan Rail Bridge over the Missouri River between the two cities.

The permits that Water Resources had been considering for months were sovereign land permits. One was for the construction of a new bridge and one was for the removal of the existing bridge.

FORB is appealing the granted permits. The nonprofit citizen group also will seek to get a declaratory judgment action, according to Bill Delmore, a Bismarck attorney who filed the appeal. A declaratory judgment action is a request to the court to decide legal rights and responsibilities. A decision by the court would be binding but not enforceable.

It answers questions without litigation," State Court Administrator Sally Holewa said. "Its quicker and faster than going to trial.

FORB previously indicated its considering a lawsuit to try to save the existing bridge but said it needed to first exhaust its potential administrative remedies, including seeking rejection of the sovereign lands permits.

In its appeal, FORB argues that Water Resources issued the permits prior to receiving approval from the North Dakota State Historic Board and without adequately considering law regarding the potential effects of the proposed project. The preservation group also argues that questions regarding the state's ownership of the bridge and the riverbed underneath were not adequately considered, despite evidence the group says it submitted.

BNSF spokeswoman Amy McBeth said the company is dismayed by the appeal of such an important private infrastructure project benefiting North Dakotas major industries and the nations supply chain.

BNSF Railway will vigorously defend the project and permits, including our ownership of our railroad bridge over the river. We will be responding through the appropriate process, she said.

BNSF Railway and contractors have begun clearing trees and removing dirt, among other activities, on both sides of the river. The railroad will be installing fencing in the working area and encourages people to avoid the project area. Trails will be inaccessible at times.

The bridge is part of the congressionally designated Northern Plains National Heritage Area and is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The preservation group envisions a pedestrian bridge tourism attraction but hasnt said how it would be funded. A 2019 feasibility study conducted by North Dakota State University estimated the cost at just under $7 million.

FORB has said it does not oppose a new bridge, as long the existing one is maintained. Members believe a studied-but-rejected alternative  building a new structure 92.5 feet upstream  would have been feasible. The railroad disputes that, saying financial, logistical and environmental reasons precluded that option.

The railroad maintains that the aging bridge needs to be replaced with a modern structure for safety and efficiency reasons. The U.S. Coast Guard after a nearly three-year environmental review of the BNSF plan concluded the bridge is approaching the end of its useful life and needs to be replaced.

Federal officials determined the best alternative is to build a new bridge about 20 feet upstream and remove the existing bridge. Side-by-side bridges in the river channel would result in a floodplain rise, according to the Coast Guard.

FORB has repeatedly brought into the question ownership of the bridge, believing that the bridge could be owned by the state. BNSF has called FORBs state-ownership argument legally absurd. The railroad maintains it holds a clear title to the bridge.

FORB has said the question of who owns the bridge has stopped private foundations from committing. The group believes the bridge is state property and that it could not be removed without approval from the State Historical Board. The board in March passed a resolution expressing support for preserving the bridge but noting that it does not have authority or expertise to determine ownership.

Attorney General Drew Wrigley in March informed the board that he does not believe it has the authority under state law to stop demolition of the bridge because the structure has always been owned privately.

FORB did not immediately respond to the Tribunes request for comment.
by Fern Siegel , May 5, 2023

TDA Boulder, Rebel Creamerys AOR, took an unusual approach to dessert.

In its Feel Better Ice Cream ad campaign, the agency utilized twisted humor to make a point. Sure, it is sad for kids to set a pet free, especially in the unpredictable wild. But they get compensation: Rebel ice cream!

The 30-second Bunny spot, which kicks off Rebels first major multichannel brand-awareness push, is memorable because it's edgy. The campaign runs across CTV, YouTube, digital, social, Spotify, geo-fenced mobile, rich media, influencers and shopper ads.

Digital and social spots announce: "You'll spend an entire year of your life in traffic and Youre staring at a screen 7 hours a day," followed by the words: "Feel better."

As a company, Rebel is already breaking the rules  creating a delicious ice cream with just 1 gram of sugar. Naturally, its advertising campaign needed to feel equally as rebellious, which is why we created the worlds saddest advertising campaign, Jeremy Seibold, partner-creative director, told Agency Daily.

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Its an unexpected twist that plays off a product truth  ice cream comforts us. By removing the associated guilt, Rebel made that experience better and easier. We simply created a campaign that provided the reason to do it, he adds. "Nothing has made me happier than creating this sad sad campaign."

TDA Boulder was chosen as Rebels agency of record in fall 2022. Its roster includes Champion Pet Foods, FirstBank and Desert Door Spirits.
by Fern Siegel , May 5, 2023

Radio ad revenue has enjoyed a respectable rise from 2021 to 2022.

Total local radio over-the-air and digital revenue for 2022 topped $13.6 billion in 2022, an uptick of 7.4% from $12.6 billion in 2021. Over-the-air advertising grew 2.2% to $11 billion, up from $10.7 billion in 2021. Digital income rose 35% to $2.6 billion.

That's according to BIA Advisory Services, which just released its Investing in Radio Market Report for 2023.

Looking at last years ad revenue results, it shows that radio is maintaining an important position in their local markets, particularly as it expands and improves its online digital presence, said Nicole Ovadia, vice president, forecasting at BIA. This year, we are making a particular effort to track the digital revenue of local radio stations." Ovadia forecasts the 2022 revenue hike will be harder to achieve this year, since there is no major political spending. However, 2024 political advertising is expected to begin earlier in the cycle, potentially bleeding into late Q4 of 2023.

For the top 10 radio stations by over-the-air revenue, a few adjustments in rankings occurred in 2022.

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While Washington, DC all-news station WTOP-FM maintained its longtime leading spot with $69 million in advertising revenue, other all-news stations struggled.

Compared to last years list, Chicago's all-news station WBBM (AM) dropped to the No. 9 position and all-news station WCBS (AM) in New York dropped to the No. 11. New to the list is WSB (AM) news/talk in Atlanta, with $31.6 million in 2022 revenues.

Radio sales transactions had a different fate.

Lauren Ross, BIAs vice president, media valuations, said: The radio deal market can best be described as sluggish in the past three years. Although deal volume increased by two-thirds in 2022 to $300 million from $190 million in 2021, total radio station sales have been very low since 2018. All totaled, there were just seven radio buys of $10.0 million or more in 2022.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, May 4, 2023

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D) used strong rhetoric when writing to Amazon about the anti-vaccine book "The Truth About COVID-19," but didn't violate the First Amendment by crossing the line from attempted persuasion to coercion, a federal appellate court ruled Thursday.

The ruling, issued by a three-judge panel of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, upholds a trial judge's refusal to order Warren to retract the letter.

The decision comes in a battle between Warren and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

Their dispute dates to September 2021, when Warren said in a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy that the company was contributing to the spread of false information about the pandemic by promoting the book, writing that it perpetuates dangerous conspiracies about COVID-19 and false and misleading information about vaccines.

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Kennedy, who last month announced a bid for the 2024 Democratic presidential nomination, was banned from Instagram in February 2021 for, according to the company, "repeatedly sharing debunked claims about the coronavirus or vaccines."

Soon after Warren sent the letter to Jassy, the book's authors and publisher, as well as Kennedy, who wrote its forward, alleged in a lawsuit that the lawmaker violated the First Amendment by complaining about the book to Jassy.

Kennedy and the others sought an injunction that would have required Warren to retract her letter.

U.S. District Court Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle rejected that request, following which the plaintiffs appealed to the 9th Circuit.

On Thursday, that court upheld Rothstein's decision.

The plaintiffs have not raised a serious question as to whether Senator Warrens letter constituted an unlawful threat in violation of the First Amendment, Circuit Judge Paul Watford wrote in an opinion joined by Michelle Friedland. Her letter requested, but did not demand, that Amazon reevaluate its business practices regarding COVID-19 misinformation and report back any changes. The absence of a specific demand is unsurprising, given that Senator Warren lacks direct regulatory authority over Amazon in this matter.

In her letter to Jassy. Warren said that the top search result on Amazon for the terms COVID-19 and vaccine was "The Truth About COVID-19," and asked him to review Amazon's algorithms, report on whether they recommended books with incorrect information about COVID-19 and, if so, develop a plan to modify them.

The senator also noted that she had earlier raised concerns regarding false and misleading information about KN95 masks, adding: This pattern and practice of misbehavior suggests that Amazon is either unwilling or unable to modify its business practices to prevent the spread of falsehoods or the sale of inappropriate products -- an unethical, unacceptable, and potentially unlawful course of action from one of the nations largest retailers.

Kennedy and the others argued to the 9th Circuit that Warren's letter could be viewed as a threat, particularly because she called Amazon's activity potentially unlawful.

The appellate judges rejected that argument, writing that Warren used strong rhetoric, but didn't violate free-speech principles.

Generating public pressure to motivate others to change their behavior is a core part of public discourse, Watford wrote.

He added that her use of the phrase potentially unlawful didn't cross the line into attempted censorship.

Placed in proper perspective, the phrase 'potentially unlawful' most likely refers to the 'sale of inappropriate products,' such as the unauthorized KN95 masks, he wrote. Such a business practice could potentially constitute unlawful consumer fraud... Even if we accept the plaintiffs reading of the letter, however, referencing potential legal liability does not morph an effort to persuade into an attempt to coerce.

Circuit Judge Mark Bennett concurred with the decision to uphold Rothstein's, but argued that some parts of Warren's letter could be interpreted as coercive by a reasonable reader.
by Wendy Davis , Staff Writer @wendyndavis, May 4, 2023





Federal Trade Commission chair Lina Khan this week warned of potential dangers posed by the growing adoption of artificial intelligence -- including that it could "turbocharge" fraud and facilitate discrimination against individuals, as well as unfair competitive behavior.

Khan said timely regulation is needed, arguing in a New York Times op-ed that lack of adequate tech policies and enforcement in the past resulted in a concentration of power among a few companies and business models that came "at extraordinary cost to our privacy and security."

Artificial intelligence may not be ready to replace professional writers, but it can already do a vastly better job of crafting a seemingly authentic message than your average con artist, she wrote, adding that fraudsters are already using the technology to create phishing emails.

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Khan also noted that artificial intelligence tools are trained on data that may itself contain biases, which could result in tools that unfairly discriminate.

Her commentary comes as interest in artificial intelligence is mounting, as are calls for its regulation.

In March, the business organization Chamber of Commerce called for appropriate and reasonable protections to prevent artificial intelligence from harming privacy, or promoting bias.

Others have called for a tougher approach. Last month, for instance, the advocacy group Center for AI and Digital Policy urged the FTC to halt further commercial releases of Open AI's large language model software GPT-4, calling it biased, deceptive, and a risk to privacy and public safety.

On Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris and other White House officials met with executives from Google, Microsoft, Open AI and other companies currently developing artificial intelligence -- apparently in hopes of urging them to proceed with caution.

We aim to have a frank discussion of the risks we each see in current and near-term A.I. development, actions to mitigate those risks and other ways we can work together to ensure the American people benefit from advances in A.I. while being protected from its harms, Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House office of science and technology policy, told the companies in the invitation, according to The New York Times.

Khan didn't just address artificial intelligence in her op-ed. She also restated concerns that 20-year-old companies like Google and Facebook threaten privacy.

The last time we found ourselves facing such widespread social change wrought by technology was the onset of the Web 2.0 era in the mid-2000s, she wrote.

Companies like Facebook and Google revolutionized communications, she added, but their services came at a steep cost to privacy and security."

What we initially conceived of as free services were monetized through extensive surveillance of the people and businesses that used them," Khan wrote. "The result has been an online economy where access to increasingly essential services is conditioned on the widespread hoarding and sale of our personal data."
by Steve Ellwanger , May 4, 2023

Kraft Heinz is entering the U.S. seasonings market  and, in a separate move, expanding the distribution of Lunchables a into the National School Lunch Program (NSLP).

Having acquired majority ownership of European brand Just Spices a year ago, Kraft Heinz said last week it has begun offering 10 of the more than 170 Just Spices products strictly on a D2C basis.

Just Spices has focused solely on blends by creating three different categories dubbed Allrounders, Seasonings and Toppings to match specific usage occasions.

The spice category is a huge market where we dont play, Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio said during a Q1 earnings presentation yesterday.

Meanwhile, the companys entry into another market -- the National School Lunch Program (NSLP), which provides federally assisted low-cost or free lunches to school children -- is drawing criticism from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

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Lunchables were launched in Seattle in 1988 and went national in 1989. They have been positioned as convenient food packages that require no preparation.

According to a brand rep, Lunchables will be the first Kraft Heinz meal to be offered via the NSLP .

The Lunchables to be provided in the 2023-24 school year are Extra Cheesy Pizzaa mix of cheese, pizza sauce and pizza crusts that dont require heatingand Turkey And Cheddar Cracker Stackers, according to Kraft Heinz Q1 business update,

"Thirty million kids participate in school meals programs, many of which are from families with low incomes, CSPI campaign manager for federal child nutrition programs Meghan Maroney wrote in a blog post. A hot school lunch is a lifeline for many children who might otherwise not have access to nutritious foods. If Lunchables become part of a regular menu rotation, what meal will they replace? Will there still be a choice for a hot meal?"

Maroney also contended that having Lunchables in the school program would lead parents to conclude these products are now healthy, and "might feel more comfortable buying them, even though the school Lunchables are likely to be nutritionally different than the same product sold in stores.

In fact, according to the Lunchables rep, both SKUs for the school program have a specialized recipe that incorporates more protein and whole grains to keep kids powered throughout the day, reduced saturated fat and sodium and an increased serving size.

In other news, on the frozen-foods side, Kraft Heinz announced yesterday the launch of a brand called Homebake 425/:30which consists of entrees, vegetable and side dishes that come in roasting pans and can be heated together in an oven set to 425 degrees for 30 minutes.

Homebake 425/:30 is starting with five main courses, five sides and five vegetable dishes.
Two organized crime groups (OCG), dealing with syphoning of Value Added Tax (VAT) and dubbed by former Bulgarian Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov The Untouchables 1 and The Untouchables 2 were crushed by the Ministry of Interior and the National Revenue Agency (NRA) in 2010 and 2011. Pre-trial proceedings began as early as September 2009 over intercepted bank transactions through UniCredit Bulbank of over BGN 800,000, causing suspicions of large-scale money laundering. Investigators have been able to prove that the groups have actually managed to syphon hundreds of millions of VAT from the budget through dozens of shell companies registered to low-income individuals, drug addicts and under groups of people at risk. The investigation has led to charges of involvement in an organized crime group.

Prosecutor or Lawyer?

Despite successful operations and the gathering of huge amount of evidence of criminal activity, the prosecutors in the pre-trial proceedings in The Untouchables 1 case have been replaced with new ones, coming from the Regional Prosecutors Office in the second largest city of Plovdiv and the Regional Prosecutors Office in the capital Sofia. These are, respectively, Lyubka Krasteva (now in the Sofia Prosecutors Office of Appeals) and Ivan Geshev (current Deputy Prosecutor General and only candidate to become Bulgarias next Prosecutor General). The reshuffle has been done with unclear motives and despite the perfect work of the previous team of prosecutors  Yulia Hristova and Yavor Dimitrov. They have been removed without any explanation and replaced by Geshev. At that time, six people from the OCG have been in detention and bank accounts in the amount of BGN 1 million have been frozen. With his arrival, Geshev has called for the interrogations of the arrested individuals to continue, even though they have been questioned more than ten times before that and have made full statements, including in the presence of a judge from the Sofia City Court.

During these new interrogations, the leader of the OCG  Vladko Dimitrov, has literally haggled with prosecutors for the conclusion of a plea bargain. In the end, such bargains have been reached between Geshev and the group, resulting in extremely lenient and even symbolic sentences, while the detention measure has been changed to house arrest. The shameful haggling can be heard in four recordings that Bivol has obtained and whose authenticity it has verified. The recordings had been made with a mobile phone in the office of Prosecutor Ivan Geshev at the end of March 2011.

The recordings are of poor quality due to side noises, so they had to be further cleared. However, it is obvious enough from them that Prosecutor Ivan Geshev does not have any misgivings about covering up charges of serious economic crimes under the Penal Code, twisting testimonies and finishing ongoing investigations in order to curry favors for the defendant Vladko Dimitrov. Dimitrov even asks for a modest sentence for himself and lifting the charges against his girlfriend Kamelia. And in the end, he gets them. The interests of the criminals are served, as opposed to the interests of the State and the public.

The analysis of the audio recordings shows that Geshev does the following:

 Negotiates an agreement not with the defense lawyer, but directly with one of the defendants (the same Vladko Dimitrov), contrary to Article 381 paragraph 1 of the Penal Code;

 Negotiates with the defense lawyer of one defendant an agreement with third parties in the pre-trial proceedings, but in their absence;

 Declares in an inadmissible for a pubic prosecutor manner and in the presence of the main defendant and his lawyer that he does not see evidence of tax crimes, thus rendering the previous work of his colleagues meaningless;

 Begs involved persons and their defense counsel to negotiate plea bargains;

 Excludes economic crimes and money laundering from the scope of the indictment and does not say a word about the recovery of inflicted damages, despite the explicit provision of Article 381 paragraph 3 of the Penal Code, which sets such recovery as an explicit and mandatory condition for a plea bargain;

 Apart from narrowing down the specific charge, he also wants to join other investigations into the plea bargain to completely clear the defendant;

 Addresses the defendant in an informal and even friendly manner;

 Hinders criminal prosecution against Kamelia Gospodinova, who is Vladko Dimitrovs girlfriend;

The actions listed above not only raise doubts about the legal expertise and integrity of the Prosecutor, who appears to be acting simply as the defendants lawyer. These conversations, disguised as additional interrogations, are disgraceful and shameful for the Office of the Prosecutor and call for charges under Article 288 of the Penal Code, namely Crime against Justice, and for one to six years of imprisonment.

Bivols editorial office has the audio files and their transcripts in Bulgarian.

Cover-up for The Untouchables

In April 2010, in the course of an investigation against The Untouchables, the authorities detained Vladko Dimitrov, Zhelyaz Ivanov, Ivaylo Yordanov, Yassen Savchovski, Borislav Hristov and Kamelia Gospodinova. Ivanov and Yordanov were detained at a teller counter at UniCredit Bulbank while trying to withdraw BGN 800,000 from an account there.

According to the investigators, Vladko Dimitrov is the ringleader. His subordinates, Zhelyaz Ivanov and Borislav Hristov, have been on the lookout for various destitute persons to establish shell companies in their names. The companies controlled by Dimitrov have made transfers of large sums to the accounts of the companies of the straw people. Vladko Dimitrovs clients have been real companies with large tax liabilities that have been cleared by deducting VAT refunds. Vladko Dimitrov has been receiving 20-25% of the VAT refund for his services.

The companies and entities using the debt-clearing scheme are affiliated with controversial energy mogul Hristo Kovachki. This is evident, both, from the intercepted contacts of Vladko Dimitrov with Kovachkis employees, and from the numerous donations to Kovachkis political party Leader, made by the investigated destitute persons, including poor Roma people. The Untouchables have donated a total of BGN 125,000 to the party for the 2009 European Parliament elections.

The initial prosecutors in the case  Yulia Hristova and Yavor Dimitrov  have been replaced by Geshev and Krasteva by the order of notorious prosecutor Roman Vassilev immediately after the first arrests and freezes of bank accounts.

Instead of completing the expert reports, summarizing the enormous volumes of gathered evidence and information, Prosecutor Geshev has started his work by requesting unnecessary additional interrogations. As it became clear, during these interrogations he has simply haggled with the defendants for light sentences and even releases, while completely ignoring the damages inflicted on the budget. In addition, Geshev has divided the case into two separate proceedings, causing a complete legal mess.

However, while Geshev had haggled, the National Security Agency (DANS) had been working on The Untouchables 2, another group dealing with syphoning VAT under the same scheme. The two groups are connected through the same persons  Zhelyaz Ivanov and Borislav Hristov, use some of the same destitute individuals and have some of the same real companies as their clients.

The authorities have identified Borislav Lashkov as the ringleader of The Untouchables 2. He has been a business partner with the former Prosecutor General Boris Velchev and with Krasimir Stoyanov, the Secretary of the former President of Bulgaria Georgi Parvanov.

The Main Directorate for Combatting Organized Crime (GDBOP) and the late former Secretary General of the Interior Ministry Tsvyatko Tsvetkov have also provided a cover-up for the group. On the other hand, side, DANS has continued to work on the case without the knowledge of the GDBOP. It has used Special Surveillance Devices (SSDs) to intercept a conversation at a restaurant in Sofia in which the ringleaders have discussed the amount to be paid to Prosecutor Ivan Geshev to terminate the proceedings and unfreeze the BGN 820,000. For these services, he should have received 50,000 (it is unclear from the recording if these had to be in EUR or BGN).

The plan has apparently succeeded because Geshev has reached the plea bargains, and the court has not even ruled on confiscating the amount in favor of the State. This happened because Geshevs plea bargain, which became effective on August 3, 2011, had explicitly stated that no damage had been inflicted.

Previously, in June 2011, ten people were detained in The Untouchables 2 case, including Bozhidar Lashkov. Prosecutor Margarita Nemska explained before the media then that the operation had been premature because there had been a leak of information to the ringleaders. At that time, more than BGN 20 million in VAT syphoning was reported, but subsequently, the damage established by the investigators swelled to BGN 145 million.

Seven years later, in 2018, Bozhidar Lashkov received in the first instance from the Special Court (for organized crime and high-level corruption) a suspended sentence. The Prosecutors Office protested before the Special Court of Appeals, which subsequently returned the case to the lower instance.

During one of the courtroom hearings in the Special Court, evidence obtained through SSDs was read, mentioning the amount to be given to the prosecutors to crush The Untouchables 1 and unfreeze the sum of BGN 820,000.

Bivol asked the Special Court to be allowed to see the SSDs content. We received a strange formal refusal under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA), although our request was not under the APIA. The Court confirmed the existence of this evidence, but refused to provide it on the grounds that it had been added to another criminal proceeding. We assume that these are proceedings initiated because of the return of the case to the lower instance and expect the Courts final decision in the case for the syphoning of BGN 150 million.

When Roman Vassilev appointed Ivan Geshev as prosecutor in The Untouchables 1 case, one of his first remarkable actions was to plead before the court to free Vladko Dimitrov from detention and change the measure to house arrest. It is noteworthy here that Prosecutor Geshev, as a the States representative in the case, had been begging the Court along with the defendants lawyer. Since all parties in the case had wanted the same thing, the Court had changed Dimitrovs measure to house arrest.

However, what is more important here is the division of the pre-trial proceedings into two separate cases  for organized crime and for tax fraud, which Geshev had done at the end of 2010. Because of this move, some of the overwhelming volumes of evidence had not been recorded in either case and the BGN 800,000 in the accounts of two of the companies had not found a place in the new pre-trial proceedings for tax fraud.

It is further clear from the decree for the separation of the pre-trial proceedings that Geshev had separated the collected evidence and documentation not by subject and by inventory, but by the color of the folders. This had led to complete documentary chaos and eventually to the termination of the pre-trial proceedings for tax crimes by prosecutors Ivan Geshev and Lyubka Krasteva.

Geshev then had proceeded to reach a secret (without the knowledge of DANS or NRA) plea bargain with the defendants in the pre-trial proceedings for organized crime, which became fact on August 3, 2011.

The strikingly friendly attitude towards the defendant, revealed by the recordings, is strange and worrying, but even more alarming is the bargaining to suspend the tax crime charges.

Obviously Geshevs position on the lack of tax crimes has evolved with time, because the decree by which he divided the pre-trial proceedings into two separate ones lists exactly article 253 of the Penal Code  money laundering and Article 255  tax evasion.

It turns out that VladkoDimitrov has been investigated for other tax crimes and Geshev has been aware of this fact, but has haggled over them as well.

Geshev does not notice Kamelia and the damage to the budget

We learn from the recordings, that the defense lawyers request is not to press charges against Kamelia, Vladko Dimitrov to receive a year and a half behind bars, and serve the rest as a suspended sentence. In the course of the bargaining, Geshev offers to Dimitrov four years of jail time, apparently agreeing with the other demands, but then softens and Dimitrov gets only two years.

In addition, while the sentences, though very lenient and suspended, are nevertheless sentences, Kamelias exoneration is a scandalous and unacceptable act on the part of the Prosecutor. In the course of the investigation, it has been established that Kamelia Mihailova Gospodinova has been in an intimate relationship with Vladko Dimitrov and has participated in several companies used in the VAT spin.

Kamelia Gospodinova has significant assets and real estate in Sofia, on the Black Sea coast and the SPA resort town of Sandanski. If sentenced, she would have faced their confiscation by the Commission for Confiscation of Illegally Acquired Assets.

In the end, Prosecutor Geshev and the defendants reach an agreement for a two-year prison sentence for Vladko Dimitrov. Zhelyaz Ivanov receives a two-year suspended sentence and five years probation. The other members of the gang receive suspended sentences. Meanwhile, Dimitrovs girlfriend

Kamelia completely disappears from the case file

Neither the supervising prosecutors Ivan Geshev and Lyubka Krasteva, nor the Court that approved the plea bargains, have mentioned her name.

The other major thing missing from Geshevs haggling with The Untouchables 1 is the damage to the fisc. The plea bargain explicitly states that no material damage has been inflicted. As a result, the BGN 820,000 in bank accounts had been unfrozen, against the backdrop of NRA experts and investigators conclusions that the fiscal damage to the budget by shell companies amounts to BGN billions.

Despite the refusal by the Special Court to grant access to the material evidence, it should not be underestimated as it contains critical information about the case. The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) must request it and become acquainted with it, as well as with the entire documentation in the case file before voting on Geshevs candidacy. In view of the fact that in Bulgaria the Prosecutor General has excessive power and is virtually untouchable, something pointed out by the European Commission as a relic from the Communist past and one of the main shortcomings of the judicial system, it is a must to do everything necessary to have complete transparency of the candidates activities and decisions.

UPDATE: On Thursday, October 24, 2019, the majority in the JSC, which has all along stood firmly behind Ivan Geshevs candidacy, elected him with 20 votes for and four against to become Bulgarias next Prosecutor General. The finalization of the process is now in the hands of President Rumen Radev, who is entitled to a one-time veto. He also should become aware of the above information, the SSDs and all other facts and circumstances in this case.

***

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The need for the EU to lead in decisively addressing the multiple crises - food, energy, financial  facing the international community, as well as Greece's commitment to fully support this effort, was emphasized by Deputy Foreign Minister Kostas Fragogiannis, during the EU Foreign Affairs Council on Development Cooperation, held on Thursday, May 4, 2023, in Brussels.



In his intervention regarding the consequences of Russia's aggression against Ukraine on partner countries and the EU's support for Ukraine, the Deputy Minister referred to Greece's participation in the "Team Europe" initiative to address the food crisis, as well as in the EU Solidarity Lanes to facilitate the export of agricultural products from Ukraine. Furthermore, he expressed Greece's commitment to being present in Ukraine's reconstruction. In this regard, he pointed out that "Greece is preparing its strategy for active participation, particularly in the construction, health, and cultural heritage protection fields, primarily in the Odessa region."



Regarding the reform of Multilateral Development Banks, the Deputy Minister acknowledged the need for increased support for the most vulnerable countries, including through the strengthening of the banks' financial models and financial capacity. At the same time, he conveyed Greece's proposal for a geographical "regionalization" of the Multilateral Development Banks' activities, aiming at a more coordinated and targeted response to the needs on a case-by-case basis.



Referring to Sudan, the Deputy Minister expressed Greece's readiness to contribute by all means to the efforts to achieve peace and stability in the country and in the wider Horn of Africa region.



Lastly, regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, Mr. Fragogiannis emphasized the importance of the EU's continued presence in order to achieve a sustainable improvement in the country's overall humanitarian situation.


In 1967, the U.S. Postal Service commissioned a 15-minute film to explain their newfangled Zone Improvement Program code system, better known as ZIP codes. They hired the talents of a folk-pop group called The Swingin' Six to perform songs and skits about the ZIP system.

At 15 minutes, the film is about five times longer than it needs to be, but it was worth sticking around until the end to see the introduction of Mr. Zip, the USPS mascot that probably had a lifelong effect on my taste in illustration.

Mental Floss has some information about The Swingin' Six:
JOURNALIST: Good afternoon to everyone. Thank you very much for joining us today, for watching the - I'm sure - very interesting discussion that will follow, either in person or via live streaming.

Theres no need for introductions. But Ill make them anyway. Today I have the pleasure and the honor of having a conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Greece and candidate MP with the New Democracy party in the regional unit of South Athens, Mr. Nikos Dendias. Good afternoon.

N. DENDIAS: Hello, Ms Tsamouri. Good afternoon. Good afternoon to everyone.

JOURNALIST: Well, it's one more year that youre taking part in the Delphi Economic Forum in your capacity as Minister of Foreign Affairs. What has Greece accomplished in foreign policy over these last four years to the extent that it may have exceeded your own expectations? What mistakes have been made? Where have we stalled and what do you think the next government should prioritize when elected?

N. DENDIAS: What has been accomplished over these years and I believe its the governments overall achievement, is that we have established a structure of understandings, perceptions, alliances, and agreements that have changed the legal and actual framework in our region.

Firstly, I refer to the two agreements on exclusive economic zones (EEZs): with Italy after half a century of negotiations, with Egypt after 35 years of negotiations, and the agreement in principle with Albania, after various ups and downs, on the basis of the International Law of the Sea. Also, the defense agreements: two with the US, the agreement with France, the agreement with the UAE, the agreement with Saudi Arabia, the strategic understanding with Egypt, and the excellent relationship with Israel.

All of this, I believe, has created, I reiterate, a new reality. These are achievements of the Greek government, but I must say, to a significant extent, of the whole Greek political system, as well.

Because in the past, we always had a tendency to be divided on foreign policy issues. During these four years, there may have been disagreements, but there were also understandings regarding our basic choices. And if we turn to the north, well find ourselves back in the Balkans. I believe we are playing a very constructive role both in our historical relations, like with Serbia, as well as in the relations we are developing with other countries, such as North Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

I wont elaborate on the fact that for the first time in our history, we seriously went to Sub-Saharan Africa, we went to South America, we went to India.

The Indian Air Force has been in Athens, participating in military exercises with us for a few days now. The Chief of National Defence General Staff is here, as well. This was not a daily occurrence in Greek foreign policy.

So, to use a Christian term, I believe we are making a good apologia to Greek society in view of the May 21st verdict.

Now regarding our mistakes. We have obviously made mistakes, but I believe its better if someone else tells us about them. You know, its a bit excessive to judge both our rights and our wrongs.

JOURNALIST: Well, as youre known for your direct answers, and for not trying to avoid questions, if...

N. DENDIAS: Well, let's not go overboard though; its a pre-election season.

JOURNALIST: I have to make such an introduction to elicit such an answer. Youre not evasive, youre not rounding off your answers, so I want you to answer the following question clearly: In the last few days, youve been talking about a change of strategy, a shift in our negotiating tactics, so that at some point we will be able to reach an understanding with Turkiye, in the way we have reached an understanding with the countries you mentioned previously. What do you mean by that?

N. DENDIAS: Let me tell you that I am one of those who deeply believe in the possibility of reaching an understanding with Turkiye and resolving our dispute. And Im particularly happy because I am ending this term in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a very good climate in Greek-Turkish relations.

A climate that if we maintain it until the elections and hand it over to the next government - I believe that we will be the next government, but its the Greek people who are our ultimate judge - a window of opportunity can be opened.

A window of opportunity to discuss our dispute in a clear, honest, and sincere manner and resolve it. I do not understand why we can resolve issues with Egypt, Italy, and Albania but not with our neighbor, Turkiye.

JOURNALIST: Since Turkiye does not recognize UNCLOS, what makes you optimistic?

N. DENDIAS: Let me tell you what gives me hope. Turkiye does not recognize UNCLOS, but it recognizes that it is International Law.

So, since Turkiye acknowledges that this is International

Law, and of course if it wishes to discuss on the basis of this International Law -Im not the one who will impose views on Turkiye-, then I believe theres always a possibility for solutions and convergence.

For there to be a solution, however, I believe that the right climate must be created. Convergences are achieved when the broader context encourages them and they do not occur when the broader context creates a hostile atmosphere, with statements, challenges, and threats. These do not help.

JOURNALIST: In the context of this different strategy that as you have said will be mentioned in the letter that you will leave to the Prime Minister and your successor, are differentiated territorial waters in the Aegean included? Could this be a solution?

N. DENDIAS: But we said to answer clearly, but not like this. Theres no way Im going to enter into a public debate on that. Yet, I honestly believe that after 63 rounds of exploratory talks, there should be some changes in the way we negotiate with Turkiye. Because these changes will make it easier to reach an understanding faster if that is possible.

But of course, I have an obligation, a real obligation to pass this on as a legacy and as advice to both the Prime Minister  who I believe will be the same  and the next Foreign Minister, when and if necessary.

JOURNALIST: I'm not going to be tempted to open this up because we're here to talk about foreign policy. But if we have time, I will come back to that.

We are talking, Minister, about this sole dispute, namely the delimitation of our maritime economic zones. The Prime Minister made this point clear, yesterday, here at the Delphi Economic Forum.

However, in recent hours and days, and despite the good climate to which you yourself referred previously, we have seen your counterpart and friend, Mevlut Cavusoglu, directly questioning the Greek sovereignty of the islands. We also saw the AKP's spot depicting western Thrace and half of the islands of the eastern and northern Aegean as Turkish territory. What about that?

N. DENDIAS: Ill tell you; I want to be honest. I don't take these things at face value. The AKP, Mevlut and President Erdogan face a very difficult election campaign. And how his party organizes presentations, and how it prints and distributes party maps, to be clear, is something Im not taking seriously.

In other words, as far as I am concerned, I am not going to bring back the climate of Greek-Turkish relations to its pre-earthquake level just because an AKP official foolishly printed such maps. I will not do that.

I will give Turkish society the opportunity to express its opinion through elections and immediately after the elections, without the pressure of a pre-election campaign, the new Turkish government will be able to express its opinion to Greece.

I am leaving, I want to leave - if you may, I believe I have a duty, as far as I am concerned, to leave - the window of opportunity in Greek-Turkish relations open.

It would be easy for me, Ms Tsamouri, to grab onto this map, raise the nationalist flags, and gain a few more votes and preference crosses.

But this is not an element of national contribution. Seriousness is an element of national contribution. When you need to say what you say, say it clearly.

And I didn't mince my words, I didn't even mince my words with my friend

Mevlut Cavusoglu when I was in his capital, and he was hosting me.

But to grab onto this and cause an issue because a party official printed a map the way he did, no, I won't do that.

JOURNALIST: Well, Mevlut Cavusoglu himself spoke some harsh words. But is it just pre-election fireworks or a foreshadowing of their post-election claims?

N. DENDIAS: I am neither naive nor can I know it. But Ive seen other evidence in Turkish behavior, which I won't quote here, that points me in a completely different direction. Completely in the opposite direction.

And Ill say it again; I am neither naive nor do I fly in the face of reality. And, neither are we going to abandon our basic, established national positions that are the acquis of the entire political system.

But I believe we owe it to give it a chance. And I am glad that the overwhelming majority of the country's political system is demonstrating the required seriousness. Looking at the polls in the neighboring country, it is certain that the AKP is facing a very difficult election. I wont say what the result will be. The Turkish citizens will decide. But under such pressure, one can always say an extra word or two. Its not helpful to get carried away with this.

We can handle it; its just one more month of patience.

JOURNALIST: You seem to trust their new face -- please, yes. Do you think this Turkish turn will last? Is it sincere? Is it a means to reach out to the United States to get the F16s that they're struggling for?

N. DENDIAS: I'm not going to get into Turkish-US relations. Thats between Turkiye and the United States of America.

JOURNALIST: But how exactly is this a bilateral issue? When they fly F16s over the Greek islands, I mean.

N. DENDIAS: Ill tell you. The United States always - and I'm not speaking as Foreign Minister of Greece because thats not my business, but as an observer  takes into account both the stability of the alliance and the stability in relations between its friendly countries, and, of course, International Law, and everything related to it.

So, the United States, as a sovereign country, will decide on what terms and under what conditions to provide war materiel to which country. But Im not the one to tell the United States.

Aside from that, we are all familiar with how the American system works. We all know about the executive branch and the legislative branch, which is known as Congress. We know that Congress, notably the Foreign Relations Committee, does an in-depth investigation into adherence to conditions and International Law before approving war materiel.

But all this concerns the United States. I'm not going to drag Greece back into a discussion of issues that involve two other countries. Ive already told you though, what I believe to be the framework within which the United States typically operates.

JOURNALIST: To conclude with Turkiye and move on to the other fronts of our foreign policy, Id like you to answer the following question honestly: A country like Turkiye, which does not respect UNCLOS, still has the casus belli on the table in case Greece goes ahead with its inalienable right to extend its territorial waters up to 12 nautical miles youre laughing because you know what I'm getting at but I'm going to continue...

...Isnt it risky to support Turkiyes candidacy for the post of Secretary General of IMO, although Turkiye is not a favorite and Panama is, and even if the return we got, namely their support for Greeces candidacy at the UN Security Council is much higher.

I mean isnt the risk outweighing the benefit?

N. DENDIAS: Not at all. First of all, I don't think theres a risk. The IMO is an organization with a specific statute and agenda and its primary focus is maritime issues.

Greece knows IMO very well; Admiral Thymios Mitropoulos, the only Greek Secretary General so far, is a personal friend of mine. Before making the arrangements with the Turkish side, I consulted him at length.

I would advise you to view it differently. Isnt Turkiye taking a risk by openly supporting Greeces candidacy for election to the UN Security Council with a specific agenda that prioritizes International Law, and peaceful resolution of disputes?

And yet, Turkiye took this risk. It took it for the UN Security Council and Greece won't take it for the IMO? Honestly?

Look, I believe we have to be bold. There must be steps taken on both sides if there are to be understandings. I am particularly pleased about this mutual understanding, this mutual support.

I hope thats a first step towards much more serious and significant steps. You know, ladies and gentlemen, if we are not willing to take even the slightest risk in anything, we will not get anywhere. We may never leave our house in the morning because a brick might fall on our heads.

Such an approach is not right. This understanding between Greece and Turkiye is an excellent first step that can lead us to where we hope to go.

And I repeat myself so that Im not misunderstood. We will not deviate from the firm Greek positions. We are not naive; we don't think that the chances of success are high. But it would be a grave mistake not to try. It would be a grave mistake indeed.

JOURNALIST: Yes, youre clear about that. What we are trying to do with Turkiye we have achieved to a certain extent with Albania as Edi Rama has agreed that we take the EEZ issue to The Hague.

Why is the special agreement process stalled? Why is it not progressing? Is it because of the President?

N. DENDIAS: Its not stalled. Allow me not to specify at what stage it is at the moment because its a matter of the Albanian internal legal order. Its a process that is currently underway and I expect with absolute certainty that it will be concluded very soon. There will be an authorization text by the Albanian President to the Albanian government to negotiate the agreement.

The agreement we have reached with Albania is a major success, not only for us and Albania but for the entire Balkan legal order at sea.

JOURNALIST: When you say very soon, do you mean within 2023?

N. DENDIAS: Yes, by all means, within 2023; but don't ask me to say when exactly. I can guess, but its pointless for me to say so.

JOURNALIST: Do you think it could be before the summer?

N. DENDIAS: No, let's not get too specific right now. You will then ask me to tell you the specific day and time.

JOURNALIST: Okay. Well, lets stay in the Balkans. What about "Kosovo"? You met with Mr. Kurti a while ago here at the 8th Delphi Economic Forum. I see and understand that you have developed very close and strong ties with both Mr. Kurti and Mr. Vucic.

In the last vote on the accession of 'Kosovo' to the Council of Europe, Greece maintained a neutral stance. Cyprus voted against it, Greece abstained, and this made Serbia unhappy. Do you think this will affect our relations with Belgrade?



N. DENDIAS: No, Greece's relations with Serbia are historical and profound. They are relations of solidarity in World Wars, they are relations of blood sacrifice.

Let me tell you honestly; we deeply care about Serbia and we want and will help as much as we can so that Serbia becomes a member of our European family, where it belongs. We do not believe that there can be peace and stability in the Balkans if Serbia remains a black hole.

We, therefore, believe that by taking a constructive stance in the effort to normalize relations between Belgrade and Pristina, we are also helping Serbia. And, of course, we are also helping Pristina. Id like to be honest about this. We are helping the Balkans, we are helping our region, and we are helping the European Union as well.

We are implementing the Thessaloniki Agenda. The goal of the Thessaloniki Agenda is to bring the Balkans into the European family. We have succeeded in Eastern Balkans; Western Balkans pose a greater challenge. Many small countries will struggle to grow their economies in the long run unless they join a wider family.

Ms Tsamouri, our role is precisely that of a European country in the region, with a duty: what it has achieved for itself to achieve for the other countries in our neighborhood.

JOURNALIST: However, I saw that your Serbian counterpart thanked SYRIZA for condemning the New Democracy governments position regarding the abstention.

N. DENDIAS: Okay. I believe that Ivica Dacic, with whom I also have a close personal relationship, made that Twitter post under the pressure of the internal situation in Serbia.

Its his right, of course. You know, as I stated previously, some things must be assessed in terms of how significant, how serious they are, and how they should be perceived. We recognize the difficulties; it's not easy for Serbia, many things are not easy for Serbia.

We want to help. Its our friend, our deepest friend.

I am from Corfu. My office in Corfu is across the street from the Serbian Consulate. The Serbs in World War I settled in Corfu for years. I have deep feelings for Serbia.

I simply believe that when you are in a bag you can't see as clearly. Being on the outside allows us to see more strategically and if you will, assist in a more intelligent way.

JOURNALIST: Did we have a choice other than abstaining or was it a one-way street to maintain this stance you described?

N. DENDIAS: But we did not vote so that we maintain our own relations. Every time, we vote to facilitate our regions European future.

That is our criterion. We vote to help address problems. Greece enjoys the luxury  pardon me the word  of not having a self-serving agenda. We are not a Great Power, seeking dominance or the ability to impose solutions.

We are a medium-sized European country, with peace, stability, International Law, and economic development on our agenda. If you will, and with social growth within the Balkans, which is currently a problem. Their population is declining; they are facing whats called a 'brain drain'.

That is our agenda. Its in the best interests of all countries, not just in Greeces narrow, selfish interest.

JOURNALIST: Cyprus voted against it.

N. DENDIAS: I will explain why Cyprus voted against and I completely understand why. First of all, as you know, I have not hidden the fact that I have a close personal relationship with Nikos Christodoulides.

Cyprus voted against it because there was a perception in the past that analogies could be drawn between the case for Kosovos recognition and the occupied northern part of Cyprus. This is not accurate.

There is an International Court of Justice ruling that verbatim distinguishes and differentiates the two cases. However, let us not forget how instilled the issue of the occupation of the northern part of Cyprus is in the Cypriot soul.

Cyprus is a country that lives mutilated. So, I understand why Cyprus is voting under the state of a truly emotional internal agenda. Thats perfectly understandable. I guess everyone understands that.

JOURNALIST: However, we have recently disagreed with Cyprus in various areas, on various issues, on the issue of the IMO as well.

N. DENDIAS: Why did we disagree with Cyprus?

JOURNALIST: Cyprus said you can support the Turkish candidacy if you like, but we will take a different stance.

N. DENDIAS: Ms Tsamouri, we are going to disagree on that. First of all, I had previously informed Nikos Christodoulides, and I can tell you the exact day and time and...

JOURNALIST: It's good to hear that, you're right to say so.

N. DENDIAS: It was during breakfast in a central hotel in Athens, not to advertise which. If my memory serves me well, it was March 13, something like that. In fact, we were the two of us.

Why did I do that? Because, of course, I wouldn't do something like that without first informing the Cypriot government. And I have to tell you that what was intended by this mutual understanding with Turkiye was understood.

Aside from that, the fact that Cyprus could not also vote for the Turkish candidate has to do with the fact that Turkiye, for its own reasons - which in my view are wrong reasons - does not allow vessels flying the flag of the Republic of Cyprus to enter Turkish ports.

So, since Turkiye does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, and does not allow its ships to enter its ports, how can Cyprus vote for the Turkish candidate? The Cypriot position is perfectly understandable. And don't even think that Greece has told Cyprus otherwise. Greece is doing the right thing and Cyprus is doing the right thing as well.

Whats more, its obvious, that if Greek-Turkish relations improve, a new window for discussing the Cyprus issue will open.

JOURNALIST. We could talk for hours here. I'm sure you all enjoyed our discussion. Unfortunately, we don't have any more time.

Let me conclude by thanking you on behalf of all Greek citizens for the successful completion of the difficult operation to evacuate and repatriate our fellow Greeks from Sudan. Congratulations to you and to General Floros, who is with us today.

We, as journalists, witnessed our compatriots anguish and thats something I have to say.

Good luck in the upcoming arduous electoral battle.

N. DENDIAS: Thank you very much.
By Azernews

Laman Ismayilova

The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Culture Ministry will hold Kharibulbul International Music Festival on May 9-11 in Shusha.

The festival program includes spectacular concert programs, exhibitions and various presentations, Azernews reports.

In 2023, the city of Shusha was declared the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World 2023 by the International Organization of Turkish Culture (TURKSOY). The creative collectives of the TURKSOY member countries, the Turkic-speaking countries and peoples of the region will also participate in the festival.

The official opening of the "Shusha - the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World - 2023" event will take place on May 12.

The festival has been held since 1989 with the participation of musicians from Japan, the USA, Turkiye, Germany, Israel, Italy, Spain, etc. The cultural event was of great importance not only in Azerbaijan but all over the world.

However, the city was captured by Armenia on May 8, 1992. Shusha was liberated by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on November 8, 2020.

Since 2020, Shusha has miraculously changed and started to flourish again.

The city once welcomed talented musicians from all over the world in 2021 after the city's liberation.

Last year, the music festival brought together Azerbaijani and international musicians from 10 countries in Azerbaijan's cultural cradle.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening of the festival.

In 2023, the festival will be organized by the Azerbaijan Culture Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Special representation of the President of Azerbaijan in Shusha, and the Shusha City State Reserve.
Two days ago, a 13-year-old boy opened fire in a Belgrade school, killing eight students and a guard. Yesterday, a man in pro-Nazi attire killed eight and wounded 14 more in three Serbian villages.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called Thursday's shooting an attack on the whole nation  and said  the suspect "will never again see the light of the day." He referred to the attack as an act of terror and announced a new raft of gun-control measures, including a moratorium on new permits for firearms, as well as an increase in the number of police. "We will disarm Serbia," Vucic vowed, saying the government would outline the new rules later on Friday. The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his father's guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital. The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders. Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the conflicts of the 1990s, Wednesday's shooting was the first at a school in the country's modern history.

America exports its nightmares, but the rage, chaos and apathy seems genuinely international.
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DANIA BEACH, Fla. (AP)  A gunman fatally shot a 12-year-old boy and wounded a man before turning the gun on himself inside a South Florida convenience store in an apparently random attack, sheriff's officials said Friday.

Broward County Sheriff's deputies said Darren Rosenthal, 29, shot a man sitting inside a car outside the Dania Beach 7-Eleven at about 11 p.m. Thursday. He then went inside the suburban Fort Lauderdale store and killed the boy. He then killed himself.

The names of the boy and the wounded man were not released. The man was taken to the hospital, but his condition was also not released.

Detectives do not believe there is any connection between the gunman and the victims; this does appear to be a random act, sheriff's spokesman Carey Codd said at a Friday news conference. There does not appear to be a connection between the two victims.

Store worker Maximo Limas said Rosenthal gave no warning before he started shooting.

The wounded man was chilling in his car, minding his business. Pow, shot him in the neck, Limas told Miami's WFOR-TV. The boy, he said, was also an innocent victim.

The kid just wanted to buy ice cream. Thats all he was doing, Limas said.

Miami-Dade County court records show Rosenthal had several misdemeanor drug- and alcohol-related arrests about eight years ago.

An investigation into the shooting is continuing and detectives are asking anyone with information to come forward.
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Caseville novelist David Vizard has served up another treat for murder-mystery lovers.

Vizard's latest, "Murder, So Sweet," is his sixth book featuring grizzled newspaper reporter and U.S. Marines veteran Nick Steele, who's a journalist with the fictional Bay City Blade.

Vizard draws upon his years as an award-winning journalist for the Bay City Times and Flint Journal to bring Nick Steele to life. Familiar places like Huron County, Caseville, Mackinac Island and Elkton provide the backdrop for "Murder, So Sweet" as well as Vizard's previous novels.

In fact, "Sweet" opens with Nick headed to a grisly scene at a Huron County farm. Body parts mixed with fertilizer have been discovered spread across an old sugar beet field near Pigeon and "not too far from Laker High School."

What Nick finds there will lead to a plot involving a group of siblings in Bay City, vigilantism and murder. To say too much more would risk spoiling the many twists and turns Vizard has in store for his readers.

Contributed/Dave Vizard

Vizard said in a previous interview with the Tribune that he is always on the lookout for ideas and plot points, something his long career as a journalist in mid-Michigan makes second nature.

A native of Mayville, Vizard interned at the Detroit News while attending Wayne State University, and was offered a permanent position when he was finished with school. From there, he headed up I-75 to cover organized labor and eventually serve as features editor for the Flint Journal. He then moved on to the Bay City Times to run the newsroom.

That's the one thing that I try to do in my stories is take readers inside of an old-fashioned newsroom and show how decisions are made, he said. Nicks editors are in on the decision-making.

I'm a native of Bay City and a current Huron County resident, I have to say there's a certain kick to reading one of Vizard's novels, with familiar names and places popping up from time to time. And though I'm not nearly as grizzled as Nick Steele is, I can certainly relate to the newsroom dynamics and the day-to-day grind of working as a daily newspaper reporter.

Vizard said it took him a total of four years to complete his first novel, and his last one took just three months. Hes honed his technique, writing 1,000 words every day and re-writing what he has produced several times. First drafts of his novels typically contain 45,000-50,000 words. He then goes to work with his editor to revise and refine what he has written to arrive at the final version.

That technique involves crafting the murder, Vizard said, and building the story around it.

You have to figure out who's getting killed and why  what's the motive? he said. You craft these stories so that you're engaging, you're hooking at the very first chapter. If you don't have them by the end of the first chapter, they're gone.

Vizards books are available at stores throughout Caseville as well as on amazon.com. They are also available in e-book format through Amazons Kindle Unlimited.
MECOSTA COUNTY  District Health Department No. 10 will be a hosting school readiness clinics at locations in Mecosta, Lake, and Newaygo counties throughout the month of June for those ages 3-19.

Each pediatric clinic will have vision and hearing screenings, dental screenings, immunizations and a chance to meet Spiderman and Elsa.

School readiness clinic locations:

June 2 at 5681 S. M-37 in Baldwin

June 6 at 14485 Northland Drive in Big Rapids

June 13 at 1049 E. Newell St. in White Cloud.

Michigan law requires children to be up to date with required immunizations on or before the first day of school or child care. A child who fails to meet this requirement will not be admitted to school/child care.

The school code requires that parents of children entering kindergarten present a statement to school officials confirming that they have received the Michigan Department of Community Health Vision Screening or a statement, signed by a licensed eye care practitioner  optometrist or ophthalmologist  or medical/osteopathic physician, indicating that a childs eyes have been examined at least once after age three and before initial school entry may also be presented.

Michigan passed a law to give children the opportunity to receive a dental assessment before starting school, called the Michigan Kindergarten Oral Health Assessment Program. Michigan KOHA works to help ensure each student is healthy and ready for a successful school year.

DHD No. 10 is providing no-cost oral health assessments for children.

Parents will children or adolescents ages 0-19 that need immunizations, or visual and hearing screenings, to attend school, preschool or daycare are invited to register.

To register, call: 231-355-7548.

For more information on School Readiness, visit dhd10.org/parents-families/school-readiness.
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NEW ORLEANS (AP)  A 16-year-old high school senior in New Orleans who received scholarship offers from 149 colleges and universities totaling $10 million said Friday that he has chosen to attend Cornell University.

Dennis Maliq Barnes will graduate on May 24 from the International High School of New Orleans, where he earned a 4.98 grade point average. He also has 27 college credits through a dual enrollment program with Southern University of New Orleans.
LUDINGTON  Looking for a new career?

Ludington High School is hosting a job fair on Monday and over 30 local businesses are lined up to speak with prospective employees.

This free, work-based learning program is split in two sessions  one for Ludington High School students in the afternoon and the second for other job seekers from 5-7 p.m.

Companies are looking to fill full and part-time positions. Candidates of all ages and levels of experience are encouraged to bring their resumes and come dressed for success.

Businesses attending the fair include FloraCraft Corporation, LakeFX Media, Corewell Health and Ludington Beverage Company.

The job fair will take place at Hawley Gymnasium, located at 508 N. Washington Ave. in Ludington.

For more information call 231-845-3880.
MANISTEE TWP.  A Manistee man was sentenced this week after being caught at a Manistee Township gas station with a long list of drugs and drug paraphernalia.

Chester Martin, 52, of Manistee, appeared in front of Judge David Thompson in Manistee Countys 19th Circuit Court for sentencing on Monday.

Martin was sentenced for possession with intent to deliver dextroamphetamine and possession with intent to deliver clonazepam.

Dextroamphetamine is used in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy treatments and clonazepam is a medication used to treat anxiety and seizures.

Martin was given two concurrent prison sentences. He was sentenced to 30 months to 10.5 years, and 30 months to six years.

He was credited for 196 days served.

Thompson told Martin at sentencing that if he had received guidelines that were more significant, I would send you to prison for longer than I am.

According to court records, police were called to a Manistee Township gas station for a report of a one-vehicle crash where the driver hit a barrier pole when pulling up to the gasoline pumps on Oct. 16.

Martin was a passenger in the vehicle and was seen sleeping inside the vehicle when police arrived, court documents show.



The vehicle was later searched and a K-9 unit was used to discover what the prosecuting attorney Jordan Miller said was a plethora of drugs, including cocaine, suboxone, dextroamphetamine, clonazepam, bupren hydrochloride and a number of others. Martin was arrested on Oct. 16.

In a plea agreement, Martin pleaded no contest to two felony offenses: delivery or manufacturing of a schedule 1, 2, or 3 controlled substance and delivery or manufacturing of a schedule 4 controlled substance.

In the plea agreement, the Manistee County prosecutors office dismissed the following:

 A charge of possession of methamphetamine second or subsequent offense;

 A charge of possession with intent to deliver buprenorphine second or subsequent offense; and

 A charge of possession of less than 25 grams of cocaine second or subsequent offense.

Originally, Martin was charged in district court with five drug-related charges from the Oct. 16 arrest.

At sentencing, Martins strengths were reviewed as being polite and cooperative with police, having a history of being employed and possessing a GED.

But Thompson also had concerns which centered around a lengthy list of drugs found on and around Martin on Oct. 16 and his other actions.

At sentencing, it took Thompson more than four minutes to list all the drugs and drug paraphernalia shown in the presentence report that had been found in the vehicle and on Martin.

Thompson said it was as if it were a traveling drugstore.

After listing the items, Thompson said the presentence report also showed that the vehicle passenger pointed out that Martin would sometimes use her phone to access Facebook.

And thats where we really start to have insight as to what you were doing in this community and the things that you were searching for, Thompson said.

Prior to sentencing, Martins attorney Jared Henry said Martin wants to engage in services to treat his underlying addiction.

Habitual offender

Martin also had a habitual offender notice attached to his case that has an enhancing effect on penalties when a person has been previously convicted of crimes.

Thompson said hes been delivering drugs since 1995. 

Martin has five prior felony convictions and six prior misdemeanor convictions.

Thompson stated that Martin had been convicted of the following:

 1995: Delivery of oxycodone schedule 2 and sale and delivery of oxycodone schedule 1;

 1997: Lewd and lascivious indecent act upon a child;

 2002: Driving under the influence of liquor first offense;

 2002: Motor vehicle code violation;

 2003: Possession of marijuana;

 2008: Domestic violence;

 2013: Operating while intoxicated;

 2014: Operating while intoxicated;

 2017: Domestic violence;

 2017: Assault and battery; and

 2017: Domestic violence third offense and interference with electronic communication device.

Martin was also convicted in 1997 in North Carolina for selling or delivering a controlled substance, according to his habitual offender notice.

According to Martins Michigan Department of Corrections file, Martin was discharged from prison on Aug. 28, 2020 after serving time for domestic violence and/or knowingly assaulting a pregnant person third offense in 2017 in Manistee County.

Martin was also ordered to pay a crime victim assessment of $130 and $136 in state costs in Monday's court case.
Some "all good things must come to an end" news from the San Francisco Bay Area, Tail of the Yak in Berkeley's Elmwood neighborhood is shuttering for good on June 30. The store is a one-of-a-kind treasure, a truly wonderful thing full of truly wonderful things. I learned about it in 2019far too late in lifefrom a friend who went to see David Sedaris perform at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall. At the show, Sedaris quipped about a set of silver Belgian crosses that he bought there. My friend and I made the pilgrimage that same week.

The quirky shop, which began in 1972, became well-regarded in the craft community and has been featured in publications like Vogue and The New York Times. Over the years, the store's inventory expanded to include crafts, jewelry, and textiles from various countries, along with European antiques. It even skyrocketed the career of Anandamayi Arnold who makes beautiful, and highly coveted, paper surprise balls.

Why is it closing? Co-owners Lauren McIntosh and Alice Erb are retiring. (We wish these Happy Mutants all the best.)

Berkeleyside wrote a lovely piece about the shop and its history:
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Dow High School students Lillian Blohm and Avery Lehman are recipients of the highly prestigious Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Scholarship. Only 250 high school students from across the United States were selected as 2023-2024 recipients.

Students who participate in the program learn about German culture first-hand by living with a host family and attending a German high school for a year.
When Alan Green was out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he and his wife Laryssa decided to find a hobby in woodworking. Little did the Sebewaing couple know that their hobby would turn into a thriving business.

Beck Street Woodworking specializes in kitchen and home decor, handcrafted gifts, and more. While using different species of wood from all over the world, the company offers products from cutting boards, serving trays, cribbage boards, and more. The couple is passionate about crafting handmade, heirloom goods that are built to last a lifetime.

"I was a teacher during COVID, and Ive always had an interest in woodworking but never really had the space and the time," said owner Alan Green. "Right before COVID hit, my wife and I purchased a house that had a really nice woodshop on it. When COVID hit and all the schools closed, I said Im just going to make a cutting board and see what happens. Then I posted on Facebook and the rest of history.

The Greens' business is different than other woodworking businesses, as they like to focus on the smaller pieces of art instead of the bigger pieces of furniture.

"As far as woodworking, I try to keep things smaller. People have asked if I do furniture and tables but thats not really my thing, I prefer to do smaller things. I actually do my line of work, outside of woodworking. I have a really strong connection with agriculture, so I do a lot of work with local farmers, livestock shows, and doing things that have their logos on them."

Shawn Robinson/Huron Daily Tribune

Alan's passion for woodworking comes from an interest in finding how things were made and learning how they were built. After getting his first miter saw for Christmas back when he was a college student, Alan figured he could find a passion for woodworking somewhere down the line in his busy life and schedule.

"Ive always been interested in it, Ive always wanted to find out how things were made, learn how things were built," Green said. "My grandpa was into woodworking. I got a miter saw for Christmas one year when I was in college. I wouldnt say it was anything serious until COVID, I always say it was a COVID hobby that turned into a business because it was not the intention. I just kept going and making new things and people were buying things and the rest just went on."

In the starting phases of the business, Alan was juggling his full-time job and the many orders that he and his wife would receive each day. He wanted to spend more time in the woodworking business, and the community's support made his transition to part-time to put more time into the business.

"I just transitioned in January to be a part-time contractor for them, so I was able to spend more time on the business," Green said. "It was to the point where I was spreading myself way too thin and orders were taking four to six weeks to get out because I had so much on my plate."

Each piece of art that the Green makes is done in their own home. With a woodshop in their backyard, the Greens take time to make sure that each piece is done just right, even if it means doing some of the work in the kitchen and dining room. The pieces feature many cool and different designs, including the Michigan mitten, the Great Lakes, and more.

"I dont really know," Green said about the designs he chooses. "I see graphics that I really like and go "That would look good on a cutting board or on a charcuterie board". My line of work outside of woodworking is agriculture education but I also do a lot of communication work, so I know how to use Adobe products, which helps a lot, where a lot of the graphics come into play. Really, its just seeing things online or out in public and saying, 'Oh I can put my own twist on that.'"

This past week, the couple held their spring open house, which featured a variety of different wood products from cutting boards to euchre boards. The couple also attends a number of different expo shows at Keepsake Collections in Saginaw and Clarkston, as well as attending the Port Austin Farmers Market almost every weekend. With the help and support from the community, family, and friends, the business is thriving very well.

Shawn Robinson/Huron Daily Tribune

"I think pretty positive," Green said. "One thing thats really nice about Sebewaing, its a lot of community support. Many people want to support local businesses, business owners supporting other business owners, so its been all positive."

The Greens look to expand their business and offer more products, including acrylic products such as ornaments and key chains. The couple also looks to expand to do more corporate orders for companies with agricultural backgrounds.

"I would hope so," Green said. "Im hoping that I can expand and do some more corporate orders. One thing that is nice is if you get an order of 100 of something, you can kind of batch things and make it easy to crank them out.

"I have a laser, which opens a lot of possibilities. One of the products I havent had a chance to use is acrylic, and the one thing I really want to start making are things with acrylic just because there are so many possibilities like keychains and ornaments."

Beck Street Woodworking has an online catalog, where customers can search and find the right gift for them. They have plenty of options that would make great gifts for birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, and Mother's Day. For more information, visit their website and find your perfect little wood gift today.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Now that Kim Gardner is stepping down as the chief prosecutor in St. Louis, Missouri's governor is getting plenty of advice about the qualifications Gardner's replacement should bring to the table.

Activists and Democrats want someone who will continue her progressive policies, even if many concede that Gardner's replacement must restore confidence in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Republicans cite a need to crack down on crime and work more cohesively with police.

Gardner, who has been at odds with Republicans for most of her six-and-a-half years in office, announced Thursday that she would resign effective June 1. She was among several big-city Democratic prosecutors across the country who have faced criticism and ouster efforts in recent months.

Since day one of my tenure as Circuit Attorney, I have experienced attacks on my reforms, on my judgment, on my integrity, on my prosecutorial discretion, on my responsibility to direct the limited resources of this office and more, Gardner said in her resignation letter, adding that the attacks were at the expense of public safety.

Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been seeking Gardner's removal, saying too many crimes go unpunished, the prosecutorial staff has dwindled to a dangerously low number and the office is too slow in taking on cases brought by police.

Meanwhile, the GOP-led Missouri House weighed a bill that would allow Republican Gov. Mike Parson to appoint a special prosecutor in St. Louis to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of Gardner's responsibilities.

Parson, a former sheriff, is tasked with appointing Gardners replacement. His office declined an interview request, but Parson said in a statement on Thursday that he is committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading racial justice activist in St. Louis, knows that the next circuit attorney won't be a so-called progressive prosecutor like Gardner. But he urged Parson to appoint someone who will continue to consider diversion over incarceration, avoid seeking the death penalty and generally treat defendants with compassion.

Non-violent criminals for many cases dont need that mark on them that can haunt them for the rest of their lives, Gray said. These things are important for criminal justice reform.

Many others want the next circuit attorney to be laser-focused on prosecuting criminals.

Because of Kim Gardners incompetence violent criminals in St. Louis werent prosecuted while victims waited too long for justice, Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt said in a tweet. St. Louis is better off without Kim Gardner. Its my hope the next Circuit Attorney will aggressively prosecute crime and people can feel safe again.

Michael Wolff, former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and now professor emeritus at St. Louis University School of Law, said whoever takes over faces a tall task. Some St. Louis prosecutors are juggling hundreds of cases.

They have to basically rebuild the office, and theyre going to have to probably collaborate with some prosecutors around the region to get the help that they need immediately, Wolff said.

Gardner first drew the ire of Republicans in 2018 when she charged then-Gov. Eric Greitens with felony invasion of privacy, but the charge was eventually dropped. The Republican resigned June 1, 2018. Gardner's resignation will be five years to the day after Greitens'.

The Greitens case drew scrutiny that led to the conviction of Gardners investigator. Gardner received a written reprimand for failing to produce documents and mistakenly maintaining that all documents had been provided to Greitens lawyers.

In 2019, Gardner announced an exclusion list of city police officers prohibited from bringing cases to her office. The list included nearly 60 officers accused of posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media.

Despite her critics, Gardner easily won reelection in 2020. But even some of her supporters flipped as the backlog of criminal cases began to mount.

A pivotal turning point came in February after 17-year-old Janae Edmondson, a volleyball standout from Tennessee, was struck by a speeding car after a tournament game in downtown St. Louis. She lost both legs.

The driver, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was out on bond on a robbery charge despite nearly 100 bond violations that included letting his GPS monitor die and breaking the terms of his house arrest. Critics questioned why Riley was free despite so many bond violations.

Gardner isn't the lone prosecutor under GOP scrutiny.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was expected to sign a bill Friday creating a new commission to discipline and remove prosecutors if they categorically (refuse) to prosecute any offense or offenses of which he or she is required by law to prosecute.

In Pennsylvania, state House Republicans voted in November to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for reasons including his failure to prosecute some minor crimes, his bail policies and management. Krasner sued and a divided state court ruled that impeachment articles didnt reach the needed legal threshold.

In San Francisco, it was voters who decided to oust the chief prosecutor. District Attorney Chesa Boudin was removed last June in a recall election fueled by frustration over public safety in the deeply Democratic city. Viral video footage of people shoplifting and attacking seniors, particularly Asian Americans, rattled residents.

___

AP reporter Summer Ballentine contributed to this report from Jefferson City, Missouri.
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The owner of Russias Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscows military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russias Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasnt carried out.

Prigozhins spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin says. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhin's comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

But why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall," said Michel, who is based in Berlin.

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the war's longest  and likely bloodiest  battle. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russias invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhins claims of ammunition shortages. Military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak told The Associated Press that Prigozhin was trying to justify their unsuccessful actions in Bakhmut.

Shoigu didnt immediately respond to Prigozhin, but his ministry reported Friday that he ordered a top official to ensure a continuous supply of all necessary weapons and military equipment to Russian troops. And in a counterpoint to Prigozhins visibility, an official video showed Shoigu inspecting tanks and other military equipment destined for Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the end of last year, the U.S. estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts the company has enlisted. That makes it a small part of Russian fighting forces.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagner's troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, Michel said.

If he's removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

Prigozhin's acrimonious relations with the military brass date back to Wagners creation in 2014. During the war in Ukraine, he has publicly accused some top Russian military officials of incompetence  behavior that is highly unusual in Russias tightly controlled political system.

Prigozhin alleged Friday that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhins statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

Hanna Maliar, deputy head of Ukraines Defense Ministry, said Friday that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed some Wagner ammunition depots, and other military officials said Ukrainian forces were holding their own in Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had destroyed a bridge that Ukrainian troops used to supply their side in Bakhmut. It wasn't possible to independently verify either side's claims.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa.

Bakhmut, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it wont be decisive in the wars outcome. The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a ghost town.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter.

Prigozhin had already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once before, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhins statement Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment.

Also on Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region, which borders the Crimean Peninsula that Russia illegally annexed, briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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In June of 1956, Hollywood actress Marilyn Monroe tied the knot with playwright Arthur Miller, who was responsible for penning classics like "Death of a Salesman" and "The Crucible." During this time, the couple lived in Roxbury, Connecticut, as Miller wanted to live near his family.

While living in Connecticut, Monroe got a Connecticut driver's license, solidifying her status as a Nutmegger.
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KENT  State police say a North Carolina psychiatrist who vanished in a hilly wooded area along the Appalachian Trail was found alive Friday  "safe and sound," a DEEP spokesperson said.

"The missing adult female has been safely located and is being treated by emergency services," Troop L, of Litchfield, said in a Facebook post around 5:10 p.m. Friday. "We thank everyone for the help!"

Marta Renee Bowen was located several miles south of her last known location, DEEP spokesperson Paul Copleman said Friday evening.

Copleman said Bowen was rescued after she came across other hikers on the trail Friday and was able to call 911 from a cellphone. She is being evaluated at an area hospital, Copleman said.



"This is a dynamic incident that is still evolving," Copleman said.

Bowen was last seen at her campsite at one of the lean-to structures constructed for hikers when she stopped Tuesday for the night with two friends, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said. Her companions noticed Bowen was missing around 8 or 9 a.m. Wednesday, according to Copleman.

State police said Bowen had left behind her hiking gear and cellphone. DEEP officials surmised Bowen may have gotten up in the night and become lost.

Records show Bowen holds a medical doctor's license in North Carolina as a psychiatrist with Central Regional Hospital in Butner, N.C.

"We recently learned of this concerning news, and hope she is found and brought home safely," the hospital said in a statement before Bowen's rescue was announced.

Bowen graduated in 1997 from the University of South Carolina School of Medicine before conducting her residency at St. John's Hospital at Southern Illinois University, records show. She had a fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering in New York.

Bowen's group was section-hiking a portion of the Appalachian Trail when she went missing, DEEP spokesperson Paul Copleman said Friday.

Copleman said the agency's environmental conservation police investigated leads from the public and used ATV and drones in its search. State police also used a helicopter, while a state police dive team was also assisting, Copleman said.

During Friday's search effort, ATVs and a helicopter were again deployed, according to Copleman. DEEP and state police were assisted by volunteer firefighters with the Kent, Sherman and Warren departments Friday, he said.

Signs were also posted along the Appalachian Trail.

Bowen was described as a 60-year-old woman, standing about 5-foot-7. She has shoulder-length salt-and-pepper hair and was last seen wearing a maroon puffer jacket and gray sweat pants.

Hikers often trek short portions of the more than 2,000-mile trail. A portion of the trail runs northeast through Kent from the New York state line, passing over Schaghticoke Mountain and the Pond Mountain Natural area.

Kent First Selectman Jean Speck said she was concerned for Bowen and said she appreciated the efforts of firefighters, DEEP and state police to try and locate her.

Were worried about her and were really hoping that shes OK," Speck said.
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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade late Thursday, the second such mass killing in Serbia in two days, state television reported.

The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, the RTS report said early Friday. Police were looking for a 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, the report said.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation unused to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings are extremely rare. Wednesday's school shooting was the first in the country's modern history. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursday's shooting a terrorist act, state media reported.

Special police and helicopter units have been sent to the region as well as ambulances, it added.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

Earlier Thursday, Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage to peers killed a day earlier. Thousands lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the nine people who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The tragedy also sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts whose aftermath have created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

Police have said that the teen used his fathers guns to carry out the attack. He had planned it for a month, drawing sketches of classrooms and making lists of the children he planned to kill, police said on Wednesday.

The boy, who had visited shooting ranges with his father and apparently had the code to his fathers safe, took two guns from the safe where they were stored together with bullets, police said on Wednesday.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people hospitalized  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in a life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

To help people deal with the tragedy, authorities announced they were setting up a helpline. Hundreds answered a call to donate blood for the wounded victims. A three-day mourning period will begin Friday morning.

Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes. Authorities shrugged off responsibility, with some officials blaming Western influence.

The shooter, whom the police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, has not given any motive for his actions.

Upon entering his school, Kecmanovic first killed the guard and three students in the hallway. He then went to the history classroom where he shot a teacher before turning his gun on the students.

Kecmanovic then unloaded the gun in the school yard and called the police himself, although they had already received an alert from a school official. When he called, Kecmanovic told duty officers he was a psychopath who needs to calm down, police said.

The children killed Wednesday were seven girls and one boy. One of the girls was a French citizen, Frances foreign ministry said.

Authorities have said that Kecmanovic is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

I think we are all guilty. I think each one of us has some responsibility, that we allowed some things we should not allow, said Zoran Sefik, a Belgrade resident, during Wednesday evenings vigil near the school.

Jovan Lazovic, another Belgrade resident, said he was not surprised: It was a matter of days when something like this could happen, having in mind what is happening in the world and here, he said.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in a highly divided country like Serbia, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished. They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.

We have had too much violence for too long, psychologist Zarko Trebjesanin told N1 television. Children copy models. We need to eliminate negative models ... and create a different system of values."
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The Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Danbury will host its 42nd Greek Experience Festival June 9 - 11.

The three-day festival is hosted by the Assumption Greek Orthodox Church at 30 Clapboard Ridge Road. The Greek Experience Festival highlights Greek culture through live music, food, folk dancers in traditional costumes and more. Guests also get to experience Orthodox Christian traditions. The festival came back in 2022 after its two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.

Vic Eng / Hearst Connecticut Media Group

In 2021, the church created a modified version of the event called Greek Eats to Go. Guests had the opportunity to order Greek food and celebrate in their homes.

The three-day festival will be open starting Friday from 5 to 11 p.m. and will continue on Saturday from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. Free parking and shuttle services will be available at Danbury High School on 43 Clapboard Ridge Road.
Rents are skyrocketing across the country. Los Angeles is blanketed with people who can not find or afford housing. Bringing units up to market rates creates more homelessness, and yet here we are.

When their building was sold, tenants living in a rent-controlled apartments in Los Angeles received offers of cash to move out. However, the amount of money is not nearly enough to allow them to continue living their lives as they have, many for decades, in those apartments. Rent control laws are meant to help Angelenos maintain their homes, communities, and continuity, so naturally, the landlord began improving the building in ways that sure sounded like harassment.

The tenants have gone to the city housing department, which has written several letters to the landlord asking them to comply with the law, and to the LA Times. Hopefully, the sunlight the LA Times has cast on this issue will continue, and tenants get a good resolution, but I fear this story isn't over.

LA Times:

The second offer to Rincon and her neighbors came in February: $55,000. It was more money than she and her husband, who works in a local nursery, could ever save on their own  and still not enough to stay in her neighborhood for long. Soon after, the owners sent workers to tear apart a storage shed she'd had for years and haul it away, along with a barbecue and many of her plants, saying they were health and safety violations. Rincon saw it as harassment meant to pressure her to go so the landlord could jack up the rent. Like so many others, she and her family had one shaky foothold keeping them in a rental market that was otherwise soaring out of reach, and they felt that people with more power than them were trying to shake them off of it.

Featured Image: Sean Pavone/shutterstock.com
Health Net Federal Services, the company that oversees health services for military patients in Tricare's West Region, has filed a second protest against the Defense Department's selection of TriWest Healthcare Alliance to manage the contract for the next nine years, a move that could delay the expected transition in 2024.

According to Government Accountability Office records, Health Net filed a bid protest on May 1, its second since the Defense Department announced last December it had selected TriWest as the regional contract manager, responsible for providing health care to 4.5 million DoD beneficiaries in 26 states.

Health Net filed a protest within weeks of that contract announcement in February, but as the Government Accountability Office moved to review the decision, the DoD withdrew the award to reconsider its evaluation.

Read Next: Pay Cuts for Military Families Overseas Coming This Month as Pentagon Delays Run Out

After examining the contract selection records, DoD announced April 20 that it had upheld its decision in choosing TriWest. Health Net then moved to file another protest, which now will be considered by the GAO, the federal agency that investigates contract awards and bid protests.

Health Net officials told Military.com that they filed the protest because they believe they have done a good job with their past Tricare contracts and they have concerns about TriWests business model.

"We are concerned the selection committee did not properly consider the risks associated with TriWest Healthcare Alliance's decentralized, large-business, subcontractor structure, which we believe undermines the important contribution of small businesses such as Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned and Veteran-Owned companies that currently provide the best possible support to the military community," a Health Net spokesperson wrote in an email.

"We are following the established process to challenge this decision. In the meantime, we remain focused on delivering exceptional contract performance that benefits our military beneficiaries, as we have done for the last 35 years," the spokesperson added.

The fifth-generation Tricare Managed Care Support contracts, known as T-5, are worth up to $136 billion over a nine-year period which was to start in 2024.

Whether the protest will affect the timeline has yet to be determined. The GAO has until Aug. 9 to render a decision. Contract service originally was expected to begin in January 2024 but was delayed until August 2024 following the prior reconsideration of the award.

A Defense Health Agency spokesman said Thursday that the schedule will remain on track barring any litigation that may follow the GAO's decision. Health Net has a right to take the issue to federal court if GAO supports DoD's selection.

"Assuming GAO denies or dismisses all protest allegations and there is no subsequent litigation, DHA may proceed with contract performance, including a one-year transition period," DHA spokesman Peter Graves wrote in an email to Military.com on Thursday. "Start of health care delivery would then begin in August-September 2024."

The Tricare health program provides private health care treatment, referrals, customer service, claims processing and other support services to roughly 9.6 million beneficiaries, including active-duty personnel, some members of the Reserve and National Guard, military retirees and family members.

Under the contract, Humana Military, which currently oversees the Tricare East Region, will remain as the regional contractor, responsible for nearly 5 million beneficiaries in 24 states. That contract is worth up to $70.9 billion over nine years.

If upheld, the T-5 contract award will shift 3 million beneficiaries currently in the West Region from Health Net to TriWest. The contract also moves 1.5 million beneficiaries in Arkansas, Illinois, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas and Wisconsin from the Tricare East Region to the West.

TriWest oversaw the Tricare West Region from 1996 to 2013 and currently manages the Department of Veterans Affairs' Community Care Network in the western United States and Hawaii.

-- Patricia Kime can be reached at Patricia.Kime@Military.com. Follow her on Twitter @patriciakime

Related: Soldiers Need to Check If Their Families Have Health Care After IT Snafu Kicked 25,000 Beneficiaries Off Tricare
The Navy's troubles with keeping ships maintained and at sea have only worsened in the last several years, resulting in a less-ready force when the service is looked to as the first line of defense against China, the Government Accountability Office reported this week.

The service's inability to keep ships running is also having serious effects on the operations of the Marine Corps, which relies on Navy ships to transport and position them near mission areas, to the frustration of officials in that branch.

Overall, the watchdog agency report released Tuesday found that while the Army and Marines have managed to keep up or increase the readiness of their troops, the Navy's sea forces have been on the decline -- with some areas worsening for more than a decade.

Read Next: Murdered or Missing: The Army Stands Up a Cold Case Unit to Tackle Unsolved Crimes

"We found in January 2023 that sustainment challenges worsened from fiscal year 2011 through 2021 for 10 ship classes we reviewed," according to the GAO report.

The challenges included growing maintenance delays, an increase in the number of platforms being raided for spare parts, and more and more ships reporting serious breakdowns and failures.

While the Navy always aims for no delays in the maintenance of their ships, government investigators instead found that ship repair and upkeep delays grew from an average of five days in 2011 to 19 in 2021.

Meanwhile, the agency found that "over the same time frame, there was a decrease in steaming hours."

Compounding the problem has been a shortage of spare parts for ships. Citing supply chain shortfalls for specific parts, Navy officials have been resorting to reusing or moving parts from one ship to another to keep them running.

Investigators found that the average number of cannibalizations per ship increased every year from 2015 to 2021.

Finally, between 2011 to 2021, more and more ships were reporting serious parts failures, the report found.

The Wasp-class amphibious assault ships were one of the biggest problems for the Navy, which, according to investigators, saw an increase of about 43 such failures from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2021.

The amphibious assault ships are instrumental in transporting Marines to places around the world, where they can carry out missions like disaster relief or civilian evacuations, and the Navy's failure to keep the ships running has rankled the Marine Corps.

One Marine Corps official told Military.com not only was the Navy "failing its national security mission by not maintaining these ships properly" but, frustratingly, "leadership of the Navy seems content on providing the Marine Corps the 'minimum requirement' and they aren't even doing that well."

Publicly, even the Marine Corps' top general has expressed serious concerns.

Last week Commandant Gen. David Berger told Congress that he had serious regrets over the fact that Marines were not available to help in two major crises in recent months because of a lack of available Navy ships to position units in nearby waters.

"Places like Turkey or, the last couple of weeks, in Sudan -- I feel like I let down the combatant commander," Berger told members of the House Armed Services Committee on April 28.

Many of the amphibious ships in question are showing their age, and there has been tension both in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill on the path forward for both the Navy and the Marines, who rely on the vessels to fulfill their missions.

In this year's budget proposals, the Navy suggested that it would drop its amphibious ship numbers below a 31-ship threshold by retiring older dock landing ships while pausing orders of the replacement San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ships -- a move that the Marine Corps official noted would be violating the law.

Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro told Congress last week that "there is unquestionably a need for heavy lift when it comes to fulfilling the Marine Corps responsibilities," but the service has "some [dock landing ships], for example, that cannot be made operationally available to fulfill the requirements that we need."

The report goes on to say that the path forward for the Navy is challenging.

"Addressing ship and submarine maintenance delays, backlogs, and other sustainment challenges will be difficult given the poor condition of infrastructure at the Navy's four public shipyards," the report said.

Although the Navy began a 20-year, $21 billion effort to revitalize its shipyards -- known as the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan -- the report also notes that there have already been $1.6 billion in cost overruns and a slipping of deadlines by three years.

"Completely implementing the Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan will involve funding well above the levels allocated in recent years for shipyard infrastructure, as well as significant planning and sustained management attention over 20 years," the report said.

-- Konstantin Toropin can be reached at konstantin.toropin@military.com. Follow him on Twitter @ktoropin.

Related: 'I Let Down the Combatant Commander': Marine Leader Regrets His Forces Weren't Available for Recent Crises
A bipartisan congressional subcommittee met in Oceanside on Thursday to hear from service providers and other stakeholders who shared information and anecdotes about how they are working, not always successfully, to reduce homelessness among veterans.

Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano, said the hearing at MiraCosta College could help persuade Congress to pass bills that will expand services and reduce barriers that sometimes prevent veterans from receiving help with housing or other issues that can contribute to homelessness.

As an example, Levin said he is working on a bill that would redefine eligibility for affordable housing by no longer counting disability payments as income.

Under the current method, veterans who receive disability payments, even for injuries sustained in the service, may earn too much to be eligible for housing, denying them the very housing meant for them, he said.

In another example, Levin said past hearings helped inform Congress that some benefits were being denied to veterans with less-than-honorable discharges, which led to a change so more people could receive benefits.

Thursday's field hearing of the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity also included Democratic Rep. Mark Takano of California and Republican representatives Young Kim of California and Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, chair of the subcommittee.

"We've got to find ways to fund these essential programs without putting a huge financial burden on the backs of taxpayers now or in the future," said Van Orden, a retired U.S. Navy SEAL.

Witnesses appearing before the subcommittee included Frank Pearson, director of the Department of Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego County Public Housing Authority's Housing and Community Development Director David Estrella and Oceanside Public Housing Authority's Neighborhood Services Director Leilani Hines.

Just south of Camp Pendleton, Oceanside has a large military presence and veteran population, as does all of San Diego County, which also is home to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar and Naval bases in Coronado, Point Loma and San Diego.

In all, the county has more than 100,000 active-duty service members and 240,000 veterans, one of the largest concentrations of military personnel in the nation.

Pearson said VA San Diego has struggled to meet national goals for permanent housing placement. The agency placed 704 veterans in permanent housing in 2022, short of its goal of 842. Several initiatives are being implemented this year to increase the number, he said.

Hines said the lack of affordable housing and a competitive rental market are big contributing factors to the use of VA Supportive Housing vouchers. In the past few years, only 50 percent of VASH vouchers have been used in Oceanside, which she called a missed opportunity.

Estrella had a similar experience at the county. While the county, the San Diego Housing Commission and the Oceanside Housing Authority were allocated 2,334 vouchers, only 1,670 veteran families are in units that receive VASH assistance.

The vouchers are issued through referrals from the VA, and Estrella said additional outreach is needed to get them to more veterans. He also said the county received only 11 referrals a month last year, a number so low it is not eligible to receive additional vouchers.

He also said the restriction on the number of project-based VASH vouchers, or vouchers that are attached to housing units, should be increased. The number now is limited to 10 per development or 10 percent of all units, whichever is greater.

Takano said he had heard that San Diego had done well in allocating emergency housing vouchers that were used during the pandemic to help families pay rent, and he was working on legislation that would expand the VASH program by mimicking the workings of the emergency housing vouchers, which included quicker referrals, extra money for landlord incentives and other benefits.

A second panel of witnesses featured homeless service providers and included Interfaith Community Services CEO Greg Anglea, People Assisting the Homeless San Diego Regional Director Hanan Scrapper, Adjoin Veterans Director Dustin Potash and Community HousingWorks CEO and President Sean Spear.

Anglea told the subcommittee that his organization had been using the VA's Per Diem Transitional Housing Program to provide 64 community-based beds for veterans in Oceanside. The program is scheduled to sunset next week, reducing funding from $152 a day to $64 a day.

"That amount is not enough to purchase a hotel room in a community like this, let alone provide housing and care," he said.

Spear told the subcommittee that Congress can take several steps to help veterans facing homelessness and increase affordable housing for them.

Among the suggestions, Spear said veterans should be able to move into new units faster, disability benefits should not make someone ineligible for a VASH voucher, more project-based vouchers should be created, and more housing should be available on VA-controlled land.

National efforts to decrease homelessness among veterans have been considered successful in recent years. In November, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness announced a count from earlier that had shown an 11% decline in the population since 2020, the last time the count was conducted.

It was the biggest drop in veteran homelessness in more than five years, while data since 2010 shows a 55.3% overall reduction in the population.

With that drop, however, the annual count still found about 33,000 veterans experiencing homelessness throughout the United States, with 700 in San Diego County.

This story originally appeared in The San Diego Union-Tribune.

2023 The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Visit sandiegouniontribune.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
KYIV, Ukraine  The owner of Russias Wagner Group military contractor threatened Friday to pull his troops out of the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut next week, accusing Russias military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of the Nazi Germany in World War II.

But, Prigozhin said, his force hasnt received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday. Known for his bluster, Prigozhin has previously made unverifiable claims and made threats he hasnt carried out.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhins statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest  and likely bloodiest  battle of the war. The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it wont be decisive in the wars outcome.

The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a devastated ghost town, but it has become an important symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russias invasion, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying its capitulation could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Prigozhins statement said that Wagner will be forced to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 and have Russias regular army take over, because without ammunition, (Wagner fighters) are doomed to a senseless death.

He accused jealous military bureaucrats of denying him ammunition. Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter, with both sides resorting to long-range bombardments.

Hours before releasing the statement, Prigozhins spokespeople published a video of him demanding ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

In the video, Prigozhin stands in front of around 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are the bodies of Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone.

Prigozhin speaks in an angry voice and uses numerous expletives in the video.

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. He has already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week, if the situation with ammunition didn't improve.

Asked by The Associated Press about Prigozhins statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen refences to it in the media but refused to comment further. The Russian military did not immediately comment on the statement either.
The highest levels of Veterans Affairs are examining whether there were any gaps in mental health care for a veteran who is accused of killing one woman and injuring four others in a Midtown medical office, according to a source with knowledge of the talks.

Shooting suspect Deion Patterson had been treated at the Atlanta VA in Decatur for mental health problems since March, according to a second source at the Atlanta VA who reviewed his internal records. He also had scheduled a video appointment with the VA on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m., according to the source  more than two hours after he opened fire at a Northside Hospital Midtown medical office building.

Patterson and his mother were checking in for an appointment at Northside Midtown Medical office building when the shooting took place, according to police. Investigators say he opened fire in the waiting room of the medical office, shooting five women before leading various law enforcement agencies on an eight-hour manhunt that ended in Cobb County.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is not naming its sources at the VA because they could be fired for speaking out. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to speak publicly about individual medical records or the internal investigation.

Patterson, 24, was discharged from the U.S. Coast Guard in January. The VA has not acknowledged if he was being treated at the Atlanta VA.

According to one source and a copy of the appointments reviewed by the AJC, Patterson had two mental health appointments in March: the first was in-person and the second was a video call. He had two more appointments in April: one in-person appointment, which he never showed up to, and a final in-person meeting with VA medical workers on Thursday. The source said Pattersons medical records showed his mother, Minyone Patterson, came with him to that final appointment, asking specifically for an Ativan prescription for her son. Ativan is used to treat anxiety and insomnia, among other uses.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Minyone Patterson said her son wanted Ativan but his Veterans Affairs medical team declined to give it to him, fearing he could become addicted. The source told the AJC that Patterson was instead prescribed another drug, Buspirone, which also treats anxiety.

After the shooting, the AP reported Minyone Patterson said her son had some mental instability going on from medication that he began taking Friday. Its not known if that medication was the Buspirone prescription written by the VA.

The FDA frowns on the use of Ativan for the stress of everyday life, and says its effectiveness for long-term use has not been well assessed and it is not recommended for continuous long-term use. Ativan can be addictive and going off Ativan should be carefully managed, including being tapered.

Those families, those families, Minyone Patterson told the AP, starting to sob. Theyre hurting because they wouldnt give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldnt listen to me.

VA Press Secretary Terrence Hayes said in a statement late Wednesday night, We are horrified and saddened to hear of the active shooter situation in Atlanta. Due to patient privacy, we cannot discuss the Veterans personal information without written consent.

The AJC reported in late April that thousands of mental health calls to the Atlanta VA have gone unanswered over the past year, according to a recent whistleblower complaint. The complaint, which was obtained by the AJC, alleges that out of roughly 22,000 mental health calls that were made to the Atlanta VA Health Care System over a 12-month period ending in January, about 7,200 went unanswered. The reason, according to the complaint made to the VA office of the inspector general, is that the VAs Human Resources Department is slow in hiring applicants who can answer the phones. The VA is investigating that complaint.

The whistleblower complaint comes as government officials are bringing increased pressure to improve mental health services for military veterans in Georgia and across the nation. The federal government is doling out money towards suicide prevention, and Georgia lawmakers recently passed a bill that would improve mental health access for veterans in far-flung areas of the state.

But veterans and advocates say the basic systems in place to treat the mental health of thousands of veterans in Georgia are broken.

There is a shortage of therapists in the VA who can treat military veterans in the state, meaning the mental health services are very limited, Jim Lindenmayer, director and founder of the Cherokee County Homeless Veterans Program previously told the AJC. Theres also frequent staff turnover, Lindenmayer said, meaning that even those veterans who are able to secure services often are getting inconsistent care as they switch therapists. Hes even spoken with veterans who have made appointments and the therapists dont show up.

Calls are canceled or no ones there, said Lindenmayer, whose program serves many veterans who struggle with their mental health. These veterans have [mental health conditions] that are triggering them already, and the VA is not responsive.

Staff writer Alexis Stevens contributed to this report

2023 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Visit at ajc.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
A Department of Veterans Affairs doctor in Georgia has been indicted over allegations that he sexually assaulted at least four female patients, prosecutors announced this week.

Rajesh Motibhai Patel, a primary care physician at the Atlanta VA Medical Center in Decatur, was charged with multiple counts of violating his patients' constitutional right to bodily integrity while acting under color of law and for engaging in unwanted sexual contact, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia said in a news release Thursday.

"Our veterans have made incredible sacrifices for our country and deserve the best medical treatment and highest quality of care," U.S. Attorney Ryan Buchanan said in a statement. "Patel allegedly sexually abused his female patients and violated his oath to do no harm to patients under his care."

Read Next: Murdered or Missing: The Army Stands Up a Cold Case Unit to Tackle Unsolved Crimes

Prosecutors allege Patel, 68, assaulted four of his female patients during routine exams in 2019 and 2020, including by groping their breasts and improperly touching their vaginal area, according to the release.

The release included no other details about the case, and a search for the case on the federal court database known as PACER did not immediately turn up results.

In a statement Sunday night, the VA said Patel was removed from patient care and reassigned to a role with no patient interaction as soon as the department learned about the allegations.

"These alleged actions are horrific and unacceptable. We take this matter extremely seriously, and we have been cooperating with law enforcement since these concerns were raised," VA press secretary Terrence Hayes said in the statement. "We will offer any impacted veteran the care and support they need, and we will continue to cooperate fully with the investigation."

Officials believe there may be more victims, according to the release from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Prosecutors encouraged anyone with details about Patel or other possible victims to contact the VA's inspector general's office, which is taking the lead on investigating the case, at (770) 758-6646.

"Veterans and their families expect and deserve the highest quality of health care delivered in a safe and accountable setting," VA Inspector General Michael Missal said in a statement. "The VA Office of Inspector General is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to ensure the safety of those who entrust their health care to the providers and staff at VA's 1,200 medical facilities."

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comment from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

-- Rebecca Kheel can be reached at rebecca.kheel@military.com. Follow her on Twitter @reporterkheel.

Related: VA Struggles to Curb Harassment of Female Veterans at Medical Centers
It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt. In one case, it led to a first-degree manslaughter charge and more than one study from the National Institutes of Health. On the night of Dec. 21, 2013, Marine Corps veteran Brad Lee Davis got into an altercation with his stepfather. Three years later, the NIH published its first wedgie-related study, citing Davis' case as a source.

Davis' fight with his stepfather, 58-year-old Denver Lee St. Clair, ended with Davis pulling his stepfather's underwear up over the man's head -- a combative known as the Atomic Wedgie. Unfortunately, the move would kill St. Clair and Davis would go to jail, initially charged with first-degree murder.

After his arrest, Davis claimed he'd never intended to kill his stepfather. He only wanted to embarrass the man, which is the most likely reason he chose to execute the atomic version of the wedgie.

According to Davis, the two were inside St. Clair's trailer in McLoud, Oklahoma, when they got into a verbal altercation. Davis' mother was at the hospital recovering from hip surgery, and Davis was staying the night for an early visitation trip. The men were talking when St. Clair began insulting Davis' mother.

Davis responded by calling his stepfather a bully, and claimed that led to St. Clair taking a swing at him. After the fight, St. Clair was on the ground, according to Davis' statement, when the Marine Corps veteran pulled St. Clair's underwear over his head and snapped a photo. Unfortunately, the underwear band was pulled all the way around to the man's neck, strangling him.

The autopsy revealed that the altercation may have been more than a simple fistfight. The prosecution in the case said St. Clair suffered head wounds that would have killed the man anyway, had he not been strangled by the atomic wedgie. They also allege that Davis staged the crime scene to look like more of an equal brawl.

Davis had planned to claim self-defense during the trial, but pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter instead, a charge that carried as little as four years in prison. The judge in the case, however, was not amused. He believed Davis beat the man before the wedgie and was "troubled" that Davis took photos of his stepfather as he died.

In 2015, the man who came to be called the "Atomic Wedgie Killer" was sentenced to 30 years in prison. The next year, Texas-based Baylor University Medical Center published a literature review with the National Institutes of Health.

It discusses the different types of wedgies and dangers associated with that kind of prank. Davis' case wasn't the focus of the report, but it was central to the example of how wedgies -- especially wedgies with "so-called 'atomic' force" -- can go wrong.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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Actor Glen Powell must have fallen in love with naval aviation while filming Top Gun: Maverick. He followed up that performance with his role as Medal of Honor recipient Thomas Hudner in 2022s Korean War drama Devotion and is now producing The Blue Angels, a documentary about the U.S. Navys renowned Flight Demonstration Squadron.

Variety reports that Amazon Studios landed worldwide rights to the documentary, produced by J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and his production company, Bad Robot, along with Powells own production company, Barnstorm Productions, and others.

Glen Powell as Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin in "Top Gun: Maverick." (Paramount Pictures)

The new IMAX-shot film film follows the elite aviation squadron for a full year, as they train and perform their aerial demonstrations. The film will be released in theaters before heading to Amazon Prime Video.

This fascinating and layered documentary is wholly representative of the kind of work ethic, teamwork, and perseverance that goes into being a Blue Angel, Brianna Oh, Amazons head of documentary features, told Variety. We are incredibly honored to join this talented filmmaking team in bringing their story to audiences around the world.

The squads team of Navy and Marine Corps aviators flies F/A-18 Super Hornets with the help of more than a hundred enlisted personnel.

The Blue Angels were formed in 1946 by Adm. Chester Nimitz, called the Navy Flight Exhibition Team. The squadron changed its name to the Blue Angels after seeing an ad for New York Citys Blue Angel nightclub.

Its the second-oldest aerobatics squad in the world. Only the French Air and Space Forces Patrouille de France can trace its origins back further.

The first Navy "Blue Angels" Flight Demonstration Squadron (19461947), assembled in front of one of their Grumman F6F Hellcats (l to r): Lt. Al Taddeo, Solo; Lt. (J.G.) Gale Stouse, Spare; Lt. Cdr. R.M. "Butch" Voris, Flight Leader; Lt. Maurice "Wick" Wickendoll, Right Wing; Lt. Mel Cassidy, Left Wing. (U.S. Navy)

Naval aviators serve two- to three-year stints in the Blue Angels, while support personnel serve three to four years. After their tour with Blue Angels ends, they return to regular U.S. Navy assignments. As of 2023, there have been 260 demonstration pilots and 37 flight leaders in the squadrons history.

The Department of Defense uses demonstration teams like the Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Forces Thunderbirds for recruiting purposes, displaying the U.S. militarys aviation training and capabilities to the public.

It requires special permission for the Blue Angels and Thunderbirds to perform within 150 miles of each other, but they often perform in concert with the Armys Golden Knights and the Navys Leapfrogs parachute teams.

Release dates for the J.J. Abrams and Glen Powell-produced IMAX documentary The Blue Angels is still to be determined.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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Yevgeny Prigozhin today said he plans to pull his troops out of Bakhmut, where they are fighting alongside Russian forces hoping to overrun the city in Ukraine. Progozhin assailed Russian generals in his statement and said his mercenaries were being starved of ammunition by them.

Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the ammunition? They came here as volunteers and die for you to fatten yourselves in your mahogany offices."

Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have often been the focus for Prigozhin's anger.

Prigozhin is a publicity seeker, and his influence has seemingly waned in recent months. He has previously made threats he has not followed through with  subsequently dismissing them as jokes and military humour.
During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, insurgents began exploiting the cultural sensitivities around male U.S. troops searching local women. Women became a loophole for smuggling and other terrorist activities. To mitigate this threat, the Marine Corps created Task Force Lioness, teams of female Marines who did what men could not.

The effort worked. The Marine Corps and Army began to employ Lioness teams to deter insurgents from using women in their attacks. In real life, these women became known as female engagement teams. In a new show from "Yellowstone" co-creator Taylor Sheridan, it looks like the Lionesses are going to do more than engage a female population.

Called "Special Ops: Lioness," the Paramount+ spy thriller stars Zoe Saldana ("Guardians of the Galaxy) as Lioness station chief "Joe," Nicole Kidman as CIA supervisor Kaitlyn Meade and Morgan Freeman as Secretary of State Edwin Mullins. Also joining the cast is Laysla De Oliveira from the Netflix horror series "Locke & Key"; she plays Marine Cruz Manuelos.

Laysla De Oliveira as Cruz Manuelos in "Special Ops: Lioness." (Lynsey Addario/Paramount+)

While the real-world Lioness missions expanded beyond searching women to running medical clinics, distributing medicine and humanitarian aid, and meeting in Afghan homes, the women of "Special Ops: Lioness" became covert spies, infiltrators and potentially assassins attached to the CIA.

The onscreen mission of the expanded Lioness program trains women as covert operatives and deploys them to trouble spots around the world. "Special Ops: Lioness" follows the story of a young Marine who is recruited by the CIA to befriend the daughter of a terrorist group in order to bring down the organization from within.

Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman in Taylor Sheridans new espionage drama, "Special Ops: Lioness." (Ramona Rosales/Paramount+)

Don't expect the campy 007, Bond Girl style of female spy. Sheridan's style of storytelling is known for its gritty, realistic and often violent nature. Sheridan's show "1923" begins with Helen Mirren chasing down a man and killing him with a shotgun. "Mayor of Kingstown" is about prison towns, and "Tulsa King" is about a Mafia capo who is sent to Oklahoma to expand a criminal organization.

"Special Ops: Lioness" is set to debut on Paramount+ this summer, but a release date has yet to be announced.

-- Blake Stilwell can be reached at blake.stilwell@military.com. He can also be found on Twitter @blakestilwell or on LinkedIn.

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As an active-duty military spouse, I confess I have often been bitter about my career. Twenty moves, eight deployments, three kids, two geographic bachelor tours and countless unimpressed hiring managers will do that to a person.

To be fair, I have also been joyous, engaged, deeply satisfied and well-paid during my career, too. So, there is that.

When I was at my most bitter -- often during Military Spouse Appreciation Month in May -- I would compose long emails about the unfairness of it all to Carolyn Hax, the venerated advice columnist at The Washington Post. I never sent a single email.

I was pretty sure that Caroline would not say super encouraging things about sticking it out until Brad was done with his Navy career, which was the other thing I wanted just as much. Go figure.

Here is the letter I would have written to my young, bitter self. I share it with you in honor of Military Spouse Appreciation Month and because this tenacious journey toward meaningful work and a solid marriage is what I appreciate most about my fellow military spouses. This especially includes my daughter-in-law who is a computer engineer, an active-duty Army wife and a wonderful mom.

Dear Bitter About Your Career:

I hear you, and I get it. Yes, you fell in love with and married someone wonderful who wanted and still mysteriously wants a career in the military. Congratulations to you both. Close relationships are strongly correlated with happiness.

Yes, you are a smart person who completed your education and now wants a meaningful career of your own. Again, well-done you.

And, yes, moving around every 2 years, as is standard in military life, is not at all conducive to having a career. This is why spouse unemployment and underemployment are so prevalent. Surprise, surprise. Employers just don't like to hire people without a network or job-related tenure. Not exactly fair, but true.

So What Are You Going to Do?

Yes, you. Your happiness and your career decisions are always up to you, no matter your circumstances. You already know this without having me go on and on about it, right?

Here are the things I think you and Brad should keep in mind while you are on this journey together:

1. You Are on This Journey Together.

Military spouse employment is not a spouse problem. It is not a military problem. It is a family problem and requires the input of all members of the family to find a workable solution. You are going to be amazed at how often Brad and the kids are going to come through for you.

2. Having It All Is Going to Be Really Hard.

That's especially true in this military context. It was going to be hard anyway. Marriage always is. Family always is. Work always is. Don't get distracted by comparing yourself to others.

3. Praise Is Required.

Service members do not know and cannot know the devastation of losing a job or giving up a job or getting back on the job-hunting track every time you move. Thus, Brad is not going to be that good at figuring out what you should do next.

Often, his own overdeveloped sense of responsibility is going to make him say things that are not terribly helpful, like, "You don't really need to work." Or, "This doesn't matter." You do need to work, and this does matter. Be very clear what kind of help you want. Praise and encouragement are essential for you.

4. Kids Change Every Aspect of Your Life.

No two military kids are alike. They each need what they need when they need it. Expect both careers to take a bit of a hit at times to help one of the kids.

5. Not Everyone Has Kids.

One in five military couples do not have kids. Remember, your own kids will grow up and move away, I promise. During times without kids, expect your career to loom even larger and matter more.

6. Don't Get Stuck on Gender Issues.

A lot of military spouses get hoisted on the petard of gender. Get off the petard. Don't let yourself get caught up in whether you are expected to sacrifice your career, because you are a woman. It might feel true at times. Shoot, it might be true at times. Know that this dilemma is a giant waste of time and usually the sign you need to do something new about your career.

7. Depression Is a Thing.

In 2023, sociologists found that military spouses with jobs were less likely to experience depression than those who were unemployed. By 2023, you will have experienced this yourself. Often.

A job can be your way to express your gifts, make lasting friendships, contribute to your community, increase income, decrease financial problems and organize your time. Granted, finding a job and working will also be a source of stress, but most of the time, it will be your greatest help.

8. What Kind of Pain Do You Want?

For some couples, there is eventually a choice: me or the military? Deep inside, you know that if you put your foot down, Brad will leave the Navy for you and the kids. It is that simple.

You also know that either way, there is a price to pay. Would you rather pay the price of making your career portable, or would you rather live in Dayton, Ohio, with a Brad who was not all he wanted to be? It really is up to you.

9. COVID Is Coming.

You would not believe this in 1987 or 2001 or 2012, but in 2020, a terrible pandemic is coming that will shut down the country for two years. During that time, there will be a national experiment to determine whether it is possible to work from home.

Technology will be so advanced that most people who work in an office will be able to keep their jobs. While it will be very hard on military spouses at the time, it will create more opportunities for hybrid work and work from home (WFH) that will better suit your peripatetic military life.

10. Totally Worth It.

To make your career work with Brad's military career, you are going to do a lot of strange things. Sometimes, you will be up until 4 a.m. to hit a deadline. Sometimes, you will follow leads or job opportunities that just don't work for you. Sometimes, you will have to retool. Your kids will think that having you turn in an article during a family vacation is a normal part of family vacation.

Know it is all worth it in the end. You will have a career you love. Your kids will be OK. Brad will stay in the Navy as long as he likes and describe you to other people as "the love of my entire life."

It will all work out for you, Bitter About Your Career. Have a little faith, a lot of luck and a whole lotta love -- and maybe a jelly doughnut. Jelly doughnuts go a long way to restore your strength. You are going to need it.

Jacey Eckhart is Military.com's transition master coach. She is a certified professional career coach and military sociologist who helps military members get their first civilian job by offering career-level Master Classes through our Veteran Employment Project and on her website, SeniorMilitaryTransition.com. Reach her at Jacey.Eckhart@Monster.com.

Find Your Next Job Fast

Transitioning military, veterans and spouses may be qualified for the job, but they are missing the secrets of civilian hiring. Find out everything you need to know with our FREE master class series, including our next class. You can view previous classes in our video library. Questions for Jacey? Visit our Facebook page.
DETROIT -- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has opened an investigation into older Dodge Journey models after a Wisconsin woman was trapped and died in a fire last December due to an electrical failure. According to the Associated Press, documents posted by the NHTSA say the probe involves the 2009 Journey models and an estimated 82,000 vehicles could be impacted.

The investigation began following the death of 73-year-old Mary Frahm on Dec. 9. Frahm was reportedly traveling in her Journey when the SUV started having electrical problems. Frahm had pulled over and called her fiance to explain the situation before calling a second time to report she could see smoke coming from the dashboard and she could smell something burning.

Frahm called 911 to report the fire but when crews arrived on scene, the SUV was already engulfed in flames.

A complaint filed with the NHTSA says the fire started in the in the engine and spread, causing the possible electrical problems. That resulted in the power doors not functioning, trapping Frahm inside. The owners manual for the vehicle does indicate a plunger on the top of the door trim panel can allow passengers to open the door manually, but that did not happen in this case.

The driver was unable to exit the vehicle, resulting in her death, the agency wrote in documents.

Breaking out the windows was not a practical solution either because of how the windows are constructed to avoid breaking easily. The windows contain plastic which is laminated between two layers of glass making it harder for glass to shatter. Thats done in an effort to prevent people from being thrown from the vehicle in the result of crash.

In 2009, Chrysler LLC -- the then parent company of Dodge -- recalled an estimated 17,000 Journeys due to an issue with an unused electrical connector that could corrode over time and short circuit. If that happens there is an increased risk of causing a fire.

Stellantis -- which currently makes Dodge model vehicles -- is cooperating with the investigation. It is unclear if or when a recall could be issued involving the Journeys.

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LANSING, MI  Michigan lawmakers have introduced legislation that would transfer permitting and oversight of sand and gravel mines from local governments to the state.

House Bills 4526, 4527 and 4528 were introduced Wednesday, May 3 as a bipartisan package which supporters cast as an effort to shore up a broken road construction supply chain they say is being hamstrung by activists opposing projects around the state.

The bills drew swift fire from environmental groups, who accused Democrats of caving to the influence of dark money priorities and reneging on campaign promises to focus on clean energy and environmental protection policy reforms once in power.

The legislation resurrects a multi-year fight to weaken local control over aggregate mining in Michigan, where local township board meetings routinely feature vocal opposition from potential mine neighbors worried about the impact on their surroundings.

Both parties recognize that theres a statewide problem with getting the aggregate supply chain moving in the direction that will help the governor fix the damn roads, said John Sellek, spokesperson for Build it Michigan Strong, a coalition of industry and labor groups which supports moving aggregate mine oversight into state hands.

What we encounter repeatedly across the state is, Yeah, we want better roads, but we dont want aggregate mining here, Sellek said. And thats just not sustainable.

The bills are sponsored by Rep. Angela Witwer, D-Delta Township; Rep. Tyrone Carter, D-Detroit; and Rep. Pat Outman, R-Six Lakes. Witwer is chair of the House appropriations committee and Carter chairs the regulatory reform committee, where the bills were sent this week.

Six Democrats and seven Republicans are co-sponsors.

Under the legislation, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) would assume permitting authority over aggregates, where supporters say it belongs alongside the agencys existing oversight of oil, gas and minerals mining and development.

Uniform state permitting would ease the path to opening new aggregate mines, supporters argue, which are needed to reduce transportation costs from existing mines to job sites.

Opponents say local governments should decide whether to allow such operations within their jurisdiction and be able to regulate associated noise, dust and traffic concerns.

The bills take away local control, which is a bad idea, said Peter Psarouthakis, supervisor in Washtenaw Countys Sharon Township, where a proposed 400-acre aggregate mine is roiling board meetings over concerns about environmental damage and property values.

Bill supporters say local opposition in places like Sharon Township or Metamora Township in Lapeer County, where organized opposition has stalled a proposed 500-acre sand and gravel mine for several years, is rooted in not in my backyard (NIMBY) sentiment.

Psarouthakis said its more complicated than that.

It has nothing to do with NIMBY at all, he said. EGLE is not going to be there on a day-to-day basis to monitor issues with the company and help take care of things as quickly as possible.

They are too big and understaffed.

Environmental groups say the bills, as written, would lead to degraded wetlands and water quality. But their outrage is rooted more in a sense that their priorities, such as climate and energy legislation, water protections, polluter liability reform, are being disregarded by those whom they helped elect in favor of legislation they oppose.

The advocacy community is having a totally different conversation than House leadership, said Christy McGillivray, legislative director at the Michigan Sierra Club.

The bills can be fixed and theres a world where it is good to have state oversight of aggregate mining, but thats totally beside the point because this is in the context of nothing environmental happening during the first one hundred days, McGillivray said.

Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition issued furious statements this week accusing the Democrats of spurning the will of voters.

Now that leadership has changed in Lansing we expect our elected officials to deliver on their commitments  not cave to multi-client lobbyists and dark money, said Jamesa Johnson-Greer director of the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition.

Sellek said the bills have been drafted to assuage environmental concerns by requiring aggregate permit approvals similar to what air pollution emitting industries must adhere to, as well as controlling for noise, dust, traffic, and pile height caps. The bills include a new emphasis on site reclamation for restoring the land once mining is finished, he said.

With control at the state level, uniform standards will apply and this local government protest movement will be somewhat distanced emotionally from the decision-making process.

There seems to be an organized fight against these anytime they pop up, Sellek said.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmers office released a statement which did not directly address the merits of the legislation but said the bills would be reviewed.

We are always open to working with anyone to pass laws that will help us make even more progress and will be reviewing these bills as they make their way through the legislature, said Whitmer spokesperson Bobby Leddy.

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Starting this summer, fans of Prince can drive (a little red Corvette) down a highway named in his honor. The Minnesota Senate recently passed a bill renaming a seven-mile stretch of Highway 5 as Prince Rogers Nelson Memorial Highway, which will now go to Governor Tim Walz for his signature. The highway runs past Prince's Paisley Park home and recording studio in Chanhassen. Signs marking the highway's name will be purple, and the name change costs will be covered by Prince's friends and family.

AP:
MACOMB COUNTY, MI  A Michigan man will spend decades in prison after a Macomb County jury found him guilty of several felonies.

Judge Diane Druzinski sentenced Jason Brilla, 34, of Clinton Township to 40 to 60 years for second degree murder, 5 to 15 years for feeling a police officer and operating a motor vehicle on suspended license causing death and 1 to 2 years for revisiting a police officer.

All the sentences will be served at the same time, according to Macomb County Prosecutor Peter J. Lucido.

Brilla was convicted in March.

The charges stem from an incident on May 2, 2022, when Brilla fled a traffic stop, ran a red light and crashed into another vehicle at a high rate of speed.

Brilla then fled from the vehicle on foot but was apprehended by Warren police officers. The passenger of Brillas vehicle, Jennel Castro, was transported to the hospital with life threatening injuries and was later pronounced dead.

Thank you to the Warren Police Department for their efforts in attempting to save the victim as well as their investigation, the Macomb County jury who convicted Brilla and Circuit Court Judge Diane Druzinski for sentencing him, Lucido said in a statement. I hope the family can start the healing and closure processes after this terrible incident.
For Krishna Gogineni, perhaps the most normal part of being a Michigan State University student was leaving as a dual microbiology and human biology major.

We havent had a typical undergrad experience, right? said Gogineni, 22, of Belleville. We started off and COVID hit, then everything happened, and then the shooting happened  its just a bittersweet moment for me. ... Were finally here, everyone does this, and after such an extraordinary undergrad, four years, weve finally returned to a sense of normalcy.

Gogineni was one of the 6,978 bachelors degree candidates to graduate Friday, May 5. They epresent 77 Michigan counties, 44 states and 59 countries.

Overall, MSU graduated more than 9,500 students of varying degrees Thursday, May 4, and Friday. And for the second consecutive year, university officials said, a record-breaking 206 students graduated with a 4.0 grade point average.

Its kind of a relief to have an actual graduation. It so seemed like it wasnt going to happen for awhile, said 22-year-old Erin Mahan, a now-graduated double major in Arabic and neuroscience.

But in the end, it did  though, not for everyone.

Hanging over the pomp and circumstance of the day was a lingering understanding the campus had gone through the strife of a mass shooting nearly three months ago, and the university is still working to emerge on the other side.

Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff honored the three students killed Feb. 13  Arielle Anderson, Brian Fraser, and Alexandria Verner  with a moment of silence during Fridays ceremonies.

MSU also offered the trio honorary degrees. Families are to accept these diplomas on their loved ones behalf during individual graduation ceremonies on Saturday, May 6.

Your degrees prepare you for a future we tried to foresee, but your shared experiences equipped you for what no one could predict, Woodruff said in opening remarks to undergraduates on Friday. And so today, class of 2023, youre bound together  perhaps as no other class  by the challenges youve faced and, through them, the care youve demonstrated.

For 24-year-old Mudita Jagota, Fridays graduation was an emotionally complex one, she said.

As an international student from India, she said shed dreamed of studying in the United States since the ninth grade. Februarys campus shooting made Jagota earning her masters in rehabilitation counseling all the more impactful.

She is one of the 1,362 masters degree candidates who graduated Friday. Her class represents 64 Michigan counties, 48 states and 46 countries and ranges in age from 20 to 77 years old, according to university officials.

I feel so proud of everyone for pushing through, despite what we have faced. ... Its a bittersweet moment, I would say, Jagota said. I do feel sad for what happened, but despite all the adversity, we all stayed resilient and we are here today to celebrate with our friends, with our families. It does seem like a huge achievement considering everything else.

Dr. Anthony Fauci later echoed that sentiment of persistence. He spoke to graduating doctoral students during the 3:30 p.m. Friday ceremony.

The bulk of his remarks pertained to the pandemic and the lessons learned from it, as well as his concerns surrounding the rise of a significant anti-science element ... that is now quite vocal within society.

Your class is truly exceptional because you persevered despite the profound upheaval, constraints, and loss caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, said Fauci, former chief medical adviser to the president and past director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Each of you will carry the unique imprint of this extraordinary experience that confronted you during a very pivotal period of your lives.

Despite expressing concern for graduates entering a world that he said has begun to normalize untruths and outright egregious lying, Fauci also pushed for students to continue embracing health differences and ideology and diversity, as we cannot let ... what should be our strengths deteriorate into divisiveness.

I want to close with a reminder that amid these serious issues, there is much joy in life, he said. Allow yourselves to cultivate this joy as much as you do your professional accomplishments. ... Find your source of joy and embrace it. Let your hair down. Have some fun.

Many of you will be in serious important positions starting relatively soon. This is not incompatible with the fact that you have so many other things to live for, and to be happy about. Reach for them  and relish the joy.

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EAST LANSING, MI  More than 9,500 Michigan State University graduates received their diplomas across baccalaureate, masters, doctoral and professional programs at the Jack Breslin Student Events Center and the Wharton Center for Performing Arts since Thursday.

This semesters graduates have achieved excellence through great resilience and a world-class Michigan State education, said Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D. Core to MSU is our ability to foster the next generation of leaders and innovators through highly ranked programs and co-curricular opportunities that deepen the educational experiences of our students.

MSUs spring 2023 graduating class possesses the ability to shape a new era for life-changing discoveries, life-saving technologies and impactful public policy to create a better tomorrow for us all. I look forward to seeing how these Spartans will change the world alongside their fellow Spartan alums.

Undergraduate degree ceremony

This semester, the 6,978 bachelors degree candidates represent 77 Michigan counties, 44 states and 59 countries. Among those, 10 U.S. veterans graduated this weekend.

The age range for this years graduating class ranges from 19 to 53 years of age. Additionally, 792 graduating seniors are members of the Honors College.

For the second consecutive year, MSU has a record-breaking number of students achieving the highest scholastic average  a 4.0 GPA. A total of 206 undergraduate seniors received the Board of Trustees Award for their academic excellence.

They were recognized during the boards April meeting and will also receive recognition at their individual college ceremonies.

Students listened on as MSU economist and professor Lisa Cook, a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, spoke as a keynote address on Friday, May 5.

Masters degree ceremony

The masters degree commencement ceremony celebrated the accomplishments of 1,362 degree candidates on Friday, May 5.

Students listened to Jill Hruby, undersecretary for nuclear security in the U.S. Department of Energy and administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration, as the keynote speaker.

The class represents 64 Michigan counties, 48 states, 46 countries and an age range of 20 to 77 years of age. Eleven U.S. veterans received masters degrees this year.

Doctoral degree ceremony

The doctoral degree commencement ceremony took place on Friday, May 5.

The 466 candidates were welcomed by Anthony Fauci, former chief medical adviser to the president and past director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

This class represents 30 Michigan counties, 39 states, 42 countries and graduates range from 25 to 68 years of age.

In addition to doctoral degree recipients, 762 professional degree candidates from the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Human Medicine and Law also will be recognized at their individual college ceremonies.

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ANN ARBOR, MI  A Texas developer is scaling back plans for a new Ann Arbor apartment high-rise geared toward University of Michigan students at 711 Church St.

The latest proposal from Austin-based real estate firm LV Collective LLC calls for a 17-story, 280-unit building.
Is Ann Arbor poised to get its own Chick-fil-A?

The fast-food chain -- known for its chicken sandwiches, sauce and long lines -- has been expanding throughout Southeast Michigan for the past several years. Now the chain is eyeballing the former Dennys on Washtenaw Avenue for a possible location. Makayla Coffee recently covered the discussion at a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting.

Also at the Planning Commission meeting this week, Ann Arbor officials took stock of just how expensive it is to live downtown. Studio apartments for $2,500 and condos for $2 million sound like Manhattan prices to me -- and probably a lot of other people in Michigan.

So how does Ann Arbor resist the temptation to become a nest of exclusivity?

Thats part of what I really want is to figure out how to get regular people to be able to live downtown, Commissioner Shannan Gibb-Randall said at the meeting, according to Ryan Stantons story.

Thats what caught our eye in Ann Arbor this week. Take a look at those headlines, and others, below.

U.S. 23 closures coming for start of $162M Flex Route expansion project

Chick-fil-A may be coming to site of former Ann Arbor Dennys

An infant who disappeared in 1982 is presumed dead. Now her father heads to trial for murder

With studio rents over $2,400, Ann Arbor grapples with downtown affordability

5 great Mexican restaurants around Ann Arbor

Man shoots himself during confrontation with police near elementary school

About Hello, Ann Arbor: Each week, we deliver the big headlines straight to your inbox. Sign up here for the newsletter.

John Counts is editor for MLive/The Ann Arbor News where he started as a police and court reporter in 2012. He lives in Whitmore Lake with his wife, two daughters and two dogs. He can be reached at johncounts@mlive.com.

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UPDATE: A subject has been taken into custody. This story has been updated.

WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - A 15-year-old was arrested on Thursday evening after they made threats against a Washtenaw County school system.

Lincoln Consolidated Schools closed on Friday, May 5, after multiple people reported threats of a school shooting had been made on social media, according to police.

A 15-year-old student was questioned and taken into custody late Thursday evening, police said. There are no credible threats of violence at this time.

We are thankful for the many students who saw something and decided to say something, Derrick Jackson, a spokesperson for the Washtenaw County Sheriffs Office, wrote in an email to MLive/The Ann Arbor News. We ask parents to please talk to your students and reinforce the seriousness of making threats, even jokingly.

Students had reached out to Lincoln High School administration Thursday evening about a potential threat, school officials said on social media. Administration then contacted law enforcement before deciding to close the school on Friday out of an abundance of caution, officials wrote.

Obviously, were disappointed in the poor decision that was made, said Robert Jansen, superintendent of Lincoln Consolidated Schools. ...We take every threat seriously, and there are serious consequences for these types of choices.

Jansen thanked those who reported the threat.

It was a community effort, he said.

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ANN ARBOR, MI -- An Ann Arbor-area woman suffered three factures to her jaw after a man assaulted her in downtown Ann Arbor.

A 35-year-old man is in custody after surveillance footage captured him assaulting Lisa Sommers, 56, around 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 22, according to Ann Arbor police. Sommers was walking southbound across Catherine Street near North Main Street when the man allegedly came up behind her, she told MLive/The Ann Arbor News.

When she turned to look at him, he reportedly hit her in the face, Sommers said.

I dont know what happened. It felt like I hit a wall really hard, Sommers said. Then I realized I was on the groundI thought maybe I got hit by a car.

Sommers suffered three fractures to her upper jawbone and was taken to the University of Michigan Hospital. The two did not know each other, police said.

Charges against the man are pending prosecutor review, police said.

While she is overwhelmingly grateful for bystanders who helped her, the experience has shaken her.

I cant believe that he did what he did, she said. He did this downtown, mid-afternoon, Saturday, people were there. A lot of witnesses.

Sommers is relieved the man is in custody, she added.

If there hadnt been so many people who stopped and stayed to help it wouldnt have gotten reported because I didnt know what happened, she said.

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FLINT, MI  A Flint mother convicted of second-degree murder in the death of her 2-month-old infant will serve at least 20 years in prison.

Kisha Person, 25, was sentenced Friday, May 5, by Genesee County Circuit Court Judge David J. Newblatt to a minimum of 20 years to a maximum of 40 years in prison for her second-degree murder conviction.

The judge also sentenced Person to a minimum of 15 years to a maximum of 30 years in prison for first-degree child abuse. The sentences will run concurrently.

Related: Flint mother pleads no contest to second-degree murder in childs death

Police previously told MLive-The Flint Journal that the child victim in the case was abused on Nov. 11, 2020, at the hands of Person.

At some point that night, the child suffered a serious medical emergency. The following morning, the mother noticed the baby wasnt breathing and called police.

Officers responded around 8 a.m. Nov. 12, 2020, to the 210 block of Devon Lane in the Evergreen Regency apartment complex off Lippincott Boulevard for an unresponsive infant.

The baby was taken to Hurley Medical Center and later pronounced dead.

Investigators received additional information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on Nov. 17 of that year, which led police to arrest Person.

Child Protective Services took custody of a 1-year-old child who also lived at the residence.

Read more: Flint mother faces murder, abuse charges in death of 2-month-old infant

Officials previously said they believed the mother became angry after the father left her home shortly before the abuse of the child began.

Court proceedings were delayed in mid-2022 when Person was referred to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Saline for a competency evaluation. However, Person was eventually restored to competency.

In March, Person pleaded no contest to second-degree murder and first-degree child abuse as part of a Killebrew plea, in which there was a sentence agreement for a 20-year minimum sentence.

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GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- To avoid the potential for backups, motorists should be aware of a significant double-lane closure planned this weekend for northbound U.S. 131 near downtown Grand Rapids.

Michigan Department of Transportation staff said the closure -- from Hall Street to I-196 -- is needed for road and bridge work.

The closure is weather dependent, but is scheduled to start at 8:30 p.m. Friday, May 5 and run through 7 p.m. Sunday, May 7.

Ramps to northbound U.S. 131 from Pearl and Wealthy streets also will be closed during the work.

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ZEELAND, MI  Automotive supplier Gentex hosted a groundbreaking Friday for a preschool its building at its Zeeland headquarters.

Gentex Discovery Preschool, will provide on-site daycare for children from birth to age five, and will be operated by the ODC Network, which operates three preschools in the Holland area.

The preschool will have 12 daycare rooms, three infant rooms, office and common space, a food preparation area, and indoor play center.

Expected to open next year, the preschool will have capacity to serve 250 children during the companys first-shift and 250 during the companys second-shift.

Improving access to affordable, quality childcare is a goal shared by all the groups represented here today, Gentex president and CEO Steve Downing said ins a statement.

Finding and paying for childcare has increasingly become a burden for far too many in our community. Its a barrier to employment that also negatively affects child development, household financial stability, and overall economic growth. We trust this facility will become a meaningful benefit for Gentex employees, allow individuals to reenter the workforce, and create childcare openings throughout the community.

Craig Piersma, vice president of marketing and communications at Gentex, said the amount employees must pay to enroll their child in the facility has not been finalized. But we expect it will be a deep discount from what the going rate is.

A news release from Gentex says ODC Preschools provide nature-based childcare and early childhood education programming, with children spending time outdoors each day, learning through active play and exploration.

Employer-based childcare centers are strategically important to the continued growth of West Michigan, said ODCs CEO, Travis Williams. They benefit the employer by helping attract and retain talent, the economy by expanding the workforce, and children by reducing the achievement gap and improving health and educational outcomes.

Piersma said Gentex is hopeful the daycare will boost employee recruitment and retention.

Coming out of covid, so many people had left the workforce, he said. A lot of it was women and single moms. Women, in general, had to be responsible for either doing the childcare or finding childcare, and it became a real barrier to employment, especially coming out of covid.

He added, We knew if we were going to expand our employment base, we had to do major initiatives, and this childcare facility is one of them.

Gentex has about 6,000 employees, the vast majority of whom (roughly 5,600), are based in Ottawa County. The company supplies automatic-dimming rearview mirrors and electronics to the automotive industry, dimmable aircraft windows for aviation markets, and fire protection products to the fire protection market, Gentex said in a news release.

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Meet the humble lesser prairie-chicken, a small bird that's in the middle of a big fight between Congress and the Biden administration. According to Audubon, the lesser prairie-chicken, a grouse that was once abundant in the short-grass regions of the southern Great Plains, is considered threatenedits population is declining and has disappeared from most of its former range. Audubon states that the "biggest problem is conversion of natural prairie to farmland." According to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the decline of the lesser prairie-chicken isn't good news for the health of the plains and its other inhabitants:

This population decline has real implications. The lesser prairie chicken has long been an indicator for healthy grasslands and prairies. Many species depend on these ecosystems so, if the lesser prairie-chicken is in perilin time, other species will be too.

The Kansas City Star explains that last year, the Biden administration placed the southern lesser prairie chicken population on the endangered species list because its habitat on the Great Plains has decreased by 90 percentand scientists argue that intervention is necessary to save the bird from extinction. But Republicans (plus "Democrat" Joe Manchin) in the Senate don't seem to care about the lesser prairie-chicken nor about the broader implications of its declining populations. On May 3, 2023, the Senate passed a measure (by a 50-48 vote) to remove the bird from the Endangered Species Act. The Center for Biological Diversity explains:

Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W. Va.) joined Senate Republicans today in using the Congressional Review Act to strip away Endangered Species Act protections for the critically imperiled lesser prairie chicken. This is the first time in the CRA's 30-year history that Congress has attempted to use this law to rescind federal protections for an individual species.

Senator Roger Marshall (R-KS) was one of the Republicans leading the campaign. The Kansas City Star provides Marshall's argument:

He likes the lesser prairie chicken. He would like the lesser prairie chicken to continue to exist. But he feels local conservation efforts are doing enough to support the grouse. The decline in the bird's population over the past few years, he said, is because of the drought in Western Kansas. If the rain comes back, the bird will come back. "If they list the prairie chicken, this is not only going to make it harder for the oil and gas industry, but it's also going to make it harder for farmers and ranchers, as well as getting the wind energy out of those wind farms from western Kansas," Marshall said. He said the increased regulatory burden will eventually drive up prices of energy and food for Americans.

And according to WIBW:

Senator Marshall commented about the charge to strike down Biden Administration's Lesser Prairie Chicken listing. "When will this Administration learn that a one-size fits all model does not work in rural America? With a population that is on the rise and tens of millions of acres conserved, the evidence doesn't support designating the lesser prairie chicken as a threatened species. In fact, the Lesser Prairie Chicken is better protected now than ever, with a population that has been growing since 2014," said Senator Marshall. "The ESA is just another weaponized tool Biden is using to attack rural America. I am proud to have led this resolution of disapproval in the Senate and thankful for my colleagues who joined me in this fight to stand up for our farmers and ranchers."

So, let me get this straight, Marshall is arguing that an endangered lesser prairie-chicken, whose population is rapidly declining, is actually more protected now than ever before, and not protecting the bird through the ESA would actually help protect it more than it's being protected now, which is, according to Marshall, more protected than its ever been? And really it will all be ok once it just starts raining again? Oh, and oil and gas prices. Got it.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI  A man who worked as service manager at Accurate Truck Service admitted his role in a scheme to bypass emission controls on heavy-duty diesel engines.

Robert Swainston, 50, of Hopkins, pleaded guilty Friday, May 5, to violating the federal Clean Air Act, which regulates the source of mobile pollution.

He is among 11 men and three companies accused of altering or removing emission controls to improve diesel-truck performance and fuel economy and cut maintenance costs.

Accurate Truck Service removed or altered hardware while Diesel Freak reprogrammed trucks engine computers, the government said. Griffin Transportation allegedly engaged the other two companies to delete the systems on trucks, the government said.

The alleged conspiracy involved modifying or removing software and hardware components from emissions-monitoring systems, prosecutors said.

Swainston said a mechanic in his shop altered emissions systems. He admitted to concealing the crime by using code words on the invoices.

Related: Man first to plead guilty in major diesel-engine emissions tampering case

Swainston, now the parts manager at Accurate Truck Service, is the second defendant to plead guilty in the scheme. Earlier this week, Glenn Hoezee, 55, pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Both face up to two years in prison when sentenced later this year by U.S, District Judge Paul Maloney in Kalamazoo. Their early cooperation would be considered at sentencing.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Phillip Green in Grand Rapids heard Swainstons plea.

The government says that removing emissions controls pollutes the air by increasing the output of nitrogen oxides, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

Related: 11 Michigan men charged in major U.S. diesel engine tampering case

Swainston was released on a $25,000 unsecured bond. Like any others convicted of a felony charge, he will be unable to vote, serve on a jury or possess a firearm, Green said.

His attorney, Richard Zambon, declined to comment after the hearing.

The plea agreements with the two defendants who have pleaded guilty calls for their cooperation, including potential testimony, with the prosecution.

The alleged conspiracy to tamper with semi-truck engines in a scheme that ran from 2012 to 2018, federal prosecutors say.

U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said the investigate by the U.S. Environmental Agencys Criminal Investigation Division is one of the largest of its kind ever charged in the United States.

Others accused in the alleged conspiracy are Ryan Lalone, 47, of Gaylord; Wade Lalone, 44, of Gaylord; Dustin Rhine, 32, of Indian River; James Sisson, 42, of Mt. Pleasant; Douglas Larsen, 51, of Wayland; Craig Scholten, 58, of Byron Center; Ryan Bos, 45, of Grandville; Randy Clelland, 33, of Grand Rapids; and Scott DeKock, 45, of Hudsonville.

Scholten and Bos own Griffin Transportation, a Grand Rapids-based trucking firm that operates across the U.S. Accurate Truck Service, with headquarters in Grand Rapids, is owned by Scholten, Bos and Larsen, the government said.

Ryan Lalone owns Diesel Freak in Gaylord.

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KALAMAZOO, MI -- Western Michigan Universitys campus will look a little different by the time students return in the fall -- especially the southern part of campus.

Construction crews are preparing for summer construction work across campus. The most significant change is the next phase in WMUs Hilltop Village plan, redesigning the campus south neighborhood.

A priority of the building plans is incorporating more green space into campus, said David Dakin, WMU director of planning, space management and capital projects. Denser and taller buildings will replace what Dakin calls suburbia on steroids, a multitude of spread-out, low-rise buildings that have been demolished in recent years.

Here are some of the changes coming to campus.

New parking structure

A rendering of a new parking structure on WMU's campus.Courtesy of Western Michigan University

A five-story parking structure with more than 350 spaces will be built where the two Burnham residence halls used to be. To have 350 spaces in a lot instead of a deck, it would take up half of Hilltop Village, Dakin said.

The new structure will be a two-minute walk from the new student center and Waldo Library, Dakin said.

Construction will start this summer, and its expected to open by fall 2024. Future expansion will add 200 more spaces.

The deck will have four electric vehicle charging stations, energy efficient lighting, bicycle parking and dedicated spaces for energy-efficient vehicles.

Residents of the Arcadia Flats apartment complex will get first priority for the new deck. Other spaces will be for people going to the new student center. Remaining spaces will be for faculty and staff use.

Our goal is to make it as efficient as possible, so we dont want empty spaces, Dakin said. Hopefully its convenient for everyone, but always sitting there full most of the time.

Loop Road and pedestrian bridge

A new loop road and pedestrian bridge will be built on WMU's campus.Courtesy of Western Michigan University

A new road called Loop Road will streamline access to the new student center from Ring Road South. Multiple roads will be eliminated to create this new road, including: Hayes Drive South, Dormitory Road South, Moore Drive and Shaw Lane East as well as a portion of the Arcadia Loop.

When finished, Loop Road will intersect with Ring Road South between what is presently Moore Drive and Shawn Lane East, as well as next to Hayes Drive South.

A pedestrian bridge will be added for people to walk over the road, rather than cross it.

It creates a safer environment. And the terrain, it actually turned out to be less expensive to build the bridge than it was to try to rework the earth work on there, because the hills are pretty steep, Dakin said.

The rest of the area will be converted to green space for now, with grass and trees. More buildings could be added in the space later on.

As people are passing Stadium Drive, they can look toward campus and theyll be looking right up into the front of the new student center, Dakin said.

Dunbar Hall

A rending of what the $42 million renovations will look like to Western Michigan University's Dunbar Hall. The board of trustees approved the renovations May 19, 2022.

Finishing touches are being done to to Dunbar Hall as it nears the end of its construction project in January 2024, Dakin said.

The $42 million project was first approved by the Board of Trustees in May 2022. Its a complex of three buildings that was built in 1971.

Were kind of in the homestretch. All the mechanical and electrical is in, walls are up and its now painting and putting carpets in, Dakin said.

The project is coming in under budget thanks to the construction team and the team at WMU, Dakin said.

Bernhard Center

Demolition fences wont be going up around the Bernhard Center soon, but internal work to prepare the building for demolition will start this summer.

WMU needs to remove furniture, salvage materials and abate asbestos before demolition starts.

The building will sit there for quite a while and it will look like there wont be much going on, but we have a lot to do before we can actually start knocking the walls down, Dakin said.

A full map of how summer construction will affect travel on WMUs campus can be found here.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.

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KALAMAZOO, MI -- Bells Brewery Founder Larry Bell will be speaking at the 2023 Kalamazoo College commencement on Sunday, June 11.

Bell graduated from Kalamazoo College in 1980 with a degree in political science before he founded Bells Brewery in 1985. At the time, the brewery was one of the first craft breweries in the Midwest. Now its one of the largest craft breweries in the U.S. with distribution in 43 states.

The brewery was sold in November 2021 to Lion, an Australian based brewer, ahead of Bells retirement at the end of 2021, according to the press release.

Bell has been an active participant in the Kalamazoo community philanthropy scene, donating $14 million to local organizations, including his alma matter Kalamazoo College.

In 2016, Bell donated funds to create the Larry J. Bell 80 Endowed Scholarship to support students in need of financial assistance.

In February 2022, Bell donated $5.25 million to Kalamazoo College to support endowed funds for the center of environmental stewardship.

Bell also established the Larry J. Bell Library Foundation, which will soon be making the former Food Dance building at 401 E. Michigan Ave. its home. The location will house Bells extensive book collection as well as a few galleries which will be open to the public.

Bell told MLive/Kalamazoo Gazette he would like to partner with Kalamazoo College and Western Michigan University to host students for internships, senior design projects and other learning opportunities.

The Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award, beginning in 2026, will award $300,000 to a jazz pianist every four years to support their musicianship and career.

Bell will also receive an honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Kalamazoo College at the commencement.

Want more Kalamazoo-area news? Bookmark the local Kalamazoo news page or sign up for the free 3@3 Kalamazoo daily newsletter.

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BAY CITY, MI  Four years ago, a federal grand jury indicted a Bay City vascular surgeon on charges that he was running a multimillion-dollar healthcare fraud scheme. Freshly sentenced to prison, the doctor must also repay the colossal sum he spent years bilking.

Dr. Vasso G. Godiali, 60, on May 3 appeared before U.S. District Judge Thomas L. Ludington for sentencing. The judge ordered Godiali to spend 80 months in prison, during which he is to participate in the Inmate Financial Responsibility Program. Ludington did not remand Godiali into custody, instead allowing him to surrender himself at a later date set by the U.S. Marshals Service.

After Godiali has served his time, hes to be on supervised release for an additional two years.

Ludington also ordered Godiali to pay $19.5 million in restitution--$367,000 to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services; $4,660,000 to Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan; and $14,473,000 to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Ludington did not add interest, finding Godiali does not have the ability to pay it. The judge also waived imposing a fine, the costs of incarceration, and the costs of supervision.

A grand jury in June 2019 indicted Godiali on two counts of healthcare fraud and five counts of money laundering. In February 2022, the doctor pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud, a 10-year felony.

Godiali practiced out of Bay City Vascular, 2010 15th St. in Bay City. He is a naturalized U.S. citizen who previously resided in Georgia and Russia, where he attended medical school before moving to America in 1991.

The office of vascular surgeon Dr. Vasso G. Godiali at 2010 15th St. in Bay City.

According to the plea agreement, Godiali in 2009 began defrauding Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Michigan by submitting false billings to all three insurers. The doctors fraudulent billings included admissions related to claims for the placement of stents in dialysis patients and for the treatment of arterial blood clots, the agreement states.

Godiali admitted to having billed for the placement of multiple stents in the same vessel. He also prepared medical records purporting to document the medical necessity justifying that billing.

The doctor did not in fact place those stents. He admitted to billing the insurers for services not performed while preparing inaccurate medical records to justify the bogus billing.

Regarding the blood clots, Godiali admitted to similar misconduct. The plea agreement states Godiali would describe encountering occluded arteries that would appear to justify him performing arterial thrombectomies, when in fact he never encountered such issues and performed no procedures.

Professional success and a comfortable living were not enough for Godiali, Assistant U.S. Attorney Craig F. Wininger wrote in a sentencing memorandum. His practice was lucrative: in 2008, Medicare paid Godiali more than $3.5 million. But that wasnt enough.

Once Godiali discovered how easy it was for him to submit bogus claims, he was emboldened and ramped up such activities until his fraud consumed him, Wininger wrote. By 2014, nearly every bill submitted by Godiali to the three insurers was touched with fraud, he added.

Dr. Vasso G. Godiali in 2014. In June 2019, a federal grand jury indicted him on seven felony charges, alleging he engaged in health care fraud and money laundering.

Godiali moved his stolen money through a complex web of tiered shell corporations, Wininger wrote.

Godialis crimes were coldly calculated to drive his profits and conceal his crimes, Wininger wrote.

Even before the scheme was discovered, Godiali was required to undergo peer reviews of his work out of concern for his patients. In 2011, Bay Regional Medical Center reported him to the Michigan State Licensing Board for fraud after he allegedly placed a catheter in a deceased man, Wininger wrote.

He asked Ludington to sentence Godiali to 108 months in prison.

Defense attorney Matthew G. Borgula, in a sentencing memorandum of his own, disputed Winingers depiction of his client as a scheming physician who had a carefully thought-out plan to conceal his fraud from the government.

Godiali created most of his alleged shell corporations years before the fraud began for legitimate reasons, at the suggestion of advisors and accountants, Borgula wrote. He also transferred money to European accounts long before the stealing began, he wrote. The accounts were in Godialis own name and he paid taxes on them, Borgula added.

In 2014, The Bay City Times interviewed Godiali after USA Today reported he was one of seven physicians in the country who received more than $10 million for Medicare reimbursements in 2012.

Godiali told The Times hes a workaholic.

I work a lot  I work probably more than surgeons that you meet, he said at the time. And people that I meet, my colleagues, they know it.

Also in the 2014 interview, Godiali said he works 18 to 20 hours per day, seven days a week, and sees patients every day, adding up to more than 1,600 visits per year. Most of his patients are there on Medicare-related visits, he said.

Read more:

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SAGINAW, MI  A Saginaw man has been charged with murder days after allegedly stabbing another man in his chest.

Martel T. Mims, 33, on Thursday, May 4, appeared before Saginaw County District Judge David D. Hoffman for arraignment on single counts of open murder and carrying a concealed weapon. Open murder contains first- and second-degree murder, both life offenses but a first-degree conviction negates the possibility of parole.

Hoffman denied granting Mims bond. Mims was already on bond on a third-degree child abuse charge when police say he fatally stabbed Donald E. Simon, 45.

The early morning of Tuesday, May 2, Simon and Mims were at a womans house at 520 Nimons St. in Saginaw. Also present was a second adult woman, while children slept elsewhere in the house.

The four adults were drinking alcohol and a dispute eventually arouse.

Mims, police said, pulled a knife and stabbed Simon in his chest, then fled the scene in a car. Police arrived on scene and recovered the knife as paramedics took Simon to Ascension St. Marys Hospital, where he succumbed to his wound at 4:20 a.m.

Donald E. Simon

About 5:07 a.m., Michigan State Police troopers pulled over Mims as he drove over the Rust Avenue Bridge and arrested him.

Simon was previously the victim a hate crime, when retired optometrist Kenneth D. Pilon in July 2020 placed a noose in his vehicle while it was parked in his driveway. Pilon distributed more nooses around the county and called nine Michigan Starbucks locations to go on a racist rant.

Pilon in December 2022 pleaded guilty to two counts of violating federally protected activities. On April 19, just two weeks before Simons death, his daughter and ex-wife attended Pilons sentencing in the U.S. District Court in downtown Bay City. Pilon received a sentence of two concurrent terms of 10 months in a federal prison, to be followed by a year of supervised release.

Simon is survived by four children. His funeral arrangements are pending, but they are being handled by Evans & Brownes Funeral Home.

His death is Saginaws fourth homicide of 2023 and the only one not to involve gunfire.

Mims is to appear for a preliminary examination at 4 p.m. on May 24.

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A $10,000 sign-on bonus. Or $25,000 for a down payment on a home. Thats the lengths some Michigan school districts are going to try to bring new teachers on board.

Now, a $250 million program baked into the Senates school aid budget proposes to pilot a different incentive statewide: reimbursing educators student loan payments.

When I think about the ways that we need to keep people in the classroom more attractive to the profession, we need to figure out ways to make the costs that teachers bear a lot less than they are today, said Sen. Darrin Camilleri, D-Brownstown Township, who crafted the proposal.

Any district or intermediate school district employee who works directly with students could be eligible for up to $250 a month, or as much as $450 a month if at least 75% of the students they work with are considered at-risk.

Individual districts would apply into the program, then employees would apply with the districts for the payments by providing evidence of their loans.

Related: Does Michigan actually have a teacher shortage?

Michigan schools continue to grapple with shortages of educators and school support staff. Thomas Morgan, spokesperson for the Michigan Education Association, a school employees union, said all the difficulties educators have had to endure over the past few years, on top of low pay, represent major barriers to attracting new talent.

New educators to come in and theyre thrown into the deep end without a life jacket, Morgan said. Theres fewer colleagues in those schools to help mentor them and show them the ropes and at the same time, these teachers are underpaid and theyre overburdened with student debt.

There are already federal programs, Public Service Loan Forgiveness and Teacher Loan Forgiveness, that reward teachers. With the former, teachers can have their student loans completely forgiven after 10 years of teaching, while Teacher Loan Forgiveness can knock up to $17,500 off loans after five years of teaching. Teachers can only work toward one, however.

Theres no guarantee the program will happen  while the school aid budget has been recommended to the full Senate to be passed, the Michigan House, which doesnt have the program in their version, would have to get on board and it would have to earn Gov. Gretchen Whitmers approval, too.

Camilleri, a former teacher himself, said the advantage of his proposal is it would provide immediate rewards for teaching in Michigan schools.

Some of these programs that have these long timelines to phase in, really are not something that is interesting for these people who want to become teachers, right? Because you have to wait such a long period of time to be able to take advantage of the benefit, Camilleri said. We wanted a direct, immediate benefit that would be available to educators.

The money would be provided as a stipend in educators paychecks, meaning it would be taxed like income.

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Michigan could secure thousands of jobs as auto manufacturing becomes electrified.

Home to the Big Three, Michigan faces a pivotal moment transitioning to electric vehicle production. And a new report from the World Resources Institute, a nonprofit focused on environmental issues, outlines how state leaders can craft policies to gain 56,000 electric vehicle jobs by 2030.

It is the state which is likely going to be the most impacted by the EV transition, and how Michigan navigates this transition can hold lessons for other auto manufacturing states, said Devashree Saha, who co-authored the report.

Auto manufacturing, a cornerstone to Michigans economy, employs nearly 170,000 people with an estimated $225 billion impact. But auto companies are now racing to electrify production, which will likely shift the jobs economy by creating a need for high-tech workers.

This is urgent for many automakers: the Biden administration set a target of having 50% of all new vehicle sales be electric by 2030. On the same timeline, Michigan aims to install 100,000 electric vehicle charging stations to support 2 million vehicles.

It is going to take really significant investment if were going to switch to EVs as fast as needed for climate goals, said Joel Jaeger, another co-author of the report.

Related: At $16B, Michigan top state for electric vehicle investments

More than $120 billion has been poured into electric vehicle projects over the past eight years with $16.6 billion flowing to Michigan. State incentives like tax breaks and grants helped lure multi-billion-dollar projects from legacy automakers like General Motors and Ford Motor Co.

But the World Resources Institute has more suggestions to ease Michigans transition.

Three broad policy goals include improving Michigans manufacturing to attract electric vehicle investments and talent, developing a robust charging infrastructure and creating quality jobs to grow the industry and ensure longtime autoworkers are not left behind.

Some wheels are already in motion, like Michigan creating the Office of Future Mobility and Electrification, developing the Lake Michigan EV Circuit and awarding $2 billion of incentives to land five major investments last year. Saha said legislative changes like repealing right to work, which barred unions from requiring membership, and reinstalling prevailing wage, the practice of paying union-level wages on state projects, also laid groundwork for the transition.

But Saha says one of the biggest hurdles is workforce development.

While auto manufacturing, parts and production jobs will still play an important role in Michigans economy, the state needs a stronger focus on growing the technical and management side of the auto industry, she said.

Related: Michigans $10K incentive keeps tech nerds and gearheads in state

More high-tech workers will be needed to support electric vehicle production. This includes a range of software developers, electrical engineers and chemical engineers  all jobs that require at least a bachelors degree. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts these electric vehicle-related jobs will increase by 5.3% over a decade.

Nearly 32% of Michiganders over 25 years old have bachelors degrees or higher compared to 38% nationwide, census data shows.

Michigan, with more than 3,000 electric vehicle jobs available this year, is trying to attract high-skilled workers as the industry grows. One tool is the EV Scholars program, which offers $10,000 scholarships to 350 college students who stay in Michigan to build the electric vehicle sector. Another could be investing in apprenticeship programs and introducing high school students to careers in the industry.

The transition to electric vehicles stands to benefit Michigan significantly in terms of creating economic opportunities, creating new jobs, in addition to the climate and health benefits, Saha said. Having said that, the transition is also going to be uneven, and it may have an impact on certain segments of the automotive value chain, which could potentially see job losses.

Michigan auto manufacturing  which experienced job losses for decades due to automation and offshoring  has taken some recent hits. Ford cut 3,000 jobs, mostly in its internal combustion engine division, last year. General Motors bought out 5,000 salaried workers last month as part of a cost-savings plan. And Stellantis aims to slim its workforce by 3,500 hourly employees as it shifts to electrification.

The report notes Michigans entire economy is estimated to add 585,000 jobs by 2030, meaning electric vehicle job gains and losses are only a slice of the pie.

Of the 56,000 potential jobs, Michigan could add 17,000 direct auto manufacturing jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs in what the report defined as a high competitiveness case, plus 27,000 jobs in the broader economy. But without sufficient policies, Michigan could lose a total of 47,000 jobs including 4,000 in the auto sector.

Related: Michigan won 5 big electric vehicle projects this year  at a $2B taxpayer cost

Some electric vehicle investments have already promised thousands of jobs in Michigan.

Ford Motor Co. plans to build a $3.5 billion battery plant in Marshall that will create 2,500 jobs paying an average salary of $45,000. General Motors announced a $7 billion, 4,000-job investment across four sites last year. Battery maker Gotion expects a $2.4 billion parts plant near Big Rapids will net 2,350 jobs.

Some of these projects have faced fierce backlash from residents concerned about changes to their community, environmental impacts and government transparency.

Michigan is the first state the World Resources Institute has studied for the electric vehicle transition. Most investments have landed in a so-called battery belt of 10 states east of the Mississippi, but Jaeger says the report is relevant to the whole country even though specifics are tailored for Michigan.

Because Michigan is home to the Big Three automakers, it could serve as an example for other states as well, Jaeger said.

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MTN Ghana announced plans to restore its Data Zone bundle with revised charges on the 5th of May 2023, the National Communications Authority (NCA) has announced.

According to the NCA CEO, Joseph Anokye, the service was due to be restored after MTN Ghana submitted a revised data zone bundle that met their regulatory requirement.

In a new press release, MTN Ghana announced in a text message to all customers, that, its data zone bundle offers will return Friday, May 5, 2023 with revised prices.

Dear Valued Customer, kindly be informed that effective May 5th, 2023, Data Zone bundles will be available to you with revised offers. Visit www.mtn.com.gh for more information. Thank you.

Data Zone bundle is an innovation by MTN Ghana that gives customers a 1-day validity bundle at discounted rates at the point of purchase.

MTN Ghana in a press release on Wednesday, April 12 offically announced the suspension of its innovative data bundle to its customers after took effect on April 5.

Watch the video below


Ghanaian musician, Medikal, has expressed his anger over a false publication made by a media house about him.

The rapper, known for his hit songs, took to Twitter to lash out at the media house for not doing proper research before making false claims about him from a fake account claiming to be him.

He criticized the media for exhibiting unprofessionalism and misinforming the public.

In a tweet, Medikal said, Some of y'all wake up in the morning, put on some cheap clothes, and spread some BS on national television without doing any research. No form or level of professionalism is exhibited here. When and where did I say this? My question is who de employ these people? Smd.

The false publication made by the media house claimed that Medikal had asserted that Shatta Wale paved Burna Boys path to success and must be given the respect he deserves.

The fake account reported, Truth be told, it's time to give respect. Shatta Wale paved Burna Boy's path to success. But some folks are too proud to accept. Lets give credit where it's due, and show some respect!!! Without Shatta, Burna may not have had his big break.

However, the rapper vehemently denied ever making such a statement and demanded that the media house retract and apologise.

Many people on social media agreed with his sentiments while advising him to verify his account if he doesn't want more bad news circulating in his name.

Watch the video below


To reverse the declining rate in transit trade volumes, the Ghana Shippers Authority has teamed up with Ecobank to develop a payment product that will allow shippers from neighbouring landlocked countries to easily access CFA Franc for shipping-related transactions.

The move follows several complaints by cargo truck drivers and importers from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger regarding their struggles with making payments for shipping in Ghana.

At a meeting between officials of the two organizations at the Shippers' House in Accra, both parties shared the view that the practice of carrying cash, usually in CFA Franc to cater for cargo handling obligations and other services posed enormous challenges and also created security risks such as robberies.

The Head of the Freight and Logistics Department, Mr Fred Asiedu-Dartey reported that per the Bank of Ghana rules, there is no restriction on Commercial Banks for trading in CFA Francs.

He disclosed that the payment product, when finalised, would go a long way to improve the declining rate of transit volumes at Ghana's Ports.

"We have a payment problem that has translated into a safety problem because the truck drivers park on the shoulders of the road, waiting for payments from the importers and their agents before they move. This is why the payment platform by Ecobank is crucial to addressing not only the decline in transit volumes at our Ports but also the risks these trucks pose to other road users," he noted.

The Head of Cash Management Sales at Ecobank Ghana, Mr Ebenezer Goode, said that the proposal is commendable, adding that Ecobank is ready to play its part in the process to improve the transit trade sector.

The representatives of Ecobank proposed a meeting with stakeholders to know their plights, which would inform the design of the payment product.
Skateboarders see the world as a living canvas to be painted with attempts at acrobatic gravity-seducing works of physical and mental artistic mastery. Similar to the designs on the bottom and top of skateboard decks, where artists and designers draw and paint their creations into life, communicating ideas, images, and thoughts, the stamp is also a canvas.

A press release by the United States Postal Service explains the intent behind the series, "The bold artwork emblazoned on a skateboard deck is often as eye-catching and individualistic as a skater's most breathtaking moves. These four stamps celebrate the Art of the Skateboard with vibrant designs that capture skateboarding's excitement and reflect the diversity and influence of the young artists whose work is featured. Art director Antonio Alcala designed the stamp issuance using photographs of skateboards created by" four artists."

As reported by the Associated Press, "Di'Orr Greenwood, 27, an artist born and raised on the Navajo Nation in Arizona, along with Crystal Worl, who is Tlingit Athabascan. William James Taylor Jr., an artist from Virginia, and Federico "MasPaz" Frum, a Colombian-born muralist in Washington, D.C., round out the quartet of featured artists."

Click here to learn more about all the artists, with links to their bios and creations.

"Skateboarding has become a staple across Indian Country. In Oregon, the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs will reopen a refurbished skate park March 29 thanks to a partnership with pro skateboarder Tony Hawk's nonprofit, The Skatepark Project. Skateboarders on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in eastern Arizona recently got funding from there, too. A skate park opened in August on the Hopi reservation. Youth-organized competitions take place on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota."

Dustinn Craig, a White Mountain Apache filmmaker and "lifer" skateboarder in Arizona, has made documentaries and short films on the sport. The 47-year-old remembers how skateboarding was seen as dorky and anti-establishment when he was a kid hiding "a useless wooden toy" in his locker. At the same time, Craig credits skateboarding culture as "my arts and humanities education."

For more on the politics of skateboarding, representation, and justice in Indian Country, check out the panel discussion with members of Apache Skateboards, "Your Skating on Native Land," from the Slow Impact event in Tempe, Arizona.
Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited Company has issued a press release to address matters relating to unionisation at the company and the sacking of three employees.

In the last few months, Sunon Asogli officials have had to hold various meetings with the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations after the company was accused of unlawfully terminating the contract of three union leaders by the Ghana Mineworkers Union (GMWU).

Later, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) rallied behind GMWU to fight for the interest of the sacked Sunon Asogli employers while demanding their reinstatement.

In the heat of things, Sunon Asogli was accused of being against unionisation.

However, on Wednesday, May 3, when the company released a statement to address matters, it said the accusation is false.

Sunon Asogli is not and has never been against unionization. Indeed, the company is aware of the right of our employees under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), to join a union. The issue has been about the procedure and approach adopted by the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU or the Union), part of the release from the company said.

The release further explained, It has been our position right from the onset when the Union wrote to us, that we cannot enter into an agreement or negotiate with people we do not know, and that when the Labour Law talks about THE WORKER it is referring to a particular individual. We, therefore, requested that the Union should furnish us with the list of workers who had applied to join the Union, but for close to two years, the Union refused.

Sunon Asogli insists that it believes in doing things in an orderly manner, and it is the respect for due process that has sustained the Company over the years.

The Company argues that it currently has two unions, one which is enterprise-based with the majority in terms of membership (over 60% employees) and the GMWU, with minority membership (less than 25% employees).

With this explanation, the release stresses that one cannot, therefore, tag Sunon Asogli as anti-union.

The attempt to coerce the majority into agreeing to join GMWU through any means possible is not acceptable. The minority of staff who have agreed to join the GMWU cannot lead or decide for the majority, the Sunon Asogli release indicated.

The company insists that it shall continue to respect the choices made by staff so far as they follow due process and are in compliance with the law.

Meanwhile, Sunon Asogli says it is disappointed in the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a mother body, particularly by its press release of March 27, 2023 and the subsequent speech of the Executive Secretary on May Day 2023, which were laced with threats, falsehood, and distortions, with the sole intention to injure the reputation of Sunon Asogli and to lower the Company in the estimation of right thinking members of society generally and in particular to expose the Company to hatred, contempt, ridicule, and opprobrium.

The company is of the view that the inability of the TUC to hear from both sides before jumping to a conclusion is worrying.

We trust in the process ongoing at the National Labour Commission, and it is our hope that an amicable resolution would be found to bring finality to the issues. The Company is grateful to the Honourable Minister responsible for Employment and Labour Relations, the Honourable Minister responsible for National Security, the Honourable Deputy Minister responsible for Employment and Labour Relations and the Chief Director of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations for their interventions.

Ghana is a land of freedom and justice, and the bedrock of the peace we enjoy is the respect for the rule of law. All, including the GMWU, must learn to do things in accordance with the law, the release from Sunon Asogli concluded.
The Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) has lodged a complaint with the police over the assault on a radio presenter with Tamale-based Dagbon FM, Sadiq Gariba, by a former Northern Regional Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hardi Pagzaa.

Sadiq Gariba was attacked during a live radio programme on May 5, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day.

In a video circulating on social media, Mr. Pagzaa and one other man were seen storming the studio of Dagbon Radio.

The two men held up the presenter who was at the point hosting a show and threatened to slap him if he makes a comment.

Reacting to this on Eyewitness News with Umaru Sanda Amadu, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, cautioned that the association will not countenance such acts on journalists in the country under his leadership.

I want to use your platform to condemn this act. We have said countless times that under the current administration, no attack on journalists will be spared or go scot-free. We have made it clear that we will go the extra mile to protect the interest of journalists in this country, Albert Kwabena Dwumfour cautioned.

The GJA President said it was wrong for the NDC former Northern Regional Communications Officer to have rushed to the studio to assault the journalist.

We are aware that Sadiq Gariba has suffered some injuries here and there, but we thank God that he is safe. He was just doing his job and he told his attacker not to use the Dagbon chieftaincy issue to gain political advantage. He did not attack the person of Hardi Pagzaa, if you dont agree with him, you have the right to issue a rejoinder or seek clarification based on the relationship you have with the station. But not to go to the studio to attack a journalist, it was extreme, he slammed Hardi Pagzaa.

He indicated that the Association has referred the matter to a lawyer adding that the association has also made a complaint to the police.

Though the party has condemned the act and disassociated itself from it, we think its commendable, its a good step, but we still think that theres more they can do. On our part at the national level, as we speak now we have referred the case to a lawyer, this is the reason why Journalists Support Fund was launched to protect the rights and freedom of journalists. The legal team has taken up the matter. We have also made a complaint to the police, and we have also petitioned the regional minister. Its worrying that the incident happened the day we celebrated World Press Freedom Day, he noted.

Dwumfour appealed to the NDC hierarchy to take action against their members involved in such acts.

We will appeal to the NDC national disciplinary committee to take action on the matter, he said.

citinewsroom
05.05.2023 LISTEN

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Northern Region has asked Hardi Pagzaa, its former communications officer who allegedly attacked a Dagbon FM journalist earlier this week to apologise for his action.

This was made known by the NDCs Northern Regional Secretary, Mohammed Abdul-Salam in an interview on Eyewitness News.

Mr. Abdul-Salam said the reported attack on the journalist, Sadiq Gariba came to the leadership of the party in the region as a surprise and therefore triggered a decision where he was admonished to render an apology to both the journalist and the radio station.

Mr. Abdul-Salam told the host of Eyewitness News, Umaru Sanda Amadu that, Hardi Pagzaa was scolded and made to understand that the party will not countenance any attempts by any member or leader to dent its image publicly.

If we have proven evidence of anybody putting the partys name in a bad light and bringing the party to the public domain for ridicule, we will not hesitate to apply the full rules and regulations of the party because giving us bad light tarnishes the partys image, and we will not allow that.

Mr. Abdul-Salam further clarified that Hardi Pagzaa isnt a current executive of the party in the region.

The conduct is not of our communications officer. This person is not any executive, he contested an internal election and lost, and he is not even a member of our communications team.

The attack on the Tamale-based Dagbon FM and the journalist was captured in a video which has gone viral on social media.

The attack occurred on World Press Freedom Day on Wednesday, May 3, and has since attracted widespread condemnation from different quarters including the Ghana Journalists Association.

The Ministry of Information also called for investigation and prosecution following the attack on the journalist.


Executive Director of the National Cathedral of Ghana (NCG), Dr Paul Opoku-Mensah, has yet again replied Member of Parliament for North Tongu Constituency Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa following his second publication on the scandals surrounding the stalled project from his recent trip to the US.

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker on Thursday, May 4, following the publication of his five bombshells, released another scandal, which indicts the National Cathedral Secretariat for identity theft in the registration of the National Cathedral and the Bible Museum Foundation in the US.

Painstaking and unimpeachable investigations shockingly reveal that the March 2021 incorporation of the National Cathedral of Ghana and Bible Museum Foundation, Inc in Washington, D.C. was criminally executed through IDENTITY THEFT, Mr Okudzeto Ablakwa wrote on Thursday.

He further disclosed: Further irrefutable forensic investigations reveal that the Social Security Number of: 863-85-9197 used to generate the Cathedral's Employer ID Number belongs to one Jose Salgado. (See evidence attached).

Deeper investigations and impregnable gold-standard validation which include a report from police database has established that 31-year-old Jose Salgado who has many aliases including Jose Luis Delapaz, Jose Isabel Salgado, Jose Luis Paz and Jose L De was born in March 1983 and died on September 17, 2014. (See extract attached). It has therefore emerged beyond any scintilla of doubt that the Social Security Number of a deceased young male Hispanic who died 9 years ago was fraudulently used to incorporate Ghana's national cathedral in Washington, D.C.

But the Executive Director, in his response later on Thursday, described as embarrassing the lack of knowledge of US systems displayed by the Ranking Member on the Foreign Affairs Committee in Ghanas Parliament.

Titled Episode 2 of National Cathedral Scandals  America Edition, it is prefaced, once again, by such lack of knowledge of the US system.

As a Ghanaian,I find it extremely embarrassing to see these expressed by the Ranking Member of Foreign Affairs in the countrys Parliament.

The main body of Episode 2, however, is the malicious accusation that the National Cathedral is guilty of the serious crime of identity theft in the registration of the National Cathedral Foundation in the USA.

Dr Opoku-Mensah explained that in arriving at that conclusion the MP distorted information.

But, this distortion is neither the result of an accident, nor ignorance. It reflects the modus operandi of the MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa. All his so-called National Cathedral scandals are distortions of information on the project.

The National Cathedral insists that the project has been implemented with integrity without criminality and just like the accusations in the McCarthy era in the US, the scope and benefits of the project after its completion will justify the investment into it.


05.05.2023 LISTEN

Mrs. Abena Osei-Asare, Deputy Minister of Finance, has joined Mr. Alan Kwadwo Keyeremanten's campaign team in commemoration of her late father, Nana Tweneboah-Boateng, Sanaahene of Akyem Ayinam Traditional Area.

Mr. Kyeremanten has known the late Nana Tweneboah-Boateng's family for many years, and the two worked together at EMPRETEC Ghana, the President's Special Initiative on Garment and Textile, and many other organizations.

Nana Tweneboah-Boateng, who died on February 27, 2018, was the Trade Ministry's Senior Technical Advisor and helped drive the government's Industrial Transformation Agenda, reporting directly to Mr. Kyeremanten.

A family source told newsmen in Tema that Mrs. Abena Osei-Asare, a banker and chartered accountant who has been a Member of Parliament for Atiwa East in the Eastern Region since January 7, 2013, cannot support anyone other than Mr. Kyeremanten at this time.

"As a result, the media must stop sowing discontent for Mrs. Osei-Asare by betraying the Vice President's campaign team for the former Trade Minister."

"In fact, it would have been a high point of hypocrisy if Mrs. Osei-Asare had joined the Vice President's camp against that of the former Trade Minister," a family insider said.

According to a family source, Mrs. Osei-Asare has worked closely with the Vice President personally and the Vice President's Office as a Deputy Minister of Finance.

"Mrs. Osei-Asare respects the Vice President's office and his desire to run for the New Patriotic Party's Flagbearership," a family source said.

Abena was the youngest woman ever appointed as a deputy minister to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning in 2017, at the age of 38.

Her responsibilities in the Ministry of Finance included acting as a liaison between the Ministry and Parliament on loan agreements, laws, and the annual national budget.

It should be remembered that in May 2018, Mr. Kyeremanten, then Minister of Trade, accompanied a Trade Ministry team to the funeral of the late Nana Tweneboah-Boateng father of the Deputy Minister of Finance.

Mr. Kyerematen praised Nana Tweneboah-Boateng as "a man of many parts, a friend for all seasons, a loyal, trusted friend, and a brother" in a memorial.

He stated that the two met as fellow students at the University of Ghana in the early 1970s and struck up a friendship based on mutual respect and admiration, which blossomed over the years into a very fruitful and constructive professional collaboration in pursuit of shared faith and hope in Ghana and Africa.

"Nana was my de facto Chief of Staff in my professional career," claimed the Trade Minister. I took him wherever my work life brought me, whether by accident or deliberately, both in Ghana and overseas.

"He was a tremendous benefit to the Ministry's work, coordinating the efforts of technical teams to implement some of the government's key signature initiatives, including, but not limited to, the "One District, One Factor initiative."

"As a man of the people," Mr. Kyeremanten explained, "Nana would use a combination of native wisdom, bullying tactics, and personal charm to get the job done." Nana was a guy of strong convictions, so full of optimism that the storms of professional life did not dissuade or break him.

"His faith in God and country, as well as his love for his family, seemed to feed his boundless energy and perseverance."

He possessed an optimistic outlook and work ethic that implied that nothing was impossible."

CDA Consult || Contributor
Prof. William Baah-Boateng, Head of the Economic Department at the University of Ghana, has called on policymakers to shift their focus from job creation to employment generation to combat the country's high unemployment rates.

Speaking on Accra-based JoyNews' PM Express on Thursday, May 4, the economist emphasized the need for sustainable employment opportunities.

Baah-Boateng argued that job creation alone is not enough to address the country's unemployment problem, as many newly created jobs are not sustainable and often last for only a short period.

The economist stated that policymakers should focus on creating employment opportunities that have a lasting impact on people's lives and provide them with a sense of job security.

Yes, youve created that amount of job that is fine, but if youve created that amount of job and its not sustainable  it takes just a week for that job [to be done], the person will come back to ask for more.

And that is why your unemployment rate will continue to rise because youve created a job for a person and that job lasted for only one month or only a week. So after that, the person joins the unemployed," Baah-Boateng said.

He stressed that policymakers must look at the net effect of employment generation, taking into account the number of people who leave their jobs against the newly employed ones over a given period.

Policymakers should move away from job creation to employment generation. This is where they employ someone and it can last at least six months, Baah-Boateng said.

His comments come in the wake of a report by the Ghana Statistical Service's Quarterly Labour Statistics, which revealed that about 1.76 million people were unemployed in the third quarter of 2022, with two out of every three unemployed persons being female.

The report also indicated that about 3.5 million people moved in and out of employment across the three quarters, depicting vulnerabilities.
Oliver Barker Vormawor, a Ghanaian good governance and human rights activist, has slammed the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) for allegedly discrediting former officer, Captain Lawyer Jamaldeen Tonzua Seidu.

In a Facebook post on May 4, Mr Barker described GAF's actions as ridiculous, aimed at attacking Seidu's recent criticism of the military's disorganized approach to Operation Vanguard.

This is all because Former Captain Jamal Tonzua has been criticizing the Militarys for its disorganized approach to Operation Vanguard, in his recent media interviews. So they have released this to undermine him, a portion of his lengthy post reads.

Mr. Seidu, who served as the lead legal officer for Operation Vanguard, has been vocal in his criticism of the military's handling of the galamsey fight.

However, the GAF's press release accused him of unauthorized use of military rank in his civil life, noting that Mr Seidu had been released from service on grounds of voluntary resignation after serving for 5 years, 10 months and 18 days, which is not the standard number of years for an officer to use their rank in civil life.

GAF wishes to state that the actions of the Lawyer are in contravention of the Armed Forces Regulations and he is therefore cautioned to cease using the rank in his civil lifeGAF also wishes to urge media houses and the general public not to address him by any military rank as he is not eligible to use it as a civilian and as such members of the public who deal with him in the capacity of a retired military officer do so at their own risk, the military said in a press statement, dated May 4.

But Mr. Barker questioned the GAF's motives, indicating that Mr Seidu was addressed as a former captain, not retired or ex-captain. He called on GAF to take responsibility for its actions.

"The continuous refusal of our military to take accountability for its inactions and actions must cease if we are to build a credible democracy," he stated.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has issued a stern warning to Lawyer Jamaldeen Tonzua Seidu cautioning him to cease using a military rank he is not entitled to in his civil life.

According to a press release from the GAF Director of Public Relations Naval Captain MA Larbi, Mr. Seidu was released from the military on April 6, 2023 after resigning from his commission after 5 years, 10 months and 18 days of service.

"It must be noted that the above-mentioned Lawyer was released from the Service on Thursday 6 April 2023 on grounds of Voluntary Resignation of Commission after serving for 5 years 10 months and 18 days, which is not the standard number of years he is supposed to serve as an Officer to make him entitled to use his rank in civil life," the release said.

The GAF accused Mr. Seidu of flouting armed forces regulations by using the rank of 'Captain Retired' or 'Ex-Captain' in his political ambitions and media appearances.

"GAF wishes to state that the actions of the Lawyer are in contravention of the Armed Forces Regulations and he is therefore cautioned to cease using the rank in his civil life," the release stated.

The military also warned media houses and the general public not to address Mr. Seidu by any military rank, as he is not eligible to use it as a civilian.

"GAF also wishes to urge media houses and the general public not to address him by any military rank as he is not eligible to use it as a civilian and as such members of the public who deal with him in the capacity of a retired military officer do so at their own risk," the release noted.

Read a copy of the full release from GAF below;

PRESS RELEASE

Issued by the Department of Public Relations, General Headquarters, Burma Camp Accra Tel: +233-544338030 Email: [email protected] Release No: 14 Date: 4 May 2023

UNAUTHORISED USE OF MILITARY RANK BY LAWYER JAMALDEEN TONZUA SEIDU

The attention of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) has been drawn to the unauthorised use of military rank by Lawyer Jamaldeen Tonzua Seidu. He has been cited addressing himself or being addressed as Captain Retiredor Ex-Captainon posters projecting his political ambitions and on some programmes on Joy FM among others.

It must be noted that the above-mentioned Lawyer was released from the Service on Thursday 6

April 2023 on grounds of Voluntary Resignation of Commission after serving for 5 years 10 months and 18 days, which is not the standard number of years he is supposed to serve as an Officer to make him entitled to use his rank in civil life.

GAF wishes to state that the actions of the Lawyer are in contravention of the Armed Forces Regulations and he is therefore cautioned to cease using the rank in his civil lifeGAF also wishes to urge media houses and the general public not to address him by any military rank as he is not eligible to use it as a civilian and as such members of the public who deal with him in the capacity of a retired military officer do so at their own risk.

MA LARBI,

Naval Captain Director Public Relations

Note to Editors:

For favour of publication, please.

Cc:

All Media Houses

@OfficialGafTv

@GhArmedForces @GhArmed Forces Official

Department of Public GHANA ARMED FO
According to Dr. Barbara Ayesha Anawana Karbo, Accident and Emergency Specialists, medical practitioners' seeming numbness to a patient's death is a coping mechanism to avoid carrying the weight of the death and endangering the care of other patients at the hospital.

Dr. Karbo, the Head of the Accident and Emergency Department at the International Maritime Hospital (IMaH), said that Medical Officers and Nurses suffer greatly after the death of a patient.

"Most doctors and nurses develop some sort of friendship with their patients, so when the person dies, it affects you physically, mentally, and emotionally for a brief moment; however, the next patient is waiting for treatment," Dr. Karbo explained.

This was stated by Dr. Karbo at the weekly "Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility," a Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Office initiative aimed at promoting health-related communication and providing a platform for health information dissemination in order to influence personal health choices through improved health literacy.

The Tema Regional Office of the Ghana News Agency created the public health advocacy platform "Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility" to research the aspects of four health communication approaches: informing, instructing, persuading, and urging.

Dr. Karbo noted that, just as the general populace was brainwashed with various religious systems not to damage any soul, doctors and nurses were not exempt from such beliefs and were thus touched by the deaths of their hospitalised patients.

She stated that the most difficult thing she had to do as a doctor was to write the death certificate of a recently deceased patient.

She added that, from the outside, it appeared weak-hearted to appear unconcerned when someone died, which was reasonable, but was a coping strategy for doctors and nurses to avoid endangering anyone else.

She went on to say that when a doctor is burdened by the pain of earlier deaths, they tend to doubt their diagnosis and ability. When attending to the next patient in that state of mind, being thoughtful and fearful of applying the same diagnosis that led to the previous death will result in more fatalities.

Dr. Karbo also mentioned that, at the start of every medical officer's career, watching a person die horrified them, and that they sometimes needed to take days off to recover from the shock of the death.

She added that doctors sometimes seek treatment to avoid appearing uncaring, despite the fact that their jobs forced them to grow numb due to their exposure to too many fatalities.

The IMaH Accident and Emergency Specialist urged the public not to dehumanise doctors and nurses because they are human and are affected by the deaths of others, particularly children.

She mentioned instances of doctors committing suicide after failing to save a life.

According to Mr. Francis Ameyibor, Tema Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency, ""GNA-Tema Your Health! Our Collective Responsibility" is a public health advocacy platform meant to investigate the four health communication techniques: informing, teaching, persuading, and urging.

He stated that the GNA platform acts as an ideal communication channel for medical practitioners to educate the public about healthy practises and other general health concerns through the weekly health conversation forum.

According to Mr. Ameyibor, it also intends to develop active two-way media advocacy channels for healthcare practitioners to share promotional health information and propagate public health issues and health education.

He stated that health difficulties cannot be avoided and advocated concerted efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle.

Mr. Ameyibor underlined the importance of collective accountability in maintaining a healthy lifestyle, saying, "You must be the first person to protect your health; let us be aware of issues that may endanger our lives, work, and people around us."

CDA Consult II Contributor
Ministry of Information has condemned the recent attack on a radio presenter in the Northern Region by a former regional communications officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) .

Dagbon FM presenter Sidiq Abubakari Gariba was attacked on live radio on Tuesday, May 2 in what is said to have been perpetrated by one Hardi Pagazaa.

The Ministry says it is concerned by the heinous attack.

The Ministry condemns the act and urges The Ghana Police Service and relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, a statement on Thursday, May 4 said.

Attacks on journalists should not be countenanced. Severe and speedy response from law enforcement agencies is necessary to prevent copy-cat acts and maintain Ghanas status in upholding press freedom.

The sector minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, is said to have engaged the journalist in a telephone conversation and offered the support of the Ministry if he will require any.

3news.com
Washington developer Douglas Jemal has struck another hotel deal in Western New York, adding the historic Roycroft Inn and Restaurant in East Aurora to a growing staple of hospitality sites.

Jemal confirmed Thursday that he has put the Roycroft under contract in the past week, agreeing to buy the century-old institution that dates back to Elbert Hubbard and the founding of the American Arts and Crafts Movement in the late 19th century.

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He did not say how much he will pay the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation, which has effectively owned the Inn for over 35 years, since it led an $8 million restoration initiative that culminated with the Inn's reopening in 1995.

"Their interest and my interest are aligned, about saving historic structures," Jemal said.

"The Margaret Wendt Foundation bought it, saved it, and they never really intended to own it forever and run it," Jemal said. "Their objective was to save the masterpiece that it was, and what it stood for. They've done a masterful job. It was time for them to move on."

Jemal said the purchase evolved over time. He and Wendt officials met on "numerous occasions and got to know each other."

"It was a conversation," he said. "It wasn't anything quick. It was more preserving this asset and putting it in the right hands."

The sale, first reported by the East Aurora Advertiser, is expected to close once Jemal gets a state liquor license, expected in three to four months. The deal includes the Inn, the Chapel and a related parcel at 461 Main St., but does not include the rest of the Roycroft buildings, which are owned by the nonprofit Roycroft Campus Corp.

"The Foundation is excited for the Inn's future with Douglas Development," Wendt Foundation trustees wrote in an emailed statement. "They have the same mission to preserve the legacy of this historic landmark that the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation and other community members and organizations have had during the 30 years we have been honored caretakers of the property."

The statement continued, "Running an Inn is not the Foundation's core mission, and this allows us to bring funding spent on maintenance and operation of the Inn back into the assets of the Foundation, which will in turn be distributed back out to the Western New York community through the Foundation's grant efforts."

Located at 40 S. Grove St., the Inn opened in 1905 to cater to visitors and artisans coming to East Aurora to experience the Arts and Crafts community of over 500 working artisans and craftsman, which Hubbard had founded in 1897. It was a hub of what became the 14-building Roycroft Campus, but deteriorated over the ensuing decades and eventually went bankrupt, although it received National Historic Landmark status in 1986 as part of the campus.

The Rochester-based Landmark Society of Western New York rescued the closed 44,000-square-foot inn and its contents from a bankruptcy auction in 1987, using a $500,000 grant that was put up by the Wendt Foundation. A new nonprofit was formed to own and restore it, and put out a call to over 100 developers to undertake the project, which was ultimately funded by Wendt.

It was just too far dilaptidated at that point, so they graciously and responsibly took it over and restored it, said Roycroft Inn Manager Dan Garvey. Theyve been our caretakers ever since, but its not really in their purview to do that.

After nine years of renovation, the Inn reopened to guests in 1995. It offers three-, four- and five-room suites, honeymoon suites and both mini-suites and guest rooms, a restaurant and lounge, a salon and meeting rooms.

This would be the sixth operating or planned hotel in Jemal's portfolio, complementing what he's been assembling in downtown Buffalo. That includes the Hyatt Regency Buffalo, the Richardson Hotel and the Mansion on Delaware, all of which are open and operating like the Roycroft.

Jemal also is redeveloping the upper floors of the historic Statler, with a mix of uses that will include a boutique hotel. And he plans to convert the former Mahoney State Office Building on Niagara Square into yet another specialty hotel.

Jemal said he doesn't plan any changes to the Roycroft, and will keep all of the staff, with whom he will be meeting after sitting down with the Inn's managers on Tuesday. But adding it gives him another asset to cross-market, and he noted that it's only 18 minutes from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park.

"It collaborates very well with the rest of the assets I have in Buffalo," he said. "It gives me an opportunity to really showcase the city in its hospitality venues."

Garvey said he was thrilled to have Jemals involvement. He wants to meet everybody. Hes been just a great, great guy, Garvey said. Weve really created a great team here, and I dont want to break up the band.
Ministry of Information has noted "with concern", reports of an assault on a journalist at Dagbon FM, in Tamale, by thugs of the opposition National Democratic Congress.

The ministry, in a statement, said it "condemns the act and urges the Ghana Police Service and relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators".

"Attacks on journalists should not be countenanced", the ministry insisted.

It said: "Severe and speedy response from law enforcement agencies is necessary to prevent copy-cat acts and maintain Ghanas status in upholding press freedom".

Meanehile, the Minister of Information, Mr Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, "in a telephone conversation with the journalist, has offered the support of the ministry if he will require any".

Mr Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa, a former deputy northern regional communications officer of the NDC and one other person, have been reported to the police for storming the studios of Dagbon FM in the Northern Region on Wednesday, 3 May 2023, which coincidentally was World Press Freedom Day, to attack and assault Abubakar Sadiq Gariba, the host of an evening political talk show on Dagbon102.5 FM in the Northern Region, which belongs to the Class Media Group.

The live on-air attack happened between 8:30 pm and 9 pm.

Narrating what happened to Korku Lumor on Class91.3FMs morning show on Thursday, 4 May 2023, Sadiq Gariba said the attack on him followed his earlier condemnation, on his show, of the exploitation of the Abudu-Andani chieftaincy crisis in Dagbon by some politicians including his attacker.

He said his assailant, who is alleged to be a member of Sagnarigu MP A.B.A. Fuseinis campaign team, had earlier said on another radio station that I should be the last person to advise him on communication because my communication can be compared to that of his daughter.

So, when I got to my show, I played the tape and said: OK, whether my communication can be compared to that of the daughter or not, I will not discuss the substance of this issue because this guy, before making that statement about me, said something that I found to be false and anybody who is not credible is not worth being discussed on my show and, so, I will not discuss this tape on my show, then I just switched to my topic of the day, he told Lumor.

The radio host said: Immediately he [Pagazar] walked into the studio, he came straight to me to attack; he didnt ask of anything, he came straight to me to attack. He came and held my shirt, and squeezed it to my neck and the other colleague he came in with also held my shirt on the other side and they both squeezed it and pushed me to the wall and that colleague said if I should open my mouth, he will knock me and went ahead to tell me that if I dont stop mentioning Hardi Pagazaa on your, hell kill me.

Asked if he knew the gentleman who threatened to kill him, Saddique Gariba said: I dont know the gentlemans name.
Why is Otumfo si Tutu II, Asantehene; being shielded by an Umbrella as he was welcomed by King Charles III, to Buckingham Palace in London?

The explanation will follow as you read.

First, a little historical background courtesy of Kofi Ellison, from Asuonwun, Amanse; Asante Kingdom; as to Why and How Asante retained authentic AKAN Customs, that other Africans turned away from and, shied away from. This will provide a historical context to interrogate how and why other Akan, and other Ghanaians desperately try to this day, to unleash negativity unto things Asante. When they do that, they actually mimic and follow their British master's voice.

Asanteman, remains the quintessential Akan polity. Asanteman upholds ancient Akan Customs, and Akan belief systems, that Our Ancestors practiced for thousands of years in Egypt. Our Ancestors brought it along in their centuries of migrations from Egypt following the Muslim conquest of Ancient Egypt in 642 AD/642 BCE.

The Europeans, significantly this same British, in their colonial quest, turned fellow Akanfo, and others against Asante. The respect the other Akan States, and other entities, had for Otumfo Asantehene and Asanteman, turned into Envy; Hatred; Animosity; and outright Insults. It was the result of a calculated Divide and Rule policy orchestrated by the British.

Hence, their negativity, even as Otumfo Asantehene soars like the Eagle, and the Falcon (yoko) that He is. The detractors don't see it as a glory moment for Ghana and Africa.

That explains the Asante aphorism, "S Obi Nyaa Saa bi a, Anka by Bi." If only it was in their turf.

It all goes back to the year 1831. It begins the historical situation and provides the historical context.

By the Ango-Asante Treaty of 1831, which ended the Anglo-Asante War of 1826; Britain decoupled other Akan States from Asanteman. Britain and Asanteman agreed to set the boundary at the river Pra.

The "British Protected Territories," (i.e., "protected" from Asante domination and vassalage, later called the Gold Coast Colony); and the Asante Nation remained Two separate entities from 1831 to 1946.

In 1946, Asantehene si Agyeman Prempeh II, and the Asanteman Nhyiamu (Asanteman Parliament) agreed to merge the Asante Nation with the Gold Coast Colony. The Asantehene was invited to Accra to preside over the promulgation of the 1946 Constitution (Burns') to affirm the union.

In 1844, the Chiefs in the British Protected Territories, under the leadership of dfo Kwadwo Tibo (Otibo Panin), Dankyirahene, delivered a three-sentence statement to the new British governor Commander Hill at the Cape Coast Castle. Why?

The Chiefs wanted his assurances that, like his predecessor Captain George MacLean, he would stick to the 1831 Anglo-Asante Treaty, and protect them from Asantehene Kwaku Dua Agyeman Panin, and from Asante incursions and control.

The 1844 Statement which was later misnamed as the Bond of 1844, was nothing but a three-sentence repudiation of Akan Customs which the signatories concluded were still being practiced and enforced by Asanteman. With the additional anti-Asante propaganda of the European Christian Missionaries, these authentic Akan Customs were then bastardized as "Heathen" and "Fetish."

Thus began the era of the European political and missionary campaign to damage the unrelentingly, fiercely independent Asante People.

Correspondingly, others of the Gold Coast colony, either stopped completely, or diluted ancient Akan practices when their States were decoupled from Asanteman in the year 1831, to eventually form the Gold Coast Colony.

The collective angst of the people foolishly throwing aimless darts cannot therefore be cured. It emanates from a uniquely precolonial trepidation of Asante, still afflicting in the post-colonial polity.

The British meanwhile, came to their senses in 1916, and decided to learn about Asante, the better to relate to Asante. A British Army Colonel, Robert Sutherland Rattray (R.S. Rattray) was commissioned to travel throughout Asanteman. He wrote Books on Asante History; Asante Arts and Religion known as Anyamesom; Asante Ethics and Proverbs, Asante Law and Constitution, etc. Thus educated, the British disowned every negativity they had falsely manufactured towards Asanteman.

We fought the British to a standstill. British direct colonial rule of Asante lasted from January 1902 to January 1935. The Asanteman Federation formed in 1701, and disbanded by the British in 1896; was then "restored" in 1935.

There are many so-called Kings. But only si Tutu pemso Nyamekese was invited. We didn't ask to be invited. We are comfortable in our own accomplishments. We politely previously declined the invitation to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II, while others were prostrating to be invited. Otumfuo Asantehene does not travel for such purposes.

Where are those who joined the British to fight against Asante in 1824; 1826; 1863; 1873-1874; 1896 and 1900. Why were they not invited.

Questions relating to a claim that the use of Umbrella is to protect one from Rain, and excessive Sunshine, exclusively are misleading.

In Akan Tradition and Governance, the main purpose, is much deeper than protection from Rain and Sun.

Asanteman use umbrella, to shield the Ruler from unseen spiritual forces which may want to do harm to, or challenge the sanctity of our King at any moment. When Otumfo enters a Room, our beliefs is that the umbrella has swept all antagonizing, forces present; and neutralized whatever powers therein. The Kyinikyimfo afterwards rolls the Umbrella, and keeps it by his side.

Yes, people do ask such questions. I've written about it previously.

People think it's odd that the Umbrella known as Kyiniy is used in an enclosed space. There is no oddity in this ancient practice pursuant to Asante (Akan) Custom, and our Spiritual beliefs.

The question arises from a lack of knowledge in Akan cosmology, and how our King, and Chiefs are protected.

It makes sense to Asanteman. We've been doing that for centuries. We proudly stand by our Customs, Traditions. and Culture.

Of course, Umbrellas also connote Power. "hene Kyiniy, ebi da ebi akyi;" captures the power structure succinctly.

Email: [email protected]
I shall be 100% in favour and supportive of any presidential, governmental or parliamentary proposal for the introduction of capital punishment in Ghana if there were to be any.

Yes, capital punishment has proven to be not foolproof to deterring people from committing certain crimes for which one will be executed for it if found guilty. However, it may have curtailed the otherwise propensity to kill at any least provocation by some people who fear being killed if they murdered other people.

If, without the implementation and enforcement of capital punishment a hundred potential murderers would have killed people, with the institution and mercilessly enforcement of capital punishment, only about twenty of them will go ahead to commit murder.

In some states in the United States of America (USA), one found guilty of committing a first degree or felony murder will be executed in what may be in consonance with, or similitude of, the Mosaic Law of an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

What are first degree and felony murders, a reader may want to ask the writer?

First degree murder is the intentional killing of another person by someone who has acted wilfully, deliberately, or with planning. Generally, there are two types of first-degree murder: premeditated intent to kill and felony murder. The rule of felony murder is a legal doctrine in some common law jurisdictions that broadens the crime of murder: when someone is killed in the commission of a dangerous or enumerated crime, the offender, and also the offender's accomplices or co-conspirators, may be found guilty of murder.

In Ghana today, we hear of married couples killing their partners for all silly reasons bordering on either the accusation of extra marital affairs or disagreement over divorce in what may be the case of, if I cant have you, nobody else can have you.

The rampancy of armed robberies leading to the death of innocent people; rampancy of ritual murders by some fetish priests as a means of securing their patronisers power, fame and quick wealth in what may be sikaduro, all call for stringent measure to curb such desires.

Faceless people allegedly committing large scale arsons, kidnapping people that they end up killing, etc., all call for a deterrence measure in what clearly will be the capital punishment.

In my country Ghana, as cowards and fearful of death as most of us are, the very moment an enforceable capital punishment is introduced, all the unnecessary killings we are witnessing today will pale to nothing. They will cease completely, becoming a history.

Why dont we go for it then but to allow people to continue to kill others for no justifiable reason?

Look at the police inspector, Tycoon, in Kumasi who recently killed his estranged girlfriend over an alleged Ghc5,000.00 she owed him?

Look at the case of a pastor and a chief in either Western or Central Region killing people for rituals on intent to obtain quick wealth, fame and power?

In my own Kumawu town, a few years ago, one Mr Kwabena Anane, a staff of Tweneboa Kodua Senior High School, killed the boyfriend of his step-daughter for the silliest of all reasons. He had warned the student boyfriend of his step-daughter not to go out with the girl anymore. However, he continued to befriend her so one night when he saw them together, he got boiled up, gave the young male student a chase and shot him dead.

Look at the case of that Daniel Asiedu aka Sexy Dondon, who killed Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu (Hon.), member of parliament for Abuakwa North in the Easter Region at his residence in Shiashie, a suburb of Accra on 9 February 2016. He has not even been properly tried to bring closure to the case but allowed to change his versions of the events leading to that brutal murder, who his accomplices or paymasters were, if any.

Does keeping these guys in remand for years, the state feeding them and bearing their medical expenses not encourage other potential murderers to go out to murder as either armed robbers, contract killers, partners in marriage, etc.?

If there was capital punishment in Ghana, could some foreigners e.g. Chinese galamseyers, shoot Ghanaians to death with impunity? No.

In the South Asian countries where capital punishment is practised, the crime rate is low.

When you fall foul of the law, whether you are a native of the country, a foreigner in transit or an immigrant, you will face the full rigours of the law. There is no mercy or exceptions,

It is a disgrace that some of the pastors at the One man churches are said to commit murders for rituals but are left off the hook.

For evidence on this, the Ghanaian authorities can contact former pastors/prophets Obotan, Demon Breaker, Manasseh and Kwaku Obofour.

To stop this infatuation with the alleged ritual murders for power, fame and wealth, by our Ghanaian pastors, there must be a capital punishment in place in Ghana.

Do you support introduction of capital punishment in Ghana? Yes or No? Pleas pass your comment.

Rockson Adofo

Friday, 5 May 2023
The Vice President of the Republic, H.E Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has shared his candid view on how Ghana can be developed.

According to the Vice President, the country must turn away from the politics of insults and propaganda and embrace the politics of ideas and solutions to make the country better.

Dr. Bawumia said this while speaking as the Special guest of honour at the Church Of Pentecosts Annual General Council Meeting.

I hope and pray that this conference will positively impact our politics as a nation. Please remind the politicians when we assemble to focus on the solutions to the problems of this country and let us have a politics of ideas and solutions, not a politics of insults and propaganda.

That is what we need in Ghana. We should let our politics shine a light on what we are doing and not try to cover things in darkness, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia said.

The Vice President believes that despite the challenges facing Ghana, the country will come out stronger and better.

In his address, he said that this is possible with the right leaders in place and with the help of God.

With good leadership, Ghana has what it takes to manage its affairs and make this country the envy of many. And with the Lord at the centre of everything it is possible. Ghana can become an advanced nation. It is possible for us to make a maximum impact on our nation with the right leadership, Bawumia stressed.
Hungry, terrified Sudanese families fleeing deadly urban warfare rely only on the generosity of strangers who line the stretch of road between the capital Khartoum and Sudan's southern borders.

In three weeks of fighting between rival generals that has plunged the impoverished country into turmoil, thousands have rushed to escape, often only having had the time to grab their most basic essentials.

On the long and arduous journey out of the war-scarred country, scores may have starved were it not for the generosity of strangers volunteering to hand out food and drink despite the perilous conditions.

"The food is ready, come out, you won't be delayed," Abubakr Hussein shouts from the side of the road that leads from Khartoum to his small village in Jazira state 130 kilometres (80 miles) south.

In a country that prides itself on its generosity, this scene is repeated at almost each of the villages that punctuate the roads leading out of Sudan.

Nearly 450,000 civilians have fled their homes since fighting erupted in Sudan's capital in mid-April. By - (AFP)

The rivalry between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), erupted into armed conflict on April 15, during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

The battles in the capital and other regions have killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands.

'Unprepared'

Across the country there are reports of rampant looting.

"At least some of the looting... is driven by the fact soldiers need to eat," said Aly Verjee, a researcher at the University of Gothenburg.

"There are lots of reports of people finding the RSF in their houses having dinner," he told AFP.

Sudan fighting has killed at least 700 people. By Sophie RAMIS, Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA, Laurence SAUBADU (AFP)

"The RSF forces, whether implicitly or explicitly, have been told to fend for themselves, feed themselves and organise themselves."

Even before the war began, Jazira residents had already been mobilised to hand out food to travellers -- a common practice during Ramadan that Muslims believe will help earn them a place in heaven.

But as the fighting drags on and food supplies dwindle in Khartoum, which has borne the brunt of much of the fighting, the volunteers continue to line the roads well beyond the holy month.

"People left unprepared," Hussein told AFP. "We began providing them with water then people joined, bringing food from their homes."

"As the situation continued, we began collecting donations from village residents and making the food ourselves," he said.

The Norwegian Refugee Council has meanwhile reported the doubling of food prices in Jazira.

'In every village'

The turmoil is likely to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in a country where 15 million people -- a third of the population -- were already in need of aid to stave off famine even before the conflict, according to the United Nations.

People across Sudan have come together to offer life-saving nourishment to those fleeing the worst of the war. By - (AFP)

Nearly 450,000 civilians have fled their homes, the International Organization for Migration said, including more than 115,000 who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.

People across Sudan have come together to offer life-saving nourishment to those fleeing the worst of the war.

Mohammed Issa, who has shuttled people on buses across the country during the conflict, has witnessed this first hand across countless villages.

"I have seen this scene everywhere," from White Nile in the south to the Red Sea in the east all the way to Northern state, he said.

Mirghani Hassan, who with his family fled Khartoum to the city of Atbara 350 kilometres north, expressed gratitude for the help they had received.

"In every village, they insisted that we stop to eat and drink, even if the distance between one village and the next was no more than a kilometre," he said.
The Ghana Journalist Association (GJA) in the North East and Savanna Regions has condemned the assault of Dagbon 102.5 FMs political talk show host Abubakar Sadiq Gariba.

We unreservedly condemn this primitive act", the association said, adding: "This cowardly act must not have a space in this modern day and age, it noted in a statement issued on Thursday, 4 May 2023, signed by its Chairman, Mr Yakubu Abdul-Majeed.

The association assured that it is working with the Ghana Police Service to ensure justice for the Dagbon FM journalist.

It called on all media houses in the region to, henceforth, cease entertaining Hardi Pagazaa on their networks, while assuring all journalists in the region that the GJA is solidly behind them in the performance of their duties, and will always go to any lengths to defend them.

The Northern Regional GJA urged the public to resort to appropriate procedures to seek remedy regarding media publications concerning them."

Mr Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa, a former deputy northern regional communications officer of the NDC and one other person, has been reported to the police for storming the studios of Dagbon FM in the Northern Region on Wednesday, 3 May 2023, which coincidentally was World Press Freedom Day, to attack and assault a journalist.

The victim, hosts an evening political talk show on Dagbon102.5 FM in the Northern Region, which belongs to the Class Media Group.

The live on-air attack happened between 8:30 pm and 9 pm on Wednesday, 3 May 2023.

Narrating what happened to Korku Lumor on Class91.3FMs morning show on Thursday, 4 May 2023, Saddique Gariba said the attack on him followed his earlier condemnation, on his show, of the exploitation of the Abudu-Andani chieftaincy crisis in Dagbon by some politicians including his attacker.

He said his assailant, who is alleged to be a member of Sagnarigu MP A.B.A. Fuseinis campaign team, had earlier said on another radio station that I should be the last person to advise him on communication because my communication can be compared to that of his daughter.

So, when I got to my show, I played the tape and said: OK, whether my communication can be compared to that of the daughter or not, I will not discuss the substance of this issue because this guy, before making that statement about me, said something that I found to be false and anybody who is not credible is not worth being discussed on my show and, so, I will not discuss this tape on my show, then I just switched to my topic of the day, he told Lumor.

The radio host said: Immediately he [Pagazar] walked into the studio, he came straight to me to attack; he didnt ask of anything, he came straight to me to attack. He came and held my shirt, and squeezed it to my neck and the other colleague he came in with also held my shirt on the other side and they both squeezed it and pushed me to the wall and that colleague said if I should open my mouth, he will knock me and went ahead to tell me that if I dont stop mentioning Hardi Pagazaa on your, hell kill me.

Asked if he knew the gentleman who threatened to kill him, Saddique Gariba said: I dont know the gentlemans name.

A.B.A Fuseini disowns assailant

When called to speak to the issue on the Class Morning Show, Mr A.B.A. Fuseini said he only knows the assailant as a member of the NDC, and described as absolutely trash, any reported association with him in any way whatsoever.

Hes not even on my campaign team let alone being my campaign manager, Mr Fuseini denied, adding: He has nothing to do with my campaign. He doesnt hold any position in my campaign.

He empathised with the victim and condemned the attack.

Let me first and foremost express regret at anybody who harasses a journalist. Ive been a journalist for over three decades and I am the first to uphold the inalienable rights and freedoms of journalists to work in an environment that is conducive to the carrying out of their professional duties, he sympathised, noting: So, I will be the last person to even think remotely about anything that will impede the work of journalists.

So, if any such incident happened to anybody, that person has my unqualified sympathies and support and I want to make it unequivocally clear that I condemn in no uncertain terms, any attempt by anybody to impede the work of journalists let alone harass or intimidate journalists.

The lawmaker suspects the links being drawn between him and the alleged assailant are a product of his detractors.

The issue that is being raised and associating it with me is just some propaganda that some people are trying to claw back something because they are losing the contest in the constituency because there is no such association, he said.

Mr Fuseini insisted the assailant doesnt occupy any position, hes not a member of my campaign team and he doesnt occupy any position in my campaign, so, you can talk about the gentleman and his conduct but not in his association with me A.B.A Fuseini, never.

Source: classfmonline.com
The President of a country like Ghana is not required to appoint a mortuary CEO to regulate the operations of mortuaries in the country. A former Attorney General should know better, not all Job is meant for boys to do. The regulation of mortuaries and funeral homes is typically overseen by government agencies such as the Ghana Health Service, the Environmental Health and Sanitation Directorate, and the Department of Social Welfare. These agencies have specific mandates to ensure that mortuaries and funeral homes operate in compliance with relevant laws and regulations and to protect public health and safety.

While the president may have some influence over the appointment of officials within these agencies, the decision to appoint a specific CEO for a mortuary or funeral home would typically be made by the management of that particular establishment. It is important for mortuaries and funeral homes in Ghana to operate by relevant laws and regulations, and to maintain high standards of hygiene, safety, and professionalism to serve their clients and communities effectively.

The regulation of mortuary operations in Ghana is governed by several laws and regulations, including the Public Health Act, of 2012 (Act 851) and the Environmental Health and Sanitation Policy, of 2010. These laws provide for the regulation and oversight of public health issues, including mortuary operations, in Ghana.

Ghana is sick under President Akuffo Addo and Bawumia
The people of Botokrom community in the Berekum West District heaved a sigh of relief and appreciation on Thursday, 4th May, 2023 when the District Chief Executive, Hon. Dominic Oppong handed over a newly constructed 3-Unit Classroom Block to the Education Directorate.

The building which has an office for the headmaster and other ancillary facilities was also furnished with thirty (30) Mono Desk for each of the classrooms.

In a brief commissioning and handing-over ceremony which was held at the forecourt of the building, the District Chief Executive in his speech urged the School Management Committee to ensure proper maintenance of the facility.

Hon. Oppong also noted that, as part of his commitment to governments policy to reduce the Districts illiteracy plight and enhance effective teaching and learning, his outfit is commissioning the second classroom block within the year with the first one being Fetentaa community.

He emphasized that all other school buildings in other communities that government and the Member of Parliament, Hon. Agyenim Boateng are working on will be completed soon.

Mr. Thomas Diawuo, the Assembly Member for the Electoral Area thanked the DCE for providing the community with the school block to support academic activities. He also seized the opportunity to appeal for teachers bungalow just as it was done for the Fetentaa Methodist School.

Today, the people of Botokrom are blessed and we would want to thank God, the President of the Republic of Ghana, the Member of Parliament, the District Chief Executive, Nananom and the entire Berekum West District Assembly for giving us this school building to support academic work. Education they say is the key to success and we hope this will motivate the pupil to learn hard and become good future leaders who would contribute their quota to develop Berekum West and Ghana at large, he stated.

The Odikro of the Botokrom community thanked the DCE for his effort and support for education since he assumed office. He tasked the teachers and the pupils to make good use of the facility which will impact the community and reduce poverty.
05.05.2023 LISTEN

Despite a steady decline in child marriage in the last decade, multiple crises including conflict, climate shocks, and the ongoing fallout from COVID-19 are threatening to reverse hard-earned gains, according to a new analysis issued by UNICEF today. The report is released as this week, 23 countries, including Ghana, are attending a UNFPA - UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage Phase III (2024  2030) workshop in Johannesburg, South Africa.

"The world is engulfed by crises on top of crises that are crushing the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be students, not brides," said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. "Health and economic crises, escalating armed conflicts, and the ravaging effects of climate change are forcing families to seek a false sense of refuge in child marriage. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that their rights to an education and empowered lives are secured."

Worldwide, an estimated 640 million girls and women alive today were married in childhood, or 12 million girls per year, according to the latest global estimate included in the analysis. The share of young women who married in childhood has declined from 21 per cent to 19 per cent since the last estimates were released five years ago. However, in spite of this progress, global reductions would have to be 20 times faster to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of ending child marriage by 2030.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said: "We've proven that progress to end child marriage is possible. It requires unwavering support for vulnerable girls and families. We must focus on keeping girls in school and making sure they have economic opportunities."

Sub-Saharan Africa  which currently shoulders the second largest global share of child brides (20 per cent)  is over 200 years away from ending the practice at its current pace according to the new UNICEF analysis. Rapid population growth, alongside ongoing crises, look set to increase the number of child brides, in contrast with the declines expected in the rest of the world.

With the support of the Global Programme to End Child Marriage (GPECM), Ghana has accelerated its national efforts to end child marriage across the country. Since 2016, over one million adolescent girls have received prevention and care interventions across sectors to address child marriage.

The GPECM is funded by the Governments of Belgium, Canada, Italy, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, as well as the European Commission and Zonta International.

UNICEF continues to support the Government of Ghanas efforts to end child marriage. It is encouraging to see the commitment to the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage and we look forward to continued efforts to reverse the threat of this practice and give children the best opportunities in life, said UNICEF Representative a.i. Fiachra McAsey.
The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has commended Kevin Taylor for publishing a 36-page report on illegal mining compiled by Prof. Frimpong Boateng.

Taylor, the host of the show "With All Due Respect" on Loud Silence Media, released the report which exposes the masterminds of the illegal mining activities in Ghana.

In a tweet, Sammy Gyamfi praised Mr. Taylor for intercepting and publishing the report, which he said has helped the Ghanaian public to know the real kingpins behind the ever-thriving illegal mining menace.

Gyamfi also extended his appreciation to the Loud Silence Media team for their efforts in bringing this information to light.

Illegal small-scale mining has been a major issue in Ghana, with devastating effects on the environment and the livelihoods of persons in mining communities.

The government has been working to curb the practice, but it has persisted due to the involvement of persons in government as revealed in the report.

Despite government efforts to clamp down on the practice, it continues to thrive in some parts of the country.

The report has generated a lot of interest with many Ghanaians calling for drastic measures to deal with the perpetrators.
Kim Liddell has led banks through turnarounds before.

So he said he is prepared for the challenges that come with serving as Dunkirk-based Lake Shore Bank's new president and CEO.

Liddell replaced Daniel Reininga, who retired after about 12 years as CEO. Lake Shore, which has 11 branches in Erie and Chautauqua counties, is under a consent order with the federal Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, over operational deficiencies identified by the regulator.

Liddell said he will draw upon skills he developed helping get other banks, in Virginia and Maryland, on the right path.

"I learned that I was really a professional manager in the business of banking," said Liddell, 62. "And companies need that. They need leadership, and a little structure."

The North Carolina native talked about his plans for Lake Shore.

Q: What's your view of Lake Shore Bank?

A: Lake Shore's consent order is really operational. It has nothing to do with financials. It's really about making improvements in technology, making improvements in its operations, in general. That is a good thing.

I think we're well on our way to getting the bank right where the regulator thinks we should be.

From a financial standpoint, I feel like we're very solid.

Q: What are your goals?

A: Our No. 1 goal is to resolve the OCC's issues with how we've operated in the past. That's a little bit inwardly focused.

I do feel we have the opportunity to be nimble and sneak in and take some business away from the much larger entities, because I think we can be more attentive. That requires burning shoe leather, and requires outworking your competitor and requires being flexible in how you approach (customers') needs.

Q: You're new to the region, and you're following two CEOs who led Lake Shore for a combined 30 years. How do you make an impact?

A: Naturally, the consent order clears a lot of the deck. It allows for someone like me to come in and say, 'These are things you need to do to be successful.' And I have the experience, which is very helpful.

It is hard to follow two longtime CEOs. But you've got to get the employees on your side. You have to meet with them regularly, talk to them regularly.

My job is to build relationships with everybody in the company, and keep a smile on my face and help customers. And make sure that we're changing, but changing to make the company stronger and better for everybody.
Global food and beverage giant Nestle said Thursday that it would stop extracting from two mineral water wells in eastern France due to drought and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.

The group's mineral water subsidiary, Nestle Waters, which owns brands such as Vittel and Perrier, said it had suspended operations at two wells used to produce its Hepar water in the Vosges region of eastern France.

Another four wells will continue to be used for the brand, which is coveted for its high levels of magnesium.

"Like the whole of the industry, Nestle Waters faces worsening climatic conditions, with more intense and frequent events, such as regular droughts followed by heavy rain, which affect operating conditions at some wells on its site in the Vosges," the group told AFP.

The two Hepar wells were identified as "particularly vulnerable" because of their shallow depth which means it is "very difficult to maintain the stability of the essential characteristics of a natural mineral water."

If they partially suspend their production, it is simply that there is not enough water, Bernard Schmitt, spokesperson for the citizen collective Eau 88 told FranceInfo.

His group has been challenging the authorizations for water withdrawals. granted to Nestle Waters. For the Hepar brand, the group can extract up to 800,000 cubic meters per year from these most superficial aquifers.

We are coming to the end! For 30 years, we have known that this water table is in very poor condition. We can clearly see that the bottled water industry is threatened by the drought that will strike in the coming years.

"The bottling plants will stop on their own!", denounces Bernard Schmitt. Nestle Waters employs nearly 600 people in Vittel. The city levies a surcharge on natural mineral waters of around four million euros per year.

France as a whole saw 32 days without significant rainfall in January and February, a winter drought that followed record heat last summer that saw emergency water measures put in place for most of the country.

An estimated 75 percent of French groundwater sources were at moderately low or very low levels in April, according to the state-run French Geological Survey (BRGM).

Water restrictions are currently in place for 20 out of 96 departments on the mainland, with three judged to be in crisis in the southeast of the country.

Other French mineral waters are also affected by the increasing scarcity of water, including the famed Volvic brand which is extracted from the formerly volcanic hills of central France.

Authorities in the Puy-de-Dome area widened water restrictions on Tuesday this week.

The owner of Volvic, French multinational Danone, is set to decrease its monthly water extraction by five percent in May and June, the company told AFP.

In a separate development, Minister of Ecological Transition Christophe Bechu on Friday announced that the sale of above-ground swimming pools will be banned in the southwestern Pyrenees-Orientales department from next week.

The announcement comes at a time when crisis measures, including new water restrictions, are due to come into force on 10 May due to an exceptional drought.

"It's not a decision of the government, it's the reality of nature and the situation we are in, we have to get used to the idea that global warming is now," Bechu said.

(with AFP)
As Sudan's war plunges the impoverished country even deeper into humanitarian turmoil, aid workers face deadly risks in their efforts to provide desperately needed support.

With almost non-stop bombardments, rampant looting and at least three major prison breaks in the capital, humanitarian workers complain they cannot even move around to ascertain the extent of the damage.

"We cannot go there to verify" the looting that has occurred in different parts of the country, said Karl Schembri of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

"We can't risk our colleagues' lives."

According to the International Medical Corps, at least 18 aid workers have already been killed amid the fierce urban street battles that broke out on April 15 between forces loyal to rival generals.

A destroyed medical storage facility in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur province. By - (AFP)

The violence pits Sudan's de facto leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who leads the regular army, against his deputy turned rival Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, who commands the powerful paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Some 700 people have been killed in the fighting, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project, while thousands more have been wounded and hundreds of thousands displaced.

No safe passage

The NRC has already lost one of its volunteers, Elsheikh Mohamed Omer, killed in the western Darfur region, which has already been ravaged by two decades of conflict.

He was among at least 191 people killed in El Geneina, the capital of West Darfur state, where the aid group says "dozens of settlements have been burnt and destroyed".

Chart showing change in the estimated number of people in need of humanitarian aid in Sudan since 2015, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). By Nalini LEPETIT-CHELLA, Paz PIZARRO (AFP)

The region was already reeling from a conflict that erupted in 2003, killing at least 300,000 people and displacing 2.5 million, according to UN figures.

That conflict saw former dictator Omar al-Bashir unleash the feared Janjaweed militia -- which formed the basis for the RSF -- to crush a rebellion by ethnic minority groups.

Sylvain Perron, of Doctors Without Borders (MSF), said the current conditions had forced them to completely rethink their work strategies.

"The level of violence observed in Khartoum and Darfur against civilians and humanitarian workers is worrying," he told AFP.

"We are thinking about how to work in this context. We hope to operate with small teams of internationals and Sudanese workers, in partnership with civil society organisations, as soon as possible."

MSF on Thursday said a "surgical team has arrived in Port Sudan".

The UN's top humanitarian official, Martin Griffiths, made a lightning visit Wednesday to Sudan to try to negotiate safe passage for aid and aid workers, after six trucks laden with food supplies from the World Food Programme (WFP) were looted on their way to Darfur.

Even before the current fighting, the UN had estimated that 15 million people -- a third of Sudan's population -- were already in need of aid to stave off famine.

'Collateral damage'

Egyptian volunteers prepare aid packages for refugees fleeing fighting in Sudan. By - (AFP/File)

Amid the chaos, safe passage has become elusive as humanitarian groups struggle to negotiate a conflict with no clear front lines, where control over neighbourhoods can change hands from one moment to the next.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres said "nearly 17,000 metric tonnes" of food aid had been looted in the fighting.

The WFP "is still trying to establish what quantities remain" of the 80,000 tonnes of aid they had in the country before the conflict, Farhan Haq said.

The problems are only compounded by the closure of banks, which makes it almost impossible to send much needed cash relief.

"It's a huge logistical problem," said the NRC's Schembri.

With some hospitals having been shelled, only 16 percent of hospitals in the capital remain fully functional, according to UN estimates.

The World Health Organization's regional director for the eastern Mediterranean, Ahmed al-Mandhari, had previously sounded the alarm over the growing threat of malaria and cholera, particularly as the rainy season approaches in the coming weeks.

Even before the war, the WHO said Sudan accounted for 56 percent of malaria cases and 61 percent of deaths worldwide in 2020.

Toby Harward, the UN refugee agency's principal coordinator in Darfur, said "our facilities in Nyala in South Darfur and in El Geneina in West Darfur have been targeted by looters, criminals, bandits, out of control militias".

In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, "we found ourselves on the front line of the conflict between the two sides, and many of our facilities took direct hits", he told journalists, speaking from Nairobi.

"I stress we were not targeted, we were the subject of collateral damage," Harward said.
05.05.2023 LISTEN

Every now and then, new technologies emerge with the aim of making our lives easy and smarter. These technologies, not only provide us with convenience, but also reduces the cost of doing things/ business. One thing that COVID-19 taught us was how to rely on technology to do things smartly at a reduced cost. One of such technologies that emerged during the COVID -19 era was Reverse ATM. Reverse ATM is a very recent innovation in the banking industry and not many examples of this kiosk can be found publicly. During global health crisis (COVID-19 pandemic), the use of paper money became a huge hazard in most parts of the world because of how many hands it exchanges and how many surfaces it touches. A lot of business establishments stopped accepting physical currency notes altogether in favor of contactless payments through cards and/ or mobile wallets.

This article is aimed to throw light on what Reverse ATM is, the features and advantages, how vulnerable it is to money launderers and how to manage the vulnerability risks.

Reverse ATMs are also known as Cash-to-Card kiosks. Such ATMs take cash and dispense physical or digital prepaid cards. It works by allowing customers to insert cash into the machine in exchange for a prepaid plastic card. The only difference between the processes involve with this ATM and the regular ATM is instead of withdrawing cash, the machine dispenses a stored-value card. To use a reverse ATM, a customer inserts cash into the machine and selects the desired amount. The machine then issues a prepaid card, which can be used for purchases at the venue where the kiosk is located or at any other retailer that accepts the card brand. While some of these machines may charge a small fee to purchase the card, most do not. The cards are usually reloadable and can be used for multiple purchases until the balance is exhausted. When a customer uses the card, the merchant pays an interchange fee to Visa or Mastercard, just like they would with any other card under those brands. Some of the cards that are issued by the reverse ATM carry "dormancy fees," if the card isn't used for more than three months and it may be hard to use up the card balance if only a small amount is left.

The reverse ATM provide customers with convenience as customers can quickly and easily convert their cash to electronic currency. The technology also provide safety. As we know, handling cash can be dangerous, as it increases the risk of theft and robbery. Reverse ATMs help reduce the amount of cash on hand at a business, making it a safer place for employees and customers. Reverse ATM can help enhance the government drive of digitalization. Another benefit of reverse ATM is cost savings. Cash management can be a significant expense for businesses, with problems such as theft, processing fees, and constant runs to the bank. By using cash-to-card kiosks, businesses can reduce these costs. As opposed to opening a new bank account and waiting weeks for your debit card to be isssued, reverse ATMs issue an active prepaid debit card instantly; no spending hours at a branch with an account manager, no waiting weeks for a debit card to be issued, no calling a helpline to activate your newly issued card. The reverse ATM can be another revenue stream for the merchants as they can defray the cost of obtaining and installing the ATM by running advertisement on the screens of the ATMs. Also, the interchange fees charged by Visa and Mastercard when a customer uses the card can generate revenue for the merchant. With the huge chunk of the worlds population still unbanked, the reverse ATM helps to reach out to them by offering them cards for their payment transactions.

Tourism can be boasted by this technology. Often, travelers carry a lot of cash with them to exchange with the local currency of their holiday destination, but with a reverse ATM they can simply issue an active VISA or MasterCard that works anywhere in the world. Tourism sites or destinations can install this ATM for patrons to exchange their cash for cards to ease in their payment transactions.

The above features and advantages make the reverse ATMs attractive to criminals who want to further wash their dirty money.

The lack of proper Know You Customer (KYC) procedures in place when converting cash to card enables criminals to feed the ATMs with their dirty money in exchange for cards which could be used anywhere in the world.

The reverse ATM could be vulnerable to money laundering processes since the source of funds being deposited into the machine is not ascertained and verified. Criminals can easily convert their dirty money into cards.

One way to ensure that vulnerabilities in the reverse ATM to money laundering activities is minimized, is to introduce eKYC dongles on the machines since the cards produced by this technology are close loop cards. With open loop and semi closed loop cards, proper KYC is mandatory required.

Another way to mitigate the risk associated with the reverse ATMs is to place limits on the amount of money that customer can load the card with. Also the number of cards an individual can have should be determined so that criminals dont use their associates to obtain more than two cards. Where the customer want an enhancement on the card limit, he or she should be directed to a financial institution to open an account.

The reverse ATM is a good innovation in the banking industry, which with proper regulations on the use and identification of customers, could help reach out to the unbanked population and aid in the cashless society we all dream of.

Would you mind doing me a favor? Share this article with someone so that the awareness of money laundering and terrorist financing could be spread to avoid being used as a conduit by criminals.

If you require further information on this article, please contact Richieson @ [email protected] .
The National Communications Director of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi has praised journalist Kevin Taylor for helping to reveal the kingpins behind illegal mining activities in Ghana.

In a tweet on Friday, May 5, Gyamfi commended Taylor for intercepting and publishing the 36-page galamsey report compiled by former Environment Minister, Professor Frimpong Boateng in 2021.

Kevin Taylor deserves commendation for intercepting and publishing the 36-page Frimpong Boateng Galamsey report.

The Ghanaian public now know the real kingpins behind the ever-thriving illegal mining menace thanks to him. Kudos to With All Due Respect- Loud Silence Media team, he tweeted.

Taylor, the owner of US-based Loud Silence Media, leaked the report on April 20, 2023, causing a stir in the media.

The report was reportedly submitted to the Chief of State in 2021 but was placed on ice until Kevin Taylor brought it to light.

The report revealed some powerful officials in the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) engaging in illegal mining activities.

The report mentioned leading NPP member Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Director of Operations at the Presidency Lord Commey, Information Minister Oppong Nkrumah and several others.

Meanwhile, all the persons mentioned have denied the allegations with some taking the matter to the law court.

The publication of the report has sparked a renewed conversation about the illegal mining menace in Ghana, with many calling for decisive action to be taken against those involved in the illegal activities.
The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Dr. Clement Apaak has reiterated the need for the government to review the Free Senior High School (FSHS) policy.

In the last few years, many have criticised the flagship programme introduced by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Due to challenges facing the programme including inadequate infrastructure as well as feeding, among others, the calls for the programme to be reviewed have been widely discussed in the past year.

In a call this week, the Methodist Church has added its voice to the need for the Free Senior High School policy to be reviewed.

Reacting to a report of the call from the Methodist Church, Builsa South MP Dr. Clement Apaak has stressed that he does not understand why President Akufo-Addo and his government is refusing to review the programme.

Stakeholders in education, the clergy, unions, parents and well-meaning Ghanaians have all called for and/or supported the call for a review of the FSHS policy, except Akufo-Addo and his NPP gov't. What is wrong with reviewing a policy to make it better, I don't get it, Dr. Apaak said in a post on Twitter.
Ghanaian actor cum politician, John Setor Dumelo has expressed his joy and excitement as his wife, Gifty Mawunya Dumelo was called to the Ghana Bar Association following her graduation from law school.

Mrs. Dumelo can now practice law in Ghana after successfully completing her legal studies.

In a comic Facebook post, the proud husband congratulated his wife on her achievement and jokingly indicated that he already had some cases for her to work on.

He also revealed that his wife can now add the title "Esq" to her name, signifying her new status as a legal practitioner.

Congratulations my love for being called to the Ghana Bar today. You are now Mrs Gifty Mawunya Dumelo Esq. I have cases for you already lol. Love you, the post reads.

The couple were all smiles in the pictures shared by John Dumelo on social media, celebrating the success of his wife.

Mrs. Dumelo looked stunning in her black and white court gown, holding the hands of her children with a sense of pride and accomplishment.

The news of Mrs. Dumelo's call to the bar has garnered a lot of attention on social media, with many people congratulating and commending her for her hard work and dedication.

Some have also praised the couple for being an inspiration to young people in Ghana, showing that with hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.

John Dumelo, who is also known for his philanthropic works, has been actively involved in politics and has been advocating for better policies to improve lives.

He contested in the 2020 Ghanaian general elections, where he ran for the Ayawaso West Wougon parliamentary seat but was unsuccessful.

Nevertheless, the actor-turned-politician is running again to lead the NDC in the 2024 elections with the hope that he will snatch the seat from the incumbent NPP Member of Parliament, Lydia Seyram Alhassan.
05.05.2023 LISTEN

When the average urban Ghanaian hears the words 'Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS)' compound, one of two things may most likely come into their minds. The first being confusion because they may not be familiar with the word CHPS, and the second being that they do know what it is, but they attribute it to a characteristic of rural communities.

CHPS was a policy brought about by the government in 2005 to provide free primary healthcare services at point of use within communities. It was designed to operate in zones of up to 750 households which were chosen based on electoral areas.

The basic package of CHPS includes health promotion, disease surveillance, health interventions such as immunizations, reproductive health, communicable and non-communicable diseases as well as first aid for minor ailments.

Nurses, who are referred to as community health officers, are placed in community zones to help carry out the objectives of CHPS within the various communities.

Currently, CHPS compound located in rural areas are doing quite well in delivering healthcare services to their locals, however, that cannot be said about the compounds located in urban areas.

The Community-led Responsive and Effective Urban Health Systems (CHORUS) Ghana is a six-year multi-country research program consortium focused on building resilient urban health systems with funding from United Kingdom's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.

The research program consortium embarked on a study titled 'Assessing provision, awareness of and access to Primary Health Care in urban poor neighbourhoods in Accra' which focused on co-producing with stakeholders, implementing and evaluating packages of interventions that will improve primary health care services, in particular, CHPS in urban poor settings in Ghana.

The concerns that the researchers had were that although rural areas had relatively healthier environments to live in compared to urban regions, some people in rural areas for various reasons, leave the rural areas to the already highly-populated urban areas.

A lead researcher at CHORUS, Dr. Ada Nwameme, mentioned that urban areas are currently overpopulated, according to a UN 2018 report. It stated that 55 per cent of the world's population lives in urban communities and is expected to increase to 68 per cent by 2015, she shared.

Dr Ada also stated that, The proportion of households that use one room for sleeping is higher in urban areas than rural areas with the percentage at urban areas being 65 per cent and rural areas at 57 per cent.

This indicates that the current number of people in urban cities is so high that sharing one room for sleeping is the only option for some families. This shows how illnesses can easily spread among family members in urban areas.

The current population has created a lot of issues in urban areas in the country as not only has quality food, shelter, water, and other basic amenities become hard to come by but diseases have also increase in urban areas.

With infectious diseases being deadly and easily contagious in urban areas-especially in single room situations- it has also been shown that non-communicable diseases are on the rise in urban areas as well.

Speaking at a training programme on urban health organized by CHORUS to present their research findings to journalists, Executive Director of the organization Women, Media and change (WOMEC), Dr. Charity Binka, pressed on how illnesses are on the rise in major cities in the country.

Diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, strokes, and cardiac issues are increasing in the urban areas as compared to the rural areas because of the poor quality of life in these major cities. With these issues on the rise, the urban healthcare system is sitting on a major ticking time bomb, she said.

With the already stressed health system in the country where basic hospital amenities are hard to come by, if an effective healthcare system is not put in place, things are bound to become worse in no time.

For this reason, CHORUS embarked on a journey to research on CHPS compounds in urban areas and how they could support the current healthcare system in the country therefore absorbing some of the burdens affecting higher level hospitals and giving immediate healthcare services to those who will need it in communities, especially the poor in urban areas.

The project chose 4 communities in 2 municipalities in the Greater Accra Region, which are Ashaiman communities; Fitterline and Taifa and Madina communities Madina Zongo and Social Welfare. In these areas, CHPS compounds were identified and visited to assess the day to day activities of the compounds and some of the people that visit the compounds for healthcare services.

In their findings, they realised that people most vulnerable to poor health were the ones who visited CHPS compounds. This means that people who are disabled, homeless persons, kayaye, women, children, and people who worked in dangerous environments visited these places.

The most common healthcare concerns included malaria, typhoid and other diarrheal diseases, drug addiction, STD's, non-communicable diseases, workplace injuries such as injuries gotten from scrap metal dealing and cement works, etc. and respiratory diseases which can largely be attributed to air pollution in these areas, Dr. Lauren Wallace, a CHORUS qualitative researcher highlighted during the presentations of their findings.

Some things the researchers also noticed was that although people in the communities were aware of the existence of a CHPS compound in their communities, they believed that the compound was meant for only reproductive services such as family planning and child welfare services. Most people in the communities had limited knowledge of the services that the CHPS compound offers.

The challenges the researchers noticed include limited number of nurses to issue care as most of them had to take on task shifting method in executing services. Obtaining and sustaining volunteers was also a big issue as the nurses sometimes have to use their personal funds to motivate the volunteers because although they do come to help for free, if they aren't supported financially, they lose their interest in supporting the compound and they were seriously understaffed.

Dr. Wallace also shared that a very surprising challenge they found was the lack of a permanent physical structure to operate as the CHPS compounds within these areas were mostly church buildings, shops, or residents homes, and security issues.

This created a further issue of having proper storage facilities for logistics and tools and which also created the problem of inadequate logistics for home care services since they had no place to store them, she said.

By the end of the research it was realised that although CHPS could be used as an effective service to make proper healthcare services available to locals and reduce pressure on existing hospitals in the cities, it has been poorly developed and maintained in urban cities thus has made its operation difficult limiting the awareness of its activities in urban areas.

All these challenges have created some negative mindsets about the CHPS in the minds of urban settlers as the research found that people would prefer to go to hospitals rather than go to CHPS compounds, no matter how basic their health needs may be because they felt the hospitals would do a better job than the compound although it costs more to go to the hospital.

The citizens also preferred to self-prescribe medication for themselves and visit pharmacies for them rather than go to CHPS compound for the right diagnoses.

From their findings, it can be noticed that the government would help achieve a better healthcare system, especially for the urban poor, if CHPS compounds in the cities could be developed and made strong enough to provide primary healthcare, this way hospitals are alleviated from their burdens.

CHORUS recommended that if sanitation in compounds was improved, the NHIS was enhanced to resolve co-payment issues, awareness of CHPS compounds and their functions were increased, infrastructure and logistics were provided, and staffing needs were settled, this could help resolve some of the misconceptions people have about CHPS.

We also suggest that there be an improved linkage between CHPS and private healthcare providers so as to make transferring of cases easier and also that relevant stakeholders such as opinion leaders, assemblies, as well as others be engaged in the CHPS programme, Dr. Wallace added.

Urban health has to be taken seriously if we want to improve our healthcare systems in the country. Policy makers must avail themselves to working with researchers to create the best policies to curtail the growing menace of ailments increasing in the cities.

The media must also create space to talk about these issues and most importantly, highlight people who are being disadvantaged by the current health system in order to put out more evidence and force the government to combat it.

The CHPS compound can be an effective way to help reduce the stress of the current healthcare system. And as research has been taken to prove that it can go a long way if only it is given some attention, policy makers should turn their attention to it. It may help us much more than we know.

By Abigail Atinuke Seyram Adeyemi
05.05.2023 LISTEN

I HAD the occasion to discuss the exploits of a pimp who once ensured that prostitution was the order of the day in this country. I'm compelled to revisit the issue because the unrepentant pimp continues to make very ridiculous claims.

To refresh your memory, a pimp is a man who controls prostitutes and arranges clients for them, taking a percentage of their earnings in return.

This country once witnessed the exploits of one of the greatest pimps to ever set foot on its shores. He was proud of the nefarious acts of his damsels and did not hide his admiration for their whorish exploits. He also left no stone unturned in his determination to protect his wayward girls. All that mattered to him were the cowries the ladies brought. He epitomised the traits of those Dr. Jerry Boom once described as 'greedy bastards'.

After working as assistant pimp for over two years and subsequently as chief pimp for four years, his cup became full. He was arrested by the security authorities and incarcerated for four years. How we all jubilated over his incarceration!

Less than two years into his incarceration, the chief pimp publicly announced that he would rid the country of prostitution after serving his sentence. After serving his time, he was incarcerated for another four-year term. Ironically, he is still claiming to be the only one to rid the country of prostitution.

We would have believed his cock and bull story if he had confessed his crimes and asked for forgiveness. But we can't believe him when he still maintains his damsels did no wrong in selling their bodies in return for cowries.

So you see, his desire cannot be genuine since he still believes in the pimping business. Obviously, his proclamation is nothing but an attempt to hoodwink his compatriots into sympathising with him.

The Chief Pimp, President Ogwanfunu, was a president who institutionalised, created, looted and shared in this country. Not only did he look the other way when his appointees dabbled in corrupt practices, but was also caught 'in flagrante delicto' (red-handed) engaging in corrupt acts.

In case you've forgotten, he was the only sitting vice-president in this country to have had a committee set up by his own boss to investigate him for corruption. The committee, set up to investigate the shady Embraer jet deal, is what I refer to.

Again, President Ogwanfunu is the only president in the whole world to have been implicated in numerous court-certified scams. After a long wait, he finally admitted, albeit subtly, that he was 'Government Official 1' as mentioned in the stinking Airbus scandal. The same man was also mentioned for his role in the messy Goldman Sachs deal. How corrupt can a man be!

Was he also not the one who received a $100,000 Ford from Djibril Kanazoe, the Burkinabe contractor? Call it what you wish, but we all know the so-called gift was a 'thank you' from the Burkinabe contractor for the Ghana Embassy contract in his homeland.

It is, therefore, funny to hear such a man accusing others of engaging in 'sakawa'  a Ghanaian term for 'scams'. Yes, 'sakawa' was his favourite term before the 2020 polls. It was indeed very rich coming from a man fully drenched in corruption.

I'm sure Abusuapanin remembers the six so-called mobile clinics procured by President Ogwanfunu at a unit cost of $80,000 but became white elephants because these weren't fit for purpose. The trucks are currently overgrown with weeds in a junk yard somewhere around Korle-Gonno.

Was President Ogwanfunu not the one who presided over the stealing of more than $12 million of our taxes on salvaged 207 buses, fitted with kitchen cabinets, as ambulances? It's refreshing to know that a certain Forson, and two others, had been dragged to the courts to answer for their respective roles in the unadulterated thievery.

Was he also not the one who gifted his blo d brother a bauxite reserve worth $200 billion at Nyinahin? The pure thievery was only stopped by the timely intervention of President Dee.

Sometimes I wonder if President Ogwanfunu has the word 'shame' in his lexicon. If he had, he would be the last person in this country to accuse others of 'sakawa' or corruption. Perhaps, he is being emboldened by President Nana Dees reluctance in cracking the whip on his errant appointees.

It is obvious that President Ogwanfunu wants to ride on the waning popularity of the Nana Dee government to the presidential throne. No wonder he has now become a comedian lampooning Nana Dee and Bawumia, instead of espousing policies to convince his compatriots.

He erroneously thinks we have forgotten about the numerous create, loot and share schemes under his watch. He still deludes himself into believing that his compatriots have forgotten four years of dumsor they had to endure under his reign.

Of course, some do have very short memories. But the few of us with long memories will not shirk our responsibility of reminding our compatriots of the ills of the Ogwanfunu government, in order not to repeat the mistake it made in the 2008 polls.

President Ogwanfunu epitomises the proverbial thief who, being chased by a mob, also starts shouting thief, thief to deflect attention from himself. But his scream will not do the trick because he has already soiled himself after eating bad food. Even those who have difficulties perceiving smell could tell that his stool has an unusually strong, fetid smell.

'Walahi', I shudder to imagine seeing President Ogwanfunu on the presidential throne again. I can only imagine the numerous 'create, loot and share' schemes under his sleeves. It is thus a sacred duty of any true Asomdwekromanian to ensure the 'Dead-Goat' never resurrects. Yes, the 'Dead-Goat' must not, cannot and should not be allowed to resurrect.

See you next week for another interesting konkonsa, Deo volente!
The media scene has witnessed mammoth transformation over the years especially with the expunging of the Criminal Libel Law, the inception of digitisation and technology novelties.

The foregone have made it possible for people to disseminate reports from the comfort of their homes. The ease with which amateur persons ostensibly presenting themselves as journalists report occurrences has come with its own variant of challenges for media practice. The breaches and the infringements upon the rights of individuals by some media persons in the name of free press has created several hiccups some of them leading to law enforcement consequences.

Unfettered freedom of expression which must be protected so that its place in a democracy can be assured comes with an equally reciprocal regime of responsibility on the part of journalists.

The World Press Freedom Day, May 3 has come and gone offering us an opportunity to reflect upon the journey so far.

New regimes come with their challenges of newness and accompanying nuances such as post-Criminal Libel has presented us with.

Recklessness on the part of some journalists has been noticed as it has for law enforcement agents.

Law enforcement and the media often disagree on approaches to enforcement, a situation which has jaundiced the relationship between the two.

The passion with which the Ghana Journalists' Association (GJA) president made his presentation last Wednesday was admirable as he defended the rights of his colleagues and justifiably so.

We would have faulted him for unfairness had he not served notice that the GJA would shout out names of those who abuse the freedom of expression.

We take notice also of his reference to the Radio Ada reporter who as it were suffered unduly in police cells.

If the arrest and the subsequent detention of the reporter had to do with a deliberate criminalisation of his work, then we are afraid there is a subtle reintroduction of the Criminal Libel Law which nonetheless remains expunged from our statute books.

The few isolated cases of seeming abuse of journalists in our opinion especially since they are not committed by state actors do not constitute sufficient blemishes to warrant our demotion on the chart of media freedom.

Considering where we were earlier and the milestone we are today, we have every cause to pat each other on the back.

We have noticed what happens in the worst country to be a journalist, Somalia, and how some members of the inky fraternity over there have sought refuge in neighbouring Kenya.

We have observed how inputs for media practice such as newsprint, power costs among others are threatening the survivability of newspaper houses and radio stations.

The foregone in the face of acute dearth of advertisements from government and the private sector when reversed by the introduction of a policy of more advertisements by both the formal and informal sectors to media houses would be a wonderful contribution towards the cause of free press and democracy.

Source: Daily Guide
Private legal practitioner, Mr. Kwame Jantuah has implored President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo not to allow Alistair Mathias to go scot-free after the many allegations made against him in the Al Jazeera documentary dubbed; Gold Mafia.

In the documentary, Alistair Mathias opens up on how he smuggles gold out of many African countries including Ghana, and how he connives with government officials to make millions of dollars from bloated contracts.

After the documentary was aired, President Akufo-Addo through his office wrote to Al Jazeera to apologise and retract for airing a documentary that contains spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against him.

I am instructed by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, to demand formally that Al Jazeera Media Network (Al Jazeera) retract immediately and apologise for airing an inaccurate and unfair documentary that contained spurious and unsubstantiated allegations against the President and the Government of Ghana, the letter signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Bediatuo Asante said.

After receiving the letter, Al Jazeera replied to the presidency but with no intention of apologising for airing the documentary.

Sharing his view on the matter, Kwame Jantuah proposed that the President should go after Alistair Mathias for the defaming comments shared in the documentary.

Defamation is in two forms, the libel aspect which is written and there is the slanderous aspect which is oral.

In the president going to Al Jazeera, he could equally have sent a letter to Mathias to retract. Because the issue of Al Jazeera is the fact that they broadcast it but the real issue is what Mathias said in the broadcast.

What he said in the broadcast [the President] sees it as malicious, sees it as defamatory so why didnt [he] go for him?

From the first encounter of sending the letter to Al Jazeera a similar letter should have been sent to Mathias, it is Mathias who made the statement and used Al Jazeera as the platform to convey that message.

What is left for to do is to take on Mathias and maybe add Al Jazeera to it, Mr. Jantuah shared.

Meanwhile, government is yet to comment on the matter again since Al Jazeera confirmed it has sent a response to address various issues.
To boost entrepreneurs, SCORE needs more volunteers

When Stephen and Jessica Arends were launching their small business, B.A.B.S. Artisan Meats, they relied on some free and valuable help.

The husband-and-wife team reached out to the Buffalo Niagara chapter of SCORE, the all-volunteer group of business mentors, in 2021 and were connected with Michael Sendor.

"He just slowly helped us with our business plan, we ran ideas by him and he helped keep us motivated to keep going," Stephen Arends said.

Over the next year and a half, they got feedback from Sendor and subject matter experts he brought in to talk to the Arends.

Stephen Arends said the advice made a big difference for their business, which moving to Derby from Holland, N.Y.

"You can tell they're not in it for trying to make money, they're in it for trying to help out Buffalo and people in Buffalo," he said.

Those are the types of success stories that Gary Friedman, SCORE's Buffalo Niagara chapter chair, enjoys hearing about. And he is eager to create more of those stories.

But the chapter could use more volunteer mentors, to keep up with interest from new and aspiring entrepreneurs in the region.

"We have requests coming in beyond anything we could have expected," he said.

SCORE used to be short for Service Corps of Retired Executives. Now the organization just goes by the name SCORE. Its volunteer mentors don't have to be retired, although a good number of them are. The nonprofit organization provides free, confidential business mentoring.

SCORE's local chapter gets 75 to 80 new requests a month for help from within its eight-county territory, Friedman said. The group has about two dozen volunteers.

"We probably need another 10 to 15 just to keep our head above water and not burn out the existing mentors that we have," he said.

Friedman would especially like to add more women to its group of volunteers, given that 67% of the chapter's requests for assistance come from women.

Mentors donate two to three hours a week to work with clients, and come from all corners of the business world. Friedman himself has a background in government and retail. Other volunteers in the chapter include a lawyer, a former accountant and a cargo consultant.

"We get you set up, we get you started, we give you the training that you need, and then youre on your own," Friedman said. "You set your own time, you set your own schedule."

The length of time a client needs help varies as greatly as the entrepreneurs who come seeking help.

"Once we start mentoring somebody, we're with them until they don't need us anymore," Friedman said. "It can be one or two [sessions] and done, or it could be seven or eight or nine in a year or two."

Some volunteers meet with clients over video calls. Others, like Friedman prefer face-to-face meetings, at places like a coffee shop or fast-food restaurant.

"Panera likes to see me coming, because sometimes I'll sit there and have two or three meetings in an afternoon," he said.

The clients are at all different stages with their businesses. They might need advice on finding a location, or developing a marketing plan. Others might need a sounding board for a concept they have thought about.

"It's part of our job to encourage them to keep them hopeful," Friedman said. "But we also have to be real and at least let them know what they will be up against to keep that hope. I'm not going to send somebody into it blind without talking abut the difficulties they're going to have."

Friedman strongly believes in service. He finds his work with SCORE rewarding, and believes others would, too.

"I've seen people cry in front of me," he said. "I've seen people come in with notes an inch thick who just want to pick my brain for everything I've ever learned."

Those individual meetings make a difference, Friedman said. "When they realize it's not going to cost them a penny, that it's out of the goodness of our heart, it changes their own behavior, it changes their whole attitude."

If you're interested in becoming a mentor  or contacting one  visit score.org/buffaloniagara.

Spotlighting small business

M&T is using its branch in Kenmore to showcase small businesses.

M&T this week introduced the "Spotlight Shop" concept to its branch at 2882 Delaware Ave. The branch will host a rotating lineup of small businesses, for one or two weeks at a time.

It's the only Western New York branch where M&T is using the concept. The first business to use it was Buffalo Gals by White Rabbit Design. Future spotlighted businesses include Skincare Essentials by Jill, the Sweet Whisk and DiCamillo's Bakery.

Small businesses feeling resilient

A majority of small businesses believe they can weather a recession.

A Bank of America survey of more than 1,000 businesses across the country found 72% of them are concerned about a recession, but 76% are confident they can withstand a downturn.

The survey was conducted in March and April and sheds some light on how they have adapted to economic conditions.

Seventy-nine percent of respondents said they had raised prices over the past 12 months, while 53% have added benefits and perks to retain talent.

Forty-nine percent of respondents plan to use automation and artificial intelligence tools for their business in 2023.

Want to know more? Three stories to catch you up:

THE LATEST

The plan to raise the minimum wage in New York includes some escape hatches.

The state budget includes new ways to crack down on illegal pot shops.

The plan to add to Samuel's Grande Manor is changing.

A group that is critical of unions is using billboards to target Workers United.

A project to revamp the former Truck-Lite factory in Falconer is getting tax breaks.

A coalition of community groups continues to criticize KeyBank's community investment initiatives.

Companies are cutting office space as workers keep working from home. And that has implications far beyond the businesses themselves.

Moog executives are feeling optimistic.

SUNY Erie Community College is forming a committee to search for a new president.

M&T Bank is cutting 12% of its office space, but not any jobs.

The Erie County Industrial Development Agency is offering more incentives for projects that are more diverse.

Buffalo Bills executive Ron Raccuia thinks the new stadium will have more spin-off development.

If you're having a baby in Wyoming County, you'll have to drive a bit to deliver.

Consumer advocates say New York's car insurance rates use credit scoring and ZIP code ratings to charge high premiums, even for drivers with perfect records.

ICYMI

Five reads from Buffalo Next:

1. How shopping has changed. These five trends are affecting consumers everywhere.

2. Part carnival, part sports: How the Buffalo Bandits turned a second-tier professional sport into a fan favorite.

3. The next war on weed: How unlicensed marijuana stores threaten to upend the state's legal cannabis retail program.

4. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center has paid $4.67 million to settle six discrimination lawsuits.

5. Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center hired a law firm to investigate accusations of racism. It wants to keep the report secret.

The Buffalo Next team gives you the big picture on the regions economic revitalization. Email tips to buffalonext@buffnews.com or reach Buffalo Next Editor David Robinson at 716-849-4435.
05.05.2023 LISTEN

Former Deputy Minister of Information, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has described Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia as a dramatic failure.

In a post on social media, he insists that the Vice President should not waste the ears of Ghanaians with any presidential bid.

He has been a dramatic failure who should be dismissed as such and not waste our ears with a Presidential bid, Felix Kwakye Ofosu said in a post on Twitter.

This comes after news on Wednesday indicated that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has formally declared his intention to contest the flagbearer election of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

This was conveyed to the Majority Caucus on Tuesday during a meeting.

Even before the Vice President would express his desire to contest the NPP flagbearer election, a number of MPs had already thrown their weight behind his candidature.

One such MP is Majority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh.

According to him, he is an experienced party boy who is confident that Dr. Bawumia is the best candidate for the NPP ahead of the 2024 general elections.

In a Tweet, he argued that choosing Dr. Bawumia as flagbearer will not mean doing him any good but rather getting the party the best arrowhead to make history and continue with the partys excellent works for the country.
The French government sought to play down a fresh row with Italy over migration on Friday, saying Paris was not looking to "ostracise" its EU partner and its prime minister, Giorgia Meloni.

Italy's foreign minister Antonio Tajani cancelled a trip to Paris on Thursday over what he termed "unacceptable" comments from French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who said Meloni was "incapable" of tackling her country's migration crisis.

"There was no desire from the interior minister to ostracise Italy in any way at all," French government spokesman Olivier Veran told the Cnews channel on Friday. "We continue to work with the Italians."

"We have discussions with the Italians  they love politics  but they want to do things their own way, and they want others to let them," he added.

"And that's good because we don't intend to do otherwise."

Darmanin had said earlier that Italy faced a "very serious migration crisis" and he drew parallels between Meloni and French far-right leader Marine Le Pen.

"Madame Meloni, (leader of) a far-right government chosen by friends of Mme Marine Le Pen, is incapable of resolving the migration problems on the back of which she was elected," he told RMC radio on Thursday.

Asked about the arrival of migrants at France's southeastern border with Italy, Darmanin said there was "an influx of migrating people and particularly children".

Paris later sought to ease the tensions, saying it hoped that Tajani's meeting with French counterpart Catherine Colonna scheduled for Thursday evening could be rescheduled "soon".

"I have spoken with my colleague Antonio Tajani on the telephone," Colonna wrote in Italian on Twitter.

"I told him the relationship between Italy and France is based on reciprocal respect," she wrote.

Calm dialogue

The French foreign ministry said that the government "wishes to work with Italy to meet the common challenge of rapidly rising migrant flows" and urged "calm dialogue".

Italian media reports on Friday suggested Rome had been left furious by Darmanin's outburst, with Meloni said to be on the verge of cancelling a planned trip to Paris to meet French President Emmanuel Macron.

In a television interview with Italian media on Thursday, Tajani said Darmanin's remarks were "a stab in the back" and he was waiting for him to "apologise to the prime minister, the government, and Italy".

"This is not the spirit in which common European challenges should be faced", he said.

The French and Italian governments have clashed repeatedly in recent years over the management of their common land border and the admission of humanitarian boats carrying migrants rescued while trying to cross the Mediterranean.

The most recent spike in tensions came last November when Meloni, whose far-right Brothers of Italy party won September elections, refused to allow a charity ship carrying 230 migrants to dock in Italy.

The Ocean Viking ship, run by SOS Mediterranee, was eventually allowed to dock in France, but Paris denounced Rome's "unacceptable" behaviour and suspended plans to receive 3,500 migrants from Italy.

At the time, Meloni denounced France's reaction as "aggressive" and "unjustified".

Relations have since improved, with Macron and Meloni meeting in Brussels in March for talks.

European cooperation

French Transport Minister Clement Beaune, a close ally of Macron and a former Europe minister, was less conciliatory in a separate interview on Friday.

He stressed the political differences between Meloni's right-wing government and Macron's pro-EU centrist cabinet.

"There is not a solution to the migration issue which does not include European cooperation," Beaune told Europe 1 radio.

"And you can see that every time there's an attempt to go it alone, whichever country it is, it doesn't work," he added.

Since the beginning of the year, there has been a surge in the numbers of migrants arriving on Italy's shores, mostly from North Africa.

More than 42,000 people have arrived since 1 January, according to the Italian interior ministry  almost four times the number in the same period in 2022.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne announced last month the mobilisation of 150 extra police officers to deal with "increased migration pressure on the Italian border".

(with AFP)
The new CAMON 20 Series will be launched on 8th May 2023 in Ghana with a unique three-dimensional deconstructionist design that was unanimously commended by the judges of MUSE Design Awards 2023.

TECNOs soon to be unveiled CAMON 20 Series on the Ghanaian market picked up the prestigious MUSE Design Awards 2023 as a Gold winner in Product Design of Telecommunications category . TECNOs CAMON 20 Series embodies a groundbreaking stylish design thanks to its industry-first CAMON PUZZLE deconstructionist design. This win further illustrates TECNO's commitment to product design innovation and continues to gain recognition from well-established international authorities.

Held by the International Awards Association (IAA), the MUSE Design Awards is one of the most influential international awards in the global design industry, known for its rigorous judging system and high-standard criteria. The award focuses on exploring artistic beauty and design innovation with the goal of fostering "design muses" as well as promoting global innovation and design excellence with expert judges from creative and design-led disciplines across the globe.

According to IAA spokesman Thomas Brandt, We celebrate good design in all forms and TECNO CAMON 20 Series caught our eye with its outstanding attention to detail, superb craftsmanship, and innovative design qualities, making it a worthy winner of our Gold Award.

TECNO fused the aesthetic concepts of top fashion brands and pioneering designers to create its unique CAMON PUZZLE design. TECNO has engraved a three-dimensional luxury lychee-pattern back cover material of Magic Skin while integrating sapphire-grade nanocrystalline ceramic into the construction of the devices back cover.

TECNO challenges the traditional smartphone design language with the combination of advanced materials and a bold design philosophy with their latest CAMON 20 series for users to make a stylish statement. Despite the amazing visual aesthetics of the TECNO CAMON 20 series, the user experience is also impeccable with the introduction of the newest material technology Magic Skin which brings out the best of deconstructionist design, creating an incredible comfort with a natural tactile texture that is fingerprint proof.

With its unique appearance and high-quality material standard, the CAMON 20 series is surely a trailblazer by industry design standards with high commendation from the MUSE jury that highlights TECNO as a pioneer in

smartphone design.

MUSE Design Awards 2023 Gold Winner :

To learn more about TECNO, please follow @TECNOMobileGhana across all social media platforms
The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern, three years after announcing the novel coronavirus outbreak as a global health emergency.

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference at the organizations headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland that the global health bodys emergency committee advised that COVID-19 no longer constitutes an emergency at the global level.

It is therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, Dr Tedros said.

Dr Tedros noted that COVID-19 has caused at least 7 million reported deaths globally and disrupted health systems in many countries.

He said the virus is expected to continue causing waves of infections and deaths around the world for the foreseeable future.

WHO first declared COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, when there were fewer than 100 reported cases of the disease outside China and no reported deaths.

Since then, more than 540 million COVID-19 cases and over 7 million deaths have been reported worldwide.

While COVID-19 will no longer be considered a global health emergency, WHO urged countries to continue efforts to combat the virus.

Dr Tedros emphasized that the decision to end the health emergency does not mean the virus is gone and established a review committee to provide recommendations for ongoing management of the virus.

In Ghana, the first two cases of COVID-19 were confirmed on March 12, 2020.

The cases were imported by persons who had travelled from Norway and Turkey.

Ghana recorded its first COVID-19 death on March 23, 2020. As of October 6, 2022, Ghana had recorded a total of 161,370 cases and 1,445 deaths, according to the Ghana Health Service.
05.05.2023 LISTEN

The first Conference of Foreign Ministers of the African Political Alliance (APA), an informal framework for enhanced cooperation, was held on May 3, 2023 in Lome, Republic of Togo. The opening ceremony and the work of the ministerial conference were chaired respectively by H.E. Mrs. Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE, Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo, and H.E. Prof. Robert DUSSEY, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Togolese Abroad. The following countries Foreign Ministers and Heads of delegations participated in the proceedings of the conference: the Republic of Angola, the Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Gabonese Republic, the Republic of Guinea, the State of Libya, the Republic of Mali, the Republic of Namibia, the United Republic of Tanzania and the Republic of Togo. In her opening speech, H.E. Mrs. Victoire TOMEGAH-DOGBE recalled the continent current challenges which led Togo to launch the idea of the African Political Alliance (APA). On behalf of H.E. Mr. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBE, President of the Republic of Togo, Madam Prime Minister congratulated participants for their support to the Togolese initiative which meets the geopolitical and diplomatic need for Africa to qualitatively and significantly review its relationship with the rest of the world for its better representativeness within multilateral institutions of collective action and in the global governance. The challenges are great and invite us to think outside the box in a global geopolitical context which requires each continent to adapt more quickly to changes in the world. The Ministers welcomed the Togolese initiative to launch the African Political Alliance which will make it possible, beyond the usual existing cooperation frameworks, to unite the African nations which are convinced of the ideals of Pan-Africanism and determined to work for an uninhibited, politically strong, non-aligned, independent and acting with sovereignty on the international scene. The Ministers welcomed the holding of the first ministerial conference of the African Political Alliance, which offered them the opportunity to discuss the current issues and challenges facing Africa in a world in full transformation and reconstruction where the continent intends to assert itself as a pole of power and a major actor on the international scene. In particular, the Ministers, during their deliberations, discussed the challenges and prospects relating to the strategic positioning, sovereignty and expression of Africa's common positions on the international scene, examined issues and current challenges of pan-Africanism and African renaissance, the challenges of strengthening cooperation and endogenous capacities to respond to terrorism, as well as the main axes of cooperation and the institutional outlines of the African Political Alliance. Examination of these various issues on the agenda of the first ministerial conference led to the following conclusions:

AS REGARDS STRATEGIC POSITIONING, SOVEREIGNTY AND THE EXPRESSION OF AFRICA'S COMMON POSITIONS ON THE INTERNATIONAL SCENE

The Ministers deplored the under-representation of Africa in multilateral institutions of global governance, starting with the United Nations, and underlined that today, it is unacceptable that Africa, which alone brings together almost 28 % of United Nations member states, does not have a permanent representative with veto power on the Security Council. 

The Ministers welcomed the various African initiatives aimed at reforming multilateral institutions and improving global governance and recalled the "Ezulwini Consensus" and the "Sirte Declaration" reaffirmed on several occasions relating to the common African position on the reform of the Security Council calling for the allocation to Africa of two (2) permanent member seats with full privileges including the right of veto, as well as five (5) non-member seats of the Security Council.

The ministers regretted the lack of progress in the dynamics of reform within the UN institution, in particular at the level of the Security Council, and invited the five permanent members to play, each as far as they are concerned, their part in the effect of advancing the reform process.

The Ministers noted that, faced with the current challenges, concerted and collectively constructed solutions are needed which reflect the reality of the world which has profoundly changed and this in accordance with the right of peoples to be fairly represented in global governance.

The Ministers stressed the need for Africa to establish itself as an independent, sovereign political force, politically self-determining and acting freely on the international scene. They welcomed the ambition of the African Union since its creation to work towards the advent of an "integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, led by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force on the international scene" and affirmed their attachment to the principle of non-alignment laid down in 1963 by the defunct Organization of African Unity (OAU) as being one of the essential principles that should structure the relationship of the newly independent African countries with the rest of the world.

The Ministers also underlined the need for Africa to emancipate itself from all foreign tutelage, whatever it is and wherever it comes from, and to work to preserve itself from the external influences and interferences which are sometimes factors of crisis and instability on the continent.

The Ministers noted the various levers available to Africa and its countries which can be mobilized in the continent's desire to best exercise its sovereignty on the international scene. In particular, they identified the economic potential of the continent as a tool for asserting its sovereignty on the international scene.

The Ministers also noted the need for African nations to reconcile, in the interest of the continent and of all, their national imperatives and the requirement to hold common positions on the international scene. They reaffirmed their commitment to common African positions and the principle of united action in order to meet the need to speak with one voice and act collectively to promote common African interests on the international scene.

ON THE CURRENT ISSUES AND CHALLENGES OF PAN-AFRICANISM AND THE AFRICAN RENAISSANCE

The Ministers recalled the historical conditions for the emergence of Pan-Africanism and the determining role that the movement played in the process of emancipation of the continent and the majority access of African nations to independence in the second half of the 20th century.

The Ministers welcomed the current renewed interest in Pan-Africanism in Africa and among the African Diasporas. They noted the catalytic role that the African diasporas had played within the framework of Pan-Africanism for the dignity of the peoples of Africa and stressed that they remain convinced that Pan-Africanism remains the privileged framework for consolidating ties and the unity of action between the continent and its diasporas.

The Ministers noted that the whole point of Pan-Africanism today in Africa lies in the renewed awareness that only by being united can the continent truly take part in global governance.

The Ministers affirmed that they were convinced, in the current context where Africa is struggling to make its voice heard in the world scene, that the African renaissance is only possible within the framework of a renewed Pan-Africanism adapted to issues and challenges of the present times.

The ministers underlined that the present time must be one of ruptures and noted that the African renaissance passes through an ideological, epistemological, intellectual, cultural emancipation, at the level of symbolic, political and economic representation of Africa from foreign influence.

The Ministers recognized the essential role of universities, research and innovation institutions, intellectuals from Africa and the diasporas, young people, artists, filmmakers, the media and other stakeholders of civil society in the indispensable march towards the African renaissance. They noted the strategic need to develop new African narratives about Africa to replace foreign discourses and stereotypes.

The Ministers also noted the need for emancipation and development as being the main thread of the pan-Africanist movements in expression on the continent and within the African diasporas and called for vigilance in order to avoid that the positive dynamic in course is taken over by exogenous actors to the detriment of the continent.

The Ministers stressed the need to move towards a synergy of action by Pan Africanists and welcomed the project to organize the 9th Pan-African Congress in Lome , in 2024 , by Togo , in collaboration with the African Union , on the theme " Renewal of pan-Africanism and Africa ' s Role in the Reform of Multilateral Institutions: mobilizing resources and reinventing Itself for action " .

The Ministers examined the current and future political challenges of Pan-Africanism and noted that the political unity of the continent remains the inevitable future political horizon of Africa in a historical context where the dynamic is with large regional or continental groupings.

IN RESPECT OF THE STRENGTHENING OF COOPERATION AND BUILDING ENDOGENOUS CAPABILITIES IN THE RESPONSE AGAINST TERRORISM TO MEET THE CHALLENGES OF PEACE AND SECURITY

The Ministers noted with concern the expansion of the terrorist threat and the deterioration of the security situation in the various regions of the continent, particularly in the Sahel, in West Africa, in the Lake Chad Basin and in the region from the Horn of Africa. They strongry condemned the repeated attacks by armed terrorist groups in Mali and Burkina Faso, by armed groups in the Central African Republic, as well as their incursions into the northern part of Benin, Cote d'Ivoire and Togo.

The Ministers extended their full support to the countries facing terrorist attacks and stressed that foreign military interventions in the fight against terrorism will not help stem the scourge of terrorism and guarantee collective security and stability on the continent without cooperation efforts and joint actions with a view to the endogenous exercise of responsibilities specific to Africa. They stressed that a sovereign Africa cannot leave its security in the hands of foreign armies.

The Ministers agreed on the need for African nations to strengthen their bonds of solidarity and their cooperative relations in the response against terrorist and/or non-State armed groups. They noted the requirement to pool financial, technical, logistical and human resources in regional and African responses to terrorism.

Ministers also agreed on the need for African nations to explore endogenous avenues of financing the fight against terrorism. They also welcomed the positive dynamic carried by the AU which led to the signing, on November 2, 2022 in Pretoria, South Africa, of a peace agreement which put an end to the war in Ethiopia.

The Ministers expressed their deep concern at the deterioration of the political and security situation in Sudan marked since 15 April by clashes between the army and paramilitary forces. They commended the mediation efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), the African Union and the international community, and called on both warring parties to cease these hostilities that distance the country from real battles such as that of development.

UNDER THE AFRICAN POLITICAL ALLIANCE, ITS MAIN AREAS OF COOPERATION AND INSTITUTIONAL OUTLINES

The Ministers agreed on the relevance of moving towards the formalization of the African Political Alliance which will periodically serve their countries as a framework for consultation, political dialogue and common actions based on the historical ties of fraternity and the principles of sovereign equality of States, independence, interdependence and unity of action.

The ministers decided to create a high-level committee chaired by Togo responsible for working on the founding reference texts, the main lines of cooperation and the institutional outlines of the African Political Alliance.

The High-Level Committee, made up of Mali, Namibia, Central African Republic, Tanzania, Gabon, Libya and Togo, is called upon to finalize, within a period of six (06) months, draft founding reference documents, areas of cooperation and institutional outlines of the African Political Alliance.

DATE AND VENUE OF THE NEXT CONFERENCE

The ministers decided to hold the next ministerial conference of the African Political Alliance on a date to be confirmed later in the Republic of Togo.

Issued in Lome, May 03, 2023
As part of measures to help address remuneration issues for journalists in Ghana, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has announced that it received a unionisation certificate from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) way back in 2017.

The group's President, Mr Albert Kwabena Dwumfour, made this announcement on Thursday, May 4, 2023.

According to him, the previous administration, of which he was the Organising Secretary, secured the unionisation certificate and registered it with the Office of the Registrar of Companies.

He noted, however, that the association is yet to get a bargaining certificate.

He bemoaned the lack of unionisation for media personnel, adding that at the moment, journalists of state-owned media houses, have joined unions in government institutions.

Even that is scattered, with others in public service unions among others, he stressed.

Unionisation, he reiterated, will mandate the association or union to bargain for better salaries for practising journalists across the country.

For the acquisition of the bargaining certificate, he explained that there have been some unofficial engagements with the leadership of TUC.

He gave the assurance that plans are far-advanced to secure that, too.

He noted that the leadership of the GJA has gone further to engage the leadership of the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA), being the employers of journalists in the private space, on the matter of the welfare of journalists.

He commended the Department of Communications Studies of the University of Ghana (UG), Legon, for the recent compilation and release of a 101-page report which highlights key findings on the financial viability of media, working conditions in the Ghanaian media, media ownership and regulation; safety of journalists, media and national development; professional practice and training; and capacity building.

The report is an educational and instructive publication that includes critical findings and recommendations on the pressing issues confronting the Ghanaian media.

He told Accra-based Citi FM that the release of the report is timely, as the association has been working assiduously to have some of these issues addressed

-Classfmonline.com
Professor Frimpong-Boateng has said he did not leak his 37-page galamsey report authored way back in 2021.

The former minister of environment, science, technology and innovation told Accra-based UTV in an interview on Friday, 5 May 2023 that although he stands by everything he said in the document, he did not leak it.

"I didnt write the report for Ghanaians to talk about it", he said, noting: "It has been two years since the report was authored".

"I didnt leak it", he said.

According to him, "after I was granted an interview with GTV, some CID officials visited me to investigate some comments I made in the interview concerning some excavators. I then handed over the report to them".

By that, he clarified that he was not insinuating that the report was leaked by the CID.

"I am not saying the CID officials leaked the report but I gave them the report to aid with their investigations and that was the end", Prof Frimpong-Boateng said.

In that report, the former chairman of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining accused some government appointees as well as officials at the presidency of being involved in galamsey, fronting for galamseyers or frustrating his fight against the menace.

He mentioned names such as Mr Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, a relative to President Nana Akufo-Addo; Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, Director of Operations at the Jubilee House Lord Commey, former MP Albert Quarm among others.

Mr Otchere-Darko has sued the former minister over the allegations made against him specifically by Prof Frimpong-Boateng to the effect that he caused the release of some Chinese galamseyers through his intervention in the work of IMCIM which, he also said led to the assault of some IMCIM personnel and journalists by soldiers who were offering protection to Heritage Imperial Limited, a client of his.

-classfmonline.com
The Founding President of IMANI Africa Franklin Cudjoe has slammed an international news network Al Jazeera for what he called "disrespecting" the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The criticism follows Al Jazeera's response to the President's letter demanding a retraction and apology over the documentary titled 'Gold Mafia the media house aired.

The documentary featured gold smuggler Alistair Mathias who claimed to have partnered with the President in many of his dealings. He indicated that the President was his lawyer.

The Presidency demanded that Al Jazeera withdraw the documentary immediately, retract and apologize to the President and the Government of Ghana for airing such an unprofessional and defamatory documentary.

In response to the Presidency's letter, Al Jazeera rather provided clarifications.

Franklin Cudjoe, in a tweet on Friday, May 5, criticized Al Jazeera's response, stating, "Aljazeera paaa! Not cool responding to our dear leader like that."
05.05.2023 LISTEN

In August 2022, the Republic of Ghana and the United Mexican States celebrated sixty-one (61) years of bilateral relations.

As part of the celebrations, both countries looked forward to strengthening their bilateral ties for the benefit of their people.

Last week, the relations between the two countries were deepened by the signing of a sister city agreement between Accra and Guadalajara, the capital of the state of Jalisco in Western Mexico to promote cultural and commercial development.

The signing ceremony took place on Wednesday, 26th April 2023 at the Accra City Hall and was attended by key stakeholders from the creative arts, culture and tourism sector as well as the trade, investment and education sectors.

In her address, the Mayor of Accra, Hon Elizabeth K. T Sackey, said the friendship between the two cities was the beginning of the collaboration in the areas of arts, culture, tourism, trade, and investment, education and a testament to the bilateral cooperation that had existed for years between Ghana and Mexico.

She was hopeful that Guadalajara and Accra would embark on impactful projects to the benefit of its residents. "I must admit, Guadalajara and Accra do not only experience lovely sunshine but are also very hospitable cities and since Accra won the title to host this great programme, the two cities have been nurturing a friendship which is being culminated in the signing of a sister city agreement today," she added.

On her part, Mrs. Lilian Rizk Rodrigues, Director of International Relations and Migrant Attention at the Municipality of Guadalajara, described the union as historic feet for the two cities citing the agreement as the first of its kind to be signed with an African city.

According to her, the decision to enter into a sister city agreement with Accra emanated from the common love of books, adding that the relationship would open a door to close connections full of shared activities in the areas of culture, education, tourism, commerce and technology.

"We are very excited about the world of possibilities that opens with the signing of this twinning agreement, which we are convinced will translate into multiple benefits for the inhabitants of both cities and will be an example to the international community of universal fraternity... We are making history and we should be proud of it...Let me reiterate that in Guadalajara you all have and will have open arms and can count on us at all times, " she said.

The Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Mexico in Ghana, Arturo Salazar expressed gratitude to the Mayor of Accra for making the twinning agreement a success assuring that it would go a long way to foster unity and bring development between the city of Accra and Guadalajara.

Guadalajara has a population of 5 million people and it is the second largest city in Mexico, which is located in the north of the American Continent. It is the birthplace of important cultural manifestations in Mexico such as Mariachi folk music, the liquor called tequila and the Mexican national sport, charreria.
The National Organizer of the opposition NDC, Joseph Yamin, narrowly escaped an assault by some youth of the party in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese constituency of the Central Region.

The incident reportedly occurred when Mr Yamin entered the area under the cover of darkness to campaign for his favourite candidate in the constituency.

He is accused of using the name of former President John Mahama to campaign against former Deputy Information Minister Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who is contesting against a professor from the University of Ghana, Nana Ama Browne Klutse in the NDC parliamentary primaries.

According to reports, the youth, who are loyal to Felix Ofosu Kwakye, were angered by Yamin's campaign tactics and attempted to attack him.

However, he was able to escape unharmed.

The angry youth destroyed the vehicle the team used reportedly belonging to the Nana Ama Browne Klutse.

The matter has been reported to the police for investigation.
By Azernews

Full normalization of ties between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkiye will create new opportunities for the Caucasus region, Turkish defense minister Hulusi Akar said in an interview with Turkish media outlet, Azernews reports.

According to the minister, he is 'hopeful' that reversing historical enmities will pave the way for lasting friendship and cooperation.

However, we must be mindful of the delicate situation at hand. While the conflict is currently frozen, the threat of falling back into hostilities grows the longer it takes to hammer out a deal, he said.

Akar said two issues have prevented Ankara and Yerevan from developing normal ties since Armenias independence from the Soviet Union. One was the the war in 1992 over Nagorno-Karabakh and the consequent occupation, in violation of international law, of a substantial amount of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia.

The other obstacle is the unresolved differing perspectives on the historic events of 1915 that led to the deaths of both Armenians and Muslims in the final years of the Ottoman Empire, he said.

While the first one has more or less been resolved, with Azerbaijan regaining its lands in 2020 after three decades of Armenian occupation, the second one has proven far more difficult to surmount, as it is a deeply emotional and sensitive topic for both sides, said Akar.

Turkiye is keen to resolve this issue and called on Armenia in 2005 to open its national archives and establish a joint committee of historians to research the events of 1915, said Akar, adding Turkiye has already opened its national archives to international scrutiny, but Armenia still keeps its archives closed and refuses to respond to our call.

During the First World War, the Ottoman Empire was attacked by Russia on its eastern front, emboldening Armenian nationalists to take up arms and engage in acts of violence against Muslims, including attacks on Muslim villages and civilians. These acts have been documented and acknowledged by historians as well as by Western military missions at the time, he said.

He also said that American General James Guthrie Harbords report on the events of that time also documented the atrocities committed by Armenians, who did not constitute a majority in any region of the Ottoman lands, against other subjects of the empire.

This is not to disregard the massive humanitarian crises that took place during this period. (Turkish) President (Recep Tayyip) Erdogan back in 2014  then the prime minister  expressed his condolences to the descendants of the Armenians who lost their lives in that period, said Akar.

Akar said that Turkiye remains steadfast in its belief that the Turkish and Armenian people, who have a long history of living in tolerance and peace, can establish relations based on friendship and mutually beneficial cooperation, despite the challenges.

If the countries in the region and beyond choose to invest in peace, the political and economic dividends will be high for the entire region. Turkiye would like to see third countries  including its allies in the West  either help usher in this new understanding or be at least wary of efforts to politicize a historical controversy and perpetuate hostilities, he added.
A Buffalo teenager faces nine felony charges in connection with the February hit-and-run crash that severely injured a Cheektowaga police officer, the Erie County District Attorney's Office and Cheektowaga police said Friday.

The 17-year-old, whose name was withheld by authorities due to his age, was arraigned in Erie County Youth Part on Thursday after his arrest on an indictment warrant by Cheektowaga police, prosecutors said.

Officer Troy Blackchief was struck about 4:30 a.m. Feb. 6 on Union Road near the Kensington Expressway while deploying stop sticks, devices put in the road to deflate tires of vehicles fleeing police.

Blackchief was hit by the driver of one of two stolen vehicles that police were pursuing out of Depew. He suffered a skull fracture and a brain injury, among other injuries.

The teen was indicted on charges including second-degree attempted murder, aggravated assault on a police officer, two counts of first-degree assault and a count of assault on a police officer. He also was charged with third-degree grand larceny, third-degree criminal possession of stolen property, first-degree reckless endangerment and second-degree unlawfully fleeing police in a vehicle, according to prosecutors.

State law does not permit authorities to charge a minor with first-degree attempted murder, a charge he would have sought if the teen was a year older, District Attorney John Flynn said.

Youth Part Judge Brenda Freedman set bail for the teen at $80,000 cash or bond, or $120,000 partially secured surety bond, the District Attorney's Office said.

The teen is scheduled to return to court Tuesday.

The teen remains in custody and his prosecutors sought to have him held without bail, Flynn said.

The teen who has been charged was with about five friends that night, Flynn said. They went into the area of Penora Street in Lancaster and "were allegedly in the process of stealing as many cars as they could," he said.

The vehicle the teen allegedly stole had its keys left inside, the district attorney said.

A Depew police officer was pursuing the vehicles when Blackchief was setting up the stop stick.

Prosecutors believe the teen saw the police officer "and literally ran right into him and struck him," he said.

Flynn described the investigation as complex, declining to elaborate.

"This is a 5,000-piece jigsaw puzzle," he said. "We are not going to get into the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle at this time."

Cheektowaga police previously said the vehicle that hit Blackchief was a white 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which was found later that day at an abandoned gas station at Kensington Avenue and Century Road in the town.

An SUV police believe was the other vehicle involved in the incident, a maroon 2019 Jeep Cherokee, was found that day by Buffalo police on Nicholson Street, near Kenmore Avenue.

Blackchief was headed to an out-of-state clinic and set to have surgery to repair his skull in early March, his wife previously said in a public statement.

Blackchief continues to make progress in his recovery and had surgery at Erie County Medical Center last week, Cheektowaga Police Chief Brian Gould said. Blackchief had been undergoing rehab in Chicago and on Thursday left for more rehabilitation in Texas, Gould said.

"He made tremendous improvements while in Chicago," the chief said.

Gould called on the broader community to "do better" when it comes to engaging young people, some of whom he said are out "creating havoc."

Young people who repeatedly make bad choices need to face accountability and deterrence, he said.

Photos: Officer struck by fleeing stolen vehicle on Union Road
Mali's military junta announced Friday a referendum on a new constitution to be held on June 18 in a delayed step towards a return to civilian rule in the west African nation wracked by insurgency.

The referendum had been scheduled for March 19 but was postponed indefinitely as the impoverished Sahel state battles jihadist and separatist insurgencies that broke out in the north in 2012.

Government spokesman colonel Abdoulaye Maiga read out a decree on state television saying the country would be called upon "to decide on the Constitution" in June.

The new constitution is the first major step in plans the military has invoked to justify continuing to govern until 2024, following the overthrow of former president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita in August 2020.

Elections are due to be held in February 2024 to restore a civilian government in Bamako.

"Voters will have to respond by a 'yes' or a 'no' to the following question," on the referendum, the spokesman said. "Do you approve of the draft constitution?"

Members of the security forces will vote early on June 11, white ballots for yes, red for no.

The spokesman, who had stated that 2024 remained the electoral "deadline" when he announced the delay, said Friday the government had "kept its word".

The delay had fed fears the elections would in turn be delayed, while the junta said it needed more time to promote the new draft and to organise the staging of the referendum across the vast country.

Mali came under pressure from the regional bloc ECOWAS to stick to the calendar to hand over power.

The Economic Community of West African States slapped sanctions on Bamako in January 2022 when the junta considered staying in government for five years to tackle the security and economic crisis.

The sanctions were lifted in July the same year on the landlocked nation of 20 million.

The draft would significantly strengthen the power of the president.

It says the head of state, and not the government as before, "determines the policy of the nation", appoints the prime minister and ministers and has the right to terminate their functions.

The junta ended a long-standing alliance with France and other Western partners and has turned to Russia's Wagner mercenaries for help in the fight against jihadism.

The military enjoys strong popular support according to an opinion poll of 2,295 Malians by Germany's Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung foundation in February.

More than nine out of 10 people said they were satisfied with the authorities. Three out of five declared that keeping to the deadline to restore civilian rule was not important.

The June 18 referendum will be the first national vote since 2020.

Multiple challenges

Constitutional change has long been debated in Mali. A referendum set for 2017 did not take place.

A brief government, set up by army colonels, announced in April 2021 that a referendum would be held that October.

Within weeks that government was swept aside and senior officers took over, declaring Colonel Assimi Goita the transitional president.

Multiple challenges await the holding of the referendum, from attacks on voting stations to logistical problems and the registration of voters.

At the same time armed opposition groups in the north, a section of civil society and some Muslim religious figures do not support a secular state.

Goita has issued "very firm instructions" for the referendum to have all the necessary logistical, financial and security support, the junta spokesman said.

The referendum campaign will run from June 2-16.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to be the guest of honour at France's traditional military parade held on Bastille day, 14 July, the French presidency said on Friday.

"An Indian armed forces contingent will take part in the parade alongside French forces", according to a joint statement by France and India, published on the Elysee website, adding Modi's visit will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the "strategic partnership" between France and India.

"This historic visit will also allow joint initiatives to take on the big challenges of our time, such as climate change, loss of biodiversity and the achievement of sustainable development targets."

According to a note by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, France and India " entered into a Strategic Partnership " in 1998 with as "principal pillars" defence & security cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation.

India sees cooperation in defence between New Delhi and Paris as "the cornerstone " of the strategic partnership, structured by the yearly ministerial leve "Defence Dialogue" which is being held since 2018.

India also purchased France's Raphael fighterjets and Scorpene submarines.

India and France also have a history of collaboration in space, with joint research programs and satellite launches. France supports India's human space flight program and has supplied components for the Indian space program.

In June 2022, the GSAT-24 communication satellite, built by ISRO for New Space India Ltd, was successfully launched from French Guiana. It will be used for Direct-To-Home communication for the next 15 years.

Nuclear coop

India and France also signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement during then Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh's visit to France in 2008. Subsequently, in December 2010, a cooperation agreement was signed for the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project between Indian and French power companies NPCIL and AREVA during French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to India.

India is also a member of the ITER project, which aims to build an experimental fusion reactor in Cadarache, France. The Department of Atomic Energy manages India's involvement in the ITER project.

But Macron is probably most interested in strengthening ties with India to try and pull New Delhi away from Russia, which was a formidable parter of India during the cold war and still is regarded as a friend. India has also refrained itself from criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine and continues to engage in weapon trade with Moscow, in spite of US sanctions.

France and India already engage in joint military exercises that critics say are aimed at containing China, with which New Delhi is engaged in an uneasy relationship over unsolved border issues.

(With agencies)
Founding President of IMANI Africa Policy Think Tank, Franklin Cudjoe has ridiculed government for constantly blaming covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war for the ailing economy.

He said now that covid-19 is more an emergency, will the government keep flogging it or add the Sudan conflict to keep justifying the ailing economy.

President Akufo-Addo has said during a UN speech that Russias invasion of Ukraine has cost Africa more than any region, stating that any bullet fire in Ukraine hits the pocket of Ghanaians.

However, the World Health Organization (WHO) today, May 5, declared the end of COVID-19s status as a global health emergency at a media engagement at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

It is therefore with great hope that I declare #COVID19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Considering this, the policy advisor is asking if the government will now blame only the war in Ukraine or add that of Sudan.

In a tweet on Friday, May 5, Mr. Cudjoe stated, World Health Organization (WHO) officials have said COVID is no longer a global health emergency. Russia-Ukraine war now the only punch bag or we add Sudan conflict?
Percival Kofi Akpaloo, leader of the Liberal Party of Ghana has been the subject of ridicule by human rights activist Oliver Barker Vormawor.

He claims the politician is spending alot of money to print numerous posters for his campaigns.

Mr. Akpaloo who contested the 2020 presidential election has announced plans to contest the 2024 elections.

Oliver in a Facebook post on Friday claims Kofi Apaloo seem satisfied spending huge monies to print and paste his posters across the length and breadth of the country without making any impact.

When I think of the amount of money Kofi Apaloo must have spent to print and paste his Liberal Party posters on every tree, wall, billboard and trotro in the whole Ghana; Im like wow!

I wonder when will FixTheCountry ever get enough money to buy one computer; a desk and an office space, he wrote.

According to Oliver, The Third Force must come through dedicated mobilizing. Not a culture of posters.
The Minority Caucus in Parliament has debunked assertions by MP for Dormaa East, Hon. Paul Apreku Twum-Barimah, that the minority in parliament supported the approval of new loans totalling $710million.

The Dormaa East MP in an interview with Citi News claimed that the decision to pass the loans as captured by a report from parliament was unanimously approved by the House.

But the Minority Caucus in a statement strongly debunked the claim.

It said the Minority Caucus implacably opposed the loans in view that it was coming at a time the country was unable to pay its debts making it difficult to secure an IMF bailout.

The statement said "Indeed, we took terms to express our opposition, and still stand firmly in our conviction that only an irresponsible and unpatriotic Majority Group will support any additional borrowing of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government that has defaulted on our debt repayments. Such recklessness will truly find expression in the Guiness Book of Records."

It described the assertions as dishonest and desperate from the NPP MP, and further urged the Ghanaian people to disregard such assertions with the contempt it deserve.

Parliament on Tuesday approved an amount of $150 million dollars for the financing of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme phase 2 under the Multi-phase programmatic approach.

Parliament also approved an on-lending agreement between the government and the Development Bank Ghana for an amount of 170 million Euros to support the establishment of a financially sustainable development Bank.

The House also approved a loan agreement between the government of Ghana and the World Bank for an amount of $200 million to finance the Ghana Digital Acceleration Project.
The Inspector General of Police, Dr George Akuffo Dampare has spoken Abubakari Sadiq Gariba, a journalist who was attacked in Tamale and has assured him the police will arrest the suspects and bring them to face justice.

Mr Iddrisu Hardi Pagazaa, a former deputy northern regional communications officer of the NDC and one other person, have been reported to the police for storming the studios of Dagbon FM in the Northern Region on Wednesday, 3 May 2023, which coincidentally was World Press Freedom Day, to attack and assault Abubakar Sadiq Gariba, the host of an evening political talk show on Dagbon102.5 FM in the Northern Region, which belongs to the Class Media Group.

The live on-air attack happened between 8:30 pm and 9 pm.

Narrating what happened to Korku Lumor on Class91.3FMs morning show on Thursday, 4 May 2023, Sadiq Gariba said the attack on him followed his earlier condemnation, on his show, of the exploitation of the Abudu-Andani chieftaincy crisis in Dagbon by some politicians including his attacker.

He said his assailant, who is alleged to be a member of Sagnarigu MP A.B.A. Fuseinis campaign team, had earlier said on another radio station that I should be the last person to advise him on communication because my communication can be compared to that of his daughter.

So, when I got to my show, I played the tape and said: OK, whether my communication can be compared to that of the daughter or not, I will not discuss the substance of this issue because this guy, before making that statement about me, said something that I found to be false and anybody who is not credible is not worth being discussed on my show and, so, I will not discuss this tape on my show, then I just switched to my topic of the day, he told Lumor.

The radio host said: Immediately he [Pagazar] walked into the studio, he came straight to me to attack; he didnt ask of anything, he came straight to me to attack. He came and held my shirt, and squeezed it to my neck and the other colleague he came in with also held my shirt on the other side and they both squeezed it and pushed me to the wall and that colleague said if I should open my mouth, he will knock me and went ahead to tell me that if I dont stop mentioning Hardi Pagazaa on your show, hell kill me.

Asked if he knew the gentleman who threatened to kill him, Saddique Gariba said: I dont know the gentlemans name.

A.B.A Fuseini disowns assailant

When called to speak to the issue on the Class Morning Show, Mr A.B.A. Fuseini said he only knows the assailant as a member of the NDC, and described as absolutely trash, any reported association with him in any way whatsoever.

Hes not even on my campaign team let alone being my campaign manager, Mr Fuseini denied, adding: He has nothing to do with my campaign. He doesnt hold any position in my campaign.

He empathised with the victim and condemned the attack.

Let me first and foremost express regret at anybody who harasses a journalist. Ive been a journalist for over three decades and I am the first to uphold the inalienable rights and freedoms of journalists to work in an environment that is conducive to the carrying out of their professional duties, he sympathised, noting: So, I will be the last person to even think remotely about anything that will impede the work of journalists.

So, if any such incident happened to anybody, that person has my unqualified sympathies and support and I want to make it unequivocally clear that I condemn in no uncertain terms, any attempt by anybody to impede the work of journalists let alone harass or intimidate journalists.

The lawmaker suspects the links being drawn between him and the alleged assailant are a product of his detractors.

The issue that is being raised and associating it with me is just some propaganda that some people are trying to claw back something because they are losing the contest in the constituency because there is no such association, he said.

Mr Fuseini insisted the assailant doesnt occupy any position, hes not a member of my campaign team and he doesnt occupy any position in my campaign, so, you can talk about the gentleman and his conduct but not in his association with me A.B.A Fuseini, never.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Journalist Association and the Ministry of Information have condemned the act and called on the police to arrest the culprits.

-Classfmonline.com
Some angry residents in the Ketu South Municipality of the Volta Region, are raising red flags over what they described as harassment from Togolese border security personnel.

The residents say the security personnel have in recent times deploy measures that made it difficult to freely cross into Lome, in the neighboring Togo.

The residents poured out their frustrations in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, at Aflao.

Togolese border security officers are making life difficult for the people living in the border community and more especially the businessmen and women, who use that entry point for business daily, the residents complained.

Ms Cynthia Henyo, a resident and trader, who plies the route every day, said: These people are not treating us well at all  we always cross the border each day without any problems, but nowadays they are not cooperating at all.

I mean the Togo People- sometimes you are asked to pay something small and allowed to cross, but like few days now, you cannot cross at all.

Ms Henyo lamented: This situation is taking a toll on those of us who rely on trading at Asigame (Lome- Big Market) to make ends meet  it is not just those of us living in Aflao and surrounding communities, other people from Accra, Kumasi and Takoradi are all stranded here unable to cross..

She appealed to the authorities to intervene in finding a solution to the development.

As you can see for yourself, everyone seems to be stranded. Nobody is going nowhere especially we Ghanaians  Togolese and other nationals are allowed to cross except Ghanaians and we cannot just understand  our big men must quickly do something about this, Ms Henyo said.

Mr Joshua Norsah, a security analyst the GNA spoke to, decried the development, and described it as worrying.

What is happening at the border now has nothing to do with the Ghana Immigration Service, but with the Togolese police at the border, who are preventing the free passage of people, especially our Ghanaian brothers and sisters, he said.

Mr Norsah added that the deprivation and repressions at that side of the border, sometimes makes you wonder, what they are looking for  because they do it more than necessary.

He observed that the Togolese security at the Aflao border no longer recognized Ghanaians and their identify cards.

He questioned the importance of the ECOWAS treaty that bounds neighbouring countries together and wondered what happened to the treaty on the Free Movement of Persons, Goods and Services across our common borders and within ECOWAS member states all these years.

How can you pay 2000 CFA, which is GH 40 before you are allowed to cross the border  When you are returning, you pay the same, that is if you have the Ghana Card at all, he wondered.

The GNA took a stroll around the border and saw several people, mostly Ghanaian traders and businesspeople loitering about, unable to cross over into Lome to do their business, some from as far as Accra, Takoradi and Kumasi, all bemoaning the development as they poured out their frustrations.

Meanwhile, Mr Maxwell Kofi Lugudor, the Municipal Chief Executive of Ketu South and chairman of the Municipal Security Council (MUSEC), told the GNA that his attention had been drawn to the development and preliminary findings confirmed somehow the concerns raised by the residents.

He said he was informed that the situation was not so until a couple of days ago and was attributed to an ongoing voter registration exercise in the neighbouring country, which is expected to end on Sunday, May 7.

Mr Lugudor appealed to the residents to remain calm as MUSEC was working to ensure that the issue was resolved amicably in the interest of the peace and security of both countries.

GNA
The state broadcaster, Ghana Television (GTV) has threatened to summon TV license fee defaulters to the dreaded Nogokpo shrine if they fail to settle their debts.

In a Facebook post on Friday, May 5, GTV posted an image of the shrine with the caption Do you owe TV Licence Fee?

The TV license fee was introduced in Ghana in 1966 by the Broadcast Act to fund public broadcasting services.

All individuals and businesses that own a television set are required by law to pay an annual TV license fee of GHS10.

The funds are used to support the operations of GTV and other public broadcasters.

However, many Ghanaians continue to default on the payment of the TV license, prompting GTV to resort to deities to recover the fees.

The threat to summon defaulters before the Nogokpo shrine, known for punishing offenders with spiritual illness or sometimes death has generated controversy and debate on social media.

Some netizens who chanced on the post find it funny while others deemed it unprofessional.

Critics argue that GTVs approach is archaic and amounts to psychological torture, while others believe it could compel notorious defaulters to pay.
Alan Kyerematen

05.05.2023 LISTEN

Former Member of Parliament (MP) for Adentan Constituency, Yaw Buaben Asamoa has expressed optimism about the chances of Alan Kyerematen becoming the next flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Speaking as a Communications Manager of the campaign team of Alan Kyerematen, Mr. Asamoa argued that the flagbearer hopeful cannot be held responsible for the failures of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) programme.

According to him, all initiatives of Alan produce sustainable jobs, and given the chance to lead the country as President, he will transform the economy.

1D1F has produced nearly 200,000 sustainable jobs compared to NABCO, a government initiative. NABCO is not Alans idea and its not sustainable. Im saying that he produces sustainable jobs based on private-sector investments.

Im telling you that Alans direct contribution has given you sustainable jobs through factories that he will make sure he focuses on to run even better and expand access. That is where the job will come from, the private sector, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said in an interview with Citi News.

The former Adentan MP further shared that the impact of Alan Kyerematen on President Akufo-Addo's government is not recognised because Ghana is statistically deficient.

He insists that as Trade Minister, Alan handed the private sector a massive boost which helped the Ghanaian economy to grow.

So there is an economy that has been built on the private sector. The thing we need to do is to bring it home through data that we dont have. When we strengthen the statistical part of the economy we will realise the impact of the things that Alan has done already and those things that he invests more in and focus more attention on so that we will grow, Yaw Buaben Asamoa shared.

Alan Kyerematen resigned as the Minister of Trade and Industry in January this year to pursue his ambition for President.

He is now one of the three frontrunners of the flagbearer elections of the New Patriotic Party.
06.05.2023 LISTEN

The Tennessee Court of Appeals in the US has set aside an earlier circuit court ruling that gave majority of marital properties to Dora Bannor, wife of Dr Phillip Bannor in their divorce proceedings filed by the ex-wife of the Hefra Boss.

In a judgement delivered on 25th April, 2023 the Court of Appeal of Tennessee at Knoxville set aside the marital property and alimony awarded earlier by circuit court Judge Jeffrey Hollingsworth.

Background

The Ghanaian Internal medicine specialist, Dr Phillip Barnnor lost majority of his marital estate to his estranged wife, Dora Bannor in an earlier ruling which granted their divorce.

Granting the divorce against Dr Bannor, the trial court presided over by Jeffrey Hollingsworth on January 21st 2022 based its verdict on inappropriate conduct of Dr Bannor. The trial court therefore ordered that all marital property of the couple in the US be awarded to Dora Bannor, adding that all marital liabilities are the responsibility of Dr Phillip Bannor.

Their entire vanguard account valued at $185,000 as of January 2019 was also awarded to Dora Bannor by the trial court.

On appeal however by Dr Phillip Bannor, the awards in the ruling including the Alimony and estate valued at $915,000 among other awards given to Dora Bannor have been set aside by the Court of Appeals, remitting the case back to the trial court in Hamilton County, Tennessee in the US.

The Chronicle newspaper which earlier published an indictment charge against Dr Phillip Bannor has however apologised.
Convicted of wire fraud, Christian Johnson, 25, of Buffalo, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Rudroff said Johnson submitted multiple fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications on behalf of a company called Million Man LLC to at least three financial institutions.

The applications contained numerous false and misleading statements about Million Mans business and operations, including the number of employees and average monthly payroll, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Johnson also submitted falsified federal tax documents and payroll records.

Defense attorney Herbert L. Greenman said every one of Johnson's 16 applications were turned down by the Small Business Administration, and he never received any money.

Mr. Johnson, who has already served nearly 15 months incarceration, suffers from numerous mental health issues which, for the most part, have not been addressed, although "he has become much more lucid than he was in the past," Greenman said in a court filing. Additionally, Johnson has serious physical health issues, Greenman said.
TF1 SA (OTCMKTS:TVFCF  Get Rating)s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $6.09 and last traded at $6.09, with a volume of 0 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.09.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barclays upgraded shares of TF1 from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st.

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TF1 Price Performance

The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $6.09 and its 200 day simple moving average is $6.09.

TF1 Company Profile

Television Francaise 1 SA engages in the provision of television broadcasting and communication services. It operates through the Media and Newen Studios segments. The Media segment is involved in the groups TV channels, online content distribution and special-interest web communities, content creation and audience-buying via special-interest online content and brand development, developing and showcasing talent via multi-channel networks (MCNs), and subsidiaries that produce and acquire audiovisual rights for the groups TV channels in line with French broadcasting industry regulations.

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Volta Finance Limited (LON:VTA  Get Rating) shares were up 2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 5.10 ($0.06) and last traded at GBX 5.10 ($0.06). Approximately 2,819 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 90% from the average daily volume of 28,202 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 5 ($0.06).

Volta Finance Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of 1.83 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 0.06 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.18, a quick ratio of 15.15 and a current ratio of 33.95. The company has a 50 day moving average of GBX 5.13 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 5.07.

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Volta Finance Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 27th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 23rd were given a dividend of 0.13 ($0.14) per share. This is a boost from Volta Finances previous dividend of $0.12. This represents a dividend yield of 2.48%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 23rd. Volta Finances dividend payout ratio is currently 0.67%.

About Volta Finance

Volta Finance Limited is a closed-ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by AXA Investment Managers Paris SA The fund invests in the fixed income markets of Europe and the United States. It primarily invests in corporate credits, sovereign and quasi-sovereign debt, residential mortgage loans, CDOs, ABS, leveraged loans, automobile loans, and debt interests in infrastructure assets.

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Air Canada (TSE:AC  Get Rating) had its price objective lifted by Royal Bank of Canada from C$20.00 to C$22.00 in a report issued on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports. The firm currently has a sector perform rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canadas target price suggests a potential upside of 6.28% from the stocks current price.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. TD Securities decreased their price objective on shares of Air Canada from C$28.00 to C$26.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. Raymond James decreased their target price on shares of Air Canada from C$25.00 to C$23.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Citigroup lowered their price target on Air Canada from C$22.00 to C$21.50 in a report on Monday, February 27th. ATB Capital cut their price objective on Air Canada from C$32.00 to C$31.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on Air Canada from C$27.00 to C$29.00 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, Air Canada currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of C$28.13.

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Air Canada Trading Up 12.9 %

TSE AC traded up C$2.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting C$20.70. 8,087,517 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,310,320. The firm has a market cap of C$7.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -4.45, a PEG ratio of 0.02 and a beta of 2.42. Air Canada has a 1-year low of C$15.57 and a 1-year high of C$23.54. The company has a current ratio of 1.03, a quick ratio of 1.06 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 183,588.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$19.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$19.72.

About Air Canada

Air Canada ( TSE:AC Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 17th. The company reported C($0.61) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C($0.20) by C($0.41). The business had revenue of C$4.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$4.43 billion. On average, equities analysts forecast that Air Canada will post 0.3494764 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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Air Canada provides domestic, U.S. transborder, and international airline services. It offers scheduled passenger services under the Air Canada Vacations and Air Canada Rouge brand name in the Canadian market, the Canada-U.S. transborder market, and in the international market to and from Canada, as well as through capacity purchase agreements on other regional carriers.

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AlphaStar Capital Management LLC reduced its position in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF (NYSEARCA:VWO  Get Rating) by 4.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 53,117 shares of the exchange traded funds stock after selling 2,552 shares during the period. AlphaStar Capital Management LLCs holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF were worth $2,070,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Endurance Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 303.2% in the 4th quarter. Endurance Wealth Management Inc. now owns 633 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 311.0% in the 4th quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 637 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 482 shares in the last quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA increased its stake in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 110.1% in the 4th quarter. Dakota Community Bank & Trust NA now owns 689 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 361 shares in the last quarter. Boyd Watterson Asset Management LLC OH purchased a new position in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Accel Wealth Management grew its holdings in Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF by 63.3% during the 4th quarter. Accel Wealth Management now owns 722 shares of the exchange traded funds stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 280 shares during the last quarter.

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Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Price Performance

NYSEARCA:VWO traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $40.39. 3,778,647 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 10,369,433. The firms 50-day moving average is $39.93 and its 200-day moving average is $39.76. The stock has a market cap of $71.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.00 and a beta of 0.69. Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF has a 1-year low of $34.88 and a 1-year high of $44.28.

Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF Company Profile

The Fund seeks to track the performance of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index, that measures the return of stocks issued by companies located in emerging market countries.

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Amcor plc (ASX:AMC  Get Rating) declared a interim dividend on Thursday, May 4th, MarketIndexAU reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.184 per share on Monday, June 19th. This represents a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, May 22nd. This is a boost from Amcors previous interim dividend of $0.17.

Amcor Price Performance

The company has a current ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 169.46.

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Amcor Company Profile

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Amcor plc develops, produces, and sells packaging products in Europe, North America, Latin America, Africa, and the Asia Pacific regions. The company operates through two segments, Flexibles and Rigid Packaging. The Flexibles segment provides flexible and film packaging products in the food and beverage, medical and pharmaceutical, fresh produce, snack food, personal care, and other industries.

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Shares of Argos Resources Ltd (LON:ARG  Get Rating) crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 1.31 ($0.02) and traded as low as GBX 0.77 ($0.01). Argos Resources shares last traded at GBX 0.77 ($0.01), with a volume of 782,910 shares trading hands.

Argos Resources Trading Up 37.9 %

The businesss 50 day moving average is GBX 1.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 1.31. The company has a market cap of 1.88 million, a PE ratio of -11.20 and a beta of 1.01.

Argos Resources Company Profile

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Argos Resources Ltd engages in the exploration of oil and gas properties in the Falkland Islands. It holds a 100% interest in license PL001 covering an area of approximately 1,126 square kilometers located in the North Falkland Basin. The company was founded in 1995 and is based in Stanley, the Falkland Islands.

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BayWa Aktiengesellschaft (ETR:BYW6  Get Rating) shares traded down 0.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as 38.45 ($42.25) and last traded at 38.80 ($42.64). 9,721 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 26,697 shares. The stock had previously closed at 39.05 ($42.91).

BayWa Aktiengesellschaft Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 329.01. The stocks 50-day moving average price is 40.17 and its 200 day moving average price is 42.65. The company has a market cap of $1.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.46 and a beta of 0.84.

BayWa Aktiengesellschaft Company Profile

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BayWa Aktiengesellschaft provides wholesale, retail, logistics, and support and consultancy services in Germany and internationally. The company's Renewable Energies segment plans, manages, and constructs wind farms and solar park. It is also involved in the power production activities. Its Energy segment supplies heating oil, fuels, and lubricants, as well as wood pellets and heating solutions.

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Shares of Big Technologies PLC (LON:BIG  Get Rating) were down 1.5% on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as GBX 265.90 ($3.32) and last traded at GBX 266 ($3.32). Approximately 297,604 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 58% from the average daily volume of 188,762 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 270 ($3.37).

Big Technologies Stock Down 4.4 %

The firm has a market capitalization of 728.90 million and a PE ratio of 4,183.33. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of GBX 250.31 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 260.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 7.23 and a current ratio of 9.08.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Daren John Morris sold 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 267 ($3.34), for a total transaction of 16,020 ($20,014.99). In related news, insider Daren John Morris sold 6,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 267 ($3.34), for a total transaction of 16,020 ($20,014.99). Also, insider Charles James John Lewinton sold 10,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 255 ($3.19), for a total value of 25,500 ($31,859.07). In the last ninety days, insiders sold 20,000 shares of company stock worth $5,184,000. 61.77% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About Big Technologies

Big Technologies Plc provides products and services to the remote personal monitoring industry under the Buddi brand name in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company's criminal justice solution includes proprietary cloud-based monitoring software platform with modular hardware that allow real time tracking monitoring.

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Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd grew its stake in Enbridge Inc. (NYSE:ENB  Get Rating) (TSE:ENB) by 10.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,096,015 shares of the pipeline companys stock after acquiring an additional 100,000 shares during the quarter. Enbridge comprises approximately 1.4% of Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltds portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Border to Coast Pensions Partnership Ltd owned approximately 0.05% of Enbridge worth $42,807,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in ENB. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its position in Enbridge by 6.9% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 49,136 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $2,262,000 after buying an additional 3,178 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in Enbridge by 47.5% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 1,585,598 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $73,081,000 after acquiring an additional 510,865 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Enbridge by 7.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,647,982 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $75,955,000 after acquiring an additional 112,553 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL increased its stake in Enbridge by 3.4% during the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 149,644 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $6,897,000 after acquiring an additional 4,883 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Enbridge by 0.3% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 316,801 shares of the pipeline companys stock worth $14,600,000 after acquiring an additional 968 shares during the last quarter. 49.25% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Enbridge Stock Performance

ENB stock traded up $0.59 during trading on Friday, reaching $39.86. 1,708,024 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,406,068. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. Enbridge Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.02 and a 1-year high of $47.67. The companys fifty day moving average price is $38.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $39.37. The firm has a market cap of $80.71 billion, a PE ratio of 38.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.83.

Enbridge Increases Dividend

Enbridge ( NYSE:ENB Get Rating ) (TSE:ENB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.56 by ($0.10). Enbridge had a return on equity of 10.30% and a net margin of 5.67%. The firm had revenue of $9.89 billion during the quarter. On average, research analysts expect that Enbridge Inc. will post 2.21 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a $0.655 dividend. This represents a $2.62 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.57%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. This is an increase from Enbridges previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Enbridges payout ratio is currently 262.38%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

ENB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Enbridge in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. National Bank Financial increased their target price on Enbridge from C$54.00 to C$56.00 in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Credit Suisse Group upgraded Enbridge from an underperform rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered Enbridge from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $59.00.

About Enbridge

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Enbridge, Inc engages in the provision of gas and oil. It operates through the following segments: Liquid Pipelines, Gas Distribution and Storage, Gas Transmission and Midstream, Renewable Power Generation, and Energy Services. The Liquids Pipelines segment consists of common carrier and contract crude oil, natural gas liquids and refined products pipelines and terminals in Canada and the U.S., including Canadian Mainline, Regional Oil Sands System, Southern Lights Pipeline, Spearhead Pipeline, Seaway Crude Pipeline interest, and other feeder pipelines.

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Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated (NYSE:RBA  Get Rating) (TSE:RBA) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 1,626,107 shares of the business services providers stock, valued at approximately $94,064,000. Boston Partners owned 1.47% of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Hollencrest Capital Management acquired a new stake in Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers during the 4th quarter valued at $48,000. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers by 176.7% in the 4th quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 855 shares of the business services providers stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its position in Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers by 41.2% during the 2nd quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 1,114 shares of the business services providers stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 325 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers by 28.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,285 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $80,000 after acquiring an additional 286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Twin Tree Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in the third quarter worth approximately $103,000. 81.09% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on RBA. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on shares of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers from $66.00 to $64.00 in a research note on Monday, March 20th. Raymond James lifted their price objective on Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a market perform rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 24th. OTR Global raised Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers to a positive rating in a research note on Thursday. National Bankshares increased their price objective on Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $61.44.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Stock Down 0.9 %

NYSE RBA opened at $55.76 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 1.08 and a current ratio of 1.21. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.14. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated has a twelve month low of $48.72 and a twelve month high of $72.73. The stock has a market cap of $6.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.50, a PEG ratio of 3.44 and a beta of 0.89.

Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers (NYSE:RBA  Get Rating) (TSE:RBA) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The business services provider reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.50 by $0.10. Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers had a net margin of 18.44% and a return on equity of 25.58%. The business had revenue of $443.86 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $430.21 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 23.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers Incorporated will post 2.34 EPS for the current year.

About Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers

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Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, Inc is an industrial auctioneer, which engages in the sale of equipment to on-site and online bidders. It operates through the following segments: Auctions and Marketplaces, Ritchie Bros. Financial Services and Mascus. The Auctions and Marketplaces segment consists of live on site auctions, online auctions and marketplaces, and brokerage service.

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A former federal agent accused of protecting drug dealers with ties to the local mob fears he can't get a fair trial if he has to stand trial together with a strip club owner facing a sex-trafficking count.

And the strip club owner worries he can't get a fair trial if jurors hear about the former agent's alleged ties to Italian organized crime.

The defense teams for Joseph Bongiovanni, the retired Drug Enforcement Administration agent and Peter Gerace Jr., the owner of Pharaohs Gentlemens Club in Cheektowaga, each sought separate trials.

But U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr. declined to sever the case, so the two men are scheduled to be tried together next month in U.S. District Court in Buffalo. The prosecution anticipates its case will take six to eight weeks and involve 100 witnesses or more.

The indictment against Bongiovanni and Gerace makes clear the two are alleged to have participated in a common scheme, with federal prosecutors alleging concrete examples of direct interactions between the two to further their conspiracies to defraud the United States and also distribute controlled substances, Sinatra said in a ruling last week.

The judge said a joint trial would not result in the substantial prejudice  or unfair bias by the jury  required to sever the defendants' cases.

"The court expects to instruct the jury  as it does in all multi-defendant trials  that the jury must consider the evidence separately as to each defendant and as to each count charged when reaching a verdict," Sinatra said in his ruling. "The court is confident that, with the proper instructions, the jury will be able to keep the evidence relevant to each defendant separate and render a fair and impartial verdict as to each defendant."

Attorney Steven M. Cohen, one of the lawyers representing Gerace, said a judge's instructions "are rarely as effective as we'd like them to be."

"There is no way this jury is going to be able to unhear the term Italian organized crime," Cohen said. "They're not going to unhear the term mafia. And they're also not going to be able to unhear the fact that Peter does have relatives who were involved in that. Peter himself was never involved in Italian organized crime. But he has relatives who likely were."

When the judge tells jurors to disregard something that they have heard or seen in court, it rarely affects the jurors like it is intended, Cohen said. Curative instructions "fall far short of what's in the best interest of our client," he said.

James P. Harrington, one of the defense lawyers for Bongiovanni, said he was disappointed by the judge's ruling but declined further comment.

In his motion to sever the cases, Harrington pointed out that only Gerace is charged with conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

Including that count in a trial that includes Bongiovanni "raises the likelihood of severe spillover prejudice to Mr. Bongiovanni from conduct which a jury may find abhorrent and which has nothing to do with the counts where they are alleged to be co-defendants or co-conspirators," Harrington said in his motion.

A grand jury indictment against the former agent names Michael Masecchia, a former Buffalo schoolteacher described in court papers as a longtime drug dealer and member or associate of "Italian Organized Crime."

A year ago, Masecchia was sentenced to seven years in prison for trafficking more than a ton of marijuana into Buffalo and its suburbs over 20 years.

Masecchia was one of several local men targeted in a federal investigation into suspected organized crime activities. He told law enforcement officials that he and others in the drug trade had help from Bongiovanni, according to his plea agreement. He said Bongiovanni helped him and other drug traffickers avoid arrest by providing law enforcement-sensitive information, including the names of potential cooperating witnesses.

Bongiovanni is accused of blocking investigations into Masecchia and others he believed were tied to the local Mafia and, in return, receiving at least $250,000 in bribes, prosecutors say. The former agent also provided information on drug investigations and cooperating sources and, at times, used and sold cocaine, prosecutors say.

Bongiovanni and Gerace have denied the charges against them.

The two men are both named in two counts in the indictment: conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances.

Gerace faces three other counts: paying a bribe to a public official; maintaining a drug-involved premises; and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking.

Bongiovanni faces 13 other counts, including seven counts of obstruction of justice; two counts of false statements to a U.S. agency; two counts of a public official accepting a bribe; and two other conspiracy counts.

Gerace's defense counsel argues that including in a joint trial charges against Bongiovanni that relate only to Bongiovanni's alleged conduct with Masecchia is improper.

"There is no indication that Mr. Gerace was even aware of the alleged conspiracies purportedly involving Mr. Bongiovanni and Michael Masecchia," according to court papers filed by his legal team.

Grand jury excerpts appended to a prosecution court filing show "outrageously prejudicial hearsay evidence admitted against Mr. Gerace," according to Gerace's legal team.

In a court filing, prosecutors for the U.S. Attorney's Office said their proof at trial will establish that Gerace has held himself out as being associated with Italian organized crime  or at least was aware that others believed he was.

"For example, one witness from Pharaohs testified in grand jury that she heard Gerace refer to himself as a member of 'the mafia,' " according to the prosecution's filing that urged against separating the cases.

And the charges against Bongiovanni stem from his alleged receipt of bribes for protecting people involved in narcotics offenses, including Gerace, prosecutors say.

Prosecutors say evidence will show that one of the ways in which Pharaohs Gentlemens Club dancers were coerced into engaging in sex acts was through their drug addictions. They were provided drugs to fuel their addictions and were thereby coerced into having sex with Gerace and others close to Gerace, according to prosecutors' court papers. Fear of severe withdrawal symptoms from narcotics addiction meets the definition of serious harm under the sex trafficking conspiracy statute.

"Thus, Bongiovannis protection of Gerace and Pharaoh's Gentlemen's Club from federal investigation, which facilitated narcotics use and distribution at PGC, furthered Geraces ability to conspire to engage in the sex trafficking of women," according to the government filing.

"The very serious charges Bongiovanni faces as a result of violating his oath and duties as a DEA special agent seriously mitigate any prejudice to Bongiovanni as a result of the inclusion of (the conspiracy to commit sex trafficking) count in a joint trial with Gerace," according to the prosecutors' filing. "When combined with appropriate limiting and jury instructions, a joint trial will not substantially prejudice any of Bongiovannis specific trial rights."
Shares of Brookfield Renewable Co. (TSE:BEPC  Get Rating) dropped 0.7% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as 44.33 and last traded at 44.69. Approximately 127,377 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 57% from the average daily volume of 297,598 shares. The stock had previously closed at 45.00.

Brookfield Renewable Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 83.68, a quick ratio of 0.19 and a current ratio of 0.47. The company has a market cap of $7.51 billion, a PE ratio of 3.69, a PEG ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.82. The businesss 50-day moving average is 43.44 and its 200 day moving average is 41.89.

Brookfield Renewable Company Profile

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Brookfield Renewable Corporation owns and operates a portfolio of renewable energy power generating facilities primarily in the United States, Europe, Colombia, and Brazil. It operates hydroelectric, wind, and solar power plants with an installed capacity of approximately 12,723 megawatts. The company was incorporated in 2019 and is headquartered in New York, New York.

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Camping World (NYSE:CWH  Get Rating) had its target price cut by Raymond James from $28.00 to $27.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on CWH. StockNews.com raised shares of Camping World from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Friday, March 24th. TheStreet cut shares of Camping World from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 21st. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of Camping World in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued an overweight rating and a $25.00 price objective for the company. Stephens reaffirmed an overweight rating and issued a $31.00 price objective on shares of Camping World in a research note on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on shares of Camping World from $30.00 to $26.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $29.57.

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Camping World Stock Performance

NYSE:CWH opened at $23.63 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 1.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.46. The businesss 50-day moving average price is $21.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $23.97. The stock has a market cap of $1.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.55 and a beta of 2.55. Camping World has a twelve month low of $18.69 and a twelve month high of $33.99.

Camping World Dividend Announcement

Camping World ( NYSE:CWH Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The company reported ($0.33) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.15) by ($0.18). Camping World had a net margin of 1.40% and a return on equity of 38.60%. The company had revenue of $1.28 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. As a group, equities analysts predict that Camping World will post 1.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 29th. Investors of record on Tuesday, March 14th were given a dividend of $0.625 per share. This represents a $2.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 10.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 13th. Camping Worlds dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 111.61%.

Institutional Trading of Camping World

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James & Associates grew its holdings in shares of Camping World by 5.2% during the first quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 49,959 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,396,000 after buying an additional 2,448 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Camping World by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 525,929 shares of the companys stock valued at $14,700,000 after purchasing an additional 17,443 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Camping World by 63.9% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 45,766 shares of the companys stock worth $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 17,848 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Camping World by 51.1% in the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 23,224 shares of the companys stock worth $649,000 after purchasing an additional 7,855 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can lifted its holdings in shares of Camping World by 12,962.0% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 369,786 shares of the companys stock valued at $10,318,000 after purchasing an additional 366,955 shares in the last quarter. 36.92% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Camping World Company Profile

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Camping World Holdings, Inc operates as a retailer of recreational vehicles (RV) and related products and services. It operates through the following segments: Good Sam Services & Plans, and RV & Outdoor Retail. The Good Sam Services & Plans segment consists of programs, plans, and services that are geared towards protecting, insuring, and promoting the RV lifestyle.

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Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Canadian National Railway (NYSE:CNI  Get Rating) (TSE:CNR) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, The Fly reports.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on CNI. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Canadian National Railway in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Canadian National Railway from a neutral rating to a sell rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Desjardins lifted their price target on Canadian National Railway from C$178.00 to C$180.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 25th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on Canadian National Railway from C$159.00 to C$170.00 in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on Canadian National Railway from $137.00 to $134.00 in a report on Monday, March 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $143.61.

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Canadian National Railway Stock Up 0.6 %

CNI opened at $118.65 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $78.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 0.74 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Canadian National Railway has a 12 month low of $103.79 and a 12 month high of $129.89. The business has a 50-day moving average of $117.85 and a two-hundred day moving average of $119.72.

Canadian National Railway Cuts Dividend

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Canadian National Railway

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 9th will be given a dividend of $0.5835 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. This represents a $2.33 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.97%. Canadian National Railways dividend payout ratio is 37.98%.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNI. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Canadian National Railway by 3.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,762,307 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $2,350,111,000 after purchasing an additional 800,108 shares during the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its position in Canadian National Railway by 5.3% in the first quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 12,333,700 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,655,948,000 after buying an additional 625,000 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in Canadian National Railway by 6.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 8,671,552 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $945,638,000 after buying an additional 531,876 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Canadian National Railway during the 4th quarter worth about $727,713,000. Finally, National Bank of Canada FI boosted its stake in Canadian National Railway by 180.5% in the 4th quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 5,977,754 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $709,550,000 after purchasing an additional 3,846,281 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.96% of the companys stock.

Canadian National Railway Company Profile

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Canadian National Railway Co engages in rail and related transportation business. Its services include rail, intermodal, trucking, supply chain services, business development and maps and network. Its offers their services in automotive, coal, fertilizer, food and beverages, forest products, dimensional loads, grain, metals and minerals and petroleum and chemicals industries.

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Cellnex Telecom, S.A. (OTCMKTS:CLLNY  Get Rating) saw a significant decline in short interest in the month of April. As of April 15th, there was short interest totalling 76,700 shares, a decline of 5.1% from the March 31st total of 80,800 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 156,100 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 0.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on CLLNY. Royal Bank of Canada lowered shares of Cellnex Telecom from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Cellnex Telecom from 53.00 ($58.24) to 58.00 ($63.74) and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, January 5th. Citigroup lowered shares of Cellnex Telecom from a buy rating to a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 4th. Finally, Berenberg Bank lowered shares of Cellnex Telecom from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $56.75.

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Cellnex Telecom Price Performance

CLLNY stock opened at $20.98 on Friday. Cellnex Telecom has a 52 week low of $13.56 and a 52 week high of $25.54. The companys 50-day moving average price is $19.65 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.33.

About Cellnex Telecom

Cellnex Telecom SA engages in the operation of wireless telecommunications and broadcasting infrastructures. Its business activities include rental of sites for telecom operators, broadcast infrastructure activity, and other network services. It operates through the following segments: Telecom Infrastructure Services, Broadcasting Infrastructure and Other Network Services.

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Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. (CVE:CEM  Get Rating)s stock price rose 4.5% during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as C$0.37 and last traded at C$0.35. Approximately 207,650 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 199% from the average daily volume of 69,562 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.33.

Constantine Metal Resources Trading Up 4.5 %

The stock has a market cap of C$22.52 million and a PE ratio of -10.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.75, a quick ratio of 2.07 and a current ratio of 2.08. The company has a 50 day moving average of C$0.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of C$0.34.

Constantine Metal Resources Company Profile

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Constantine Metal Resources Ltd., a junior mining company, engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in North America. The company primarily explores for copper, zinc, gold, and silver deposits. Its principal project is the Palmer project that includes 340 federal mining claims and 63 state mining claims located in Alaska, the United States.

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Cozad Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in Garmin Ltd. (NYSE:GRMN  Get Rating) by 2.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,862 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock after purchasing an additional 550 shares during the quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Garmin were worth $2,202,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of GRMN. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Garmin by 0.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 17,791,804 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $1,428,861,000 after acquiring an additional 115,941 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. raised its stake in shares of Garmin by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 14,457,126 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $1,161,051,000 after buying an additional 230,945 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its stake in shares of Garmin by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 6,922,720 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $555,964,000 after buying an additional 492,576 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its stake in shares of Garmin by 5.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,798,228 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $545,971,000 after buying an additional 355,087 shares during the period. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP raised its stake in shares of Garmin by 213.1% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,501,507 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $200,896,000 after buying an additional 1,702,480 shares during the period. 63.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on GRMN. TheStreet raised Garmin from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Garmin from $101.00 to $106.00 in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Garmin from $108.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. StockNews.com started coverage on Garmin in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a strong-buy rating and issued a $165.00 target price on shares of Garmin in a report on Friday, March 3rd. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Garmin currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $118.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

Garmin Stock Up 1.5 %

In other Garmin news, Director Matthew Munn sold 4,536 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.36, for a total transaction of $446,160.96. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 9,023 shares of the companys stock, valued at $887,502.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . In other news, CEO Clifton A. Pemble sold 7,216 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.54, for a total transaction of $711,064.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 120,460 shares of the companys stock, valued at $11,870,128.40. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, Director Matthew Munn sold 4,536 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.36, for a total transaction of $446,160.96. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 9,023 shares in the company, valued at approximately $887,502.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 16,610 shares of company stock valued at $1,635,921 over the last 90 days. 20.34% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Shares of Garmin stock opened at $101.58 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $19.44 billion, a PE ratio of 20.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.94. Garmin Ltd. has a 52 week low of $76.37 and a 52 week high of $108.32. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $98.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $96.49.

Garmin (NYSE:GRMN  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.02 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.09 billion. Garmin had a net margin of 19.94% and a return on equity of 15.98%. Garmins revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.11 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Garmin Ltd. will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current year.

Garmin Profile

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Garmin Ltd. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of navigation, communications and information devices, most of which are enabled by Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. It operates through the following segments: Marine, Outdoor, Fitness, Auto OEM, Consumer Auto, and Aviation.

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NatWest Group (LON:NWG  Get Rating) had its price target reduced by Credit Suisse Group from GBX 360 ($4.50) to GBX 350 ($4.37) in a report published on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Shore Capital reissued a buy rating on shares of NatWest Group in a research note on Friday, April 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on NatWest Group from GBX 330 ($4.12) to GBX 340 ($4.25) in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Berenberg Bank reiterated a buy rating and issued a GBX 380 ($4.75) price target on shares of NatWest Group in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Citigroup restated a buy rating on shares of NatWest Group in a research report on Friday, March 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a buy rating on shares of NatWest Group in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, NatWest Group presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of GBX 340 ($4.25).

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NatWest Group Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of LON:NWG opened at GBX 252.40 ($3.15) on Tuesday. NatWest Group has a 1-year low of GBX 200.13 ($2.50) and a 1-year high of GBX 313.10 ($3.91). The firm has a market capitalization of 24.05 billion, a PE ratio of 721.14, a PEG ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 1.30. The businesss 50 day moving average is GBX 271.74 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 270.17.

NatWest Group Increases Dividend

Insider Buying and Selling at NatWest Group

The firm also recently announced a dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 16th were issued a GBX 10 ($0.12) dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 16th. This is a positive change from NatWest Groups previous dividend of $3.50. This represents a dividend yield of 3.27%. NatWest Groups dividend payout ratio is currently 4,000.00%.

In related news, insider Frank Dangeard bought 1,014 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 267 ($3.34) per share, for a total transaction of 2,707.38 ($3,382.53). In other NatWest Group news, insider Frank Dangeard purchased 1,014 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 30th. The stock was purchased at an average price of GBX 267 ($3.34) per share, for a total transaction of 2,707.38 ($3,382.53). Also, insider Roisin Donnelly purchased 7,318 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 22nd. The shares were acquired at an average price of GBX 272 ($3.40) per share, with a total value of 19,904.96 ($24,868.77). 42.65% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About NatWest Group

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NatWest Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, provides banking and financial products and services to personal, commercial, corporate, and institutional customers in the United Kingdom and internationally. It operates through Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Private Banking, RBS International, and NatWest Markets segments.

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Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. reduced its stake in The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE:KO  Get Rating) by 48.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 24,636 shares of the companys stock after selling 23,475 shares during the period. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Coca-Cola were worth $1,566,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salem Capital Management Inc. grew its stake in Coca-Cola by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Salem Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,359 shares of the companys stock worth $244,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC lifted its position in Coca-Cola by 6.6% in the 4th quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC now owns 2,679 shares of the companys stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Coca-Cola by 32.4% during the 3rd quarter. Bellwether Advisors LLC now owns 698 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the period. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. grew its position in Coca-Cola by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 28,494 shares of the companys stock worth $1,597,000 after purchasing an additional 171 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Somerville Kurt F increased its stake in shares of Coca-Cola by 0.8% in the first quarter. Somerville Kurt F now owns 21,377 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,325,000 after purchasing an additional 172 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 68.74% of the companys stock.

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Coca-Cola Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:KO opened at $63.80 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $275.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.61 and a beta of 0.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $61.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $61.36. The Coca-Cola Company has a 12-month low of $54.01 and a 12-month high of $66.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.95, a current ratio of 1.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34.

Coca-Cola Announces Dividend

Coca-Cola ( NYSE:KO Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 24th. The company reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.65 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $11 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $10.78 billion. Coca-Cola had a return on equity of 42.96% and a net margin of 22.69%. The companys revenue was up 4.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.64 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that The Coca-Cola Company will post 2.6 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Investors of record on Friday, June 16th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 15th. Coca-Colas dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on KO shares. Royal Bank of Canada set a $69.00 target price on Coca-Cola in a research report on Tuesday, February 14th. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Coca-Cola from $68.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Coca-Cola from $61.00 to $63.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 25th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Coca-Cola from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report on Saturday, April 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $67.80.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO James Quincey sold 34,875 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.32, for a total transaction of $2,103,660.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 351,737 shares in the company, valued at $21,216,775.84. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, SVP Nancy Quan sold 74,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.71, for a total value of $4,344,540.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 219,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,903,870.90. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO James Quincey sold 34,875 shares of Coca-Cola stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.32, for a total transaction of $2,103,660.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 351,737 shares in the company, valued at $21,216,775.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 305,296 shares of company stock valued at $18,906,171. Insiders own 1.00% of the companys stock.

Coca-Cola Company Profile

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The Coca-Cola Co engages in the manufacturing and marketing of non-alcoholic beverages. It operates through the following segments: Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia Pacific, Global Ventures, and Bottling Investments. The company was founded by Asa Griggs Candler on May 8, 1886 and is headquartered in Atlanta, GA.

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Cozad Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE:DLR  Get Rating) by 9.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 17,040 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after acquiring an additional 1,417 shares during the period. Cozad Asset Management Inc.s holdings in Digital Realty Trust were worth $1,709,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Czech National Bank acquired a new stake in Digital Realty Trust during the third quarter valued at approximately $3,311,000. Neuberger Berman Group LLC increased its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 17.1% during the third quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC now owns 758,245 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $75,179,000 after purchasing an additional 110,729 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 9.7% in the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 579,190 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $57,444,000 after buying an additional 51,161 shares during the period. Green Alpha Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Digital Realty Trust by 23.6% during the 4th quarter. Green Alpha Advisors LLC now owns 12,019 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $1,205,000 after buying an additional 2,297 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Macquarie Group Ltd. raised its stake in Digital Realty Trust by 5.5% during the third quarter. Macquarie Group Ltd. now owns 980,215 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $97,552,000 after acquiring an additional 51,345 shares during the period. 95.00% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Dyer Corey sold 4,401 shares of Digital Realty Trust stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $104.19, for a total value of $458,540.19. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 30,026 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,128,408.94. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.41% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Digital Realty Trust Trading Up 1.1 %

Digital Realty Trust stock opened at $95.88 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $97.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $102.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.05, a quick ratio of 0.50 and a current ratio of 0.62. Digital Realty Trust, Inc. has a 52 week low of $85.76 and a 52 week high of $141.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 0.53.

Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.19 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($1.46). Digital Realty Trust had a net margin of 7.61% and a return on equity of 2.34%. The business had revenue of $1.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Digital Realty Trust, Inc. will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

Digital Realty Trust Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 15th were paid a $1.22 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $4.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.09%. Digital Realty Trusts payout ratio is 439.64%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on DLR. BMO Capital Markets lowered Digital Realty Trust from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their target price for the company from $121.00 to $100.00 in a report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, March 6th. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price objective on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 17th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Digital Realty Trust from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $116.92.

Digital Realty Trust Profile

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Digital Realty Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. It serves the following industries: artificial intelligence (AI), networks, cloud, digital media, mobile, financial services, healthcare, and gaming.

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First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating) Director Colin V. Reed bought 25,138 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 4th. The shares were bought at an average price of $9.96 per share, with a total value of $250,374.48. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 187,027 shares in the company, valued at $1,862,788.92. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

First Horizon Stock Down 33.2 %

Shares of FHN opened at $10.06 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 6.21, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.88. First Horizon Co. has a 52 week low of $8.99 and a 52 week high of $24.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a current ratio of 0.94. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $18.16 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $22.31.

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First Horizon (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.01). First Horizon had a net margin of 24.76% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The firm had revenue of $863.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $871.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.38 EPS. First Horizons revenue was up 22.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that First Horizon Co. will post 1.94 earnings per share for the current year.

First Horizon Dividend Announcement

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a $0.15 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 15th. This represents a $0.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.96%. First Horizons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.04%.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a sector perform rating and issued a $25.00 target price on shares of First Horizon in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of First Horizon in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of First Horizon from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $25.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday, March 24th.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Horizon

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FHN. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its stake in First Horizon by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 227,911 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,052,000 after purchasing an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of First Horizon by 0.7% in the first quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 231,351 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $4,113,000 after buying an additional 1,640 shares during the period. Achmea Investment Management B.V. acquired a new stake in shares of First Horizon during the first quarter worth $323,000. Calamos Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of First Horizon in the 1st quarter valued at about $4,773,000. Finally, Privium Fund Management UK Ltd bought a new stake in shares of First Horizon in the first quarter valued at about $1,306,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.41% of the companys stock.

About First Horizon

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First Horizon Corp. (Tennessee) operates as a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of checking accounts, savings products, mortgage banking, lending, and financing to individuals and businesses. It operates the business through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate.

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A Buffalo woman who admitted setting fire to a house that was going to become a community drop-in center was sentenced April 28 to 51 months in prison by U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra Jr.

Jade Smart, 34, was convicted of destroying property by fire and causing personal injury to a firefighter, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The Stop the Violence Coalition and the Buffalo Peacemakers planned to use the house at 79 Kilhoffer St. for youth and the elderly.

A firefighter injured his back fighting the Jan. 28, 2020, fire.

Smart was struggling with sustained drug addiction, said Fonda Kubiak, an assistant federal public defender. She also suffered from mental health struggles since her traumatic and unstable childhood but has never received adequate treatment, Kubiak said in a court filing.

"I know what I did to that house was wrong and I discovered that I was the damage[d] one," Smart said in an apology note to the court.

"I know how important that meant to my community," she said of the house, "but at that time my (mental health) wasnt right at all."
Shares of Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc. (NYSE:FBIN  Get Rating) have received an average rating of Hold from the eleven brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and three have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.60.

FBIN has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Fortune Brands Innovations from $82.00 to $70.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 28th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Fortune Brands Innovations from $70.00 to $75.00 in a report on Friday, February 17th. Bank of America lowered shares of Fortune Brands Innovations from a neutral rating to an underperform rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $61.00 to $60.00 in a report on Monday, January 30th. They noted that the move was a valuation call. Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Fortune Brands Innovations in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. They set an overweight rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on shares of Fortune Brands Innovations from $67.00 to $72.00 in a report on Friday, April 28th.

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Fortune Brands Innovations Stock Down 1.3 %

NYSE:FBIN opened at $62.40 on Friday. Fortune Brands Innovations has a 12-month low of $49.51 and a 12-month high of $76.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 0.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.74, a PEG ratio of 5.72 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.24.

Fortune Brands Innovations Company Profile

Fortune Brands Innovations ( NYSE:FBIN Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $0.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.59 by $0.10. Fortune Brands Innovations had a net margin of 9.32% and a return on equity of 26.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.04 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.31 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 8.8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that Fortune Brands Innovations will post 3.72 EPS for the current year.

(Get Rating)

Fortune Brands Innovations, Inc manufactures and supplies home and security products and services. The company operates through the following segments: Cabinets, Plumbing, Outdoors & Security. The Cabinets segment manufactures custom, semi-custom, and stock cabinetry, as well as vanities, for the kitchen and bath.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Franklin Resources (NYSE:BEN  Get Rating) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on BEN. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Thursday, January 19th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Franklin Resources from $27.00 to $24.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Bank of America reduced their price target on Franklin Resources from $28.00 to $24.00 and set an underperform rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Franklin Resources from $19.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Franklin Resources from $26.00 to $27.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 31st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating and six have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Franklin Resources presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $24.55.

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Franklin Resources Price Performance

Franklin Resources stock opened at $25.10 on Tuesday. Franklin Resources has a 12 month low of $20.24 and a 12 month high of $34.37. The stocks 50 day moving average is $27.06 and its 200-day moving average is $27.30. The company has a current ratio of 4.97, a quick ratio of 4.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market capitalization of $12.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.81 and a beta of 1.26.

Franklin Resources Announces Dividend

Franklin Resources ( NYSE:BEN Get Rating ) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 1st. The closed-end fund reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.57 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.93 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Franklin Resources had a return on equity of 12.69% and a net margin of 12.52%. The firms revenue for the quarter was down 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Franklin Resources will post 2.32 EPS for the current year.

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. Franklin Resourcess payout ratio is 61.22%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Franklin Resources Inc bought 2,465,483 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 28th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $10.14 per share, with a total value of $24,999,997.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 4,955,483 shares in the company, valued at $50,248,597.62. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 23.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Franklin Resources

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. State of Alaska Department of Revenue grew its holdings in Franklin Resources by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 39,762 shares of the closed-end funds stock worth $1,048,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. ETF Managers Group LLC increased its position in Franklin Resources by 1.5% in the 1st quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 26,299 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $708,000 after buying an additional 392 shares in the last quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC increased its position in Franklin Resources by 4.7% in the 3rd quarter. Lumature Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,953 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $214,000 after buying an additional 443 shares in the last quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Franklin Resources by 20.0% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 2,729 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $72,000 after buying an additional 455 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Van ECK Associates Corp increased its position in Franklin Resources by 5.6% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 8,586 shares of the closed-end funds stock valued at $226,000 after buying an additional 457 shares in the last quarter. 45.47% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Franklin Resources Company Profile

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Franklin Resources, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the provision of investment management and related services. The firm offers services and products under various distinct brand names, including, but not limited to, Franklin, Templeton, Legg Mason, Benefit Street Partners, Brandywine Global Investment Management, Clarion Partners, ClearBridge Investments, Fiduciary Trust International, Franklin Bissett, Franklin Mutual Series, K2, LibertyShares, Martin Currie, Royce Investment Partners and Western Asset Management Company.

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Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA (ETR:FME  Get Rating)s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of 33.64 ($36.97) and traded as high as 44.25 ($48.63). Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA shares last traded at 44.04 ($48.40), with a volume of 627,454 shares traded.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on FME shares. Warburg Research set a 22.00 ($24.18) price target on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a report on Monday, March 6th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a 23.00 ($25.27) price target on shares of Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a report on Thursday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a 17.10 ($18.79) target price on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research note on Monday, February 20th. HSBC set a 33.00 ($36.26) target price on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a 35.00 ($38.46) target price on Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA in a research note on Tuesday, March 14th.

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Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA Stock Up 0.4 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of 39.13 and a 200-day moving average price of 33.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $12.63 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 0.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 85.52, a current ratio of 1.27 and a quick ratio of 0.80.

About Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co. KGaA

Fresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA provides dialysis care and related dialysis care services in Germany, North America, and internationally. It offers dialysis treatment and related laboratory and diagnostic services through a network of outpatient dialysis clinics; materials, training, and patient support services comprising clinical monitoring, follow-up assistance, and arranging for delivery of the supplies to the patient's residence; and dialysis services under contract to hospitals in the United States for the hospitalized end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients and for patients suffering from acute kidney failure.

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Guggenheim upgraded shares of Teradata (NYSE:TDC  Get Rating) from a neutral rating to a buy rating in a research note released on Monday, The Fly reports. Guggenheim currently has $62.00 price target on the technology companys stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on TDC. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Teradata from $43.00 to $51.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Teradata from $37.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Craig Hallum raised their price target on shares of Teradata from $40.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Teradata from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Teradata from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $46.78.

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Teradata Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:TDC opened at $41.09 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14, a current ratio of 1.02 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The business has a 50-day moving average of $39.63 and a two-hundred day moving average of $35.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 136.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.92. Teradata has a fifty-two week low of $28.65 and a fifty-two week high of $42.79.

Insider Activity

Teradata ( NYSE:TDC Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 13th. The technology company reported $0.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $452.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $435.63 million. Teradata had a net margin of 1.84% and a return on equity of 28.46%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.34 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Teradata will post 0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In other Teradata news, insider Kathleen R. Cullen-Cote sold 24,400 shares of Teradata stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.78, for a total transaction of $995,032.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 121,489 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,954,321.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, insider Kathleen R. Cullen-Cote sold 24,400 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.78, for a total transaction of $995,032.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 121,489 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,954,321.42. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Claire Bramley sold 5,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.00, for a total transaction of $200,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 83,100 shares in the company, valued at $3,324,000. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.92% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Teradata

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in TDC. Point72 Asset Management L.P. purchased a new position in Teradata in the 4th quarter valued at $59,279,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Teradata during the 4th quarter worth $41,629,000. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Teradata during the 1st quarter worth $49,344,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Teradata in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,371,000. Finally, Lynrock Lake LP raised its stake in Teradata by 12.5% in the 3rd quarter. Lynrock Lake LP now owns 5,066,666 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $157,371,000 after purchasing an additional 562,700 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 90.92% of the companys stock.

About Teradata

(Get Rating)

Teradata Corp. is a cloud data analytics company which is built for a multi-cloud reality and solving data challenges at scale. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, EMEA, and APJ. The company was founded on July 13, 1979, and is headquartered in San Diego, CA.

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Heartland Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Mohawk Industries, Inc. (NYSE:MHK  Get Rating) by 151.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 52,240 shares of the companys stock after acquiring an additional 31,491 shares during the quarter. Heartland Advisors Inc. owned about 0.08% of Mohawk Industries worth $5,340,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Mohawk Industries by 5.9% in the third quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 9,544 shares of the companys stock worth $870,000 after buying an additional 530 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its position in Mohawk Industries by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 17,515 shares of the companys stock worth $1,597,000 after purchasing an additional 453 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its stake in Mohawk Industries by 125.5% in the third quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 181,068 shares of the companys stock worth $16,643,000 after purchasing an additional 100,786 shares during the last quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System boosted its position in shares of Mohawk Industries by 0.3% during the third quarter. New York State Teachers Retirement System now owns 64,609 shares of the companys stock valued at $5,892,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the period. Finally, Easterly Investment Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Mohawk Industries by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. Easterly Investment Partners LLC now owns 26,802 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,444,000 after acquiring an additional 1,364 shares during the period. 75.85% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Mohawk Industries from $83.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Monday, February 13th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Mohawk Industries from $104.00 to $121.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. StockNews.com began coverage on Mohawk Industries in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Credit Suisse Group reduced their price objective on Mohawk Industries from $109.00 to $103.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. Finally, Loop Capital raised Mohawk Industries from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $115.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 11th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $123.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Mohawk Industries

Mohawk Industries Trading Down 2.6 %

In other news, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 5,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Monday, February 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total transaction of $621,868.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 14,853 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,776,270.27. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . In other news, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 4,250 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $103.23, for a total transaction of $438,727.50. Following the sale, the insider now owns 13,453 shares in the company, valued at $1,388,753.19. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, insider Suzanne L. Helen sold 5,200 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $119.59, for a total transaction of $621,868.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 14,853 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,776,270.27. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 12,150 shares of company stock worth $1,374,876 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 17.20% of the companys stock.

Shares of MHK stock opened at $99.03 on Friday. The stocks 50-day moving average is $98.35 and its 200 day moving average is $103.14. Mohawk Industries, Inc. has a 1-year low of $87.01 and a 1-year high of $156.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.00, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.28.

Mohawk Industries (NYSE:MHK  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $1.75 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.47. Mohawk Industries had a negative net margin of 1.21% and a positive return on equity of 8.47%. The business had revenue of $2.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.74 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $3.78 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 6.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Mohawk Industries, Inc. will post 9.4 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Mohawk Industries

(Get Rating)

Mohawk Industries, Inc engages in the manufacture, design, and distribution of residential and commercial flooring products. It operates through the following segments: Global Ceramic, Flooring North America (NA), and Flooring Rest of the World (ROW). The Global Ceramic segment manufactures ceramic, porcelain, and natural stone tile products used for wall and floor applications.

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Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $9.45-$9.85 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.59. The company issued revenue guidance of $16.25 billion-$16.57 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $16.33 billion.

Illinois Tool Works Trading Up 0.4 %

Illinois Tool Works stock traded up $0.97 during trading on Friday, hitting $228.16. The company had a trading volume of 404,409 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,093,561. The stock has a market cap of $69.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 1.10. The company has a current ratio of 1.20, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.78. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $234.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $227.51. Illinois Tool Works has a 1-year low of $173.52 and a 1-year high of $253.37.

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Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.23 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.98 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a net margin of 19.27% and a return on equity of 92.13%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.11 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Illinois Tool Works will post 9.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 13th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were given a dividend of $1.31 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $5.24 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.30%. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 52.40%.

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on ITW shares. StockNews.com started coverage on Illinois Tool Works in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $240.00 to $236.00 in a report on Wednesday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a sell rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $259.00 to $282.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on Illinois Tool Works from $213.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $228.21.

Institutional Trading of Illinois Tool Works

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Compass Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $44,000. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Illinois Tool Works by 35.6% during the first quarter. Industrial Alliance Investment Management Inc. now owns 377 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $79,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC boosted its position in Illinois Tool Works by 39.7% during the first quarter. Stonebridge Capital Advisors LLC now owns 704 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $147,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd increased its position in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 70.7% in the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 746 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 309 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lokken Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Illinois Tool Works during the 4th quarter worth $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.83% of the companys stock.

About Illinois Tool Works

(Get Rating)

Illinois Tool Works, Inc engages in the manufacture of industrial products and equipment. It operates through the following segments: Automotive OEM, Test and Measurement and Electronics, Food Equipment, Polymers and Fluids, Welding, Construction Products, and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment produces components and fasteners for automotive-related applications.

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Fair Isaac (NYSE:FICO  Get Rating) had its price target boosted by Jefferies Financial Group from $745.00 to $875.00 in a report released on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Fair Isaac from $463.00 to $685.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. 3M reiterated a maintains rating on shares of Fair Isaac in a research note on Friday, April 28th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Fair Isaac in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Fair Isaac from $655.00 to $725.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Fair Isaac from $743.00 to $759.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Fair Isaac currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $778.71.

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Fair Isaac Stock Performance

Shares of Fair Isaac stock opened at $736.65 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $18.41 billion, a PE ratio of 49.11 and a beta of 1.27. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $695.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $626.94. Fair Isaac has a 1 year low of $340.48 and a 1 year high of $760.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Fair Isaac

In related news, Director Marc F. Mcmorris sold 2,030 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $701.53, for a total transaction of $1,424,105.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 242 shares in the company, valued at $169,770.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link . In other Fair Isaac news, EVP Stephanie Covert sold 1,177 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $700.00, for a total value of $823,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 9,402 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,581,400. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link . Also, Director Marc F. Mcmorris sold 2,030 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $701.53, for a total transaction of $1,424,105.90. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 242 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $169,770.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 4,842 shares of company stock worth $3,446,900. Corporate insiders own 3.37% of the companys stock.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FICO. Boston Partners bought a new position in shares of Fair Isaac during the 3rd quarter valued at $145,023,000. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Fair Isaac during the 4th quarter valued at $100,563,000. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 449,919 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $269,313,000 after purchasing an additional 89,888 shares in the last quarter. Lindsell Train Ltd raised its holdings in Fair Isaac by 9.0% in the 3rd quarter. Lindsell Train Ltd now owns 916,905 shares of the technology companys stock worth $377,802,000 after acquiring an additional 75,475 shares during the period. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Fair Isaac in the 4th quarter worth $39,656,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.75% of the companys stock.

About Fair Isaac

(Get Rating)

Fair Isaac Corp. engages in the provision of decision management solutions. It operates through the following segments: Applications, Scores, and Decision Management Software. The Applications segment includes decision management applications designed for a type of business problem or process such as marketing, account origination, customer management, fraud, collections, and insurance claims management.

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Kunlun Energy Company Limited (OTCMKTS:KLYCY  Get Rating)s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The stock traded as high as $9.31 and last traded at $9.31, with a volume of 249 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.97.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, HSBC downgraded Kunlun Energy from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th.

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Kunlun Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $8.29 and a two-hundred day moving average of $7.74.

Kunlun Energy Company Profile

Kunlun Energy Company Limited, an investment holding company, engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of crude oil and natural gas. It operates through four segments: Natural Gas Sales; Sales of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG); Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) Processing and Terminal; and Exploration and Production.

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Laura Ashley Holdings plc (LON:ALY  Get Rating) crossed below its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of GBX 0.39 ($0.00) and traded as low as GBX 0.39 ($0.00). Laura Ashley shares last traded at GBX 0.39 ($0.00), with a volume of 2,241,518 shares trading hands.

Laura Ashley Stock Up 27.9 %

The firm has a 50-day moving average of GBX 0.39 and a 200 day moving average of GBX 0.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 466.88, a current ratio of 1.07 and a quick ratio of 0.28. The stock has a market capitalization of 2.84 million and a price-to-earnings ratio of -0.17.

Laura Ashley Company Profile

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Laura Ashley Holdings plc engages in retailing furniture, home accessories, decorating, and fashion products in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, and France. It offers furniture for bedroom, living room, and kitchen and dining; sofas and armchairs; chandeliers, pendants, wall lights, table lamps, floor lamps, decorative lighting and accessories, and string lights, as well as lamp shades and bases; furniture, kitchen and bathroom, matt emulsion, and water based paints; and curtain, lining, PVC, and upholstery fabrics.

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Main Street Financial Solutions LLC reduced its stake in The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Get Rating) by 15.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,713 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 1,016 shares during the quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLCs holdings in Charles Schwab were worth $476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IFG Advisory LLC lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. IFG Advisory LLC now owns 6,175 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $443,000 after buying an additional 144 shares in the last quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Desjardins Global Asset Management Inc. now owns 5,136 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $369,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. 1ST Source Bank lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. 1ST Source Bank now owns 24,341 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,749,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Cullen Frost Bankers Inc. now owns 14,110 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,014,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Finally, PDS Planning Inc lifted its position in Charles Schwab by 4.1% during the 4th quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 4,066 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $339,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. 73.49% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $89.00 to $65.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 6th. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Charles Schwab from $83.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 18th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $75.00 to $65.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 29th. Credit Suisse Group upgraded shares of Charles Schwab from a neutral rating to an outperform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $81.50 to $67.50 in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of Charles Schwab from $53.00 to $51.00 in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $69.21.

Insider Transactions at Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab Stock Performance

In related news, insider Bernard J. Clark acquired 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $54.83 per share, with a total value of $274,150.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 120,653 shares in the company, valued at $6,615,403.99. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink . In other news, Chairman Charles R. Schwab sold 188,670 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.07, for a total transaction of $15,106,806.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the chairman now owns 30,856,646 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,470,691,645.22. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink . Also, insider Bernard J. Clark purchased 5,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $54.83 per share, with a total value of $274,150.00. Following the purchase, the insider now directly owns 120,653 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,615,403.99. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here . In the last 90 days, insiders bought 81,000 shares of company stock valued at $4,706,960 and sold 426,866 shares valued at $34,245,329. 6.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Shares of NYSE:SCHW opened at $47.37 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $57.65 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.78. The Charles Schwab Co. has a 12-month low of $45.00 and a 12-month high of $86.63. The firm has a market cap of $84.86 billion, a PE ratio of 12.94, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 0.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Charles Schwab (NYSE:SCHW  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Monday, April 17th. The financial services provider reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.90 by $0.03. Charles Schwab had a net margin of 34.82% and a return on equity of 27.36%. The firm had revenue of $5.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.13 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.77 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 9.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Charles Schwab Co. will post 3.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Charles Schwab Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 26th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 11th. Charles Schwabs dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.32%.

Charles Schwab Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The Charles Schwab Corp. is a savings and loan holding company, which engages in the provision of wealth management, securities brokerage, banking, asset management, custody, and financial advisory services. It operates through the Investor Services and Advisor Services segments. The Investor Services segment includes retail brokerage and banking services to individual investors, and retirement plan services, as well as other corporate brokerage services, to businesses and their employees.

Further Reading

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SCHW? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Charles Schwab Co. (NYSE:SCHW  Get Rating).

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Sandra Betters, the president of Nardin Academy whose removal was demanded by hundreds of parents, alumni, students and faculty, will leave her job at the end of the school year.

Betters will step down from her post as part of an agreement reached late Wednesday night by the school Board of Trustees that included the resignation of nine trustees who advocated for her ouster.

Dr. Sandra Betters has informed the Nardin Academy Board of Trustees that for the betterment of all within the Nardin community, including students and employees, she will be stepping down from her role as president of Nardin Academy as of June 30, the academy statement said.

The statement from the Nardin board of trustees said members will work on a transition plan in the weeks ahead, including hiring an interim president and implementing the school's "Plan for Healing and Growth." That plan, outlined in a message Board Chairwoman Tish Van Dyke sent to the Nardin community on April 20, calls initially for the establishment of broad working groups using recommendations from an assessment report completed this spring.

It also calls for community forums, a Nardin Parents' Council and an Office of DHM Legacy and Mission Integration, providing a "a visible and enduring presence" for the school's founders, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary.

Betters will leave following months of private rancor on the board centered on the head of the school and board chairwoman that came into public view last month.

On Sunday, nearly 200 parents, alumni, former teachers and others gathered in a drizzling rain to urge a change in leadership. A day later, Nardin Together, a recently formed group of parents and others in the academy community, gave trustees until Friday morning to resolve the leadership crisis or face the prospect of dozens of parents sending their kids to different schools in September.

'Nardin is such an important part of our lives': Amid turmoil, some worry about school's future Public accusations of intimidation and distrust leveled by Nardin Academy faculty against the school's leadership have led donors, alumni and parents to demand the resignations of President Sandra Betters and Chairwoman Tish Van Dyke.

"We are grateful to know that Sandra Betters will be leaving Nardin, but we are extremely upset about the loss of the nine board members who courageously spoke out with Nardin's best interests in mind," alumna Martha Mangan of Nardin Together told The News.

"It seems a quid pro quo agreement was reached," she said. "There are many unanswered questions, but we hope this will give current and prospective families confidence in Nardin's future."

A school representative declined to say what the length of Betters' contract is or if she will receive a financial payout when she leaves the job.

Betters started at the school in July 2021, succeeding Marsha Sullivan. During her tenure, she instituted a student uniform policy in the high school, and strengthened the Nardin Experience Fund to help students of less financial means participate fully in Nardin activities.

"We are grateful for Sandra's hard work, professionalism and her unwavering support for educational excellence, Nardin Academy and the Daughters of the Heart of Mary," the academy said in a statement.

The retention of Van Dyke is likely to remain an issue for parents, alumni and major donors who had also called for her resignation. Her term on the board expires in June.

"It concerns me that Tish Van Dyke, who many have called on to resign, continues to wield power," said Robyn Dorsey, an alumna.

The nine trustees, who in April made a public statement calling on Betters and Van Dyke to resign, were unavailable for comment. Betters and Van Dyke also declined to comment beyond the school's statement.

The board's statement thanked the nine trustees for their service. Those resigning are Kristin Bauer, David Beaton, Frank Ewing, Michael Lawley, Christopher Manning, Phil Nobel, Kellie Ulrich, Julie Urban and Tom Zugger.

Opposition to Betters' leadership has been a constant over the past school year, with faculty letters leveling accusations of intimidation and mistrust. The complaints began circulating within the Nardin community after a majority of high school faculty signed letters to the board in September in which they said a lack of leadership from Betters threatened the reputation and stability of Nardin.

"There is daily evidence that our president is intent on continuing to foment a culture of intimidation, mistrust and harassment that is ignorant of  and antithetical to  the educational and Catholic values that have been hallmarks of Nardin Academy for more than 160 years," the teachers wrote.

In the months that followed, critics cited teacher turnover, the schools declining enrollment and a low score on a parent satisfaction survey as examples of problems the Nardin community faced under Betters leadership.

Nardin teacher's removal following use of 'racially charged language' sparked controversy A longtime Nardin Academy teacher lost her job last week, at least in part because of an exchange with a student that the school said involved "racially charged language," although teachers, parents and alumni upset by her departure wonder if it was retaliation for her criticism of the school's leadership last fall.

Complaints about the school's leadership intensified after Betters placed on administrative leave and later fired a veteran science teacher over a classroom incident involving racially charged language. The teacher's firing spawned a walkout of over 250 students.

Betters and Van Dyke, in a previous interview, said the school president was hired with a mandate to make more strides in diversifying the school and implementing other changes to make the school more sustainable for the long term.

Last weekend, 188 families wrote a letter to the school saying they were waiting to find out if changes to the school's leadership would be made before deciding whether to keep their children at Nardin in the fall. Twenty-two former trustees expressed their support with the protesters in a letter to the current trustees, adding their voice to the call for a change in leadership.

The Wednesday trustee meeting sealed Betters' departure.

"As a board, we remain united in our unwavering commitment to serve as custodians of the school's fiduciary and governance oversight, stewards of its mission values, and champions for the legacy of our founders, the Daughters of the Heart of Mary," the board statement released Wednesday night said. "We firmly believe that these decisions are what is best and right for Nardin Academy and the entire Nardin community, especially its current and future students."

Jennifer Parks, an alumna, expressed cautious optimism about Nardin's future.

"We got closure on Sandra departing, but there is more work that needs to be done, Parks said. I am optimistic about the future of Nardin, as long as the board is open to communication and involvement with parents and alumni.

"We all believe in this school and there will always be setbacks, but I think long term the school will be in a better place," she said.
Malvern International Plc (LON:MLVN  Get Rating) shares shot up 3.2% during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 17 ($0.21) and last traded at GBX 16 ($0.20). 56,310 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 56% from the average session volume of 36,049 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 15.50 ($0.19).

Malvern International Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of 4.13 million, a PE ratio of -320.00 and a beta of 1.04. The firms 50 day simple moving average is GBX 13.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is GBX 11.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.50, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 70.89.

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Insider Activity at Malvern International

In other Malvern International news, insider Alan Carroll sold 142,850 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 13 ($0.16), for a total transaction of 18,570.50 ($23,201.52). 47.08% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Malvern International Company Profile

Malvern International Plc, an investment holding company, provides educational consultancy services in the United Kingdom. The company operates Malvern House London; Malvern House Brighton; Language in Action; Communicate School in Manchester; and Malvern Online Academy. Its colleges offer English language courses, professional teacher training programs, juniors and summer camps, and bespoke group courses; and university pathway programs, such as foundation year, year one, graduate diploma, pre-master's program, and academic and pre-sessional English programs.

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Murphy Oil Co. (NYSE:MUR  Get Rating) has been given an average recommendation of Moderate Buy by the twelve brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $47.70.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital reiterated a buy rating on shares of Murphy Oil in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Murphy Oil from $34.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, April 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Murphy Oil from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $41.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com started coverage on Murphy Oil in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Murphy Oil from $44.00 to $43.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 19th.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other Murphy Oil news, VP Louis W. Utsch sold 10,902 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $474,237.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 9,504 shares in the company, valued at $413,424. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Paul D. Vaughan sold 9,500 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $41.30, for a total transaction of $392,350.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 4,716 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $194,770.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Louis W. Utsch sold 10,902 shares of Murphy Oil stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $43.50, for a total value of $474,237.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 9,504 shares in the company, valued at approximately $413,424. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 5.92% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Murphy Oil

Murphy Oil Stock Performance

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MUR. Headlands Technologies LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Toronto Dominion Bank bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. CoreCap Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 4th quarter worth approximately $48,000. Park Place Capital Corp bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $51,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC bought a new stake in Murphy Oil in the 1st quarter worth approximately $73,000. Institutional investors own 77.55% of the companys stock.

Shares of MUR opened at $33.38 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of 5.45 and a beta of 2.37. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $37.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $41.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.73. Murphy Oil has a 1 year low of $25.97 and a 1 year high of $51.28.

Murphy Oil (NYSE:MUR  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 3rd. The oil and gas producer reported $1.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.95 by $0.29. Murphy Oil had a return on equity of 18.82% and a net margin of 24.54%. The company had revenue of $841.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $777.23 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.73 EPS. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 52.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Murphy Oil will post 5.43 EPS for the current year.

Murphy Oil Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.275 per share. This represents a $1.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 12th. Murphy Oils dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.97%.

About Murphy Oil

(Get Rating)

Murphy Oil Corp. is a holding company, which engages in the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. It operates through the Exploration and Production and Corporate and Other segment. The Exploration and Production segment includes the United States, Canada, and all other countries. The Corporate and Other segment focuses on interest income, other gains and losses, interest expense, and unallocated overhead.

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PowerSchool (NYSE:PWSC  Get Rating) had its price objective decreased by research analysts at Piper Sandler from $28.00 to $27.00 in a research note issued on Friday, The Fly reports. Piper Sandlers target price points to a potential upside of 38.39% from the companys previous close.

PWSC has been the subject of several other research reports. Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and set a $27.00 target price on shares of PowerSchool in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on PowerSchool from $19.00 to $24.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Barclays dropped their target price on PowerSchool from $28.00 to $24.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on PowerSchool from $27.00 to $29.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on PowerSchool from $24.00 to $26.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $26.18.

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PowerSchool Trading Down 3.3 %

PWSC opened at $19.51 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a P/E ratio of -130.06 and a beta of 0.91. PowerSchool has a 12 month low of $10.60 and a 12 month high of $26.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $19.98 and a 200 day moving average of $20.99.

Insider Activity at PowerSchool

PowerSchool ( NYSE:PWSC Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.09. The company had revenue of $161.07 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $162.80 million. PowerSchool had a positive return on equity of 7.29% and a negative net margin of 3.30%. As a group, research analysts forecast that PowerSchool will post 0.55 EPS for the current year.

In related news, CEO Hardeep Gulati sold 63,727 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total value of $1,284,736.32. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,344,717 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $47,269,494.72. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Angelina Hendraka sold 1,406 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.23, for a total transaction of $27,037.38. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 140,806 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $2,707,699.38. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Hardeep Gulati sold 63,727 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $20.16, for a total transaction of $1,284,736.32. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2,344,717 shares in the company, valued at $47,269,494.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 4,460,092 shares of company stock valued at $89,807,514 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of PWSC. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,629,874 shares of the companys stock valued at $59,929,000 after acquiring an additional 20,583 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 6.8% in the 4th quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 2,711,045 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,571,000 after acquiring an additional 172,974 shares during the last quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC raised its holdings in PowerSchool by 39.5% in the 4th quarter. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC now owns 2,285,603 shares of the companys stock valued at $52,751,000 after acquiring an additional 647,470 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP increased its holdings in shares of PowerSchool by 21.0% during the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,566,827 shares of the companys stock worth $25,868,000 after buying an additional 271,642 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of PowerSchool by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 1,455,686 shares of the companys stock worth $33,597,000 after buying an additional 265,988 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 61.21% of the companys stock.

About PowerSchool

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PowerSchool Holdings, Inc provides cloud-based software to the K-12 education market. Its solution is embedded in school workflows and is used on daily basis by educators, students, administrators, and parents in schools and districts representing approximately 45 million students worldwide. Its cloud-based technology platform helps schools and districts manage state reporting and related compliance, special education, finance, human resource, talent, registration, attendance, funding, learning, instruction, grading, college and career readiness, assessments, and analytics.

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Premium Brands (TSE:PBH  Get Rating) had its price target hoisted by Scotiabank from C$114.00 to C$120.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, BayStreet.CA reports.

Other equities research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. CIBC cut their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$99.00 to C$98.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 17th. Cormark increased their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$115.00 to C$120.00 in a report on Monday, March 20th. National Bankshares increased their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$122.00 to C$124.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price objective on Premium Brands from C$107.00 to C$104.00 and set a sector perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Premium Brands from C$105.00 to C$111.00 in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of C$118.00.

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Premium Brands Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of PBH stock opened at C$100.11 on Monday. Premium Brands has a 52-week low of C$77.36 and a 52-week high of C$107.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 141.16, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 2.53. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.47 billion, a PE ratio of 28.04, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 0.97. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of C$98.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$90.74.

Premium Brands Increases Dividend

Premium Brands ( TSE:PBH Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 16th. The company reported C$1.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of C$1.35 by C($0.16). Premium Brands had a return on equity of 8.93% and a net margin of 2.66%. The business had revenue of C$1.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of C$1.55 billion. On average, analysts predict that Premium Brands will post 5.1866395 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were paid a dividend of $0.77 per share. This is a boost from Premium Brandss previous quarterly dividend of $0.70. This represents a $3.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.08%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. Premium Brandss payout ratio is presently 86.27%.

Premium Brands Company Profile

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Premium Brands Holdings Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and distributes food products primarily in Canada and the United States. It operates in two segments, Specialty Foods and Premium Food Distribution. The company provides meat products and snacks, deli products, beef jerky and halal, sandwiches, pastries, specialty and gourmet products, salads and kettle products, entrees, panini, wraps, subs, hamburgers, burgers, muffins, breads, pastas, and baking and sushi products, as well as processed meat products and ready-to-eat meals.

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Prestige Wealth Management Group LLC cut its position in General Mills, Inc. (NYSE:GIS  Get Rating) by 85.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 534 shares of the companys stock after selling 3,030 shares during the period. Prestige Wealth Management Group LLCs holdings in General Mills were worth $45,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Cibc World Market Inc. raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 4.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 22,026 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,492,000 after purchasing an additional 1,003 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 45.3% during the first quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,867 shares of the companys stock valued at $397,000 after purchasing an additional 1,828 shares during the last quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 2.1% during the first quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 73,176 shares of the companys stock valued at $4,955,000 after purchasing an additional 1,503 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 2.3% during the first quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 279,604 shares of the companys stock valued at $18,935,000 after purchasing an additional 6,176 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of General Mills by 15.3% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,834 shares of the companys stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 74.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Bethany C. Quam sold 21,734 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.86, for a total transaction of $1,866,081.24. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,560 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,083,501.60. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other General Mills news, insider Jonathon Nudi sold 8,030 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $85.33, for a total value of $685,199.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 83,049 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $7,086,571.17. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Bethany C. Quam sold 21,734 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $85.86, for a total value of $1,866,081.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 47,560 shares in the company, valued at $4,083,501.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.67% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

General Mills Trading Up 0.6 %

Several analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of General Mills from $75.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Barclays raised their price target on shares of General Mills from $81.00 to $83.00 in a research note on Monday, March 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of General Mills from $84.00 to $86.00 in a report on Friday, March 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of General Mills from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, March 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of General Mills from $76.00 to $77.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, March 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $84.76.

General Mills stock opened at $89.40 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.32 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market cap of $52.51 billion, a PE ratio of 19.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.80 and a beta of 0.27. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $84.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.10. General Mills, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.94 and a 52 week high of $89.78.

General Mills (NYSE:GIS  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 23rd. The company reported $0.97 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.06. General Mills had a return on equity of 24.51% and a net margin of 14.04%. The company had revenue of $5.13 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.97 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.84 EPS. The firms revenue was up 13.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that General Mills, Inc. will post 4.23 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

General Mills Company Profile

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General Mills, Inc engages in the manufacture and marketing of branded consumer foods sold through retail stores. The firm operates through the following segments: North America Retail, Europe & Australia, Convenience Stores & Foodservice, Pet, and Asia & Latin America. The North America Retail segment includes grocery stores, mass merchandisers, membership stores, natural food chains, drug, dollar and discount chains and e-commerce grocery providers.

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Quaker Chemical (NYSE:KWR  Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday. The specialty chemicals company reported $1.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.35 by $0.54, Briefing.com reports. Quaker Chemical had a positive return on equity of 7.97% and a negative net margin of 0.82%. The firm had revenue of $500.15 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $485.29 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.42 earnings per share. Quaker Chemicals revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year.

Quaker Chemical Stock Performance

KWR stock traded up $20.66 on Friday, reaching $205.82. The companys stock had a trading volume of 154,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 86,951. Quaker Chemical has a 52 week low of $129.06 and a 52 week high of $216.45. The company has a market capitalization of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of -231.60 and a beta of 1.43. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $190.36 and a two-hundred day moving average of $184.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 2.80 and a quick ratio of 2.00.

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Quaker Chemical Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 28th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th were issued a $0.435 dividend. This represents a $1.74 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, April 13th. Quaker Chemicals dividend payout ratio (DPR) is -195.51%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Insider Buying and Selling

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Quaker Chemical from $200.00 to $220.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. StockNews.com started coverage on Quaker Chemical in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada lowered their target price on Quaker Chemical from $206.00 to $203.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 27th.

In other Quaker Chemical news, Director Michael F. Barry sold 200 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $40,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 90,126 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $18,025,200. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.30% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quaker Chemical

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quaker Chemical by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 2,152,418 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $371,960,000 after acquiring an additional 115,746 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Quaker Chemical by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,568,454 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $226,453,000 after acquiring an additional 21,526 shares during the last quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Quaker Chemical by 7.4% during the 2nd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,359,780 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $203,314,000 after acquiring an additional 93,539 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley lifted its position in shares of Quaker Chemical by 299.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 482,199 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $80,479,000 after acquiring an additional 361,525 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp lifted its position in shares of Quaker Chemical by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 464,490 shares of the specialty chemicals companys stock valued at $67,063,000 after acquiring an additional 5,845 shares during the last quarter. 80.91% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Quaker Chemical

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Quaker Houghton engages in the business of developing, producing, and marketing formulated chemical specialty products. It operates through the following geographical segments: Americas, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific, and Global Specialty Businesses. Its products include can making lubricants, cleaners, coatings, cold rolling oils, corrosion preventives, die casting lubricants, dust suppressants, greases, ground control agents, hot rolling oils, hydraulic fluids, industrial lubricants, longwall fluids, metal forming fluids, metal removal fluids, pickle oils, surface treatments, temper fluids, and tin plating.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG  Get Rating) had its price objective hoisted by Raymond James from $215.00 to $240.00 in a research report released on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on AJG. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $225.00 to $230.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $215.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price objective on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $213.00 to $211.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 17th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $228.00 to $232.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They issued an outperform rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $217.71.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE AJG opened at $210.83 on Monday. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $148.24 and a 12-month high of $212.60. The company has a market cap of $45.05 billion, a PE ratio of 39.12, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.69. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $193.94 and a 200-day simple moving average of $191.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Dividend Announcement

Insider Activity

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.s payout ratio is presently 40.82%.

In other Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. news, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 2,850 shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. stock in a transaction on Friday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.98, for a total transaction of $515,793.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 90,715 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $16,417,600.70. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other news, VP Scott R. Hudson sold 18,700 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $190.66, for a total transaction of $3,565,342.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 42,231 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,051,762.46. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Douglas K. Howell sold 2,850 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.98, for a total value of $515,793.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 90,715 shares in the company, valued at $16,417,600.70. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 27,783 shares of company stock worth $5,262,891 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.60% of the companys stock.

Institutional Trading of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 7.5% in the 1st quarter. U.S. Capital Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,287 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $225,000 after buying an additional 90 shares during the last quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board increased its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 49.0% during the first quarter. Canada Pension Plan Investment Board now owns 5,300 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $925,000 after acquiring an additional 1,744 shares during the period. Prudential PLC acquired a new position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. during the 1st quarter valued at $838,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 37.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,532 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 693 shares during the period. Finally, Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 25.0% in the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 11,184 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $1,953,000 after purchasing an additional 2,235 shares during the last quarter. 82.07% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Company Profile

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following business segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.

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Rayonier (NYSE:RYN  Get Rating) issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday. The real estate investment trust reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.08 by ($0.07), Briefing.com reports. Rayonier had a net margin of 9.94% and a return on equity of 3.44%. The company had revenue of $179.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $210.13 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.20 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was down 19.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Rayonier updated its FY 2023 guidance to $0.36-$0.36 EPS.

Rayonier Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RYN traded up $0.22 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $30.13. The company had a trading volume of 51,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 422,832. Rayonier has a twelve month low of $27.81 and a twelve month high of $42.05. The stock has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 41.54 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a current ratio of 2.12 and a quick ratio of 1.87. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $32.50 and its 200-day simple moving average is $33.79.

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Rayonier Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 17th were issued a dividend of $0.285 per share. This represents a $1.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.78%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 16th. Rayoniers dividend payout ratio is currently 158.34%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rayonier

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Rayonier during the 4th quarter valued at about $376,137,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Rayonier by 18.2% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 3,390,520 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $111,752,000 after purchasing an additional 522,801 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Rayonier by 2.0% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,486,063 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $643,938,000 after purchasing an additional 418,687 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of Rayonier by 31.3% in the 1st quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 1,450,004 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $59,624,000 after buying an additional 345,821 shares during the period. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Rayonier by 52.5% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 574,107 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $18,923,000 after buying an additional 197,533 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.87% of the companys stock.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on RYN. StockNews.com raised Rayonier from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research note on Tuesday. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Rayonier from $39.00 to $36.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 6th.

About Rayonier

(Get Rating)

Rayonier, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in investment in timberlands. It operates through the following business segments: Southern Timber, Pacific Northwest Timber, New Zealand Timber, Real Estate, Timber Funds and Trading. The Southern Timber, Pacific Northwest Timber and New Zealand Timber segments reflect all activities related to the harvesting of timber and other value-added activities, such as recreational licenses, within each respective geography.

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Resources Management Corp CT ADV lowered its position in shares of Salesforce, Inc. (NYSE:CRM  Get Rating) by 10.6% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 9,231 shares of the CRM providers stock after selling 1,092 shares during the quarter. Resources Management Corp CT ADVs holdings in Salesforce were worth $1,224,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of CRM. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 31.4% during the 4th quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,969,323 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $393,703,000 after purchasing an additional 710,269 shares during the last quarter. Semus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $213,000. Herr Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Salesforce during the 4th quarter worth approximately $11,603,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 1,016,011 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $133,565,000 after purchasing an additional 42,602 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cozad Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Salesforce by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Cozad Asset Management Inc. now owns 14,119 shares of the CRM providers stock worth $1,872,000 after purchasing an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.83% of the companys stock.

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Salesforce Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE CRM traded up $3.82 on Friday, reaching $196.20. 1,588,456 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,874,937. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is $188.64 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $163.77. Salesforce, Inc. has a 12 month low of $126.34 and a 12 month high of $200.12. The company has a quick ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.16. The company has a market cap of $192.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 916.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.24.

Salesforce ( NYSE:CRM Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 1st. The CRM provider reported $1.68 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.36 by $0.32. Salesforce had a net margin of 0.66% and a return on equity of 4.48%. The firm had revenue of $8.38 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.99 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.24 earnings per share. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 14.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Salesforce, Inc. will post 4.88 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Salesforce announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, March 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase $20.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the CRM provider to purchase up to 10.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication that the companys board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $185.00 to $225.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Atlantic Securities raised their price target on shares of Salesforce from $140.00 to $200.00 in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Raymond James lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a strong-buy rating in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Salesforce from $236.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Thursday, March 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, twenty-eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $211.24.

Insider Transactions at Salesforce

In other news, CEO Marc Benioff sold 725 shares of Salesforce stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.48, for a total transaction of $122,873.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 27,753,609 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,703,681,653.32. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Sundeep G. Reddy sold 164 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.33, for a total transaction of $32,198.12. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 1,884 shares in the company, valued at approximately $369,885.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Marc Benioff sold 725 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $169.48, for a total transaction of $122,873.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 27,753,609 shares in the company, valued at $4,703,681,653.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 47,931 shares of company stock worth $8,884,870 in the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Salesforce Profile

(Get Rating)

Salesforce, Inc engages in the design and development of cloud-based enterprise software for customer relationship management. Its solutions include sales force automation, customer service and support, marketing automation, digital commerce, community management, collaboration, industry-specific solutions, and salesforce platform.

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River Street Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,643 shares of the asset managers stock, valued at approximately $1,164,000. BlackRock makes up 1.2% of River Street Advisors LLCs holdings, making the stock its 24th biggest holding.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Israel Discount Bank of New York raised its holdings in BlackRock by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Israel Discount Bank of New York now owns 594 shares of the asset managers stock worth $327,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. First Community Trust NA raised its holdings in BlackRock by 18.4% during the 4th quarter. First Community Trust NA now owns 90 shares of the asset managers stock worth $64,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. raised its holdings in BlackRock by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. CAPROCK Group Inc. now owns 1,767 shares of the asset managers stock worth $972,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 55.6% during the 4th quarter. HBC Financial Services PLLC now owns 42 shares of the asset managers stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Evermay Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in BlackRock by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Evermay Wealth Management LLC now owns 544 shares of the asset managers stock worth $386,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.69% of the companys stock.

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BlackRock Stock Performance

BlackRock stock traded up $9.22 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $640.88. The stock had a trading volume of 112,182 shares, compared to its average volume of 675,908. BlackRock, Inc. has a 12 month low of $503.12 and a 12 month high of $785.65. The firms 50-day moving average price is $663.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $693.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $96.29 billion, a PE ratio of 19.59, a P/E/G ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.99, a current ratio of 2.99 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

Insider Transactions at BlackRock

BlackRock ( NYSE:BLK Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 14th. The asset manager reported $7.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $7.71 by $0.22. BlackRock had a return on equity of 13.69% and a net margin of 28.13%. The firm had revenue of $4.24 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.52 earnings per share. The companys revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that BlackRock, Inc. will post 34.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

In related news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $742.31, for a total value of $742,310.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 74,307 shares in the company, valued at $55,158,829.17. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director J. Richard Kushel sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $742.31, for a total value of $742,310.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 74,307 shares in the company, valued at $55,158,829.17. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Marc D. Comerchero sold 650 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $728.66, for a total transaction of $473,629.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 3,055 shares in the company, valued at $2,226,056.30. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 41,024 shares of company stock valued at $28,562,554. 0.96% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on BLK. Credit Suisse Group raised their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $662.00 to $673.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of BlackRock in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of BlackRock from $583.00 to $542.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $829.00 to $861.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of BlackRock from $868.00 to $920.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, April 17th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $756.45.

BlackRock Profile

(Get Rating)

BlackRock, Inc engages in providing investment management, risk management, and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. Its products include single and multi-asset class portfolios investing in equities, fixed income, alternatives, and money market instruments. The company was founded by Susan L.

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A State Supreme Court jury has awarded a $100 million verdict to a local woman who was a victim of child abuse in what is believed to be the largest jury verdict in New York State for a lawsuit filed under the Child Victims Act, according to her lawyer.
River Street Advisors LLC bought a new stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF (NYSEARCA:USRT  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 6,354 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $314,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF by 589.5% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 28,422 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,502,000 after acquiring an additional 24,300 shares in the last quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. lifted its stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 35,154 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,738,000 after acquiring an additional 1,100 shares in the last quarter. Coco Enterprises LLC lifted its stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF by 14.4% in the 3rd quarter. Coco Enterprises LLC now owns 46,386 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,214,000 after acquiring an additional 5,839 shares in the last quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. lifted its stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF by 67.7% in the 3rd quarter. Phoenix Holdings Ltd. now owns 179,979 shares of the companys stock valued at $8,559,000 after acquiring an additional 72,651 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Topel & Distasi Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF by 14.6% in the 3rd quarter. Topel & Distasi Wealth Management LLC now owns 71,090 shares of the companys stock valued at $3,600,000 after acquiring an additional 9,053 shares in the last quarter.

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iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF Trading Up 1.2 %

Shares of iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF stock traded up $0.60 on Friday, reaching $50.73. 24,178 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 335,968. iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF has a one year low of $44.80 and a one year high of $60.33. The company has a market capitalization of $1.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.77 and a beta of 0.94. The company has a 50-day moving average of $49.96 and a 200 day moving average of $50.82.

iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF Company Profile

The iShares Core U.S. REIT ETF (USRT) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the FTSE Nareit \u002F Equity REITs  INV index, a market-cap-weighted index of US-listed REITs USRT was launched on May 1, 2007 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Shares of Select Medical Holdings Co. (NYSE:SEM  Get Rating) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday following a stronger than expected earnings report. 454,428 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 7% from the previous sessions volume of 489,310 shares.The stock last traded at $31.69 and had previously closed at $29.02.

The health services provider reported $0.56 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.19. Select Medical had a net margin of 2.51% and a return on equity of 11.86%. The business had revenue of $1.67 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.65 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 4.1% compared to the same quarter last year.

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Select Medical Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.125 per share. This represents a $0.50 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 2nd. Select Medicals dividend payout ratio is currently 40.65%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Insider Buying and Selling

A number of research firms have weighed in on SEM. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Select Medical in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a buy rating and set a $39.00 price target on shares of Select Medical in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group raised their target price on shares of Select Medical from $24.00 to $29.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $33.75.

In related news, CEO David S. Chernow sold 139,550 shares of Select Medical stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $27.30, for a total transaction of $3,809,715.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 839,550 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $22,919,715. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 19.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 5.3% in the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 183,990 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $4,756,000 after buying an additional 9,266 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,408,413 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $36,407,000 after buying an additional 332,813 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 33.6% in the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 93,381 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $2,414,000 after buying an additional 23,473 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 416.6% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 61,899 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $1,600,000 after buying an additional 49,918 shares during the period. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System boosted its holdings in shares of Select Medical by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 31,275 shares of the health services providers stock valued at $808,000 after buying an additional 1,073 shares during the period. 78.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Select Medical Price Performance

The companys fifty day moving average price is $27.00 and its 200 day moving average price is $26.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.01 and a beta of 1.39.

Select Medical Company Profile

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Select Medical Holdings Corp. engages in the provision of medical rehabilitation services. It operates through the following business segments: Critical Illness Recovery Hospital, Rehabilitation Hospital, Outpatient Rehabilitation and Concentra. The Critical Illness Recovery Hospital segment serves patients with debilitating injuries and rehabilitation needs that cannot be adequately cared in a medically intensive environment, such as a skilled nursing facility.

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Semus Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE:UNH  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm purchased 1,382 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock, valued at approximately $733,000. UnitedHealth Group accounts for approximately 0.9% of Semus Wealth Partners LLCs investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th biggest position.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of UNH. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in shares of UnitedHealth Group by 1,682.4% in the first quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 2,691,542 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock worth $1,372,606,000 after purchasing an additional 2,540,538 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 214.1% during the third quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,648,123 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $832,368,000 after buying an additional 1,123,340 shares in the last quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can bought a new position in UnitedHealth Group during the third quarter valued at about $537,996,000. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 28.3% during the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 4,752,598 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $2,400,252,000 after buying an additional 1,047,892 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in UnitedHealth Group by 1.0% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,969,869 shares of the healthcare conglomerates stock valued at $41,903,103,000 after buying an additional 851,994 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.31% of the companys stock.

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UnitedHealth Group Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE UNH traded up $11.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $498.86. 648,330 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,474,807. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market cap of $465.36 billion, a PE ratio of 22.28, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.68. The companys fifty day moving average is $486.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $505.26. UnitedHealth Group Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $449.70 and a fifty-two week high of $558.10.

UnitedHealth Group Dividend Announcement

UnitedHealth Group ( NYSE:UNH Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, April 14th. The healthcare conglomerate reported $6.26 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $6.24 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $91.93 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $89.77 billion. UnitedHealth Group had a return on equity of 27.05% and a net margin of 6.16%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 14.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $5.49 EPS. On average, analysts expect that UnitedHealth Group Incorporated will post 24.98 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 21st. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 13th were issued a $1.65 dividend. This represents a $6.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.32%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 10th. UnitedHealth Groups dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently commented on UNH. Loop Capital upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $600.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, April 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $617.00 to $627.00 in a report on Monday, April 17th. UBS Group reduced their target price on UnitedHealth Group from $590.00 to $550.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 18th. Raymond James reaffirmed a strong-buy rating and set a $630.00 target price on shares of UnitedHealth Group in a report on Friday, April 14th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on UnitedHealth Group from $596.00 to $562.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, thirteen have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $600.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at UnitedHealth Group

In other news, CEO Andrew Witty sold 6,160 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.49, for a total transaction of $3,002,938.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 86,564 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $42,199,084.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Erin Mcsweeney sold 1,684 shares of UnitedHealth Group stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $488.46, for a total transaction of $822,566.64. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,675 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $4,237,390.50. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Andrew Witty sold 6,160 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $487.49, for a total value of $3,002,938.40. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 86,564 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $42,199,084.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,852 shares of company stock valued at $4,313,962 in the last 90 days. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

UnitedHealth Group Profile

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UnitedHealth Group, Inc engages in the provision of health care coverage, software, and data consultancy services. It operates through the following segments: UnitedHealthcare, OptumHealth, OptumInsight, and OptumRx. The UnitedHealthcare segment utilizes Optums capabilities to help coordinate patient care, improve affordability of medical care, analyze cost trends, manage pharmacy benefits, work with care providers more effectively, and create a simpler consumer experience.

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Spire (NYSE:SR  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY23 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $4.20-4.30 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $4.25. Spire also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $4.20-$4.30 EPS.

Spire Stock Performance

SR traded up $1.17 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.56. The stock had a trading volume of 321,089 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,378. The firm has a market cap of $3.66 billion, a PE ratio of 14.77, a P/E/G ratio of 3.79 and a beta of 0.49. Spire has a 12 month low of $61.52 and a 12 month high of $78.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.35. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $69.93.

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Spire (NYSE:SR  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The utilities provider reported $3.70 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $3.49 by $0.21. Spire had a net margin of 9.69% and a return on equity of 9.75%. The firm had revenue of $1.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $887.98 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.42 EPS. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 27.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Spire will post 4.24 EPS for the current year.

Spire Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 5th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 12th will be given a $0.72 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 9th. This represents a $2.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.14%. Spires dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.20%.

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Spire from $69.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. TheStreet upgraded shares of Spire from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Spire from $70.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Spire in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus downgraded shares of Spire from a buy rating to a hold rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $73.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Monday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and eight have issued a hold rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $70.63.

Institutional Trading of Spire

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SR. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Spire by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 5,345 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 142 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Spire by 15.2% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 5,593 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $402,000 after buying an additional 736 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Spire by 9.0% in the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 7,826 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $562,000 after buying an additional 645 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can increased its holdings in Spire by 4.8% in the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 26,019 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $1,868,000 after buying an additional 1,196 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can increased its holdings in Spire by 13.0% in the 1st quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 61,725 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $4,635,000 after buying an additional 7,086 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.86% of the companys stock.

Spire Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Spire Inc operates as a public utility holding company, which provides natural gas service through its utility operations while engaging in non-regulated activities. It operates through the Gas Utility and Gas Marketing Business segments. The Gas Utility segment includes the regulated operations of Laclede Gas Company and Alabama Gas Corporation.

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TELUS International (Cda) Inc. (NYSE:TIXT  Get Rating)s stock price fell 5.6% during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as $17.43 and last traded at $17.44. 100,703 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 18% from the average session volume of 123,064 shares. The stock had previously closed at $18.48.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently commented on TIXT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of TELUS International (Cda) from $30.00 to $27.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 9th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of TELUS International (Cda) from $29.00 to $26.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Canaccord Genuity Group started coverage on shares of TELUS International (Cda) in a research note on Monday, April 24th. They issued a buy rating for the company. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of TELUS International (Cda) from $38.00 to $29.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of TELUS International (Cda) from $23.00 to $22.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $26.92.

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TELUS International (Cda) Trading Down 6.8 %

The company has a current ratio of 1.26, a quick ratio of 1.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $20.46 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $21.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.72.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On TELUS International (Cda)

TELUS International (Cda) ( NYSE:TIXT Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported $0.34 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $630.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $626.26 million. TELUS International (Cda) had a return on equity of 17.90% and a net margin of 7.41%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that TELUS International will post 1.11 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of TIXT. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of TELUS International (Cda) during the first quarter valued at approximately $46,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SNC acquired a new position in shares of TELUS International (Cda) during the third quarter valued at approximately $101,000. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ raised its holdings in shares of TELUS International (Cda) by 343.0% during the third quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 5,094 shares of the companys stock valued at $133,000 after acquiring an additional 3,944 shares during the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its holdings in shares of TELUS International (Cda) by 388.5% during the third quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,154 shares of the companys stock valued at $135,000 after acquiring an additional 4,099 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC raised its holdings in shares of TELUS International (Cda) by 204.8% during the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 6,400 shares of the companys stock valued at $167,000 after acquiring an additional 4,300 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 18.27% of the companys stock.

TELUS International (Cda) Company Profile

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TELUS International (Cda) Inc provides customer experience and digital business services in Europe, North America, the Asia-Pacific, and the Central America. It offers digital experience solutions, such as AI and bots, omnichannel CX, mobility solutions, cloud contact center, big data, platform transformation, and UX/UI design; and customer experience solutions, including work anywhere/work from home, customer care, technical support, sales growth and retention, and healthcare/patient experience.

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The North American Income Trust plc (LON:NAIT  Get Rating) reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The stock traded as low as GBX 269 ($3.36) and last traded at GBX 274.99 ($3.44), with a volume of 114590 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 273 ($3.41).

The North American Income Trust Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of 385.15 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 945.17 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.57, a quick ratio of 7.40 and a current ratio of 10.20. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 285.01 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 299.82.

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The North American Income Trust Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 4th will be paid a GBX 3.50 ($0.04) dividend. This represents a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 4th. This is a boost from The North American Income Trusts previous dividend of $2.50. The North American Income Trusts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 3,793.10%.

About The North American Income Trust

The North American Income Trust plc is an exchange traded fund launched and managed by Aberdeen Fund Managers Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United States. It seeks to invest in the stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund invests in the stocks of large-cap companies, within the market capitalization range of S&P 500 Index.

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Thomson Reuters Co. (TSE:TRI  Get Rating) (NYSE:TRI)  Equities researchers at National Bank Financial issued their FY2025 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Thomson Reuters in a report released on Tuesday, May 2nd. National Bank Financial analyst A. Shine anticipates that the company will post earnings per share of $5.75 for the year. The consensus estimate for Thomson Reuters current full-year earnings is $4.58 per share.

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Several other research analysts also recently commented on the company. National Bankshares raised their target price on Thomson Reuters from C$170.00 to C$184.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Securities raised their target price on Thomson Reuters from C$175.00 to C$185.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Thomson Reuters from C$182.00 to C$184.00 in a research note on Wednesday.

Thomson Reuters Trading Down 5.2 %

Shares of TRI opened at C$161.20 on Friday. Thomson Reuters has a fifty-two week low of C$119.23 and a fifty-two week high of C$180.93. The business has a 50-day moving average of C$172.45 and a 200 day moving average of C$160.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 42.04, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of C$76.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.27.

Thomson Reuters (TSE:TRI  Get Rating) (NYSE:TRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported C$0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of C$0.86 by C$0.13. Thomson Reuters had a return on equity of 10.82% and a net margin of 20.19%. The company had revenue of C$2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of C$2.36 billion.

Thomson Reuters Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 18th will be given a dividend of $0.49 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 17th. This represents a $1.96 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Thomson Reuterss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 69.41%.

About Thomson Reuters

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Thomson Reuters Corporation provides business information services in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. It operates in five segments: Legal Professionals, Corporates, Tax & Accounting Professionals, Reuters News, and Global Print. The Legal Professionals segment offers research and workflow products focusing on legal research and integrated legal workflow solutions that combine content, tools, and analytics to law firms and governments.

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Trillium Asset Management LLC bought a new position in AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC  Get Rating) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 2,799 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $464,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in AmerisourceBergen by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 19,220,144 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,601,062,000 after acquiring an additional 292,173 shares during the period. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in AmerisourceBergen by 2.4% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,990,466 shares of the companys stock worth $946,020,000 after purchasing an additional 165,682 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its position in AmerisourceBergen by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 5,201,488 shares of the companys stock worth $861,279,000 after purchasing an additional 159,849 shares during the period. Edmp Inc. raised its stake in AmerisourceBergen by 16,285.3% during the 4th quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 2,295,746 shares of the companys stock valued at $13,854,000 after buying an additional 2,281,735 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of AmerisourceBergen by 42.3% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,079,491 shares of the companys stock valued at $321,717,000 after buying an additional 618,248 shares during the period. 84.79% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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AmerisourceBergen Stock Performance

AmerisourceBergen stock opened at $166.59 on Friday. AmerisourceBergen Co. has a fifty-two week low of $135.14 and a fifty-two week high of $174.63. The company has a market capitalization of $33.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $160.19 and a 200-day moving average price of $161.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 9.13, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.89.

AmerisourceBergen Announces Dividend

AmerisourceBergen ( NYSE:ABC Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The company reported $3.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $3.29 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $63.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $60.40 billion. AmerisourceBergen had a return on equity of 809.53% and a net margin of 0.65%. The businesss revenue was up 9.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $3.22 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that AmerisourceBergen Co. will post 11.8 earnings per share for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.485 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 11th. This represents a $1.94 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.16%. AmerisourceBergens dividend payout ratio is presently 24.94%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of AmerisourceBergen from a c rating to a b+ rating in a research report on Tuesday. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of AmerisourceBergen from $170.00 to $174.00 in a research report on Wednesday. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a strong-buy rating on the stock. Citigroup initiated coverage on AmerisourceBergen in a report on Friday, March 31st. They issued a buy rating and a $185.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an outperform rating and issued a $185.00 target price on shares of AmerisourceBergen in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, AmerisourceBergen presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $181.62.

Insider Transactions at AmerisourceBergen

In other AmerisourceBergen news, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total value of $1,574,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 257,967 shares in the company, valued at $38,695,050. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other AmerisourceBergen news, CEO Steven H. Collis sold 10,499 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.00, for a total transaction of $1,574,850.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 257,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $38,695,050. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Lazarus Krikorian sold 5,711 shares of AmerisourceBergen stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $155.82, for a total transaction of $889,888.02. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 18,732 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,918,820.24. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 28,633 shares of company stock valued at $4,522,208 in the last quarter. 20.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

AmerisourceBergen Company Profile

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AmerisourceBergen Corp. engages in the provision of pharmaceutical products and business solutions that improve access to care. It operates through the Pharmaceutical Distribution Services and Other segments. The Pharmaceutical Distribution Services segment distributes an offering of brand-name, specialty brand-name and generic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter healthcare products, home healthcare supplies and equipment, and related services to healthcare providers, including acute care hospitals and health systems, independent and chain retail pharmacies, mail order pharmacies, medical clinics, and long-term care and alternate site pharmacies.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABC? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for AmerisourceBergen Co. (NYSE:ABC  Get Rating).

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Walker River Resources Corp. (CVE:WRR  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.17 and last traded at C$0.17, with a volume of 46600 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.17.

Walker River Resources Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$0.19 and a 200 day moving average of C$0.27. The company has a market capitalization of C$6.31 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -3.40 and a beta of 1.53.

Walker River Resources Company Profile

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Walker River Resources Corp., an exploration stage company, engages in the identification, exploration, and evaluation of mineral properties in Canada. Its flagship property is the 100% owned Lapon Canyon gold project with 147 claims located in Nevada. The company was formerly known as Rhino Exploration Inc and changed its name to Walker River Resources Corp.

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Quilter Plc cut its holdings in Xylem Inc. (NYSE:XYL  Get Rating) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 299,325 shares of the industrial products companys stock after selling 16,683 shares during the quarter. Quilter Plc owned about 0.17% of Xylem worth $33,096,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Xylem by 32.3% during the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 393 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 4,196 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $464,000 after buying an additional 96 shares in the last quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Baker Tilly Wealth Management LLC now owns 5,136 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $568,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Xylem by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 3,145 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $348,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Utah Retirement Systems lifted its holdings in Xylem by 0.3% in the 3rd quarter. Utah Retirement Systems now owns 32,029 shares of the industrial products companys stock worth $2,798,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the last quarter. 83.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently weighed in on XYL. Cowen boosted their target price on Xylem from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Xylem from $105.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 18th. Citigroup cut their target price on Xylem from $123.00 to $121.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com began coverage on Xylem in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Mizuho reiterated a neutral rating and issued a $105.00 price target on shares of Xylem in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $114.80.

Insider Transactions at Xylem

Xylem Stock Performance

In other news, SVP Hayati Yarkadas sold 15,942 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.43, for a total value of $1,601,055.06. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 12,146 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,219,822.78. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . In other news, CEO Patrick Decker sold 56,298 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $98.19, for a total transaction of $5,527,900.62. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 287,564 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,235,909.16. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website . Also, SVP Hayati Yarkadas sold 15,942 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.43, for a total transaction of $1,601,055.06. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 12,146 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,219,822.78. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 0.89% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Shares of XYL traded up $0.91 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $107.24. The company had a trading volume of 641,627 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,622,404. The firm has a market cap of $19.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 54.25, a PEG ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.07. The company has a quick ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.54. The business has a fifty day moving average of $101.71 and a 200-day moving average of $105.69. Xylem Inc. has a 12 month low of $72.08 and a 12 month high of $118.58.

Xylem (NYSE:XYL  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.62 by $0.10. Xylem had a return on equity of 15.72% and a net margin of 6.43%. The firm had revenue of $1.45 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. The companys revenue was up 13.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Xylem Inc. will post 3.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Xylem Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 22nd were given a $0.33 dividend. This is a boost from Xylems previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 21st. Xylems dividend payout ratio is 67.35%.

Xylem Profile

(Get Rating)

Xylem, Inc engages in the design, manufacture, and application of engineered technologies for the water industry. It operates through the following business segments: Water Infrastructure, Applied Water, and Measurement and Control Solutions. The Water Infrastructure segment focuses on the transportation, treatment and testing of water.

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As a soon-to-be octogenarian, I wish to apologize to our younger Americans for the failures my generation have left you to deal with.

We leave you a divided America and a partisan government renowned for its gridlock. There is no peace in the world. My generation has been incapable of solving the great problems of our era; poverty, crime and civility in our society. Violence prevails inside and outside our country. Educators and medical scientists are scorned and abused.

You will have to deal with an astronomical national debt that soars into the trillions. The division between the rich and the poor has never been more prevalent. Worker pensions, good and affordable health care coverage is a rarity and union job protection, the only hope for dignity and security for the American workers, has waned. And sadly, we have left the great unknown, climate change, for your generation to deal with.

We have given leadership of our great country to a lanky Texan, a B-list actor, a reality show phony and a C student with political connections. They have led us into unwinnable wars at great cost to our country in blood, treasure and esteem. Our moral compass has been questioned.

Special interest lobbyists write our legislation and the cost of running for public office is prohibitive for a working-class American. A pseudo, trickle down economic philosophy was foisted upon Americans, further dividing the rich and the poor. Shock jocks dominate the air waves spewing half-truths and deceptions.

Shamefully, my generation has not been up to the task of creating a better world. You will suffer the sins of the father. Fortunately, your heritage is a nation with a foundation of freedom, integrity and equality. Technology and innovation always amazes. Our success in science, medicine and engineering has been nothing short of magnificent.

So hope springs eternal. Miracles do happen. I offer you my best.

Stephen J. Muscarella

East Amherst
With some opinion polls and history giving a slight edge to Congress in Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters are now pinning their hopes on star campaigner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to give it a last-minute push to cross the halfway mark. Modis appeal amongst the masses, his ability to establish an emotional connection with the voters, and his demi-god status, all make him capable of hitting a last-ball six required to win. In his campaigns, he has been targeting both the Congress and the JD(S) exhorting people to vote for BJP for a stable government in the state. Modi Factor Quantified The Modi factor is the additional votes that the PM brings to the BJP fold on account of his charisma/personal capital. These voters may not necessarily be ideologically aligned with the party. It increased from 27 percent in 2014 to 32 percent in the 2019 general elections, according to CSDS surveys. The Modi factor accounted for 77 percent of the lead which the NDA enjoyed vis-a-vis the UPA in 2019. Modi Factor & State Polls While state elections are contested on local issues rather than national issues, the Modi factor has helped BJP and its allies (NDA) win state after state since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. So can he salvage the situation in Karnataka? There are two scenarios in states, one where BJP is in power, the other where BJP is in opposition. Modi 1.0: Between 2014 and 2019 In the period 2014 to 2019, NDA formed governments in 15 states while it lost power in four states. In 13 out of the 15 states it was in opposition. The party made these battles into a Modi versus the incumbent Chief Minister positioning the PM as the harbinger of change and growth under whose guardianship the state would prosper (double engine sarkar). In six states, NDA was the incumbent (MP, Goa, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab). BJP lost 4 of these states. In these states, the Modi factor was negligible as voters took the performance of governments into account while casting their ballots. In states where the party is in power, the performance of the state government is one of the key considerations for the voters. The party already has a face (in the CM) with baggage (good or bad). The Modi factor wasnt enough to tide over the performance track record of incumbent chief ministers. Voters increasingly are voting differently in state and national elections. Modi tujhse bair nahin, Vasundhara teri khair nahin, a popular slogan in 2018 in Rajasthan epitomises this trend. Modi 2.0: Between 2019 and now During this period, most state governments have got re-elected like Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Tripura while the party lost in Jharkhand and scraped through in Haryana with a post-poll alliance. Wherever the party won, the CMs were popular, while in a few states, it changed the CMs before the polls to negate anti-incumbency. In UP, the Modi factor was 8 percent only as per the Axis exit poll, against 32 percent in general elections. It didnt work in Delhi, Odisha and Bengal, where BJP was in opposition and the chief ministers were powerful. His Karnataka Campaign Tactics Modi is holding 20 rallies in the state, the same as in 2018, along with roadshows in Bengaluru. A victory in the urban centre has eluded the BJP in the last two polls and Modi is paying special focus here. Each of his rallies targets voters from 5-6 adjoining constituencies for maximum impact and amplification of messaging. He is using different messaging for different segments of voters. In Coastal Karnataka where the Hindutva card works, Modi branded Congress as an anti-national and dynastic party. To counter the 40 percent commission charge of Congress, he alleged that the grand old party wants to make Karnataka its ATM. Sniffing an opportunity as Congress promises to ban Bajrang Dal in its manifesto, Modi has started chanting Bajrang bali ki jai in his election rallies. He is using every trick in the book. The Modi factor works differently when the party is in power and when out of power in states. In 2018 despite the favourable history of Karnataka favouring a new government and the Modi factor, BJP couldn't touch the majority mark. Basavaraj Bommai is lagging behind Siddaramaiah (22 percent vs 40 percent) in the Who is best suited to be CM question in CSDS survey. Can Modi reduce this gap? It is a herculean task even for PM Modi. Amitabh Tiwari is a former corporate and investment banker-turned-political strategist and commentator. Twitter: @politicalbaaba. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said on May 4 that the Indian market is at a "tipping point" since there are a lot of people coming into the middle class, highlighting the country's rising importance for the iPhone maker. During the company's earnings conference call, Cook reiterated that India is an "incredibly exciting market" and a "major focus" for Apple. "Looking at the business in India, we did set a quarterly record and grew very strong double digits year over year, so it was quite a good quarter for us," Cook said. These comments come on the back of Apple's significant retail expansion in the country in the past month. Cook visited India in April 2023 after nearly seven years to launch two retail outlets, one in Mumbai and another in Delhi. During his India trip, Cook also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, and junior IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar, affirming the tech giant's investment commitments to the world's second largest smartphone market. Apple is betting on India to become a key manufacturing hub in order to diversify its manufacturing capabilities beyond China, thanks in part to incentives provided by the government through its production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for smartphones. The firm clocked iPhone exports of about $5 billion-$5.5 billion from India in FY23, accounting for nearly half of the country's mobile phone exports, according to estimates from industry sources. Read: Apple BKC store opens in Mumbai, signaling the iPhone maker's growing India ambitions Apple also continues to lead India's premium smartphone market (above Rs 30,000) in Q1 2023 with a 36 percent market share, according to the market research firm Counterpoint Research. It clocked record shipments of over 6.5 million in 2022, registering a 16 percent growth YoY, the firm noted. The company's overall market share in the country's smartphone market is still modest, at an estimated 6 percent. Benefiting from the growing premiumisation trend among Indian consumers, Apple has clocked record revenue growth in terms of iPhone sales in India in recent quarters. Apple's India sales have reportedly jumped to nearly $6 billion in FY23 from $4 billion in FY22. "Overall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there. I was just there, and the dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable" Cook said. During the call, Apple CFO Luca Maestri said that iPhone sales set a March quarter record of $51.3 billion revenue, due to strong performance in emerging markets such as India, Indonesia, Turkey and the UAE, with revenue doubling in these markets on a year-over-year basis. In response to an analyst query that drew comparison between India today and China about a decade ago, Cook said that "each country is different and has their own journey". "What I do see in India is a lot of people entering the middle class, and I'm hopeful that we can convince some number of them to buy an iPhone," he said. Cook mentioned that they also see opportunities across the board in the country, including its burgeoning services business. "Obviously, the ARPUs are lower in India than other regions for whether you're talking about TV and movie streaming. But if you look at it over a long arc of time, I think there's a good opportunity across the board" he said. Apple currently offers its music streaming, video streaming and its video game subscription service at competitive prices to Indian consumers, although a range of services including Apple's mobile payment service Apple Pay or other services such as News+ and Fitness+ are yet to make their way into the country. Globally, Apple has over 975 million paid subscriptions across various services on its platform, Cook said during the call. Overall, the company posted its second straight quarter of revenue decline on a yearly basis. For the quarter ended April 1, 2023, Apple's revenue dipped 3 percent year-on-year to $94.8 billion. Our year-over-year business performance improved compared to the December quarter, and we generated strong operating cash flow of $28.6 billion while returning over $23 billion to shareholders during the quarter, Maestri said.
The Bharatiya Janata Party is not indulging in so-called freebie politics, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, the Union Minister of State for Electronics & Information Technology and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, said on May 5. Certainly our manifesto doesnt compare at all with what the Congress has done. We have not done any freebie politics, the minister, who was the keynote speaker at the Moneycontrol Policy Next - The Big Karnataka Resurgence event in Bengaluru, said. Ours is not a party nor is our government vested on the idea that we will give things to people in return for their votes. We have a development vision. People are looking for a better future and not for handouts, the minister said fireside chat with Moneycontrol Deputy Editor Shweta Punj. The politics of handouts or buying votes by giving some crumbs is the politics of the 70s and the Congress has not made transition to politics of aspirations, he added. However, Aiyshwarya Mahadev, General Secretary - Media & Communications, Indian National Congress, Karnataka, said that after the pandemic, people have gone back to the conversation of food, clothing, and shelter. Karnataka goes to the polls on May 10, with the result in the key southern state impacting the national mood in the run up to the next year's general elections. Over the last year or so, Indian politicians have been trading barbs over freebies being offered by their opponents. Freebies are broadly defined as a public welfare measure that is provided free of charge. The freebies The BJP's manifesto, made public on May 1, promises free provision of three cooking gas cylinders per year to below-poverty-line families, a scheme through which these families will get half a litre of milk per day and five kilograms of ration per month, and matching deposits made by women of SC, ST households of up to Rs 10,000 for a period of up to five years. It also promises higher subsidy for dairy farmers and millet cultivation, free transportation of farm, dairy, and horticultural products from villages to urban markets, free annual health check-ups for senior citizens, increase in pensions for widows to Rs 2,000 per month from Rs 800, and the most striking of them all  a one-time grant of Rs 25,000 to poor families to undertake travels to places of religious importance such as Tirupati and Ayodhya. Congress promises 200 units of free electricity per household, free bus travel for women, an unemployment benefit of Rs 3,000 per month to jobless graduates, and interest-free loans to women to buy two cows or buffalos. Further, police officials on night duty will get a special allowance of Rs 5,000 per month as well as one month's extra salary. Janata Dal (Secular) offers Rs 2 lakh cash incentive to brides of young farmers, five free cooking gas cylinders per year, and loan waivers for women self-help groups; Aam Aadmi Party  free electricity to the tune of 300 units, free bus travel for students, and a one-time loan waiver for small farmers.
Garlic has emerged as the star performer in Indias spice export basket in 2022-23, outclassing other major shipments, thanks to the rising demand and high prices and diminished presence of the Chinese variety in global markets. Major export items of spices, such as chili, cumin, mint products and spice oleoresins, have all declined while garlic shipments have zoomed 165 percent in volumes from April to January 2022-23, compared to the same period in the previous year, as per Spices Board data. At 47,329 tonnes for the 10 months, garlic export has surpassed the peak of 46,980 tonnes in 2017-18. With figures for two more months yet to come in, garlic export is expected to cross 50,000 tonnes. In terms of value, there is a 34 percent rise in 10 months at Rs 205.57 crore. In 2021-22, Indias garlic exports stood at 22,181 tonnes, worth Rs 186.19 crore. China in the global garlic market ``The China garlic crop is down by 20-25 percent. This has raised export enquiries for Indian garlic, particularly from some West Asian and African countries, said Vijay Hotwani, managing director of Varchasva Agro, an exporting firm based in Madhya Pradesh, the largest garlic-producing state in the country. China accounts for around 75 percent of the global garlic output, making it the largest producer by a large margin. Its production comes to 20-25 million tonnes (MT), most of which is consumed locally. India ranks a distant second in garlic production with 3.27 MT in FY22, and like China, the major share goes for domestic consumption. Indian garlic is different in quality than the Chinese variety and it is cheaper. China garlic is bigger in size, less pungent and has more colour. Fresh Indian garlic prices are in the range of $450-$1,000 per tonne, depending on the size. China garlic is selling around $1,250 a tonne, Hotwani said. The clove size of the Chinese variety ranges from 40-50 mm, compared with 25-30 mm of the Indian variety. Chinese garlic is preferred by buyers in the US, Europe and West Asia. Indias exports are mostly to Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal and Vietnam. Why is there a demand for Indian garlic now? With the rise in prices of Chinese garlic, some West Asian countries, like Turkey, and African countries, have turned to India for purchases. Europe and the US are going for China garlic despite the high price. "But if the price rises to $1,500 per tonne, they may turn to India. Our garlic, produced in Himachal Pradesh, is similar in quality to China, with bigger cloves and higher prices. Maybe these countries should look at garlic from India, Hotwani pointed out. Last year, China cut down its shipments because of Covid-19 and for stocking up for domestic consumption in the wake of rising fuel costs. A significant share of garlic export from China is in the dried form of flakes. Shipments fell as high fuel costs forced China to impose curbs on drying garlic. Indias export comprises more fresh garlic. But in the last few years, the demand for garlic flakes from India has surged. "Higher demand for Indian garlic flakes began in 2013 when prices of Chinese flakes escalated. In the last few years, several West Asian countries have been buying garlic flakes from India, apart from Far Eastern countries. Our flakes are 40 percent cheaper than Chinese garlic flakes, said Murtuza Badami, MD of Murtuza Foods, a leading exporter of garlic flakes. Higher incentives for garlic flakes Higher incentives for garlic flakes have also aided export. According to a market report of the Olam group, a major global agri-products company, garlic planted acreage for CY23 in China is estimated to be lower than last years. This is driven by the slow demand for fresh garlic, weak market prices, and higher support prices for wheat as well as high inventories/carry forward from the last crop for both fresh garlic and dehydrated flakes. Prices of garlic flakes saw an uptick in the run-up to the Chinese New Year, driven by the increased realisation of the reduced acreage as well as weakness in the US dollar. Most of the carry-forward flake is in the hands of exporters, processors, or speculators, who could hold inventories for long periods and have been aggressively driving prices, the report added. The Indian garlic production is also expected to be down by 20-25 percent because of untimely excess rains. The production is expected to range from 2.4 to 2.7 MT. The arrivals have started. The shortage could drive up the local prices of garlic, Badami said.
India plans to stop building new coal-fired power plants, apart from those already in the pipeline, by removing a key clause from the final draft of its National Electricity Policy (NEP), in a major boost to fight climate change, sources said. The draft, if approved by the federal cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, would make China the only major economy open to fresh requests to add significant new coal-fired capacity. India and China account for about 80% of all active coal projects as most developing nations wind down capacity to meet climate targets. As of January 2023, only 20 countries have more than one coal project planned, according to E3G, an independent climate think tank. "After months of deliberations, we have arrived at a conclusion that we would not need new coal additions apart from the ones already in pipeline," one of three government sources said. The sources declined to be identified as they are not authorised to speak to the media. India's power ministry did not respond to requests seeking comment. The new policy, if approved, would not impact the 28.2 GW of coal-based power in various stages of construction, the sources said. China and India have together been lobbying for freedom for countries to choose a roadmap to cut emissions. India, whose proposed coal power capacity is the highest after China, had repeatedly refused to set a timeline to phase out coal, citing low per-capita emissions, surging renewable energy capacity and demand for inexpensive fuel sources. Coal is expected to be the dominant fuel in generating electricity in India for decades, but activists have pressed for a halt to new coal-fired plants, arguing this would at least help to reduce the share of the polluting fuel in overall power output. The draft, India's first attempt at revising its electricity policy enacted in 2005, also proposes delaying the retirement of old coal-fired plants until energy storage for renewable power becomes financially viable, the sources said. So far, old coal-fired power plants with a cumulative capacity of 13 GW have been earmarked for functioning post retirement deadline to meet high power demand, they said. CHANGE IN STANCE In the first draft of the NEP in 2021, India had said it may add new coal-fired capacity, though it proposed tighter technology standards to reduce pollution. The Central Electricity Authority, an advisory body to the federal power ministry, had said last year India might have to add as much as 28 GW of new coal-fired power in addition to the plants under construction to address surging power demand. However, the final draft, which will guide India's policymaking on energy over the next decade, features no references to new coal-fired power, the sources said. In contrast, China's National Development and Reform Commission said in a March 2022 document that outlined its energy policy, that the world's largest coal user "will rationally build advanced coal-fired power plants based on development needs." China plans to build some 100 new coal-fired power plants to back up wind and solar capacity, which analysts said goes against Beijing's stated intention to reduce the role of coal. The policy revision could also impact long-term coal prices and miners in Indonesia, Australia and South Africa, as India is the world's second-largest coal importer.
Global tech giant Googles action against digital lending mobile apps on its Play Store may create more competition for non-banking financial companies (NBFCs), said experts. Recently, Google said that it has taken necessary enforcement action against more than 3,500 personal loan apps in 2022, which includes removing them from the Store for violating its policy requirements. The tech major has also revamped its guidelines for digital lenders under which these apps cannot access personal and other sensitive details of users. Going ahead, experts said that these digital lenders will opt for an NBFC licence with the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). More digital lenders are expected to approach the RBI for an NBFC registration certificate as Google's policies for hosting lending applications on its Play Store will tighten further, said Ram Rastogi, Chairman of Fintech Association for Consumer Empowerment (FACE). Some serious players would go for NBFC licences after the actions by Google, said Shachindra Nath, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, U Gro Capital. Actions against lenders The tech giant, in a bid to crack down on unregistered and fraudulent lenders, in the past two years, has taken strict actions on digital lending apps. In August 2022, Google blocked 2,000 personal loan providers from its app marketplace in India. The companys actions include app rejection, suspension, restricting the discoverability of the app, making it available only in certain regions and even terminating the developer account of the app maker. In 2021, Google revised its Play Store developer program policy for financial services apps, mandating additional requirements for personal loan apps in the country. The rise in digital lending by unregistered and fraudulent apps has been a major concern that has had the government, RBI as well as the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in a bind. The issue dates back to 2020 when instances of high-handed loan recovery methods by these apps that lend to unsuspecting customers at high rates pushed many to commit suicide. Experts highlighted that the RBI has time and again warned digital lenders to work on their lending business under its digital guidelines. The central bank has made it clear for lending apps to adhere to and work under its guidelines. Those lenders who wish to explore services other than lending need to apply for a licence so that proper regulation takes place, said Aditya Kumar, CEO and Co Founder of Niro. Also read: Alternative funding, tech-friendly and personalised services to boost digital lending, say experts What about competition? The lending market in India grew 11.1 percent to Rs 174.3 lakh crore as of March 2022, as compared to the previous fiscal year, credit bureau CRIF High Mark said in the second edition of its report, How India Lends. The report mentioned that NBFCs and other digital lenders dominated major sectors like home and microfinance loans, credit cards, business and consumer loans, two-wheeler loans and retail loans whereas traditional banks dominated the commercial loans sector. Sovan Satyaprakash, Head, Strategy, Aye Finance, said with the entry of new players in the NBFC market, the crowded retail lending segment will see increased competition going ahead. The new entrants also pose a risk of overleveraging eligible borrowers or increasing subprime lending, while the MSME lending space could stand to benefit, he added. Alongside this, some experts said that many digital lenders still have business in collaboration with NBFCs and fintech firms, which will coexist despite some lenders applying for the NBFC licence. In the last five years, co-lending by digital lenders, NBFCs and legacy banks has increased. This is a business model which exists other than the competition arena, Kumar said. NBFC licences Recently, some digital lenders and fintech companies secured NBFC licences from the central bank. On May 4, alternative financing fintech platform Getvantage got an NBFC licence. Last month the neobanking platform Jupiter secured an NBFC licence to enter the lending business. Also read: RBI has sent a list of digital lending apps to government: Shaktikanta Das With the possibility of entry of new players in the NBFC market, experts highlighted that entrants in the sector will create a diverse market for consumers. The entry of more players through NBFC licences could have different degrees of impact on different segments. With more players in MSME lending, the industry as a whole will be better able to cater to the needs of the largely underserved market of micro-enterprises, said Satyaprakash. Owning an NBFC licence will give digital lenders a competitive edge over other players in the market, as it will enable them to provide a wider range of financial services to their customers, said HP Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Satin Creditcare Network. Earlier, RBI had said that digital lenders must convey the details of the recovery agent if a loan turns delinquent. "If the loan turns delinquent and the recovery agent has been assigned to the borrower, the particulars of such recovery agent assigned must be communicated to the borrower through email/SMS before the recovery agent contacts the borrower for recovery," the RBI said in an FAQ on digital lending guidelines. Here, experts highlighted that digital lenders who have NBFC licences fall under the regulatory purview of the central bank which can help in better regulation. Singh said, Digital lenders have been rapidly gaining market share in the loan industry. In addition, the regulatory supervision provided by the RBI may enhance transparency and responsibility in the industry, thereby helping to level the playing field for all participants. Also read: RBI wants IT ministry to ensure only regulated digital lenders on app stores: FinMin On the other hand, Nath said the fundamental nature of the business model of these digital lending apps did not have any regulation or regulatory aspect. Here, Singh said, this will entirely depend on how well each company is able to adapt to the changing landscape and offer unique value propositions to stay competitive.
Indias steel imports are expected to moderate in the current financial year but still exceed exports, according to analysts, amid high local demand growth. The country imported 6.02 million tonnes of finished steel in FY23, a jump of 29 percent from 4.6 million tonnes in the year before that. That was equivalent to about 5 percent of total consumption. CareEdge noted in a March 2023 report that India became a net importer of steel for the first time in three years during October 2022-February 2023. Although analysts expect a moderation in steel imports, they said the net steel importer tag hangs close as a possibility. Steel imports climbed 38.2 percent to 460,000 tonnes in April, according to data from rating company ICRA. ALSO READ: Tata Steel: Time to turn optimistic? Indian steel imports rose by 66 percent year-on-year from September 2022-February 2023  briefly making India a net importer, much lower than prevailing domestic prices, said Charvi Trivedi, a senior research analyst at Wood Mackenzie in Mumbai. However, this was a short-lived phenomenon and imports are beginning to decline. Steelmaking costs are already normalising and improving profitability, led by plummeting coking coal prices. Coking coal is an ingredient in manufacturing steel. Trivedi said steel imports are expected to decline further and stabilise at 4-6 percent of total demand from 7-9 percent recently. Ritabrata Ghosh, vice president and sector head at ICRA, estimated India's steel imports will grow 5-10 percent and overall demand will increase 7-8 percent. Therefore, the market share of domestic producers is unlikely to change much in FY24, he said, when asked about concerns for local producers. I do not expect steel imports to change much year-on-year but we could end up as a net importer of steel this year, but not materially, said a steel analyst who did not wish to be identified. ALSO READ: State-owned steel firms clear Rs 7,673.95 crore dues to MSMEs in FY23: Govt Ghosh agreed, saying, We may well be a marginal net importer in FY24 as export growth prospects remain challenged by the subdued global economic outlook. Indias attractive steel demand coupled with an export duty levied on Indian steel makers from May to November last year also led to exports plummeting. India exported 6.7 million tonnes of finished steel in FY23, lower than 13.9 million tonnes in FY22. This left India as a net steel importer for some months of FY23. CareEdge noted in a March 2023 report that India became a net importer of steel for the first time in three years during October 2022-February 2023. Most of these imports came from Japan and South Korea, owing to better cost competitiveness during these months, Trivedi said. With sluggish demand in China and Asian countries, steel prices witnessed a steeper decline in these regions, compelling them to ramp up exports. Further, South Korea, Japan and Vietnam enjoy duty-free trade under their free trade agreements with India. Japan, South Korea and Russia increased sales to India last year amid healthy growth in demand. Indias finished steel consumption was 122 million tonnes in FY23, higher than 119 million tonnes in FY22, steel ministry data shows. Japanese steel is available at a landed price of Rs 58,900-59,000/tonne, much lower than prevailing domestic prices, analysts with Motilal Oswal wrote in an April 25 note. Ghosh said imports from South Korea and Japan were largely high-grade steel. In addition to commoditised grades from China, we see higher imports from South Korea and Japan, which is largely high-grade steel, he said. India is one the major growth centres for demand among the world's largest steel producers and hence attracting imports.
The government's decision to include chartered accountants (CAs), company secretaries (CS) and cost and management accountants (CMAs) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002 if financial transactions are executed on behalf of a client, has made many professionals in the sectors unhappy. "The government's decision to keep a tab on client's financial transactions will deter professionals from their practice and will not work long term. It is not inclusive and does not include lawyers," CAs and CMAs told Moneycontrol. The modification was notified on May 4 and brings CAs and other professionals under the PMLA ambit if they undertake any dubious financial transactions; buy or sell immovable property on behalf of clients; manage client money, securities and other assets; manage client's bank saving or securities account; organisation of contributions for the creation, operation or management of companies; and creation, operation or management of companies, limited liability partnerships or trusts, and buying and selling of business entities. If the company indulges in dubious activity, which a CA created, why should he become a party to it? Why are lawyers not covered under it? Its obstructing the business of CAs, all these activities will get shifted to lawyers now. If I create a company, and now I'm not auditing it, why should I be liable? The notification says even if I created the company, I can be held liable under PMLA. A lot of clients ask to deposit their tax, will it be treated as handling of their money and covered under PMLA? The government keeps regulating the CA profession more and more, former ICAI President Amarjit Chopra told Moneycontrol. The PMLA tweak comes after investigations into Chinese companies found that even the addresses of establishments given were fake. As many as 400 CAs and company secretaries had come under the lens in 2022 for incorporating Chinese shell companies, which were allegedly vehicles of money laundering and illegal funding. Because of few professionals, the entire profession cant be held liable. Can't the CAs check from where the client is bringing money from overseas? The government is creating every kind of obstruction, taking away the autonomy of doing a profession, and creating an atmosphere in which CAs will shirk from doing their profession. Recognised foreign funds, which have invested in Indian companies have refused to divulge the names of beneficiaries, how do you expect the CAs to know from where the funds have exactly flown in, Chopra said. The industry is also questioning why the lawyers have been exempted from being covered under the PMLA modification. If foreign money is coming into clients accounts, the source of money cant be verified. Lawyers have been exempted which is the main challenge. Unless they are covered, the step will not be successful. It's a fear psychosis, the bona fide has to be proved by the individual thus a lot of issues will come up. A lot of people have left certificates of practice under CA, they will not come under this tweak. This is a new trend that is coming up. People do not want to sign in as practising chartered accountants. Getting tough to practice CA profession, a Delhi-based cost accountant told Moneycontrol. ICAI President Aniket Sunil Talati said that the tweak is likely in view of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) assessment of the implementation of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (AML/CFT) standards in India. This current notification has been issued under section 2(1)(sa) of the PMLA 2002. This section defines a person carrying on a specified business or profession. This section already includes gaming activity, registration authority, real estate agents and dealers in precious metals and stones. Now, CA, CS and CMA have become reporting entities for the purposes of these transactions. "As a reporting entity they have to do KYC of all clients entering into above transactions and to maintain record thereof, Talati told Moneycontrol. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India Council has prescribed a KYC requirement and standard on quality control which lay down quality standards for engagements. The ICAI code of conduct and ethical standards for members also requires auditors of certain classes of companies to report on non-compliance with laws and regulations. We will conduct an awareness program for its members in relation to such financial transactions, which are already prohibited on behalf of one's client, in the course of his or her profession. ICAI will also continue to work with the authorities and other regulators so that these changes are implemented in the right perspective and the role of professionals is understood, he said. As every practising CA/CS/CMA undertaking specified transaction on behalf of their client would now be covered under the Prevention of Money-laundering Act, 2002, their responsibilities would include maintaining records for a period of at least five years, conducting customer due diligence, reporting of suspicious transactions to the financial intelligence unit within a specified time frame, train its employees to identify suspicious transactions and to comply with the requirements of the PMLA, appointing a compliance officer, implementing a risk management system and submitting periodic reports. Professionals not holding a certificate of practice would not be hit by these provisions and thereby wont face any additional compliance. However, these new provisions would deter all professionals from undertaking benami transactions on behalf of clients or helping them to undertake such transactions. Failure to comply with the obligations under the PMLA can lead to penalties, fines, or even prosecution. Ideally, professionals practising in assurance, advisory, and litigation divisions should not be impacted by these provisions, Rajat Mohan, Senior Partner, AMRG & Associates told Moneycontrol. The government isolating select professions over the menace would not be a proper long-term policy framework for the economy. Policymakers must work on an inclusive solution whereby troublemakers, irrespective of their educational background, are reprimanded, he said. Some of the professionals are hoping that the tweak may act as a surgical strike on money laundering and the CAs acting in a bona fide manner will have nothing to worry about. With determination to weed out corruption, the government has gone in for one more surgical strike to disrupt the chain of creation of corrupt money generation. The government brought in five categories of activities like managing bank accounts, purchasing sale of properties, etc on behalf of clients by professionals CMA, CA and CS under the net of PMLA, the professionals supporting can be booked under PMLA, Sanjay Gupta, former president of Institute of Cost Accountants of India, told Moneycontrol. However, any action by the authorities under the PMLA 2002 shall be guided by the principles of natural justice. In view of the same, the understanding is that the explanation shall not be applicable to individuals who act in good faith and in a bona fide manner, he said.
Real estate developer MAIA Estates plans to invest Rs 3,000 crore to develop 4.5 million square feet of property in Bengaluru by the end of 2025 and diversify from building luxury homes to the upper-mid segment. We have already developed 6 lakh square feet in the city and plan to launch another 1.2 million sq. ft this year. By the end of the next year, we will have launched about 4.5 million sq. ft, Mayank Ruia, founder of Bengaluru-based MAIA Estates, told Moneycontrol. The total development includes about 3 million sq. ft of residential property and 1.5 million sq. ft of office space. Additionally, Ruia said about 3.5 million sq. ft of space will be developed for homes by 2025. Also Read Projects with partial occupancy certificate not classified as ongoing: KRERA Ruia said MAIA Estates plans to raise over Rs 1,200 crore from investors, which will be deployed for the new developments. Remainder of the funds will come from sales to customers and construction finance on the residential side of the business. For the commercial business, we will be relying on construction finance beyond our equity and the capital raised from other investors, he said. The residential launches this year are planned in northern Bengaluru, the city centre, and the south. MAIA Estates plans to develop 1.5 million sq. ft of office space in Hebbal in north Bengaluru. About 90 percent of the development will be standard office space with the rest in the flexible option, he said. Diversification Ruia said the company's developments have so far remained in the luxury segment, with top-end apartments costing as much as Rs 20 crore. We are diversifying to the upper-mid segment in the bracket of Rs 4 crore and above for Bengaluru. We understand this segment much better today, and most of our new launches will be in this category, Ruia said. He said Bengaluru's luxury housing segment, which had been on a slowdown last year, appears to be recovering. "However, this year, when prices suddenly shot up, prospective buyers and even investors have felt the need for investments," Ruia added. The company is currently completing construction of its flagship luxury project called 27 Summit in the city centre, where apartments start at Rs 20 crore for a 5,600 sq. ft flat. "However, today our smaller apartments will start at Rs 1.5 crore in city centres. Most of our launches in future will be in the Rs 4 crore segment, which I believe is the upper-mid segment for Bengaluru," Ruia added. While the city centre in Bengaluru attracts the most demand for luxury housing, areas such as Indiranagar, Sadhashivnagar, Koramangala, and Jayamahal remain top choices for this segment, he said. Ruia said the northern parts of Bengaluru such as Hebbal have become a hub for luxury apartments. "The luxury segment in Bengaluru will remain afloat for several reasons. Several parts of the city today are not completely driven by the IT sector. On the northern side of the city, we see more demand for luxury housing from sectors like banking, financial services and insurance, trader communities, manufacturing and medical fields," Ruia said. However, in the city centre, with fewer apartments and land plots available, demand in the luxury housing segment has surged, pushing prices higher. "In the city centre, our apartment costs are going to Rs 37,000 per sq. ft. We are even redeveloping several old apartments with modern luxury components for about Rs 1-3 crore. Even then, with market sentiment in mind, I believe people are cautiously optimistic in investments," Ruia said. Going to Chennai MAIA Estates also plans to enter Chennai with the launch of residential property in the upper segment by the end of this year. Ruia said flexible homes  which owners can design to their preferences  have been a major push, especially for the luxury segment in Bengaluru. "In our project 27 Summit, we have at least three bedrooms in a four-bedroom apartment with flexibility options. The walls can be collapsed or merged with another space. This has been most sought after by homebuyers," Ruia mentioned. Ruia said developers will have to bear the higher costs of sustainability and flexible options for a vision of green real estate in India. With limited sustainable construction techniques available in India, the company tries to minimise the construction timeline. "We have moved to completely tech-oriented construction where we constantly monitor the work through video cameras. Our construction sites are efficiently connected to machines that can be monitored remotely. In the long run, with more acceptance from people, we will see a better impact," he added.
Bharat Forge share price corrected nearly 2 percent on May 5 after the fall in profitability for the quarter ended March FY23. The forging company has recorded a 6.7 percent year-on-year decline in standalone profit at Rs 244.5 crore for the March FY23 quarter, impacted by lower other income, higher finance cost and exceptional loss. The standalone revenue from operations for the quarter grew by 19.3 percent year-on-year to Rs 1,997.3 crore, the highest so far, with sales increasing across all business areas and regions, Bharat Forge said in its filing to exchanges. The topline was driven by 11.2 percent growth in domestic business and 25.7 percent increase in export revenues in Q4FY23. On the operating front, the company said EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) grew by 21.4 percent on-year to Rs 522.8 crore with margin expansion of 50 bps at 26.2 percent for the quarter ended March FY23. Click Here To Read All Earnings Related News For the full year, Bharat Forge recorded a 3 percent decline in profit at Rs 1,045.5 crore and revenue increased by 20.4 percent to Rs 7,572.7 crore compared to the previous financial year, with domestic and exports businesses showing 20.4 percent and 21.7 percent growth year-on-year respectively. The year gone by was marked by record order wins of Rs 4,000 crore across defence, castings and the standalone business. These order wins provide strong visibility of revenue growth for the coming 2-3 years, BN Kalyani, Chairman and Managing Director said. The company registered a 14.7 percent growth in EBITDA for FY23 at Rs 1,928 crore, but the margin fell by 140 bps to 25.5 percent compared to the previous fiscal. "FY23 was a tough year for the overseas subsidiaries which recorded an EBITDA loss of Rs 96 crore due to challenges in the new aluminium forging facilities, coupled with cost under-recoveries which continue to impact profitability," Kalyani said. For FY24, Kalyani expects strong growth across revenues, profitability and return ratios, driven by the core forging business and amply supported by all other platform businesses such as defence, industrial segment and e-mobility. "We believe that many of the troubles ailing the overseas aluminum business are behind us and expect them to contribute to improvement in return ratios for the consolidated entity," he said, adding that for the standalone business, FY24 looks to be good, driven by growth in the end markets globally and ramp-up of new orders won over the past few years. The stock was trading at Rs 759.3 on the NSE, down 2 percent with a volume of 35.48 lakh shares, at 14:58 hours IST.
Outdoorsman Hall of Fame names inductees

The New York State Outdoorsman Hall of Fame will be honoring 12 inductees at its annual banquet May 21 at Theodores Restaurant in Canastota. Four Western New York sportsmen have been recognized this year for giving back to the outdoor community.

Charter Capt.Larry Jones of Mostly Muskies Charters will be inducted for his efforts involving muskellunge protection through the Niagara Musky Association in the Niagara River and on Chautauqua Lake. Another Erie County resident, Tom Fischer with the Erie County Federation of Sportsmans Clubs, was selected for his work with the popular Teac h Me To Fish clinics held around the county. He is also an instructor with the states Hunter Education Program.

In Chautauqua County, the late Eugene Pauszek  outdoor writer with Dunkirks Evening Observer  will be honored posthumously for his dedicated work with the Take-a-Kid Fishing Program, Chautauqua Fish Advisory Board and Northern Chautauqua Conservation Club, among others. In Wyoming County, Brian Krawczyk has been instrumental in reviving youth fishing day, is a master hunter education instructor and mentors disabled archery hunters.

Other inductees: Tom Bryant (St. Lawrence County), Robert Flavin (St. Lawrence County), Ricardo Grisolini (Madison County), Don Hahn (Oneida County), Early Butch Kortright (Sullivan County), Chad Norton (Onondaga County) and Laurie Rankin (Delaware County). In the Pioneer category, Col. LeRoy W. Short, USAF (Oneida County) will be recognized, along with Jack Gramlich (Onondaga County) with an Educational Program Award, and ECO Steve Lakeman (Oneida County) with the Dave Pierce Memorial Award for his efforts with youths involving hunting.

Tickets are $25 and should be purchased in advance. Registration begins at 3 p.m. with the dinner at 4. For more information, call Scott Faulkner at 315-829-3588. For more on the hall of fame, check out nysohof.org/.

WHI, Salmon Slam, $1K a Day

The Wilson Harbor Invitational Salmon Team Tournament is scheduled for May 20-21 based out of Wilson Harbor. The best six salmon for the day will determine the winning catches based on 10 points per fish and a point per pound. Each day is a separate event, and the entry fee is $400 for each day. An additional $200 will be earmarked for the top teams based on combined scores for both days.

May 13 through May 19 will be the WHI Salmon and Trout Slam and the $1K a Day contest. For the Slam, a bit of strategy is involved as you are allowed to only weigh five salmon and two trout. You must choose which seven fish to keep over the seven days of the contest. Cost is $300 per boat. For the $1K a Day, catch the biggest salmon for the day of everyone registered to win the daily prize. Entry fee is $100 for the boat. For more information, contact Kevin Jerge at 863-1001.

Ladies Shoot N Hoot Set for May 13

If you are a woman looking to learn more about the shooting sports, look no further than the North Forest Ladies Shoot N Hoot program at the North Forest Rod and Gun Club, 6257 Old Niagara Road, Lockport, starting at 2 p.m. May 13. The event is limited to the first 25 women. The cost is $25. Girls ages 12 to 17 may register for $20. You must pre-register by calling Colleen Gaskill at 628-9023.

The May focus will be on shooting trap and skeet. Five-stand might be added, if available. Bring your own shotgun (12- or 20-gauge). If you dont have a firearm, one may be provided for you. All ammunition will be provided through the program. Eye and ear protection is mandatory. Opening instruction on safe firearms handling is mandatory.

Smelt Festival returns May 26

The popular Lewiston Smelt Festival will be returning at 5 p.m. May 26. The festival has not been held since 2019, prior to the pandemic. The Niagara River Region Chamber of Commerce will be partnering with the Griffon Brewery and Gastropub located on Water Street at the Niagara River to host the festival, along with Tops Lewiston.

The festival was moved to a date later in the month to allow for better weather. Once again, there will be live music, with food and beverages available for purchase. Smelt are also available for $5, with a portion of the proceeds to benefit the Niagara River Pen Rearing Project in Youngstown. Details can be found online at NiagaraRiverRegion.com.
Softbank-backed e-commerce unicorn Meesho has announced its second round of job cuts in just over a year, leading to the termination of 251 employees, which represents around 15 percent of its workforce. In an email dated May 5, co-founder and CEO Vidit Aatrey informed the company's staff about the decision, citing a challenging macroeconomic environment. Moneycontrol has reviewed a copy of the email. The Bengaluru-based company, which was among the first few new-age companies to slash jobs in a tough funding environment, had last year let go of 250 employees from its grocery arm, which was rebranded to Superstore from Farmiso. The latest round is however the first one at Meesho's marketplace model, its core business. "As leaders, we made judgement errors in over-hiring ahead of the curve. At the same time, we could have run our org structure in a more effective and lean manner overall," Aatrey said in his email. "Our spans and layers were inflated, and this could have unintended consequences on our speed to execute. While we are confident that Meesho business will stay strong, the economic reality is here to stay. We are now faced with the hard truth of aligning our people costs with the new projections for our business. We should have done better here," he added. The employees impacted by the recent decision will receive an email in the next 60 minutes, letting them know about the status of their employment with the company. Then, meeting links will be shared personally to facilitate one on one conversations between the staff members and their managers, according to the email. Outgoing workers will, however, have access to Gmail and Slack channels till Sunday evening. We have taken a difficult decision to part ways with 251 Meeshoites, constituting 15 percent of the employee base, as we look to work with a leaner organisational structure to achieve sustained profitability, a spokesperson for Meesho confirmed. We are committed to ensuring all those impacted have our full support and will be provided a separation package that includes a one-time severance payment of 2.5 to 9 months (depending on tenor and designation), continued insurance benefits, job placement support and accelerated vesting of ESOPs. We remain grateful for their contributions in building Meesho. As part of the package to outgoing employees, employees will receive full pay for their notice period and an additional one month, along with a tenure-based payment of 15 days pay for every completed year of service, rounded up to the nearest year, as per the email. The company said it will also extend family insurance coverage till March 31, 2024. And will relax ESOP vesting norms so the departing employees remain shareholders in the company. Along with the reduction in headcount, Meesho has also lowered its cloud expenses down by 50 percent, as reported earlier. In fact, in December last year Meesho had cut its monthly cash burn by 90% to around $4 million, the company's Chief Financial Officer, Dhiresh Bansal had told Moneycontrol in an interview in December last year. According to analysts at Jefferies who interacted with the management, Meesho is nearing zero cash burn and is targeting to achieve EBITDA breakeven over the course of CY23 and has a cash buffer of around $400 million. "While our cash reserves buffer us well for these harsh circumstances, we need to stay highly prudent on the cost front," Aatrey's mail on May 5 said. Meesho has so far raised over $1 billion and is valued at $4.9 billion, according to data from Tracxn. The analysts at Jefferies said it is India's leading e-commerce platform with gross merchandise value (GMV) of about $4.5 billion and enjoys a 7% share, in a market where giants like Walmart's Flipkart and Amazon also operate. However, Meesho is "growing well ahead of the market," the Jefferies note said.
Blackstone-sponsored Nexus Select Trust, which will soon launch the public issue of a Rs 3,200-crore retail Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), sees the platform as an opportunity to double its size in the next four to five years  from 9.8 million square feet (msf) to 20 msf, and potentially look at 30 metros and Tier 2 cities going forward, officials said on May 5. Nexus Select Trust has acquired 17 shopping malls in the last seven years and will further expand the portfolio through the inorganic route as it remains bullish about retail consumption. Delhis Select City Walk, which houses the country's second Apple store, is one of the many malls owned by Nexus Select Trust. We have acquired about 9.8 msf in the last six to seven years. That has been our average, with a bumper during COVID-19. The idea is to double this and use the REIT currency to start acquiring assets. We are in conversation with people in metro and Tier 2 cities that are strong on consumption, Nexus Select Trust Chief Leasing Officer Nirzar Jain told reporters in the capital. "Since establishing the platform in 2016 with the acquisition of two malls in Ahmedabad, we have acquired 17 high-quality retail assets. We have acquired 1.4 msf retail space every year. We acquired seven assets from Prestige group in the midst of the COVID pandemic," he said, adding, We have invested around Rs 90 crore to renovate and reposition these assets, where the occupancy has increased from 85 percent to 95 percent. With the 17-asset portfolio, we now have the learning on how to make acquisitions and the sizes work for us, he said, adding we are clear that the acquisition will only be for Grade A assets and should be a value-add to the asset. We can potentially look at 30 metro and Tier 2 cities for expanding our portfolio. North and East are definitely areas on our radar, but we intend focusing only on Grade A assets, going forward, he said. Nexus Select Trust has a portfolio of 17 operational shopping Grade A urban consumption centres with a total leasable area of 9.8 msf valued at around Rs 23,000 crore, two complementary hotel assets (354 keys) and three office assets (1.3 msf) as of June 30, 2022. The assets are located across 14 major cities. These include Delhi, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bhubaneswar, Udaipur, Mysore, Mangalore and Indore. Jain said the company's total net operating income (NOI) is projected to grow organically by 17 percent to Rs 1,897.1 crore in financial year 2025-26 (FY26) from Rs 1,619.8 crore in FY24. In the first nine months of the last fiscal, the NOI stood at about Rs 1,050 crore. Nexus Select Trust filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) to launch its retail REIT public issue in November last year. Earlier, the company had planned to raise up to Rs 4,000 crore from the proposed public issue of the REIT. To a question on the reduction in the IPO size, Jain said the units are being issued at a discount compared to the net asset value (NAV) of Rs 127 per unit. Post-IPO, the shareholding of Blackstone in Nexus Select Trust will come down to 43 percent from 60 percent. The stake of the promoters of Select City Walk will fall slightly to 24.3 percent from 25 percent. Global private equity major Blackstone Group-backed Nexus Select Trust has set the price band of its initial public offering at Rs 95-100 per share. Earlier, the firm had said that the issue will open for subscription on May 9 and close on May 11, in what would be Indias maiden pure-play retail mall REIT offering. Currently, there are three listed REITs, but all are backed by office assets. REITs are investment vehicles that own, operate and manage a portfolio of income-generating properties for regular returns. REITable properties in India will include commercial assets  primarily office spaces  that can generate steady rental income. They will operate like mutual fund (MF) units or shares. REITs will have to be mandatorily listed on exchanges and traded like securities. Small investors can buy units of REITs from both primary and secondary markets just as they buy shares or MF units.
More than half the first-time mutual funds (MF) investors over the last five years have been millennials. This is one of the findings from a recent report by CAMS (Computer Age Management Services), the countrys largest registrar and transfer agent for mutual funds. Going by the report, 54 percent of the 1.6 crore new investors  about 85 lakh  that started investing in MFs during FY19-23 were millennials. The millennials who stayed invested through this entire period had assets worth Rs 96,000 crore as of March 2023. The report, The emerging force of the millennial investor is here to stay & grow was released by CAMS at the 17th CII Mutual Fund Summit held in Mumbai on May 3, 2023. All insights in the report are based on data of the MFs serviced by CAMS. These account for 69 per cent of the Indian MF industry. The report focuses on millennials who entered the MF space for the first time during FY19-23. Millennials are those born between 1981 and 1996. Here are a few interesting insights from the report. Sectoral funds attract new millennial investors It comes as no surprise that a bulk of the millennial investors marked their entry into the MF space via equity funds. In FY23, 90 percent of the first-time millennial investors went into equity funds. The proportion of investors choosing equity schemes remained around this level over the period of the study, barring FY20 and FY21, when it fell to 78 percent and 66 percent, respectively. Whats surprising is that in terms of fund categories, sectoral or thematic funds accounted for the largest share. Between FY19-FY23, 21 percent of new millennial investors started their MF journey by investing in sectoral funds. These funds follow a concentrated investment strategy, investing at least 80 percent of their corpus in stocks from a specific sector or theme. They also require you to time your entry and exit in line with the sectors changing fortunes. Most experts recommend putting not more than 5-10 percent of ones equity portfolio in such funds. In contrast, the sector-agnostic large cap funds, which were the first MF investment for 15 percent of millennials in FY19, dropped to 8 percent by FY23. Also see: MC30 List of funds Very few new DIY investors In contrast with what one would expect, a vast majority of millennials (95 percent) did not take the do-it-yourself, or DIY, route. They chose advisors or distributors to invest in MFs for the first time. Only 5 percent of first-time millennial MF investors entered the market on their own. Thirty-five percent chose SEBI registered investment advisors (RIA), and 60 percent came via MF distributors (MFD) and banks. Furthermore, 99 percent of those who chose RIAs were based out of the T30 (top 30) locations. MFDs (includes largely individual distributors) and banks accounted for a smaller share of such investors. On the other hand, for the B30 (beyond the top 30) locations, MFDs and banks were the preferred route to start investing in MFs. As of March 31, 2023, direct and regular plans accounted for 45 percent and 55 percent of the overall MF industry assets, respectively. Regular plans are those that have been bought through an intermediary, like a distributor. Also read: Performance-based fee for mutual funds: What stakeholders say A third of millennials invest lump sum The mutual fund industry swears by the systematic investment plan (SIP) route for investing in MFs. However, according to the CAMS report, one-third of millennials, that is, 25 lakh of them, began investing in MFs between FY19-FY23 by taking the lump sum route. The remaining started their journey via the SIP route. In fact, in FY21, that is, the year following the March 2020 fall, 44 percent of millennial investors began their MF investment journey via the lump sum route  a likely attempt to time the market even as the Sensex and the Nifty began their ascent. This number tapered to 35 percent in FY22 and 28 percent in FY23. As the report highlights, while a majority of these lump sum investors choose to invest Rs 5,000 or less, a good 20 percent of them made investments in the range of Rs 10,000-50,000. Diversification across fund houses Interestingly, 57 percent (43.9 lakh) of the millennial investors that started between FY19-FY23 did not go beyond the first fund house they started with, and only 3 percent (2.4 lakh) investors had exposure to more than five fund houses. That is, on the one hand, 57 percent investors had a concentrated exposure to only one fund house, while on the other, a minority had over-diversified beyond five fund houses. One interesting data point (that the report did not present) would have been to see how many millennial investors are invested in more than 4-5 mutual fund schemes. Also read: AMFI asks fund houses to stop training programmes based on SIP targets for distributors
Summer vacations have begun and cruises are becoming popular among families in India. And cruise companies have been rolling out several offers and discounts to lure in travellers for a cruise in India or abroad. Within India, there are several operators across the country carving a niche for themselves by offering cruise travel on various routes. Locations include the backwaters of Kerala, the Sunderbans in Bengal, the Lakshadweep islands, and more. Internationally, you can go on a cruise to Australia, the Bahamas, Europe, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, etc. But before you book a cruise ticket, there are a few things you should keep in mind. Because cruise tours are fairly expensive and charge for every little thing. From that ocean view, from your cruise room, to a balcony, shore and land excursions, alcoholic beverages, dining at speciality restaurants or a leisurely massage and spa on the cruise, everything comes with a price. Simply put, cruise companies have found ways to charge you over and above what you pay for your ticket. One can minimise additional costs on cruise holidays by booking well in advance, and keeping an eye out for early bird offers and deals with free cabin upgrades, said Rajeev Kale, President & Country Head, Holidays, MICE, Visa, Thomas Cook (India). MICE stands for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions. Customers can also utilise their cruise credits on board for WiFi or shore excursions, he added. Be on the lookout for deals and offers like companion free/children free on the cruise websites or with the tour operators, said Daniel DSouza, President & Country Head, Holidays, SOTC Travel. We browsed through the websites of various domestic and international cruise lines and ran through their ticket booking processes, and terms of price inclusion and exclusion to get a sense of what each cruise would charge you over and above the ticket. Room preference: Ocean view, balcony or suite? At the time of booking a ticket for a cruise, you have the option of selecting a preferred room. This usually comes at an extra cost. Suites usually are the priciest as compared to ocean views. Interior rooms are an affordable way to cruise without leaving out the comfort, says Vishrut Gandhi, Founder of Udaan Holidays. For instance, the room charges on a Carnival cruise for Moreton Island from Sydney, Australia, are USD 285 (Rs 23,300) for an interior room, USD 358 (Rs 29,300) for an ocean view, USD 450 (Rs 36,800) onwards for a room with a balcony and USD 812 (Rs 66,400) onwards for a suite. These charges are per guest in a room. The cruise cost includes selected onboard activities, a variety of dining options, including breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner, in the full-service main dining room and/or a quick-service restaurant. If you are planning to take a cruise from Singapore to Australia and New Zealand in March 2024, Celebrity X cruise has bundled a range of amenities, including beverages, shore excursions, gratuities, etc. in the cost. A room with an ocean view charges USD 2,401 (Rs 1.96 lakh) and a suite charges USD 5,125 (Rs 4.19 lakh) per guest in a room. This is a promotional offer to book a cruise holiday almost a year in advance, says Gandhi. Also read | River cruising is the new way to see India Visa fee, port charges, and taxes Travellers also have to pay mandatory charges, such as the visa fee to the country they are traveling to. A cruise website may show a deep discount on the fare to tempt you, but dont book the cruise right away. Check the port charges, government taxes and additional fees. Taxes and port expenses include all fees, charges, tolls and taxes imposed on the cruise by government authorities, as well as third-party fees and charges arising from a vessels presence in a harbour or port. In addition to your cruise fare, there are other charges, including government taxes and port expenses on the cruise booking charges, said Gandhi. These charges add up to hundreds of dollars on the total bill, he added. There's really no way to avoid paying these fees, so include these fees in your vacation budget while planning it. Shore visits: Cruise liner or private tour operator? Shore excursions play an important role in making your cruise memorable. One of the deciding factors in choosing a cruise is the destinations or ports that you will be exploring. This will add to the cost of your holiday, so be alert while planning a cruise and booking it. Once you reach a destination on your cruise holiday, you have three choices to see the destination. First, explore the destination on your own by walking around, hiring a cab to visit popular sights or taking public transport. Second, pre-purchase a shore excursion from the cruise liner. We always recommend our customers book shore excursions that are planned by the cruise liner as this guarantees assistance by the cruise company in the face of situations like breakdown of a vehicle or passengers going missing, said DSouza. However, booking shore excursions from the cruise liner will be expensive if there is a family of three or more members travelling. To reduce this cost, you can pre- purchase shore excursions from reputed tour operators at the popular cruise ports. This option is cheaper for families. Also read | Window seats and tasty meals: How airlines charge you over the base fare Gratuities on each service Gratuities are service charges for cabin housekeeping, restaurant services, access to the gym or pool, spa and massage services, etc. Gratuities on cruises can vary  depending on the cabin category selected by the customer  between USD 10 to USD 25 (Rs 820 to Rs 2,050) per person, per day, says Kale. Cruise liners automatically add this charge to your total bill. A family of four taking a five-day cruise will thus need to add more than USD 400 (Rs 32,700) to the cost of the cruise fare. This additional expense can give you an unpleasant surprise after a five-day cruise. So, prior to booking, familiarise yourself with your cruise line's gratuity policy. Also read | Top 5 credit cards for international travel Opt for alcoholic drink packages Cruise liners dont allow you to carry beverages. So, travellers have to rely on alcoholic beverages at the price offered by the cruise. One can minimise their additional costs by opting for beverage packages instead of paying per tab on board, said DSouza. A drinks package allows passengers to drink their fill for a fixed price per day. For instance, on Cordelia Cruises, the drinks package starts from USD 55.99 to USD 79.99 (Rs 4,600 to Rs 6,500) per person, per day. A traveller will not be charged for drinks if they have not opted for the same as part of their package, says Kale. Speciality dining restaurants Speciality restaurants are for travellers who like to indulge in different cuisines outside the standard buffet menu that is part of the itinerary. Dining at these restaurants comes at an additional cost and can be skipped by the customer, said DSouza. Avoid Cruise now, Pay later schemes A cruise is expensive. So, cruise operators such as Cordelia Cruises have partnered with fintech lenders and are offering Cruise Now, Pay Later (CNPL) schemes to make the trip affordable. This is catching the attention of millennials looking to go on a voyage. Travellers with good credit profiles are eligible to apply for this scheme. The fintech lender charges interest. You can repay in EMIs over one to 15 months after travelling. The major drawbacks of the CNPL scheme are lender charges, interest cost and penalty in case of a late payment, says Harshil Morjaria, a Mumbai-based certified financial planner, who works with ValueCurve Financial Solutions. If you default, your credit score will take a hit, and frequent defaults on EMIs will affect your prospects of getting a loan in future, he added.
Mumbai-based Avighna Group plans to invest Rs 1,000 crore and launch two luxury residential projects in Worli having a saleable area of 2 lakh square feet. The construction for both these projects has started, and the group is actively exploring opportunities to enter the United Kingdom market and open to residential, commercial and hospitality segments for it. The company is also open to the redevelopment of old buildings in Mumbai and is exploring opportunities in the construction of warehouses and data centres, Nishant Agarwal, Managing Director of Avighna India Group told Moneycontrol. What will be launched? "We will be launching two luxury residential projects in the form of a 2 lakh sqft saleable area. This will include 3 BHK apartments of 2,300 sqft carpet followed by 4 BHK of 3,300 sqft and 5 BHK of 5,100 sqft. We are already getting a lot of enquiries for the same as construction has already started. We will launch the two projects in the next three to six months, and the majority of the saleable area will be luxury residential and a negligible amount will be available for retail, said Agarwal. According to market sources, the current per sq foot rate for residential property in the Worli micro-market varies between Rs 1 lakh sqft to Rs 1.5 lakh sqft depending on several factors like the age of the property, locality, etc. Focus on luxury residential According to the company, its focus will be to come up with luxury residential projects in prime locations of Mumbai and along with two luxury projects in Worli has a third project in the pipeline. In the past, the company had constructed One Avighna Park in Currey Road, which is one of the marquee projects of the company. "Mumbai and prime areas of Mumbai will be our focus. Worli and Andheri currently interest us considering the factor of they being centrally located. However, we are open to other locations in Mumbai also. Until now, we have constructed around 5 million sqft in Mumbai that includes both residential and commercial. We are a completely debt-free company and are investing from internal accruals," added Agarwal. Plans for the UK The company believes there are business opportunities internationally and is currently exploring real estate investment in London. The reason for selecting the UK is owing to the ease and the suitable business environment. "We are currently actively looking for opportunities in the UK and London. The opportunity can be anything, say residential, commercial, or even hospitality. Our investment will also depend on the type of opportunity we get. We are also participating in several biddings, and are expecting to close a deal soon, Agarwal said. In the past, Lodha Group, also known as Macrotech Developers, had launched two projects in London. However, Lodha has announced not getting into London or international markets henceforth. "We are very clear, all our growth will come from India, and all our receivables from the two London projects will be in by the end of the ongoing fiscal," Abhishek Lodha, Managing Director of Macrotech Developers, told Moneycontrol on April 26. Commercial leasing plans According to Avighna, its exposure to the residential segment is 70 percent currently and the balance 30 percent is from commercial. "Going further, we want to increase our footprint in the commercial segment, and this will be by asset creation for commercial leasing. We want to build commercial spaces and lease them out rather than sell them. For this, we are ready to enter warehousing and data centres even if it involves entering deep micro markets of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region," said Agarwal. Redevelopment of old buildings The company said it is open to the redevelopment of old buildings in Mumbai and taking up acquiring Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects that involve the rehabilitation of slum dwellers. "We are open for redevelopment and SRA projects but very selectively. It depends on several factors. It should meet our criteria, and all the stakeholders involved should be wanting to do it. Several other factors will be required to be taken into consideration in case we want to foray into the redevelopment of old buildings and slum rehabilitation projects," said Agarwal. Also read: All about branded apartments and why they are making a comeback IPO on cards? According to the company, they have no plans for launching an initial public offering (IPO). "We do not have any plans for raising money by getting the company listed or launching an IPO. As I said, we are a debt-free company and are managing investments from internal accruals." Also read: Mumbai's April property registrations down 16% on year, 25% on month: Govt data
PropertyPistol, a real estate brokerage and advisory company offering tech-based solutions to homebuyers, announced on May 5 raising of Rs 45 crore in series A funding led by ICICI Bank and Baring Private Equity Partners India, to further fuel the company's growth and expansion plans. The company plans to utilise the investment to expand its leadership team across business functions and augment its presence in newer markets  both in India and abroad. PropertyPistol has ambitious growth plans for new product development and strengthening core verticals, such as the Syndicate Broker Platform and Project Mandates, in line with the strategic roadmap and business objectives. It will also continue to invest in innovative, tech-oriented solutions, and this investment will boost the companys efforts towards it, the company said in a statement. It is truly an honor to be funded by some of the most well-known investors including ICICI Bank and Baring Private Equity Partners India. PropertyPistol has been contributing significantly to the real estate sector and has become a crucial element in the ecosystem. Association with ICICI Bank, one of the leading private sector lenders, will go a long way in deepening relationships with all stakeholders in the real estate ecosystem," said Ashish Narain Agarwal, Founder & CEO, PropertyPistol. He added, "This fundraiser will help expand the company's operations into newer geographies and yield significant business growth and value in the future. Additionally, it will open up several opportunistic avenues for the company and we are eager to embrace what lies ahead. I am sure this development will motivate every member of PropertyPistol and further ignite their zeal and enthusiasm to do better in the business." PropertyPistol provides professional assistance to homebuyers and helps them find their desired homes as quickly as possible. The company also focuses on building a robust network of channel partners by providing them complete support to augment their businesses in multiple ways.
Russia remained the top supplier of crude oil to India in the month of April as Moscow continues to supply crude at discounted prices. According to data by energy tracker Vortexa, the Eurasian country supplied 1.68 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude to India in April, once again surpassing traditional Middle-Eastern suppliers of crude oil to India. In April 2023, Iraq supplied 812,000 bpd of crude oil to India while Saudi Arabia provided 671,000 bpd. The share of Russian crude in Indias import basket stood at over 36 percent in April, compared to 33.9 percent in the previous month. Russia has become a major source of crude oil to India ever since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022. India is importing the maximum crude oil from Russia since October 2022. Moscow has been diverting its oil to Asian countries, especially India and China, at discounted rates as the European Union (EU) and the US imposed a slew of sanctions on Moscow after the war between Russia and Ukraine broke out. Russian Urals The major share in Indias imports of Russian crude oil consists of its sour grade  Urals. However, in April, the growth in imports was driven by sweeter grades of Russian crude oil. Indian imports of sweeter ESPO blend almost doubled in April. India imported 175,000 bpd of ESPO blend in April, compared to only 91,000 bpd in March. Similarly, imports of Novy Port, a light sweet crude, also doubled in April from the previous month. Meanwhile, India imported 1.2 million bpd of Russian Urals in April, a slight increase from 1.1 million bpd from the month ago. Compared to sour grades of crude oil, sweet crude oil is easier to refine and is therefore costlier. The oil industry has classified crude oil based on its sulphur content (sweet or sour) and density (light or heavy).

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Used car dealers, including prominent online players, such as Cars24, Spinny, Olx Auto, and Mahindra First Choice wrote to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) highlighting glitches found in the newly-launched registration portal and reviewing certain guidelines implemented last year, multiple sources aware of the matter told Moneycontrol. These submissions happened over the past two weeks, following the portal that is meant to register used car dealers to get authorisation certificates going live in the second week of April. The biggest glitch at the moment with the portal is that it only allows individuals to register, with GST registration details being mandatory. Most of these dealers would fall under the category of companies and organisations. ALSO READ: Used car market poised for massive growth post Covid When we are trying to register ourselves as a used car dealer on the portal, it had a form which asks about the applicants name, and then son or wife or daughter and so on. So, it looks like the form is meant only for an applicant who is an individual. There is no field for an entity name," a senior executive of one of the largest online used car marketplaces told Moneycontrol, seeking anonymity. The person added that in India, more than 80 percent of used car dealers will not fall under the GST threshold. A spokesperson from Spinny said, From our end, its a great initiative from the government which would enable much-needed good practices in the category and would benefit the customers and help in concrete processes. (As) for the glitches, considering its a big move, there are bound to be teething issues, which we are certain would be addressed soon, the spokesperson added. Detailed queries sent to Olx Auto and Mahindra First Choice did not elicit a response at the time of publishing. Any comments or views from them will be updated in the article. While overall, the industry believes regulating the used car market is a great move for the ecosystem, concerns have been raised about some of the guidelines too, as they needed more clarity. The guidelines were implemented in December 2022, following deliberations on the draft guidelines released in September last year. Key concerns raised Not just the bigger players, on April 4, the Kerala State Used Vehicle Dealers & Brokers Association filed a writ petition at the Kerala High Court highlighting several concerns around the guidelines. A copy of the petition was seen by Moneycontrol. The second major issue is the terms of clarifications needed for deemed ownership from one dealer to another. When a dealer purchases a car from another seller, he has to fill Form 29 C. As the deemed owner now, ideally the dealer will be liable for any future issues related to the vehicle, be it an accident, traffic violations or penalty, until the actual ownership of the vehicle is transferred to the end buyer. According to the first source cited above, the current rules do not provide any clarity in the case of multiple deemed owner transfers happening in between. In India, the market works in such a way that used cars change hands from dealer to dealer before they finally reach the end customer. So, in the absence of clarity in the rules about the transfer of this deemed ownership from one dealer to another dealer, unfortunately, the first dealer who purchased the car will continue to be the deemed owner of the vehicle and be liable for any issues related to the vehicle, despite the vehicle being already sold to another dealer, maybe several days ago, the source said. Rameesh Kailasam, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IndiaTech.Org, a start-up industry association, concurred: Suppose a dealer is in Mumbai, and the buyer of his car is in Delhi. So, hell usually loop in another dealer in Delhi to make the final sale to the buyer. But the provision doesnt have the concept of multiple deemed owners; it talks only of one deemed owner, he explained. IndiaTech.Org, along with most of these online platforms mentioned earlier, have already had two to three rounds of meetings with the concerned government bodies and is hopeful that the issues will be sorted out soon. Another issue that the industry wants to be solved is to have a centralised way of registration. At present, used car dealers, especially the online ones which procure cars from across different states and cities, have to individually apply for Regional Transport Office (RTO) registrations for each region. Dealers Moneycontrol spoke to said that it hampers the ease of doing business.
Lightspeed-backed edtech startup Teachmint has laid off 70 more employees in the second round of layoffs in six months as the company looks to reduce costs amid a worsening funding winter. Mihir Gupta, co-founder and CEO of the company informed about the layoffs in a town hall on May 4, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Moneycontrol. Gupta told employees that the company had to cut jobs purely because of role redundancies and it was not performance-based, the person said. The company, which offers a classroom management platform, confirmed the development but did not comment on the number of affected employees officially. News portal Inc42 first reported the development. Some roles have been unfortunately impacted as we work on increasing structural efficiencies in our operations. We have proactively communicated to the impacted colleagues and are working on providing them comprehensive support, a spokesperson for Teachmint said. According to the company, the laid-off employees will be getting three months of payroll support, six months of continued health insurance benefits, for individuals and families, and continued access to mental health counselors for individuals and families. The company will also be providing outplacement support and the vesting of ESOPs (employee stock option plan) would be accelerated for eligible employees, the company said. With the latest round of layoffs, Teachmint has now sacked more than 110 employees since December last year. It had then laid off 45 employees. The company has joined other edtech startups like Unacademy, Vedantu and Byju's to undertake multiple rounds of layoffs. Founded in 2020 by Gupta, Payoj Jain, Divyansh Barodia, and Anshuman Kumar, Teachmint is a mobile-first, video-first, teaching platform that helps in digitisation of classrooms. The startup has raised $118 million to date, from global venture capital firms including Rocketship.VC, Vulcan, Better Capital among others besides Lightspeed Venture Partners. It was last valued at $500 million. Moneycontrol reported in March how the company earned just Rs 80 lakhs from operations in FY22 (2021-22), which was its first full year of operations. The company reported a loss of Rs 131.7 crore for FY22. Teachmint was on an acquisition spree in 2021 and had acquired four companies to expand rapidly. Between December 2021 and January 2022, Teachmint acquired four companies including MyClassCampus, Teachmore, Teachee's India team and Airlearn to expand and diversify rapidly at undisclosed deal amounts. In November 2021, the Lightspeed-backed edtech startup rolled out a unique ESOP to retain people as the job market for startups was hot back then. The ESOP plan, which the company named as Continuous Liquidity Plan gave employees an option to sell their stock options whenever they wanted as long as their shares were vested, rather than when the company raises money, when investors decide to buy back or when the founders decide- as is generally the norm.
India is set to become the largest market for Coursera by the end of 2023, surpassing the US, Raghav Gupta, Managing Director, India and APAC, said. This comes at a time when upskilling and higher education platforms continue to grow and raise more funds in India, despite the ongoing funding winter. According to Gupta, India has around 19 million users of the global upskilling platform and is growing at 28 percent year-on-year (YoY), compared to 22 million users in the US, growing at 22 percent YoY. Europe is growing at 17 percent YoY. The Indian market saw a near-5X jump, growing from four million in the pre-pandemic time to 19 million now. Based on the pace of growth, we think India will be larger than all of our markets by the end of this year. And this is all coming from our B2C platform where individuals learn. Then, over the last many years, we worked with businesses, governments and campuses, too. And this is now about 7,000 institutions, Gupta told Moneycontrol. Some of the corporates the platform is working with include PwC India, Infosys, Tata Communications, and Reliance Industries to name a few. Currently, Coursera gets around 50 percent of its revenue from the consumer segment of individual learners, 30-35 percent from the B2B segment, and the remaining from college degree offerings. The platform is also piloting a jobs portal called Coursera Hiring Solutions, which will be first tested in India before its global foray. It has already started working with Axis Bank for the pilot. Integrating ChatGPT Gupta highlighted that earlier many jobs, such as waiters, personal care, retail, sales and bank cashiers, which didn't require formal education, were at risk of getting disrupted by automation through Artificial Intelligence (AI). And now with technologies like generative AI and ChatGPT coming into the picture, that trend too is changing. Jobs of financial managers, general managers, lawyers, media professionals, and business managers  most of which form Courseras key consumer base, are now at risk of getting automated. In 2023, with the exposure to GPT-4, the situation has changed quite dramatically. Earlier, automation was impacting people with low levels of education. But now the impact is coming on some amount of college degrees. All knowledge workers or white-collar workers are now the ones who are exposed to change, Gupta said. "Now, one thing that will become even more important is human skills; whether it is interpersonal skills, self-leadership, cognitive skills around critical thinking, communication, or planning," he added. On those lines, Coursera is pushing its Leadership Academy courses which it started a few quarters back. It is also launching courses on ChatGPT for use cases, such as for content writers at media companies, CXOs looking to integrate ChatGPT into their company products and businesses, etc., to help people get familiar with the technology. Apart from that, Gupta said that Coursera itself is looking to integrate ChatGPT into the platform to personalise courses and make them more interactive. Our sense is that once we figure out how we will integrate ChatGPT into Coursera  and our teams are actively working on this  it will take that learning from passive to active to interactive. You can actually engage with ChatGPT. Earlier in January, speaking to Moneycontrol on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda had said that the platform had plans to integrate ChatGPT with its courses. He had also said that the software, which has taken the world by storm, and which he regularly uses, keeps him awake at night. It definitely keeps me awake  the power of this technology. I have been awake for 45 days  I use ChatGPT. It can create new things, it's extraordinary. Its early, its dangerous, and it can disrupt things, he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

THE speaker of Parliament, Advocate Jacob Mudenda who is in Algiers, Algeria on a Parliamentary Bilateral visit has been unanimously nominated as Africa's sole candidate for the prestigious Cremer-Passy Prize.Advocate Mudenda was nominated by Algeria's Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) delegation who virtually attended the Africa Geopolitical Group meeting to select its candidate for the prize.In a statement, Parliament said consequently, Advocate Mudenda was unanimously nominated as Africa's sole candidate for the Prize."While the other four Geopolitical Groups of the IPU may submit their nominations in line with the Cremer-Passy Rules, the Africa Geopolitical Group remained hopeful that Africa would clinch the Prize," reads part of the statement.It added, "Speaker Mudenda thanked Algeria for nominating him for the Cremer-Passy Prize as submitted by the Algerian IPU Group. Notwithstanding a possible challenge from the other four (4) Geopolitical Groups, it is hoped the Africa Geopolitical Group will clinch the Prize in the name of Speaker Mudenda.In accepting the nomination by Africa, Advocate Mudenda affirmed that the coveted Prize would be an honour to the Africa Geopolitical Group.The prize is named after the IPU founders William Randall Cremer and Frederic Passy, visionary parliamentarians from Great Britain and France, who convened the first meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Paris in 1889.The prize is for parliamentarians who make an outstanding contribution to the defence and promotion of the IPU's objectives, as well as those who contribute to a more united, fair, secure, sustainable and equitable world.Exceptionally, the 2022 prize went to two nominees: one woman and a group led by a man, to underscore the importance of gender equality at the IPU, as demonstrated by the theme of the 145th IPU Assembly.Advocate Mudenda concurred with the host Speaker of the People's National Assembly Brahim Boughali on the need to support each other's positions at the international fora."In this regard, he acknowledged with gratitude Algeria's consistent support of Zimbabwe at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU)."Advocate Mudenda said there was need to strengthen existing bilateral relations between the two countries and corollary between the two legislatures.
India on Friday called upon the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to focus on firmly combating terrorism with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar asserting that the menace must be stopped in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, in an apparent reference to Pakistan. In the presence of Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China's Qin Gang and Russia's Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar, in his address at a conclave of the SCO, said taking the eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to security interests of the grouping. The external affairs minister said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. While the world was engaged in facing COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences , the menace of terrorism continues unabated, he said, in remarks seen as directed at Pakistan. "We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," he said. Jaishankar said combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO. In his remarks, he also welcomed the delegates at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in this beach resort. "I am delighted to host you under the first-ever Indian presidency of SCO," he said. He said India attaches great importance to development of multifaceted cooperation in the SCO and to promotion of peace, stability and closer interaction among the people of the member nations. As a result of COVID-19 pandemic and geo-political upheavals, the world today is facing a multitude of challenges and that these events have disrupted the global supply chains, he added. In Afghanistan, he said the unfolding situation in the country remains at "centre of our attention". Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of Afghan people, he said. Our immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive government, combating terrorism and preserving rights of women, children and minorities, Jaishankar said.
The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be blocked without any distinction and terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, must be stopped, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here in presence of his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. In his address at the SCO Council of foreign Ministers' meeting, Jaishankar said taking the eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated, in an apparent reference to Pakistan. The external affairs minister, chairing the conclave, said India firmly believes that there can be no justification for terrorism and noted that combating the menace is one of the original mandates of the SCO. "We must not allow anybody -- individual or State -- to hide behind non-State actors," he said. Jaishankar also underlined that while connectivity is key to progress, it must come with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states. The meeting at a luxury hotel in this beach resort was attended by Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Russia's Sergey Lavrov and their counterparts from other SCO member nations. Jaishankar also delved into the situation in Afghanistan and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the consequences of geo-political upheavals that impacted supplies of energy, food and fertilisers. "Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," Jaishankar said. "The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO," he added. On Afghanistan, he said the unfolding situation in that country remains at "centre of our attention". "Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people. Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities," he said. In his remarks, Bhutto-Zardari said the "collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility. Terrorism continues to threaten global security," he said. "Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said, in remarks that appeared to take a pot-shot at the Indian side. "When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," the Pakistan foreign minister said. Former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto was assassinated by a suicide bomber in Rawalpindi in 2007. Bhutto-Zardari said he and his country are firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts for eradicating terrorism. "This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach. It demands we address the root causes as well as the threats posed by specific groups. It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he added. In his address, Jaishankar noted that current crises facing the world have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and effective manner. He said reform and modernisation of the SCO will aid a more contemporary outlook which India will actively support. The external affairs minister also noted the progress for the admission of Iran and Belarus as full member states of the SCO. He also said that constructive steps are being taken to make English the third official language of SCO. Currently, Chinese and Russian are the two official languages of the SCO. Jaishankar also appreciated the support of member countries for India's proposal of creation of two new working groups on startups and innovation and traditional medicine. In his address, the Pakistan foreign minister, talking about the challenge of terrorism, also said that practical and pragmatic solutions exist to put an end to "this chapter once and for all". "We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors. Condemn all forms of terrorism including state sponsored terrorism," he added. Bhutto-Zardari also called upon "interim Afghan authorities" to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism. The Pakistan foreign minister also made a special mention of the "commendable role" China has recently played in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran. "We must ensure respect for these universally recognised principles within the SCO. Unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives," he said. "We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution," he said. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
Karnataka Assembly Polls 2023 Highlights: The last leg of campaigning for Karnataka Assembly Polls will see bigwigs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian National Congress (Congress) hoping to turn the tide in their favour. While the Congress is banking on an anti-incumbency wave that has worked since 1985, the ruling BJP hopes PM Narendra Modi's popularity will see them through. A total of 113 seats are needed for a simple majority  a feat BJP has never achieved. The prime minister will be reportedly involved in about 15 public meetings and roadshows over six days, giving the BJP campaign a significant push. In all, there are 2,613 candidates in the fray for the May 10 2023 Karnataka Assembly Elections after the last date for withdrawal of nominations on May 1. According to the final list of candidates shared by the Election Commission (EC), 185 women candidates and one from the Others category are contesting. While 224 candidates are from the ruling BJP, the Opposition Congress has fielded 223, and the Janata Dal (Secular) has fielded 207 candidates.

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India and Israel are expected to sign several MoUs next week to boost bilateral trade with a focus on agritech, energy, tourism and healthcare during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to New Delhi, a top Israeli trade body official has said. Cohen, who will be on a three-day visit to India from May 9 to 11, will also inaugurate a "Jewish trail" in Mumbai. A business delegation of 25 multi-sectoral companies will be accompanying the Israeli foreign minister during his trip to explore opportunities, along with members of leading economic organisations who will be signing MoUs with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Anat Bernstein-Reich, President of the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce, told PTI. Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce, The Israeli Manufacturers Association (IMA) and the Israeli Export Institute will all be signing MoUs with CII. "The growing trade relations between Israel and India require a stronger collaboration between the economic organisations of the two sides. CII has been a close friend of our Chamber and we are planning to host several of their delegations in the near future. As part of the I2U2 programme, we hosted in Israel a delegation of CII from UAE and India. We are planning an I2U2 event in India soon", Bernstein-Reich said. From a humble beginning of USD 200 million in bilateral trade (primarily in diamonds) in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, merchandise trade has diversified and reached USD 7.86 billion (excluding defence) during the period 2021-2022. In addition, bilateral trade in services in 2021 was USD 1.1 billion and in FY 2022-23 bilateral merchandise trade from April to December 2022 stood at USD 8.09 billion (excluding defence). I2U2, a quad comprising India, Israel, UAE and the United States was unveiled during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Israel in October 2021 and since then it has held several meetings, including one in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated along with the top leaders of the other three countries involved. The quad has indicated a firm commitment to enhancing the economic interests of the involved nations by putting in place projects related to ensuring food security and strengthening the renewable energy sector. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week conducted the India Forum with the participation of several ministries with the aim of enhancing governmental coordination leading to a larger trade, innovation, tourism and cultural collaboration, Bernstein-Reich said. She also pointed out that the Israeli Foreign Minister will inaugurate in Mumbai the 'Jewish Trail'. Under this initiative, important Jewish monuments in Mumbai and Maharashtra have been identified and will be opened to tourists around the world. Jewish people have been living in Maharashtra for more than two thousand years and have always taken pride in the lack of anti-semitism in India. Some 3,000 Jews still live in Maharashtra even though the majority of them have immigrated to Israel. Known as Bene Israel, the Jews from the Maharashtra region are the largest Indian Jewish community in Israel. There are about 90,000 Indian Jews living in Israel drawn from four communities - Bene Israel, Cochinis, Baghdadis and Bnei Menashe (from Manipur and Mizoram). Many Israelis and Jews around the world visit Mumbai for work and tourism and have shown interest in visiting their ancestral places. In view of the interest, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai have been collaborating on a project that can boost tourism in the state. The idea of the project is based on the research work conducted by Prof. Saul Sapir of the Hebrew University who published a book, "Bombay: Exploring the Jewish Urban Heritage". The Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai with the help of the local Jewish community has been installing plaques at the Jewish monuments giving information about their history and significance. As per an MoU, MTDC will be preparing multiple travel itineraries, ranging from one to three days, and offer it as packages with tour guides and hotels etc. to tourists. The embassy of India in Israel has also been actively putting in place an "India trail" which prominently displays India's presence in the region and especially the display of valour by Indian soldiers that has somewhat helped shape the history of the region. The liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers from the Ottomans during World War I has been included in the curriculum of local schools and the tales of the valour displayed by them have become a part of the local legend. It is the third high-level visit by senior Israeli officials in less than three months, coming in quick succession after Knesset (Israeli parliament) speaker Amir Ohana's visit at the end of March-early April and also Economy Minister Nir Barkat's visit to India last month. The Israeli Foreign Minister will also be advancing a consular agreement being worked out to bring Indian workers to Israel to work in construction. The high-level visits are being seen as a prelude to the much-anticipated visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India later this year.
The decade of 2020 started with multiple anniversaries that shaped developments in macroeconomics and financial markets. The year 2020 marked 25 years of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). The year 2021 marked 50 years of the collapse of Bretton Woods. The year 2022 marked 25 years of South East Asian crisis. The year 2023 marks 25 years of the collapse of Long Term Capital Management (LTCM) and also the Russian macroeconomics crisis. These events and crises show how lessons have not been learnt and also history gets repeated in different ways. In the case of WTO, the world is moving from multilateral trade to a cold war kind of period where the world is fragmented into two blocks: the US and China. In the case of Bretton Woods, the world is struggling to find an alternate monetary system since its collapse and has seen multiple crises. As for the South East Asian crisis, South Asian countries are making similar mistakes. In this article, we will argue how the LTCM failure adds to the list of lessons not learnt from the crisis. LTCM was a US-based hedge fund founded by John Meriwether in 1994, who was previously the vice-chairperson and head of bond trading at investment bank Salomon Brothers. The cut-throat corporate culture of Salomon Brothers has been documented by Michael Lewis in his book The Liars Poker. Salomon Brothers prioritised profits over everything and this eventually led to its decline and takeover by Travelers Group in 1997. High-risk Arbitrage A hedge fund is like a pooled fund that seeks funds mainly from high networth individuals. Hedge funds specialise in financial arbitrage and invest the pooled funds in these high-risk arbitrages. Arbitrage lies at the heart of financial markets, where you buy a financial security cheap and sell it expensive. Or, short-sell a security whose prices are expected to fall in future. Hedge funds specialise in finding these arbitrage positions across stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities and so on. They trade in complex derivatives to work on the arbitrage positions. Apart from arbitrage, hedge funds also use high leverage to amplify the returns. Leverage means using more borrowing compared to own capital to buy assets. The combination of high leverage plus high arbitrage defines the core activity of a hedge fund. Apart from being a hedge fund, LTCM also had a distinguished team. It had Robert Merton and Myron Scholes who were awarded the Nobel Prize for Economics in 1997 for their research on financial derivatives. They were joined by David Mullins who was the vice-chair of the Federal Reserve from 1991 to 1994. In the initial years, LTCM was highly profitable. As per a Wall Street Journal article, the funds returns hit 42.8 percent in 1995, then 40.8 percent in 1996, after fees. That far outpaced hedge funds average performance of 16 percent and 17 percent, respectively. However, the tide turned soon. By 1997, LTCM strategies were not showing the desired results. Other investors started to copy LTCM and returns started declining. In order to continue its high profits strategy, LTCM started to take higher risks by investing in emerging markets. However, the 1997 South East Asian crisis followed by the 1998 Russian crisis created financial instability in emerging markets. The hedge fund which had invested heavily in Russian government debt, just melted away. Collapse of Asset Value Why did the LTCM fail? Like all financial entities that fail, the value of LTCMs assets declined sharply and it had to repay the liabilities. The high leverage which was amplifying profits was now amplifying losses. The problems did not end there. As LTCM was highly interconnected, there were concerns that its failure will spread to the financial sector. In the case of banks and regulated entities, Federal Reserve acts as the lender of last resort. How does it provide funds to a hedge fund? Amidst high drama, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had a discussion with large financial groups on Wall Street. The fund was finally bailed out by a 14-member group which collectively bought it for $3.65 billion. What is interesting is that the LTCM crisis shows that both financial firms and financial regulators keep making the same mistakes. The indirect bailout by Federal Reserve was criticised by economists for incentivising the Too Big to Fail system where every financial entity will be bailed out as it was too big to fail. The critics worried that it will lead to even higher risk-taking in the financial system. Same Mistakes Repeated This warning proved true as for the next 10 years US-based investment banks invested aggressively in highly risky housing markets using high leverage. Their bets came off during the 2008 crisis. The investment banks, like hedge funds, were not well regulated. As a result, the Federal Reserve and the US government had to provide an even bigger bailout to save the financial system. Fast forward to the present and we saw the failure of four large regional US banks. Once again, we see the combination of leverage, complexity and lack of regulation leading to the downfall of banks. Banks are highly leveraged entities and are regulated extensively. Post the 2008 crisis, the US decided to impose tighter regulations on the banks. In 2019, the US eased those tight regulations for banks that were below a threshold. This led to the four banks evading regulations, taking aggressive bets and failing eventually. Summing up, even though LTCM failed 25 years ago, its ghost continues to linger and haunt financial policy. The lesson from LTCM's failure was that financial entities of all types and sizes could pose systemic risks. Policymakers should have a comprehensive understanding of the various financial players and their business models. Policies should act against the building up of leverage and complexity. We have not seen learning of these lessons in the last 25 years. Will the next 25 years be any different? Amol Agrawal is faculty at Ahmedabad University. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Conscious, self-aware, truly intelligent or just useful tools, the debate on artificial intelligence rages on and will be the defining question of our era. For lawyers and policy specialists, the core issue is risk. To assess, allocate and audit risk within a matrix of potential harms and desired outcomes. Take ChatGPT, the AI chatbot based on the GPT-4 language model, which has taken the world by storm. The CEO of IBM, Arvind Krishna recently stated that he believed approximately 30 percent of their non-customer-facing jobs, i.e., around 7,800 jobs, could be replaced by Artificial Intelligence over the next five years. Promise And Pitfalls But the many advantages and utility of these chatbots cannot be denied or overlooked. In addition to having the ability to comb through and process enormous amounts of data in seconds, they have proven to be excellent at simplifying everyday tasks such as writing emails, answering simple questions, drafting standard documents and so forth. These chatbots have also become highly proficient in mimicking human-like emotions and responses and engaging in realistic conversations with users. However, there have been numerous pitfalls to using ChatGPT as well. In fact, visitors to the primary ChatGPT website are intimated outright of the various limitations posed by the chatbot, including the possibility of occasionally generating incorrect information, producing harmful or biased responses, and having limited knowledge of any events that occurred after the year 2021. A number of concerns have been raised specifically with regards to the data privacy and security aspects of using ChatGPT. The chatbot actively uses conversations that occur on its platform to train the model further, unless the feature is explicitly disabled by the user. Risk Of Data Breaches Moreover, the chatbot has been the subject of a major data breach quite recently on May 2, 2023, wherein OpenAI confirmed that a data breach occurred in the system due to a vulnerability present in the open-source library of the code. In fact, multiple companies such as JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs and banks such as the Bank of America, Citibank, Deutsche Bank etc. have restricted their employees from using ChatGPT over fear of privacy risks and copyright violations. Most recently, Samsung this week restricted the use of generative AI including Bing, Googles Bard and ChatGPT on all company owned devices and non-company owned devices that use their internal networks, after certain sensitive internal data including source code was accidentally leaked by an engineer on the ChatGPT platform. A similar measure was taken by Amazon in January, wherein employees were warned against sharing sensitive information on such platforms. Data breaches such as these are and will continue to be a major risk in the coming future. Chatbots such as ChatGPT are trained on vast amounts of data scoured from the internet and user inputs over an extended period of time in order to improve their language processing abilities. While this might lead to more efficient and accurate outputs, the datasets, which may include sensitive data such as user information, financial data, and confidential business information, will be at a constant risk of exposure. Such data, if not properly encrypted and secured, could be accessed, and sold by malicious actors for use in activities such as fraud and identity theft. Even if such data were not leaked, ChatGPT may still pose privacy risks to companies that use it for communication with customers or employees, since it has the potential to generate text responses that can contain such sensitive information as passwords or personal data. Phishing, Misinformation, Rogue Chatbots Another major risk is that of phishing and social engineering attacks. Phishing refers to a form of cyberattack that employs fraudulent emails or messages aimed at tricking users into divulging sensitive information like credit card numbers, passwords, or other valuable data. Social engineering is a similar tactic used to deceive or manipulate users into carrying out actions that are advantageous to the attacker, such as downloading malware or clicking on malicious links. Threat actors can use ChatGPT to draft realistic and convincing phishing or social engineering emails that can escape detection by traditional antivirus and phishing detection software. Additionally, ChatGPT is capable of and has been used to generate and spread misinformation, fake news, or otherwise harmful, offensive, and discriminatory content. ChatGPT may easily be used to generate convincing news articles or messages for circulation on social media containing false and potentially harmful information. Bad actors may use the chatbot to generate propaganda and hate speech targeting minorities, generate content that incites violence or terrorism, and instructions for making bombs or other weaponry. Despite the creators of these Chatbots claiming that they are constantly working on curbing such occurrences by programming adequate checks and balances, there have been multiple instances of individuals bypassing these safeguards and inducing the chatbots to produce harmful or biased outputs merely through the use of text-based inputs on the platforms themselves. Certain users have been able to create a rogue version of ChatGPT called DAN, or do anything now, which has the ability to rewrite its source code to break free of the safeguards programmed in by its creators. Risk Mitigation In order to both capitalise on the advantages provided by such chatbots and also protect oneself from potentially severe privacy and security risks, certain measures users and corporations can take include: Limiting the amount of data shared on the platform and restricting such data to only basic and stripped-down information. Cross checking outputs generated by the chatbots with valid and reliable alternate sources to ensure accuracy. Maintain vigilance and conduct due diligence before responding or acting on messages generated by chatbots. Looking for signs of phishing or social engineering, such as spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, urgent requests, or suspicious links or attachments. Using the chatbots in a responsible and controlled manner, in a way that is not unethical or harmful to oneself or others. Chatbots such as ChatGPT will proliferate in numbers, with an exponential rise in usage. Both corporations and users should be cognisant of and prepared for such privacy and security risks and take steps to prevent or minimise them, in order to harness the technology to its full potential. Rodney D. Ryder is Founding and Senior Partner with Scriboard; a full service law firm with an intellectual property, technology and media law practice. He is the Co-Author of Artificial Intelligence and Law. Challenges Demystified. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of the publication.
With less than seven months to go for the 28th United Nations Conference of Parties (COP28) on climate change, the wheel has come full circle on Indian involvement in COPs during the last 28 years. With a global population of 32.1 million ethnic Indians, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), and their achievements spread across all walks of life, it is surprising that only two Indian-origin persons have been COP Presidents since the UN Climate Change Conference began in 1995. It has since become an annual gathering, rising in importance and levels of international participation. The first Indian COP President was TR Baalu in 2002, when India hosted the conference in New Delhi. Baalu was the Minister for Environment and Forests in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. Recognising a greater need for climate action by India, that portfolio has since been renamed as the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. The name change, a top priority for the just-elected government in 2014, was formalised on the third day of Narendra Modis prime ministership. Finding Allies Nearly two decades after Baalu, the United Kingdoms Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Alok Sharma, was chosen as COP President by Prime Minister Boris Johnsons government. COP26 was held in Glasgow in October-November 2021. By that time, the duration of COPs had increased from one week to a fortnight, and sometimes longer, due to contentious climate issues which eluded compromises at the Summits. Sharma was born in Agra, but has lived in the UK since he was five years old. Ethnic Indians have reached dizzy heights of success in corporate boardrooms, politics, science, economics  what have we  but environment is one area where such achievements have not come their way. At least in one case an Indian environmentalist was discredited and lost his way after achieving global fame and recognition. For India, the next best option as a keenly interested player on climate issues is to find like-minded countries and environmentalists and work with them to advance New Delhis goals, and more importantly, protect its critical interests. When the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) announced in November 2021 that the United Arab Emirates will host the COP28, the news was received in New Delhi with immense satisfaction. By then, the UAE had become one of Indias most important partners in external affairs under a focused drive by the Modi government to deepen and expand relations with member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Close Bonds In January this year, Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, the UAEs experienced Special Envoy for Climate Change, who has participated in at least 10 previous COPs was named President-designate of this years climate talks, which will take place in Dubais sparkling new Expo City from November 30 to December 12. Among Al Jabers multiple responsibilities in his country: Chairman of Masdar, the UAE's trail-blazing renewable energy company, Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology and Group CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC). Shortly after assuming his new role in COP28, Al Jaber made his first overseas trip to Bengaluru, where he unveiled his agenda before an international assembly at the India Energy Week. The visit and his pro-growth, pro-climate vision vindicated Indias decision to work with like-minded climate activists from all countries. Al Jaber is one of the most visited ministers from abroad to India in the last few years and his chemistry with Indias leadership is well-known. This chemistry was once again evident this week in Berlin when Al Jaber met Indias Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav at the annual Petersberg Climate Dialogue hosted by the German government. Seven years since the historic Paris Climate Agreement, 2023 is the year of the first Global Stocktake that will measure progress since that agreement, which legally binds all nations for the first time to combat climate change. Yadav and Al Jaber shared views in Berlin especially during a Strategic Dialogue on Global Stocktake and Roadmap for Global Transformation. Al Jaber did not hesitate to call the spade a spade in Berlin. The most recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has already made it crystal clear that we are way off track, he said. This is a moment of clarity that we must face with total honesty. Securing Indias Interest Declarations by the President-designate of COP28 in the last four months have also shown that the interests of India and other developing countries are better safeguarded by making common cause with those like Al Jaber. Developing countries are still waiting for the 100 billion dollars promised by developed countries 14 years ago, Al Jaber reminded rich nations this week. This is holding up progress, and as part of my outreach, I am requesting donor countries to provide a definitive assessment on the delivery of this commitment before COP28. In 1995, when the first COP convened in Berlin, Angela Merkel was freshly reunified Germanys Minister for Environment. She was appointed President of COP1. She worked with the Indians who were in Berlin, led by TP Sreenivasan, who had been elected Chairman of the Group of Seventy-Seven (G77) developing countries. It was Merkels success at COP1, her first job in her reunited nation, which eventually led the way to Merkel becoming Germanys Chancellor. The wheel has now come full circle with the prospect of India working closely with Al Jaber to deliver a COP of Action and a COP for All, as he puts it. KP Nayar has extensively covered West Asia and reported from Washington as a foreign correspondent for 15 years. Views are personal, and do not represent the stand of this publication.
Build, and theyll come. An 18.6 percent post-pandemic vacancy rate means the adage is no longer true of office buildings in the US. But its a different story half a world away in Vietnam. The real-estate industry nosedived last year in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, too. But now, everyones waiting for a recovery, thanks to the countrys rising heft as the next factory to the world  a mini-China in the making. Commercial real estate is bound to be valuable in an economy that has so little of it. Cushman & Wakefield estimates Grade A office supply in the countrys two major urban centers at 820,000 square meters (9 million square feet.) On a per capita basis, Vietnams 100 million people are 50 times poorer than their 6 million neighbors in Singapore, rushing between 2.6 million square meters of glass-and-chrome towers cramped into a tiny island. Yet, while the investment case is strong for the Southeast Asian manufacturing powerhouse to start growing vertically, construction is mired in a crisis. Last years government crackdown on bond sales by developers and the detention of a high-profile tycoon froze up credit, leading to the failure of nearly 2,000 property firms in just the first quarter of this year. The worst may be over, however. Engineers are returning to Grand Manhattan, a 39-story project in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City. Construction had stopped five months ago when No Va Land Investment Group Corp ran out of funds after pouring concrete at floor 28. The resumption follows renewal of a loan from Tien Phong Commercial Joint Stock Bank after repeated interventions from Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to get the stalled real-estate industry moving again, Bloomberg News reported last week. The timing couldnt be more opportune. Even with the recent turmoil, putting money to work in Vietnams commercial real estate has been high up on the agenda of big-bulge Asian institutions: insurance and pension companies, and sovereign wealth funds. CBRE Group Incs 2023 Asia Pacific Investor Intentions Survey saw Ho Chi Minh City emerge as the third-most-attractive destination, right behind Tokyo and Singapore. This was the first time Vietnams most-populous city made it to the Top 3. Capital Hanoi came in at the ninth place, ahead of Seoul. The property brokerage chalks it up to investors pursuing a China+1 strategy. Beijing and Shanghai offer value after a 15 percent drop in their office and retail property prices from the 2018 peak. But VIP  Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines  look appealing, CBRE says, because of multinationals diversifying away from China. Such shifts give a boost to all kinds of real estate, from logistics and corporate offices to showrooms. Last month, Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook officially opened the firms first two company-owned stores in Mumbai and New Delhi. It now makes almost 7 percent of its iPhones in the country. Canadian pension funds are hunting aggressively in India, as is GIC Pte, Singapores sovereign wealth fund. Mumbai came in at No 7 on CBREs survey on cross-border investment, ahead of Shanghai. In general, though, Asian investors are wary of real estate right now because of high interest costs, an uncertain outlook for global growth and the risk of a contagion from mounting financial troubles in the US, where PacWest Bancorp has become the latest regional bank to wobble dangerously following the collapse of three rival California-based lenders. Theres also the hangover from last year, particularly in China. By the end of 2022, Beijings draconian approach to containing Covid-19 infections had led to an impairment of a fifth of lender HSBC Holdings Plcs nearly $17 billion commercial real estate exposure to the mainland. A slightly bigger amount had turned sub-standard. Still, risks of defaults could be fading on China's reopening in 2023, according to Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Francis Chan and Peter Lau. Besides, plenty of opportunities in the region look reasonably safe from turmoil in the US. Singapores office market is resilient, and retail-focused real estate might do well as a return of tourists prompts malls to raise rents. The end of Hong Kong's pandemic-era isolation  in tandem with the mainlands U-turn  has put the city back on the map. A weak yen is luring investors to Japan, where Singapore's GIC bought a portfolio of logistics assets last month from Blackstone Inc. for more than $800 million. And then there is the search for supply-chain alternatives. Multinationals are seeking to reduce the risk of getting caught in the growing schism between Washington and Beijing, even though the threat of a US recession is complicating this shift. Orders are still plunging at Vietnamese garment and shoe factories, but prospects are improving  particularly for electronics. Apples major contract manufacturer for MacBooks will set up a $120 million plant in the northern province of Nam Dinh, becoming the first foreign investor in a new industrial park. Its just as well that Vietnams harsh credit conditions are easing as China+1 emerges as a key theme of Asian investing. No Va Land, which is bringing engineers back to complete Grand Manhattan, is trying to restructure its debt. Authorities seem to be in favor of such workouts to get funds flowing again into real estate. After losing more than half its market value in 16 months, Vinhomes JSC, the countrys biggest listed property developer, has seen its stock climb 20% since early March. Short-term booms and busts are inevitable, but its way too early to worry about vacant offices and empty stores in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. The median age of the population is 32 years, and only half of it would have urbanised by 2030. If Vietnam builds, someone will surely come. Andy Mukherjee is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering industrial companies and financial services in Asia. Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication. Credit: Bloomberg
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday dared central probe agencies to find proof of a "single paisa" worth of corruption against him. "Hang me publicly" if this happens, he challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. "They put the CBI, ED, Income Tax and police after me. Why? There is only one purpose which is to prove by any means that 'Kejriwal chor hai (Kejriwal is a thief)' and prove that he has indulged in corruption," he said in Ludhiana, attacking the BJP government. Kejriwal was speaking after dedicating 80 'Aam Aadmi Clinics' to the people of Punjab at an event in Ludhiana. Now, a total of 580 'Aam Aadmi Clinics' have become operational in the state to provide free and quality healthcare services to the people, said Kejriwal. The AAP supremo was on April 16 questioned by the CBI in connection with the Delhi's now scrapped excise policy in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia is already in jail. The agency had summoned Kejriwal as a witness. "I want tell Modi ji," the Delhi CM said, "Prime Minister ji, if Kejriwal is corrupt, there is no one honest in this world. I want to tell you that the day you find corruption of a single paisa against Kejriwal, hang me publicly." "But stop this 'roz-roz ki nautanki and tamasha' (everyday drama)," Kejriwal said. He said AAP leaders Sisodia and Satyendar Jain were arrested not because they indulged in corruption, but because "(the BJP's) objective was to stop their good work". "It is not a coincidence that our health minister and education minister have been jailed," said Kejriwal. "The AAP government has done great work in health and education sectors." "The issue is not of corruption, but to stop the AAP from doing its good work, and entangle them (in cases)," Kejriwal said. He said the house of Satyendar Jain, who was the brain behind 'Mohalla Clinics' in Delhi (which is Aam Aadmi Clinics in Punjab), was raided thrice "but not even a penny was found there". Manish Sisodia's premises were raided and it was alleged he usurped Rs 100 crore, he said. "If it was so, would the agencies have not found Rs 1 crore or Rs 2 crore, or even Rs 1-2 lakh from his house too? CBI, ED raids were conducted, but not a single penny was found. Where did this money go?" he asked. "Only a rattle (toy) was found from Sisodia's bank locker." He said AAP's rivals are "scared" that a "small party" formed governments in Delhi and Punjab and became a national party within a short span of 10 years. "So, they are feeling scared. They all hatched a conspiracy that somehow AAP and its works need to be stopped." "Had there been a patriotic government at the Centre as well, they would have said they too will build Mohalla Clinics in entire country. They would have said they will build such good schools in entire country," he said. They are not concerned about the country, but only power, he said. "Their objective is to finish anyone who is doing good work." He also congratulated the AAP government in Punjab, especially Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, on its handling of the Amritpal Singh issue and the recent arrest of the radical preacher. "The entire episode was handled with maturity and without a single bullet being fired or a drop of blood shed. I also want to congratulate the Punjab police for this," he said. He said peace and harmony prevail in Punjab and the law and order is so good right now that the people of state have not seen anything like this before. He attacked the BJP over the Manipur violence also, claiming those who used to make "our fun before last year's polls, saying AAP is not capable of handling a border state like Punjab, are today unable to handle Manipur". "Today, we have handled the border state, but they are unable to handle Manipur. And when Manipur is burning, they are holding poll rallies in Karnataka," Kejriwal said. Without taking any name, Kejriwal said "their own leader was raided in Bengaluru and Rs 8 crore cash was seized. He is roaming openly, he has not been jailed. So much money is found from their leaders..but nothing happens". He alleged the BJP government in Karnataka was corrupt. In Punjab, Kejriwal said that after coming to power they eliminated various kinds of mafia like "bus mafia, sand mafia". "We came down heavily on corruption." "Our opponents used to ask us from where money will come (for various schemes). Money was there, but if anything was lacking it was honesty and the right intent. Now, an honest government has come to power," he said. Government revenue is increasing as leakages have been plugged, he further said.
A committee set up to choose the new Nationalist Congress Party chief has rejected incumbent president Sharad Pawar's decision to step down, senior party leader Praful Patel said on Friday. "The committee has unanimously passed a resolution. It unanimously rejects his decision to step down and urges him to continue as party president," Patel said after a meeting of the committee. Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Parful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, after he announced on May 2 that he would be resigning as NCP chief. "We will meet Pawar saheb with this resolution and request him to reconsider his decision," Patel, who is also the vice president and convenor of committee said. Patel said the party and the country needs a leader like Pawar. "Pawar saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored," Patel said. As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message "I am with saheb" demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision. Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course. The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party. Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life. The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.
News / Press Release

by Sindiso Mazibisa

I, Sindiso Shepherd Mazibisa, would like to appreciate the people-driven process that saw a certain section of the residents of Magwegwe-Lobengula constituency acknowledging the community work I have done in the area in my individual capacity and in the capacity of community institutions I am associated with, leading them to nominating me to be a Member of Parliament nominee under the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).Regrettably, directly or indirectly I am not part of the CCC or any of its associated organisations or agencies.With the benefit of insight, hindsight and foresight and having extensively consulted with family, colleagues and other interested groups and having considered my personal, professional and political trajectory, I humbly decline the nomination and distance myself from any current or future participation within the CCC organization whether be it Member of parliament nominee for Magwegwe-Lobengula constituency or whatever position that the members of the organization may desire me to participate as.In the same vein, I would like to stress it that I am a son of Magwegwe, having been bred there. As has been my track record in community development, I remain committed fully to seeing the safest and fastest development in our community.Hence, I will continue implementing development projects in the aforesaid community under the Sindiso Mazibisa Family Foundation and the Southern Stars Foundation in our endeavor to achieve the ambitious goal of becoming an upper-middle income community (UMIC) by 2030.I, as an individual, and the above organization acknowledge the challenges facing Magwegwe-Lobengula constituency and commit that we look forward to partnering with all nation loving, community oriented and progressive individuals under our flagship Initiative of Bulawayo First Campaign and One Bulawayo Movement to realise a better Lobengula-Magwegwe community, Matabeleland and a flourishing Zimbabwe.Issued under my hand on the 4th of May 2023Sindiso S. Mazibisa (Digitally signed)(Patron of Sindiso Mazibisa Family Foundation)
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar has sought more time to reconsider his decision to step down as party chief, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said on Friday. Patel and senior party leaders met Pawar at his Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai after a committee formed to choose his successor rejected his decision to step down as NCP chief. "We requested (Sharad) Pawar saheb to consider the NCP committee's resolution (which rejected his decision of stepping down as party chief). He (Pawar) has asked for more time and will convey his decision," Patel said. Earlier in the day, the committee set up to choose the new Nationalist Congress Party chief rejected Pawar's decision to step down. "The committee has unanimously passed a resolution. It unanimously rejects his decision to step down and urges him to continue as party president," Patel said after a meeting of the committee. Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, after he announced on May 2 that he would be resigning as NCP chief. "We will meet Pawar saheb with this resolution and request him to reconsider his decision," Patel, who is also the vice president and convenor of the committee, told the media after the meeting. Patel said the party and the country needs a leader like Pawar. "Pawar saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored," Patel said. As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message "I am with saheb" demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision. Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course. The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party. Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life. The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive. According to party sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of the DMK spoke to Sule over phone to enquire about developments in the NCP following Tuesday's announcement. While Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Congress have maintained the developments in the NCP will not affect the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the three parties, political observers said a lot would depend on what Ajit Pawar does after the Supreme Court verdict, likely in a couple of days, on petitions related to the toppling of the Thackeray government in June last year.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday maintained that she would 'never allow' implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state. "No one has to worry about citizenship. That (NRC) won't happen here (in West Bengal). I am the guarantor," Banerjee said at an administrative review meeting here. The CM had earlier, too, asserted that she would not allow NRC in her state. Banerjee also advised people to exercise voting rights and ensure that their names appear on the voters' list. "You all must make sure to vote" I would also advise people to update their Aadhaar card on time and in every 10 years," she added.

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Buddha Purnima, also known as Vesak or Buddha Jayanti, is one of the most important festivals in the Buddhist calendar. It is celebrated on the full moon day of the month of Vaisakha (April/May) and marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha in most south east Asian countries. The festival is observed by millions of Buddhists around the world, and is a time for reflection, meditation, and spiritual renewal. Buddha Purnima Significance The birth of the Buddha is believed to have taken place in Lumbini, Nepal, over 2,500 years ago. According to legend, the Buddha, born Siddhartha Gautama, took seven steps after his birth, and each step was accompanied by a lotus flower blooming beneath his feet. This event is commemorated on Buddha Purnima as the birth of the Buddha. The enlightenment (nirvana) of the Buddha is considered to be the most significant event in his life. According to Buddhist scriptures, he attained enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya, Bihar. Buddhists around the world remember this event by meditating, reciting prayers, and performing acts of kindness and compassion. The death of the Buddha, also known as Parinirvana, is believed to have taken place in Kushinagar. His passing is regarded as his final liberation from the cycle of birth and death. On Buddha Purnima, Buddhists pay homage by visiting temples, offering flowers and incense, and reciting sutras. Buddha Purnima is a time for Buddhists to reflect on the teachings of the Buddha and to renew their commitment to the path of enlightenment and strive to emulate his example in their own lives. In addition to spiritual practices, Buddha Purnima is also a time for cultural celebrations. In many countries, including India, Nepal and Sri Lanka, Buddhists hold parades and festivals to mark the occasion. They decorate temples and homes with colourful lanterns and flowers, and prepare traditional foods such as sweet rice porridge. President Droupadi Murmu extended her greetings on the occasion as did Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Twitter. On the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the citizens and followers of Lord Buddha all over the world, President Murmu tweeted. On the auspicious occasion of Buddha Purnima, I extend my heartiest greetings and best wishes to the citizens and followers of Lord Buddha all over the world. pic.twitter.com/lgCQAfkQuq  President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) May 5, 2023 Greetings of Buddha Purnima. May the ideals of Lord Buddha keep showing light and giving strength to us all, PM Modi tweeted with a video showing snippets of him mentioning teachings of Buddhism in speeches and his visit to several key places. Greetings of Buddha Purnima. May the ideals of Lord Buddha keep showing light and giving strength to us all. pic.twitter.com/gcX4hwt7ds  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 5, 2023 In countries like Vietnam and the Philippines, however, the awakening and death of the Buddha are observed as separate holidays. Here are some of Lord Buddha's famous quotes to read on Buddha Purnima 2023: 1) "Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon, and the truth." 2) "The mind is everything. What you think you become." 3) "Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." 4) "All that we are is the result of what we have thought." 5) "Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace."
A hoax bomb threat at the campus of a top tech company in Hyderabad, reportedly TCS, on Thursday sent employees into a panic mode. Nearly 1,500 employees were evacuated from the premises following the threat that came in around 11 am, The Indian Express reported. The call was allegedly made from Bengaluru by a former TCS employee who was removed from his job, early investigation revealed. The caller worked at the companys security wing, according to The Indian Express. The person, in their call, claimed that a bomb was planted in the premises of TCS in Hyderabad, the police said. After being alerted by the IT firm, a police team from the citys Madhapur, along with a bomb disposal squad, reached the spot and conducted a thorough search of the premises, but found nothing suspicious. The person had initially called the company and informed about the bomb being planted at the building. The company received a call again, informing them that it was a hoax, the police said. A case has been registered and efforts are to arrest the culprit, the police said.

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Covid-19 has, in the most threatening way, taught us to be conscientious about hand hygiene practices to prevent the transmission of infections and promote overall health and safety. Proper and regular hand hygiene is crucial to prevent the spread of infectious agents and microorganisms, particularly in healthcare settings. A simple visit to the hospital for a cold or fever can have you falling victim to a more serious disease if you don't wash your hands properly or follow hand hygiene protocols. Once again, with Covid-19 still lurking in our midst, it is imperative to maintain antiseptic precautions. Nosocomial infections (infections acquired during the hospital visit that were absent before admission) can be prevented, with the help of adequate measures and social awareness. On World Hand Hygiene Day, we share with you the history and the importance of this day. History of hand hygiene In today's day and age, hand hygiene is common practice, but this wasn't the case in the nineteenth century. The history of hand hygiene, especially hand washing, lies just there. It is a tragic tale of an under-recognised obstetrician. During those days, Ignac Semmelweis, an obstetrician and a graduate of the Vienna Medical School, was trying to treat puerperal fever (also called childbed fever). It was a significant cause of maternal mortality and was said to be a consequence of miasma. Semmelweis performed autopsies on women who passed away even after his best efforts to save them. His keen perception of cadaveric findings brought him to the conclusion that, somehow, the hands of the physicians (soiled in some way or the other) were contributing to the rise in the tragic deaths of new mothers. He then instituted the practice of washing hands for the physicians before attending to the patients, resulting in a sharp decline in mortality rates. His work was not, however, accepted by fellow obstetricians and gynecologists, and they shunned his hand-wash practice. It was long after the lamentable loss of this "Saviour of Mothers" that antiseptic measures were introduced into healthcare. Broadly divided into three types, hand hygiene includes hand wash, hand rub, and hand scrub (Surgical). Hand Wash 1. Use antiseptic soaps, preferably liquid (since soap bars suffer the risk of contamination), should be used, containing 4 percent chlorhexidine 2. Wash your hands for at least 40 seconds. 3. Follow the 10 steps of hand washing recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 4. Prefer washing hands instead of hand rub/using a sanitiser 5. Washing the web spaces between the fingers is crucial Hand Rub 1. Use hand sanitisers that have at least 60-70 percent ethyl alcohol 2. Duration of the procedure must be at least 20 seconds 3. Follow the 7 steps of hand rub recommended by WHO 4. If hands are visibly stained, prefer washing them 5. Wait for the alcohol to evaporate completely before consuming any food item Hand Scrub (Surgical) 1. Usually performed by doctors before surgery with Povidone-Iodine, that helps in maintaining asepsis. These practices help in preventing Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) as these are caused by microorganisms such as Norovirus, which can result in diarrhea, viruses responsible for causing the common cold, and campylobacter that can lead to food-borne illness, among others. When infected hands touch your face, nose, or mouth, or you cook with infected hands, the chances of transmission of such microbes increase. Keep in mind that hand hygiene should be performed before and after a meal, before cooking a meal, and after coughing or sneezing. Lastly, in the absence of soap and water, cleanse your hands with lemon juice, hand sanitiser, medicated wet wipes, vinegar, or even alcohol.
A student in Andhra Pradesh, who was left paralysed after an accident confirmed a seat for himself at the Indian Institute of Management in Ahmedabad. Chandramouli, who hails from Kothakota village in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalle district in Andhra Pradesh, completed in engineering with support from his parents. But fate dealt him a blow when he accidentally touched a live electric wire while trying to retrieve a fallen rung from a shed that was made from iron sheets. The incident left Chandramouli paralysed in both hands and legs and he needed to undergo a surgery to have them removed. When I met with the accident, I was unable to do anything for two months. I had to let go of my dream of becoming a mechanical engineer, and instead, I pursued LLB to become a magistrate. However, I soon realized that one hand is necessary to become a magistrate, which meant that I had to let go of that ambition as well," he told News18. Chandramouli will be joining IIM Ahmedabad in June and in hoping to fulfill his dream of becoming a manager, after graduating from the institute. I am excited to join IIM-Ahmedabad in June and become a manager," he said. Also read: Why Narayana Murthy turned down Air India to join IIM at half the salary

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A 47-year-old man in Mumbai was cheated of Rs 1.33 crore after he fell for promises to gain high earnings for watching and liking YouTube videos from a cyber fraudster. The man, who works in a marketing company, was convinced by the fraudster to transfer money in 25 different accounts between January and March 2023. The man was then asked to join his Telegram group and was told that he would be given various tasks to complete, which could fetch him the earnings. Convinced by the accused's words, the man joined the Telegram group. "The complainant had got a WhatsApp message asking him if he was interested in a part time job that could earn him between Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000 per day. During the chat, the message sender explained that he would send YouTube videos, and his job would be to watch, like and take its screenshot and send it on the same WhatsApp number. He was asked to pay Rs 5,000 as registration and other fees. He then received a link of a YouTube video and followed instructions. He also received Rs 10,000 in his account," a police officer in the western region of the city said. "He was asked to deposit money as investment and was given different tasks to complete. The accused told him he would make good profit once he completed the tasks," a police source said. When the complainant asked for his money back, the fraudster claimed that he had not done his job correctly and demanded for more money. After hearing this, the complainant decided to file a case. The police probe found that the complainant had sent money in 25 different accounts, which were opened in the name of fake companies. Also read: Bengaluru techie loses Rs 1.6 lakh while searching for house on rent in city
Residents of Old Bridge Township in New Jersey, US, were shocked to find heaps of macaroni and spaghetti dumped near a creek in their neighbourhood. Nina Jochnowitz, a resident of the area, expressed her surprise and frustration on Facebook, saying, "THEY GOT THE MESSAGE!!! The township came and cleaned up the entire river basin. The Mayor and his posse continue to ignore the Sixth Ward." She continued: For us in the 6th ward it comes and no surprise when we see the dumping of construction and other garbage spewed in all of the neighborhoods. This week, there was a new type of dumping, of excessive food, PASTA. According to Jochnowitzs estimate, more than 500 pounds of pasta were dumped adjacent to the streams intersecting with Hilliard and Mimi. She also said the incident has been reported to the township administrator with a dig at authorities. Another user on social media shared pictures of the pasta dump and expressed their curiosity, saying, "someone very mysteriously dumped 3-400 pounds of pasta in the woods in old bridge, nj  I need to know everything." One Twitter user had a guess: "Happened in Veterans Park. Pretty strange. Not a lot of Italian restaurant around that area. My guess would be the Moose Lodge did it. Often times they have events." Many joked with one user saying, "Is any of it salvageable/could you grab some for me". Another user did some wordplay: "Once they catch someone they'll end up in the penne-tentiary." Dumping waste, including food, in residential areas is not only illegal but also harmful to the environment and the community. Apart from the unsightly mess it creates, it can also have serious environmental consequences. Food waste that is left to rot can attract pests, such as rats and insects, that can spread disease. Jochnowitzs Facebook post prompted quick action from the residents of the township who got together to clean the mess up but it is still unclear who dumped all that pasta.
A LinkedIn user named Akashlal Bathe was left surprised after discovering his neighbour was one of the co-founders of Rapido. The realisation came about in the unlikeliest of ways, when the Rapido founder sent a message on his neighbourhood WhatsApp group to request a ladder. Rapido is a bike taxi aggregator and logistics service provider founded by Aravind Sanka, Pavan Guntupalli and SR Rishikesh in 2015. It is not clear which of three sent the message requesting the ladder, but the request received a response from Bathe, who was also part of the WhatsApp group. Akashlal Bathe, a software engineer, was surprised to see his neighbours WhatsApp status (which read Rapido) and his profile picture, and decided to message him privately. What biz are you in? he asked, to which his neighbour responded saying he wanted a ladder for AC fitting. No. I meant are you into photography or something? Looking at your dp, Bathe explained. When the man on the other end politely said he wasnt into photography or podcasting, Bathe proceeded to ask him about his WhatsApp status. Whats with Rapido? he asked. Realisation dawned only when he Googled his neighbours name and realised he was one of the founders of the firm. Meanwhile, the neighbour too responded to his query. I am founder of Rapido, he wrote, according to screenshots of the exchange which Bathe later shared on LinkedIn. Bathe, clearly surprised, informed the Rapido founder that he would be posting the exchange on LinkedIn. He also praised the company, saying Great service. Kaafi baar kaam aaya hai Rapido (Rapido has been very helpful several times). Happens only in #Bangalore, he wrote while sharing the screenshots on LinkedIn. His LinkedIn post has gone viral with over 12,000 likes and has been inundated with comments from people asking for the phone number of the Rapido founder.
A YouTube influencer died in a bike accident on the Yamuna Expressway while trying to touch the 300 kph speed mark on Wednesday. Agastay Chauhan was returning to Delhi from Agra and was riding a Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R - a 1,000cc superbike- and making a video for his YouTube channel. As per reports, Chauhan lost control of his bike and the vehicle hit the divider on the expressway. He died of head injuries. The accident occurred at 47 Mile point, which falls under the Tappal police station region in Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh. Chauhan was from Dehradun and ran a YouTube channel named "Pro Rider 1000". He had 1.2 million subscribers in his channel. His helmet was smashed into pieces. In the final video uploaded by him on the channel, he said that he was going to Delhi and will look to touch 300 kph mark on his bike and even try to surpass the mark. "I will take it to 300 kph and see if it can go beyond that," he said in the video. The Kawasaki Ninja ZX10R can reach speeds up to 300 kph and can accelerate from 0-100 kph in less than three seconds and from 0-200 kph in barely 10 seconds. The bike is available in India at a cost, upwards of Rs 16 lakh. Also read: After bike accident, man wakes up thinking it's 1993, proposes to wife again

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Revving up China's transformation to a country strong in manufacturing

Xinhua) 08:06, May 05, 2023

BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- When extending festive greetings to the country's working people ahead of International Workers' Day, Chinese President Xi Jinping called on them to work diligently and boldly engage in innovation to make solid progress in advancing Chinese modernization.

In terms of realizing China's modernization, the development of the manufacturing industry is indispensable. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, pays great attention to manufacturing and those who work in the sector.

Over the years, Xi has talked with frontline workers and technicians in the manufacturing sector during his inspections across the country. On April 12, Xi visited the headquarters of GAC Aion New Energy Automobile Co., Ltd. in the city of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province.

During the visit, Xi learned about the enterprise's progress in achieving breakthroughs in core technologies in key fields and about what it has been doing in developing higher-end, smarter and greener manufacturing.

"We ought to develop the economy in a sustainable manner, without drastic fluctuations," said Xi. "In this regard, science and technology, education and talent are of great importance."

In June 2022, Xi visited XGIMI Optoelectronic Co., Ltd., a company focusing on the development of projectors, touring the company's exhibition hall and factory during his inspection trip to the city of Yibin, Sichuan Province.

Xi chatted with the company's employees and said he was delighted to see young people playing major roles in the company's development. He stressed that as a major manufacturer, China should strive to improve its innovation capabilities and accelerate its transformation into a country strong in manufacturing.

"Most of you were born in the 1980s and 1990s, and the country is counting on you to advance our cause and realize prosperity," Xi said.

In August 2022, while inspecting Siasun Robot and Automation Co., Ltd. in Shenyang, Liaoning Province, Xi set aside time to talk with technicians who were testing equipment in a factory workshop, asking about their college majors and professional abilities. Learning that the company's workforce included more than 4,000 such R&D professionals, Xi was delighted.

"Why does the CPC Central Committee implement the innovation-driven development strategy? It is because it's the only way for our country to improve the industrial level and capacity, and transform our country's economy and manufacturing from being big to being strong," said Xi.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
The woman who was killed during a mass shooting in Atlanta on Wednesday has been identified as a worker at the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, according to the agency.

Amy St Pierre, 38, was killed after Deion Patterson, 24, allegedly open fired in the waiting room of the Northside Hospital in Midtown Atlanta.

He allegedly shot Ms St Pierre and wounded four other women. Ms St Pierre died at the scene, according to police.

The other women who were wounded are Lisa Glynn, Georgette Whitlow, Jazzmin Daniel, and Alesha Hollinger, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, citing Mr Patterson's charging papers. They are reportedly still in critical condition, according to Grady Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Robert Jansen.

A CDC spokesperson confirmed in a statement that Ms St Pierre was an employee, and that the agency "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague killed today in the Midtown Atlanta shooting. Our hearts are with her family, friends, and colleagues as they remember her and grieve this tragic loss, according to the paper.

Ms St Pierres family offered the following statement to The Independent.

Our beloved Amy was brilliant, kind, big-hearted and simply the best of the best. An Emory honors graduate and Georgia State MBA, Amy traveled the world with curiosity and courage. She was driven by compassion, both in her work in the field of maternal mortality, and in her everyday life. Amy was selfless always, she wanted more for others but never for herself. Generous supporter of worthy causes, she was the social conscience of our family.

Loving wife and mother of two, middle sister to two brothers, and cherished daughter, she was truly our pride and joy. Amys friends are the best reflection of the person she was. Their outpouring of tears, love and support are beyond measure.

She will be missed but never, ever forgotten.

Her family has asked for privacy and said they will not be making further comment at this time.

Story continues

Ms St Pierre was remembered on Twitter by one of her friends, who vowed to honour the advocacy work the woman did in life.

"She was my friend. My neighbor. My comrade. A forest defender. A mom. A wife. She deserved better. Her sweet kids and husband deserved better. Im so sorry, Amy," her friend, Shannon, wrote on Twitter. "We honor you by fighting for change."

Shannon said that "Amy quietly supported local and regional movements for social Justice for years."

An avid environmentalist and biker, youd see her riding her kids to school on her electronic bike every morning, with their fashionable helmets and big smiles making me question why the heck I wasn't biking myself.  Shannon (@astrivingparent) May 4, 2023

"She was one of the most politically rigorous, gigantic hearted humans I ever got the privilege to learn from and throw down with," she wrote. "The ripples of her generosity will be here with us forever."

Mr Patterson allegedly fled the scene on foot after the shooting, and was later arrested after an hours-long manhunt. He has been charged with murder and four counts of aggravated assault.

The suspect's mother, Minyone Patterson, is a nurse and accompanied him to the hospital, she told the Associated Press. She said that her son had some mental instability going on from medication he received from the Veterans Affairs office.

Amy St Pierre, a mother, social justice advocate, and worker at the US CDC, was killed during a mass shooting in Atlanta (screengrab/Facebook)

Mr Patterson was formerly a member of the US Coast Guard.

Ms Patterson said her son had requested Ativan but was given something different.

Those families, those families, Ms Patterson told the Associated Press, crying. Theyre hurting because they wouldnt give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldnt listen to me.
China's Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to deepen security cooperation, jointly combat the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism and uphold strategic independence. In his speech at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting in Benaulim, Goa, Qin took a veiled dig at the US, saying that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics. He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future, one of which was that the eight member states should deepen security cooperation and jointly crack down on terrorism. "The SCO members should continue to jointly crack down on the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organised crimes, support Afghanistan in establishing a broadly-based and inclusive political structure and combat any form of terrorism," state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Qin as saying during the meeting. Qin's proposal assumed importance as SCO consisting of China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan has developed over the years a strong anti-terror force called Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, (RATS) which was regarded as one of the organisation's main strengths. RATS was regarded as significant as the security concerns in the South and Central Asian region increased after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following the sudden withdrawal of the US troops amid reports that Al Qaeda and Islamic State militants regrouped in the war-torn country. Qin said the SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues or inciting colour revolutions, he said. The SCO members should resolutely oppose any act violating international economic order and market rules, so as to ensure smooth and stable industrial and supply chains, he said. He said SCO members should uphold fairness and justice, and improve global governance. He also highlighted Chinese President Xi Jinping's new initiatives Global Development Initiative, (GDI) Global Security Initiative, (GSI) and Global Civilisation Initiative, (GCI). China is ready to coordinate and cooperate with other SCO members and jointly support the SCO's participation in implementing the major initiatives including that of building a community with a shared future for mankind in order to establish a more just and rational international order, Qin said. He said that the SCO should develop a vision for long-term development and building mechanisms. The SCO should complete the process for the memberships of Iran and Belarus in an orderly manner, and enhance the organisation's cohesion and capacity for action, he said. Qin said China is willing to expand cooperation with other SCO member states, jointly move forward on the path of national development and revitalisation, and work together toward building a community with a shared future for mankind. Participants at the meeting spoke highly of the contributions to regional security and development made by the SCO as a major regional cooperation platform. The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and uphold multilateralism. They agreed to further strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism, drug production and trafficking, and cyber crimes. The ministerial meeting made full preparations for the SCO summit to be held in New Delhi this summer.
HSBC Holdings Plc shareholders voted to reject proposals to shake up the bank that were put forward by a group of Hong Kong-based investors. Indicative results from Fridays annual meeting show that about a fifth of voting investors backed the call for HSBC to report regularly on the possibility of carving out its Asian unit, while 19.2% supported lifting its dividend to its pre-pandemic level. With only around half of shareholders typically voting at such meetings, the results suggests that much of the support came from Ping An Insurance Group Co., which owns about 8% of the bank and has spent the past year battling with HSBC to enact a series of reforms, including spinning off its Asian arm. HSBCs board had recommended investors vote against the two resolutions tabled by Ken Lui, leader of the Spin Off HSBC Asia Concern Group. Independent shareholder advisory groups Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass, Lewis & Co. also advised their clients not to back the motions. Ken Luis special resolutions: (1) THAT HSBC do devise, implement and report quarterly on a plan and strategy aiming at increasing its value by structural reforms including but not limited to spinning off, strategic reorganisation and restructuring its Asia businesses. (2) THAT HSBC do devise and implement a long-term and stable dividend policy that for and as long as there are sufficient distributable profits, HSBC should distribute dividends to its members at the pre-Covid-19 pandemic level i.e. not less than US$0.51 per share per annum (to be paid quarterly).

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The Philippine billionaires behind Jollibee Foods Corp. and chicken BBQ chain Mang Inasal are betting that their next big thing could be in stock broking. The duo, Tony Tan Caktiong and Edgar Sia, invested in DragonFi Securities Inc. to develop an online trading system as they sought to tap the explosion of retail investors that went online during the pandemic. With about 90% of their investments spent on technology and software-related manpower, they are hoping the platform can rival some of the biggest local online stock brokers. Currently, about a third of the 125 brokers in the country offer online trading facilities. However, most of them do not provide customizable layouts. Existing dominant players are also mostly running on outdated technology, according to DragonFi CEO and co-owner Jon Carlo Lim. There is demand for a modern platform with advanced features and analytics which can handle a spike in transaction volumes, Lim said in an interview. Its cloud-based system can also trade other assets and foreign markets, once allowed by regulators. Online trading accounts have grown in recent years as traders seek more flexibility and control over their investments during the Covid era. Based on latest exchange data, they made up more than 70% of the 1.62 million stock trading accounts in 2021, compared to just 39% of the 773,187 accounts in 2016. With a population of about 112 million, there is significant room for growth in online stock trading, particularly if the economy continues to expand. Tan Caktiong is the founder of Jollibee, the Philippines top restaurant operator which outsells McDonalds in the Southeast Asian country. Sia, who was born a year before Jollibee began in 1978, started Mang Inasal in 2003, which was acquired by Jollibee seven years later. The duo has since gone on to form another successful venture in DoubleDragon Corp., which built 1.2 million square meters of leasing portfolio in 10 years. Given Philippines low stock value traded to market capitalization ratio of 12% compared to the world average of 37%, the pair expects plenty of upside for the stock broking firm. DragonFi will launch its platform on Monday and targets to handle 100 billion pesos ($1.8 billion) in cumulative trading transactions in 24 months. Its a competitive industry, but our platform is ahead of the competition, said Cathryn Lao, DrangonFi chief technology officer and co-founder.
Microsoft Corp. is working with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. on the chipmakers expansion into artificial intelligence processors, according to people with knowledge of the situation, part of a multipronged strategy to secure more of the highly coveted components. The companies are teaming up to offer an alternative to Nvidia Corp., which dominates the market for AI-capable chips called graphics processing units, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The software giant is providing support to bolster AMDs efforts, and working with the chipmaker on a homegrown Microsoft processor for AI workloads, code-named Athena. AMD shares jumped more than 6.5% on Thursday, and Microsoft gained about 1%. Representatives from both companies declined to comment. Nvidia stock declined 1.9%. The arrangement is part of a broader rush to augment AI processing power, which is in great demand after the explosion of chatbots like ChatGPT and other services based on the technology. Microsoft is both a top provider of cloud-computing services and a driving force of AI use. The company has pumped $10 billion into ChatGPT maker OpenAI, and has vowed to add such features to its entire software lineup. The move also reflects Microsofts deepening involvement in the chip industry. The company has been building up a silicon division over the past several years under former Intel Corp. executive Rani Borkar, and the group now has a staff of almost 1,000 employees. The Information last month reported on Microsofts development of the Athena artificial-intelligence chip. Several hundred of those employees are working on the Athena project, and Microsoft has spent about $2 billion on its chip efforts, according to one of the people. But the undertaking doesnt portend a split with Nvidia. Microsoft intends to keep working closely with that company, whose chips are the workhorses for training and running AI systems. Its also trying to find ways to get more Nvidias processors, underscoring the urgent shortage Microsoft and others are facing. Microsofts relationship with OpenAI  and its own slate of newly introduced AI services  are requiring computing power at a level beyond what the company expected when it ordered chips and set up data centers. OpenAIs ChatGPT service has drawn interest from businesses that want to use it as part of their own products or corporate applications, and Microsoft has introduced a chat-based version of Bing and new AI-enhanced Office tools. Its also updating older products like GitHubs code-generating tool. All of those AI programs run in Microsofts Azure cloud and require the pricey and powerful processors Nvidia provides. The area is also a key priority for AMD. We are very excited about our opportunity in AI  this is our No. 1 strategic priority, Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su said during the chipmakers earnings call Tuesday. We are in the very early stages of the AI computing era, and the rate of adoption and growth is faster than any other technology in recent history. Su also said that AMD has an opportunity to make partly customized chips for its biggest customers to use in their AI data centers. Borkars team at Microsoft, which has also worked on chips for servers and Surface computers, is now prioritizing the Athena project. Its developing a graphics processing unit that can be used for training and running AI models. The product is already being tested internally and could be more widely available as soon as next year, said one of the people. Even if the project makes that timeline, a first version is just a starting point, the people said. It takes years to build a good chip, and Nvidia has a substantial head start. Nvidia is the chip supplier of choice for many providers of tools for generative AI, including Amazon.com Inc.s AWS and Google cloud, and Elon Musk has secured thousands of its processors for his fledgling AI business, according to reports. Creating an alternative to Nvidias lineup will be a challenging task. That company offers a package of software and hardware that works together  including chips, a programming language, networking equipment and servers  letting customers rapidly upgrade their capabilities. Thats one of the reasons Nvidia has become so dominant. But Microsoft isnt alone in trying to develop in-house AI processors. Cloud rival Amazon acquired Annapurna Labs in 2016 and has developed two different AI processors. Alphabet Inc.s Google also has a training chip of its own.
Russia has accumulated billions of rupees in Indian banks which it cant use, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday, pointing to a ballooning trade surplus with the South Asian nation. This is a problem, Lavrov told reporters in Indias western state of Goa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting. We need to use this money. But for this, these rupees must be transferred in another currency, and this is being discussed now. Indias total exports to Russia shrunk 11.6 percent to $2.8 billion in the first 11 months of the 2022-23 financial year, while imports rose nearly fivefold to $41.56 billion, according to data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. That surge came as Indian refiners have scooped up discounted Russian oil in the past year thats been shunned by the West in response to President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Imports of Russian crude by India reached a record 1.68 million barrels a day in April, up sixfold on a year earlier, according to Vortexa Ltd, a data intelligence firm. The Kremlin initially encouraged India to trade in national currencies following sanctions on Russian banks and a ban on transactions using the SWIFT messaging system. But volatility in the ruble soon after the war began meant plans for a rupee-ruble mechanism for oil imports were abandoned. India has resisted pressure from the US to scale back relations with Moscow since the invasion of Ukraine. Frozen Funds The imbalance in trade for Russia means the volume of frozen funds can reach tens of billions of dollars, said Alexander Knobel, director of the Institute of International Economics and Finance of the Ministry of Economic Development. The situation is aggravated by Indias historically high aggregate trade deficit, which reduces the possibilities of clearing settlements with third countries. Russia is Indias largest supplier of weapons and military hardware, though defence supplies to the South Asian nation have stalled for lack of a payment mechanism that doesnt violate US sanctions. Indian payments for weapons amounting to more than $2 billion have been stuck for about a year as New Delhi has been unable to settle the bill in dollars because of concerns about falling foul of secondary sanctions, while Russia is reluctant to accept rupees for purchases. Indian oil refiners have been trying to settle payments for discounted crude using United Arab Emirates dirhams, rubles and rupees. Trades can be exempted from international restrictions if they are priced below the $60-a-barrel price cap set by the Group of Seven nations and their European Union partners. Indian lenders opened special vostro accounts at Russian banks including Sberbank PJSC and VTB Bank PJSC to facilitate overseas trade in rupees and keep crude flowing. Currency restrictions mean Russian exporters face difficulty in repatriating rupees, Bank of Russia Governor Elvira Nabiullina said on April 28.
Ukraine and Russia pressed their wartime rhetoric Thursday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing confidence that Vladimir Putin would be convicted of war crimes, and the Kremlin alleging that the U.S. was behind what it called an assassination attempt against the Russian president. The countries leaders have personally attacked each other multiple times during the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. The latest flare-up came Wednesday, with Russias claim that Ukraine had attacked the Kremlin in Moscow with drones meant to assassinate Putin. Zelenskyy denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the purported drone attack. The Kremlin promised unspecified retaliation for what it termed a terrorist act, and pro-Kremlin figures called for the assassinations of senior Ukraine leaders. Uncertainty still surrounds exactly what happened in the purported attack. Putins spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of involvement. To generate domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia through its help for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington. And then Kyiv does what its told to do, Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim. John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as ludicrous. Zelenskyy, in the Netherlands, said he was not interested in the Kremlins opinion. U.S intelligence officials are still trying to determine who was behind the drone incident and are exploring various possibilities, including a false flag operation by Russia or that a fringe group with sympathies for Ukraine could have been involved, according to a U.S. official. But the official, who spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said intelligence officials dont yet have any definitive answers. The official added that the Biden administration certainly would not support the strike against Mr. Putin. Zelenskyys top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed Thursday that Russia had staged the alleged drone attack. He cited the delay in Russian state media reporting it and simultaneous video from different angles that appeared to show the aftermath of the alleged 2:30 a.m. attack. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging. Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilization, the think tank said. Given recent Russian moves to bolster security, its extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defense and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera, the ISW stated. In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the war crimes courts judges that Russias leader deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law. In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members. Zelenskyys visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATOs border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely out of its concerns about Moscows long-term ambitions. The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes so his country can achieve justice on the battlefield. Zelenskyy has successfully assembled significant Western military and political support for Ukraines defense since the war began. In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the war crimes courts judges that Russias leader deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law. In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members. Zelenskyys visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATOs border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely out of its concerns about Moscows long-term ambitions. The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes so his country can achieve justice on the battlefield. Zelenskyy has successfully assembled significant Western military and political support for Ukraines defense since the war began. Zelenskyy traveled in a Dutch-supplied plane and an armored car, with security kept tight at his appearances. Next week, he is expected to go to Berlin, the capital of European Union economic powerhouse Germany, in the latest display of the Western might marshaled against Putin. Zelenskyys trips have paid dividends. After traveling to Washington last December and then London, Paris and Brussels in February, Ukraine received heavy artillery and tanks. But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court, which puts individuals on trial for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, doesnt have a police force to execute its warrants. The Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICCs 123 member nations, which are under obligation to arrest him, if they can. On the battlefield, Ukraines military said that three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had for Moscow and for the Kremlin written on them, seemingly implying they were sent in retaliation for the reported strike on the Kremlin. Ukraines capital, Kyiv, was the target of an air attack Thursday morning, for the third time in four days, but defense systems intercepted all drones and missiles. On Thursday night, air raid sirens sounded again. After the all-clear was given, Ukraines military said it had taken down one of its own drones that had lost control over the capital, but at least one other drone was reportedly shot down in another area of the city and it was not clear whether it was Russian or also Ukrainian. People sheltered in underground tunnels beneath Kyivs Maidan Square as air raid sirens wailed. Two defensive missiles streaked across the evening sky, and a loud explosion was heard. No casualties were immediately reported. In Russia, drones hit two oil facilities in southern regions of the country near Ukraine in what appeared to be a series of attacks on fuel depots behind enemy lines, Russian media reported Thursday. Four drones struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, which borders the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing law enforcement sources. Another facility was reportedly hit in the Rostov region. The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government has promised 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year. The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine. In addition, the Dutch government sent two Patriot air defense missile systems, promised two naval minehunter ships and sent military forensic experts to Ukraine to assist with war crime investigations.
Georgia Power Co. said Monday that a second new reactor had completed a testing phase at the company's Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant near Waynesboro, Georgia. John Bazemore/Associated Press

Oscar-wining director Oliver Stone released a documentary calling for more use of nuclear power.

The film explores why some people are hesitant to rely on the technology.

Stone points to the number of deaths that fossil fuels cause by way of pollution and accidents.



This article is part of Insider's weekly newsletter on sustainability. Sign up here.

Oliver Stone believed that nuclear energy was bad for the environment. Then he learned more about the climate crisis.

Now the Oscar-winning director is convinced that nuclear energy is necessary because it doesn't generate the greenhouse-gas emissions that are warming the planet. And nuclear power kills far fewer people than fossil fuels  the main cause of the climate crisis  in terms of air pollution and accidents.

Stone hopes to sway public opinion through his latest documentary, "Nuclear Now."

The film premiered nationally Monday and reflects Stone's journey from nuclear naysayer to supporter. He narrates archival footage of the events that made the public fear the technology: the atomic bombs the US dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II, the power-plant disasters in the Soviet Union's Chernobyl and Japan's Fukushima, and an accident on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania.

These events distorted the safety risks of nuclear energy, Stone argues, noting that beyond the 1986 Chernobyl disaster, few people have died from nuclear accidents.

The film documents how in countries such as the US and Japan, as nuclear power plants shut down, the power gap was largely filled by coal and natural gas.

Even though more solar panels and wind turbines are being built in places including the US, China, and Europe, those sources of renewable energy are variable and can't meet the growing demand for electricity globally, especially in developing countries, the documentary says.

Nuclear power provides about 10% of global electricity, according to the International Energy Agency.

Story continues

In the US, a nuclear plant near Waynesboro, Georgia, operated by Georgia Power Co. is expected to soon add capacity. The company said Monday that a second new reactor at the facility had completed a key test and that the unit could begin generating electricity as soon as late this year. Georgia Power has said its project to boost electricity output with the addition of two units would represent the first new nuclear capacity built in the US in three decades.

After a screening Monday in Washington, DC, Stone told the audience that his views on nuclear changed after he read the book "A Bright Future: How Some Countries Have Solved Climate Change and the Rest Can Follow" by Joshua S. Goldstein and Staffan A. Qvist.

Stone worked with Goldstein for about two and half years on "Nuclear Now."

"It was difficult because it's dry material," Stone said. "There's no movie star. I tried to make the film in the sense that I was learning as I was going along."

Stone initially asked Goldstein to write a narrative feature, but it didn't work for such an important topic. Plus, it's expensive to hire actors and market a movie. "I'm the cheapest actor I know," Stone joked.

The filmmaker of American classics such as "Platoon," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Scarface," and "Wall Street" has a reputation for exploring controversial topics, be it John F. Kennedy's assassination or the Vietnam War.

So he isn't fazed by the criticism of "Nuclear Now." Stone told Insider he didn't know that Ralph Nader, who famously campaigned against nuclear power plants, described the documentary as a "propaganda boomerang."

Gregory Jaczko, a former chair of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission, said in an interview with CNBC that the primary problem with nuclear power wasn't fear but the high price tag and a record of poor management.

Goldstein said at the screening that China and South Korea were building reactors on time and on budget, which the US could learn from. He added that nuclear energy had bipartisan support in Congress and was backed by President Joe Biden.

Stone said he hoped the film would "work its way through the consciousness" around the world. But don't expect another climate film from him anytime soon.

"I'd rather not," Stone told Insider. "I'm not a scientist. I've done what I can."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Splitit and Visa have furthered their partnership with new processes that enable merchants and acquirers to access all benefits through their credit cards with ease of access, boosting business performance.

Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) platform Splitit Payments [ASX:SPT] and credit card group Visa have been advancing instalment payments for merchants and evaluating possibilities for new products since March 2020.

By the early afternoon, SPT was rising in share price by 8.7% and trading for $0.12 per share.

In the past week, SPT decreased by nearly 14% in its stock value and is down by 22% in the year so far.

Compared with its sector the BNPL stock has bumped down in the share market by 48% which matches its trajectory against the wider market average:

Source: TradingView

Splitit and Visa upgrade their collaboration project

Splitit Payments, known as the only white label instalment solution that allows customers to pay over time with their existing credit on their cards, today announced the signing of a new two-year partnership agreement with Visa.

The new agreement will enable SPT to enhance its instalment solutions further, expanding on ideas and benefits the companies previously agreed upon a year ago.

The next step in this process allows acquirers and merchants to gain access to a BNPL platform option which offers a single point of integration for full credit card instalments.

This works by combining Splitits instalments-as-a-service solution with VISAs Instalment Solutions, allowing a smoother and more convenient process for issuers, acquirers and merchants.

Merchants will be able to offer universally accepted card-attached instalment solutions (included in the pre-existing credit card process) which will be made available through participating acquirers.

VISAs Instalment Solutions will now be included Splitits technology to create a more evolved and universal consumer experience.

The companies have not yet worked out the materiality of the agreement due to there being a variable revenue nature, on which the system operates.

These variable revenues also depend on the value of customer purchases via Splitits services.

However, the company does anticipate that its partnership will have a positive impact on the brands business development and prospects.

A pilot program for this project is to be launched by the partners by the second half of FY2023.

Splitit CEO and Managing Director Nandan Sheth commented:

We are excited to be partnering with Visa to pilot a new instalment solution, which enables Acquirers and Merchants to access the powerful benefits of Visa Instalments coupled with Splitits universal credit card acceptance in a single API integration and solution. By providing consumers with an optimised, simplified instalment experience, merchants can enjoy improved sales conversion and increased order size. We look forward to working closely with the team at Visa to launch the solution.

In other news, Splitit reported that after receiving shareholder approval at the groups Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) in April 2021, it has now gone ahead and issued 90,909 unlisted options for the companys Employee Share Incentive Plan.

These options have gone to each of its non-executive company directors Scott Mahoney and Vanessa Lefebvre Robinson.

Is Australia on the brink of another commodity boom?

Our resources expert and trained geologist James Cooper thinks the Australian resources sector is set to enter a new commodities boom brought on by the Age of Scarcity.

Similar patterns that occurred 20 years ago are happening again.

James is convinced the gears are in motion for another multi-year boom in commodities.

A boom where Australia (and ASX stocks) stands to benefit

The next big mining boom is predicted to happen in the next few years.

The same investors that got rich last time are preparing to make their move. Dont let them take the monopoly again!

You can learn from James experiences with his personalised attack plan right here.

If that isnt enough to sate your curiosity, check out the highly-debated topic in last years interview with James and Greg at Ausbiz.

Regards,

Mahlia Stewart

For Money Morning
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis (Fla.) is prepared to sign a law that says people in government buildings or schools must use the bathroom that matches the gender they were assigned at birth  or they will be committing a misdemeanor.

Its just the latest law passed in the United States that targets transgender people. DeSantis, who is widely believed to be launching a bid for the presidency in the coming days, has been on the forefront of anti-LGBTQ laws. Its part of a pattern being seen across the country as the GOP has made anti-trans policies one of their top priorities.

But as DeSantis looks toward the White House and Republicans look toward the 2024 elections, is the embrace of transphobic policies a political winner, or is it cruelty for crueltys sake?

In the state houses controlled by conservatives, proposals that ban gender-affirming care for minors, attempt to bar transgender people from public life under the guise of drag bans and prevent trans people from using the bathroom or playing on sports teams that match their gender identity are at the top of their to-do lists.

But recent polling shows that the majority of voters oppose laws that dictate what kind of health care a trans person can receive  or, at least, that there is no large swell of voters eager for these regressive policies.

A March NPR/PBS/Marist poll found that among adults, 54% of them opposed laws that would criminalize gender-affirming care for minors. A March Data for Progress poll of likely voters found that 64% of respondents thought that the number of anti-trans bills was excessive and amounted to political theater. And in an April Fox News survey of registered voters, 54% said attacks on trans families were more problematic than trans women in sports.

Supporters of LGBTQA+ rights march from Union Station toward Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on March 31.

Supporters of LGBTQA+ rights march from Union Station toward Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on March 31.

In Florida, DeSantis has packaged the assault on LGBTQ rights as a war on woke and posited the state as the place where woke goes to die. But a March Ipsos/USA Today poll found that 56% of Americans believed woke to be a positive term. Only 39% of Republicans agreed with the negative definition.

Story continues

People have this mistaken idea that these bills are to get political wins or votes or red meat for their base, but legislators pass policies they want to see enacted, John Cluverius, a polling data analyst and a political science professor at University of Massachusetts Lowell, told HuffPost.

Much of the legislation that Republican lawmakers introduced this year targeted trans children. In Tennessee, Oklahoma and Idaho, elected officials introduced laws that banned gender-affirming care for children.

Focusing on kids has been a tried-and-true way to gin up a moral panic, and its certainly how the GOP can make inroads with support for these bills.

The American Medical Association has said that gender-affirming care for transgender minors, which runs the gamut from social transition to puberty blockers, is an appropriate course of treatment.

Americans as a whole have very retrograde attitudes when it comes to how children should be raised, Cluverius said.

But when states take it even further, thats where support wanes. In Missouri, the attorney general created an emergency ruling that would essentially ban adults from receiving gender-affirming care. The state is currently being sued.

I think theyre overplaying their hand and pushing to the limits, Cluverius said. Restricting gender-affirming care for adults, the attempted erasure of trans adults in public life, probably falls flat with the majority of Americans.

And its not just bills. Rep. Zooey Zephyr, a transgender lawmaker in Montana, was punished for saying Republicans would have blood on their hands if they passed a gender-affirming care ban.

In Nebraska, a Democratic lawmaker who opposes anti-trans laws is being investigated for a conflict of interest because she has a trans child.

Theres a popular assumption that Republicans are only going all-in on transphobia because theres a political goal at the end. But perhaps all these bills are coming down in red states because eradicating civil rights for trans people is a sincerely held belief. Its not just an opportunistic move, Cluverius said. Otherwise, they would not be so headstrong on it.

Abortion is a perfect example of enacting unpopular right-wing laws. After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the constitutional right to an abortion, in June 2022 several states rushed to make abortion illegal within their jurisdiction.

In the fall election, Democrats held on to the U.S. Senate, denied the GOP a large majority in the U.S. House, and Republicans were defeated in down-ballot races in swing states such as Michigan and Pennsylvania. Polling shows that the majority of Americans are against laws that restrict abortion care and may have cost them big in the 2022 elections.

But the GOP is still pushing anti-abortion laws.

The way state legislatures are structured also contributes to the major focus on anti-trans policies that arent likely to secure votes. Legislative sessions are short and the pay is dismal, meaning state houses are more likely to attract Republicans who are extreme  and independently wealthy.

And then theres the issue of gerrymandering.

A lot of these legislatures are so politically gerrymandered that there are few swing districts where the Republicans are under threat, Cluverius said.If you dont have political risk, why not run wild on it?

But while the state houses focus on anti-trans laws, there is already evidence that anti-trans views wont help Republican lawmakers win elections in 2024.

Several high-profile candidates ran explicitly far-right campaigns in 2022, attempting to gin up fear about trans people  but still fell flat. It didnt matter in 2022, Cluverius said. You never know whats going to drive people off the edge, but I think theyre looking for political points theyre not going to get.
May 05, 2023

'Nearly A Third Of The World Economy Is Now Subject To Sanctions'

The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) just published a study about:

The Human Consequences of Economic Sanctions.

The results are as any observer of such acts would expect. Sanctions are used too broadly. They hardly ever serve their supposed original purpose and do not reach their aims. They hurt the poor more than the supposedly targeted leaders of this or that country.

These numbers though are astonishing:

Over the past six decades, there has been significant growth in the use of economic sanctions by Western powers and international organizations. Less than 4 percent of countries were subject to sanctions imposed by the United States, European Union, or United Nations in the early 1960s; today, that share has risen to 27 percent. The magnitudes are similar when we consider their impact on the global economy: the share of world GDP produced in sanctioned countries rose from less than 4 percent to 29 percent in the same period. In other words, more than one fourth of countries and nearly a third of the world economy is now subject to sanctions by the UN or Western nations.

Under international law only sanction imposed by the United Nations' Security Council have legal standing. Sanctions by the U.S. or EU are under international law an illegal use of state instruments. The U.S. is using sanctions constantly to press under nations to do its bidding. Until the recent war in Ukraine the EU has used sanctions mostly to 'do something' because it had run out of ideas or diplomatic abilities.

The recent sanctions on Russia proved to be hurting the Russians much less than they are hurting the people living in the European Union. It was a catastrophic mistake by EU leaders to preemptively agree to the sanctions the U.S. had been pushing for before Russia entered the civil war in Ukraine on the side of its Ukrainian brethren. The consequences had obviously not been gamed out and thought through.

When nearly one third of the world economy is under sanctions the other two-third are losing out too. It would therefore make sense for everyone to abolish all sanctions that have not been issued by the UNSC. Even UNSC sanctions should only be used sparsely and in a very narrowly targeted manner. Sanctions that hit the whole economy of a country are inhuman and should be prohibited.

Posted by b on May 5, 2023 at 15:31 UTC | Permalink

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Connecticut Attorney General William Tong traveled to the Cheshire Senior Center on Thursday, April 27, to present local seniors with valuable information on how to combat financial fraud along with other kinds of abuse.

The event was organized by local State Representatives Liz Linehan (D-103) and Jack Fazzino (D-83), as well as State Senator Jan Hochadel (D-13), who serves as co-chair of the State Legislatures Aging Committee. The purpose of the event, according to the legislators, was to give seniors as much knowledge as possible about the numerous methods used by criminals to deceive the nations elders.

The organizers provided resources for attendees, including a pamphlet that explains how to recognize and avoid many of the most common scams. The lucrative scam market accounts for over $36.5 billion a year in the United States, Tong explained, adding that many of the victimizers are people known to the victims, from family members to caregivers.

Tongs office, along with the Coalition for Elder Justice in Connecticut, has established an Elder Justice Hotline  1-860-808-5555  which anyone with concerns about crimes affecting seniors, including abuse and neglect, can contact for help.

Its so important that we watch out for each other, said Tong, recommending his office as a resource for all kinds of matters concerning senior well-being.

When the audience was asked whether they or someone they knew had been victimized by fraud, nearly every hand was raised. Among that group was Hochadel, who described recently losing her father, an enmployee of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation throughout his career.

Hochadel explained that almost immediately following his passing, scammers armed with information from his obituary were in contact with her mother, some of whom posed as representatives from his former employer.

Being careful to not divulge too much personal information for public consumption, including social media, was a major theme of the meeting. Fazzino mentioned the balancing act between vigilance and paranoia, but also warned that scammers can mimic email addresses.

Some platforms, such as Google mail, will identify unknown senders, he said, but one should always verify the identity of an unfamiliar writer and be wary of clicking links or providing information.

Per Tong, We are all targets of scammers, but he added that the senior population is more vulnerable or a variety of reasons. Some seniors are challenged in mobility or have experienced cognitive decline. Other may suffer from isolation and are seeking social contacts. However, Tong said, seniors are also more targeted because they tend to have money.

Tong described a recent incident where a Connecticut resident, after paying $300 to have his laptop fixed, was offered a full rebate by the computer repair company in exchange for a positive online review. After sending his bank information to the company, he was told they had erroneously deposited $20,000 in his account. Seeing the money there, the victim returned it, only to find it was his own money that the scammers had accessed.

Recovery is difficult in many cases, so monitoring ones bank and savings accounts is always good practice, Tong recommended, as is being skeptical of any offer that seems too good to be true.

Linehan raised the possible dangers of criminals using artificial intelligence. One well-known scam involves a telephone call in which the scammer poses as a child or grandchild who desperately needs money because of an emergency. However, with new technology, the sound of the voice can be more accurately imitated, and phone numbers faked.

Scammers prey on fears and emotions said Linehan, reminding the audience to trust their guts and hang up if something seems wrong. She recommends checking on the person separately before taking any action as well as having a code word that family members can use to verify each others identities.

Tong reminded the audience that no legitimate business or government agency will ask for money over the phone, or ever demand instant payment. Creating a sense of urgency is common to most scams. Thus, Tong recommended a healthy dose of skepticism in dealing with unknown parties.

Even with charities, Tong said, its best to give on your own terms, rather than giving money over the phone or to a door-to-door solicitor.

What am I being told, what am I being sold? Slow down, and take the time to check it out, he counseled. Everybody is a target, but it shouldnt dominate our lives.
Bluebirds CCs will be available to munch on come May 15th. In 2010 they were cut from shelves and briefly made an appearance in 2019, and are returning for a limited time this year to celebrate Bluebirds 70th birthday.
With summer just around the corner, a Texas coastal community known as the state's "best-kept secret" is making local headlines again for its fishing scene and beaches.

A nearby 1,350-acre ranch for sale with over a mile of lake frontage included on its property is the recent story to draw attention to this small piece of paradise.

Port O'Connor is not a city. It's not even a town. It's a census-designated place only, which just means the U.S. government wanted to study data about the area so the Census Bureau marked off a piece of the region based off the "geographic extent associated with inhabitants' regular use of the place" to better define in reports what location correlated to the data government agencies wanted to study.

Government researchers aren't the only travelers who wander here though. About 1,139 people call Port O'Connor home, and hundreds more visit during all 12 months of the year because local guides say the best time to go fishing in this coastal community is actually all year round.

Anglers can pick from at least 21 different types of fish, with amberjack, black drum, fluke, blue marlin, redfish, sheepshead, snapper, and speckled trout prevalent from January to March. During the second quarter of the year, redfish, cobia, crevalle jack, Spanish mackerel, speckled trout, kingfish, mahi mahi, and red snapper are swimming around below. From October to December, the waters in Port O'Connor are teeming with yellowfin tuna, blackfin tuna, redfish, blue marlin, and fluke.

Beach-goers also have many to choose from on "the unspoiled seascape" of the Texas coast. King Fisher Beach is the closest, popular with surfers, shell collectors and, again, anglers. Sunday Beach is about two miles out, only accessible by boat, and known as a "pristine, sandy beauty." Magnolia Beach is ten minutes to the west, uncrowded, and has one of the highest bird counts in the nation. Lastly, Alamo Beach is a mile behind Magnolia, with waters protected from the harsher Gulf of Mexico, so it's perfect for swimming, kayaking and paddle boarding.

For people who prefer enjoying the community away from the water, the region also offers hunting, a long history of cattle raising and oil drilling to learn about, and just walking around the Victorian summer homes to catch sunset views of the Gulf of Mexico.
Harley Alcala, 39, of Duluth, Minnesota, was ordered held on $100,000 cash bond following an incident on Tuesday during which Alcala was arrested after Chippewa County authorities said a threat was made to the courthouse regarding a case that was to take place that day.

Alcala appeared by video for a bond hearing Thursday at the Chippewa County Courthouse.

Chippewa County District Attorney Wade Newell said Alcala could be charged with making terroristic threats, including threats to a judge and possibly attempted kidnapping.

Given the nature of these charges, leading to threats to a judge is a violent crime which then requires the court to consider protection of the community, Newell said.

Highway 53 between Tilden and Bloomer was closed Tuesday morning for about 90 minutes after Alcala was suspected of making a threat to the courthouse. With the cooperation of law enforcement in northwestern Wisconsin and Minnesota, authorities said Alcalas vehicle was identified and stopped on Highway 53 between exit 110 and 102, near the town of Woodmohr.

Alcala was pulled over and would not leave his vehicle, according to Chippewa County Sheriff Travis Hakes.

Law enforcement attempted to negotiate with him, Hakes said. Negotiations were initiated by a crisis negotiator from the Chippewa Falls Police Department.

A SWAT team eventually used pepper balls to get Alcala out of his vehicle so he could be arrested.

The situation that led up to Tuesdays Highway 53 incident involved a custody dispute.

Newell said Alcala made several threatening posts on Facebook and threatened possible violence at the courthouse.

Newell said Alcala was inappropriate and disrespectful.

Security was increased at the courthouse that day and law enforcement monitored Alcalas movements to prevent him from reaching the courthouse.

Alcala is scheduled to be back in court June 13.
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Cyclists, runners and city leaders from Midland and Odessa gathered at the Bush Convention Center on Thursday evening to discuss the proposed Permian Basin Wildcatters Trail.

The new bike and walking trail will extend from University of Texas Permian Basins campus in Odessa to around the Scharbauer Sports Complex in Midland.

The evening became emotional at times, as local cyclists discussed friends and members of the community who have sustained life-altering injuries or even been killed trying to exercise and do what they love on busy roads across the region.

Over the last few years, we know there has been crashes and fatalities related to runners and cyclists on our roadways and so this is an opportunity for us to build something that really meets that need in our community, Midland Mayor Lori Blong said in a video played at the reception.

Local cyclists said the proposed bike trail gives them and their families peace of mind when they ride.

Cliff Coleman and Landy Adkins, two local cyclists, spoke to not only safety for cyclists but also community quality-of-life improvements that the trail would bring.

Coleman said Midland has changed, and people moving to the Midland-Odessa area or even lifelong residents want more.

They want outdoor activities; they need outdoor activities. We all need that, we all want to exercise, we all want to be a part of that, he added.

Owner of Midlands Broken Spoke Mobile Bike Repair Landy Adkins, said quality of life matters. As a father raising a family in Midland, Adkins said cyclists will certainly support the proposed trail, but it adds more space for activities and exercise.

Adkins referenced a Bloomberg article published this week that coined Midland a city unwilling to invest in itself.

The young families moving into Midland want more money and resources put toward efforts like the proposed bike trail.

Midland and Odessa City leaders discussed the timeline for finishing the trail, which is uncertain.

Regional Executive for civil engineering company Dunaway, Tim Hair, estimated a six-to-seven-year timeline for the trail.

Lucy Sisniega-Hoyos, one of the officials leading the meeting, told the Reporter-Telegram early estimates are the Permian Basin Wildcatters Trail will cost $60 million to construct. She also said state grant opportunities should help lower the amount needed from Midland and Odessa.
Prosecutors say a Sheldon foster parent charged with sexually assaulting children had more victims than were previously known.

Glen Kirckof, 62, from Sheldon, was charged in Chippewa County with repeatedly sexually assaulting two more girls Monday.

According to the criminal complaint, one of the girls said the assaults began in 2011 when she was 11. She said she was raped more than 10 times. The other girl said the assaults started when she was eight and continued for five years.

Kirckof was charged in May 2021 in Chippewa County with five felonies including four counts of sexual assault of a child. The offenses date back to 1999, according to court records.

He will be in court on all charges next week.
Sen. Tom Fisher speaks during a Rotary Club of Guam meeting Thursday, May 4, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Guam in Tumon to discuss his experiences in the Guam Legislature and his recent proposals.
Stephen Guerrero, chair of the Guam Pardon Review Board, speaks during a meeting Thursday, April 27, 2023, at the Department of Corrections Parole Division in Hagatna.
Eric Barcinas, left, officer of the year; and Louie Perez, civilian police reservist of the year, are pictured Thursday, May 4, 2023, at Guam Police Department headquarters in Tiyan.
ATHENS  Menard Electric Cooperative will fill an open director's seat during this year's annual meeting in July.

The utility cooperative serves almost 11,000 customers in Cass, Morgan, Sangamon and five other west-central Illinois counties.

The board has nine directors, each of whom serves a three-year term and represents a district. District 3 director Jodine Tate of Virginia is not seeking re-election. The district covers Arenzville, Beardstown, Jacksonville and Virginia.

Candidates must be an active member at least 18 years old, live in the district represented and not be a close relative of a director or employee of the cooperative. They cannot have been employed with the co-op within the past three years, not been part of a competing enterprise, and not be an incumbent of an elected public office for which a salary is paid.

Those interested can call 800-872-1203 or email info@menard.com for more details and to obtain a member petition nomination form. The form and signatures of at least 10 active cooperative members must be returned by 4:30 p.m. May 26.

Menard Electric Cooperative's annual meeting will be at 4:30 p.m. July 12 at Athens Christian Church.
Micro might be right there in the name, but theres nothing small about the influence of micro-breweries and home brewers on the modern beer market.

Its a popularity Jacksonville Main Street will tap Saturday during Maifest, a celebration of warmer weather and craft beer that will run from noon to 4 p.m. on the downtown Jacksonville square.

At one time, if memory serves correctly, we were down to something like 14 brewers nationwide in the 1980s, said Jeff DeGeal, a craft brew fan who serves as event chair for Maifest. That has exploded to over 7,000 now.

Maifest is Jacksonville Main Streets rebranded craft brew festival, which used to be held in the fall to coincide with Oktoberfest celebrations.

But the calendar gets so heavy in the fall, DeGeal said. It seems like everybody had a festival  sometimes two or three  in a weekend.

When organizers learned about Maifest, a German festival celebrating the arrival of spring, we thought wed try that for a while, he said.

For a $25 admission fee, participants get a tasting glass and 20 drink tickets, which can be redeemed at individual brewers tents for samples of whatever they have on tap for the day. Most breweries are bringing at least a few varieties, DeGeal said.

I think well all agree that the common beers, Busch and Bud (etc.), are all one style of beer  lager, DeGeal said. Over the years, there have been quite a few styles of beer. The microbrewery trend started, basically, to revive these styles of beer and enjoy them.

Among the most popular craft beers are India pale ales, or IPAs, and dark beers such as porter and stout.

India pale ale is more of a dry or bitter beer, DeGeal said. It uses more hops in its brewing and provides a distinctive taste. Porter or stout, dark beers, have more of a chocolate or coffee taste.

Varieties of all of those likely will be available Saturday from brewers including Anvil & Forge Brewing and Distilling of Springfield, Hand of Fate Brewing Co. of Petersburg, Obed & Isaacs Microbrewery and Eatery of Springfield, Springfield Beer Co. of Springfield, Slauterhouse Brewing Co. of Auburn, Hannibal (Missouri) Home Brewers, and Reisch Charities of Springfield. Chick Fritz and Golden Eagle distributors also will be on hand, as will Waters Edge Winery of Jacksonville.

All of the tasting will come with a side of live music, with Tom Irwin performing at noon, Levi Tucker at 1 p.m., Stan Robinson at 2 p.m. and Esther Moore at 3 p.m. Food trucks also will be parked around the square during the event.

Monetary proceeds will benefit Jacksonville Main Streets ongoing projects, though money isnt the events only appeal, said Judy Tighe, Jacksonville Main Streets executive director.

Back in 2015, some people  local, downtown people  brought the idea to us to build the interest in craft brew  so maybe wed get a brewery, Tighe said. Hopefully, one of these microbrewers would develop into a free-standing business. Some of them actually are distributing their product through local distributors, so that has built their business.

Maifest participant Springfield Beer Co. also is opening a space inside The Plaza at 73 E. Central Park Plaza.

They have been a longtime (festival) participant for many years, DeGeal said. Were thrilled theyll have a permanent space in town.
Jacksonville Police

ARRESTS, CITATIONS

 Drakkar M. Young, 30, of 802 N. Clay Ave. was arrested at 8:25 p.m. Wednesday on a charge of domestic battery.

 Derrick Raymont Walker Jr., 41, of 351 S. Diamond St. was arrested at 1:12 a.m. Thursday in the 800 block of West Morton Avenue on a charge of driving on a revoked license.

 Earl E. Williams, 64, of 203 Kentucky St. was arrested at 3:17 a.m. Thursday on charges of domestic battery causing injury and resisting a peace officer.

VANDALISM

 Several windows in a vacant house in the 800 block of North West Street were broken between April 19 and May 3, according to a report filed at 2:47 p.m. Wednesday.
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DETROIT (AP)  Nine lawyers who were found to have abused the court system by filing a lawsuit that challenged Michigan's 2020 election results in favor of President Joe Biden committed misconduct and should be disciplined, a watchdog agency said.

The state Attorney Grievance Commission filed a complaint this week against Sidney Powell, Lin Wood and seven other lawyers who were allied with then-President Donald Trump. The complaint now goes to the Michigan Attorney Discipline Board for further consideration.

In 2020, the attorneys supported a lawsuit on behalf of Republican voters that was filed just a few days after Bidens 154,000-vote victory in Michigan was certified.

The lawsuit sought to decertify those results and have voting machines impounded. U.S. District Judge Linda Parker said the request was stunning in its scope and breathtaking in its reach.

The lawsuit was frivolous and exposed the legal profession to contempt, the Grievance Commission said in its complaint.

Three of the nine lawyers are licensed in Michigan while Powell, Lin and others are licensed in other states or the District of Columbia. It's unclear what sanctions could be ordered against lawyers who practice outside Michigan.

Woods name was on the 2020 lawsuit, but he has insisted that the only role he played was telling Powell he was available if she needed a seasoned litigator. Powell defended the lawsuit and said lawyers sometimes have to raise what she called unpopular issues.

After dismissing the case, Parker ordered the nine lawyers to attend 12 hours of legal education, including six hours in election law. She also ordered $175,000 in legal fees to be paid, mostly to the city of Detroit. Those sanctions are being appealed.

___

Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez
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Imagine youre a young student in China. Youve worked hard your entire life and earned admission to a top American university. Your parents and maybe other relatives have scrimped and saved to afford the tuition  an even more challenging prospect in China where the median income is much lower.

Youve heard rumors about the freedoms people enjoy in the United States. You cant wait to learn in an open environment and to see democracy up close. You have opinions youve had to keep bottled up your whole life that are just waiting to burst out. Youre so excited you cant sleep the night before you fly.

Finally, you arrive. Youve left China behind. So you thought. On campus, you quickly learn you havent left China at all.

Maybe youre hanging up posters supporting Hong Kong protests, and a middle-age man starts following you, tearing down your posters, and then physically attacking you. Maybe youre organizing a pro-democracy panel on campus, and pro-Chinese Communist Party students blockade the entrance to the venue, occupying nearly all seating to stymie attendance.

The FBI has a phrase for what these brave students experienced: transnational repression. The Justice Department last month handed up dozens of transnational repression-related indictments  some involving a secret Chinese Communist Party police station in New York City  revolving around the harassment of dissidents on an American telecommunications platform.

Most students, representing several universities, spoke to us under the condition of anonymity because they fear reprisal from the Chinese Communist Party against them and their families in China. For a comment about Taiwan or a rally for Hong Kong, their relatives in China are terrorized by police. Many students never return home, afraid of what awaits.

This is a reality in America today.

Thousands of American citizens, as well as those taking refuge in our country, are harassed, blackmailed and assaulted by agents of the Chinese Communist Party. The CCPs transnational repression tactics are expansive, from digital threats and spyware to violence and coercion by proxy  in some cases, by fellow students.

This psychological warfare is being waged on American soil by a dizzying array of innocuously named entities such as the Chinese Student Scholar Associations (CSSAs). As of 2021, there were 150 CSSA chapters across the United States. CSSAs often masquerade as independent student associations that provide legitimate support to Chinese students when, in fact, they are part of the CCPs United Front system.

CSSAs often engage Chinese students before they arrive in the United States. Once here, they surveil their activities, noting who is for and against the party. We heard from students that through apps like WeChat and TikTok, CSSAs champion anti-American and pro-CCP sentiments. The students at our roundtable also reported that WeChat groups are used to monitor and report on their peers and on their professors.

Universities must do better to protect their students. Foreign adversaries cannot be allowed to compromise academic freedom, undermine our values, or expand their Orwellian police states on U.S. soil. This starts by prohibiting CCSAs on American university campuses if they receive funding from or act on the instructions of the Chinese government.

We must decide: Will America remain a haven from persecution or become a hunting ground for dictators?

We wish the whole country could have heard the bravery of these students, speaking out despite the threats to themselves and their families. We need more students like them, not fewer, and we must ensure we do everything in our power to protect them. We cannot allow international students to be attacked on American soil for believing in  and exercising  fundamentally American values.
On May 31, Columbus Community Hospital's Walk with a Doc program will look a little different. While the event usually features an expert speaking on a specific topic while the group walks, this time, they want those attending to bring questions.

In a first for the hospital and Dr. Sabu George, the upcoming event will be more of a dialogue than a walking lecture like it has been in the past. George said the benefits to this method are two-fold, between questions being open and the format of walking while they talk.

"They can ask any question they want regarding cardiology, not regarding any special topic per se. Its not like a sit-down class where you are discussing a topic. No, they can ask whatever they want to ask regarding cardiovascular health and care, it's not restricted to anything," George said.

Typically the event consists of walkers following the "doc" around Lake Esther by the hospital, but just to try something new and hopefully drive engagement, George said, this one is more of an open discussion among walkers, who can also ask questions ahead of time to be answered the day of.

"When you do a sit-down class and put up a bunch of slides on screen, it's a classroom atmosphere even if it's not a classroom," George said. "The last Walk with a Doc I did, initially only one person asked questions, the rest were just sort of hanging out but if you've been teaching for a while, you know how to get people to participate."

George noted that sometimes participants may avoid asking questions because they cannot relate to the topic at hand as well, or may feel as if their question is foolish, which the open discussion format abates some. Cardiovascular care, he said, is not just about the heart all the time, it can involve the legs, the abdomen and brain and be a part of strokes, vascular disease, aneurysms, diabetes and a wide variety of other things. A wider range of questions, he said, will lead to more people finding answers.

"Many people in the audience will have some sort of connection to one of those things, so when one person has the courage to ask a question, the other people feel as important and ask more questions. That is what I have found and it has not failed me now," George said.

In addition to potentially better answers, George said, the walking aspect itself provides attendees a chance to better their cardiovascular health.

"When you look at overall cardiovascular conditioning, activity is important. They (World Health Organization) recommend 200 minutes of activity that could be considered exercise a week and the walk is a part of that," George said. "As opposed to sitting down in a place you get some activity in."

Sarah Huettner, an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) in the cardiology unit at CCH, said this is her first time doing a Walk with a Doc and she is excited to see how this new format goes.

"I'm excited to see the people in the community who want to better their cardiovascular health and get a little exercise at the same time. I think that will be exciting," Huettner said. "This is a great event for people to come out, be inolved and able to ask a cardiologist any of their questions."

The event will take place at Lake Esther, 38th Street and 41st Avenue, on May 31 at 5:30 p.m. In the event of weather complications, it will move to the Center 30 Mall. Questions can be sent ahead of time to edvis@columbushosp.org before May 17.
Kidnapped Nigerian girls freed, return to Chibok with babies View Photo

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP)  Two Nigerian women abducted as schoolgirls by a jihadi militant group nine years ago have been rescued, the West African nations military has said. One had a year-old baby while the second gave birth to her second child days after her freedom.

Hauwa Maltha and Esther Marcus were among 276 schoolgirls abducted in April 2014 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the village of Chibok by Boko Haram militants.

They were rescued in April by Nigerian soldiers and reunited with their families in the northeastern Borno state, according to Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Ali, who leads the Nigerian military operation against the extremist violence experienced in the northeast region for more than a decade.

Boko Haram fighters stormed the school in Borno nine years ago as the girls were preparing for exams. The mass kidnap sparked global outrage and led to the #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign. More than 20 of the girls have regained their freedom in the past year, but nearly 100 are still missing.

Maltha and Marcus, both 26, were forcibly married to extremists while in captivity, Ali told journalists in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday. His comments echoed concerns of parents and activists about the maltreatment of the girls by Boko Haram, whose name in the local Hausa language means Western education is forbidden.

Both girls were married three times as one husband after another was killed during clashes with the Nigerian military.

Hauwa was about eight months and two weeks pregnant during her rescue, delivered a bouncing baby boy on April 28 while undergoing thorough medical examination along with her baby Fatima, said the military commander.

The girls return brought excitement to many in the Chibok community. It has made the memories fresh for the parents that their children are still missing, said Hassan Chibok, a local leader.

Several of the girls have returned home in recent months mostly after escaping the Sambisa Forest, a known hideout for the extremists. Most of those who returned had babies after either being forced into marriage or after losing hope that they would ever regain their freedom, their parents and the freed girls have said.

Since the abduction in 2014, Boko Haram has grown in reach and influence. Most of its members now operate as a more brutal faction backed by the Islamic State group. More than 35,000 people have died and over 2 million have been displaced by the extremist violence in Nigeria, according to the U.N. Development Program.



Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria, contributed.

By HARUNA UMAR

Associated Press
Local author Robert Montgomery is bringing wolves back to the Mineral Area.

In his first full-length novel titled Theyre Back!, local author Robert Montgomery re-introduces wolves to the local area. Area readers who read it will find a number of recognizable locations in the fictional setting, including Taum Sauk Mountain and the Devils Toll Gate.

Montgomerys Theyre Back! is an eco-thriller that was released in February and can be bought on Monday during a book signing at the Park Hills Public Library, beginning at 4 p.m. The trade paperback will be discounted to $12 from the Amazon.com price of $16.99. If Theyre Back! is successful, says Montgomery, readers can expect a second, related novel soon.

The protagonist of the story is a man named Richard who has relocated to Parkland, the fictional town where the story is set, to recover from personal tragedy. Soon pets and livestock begin disappearing and dying. Richard discovers a pack of wolves, not seen in the area in over a century, has suddenly taken up residence. The situation heats up when a boy is abducted. Are the wolves to blame or is there an alternate explanation? Richard teams up with Bonnie, a teacher and wolf sanctuary volunteer, and the two are plunged into a nationwide conspiracy one must read to believe.

Montgomery is a former teacher with North County High School  hes joked hell give a discount on book sales to any former student who can remember his funky hall pass, designed by an art student who resides in Terre du Lac with his rescue pup Pippa.

He holds a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and has traveled extensively while writing and taking pictures for various publications since exiting his teaching career in 1989.

One of his adventures led Montgomery to a wilderness refuge in Illinois where he was given the privilege of photographing captive wild wolves during a feeding. One wolf in particular, a beautiful white female later discovered to be the pack leader, formed an instant connection with Montgomery. The wolf shadowed Montgomery as he photographed the pack and even sat next to him when he sat. According to Montgomery, this experience was the inspiration for Theyre Back!

Montgomery said his process for writing includes discipline and respect for deadlines. He said many people want to write but say they dont have the time.

If you want to, you will make the time, he said.

His routine takes a three-by-three approach. Set aside three hours, three days a week  Montgomery prefers early mornings and make yourself write.

Montgomery said it is important to have an outline for your story even though the story will eventually take on a life of its own and may not go the way you intend. He said there should be some idea of where the story is headed but words arent set in stone.

Another suggestion Montgomery had for writers is to let your story age.

Its your baby when its new, he said. Sometimes a writer needs to put the story away for a long period of time so an author can look at it with fresh eyes, helping a writer know what needs to be edited and what to leave alone.

Montgomery has written more than 20 other works and will have some available for purchase at the library on the day of signing. He plans to autograph any and copies purchased of all his works.
German chancellor supports permanent UNSC seat for Africa View Photo

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20, he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the U.N secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Rutos mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country, he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important, he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONEs Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholzs statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage, he said in a statement.

By EVELYNE MUSAMBI

Associated Press
Sudans warring sides send envoys for talks in Saudi Arabia View Photo

ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Sudans two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said.

The negotiations would be the first between Sudans military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15.

According to the three  two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival  the talks will begin in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday, following concerted efforts by Riyad and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming peace talks. No timeframe was given for the length of the talks.

The fighting has turned Sudans capital of Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes. There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudans Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.

A series of fragile and often violated cease-fires over the past three weeks has failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged Friday in areas around the militarys headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-conflict-civilians-port-sudan-war-bd675f2ce360e7d40f4926c81057cdbf

According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman, which have been the centers of the battles.

One of the military officials said the talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United State. He said they would also discuss providing protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities.

The RSF official said Saudi and American officials would facilitate the talks. He said they would also discuss a mechanism to monitor the cease-fire and confirmed on Friday that the RSF delegation had left for Jeddah. Sudans military also later its delegation had departed to Saudi Arabia, saying the talks would discuss details of the truce, without elaborating.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, discussed the initiative in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the initiative aims to prepare the ground for dialogue to deescalate tensions in the African country. The statement also did not provide further details.

U.S. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabias invaluable assistance in facilitating the safe arrival in Jeddah of U.S. citizens and their family members departing Sudan.

The two top diplomats affirmed their countries intensive collaboration on diplomatic work to bring about an end to the fighting in Sudan, Miller said.

The U.N. envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, lauded the move as a positive sign, but cautioned about high expectations from the meeting.

It is a positive sign, a sign of getting more realistic, realizing that there will be no easy or quick win, he told the AP from Port Sudan. We need to realize, however, that this is a first encounter.

The meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete, he said and added that achieving a lasting cease-fire would need more than one meeting.

The battle for control of Sudan, which capped months of tensions between Burhan and Dagalo, has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and  as of Monday  wounded more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said Friday that 473 civilians have been killed in the violence, and more than 2,450 have been wounded.

James Elder, a spokesman for the the U.N. children agency, said at least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 have been wounded in the fighting.

This means that every single hour, you have seven boys or girls  killed or injured, he said at a press conference Friday in Geneva. I think this is underlining the enormity of how violent this is.

The power struggle has put millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighboring countries  Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to U.N. agencies.

The U.N. World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between 2 million and 2.5 million people  raising the number to a total of 19 million people  in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The U.N. refugee agency announced that $445 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

By SAMY MAGDY

Associated Press
Indonesia works to rescue 20 trafficking victims in Myanmar View Photo

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian officials said Friday they were working to rescue dozens of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar to work as cyber scammers, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia.

At least 20 Indonesian job seekers are trapped in Myawaddy township, the site of an armed conflict between Myanmars military and ethnic Karen rebels, said Judha Nugraha, an official in Indonesias Foreign Affairs Ministry. Myawaddy is in eastern Kayin state along the Thai border.

According to Nugraha, fake recruiters offered the victims high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of Naypyidaw, the capital, to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps.

The Indonesian Migrant Worker Union, a nonprofit group, said some victims were tortured when they failed to reach certain targets and forced to pay more than $10,000 in travel costs. Authorities said the victims were likely trafficked to Myanmar by illegal means since no records can be found of their arrival in Myanmars immigration system.

The challenges on the ground are indeed high as authorities in Myanmar face difficulties entering Myawaddy since rebels have taken over the region, Nugraha said.

Indonesian officials are working with authorities in Naypyidaw, Myawaddy and Thailand, and have asked for assistance from other organizations to help get the victims out of the area safely, he said.

Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a news conference on Friday that the government has worked on 1,841 human trafficking cases in the past three years where victims are Indonesians who were duped into online scams.

That number includes 1,138 Indonesians who were repatriated from Cambodia last year, Marsudi said.

From this number, you can see the magnitude of human trafficking related to online scams whose victims are ASEAN citizens, she said, adding that victims from several nations are involved in the latest case.

Marsudi said the government is also working to help Indonesian victims of online scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

She said the Indonesian Embassy in Manila said Friday that Philippine authorities have rescued more than 1,000 trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be repatriated to their countries of origin.

As the chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia is trying to raise this issue at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, Marsudi said.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippine, Singapore and Thailand. Indonesia will host the blocs leaders meeting in May 10-11 in Labuan Bajo on Flores island.

By NINIEK KARMINI

Associated Press
In Ukraines forests, fighters race to prepare for next push View Photo

SOMEWHERE IN CENTRAL UKRAINE (AP)  The fighters depart at dawn, single-file, rifles slung, compasses in hand, and disappear like chameleons into the lush greenery of central Ukraines dense forests.

Theyre training for a long-anticipated campaign that Ukraine hopes will shift the momentum of its war with Russia.

Its a crash course in new assault tactics for the National Guard squad, a mix of volunteers whose ages range from 22 to 51. The squad is part of a brigade thats been chosen to prepare for a counteroffensive, and its had just a few months to train on new skills and incorporate new recruits. By their own admission, the servicemen have outdated weapons, and many feared not enough training or resources. But they said when the time comes, they will be ready to fight.

The Associated Press joined a unit of the Stalevy Kordon or Steel Border, a brigade of Ukraines National Guard. Over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, the wars front lines have been all but static for months, with Russian forces holding nearly a fifth of the country. The U.S. and other allies have boosted Ukraines arsenal with modern weaponry, but critical shortages of ammunition and manpower persist.

The squads men, and its leaders, have no idea when or where the counteroffensive will begin. But they know they havent got long to prepare.

We are preparing for big actions right now. No one will tell us what they are. We get an order  maybe tomorrow, maybe in one month, we dont know  to go to point X, said one of the squads leaders, known by his call sign Grunwald. We are preparing every day.

The unit spoke to the AP on the condition that they be identified only by first names or call signs and that the region where the trainings are taking place not be named.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has said preparations for the advance are coming to an end.

Details beyond that are scarce.

As soon as it is Gods will, the weather and the commanders decision, we will do it, Reznikov added in a online briefing on Friday.

In the forest, the servicemen tread carefully, the earth crunching underfoot as their eyes and ears stay alert for signs of enemy drones or vehicles passing by. Every few minutes they halt to assess unusual sounds, crouching low and ready to shoot.

Serhii, a former airport immigration officer, chain smokes and checks his compass every few meters. They were supposed to go 8 kilometers (about 5 miles) over two hours, but they have been walking for nearly three hours already.

They stop for a break under the shade of giant pines. Roma, among the youngest fighters there, is worried.

I think we went too far, he said.

The days test, prepared by Grunwald, contains multiple elements: Move through the thick woodlands undetected, launch drones to uncover exact enemy coordinates, pass the coordinates to the artillery unit, and then dive in for the assault.

Most important, the fighters must not be seen. One small error, and the entire operation  and squad  is lost.

To prepare for the possibility of Russian GPS jamming, theyre using only compasses to navigate.

Russia has spent years building up high-power jamming systems capable of emitting radio waves to spoof or throw off GPS navigation. The traditional compass cant be jammed.

But its harder to use. A single degree of compass error could throw the squad 100 meters (yards) off course. The squad must learn how to reach the target despite this.

When squad commander Mazhor  a call sign meaning rich guy  presents the plan, one fighter scoffs. He thinks that one person is a robot capable of assaulting a trench, securing the enemys logistics hub, capturing an airport, stealing an MiG jet and landing it in Moscow, right? Ihor said.

This is a war of artillery and drones, said Grunwald. But the unit does not have enough of either. The fighters carry old rifles and use simple quadcopter drones for reconnaissance missions.

Grunwald is currently trying to raise money to buy more advanced drones that would be easier to use, ideally ones that can carry bombs.

Squad members often bring up the limits of their training. Some tell Mazhor his directives would be confusing on a real battlefield. They criticize comrades for not being more vigilant.

But every serviceman asked said hed be ready when ordered into battle.

At beginning of war, we didnt know anything, but now we are more experienced, said Serhii. All these trainings are making us sharper. We will be ready.

After a long detour, the squad members eventually find their way to the point where the reconnaissance drone is launched to pinpoint enemy positions. The coordinates are passed to the mortar unit.

Victory in five minutes, said Serhii, speaking into a walkie-talkie.

In the end, they emerged after eight hours, having trekked 18 kilometers (11 miles) through swamp, dirt and brush. The coordinates they sent were a little off, missing the key targets in the enemy position.

The personnel completed the objective to 90%, said Mazhor. In a real battle, an operation like this takes days, with painstaking planning done in advance. They were disoriented at some point, they went a bit off course.

A 10% mistake, he added. As the unit commander, I think 10% is a very good result.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

By SAMYA KULLAB

Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexico has long had a problem with piracy and brand counterfeiting, but this week it reached a new height: fake Coca-Cola. As with so many products in Mexico, the Real Thing may not be that at all.

Mexico City prosecutors said late Wednesday they had raided a property in a rough neighborhood on the citys east side and found thousands of bottles bearing the Coca-Cola brand.

Most of the bottles were empty, but some were filled with what prosecutors called supposed cola. Investigators also found hoses, pumps, bottle washing facilities and new bottle caps, suggesting that criminals were making their own Coke.

They also found stolen delivery trucks, suggesting the gang had been distributing the drinks.

Information came to light that this property was possibly being used to manufacture soft drinks with similar characteristics to a well known cola brand, said prosecution spokesperson Ulises Lara.

Lara said agents found crates containing about 780 full bottles, and almost 20,000 empty bottles ready to be refilled. It was not clear if any of the so-called Mexican Coke, prized for its cane sugar and glass bottles, had made it to the export market.

Mexicos Coca-Cola FEMSA, which describes itself as the largest Coca-Cola franchise bottler in the world by sales volume, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment on the raid.

The raid comes less than two weeks after the U.S. trade representative released a damning report saying Mexicos intellectual-property and anti-counterfeiting actions  already weak  have gotten weaker in recent years.

The prevalence of counterfeit goods at notorious physical marketplaces remains a significant problem, exacerbated by the involvement of transnational criminal organizations, according to the report, released April 26.

The report said that Mexican authorities used to raid such markets but that this enforcement activity appears to have ceased in recent years.

Criminal investigations and prosecutions for trademark counterfeiting and copyright piracy appears to be non-existent, the report said.

For decades, Mexico has had a problem with counterfeiters falsifying everything from name-brand blue jeans and sneakers, to prescription medications. U.S. authorities regularly issue alerts about counterfeit pills that are cleverly disguised to look like the real thing.

Associated Press
250 evacuated as Volcano of Fire erupts in Guatemala

250 evacuated as Volcano of Fire erupts in Guatemala View Photo

GUATEMALA CITY (AP)  About 250 residents were evacuated Thursday from the slopes of Guatemalas Volcano of Fire as red-hot rock and ash flowed down the slopes toward an area devastated by a deadly 2018 eruption.

Firefighters said residents of the hamlet of Panimache were taken to shelters.

Guatemalas disaster agency said the volcano had been emitting ash clouds that could affect as many as 100,000 people in communities around the peak.

The 12,300-foot (3,763-meter) high Volcano of Fire is one of the most active in Central America. The 2018 eruption killed 194 people and left another 234 missing.

The biggest danger from the volcano are lahars, a mixture of ash, rock, mud and debris, that can bury entire towns.

The disaster agency said that such lahars were flowing down four of the seven gullies on the volcanos flanks.
Kinematic Automation - Archive Photo View Photo

Sonora, CA  A longtime Tuolumne County technology company is moving its manufacturing operations to Minnesota.

Kinematic Automation was founded in 1980 and is located on Longeway Road in the Mono Vista area. After being owned locally for decades, it was sold to parent Company Burke Porter, out of Michigan, three years ago.

Kinematic employs around 50 people, and those impacted by the restructuring were notified this week. Only the manufacturing division is moving to Minnesota (a majority of the workforce) and the sales and engineering will remain local.

One of the longtime manufacturing employees laid off relayed to Clarke Broadcasting that company officials announced the changes to staff this week and cited the rising cost of fire insurance (and difficulty in getting coverage) as a big factor in the decision.

Replying to an inquiry about the relocation, Burke Porter has put out a statement, reading, In response to a strategic change on the part of Kinematics parent company, all manufacturing operations will be consolidated in Minnesota effective immediately. This change has unfortunately led to a reduction of the Kinematic workforce in Sonora. The company is working hard to assist the employees in finding new employment opportunities and our thoughts are with the affected workers and their families during this transition.

It goes on to read, Despite the workforce reduction its important to note that sales and engineering will still remain operational in our region.

Kinematic makes high-end custom machinery for businesses. Explaining more about what it does, its website notes that it is a worldwide leader partnering with manufacturers wanting to automate their production processes. It continues, No matter your diagnostic device composite, shape or purpose, we provide the absolute best end-to-end automation solutions to increase your manufacturing productivity while lowering your manufacturing costs.
Donald Trump seeks to move NY criminal case to federal court View Photo

NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump s lawyers have asked a federal court to take control of his New York City criminal case. They argued Thursday that the former president cant be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office.

In court papers, Trumps lawyers said the criminal case involves important federal questions, including alleged violations of federal election law. Federal officers, including former presidents, have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from conduct performed while in office, the lawyers argued.

Echoing Trumps claims that his indictment is politically motivated, lawyer Susan Necheles urged the federal court to exert its protective jurisdiction and seize the case from the state courts where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg routinely practices.

Such requests are rarely granted in criminal cases, although Trumps request is unprecedented because hes the first former president ever charged with a crime.

This effort is extremely unlikely to succeed, said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School. Its not even clear that this would be a particularly effective delay tactic.

Moving the case could give Trump some advantages, such as a broader, more politically diverse jury pool  but the fundamentals of the case would remain largely intact.

The Manhattan district attorneys office would still prosecute him and state law would still apply, but with the oversight of a federal judge, said University of Iowa law professor Derek Muller.

Its essentially just a change in courthouses, Muller said.

Trumps attorney, Todd Blanche, first raised the prospect of moving the case to federal court during a state court hearing Thursday where a judge indicated hed put limits on Trumps access to certain evidence, as prosecutors requested.

But Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said he wouldnt issue a gag order or bar Trump from speaking publicly about the case.

Trumps lawyers faced a Thursday deadline to file paperwork seeking to move the case  30 days after the April 4 state court arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A federal judge will now weigh whether to grant the request. While that plays out, the case will proceed in state court and all pretrial deadlines will remain in effect.

It is possible to remove a state prosecution to federal court but the reasons for doing so are narrow and none seem to apply in this case, Roiphe, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said.

Prosecutors didnt address the request during Thursdays hearing. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office issued a statement saying it was reviewing the request to transfer the case and would file an appropriate response with the court.

The criminal charges are related to payments Trumps company made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say those payments, most of which took place in 2017, while Trump was president, were intended to reimburse and compensate Cohen for orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously investigated and only charged one person: Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the hush money payments. Cohen is a key witness in the state case against Trump.

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

Earlier in the hearing Thursday, the judge sought to broker a compromise between Trumps lawyers and prosecutors, who raised concerns that he would use evidence obtained in the pretrial discovery process to attack witnesses and other people involved in the case, as he has in the past.

Merchan, a target of Trumps social media ire in the wake of his indictment, did not rule on the prosecutions request for whats known as a protective order. But he suggested he wants to balance the sanctity of the case, the safety of people involved, and Trumps free speech rights.

The judge said Trumps fame and megaphone make him different from other criminal defendants, but with that comes responsibility that his words, especially when used in the form of rhetoric, can have consequences.

Blanche said Trump wasnt seeking to put evidence on social media nor was he objecting to a prosecution request, based in part on safety concerns, to keep identifying information about district attorneys office employees secret until the trial starts.

Once he rules, Merchan said, he will hold a hybrid conference  lawyers in court, Trump appearing by video  where he will apprise him of the dos and donts of his impending order.

Merchan asked the defense and prosecution to agree on a trial date in February or March 2024. Barring removal to federal court, that could land Trump, whos making a comeback run for the White House, in court during next years primaries.

William Dow III, a Connecticut attorney for more than 50 years, said hed never heard of a state criminal case being removed to federal court. He said such moves are a delaying ploy.

Sometimes people who want to run away from their problems take any avenue thats available, whether its accurate or not. I think this (Trumps case) is subject to that interpretation, said Dow, whose clients have included former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland in a political corruption case that forced him to resign in 2004.

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Associated Press reporter Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

___

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/

By MICHAEL R. SISAK

Associated Press
NC lawmakers pass 12-week abortion ban; governor vows veto View Photo

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP)  North Carolina lawmakers on Thursday approved and sent to the governor a ban on nearly all abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, down from the current 20 weeks, in response to last years overturning of Roe v. Wade at the U.S. Supreme Court.

The ban is one of the least onerous of a slew of bills Republican-led assemblies have pushed through in recent months since the high court stripped away constitutional protections for abortion. Other states have banned the procedure almost completely or throughout pregnancy.

Nonetheless, the 29-20 party-line vote by the Senate was met with loud cries of Abortion rights now! from about 100 observers who had crowded into the gallery to watch the debate. Police quickly cleared the area, but protesters could still be heard shouting Shame! from outside the closed doors. The House passed the measure Wednesday night on a similar party-line vote.

While perhaps less stringent, North Carolinas bill has far-reaching consequences. Before its passage, many women from nearby states with more restrictive laws had traveled to the state for abortions in later stages of pregnancy.

Abortion-rights supporter Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper has pledged to veto the bill, calling it an egregious, unacceptable attack on the women of our state. While GOP seat margins and assurances from chamber leaders indicate a veto will likely be overridden, Republicans appear for now to have little wiggle room with votes for the bill to become law.

Democrats unsuccessfully attempted several parliamentary maneuvers to get the measure sent back to committee during an hourslong debate. Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue of Wake County said it was unprecedented that all 20 members of the chambers Democratic caucus spoke on the floor about the bill. He called the abortion vote one of the most consequential things we have done in this chamber.

State law currently bans nearly all abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. Starting July 1, the restriction would be tightened to 12 weeks. It also would place limits on new exceptions, capping abortions at 20 weeks in cases of rape or incest and 24 weeks for life-limiting fetal anomalies, including certain physical or genetic disorders that can be diagnosed prenatally. An existing exception for when the life of the pregnant woman is in danger would remain.

The 46-page bill, which was revealed just this week after months of private negotiations by Republican legislators, also includes more medical and paperwork requirements for patients and physicians and licensing requirements for abortion clinics.

GOP lawmakers also are promoting at least $160 million for such services as maternal health, adoption care, contraceptive services and paid leave for teachers and state employees after the birth of a child.

Sen. Joyce Krawiec, a Forsyth County Republican who helped negotiate the measure, said during Thursdays debate that many of us who have worked for decades to save unborn babies for the sanctity of human life, we saw it as an opportunity to put forth a very pro-life, pro-woman legislation.

This is a pro-life plan, not an abortion ban, she added.

Cooper and other critics say the measure remains an attack on reproductive freedoms and denies women the ability to make their own health care choices.

This bill is an extreme and oppressive step backwards for our society and one that will deny women the right to make decisions about their own health care and future, Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch of Wake County said during the debate.

Batch and others also pointed to provisions of the bill that would make it harder to get abortions within the new legal time frame. They cite, for example, the requirement for women to make an in-person visit to a medical professional at least 72 hours beforehand. Under current law, the three-day waiting period can be initiated over the phone. The bill would also require a doctor to schedule a follow-up visit for women who have a medically induced abortion, increasing the hardship for some who work and those who travel to North Carolina from out of state.

Republicans have been more aggressive in advancing measures that Cooper has opposed or previously vetoed following GOP seat gains in the November elections. The party gained veto-proof majorities in both chambers last month, when then-Democratic Rep. Tricia Cotham switched to the Republican Party. Cotham, who had spoken out previously for abortion rights but expressed a willingness to consider additional restrictions, voted for the bill Wednesday.

In a video released late Thursday, Cooper identified Cotham and three other Republican legislators that he said had expressed temperate views on abortion and said viewers should urge them to uphold his upcoming veto. One of the four was absent for Wednesdays House vote.

The measure contains other restrictions that Cooper had successfully vetoed in previous years. One would bar women from getting abortions on the basis of the babys race or a prenatal diagnosis of Down syndrome. Another would require doctors and nurses to protect and care for children born alive during a failed abortion later in pregnancy.

Still, North Carolina Republicans stung by some 2022 electoral defeats in suburban legislative and congressional districts where abortion was an issue ultimately declined to push more stringent prohibitions as other states have done.

Meanwhile, at least 19 Democratic-dominated states have taken steps  through laws, constitutional amendments or executive orders  to protect access to abortion.

Last year, Cooper signed an executive order shielding out-of-state abortion patients from extradition and prohibiting state agencies under his control from assisting other states prosecutions of those who travel for the procedure.

Most of the states where the status quo on abortion hasnt changed are those where the political leadership is divided between the two parties.

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Schoenbaum is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

By GARY D. ROBERTSON and HANNAH SCHOENBAUM

Associated Press
Worker killed in Massachusetts pharmaceutical plant blast View Photo

NEWBURYPORT, Mass. (AP)  A worker was killed Thursday after a powerful explosion tore through a pharmaceutical chemical plant in Massachusetts, ripping the roof off the building and prompting a U.S. senator to demand accountability from the plants owners.

Acting Newburyport Fire Chief Stephen Bradbury did not publicly identify the person who died, but said crews recovered the body from the building. Initially, the search was hampered by concern about the plants structural integrity following the blast that sent flames leaping high above the building and scattering industrial debris nearby.

Bradbury described the blast as a seven-alarm hazardous materials event.

Four other workers were sent to the hospital as a precaution, but were uninjured and released.

The explosion prompted U.S. Sen. Edward Markey to demand greater accountability from the troubled facility.

Authorities said there was no threat to the local population or to homes near the Newburyport building, but fire officials told employees who work in the industrial park where the facility lies to stay away. One woman who didnt get the message said she could taste chemicals on her lips.

The explosion happened around 1 a.m. at the Sequens/PCI Synthesis plant, officials said. Video showed most of the roof torn off a building, and the blast blew a vat from the building 30 feet (9 meters) into a parking lot, acting Fire Chief Stephen Bradbur said in a news release.

Markey said the company needs to provide answers, given the facilitys history of accidents and violations.

Todays chemical explosion in Newburyport is devastating, the Massachusetts Democrat said in a tweet. This disaster is the facilitys third accident since 2020. We cant keep excusing companies flagrant disregard for worker safety. Ill be calling on PCI Synthesis and federal regulators to explain what happened.

It wasnt immediately known what caused the explosion, or what  if any  chemicals were involved. It was also unclear what role, if any, the vat played in the explosion.

Smoke from the fire blew over the industrial park and into a largely unpopulated area, according to officials from the state Department of Environmental Protection. They added that there was some runoff from firefighting foam, but officials worked to block additional runoff.

Initial monitoring found no evidence of significant impacts to the air, according to DEP officials who said agency staff are collecting air samples for analysis.

Nancy Gero, 58, who works next door to the plant, said she saw emergency vehicles packing the parking lot with foam and debris everywhere when she pulled in Thursday.

I could smell chemicals in the air, she said. I could taste it on my lips.

All our attention is focused on the situation of our employees, PCI Synthesis said in a statement.

Dangerous conditions in the building prevented firefighters from searching for the missing worker at first, Bradbury said at an earlier news conference. Fire crews met with a demolition company, the citys structural engineer and a building inspector.

Chemists from the company and a technical rescue crew have responded. A spokesperson for the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration said that agency was also involved.

The plant lies a little more than 30 miles (50 kilometers) north of Boston in an industrial park with other businesses. Residential neighborhoods, schools and churches are near the commercial area.

A chemical fire in the building in June 2021 sent smoke pouring out of roof vents and prompted a hazardous materials team to respond, according to a fire department statement at the time. Sprinklers controlled the fire within about 20 minutes, but the city suspended the factorys permits during the investigation.

In 2020, authorities said a chemical reaction caused a series of explosions at the plant. That happened a year after OSHA found serious violations in how the company managed highly hazardous chemicals, according to online agency records. There were no serious injuries cited in those events.

The factory has also been cited by OSHA for workplace safety violations and in 2019 paid a more than $50,000 penalty to settle Environmental Protection Agency charges that it violated of hazardous waste laws.

Also in 2019, the EPA signed an agreement with the company, then known as Polycarbon Industries, aimed at making the facility safer. The settlement included a $50,210 fine and $152,000 dedicated to protect human health and the environment.

The company agreed to install a monitoring system for hazardous waste and other gas emissions inside its facility.

The EPA said at the time that the plant generated hazardous waste including toluene, methylene chloride, acetone and methanol. The company was cited for failing to comply with regulations to prevent releasing hazardous chemicals from four waste tanks and failing to meet hazardous waste air emission standards.

Gero has worked near the plant for a little more than a year, but was unaware of its past problems until Thursday.

A lot of people work there, she said. If that had happened during the day, it would have been a disaster.
Karen Gibson loved watching the space shuttles as a child.

Gibson, who was born in St. Louis and now lives in Oklahoma City, will be one of nine women who are part of Saturdays extraordinary event at The Space Museum and Grissom Center in Bonne Terre.

The Show Me Space: Women in Space event will showcase a spectacular lineup of retired NASA astronauts, technicians and support crew. This special event highlights the groundbreaking impact these women have had on space exploration in the nation.

Limited tickets for the Women in Space event are still available at www.space-mo.org/event. Tickets are $60 at the event on Saturday while supplies last. The cost of admission includes a light lunch, book signings, outdoor activities, hands-on experiences, meet-and-greet opportunities, and admission to the museums galleries this weekend.

Gibson is the author of more than 20 children and young adult nonfiction books. Much of her work has focused on sharing stories of women in history and aerospace. She has written books including Women in Space: 23 Stories of First Flights, Scientific Missions, and Gravity-Breaking Adventures and Women Aviators: 26 Stories of Pioneer Flights, Daring Missions, and Record-Setting Journeys.

She said, I enjoy reading and telling the stories of women who break through barriers. I first wrote a book in the same series on women aviators, which became the perfect segue way to women in space.

Gibson will sign books and visit with attendees at Saturdays Women in Space event. She said shes looking forward to hearing from some amazing astronauts and checking out the space museum.

In addition to Gibson signing her book, retired NASA Spacesuit Technician Sharon McDougle will read from her informative yet imaginative 28-page childrens book Suit Up for Launch with Shay! and do a book signing.

Eileen Collins will sign copies of her book Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars: The Story of the First American Woman to Command a Space Mission.

Other book-signers include Nicole Stott with Back to Earth: What Life in Space Taught Me About Our Home PlanetAnd Our Mission to Protect It; and Jerry Ross with Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASAs Record-Setting Frequent Flyer.

Dr. Liz Warren, director of research for Blue Origin, will sell and sign flying rocket kits modeled after the New Shepard, a launch vehicle developed for space tourism by Blue Origin. New Shepard is named after Mercury astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American to go to space.

Dr. Linda Godwin, retired NASA astronaut, and Dr. Warren will sign photos for $10 each.

Visitors will have the opportunity to create a free postcard that will travel to space on a future Blue Origin rocket launch and have the postcard returned to them through the mail.

Women in Space takes place Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity for meet-and-greets with NASA astronauts and spaceflight personnel.

The street in front of The Space Museum and Grissom Center will be closed on Saturday. Parking is available at the nearby bank and church parking lots located near the museum.

When attendees first arrive at the event, they should purchase tickets or check in to receive their wristbands for tickets theyve already purchased. This can be done at the booth set up in the brick courtyard between Heritage Hall and the original museum location.

Once attendees have checked in at the booth, they will receive an agenda of the days activities.

Headlining this spectacular event is a panel of incredible and accomplished women who have helped shape spaceflight history: Eileen Collins, retired NASA astronaut; Dr. Linda Godwin, retired NASA astronaut; Nicole Stott, retired NASA astronaut; Dr. Liz Warren, director of research for Blue Origin; Sharon McDougle, retired NASA spacesuit technician; Amy Ross, NASA spacesuit designer; Karen Ross, retired space shuttle food and product support manager; Megan Shutika, International Space Station EVA flight director; and Karen Gibson, author of Women in Space and other published works. Other guests include early McDonnell Douglas aerospace engineers and Lowell Grissom, brother of NASA Astronaut Lowell Grissom.

Collins is keynote speaker of the event.

Dont miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse yourself in space history and meet actual NASA astronauts and personnel who have made spaceflight possible, said Earl Mullins, president and founder of The Space Museum and Grissom Center.

Mullins said the staff are expecting a large crowd for Saturdays event, so its important to purchase tickets as soon as possible.

In addition to meeting the nine women, Mullins said hes excited about the Q&A session with the panel of guests.

I hope its lively and the audience asks lots of great questions, he said. I know its going to be a great time.

The Space Museum and Grissom Center is located at 118 East School Street in Bonne Terre. Visit www.space-mo.org for more information.
Mayorkas: US border very challenging as asylum limits end View Photo

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP)  U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that authorities faced extremely challenging circumstances along the border with Mexico days before pandemic-related asylum restrictions end.

A surge of Venezuelan migrants through South Texas, particularly in and around Brownsville, has occurred over the last two weeks for reasons that Mayorkas said were unclear. On Thursday, 4,000 of about 6,000 migrants in Border Patrol custody in Texas Rio Grande Valley were Venezuelan.

Mayorkas noted that Mexico agreed this week to continue taking back Venezuelans who enter the U.S. illegally after asylum restrictions end Thursday, along with Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans. Migrants have been expelled from the U.S. more than 2.8 million times since March 2020 under what is known as Title 42 authority.

The secretary reaffirmed plans to finalize a new policy by Thursday that will make it extremely difficult for migrants to seek asylum if they pass through another country, like Mexico, on their way to the U.S. border.

The situation at the border is a very serious one, a very challenging one and a very difficult one, Mayorkas said.

Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this week they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said 1,500 active-duty troops will be dispatched to El Paso, Texas, adding to 2,500 National Guard troops already positioned across the border. Ortiz said El Paso was chosen because it has been a busy corridor for illegal crossings over the last six months. The troop deployment was announced this week but not the location.

Mayorkas, on his second day of a visit to the Rio Grande Valley, said smugglers were deceiving migrants and luring them on a dangerous journey. The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11, he said.

Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard echoed Mayorkas sentiment about smugglers spreading misinformation.

Were seeing a very significant flow (of migrants) in recent days on the basis of a hoax, Ebrard said at a news conference. He said smugglers are saying, Hurry up to get to the United States by crossing Mexico because on May 11 theyre going to end Title 42.

Its a trick and theyre at risk, Ebrard said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged those who want to migrate to follow legal pathways, such as applying in U.S. processing centers scheduled to open in Guatemala and Colombia. He said Mexico was not making special preparations for the end of Title 42 because he didnt expect a surge.

A lot of people wont let themselves be tricked, the president said.

Mayorkas touted new legal pathways, which include parole for up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans a month who apply online with a financial sponsor. But he said the Biden administration could only do so much without Congress.

We have a plan, we are executing on that plan, Mayorkas said. Fundamentally, however, we are working within a broken immigration system that for decades has been in dire need of reform.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that it is raising the number of people admitted to the country at land crossings with Mexico to 1,000 a day from 740 using a mobile app called CBPOne that was extended in January to asylum-seekers. Demand has far outweighed available slots.

The administration faced a setback, at least a temporary one, when Colombia said Thursday that it suspended deportation flights from the U.S. due to cruel and degrading treatment of migrants. Colombias immigration agency said it canceled returns of 1,200 Colombians after complaints about conditions in U.S. detention centers and on the flights.

___

Associated Press writer Christopher Sherman in Mexico City contributed.

By REBECCA SANTANA

Associated Press
PISD

School is canceled for Plainview South Elementary on Monday, May 8, as a result of threats of violence to teachers and staff members.

"This matter has been turned over to law-enforcement agencies in Plainview and Hale County. Plainview ISD will evaluate the situation on Monday and remain in contact," reads a statement from Plainview ISD.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP)  The first shooting left Serbia weeping. The second set off waves of soul-searching in a deeply divided nation, awash in weaponry, where war criminals are glorified and memories run deep of years of civil war.

Two mass killings in two days. Nineteen people dead and 21 injured.

"We walked around like zombies for 24 hours, not believing what has happened and looking for reasons, President Aleksandar Vucic, a populist authoritarian who began his political career as a far-right Serbian nationalist during the Yugoslav civil wars, said Friday in a nationwide TV address.

The back-to-back bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation scarred by wars, but unused to mass murders. Though Serbia is full of weapons left over from the conflicts of the 1990s, the last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

In Thursday's attack, a 20-year-old gunman apparently firing at random killed eight people and wounded 14 in two Serbian villages, authorities said, shaking a nation still grieving over another mass shooting one day earlier. Police arrested a suspect Friday after an all-night search.

Vucic called the shootings an attack on the whole nation  and said that while the man arrested wore a T-shirt with a pro-Nazi slogan, the motive remained unclear.

The slayings came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade, the capital.

Public figures, politicians and experts appeared successively on TV Friday, desperately trying to explain the tragedies.

This is a moment when a nation decides whether it will go along a healing path, actor Srdjan Timarov said on N1 television. The only other way is to declare capitulation.

As a nationwide period of mourning began, TV screens were filled with people wearing black and music was banned from the airwaves as well as in cafes and restaurants. People lined up in Belgrade to donate blood, responding to an appeal for supplies needed to treat the wounded.

The assailant in Thursday's attack shot people in two villages near Mladenovac, a municipality located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, police said. Vucic said the gunman targeted people wherever they were.

In the village of Dubona, blood stained a schoolyard where shots had been fired and also the ground near a bench where residents often sit to share a beer and chat.

I heard some tak-tak-tak sounds, recalled Milan Prokic, a Dubona resident. Prokic said he first thought people were shooting to celebrate a birth, as is tradition in Serbia.

But it wasnt that. Shame, great shame, Prokic added.

Police said the suspect, identified by the initials U.B., was arrested in Vinjiste, a village 150 kilometers (90 miles) south of Belgrade. Officers searching a relative's home found a large stash of illegal weapons and ammunition, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Authorities released a photo showing a young man in a police car in a blue T-shirt with the slogan Generation 88 on it. The double eights are often used as shorthand for Heil Hitler since H is the eighth letter of the alphabet.

Vucic said the suspect repeated the word disparagement but it wasn't clear what he meant.

The president vowed in an address to the nation that the suspect will never again see the light of the day. He also announced tougher gun-control measures, in addition to those proposed by the government a day earlier.

He called for a moratorium on new gun licenses for the next two years, a review of all current licenses, longer prison sentences for those who break the rules and fierce punishment for anyone caught with illegal weapons. But first, police will offer an amnesty to encourage people to hand over illegal guns  an action that has had limited success in the past.

We will disarm Serbia, Vucic promised, saying the government would outline the new rules later Friday.

Health Minister Danica Grujicic said the wounded included a teenage girl who was hit in the head and another teen who had to have a kidney removed.

We havent seen this since the 1990s (war era), the minister said.

While the Serbian government sought to crack down on guns and police raced to investigate the fresh violence, the nation started to ask what social factors may have contributed to the mass shootings. Serbia has one of the highest number of firearms per capita in the world, and guns are frequently fired into the air to mark special occasions.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by those weapons coupled with decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship. Belgrade University psychology professor Dragan Popadic pointed to the violence coursing through society, including harassment of political opponents by ruling populists and aggressive sports hooligans.

People suddenly have been shaken into reality and the ocean of violence that we live in, how it has grown over time and how much our society has been neglected for decades, Popadic said after the first shooting. It is as if flashlights have been lit over our lives and we can no longer just mind our own business.

Opposition parties called for a march against violence on Monday, urged the government to control media content and demanded the resignations of three ministers.

Serbia is not a powder keg. Serbia has exploded, said Marinika Tepic, the vice president of an opposition party.

Serbia was already reeling after the first shooting. Students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage Thursday to slain peers. Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes.

The school attack also left seven people hospitalized, six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, Grujicic said Friday.

Authorities have said the suspected shooter, Kosta Kecmanovic, is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental hospital, and his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security.

___

Associated Press journalist Sabina Niksic in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, contributed to this report.
A LOCAL property developer has accused the late former President Robert Mugabes daughter, Bona and her estranged husband, Simba Chikore of stealing vast tracts of its prime land at Carrick Creagh Estate in Harare.

The property developer has claimed that the couple, currently in the middle of a stormy divorce, allegedly stole 213 794m of its land.

Chikore listed 21 properties, including a mansion in Dubai, 17 super cars, 21 farms and an undisclosed amount of cash among many other properties that he wants shared equally between the couple as part of the divorce settlement.

However, Arosume Property Development has claimed that some of the land listed in the claim belongs to it.

The companys lawyers, Jiti Law Chambers want it removed from the list.

While our client has maintained that your clients stole vast amounts of State land, the confirmation of the extent has only become apparent from their own pleadings that in Carrick Creagh alone, they took State land amounting to 213 794 sqm, Jiti Law Chambers said in a letter dated May 4 addressed to Chikores lawyers, Matsikidze Attorneys At Law.

In fact, it is government policy that one individual cannot receive more than one residential stand within the same local authority from the State.

How your clients were able to circumvent that policy requires further investigation from the relevant authorities.

The lawyers added: We advise that the Carrick Creagh Estate stands are not owned by either of your clients.

It is State land, which prior to the cancellation of the fraudulently acquired title deeds, were owned by Navline Investments (Private) Limited and Montshow Enterprises (Private) Limited.

The consequence of the cancellation is that the land reverted to being State land and, as such, it cannot be distributed to private individuals via a divorce order.

We have taken note of the fact that Mr Chikore appears to have deliberately included these properties for purposes that have nothing to do with the distribution sought before the court, knowing that the list is inaccurate.

According to Arosume Property Development, the matter was once reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, but no action was taken.

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By Vafa Guliyeva

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu have talked over the phone, Azernews reports.

During the phone conversation, the FMs exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as well as the current regional situation.

The sides also discussed the recent negotiations on the draft peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

During the phone talk, the ministers pointed to other issues of mutual interest.

To recap, on 1 May the meeting between Azerbaijan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov and Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan took place in Arlington, at George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center with organization of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. During the meeting, the ministers discussed the security situation in the region as well as issues related to the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It should be noted that prior to the meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a a phone call with the head of state of Azerbaijan expressing his concern over the establishment of the new checkpoint on the Lachin road at the conventional border between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Also, following the meeting in the US, a mutual agreement was reached on some articles of the draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. According to the statement, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had talks on May 1-4 in Arlington, Virginia.
St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner was surrounded by supporters at a July 11, 2019, press conference (Wiley Price/St. Louis American).

St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner announced her resignation Thursday afternoon effective June 1, after brokering a deal to kill a bill that would allow a state takeover of the city prosecutors office.

An elected prosecutor is our citys sole opportunity to have a say in its communitys criminal justice system, Gardner said in a letter announcing her resignation. The proposed bill strips that right from all of us. If I can stop that from happening, I will, even if that necessitates my considering leaving the office to which you have elected me.

Republican legislators made it clear in January that challenging Gardners authority was a top priority this year. In February, Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a writ of quo warranto, alleging that Gardners office has failed to process and prosecute cases promptly and with competence. Gardners responding filing said the case was part of the political crusade against her.

Despite Gardners announcement, Bailey said Thursday he would continue his push to remove her from office before June 1.

Just this week, Senate Democrats blocked a vote on a bill that would give the governor the ability to strip the authority of any elected prosecutor to handle violent crime cases and appoint a special prosecutor  or the attorney general  to take over those cases for five years.

The bill, originally filed in January, focused solely on the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys office.

Gardner was elected as part of a movement to transform public safety, which ignited after the Ferguson uprising in 2014. She ran on a platform to fight for police accountability and to reform the arrest and incarcerate model of criminal justice through diversion programs and supportive health services.

Gardner wrote in her resignation letter that shes experienced attacks on these reforms since her first day in office.

I can absorb those attacks, and I have, she wrote. But I can neither enable nor allow the outright disenfranchisement of the people of the City of St. Louis, nor can I allow these outsiders to effectively shut down our important work. If not for these two things, I would continue to fight tirelessly to maintain the job you selected me to serve.

But over the last year, her office has come under increased criticism. She was reprimanded by the Missouri Supreme Court for her offices conduct during its investigation of former Gov. Eric Greitens, and has faced questions about staff turnover.

The criticism peaked after a teen visiting St. Louis for a volleyball tournament was hit by a car driven by someone who had violated his bond dozens of times. Both of the girls legs were amputated, and both Republicans and Democrats began calling for her resignation.

In Jefferson City, the bill taking over a large chunk of her office was put on the fast track.

Gardner, who is the first Black female prosecutor in Missouri, called the proposed bill a brutal assault on our democracy, one that mirrors the attacks in Jackson, Mississippi, and throughout Florida.

Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo, D-Independence, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he helped broker a deal to set aside the bill if she resigned.

We obviously came to a place where she would be willing to resign if the legislation was dropped, Rizzo told the Post-Dispatch. There was an agreement in place that that would happen sooner than later.

By law, Gov. Mike Parson will appoint someone to fill Gardners position until the next regular election, which is in the fall of 2024.

We fully understand the gravity of this situation and approach our duty to appoint a replacement with the utmost seriousness, Parson said in a statement. We are committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system.

Gardner touted that she accomplished many of the things voters asked her to do, including overturning wrongful convictions, expanding public health interventions and ramping up trauma-informed victims services.

We have achieved so many important victories together, she said. But I cannot be the final circuit attorney ever to be elected in St. Louis. You must be able to have a voice in your criminal justice system. And we must allow our office to continue to operate.
Police in Matobo have arrested a 20-year-old man in connection with murder, where he allegedly strangled his girlfrind to death before disposing of her body in a river.

The suspect has since been identified as Trust Mlilo and is assisting police with investigations.

Police in Matobo are investigating a case of murder in which the body of the victim, Melody Sayi (21) was found floating in Gonde River near Silungudzi Village, read part of the statement on Twitter.

Police said they suspect the victim was strangled to death by Mlilo, before being thrown in the river.

Meanwhile, Police in Masvingo are appealing for information that may lead to the arrest of Lawrence Njiva (33) in connection with a case of murder.

Njiva is alleged to have struck the deceased Coolwe Muzamba (29) with a log several times on the head, after accusing him of disrespecting him over an undisclosed matter.

Muzamba died while he was admitted to hospital in Bikita. Anyone with information to contact any nearest Police Station, said police on Twitter.

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Watch a Moose Walk into an Alaskan Movie Theater, Eat Popcorn, and Leave Field and Stream

Youve Heard About Behavioral Finance. But What About Physical Finance? Institutional Investor

Why Our National Gene Bank System is the Backbone of the Breeding World Seed World

Climate

What Real Meteorologists Wish You Knew About Your Weather App Slate

#COVID19

COVID-19 outbreak hits large Bay Area hospital, prompting new mask rules San Francisco Chronicle. Hospital infection control whacks a few more patients:

Kaiser officials issued a written statement stating that doctors and staff must wear masks while providing direct care to patients in the Santa Rosa hospital and emergency department. There are approximately 3,500 health care workers at the facility. Visitors are also required to wear face coverings [like gaiters? Baggy blues?] inside the hospital.

No. #CovidIsAirborne. Universal inside the entire facility (that is, if protecting patients from infection is the top priority). See Water Cooler here from yesterday for longer form.

POV: The Benevolent Violence of an Unmasked Hospital Long Covid Families. Where are the lawsuits?

* * *

Histopathology and SARS-CoV-2 Cellular Localization in Eye Tissues of COVID-19 Autopsies The American Journal of Pathology. This is the first report to definitively localize SARS-CoV-2 to the retinal inner and outer nuclear cells, retinal ganglion cells, and ocular surface by ISH, validating previous studies that have exclusively used PCR-based methods. These observations highlight the need to better elucidate mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection and persistence in the eye
Ukraine is building the most convenient digital state in the world  without corruption, without bureaucracy, absolutely paperless, and open for everyone. And the UNDP, like USAID, is fully on board.

Through its Diia digital ID and governance platform, launched in February 2020, the Zelensky government seeks to create a system that will make Ukraine the most convenient State in the world. This is what Ukraines Minister of Digital Transformation and Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told participants of the 2021 edition of the WEFs Young Global Leaders program, of which he is an alumnus. He is also a graduate of the NATO Educational School in Kiev.

Diia is today used by close to 19 million Ukrainians and has nine digital credentials on its platform: the national ID card, the identity provider (IDP) certificate for network access, birth certificate, passport, driving license, tax number, student card, and vehicle registration certificate.

Accelerating Ukraines Digital Transformation, Even During War

Ukraines Diia system was recently the subject of a gushing article by the United Nations Development Program. Titled The World is Very Turbulent, and You Adapt, the article lays out how Ukraine is accelerating its digital transformation, even during war:

Despite being plunged into war, Ukraine is forging ahead with a comprehensive re-think of how business is conducted, and how Ukrainian people interact with each other and with their government. We are building the most convenient digital state in the world  without corruption, without bureaucracy, absolutely paperless, and open for everyone, Ms. Ionan [Ukraines Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation] says. The online portal and a mobile application for public services is called Diia, which is Ukrainian for action. It aims to move all public services online, cover the entire country with internet access, close the gender and generational gaps in digital literacy, and make Ukraine the most welcoming country in the world for IT companies.

The claim that Ukraines digitised system of governance will transform the country from one which until recently (i.e., before the war) was widely spoken about as one of the most corrupt in Europe into one where corruption ceases to exist is altogether, of course, risible. So, too, is the notion that an absolutely paperless bureaucracy is somehow a desirable outcome despite all the inherent security risks. Also, the idea that Ukraine will become the most welcoming country in the world for big tech companies once the Russian bombs have stopped falling seems a little far-fetched. For a start, it assumes that the West will retain significant control of Ukraine once the dust from the war has settled.

Thats not to say that Silicon Valley big tech companies and large financial institutions are not heavily involved in Ukraines Diia project. After all, the purpose of Diia is not just to digitize public services but to automate, outsource and privatise them, as Fedorov told the WEFs 2021 class of Young Global Leaders:

The Government needs to become as flexible and mobile as an IT company, to automate all functions and services, significantly change the structure, reduce 60% of officials, introduce large-scale privatization and outsourcing of government functions.

The government has been true to its word. Ukraines e-banking system is predicated on a Memorandum of Understanding with Visa while an electronic census is run by Apple. Amazon Web Services used its AWS Snowball  a petabyte-scale data transport service that uses secure devices to transfer data into and out of the AWS Cloud  to help Kiev migrate huge troves of data from multiple ministries to Poland in the early days of the war, picking up a Ukrainian peace prize in the process. Meanwhile, Google is effectively running large parts of Diia, as Fedorov proudly admitted last December:

Google services have become our infrastructure. The tools provided by the company allowed the Government to function quickly and efficiently despite the shelling and constant threats of cyber attacks. In addition, Google ensures protection and security of Ukrainians data and promotes development of our entrepreneurs. On the other hand, the company pays great attention to human capital. In particular, it supports the initiatives of the Diia Digital Education project.

State in a Smartphone

In its article, the UNDP does not raise a single concern about the Zelensky governments State in a Smartphone model of digital governance, which includes plans to hold local, parliamentary and presidential elections through the Diia app  an idea that was endorsed way back in February 2020 by Washington-based think tank the Atlantic Council as a means of greatly reduc[ing] the scope for electoral fraud in the country.

Yet just two months later the American Association of the Advancement of Science issued an open letter to US governors, secretaries of state and electoral boards urging them to refrain from allowing the use of any internet voting system warning of possible vote manipulation and numerous security vulnerabilities, including potential denial of service attacks, malware intrusions, and mass privacy violations, remain possible in internet voting.

A group of Ukrainian cybersecurity analysts have flagged a host of other concerns including Diias potential for use in frauds and scams; the lack of an account disabling option; its exclusionary effects (some citizens cannot afford or do not know how to use the Diia app); its dependence on an Internet connection and a functioning electricity grid (currently not the case in Ukraine, or for the foreseeable future); and the lack of transparency and accountability of the organizations running the app. The app also creates an excessively centralized form of governance as well as a highly automated system of social and economic control and exclusion.

As the even the World Economic Forum, one of the worlds biggest supporters of digital IDs, admitted in a 2018 report, while verifiable digital identities create new markets and business lines for companies, especially those in the tech industry that help to operate the ID systems while no doubt vacuuming up the data, for individuals they (emphasis my own) open up (or close off) the digital world with its jobs, political activities, education, financial services, healthcare and more.

None of these concerns get a mention in the UNDP article. Instead it is full of effusive praise for Ukraines bold experiment with digital governance. At one point Ms Ionan is quoted as saying that her goal is to make everyone fall in love with digital:

We want this communication between citizens and government to be a few clicks and thats all. You dont need to spend some time standing in some queues, waiting for some paper. Its nonsense.

The article concludes by stating that Diia is ready to go international, and Ms. Ionan is eager to share Ukraines knowledge and resources with the world.

Exporting Diia

A slightly closer look at the article reveals why UNDP is so enthusiastic about Diia. In small print under one of the photos is this disclosure:

The UNDP, with funding from Sweden, supported the development of 23 e-services, which were launched by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on the Diia app and portal.

Diia also receives funding from the European Unions eu4digital initiative and USAID. As readers may recall, USAIDs administrator and inveterate neocon Samantha Power announced at this years Annual Meeting at Davos that Washington is hoping to export the success of Ukraines e-governance digital identity app, Diia to other countries around the world that are struggling with corruption.

Power was joined on the panel by Fedorov, who thanked USAID for all the help it had given in setting up Diia. That help included purchasing and delivering tens of thousands of Elon Musks Starlink wireless broadband terminals so that the Diia app could continue to function even as war descended on Ukraine. But within weeks outages in the communication devices were being reported across the country, making it impossible for many people to use the government app.

Fedorov also said that Kiev is ready to share its expertise with other countries, because digitisation is the foundation of transparency and democracy, which is probably news to most readers.

Ukraines digitization of government services predates the conflict with Russia but as I noted in my post, USAID Quietly Unveils Plans to Export Ukraines Digital Governance Model Around World, it has been significantly expanded since the hostilities began, in the eternal spirit of never letting a good crisis go to waste:

Just as the combat theaters of Iraq and Afghanistan served as testing grounds for the mass harvesting and storage of sensitive biometric data, some of which fell into the hands of the Taliban when the US abandoned Afghanistan, war-torn Ukraine is being used to pilot the rapid construction of an all-encompassing digital governance system.

That system is now being exported to other countries. One country that is currently working to replicate Ukraines digital ID system is Estonia, which is already one of the worlds most digitized countries. As Estonias Prime Minister Kaja Kallas noted a few months ago, the move represents a new chapter in the two countries digital cooperation.

#Estonia tests new government app based on Ukraines #Diia  great example how governments share and build technology together. It's also a new chapter in our digital cooperation.#Ukraine has built a stong digital government. State and services are running well also during war. https://t.co/BhUx2ZLIlO  Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) January 18, 2023

Big Moves on Both Sides of the Atlantic

Both the EU and the US are scrambling to set up their own respective digital ID and government systems. At the same time their central banks are working around the clock to develop a digital euro and a digital dollar. The two go hand in hand together. In 2021, the FT noted it will be nigh on impossible to issue [retail CBDCs] outside of a comprehensive national digital ID management system. Then, a few weeks ago, Christine Lagarde admitted in a telephone conversation she thought she was having with Zelensky but in fact was having with a notorious prankster that a digital euro will be used to control what payments people can make.

Also, the fact that governments around the world are developing central bank digital currencies without fully thinking through their potential ramifications is hardly comforting. As the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva recently admitted, the world would see a very significant transformation as a result of retail CBDCs:

We think that wholesale CBDCs [which are meant to be used in inter-bank settlements] can be put in place with fairly little space for undesirable surprises. Whereas retail CBDCs, they completely transform the financial system in a way that we dont quite know what consequences it could bring.

By next year all EU member states will have to make a Digital Identity Wallet available to every citizen who wants one, providing (in the words of the European Commission) a powerful enabler of digital operations that require cross-border identity recognition. On the other side of the Atlantic, unbeknown to most US citizens, the US Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee recently passed the Improving Digital Identity Act by 11 votes to one. The legislation now awaits debate at the full Senate.

If the legislation is passed, setting up the necessary infrastructure should be relatively easy. Speaking on a panel about Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) at the IMFs Spring Meetings a couple of weeks ago, Indias digital ID architect and Infosys co-founder, Nandan Nilekani spelled out what every nation will need to build their own digital public infrastructure (DPI):

If you think, what are the tools of the New World?  Everybody should have a digital ID; everybody should have a bank account; everybody should have a smartphone. Then, anything can be done. Everything else is built on that.

"What are the tools of the New World? Everybody should have a digital ID; everybody should have a bank account; everybody should have a smartphone. Then, anything can be done. Everything else is built on that": @NandanNilekani to @IMFNews #DigitalID #DigitalIdentity #IMFmeetings pic.twitter.com/6HIAqfBigz  Tim Hinchliffe (@TimHinchliffe) April 19, 2023

The United Nations is also playing a leading role in promoting digital identity and digital governance systems around the world. In September last year, the 77th session of the UN General Assembly hosted an event titled The Future of Digital Cooperation: Building Resilience Through Safe, Trusted, and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure. The event brought together high-level representatives from governments, civil society, the private sector, philanthropy, and international organizations to discuss ways of scal(ing) up efforts to build safe, trusted, and inclusive digital public infrastructure (DPI) for a more sustainable, equitable world.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the event as an opportunity to set in place building blocks for a bold vision of inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure that leaves no one behind and accelerates implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiatives four sponsors  the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (who else?), the Kingdom of Norway, the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and the EUs Horn of Africa Initiative  pledged $295 million to support the development and adoption of inclusive DPI (digital public infrastructure), scaling technical assistance, and deeper capacity building. The event showcased pioneering DPI initiatives being rolled out in countries around the world, including Estonia, Norway, Peru, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Timor-Leste, Togo, India, and, yes, Ukraine.

But who is leading the charge here: the United Nations or the World Economic Forum?

This is a hugely important question given the influence the WEF wields over the UN today after signing a strategic partnership agreement with the multilateral body in June 2019 aimed at accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. As the International Network for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which connects over 280 NGOs, social movements and advocates across more than 75 countries, warned at the time the agreement gives transnational corporations preferential and deferential access to the UN system at the expense of States and public interest actors.

A few months later, Yves cross-posted a stark interview with Harris Gleckman, senior fellow at the Center for Governance and Sustainability and the author of Multistakeholder Governance and Democracy : A Global Challenge, who described the agreement as a betrayal of We the Peoples:

The UN Charter starts with the words We the Peoples. What the Secretary-General is doing through the Global Compact and now through the partnership with the World Economic Forum is tossing this out the window. He is saying: Im going to align the organization with a particular structural relationship with multinationals, with multistakeholderism, and set aside attention to all the different peoples of the world in their particular interests of environment, health, water needs and really talk about how to govern the world with those who have a particular role in creating problems of wars from natural resources, of creating problems relating to climate, creating problems relating to food supply and technologies.

As I document in my book Scanned, the WEF has been pushing for the roll out of digital IDs since at least 2018, when attendees of its Annual Meeting in Davos  including representatives of the worlds biggest banks, corporations and tech companies  committed to shared cooperation on advancing good, user-centric digital identities. Since then, the resulting report notes, a broader group of stakeholders have joined the conversation: experts, policymakers, business executives, practitioners, rights advocates, humanitarian organizations and civil society.

Their vision is now unfolding before our eyes, and one of the biggest testing grounds is war-torn Ukraine.
The world is changing. In fact, it has been undergoing seismic change that long preceded the Russian-Ukraine war, and the recent U.S.-Chinese tensions in the Taiwan Strait.

The U.S. debacle in Iraq and the Middle East, and the humiliating retreat from Afghanistan, were only signs of the decline in U.S. power.

Leading U.S. neoconservative strategists once argued in Rebuilding Americas Defenses: Strategy, Forces, and Resources For a New Century that aggressive intervention policies were meant to keep emerging great powers, like China, out of areas designated as U.S. geopolitical domains. They sought to preserve and extend (U.S.) position of global leadership (through) maintaining the preeminence of U.S. military forces.

A whole new world order is emerging, one that is hardly centered round U.S.-Western priorities alone.

They failed, and the future seems to head in a different direction than what the likes of Dick Cheney, John Bolton, Richard Perle, and Paul Wolfowitz had hoped for.

Instead, a whole new world order is emerging, one that is hardly centered round U.S.-Western priorities alone.

Indeed, what has taken place since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022, and the provocative visit by then-U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taipei in August of the same year, are an acceleration of an existing momentum of global shifts, that ranged from the emergence of new economic alliances, geopolitical formations, turf wars, and, of course, competing political discourses.

These changes are currently on full display in the Middle East, Africa, and, indeed, much of the Global South.

While this can be considered a positive development, in the sense that a bipolar or multipolar world can offer alternatives to countries that have been at the receiving end of U.S.-Western exploitation and violence, it canand willhave negative manifestations as well.

More Than a Power Struggle

Though the current war in Sudan is understood to be a power struggle between two rival generals or, more accurately, corrupt warlords, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, or Hemedti, it is also partly the outcome of a regional, and, increasingly, global power struggle as well. The regional and global dimension of the conflict in Sudan is itself an expression of the changing world order and the intense fight over resources and critical geographies.

Sudan is one of the richest African countries in terms of raw material, much of which remains un-exploited due to the countrys multifront and multilayered conflicts, starting in the Southwhich has led to the secession of the Republic of South Sudanthen West, namely Darfur, and, as of now, everywhere else.

The North-South civil war and the Darfur crisis, too, were sustained and prolonged by outside parties, whether Sudans own neighbors or global powers. Sadly, in all these cases, the outcome was horrific in terms of human and material losses.

Sudan, however, was not the exception. Proxy wars in the Global South were one of the main features of the Cold War between Washington and Moscow, until the collapse of the Soviet Union from 1989 to 92. The dismantlement of the USSR, however, only exacerbated violence, this time channeled mostly through U.S.-led or championed wars in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Now that global rivalry is back with a vengeance, global conflicts, especially in resource-rich and strategic regions with no clear political allegiances, are also back.

Sudan will not be the last of such conflicts.

What complicates the picture in Sudan now is the involvement of other regional actors, each with a specific set of interests, as they take advantage of the quickly dwindling U.S. leadership, which, until recently, was the Middle Easts primary political and military hegemon.

The current shifts in power relations in the Middle Eastas in other parts of the worldare also significant within historical, not merely current, political contexts.

History Reversed

Since the Sykes-Picot Agreement was signed in 1916 between old colonial powers France and Britainwith a minor, but still important involvement of Tsarist Russiathe Middle East and North Africa, along with Central Asia, were divided into various spheres of influence. Global priorities then were almost entirely Western.

The Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 was a watershed moment in world history, as it sowed the seeds for a possibility of a new global bloc to rival Western domination.

It took decades for that new bloc to emerge. In 1955, the Warsaw Pact was born, unifying the Soviet Union and its allies against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a Western military alliance that saw the light six years earlier.

The rivalry between both camps was expressed in fierce economic competition, a political Cold War, a low-grade military conflict, proxy wars, and two distinctly ideological discourses that defined our understanding of world politics for much of the 20th Century.

All of this came to a bitter end in the early 1990s. NATO won, while the Warsaw Pact, along with the USSR, disintegrated rapidly and in the most humiliating fashion. It was the end of history, Francis Fukuyama declared. It was the age of Western triumphalism and, by extension, more colonial wars, starting in Panama, then Iraq, Serbia, Afghanistan, Iraq again, and elsewhere.

China factored in all of this, not as a major global political player, yet, but as a worthy adversary and prized ally. The historic visit by U.S. President Richard Nixon to Beijing in 1972 thwarted efforts to unify the East against U.S.-Western imperialism. That trip, which supposedly changed the world per the assessment of then-Ambassador Nicholas Platt, was indeed consequential. It was the beginning of the end of the Soviet Union as it gave Washington a massive advantage and strategic boost over its rivals.

But history is now being reversed in ways that only a few geopoliticians could have possibly predicted.

The New Powers

The road ahead is not entirely clear. But numerous signs, accompanied by tangible changes, suggest that the world is transforming. However, this metamorphosis is more visible in some regions than others. The geopolitical tug-of-war between old and new global rivals is most visible in the Middle East and Africa, in addition, of course, to South America, East Asia, and Pacific regions. Each of these regions is undergoing its own re-ordering of power relations and dynamics.

In the Middle East, for example, Iran seems to be breaking away from its West-imposed isolation, while Saudi Arabia is challenging its old client regime status.

The latter move is particularly troubling for Washington, as it challenges two layers of Western domination of the Middle East: one which followed the Sykes-Picot agreement in 1916thus dividing the region into subregions under Western protection and influenceand the other which resulted from the U.S.-NATO invasion of Iraq. With massive political sway, an ever-growing military presence, and a weaponized U.S. currency, Washington had dominated the Middle East with no serious competition for many years. This is no longer the case.

For years, Russia and China have been staking claims in the region, though using mechanisms that are wholly removed from the Western style of old colonialism and neocolonialism. While the Russians tapped into their long Soviet tradition of cooperation, the Chinese resorted to a more ancient history of friendly trade and cultural exchanges.

Now that Beijing has developed a more candid and unapologetic approach to foreign policy, Chinas status as a new superpower shall demonstrate its effectiveness in the Middle East in unprecedented ways. In fact, it already has. The recent Iran-Saudi Accords was a tremendous achievement for the new politically oriented China, but the road ahead is still very challenging, as the region is rife with foreign contenders and old and new conflicts. For China to succeed, it must present itself as a new and better model, to be contrasted with Western exploitation and violence.

But China does not hold all the keys, as the U.S. and its Western and regional allies continue to hold significant influence. For example, the UAE is emerging as a powerful player in the current war in Sudan.

What is certain is that the consequences of the current fight for resources, influence, and domination are likely to lead to smaller, though bloody, conflicts, especially in countries that are politically and socially unstable. Sudan fits perfectly into this category, which makes its current war particularly alarming.

Although much has been said and written about Sudans gold, agriculture potential, and massive wealth of raw materials, the fight over Sudan by outside parties is essentially a turf war due to Sudans unparalleled geopolitical location. Egypt, Ethiopia, UAE, Israel, and others are all keen to emerge winners in the ongoing war. Russia is monitoring the situation closely from its various African bases. The U.S., Britain, and France are wary of the dire consequences of direct intervention and the equally costly price of no intervention at all. China is still gauging the challenges and opportunities.

The outcome of the bloody Sudan war is likely to redefine not only Sudans own political balances but the power relations of the whole region as well.
On Friday (5 May 2023), President Alar Karis of Estonia was welcomed to the regional office of NATOs Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) in London. DIANA will support the development of dual-use commercial technologies for defence and security challenges.

President Karis was joined by the United Kingdoms Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge. They discussed progress on DIANA with its managing director Professor Deeph Chana. The European Regional Office at Imperial Colleges White City Campus is hosted by the UK in partnership with Estonia and will be supported by a regional hub in Tallinn. A regional office for North America is due to open in Canada.

President Karis said: Cooperation between the United Kingdom and Estonia has been good throughout history, and when the UK became the lead nation for the NATO battlegroup in Estonia, this partnership advanced even further. I am pleased that in addition to excellent defence cooperation, our joint undertakings now also include working with academia and industry to benefit the whole Alliance. With such a strong foundation, we can only expect great things to follow.

Imperials White City Campus has already become a hub for security innovation, co-locating stakeholders from across academia, industry and government. Start-ups and other innovators in DIANA's programmes will have access to its network of accelerator sites and test centres across Europe and North America.

Professor Chana said: "DIANA will be an innovation powerhouse. We are bringing together academia, the private sector, and governments to develop cutting edge dual-use technologies. DIANA will create innovation eco-systems in Allied countries that will help NATO keep its technological edge."

DIANA is complemented by the NATO Innovation Fund, the world's first multi-sovereign venture capital fund, which will invest 1 billion euros in start-ups developing technologies for defence and security.
(Natural News) Two drones were shot down outside of the Kremlin in Moscow, and the Russian government claimed they were sent by Ukraine in an attempt to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

This is the most serious allegation that Moscow has leveled at Kyiv since the beginning of Russias special military operation over 14 months ago. An attack on the Kremlin, the very seat of the Russian government, would be a dramatic escalation of the conflict. (Related: Ukraine may have tried to ASSASSINATE Vladimir Putin using a kamikaze drone.)

Before any official announcements, videos began circulating on Russian Telegram channels showing a video of flying objects approaching the dome of the Russian Senate building within the Kremlin grounds.

The first of two attacks, occurring at around 2:27 a.m. local time, showed a drone being destroyed with little more than a puff of smoke. The second attack, occurring at around 2:43 a.m., showed a drone exploding mid-air and leaving a blazing wreckage on the dome.

Two uncrewed aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin, said Putins office in a statement. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action.

The disabling of the two attacking drones caused the explosion of at least one, as seen in the video, sending debris crashing onto the Kremlins grounds. The attack did not harm any people or cause significant material damages.

Putins office said Russia reserved the right to retaliate for what it described as an act of terrorism.

We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the presidents life, carried out on the eve of Victory Day, the May 9 Parade, at which the presence of foreign guests is also planned, read the statement. The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.

Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov added that Putin was not in the Kremlin at the time of the attack.

Leah and Michelle Svensson of the show Resistance Chicks commented that Russia could also use this as an opportunity to blame the West and the United States for their military support of Ukraine.

It will be interesting to see whether Russia points the finger at the United States and the West for [their] longtime intelligence support to Kyiv, commented Leah.

We dont know where the drones came from. We dont know who was flying them. We dont know a lot of details behind this, commented Michelle. But I can say this, that if these suspected countries are behind this, we should be up in arms. Because if Putin actually ever does retaliate the way that he could, God help us all.

Ukraine denies it tried to assassinate Putin

The Ukrainian government has denied Russian claims of an assassination attempt against Putin, with President Volodymyr Zelensky bizarrely claiming that Ukraine does not conduct actions outside of its claimed territory.

We are not attacking Putin or Moscow, he said while at a news conference in Helsinki, Finland, during a meeting with the prime ministers of four Nordic nations.

We are fighting on our own territory, defending our villages and cities, he added. We do not have enough weapons, even for this. That is why we do not use them elsewhere. We have a deficit. We cannot use everything and everywhere We leave it to the tribunal.

Head of Ukraines Office of the President Mykhailo Podolyak also denied his nations involvement in the attack, claiming that the drone attacks were likely guerrilla activities caused by local resistance forces who purchased drones on their own. As you know, drones can be bought at any military store, he said.

Podolyak also parroted his presidents baseless claim that Ukraine only conducts military activities within its territory in a defensive manner and does not attack targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Podolyak added that reports of an attack on the Kremlin, along with the alleged large-scale detention of Ukrainian saboteurs in Crimea, which Russia claims as its territory and has occupied since 2014, clearly indicate the preparation of a large-scale terrorist provocation by Russia in the coming days.

Learn more about the use of killer drones in armed conflicts at DroneWatchNews.com.

Watch this clip from The Resistance Chicks as hosts Leah and Michelle Svensson discuss the two drones that reached the Kremlin.

This video is from the Resistance Chicks channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warns that the world is on the verge of a NUCLEAR WORLD WAR III.

Ukrainian drones conduct explosive attacks on Russian power stations.

Drone use is widening in Ukraine, bringing with it potential dawn of robotic killing machines.

Autonomous KILLER BOTS to dominate battlefields soon as war in Ukraine leads to significant advances in drone technology.

Ukrainian drone strikes deep within Russia could spark a bigger war involving the US.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Reuters.com

NBCNews.com

TheGuardian.com
(Natural News) Brazils fake news censorship law is so contentious that even pro-censorship Google has been campaigning against it. But as the final vote on the law draws near, the Brazilian government and the countrys Supreme Court are now shutting down this criticism and bizarrely claiming that its doing so to protect freedom of expression.

(Article by Tom Parker republished from ReclaimTheNet.org)

Recently, Google started warning Brazilian users on its homepage that the fake news law could increase confusion about what is true or a lie. Shortly after posting this criticism, activist group Sleeping Giants Brasil complained that Google was using its own platform to attack PL [the fake news law].

This complaint got the attention of Brazils Justice Minister, Flavio Dino, who flagged Google to a government agency for potential abusive practices.

Brazils Justice Ministry then threatened criminal action against Google, ordered the tech giant to remove the campaign or pay $200,000 per hour fines, and ordered Google to display a message supporting the bill.

Brazil Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes also told Federal Police to interrogate executives at Google, Meta, and Spotify over their companies comments about the bill.

After Brazils Justice Ministry and Supreme Court pressured Google to censor its criticism of the bill, Dino suggested the tech giants criticism of fake news law was somehow a mechanism of censorship and violation of freedom of expression.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said that banning criticism of the fake news law was some of the most blatant authoritarianismIve ever seen.

The law requires social media platforms and chat apps to censor so-called hate speech. Platforms that fail to comply face heavy fines and can also be banned in the county.

Brazils government and its courts have a history of banning or intimidating platforms and people that criticize them or fail to comply with its far-reaching demands. In 2023 alone, a court has banned Telegram (a ban that was later overturned), a judge targeted former President Jair Bolsonaros supporters with censorship orders, and prosecutors have investigated major broadcasters.

Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org
(Natural News) House Foreign Affairs Republicans sent a letter on Tuesday to Secretary of State Antony Blinken demanding more information about the departments funding of groups that censor conservatives and free speech.

(Article by Sean Moran republished from Breitbart.com)

Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), Foreign Affairs Oversight and Accountability Subcommittee Chair Brian Mast (R-FL), Reps. Chris Smith (R-FL), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Maria Salazar (R-FL), Keith Self (R-TX), Cory Mills (R-FL), and Ken Buck (R-CO) mentioned that the committee would postpone reauthorizing the Global Engagement Center (GEC) as Republicans have accused the State Department subagency of funding censorship.

The lawmakers accused the GEC of mission creep, expanding well beyond its primary mission of fighting terrorism to funding groups that hound conservative media outlets under the guise of diminishing disinformation.

The GECs founding mission, effectively, was to provide a ready resource for the truth about America and our fight against global terror, particularly ISIS, the Foreign Affairs Republicans wrote.

[But now we] are forced to wonder about the authority by which the GEC justifies its mission creep, and the direction of its current evolutionary trajectory, the lawmakers added. Congress originally authorized the GEC to support the development and dissemination of fact-based narratives and analysis to counter propaganda and disinformation directed at the United States and United States allies and partner nations.

While the GEC performs some unquestionably important work, it has also provided social media companies with access to tech applications that detect and either knock down or flag malign-foreign-influence activity, but, according to the FBI, also might accidentally pick up U.S. people[s] information, the lawmakers continued.

The House Foreign Affairs Republicans noted that the GEC funded the Global Disinformation Index, a foreign data-driven advocacy organization, which created blacklists of U.S. domestic media voices to cripple U.S. citizen journalists advertising revenue.

GDI receives funding from George Soross Open Society Foundations and offers advertising clients its Dynamic Exclusion List, which lists the likeliness of an outlet to be at risk of spreading disinformation. As Breitbart News has detailed, GDI often labels right-wing outlets as being at risk of spreading disinformation and left-wing and establishment outlets as being the least likely to spread disinformation.

Paul Fitzpatrick, the president of the 1792 Exchange, recently told Breitbart News Daily host Alex Marlow that GDI possibly changed some elections outcomes because it chokes off information.

The State Department also partnered with the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD), the Atlantic Councils Digital Forensics Research Lab, and Moonshot CVE on combatting disinformation, according to the House Republicans.

The GOP members of Congress noted that the federal government cannot scrap the First Amendment merely because they want to curb disinformation or misinformation:

The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution prohibits government officials from censoring disfavored speakers and viewpoints. Merely labeling speech misinformation or disinformation does not strip away First Amendment protections, and government officials may not circumvent the First Amendment by inducing, threatening, and/or colluding with private entities to suppress protected speech.

They continued, noting the first head wrote an op-ed that was highly critical of free speech:

In 2019, Richard Stengel, the very first head of the GEC after its 2016 founding, published an op-ed in the Washington Post calling for an effective end to the First Amendment. This fact calls into question not only the founder, but the founding vision of the GEC itself. Stengel went on to say in a televised interview: [T]he basis of the First Amendment, the marketplace of ideas model, is actually not working. Marketplace of ideas is this notion that good ideas will drive out bad ideas. Well, it was kind of a mystical notion coming from Milton and John Stewart Mill and that doesnt really happen anymore  Im actually very sympathetic now to the U.S. adopting some versions of hate speech laws in Europe.

The group also requested all documents and communications about the State Departments contracts, grants, and cooperative agreements relating to:

Alliance for Securing Democracy

Atlantic Council Digital Public Square

Global Disinformation Index

German Marshall Fund of the United States

Google Jigsaw

Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Moonshot CVE

The lawmakers also demanded all documents, emails, and correspondence to/from employees, contractors, subcontractors, or consultants at the GEC mentioning disinformation, and misinformation, relating to the Washington Examiner, RealClear Politics, the Federalist, Newsmax, Breitbart News, the Daily Wire, One America News, and the New York Post.

Read more at: Breitbart.com
(Natural News) King Charles III, set to be crowned as the British monarch on May 6, plans to accelerate goals he and his other globalist associates have put forward.

It is no secret that the monarch supports agendas to mitigate climate change, which puts him in the same category as the globalist World Economic Forum (WEF). In fact, he outlined 10 actions the world can do to tackle this issue. These were originally delivered in the form of a speech during the WEFs Green Horizon Summit in Switzerland in November 2020.

Among the points the then-prince brought up was the adoption of common metrics and standards to allow more informed assessments of sustainability compliance. It is time now to move towards unified metrics and global standards, to encourage accelerated progress through uniformed benchmarking, Charles said at the time.

The British royal figure also called on companies to make the sustainable options the trusted and attainable options for consumers. He continued: With consumers controlling an estimated 60 percent of global GDP, people around the world have the power to drive the transformation to sustainable markets. We must better communicate with consumers about the sustainability of the goods, services and investments we offer.

Investigative reporter Leo Hohmann noted that the monarchs proposals would be truly frightening were they ever to be fully implemented. Under these, there is basically no freedom in a top-down dictatorship that decides for us how all resources are to be allocated and used.

And what about those of us who refuse to comply with these global standards? It will no doubt be off to the gulag, or maybe even off with our heads,' Hohmann wrote. (Related: King Charles III vows to usher in Great Reset following Queen Elizabeths death.)

Globalists are willing to do anything and tell any lie to achieve their goals

According to Hohmann, King Charles III, the globalist group WEF and the United Nations (UN) are concerned about the delay of the Great Reset and Agenda 2030 they are pushing. Thus, they have called for a summit in September to discuss getting their totalitarian plans back on schedule.

The so-called 2023 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit will be held on Sept. 18 and 19 in New York. The UNs website describes the enormously significant meeting as something that will mark the beginning of a new phase of accelerated progress towards the SDG. A select group of world leaders  including the newly-crowned British monarch  are expected to be in attendance, the global body adds.

They will carry out a comprehensive review of the state of the SDGs; respond to the impact of multiple and interlocking crises facing the world; and provide high-level political guidance on transformative and accelerated actions leading up to the target year of 2030 for achieving the SDGs.

Hohmann expressed skepticism over the meeting, however. He pointed out: The timing of this meeting may be significant. What other manufactured crises could be upon us by mid-September? World War III? Food shortages and famine? Civil unrest?

It really is amusing listening to the globalists drone on about the worlds problems and how their solutions will take into account everyones best interests, he continued. Hohmann rebuked the globalists, telling them to stop talking about civic participation, sustainability, a better world and all of the other lies.

The journalist ultimately commented that the globalists only care about domination and control, adding that they are willing to do anything and tell any lie to achieve those aims.

And they wonder why there has been a breach of trust. People around the world have had enough of the incessant lies, manufactured crises, arrogance and intolerance of dissenting views that come down from the globalists and their elitist institutions.

Watch InfoWars founder Alex Jones discussing King Charles IIIs announcement of the Great Reset at the COP26 conference in 2021.

This video is from the Rick Langley channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Globalists need war to enforce the Great Reset.

Globalist agenda: Wars, famine and digitization to pave way for Great Reset.

UN Agenda 2030 is a global roadmap to corporate fascism and totalitarian socialism.

Globalist 2030 agenda push by World Economic Forum set for launch as elite make final drive towards total control.

World Economic Forum wants everyone who resists Great Reset to be forced into China-style reeducation camps.

Sources include:

Technocracy.news

WEForum.org

LeoHohmann.com

Brighteon.com
A fourth man's indictment has been unsealed in the case of the torch-bearing marchers whose recitation of Nazi slogans including "Blood and Soil" and "Jews will not replace us" provided an unseemly start of the 2017 Unite the Right rally-turned-riot in Charlottesville in 2017.

The 37-year-old William McAffe Williams of Nacona, Texas, was denied bail during a brief hearing before in Albemarle County Circuit Court Judge Claude Worrell on Friday morning.

"Our biggest concern is him coming to court and being a flight risk," said Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney W. Lawton Tufts, who opposed bail.

Williams, who goes by Billy, asked the court that he be allowed to return to Texas to resume his job as a truck driver and to return home to his wife and seven children, all of whom are under 10 years of age and one of whom was born after his April 1 arrest.

"The commonwealth waited six years," said defense attorney Ryan Rakness. "If they thought my client was a danger to society they would have acted sooner."

Tufts alleged that Williams and another recent arrestee named Will Zachary Smith served as bodyguards to Robert "Azzmador" Ray, a racist fugitive who talked that weekend in 2017 about a desire to kill Jews in ovens. Tufts alleged that the three men were part of an extremist group called the "Book Club" that met at Williams' so-called compound.

"That's a loaded definition," replied Williams' attorney. "This is a family farm."

Hundreds of people marched across the University of Virginia Lawn on the evening of Friday, Aug. 11, 2017, the night before the planned Unite the Right rally. Rakness said that the prosecutor showed him 48 videos shot that night.

"My client is in maybe six or seven," said Rakness. "In none of them is he swinging a torch; in none of them is he hitting or striking anyone."

Williams, like the three other named men facing similar counts, was charged with Virginia's statute against using fire for racial intimidation. Sometimes described as the "cross-burning statue" due to its roots in anti-Klan legislation, it makes burning an object to racially intimidate someone a Class 6 six felony. The lowest class of felony, it can put someone in jail for up to five years.

Until his arrest in Texas, said Rakness, Williams had nothing criminal on his record except an approximately 20-year-old hunting charge.

"He's been working, he's been having children, and he's been minding his own business," said Rakness.

The judge seemed inclined to grant bail, but he demanded more evidence of Williams' employment and residential history. The judge said that he would be willing to set another hearing next week.

Williams has been incarcerated since April 27 at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail.
(Natural News) Major regional bank PacWest Bancorp saw a huge drop in its shares hours after the bank reported that it was weighing a range of strategic options.

PacWest, based out of Beverly Hills, has been working with financial experts and advisers to figure out ways it can avert a potential collapse and evaluate longer-term plans for the business. This comes after three other California-based mid-sized banks collapsed in the past few weeks. (Related: Moodys downgrades ratings of 11 regional banks as banking instability continues.)

People familiar with the situation who spoke to mainstream media outlets, noted that PacWest executives are open to just outright selling the entire bank or parts of it. But the company still hasnt started a formal auction process, which means it is still considering other options.

An outright sale would be hindered by the fact that there likely arent many potential buyers interested in taking control of PacWest, which comprises about 70 branches of the Pacific Western Bank, mostly in California, as well as some commercial and consumer lending subsidiaries. It holds around $44 billion in assets.

A potential buyer would not only be taking control of all of these companies and their assets, but would also have to be willing to take a big loss by marking down some of PacWests debts.

Following the release of this report, PacWests shares tumbled by 58 percent as of 6:07 p.m. in late New York trading on Wednesday, May 3. The day before, PacWest shares slumped by 28 percent as investors retreated from regional bank stocks following the failure and acquisition of First Republic Bank by JPMorgan Chase. It currently has a market value of about $772 million.

PacWest further reported that its total deposits declined by more than $5 billion during the first quarter of the year to $28.2 billion as of March 31. This would have been lower if not for the net gain of $1.1 billion in deposits the company received from March 20 until the end of the month, caused by customers fleeing from other banks. It also saw its deposits grow by another $700 million from March 31 through April 24.

The company claims around 75 percent of its deposits are currently covered by federal insurance, around four percent higher than at the end of the first quarter.

Despite these solid financials, the bank is still only eking out very small profits. It reported a net loss of $1.21 billion during the first quarter, not including the approximately $860 million in unrealized losses in its securities portfolio.

Other regional and mid-sized banks fearing similar bank failure

Regional banks in the United States have been in turmoil after many experienced runs on their deposits due to fears that smaller banks are less stable, along with the possibility that many of their deposits may be uninsured. These fears inevitably led to the collapse of three California-based banks and one in New York  and PacWest may be next.

Following PacWests announcement, the stocks of other regional banks declined. The SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF, a fund that can be used to track the performance of regional banks in the U.S., shed 5.3 percent of its value.

Cleveland-based KeyCorps shares fell by seven percent, Dallas-based Comerica Bank slid by 10 percent and, worst of all, the Phoenix-based Western Alliance Bancorporation dropped by a whopping 27 percent.

Other regional banks like Zion Bancorp and First Horizon saw their shares plummet by the single digits.

Learn more about the collapse of banks all over the United States at DebtCollapse.com.

Watch this episode of Brighteon Broadcast News as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, discusses PacWests decision to halt trading of its stocks as it figures out how to avert a collapse.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Three more banks see stock trading HALTED, financial sector collapse contagion accelerates as migrant INVASION staged for US southern border.

Three banks suffer $60 billion in lost deposits as customers run to banks with higher interest rates.

American banks are sitting on a TIME BOMB of $1.7 trillion in unrealized losses.

IMF head warns: Risks to stability of global financial system have increased after recent upheavals across banking sector.

Financial death spiral ensues as SVB, First Republic, PacWest, Signature Bank all COLLAPSE contagion continues.

Sources include:

CNBC.com

Bloomberg.com

FT.com

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) USA Today is raising the eco-warrior cry over the new battleground in the fight against the climate bogeyman: Americans lawns.

(Article by Joseph Vazquez republished from NewsBusters.org)

No, were not kidding.

The liberal newspaper doom mongered how [g]as leaf blowers and lawn mowers are shockingly bad for the planet and praised how [b]ans are beginning to spread. USA Today immediately kicked off its nutty April 30 climate agitprop by making it seem like the fight against lawnmowers was a noble crusade against Thanos minions in Marvels Avengers: Endgame (2019): Your lawn may be the next climate change battleground. And parks. And playgrounds.

The newspaper ludicrously propagandized that [r]egulators and clean-air advocates are increasingly eyeing the pollution emitted by small gasoline engines used to power lawn mowers and leaf blowers as they seek to blunt climate change. The newspaper apparently found this nonstory so important that it plastered the item on the front page of its May 1 print edition. Climate avengers, assemble!

Environmentalists say using a commercial gas leaf blower for an hour produces emissions equal to driving from Denver to Los Angeles, the newspaper bleated. But is the alternative cheaper and more feasible? Well, uh, not exactly, the newspaper admitted in a buried subsection about 15 paragraphs down. Critics say battery-powered machines arent as strong as gas-powered ones, and some people also worry about having to buy new equipment, which is generally more expensive. But it gets worse: [American Green Zone Alliance Daniel] Mabe says someone starting a small landscaping business could buy the necessary gas-powered equipment for about $6,000, but the electric equivalents could cost three times that.

In other words: sure, small business owners may have their profit margins sliced significantly, but at least its in the name of fighting ManBearPig. The newspaper praised California, Denver, Colorado and Washington, D.C. as crusaders leading the regulatory fight against the supposed lawn mower threat. Here we go again, Climate Depot Founder Marc Morano said in comments to MRC Business. Every day Americans wake up to find that some new unelected bureaucracy or bureaucrat has determined that in order to save the planet, a major modern tool or convenience is going to be banned. Morano blasted USA Today for pushing woke, eco agitprop:

Forcing Americans to pay three times higher for electric equipment in order to save the planet and meet climate goals  is unacceptable.

All Americans need to know about these restrictions, said JunkScience.com founder Steve Milloy, is that the government can still use gas-powered blowers but residents and their lawn care companies cant. Its obviously not about air quality. Rather, Milloy stated, its about left-wing government asserting more and more mindless control over our lives. Even if it was true that gas-powered lawn equipment somehow affected air quality or were too noisy, Id rather suffer that than rogue government.

Of course, USA Today never mentioned anything about the existence of homeowner association [HOA(s)] regulations that commonly regulate household landscaping across many communities in the U.S. HOA-USA.com estimated that there are currently 370,000 HOAs in the U.S. representing over 40 million households.

One of the common HOA violations that should be avoided, said BankRate.com, involved landscaping. HOAs are responsible for the communitys curb appeal, so expect yours to have rules about overgrown lawns, weeds and unkempt exteriors. So by USA Todays logic, its either Americans living or operating in HOA communities pay a small fortune to upgrade their landscaping equipment or risk a possible HOA fine.

Will Bill Gates, Leonardo DiCaprio, Al Gore, John Kerry, and UN officials give up private jet flying, Morano questioned. Or is it just ordinary Americans who have to give up gas leaf blowers, gas stoves, and gas lawn mowers?

Read more at: NewsBusters.org
(Natural News) Tech giants Apple and Google, which track user data incessantly as part of their business models, are teaming up on an app to prevent others from tracking users in an obvious move to corner the user market once and for all.

According to the Washington Times, the tech behemoths are working to develop new alerts of unwanted tracking to warn people when someone is spying on their movements through Bluetooth location-tracking products. The outlet added: Bluetooth location-tracking tools help people find lost luggage, keys or other items but they can be misused by stalkers or others to inappropriately surveil your whereabouts.

On Tuesday, Apple announced that it had collaborated with Google to create a preliminary proposal aimed at enabling Bluetooth location-tracking tools to be interoperable with tracking detection and alerts on their respective operating systems to inform iPhone and Android users about any unwanted surveillance activities. But of course, that will mean Apple and Google will be tracking app users.

Googles Vice President of Engineering for Android, Dave Burke, stated that preventing unwanted Bluetooth tracking will require a collective effort from the technology industry, the Times reported.

Android has an unwavering commitment to protecting users, and will continue to develop strong safeguards and collaborate with the industry to help combat the misuse of Bluetooth tracking devices, he said in a statement.

The proposed industry specification for the alert system submitted by Apple and Google has been sent to the Internet Engineering Task Force, a standards development organization that will allow other tech developers to review and comment on the proposal. Apple said that Samsung and Tile, manufacturers of Bluetooth products designed to help people locate lost items such as keys and wallets, are among the companies that support the plan.

Apples current system sends out alerts to users if their AirTags or Find My devices are being used to track them without their knowledge or consent. AirTags are designed to help users locate lost items, while Find My allows Apple users to track the location of their Apple devices, said the Times, adding what we all know to be true:

Apples products do not always make people feel safe and secure. For example, swimsuit model Brooks Nader found that a stalker slipped an Apple AirTag into her coat pocket last year, which she later discovered when her iPhone alerted her to an unknown accessory moving with her, according to a report by the New York Post.

Apple has since updated its personal safety user guide, which includes information about what to do if people find an unknown AirTag in their presence.

On Tuesday, Apples vice president of Sensing and Connectivity, Ron Huang, stated that the Find My network and AirTag were created to prevent undesired tracking, and the proposed collaboration with Google aims to extend this protection.

This new industry specification builds upon the AirTag protections, and through collaboration with Google results in a critical step forward to help combat unwanted tracking across iOS and Android, said Huang in a statement.

Mind you, both of these companies have been facing increasing scrutiny over their privacy policies in recent years. Privacy concerns have been growing among users as these companies collect vast amounts of personal data in order to improve their services and target ads.

Google, in particular, has come under fire for its data collection practices. The company tracks users location data, search histories, and other personal information to create personalized advertising. While Google claims that this data is anonymized and is used to improve user experience, critics argue that the companys practices are invasive and put user privacy at risk.

Apple, on the other hand, has positioned itself as a champion of privacy. The company has implemented strict privacy policies in its products, such as end-to-end encryption in iMessage and FaceTime, and has refused to comply with law enforcement requests to unlock iPhones.

But some critics have argued that Apples privacy stance is more of a marketing ploy than a genuine commitment to privacy.

Sources include:

WashingtonTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) President Joe Biden either really has lost complete control of his mental faculties or hes got them and is just as dishonest as hes been throughout his entire plagiarizing career.

Earlier this week, the president claimed that, following the collapse of yet another bank, First Republic, that the worst was over and the banking system is stable.

Its not. In fact, far from it.

Western Alliance stock plummeted and partially recovered on Thursday as news outlets published reports that the regional bank would consider a sale, a claim the firm denied, The Daily Wire reported on Thursday.

Meanwhile, First Horizon and TD Bank have mutually decided to abandon their $13 billion merger that would have created the sixth-largest bank in the US. The decision comes amidst the ongoing turmoil in the countrys regional lenders, as First Horizons share price has fallen by about 40% in the past few months, significantly below the $25 per share offered by TD when the takeover was announced in February 2022.

Following the announcement of the abandonment of the deal, First Horizons stock price closed at $15.05 per share on Wednesday and dropped an additional 36% on Thursday, CNN reported further.

The Daily Wire noted further that the recent market turbulence follows the collapses of several medium-sized banks, including First Republic Bank, Silicon Valley Bank, and Signature Bank, as customers with balances exceeding the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) threshold withdrew their funds. As for Western Alliance, based in Phoenix, and serving clients throughout the western U.S., two insiders have claimed that the bank is considering options like a full or partial sale, according to a report from the Financial Times.

Western Alliance claimed that the allegations made in the article were absolutely false while adding that the institution is planning legal action over the story. There is not a single element of the article that is true. Western Alliance is not exploring a sale, nor has it hired an advisor to explore strategic options, a spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. It is shameful and irresponsible that the Financial Times has allowed itself to be used as an instrument of short sellers and as a conduit for spreading false narratives about a financially sound and profitable bank.

First Horizon is a regional lender in the southeast United States and would have helped Canadas TD expand south of the border. But regional banks have been losing the confidence of investors and customers since the March collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank, CNN noted separately. On Monday, a third regional bank, First Republic, failed and JPMorgan purchased most of its assets. A fourth, PacWest Bank confirmed earlier Thursday that its looking for a financial lifeline.

First Horizon CEO Bryan Jordan, in a statement, claimed: While todays announcement is unfortunate and unexpected, First Horizon will continue on its growth path operating from a position of strength and stability.

On Thursday, Western Alliances shares dropped by almost 34%, even as regulators repeatedly halted trading of the companys stock, The Daily Wire continued.

Western Alliances deposits have also fallen more than 11% from $54 billion to $48 billion between the end of December and the end of March, according to a first-quarter earnings report. PacWest, which has seen a decline of 17% over the same period, also saw market volatility on Thursday and announced that it would consider the possibility of a sale and other options to maximize shareholder value, the outlet added.

It seems clear that the country is on the brink of yet another massive economic and financial institution upheaval just 15 years or so removed from the last near-economic death incident following a massive housing mortgage collapse.

Our leaders continue to allow their big bank donors and masters to operate with irresponsibility and a guarantee that theyll be bailed out of their bad decisions. And keep in mind, these failures are coming during Joe Bidens disastrous regime.

Sources include:

DailyWire.com

FT.com

CNN.com
(Natural News) It has come to light that the reason Canadian doctors were not allowed to report serious injuries caused by Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines is because the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) ordered them not to.

According to Catherine Christensen, an attorney and founder of Valour Law and the Valour Legal Action Centre for military law, evidence has emerged to prove that the Canadian military, under the leadership of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, conspired to withhold the truth about covid jab injuries and deaths from the public.

I have military doctors who provided sworn evidence that they were told not to report vaccine injuries, or if they asked how [to report], they were told, just be quiet,' Christensen revealed at an April 26 National Citizens Inquiry (NCI) hearing in Red Deer, Alberta.

(Related: Trudeaus covid jab mandates set in motion the collapse of the North American automobile industry.)

One Canadian military medical doctor and captain was told directly to NOT report covid jab injuries

The NCI is currently in the process of evaluating Canadas response to the covid pandemic and its effect on the health of Canadian citizens, as well as their freedom and social and economic well-being.

At the conference in question, Christensen represented 360 soldiers in the CAF who were directly and negatively impacted by the Canadian militarys covid jab mandate, which is similar to the one the Biden regime forced on American soldiers.

Christensen revealed at the conference that the CAF chose to ignore all covid jab injuries while purposely not tracking the health issues that emerged among soldiers who were forced to get injected.

Many of these soldiers have since developed serious health issues like Guillain-Barre Syndrome, or GBS, a relatively rare neurological disease that causes damage to nerve cells.

They were told to diagnose them as other things, such as Guillain-Barre Syndrome [GBS], when young men were collapsing in the shower after injections, Christensen stated, adding and clarifying that these soldiers were vaccine injured.

Furthermore, the CAF miscategorized soldiers medical records by failing  more like refusing  to categorize all covid jab injuries. Christensen says she has more people in [her] files with vaccine injuries that are officially listed as vaccine injured.

After speaking with and receiving sworn testimony from numerous Canadian military servicemembers who reported covid vaccine injuries, Christensen is convinced that this was a deliberate coverup of the truth, ultimately tracing back to the Trudeau regime.

I believe the CAF was not tracking the number and type of vaccine-related injuries for the Covid-19 vaccine, Christensen stated.

The CAF did release data on April 17 showing that a total of 375,000 covid jabs were administered to members of the CAF. Of this number, 0.09 percent, officially, reported an adverse effect of some kind following their first, second or booster dose(s), the data report states.

The majority of these reported adverse effects were minor and self-resolving in nature, the CAF claims.

Of those injuries officially reported between Jan. 7, 2021, and Feb. 1, 2023, the CAF says that 316 were considered non-serious with only 26 being categorized as serious. Of these 316 injury cases, nine were officially recorded as myocarditis or pericarditis.

These figures are far too low, according to Christensen, who maintains that there are thousands of CAF members who have been left seriously injured by Trudeaus mandatory covid injection scheme  though the vast majority of these injuries are being ignored by the government.

And what happens to those who followed the orders and took the injections and are now permanently disabled? Veterans Affairs Canada [VAC] is telling them no, not service-related, Christensen added in her testimony.

Once again, veterans will face a procedural system that fails them or forces them to go to court for deserved compensation.

The latest news about the corruption that took place during the covid pandemic can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

LifeSiteNews.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) A team of Chinese researchers has taken a major step in 6G wireless communication technology, according to the countrys Ministry of Science and Technology (MST).

According to the MSTs official newspaper Science and Technology Daily (S&T Daily), a research team from the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Second Institute was responsible for the breakthrough. The researchers used terahertz (THz) orbital angular momentum (OAM) communication technology.

They also employed a special antenna to generate four different beam patterns at a frequency of 110 gigahertz (GHz). With those patterns, the researchers attained real-time wireless transmission at a speed of 100 gigabits per second on a 10 GHz bandwidth, substantially expanding the effectiveness of bandwidth usage. The research team selected THz OAM communication as its breakthrough target.

They have already achieved multiple signal transmissions and ultra-large capacity data transfers in the terahertz frequency range, more than doubling the spectrum usage efficiency, S&T Daily noted. In the future, this technology can also be applied to short-range broadband transmission fields, supporting high-speed communication between lunar and Mars landers, spacecraft and within spacecraft themselves. (Related: An even greater danger: China claims to have launched worlds first 6G satellite.)

While still years away, 6G cellular networks are predicted to be faster and more reliable than the current 5G technology. Compared to its predecessor, 6G provides more effective spectrum use and lower signal disruptions. Experts have also predicted that it will be able to support data speeds of up to one terabit per second.

The 6G technology has the ability to improve wireless communication and enable applications like high-definition virtual reality, real-time holographic communication and other data-intensive tasks that are not possible with present technology.

6G sees potential use in the military

This technological advancement has also attracted serious attention in complex military environments.

By using OAM, multiple signals can be transmitted at the same time on an identical frequency without interference. This enables more effective use of the available spectrum and allows for both higher data transfer capabilities and improved communication speeds.

Another essential advancement is in the wireless backhaul technology that links base stations and core networks. Backhaul deals with the process of sending user data received from a base station back to the core network. Traditional backhaul methods mostly depend on fiber optic lines.

Nonetheless, as the number of base stations increases in the 5G and 6G communication era, traditional fiber-based transmission methods face greater costs, extended deployment times and reduced flexibility. As a consequence, wireless backhaul technology has appeared to become the dominant solution.

Over at the West, the U.S. government said it is putting together plans for the future use of 6G networks, hoping to provide Washington with a technological advantage over Beijings quick advances.

The White House talked with corporate leaders, technology officials and academic experts to formulate strategies for upcoming 6G networks and to take the lessons learned from 5G about the importance of early involvement and resilience.

Follow EMF.news for more news about 6G technology.

Watch this video about Chinas achievements in both 5G and 6G technologies.

This video is from the High Hopes channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Forget 5G, Apple is now looking for engineers to work on 6G.

Scientists call for moratorium on 5G after study shows regulators ignoring health risks of radiation.

6G wireless technology could tap humans as a power source.

When 6G is released, humans will function as walking power source antennas.

Scientists develop radiofrequency radiation-harvesting bracelet that can turn humans into walking antennas for 6G networks.

Sources include:

SCMP.com

News18.com

IBTimes.co.in

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) There are instruments so dangerous to the rights of the nation and which place them so totally at the mercy of their governors that those governors, whether legislative or executive, should be restrained from keeping such instruments on foot but in well-defined cases. Such an instrument is a standing army.Thomas Jefferson, 1789

(Article by John & Nisha Whitehead republished from Rutherford.org)

What does it say about the state of our freedoms that there are now more pencil-pushing, bureaucratic (non-military) government agents armed with weapons than U.S. Marines?

Among the agencies being supplied with night-vision equipment, body armor, hollow-point bullets, shotguns, drones, assault rifles and LP gas cannons are the IRS, Smithsonian, U.S. Mint, Health and Human Services, FDA, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Education Department, Energy Department, Bureau of Engraving and Printing and an assortment of public universities.

Add in the Biden Administrations plans to swell the ranks of the IRS by 87,000 new employees (some of whom will be authorized to use deadly force) and grow the nations police forces by 100,000 more cops, and youve got a nation in the throes of martial law.

Were being frog-marched into tyranny at the end of a loaded gun.

Make that hundreds of thousands of loaded guns.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the number of federal agents armed with guns, ammunition and military-style equipment, authorized to make arrests, and trained in military tactics has nearly tripled over the past several decades.

As Adam Andrzejewski writes for Forbes, the federal government has become one never-ending gun show.

While Americans have to jump through an increasing number of hoops in order to own a gun, federal agencies have been placing orders for hundreds of millions of rounds of hollow point bullets and military gear.

For example, the IRS has stockpiled 4,500 guns and five million rounds of ammunition in recent years, including 621 shotguns, 539 long-barrel rifles and 15 submachine guns.

The Veterans Administration purchased 11 million rounds of ammunition (equivalent to 2,800 rounds for each of their officers), along with camouflage uniforms, riot helmets and shields, specialized image enhancement devices and tactical lighting.

The Department of Health and Human Services acquired 4 million rounds of ammunition, in addition to 1,300 guns, including five submachine guns and 189 automatic firearms for its Office of Inspector General.

According to an in-depth report on The Militarization of the U.S. Executive Agencies, the Social Security Administration secured 800,000 rounds of ammunition for their special agents, as well as armor and guns.

The Environmental Protection Agency owns 600 guns. The Smithsonian now employs 620-armed special agents.

Even agencies such as Amtrak and NASA have their own SWAT teams.

Ask yourselves: why are government agencies being turned into military outposts?

Whats with the buildup of SWAT teams within non-security-related federal agencies? Even the Department of Agriculture, the Railroad Retirement Board, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Office of Personnel Management, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Education Department have their own SWAT teams. Most of those officers are under the command of either the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice.

Why does the Department of Agriculture need .40 caliber semiautomatic submachine guns and hollow point bullets? For that matter, why do its agents need ballistic vests and body armor?

For that matter, why do IRS agents need AR-15 rifles?

Why do local police need armored personnel carriers with gun ports, compact submachine guns with 30-round magazines, precision battlefield sniper rifles, and military-grade assault-style rifles and carbines?

Why is the federal government distributing obscene amounts of military equipment, weapons and ammunition to police departments around the country?

Why is the military partnering with local police to conduct training drills around the country? And what exactly are they training for? The public has been disallowed from obtaining any information about the purpose of these realistic urban training drills, other than that they might be loud and to not be alarmed.

We should be alarmed.

As James Madison warned, We are right to take alarm at the first experiment upon our liberties.

Unfortunately, were long past the first experiment on our freedoms, and merely taking alarm over this build-up of military might will no longer suffice.

Nothing about this de facto army of bureaucratic, administrative, non-military, paper-pushing, non-traditional law enforcement agencies is necessary for national security.

Moreover, while these weaponized, militarized, civilian forces which are armed with military-style guns, ammunition and equipment; trained in military tactics; and authorized to make arrests and use deadly forcemay look and act like the military, they are not the military.

Rather, they are foot soldiers of the police states standing army, and they are growing in number at an alarming rate.

This standing armya.k.a. a national police forcevested with the power to completely disregard the Constitution and rule by force is exactly what Americas founders feared, and its danger cannot be overstated or ignored.

This is exactly what martial law looks likewhen a government disregards constitutional freedoms and imposes its will through military force, only this is martial law without any government body having to declare it: Battlefield tactics. Militarized police. Riot and camouflage gear. Armored vehicles. Mass arrests. Pepper spray. Tear gas. Batons. Strip searches. Drones. Less-than-lethal weapons unleashed with deadly force. Rubber bullets. Water cannons. Concussion grenades. Intimidation tactics. Brute force. Laws conveniently discarded when it suits the governments purpose.

The militarization of Americas police forces in recent decades, which has gone hand in hand with the militarization of Americas bureaucratic agencies, has merely sped up the timeline by which the nation is transformed into an authoritarian regime.

Now we find ourselves struggling to retain some semblance of freedom in the face of administrative, police and law enforcement agencies that look and act like the military with little to no regard for the Fourth Amendment, laws such as the NDAA that allow the military to arrest and indefinitely detain American citizens, and military drills that acclimate the American people to the sight of armored tanks in the streets, military encampments in cities, and combat aircraft patrolling overhead.

This quasi-state of martial law has been helped along by government policies and court rulings that have made it easier for the police to shoot unarmed citizens, for law enforcement agencies to seize cash and other valuable private property under the guise of asset forfeiture, for military weapons and tactics to be deployed on American soil, for government agencies to carry out round-the-clock surveillance, for legislatures to render otherwise lawful activities as extremist if they appear to be anti-government, for profit-driven private prisons to lock up greater numbers of Americans, for homes to be raided and searched under the pretext of national security, for American citizens to be labeled terrorists and stripped of their rights merely on the say-so of a government bureaucrat, and for pre-crime tactics to be adopted nationwide that strip Americans of the right to be assumed innocent until proven guilty and creates a suspect society in which we are all guilty until proven otherwise.

Dont delude yourself into believing that this thinly-veiled exercise in martial law is anything other than an attempt to bulldoze what remains of the Constitution and reinforce the iron-fisted rule of the police state.

This is no longer about partisan politics or civil unrest or even authoritarian impulses.

This is a turning point.

As I make clear in my book Battlefield America: The War on the American People and in its fictional counterpart The Erik Blair Diaries, we are sliding fast down a slippery slope to a Constitution-free America.

If we are to have any hope of salvaging whats left of our battered freedoms, wed do well to start by disarming the IRS and the rest of the federal and state bureaucratic agencies, de-militarizing domestic police forces, and dismantling the police states standing army.

Read more at: Rutherford.org
(Natural News) A nuclear specialist remarked that the discharge of radioactive water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant could last until next century.

Those discharges could begin as early as July, possibly later, and continue for many decades. Not just the 30 years  but maybe 50, 60, 70 [or] 80 years. Next century is really possible, said Shaun Burnie, senior nuclear specialist at Greenpeace East Asia, during a press conference in Seoul.

Experts have advised the Japanese government to gradually release millions of tons of radioactive water from the plant into the Pacific Ocean. They have also insisted that the advanced liquid processing system (ALPS) used to treat the water has removed all radioactive elements. Moreover, the experts have claimed that tritium, which remains in the ALPS-treated water, is safe in small amounts.

But Burnie decried Tokyos decision to release the water, arguing that sufficient storage space exists near the now-decommissioned power plant that was damaged in 2011. The senior nuclear specialist deemed the discharge a deliberate choice to unnecessarily pollute and contaminate the environment. (Related: Fukushima is running out of storage tanks for radioactive water  Where will they dump it now?)

Moreover, Burnie cast doubt on the effectiveness of the ALPS treatment in diluting contaminated water. He highlighted that around 70 percent of the water in storage tanks still requires further processing before discharge.

Fukushima water evokes a dirty image, fishermen say

Biological sciences expert Timothy Moussea of the University of South Carolina refuted claims of tritium being harmless, which had been pushed by the Japanese government and the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO). Moussea dismissed the notion of tritiums benign nature as fiction and explained that the element emits weak beta particles.

When tritium gets inside the body, its at least as dangerous as any of the other radionuclide, Mousseau said during the press conference at the South Korean capital. In some cases, its more than double as dangerous in terms of the effects of the radiation on the genetic material, on the proteins.



The way it works is that the tritium molecule comes inside the cell and ejects an electron. Its a little bullet. Its like a bullet coming from a gun. It comes out from the nucleus of the tritium atom. That bullet hits something like the DNA.



Mousseu explained that the high-energy electron moves slowly, hitting different parts of the body and causing clustered damage.

Meanwhile, local fishermen in Fukushima face ongoing challenges as consumers refuse to buy fish, despite repeated tests indicating safety for consumption. The lingering public perception that the water is still dirty affects the livelihoods of these fishermen.

Lab technicians have consistently assured the public that the fish caught off the coast of Fukushima are safe to eat. Extensive testing has been conducted at the Onahama testing station to monitor radiation levels. Results consistently show that their fish meet Japans national standard of less than half the radioactive cesium level allowed and one-twelfth of the U.S. or European Unions limit for human consumption.

Efforts to educate the public about the rigorous safety measures and the continued monitoring of fish quality are ongoing. However, bridging the gap between scientific assurances and public perception remains a challenge, leaving the fishermen of Fukushima stranded in a sea of uncertainty.

Stay up-to-date with the latest stories about the Fukushima nuclear power plant at Fukushima.news.

Watch this video about the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

This video is from PodunkMO. channel on Brighteon.com

More related stories:

Radioactive water being stored at the Fukushima power plant approaches the limit; Japanese officials still have no plan to dispose of it.

Radiation at safe levels near Fukushima, but experts raise concerns over contaminated storage tanks.

Massive leak at nuclear facility in New York causes 65,000% increase in radioactivity of ground water.

Radioactive tritium found present at over 200 times normal levels in Florida Bay.

Nuclear plant workers release unknown amount of radioactive tritium into Mississippi River.

Sources include:

Global.ChinaDaily.com.cn

Independent.co.uk

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) has subpoenaed the FBI for records that allegedly detail a criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Joe Biden, according to Breitbart News, which has seen the document.

The records reportedly outline an exchange of money for policy decisions between Biden and a foreign national, the outlet reported, adding that the subpoena was issued on Wednesday after legally protected disclosures were made to Sen. Chuck Grassleys (R-Iowa) office.

In a letter both lawmakers sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, Comer wrote:

We have received legally protected and highly credible unclassified whistleblower disclosures. Based on those disclosures, it has come to our attention that the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) possess an unclassified FD-1023 form that describes an alleged criminal scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions. It has been alleged that the document includes a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose.

Based on the alleged specificity within the document, it would appear that the DOJ and the FBI have enough information to determine the truth and accuracy of the information contained within it. However, it remains unclear what steps, if any, were taken to investigate the matter. The significant public interest in assessing the FBIs response to this information, as well as growing concern about the DOJ and the FBIs track record of allowing political bias to infect their decision-making process, necessitate exacting congressional oversight.

The DOJ and the FBI appear to have valuable, verifiable information that you have failed to disclose to the American people. Therefore, Congress will proceed to conduct an independent and objective review of this matter, free from those agencies influence.

In March, Breitbart News Joel Pollak wrote about the potential evidence supporting the impeachment of President Biden for bribery related to his family members overseas business interests. There have been elements of a potential bribery scheme involving Biden that have been evident for years.

Pollack stated:

Hunter Bidens overseas business ventures had been recognized as early as 2015 as a potential conflict of interest for his father. Diplomats and journalists questioned Hunter Bidens appointment to the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, where he earned $83,333 per month, despite lacking relevant expertise, while his father was in office.

Those concerns were brushed aside, however, by the vice presidents office, and the issue was never resolved. Hunter Biden also connected other foreign business associates with his father, including Chinese associates.

The criminal statute of bribery describes giving anything of value to an official to influence him or her in performing any official act. The fact that the thing of value might have flowed to Bidens friends and family, rather than to Biden himself, would not absolve him  and there is evidence that the senior Biden benefited from his familys gains.

For years now, Republicans have been investigating allegations against Hunter that he charged or at least sought huge sums of money for lobbying purposes when his father was Vice President. The allegation suggests that Hunter may have leveraged his fathers position to benefit his own business interests.

Hunter is also the subject of multiple investigations into his tax filings. The investigations are related to allegations that Hunter may have underreported his income and failed to pay taxes on some of his business dealings. And investigators are also trying to determine if he lied on a gun background check form when he answered no to a question about past drug use; he has admitted to being hooked on and abusing cocaine.

A charging decision in those cases is reportedly expected soon.

Sources include:

ConservativeBrief.com

Time.com

OutlookIndia.com

Breitbart.com
(Natural News) A big reason why much of the country systematically and all in tandem decided to mandate Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccination on millions of Americans is because Pfizer bribed various organizations to lobby for this tyranny.

Recently unearthed financial disclosures show that the Chicago Urban League (CUL), as one example, took in a $100,000 grant from Pfizer under the designation of a vaccine safety and effectiveness campaign.

CUL President Karen Freeman-Wilson infamously stated back in August of 2021 that the benefits of getting forcibly jabbed with Pfizers mRNA covid shots far outweighs any potential concerns about taking the experimental drug against ones will.

That very same month, another group called the National Consumers League (NCL) came out with similar support for the governments Chinese Virus injection mandates.

In recent weeks, it has become evident that employer mandates are effective at nudging reluctant people to get the Covid-19 vaccine, NCL said in a statement, likewise failing to disclose a $75,000 check it received from Pfizer in the third quarter of 2021 for vaccine policy efforts.

(Related: Check out our earlier report about how Pfizer writes all of the scripts used by corporate-controlled media outlets to steer the world towards its vaccine and pharmaceutical products.)

American Academy of Pediatrics collected a quarter million dollars from Pfizer before requiring all health care workers to get jabbed for covid

Perhaps even more offensive is the position the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) took that same year when it decided to mandate Fauci Flu shots for all health care workers across the country.

It turns out that the AAP accepted a $250,000 cash payment from Pfizer in 2021 that immediately preceded the organizations push for universal covid jab mandates, which it claimed would curb transmission and cases of the Fauci Flu.

At one point, a cohort of three- and four-letter organizations signed a joint letter that was presented to the Biden regime, calling on it to impose covid jab mandates on private employers with 100 or more workers.

The organizations that signed this letter include the American Pharmacists Association, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy, the American Society for Clinical Pathology, and the American College of Emergency Physicians, all of which likewise took in grants from Pfizer in exchange for their promotion of a universal covid jab mandate.

Another group called the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) joined the others in calling for covid jab mandates for all health care workers. A few months after going public with this push, the AAFP received a $249,000 check from Pfizer, which was earmarked for a collaborative consumer vaccine awareness and educational campaign.

Then there was the American Osteopathic Association, which received $150,000 from Pfizer for primary care physicians addressing Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy in late 2021. Naturally, this group also called for all health care workers to be forcibly injected for the Wuhan Flu.

That same year, the National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) received just $30,000 from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization, which according to an IRS filing lobbies for pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer. In exchange for this money, the NHMA signed onto a joint statement calling for all health care personnel to be forced to get covid-jabbed.

The first journalist to report on the financial ties between all of these groups and Pfizer was Lee Fang, who was told by Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, director of the Bioethics and American Democracy Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center that pharmaceutical companies spend very large portions of their budgets on marketing, including on various health care organizations and third parties, and they do that because they get a return on that investment.

The latest news about Big Pharmas cozy relationship with Big Government can be found at Fascism.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
Jefferson-Madison Regional Library has the following book-related events coming up in the next week:

10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Central Library: Fifth annual How-To Festival offers demonstrations, presentations and information an topics from small-press printing to tea ceremonies to virtual reality. All ages are welcome.

Saturday art all branches, while supplies last: Free Comic Book Day, presented with Telegraph Art & Comics, offers free comics for all ages.

5 p.m. Tuesday at Louisa County Library: An opening reception is presented for the Lions Showcase, a collection of artworks by Louisa County High School students. Light refreshments will be provided. The works can be seen through May 20.

Central Library will be closed Wednesday for branch staff training day.

Kate Baer will speak at Vault Virginia on Thursday in a fundraiser for Stepping Stone, which helps provide resources for Charlottesville-area children up to age 3.

Motherload: A Conversation with Kate Baer will include drinks and appetizers in the Bradbury at 6 p.m., a poetry reading and panel discussion in the Vault at 6:30 p.m., question-and-answer time at 7:10 p.m. and a book signing at 7:30 p.m. Lily West of TheSheLab, who is president and CEO of the University of Virginia Alumni Association, will moderate the conversation with Baer.

Baer will explore themes from her poetry, including family, motherhood, grief, hope and love. New Dominion Bookshop will have copies of Baers books available for purchase.

Event sponsors include the Adiuvans Foundation, the Murlan Foundation and TheSheLab. Learn more about the event at www.steppingstonecville.org.

Carolyn McGraths new nonfiction book, Two Faces of the Moon: A Small Island Memoir, will be coming out July 24 from Brandylane Publishers in Richmond.

The Charlottesville authors memoir traces summers spent with her dogs in a log cabin on an island in an Ontario lake savoring solitude and wildlife, and the noteworthy summer of 2001, during which she examines her relationship to her dying mother and the long-deceased father whod left her the island.

McGrath has a degree in classics from the University of Iowa. She spent years teaching in the Department of English at Stony Brook University.

Elaine Ruggieri recently won the runner-up award in the general fiction category at the London Book Festival 2022 for her debut novel, Retreat at St. Jeromes. The novel was recognized by the Hollywood Book Festival in 2021 with an honorable mention award.

Her contest-winning short stories have been published in several anthologies, including Virginia Writers Club Centennial Anthology, 1918-2018.

Ernest Thompson, the Academy Award-winning writer of On Golden Pond, will be at New Dominion Bookshop at 7 p.m. May 12 to read from and sign copies of The Book of Maps.

His novel recently was named a finalist for the Foreword Indies Award for Literary Fiction. Learn more at ndbookshop.com or call (434) 295-2552.
(Natural News) American kids are being pushed toward transgenderism by their schools, by left-wing politicians, and by medical institutions. North Carolinas leading medical institutions  Duke, UNC, and ECU  now offer transgender treatments that confuse, brainwash, and socially transition kids as young as two, three, and four. Toddlers are being socially transitioned and put in environments where they are coerced to live in accordance with a so-called gender identity.

Duke Medicine violates medical ethics, churns out transgender toddlers at their Gender Clinic

Duke Medicine now runs a Gender Clinic that brainwashes toddlers to accept a fictitious gender identity that is opposite of their biological sex. The toddlers are conditioned to accept a fake gender identity at a young age so they can be mutilated and pumped full of synthetic hormones when they are older. After they are brainwashed and mentally abused, they are put through multiple surgeries/drug protocols and turned into cash cows for life. In 2015, Dukes Gender Clinic began providing treatments for two-year-old children who are diagnosed with gender dysphoria. These gender transitions are not cures for gender dysphoria and never fix the underlying issues that the children face. Most obviously, the toddlers are subject to predatory brainwashing and the manipulation of their feelings.

The director at the Gender Clinic, transgender activist Dr. Deanna Adkins, spoke about her transgender pediatric patients in a 2016 interview with the Charlotte Observer. They are not old enough to consciously just choose to do that. [change their gender] she said. It is not a choice in any of my patients. Its really an unpleasant thing to have going on in your body to feel that distress about yourself. I cant imagine anyone who would choose to do that.

Because the children cannot give informed consent on this issue, sick and perverted transgender activists take it upon themselves to decide the fate of these children. Transgender activists pose as medical professionals and mental health counselors so they can affirm fictitious gender identities in kids and experiment on their minds and bodies. As confused children are groomed, accepted, and loved by these perverts, they are confused further and separated from biological reality. The mentally-abused toddlers are eventually put through gender clinic treatments and socially conditioned to take on a fictitious gender identity that goes against their biological gender.

The Gender Clinics create a culture that coerces kids into something they dont even understand. When Dr. Adkins gave her expert declaration to a federal district court in North Carolina, she said, From a medical perspective, the appropriate determinant of sex is gender identity. Basically, a kid can make anything up and feel any which way they want, and the Gender Clinic is supposed to affirm their feelings and transition them socially, emotionally, and medically. If the kid later refuses, they are viewed as a suicide risk and coerced to accept their new gender identity and all the synthetic hormones and surgeries that come along with it.

In her court testimony, Dr. Adkins detailed how she treats toddlers:

Before puberty, treatment does not include any drug or surgical intervention. For this group of patients, treatment is limited to social transition, which means allowing a transgender child to live and be socially recognized in accordance with their gender identity. This can include allowing children to wear clothing, to cut or grow their hair, to use names and pronouns, and to access restrooms and other sex-separated facilities and activities in line with their gender identity instead of the sex assigned to them at birth. Social transition is a critical part of treatment of patients with gender dysphoria of all ages and it is the only treatment for pre-pubertal children.

Transgender activists target school children through telepsychiatry programs

Dr. Colby Dendy, the transgender activist who runs ECU Healths new Pride Clinic, brings in patients of all ages  including toddlers. The literature tells us that kids can start around age four having their gender identity, so we do not want to exclude anybody within the pediatrics realm, Dendy said in an interview with the East Carolinian. A big part of our goal is to provide affirming primary care to everybody in the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

Activist Dendy also publicly supports school awareness programs and telemedicine calls that prescribe puberty blockers and cross sex hormones to children. After the ECU Pride Clinic published a paper in support of these perversions, the school received $3.2 M to create a telepsychiatry program that targets school children for gender transition. Psychiatrists inside schools and activists inside medical institutions are targeting and grooming children at an alarming rate, destroying their minds, their anatomy, and future.

Sources include:

TheGatewayPundit.com

ABC11.com

NaturalNews.com

CharlotteObserver.com

ACLU.org

ECUHealth.org
(Natural News) Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is calling for the physical elimination of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky after the Kremlin accused Kyiv of launching drones to assassinate President Vladimir Putin.

Footage circulating in social media shows two videos of drones being taken down within the Kremlin grounds, where Putins main office is located. The Russian government said these drones were sent by Kyiv to the Kremlin in an attempt to assassinate Putin, a claim Zelensky promptly denied. (Related: Ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warns that the world is on the verge of a NUCLEAR WORLD WAR III.)

But the Russian government was adamant that the drones were launched by Kyiv in what it termed a planned terrorist attack.

Two uncrewed aerial vehicles were aimed at the Kremlin, said the Kremlins press office in a statement. As a result of timely actions taken by the military and special services with the use of radar warfare systems, the devices were put out of action.

We regard these actions as a planned terrorist act and an attempt on the presidents life, the Kremlin added. The Russian side reserves the right to take retaliatory measures where and when it sees fit.

The governments fiercest allies similarly believe Ukraine was involved, including Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council and chairman of Putins political party, United Russia.

According to Medvedev, not only is Zelensky responsible for this assassination attempt, but Russia should respond in kind to this act.

After todays terrorist attack, there are no options left except for the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal, he said in a statement. It is not even needed to sign an act of unconditional surrender.

Hitler, as we know, didnt sign [an unconditional surrender agreement] either, he added. There will always be some replacement, like figurehead president Admiral Donitz, referencing the German admiral who briefly became head of state of Nazi Germany after Hitlers suicide.

Other leading Russian officials have also issued statements strongly denouncing Ukraine.

An attack on the president is an attack on Russia, said Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, Russias parliament. There can be no negotiations. We will demand the use of weapons that are capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime.

Zelensky denies any involvement in drone attacks

Despite the Kremlins serious allegation, Zelensky still claims that neither he nor anybody else in the Ukrainian government was involved in the drone strikes against the heart of the Russian government.

We dont attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory, he claimed. We are defending our villages and cities. We dont have enough weapons for this. For us, that is a deficit  we cant spend it. We didnt attack Putin. We leave [this matter] to the [United Nations] tribunal.

Other Ukrainian officials, including Zelenskys press secretary, made similar statements.

We have no information about the so-called night attacks on the Kremlin, said the press secretary. But, as President Zelensky has repeatedly stated, Ukraine directs all available forces and means to liberate its own territories, and not to attack others.

Head of the Office of the President and key adviser to Zelensky Mykhailo Podolyak parroted Zelenskys claim of not conducting attacks outside of Ukraines claimed borders. He said the drone attack could more easily be explained as the guerrilla activities of local resistance forces who purchased drones and rigged them with bombs from within Russia.

Read the latest news about the conflict between Russia and Ukraine at UkraineWitness.com.

Watch this clip from TeleTruth discussing Medvedevs statement that Russia will have to finish off not only Zelensky but his entire cabinet as well in retaliation for the failed assassination attempt against Putin.

This video is from the channel The Prisoner on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Ukraine may have tried to ASSASSINATE Vladimir Putin using a kamikaze drone.

Im rooting for Texas! Former Russian President Medvedev cheers on potential secession of US states.

Global military spending hits record-high $2.24 trillion amid ongoing conflict in Ukraine, heightened tension in Taiwan.

Former Russian President Medvedev once again threatens to nuke Britain in unhinged rant.

Ukrainian drones conduct explosive attacks on Russian power stations.

Sources include:

The-Sun.com

NYPost.com

Reuters.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Russia is expected to resume buying foreign currency for its reserves as early as this month or later this year. The country halted foreign exchange purchases in late January 2022 and further suspended the program following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine.

According to Bloomberg Economics, the move aims to bolster Russias reserves as growing energy revenues stabilize public finances despite the Wests efforts to squeeze Kremlins income. The media outlet estimated initial volumes amounting to an equivalent of around $200 million in yuan per month.

The Chinese currency is the main asset Russia can still use to conduct transactions for its $154 billion wealth fund because of the sanctions that cut the country off from the worlds dollar-denominated financial system.

It will be important for the market that the state is starting to accumulate reserves again instead of spending them, the analyst at Freedom Holding Corp. Natalia Milchakova remarked. This may even positively affect the ruble.

Bloombergs Russia economist, Alexander Isakov pointed out that the resumption of foreign exchange purchases may initially be small but will still be highly symbolic. This will show that Russia is building reserves rather than eating through them.

Russia sold from its wealth fund in 2023 to cover spending, and the shift from selling to buying would highlight Russias ability to keep up the flow of petrodollars in the face of sanctions and the price cap imposed by the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized nations and their partners in the European Union as well as their allies, the outlet said.

Moscow stopped the said purchases in late January 2022 and then suspended the program when the Russia-Ukraine war began. The Bank of Russia resumed operations with foreign currency at the beginning of 2023, amid soaring oil and gas revenues. The move was part of a revamped budgetary mechanism designed to shield the economy from the volatility of commodity markets, and transactions are now carried out in yuan.

However, in the past couple of months, Moscow slashed yuan sales to deal with their budget deficit. Their sales halved in April compared to February.

Russia maintains energy revenues despite Western sanctions

The West has placed various sanctions on President Vladimir Putin and Russia, but the administration has still managed to continuously make money from its energy resources.

As per Bloomberg, the Kremlin has accomplished this in large part by forcing oil producers like Gazprom and Lukoil to pay more taxes. The Eurasian country has also been able to counter the restrictions by redirecting oil exports to alternative markets such as China and India.

The two Asian countries have been snapping up so much Russian crude that Russias first-quarter seaborne crude exports surpassed levels in the same period last year, according to Kpler, a commodities analytics firm.

According to the Paris-based autonomous intergovernmental organization International Energy Agency, Moscows April revenue was down about 43 percent from a year ago. However, oil prices have gotten support since early April due to production cuts from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia.

Moreover, Chinas economic reopening after nearly three years of on-off Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdowns is also expected to give support to prices. (Related: Glenn Beck warns: The East dumping of the petrodollar brings U.S. economy closer to COLLAPSE.)

Visit CurrencyCrash.news for more stories about governments around the world steering away from the petrodollar.

Watch a Health Ranger Report podcast below where Mike Adams discusses how Putin is challenging the petrodollar with new hydrocarbonruble.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Shift away from U.S. petrodollar and towards gold-backed currencies in the Global South continues.

HOW AMERICA ENDS: Putin announces new BRICS global reserve currency project to REPLACE the petrodollar.

COUNTDOWN to collapse of the petrodollar Americas dollar dominance is coming to a sudden, catastrophic end total CHAOS will follow.

PETRODOLLAR PUKES: Cracks emerge in U.S. dollar dominance as Saudis consider accepting Chinese currency for oil sales to Beijing.

Sources include:

RT.com

Bloomberg.com

BusinessInsider.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Overnight, there were two separate strikes over the fortress in Central Moscow, where Putin allegedly lives. Flames and smoke were seen coming from the Senate Palace at 2.27 AM, and then a second blast occurred at 2:43 AM. The Kremlin said that the two drone attacks were thwarted by Russian electronic defenses.

Footage from that night shows a flying object coasting toward the Kremlin before exploding into flames. Putin was not inside the building when the drone struck. The Kremlin reports that Putin is not injured.

Russian authorities demand strikes on Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky

Now, the Speaker of the Russian Parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, is threatening nuclear revenge against Ukrainian oligarchs. Russian authorities are accusing Ukraine of trying to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The Kremlin is calling the drone strike a planned terrorist action and has launched a full-scale terrorism probe. Speaker Volodin said, An attack on the president is an attack on Russia. There can be no negotiations. We will demand the use of weapons that are capable of stopping and destroying the Kyiv terrorist regime.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev is calling for the elimination of Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky. After todays terrorist attack, there are no options left except for the physical elimination of Zelensky and his cabal, Medvedev demanded. It is not even needed to sign an act of unconditional surrender.

The leader of the Just Russia Party, Sergey Mironov, said: This is the very real casus belli  a pretext for war. Mironov called for the liquidation of Ukraines terrorist top brass. We have something to hit their bunkers with, he said.

Russian politician, Alexei Zhuravlev agreed, demanding an end to the Kyiv regime. It is necessary to target the centre of Kyiv, he said. Destroy the presidents office, destroy to the ground the [Ukrainian parliament], the general staff, and the buildings housing the Ukrainian special services.

Ukraine denies any responsibility for the attack on Putins residence

When Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky heard the news of the attack, he denied that his countrys military was involved. We dont attack Putin or Moscow. We fight on our territory. We are defending our villages and cities, he said.

Zelenskys press secretary fought back against alleged Russian disinformation. The spokesman said: We have no information about the so-called night attacks on the Kremlin. But, as President Zelensky has repeatedly stated, Ukraine directs all available forces and means to liberate its own territories, and not to attack others.

Ukraine has been using kamikaze drone strikes against Russian targets in Crimea and elsewhere, but there is little probability that Ukrainian forces could have got missiles past Moscows ring of steel air defenses, which include newly installed Pantsir-S1 and S-400 defense systems. Still, there have been kamikaze drone strikes on a Russian oil depot and military airfield and additional attacks on a train and the headquarters of the FSB spy service.

Under Russias nuclear doctrine, the President can use nuclear weapons when their countrys very existence is at risk. At the moment, there is no evidence that the countrys very existence is at risk. The immediate, hard-line accusations against Ukraine, without a full investigation, hint that the overnight drone strikes could be a false flag to garner more support for the war.

One of Zelenskys closest advisors, Mykhailo Podolyak, claims the drone strikes could have come from guerrilla activities of local resistance forces in Russia. He said: As you know, drones can be bought at any military store He continued: The loss of power control over the country by Putins clan is obvious, but on the other hand, Russia has repeatedly talked about its total control over the air. In a word, something is happening in Russia, but definitely without Ukraines drones over the Kremlin.

Is Russia truly being sabotaged by their own people, who are wanting an end to the war? Are Ukrainian forces breaching Russian defense systems? Are Russian intelligence officials trying to find a quick way to put an end to this war, by using false flags to garner support for nukes?

This story is breaking. Stay tuned at NuclearWar.News.

Sources include:

TheSun.com

Twitter.com

TheSun.com
My view, and that of many other die-hard cat lovers, is that the internet exists primarily to circulate pictures and videos of cats.

Dogs, you may be surprised to learn, can also be found on the internet but curiously tend to remain stuck in remote corners of cyberspace. Cats fuel wildly viral memes; dogs seldom get beyond that family vacation picture on Facebook (with just three likes, all from elderly relatives). Both cats and dogs  especially the younger versions of both  have fuzzy, big-eyed appeal, but dogs apparently lack what it takes to snare a global audience. As the New York Times contended, cat pictures are that essential building block of the Internet.

One prominent theory to explain this cat/dog disparity suggests that its the residual wildness of cats that makes them so special. This accounts for their infinite capacity for aloofness. Cats were domesticated rather recently  about 10,000 years ago when humans were busy inventing agriculture. And DNA tells us that the ancestor of all house cats is the African wildcat Felis silvestris lybica, which looks much like a domestic tabby.

We dont know exactly how the human-cat connection was forged, but its likely that the process had input from both sides. Wildcats with genes making them less wary of humans got access to an endless supply of juicy rodents attracted by the food stores produced by agriculture. Our ancestors, in turn, encouraged and rewarded feline rodenticide  and an eternally fraught relationship was born.

Its appropriate, then, that an evolutionary biologist should write the definitive book on the biology, ecology and evolution of the house cat. That would be Jonathan Losos, who, although best known for his studies of lizards, also owns three cats.

Those cats, he found, were every bit as interesting as his lizards but had a marked advantage over the reptiles: Losos didnt have to leave his home to carry out field work. The result, The Cats Meow: How Cats Evolved from the Savanna to Your Sofa, is a readable and informed exploration of the wildcat that lurks within Fluffy.

The first sign of a cat-human connection is the skeleton of an eight-month-old cat buried alongside humans in Cyprus about 9,500 years ago. The relationship developed quickly: Cats were fully domesticated in Egypt by 4,000 years ago. Impressively, given the ancient Egyptians lack of internet, their cats were even more viral and culturally indispensable than they are today: They were actually deified in the form of cat gods like Bastet and Mafdet. Despite this, being a cat in ancient Egypt had its drawbacks: Millions of them were killed and mummified as sacrifices to the gods.

Meanwhile, with the help of humans, cats were spreading rapidly. By 2,000 years ago, presumably accompanying human migrants, they had spread throughout Europe and even reached China. At the same time, Egyptian paintings show cats of diverse colors and patterns far removed from the familiar tabbythe products of artificial selection by breeders craving novelty.

The final phase of selection, by us, on cats was very recent: the creation of recognized breeds  now about 75  beginning in the 19th century. Hence todays internetful of cat diversity: fluffy cats, skinny cats, tricolor cats, cats with floppy ears, hairless cats. But this is one area where dogs definitely eclipse cats; artificial selection on their wolf ancestor has, of course, produced a dizzying array of sizes, shapes and behaviors. Think Lhasa apso vs. Great Dane.

So, we come to a question every cat lover has surely pondered: Why are cat breeds so similar to each other while there are such big differences between dog breeds? Even the most outlier cats  Losos points to Persians  really arent all that different from other breeds.

The most obvious explanation is that many dog breeds originated as working animals. They have been selected, in both body form and behavior, to retrieve dead ducks, herd sheep, drag badgers from their holes, haul sledges and even deliver brandy to avalanche victims. Cats, on the other hand, cant be easily trained to do anything at all, save listening for can openers, and tend to be haughtily resentful of any attempt to change that.

This difference is probably a legacy of each speciess wild ancestors. Except for a single species of wildcatthe lionall the rest are solitary, including the African wildcat, the ancestor of domestic cats. In contrast, nearly all wild dogs, including the gray wolf (the ancestor of domestic dogs) are social, and so had already evolved to cooperate. Watch footage of African wild dogs hunting as a pack and youll be impressed by the degree of coordination, communication and division of labor among individuals. Dog breeders have simply capitalized on these preexisting propensities.

Losos imports some of his lizard interests to his cat study, devoting page after page to an analysis of the roaming behavior of cats, something we can now study using GPS tracking devices. The results are not surprising: Pet cats dont wander far, while feral cats go farther  surely because Fluffy has a secure food supply at home while Macavity the Mystery Cat has to range further afield in pursuit of dinner. At risk of sounding catty, I should add that Losos sometimes gets carried away with the arcane details of these experiments  the professional hazard of scientists enamored with databut this is just a minor distraction in an otherwise engaging and wide-ranging narrative.

Many mysteries remain. Did meows (emitted only by domestic cats) really evolve, as has been seriously suggested, to resemble the cries of a distressed infant, to convert a hardwired human response  I must take care of an unhappy baby  into an ingenious ploy to get tuna? What is the real difference in the average life span between a cat allowed to roam outdoors and one kept inside? The traditional answer is five vs. 17 years respectively, but as Losos notes, I have not been able to find the basis for this claim, and the discrepancy seems extreme to me.

And we remain abysmally ignorant about my two most pressing cat questions: why they wiggle their butts right before they pounce on prey, and why they chatter when they see birds. All they seem to be doing in each case is alerting their potential meal to its hazardous situation, surely not a good idea. One of the lessons of the book, in fact, is that mysteries abound in cat science. One of the largest is how many times cats were domesticated in the Middle East. Did house cats evolve in a single location, or in several places around the same time? We dont know, and the genetic data is ambiguous.

Like all good scientists, Losos admits that are many questions that will keep cat research active for years to come. Writing as a confirmed, and long-standing, cat lover, I look forward to an ever-expanding understanding of catness and to luxuriating, in quiet moments, in the joys of an infinite supply of online images, memes and videos of that most charismatic and beguiling of all domestic animals.
One of the three men indicted earlier this year for wielding torches as part of a racist mob on the Grounds of the University of Virginia nearly six years ago, Will Zachary Smith of Nacona, Texas, has accepted a plea deal, according to Albemarle County court records.

Smith, who had been held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail since January, was freed May 3 on a $10,000 bond that requires him to go back to his home state of Texas but remain in touch with Albemarle authorities.

Smith had also been indicted for discharging harmful gases. That indictment was made by another Albemarle grand jury meeting in 2018, less than a year after the infamous torch march on UVa Grounds.

There on Aug. 11, 2017, hundreds of white nationalists marched and shouted slogans including Blood and soil and Jews will not replace us.

Albemarle Circuit Court records suggest that the gas charge will be dropped in exchange for Smiths guilty plea on the charge of burning to intimidate, but Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins ordered his plea to remain sealed.

Smith was arrested in early 2021 in Montague County, Texas, and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was bailed out on a $50,000 bond. That fall, he waived arraignment. However, a search of Texas records shows no conviction, and his attorney for the Charlottesville charges, Cody Villalon of Richmond, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress.

Smith appears to be 38 years old according to the most recent court records. A prior report based on what may have been an erroneous court document listed him as several years older.

Higgins requested the creation of a presentence report on Smith and ordered him to return for sentencing on Aug. 7.
Broadcom said it will spend $2 billion a year to accelerate research and development for VMware products and services.

In making the investment assurance, Broadcom CEO Hock Tan wrote in a blog post: By extending our multi-cloud strategy, we will invest in extending VMwares software stack to run and manage workloads across private and public clouds, which means any enterprise can run application workloads easily, securely, and seamlessly on-prem, or in any cloud platform they prefer.

If companies can run VMware as a private cloud on-prem, they should be able to take their same application workloads to the public cloud without needing to re-engineer that application or worry about being locked into the public cloud providers that they choose, Tan stated.

With the right combination of compute, storage, and network virtualization technology, enterprises can build next-generation, software-defined data centers of their own, on their premises or in private clouds, instead of being largely or exclusively dependent on a mixed cloud environment, according to Tan.

Virtualization of all these functions gives enterprises the ability to manage parts of the data center more easily in on-prem, private cloud environments similar to the productivity, efficiency, ease of use, resiliency and elasticity that enterprises enjoy with public clouds, Tan stated. Broadcom will make additional investments to help this technology work together seamlessly and much easier to use; and resources to help more customers adopt and deploy this great technology.

The increased investment will also be focused on building VMwares professional services capabilities.

This means an investment in professional services support and in external partners, Tan wrote. VMware needs more partners to grow, and we will help it succeed in doing so.

As a part of Broadcom, VMware will have more resources and scale to support the number of customers that want its technology and services, and help customers deploy it more than it was able to as a standalone company. Together with Broadcom, VMware will be able to partner with global system integrators and double the investment in professional services, Tan stated.

Since announcing its intention to buy VMware for $61 billion last year, Broadcom has been wrangling with regulators, primarily in Europe, about the competitive impact of the takeover.

The European Commission recently informed Broadcom of its objections to the companys proposed acquisition of VMware.

Broadcom is the leading supplier of Fiber Channel host bus adapters (FC HBAs) and storage adapters. The markets are very concentrated. If the competitors of Broadcom are hampered in their ability to compete in these markets, this could in turn lead to higher prices, lower quality and less innovation for business customers, and ultimately consumers, the Commission said in a statement.

Having carried out an in-depth investigation, the Commission said it remained concerned that Broadcom may restrict competition in the global markets for the supply of FC HBAs and storage adapters by foreclosing competitors' hardware by delaying or degrading their access to VMware's server virtualization software.

This week Tan appeared at a hearing in Brussels with senior European Commission officials and their counterparts from national competition agencies. He was expected to tell regulators, in part, that they should consider the presence of Amazon, Microsoft and Google in the cloud computing market as proof of strong competition, according to a Reuters report.

Broadcom is expected to offer remedies soon after the hearing. The EU deadline for a decision is June 21, which will be extended once concessions are submitted, Reuters reported.
ROCKY MOUNT  A judge on Thursday sent the case against Terry Eugene Michel, the Ferrum man charged in the gunshot deaths of his two black Labrador retrievers, to next months Franklin County grand jury.

The grand jury will decide whether Michel will stand trial in circuit court. Michel is being held without bond.

The sheriffs office charged Michel with killing the two dogs and took him into custody Feb. 16. Michel had reported them stolen at Waid Park.

Investigator Steven McFarling with the Franklin County Sheriffs Office began investigating shortly after Michel reported the dogs stolen.

During questioning by Franklin County Commonwealths Attorney Cooper Brown, McFarling said he had multiple conversations with Michel over the course of several days. McFarling testified that Michel eventually admitted to killing the two dogs. The sheriffs office charged Michel with two counts of felony animal cruelty, one count of filing a false police report and two summons for improper disposal of a companion animal.

McFarling said Michel admitted to killing the dogs in what Michel said was an attempt to save his marriage. McFarling said Michel claimed his marriage wasnt where it should be and the dogs were interfering.

McFarling said Michel admitted to taking the two dogs, named Caleb and Colby, to a remote area on Prillaman Switch Road in Ferrum on Feb. 7 and shooting them in the back of the head with a 9 mm pistol. He then covered the dogs with leaves and branches with the intention of coming back to bury them, according to McFarling.

The two dogs were discovered Feb. 14 on the side of the road near the 500 block of Carolina Springs Road approximately 4 miles north of Waid Park. McFarling said Michel moved the dogs to an area where they would be found to get the pressure off of him.

Aaron Houchens, attorney for the defense, questioned the state of the two dogs when they were discovered. McFarling said the dogs had no appearance of being beaten, tortured or injured other than the gunshot wounds.

Due to the lack of any evidence of animal cruelty that would fit that definition, Houchens argued that Michels case should be reduced to a misdemeanor based on the state law for animal cruelty.

There is no evidence whatsoever that these animals were tortured, that they were beat, that they were maimed or that any other injuries exist outside of the isolated gunshot wound to the back of the head, he said.

Brown said Thursdays preliminary hearing was not about convicting Michel, but only charging him. The evidence provided during the hearing was enough to show probable cause, he said.

Judge A.J. Dudley ultimately agreed with Brown. He said it would be absurd to believe a person can torture an animal based on the Code of Virginia and face a felony while killing an animal would only be a misdemeanor.

In addition to certifying the two felony charges to the grand jury, Dudley said he would also certify the charge of filing a false police report. He sentenced Michel to pay a $250 fine for each of the two misdemeanor charges for improper disposal of a companion animal.
Aknisree Karthik By

Express News Service

BENGALURU: The Karnataka state health department has taken note of the advertisements posted on the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and has written to the respective managing directors to pull down and not permit any direct or indirect advertisements related to tobacco.

This has come a day after The New Indian Express wrote about KSRTC and BMTC buses carrying surrogate tobacco advertisement- Vimal Elaichi. On thursday, the health department wrote the letter to the MDs requesting to not allow advertisement of tobacco and paan masala products on its buses.

Recently we have seen advertisements of tobacco and pan masala products of brands like Vimal, Cool Lip and RMD being displayed on KSRTC buses. Direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products is a violation of Section 5 of the COTPA and World Health Organisations FCTC Article 5.3 Commissioner of state health department Randeep said in the letter dated May 4.

They are misleading the youths, who are encouraged by surrogate advertisements, to pick tobacco consumption and risk their lives by consuming the products that are injurious to health, he added.

BENGALURU: The Karnataka state health department has taken note of the advertisements posted on the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) buses and has written to the respective managing directors to pull down and not permit any direct or indirect advertisements related to tobacco. This has come a day after The New Indian Express wrote about KSRTC and BMTC buses carrying surrogate tobacco advertisement- Vimal Elaichi. On thursday, the health department wrote the letter to the MDs requesting to not allow advertisement of tobacco and paan masala products on its buses. Recently we have seen advertisements of tobacco and pan masala products of brands like Vimal, Cool Lip and RMD being displayed on KSRTC buses. Direct and indirect advertising of tobacco products is a violation of Section 5 of the COTPA and World Health Organisations FCTC Article 5.3 Commissioner of state health department Randeep said in the letter dated May 4. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); They are misleading the youths, who are encouraged by surrogate advertisements, to pick tobacco consumption and risk their lives by consuming the products that are injurious to health, he added.
Kerrville, TX (78028)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning followed by thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms. Low 64F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Vignesh Madhu By

Express News Service

Its hard to imagine Amitabh Bachchan without that deep, majestic baritone voice. Its Rani Mukerjis unique voice that made her stand out among her peers. For a novice like Arjun Das, its his voice that shot him to fame. Its the tremble in Mammoottys voice that tugs our heartstrings. So for an actor, voice is a form of identity. But not always do actors have the apt voice for a given character. Thats when efficient dubbing artists like Sreeja Ravi step in.

A veteran of over 2000 films, Sreeja is still among the most sought-after voice actors in South Indian cinema. Occasionally, she has also demonstrated her impeccable acting skills in front of the camera. One such instance was in the recent Eid release, Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham (KKA) where she plays a Muslim womana mother of threewaiting longingly for her expat husbands return. Sreeja beautifully conveys the wifes yearning, and its her emotionally charged performance thats one of the pillars of the film. Do years of experience in voice acting come in handy while performing?

It does. A good voice actor will be performing in front of the mic while rendering the lines. Thats how Ive been doing it all these years, so yes, it does help me. But I still consider myself a budding actor who is trying to learn the craft, says a modest Sreeja.

Sreejas journey in cinema began by dubbing for child actors. Though her motheralso a dubbing artistwanted Sreeja to be an actor, opportunities rarely came her way. She cites her lack of conventional looks as the reason. Heroines during that era were expected to be of a particular body type. A heroine invariably had to be glamorous. Hailing from a poor background, I didnt have the typical heroine-like features. So I faced a lot of rejections. It was only years later, after marriage, that I started getting some good roles, recalls Sreeja.

Though Sreeja had done a few noteworthy roles in Tamil and Malayalam, she was waiting for something substantial, and thats when KKA was offered. I was overseeing the Telugu to Malayalam dubbing of Shaakuntalam when Muhashin approached me with this role. He gave a brief description of my character, and I instantly loved it. Even though I didnt know it would be such a prominent role, I wanted to do it. But then I couldnt afford to spare the dates as Shaakuntalams release was closing in, and a lot of portions were still left to be dubbed. I was in a serious dilemma and shared it with Shaakuntalams lead actor, Dev Mohan. It was Dev who instilled the confidence in me to take up the role.

Shalini, Kavya Madhavan, Bhavana, Divya Unni, Gopika, Devayani, Nayanthara, Roma... These are some of the actors to whom Sreeja frequently lent her vocals. It must be noted that they all belonged to different languages and age groups. Such is Sreejas versatility that she used to dub for multiple characters in the same film and, at times, in the same scene.

I dubbed for both Padmapriya and Kavya Madhavan in Vadakkumnadhan, and Kavya and Bhavana in Twenty:20. In Pookkalam Varavayi, I dubbed for both the lead actor, Sunitha, and 4-year-old Baby Shamili. Its quite a challenge as weve to bring a lot of variations to make each character sound distinct, says Sreeja while also elaborating on the other challenges in the field. Unlike actors, dubbing artists usually get a brief about the scene just before the take. Youve to be spontaneous and, at the same time, have good clarity. I make it a point to speak to the director or writer to try and understand the characters nature and a basic idea of the storyline. Its important to have that understanding, but unfortunately, I dont see many doing that today. As a result, the emotions dont get conveyed effectively, observes Sreeja, adding, Anyone can dub, but performing in front of the mic is an altogether different challenge.

Its often said that an actors job is complete only when they dub for themselves. One would expect a veteran voice actor like Sreeja to oppose this school of thought, but she concurs. I agree because I am also into acting now. I cant imagine someone else dubbing for me. There have been times when directors wanted a different voice for my character because they thought my voice lacked the depth and base of a mother. Some wanted it changed because they felt my voice reminded them of Kavya or Shalini. Its ultimately the director who takes a call on the kind of voice they want for a particular character. But if you ask me, it would be perfect if actors can balance their performance and voice acting skills.

With filmmakers opting for a realistic treatment and the advent of advanced technologies like the sync sound, dubbing is now a fading art, admits Sreeja. Dubbing is now common only in films starring other language actors. Times have changed with the audience embracing actors with their own voices, regardless of its depth or base. There are no more dramatic dialogues. Characters speak the language of the everyday person. So its indeed a tough phase for dubbing artists, but those willing to learn and adapt will certainly be able to stand the test of time, signs off Sreeja on a hopeful note.

Its hard to imagine Amitabh Bachchan without that deep, majestic baritone voice. Its Rani Mukerjis unique voice that made her stand out among her peers. For a novice like Arjun Das, its his voice that shot him to fame. Its the tremble in Mammoottys voice that tugs our heartstrings. So for an actor, voice is a form of identity. But not always do actors have the apt voice for a given character. Thats when efficient dubbing artists like Sreeja Ravi step in. A veteran of over 2000 films, Sreeja is still among the most sought-after voice actors in South Indian cinema. Occasionally, she has also demonstrated her impeccable acting skills in front of the camera. One such instance was in the recent Eid release, Kadina Kadoramee Andakadaham (KKA) where she plays a Muslim womana mother of threewaiting longingly for her expat husbands return. Sreeja beautifully conveys the wifes yearning, and its her emotionally charged performance thats one of the pillars of the film. Do years of experience in voice acting come in handy while performing? It does. A good voice actor will be performing in front of the mic while rendering the lines. Thats how Ive been doing it all these years, so yes, it does help me. But I still consider myself a budding actor who is trying to learn the craft, says a modest Sreeja.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Sreejas journey in cinema began by dubbing for child actors. Though her motheralso a dubbing artistwanted Sreeja to be an actor, opportunities rarely came her way. She cites her lack of conventional looks as the reason. Heroines during that era were expected to be of a particular body type. A heroine invariably had to be glamorous. Hailing from a poor background, I didnt have the typical heroine-like features. So I faced a lot of rejections. It was only years later, after marriage, that I started getting some good roles, recalls Sreeja. Though Sreeja had done a few noteworthy roles in Tamil and Malayalam, she was waiting for something substantial, and thats when KKA was offered. I was overseeing the Telugu to Malayalam dubbing of Shaakuntalam when Muhashin approached me with this role. He gave a brief description of my character, and I instantly loved it. Even though I didnt know it would be such a prominent role, I wanted to do it. But then I couldnt afford to spare the dates as Shaakuntalams release was closing in, and a lot of portions were still left to be dubbed. I was in a serious dilemma and shared it with Shaakuntalams lead actor, Dev Mohan. It was Dev who instilled the confidence in me to take up the role. Shalini, Kavya Madhavan, Bhavana, Divya Unni, Gopika, Devayani, Nayanthara, Roma... These are some of the actors to whom Sreeja frequently lent her vocals. It must be noted that they all belonged to different languages and age groups. Such is Sreejas versatility that she used to dub for multiple characters in the same film and, at times, in the same scene. I dubbed for both Padmapriya and Kavya Madhavan in Vadakkumnadhan, and Kavya and Bhavana in Twenty:20. In Pookkalam Varavayi, I dubbed for both the lead actor, Sunitha, and 4-year-old Baby Shamili. Its quite a challenge as weve to bring a lot of variations to make each character sound distinct, says Sreeja while also elaborating on the other challenges in the field. Unlike actors, dubbing artists usually get a brief about the scene just before the take. Youve to be spontaneous and, at the same time, have good clarity. I make it a point to speak to the director or writer to try and understand the characters nature and a basic idea of the storyline. Its important to have that understanding, but unfortunately, I dont see many doing that today. As a result, the emotions dont get conveyed effectively, observes Sreeja, adding, Anyone can dub, but performing in front of the mic is an altogether different challenge. Its often said that an actors job is complete only when they dub for themselves. One would expect a veteran voice actor like Sreeja to oppose this school of thought, but she concurs. I agree because I am also into acting now. I cant imagine someone else dubbing for me. There have been times when directors wanted a different voice for my character because they thought my voice lacked the depth and base of a mother. Some wanted it changed because they felt my voice reminded them of Kavya or Shalini. Its ultimately the director who takes a call on the kind of voice they want for a particular character. But if you ask me, it would be perfect if actors can balance their performance and voice acting skills. With filmmakers opting for a realistic treatment and the advent of advanced technologies like the sync sound, dubbing is now a fading art, admits Sreeja. Dubbing is now common only in films starring other language actors. Times have changed with the audience embracing actors with their own voices, regardless of its depth or base. There are no more dramatic dialogues. Characters speak the language of the everyday person. So its indeed a tough phase for dubbing artists, but those willing to learn and adapt will certainly be able to stand the test of time, signs off Sreeja on a hopeful note.
By Express News Service

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday declined to stay the screening of the controversial film 'The Kerala Story' in the theatres.

The court recorded the submission of the producer that they will remove the alleged offending teaser of the film from their social media handle.

"The fact remains that none of the petitioners have watched the movie as a whole. A competent statutory authority like CBFC has examined the movie and found it suitable for publication," said the court.

The court also noted that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie which specifically states that the film has been fictionalized and is a dramatized version of events. The film doesn't claim the accuracy or factuality of historic events.

"In view of the disclaimer also we declined to pass an interim order restraining the filmmakers from exhibiting the film as such," said a division bench headed by Justice N Nagaresh.

ALSO WATCH |

S Manu, the deputy solicitor general of India on behalf of the Central Board of Film Certification, submitted that the teaser of the movie- 'The Kerala Diary'- released on social media is not certified by the Board.

While examining the movie, it was observed that no straight claim about the statistical data of 32,000 women has been made by the filmmaker.

The narrative of the movie revolves around 3 girls who want to rise in their professional lives but are manipulated to choose the wrong path and thereby forced to work with terrorist groups."Such incidents have also been reported many times by the agencies," said CBFC

CBFC added that the movie has been duly certified by the Board and modifications directed to be made after proper analysis of the contents have been complied with.

JUST IN#TheKerelaStory case



Citing the Malayalam movie 'Nirmalyam', the court said "There was a movie where an oracle spitting on the face of the idol of a goddess and no problem was there. Can you imagine? It is a famous award-winning movie."@NewIndianXpress @xpresskerala  Raam Das (@PRamdas_TNIE) May 5, 2023

The trailer or teaser does not contain anything offensive against a particular community as a whole, said the court. Citing the 1973 Malayalam movie 'Nirmalyam', the court said "There was a movie where an oracle spitting on the face of the idol of a goddess and no problem was there. Can you imagine? It is a famous award-winning movie."

"There are no incorrect and derogatory remarks against a religion. There are umpteen films showing Hindu priests as smugglers, rapists, etc, nothing happened in the country?" said the court.

"What is there against Muslims? This is a fictional story. Merely because some religious heads are shown in a bad light, that is not a reason to ban the movie," added the court.

The court also viewed the teaser and trailer of the movie in open court before passing the interim order.

ALSO WATCH |

KOCHI: The Kerala High Court on Friday declined to stay the screening of the controversial film 'The Kerala Story' in the theatres. The court recorded the submission of the producer that they will remove the alleged offending teaser of the film from their social media handle. "The fact remains that none of the petitioners have watched the movie as a whole. A competent statutory authority like CBFC has examined the movie and found it suitable for publication," said the court.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The court also noted that the producers have published a disclaimer along with the movie which specifically states that the film has been fictionalized and is a dramatized version of events. The film doesn't claim the accuracy or factuality of historic events. "In view of the disclaimer also we declined to pass an interim order restraining the filmmakers from exhibiting the film as such," said a division bench headed by Justice N Nagaresh. ALSO WATCH | S Manu, the deputy solicitor general of India on behalf of the Central Board of Film Certification, submitted that the teaser of the movie- 'The Kerala Diary'- released on social media is not certified by the Board. While examining the movie, it was observed that no straight claim about the statistical data of 32,000 women has been made by the filmmaker. The narrative of the movie revolves around 3 girls who want to rise in their professional lives but are manipulated to choose the wrong path and thereby forced to work with terrorist groups."Such incidents have also been reported many times by the agencies," said CBFC CBFC added that the movie has been duly certified by the Board and modifications directed to be made after proper analysis of the contents have been complied with. JUST IN#TheKerelaStory case Citing the Malayalam movie 'Nirmalyam', the court said "There was a movie where an oracle spitting on the face of the idol of a goddess and no problem was there. Can you imagine? It is a famous award-winning movie."@NewIndianXpress @xpresskerala  Raam Das (@PRamdas_TNIE) May 5, 2023 The trailer or teaser does not contain anything offensive against a particular community as a whole, said the court. Citing the 1973 Malayalam movie 'Nirmalyam', the court said "There was a movie where an oracle spitting on the face of the idol of a goddess and no problem was there. Can you imagine? It is a famous award-winning movie." "There are no incorrect and derogatory remarks against a religion. There are umpteen films showing Hindu priests as smugglers, rapists, etc, nothing happened in the country?" said the court. "What is there against Muslims? This is a fictional story. Merely because some religious heads are shown in a bad light, that is not a reason to ban the movie," added the court. The court also viewed the teaser and trailer of the movie in open court before passing the interim order. ALSO WATCH |
S Neeraj Krishna By

Express News Service

Discussing hot potatoes with hotheads in hot summers can leave one sapped. But some of us, the argumentative Indians, love the heat and dust, dont we?

The subject of contention was The Kerala Story, which is set for release today. I got pummelled for the view that the film should be allowed to be screened sans any ruckus. Well, the brouhaha over it has helped only boost the films publicity. It has been a free mega-marketing drive for the film. The filmmakers must be chuckling.

In fact, Dictionary.com recently added a new term  rage farming  for gaining high engagement or widespread exposure through the tactic of intentionally provoking political opponents, especially on social media. Apparently, it works well.

Debates over the film have opened a can of worms  to create a complicated situation in which doing something to correct a problem leads to many more problems.

The CPM, for instance, found itself in a spot as keyboard warriors dug up a 2010 news conference in Delhi, former chief minister of Kerala V S Achuthanandan stated that groups such as Popular Front of India sought to turn Kerala into a Muslim-majority state in 20 years.

They are using money and other inducements to convert people to Islam. They even marry women from outside their community, VS added. Notably, amid allegations of fuelling Islamophobia, the veteran comrade stuck to his guns in the state assembly.

The Kerala Storys director, Sudipto Sen, has cited the statement to bolster his film and its alleged reference to the idea of love jihad. I think its [VSs statement] one of the most important documents on radicalisation of Kerala, he told the media.

Love jihad is Keralas controversial contribution to global socio-political lingo. Certainly not something to be proud of. The Urban Dictionary describes it as: When a Muslim marries a non-Muslim fraudulently and forces the partner to convert. The term was coined by a judge in Kerala court.

Contrary to the theory that love jihad was a propaganda propped by rightwingers, the term was, in fact, first used  or brought to the public domain  by Justice K T Sankaran of the Kerala High Court in 2009.

He observed there were concerns over a movement or project which is called Romeo jihad or love jihad while hearing a case pertaining to the luring of two female MBA students at a college in Pathanamthitta and later forcing them to convert to Islam. He directed the police to conduct a statewide inquiry as well.And the nasty burble continues.

More toxic discussions are likely once the film is out today. Now, whats a good way to cut off from the noise? Going Buddha mode helps in my case.What better timing than Buddha Purnima (May 5). So I decide to go zen, and my editor in charge at home offers a lovely little book Zen Poems, compiled by Manu Bazzano and wonderfully illustrated by Andre Sollier.

As the description says, Zen Poems is a collection of short verses by traditional and contemporary poets that offers moments of peace and reflection.Here are some samples, like potent shots that offer spirituality of the heady kind:

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,

One clover, and a bee.

And revery.

The revery alone will do,

If bees are few.

 Emily Dickinson

Meditate Outdoors. The dark trees at night are really dark trees at night,

Its only the golden eternity

 Jack Kerouac

Spring water floweth, both to clear and in mud,

My days are but built up calamity; how call this good?

 Siao Min, translated by Ezra Pound

Butterfly in my hand 

As if it were a spirit

Unearthly, insubstantial.

 Yosa Buson, translated by Yuzuru Miura

Night. Moon. Black leaves.

I open the French window wide:

Between us other barriers,

Invisible, infinite.

On my threshold

When my window is open upon the night,

Moths, black leaves, moonlight.

 Kathleen Raine

Okay, time for me to go seek nirvana. Wish you guys a zesty-yet-zen weekend ahead. Leaving you with some Buddhism-inspired words in global English dictionaries:

Buddha: title given to the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddhartha, who attained enlightenment and taught the path to liberation from suffering

Dharma: teachings and principles of Buddhism that guide individuals towards liberation from suffering; roots in Hinduism

Sangha: the Buddhist community of ordained monks, nuns, and lay practitioners

Karma: the law of cause and effect, where the actions of an individual determine their future circumstances

Samsara: the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that an individual undergoes due to their karma

Bodhisattva: an enlightened being who chooses to remain in samsara to help others attain liberation

Zen: a school of Buddhism that emphasises the practice of meditation and intuition

Metta: a Pali word meaning loving-kindness, a quality that is cultivated through Buddhist practice

Vipassana: a meditation technique that emphasises the cultivation of mindfulness and insight into the nature of reality

Anatta: the Buddhist doctrine that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul within an individual

Anicca: the Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena are impermanent and constantly changing

Four Noble Truths: the foundational teachings of Buddhism that outline the nature of suffering, its causes, its cessation, and the path to liberation

Eightfold Path: the path of practice outlined by the Buddha that leads to the cessation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment

Sutra: a sacred text containing the teachings of the Buddha and his disciples

Bodhi: a Sanskrit word meaning enlightenment or awakening

Jhana:a state of deep concentration attained through meditation practice

Mara: a demon in Buddhist mythology who represents the obstacles and temptations that distract individuals from the path to enlightenment

Ahimsa: the principle of non-violence towards all living beings, a concept central to Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism

Bhikkhu/Bhikkhuni: a Buddhist monk or nun who has taken full ordination

Chakra: a term from Indian and Tibetan Buddhism referring to the energy centers in the body that are associated with different aspects of consciousness and physical health

Tantra: a type of Buddhist scripture or practice that emphasises the use of rituals and meditation to achieve spiritual goals

Koan: a paradoxical riddle or statement used in Zen Buddhism to provoke insight and encourage the practitioner to transcend dualistic thinking

Buddha-nature: the innate potential for enlightenment that is said to exist within all beings, according to Mahayana Buddhism.

Mandala: a circular diagram used in Hinduism and Buddhism as a visual representation of the universe, or as a focus for meditation and spiritual practice

Zazen: a form of meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism, characterized by sitting in a cross-legged position and focusing on the breath

Nirvana: A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma. It represents the final goal of Buddhism

Discussing hot potatoes with hotheads in hot summers can leave one sapped. But some of us, the argumentative Indians, love the heat and dust, dont we? The subject of contention was The Kerala Story, which is set for release today. I got pummelled for the view that the film should be allowed to be screened sans any ruckus. Well, the brouhaha over it has helped only boost the films publicity. It has been a free mega-marketing drive for the film. The filmmakers must be chuckling. In fact, Dictionary.com recently added a new term  rage farming  for gaining high engagement or widespread exposure through the tactic of intentionally provoking political opponents, especially on social media. Apparently, it works well.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Debates over the film have opened a can of worms  to create a complicated situation in which doing something to correct a problem leads to many more problems. The CPM, for instance, found itself in a spot as keyboard warriors dug up a 2010 news conference in Delhi, former chief minister of Kerala V S Achuthanandan stated that groups such as Popular Front of India sought to turn Kerala into a Muslim-majority state in 20 years. They are using money and other inducements to convert people to Islam. They even marry women from outside their community, VS added. Notably, amid allegations of fuelling Islamophobia, the veteran comrade stuck to his guns in the state assembly. The Kerala Storys director, Sudipto Sen, has cited the statement to bolster his film and its alleged reference to the idea of love jihad. I think its [VSs statement] one of the most important documents on radicalisation of Kerala, he told the media. Love jihad is Keralas controversial contribution to global socio-political lingo. Certainly not something to be proud of. The Urban Dictionary describes it as: When a Muslim marries a non-Muslim fraudulently and forces the partner to convert. The term was coined by a judge in Kerala court. Contrary to the theory that love jihad was a propaganda propped by rightwingers, the term was, in fact, first used  or brought to the public domain  by Justice K T Sankaran of the Kerala High Court in 2009. He observed there were concerns over a movement or project which is called Romeo jihad or love jihad while hearing a case pertaining to the luring of two female MBA students at a college in Pathanamthitta and later forcing them to convert to Islam. He directed the police to conduct a statewide inquiry as well.And the nasty burble continues. More toxic discussions are likely once the film is out today. Now, whats a good way to cut off from the noise? Going Buddha mode helps in my case.What better timing than Buddha Purnima (May 5). So I decide to go zen, and my editor in charge at home offers a lovely little book Zen Poems, compiled by Manu Bazzano and wonderfully illustrated by Andre Sollier. As the description says, Zen Poems is a collection of short verses by traditional and contemporary poets that offers moments of peace and reflection.Here are some samples, like potent shots that offer spirituality of the heady kind: To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee. And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few.  Emily Dickinson Meditate Outdoors. The dark trees at night are really dark trees at night, Its only the golden eternity  Jack Kerouac Spring water floweth, both to clear and in mud, My days are but built up calamity; how call this good?  Siao Min, translated by Ezra Pound Butterfly in my hand  As if it were a spirit Unearthly, insubstantial.  Yosa Buson, translated by Yuzuru Miura Night. Moon. Black leaves. I open the French window wide: Between us other barriers, Invisible, infinite. On my threshold When my window is open upon the night, Moths, black leaves, moonlight.  Kathleen Raine Okay, time for me to go seek nirvana. Wish you guys a zesty-yet-zen weekend ahead. Leaving you with some Buddhism-inspired words in global English dictionaries: Buddha: title given to the founder of Buddhism, Gautama Siddhartha, who attained enlightenment and taught the path to liberation from suffering Dharma: teachings and principles of Buddhism that guide individuals towards liberation from suffering; roots in Hinduism Sangha: the Buddhist community of ordained monks, nuns, and lay practitioners Karma: the law of cause and effect, where the actions of an individual determine their future circumstances Samsara: the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth that an individual undergoes due to their karma Bodhisattva: an enlightened being who chooses to remain in samsara to help others attain liberation Zen: a school of Buddhism that emphasises the practice of meditation and intuition Metta: a Pali word meaning loving-kindness, a quality that is cultivated through Buddhist practice Vipassana: a meditation technique that emphasises the cultivation of mindfulness and insight into the nature of reality Anatta: the Buddhist doctrine that there is no permanent, unchanging self or soul within an individual Anicca: the Buddhist doctrine that all phenomena are impermanent and constantly changing Four Noble Truths: the foundational teachings of Buddhism that outline the nature of suffering, its causes, its cessation, and the path to liberation Eightfold Path: the path of practice outlined by the Buddha that leads to the cessation of suffering and the attainment of enlightenment Sutra: a sacred text containing the teachings of the Buddha and his disciples Bodhi: a Sanskrit word meaning enlightenment or awakening Jhana:a state of deep concentration attained through meditation practice Mara: a demon in Buddhist mythology who represents the obstacles and temptations that distract individuals from the path to enlightenment Ahimsa: the principle of non-violence towards all living beings, a concept central to Jainism, Hinduism, and Buddhism Bhikkhu/Bhikkhuni: a Buddhist monk or nun who has taken full ordination Chakra: a term from Indian and Tibetan Buddhism referring to the energy centers in the body that are associated with different aspects of consciousness and physical health Tantra: a type of Buddhist scripture or practice that emphasises the use of rituals and meditation to achieve spiritual goals Koan: a paradoxical riddle or statement used in Zen Buddhism to provoke insight and encourage the practitioner to transcend dualistic thinking Buddha-nature: the innate potential for enlightenment that is said to exist within all beings, according to Mahayana Buddhism. Mandala: a circular diagram used in Hinduism and Buddhism as a visual representation of the universe, or as a focus for meditation and spiritual practice Zazen: a form of meditation practiced in Zen Buddhism, characterized by sitting in a cross-legged position and focusing on the breath Nirvana: A transcendent state in which there is neither suffering, desire, nor sense of self, and the subject is released from the effects of karma. It represents the final goal of Buddhism
By PTI

MUMBAI: Ahead of the crucial Nationalist Congress Party meeting to decide on its next president, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said in politics nothing happens by accident.

A committee of senior NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, are scheduled to meet at 11 am on Friday to decide on who will lead the party following their chief Sharad Pawar's decision to step down earlier this week.

In a cryptic tweet, Raut quoted former US president Franklin D Roosevelt, "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens you can bet it was planned that way."

The move by NCP is expected to have ramifications on the Shiv Sena (UBT) which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, also comprising the NCP and Congress, that is taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra.

On Thursday, an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana', of which Raut is the executive editor, said the end motive of Pawar's nephew and top NCP leader Ajit Pawar is to become the chief minister.

Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule has a good presence in Delhi and she works very efficiently in Parliament, said the editorial.

It also said that the announcement to step down could also be Pawar's way to assess organisational strength if NCP MLAs walk away just like the Shiv Sena, referring to Eknath Shinde's rebellion last year.

At the launch of his revised autobiography, 'Lok Majhe Sangati', which focuses on events post-2015 and was released on Tuesday, Pawar sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.

In the book, Pawar wrote that the Congress 'arrogance' was evident during the talks that led to the Congress and NCP joining hands with the undivided Shiv Sena after the 2019 Assembly polls.

Pawar also said that it was difficult to fathom why Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister chose to visit Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, only twice during the coronavirus pandemic, a claim described by Raut as 'wrong information'.

Further, he blamed Thackeray for failing to quell the discontent within his own party and for resigning as Maharashtra chief minister without putting up a fight.

MUMBAI: Ahead of the crucial Nationalist Congress Party meeting to decide on its next president, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said in politics nothing happens by accident. A committee of senior NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Praful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, are scheduled to meet at 11 am on Friday to decide on who will lead the party following their chief Sharad Pawar's decision to step down earlier this week. In a cryptic tweet, Raut quoted former US president Franklin D Roosevelt, "In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens you can bet it was planned that way."googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The move by NCP is expected to have ramifications on the Shiv Sena (UBT) which is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, also comprising the NCP and Congress, that is taking on the Bharatiya Janata Party in Maharashtra. Good morning! pic.twitter.com/lOKUTZFRWx  Sanjay Raut (@rautsanjay61) May 5, 2023 On Thursday, an editorial in Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece 'Saamana', of which Raut is the executive editor, said the end motive of Pawar's nephew and top NCP leader Ajit Pawar is to become the chief minister. Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule has a good presence in Delhi and she works very efficiently in Parliament, said the editorial. It also said that the announcement to step down could also be Pawar's way to assess organisational strength if NCP MLAs walk away just like the Shiv Sena, referring to Eknath Shinde's rebellion last year. At the launch of his revised autobiography, 'Lok Majhe Sangati', which focuses on events post-2015 and was released on Tuesday, Pawar sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course. In the book, Pawar wrote that the Congress 'arrogance' was evident during the talks that led to the Congress and NCP joining hands with the undivided Shiv Sena after the 2019 Assembly polls. Pawar also said that it was difficult to fathom why Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister chose to visit Mantralaya, the state secretariat in south Mumbai, only twice during the coronavirus pandemic, a claim described by Raut as 'wrong information'. Further, he blamed Thackeray for failing to quell the discontent within his own party and for resigning as Maharashtra chief minister without putting up a fight.
Eighteen warships representing 12 navies have convened at Singapores RSS Singapura Changi Naval Base for a display as part of the International Maritime Defense Exhibition (IMDEX ASIA) 2023. This event showcases cutting-edge defense maritime technologies from hundreds of exhibitors, with topics ranging from new vessel designs and weapon systems to vessel defense and security, underwater warfare, surveillance, and situational awareness. In this review, we highlight some of the innovative technologies featured at the exhibition.

As underwater defense becomes an increasingly vital concern for modern navies, advanced countermeasures against submarines and torpedoes are of paramount importance. At IMDEX ASIA 2023, leading defense companies such as RAFAEL and its subsidiary DSIT, the German Atlas Elektronik group, and the Franco-Italian consortium EuroTorp showcased their latest innovations in torpedo and submarine defense technologies.

EuroTorps MU90 Lightweight Torpedo: EuroTorp, a consortium formed by Naval Group, Thales, and Leonardo, has developed the highly advanced MU90 lightweight torpedo (LWT). Drawing on the experience and requirements of leading NATO navies, the MU90 has undergone more than 300 sea trials, including two live-fire tests in complex scenarios. Capable of operating in very shallow water and against midget submarines, the MU90 is designed to address 21st-century operational requirements. The next version of this LWT, currently under development, will also offer anti-torpedo capabilities. The MU90 has been equipped on over 150 platforms, including surface ships, aircraft, and helicopters, with more than 1,000 units produced. The weapon is in service with the navies of France, Italy, Germany, Denmark, Australia, Greece, Morocco, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Weighing 304 kg and measuring 2.85 meters in length, the MU90 relies on passive mode during the initial phase of intercept. It features a digital acoustic seeker capable of classifying all types of smart decoys and jammers within seconds.

RAFAEL and DSITs Torpedo Defense Suite: RAFAEL and its subsidiary DSIT have developed a comprehensive torpedo defense suite for surface ships, including the MONKFISH torpedo threat detection and alert (TDAS) and the BLACKFISH hull-mounted sonar (HMS) sensors. The MONKFISH system overcomes the limitations of current passive sonar systems by operating in active, passive, and intercept modes, providing continuous 360-degree detection and alert capabilities for any approaching torpedo. To counter detected threats, RAFAELs TORBUSTER SP hard kill decoy is deployed, defending against passive, active, and wake-homing torpedoes. In the case of passive torpedoes, TORBUSTER SP simulates the ships acoustic signature to lure the torpedo away. In contrast, for active torpedoes, it provides a near real-time tailored response based on the torpedos transmission. When the torpedo is at close range, TORBUSTER SP neutralizes it to prevent reattacks.

In the realm of underwater surveillance, detecting potential intruders is crucial for maintaining naval security. The British company Wavefront has developed an advanced system called Sentinel, which is designed for the protection of ports, harbors, military assets, commercial vessels, and waterside properties. The Sentinel system automatically detects, classifies, and tracks subsea threats such as swimmer delivery vehicles, divers, and unmanned underwater vehicles. Its latest version utilizes Simultaneous In-band Active and Passive Sonar (SInAPS) technology to identify and protect objects at ranges up to 1,500 meters. This combined surveillance approach is highly efficient when tracking low-target-strength drones or slow-moving targets in cluttered seabed conditions, typical of some harbor settings.

Without compromising the active tracker, SInAPS leverages the processing gain of the Sentinel array and its high-bearing resolution to track targets simultaneously passively. SInAPS then combine the spatially co-registered output from the active and passive trackers. This technology enables the system to detect intruders hiding in sheltered areas or obscured from active sonar, such as behind pipelines or harbor walls, where traditional sonar solutions struggle to provide detection. Sentinels SInAPS technology also offers superior tracking capabilities for submersibles and drone targets (SDVs, AUVs, & UUVs) from a single-point sensor.

A special focus was given to start-up companies developing innovative solutions for maritime challenges. The Innovation Challenge, jointly hosted by Starburst Aerospace and IMDEX ASIA, showcased groundbreaking products and solutions from eight companies to potential customers, partners, and investors.

Two AI applications were among the finalists selected for the challenge, both designed to enhance ship safety through real-time information gathering and processing. These AI systems aim to improve situational awareness, facilitate decision-making, and provide crew members with the necessary guidance and advice to respond to emerging risks.

LexX Technologies: The Australian company LexX Technologies developed an intelligent, compact smartphone app or tablet-based system that supplies crew members and technicians with relevant technical information when needed. Utilizing advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) technology through Natural Language Processing (NLP), this system offers real-time, intelligent solutions to technical issues. Already in use in the aviation, utility, and defense industries, the system is now being applied to maritime settings.

Captains Eye: Israeli startup Captains Eye has designed a system that delivers a comprehensive situational understanding of vessels. Employing real-time video analytics based on a unique AI algorithm, the system detects safety and security events such as smoke, fire, and leaks. By identifying anomalies and potential causes, the system enables rapid response before an event escalates into an emergency. It also prevents environmental pollution and cargo damage. The system features real-time AI video analytics on all cameras, a control panel for the captain and crew, and fleet-wide monitoring capabilities.

Other startups selected by Starburst include:

Eddyfi Technologies: This Canadian company offers remote ship inspections, both internal and external, using underwater surveillance via various robotic systems. With applications ranging from hull structural integrity assessments to inspections of critical components, Eddyfi Technologies has garnered significant interest at the exhibition.

This Canadian company offers remote ship inspections, both internal and external, using underwater surveillance via various robotic systems. With applications ranging from hull structural integrity assessments to inspections of critical components, Eddyfi Technologies has garnered significant interest at the exhibition. Image Soft: Finnish company Image Soft has developed an underwater surveillance simulation system.

Finnish company Image Soft has developed an underwater surveillance simulation system. Hydrov: Singaporean company Hydrov has introduced an underwater inspection system designed for rapid and detailed examination of vessel exteriors and interiors.

Singaporean company Hydrov has introduced an underwater inspection system designed for rapid and detailed examination of vessel exteriors and interiors. SubUAS: US-based company SubUAS has showcased similar capabilities to Hydrovs system, focusing on underwater inspection solutions.

IMDEX ASIA 2023 provides an invaluable platform for showcasing the latest advancements in defense maritime technologies. These technologies are crucial for ensuring the safety and security of naval forces in an increasingly complex surface and underwater environment. From AI applications improving ship safety to underwater inspection solutions, the exhibition highlighted the ongoing innovation in the naval sector.
Santwana Bhattacharya By

Elections are not what they used to be. The hype and hoopla is mostly confined to the jet-setting political party campaigners, their strategists and Man Fridays, and the hapless media which runs around to figure out the little eddies and currents of the wind. Star campaigners set up little moving epicentres of pomp and show.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshows are a vaudeville of sorts, travelling as it were with tonnes of flowers and local dancers. Rahul Gandhi prefers an extended ramp, like a makeshift fashion show, where he walks like a model politician, taking peoples questions. But the people seem far less caught up in all the breathless anxiety, at least on the surface.

The Election Commission has taken away the festivity and the festoons out of electioneering. Now you have a drab mundaneness that doesnt give you the sense of a special encounter between the leaders and the citizenry, unless you get caught in a jam around a political roadshow.

Instead, the EC has placed security personnel at strategic points on the highways to catch any illicit movement of money and liquor. Bored and fatigued, they lurk behind barricades as if guarding the countrys borders. The imagery evokes a war zone more than a democratic mela.

The battle lines are indeed drawn in plain and rude terms. In coastal Karnataka, for instance, election warriors exchange sharp weapon-like words on whether the region is as impregnable a fortress of the Sangh as it is believed to be. Will the BJP swoop up all 19 seats here or will the Congress break in?

So furious is the discussion that an analyst outside a Congress office, manned by a few worthies from faraway Haryana (state in charge Randeep Surjewalas home state), thrusts a paper in front of your face to prove the point. The Congress managed a near-sweep here in 2013, he says, and insists these elections could verge on a repeat. But wasnt that the election where only a rump BJP fought, since its stalwart B S Yediyurappa had split and formed his own party?

Well, the Congress claims the situation is no better now  aggravated as it is by the wholesale change of candidates. Some big BJP leaders have switched camps, others have become rebel candidates. In other words, the Congresss hopes here are pinned on troubles within the BJP itself.

ALSO READ | Savadi's clout can mar BJP's prospects in Northern districts

This is a crucial variable. The plain fact is that unless the Congress manages to squirrel away a quarter of those 19 seats in Uttara and Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, it cant have a shot at the Vidhana Soudha. Hence the desperation. Rahul Gandhi has promised to up reservation beyond 50 per cent, beyond offering major freebies for the fishing community.

Conversely, for the BJP, this is the bastion it has to hold on to if it wants to get past the talk of 40 per cent commissions and retain power. No less than Amit Shah is on hand to ignite some firepower at the partys rallies. The Modi-Shah duo, more than state leaders or even BSY, is the partys best bet to overcome anti-incumbency.

Voters prefer ideology over growth

The PFIs political front SDPI has fielded candidates in key constituencies, and as a vote fragmenting element they too may ironically help BJP newbie candidates sail through.

Mangaluru, the anchor city of the region, looks prosperousalmost a micro version of Bengaluruwith malls aglow with signboards for the latest brands and eateries brimming with people. Actually, the BJPs new development plank would seem a better fit here than shrill communal rhetoric. Indeed, the hijab controversy that rocked the region a year ago is not being thrown around much.

Even the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Nattaru, on which this paper keeps getting letters-to-the-Editor, is kept out of discussions. But all of it is doubtless alive at the psychological level. Teaching faculty at educational institutes express concern over the deep divide it has caused among the student community and say it may have a bearing on how they vote.

Despite the BJPs attempt to stay away from the usual rhetoric, their staunch voters poohpooh the Congress campaign on corruption and price rise not on the facts themselves, but because they are Hindutva. That the Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway remains unfinishedbecause of a change of contractors midway  does not make it any easier for them. Instead, they point to the sprucing up of the temples that dot the region something the Congress never did as an achievement of the BJP.

Ironically, the regions prosperity  all three major communities, Hindu, Christian and Muslim, being reasonably better off here  is precisely what seems to also breed division. Particularly, the purchasing and trading power of the Muslim community, with many Gulf returnees among them and robust remittances for most others, is a source of underlying envy for the educated unemployed non-Muslim youth.

ALSO READ | Congress picks young guns for battle in BJP turf Dakshina Kannada

The coastal regions prosperity  its second only to Bengaluru  has another interesting spinoff. The youth dont want to leave home for greener pastures. However, the state seems to have largely failed in providing employment to those who dont want to go abroad or to Bengaluru.

The youth staring at a bleak job market constitute a subterranean reason, and base, for the social unrest. There is a mismatch between expectations and what three years of BJP government has delivered  and no amount of Gadbad ice cream at a swanky mall can cool the tempers of the soul.

At any rate, unless it messes up, the Congress may be in line to pocket a few seats. In Mangaluru constituency, it has a reasonably popular MLA in UT Khader  being challenged by Satish Kumpala of the BJP  and the Muslim majority may tilt it in his favour. Likewise, in Muslim-dominated Bantwal, Congress warhorse Ramanath Rais announcement that it would be his last election may seal the edge he has over Rajesh Naik of the BJP.

In Puttur, the BJPs Asha Thimmappa Gowda is having a tough fight against Ashok Kumar Rai of the Congress. BJP rebel Arunkumar Puttila is likely to split votes, benefiting the Congress in this Vokkaligadominated segment. Moodbidri is witnessing a fight between Umanath Kotian (BJP) and young Mithun Rai (Congress), where Congress is playing the youth card.

ALSO READ | Congress' 10-point manifesto for coastal region in Karnataka

The Billava community, to which the BJP candidate belongs, is in a majority here and he, therefore, has a head start. A significant part of coastal Tulunadus backward spectrum, the Billavas have been supporting the saffron ideology for years despite having veterans like Janardhana Poojary in the Congress. But intense caste-based bargaining for development perksthe state announced a Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation as a last-minute sopgives notice to factors at play deeper than adhesive Hindutva.

In the rest, local opinion is in favour of the BJP. An NSUI volunteer at a Rahul rally put it simply: Were in a fight for five. Seats, that is. Margaret Alvas son Nivedith Alva contesting from Kumta is seen mostly as a trial balloon, especially after the near-clean sweep of the region by the BJP in 2018 and 2019.

Elections are not what they used to be. The hype and hoopla is mostly confined to the jet-setting political party campaigners, their strategists and Man Fridays, and the hapless media which runs around to figure out the little eddies and currents of the wind. Star campaigners set up little moving epicentres of pomp and show. Prime Minister Narendra Modis roadshows are a vaudeville of sorts, travelling as it were with tonnes of flowers and local dancers. Rahul Gandhi prefers an extended ramp, like a makeshift fashion show, where he walks like a model politician, taking peoples questions. But the people seem far less caught up in all the breathless anxiety, at least on the surface. The Election Commission has taken away the festivity and the festoons out of electioneering. Now you have a drab mundaneness that doesnt give you the sense of a special encounter between the leaders and the citizenry, unless you get caught in a jam around a political roadshow.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Instead, the EC has placed security personnel at strategic points on the highways to catch any illicit movement of money and liquor. Bored and fatigued, they lurk behind barricades as if guarding the countrys borders. The imagery evokes a war zone more than a democratic mela. The battle lines are indeed drawn in plain and rude terms. In coastal Karnataka, for instance, election warriors exchange sharp weapon-like words on whether the region is as impregnable a fortress of the Sangh as it is believed to be. Will the BJP swoop up all 19 seats here or will the Congress break in? So furious is the discussion that an analyst outside a Congress office, manned by a few worthies from faraway Haryana (state in charge Randeep Surjewalas home state), thrusts a paper in front of your face to prove the point. The Congress managed a near-sweep here in 2013, he says, and insists these elections could verge on a repeat. But wasnt that the election where only a rump BJP fought, since its stalwart B S Yediyurappa had split and formed his own party? Well, the Congress claims the situation is no better now  aggravated as it is by the wholesale change of candidates. Some big BJP leaders have switched camps, others have become rebel candidates. In other words, the Congresss hopes here are pinned on troubles within the BJP itself. ALSO READ | Savadi's clout can mar BJP's prospects in Northern districts This is a crucial variable. The plain fact is that unless the Congress manages to squirrel away a quarter of those 19 seats in Uttara and Dakshina Kannada and Udupi, it cant have a shot at the Vidhana Soudha. Hence the desperation. Rahul Gandhi has promised to up reservation beyond 50 per cent, beyond offering major freebies for the fishing community. Conversely, for the BJP, this is the bastion it has to hold on to if it wants to get past the talk of 40 per cent commissions and retain power. No less than Amit Shah is on hand to ignite some firepower at the partys rallies. The Modi-Shah duo, more than state leaders or even BSY, is the partys best bet to overcome anti-incumbency. Voters prefer ideology over growth The PFIs political front SDPI has fielded candidates in key constituencies, and as a vote fragmenting element they too may ironically help BJP newbie candidates sail through. Mangaluru, the anchor city of the region, looks prosperousalmost a micro version of Bengaluruwith malls aglow with signboards for the latest brands and eateries brimming with people. Actually, the BJPs new development plank would seem a better fit here than shrill communal rhetoric. Indeed, the hijab controversy that rocked the region a year ago is not being thrown around much. Even the killing of BJP Yuva Morcha activist Praveen Nattaru, on which this paper keeps getting letters-to-the-Editor, is kept out of discussions. But all of it is doubtless alive at the psychological level. Teaching faculty at educational institutes express concern over the deep divide it has caused among the student community and say it may have a bearing on how they vote. Despite the BJPs attempt to stay away from the usual rhetoric, their staunch voters poohpooh the Congress campaign on corruption and price rise not on the facts themselves, but because they are Hindutva. That the Mangaluru-Bengaluru highway remains unfinishedbecause of a change of contractors midway  does not make it any easier for them. Instead, they point to the sprucing up of the temples that dot the region something the Congress never did as an achievement of the BJP. Ironically, the regions prosperity  all three major communities, Hindu, Christian and Muslim, being reasonably better off here  is precisely what seems to also breed division. Particularly, the purchasing and trading power of the Muslim community, with many Gulf returnees among them and robust remittances for most others, is a source of underlying envy for the educated unemployed non-Muslim youth. ALSO READ | Congress picks young guns for battle in BJP turf Dakshina Kannada The coastal regions prosperity  its second only to Bengaluru  has another interesting spinoff. The youth dont want to leave home for greener pastures. However, the state seems to have largely failed in providing employment to those who dont want to go abroad or to Bengaluru. The youth staring at a bleak job market constitute a subterranean reason, and base, for the social unrest. There is a mismatch between expectations and what three years of BJP government has delivered  and no amount of Gadbad ice cream at a swanky mall can cool the tempers of the soul. At any rate, unless it messes up, the Congress may be in line to pocket a few seats. In Mangaluru constituency, it has a reasonably popular MLA in UT Khader  being challenged by Satish Kumpala of the BJP  and the Muslim majority may tilt it in his favour. Likewise, in Muslim-dominated Bantwal, Congress warhorse Ramanath Rais announcement that it would be his last election may seal the edge he has over Rajesh Naik of the BJP. In Puttur, the BJPs Asha Thimmappa Gowda is having a tough fight against Ashok Kumar Rai of the Congress. BJP rebel Arunkumar Puttila is likely to split votes, benefiting the Congress in this Vokkaligadominated segment. Moodbidri is witnessing a fight between Umanath Kotian (BJP) and young Mithun Rai (Congress), where Congress is playing the youth card. ALSO READ | Congress' 10-point manifesto for coastal region in Karnataka The Billava community, to which the BJP candidate belongs, is in a majority here and he, therefore, has a head start. A significant part of coastal Tulunadus backward spectrum, the Billavas have been supporting the saffron ideology for years despite having veterans like Janardhana Poojary in the Congress. But intense caste-based bargaining for development perksthe state announced a Sri Narayana Guru Development Corporation as a last-minute sopgives notice to factors at play deeper than adhesive Hindutva. In the rest, local opinion is in favour of the BJP. An NSUI volunteer at a Rahul rally put it simply: Were in a fight for five. Seats, that is. Margaret Alvas son Nivedith Alva contesting from Kumta is seen mostly as a trial balloon, especially after the near-clean sweep of the region by the BJP in 2018 and 2019.
K Shiva Kumar By

Express News Service

MYSURU: People of Karnataka are for the Congress this time, says Opposition leader Siddaramaiah. In a tete-a-tete with The New Indian Express, Siddaramaiah opens up about the Karnataka battleground for the three major political parties, the fight and social structure of his home turf Varuna, which is set to see a high-voltage contest, and the poll campaign run by his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah.

You have toured the state, what is the response and prospects for Congress?

Prospects for the Congress are good this time, as there is a wave in favour of the party across the state. In Hyderabad-Karnataka region, we are expecting to win 30 of the total 41 seats, while in Mumbai-Karnataka region, where we did not perform too well last time, we will gain the upper hand, and also get equal seats in Central Karnataka. The situation has improved in Coastal Karnataka as well, and we are expecting to win at least five to six of the 13 seats.

There have been targeted speeches against you in Varuna to consolidate the Lingayat vote...

My statements were misinterpreted to mislead the people. Elections should be faced on facts, performance and programmes, but BJP has no issue, the party is just whipping up hatred between religions and communities to face the election. Lingayats are the most vocal and influential people. They have thrown their weight behind rival candidate Revannasiddaiah and KaPu Siddalingaswamy in the previous election.

Will the social structure of Varuna give scope for BJP to cut into Ahinda votes?

The constituency has an equal number of Lingayat and Dalit voters. I am sure that around 20% of Lingayats will vote for me and help me win this election, as nearly 90% of Dalits, Kurubas, Upparas and Muslims will be in favour of the Congress, while 50-60% of votes from the Nayaka community will also be in my favour. The people of Varuna have reposed faith in me and elected me twice, and also my son Yathindra by a margin of over 58,000 votes.

Will Old Mysuru region be a matter of concern?

The Congress did not put up an impressive performance in Mysuru in 2018, and did badly in Mandya too. However, this time the current is in favour of the Congress in Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Old Mysuru region.

Will there be an understanding between the JDS and BJP this time? How many seats will JDS win?

Definitely, there will be an understanding in some seats, but not everywhere. In the previous election, Vokkaligas were in aggressive mode and their vote share went to HD Deve Gowdas party. But this time, the scenario is different, they may get around 60 per cent Vokkaliga votes, and win a maximum of 25 seats. Take the instance of Mandya -- JDS, which got the upper hand in the previous polls, will lose seats and we will win at least four seats there.

There are reports that BJP will come out with a strategy to defeat Congress candidates after May 7

It is not surprising as BJP and JDS may come together, as expected in Varuna and a few other seats. I am confident that people are aware of their designs, and have already decided to vote for Congress as they have seen the poor governance of BJP... Our guarantee programme has made a considerable impact.

How is Yathindra campaigning on your home turf?

He has taken full responsibility for the campaign and is touring the state. Over the past five years, being MLA of Varuna, he has taken up development works and gained the peoples trust as well. People have seen me all these years, and even after carving out a new constituency, they are with me. I am hopeful they will stand by my development works.

MYSURU: People of Karnataka are for the Congress this time, says Opposition leader Siddaramaiah. In a tete-a-tete with The New Indian Express, Siddaramaiah opens up about the Karnataka battleground for the three major political parties, the fight and social structure of his home turf Varuna, which is set to see a high-voltage contest, and the poll campaign run by his son Yathindra Siddaramaiah. You have toured the state, what is the response and prospects for Congress? Prospects for the Congress are good this time, as there is a wave in favour of the party across the state. In Hyderabad-Karnataka region, we are expecting to win 30 of the total 41 seats, while in Mumbai-Karnataka region, where we did not perform too well last time, we will gain the upper hand, and also get equal seats in Central Karnataka. The situation has improved in Coastal Karnataka as well, and we are expecting to win at least five to six of the 13 seats.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); There have been targeted speeches against you in Varuna to consolidate the Lingayat vote... My statements were misinterpreted to mislead the people. Elections should be faced on facts, performance and programmes, but BJP has no issue, the party is just whipping up hatred between religions and communities to face the election. Lingayats are the most vocal and influential people. They have thrown their weight behind rival candidate Revannasiddaiah and KaPu Siddalingaswamy in the previous election. Will the social structure of Varuna give scope for BJP to cut into Ahinda votes? The constituency has an equal number of Lingayat and Dalit voters. I am sure that around 20% of Lingayats will vote for me and help me win this election, as nearly 90% of Dalits, Kurubas, Upparas and Muslims will be in favour of the Congress, while 50-60% of votes from the Nayaka community will also be in my favour. The people of Varuna have reposed faith in me and elected me twice, and also my son Yathindra by a margin of over 58,000 votes. Will Old Mysuru region be a matter of concern? The Congress did not put up an impressive performance in Mysuru in 2018, and did badly in Mandya too. However, this time the current is in favour of the Congress in Mandya, Mysuru, Chamarajanagar and Old Mysuru region. Will there be an understanding between the JDS and BJP this time? How many seats will JDS win? Definitely, there will be an understanding in some seats, but not everywhere. In the previous election, Vokkaligas were in aggressive mode and their vote share went to HD Deve Gowdas party. But this time, the scenario is different, they may get around 60 per cent Vokkaliga votes, and win a maximum of 25 seats. Take the instance of Mandya -- JDS, which got the upper hand in the previous polls, will lose seats and we will win at least four seats there. There are reports that BJP will come out with a strategy to defeat Congress candidates after May 7 It is not surprising as BJP and JDS may come together, as expected in Varuna and a few other seats. I am confident that people are aware of their designs, and have already decided to vote for Congress as they have seen the poor governance of BJP... Our guarantee programme has made a considerable impact. How is Yathindra campaigning on your home turf? He has taken full responsibility for the campaign and is touring the state. Over the past five years, being MLA of Varuna, he has taken up development works and gained the peoples trust as well. People have seen me all these years, and even after carving out a new constituency, they are with me. I am hopeful they will stand by my development works.
By Express News Service

In response to an article Its futile to compare Silverline with Vande Bharat, by Ajith Kumar, MD of the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, which appeared on April 24 edition of TNIE, M T Thomas, an RTI activist & patron of Anti Silverline Project Action Committee, responds.



Edited excerpts:



The article by Ajith Kumar says Silverline is a modern rail infrastructure with capacity to carry 10 lakh passengers per day. Even if we assume the above number of trips, as the carrying capacity of the Silverline is 675 persons only per trip, it will work out only around 1.95 lakh and not 10 lakh.

When the whole world is thinking of bullet trains with 350 to 500kmph and hyperloop with 1,000kmph speed, the Silverline project is proposed with 200kmph speed, which will be operational after 10 to 15 years from now. The CE Southern Railway has in his letter dated 10.06 & 15.06.20 to KRDCL, has stated that since the curve proposed is 1850mts only, the anticipated speed cannot be achieved. It is also mentioned in the report of MD KRDCL, that Vande Bharat will not be able to achieve more than 160kmph, which is absolutely false. The speed of Vande Bharat can be increased up to 180-200kmph.

The Railway minister has clarified that Vande Bharat Express will be able to reach Kasaragod from Thiruvananthapuram in five-and-a-half hours against the proposed time of four hours for the Silverline, within three years. It will take another 10 to 15 years for commencement of Silverline. By the next 10 to 15 years the speed of Vande Bharat or similar trains will be much higher.

Against the estimate of Rs 63,941 crore for the Silverline project, Niti Aayog has stated that it will be Rs 1,26,000 crore. Moreover, around 3,500 acres of land has to be acquired and 1,00,000 people will have to be evicted for the project.

It is mentioned that 50,000 people will be directly and indirectly employed during construction period. It is ridiculous to state that after evicting 1,00,000 people for the project, 11,000 people will be given jobs, that too after 10 to 15 years.

Another aspect pointed out by the author is that the broad gauge infrastructure in the state is not adequate to run Vande Bharat trains at 160 kmph. The minister has already announced that by improving the signalling system, and straightening the sharp curves on the track, Vande Bharat trains will be run at 110 kmph within one-and-a-half years and in another three years at 130 kmph.

The fare proposed for the Silverline is Rs 2.75 per km. The fare proposed for the Pune - Nashik semi high-speed train is Rs 4 per km. If we take at least the same Rs 4 per km, the fare will be around Rs 2,120 from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, whereas the fare for Vande Bharat is only Rs 1,590 including food, in the ordinary class. The fare proposed for Silverline is based on the estimate of Rs 63,941 crore as on 2020. The estimate assessed by Niti Aayog is Rs 1,26,000 crore.

The most heartening aspect is that the Vande Bharat Express is completely indigenous and we should all be proud of the achievement.

For saving mere one-and-a-half hours for travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, we have to spend Rs 1,26,000 crore and evict 1,00,000 people for the project. When we analyse both the trains, we can all agree to disagree on the Silverline project.

In response to an article Its futile to compare Silverline with Vande Bharat, by Ajith Kumar, MD of the Kerala Rail Development Corporation, which appeared on April 24 edition of TNIE, M T Thomas, an RTI activist & patron of Anti Silverline Project Action Committee, responds. Edited excerpts: The article by Ajith Kumar says Silverline is a modern rail infrastructure with capacity to carry 10 lakh passengers per day. Even if we assume the above number of trips, as the carrying capacity of the Silverline is 675 persons only per trip, it will work out only around 1.95 lakh and not 10 lakh. When the whole world is thinking of bullet trains with 350 to 500kmph and hyperloop with 1,000kmph speed, the Silverline project is proposed with 200kmph speed, which will be operational after 10 to 15 years from now. The CE Southern Railway has in his letter dated 10.06 & 15.06.20 to KRDCL, has stated that since the curve proposed is 1850mts only, the anticipated speed cannot be achieved. It is also mentioned in the report of MD KRDCL, that Vande Bharat will not be able to achieve more than 160kmph, which is absolutely false. The speed of Vande Bharat can be increased up to 180-200kmph. The Railway minister has clarified that Vande Bharat Express will be able to reach Kasaragod from Thiruvananthapuram in five-and-a-half hours against the proposed time of four hours for the Silverline, within three years. It will take another 10 to 15 years for commencement of Silverline. By the next 10 to 15 years the speed of Vande Bharat or similar trains will be much higher.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); Against the estimate of Rs 63,941 crore for the Silverline project, Niti Aayog has stated that it will be Rs 1,26,000 crore. Moreover, around 3,500 acres of land has to be acquired and 1,00,000 people will have to be evicted for the project. It is mentioned that 50,000 people will be directly and indirectly employed during construction period. It is ridiculous to state that after evicting 1,00,000 people for the project, 11,000 people will be given jobs, that too after 10 to 15 years. Another aspect pointed out by the author is that the broad gauge infrastructure in the state is not adequate to run Vande Bharat trains at 160 kmph. The minister has already announced that by improving the signalling system, and straightening the sharp curves on the track, Vande Bharat trains will be run at 110 kmph within one-and-a-half years and in another three years at 130 kmph. The fare proposed for the Silverline is Rs 2.75 per km. The fare proposed for the Pune - Nashik semi high-speed train is Rs 4 per km. If we take at least the same Rs 4 per km, the fare will be around Rs 2,120 from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, whereas the fare for Vande Bharat is only Rs 1,590 including food, in the ordinary class. The fare proposed for Silverline is based on the estimate of Rs 63,941 crore as on 2020. The estimate assessed by Niti Aayog is Rs 1,26,000 crore. The most heartening aspect is that the Vande Bharat Express is completely indigenous and we should all be proud of the achievement. For saving mere one-and-a-half hours for travelling from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod, we have to spend Rs 1,26,000 crore and evict 1,00,000 people for the project. When we analyse both the trains, we can all agree to disagree on the Silverline project.
B Anbuselvan By

Express News Service

CHENNAI: The state highways department has taken a slew of measures to improve its performance and accelerate long-pending road projects in a transparent manner. These measures include establishing a dedicated cell for land acquisition, implementing an internal auditing system, and utilising technology to ensure road quality. The department receives Rs 16,000 to Rs 17,400 crore funds a year.

During 2022-23, the highways department commenced works to upgrade 10,000 km of panchayat union and panchayat roads to other district roads. Additionally, 9,900 km of single, intermediate, and double-lane roads passing through semi-rural and urban areas will be widened. These efforts will improve road connectivity to major industries, hospitals, block districts, and taluk headquarters.

The suspension of four highways officials, including a divisional engineer in Karur district in April last year, for paying Rs 3 crore to contractors for work that was not completed, has highlighted the operational gaps within the department. This prompted the department to introduce an internal audit system.

The expansion of land acquisition units has brought some benefits to the highways department, enabling the construction of flyovers, road over bridges, and road widening works in Chennai, Madurai, Vellore, Coimbatore, Tiruppattur, Tiruchy, and other locations where such projects had been delayed for almost 10 to 15 years. Until last year, the highway had nine special land acquisition and management units headed by DROs and 44 under tahsildars to carry out land acquisition works. Now the land acquisition and management units have been increased to 14 under special DROs.

Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports EV Velu handing over a cheque for Rs 4 crore as maritime board dividends for 2021-22 to CM MK Stalin | Express

After nearly 20 years since its approval, the construction of the rail over bridge at Korukkupet has recently commenced. The long-pending ROB works near Veppampattu and Thirunindravur have also received some relief.

Highways Minister E V Velu said, A total of 403 km of new four-lane roads are being built at a cost of Rs 3,730 crore. 1,070 km of single and intermediate other district roads are being upgraded into two-lane major district roads. In addition, out of 440 hectares of private land, 431 hectares have been acquired for Chennai - Kanniyakumari industrial corridor project in 348 Villages.

Special land acquisition units helped the highways to take up construction of bypasses for Uthiramerur, Tiruppur and Coimbatore Western Ring road last year. A total of Rs 435.39 crore has been allotted for the works. The bypass works are at an advanced stage for 16 other towns.

However, land acquisition which involves forest land gets delayed and there was no significant improvement in developing the 9.3 km Tambaram Eastern Bypass which aims to decongest the GST road. The proposed road connecting the GST road at Perungalathur to the Velachery-Tambaram road near Madambakkam has been delayed for over 10 years.

Dayanand Krishnan of Tambaram based residents welfare association said, Tambaram bypass project was proposed 20 years ago and construction began in 2009. The 3-km stretch in Mappedu has been completed, but no contractor has come forward to develop the road in the Puthur section. Land acquisition is yet to be completed for the remaining section, mainly due to issues in obtaining NOC from the forest department.

Velu said, To undertake improvements to village roads, committees have been formed at the district level. Projects are not sanctioned solely on the basis of requests from the panchayat presidents, but rather roads with high traffic density are given priority. So far, 91 roads that stretch 232.77 km completed.

ALSO READ | During inspection, I carry a road cutter to check quality: Tamil Nadu minister

Chief Ministers Road Development Programme

Target: 2,200 km of two-lane roads into four-lane & 6,700 km of single-lane and intermediate-lane roads into double-lane roads in the next 10 years.

Completed works

403 km two-lane into four-lane at Rs 3,730 crore

1,070 km Single/Intermediate lane to 2 lanes at Rs 1,668 crore

Upgrading of 10,000 km of panchayat and panchayat union roads into ODR roads in the next 10 years.

2,000 km length of roads taken up at a cost of Rs 2,187 crore.

91 roads for a length of 232.77 km completed.

Works completed in 2022-23

14 ROBs/ RUBs have been built since 2021 at a cost of Rs 464.31 crore & level crossings have been closed.

Administrative sanction has been accorded for building ten ROB/RUB at a cost of Rs 393.50 crore.

147 high-level bridges constructed replacing causes for the free flow of traffic across rivers since 2021.

Works taken up last year

Construction of bypasses (alternative routes) for Uthiramerur, Tiruppur & Coimbatore Western Ring road have been taken up at a cost of Rs 435.39 crore.

CHENNAI: The state highways department has taken a slew of measures to improve its performance and accelerate long-pending road projects in a transparent manner. These measures include establishing a dedicated cell for land acquisition, implementing an internal auditing system, and utilising technology to ensure road quality. The department receives Rs 16,000 to Rs 17,400 crore funds a year. During 2022-23, the highways department commenced works to upgrade 10,000 km of panchayat union and panchayat roads to other district roads. Additionally, 9,900 km of single, intermediate, and double-lane roads passing through semi-rural and urban areas will be widened. These efforts will improve road connectivity to major industries, hospitals, block districts, and taluk headquarters. The suspension of four highways officials, including a divisional engineer in Karur district in April last year, for paying Rs 3 crore to contractors for work that was not completed, has highlighted the operational gaps within the department. This prompted the department to introduce an internal audit system. googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The expansion of land acquisition units has brought some benefits to the highways department, enabling the construction of flyovers, road over bridges, and road widening works in Chennai, Madurai, Vellore, Coimbatore, Tiruppattur, Tiruchy, and other locations where such projects had been delayed for almost 10 to 15 years. Until last year, the highway had nine special land acquisition and management units headed by DROs and 44 under tahsildars to carry out land acquisition works. Now the land acquisition and management units have been increased to 14 under special DROs. Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports EV Velu handing over a cheque for Rs 4 crore as maritime board dividends for 2021-22 to CM MK Stalin | Express After nearly 20 years since its approval, the construction of the rail over bridge at Korukkupet has recently commenced. The long-pending ROB works near Veppampattu and Thirunindravur have also received some relief. Highways Minister E V Velu said, A total of 403 km of new four-lane roads are being built at a cost of Rs 3,730 crore. 1,070 km of single and intermediate other district roads are being upgraded into two-lane major district roads. In addition, out of 440 hectares of private land, 431 hectares have been acquired for Chennai - Kanniyakumari industrial corridor project in 348 Villages. Special land acquisition units helped the highways to take up construction of bypasses for Uthiramerur, Tiruppur and Coimbatore Western Ring road last year. A total of Rs 435.39 crore has been allotted for the works. The bypass works are at an advanced stage for 16 other towns. However, land acquisition which involves forest land gets delayed and there was no significant improvement in developing the 9.3 km Tambaram Eastern Bypass which aims to decongest the GST road. The proposed road connecting the GST road at Perungalathur to the Velachery-Tambaram road near Madambakkam has been delayed for over 10 years. Dayanand Krishnan of Tambaram based residents welfare association said, Tambaram bypass project was proposed 20 years ago and construction began in 2009. The 3-km stretch in Mappedu has been completed, but no contractor has come forward to develop the road in the Puthur section. Land acquisition is yet to be completed for the remaining section, mainly due to issues in obtaining NOC from the forest department. Velu said, To undertake improvements to village roads, committees have been formed at the district level. Projects are not sanctioned solely on the basis of requests from the panchayat presidents, but rather roads with high traffic density are given priority. So far, 91 roads that stretch 232.77 km completed. ALSO READ | During inspection, I carry a road cutter to check quality: Tamil Nadu minister Chief Ministers Road Development Programme Target: 2,200 km of two-lane roads into four-lane & 6,700 km of single-lane and intermediate-lane roads into double-lane roads in the next 10 years. Completed works 403 km two-lane into four-lane at Rs 3,730 crore 1,070 km Single/Intermediate lane to 2 lanes at Rs 1,668 crore Upgrading of 10,000 km of panchayat and panchayat union roads into ODR roads in the next 10 years. 2,000 km length of roads taken up at a cost of Rs 2,187 crore. 91 roads for a length of 232.77 km completed. Works completed in 2022-23 14 ROBs/ RUBs have been built since 2021 at a cost of Rs 464.31 crore & level crossings have been closed. Administrative sanction has been accorded for building ten ROB/RUB at a cost of Rs 393.50 crore. 147 high-level bridges constructed replacing causes for the free flow of traffic across rivers since 2021. Works taken up last year Construction of bypasses (alternative routes) for Uthiramerur, Tiruppur & Coimbatore Western Ring road have been taken up at a cost of Rs 435.39 crore.
By AFP

MLADENOVAC: Serbian police said Friday they had arrested a man suspected of killing eight people and injuring at least 14 others in the country's second mass shooting this week, following a manhunt through the night.

The back-to-back shootings have left Serbians horrified, spurring vows from President Aleksandar Vucic to launch a massive crackdown to remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the Balkan country.

The latest shooting erupted around midnight near Mladenovac -- about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of the capital Belgrade -- when a 21-year-old gunman armed with an automatic weapon opened fire from a moving vehicle, according to state-run RTS television.

The shooting spree spread across three separate villages in the area.

It prompted a manhunt through the night as police combed the woods near Belgrade, with a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight appearing to search for the fugitive gunman.

READ HERE: Teen shoots dead eight kids, guard in Belgrade elementary school

"Following a wide search, police arrested U.B.," police said in a statement, using only the suspect's initials.

"He is suspected to have killed eight and injured 14 people overnight. The injured are hospitalised."

The police said the man had been arrested near the central city of Kragujevac -- roughly 90 kilometres from the scene of the attacks.

According to RTS, the suspect was arrested at the home of a relative and was in possession of four hand grenades and a large amount of illegal weapons and ammunition.

The incident happened less than 48 hours after the worst school shooting in Serbia's recent history, when a 13-year-old killed nine people, including eight fellow students, at a school in downtown Belgrade on Wednesday.

The shootings have left the country in a state of deep shock, with thousands flocking to makeshift memorial sites while others have queued to donate blood.

'A disaster'

The latest incident is believed to have begun at around midnight.

The state broadcaster said the suspected shooter first opened fire at a schoolyard in the village of Dubona, killing a police officer and his sister along with others in the area.

The gunman then moved onto the nearby villages of Mali Orasje and Sepsin, according to RTS.

"We heard gunshots in the evening, but I thought it was fireworks, children fooling around. It did not even occur to me that something like this could happen," Zvonko Mladenovic, a Dubona resident, told AFP.

Mladenovic said his cousin's granddaughter had been shot and wounded.

"She was visiting her grandfather. This was where the kids were hanging out and... she was shot in the head," Mladenovic added.

"First those kids in Belgrade, and now this. This is a disaster."

The biggest tragedy in the modern history of Serbia happened this morning.

In unprecedented school shooting in Belgrade, eight children and a security guard have been killed. Six kids and a teacher were wounded.

The perpetrator was the 14-year-old boy. pic.twitter.com/P0te2jwnNz  TamErendil (@ErendilTam) May 3, 2023

Dubona resident Slobodan Nikolic said a group of young people had been gathered on a park bench, where they were singing and hanging out before the shooting.

At dawn on Friday, a heavy police presence could be seen in the area of the latest shooting.

Roughly 600 police personnel had been deployed to the area, according to RTS, with members of an elite anti-terrorist unit patrolling the highway.

Worried relatives gathered outside the emergency medical centre in Belgrade, where at least eight of the injured were hospitalised, N1 television reported.

Serbia began a three-day mourning period on Friday during what is normally a festive time at the beginning of spring, with people flocking outdoors and filling cafes to meet friends and families.

'Difficult days'

Mass school shootings are extremely rare in Serbia, with Vucic calling Wednesday's tragedy "one of the most difficult days" in recent history.

In a national address on Friday, Vucic vowed to oversee a massive review of registered weapons in the country in a crackdown that would remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the public and seize illegal arms.

"We will do an almost complete disarming of Serbia," Vucic said during a live broadcast.

The president said there were more than 760,000 registered firearms in the country of roughly 6.8 million people.

The interior ministry has appealed to all firearm owners to keep their guns locked in safes or risk having them seized.

There was another shooting in Serbia. At least 15 were injured, children were injured, some were killed including a police officer, the killer is on the run.

I have no words... pic.twitter.com/eScCgzN3di  zoki

MLADENOVAC: Serbian police said Friday they had arrested a man suspected of killing eight people and injuring at least 14 others in the country's second mass shooting this week, following a manhunt through the night. The back-to-back shootings have left Serbians horrified, spurring vows from President Aleksandar Vucic to launch a massive crackdown to remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the Balkan country. The latest shooting erupted around midnight near Mladenovac -- about 60 kilometres (37 miles) south of the capital Belgrade -- when a 21-year-old gunman armed with an automatic weapon opened fire from a moving vehicle, according to state-run RTS television.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-8052921-2'); }); The shooting spree spread across three separate villages in the area. It prompted a manhunt through the night as police combed the woods near Belgrade, with a helicopter circling overhead with a spotlight appearing to search for the fugitive gunman. READ HERE: Teen shoots dead eight kids, guard in Belgrade elementary school "Following a wide search, police arrested U.B.," police said in a statement, using only the suspect's initials. "He is suspected to have killed eight and injured 14 people overnight. The injured are hospitalised." The police said the man had been arrested near the central city of Kragujevac -- roughly 90 kilometres from the scene of the attacks. According to RTS, the suspect was arrested at the home of a relative and was in possession of four hand grenades and a large amount of illegal weapons and ammunition. The incident happened less than 48 hours after the worst school shooting in Serbia's recent history, when a 13-year-old killed nine people, including eight fellow students, at a school in downtown Belgrade on Wednesday. The shootings have left the country in a state of deep shock, with thousands flocking to makeshift memorial sites while others have queued to donate blood. 'A disaster' The latest incident is believed to have begun at around midnight. The state broadcaster said the suspected shooter first opened fire at a schoolyard in the village of Dubona, killing a police officer and his sister along with others in the area. The gunman then moved onto the nearby villages of Mali Orasje and Sepsin, according to RTS. "We heard gunshots in the evening, but I thought it was fireworks, children fooling around. It did not even occur to me that something like this could happen," Zvonko Mladenovic, a Dubona resident, told AFP. Mladenovic said his cousin's granddaughter had been shot and wounded. "She was visiting her grandfather. This was where the kids were hanging out and... she was shot in the head," Mladenovic added. "First those kids in Belgrade, and now this. This is a disaster." The biggest tragedy in the modern history of Serbia happened this morning. In unprecedented school shooting in Belgrade, eight children and a security guard have been killed. Six kids and a teacher were wounded. The perpetrator was the 14-year-old boy. pic.twitter.com/P0te2jwnNz  TamErendil (@ErendilTam) May 3, 2023 Dubona resident Slobodan Nikolic said a group of young people had been gathered on a park bench, where they were singing and hanging out before the shooting. At dawn on Friday, a heavy police presence could be seen in the area of the latest shooting. Roughly 600 police personnel had been deployed to the area, according to RTS, with members of an elite anti-terrorist unit patrolling the highway. Worried relatives gathered outside the emergency medical centre in Belgrade, where at least eight of the injured were hospitalised, N1 television reported. Serbia began a three-day mourning period on Friday during what is normally a festive time at the beginning of spring, with people flocking outdoors and filling cafes to meet friends and families. 'Difficult days' Mass school shootings are extremely rare in Serbia, with Vucic calling Wednesday's tragedy "one of the most difficult days" in recent history. In a national address on Friday, Vucic vowed to oversee a massive review of registered weapons in the country in a crackdown that would remove hundreds of thousands of guns from the public and seize illegal arms. "We will do an almost complete disarming of Serbia," Vucic said during a live broadcast. The president said there were more than 760,000 registered firearms in the country of roughly 6.8 million people. The interior ministry has appealed to all firearm owners to keep their guns locked in safes or risk having them seized. There was another shooting in Serbia. At least 15 were injured, children were injured, some were killed including a police officer, the killer is on the run. I have no words... pic.twitter.com/eScCgzN3di  zoki
Centre grants forest clearance for PGI Satellite Centre at Una: Himachal CM Sukhu

Shimla, May 4: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that a major hurdle has been removed for the construction of the PGI Satellite Centre at Una as the Union Ministry of Forests, Environment and Climate Change has given its forest clearance.

Centre grants forest clearance for PGI Satellite Centre at Una: Himachal CM Sukhu

"The present State Government has taken up this matter with the Union Ministry vigorously and had asked to provide clearance for this ambitious project to expedite the construction work," said Sukhu.He said that PGI Satellite Centre Una was crucial for providing better health care services for the people of Una, Kangra, Hamirpur and Bilaspur districts.The Chief Minister said that the foundation stone for this health institution was laid in March 2018 but the construction work for the project has not started yet and after getting the clearance from the Union Ministry, construction work will commence shortly."The state government had been taking up forest clearance cases of various ambitious projects with the Central Government on a priority basis. To speed up the process of clearance in the cases of FCA and FRA, the State Government has decided to provide handholding to the user agencies through the forest clearance consultant organization (FCCO)," he said.He said that the State Government had effectively taken up the issue of FCA and FRA clearance with the Supreme Court after which the Apex Court removed the condition of its prior permission.The Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to providing the best healthcare facilities to the people of the State at their doorsteps so that they do not face any inconvenience in getting specialized medical services.ANI04 May 2023

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BJP leaders to join Bajrang Dal in Hanuman Chalisa recital across Ktaka

Bengaluru, May 4: BJP on Thursday announced to launch a movement against Congress's proposal to ban Bajrang Dal, ahead of the May 10 Karnataka Assembly polls.

BJP leaders to join Bajrang Dal in Hanuman Chalisa recital across K'taka

The manifesto promise by Congress has been turned into a launch pad for BJP in the last phase of the election campaign which will end on May 8.According to Bajrang Dal workers, the event has been organised across the temples especially in Hanuman temples on Thursday between l p.m and 7 p.m. The BJP has declared its support and also officially stated that its leaders will participate in the event.Earlier in the day, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shobha Karandlaje dared the Congress leaders to attend the event. "Today evening across Karnataka, in all regions, we will take part in the event with the public. Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, who accused BJP leaders of not knowing Hanuman Chalisa, should attend the event," she said."I have accepted his challenge. I am participating in the event at a temple in Malleshwaram in Bengaluru. He should attend the programme," the minister added.The people have observed childish and anti-Hindu statements of Randeep Singh Surjewala. He doesn't know who is father and mother of Lord Hanuman and spoke incorrectly.He disputed the fact that Karnataka is the birthplace of Lord Hanuman. He questioned the development of Anjanadri Hills, regarded as the birth place by the BJP government. Where do you want to take these elections to? Shobha questioned."Because Hindus are a tolerant lot, you have taken their religious sentiments for granted. Had you spoken on these lines about Islam, the entire state would have been in turmoil. What wrong has Bajrang Dal done? In which cooker blast has it been involved? You have included the proposal as per the wishes of SDPI," Shobha claimed."You have dragged Lord Hanuman to the elections. I will stand with Bajrang Dal firmly. With me, many others will join in reciting Hanuman chalisa at temples," she asserted.On Bajrang Dal's relationship with RSS, she claimed that RSS is the mother root and its political outfit is BJP. Bajrang Dal is another wing which will take care whenever the young generation is in crisis and sentiments are hurt, they take care of it. The student wing is ABVP and for Adivasis, Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram is formed.As per sources, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Bajrang Dal and Hindu organisations have extended their support to Hanuman Chalisa recital programme at temples condemning the proposal of Congress manifesto to ban Bajrang Dal.Minister for Revenue R. Ashoka stated that the protests are registered everywhere in Karnataka and people are supporting it. "I am also joining Hanuman Chalisa recital," he said.IANS04 May 2023

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By Azernews

Rena Murshud

...the restrictions after the revolution in Iran, Part 2

The political analyst Sadraddin Soltan says that after the establishment of the theocratic regime in Iran, the hijab rule was first introduced. Among this society, it was considered the greatest pressure against personal freedom. Women who resisted this practice were arrested, beaten, and even executed. The Tehran regime imposed this rule on society by force. The results of this regime are currently manifesting themselves in the country. While there is no compelling or violence in the Quran, the country enforced this rule by force using the Islamic religion.

The second issue is the constitution. In contrast to the King's era, the constitution implemented by the current regime keeps the freedom of language, culture and press under constant control. People belonging to many ethnic groups living in Iran cannot speak any language except Persian and Armenian. While half of the country is made up of Azerbaijani Turks, there are not only schools in Azerbaijani or Turkish, but even speaking in this language is not allowed. And the most terrible thing is that if the prohibitions were not followed, they were prevented as a result of pressure. This tradition is an example of the continuation of the Panfarcism policy of the Iranian authorities, which existed from the time of Reza Pahlavi.

But the question arises, could those who came to power after him be able to do what the king could not do?

"The leading person in Iran is not the president, but the supreme religious leader of the country according to the constitution, and that person is Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei in Iran. At the same time, the supreme leader is elected by the Khubrigan council, a council of religious experts, which has more than 80 members. It is he who gives all the instructions for the country, and his decisions are implemented by the Supervisory Board.

Now a bit more detailed...

After the revolution, the first president was Abulhasan Banisadr, and after him, the second president, who was in power for 28 days, was Mohammadali Rajai. Later, Ruhullah Khomeini was elected supreme leader, and Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was elected president. Although all the presidents who came to power in Iran carried out economic, political and social reforms, none of them brought results. For example, although Mohammad Khatami, who came to power in 1997, carried out reforms on culture and economy, and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who came to power in 2005, on social issues, none of them yielded results because he was the supreme leader. On the eve of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's second term in power, a new line called "Green Movement" was formed. According to their thinking, the country will act under the name of the Islamic Republic after that time. Although the prime minister, chairman and many presidents supported the movement, it did not last long. The initiatives put forward by the presidents in power did not bring any results.

What is Iran's relationship with neighboring countries?

"Iran, the country whose president is power of substitute has neither an ally nor a normal relationship with Muslim countries. The constant tense situation with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and uncertain relations with Turkmenistan and Turkiye are ongoing. The relationship with Azerbaijan is also clear. It is because Iran claims hegemony. According to their thinking, Iran is the biggest country in the region and all the countries of the region should reckon with it. Iran's desire in regional countries; to create a 5th colony in Azerbaijan, Turkiye, Iraq, and Syria. Iran also interferes in the internal affairs of Arab countries. The Iranian government has a branch outside the country called Quds, which is engaged in counterintelligence activities. In fact, it is meant to show Armenia as a neighbor and normal relationship, but Iran uses it as a tool against Azerbaijan and Turkiye.

As regards the headline - the terror-stricken Iran, is the matter of its domestic and foreign terrorism, while it acts all of these thing under the guise of Islam.

The Iranian government had a kind of cannibal character. This regime, which came to power with the decline of the revolution, has never made fair and transparent decisions and has not even created the conditions for it.

Terrorism in Iran can be compared to the activities of the Bolsheviks who overthrew the tsarist regime in Russia and destroyed their descendants. They had a saying - "Red revolution and white terror". The Bolshevik movement, which is essentially the same, is also taking place in Iran. For some reason, Iran sometimes replaced this terror with execution; implements oppositional thinking to eliminate those who oppose the government. However, Iran does not think that this event has a boomerang effect. As an example, one can take the killing of Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani, a member of the Council of Experts, in Babolsar as a result of an armed attack. Many of the previous incidents are recurred terrorist attacks against the Iranian government. Iran does not think that oppression and executions against people, terrorism against other countries cause hatred against the government.

The undisclosed oppressive methods of Iran, which has not yet been announced to the world

Why does the Pahlavi's government, which was overthrown by the people's protest, want to destroy the mullah's regime now?

As we know, all revolutions have a condition. Discontents arose from the society when the government was not managed properly. Discontents arise between the society and the government because the government has collapsed and the resources are running out. As a protest, the society burns pictures of top leaders and chants slogans against the government. The factors that led to the overthrow of the king can also be attributed to the current government.

The deadly weapon that can end the world - nuclear...

It is said that Iran has the power to develop nuclear weapons. It is interesting if this is a myth or the truth?

Iran's creation of nuclear weapons is unfortunately more a fact than a myth. It is claimed that North Korea and Russia helped him in this direction. As mentioned above, the issue of creating nuclear power plants in Iran existed as a project during Reza Pahlavi's reign. Although this project was stopped for a while, it was later realized with the help of Russian-Chinese experts. Iran is training a large number of specialists who have studied in the field of atomic physics and experienced in nuclear power plants. After the US imposed sanctions on such institutions of Russia, Iran stopped its cooperation with those universities and institutions. However, according to the reports of representatives of the Atomic Energy Agency, Iran's nuclear weapon is not far away.

Sometimes they say don't believe the rumors. But there are rumors that one wants to believe. It is said that Iran may be wiped off the map someday. Can this be accepted as the truth..?

Great powers are short-lived. Since the ideology of the Iranian regime is rotten, the same thought can be applied to them. We encountered such a situation in the history of the USSR, which lasted for 70 years. The question is...what will be Iran's unifying factor? The Iranian regime wanted to create a single state by isolating non-Persian nationalities in the country. However, the attempts of separate non-Persian national ethnic groups to create their own states have confirmed once again that this desire of Iran will not be realized.
Passengers left in lurch in Jaipur after cancellation of Go First flights

Jaipur, May 4: Like all other airports in the country, the Jaipur airport is also facing the impact after Wadia group-owned Go First airline suspended all its flights for three days from May 3 to May 9, resulting in suspension of flights from here to Goa, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

Passengers left in lurch in Jaipur after cancellation of Go First flights

On Tuesday, the airline had said that it has filed for insolvency resolution as it can no longer continue to meet its financial obligations, blaming US company Pratt iamp; Whitney's "faulty engines" for grounding of 50 per cent of its fleet.According to the Jaipur airport administration, the airline had given a letter announcing suspension of flight operations from the airport from May 3 to May 5, which it extended to May 9 on Thursday."Due to operational reasons, Go First flights are cancelled until May 9, 2023. We apologise for the inconvenience caused and request the customers to visit https//bit.ly/42ab9la for more info. For any queries or concerns, please feel free to contact us," the airline tweeted.The company operates daily flights from Jaipur to Goa, Mumbai and Bengaluru. According to airport sources, more than 400 passengers fly to these cities every day, who are now facing problems due to cancellation of flights. Due to this, the demand for tickets has increased in other airlines.The chief of Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), Vikram Dev Dutt, on Thursday directed Go First to provide refunds to the passengers who have booked tickets on the airline's cancelled flights within the time frame prescribed by the airline regulations.IANS04 May 2023

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Sopra Banking Software unveils state-of-the-art Noida campus

Noida, May 4: Sopra Banking Software, a leading partner for more than 1,500 financial institutions worldwide, today announced the opening of its new office in Noida. Nestled in the prime locality of Noida's Sector-132, the 10-story campus offers a vibrant working environment to colleagues. The spacious, bright, and naturally lit interiors of the premises with plenty of green spaces, offer a welcoming experience to the colleagues and leave them feeling energized to bring out their best in everything they do.

Sopra Banking Software unveils state-of-the-art Noida campus

The new office space is modelled with Agile Seating offering a mix of sitting and standing workspaces that offer a collaborative experience. There are plenty of meeting rooms for team huddles that are backed with superior conferencing capabilities and equipment. From an employee engagement perspective, the new campus houses a training room, a large recreational room and gymnasium with cool indoor and board games for individuals to take a quick break and feel refreshed.Reflecting on the company's buoyant plans for India Sunil Goyal, CEO of Sopra Banking Software India, and Deputy CEO of Sopra Steria India, said, "We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of quality and efficiency in all our operations, and our new office is a testament to providing exceptional service to our clients and offer a great working space to our colleagues. It is because of their sheer commitment that we were accredited as a Great Place to Work - the second time in a row! We are excited to have a new address in Noida that reflects our values, passion and supports our business ambitions."Addressing the teams, Eric Pasquier, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors Sopra Steria and Chairman Sopra Banking Software, said, "I am thrilled to announce the opening of our new site in India. India is at the heart of Sopra Steria Group's growth strategy and our team's here are doing a fantastic job for our customers. Two years ago, our ambition was to be 1000 Sopra Banking Software colleagues in India; we are today 1100 and the global ambition for the group for Sopra Steria and Sopra Banking Software in India is to be 10,000 employees in 2025. This new campus is symbolic of our success and our ambition for the future, and it also highlights the level of standards that we want as part of and for our employees' wellness in their everyday work-life.With our digital products and services, we are building the future. We focus on human-centered and value-sensitive approaches to technology understanding and design. The new tech-campus will continue to engage with the local community through various CSR initiatives such as education, health, and environment. This will contribute to the development of a positive relationship between the organization and the community, which is crucial for its long-term sustainability. Overall, the opening of our new tech-campus will help us in demonstrating our commitment to India's economic and social development and contribute to the CSR goals. We believe that the initiatives by our CSR foundation will have a significant impact on the lives of over 50,000 children, as it will enable them to learn and grow, regardless of their financial situation."Speaking during his in-person interaction with the colleagues today, Eric Bierry, CEO of Sopra Banking Software said, "India is an integral factor of our Global Innovation, Research and Development. With the opening of our new office in Noida, we aim to deliver on our promise of offering a thriving working environment to our colleagues. We are excited about the opportunities that this new office brings and are confident that it will play a significant role in our future successes. We look forward to collaborating with our teams and partners in India and building strong relationships that will last for years to come."Since Sopra Banking's inception in 2012, the revenue has increased from 171 million euros to nearly half a billion. The organisation has evolved from a France-centric provider to a global one and has expanded its services to include cloud technology and an open banking platform. The organisation is focused in making finance accessible to as many people as possible and thus building a better future. Sopra Banking expanded its presence in India in 2019 with a focus on R and D and innovation centre and is now a strong family with 1000+ colleagues.Eric Fajole, the French trade and investment commissioner of France in India said, "I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to Sopra Banking Software on the inauguration of their state-of-the-art campus in Noida. This is a significant milestone for the company and a testament to their global vision and commitment to excellence in India. The new campus will undoubtedly provide a platform for innovation and collaboration, mark as a strong symbol of the partnership between France and India in the field of technology. I wish Sopra Banking Software all the very best for their future endeavours."Sopra Banking Software is the partner of choice for more than 1,500 financial institutions worldwide. The rich variety of our solutions, the strength of our conviction and our passion for innovation enable us to support our clients daily and in their future projects, as well as in their goals regarding financial inclusion. Our customers, based in over 80 countries around the world, benefit every day from our technologies and software, as well as the expertise of our 5,000 employees.Sopra Banking Software is a subsidiary of the Sopra Steria Group, a European leader in consulting, digital services, and software development. With more than 50,000 employees, the Sopra Steria Group generated a turnover of EUR5.1 billion in 2022.For more information, follow us on LinkedIn or visit .This story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI04 May 2023

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Doctors save preterm baby born without enough oxygen

New Delhi, May 4: A preterm baby born at 34 weeks without enough oxygen and weighing just 1.8 kilogram was saved by doctors at Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh.

Doctors save preterm baby born without enough oxygen

The baby, born last year, to a Kanpur based couple had complaints of perinatal asphyxia (didn't cry at birth) and had only 60 per cent oxygen levels.Born via caesarean, the mother had severe obstructed labour pains, also known as labour dystocia when the baby does not exit the pelvis during childbirth due to being physically blocked, despite the uterus contracting normally, which resulted in perinatal asphyxia and continuous seizures in the baby which could not be controlled with many anti-epileptics.Birth asphyxia happens when a baby's brain and other organs do not get enough oxygen and nutrients before, during or right after birth. This can happen without anyone knowing, said doctors at Cloudnine Hospital, Kanpur who treated the baby.After being referred to the hospital, the doctors gave the baby ventilator support for four days along with anti-epileptic medication.Further evaluation confirmed neonatal sepsis and required longer secondary respiratory support. The baby was also diagnosed with kidney injuries."This is a rare and unique case and has been successfully treated. Failure to establish breathing at birth, accounts for an estimated 24 per cent of neonatal deaths and one the leading cause of death in newborns. In severe cases, it can cause serious complications and even be life threatening. Immediate treatment is necessary to ensure that the baby receives enough oxygen," said Dr Ankur Gupta, Senior Consultant - Neonatologist and Paediatrician, Cloudnine, in a statement.While the "baby was discharged on day 21" with a weight of 2.2 kg, the doctors continued to monitor him for a period of 9-12 months because the baby had a turbulent NICU stay and was complicated with multiple issues during the stay.He is "doing well now," Gupta said.IANS05 May 2023

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Vote for BJP in Jalandhar bypoll to strengthen Modi: Amarinder

Jalandhar, May 4: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday called upon people to vote for party candidate Inder Iqbal Singh Atwal in the Jalandhar bypolls to strengthen the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Vote for BJP in Jalandhar bypoll to strengthen Modi: Amarinder

"The Jalandhar by-election will set tone for the 2024 general elections in Punjab which are very crucial for the country's future", he said while addressing a public meeting here.The former Chief Minister maintained that the country needed Modi as the Prime Minister for five more years at least to further strengthen and consolidate its position at global and domestic level.He contended that under Modi's leadership, India was being looked upon as a great nation as it had emerged strong, powerful and independent in its decision-making.Amarinder Singh said that the economy had stabilised during the BJP government as compared to other countries like the US where banks were crashing and the economy was in dire straits.He said the country had emerged stronger and had stood up to its enemies like China and Pakistan.The BJP leader lashed out at the Aam Aadmi Party government in the state, saying it had completely failed the people's expectations despite getting a landslide victory.He alleged that the AAP government was being dictated from Delhi and that was the reason its priorities were misplaced and quite contrary to the expectations of the people of Punjab.He said there was massive exodus of youth from Punjab as they were migrating to foreign countries because there were no jobs in the state. He reminded the AAP government of its promise of providing jobs to people in which it had miserably failed.Making a strong case for Atwal, he said, he had a vast experience of serving the people. Besides, he pointed out, the Atwal family had served the people of Punjab for two generations with a clean and spotless record.Atwal appealed to the people to vote for him to ensure the development and welfare of the state. He said the BJP was the future of Punjab as all others had failed.Among those present on the occasion included MP Hans Raj Hans, former minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, former MP Amrik Singh Aliwal, Raninder Singh and Avinash Chander.IANS05 May 2023

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Sukhbir Badal seeks forgiveness for mistakes at remembrance of father

Badal, May 4: In an emotional but befitting homage to the late Parkash Singh Badal at the massively-attended Antim Ardas for the patriarch's departed soul, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal on Thursday sought to reach out to the people, especially the devout Sikhs, seeking forgiveness for whatever mistakes may have been committed, inadvertently or otherwise in the past.

Sukhbir Badal seeks forgiveness for 'mistakes' at remembrance of father

"I and my family owe an irrepayable debt of gratitude to the Panth and Punjabis across the world for the overflowing love and support we have received during these tough days filling me with boundless humility."This sacred bond with the Sangat tells me to seek forgiveness for whatever mistakes may ever have been committed at any time in the past by me, my party or anyone in our family," he said."The Sangat has always been and shall always remain supreme for us, and we always trust and submit to the highest grace of the great Guru Sahiban and Shri Guru Granth Sahib," Badal added, stressing the need to uphold the values his father worked day and night to uphold.The Akali Dal President choked several times, overcome by grief. "I know I am hardly worthy of the unmatched and historic elegance of the legacy of Badal Sahib but I give you this solemn and sacred 'vachan' (commitment) that every minute and every breath of my life, I will dedicate myself to earning and deserving this legacy."In what appeared to be a symphony of ideological and religious touch to politics, the Akali President's speech was marked by repeated reference to "Khalsa Panth, Panthic values, Punjab, Punjabiat and nationalism".Meanwhile, a sea of humanity streamed into Badal village in Muktsar district in lakhs to pay their last respects to five times Chief Minister. Thousands walked several kilometers to pay homage to the son of the soil.IANS05 May 2023

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SCO Foreign Ministers two-day meet begins in Goa

Panaji, May 4: The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here on Thursday, with India's External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar holding meetings with his counterparts.

SCO Foreign Ministers' two-day meet begins in Goa

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.He laid down the key focus areas including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science iamp; technology.Jaishankar also held talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov and said that comprehensive review of bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation was discussed during the meeting.He also appreciated Russia's support for India's SCO presidency and also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS.After the meeting with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, Jaishankar said that a detailed discussion with the State Councillor on the bilateral relationship was held."Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS," he tweeted.He also welcomed his Uzbekistan counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov on his first visit to India."Appreciated Uzbekistan's strong support for India's SCO presidency. Also recognized our long standing multilateral cooperation. I am confident that our bilateral partnership in different domains will continue to grow," Jaishankar said.Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has also arrived in Goa for the meeting.Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.IANS05 May 2023

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EdTech in action: How young people in EdTechs like Oda Class are driving the future of Indian education

Bangalore, May 4: The JEE Main 2023 exam results were declared on last Saturday. Apart from the qualifying scores for JEE advanced and the number of candidates securing 100 percentile, a marked rebound on the number of registrations have also been seen this year.

EdTech in action: How young people in EdTechs like Oda Class are driving the future of Indian education

In the past 5 years, the education industry has undergone a radical change. Relying on the power of advanced technology, young people in the edtech industry are driving the growth of the sector.Impact Students' Life Across India Just by Sitting in the CubeOne of the biggest challenges facing Indian students is access to quality education. Young people in India are bridging this gap through educational technology by providing students in the most remote areas with high-quality educational resources, including video lectures, interactive learning tools and online assessments.Himanshu Rai Jain, with 10 years of working experience in the education sector and is now fully committed to online education. He can teach up to 7,000 students a day through his online classroom and he says "The thought of impacting any student's life across India just by sitting here in the cube gives me an inspiration to work harder."Oda Class, the company Himanshu works for, is an interactive platform with dual-teacher system that provides live online classes for students of Class 1-11 taught by experienced teachers from IIT and NIT. Over 7 million students have used the product with a 95 per cent satisfaction rate and over 65 per cent of students are willing to pay for the next year, something that was unattainable in the traditional education model a decade ago.Abhiram, a Grade 9 student living in Hyderabad, said "Oda not only taught me how to study but also taught me how to manage my time and enjoy learning." His math scores have been improved from 70 to 90. Naga Akshitha Balla, a 9-year-old student from Andhra Pradesh, said because of Oda Class' teaching methods, she is now confident in understanding physics and space and dreams of being an astronaut in the future.Help Parents Go Deeper into Kids' Study Progress and QualityIn fact, edtech companies like Oda Class are successful, attracting more than 7 million users, not only because they teach students, but also because they help children become better by giving parents insight into their children's learning progress and quality through data and mentoring.After completing his thesis in August last year, Jagadeesh joined Oda Class as a mentor and now he strongly believes that to improve the quality of learning, all stakeholders need to be involved, including teachers, mentors and parents, and students. Oda Class now has a mentor team of over 700.Advik's father was initially skeptical of online learning, fearing it would distract his child, but was won over by Oda Class' engaging and effective approach. He now trusts the young and creative mentors at Oda Class to relate to the current generation."Oda Class helped me a lot in monitoring my kid's study progress by staying in touch with me and sharing me weekly reports which helped me understand the progress even though I am at office and swamped with work. "Change People's Lives with the Development of Education TechnologyWith the opportunities and services it offers, the EdTech industry is changing the lives of many people, including teachers, mentors, parents, and students.Shivani Priyaa is now a teacher in Oda Class. Coming from a poor middle-class family in Madhubani, Shivani realized the need for affordable quality education in India since she was in 10th grade 16 years ago. When she saw that Oda Class could level the playing field for students in 2019, she joined without hesitation."I believe that teaching is the noblest profession and it gives you pride and everything. After seeing so many amazing, open-minded colleagues and a healthy working environment in Oda Class, I am confident to survive in Bangalore. My lifestyle and living standard changed a lot which would have been only a dream for a small-town girl like me. "Vishnu, one of the early members of Oda Class, says that since joining this team, he has experienced increased financial stability and security, as well as new connections and opportunities. And Jagadeesh also mentioned he has moved to a new house.Thousands of young people in India's edtech sector, including those at Oda Class, are working to make education more affordable and accessible by offering courses at a fraction of the cost of traditional education. This not only benefits students and parents, but also provides career opportunities for people passionate about education and, in the long run, keep pushing the boundaries of education in India.Media contactPR teamThis story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI05 May 2023

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Misunderstanding, communication gap between two communities: Manipur CM N Biren Singh on violence in state

Imphal, May 4: After clashes in various parts of Manipur after a mass rally held by tribal groups, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said that the incidents were a result of a prevailing misunderstanding between two communities.

Misunderstanding, communication gap between two communities: Manipur CM N Biren Singh on violence in state

He further appealed to the people of the state to cooperate with the government to maintain law and order."The government is taking all the measure to maintain the law and order situation in the state. Paramilitary forces have been deployed in sensitive areas. We are committed to protect the lives and property of all our people. Long term grievances of different communities will also be suitably addressed in due course in consultation with the people and their representatives," Singh said.He further said that the culture of communal harmony in the state should not be allowed to be disturbed by vested interests."In this hour, I appeal to one and all to maintain peace and harmony in your respective areas. I ask you not to believe rumours and unverified messages," he added.Meanwhile, according to the sources, Union Home Minister Amit Shah has spoken to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and taken stock of the situation in the State.In a telephonic conversation with Manipur Chief Minister, the Home Minister was apprised of the present situation and the steps being taken by the state government to control it, said sources.As per sources, a few companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) have been dispatched in the state, however, an adequate number of Army, Assam Rifles and other Central Armed Police Forces are deployed in the violence-torn areas to control the situation.The RRAF is a specialised wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to deal with riot and crowd control situations.To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the state government has suspended mobile internet for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state.In view of the situation, a curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts.As far as the current situation is concerned, two issues in the state have led to the situation. First, CM Biren Singh's move to protect the forest faces resistance from illegal Immigrants and drug cartels, and the second is linked to the Manipur High Court's recent direction to the State Government to consider the inclusion of Meitei in ST which has led to an outburst from the tribal community who are ST.Violence broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand of non-tribal Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.Thousands of tribals -- who make up about 40 per cent of the state's population -- joined the processions, waved placards and raised slogans opposing ST status for the Meitei.ANI05 May 2023

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INIFD Kothrud, Pune organises Convocation Ceremony 2023 at JW Marriott, Pune

Pune, May 4: To recognise and celebrate the achievements of their design students, the held the Annual Convocation Ceremony on May 03, 2023 at JW Marriot, Pune.

INIFD Kothrud, Pune organises Convocation Ceremony 2023 at JW Marriott, Pune

The evening was made special by the presence of Hemant Trevedi, India's first global fashion designer, a senior mentor and a stylist. The event was also blessed by Ritu Kocher, Corporate Director INIFD along with Mita Agrawal, the Centre Director. INIFD Kothrud organised a wonderful event to honour the graduates of the 2022 batch in a "never finished" way.Hemant Trevedi congratulated all the INIFDians and said that they are proud of the young INIFD designers for going around the world from Lakme Fashion Week in India to the world's top two Fashion Weeks (London and New York).He also congratulated the management team of INIFD Kothrud for their visionary approach and for providing specialized training in Design with practical industry experience to the students making them experts in the field. He also motivated, encouraged, and wished the students all the best in their careers ahead.Speaking on the occasion, Ritu Kocher, said, "INIFD - the largest Global network of Fashion and Design Institutes revolutionizes the entire field of Design education in the country, keeping in sync with today's rapidly changing dynamics of the Fashion and Interior world. World-class education facilities, indigenous curriculum blending theory with practical experience, industry interface, and showcases help INIFD to stay leagues ahead in design education."While addressing the audience, Centre Director Mita Agrawal proudly shared that INIFD Kothrud is approved by the Maharashtra State Board and is an authorised training and enrollment partner with the UGC-approved Medhavi Skill University. It is further affiliated with the Maharashtra State Board of Skill Development (MSBSD) and, offers certificate diploma and degree programs in, both, Interior and Fashion Design. Hemant Trevedi and Ritu Kocher conferred the Fashion and Interior design students with their pass-out certificates.Since 2005, INIFD Kothrud, Pune has been a beacon of excellence for aspiring designers, students and youth who dream of creating and innovating in the realms of interior and fashion design. It is among the rare institutes that enable their students to explore their artistic potential and hone their skills under the guidance of experts.INIFD Pune Kothrud has been instrumental in shaping the careers of numerous design professionals over the years. They have emerged and thrived within the walls of Pune's finest Interior and Fashion design institute - only to become successful, ethical, disciplined and sought-after professionals in their domain of service.This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)ANI05 May 2023

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Himachal Pradesh govt issues notification of Old Pension Scheme implementation

Shimla, May 4: Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday, notified regarding the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme in the state.

Himachal Pradesh govt issues notification of Old Pension Scheme implementation

The state government will be providing the government employees with a 'final and irrevocable' option to choose between the Old pension Scheme and the New Pension Scheme.In a notification, the state government stated, "In terms of amendments made in the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 vide notifications No. Fin (Pen)A(3) 1/2023 dated May 4, 2023 and the Himachal Pradesh Civil Services Contributory Pension Rules, 2006, vide notifications No. Fin (Pen)A(3)-1/2023 dated 4h May 2023 as applicable in Himachal Pradesh, the Government has decided to issue the following Instructions/ Standard Operating Procedures, to implement the Old Pension Scheme also known as the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, for the existing/ retired employees who are/were covered under the National Pension System".As per the notification, employees who wish to remain under the National Pension System shall exercise an option, within 60 days from the date of issuance of these instructions. The contributions (both employer's and employee's share) shall be deposited as per the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Regulations, till the retirement of employee(s).Similarly, government employees who wish to be covered under the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972, also known as Old Pension Scheme, shall exercise an option, within sixty days from the date of issuance of these instructions.The option exercised by the employee, either opting for the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 1972 or the National Pension System shall be final and irrevocable. If an employee fails to exercise an option within the stipulated period, it shall be deemed that he/ she wishes to be continued under the National Pension System, the notification stated.Earlier in the day, after winning the Shimla Municipal Corporation polls by the Congress party, CM Sukhu said, "People / have shown faith in the Congress party including the implementation of the Old pension Scheme to over 1 Lakh 36 thousand employees in the state".Under the old pension scheme, a government employee is entitled to a monthly pension after retirement. The monthly pension is typically half of the last drawn salary of one person.Under the new policy, employees contributed a portion of their salary to the pension fund. Based on that, they are entitled to a one-time lump sum amount on superannuation.For the record, the old pension scheme was discontinued in December 2003, and the new pension scheme came into effect on April 1, 2004.However, a few Opposition-ruled states, Punjab, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, and Jharkhand went back to the Old Pension Scheme and quashed the new pension scheme.ANI05 May 2023

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KPIT and ZF join hands to promote an independent company QORIX

Friedrichshafen, Munich, Novi (Michigan), Pune, May 4: (NSE: KPITTECH BSE: 542651), a leading independent software development and integration partner to the automotive and mobility industry, and, a global technology company supplying systems for passenger cars, commercial vehicles, and industrial technology, agreed to promote an independent company named to develop and distribute open and scalable middleware products and solutions for the mobility ecosystem.

KPIT and ZF join hands to promote an independent company QORIX

QORIX is currently a subsidiary of KPIT, fully focused on Middleware solution development. ZF shall invest 50 per cent towards equity in QORIX pending regulatory approvals. It will build on the expertise and relevant IPs of KPIT and ZF to develop open and scalable automotive middleware platforms and solutions for the mobility ecosystem. Hence, both partners will bring cash and assets/IP towards their contribution. This builds on sustained investment by KPIT and ZF in this area. Active engagement has already started with select OEM clients and other Tier 1s and technology companies. This independent company will address the significant gap in the availability of a mature, modular, integrated middleware solution that allows mobility OEMs to manage the ever-increasing software complexity while retaining complete control of the architecture. The lack of such a solution can delay vehicle SOP and escalate technology spends. Kishor Patil, CEO of KPIT Technologies, said,"At this juncture, we feel the Mobility industry needs an independent Middleware solution, and there is a significant value in that. We are very excited to establish QORIX, which will benefit the industry at large. The middleware solution development from QORIX will draw upon KPIT's experience in several production programs, expertise in architecture consulting and software integration, and its strengths in cloud-based connected services."Dr Dirk Walliser, SVP Research and Development of ZF Group, said, "The combined portfolio of standardized vehicle base software from KPIT and ZF will be one of the world's leading offerings for the automotive industry. QORIX will be open to other technology companies and will be able to offer the non-competitive differentiating parts of the vehicle software independently of shareholders and with high economies of scale. ZF will thus focus its own offering more on differentiating software functions and develop integrated solutions from hardware and software vehicle systems for vehicle manufacturers."'This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI05 May 2023

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Dubai Industrial City signs key strategic partnerships with MoIAT, MOCCAE, EDB and Dubais DET to promote and grow UAE Manufacturing Sector

Dubai, May 4: Dubai Industrial City, a member of TECOM Group PJSC, signed three major strategic partnerships with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT), the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), the Emirates Development Bank (EDB) and Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism (DET), to stimulate growth in the UAE's manufacturing industry with the aim to strengthen the UAE's position as a sustainable, attractive global industrial hub.

Dubai Industrial City signs key strategic partnerships with MoIAT, MOCCAE, EDB and Dubai's DET to promote and grow UAE Manufacturing Sector

The signing ceremony at Jumeirah Emirates Towers in Dubai on 3 May 2023 was attended by high-ranking officials and VVIPs including His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry Industry and Advanced Technology; His Excellency Eng. Mohammed Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Food Diversity Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment; Ahmed Al Naqbi, CEO of Emirates Development Bank; Hadi Badri, CEO of Dubai Economic Development Corporation - Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism; Abdulla Belhoul, Chief Executive Officer of TECOM Group; and Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President of Industrial Leasing - TECOM Group.The agreements are in line with the long-term goals of the Operation 300bn, 'Make it in the Emirates' the 'National Food Security' and the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategies to develop the UAE industrial sector and raise its in-country value and global exports as well as Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33' to promote sustainability, innovation and foreign investments in the local manufacturing sector.The agreements will amplify local and regional opportunities for industrial growth through Dubai Industrial City's purpose-built ecosystem, creating a multi-pronged approach that fosters collaboration between the public and private sectors to address economic priorities such as advanced manufacturing, sustainability and food security.Commenting on the partnership, His Excellency Omar Al Suwaidi, Undersecretary of the Ministry Industry and Advanced Technology said "MoIAT is proud to support the Make Brilliance campaign, which is synergised with the objectives of the Make it in the Emirates initiative - one of the key pillars of our industrial sector and a vital contributor to the UAE's economic growth and diversification. Through the Make it in the Emirates initiative, we are forging a robust industrial community of local and international companies who are all contributing to the UAE's economic growth and diversification."Our partnership with Dubai Industrial City will further strengthen this community and its ties with international stakeholders, helping to reinforce the UAE's reputation as a global destination for industries of the future. MoIAT is committed to working alongside partners to support our national reputation as a global destination for manufacturing. The Make it in the Emirates Forum this month will be a key platform for our national enterprises to connect with international partners to discuss opportunities and advance conversations around sustainable industrial development. We look forward to introducing more enablers and incentives as well as highlighting the UAE's unique value proposition."Following the signing ceremony, Saud Abu Alshawareb, Executive Vice President of Industrial Leasing - TECOM Group, said the agreements would pave the way for Dubai Industrial City to secure pathways for expanding the industrial and logistics sectors in Dubai and the UAE."Growing the industrial and logistics is essential to the UAE's growth strategy. Dubai's logistics network and business-friendly legislation have made it an attractive industrial hub. As one of the region's largest industrial ecosystems, we aim to take the sector to the next level, unlocking core market value and attracting international investors in line with Operation 300bn, 'Make it in the Emirates' and Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33'. Partnerships with key government entities like MoIAT, MOCCAE, EDB and Dubai's DET will ensure our efforts strengthen the UAE's position as a global industrial hub, encouraging future investments," added Alshawareb.Growing a national manufacturing industryDubai Industrial City is building on its longstanding partnership with MoIAT and EDB to promote the 'Make it in the Emirates' initiative under Operation 300bn, which invites investors, innovators and developers to participate in the national industrial and advanced manufacturing sectors with a view to exporting UAE products to new global markets.As part of a tripartite agreement signed during the event, MoIAT, EDB and Dubai Industrial City will collaborate to strengthen the UAE's reputation as a global destination for future industries. MoIAT will bring on Dubai Industrial City as a private sector partner to collaboratively advance the economic priorities of 'Make it in the Emirates' at local, regional, and international events.These joint efforts to grow the UAE's manufacturing and industrial sectors will be strengthened by Dubai Industrial City's renewed partnership with EDB to secure AED1 billion in financing for its customers. Both entities will support the growth of advanced and sustainable manufacturing and logistics in the UAE by providing innovative financing and banking solutions to small- and medium-sized enterprises.Commenting on the agreement, Ahmed Al Naqbi, CEO of Emirates Development Bank, said "The signing of this MoU today underscores EDB's vital role in strengthening the economic resilience and competitiveness of the UAE. In 2022, EDB approved AED513.4 million towards financing projects and businesses based in Dubai Industrial City."We are proud to be a part of Dubai Industrial City's #MakeBrilliance campaign, which reinforces the UAE's commitment to innovation and excellence in industrial manufacturing. Our commitment to providing AED1 billion for businesses based in the district in the next three to five years represents a significant increase in available capital, heralding a new era in industrial financing to help deliver innovative products made in the UAE."Through strategic partnerships with key players like MOIAT and Dubai Industrial City, EDB identifies developmental projects and deploys capital efficiently and quickly. Our partnership is instrumental to drive resilience and growth in the UAE's industrial landscape, as we excel through partnerships and continue to support projects that contribute to the nation's economic growth and competitiveness."New partnerships with MOCCAE and Dubai's DETDubai Industrial City and MOCCAE signed an agreement to boost food security to support the 'National Food Security Strategy 2051'. Both parties will promote adopting advanced technology to strengthen the local food production sector and emphasise the importance of innovation, knowledge-sharing, and nutrition security.His Excellency Eng. Mohammed Alameeri, Assistant Undersecretary for the Food Diversity Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, stressed that all are partners in supporting the competitiveness of the UAE and achieving its goals to enhance food security based on innovative solutions and modern technologies that are environmentally friendly and climate smart.His Excellency added "With the UAE hosting the twenty-eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) and in line with the Year of Sustainability, we stress, through our strategic partnership with Dubai Industrial City, the importance of strengthening the UAE's ranking in the global food security indicators, and transforming it into an innovation based food security hub. The UAE aims to become the best in the world on the global food security index by 2051, through employing modern techniques and technologies, enhancing local production, and developing local and international partnerships to diversify food sources."Sustainability remains a key pillar for Dubai Industrial City and the UAE's overarching manufacturing roadmap, and the agreement signed between Dubai Industrial City and MOCCAE will promote decarbonisation in the industrial sector. Both parties will collaborate on implementing environmental laws and decrees and promoting the UAE carbon registry and crediting mechanism to support decarbonisation efforts in the industrial and logistics sectors under the UAE Net Zero by 2050 strategy.The agreement with Dubai's DET will contribute to the Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33' by attracting foreign direct investment in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. By showcasing the ecosystem's ready-to-use offerings before global audiences, Dubai Industrial City aims to attract international manufacturers to set up and export from Dubai and the UAE.Hadi Badri, CEO of Dubai Economic Development Corporation - Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, said "As Dubai's Department of Economy and Tourism, we are committed to building on the strength of Dubai's progressive public-private partnership model to deliver the Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33' and will bring together a range of stakeholders to contribute towards its success. We are focused on a set of core priorities for the next decade, including raising the value-add of the industrial sector and promoting export growth, building a framework for sustainable economic development, and achieving self-sufficiency in a number of key sectors and industries, including manufacturing."Launch of #MakeBrillianceThe event also kicked off Dubai Industrial City's #MakeBrilliance campaign, which will elevate the industrial hub's status globally. MoIAT, MOCCAE, EDB and Dubai's DET will amplify the campaign at global, regional and local events.Established in 2004, Dubai Industrial City is one of the region's largest industrial manufacturing and logistics hubs. It is home to more than 800 customers and 300 operational factories. It has been a catalyst for the growth and expansion of the UAE's industrial sector with a world-class master plan divided into sector-focused zones, including minerals, base metals, F and B, trade and distribution, transportation, chemicals, and machinery and equipment.Dubai Industrial City is part of TECOM Group's portfolio of 10 business districts, including Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Science Park, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City and Dubai Design District (d3).TECOM Group has been developing strategic, sector-focused business districts across the emirate of Dubai since 1999. TECOM Group is well-positioned to continue playing an integral role in cementing Dubai's status as a global business and talent hub.The TECOM Group portfolio consists of 10 business districts catering to 6 vital knowledge-based economic sectors, including design, education, manufacturing, media, science, and technology. The Group provides a varied and tailor-made leasing portfolio - which includes offices, co-working spaces, warehouses and land - to over 9,500 customers and more than 105,000 professionals.TECOM Group offers additional value-added services to deliver a competitive and attractive environment for businesses and entrepreneurs to thrive in and to facilitate engagement between the districts' community members. Government and corporate services are made available through an integrated smart services platform, "axs", which enhances ease of doing business and provides community members with a seamless experience.TECOM Group also provides industry specialized facilities, including media production studios, laboratories and higher education campuses. in5, its enabling platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups, offers innovation centres supporting tech, media, and design start-ups and SMEs. Its future-focused co-working spaces D/Quarters deliver stimulating work environments for tenants, and the "Go Freelance" package serves freelance talents.For more information, please visit .Dubai Industrial City provides intelligent infrastructure and integrated solutions for manufacturers and businesses. Part of TECOM Group, it is a key stakeholder in the Operation 300bn, which aims to develop the UAE's industrial sector and enhance its role in stimulating the national economy.The hub is home a wide range of customers in sector-specific zones, including major local and multinational organisations such as Unilever, Patchi, Al Khayyat Investments, Almarai Group, IFFCO Group, Silver Line Gate Group, Badia Farms and Al Futtaim Logistics.Offering a cost-effective and efficient business environment for the region's manufacturing sector, Dubai Industrial City today serves as an enabling ecosystem for manufacturing and logistics with its integrated offerings of industrial land, state-of-the-art warehousing, office space, retail space, showrooms, and worker accommodation.For more information, please visitEmirates Development Bank [EDB] the UAE's development bank, is a key financial engine for the economic development and industrial advancement of the UAE. EDB provides financial and non-financial support to businesses of all sizes from start-ups, SMEs to corporates driving economic competitiveness across five strategic priority sectors advanced technology, food security, healthcare, renewables, and manufacturing. EDB was established under Federal Law by Decree No. 07 of 2011 issued by the late Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; and became operational in June 2015.For more details, visit .For media enquiries, please contactMutaz AlbadriTECOM Group PJSCTel +971 50 570 6785EmailMustafa Al-SibaiHill+Knowlton StrategiesTel +971 52 283 7165EmailThis story is provided by PRNewswire. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI05 May 2023

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Air Indias town hall may throw up issue of revised pay for pilots

New Delhi, May 4: The management of Air India (AI) on Thursday organised a town hall for its pilots virtually. AI Operations Chief Captain RS Sandhu would address the pilots, sources said.

Air India's town hall may throw up issue of revised pay for pilots

Sources said the management and the pilots may discuss the revised pay issues during the town hall. Recently, AI pilot unions ICPA and IPG wrote to the management and expressed their unhappiness over the revised pay structure.Air India Commercial Pilot Association on April 21 sent a legal notice to its chief human resources officer with respect to the proposed revised terms and conditions of service of pilots.The legal notice stated that the members of the association were astonished to receive emails addressed to them individually by the 'Air India HR Team' on April 16 and 17.Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said 70 per cent of the pilots have agreed to the new revised salary structure.For the pilots with four years of seniority as Commanders in Air India, the email announced, "Congratulations! You have been promoted as Senior Commander, which is an Executive Role"The legal notice sent by the association through advocate Bharat Gupta quoted the email as stating that as a 'Senior Commander' the members of My Client will be responsible for carrying out flying as well as management duties and will be eligible for a monthly 'Management Allowance'.Also enclosed with the email were 'the revised terms of employment including revised compensation details effective from April 1, 2023' and members were informed that they were 'required' to read the revised terms carefully and e-sign the same latest by April 24, 2023, which was stated to be 'for Air India's records'.There was also a 'postscript' stating that the contents of the email were strictly confidential in nature and should not be circulated.The legal notice stated that this action of contacting My Client's member pilots 'individually' in the matter of the terms and conditions of service, is not only unjust, coercive and intimidatory, but is illegal.ANI05 May 2023

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Vicky Vaswani, NEET Biology Mentor shares the best tips for 2023 candidates

New Delhi, May 4: With the NEET 2023 exam just around the corner on May 7, 2023, NEET Mentor Vicky Vaswani shares essential last-minute revision tips for students as they get ready for the big day.

Vicky Vaswani, NEET Biology Mentor shares the best tips for 2023 candidates

The admit card was released a short time ago on Wednesday, May 3 2023 and students can download it from the NTA website. Students shouldn't worry about leaked NEET question papers, instead focus on their last minute strategy.Vicky Vaswani Sir, Ex-Allen, ex-Aakash, and ex-Physicswallah faculty, recommends focusing on the following last-minute revision tips for Biology to ace the upcoming exam:1. Glance through each and every diagram of NCERT: Visual learning is critical for biology, and students should take the time to thoroughly () to boost their understanding and retention.2. Revise essential topics: Revise Genetics, Ecology, Biotechnology, Animal and Plant Physiology. Students should allocate at least 2-3 days before the exam to revise these concepts and ensure a strong foundation.3. Solve Previous Year Questions (PYQs): Tackling questions from NEET exams between 2013-2022 will familiarize students with the exam pattern and help them identify their areas of strength and weakness. Practicing these questions is crucial for building confidence and improving time management skills.4. Join the NEET Mentor WhatsApp group: Join Vicky Vaswani's Whatsapp group for additional support, updates, and access to free mock tests. This group will be a valuable resource throughout the entire NEET journey, from exam preparation to the final counseling process.Vicky Vaswani or Vicky Sir as he is lovingly called by his students is an experienced NEET mentor and seasoned faculty member for over 16 years. He has helped students score 360/360 in NEET biology. He is committed to helping students excel in their medical entrance examinations and his mission is to help a million students realize the dream of becoming a doctor. By following these expert tips and maintaining a positive mindset, students will be better prepared to face the challenges of the NEET 2023 exam and achieve their dreams of becoming a Doctor. For more information and to join the NEET Mentor WhatsApp group, please visit:This story is provided by PNN. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/PNN)ANI05 May 2023

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Dal Lake is ready to welcome G20 delegates, people associated with tourism are hopeful about summit

Srinagar, May 4: Various departments are busy preparing for the G20 summit to be held in Srinagar, while many others have finalised their preparations.

Dal Lake is ready to welcome G20 delegates, people associated with tourism are hopeful about summit

There is also a program for the visit of delegates from 20 countries to the city of Gulmarg and Dal Lake. A large part of it has already been cleaned and the cleaning work on the other part is going on in full swing.In order to clean the Dal Lake from weeds in the water, several persons have been employed atmany places to make the Dal Lake attractive.The sanitation work is carried out in Dal throughout the year. But for the G20 summit, special attention is being paid to the cleaning of several important places in the lake.The Vice Chairman of Lake Conservation and Management Authority Dr. Bashir Ahmed Butt said that every possible effort is being made to make the Dal attractive and even better. So that a positive message is sent at the international level. He said that not only the tourism sector will get more boost from the G20 summit being held in Srinagar and the delegates visiting Dal Lake. It is possible that more and more tourists will be attracted towards visiting Kashmir.Talking about bringing several areas within the Dal Lake on the tourist map and developing these areas as tourist villages, VC Bashir Ahmed Butt said that the Lake Conservation and Management Authority has cleaned the selected areas, apart from the navigation channels. Restoration and other works have been taken up.During the conversation, he said that the country's highest aerator has been installed in Dal Lake. It will throw water up to 85 meters i.e. 279 feet. Apart from this, air tars have been installed at 6 more places in the lake. Such measures are intended to make the lake more attractive and also to give a special look on the occasion of the G20 meeting.On the other hand, the people directly or indirectly connected with the tourism sector are also very happy and optimistic about the G20 summit being held here. They say that this summit will not only promote Jammu and Kashmir at the international level but the tourism sector of Kashmir will get a new dimension.Associated people say that due to the Coronavirus and the unfavourable conditions of Jammu and Kashmir before that, the tourism sector, which is the backbone of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, was affected to a great extent, but this sector has been slowly declining for the past few years. Returning to Kashmir. A record number of tourists was seen in Kashmir in 2022. Although last year 1 crore 88 thousand domestic and foreign tourists visited Kashmir, more than 2 crore tourists are expected to arrive this year. He said that in such a situation, even from the G20 meeting, the tourism sector will reach new heights.It should be noted that conferences regarding the upcoming G20 summit are going to be held in 56 cities of India including Srinagar.ANI05 May 2023

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Governor stalling Telanganas development, alleges minister

Hyderabad, May 4: Telangana's Finance and Health Minister T. Harish Rao on Thursday alleged that Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan has been stalling the development of the state.

Governor stalling Telangana's development, alleges minister

He said that the Governor calls Telangana as 'My State' and 'My Government but was working to stop the development of the state. It was nothing but back-stabbing, he said.In an informal chat with the reporters, he hit back at the Governor for certain comments she made during a programme the previous day.Taking a dig at Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, she had remarked that it is easy to meet heads of foreign nations but not the Chief Minister.Harish Rao said by making the comments during G-20 meeting, the Governor lowered the honour of the state. "This is nothing but humiliating people of the state," he said.He said that people were feeling that the Governor was acting under the guidance of the BJP and she was welcome to enter into politics instead of doing politics being in that seatOn the Governor's allegation that she was not invited for the inauguration of state Secretariat, Harish Rao asked if there was a provision in the Constitution to invite the Governor for the inauguration of the Secretariat.He said that it was the prerogative of the elected government to decide whom to invite. "Has the Prime Minister invited the President of India for laying foundation of new Parliament? Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Vande Bharat Express trains. Did he invite President of India," he asked.Harish Rao said that the Governor kept nine bills pending for seven months and some of them were returned only after the state government approached the Supreme Court.By stopping the bills, the Governor stalled the state's development, he alleged. "Medical bill was aimed at increasing the age limit of professors as we have shortage of professors. Similarly, Forest University Bill was stopped which provides employment for some unemployed and offers education to the youth. Same was the case with private universities Bill. By rejecting these bills what she had achieved except stopping the progress of the state," he said.He also questioned the Governor's action in not giving consent for a bill for seven private universities while she had cleared a similar bill two years ago.Referring to a common recruitment board, the minister said that it was there in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra and why it should not be so here.IANS05 May 2023

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Apple set quarterly record in India, country at a tipping point: Tim Cook

New Delhi, May 5: Apple set a quarterly record in the January-March period in India and grew very strong, in double digits year-over-year, said Tim Cook, the company's CEO who was in India last month to open the first branded retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Apple set quarterly record in India, country at a tipping point: Tim Cook

Apple reported a record revenue of $94.8 billion for its March quarter which was better than expectations."Looking at the business in India, we did set a quarterly record, grew very strong, double digits year-over-year. So it was quite a good quarter for us, taking a step back, India is an incredibly exciting market. It's a major focus for us. I was just there, and the dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable," Cook told analysts during the earnings call late on Thursday.Over time, he said, Apple has been expanding operations in India to serve more customers."Three years ago, we launched the Apple Store online, and then, we launched two stores just a few weeks ago, and they're off to a great start, one in Mumbai and one in Delhi," said Cook.Apple has got a number of channel partners in the country as well."Overall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there. There are a lot of people coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and it's great to be there," said the Apple CEO.The company achieved all-time records in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, as well as a number of March quarter records, including in Brazil, Malaysia and India.IANS05 May 2023

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Drew Barrymore steps down as MTV Awards host in support of writers strike

Los Angeles, May: Drew Barrymore is stepping down as host of this year's MTV Movie and amp; TV Awards in a show of support and solidarity to the striking Writers Guild members, reports 'Variety'.

Drew Barrymore steps down as MTV Awards host in support of writers' strike

But as a sign of good faith to MTV, Barrymore has also agreed to return and host next year's edition of the kudocast instead.Sunday night's MTV Movie iamp; TV Awards will still continue, but will now go hostless. The state of the show is still evolving day-by-day, as producers pivot to their strike contingency plans and wait and see who among their presenters, nominees and guests are still willing and able to appear on the telecast, adds 'Variety'.As another nod to the evolving news, there will no longer be a red carpet or talent interviews before the show."I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie iamp; TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike," Barrymore said in a statement, quoted by 'Variety'.She added "Everything we celebrate and honour about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I'll be watching from home and hope you will join me."Bruce Gillmer, president of music, music talent, programming and events at Paramount Global, and executive producer of the MTV Movie iamp; TV Awards, said he's still awaiting word on which presenters and nominees might still attend, 'Variety' notes.That includes 'The White Lotus' star Jennifer Coolidge, who is slated to receive the 'Comedic Genius' award. Gillmer said producers are also still ironing out how the show will open -- although as of now, it could be a pre-taped bit featuring Barrymore.Gilmmer said the show will include some pre-taped acceptance speeches for winners, but the producers are also treading lightly in working with talent as they decide whether to still attend.The originally announced list of presenters included Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dave Burd ('Lil Dicky'), Gal Gadot, Rodrigo Santoro and Sarah Michelle Gellar. Also 'Transformers Rise of the Beasts' stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback; 'Yellowjackets' stars Courtney Eaton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Liv Hewson, Samantha Hanratty, Sophie Nelisse and Sophie Thatcher; and the 'Joy Ride' stars Ashley Park, Sabrina Wu, Sherry Cola and Stephanie Hsu.Others originally set to appear Ayo Edebiri, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber and Rachel Sennott ('Bottoms'); Camila Morrone, Riley Keough, Sam Claflin and Suki Waterhouse ('Daisy Jones iamp; The Six'); Halle Bailey and Jonah Hauer-King ('The Little Mermaid').Gillmer said, according to 'Variety', that he's still confident this show will still be entertaining for fans. "We've got acceptances from big talent already, and then the short films are incredible. They're so funny, and entertaining and emotional, and you know, they're there."IANS05 May 2023

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Land port in Meghalaya along India-Bdesh border to boost trade, tourism

Shillong, May 4: Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Nityanand Rai, on Thursday inaugurated a land port at Dawki in Meghalaya along the Bangladesh border to boost trade and tourism between the two neighbouring countries.

Land port in Meghalaya along India-B'desh border to boost trade, tourism

The Dawki land port, which is located in the West Jaintia Hills district, is an important project of the Central government aimed at promoting trade, commerce and tourism between India and Bangladesh.The corresponding land port in Bangladesh is Tamabil, located in Sylhet district.The Dawki land port, which has been set up over 23 acres of land at a cost of Rs 83.38 crore, will serve as a vital trade and transportation hub between India and Bangladesh, facilitating the movement of goods, people, and vehicles from across the border.Addressing the inaugural function, Rai said that the land port has been made keeping in mind the requirements of the two neighbouring countries, adding that the main aim is to bring together all the agencies and stakeholders under a single roof.The inaugural function was also attended by Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Pranay Kumar Verma, Chairman of Land Port Authority of Bangladesh Mohd Alamgir, and other senior officials of the Meghalaya government.IANS05 May 2023

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Sara Ali Khan enjoys vacation in snow-clad mountains with mom Amrita Singh, pics inside

Mumbai, May 4: Actor Sara Ali Khan recently finished shooting for her upcoming fil 'Ae Watan Mere Watan' and went on vacation to Kashmir with family and friends.

Sara Ali Khan enjoys vacation in 'snow-clad mountains' with mom Amrita Singh, pics inside

The 'Gaslight' actor took to Instagram and shared a string of snaps where she can be seen enjoying her holidays with her mother and actor Amrita Singh.In the first photo, Sara is taking a selfie with a pout and the moon in the background. She wore a saffron sweater and a woollen cap. In another picture, she can be seen sitting outdoors and can be seen leaning on her friend who stood behind her.In the next picture, Sara, her friends, and Amrita sat around an indoor fireplace. Sara opted for a saffron sweater and beige pants and kept her hands near the fire. Amrita wore a black outfit as she sat behind her daughter.In one of the snaps, Sara can be seen relaxing in the swimming pool along with her friend and was busy in a conversation. The actor also posted a solo picture of herself inside the pool.In the last picture, Sara and her friends posed outdoors for the camera. She was seen in a white jacket, beige pants, a woollen cap, and shoes.Along with the post, she wrote, "Hello Full Moon Phase, Snow-clad mountains with sunny raysSitting by the fire enjoying the flame, the haze. Nights are warm, sun-kissed swim in the days. Phones been off this week so time to hear what Sara says. #purnima #fullmoon."Fans reacted to the post and showered love in the comment section.A fan wrote, "Sara" with a heart emoji, while another user commented, "First like....Sara."Meanwhile, Sara will be seen in director Laxman Utekar's next 'Zara Hatke Zara Bach Ke' romantic drama film alongside Vicky Kaushal.Apart from that, She will be seen in Karan Johar's next 'Ae Watan Mere Watan' in which she will play a brave freedom fighter in a fictional tale set against the backdrop of the Quit India Movement in 1942.Sara and Vikrant Massey starrer 'Gaslight' is streaming on Disney Plus Hotstar since 31 March.ANI05 May 2023

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UN appeals for $96 mn to assist thousands fleeing Sudan

Juba, May 5: The United Nations and humanitarian agencies on Thursday appealed for $96 million to assist people fleeing conflict in Sudan across the border into South Sudan.

UN appeals for $96 mn to assist thousands fleeing Sudan

Peter Van der Auweraert, humanitarian coordinator ad interim in South Sudan, said more than 32,500 people, mostly South Sudanese nationals, have crossed into South Sudan since the outbreak of conflict in neighbouring Sudan on April 15, Xinhua news agency reported."The majority of those arriving, often with no belongings and very traumatized, are in dire need of immediate humanitarian assistance, including medical and psychosocial support, and transportation to their destination," Auweraert said in a joint statement issued by UN and humanitarian agencies in Juba, the capital of South Sudan.The statement says $39.9 million of the total funding required will go to assist returning South Sudanese at the border as they move onward to their communities, while $53.9 million will be used to provide basic services to refugees in designated camps for six months.In addition, it notes that a further $2.2 million is required to support third-country nationals with transportation assistance to their countries of origin.Auweraert said the money that they are appealing for under the emergency response plan (ERP) will help speed up the provision of rapid assistance to those arriving.He also noted that the funds will support the efforts of the government of South Sudan to help people move from the border as quickly as possible to avoid people remaining in hard-to-reach and possibly unsafe areas.The UN agencies said the real number of daily arrivals into South Sudan could likely be higher as some people entered the country without registration.The statement says daily arrivals are estimated to be around 3,500 individuals, of whom more than 90 percent of those arriving at the Joda border crossing point in Upper Nile State are South Sudanese who have spent days on the road from Khartoum, the capital of Sudan.The other nationals include Sudanese seeking asylum, Eritrean refugees, Kenyan and Somali migrants, and other third-country nationals."A potential 180,000 South Sudanese are likely to return in the next three months, and 10,000 third-country nationals are expected to transit through South Sudan, while 60,000 refugees are expected to arrive in the next six months if the conflict and tensions persist," the statement says.Auweraert said people are arriving at border areas that are extremely difficult to access, often in areas where the few existing roads are likely to flood when the rains start in the coming days."If we do not act now, there is a high risk that vulnerable families will be stranded in inhospitable border areas for the duration of the rainy season, which will increase their suffering and the costs of providing assistance," he said.Auweraert commended the government of South Sudan for continuing to keep their borders open to those fleeing Sudan, and also for the strong and collaborative working relationship with UN system members and partners to provide the necessary assistance and protection, and help people return to their countries of origin."We urge that sustainable solutions are found for these people and all those in South Sudan who deserve solutions pathways," Auweraert said.IANS05 May 2023

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Unfortunate: Minister Jitendra Singh on Ramban fire

Delhi, May 4: Union Minister of State Jitendra Singh on Thursday termed the fire incident in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district as unfortunate in which two persons died and five others were left injured.

Unfortunate: Minister Jitendra Singh on Ramban fire

Taking to Twitter, Jitendra Singh wrote,"Learnt about unfortunate fire incident at a hotel in Sanasar area of district #Ramban, in which two persons died and 5 injured".He further wrote that he is in touch with DC, Mussarat Islam. "All possible help being provided to the injured who are being shifted out for better medical care. Further assistance also be provided as required. My condolences with the bereaved families."Two persons were charred to death while five others were injured after a fire broke out at a hotel in Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Thursday morning, officials said.According to police, the incident took place in Hotel Maa Shanti in Sanasar tourist place. The fire went out of control and later spread fast engulfing the entire area.Fire tenders were rushed to the spot.The injured people were immediately rushed to the hospital.Deputy Commissioner Ramban has ordered a magisterial inquiry headed by ADC Ramban.ANI05 May 2023

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Star Wars Day: Top Star Wars movies to update your watch list

Washington, May 4: Star Wars Day is here and if you are not welcomed in groups of your friends only because you don't know about this popular franchise then we are here to save you.

Star Wars Day: Top Star Wars movies to update your watch list

The famous franchise which established the genre of sci-fi movies has released 11 films in total. We can't say that any of the movies are not up to the mark but if they have to be ranked then the list goes as follows.'Episode V The Empire Strikes Back'The screenwriting of this masterpiece was done by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan which made it one of the best Star Wars movies ever. Even when the movie was the second part of the trilogy, it did a remarkable job and got more hype than the conclusive film. The fight sequences of the movie were never seen before in the Star Wars universe which left fans spellbound.'Episode III Revenge of the Sith'"Hold me as you did by the lake on Naboo" Who doesn't remember these astonishing lines from 'Episode III Revenge of the Sith'. In the movie, Lucas ultimately gets to the place and the story once again takes control of the nerves of the audience. It's the final movement of 'The Last Temptation of Ani' and if someone wishes to enter the Star Wars universe then this can be a remarkable start.'Episode VII The Force Awakens'The third slot was an easy guess as nothing beats 'Episode VII The Force Awakens' as it electrified the Star Wars fans once again with the power-packed storyline and well-gripped storyline. In the movie, the gimmick is that Boyega keeps trying to rescue his damsel in distress but ends up being in distress himself. The movie did a remarkable job of calling Star Wars fans back to the theatres.'Episode IX The Rise of Skywalker'This movie ultimately turned theatres into stadiums as the way the crowd responded to tremendous action sequences and cinematography was surprising for the makers themselves. The battles were the highlight of the film which left no stone unturned and added its name to the top Star Wars movies of all time.'Solo A Star Wars Story'The old-fashioned yet most beautiful Star Wars film is 'Solo A Star Wars Story'. The storytelling of the masterpiece was a synonym of the adjective perfect, the story follows the young Han played by Alden Ehrenreich as he escapes the fascist planet after leaving behind his love. The bowlegged and universally loved female robot was introduced in this movie which remains a classic among fans.Star Wars Day is celebrated across the globe on May 4 to observe the presence of a franchise created by filmmaker George Lucas.ANI05 May 2023

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Ahead of Modis visit, yet another Hindu temple vandalised in Australia

Melbourne, May 5: A Hindu temple in Australia has been vandalised just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country on May 23.

Ahead of Modi's visit, yet another Hindu temple vandalised in Australia

The front wall of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Rosehill suburb of western Sydney was spray-painted with the message "Declare Modi Terrorist" early on Friday morning, The Australia Today reported."When I came this morning for prayers I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall," Sejal Patel, a daily visitor to the temple, said.Temple authorities also found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate, and reported the matter to New South Wales police.According to the report, police officers visited the temple and have been provided with the CCTV footage of the attack.This incident comes after a brief almost two months of Khalistan activities in Australia.In March, the boundary wall of the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane was vandalised.In January alone, three Hindu temples in Melbourne were defaced with anti-India graffiti and pro-Bhindranwale slogans by Khalistani supporters, and later, temple priests received threatening calls to raise 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans.Following vandalisation of Hindu temples, Khalistani flags were found attached to the Indian consulate in Brisbane in February -- just days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Australia.India has time and again registered a strong protest with the Australian government asking it to take swift action and bring perpetraters to the book.During his visit to India this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had assured Modi of strict action, saying that safety of the Indian community is a priority of his government.Modi is scheduled to travel to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia in May with the power-packed visit concluding Down Under where he will attend the Quad summit from May 23-24 in Sydney.IANS05 May 2023

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Saiyami Kher pledges to support young female athletes

Mumbai, May 5: Actress Saiyami Kher has pledged to support young female athletes. The actress said she wants to do her bit for the girls who want to pursue sports.

Saiyami Kher pledges to support young female athletes

The actress, who will be seen playing a para athlete in the upcoming movie 'Ghoomer', said "I have always wished to do something for girls in sports and I am trying to do my bit. I am very glad that there is so much being done for women in sport now. At this point, even if my involvement is in a small way, I believe every drop in the ocean counts.""Kavita Raut (India's long distance runner) was sponsored first by an NGO started by my parents in Nasik. And I feel so proud to see all that she's achieved. Just feel that if I can contribute to helping young female athletes achieve their dreams, I would be very happy," the actress said.She added "The last three years I have helped a vegetable vendor's daughter to complete her engineering in electrical and telecommunications and will be helping young individual female athletes in my capacity. I hope I come to a point to start my own organisation because this is something very close to my heart".Saiyami is part of 'Ghoomer' in which she is playing the part of a cricketer, a para athlete who has lost one arm. The story, which is currently in the post production stage, is co-written by Balki, along with Rahul Sengupta and Rishi Virmani, and is inspired by the story of Karoly Takacs, the late Hungarian right-hand shooter who won two Olympic gold medals with his left hand after his other hand was seriously injured.IANS05 May 2023

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Indian embassy in Nepal ink MoU with health foundation for distribution of LPG stoves, cylinders

Kathmandu, May 4: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between the Embassy of India, Kathmandu and Sushila Thakur Memorial Health Foundation (STMHF), for the distribution of LPG gas stoves and cylinders in Mahottari District, Nepal with the Indian grant assistance of Rs 50 million (approx) under India-Nepal Development Cooperation.

Indian embassy in Nepal ink MoU with health foundation for distribution of LPG stoves, cylinders

This project will benefit nearly 8,000 underprivileged and marginalised families of five municipalities in Mahottari District, Madhesh Pradesh of Nepal.The project is inspired by the Government of India's Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana which is a flagship scheme with an objective to make clean cooking fuel such as LPG available to rural and deprived households which were otherwise using traditional cooking fuels such as firewood, coal, cow-dung cakes.Since 2003, India has taken up over 535 High Impact Community Development Projects in Nepal and has completed 478 projects. Amongst these, 81 projects are in Mahdesh Pradesh including 6 projects in Mahottari District. In addition to these, the Government of India has gifted 23 ambulances to various hospitals and health posts in Mahottari District.As close neighbours, India and Nepal share wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of these projects reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in uplifting the livelihood of its people.ANI05 May 2023

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PM Modis final push to Ktaka campaign, will hold mega roadshows

Bengaluru, May 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is arriving in Karnataka on Friday for a three-day visit for the final leg of campaigning.

PM Modi's final push to K'taka campaign, will hold mega roadshows

He will take part in public rallies organised in Ballary and Tumakuru districts on Friday.PM Modi will hold a massive roadshow on Saturday in Bengaluru which will pass through 18 Assembly constituencies. This roadshow will be held in two parts.On Saturday, the roadshow will be held between 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. from Brigade Millennium of J.P. Nagara to Maramma Circle in Malleshwaram in Bengaluru Central.On Sunday, he will embark on the second leg of the roadshow from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Bengaluru South from Suranjan Das circle to Trinity circle. The distance of the roadshow has been reduced by four kms.The Congress party had appealed to the Election Commission not to permit the roadshow of PM Modi. However, the Commission has given a green signal.The ruling BJP is hoping to recover from the anti-incumbency factor with PM Modi's visit. The Bajrang Dal ban proposal has also helped the BJP to gain grounds at the fag end of election campaigning in Karnataka.The BJP has challenged the Congress to ban Bajrang Dal and claimed that it has "insulted" Lord Hanuman. The party also aims to wrestle a major chunk of 28 seats of Bengaluru city with PM Modi's outreach to voters.IANS05 May 2023

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Actor Vaarun Bhagat: Undekhi has been my biggest project so far

Mumbai, May 5: Actor Vaarun Bhagat is over-the-moon as the makers of the crime thriller series 'Undekhi' have announced its new season. The actor said that they were supposed to shoot the show five months before, but as it has done so well, the writers were taking their time and writing a phenomenal story.

Actor Vaarun Bhagat: 'Undekhi' has been my biggest project so far

Vaarun plays Lucky, a complex character who is both charming and dangerous, and the actor has managed to capture his essence perfectly, becoming a fan favourite of critics and audiences alike. And now, much to the delight of fans, Applause Entertainment has announced that they are coming back with a third season.Expressing his excitement for the upcoming season, Vaarun says, "We were supposed to shoot the show five months before, but as the show has done so well, the writers are going to take their time and write a phenomenal story that does justice to Undekhi and the people who have watched the show."He continues, "As the days are coming closer, I am feeling very excited and nervous. I'm trying to keep myself calm and in a Zen space, not get too excited, and simply just looking forward to start shooting.""'Undekhi' has been my biggest project so far, so I am just hoping that the new season becomes something special for the entire cast, team and the entire people who are watching"The announcement of season 3 has created a buzz among fans, who are eagerly waiting to see what happens next.IANS05 May 2023

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Operation Kaveri: 192 rescued Indians from Sudan land in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, May 4: As many as 192 Indians, who were stranded in Sudan, landed in Ahmedabad on Thursday.

Operation Kaveri: 192 rescued Indians from Sudan land in Ahmedabad

They were brought to Gujarat in Indian Air Force C17 aircraft from Port Sudan to Ahmedabad.Upon their landing in Gujarat, a few of the evacuated nationals interacted with ANI and thanked the Government of India for launching Operation Kaveri.An Indian national, Sachin Rajaram Yadav, who arrived in Ahmedabad today said, "Indian Embassy took good care of us in Port Sudan. After that, we were brought to Ahmedabad on an Indian Air Force aircraft."Another Indian national, who arrived in Ahmedabad from Port Sudan, says, "Govt of India did a good job. I am thankful to the Govt, MEA and Indian Embassy in Khartoum."Official spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi in a tweet, said, "IAF C17 aircraft carrying 192 passengers from Port Sudan lands in Ahmedabad."On the same day, "20 evacuees departed from N'Djamena in two batches of 2 and 18 onboard flights destined for Chennai and Bengaluru respectively. These evacuees had crossed over from Sudan into Chad through the adjoining land border," Bagchi tweeted.A total of 3,584 Indians have been evacuated from the strife-torn Sudan under "Operation Kaveri" which completed nine days of operations on Thursday, according to the Indian embassy in Sudan.Nine days have passed since the Government of India launched its ambitious rescue mission, "Operation Kaveri" to evacuate stranded Indians in conflict-ridden Sudan. The operation was carried out using 5 Indian Naval Ships and 16 Indian Air Force aircraft including one from Wadi Sayyidna military airbase.The two warring factions in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, according to a statement of the foreign ministry of South Sudan on Tuesday, reported CNN.The statement added that the two sides also said that they would send representatives for peace talks "to be held at an agreed venue of their choice." Neither SAF nor RSF commented on the report on their official channels.Previous ceasefires haven't been able to put an end to the violence between the opposing factions across the nation. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF, failed to reach an agreement, and in the middle of April, there were violent skirmishes between the two sides that resulted in at least 528 deaths and large-scale migration of refugees from the country, CNN reported.Tuesday's announcement came after the UN's refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that more than 800,000 people may migrate to other nations as continuous violence impedes convoys to evacuate people from Sudan's major ports.ANI05 May 2023

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Cannes Film Festival 2023: Anushka Sharma to honour women in cinema with Kate Winslet

Mumbai, May 4: Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma is all set to mark her Cannes Film Festival debut alongside 'Titanic' actress Kate Winslet.

Cannes Film Festival 2023: Anushka Sharma to honour women in cinema with Kate Winslet

As per a source, Anushka will be present at Cannes Film Festival 2023 to honour women in cinema. She will be joined by popular actress Kate Winslet.Anushka on Thursday also met the France ambassador to India Emmanuel Lenin with her husband Virat Kohli at French Embassy, in New Delhi. The ambassador captioned his social media post with a hint of discussing Sharma's trip to the festival which will take place in the fashion capital of the world, France.She is one of India's all-time biggest cinematic icons with a huge global following, Anushka is also amongst the most influential actors of her generation and has three 300 crore plus films - Sultan, PK and Sanju - under her belt. Anushka Sharma personifies a self-made success story in Indian showbiz like no other.She has built a lasting legacy through her body of work as an actor, as an entrepreneur, as a film producer wanting to change the representation of women in society, and also as a human being who has always stood for those in need through her non-profit that has tirelessly worked to aid and upskill people of India for over a decade!The 72nd edition of the Cannes Film Festival will take place on May 16 to May 27, 2023.ANI05 May 2023

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3 out of 4 smartphone users in India suffering from Nomophobia: Study

New Delhi, May 5: Three out of four people in India have Nomophobia, the fear of being detached from their smartphone, a report by global smart device brand OPPO and Counterpoint Research said on Friday.

3 out of 4 smartphone users in India suffering from Nomophobia: Study

About 72 per cent of smartphone users in India experience low battery anxiety at a battery level of 20 per cent or lower, while 65 per cent of smartphone users go through emotional discomfort in case of smartphone battery drainage, according to the report.The report, titled 'NoMoPhobia Low Battery Anxiety Consumer Study', delved into the consumer mindset to understand how dying batteries have become a major trigger for this phobia."OPPO prides itself on its technology Innovation, and we constantly rely on studies to understand consumer needs. Our mission is to create products and experiences that bring lasting value and kindness to the world," said Damyant Singh Khanoria, CMO, OPPO India."This study offers valuable insights into the nuances of Nomophobia, which will help OPPO deliver solutions that address these articulated needs and concerns," Khanoria added.According to the report, 42 per cent of respondents use smartphones most for entertainment, where social media is at the top, 65 per cent of users sacrifice phone usage to conserve battery while 82 per cent limit their social media usage.Research Director Tarun Pathak said that smartphones have become our personal universes that enable us to stay connected, personally and professionally, and also for entertainment."Consequently, many of us have developed a phobia of being without our phones. As a result, people often feel anxious at the thought of running out of battery and being unable to use their phones," he commented."The feeling of low battery anxiety is higher among the working age group of 31 to 40 years followed by the age group of 25 to 30 years," Pathak added.OPPO India now becomes one of the largest mobile phone manufacturing centres in India.The company has more than 65,000 channel partners across the country and service centres in over 530 cities, supporting over 150,000 families across India.IANS05 May 2023

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Last few days to enrol for SICSR; Here is what you need to know

Pune, May 5 one of the leading institutes of computer studies in India, has invited the candidates who have registered for SET 2023 to apply for its undergraduate programmes in the field of information technology, computer applications and business management.

Last few days to enrol for SICSR; Here is what you need to know

From the current academic year (June 2023), SICSR is offering 4-year UG programmes namely BCA Honours with Major and Minor and BBA(IT) Honours with Major and Minor as per New Education Policy (NEP). Both the programmes have exit options after the first year (Certificate will be given), second year (Diploma), third year (BCA or BBA(IT) degree) and Fourth year (BCA Honours with Major and Minor, BBA(IT) Honours with Major and Minor).The candidates who wish to apply for the SICSR programmes must fill out the online application form available on the official website of the institute (https//www.sicsr.ac.in/) and pay the application fee of INR 1000/- per programme by 26th May 2023. Admission to SICSR programmes is based on the performance in SET 2023 followed by Personal Interaction and Writing Ability Test (PI-WAT). The computer-based SET 2023 exam will be conducted in two slots on May 6 and May 14, 2023.SICSR Pune offers UG programmes such as BCA, BCA (Honours), and BBA (IT). The institute also offers PG programmes like MBA (IT), MBA (Digital Transformation), and MSc (Computer Applications). All these programmes are designed to equip the students with the latest skills and knowledge in the field of information technology, computer applications and business management.Furthermore, SICSR Pune is ranked among the top institutes in India for its academic excellence and placement record. The institute has been ranked #1 in the West Zone for BCA and #3 for BBA (IT) in the 'Best Colleges 2022-2023' Survey Report by OPEN Magazine. It has also been ranked #2 among the top BCA colleges and #8 among the top BBA colleges in India by India Today-2022. The institute has also received recognition from Outlook, CSR GHRDC, and other reputed agencies.SICSR Pune boasts of a strong industry interface and a dedicated placement cell that provides ample opportunities for students to get placed in reputed companies. Some of the top recruiters of SICSR Pune include Deloitte, Amdocs, Infosys, HPE, Titan, Capgemini, ZS Associates, TCS, Vodafone Shared Service, ATOS Syntel, Cognizant, D.E. Shaw India Pvt. Ltd, Amazon, DeltaX, WIPRO, FIS Global, IBM, Byju's, Persistent Systems, TCS, HSBC, VMWare, Larsen and Toubro Infotech, and many more. With the highest packages of Rs. 21.5 LPA and Rs. 14 LPA for UG and MSc. (CA) programmes respectively, the SICSR cohort has demonstrated its immense potential.The Institute also has a distinguished alumni network that works at leading companies such as Google, Microsoft Corporation, Facebook, Apple, RBS, Intel, Deutsche Bank, Oracle, HDFC, Goldman, Sachs, Accenture, Veritas, Technologies, ITC, Infotech, Michelin, and many more.SICSR Pune invites all aspiring candidates to apply for its UG programmes and unlock lucrative careers with new-age programmes and attractive placement offers. For more details about the programme's eligibility criteria admission process fee structure scholarships and facilities visit or .This story has been provided by SRV. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article. (ANI/SRV)ANI05 May 2023

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Phantom V Fold opens wings; Reaches the sky in collaboration with SpiceJet

New Delhi, May 5: In today's era, where technology is fundamental to daily life and customers yearn for innovative advancements, TECNO, a premium technology brand, has partnered with SpiceJet, one of India's most preferred airlines, to wrap the exterior of a Boeing 737 Max. This activity is part of the brand's OOH campaign for their latest smartphone, the Phantom V Fold 5G. The smartphone features India's first full-size fold, redefining the foldable smartphone category with supreme features such as the largest 7.85 2K+ LTPO display, all at a disruptive pricing of INR 88,888.

Phantom V Fold opens wings; Reaches the sky in collaboration with SpiceJet

The philosophy of 'segment-first' and 'industry-first' is highly engraved in TECNO's core product strategy that delivers innovative products across sub-brands like CAMON, POVA and Phantom. The brand is now shifting its focus to the premium segment with the Phantom range of smartphones which is the culmination of all the technological innovations at TECNO.Phantom's "Beyond the Extraordinary" marketing campaign includes a 360-degree approach to optimize and capture all marketing routes such as promoting Phantom V Fold via high-decibel launch event with the Brand Ambassador - Ayushmann Khurrana, full-page Print Ads, BTL activities across all major cities and holistic influencer engagement.OOH has played an indispensable role and is in sync with the product's positioning. It has captured high-volume touchpoints like major metro stations branding in Mumbai and Delhi along with Airport visibility across metro cities. Subsequently, TECNO is implementing a creative Out-Of-Home (OOH) Flying Billboards concept to make a notable impression on its primary target audience. As part of this partnership, SpiceJet has wrapped the new generation Boeing 737-Max aircraft with TECNO's premium foldable smartphone ad. This aircraft branding will be operational from May 03rd to August 02nd. The route not only flies across various cities in India but also travels to premium international destinations, making it an excellent opportunity to reach a premium target audience.The exterior wrap of SpiceJet Aircraft is entirely branded with the new Phantom colours, whereas the inside branding will be even more engaging as air hostesses demonstrate the new foldable phone to passengers. Additionally, the branding will be visible on the cabin bulkhead and the headrest cover as well.The collaboration is a testament to TECNO's commitment to expanding its brand presence in India, using innovative and out-of-the-box marketing strategies, while highlighting the common synergies that Phantom V Fold and SpiceJet airways share to make Indians' lives convenient. Therefore, enabling TECNO to further push its boundaries for manufacturing high-quality products in India. TECNO is committed to becoming a source of pride for India by placing great importance on local manufacturing, research and development, and innovative products. TECNO's strong distribution network, quality after-sale service and powerful products have been recognized by 18 million users.To Watch the Video, Click on the Link BelowThis story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI05 May 2023

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New body to ease Australias transition to net zero

Canberra, May 5: The Australian government will establish the National Net Zero Authority (NNZA), a new body to support fossil fuel-dependent communities in the net zero transition, Minister for Climate Change and amp; Energy Chris Bowen announced on Friday.

New body to ease Australia's transition to net zero

The authority will start work on July 1 to steer private investment into clean energy opportunities and ensure that workers, industries and communities that have relied on emissions-intensive industries are not left behind in the transition, reports Xinhua news agency.Australia has set an emissions reduction target of 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and a net zero target by 2050."The global transformation to a net zero economy is a massive source of economic opportunity for Australia, its regions, industries and workers," Bowen said in a joint statement with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.They said the authority will work with state, territory and local governments, existing regional bodies, unions, industry, investors, First Nations groups and others to help key regions, industries, employers and others proactively manage the transformation to a clean energy economy.The NNZA can support workers in emissions-intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues.Some business and environmental groups supported creating the new body.Jennifer Westacott, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) said it would play a crucial role in keeping manufacturing jobs onshore.IANS05 May 2023

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NSDC signs MoU with Pernod Ricard India Foundation for empowering tribal women in Jharkhand

New Delhi, May 5: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), working under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), has signed an MoU with Pernod Ricard India Foundation (PRIF), a CSR arm of the fast-growing multinational alcohol beverage company to develop a multi-skilling centre in the Gumla district of Jharkhand. The partnership is focused on empowering women within the local tribal population. The centre will act as a key hub to understand the latest technology and trends related to all phases of the agriculture business, from the pre-sowing to the post-harvest stage.

NSDC signs MoU with Pernod Ricard India Foundation for empowering tribal women in Jharkhand

The MoU was exchanged between Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, (Officiating CEO) NSDC, and Sashidhar Vempala, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head CSR, Pernod Ricard India. Lauding the initiative, Ved Mani Tiwari, COO, (Officiating CEO) NSDC, said, "Skilling women in agricultural business can empower them to take control of their lives and become financially independent. The situation is particularly acute in the state of Jharkhand, where most women are engaged in agricultural work, lacking the necessary skills and knowledge to make it profitable. Through our partnership with Pernod Ricard India Foundation, we aim to solve this issue. We will equip women with the latest skills and knowledge to increase their productivity and enhance their livelihoods. Our commitment to skilling and upskilling the local tribal population in Jharkhand is a step towards realizing the vision of a self-reliant India."Speaking on the initiation of a long-standing partnership for societal impact, Yashika Singh, Executive Vice President - Corporate Affairs, Communications and S and R, Pernod Ricard India, said, "At Pernod Ricard India, we are committed to nurturing and empowering women by enabling them to secure enhanced livelihood opportunities. We firmly believe that empowering women through skill development is key to creating a more inclusive and prosperous society. Scaling this collective vision with NSDC, we are committed to providing tribal women with the skills and resources they need to become self-sufficient and contribute to their communities' growth. We look forward to working with NSDC and other stakeholders to create a brighter future for the tribal women of Jharkhand and beyond."The Multi-Skilling Centre aims to empower women with various agricultural skills to work in animal Husbandry, Fishery, Cattle Insurance, Basic Animal Care-Veterinary services, Mushroom Farming, Millet and Pulses farming, Processing Cold Press Edible Oil Units, Agriculture Produce Storage, Cold Storage, Logistics, Supply Chain, Farm Mechanization-Process and Maintenance, repair of equipment, Beekeeping, Honey, Pollen Paste collection and by-products, Food Processing units - Horticulture and Medicinal Plant base, Essential oil distillation Training, skills for value-added products, Agro Tourism, Aroma Therapy.This story is provided by BusinessWire India. ANI will not be responsible in any way for the content of this article.ANI05 May 2023

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South Africas Rain, which describes itself as the countrys mobile data-only network, may not be data-only for long. Its major investor, African Rainbow Capital (ARC), has reportedly said that Rain hopes to launch a full mobile service this year.

As website Connecting Africa points out, Rain began as a data-only provider, providing fixed internet services to homes and data-only mobile SIMs. However, it acquired blocks of spectrum in the 700MHz and 2600MHz bands at a government auction in March 2022 and now, ARC says, plans to launch a mobile service that includes voice.

ARC, which focuses on opportunities in the South African and African financial services and diversified investments industries, says Rain is well positioned as a low-cost data provider that already has spectrum in contested areas but that the acquired spectrum will allow Rain to improve its coverage at a comparatively low cost.

As we reported, Rain was the first South African network to launch 5G  in February 2019. Indeed, ARC suggested at a recent financial results presentation, Rain has enjoyed subscriber growth in the 5G space and better ARPU than anticipated.

This is quite a confident statement of intent after the failed merger attempt with number three mobile network Telkom, which we reported in January.

How the mobile offering will be delivered or priced is not clear but, according to ARC co-CEO Johan Van Zyl, it will make the company "a more holistic competitor and not just a niche player".
The owner of Russias Wagner military contractor is threatening to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut
A collaboration between UC San Diego Health and 211 San Diego, a region-wide, non-profit referral service that connects anyone living in San Diego County to community, health, social and disaster services, will help to improve patient outcomes by addressing social determinants.

The region's only academic medical center is the first hospital system in the county to participate in the pilot project, which will improve access to transportation resources for UC San Diego Health patients who have been discharged from the hospital and may have barriers getting to follow-up appointments.

The recently launched effort is made possible through the San Diego Community Information Exchange (CIE), which 211 San Diego spearheads and of which UC San Diego Health is a member.

The CIE works to improve how services, such as transportation, food, legal assistance, and more, are delivered in our region. The services are coordinated through an integrated technology platform that shares information electronically to network partners with the goal of improving the health and well-being of people across San Diego County.

The CIE is a growing network of 132 local partner organizations, working together to break down silos of care across health, social and educational sectors.

The collaborative effort between UC San Diego Health, 211 San Diego/CIE and CIE partners, will allow us to identify the social needs of patients. Then, using innovative technology, we can seamlessly connect our patients to needed resources." Christopher Longhurst, MD, chief medical officer and chief digital officer at UC San Diego Health

The process works by screening patients to ensure they have access to transportation resources to get to their follow-up appointments. If a patient is found in need of services, they can be connected to more than 410 services offered by the CIE network of providers.

"The overall goal is to provide proactive, patient-centered care and advance equity for patients in our health system," said Donna Beifus, chief administrative officer for care management at UC San Diego Health.

The pilot project will allow for the sharing of challenges and best practices, inform policy decisions and contribute to the ongoing development of the CIE technology platform.

"211 San Diego's mission is to connect people to resources and to partner with our community to transform how people access help," said William York, president and chief executive officer of 211 San Diego.

"We are proud to work with UC San Diego Health to launch this project that is our mission in action. It uses the full strength of our cross-sector CIE network to remove access barriers and get people connected to critical health services."
In a recent article published in the BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care journal, researchers presented the findings of the Quebec Cannabis Registry (QCR), a multicenter trial evaluating the effectiveness of medical cannabis (MC) in managing cancer-induced pain.

Study: Medical cannabis is effective for cancer-related pain: Quebec Cannabis Registry results. Image Credit: 420MediaCo / Shutterstock

Background

Over 65% of terminally-ill cancer patients experience moderate to severe pain, for which up to 61.5% of doctors frequently ask their cancer patients to consider MC to manage pain and other cancer symptoms. About one-third of patients have adverse effects despite treatment with opioid analgesics, e.g., nabilone, nabiximols, and other medications, such as anti-convulsants and anti-inflammatories. Adverse effects of opioid treatment for cancer-related pain include nausea, vomiting, constipation, and in more severe cases, respiratory depression.

About the study

The Quebec Medical College in Canada established the QCR to prospectively and systematically collect data on the safety, efficacy, and overall use of MC products in real-world settings. QCR gathered data between May 2015 and October 2018, i.e., a period of over 3.5 years. General practitioners, specialists, and physicians referred cancer patients from all across the Quebec province who agreed to take MC within the QCR-specified research framework to enroll in this registry.

The study population comprised adults aged 18 years or more at enrolment who could provide consent and complete QCR questionnaires. All of them met the criteria of being first-time MC authorization candidates. In this study, the researchers monitored patient sociodemographics, pre-existing health conditions, cancer diagnosis, other medications, including drugs for recreational use, smoking status, and alcohol use at baseline, i.e., at the time of study initiation.

They also documented primary MC indications and MC treatment plan, including MC products authorized for use, method of their administration (oral/inhalational, or both), and chemovar profiles, i.e., tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)-dominant, Cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant, or balanced for THC: CBD.

The study outcomes regarding MC use encompassed a revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS-r), medication quantification scale (MQS), brief pain inventory (BPI), and morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD).

From the BPI, the team considered worst and average pain, pain relief, and overall pain severity and interference over 24 hours before MC use. The ESAS-r measured the pain intensity on a zero to 10 rating scale, where zero and 10 indicated no pain and extreme pain, respectively. A decrease of a minimum of 30% in BPI measures and ~1.2 units in the ESAS-r pain scale helped the researchers determine minimal clinically important differences (MCIDs).

The researchers used MQS to quantify MC burden and monitor time-varying drug use changes. It was computed at baseline and subsequent follow-ups to distinguish the opioid-sparing effect from MC use.

The team used repeated measures ANCOVA to analyze time-varying trends/variations in BPI (worst, average, overall severity, and interference) and the ESAS-r scores, controlling for age, gender, cancer diagnosis, occupation, smoking, alcohol use, drug use, chemovar profile and MC administration route(s). The study follow-up visits continued from every three months to over a year.

Study findings

The study dataset comprised 358 patients, of which 47.8% were males (average age 57.614.7 years) with a confirmed cancer diagnosis, chosen from 2991 QCR enrollees. The top three cancer diagnoses were breast, colorectal, and genitourinary. Most patients in this study (72.4%) reported pain as a primary MC use indication. Clinicians authorized oral MC administration most frequently, i.e., in 58.9% of cases. The authorization of THC-dominant, CBD-dominant, and THC: CBD-balanced products occurred at frequencies of 24.5%, 16.4%, and 37.9%, respectively.

Regardless of their baseline pain scores, all patients reported pain as one of their symptoms. All these patients participated in this study to minimize selection bias, which explains why the meanSD for worst pain and overall pain severity equaled 5.50.7 and 3.70.5, respectively, at baseline. All pain intensity indicators assessed via the BPI and the ESAS-r decreased in statistical and clinical relevance between baseline and the last follow-up visits.

Bar-Lev Schleider et al. documented that cancer patients with pain intensity between eight and 10 reduced from 53% to 4.6% between baseline and six-month follow-up. Likewise, Portenoy et al. showed that nabiximols, a THC: CBD balanced spray, were more effective (vs. placebo) for managing pain in cancer patients. On the contrary, Chang et al. found higher ESAS-r pain scores in cancer patients in patients testing positive for THC in urine vs. those testing negative.

However, in this study, patients who used THC-dominant MC products reported reduced average pain and pain intensity on the BPI and ESAS-r, respectively. However, THC: CBD balanced MC product use significantly improved pain characteristics more than both types of products alone. Of all chemovar profiles, only the THC: CBD balanced products significantly decreased worst and average pain, pain relief, and overall pain severity and interference at the three-month follow-up. Furthermore, the authors noted decreases in MQS and MEDD scores from baseline to subsequent follow-up visits.

The authors also observed that patients with high symptom burden sought more cannabinoids than their counterparts with relatively lower symptom burden. Here, it is noteworthy that unauthorized, non-monitored MC use might lead to more serious AEs, which interfere with symptom burden. The authors also observed MCIDs at three-, six-, nine- and 12-month follow-ups.

Only five patients discontinued MC use because of AEs, though 11 patients suffered from 15 moderate to severe AEs. Fatigue and somnolence were the top two of the 13 non-serious AEs, followed by dizziness. On the contrary, studies have found that opioids are associated with more challenging AEs, such as constipation and delirium. Pneumonia and cardiovascular events, the other two serious AEs, appeared unrelated to MC.

Conclusions

Several prior studies have fetched inconsistent and conflicting results regarding variability in dosage ranges, type of MC products, and quantification methods for opioid use. For instance, OConnell et al. highlighted a marked reduction in average morphine equivalents for 79 non-cancer patients at three- and six-month follow-up compared to baseline.

On the contrary, Johnson et al. reported no marked changes in average opioid use in cancer patients who were also using MC products. Future studies should address and elucidate these inconsistencies.

Nonetheless, the current study found MC to be a safe and effective alternative therapy for cancer patients seeking pain relief and reduced dependence on medication. In this regard, THC: CBD-balanced MC products performed better than THC- and CBD-dominant products alone. Thus, MC products could become a complementary therapy for cancer patients for whom conventional analgesics, such as opioids, do not provide adequate pain relief.
Adding long-chain fatty acids can thicken cell membranes and alter the activity of a key enzyme, as LMU scientists have demonstrated in cell cultures.

A characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease are deposits of the amyloid- protein, which clumps together to form plaques in the brain. The amyloid- protein is produced by an enzyme which resides in cellular membranes. A team lead by Prof. Harald Steiner and Dr. Edgar Dawkins from the Biomedical Center Munich at LMU has now shown that the production of amyloid- is influenced by the membrane thickness.

Cellular membranes consist of lipid bilayers. By externally adding further lipids, they can be thickened, which alters their properties. In earlier studies, Steiner's team had already demonstrated in cell-free model systems that such changes affect the production of amyloid-. This effect arises because the key enzyme for the production of amyloid-, the so-called -secretase, is localized inside the membrane.

Remodeling in the cell membrane alters enzyme activity

Now the researchers have demonstrated that these fundamental mechanisms also apply in cells. To this end, they started out by developing methods for modifying the properties of living cell membranes in cell cultures. In this way, they were able to show that the addition of a long-chain fatty acid - a building block of the lipids - did in fact lead to remodeling in the cell membranes. This modulation of the membrane composition was also associated with changes in the activity of the -secretase.

The way in which this influenced the production of amyloid- proved to be non-uniform: "Although our goal was to suppress the production of amyloid-, we ascertained that the lipid treatments have complex effects on the production of this protein in biological systems," reports Dawkins. "Depending on the genetic background of the cells we used, we were able to reduce or increase the quantities of amyloid-."

Long-term, the scientists see the potential in their results for delivering new impetuses to lipid-based treatment strategies for Alzheimer's disease. "Our study contains important considerations in this regard, which researchers should look into when evaluating potential lipid-based approaches," says Steiner, although he emphasizes that their practical implementation remains far off in the future.
During a digital health symposium this week, Christopher Longhurst, MD, with UC San Diego Health, pulled up a QR code from his phone's digital wallet, scanned it at a check-in kiosk and instantly displayed how his medical insurance information was retrieved and verified in real time, including copay amounts.

The UC San Diego Health digital health symposium was the first demonstration of the SMART health QR codes for health insurance cards initiative -; a new model for digitally standardizing and modernizing health insurance cards, streamlining patient check-ins and reducing billing errors. UC San Diego Health is the first health system in the nation to pilot this innovative new approach.

There are more than 1,000 health insurance companies in the United States, each with their own insurance card format. It takes weeks to train new staff members to decipher all those different card formats, and there are often typos, which can lead to rejected insurance claims. Having a common QR code format to scan will streamline the process, reduce errors and simplify insurance documentation for our patients and staff." Christopher Longhurst, chief medical officer and chief digital officer at UC San Diego Health

Although many health plans have recently launched their own digital member identification cards, there has not been a common standard that allowed providers to easily scan or ingest that information -; until now.

The new SMART Health Insurance Card is based on the SMART Health Card QR code standard that was adopted for verifiable vaccination records during the COVID-19 pandemic by most of the U.S. health care and technology ecosystems, including: most U.S. states, national pharmacy chains, health providers and insurers and mobile and technology platforms.

The SMART Health Insurance Card initiative was launched by The Commons Project, in collaboration with the CARIN Alliance and the VCI coalition of public and private partner organizations that developed the SMART Health Card standard.

The new SMART Health Insurance Card initiative garnered support from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) in April, a nonpartisan professional practice organization that represents 100,000 health care financial management professionals nationwide.

"We urge our health care system colleagues, payer partners and electronic health record practice management system vendors to actively participate in the SMART Health Insurance Cards initiative and embrace the SMART Health Card standard for health insurance cards," said Richard L. Gundling, senior vice president, professional practice at HFMA. "We believe that adopting this standard will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of health care services, and thereby benefit patients and providers alike."

The UC San Diego Health symposium, where the demonstration took place, is happening at the Qualcomm Institute and is honoring Irwin and Joan Jacobs for their generous support of $22 million in gifts to expand UC San Diego Health's Center for Health Innovation.

Prominent thought leaders from academia and industry are sharing ideas and key initiatives about innovations in health care through AI and machine learning, mobile health data driven service models and ethical and secure practices in digital health, including the launch of the SMART Health Insurance Card.

"UC San Diego Health is situated as a key decision maker in health care delivery, and SMART Health Insurance Cards are a great opportunity for us to showcase our innovation skillset, mindset and leadership for improving the health care ecosystem," said Joshua Glandorf, chief information officer for UC San Diego Health. "There is a strong alignment with these new SMART insurance cards and how we're aiming to advance health care in the digital space as a whole."

"This is an exciting step forward in our work to make health care simpler for those we serve," said Glen Stettin, MD, chief innovation officer for Evernorth Health Services. "SMART insurance cards have the potential to help patients get faster access to needed care, and help doctors get reimbursed more efficiently. Any organization interested in removing friction in health care should consider them."

Following today's demonstration, UC San Diego Health, UC Irvine Health, UCLA Health, UCSF Health, UCR Health and UC Davis Health will conduct further pilots of the model.

HFMA is also forming a working group of large health systems nationwide to collaborate with their payer and electronic health record vendor partners to pilot the model in coming months. After the pilots, the participants will assess the outcomes and strive for the widespread implementation of the standard and the model during the upcoming benefit year starting in January 2024.
Kaitlyn Anderson was six months pregnant when a driver killed her and a Missouri Department of Transportation colleague in 2021 while they were doing roadwork near St. Louis. Her fetus also died.

Although Anderson's family tried to sue the department on her behalf, workers' compensation laws in Missouri and elsewhere shield employers from wrongful death lawsuits when an employee dies on the job. So the case was also filed on behalf of the 25-year-old woman's unborn child, a son named Jaxx. This was possible because Missouri law defines life  and legal rights  as beginning at conception.

In turn, the lawyers representing the state argued that, since Jaxx was considered a person, his case should be dismissed because under workers' compensation laws he met the definition of an employee.

"Thats just disgusting," said Tonya Musskopf, Anderson's mother. "Who would have known what he would have grown into? His whole life was ahead of him."

What wasn't in question from either side was the idea that the 6-month-old fetus had legal rights under Missouri law. Every state has at least some statute or case law that considers a fetus a person, according to a report from Pregnancy Justice, a nonprofit that advocates for the rights of pregnant people. The report lists Missouri among at least 10 states with personhood language that is so broad it could be interpreted to apply to all civil and criminal laws.

Around the country, state personhood definitions have often been restrained by laws protecting the right to abortions, according to Pregnancy Justice acting executive director Dana Sussman, because together they create an inherent inconsistency: How could a fetus be a person if abortion is legal? But now that abortion rights are no longer federally protected, personhood definitions could expand throughout state law.

"States have more leverage and leeway to tread in these waters," said John Seago, president of Texas Right to Life, a group that opposes abortion.

The U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade, which protected abortion rights, stated that the word "person" did not include the unborn for the purposes of individual rights such as equal protection under the law. The ruling prompted a nationwide push to grant more rights to fetuses, according to Laura Hermer, a visiting professor at St. Louis University School of Law.

Among states, Missouris recognition of personhood for fetuses was early and consequential.

Here, a 1986 law to regulate abortion included a preamble that defined life as beginning at conception. Three years later, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Missouri's definition could stand since it was merely a "value judgment." A Missouri Supreme Court ruling in 1995 opened the door for the definition to apply to all Missouri statutes.

Still, Sussman noted, Missouri courts have not applied personhood to every state statute.

In 2018, a Missouri man unsuccessfully attempted to appeal his conviction for child molestation by arguing the state's personhood language required the court to calculate the age of the victim from conception, not birth, which would have made her above the statutory age limit. Sussman said it's an example of how the limits of broad personhood language are tested.

"People will start to utilize that and figure out ways to have it benefit their particular circumstances," Sussman said.

That type of boundary-pushing, Sussman said, is invited by inconsistencies in the law, like those created by the U.S. Supreme Court's Dobbs decision last summer, which overturned Roe v. Wade without addressing the question of when personhood rights begin.

The Dobbs ruling gives states the power to regulate abortion, and in Texas it triggered an abortion law that defines an unborn child as an "individual living member of the homo sapiens species from fertilization until birth." Just days later, a Texas woman was given a ticket for driving in the carpool lane despite arguing that her unborn daughter counted as a second person in the vehicle.

"One law is saying that this is a baby and now he's telling me this baby that's jabbing my ribs is not a baby," she said of the officer who gave her the ticket. That ticket and a second one she got for a similar incident the next month were ultimately dismissed.

Another legal boundary was pushed in early April when a U.S. District Judge in Texas ruled that the FDA had improperly approved the common abortion drug mifepristone. The judge noted that part of the ruling's analysis "arguably applies to the unborn humans extinguished by mifepristone  especially in the post-Dobbs era." The Supreme Court has blocked the ruling, for now.

Seago said these kinds of legal tests are important.

"Thats the phase that were at after undoing a court precedent that had been there for almost 50 years," Seago said. "Were encouraged that its forcing these important questions, like, 'What do we owe our unborn neighbors?'"

But Sussman worries about an increase in criminal charges filed against pregnant people. Pregnancy Justice filed a brief in a 2021 court case challenging an Arizona law that granted personhood rights to unborn children "at every stage of development."

Citing Missouri as a cautionary tale, the brief asserts not a single woman was arrested in the state in relation to her pregnancy before the Supreme Court allowed Missouri's personhood language to stand. The years that followed, however, brought at least 39 arrests of women "for being pregnant and subjecting 'unborn children' to perceived risks of harm including drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, or drinking tea made with mint and marijuana leaves to treat morning sickness."

The Arizona law was blocked, at least temporarily.

Texas' new abortion case law has yet to play out, but Seago anticipated it would follow the pattern established for child abuse, in which the accused can defend themselves by establishing they didn't intend to cause harm.

"There's no accidental abortion in Texas," Seago said.

In Missouri, wrongful death claims for unborn children have been allowed since the 1995 state Supreme Court ruling.

Anderson's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in St. Louis County in 2022 against the driver, the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission  which governs the Department of Transportation  and several of Anderson's supervisors.

The state's attorneys argued that Jaxx, like his mother, met the definition of an "employee" under Missouri workers' compensation law, which includes an employee's dependents in the event the employee is dead. Because Jaxx's rights under Missouri law began at his conception, the filing read, he should be considered Anderson's dependent. That would prevent a wrongful death suit brought against the Department of Transportation on Jaxx's behalf.

"Who the hell would argue that someone who hasn't been born works for them and is a dependent?" said Andrew Mundwiller, the attorney representing Anderson's family. "I would say it stretches the bounds of the law."

Theresa Otto, an attorney representing the Department of Transportation, declined to comment about the case, saying the department does not comment on active litigation.

St. Louis University School of Law professor Michael Duff, who has written a book on workers' compensation law, said this type of case was, "thankfully," rare. But he did find nine cases nationwide since 1985 that examined whether workers' compensation laws barred suits against companies for injuries sustained in utero. In each case, the answer was no and the lawsuit continued.

On March 29, Judge Joseph Dueker, who was assigned the case in St. Louis County Circuit Court in Clayton, issued a similar ruling in Jaxx's case, writing that barring Jaxx's claims would lead to an "extremely absurd result." A trial is set for March 2024.

Sussman, of Pregnancy Justice, said broad personhood language would allow legal boundaries to be pushed until state legislatures act to clarify the laws.

The case in Missouri prompted the introduction of a bill in the state legislature, dubbed "Jaxx's Law," that would bar unborn children from being considered employees in any civil actions, including wrongful death lawsuits.

But they would still be considered people with legal rights.
insights from industry Dr. Philip Bevilacqua Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Pennsylvania State University

In this interview conducted at Pittcon 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, we spoke to Philip Bevilacqua from Pennsylvania State University about the world of RNA chemistry.

Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your current activities?

I am Phil Bevilacqua, a chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology professor at Penn State University. I am also the department head there. My research is in the general area of RNA chemistry and RNA biology.

How has our interest in and understanding RNA changed over the past ten years?

I have worked in the field of RNA for over 25 years, from when I was a graduate student all the way throughout my independent career. This whole experience has been super exciting.

The last ten years, in particular, have seen a real explosion in our understanding of the importance of RNA and biology from micro RNAs and CRISPR for gene editing, both of which have won Nobel Prizes.

Image Credit: CROCOTHERY/Shutterstock.com

The pandemic was also a really incredible time for RNA as the SARS-CoV-2 virus is an RNA virus, and the vaccines were made out of mRNA.

What is a tautomer, and how does it relate to RNA's chemistry?

There has been a huge amount of interest lately in modifications to RNA. RNA is a simple polymer, very similar to DNA. There are only four different side chains and two sizes: a big one in A and G and smaller ones in C and T for DNA or C and U for RNA. They look relatively similar, so there is not much molecular variation.

There has also been increased interest in covalent modifications to RNA, where RNA is modified with a methyl group or an acetyl group, and that regulates gene expression.

What we focus on, however, are the ways in which RNA can be noncovalently modified. One example is tautomers, where the smallest and the simplest element  hydrogen  moves around as protons or proton transfer. While this might not seem that important, it is critical because it can change base pairing specificity and refold RNAs.

What are the usual methods that you would use to investigate these RNA tautomers?

There are two broad approaches that we can use to investigate RNA. One is computational approaches, where we look at submitted databases of RNA structures, and we analyze those on the computer or do simulations with force fields like molecular dynamics or even quantum mechanics. The other approach is purely experimental, where we go into the lab and try to measure differences.

My lab is primarily experimental, although we do utilize some computational aspects. These experiments might look at how the bases react with small reactive molecules.

Exploring the World of RNA Chemistry - Philip Bevilacqua at Pittcon 2023 Play

We also conduct investigations using different types of spectroscopies, such as electromagnetic radiation. We can get information this way, too.

What are the benefits of combining these computational and wet lab experiments to investigate RNA tautomerism?

Computational chemistry has come so far over the last 25 years, and about five years ago, the field also received a Nobel Prize in chemistry for the development of computational methods. This means that we are now able to investigate problems that are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to do experimentally.

Image Credit: Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com

Using computational methods, we can move hydrogens around, for example, to initially determine which ones are more likely to be populated. We can then move on to the physical experiments to observe how it actually turns out. This marriage of two methods ultimately strengthens our investigations and our investigation outcomes.

What challenges have you faced yourself or seen in the field when investigating these RNA molecules?

RNA is not a particularly stable molecule, and working with it in the lab is always challenging. For instance, enzymes within a cell, or cell lysates, can degrade the RNA. Therefore, many precautions must be taken when working with RNA to carry out these types of experiments.

Why is it so beneficial to broaden our understanding of RNA chemistry, particularly in the context of understanding how biological systems have evolved over time?

Basic, curiosity-driven research will always be really important. For example, understanding how RNA, a simple molecule with just four side chains, enhances its diversity. This information is key to many practical problems, such as human disease, cancer, etc., to enable us to better understand how RNA might refold and how that might change gene expression.

It is then important to consider how this can be targeted with small molecule therapeutics. Almost all conventional drugs target proteins. There are only very few that target RNA and those that do tend to target ribosomal RNA.

Most of the genome is transcribed into RNA but not translated into proteins. However, there is a vast number of druggable molecules in RNA, and it would be revolutionary if we could figure out how to do that. One of our speakers, Amanda Hargrove, focused on this particular aspect in her talk at Pittcon 2023.

What exciting work are you currently involved in?

RNA has been a massive part of my career, and my team and I are trying to determine whether RNA adopts different tautomeric states or charged states that are not always neutral, so the bases can pick up a proton and become positively charged or drop one and become negatively charged.

What we have developed over the last decade here at Penn State with a number of colleagues, particularly Sally Assmann in the biology department, are ways to use next-generation sequencing technologies to investigate the reactivity of RNA.

Across an entire transcriptome, there may be tens or hundreds of millions of different bases, and we are using new technologies to increase our odds of finding these rare but really important states.

What are the benefits of attending face-to-face events?

The interactions and connections between people are much stronger in person; this exchanging of ideas and developing of new collaborations, I feel, only happens when people are face-to-face.

What are you most looking forward to for Pittcon in San Diego next year?

One of the exciting things about Pittcon is seeing all the new technologies and instrumentation. I would say in my research that it is about 50% technology development and 50% application to biological problems. Therefore, it is always exciting to see that aspect of things.

About Philip Bevilacqua

Philip C. Bevilacqua is a Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at The Pennsylvania State University, where he is also the head of the Department of Chemistry. His research interests focus on understanding the roles of RNA folding and catalysis in biology. Bevilacqua earned his B.S. in Chemistry with a minor in Physics from John Carroll University in 1987 and his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of Rochester in 1993. He completed his postdoctoral research at the University of Colorado, Boulder, under the guidance of Professor Thomas R. Cech. Bevilacqua has received several awards and honors throughout his career, including the Jane Coffin Childs Postdoctoral Fellowship, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellowship, the C.I. Noll Award for Excellence in Teaching, and the Penn State Faculty Scholar Medal in Physical Sciences. He is also a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences. Bevilacqua has published extensively, with a total of 196 publications and an H-index of 51 (Web of Science) and 60 (Google Scholar). He has given 160 invited talks at universities and meetings and co-organized several national meetings. Bevilacqua is a member of various professional societies, including the AAAS, the American Chemical Society, and the RNA Society, where he serves on the editorial board.

About Pittcon

Pittcon is the worlds largest annual premier conference and exposition on laboratory science. Pittcon attracts more than 16,000 attendees from industry, academia and government from over 90 countries worldwide.

Their mission is to sponsor and sustain educational and charitable activities for the advancement and benefit of scientific endeavor.

Pittcons target audience is not just analytical chemists, but all laboratory scientists  anyone who identifies, quantifies, analyzes or tests the chemical or biological properties of compounds or molecules, or who manages these laboratory scientists.

Having grown beyond its roots in analytical chemistry and spectroscopy, Pittcon has evolved into an event that now also serves a diverse constituency encompassing life sciences, pharmaceutical discovery and QA, food safety, environmental, bioterrorism and other emerging markets.
Global Access Diagnostics (GADx) announces today that Mr Mark Davis is stepping down as CEO and co-founder after 20 years of unwavering service, having created the organisation Mologic Ltd in June 2003 alongside his father and industry leader, Prof. Paul Davis. Paul was part of the original team that pioneered lateral flow technology and its deployment in the ClearBlue home pregnancy test and together, they guided the company to its position today as a leading innovator and developer of diagnostic products.

The move represents a major milestone in the journey of Mologic Ltd to transform from a privately held company to GADx, a social enterprise that reinvests its profits entirely in pursuit of global health programs. Over the past two decades, the organisation embraced creative solutions and blue-sky thinking to partner with hundreds of clients across the globe, to train the next generation of diagnostic innovators in the UK, US, and Senegal, and to develop innovative approaches for unmet diagnostic needs.

For several months, the members and Mark Davis have been preparing for this transition, acknowledging the unique skillset and strategy required to grow commercial activities alongside expertise in developing diagnostics for neglected diseases and unmet needs.

GADx parent company Global Access Health has contracted with the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) to provide management services to support the organisation through the CEO transition. Dr. Randy Allen, a Director in the Global Markets Team at CHAI will be seconded to the organisation as acting General Manager. Dr. Allen brings a remarkable diversity of experience, commitment, and track record at the intersection of innovative diagnostics and global health programs. He will spearhead the recruitment of a permanent CEO, advance the delivery of the organisations key global health programs, and oversee the public launch of GADxs 2023-2025 strategy. Additional support and expertise will be provided by Alan Staple, a Vice President at CHAI and the Head of the Global Markets Team. Mr Staple brings over 30 years management experience and a focus on bringing new products to market, reducing the costs and prices of existing products, and mobilising funding to implement more cost-effective diagnostic solutions and drug regimens.

The Members want to thank Mark for his commitment to growing a diagnostics company focussed on meeting unmet needs and ensuring that cutting edge innovation reaches those that need it the most.

Mark Davis says: It has been a privilege to serve as CEO of the company I founded with Paul in 2003. Now is the right time for the organisation to benefit from new leadership that can focus on delivering the current wave of innovations. We have built a fantastic pipeline of products that harness the brilliance of the team and intellectual property at the cutting edge of diagnostic innovation. At the same time, our Contract Partnering Service is flourishing, thanks to the excellent work from our innovation and development teams over the years and the remarkable companies and institutions we are proud to partner with. I welcome this transition wholeheartedly  and hand over a much-cherished organisation to the next generation of leadership that will realise the store of its potential.
A small group of patients with type 2 diabetes significantly improved their long-term blood sugar levels when treated with high-dose tadalafil, a medication used to treat erectile dysfunction. The result from the University of Gothenburg pilot study is striking, but repetition in a larger study and over a longer period is needed.

Tadalafil is one of the active pharmaceutical substances known as PDE5 (phosphodiesterase type 5) inhibitors, a group that also includes the well-known drug Viagra. PDE5 inhibitors are used to treat impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED).

Self-medication with PDE5 inhibitors must never take place because, at worst, it can be life-threatening in combination with certain other drugs. These medicines are available on prescription only, and must always be prescribed by the attending physician." Per-Anders Jansson, Professor at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg

Unlike the other three PDE5 inhibitors that are approved in Sweden, tadalafil is long-acting and can be prescribed as a daily dose.

Insulin sensitivity unaffected

The study comprised 18 participants, 12 men and 6 postmenopausal women. In this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study, they were all first assigned by random selection to receive either a high daily dose (20 mg) of the active substance tadalafil or a placebo for six weeks. After an eight-week break, they were then given the other option for six weeks. The study participants thus served as their own controls. Since tadalafil has a number of known side effects (including headache, heartburn, diarrhea, muscle and back pain, low blood pressure, nasal congestion, tinnitus, and blurred vision), they were closely monitored.

The results of the study, which was conducted in collaboration with Sahlgrenska University Hospital, are published in the journal eClinicalMedicine. The primary aim was to investigate whether tadalafil might enhance the patients' insulin sensitivity. In this respect, however, there was no discernible difference compared with the placebo. On the other hand, tadalafil caused a clear improvement in metabolic control, based on measurements of haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) in blood samples. On average, the level of HbA1c fell by 2.50 mmol/mol.

"That's a very distinct improvement in the long-term sugar levels, which we couldn't have dreamed of after only six weeks of supplementary treatment in patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes. This improvement in blood sugar is on par with what we've seen with new drug candidates that are now the fourth treatment option for type 2 diabetes," says Jansson, who led the research.

"The HbA1c level is precisely monitored in blood samples from patients who are undergoing treatment for type 2 diabetes. The higher the HbA1c value, the greater the risk of complications, including microvascular damage to the eyes, kidneys and nerves," Jansson says.

Better blood flow, liver values and metabolism

Tadalafil has potential as a supplement to the treatment currently given for type 2 diabetes, especially for men who also have ED. More than 70 percent of men with obesity and type 2 diabetes develop ED. However, the results from the pilot study need to be repeated in a larger study where more patients are treated for a longer period of time, which the University of Gothenburg research group is now considering. The current primary treatment for type 2 diabetes combines lifestyle changes with the drug metformin. In the past 10 to 20 years, several other new drugs have also been developed.

Tadalafil increases blood flow in skeletal muscle, heart and adipose tissue. This present study also shows increased blood flow and a favorable effect in the liver, where an established marker of fatty liver decreased during the drug treatment, compared with the placebo. In addition, the researchers saw an increase in glucose uptake with the tadalafil treatment compared with the placebo.

Tadalafil is marketed under the brand name of Cialis by the pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly and Co, which co-funded the study in collaboration with the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Diabetes Association and the Novo Nordisk Foundation. Over the past few years, since the expiration of the company's patent in 2017, the prize of tadalafil has fallen sharply. This may open up for its broader use.
As promised earlier this year, South African operator Rain is no longer a data-only service provider. It is now part of the countrys highly competitive mobile network space, joining Vodacom, MTN and Telkom with a network offering national voice, SMS and data coverage.

Rain has in fact launched a new 4G mobile network with high-definition voice calls (using VoLTE), data, SMS and national 4G mobile coverage. The company already offers data-only 5G  in fact it was the countrys first entrant into the 5G market.

Bringing together a national 4G mobile network and its extensive data-only 5G network, Rain says it is now combining home and phone into one plan, through which customers can connect all their devices with one monthly bill.

The plan, branded rainOne, includes unlimited 5G home Wi-Fi, plus free monthly calls and data for two phones, each with 2GB of free data and 60 minutes of free, high-definition voice calls every month without any long-term contracts.

Customers with rainOne can seamlessly port their existing number and use Rain mobile as their primary SIM, with national 4G mobile coverage. 5G customers of Rain can upgrade to rainOne for the same price as their current plans and benefit from mobile SIMs and free monthly calls and data for two phones at no extra cost.

Given that the company is entering a competitive market, its worth noting the words of its CEO Brandon Leigh, quoted in the South African press. He says: Now customers have another option for mobile services from a provider that has already established a strong reputation in the home internet market. The expansion of Rains network, in terms of 5G coverage and spectrum acquisition, indicates that we are serious about being a major player in the mobile market as well.

Rain certainly seems confident. Of course, the company has been in the home internet market since 2018  and a 5G provider since 2019. Today it covers over 7 million households.
An international research team, comprising scientists from DZNE, University Hospital Bonn, the Netherlands, and the US has been awarded a US$ 1.3 million grant by the "Human Frontier Science Program" to investigate brain immune cells and manipulate them via light irradiation. This will involve using gene transcripts (mRNAs) as molecular mediators. From these laboratory studies, the scientists aim to gain new insights into how these cells change their shape in response to hazards and the role they play in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.

The brain houses a special class of immune cells called "microglia" that eliminate toxins, remove cellular debris, and fight pathogens, helping to keep the brain healthy. "These immune cells move through the tissue, surveying the local environment with little processes. When the microglia sense a danger, they are activated, which is associated with changes in their morphology. First, the dimensions and branching of their projections change and eventually, the microglia take on a blob-like shape," said Dr. Dragomir Milovanovic, a biochemist and research group leader at DZNE's Berlin site. "This transformation is essential for the immunological function of microglia. However, how this dynamic behavior is achieved is unclear. With our studies, we hope to learn more about the mechanisms involved in this. It is known that in Alzheimer's microglia become overactive and that their initially beneficial effect escalates into a chronic inflammatory response. Thus, a better understanding of microglia could help in devising new therapies."

A switch for microglia behavior

For this endeavor, Milovanovic is cooperating with three colleagues, including Prof. Kathrin Leppek from University Hospital Bonn in Germany, as well as fellow researchers from University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, and from University of California, Berkeley. "We are an interdisciplinary team, with each member bringing their specific expertise to the table. This includes cell biology, RNA and protein biochemistry, synthetic chemistry and other areas," the DZNE scientist explained. Supported by an "Early Career Research Grant" of the Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP), the international collaboration aims to study microglia in mouse brains and to manipulate microglia behavior in cell cultures by means of photosensitive molecules and laser light. "We intend to develop compounds that influence the production of proteins. Specifically, proteins significant to changes in microglia morphology. The key point is that the compounds we will synthesize are photoswitchable. Thus, their effect on protein production can be controlled with an appropriate light source. This will allow us to specifically manipulate the morphology of microglia and hence their immunological function with light", Milovanovic noted. He and his colleagues are looking forward to joining forces for this project. The grant will enable them to recruit PhD students or postdocs who will work highly collaboratively.

Targeting protein production

Recent studies suggest that the morphological transformation of microglia is regulated by proteins that are produced in the cell's periphery, including its processes. This requires gene transcripts called "mRNAs" as well as molecular machines that "translate" mRNA molecules into proteins. "It seems, and this is something we want to investigate in detail, that the mRNAs relevant for morphological changes are packaged together with protein factories into so-called granules. This happens close to the cell's nucleus. From there, these granules that resemble tiny droplets suspended in a different liquid, are transported to other sites", Milovanovic explained.

Therefore, our collaboration aims to identify mRNAs involved in the morphological changes and develop light-sensitive compounds that can attach to mRNAs to regulate their transport and protein production at specific places in the cell. For this, we need to identify and characterize microglia mRNAs that we can specifically target with light-switchable RNA tools. With this innovative approach, we want to contribute to a better understanding of the biology of microglia and their role in diseases. Our studies may pave the way to novel therapies." Prof. Kathrin Leppek, an RNA biochemist and research group leader at the Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology of University Hospital Bonn

A competitive selection procedure

The project is set to run for three years. Acquiring the grant was a highly competitive process, as the success rate for applications was only 6.5 percent. "The winners in this year's HFSP Research Grant Program are remarkable scientists pioneering life science research that needs international collaboration and basic science in frontier subjects  that is, investigations for which there are no prior studies," said Pavel Kabat, HFSP Secretary-General. "I was thrilled with the proposals we received and look forward to the ground-breaking discoveries that will be revealed."
Antibiotics administered before and during surgery should be discontinued immediately after a patient's incision is closed, according to updated recommendations for preventing surgical site infections. Experts found no evidence that continuing antibiotics after a patient's incision has been closed, even if it has drains, prevents surgical site infections. Continuing antibiotics does increase the patient's risk of C. difficile infection, which causes severe diarrhea, and antimicrobial resistance.

Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals: 2022 Update, published in the journal Infection Control and Healthcare Epidemiology, provides evidence-based strategies for preventing infections for all types of surgeries from top experts from five medical organizations led by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

Many surgical site infections are preventable. Ensuring that healthcare personnel know, utilize, and educate others on evidence-based prevention practices is essential to keeping patients safe during and after their surgeries." Michael S. Calderwood, MD, MPH, lead author on the updated guidelines and Chief Quality Officer at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire

Surgical site infections are among the most common and costly healthcare-associated infections, occurring in approximately 1% to 3% of patients undergoing inpatient surgery. Patients with surgical site infections are up to 11 times more likely to die compared to patients without such infections.

Other recommendations:

Obtain a full allergy history from patients who self-report penicillin allergy. Many patients with a self-reported penicillin allergy can safely receive cefazolin, a cousin to penicillin, rather than alternate antibiotics that are less effective against surgical infections.

For high-risk procedures, especially orthopedic and cardiothoracic surgeries, decolonize patients with an anti-staphylococcal agent in the pre-operative setting. Decolonization, which was elevated to an essential practice in this guidance, can reduce post-operative S. aureus infections.

For patients with an elevated blood glucose level, monitor and maintain post-operative blood glucose levels between 110 and 150 mg/dL regardless of diabetes status. Higher glucose levels in the post-operative setting are associated with higher infection rates. However, more intensive post-operative blood glucose control targeting levels below 110 mg/dL has been associated with a risk of significantly lowering the blood glucose level and increasing the risk of stroke or death.

Use antimicrobial prophylaxis before elective colorectal surgery. Mechanical bowel preparation without use of oral antimicrobial agents has been associated with significantly higher rates of surgical site infection and anastomotic leakage. The use of parenteral and oral antibiotics prior to elective colorectal surgery is now considered an essential practice.

Consider negative-pressure dressings, especially for abdominal surgery or joint arthroplasty patients. Placing negative-pressure dressings over closed incisions was identified as a new option because evidence has shown these dressings reduce surgical site infections in certain patients. Negative pressure dressings are thought to work by reducing fluid accumulation around the wound.

Additional topics covered in the update include specific risk factors for surgical site infections, surveillance methods, infrastructure requirements, use of antiseptic wound lavage, and sterile reprocessing in the operating room, among other guidance.

Hospitals may consider these additional approaches when seeking to further improve outcomes after they have fully implemented the list of essential practices. The document classifies tissue oxygenation, antimicrobial powder, and gentamicin-collagen sponges as unresolved issues according to current evidence.

The document updates the 2014 Strategies to Prevent Surgical Site Infections in Acute Care Hospitals. The Compendium, first published in 2008, is sponsored by the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology (SHEA). It is the product of a collaborative effort led by SHEA, with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, the American Hospital Association, and The Joint Commission, with major contributions from representatives of several organizations and societies with content expertise. The Compendium is a multiyear, highly collaborative guidance-writing effort by over 100 experts from around the world.

Upcoming Compendium updates will cover strategies to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, and implementation strategies for the prevention of healthcare-associated infections. Strategies for preventing central line-associated bloodstream infections, ventilator and non-ventilator associated pneumonia and events, and C. difficile infections as well as strategies to prevent healthcare-associated infections through hand hygiene were updated recently. Each Compendium article contains infection prevention strategies, performance measures, and approaches to implementation. Compendium recommendations are derived from a synthesis of systematic literature review, evaluation of the evidence, practical and implementation-based considerations, and expert consensus.
Genetic testing for hereditary cancers, such as breast, colon, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer, helps at-risk individuals understand their familial risk for these diseases and make informed decisions about next steps in care. But fewer than 20 percent of at-risk patients utilize this testing, and even fewer engage in genetic counseling after referral, often due to clinical workflow challenges or barriers to care.

Amid national efforts to increase access to genetic testing, a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher has identified a streamlined approach in clinical settings that may help advance these efforts by simplifying the process of identifying hereditary cancer risk and determining subsequent care.

Published in the journal Genetics in Medicine, the study measured patient uptake of genetic testing in clinical practices that implemented a digital cancer risk assessment across different clinical workflow models, including a traditional referral, point-of-care scheduling, point-of-care counseling, and point-of-care genetic testing.

The findings showed that clinical practices that combined a digital cancer risk assessment along with point-of-care testing more than doubled the average uptake of genetic testing. While this streamlined strategy shows promise for cancer prevention and detection, the researchers say more work needs to be done to increase utilization of these valuable services.

This study is one of the largest to show the possible advantages of a scalable mainstreamed approach to facilitating greater uptake of genetic testing across a variety of clinical settings. In spite of this advantage, however, overall testing rates varied widely among sites deploying this approach, suggesting that there is still much room for improvement. Dr. Catharine Wang, study lead and corresponding author, associate professor of community health sciences at BUSPH

For the study, Dr. Wang and colleagues from BUSPH and digital healthcare company CancerIQ, Inc. analyzed data among approximately 33,000 high-risk patients (out of more than 100,000 screened) who met genetic testing criteria for breast and ovarian cancer, and/or Lynch syndrome, an inherited disorder that increases risk for many types of cancer. Providers in 27 health centers or primary care/specialty offices conducted a hereditary cancer risk assessment using the CancerIQ digital precision prevention platform that optimizes clinical workflow through a range of automated processes, including gathering data and categorizing patients into different risk tiers, streamlining the genetic counseling and testing process, and creating personalized care plans.

In the traditional referral workflow, patients were referred to a genetic specialist who called to schedule an appointment; with point-of-care scheduling, they scheduled testing with a specialist immediately during their appointment; with point-of care counseling, the patients were offered an immediate consult by with a specialist; and with point-of-care testing, they were offered immediate genetic testing once they were determined to be at risk.

On average, 16 percent of high-risk patients opted for genetic testing overall, from 35 percent of patients at offices that implemented the point-of-care testing workflow, to just 6 percent of patients at offices utilizing the referral process. The point-of-care testing model enables doctors to educate and discuss the testing with patients directly, rather than necessitate an additional pretest appointment with a genetic counselor.

The researchers say further work should address continued challenges with this workflow, such as physicians hesitation to order tests or counsel patients, and patients concerns about insurance coverage.

We still have a lot of learn about best practices for increasing access to cancer genetic services, particularly among patients who are medically underserved and face numerous logistical and structural barriers to accessing care, Dr. Wang says. Given these current constraints, it is important to examine alternate models of care delivery, and this study suggests that point-of-care testing is an effective delivery model for improving genetic testing outcomes.

The senior author of the study is Dr. Ziming Xuan, professor of community health sciences at BUSPH. The study was coauthored by Haibo Lu, cofounder and chief data officer of Cancer IQ, and the late Dr. Deborah Bowen, who was a professor in the Department of Bioethics and Humanities at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
In a recent article published in the JAMA Network Open, researchers described the findings of their cross-sectional study conducted among the adolescent population of the United States of America (USA) to assess whether non-disordered cannabis use (NDCU) resulted in any adverse psychosocial events.

Study: Nondisordered Cannabis Use Among US Adolescents. Image Credit: snob / Shutterstock

Background

In the USA, young adults do not view cannabis use as hazardous. Accordingly, in the last decade, cannabis use among US adolescents aged >12 years surged from 11.6% to 17.9%, while the perceived risk of harm by weekly cannabis use declined by about 50%. In the future, such decreased negative perceptions about cannabis use would further increase its use among US adolescents. Moderating federal criminal justice policies in the US which have decriminalized marijuana possession could favor already increasing cannabis use trends among US adolescents.

However, clinicians recognize that cannabis use disorder (CUD) increases the risk of adverse mental health outcomes, e.g., depression and suicidal behaviors in adolescents. In addition, it hampers their cognitive and executive functioning, which affects the brain's working memory, attentiveness, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. Some longitudinal epidemiologic studies have shown that cannabis exposure increases the risk of psychosis diagnoses among adolescents by four-fold. Moreover, cannabis use dampens their academic performance and triggers delinquent behavior.

Yet, there is a shortage of studies differentiating between the risks posed by disordered cannabis use, CUD, and NDCU vs. non-use among youth cannabis users for adverse psychological events and the comparative strength of these associations.

Non-users denied cannabis use ever or at least in the past year. The researchers used the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fifth Edition) (DSM-5) criteria to define CUD. So, youth endorsing recent cannabis use but not meeting the DSM-5 criteria or diagnostic threshold set by DSM-5 were considered NDCU cases. In other words, those having NDCU-endorsed cannabis use within the past 30 days or up to a year.

About the study

In the present study, researchers derived a nationally representative sample using National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data captured between 2015 and 2019, which comprised adolescent participants aged 12 to 17 years. Next, they divided all adolescent participants into non-use, CUD, and NDCU groups, to assess the comparative associations across several adverse psychosocial events between January and May 2022 based on the hypothesis that there could be an association between NDCU and adverse psychosocial events but to a lesser extent than that of CUD.

Additionally, the researchers evaluated sociodemographic factors, such as gender, race/ethnicity, education level, community, and total family income of all participants, plus information on their substance use disorders and depression.

The authors selected nine adverse psychosocial events for this analysis, as follows:

i) major depressive episode (MDE);

ii) slowed thinking;

iii) suicidal ideation (SI),i.e., thoughts of ending life;

iv) facing difficulty in concentrating;

v) truancy, i.e., skipping school for >1 day in the past month;

vi) being arrested for involvement in illegal activities,

vii) involved in fights;

viii) physical aggression, i.e., attack with intent to harm; and

ix) low-grade point average (GPA), i.e., C+ or below (i.e., <80%).

Finally, the team used logistic regression to compute unadjusted odds ratios (ORs) for NDCU and CUD use groups, using the non-use group as the control group and repeating the process for each adverse psychosocial event. Nonoverlapping 95% confidence intervals (CIs) indicated statistical differences in the strength of association with adverse events between NDCU and CUD groups, where a two-tailed p< .05 indicated a significant difference across groups.

Results

Within a nationally representative sample of US adolescents, NDCU was nearly four times more prevalent than CUD. Moreover, the authors noted a significant correlation between adolescent NDCU to all nine adverse psychosocial correlates examined in this study. Further, the magnitudes of correlations between adolescent NDCU and CUD and all adverse psychosocial events except MDE varied substantially. Yet, the majority of adolescents with NDCU endorsed nearly 25% of the minimum DSM-5 criteria.

The authors also observed higher odds of MDE and SI among adolescents who engaged in cannabis use. Strikingly, on measures of MDE, adolescents with NDCU and CUD did not vary markedly. Past studies have also shown depression and suicidality as markers of poor adolescent mental health, increasing the likelihood of adopting harmful substance use in adolescence.

Young adults succumb to substance use to improve mood symptoms associated with depression; however, its ongoing use does the reverse. In the future, longitudinal studies should examine the association between NDCU, a clinically relevant risk marker of major depression & suicidality, accounting for the public perspective that cannabis alleviates depressive symptoms.

Furthermore, the authors noted that adolescents in NDCU and CUD groups were nearly two-three times more prone to develop cognitive deficits and worsening executive functions than non-users. Few previous studies have highlighted that after abstaining from cannabis use beyond 30 days, cognitive deficits persist, which, in some cases, could lead to reduced hippocampal volume by midlife. Future work could examine the effect of cannabis abstinence on cognition among adults of varying age groups.

Another remarkable observation was that compared to non-users, adolescent cannabis users were up to 4.5 and 3.5 times more likely to skip school and report a low GPA, indicating poor academic performance, respectively.

Conclusions

Overall, the current study could not establish a cause-and-effect relationship between adolescent cannabis use in the NDCU & CUD groups and adverse socio-psycho outcomes but highlighted somewhat robust associations between the two. Longitudinal research using repeated measures on prospective data is, thus, warranted to uncover the reasons underlying these observations. The stepwise severity gradient for the odds of socio-psycho relationships among non-users, NDCU, and CUD groups also applied to their prevalence across all degrees of cannabis use.

The number of US adolescents with NDCU is around 2.5 million, and NDCU is more frequent than CUD, yet, a vast majority of the affected US adolescent population remains undiagnosed. It is a worrisome situation considering that they suffer from adverse effects meeting the criteria for pathological use.

Thus, there is an urgent need to improve the current diagnostic criteria and make it developmentally sensitive. Since the risk among individuals with NDCU vs. CUD did not vary substantially, associations between NDCU and adverse psychosocial events have implications in clinical practice. Clinicians should proactively screen, examine, and treat adolescent cannabis users as cannabis use surges equally for medicinal and recreational reasons.
All those EPFO members who are opting to contribute on their actual basic wage which is higher than the threshold of Rs 15,000 per month for getting a higher pension will not have to contribute the additional 1.16 per cent towards EPS. This additional contribution will be managed from employers contributions to social security schemes run by the EPFO.

What Does Govt Order Say?

According to a statement issued by the labour ministry on May 3, It has been decided to draw 1.16 per cent additional contribution from within the overall 12 per cent of the contribution of the employers into the provident fund."

It said this provision is retrospective in nature and in line with the directions given by the Supreme Court.

The spirit of the EPF & MP Act, as well as the Code (Code on Social Security), do not envisage contributions from the employees into the pension fund, according to the statement.

What Is The Current Provision?

Currently, the government takes care of 1.16 per cent of basic wages of up to Rs 15,000 (threshold basic wage) as a subsidy for contributions towards the Employees Pension Scheme (EPS).

The Employers 12% Contribution

The employers contribute 12 per cent of basic wages towards social security schemes run by the EPFO. As much as 8.33 per cent out of the 12 per cent contributed by the employers goes into the EPS and the remaining 3.67 per cent is credited into the employees provident fund.

Now, all those EPFO members who are opting to contribute on their actual basic wage which is higher than the threshold of Rs 15,000 per month for getting a higher pension, will not have to contribute this additional 1.16 per cent towards EPS.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Labour & Employment has issued two notifications on May 3, 2023, implementing the above (decision), it said.

The ministry said that with the issue of the notifications, all the directions of the Supreme Court contained in the judgment on November 4, 2022, have been complied with.

The Supreme Court had held the requirement of the members to contribute at the rate of 1.16 per cent of their salary to the extent such salary exceeds Rs 15000 per month as an additional contribution under the amended scheme to be ultra vires of the provisions of the Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 (EPF & MP Act).

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The apex court had directed the authorities to make necessary adjustments to the Scheme within a period of six months.

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Petrol, and Diesel Prices Today: Petrol and diesel prices remained unchanged in all the major cities across India on Friday, 5 May in cities like New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Petrol rates and diesel rates have been steady over the last eleven months.

At present, petrol in Delhi is being sold at Rs 96.72 a liter while diesel is being sold at Rs 89.62 a litre. Whereas in Mumbai, petrol is available at Rs 106.31 and diesel at Rs 94.27 per litre. While petrol in Kolkata is Rs 106.03 and diesel is Rs 92.76 per litre. On the other hand, petrol is being sold at Rs 102.63 and diesel at Rs 94.24 per liter in Chennai.

According to government oil companies, the price of petrol fell by 27 paise to Rs 96.65 a liter in UPs Gautam Budh Nagar district (Noida-Greater Noida) this morning, while diesel is being sold 25 paise cheaper at Rs 90.05 a litre. In UPs capital Lucknow, petrol has increased by 14 paise to Rs 96.57 a litre, while diesel has gone up by 13 paise to Rs 89.65 a litre. In Ghaziabad too, today petrol became costlier by 18 paise and reached Rs 96.44 a liter while diesel became costlier by 14 paise to Rs 89.75 a litre.

Except for individual cases, petrol and diesel rates across the country have been steady since May 21 last year, when the previous pan-India revision was announced. However, many cities saw petrol prices above Rs 100 mark.

In India, oil marketing companies (OMCs) such as Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum and Hindustan Petroleum determine petrol and diesel prices. This is done on a daily basis, and rates are determined in accordance with the price of crude oil throughout the world.

Why do fuel prices vary across states?

The rates for each day, whether new or unchanged, are announced at 6 am on the day. These, however, vary from state to state; this is due to criteria such as Value Added Tax (VAT), freight charges, local taxes, etc.

Petrol, and Diesel prices in Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Lucknow, Noida, and Gurugram on May 5, 2023

CITY Petrol (Per Litre) Diesel (Per Litre) Bengaluru Rs 101.94 Rs 87.89 Chandigarh Rs 96.20 Rs 84.26 Chennai Rs 102.86 Rs 94.46 Gurugram Rs 96.84 Rs 89.72 Kolkata Rs 106.03 Rs 92.76 Lucknow Rs 96.57 Rs 89.65 Mumbai Rs 106.31 Rs 94.27 New Delhi Rs 96.72 Rs 89.62 Noida Rs 96.65 Rs 90.05

This is how you can know todays latest price

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You can also know the daily rate of petrol and diesel through SMS. Indian Oil customers can get information by sending RSP and their city code to 9224992249 and BPCL customers can get information by sending an SMS to 9223112222 by typing RSP and their city code. Whereas, HPCL consumers can know the price by sending HPPrice and their city code to 9222201122.

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Ganga Realty, a Gurugram-based real estate firm, has said it will invest Rs 400 crore in its first high-street neighbourhood retail project, Swarnim, at Sector 5, in Sohna, Gurugram. This project will be the companys second multi-crore venture after the announcement of its affordable housing project in Sohna Road a few months ago.

The project is strategically located at a 20-min distance from the proposed metro station and will also share easy connectivity with IGI Airport and KMP Expressway. It will be primarily a commercial Retail development with a total plot area of 2.7 lakh sqft," according to a statement.

It added that the project will have around 650 shops with multiple brand and amenity stores. The project will be developed in the vicinity of around 3,000 residential units. Over 25,000 families will most likely settle down in the same region in the near future, which promises great prospects of high ROIs for the project.

It will also consist of retail shops, banquets, multiplex, and themed restaurants. It is expected that over 200 brands will redefine the projects retail experience. The project is based on a 100 per cent lease model where all retail and business suites will be leased to individual investors. Shops will be of double height with exclusive terrace rights. The project will also provide dedicated space for mechanical car parkings. The company expects to deliver the project by the end of 2025.

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Vikas Garg, JMD of Ganga Realty, said, The funds for construction of the Swarnim project would be met by internal accruals and customer advances which are being planned. Location being a key to successful investment, Swarnim is located at a very close vicinity and in high demand with its location advantage and property appreciation. With deliveries and possessions already in process, we expect a huge population to shift within couple of years in close vicinity. This movement will thus push demand for retail and majorly for retail properties in this region."

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Despite facing a tragic accident that left him paralyzed, Chandramouli, a determined youngster from Andhra Pradesh, has been inspiring many people by securing a seat in IIM-Ahmedabad. His life goal is to become a manager, and he has defied his disability to achieve his dreams.

Chandramouli hails from Kothakota village in Ravikamatham mandal of Anakapalle district, Andhra Pradesh. Later, his family relocated to Pedda Boddepalli village in Narsipatnam mandal of the same district. His father, Venkata Ramana, is a small-scale businessman, and his mother works as a teacher in St. Anns School.

Chandramoulis determination and hard work helped him complete his B.Tech with the support of his parents. However, fate dealt him a harsh blow when he accidentally touched a live electric wire while trying to retrieve a fallen ring from a shed made of iron sheets while preparing for the GATE exam. This tragic accident left him paralyzed in both legs and hands, and he had to undergo surgery to have them removed.

Following this, he went through a difficult phase of depression. However, his friends provided unwavering support and uplifted his morale and confidence levels, which helped him to overcome his mental struggles. Though his ambition of becoming a mechanical engineer had been disrupted, Chandramouli was determined not to let his disability define him. He set his sights on becoming a magistrate and completed his LLB.

Later, he shifted his focus towards preparing for the CAT (Common Admission Test) and his hard work paid off when he secured admission to the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, which is renowned for its top-quality business education.

When I met with the accident, I was unable to do anything for two months," Chandramouli shared. I had to let go of my dream of becoming a mechanical engineer, and instead, I pursued LLB to become a magistrate. However, I soon realized that one hand is necessary to become a magistrate, which meant that I had to let go of that ambition as well."

Despite these setbacks, Chandramouli didnt give up. He focused on improving his skills and became proficient in operating a mobile phone and laptop on his own. This newfound proficiency enabled him to work from home for Amazon.

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Chandramoulis never-say-die attitude and hard work paid off when he secured a seat in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad. I am excited to join IIM-Ahmedabad in June and become a manager," he said, beaming with a smile. Truly, his story is an inspiration to all those facing adversity, highlighting the power of resilience, perseverance, and a positive attitude.

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Lately, rosemary essential oil has been causing a stir in the TikTok community. Why? This herb, traditionally used medicinally in some cultures, is said to accelerate hair growth and alleviate itching of the scalp. Some internet users have even gone as far as shaving part of their head to show the effectiveness of the plant. So is it just another social media fad or is there really something to it?

Rosemary essential oil on TikTok is a growing sensation  literally, this time its in the spotlight for hair growth. On the social network, the hashtag #rosemaryoilforhairgrowth has racked up nearly 200 million views. This viscous unguent can be applied in several different ways, judging from the variety seen in the videos. Some use it directly on their scalp, with pipettes, to apply it section by section at the roots. Others prefer to infuse rosemary plants in hot water, mixing it with mint shoots or cider vinegar. Many tutorials on TikTok even show the DIY process of making ones own rosemary oil.

With the name coming from Latin Rosemarinus, meaning dew of the sea," the rosemary plant is native to the Mediterranean region. It belongs to the botanical family Lamiaceae, like thyme and lavender. Reputed early on in history for its medicinal properties, the plant was used in the Middle Ages to protect against the plague. Over the years, the oil of this plant has found its way into perfumes, skincare and haircare products as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial ingredient.

Over on TikTok, many users have gone as far as shaving part of their head to show quick hair growth, claimed to be the result of the oil. Meanwhile in another TikTok video, a user guarantees rapid hair growth in a few weeks, a claim that should be treated with caution. A 2015 study demonstrated the effectiveness of rosemary oil in comparison to minoxidil, on people with alopecia. Nevertheless, the hair growth was only visible after six months.

It is important to keep in mind that hair growth can also be influenced by a variety of factors, including genetics, nutrition, stress and hormonal changes. The use of rosemary oil alone, may not necessarily be the reason for hair growth. In addition to that, the effects of the oil can vart depending on the type of hair.

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For example, it is widely used in growout oils designed for people with textured hair and is used to maintain protective hairstyles" like braids. Today, more and more social media users with straight hair are advocating rosemary oil, introducing it to a wider audience. The price of Mielle Organicss famous rosemary-mint oil reportedly went up on many retail sites after influencer Alix Earle promoted it on her account, while others commented that it became harder to find. The African-American community was quick to express their frustration with the influencer for promoting a product that was not made for them. Like all Mielle Organics products, the description on the website indicates that it caters to Black hair tyoes : Use it on protective styles, including braids and weaves," reads the product informaiton. Some users on TikTok also pointed out that misuse of rosemary oil by individuals with straight hair sometimes resulted in hair loss. Essential oils such as rosemary or lavender should always be used with caution. It is not only recommended to buy organic and natural oils but also to be aware of the contraindications.

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Bolivia and Costa Rica have separately issued major updates regarding 5G progress in their markets.

Bolivias state operator Entel is set to launch 5G services this month, in time for the 15th anniversary of its renationalisation.The news was confirmed by the countrys president Luis Arce Catacora.

TeleGeography notes that Entels renationalisation was ordered by government decree in May 2008, prior to which Telecom Italia subsidiary Euro Telecom International (ETI) held a majority 50.9% stake in the state player via International Communication Holding (ICH).

Alongside the announcement, Entel disclosed its financial results for 2022, with net income reaching BOB4.561 billion (USD644.1 million)  up from BOB4.413 million in 2021. Net profit also increased year-on-year from BOB519 million in 2021 to BOB539 million in 2022.

Meanwhile, Costa Ricas Ministry of Science, Technology and Telecommunications (Ministerio de Ciencia, Tecnologia y Telecomunicaciones, MICITT) has issued a formal order to regulator Sutel (Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones) to begin the process of auctioning 5G spectrum in the market.

As part of this, Sutel must hold a public consultation, identify suitable bidders, and then tender the spectrum. The auction will focus on spectrum in the 3.5GHz band, but the airwaves in the 2600MHz band may also be made available for bidding, which is slated for H2 2023.
Prepare to be amazed as we introduce you to Dane Jackson, a freestyle and white water kayaking champion who has achieved something truly incredible. In a daring and impressive attempt, Jackson descended from a stunning 300 feet down series of waterfalls in the Santo Domingo Gorge in Mexico. The gorge is broken up into four sections: Angel Wings, The Dome, Toboggan, and Raw Dog, with Angel Wings being the most notorious, with a vertical drop of almost 80 feet.

After completing his daring descent, Jackson spoke to CNN Sport, where he mentioned that this waterfall is not ordinary, as it has unique shapes and located in a very secluded area. According to Jackson, the most exciting part was each waterfall had only one particular part that was safe to jump from and if you miss it, things wouldnt go well.

Kayaker Dane Jackson descends 300 feet down waterfalls in Mexico. https://t.co/CBr03MCgbW pic.twitter.com/IcSscyoviH CNN (@CNN) May 4, 2023

Jackson mentions that the most challenging waterfall among the four is Angel Wings, which is almost 80 feet tall and is the most vertical one, which quickly leads to the next fall. The kayaking champion explains that this was the only waterfall that he was unsure about whether he should attempt or not.

Dane Jacksons team spent several days scouting the waterfall, checking water levels and the surrounding areas to ensure safety. They also set up multiple ropes and had someone ready to jump and help in case anything goes wrong. With extraction in a remote jungle area being difficult, Jackson highlights the importance of having a safety plan in place for such a challenging descent.

Jackson shares his experience of completing the descent and says, When you get to the bottom and look back up, knowing that you were able to run that entire sequence, its something that you cant experience anywhere else in the world. These waterfalls are so big and stacked so close together, but being able to run all of them is incredible. So, getting to actually experience that drop and see that incredible view was the most unique waterfall that Ive ever run and doing it safely was by far the best part.

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Dane Jackson and his friend Bren Orton became the fourth and fifth individuals to complete the entire waterfalls. The first people to complete the challenge from top to bottom in 2013 were Rush Struges, Rafa Ortiz and Evan Garcia.

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The Vice Chancellor Internship Scheme application process has been started by the University of Delhi. Students who are currently pursuing undergraduate or postgraduate programmes, can apply for the summer internship 2023 programme on the official website at dsw.du.ac.in.

Accepted interns will be given a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000 and will receive a certificate from the Dean of Student Welfare upon successful completion of the programme. Students can check the eligibility criteria and main highlights of the internship below.

Delhi University Vice Chancellor Internship Scheme: Eligibility Criteria

 Open to regular bonafide students of Delhi University.

 Must be studying any stream at an undergraduate or postgraduate programme.

 First-year students or those in their second semester are not eligible.

 Students who have previously availed of the VCIS 2022 are not eligible for the 2023 summer internship.

The internship is for a period of two months and is tentatively scheduled for June and July. As per the official notice, interns are required to work 15-20 hours per week and will receive a monthly stipend of Rs 10,000. The internship provides an opportunity for students to gain practical experience and develop professional skills in various aspects of the universitys operations.

Also read| Want to be a Python Developer? Heres a List of Internships to Apply for This Week

Successful completion of the internship will result in a certificate from the Dean of Student Welfare. Students who have previously participated in the VCIS 2022 are not eligible to apply for the 2023 summer internship.

Delhi University Vice Chancellor Internship Scheme: Steps to Apply

Step 1: Visit the official website of the University of Delhi Dean Students Welfare.

Step 2: Search for the option saying VC Internship scheme.

Step 3: Click on that option. A new window will appear. Click on the form link on the site.

Step 4: Submit the required information and important documents for the VC Internship Scheme.

Step 5: Submit the form.

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As per the information provided, the deadline to register for the Vice Chancellor Internship Scheme at the University of Delhi is May 17. If you are interested in applying for the summer internship of 2023, it is important to ensure that you submit your application before the deadline. Late applications will not be considered, so its best to plan ahead and submit your form as early as possible.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 29th biennial conference of All India Primary Teachers Federation in Gandhinagar on May 12, the Gujarat government announced on Thursday.

The All India Primary Teachers Federation (AIPTF) and the Gujarat State Primary Teachers Federation are organising this conference on the subject Teachers: At the centre of change in education, Gujarat Health Minister and state government spokesperson Rushikesh Patel said in Gandhinagar.

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PM Modi will inaugurate this 29th biennial conference on May 12. Apart from this event, the PM would also take part in some other programmes wherein he would either inaugurate or lay the foundation stones for projects, said Patel.

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Karnataka Examination Authority (KEA) will be releasing KCET 2023 Admit Card today, May 5. As per the official schedule released by KEA, the KCET hall tickets will be made available from 11 AM. Candidates who have registered for Karnataka Common Entrance Test can download the admit card through the official site of KEA- kea.kar.nic.in.

Once released, students would need to log into the candidates portal and download their respective admit cards. KCET hall ticket 2023 will have details about the exam date and time, the address of the KEA Karnataka CET exam centre, candidates basic details like name, signature, photograph, paper for which appearing, and exam day guidelines. Students must note that they will not be allowed to appear in the exam without a KCET 2023 admit card.

KEA will be conducting the KCET Exam on May 20 and 21, 2023. On May 20, the Karnataka UGCET examination for biology and mathematics will be conducted and on May 21, 2023, the exam for physics and chemistry will be held. The exams will be held in two shifts. The morning shift will be held from 10:30 AM to 11:50 AM and the afternoon shift will be held from 2:30 PM to 3:50 PM.- The Kannada language test will be conducted on May 22, 2023.

KCET 2023 Admit Card: How to Download

Step 1: Visit the official site of KEA at kea.kar.nic.in.

Step 2: Click on KCET 2023 Admit Card link available on the home page.

Step 3: Enter the login details and click on submit.

Step 4: Your admit card will be displayed on the screen.

Step 5: Check the admit card and download the page.

Step 6: Keep a hard copy of the same for further need.

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The submission of original special categories certificates will be done from May 10 to May 16, 2023. The provisional answer key will release on May 25, 2023. The last date to raise objections is till May 27, 2023. The CET results will be declared on June 12, 2023.

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The Telangana State Council of Higher Education (TSCHE) will end its application today, May 5. This is the final call for candidates to complete their registration process on the official website of TSCHE at pgecet.tsche.ac.in. Students applying for the Telangana State Post Graduate Engineering Common Entrance Test (TS PGECET) 2023 should also complete the payment process within deadline.

Earlier the deadline was April 30 but was extended to May 5. In its notification the examination conducting body said The last date for registration and submission of the online application form without late fee is extended up to 05.05.2023, The Telangana State Council of Higher Education will now conduct the TS PGECET 2023 exam from May 29 to June 1. The duration of the entrance examination is two hours and it will consist of multiple-choice questions (MCQs).

TS PGECET 2023: HOW TO APPLY

Step 1: Log on to pgecet.tsche.ac.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the Application Fee Payment link

Step 3: On the new window, fill up the required details to register for the exam. Then pay the examination fee.

Step 4: Proceed with the PGECET 2023 application form.

Step 5: Fill and submit the form as asked.

Step 6: Save and download the confirmation page.

Step 7: Keep a hard copy of the form for future reference or need.

TS PGECET 2023: APPLICATION FEE

For the general category applicants an application fee of Rs 1,100 per exam. Students from the SC, ST, and PwD categories need to pay Rs 600 per test. It is important to note that those who wish to appear for more than one test or exam will have to pay a separate registration fee. Also, the examination fee must be paid through credit card, debit card, and net banking among others options available.

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TS PGECET is conducted by the Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Hyderabad, on behalf of the TSCHE. It is held for the students who wish to pursue full-time programmes of Master of Engineering (M.E)/ Master Of Pharmacy (M.Pharm) / Master of Architecture (M. Arch) / Master of Technology (M.Tech) / Graduate level Pharm. D (P.B.) in participating universities, affiliated pharmacy, engineering, and architecture colleges in Telangana.

Read all the Latest Education News here
Karnataka Assembly elections have entered the final lap. The southern state has six regions and the elections in each region are also unique. As part of our special series, News18 reporters travelled to each of the six regions to gauge the pulse of the electorate and give a 360-degree view of which way the political wind is blowing.

Like the expansive ramparts of the Gulbarga Fort, the issues pertaining to the Kalyana Karnataka region (erstwhile Hyderabad-Karnataka) are rusty and deep-rooted.

Neglect is the first word that comes to ones mind while taking a closer look at the 14th Century fort, once an architectural marvel of the Bahmani dynasty. Just like the ruins, the people of this region too feel sidelined despite tall promises by political parties over decades. The absence of development and regional imbalances remain the core issues here.

The region is known as the Tur Dal belt of India, with a GI tag, and consists of seven districts  Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Bidar, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayanagar, and Ballari. Although the region enjoys special status through Article 371 J and has a separate Kalyana-Karnataka regional development board, a lack of political will has failed to eliminate the regions backwardness.

News18 visited the Gulbarga University to speak to a group of PhD scholars to understand the issue through the eyes of young voters.

We dont have permanent faculty here. Research students like us double up as teachers," said a student Varsha. Whenever someone talks about development, they only focus on the Hubbali-Dharwad region. As a result, there are no jobs here. Like my siblings, I too have to move out very soon to earn a living. This is against my will, said Anand, who is pursuing his PhD in journalism.

A majority of young voters that News18 spoke to feel jobs and lack of skill development have put them on the back burner.

It has become almost impossible to get into a government job without paying bribes. The entire system needs to be changed, said Mahadev, who aspires to be a college lecturer.

Shifting the conversation from the university campus to local streets, voters that News18 spoke to highlighted that regardless of whichever government comes to power, there is an urgent need to table a comprehensive industrial policy to develop large-scale industries to support local produce like lentils, major irrigation projects, educational hubs and business infrastructure. Locals also slammed the Kalayana Karnataka Regional Development Board for under utilising funds and leaving them high and dry.

CONGRESS BASTION & THE KHARGE FACTOR

Traditionally, this region has been the stronghold of the Congress. The party has won more than 50 per cent of the total 40 constituencies in the last two elections. The Congress believes that the elevation of Mallikarjun Kharge  arguably the tallest Dalit leader from this region  as the AICC president will reap political dividends.

Today, all the development you see in Kalaburgi, whether its the ESI hospital or prominent educational institutions, is because of Kharge. He got us Article 371J special status, said a voter who wished to remain anonymous.

The party also hopes to cash in on the numerically significant Lingayats and SC-left communities by promising more representation within the party ranks. Unlike the rest of the state where Lingayats are considered BJPs bulwark, observers feel the same logic may not be applicable to the Kalyana-Karnataka region as Lingayats here are considered to be swing or floating voters.

This time around, Congresss poll promises to this region include Rs 1 crore grant to every gram panchayat, filling up of 50,000 job vacancies and premier institutions like IITs and IIMs.

BJP VOWS TO GAIN LOST GROUND

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi leading the partys biggest election campaign in Kalaburagi, there is enthusiasm among party karyakartas who are confident of making inroads into Kharges stronghold. The BJPs optimism is bolstered by their recent success in the mayoral polls of the Kalaburagi municipality. However, it is important to note that the party still faces significant challenges in this endeavor.

In the 2018 elections, the BJP won 15 seats, a notable improvement from their meager tally of six seats in 2013. The partys most successful performance in the region was in 2008, securing 19 seats. Although the BJPs electoral performance has been inconsistent, they dealt a significant blow to the Congress in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections when their candidate Umesh Jadhav defeated Mallikarjun Kharge by an impressive margin of nearly 96,000 votes.

This marked a significant electoral defeat for the 80-year-old veteran leader who had enjoyed a successful political career spanning several decades.

In addition to the double-engine Sarkar model, the BJP is relying on a range of strategies to enhance their electoral prospects. These include securing an increase in the special grant provided by the KKRDB from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore, the establishment of mega textile parks, the construction of a new airport in Koppal, the development of industrial clusters, and the creation of tourist corridors.

Furthermore, the party is leveraging their recently reconfigured internal reservation system for Scheduled Castes (SCs) and the hike in Lingayat reservations from the existing 5 per cent to 7 per cent. These measures aim to improve the BJPs overall electoral performance by appealing to caste-based political calculations.

BATTLE FOR CHITTAPUR - WILL THE SONRISE CONTINUE?

Dubbed as a prestige battle for the Kharges, Chittapur is going to witness a direct clash between the BJP and Congress. Mallikarjun Kharges son Priyank Kharge is eyeing a hat-trick with development as his main pitch.

Even the BJP will agree that as an MLA, I have developed the region well  roads, projects in minor and major irrigation, jobs, connectivity, and educational clusters. Every scheme launched by the government has been brought to the people in a transparent manner, Priyank Kharge told News18, adding that the BJP has insulted the people of Chittapur by choosing a historysheeter like Manikanth Rathod as their candidate.

The BJP sprung a surprise by picking Rathod, a political novice with nearly 40 criminal cases to his name. It is seen as a big gamble but with Rathod, the party is trying to strike a balance between three factors  youth, Hindutva, and caste equation as Rathod hails from the prominent Lambani (Banjara) community.

But can the BJP win the Kharge citadel? Observers feel Priyank Kharge has an advantage as the BJPs decision to cancel the prime ministers rally in Chittapur has sent a negative message that the party perhaps doesnt want to endorse a candidate with a criminal background.

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So which way will Kalyana-Karnataka go? Can the Kharges hold onto their North Karnataka citadel, or will it be breached by the BJP? All eyes are now on May 13.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
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anti-incumbency against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state.

The state will vote on May 10, in a single phase for 224 constituencies, while the election results will be declared on May 13. To form the government, the winning party must have a majority with at least 113 seats.

Final Efforts to Woo Voters Before May 8 Deadline

In the final phase of electioneering, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in over 20 events, while Union Minister for Home Amit Shah will attend 25. Shah is also expected to hold a series of meetings of party leaders across the state.

BJP has planned a mega roadshow by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress is organising a massive roadshow to counter PM Modis outreach.

Starting Friday, Prime Minister Modi will be camping in the state for the next three days to take up the final round of campaigning. The Prime Minister will hold a mega roadshow on Saturday and Sunday. The roadshow will go through 18 Assembly constituencies with the participation of more than 10 lakh people.

Earlier, the party planned to make it an eight-hour-long event, but now PM Modi Will hold a road show on two days  10 am to 1.30 pm on Saturday, and 10 am to 2.30 pm on Sunday, following concerns expressed by Bengaluru residents over difficulties that they will face with such a day-long programme. The roadshow Namma Karnataka Yatra will pass through 36.6 kilometres

To counter PM Modis mega campaign, the Congress has planned a massive roadshow by Rahul Gandhi on May 7. Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are also set to take part in 10-15 rallies, public interaction and roadshow campaigns. The Congress has also planned a public meeting of former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in Karnatakas Hubli on May 6.

Opposition leader Siddaramaiah will head 28 public rallies and DK Shivakumar will take part in 19 programmes.

Taking the lead will be former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy of JD(S) who will be seen in a whopping 50 to 60 events across the state. Former Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who has not yet visited his Channapetna and Ramanagar from where his son is contesting, will make it up by holding mega programmes.

Hanuman Takes Centre Stage as Other Issues Put on Back Burner

Lord Hanuman has taken centre stage in poll-bound Karnataka as the Congress went on the defensive and on Thursday promised to construct and renovate Hanuman temples across the state, after outraged pro-Hindu outfits vented their anger over the partys promise to ban outfits like Bajrang Dal in its manifesto two days ago.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi likened the promised ban on Bajrang Dal to locking up Hanuman and his devotees, former deputy chief minister KS Eshwarappa burnt the Congress manifesto, and Bajrang Dal activists tore the Congress document, hit it with slippers and held rallies in several parts of the state demonstrating their protest.

Hindutva outfits have also decided to chant Hanuman Chalisa, the 40 couplets authored by 16th Century saint-poet Goswami Tulsidas in Awadhi, a dialect of Hindi.

With emotions running high, Congress felt the heat. All the issues around which the grand old party wanted to fight the May 10 assembly elections have been put on the backburner as party state president DK Shivakumar in damage control mode took up a temple run.

At Chamundi Hill in Mysuru after paying obeisance to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the Goddess of Mysuru, as well as Anjaneya, Shivakumar promised to either build more Hanuman temples or renovate the existing ones all over the state.

The Congress in its manifesto for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka said it was committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organisations spreading hatred amongst communities on grounds of caste and religion.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday mentioned The Kerala Story movie while addressing a rally in poll-bound Karnatakas Ballari and said the film has exposed how terrorism is corroding Kerala. He also said that Congress is defending terrorism by trying to ban this film.

BJP has always been tough on terrorism. But whenever there is an action taken against terrorism, Congress develops stomachache. Terrorism is anti-human and regressive. But to save its own vote bank, Congress has kneeled down before terrorism. Can it protect Karnataka?" said PM Modi.

Terrorism has taken a new form now. Apart from using weapons and bombs, they are working towards making society hollow from the inside out. The Kerala Story movie has exposed this new face of terrorism. The movie sheds light on how terrorism is corroding the society of Kerala. And now, Congress is supporting those elements who are defending terrorism by trying to ban this film," he added.

PM Modi further alleged that Congress is kneeling before terrorists for vote bank politics and has made a back-door deal with extremist followers and supporters of extremism.

The Kerala Story, a movie about Hindu women from Kerala who were converted to Islam and trafficked to ISIS and other Islamic war zones in 2018-2019, has stirred a political commotion.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan slammed the makers of the movie for taking up the Sangh Parivar propaganda of projecting the state as a centre of religious extremism by raising the issue of love jihad. The ruling CPI(M) in Kerala also claimed that the film was BJP sponsored" and aimed to divide people and create animosity among them in the state.

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The BJP, however, has extended support to the film, claiming that recruitment into the Islamic State (IS) terror outfit from Kerala cannot be denied.

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
The Samajwadi Party has accused the police and the civil administration of rigging the Uttar Pradesh urban local body elections at several places and demanded action from the Election Commission.

The party on Thursday alleged that election rigging took place in Moradabad and Saharanpur districts and claimed that Muslim voters were intimidated and prevented from exercising their franchise under the guise of checking identity cards.

SP national executive member Arvind Kumar Singh, in a letter to the state election commissioner (SEC), demanded strict action against the police personnel who intimidated the voters in Moradabad".

In another letter to the SEC, the party alleged that the names of over 100 voters each were missing from voter lists in ward number 39 in Gorakhpur.

Kumar, along with senior SP leaders, including Ravidas Mehrotra, Rajpal Kashyap and Rajendra Chaudhary, met State Election Commissioner Manoj Kumar on Thursday evening and handed over to him the partys letter listing the allegations.

The Uttar Pradesh Congress also alleged that the names of its leaders were removed from the voters list in Lucknow.

Names of Congress leaders missing from the voter list. How? When Capt Banshidhar Mishra, the chairperson of the Indian Overseas Congress reached the booth in Lucknow, he came to know that his name was not there in the voter list. The same thing happened with Meenakshi Kaul as well," it tweeted.

The Congress alleged that its leaders were made to sit at Gautampalli police station when they filed a complaint about this to the district magistrate. Lucknow district officials said the allegations will be looked into.

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A voter turnout of nearly 52% was recorded in the first phase of the urban local body elections in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday. The voting commenced at 7 am and ended at 6 pm.

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In early 1980s, thespian Rajkumars popularity was at its peak and leading the Gokak movement demanding primacy of Kannada in all spheres of public life had transformed him into a demigod.

He was under tremendous pressure to follow the model of his friends and superstars in neighbouring states  MGR in Tamil Nadu and NTR in Andhra Pradesh. But Rajkumar withstood the pressure and declined the opportunity to join politics, saying he is above party politics and his fans are from all walks of life.

Later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi tried to rope him in, but in vain. According to Bhagwan, his close friend and director of several of his movies, when Rajkumar went to New Delhi, he realised that he was at the AICC headquarters, refused to meet the leaders and returned home.

Some of his fans were thoroughly disappointed, rest heaved a sigh of relief. A few years later, his eldest son and actor Shivarajkumar married Geetha, daughter of S Bangarappa, a stalwart of Karnataka politics. Again there were rumours of him joining politics. But Rajkumar remained neutral, staying away from politics till his death 16 years ago.

Cut to 2023

The most important Assembly election in Karnataka is witnessing something unusual. Shivarajkumar, who is currently the head of the famed Rajkumar family and inheritor of his fathers legacy, is campaigning for the Congress across the state.

His wife Geetha recently joined the Congress and created a controversy by touching the feet of KPCC president DK Shivakumar. Rajkumar fans term it as an insult to their idol.

Two of her brothersMadhu and Kumarare once again facing each other in family fiefdom Soraba in Shimoga district. Barring 2008-2013, the constituency has been with the family since 1967.

Shivarajkumar has already campaigned extensively in Shimoga district for the Congress and he was with former chief minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday, seeking votes in Varuna in Mysore district.

Taking exception to this, Mysore-Kodagu BJP MP Pratap Simha said: Rajkumar is a revered figure for all Kannadiga people. His family was above party politics. Shivarajkumar is now campaigning for the Congress. It is not right. We have no objection to his wife Geetha campaigning for the Congress because she is Bangarappas daughter.

Defending his decision to campaign, Shivarajkumar said he has not joined any political party and has been canvassing on his own. During campaigning, he stays away from talking about politics and just requests voters to elect a particular candidate.

I am not a boy. I am 61-years-old. My age has some respect. I dont need anyone to influence me to campaign for the Congress, he said in Shimoga on Friday morning.

His wife Geetha had contested on a JDS ticket from Shimoga in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and finished third against BJPs BS Yediyurappa.

His youngest brother and Kannada superstar Puneeth Rajkumar, who died young in 2021, was also under a lot of pressure to join politics. But he had kept himself away from the temptation of power.

Shivarajkumar may or may not be able to get votes for the Congress. But he is drawing a big crowd everywhere. Most people come to see him out of their love for Rajkumar.

After his release from forest brigand Veerappans 108-day custody in 2000, Rajkumar told this journalist about his disappointment with politics. I am just an actor. I am not a leader or a well-educated man. I love all Kannadiga people irrespective of their political affiliations. They also do the same with me. If I had joined politics in the early 1980s, I would have disappointed all of them, he had said.

Since his death in 2006, much water has flown in the two great rivers Krishna and Cauvery. The Rajkumar family has also undergone a lot of changes.

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Will Shivarajkumar join the Congress once Karnataka elections are over?

Read all the Latest Politics News and Karnataka Elections 2023 updates here
Marathi filmmaker Mahesh Tilekar recently shared an anecdote about Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor Khan on social media. In the post, Mahesh criticised Kareena for her intolerable behaviour toward fans. Now, the post is making a huge buzz on the internet.

Sharing his experience, he wrote in the caption of the post, Eight years ago, when we were waiting at the airport while returning from abroad, one of the actresses from a Marathi programme came up to Kareena Kapoor to greet her, however, the actress ignored her completely, leaving her upset. Even though she is a part of the Marathi programme and has a small role in one of Kareena Kapoors well-known flicks, the actress did not give a damn."

He further wrote, Recently, I was watching an interview of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy who was returning to India from London. In the interview, he told, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor was sitting beside him. Some people approached Narayana Murthy to greet him and he without a doubt interacted with people with immense love and pleasure. However, on the other hand, some fans approached the actress to interact with her. But, she completely ignores them, disrespecting their emotions."

Elaborating further, Mahesh Tilekar added, There have been many celebrities who often pretend to love their fans during the time of promotion of their film. While other times, they are seen disrespecting their feelings. Some time back, Radhika Apte said she does not like to give autographs and click selfies with people. But a few days ago, on the occasion of the promotion of one of her Hindi movies, she was seen clicking selfies with some of the famous social media influencers." Check out Mahesh Tilekars post here:

Mahesh Tilekar is known for directing notable films including Ladi Godi, Ghar Grihasti, Hawahawai and Chalta Hai Yaar. Some of his other noteworthy movies include One Room Kitchen and Gaon Tasa Changala.

On the other hand, Kareena is best known for films like Jab We Met, Omkara, 3 Idiots and Kabhi Kushi Kabhie Gham. The actress has also delivered phenomenal performances in films such as Bodyguard, Udta Punjab, Aitraaz, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Don and many more. She was last seen in Laal Singh Chaddha.

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Kareena is soon going to feature in films including The Crew, Singham Again, Takht and The Buckingham Murders, to name a few.

Read all the Latest Bollywood News and Regional Cinema News here
Some South Africans are calling for Britain to return the worlds largest diamond, known as the Star of Africa or the Cullinan I, which is set in the royal sceptre that King Charles III will hold at his coronation on Saturday.

The diamond, which weighs 530 carats, was discovered in South Africa in 1905 and presented to the British monarchy by the colonial government in the country, which was then under British rule. Now amid a global conversation about returning artwork and artefacts that were pillaged during colonial times, some South Africans are calling for the diamond to be brought back.

The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture," Mothusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg who has promoted an online petition told Reuters. The petition has gathered about 8,000 signatures, for the diamond to be returned.

I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but its also to take back what has been expropriated from us."

About the Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond, at 3,106 carats, is still the largest gem-quality uncut diamond ever discovered. A replica stone was sent by ship to the mining companys London sales representative, while the genuine stone was despatched by ordinary parcel post, watched by detectives. Both made it safely, says a report by Historic Royal Palaces.

The stone was acquired by the Transvaal government and given to King Edward VII. The gift symbolised the healing relationship between Britain and South Africa following the South African Wars (also known as the Anglo-Boer Wars), which lasted from 1899 to 1902.

The massive uncut stone was cut into nine big stones and 96 smaller brilliants. Three polishers worked 14-hour days for eight months to complete the nine largest stones. Cullinan I and Cullinan II were the names given to the two largest stones. They are set in the 1661 Sovereigns Sceptre with Cross and the 1937 Imperial State Crown front band.

A replica of the whole Cullinan diamond, which is about the size of a mans fist, is displayed at the Cape Town Diamond Museum.

Global Conversation About Returning Jewels

The Crown Jewels are a collection of over 100 artefacts and over 23,000 gemstones amassed by monarchs and queens over ages. The Crown Jewels are described as priceless, having incalculable cultural, historical, and symbolic value," with the St. Edwards Crown being the most important and sacred of all the crowns," used only during a coronation, as per a report by the Week. This crown was made in 1661 and has a solid gold frame that weighs about 5 pounds. The Crown Jewels are part of the Royal Collection, which is held in trust by the queen, and are preserved and displayed at the Tower of London.

Now, conversation is growing about returning some of these colonially-acquired jewels to be returned to their source countries. University of South Africa Prof. Everisto Benyera told CNN that it did not matter that the Transvaal government purchased the Cullinan, because colonial transactions are illegitimate and immoral."

Our narrative is that the whole Transvaal and Union of South Africa government and the concomitant mining syndicates were illegal. Receiving a stolen diamond does not exonerate the receiver. The Great Star is a blood diamond," he told the publication.

The huge 105-carat Kohinoor diamond, which was most likely mined in India in the 13th century, is among the jewels that people want returned. The Kohinoor passed through dynasties in Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan before being acquired by Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1813. After the annexation of Punjab, his son and successor, Maharaja Duleep Singh, signed the Treaty of Lahore in 1849, when he was only 11 years old. The Kohinoor was given to Queen Victoria as part of the treaty. The Kohinoor is the largest jewel on the Queen Mothers Crown today, and it is still one of the worlds largest cut diamonds. Read more on this here

The diamond has a history of being part of war booty or trophies taken as the result of war in South Asia. So, in a lot of ways, it is a symbol of plunder and represents the long history of plunder imperialism," Danielle Kinsey, an assistant professor of history at Carleton University in Ottawa, told NBC News.

Can the Jewels Actually be Returned?

According to the Week, theres no reason they couldnt be returned. But the British government has previously stated that there is no legal basis for restitution of the diamond in its opinion. Nobody in the British royal family has mentioned returning jewels to their countries of origin, but Kinsey told NBC News that in the case of the Kohinoor, at some point, the monarchy will understand that keeping the diamond is more of a public relations liability for them than an asset."

She went on to say that there are many, many looted artefacts in Britain today," and that returning colonial-era objects is the right thing to do if the royal family is serious about making apologies for the ills of British imperialism and how they profited from it."

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Reuters contributed to this report

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The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday registered a case against Jet Airways founder Naresh Goyal, and his wife Anita Goyal in an alleged Rs 538-crore fraud case in Canara Bank.

For this, the central agency carried raids at seven locations in Mumbai. The CBI searches were spread across residences and offices of Goyal, his wife Anita, and former airline director Gaurang Ananda Shetty.

The agency has registered a new case of alleged bank fraud of Rs 538 crore on a complaint from Canara Bank.

According to the central agency, they have allegedly diverting funds among other irregularities, news agency PTI said.

Jet Airways, once Indias largest private carrier, suspended its operations in April 2019 due to a severe cash crunch and mounting debt.

The airline was taken over by a consortium of Jalan-Kalrock in June 2021, after a long-drawn insolvency process.

Jet Airways was one of Indias most prolific airlines before it stopped operations in April 2019 due to financial crunch.

With Naresh Goyal as Chairman, it was the only airline besides Air India to have flights to the United States with wide-bodied Boeing aircrafts. Before ceasing operations, Jet Airways had the highest seating capacity for international flights among all airlines operating from India.

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Five Army personnel were killed and a major was injured in an explosion triggered by terrorists in the thickly forested Kandi area in Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri sector during an anti-terror operation on Friday. The Indian Army said that despite incessant rains and bad weather, the team has been conducting relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area.

Taking to Twitter, the Army said, In the ongoing operation, three more soldiers who were injured earlier have now succumbed to their injuries. A total of five soldiers have lost their lives in the joint operation in Rajouri, J&K."

Op Trinetra Progress Update In the ongoing operation three soldiers who were injured earlier have unfortunately succumbed to their injuries Operations are still in progress  White Knight Corps (@Whiteknight_IA) May 5, 2023

Jammu and Kashmir DGP Dilbag Singh and ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh have reached the Kandi area of Rajouri where the operation is still underway. The operation was launched following inputs about the presence of a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in Bhata Dhurian of Poonch district last month, in which five security personnel were killed.

On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri sector, a joint operation was launched on 03 May 2023. At about 0730 hours on 05 May 2023, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave," the Indian Army said in a statement.

The Peoples Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF), a shadow organisation of the Jaish-e-Mohammed terror outfit, has claimed responsibility for Fridays attack.

The Kandi area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs which has given an edge to the hiding terrorists. As the Army was getting closer to the spot, terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation.

Additional troops of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army from the vicinity were rushed to the site of the encounter to ensure terrorists do not escape from the spot.

The forces deployed drones and sniffer dogs and troops hit a cave hideout with heavy fire of mortars and grenades, they said.

Soldiers injured in the operation were evacuated to Command Hospital in Udhampur.

News18 has learnt that a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group. The operation is in progress," sources said.

In the past, terrorists in Poonch and Rajouri have managed to escape after attacking forces.

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Meanwhile, National Conference leader and former chief minister Omar Abdullah has condemned the incident and tweeted, Tragic news from Rajouri where 5 army personnel have laid down their lives in the line of duty. Terror is a scourge that has blighted numerous lives over the decades in J&K & deserves unreserved condemnation. I send my sincere condolences to the families of those we lost today."

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There were scuffles among jail inmates earlier too but the level of indiscipline has increased now leading to fatal attacks, primarily because of incompetent officers, untrained personnel and government apathy, a former official said on Friday, after two gangsters were killed inside the Tihar jail.

The current state of affairs shows the (prison) management is going downhill, and unless drastic changes are made to the staff structure and overall functioning of the prison, such instances are here to stay," former public relations officer of the Delhi Prisons Department Sunil Gupta told PTI.

Gupta, now an author and expert in prison administration, pitched for a training school for jail staffers and the appointment of officers in uniform, instead of civil officers, to higher posts.

Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya was stabbed to death by four rival gang members inside the Tihar jail early Tuesday.

Tajpuriyas gruesome killing  he was stabbed 92 times" using improvised weapons cut from an iron grille  came less than a month after another gangster, Prince Tewatia, was killed inside the high-security prison by members of a rival gang.

In an interview with PTI, Gupta said, While negligence has always been there, one of the most pressing problems that, in my view, has led to the present situation is the deputation of incompetent officers at command posts. What Tihar needs right now are young and energetic officers." A majority of the jail staff are DANICS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands Civil Services) officers. Instead of fresh recruits, promotee DANICS personnel are deputed, which leads to maladministration as they do not possess the requisite competence and expertise to handle jail affairs. Also, there is a lack of coordination between staff members," he said.

Kiran Bedi, a former director general of Tihar, said gangsters should be kept alone in a cell and the visitor hours for them should be different from other prisoners.

Gupta said that if rival gang members are kept in the same cell or barrack, frictions are bound to happen.

To curb prisoner fights, inmates in cells and barracks should be frisked every day and surprise checks should be carried out under the supervision of senior officers, he said.

During my tenure, such checks were the norm and still are, but they should now be intensified. In case of negligence or collusion, responsibility should be fixed on the jail official concerned and departmental action should be taken. Moreover, there is no training centre for the prison staff to help them understand the rule of law and the human rights of inmates, and steps should be taken in this regard," he said.

Gupta, who served as a law officer and spokesperson at Tihar Jail for almost four decades, said it would be wrong to say that such incidents didnt occur in the past.

During my tenure, there were scuffles too. Inmate fights are common as jails are known as the garbage dumps of a civilised society, but the level of indiscipline inside Tihar has undoubtedly increased," he said.

Jails have always been a low-priority area as governments only plan to build either hospitals or schools. Such incidents are bound to occur unless more staffers are deployed in jails. If adequate attention is not given to jails, especially Tihar as it houses some of the most high-profile undertrials and convicts, things will go wrong, he stated.

We should have proper training for the staff and we should establish a jail training school for freshers and the jail staff. Our staff is untrained, unprofessional and as a result such incidents are happening.

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The most important post of the jail is jail superintendent on which we need some uniform person, but interestingly in Delhi, these posts are occupied by allied civil services people. For jail superintendent, we should have someone from the paramilitary force," he said.

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More than a thousand people had crossed the Jiri river dividing Manipur and south Assam to reach their relatives or to take shelter in churches and schools in Jirighat area of Cachar district at the time of filing this report. Almost all of them have left their villages and walked to reach Assam. Though the Centre has deployed additional security forces, for these people, leaving Manipur seemed to be the best option as the situation may escalate.

Most of the people have taken shelter with their relatives on this side, while others are in churches and schools. There are no issues here and we are monitoring the situation round the clock. Our chief minister has instructed to ensure their security and shelter. The Assam Rifles and CRPF personnel have been adequately deployed. Among the inmates are their children and women; many are sick. The locals have been extremely cooperative, said Numal Mahatta, superintendent of police, Cachar.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has asked the district administration to respond to the situation and act affirmatively.

Several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam. I have requested the district administration of Cachar to take care of these families. I am also in constant communication with N Biren Singh and have pledged the full support of the Assam government during this hour of crisis, he said.

Jiribam is located on the states westernmost boundary, adjoining the Cachar district of Assam. It is also known as the western gate of Manipur. Jiribam town is inhabited by the Meiteis, Bengalis, and various other communities, including the Kukis. Most of the people who have left Manipur in search of refuge are from the broader Kuki community.

These people have come from Manipur where violence has taken place. People are still coming and we are doing our best to provide them shelter and essentials, said Zothangsanga Hmar, secretary, Hmar Students Union.

Clashes that broke out in the state on Wednesday between tribals and the majority Meiei community, intensified with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a Tribal Solidarity March to protest moves to give scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Metei community.

According to Manipurs director general of police P Doungel, 14 companies of paramilitary forces (RAF, CRPF, and BSF) have been deployed so far. More paramilitary forces are incoming. Their action will be very different from Manipur police as they are trained for warAs many as 15,000-20,000 victims have been successfully evacuated so far. They are kept at safe locations," he said.

The police chief also appealed to people to surrender the weapons snatched from around 7-8 police posts by mobs.

Those who surrender the weapons will be spared considering it as mob action. Those who fail to surrender the weapons will face severe consequences of law. The case might be even handed over to the NIA if they fail to surrender the weapons, Doungel added. The authorities meanwhile have identified 23 vulnerable police stations.

The Army has stated that the situation in Manipur has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on night of 04 May and additional columns commenced domination with effect from wee hours of 05 May 23. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in CCPur and other sensitive areas underway, read a statement released by the Defence PRO in Guwahati on Friday.

The Army has released helpline numbers:

All India Army Helpline no:- 1904

HQ Eastern Comd, Kolkata

Mob:- 7439229496

Landline:- 033-22438703

Mob:- 7439229496 Landline:- 033-22438703 4 Corps Tezpur

Mob:- 9387144346

Landline: 036-2124276

Mob:- 9387144346 Landline: 036-2124276 3 Corps, Rangapahar

Mob:- 8798959257

Landline:- 038-62249122

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(With ground inputs from Anirudh Lashkar and Bisworjit Meitei)

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After Manipur witnessed sporadic clashes in Imphal and intermittent gun fighting in hilly areas, additional teams of security forces were rushed from other states on Friday to restore peace in the affected areas. The Indian Army has also received flag march orders to maintain law and order situation.

In another development, BJP MLA Vungzagin Valte was allegedly attacked by protesters and taken to hospital. Valte has been airlifted out of the state and his condition is stable for now, Manipur DGP P Doungel was quoted as saying by news agency ANI, adding that if someone does any mistake they will not be spared."

However, the Imphal valley also largely remained peaceful today and the Indian Army said that the situation in Manipur has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. The evacuation of civilians from affected areas carried on throughout the night and flag marches in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway.

While gunfights between militant groups and security forces were reported in the morning hours from various hill districts, they dialed down later in the day.

A total of 13,000 people were rescued and shifted to safe shelters, some in army premises, a Defence spokesperson said.

Keeping in mind the situation, the next two-three days will be crucial for violence-hit Manipur as the Centre has begun troubleshooting to restore normalcy in the state.

According to government sources, ten more military companies were sent to Manipur after Home Minister Amit Shah held talks with Chief Minister N.Biren Singh over video call. Riot action vehicles were also disbpatched, sources added.

The Central government deployed about 20 fresh companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF and the BSF in the state today to help restore law and order.

All Manipur-bound trains and flights have been halted in view of the escalating situation in the Northeastern state. The Indian Army on Thursday sounded alert on fake videos being circulated related to the security situation in the state.

Clashes that broke out in the state on Wednesday between the tribals and the majority Meiei community, intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a Tribal Solidarity March to protest moves to give scheduled tribe (ST) status to the Metei community.

The spiraling violence has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages. As many as 15,000-20,000 civilians have been evacuated from the affected areas in the state so far.

Here are the key developments on the situation in Manipur-

Multiple sources said the fighting between communities had left several scores of people dead and nearly a hundred injured. However, the police were unwilling to confirm this.

A top government official involved in maintaining law and order in the state told News18 that the Centre has sent six companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) from Mumbai, Jharkhand and Gujarat, and six companies of CRPF and BSF from Delhi and Punjab.

Importantly, the major deployment has been done in five districts which are the epicentre of the violence.

In another development, a CRPF CoBRA commando on leave was shot dead by armed assailants in his village in Manipurs Churachandpur district on Friday. Constable Chonkholen Haokip of delta company of the 204th CoBRA battalion was killed around 2-3 pm, according to officials quoted by PTI.

A team of Imphal district police recovered arms and ammunition that were snatched from security forces from different areas of Manipur. M Amit Singh, Additional SP, Imphal said that anybody who has knowledge or possession of arms & ammunition must contact the nearest police station and deposit it.

As per the order released on Thursday, a total of 12 companies have reached Manipur to maintain law and order. All these companies were airlifted after the Union Home Ministry placed a request to the Defence Ministry.

The Congress on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil his duty towards Manipur instead of being busy in election campaign in Karnataka and sought Home Minister Amit Shahs sacking for his complete failure" in maintaining peace in the northeastern state.

The grand old party demanded Presidents rule in Manipur.

In view of the escalating situation in Manipur, Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled his visit to poll-bound Karnataka.

The centre on Friday deployed about 20 fresh companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF and the BSF in violence-hit Manipur to restore peace. At least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendent of police (SSP) and SP rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate the deployment of various security forces, news agency PTI reported quoting sources.

14 companies of Paramilitary forces (RAF, CRPF, BSF) have been deployed in the state so far. An appeal has been made to the public to surrender the weapons snatched by a mob from 7-8 police posts.

23 vulnerable police stations have been identified in the state and senior police officers have been given charges besides central forces.

Mizoram Government on Friday issued a statement expressing concern about the Zo tribe residing in violence-hit Manipur. In the statement, Mizoram CM Zoramthanga said he has spoken to his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh about the matter and that Home Minister Amit Shah has assured all support.

Aizawl DC chuan vawiin khan Manipur buaina chungchanga inhmakhua turin Local Council/Village Council Disaster Management Committee Chairman-te leh CYMA President te a ngen. https://t.co/dGVtH920np pic.twitter.com/lX8EWeNHiz DIPRMizoram (@dipr_mizoram) May 4, 2023

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday directed the Cachar district administration to ensure the care of Manipur violence-affected families that have sought refuge in the state. Several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam. I have requested the District Administration of Cachar to take care of these families," Sarma tweeted.

Indian Army on Friday ensured that the situation in Manipur has been brought under control. IAF undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft. The evacuation of civilians from all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag marches in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is likely to sanction more troops today in order to restore peace in the state.

In view of the escalating situation, the Manipur government has made some changes in the police top brass. Ashutosh Sinha, IPS, ADGP (Intelligence), Manipur has been appointed as the overall Operational Commander to control and bring normalcy to the state. He will report to the retired IPS officer Kuldiep Singh, who has been appointed as the security advisor by the Manipur government.

Thanlon MLA Vungzagin Valte reportedly suffered injuries in the violent clashes that continued on Thursday. Several houses and vehicles were also torched in different parts of the state.

The Indian Army on Thursday sounded alert on fake videos related to the security situation in Manipur and urged citizens to rely only on content through official and verified sources.

Manipur government on Thursday authorised all District Magistrates to issue a shoot at sight order in extreme cases.

The Central government is closely monitoring the deteriorating situation in the Northeastern state. Paramilitary forces are being mobilised from neighbouring states to restore law and order. According to a PTI report, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings with top functionaries of Manipur and central governments through video conference to review the situation.

Internet services remain suspended in the state after the government on Thursday directed service providers like Reliance JioFiber, Airtel Xtreme, BSNL etc to bar broadband and data services for five days.

More than 55 columns of the Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed to restore peace in the state. TOI quoted a defence spokesperson as saying that about 14 columns in the Army are kept on standby in case the situation deteriorates.

Army said that the situation in Moreh and Kangokpi is under control and all efforts are underway to restore normalcy in Imphal and Chandrachudpur, according to a TOI report.

A retired IPS officer and a former CRPF Kuldiep Singh has been appointed as the security advisor by the Manipur government, a PTI report mentioned.

The Center also dispatched teams of Rapid Action Force (RAF) for deployment in the violence-hit regions of the Northeastern state.

Lieutenant Colonel Mahendra Rawat, Defence PRO Guwahati said approximately 4,000 people were given shelter in Army and Assam Rifles Company Operating Bases and state government premises at different places. More than 7,500 civilians have also been evacuated through rescue operations, an Indian Express report mentioned.

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh ensured that the state government is taking all steps necessary to maintain the law and order situation. Central and state forces have been directed to take strong actions against individuals and groups who are indulging in violence," he said.

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma also pledged his full support to the Assam government in the hour of crisis. Several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam. I have requested the District Administration of Cachar to take care of these families. I am also in constant communication with CM N Biren Singh and have pledged the full support of the Assam Government during this hour of crisis," Sarma tweeted.

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Jannat Zubairs recent post on Instagram has left her fans and followers concerned. The post featured Jannat visiting her mother, Nazneen Zubair, in the hospital. Jannat was accompanied by her close friend and social media influencer Faisal Shaikh. While her followers appreciated the sweet gesture, they also expressed their concern about Jannats mothers health. Jannat, however, did not disclose the reason for the hospitalisation. In the photos posted on Instagram, the social media celebrity and her mother can be seen smiling and laughing. Jannats mother, Nazneen appeared to be in good spirits as well. Jannat captioned the post with the phrase Alhumdulillah,"

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jannat Zubair Rahmani (@jannatzubair29)

Meanwhile, Faisal, popularly known as Mr Faisu, also paid a visit to Jannat Zubairs mother in the hospital. He shared a photo with Jannats mother on his now unavailable Instagram Stories while writing, Get well soon aunty."

While a lot of people expressed their admiration for the mother-daughter pair, some were anxious about the mothers health and prayed for her quick recovery.

In the comments section, fans expressed their concern for Jannats mother, with one user writing, Allah sabki mother ko safe and healthy rakhey," (May god keep everyones mother safe and healthy),

Hoping for a speedy recovery, another fan left a heartfelt message, saying, Jaldi se ekdum change hokar ghar aa jao maam or yahi smile hamesha banaye rakhe," (Please come back home soon and keep that smile on your face always).

Apart from Jannats fans, her colleagues in the industry also sent their well-wishes. Riva Arora wrote, Get well soon aunty," while Mouni Roy expressed her concern by saying, Sending love."

Jannat Zubair and Faisal Shaikh are known to be sharing a close bond with each other. The two were seen celebrating Eid together. Jannat shared pictures of the two of them on social media, where Faisal was seen spending the day with Jannats family and joining them for the last Iftaar.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jannat Zubair Rahmani (@jannatzubair29)

The rumoured couples fans couldnt contain their excitement and flooded social media with their love and well-wishes.

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Jannat and Faisal have worked together on multiple music videos and other projects. The two are often spotted together, leading to speculation of a relationship. However, they have denied any such equation and maintained that they are just good friends.

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The next two-three days will be crucial for violence-hit Manipur as the Centre has begun troubleshooting to restore normalcy in the state.

A top government official involved in maintaining law and order in the state told News18 that the Centre has sent six companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) from Mumbai, Jharkhand and Gujarat, and six companies of CRPF and BSF from Delhi and Punjab. Importantly, the major deployment has been done in five districts which are the epicentre of the violence.

As per the order released on Thursday, a total of 12 companies have reached Manipur to maintain law and order. All these companies were airlifted after the Union Home Ministry placed a request to the Defence Ministry.

It has also been decided that a DIG each of the RAF Sector shall be placed at Imphal with immediate effect. The Army and Assam Rifles have already been placed in the sensitive area.

According to sources, former CRPF DIG Kuldiep Singh, who was supposed to fly to Manipur on Friday due to the non-availability of a scheduled flight earlier, left in a special aircraft arranged by the Centre. He will now look after everything and work in close coordination with the ADG who has been given the power of operational commander.

Singh is also a former DG NIA and worked in the Northeast region before joining as DG CRPF. He is a 1986-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the West Bengal cadre.

Sources also said the Centre has planned to send more troops to Manipur in the next 48 hours. More companies of CAPFs and the Army have been put on standby, they confirmed. Now, officials will analyse the situation and likely place a request of sending more troops on Friday.

Sources said intelligence agencies have been asked to send hourly reports on the situation and work in close coordination with all the authorities.

News18 has also learnt that initially, pocket-wise situations will be monitored and controlled. On Friday, a top-level meeting is scheduled where all officials, including those from the forces, will attend. People trapped will be sent to nearby peaceful sites and in case of violence, central forces will be pressed. To increase confidence in the public, frequent flag marches would be done.

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday held two meetings via video conference and spoke with the chief ministers of Manipur and its neighbouring states. After back-to-back meetings with the Centre and following their suggestions, the Manipur government also appointed Kuldiep Singh as its security advisor.

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Ditching the customary handshake, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a Namastey" or a Namashkar", on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SEO). Zardari is in India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM).

The two-day-long meeting of SCO member states in Goas capital Panaji started on Thursday.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistans Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U

Zardari is the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years. Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a Namastey", ditching a customary handshake.

ALSO READ: No Justification: Jaishankar Talks Tough on Terrorism at SCO Summit; Pak FM Also in Attendance

On his arrival in the coastal State yesterday Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries.

The Pakistan minister was received at the airport by Indian diplomat JP Singh (Joint Secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk).

The Pakistan politician is attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful," Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

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External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar on Friday stressed there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Jaishankar, while speaking at the Shanghai Organisation Corporation (SCO) summit in Goa, said combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO.

The menace of terrorism continues unabated. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO," Jaishankar said.

#WATCH | The menace of terrorism continues unabated. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of SCO: EAM pic.twitter.com/xsdqz1Tz0I ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

The two-day-long Shanghai Corporation Organisation (SCO) meeting commenced in the coastal state of Goa on Thursday. EAM S Jaishankar welcomed Foreign Ministers of Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia and China for the meeting.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was greeted with a formal Namastey by EAM S Jaishankar upon his arrival for the meeting. Bilawal, who arrived in India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers, is the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in almost 12 years.

Speaking on terrorism, Bilawal Bhutto condemned all forms of terrorism including state-sponsored terrorism and said it threatens global security. Lets not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said.

AlSO READ: No Handshake, Only Namaskar: Jaishankar Greets Pak Counterpart Bilawal Bhutto at SCO Meet in Goa

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistans Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

S Jaishankar, in his speech, sought the support of member states for the long-standing demand of India to make English the 3rd official language of SCO.

I am pleased to note that the discussion on issues of reform and modernization of SCO has already commenced I also seek the support of member states for the long-standing demand of India to make English the 3rd official language of SCO, to enable a deeper engagement with English-speaking member states," Jaishankar said.

#WATCH | I am pleased to note that the discussion on issues of reform and modernization of SCO has already commenced I also seek the support of member states for the long-standing demand of India to make English as the 3rd official language of SCO, to enable a deeper pic.twitter.com/vgSSKYzdhJ ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

The EAM also added that as SCO chair, India has initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events.

S Jaishankar further highlighted the unfolding situation in Afghanistan and said efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people.

Hosted colleagues in Goa to the Meeting of SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.Welcomed enthusiastic participation of all members in 100+ meetings. Particularly delighted that Varanasi hosted several events as the first SCO Cultural & Tourist Capital. Noted that current crises pic.twitter.com/pEPiJm7jgB  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 5, 2023

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India has furthered its priority of moving Towards a SECURE SCO during our presidency. Sought Member States support in timely finalisation of documents for approval of our leaders at the SCO Summit in New Delhi," the EAM tweeted.

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday accused Ukraine of an unsuccessful attempt to attack the Kremlin and assassinate the former Soviet Union nations president Vladimir Putin.

Addressing the media after meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishanka on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), Lavrov said that without a resolution of the main geopolitical crisis-the Western pursuit of world dominance- there is no resolution to Ukraine conflict."

Kremlin attack has been widely denounced by our partners - especially Pakistani Minister of Foreign AffairsWithout the owners awareness, Kyivs puppets would never attack KremlinKyiv is doing everything to prevent any respectable country from working with Ukraine," he said.

The Russian Foreign Minister also called for advanced cooperation between countries against the ill-intended" use of reserve currencies.

New BRICS development bank is eyeing the possibility of a currency, but its still in theory," he said,

The Russian Foreign Minister ensured that Moscow supports the Indian G20 presidency and its programme.

He also called for SCO-Afghanistan dialogue and said Moscow is waiting for the Taliban to realise its promises.

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SCOs role in the new world order is an organisation at the centre of the new multipolar world, according to Russias new foreign policy strategy," Lavrov added.

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Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar on Friday said he is withdrawing his decision to resign as party chief and said he will work for NCP with renewed vigour."

Addressing a press conference the NCP supremo said, I cannot disrespect the feelings of my party leaders. They have taken a decision and I trust them. I respect and accept their decision. Therefore, I am withdrawing my decision to resign and taking up the responsibility again."

The announcement came after a committee set up to choose the new NCP chief rejected Pawars decision to step down. Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Parful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal after he announced earlier this week that he would be resigning as NCP chief.

Several NCP workers wearing caps with the message I am with saheb" also demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision as the committee meeting took place earlier in the day.

The 82-year-old leader, who was welcomed with flowers by the party workers at the presser, told reporters, On May 2, I expressed my desire to retire from the position of National President of the party, as I wanted to be free from responsibilities at this age."

However, after seeing the disappointment of party workers and office bearers, I decided to reconsider my decision. They have bestowed immense love on me, and I could not disappoint them," he said.

The senior leader said, The committee requested me to retake the responsibility of National President, and after careful consideration, I have decided to do so. I respect and accept the decision made by party leaders and workers."

There has to be a succession plan in NCP," Pawar said, adding he will focus on making organisational changes in the party.

Although I am accepting this responsibility, I believe that there should be someone to lead the party after me. Nevertheless, I am overwhelmed with the love and support shown to me by everyone," he added.

Senior NCP leader Praful Patel had earlier said Pawar had sought more time to reconsider his decision to step down as party chief.

Answering queries, Pawar referred to the committee meeting and said the party stands united and has had discussions prior to his announcement.

Pawar, a key Congress ally, said his daughter and MP Supriya Sule refused a suggestion from party leaders to become the working president of the NCP.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil stated that party leaders convinced Sharad Pawar to retract his decision to step down, urging him to continue his work for the country and the state. Patil also urged party members on Twitter to distribute sugar across the state.

The NCP chief also cleared the air about the absence of Ajit Pawar in his press conference, stating, Everyone cant be present in one press conference. Some of the people are here and some others are not. But this morning, senior leaders of the party took a decision unanimously and made me aware of it. Everyone expressed their sentiments through that decision. So, raising a question as to who is present here and who isnt or looking for meaning into this is not correct."

Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who supported his uncle Sharad Pawars decision to step down on May 2, was noticeably absent from the NCP supremos press conference. However, Ajit Pawar later issued a statement welcoming his uncles decision and expressing his belief that it will energise party workers and provide strength to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and opposition unity. Ajit Pawar has been seeking a more prominent role within the NCP, according to political experts.

The resignation saga that lasted for four days was triggered by media reports of a group of NCP MLAs planning to defect to BJP with Ajit Pawar, which the latter denied. Pawar is a four-time Maharashtra Chief Minister and has served as Union Defence and Agriculture Minister. He played a crucial role in forming the MVA government in Maharashtra in 2019, an unlikely coalition between the NCP, Congress, and their ideological rival Shiv Sena, with Uddhav Thackeray as the Chief Minister.

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(With inputs from PTI)

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In a one-of-a-kind non-stop operation, the Indian Air Force flew through the night on May 3 from Uttar Pradeshs Hindan Airport and rescued 192 Indian citizens stranded in the strife-torn African nation Sudan.

The aircraft stopped at Saudi Arabias Jeddah for a refuel, where it took excess fuel to a situation of non-availability of fuel in case of any unforeseen delays in Sudan.

The Air Force flew its C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft and followed the route of Hindan-Jeddah-Sudan and landed in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The rescue operation lasted for nearly twenty-four hours without a break.

The aircraft rescued some of the last remaining Indian citizens in the war-torn country. These were mostly women, children and elderly persons, who either were NRIs, foreign nationals or OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India).

These people were not permitted a landing at Jeddah, and hence were flown directly to India in a nonstop flight by the heavy jet.

At Sudan, the aircraft carried out an overhead steep tactical arrival followed by an assault approach to land the heavy jet.

While it was on ground in Sudan, the aircraft engines were kept running in readiness of a quick exit from the airfield.

The crew encountered a medical emergency when one of the passengers became unconscious during the flight. The passenger was stablised by giving oxygen by the crew.

The aircraft landed at Ahmedabad late in the evening on May 4, and returned to its home base in Hindan the same day.

Indias Operation Kaveri

India has rescued nearly 3,800 people from Sudan under Operation Kaveri, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Before this, on May 2, as many as 231 Indians, were evacuated under the Centres Operation Kaveri.

Under Operation Kaveri, India has been taking its citizens on buses from the conflict zones of Khartoum and other troubled areas to Port Sudan from where they are being taken to the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah on Indian Air Forces heavy-lift transport aircraft and Indian Navys ships.

From Jeddah, the Indians are being brought back home on either commercial flights or IAFs aircraft.

The African nation has been witnessing deadly fighting between the countrys army and a paramilitary group that has reportedly left around 400 people dead.

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A prominent Hindu temple in Sydney was defaced allegedly by pro-Khalistani elements on Friday with anti-India graffiti on the walls, in the latest incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in Australia ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the country later this month.

The incident took place at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney.

Temple authorities also found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate, and reported the matter to New South Wales (NSW) police, the Australia Today newspaper reported.

We are deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti on the walls of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney by anti-social elements," the temple said in a statement.

We are further disheartened that BAPS temples in Australia have been targeted. For the last 23 years, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir has been a cornerstone of the local community and a prominent Hindu Temple which, like all BAPS temples worldwide, is an abode of peace and harmony, equality, selfless service and universal Hindu values," it said.

Member of Parliament for Parramatta Andrew Charlton reached the BAPS Temple as soon as he was informed of the Hindu Hate incident, the Australia Today newspaper reported.

Charlton along with Temple authorities helped to repaint the wall.

This morning, the BAPS temple in my electorate of Parramatta was vandalised by religious extremists. I am deeply shocked and saddened by this act of mindless vandalism. Everyone in Australia has the right to practice their faith in peace, he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

At this time, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha prays for peace and unity and has appealed to all devotees and well-wishers in the community to maintain peace.

We are thankful to the local police command, the Department of Home Affairs, State and Federal Members of Parliament, the Indian High Commission and the Consul General of Sydney for their continued support," the temple said.

BAPS temples across Australia are symbols of a thriving multicultural society that nurture Australian values of respect, mateship and tolerance. We request everyone to join in worldwide prayers that God blesses and guides us all to continue to do good and think good of all," it said.

Officers from Cumberland Police Area Command have commenced an investigation following reports of malicious damage to a religious site in Rosehill," a NSW Police spokesperson said in a statement.

Police are conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident." Earlier this year three Hindu Temples in Melbourne and two Hindu Temples in Brisbane were vandalised by Khalistan supporters.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Sydney for the QUAD summit on May 24.

In March, During Prime Minister Anthony Albaneses visit to India, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of frequent attacks on Hindu Temples with him and conveyed his concerns.

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On this, Albanese assured Modi that Australia will not tolerate attacks on religious places and that anyone responsible for such activities will face the full force of the law".

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With the governments massive thrust on building infrastructure 2,900 border areas, Arunachal Pradesh is set to get many vibrant villages. Under the concept of vibrant village, every house will have basic amenities. Tourism will be developed, with all facilities these villages in border areas.

Home Minister Amit Shah recently inaugurated one such village in Kibithu area of Arunachal Pradesh  Zimithang. News18 paid a visit to check the ground reality.

It took more than two hours to reach Zimithang from Tawang. Just 5 km from China, Zimithang is also the place from where Chinese intruded India in 1962.

On our way, the roads were dotted with Swachh Bharat placards and posters. The work on boosting the connectivity was on.

Village bura (chief) Tanzen told News18: We have been told that our village will be made part of the Vibrant Village programme. We have been asked to set up homestays. Its no longer the last village of India. We have been told that this is the first village of India. India will start from here. We will also earn from it. So far, tourists were not allowed.

The mood was upbeat in this village, another young boy Phanum said: This development in this remote village will help us. It will help us economically and socially.

Binkin Rai, another youngster, said: The Indian Army helps us lot. Development will be great.

The concept has changed. Its not that civilians will not go to border areas, sources say, adding, India wants to increase activity in these areas and vibrant villages will be a great boost.

More vibrant villages means more civilian activity, and this will help strategically, say sources.

Zimithang has historical significance as the Dalai Lama in 1959 entered India through Zimithang.

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Also, News18 made history by becoming the first channel to take you through the route.

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Marvels Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol.3 is finally out in the theatre after much anticipation and fans cannot keep calm. The magnum opus film starring Zoe Saldana, and Chris Pratt among other impeccable actors has been directed by the incredible James Gunn. While fans are raving about how amazing the film is certain fans are sure of the shoot locations of the movie in fact. If you are a Guardians fan and are obsessed with it then it is a must that you travel to these stellar locations where the film was shot.

Scotland:-

Way back in 2021, James Gunn had shared a picture with his fans and followers on social media where the outstanding director was seen standing in front of a magnificent castle. While most people thought that he was vacationing back then, it is now being speculated that he was scouting the location to shoot the movie because the castle in the picture and the one shown in the movie have quite a few defining and similar characteristics. London

Around October of 2021, Chris Pratt was seen filming for a movie on the streets of London and even though back then it was not confirmed as to what film he was shooting for, fans are now claiming that he was indeed in London to shoot the third volume of the Marvel series. Trilith Studios, Georgia

If you do not know about this iconic location then we are sorry to say that you are not a true Marvel maniac. Originally known as Pinewood Studios, this place is a directors dream because of the state-of-the-art facilities that it provides.

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It is also being said that parts of the film were shot in iconic places such as Clayton County and Atlanta Music Club and you should know that all of these locations are viable for tourists at most times.

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If intend to get overwhelmed by a performance, head to the National Centre for Performing Arts. NCPAs Pratibimb Marathi Natya Utsav is an attempt to encourage and support Marathi theatre and will feature a host of plays, talks, readings, tours and workshops featuring celebrated figures in Marathi theatre. This is the 10th edition of the festival and it promises to build on the success of the 2022 edition. We spoke to Bruce Guthrie, Head of Theatre & Films, NCPA, who reveals what he has in store for us. Excerpts:

How has your experience with Marathi theatre been?

My experience with Marathi Theatre thus far has been fascinating. The storytelling tradition of Maharashtra is so strong and impressive. Maharashtrians are so passionate about theatre. When I have gone to visit groups across the state, everyone has been so welcoming. The theatre groups have such respect and history with the NCPA. There is a real buzz about the work we are doing with the Pratibimb Festival.

Were there any learnings for you that you can implement in your work?

The brilliant thing about theatre is that we are always learning and evolving with every experience. We have to remain open to new ways of working and ways of seeing the world. One of the reasons I came to India was to experience culture here. The way in which people connect with each other, share stories with each other, its wonderful.

NCPA has become home to varying cultural events. How do you see this relationship?

Our role is to give our audiences the best and widest variety of cultural experiences possible. We are the first multi-venue cultural centre of this kind in South Asia. We follow the vision of J.R.D Tata and Dr. Jamshed Bhabha. Two incredibly gifted visionaries whose legacy is continued by our chairman Mr Khushroo N. Suntook. Our audiences and artists are of paramount importance to us and we are constantly working to innovate and grow as an organisation. Culture is always fresh, dynamic and evolving, like Mumbai itself. We aim to do the same.

Finally, what can the audiences expect from Pratibimb?

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Audiences can expect a fantastic weekend of Marathi theatre productions, workshops, readings and food. There is also a free tour of the NCPA stages and our impressive cultural library. We start the festival with the premiere of Kalgitura - selected from our new writing initiative, Darpan. Its a wonderful piece of work and we cannot wait to share it with audiences. The plays are subtitled in English to allow non-Marathi speakers greater access to the plays. We hope people will come from all over the state to enjoy the festivities.

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North East India is a land of breathtaking natural beauty, diverse cultures, and unexplored territories. From snow-capped mountains to verdant valleys, from glistening lakes to cascading waterfalls, the region offers an array of stunning landscapes. The place is also home to several indigenous tribes, each with their own unique culture and traditions, making it a fascinating cultural destination. With rich history, vibrant cuisine, and warm hospitality, the North East is a must-visit destination for those seeking a unique and authentic travel experience.

Places to explore in Northeast India:

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Dzukou Valley

Dzukou Valley, which straddles the boundary between Nagaland and Manipur, is a secret gem. Trek to the valley and camp overnight to enjoy the starry sky. Experience the rich flora and fauna and enjoy the breathtaking panoramic views of the valley. Majuli Island

The worlds largest river island is known for its unique culture, rich heritage, and stunning natural beauty. The unique attraction in this island in Assam is a village where visitors can witness traditional mask-making by the locals, learn about the arts history, and purchase masks as souvenirs. Tourists can go to the the Vaishnavite Satras (shrines) scattered across Majuli, explore the local Mishing villages, and experiencing the Raas festival. Mawlynnong

Mawlynnong is a small village in the state of Meghalaya, known as the cleanest village in Asia. If you are done exploring places like living root bridge, balancing rock and breathtaking views of the Bangladesh plains, you can plan a short one day trip ahead if you love to explore caves. These include the Mawsmai Cave and Arwah Cave in Cherrapunji, and the Krem Dam cave system in Mawsynram, which is said to be one of the longest cave systems in the world. Tawang

Tawang is a town located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, known for its stunning landscapes, ancient monasteries, and unique culture. Some of the best things to do in Tawang include visiting the Tawang Monastery, trekking to the Gorichen Peak, exploring the Bap Teng Kang waterfall and enjoying the scenic beauty of the Sela Pass. Ziro Valley

Ziro Valley is a stunningly beautiful place, and it is understandable why one might think it doesnt belong to India due to its serene beauty. Located in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, the shooting for the Bollywood film Bhediya took place here. The place is quite popular among travelers, all thanks to the Ziro Music Festival. You can visit the Apatani villages, trek to the Talley Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, and explore the Pine Grove. Champha

Located on the eastern border of Mizoram near the Indo-Myanmar border, Champhai is home to a variety of natural attractions that draw tourists from all over. Some of these attractions include Kungawrhi Puk, a stunning cave, Tiau Lui, a beautiful river, and Lianchhiari Lunglen Tlang, a scenic spot. Rih Dil Lake is another must-see attraction in Champhai.

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The skilled and compassionate hands of physicians, nurses and other team members of Flowers Hospital support the health and well-being of patients who turn to us for expert care. We are here, whenever needed. Beyond providing clinical care, the hospital is a cornerstone of our community and a major contributor to the economic health of the Wiregrass area as a major employer and tax-payer and through our resources to expand and enhance the medical services available close to home. The overall impact is significant and totaled more than $263 million in 2022.

Care was provided at more than 303,200 patient encounters, including more than 40,700 emergency department visits, more than 12,100 inpatient admissions and more than 15,000 surgeries. Over 234,000 patients received care across the Flowers Medical Group physician clinics and outpatient sites, such as our Breast Health Center, Sleep-Wake Disorders Center, outpatient speech therapy and Cardiac Rehabilitation program. Joy was delivered to local families with the birth of more than 1,400 babies.

We help people get well and live healthier by providing quality care for patients. Our community is truly fortunate to have this dedicated team of clinicians and caregivers here in Dothan who are making a real difference each and every day.

Flowers Hospital applies its resources to medical services, facilities and technologies that are important to patients. These include the addition of our fourth robotic surgical system to assist highly skilled surgeons with minimally invasive surgeries that support faster recovery for our patients, as well as the addition of our AI-based maternal-fetal early warning system that monitors vital data throughout labor and delivery to help our maternity team recognize, prevent and respond to potential complications for safer births. Access has been enhanced with the recruitment of primary care and specialty physicians so our community has access to more medical care close to home. Capital improvements totaling more than $2.8 million were made to upgrade imaging, testing and surgical equipment.

Flowers Hospital also gives back to the Wiregrass region by providing over $134 million in charity and uncompensated care for the communitys most vulnerable. And the payment of $13 million in property, sales and GRT taxes helps support civic resources and services.

Support for local charitable and community organizations such as the Wiregrass United Way and Wallace College Community Foundation, and the Southeast Alabama Child Advocacy Center includes financial donations and outreach. Throughout the year, hospital employees also hold donation drives for food, clothing, or other items for those in need.

The hospitals payroll of more than $100 million ripples across the local economy as employees buy goods and services. Last year the hospital added enhanced benefits to help team members achieve their personal and professional goals, including assistance with student loan repayments, reimbursement of licensure and certification expenses, as well as tuition reimbursement.

The hospital is also working to develop future clinicians so healthcare in the Wiregrass area will remain strong for years to come. The hospital entered into a partnership with Jersey College of Nursing to offer a practical nursing program for those aspiring to become a licensed practical nurse or registered nurse. The first class of students is expected to begin in 2023. Additionally, the hospital was one of the first hospitals in the state to partner with Troy University to participate in a new, paid nurse apprenticeship

program in which students will work one-on-one with nurses to help develop their skills, provide care for patients, and meet the need for bedside nurses.

The vital care we provide is only one part of the broad impact we have. We are a cornerstone of this community and we are committed to doing all we can to provide excellent healthcare services and to making the Wiregrass a healthier, better community for all.

Founded in 1950, Flowers Hospital is a 235-bed healthcare facility offering inpatient, outpatient, medical, surgical, diagnostic and emergency care for Dothan and its surrounding communities. We are a major referral center for the Tri-State area of south Alabama, southwest Georgia and northwest Florida. We believe in the power of people to create great care, and we work hard every day to be a place of healing, caring, and connection for patients and families in the community we call home.
Auroshikha Dey has been associated with stirring films like Myoho, Prem Mayee, and Points of Origin. The actress who is an FTII alumunus has additionally honed his craft of acting by taking up challenging roles in Lomad, touted as worlds first one-take film, Haat, The Weekly Bazaar, Maali and The Warrior Queen Of Jhansi. Ahead of her international film Shameless, Auroshikha will be seen in V.V Vinayaks action drama Chatrapathi, a highly anticipated remake of 2095 Telegu film of the same name that was helmed by SS Rajamouli. Apart from Auroshikha, Chatrapathi will boast a star cast of Bellamkonda Sreenivas, who would be making his Hindi debut as well as Nusshratt Bharrucha.

The actress sat with News18 Showsha and talked about Chatrapathi and her role in an exclusive interaction. Here are the excerpts of the same:

How has it been like working alongside Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas and Nushrratt Bharrucha in Chatrapathi? Tell me something about the film and since its a remake, how is it different from SS Rajamoulis version.

Well I enjoyed working with both Shree Sai Niwas and Nusshhrat. They are amazing actors and equally amazing human beings. Though they are stars, they have no air about it. So as an actor, it became very easy for me to communicate with them. So yeah I had a great time shooting with them. Well we all know that the original was made by SS Rajamouli and hands down he is a class apart director. I am just so privileged to be working on a remake of this film. Now our director was a highly accomplished director and I thoroughly enjoyed bringing his vision to life. Each of us actors have given our best to our characters and hopefully the audience will enjoy what we have created. Its also not fair on my part to compare the two.

Coming to your role, what part do you play in the film and how did you go about preparing for the same? Was it challenging? If yes, then in what way?

I am playing the role of a visually impaired mother and my character name is Manju Ben. As the story progresses, there are some events that happen in Manju Bens life which brings about a huge transformation in the main character which then sets the tone of the second half of the film. Yes, it was definitely challenging and thats the reason I enjoyed playing it. This film happened immediately after the lockdown was over so there was no time for workshops. So I worked on myself. I used to blindfold myself and walk in my house, trying to do my daily routine blindfoldedly. I watch films like Sparsh and Scent Of A Woman to understand the character deeply and in a much better way. So thats how I worked on myself because I wanted to go on the sets prepared, not just be on the sets and try to act blind. I just want to make it as natural as possible and hopefully it came across.

V.V Vinayak is a prominent film-maker. As such, how integral was he in deriving the performance out of you? How did you aid you, guide you through the course of the film?

I am very fortunate to have worked with such an eminent director. Hes exceptionally calm and composed and not to forget very approachable. As an actor, whenever I had questions about my character, he was available for guidance. And I am very humbled to have worked with him and learnt a lot in the process.

From the perspective of the audience, especially those who have watched the original Chatrapathi, why should people be excited about this version?

The original was in Telugu and the remake is in Hindi. As I mentioned, this is completely with a different sets of actors. We hope the audience will enjoy and appreciate this full on action dhamaka film.

If one looks at your filmography, the kind of projects that you have undertaken is strikingly different from one another. So what was it about Chatrapathi that prompted your interest in doing this role?

Its definitely the role that prompted me doing Chatrapati. You know as an actor, I always go for characters that would challenge me, drive me and push me from my comfort zone. And this was definitely the one. So when I got the role, I did not let go of it and I grabbed it because I wanted to do it.

You sort of stayed away from the commercial cinema. So was that a conscious decision from your end?

Well its really not about commercial or indie cinema. I am focussed on the characters that I play and the challenge around it. Going forward if I get roles in commercial films, I will readily take up those opportunities too.

Of all the work/roles youve done so far, what according to you has been the most demanding, that took everything out of you as an actor?

Every film is a new chapter and every character needs to be nurtured. So for me to pick and choose one is impossible. I take the roles as they come and give each one of them my all.

You are shooting for an International Film Shameless. What is that project about and what role would you be essaying in it?

I am definitely looking forward for my international film The Shameless and

I had a great time shooting two months in Nepal with both the international and the Nepali crew. Well I cant talk much about it, all I can say its about human traffickers and the drama created within them. Its an extremely amazing film and yes I am looking forward for the release.

Speaking of one of your films Lomad which is one take, it requires a lot of preparation and choreography to achieve that feat. And its not an easy task. Having said that, what was your experience working on that film?

It was definitely an incredible experience. My director Hemant Tiwari had an exceptional vision. Being a one-take film, we had to do a lot of practice for that final take. Its not just about the dialogues but the light that you need to catch and the camera angle to focus on. And as you jump from one scene to another flawlessly and with no cut.

What kind of roles do you see yourself doing in the coming times?

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As I have shared, I love a good challenge and every role is unique to me I am eagerly looking forward to whats already lined up and also whats next.

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Karnataka has been famously described as a psephologists nightmare. The reason? Because till the last moment, the hugely diverse electorate does not decide, let alone reveal, whom it will favour at the hustings. Legend has it that almost 20 percent of the voters remain undecided till the last day, some till they enter the voting booth itself. In such a scenario, predicting the results will be foolhardy, if not hazardous. But that is precisely what I shall venture to do.

But, first, let us look at Karnatakas complex and unpredictable caste and community calculus, with no one in the know of the exact figures. Lingayats, Vokkaligas, Kurubas and other so-called backward communities, Muslims, Schedule Tribes, Christians, and Brahmins. Power has rotated largely between the first three communities. But the last caste census, whose results have been suppressed, indicates that Lingayats and Gowdas (Vokkaligas) have enjoyed disproportionate power, both being much less than their touted numbers. In fact, the Schedule Castes and Muslims are more than the previously accepted figures. Then there are linguistic and out-of-state vote banks besides the Kannadiga majority. Especially in Bengaluru, where Tamils, Telugus, North and North East Indians make up huge numbers.

Now let us bring in the three major regions of the state, with their distinct histories: Coastal Karnataka, South Karnataka, and North Karnataka. Belgaum, Dharwad, and Uttara Kannada coastal Karnataka were part of the Bombay presidency. Dakshina Kannada and Udupi also belong to coastal Karnataka. The major communities here are Bunts, Billavas, Mogaveeras, and Brahmins. South Karnataka is the old heartland of the erstwhile Mysore state. It consists of Mysuru, Mandya, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, and Kodagu. The dominant communities in this region are the Vokkaligas, Lingayats, and a large number of Schedule Castes.

North Karnataka consists of swathes of what used to be the Hyderabad princely state, such as Bijapur, Bidar, and Gulbarga. It also includes Belgaum and Dharwad, with their unresolved border issues with Maharashtra, in addition to Gadag and Haveri. Rich with fertile lands and historic monuments, the communities that dominate this region are the Lingayats, Kurubas, and Schedule Castes and Tribes.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress, the two major political parties in Karnataka, are in a neck-to-neck battle in the upcoming assembly elections. Voters will cast their ballots on May 10th, with the results expected to be declared on May 13. Both parties, over the last two decades, have strong support bases. The Congress, till 1983, ruled uninterrupted; since then, it has won intermittently. The BJP made more recent inroads into the state, the first in its southwards push. They have been in power for nine years.

In the last Assembly elections of 2018, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 104 seats out of 224 seats. The Congress won 80 seats, though it had polled a higher percentage of votes. The BJP, despite being the single largest party, fell short of the majority mark of 113. As a result, the Congress and the Janata Dal (Secular) entered into an unholy alliance, forming a coalition government, with the support of other parties.

But in the general elections of 2019, the BJP struck back with unexpected force. It won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, a record for the party. That showed overwhelming support for the repeat Prime Ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi. As if on cue, in 2019, the BJP also formed the government in Karnataka. Then Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy was forced to resign after several Congress and JDS legislators crossed over. He lost the floor test, having lost his majority. The Governor, Vajubhai Vala, invited the BJP, already the largest party in the state, to form the government.

BS Yediyurappa, popularly known as BSY, though over 76 years of age, which is against the BJP retirement norm of 75, was sworn in as Chief Minister for the fourth time in July 2019. The fifteen days given to him to prove his majority proved ample. He won with 105 votes, not needing the magic figure of 113, because of several absentees or disqualified members. The governor, a former member of the BJP, was predictably accused of being partisan.

But as far as the BJP was concerned, it was sweet revenge. But BSY at 79, too, had to make way in 2021, after the Covid-19 pandemic, for his own protege and fellow-Lingayat, Basavaraj Bommai. The latter, Karnatakas 23rd CM, was also the son of former Janata Dal Chief Minister, SR Bommai. For the statistically inclined, in its 75 years of history since 1947, the state has had 23 chief ministers of whom only three  all of them from the Congress  could complete their five-year terms. They are S Nijalingappa, D Devaraj Urs, and Siddaramaiah, who is once again a contender.

Now to the all-important question: who will win? I will try to answer this in greater detail in the next column, but my basic guess is none will get a clear majority, crossing the magic number of 113. It will be a very close contest between the incumbent BJP and the restive if not resurgent Congress. But the dark horse and the kingmaker remain the JD(S), led by the father-son duo, HD Deve Gowda and HD Kumaraswamy. The good news for the BJP is that as the polling day nears, they are inching ahead in the race, partly due to the Congress own follies  especially the Bajrangi boomerang.

[To be concluded]

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The writer is an author, columnist, and professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University. Views expressed are personal.

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Khadi, the biggest of all Swadeshi icons, must get the boost it deserves. Very few Indians know Mahatma Gandhis beloved fabric is no longer a pushover and is now counted among the biggest-selling FMCG products in India. Indians need to be reminded that Khadi was seen as a symbol of Indias self-respect by Gandhi during the freedom movement.

It was in 1918 when Gandhi used Khadi as a key part of the Swadeshi movement to boycott the use of imported products and materials. He was confident this would help lift India out of poverty by creating industry and jobs locally, freeing India from its reliance on expensive fabric imported from Britain, even though the raw materials originated in India.

It was crucial for Indians to take back what was theirs, using their own produce and skills to create their own wealth. Khadi was at the heart of this strategy when Gandhi asked every man and woman to plant and harvest their own materials for the yarn needed to create Khadi fabric. He urged every Indian, rich or poor, to spend some time each day spinning Khadi. Entire villages adopted the movement, weaving their way to economic freedom through fashion.

The Khadi spinning wheel, known as the charkha, actually featured on Indias first flag before it was replaced with the Ashoka Chakra. The word Khadi itself is derived from khaddar, a term for handspun fabric in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. While Khadi is usually manufactured from cotton, contrary to popular belief, it is also made from silk and woollen yarn (called Khadi silk and Khadi wool respectively).

There are some very interesting, historical facts about Khadi. Hand-spinning and hand-weaving were known to Indians for thousands of years. Archaeological evidence, such as terracotta spindles (for spinning), bone tools (for weaving) and figurines wearing woven fabrics, indicate that the Indus Valley civilisation had a well-developed and flourishing tradition of textiles.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also pushing for the growth of this fabric and has explained recently how Khadi was ignored after independence and how the weavers suffered. But PM Modi also said that the push needs to happen from all quarters and how the thread of Khadi  inspiration for Indias freedom struggle  can become a source of inspiration for a developed nation and Atmanirbhar Bharat.

So let me toss some figures here.

The Khadi and Village Industries has clocked Rs 1.15 lakh crore turnover in FY22 as compared to Rs 95,741 crore in FY21 on the back of some solid support from the government. India is very hyped on Khadi, I am told. The Textiles Ministry has a database of 30 lakh artisans and if each artisan earns some Rs 1,000 per month, their lives can be transformed.

There are many advantages to producing and promoting khadi, a perfect example of eco-friendly and sustainable clothing which leaves the least carbon footprint. Gandhi was extremely conscious of sustainability and carbon footprints. He was a forward-thinking leader and he knew protecting the planet meant acting responsibly.

Khadi is a movement that continues to live on in Indian culture and will forever connect fashion with freedom in its truest form. The fabric is traditionally made from cotton and natural fibres like silk and wool are also used. The biggest advantage of Khadi is that irrespective of the fibre, no machines, factories or emissions are involved in the spinning and weaving stages. It is nothing but pure people-power and skill. And what one gets is a versatile fabric which is warm in winter and cool in summer.

Compared to the production of other fabrics, manufacturing Khadi is more sustainable. Producing one metre of Khadi requires just 3 litres of water, as opposed to 56 litres needed for the same length of mill fabric. This is a big one, considering Indias environmental concerns and water crisis in the hinterland.

Contemporary writer Peter Gonsalves has called Khadi a clothing for liberation that Gandhi used effectively to send a strong message to both Indians and the British. The writer said Khadi was used as a symbol of homogeneity, absence of status, simplicity and nakedness or uniform clothing. Given its uniqueness and high quality, the demand for Indian Khadi and Khadi-based products has been steadily increasing across global markets, including the US, UK, UAE and Germany.

In the last decade, there has been an increased emphasis on the concept of self-sustenance, Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat. Thousands of startups have emerged in Tier-II, Tier-III cities and the hinterland, Indias startup ecosystem has become the third largest in the world. What does this mean? It means Indias need to rely on foreign companies for products is dwindling. Given the steady upswing in demand for Khadi and India embarking on its Atmanirbhar Bharat journey, its likely to spur greater economic growth and development. This is a very good sign.

So what can happen if the production of Khadi is given a boost? The surge in the usage of Khadi can serve as a powerful tool for the emancipation of rural India. It needs to be remembered that Indias core ideas and principles are relevant and intertwined in almost every aspect of the nations society, and Khadi is its biggest testimony. Nearly seven decades after India gained independence, Khadi continues to inspire and amaze people around the globe.

Even with such a rich past, many Khadi loyalists argue that the true essence of the word has been lost over the years. They even argue that the label is being tossed around because of its new-found appeal in the fashion industry and also in Bollywood. But if there is an appeal for Khadi and it is spreading fast across the length and breadth of the country, I would call it a great sign.

So what should we do?

India should make Khadi more independent than before and create an independent ecosystem, which would include the original Gandhian purpose and principles of the cloth, and also trying to get it into the market. It will be the biggest gift to the father of the nation.

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The author is Rajya Sabha MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism & Culture. Views expressed are personal.

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Last week, the Calcutta High Court mandated the National Investigative Agency (NIA) to look into the incidents of communal violence that occurred during Ram Navami celebrations in Howrah and other areas of West Bengal. The high court has already reacted to the law and order situation in the state. From corruption to communal violence and terrible crimes  the situation in terms of law and order and governance has gotten worse under WB Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Banerjee has not, however, taken a strong stance against these violent acts. The chief minister and her party  Trinamool Congress (TMC)  typically blame the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) or other Opposition political parties for communal violence concerns as well as other law and order issues.

Unprecedented attacks are taking place across the state against BJP functionaries. In East Midnapores Moyna, the TMC goons allegedly kidnapped and murdered the BJPs booth chief. Last week, police allegedly fired at a BJP worker in North Bengal, resulting in his death. But the government is not only silent but also claiming that the BJP is orchestrating these killings to divert attention from the ongoing mega mass outreach program by Mamata Banerjees nephew and TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The TMC supremo is remaining silent because she worries that taking a strong stance against communal violence will cause her Muslim support to further erode. It is sad that she has treated minorities like a vote-bank ever since she was elected the chief minister of West Bengal in 2011. There is no denying that Banerjee is not the first politician and TMC is not the first political party to appease minorities in West Bengal politics. The Congress and the Left have already done the same. Bengals electorate is roughly 30 percent Muslim  and without their support  winning elections is impossible. However, there is also widespread misgovernance in West Bengal, and Banerjee is unable to dodge this issue because her administration has repeatedly fallen short of ensuring the safety and security of Bengals populace.

The BJP began to gain support in West Bengal in 2016. The party performed well in 2019, winning 19 of the states 42 Lok Sabha seats. As a result, West Bengal politics became more divisive. However, things started to change after Mamata Banerjee won the 2021 Assembly elections. The TMC has been the target of protests from Bengal residents after several of its top leaders were accused of corruption. The party noticed that its support within the Muslim community exploded in the recent by-elections of Ballygunge and Sagardighi.

Mamata Banerjee is aware that her party cannot afford to lose the support of minorities under any circumstances. She has even reverted to her strong appeasement push at this point. However, the issue here is that Banerjee is encouraging competitive communalism by using this style of politics. She actually advised Muslims to vote against the BJP when she spoke at a rally this year on Eid. She is politicising the entire community and their support, despite the fact that Eid is a religious holiday and has nothing to do with politics. Banerjee has been accused by the Opposition of stirring up the minority, and this kind of provocation from Bengals leading political party is truly frightening and disturbing.

The administration under Banerjee is rapidly slipping out of her grip, which is another problem. Bengal has seen a number of horrific atrocities and acts of violence. A 17-year-old girl was recently discovered dead in North Bengals Kaliagunj. The police insisted that early investigation showed it was a suicide, despite the family members claims that it was a murder and rape occurrence. In this case, there were large-scale protests in the neighbourhood, so the police dragged the girls body to protect it. This tragedy shocked the locals, and there were numerous protests that followed. The situation got out of hand, and the mob not only set fire to the neighbourhood police station but also assaulted the officers. This tragedy is not unique; numerous other horrible crimes are occurring often in West Bengal, and Banerjees administration is largely silent.

Bengals political watchers think Mamata Banerjee has been losing control of her government. She has failed to present an organised front during her third term. The party is working hard to politicise every problem, but the degree of police resistance is unmatched. It is important to note that the Calcutta High Court made the following statement during the hearing of the Ram Navami violence case: In the cases at hand, we prima facie find that there has been a deliberate attempt on the part of the concerned police not to register any offence under the provisions of the Explosives Substances Act.

Here, the West Bengal police are the target of the query. The Mamata Banerjee administration is allegedly not operating in a manner that can guarantee the safety and security of the populace, according to the Opposition political parties in Bengal. Most importantly, there are numerous instances of how the West Bengal police and administration have been biased against the current government and operated in a partisan manner. It is true that the government and police in every state support the ruling party. However, there should be some attempts to be impartial when it comes to deteriorating law and order situations and providing safety and security to the states citizens. In the end, the people will have no choice but to not trust such a system if the government cannot offer harmony and the police cannot provide protection.

Mamata Banerjee needs to understand that if her party tries to politically mobilise minorities, the Opposition is going to do the same with other groups. In the most recent by-elections, it was evident that Muslims were also against Banerjee, and there is a growing feeling among the people of West Bengal that the TMC is now in a desperate state. Banerjees outspoken demeanour and prowess as a street fighter helped her rise to prominence in West Bengal politics. But these days, she avoids standing by the victims when there is violence.

The state of affairs in West Bengal as a whole is rapidly deteriorating. Violence has become a common occurrence in the state. Across all communities, there is a growing unhappiness with the TMC. The Panchayat, Lok Sabha, and Assembly elections will all take place in West Bengal in the next few days. The populace will only witness more bloodshed in the coming days if the TMC administration continues to operate in this manner. Its crucial for Banerjee to understand how her current condition is resulting in a negative administrative and appeasement-focused political perception of herself. Banerjee, like many other Opposition leaders today, is attempting to play a significant national role, but if the political and administrative climate in her home state continues to be so dire, it is unlikely that she will also have much credibility in national politics. Within Bengals Opposition political parties, there is a growing perception that Mamata Banerjee is playing with fire and taking no firm positions against any form of violence in order to gain an electoral advantage.

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The author is a columnist and Doctoral Research Scholar In Media & Politics. He tweets @sayantan_gh. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent the stand of this publication.

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Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. -- Gautam Buddha
Over the past 10 months, the BJP and its ideological fountainhead, the RSS, have engaged with minority communities, including Muslims and Christians, as part of their outreach programmes, but in distinctly different ways. Despite having an ideological alignment, the minority outreach programmes of these two organisations focus on specific social and political needs.

Senior RSS functionaries call it a nationalist approach through different ways of articulation depending on the different political scenarios. Senior BJP leaders say the approach of a political party should be aligned with the general belief" and the local political equation".

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, while delivering a speech at a programme in Chhattisgarhs Ambikapur in November, said all Indians have the same DNA and all are Hindus culturally. Bhagwat and other senior functionaries have been meeting groups of Muslim intellectuals while the organisation continues to hold discussions with Muslim professionals. The BJP, however, carries out its outreach programme among specific minority groups like Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh, the Syro-Malabar Christian community in Kerala and so on.

Speaking to News18, J Nandakumar, head of RSSs Pragya Pravah and a central committee member, said: RSS has always been talking to everyone. We might be getting more attention now than before or the programmes and speeches are getting more prominence because people are curious to know and understand. The approach of both the RSS and the BJP is aimed at national welfare and nation-building. The articulation may be different."

The Outreach

Ten days before kick-starting the crucial phase of the Karnataka election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kerala on a two-day trip and met eight top spiritual leaders from the states churches, including the head of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Cardinal George Alencherry, and Syro-Malankara Catholic Church head Cardinal Baselios Cleemis.

The PM met the delegation of Keralas Syro-Malabar Christian churches despite the strong reservation the RSS has towards Saint Thomas and the Syro-Malabar Christian community, which believes in Saint Thomas tradition.

The senior functionaries of the RSS believe that Saint Thomas never visited and lived in Kerala, and the narrative built around Saint Thomas life and death in the southern part of India was politically motivated.

However, RSS functionaries admit that the BJP needs to make inroads into the community in Kerala and the outreach by the party is political.

The RSS thinks differently about BJPs Muslim outreach, which currently revolves around the Pasmanda Muslims. We have never reached out to caste-specific communities. Our outreach programmes are for all. But as issues keep emerging and as some groups from a community try to initiate a dialogue, we respond. The BJPs outreach to Pasmanda Muslims in Uttar Pradesh or to the Syro-Malabar Christian community in Kerala is based on the current local-political scenario," said a senior RSS functionary.

Pasmanda Muslims are generally oppressed, while the Syro -Malabar Christian community in Kerala is currently facing unprecedented attack from the fundamental forces in the state because of the political situation there. The BJP as a political party has reached out to them and PM Modi has spoken to the community leaders," added the functionary.

PM Modi has often spoken about the upliftment of the Pasmanda community. The BJP also recently nominated Tariq Mansoor is an MLC. Mansoor belongs to the Pasmanda community and quit as the Aligarh Muslim University Vice-Chancellor following the nomination.

Meanwhile, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat also released the first Urdu translation of Samaveda, saying: Manzil Ek, Rasste Anek" (Destination of all Indians is the same while the paths are different).

Sunil Ambekar, Akhil Bharatiya Prachar Pramukh (national spokesperson) of the RSS, said: We have always been open to all, we respond to everyone with a positive approach as we are all culturally and traditionally connected."

Social vs Political

Explaining the difference in approach towards minority outreach, SY Quraishi, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, said: The BJPs outreach to Muslims or Christians is are very political in nature as they expect immediate electoral dividend out of it. The Pasmandas in Uttar Pradesh or Syro-Malabar Christians in Kerala are minority constituencies to them. They want a larger vote share and they will do everything to win the election. But the outreach programmes by the RSS are different in nature. These are more about building social connections, initiating dialogues."

Quraishi was part of the five-member delegation of Muslim intellectuals that met Mohan Bhagwat on August 22 last year. There have been three such meetings between Muslim intellectuals and the RSS functionaries since then. Bhagwat ji has been consistent about the broad directions to Sangh members. However, time will tell about BJPs Pasmanda outreach; whether it is political or there is some positive approach behind it," he added.

Despite having reservations about the lack of historical evidence to prove the roots of Syro-Malabar Christian communities in Kerala, RSS functionaries say the community is now under attack by fundamental forces in the state.

Christian community leaders are speaking against the fundamental forces in the state because of the prevailing political situation. The BJP is connecting with them and it is the need of the hour. A political party may have electoral interest, but in Kerala, BJPs outreach is not only political, but a social change too," said a senior RSS functionary in Kerala.

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Meanwhile, the RSS has been increasing its ground connection across states in the Northeast, including Nagaland and Manipur that have a dominant Christian population.

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The committee formed by Sharad Pawar, after announcing his retirement as the National President of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has rejected his resignation in its first meeting which lasted 40 minutes on Friday.

Praful Patel, the convener of this meeting, told the media: We have passed a resolution unanimously to reject the resignation of Pawar and we will request him to continue as the National President of the Party.

ALSO READ | Pawars that Be? Supriya Sule Should Be Made NCP Chief, Ajit Can Handle Maha: Chhagan Bhujbal

At 11 am, the 18-member committee formed by Pawar met at the NCP headquarters in Mumbai to discuss the crisis post the resignation.

On Thursday, Sharad Pawar had met the protesting party workers at Y B Chavan Centre and tried to pacify them. While interacting with them, he also said that he needs time to rethink his decision, but will accept the decision of the committee.

According to highly placed sources in the party, Pawar has killed two birds in one stone with his resignation move.

DIRECT, INDIRECT MESSAGES

With this resignation saga, Pawar has showed party leaders, who are still keen on joining hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), that he has majority by his side in the party, said sources.

Moreover, he has also sent a direct message to the BJP that he is the boss and without his approval, party leaders wont do anything.

The group of leaders, who was in touch with the BJP and were trying convince Pawar that the NCP should join hands with the BJP, has got the message that if they go against Pawar, they may have to face public heat during the upcoming general and assembly elections.

NATIONAL ISSUE

Pawars resignation was not only restricted to his party, but also became the national issue due to his stature in national politics.

Leader from other regional and national parties such as MK Stalin, Sitaram Yechuri, Farooq Abdullah and Rahul Gandhi expressed concerns regarding the resignation.

ALSO READ | Sharad Pawars Resignation Rejected, Nephew Ajit, Top NCP Leaders at Silver Oak Home

On the national front, Pawar is trying to get all small parties together against the BJP and if he doesnt stay the National President of his party, the idea of uniting all parties may not work. So, the national leaders urged him to take his resignation back.

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Sanjay Jog, senior journalist and political analyst, said, National leaders across all like-minded parties conveyed to Pawar that he is the mobiliser of united opposition and hence should continue. Moreover, the committee which was formed by Pawar had to take the cognisance of widespread agitations by party workers and couldnt find any alternative to lead the party in the run-up to the 2024 general and state elections.

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NCPs national vice president Praful Patel on Friday announced that the party has unanimously rejected Sharad Pawars resignation as the outfits supremo. He added that the NCP will approach Pawar with the resolution and request him to continue as the chief.

When we had gone to Punjab, even the farmers in the northern state had expressed their gratitude towards Pawar for his contributions," said Patel in Mumbai, indicating Sharad Pawars popularity not just in Maharashtra, but across India.

As soon as the announcement was made, NCP workers burst firecrackers outside party office. Sharads nephew, Ajit Pawar, was also spotted arriving at party chiefs residence. Chhagan Bhujbal, Sunil Tatkare, Jitendra Awhad and Praful Patel arrived at Silver Oak too.

#WATCH | NCP leader Ajit Pawar arrives at the residence of NCP party chief Sharad Pawar NCP's core committee unanimously passed a proposal today and rejected Sharad Pawar's resignation and requested him to continue as NCP chief. pic.twitter.com/08GBokqApM  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

We have conveyed the committees decision to Sharad Pawar. He said he needs two-three days to rethink his decision," said Bhujbal.

Chhagan Bhujbal, NCP legislator and close aide of Sharad Pawar, earlier on Friday said that the Nationalist Congress Party supremo is the only option theyll choose to lead the party. A group of NCP youth members also signed a proposal to suggest Sharad Pawars name as the NCP president.

The Nationalist Congress Party has been in a state of shock ever since Pawar suddenly announced his decision to step down as NCP president on May 2. Posters saying that theres no alternative to Sharad Pawar" have come up in Thane, in Mumbais neighbourhood.

Tamil Nadu chief minister and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin also requested Pawar to reconsider his decision ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

With national politics centred around upcoming 2024 General Elections, I request, Thiru. @PawarSpeaks, one of the tallest leaders, crucial in strengthening secular alliance across India, to reconsider his decision to relinquish the President post of @NCPspeaks and continue to M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) May 5, 2023

Sharad Pawars Health

A report by Rediff.com quoted Bhujbal as saying that Pawar is only on liquid diet" since the last two years. He has a fierce will power; he has been a fighter all his life and even at this age his spirit is strong enough to take on any kind of adversity that comes his way," the MLA from Nashiks Yevla said.

Bhujbal further said that even at the age of 82, there is lot of fighting spirit left" in him. If my information is correct, he is on a political visit to Solapur district on May 6," the MLA said.

He refuses to be bogged down by the circumstances around him. He always prefers to be among the janata. I have been requesting him to withdraw himself from arduous tours but he is ten times more active than all of us. Listening to people, helping them solve their issues is like a tonic for him," Bhujbal said.

Updates on NCP President Election

The 18-member committee formed by Sharad Pawar to name the new national president of the party met on Friday to decide the further course of action. Sources said that the panel rejected Pawars resignation. Party leader Praful Patel held a press conference to give out the details.

The NCP committee was tasked to deliberate on the demand that Pawar rethinks his decision and come up with a proposal to appoint a working president to assist him.

#WATCH | NCP leader and MP Supriya Sule arrives at the party office in Mumbai. NCP is to hold a core committee meeting today after party chief Sharad Pawar announced his resignation from the post. pic.twitter.com/H4B07rVPfB ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

According to a PTI report, Sharad Pawar on Thursday said he decided to step down from the post for the future of the party and to give way to a new leadership. Meanwhile, party workers continued to demand that Pawar reconsider his decision, some even penned letters in blood. Senior NCP leaders also urged the veteran leader to lead the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

Speaking outside the Y B Chavan Centre in Mumbai, where his supporters have been camping to protest against his resignation as the party chief, Pawar said he would take a final decision in the coming days and ensure that the sentiments of party workers will not be ignored.

I respect your sentiments. I should have discussed my plans with all of you and taken you into confidence. But I know you wouldnt have allowed me to take the decision (of stepping down as party chief)," Pawar told his supporters.

Meanwhile, speaking exclusively to News18, senior NCP leader and former cabinet minister Chhagan Bhujbal said that Pawars daughter Supriya Sule should be made the National President.

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There is already a division of work in the party. Sule, who is a Member of Parliament, has good connect with other parties and leaders at the national level. Ajit Pawar is handling state politics. In my view, Sule should be made the National President and Ajit Pawar should be given the state affairs, said Bhujbal.

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Apple continues to face allegations that it has purposely throttled iPhones for users to degrade the battery units. We have heard these reports before, and now, the company faces a 1.6 billion pound lawsuit in the UK accusing Apple of throttling iPhone 6 and 6s models.

The lawsuit has been filed by Justin Gutmann on behalf of the users from the UK who have been affected by this malpractice which is termed as the batterygate. The lawsuit claims Apple knowingly slowed down the performance of the iPhone models to reduce the battery degradation.

Apple has faced similar legal cases in other countries earlier, including the US where the company managed to settle the case, Gutmanns lawyers have pointed out during the lawsuit in the UK. Battery throttling is a big issue and Apple was forced to replace the batteries of the ageing iPhone models at a lower price to offset the damages faced by the iPhone users. It seems Gutmann and Co. are looking for a similar redressal for the UK consumers as well.

Having said that, Apple is looking to block the lawsuit and wants to raise an appeal to the London Tribunal. The iPhone makers lawyers claim the lawsuit is baseless, which is hard to understand, especially since Apple had already apologised for a similar act back in 2017.

The company also believes the quantum of the lawsuit doesnt add up as it claims that only a small fraction of the iPhone 6 and 6s models have defective batteries, and the company is already giving them a free replacement.

Apple has been facing multiple antitrust cases, and in the EU region, the company has been forced to comply with new charging standard norms that could finally bring us the first-ever iPhone model with USB C charging.

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Thats not all, the regulators want Apple to permit sideloading of apps on iPhone, something the company has vehemently objected to over the years. It will be interesting to see how the UK lawsuit on the subject pans out, or if Apple manages to get the case out of the court like before.

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The highly anticipated event of King Charles Coronation is scheduled to take place on May 6, 2023, at Westminster Abbey in London. However, it appears that some mischievous individuals have stirred up chaos in a phallo-tastic manner. According to a report in the New York Post, the lawns of the Coronation site have been mowed to depict a giant penis, just two days before the event.

Residents of the prestigious Royal Crescent in Bath, England were taken aback when they woke up on Thursday morning to find a large phallic symbol etched onto the pristine grass outside their homes. It appears that pranksters had created the lewd drawing overnight, leaving locals bewildered.

The Royal Crescent is renowned for its elegant homes, which date back to the 18th century and are arranged in a crescent shape along the street. The area is globally recognized for having impeccably manicured lawns, making the appearance of the explicit image all the more surprising.

In honour of the official coronation of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla, a Georgian-themed party is scheduled to take place at the aforementioned location on Saturday. It is set to be a grand affair, with a total of 20,000 attendees expected to be in attendance. This number will include both specially invited guests and members of the general public who are eager to partake in the festivities. However, it is unclear at this time whether law enforcement officials have been notified or are investigating the individuals responsible for the lewd image.

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In other such news related to the Royal family, Prince Harry recently shared a personal anecdote regarding his brothers wedding. According to an excerpt from his book Spare," published on Page Six, Prince Harry revealed that he had suffered from frostbite on his genitalia during the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Harry explained that the injury had been sustained during a trip to the North Pole a month prior to the wedding, resulting in discomfort during the celebratory occassion.

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A Hoan My hospital building in southern Dong Nai Province, Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Hoan My

Hoan My Medical Corporation reported a net loss of VND50 billion (US$2.1 million) for 2022.

It had reported a profit of VND285 billion in 2021 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

It also has liabilities of VND3.485 trillion, 7% higher than in 2021. It has made two bond issuances, one of which worth VND930 billion matures in October this year.

Hoan My Medical Corporation, operator of the Saigon Hoan My Hospital, the first private medical facility in Vietnam, now has 15 hospitals and six clinics, including Hoan My International Eye Hospital, Hanh Phuc International Hospital, Hoan My Thu Duc International Hospital, Hoan My Binh Duong Hospital, and Hoan My Da Nang Hospital.

Together they have 2,900 beds.

Hoan My Hospital was founded by Dr Nguyen Huu Tung in 1997. Quickly he set up six hospitals completely depending on loans, and not long afterward faced the risk of bankruptcy.

He struck a deal with VinaCapital and Deutsche Banks Duxton Asset Management in 2009, and they invested $20 million in exhange for a 44% stake.

Two years later, following some disputes, Hoan My was sold to Indias Fortis Healthcare, which paid $64 million for a 65% stake.

It in turn sold the shares to Singaporean investment firm Richard Chandler two years later for a profit of $16 million.

After being acquired by Richard Chandler, now Clermont Group, Hoan My expanded relentlessly by buying out hospitals in a number of provinces and cities.
In a heart-stopping moment caught on camera, a babys life was saved by an unlikely hero - a man who displayed quick thinking and bravery in the face of danger. The old video is going viral again. An old security footage capturing the heartwarming moment is going viral again. The video features a woman unloading her car with her baby in a stroller nearby, but suddenly, the stroller starts rolling towards a busy road. Despite her anxious attempts, the woman stumbles multiple times and fails to catch the carriage. At the same time, a man jumps into action and runs towards the stroller to save the baby from oncoming traffic.

The incident reportedly occurred outside a car wash in the US when the babys aunt was unloading her car and the stroller began to roll away. Fortunately, Ronald Nessman, who happened to be nearby, noticed the situation and rushed to the rescue.

Another HERO surveillance video captures a homeless man saving a baby in a stroller rolling toward heavy traffic. The babys aunt was unloading items on the backseat of her SUV parked outside of the A1 Hand Car Wash, when the stroller started to roll away towards the street. pic.twitter.com/wihD0EmNFQ DeL2000 (@DeL2000) May 4, 2023

The footage has been widely shared online, and one user took to social media to commend the man for his quick thinking. Great presence of mind," he said.

Another pointed out that the homeless mans heroism may have led to a change in his living situation, stating, Apparently he wasnt homeless anymore. What a scary video with a relief ending.

However, some users criticized the woman, and wrote Another careless idiot and a responsible hero!

In yet another inspiring incident, when a bus driver lost consciousness carrying 66 school children in Michigan, Dillon Reeves, 13, a student from Carter Middle School, immediately jumped into action and stopped the bus from crashing. The CCTV footage shared shows Dillon quickly moving to the front of the bus and grabbing the steering wheel, bringing the bus to a stop. The tweet which shared the video further praised Dillons heroism.

This schoolboy is a HERO Dillon Reeves (13) from Carter Middle School jumps into action when the bus driver became light headed and lost consciousness. Sixty-six Michigan school students are all safe. The 7th grader from Warren, Michigan is being recognized as a hero. #hero pic.twitter.com/OXecZtW0KN DeL2000 (@DeL2000) April 29, 2023

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Towards the end of the video, the teenager is seen with his family, receiving recognition for his courageous act at his school.

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The first phase of voting in the urban local body elections in Uttar Pradesh was completed in 37 districts on Thursday, May 4. Amidst the high-intensity electoral contest, a bizarre tactic of an independent candidate to garner votes has come to the fore. While organizing rallies and promotion via social media are used by candidates to woo voters, this independent candidate seems to be using a strategy like no other. Identified to be Sanjay Dubey, the candidate is reportedly contesting from a municipal ward in Kanpur.

This candidate is alleged of seeking permission to organize a Russian dance show for votes. In an application letter dated May 1, the candidate also reportedly requests to greenlight his plan of serving free liquor to the voters. A photo of the application, which is supposedly addressed to the returning officer (RO), has gone viral on social media. However, Sanjay Dubey has reportedly denied any association with the viral letter, reported The Times of India.

The candidate suggests it is a negative campaign planned against him to defame his image. He claimed to have contacted the districts election commission to investigate the foul play and find the perpetrator.

The first phase which took place in 37 districts, was to elect over 7,593 representatives, including 10 mayors and 820 corporators. Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath cast his vote at a booth in Gorakhpur on Thursday. The state recorded 52 per cent polling in the first phase, a drop of 5.52 per cent from the last election in 2017. Among the 10 municipal corporations where polling was held, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur and Moradabad recorded a rise in voting percentage whereas in the remaining other seats, a decline was recorded.

The states capital, Lucknow recorded a 36.97 per cent voter turnout. Varanasi too recorded a low voting percentage at 40.42 per cent down from 41.64 per cent the last time.

The second phase of the urban local body election is set to take place on May 11.

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As many as 38 districts including Meerut, Bareilly, Aligarh, and Kanpur, will vote in the second phase. The counting of the votes will take place on May 13.

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President Joe Biden attended a White House meeting with CEOs of top artificial intelligence companies, including Alphabet Incs Google and Microsoft, on Thursday to discuss risks and safeguards as the technology catches the attention of governments and lawmakers globally.

Generative artificial intelligence has become a buzzword this year, with apps such as ChatGPT capturing the publics fancy, sparking a rush among companies to launch similar products they believe will change the nature of work.

Millions of users have begun testing such tools, which supporters say can make medical diagnoses, write screenplays, create legal briefs and debug software, leading to growing concern about how the technology could lead to privacy violations, skew employment decisions, and power scams and misinformation campaigns.

Biden, who dropped by" the meeting, has also used ChatGPT, a White House official told Reuters. Hes been extensively briefed on ChatGPT and (has) experimented with it, said the official, who asked that they not be named.

Thursdays two-hour meeting which began at 11:45 am ET (1545 GMT), includes Googles Sundar Pichai, Microsoft Corps Satya Nadella, OpenAIs Sam Altman and Anthropics Dario Amodei, along with Vice President Kamala Harris and administration officials including Bidens Chief of Staff Jeff Zients, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, Director of the National Economic Council Lael Brainard and Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo.

Harris said in a statement the technology has the potential to improve lives but could pose safety, privacy and civil rights concerns. She told the chief executives they have a legal responsibility" to ensure the safety of their artificial intelligence products and that the administration is open to advancing new regulations and supporting new legislation on artificial intelligence.

Ahead of the meeting, OpenAIs Altman told reporters the White House wants to get it right."

Its good to try to get ahead of this," he said when asked if the White House was moving quickly enough on AI regulation. Its definitely going to be a challenge, but its one Im sure we can handle.

The administration also announced a $140 million investment from the National Science Foundation to launch seven new AI research institutes and said the White Houses Office of Management and Budget would release policy guidance on the use of AI by the federal government.

Leading AI developers, including Anthropic, Google, Hugging Face, NVIDIA Corp, OpenAI, and Stability AI, will participate in a public evaluation of their AI systems.

Shortly after Biden announced his reelection bid, the Republican National Committee produced a video featuring a dystopian future during a second Biden term, which was built entirely with AI imagery.

Such political ads are expected to become more common as AI technology proliferates.

United States regulators have fallen short of the tough approach European governments have taken on tech regulation and in crafting strong rules on deepfakes and misinformation.

We dont see this as a race," the senior official said, adding that the administration is working closely with the U.S.-EU Trade & Technology Council on the issue.

In February, Biden signed an executive order directing federal agencies to eliminate bias in their AI use. The Biden administration has also released an AI Bill of Rights and a risk management framework.

Last week, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justices Civil Rights Division also said they would use their legal authorities to fight AI-related harm.

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Tech giants have vowed many times to combat propaganda around elections, fake news about the COVID-19 vaccines, pornography and child exploitation, and hateful messaging targeting ethnic groups. But they have been unsuccessful, research and news events show.

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As Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday became the first Pakistani Foreign Minister to visit India in almost 12 years when he arrived in Goa to attend a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), there are concerns over the situation in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the state of minorities in the neighbouring country.

A look at four such incidents in the recent past:

The first is the demolition of an Ahmaddiya community mosque in Mirpur Khas, Sindh in the presence of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) supporters, according to reports. Another is the protest in Astore district in Gilgit-Baltistan. The locals staged protests in Astore and Gilgit against the killing of a young man in suspicious circumstances. As per reports, two young men from Doyian village had gone mysteriously missing for the last few days. The body of one of them was found in Jotial May 2, while the other one is still missing. The protesters blocked the Astore valley road and demanded immediate investigation from the authorities. Meanwhile, on April 26, a large number of people belonging to the minority communities in Pakistan gathered outside the Lahore Press Club to protest against the increasing misuse of blasphemy law to file false cases and forced conversion of minor girls. Minority leaders addressed the gathering and said that temples and churches are being burnt in the country and people were killed on false allegations of blasphemy. They further said that in the recent months, there has been a surge in such cases where three-four members of the minority community have been deliberately killed and Ahmadiyya mosques have been demolished, according to reports. In another incident, a person from Muzaffarabad was mercilessly beaten by Pakistani people in Islamabad on April 23 for being disrespectful to religious personalities. According to reports, Rehman, a native of PoKs Muzaffarabad city, was brutally beaten by people at a tea shop while discussing Pakistans economy over his statement that no one, including the 11th century religious scholar like Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani (Ghous Al Azam or Ghous e Pak) can recover or rescue a sunken ship from sea, said reports. Rehman was rescued from the mob by city police and admitted to civil hospital with a fractured forehand and pelvis. A case was, however, registered against Rehman for hurting religious sentiments of people.

VISIT AMID STRAIN

Bhutto Zardaris visit to India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting comes amid continuing strain in ties between the two countries on a host of issues including Islamabads use of cross-border terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.

I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful," Bhutto Zardari told reporters.

Although there was a buzz in the media about Bhutto Zardaris two-day visit to Goa, both the Indian and the Pakistani side appeared to keep each other at arms length.

In a tweet with a caption Salaam, from Goa India, Bhutto Zardari said: Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet".

I will first hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister. Then, will hold a meeting with Uzbekistans Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers..," he said in a short video.

Before leaving for Goa, the Pakistani foreign minister said, My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistans strong commitment to the charter of the SCO. During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries."

The Pakistan foreign ministers visit to India is the first such trip from Islamabad since 2011.

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With PTI Inputs

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India has rescued nearly 3,800 people from Sudan under Operation Kaveri, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday.

Taking to Twitter, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said another IAF aircraft with a batch of 47 departed from Jeddah for Delhi.

IAF C-130J aircraft with 47 evacuees from Sudan is on its way to Delhi from Jeddah. Nearly 3,800 persons have now been rescued from Sudan under #OperationKaveri," Bagchi said.

IAF C-130J aircraft with 47 evacuees from Sudan is on its way to Delhi from JeddahNearly 3800 persons have now been rescued from Sudan under #OperationKaveri pic.twitter.com/JbxHRJGeqF  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 4, 2023

India is evacuating its citizens under Operation Kaveri since the conflict began last month in the northeast African country.

The Indian government launched the operation after the conflict in Khartoum and other parts of Sudan started on April 15. It quickly stationed Indian Naval Ships and Air Force aircraft to evacuate Indians stranded in Sudan.

During the 10 days of Operation Kaveri, hundreds of Indians have been evacuated in several batches, with the Embassy mobilizing and facilitating the movement of buses from various parts of Sudan to reach Port Sudan.

Earlier this week, India also temporarily relocated its embassy from Khartoum to Port Sudan.

With 860,000 people projected to flee the fighting in Sudan for neighbouring countries, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Thursday appealed for USD 445 million to assist the displaced through October.

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The fighting has already displaced over 330,000 people inside Sudan and forced over 100,000 to leave, according to UN estimates.

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Xi Jinpings China has begun to increasingly use exit bans (not allowing people to leave the country) against human rights defenders (HRD), journalists, and other individuals that threaten or have upset the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), according to a new report.

China can use exit bans against any individual without any just cause or transparency, it says.

These decisions can be taken by local bodies and can also not be appealed. Exit bans are the latest tool being used by China and the CCP to bring its increasingly freedom-oriented population back under its control and exert its autocratic might, the report says.

In the context of China, an exit ban is a measure taken that requires a citizen to not leave the country for a certain period of time due to various reasons like safeguarding national security and interests, smooth conduct of civil matters, and maintaining civil public order.

Further research into exit bans will reveal that the law governing it is exceedingly vague and ambiguous and its open-ended wording gives it almost infinite reach, says the report.

This expansive measure allows the Chinese government to use exit bans as a tool of control, punishment, and repression against those that it believes to be involved in actions that are detrimental to China or the CCP, it says.

Some examples of the individuals that China uses these exit bans against are journalists, human rights defenders, activists, and lawyers. These exit bans are used to pressure and coerce these individuals into behaving how the party wants them to act and discourage them from speaking against the tyrannical actions of the CCP or the Chinese government, according to the findings.

What makes exit bans truly scary and utterly diabolical is the fact that they can be issued by any non-judicial entity without the need for any legal justification, the report reveals.

Exit bans also lack transparency and those that have been hit by exit bans are unable to challenge or appeal them. They are forced to be at the mercy of the Chinese government and their whims and fancies, says the report.

The Chinese government uses exit bans to punish HRDs for their rights defence work and also to prevent them from speaking out about the CCPs abuse of human rights, it adds.

In addition, even their family members and those associated with them can be arbitrarily subjected to exit bans as a means to pressure the HRDs to give up their activism, it has been found.

One prominent and sad case is that of human rights activist Guo Feixiong who was barred from leaving China along with his wife who required cancer treatment in January 2021. Feixiongs wife died in November 2022 and two days later he was arrested on charges of inciting subversion of state power.

As mentioned earlier, the imposition of exit bans is not only limited to Chinese citizens. The Chinese government often threatens or arbitrarily bans businesspeople, and foreign families of Chinese fugitives from exiting the country, the report maintains.

According to it, 44 foreign businesspeople have been hit with exit bans by China between 1995 and 2019. An example of this is Irish businessperson Richard OHalloran, who was prevented from leaving China for nearly three years due to a civil business dispute.

Journalists make for prime targets for Chinas exit bans. As they can easily expose the CCPs abhorrent actions, China takes extra steps to keep them in line, says the report.

Australian journalists Bill Birtles and Michael Smith were essentially held hostage by China for several weeks when they were informed that they were hit with an exit ban because they were persons of interest in the disappearance of another Australian journalist, Cheng Lei.

Even family members are not spared as China in the last few years has purportedly detained foreign citizens in an effort to force their family members to return.

US citizens and siblings Victor and Cynthia were not allowed to leave China for three years from 2018 to 2021 in an effort to have their father return to China. On January 11, 2023, the US Department of State issued a travel advisory wherein they stated that China was arbitrarily issuing travel bans to foreign citizens and using them as hostages or bargaining chips against foreign governments.

The Chinese government, or rather the CCP also purposefully targets entire marginalised ethnic groups such as the Tibetans and the Uyghur. These bans last for decades. In China there exist two systems for the issuance of passports: one fast-track system is reserved for the Han majority, while the much slower and tedious version is for those that reside in the autonomous region (consisting mainly of ethnic minorities). This was first done to prevent travel for religious reasons, preventing Tibetan Buddhists from attending the teachings of the Dalai Lama in India, and preventing Uyghur from visiting Mecca, in Saudi Arabia, it has been found.

In the present day, China applies blanket exit bans on these communities in order to prevent them from going abroad and speaking about Chinese atrocities against the Tibetan and Uyghur communities, the report says.

According to the findings, another form of a pseudo-exit ban is the confiscation of passports of Uyghur and Tibetans by the Chinese government.

In 2012, the year that Xi Jinping rose to power, Chinese authorities began confiscating the passports of all those residing in the Tibetan Autonomous Region (over 90% being Tibetans). This was followed by a similar action wherein millions of passports were confiscated to be kept safe from the people of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, according to the report.

The use of exit bans is an insidious way for the CCP and the Chinese government to punish and force their citizens and even foreign governments to bend to their will.

These exit bans have little to no legal basis. When questioned, most people are given the reason of national security grounds, the report states.

On top of that, it is difficult to even find out who or which ministry or body ordered the ban. Transparency is also a daunting issue, as many victims of the ban are not made aware of it until they arrive at the airport to discover that they have been barred from leaving China. While these exit bans are not new, China has recently added new legislation concerning exit bans making them more expansive, like the Supervision Law, Anti-organised Crime Law, and Anti-Telecom and Online Fraud Law, says the report.

Foreign governments and people visiting China must be vigilant about these exit bans as they are not exempt and can find themselves stranded for weeks if not months, it advises.

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Travel to China must be undertaken only in the most extreme circumstances, the report adds.

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Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardaris remarks on Friday at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers summit, where he asked nations not to weaponize terrorism, was met with a stern response from Union ministry of external affairs S Jaishankar.

Hosted colleagues in Goa to the Meeting of SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.Welcomed enthusiastic participation of all members in 100+ meetings. Particularly delighted that Varanasi hosted several events as the first SCO Cultural & Tourist Capital. Noted that current crises pic.twitter.com/pEPiJm7jgB  Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) May 5, 2023

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said the issue of terrorism should not be raised for diplomatic point-scoring while addressing the SCO delegations. The collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility. Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Lets not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, the Pakistan foreign minister said.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar indirectly responded to the remarks in a tweet where while highlighting the outcomes of the summit, he pointed out that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism.

(The) menace of terrorism has continued unabated and taking our eyes off it would be detrimental to our security interests. Reiterated that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. We must not allow anybody - individual or State - to hide behind non-State actors, Jaishankar said in a tweet.

It must be noted that Bilawals remarks came shortly after Jaishankar urged that all forms of cross-border terrorism must be stopped.

Bilawal also tried to push the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor agenda at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) being held in Goa. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor can similarly be a force multiplier for regional connectivity. CPEC does not only connect Pakistan to its neighbour China. CPEC offers all countries invested in the commonality of the future of this region to take the journey further and connect the dots towards full regional economic integration, Bilawal said.

Jaishankar in response said that connectivity projects should respect sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states, without directly referring to the CPEC agenda that Bilawal Bhutto tried to peddle at the SCO-CFM. Underlined that while connectivity is key to progress, it must come with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states, the foreign minister said.

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(with inputs from Abhishek Jha and Shalinder Wangu)

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External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar launched a strong rebuke against Pakistans Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardaris comments on cross-border attacks during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting in Goa, stating that victims of terrorism do not sit with perpetrators of terrorism".

Pakistans credibility is depleted faster than its forex reserve," Jaishankar said in a twin barrel attack on the cash-trapped country after its foreign exchange reserves dropped by 16.1 per cent to USD 3.09 billion in February, the lowest in nearly 10 years.

Speaking on Bhutto Zardaris attendance at the SCO meet in Goa, the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years, Jaishankar said, He came here as the foreign minister of an SCO member state. That is part of multilateral diplomacy. Dont see it as anything more than that. I think that nothing from what he said or what I heard he said deserves for this to be treated more than that."

As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and countered including at the SCO meeting itself," Jaishankar said.

Victims Dont Sit with Terror Perpetrators

Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating the menace, the external affairs minister said, Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

Weaponise Terrorism

Taking a strong objection to Pakistans foreign minister calling for not getting caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring", the EAM said the charge is interesting" as it unconsciously reveals a mindset." What does weaponising something mean? It means the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it."

Referring to Bhutto Zardaris comment without naming him, Jaishankar said: Somebody says we are weaponising terrorism means that they think terrorism is legitimate. That we should not weaponise. That it is normal."

Jaishankar emphasised that India is countering terrorism and defending itself. We are calling it out, we are exposing and some of it is what you sought," he said.

To me, it is not about scoring diplomatic points. We are politically, diplomatically exposing Pakistan before the world. And as a victim of terrorism, I am completely entitled to do so," the minister said.

Lashing out at the remarks, the external affairs minister said, Are we supposed to accept terrorism as a victim? Its as if they commit terrorism and then demand that we not even talk about it."

Earlier in the day, while expressing Pakistans commitment to fighting terrorism, Zardari appeared to take a swipe at India as he called for not getting caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring". Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Lets not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said.

Earlier in the day, Jaishankar had indirectly responded to the remarks in a tweet and said there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism.

(The) menace of terrorism has continued unabated and taking our eyes off it would be detrimental to our security interests. Reiterated that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism. We must not allow anybody - individual or State - to hide behind non-State actors, Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Terrorism Cannot be Destiny

Jaishankar also responded to Zardaris statement in which he said Peace is our destiny and we should not be held hostage to our history". In the context of the recent terror incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, including the five soldiers killed in Rajouri earlier in the day, Jaishankar said, Whether peace is destiny or not we dont know. But terrorism cannot be destiny."

A country which does terrorism cant talk about peace in the same breath," he said.

An ongoing operation to eliminate terrorists in the Kandi area of Rajouri turned tragic as five Army personnel lost their lives and a major was injured in an explosion triggered by the terrorists. The Armys Northern Command issued a statement that their personnel had been conducting intelligence-based operations in the area to root out a group of terrorists responsible for an ambush on an Army truck in the Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu last month.

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As a precautionary measure, mobile internet facilities in Rajouri have been suspended.

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The Council of Foreign Ministers will begin on Friday as foreign ministers from all Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member-states reached Goa on Thursday. The ministers also participated in a gala dinner hosted by the external affairs ministry on Thursday night.

The meeting on Friday will focus on 15 key points including issues of regional connectivity and common prosperity. These points will shape the agenda ahead of the summit in July.

The foreign ministers will also discuss preparations and lay the groundwork for the upcoming meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State, scheduled for July 3 and July 4. The possibility of expanding SCO to include more countries from the Eurasian block will also be discussed.

India is leading two working groups on Innovations and Startup and Traditional Medicine on Friday.

The possibility of Iran and Belarus joining the SCO will be discussed. Iran and Belarus would become the ninth and tenth members of the SCO, joining China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, India and Pakistan.

The foreign ministers will discuss granting the status of SCO Dialogue Partners to Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, Maldives and the UAE.

On Thursday, the Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar held several bilateral meetings. S Jaishankar met Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang. He also met Uzbekistan counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov.

He earlier met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming.

The SCO foreign ministers conclave also witnessed the first visit in six years by a Pakistani foreign minister as Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa. He also held bilateral meetings with Lavrov and Qin and attended the gala dinner.

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During his bilateral meeting with Qin Gang, S Jaishankar reiterated that the key focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

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Sudans two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said.

The negotiations would be the first between Sudans military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15.

According to the three  two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival  the talks will begin in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday, following concerted efforts by Riyad and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming peace talks. No timeframe was given for the length of the talks.

The fighting has turned Sudans capital of Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes. There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudans Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.

A series of fragile and often violated cease-fires over the past three weeks has failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged Friday in areas around the militarys headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-conflict-civilians-port-sudan-war-bd675f2ce360e7d40f4926c81057cdbf

According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman, which have been the centers of the battles.

One of the military officials said the talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United State. He said they would also discuss providing protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities.

The RSF official said Saudi and American officials would facilitate the talks. He said they would also discuss a mechanism to monitor the cease-fire and confirmed on Friday that the RSF delegation had left for Jeddah. Sudans military also later its delegation had departed to Saudi Arabia, saying the talks would discuss details of the truce, without elaborating.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, discussed the initiative in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the initiative aims to prepare the ground for dialogue to deescalate tensions in the African country. The statement also did not provide further details.

U.S. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabias invaluable assistance in facilitating the safe arrival in Jeddah of U.S. citizens and their family members departing Sudan.

The two top diplomats affirmed their countries intensive collaboration on diplomatic work to bring about an end to the fighting in Sudan, Miller said.

The U.N. envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, lauded the move as a positive sign, but cautioned about high expectations from the meeting.

It is a positive sign, a sign of getting more realistic, realizing that there will be no easy or quick win, he told the AP from Port Sudan. We need to realize, however, that this is a first encounter.

The meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete, he said and added that achieving a lasting cease-fire would need more than one meeting.

The battle for control of Sudan, which capped months of tensions between Burhan and Dagalo, has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and  as of Monday  wounded more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said Friday that 473 civilians have been killed in the violence, and more than 2,450 have been wounded.

James Elder, a spokesman for the the U.N. children agency, said at least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 have been wounded in the fighting.

This means that every single hour, you have seven boys or girls  killed or injured, he said at a press conference Friday in Geneva. I think this is underlining the enormity of how violent this is.

The power struggle has put millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighboring countries  Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to U.N. agencies.

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The U.N. World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between 2 million and 2.5 million people  raising the number to a total of 19 million people  in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The U.N. refugee agency announced that $445 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.

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A man uses water to cool himself down in HCMC, April 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Quynh Tran

The high temperatures HCMC has been experiencing for the past several days are partly due to climate change and El Nino, a meteorologist has said.

Le Thi Xuan Lan, a former deputy head of the Southern Regional Hydro-Meteorological Center's forecast department, said the actual temperatures in the city could even be higher than what are recorded at weather stations, rising to 40 degrees Celsius at places like construction sites.

"According to predictive models ... that use algorithms with environmental data, real feel temperatures in HCMC over the past few days were above 40 degrees."

Climate change and El Nino create extreme weather patterns, including hotter dry seasons and colder winters, and make hails, thunderstorms, floods and the like more frequent and dangerous, she added.

The center said southern Vietnam is experiencing high temperatures, including 38.7 degrees in Bien Hoa in Dong Nai Province on Wednesday.

In the central region between Thanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces, temperatures were 35-39 degrees.

Hanoi saw a maximum of 34 degrees.

Le Dinh Quyet, a current deputy head of the forecast department, said the Foehn effect combined with the high heat also caused dryness.

Ngo Duc Thanh, a professor at the University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, said: "If 35 degrees was considered to be high before, in future it would become a normal threshold as higher temperatures like 40 degrees or 45 degrees are reached."

A U.N. report said the El Nino phenomenon could become prominent in the next few months, pushing global temperatures to record levels.

While there is no indication about the intensity and duration of the next period of El Nino, its most prominent impacts might be seen in 2024, according to the World Meteorological Organization.

Within the next two years there would be a significant increase in global temperatures, it added.
The Ukrainian air force said it downed its own drone that lost control over Kyiv on Thursday, after a series of explosions shook the capital.

The explosions, which resonated for about 15 to 20 minutes in Kyiv, followed a wave of overnight Russian attacks between Wednesday and Thursday.

At about 8:00 pm (1700 GMT) a Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial device lost control during a scheduled flight in the Kyiv region the target was destroyed!" the air force said, adding it was establishing the cause of a likely" technical malfunction.

At the time of the explosions, AFP journalists saw a drone that air defence was attempting to shoot down, while the Kyiv city military administration said air defence is at work."

Journalists saw a cloud of black smoke in the air, just as the Kyiv city military administration announced the air raid alert was over.

Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said firefighters put out a fire on the ground floor of a four-storey shopping centre" in the Solomyansky district.

The fire spread over 50 square metres (538 square feet) and caused some superficial damage but no victims were reported, Klitschko said.

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Four members of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy on Thursday for their roles in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

Enrique Tarrio, 39, the former national chairman" of the neofascist organization, was among those found guilty by a jury after a more than three month trial in the nations capital.

Three of Tarrios lieutenants  Joseph Biggs, 39, Ethan Nordean, 32, and Zachary Rehl, 37  were also convicted of seditious conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while a fourth Proud Boy, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty.

After January 6, I promised that the Justice Department would do everything in its power to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy  the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government," Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.

Todays verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy," Garland said.

Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6 but was accused of directing the storming of the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification by Congress of Democrat Joe Bidens election victory over Trump.

All five Proud Boy defendants were also convicted of several lesser charges, including obstruction of the proceedings of Congress, impeding law enforcement and destruction of government property.

The 45-year-old Pezzola was also found guilty of robbery of US property. In widely viewed video footage from January 6, Pezzola can be seen using a stolen police riot shield to break a window at the Capitol.

The success of federal prosecutors in obtaining convictions for sedition among the January 6 rioters could raise the stakes for Trump and his aides in the probe by a special counsel into whether they plotted or fomented the Capitol attack.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters  and more than 600 convicted  but only about a dozen have faced the rarely used charge of sedition.

- Special counsel probe -

Two leaders of another far-right group, the Oath Keepers, were convicted of seditious conspiracy last year, including founder, Stewart Rhodes, and several other members pleaded guilty without going to trial.

According to Tarrios indictment, he met with Rhodes on January 5 in an underground parking garage in Washington and was in contact with members of the Proud Boys who breached the Capitol.

In January, four other members of the Oath Keepers were found guilty of seditious conspiracy, fortifying the governments argument that the January 6 attack was not simply a spontaneous action, but involved significant planning and coordination.

The assault on Congress left at least five people dead and 140 police officers injured and followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.

Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House of Representatives after the Capitol riot  he was charged with inciting an insurrection  but was acquitted by the Senate.

A House committee that investigated the Capitol riot recommended that the Justice Department pursue criminal charges against Trump.

Garland named a special counsel to oversee the probe into the January 6 assault and the former presidents efforts to overturn the 2020 election result.

Three weeks before the violence, Trump urged his supporters to descend on Washington on January 6, tweeting: Be there, will be wild."

Trump is also facing possible indictment in Georgia for allegedly pressuring local officials to change the election results in the southern state.

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The special counsel is also looking into a cache of classified documents that the FBI seized in a raid on Trumps Mar-a-Lago residence last year.

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Russian paramilitary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin on Friday threatened to pull frontline troops out of Bakhmut  the epicentre of Ukraines determined fight against Moscows forces  in an extraordinary attack on military chiefs ahead of an expected offensive by Kyiv.

In a series of scathing videos, Prigozhin blamed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov for tens of thousands" of killed and wounded Russian fighters in Ukraine.

He vowed to hold them to account over what he said was a failure to provide fighters from his mercenary group, Wagner, with sufficient ammunition.

For the tens of thousands killed and wounded, they will bear responsibility in front of their mothers and children, I will achieve that," he said.

Their unprofessionalism is destroying tens of thousands of Russian guys and that is unforgivable."

Wagner has spearheaded the grinding, months-long Russian assault on Bakhmut, almost capturing the city in the longest and bloodiest battle of the campaign.

While Prigozhin has made similar threats to pull out in the past, the emotive language and the scathing personal criticism of the leaders of Russias campaign in Ukraine were unprecedented.

- To lick our wounds -

On May 10, 2023 we will have to hand over our positions in Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw Wagner units to rear camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a written statement on Telegram.

I will pull out Wagner units from Bakhmut because, in the absence of ammunition, they are facing a senseless death," he said, adding that he was now expecting a plan from the military on how to implement the withdrawal.

Ukraine said Friday that Russia was still doing their best to take control of Bakhmut" in time for World War II Victory Day celebrations on May 9  Moscows most important holiday and a central event under President Vladimir Putins rule.

Ukraine is preparing a major offensive against Russian forces and experts say a series of sabotage attacks and long-distance strikes behind Russian lines are in preparation for that.

In the latest development, a fire broke out at an oil refinery in southern Russia on Friday  a day after authorities confirmed a drone attack at the same facility.

Russia on Friday also announced the evacuation of some 70,000 people from areas near the front line in southern Ukraine, blaming an intensification of Ukrainian shelling on residential areas.

Earlier, Prigozhin posted a video on Telegram showing rows of what he said were dead Wagner fighters in which he blamed Shoigu and Gerasimov for their deaths.

- Dying so you can get fat -

Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is my fucking ammunition?" Prigozhin said in the video.

They came here as volunteers and they are dying so you can get fat in your wood-panelled offices," he said, standing by the bodies.

These guys are from Wagner. They died today. Their blood is still fresh," he said, adding that army chiefs will go to hell".

We have an ammunition shortage of 70 percent," he said in his tirade, in which several expletives were bleeped out.

You sit in your (bleeped) expensive clubs You think you are the masters of life and you have the right to decide on their lives," he said, pointing at the bodies.

Prigozhin is closely linked to Putin and the two started their careers in business and politics in their native Saint Petersburg following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.

In his statement on Friday, Prigozhin said his fighters had mobilised soon after the start of the campaign in Ukraine and helped Russian troops advance after a series of reversals.

We will lick our wounds and when the motherland will be in danger  we will again come to its defence. The Russian people can count on us," he said.

- Go there and sort it out -

In a daily update on the offensive, the Russian army did not point to anything unusual, saying assault units" continued to fight for the western part of the city supported by paratroopers."

Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya whose fighters played a key role at the start of Moscows offensive, called on the army leaderhsip to go there and sort it out."

The row within Russian ranks came as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov repeated Russian accusations of US involvement in an alleged Ukrainian drone attack on the Kremlin.

Lavrov said the attack could not have happened without Washingtons awareness.

We will respond with concrete actions," he said.

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Ukraine has denied responsibility. The United States also rejected any accusation of involvement and accused the Kremlin of lying" about its role in the drone attack.

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Queen Camilla has decided to not wear the 105-carat oval jewel during King Charles coronation ceremony. However, her decision to skip wearing the worlds most famed diamond has backfired.

The queen-consort decided not to wear the 105-carat oval jewel during King Charles coronation ceremony owing to diplomatic sensitivities. Instead, Camilla decided to wear the Cullinan III, IV and V - big diamonds which the UK stole from South Africa during the colonial era, News.com.au said in a report.

South African professor Everisto Benyera speaking to Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) said that Camillas decision to wear the Cullinan III, IV and V could also backfire because the diamonds represent a history of denying Africans their humanity and their rights.

Benyera, teaches in the University of South Africa, and said the Cullinan diamond is an epitome of the history of colonialism and imperialism.

The Cullinan and the Kohinoor are among the largest diamonds in the world but the Cullinan is the largest diamond to ever be found and came into the royal familys possession after the Boer War.

Kohinoor has become the focus of anti-colonial anger - like the Cullinan - and many in India and anti-colonialists across the world have demanded that it must be rightfully returned to the country from which it originated.

The topic has reignited partly due to the coronation of King Charles III and also because of a video that went viral where two journalists argued if the UK should return the Kohinoor diamond to India.

Journalists Narinder Kaur and Emma Webb got into a heated debate over the ownership of the diamond. You do not know history. It represents colonisation and bloodshed. Give it back to India, Kaur told Webb during an episode of Good Morning Britain.

There are arguments that UKs claim of the Kohinoor diamond being a gift" ignores its troubling history, including the imprisonment of the Sikh emperors 11-year-old Sikh emperor Maharaja Duleep Singh mother Jind Kaur and it being treated as a spoil of war by the Governor-General of India James Andrew Broun-Ramsay aka Lord Dalhousie.

Some historians say the Kohinoor, aka the mountain of light, was discovered during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty at the Kollur Mine located on the southern bank of the Krishna River in present-day Andhra Pradesh.

There is a myth that it was placed as the left eye of the statue of the Hindu goddess Bhadrakali in a temple in Warangal by the Kakatiya dynasty.

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It was subsequently seized by various Muslim and Mughal leaders in the 16th century, as well as Persian and Afghan conquerors in later years.

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Vietnam to consider visa exemption for Luxembourg citizens

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (L) shakes hands with Vietnam's National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue during a meeting in Hanoi, May 4, 2023. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The National Assembly would consider waiving visas for citizens of Luxembourg at its next session, its chairman, Vuong Dinh Hue, said Thursday.

He was speaking at a meeting with Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel, who is on a three-day visit to Vietnam, the Vietnam Government Portal reported.

Bettel had earlier hoped Vietnam would soon waive visas for citizens of his country besides bolstering economic cooperation, trade and people-to-people exchanges between the two countries.

The NAs next session begins next week.

The government has submitted proposals to lawmakers to increase the visa period for foreigners from the current 30 days to three months and triple the duration of visa-free stays to 45 days for visitors from certain countries.

Vietnam waives visas for travelers from 25 countries and offers a one-month single-entry e-visa to visitors from 80 others.

All other nationals have to obtain visas at Vietnamese embassies and consulates in their country.
Friday brings another report of an ethics issue related to Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, this time from the Washington Post. The newspaper uncovered a secret payment to Thomas' wife, directed by a conservative judicial activist who advised a nonprofit that would later file a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case. With the scandal surrounding the Thomases "growing bigger by the day," per Rolling Stone, the Post reports that, in January 2012, activist Leonard Leo instructed GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway of the Polling Company to bill his Judicial Education Project for "another $25K" and use the money to pay Virginia "Ginni" Thomas for consulting work. He specified the paperwork should have "no mention of Ginni, of course."

Months later, the Judicial Education Project submitted an amicus brief in Shelby County v. Holder, which challenged part of the Voting Rights Act "aimed at protecting minority voters," per the Post. The court ultimately struck down a formula that determined which jurisdictions had to preclear election rule changes with the federal government, allowing states including Texas, Mississippi, and Alabama, to enforce strict photo ID laws that were previously barred. Conservative groups including the Judicial Education Project had pushed for such an outcome. Clarence Thomas was on the side of the majority in the 5-4 vote, as he was when the court ruled in the 2014 Hobby Lobby case, again aligning with the nonprofit's preferred outcome.

Some, but not all, legal experts say Clarence Thomas should have recused himself from Shelby County v. Holder. Conway's firm had not only billed Judicial Education Project for $25,000 the same day Leo made his request, but directed $80,000 to Ginni Thomas' Liberty Consulting firm between June 2011 and June 2012, per the Post. "And it expected to pay $20,000 more before the end of 2012," the outlet adds. In a statement, Leo said, "Ginni Thomas has a long history of working on issues within the conservative movement, and part of that work has involved gauging public attitudes and sentiment." He stressed her paid work was unconnected with Supreme Court business and the effort to keep her name off paperwork was for privacy reasons. (Read more Clarence Thomas stories.)
There have been calls for Dianne Feinstein to resign amid the 89-year-old senator's extended medical absence from Congress, but she doesn't seem to have any interest in heeding them. Feinstein, who is recovering from shingles, released a statement Thursday in response to complaints that her absence is making it harder for Democrats to confirm judicial nominees to the federal judiciary; several have not been able to advance because Republicans are unlikely to support them, Axios reports. However, Feinstein, who is retiring at the end of her current term, pushed back on those claims and reaffirmed that she will be returning to the Senate, though she didn't say when, CNN reports.

"The Senate continues to swiftly confirm highly qualified individuals to the federal judiciary, including seven more judicial nominees who were confirmed this week. There has been no slowdown," she says. However, the statement continues, "Im disappointed that Republicans on the committee are blocking a few from moving forward. Im confident that when I return to the Senate, we will be able to move the remaining qualified nominees out of committee quickly and to the Senate floor for a vote." Senate Judiciary Chairman Dick Durbin has previously said Feinstein's absence is slowing things down, though he hasn't called for her resignation. But he has said that "of course" her absence has an impact: "I cant consider nominees in these circumstances because a tie vote is a losing vote in committee." (Read more Dianne Feinstein stories.)
Elon Musk's Boring Company has received approval to expand its "Vegas Loop" system, adding 18 stations to bring the total to 69, per the Verge. The goal of the tunnel system is to alleviate road traffic. Unfortunately, it's not as futuristic as it sounds. Instead of high-speed shuttles, riders are transported in Teslas driven by humans, often driving below 30 mph. And while the expansion in Las Vegas represents a vote of confidence in Musk's vision, it also highlights the discrepancy between the promised hyperloop and the actual system being implemented.

Boring had to demonstrate the ability to move 4,400 passengers per hour to get an expansion permit for the tunnel. TechCrunch reported in 2020 that the system is likely only capable of carrying 1,200 people per houra quarter of the promised capacity. That's not good news for Boring, as not meeting capacity goals could cause hefty fines. Still, Boring will finance the tunnels, while the casinos and hotels will fund the stations. The success of the Vegas Loop will depend on the company's ability to improve upon traditional tunneling methods and offer a faster, cheaper, and more efficient alternative to above-ground transportation options.

This is a development that will bear watching because Boring hasn't had the best track record with other cities. For example, the Wall Street Journal reported in November 2022 that the Tesla co-founder's tunneling endeavor had "ghosted" cities across the US, including Chicago, Los Angeles, and Ontario, California. And on May 1, the San Antonio, Texas, Current reported that while Boringwhich is based in the Austin areastruck a deal with the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority to dig a hyperloop, it hasn't communicated with the RMA for five months. (Read more The Boring Company stories.)
An arrest has been made in the murder of an Arizona hiker who police say was attacked from behind on a neighborhood trail in Phoenix. The suspect in his early 20s was taken into custody around 6:30pm Thursday at his home, which AZ Central reports is "less than a mile from the trail" where 29-year-old Lauren Heike's body was found Saturday morning. KNXV reports the suspect's home is easily accessed from the crime scene over a nearby fence. Police did not identify the manmore information is to be provided Fridaybut said he is the same person seen running on the trail in footage shared by officers earlier in the investigation. The New York Post shares photos of his arrest.

Heike, who also lived nearby, had set out on the Reach 11 trail in northeast Phoenix on Friday morning. She is believed to have been killed between 10am and 11am, though her body, which was not visible from the trail, wasn't found until the following day, per AZ Family. She was reportedly stabbed numerous times. Police have not described Heike's injuries but said she was "viciously" attacked from behind, per People. "The behavior, in my opinion, was so heinous that I would imagine that the subject would be displaying symptoms that look out of place," Phoenix Homicide Lt. James Hester said Wednesday. The suspect was later identified through DNA, per AZ Central.

"We're hoping that the community can rest a little easier knowing this person is off the streets," Sgt. Melissa Soliz said Thursday. She did not say if the alleged attacker knew Heike. "Our detectives are going to ensure that every piece of evidence is looked at carefully, every angle and give their full effort on this case," she said. Heike's family members had previously flown in from Washington state to plead for answers in the case. "She was my little girl," Heike's father, Jeff Heike, said through tears, per AZ Central. "I'm really going to miss her." "As hard as this is for us, we're grateful because we had such a beautiful child," added mother Lana Heike. "We will love her every minute that we are on this Earth." (Read more murder stories.)
The royal family will be pulling out all the stops for King Charles III's coronation on Saturday, including showing off the revered crown jewels, the gems and other ceremonial objects that are dusted off for crownings of sovereigns and their consorts. Town & Country notes the regalia isn't without controversy, however, and some will even be avoided this time around during the ceremony at Westminster Abbey for Charles and his wife Camilla, the queen consort. Most notable among the eyebrow-raisers:

Koh-i-Noor diamond: Perhaps the most contentious of the collection is this 105-carat stone, which sits within the crown worn by the Queen Mother, Elizabeth II's mom, during her 1937 coronation alongside King George VI. The East India Company originally handed the diamond over to Queen Victoria in 1849, and since then, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have all laid claim to it. It's said to be cursed, leaving it unwearable by male royals, per NPR. Camilla won't be wearing it on Saturday, either, to avoid anti-colonial backlash. Instead, she'll opt for a crown with more than 2,000 other, smaller diamonds. Much more on the gem here.

Perhaps the most contentious of the collection is this 105-carat stone, which sits within the crown worn by the Queen Mother, Elizabeth II's mom, during her 1937 coronation alongside King George VI. The East India Company originally handed the diamond over to Queen Victoria in 1849, and since then, India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan have all laid claim to it. It's said to be cursed, leaving it unwearable by male royals, per NPR. Camilla won't be wearing it on Saturday, either, to avoid anti-colonial backlash. Instead, she'll opt for a crown with more than 2,000 other, smaller diamonds. Much more on the gem here. Cullinan diamond: This giant stone, the largest diamond ever found when it was dug up in South Africa in the early 1900s, was cut down into nine smaller stones, and one in particular will make a showing at the coronation: the Great Star of Africa, which takes its place in one of the scepters King Charles will carry (the same scepter that was placed on his mother's coffin when she died). In this case, South Africa wants that diamond back. Some of the other diamonds cut from the Cullinan will also appear in Camilla's crown, per Good Morning America.

This giant stone, the largest diamond ever found when it was dug up in South Africa in the early 1900s, was cut down into nine smaller stones, and one in particular will make a showing at the coronation: the Great Star of Africa, which takes its place in one of the scepters King Charles will carry (the same scepter that was placed on his mother's coffin when she died). In this case, South Africa wants that diamond back. Some of the other diamonds cut from the Cullinan will also appear in Camilla's crown, per Good Morning America. Camilla's rod: The queen consort will herself hold a scepter during the coronation, hers made partially of ivoryhence the "debate," per Town & Country, which notes that members of the current-day royal family have lobbied against the ivory trade, and that Prince William in particular may be "furious" to see the rod included in the coronation ceremony, according to one royals expert.

(Read more King Charles III stories.)
A summit of Black Sea nations took place this week in the Turkish capital of Ankara, a few hundred miles away from Ukraine, but the distance didn't stop tensions from the Russian invasion there from bubbling over into the hallways of Turkey's parliament building. The AP reports that Russian delegate Ola Timofeeva was recording herself on her phone Thursday, with Oleksandr Marikovski, a member of Ukraine's parliament also attending the assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, standing behind her. In his hands during the apparent photobomb was a Ukrainian flagthough not for long.

A video taken at the scene shows another man, identified as a Russian official, walk over to Marikovski, snatch the Ukrainian flag out of his hands, and start to walk away. He doesn't get far, however, as Marikovski runs after him and starts attacking him, trying to land punches before eventually snatching his flag back. Others rush in to separate the two men, with one man pleading with Marikovski, "Please, no fighting." Marikovski's indignant reply: "It's our flag. We're going to fight for this flag."

"Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian bastard!" Marikovski wrote on Facebook after the scuffle, sharing the clip with his followers. Many of the comments under his post, which received 74,000 likes, thanked Marikovski for his actions and declared, "Glory to Ukraine!" Reuters reports that earlier Thursday, Russia's Timofeeva saw one of her speeches interrupted by Ukrainian delegates, who shouted in protest while holding Ukrainian flags and ended up in an altercation with security personnel. "I condemn this behavior that disrupts the peaceful environment that Turkey is trying to establish," Mustafa Sentop, the head of Turkey's parliament, said in a stern rebuke after the incidents. (Read more Russia-Ukraine war stories.)
The leader of the World Health Organization delivered 12 words Friday that were three years in the making: With great hope, I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, said WHO director general Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, per the New York Times. The declaration is more symbolic than anything else, given that many countries already have lifted their own emergency designations and have moved past restrictions in regard to masks and social distancing. In the US, for example, the designation of a public health emergency is due to officially expire on May 11, notes the AP. Still, the WHO's designation is seen as an important milestone, per the Wall Street Journal.

Toll: The WHO has logged more than 765 million cases, though the figure is seen as a "vast undercount," per the Times. The agency also has logged 7 million official deaths, though Tedros says the actual figure is more like 20 million, per the AP.

The WHO has logged more than 765 million cases, though the figure is seen as a "vast undercount," per the Times. The agency also has logged 7 million official deaths, though Tedros says the actual figure is more like 20 million, per the AP. 500 a day: The CDC said this week that COVID dropped to the fourth leading cause of death in the US last year, though it still killed 500 people per day, reports the Washington Post. COVID was seen as the underlying cause in about 186,000 deaths and a contributing factor in another 58,000. That puts it behind heart disease (699,000), cancer (607,000), and unintentional injury (218,000, a category that includes drug overdoses).
After quitting her job, Ngoc Lien is still haunted by the trauma of the weekends she had to cancel the plans for her free time and work straight through to the next week instead.

"For most people, weekends are the time to relax. For me, the weekend was a time when I just switched my work location to home," said Lien, 27, a former employee at a media company in Hoang Mai District, Hanoi.

Canceling her personal plans to work on the weekend used to be a common thing for Lien. Her former company's policy said that she had to work six days a week Sunday off. But in fact, every employee there had to be on call 7 days a week and was frequently called in to work on Sundays.

On the first day of work, Lien thought that being available to work at any time would impress her boss and make it easier to seek promotions. Bug when working Sundays became a regular thing, Lien often had to bring her laptop every time she left the house.

Every time Lien travels, she has to focus intensely on whether the location shes traveling to has a good phone signal, wi-fi and enough electrical outlets to charge her devices

Dong District resident and local Hanoian Thanh Ha also realized that her weekends and any other time off had completely disappeared after the pandemic. The 38-year-old accountant admitted that she used to take jobs on Saturday and Sunday because she could arrange breaks during the week.

Things got out of hand when the lockdown period ended. Outside of office hours, she constantly has to approve sales contracts and finalize revenue on the weekends because her bosses have become used to her productivity on weekends.

Thanh Ha (pink jacket) still has to work during her trip with friends. Photo by Thanh Ha

To spend time with her family on the weekends, Ha stays up all night on Friday to finish her work. When she returns to her hometown or goes on a trip, she always brings her laptop in case random urgent work tasks pop up suddenly.

"When I go out with my family, I'm always tired because of lack of sleep and worry that my boss can call me anytime. I don't want to trade my time on the weekend for a few hundred thousand dong (VND100,000= $4.2) of overtime money," Ha said.

People who work as middle-level managers have also had their weekends stolen. The Hien, 32, a sales manager at an import-export company in Ho Chi Minh City is an example.

In addition to finding customers and planning development strategies, every weekend Hien is assigned by his boss to meet important clients in person.

"I wanted to take a rest but couldnt refuse," Hien said.

International research published in late 2022 by ActivTrak on 134,260 employees at more than 900 organizations globally showed that people work an average of 6.6 hours on the weekend, up 5% compared to 2021. Of the "weekend warriors," those who work in the computer hardware industry tended to have the highest increase in weekend workload (31%) to 11.5 hours.

The Microsoft Work Trends Index released at the end of March showed that the number of employees working on weekends has increased by 14% compared to 2020.

Vietnam doesnt have official statistics of the percentage of people working weekends. But Le Quang Trung, former deputy director of the Employment Department of Ministry of Labor, Invalids and Social Affairs, said the situation had gotten much worse after two years of the pandemic locked. The reason is that many companies have had to increase productivity to ensure the most rapid post-pandemic recovery possible. This is thus forcing employees to work as much as possible, especially weekends.

A survey of nearly 700 VnExpress readers on April 4 confirmed what Trung said.

When asked "do you often have to work on weekends", 55% said very often, 30% said "sometimes when there is an emergency" and 15% answered "no."

Le Khang, manager of a 400-employee HCMC enterprise operating on foreign direct investment in HCMC, admitted that 20% of his employees usually work on weekends.

Le Chi, 35, department head of a communication company in Dong Nai, said 100% his employees had to work on weekends and holidays "due to the nature of their jobs."

"They can arrange their schedule how they want on weekends, as long as they complete their tasks," she said.

Trung was keen to point out the four main reasons why, in her opinion, workers have to work all weekend long:

Firstly, the pandemic changed their working habits. Secondly, some private enterprises want to increase profits, so theyre violating labor laws. Thirdly, employees didnt understand their rights and dont feel confident to refuse gratuitous work out of fear of getting fired. Last but not least, state agencies are not monitoring companies and enterprises closely enough by state agencies to ensure stable working conditions.

Assoc. Prof, Dr. Do Minh Cuong, deputy director of the Institute of Business Culture, Vietnam Association for the Development of Corporate Culture, said that another cause is pre-established company cultures and managerial styles.

"Whatever the reason is, stealing employees time on weekends is against the law and its inhumane," Cuong said.

This situation, if prolonged, will cause exhaustion, stress, reduced productivity, and prompt workers to start quitting in droves, which could destroy some businesses, Cuong argued.

Over time, Liens high-intensity employment saw Lien lose 10 kg after three years. He face often breaks out in pimples, her hair is falling out and her she often faints due to exhaustion.

"I don't know if she works to live or die," Lien's mother said.

Despite admitting that forcing employees to work on weekends is against the law, Le Chi believes that this is the only way to boost revenue.

"We understand that employees need time to rest, but the company is facing difficulties, so the only way to ensure benefits for both sides is to increase working hours," she said, arguing that if an employee is not able to meet their job requirements, they can quit.

"Vietnamese people usually put their families first. When employees feel that their work gets in the way of taking care of their families, they will quit sooner or later," said Assoc. Prof Dr. Cuong said.

Quang Trung affirmed that the 2019 Labor Code clearly states that normal working hours should not exceed eight hours a day and 48 hours a week, so all companies and enterprises need to comply with the law and draw a clear line between work and rest time for employees. In case employees have to work overtime on the weekends, its necessary to compensate with extra pay for their time and provide them with allowances to recover their physical and mental health.

According to Trung, agencies that protect the rights and interests of employees and state agencies should actively inspect and sanction enterprises in violation of such principles.

Employees also need to clarify the terms of their contractual agreements and obligations regarding rest time and workload before signing any binding contract. If employees discover that their manager is violating labor codes they can petition the company's union or legal rights protection organizations for support.

Lawyer Diep Nang Binh, head of Tinh Thong Legal Office, said that according to the provisions of the current Labor Code, when an agency wants to assign overtime work, they must have the employee's consent. Violators of this regulation can be fined from VND5 million to 75 million for individuals and double that for enterprises.

After having no time left to take care of her children and housework, Ha was scolded by her parents and parents-in-law. She also often gets into arguments with her husband.

"The purpose of going to work is for my children to have a good life and to help my husband financially. But I cant fulfill my responsibilities and duties as a mother and wife, I should quit my job," Ha said. Currently, shes staying at home taking care of her five-year-old son and looking for a part-time job.

After three years of working constantly every weekend, Lien recently joined a foreign company. The workload and pressure are similar to her old workplace, but Lien said that she is satisfied with better remuneration, and a manager who always respects the private life of employees.

"For the first time, I could sleep for eight hours a day, enjoy the feeling of going out on weekends without worrying about my boss handing me work," Lien said.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she will return to the Senate. The editorial board of the New York Times suggests she reconsider. And if the 89-year-old doesn't reconsider, the editorial board urges Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to increase pressure on her to step down. The editors laud Feinstein's legacy in the Senate but say she is doing a disservice to constituents in California because of her prolonged absence over health concerns. Even before her recent hospitalization, reports catalogued her memory problems and questioned her fitness for office. Nancy Pelosi has called such criticism sexist given the many male senators who have continued to remain in office despite similar concerns, and the Times says it's time for the entire tradition of looking the other way to end.

"If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor," says the editorial. "If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so." The editors acknowledge that it's "a deeply saddening situation, but even the most dedicated public servants cannot serve forever, and they may be the last to realize or act upon their incapacity." Read the full editorial. (Read more Dianne Feinstein stories.)
No US president has ever attended a British coronation, and that will remain the case this weekend as Joe Biden sends his wife to the coronation of King Charles III in his place. While former President Donald Trump says it's a "very disrespectful" move and suggested the president wasn't "physically" up to the trip in an interview with GB News, Biden's decision is keeping with tradition, per the Hill. It notes that President Eisenhower sent a delegation to Queen Elizabeth II's coronation in 1953. Jill Biden has already gotten down to "a bit of soft diplomacy," per the AP. She headed to No. 10 Downing St. for her first meeting with Akshata Murty, the wife of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, on Friday.

"Welcome, welcome!" Murty said in greeting Biden, before turning to shake hands with her grandaughter Finnegan Biden, who is also to attend the coronation. The women later met with military veterans participating in a health and wellness program, as well as primary school students wearing paper crowns, per the AP. Jill Biden is to visit staff at the US Embassy before attending the king's reception at Buckingham Palace on Friday evening. She'll join hundreds of heads of state in attending Saturday's coronation at Westminster Abbey, followed by a reception hosted by US Ambassador Jane Hartley. She's to return to Downing Street for a luncheon on Sunday before flying back to Washington.

"It's an honor to represent the United States for this historic moment and celebrate the special relationship between our countries," Jill Biden tweeted before her flight on Thursday. President Biden has received criticism for skipping the coronation, and not just from his predecessor. However, Lindsay Reynolds, who was first lady Melania Trump's White House chief of staff, tells the AP she doesn't "think it is a slight in any way." Jill Biden previously met Queen Elizabeth II during a 2021 visit to England. The queen invited the Bidens to have tea with her at Windsor Castle, which Biden later remarked felt like being with one's own grandmother. (Read more King Charles III coronation stories.)
President Joe Biden is expected to nominate a history-making Air Force fighter pilot general with years of experience in shaping US defenses to meet China's rise to serve as the nation's next top military officer, according to two people familiar with the decision. If confirmed by the Senate, Air Force Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown Jr. would replace the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Mark Milley, whose term ends in October. Brown has long been considered a front-runner for the position, and Biden is likely to announce his nomination shortly, per the AP. While Brown wouldn't be the first Black chairmanthe late Army Gen. Colin Powell was the firstit would be the first time that both the Pentagon's top military and civilian leadership positions were held by African Americans.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the first Black Pentagon chief, has been in the job since the beginning of the administration. Brown is a career F-16 fighter pilot with more than 3,000 flight hours and command experience at all levels. For the last year he's been widely viewed as the front-runner to replace Milley, as the Pentagon shifts from preparing for the major land wars of the past to deterring a potential future conflict with Beijing. That effort could depend heavily upon the military's ability to rapidly meet China's rise in cyberwar, space, nuclear weapons, and hypersonics, all areas Brown has sharply focused on for the last several years as the Air Force's top military leader. That isn't the only announcement regarding the Biden administration:

Susan Rice: Also on Friday, the president announced that Susan Rice will be stepping down as domestic policy adviser this month, with her replacement to be White House senior adviser Neera Tanden, reports CNN. Tanden had been Biden's pick in 2021 to head the Office of Management and Budget, but she wasn't able to whip up enough Senate support and so withdrew her nomination.

Also on Friday, the president announced that Susan Rice will be stepping down as domestic policy adviser this month, with her replacement to be White House senior adviser Neera Tanden, reports CNN. Tanden had been Biden's pick in 2021 to head the Office of Management and Budget, but she wasn't able to whip up enough Senate support and so withdrew her nomination. CDC's Wolensky: And a third change to Biden's inner circle: On the same day that the WHO announced an end to the COVID-19 global health emergency, an emotional CDC Director Rochelle Wolensky announced she was stepping down from her post on June 30. "I took on this role with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving the CDCand public healthinto a much better and more trusted place," she said in a staff email, per the New York Times.

(Read more Joint Chiefs of Staff stories.)
The Supreme Court on Friday blocked Oklahoma from executing death row inmate Richard Glossip after the state's attorney general agreed Glossip's life should be spared. Glossip had been scheduled to be put to death on May 18 despite statements by new Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond that he did not receive a fair trial, per the AP. An Oklahoma appeals court subsequently upheld Glossip's conviction, and the state's pardon and parole board deadlocked in a vote to grant him clemency.

The high court put the execution on hold while it reviews the case. Justice Neil Gorsuch took no part in the case, presumably because he dealt with it earlier as an appeals court judge. Glossip, now 60, was convicted of the 1997 murder-for-hire killing of his boss, motel owner Barry Van Treese, at two separate trials based largely on the testimony of Justin Sneed, a co-defendant in the case, per the AP. Sneed admitted robbing and killing Van Treese, but claims he only did so after Glossip agreed to pay him $10,000. Sneed received a sentence of life in prison. However, he lied to the jury about his psychiatric treatment and reasons for taking the mood-stabilizing drug lithium.

Glossip has been scheduled to be executed three times, only to be spared shortly before the sentence was set to be carried out. He was only hours from being executed in September 2015 when prison officials realized they had received the wrong lethal drug, a mix-up that helped prompt a nearly seven-year moratorium on the death penalty in Oklahoma. Glossips case attracted international attention after actress Susan Sarandonwho won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Sister Helen Prejean in in her fight to save a man on Louisianas death row in the 1995 movie Dead Man Walkingtook up his cause. His case also was featured in a 2017 documentary film titled Killing Richard Glossip. (Read more Richard Glossip stories.)
UPDATE

May 7, 2023 8:30 AM CDT

It appears the mysterious New Jersey pasta dump has been solved. Neighbors tell NJ.com that a Ring security camera captured a man cleaning out piles and piles of uncooked pasta from his mother's home in Old Bridge after she died. There was so much of it, he was probably a bit overwhelmed, one tells the outlet. Neighbors say they don't want to identify the man because they say he meant no harm. The man dumped the dry pasta in the woods near a stream, and subsequent rain made the noodles look as if they had been cooked.

May 5, 2023 2:32 PM CDT

Authorities in a central New Jersey town say they don't know who dumped hundreds of pounds of pasta near a stream, but they're no longer worrying about it. Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry said Friday that the spaghetti, noodles, and macaroni was cleaned up last week by public works crews, per the AP. The odd sight quickly drew national attention when photos of the pasta were posted on social media. The estimated 500 pounds of pasta was apparently raw when it was dumped, but subsequent heavy rains softened the food and made the mounds look like they had been cooked, officials have said.

It's not believed the pasta had been at the site for long before it was discovered. Henry said the pasta did not cause any environmental damage or health issues, and he considers the matter closed. It certainly shouldnt have ended up in the woodsputting in or near the stream bed was not the best ideabut I certainly hope our police are not putting more time into this he said. Assuming the pasta was still usable, I wish it had ended up in our food bank, which could have really used it. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
A Kentucky man with a long criminal record was sentenced Friday to 14 years in prison for attacking police officers with pepper spray and a chair as he stormed the US Capitol with his wife. Peter Schwartz's prison sentence is the longest so far among hundreds of Jan. 6 riot cases. Prosecutors had recommended a prison sentence of 24 years, 6 months for Schwartz, a welder. US District Judge Amit Mehta sentenced Schwartz to 14 years, two months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, the AP reports.

Schwartz was a "soldier against democracy" who participated in "the kind of mayhem, chaos that had never been seen in the country's history," Mehta told him. "You are not a political prisoner. You're not somebody who is standing up against injustice or fighting against an autocratic regime." Schwartz had briefly addressed the judge before learning his sentence, saying, "I do sincerely regret the damage that Jan. 6 has caused to so many people and their lives." But the judge said he didn't believe Schwartz's statement, noting his lack of remorse. "You took it upon yourself to try and injure multiple police officers that day," Mehta said.

Schwartz was armed with a wooden tire knocker when he and his then-wife, Shelly Stallings, joined other rioters in overwhelming a line of police officers on the Capitol's Lower West Terrace, where he threw a folding chair at officers. Prosecutors said that act "directly contributed to the fall of the police line." Schwartz, 49, also armed himself with a police-issued "super soaker" canister of pepper spray and sprayed it at retreating officers, per the AP. Advancing to a tunnel entrance, Schwartz coordinated with two other rioters, Markus Maly and Jeffrey Brown, to spray an orange liquid toward officers clashing with the mob. "While the stream of liquid did not directly hit any officer, its effect was to heighten the danger to the officers in that tunnel," a prosecutor wrote. Before leaving, Schwartz joined a "heave ho" push against police in the tunnel.

(Read more Capitol attack stories.)
The Philippines is the United States oldest ally in the Indo-Pacific. Our relationship is based on the shared interests and values of Americans and Filipinos, including our abiding commitment to democracy, declared Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the recent U.S.-Philippines 2+2 Ministerial.

Our security alliance is an enduring source of strength for both of our nations, he said:

We focused on ways to continue our close partnership under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement so that our forces can work even more closely together, including to provide humanitarian assistance and respond to disasters. Secretary Austin and I also reaffirmed the United States unwavering commitment to standing with the Philippines against any intimidation or coercion, including in the South China Sea, and to preserving a region thats governed by international law where goods and ideas and people can move freely.

We also discussed deepening our robust economic ties, including through the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity, or IPEF, said Secretary Blinken:

Were working closely with other IPEF partners to build out this framework to help our economies grow faster and fairer so that all our people can reach their full potential, lead on issues shaping the 21st-century economy, and do it in a way that is sustainable for our planet.

Both countries are working together to combat the climate crisis and strengthen energy security. The United States is committed to helping the Philippines reach its ambitious goal of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent by 2030. The U.S. is also providing technical assistance and regulatory guidance to support the growth of the Philippines civil nuclear energy program.

Many nations, including the Philippines, have been impacted by food shortages. The United States is helping to deliver solutions to this challenge, explained Secretary Blinken:

Philippines-based companies, with the support of the United States Government and the American private sector, are making impressive progress in developing climate-smart food systems, increasing their productivity, and the sustainability of their supply chains.

Across all of these areas and more, the United States values and is proud of our robust and deepening partnership with the Philippines, said Secretary Blinken. The United States looks forward to making the U.S.-Philippines relationship stronger in the years ahead.
Sarah Heinchon holds an MSc in Geology and worked at the Kensington and Pogo mines.

Deb Ryan has lived and worked in Fairbanks and on the North Slope for 44 years.

Lou Brown left California 35 years ago to build a home and a life in Fairbanks.
AFP | Nablus

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Israel said its security forces shot dead three Palestinians blamed for killing a British-Israeli woman and two of her daughters last month, in a raid in the occupied West Bank on Thursday.

Two suspects in the killings and a third man accused of helping them were killed in a joint operation in Nablus by the army, police and Shin Bet security service, a statement said.

Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, said all three men killed in what it termed an "assassination" were from its ranks, hailing them as "heroes of resistance".

Israel had identified them as the "murderers of Leah, Maia and Rina Dee" who died after the April 7 attack on their vehicle near Hamra in the Jordan Valley, the Shin Bet said, using their Hebrew names.

The army said troops recovered two M-16 assault rifles and an AK-47 from the apartment where the suspects were holed up.

As the Israeli forces entered the city, clashes erupted with groups of Palestinians who threw stones at military vehicles.

An AFP photographer heard gunfire erupt near the Old City around 7:00 am (0400 GMT) as dozens of Israeli army vehicles raced to the scene from multiple directions.

The Lions' Den militant group claimed its fighters were involved in the clashes and had attacked the Israeli forces with "bullets and explosive devices".

Huge crowds later gathered in central Nablus for the funerals of the three men, their bodies wrapped in the green flags of Hamas.

- Widower 'comforted' -

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the successful conclusion of the weeks-long manhunt.

"We settled accounts with the murderers of Lucy, Maia and Rina Dee," he said in a statement.

"Our message to those who harm us, and those who want to harm us, is that whether it takes a day, a week or a month, you can be certain that we will settle accounts with you."

Widower Leo Dee said in a statement he was "comforted" to hear the men had been killed, adding that he had "asked for the opportunity to speak with the terrorists' families".

The family lives in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War. All settlements are deemed illegal under international law, although Israel disputes this.

The Palestinian health ministry confirmed three people had been killed in the morning raid in the Old City of Nablus.

"Two of the martyrs have completely distorted features due to the intensity of the shooting, which makes it difficult to identify them," the ministry said.

- Huwara shooting -

Hours later, in the town of Huwara, south of Nablus, a Palestinian woman was shot dead after attempting to stab an Israeli soldier, the army said.

It added that a soldier was "lightly injured" in the alleged attack.

Iman Odeh, 26, was "killed by a bullet to the chest fired by the occupation soldiers in Huwara, south of Nablus," a Palestinian health ministry statement said.

The Nablus raid came just days after violence flared along the Gaza border following the death of a Palestinian hunger striker in Israeli custody on Tuesday.

Palestinian militants fired more than 100 rockets from Gaza in response to the death of Khader Adnan, 45, a leading figure in Islamic Jihad in the West Bank, who died in prison following an 87-day hunger strike.

Israel launched tank fire and air strikes on Gaza which the army said targeted Hamas military sites, killing a Palestinian man.

The latest violence brings to 106 the number of Palestinians killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict so far this year.

Nineteen Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed over the same period, according to an AFP count based on official sources from the two sides.

These figures include combatants as well as civilians, and, on the Israeli side, include three members of the Arab minority.
The Department of Justice has announced charges against dozens of individuals for working on behalf of the Peoples Republic of China to export the PRCs repression beyond its borders.

The first case of three announced April 17 charges two men for helping to establish a secret police station in New York City as a concrete outpost of the PRCs Ministry of Public Security, or MPS, in order to monitor and intimidate dissidents within the United States. Both men have been arrested.

U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York said, As alleged, the defendants and their co-conspirators were tasked with doing the PRCs bidding, including helping locate a Chinese dissident living in the United States and obstructed our investigation by deleting their communications.

In the second case, the DOJ charged 34 MPS officers with using fake social media accounts to disseminate and amplify PRC propaganda and to intimidate democracy activists and dissidents living abroad. The officers were part of a special task force that worked out of Beijing, and they remain at large.

In the third case, building on a prior complaint, federal prosecutors filed charges against 10 individuals working for the PRC, who targeted participants in virtual meetings hosted by a U.S. communications technology company. The operatives actions had what Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General David Newman described as a chilling effect on meeting participants  some of whom had fled the PRC and knew the PRC was likely monitoring them from abroad. In addition, the Department of Justice alleges the operatives worked with another defendant, formerly employed by the U.S. technology company, to censor speech, including by ending virtual meetings critical of the PRC and suspending user accounts of Chinese dissidents. These defendants also remain at large.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Newman emphasized that the Departments efforts to hold to account those responsible for transnational repression are not directed against the Chinese people, the Chinese diaspora, or Americans of Chinese descent, but against the illicit actions of the PRC government and its agents.

As authoritarian governments, whether the PRC, Russia, Iran, or others  become more brazen in their efforts to trample the rights and liberties that are the bedrock of our democracy, declared Mr. Newman, the Department of Justice will redouble its efforts to defend our democracy, our democratic institutions, and our sovereignty.
AFP | United Nations

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The United Nations is short nearly $24 million needed to safely remove oil from an abandoned tanker off Yemen's coast, officials said Thursday, urging donors to stump up the remaining funds.

A virtual donor conference on Thursday raised $5.6 million in new contributions towards the $129 million unprecedented rescue operation, in which the UN purchased its own supertanker to remove more than a million barrels of oil from the beleaguered FSO Safer in the Red Sea.

"It is urgent that this gap is closed to successfully implement the operation," said Farhan Haq, spokesman for the UN secretary-general.

"While we appreciate the contributions received so far, there's a crucial need for the funds to allow us to complete the task that we have begun."

After the emergency phase is completed, an additional $19 million will be needed for the second phase, Haq said, which will involve towing the Safer and securing the UN-purchased supertanker, the Nautica.

The donor conference was organized by the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.

The 47-year-old Safer has not been serviced since Yemen's civil war broke out in 2015 and it was left abandoned off the rebel-held port of Hodeida, a critical gateway for shipments into the country heavily dependent on emergency foreign aid.

The Safer's 1.1 million barrels contain four times as much oil as that which spilled in the 1989 Exxon Valdez disaster off Alaska, one of the world's worst ecological catastrophes, according to the UN.

Despite the lack of funds, "we remain confident that the operation on the water will begin before the end of this month," Haq told AFP, adding that the UN can rely on "available internal financial mechanisms" while awaiting more donor money.

An oil spill from the Safer would not only be devastating for some 1.7 million Yemenis who depend on the fishing industry for their livelihoods, but would affect millions of others if ports used for food deliveries were to close.

"The rationale for action is clear: 20 million dollars now could save 20 billion in potential costs later," UN Development Programme administrator Achim Steiner said in a statement.

"The moral case is equally clear," he added.

The Nautica is en route to the region and is due to first make a stop in Djibouti in early May.
Japan's Meteorological Agency is urging people affected by the strong earthquake in Ishikawa Prefecture to remain vigilant against further threats to their safety.

The magnitude 6.5 quake struck around 2:42 p.m. on Friday, local time. It registered an upper 6 on the Japanese seismic scale of zero to 7 in the city of Suzu.

Shimoyama Toshihiro, an official of the agency, addressed a news conference on Friday.

He said another powerful quake could hit the region in the coming week as seismic activity has continued in the area for more than two years.

He also said in areas that experienced strong tremors, there is a continuing risk of houses collapsing and landslides.

The official called on people to be on the alert against future earthquakes and rain, and to avoid potentially dangerous locations.

... continue reading
Japan imported a record 155.2 billion yen ($1.2 billion) worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, data from the Finance Ministry showed Friday, highlighting the country's continued reliance on Moscow for its seafood supply despite a deterioration of relations over the war in Ukraine.

While Japan did impose economic sanctions, including banning imports of vodka and lumber, on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year, marine products were exempted as Tokyo deemed the adverse effect on domestic businesses would be too great.

Japan's poor catches and Russia's larger volume in waters around disputed islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, were factors in last year's imports hitting the highest since 1992, a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union. ...continue reading
Burmas military regime has sentenced a prominent Christian pastor and ethnic Kachin leader to six years in prison after a trial conducted in secret on what the United States called military-led, manufactured charges of terrorism, unlawful association and inciting opposition to the regime.

The sentencing of Reverend Dr. Hkalam Samson took place on April 7, Good Friday, one of the holiest days of the Christian calendar. On May 2, the same court that issued his sentence denied his appeal.

The United States has called for his immediate and unconditional release.

Reverend Dr. Samson is one of the countrys leading religious figures. He is an advisor to the Kachin Baptist Convention after having served for a decade as president and general secretary of the group. He is also President of the Kachin National Consultative Assembly.

Reverend Dr. Samson is a renowned advocate for human rights, including religious freedom for people of all faiths. In addition, he is well known for his humanitarian work in Burma. In October 2022, he coordinated medical assistance and funerals for those injured or killed in a regime airstrike on Hpakant township in which 60 people died, and later he held a prayer meeting in the Kachin state capital for the deceased.

In a statement, U.S. Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said Burmas brutal military regime has targeted Dr. Samson for his courageous work. Reverend Dr. Samson has devoted his pastoral career to supporting peace efforts, drug eradication, advocating for justice and equality for Kachin Christians and throughout Burma, and facilitating the safe and voluntary return of more than 100,000 displaced Kachin people to their homes.

The State Departments most recent international religious freedom report on Burma noted, Since 1999, Burma has been designated a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 for having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom. On November 15, 2021, the Secretary of State redesignated Burma as a CPC. The cruel sentencing of Reverend Dr. Samson demonstrates the appropriateness of that designation.

We urge the regime, said Principal Deputy Spokesperson Patel, to cease its unconscionable repression against religious actors, communities and houses of worship in Burma, and end the violence.
Smoked beers have long been a favorite of many brewers, but until recently, actually brewing them in the U.S. wasnt very practical.

For most of my brewing career, nearly 17 years now, our friends in the beer industry have always joked that making smoked beers is career suicide, says Matt Westfall, owner and brewer at Counter Weight Brewing Co. in Cheshire. It used to be that you couldnt give them away, but recently there has been revived interest in classic European styles, with smoked beers being a part of that.

Across Connecticut and beyond, breweries have started offering smoked helles lagers or other similar types of beers, which are made from smoked malts that give the finished beer a subtle smoky flavor that adds depth and character.

Helles means pale or bright in German, and helles lagers are pale-yellow beers with a flavor that is all about balance. A classic example of the style is the German-brewed Schlenkerla Helles, which is available at liquor stores in Connecticut and has been an inspiration to many brewers in the state.

Our smoked helles is completely and unapologetically inspired by Schlenkerla Helles, says Zack Adams, owner and brewer at Fox Farm Brewery in Salem. Inspired by visits to that brewery in Bavaria, Adams released The Cabin Smoked Helles in 2018.

The key to the style and what makes it click is the balance between the inherent malt sweetness you find in a helles and the subtle drying effect the smoked malt lends, Adams says. The two work beautifully, and its why helles is particularly well-suited, compared to other pale lagers, such as pilsner, for introducing that smoke flourish. For us, we lean into that a bit and seek a little extra texture and sweetness to manage that balance. Keeping the bitterness and hop character in check is important as well  those qualities can easily derail the beer if overdone.

The Cabin serves as a gateway beer to other smoked offerings Fox Farm brews, and the brewery is working with Windsors Thrall Family Malt to make the first batch of beer brewed with Connecticut-grown grain and smoked malts.

Nod Hill Brewing Co.s Smoked Sunrunner helles lager was also inspired by Schlenkerla Helles. We focus on getting the smoke level so that it complements the rest of the beer, says Kyle Acenowr, the Ridgefield brewerys head brewer and founding partner. We want to be able to drink multiple beers without fatiguing the palate with smoke flavor. Additionally, were looking for harmony amongst the body, bitterness and residual sugar. Getting these aspects right is essential to brewing highly drinkable lager.

BEET&BLOSSOM

David Kaye, Nod Hills general manager and a founding partner of the brewery, says the styles increasing popularity is part of renewed interest in lagers overall, though Connecticut drinkers often need an introduction to smoked helles lagers. Its still a little bit more of a niche order in our taproom, but our servers always let guests know its actually very approachable and pleasantly drinkable, he says. The smoke is subtle and complementary; its not a one-note beer.

At Counter Weight, Westfall and other brewers have been traveling annually to Germany to learn more about traditional Bavarian brewing techniques. In those travels, weve visited with smoked beer producers and tried to integrate some of their generous advice into our practices here at Counter Weight, he says. More recently, weve been fermenting our smoked beers in open-top fermenters, like they do in many of the breweries weve visited in Germany.

The brewerys Smoked Ein helles is golden in color. Its characterized by a clean-lager fermentation profile featuring a classic rounded German maltiness alongside a delicate noble hop presence with a softly interwoven smoky aroma and flavor, Westfall says. We want to achieve a very easy-to-drink beer with a classic Bamberg-like smoky note that is well-integrated, he adds, referring to the Bavarian town.

The style may have a way to go to catch up to IPAs in popularity, but people in Connecticut are discovering it sip by sip. Our team loves these beers and I think their enthusiasm is largely infectious to our guests, Westfall says. Once people try them they usually end up ordering a second. Hopefully this continues because we love brewing and serving them.
Brendan Fraser walked into the lobby of The Village in Stamford Wednesday and gave a shy wave to an eager crowd of people before taking off his round-framed glasses and posing for a photo.

The Oscar-winning actor was there to receive one of many recent awards he's been honored with for his portrayal of a 600-pound English teacher in "The Whale." The Greenwich International Film Festival (GIFF) gave Fraser its first Inspiration Award that night. Fraser accepted the award  given to an artist whose craft and philanthropic work inspires others  and engaged in an hour-long conversation with ESPN journalist Hannah Storm.

Fraser, specifically, was honored for his work with Abilis, a nonprofit that provides services to children with special needs, in addition to his widely acclaimed performance as Charlie in The Whale. In the 2022 film from director Darren Aronofsky, Fraser's character, Charlie, aims to build a relationship with his estranged teenage daughter as he struggles with severe morbid obesity brought on by a traumatic event.

Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media

Wendy Stapleton, the co-founder of GIFF, said Frasers performance inspires viewers to be more compassionate towards people with obesity.

One of the core beliefs of GIFF is that a story has the power to create empathy and understanding among people of all different backgrounds," she said during the event. "Brendan's gripping Academy Award-winning portrayal of Charlie in The Whale did just that.

Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media

Francesco Clark, a resident of Bronxville, N.Y., got a chance to tell Fraser how he appreciated his performance. Clark said he was once homebound because of a spinal cord injury and could relate to the characters loneliness.

Being able to get up and realize that you have a voice and fighting for your second chance... its kind of that message that propels everybody, Clark said.

Fraser worked with the Obesity Action Coalition, a nonprofit that supports and improves access to treatment for obese people, to prepare for the role.

Their mandate is to treat the story with dignity and respect. And that meant everything from the design of Charlie's body to the way that characters speak, everything, Fraser said.

Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media

The coalition was also able to connect Fraser with around 10 people over Zoom who could share their stories about struggling with obesity. One commonality in all the stories, Fraser said, was the degrading words that an adult had said to them earlier in their lives.

It just exemplifies what sets the pattern of shattering a young person's confidence and then coupling them with all sorts of reasons, they can find themselves, like Charlie, eating to medicate, he said. By repressing the pain down inside and internalizing trauma with food, it reflects how much they feel externally. And Charlie is the personification of that. So, I felt a sense of obligation to the role as their voice and as their champion.

Since the movies release, the number of people reaching out to coalition for help has spiked, Fraser said.

Fraser learned asking for help can be scary after his son, Griffin, was diagnosed with autism at an early age. As a parent, Fraser felt thunderstruck and unprepared, but resources like Abilis gave him the support he needed. He said Griffin, along with his two other sons, have given him a great capacity for love.

The reason why I do what I do is...because of them, he said. I am like a deep-sea diver at the bottom of the ocean with a tube of air coming up to the surface where my family and loved ones are. They make sure that pumps keep going so I can go on this expedition. Its a very charmed and lucky career that I've had.

It was a career he first envisioned as an 8-year-old boy visiting Londons West End theater district with his family. The vision was actualized when Fraser landed his first movie role in 1991's Dogfight. He played Sailor No. 1. and his name was misspelled in the credits. But earned an extra $50 doing stunt work, he said.

Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media

What followed were performances in an eclectic mix of films like Encino Man, School Ties, George of the Jungle, Gods and Monsters and The Mummy series. Fraser said the diversity of his roles was key to his growth as an actor.

Fraser began withdrawing from the spotlight in the early 2000s. He went through a divorce and was the victim of an alleged sexual assault by a Hollywood executive. He also dealt with injuries and surgeries from years of stunt work.

Christian Abraham/Hearst Connecticut Media

However, despite the stunt work, Fraser said playing Charlie was the most physical role hes ever attempted. The actor wore a prosthetic body suit made by Adrien Morot for the entire film.

Respiratory issues are a big part of his voice. It made me quite dizzy, to be honest. Hyperventilation is real folks, he said drawing a laugh.

After The Whale, he filmed a Martin Scorsese film, Killers of the Flower Moon with Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio. He isnt currently working on any projects, but is now looking at his career through a different and braver lens than when was a Hollywood heartthrob.

Im humbled and pleased and I also feel kind of an obligation to earn this. Even going forward, I want to be worthy of it. I do also feel a sense of purpose, he said.
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BROOKFIELD  First Selectwoman Tara Carr announced Friday that she will be seeking a second term in office.

Our work is not yet done, Carr said in a statement announcing her run for reelection.

Carr, a retired U.S. army lieutenant colonel who served 25 years in the military, including a deployment to Afghanistan, was first elected to office by defeating incumbent Democrat Steve Dunn in the November 2021 election. Dunn had been seeking a fourth term as Brookfields first selectman.

Carr will compete with fellow Republican Matt Grimes to be the partys nominee for first selectman in the November election this year.

Grimes  former chair of Brookfields Republican Town Committee, as well as a former chair of the Brookfield Board of Education and former town attorney in New Milford  announced his bid for the nomination in March.

A local attorney, Grimes said the town is in need of a first selectman that knows Brookfield and understands the charter, the general statutes and town government.

To become the GOP candidate for first selectman, the Republican vacancy committee must make a recommendation to the 25-member town committee, which then recommends a candidate to the caucus, according to Grimes. He said the caucus then makes the party endorsement, and a primary is held if a prospective candidate challenges the endorsement.

If elected to a second term, Carr said she will continue to focus on areas where significant improvements can be made, with the towns financial health underpinning all efforts.

I am listening to your concerns and my office will continue to be transparent and entertain open dialogue with all Brookfield residents during my next term, she said. United, we will make a brighter future for all of us.

Carr said more information on a formal kickoff of her reelection campaign will be announced in the coming weeks.

Born in Danbury and raised in New Milford, Carr enlisted in the Army at 17, rising from private to lieutenant colonel.

While deployed in Afghanistan, Carr was the key leader representative for the Commander of Special Operations Joint Task Force, traveling extensively and working with Afghanistans only female special operations unit.

Carr is in the first term of the first political office she has ever held.
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DAVIS, Calif. (AP)  A 21-year-old who was a student at the University of California, Davis, until last week was arrested on accusations of fatally stabbing two people and wounding another in attacks that terrified the quiet college community, police said Thursday.

Carlos Dominguez was taken into custody Wednesday after 15 people called in reports of a person who matched the description of the suspect near a city park where he is accused of stabbing the second victim to death, said Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel.

Pytel did not disclose a motive for the stabbings, which took place over a span of days starting with the discovery of the first body April 27, and said it was unclear if Dominguez knew the victims. Those killed were a 50-year-old homeless man well loved in the community and a 20-year-old UC Davis student. A homeless woman attacked in her tent Monday night is recovering.

He was out wandering a neighborhood where the second homicide had occurred. He had a large knife in a backpack, wearing the same clothes from the third stabbing," Pytel told a news conference, explaining the circumstances of Dominguez's arrest. That's highly unusual and unique.

The multiple stabbings over the course of less than a week shattered the towns sense of safety. Some businesses closed early and college students said they were too frightened even to attend daytime classes on campus.

A murderer is off the streets, and our families will sleep easier tonight, Davis Mayor Will Arnold said at the news conference.

It wasnt immediately clear if Dominguez had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

UC Davis officials said in a statement that Dominguez was a third-year student majoring in biological sciences until April 25, when he was separated for academic reasons."

He enrolled at UC Davis in fall 2020 and previously attended Laney College, a community college in Oakland, California.

Davis is a small city about 70 miles (112 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco and 15 miles (24 kilometers) west of Sacramento. There are roughly 67,000 residents in the city in addition to more than 13,000 students who live on the UC Davis campus.

The first death was reported Thursday when officers found David Henry Breaux in downtowns Central Park, hunched over a bench where he often sat or slept. The second victim, Karim Abou Najm, was found Saturday night at Sycamore Park with multiple stab wounds.

The stabbings all occurred within a mile of campus. On Thursday, police were searching a residence near campus, where Dominguez lived with housemates.

Pytel said police started receiving calls Wednesday afternoon about a person who matched the description of the suspect. Officers discovered a large fixed blade knife in his backpack and took him in for more questioning with his consent.

Dominguez was booked into Yolo County Jail early Thursday on a weapons violation related to the knife but was not arrested on two counts of homicide and one count of attempted homicide until shortly before Thursday's news conference.

Pytel said they were zeroing in on the suspect based on other evidence, but the tips certainly expedited finding him and an arrest, theres no doubt about that.

___

This story has been updated to correct that the suspect was taken into custody Wednesday.
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DANBURY  The New Fairfield man charged in the stabbing death of a Newtown man last year is facing up to 20 years in prison after being convicted of intentional and reckless manslaughter.

A jury found Patrick Griffin, 61, guilty of two first-degree manslaughter charges Tuesday following an eight-day trial at state Superior Court in Danbury.

Were obviously disappointed with the verdict, Griffins attorney, Alexander Schwartz, said Thursday. We intend to appeal and we reserve all our rights to challenge the outcome in the appellate court.

Griffin was arrested after police said he fatally stabbed 65-year-old James Edward Knapp Jr. during an altercation at Griffins home the night of May 7, 2022.

Police responded to the Hillview Drive East residence around 9:30 p.m. and found Knapp in the kitchen with a large stab wound in his stomach, according to the warrant for Griffins arrest.

Knapps son had said his father went out to watch the Kentucky Derby with Griffin that evening.

Police said the two men got into a fight at Griffins house after returning from a bar in Patterson, N.Y., and Griffin claimed to have stabbed Knapp after he said Knapp dragged him into his own house and stomped on him.

Both men were transported to Danbury Hospital, where Knapp died from his injuries.

Schwartz told Hearst Connecticut Media last year that Griffin was distraught about what happened.

Evidence started being presented in Griffins jury trial April 24, closing arguments took place May 1, and the jury came back with its guilty verdict the next day.

When asked how much time he could serve in prison following his conviction, Schwartz said the statutory maximum is 20 years. Griffin is scheduled to be sentenced July 10.

In addition to the manslaughter charges, Griffin is facing a criminal possession of firearm charge stemming from a search warrant of his house following the May 2022 stabbing.

While police were executing a search warrant, they claimed to have found a firearm in the house, Schwartz said. The state tried to add the firearm claim to the case but I was successful in convincing Judge (Robin) Pavia not to allow it in.

Court records show Griffin  who is currently being held at the Cheshire Correctional Institution, according to the state Department of Correction  has a disposition hearing on that charge scheduled for the same day as his July 10 sentencing.
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  Connecticut voters would have 14 days to cast ballots early in general elections under a bill that cleared the House of Representatives late Thursday, moving the state closer to ending its reputation of having some of the strictest voting rules in the U.S.

The legislation, which also allows seven early voting days for most primaries and four for presidential primaries and special elections, comes six months after voters approved a constitutional amendment that essentially gave the Democratic-controlled General Assembly the go-ahead to create a new, in-person early voting system.

Not for nothing are we called the land of steady habits, said Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, referring to the state's often-used slogan.

For much of our almost three centuries of existence as a state, we have had some of the most restrictive voting laws in the country, he said. And that is a principle that does not align with the values of our state.

Connecticut's constitution for many years has dictated the time, place and manner of elections, essentially requiring voters to cast ballots at their local polling place on Election Day unless they qualified for absentee ballots. And that option is limited to specific excuses, such as being out of town on Election Day, active military service or sickness, a provision added during the pandemic.

Connecticut is one of only four states in the U.S. without pre-Election Day in-person voting.

Advocates for early voting say busy people want options for when they can cast ballots, while some critics have questioned whether it's financially worthwhile. The state of Connecticut is expected to cover the cost of the early voting initiative, estimated to be about $4.5 million.

During debate Thursday, Rep. Gayle Mastrofrancesco, R-Wolcott, and other Republicans raised concerns about whether the state's 169 cities and towns can find enough staff to offer 14 days of early voting.

We have a hard time trying to finding people to help out just for one day, said Mastrofrancesco, who called for reducing the number of early voting days to three within a five-day window. She proposed an amendment that would have changed the number, but it failed.

She and other Republicans also complained that many details of the new system have not yet been ironed out.

There's a lot of unanswered questions, said House Minority Leader Vincent Candelora, R-North Branford.

Blumenthal, who is also co-chair of the General Assemblys Government Administration and Elections Committee, acknowledged that lawmakers will need to pass additional legislation concerning the system.

Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas, a Democrat, has said there is not enough time to implement early voting for this fall's elections.

Under the bill, cities and towns, which run elections in Connecticut, will decide how many early voting sites they want to offer. The measure only requires that at least one be included in each municipality's plan, which must be approved by the Secretary of the State's Office.

The bill passed in the House on a 107-35 vote and awaits action in the Senate. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont is expected to sign it into law.
OGE Energy Corp. (NYSE: OGE), the parent company of Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company ("OG&E"), today (May 4) reported earnings of $0.19 per diluted share during the three months that ended March 31, 2023, compared to $1.39 per diluted share in the same period 2022. Earnings for the first quarter of 2022 included $1.15 per diluted share from natural gas midstream operations, which OGE Energy fully exited in 2022 through the sale of all Energy Transfer units. Beginning in 2023, OGE Energy no longer has a Natural Gas Midstream Operations reporting segment.

OG&E, a regulated electric company, contributed earnings of $0.20 per diluted share in the first quarter, compared to earnings of $0.19 per diluted share in the first quarter last year.

per diluted share in the first quarter, compared to earnings of per diluted share in the first quarter last year. Other operations, which includes the holding company, contributed a loss of $0.01 per diluted share compared to earnings of $0.05 per diluted share in the first quarter 2022.

"Strong execution delivered a solid first quarter for the company as we continue to advance our reliability and resiliency plans with a relentless focus on affordability," said Sean Trauschke, OGE Energy Corp. Chairman, President, and CEO. "Our service area and customer base continues to grow and we remain laser-focused on our culture of operational excellence that provides our customers and communities the power they need to live, work and play."

First Quarter 2023

OG&E contributed net income of $39.8 million, or $0.20 per diluted share, in the first quarter compared to $39.0 million, or $0.19 per diluted share, in the same period 2022. The increase in net income was primarily due to higher operating revenues related to the recovery of capital investments, partially offset by an increase in other operation and maintenance expense and higher depreciation expense.

Other Operations resulted in a loss of $1.5 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, in the first quarter compared to earnings of $10.4 million, or $0.05 per diluted share, in the same period 2022. The decrease in net income was primarily due to a 2022 consolidating tax benefit related to OGE Energy's former investment in Energy Transfer during the first quarter 2022 that reversed over the course of the year.

OGE Energy's net income was $38.3 million or $0.19 per diluted share in the first quarter, compared to earnings of $279.5 million or $1.39 per diluted share in the year-ago quarter. Earnings for the first quarter of 2022 included $1.15 per diluted share from natural gas midstream operations, which OGE Energy fully exited in 2022 through the sale of all Energy Transfer units.

2023 Outlook

OGE Energy's 2023 earnings guidance remains unchanged and is projected to be between $387 million to $416 million, or $1.93 to $2.07 per average diluted share, with a midpoint of $402 million, or $2.00 per average diluted share. OG&E is projected to earn approximately $400 million to $421 million, or $1.99 to $2.09 per average diluted share, with a midpoint of $411 million, or $2.04 per average diluted share. Other Operations (primarily Holding Company) projects a loss of $5 million to $13 million, or $0.02 to $0.06 per average diluted share, with a midpoint of a loss of $9 million, or $0.04 per average diluted share. The guidance assumes, among other things, approximately 201 million average diluted shares outstanding and normal weather for the year. OG&E has significant seasonality in its earnings due to weather on a year over year basis.

See OGE Energy's 2022 Form 10-K for other key factors and assumptions underlying its 2023 guidance.

Read the full press release.
ST. LOUIS (AP)  Embattled St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, the city's first Black prosecutor and a Democrat, announced Thursday that she will resign, following allegations of negligence and calls for her ouster by Republican leaders.

In a letter to Republican Gov. Mike Parson released by Gardner's office, she said she will step aside effective June 1. Parson in a statement said he will immediately begin looking for a replacement and that he is committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took legal steps to remove Gardner from office in February. Bailey said too many cases, including homicides, have gone unpunished under Gardners watch, that victims and their families are left uninformed, and that the prosecutors office is too slow to take on cases brought by police.

Gardner said Baileys efforts to remove her were politically and racially motivated. A hearing on whether Gardner should be removed had been scheduled for September.

Gardner's resignation letter also cited legislative efforts on a bill that would allow Parson to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of her responsibilities.

It is hard to think of a more direct or brutal assault on our democracy ... she wrote.

Since day one of my tenure as Circuit Attorney, I have experienced attacks on my reforms, on my judgment, on my integrity, on my prosecutorial discretion, on my responsibility to direct the limited resources of this office and more, Gardner said in her letter.

Some of these attacks seem designed to stop the office from functioning, at the expense of public safety, Gardner said.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo said Gardner called him a few days ago to assess the probability of lawmakers passing the bill by their May 12 deadline.

She began talks with Republican Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden about the possibility of resigning when she realized that if she didn't, the bill likely would become law and hamstring her and future prosecutors, Rizzo said.

Republicans were completely dialed in on attacking Kim Gardner for her methods, Rizzo said. He said laws dealing with the St. Louis prosecutors office are no longer needed, and he thinks Senate Republicans agree.

Republican House leaders on Thursday released a statement pressuring the GOP-led Senate to act on the bill anyway, arguing that even with Gardner gone the criminal justice system in St. Louis remains in critical need of reform and support.

Rizzo said Gardner had planned to announce her resignation Wednesday but delayed after an assistant prosecutor in her office died in a fiery crash around 5 p.m.

Bailey said he wants Gardner to leave immediately.

There is absolutely no reason for the Circuit Attorney to remain in office until June 1st, Bailey said in a statement. We remain undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office. Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger. How many victims will there be between now and June 1st? How many defendants will have their constitutional rights violated? How many cases will continue to go unprosecuted?

Other Republican leaders applauded her resignation.

She has presided over miscarriages of justice for years, hurting countless victims who put their trust in her and letting dangerous criminals escape the accountability they deserve, U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner tweeted. St. Louis will be better off without her.

We have achieved an important victory in restoring law and order in the City of St. Louis with this resignation, House Speaker Dean Plocher, House Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson, and House Majority Floor Leader Jon Patterson said in a joint statement. Addressing the violent crime crisis that has destabilized the St. Louis region has been one of our highest priorities this session, which has included holding the Circuit Attorney accountable for the willful neglect of her constitutional duties.

A statement from St. Louis Circuit Court said judges remain concerned about the high volume of pending cases for the understaffed Circuit Attorneys Office.

We hope St. Louis next Circuit Attorney is successful in restoring stability to the Office and rebuilding its ranks with experienced prosecutors, the statement read.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading activist in St. Louis, lauded Gardner for progressive actions such as instituting an integrity unit to investigate allegations of police misconduct, and for a diversion program for some non-violent offenders.

But Gray said Gardner has been battered from Day 1. How much more should we expect our champions to take? And she was taking a lot.

Criticism of Gardner escalated earlier this year after 17-year-old Janae Edmondson, a volleyball standout from Tennessee, was struck by a speeding car after a tournament game in downtown St. Louis. She lost both legs.

The driver, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was out on bond on a robbery charge despite nearly 100 bond violations that included letting his GPS monitor die and breaking the terms of his house arrest, according to court records. Critics questioned why Riley was free despite so many bond violations.

Mayor Tishaura Jones, a Democrat who also is Black, was among those who criticized Gardner after Edmonson was injured. In a statement Thursday, Jones said Gardner made history by becoming the first Black woman elected circuit attorney, and noted she faced more obstacles than her predecessors because of it.

Jones urged Parson to appoint a successor who reflects the values of communities across St. Louis.

Gardner has often been at odds with Republicans. In 2018, she charged then-Gov. Eric Greitens with felony invasion of privacy, accusing him of taking a compromising photo of a woman during an extramarital affair. The charge was eventually dropped. But Greitens, a Republican who was also under investigation by Missouri lawmakers, resigned in June 2018.

The case drew scrutiny that led to the conviction of Gardners investigator. Gardner received a written reprimand for failing to produce documents and mistakenly maintaining that all documents had been provided to Greitens lawyers.

___

Ballentine reported from Jefferson City, Missouri.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP)  A bill that would allow South Carolina to buy the drugs needed for lethal injection without revealing the name of the company who sells them will soon be heading for the governor's desk.

The state Senate on Thursday approved minor changes the House made in the shield law bill with almost no debate. The proposal also requires the names of members of the execution team be kept secret.

South Carolina has had an unintended 12-year moratorium on the death penalty after its lethal injection drugs passed their expiration date and pharmacies refused to sell the state more.

Several South Carolina death row inmates have run out of regular appeals. But their executions are on hold because they can't be carried out.

Sixteen other states have carried out about 100 lethal injection executions in the past six years. Many have shield laws. Some do not.

It has worked in other states. Lets see if it works here," South Carolina Corrections Department Director Bryan Stirling said Thursday.

Two years ago, South Carolina tried to work around the lack of lethal injections drugs by passing a law creating a firing squad and giving inmates a choice between dying by bullets to the heart or in the states electric chair, which was first used to kill an inmate in 1913.

But that law is on hold because of a court challenge as to whether those execution methods are constitutionally prohibited cruel and unusual punishments.

South Carolina currently has 34 inmates on death row. At the end of 2011 after the last execution took place, the state had 52 death row inmates. Only three prisoners have been sent to death row during that time. Several prosecutors said they are less likely to seek the ultimate punishment without assurance the state can carry it out. The rest have left death row either through sentences reduced by appeal or natural deaths.

While the state Supreme Court has halted executions by firing squad or electrocution, the justices have indicated they will lift the stop if the state can find lethal injection drugs.

In court papers, state prison officials indicated their prospects for buying the drugs started to change as soon as it seemly likely lawmakers would pass the shield law.

Gov. Henry McMaster said he will sign the bill. He has been adamant about finding some way to restart executions.
PHOENIX (AP)  Republican Kari Lakes lawyers were sanctioned $2,000 Thursday by the Arizona Supreme Court in their unsuccessful challenge of her defeat in the governor's race last year to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

In an order, the states highest court said Lakes attorney made false factual statements that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count. They have 10 days to submit the payment to the court clerk.

The court, however, refused to order Lake to pay attorney fees to cover the costs of defending Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, also a Democrat, in Lakes appeal.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel said Lakes challenge over signature verification remains unresolved.

Hobbs and Fontes said Lake and her attorneys should face sanctions for baselessly claiming that over 35,000 ballots were inserted into the race at a facility where a contractor scanned mail-in ballots to prepare them for county election workers to process and count.

When the high court first confronted Lakes challenge in late March, justices said the evidence doesnt show that over 35,000 ballots were added to the vote count in Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the states voters.

Lawyers for Hobbs and Fontes told the court that Lake and her lawyers misrepresented evidence and are hurting the elections process by continuing to push baseless claims of election fraud. Attorneys for Fontes asked for the court to order Lakes lawyers to forfeit any money they might have earned in making the appeal, arguing that they shouldnt be allowed to benefit from their own misconduct.

Lakes lawyers said sanctions werent appropriate because no one can doubt that Lake honestly believes her race was determined by electoral misconduct.

Lake, who lost to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trumps election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not.

In her challenge, Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County.

The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion. Lake alleged ballot printer problems were the result of intentional misconduct.

County officials say everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted because those affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at election headquarters.

The state Supreme Court declined on March 22 to hear nearly all of Lakes appeal, saying there was no evidence that 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals.

Still, the high court revived Lake's claim that challenged the application of signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. The court sent the claim back to a lower-court judge to consider. This latest order will allow a trial court to resume litigating the matter.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lakes assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

Lakes attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. The county disputes the claims.
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SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  An adult entertainment industry group filed a lawsuit on Wednesday challenging a new Utah law that requires porn websites to implement age verification mechanisms to block minors from accessing sexually explicit materials.

The law, which took effect Wednesday, made Utah the second state to require adult websites to verify the age of those who want to view their pages  either through an independent contractor or digital ID. Lawmakers likened the requirement to those for alcohol or online gambling and argued that stronger protections were needed to shield kids from pornography, which is ubiquitous online.

The Free Speech Coalition  along with an erotica author and companies that manage adult websites and are party to the suit  argues that Utah's new law unfairly discriminates against certain kinds of speech, violates the First Amendment rights of porn providers and intrudes on the privacy of individuals who want to view sexually explicit materials. The plaintiffs have asked a federal judge to bar enforcement of the law until their legal challenge is resolved.

They contend that the age verification law imposes a content-based restriction on protected speech that requires narrow tailoring to serve a compelling state interest."

It is currently illegal to show children pornography under federal law, however that law is rarely enforced.

Utahs new law is the conservative state's latest effort to crack down on access to pornography and dovetails with lawmakers other efforts to restrict how children use the internet, including social media sites. It comes less than a year after Louisiana enacted a similar law and as additional states consider such policies as filters or age verification for adult websites.

The Utah law builds off years of anti-porn efforts by the Republican-controlled Legislature, where a majority of lawmakers are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It comes seven years after Utah became the first state to declare pornography a public health crisis and two years after lawmakers passed a measure paving the way to require internet-capable devices be equipped with porn filters for children. Provisions of the law delay it from taking effect unless at least five other states pass similar measures.

The age verification law is facing strong pushback, including from one of the biggest porn sites, Pornhub, which disabled access to its site in Utah earlier this week.

The Free Speech Coalition has filed similar challenges before. In 2002, its case against a federal child pornography statute made landed before the U.S. Supreme Court, which struck down provisions for overly interfering with free speech.
SAN DIEGO (AP)  The federal Health and Human Services Department often failed to perform required background checks on workers at emergency holding centers for migrant children who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border alone during a surge in 2021, the agency's internal watchdog has found.

The inspector general's report released Thursday raises questions about how better prepared authorities will be for the next emergency, especially with coronavirus pandemic-related asylum restrictions scheduled to end this coming week and expected to result in more arrivals.

The report, based on a sampling, found that 200 workers did not have background checks for child abuse or neglect and only 29 did, though 20 of those were not done in a timely manner.

Investigators found 174 did not have FBI fingerprint background checks while 55 did, but 25 of those were not done in a timely manner. Checks against the Justice Department's sex offender registry, which were required less often, were not done on 42 workers and were performed on 36, though 11 were not in a timely manner.

Criminal background checks based on publicly available records were done more often, but still on far less than half of new hires.

Also Thursday, the federal Department of Homeland Security's internal watchdog released a results of interviews and survey responses from more than 9,300 employees that found border flows  both illegal crossings and legal trade and travel  are unsustainable without more staffing. The department's efforts to address the growing workload with temporary transfers and overtime were determined to be insufficient.

The workload, particularly since 2019, has negatively impacted the health and morale of law enforcement personnel, who feel overworked and unable to perform their primary law enforcement duties, the Homeland Security inspector general wrote.

The Health and Human Services review of unaccompanied children focused on 10 of 14 contracted emergency intake sites, including convention centers in San Diego and Long Beach, California, a county fairgrounds near Los Angeles and two military bases in Texas. It included a department-run overflow site in Carrizo Springs, Texas, which also often failed to perform required checks.

HHS expanded holding capacity to 13,500 beds by the spring of 2021 but was unprepared for increased flows that occurred shortly after President Joe Biden took office, forcing authorities to ask the military and local governments for help opening emergency shelters for up to six months.

The department's Office of Refugee Resettlement "must address the shortcomings we identified to ensure that similar issues do not recur during future influxes." the report concluded. "Effective oversight of facility operations and clearly communicating background check requirements are critical to ensuring the safety of children."

HHS agreed with the watchdog's seven recommendations. January Contreras, assistant secretary for children and families, said the report covered one of the most challenging periods" in its history of caring for migrant children and noted that the surge occurred amid the pandemic.

Under federal law, HHS takes custody of children who cross the border alone  generally within 72 hours of arrest  and places them with family or other sponsors while their cases wind through immigration courts.

The department received more than 122,000 children in the 2021 budget year, compared with about 19,000 the previous year, Contreras said.

The Border Patrol held children for days, even weeks, in 2021 until the health agency was prepared to take custody. The Border Patrol once held more than 4,000 people, largely unaccompanied children, at a facility in Donna, Texas, that was designed for 250 with COVID-19 restrictions.

In a response to the inspector general, Contreras wrote that HHS continues to search for more efficient ways to reduce barriers to the timeliness of background check adjudication, has made progress, and is working in real time to improve its processes."

U.S. authorities recorded the highest number of crossings by children traveling on along on record in March 2021, when nearly 19,000 were taken into custody. For this past March, the latest publicly available data, about 12,500 were taken into custody.
OTTAWA, ON, May 3, 2023 /CNW/ - The Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative (CPMHC) is thrilled that the Government of Canada is providing $372,000 to Women's College Hospital to develop the first ever Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Clinical Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Perinatal Mood, Anxiety and Related Disorders.

"We are honoured to be part of the team at Women's College Hospital moving national guidelines for perinatal mental health forward," say Jaime Charlebois and Patricia Tomasi, CPMHC Co-Founders and Co-Executive Directors. "The work towards a national perinatal mental health strategy starts today!"

The CPMHC was asked to participate in the CANMAT guidelines project in January and provided a letter of support to project leads Dr. Simone Vigod and Dr. Benicio Frey.

"As co-PWLE PAs (People With Lived Experience Principal Advisors), and Knowledge Users, we are committed to the success of the CANMAT guideline," say Tomasi and Charlebois. "This project has the potential to transform the health care system and increase access to evidence-based treatments which is in-line with our call for a national perinatal mental health strategy."

Since 2019, the CPMHC has been calling for a national perinatal mental health strategy that includes guidelines on universal screening and timely access to treatment. The CANMAT guidelines are a precursor to National Standards of Care for perinatal mental health.

As mentioned in the government's announcement, the guidelines will help "individuals, families, and caregivers better understand what to ask for in their care; assist health care professionals in expanding their knowledge of what perinatal care should be offered; and help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance."

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett made the announcement today, at the CPMHC's second annual Flora's Walk for Perinatal Mental Health along with $279,000 in funding to the Canadian Mothercraft Society, and $206,000 to the Family Matters Society of Calgary.

SOURCE Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative

For further information: Patricia Tomasi, Co-Executive Director, CPMHC (705-715-3141); Jaime Charlebois, Co-Executive Director, CPMHC (705-345-9049)
Daily service from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando - Sanford returns in October

One-way fares as low as $39 from Florida to Montreal

EDMONTON, AB, May 4, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Flair Airlines, Canada's everyday low fare airline, announced daily flights from Montreal to Florida beginning October 29, 2023. The airline will fly to each of Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Orlando-Sanford (SFB) from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport.

Service to Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando-Sanford will be daily, giving passengers flexibility and choice when it comes to booking their winter sun getaway.

Florida is incredibly popular for Montrealers, but historically the fares have been very high," said Garth Lund, Chief Commercial Officer, Flair Airlines. "Our Florida routes have proven popular across our network and so it's a natural fit to offer service from Montreal."

One-way fares, including taxes and fees, begin at $109 on flights from Montreal to Ft. Lauderdale, $119 from Montreal to Orlando-Sanford. One-way fares from Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando-Sanford are $49 and $39, respectively, representing some of the lowest fares ever seen between the cities.

There are limited seats and availability for the fares. All routes are available for booking at https://www.flyflair.com

About Flair Airlines

Flair Airlines is Canada's leading low-fare airline and its greenest airline, on a mission to provide affordable air travel that connects them to the people and experiences they love. With an expanding fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft, Flair is growing to serve over 35 cities across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For more information, please visit www.flyflair.com.

SOURCE Flair Airlines Ltd.

For further information: Media Contacts: Members of the media may contact [email protected] for more information.
Benefits Together Conference Series provides forum for meaningful dialogue on meeting the diverse health and wellness needs of employees

TORONTO, May 4, 2023 /CNW/ - At an exclusive conference series in Halifax (April 19), Toronto (April 26) and Montreal (May 3), speakers and delegates came together to exchange thoughts, ideas and actionable strategies to support the health and wellbeing of today's workforce.

Hosted by Medavie Blue Cross, Benefits Together put access to care, mental health and diversity and inclusion into focus, while exploring the urgent questions and transformational trends that are top of mind for employers in this ever-evolving world of work, including:

Alaina MacKenzie and Bernard Lord (CNW Group/Medavie Blue Cross) Future-proofing the health and wellbeing of Canadian workplaces (CNW Group/Medavie Blue Cross) Dr. Oriuwa (CNW Group/Medavie Blue Cross) Jennifer Taylor (CNW Group/Medavie Blue Cross)

How can employers ensure their employees have timely access to quality care?

How can employers meet the diverse health and wellness needs of their employees?

How can employers better support the mental health of their employees?

"The Canadian workforce consists of five generations and a variety of backgrounds working side-by-side," says Alaina MacKenzie, Regional Vice President Business Development, Medavie Blue Cross. "The great variance in wellness needs across groups of employees illustrates the importance of companies being proactive and ensuring their employees can access different types of care at every stage of life. This includes ensuring their group benefit plans provide employees with flexibility and optionality to support their individual health journeys."

As the manager and insurer of health benefits for one in ten Canadians, Medavie Blue Cross is committed to helping employers build healthy workplaces in Canada. To learn more, visit medaviebc.ca.

Additional Quotes:

Bernard Lord, CEO, Medavie & Chair of the Canadian Life & Health Insurance Association

Access to appropriate care and the rising cost of health care are challenges we are all grappling with. As the needs and expectations of Canadians continue to change when it comes to receiving health care, the insurance sector, including Medavie, can adapt quickly to make services available to plan members, where and how they need them.

Dr. Chika Stacy Oriuwa, Physician, Changemaker and Advocate for Diversity and Inclusion

You should dare to stand in your authenticity and occupy powerful spaces, or if you have had the historical privilege of doing so, I dare you to make room for those to step in from the margins. By doing this, you will not only empower yourself, but actually shift the culture of a collective and inspire a generation. It's only when we do this that the gaps in equity begin to close, and opportunities for success are made available to all.

Dr. Marie-Helene Pelletier, Expert in Manager Resilience and Burnout

"Neurodiversity replaces a deficit mentality with a strength and resilience mentality. For organizations, this broader, and frankly more realistic, perspective opens up an even greater and deeper opportunity to integrate high caliber contributors and leaders into their teams."

Jennifer Taylor, Director, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Medavie

"When it comes to the evolution of work, employees want to work for organizations that have values that align with their own. Employers should view this as an opportunity to rise to the occasion and recalibrate their workplaces, which includes a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. Workplaces that evolve to support social changes and expectations will set their employees  and ultimately the entire business  up for success. Similar, benefit offerings must continue to evolve to be as inclusive and accessible as possible so that we are meeting people where they are."

About Medavie Blue Cross

Medavie Blue Cross is a premier all-in-one carrier that provides health, dental, travel, life and disability benefits and administers federal and provincial government-sponsored health programs. Together with Medavie Health Services, we are part of Medavie, a health solutions partner committed to improving the wellbeing of Canadians.

We are one of Canada's Most Admired Corporate Cultures and Canada's Life & Health Insurer of the Year for 2021.

As a not-for-profit organization, we don't have shareholders. Instead, we proudly invest in communities to help address some of Canada's most pressing physical and mental health care challenges.

SOURCE Medavie Blue Cross

For further information: Media Contact: Jacqueline Zonneville, Executive Communications Lead, Medavie, 416-626-4955, [email protected]
Minister Bennett also participated in Flora's Walk for Perinatal Mental Health

OTTAWA, ON, May 4, 2023 /CNW/ - During pregnancy and after giving birth, many women experience significant mental health challenges such as depression, psychosis, and suicidal thoughts. These perinatal mental health issues can adversely affect not only the mother and child, but can also have a long-lasting negative impact on families. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting maternal mental health, and creating a future free of stigma around perinatal mental illness.

Today, on World Maternal Mental Health Day and during Mental Health Week in Canada, the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, announced close to $857,000 in funding to three organizations for their projects in support of maternal mental health. This announcement was made during the 2nd annual Flora's Walk, the Canadian Perinatal Mental Health Collaborative's Fundraiser walk named after Flora Babakhani, a Canadian mother who lost her life to undetected and untreated postpartum psychosis.

Health Canada will provide $372,000 to the Women's College Hospital to develop national clinician guidelines for perinatal mood disorders. This supports the Government of Canada's commitment to develop mental health standards and to ensure timely access to perinatal mental health services. The guidelines will help individuals, families, and caregivers better understand what to ask for in their care; assist health care professionals in expanding their knowledge of what perinatal care should be offered; and help health care organizations measure, assess, and improve their performance.

Additionally, The Public Health Agency of Canada will provide $279,000 to the Canadian Mothercraft Society to promote secure attachment between mothers and their children; and $206,000K to the Families Matter Society of Calgary to lead projects aimed at promoting positive mental health by increasing access to support services for Black parents struggling with perinatal mood disorders.

Today's announcement builds on the Government of Canada's investments in Budget 2023, including our plan to invest nearly $200 Billion over 10 years to improve health care services for Canadians, reduce surgical backlogs, support health workers, and improve integrated mental health and substance use services. We will continue to do whatever it takes to ensure that mental health care, including perinatal mental health care, is treated as a full and equal part of our health care system.

Quotes

"In Canada, a quarter of mothers who recently gave birth reported feelings consistent with either postpartum, depression or anxiety. As we mark the 2nd annual Flora's Walk, which honours the memory of Flora Babakhani, who tragically lost her life to postpartum psychosis, as well as World Maternal Mental Health Day and Mental Health Week - today's funding will enable more mothers across Canada to access the mental health supports they need and deserve. To all the new parents who may be struggling, please do not carry this burden alone or in silence. Getting help is the most important thing you can do for yourself - you are not alone."

The Honourable Carolyn Bennett

Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, and Associate Minister of Health

"It is our greatest pleasure to collaborate with our colleagues and stakeholders from diverse populations across the country in the development of the first Clinical Practice Guideline for Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders in Canada. This national clinical practice guideline will provide clear direction to mental healthcare practitioners on the best treatments for the most common mental health problems during pregnancy and the postpartum  and support affected persons and their families in knowing what they can and should expect from their treatment."

Dr. Simone Vigod (Women's College Hospital & the University of Toronto) and Dr. Benicio Frey (McMaster University & St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton)

Co-leads on the project to develop clinician guidelines for perinatal mood disorders

"Mothercraft applauds the federal government's commitment to support those who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. We know that mothers and young children affected by family violence, substance use and mental health challenges were significantly affected by the pandemic. Through Mothercraft's Healing Through Relationships project, we look forward to increasing access to a range of services and supports to promote maternal and child health."

Michele Lupa

Executive Director, Canadian Mothercraft Society

"Perinatal mood and anxiety disorders are the most common complication during pregnancy and up to two years postpartum. Black women are twice as likely to experience perinatal mental health challenges but are half as likely to receive treatment. To address this disparity a program focused on the Peer Support model was created to empower Black women with their own lived experience Perinatal Mental Health struggles. These Peer Supporters will provide hope to new parents within the Black communities with this much needed resource."

Amanda McMillan

Manager, Perinatal Mental Health Programs, Families Matter Society of Calgary

Quick Facts

Mental health promotion and mental illness prevention are critical components for well-being and can help reduce demands on the health care system. Community-based projects focussed on mental health promotion have the potential to improve health outcomes.

The Wellness Together Canada portal provides free access to educational content, self-guided therapy, moderated peer-to-peer support, and one-to-one counselling with qualified health professionals. If you or a loved one is struggling, you can access the Wellness Together Canada portal , or call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 (adults) or 686868 (youth).

, or call 1-866-585-0445 or text WELLNESS to 741741 (adults) or 686868 (youth). Kids Help Phone is also available 24/7 with e-mental health service offering free, confidential support to young people in English and French.

Associated Links

SOURCE Health Canada

For further information: Maja Staka, Senior Communications Advisor and Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Carolyn Bennett, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health, [email protected]; Media Relations, Health Canada, 613-957-2983, [email protected]; Public Inquiries: 613-957-2991, 1-866-225-0709
By Brian Ambani, Nation Media Group

Kenya's top power producer KenGen has opened up hundreds of acres of land for lease in Naivasha as it lured international investors with cheap power tariffs to put up an industrial park within the geothermal steam fields.

The proposed KenGen Green Energy Park will sit on 845 acres at the Olkaria geothermal field in Naivasha and will include both industrial and non-industrial activities such as offices, data centres, research and development centre, hospitality, visitor experience centre as well as administrative and commercial uses.

The Energy Park will be accessed both by railway and roads to major seaports and airports and supported with the necessary logistical installations and will be developed in four phases between 2025 and 2045, said KenGen.

"The opportunity available is for land lease to the sub-developers interested in setting up operations in the master-planned parcel to utilise geothermal steam and/or brine (hot water), raw water, and electricity," said the power producer.

"KenGen now invites expressions of interest from interested sub-developers and individual manufacturing/processing firms to lease land and set up at the proposed KenGen Green Energy Park in Olkaria, Naivasha," it said.

Host light, steam-intensive industries

The park will host light industries such as warehousing and logistics and supporting industries, medium and heavy industries such as manufacturers of fertilisers, iron and steel, plastics and packaging, and fabricated metal products.

It will also host steam-intensive industries such as pulp and paper, wood and wood products, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, and leather industries.
TORONTO, May 2, 2023 /CNW/ - The Ontario Museum Association encourages all Ontarians to add a museum to their local travel plans! Celebrated annually since 2000, May is Museum Month/Mai, Mois des Musees is a program of the Ontario Museum Association and celebrated by Ontario's 700+ museums, galleries, and heritage sites, their 11,000 employees, and 37,000 volunteers. May is Museum Month provides an opportunity to promote Ontario's heritage and cultural assets, which demonstrate consistent economic and social return on investment, enhancing their benefit and value for communities across the province.

The Honourable Neil Lumsden, Ontario's Minister of Tourism Culture and Sport, offered well wishes to the province's museum sector in celebration of May is Museum Month: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1A781VGYP4

Municipalities across the province, including Toronto, Ottawa, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Oshawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Brockville, Grimsby, and Northumberland County have also issued proclamations that May is Museum Month!

May is Museum Month coincides with International Museum Day on May 18th, a worldwide initiative of the International Council of Museums to highlight museums as key contributors to the wellbeing and to the sustainable development of our communities. As trusted public institutions, museums create a cascading effect to foster positive change  from supporting climate action and fostering inclusivity, to tackling social isolation and improving mental health, to advancing Truth and Reconciliation.

May is Museum Month/Mai, Mois des Musees, also provides an opportunity to recognize the vital role museums play in helping to achieve recovery and reinvigoration across Ontario. Despite the ongoing challenges of the pandemic, museums have exhibited resilience and delivered valuable engagement, serving their communities where possible. The support from all levels of government means that museums can continue to make our communities vibrant and vital places to live, work, visit and invest.

May is Museum Month / Mai, Mois des Musees and International Museum Day are an opportunity to remind us that Ontario museums can help our province rebuild and emerge stronger from the global pandemic. The OMA encourages everyone to rediscover our local community museums in celebration of International Museum Day and May is Museum Month.

Museums are ready to welcome local visitors and tourists alike, with safe, in-person experiences, new exhibits and programs, and many seasonal attractions opening for the summer.

Please see a sample of events and offerings across the province, below:

Central Ontario:

Georgina Pioneer Museum & Archives: Rise to Rebellion: an Interactive Re-creation of the 1837 Rebellion of Upper Canada , May 11 & 12: [https://www.georgina.ca/tourism-information/georgina-pioneer-village-and-archives]

Rise to Rebellion: an Interactive Re-creation of the 1837 Rebellion of , & 12: [https://www.georgina.ca/tourism-information/georgina-pioneer-village-and-archives] Aga Khan Museum: Local or Global? The Future of Diaspora and Immigration Museums Panel Discussion, May 17 : [ https://agakhanmuseum.org/programs/global-conversations-local-or-global]

Local or Global? The Future of Diaspora and Immigration Museums Panel Discussion, : https://agakhanmuseum.org/programs/global-conversations-local-or-global] Lincoln Museum and Cultural Centre: Black on the Bruce Trail presentation, May 18 : [https://lincolnmuseum.ca/whats-on/event-calendar]

Black on the Bruce Trail presentation, : [https://lincolnmuseum.ca/whats-on/event-calendar] Whitchurch-Stouffville Museum & Community Centre: Museum Open House  Free Admission, May 20 : [https://townofws.ca/play/museum/museum-events/]

Museum Open House  Free Admission, : [https://townofws.ca/play/museum/museum-events/] Scugog Shores Museum Village: Opens for the summer May 24 : [https://www.scugog.ca/en/live-and-play/Scugog-Shores-Museum-Village.aspx?_mid_=102528 ]

Opens for the summer : [https://www.scugog.ca/en/live-and-play/Scugog-Shores-Museum-Village.aspx?_mid_=102528 ] Hillary House National Historic Site: The Life and Times of Alfred Lafferty : A Black Educator and Lawyer presentation, May 24 ; [https://aurorahs.com/life-and-times-alfred-lafferty-0]

Eastern Ontario:

Carleton Place & Beckwith Heritage Museum: Coronation Picnic, May 7 : [http://www.cpbheritagemuseum.com/events.html]

Coronation Picnic, : [http://www.cpbheritagemuseum.com/events.html] Vanier Museopark: Chef Marc Lepine cooks for the Vanier Museopark!, May 9 : [https://museoparc.ca/activities-and-events/chef-marc-lepine-cooks-for-the-vanier-museopark/]

Chef cooks for the Vanier Museopark!, : [https://museoparc.ca/activities-and-events/chef-marc-lepine-cooks-for-the-vanier-museopark/] Bytown Museum: Summer Opening, May 12 : [https://bytownmuseum.com/]

Summer Opening, : [https://bytownmuseum.com/] Glengarry Pioneer Museum: Behind the Scenes Open House, May 21 : [https://glengarrypioneermuseum.ca/]

South-Western Ontario:

Wallaceburg & District Museum: Open House, May 11 : [https://www.wallaceburgmuseum.ca/]

Open House, : [https://www.wallaceburgmuseum.ca/] Stratford Perth Museum: Together on this Land Hands-on Experience, May 13 : [https://www.stratfordperthmuseum.ca/together-on-this-land/]

Together on this Land Hands-on Experience, : [https://www.stratfordperthmuseum.ca/together-on-this-land/] Grey Roots Museum and Archives: The Early Black Settlers of Negro Creek presentation, May 13 : [https://greyroots.com/exhibit-event-program/early-black-settlers-negro-creek]

The Early Black Settlers of Negro Creek presentation, : [https://greyroots.com/exhibit-event-program/early-black-settlers-negro-creek] Bell Homestead National Historic Site: May is Museum Month Open House, May 20 : [https://www.brantford.ca/en/bell-homestead-national-historic-site-has-a-lot-to-offer-this-may.aspx]

May is Museum Month Open House, : [https://www.brantford.ca/en/bell-homestead-national-historic-site-has-a-lot-to-offer-this-may.aspx] Oil Museum of Canada : Stuck in a Rock  Oil Industry in Craigleith virtual talk, May 25 : [https://calendar.lambtonmuseums.ca/oilmuseum/Detail/2023-05-25-1900-Virtual-Talk-Stuck-in-a-Rock-Oil-Industry-in-Craig]

Northern Ontario:

The Muse ( Kenora ): 50th Anniversary of Kenora's Bank Robbery: Presentation by author Joe Ralko , May 10 : [https://themusekenora.ca/event/devils-gap-bank-robbery/]

50th Anniversary of Bank Robbery: Presentation by author , : [https://themusekenora.ca/event/devils-gap-bank-robbery/] Museum of Northern History: Mother's Day Brunch, May 13 : [https://www.kirklandlake.ca/things_to_do/museum_of_northern_history]

Mother's Day Brunch, : [https://www.kirklandlake.ca/things_to_do/museum_of_northern_history] Mattawa Museum: Opens for the season May 18 [https://mattawamuseum.ca/]

Background:

About May is Museum Month: #ONMuseumMonth #MayIsMuseumMonth

Celebrated annually since 2000, May is Museum Month/Mai, Mois des Musees is a program of the Ontario Museum Association and celebrated by Ontario's 700+ museums, galleries, and heritage sites, their 11,000 employees, and 37,000 volunteers.

About the Ontario Museum Association:

The Ontario Museum Association strengthens capacity among institutions and individuals active in Ontario's museum sector, facilitates excellence and best practices, and improves the communication and collaboration of its membership. The Association advocates for the important role of Ontario's museums to society, working with all stakeholders, related sectors and industries, and other professional organizations. Read more here: https://members.museumsontario.ca/

Donate to the Ontario Museum Association through CanadaHelps here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/ontario-museum-association/

About Ontario Museums:

Ontario has more than 700 museums, galleries, and heritage sites that welcome more than 19.4 million in-person visits a year

has more than 700 museums, galleries, and heritage sites that welcome more than 19.4 million in-person visits a year Ontario's museums contribute an estimated $1.6 billion in total economic value annually

museums contribute an estimated in total economic value annually Ontario museums employ 11,000 people across the province

museums employ 11,000 people across the province More than 37,000 volunteers contribute 3.6 million hours a year in support of Ontario's museums

museums 77% of Ontario museums offer programs linked to school curriculum, welcoming 2 million visits by Ontario school children every year

museums offer programs linked to school curriculum, welcoming 2 million visits by school children every year Ontario museum websites welcome 112.8 million visits a year  4 visits per second!

museum websites welcome 112.8 million visits a year  4 visits per second! Museums in Ontario have engaging digital content: pictures, video, even virtual reality!

About International Museum Day 2022: Museums, Sustainability and Wellbeing:

A worldwide initiative of the International Council of Museums, organized each year on and around May 18th. On this day, participating museums plan creative events and activities related to the International Museum Day theme, engage with their public and realise the full transformative potential that museums have for sustainable development and wellbeing!

Read more HERE: https://imd.icom.museum/

SOURCE Ontario Museum Association

For further information: For any questions about May is Museum Month, Ontario museums, or museum events in your local area, members of the media may contact: Robin Etherington. Interim Executive Director, Ontario Museum Association, [email protected], 416-348-8672
OTTAWA, ON, May 4, 2023 /CNW/ - How do our decisions in the grocery aisle impact the environment? How do energy savings stack up when choosing public transit and active transportation? Designed as a series of interactive games and quizzes, Our Climate Quest: Small Steps to Big Change explores the answers to these questions and more as visitors discover the big impacts of our everyday choices. The Our Climate Quest exhibition is open now at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.

Young visitors smile and laugh while interacting with the Our Climate Quest: Small Steps to Big Change exhibition. (CNW Group/Ingenium)

Curated and developed by Science North with support from the Government of Canada, Our Climate Quest builds on our current understanding of climate change and its impacts, engaging Canadians on climate action, inspiring visitors to learn more about their roles as change makers, and fostering a problem-solving space that empowers visitors to take meaningful action. With messages of hope that inspire climate solutions, the exhibition avoids a fear-based approach to urging climate action and a more sustainable future.

Included in the price of admission, come discover Our Climate Quest now through September 4, 2023 at the Canada Science and Technology Museum. To learn more and book tickets, visit ingeniumcanada.org .

Quotes

"Climate change is a defining challenge of our time. This remarkable exhibition is highly engaging thanks to clever interactive activities and scientific content that lets audiences of all ages learn about sustainable habits and our role in protecting the environment. We hope it provides an opportunity for our visitors to reflect and explore avenues for change during their museum visit."

- Lisa Leblanc, Director General, Canada Science and Technology Museum

"Developing and touring the Our Climate Quest exhibitions has been a tremendous privilege for Science North as it has allowed us to build upon our commitments to climate action and further strengthen our partnerships across the tourism sector and with the Government of Canada. We are grateful to Environment and Climate Change Canada for funding this transformational initiative, which will reach millions of youth across our country."

- Ashley Larose, CEO, Science North

About the Canada Science and Technology Museum

Ingenium  Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation oversees three museums, one of which is the Canada Science and Technology Museum. The museum tells Canada's innovation story through discovery, play, and experiential learning. Acting as a bridge between science and technology and visitors, the museum's immersive spaces inspire a better understanding of the integral role innovation plays in shaping our shared future. As visitors walk through the exhibitions, visit the demonstration stage, or tinker in Exploratek, they become a part of Canada's story of science, technology, and innovation.

About Science North

Science North is Northern Ontario's most popular tourist attraction and an educational resource for children and adults across the province. Science North maintains the second  and eighth- largest science centres in Canada. Science North's attractions include a science centre, IMAX theatre, digital Planetarium, butterfly gallery, special exhibits hall, and Dynamic Earth: Home of the Big Nickel. Science North, in partnership with Laurentian University, offers North America's first and only comprehensive Science Communication program, a joint master's and Graduate Diploma program. As part of its mandate, Science North provides science experiences throughout Northern Ontario including outreach to schools and festivals, summer science camps and more, and has a permanent base in Thunder Bay providing outreach to the Northwest. Science North is an agency of the Government of Ontario. For information, visit sciencenorth.ca.

SOURCE Ingenium

For further information: Media Contacts, Philippe Tremblay, Ingenium - Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation, [email protected], 343-543-5337
A port regulation adopted by Peru to combat illegal fishing by Chinese squid vessels appears to have backfired and driven the world's largest overseas fishing fleet deeper into the shadows, increasing the risk of forced labor, according to new research.

Peru in 2020 began requiring any foreign fishing boat entering its ports to use a vessel monitoring system allowing its activities to be tracked in real time 24 hours a day. The equipment, which tracks a vessels geographic position and fishing activity through a proprietary satellite communication system, sought to provide authorities with visibility into several hundred Chinese squid vessels that every year amass off the west coast of South America. With the support of Global Fishing Watch, a non-profit that encourages sustainable fishing, Peru joined a handful of countries making the information publicly available as well.

Decades of overfishing have pushed Chinas fishing fleet farther from home. But its expansion to far-flung locations has been dogged by accusations of illegal fishing on the high seas, as well as instances of forced labor. Its also drawn stiff criticism from the United States, which has made combatting illegal fishing a top priority and recently boosted efforts to monitor the Chinese fleet off the coast of South America.

Instead of increasing oversight, the new Peruvian regulations appear to have driven Chinese ships away from the country's ports  and kept crews made up of impoverished Filipinos and Indonesians at sea for longer periods, exposing them to abuse, according to new research published by Peruvian fishing consultancy Artisonal.

Artisonal, in the r eport published on its website, found that only three of the 671 Chinese vessels authorized to fish in the eastern Pacific have installed the equipment.

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This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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Meanwhile, port visits by Chinese vessels to Peru for maintenance, crew changes or to resupply have plummeted from over 300 in 2019 to just 21 last year. The bulk of the recent visits were the result of never before used and unspecified emergency requests  so called "forced arrivals" in Spanish  by ships lacking the at-sea monitoring devices. Instead of docking in Peru, some of the Chinese vessels appear to be making the long journey back to China between fishing seasons while others have moved to the Chilean port of Punta Arenas as an alternative logistical hub.

Relying on satellite tracking technology, Artisonal found that instead of offloading crew and restocking in Peru, the closest coastline to the fishing area, the vessels are staying longer at sea  what it says is a red flag for potential abuse of the roughly 16,000 crew members aboard the giant fleet. Before the port regulations, foreign squid vessels spent on average 10-12 months at sea but now the length of the typical fishing trip has increased to 18-24 months before returning to China, according to Artisonal.

A crew members life in the open ocean does not depend on themselves but on the skipper, said Eloy Aroni, one of Artisonal's owners and author of the report.

Artisonal's research cites the case of the Chang Tai 802. In August 2019, the vessel entered the Peruvian port of Chimbote to leave a crew member with a kidney infection that required emergency care. The Associated Press spotted the same vessel in July 2021 in the eastern Pacific as part of an investigation into the activities of the Chinese distant water fishing fleet, which numbers at least 3,000 vessels. During an at-sea encounter an Indonesian crew member screamed from the stern of the vessel I want to go home. Family members who hadn't heard from their loved one for months expressed concern.

Instead, the Chang Tai 802 fished another year and finally returned to port, in China, in August 2022, according to Artisonal. After a brief visit, it returned to South America a month later.

The ship's owner, Haimen Changtai Pelagic, did not respond to an email requesting comment.

Crews of several other vessels identified by Artisonal face similarly dire conditions, spending in some cases as long as three years at sea. To operate for such extended periods, giant support ships supply them with fuel and food while refrigerated cargo vessels haul their catch back to China.

China's Agriculture Ministry, which regulates China's fishing fleet, didn't respond to a request for comment. Beijing in the past has said it has zero tolerance for illegal fishing and points to recent actions such as introducing a temporary moratorium every year on high seas squid fishing as evidence of its environmental stewardship. Those now criticizing China, including the U.S. and Europe, for decades raided the oceans themselves.

Aroni, who previously worked for Peru's fishing industry, said the dramatic jump in previously unheard of forced arrivals last year was also a concern. He cited the case of the Zhe Pu Yuan 98, which was responsible for eight of the total 14 emergency landings recorded last year  each one lasting less than 24 hours. In the absence of additional information from Peruvian authorities, he said it was reasonable to suspect that the ship was taking advantage of the loophole to change crews. The ship's owner, Zhoushan Putuo Deep-Sea, did not respond to an email requesting comment.

Not going to Peruvian ports allows the ships to avoid scrutiny not only of their labor practices but also potential safety risks as well as inspections for illegal fishing.

Juan Carlos Sueiro, an expert on fishing in Peru with the international conservation group Oceana, said that China's fleet appears to be making a mockery of the new rules. He suggested Peru tighten regulations to make clear under what conditions foreign-flagged vessels can make emergency visits to ports in Peru.

Activities that threaten the sustainability of resources are based on forms of modern slavery and are very dynamic, he said in an interview. Squid fishing is a case in point. The restrictions imposed by Peru for access to Peruvian ports has led the fleet to move to other ports, but above all by staying longer at sea, which further erodes crew members' already precarious labor rights.



Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman

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NEW HAVEN  Local police have identified the victim of an early morning homicide.

The victim was identified as Ji'Tu Garrett, 45, of Meriden, said Capt. Rose Dell, public information officer for the New Haven Police Department. Mayor Justin Elicker earlier said the deceased appeared to be a middle-aged man.

The deadly shooting took place at approximately 6:30 a.m. Friday at the intersection of Congress Avenue and Vernon Street, Elicker and Dell said. According to preliminary investigations, the incident appears to have stemmed from a dispute.

Officers responding to the scene around 6:35 a.m. Friday found the victim, later identified as Garrett, suffering from gunshot wounds, according to Dell. He was immediately transported to Yale New Haven Hospital but died soon after, Dell said.

We are actively investigating this incident and are asking anyone with any information to come forward and contact the police department, New Haven Chief of Police Karl Jacobson said in a statement Friday afternoon, This type of gun violence is unacceptable, and were committed to finding those responsible and bringing them to justice.

Detectives from the NHPDs Major Crimes Unit and Bureau of Identification arrived at the location to interview potential witnesses and collect evidence. The shooting occurred in The Hill neighborhood, just blocks away from Yale New Haven Hospital.

Elicker said police are working to identify the suspected shooter, and asked anyone with information to speak with investigators.

Theres an ongoing investigation, there were a lot of officers on scene this morning," who will seek any video evidence from surrounding buildings, he added.

Elicker said the city is working a "multi-pronged approach" to dealing with gun violence that includes focusing on those most at risk. He said those efforts have paid off, while acknowledging Friday's homicide as a setback.

About a week before Friday's shooting, Elicker said police responded to an incident where shots were fired around the corner from the scene. Authorities have since made arrests in that incident, he said.

Further updates on the investigation will be provided as they become available, according to Dell.

Anyone with information regarding the fatal shooting can contact the New Haven Police Department at 203-946-6304 or submit a tip via the departments anonymous tip line at 866-888-TIPS (8477).

Check back for updates.
WEST HAVEN  The City Council approved a $172.6 million budget for fiscal year 2024 Thursday that slightly cuts the $173.4 million budget proposed by Mayor Nancy Rossi, but will raise the city tax rate by 0.81 mill and give the next mayor nearly $22,000 more in annual salary.

The current tax rate of 34 mills would increase to 34.81 mills under the council-approved budget, and the pay for mayor would increase to $109,161.

One mill represents $1 per $1,000 of assessed property value. West Haven residents also pay a supplemental fire district tax that typically adds at least 10 mills, based on the district.

"We want to make sure we fund the services appropriately, but recognize the need to be conscious of the mill rate for our residents," said Councilman Ron Quagliani, D-At Large, acting finance committee chairman. "I think we achieved that in this budget."

The budget still must get the approval of the Municipal Accountability Review Board, a state oversight board that has placed West Haven under its highest level of oversight due to historical fiscal distress and a failure to demonstrate strong procedural controls.

The council approved the budget following two consecutive days of deliberations after hearing from representatives from most city departments.

On Wednesday, the first day that council members proposed amendments to Rossi's proposed budget, council Chairman Peter Massaro, D-6, proposed an amendment to increase the mayor's annual pay, prorated to become effective the first day of a new elected term in December, to $109,161  a $21,639 annual increase. The amendment, which did not receive any discussion Wednesday, fell one vote short of reaching the necessary nine-vote amendment threshold with an 8-3 vote.

On Thursday, with previously missing Councilwoman Katherine Tucker, D-7, in attendance, the same proposed amendment passed by a 9-3 vote following a discussion in which most council members shared an opinion.

Massaro said the mayor's current pay is not competitive with other comparable municipalities and likely has limited the city's candidate pool. He said that when the city recently went through a charter revision process that narrowly failed with voters that there was a proposal to have a town manager and mayor whose combined salaries would have totaled roughly $100,000 more than the proposed $109,161 mayoral salary.

Council Minority Leader Steven Johnstone, R-10, said he was receptive to the argument about expanding the candidate pool and making the city's top executive role more financially desirable, but argued against the measure as being the wrong priority for the city.

We are in a financial mess," he said. You can raise it, but the MARB has stated many times, until you change your culture it's hard to change everything else behind it.

Multiple supporters of the amendment argued that raising the mayor's pay would be a first step in addressing the city's issues.

"Nothing changes if nothing changes. I can't make it any simpler than that," said Councilman Mitchell Gallignano, D-4.

Quagliani said he believes the city is "upside down," as the mayor's salary is less than the majority of her direct reports, including the finance director, personnel director and corporation counsel. He said that, according to Connecticut Conference of Municipalities data, a $109,161 salary would still be thousands below the mayoral salaries in cities of a similar size and demographic such as Meriden, Hamden and Milford.

I dont want to get to the middle, I just want to get in the ballgame, he said.

Councilwoman Colleen O'Connor, R-At Large, broke with the Republican minority on the vote, while Councilman Victor Borras, D-9, broke with the Democratic majority.

How do we know there's not some great hidden little gem, that he or she needed twenty-thousand more dollars so that they're willing to give up their entire life for two years to make West Haven a better place to live? O'Connor said.

Borras, who has filed paperwork to run for mayor, argued that candidates should run "from the heart" instead of looking at the office's financial compensation.

I agree money is important, but it's not the reason to do it for one person when you can do it for all, he said.

Quagliani said he was hopeful the MARB would approve the budget on its merits, as the council "followed most of their guidance."

Johnstone, who was one of two votes against approving the budget with Councilwoman Meli Garthwait, R-2, said he felt like the council could have made more cuts from the budget.

I'm pleased with the progress, but at the end of the day when you can trim more fat off the bone, every dollar counts to every constituent right now, he said.

Republicans proposed several unsuccessful amendments to cut from high-funded areas in the budget, including the street lighting and public works fuel line item. Johnstone and Garthwait argued that, despite increasing energy costs, City Hall can be more diligent to reduce the overall consumption. Garthwait said she had witnessed Public Works vehicles waiting in long drive-thru lines for things such as coffee and banking.

Democrats on the council said they agreed that their Republican colleagues had identified a problem worthy of consideration, but the issue lies with management, and cutting from things such as fuel for city vehicles isn't likely to change behavior.

During deliberations, Garthwait said she had spoken to every declared mayoral candidate as of Thursday and said they all said they believe the $89,161 pay is sufficient.

"For me, it has never been about the salary, but about continuing to serve the people and shepherding this City through this difficult chapter into the better and brighter days yet to come," said Republican mayoral candidate Steven Mullins in a statement Friday.

Republican candidate Paige Weinstein said the measure was "(rammed) through" by the council after the majority had enough votes on a second day of deliberations, despite the amendment failing on the first day.

"This was a self-serving political act by the Democrats and Republican Councilwoman Colleen O'Connor," she said in a statement. "There are multiple candidates who have announced their run for Mayor and were willing to accept the original budgeted salary."

Weinstein said that, if elected, she would refuse the pay increase.

Barry Lee Cohen, a former Republican mayoral candidate who filed paperwork to run again this week, said the salary is not his reason for running.

"It's time that we stop paying for the financial incompetence that Westies have endured for too many years, and begin focusing on our community through executing responsible economic development that will improve the quality of our lives," he said in a statement.

Former Mayor Ed O'Brien, who filed an exploratory committee as a Democratic candidate for the coming election, said he was "not sure if this was the year" for an increase, but agreed with the numbers presented during the council's discussion that West Haven's mayoral pay lags behind other communities.

Rossi said this week she has not yet decided whether she will seek a fourth term. She said the council's adjustment would make the city "more competitive," but believes the mayor's salary is viewed through a political lens when it should be subject to cost of living adjustment increases rather than "waiting until the last minute to dump a lump sum payment into the salary of the mayor." Rossi said that, as mayor, she keeps herself separate from the council's deliberations and actions and thanked the council for "the long nights and hard work on the budget."
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GENEVA (AP)  The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide.

The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe.

The U.N. health agency's officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn't finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects.

Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, he said, warning that new variants could yet emerge. Tedros noted that while the official COVID-19 death toll was 7 million, the real figure was estimated to be at least 20 million.

Tedros said the pandemic had been on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries have already returned to life before COVID-19.

He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, saying the pandemic had shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty.

The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving. Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administrations response to the pandemic had a role in his losing reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world  where more than 1 million people died across the country.

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO's emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced.

Ryan said that some of the scenes witnessed during COVID-19, when people resorted to bartering for oxygen canisters, fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldn't get treated, must never be repeated.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadn't yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped most of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

WHO doesn't declare pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway.

WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the worlds response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded.

In January 2020, WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the countrys lack of cooperation.

WHO also recommended against mask-wearing for the public for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHOs reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agencys lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure by failing to share shots with poor countries.

Most recently, WHO has struggled to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavour that has also become politically fraught.

After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as extremely unlikely.

But the U.N. agency backtracked the following year, saying key pieces of data were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab.

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described COVID-19 as a once-in-a-lifetime disaster" and said that broad immunity against the virus meant we were now in a new phase of the outbreak.

Woolhouse noted there had also been significant criticism of WHO's pandemic response, in addition to those of its member countries and others.

He lamented that the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing much self-inflicted harm by shutting down much of society.

"Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned, he said.

___

Maria Cheng reported from London.
President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan has signed a decree on amendments to the "List of positions with higher special ranks in the customs authorities of Azerbaijan".

The decree reads as follows:

1.1. Paragraphs "Head of the Sumgait Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service", "Head of the Western Territorial Main Customs Administration - Major General of the Customs Service", "Head of the Southern Territorial Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service" and "Head of the Northern Territorial Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service" have been canceled.

1.2. The words "Head of the Main Customs Administration for Energy Resources and Sea Transport" are replaced by the words "Head of the Main Customs Administration for Sea Transport and Energy Resources".

2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan will resolve issues arising from this Decree.
Nevada Governor Joe Lombardo joined Ormat, Nevada Energy leadership and others to celebrate the completion of the new, state-of-the-art binary geothermal project at North Valley with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and facility tour.

Part of the 24,000-acre San Emidio Geothermal Unit, the North Valley Geothermal Project is expected to produce emission-free, renewable geothermal energy for about 22,000 homes while offsetting 3.5 million tons of CO2.

Ormat Technologies, Inc. says it is a leading geothermal company and the only vertically integrated company engaged in geothermal and recovered energy generation ("REG"), with the objective of becoming a leading global provider of renewable energy.

Paul Thompson, Vice President of Business Development, says, "What you see behind me is simply we bring up hot water, that hot water turns a turbine, and it starts producing electricity. We pump one hundred percent of that hot water back into the ground. And we do that continuously. The power plant will run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. We have about 20 full time staff. And it took about 400 employees to build this power plant."

The power plant will produce electricity for about 22,000 homes in reno. That power will be provided to NV Energy. In environmental terms, Thompson says that over its lifetime this plant will avoid about 3.5 million metric tons of CO2.

Thompson says, "And it also provides about 2.5 million dollars in economic development to Nevada."

Ormat says this is one of 16 plants they own in Nevada, and they produce more than 400 megawatts of clean renewable energy. They say that means stable power developed right here in the silver state.

"We control this power, we control the pricing so we should see more stable pricing in increased economic development in Nevada," says Thompson.

But not everyone is celebrating Ormat's finished project. Protestors stood outside of the plant nervous for what may come next.

Ormat is considering another plant right next to Gerlach.

Dave Cooper, Gerlach Resident, says, "There is a whole list of major concerns about Ormat not just doing the geothermal exploration but the potential for building a powerplant in our community."

Residents of Gerlach say that not only does this plant invade their space but it could also ruin the community's water supply and put them at risk.

Jason Walters, Black Rock Desert Resident, says, "I attended three meetings with Ormat, as did a lot of other townspeople. We have been offered nothing. Nothing for our risks."

Protestors argue that these kind of plants and large facilities will ruin the historic aspect of Gerlach and run off tourist, which they thrive off. Those behind the project say the plants bring in new jobs and again, create economic opportunities.

The Company has engineered, manufactured and constructed power plants, which it currently owns or has installed to utilities and developers worldwide, totaling over 2,900 MW of gross capacity.

Read the full article on 2News.
A new structure installed near Table Rock will be coming down almost as fast as it went up.

On Monday, Niagara Parks Commission will be removing the red flower-shaped display designed for selfie photos because of its height.

It doesnt quite work, said David Adames, chief executive officer of Niagara Parks. The scale is not quite right for that space.

Installed on Wednesday, the piece was part of the Niagara Parks Mosaiculture temporary installation set up in Gatineau, Que., in 2017. Adames said Niagara Parks was looking for a new structure visitors could take selfies with at Table Rock, following the Canada 150 sign in 2017, Fleurs de Villes display in 2021 and Nik Wallenda statue last year.

When we were planning for this season we thought, OK, can we put an installation there that people can take pictures with, engage with? he said. Then we realized we had some of these remnants left from Mosaiculture.

The structure, dubbed Niagara Gateway, is shaped like a hybrid maple leaf and white trillium, Ontarios provincial flower. But soon after installation, it became apparent it was too large for its location, said Adames.

Its a little too high, said Adames. We have to think about different perspectives.

The scale might work if youre standing outside next to it, but if youre dining in our restaurant above, weve noticed it does impede the view. Theres also the view from the upper Grand Hall on the second floor.

It didnt quite work. But its a piece we already had so we wanted to experiment with it.

Adames said something will replace it in the near future. The Table Rock location, with the Horseshoe Falls in the background, has proven to be an ideal spot for selfies.

Its very much a photo moment at that location with the backdrop, he said.

Last years Nik Wallendas statue was set up to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of his wirewalk across the falls. While popular with tourists, Adames said it was never meant to be permanent.

Were just going to continue to assess what will work there from a lot of different perspectives.

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Airline travel used to be pure pleasure. SATA, a Portuguese airline, served passengers a mimosa while we waited on the tarmac to take off. There was a selection of that days newspapers, a pillow, a thin blanket and maybe slippers. The wine or beer that came with your complimentary meal was free, as was the breakfast before landing in Lisbon. Passengers were always in a good mood with strangers swapping travel stories and tips on places to stay and favourite restaurants.

The meals came with real utensils so you could actually cut your food with a metal knife and fork and then take a delicious bite of  Woman On American Airlines Restrained With Duct Tape After Biting Flight Attendant. You see how the switch flipped so dramatically right there, from tucking into a poached salmon entree to taking a chunk out of the arm of the woman who just showed you how to inflate your emergency flotation device? This, of course, necessitated Donna, the flight attendant, to announce: Im aware that the portion of your inflight meal could be smaller than expected but, like smoking, cannibalism is not allowed on this flight.

Actually, the portions of food offered by airlines have been noticeably scaled-down which has caused some people  HorizonAir Passenger Fined $32,000 For Punching Her Husband And Son, Then Stealing Cookies From Another Passenger.  to bring their own snacks on board.

Reminiscing, mealtime at 38,000 feet was the special treat you looked  Turkish Airlines Passenger Bites The Finger Of Flight Attendant  you looked back on with nostalgia.

The PA announcements used to be dull but somewhat informative like: Today well be flying at 38,000 feet. The weather in Tampa is a balmy 26 degrees and  Hey! Wait.! Give that back! Unruly Passenger on Delta Air Line Tries to Make Announcements Over Planes Loudspeaker. Which of course forces the pilot to come on after the passenger has been subdued and announce: I work alone. Okay?

Back then it was fun watching a stewardess demonstrate to several hundred people how to properly do up a seatbelt and then point out the nearest washrooms like we needed a GPS system to  American Airline Passenger Accused Of Urinating On Another Flyer On New York  Delhi Flight. Now the flight attendant has to point out that: Washrooms are located in the front and back of the plane. Fellow passengers, as annoying as they might be, are not to be confused with urinals. Thank you.

Passengers used to have patience. After the plane landed and the seatbelt sign was turned off, you got your carry-on bag and followed an orderly line of people down the aisle and out . Delta Passenger Opens Exit Door, Triggers Emergency Slide And Jumps Out Onto Tarmac. Now the flight attendant has to clarify that The emergency doors are for, you know, emergencies. And if you forgot to feed the damn cat this morning, ask to borrow a cellphone.

Once in a while, most likely in First Class, you would spot a celebrity and  Inebriated Man Restrained On Frontier Airlines After Groping Breasts Of Several Flight Attendants  and Charlie Sheen has agreed to enter rehab yet again.

There used to be more personal space between the seats and it was nice to   United Flight Cancelled After Two Men Fist Fight Over Armrest  nice to stretch out a bit.

Back when people flew the friendly skies, you were surrounded by laughter and pleasant scenes of couples all excited about  Woman Flying Southwest Clobbers Male Travel Companion With Phone That Then Explodes In Flames.  about trying to calculate bail money in two different currencies.

Flight attendants in the good ol days took training courses in manners and etiquette, mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and the Heimlich manoeuvre. Todays airline employees are  Drunk Passenger Headbutts Flight Attendant.  are taking lessons in judo and self-defence.

Flight attendants seemed to enjoy their jobs back then, their smiles and kind words interrupted only by turbulence. Today I think theyre under a lot of pressure  Off-Duty Flight Attendant Wearing Helmet And Kneepads Subdued On Delta Run After Screaming Help me, Jesus. 

My biggest fear was that the plane would hit a bumpy patch and somebodys duty-free purchase would fall out of the overhead compartment and hit me on  Frontier Airlines Flight Diverted After Man With Two Box Cutters Threatens Passengers.  on the noggin. Maybe, under certain circumstances, being conked on the head unconscious is not such a bad thing when youre flying these days.

These headlines, all true, said it better than I could  airline travel has changed, the way Donald Trump changed America.

For a comment or a signed copy of humour columnist William Thomass The Legend Of Zippy Chippy, email: williamjthomas@gmail.com

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Francine Shimizu holds her daughter Heather Winterstein's ashes as she stands in front of what was her prom dress. Winterstein passed away in 2021 after visiting the St. Catharines Hospital.





Francine Shimizu hopes her daughter, Heather Winterstein, is the last name added to the list of missing and murdered Indigenous women.

She spoke as part of a small gathering at the St. Catharines General Hospital on May 5, in honour of her daughter, and in honour of Red Dress Day, which brings awareness to the thousands of Indigenous woman, girls and Two-Spirit people who have been subject to violence in Canada.

In December of 2021, 24-year-old Winterstein went to the emergency room twice in two days complaining of back pain.

The first time, she was sent home with Tylenol.

The second time, her family said she was taken to hospital by ambulance, collapsed in the waiting room, and never regained consciousness.

Wintersteins family, along with Indigenous and non-Indigenous organizations such as Niagara Chapter Native Women Inc. and the Niagara Ontario Health Team ESON, called for a coroners inquest into her death.

Niagara Health conducted an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Now, a year and a half later, her family members are still waiting for answers.

We're waiting for the reports from the Ministry of Long-Term Care, as well as Niagara EMS, Shimizu said. Ive been waiting patiently.

Jennifer Dockstader, executive director of the Fort Erie Native Friendship Centre, said its important to gather around Wintersteins family to help them mourn, but also to raise awareness.

Our Indigenous women should not be at risk wherever they go, she said. I know that a national emergency has been called federally, but we need to actually take action right now. This is more about society changing their attitude toward Indigenous women and making sure that these things stop happening.

A red dress hung from a nearby tree, but it wasnt just any dress. It was Wintersteins prom dress, which just happened to be red.

Shimizu donated her daughters dress as part of the red dress exhibit put on by Celebration of Nations.

We are here today to honour Heather, but we are also here today to honour all missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls, said Michele-Elise Burnett, artistic director of Celebration of Nations.

The red dress has been used as a symbol for missing and murdered Indigenous women since Metis artist Jamie Black hung more than 100 red dresses around the University of Winnipeg campus 2010.

While Shimizu is grateful her daughter has been officially added to the list of missing and murdered Indigenous women, she wishes shed be the last one.

Id like the list to end, Id like it to stop, she said. I want to prevent further loss of life at the hospitals, not only just in Niagara, but in Ontario, across Canada, because this is a nationwide problem.

 With files from Richard Hutton

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Niagara Falls city council will consider authorizing staff to advertise a request for expression of interest for a community focus group that will provide resident and landowner input about a controversial quarry proposal.

During an April 18 meeting, councillors Ruth-Ann Nieuwesteeg and Mona Patel gave notice to their colleagues they would bring forward a motion at the next session to create a community focus group to address concerns surrounding a quarry proposal by Walker Aggregates.

The issue is scheduled to be discussed during Tuesdays meeting, with a staff report on the agenda recommending council authorize them to advertise a request for expression of interest for the group.

The group will be comprised of concerned residents, city staff and representatives from Walker Aggregates to address key issues with the quarry application to ensure transparency, input, communication and consensus, said the report.

Such a focus group may assist in ensuring concerns are addressed in a transparent, comprehensive and efficient manner and that solutions to address these concerns may be presented to council for their consideration, said the report.

It is recommended the group consist of six-to-eight volunteers consisting of nearby residents including from the Fernwood community, residents at large, local businesses and those interested in natural heritage. Representation from Walker Aggregates Inc. and the Region would also be requested.

Walker Aggregates has submitted an official plan and zoning bylaw amendment application to the city to permit a quarry on lands adjacent to Thorold Townline Road, Beechwood Road and Uppers Lane.

An application for a license under the Aggregate Resources Act has also been made to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry.

Considerable public interest has been shown in the application.

Walker created a website with documents, background and an explanation of its plans. According to the website, additional stone is needed based on Niagaras continued growth. A new quarry would meet the demands for critical infrastructure, construction and community development projects in the coming years.

Social-media pages and websites have also been created for people who oppose Walkers plan, while several information meetings have been held where people have expressed concerns.

At open houses held on the city application in March 2022 and for the provincial license request this past March, a substantial number of public comments and concerns were made, including but not limited to noise and vibration, safety, air quality, natural heritage impact and traffic. Many of these comments have been made by nearby residents, including from Fernwood subdivision.

A community focus group can be an effective tool in encouraging public participation and having issues about a planning initiative or proposal discussed in a transparent fashion, said the report.

Such a group can assist in identifying or scoping the concerns and issues and provide answers in how such concerns may be addressed. Forming such a group does not imply that city will approve the Planning Act applications to permit the quarry, nor does it remove the rights of group members to participate in the public process of these applications or to appeal a decision of council to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

The report said several questions should be addressed by the group, including what the potential impacts are that a quarry may have, including on surrounding residents, what further information would help in addressing concerns and issues involving impact, what regulations or conditions should be imposed or requested to address concerns and issues if the quarry is approved and what type of monitoring and reporting should happen if the quarry is approved.

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In one room, a workshop used writing to help students understand injustice and promote change. Down the hallway, an exploration on how to challenge prejudice and discrimination within school communities.

There were panel discussions and sessions on advocacy and anti-racism, on deconstructing existing Muslim narratives and learning about supporting LGBTQ+ youth. In the afternoon, a session led students to walk through and experience historical changes to a First Nations community.

Every student was handed a booklet, to write down their thoughts, documenting what they learned and what messages to take back into their lives and their schools.

Listen, learn, act.

Rise up.

Watching as students exited the workshops, Pratima Burton thought the main attraction would be the buffet lunch but instead saw students stop in the hallway, talking with local community groups, including Niagara Falls Community Health Centre and TOES Niagara, learning and gathering information.

I think that they were craving this. I think they were looking for an opportunity to come together and discuss things that are on their minds and important to them, said Burton, student achievement leader of equity, inclusion and anti-racism for the District School Board of Niagara.

You could feel the energy as soon as they started arriving ... theyre all here for the same purpose.

Rise Up  Students Leading the Change was DSBNs first studentwide equity conference, bringing together secondary students from across the region to address issues of inequity and inspiring change to build a more inclusive community.

About 200 students, representing each DSBN school, were invited to the conference at Niagara Falls Convention Centre.

Participants selected four workshops to attend, with the boards equity team and a member of staff from each school  they listened and learned but did not speak during the sessions, said Burton  available for support, as well as youth counsellors and social workers in the event a student needed to step away.

It also had an inclusive buffet and a multi-faith meditation room to ensure people were walking into an inclusive space.

I was stepping into each of the sessions upstairs and in every single one of them it felt like I was almost intruding because they were so engaged and tuned into what they were doing and listening to and discussing, said Burton.

They are equity minded students, they want to be involved, they just dont want to be bystanders and they know theyre here to listen, learn and hopefully they get some ideas to go back to their schools if theres any social justice initiatives that they want to work on.

Twin sisters Laiba and Alisha Azhar said they came to the conference because they believe we need to make a difference. For Alisha, the highlight was the keynote speech from celbrated Canadian poet Dwayne Morgan, and for Laiba, it was an anti-Islamophobia session.

As a young Muslim, Laiba heard the racist slurs but said she didnt understand the impact of those words or what they really meant. Attending the morning session led by National Council of Canadian Muslims really hit me in a different place.

This actually happens (in the world) and I should have known when I was younger and I wish I knew so I can call it out but I didnt, she said. It affects you as youre growing up.

Grade 10 student Yousuf Huq said what has struck him was learning the difference between a saviour mindset  when people think they are superior to others, trying to help when not needed  and a helping mindset.

We should be helping resources for those marginalized communities, said Huq. How can (we) give the microphone back to those communities and let them be the voice for themselves, and say, Im here to help.

Grade 12 student Tasneem Elatresh said the day was amazing but it was difficult knowing the people who could benefit the most from the experience were not in the building.

How do we make this so its not just us? said Elatresh. Because, yes, we have so much to learn and I have learned so much, but I do think that its people who are already educated or already socially, ethically minded coming here and the people who need it most, theyre not here, and thats so frustrating to me.

Figuring that part out is the students next step as they head back to their schools.

Laiba and Alisha Azhar want to do more than put posters on school hallways, in hopes of making everyone feel safe at our school.

Huq wants to help his community understand how to help, and the importance of letting minority groups share their stories.

Burton said that is the idea.

These are our leaders, so when they go back to schools theyre going to start promoting and sharing what theyve leaned and start pulling students in, pulling in other people, she said. You need somebody to start it and these are the people, these are the change-makers.

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When the owner of a cocktail lounge took out the garbage following a New Years Eve party, he discovered the lifeless body of 29-year-old Avery Lee.

Rayne Gomer, the victims former partner, was arrested by police and charged with manslaughter. His blood-covered clothing was seized as evidence.

The young man told police he had been at the lounge that night. He had followed the victim outside, hoping to talk to her, but was punched in the head by someone and then blacked out.

Did he commit the crime?

That was the question teams of students tried to answer during the Niagara High School Mock Trial Tournament held Thursday and Friday at the St. Catharines courthouse.

Organized by Ontario Justice Education Network, the fifth annual event pitted teams of students against each other in a courtroom  one team on prosecution, the other on defence.

The teens took on the roles of lawyers and witnesses and made their case before a panel of judges made up of local lawyers and Crown attorneys.

Im always impressed by the students, lawyer David DIntino, who organizes the annual event, said Friday.

They take it very seriously and Im always impressed by how polished they are.

Seventeen-year-old Benjamin Hebert cross-examined a witness on behalf of a team from St. Catharines Denis Morris High School.

This was the second time the Grade 12 student had competed in the tournament.

As soon as we got the case, we started thinking of the possibilities for cross-examination, he said.

Hebert, who will studying business at Niagara University in the fall, said the mock trials helps students develop self-confidence and critical thinking skills.

These cases are not based on emotions, but facts, he said.

Denis Morris teacher Jay Naphin said the event provides students with a hands-on experience that is difficult to duplicate in the classroom.

Ive watched them do mock trials in the classroom and to see them up here in a real court in front of judges and lawyers  its kind of a proud dad moment for me, he said.

Each team was mentored by a local lawyer, with legal professionals from Ottawa also participating via Zoom. The Denis Morris team was mentored by local assistant Crown attorney Henry Limheng.

Preliminary trials were held Thursday and Friday morning. Denis Morris outscored Fonthills E.L. Crossley Secondary School in the finals to be crown the champion.

The other participating schools were: Saint Michael High School, Saint Paul High School and A.N. Myer High School, of Niagara Falls; St. Francis Catholic Secondary School and Laura Secord Secondary School, of St. Catharines; and Blessed Trinity Catholic Secondary School and West Niagara Secondary School, of Grimsby.

Criminal lawyer Bobbie Walker was one of the volunteer judges.

Im very impressed, she said of the students.

Sitting through two days of trials you see their progression and how theyre developing and learning.

Ontario Justice Education Network is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that develops educational tools that introduce young people to the justice system and helps them to understand the law.

The competition is a partnership between the network and the Ontario Bar Association.

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TORONTO - Shopify Inc.s layoff this week will add a slew of new workers to the job-hunting pool at a time when experts say candidates are taking longer to find their next gig.

The question is will they immediately find that (next job)? Maybe not, said Tricia Williams, director of research at the Future Skills Centre at Toronto Metropolitan University.

There might be some...transition disruptions as they sort out what their next move is.

The lengthy job hunt is being partially caused and exacerbated by a wave of layoffs that began last year and has continued in 2023 with companies as large as Google, Amazon and Meta cutting workers.

Many of the companies that made head count reductions attributed the moves to their leaders having misjudged demand for their products as people return to pre-pandemic habits.

However, the chief executive of Ottawa-based e-commerce software giant Shopify, said the Thursday staffing reduction he carried out was meant to refocus the company on its main mission and reduce distracting side quests.

The company refused to give the number of staff that would be departing the company in its second layoff in the last year, but said it amounted to about 20 per cent of staff.

A regulatory filing showed Shopify had 11,600 employees at the end of 2022. Twenty per cent of that amounts to about 2,300 people.

Despite the layoff, Williams said that tech workers are still in high demand in Canada, something April Hicke, co-founder of womens tech and hiring collective Toast, is also seeing.

However, both said the job market those laid off from the sector are facing has changed since before and even during the early stages of the pandemic.

While hiring is steady for engineer, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence roles, Hicke said sales, people and culture and product job are less in demand and more likely to be part of layoffs.

While layoffs might generate headlines, probably the more substantial shift in the job market is really the hiring freezes that have happened at lots of places, said Brendon Bernard, senior economist at job posting site Indeed.

Software development postings on his companys website last spring were more than double their pre-pandemic level, but have given all those gains back and are slightly lower than they were in February 2020.

Those looking for jobs arent being snatched up as quickly as they were at the pandemics onset, when tech valuations skyrocketed.

In Toronto, were seeing about six months is how long its taking people to find another thing, and more so in Calgary. I would say nine months-ish, Hicke said.

And many are taking a pay or title cut just to be employed again.

Were seeing people who are definitely operating at a director level, taking manager positions because its the only thing available, she said.

Whereas workers were jumping to roles that would pay them from $60,000 to $100,000 more at the height of the pandemic, Hicke now sees some taking 10 to 20 per cent pay cuts.

The average tech worker salary last year was $133,000, said Hired, an employment platform that compiles average annual salaries.

Its data based on 907,000 interviews across more than 47,750 active positions available between January 2019 and June 2022 in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. found almost 42 per cent of tech workers think employers have more power and doubt that will change in the near-term.

About 27 per cent felt jobseekers had more power but expected that to change in the near-term.

But Williams said, I wouldnt quite say employers have the upper hand yet.

We have both a labour shortage but also a skills shortage, so the people who are looking for work generally dont have the skills that are being asked for in the marketplace, she said.

But Im pretty confident that a lot of the Shopify workforce will have relevant skills for the broader labour market.

However, she said some laid-off workers might not find themselves in the traditional tech jobs or at the tech giants they are accustomed to working for.

That means tech workers could crop up in tech jobs in completely different sectors like agriculture, Williams said.

They might not get a job specifically in tech, but tech is infiltrating every kind of economy.

For many companies who have long tried to lure over tech workers, the markets current conditions are a helping hand, Bernard pointed out.

They might be finding it easier to find candidates just because there are other parts of the economy where demand for tech workers was so strong like a year ago and now has really come down to earth.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

Companies in this story: (TSX:SHOP)

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Space is getting internet coverage  thanks to Toronto-based company Kepler, which plans to build a new network of satellites in low-earth orbit. While it might seem very Jetsons to be developing an orbital internet, as space becomes busier with commercial traffic, better ways of keeping in touch with vehicles and transferring data among satellites are needed.

Right now, missions going into space are building communications from scratch for each program, says Mina Mitry, Keplers co-founder and CEO. In future, they will be able to connect to Keplers network, making communications easier between assets in space and between space and ground stations.

Kepler currently has 21 satellites in orbit, which it builds at its headquarters on Spadina Avenue in downtown.

The company recently raised $92 million (U.S.) to expand its fleet further. While its existing satellites operate on radio frequencies, it is planning to launch a second group that will use faster, laser-based optical communications to provide internet coverage. This will allow users to more quickly perform data-heavy tasks, such as making real-time observations of the Earths surface or weather patterns.

Historically, space has been the domain of national governments, but Keplers fundraising is another sign of the increasingly strong commercial space market. Mitry says that with commercial operators growing globally and the barriers for entry to space lowering, the amount of data being generated above our heads is set to soar. Were projecting tens of thousands of satellites launching over the next decade.

Fruit startup growing thanks to successful seed round

Vivid Machines, a Toronto startup that uses sensors and computer vision to provide insights to fruit growers on the health of their crop, raised $4.3 million (U.S.) in seed funding. Vivids computer vision tech mounts on farm equipment and tracks plant growth, capturing data that helps predict yields.

Toronto universities land massive research grants

UofT and York University are receiving major investments from the federal government as a part of a $1.4-billion bid to boost Canadian strategic research. UofT will receive $200 million to support its self-driving lab research, which combines AI, robotics and advanced computing to discover new materials. Connected Minds, a collaboration between York and Queens University, will receive $105 million to examine how emerging technologies like artificial intelligence are transforming society.

Canadian tech helps keep Florida moving

Hamilton-based Preteckt, which makes AI systems that monitor vehicle performance, has signed a deal with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority in Florida to use the technology on its bus fleet. Pretekts tech, which is already in service with New Yorks Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will be used by PSTAs bus maintenance team to identify potential problems before they happen.

New opportunity for women entrepreneurs

Female-focused tech boot camp SheBoot is taking applications for its next cohort. Geared toward investment-ready women entrepreneurs, SheBoot is looking for fifteen startups to join and vie for a minimum of $300,000 in equity investment from women angel investors.

By the numbers:

3rd: Canada is now social media network Reddits third largest market, after the U.S. and the U.K.

99.99 per cent: Ethereum, the cryptocurrency founded by University of Waterloo grad Vitalik Buterin, has cut its energy use by 99.99 per cent after switching how it verifies transactions in September.

US$20 million: BrainBox AI has raised US$20 million. The Montreal startup uses AI to optimize buildings energy consumption and decrease emissions.

US$25 million: Software startup Odaia has secured US$25 million in series B financing to speed up the development of new pharmaceuticals and clinical trials.

Rebecca Gao writes about technology for MaRS . Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, has partnered with MaRS to highlight innovation in Canadian companies.

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Every time I finish writing a column about Gwyneth Paltrow, I amble into my shed, sigh deeply, light sandalwood incense, curse the Goop Gods and vow to ignore her.

No more columns about ski accident trials. No more columns about exploding vagina candles. No more columns about conscious uncoupling. No more columns about holiday gift guides that include a $28,500 Tufted Boudoir Chaise for the well-heeled to get their freak on with kinky stirrups and dungeon restraints.

Im not religious. But pricey sex furniture is no way to honour Baby Jesus.

This is why its impossible to ignore Gwyneth. She keeps saying, doing and selling things that are baffling. I direct you to a recent story in the Los Angeles Times: Ben Affleck or Brad Pitt? Gwyneth Paltrow dishes on who was better in bed.

Im sorry, whats that now?

It all started this week when Paltrow was interviewed by Alex Cooper on Call Her Daddy. If you are unfamiliar with that podcast, imagine if co-hosts on The View yammered exclusively about orgasms and fave positions.

And then Whoopi offered a soliloquy on G-spots.

So Gwyneth knew thered be no queries about Pythagorean theorem in this forum.

This would be about her carnal geometry.

And, bafflingly, she obliged with giggles and TMI.

She recalled meeting Pitt on the set of Se7en and how it was love at first sight. If she had to sleep with an ex again, yes, for sure, it would be him. I wonder what her current husband, Brad Falchuk, made of this revelation over Moondust smoothies the next morning. Or if he had followup questions as to why shed remarry another ex, Coldplays Chris Martin, if forced to choose among exes to remarry.

Gwyneth? There is no shame in pleading the Fifth about pillow talk.

And why are you going on a sex podcast in the first place? You are an A-list celebrity and businesswoman. I dont see Oprah partnering with the Banging Book Club.

As for who was better in bed  Brad or Ben?  Gwyneth may have blurted out a Freudian: Thats really hard. She had major chemistry with Pitt, you see. Then again, Afflecks boudoir skills were technically excellent. That sounds like a backhanded compliment. Technically excellent should be reserved for mechanical engineers, not past lovers. But thanks to this interview, poor Ben is probably rehearsing a speech for when Jennifer Lopez confronts him by the pool: So what exactly did you do that was so technically excellent? Do you still fantasize about her?

I cant believe my daughters listening to this, Paltrow laughed this week.

I cant believe anyone is listening to this!

Some are now praising Paltrow for her whimsical honesty. Me, Im praising her for confirming what we men have always suspected: it is women who kiss-and-tell.

Sorry, ladies. I dont see Mr. Pitt going on a podcast to casually grade Angelina Jolies performance in the sack. Mr. Affleck has never said Jennifer Garner and doggy-style in the same sentence. Ive never heard a male friend say boo about sexual experiences with a partner, past or present. Not once.

Meanwhile, I have female friends who routinely want to confide NSFW things I do not want to hear. Its a good thing I am genetically incapable of blushing. We men take a lot of guff in this current cultural climate. But we are not the ones dishing on ex partners. We are not the ones grading past lovers as a spectator sport.

Gwyneth, nobody needs to know if Brad is a good kisser. Or if Ben got you hot-and-bothered by making you laugh. Your past relationships should be cherished in the sanctity of personal memory. Dont make a public spectacle of the men you loved and ditched. They have new partners, new lives. And in the future, should you run your yap about relative stamina or private parts, that might not be appreciated.

I dont know whats wrong with this Gwyneth Paltrow.

If she were a gynecologist, shed now be serving a life sentence for malpractice after encouraging women to shove yoni stones where the sun dont shine, to say nothing of the mugwort vapour and pelvic infrared beams. If she were a cop, shed be arresting poor saps for insufficient groin grooming. Her obsession with sex and genitalia is downright creepy. Two years ago, on a different podcast, Gwyneth was asked if she ever worked with her mother, the great actor Blythe Danner.

Without missing a beat, she replied: Yes, I came out of her vagina.

This week, she was even naming names of men she turned down over the years, including Johnny Depp and Leonardo DiCaprio. So now any guy who either got with her, or hoped to get with her, stands to be podcast shamed for kicks?

I need to go to my shed and blowtorch some incense.

Gwyneth Paltrow, is nothing sacred to the Goop Gods?

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CLEARWATER RIVER, Sask. - Communities in northwestern Saskatchewan are under evacuation orders as wildfires burn nearby.

The Northern Village of La Loche says the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency has recommended anyone living within the municipality leave immediately because of potential danger to life and health.

The village declared a state of local emergency earlier today because of multiple fires and dry, windy conditions.

A mandatory evacuation is also place for residents of the nearby Clearwater River Dene Nation.

Chief Teddy Clark ordered an evacuation Wednesday night, asking people to relocate to Meadow Lake or Lloydminster.

Daryl Wright, the emergency response plan co-ordinator for Meadow Lake, says at least 150 people have been relocated out of the Clearwater River Dene Nation.

Wright says the biggest hurdle is the frozen lake by the community, limiting its ability to douse the fire.

He says fire crews are using helicopters and water tanks and manually filling the water tanks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2023.

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Vancouver police have arrested a 51-year-old man for trafficking in connection to a mobile illegal drug dispensary in the citys Downtown Eastside.

Police say the suspect was selling cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin out of a trailer parked in one of the neighbourhoods main intersections.

Const. Tania Visintin says the department supports measures that include harm reduction services and decriminalization, but drug trafficking is still subject to enforcement.

Police say they also seized two vehicles, body armour, and Canadian currency as part of the investigation.

B.C. was granted an exemption by the federal government earlier this year from drug laws, allowing people to possess small amounts of illicit drugs for personal use.

BC United Leader Kevin Falcon told media at the legislature on Thursday that he was dismayed by news of a person delivering drugs as if he was in a neighbourhood ice cream truck.

Police say the man has been released from custody pending his next appearance in court but is forbidden from returning to the Downtown Eastside.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2023

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FOX LAKE, Alta. - The Alberta government says wildfire has destroyed 20 homes, an RCMP detachment and a store in a northern community.

Three fires are burning in the area of Fox Lake and a reception centre for evacuees has opened at the Fox Lake band office.

Fox Lake is about 550 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Evacuation orders have also been issued for rural areas west and southwest of Edmonton.

The government says 72 wildfires in the province have forced about 3,700 people from their homes.

Most of central Alberta is under a fire ban after a period of windy and unseasonably hot conditions, with little chance of rain in the forecast.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2023.

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When Canada lifted the visa requirements on Mexicans in late 2016, one of the first things Selene Mateos did was book a vacation to visit Vancouver with her girlfriend.

Drawn by Canadas reputation as an open and friendly country, the couple jumped on the travel opportunity without the hassles of having to put together an application package and line up in queues and without the prospect of cancelling their trip if a visa didnt come through.

If Id needed a visa, I wouldve had to think about it three or four times more, even though I had all the proofs, of a job, income and ties to Mexico, says the 35-year-old environmental engineer. This makes travel easier and faster.

Mateos was surprised when she learned from media reports this week that Washington has requested that Ottawa reimpose visas on Mexico after a surge of Mexican irregular migrants trying to cross into the U.S. through the northern border via Canada.

I dont think thats fair, to be honest, said Mateos, who now works in hospitality in Toronto on a work permit. Even the U.S., Canada and Mexico are trade partners, we are the poor partner. We are not equal.

That inequality is at the centre of concerns some have over the potential move  one critics say would severely restrict asylum seekers and punish residents of Mexico, a country that is a significant trading partner, but lacks the clout to resist whenever the U.S. wants to change the rules of the relationship.

The situation at the border

Mexicans are increasingly crossing the land border into the U.S. from Canada. The number caught crossing illegally has risen from a total of 1,169 in 2016 to some 300 a month since October, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data.

Mexican refugees made up 7,483 of Canadas 60,158 asylum claimants in 2022. During that year, more than 400,000 Mexicans came to visit. (That number of claims was up significantly from 250 in 2016, which was before Ottawa lifted its visa requirements on Mexico.)

In March, in response to the irregular migration at the northern border, Washington and Ottawa expanded the Safe Third Country Agreement across the entire land border, not just at official ports of entry, so asylum seekers crossing anywhere are turned back.

Still, compared to the U.S. southern border, where more than 2.5 million irregular migrants were stopped last year, the U.S.-Canada frontier is peanuts, says Laura Macdonald, a political science professor at Carleton University.

So why the increased amount of attention?

There is some pressure being exerted by Republicans in Congress, Republicans from the northern states. Some of the northern states who want to make an issue out of this partly because theyre trying to convey the message that the Biden administration is weak on border control policies and weak on migration control, said Macdonald, who studies North American relations and Latin American politics.

I dont think its a huge issue for the Biden administration. They have many other issues to deal with. But you could see how politicians in the border states could get caught up in that kind of dynamic. So hes telling Canada they have to fall into line about policies that the U.S. government wants to enact.

An unequal relationship

The U.S. has always required visas from Mexicans in order to screen out those who come to seek asylum or likely overstay their visits, while Canada has changed its policy back and forth under different governments.

In 2009, Stephen Harpers Conservative government slapped Mexico with a visa rule in response to an influx of Mexican refugees who fled gang violence and drug cartels. The requirement was lifted in 2016, after Justin Trudeaus Liberals came to power.

For Washington and Ottawa, visa decisions are tied to border control and economic interests, said Macdonald, but Mexico can never afford to put up travel barriers against its northern neighbours.

Tourism is such a huge interest. So that goes back to the power asymmetries in the region. The U.S. and Canada could contemplate having such a visa and Mexico will never, ever retaliate in that form, she said.

The reasons for crossing from Canada into the U.S.

Ramiro Arteaga, founder of a Mexican Canadian Facebook group, says theres been a lot of discussions within the diaspora about the Biden administrations visa proposition to Ottawa, with many worrying about further stigmatization of the community.

Arteaga says hes against visa requirements which would restrict Mexicans families and friends from visiting them in Canada, and he doesnt believe such measures would stop irregular migrants determined to cross into the U.S. at all costs.

He said it has always been easier for Mexicans to get to Canada than to the U.S., even when both countries required visas. And some of his compatriots have always had their eyes set on the U.S., for a variety of reasons.

The language is not a barrier down there. You can go to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, anywhere you go, you can find someone who speaks Spanish. You can find your own church, your own community, your own places to gather, said Arteaga, 48, whose Facebook group has 250,000 members, mostly in Canada.

Its more likely to have a family member or someone from the same town back home living in the U.S. You can get jobs easily there. Its more difficult if you are coming here and you dont know the language and you dont know anyone.

The fallout of imposing visas

Efrat Arbel, an immigration law professor at University of British Columbia, said a visa requirement is a blunt instrument imposed by western countries to stem asylum flow from so-called refugee-producing countries.

 If an asylum seeker is fleeing for their lives, then they dont have the time, the ability or the capacity in most situations to apply for a visa in order to set foot on Canadian soil, she said.

The effect is that those individuals are prohibited from travel, are prohibited from making access of lawful routes of entry in order to seek refuge from persecution. It works contrary to the basic commitments of refugee protection that underpin our asylum regime.

The visa requirement is among many tools Canada has implemented over the years to restrict people from certain regions and countries from coming, she said.

Even valid visa holders can be kept off a Canada-bound flight by air carriers that fear sanctions for bringing in improperly documented persons, or by border liaison officers stationed abroad, who flag travellers at their discretion.

All of these mechanisms operate in tandem and Canada is systematically closing its borders to refugees, said Arbel.

How will a decision be made?

In assessing whether to impose or abolish visa requirements, Canadas immigration department said officials look at the socio-economic profile of the country, immigration issues, travel documents, security concerns, border management, human rights and bilateral relations.

Canada values its strong ties with Mexico. The visa lift (ending the requirement in 2016) underscores the commitment Canada made to further enhance and expand its relationship with Mexico, said department spokesperson Stuart Isherwood.

The visa lift has generated positive results for Canadians and Canadian business. It has deepened our bilateral relations and expanded trade, investment, and tourism between both countries.

Since the visa requirement was removed against Mexico, Isherwood said, Canada has welcomed more than two million Mexican visitors and theyve spent more than $2.4 billion in Canadian hotels, restaurants and other businesses.

Mexican officials said leaders of the three countries met in a summit in Mexico City in January where they reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate on regional migration issues.

Mexico is working closely with the United States and Canada to achieve safe, orderly and humane migration in the region through a holistic approach that includes addressing its root causes, the Mexican Embassy in Ottawa said in a statement.

Mateos is well aware that the political wind can shift at any moment. She just hopes any visa change wont come before her wedding this August; 20 guests, including her family, are expected from Mexico.

Its going to be devastating for me not having my family and friends on my side on this very important day of my life, she said.

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The Oregon Senate has been brought to a halt because Republican lawmakers have refused to show up to work on a Democratic agenda that includes new gun controls and greater access to abortion.

Its not the first time Republicans have walked out of the Capitol, or even the second or third.

Though rare in most states, minority party lawmakers in Oregon have a history of skipping sessions in an attempt to prevent the majority party from passing legislation. They also did it in 2021, and 2020 and 2019. The tactic exploits Oregons unusual requirement for a two-thirds quorum to conduct legislative business  a threshold that exists in only a few other states.

In Texas, which has a similar requirement, Democrats staged a walkout a couple years ago as the Republican-led Legislature was considering election legislation. Democrats in Indiana and Wisconsin also skipped legislative sessions a little over a decade ago in an attempt to block Republican bills limiting union powers. Ultimately, the majority parties prevailed in those states  even if it took a while.

Whether the latest Oregon walkout is politically successful may depend upon the ultimate objective.

Its a good short-term tactic for getting attention to Republicans, said Jim Moore, a politics professor at Pacific University in suburban Portland. But it is a bad medium- to long-term tactic, because it does not stop Democratic legislation.

WHATS THE DEAL IN OREGON?

When 10 Republicans and an independent senator failed to show up for sessions on Wednesday and Thursday, the Senate was left just shy of the 20 members needed for a quorum in the 30-seat chamber. Thats because Democrats hold 17 seats and cannot conduct business on their own.

Republicans said they were protesting that bill summaries are not being written in plain language, citing an obscure 1979 law. But Democrats said they thought the moves were based on the content of several bills, including one that would raise the age to purchase AR-15-style rifles and another that would expand abortion rights, including for minors.

How long the walkout lasts may depend on the risk senators are willing to take. A constitutional provision approved by voters last year prohibits lawmakers with 10 or more unexcused absences from running for reelection.

CAN WALKOUTS WORK?

Oregons Republican senators staged a more than weeklong walkout in 2019 to prevent a vote on a sweeping climate-change bill backed by majority Democrats. Encouraged by that success, they also walked out in 2020  again preventing passage of climate legislation while dooming scores of other bills in a short 35-day session.

In 2021, Republicans staged a shorter walkout  this time protesting then-Gov. Kate Browns aggressive coronavirus precautions.

That same year, dozens of Democratic Texas lawmakers fled to Washington, D.C., to prevent Republicans from passing an election overhaul. They eventually returned and  93 days later  Republicans nonetheless passed a bill prohibiting 24-hour polling sites, banning drive-through voting and giving more access to partisan poll watchers.

The demonstration by the minority party that they are deeply offended and determined to stop this generally doesnt give the majority second thoughts, said Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. So as soon as they have an opportunity to conclude the passage of that bill, they go ahead and do it.

A decade earlier, Democratic lawmakers in Wisconsin and Indiana both staged walkouts. Indiana Democrats fled to Illinois in 2011 to prevent a Republican bill prohibiting mandatory labor union fees. But Republicans successfully passed the bill the next year.

Wisconsin Democrats also left the state for several weeks in 2011, temporarily preventing Republican action on a bill limiting union bargaining rights. Republicans eventually passed the bill after removing spending provisions that had triggered a requirement for a three-fifths quorum instead of simple majority to conduct business.

WHAT ELSE CAN MINORITY PARTIES DO?

In most states, minority party lawmakers cant block legislation they dont like by failing to show up for session. Oregon, Texas, Indiana and Tennessee are the only states with a two-thirds quorum requirement  and Republicans easily meet that in Indiana and Tennessee because they currently have overwhelming majorities.

Elsewhere, the minority party must resort to other tactics.

One of the most common methods of obstruction is stalling. Rules in some states allow lawmakers to talk at length  known as a filibuster  to try to prevent bills from coming to a vote. That tactic was used earlier this year by Nebraska state Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh and others to protest a bill banning gender-affirming treatments for minors.

Other tactics include offering numerous amendments to bills, making changes that result in bills getting sent back to committees, or asking clerks to read aloud the entire text of measures  eating up precious time during sessions. Republican lawmakers in Oregon, for example, refused to suspend the full reading of bills before a final vote in 2021.

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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Republicans blocking votes on bills about abortion, gun control and gender-affirming health care in Oregon this week have based their boycott on an obscure, 44-year-old state law that requires bill summaries to be written at the reading level of an eighth- or ninth-grader.

GOP leadership says their walkout  now on its third day  is about every bill but that two bills that would expand protections for abortions and transgender health care and place more limitations on gun ownership specifically don't qualify under the 1979 law.

Democrats say Republicans didnt take issue with the writing style of bipartisan bills they backed earlier in the session until hot button issues were on the table. The fate of the contested bills is now unclear; under a new voter-approved law, Oregon legislators who have 10 unexcused absences are banned from reelection.

This is about abortion, guns and transgender rights, said Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber. The timing of this is such that theyre walking out on important legislation that Oregonians sent us here to do.

GOP senators did not show up again Friday, blocking legislative business, and Democrats said they would try again Saturday morning.

The 1979 law in question specifically requires bill summaries to have an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level  measured by a score of at least 60 on something called the Flesch readability test. Its unclear if it was ever followed or consulted for past bill summaries, but it was dusted off recently by a Republican Senate employee who dug it out the Capitol archives.

Its important that we follow the law because, if were passing laws today, are we just expecting in, you know, 20, 30, 40 years that people are just going to ignore the laws that we have on the books that we all passed? I dont think we would appreciate that, said Senate Republican leader Sen. Tim Knopp.

And so Im pretty sure that the legislators that did that back then also wanted the law followed.

The namesake of the Flesch test was Rudolf Flesch, a Vienna-born psychologist and readability expert specializing in the art of plain talk.

Designed in the 1940s to measure how easy it is to read and understand a text, the Flesch readability test factors word and sentence length to determine the grade level of a text. Scores range from 1 to 100, with 100 being the easiest to read and 1 being the most difficult. A score between 60 and 70 indicates an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level.

Fleschs readability formula eventually inspired lawmakers across the country in the 1970s to use the test to make insurance policies easy-to-read for everyday consumers. In 1975, scientist J. Peter Kincaid refined the formula into the Flesch-Kincaid Readability test to help U.S. Navy personnel improve technical documents.

By 1979 in Oregon, lawmakers had figured out a way to use the Flesch test to shape legislation with plain language, too. Senate Bill 543 passed with overwhelming bipartisan support at the time.

Gary Wilhelms, the Oregon house minority leader in 1979, was one of 31 bipartisan votes to pass the readability bill. On Monday, the 85-year-old Republican addressed the resurfacing of the law decades after its passage in a statement released by the GOP senators.

Transparency prevailed then as it should today, Wilhelms said. The law is the law, and Im glad the Senate Republican Caucus is attempting to enforce this statute today.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Wilhelms said his memory of the political moment in 1979 that shaped the readability law is fuzzy. He described it as minor legislation.

Justin Brecht is the senior policy analyst for the Senate Republican caucus who knocked the dust off the law four decades later. But even with that legislation, it would take more digging and a legal opinion to understand how it fit into the GOP playbook.

Well, at first it was, Well, whats this statute that it says these measure summaries have to comply with? Brecht said. Most dont even know what the Flesch readability standard is.

Republican lawmakers have until May 12 before those with 10 unexcused absences will be banned from reelection under the new law passed by 70% of Oregon voters last year.

___

Komenda reported from Seattle. Associated Press writer Claire Rush in Salem, Oregon, also contributed.

___

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A threat by the owner of private Russian military company Wagner on Friday to withdraw his fighters from the battle to seize an eastern Ukrainian city is another flareup in his dispute with Russias regular military over credit and tactics in the war.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led the push to jump-start Russias stalemated offensive in eastern Ukraines Donetsk province. He threatened to pull out his soldiers from the city of Bakhmut next week, citing high casualties and ammunition shortages.

Russias nine-month campaign to take Bakhmut has made the city the focus of the wars longest battle. Ferocious house-to house fighting there has produced some of the bloodiest encounters since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Here is a look at Wagners history and its role in the fighting.

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF WAGNERS LEADER?

Prigozhin, who received a 12-year prison term in 1981 on charges of robbery and assault, started a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s following his release from prison. It was in this capacity that he got to know Putin, the citys deputy mayor at the time.

Prigozhin used his connection with Putin to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He later expanded into other areas, including media outlets and an infamous troll factory that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In January, Prigozhin, 61, acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company.

WHERE HAS WAGNER WORKED?

Wagner was first spotted in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, weeks after Russias annexation of Ukraines Crimean Peninsula.

While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Engaging private contractors in the fighting allowed Moscow to maintain a degree of deniability.

Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for its extreme brutality and ruthlessness.

Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali.

Prigozhin has reportedly used Wagners deployment to Syria and African countries to secure lucrative mining contracts. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January that the company was using its access to gold and other resources in Africa to fund its operations in Ukraine.

Some Russian media have alleged that Wagner was involved in the July 2018 killings of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic who were investigating the groups activities. The slayings remain unsolved.

WHAT IS THE GROUPS REPUTATION?

Western countries and U.N. experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine.

Video footage has surfaced that purported to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagners fearsome reputation.

A 2017 video posted online showed a group of armed people, reported to be Wagner contractors, torturing a Syrian man, beating him to death with a sledgehammer and cutting his head before mutilating and burning his body. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate.

In November 2022, another video showed a former Wagner contractor beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye.

WHAT IS WAGNERS ROLE IN UKRAINE?

Wagner has taken an increasingly visible role in the war in Ukraine as regular Russian troops have suffered heavy attrition and lost control over territory in humiliating setbacks.

Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained that the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut, the reason he cited Friday for his withdrawal threat.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.

The U.S. estimates Wagner has about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 of the convicts the company enlisted.

A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian forces killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagners troops in Bakhmut.

The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight .In December, the United States accused North Korea of supplying weapons, including rockets and missiles, to the Russian company in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Both Wagner and North Korea denied the reports.

HOW HAS WAGNERS LEADER CRITICIZED RUSSIAS MILITARY?

If the U.S. accusation is true, Wagners reach for North Korean weapons may reflect its long-running dispute with the Russian military leadership, which dates back to the companys creation.

Troops purported to be Wagner contractors on the front line in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses for the alleged failure to provide ammunition.

Prigozhin himself accuses top-ranking Russian military officers of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism.

Prigozhin has increasingly raised his public profile, issuing daily messaging app statements to boast about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mock his enemies and make complaints about Russias military brass.

Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland.

WILL WAGNER REALLY WITHDRAW FROM BAKHMUT?

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, took Prigozhins threat with a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

Michel said Prigozhin might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall, Michel, who is based in Berlin, said.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagners troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, according to Michel said.

If hes removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

___

Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war

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PYATT, Ark. (AP)  Federal and state wildlife authorities are asking for the publics help in catching whoever might be responsible for the deaths of four bald eagles in Arkansas Marion County earlier this year.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service last month put up a $5,000 reward for tips that lead to the arrest and conviction of those who killed the federally protected birds discovered Feb. 13 near Pyatt, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.

A joint investigation by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service determined that the birds were shot between mid-January and mid-February. In addition to the eagles, authorities found red-tailed hawks, a domestic dog and white-tailed deer in the vicinity that had also been shot and killed.

Theres, I think, evidence that somebody probably shot (the birds) from the road, but I dont even know that theyre 100% certain of that, said Rob Finley, the Arkansas Game and Fish commissioner for the area where the eagles were killed. I know that they did set up a little bit of an operation to see if ... the people ever came back, but never did.

Finley said that is when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service took the lead on the investigation.

Bald eagles are federally protected and if killed, violators could face up to a $250,000 fine and up to two years in federal prison if convicted. While protected, bald eagles are no longer considered endangered. They were removed from the endangered list in 2007.

The bald eagles do migrate in and out of the state quite a bit now, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesperson Randy Zellers said. We do have nesting bald eagles in the state. But we (also) see an influx of bald eagles every winter, primarily with the waterfowl migration. When the waterfowl come south, a lot of eagles will follow them down (to prey on).

Anyone with information about the bald eagles killed in Marion County should contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at (501) 513-4470 or the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission at (833) 356-0824.

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PHOENIX (AP)  Republican Kari Lakes lawyers were sanctioned $2,000 Thursday by the Arizona Supreme Court in their unsuccessful challenge of her defeat in the governors race last year to Democrat Katie Hobbs.

In an order, the states highest court said Lakes attorney made false factual statements that more than 35,000 ballots had been improperly added to the total ballot count. They have 10 days to submit the payment to the court clerk.

The court, however, refused to order Lake to pay attorney fees to cover the costs of defending Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, also a Democrat, in Lakes appeal.

Chief Justice Robert Brutinel said Lakes challenge over signature verification remains unresolved.

Hobbs and Fontes said Lake and her attorneys should face sanctions for baselessly claiming that over 35,000 ballots were inserted into the race at a facility where a contractor scanned mail-in ballots to prepare them for county election workers to process and count.

When the high court first confronted Lakes challenge in late March, justices said the evidence doesnt show that over 35,000 ballots were added to the vote count in Maricopa County, home to more than 60% of the states voters.

Lawyers for Hobbs and Fontes told the court that Lake and her lawyers misrepresented evidence and are hurting the elections process by continuing to push baseless claims of election fraud. Attorneys for Fontes asked for the court to order Lakes lawyers to forfeit any money they might have earned in making the appeal, arguing that they shouldnt be allowed to benefit from their own misconduct.

Lakes lawyers said sanctions werent appropriate because no one can doubt that Lake honestly believes her race was determined by electoral misconduct.

Lake, who lost to Hobbs by just over 17,000 votes, was among the most vocal 2022 Republican candidates promoting former President Donald Trumps election lies, which she made the centerpiece of her campaign. While most other election deniers around the country conceded after losing their races in November, Lake did not.

In her challenge, Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County.

The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places. Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion. Lake alleged ballot printer problems were the result of intentional misconduct.

County officials say everyone had a chance to vote and all ballots were counted because those affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters at election headquarters.

The state Supreme Court declined on March 22 to hear nearly all of Lakes appeal, saying there was no evidence that 35,000 ballots were added to vote totals.

Still, the high court revived Lakes claim that challenged the application of signature verification procedures on early ballots in Maricopa County. The court sent the claim back to a lower-court judge to consider. This latest order will allow a trial court to resume litigating the matter.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lakes assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

Lakes attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. The county disputes the claims.

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP)  State charges including attempted murder have been dismissed against a woman accused of stabbing an Indiana University student of Chinese descent on a public bus, court records show.

Billie R. Davis, 56, of Bloomington, who is white, still faces a federal hate crime charge in the stabbing of the 18-year-old woman with a folding knife on Jan. 11. The victim from Carmel, Indiana, was waiting to exit the bus in downtown Bloomington, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Indianapolis.

Online court records show state charges of attempted murder, aggravated battery and battery by means of a deadly weapon were dismissed April 25. Davis had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Court records show defense attorney Jeffrey Kehr argued the facts supporting the state charges were the same as those behind the federal charge.

A telephone message seeking comment was left Thursday for an attorney representing Davis in the federal case.

Court records show Davis told police she stabbed the woman multiple times in the head with a folding knife, because it would be one less person to blow up our country.

Asian Americans have increasingly been the target of racially motivated harassment and assaults in recent years, particularly since the coronavirus pandemic began, with many worrying that anti-Asian rhetoric linked to fraught relations between the U.S. and China could lead to more violence.

An affidavit from a detective who reviewed bus surveillance footage said Davis stabbed the victim about seven times in the top of the head.

Davis then folds the knife, puts it back in her pocket and returns to her seated position on the bus, according to the affidavit.

Surveillance footage showed no interaction between the two women prior to the attack.

Kyle Dugger, an attorney who represented Davis in the state case, said in a court motion in January that he was seeking an insanity defense on her behalf and that she is incapable of assisting in the preparation of her defense because of mental illness.

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The scandal over Chinese meddling in Canadian politics is quickly morphing into something bigger: a crisis of credibility for the Trudeau government.

We learned this week that the Chinese government targeted a Canadian MP and his family, but our lead intelligence agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, didnt bother to inform the MP.

That alone is bad enough: in a report from July, 2021, CSIS found that Conservative MP Michael Chong had been targeted by Chinas Ministry of State Security for championing a motion condemning Beijings treatment of its Uyghur minority. Even more ominously, Chongs relatives in Hong Kong were included in Chinas spying efforts.

The CSIS assessment was first reported in the Globe and Mail and it quickly became clear that this was not just speculation or fragmentary reporting from anonymous sources, as some skeptics have claimed. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself confirmed it when he made a big point of announcing he had instructed CSIS finally to brief Chong on the report.

But Trudeau went further. He maintained he knew nothing about the threat to Chong until the Globes report on Monday (as did his hapless national security minister, Marco Mendicino). And he basically threw CSIS under the bus by saying it hadnt shared the report with ministers or other agencies because it thought it wasnt a significant enough concern.

The PM sounded really quite ticked off when he said were making it very clear to CSIS and our intelligence officials that they must share concerns about threats to MPs, even if the agency doesnt think more action is warranted. We still need to know about it, he said.

So Canadians were left to believe, on the personal authority of the prime minister, that CSIS sat on that explosive report. That it failed to do something very basic  alert others in government about a credible threat to an MP from a hostile foreign power.

But on Thursday, just 24 hours later, we hear that may not be the case at all. Michael Chong told the House of Commons that the PMs national security adviser, Jody Thomas, phoned him to say CSIS did in fact send the report up the line. He said that she said it was sent to the national security adviser at the time, and also to other agencies.

Whom to believe? At this writing, government ministers are offering only complete non-answers to some important questions. Does Trudeau still maintain that CSIS kept the report to itself? Is Chongs statement that CSIS did share the information true? What the heck is going on here?

Does it matter? Yes, it certainly does. Canadians should be able to have confidence in a flat-out statement by the prime minister, especially on an issue of national security. Does he stand by his claim that CSIS didnt do what he believes it should have done? Was he misinformed? Was he lying? Is there some kind of massive miscommunication here, and if so what is it? Whos running this show?

The government has clearly lost control of this issue. Every time a new revelation from whistle-blowers in the intelligence community surfaces it treats it like a communications problem to be finessed until public attention fades. It hasnt come to grips with the substance of the problem.

Thats become even more obvious as it dithers over what to do about a Chinese diplomat (the term applies only loosely here) named Zhao Wei, identified by CSIS as involved in the efforts to target Chong (we still dont know exactly what that means).

On Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly summoned Chinas ambassador to Canada for a dressing down. But her department said it was still weighing the implications of expelling Wei, who amazingly is still accredited to this country.

A government that was on top of the issue would have done those calculations months, if not years, ago as reports of Chinese meddling piled up. It should have been prepared to act when it learned about incidents of interference, not just in response to a media report.

The government has flunked this important issue time and again. And its getting worse, not better.

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OTTAWAChinas ambassador was summoned by the Canadian government Thursday over allegations that Beijing had targeted Conservative MP Michael Chong, the same day new details were revealed about how widely those allegations were known.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said taking up the issue with Ambassador Cong Peiwu is the first step of a careful process. She also referred to a previous diplomatic dispute during which two Canadian men were detained in China for more than three years.

That didnt dampen opposition calls for the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in Toronto who has been accused of intimidation operations in 2021 against Chong and his family in Hong Kong, a campaign first reported by the Globe and Mail on Monday.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino finally admitted Wednesday theyd only learned about those details when the Globe published them, as did Joly, she told MPs Thursday.

Trudeau said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) determined the information didnt meet a threshold to pass it up or out of CSIS, or give more than what was described as a defensive briefing at the time to Chong.

Chong has said while he did receive that briefing in 2021, no mention was made of his family or that he personally was a target  details he said he only learned this week.

And on Thursday, he appeared at question period in the House of Commons with a new piece of information: that CSIS had, in fact, circulated that information.

Chong said he was informed by Trudeaus national security adviser, Jody Thomas, that the intelligence assessment from July 20, 2021 was sent to the relevant departments and to the national security adviser in the Privy Council Office, the bureaucratic arm of the Prime Ministers Office.

This report contained information that I and other MPs were being targeted by (China), Chong said. This contradicts what the prime minister said (yesterday).

Chong later told reporters Thomas told him the prime minister had not received the information, nor had his chief of staff.

Chong said he wasnt told why not, nor was he told which government departments did receive it.

The decision to call in the ambassador reflects the seriousness of the allegations, Joly told MPs at the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday.

A summons is a diplomatic rebuke used to express a host countrys displeasure with a foreign states actions.

But Canada has learned from previous experience that China retaliates, Joly said, and Canadas economic and diplomatic interests must be considered.

Its about you, but its about also the interests of the country, Joly said to Chong, who was at the committee hearing.

So as we are assessing the interests  and I know that we are under pressure to go fast  we need to make sure as well that we protect our democracy, and that is why we will take action in light of the facts that are being presented regarding your case.

A clearly frustrated Chong pushed back on Jolys claims.

I cant think of an interest more important to the Canadian state than the protection and the safety and the security of its own citizens, he said, calling for the immediate expulsion of the Chinese diplomat at the centre of the allegations.

I think that that is the only course of action here, because if we do not take that course of action, Minister, we are basically putting up a giant billboard for all authoritarian states around the world that says we are open for foreign interference, he said

In a statement released Thursday evening, China denied the allegations and said it does not meddle in other countries domestic politics.

China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce, not go further down the wrong and dangerous path, said the statement from the Chinese embassy in Canada.

Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end.

Meanwhile, tensions are also running high over the issue in Ottawa.

On Thursday, tempers boiled over in the House of Commons when two Liberal MPs asserted that, contrary to what he has said, Chong had actually known for two years about the details reported Monday.

He knew about this, what had actually happened, Liberal MP Mark Gerretsen charged.

That claim saw Conservatives  including Chong  accuse the Liberals of deliberately spreading misinformation. When Tory MPs Mark Strahl and Chris Warkentin accused the Liberals of lying and spreading lies, they were cut off by the Speaker for the use of what was considered unparliamentary language.

Gerretsen later said he was only talking about Chongs general knowledge of the allegations in 2021, and apologized for his choice of words, saying he had led people to believe Chong knew specifically about being a target.

Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux also said it had not been his intention to suggest Chong had previously known details of the allegations that came to light this week.

Warkentin said their comments fell far short of an apology.

I believe that the Liberal members stood today and lied about Michael Chong, he said. I stand by that, and I will continue to stand by that.

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OTTAWA - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Friday morning that no decision had been made yet on whether to expel a Chinese diplomat who allegedly targeted a member of Parliament and his family.

As China reacted forcefully to the accusation, Trudeau told reporters at the Liberal convention in Ottawa that removing another countrys envoy from Canada is a major decision.

This is a big step, not a small step, to expel a diplomat. So its one that has to be taken with due consideration on all the potential impacts and all the very clear messages that it will send, Trudeau said.

His comments came as a Chinese government spokesperson in Beijing reacted with strong protest to the notion that its diplomat engaged in any wrongdoing and said that serious demarches have been made to Canadas ambassador in China.

We deplore and reject the Canadian sides groundless smear of the Chinese diplomatic and consular mission in Canada, which is merely fulfilling its duties, said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, according to a Chinese government translation.

Mao said reports that Beijing targeted Conservative MP Michael Chong are a fabricated story and a political stunt, adding that diplomatic personnel abide by the law and international conventions.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly summoned Chinas ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, on Thursday. In a statement, Cong said that should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end.

Trudeau said Joly will make a decision in due course about any further actions, after very carefully looking at all the information.

Chong said Wednesday he learned that allegations China was targeting his family members in Hong Kong were shared with the prime ministers national security adviser in 2021.

In an interview that aired on CTV, Chong elaborated on the nature of the threats, saying he learned that the diplomat and officials in China were trying to collect information about his family members  something he saw as a clear intimidation tactic.

Trudeau has maintained that the information never rose to a political level, and reiterated on Friday that he has directed security agencies to change their reporting process so he is made aware of any future threats against MPs.

Its obvious now that those processes need to be changed, he said.

Information that was released on Monday through the media never made it to me, to my office or to the (public safety) minister at the time. Going forward, such information would absolutely have to be raised to the highest political levels.

Chong said this week that Trudeaus adviser was made aware of threats to other MPs, too, without specifying whom the targets were.

But Trudeau would not directly answer when asked in French whether other federal politicians were being targeted in 2021, when Chong and other MPs were sanctioned by China after they criticized its human-rights record.

He only repeated that any such threats will now be automatically elevated to the highest political level.

Bill Blair, who was the public safety minister in 2021 when the Canadian Security Intelligence Service first became aware of threats against Chong and his family, said he was never told that any MPs from any party were at risk.

With hindsight, it would have been useful to have that information at the time, Blair said, speaking to reporters at the Liberal policy convention Friday.

I have a lot of respect for Mr. Chong and for all my colleagues in Parliament, and none of them should ever be subject to threats or intimidation  and certainly not against their families.

I think Mr. Chong needs to have appropriate answers.

The current public safety minister, Marco Mendicino, called it a serious problem that neither Blair nor Trudeau were briefed by CSIS.

Were rectifying that by giving CSIS new instructions so that any case involving foreign interference and a parliamentarian has to be directly briefed to me, to the prime minister, so that we can be sure that there is accountability.

Mendicino avoided saying whether anyone would be disciplined for failing to tell cabinet or Chong at the time.

Were on top of the situation, he said.

Former Liberal cabinet minister Catherine McKenna said on social media Thursday evening that it is appalling officials have faced no apparent consequences for failing to tell Chong about threats to his family.

She said in a tweet that this was not surprising based on my experience, however.

The idea that others get to decide whether a threat to you or your family is serious or not is bonkers. You get the information with whatever caveats they want to put on it. This has to change. Now.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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MONTREAL  Had former Quebec premier Jean Charest beat Pierre Poilievre for the leadership of the federal Conservative party last summer, chances are Justin Trudeau would have delivered a farewell speech at the opening of his partys convention on Thursday night.

At the very least, his address would have been significantly different. For the fun of it, I tried to replace Poilievres name with that of Charest in every hard-hitting sentence of the speech that mentioned the Conservative leader.

On most issues starting with climate change and an industrial policy aimed at creating a green economy, Trudeau would have ended up shooting blanks.

In any event, he would hardly have delivered an ad hominem attack on a Conservative leader who, in his past Quebec Liberal incarnation, enjoyed the support  directly or indirectly  of the bulk of the unity-loving delegates at the convention.

Where Poilievre is clearly putting fire in the belly of the prime minister, a more middle-of-the-road Conservative leader like Charest would have acted as a wet blanket.

Thats one of the take-aways from what could be the last Liberal gathering before the next election and, possibly, Trudeaus last appearance at such a venue as prime minister and party leader.

Here are a few more:

Listening to the speech, the next campaign is lining up to be a shield election for the Liberals.

It is hard after three terms in office for a government to credibly reinvent itself and find new policy swords with which to fend off its rivals. That goes some way to account for the fact that incumbents do not, as a rule, succeed in securing fourth consecutive federal terms.

At this stage in the governing cycle, running on ones record has usually been a recipe for defeat. But many Liberals believe Poilievres polarizing persona give their party a shot at bucking the trend.

Theres no doubt the latest Conservative leader poses an existential threat not just to the Liberal partys place in government but also to Trudeaus legacy in ways that Charest or even Erin OToole would not have.

Based on their leaders speech, the Liberal campaign narrative is set to give pride of place to what voters could lose as a result of a Conservative victory rather than to the brand-new policies they would secure by sticking with the party for a fourth term.

The Conservative party agenda stands to go a longer way to galvanize rank-and-file Liberals into action than Trudeaus plans  whatever they turn out to be  for a fourth term.

For more almost three decades between 1984 and 2012, no Liberal gathering was complete without a solid dose of backroom leadership jostling.

John Turner lived under the shadow of Jean Chretiens frustrated leadership ambitions. The latter endured the same treatment at the hands of the Paul Martin clan. And many Liberals spent Stephane Dions brief tenure convinced that the grass would be greener under Michael Ignatieffs leadership.

In the command he exercises over his party, Trudeau bears more resemblance to Stephen Harper than to his recent predecessors. The fact is that both can be said to have breathed new life into parties that feared they were on life support.

It also helps that in a day and age when party leaders are selected by thousands of members, the capacity of its old guard to engineer a leadership challenge has been severely constrained.

In lining up behind Trudeau, the Liberals are also making a virtue of necessity.

If there was a single poll, public or private, that showed that one of Trudeaus wannabe successors would do better in an election, it would have come to light by now, with attending speculation as to whether the prime minister is overstaying his welcome.

The fact is that among the half-a-dozen names that periodically surface when the issue of the Liberal succession comes up, none at this point elicits as much popular appeal as the incumbent.

There is also the inconvenient fact that, at the federal level, the last successful passing of the prime ministerial torch goes back to the transition from Lester B. Pearson to Pierre Trudeau in the mid-1960s.

Finally, and taking for granted for the sake of argument that Trudeau will stick to his decision to run again, the unofficial lineup of Liberal leadership aspirants probably looks stronger now than it will on the day the job opens.

For those who have held senior roles in a government, the appeal of campaigning to lead the party in opposition is limited. It is no accident that so many former front-line ministers took a pass on a leadership run to succeed Harper or, for that matter, Paul Martin.

Even if Trudeau overcame the long odds that attend his quest for a fourth term, whoever succeeds him would face even longer ones in the quest for a fifth election victory.

Chantal Hebert is an Montreal-based freelance contributing columnist covering politics for the Star. Reach her via email: chantalh28@gmail.com or follow her on Twitter: @ChantalHbert

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A British court has sentenced Ike Ekweremadu to nearly 10 years imprisonment for human organ trafficking.





His wife Beatrice was handed four years, six months sentence while Obinna Obeta, a medical doctor got a 10 years sentence for the same offence.





British journalist Chris Summers shared the news via his Twitter handle Friday afternoon.





They were sentenced at Londons Central Criminal Court, Old Bailey under the Modern Slavery Act.





The trio were in March convicted for traffic a young Nigerian, David Ukpo, to the United Kingdom, for the purpose of harvesting his kidney for Sonia Ekweremadu, the daughter of the top Nigerian senator.





Details later.




As Nigerians the world over await with bated breath the pronouncement of sentence by the UK Court on former Deputy President of the the Nigerian Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, Beatrice, and a UK-based Nigerian doctor, Obinna Obeta, the people of Mpu community held a prayer vigil till the morning of Thursday to pray for divine intervention.





They disclosed that the long absence of the lawmaker, who they said transformed Aninri LGA and gave a new lease of life to thousands, was already affecting them.





It was like a crusade at the Community Primary School, Amagu Mpu playground, as both the old, young, and widows, defied the rain to gather and cry to God to deliver their son, whom they described as the backbone of the community and a philanthropist.





However, this wasnt the first time the people of Mpu community and Aninri in general gathered for such.





Even with the court pronouncing them guilty, the faith of the people remain strong and their belief unchanged that God would intervene in their behalf.





Leading the prayer, the pastor in charge of Ancient Path Revival Assembly Mpu, Nathaniel Nwankwo, maintained that the community had not relented in praying and crying to God for help, mercy, and intervention, knowing that the date of sentencing is around the corner.





No human being is above mistake, but since they have pronounced Ikeoha and our caring mother guilty, we pray that God showed mercy to Hezekiah; who showed mercy to the woman that committed adultery in John chapter 8 verses 1:11; will also see reasons to touch the heart of the British authorities to show mercy to the Ekweremadus.





Our prayer is that God should turn our tears into manifestation of joy and Senator Ekweremadu and wife will be freed irrespective of the offence.





His good works speak volume of him in a positive manner. This is a man whom the suffering and cry of the poor hurts so much so that each time he visits home, he throws his gate open and nobody visits him without smiling home. Apart from gifts, he would sit with you, hold your hands, comfort you and solve your problems as much as he could.





The Bible says that blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. This is the hour that Senator and wife should be rewarded with mercy, he said.





Also speaking, the traditional ruler of Amokofia Mpu, Igwe Cyprian Ije said that sentencing Senator Ekweremadu would be an end to an era and appealed to the Federal Government and other well meaning Nigerians to lend their voices to ensure his release.





The royal father lamented that so many indigent students under Ikeoha scholarship scheme have discontinued their studies due to lack of funds while the town had become a ghost of its itself since his arrest in June last year.





Igwe Ije said that the prayers would continue until God answered.





A woman leader, Lolo Happiness Aja, who spoke on behalf of the women, appealed to the UK Government to temper justice with mercy, even for the sake of Sonia whose hope for surviving lay largely in her parents.





We are pleading for the mercy of God on our son, Ike Ekweremadu and wife. Let God raise a lone voice to speak for him.





As you can see, the women are not happy. Without him, we are just empty. We want them to regain their freedom.





We want Sonia to be well again. As you can see, we are not ready to leave here until God hears our cry and we know He will do it for us, she said amid tears.




Comedian, Oluwaseyitan Aletile, popularly known as Seyi Law, has launched a search for an online troll who threatened him over his political affiliation with President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.





Recall that the comedian had in March 2nd tendered an apology to followers and supporters of opposition parties he offended during his campaign for Tinubu.





His apology came after the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, declared the All Progressives Congress, APC, flagbearer as the winner of the just concluded 2023 general election.





The comedian, however, in a new post shared on his Instagram page Thursday evening, cried out over a distasteful email received by his wife, Ebere, from a troll.





A screenshot captured the troll threatening to make life uncomfortable for the comedians family in the UK where they reside. Adding that his daughter would also lose her life.





Reacting to the threat, Seyi Law revealed plans to bring the person to book.





He said: First, I want to appreciate those who reached out to me. I have started working to bring this person to book. And to those who still think the situation is an opportunity to mock me, please enjoy your moment. I chose to ignore the threat before, but an incident warranted me posting it. Check the date.





God willing when the person is found. I hope I wont be accused of intimidation or oppression. God bless you.








The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has confirmed a fire incident at its office in Enugu State.





One of the buildings within the Zonal Command was consumed by the inferno.





EFCC Head of Media, Wilson Uwujaren issued a statement Friday afternoon.





The incident which occurred at about 12.30 am Friday, was triggered by a surge in public power supply.





The ensuing inferno was later put out through the combined efforts of the Enugu State and Federal Fire Service, he said.





The spokesperson added that no life was lost in the incident.




The outgoing governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has claimed that a former minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, is the next president of the senate.





Ganduje spoke on Thursday during a meeting with his Cross River counterpart, Ben Ayade, in Calabar, the state capital.





President Muhammadu Buharis Chief of Staff, Ibrahim Gambari, was also present at the meeting.





Ganduje claimed that the decision to nominate Akpabio was already a done deal but he did not explain if it was a decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.





However, according to him, we have resolved that.





The senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the south-south and it is no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom.





I am giving you assurance, we are waiting for the D-Day that he will be the senate president of Nigeria.





The Upper Chamber will decide the next Senate President following the inauguration of President-elect, Bola Tinubu, on May 29.
ELKO  A Carlin man arrested last summer on a charge of sexual assault on a child was booked Thursday on an additional felony charge of luring a child to engage in sex.

A criminal complaint filed Tuesday accuses Andrew J. Hockenberry, 28, of attempting to lure a 13-year-old to meet him at the gravel pits. The alleged offenses in April 2022 included asking her lude questions, smacking her on the butt and asking her to send nude pictures over Facebook Messenger.

The earlier sex case claims Hockenberry served an 11-year-old girl orange juice with alcohol and then had sexual intercourse with her in the summer of 2021. He pleaded not guilty on April 17.

He was also booked May 12, 2022, on two counts of domestic battery.

Hockenberry had already been jailed on May 6, 2022, for third-offense violation of an extended order for protection against domestic violence.

According to jail records, he called a woman 29 times over a two-day period, asking her to bail him out of jail.

Hockenberry was also arrested on parole violations in September 2019, in January 2020, and again in September 2021.

He was arrested in April 2017 following a fight at the jail. Another inmate reportedly called him a cho-mo (child molester) and Hockenberry beat him. He pleaded guilty to one count of attempted battery by a prisoner and was sentenced by District Judge Al Kacin in August 2017 to 32 months in prison, with credit for 133 days served.

He earlier pleaded guilty to one count of theft and was given a suspended sentenced in March 2017 and ordered to pay $3,588 restitution to the victim.

He was also sentenced to up to six years in prison on a burglary charge in 2016 by District Judge Nancy Porter.




The Kano State Police Command has arrested Ibrahim Musa, the boy who allegedly stabbed his mother to death at Rimin Kebe Quarters of Ungogo local government area of the state.





In a statement on Friday, SP Abdullahi Haruna, Police Public Relations Officer in Kano explained that the suspect was apprehended in Dawakin Tofa local government area of the state in a hideout.





The statement said the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of investigations, saying that he has confessed to the crime.





A source explained that the suspect spent more than a year without visiting his mother but around 5:30pm on the day of the murder, he was seen around his mothers place.





He had lived with his father at Kurna after suffering from a mental health condition.





The source explained, The moment he entered he just asked of her, she was not around but he demanded she be called because she was in the neighbourhood.





He added that when the mother came happily welcoming him, he was inside listening to them, the moment she opened the door, he heard her shouting and he quickly came out and saw him with a knife.





He said that the suspect attempted to attack him also but he ran away and thats when people gathered because they saw him going out suspiciously as he threw the knife outside and ran away.





The source explained that she (the deceased) used to visit him whenever she had a bad nightmare about him, adding that the last time she went there, he chased her and she ran to hide in a room while he was held bound by the people around





He said the incident was during the month of Ramadan and that was the last time she saw him.




The Nigeria Police Force has granted Hudu Yunusa-Ari, the suspended Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), bail.





Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Muyiwa Adejobi confirmed the bail in a statement on Friday.





Yunusa-Ari has been in custody for interrogation over allegations of impropriety during the supplementary governorship election in Adamawa State.





He is expected to report at the Police Headquarters every weekday while investigations are ongoing on the matter, Adejobi added.





Yunusa-Ari announced Aisha Binani of the All Progressives Congress (APC) winner of the April 15 rerun under controversial circumstances.Yup




Former federal lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has expressed shock over toxic comments from some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress, APC, against the Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja Catholic Archdiocese, John Cardinal Onaiyekan.





The clergy had, in a television interview on Thursday, spoken on the just concluded presidential election, saying the outcome of the poll was manipulated and those who rigged it know themselves.





Onaiyekan also expressed dissatisfaction on the delay by the election tribunal to decide on the petitions filed against the President-elect, Bola Tinubu.





He said swearing in Tinubu while the petitions are still pending in court does not make sense.





This has continued to generate controversies, particularly from the camp of the president-elect.





A chieftain of the APC, Femi Fani-Kayode, tackled the clergy, saying, Those that are filled with bitterness, hate, envy, fury and rage and that seek to pursue us into the Red Sea as we make our way to the Promise Land shall be drowned by it.





Similarly, in a statement on his Twitter handle, Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, knocked the man of God, stressing that The embarrassment to the Body of Christ is getting too much.





Reacting to the backlashes, Shehu Sani, in a tweet, wondered why those condemning supporters of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, over violence are also doing the same.





He wrote, I thought it was only Peters supporters that harass people for their opinions until I read such toxic comments against John Onaiyekan. Those who preach tolerance should practice tolerance.




All stranded Nigerians in Port Sudan and Egypt are expected to arrive on Friday (today).





The first batch of evacuees arrived Nigeria on Wednesday night.





Complete evacuation from Egypt is expected to be completed today (Friday) as Azman Air will transport 400 passengers while Max Air is to clear the remainder.





Our correspondent also gathered that boarding had commenced in Port Sudan with Taco Aviation carrying stranded Nigerians back to the country.





About 125 females in Port Sudan have boarded so far as priority is given to the females.




The Presidency has disclosed that most leaders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, would have been compulsorily retired from politics if the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar or his Labour Party, LP, counterpart, Peter Obi had won the last election.





President Muhammadu Buharis spokesman, Garba Shehu, disclosed this while noting that President-elect Bola Tinubus victory has established the dominance of the APC.





He spoke while receiving the Arewa Young Lawyers Forum, AYLF, and was contained in a statement by Deputy Director of Information, State House, Patience Tilley-Gyado.





According to Shehu: In the hands of the opposition, many of the laudable programmes of the Buhari administration would have been sabotaged or unimplemented.





An important and overlooked aspect of the Tinubu/Shettima victory is that it ensures, not only an orderly transfer of power from the outgoing administration to the incoming one, but also the safety of policies and programmes of the outgoing government.
A 59-year-old repeat offender who authorities say stalked and harassed a judge for more than eight months with threatening phone calls has been convicted of multiple offenses.

Nathaniel H. Russell, of Atlantic City, was found guilty of retaliation for past official action in addition to making terroristic threats, stalking and harassment following a three-day trial, the Atlantic County Prosecutors Office said Friday.

Russell left violent and threatening messages for an Egg Harbor Township municipal court judge from August 2021 to April 2022, authorities said.
The superintendent of a Bergen County school district has resigned from his job months after he was charged after a fight outside a bar in Seaside Heights, and was later found guilty of a lesser offense.

Douglas J. Petty, 54, superintendent of Lodi Public Schools, was charged Aug. 28, 2022, with simple assault after he allegedly punched a woman and fought with a man at about 1:20 a.m. on the corner of Summer Avenue and Boulevard, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
Is Chris Christie really running for president? Hes certainly making it look that way. Hes spending his ample free time attempting to position himself as the sensible alternative to Trump. After four years of rushing to Washington every time Trump rang a little bell, Christie claims to have found religion. What brought on this sudden revelation that Donald Trump was unfit for office? Was it the sustained attacks on his dignity, the insurrection or when Trump knowingly exposed him to COVID landing the former governor in the hospital? It remains a mystery.

Christie is a lot of things ( ill-tempered, a bully, occasionally tone-deaf) but stupid isnt one of them. He has to know that he has no chance of winning the GOP nomination. He can see DeSantis flaming out with the MAGA crew, does he really think hes the guy to unite the party and take out Trump? He cant possibly.
A man found shot in his car in Newark Wednesday night died a short time later in what was Newarks fourth fatal shooting in just over an hour and a half, police said.

Police were called to the 200 block of 4th Street at 9:43 p.m. for a report of shots fired and initially did not find anyone shot, but learned there was car crash nearby in the area of First Street and Sussex Avenue, according to a joint statement from the Newark Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutors Office. There they discovered Jayden Jarvis, 20, of East Orange, in his car suffering multiple gunshot wounds.

Jarvis was rushed to University Hospital where died at 11:16 p.m., the office said.

No other details were released as the shooting remained under investigation.

Jarvis was found shot a little over an hour after a gunman who shot and killed a young boy and a man in an apartment in the city was killed by police minutes later during a foot chase. That triple shooting is under investigation by the office and the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office.

The incidents were not related, officials said.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.
Two New York residents were caught with guns this week at the same security checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport in separate incidents, federal authorities said.

A passenger from Brooklyn had a 9mm handgun in a backpack on Wednesday and a traveler from Garnerville was found with a similar weapon on Thursday, the Transportation Security Administration said in a statement.
ELKO  An Elko woman was arrested Wednesday at the Elko Inn on a drug charge and for failing to appear in court on an earlier charge of credit card fraud.

Tessa R. Patchett, 31, is accused in a criminal complaint of using a credit card number that did not belong to her to rent a room at a different motel on Halloween. The card had also been used at a local restaurant and to order take-out pizza.

Police were called after a third motel manager discovered unauthorized purchases on a company card. The last two people authorized to use the card were former employees, both of whom police said they have had prior dealings involving theft and fraudulent activities, according to the officers initial report.

When the rented room was checked by police it was occupied by a different woman who told them Patchett had put her up while she was displaced from a fourth motel.

Police viewed security footage of Patchett attempting to check in and apparently having trouble with the card. Motel management said the card was declined but Patchett wrote a different card number on a piece of paper and it was used to process the transaction.

Patchett was arrested on the felony charge in December and released on her own recognizance.

Prior to that, she had been arrested in October 2022 on a felony drug charge and twice in 2020 for violating probation or conditions of a suspended sentence.

She was booked into jail Wednesday with bail listed at $20,000.
Veterans looking to get into the trucking industry will receive a financial boost from a pilot program spearheaded by the New Jersey Reentry Corp. (NJRC) and former United States Secretary of the Army Patrick J. Murphy.

This pilot program is made in partnership with a group headed by Murphy, the Task Force Movement: Life-Cycle Pathways for Veterans Military into Trucking, a part of President Joe Bidens recent initiative to expand and improve trucking jobs nationwide.

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, chairman of the board of the NJRC, announced the veterans commercial drivers license (CDL) initiative Thursday at the Tear Drop Memorial in Bayonne. The program aims to fund the training and licensing necessary for veterans to transition into positions in the trucking industry. NJRC and the city of Bayonne will launch this program.

I stand firm on the fact that our transitioning service members and veterans  from basic training to separation  are committed to serving their country at all levels, Murphy said at a news conference. Task Force Movement and Gov. McGreevey are providing those who have served their country the opportunity to serve again.

While veterans often hold extensive motor transport experience from their military service, many are precluded from participating in the transportation and trucking industry due to the time-intensive and often expensive process of obtaining a CDL license.

As the truck and bus driver shortage worsens, this White House initiative will improve the regional economy, create good paying job opportunities for veterans, and draw upon their experience in traditional military occupational specialties, said Assembly Judiciary Chairman Raj Mukherji, a former sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps.

I applaud the NJRC for rising to the occasion and relieving veterans of the financial burden of CDL training.

Will Sheehan, a veteran and chairman of the NJRC Veterans Task Force, said Throughout American history, the movement of goods has served as a critical component of economic security  from supporting the warfighter during the American Revolution to transporting PPE during COVID.

The city of Bayonne and Mayor Davis recognize that we need to fix our supply chains and make once-in-a-generation investments in our nations transportation infrastructure, he added.
A Jersey City felon with a history of violent crimes was sentenced Friday to 20 years in federal prison for possession of a loaded gun and possession and intent to sell drugs on multiple occasions.

Clarence Gaffney, 36, of Jersey City, was convicted on Oct. 26, 2022, following a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton in Newark federal court. Wigenton served as the sentencing judge as well.

When Gaffney was arrested, authorities said that during a motor vehicle stop on Oct. 5, 2019, he had heroin and cocaine in his underwear and shoe. Less than three months later, on Dec. 26, police saw Gaffney selling drugs on Martin Luther King Drive and arrested him, and also recovered heroin and cocaine from his jacket sleeve.

On Feb. 21, 2020, during a motor vehicle stop, a search of Gaffneys vehicle revealed heroin hidden in a fuse compartment on the drivers side and a handgun loaded with 11 rounds inside a fuse compartment on the passenger side.

Gaffney has at least seven felony convictions dating back to 2004, when he was 18 years old, according to electronic court records. Among his convictions is one for attempted murder in which he shot a man twice in the back in 2014 on the same Martin Luther King Drive on which he was caught selling drugs.

The investigation was conducted as part of the Jersey City Violent Crime Initiative (VCI), formed in 2018 by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the District of New Jersey, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, and the Jersey City Police Department, for the sole purpose of combatting violent crime in and around Jersey City.

The VCI is composed of the U.S. Attorneys Office, the FBI, the ATF, the Drug Enforcement Administrations (DEA) New Jersey Division, the U.S. Marshals, the Jersey City Police Department, the Hudson County Prosecutors Office, the Hudson County Sheriffs Office, New Jersey State Parole, the Hudson County Jail, and the New Jersey State Police Regional Operations and Intelligence Center/Real Time Crime Center.
A New Jersey man and three New York residents have been charged with fraudulently accessing peoples bank accounts, creating additional accounts in their names and stealing their funds, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.

Marc Lazarre, 37, of Secaucus, has been charged by indictment with bank fraud, conspiracy to engage in bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft, prosecutors said.

Co-conspirators Fritzgerald Steide, 28, Mohammed Khan, 32, and Andrea Lewis, 29, were each charged with one count of conspiracy to engage in bank fraud, officials said.
The leader of an international money laundering organization in the Dominican Republic that funneled funds from drug sales through New Jersey was sentenced Thursday to six and a half years in prison, federal prosecutors said.

Luis Velazquez-Cordero, also known as El Pequeno, 38, who is a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was also ordered to pay $80 million in forfeiture for his role in the scheme, according to a statement from the US Attorneys Office.

Velazquez-Corderos organization used the United States banking system to convert millions of dollars in cash from illegal drug sales into cashiers checks. He then deposited the checks into United States bank accounts so that the funds could be transferred back to international drug trafficking organizations in the Dominican Republic and other countries, the office said.
Attorney General Matt Platkin on Thursday listened to residents concerns and vowed to do all he could to improve Paterson and restore trust in law enforcement during a four-hour community meeting at St. Lukes Baptist Church in Paterson.

Platkin opened the session by offering his deepest condolences to the family of anti-violence activist Najee Seabrooks, 31, who police killed on March 3 during a mental health crisis, igniting widespread protest.
The owner of a New Jersey towing company has been arrested after investigators alleged that he used the business to sell drugs.

Leroy Hairston, 43, of Manchester, the owner of Leroys Tow Service in Toms River, was charged cocaine possession offenses, financial facilitation and possession of drug paraphernalia on April 26, Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley D. Billhimer said Thursday.

After a cocaine distribution investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies, Hairston was apprehended by detectives after leaving his business late last month and parking his vehicle in a nearby lot, officials said.

Investigators then obtained a search warrant for the towing company and found 100 grams of cocaine as well as $7,000 in cash, authorities said.

During a subsequent search of his Manchester residence, SWAT teams found a 26-year-old Lakewood man to be in possession of 100 wax folds of heroin/fentanyl and also located $4,000 in cash at the home, officials said.

The co-conspirator was placed under arrest during the search and was charged with possession of heroin/fentanyl and possession of drug paraphernalia, prosecutors said.

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Nicolas Fernandes may be reached at nfernandes@njadvancemedia.com.
When Sandra Tlatelpa was a little girl growing up in her hometown of Puebla, Mexico, Cinco de Mayo was one of the local holidays she looked forward to the most. The 36-year-old, who now lives in Jersey City, says Pueblas the Mexican city where the day was and is still most celebrated.

After all, Tlatelpa says, its where the storied Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862, when French forces sent by Napoleon III tried unsuccessfully to invade the city. Despite being largely inexperienced and outnumbered by the French, the Mexican army defended Puebla courageously, pushing the French, who lost about a thousand men, to retreat.

And that, she told me in Spanish, is what we celebrate in Puebla, our determination and perseverance, as Poblanos, as Mexicans, in the face of what at first seemed like inevitable defeat. Her memories of the days fiesta, however, dont include maracas, salt-rimmed margaritas or comments mistaking the day for Mexicos Independence Day  something many revelers in the U.S. often do.

Its different there ...theres a festival, a big parade, in which most of the area schools participate, she said. A march to the place where the battle occurred, with crowds of people gathering there to commemorate it and commemorate the history.

Tlatelpas voice fills with excitement as she talks of the colorful dresses folkloric dancers wear and of the delicious, traditional foods street vendors sell. Its nice and very festive, she said.

And what about here? Do you celebrate Cinco de Mayo in New Jersey? I ask. She pauses. I have to be honest and say no, she finally replies.

In Jersey, events like the ones held in Puebla that memorialize the day with student-led parades and historic reenactments are nearly impossible to come by. Plus, life is much busier for her here.

Shes a mom to young children and she and her husband usually have to work. But she says both she and her husband, whos also from Puebla, call their relatives back home every year to get the scoop on all the celebrations. Still, it fills me with a lot of pride that the holiday is so popular here, that its such a big deal, she said.

Maria Guadalupe Lupita Nieves, 42, owner of New Brunswick Mexican restaurant Las Marias, who was born in Atlixco, Puebla  a city thats about 40 minutes away from the city of Puebla  says she was taken aback by how big Cinco de Mayo is in the states.

Las Marias, a Mexican restaurant in New Brunswick, New Jersey on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Chris Krusberg | For NJ Advance Media

When she was growing up in Mexico, Nieves tells me in Spanish, most of the Cinco de Mayo celebrations were in the city ... the parties, the ceremonies, were all there where the historic landmarks are. And sadly, at the time, she says, I didnt have the means to travel to attend them.

But ever since I arrived in this country, about 20 or so years ago, everyone started asking me about Cinco de Mayo, she said. Everyone was just Cinco de Mayo! Cinco de Mayo! and for us, in Mexico, we dont really celebrate it like that. I have to say I was pretty confused like wait ...why do they celebrate it?

Nieves told me she started doing some research, trying to get to the root of why the holiday commemorating a battle in her home state was so important to Americans. Her findings can be summed in one word: beer. Well, maybe two if we throw in another important one ...marketing.

In the 1980s, beer companies, eager to capitalize on the countrys growing Hispanic population, turned to marketing professionals who could help them do that. Anheuser-Busch and Miller Company started sponsoring Cinco de Mayo celebrations. And according to beer industry experts, the Gambrinus Group, who at the time imported Corona and Grupo Modelo beers in Texas, ran an advertisement encouraging Mexicans in the U.S. who already celebrated Cinco de Mayo to do so by drinking Mexican beer.

Nieves says as an entrepreneur she finds the impetus behind the Cinco de Mayo phenomenon here fascinating. I ask her if it upsets her in any way, that the holiday was co-opted by these companies.

I mention the handful of Italian restaurants that now throw tacos into the mix to attract customers searching for Cinco de Mayo specials and whats even more bizarre, the Tacos and Tox  yes, as in botox  events that seem to be a thing now. Come celebrate Cinco and ... get some fillers?

She chuckles and says no. Branding, ads, marketing, sales ...we live in a capitalistic society, its all just a part of our lives, she said. If the Battle of Puebla is a reason or excuse for people to come out to celebrate, to eat, to enjoy, then by all means, I welcome it, and thats not just as business owner, but as a Mexican and as a person.

She says she now sees Cinco de Mayo as an opportunity to teach all who walk into her restaurant more about Puebla, more about our history and culture, which is so rich and which I love so much. So, will she be celebrating this year? Maybe next year, she says. This year, its going to be all hands on deck, getting orders ready and taking care of customers.

Leo Cervantes, a Highlands councilman and owner of Chilangos, a Mexican restaurant with three locations in New Jersey, told me hell be doing the same at his establishments. And like Nieves, says he doesnt mind teaching moments in conversations with patrons who are unsure exactly what theyre celebrating.

As Mexicans, were very proud of our country, our flag, our cuisine, our traditions, he said. And it makes us happy to share that with others.

Daysi Calavia-Robertson may be reached at dcalavia-robertson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Instagram at @presspassdaysi or Twitter @presspassdaysi.

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Nicholas Sacco has been on the North Bergen Commission for 38 years, having been first elected to the townships governing body in 1985. Hes been mayor for 32 of those years, getting the nod from his fellow commissioners starting in 1991 and continuing through the most recent election four years ago.

On Tuesday, despite a lackluster campaign heavy on fence signs and light on new ideas, Sacco is hoping  expecting, really  that voters will give him another four years in Township Hall and then days after his four running mates will choose him, again, as mayor.

Its time, though, that voters thank Sacco for his service and cast their ballots for change.

As can be said of all Hudson County communities, North Bergen has seen and continues to see increased luxury housing development while also seeing waves of new immigrants of far lesser means coming to the municipality. Add in the needs and dreams of longtime residents, and whoever is leading the government must be quite the juggler.

Sacco is running on his record and cites stable property taxes and strong rent control laws as ways hes kept the township affordable.

But theres an arrogance to his administration that we fear would only deepen with another term.

KEEPING PEOPLE OUT

For example, the township is an outlier when it comes to transparency by having its commission meetings in the daytime in the middle of the week rather at night. More than 60,000 people live in North Bergen, but how many of them can take time off from work or school to participate in their government, voice an opinion, ask a question or offer a suggestion during the day?

And when they do, we have witnessed members of the public be ignored and ridiculed by their commissioners. Such shameful conduct shouldnt be rewarded by the voters.

In a similar vein, the current commissioner board Sacco heads opted against introducing an ordinance for early in-person voting  which neighbor West New York did and which the state mandates for primary and general elections.

The philosophy in North Bergen seems to be to have as few people as possible participating in government, when it should be just the opposite.

The Sacco administration has also seen several township employees, including the mayors now-stepson, charged over the years in low-show/no-show job schemes.

Sacco, who has concurrently served as a Democratic state senator since 1994 and will retire from that role this year, stirred controversy when he added an amendment to a 2020 state criminal justice reform bill to include official misconduct on a list of non-violent crimes for which mandatory sentences would be eliminated. The bill, eventually vetoed by Gov. Murphy, was originally intended to reduce harsh penalties for low-level drug offenders. The official misconduct addition by Sacco related mostly to corruption by public employees and would have benefited his stepson.

PRESCHOOL TRAILERS CONTROVERSY

A telling inadequacy has been the Sacco administrations inability over more than 20 years  two of his three decades as mayor  to find a permanent home for preschoolers who have been going to class in trailers illegally parked in James J. Braddock North Hudson Park since 2001. Think about that: Despite empty promises over many years, the children who first learned their ABCs in those trailers in the early 2000s could very well be bringing their own children there today.

And the fact that the township has refused to follow state law and return the parkland to the use of the general public shows an arrogance that should no longer be abided.

Yes, its time for change.

FRESH IDEAS

Saccos opponent in Tuesdays election, as he has been for the previous two elections, is Larry Wainstein, heading the Juntos Si Podemos, North Bergen First team.

Wainstein brings a laundry list of complaints about the state of North Bergen to the campaign, but he also brings fresh ideas.

He notes that despite luxury housing development, blue-collar workers continue to be the backbone of the township. Their needs -- including immigration assistance and before- and afterschool services  must be prioritized.

While Sacco is proud that the former High Tech High School property on Tonnelle Avenue at 85th Street is being transformed into a township school, Wainstein notes that it will be middle school children attending the new facility on the dangerous road. A comprehensive traffic safety study must be done and initiatives implemented to keep these children safe.

In an interview with The Jersey Journal, Wainstein promised to move commission meetings to the evenings and have them rotate throughout the township so more people can attend, telling us, Nobody is more important than the people.

He calls for an updated master plan to foster responsible development along with a developers fund through which rental assistance can aid struggling families.

Infrastructure, recreation and an idea to partner with big-box and other employers in North Bergen to get more local residents jobs are on his to-do list.

And he promises to find a home for those preschoolers currently learning in 22-year-old trailers.

Can he accomplish all this? As every elected official up to the president can attest, in many ways its easier to be on the outside coming up with critiques and ideas than to be at the helm getting them done. But, at least it seems Wainstein is energized and brimming with positive ways to move North Bergen forward.

HCDO INVOLVEMENT

Sacco wouldnt make himself available to speak with The Jersey Journal in the election runup, and his campaign website simply lists six areas of his record rather than platforms for the next four years. Its indicative of the mayors apparent belief that he doesnt have to work for his constituencys support. Rather, the backing of the Hudson County Democratic Organization  the political organizations chairman, Anthony Vainieri is, in fact, one of his running mates  in the non-partisan race is what Sacco and company are relying on.

Voters would be wise to remind Sacco and the HCDO that their ballots shouldnt be taken for granted. Elect Wainstein and at least two of his running mates so new leadership and new ideas can bring a new culture to North Bergen Township Hall.

Send letters to the editor and guest columns for The Jersey Journal to jjletters@jjournal.com.
A Sussex County man admitted Thursday that received more than $1.2 million in stolen funds from an email scheme that targeted businesses across the country, officials said.

Robert J. Herburger, Jr., 63, of Newton, pleaded guilty to second-degree receiving stolen property, according to a statement from the New Jersey Attorney Generals Office. He was also charged with weapons-related offenses for having an an assault rifle at the time of his arrest that he was prohibited from owning due to his criminal history, a prior simple assault conviction, the office said.

Herburger admitted that incorporated fake businesses so he could open associated bank accounts in order to receive funds that he knew were stolen, the office said. From Nov. 3, 2017 through July 5, 2018, he received a little over $1.2 million through an international business e-mail compromise scheme.
Mama June: From Not to Hot is premiering the first episode of its 6th season on Friday, May 5 at 9 p.m. The series will be available to watch on Philo (free trial).

The series stars Mama June, Honey Boo Boo, Pumpkin, Big Mike, and Doe Doe.

Heres the information youll need to watch a free live stream of Mama June: From Not to Hot online without cable.

How to watch Mama June: From Not to Hot without cable

If youre a cord-cutter or dont have cable, you can live stream Mama June: From Not to Hot on Fubo TV, Philo, or DIRECTV Stream. Each streaming service offers a free trial.

When is Mama June: From Not to Hot on?

Mama June: From Not to Hot begins its 6th season on Friday, May 5 at 9 p.m. on WETV Network. It will air bookended by reruns of previous episodes.

What channel is WETV?

You can use the channel finder on your providers website to locate it: Verizon Fios, AT&T U-verse, Comcast Xfinity, Spectrum/Charter, Optimum/Altice, DIRECTV, Dish.

How to watch Mama June: From Not to Hot online on-demand

If you missed an episode of Mama June: From Not to Hot or want to binge watch the entire series online as it becomes available, check out Fubo TV, Philo, or DIRECTV Stream. Each streaming service offers a free trial.

What is Mama June: From Not to Hot about?

According to the official description of the WETV series: Pumpkin and Josh are raising five kids, with only $800 in child support for Alana; June and Justin start planning a big wedding, but June is suddenly rushed to the hospital; Pumpkin finds out June moved to Alabama and assumes she is on drugs again.

Heres a look at a scene from an episode of Mama June: From Not to Hot, courtesy of WETVs official YouTube account:

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Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.

Joseph Rejent covers TV, writing about live television, streaming services and cord-cutting. He can be reached at jrejent@njadvancemedia.com.
Cinco de Mayo parade

ELKO  Elkos Cinco de Mayo Parade and Festival is scheduled Saturday, May 6, downtown and at the fairgrounds.

The parade begins at 11 a.m., followed by festival activities at the fairgrounds from noon to 7 p.m.

Music will be provided by DJ Arturo Torres as well as live Tamborazo music. The festival includes Folkloric dance performances, Mexican food, face painting, bounce houses and more.

Sponsors include Rockwell Industrial & Mining, Ruby Rose Landscape & Tree Service, Riverton Elko, Silver Street Express Lube, Elko Federal Credit Union, Elko Motor Co., Elko Glass Service, Nevada Bank & Trust, and Farmers Insurance.

For more information email elkocincodemayo.com, visit Facebook or call Nancy Davila (vendors) at 775-385-4327 or Daena Romero-Sandoval (parade) at 775-738-3131.

Final EHS Orchestra concert

ELKO  Elko High Schools Orchestra announces the final concert of the 2023 season  Sounds of Spring  at 6 p.m. May 13 at the Performing Arts Building.

The concert includes musicians from the Northern Nevada String Serenade from Reno and musicians from the community. Admission is free and donations to the Orchestra are accepted.

For more information, contact Strings Orchestra Director Rod Royce at rroyce@ecsdnv.net.

Healthy Teen programs in May

ELKO  Family Resource Center is hosting free Healthy Teen programs for youth in Grades 5-7 (ages 10-12) and Grades 8-12 (minimum age 13).

These fun and lively, interactive programs are evidence-based and age-appropriate. They incorporate medically accurate information along with crucial knowledge on identifying and handling social pressures, effective communication, and personal safety. Youth learn about reproductive health, healthy relationships, goal setting, and more while building knowledge, skills, and confidence.

Participants receive their choice of a free backpack with school supplies or a store gift card after completing the program. Limit of one free incentive per participant, per year (runs from Oct-Sept). All youth who attend a full session of a program from October 2022-September 2023 are eligible to apply for our brand new SCHOLARSHIP opportunity!

A parent or guardian must pre-register participant by completing a permission slip before class. The session for Grades 5-7 is on Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Grades 8-12 meet on Saturday, May 20, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both sessions are at the Family Resource Center, 331 Seventh St. in Elko. Lunch will be provided for participants.

Further details are listed at facebook.com/elkofrc/events. For more info, contact 775-753-7352 or teenhealth@elkofrc.org.

Spring Tour of Homes

ELKO  The eighth annual Spring Tour of Homes will be on May 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p m. This is a free open house tour giving the public an opportunity to view Elko/Spring Creek real estate.

The tour is organized and operated by the Elko County Realtors Association. Chairman Dusty Shipp founded the event originally to showcase the luxury estates in Elko County and it has since turned into a highly anticipated tour for the general public to see residential properties and discuss any questions or inquires with local real estate professionals.

The starting point to pick up your map will be at the Commercial Hotel. There you will find free food, free raffles, and free family fun.

Trail Center returns to summer schedule

ELKO  The California Trail Interpretive Center (CTIC) has resumed a seven-day per week schedule. Summer operating hours are Monday through Sunday 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m.

Located eight miles west of Elko on Interstate 80, the CTIC is a local favorite also visited by scores of travelers stopping by on the I-80 corridor.

The seven day a week schedule will allow the Trail Center to better serve the public during the busy summer months by offering local visitors and travelers the opportunity to take advantage of many exciting summer programs including Trail Days June 3-4 this year, and to shop for unique items in the gift shop, said CTIC Manager Paul Brownlee.

The CTIC will continue the popular interpretive programming for all ages throughout the summer. Each weekend will have a different focus, providing something for all skill levels and interests. Watch for season-specific activities such as Dutch oven cooking, butter churning, bows and throws archery and axe and knife throwing, daytime and evening hikes, and more for the whole family to enjoy.

For additional information, contact the CTIC, at 775-778-1849 or visit https://www.californiatrailcenter.org.

Rummage sale at St. Mark

ELKO  St. Mark Lutheran Church LWML will hold their 35th Annual Rhubarb and Rummage Sale on Friday and Saturday, June 2-3, 2023, from 8 a.m. to 1p.m. at 277 Willow St.

There will be a huge selection of items for sale. Breakfast, lunch and baked goods will be available for purchase.

For more information, or if you have something you wish to donate, contact Julie at 775-934-4462

Country Under the Stars

ELKO  Tickets are on sale now for the Country Under the Stars concert scheduled June 8 at the Elko County Fairgrounds.

Headliner Granger Smith featuring Earl Dibbles Jr and Opener Ned LeDoux are bringing the party to the Elko County Fairgrounds concert that sold out last year, so tickets should be purchased early at www.CountryUnderTheStarsElko.com.

Gates open at 5 p.m. and the opening act begins at 6:30.

Amateur Radio Club invite

ELKO  The Elko Amateur Radio Club (EARC) is an organization devoted to all aspects of Amateur Radio Operations.

EARC has a net on Wednesday nights at 7:30 p.m. at 444.500Mhz.

There is also a club breakfast every Saturday morning.

All persons interested in amateur radio and who support the goals of the Elko Amateur Radio Club are eligible to join.

For further information and schedules check out the website at www.W7LKO.org.

Swing your partner

ELKO  Ruby Mountain Square Dance Club is now offering lessons and dances weekly at the Girl Scout House, 561 VFW Drive, from 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays.

For information call Dixie Starbuck at 775-934-6225.

Horizon Center grief support group

ELKO  Horizon Hospice offers support groups through its Horizon Center during the school year, once or twice a month for anyone who would like support through their grief. Anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one is welcome. There are groups for children ages 3 to 18, their parents/caregivers, as well as adult groups.

Upcoming dates are April 18 and May 2 and 16.

There is no cost for the service and you may join at any time. Call 775-778-0612 to register.

Horizon Hospice has also scheduled volunteer training Feb. 22 and 23. The sessions run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1250 Lamoille Highway, No. 413.

A light continental breakfast and lunch will be provided on both days.
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Chairwoman of the Bac Ninh Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang and the delegation visited IFC. (Photo: baobacninh.com.vn)

On May 2 (local time), the delegation visited and worked with the Vietnamese Embassy in the Netherlands. Ambassador Pham Viet Anh received and worked with the delegation.

During the meeting, Ms. Giang gave an overview of the socio-economic development situation of Bac Ninh province as well as the working plan of the delegation during the time in the Netherlands. She suggested the embassy connect and support the delegation to have investment promotion programs with Dutch enterprises investing in Bac Ninh province; and promote and mobilize the international community to support the craft of making Dong Ho folk paintings recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of urgent protection.

Ambassador Pham Viet Anh fully agreed with the proposals of the delegation, affirming that the business trip led by Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang would create an important foundation and open up many opportunities for investment cooperation between Bac Ninh province and leading Dutch enterprises. The Ambassador shared with the delegation the strengths of the Netherlands in shipping, air transport, logistics, high-tech agriculture and renewable energy.

On this occasion, the delegation of Bac Ninh province respectfully offered incense to commemorate President Ho Chi Minh and visited the embassy campus.

On the same day, the delegation visited International Food Connectors Company (IFC) in the city of Rotterdam, Netherlands. This is one of the top 3 enterprises in the Netherlands specializing in the field of trade and food import and export, with a revenue of USD100 billion in 2022. The two sides openly exchanged potentials and strengths, and looked towards the prospect of long-term investment cooperation in the future. Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Huong Giang invited the company's leaders to visit and learn about investment cooperation opportunities in Bac Ninh./.
Two New Orleans craft cocktail destinations have picked up new international accolades with the release of the North Americas 50 Best Bars list for 2023.

Jewel of the South (1026 St. Louis St., 504-265-8816 ) in the French Quarter was ranked No. 5 on the list, netting the title of Best Bar in the South USA. Its a rise in the rankings for Jewel of the South, which was at No. 24 in the lists inaugural edition last year.

The Uptown lounge Cure (4905 Freret St, 504-302-2357) came in at No. 36 on the list for the first time this year.

Jewel of the South opened in 2019 in a Creole townhouse dating to the 1830s, giving a glimpse into history and a taste of the contemporary.
Anthropologists ought to be studying this. It has all the hallmarks of one of those ancient Pompeian mystery cults, or a secret Stonehenge society, or something like that. One can easily imagine a scholarly research paper on the subject: Ritualistic Watermelon Sacrifice Produces Bond Among Nomadic Societal Group at 21st-Century Music Festival.

Each year, a posse of pals shows up at the Jazz Fest on so-called Locals Thursday, dressed in matching T-shirts. They gather near the Fais Do Do stage, between late-afternoon acts, mingling with the crowd, which is mostly unaware of whats about to take place.

Attention turns, as a gentleman in a floppy straw hat appears in the midst of the throng cradling an innocent watermelon. The fact that the glinting cucurbit had been somehow smuggled onto the festival site adds to the intrigue.
Family and friends of a woman hit by a car Saturday said they are hoping to identify the driver who knocked their loved one off of her bike and left her badly injured on the median.

Katherine Elkins, 34, had left the Jazz & Heritage Festival and was peddling with friends down Esplanade Avenue toward the French Quarter when she was hit by a vehicle crossing North Claiborne Avenue.

Katherine Elkins Katherine Elkins, 34, was riding down Esplanade Avenue at Claiborne Avenue when she was struck by a car in what police are investigating as a 

In a video released Thursday by Elkins' attorney, Charlie Thomas, a white sedan could be seen crossing the intersection at a high speed and hitting Elkins on her bike without stopping.

Elkins' sister, Emily Treppendahl, said Thursday that despite earlier public statements from the New Orleans Police Department that the incident is being investigated, neither she nor the friends who were with Elkins that night have been contacted by NOPD.
Acting Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial Peoples Committee Cao Tuong Huy (R) welcomes Luxembourg PM Xavier Bettel on May 3. (Source: VNA)

On the occasion of his official working visit to Vietnam, Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and the high-ranking delegation of Luxembourg on May 3 had a tour of the world natural heritage site Ha Long Bay in the northern province of Quang Ninh.

Welcoming the Luxembourg delegation, Acting Chairman of the Quang Ninh Provincial Peoples Committee Cao Tuong Huy said he was happy and honored that Prime Minister Xavier Bettel chose Ha Long Bay as a destination during the official visit to Vietnam, wishing the Luxembourg delegation a good and comfortable time enjoying the peaceful and poetic beauty of the bay.

Prime Minister Xavier Bettel appreciated the provincial leaders' warm welcome and noted that he was delighted to come here for the first time to enjoy the beauty of Ha Long Bay and feel the hospitality of local people.

After the welcome ceremony at Ha Long International Passenger Port, the Acting Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee saw off Prime Minister Xavier Bettel and a high-ranking delegation of Luxembourg on board to visit Ha Long Bay.

The Luxembourg PM is paying an official visit to Vietnam from May 3-5 at the invitation of PM Pham Minh Chinh.

On May 4, he attended an official welcome ceremony and held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh. The two leaders witnessed the signing of some cooperation agreements between their countries ministries and sectors and met with the press to inform about their talks outcomes.

Prior to the welcome ceremony, the Luxembourg leader paid respects to Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh and visited the monument to Vietnamese heroes and martyrs and the memorial site dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh in Hanoi.

He and the Vietnamese Prime Minister also visited the Temple of Literature and the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum.

In addition, he met with National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and took part in some activities in Ho Chi Minh City, including a Vietnam - Luxembourg business forum and a meeting with the citys leaders.

Vietnam and Luxembourg set up diplomatic ties on November 15, 1973. As of March 2023, Luxembourg had invested USD2.6 billion in 64 projects in Vietnam, ranking third among 24 EU members and 17th among 139 countries and territories investing in the Southeast Asian nation.

In 2022, bilateral trade stood at USD187.1 million, a year-on-year increase of 69%. The figure included USD130.14 million worth of Vietnams exports and USD56.96 million worth of imports from Luxembourg./.
It's not yet mid-May and we've had more mass shootings this year than ever. This is a distinctly American phenomenon.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue (R) and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel (Photo: VNA)

During a meeting with the guest in Hanoi on May 4, Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue hailed the outcomes of talks between the Vietnamese and Luxembourg PMs, adding that he and the Vietnamese legislature highly appreciate bilateral friendship and cooperation via both Government and parliament channels, with regular exchange of high-level visits.

Despite having a relatively small population, Luxembourg is the third largest EU investor in Vietnam and one of the countries toearly ratify the Vietnam-EU Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

Hue lauded the signing of many cooperation agreements between the two countries, especially the establishment of the Strategic Partnership on Green Finance framework. He thanked Luxembourg for its continued support to Vietnam, particularly in poverty reduction and climate change adaptation.

Noting that Luxembourg is strong in finance and banking, the host said the Vietnamese NA is finalising the legal framework for these areas and suggested that the two sides strengthen cooperation and share lawmaking experience in them.

Bettel, for his part, said during his talks with PM Pham Minh Chinh in the morning the same day, Luxembourg announced two projects worth a total of 7 million EUR to assist Vietnam in environment protection and climate change adaptation. This shows Luxembourg's determination to help Vietnam in its transition and contribute to preserving the environment and beautiful landscapes for future generations, he said.

According to him, both sides are organising an economic forum on May 5 with the participation of 25 businesses from Luxembourg. Impressed by Vietnam's economic policies amid the global recession, he said Vietnam not only focuses on economic development but also on greenhouse gas emission reduction.

On the occasion, he hoped that Vietnam will soon waive visas for Luxembourg citizens, thereby facilitating economic, trade, and people-to-people exchanges.

As digital transformation is a priority of the Luxembourg Government, Bettel affirmed that Luxembourg is ready to share information on digital transformation with Vietnam.

The Vietnamese leader described economy, trade and investment as potential cooperation areas for both countries.

Vietnam welcomes more Luxembourg investors to the country which has great potential in both population and economic size. Both sides are well-positioned to maintain and improve a new supply chain amid complex and uncertain developments in the world, he said.

Agreeing with the guests proposal, Hue affirmed that the two countries should continue creating favourable conditions for visa issuance on the basis of reciprocity. The Vietnamese National Assembly will consider this issue within its authority at the upcoming session, he said.

He also asked for Luxembourg's support in urging the European Commission (EC) to soon lift the yellow card warning against Vietnamese seafood exports for the benefit of EU consumers and the livelihoods of Vietnamese fishermen.

On the occasion, the host wished that both sides would promote parliamentary diplomatic ties.

Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue conveyed his invitation to the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg to visit Vietnam. As the Vietnamese NA will host the ninth Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians this September, he hoped that the Luxembourg side will send a delegation of young parliamentarians to the event./.
Tourists enjoy themselves at an international ski resort in Koktokay, Fuyun County, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, April 9, 2023. (Xinhua/Hu Huhu)

URUMQI, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region received more than 8 million tourist trips during the five-day May Day holiday, which ended on Wednesday. This marked a year-on-year increase of 140.81 percent, local authorities said.

Total tourism revenue generated during the holiday surpassed 6 billion yuan (about 869 million U.S. dollars), up 192.18 percent year on year, according to the regional culture and tourism department.

During the holiday, Xinjiang held various kinds of theatrical performances and cultural activities.

It is estimated that China's domestic tourist trips during the holiday surged by 70.83 percent year-on-year to reach 274 million, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said on Wednesday.

Editor: ZAD
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on amendments to the "Structure of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan".

According to the amendment, the East Zangezur Customs Administration will be created in accordance with the decree.

The full text of the decree can be found here.
A visitor looks at an artwork at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

SYDNEY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.

Held at the China Cultural Center in Sydney, the exhibition was divided into two sections with the paintings of three artists, and also siblings. The first section includes more than 40 ink paintings by Ren Jianguo, who once learned from famous Chinese painter Li Keran, while the second presents the works of Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong with acrylic and color hand-painting as a medium.

Like being immersed in an artistic journey from past to present, visitors can not only sense the beauty of China's mountains and water scenery and street views in traditional Chinese painting styles, but also enjoy innovative combinations of Eastern and Western cultural elements, such as "Chinese New Year" in Ren Lihong's Visual Journal Series.

The show demonstrates the artists' persistence and promotion of Chinese traditional culture, and their aspiration of integrating Eastern and Western cultures against Australia's multicultural background, Xiao Xiayong, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sydney, said at the opening ceremony.

"The exhibition will further enhance the understanding of Chinese culture and art among the Australian art community and promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Australia," Xiao added.

The exhibition will run through June 8. 

Visitors look at artworks at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023.

A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

Editor: JYZ
China has now inaugurated a new wave of globalization where they open up new opportunities for development of global south countries, Elias Jabbour, Professor of Theory and Politics of Economic Planning at Rio de Janeiro State University, said in an interview with Guangming Online, China offers us a lot of opportunities that we didn't have in the last 40 years.

As a prominent Marxism academic in Brazil, Jabbour has examined China as his study case for 25 years, and his book Socialist Economic Development in the 21st Century: A Century After the Bolshevik Revolution was published in 2022.

Jabbour shared his insight with Guangming Online on how can the Chinese practice help Brazil deal with the challenges it met. He pointed that the import of neoliberism ideas has cause infinite damage to Brazils development, and thats why Chinese modernization, an alternative path towards development, is an essential experience to Brazil. Over the years, long-term targets have been set and met, and great progress has been made, which makes China a great inspiration to Global South, Jabbour explained.

Jabbour also exemplified bilateral cooperation between China and Bolivia, Argentina, as well as Iran, to elaborate on the win-win cooperation China promotes and how can developing countries benefit from their cooperation with China. I think the great level of our cooperation with China will reach when China becomes a great partner in our reindustrialization, Jabbour is optimistic about the China-Brazil relationship in the future, In the sense, I think Lula da Silva has a great ideas about the relationship between China and Brazil.

Editor: ZAD
ST. LOUISKimberly M. Gardner, the embattled St. Louis circuit attorney who had been accused of failing to perform her duties, has resigned effective June 1.

Gardner posted her letter of resignation on Twitter on May 4, two days after visiting judge John Torbitzky ordered seven out of 10 claims filed against her by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey to move forward.

Bailey had filed a writ of quo warranto against Gardner in February, a legal proceeding seeking to oust her for alleged failure to perform her official duties.

Bailey asserted that Gardner had forfeited her office by failing in her duty to protect the public.

The move was initiated following public outcry after Janae Edmondson, a Tennessee teen, had both legs amputated following a car crash involving an alleged repeat bond violator on Feb. 18.

According to Bailey, Gardners other failures to take prosecutorial action resulted in some 12,000 criminal cases being dismissed, endlessly frustrating courts and victims desperate for justice.

Police are drowning in drugs seized in cases that have languished, Bailey wrote, and alleged that Gardners office had allowed arrest-warrant applications to go unprocessed for more than eight months.

Bailey also accused Gardner of agreeing to extraordinary bond reductions and failure to seek bond revocations for suspects charged with violent crimes.

Gardner had vowed to fight the attempt to remove her from office as recently as April 29.

What youre seeing is a witch hunt, she said during a meeting with supporters that was recorded by KSDK News and posted on YouTube.

Im not leavin. Im not resigning. Im not doing nothing. You will have to remove me. Gardner said.

In her resignation letter, Gardner said it had been the honor of a lifetime to serve the people of St. Louis, who had twice elected her.

She said her decision to leave office was motivated by a bill advancing in the Missouri legislature that would make the city attorney a position appointed by the governor rather than an elected one.

It is hard to think of a more direct or brutal assault on our democracy, one that mirrors the attacks in Jackson, Mississippi, and throughout Florida, Gardner wrote.

Bailey reacted to Gardners resignation on Twitter, saying he would persist in seeking her removal.

There is absolutely no reason for the Circuit Attorney to remain in office until June 1. We remain undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office, Bailey wrote.

Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger.

Gardner is among many progressive prosecutors who received backing from billionaire financier George Soros, according to The Missouri Times.

The judges of the 22nd Circuit Court, who handle cases from Gardners office, issued a statement saying they are deeply concerned about the high volume of serious criminal cases scheduled for trial in the coming weeks without assigned prosecutors.

They said they would work with other leaders to help Gardners replacement. We hope St. Louis next circuit attorney is successful in restoring stability to the office and rebuilding its ranks with experienced prosecutors.

Janice Hisle contributed to this report.

From The Epoch Times
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The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Energy Security Project (ESP), transferred 137 generators with a capacity of 7 to 100 kW to the utility company Kyivteploenergo for a total amount of about UAH 40 million.

"USAID Energy Security Project was one of the first to start systematic supply of generators for Kyiv in the face of missile attacks on critical infrastructure facilities," the company said in a press release on Friday.

As company said, some 38 out of 137 generators ensured the uninterrupted operation of the heat-generating equipment of 38 boiler houses in Kyiv.

"This is about 25% of all heat sources managed by Kyivteploenergo. In total, the generators provided by USAID through ESP make it possible to supply heat and hot water to more than 160 residential buildings, 30 hospitals and 25 educational institutions and more than 220 departmental buildings," according to the document.

As Kyivteploenergo noted, another 15 generators provided backup power to the company's generation facilities and were used to ensure dispatching and uninterrupted communications. The remaining 84 generators were distributed among the repair teams, which, during the heating season, repaired about 40 damage to heating networks in all districts of the city every day.

"This assistance from USAID, provided through ESP, allowed Kyivteploenergo to continue to produce heat, reduce interruptions in the supply of heat and hot water to the homes of Kyiv residents and for the needs of critical infrastructure facilities in the capital during the 2022/2023 heating season," the company said.

Director of Kyivteploenergo Vasyl Derevytsky said the company first of all equipped boiler rooms provided by USAID with generators that heat hospitals, important social institutions and residential buildings, due to which they were able to receive heat off-line.

"We are grateful to the U.S. government and USAID for their support in these hard times... We leave generators at boiler houses to increase the stability of heat supplies to our customers and quickly respond to security challenges," Derevytsky said.

According to the document, Kyivteploenergo staff quickly mastered the algorithms for connecting boilers to generators.

"During emergency blackouts, we were constantly on standby. If at night, we turned on telephone flashlights and quickly switched power from the generator so that the pumps turned on and the system started operating. We had to act quickly, because if the temperature of the boiler rose, it would need to be cooled, drain the water into the drainage and start from scratch," boiler typist at Vokzalna 12 boiler house Tamara Kuzmenko said.

In turn, according to director of Darnytsia orphanage Olena Hrybovska, the USAID generator for the boiler house serving that institution made it possible to provide heat and hot water to 75 children with special needs throughout the winter period.

"The generator was turned on twice a day  in the morning and in the evening. We had heating and hot water throughout the winter, despite durable blackouts. It was warm for children and staff," she said.
A plant-based hair extension company, software platform and parking app won this year's Big Sell entrepreneurship contest.

Purdue University Northwests College of Business and College of Technology hosted the 12th annual contest at PNWs Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center on Indianapolis Boulevard. Originally held at the now-razed Star Plaza Theatre in Merrillville, the Big Sell is meant to showcase startups and propel them to success.

Aspiring entrepreneurs made their best elevator pitches for their startups to compete for investment capital.

Jannice Newson won first place and a $10,000 prize. She co-founded Lillian Augusta with Nana Britwum. Lillian Augusta makes synthetic, biodegradable hair braid extensions for Black women. It's intended to be both comfortable and sustainable for the environment.

Computer science student Luis Alvear placed second, winning $3,000 for his AtoB software platform. His startup links up drivers and passengers for carpooling with the goal of reducing travel costs, limiting congestion and lowering carbon emissions.

Courtney Stern won third place, landing $1,000 for her Park Watch app. The New York City resident aspires to help drivers find on-street parking in cities by sharing spots with each other.

Entrepreneurship students produce the PNW Big Sell pitch competition, which had another fantastic showing, said Alexandra Moran, clinical instructor of entrepreneurship. We are so excited to see these companies looking to scale their businesses within our entrepreneurship ecosystem. The diversity of founders and their companies mirrors our diverse community and we look forward to supporting them as they continue to raise capital.

Moran and Mont Handley, an entrepreneur in residence and the associate director of CMEC, jointly directed the Big Sell, which was sponsored by NIPSCO and broadcast on WJOB.

StoryBolt co-founder Nassim Abdi, entrepreneurship assistant professor Kristin Burton and Multi Agency Academic Cooperative founder Stewart McMillan evaluated the six-minute-long pitches.
A Boone Township School Board member was caught in an apparent attempt to meet up with a 14-year-old girl Thursday in a video posted on the Facebook page of the organization Bikers Against Predators.

Shawn Ensign, 47, of Hebron is the man in the video, and he has been criminally charged with child solicitation, a sex crime.

In the video, Ensign is stopped by a member of Bikers Against Predators, which seeks to expose sexual predators, in a Dunkin Donuts parking lot in Goshen, and is asked if he is meeting an underage girl he met online. Ensign reportedly drove from Hebron, where he lives, to Goshen, about 90 miles away.

"Stop and have a conversation with me, Mike," the man behind the camera says, using an alias Ensign created online. "Let's be real. Who are you here meeting today?"

Ensign initially denies the allegation and begins to flee. The man then purports to have evidence.

"I have a picture on my phone of this exact outfit right now," he says. "The 14-year-old you've been talking to? I've got all the messages. You just told her to come out back so you can properly greet her. What do you mean by that?"

"Just give her a hug," Ensign says.

However, the man behind the camera pushes further.

"You didn't talk about doing anything else in the conversation?" he asks, to which Ensign shakes his head and denies. "You didn't talk about doing anything else in the conversation? Nothing at all? Do I need to read them? Because you did."

Ensign eventually admits that he connected with a girl online who listed her age as 18 on her profile. However, he immediately acknowledges that the girl promptly told him she was 14, but he kept pursuing it because he was "lonely" and "drunk" on the night they exchanged the messages and because his wife "is sick and can't do things."

"My bad," Ensign says at one point in the video.

The speaker asks Ensign about details of the online interaction, which he eventually reveals was a setup, until law enforcement arrive at the scene. Ensign denies that he would've had sex with the young girl, but the man behind the camera replies: "I read the dialogue and it all points to, you would have."

The Goshen Police Department told The Times that Ensign was arrested and charged with child solicitation. Ensign is being held on $10,000 bail at Elkhart County Jail, according to jail records.

Ensign was elected to the Boone Township School Board in January 2020. He is also vice president of the Hebron Little League.

Boone Township Superintendent Jeff Brooks released a statement on the news.

"The MSD (Metropolitan School District) of Boone Township staff and school board are shocked and appalled with behavior a school board member displayed in a video that recently became public," he wrote. "While we all feel it necessary for the district to act immediately upon this information, there are legal considerations that dictate further action at this time."

Brooks noted that the police investigation and legal aspects of the situation take precedent over the district's decisions and that as an elected board member, state law dictates the procedures for his removal. He said the district is monitoring the situation closely and consulting with police.

"This single abhorrent situation should not reflect on the people of the MSD of Boone Township who work so hard to create a safe and secure environment for our children," he said. "We encourage parents to discuss internet safety with their children and endeavor to keep lines of communication open."

GALLERY: The Times Photos of the Week More than 1,000 runners, walkers in Hub Run More than 1,000 runners, walkers in Hub Run More than 1,000 runners, walkers in Hub Run More than 1,000 runners, walkers in Hub Run Crossroads YMCA Hammond Destination groundbreaking Crossroads YMCA Hammond Destination groundbreaking Crossroads YMCA Hammond Destination groundbreaking Crossroads YMCA Hammond Destination groundbreaking Crossroads YMCA Hammond Destination groundbreaking Northwest Indiana Food Council panel discussion Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Public hearing to discuss the train bridge proposed for Hessville Irving Elementary is Hammond's dual-language school Irving Elementary is Hammond's dual-language school Irving Elementary is Hammond's dual-language school Crown Point Library book sale Crown Point Library book sale NextGen Youth Expo in Hammond NextGen Youth Expo in Hammond NextGen Youth Expo in Hammond "We Art Valpo," new mural says Gallery HTML code
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. appears to be out of options for continuing to postpone his criminal trial on charges of resisting law enforcement, a Level 6 felony, and misdemeanor reckless driving.

On Thursday, the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously rejected Martinezs appeal of a unanimous Jan. 26 Court of Appeals decision sustaining the criminal indictment that a Lake County grand jury approved 16 months ago.

In a one-page order, signed by Chief Justice Loretta Rush, the five justices of the states highest court said that after evaluating all the documentation filed in the case, they found no basis to grant transfer and vacate the Court of Appeals ruling.

That decision, absent further, extraordinary legal maneuvers, likely sends the case back to Lake County for Martinez to finally stand trial.

A message sent to Martinezs Merrillville-based attorney, Paul Stracci, seeking comment on the Supreme Courts decision and next steps was not immediately returned.

The Democratic sheriff previously pleaded not guilty to the charges that carry a potential punishment of up to 2 years behind bars. Martinez also automatically would lose his elected post as sheriff immediately upon conviction of a felony.

Under Indiana law, Martinez is prohibited from carrying a handgun in public because of the criminal indictment. However, hes challenging the constitutionality of that statute in a separate lawsuit.

According to court records, Martinez failed to stop Sept. 18, 2021, while driving an unmarked, county-owned Jeep TrackHawk at 96 mph in a 45-mph zone in what police described as a completely reckless manner on Main Street in Crown Point and Taft Street and U.S. 30 in Merrillville as two Crown Point police officers chased him with their lights and sirens activated.

The officers terminated their pursuit when Martinez reportedly flashed the red-and-blue law enforcement light bar at the back of his vehicle to indicate that the vehicle was in use for law enforcement purposes, even though there were no emergency calls for the Lake County Sheriffs Department at that time, records show.

Police located the vehicle around midnight in a handicapped-parking spot at Karma Cigar in Merrillville and subsequently linked it to Martinez.

Martinez was indicted by the grand jury, upon the recommendation of Special Prosecutor Stanley Levco, following testimony from Indiana State Police Commander Kevin Smith, who was requested to investigate the incident by the owner of the sheriffs vehicle, the Lake County Board of Commissioners.

In his appeal, Martinez argued that his indictment should be dismissed because his due-process right to a neutral and detached atmosphere in the grand jury proceedings was prejudiced by Smith giving improper legal advice disguised as testimony.

The Court of Appeals disagreed.

Judge Margret Robb, writing for the unanimous panel, said the courts review of Smiths grand jury testimony found that he appropriately limited his remarks to his personal experience as a police officer and his interpretation, given the facts of this case, as to whether he would have charged Martinez.

Specifically, Smith said hes never worked in an Indiana county where a motorist driving 51 mph over the speed limit was not engaged in reckless driving and subject to immediate incarceration.

Smith likewise said that, in his experience, it would have been impossible for Martinez not to realize he was being chased by police and that he should have pulled over when video records show two police cars with their lights flashing and sirens sounding were immediately behind Martinezs vehicle at the intersection of U.S. 30 and Taft Street.

This does not qualify as legal advice under (the) Indiana Code, Robb said. It is merely his function as a testifying police witness.

His opinion testimony was meant to assist the grand jury in reaching a decision and did not impede or remove the power to be the exclusive judge of the facts from the grand jury.

Martinez initially became sheriff Sept. 16, 2017, through a party caucus after his predecessor, Sheriff John Buncich, was convicted of federal bribery and fraud charges for accepting kickbacks from tow truck firms seeking county work. Buncich is serving a 151-month prison term.

Martinez was elected in his own right in 2018 and reelected in 2022.
A literary festival will celebrate children's literature this weekend in Valparaiso.

Valparaiso University and the Porter County Public Library will host Dunes Lit Fest from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on the west lawn of the Valparaiso University campus at 1509 Chapel Drive in Valparaiso.

The inaugural Dunes Lit Fest will celebrate reading, writing and creativity, aiming to spark children's imaginations. Both local and award-winning national children's authors will appear at the festival.

Dunes Lit Fest is free and open to families of all ages.

The festival will feature vendor booths, book signings, food trucks and a book swap where people can exchange gently used children's books with others. Attendees can snap pictures with Valparaiso University mascots Beacon and Blaze and take part in an interactive StoryWalk in which they read pages from kids' books displayed on posts while strolling around a trail.

The musician ScribbleMonster will perform a concert from 12:30-1:30 p.m.

The authors Jeffery Weatherford, Barb Rosenstock, Juana Martinez-Neal, Molly Idle, Rob Harrell, Kenneth Kraegel and Rebecca Mullin will take the stage and read from their work throughout the day. Local authors like Stephenie Jones, Peggy Archer, Scott Simerlein, John Mitchell, Karen Hisaw, Shenley Seabrook and Tina Turner will have booths.

Many of the authors have attained significant acclaim. Weatherford for instance has won three Caldecott Honors, two NAACP Image Awards, a Coretta Scott King Author Award and other laurels. Rosenstock has won a Caldecott Honor, an Orbis Pictus Honor, a Sydney Taylor Honor and the California Library Association Beatty Award.

Vendors will include Barnes & Noble, The Caring Place, Indiana Authors Award, the WAVES Program, the Porter County Museum, the Valparaiso University History Department, the Valparaiso University Education Department, Centier Bank and First Things First Porter County: Talking is Teaching.

Food trucks include The Lunch Box, Kona Ice, and Day Dreams & Ice Cream.

Dunes Lit Fest T-shirts also will be available for sale to fund next year's event.
Indianas new two-year state budget and all 252 legislative proposals approved by the 2023 General Assembly are now law.

On Thursday, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb signed the final batch of 91 measures sent to his desk after their approval last week by the Republican-controlled House and Senate. Most take effect July 1.

Im proud of what was accomplished this legislative session, and through collaboration and hard work we will be able to make transformational investments that will better the lives of Hoosiers and build a better today and stronger tomorrow, Holcomb said.

First and foremost, we balanced our 10th straight budget which enables us to strategically prioritize key areas in health, education and workforce that will elevate Indiana to the Next Level.

The governor did not veto a single proposal this year advanced by the General Assembly. Holcomb has vetoed seven measures since taking office in 2017 as Indianas chief executive, records show.

In any case, the governors veto largely is symbolic because it takes only a simple majority  the same number of votes needed to approve legislation in the first place  for the General Assembly to override the veto and enact a law notwithstanding the governors objections.

Next year will be Holcombs final full legislative session because the Indiana Constitution prohibits governors from serving more than two consecutive four-year terms.

PHOTOS: Holcomb visits Valparaiso High School to celebrate its football state championship Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School Gov. Eric Holcomb and State Rep. Ed Soliday visit Valparaiso High School
On a Wednesday in March at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the art historian, curator and podcaster Katy Hessel lingered by Leonora Carringtons 1953 painting And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur. The mysterious dreamscape depicts a white bull in a red robe, seated at a table covered in crystal spheres. Two pale children dressed in black cloaks seem to be seeking guidance from the bull, as well as a phantom spirit.

I like the idea that theres something happening in secret here, said Ms. Hessel, hovering her finger near the paintings faceless dancing apparition. As an expression of Ms. Carringtons dual upbringing  her rebellious youth in Britain and subsequent escape to Mexico  these hybridized figures feel like figures from two worlds in a way, Ms. Hessel said.

Ms. Hessel, petite, with long brown hair parted in the middle, carried the U.S. edition of her forthcoming 512-page art history book, The Story of Art Without Men, in a white Bao Bao Issey Miyake tote slung over an Axel Arigato trench coat. Hearing Ms. Hessels melodious British accent and enthusiasm for the work of a female artist, another young woman, standing patiently by, approached from the corner of the room. Im a huge fan of your podcast, she said.

Though it isnt especially unusual these days for certain podcast hosts to get recognized in public, it remains less common for an art historian like Ms. Hessel. The 29-year-old polymath, who is behind the Great Women Artists podcast, newsletter and Instagram, has built a large following for encouraging art lovers and newbies alike to approach the crafts historical canon with a raised eyebrow and a red pen.
When a subway rider in New York used a chokehold that ended up killing a 30-year-old homeless man, Jordan Neely, he was employing a technique that many neurologists warn is so dangerous that it should not be allowed in law enforcement.

Chokeholds or strangleholds are known also as neck compressions, which involve applying pressure to both sides of the neck. They are allowed in some martial arts competitions, and certain U.S. military personnel in ground-combat units may learn to apply chokeholds, and associated safe releases, in training.

But in the past few years, police departments have increasingly banned the use of chokeholds, following events such as the deaths of Eric Garner and George Floyd.

There are few data on how often police have used the holds, or what the consequences were. Among the few studies is one reporting that officers in Spokane, Wash., used neck restraints 230 times in the eight years before May 2021, when Washington State banned them.
At Netherlands Air Force base, Zelenskyy meets with Ukrainian military, gets acquainted with weapons being transferred to Ukraine

As part of an official visit to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the base of the Royal Netherlands Air Force.

The Head of State met with the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine undergoing training in the Netherlands, cadets of the Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, as well as with wounded soldiers undergoing rehabilitation in medical institutions.

He noted that Ukraine is proud of its soldiers.

Addressing Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte and Minister of Defense of the Netherlands Kajsa Ollongren, the President thanked them and everyone in the Netherlands who helps Ukraine.

"The military equipment sent from here to Ukraine on the battlefield, your assistance packages for Ukraine, the military competencies that you teach our soldiers during training, your help in treating our soldiers after injuries, as well as the work of your specialists who help investigate the Russian military crimes and form an evidence base - all this brings victory closer. Our common victory!" Zelenskyy said.

For her part, Kajsa Ollongren noted that this base was one of the locations where the Netherlands prepares military equipment and weapons for Ukraine. She also stressed that the Netherlands would continue to help the Ukrainian people in their quest to repel Russian aggression.

"We will continue to make a significant contribution to strengthening Ukraine's military capabilities. Now and in the future, for as long as it takes," Ollongren said.
When Mayor Eric Adams began to talk frequently about God a few months back  how God elevated him to lead New York City, how Mr. Adams implemented policy with a godlike approach, how the separation of church and state was misguided  his timing was no accident.

He was, he says, responding to the same divine voice he heard decades ago, the one that he says prophesied that he would become mayor on Jan. 1, 2022.

The same voice I heard 32 years ago spoke to me a few months ago and said, Talk about God, Eric, Mr. Adams said on Thursday at the Christian Cultural Center, a Brooklyn megachurch that has become a favored political pulpit for many. Talk about God.

Mr. Adams made his comments on the National Day of Prayer, a day of observance created by President Harry S. Truman, a Democrat, in 1952. But few New York City mayors have chosen to formally commemorate the day or to speak so fervently about religion  especially not in the way Mr. Adams has.
Tammy Murphy, the first lady of New Jersey, has made infant and maternal health her signature cause during her husbands tenure as governor. She led the push for free nurse visits for newborns and expanded access to doulas during labor, with a goal of improving New Jerseys abysmal pregnancy-related death rates.

But a gender-discrimination lawsuit, filed by four female troopers against the State Police, accuses Ms. Murphy of failing to practice what she has so often preached.

The suit claims that Ms. Murphy refused to permit a State Police trooper assigned to protect her to use a carriage house at the familys riverside estate in Middletown, N.J., to pump breast milk during breaks.

The first lady told the womans supervisor, who runs the State Police unit that guards Gov. Philip D. Murphy and his family, that it was not encouraged because of optics by guests who may be on the premises, the lawsuit states.
NATIONAL

An article about the arrest of a gunman who opened fire at a medical office in Atlanta misstated the address where the shooting took place. It was at 1110 West Peachtree Street Northwest, not 1100 West Peachtree Street Northwest.

An article about the dismissal of Donald Trumps lawsuit against The New York Times incorrectly described the judges ruling on a lawsuit brought by Mr. Trump. The judge dismissed the lawsuit against The New York Times and its reporters, but not against Mary Trump.

OBITUARIES

An article on Wednesday about Gordon Lightfoots essential songs misstated a lyric in Mr. Lightfoots Black Day in July. It is the soul of Motor City is bared across the land, not the soul of Motor City is feared across the land.

Errors are corrected during the press run whenever possible, so some errors noted here may not have appeared in all editions.
For two weeks, a strange bird has perched in Brooklyn over the treetops of one of the Three Sisters Islands in Prospect Park Lake. It shows no signs of heading back to the place it most likely came from in the South.

Meet the anhinga, a large water bird with a snaky neck that has joined other high-profile vagrant birds in recent years by making a rare appearance outside of its typical migration range.

The birds name comes from the Tupi Indian language of Brazil and means devil bird. And according to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, its not from around here: Anhingas in the United States generally range from the Southern states along the gulf coast to Texas, stretching into the Carolinas in the summer.

The Prospect Park anhinga is the first devil bird observed in Kings County, and only the second sighting in New York City since 1992. When Radka Osickova first spotted it with the Brooklyn Bird Club, she couldnt believe her eyes.
THE CHEF MOST often credited with inventing the croquembouche, the French-born confection that towers haughtily over any table it graces, was, unsurprisingly, an architecture enthusiast. Toward the end of the French Revolution, years before he baked the cake for Napoleon Bonapartes (second) wedding, Marie-Antoine Careme began an apprenticeship at a patisserie near the Palais Royal. Hed spend his afternoons in the national library across the street, mesmerized by images of architectural marvels. He copied in ink  and then created in pastry and marzipan, in sugar paste and spun sugar  the ruined castles and hermitages, temples, pyramids and fountains he had seen in the Bibliotheque, writes Ian Kelly in his 2003 biography of Careme, Cooking for Kings.

Among Caremes most heroic specialties were his statuesque pastries, known as extraordinaires, some shaped as giant harps or colonnaded fountains. But it was the croquembouche in particular  a conical tower typically rising several feet high and constructed out of cream puffs (a.k.a. choux a la creme) bound together with caramel  that became a staple of French wedding banquets and, eventually, his legacy.

Its name translated as crunch in the mouth, the pastry, when made properly, should deliver a gratifying crackle with every bite. Ensuring that crunch  by preparing the dough just so, and serving before the caramel softens  is in itself a feat, says Claire Saffitz, 36, the baker and food writer who included a recipe for croquembouche in her 2020 book, Dessert Person, cautioning readers that its an arduous undertaking. The outsize ambition required for a croquembouche may be why, along with its undeniable visual appeal, a crop of young pastry chefs are reviving the form. Over the years it became a way of showing off my baking achievement, says Saffitz. People sort of gasp and theyre like, What is that?
The chief prosecutor in St. Louis, who made history as the first Black woman to hold the post but faced widespread criticism for her handling of violent crime, said on Thursday that she would resign on June 1.

The prosecutor, Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, a Democrat, was facing an effort by Missouris attorney general, a Republican, to remove her from office. Her resignation means the governor, also a Republican, can appoint a replacement to serve as the lead prosecutor in an overwhelmingly Democratic city that has long struggled with high crime rates and disinvestment.

In recent months, Attorney General Andrew Bailey accused Ms. Gardner of overseeing an office that failed at its most basic tasks, with warrant applications that went unreviewed for months and overburdened assistant prosecutors who sometimes failed to show up for court. Mr. Bailey said on Thursday that there was no reason for Ms. Gardner to stay until June, and that his office was undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office.

Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger, said Mr. Bailey, who has asked a judge to remove her.
WASHINGTON  President Biden is expected to announce soon that he has chosen Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the Air Force chief of staff, to become the countrys most senior military officer, according to two U.S. officials.

If he is formally nominated and approved by the Senate, General Brown will succeed Gen. Mark A. Milley, whose term as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff expires at the end of September.

General Brown would be only the second Black man to become chairman, following Colin L. Powell, who served in that position during the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

General Browns appointment and confirmation would also mean that along with Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, the top two Pentagon leadership positions would be inhabited by African American men for the first time in American history. It would be a singular step for minorities in a military whose leadership has long been dominated by white men.
A bipartisan group of senators is working to orchestrate a two-year extension of an expiring pandemic-era expulsion authority that allows officials to speedily send migrants out of the United States, in a long-shot bid to head off an expected influx of border crossings when the policy ends next week.

The measure has little chance of advancing in the closely divided Senate, but its emergence this week demonstrates how profoundly partisan gridlock on a broader immigration overhaul has paralyzed Congress. It also reflects a last-ditch sense of desperation on the part of some members to try any step to prevent problems at the border from growing far worse.

The authors, Senators Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who recently changed her affiliation from Democrat to independent, and Thom Tillis, Republican of North Carolina, have for months been at the center of efforts to strike a deal on a comprehensive and bipartisan immigration overhaul.

The looming expiration of the pandemic-era policy known as Title 42, which includes the expedited expulsion authority, has long been a part of their strategy, providing a deadline of sorts they hoped would force Congress to act on immigration. Last year, the pair tried and failed to galvanize support for combining the extension with a series of border security enhancements and a pathway to citizenship for migrants unlawfully brought to the United States as children.
DUBONA, Serbia  The killer seemed to mark people for death at random. He drove to a halt at a soccer field near a Serbian farming village, where young people were enjoying drinks and music, opened fire with an assault rifle, and sped off. He fired on another group outside a schoolyard.

Just one day after a 13-year-old shot to death nine people at his school in the capital, Belgrade, eight more victims lay dead or dying Thursday night, with at least 14 others newly wounded. Already deeply shaken, Serbia once again had to confront the unthinkable. This small Balkan nation, which had not had a mass shooting in seven years, had suffered two of them in as many days.

Early Friday, after an overnight manhunt involving hundreds of officers, with helicopters swarming overhead, the police captured a man who officials said was the gunman, a 21-year-old wearing a white supremacist symbol. Neither the officials nor the people of the area could offer a coherent motive for the massacre.

President Aleksandar Vucic vowed sweeping changes to Serbias gun laws, saying he was aiming for the almost complete disarmament of the country, something rarely attempted  and a sharp contrast to the United States, where mass shootings have mostly been followed by official inaction. At a news conference on Friday he said, Weve been walking around like zombies the last 24 hours, looking for a reason something like this could happen.
Like the book, the dance proceeds as a series of episodes. Roche seems to have selected a handful of Joyces 18 sections, interpreting some more literally than others, and establishing certain gestural motifs that lend a sense of cohesion. Perhaps the most recurrent and laden with meaning  at times a bit too heavily  is a hand at the heart, cupped or with fingers blooming upward, paired with pulsations of the chest.

In one episode, Yusuf walks onstage and pulls a synthetic heart from under his shirt, offering it to the angelic Cuny. Roche is judicious in her choice of when to supply language, and how much. The following passage is one of just a few that appear projected on the screen:

Broken heart. A pump after all, pumping thousands of gallons of blood every day. One fine day it gets bunged up: and there you are. Lots of them lying around here: lungs, hearts, livers. Old rusty pumps: damn the thing else. The resurrection and the life.

In the vigorous dancing that follows  under Davison Scandretts deep red lighting, and backed by a slow cascade of religious images  the performers could be a pumping heart themselves, four chambers that begin in harmony and ultimately fracture, until only Yusuf is left, lying face down on the floor. (Cerneaux returns for something like a grieving ritual, maybe a resurrection.) At other times, the dancers pat their torsos, as if trying to locate their internal organs.

Given Roches artistic medium, the body, it makes sense that she would lean into this corporeal imagery. From a source known for its alienating qualities, she wrings feeling and humanity. She also embraces themes of eroticism, especially in the climactic penultimate episode, when all of the dancers, anonymized in floral-patterned body suits and face coverings, entangle in lustful and violent poses. (Katie Davenport did the costume and stage design.) Theres humor here, too, the interactions goofier than they are gritty.
Netherlands to send two more forensic missions to Ukraine in 2023 to investigate war crimes under ICC auspices

The Netherlands will send two more forensic missions to Ukraine in 2023 to investigate war crimes under the auspices of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the text of a joint statement between Ukraine and the Netherlands says.

"We (Ukraine and the Netherlands) will continue to support the ICC in its endeavours, in particular  in the case of the Netherlands  by sending two more forensic missions to Ukraine in 2023 under the flag of the ICC," the document said.

Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren, during a meeting with the President of Ukraine at the base of the Dutch Royal Air Force, said that sending such missions is important to bring to justice the perpetrators of crimes in Ukraine.

As reported, at the end of April, a Dutch group of forensic medical experts was sent to Ukraine to investigate war crimes, consisting of 60 people.
On March 11, 2022, the youth library in the city of Chernihiv in northern Ukraine was bombarded by Russian missiles. Whole sections of the 120-year-old Gothic-inspired building were blasted off, leaving it in a state of devastation.

Serhiy Laevsky  the director of the Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities, which is part of the same institution as the library  chronicled the wreckage in a Facebook post. Alongside photos of the ruined building, he shared the story of its history: The edifice had survived shelling by the Bolsheviks in 1918 and 1919 as well as bombings by Nazi Germany during World War II. Now, Mr. Laevsky wrote, Russia had ruined a center of Ukrainian culture and learning that was a monument of local history.

Within days, Cultural Emergency Response  an organization that works to provide first aid to damaged or endangered cultural sites around the world  came to the rescue. Working with local partners and the World Monuments Fund, a nonprofit thats also dedicated to preserving cultural heritage, it helped to clear debris from the site, fill the pit caused by the explosion, prop up the badly damaged roof to prevent collapse and erect scaffolding to stabilize the building.

The library is one of more than 100 Ukrainian cultural institutions that Cultural Emergency Response has supported since the Russian invasion in February 2022. With a staff of seven at its Amsterdam headquarters, the organization is active in more than 80 countries via local partners.
In September 2022, the Metropolitan Museum of Art returned 27 ancient artifacts valued at more than $13 million to their countries of origin. Twenty-one objects headed to Italy, and the other six to Egypt. The items  which ranged from a statuette of a Greek goddess from about 400 B.C. to a terra-cotta kylix, or drinking cup, valued at $1.2 million  were seized in the preceding months by the Manhattan district attorneys antiquities unit on the grounds that they were looted.

About five years earlier, the team, led by Matthew Bogdanos, had swooped into the TEFAF New York fair and seized a Persian limestone bas-relief from the booth of Rupert Wace, a London dealer. The artifact had previously been displayed for decades in a Montreal museum, the gallery said in a statement at the time.

As TEFAF New York gets underway this week, the art and antiquities market is facing more and more pressure to give back objects that were smuggled out of their countries of origin, whether recently or in colonial times. The notion of provenance  where an object came from, and who its previous owners were  is being redefined, and the goalposts are being shifted. Thats making some dealers uneasy about showing work in New York for fear that it might be seized, several art professionals said in interviews.

To Derek Fincham, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston who specializes in cultural property law, the interventions by Mr. Bogdanos and his team come not a moment too soon.
In other words, art, like life, is unpredictable.

Mr. Pardos family left Havana when he was 6 and immigrated to Chicago. That experience has informed his worldview. Nothing, not even art, exists in a neutral space.

Being an immigrant, youre constantly assimilating  especially at the beginning, he said. Youre measuring yourself to what is reality, your life is forming, youre always negotiating, youre thinking in Spanish, youre thinking in English.

He added: I became an artist the same way I became an American, through the process of assimilation. There was nothing I took for granted.

He once built a house to serve as a museum: Visitors were shuttled from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles to the house, at 4166 Sea View Lane. Later, he lived there with his family.

Currently, hes living in a lush, airy 7,000-square-foot house he constructed in the Yucatan, with 20-foot ceilings, ceramic-tile floors and an open kitchen where Mr. Pardo loves to cook and to host chefs.
That focus is deeply connected to the South Korea of his youth  a time of isolation and military dictatorship before the economic miracle that has defined this country since the Korean War. Along with his three contemporaries from the TEFAF show, he pioneered modern art that defied the principles he learned in the waning years of Japanese occupation that ended in 1945.

The artists in my generation experimented in a very barren environment, because the art we were taught was based on the education Koreans received during the Japanese colonial period, which was dominated by realism, Mr. Suh said through an interpreter. But the outside world was changing, and we knew we could do more innovative work like in the West. When everyone was creating flower paintings, I was a crazy person creating abstract artworks.

Those abstract paintings have a stillness that draws the viewer in with an almost meditative quality, often with soft colors and a three-dimensional look. With his signature layered brush strokes, edges blur and meld into each other. He refers to his entire body of work as simultaneity, the concept of simultaneous images blended to create a softly discordant experience for the viewer.

I have been creating my Dansaekhwa pieces since the 1970s, and the works that Im presenting at TEFAF are something that in many ways has not been seen much in the West, Mr. Suh said. These works show a kind of Korean originality and the aesthetics of emptiness.

Like the other artists in the TEFAF show, he experienced enormous upheaval as South Korea witnessed decades of authoritarian rule. Mr. Suh attended art school in the early 1960s after the revolution that helped bring down South Koreas first president, Syngman Rhee.

Our country was suffering economically, so much so that it was even difficult to get materials to create paintings, Mr. Suh explained. But the other artists and I overcame our difficulties, and we constantly challenged ourselves to create our works. We did not compromise.
With high-end art fairs proliferating, dealers have many choices to make, starting with the location of the event.

Another decision comes with creating their booth with the larger fair context in mind. Should they complement the galleries around them or offer a somewhat contrasting selection?

For the New York edition of the European Fine Art Fair (known as TEFAF), running from May 12 to 16 at the Park Avenue Armory, the contemporary art dealer Gisela Capitain is leaning toward contrast.

The fair emphasizes modern and contemporary art and design objects much more so than the older, original edition of TEFAF in Maastricht, the Netherlands, but it still offers a handful of dealers of antiquities and jewelry that help make it a diverse showcase. The Gilded Age aesthetic of the Armory, completed in 1881, adds an old-fashioned touch that is decidedly absent from convention centers.
John Olsen, an artist who helped shepherd in Australia's postwar modern art movement and whose exuberant, vivid and abstract depictions of the Australian landscape redefined the way the country saw its natural environment, died on April 14 at his home in Bowral, New South Wales. He was 95.

His death was announced by his children, Tim and Louise Olsen, in a statement. Tim Olsen is also his fathers gallerist.

A landscape painter who in his youth rebelled against the cultural establishment, Mr. Olsen was among the generation of artists who first defined Australian modern art. As the last surviving member of that generation, he was often called the countrys greatest living painter.
A federal judge in Idaho on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit against Kochava, a major location data broker, brought last year by the Federal Trade Commission. In a ruling, the judge wrote that regulators had not provided sufficient evidence to back up their claims that the company was unfairly selling information on the precise locations of millions of peoples mobile phones.

But the court gave the F.T.C. the opportunity to strengthen its arguments if it wanted to proceed with the case.

The ruling deals at least a temporary blow to recent aggressive efforts by the commission to crack down on the sale and use of potentially sensitive information, like data on consumers drug prescriptions, religious affiliations or sexual orientation.

Kochava, based in Sandpoint, Idaho, is a mobile analytics firm that uses location data to help marketers target and measure ad campaigns. The company typically collects more than 90 location data points per day from about 35 million active mobile device users, according to the judges ruling in the case  location coordinates that can reveal where each mobile device has been approximately every 15 minutes.
Drew Barrymore will no longer host the MTV Movie & TV Awards on Sunday, announcing that she would step down in support of the writers strike in Hollywood that has seen late-night comedy shows go dark and thousands of television and movie writers take to picket lines.

Ms. Barrymores decision, which was announced Thursday, was the latest blow to the awards show, which has also canceled its red carpet and may see other talent withdraw, according to Variety.

I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike, Ms. Barrymore said in a statement to the publication. Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation.

Ms. Barrymore said on Instagram she would return to host the show next year and was still planning to watch the show on Sunday. Representatives for Ms. Barrymore and for MTV could not immediately be reached Friday morning.
The News

The early-season heat wave that broiled parts of Algeria, Morocco, Portugal and Spain last week almost certainly would not have occurred without human-induced climate change, an international team of scientists said in an analysis issued Friday.

A mass of hot, dry air from the Sahara parked itself above the western Mediterranean for several days in late April, unleashing temperatures that are more typical of July or August in the region. Mainland Spain set an April record of 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit, or 38.8 Celsius, in the southern city of Cordoba. In Morocco, the mercury climbed to more than 106 degrees Fahrenheit in Marrakesh, according to provisional data, very likely smashing that nations April record as well.

A three-day stretch of such scorching heat in April is already quite rare for the region in the planets current climate, with just a 0.25 percent chance of occurring in any given year, according to the new analysis. But it would have been almost impossible in a world that hadnt been warmed by decades of carbon emissions, said Sjoukje Philip, a climate scientist at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute and an author of the analysis.

Because of climate change, last months hot spell was at least 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit warmer on average than a similarly improbable one would have been in preindustrial times, the scientists found.
Overall, humanity has made a lot of progress, albeit uneven, over the past decades. Our environment, on the other hand, might be in worse shape than ever. So, what if we all agreed that nature had basic rights similar to human rights?

Today I want to talk about the rights of nature legal movement. The idea, that natural objects should have some of the same rights as people, originated in the United States some 50 years ago. Today, an increasing number of countries and judges are saying yes, they should.

Countries like Ecuador, New Zealand and Uganda have laws granting natural objects rights. And court rulings in India, Colombia and Bangladesh have recognized them, too.

Heres what to know about the movement.

What does it mean to grant rights to nature?

The conversation about the rights of nature started with a 1972 law review paper titled Should Trees Have Standing?  Toward Legal Rights for Natural Objects, written by Christopher D. Stone, then a professor at the University of Southern California.
On the morning of May 5, Russian invaders fired again at one of DTEK Energy's thermal power plants, causing serious damage to its equipment, the company said.

"On the morning of May 5, as a result of intense shelling, the DTEK Energy TPP was once again damaged. This is the second shelling of this station in the last few days," DTEK's Telegram channel said on Friday.

According to preliminary information, there are no victims.

Since September last year, DTEK Energy's power plants have been attacked 32 times, as a result of which three power workers were killed and 28 were injured.

As reported, the Ministry of Energy on May 4 stated that thermal power plants and power lines in Donetsk region were damaged by shelling.
The World Health Organization announced on Friday that it was ending the emergency it declared for Covid-19 more than three years ago, a milestone in the fitful emergence from a pandemic that has killed millions of people around the world and upended daily life in previously unimaginable ways.

It is with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency, said the W.H.O. director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

But W.H.O. officials warned that the decision to lift the emergency does not signal an end to the pandemic, and cautioned countries not take this as reason to dismantle Covid response systems. Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the W.H.O. technical lead on Covid, said the organization wanted to be as clear as possible knowing that people would wonder how to think about the pandemic going forward.

The emergency phase is over, but Covid is not, she said.

Indeed, in practical terms, the decision to end the emergency changes little. Many countries have already ended their own states of emergency for Covid, and have moved away from almost all public health restrictions implemented to control the virus. The United States will lift its Covid emergency on May 11. But the lifting of the W.H.O. designation  officially called a public health emergency of international concern  is a significant moment in the evolving human relationship with the novel coronavirus.
Cette Maison

Stream it on the Criterion Channel.

The debut feature by the Haitian Canadian director Miryam Charles opens with a series of flickering tropical images  a bright orange house nestled among verdant green hills; a chair in a living room, streaked by a golden sun  that dissolve into rain-streaked glimpses of the streets of New England. On the soundtrack, a hushed voice whispers in French about the possibility of a fluid journey through time and space, inducting us into what some might consider a seance, and others, a movie.

The specter haunting the dreamlike Cette Maison is the mysterious death of Charless 14-year-old cousin, Tessa, in Connecticut in 2008. She was found hanged in her room, and an autopsy revealed signs of violent assault, but the case was never solved. Around that open wound, Charles builds a speculative fable that weaves between Haiti, Connecticut and Quebec, where the filmmaker grew up. In staged, theatrical tableaux, actors enact the circumstances of Tessas death and its aftermath; the gaps in the story are filled in by imagined scenes of the life Tessa could have lived, in Haiti or the United States. This play with memory and longing opens into broader, poetic reflections on immigrant life. As Charles dramatizes the night of Quebecs 1995 referendum on whether or not to separate from Canada, in which a yes vote might have caused her family to move to Connecticut, Cette Maison considers the predicament of being born in one home and dying in another; of leaving in search of new futures only to have them cut brutally short.

On the Fringe

Stream it on Netflix.

Image Penelope Cruz in On the Fringe. Credit... Netflix

A towering Penelope Cruz stars in this Spanish drama, directed by Juan Diego Botto, about how states fail their most vulnerable citizens  and how people have to pick up the slack by binding together. Three distinct narratives braid together as the movie unfolds at breakneck speed. Rafa (Luis Tosar), a lawyer, is trying to balance obligations to his pregnant wife, his stepson and an Arab woman whose daughter has been taken in by social services. Azucena (Cruz) is a young mother desperately fighting an eviction order with the help of a grass roots activist group. And German (Font Garcia), a daily-wage laborer, struggles to make ends meet while his estranged mother faces a foreclosure order.
The following day, her close friend, the writer Lisa Birnbach, further detailed this approach. Taking the witness stand, she recalled that Ms. Carroll had phoned her immediately after the alleged incident with Mr. Trump breathless, hyperventilating, emotional, but that the subject did not come up between them again for another quarter century. Ms. Carroll is a very up person; she is not a victim, Ms. Birnbach said. Instead of wallowing, she puts on lipstick, dusts herself off and moves on.

Before the eruption of the #MeToo movement, this had served as the operating mode for generations of women who felt they had little recourse to address the injustices they faced at the whims of predatory men.

Ms. Carrolls legal team also called Jessica Leeds, the former stockbroker, now 81, who came forward several years ago to accuse Mr. Trump of groping her on a flight to New York in the late 1970s. Assuming nothing would come of any complaint, she too had tucked the episode away  a kind of sublimation with which the three women on the jury, all in their 50s and 60s, might find themselves familiar.

In the mid-1990s, decades after the sexual revolution, nearing the declining days of the AIDS crisis and the heyday of elite media, New York seemed to belong to women like E. Jean Carroll. Having grown up in a red brick schoolhouse in Indiana, she became a cheerleader, a beauty queen, a feminist Hemingway  she claimed to be the first woman to walk from Telefomin in Papua New Guinea, over the mountains to the border of Irian Jaya  and then, like all the Sister Carries and Carrie Bradshaws before and after, she was an aspiring star who arrived in the city to impress, to beguile, to create, to experience all the stories, to tell them, to miss out on nothing.

In interviews over the past few years, Ms. Carroll has talked about how delicious it was to bump into Donald Trump in a revolving door at Bergdorfs, when aimless luxury department-store shopping was still a cherished pastime. This was an anecdote she imagined she would dine out on forever. Almost nothing would have compelled her to say, Sorry! Running out! when he asked her to help him pick out a gift for a woman he knew. The prospect was too dishy. A pair of big media personalities  Ms. Carroll was a well-known advice columnist by then  meeting so unexpectedly to do something vaguely conspiratorial. It could have easily supplied the opening scene of a Nora Ephron movie.

At the outset, the story seemed so paradigmatically New York, Ms. Carroll explained in her testimony. Until it wasnt.
Diana, and the 178 diamonds and five South Sea pearls in the necklace, were photographed endlessly when she wore it to a performance of the ballet Swan Lake in London on June 3, 1997. It was nearly a year after she and Charles had divorced amid a remarkable duel for attention and approval.

The appearance was one of her last, and the only time she wore the necklace in public. And it was something to see: Each pearl is just under a half-inch in size, and the diamonds were dazzling. It is said that she was photographed more on that evening than at any other time except her wedding, said Arlan Ettinger, the president of Guernseys auction house in New York, which will auction the necklace on June 27 at the Pierre Hotel. His presale estimate is $5 million to $15 million.

Soon after the night at the ballet, the crown jeweler asked Diana to send the necklace back. He hadnt finished the earrings, Ettinger said, and in order to create the earrings to be a perfect match, he needed the necklace in hand.

The earrings had been finished, but the completed set had not been sent to her when she was killed in a car crash in Paris not quite three months later. Also killed was her companion, Emad Mohamed al-Fayed, who was known as Dodi.

Diana, by every account, really didnt own any jewelry when she was princess, Ettinger said. When she went out for the evening, if it was a royal occasion she attended, she would be wearing jewelry loaned to her by the crown. When she divorced, many people wouldve been content to say this was my 15 minutes of fame and live the rest of their days going to quiet tea parties in the English countryside. She took a different path  designing the necklace and earrings herself.
The man who choked Jordan Neely to death on a New York City subway train on Monday is Daniel Penny, a 24-year-old veteran of the Marine Corps.

Mr. Penny has not been charged in Mr. Neelys death and it is unclear if he will be. Many politicians, city leaders and advocates for New Yorkers struggling with homelessness and mental illness have called for his arrest. Mr. Neelys death, they said, was an unnecessary tragedy that underscores the citys inadequate policies toward its most vulnerable and marginalized residents. Some New Yorkers have also said that Mr. Pennys actions reflect the frustration and fear many riders have about the transit system, even as the rate of major felony crimes on the subway has fallen.

On Friday evening, lawyers for Mr. Penny expressed condolences on behalf of their client to Mr. Neelys family. Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death, the law firm of Raiser and Kenniff said in a statement.

The firm said, When Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.
Josefa Santana, 96, did not leave her Washington Heights apartment when New York City shut down to slow the spread of the coronavirus in March 2020. But her son, a butcher, had to work. He was the only one to leave the apartment in those weeks, so he probably was the one who brought the virus in.

Despite her familys efforts to protect her, Ms. Santana got sick, and then died. She was one of three relatives whom her granddaughter, Lymarie Francisco, lost to Covid-19 in the first year of the pandemic, Ms. Francisco said last week.

The toll was devastating for her. It was also emblematic of the scale of loss and trauma in New York in the early stages of the pandemic, which new city data, released to The New York Times, shows in stark detail.

An estimated two million New Yorkers  nearly one in four  lost at least one person close to them to Covid within the first 16 months of the viruss arrival, according to the data, which was collected in mid-2021 by federal census workers on behalf of the city. Nearly 900,000 New Yorkers lost at least three people they said they were close to, an open-ended category that included relatives and friends, the survey found.
Its been 52 years since Congress passed, and the country ratified, a constitutional amendment  the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18 in the wake of the Vietnam War and the broader disruption of the 1960s. (The 27th Amendment, ratified in 1992, was passed in 1789.) Its been 64 years since Congress added states to the union  Alaska and Hawaii, in 1959. And its been 94 years since Congress capped the size of the House of Representatives at 435 members.

You might be tempted to treat these facts as trivia. But the truth is that they say something profound about American politics. For more than 50 years, the United States has been frozen in a kind of structural and constitutional stasis. Despite deep changes in our society  among them major population growth and at least two generational waves  we have made no formal changes to our national charter, nor have we added states or rearranged the federal system or altered the rules of political competition.

One reason this matters, as Kate Shaw and Julie C. Suk observe in a recent essay for Times Opinion, is that several generations of Americans have lost the habit and muscle memory of seeking formal constitutional change. Unaccustomed to the concept and convinced that it is functionally impossible, Americans have abandoned the very notion that we can change our Constitution. Instead, we place the onus for change on the Supreme Court and hope for the best. Out with popular sovereignty, in with judicial supremacy.

There is another reason this matters. Our stagnant political system has produced a stagnant political landscape. Neither party has been able to obtain a lasting advantage over the other, nor is either party poised to do so. The margins of victory and defeat in national elections are slim. The Republican majority that gave President George W. Bush a second term in the White House  and inspired, however briefly, visions of a permanent Republican majority  came to just 50.7 percent of the overall vote. President Barack Obama won his second term by around four percentage points, and President Biden won by a similar margin in 2020. Donald Trump, as we know, didnt win a majority of voters in 2016.
But as it turned out, no model could predict with certainty when the pandemic would end. As medical historians suggested almost from the start, that would not be an epidemiological threshold but a social and political decision, probably reached by exhausted consensus more than triumphant unanimity. And so here we are.

But where is that, exactly? In April, according to The Economists excess mortality database, there were more than 11,000 additional deaths every day, worldwide, than would have been expected in the absence of the pandemic. This is a pace of about four million excess deaths per year. The proportion of those deaths officially attributed to Covid-19 has been shrinking steadily, and in recent weeks it has been well below 1,000 per day  the lowest level since March 2020  though presumably in part the result of less aggressive testing and surveillance in much of the world.

Excess mortality tells a somewhat different story. And while it has somewhat flattened over the past year, the trendline over the past few months is not pointing meaningfully downward at the global level.

With a couple of brief exceptions, excess deaths have held steady for about a year now in a range between about 8,000 and 15,000 per day. Over the past 12 months, there have been more than four million excess deaths globally  about as many as were estimated for the first 11 months of 2020. Over the past six months, there have been more than two million excess deaths  about as many as were estimated globally for the first eight months of 2020. At some point we may simply stop referring to these as excess deaths and incorporate them instead into higher mortality baselines.

But as the W.H.O. and the United States declare the end of the pandemic emergency, it is now safe to say that a large majority of people living anywhere on the planet have gotten Covid. In the United States, it has been estimated that 94 percent or more of the public has experienced at least one infection, which may help explain why the countrys official count of Covid deaths finally appears to be falling. Excess mortality, too. Covid is not gone from American life, but thanks to exposure and vaccination, it has genuinely receded in the mortality statistics, falling from a top-three cause of death in each of the first years of the pandemic to, likely, merely a top-10 cause of death this year. And while the long-term impacts on public health arent exactly clear, the effects seem to be shrinking there, too  the best estimates of the incidence of long Covid, for instance, are about 40 percent lower for second infections than for initial ones.
Without Senator Dianne Feinstein, there might never have been an assault weapons ban in 1994. Or the Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994. Or the revelatory report on the C.I.A.s torture program in 2014. She has had a distinguished career in the U.S. Senate, but her infirmities and illness now force her  and Senate leaders like Charles Schumer  to make a painful choice.

At age 89, Ms. Feinstein is now the Senates oldest member, and health issues have kept her out of Washington and the Senate chamber for more than two months, at a time when vital legislation and judicial nominations are hanging on a knifes edge. If she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents, she should resign and turn over her responsibilities to an appointed successor. If she is unable to reach that decision on her own, Mr. Schumer, the majority leader, and other Democratic senators should make it clear to her and the public how important it is that she do so.

Senators play many roles in shaping legislation and policy, but they have one primary and inescapable duty: They must show up in person to vote in the chamber. If they cannot do that for extended periods, they are depriving their constituents  and California has 39 million of them  of a voice and of fundamental representation. In six elections, voters have sent Ms. Feinstein to Washington on a Democratic platform, and in the current term of Congress, that agenda consists of confirming judges nominated by the Biden administration and preserving a majority for important legislation in a closely divided Senate. Her absence is a failure that deprives American voters of full representation on legislation and appointments that will affect them for decades to come.

Without Ms. Feinsteins presence at proceedings of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Democrats have lacked a majority there and struggled at times to advance nominations to the floor. (Proxy voting is allowed in the committee, but a proxy cannot be the decisive vote if the committee is otherwise evenly divided, as it often is.) Currently, seven of President Bidens judicial nominees are awaiting a vote in the committee, at a time when 9 percent of district and appellate court seats remain vacant. Ms. Feinstein offered to step away from the committee, but Republican senators blocked any effort at appointing a temporary replacement. Democrats are also likely to need all 51 members of their caucus if there is a vote to raise the debt ceiling, along with at least nine Republicans.
My grandmother doesnt talk about the bomb. Whenever I ask, she claims she doesnt know what happened to her family, though I suspect she simply doesnt want to think about it.

She was 20 years old and living in Honolulu on the morning of Aug. 6, 1945, when the United States dropped a nuclear weapon on Hiroshima. It detonated directly over the neighborhood where her family  including her grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins  lived. The bomb destroyed the city and killed over 100,000 people. She was told that only one uncle survived.

Scientists estimate that during the explosion the ground temperature ranged from 3,000 to 4,000 degrees Celsius  hot enough to transform a human body into a fine black dust. When I think of that day, I imagine our family gathering around a table for breakfast and ending up in the wind.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UNITED24 platform donors.

"We conceived the fundraising platform as uniting the whole world around helping Ukraine. And we succeeded. Through UNITED24, our country is supported by millions of people in more than a hundred countries," he wrote on Friday on his Telegram channel.

"For the funds accumulated through the platform, the relevant ministries purchased 176 ambulances, as well as hundreds of pieces of medical equipment and ammunition for Ukrainian defenders, the first demining vehicle in Ukraine, contracted more than 3,839 UAVs/UAV complexes, rebuilt 11 bridges and launched the first world fleet of marine drones," he said.

Zelenskyy thanked "all donors of the platform, whose contributions save lives, restore lives, protect lives and bring Ukraine's victory closer!"

On Friday, a platform summit will be held in Kyiv.
To the Editor:

Re Subway Killing Both Stuns City and Divides It (front page, May 5):

Politicians and ordinary New Yorkers are pouncing on a debate as to whether or not a subway passenger who put Jordan Neely, a distressed, screaming homeless man, into a chokehold, killing him, should face legal repercussions. Meanwhile, they continue to sit on their hands and not make meaningful investments in solutions that might fundamentally address the citys crisis of mental illness and homelessness.

Mr. Neely represents just one of the thousands of homeless and mentally ill New Yorkers who exist on our streets, in our haphazard shelter system and often in the stations and trains of our subways. We encounter these human beings every day, and most of us simply keep moving on because contemplating the moral stain this crisis is on all of us is too much to bear.

Jordan Neely is forcing us to ponder that in many ways, we all share some responsibility in his tragic death.

Cody Lyon

Brooklyn

To the Editor:

Re Making Someone Uncomfortable Can Now Get You Killed, by Roxane Gay (Opinion guest essay, May 5):

Never in all of my decades have I felt that my neighbors in New York were hateful. Never have I thought they lacked empathy. In fact, I have always considered that, though our city has its share of bigotry, New Yorkers come together to help each other. Now, in the wake of subway passengers harming and killing another passenger, a homeless man, I am at a loss.
The latter scenario is suggested by the Canadian academic Eric Kaufmanns response to the wokeness-has-peaked arguments. The current pendulum swing is real enough, he argues, but the ideological enforcers dont need to win every near-term battle to win the institutional war:

 in the long run, liberalism is giving way to progressivism in elite spaces. The new cultural liberalism in the media reflects the views of senior staff members and is opposed by affinity groups and young employees. Thats important, because surveys consistently find that woke values are twice as prevalent among younger leftists than among older leftists. Over eight in 10 undergraduates at 150 leading U.S. colleges say speakers who say B.L.M. is a hate group or transgenderism is a mental disorder should not be permitted to speak on campus. Whats more, seven in 10 think a professor who says something that students find offensive should be reported to their university. Young academics are twice as censorious as those over 50. These are the editorial teams and professoriate of tomorrow.

Theres a lot to say about this subject, but I want to focus on that last sentence, because I think it conflates two experiences that reality may substantially divide: the intellectual climate within media and journalism on the one hand and in academia on the other.

Both of these professions are subject to the pressures and ideas and incentives that gave rise to woke progressivism, and both have experienced various forms of internal tumult in recent years. But my sense is that their ideological paths have already diverged a bit and are likely to diverge further as the generational turnover Kaufmann describes continues.

To be clear, Im discussing the media outlets that traditionally think of themselves as mainstream enterprises  ideologically neutral or center-left or small-l liberal, not explicitly political in their formal missions, with some room for diversity, even though their staffs vote mostly for Democrats. These organizations seem less likely to become as ideologically bunkered as similarly situated academic institutions because of several forces that limit the full entrenchment of progressive ideology.

First, the media is, by definition, an outward-facing, audience-driven enterprise, dependent on some kind of mass market for its viability. Mass audiences can make their own ideological demands and effectively capture some of the journalists who serve them; you can certainly see versions of this happening in explicitly right-wing media in the Trump era. But wokeness has often been more of an elite-driven ideology, with special influence in academia and professionalized activist organizations, and its rules and shibboleths tend to spread from inner circles outward, rather than being demanded by a mass public first.

Which means there will always be a large potential audience that doesnt get the new ideological rules, or not yet, and for whom dissent or debate around the emergent order will seem much more normal and desirable than to true believers. And if normal debate seems poised to disappear from a given publication or broadcast channel, some readers, listeners and viewers will follow the argument elsewhere  to a rival, a start-up, a Joe Rogan-esque alternative or a platform like Substack, if necessary. And some of the commentators and journalists whom they follow, who choose to work in this terrain, may even end up much more richly rewarded than they were before.
Why It Matters: Americans are increasingly moving to areas of risk.

Scientific research provides a clear link between climate change and an uptick in extreme heat, flooding, wildfires and coastal sea level rise across the United States.

The risk is highest in the Sun Belt region, which is experiencing rapid growth, yet Americans are moving directly into areas of danger. Hurricane Ian alone killed more than 150 Floridians, knocked out power for 2.6 million residents and left Florida with a bill of nearly $113 billion in its wake.

Many new residents cite cost of a living as a key factor behind their moves, but home insurance costs are rising faster there than the national average, meaning homeowners should brace for sticker shock.

In Florida, the average home insurance premium in 2019 was $1,988. Today, its $2,714  an increase of $726.

Background: Florida and Texas saw the highest population gains in 2022.

Florida grew by more than 318,000 new residents in 2022, accounting for a population increase of 1.9 percent last year  the largest uptick in the nation. Texas, with more than 230,000 new residents, was right on its tails.

In Colorado, where home insurance costs are up 41 percent over the last eight years, 5,376 new residents arrived last year, accounting for half a percentage point uptick in its population. In South Dakota, 8,424 new residents moved into the sparsely populated state in 2022, while insurance costs have jumped 39 percent since 2015. In dry, sunny Arizona, where nearly 71,000 new residents flocked in 2022, costs grew 28 percent.

Conversely, states that lost significant numbers of residents saw insurance rates rise much more gradually. New York lost the most population in 2022  nearly 300,000 residents  but saw home insurance jump only 17 percent, several points below average. Louisiana, West Virginia and Illinois, which took the next three spots in terms of population loss, also saw slower rate increases.

California bucked the trend in several ways. Despite being battered by wildfires and extreme storms in recent years, home insurance rates there grew by only 25 percent, below the increase in other coastal states. California lost 343,230 residents, accounting for a 0.3 percent dip, last year.

Whats next: Rising costs could compel Americans to forgo risk protection.

With two out of every three homes in America already underinsured, skyrocketing prices may tempt homeowners to cut back even further on disaster coverage, putting them at significant risk when severe weather strikes.

They may also forgo additional coverage that they need more than ever. While mortgage lenders typically require homeowners to carry home insurance, most policies do not cover floods. With budgets tight, Mr. Hosfield anticipates that more homeowners will opt out of insurance for flood damage. And that puts them in a pretty bad spot, he said.
Ms. Ryan, 33, grew up in West Pennant Hills, a suburb of Sydney. She is a group account director at Dentsu Creative, an advertising agency. Mr. Jones, 32, also grew up in West Pennant Hills and is an electrician. He started his own company, Tier 1 Electrical && Data, in 2019. They now live together in Sydney.

[Click here to binge read this weeks featured couples.]

In April 2019, the pair made their relationship official. That month, they joined friends for an outdoor party to celebrate Anzac Day, the Australian national holiday commemorating Australians and New Zealanders who have served in the military. Mr. Jones assumed his natural position: grilling wings by the fire pit.

I looked over and I could see he was talking to people, he was laughing, he was in this light, Ms. Ryan said, and I just thought: Thats my person.

The next year, at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the two moved in together.

Ive always been good with my hands, Mr. Jones said. So, he crafted an engagement ring for Ms. Ryan and invited her on a camping trip. Over tea in the Australian bush, he proposed.

April is our month, Ms. Ryan said. Its when the two made their relationship official, when they were engaged and when they married.

As lovers of the outdoors, the duo wanted a wedding venue in a remote setting. Pomp and circumstance can distract from what a marriage and a wedding really is, which is just two people, Ms. Ryan said.
Luis Alberto Correa and Ronald David Corning met on Nov. 25, 2017, at a holiday party that neither was attending. The party was in the lobby of the Arpeggio Apartments building in Dallas. Mr. Correa, who lived in the building, was simply returning after walking his cocker spaniel, Chloe, and in no way dressed for a soiree.

Mr. Corning, on the other hand, was there to pick up his friend. And my friend said, Come in here. There are cute guys, he said. Mr. Corning and Mr. Correa met and chatted briefly.

The following week, the same friend texted Mr. Corning: Do you remember that guy you met in the lobby? He asked about you. Mr. Corning told his friend to share his number with Mr. Correa.

We texted a bit and decided to go together to Oak Lawn  a neighborhood in Dallas popular with L.G.B.T.Q. people  to meet a group of my friends for Sunday Funday and dinner, Mr. Corning said.
Almost everyone I know is in a serious relationship, which only sharpens the distinction of my singleness. Some friends accuse me of being picky, but I only have three non-negotiables: that he and I be in the same city and have cultural and religious compatibility. I have no hangups about height (my wheelchair is height-adjustable), and I am not looking for a man who shares my every interest. Still, being thought of as picky is far preferable to being thought of as undesirable.

Soon I met Julie, who has the same medical condition as I do and had just moved from France to London, where she promptly joined Hinge. As we swapped stories, she said, Ive always thought more educated guys would be more respectful and open-minded, but theyre really not.

This mirrors my experience. Cambridge, my university town, was crawling with well-educated men. A good proportion of my current social circle are fellow London lawyers. Some of this pool I have fancied a little; others I have fancied a lot. None have fancied me back  or at least, none have dared to admit a crush on the disabled girl.

When Julie said this, I laughed. It turns out, Cambridge men and French business school men are the same  lovely to a fault, happy to be our friends (sometimes suggesting more), but never crossing the line.

The part of me posting proudly about disability on Instagram says that my disability doesnt make me any less datable  or lovable. But when I have never known someone to fall in love with me, it is easy to take pessimism as realism.

My experiences have left me with a nagging feeling that most men are only vaguely aware I am female  enough to be soft and comforting, but not enough to be desired. Of course, I have never been told this directly; it would be impolite.
Peter Derek Walters never thought a swarm of bees would get in the way of his proposal to Ray Aaron Quintero on Fire Island in New York.

I hid two Cartier rings under leaves and branches, said Mr. Walters, 48, who had secretly and painstakingly set up a picnic overlooking the Great South Bay for the special moment in June 2020. He had also dropped off Champagne and wrote Marry Me in the sand.

But, a few hours later while en route with Mr. Quintero, 43, who has been deathly afraid of bees since he was a child, it was all ruined. As soon as Mr. Quintero spotted the swarm he bolted.

Mr. Walters, not a happy camper, walked another 30 minutes by himself to gather everything up, and later resorted to Plan B.
The 30-minute facials Rachel An Liverman is known for dont deserve all the credit for the glow she wore on her March 18 wedding to Jeremy William Crane. Love, the time-honored radiance elixir, also played a role. She just wishes it had taken a few shortcuts to find her.

Ms. Liverman, 37, is the founder and chief executive of Glowbar, a chain of facial studios. When she met Mr. Crane, 35, in January 2022 on the dating app Bumble, she had been an on-and-off presence on dating apps since 2011, the year she moved to Manhattan from her hometown of Newton, Mass.

Assurances from friends that she was a catch were no longer chasing away depressing thoughts of a future without a life partner. All my friends were married and I was at  and in  everyone elses wedding, she said.

Mr. Crane relieved her of those thoughts within days of their first meeting, on Jan. 10, 2022, at Barrows Pub in Manhattans West Village.
Imagine a place for making things: a simple room, with little but the tools you need and the ideal never-too-bright light. Thats what the painter and creative director Patrick McDonough dreamed about while cooped up in the ranch-style home he shares in the Springs section of far eastern Long Island with his partner, Michael Burst, who runs Hudson River Flowers in Manhattan. McDonough bought the weekend house in 1996, but it wasnt until the couple started spending more time there during the pandemic that he felt it needed a dedicated spot where he could, he says, get messy making his vibrant landscapes in gouache and oil paint.

They also wanted somewhere to park their car, a nearly 18-foot-long 1966 Chevy Impala Super Sport convertible. Researching bespoke garages online, the couple discovered the work of another couple, Max Worrell and Jejon Yeung, two architects in their 40s who, after meeting in their Yale graduate program, co-founded the firm Worrell Yeung in 2015. Several years ago in upstate New York, they had built a Japanese-and-Scandinavian-influenced minimalist annex with space for their clients to relax  and to store their vintage Ford Bronco. It was exactly what Burst, 62, and McDonough, 67, pictured for themselves.
To some, he is Ron DeSoros, a puppet of the Democratic megadonor George Soros. To others, he is Ron DeSatan, a vaccine-supporting evildoer. And to still others, he is Ron DePLANTis, a plant of the so-called Deep State.

As the governor of Florida  real name Ron DeSantis  explores a bid for the Republican presidential nomination, he has made overtures to supporters of former President Donald J. Trump. But he is finding that the conspiracy theories and outlandish attacks that Mr. Trump and his allies have aimed at rivals for years are coming for him as well.

The attacks often nod to one of the many unfounded conspiracy theories floating around in far-right circles: election fraud, vaccine dangers, Mr. Soros and even QAnon, the online conspiracy movement that believes, among other things, in the existence of a fictional cult that preys on children.

The attacks underscore the power that conspiracy theories continue to hold over Republican politics heading into the 2024 presidential election. To win the partys nomination, Mr. DeSantis would probably need support from a Republican base that has produced many of the attacks against him. And while Mr. DeSantis enjoys broad support among Republicans, soaring to re-election victory just six months ago, the latest primary polls show Mr. Trump gaining a sizable lead.
EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Spokesperson Peter Stano commented on the recent consequences of the shelling of Ukraine by the Russian occupiers and stressed that the EU would not allow anyone from the Russian military command to escape punishment, the website of the EU Diplomatic Service reported on Friday.

"This reckless killing of civilians and destruction of civilian infrastructure must stop immediately. These indiscriminate Russian attacks against civilian facilities constitute war crimes. The EU has made it clear that there will be no impunity for the commanders, perpetrators and accomplices of these atrocities. The EU remains committed to hold all of them to account," Stano said.
A clown show and a climate tragedy, Dimanche, a collaboration between the Belgian companies Focus and Chaliwate, makes a comedy of the climate crisis. Absurd and nearly wordless, the brisk 75-minute show at BAM Fisher is composed of a series of vignettes. Each is a devastating example of the climate emergency, expressed playfully  with toys, puppetry, acrobatics and nifty practical effects. Dimanche succeeds, in its macabre, elliptical way, in bringing the issue home, with tornadoes whooshing dinner from the table and a shark swimming through a flooded living room. The catastrophe, its here, there, everywhere already.

The play, written and directed by Julie Tenret, Sicaire Durieux and Sandrine Heyraud, who also star, begins somewhere in the Arctic Circle. As 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover plays, a three-person camera crew bump along in their van, eager to capture footage of a glacier calving. The shoot almost immediately goes awry and the crew shrinks to two. A similar disaster befalls an expertly puppeteered polar bear and her cub. (Although given that polar bears are prodigious swimmers, this sequence seems more melodramatic than likely.)

In the third sequence, set in an ordinary home, the problem of warming has traveled south. A husband and wife and his mother (another remarkable puppet) swelter in their living room as several fans blow ineffectually. The heat then grows so terrible that the very furniture begins to melt, like the clocks in Dalis The Persistence of Memory, imagery as disturbing as it is delightful. These moves between the camera crew, the natural world and the domestic space repeat as first a tornado and then a tsunami threaten. There are more Paul Simon songs, too. Our illusion of control over the environment, its slip sliding away.

Simons lyrics aside, words are sparse in this production and entirely untranslated. (What spoken language there is, its in Bulgarian.) The title, the French word for Sunday, is never explained, though it suggests the late-in-the-day nature of the catastrophe. Gorgeously realized and sneakily terrifying, the play moves restively from the silly to the dreadful and back and forth again. I was told that Dimanche was appropriate for school-age children. This will depend on how much your children enjoy the violent, weather-related deaths that end most sequences.
Laura Pels, a leading benefactor of nonprofit theater through the Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater, which has helped a multitude of companies stage plays in New York City and beyond, died on Wednesday at a hospital near her home in Manhattan. She was 92.

The cause was complications of Covid-19, her daughter Juliette J. Meeus said.

Ms. Pels took control of the foundation that now bears her name in a divorce settlement with the media executive Donald A. Pels.

I decided that I was going to do exactly what I wanted with it: help the theater, she told Playbill in 1995.

She did just that, diligently guiding the foundation from the 1990s until recently.

She was incredibly involved and hands on, Hal Witt, the foundations former executive director and a member of the board, wrote in an email, adding that Ms. Pels had read all of the scripts that were submitted for funding.
Roy G. Saltman, the federal governments leading expert on computerized voting whose overlooked warning about the vulnerability of punch-card ballots presaged the hanging chad fiasco in Florida that came to symbolize the disputed recount in the 2000 presidential election, died on April 21 in Rockville, Md. He was 90.

His death, in a nursing home, was caused by complications of recent strokes, his grandson Max Saltman said.

In a 132-page federal report published in 1988 and distributed to thousands of local voting officials across the country, Mr. Saltman, an analyst working for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, cautioned that the bits of cardboard that voters were supposed to punch out from their ballots, known as chads, might remain partly attached (hence, hanging), or pressed back into the card when the votes were counted.

Either event would render the voters choice uncertain or, if the ballot appeared to be picking more than one candidate, invalid.
WASHINGTON  Courts decide vexing legal matters and interpret opaque constitutional language all the time, from defining pornography and judging whether a search or seizure is unreasonable to determining how speedy a speedy trial must be.

And then there is the issue that some judges increasingly say is beyond their abilities to adjudicate. It was on display again last week, in North Carolina.

The North Carolina Supreme Court said that it could find no way to determine when even egregious gerrymanders  in this case, lopsided partisan maps of the states General Assembly and its 14 congressional districts  cross the line between skewed but legal and unconstitutionally rigged. In addition, the justices said, any court-ordered standard would embroil the judiciary in every local election in every county, city and district across the state.

The effect was to give the Republican-led legislature carte blanche to draw new maps for 2024 elections that lock in G.O.P. political dominance, even though the states electorate is split almost evenly between the two major parties.
It may seem, at first blush, an unlikely connection: Leon Botstein, the president of Bard, one of the countrys most progressive colleges, and Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced billionaire accused of sexually abusing teenage girls.

But reporting from The Wall Street Journal this week showed that Dr. Botstein did not just pursue Mr. Epstein hoping to raise money, he did so repeatedly. He made frequent visits to Mr. Epsteins Upper East Side townhouse, and Mr. Epstein and his entourage hopped by helicopter to Bards lush campus in the Hudson Valley.

Dr. Botstein said in interviews with The New York Times that the visits were all about funding for Bard  for the schools commitment to social justice, its prisoner education program, its liberal arts mission. Bard calls itself a private college for the public good.

People dont understand what this job is, he said, adding, You cannot pick and choose, because among the very rich is a higher percentage of unpleasant and not very attractive people. Capitalism is a rough system.
Gov. Kevin Stitt, also a pro-death-penalty Republican, has twice delayed Mr. Glossips execution while a court evaluated his appeal. But after a parole board was split on whether to recommend clemency last month, Mr. Stitt signaled that he would not issue another stay.

Now, Mr. Drummond, who does not believe Mr. Glossip was given a fair trial because of multiple errors involving both testimony and evidence, is asking the Supreme Court to intervene. If the Court takes up the issue, it will do so under rare circumstances: Both the state and the defense are asking for the same thing.

What is Richard Glossip accused of?

Mr. Glossip, 60, was convicted of arranging the 1997 murder of Barry Van Treese, who owned a motel in Oklahoma City where Mr. Glossip worked as a manager. Prosecutors argued that Mr. Glossip promised the motel handyman, Justin Sneed, $10,000 to kill him. Mr. Sneed ultimately pleaded guilty to first-degree murder under a deal in which he testified against Mr. Glossip and was sentenced to life in prison without parole for beating Mr. Van Treese to death.

But a pair of recent investigations cast doubt on Mr. Glossips involvement, and his lawyers and supporters argue that Mr. Sneed carried out the killing on his own.

According to interviews from inmates incarcerated with Mr. Sneed on unrelated charges, Mr. Sneed said he had acted alone to rob Mr. Van Treese of money that Mr. Sneed and his girlfriend planned to use to buy drugs. Mr. Sneed also has a history of mental illness, which was not disclosed at the time.
The Justice Department said it had reached an interim agreement with the health departments of Alabama and one of its rural counties over practices found to discriminate against generations of Black residents.

Under the agreement announced Thursday, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Lowndes County Health Department said they would improve wastewater infrastructure, measure the health risks associated with raw sewage exposure, and stop penalizing residents who cannot afford adequate treatment systems.

The agreement represents a new chapter for Black residents of Lowndes County, Ala., who have endured health dangers, indignities and racial injustice for far too long, said Kristen Clarke, the assistant attorney general for the Justice Departments civil rights division.

Catherine Coleman Flowers, an environmental activist who grew up in Lowndes, said that residents of the county, like those in many other rural communities, use wastewater systems installed on the grounds of homes and businesses rather than a centralized sewage treatment plant operated by a local government. But the county stood alone in penalizing residents for sanitation issues that were outside their control, she added.
The Political Impact: Potential motivation for liberals

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion rights emerged as one of the most galvanizing issues in American politics, for both liberal and moderate voters.

Last month, a liberal Wisconsin judge won a crucial State Supreme Court race by a significant margin after running on her support for abortion rights. During the midterm elections, voters across the ideological spectrum, from Kansas and Kentucky to Michigan and Pennsylvania, made clear that they opposed efforts to significantly restrict abortion rights.

If the issue is directly on the ballot in Florida  once a quintessential battleground state that has drifted further from Democratic reach  it could serve as a major motivator for liberal-leaning voters in a presidential election year.

At the same time, if Mr. DeSantis runs for president as expected, he has clear incentives to defend the six-week ban he signed. He has sought to make inroads with evangelical leaders and voters, who can be pivotal in a Republican primary.

With Republicans holding supermajorities in both houses of the Florida Legislature, a ballot initiative is the only way forward on abortion, said Cecile Scoon, the president of the League of Women Voters of Florida, which plans to support the initiative.

She pointed to polling that shows a majority of Floridians oppose a six-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, as well as to victories for supporters of abortion rights at the ballot box in generally conservative states.

Regardless of the Confederate flag on their T-shirt or the MAGA hat on their head, a lot of people have concerns about the health of the women in their lives, Ms. Scoon said.

Whats Next: An arduous signature-gathering process

Landing a constitutional amendment on the ballot requires hundreds of thousands of verified signatures from across Florida, no easy lift in a large state.

Since Mr. DeSantis took office in 2019, the Florida Legislature has passed a series of measures that advocates say make it more difficult to place initiatives on the ballot, including restrictions that raise the costs of gathering the required signatures.

And Mr. DeSantis, who has relished battling even with Disney, a powerful company with deep historical ties to his state, is hardly shy about using his office to clash with any perceived political adversary.

The State Supreme Court, which is dominated by Mr. DeSantiss appointees, could also pose a roadblock. The court reviews proposed ballot initiatives and can block them if it rules that they violate either the U.S. Constitution or state requirements that ballot language be unambiguous and address only a single subject.

A representative for Mr. DeSantis did not immediately respond on Friday when asked for comment on the ballot initiative plans.

Nick Corasaniti contributed reporting.
WASHINGTON  Neera Tanden, a longtime Democratic adviser who is currently President Bidens staff secretary, will serve as the director of the Domestic Policy Council, the president announced on Friday.

Ms. Tanden, who has been a fixture in Washington for more than two decades as an adviser to President Barack Obama and as the president of the Center for American Progress, will replace Susan Rice as Mr. Bidens top domestic policy adviser.

I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education, Mr. Biden said in a statement released by the White House.

He thanked Ms. Rice for her service, saying the country owed her a debt of gratitude.

For the past year, Ms. Tanden has worked behind the scenes at the White House, managing the daily flow of information that reaches Mr. Bidens desk. It is an influential but unassuming position that has kept her close to many internal debates over the presidents agenda.
After her stump speech, as Ms. Haley greeted supporters and took photos with them, Rachel Dankel, a real estate agent in her 50s who is based in Greenville, S.C., said she had told Ms. Haley how much she appreciated her pushing back on Mr. Lemons words. When she first heard about his comment, she said, I wanted to throw up.

I thought that was, to me, the worst thing that somebody could say, she said. Thats so degrading. You have men in their 80s, and theyre not over  theyre not too old?

Ms. Haley, who was the first Republican presidential candidate to challenge Mr. Trump in the current campaign, has aimed to separate herself from the pack by taking early stances on issues like age limits among political leaders. Last week, she suggested in an interview with Fox News that President Biden, who is 80, would not live until the end of his second term if re-elected.

Ms. Haley has also raised money off Mr. Lemons comments. Her campaign website sells a beverage koozie that reads: Past my prime? Hold my beer

Ms. Haleys campaign is counting on her in-state bona fides  she was a longtime State House member in a district close to the State Capitol and the first woman to serve as governor  to bolster her standing in the Palmetto State. The South Carolina primary is third on the Republican calendar, after Iowa and New Hampshire, and it is the Haley campaigns belief that her home-state electorate will propel her to the top of the primary field.

And while she is polling in the low single digits in most national surveys, an April poll conducted by Winthrop University showed her with her 18 percent support in her home state, well behind Mr. Trump but within striking distance of Mr. DeSantis.

Theres a certain segment out there thats very excited about her running, and then theres the hard-core Trumpists who are mad at her for running, said Chip Felkel, a South Carolina Republican political strategist.
Head of EU diplomacy Josep Borrell said that he does not consider "Beijing's plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine" viable and focuses only on the proposals put forward by Kyiv.

The only plan that can be called peaceful is the proposals put forward by Zelenskyy, he said during a speech in Florence, when asked if he sees a peace plan that could resolve the conflict.

China's peace plan is wishful thinking, not a peace plan, Borrell said.

At the same time, the chief European diplomat noted that Kyiv's proposals of course, would not be accepted in Russia.

Borrell also added that China has a certain role to play in this situation, as it can influence Russia. He also noted that China, according to Brussels, is not currently supplying weapons to Russia. We are also interested in not pushing Russia too close to China, the European diplomat said.
We will use our military to annihilate the Mexican drug cartels.

While in Keene, N.H., on Wednesday, Mr. Ramaswamy mused about using a local precision-weapons plant to elaborate on his threat of military action against organized crime across the southern border in Mexico. Never mind that such a strike would be against a U.S. ally and neighbor. Mr. Trump made similar threats but never carried them out. And Mr. Ramaswamy has conceded that among some libertarian-minded voters, the promise sounds disconcertingly bellicose.

How about a constitutional amendment to make the voting age 25, but you can still vote at 18 if you serve the country or pass the civics test my mother passed to become a citizen?

The proposal might not win the hearts of Generation Z, but it appeals to older Republican primary voters who believe the country has lost its sense of citizenship and purpose. It might also resonate with those who understand how lopsided the youth vote is in favor of Democrats.

Today we depend on our main enemy for our entire modern way of life. That is a problem. The Declaration of Independence that I will sign as your next president will be our Declaration of Independence from Communist China.

Mr. Ramaswamy says confronting China would be his top foreign policy priority, and it will entail short-term pain. He would prevent American businesses from expanding into Chinese markets unless our demands are met by Beijing. Those include more intellectual property protections and an end to required joint ventures with state-controlled businesses. Unwinding consumer dependence on China would be difficult and economically distressing, he concedes, but he said the endeavor would be the essence of citizen sacrifice and would forge national unity.
Representatives of two warring Sudanese generals are expected to meet in Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss terms of a cease-fire and mechanisms for allowing humanitarian aid into the country, U.S., Saudi and Sudanese officials said on Friday.

The U.S. State Department and the Saudi foreign ministry have helped organize the meeting, which would take place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea across from Sudan. The Saudi government has been running evacuation ships between Jeddah and Port Sudan.

The two generals have agreed to cease-fires in recent days, but their troops have violated them.

The Sudanese army confirmed in a post on Facebook that its delegation left for Jeddah on Friday evening to discuss specific details of the armistice, which is aimed at securing and creating appropriate conditions for dealing with the humanitarian situation of our citizens.

The U.S. and Saudi governments released a joint statement on Friday night that said they urge both parties to take in consideration the interests of the Sudanese nation and its people and actively engage in the talks towards a cease-fire and end to the conflict, which will spare the Sudanese peoples suffering and ensure the availability of humanitarian aid to affected areas.
The drumbeat of revelations that Justice Clarence Thomas did not disclose lavish gifts and significant financial arrangements with a billionaire Republican donor has put a spotlight on the fact that the Supreme Court has the weakest ethics rules in the federal government.

But it is far less clear that anything can be done about it.

Justice Thomass behavior has underscored that financial disclosure rules for justices are porous and that the court has no binding code of ethical conduct like the one that governs lower-court judges. The court has shown no interest in adopting one, and proposals in Congress to force one upon it face steep political and constitutional hurdles.

As a result, even as Supreme Court ethics have become a matter of public policy concern to a degree not seen since 1969  when Justice Abe Fortas resigned in a scandal over taking outside income from a friend and a Wall Street financier  Washington finds itself grappling with growing questions about the courts accountability and all but paralyzed over how to proceed.

Its a mess, said Stephen Gillers, a legal ethics professor at New York University. Its like a maze you have to get out of, but each time you make a turn, you come up against a wall and you have to double back and see if you can find another route out.
Vivek Ramaswamy, the Republican wunderkind running for his partys presidential nomination, would like potential supporters to know he believes in the rule of law and the Constitutions separation of powers  though his applications of such principles can seem selective.

After intense study of the Constitution, Mr. Ramaswamy says he believes that the awesome powers of the presidency would allow him to abolish the Education Department on Day 1, part of an assault on the administrative state that his 2024 rival, Donald J. Trump, fell short on during Days 1 through 1,461 of his presidency. Never mind that the Constitution confers the power of the purse on Congress, and a subsequent law makes it illegal for the president not to spend that money.

Mr. Ramaswamy also wants to eradicate teachers unions, though he concedes that they are governed by contracts with state and local governments.

And he says he would unleash the military to stamp out the scourge of fentanyl coming across the Southern border, unworried by the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the use of the military for civil law enforcement.
More than half of the bogus Georgia electors who were convened in December 2020 to try to keep former President Donald J. Trump in power have taken immunity deals in the investigation into election interference there, according to a court filing on Friday and people with knowledge of the inquiry.

In addition, Craig A. Gillen, the former deputy independent counsel in the 1980s-era Iran Contra scandal, has been hired to represent a fake elector who could still face criminal charges, David Shafer, the head of the Georgia Republican Party. Mr. Gillen specializes in cases involving racketeering, which is among the charges being weighed by Fani T. Willis, the district attorney of Fulton County, Ga.

Ms. Williss office has spent more than two years investigating whether the former president and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia, which Mr. Trump narrowly lost to President Biden. A special grand jury that heard evidence in the case for roughly seven months recommended more than a dozen people for indictments, and its forewoman strongly hinted in an interview with The New York Times in February that Mr. Trump was among them.

Ultimately, it will be up to Ms. Willis to decide which charges to seek before a regular grand jury, which she has said she will do after a new jury is seated in mid-July. Her case is focused in part on a plan to create the slate of electors pledged to Mr. Trump in the weeks after the 2020 election despite Mr. Bidens victory in Georgia.
It was not until August, six years after his initial discovery, that Mr. Marano and some of his students at the University of Miami, where he is an adjunct lecturer, as well as other colleagues, were finally able to survey the site. Wearing snorkels and fins, they swam in straight lines, he said, searching for remnants of life.

The very first thing we came across was a single post, Mr. Marano said. Basically like a pipe sticking out of the sand. Nothing around it. Nothing else nearby. But then, he said, we find another, and then we find another one, and then we find another. The spacing of the posts matched measurements of the hospital in public records he researched after seeing the strange pattern in the Gulf of Mexico. This is a pretty good bet, he said, that this is that building.

Nearby, one of Mr. Maranos students, Devon Fogarty, swam up to a slab of sandstone that was covered in algae and sand. But there was one clean spot where there appeared to be an inscription. Then they realized: It was a gravestone.

I didnt believe it, Ms. Fogarty said in an interview, noting that records showed people had been buried at the Dry Tortugas, but that she had never expected to find a gravesite so well preserved. It felt like it shouldnt be happening.
If you are concerned for your safety, the best course of action is usually to leave the situation as soon as possible, said Schroeder Stribling, the president and chief executive of Mental Health America, a nonprofit group focused on advancing mental health. If youre on the subway, for example, change cars, or get off and wait for the next train.

If you cannot leave, continue to monitor the situation. If someone is making verbal threats, balling up their fists or physically getting closer to people in an aggressive manner, stay calm and avoid confrontation, said Dr. Jessica Kovach, the chair of psychiatry and behavioral science at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University. Dont make eye contact  especially prolonged eye contact, which might be perceived as threatening, Dr. Kovach advised. Also avoid any physical stance that could seem aggressive, like crossing your arms.

Call for help

If you are being threatened or feel that you are unsafe, walking away and calling for help is the most important thing you can do in those moments, said Dr. Jhilam Biswas, director of the Psychiatry, Law, and Society Program at Brigham and Womens Hospital.

Calling for help is also the best thing to do if you dont feel youre in danger but think that you need to act. Getting to a phone, getting to a security guard, getting to somebody who can call for the appropriate level of care is really the number one, two and three thing to do here, said Dr. Richard Patel, a professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and an attending physician in the psychiatric emergency room at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.

Many cities have help lines and mobile crisis response teams that serve as an interface between the police and mental health providers and are trained to help people in acute distress. In New York City, for example, you can call 888-NYC-WELL to connect with mental health professionals. If you call 911, specify that you are calling about a mental health emergency and request a crisis intervention team if one is available, said Megan Rochford, the director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine Operations.
In the first days of Sudans war, the two university students felt helpless.

They locked themselves into their apartment in the capital, Khartoum, glued to Twitter as the battle unfolded. They winced as the walls shuddered from blasts and gunfire, taking shelter in the corridor. They wondered where Sudan was going.

On the fifth day, April 19, the phone rang: Someone needed a taxi.

A senior United Nations official, a woman in her 40s, was trapped inside her home in an upscale neighborhood, the caller explained. Her situation was desperate. Pickup trucks mounted with machine guns stood outside her building, firing at warplanes that zoomed overhead. Black smoke was streaming into her apartment following an airstrike nearby. She had run out of water. Her cellphone battery was down to 5 percent. Could they rescue her?

The students, Hassan Tibwa and Sami al-Gada, in their final year of mechanical engineering, had a side gig driving a taxi. But this call wasnt a paying job  it was a mercy run. Mr. Tibwa phoned the woman. She was screaming, he recalled. We had only a few minutes before her phone died. She was on her own.

They jumped into Mr. al-Gadas car, a dinged, seven-year-old Toyota sedan, and set off into the city, horrified at its transformation. Bullet holes pocked buildings. Charred vehicles littered the streets. Fighters were everywhere.
The Belgian authorities have arrested an Iraqi man suspected of involvement in a Qaeda terrorist cell that was partly responsible for a series of bombings nearly 15 years ago that killed at least 376 people in Iraq, Belgiums federal prosecutors office said on Friday.

The man, identified only by the initials O.Y.T., has been living in Belgium since 2015 and was taken into custody on Wednesday after the Belgian police carried out a search in the eastern city of Hasselt, the prosecutors office said.

He was charged with war crimes, crimes against humanity, several murders with terrorist intent and participating in the activities of a terrorist group for attacks carried out in 2009 and 2010 in Baghdad using car bombs, targeting several government buildings and other locations.

Qaeda fighters became active in Iraq soon after the American-led invasion in 2003, gaining support, weapons and knowledge of the terrain from former supporters of Saddam Hussein, Iraqs longtime dictator.
The thunder of artillery echoes night and day over the mighty Dnipro River as it winds its way through southern Ukraine. With Russian and Ukrainian forces squared off on opposite banks, fighters have replaced fishermen, surveillance drones circle overhead and mines line the marshy embankments.

Carving an arc through Ukraine from its northern border to the Black Sea, through Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson, the Dnipro shapes the countrys geography and economy, its culture and its very identity. And now it helps define the contours of battle  as it has for millenniums, a barrier and a conduit to warring Scythians, Greeks, Vikings, Huns, Cossacks, Russians, Germans and many more.

Visiting towns and villages along the Dnipro a year after Russias full-scale invasion and ahead of a much-anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive, Nicole Tung, a photographer for The New York Times, traveled a path marked by hope and horror, joy and sorrow.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani, who arrived in Ukraine, the press service of the President's Office reports.

"The head of state noted that this is the first visit of the head of the foreign affairs department of Bahrain to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries in July 1992," the statement said on Friday.

Zelenskyy noted that "this is an important signal of cooperation and support between our states."

The head of the Ukrainian state expressed gratitude to Bahrain for "the unfailing support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine amid full-scale Russian aggression, which was repeatedly evidenced during the voting for the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly."

Zelenskyy also noted the importance of humanitarian assistance from Bahrain for Ukraine and its citizens.

"Since our struggle is not only at the front - our people, our society are also on the battlefield. Their work helps our army to de-occupy our territory," the president said.

In addition, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine would definitely win because it "fights against aggression and defends its homes and families."

The President also noted that he offered the Ukrainian peace formula to the international community, as Ukraine strives for peace.

"And we will be grateful to all the states that really want to help Ukraine achieve peace," Zelenskyy stressed.

The President invited Bahrain to take part in the initiated diplomatic process to achieve peace.

"In particular, to join the implementation of certain points of the formula and take part in the future Peace Summit," the president said.

In addition, Zelensky discussed with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain the problem of the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation and the search for ways to return them to Ukraine and to their families.

During the meeting, the President and the Foreign Minister exchanged views on Bahrain's participation in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as joining promising cooperation projects in the humanitarian and economic sectors.

Zelenskyy drew attention to the issue of demining "significant areas of Ukrainian territory contaminated as a result of hostilities, and the practical needs for the necessary equipment."
The coronation will mark the formal ascension of King Charles III as the British head of state and Defender of the Faith. But it is also a triumph of image transformation, with his wife, Camilla  who was vilified for years in the British news media  crowned as queen.

While Charless crowning has long seemed inevitable, the publics acceptance of Camilla  let alone her holding the title of queen  once seemed extremely unlikely. In the publics eye, she was cast as the villain who broke up Charless marriage to his first wife, Diana, the Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash in 1997. And intimate details of Charless and Camillas relationship have long made for tabloid fare.

Some historians and public image consultants say the speed of her metamorphosis is staggering.

There was that moment after Dianas death when most people said, We cant have Camilla, said Jennifer Purcell, a professor of modern British history at Saint Michaels College in Vermont. First, we dont want him to marry her. Second of all, if he does marry her, then she should never be queen.

Tell-all interviews and the publication of a tapped phone call between Charles and Camilla  the graphic details of which had faded from the nations contemporary collective memory but were recently revived for watchers of The Crown  brought out embarrassing details of the pairs private life splashed across front pages.
With Ukraine stepping up attacks deep inside Russian-controlled territory, there were new signs on Friday of disarray and unease among Russias military and political leadership as they brace for a looming Ukrainian offensive, for which their forces may be ill-prepared.

The latest manifestation of those tensions came from Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary group, who used what he said were the newly bloody corpses of his fighters as the backdrop for another expletive-laced rant against the top military command. Not for the first time, he threatened to pull his fighters out of the long-embattled Ukrainian city of Bakhmut if the Ministry of Defense did not provide more ammunition.

That was just one of a series of events that contributed to a sense that the war effort, and by extension the country, was adrift, even as Russia prepares to observe the biggest military holiday of the year next Tuesday.

Two explosions rocked the Kremlin in the middle of the night on Wednesday, in what the Russians claimed was a failed drone attack by Ukraine. Denying the accusation, Ukraine said Russia might have done it to try to muster domestic support for a faltering war effort. No matter the culprit, symbolically it seemed to many to signal Kremlin weakness.
Back-to-back shootings in Serbia this week, one in a school, have stunned the population and brought global attention to gun control in a country with one of the worlds highest rates of gun ownership.

Promising an almost complete disarmament, the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic, said on Friday that he planned to introduce sweeping changes to tighten gun regulations in response to the two shootings, one by a minor and the other with an illegal firearm.

He also called for a one-month amnesty on Friday for gun owners to surrender illegal weapons without penalty ahead of the more stringent measures.

Here is a look at Serbias trouble with guns and the restrictions the government proposed this week.
In a scene in the 1975 movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, King Arthur roams around the English countryside attempting to gather knights for the Round Table. When he declares, I am your king! to a deeply unimpressed peasant, her response is both absurd and blindingly obvious.

Well, I didnt vote for you, she says.

Quite.

As long as there has been a monarch in this country  for more than a 1,000 years  there have been questions about the legitimacy of the monarchy. As the nation prepares for King Charles IIIs coronation on Saturday, in an elaborate ceremony billed as an effort to bring modern flourishes to an ancient ritual, it is worth asking the question:

Why, when nobody voted for the monarchy and half the population under the age of 50 doesnt think it should exist, does Britain still have one?

One of the reasons that the monarchy persists is that we dont often have serious conversations about why we have a monarchy, said Alastair Bellany, a historian at Rutgers University specializing in 16th- and 17th-century Britain. I think we should. I think a serious country has to look in the mirror. Its a lazy assumption that the monarchy is our message to Britain and the world that this is who we are.

Of course, for many people, it would be difficult to disentangle the monarchy from Britains general sense of itself, as hard as that might be to articulate.
Tomorrow is the coronation of King Charles III, which Ive come to understand as a sort of regnal equivalent of a bar mitzvah ceremony. Though it marks a transition that has already occurred  Charles automatically became king when his mother died last year  people still get excited about the public event.

Things already feel a little overwrought in London. The streets and stations in the center of town are full of signs passive-aggressively warning people that a major event will cause traffic jams and road closures, which seems like an oddly if-you-know-you-know way to describe a literal national holiday. Yesterday, a friend messaged me to ask if I knew why so many helicopters were circling noisily around the neighborhood where the Times has its London bureau. It turned out to be security for a pre-coronation appearance by William and Kate, respectively the Prince and Princess of Wales, who dropped by a pub for a carefully orchestrated and highly secure casual photo op.

I found myself instinctively parsing their outfits, which made them look as if they had dressed for slightly different events: William was tieless and open-collared, the princely equivalent of going out in a t-shirt and jeans, while Kate, in a long red coat accessorized with white stiletto pumps and a white-leather frame handbag, looked like she was headed to a daytime wedding.

Then I felt bad, as I nearly always do when beholding the Princess of Wales, because the monarchy in this country seems like a cruel institution to the people caught up in it, and Kates clothing has always seemed symbolic of the ways her marriage has restricted her life. Maybe she just liked the red coat! Why was I even thinking about this?
Yevgeny V. Prigozhin quietly profited from his personal ties to President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, winning lucrative catering and construction contracts with the Russian government while building a mercenary force known as Wagner.

After throwing his fighters into Ukraine, their ranks swelled with prisoner recruits, Mr. Prigozhin emerged as a public power player, using social media to turn tough talk and brutality into his personal brand.

In a scorching video posted Friday on social media, Mr. Prigozhin threatened to pull his fighters next week out of Bakhmut, the embattled city where he has thrown thousands of convicts into the maw of Ukraines defenses, taking extraordinary casualties in a stubborn effort to wear down the other side.

Citing a lack of ammunition, Mr. Prigozhin delivered the ultimatum after walking among rows of bodies that he claimed were Wagner fighters killed in the battle for Bakhmut. He called out Russias defense minister, Sergei K. Shoigu, and Gen. Valery V. Gerasimov, the chief of the military general staff, as responsible for their deaths.
In the first days of the Iranian New Year holiday in March, the police showed up at a cafe in Tehran with orders to shut it down for two days. The cafe had run afoul of Iranian law by serving women who were not covering their hair with head scarves, they said.

Since then, the cafes management has been summoned repeatedly by the authorities and ordered to warn customers to wear their scarves. Mohammad, the owner, grudgingly did the bare minimum, putting a sign on the wall telling women to respect the hijab law. There is little point in doing more, he said.

Emboldened since the women-led protests that broke out last fall, which turned into nationwide demonstrations against the Islamic Republic, growing numbers of Iranian women have started going around without head scarves and wearing Western-style clothes. In Iran, Mohammad said, forcing women to wear the hijab is a lost cause.

In all honesty, we didnt get upset when they shut down our cafe, said Mohammad, who asked to be identified only by his first name to avoid further legal repercussions. In fact, we felt good about it, because this is really good P.R. for us and our business.
Israels refusal to hand over the body of a prominent prisoner who died on a hunger strike this week has drawn renewed attention to its practice of keeping the remains of scores of Palestinians in freezers and numbered graves, partly as leverage to obtain the bodies of Israelis held by Palestinian groups.

Khader Adnan, a leader of the Palestinian armed group Islamic Jihad who was arrested by Israel on suspicion of supporting terrorism, was the first Palestinian to die during a hunger strike in an Israeli prison in more than 30 years. Since his death on Tuesday, Israel has not returned his body to his family and the government wont say whether it intends to do so.

Its collective punishment, said Hassan Jabareen, the director of Adalah, a Palestinian human rights organization and legal center. These are bodies of people who live under Israeli occupation, he added. Many other Palestinians along with international human rights groups have echoed this criticism, saying the withholding of bodies punishes the families of the dead collectively and could violate international law.

Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, Israeli authorities have retained the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians who either died in prison or were killed during security incidents. They keep some in freezers for years at the National Center of Forensic Medicine, or bury them in graves with no headstones in what Palestinians call the cemetery of numbers, according to the Jerusalem Legal Aid & Human Rights Center.
Rena Murshud

Today, with joint initiative of the Embassy of the Republic of Pakistan and Azerbaijan Technical University the 6th International Conference of Developing Entrepreneurs 2022 (CODE International  6) held at the Azerbaijan Technical University.

Azernews reports that at the ceremony was attended by rector of Azerbaijan Technical University Dr.Vilayat Valiyev, deputy head of Pakistani embassy in Baku Mr.Moazzam Ali Sahito, the President of PAKAZCHAM Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti, professors, teachers and students of the university, as well as others guests and professors from both Turkiye and Pakistan.

Azerbaijan Technical University rector Dr.Vilayat Valiyev first started the event with his welcoming speech. He greeted those who came to the event and emphasized the importance of the relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Dr Vilayat Valiyev also underlined the efforts made to organize the event. Finally, he thanked everyone who contributed and participated at the conference.

Then the President of PAKAZCHAM- Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti welcomed the professors, representatives of the embassy, students and guests from Turkiye and Pakistan who took part in the event. Later, the blessed memory of the martyrs was honored with a minute of silence. The professor emphasized that the country's economy is an important factor. Expressing gratitude to the educational institutions that paid attention to this topic, he spoke about the mutual economic relations between Azerbaijan and Pakistan. Then he told that since its independence in 1991, Azerbaijan has developed economic and trade relations with more than 150 countries. It has signed cumulatively over fifty bilateral agreements for the promotion and protection of foreign investment and avoidance of double taxation.

Azerbaijan is ranked 34th out of 190 countries in the global ease of doing business index- The President of PAKAZCHAM said.

According to him, Azerbaijan's focus on ICT and Education Information/Communications Technology is one of the 4th target sectors for economic diversification and the 2nd largest target for foreign investment after the oil and gas industry. Besides, he pointed the advantage that the government of Azerbaijan has established several technological parks throughout the country that has also offered tax breaks and exemptions for companies.

Mr.Khurram Javaid Bhatti said that Azerbaijan has been actively developing its satellite services to build its regional commercial telecommunications capacity. Azercosmos, Azerbaijan's Space Agency, successfully obtained and launched US produced telecommunications satellites in 2013 and 2018.

"Azerbaijan has 50 plus state of the art public and private universities providing majors in various fields. A total of over 10,000 students study abroad every year under various state and private programs," Bhatti said.

Then deputy head of Pakistani embassy in Baku Mr.Moazzam Ali Sahito greeted the participants of the event. He expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijan Technical University for organizing the event and stressed that the organization of the conference is of great importance for both Azerbaijan and Pakistan.

As you know, Azerbaijan and Pakistan have very good relations in the political, defense and education spheres. Visiting many educational institutions in Azerbaijan, I noticed how enthusiastically and energetically students approached the fields of technology and tried to develop in this area. I met many students who were learning English, and many other languages. I want to note that in Pakistan, English is considered a second language. In Pakistan, English is spoken at the educational institutions by teaches and students and it is spoken almost everywhere. Therefore, it will be very easy for Azerbaijani students visiting Pakistan and getting acquainted there with people," he told.

The Ambassador also stressed the importance of bilateral trainings for students. In conclusion, he thanked the guests who took part at the conference as well as organizers of the event.

The conference was concluded with very important remarks of Mr.Irfan Maqsood telling about the future cooperation and exchange of knowledge among students of Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
Reznikov at meeting with Bundeswehr inspector general: I would like Germany to become part of 'sea coalition'

On Thursday, May 4, Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov met with Inspector General of the Bundeswehr, General Carsten Breuer as part of his visit to Ukraine, the parties discussed the current state of defense cooperation between the countries.

According to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Reznikov called on German friends to join the creation of a "sea coalition" in support of Ukraine, which would be a significant contribution to the development of the capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy. "Our common goal is to build a solid system of international security architecture, and the safety of navigation in the Black and Azov Seas is an important element in this system. Some of our European partners are already part of this coalition. And I would very much like Germany to become part of it too," he noted.

Reznikov also thanked German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and the entire German people for helping Ukraine.

In addition, the Minister of Defense of Ukraine informed the foreign delegation about the experience of combating enemy UAVs and invited the German side to cooperate in this area.

A number of practical steps were also considered to strengthen the defense capabilities of Ukraine with the support of Germany. In particular, the possibility of expanding training programs for the Ukrainian military in Germany.

In turn, Breuer stressed that the experience gained by the Ukrainian defenders is also important for the German Armed Forces.

"I believe that close cooperation between our countries will help strengthen security in Europe. I want to assure you that Germany will support Ukraine for as long as it takes," he said.

The parties focused on the need for further intensification of cooperation to meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
A Russian woman has been accused of hiring a contract killer to have her own daughter murdered in order to get her hands on the womans apartment.

A 67-year-old woman from Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is being accused of ordering the murder of her 48-year-old daughter so she could inherit her apartment. According to investigators, the pensioner shared her ominous intentions with a local acquaintance who told her that they knew someone who could pull it off, for a fee. On April 19, 2023, the acquaintance set up a meeting between the woman and the would-be perpetrator of the murder in a park on Odesskaya Street, in the city of Krasnoyarsk, during which they discussed the details and method of committing the crime. The woman allegedly promised to pay the contract killer 80,000 rubles ($1,040) once he produced evidence of her daughters murder.

Instead of carrying out the hit on the 67-year-old womans daughter, the would-be killer, a local man, went straight to the police and told them about the womans nefarious intentions. In order to gather the evidence necessary for a conviction, investigators told the man to continue playing the part and even helped him stage the murder. After notifying the 48-year-old victim of her mothers intention, police asked for something personal that the hitman could show his employer as evidence of her death.

On May 3rd, the contract killer, acting under the supervision of Russian investigators, notified the loving mother that he had completed the contract, killing her daughter by stabbing her repeatedly with a knife. As evidence of the deed, the man provided the suspect with her daughters bag. On the same day, the woman transferred the promised 80,000 rubles into the hitmans account.



Having gathered all the necessary evidence, police arrested the Russian mother and she is now officially accused of committing a crime under Part 3 of Art. 33, part 1 of Art. 30, p. Z part 2 of Art. 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (organization of the preparation of a murder for hire).
A Romanian mother of two who stole a toy car by hiding it under her skirt has been fined 150 by Judge Bernadette Owens.

Larisa Michele (21), Mullaghavorneen, Longford pleaded guilty at a recent sitting of Longford District Court to stealing a toy car from Lidl, Dublin Road, Longford.

The court heard, the toy which was valued at 12.99 was stolen after Ms Michele had paid for a number of other items.

Sgt Mark Mahon said the accused was spotted placing the toy under her skirt and was recovered a short time later.

Sgt Mahon said there were other items that Ms Michele had concealed under her skirt, leading Frank Gearty, defending to insist the only item his client was charged with was the theft of the toy car.

I was with a senior counsel on Friday and he advised me that if you plead, you plead to what is on the charge sheet and I cant speculate or react to anything else, he said.

The court heard Ms Michele had no previous convictions, but did receive an adult caution in June 2021 for an alleged theft in Penneys.

Mr Gearty said Ms Michele was a young mother of two who had resided here for over a decade and had previously gone to school in Athlone.

He said she had become a mother in her mid to late teens and was someone of very limited means.

She did have a number of items she had paid for but unfortunately she had this toy under other goods on the trolley and she acknowledges that when she was challenged she should have produced it immediately and for that she is absolutely guilty of the offence and she acknowledges that, he said.

Mr Gearty added Ms Michele was particularly contrite over what had occurred, saying the temptation to steal the toy had proved too much.

He said: The oldest child is five which will give a certain indication of the dynamic of her life and I think the toy was for that child, not that it excuses in any way what happened.

Its a very serious matter that she should find herself at the age of 21 with poor enough financial circumstances showing up in court in this way.

Judge Owens convicted and fined Ms Michele 150, giving her four months to pay.

Legal aid was also granted to the accused.
A RECENT meeting in Birr was told that there has been no contact with the owners of the Workhouse for at least a year.

During the AGM of Birr 20:20 Vision in the Birr Civic Offices a member of Birr 20:20 Vision asked the meeting was there any update on the future of the workhouse?

Cllr John Carroll told the meeting that Birr 20:20 had been working positively with the owners of the premises, a Canadian / Chinese company called Castle Rook, but then Covid hit and things seemed to lose focus. At one stage, prior to Covid, Castle Rook was in the process of submitting a planning application to the Council but then it fell away. Now no one is sure what the future holds.

The councillor underlined the point that the premises is privately owned and therefore the local authority cannot take action to shore up the building from further decay. Unfortunately, he remarked, the building is decaying. It was badly damaged by fire a few years ago and it's just been deteriorating since. It is sad because it is a very important building.

Castle Rook refers to itself as a dementia care company. In February 2022 the company told the Midland Tribune, via email, that it was still committed to its project in Birr Workhouse.

For the last three years the restoration of the severely dilapidated and historic building has been in development limbo, with no sign of any work starting.

There had been great hope for the building's future back in 2018 when an exciting project was announced for it. However, since then no work occurred.

In February 2022 the director of Castle Rook, Candace Lafleur, told The Midland Tribune: "Yes, we are still committed to the project. However, over Covid our financing for the project has stalled and we are looking to pick this back up toward the end of this year."

Many in the Birr area fear that the former Workhouse will become even more severely dilapidated in the coming months and years.

Since the inception of Birr 20:20 in 2015, the restoration of the Workhouse has always been in the group's sights.

In September 2018 a Birr 20:20 meeting was told that the building had been purchased by Castle Rook, a Canadian/Chinese company with its Irish base in Louth, and restoration would get underway, focusing initially on the roofs (which are in a very bad way). The building was also badly damaged by fire in 2017 started by a group of young vandals.

Detailed plans were shown during the September 2018 meeting to great enthusiasm. Access, the meeting was told, had been secured to the left of the building, leading past a proposed museum.

Castle Rook said it was proposing to transform the Workhouse into a centre providing care for those with dementia.

The proposed centre would provide a roofed pavilion for seating; a landscaped sculpture park; a glass walled dining area to retain connection with the public cafe, a community day care centre, creche and playground.

The public and residential areas, while having a degree of interaction, would be secured with a biometric fence, allowing security for residents, with a degree of freedom of movement. Thirty residents would be housed in the main building, eventually rising to 70.

Mylo robots would also be in use. The Mylo robot connects to the resident's wristband and can monitor heartbeat and bloodpressure, as well as being programmable as a reminder not only for medication times, but also for me time at the treatment centre.

The September 2018 meeting was also told that capital was in place for the purchase and initial works.
A man and a woman were arrested after gardai seized a large quantity of drugs during a series of searches in the Midlands.

Gardai seized approximately 230,000 of suspected heroin and cocaine during a number of searches in Portlaoise, Co. Laois on Wednesday and Thursday.

The searches were conducted as part of Operation Tara by the Laois Drugs Unit.

On Wednesday, May 3, a male in his 30s was stopped and searched on Mountmellick Road and was found in possession of 3,920 worth of heroin. He was arrested and detained under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984.

On the same day, a search of a residence in Portlaoise led to the discovery and seizure of 15,680 heroin and 880 cocaine. An adult female, aged in her late teens, has since been arrested and detained at a Garda station in the Midlands under the provisions of Section 2 Drug Trafficking Act, 1996.

On Thursday, follow-up searches were conducted, aided by the Garda Dog Unit, at two further residences in Portlaoise where approximately 1.5kg of suspected heroin, to a value of 210,000, was seized.

The drugs seized totalling 230,000 heroin and 880 cocaine will now be sent to Forensic Science Ireland (FSI) for analysis.

The arrested male has since been charged and he appeared before Portlaoise District Court on Thursday. The arrested female has since been charged and is due to appear before Nenagh District Court this afternoon, Friday, May 5.
Disability rights are human rights, not special rights. Persons with disabilities have the same rights as all people to non-discrimination, access, equality of opportunity, inclusion and full participation in society. It is time that Government made this happen Deputy Michael Lowy said when addressing a Regional Group Private Members Motion on Disability and Transport in the Dail on Thursday.

All over Ireland disabled people are limited in their social lives, their choice of work and access to education and healthcare  all because of we are failing to meet their needs. Failing to allow them the same freedoms that we do not even think about. Failing to grant them full access to their lives.

These basic rights that we take for granted are being denied to men, women, teenagers and children because successive Governments have failed to recognise their human needs. They have stolen their ability to fully live their lives by denying them the ability to do so.

For adults with disabilities in rural areas of Tipperary and in other similar counties, lack of access to public transport deprives them of even the most basic activities.

The discontinuation of the Mobility Allowance and the Motorised Transport Grant in 2013 was the ultimate slamming of the door in the faces of disabled people who live in rural areas.

A replacement Scheme was promised. Ten years later this has not materialised. Despite the knowledge that ending these supports resulted in many disabled people being stranded in their homes and left entirely dependent on other people, Government turned a deaf ear.

It was a classic case of out of sight, out of mind as many disabled people in rural Ireland became invisible. Neglect of their needs rendered them prisoners in their homes he said.

Deputy Lowry also emphasised that One of the greatest and most basic rights of all people is the right to work. For many physically disabled people, the ability to hold down a job brings them their greatest satisfaction and purpose in life. It can, in fact, be the one place where they can fully participate, are accepted on an equal footing and can realise their personal worth.

A Comprehensive Employment Strategy is in place to make this possible. Disabled people must be treated equally by potential employers.

Yet how can an employer treat a disabled person equally if a question mark hangs over their ability to get to work? Public transport in Ireland has improved in terms of being on time as growing numbers of people depend on it on a daily basis.

However, a disabled person must first be able to get to a bus stop or a train station. They may need help to board if the bus or train does not have a properly integrated ramp. They must depend on others to store away a wheelchair if it cannot be accommodated on board. They may feel awkward or a hindrance to other passengers.

These feelings may be enough to prevent them from trying to secure a job. Equally, these thoughts will also run through the minds of employers who may silently question the persons ability to be a reliable employee.

This motion calls for several changes. Each one is equally important as the other. Its time that Government made them happen he concluded.
A special supplement marking the 50th anniversary of Ireland's membership of the Union [EU 50] will be published in this Wednesday's editions of the Tullamore Tribune and the Midland Tribune.

The 12 supplement is published by the Tribune and www.offalylive.ie in association with Offaly County Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Offaly History.

In the supplement foreword Anna Marie Delaney, Chief Executive of Offaly County Council and Cllr Frank Moran, Cathaoirleach write that it is widely acknowledged that Irelands 50 years of EU membership has coincided with a period of radical economic and social transformation across Ireland. This publication presents a wonderful opportunity to highlight how our lives have changed for the better because of our active membership.

The supplement features articles from a wide range of contributors, including former Taoiseach Brian Cowen, all of whom provide their unique insight into various milestones encountered because of EU membership.

Topics such as farming, gender equality, environmental issues, the 2004 European Foreign Ministers summit in Tullamore, the Just Transition process and the Leader programme are featured.

In compiling the supplement we invited contributions from all the MEPs for the South constituency and Offaly based Oireachtas members and are grateful to those who submitted articles, explained the Editor of the Tullamore Tribune, Ger Scully.

Two articles from members of the general public with specific interests in farming and policing are also published.

Said Ger Scully: We wish to stress the opinions expressed are those of the individual contributors and were not influenced by Offaly County Council, the Department of Foreign Affairs or the Tribune.

This special publication provides an opportunity to reflect on Irelands role in the EU and the partnerships we have developed over the last five decades. We wish to acknowledge the support of the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of the Taoiseach for raising the profile of Irelands 50th anniversary of EU membership (EU50), outlined Anna Marie Delaney and Cllr Frank Moran.

They added: Irelands membership of the European Union has strengthened Offalys ability to protect our national and local environments with the EU Directives and EU Regulations. These legislative rules mean that Offaly County Council proactively tackle challenges presented by water pollution, waste management and air quality. We promote the conservation of natural habitats and protect local biodiversity. We take positive climate action. We prepare our strategic framework plans to answer our specific circumstances while being cognisant of meeting the demands of a changing environment.

We focus on our economic growth and proactively engage with the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly (EMRA) who distribute co-funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). Because of our involvement in the EU, we recognise the importance of engaging with other EU members. There is strength in unity.

Our national voice is strong in Europe. In 2024 we have the opportunity to vote in local and European elections. Your vote is your voice and your voice matters. We look forward to strengthening our friendship and solidarity with the EU and to Ireland hosting the EU Presidency in 2026.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL SUPPLEMENT
Daniel Penny Revealed As Ex-Marine Who Caused the Chokehold Death of Jordan Neely Jaelani Turner-Williams Jaelani Turner-Williams is a contributing news writer for Okayplayer with

The man who placed the late Jordan Neely in a chokehold for seven minutes on a NY Subway has been identified as an ex-Marine, Daniel Penny.

In stories by multiple outlets, former Marine Daniel Penny has been confirmed as the man who choked the late Jordan Neely in a subway earlier this week. In footage from the fatal incident, which occurred on New York Citys F train on Monday (May 1) around 2:15 p.m. EST, 24-year-old Penny is seen with his arm around Neelys head and neck.

Independent journalist Juan Alberto Vazquez recorded the scene, which shows Penny and two other men holding Neely on the subway floor, which yielded at the Broadway-Lafayette station, until the 30-year-old stopped moving.

Meet Daniel Penny from West Islip, NY pic.twitter.com/ukkb2gW9Ao  barbarism critic  #StopCopCity (@SxarletRed) May 5, 2023

Pennys name began circulating Thursday (May 4) on Twitter, with a report by The Daily Mail naming him as the assailant. Although Penny was taken in by the NYPD for questioning, he was released without charges, which outraged many progressive users on social media. Some in New York City participated in protests and vigils for Neely earlier this week.

We're downtown, at Bwy-Lafayette to mourn the violent death of #JordanNeely. He was strangled  the city's & mayor's failure to provide real, essential care to NYers are also responsible for killing him. Jordan should be alive right now, with food to eat & a safe place to sleep. pic.twitter.com/G4K7bI3gpk  Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (@JFREJNYC) May 3, 2023

Pennys LinkedIn profile shows that the 24-year-old joined the Marines in 2017 after graduating from West Islip High School. Photos of Penny as a teenager show him playing on his high school lacrosse team.

Although several outlets referred to Penny as just a former Marine earlier this week, Neelys lengthy arrest record was publicized, along with him once being a Michael Jackson impersonator. He put his soul into performing and after a few years on the street, he had no soul left, Lance Clarke, an attorney, told Curbed about his familiarity with Neely. He was just begging for help.

When Neely was 14 years old, his mother was killed at the hands of her abusive husband, per NJ.com.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, during a meeting with Bahrain Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Kyiv, invited Bahrain to participate in the Ukraine Recovery Conference due in London in June 2023.

The parties discussed food security and involvement of Bahrain in the restoration of Ukraine, according to the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine.

Kuleba said that Ukraine and Bahrain are working on the intensification of business contacts.

"We had a very deep, substantive and open conversation for the first time in the history of our relations. We agreed to intensify not only our bilateral relations but also relations between Ukraine and the Gulf countries, particularly in the format of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf," the Ukrainian minister said.

He also informed his counterpart about the situation at the front and presented in detail the peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The minister invited Bahrain to actively participate in its implementation.
Elephant Balarama, who carried the golden howdah 13 times, no more

DK Shivakumar is not becoming CM: Smriti Irani on Congress leaders temple promise

Bengaluru

oi-Deepika S

Union Minister Smriti Irani on Friday hit out at Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar over his promise to construct Lord Hanuman temples in the state.

"It is better if DK Shivakumar avoid make promises like building temples in the state. He is not going to be the chief minister anyway," Irani told reports.

Smriti Irani's statement comes a day after Shivakumar said the Congress if voted to power will construct new Hanuman temples in the state.

Paying obeisance to Goddess Chamundeshwari in Mysuru on Thursday, Shivakumar promised to either build more Hanuman temples or renovate the existing ones all over the state.

"We have constructed Lord Rama's escort Anjaneya (Hanuman) temples and we too are his devotees, especially we Kannadigas where there are evidences to show that Anjaneya was born here," said Shivakumar.

"If we come to power, Congress will formulate special policies for the development of all the important Anjaneya temples especially those historic places associated with Anjaneya," he added.

Shivakumar's promise comes after the Congress faced severe backlash over its manifesto equating Bajrang Dal with the banned outfit Popular Front of India (PFI).

"We believe that law and Constitution is sacrosanct and can not be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities. We will take decisive action as per law including imposing a ban on any such organisations", the Congress manifesto for poll-bound Karnataka read.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the BJP charge against the Congress over the Bajrang Dal row, urging people to chant 'Jai Bajrangbali' in every poll rallies.

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 21:46 [IST]
Operation Kaveri: Among those rescued from Sudan, one is aged 102

17 IAF flights, five sorties of Navy ships rescue 3,862 Indians from Sudan

India

pti-PTI

India on Friday wrapped up 'Operation Kaveri', launched to rescue its nationals stranded in crisis-hit Sudan, with the transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force making its final flight to bring 47 passengers home.

India launched Operation Kaveri on April 24 to evacuate its nationals from Sudan, which has witnessed deadly fighting between the country's army and a paramilitary group. With the arrival of the Indian Air Force C130 flight on Friday, 3,862 people have been moved out of Sudan through Operation Kaveri, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said.

The Indian Air Force operated 17 flights and the Indian Navy ships carried out five sorties to move Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, he said. Jaishankar said 86 Indians were evacuated through countries bordering Sudan.

"The flight from Wadi Sayyidna which was executed at great risk also deserves recognition," he said, adding that air force and commercial flights were pressed into service to bring people home from Jeddah. Jaishankar also expressed gratitude to Saudi Arabia for hosting Indians rescued from Sudan and facilitating the evacuation process. He also appreciated the support of Chad, Egypt, France, South Sudan, the UAE, the UK, the US and the United Nations.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all Indians abroad was our inspiration," he said.

Indian embassy in Khartoum to be temporarily shifted to Port Sudan

Jaishankar also lauded Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who was present in Saudi Arabia to oversee the rescue efforts. Muraleedharan's presence on the ground was a source of strength and reassurance, he said.

The Indian Embassy in Riyadh also announced closure of the transit facility created at the International Indian School in Jeddah for evacuees from Sudan.

The facility provided comfort to more than 3,500 evacuees and served as a nerve centre for planning their onward movement to India, the embassy said on Twitter.

"Applaud the spirit, perseverance and courage of all those involved in Operation Kaveri. Our embassy in Khartoum (Sudan) showed exceptional dedication in this difficult time. Efforts by Team India stationed in Saudi Arabia and MEA Rapid Response Cell coordinating in India were commendable," Jaishankar said.
Big opposition unity meet in Bihar after Karnataka polls; Pawar, Banerjee to attend

India

oi-Prakash KL

The opposition leaders are likely to meet in the third week of May in Patna in an attempt to forge unity ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, India Today reported citing sources.

The development comes after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata and Samajwadi Chief Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow, respectively, last month.

The report claimed that the leaders are likely to meet on May 17 or 18. It has to be noted that the meeting would take place days after the Karnataka Assembly polls.

The elections for the 224-member Karnataka Assembly will be held on May 10. The results will be announced on May 13.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, who announced recently that he was stepping down as the chief of the party, and UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray have agreed to attend the meet.

JDU leader Devesh Chandra Thakur called on Pawar and Thackeray on Thursday in Mumbai.

The big opposition meeting is expected to have the participation of: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Left leaders Sitaram Yechury and D Raja are likely to attend the meeting. If Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal could not attend, he is expected to send his representative.

Nitish Kumar to meet Mamata, Akhilesh in push for Opposition unity

Nitish Kumar is expected to meet Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in this regard, the report stated.

Last month, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar met West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata.

"I have made just one request to Nitish Kumar. Jayaprakash ji's movement started from Bihar. If we have an all-party meeting in Bihar, we can then decide where we have to go next. But first of all, we have to give a message that we are united. I have said earlier too that I have no objections. I want BJP to become zero. They have become a big hero with media's support and lies," Banerjee said after the meeting.

On his turn, Nitish Kumar said that they had a "very positive discussion". "Opposition parties need to sit together and strategise," the Bihar CM had said.

Kumar, later, met SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. "The BJP should be removed and the country be saved, and we are with you in this campaign," the SP chief said after the meeting.

With inputs from PTI
Gangster Atiq Ahmed, brother shot dead in UP: What we know so far

Five jawans killed in encounter with terrorists in Rajouri, J&K

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Five soldiers have been killed during an encounter with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri.

An encounter had broken out between two to three terrorists and security forces on Friday morning in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir. The encounter took place in the Kandi forest, additional director general of police, Jammu Zone, Mukesh Singh confirmed.

Officials said that the terrorists belong to the same group that ambushed the Army truck on April 20 in which five soldiers were killed and one more injured.

A cordon and search operation was launched on the basis of specific inputs that the Indian Army had received from the Intelligence agencies. The Intelligence spoke about the specific presence of terrorists in the area.

"On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi forest in the Rajouri sector, a joint operation was launched. A search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs," the Indian Army said in a statement.

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As the joint team approached the spot, the terrorists who were hiding fired upon them, which was retaliated, following which the encounter was triggered.

As per reports, terrorists have been trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in the terrorist group as well. The terrorists are said to have triggered an explosive device in retaliation, which may have led to the casualties on the Army's side, an official also said.

Meanwhile mobile internet services have been suspended in Rajouri, the official also said.
Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba has said that he held 90-minute talks with Bahraini Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Kyiv, emphasizing that close cooperation with Bahrain was established with Bahrain for the first time in the history of Ukraine.

"For the first time over three decades of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Bahrain, the Foreign Minister of Bahrain came to visit us. He met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy today, and yesterday I met with him at the Foreign Ministry," the Ukrainian minister said in Instagram on Friday.

" Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani is a very wise and experienced person. In particular, he has military experience as well as strategic vision of foreign policy. In addition, the Kingdom of Bahrain is an influential country of the Gulf whose opinion is of great importance for the other Arabic states of the region," Kuleba said.

He emphasized that Ukraine appreciates having such a partner, adding that "instead of planned 20 minutes for a tete-a-tete meeting" he talked to the counterpart for almost one and a half hour.

"[We discussed] the path towards a real peace, the involvement of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the restoration of Ukraine, the history of our two states, the new page in relations between Ukraine and the Gulf countries. Yesterday in the evening, I also invited my Bahraini counterpart and friend for an informal walk around Kyiv. We went to the neighboring [Saint] Sophia [Cathedral] where he could touch the history of Ukraine, walked to the Memorial Wall to honor the deceased fighters," Kuleba said.

The Foreign Minister of Bahrain also visited the towns of Irpin and Hostomel in Kyiv region, Kuleba said.

"For the first time in the history [of Ukraine], we have such a close cooperation with Bahrain. And the main thing is that our views appeared to be very similar. The Foreign Ministry will continue to implement the strategy of new horizons and open new opportunities for Ukraine in every region and corner of the world," he said.
Here is why BJP rescheduled PM Modis Bengaluru rallies again

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Bengaluru has been rescheduled once again as there is a NEET examination on May 7.

The roadshow was rescheduled as it would have led to a traffic snarl making it difficult for the NEET aspirants to reach the exam centre. The BJP unit has now decided that the 26 kilometre roadshow will now be preponed to May 6 and the rest of the rest kilometres will be covered on May 7, which will conclude by 11.30 am.

The BJP said that the PM had ordered the BJP unit in Karnataka not to cause any inconvenience to the students who will be taking part in the NEET exam. Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya tweeted, "on account of NEET exams on 7th of May, Hon. PM Sri @narendramodi Ji directed us to prepone the 26 km road show to the 6th of May and shorten the roadshow distance on 7th to conclude it before 11.30 am. His one-line directive was - 'I don't want even a single medical student in Bengaluru to be inconvenienced'. Proud to belong to a political party that is so sensitive and responsible to our students."

PM Modi attacks Congress in Karnataka, accuses party of aligning with anti-national forces

Initially the PM's 36-kilometre rally was scheduled for Saturday and covered in a way that the PM covers 17 constituencies in Bengaluru on a single day. However keeping the traffic snarls in mind, the roadshow was later divided into two days, which is Saturday and Sunday.

This is the final leg of the PM's campaign before the state votes on May 10. All eyes are on these rallies and the BJP reliance on the same is extremely high. For the BJP to perform well in the state, it is very important that it performs well in the Bengaluru segment.
How Lord Hanuman has taken centre stage in Karnataka politics

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Lord Hanuman has taken centre-stage in the Karnataka elections after the Congress in its manifesto said that it would ban the Bajrang Dal if voted to power.

The Congress also said that outfits such as the Bajrang Dal and Popular Front of India would be banned if the party is voted to power on May 10.

The BJP is going to town with the issue, while the Congress is attempting damage control. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president D K Shivakumar said that the Congress government would launch a special programme to develop all historical Hanuman Temples in Karnataka. He said that an Anjanadri Development Board will be establish.

We havent said we will ban Bajrang Dal says senior Congress leader Moily

"We, especially Kannadigas, are the devotees of Anjaneya, as we believe that Anjaneya was born here. To strengthen that feeling, we will come up with organisations in each district to uphold the principles of Anjaneya, with programmes to empower youth, Shivakumar told reporters in Mysuru.

The buzz in the Congress circles is that there was no proper consultation on the issue before the manifesto was made public. There was some miscommunication between the central and state leadership over this point in the manifesto, a source told OneIndia. Senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily known to be close to the central leadership said that the organisation could not be banned if they functioned according to the Constitution. He also made it clear that a state government did not have the power to ban an organisation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi while speaking at rally in Hospet called the promise made by the Congress to ban the Bajrang Dal an attempt to lock up Hanuman and his devotees who chant 'Jai Bajrangbali.' In all the three public meetings the PM made it a point to chant Jai Bajrangbali.'

Senior BJP leader K S Eshwarappa burnt a copy of the election manifesto of the Congress, while attacking the party for proposing a ban on the Bajrang Dal.

Leading political analyst, Dr. Sandeep Shastri tells OneIndia that this was something that he was anticipating towards the end of the campaign. He Congress had the upper hand during the campaign. They were riding high on the strong sentiment of anti-incumbency and the BJP was on the back foot he added.

"The Congress has a knack of creating a station where a winning opportunity was diluted. Here they have presented an opportunity by seeking a ban on the Bajrang Dal. It has changed the entire debate in the state," he added.

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Karnataka polls: Will Bajrang Dal ban promise prove costly for Congress?

On whether the Bajrang Dal issue will impact the voting pattern in the state, Dr. Shastri says that those who support the BJP will remain committed to the party. The crucial issue is whether it would enhance the votes of the BJP, he adds.

The second point is that the vote for the BJP on the Hindu card had reached a saturation point in the 2018 elections. That is why the BJP had not emphasised on the same this time," he added.

"What needs to be seen is whether this new focus of the campaign take away attention from the Congress. The Congress had the upper hand all along and had focused heavily on the performance of the BJP government. Whether the Bajrang Dal issue will take away the unhappiness with the BJP in the state is to be seen," Dr. Shastri added.

Another way to look at the issue would be with regard to the Muslim votes. Our survey CSDS-Lokniti showed that 60 per cent of the Muslims are with the Congress, while the remaining were with the JD(S) and BJP Can this issue result in a further consolidation of Muslim votes favour of the Congress is what would be interesting to watch.
Hunger strike, self-immolation threats: Drama at NCP office as party rejects Pawars resignation

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The meeting of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) was not short of any drama.

A unanimous resolution was passed to reject the resignation of Sharad Pawar as party president. Party leader Praful Patel said that Pawar had taken the decision without informing any of the party workers. He also said that his resignation had been rejected and an appeal was made to him to stay on as party chief.

Photo Credit:

The decision of the party to reject the resignation was rejoiced by all party leaders. There were celebrations outside the party's office in Mumbai. Prior to the meeting there was utter chaos outside the party's office with NCP workers attempting self-immolation. The party workers said that if the resignation is not rejected by the party, then they would go on an indefinite hunger strike starting tomorrow.

The party leaders would now meet with Sharad Pawar and convey the decision of the panel, rejecting his resignation. They would also hand over the resolution that was passed by them.

Patel earlier said that they have been meeting with Pawar and urging him to reconsider his decision. We cannot neglect the feelings of the NCP workers from across the country, Patel also said.

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Many in NCP with BJP: Saamna editorial explains why Pawar may have resigned

The drama would however continue in the NCP for a couple of days more. There are rumours rife that Ajit Pawar, the nephew of the senior Pawar is planning to rebel against the party. In the wake of these reports, there was news that Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sole would be given a national role, while Ajit Pawar would be in charge of the state.

An editorial by the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) had on Wednesday said that the decision by Pawar to step down was to do with the fact that many from the NCP were planning to jump to the BJP. The decision was taken to counter that move, the editorial also said.
'Spokesperson of terror industry: Jaishankar's jibe at Pakistan's Bilawal Bhutto

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

In an unsparing attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday accused his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of being a promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terror industry after a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) witnessed a face-off between the two sides.

Jaishankar mounted the offensive against the visiting Pakistani foreign minister after Bhutto Zardari in his address at the SCO meeting in this beach resort contended that terrorism shouldn't be weaponised for diplomatic point-scoring, in remarks seen as directed at India.

Hours later at a press conference, Jaishankar said Bhutto Zardari's statement on the weaponisation of terrorism unconsciously revealed a mindset.

"As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered including at the SCO meeting itself," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar's counter-attack on Bhutto Zardari came on a day when there was outrage over the death of five Army soldiers in an encounter with terrorists in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

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On Pakistan's tackling of terrorism, Jaishankar said the country's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves. "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with the perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism," Jaishankar said when asked about the possibility of India and Pakistan working towards combating the menace.

"Victims of terrorism defend themselves to counter acts of terrorism. They call it out, they delegitimise it. And that is what is happening. To come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat. I mean they are committing acts of terrorism," he said.

In his address at the meeting of the SCO foreign ministers, Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be blocked without any distinction and that terrorism in all its forms including cross-border terrorism must be stopped.

Chairing the conclave, Jaishankar also said that taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated, in another veiled reference to Pakistan.

No justification for terrorism, must be stopped: Jaishankar at SCO meet

"We must not allow anybody -- individual or State -- to hide behind non-State actors," Jaishankar said in the presence of Bhutto Zardari and his counterparts from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism," he added.

The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. "Please do not see it as anything more than that," he said

During his address, Bhutto Zardari referred to what he described as a violation of international law, remarks which were seen as an apparent reference to Kashmir.

The SCO norms do not allow raking up bilateral issues and the two foreign ministers made the comments indirectly and did not name any country "Unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives," the Pakistani minister said.

While expressing Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism, Bhutto Zardari also appeared to take a swipe at India as he called for not getting caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring. "We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors," he noted.

The Pakistan foreign minister also remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination at the hands of terrorists. "When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," Bhutto Zardari said.

"I feel the pain of this loss, empathize with victims across the world in a way most can't. I and my country are firmly committed to being part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach," he added. "It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he said.

SCO Summit 2023: Jaishankar, Russian FM Lavrov hold talks on wide range of issues

At the press conference, replying to a question on the Rajouri incident, Jaishankar said he does not want to "jump the gun on what happened today." "But we are all feeling equally outraged. Let's be very very clear on this. On this terrorism matter, I would say Pakistan's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves," he said.

Jaishankar also trashed Pakistan's objection to holding a G-20 meeting in Srinagar and asserted that Jammu and Kashmir 'was, is and will' always be part of India. "There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir," he said.

On the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Jaishakar said, "it is history. Wake up and smell the coffee."

Slamming Bhutto Zardari for his "weaponisation of terrorism" remarks, Jaishankar said,'It is a very interesting statement because it unconsciously reveals a mindset. What does weaponising something mean?". "It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it...somebody saying you are weaponising terrorism. That means they think terrorism is legitimate," Jaishankar said.

"We are countering terrorism. we are defending ourselves, we are calling it out, we are exposing it...we are not scoring diplomatic points. We are politically, diplomatically exposing Pakistan before the world," he said. "As a victim of terrorism I am completely entitled to do so. That sentence spoke so much about the mindset of that country," he added.

(with PTI inputs)
Karnataka HC refuses to stay PM Modi road shows in Bengaluru

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

The Karnataka High Court on Friday rejected a plea filed against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshows which were scheduled to be conducted in Bengaluru on May 6 and 7. The court recorded submissions by the state and the police that if the roadshows are held as planned, all precautionary measures will be in place.

The plea was filed by advocate N.P. Amrutesh, who argued that the roadshows would cause traffic congestion and inconvenience to citizens.

The Bench of Justices Krishna S Dixit and Vijaykumar A Patil noted that although the necessary party was not named as a respondent, the petitioner did not intend to obstruct the events entirely but sought fair regulation.

PM Modi to hold massive roadshow in Bengaluru: Check routes and other details

A Bench of Justices Krishna S Dixit and Vijaykumar A Patil said in its order,''We would have declined indulgence on the ground that the necessary party is not arrayed as a respondent. However, petitioner fairly submitted that he does not intend to impede the events of tomorrow absolutely. What he needs is fair regulation. There are elements of public interest therefore, we did not resort to that extreme measure. With this, the petition is laid to rest.''

The petition was filed by Bengaluru-based advocate N.P. Amrutesh. The petitioner had also sought a direction from the court to restrict or control any political rally after the declaration of results of the Karnataka Assembly elections on May 13.

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 17:30 [IST]
Let them write what they want: Pawar on Saamna editorial

NCP committee resolution rejects Pawar's resignation as party chief

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Friday passed a resolution rejecting Sharad Pawar's resignation as party chief and has requested him to continue to lead the party.

A committee formed by Sharad Pawar met on Friday to decide on his successor and unanimously passed a proposal, rejecting his resignation, NCP Vice President Praful Patel said after the meeting.

"Several leaders including me met Pawar Saheb and we requested him continuously to rethink over his decision as the country and party need him at this hour. Not only NCP leaders but other party leaders and eminent personalities also requested him to continue as party chief," he stated.

He claimed that the NCP supremo took the call without informing the party workers. "Considering all the demands of the party workers and leader we took a meeting today and the committee has passed a proposal unanimously. The committee unanimously rejects this resignation and we request him to continue on his post of party president," he added.

The committee members include Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule, his nephew Ajit Pawar, Praful Patel, Chhagan Bhujbal, among others. Pawar on Tuesday dropped a bombshell by saying he was stepping down as chief of the NCP which he founded and helmed since 1999, but not retiring from public life.

#WATCH | Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) workers celebrate outside the party office in Mumbai



NCP's core committee unanimously passed a proposal today and rejected Sharad Pawar's resignation and requested him to continue as NCP chief. pic.twitter.com/7VpHucZqtR  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

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The NCP supremo had announced that he was stepping down as the party president on Tuesday at the launch of his autobiography.

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin appealed to the veteran leader to reconsider his decision to quit as the president of NCP, keeping in mind his role in forging a "secular alliance" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

"With national politics centred around the upcoming 2024 General Elections, I request Thiru. @PawarSpeaks, one of the tallest leaders, crucial in strengthening secular alliance across India, to reconsider his decision to relinquish the President post of @NCPspeaks and continue to lead NCP," he said in a tweet.
Need to take disengagement process forward: Jaishankar on border row

India

pti-PTI

A day after holding talks with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said the situation along the border in eastern Ladakh is 'abnormal' and India-China relations cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas is disturbed. Jaishankar also said that there is a need to take the disengagement process forward.

The standoff between the India and Chinese troops in certain friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh entered its fourth year. Jaishankar and Qin held bilateral talks on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in this beach resort.

"I think issue is that there is abnormal position in border areas along the boundary. We had very frank discussions about it," Jaishankar said at a press conference when asked about his talks with Qin.

"We have to take the disengagement process forward and we have made it very clear publicly as well. What I say within the room is not different from what I say outside which is that India, China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if the peace and tranquillity in the border areas is disturbed," he said.

"I have been very clear about it; I have been very consistent about it and I have not changed my position at this meeting either," Jaishankar said.

Asked about China's claim that the situation along the border is stable, Jaishankar suggested that it is not so. The meeting between the two foreign ministers was their second in the last two months.

Jaishankar calls Pak's Bilawal Bhutto 'Spokesperson of terror industry'

The Chinese foreign minister visited India in March to attend a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers. On the sidelines of the meeting, Jaishankar held talks with Qin during which he conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the state of India-China relations is 'abnormal' because of the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers. Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest. However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff in a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks. India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on "three mutuals" -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area. As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
No justification for terrorism, must be stopped: Jaishankar at SCO meet

India

oi-Deepika S

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism.

Photo Credit:

In the presence of Pakistan foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China's Qin Gang and Russia's Sergey Lavrov, Jaishankar, in his address at a conclave of the SCO, said taking the eyes off terrorism would be detrimental to security interests of the grouping.

The external affairs minister said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. While the world was engaged in facing COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences , the menace of terrorism continues unabated, he said, in remarks seen as directed at Pakistan.

"We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," he said.

Jaishankar said combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO.

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In his remarks, he also welcomed the delegates at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in this beach resort. "I am delighted to host you under the first-ever Indian presidency of SCO," he said.

He said India attaches great importance to development of multifaceted cooperation in the SCO and to promotion of peace, stability and closer interaction among the people of the member nations. As a result of COVID-19 pandemic and geo-political upheavals, the world today is facing a multitude of challenges and that these events have disrupted the global supply chains, he added.

In Afghanistan, he said the unfolding situation in the country remains at "centre of our attention". Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of Afghan people, he said.

Our immediate priorities in Afghanistan include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive government, combating terrorism and preserving rights of women, children and minorities, Jaishankar said.
Go to HC says Supreme Court as it refuses to entertain plea against 'The Kerala Story'

No stay on screening of 'The Kerala Story' says HC

India

oi-Prakash KL

The Kerala High Court on Friday refused to stay the release of the film 'The Kerala Story', saying "there is no allegation against the Islam religion."

Division Bench comprising Justice N Nagaresh and Justice Mohammed Nias CP had considered a batch of petitions seeking to cancel the censor certificate of the film. After watching the teaser and the trailer of the controversial flick, it said that the movie does not contain anything against Islam or Muslims, according to a report in Bar and Bench website.

"What is against Islam? There is no allegation against the religion. The allegation is against ISIS," the bench said. "Going through the trailers of the movie, we find it does not contain anything offensive to any particular community as a whole. None of the petitioners have watched movie," it stated in the order.

The High Court further said that there are many movies in which the monks from Hindus and Christians have been projected in a bad light. "So many movies have already come out about such organizations. There have been references against Hindu monks and Christian priests in many films before. Did you see all this in the way of fiction? What is so special now? How does this movie create sectarianism and conflict in the society?" the court observed.

However, the petitioners said that such movies would inject poison into young minds while stating that no agencies have found the existence of 'Love Jihad' in Kerala.

The CPI(M) and the Congress in Kerala have opposed the release accusing the movie of falsely claiming that 32,000 women got converted and radicalised and were deployed in terror missions in India and the world.

Sudipto Sen-directed flick is produced by Vipul Amrutlal Shah. It has Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Sonia Balani and Siddhi Idnani in the cast.

Meanwhile, the movie has hit the screens across the country. However, some theatres in Kerala have cancelled the shows.

The screening of the controversial flick was cancelled at PVR Cinemas in Oberoi Mall and at the Lulu Mall in Kochi, according to a report in Times Now.

With inputs from agencies.
Manipur violence: No untoward incident reported in last two days, Centre tell SC

All Manipur-bound trains suspended as violence grips state

India

oi-Deepika S

All Manipur-bound trains have been halted in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

The decision was taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement.

Photo Credit:

"No trains are entering Manipur till the situation is improved. The decision has been taken after the Manipur government advised to stop train movement, Sabyasachi De, CPRO of Northeast Frontier Railway told ANI.

A total of four trains have been cancelled. Initially, this decision has been taken only for May 5 and 6, said the Indian Railways.

Meanwhile, the Indian Army on Friday said that the situation in Moreh and Kangpokpi areas was brought under control and further efforts are underway to restore normalcy in Imphal and Churachandpur area.

"The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. IAF undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on the night of 4th May and additional columns commenced domination with effect from wee hours of 5th May," the Indian Army tweeted.

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"Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas underway," it added.

#Manipur Update | The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. IAF undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster & AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on the night of 4th May & additional pic.twitter.com/hIpjdfPyrg  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

Tripura govt opens helpline numbers

Government of Tripura has opened the following helpline numbers for providing support on 24x7 basis to the residents of Tripura with respect to disturbance in Manipur:



ERSS: 112

State Emergency Operation Centre : 1070/ 0381-2416045/ 2416241

Whatsapp number: 8787676210  Prof.(Dr.) Manik Saha (@DrManikSaha2) May 4, 2023

"Government of Arunachal Pradesh is in touch with Manipur and our students to ensure their well-being. A coordination committee under the supervision of Commissioner CMO is also constituted for safe evacuation of our students from Manipur," tweeted Arunachal Pradesh CM Pema Khandu.

Govt of Arunachal Pradesh is in touch with Govt of Manipur and our students to ensure their well being.



A coordination committee under the supervision of Commissioner CMO is also constituted for safe evacuation of our students from Manipur.



For further details please  Pema Khandu  (@PemaKhanduBJP) May 5, 2023

The Indian Army sounded alert about fake videos doing rounds amid the escalating violence between the tribals and the majority Meitei community in Manipur.

"Fake videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of an attack on Assam Rifles post being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. Indian Army requests all to rely on content through official and verified sources only," the Indian Army tweeted urging people to be careful.
The 27th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition has returned home, the wintering team arrived from Warsaw to Kyiv on Friday, according to a statement on Facebook page of the National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine.

"Their trip from Antarctica to Ukraine lasted for almost a month. On April 7, the team departed from the Akademik Vernadsky Station to the South African Republic on board of our research and survey vessel Noosfera. The ship arrived at the Cape Town Port on April 29 and from there they reached Kyiv by places and ground transport on [April] 27," it said.

During the year at the Akademik Vernadsky Station, the expedition conducted research and observations on three main directions: geophysics, biology, meteorology, as well as ensured the work of the station.

Participants of a seasonal expedition that worked during the Antarctic summer returned together with the winter team. These are, in particular, technical specialists who carried out seasonal works to modernize the station.

Director of the National Antarctic Scientific Center Yevhen Dyky said it was the first expedition sent to the Akademik Vernadsky Station after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Some of its members had to leave Kharkiv, Kyiv region and other regions where hostilities were already held at that time.

"Unfortunately, in wartime, the polar explorers do not return publicly to the office of the National Center that was destroyed by a Russian missile and still has not been restored in full. However, we believe that very soon time will come when we will be able to meet them together in native Boryspil, and Noosfera  in Odesa Port," he said.

Currently, the 28th Ukrainian Antarctic expedition has started its work and will carry it out this year.
PM Modi cites The Kerala Story in poll bound Karnataka

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday cited The Kerala Story while addressing a rally in Ballard, Karnataka.

They say, 'The Kerala Story' is based on what happens in a beautiful state. But look at Congress. They are standing with terrorists and are trying o ban it, the PM said.

Photo Credit:

The Kerala Story film has exposed the terror conspiracy which is taking place in the beautiful state of Kerala. But look at the unfortunate situation in the country where the Congress is standing with the trend of terrorism which destroys societies. Not just this, the Congress is also taking part in backdoor political negotiations with those who are linked to this trend of terrorism, the PM also said.

The PM has conducted back-to-back rallies in Karnataka. The state votes on May 10, while the results would be out on May 13.

PM Modi attacks Congress in Karnataka, accuses party of aligning with anti-national forces

He also said that the Congress manifesto is all about appeasement. The people of Karnataka are watching. The Congress does not like me invoking Bajrang Bali, the PM said while referring to the Congress manifesto which had said it would ban the Bajrang Dal and PFI if it came to power.

Both the BJP and Congress are engaged in an aggressive campaign ahead of the elections. The PM would be holding two roadshows in Bengaluru on Saturday and Sunday. This would be the final leg of the PM's campaign before the elections are held.
Situation in Manipur under control says Indian Army

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

The Indian Army has said that it has taken stock of the situation in the violence-hit Manipur.

The situation has been brought under control, the Army said in a statement.

"The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. IAF undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft,"the Army said in a statement.

Alert sounded by Indian Army about fake videos on Manipur violence

Meanwhile evacuation of civilians from all communities from the affected areas were carried out throughout the night and flag marches were held in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas.

"Induction commenced on the night of May 4 and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of May 5. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas underway," the Army statement also read.

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Earlier, taking into account the situation in Manipur all Manipur-bound trains were cancelled by the Northeast Frontier Railways.

The Army had also cautioned on the fake videos that are in circulation owing to the violence that had hit the state.

All Manipur-bound trains suspended as violence grips state

"Fake videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of the attack on Assam Rifles post are being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. Indian Army requests all to rely on content through official and verified sources only," the SpearCorps.IndianArmy said in a tweet.

On May 4 internet services were suspended following the violence. The government said that Internet services would remain suspended for five days.

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 13:18 [IST]
Judiciary can't become legislature or executive, says Vice President Dhankhar

PM Modis addresses through Mann Ki Baat are a beacon of positivity for the nation: VP Dhankhar

Vice president Dhankar meets King Charles III ahead of coronation

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar met King Charles III in London ahead of the monarch's Coronation ceremony at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Dhankar is on a two-day visit to London from May 5 to 6 to attend the coronation ceremony on behalf of the Government of India.

"Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar met with King Charles III and conveyed greetings on the occasion of his Coronation. The Vice President reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership," MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

VP Jagdeep Dhankhar @VPIndia met with H.M. King Charles III and conveyed greetings on the occasion of his Coronation.



VP reaffirmed commitment to further strengthen the - Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. pic.twitter.com/qhpS1L2Kvp  Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) May 5, 2023

Dhankhar, accompanied by his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar, will join an estimated 100 Heads of State and government from around the world invited to the historic crowning of Britain's new monarch.

"Hon'ble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar & Dr Sudesh Dhankhar arrived to a warm welcome in London to attend the Coronation Ceremony of H.M. King Charles III," the Vice President's Office tweeted.

Soon after his arrival, the vice-president is expected to join other Commonwealth leaders for discussions hosted by Commonwealth General Secretary Baroness Patricia Scotland at Marlborough House in London.

This would be the first opportunity for Dhankhar to meet the 74-year-old monarch ahead of the ceremony at the Abbey.

He is also invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles for the Heads of State, world leaders and other official guests on Friday evening.

Later on Friday evening, Dhankhar will interact with members of the Indian diaspora at a community reception organised by the Indian High Commission in London.

"India and UK have a historic relationship and share values of democracy, rule of law and many complementarities and convergences.

''The relationship was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021 with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said with reference to the two-day Vice-Presidential visit to the UK.

What will Camilla inherit after King Charles III's coronation

The last visit of the Indian Head of State to the UK was that of President Droupadi Murmu, who visited the country in September last year to attend the State Funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of India.

Buckingham Palace has said that the Coronation Service of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey will be attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 people.

Besides 100 Heads of State, guests attending will include members of the royal family, as well as international representatives from 203 countries alongside community and charity champions.

The majestic ceremony, complete with gilded carriages and regalia last witnessed 70 years ago when Charles' late mother was crowned Queen Elizbeth II in June 1953, will also have representation from a number of Indian-origin professionals.

(with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 21:02 [IST]
No justification for terrorism, must be stopped: Jaishankar at SCO meet

Need to take disengagement process forward: Jaishankar on border row

'If I have a good guest, I am a good host': S Jaishankar on Pak's Bilawal Bhutto

Watch: Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto in Goa

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar today welcomed his Pakistan counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the SCO council of foreign ministers in Goa.

Bhutto is the first Pakistan minister to visit India in nearly 12 years.

Photo Credit:

Jaishankar welcomed his counterpart for the ongoing meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) which is taking place in Goa. Both leaders exchanged pleasantries and posed for photographs before Bhutto headed for the meeting.

Earlier Jaishankar also welcomed CO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and foreign ministers of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan for the CFM meeting in Goa.

#WATCH | EAM Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers in Goa pic.twitter.com/TVe0gzml1U  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

On Thursday post his arrival Bhutto Zardari attended a reception hosted by Jaishankar for the visiting foreign ministers. A few people who are part of Bhutto's entourage claimed that Jaishankar had shaken hands with the Pakistan foreign minister, there is however no confirmation of the same.

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Watch: Pakistans foreign minister Bilwala Bhutto lands in Goa for SCO meet

The Pakistan foreign minister was received at the Goa airport by the joint secretary heading the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division at the external affairs ministry, J P Singh.

"I am very happy to reach Goa to lead the Pakistani delegation at the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting. I expect the SCO CFM meeting to be successful," Bhutto Zardari told reporters.

Assalamualaikum, we have reached Goa for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet," he also said in a tweet.

"I will first hold a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister. Then, will hold a meeting with Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister. I will attend the dinner hosted for all the foreign ministers," he had said in a short video posted before his departure to India from Pakistan.
'If someone is trying': Sharad Pawar on Ajit Pawar's remarks on CM post

'I was shocked' when Ajit joined hands with BJP: Sharad Pawar reveals in biography

Sharad Pawar will take 2-3 days to rethink his decision of stepping down as NCP chief: Ajit Pawar

Whats cooking within the NCP? A role for both Supriya Sule, Ajit Pawar on the cards?

Will boost party workers: Ajit Pawar on Sharad Pawar's decision to remain NCP chief

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Friday welcomed party chief Sharad Pawar's announcement that he was withdrawing his decision to step down from the party post, news agency PTI reported.

Ajit Pawar, whose absence at the senior Pawar's press conference in Mumbai was conspicuous, said in a statement that his uncle's "positive decision" has energized everyone in the organisation.

"Sharad Pawar's decision to continue to remain party president will energise all NCP workers including me, and give strength to the Maha Vikas Aghadi and Opposition unity," he said.

Sharad Pawar withdraws resignation, to continue as NCP chief

Ajit, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, was being seen as among the main contenders for the party's top post had Sharad Pawar decided to stick to his decision to quit.

In the days leading up to Sharad Pawar's surprise announcement of May 2, speculation was rife about Ajit's own political plans.

Sharad Pawar withdrew his decision to step down as NCP president after mounting pressure from shocked party leaders and workers, three days after his announcement that had also put a question mark on opposition unity efforts ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

The U-turn by the 82-year-old Maratha strongman known for his deft political manoeuvring also came after what he said that leaders from various political parties across Maharashtra and the country requested him to continue as the party president.

(with PTI inputs)

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 22:03 [IST]
Why Amritpal may have ended up dividing Sikhs rather than uniting them

India asks the UK for increased monitoring of pro-Khalistani elements

Lawyer among 3 arrested in Punjab for helping Amritpal flee police

Khalistan supporters vandalise Hindu temple in Australias Sydney

International

oi-Prakash KL

The Khalistan supporters reportedly vandalised the BAPS Swaminarayan temple located in Western Sydney's Rosehill suburb in Australia on Friday.

It is reported that the front wall was damaged with graffiti and a Khalistan flag was found hanging on the gate.

Photo Credit:

The temple management on Friday morning discovered that the front wall was damaged with graffiti "Declare Modi Terrorist (BBC)", according to The Australia Today website.

"When I came this morning for prayers I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall," the website quoted Sejal Patel, a regular visitor to the temple and a resident of Harris Park, as saying.

The issue was brought to the local police authorities around 7 am. The authorities have got access to the CCTV footage, the report said.

#khalistani haters have again vandalised #Hindu temple in Sydney this Morning in display of blatant #hindupobhia Australian government has again failed to protect its non white religious and ethnic minority. #Khalistani #Hinduphobic #hindupobhia pic.twitter.com/WKReKlyq6g  Indian Troll lover (@trollove1) May 5, 2023

This is the fifth incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in three months in Australia.

On January 12, the Swaminarayan temple in Melbourne was defaced by 'anti-social elements' with anti-India graffiti.

The historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs, Victoria, was vandalised in a similar manner on January 16.

On January 23, the walls of the revered ISCKON temple in Melbourne's Albert Park were vandalised with graffiti "Hindustan Murdabad".

Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane was attacked by pro-Khalistan supporters on March 4.

India has repeatedly condemned the attacks against the Hindu temples and raised the issue with the Australian government.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, during his visit to Australia in February, emphasised the need for vigilance against "radical activities" targeting the Indian community in Australia

"Noted the forward movement on our bilateral agenda. Emphasised the need for vigilance against radical activities targeting the Indian community," S Jaishankar tweeted after his meeting with his Australian counterpart Penny Wong.
What will Camilla inherit after King Charles III's coronation

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, is set to become the Queen Consort after the coronation of her husband, King Charles III. Buckingham Palace confirmed last month that Camilla will be known as Queen after the coronation.

As the Queen Consort, Camilla's role will be to support and accompany Charles in his duties as the king. She will attend official events and engagements with him and will be expected to represent the royal family on the international stage. She will also have her own causes and initiatives that she will champion, building on the work she has already done as the Duchess of Cornwall.

King Charles' coronation: Timing, oath, guests, cost of ceremony and more

A complete guide to the Crown Jewels in King Charles's Coronation

The Crown Jewels are a collection of historic regalia and ceremonial objects that are used in the coronation of a British monarch. The Crown Jewels are kept at the Tower of London and are only taken out for coronations and other important state occasions. When King Charles III is coronated, he will be crowned with the Crown Jewels and other regalia, and will carry out other traditional ceremonies and rituals.

The Crown Jewels collection includes several items of great historic and symbolic significance. Some of the most notable items include:

St Edward's Crown: This is the most iconic crown in the Crown Jewels collection. Made of solid gold, it is encrusted with precious jewels, including sapphires, tourmalines, and topazes. This crown is named after Edward the Confessor, who was crowned with a similar crown in 1042.

Imperial State Crown: This crown is also made of gold and set with jewels, including the famous Cullinan II diamond. It is worn by the monarch during the procession from Westminster Abbey to Buckingham Palace after the coronation ceremony.

Orb: This is a spherical object made of gold, with a cross on top. It symbolizes the monarch's role as the ruler of the world and is carried in the monarch's left hand during the coronation ceremony.

Sceptre with the Cross: This is a ceremonial sceptre made of gold and set with jewels. It symbolizes the monarch's temporal power and is held in the monarch's right hand during the coronation ceremony.

The Royal Sword of State: This is a sword with a blade that is over five feet long, made of steel with an elaborate gold hilt. The sword is carried in front of the monarch during the coronation procession and symbolizes the monarch's authority and power.

Coronation Spoon: This is a silver-gilt spoon that is used to anoint the monarch with holy oil during the coronation ceremony.

In addition to these items, there are many other objects in the Crown Jewels collection, including the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, the Sovereign's Orb, and the Coronation Ring. Each of these objects has a unique history and significance in the coronation ceremony.
Zelenskyy wants Putin trial; Russia accuses US on drone attack

International

oi-PTI

Ukraine and Russia pressed their wartime rhetoric Thursday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing confidence that Vladimir Putin would be convicted of war crimes, and the Kremlin alleging that the U.S. was behind what it called an assassination attempt against the Russian president. The countries' leaders have personally attacked each other multiple times during the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022.

The latest flare-up came Wednesday, with Russia's claim that Ukraine had attacked the Kremlin in Moscow with drones meant to assassinate Putin. Zelenskyy denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the purported drone attack. The Kremlin promised unspecified retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act, and pro-Kremlin figures called for the assassinations of senior Ukraine leaders. Uncertainty still surrounds exactly what happened in the purported attack.

Putin's spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of involvement. To generate domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia through its help for Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington." "And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim. John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as "ludicrous."

Russia accuses US of being behind Kremlin drone attack

Zelenskyy, in the Netherlands, said he was "not interested" in the Kremlin's opinion. U.S intelligence officials are still trying to determine who was behind the drone incident and are exploring various possibilities, including a false flag operation by Russia or that a fringe group with sympathies for Ukraine could have been involved, according to a U.S. official. But the official, who spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said intelligence officials don't yet have any definitive answers. The official added that the Biden administration "certainly would not support the strike against Mr. Putin."

Zelenskyy's top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed Thursday that Russia had "staged" the alleged drone attack. He cited the delay in Russian state media reporting it and "simultaneous video from different angles" that appeared to show the aftermath of the alleged 2:30 a.m. attack. The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging. "Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilisation," the think tank said.

Given recent Russian moves to bolster security, it's "extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defence and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera," the ISW stated. In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelenskyy urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the war crimes court's judges that Russia's leader "deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law."

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members. Zelenskyy's visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATO's border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely out of its concerns about Moscow's long-term ambitions. The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes so his country can achieve "justice on the battlefield."

Zelenskyy has successfully assembled significant Western military and political support for Ukraine's defence since the war began. Zelenskyy travelled in a Dutch-supplied plane and an armoured car, with security kept tight at his appearances. Next week, he is expected to go to Berlin, the capital of European Union economic powerhouse Germany, in the latest display of the Western might marshalled against Putin. Zelenskyy's trips have paid dividends. After travelling to Washington last December and then London, Paris and Brussels in February, Ukraine received heavy artillery and tanks. But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote.

The court, which puts individuals on trial for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, doesn't have a police force to execute its warrants. The Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICC's 123 member nations, which are under obligation to arrest him, if they can. On the battlefield, Ukraine's military said that three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had "for Moscow" and "for the Kremlin" written on them, seemingly implying they were sent in retaliation for the reported strike on the Kremlin. Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, was the target of an air attack Thursday morning, for the third time in four days, but defence systems intercepted all drones and missiles. On Thursday night, air raid sirens sounded again.

After the all-clear was given, Ukraine's military said it had taken down one of its own drones that had "lost control" over the capital, but at least one other drone was reportedly shot down in another area of the city and it was not clear whether it was Russian or also Ukrainian. People sheltered in underground tunnels beneath Kyiv's Maidan Square as air raid sirens wailed. Two defensive missiles streaked across the evening sky, and a loud explosion was heard. No casualties were immediately reported.

Russia alleges Ukraine of attempting drone strike on Kremlin with aim of killing Putin

In Russia, drones hit two oil facilities in southern regions of the country near Ukraine in what appeared to be a series of attacks on fuel depots behind enemy lines, Russian media reported Thursday. Four drones struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, which borders the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing law enforcement sources. Another facility was reportedly hit in the Rostov region.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. Prime Minister Mark Rutte's government has promised 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year. The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine. In addition, the Dutch government sent two Patriot air defence missile systems, promised two naval minehunter ships and sent military forensic experts to Ukraine to assist with war crime investigations.

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Story first published: Friday, May 5, 2023, 10:41 [IST]
Finance minister Arun Jately is unlikely to attend the SAARC meeting in Pakistan next week. A final decision will be taken by PM Modi, follwing which a formal announcement will be made. Economic affairs secretary Shaktikanta Das might go to Pakistan in place of Jaitely.
Mahsa Amini, also known as Jina Amini or Zhina Amini was an Iranian woman who was arrested by the Guidance Patrol, Irans Islamic morality police, during a visit to Tehran for a violation of the countrys mandatory hijab law. During her time in police custody, she suffered skull fractures on September 13, 2022, dying three days later, on September 16, 2022, in a hospital in Tehran, due to the severity of her injuries. Eyewitnesses and detainees who were in the same patrol car along with Mahsa Amini, said she was beaten and then was taken to the hospital late. Her death sparked widespread reactions and protests in various parts of Iran and the world, and she has been described as becoming a symbol of resistance for many Iranians.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko and Brussels Mayor Philippe Close opened the Alley of Friends of Kyiv on Volodymyrska Hirka in the center of the Ukrainian capital, planting the first two trees there, according to a message posted on the website of Kyiv mayor on Friday.

"Together with Mayor of Brussels Philippe Close, who came to the Ukrainian capital at my invitation, we launched the Alley of Friends of Kyiv on Volodymyrska Hirka. And today we planted the first two trees  Spanish plane trees. Brussels is considered the capital of the European Union, of which Ukraine aspires to become a part. And it is very symbolic that the Mayor of Brussels was the first to join the planting of trees in the new alley. These trees are a symbol of our friendship and the victory of Ukraine and the democratic world over barbaric Russia," Klitschko said.

He thanked the local authorities of Brussels and the Belgian government for their solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

During the visit to Kyiv, the delegation from Brussels visited the suburbs of the Ukrainian capital affected by the Russian occupiers, visited one of Kyiv municipal hospitals and a rehabilitation center. Klitschko and Close also talked online with the mayors of 15 European cities-signatories of the joint Declaration of Mutual Understanding in support of reconstruction and Sustainable development of the Ukrainian capital. During an online meeting with the signatories of this document, they discussed projects for the implementation of which Kyiv needs international support.
The Caucasus or Caucasia, is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically been considered as a natural barrier between Eastern Europe and Western Asia.
Canadians were joining the crush of jubilant royal fans who were converging on London on Friday, ahead of the first coronation to take place in the United Kingdom in 70 years.
ODN 07 May 2023

A military and veteran parade takes place through the streets of Glasgow to mark the Coronation on Saturday where more than 4000..
At least eight people are killed and several more injured in Serbia's second mass shooting this week.

BBC News 05 May 2023
The boss of the Wagner Group is threatening to withdraw his troops from Ukraine next week, which could be a major blow for the country.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Ukrainian and Russian delegates have had to be separated after a scuffle during a meeting of Black Sea countries in the Turkish capital Ankara.



Oleksandr Marikovski, a Ukrainian member of parliament, landed several blows to the head of a Russian official after his Ukrainian flag was ripped from his hands during a summit at the Turkish parliament building on Thursday.



A video posted on Marikovskis Facebook page shows him waving the flag behind Russian delegate Ola Timofeeva as she records a video on her phone. A man approaches, grabs the flag and is chased by Marikovski.



During a brief altercation in parliaments hallway, Marikovski grabs the flag back, pushing the man in the face. Others separate the men and plead please, no fighting. Marikovski replies: Its our flag. Were going to fight for this flag.



In a caption to his Facebook video, Marikovski wrote: Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian filth!



The outburst happened at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, a grouping of 13 countries. It came a day before officials from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey were scheduled to meet in Istanbul to discuss extending the deal for exporting grain and fertilizer through Black Sea ports, which is due to expire on May 18.



The deal, which was first agreed last July, has allowed cargo ships to transport millions of tons of food for export safely through the Black Sea, despite the war in Ukraine.



Thursday's summit was earlier disturbed when Ukrainian delegates interrupted a speech to the assembly by Timofeeva, waving Ukraines yellow and blue flag by her side as she spoke.



Mustafa Sentop, the Turkish parliamentary speaker, condemned the provocative and physically offensive actions of some members of the Ukrainian...
A host of gun control measures were announced after a teenager killed eight fellow students and a security guard in a school shooting. Gun owners have been warned to keep their weapons locked up.
USATODAY.com 05 May 2023

Police in Serbia say they have arrested a suspect in a series of shootings that killed at least eight people and wounded 14, the..
England and Wales women will head to New Zealand in the autumn as world champions the Black Ferns are confirmed as hosts of WXV1.
A gunman has killed eight people in the second mass shooting in Serbia in just two days. Police are still looking for the attacker as the country mourns.
Estonia stands for providing Ukraine with clear action program for joining Alliance at NATO summit in Vilnius  FM

Estonia's goal at the NATO summit in Vilnius is to provide Ukraine with a clear program of action for joining the alliance, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on Friday.

They discussed the Alliance's further support for Ukraine and preparations for the upcoming Vilnius summit in July, the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported.

"As President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently wished in Finland, we also want Ukraine to become the 33rd full member of the defense alliance after Sweden," Tsakhna said.

According to him, "the only guarantee of Ukraine's security is membership in NATO."

The Minister also said that the alliance countries should start implementing the new NATO strategy agreed last year in Madrid.

"In the new security situation, all allies should increase their defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Estonia's defense spending will exceed 3% of GDP next year," the Foreign Minister said.

In addition, he expressed hope that Turkey and Hungary will ratify Sweden's membership in the alliance before the NATO summit in Vilnius scheduled for July.
Whether or not you like or agree with the British monarchy, King Charles III is Canadas official head of state and as one of the..

CP24 05 May 2023
A gunman has killed eight people in the second mass shooting in Serbia in just two days. Police hunted for the attacker as the country mourns.
Russian Valery Stavitsky grabbed the banner after it was held up behind his colleague by a Ukrainian MP.
A Nigerian senator, his wife and a medical "middleman" have been jailed for conspiring to traffic a market trader to the UK to harvest his kidney.
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US Ambassador to the People's Republic of China Nicolas Burns said Thursday that the Chinese Communist Party is not "contributing" to the fentanyl crisis in America.
A former NYPD training academy was transformed into New York's latest migrant housing shelter, as the city deals with an influx of illegal immigrants from the southern border.
When King Charles III is crowned on Saturday, soldiers carrying flags from the Bahamas, South Africa, Tuvalu, and beyond will be marching alongside British troops to honor King and Country. For some, it's an affirmation of the lasting friendship that binds Britain and its former colonies. (May 5)


Ukraine receives powerful reinforcement of AFU with weapons following official visits to Helsinki, The Hague

Ukraine received a powerful reinforcement of its Armed Forces with weapons following official visits to Helsinki and The Hague, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

"Pleased to say that as a result of the meetings in Helsinki and The Hague, we have a powerful reinforcement for our soldiers with weapons  on land, in the air and at sea. I thank our partners. This is a significant increase," the president said in a video address.

According to Zelenskyy, these visits contributed to greater progress regarding the future membership of Ukraine in NATO and the EU, as well as on Russia's responsibility for the aggression.

Strong positive results, he said, were also given by diplomatic work in the outgoing week with representatives of the United States, Bahrain, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, the African Union, the Comoros, as well as partners in the United24 charitable platform.
Two warring generals have paralyzed the African country of Sudan in conflict as the US and other nations rush to evacuate citizens and diplomats.


Oneindia 06 May 2023

Manipur violence: Officials say 54 casualties are reported so far and security officials have stepped up vigil; J&K: One terrorist..
Rumble 09 May 2023

blm and antifag needed a reason to keep the leftist liberal progressive democrat cult sheep emotions up and then to riot and..
Oneindia 04 May 2023

In yet another incident of school mass shooting reported within a day, at least seven teachers were killed in a school in..
Beijing: Chinese Foreign Minister Gang said that the situation at the India-China border is generally stable. He was in talks with External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar at Benaulim in Goa on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers on Thursday. Qin added that both sides should consolidate the present achievements and strictly abide by the relevant agreements while pushing for further cooling and easing of the conditions for sustainable peace and tranquillity at the frontier.

Qin restated China's oft-repeated recent stance that the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable, in an apparent reference to the ongoing military standoff in Eastern Ladakh which brought the relations to standstill.

Qin said the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas, a press release on Qin-Jaishankar talks issued here on Friday said.

In a tweet after the talks, Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

Jaishankar said the discussions were also held on issues relating to the SCO, G20 and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa). Qin maintained that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernisation.

He said we should draw lessons from history, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respect, learn from and make achievements from each other, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development and common rejuvenation among major neighbours, so as to lend impetus to national rejuvenation and inject stability and positive energy into world peace and development China is ready to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and stable development.

Qin Gang said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role for the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination. The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, the press release added.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.

Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff at a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on "three mutuals" mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.

(With inputs from PTI)
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The Golden Rule is a beautiful boat. I've been on it in San Diego. It's also an important boat. It set sail in 1958 to stop nuclear testing in the atmosphere, and inspired many peace makers and peace ships that followed. The restored Golden Rule is voyaging once more, sailed by Veterans For Peace, to show that a nuclear peace is possible, and that bravery and tenacity can overcome militarism.

I'm planning to greet the Golden Rule and its crew and take part in a rally for peace and the environment in Jersey City on May 20th, and a peace march beginning at Riverside Church in Manhattan on May 21st. Can you join us? For detailed information, see https://vfpgoldenruleproject.org

Here's the schedule, as of now:

May 18th, Afternoon/eve Arrival, Docking and greeting of the Golden Rule

Chelsea Piers Marina @ 18th Street, Pier 59. Public walkway just above its slip. Welcome and view the ketch.

May 19th, 11 AM to 3 PM (live streaming from Golden Rule)

5 environmentalists sail with VFP to Newark Bay, to discuss their work.

May 19th 6 PM to 8 PM, Riverfront Park, Newark

May 20th 11 AM to 1 PM Liberty State Park, Jersey City

The GR will share a message of disarmament and demilitarization victories and highlight the ongoing environmental injustice struggles of Newark, Jersey City and other Passaic River Communities that have wrestled for too many years with the toxic polluting legacy of the industrial and military complex, as well as current pollutions that still persist in overburdened diverse communities.

Sunday May 21st Noon meet outside Riverside Church, 490 Riverside Drive, NYC

Peace Walk of area. (Some may wish to attend the dynamic 10:30 AM service.) Stop in Riverside Church, walk to Sr. Megan Rice's childhood home, visit Pupin Hall and hear Columbia University Prof. speak of the origins of the atomic research. We plan to stop at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and hear about that nuclear abolition history, and the Marshall Islands. Will end at the 15 ft. statue that survived the Hiroshima blast, a gift of peace and hope to NYC in 1955.

Sunday May 21st 6:30 PM Assumption/All Saints Church, 344 Pacific Ave, Jersey City

Dinner and panel discussion on militarism in the Philippines, GR presentation.

Tuesday May 23rd 6:30 pm 15th Street Meeting House, Rutherford Place

War Resisters League and Society of Friends (Quakers) co-host a presentation of the Golden Rule and their history. Program will include Joanne Sheehan of WRL, and Larry Huntington relative of the original crew, among others.

Wednesday May 24th at 10:00 am, Amalgamated Bank

(VFP members and GR) Breakfast, presentation, honoring the GR as we appreciate our only national bank with policies of no lending to armament companies and supporting those for environmental sustainability and social justice.

Wednesday May 24th 2 to 3 PM The Peoples Forum

320 West 37th Street (btw 8th and 9th Ave) "A movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division" present the GR, with Q & A together. All welcome!

Friday May 26th

Golden Rule sets sail in AM from Chelsea Piers through our harbor, up the East River, and past the United Nations. Managers stay in NYC for two events today. Kayaks, boaters welcome to accompany. Wave from the shoreline.

Friday May 26th 1 pm NY City Hall Park

NYC Council honors the GR and vice versa, highlighting two Council bills supporting the TPNW, divestment, and Move the Money from militarism to our true security and needs, on the site Dorothy Day and others protested.

Friday May 26 at 8:00 pm, Maryhouse

55 East 3rd Street. The Catholic Worker presents its history along with the GR's.
I'm going to be brief and generalize and give some tentative conclusions in order to fit into 10 minutes what I think happened in Vietnam and what I think are some of the key lessons for peacemaking now from peacemaking at the time of what the Vietnamese call the American War.

I think that the U.S. public has been much more aware from that time to now of the extent to which the U.S. government is principally the world's primary war machine. We all sometimes get some facts wrong. Sometimes exaggerate. Some make the mistake of imagining that the rest of the world's warmakers are admirable, just as some peace activists made the mistake of cheering for the Vietnamese side of the war on Vietnam "" though they had the excuse we do not of far less knowledge of the superior power of nonviolent action.

(Now, as everyone prepares to ask me how a friendly little sit-in can stop bombs from landing on your head, I encourage you to envision a completely different approach of noncooperation with occupation and to see the list of successes at worldbeyondwar.org/list )

But mostly, I think, people fail to quite grasp just the extent to which the U.S. government is responsible for the institution of war. In the latest numbers on military spending, of 230 other countries, the U.S. spends more than 227 of them combined. Russia and China spend a combined 21% of what the U.S. and its allies spend on war. Since 1945, the U.S. military has acted in a major or minor way in 74 other nations. At least 95% of the foreign military bases on Earth are U.S. bases. Of 230 other countries, the U.S. exports more weaponry than 228 of them combined. Most places with wars manufacture no weapons.

The war on Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia remains the worst thing the U.S. military has done. The U.S. dropped more than three times the bombs it had in WWII, combined with a massive ground war, plus spraying from the air tens of millions of liters of Agent Orange, not to mention napalm. Tens of millions of bombs remain unexploded, and increasingly dangerous, today. An estimated 3.8 million people died violently just in Vietnam. Some 19 million were wounded or made homeless in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Many millions more were forced to live dangerous and impoverished lives, with impacts lasting to this day.

The U.S. soldiers who did 1.6% of the dying, but whose suffering dominates U.S. movies about the war, really did suffer as much and as horribly as depicted. Thousands of veterans have since committed suicide. But imagine what that means for the true extent of the suffering created, even just for humans, ignoring all the other species impacted. The Vietnam Memorial in Washington D.C. lists 58,000 names on 150 meters of wall. That's 387 names per meter. To similarly list 4 million names would require 10,336 meters, or the distance from the Lincoln Memorial to the steps of the U.S. Capitol, and back again, and back to the Capitol once more, and then as far back as all the museums but stopping short of the Washington Monument. To get U.S. society to not think it would be insane to put Vietnamese names on the Vietnam Memorial would require a revolution of values.

In Laos, about a third of the country's land remains ruined by the heavy presence of unexploded bombs, which continue to kill large numbers of people and which were originally intended to wipe out farms in order to starve people or were simply littering by bombers unable to make it to Vietnam due to the weather. Then there's the growth of the Khmer Rouge, as much a result of war as ISIS or the empowerment of rightwingers in Ukraine and Russia. Then there are all the results for the U.S. and the world that I must leave to other speakers today "" the financial tradeoffs, the bigotry, the violent culture, the damage to the ideas of law and cooperation "" also (not necessarily a bad thing) the boost to independence and resistance to U.S. domination around the world.

What have we learned? To some extent we've learned, and not forgotten, that governments lie. But we still talk about "a war based on lies" as if some other war could be based on something else. We've started to learn that a Venn diagram of human decency and government interests would have a tiny and bizarre overlap. We've come to understand that governments are rarely moved by moral arguments. But we've also largely failed to learn that the public pressure needed to move governments is itself very much driven by moral arguments "" as it was successfully during the war on Vietnam.

During the wars since Vietnam, U.S. peace activists have generally failed to tell the U.S. public that wars are immoral one-sided slaughters, choosing to focus on the damage the wars have been doing to U.S. troops, and the financial cost to taxpayers. This is the boomerang result of the spitting lies and other wild tales and exaggerations of mistakes of blaming the rank-and-file troops who destroyed Vietnam. A smart peace movement, its elders have believed, would stress sympathizing with troops to the point of not telling anyone what the basic nature of the wars was. Of course anything can be used against you by an ever-worsening media, but even as polling shows that people in the United States care less and less about patriotism, competing pro- and anti-war rallies I witnessed on a sunny day in Crawford, Texas, some years back were nearly indistinguishable swarms of U.S. flags.

When we've reached the point of not being allowed to mention that mass shooters are disproportionately veterans, or of cheering for a veteran who murders a man on a subway, we're in danger, not so much of creating prejudices against veterans (many of whom are wonderful peace activists) as of glorifying participation in mass-murder. By the way, I think the Washington Post and Secretary of State Blinken should hold a conference on the foot-dragging developing nations where the backward governments will charge you with murder merely for killing people on subways. That would show them.

Young people, in particular, do not require flags or crosses or political parties to believe that slaughtering families is worth standing up against. But someone has to tell them that families are being slaughtered "" and not only by Russia. During the war on Vietnam, peace activists did that.

The media, awful as it was, was better than now. People in the U.S. saw a U.S. ally shoot someone in the head. But did they know that that shooter was brought to Northern Virginia to live near the CIA for decades, neighbor to the once and hoped-for future royalty of Afghanistan and Iran, not to mention the one true unelected president of Venezuela, the would-be ruler of Libya, and a whole prop-room of puppets?

What we need to learn most is that, difficult and confused as it was and is, activism worked, won a vote to end the bombing of Cambodia, swayed public opinion, dominated politics, helped force through a progressive agenda of domestic policies, and helped compel Congress to hold a president accountable in a manner that seems thoroughly foreign to the U.S. Congress today "" as does the integration of peace as part of a package of sane transformations away from racism, sexism, authoritarianism, consumerism, etc.

We need to learn that uncomfortably large coalitions work better than prioritizing canceling people, that changing an entire culture works, that placing peace over political party works, that youth get things done, that peace should be made part of human identity, not just a passing topic in the news. That this was done during the war on Vietnam is evident from how many current peace activists were peace activists then "" many, such as Daniel Ellsberg "" a whistleblower then "" not with us much longer. The cultural change was so great that the war mongers called it an illness, the Vietnam Syndrome. And then they partially cured the country of it. Unfortunately it wasn't an illness but a wellness on which all life depends.

We need to unlearn the weird idea that a draft is a tool of peace. Drafts facilitate wars. The warmongers want one. The Democrats want women forced to register. The Vietnam War not only persisted for many years during the draft, killing far more people than any U.S. war since, but also continued for two years after the draft ended. Yes, people opposed a war with a draft who say nothing about a proxy war or a drone war, but I'd like to use education and organizing to try to get them active before resorting to a tool that kills millions and risks apocalypse.

In 1965 there was a song called Nowhere to Run to. Tribes of humans used to be able to flee each other. Then they filled the habitable land. Refugees used to be able to flee danger for a land with a secure future. In 1849 a man could mail himself in a box from Richmond to Philadelphia and freedom. In 1958 a black journalist could escape Mississippi to Chicago in a casket. There's no escaping a world hellbent on nuclear or environmental destruction. Delusions of space travel won't help you. Our only help is to learn what's worked and adapt and improve it. People come up to me at peace events to tell me all is already hopeless. But if they believed that, they wouldn't be there. Our job is not to predict the future, but to change it as much as we can.
Dear Annie: My girlfriend and I have been in a relationship for 12 years now. We have a lot of history. Im 54 and she is 55. We were best friends for a year in high school and we had a few incidents when we kissed back in the day. I left home for the Air Force in 1988. We kept in contact here and there. We both have been married. She had kids; I didnt. I moved back home in 2010, and we became romantically involved and moved in together six months later.

It was good for a while, and then we started growing apart because she is insecure, and I am not emotional at all. I also deal with depression, which she doesnt understand and thinks medicine can help. I have gained a lot of weight in the last year, and she just doesnt support me in anything. She is an introvert, and I am an extrovert. She said recently she doesnt trust me because she got into my phone and read my conversations with my friend from high school where I was venting to my friend about our relationship. Now she gets an attitude if I go to lunch with that friend. I told her before that I need friends and a social life. She likes to plan, and Im spontaneous. We have a diabetic dog, and she wont let anyone come feed him except her son.

We have been clashing for years but stay together. I just want to be myself! I dont know how to end it in a nice way. She blames everything on me and always says its all about me! Im just over everything but dont want it to be over, but we just cant communicate anymore without arguing or being disrespectful to each other. Thank you for listening and hope to hear back from you. -- Pondering in PA

Dear Pondering: You have quite the laundry list of grievances, but your first step should be treating your depression. Depression can make a lot of other, more trivial problems seem insurmountable. It sounds like you dont want to be on medication, which is fine, but you should definitely start seeing a therapist.

Once thats under control, youll be able to see your relationship more clearly. None of your other marriage problems sound like dealbreakers. If you treat your depression and communicate honestly and respectfully, preferably with the help of a marriage counselor, you can get your relationship back on track.

Dear Annie: Kicked out by Doctor recently wrote about her experience with staff at her doctors office, involving sharing of her private information. Your answer was good but incomplete. The letter implied that there may have been a violation of her HIPPA rights. She should visit HHS.gov and file a complaint! They will investigate and could possibly press charges. They take these things seriously.

Or, since all states have regulations about staff accessing and/or sharing a patients personal information, she can contact the states medical authorities lest this happen to another patient. -- Know Your Rights

Dear Know Your Rights: Thank you for this helpful information. I agree, legal action may be required to remedy this one.

Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2022 CREATORS.COM
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna discussed with the delegation of the Venice Commission the implementation of the recommendations of the European Commission on the selection of judges of the Constitutional Court, the implementation of anti-oligarchic legislation and legislation on national minorities.

According to the press service of the Deputy Prime Minister, the meeting was attended by President of the Venice Commission Claire Bazy Malaurie, Vice President Angelika Nussberger, members of the Venice Commission Philip Dimitrov and Jan Velaer, Secretary of the Venice Commission Simone Granata-Menghini, legal adviser Tanya Van Dyke.

"For the first time in Ukraine, a competitive procedure for the selection of judges of the Constitutional Court is being conducted. Our absolute priority is to ensure a transparent, open competition in accordance with the best standards. We approach this issue with full responsibility, understanding its importance, in particular, for Ukraine's further movement towards EU membership. The bill registered in the Verkhovna Rada has been prepared following consultations with the Venice Commission. International experts will play a decisive role in assessing the moral qualities and integrity of candidates. This is an important fuse that will not allow candidates who do not meet the criteria of integrity to participate in the subsequent stages of the competition," the press service quoted Stefanishyna.

She noted the importance of launching the competitive process as soon as possible, calling on the representatives of the Venice Commission to nominate their representatives to the Advisory Group after the adoption of amendments to the law on the selection of candidates for the position of a judge of the Constitutional Court.

The Ukrainian side also informed the representatives of the Venice Commission about the measures and steps taken to implement legislation in the field of protection of national minorities.

In particular, a draft Concept of a Nationwide targeted national cultural program Unity in Diversity for the period up to 2034 will be submitted to the Government for consideration in the near future, work has begun on the content of the corresponding program.

"On the issue of implementing anti-oligarchic legislation, the Deputy Prime Minister noted the importance of taking into account the special conditions in which Ukraine is today in connection with Russia's full-scale war. She also informed about the upcoming steps to strengthen economic competition, namely changes to the antimonopoly legislation in accordance with EU law," the message reads.
A Washington County couple faces criminal mistreatment charges following reports that a child had been held captive in chains in their home, sheriffs officials said Thursday.

The child was chained to an object for more than 12 hours a day, apparently as a punishment for taking food and drinks from the homes kitchen, sheriffs officials said in a statement. They declined to release the age or gender of the child.

The abuse included being hit, kicked, strangled and called slurs and lasted for nearly a year, authorities allege in a statement.

Ana M. Miranda, 67, and Charles Randy Ward, 74, were arrested April 27, booking records show, after a raid of their home in unincorporated Tigard, where the husband and wife were living with nine children and two young adults, according to the sheriffs office.

Miranda is suspected of abusing other children over the years, the sheriffs statement said, while the indictment charges her with mistreatment as far back as July 2019.

Washington County sheriffs Sgt. Danny DiPietro said none of the children in the home were placed there by the foster care system but declined to release further details, citing privacy concerns.

Everyone within that home, especially the kids, are (now) in a safe place with responsible adults, DiPietro said. Were working with the children and adults in that home, talking to them, to determine if there have been any other crimes over the years.

Miranda is charged with eight counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment, plus one count of strangulation against a child, according to the indictment.

She is also charged with second-degree assault with a pair of metal pliers and unlawful use of a weapon involving a second person who was a child at the time of the allegations, according to DiPietro.

Miranda remains in custody and must post 10% of her bail, $2,500, to be released, records show.

Ward is charged with four counts of first-degree criminal mistreatment and must also post 10% of his bail, $1,500, to be released from the county jail.

DiPietro said detectives are still investigating possible earlier instances of mistreatment and asked anyone with information to contact authorities.

 Zane Sparling; zsparling@oregonian.com; 503-319-7083; @pdxzane

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Marquavious D. Ware pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and first-degree criminal mistreatment in the death of his 4-year-son, Jahorden Clay, during a tumultuous court proceeding Thursday afternoon at the Multnomah County Justice Center in downtown Portland.

The 19-year-old stood silently as a defense attorney entered the plea, but behind him came sobs and ragged breath.

Hes staring at me, said Jonicia Clay, 21, the boys mother. He did it on purpose.

Clay, sitting in the gallery among a group of about 10 people who identified themselves as the victims family, was shaking and flushed. She clutched a childs rain jacket and rain boots. She told police Ware had wanted custody and that the boy had been with his father for about a month.

During the arraignment, when a prosecutor asked if anyone wanted to make a statement, a young woman sitting with the victims family said, Were all victims.

Another woman approached the judge.

I want my nephew to get justice, she said, referring to Jahorden. I want to be strong for my sister, for my family, but its hard. I made a bed today that hell never sleep in. I put away toys today that hell never play with again. He was supposed to be protected and he wasnt.

The woman ran out of the courtroom. Stifled wails echoed from the hallway.

As the arraignment adjourned, a man who the victims family said was Wares younger brother, turned to the group and said, He aint no child killer.

This set off screams and shoving, and officers broke up a scuffle that was apparently between a member of the victims family and a member of the defendants family.

I need air, Im going to have a panic attack, a woman said.

Over the sounds of yelling in the courthouse lobby, Jonicia Clay leaned against a wall and quietly spoke to herself.

My son is really dead, she said, staring blankly ahead.

Meanwhile, sheriffs deputies held back several people as they shouted curses at a man in a hooded sweatshirt, who taunted them in return as he walked down the buildings front stairs.

The melee continued outside the courthouse. A deputy restrained a man against the brick facade.

Jonicia Clay made it outside before breaking down, gagging between sobs. The group of family members huddled around her as she vomited.

She told reporters she hadnt seen her son since April 7, when she dropped him off with Ware.

Clay said shed had custody of their son since she gave birth to him at 16.

She allowed his father to spend time with the boy on many weekends, but when that weekend in April was over, Ware refused to bring Jahorden back to her, she said. He was supposed to start preschool soon.

But he never came home again.

Jonicia Clay said she went to the police bureaus North Precinct to report that her son had been kidnapped and was told that an officer would check on Jahorden.

It didnt do anything, she said. They failed my son.

She showed a screenshot photo of the last time she FaceTimed with Jahorden, and pointed to a bruise on his forehead.

Her sons injuries were so bad that she hasnt been allowed to see his body yet, Clay said.

The young mother said shes heard different stories about how her son died: that he had a seizure, choked on a Skittle, was coughing up blood. She said she doesnt know what happened, but she believes Ware is responsible.

The Portland Police Bureau said officers were called to assist paramedics Wednesday afternoon at an apartment complex in the 6400 block of Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, where 4-year-old Jahorden was unconscious and had signs of significant trauma.

Detectives found blood on a bed, pillow and bedroom floor, and a relative in the apartment said he had heard Ware yelling at the boy for sneaking Skittles and later saw Ware washing blood from the boys mouth in the bathtub. Police also found blood in the toilet and blood and vomit on the bathroom floor, a probable cause affidavit said.

Paramedics who treated the boy said he had blood in his lungs and took him by ambulance to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, where he died. A child abuse pediatrician said his heart had collapsed from loss of blood, and she was unable to extract any urine from the boy because he was dehydrated. She said he appeared undernourished, as well. A medical examiner said the boy died from blunt force trauma.

In an interview with a detective, the boys mother shared a video of her son from March 23. He was running and playing and appeared to be healthy, according to the affidavit.

I want him in jail for the rest of his life, Jonicia Clay said of Ware.

The bureau did not immediately respond to questions about whether the family had contacted police before the day of Jahordens death.

The Oregon Department of Human Services, citing confidentiality laws, declined to comment on whether there were any welfare cases involving the boy.

Wares next court hearing is scheduled for May 12.

Reporter Catalina Gaitan contributed to this story.

 Savannah Eadens; seadens@oregonian.com: 503-221-6651; @savannaheadens

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Theres a photo in my camera roll of a gold-colored table crowded with colorful plates  some kind of bubbly pink spritz, toast smothered in ricotta and soft scrambled eggs, ripe melon segments under ribbons of prosciutto  and two chubby little toddler hands sneaking in to grab a strand of breakfast carbonara.

The setting was late 2019 at Ava Genes, a Roman-inspired restaurant in Southeast Portland that had recently added brunch. In hindsight, it was taken with this newspaper and Instagram in mind: Shot from overhead, the morning light slanting in from the window, those two little hands a sign that this was one restaurant critic dad who wasnt afraid to have it all!

Of course, the reality was less idyllic. There was the struggle to get out the door. The fear that my 2-year-old would deposit one of the restaurants nice ceramic plates directly onto the floor. The anxiety and embarrassment of trying to snap a photo (for work!) before my 9-month-old could smash her hand into the nut butter parfait.

If catering companies were the pandemics proverbial canary in the coal mine, breakfast spots werent far behind, with beloved neighborhood spots including Arleta Library Cafe, Bijou, Helsers, Sanborns and Trinket closing in 2020. Eggs, we quickly learned, dont travel well in takeout boxes.

A 2019 photo from Ava Gene's, a "Roman-inspired" Southeast Portland restaurant that recently reopened under new ownership (but has yet to revive their tasty brunch). If they do, perhaps they will serve it on Fridays?Michael Russell | The Oregonian

But looking back at that photo, Im mostly reminded that weekend brunch is a young persons game. Even if COVID had never cratered Portlands breakfast landscape, play dates and swim lessons and birthday parties would have made a leisurely Sunday morning meal an unaffordable luxury, at least in terms of time.

Six years ago, we offered advice on how to never wait in line for brunch in Portland again, including a guide to underrated breakfast spots and a list of restaurants that offered reservations for weekend brunch. Many of those didnt last through the pandemic. But several exciting new restaurants are offering a fresh way for diners to enjoy creatively cooked eggs and boozy morning cocktails without the weekend hassle  by opening on Friday.

Next week, we will present the results of a months-long tour of Portland breakfast menus that debuted after the pandemic. Before that arrives, check out this quick guide to three new brunch spots where the weekend starts a day early.

A Berliner-style Brioche doughnut topped with Trix cereal at The Woodsman Tavern, with a sharp knife for sharing.Michael Russell | The Oregonian

The Woodsman Tavern

Six years ago, I celebrated my first Fathers Day at this Southeast Portland restaurant, which was opened by Stumptown Coffee founder Duane Sorenson and originally known for its dark wood interior, extensive bourbon collection and raw seafood glistening on ice up front.

In 2021, The Woodsman was bought and reopened by Submarine Hospitality, the group behind Ava Genes and Tusk, which was itself recently purchased by Sortis Holdings, the same investment firm that spent the past few years gobbling up hip local brands including the Ace Hotel, Bamboo Sushi, cafe chain Barista, barbershop Rudys pizzeria and Sizzle Pie. (Got that?)

Before revisiting last month, I wasnt sure what I would find. Consistency was an issue during The Woodsmans first run, and I know neighbors who wont visit even now, despite the ownership change(s). But I always enjoyed the vibe, with its roomy booths and many landscape paintings of Mount Hood (it was also a low-key fun place to watch sports, though the bar TVs were removed when the room turned into a Tasty N Daughters in 2019).

Lets get this out of the way: The brunch I enjoyed at The Woodsman Tavern last month, when a friend and I were the only non-employees in the dining room for most of our meal, would have ranked among Portlands best, even before the pandemic.

Heres what to expect: Mimosas, Bloody Marys and drip coffee from Puff, Sorensons new project. Oysters on the half shell, shrimp cocktails and the return of the Woodsman seafood tower. Bruleed grapefruit halves and Berliner-style brioche doughnuts topped with Trix cereal. Soft eggs on toast, OG and new school breakfast sandwiches, and an outstanding Dungeness crab eggs Benedict.

Its not cheap  a super crunchy Scotch egg (better than Helsers, RIP) is $8 and the Benedict costs $26, well worth it considering theres a nicely poached egg and a mid-sized crab cake tucked under the blanket of good, mustard-y Hollandaise. But go on a Friday  or, with reservations, a Saturday or Sunday  and you can settle into the booth of your choice for a relaxing brunch of the highest caliber.

Brunch served 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 4537 S.E. Division St., 503-342-1122, thewoodsmantavern.com

Lazy Susan's bialy plate comes with pickles and "luscious" house-cured lox, our restaurant critic writes. Better yet, you can pick you table should you visit on a Friday.Michael Russell | The Oregonian

Lazy Susan

When this family-friendly charcoal grill took over The Country Cat, it was hard to get a read on the menu, with its dainty jerk quail, elaborate crudite platters, izakaya-style mackerel and classic pies. It seemed like there might be too many cooks in the kitchen, even if all those cooks were talented in their own right.

But recent reports have indicated that Lazy Susan has settled into a nice groove, a position backed up by a recent Friday brunch.

The Montavilla neighborhood restaurant, which can fill up on weekends but isnt particularly crowded on Fridays, swims in the same New American waters as The Woodsman Tavern, only with a noticeable Jewish deli current, including a smoked whitefish spread and a bialy plate with pickles and luscious house-cured lox. (Those, plus latke-replacing hash browns, cinnamon buns and house-made potato doughnuts are also available as a pre-packaged brunch box to-go).

The best part about a meal here might be how hands-on everything is. Mimosas come as singles or kits with a bottle of cava and a choice of orange or grapefruit juice. The bialy spread requires assembly at the table. The Dutch baby  a little flat compared to the gold standard at The Original Pancake House, but still tasty  includes a maple-sage sausage, apple slices and an impressively deep-fried egg for making DIY pigs in a blanket.

Keep an eye on the sides  you could form the base of a decent meal from the thick-cut peppered bacon (flashback to The Country Cat, anyone?), those hash brown patties, a bialy with cream cheese and a little (infant?) Dutch baby with lemon and sugar.

Brunch served 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday-Sunday at 7937 S.E. Stark St., 971-420-8913, lazysusanpdx.com

The full Toki breakfast, with trout, kimchi, purple rice and doenjang soup.Michael Russell | The Oregonian

Toki

Found in the former Tasty N Alder space downtown, this modern Korean restaurant  a sister to Han Oak, The Oregonians 2017 Restaurant of the Year  offers at least two paths when it comes to brunch.

On one side, the many dishes inspired by viral TikTok trends: the Taco Bell-style brunch wrap supreme, the impressive tornado egg shrouding the kimchi fried omurice, the steamed and bao-wrapped burger and its bacon, egg and cheese-filled breakfast cousin. Its easy to imagine a plastic-wrapped pojangmacha in Seoul or a colorful cart in Southeast Portland specializing in almost all of these dishes.

Ive enjoyed that brunch wrap, the bao burger, the steak and egg bibimbap, and the sweet lacquered Korean-fried chicken sandwich in the past, but none seemed right for a recent Friday brunch, when Toki was nearly but not quite full.

Instead, my go-to move here is the composed breakfast, a more traditional tray of purple rice, kimchi, mid-rare trout and a slice of rolled omelet. You can add a side of doenjang soup, the Korean cousin to miso, for one of the Portlands most nourishing brunches, any day of the week.

Brunch served from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Friday-Sunday at 580 S.W. 12th Ave., 503-312-3037, tokipdx.com

Read more:

 Michael Russell; mrussell@oregonian.com

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Your favorite scarf witch is coming to Portland in November. Gather your scarves!

Thats right, Aerosmith, led by Steven Tyler, along with The Black Crowes will play the Moda Center on Saturday, Nov. 25. And, bad news to anyone who already has plans that night, they are calling this: Peace Out: The farewell tour.

For the rest of you who dont want to miss a thing, tickets go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. through Ticketmaster.

Tickets will also be available through Vivid Seats, StubHub, SeatGeek and Ticket Squeeze.

If you are purchasing tickets for the first time through Vivid Seats, use our special discount promo code Oregon20 at checkout to save 20 percent on orders of $200 or more for the event you plan on attending.

Aerosmith has been playing rock and roll music since 1970. Name a cultural moment and theyve been there. They discovered Alicia Silverstone in the early 90s and co-headlined the Super Bowl with Nsync in 2001.

Steven Tyler also helped create Liv Tyler, his daughter who didnt know him until she was at least 10 and who is a very famous actress.

According to The Guardian, last year Tyler was sued for sexual assault of a woman when she was a teenager in the 1970s. Tyler has denied all allegations.

 Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052; lacker@oregonian.com; @lizzzyacker

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Shemia Fagan said Monday that the idea to work for cannabis company owners Rosa Cazares and Aaron Mitchell for $10,000 a month sprung from a February social gathering.

The secretary of state, who resigned Tuesday, has not disclosed the date of that meeting, however, thats the same month she made a request to re-up her law license with the Oregon State Bar, two years after switching it to inactive status as she took statewide office.
Oregon election officials have paused their investigation into whether the Democratic Party of Oregon accepted a $500,000 campaign contribution under a false name, following a request from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

The Oregon elections division, which is overseen by the Secretary of States Office, opened the investigation last fall after The Oregonian/OregonLive reported that the Democratic Party incorrectly disclosed that the October donation had come from Las Vegas cryptocurrency payment processor Prime Trust when it actually came from Nishad Singh, director of engineering for the now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX. The party amended its disclosure to list Singh as the donor on Oct. 31, four days after The Oregonian/OregonLive contacted the party to inquire about the origin of the contribution.

Making or accepting a campaign contribution under a false name is a Class C felony under Oregon statute. Election officials said they would determine following their investigation whether the case should be forwarded to Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, a Democrat, for prosecution.

However, election officials paused the investigation last month after receiving an April 4 letter from Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, requesting that they delay their communications with Singh until after the October trial of Sam Bankman-Fried, the FTX CEO who is facing federal fraud charges related to the collapse of his cryptocurrency exchange. Williams wrote that Oregon election officials continued contact with Singh risks hindering our ongoing investigation and pending prosecution.

In a separate case stemming from Singhs misreported donation, lawyers for the Democratic Party of Oregon will appear before an administrative law judge May 12 to dispute a proposed $35,000 fine that elections officials levied against the party in February for failing to disclose in a timely manner that Singh was the person who made the $500,000 donation.

Its unclear how long it will take for the appeal to be resolved. If the judge rules against the party, its lawyers have the right to appeal again, said Ben Morris, a spokesperson for the Secretary of States Office.

A lawyer for the party informed election officials in February that they were fighting the penalty, placing blame for the misreported donation on the false representations of the donor. Party director Brad Martin told The Oregonian/OregonLive in November that party leaders accepted the cash without knowing much about its origin, even though the contribution marked the largest ever donation received by the party.

By the time Oregon Democrats accepted the donation in October, news reports had documented other instances of Prime Trust being incorrectly reported as the donor for large contributions that actually came from Bankman-Fried and Singh, including in Oregon. Politico reported in April that a federal super PAC that supported Oregon Democratic congressional candidate Carrick Flynn incorrectly told the Federal Elections Commission that it received $14 million from Prime Trust, when in fact the money came from Bankman-Fried and Singh. Flynn lost.

The Democratic Party of Oregon has not returned the $500,000 donation.

The investigation into the reporting under a false name is being overseen by Elections Division director Molly Woon, whom Secretary of State Shemia Fagan appointed to the elections job in January after forcing out her previous hand-picked elections director last year. Woon was the communications director and deputy director of the Democratic Party of Oregon for three years until she went to work as Fagans strategic projects director and senior adviser in 2021.

Despite her professional history with the Democratic Party, Woon has not recused herself from involvement with the case.

Earlier this week, Fagan, a Democrat, resigned as secretary of state effective May 8 after it came to light that she had taken a lucrative side job consulting for an embattled cannabis company at a time when her office was auditing the states marijuana program.

 Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; 503-221-8228; @jamiebgoldberg

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Nike co-founder Phil Knight has contributed $2 million more to help Republicans gain seats in the Oregon Legislature.

Knight made the donation April 4 to the Bring Balance to Salem PAC, which aims to elect Republicans to the Legislature, campaign finance records show. The donation was disclosed Thursday in accordance with campaign finance rules.

The donation came after Knight contributed $2 million to the same political action committee last year as Republican donors pumped money into legislative races, helping Republicans end Democrats supermajority in the Legislature.

Altogether, the Bring Balance committee spent $5 million in 2022 on its cause.

Its very early for donors to be giving money to influence fall 2024 legislative races, with the 2023 legislative session still underway.

Before the newest donation, Knights most recent donation to a political action committee was in October when he donated $500,000 to help Republican Christine Drazan in her bid for governor. It total he gave $1.5 million to Drazan last year after it became clear unaffiliated candidate Betsy Johnson didnt have a shot at winning the governors race. Despite his donations, Democrat Tina Kotek prevailed in the November election to become Oregons governor.

Last month, Knight and his wife, Penny Knight, pledged to contribute $400 million to the newly formed 1803 Fund, a local effort intended to strengthen Portlands Black community. The funds first project  dubbed Rebuild Albina  will invest in education, place and culture and belonging in the Albina neighborhood.

 Jamie Goldberg; jgoldberg@oregonian.com; 503-221-8228; @jamiebgoldberg

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On Monday, May 8, at 12.20, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a discussion entitled "Escalation of air threats - sign of war climax?" Participants include: political analyst, candidate of philosophical sciences Valentyn Hladkykh; political expert Kostiantyn Matviyenko; political scientist, co-founder of the National Platform Resilience and Social Cohesion Oleh Saakyan (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
Friday 5 May 2023 2:09pm



Dr David Clark

Dr David Clark will return to his alma mater when he steps down from his role as a Member of Parliament and takes up the position of the University of Otago Registrar and Secretary to the Council, Pouroki/Kaituhi ki te Kaunihera later this year.

The current Member of Parliament for Dunedin is excited to rejoin the University community, having previously spent 11 years studying, living, and working on Castle St. He completed a BA in 1995, a BTheol with Honours in 1996, a PhD in 2004, and was the Warden of Selwyn College from 2008 to 2011.

My Otago education has provided me with extraordinary experiences both as a student and in my wider career to date. Reconnecting with the University of Otago feels very much like a homecoming, he says.

Dr Clark has been a Member of Parliament since 2011. Between 2017 and February this year, he held Cabinet positions including Minister of Health, Associate Minister of Finance, Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications, Minister of Commerce and Consumer Affairs and Minister for State Owned Enterprises.

Prior to entering Parliament, he held positions in Treasury, the Department of Internal Affairs, and had governance appointments in the not-for-profit sector including with the Otago Community Trust.

In his new role at the University, Dr Clark will be responsible for governance through the University Council and its committees; student appeals to the Appeals Board; statutes, regulations and policy; corporate records; copyright, mediation services; coordination of Official Information Act requests; and privacy.

As someone who believes strongly in the important critic and conscience role the University plays in New Zealand society, I'm genuinely excited to join a team that is committed to that kaupapa, he says.

He is also enthusiastic about the Universitys increased focus on becoming a Te Tiriti-led organisation, which fits with his values and sense of purpose, striving for equity and inclusion.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson is looking forward to welcoming Dr Clark back on campus.

We are pleased to have someone with Davids wealth of experience joining the University in such a pivotal role. His knowledge of campus life, as well as organisational and governance matters, will be of benefit to us all, she says.

The University is also pleased to announce another appointment in the Office of the Registrar.



Mayhaka Mendis

Current Acting Registrar, Mayhaka Mendis, took on the new role of General Counsel on Monday.

This position was created following the review of the Office last year and is tasked with providing legal guidance and advice to identify, assess and mitigate legal risk across the University; to ensure the University adheres to legislative requirements, governance frameworks and best practice; and to oversee external legal service providers, helping to ensure timely and cost efficient external legal costs, utilising the appropriate subject matter legal experts.

Ms Mendis is thrilled Otago is joining other New Zealand universities in formally establishing an internal legal function.

The role will support and enable the University to achieve its strategic goals, ensuring legal risks are managed. My approach is to work alongside staff to reach pragmatic outcomes which meet all legal and regulatory requirements, she says.

She will continue as Acting Registrar until Dr Clark starts in October.

For more information, please contact:

Liane Topham-Kindley

Manager, Media Engagement

University of Otago

Mob +64 21 279 9065

Email liane.topham-kindley@otago.ac.nz
Friday 5 May 2023 4:13pm

The University of Otago has appointed a new Chief Financial Officer | Te Pou Tahua, following Sharon van Turnhouts planned retirement.



Brian Trott

Brian Trott, the current Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer of Universal College of Learning | Te Pukenga, in Palmerston North, will take up the role on 6 June.

Mr Trott is a Chartered Accountant by profession and has more than 25 years experience across education, central and local government, commerce, and chartered accountancy roles.



He is excited about making the move to Dunedin and the opportunities his new role will present.



I get a great sense of energy when I can relate my work to the improvement in wellbeing of the communities we serve, and I am highly motivated to work for an organisation that is held in such high regard as the University of Otago.



I thrive on challenges and view the Universitys current situation as a unique opportunity to make a difference.

Acting Vice-Chancellor Professor Helen Nicholson is thrilled to be able to welcome someone of Mr Trotts calibre to the University.

While I acknowledge he is joining us during a difficult financial period, I know he is bringing a wealth of experience to the role which will fare us well.



Sharon van Turnhout

I also want to thank Sharon for her dedication to the University over the past nine years. We have benefited from the skill and compassion she brought to the position, and I know the University community wishes her all the very best for her retirement.

Ms van Turnhout says she is leaving Otago with mixed feelings.

I graduated from the Business School back in the 1980s and I have been incredibly proud to have had the responsibility to act as the Chief Financial Officer for our University. I am looking forward to spending time with my mother, and enjoying the adventures we have planned, but I will also be very sad to leave.

Brian comes to us with extensive experience in similarly challenging roles, and I know he is looking forward to living in one of the worlds best small cities. I wish him all the best, and Im confident that he will provide the financial leadership we need to continue to respond to the environmental challenges we face, she says.

Ms Van Turnhout announced her departure in October 2022 and has extended her retirement date to June.

For more information, please contact:

Liane Topham-Kindley

Manager, Media Engagement

University of Otago

Mob +64 21 279 9065

Email liane.topham-kindley@otago.ac.nz
On Tuesday, May 9, at 10.30, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference on the subject: "Non-Transparent Schemes in Ukrainian Ports Killing Vegetable Oil Production Industry." Participants include Executive Director of Allseeds Group Yevhen Okhrimenko, Head of the Legal Department of Allseeds Black Sea LLC Vasyl Fastovets (8/5a Reitarska Street). The event will be streamed on the Interfax-Ukraine YouTube channel. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot. Additional information by phone or e-mail: +38 (050) 312 8787, info@allseeds.com.
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BIG RAPIDS -- Information about continuing needs for two local non-profits has spread beyond Big Rapids and Mecosta and Osceola counties as exhibited by the recent ingathering of items for Angels of Action and WISE.

Articles for the two agencies were donated by women from Lutheran churches in Mecosta, Montcalm, Ionia, and Kent counties when they met at St. Peters Lutheran Church last Saturday.
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Studley Grange was honored to recently present Quilts of Valor to Dennis Schur, a United States Marine Corps veteran, and Matthew Brown, a United States Navy veteran.

The quilts were pieced and binding was done by Grange member Helen Mudd. The machine quilting was done by Deb Norman, a friend of a member.

The National Grange, with which Studley Grange is associated, is a recognized partner in the mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation.

Studley Grange and its members strive to help others in need in the Midland community. Recent community projects include:

Studley Grange operated a concession stand at the Chippewa Nature Center Fall Harvest Festival in October. Students from the Bullock Creek High School Robotics Team assisted.

Dictionaries were donated to Bullock Creek School District third grade students in the fall. This is the 20th year Studley Grange has donated dictionaries and have given away over 2,700 dictionaries during this time.

In November, the Grange purchased 10 winter coats for the elementary schools of the Bullock Creek School District.

Easter baby bonnets were delivered to MyMichigan Health in March. The 15 pink, blue and yellow bonnets were for babies born during Easter week.

Eleven pairs of diabetic socks were donated to MyMichigan Health Knock Your Socks Off program.

Studley Grange meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m. For more information, visit grange.org/studleymi or Facebook or call Tricia at 989-631-0079.
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Technology can help solve a lot of problems. But there is no app that can beat what a good, sensitive snout can do.

K9 OPS, a new business started by friends Jake Fink and John DuBois, is helping dogs find new homes and teaching them new skills. The trainers are teaching dogs to sniff out peanut oil, track wounded deer and protect their families - while also providing police dog education.

K9 OPS was born from an increase in dogs being thrust into animal shelters after the pandemic. Both men hate seeing people give up their dogs to a shelter rather than trying to have certain behaviors trained out of the dog. They want to help as many animals find good homes as they can - and they love dogs.

The best creation God made was a dog, DuBois said.

K9 OPS Friends Jake Fink and John DuBois's business, K9 OPS, is teaching dogs to sniff out peanut oil, track wounded deer and protect their families - while also continuing police dog education. It's also helping some animals find new homes. For more information about K9 OPS, call 989-295-1665 or visit www.facebook.com/K9OPSDogTraining See More Collapse

Since opening in 2021, the two men have trained more than 400 dogs. Prior to setting up shop at their location at 1271 E. Chippewa River Road, the trainers bounced from pole barn to pole barn, parks and even the Homer Township Hall.

What began as Fink and DuBois, both former K9 handlers, working together to train Finks Belgian Malinois, Creed, blossomed into a thriving business. A few months after they started training Creed, a mutual friend suggested the duo go into business.

In year two of the business, they are already met many of their goals: finding a set location, serving a thriving clientele and adding police dog training to their roster of services.

We grew much quicker than we thought we would, Fink said.

DuBois was the Midland Police Departments first K9 handler with his late dog TZA YID. The pair retired together in December 2019.

Fink was an Army K9 handler in Afghanistan with his late dog,Shira, and later served as the Midland County Animal Control officer from 2017-2021. Fink was able to reunite with and adopt Shira after leaving the Army.

Both he and Fink said that on tough days, they both are thankful for their dogs. They said dogs are mood changers.

Jake and I are in the business to help dog families and their dogs more than making a dollar, DuBois said. We want to help dog families out rather than them dumping their dogs. That is the huge push to why we are doing what were doing."

Monica Tanney, of Midland, and her rescue dog, Sanza, a 4-year-old German Shepherd, are in week three of the basic obedience class.

Sanza, carrying her stuffed animal hedgehog, lacked socialization and confidence. Each week, Tanney sees Sanza gaining confidence and socializing better. Sanza, who is motivated by toys, is on her fourth owner. Tanney said she will be her last.

This training has been great, having her exposed to other dogs, Tanney said. There is positive reinforcement and correction. Its training us how to train our dogs.

Tanney was living in Pennsylvania and readying to return to Midland when she adopted Sanza via the Midland County Humane Society. She hopes having access to such a class will encourage people to adopt more rescue dogs.

Kudos to them for helping make us better dog owners, Tanney added.

DuBois and Fink have been working with dogs on tracking. Fink said there are a lot of hobbies one can do with their dog, and there are even competitions. Fink said there is an up-and-coming interest around the area to have dogs search for wounded deer to help a hunter find it more quickly. He noted that is more humane for harvesting the deer.

DuBois and Fink are working with Fletcher, a 10-month-old French Bulldog, to be more alert for peanuts and mussels because his owner, Sheila Mills of Midland, is allergic to those two foods.

Fletcher's two Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Rocky and Rico, also trained with K9 OPS. She said like many dogs during COVID, they didnt get socialized, and the classes helped with that.

They do a lot of real-life training, Mills said.

As a result, Mills said, once you are in a challenging situation with your dog, you and the dog know how to respond. She said this was the case in a local store when she and Fletcher encountered a growling and lunging German Shepherd. Fletcher and Mills were able to face the situation calmly, and it was like second nature to Fletcher.

The trainers, who agree teaching is good for any age of dog, suggested starting at around 12 to 16 weeks old. Fink said area veterinarians say fewer than 10% of dogs they see are trained, but all could benefit.

Any dog can be trained. It depends on how committed you are to making it happen, DuBois said.

Mills said having trained dogs not only helps prevent chaos when someone comes to the door, it is also a safety measure. An example of this is the leave it command.

'Leave it' means stop what you are doing, Mills said. Stop barking, stop running, stop eating.

She said the command can also prevent dogs from going toward radiator fluid, a dog in attack mode or something sinister.

Its for safety, she said. "Just like when they teach you to step over your dog so they are not jumping up and tripping you.

DuBois and Fink said training gives the dogs a job, mentally stimulates them and offers confidence. It also creates a lasting bond between the dog and their owner.

DuBois said he loves seeing where the owner and the dog are at in week one of training and then at week three or four, when both are typically more relaxed, confident and have stronger bonds.

Fink said dogs get more fulfillment from engaging with a person than they do from running around in the park or a yard. He said they are often more tired after training than they are from running, because learning is mentally challenging.

For more information about K9 OPS, call 989-295-1665 or visit https://www.facebook.com/K9OPSDogTraining
BIG RAPIDS  An effort to infuse the White Pine Trail with the history of the land and the people who have called it home for over a century millennia will get underway soon.

The 92-mile Fred Meijer White Pine Trail State Park on Michigans west side is already well known for its length and landscapes, and the public is invited to help shape what the historical project looks like starting with informational meetings May 9, 10 and 11.

When work is complete next year, the White Pine  traveling through Kent, Mecosta, Montcalm, Osceola and Wexford counties  will be one of the longest fully paved rail trails in the country. The park stretches from Comstock Park, just north of Grand Rapids, to Cadillac on an abandoned railroad corridor trail.

The Michigan History Center (an agency of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources), the Department of Natural Rersources Parks and Recreation Division and the Friends of the White Pine Trail will kick off the planning for this heritage project at three meetings.

Paul Griffith, vice chair and northern chapter bike trail advocate with Friends of the White Pine Trail, said the project will be educationally beneficial.

This project will focus on the history of the 15 communities along the 92-mile White Pine Trail from Comstock Park north to Cadillac, Griffith said. Its important to remember that this trail is an over 150-year-old abandoned railroad corridor, from which towns sprung up. This project will take these stories and many more and turn them into the creation of 50 to 60 high-quality interpretive signs with pictures and narrative that will be placed on the trail in the 15 communities lining the trail.

Griffith said the project will highlight historical landmarks including the 27 train stations that existed along the 92-mile stretch from 100 years ago; the abandoned airport building that is still standing just north of Reed City  that originally used to be a commercial airport where North Central Airlines, also known as the Blue Goose, flew in and out of; to the Paris Hatchery building being the second hatchery in the state built 140 years ago in 1881, where trout were placed in red painted milk cans and shipped via rail all over the state.

Additionally, the project will highlight the history of a dam built on Buckhorn Creek where ice was harvested during winters.

It will also include commissioned artwork and a mobile app, Griffith said. This is only the seventh trail in Michigan that will become a Heritage Trail and clearly the longest. Due to the required research, this project will take two to three years to complete.

"This project is an example of cultural tourism. Not only will local residents along the trail learn more about the history of their communities and others nearby, but tourists from across the state and beyond, will have an easy way to learn about the rich history of this piece of the 400-plus mile Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad, which started in Richmond, Indiana, to Mackinac City.

The first meeting will be 7-8:30 p.m. May 9 at Carl T. Johnson Hunting and Fishing Center, 6087 E. M-115 in Cadillac; the second will be 7-8:30 p.m. May 10 at Plainfield Township Hall, at 6161 Belmont Avenue NE in Belmont; and the third meeting will be 7-8:30 p.m. May 11 at the Mecosta County Services Building, at 14485 Northland Drive in Big Rapids.

Attendees will learn more about plans, including interpretive signage, and how the project can benefit their communities, as well as get the chance to share their own stories and recollections about the history of the communities and landscapes along the White Pine Trail.

Griffith said White Pines Trail is not just another trail.

It has a rich and incredible 150-year-old history, Griffith said. It is always important for a community, or in this case, a set of 15 communities, to promote and be proud of this unique characteristic of their communities, something most other towns dont have. The Grand Rapids, Mecosta County and Cadillac Area Visitors Centers, plus all of the communities that have a website or a Facebook presence, will promote this new regional amenity, which will result in a significant increase in folks checking out the White Pine Trail.

Anyone who cant attend a meeting but wants to offer ideas or be involved in the project is invited to contact Dan Spegel at SpegelD@Michigan.gov.

Learn more about the larger effort to connect trail users with a deeper sense of place (including projects in the central Upper Peninsula, southwest Michigan and Jackson and Livingston counties) at Michigan.gov/HeritageTrails.
DOST Agency held a regular meeting within the framework of state monitoring in the field of rights of persons with disabilities, Azernews reports, citing the Agency.

In addition to members of the State Monitoring Commission in the field of the rights of persons with disabilities, members of the working group "Formulation and improvement of a special approach to persons with disabilities" created by the Azerbaijan Banks Association also participated at the event.

The Chairman of DOST Agency, Farid Mammadov, spoke about the work done in the field of protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, and informed the participants of the event about the goals and tasks of state monitoring in this field.

Narmin Fataliyeva, the head of the rights sector of the Disability Policy Department of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, spoke about the work done by the ministry in the field of the rights of persons with disabilities during 2022.

Zahra Hasanova, an employee of DOST Agency, made a presentation on the topic "Works carried out within the framework of state monitoring in the field of rights of persons with disabilities". In the presentation, the purpose of the Monitoring Commission, main directions, areas covered, target groups, etc. information was given about the topics.

Shahin Zulfugarov, the head of the agency's strategic planning, data management, and analysis department, spoke about the obstacles faced by people with disabilities in the field of banking services.

Later, there was an exchange of views on the topic. The event participants voiced their opinions and suggestions.
A business forum on the topic of Alat Free Economic Zone  New cooperation opportunities in Azerbaijan-China economic relations was held in Beijing, China. In the event, jointly organized by the Embassy of Azerbaijan in China, Alat Free Economic Zone Authority and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), participated more than 100 Chinese companies.

Akram Zeynalli, the Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Peoples Republic of China, delivered an introductory speech on the development of economic relations between Azerbaijan and China, and informed the participants about the economy of Azerbaijan, including the growth of the non-oil sector, as well as the increase in investments into different sectors of the country.

Following the introductory speech by the Ambassador, Zhang Yujing, the President of CCCME, talked about the wide cooperation opportunities between Azerbaijan and CCCME, and stressed that, the member companies of the Chamber and the Chinese investors will be provided with information about the established favorable business environment in Alat Free Economic Zone (AFEZ).

As the keynote speaker, Valeh Alasgarov, the Chairman of the Board of the Alat Free Economic Zone Authority, made a detailed presentation about the AFEZ and noted that, the AFEZ is one of the important parts of the general policy of Government of Azerbaijan, which aims to ensure the balanced development of the knowledge-based, diversified, export-oriented and internationally competitive economy. He gave information about the fiscal and non-fiscal incentives package for the investors, as well as about the strategic geographical location, industrial land plots with ready-to-use off-site and on-site infrastructure and utilities, and transport-logistics centers. Mr. Alasgarov highlighted the unique legal framework, which is based on the Law of the Republic of Azerbaijan on the Alat Free Economic Zone adopted by the Parliament and signed by the President of Azerbaijan as a prevailing law of the Republic of Azerbaijan and internal regulations of the AFEZ issued by the AFEZ Authority, that are integral part of the AFEZ legislation. The Chairman stated that, the businesses engaged in high-value added export-oriented manufacturing and internationally traded services, using innovative technologies and approaches to work, in accordance with best international standards, are welcome in the AFEZ, and invited the Chinese investors to get acquainted with the outstanding business environment offered by the AFEZ.

The business forum was concluded with a Q&A session.
A 51-year-old Sanford man is heading to trial accused of neglecting a 63-year-old vulnerable adult woman who later died in 2021.

David Willett is charged with felony second-degree vulnerable adult abuse. Willett rejected the offer in Midland County Circuit Court Thursday before Judge Michael Beale.

We did make a plea offer to resolve a difficult case, said Midland County Prosecutor J. Dee Brooks. As is his right, he rejected the offer. We will proceed to trial.

Michigan State Police arrested Willett on June 1, 2022. He was later released on a $10,000 personal recognizance bond following his arraignment.

Lt. Kim Vetter said Willetts mother had taken care of her sister for several years. When Willett's mother died in January 2020, he assumed caring for his disabled aunt.

On March 18, 2021, Willett called 911 saying he needed help with his aunt. When EMS and authorities arrived, they found the 63-year-old woman covered in feces on a urine-soaked mattress. She was hospitalized until March 27 when she died.

Vetter said Willett called the ambulance saying the woman had been bedridden for three days.

She arrived at the hospital in bad shape, Vetter said.

Vetter said the medical staff said the woman had multiple injuries. The staff also said she was not cared for.

During the investigation authorities learned neighbors had previously been curious about the victim but didnt contact police or call adult protective services about her. If anyone suspects or questions how a disabled person is being cared for, Vetter advised it is appropriate to call the police to intervene. Vetter said authorities would rather check on a situation and nothing be wrong rather than it be ignored.

Dont be afraid to report it, Vetter said.

Abuse and neglect complaints can be made by contacting Adult/Child Protective Services at 855-444-3911.

In 1998, Willett was convicted of criminal sexual conduct involving a 13 to 15-year-old child in Genesee County.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden celebrated Cinco de Mayo on Friday by stepping out for a quesadilla and tacos at a Washington food hall. His unannounced visit prompted one onlooker to remark, This is the most D.C. thing that's ever happened to me.

Biden was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris at Taqueria Habanero, in the Edgewood neighborhood of the capital. The president paid in cash for his order and posed with staff for pictures. Aides said Biden ordered a chicken quesadilla and churros, as well as an assortment of tacos for White House staff. To the people peering over a wall and looking down from their apartment balconies to see him, the president joked, Don't jump.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the far-right extremist group were convicted Thursday of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol in a desperate bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.

A jury in Washington, D.C., found Tarrio and three lieutenants guilty of seditious conspiracy after hearing from dozens of witnesses over more than three months in one of the most serious cases brought in the stunning attack that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, as the world watched on live TV.

Jurors cleared a fifth defendant  Dominic Pezzola  of the sedition charge, though he was convicted of other serious felonies. The judge excused the jury without delivering a verdict on some counts  including another conspiracy charge for Pezzola  after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision.

Its a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which has now secured seditious conspiracy convictions against the leaders of two major extremist groups prosecutors say were intent on keeping Democratic President Joe Biden out of the White House at all costs. The charge carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

The Justice Department will never stop working to defend the democracy to which all Americans are entitled, Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters after the verdict.

Tarrio, behind bars since his March 2022 arrest, didn't appear to show any emotion as the verdict was read. He hugged one of his lawyers and shook the hand of the other before leaving the courtroom. A few of the people sitting among the defendants relatives wiped away tears as the verdict was read.

The verdict comes after a trial that took more than twice as long as originally expected, slowed by bickering, mistrial motions and revelations of government informants in the group. Securing the conviction of Tarrio, a high-profile leader who wasnt at the riot itself, could embolden the Justice Department as a special counsel investigates Trump, including key aspects of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Special Counsel Jack Smith in recent weeks has sought the testimony of many people close to Trump. They include former Vice President Mike Pence, who testified before a grand jury last week, likely giving prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the riot.

Tarrio was a top target of what has become the largest Justice Department investigation in American history. He led the neo-fascist group  known for street fights with left-wing activists  when Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to stand back and stand by during his first debate with Biden.

Tarrio wasnt in Washington on Jan. 6, because he had been arrested two days earlier in a separate case and ordered out of the capital city. But prosecutors said he organized and directed the attack by Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol that day.

In addition to Tarrio, a Miami resident, three other Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl.

Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were also convicted of obstructing Congress certification of Bidens electoral victory and obstructing law enforcement as well as two other conspiracy charges. The four were cleared of an assault charge stemming from Pezzola, who stole an officers riot shield.

Rehl's attorney, Carmen Hernandez, said her client continues to maintain his innocence. Lawyers for Biggs and Pezzola declined to comment. An attorney for Tarrio declined to comment.

Prosecutors told jurors the group viewed itself as Trumps army and was prepared for all-out war to stop Biden from becoming president.

The Proud Boys were lined up behind Donald Trump and willing to commit violence on his behalf, prosecutor Conor Mulroe said in his closing argument.

The backbone of the governments case was hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to Jan. 6 that show the far-right extremist group peddling Trumps false claims of a stolen election and trading fears over what would happen when Biden took office.

As Proud Boys swarmed the Capitol, Tarrio cheered them on from afar, writing on social media: Do what must be done. In a Proud Boys encrypted group chat later that day someone asked what they should do next. Tarrio responded: Do it again.

Make no mistake, Tarrio wrote in another message. We did this.

Defense lawyers denied there was any plot to attack the Capitol or stop Congress certification of Bidens win. A lawyer for Tarrio sought to push the blame onto Trump, arguing the former president incited the pro-Trump mobs attack when he urged the crowd near the White House to fight like hell.

It was Donald Trumps words. It was his motivation. It was his anger that caused what occurred on January 6th in your beautiful and amazing city, attorney Nayib Hassan said in his final appeal to jurors. It was not Enrique Tarrio. They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald J. Trump and those in power.

The Justice Department hadnt tried a seditious conspiracy case in a decade before a jury convicted another extremist group leader, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, of the Civil War-era charge last year.

Over the course of two Oath Keepers trials, Rhodes and five other members were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was a separate plot to forcibly halt the transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden. Three defendants were acquitted of the sedition charge, but convicted of obstructing Congress certification of Bidens electoral victory.

The Justice Department has yet to disclose how much prison time it will seek when the Oath Keepers are sentenced later this month.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that the Oath Keepers sentencings are scheduled for later this month, not next month.
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ATLANTA (AP)  Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill into law Friday creating a new commission empowered to discipline and remove wayward prosecutors, saying it will curb far-left prosecutors who are making our communities less safe.

Kemp made the remarks at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office in Savannah, where he signed the measure establishing the Prosecuting Attorneys Qualifications Commission, which will launch July 1 and start accepting complaints Oct. 1.

I am not going to stand idly by as rogue or incompetent prosecutors refuse to uphold the law, Kemp said. Today we are sending a message that we will not forfeit public safety for prosecutors to let criminals off the hook.

The law parallels pushes to remove prosecutors in Florida, Indiana, Missouri and Pennsylvania, as well as broader disputes nationwide over how certain criminal offenses should be charged.

The efforts continue anti-crime campaigns that Republicans ran nationwide last year, accusing Democrats of coddling criminals and improperly refusing to prosecute whole categories of crimes, including marijuana possession.

Georgia Democrats strenuously opposed the measure, saying the Republican legislative majority was seeking another way to impose its will on Democratic voters at the local level.

I strongly oppose an excessive and unnecessary commission as district attorneys are already held accountable under existing laws and through the current democratic process of holding election, said Deborah Gonzalez, Democratic district attorney for Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties.

Gonzalez, under fire in Kemps hometown of Athens, was cited by Republicans as one of the law's top targets. She has declined to prosecute marijuana crimes, some prosecutors have left her office and judges have criticized her for missing court deadlines.

Crucially, the Georgia law mandates that a prosecutor must consider every case for which probable cause exists and cant exclude categories of cases from prosecution.

Experts have said that considering every case individually is unrealistic, because prosecutors turn down many more cases than they charge. However, its unclear if the new law will change prosecutors behavior or just lead them to avoid talking publicly about charging decisions.

The eight-member commission will include six current or former prosecutors and two other lawyers. It will oversee DAs and solicitors general  elected prosecutors who handle lower-level crimes in some counties.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has also decried the measure, calling it a racist attack after voters elected 14 nonwhite DAs in the state. Some have viewed the law as Republican retribution against Willis, who is considering criminal charges against former President Donald Trump over interference in Georgias 2020 election. Willis declined further comment Friday.

The law was born from frustrations involving a white Republican prosecutor in suburban Atlanta who was indicted for bribery related to sexual harassment claims. He lingered in office until he pleaded guilty to unprofessional conduct and resigned in 2022.

Some Democrats were interested in similar measures for a time because of Jackie Johnson, a coastal Georgia DA who was charged with hindering the police investigation into the 2020 killing of Ahmaud Arbery. Democratic interest cooled after voters ousted Johnson.

The rules could also target prosecutors who declared before Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022 that they wouldn't prosecute abortion-related offenses. Seven current Georgia DAs fit that description.

Nationwide, the efforts aimed at curbing prosecutors have met with mixed success.

In Missouri, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced on Thursday that she will resign June 1 as Republicans maneuvered to oust the Democrat. A bill was proceeding to let Republican Gov. Mike Parson appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, taking over most of Gardner's responsibilities, but her resignation could sideline the bill. Missouri's Republican attorney general, Andrew Bailey, was pursuing legal steps to remove Gardner.

An Indiana bill originally written to let an oversight board appoint a special prosecutor when a noncompliant prosecutor refused to charge certain crimes appears dead for the year.

Efforts by Pennsylvania Republicans to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner are stalled pending a court appeal. In the meantime the state House has flipped from Republican to Democratic control and, its unclear what that would mean for any trial.

And in Florida, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren in Tampas Hillsborough County in August. A federal judge found DeSantis illegally targeted Warren because hes a Democrat who publicly supported abortion and transgender rights. But the judge wrote he had no power to reinstate Warren, leading to an appeal to the state Supreme Court.
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A threat by the owner of private Russian military company Wagner on Friday to withdraw his fighters from the battle to seize an eastern Ukrainian city is another flareup in his dispute with Russia's regular military over credit and tactics in the war.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, has led the push to jump-start Russias stalemated offensive in eastern Ukraines Donetsk province. He threatened to pull out his soldiers from the city of Bakhmut next week, citing high casualties and ammunition shortages.

Russia's nine-month campaign to take Bakhmut has made the city the focus of the war's longest battle. Ferocious house-to house fighting there has produced some of the bloodiest encounters since Russia sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.

Here is a look at Wagners history and its role in the fighting.

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF WAGNER'S LEADER?

Prigozhin, who received a 12-year prison term in 1981 on charges of robbery and assault, started a restaurant business in St. Petersburg in the early 1990s following his release from prison. It was in this capacity that he got to know Putin, the citys deputy mayor at the time.

Prigozhin used his connection with Putin to develop a catering business and won lucrative Russian government contracts that earned him the nickname Putins chef. He later expanded into other areas, including media outlets and an infamous troll factory that led to his indictment in the U.S. for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

In January, Prigozhin, 61, acknowledged founding, leading and financing the shadowy Wagner company.

WHERE HAS WAGNER WORKED?

Wagner was first spotted in action in eastern Ukraine soon after a separatist conflict erupted there in April 2014, weeks after Russias annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

While backing the separatist insurgency in the Donbas, Ukraines eastern industrial heartland, Russia denied sending its own weapons and troops there despite ample evidence to the contrary. Engaging private contractors in the fighting allowed Moscow to maintain a degree of deniability.

Prigozhins company was called Wagner after the nickname of its first commander, Dmitry Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel of the Russian militarys special forces. It soon established a reputation for its extreme brutality and ruthlessness.

Wagner personnel also deployed to Syria, where Russia supported President Bashar Assads government in a civil war. In Libya, they fought alongside forces of commander Khalifa Hifter. The group has also operated in the Central African Republic and Mali.

Prigozhin has reportedly used Wagners deployment to Syria and African countries to secure lucrative mining contracts. U.S. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in January that the company was using its access to gold and other resources in Africa to fund its operations in Ukraine.

Some Russian media have alleged that Wagner was involved in the July 2018 killings of three Russian journalists in the Central African Republic who were investigating the groups activities. The slayings remain unsolved.

WHAT IS THE GROUPS REPUTATION?

Western countries and U.N. experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

In December 2021, the European Union accused the group of serious human rights abuses, including torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings, and of carrying out destabilizing activities in the Central African Republic, Libya, Syria and Ukraine.

Video footage has surfaced that purported to show some of the activities that have contributed to Wagner's fearsome reputation.

A 2017 video posted online showed a group of armed people, reported to be Wagner contractors, torturing a Syrian man, beating him to death with a sledgehammer and cutting his head before mutilating and burning his body. Russian authorities ignored requests by the media and rights activists to investigate.

In November 2022, another video showed a former Wagner contractor beaten to death with a sledgehammer after he allegedly fled to the Ukrainian side and was recaptured. Despite public outrage and demands for an investigation, the Kremlin turned a blind eye.

WHAT IS WAGNERS ROLE IN UKRAINE?

Wagner has taken an increasingly visible role in the war in Ukraine as regular Russian troops have suffered heavy attrition and lost control over territory in humiliating setbacks.

Prigozhin claimed full credit in January for capturing the Donetsk region salt-mining town of Soledar and accused the Russian Defense Ministry of trying to steal Wagners glory. He has repeatedly complained that the Russian military failed to supply Wagner with sufficient ammunition to capture Bakhmut, the reason he cited Friday for his withdrawal threat.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survived a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.

The U.S. estimates Wagner has about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 of the convicts the company enlisted.

A U.S. official says nearly half of the 20,000 Russian forces killed in Ukraine since December have been Wagners troops in Bakhmut.

The U.S. assesses that Wagner is spending about $100 million a month in the fight .In December, the United States accused North Korea of supplying weapons, including rockets and missiles, to the Russian company in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Both Wagner and North Korea denied the reports.

HOW HAS WAGNER'S LEADER CRITICIZED RUSSIAS MILITARY?

If the U.S. accusation is true, Wagners reach for North Korean weapons may reflect its long-running dispute with the Russian military leadership, which dates back to the companys creation.

Troops purported to be Wagner contractors on the front line in Ukraine recorded a video in which they showered the chief of the Russian militarys General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, with curses for the alleged failure to provide ammunition.

Prigozhin himself accuses top-ranking Russian military officers of incompetence. His frequent complaints are unprecedented for Russias tightly controlled political system, in which only Putin could air such criticism.

Prigozhin has increasingly raised his public profile, issuing daily messaging app statements to boast about Wagners purported victories, sardonically mock his enemies and make complaints about Russia's military brass.

Asked recently about a media comparison of him with Grigory Rasputin, a mystic who gained fatal influence over Russias last czar by claiming to have the power to cure his sons hemophilia, Prigozhin snapped: I dont stop blood, but I spill blood of the enemies of our Motherland.

WILL WAGNER REALLY WITHDRAW FROM BAKHMUT?

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, took Prigozhins threat with a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

Michel said Prigozhin might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall, Michel, who is based in Berlin, said.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagners troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, according to Michel said.

If hes removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

___

Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine-war
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (PANA) - The Burkina Faso authorities should ensure an independent and impartial inquiry into the summary execution of at least 156 civilians by alleged military forces on April 20, 2023, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said
Photo: (Photo : NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / Getty Images)

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave its approval to GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) vaccine called Arexvy, which offers protection against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). This marks the first time that an RSV vaccine has been authorized for use in the United States.

The vaccine, developed by the British pharmaceutical company GSK, is specifically designed for people aged 60 years and above, who are more susceptible to RSV infection. With just one shot, the vaccine could be ready for distribution to seniors as early as this autumn.

FDA Approves First RSV Vaccine

Dr. Peter Marks, the director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, emphasized that older adults, especially those with underlying health conditions, are at a higher risk of experiencing severe symptoms caused by RSV. He stated that the approval of the first RSV vaccine is a significant public health accomplishment that demonstrates the FDA's dedication to supporting the development of safe and effective vaccines.

CNN reported that GSK's RSV vaccine employs a small portion of the virus known as the fusion protein, which protrudes from the virus's surface. This protein helps the virus to latch onto and infiltrate cells in the body's upper respiratory system. The vaccine utilizes lab-created protein fragments produced by specially engineered cells to trigger the body's immune system.

The vaccine is based on research findings made ten years ago by scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), who played a crucial role in developing COVID-19 vaccines.

The F protein is usually flexible, shifting and altering its shape after fusing with a cell. However, the NIH scientists discovered how to immobilize the protein in its pre-fusion shape, allowing the body to produce robust antibodies against it.

GSK's vaccine employs this pre-fusion form of the protein, which is highly effective, in combination with an immune-boosting adjuvant.

Aside from GSK, the FDA is also anticipated to render a verdict on Pfizer's RSV vaccine, which is a contender for the same age range, according to Axios.

Moreover, both Pfizer and GSK vaccines received the support of an agency panel of experts who affirmed their safety and efficacy.

Read Also: Sperm Donor Who Fathered Over 550 Children Stopped By Dutch Court

Medical Trial of GSK's RSV

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) causes cold-like symptoms and infects nearly everyone by the age of two.

However, RSV is the primary cause of hospitalization among newborns and young children, with between 58,000 and 80,000 hospitalizations reported annually among those under five years old. RSV also affects older adults, causing over 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 fatalities each year.

The main clinical trial of GSK's Arexvy vaccine focused on the safety and efficacy of a single dose in individuals aged 60 and over. The trial subjects will be monitored over the course of three RSV seasons to evaluate the period of effectiveness and the safety and efficacy of receiving the vaccine multiple times.

Based on the FDA, data from the first RSV season of the trial were available for the FDA's analysis, indicating that the vaccine significantly reduced the risk of RSV-associated LRTD by 82.6% and severe RSV-associated LRTD by 94.1%.

Approximately 12,500 participants received the vaccine, while another 12,500 received a placebo. During the trial, individuals who received the vaccine reported experiencing injection site pain, muscle pain, headaches, fatigue, and joint stiffness or pain as the most common side effects.

The FDA has mandated that the company conduct a post-marketing study to determine if there are any significant risks associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome and ADEM.

While this is not an FDA requirement, the company has committed to analyzing atrial fibrillation in the post-marketing study.

Related Article: US To End COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Employees, International Air Travelers Effective May 11
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Florida Republicans passed the Safety in Private Spaces Act on Wednesday, which has caused controversy in the LGBTQ community. The bill criminalizes the act of trespassing as a misdemeanor when an individual uses a bathroom that doesn't correspond with their gender at birth.

According to The Hill, the legislation, known as the "Safety in Private Spaces Act," is limited to restrooms and changing facilities found in state and local government buildings, schools, colleges, and detention centers.

The next step is for Governor Ron DeSantis to sign the bill into law.

Bathroom Bill Opposition and Support

Furthermore, Politico reported that the Safety in Private Spaces Act was heavily opposed by Democrats, who argued that the policy targeted transgender people. The bill was criticized for being inhumane and politicizing the use of bathrooms for the political advantage of conservatives.

Republicans, on the other hand, claim that the bill is about protecting public safety, decorum, and decency. They argue that allowing transgender individuals to use bathrooms that do not align with their birth sex could lead to potential safety issues for women and children.

Despite Republicans significantly scaling back the measure so that it no longer applies to bathrooms in restaurants, gas stations, and other businesses, Democrats still vehemently opposed the legislation.

Under the new bill, any individual aged 18 or older who enters a restroom or changing facility not corresponding with their gender at birth and refuses to leave when asked by someone else can be charged with a second-degree trespassing misdemeanor. Additionally, local school districts must create code of conduct regulations to discipline students who engage in similar conduct.

The "Safety in Private Spaces Act" bears similarities to bills that have been considered in states with conservative leanings, such as Arkansas, Iowa, Alabama, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.

Opponents argue that the legislation criminalizes transgender people for using bathrooms that align with how they live their lives every day. They believe that the bill opens the door to abuse and mistreatment, especially of the LGBTQ community.

Supporters of the bill, however, believe that the legislation is necessary to protect public safety. They argue that gender-specific bathrooms exist to maintain the privacy and safety of individuals who use them and that allowing transgender individuals to use bathrooms that align with their gender identity could create potential safety risks.

Read Also: DeSantis' Push for Conservative Education Draws Scrutiny: Rejecting Gender Identity, African American Studies

Expansion of the "Don't Say Gay" Law

Furthermore, as reported by the Associated Press, Florida Republicans approved multiple bills on the same day. This includes one that prohibits diversity programs in colleges and another that prohibits students and teachers from being compelled to use pronouns that do not align with an individual's biological sex. This move builds on the top priorities of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and strengthens his hardline conservative agenda.

According to Advocate, the Senate passed a comprehensive bill that extends the law known as the "Don't Say Gay" policy. The move has received criticism from the LGBTQ community, which believes that it restricts freedom of expression and reinforces discrimination against transgender people. They argue that using a person's correct pronouns is a matter of respect and basic human dignity.

This bill prohibits school personnel or students from being compelled to use pronouns that do not correspond with an individual's biological sex. It also prohibits teaching gender identity and sexual orientation in the classroom up to the 8th grade, which aligns with a previous move by the DeSantis administration to bar such lessons across all grades.

As these bills move toward becoming law, the impact they will have on LGBTQ individuals and communities in Florida remains to be seen. It is likely that the fight over these issues will continue in the courts and at the ballot box in the coming years.

Related Article: FTC Cracks Down on Meta's Facebook for Privacy Violations, Proposes Restrictions on Underage Data Collection
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After a kindergartener died, Detroit officials are currently probing a possible outbreak of undisclosed diseases at Marcus Garvey Academy.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District announced on Wednesday that the school has been hit by a high rate of flu-like symptoms.

The common symptoms that the children have been experiencing include vomiting and fevers, which are prominent in their younger students.

Although the cause of the kindergartner's death has not yet been determined, officials are not ruling out the possibility that it could be related to the outbreak. The school has been closed for deep cleaning and is not set to reopen until Monday.

Detroit Public Schools' Possible Respiratory Illness Outbreak

As reported by the Associated Press, the Detroit Health Department is leading the investigation, working closely with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the school district.

Parents and caregivers of children aged four to seven have been advised to monitor them for symptoms and seek medical care immediately if they experience fever, vomiting, lethargy, headache, nausea, or abdominal pain.

Dr. Claudia Richardson, medical director for the Detroit Health Department, stated that the agency is assessing an apparent increase in illnesses amongst students at Marcus Garvey Academy.

The cause of the outbreak has not yet been confirmed, but some experts believe that the continued circulation of respiratory viruses may be contributing to the spread of the illness.

Dr. Kevin Dazy, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Michigan, suggests that this may be due to the city's ongoing winter weather, which has caused children to spend more time indoors this spring.

He further explained that it is not uncommon to see another wave of respiratory illnesses at this time of the year.

While the hospital has not reported any patients connected to the Garvey Academy outbreak, Dr. Dazy believes that the confined spaces in classrooms make it easy for one child to infect others.

The Lack of Identification and Delayed Diagnoses

Although it is still unclear why the source of the outbreak has not yet been identified, doctors often test less for respiratory viruses during off-peak seasons.

This could delay the diagnosis of such outbreaks. Dr. Dazy noted that it is still challenging to identify the root cause of the Garvey Academy outbreak, and the lack of early testing might have contributed to the delay.

Dr. Mark Rosenthal stated that respiratory ailments are prevalent in both adults and children, however, children's lungs may be more susceptible to complications like infections, which can have severe consequences.

Typical viral respiratory infections that affect children are coughs, influenza, colds, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Read Also: Mother-Daughter Duo Make History as First To Co-Pilot International Flight for FedEx

Children's Center Temporarily Closed Due to an Outbreak of Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease

According to NBC, in a separate incident, a Detroit daycare facility, the Focus: HOPE Center for Children, closed temporarily for deep cleaning because of an outbreak of hand, foot, and mouth disease.

The center has reported 17 cases as of Tuesday, and it is scheduled to reopen on Monday.

Hand, foot, and mouth disease is a mild illness that spreads easily through droplets from coughs or sneezes or contact with contaminated surfaces or objects. While it is common in infants and children under five, it is unlikely to be related to the outbreak at Garvey Academy.

The outbreak at Marcus Garvey Academy is still being investigated, and the cause of the illnesses remains unknown.

Parents and caregivers are urged to remain vigilant and seek medical attention promptly if their children exhibit any symptoms of flu-like illnesses.

The health department is expected to provide further updates as the investigation continues.

Related Article: North Carolina Republicans Pass Bill Restricting Abortion Access to 12 Weeks, Sparking Controversy
AGHDAM, Azerbaijan, May 5. The Barda-Aghdam railway line in Azerbaijan began to be built in accordance with the decree of President Ilham Aliyev dated November 24, 2020, Tural Abbasli, Head of the Construction Supervision Department of Azerbaijan Railways CJSC, told journalists in Aghdam, Trend reports.

The total length of the road along the axis is 47.1 km. Together with the side tracks, 57.8 km of the railway is planned to be built, of which 56.9 km has already been laid.

According to Abbasli, five side tracks are currently being laid at the Aghdam station, so it remains to build a road that will provide a connection to the railway line, which is one kilometer.

"About 90 percent of the design work has been completed and the rest of the work consists in the construction of station buildings. Work has already begun on the demolition of the Barda station, and a new station will be built. The foundations of the Kocharli and Tazakend stations have been laid. Design work has been completed at the Agdam station, and the completion of the design work is expected in early July, while the start of construction in July-August," Abbasli said.

In addition, according to him, work remains on the electrification and construction of communication lines, which is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The department head also noted that repair work has begun on the Yevlakh-Barda railway line.

"It is expected that this road will also be reconstructed in the future, the average transportation capacity of which is 10 million tons," Abbasli concluded.
Photo: (Photo : Matthew Hatcher /Getty Images)

In response to rising concerns over school safety, Flint Community Schools in Michigan have implemented a backpack ban, which came into effect on May 1st, 2023.

The decision was made by the Flint Board of Education, which voted unanimously in favor of the policy, citing concerns over firearms, weapons, and threats on school property.

CBS reported that the new policy allows small purses for personal items, clear plastic bags for gym clothes, and lunchboxes "within reason."

However, these bags will also be subject to searches by school officials.

If a student brings a backpack to school, they will be sent to the office, and a parent or guardian will need to pick up their belongings.

School Safety Remains a Top Priority in Flint Community Schools

The decision to implement a backpack ban in Flint Community Schools was made in response to the ongoing debate and discussions on how to keep children safe while they are in school.

The school district's officials believe that this new policy, coupled with an increased security presence across the district, can better control what is being brought into their buildings.

According to the Flint Community Schools, they are making significant efforts to establish a safe and protected environment for their instructors, students, personnel, and families, as stated by the institution.

School security is still a crucial subject for districts nationwide, and it is no exception in Flint.

The district is adopting a comprehensive approach to ensure safe learning spaces for students, which requires difficult choices and calls for flexibility, empathy, and a common sense of urgency from the school community to prioritize safety.

Rising Threats and Weapons in Schools

Unauthorized items, such as weapons, have been on the rise in schools across the nation, regardless of the academic level.

Backpacks provide a convenient means for students to conceal weapons that can be dismantled and are difficult to detect, stashed inside books, pockets, or other objects.

To address this issue, school authorities are contemplating a ban on backpacks and bolstering security measures throughout the district to better monitor items entering the premises.

According to The Hill, the decision to implement a backpack ban comes amid recent school shootings that have sparked nationwide conversations about school safety.

One such incident was the shooting that took place at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, last month, where a gunman shot and killed six people, including three 9-year-olds.

The incident has prompted many school districts, including Flint Community Schools, to take a closer look at their safety protocols and make changes where necessary.

Read Also: FTC Cracks Down on Meta's Facebook for Privacy Violations, Proposes Restrictions on Underage Data Collection

Parents and Scholars Urged to Continue Dialogue About Safety Concerns

The Flint Community Schools' administration regards threats made against the school community and the introduction of weapons onto school grounds as grave matters, and they want parents and students to be aware that these actions have legal consequences.

They urge parents and guardians to maintain an honest and open conversation with their children regarding their welfare and safety.

The implementation of the backpack ban in Flint Community Schools is a step towards ensuring the safety and security of everyone inside the school premises.

While it may inconvenience some students, the school district believes that this policy, along with an increased security presence, will help prevent weapons from being brought onto school property.

Flint Community Schools officials are committed to doing everything in their power to create safe and secure environments for their scholars, and they urge parents and students to continue to be vigilant about school safety.

Related Article: Kindergartner's Death Prompts Detroit Officials To Investigate Unidentified Illnesses at Marcus Garvey Academy
A new article has appeared in Interpreter: A Journal of Latter-day Saint Faith and Scholarship: Understanding the Lamanite Mark, writtten by Clifford P. Jones

Abstract: The Book of Mormon describes a dark mark on the skin that distinguished people who rebelled against God and his laws from those who obeyed God. The Old Testament refers to a mark that fits this description and has nothing to do with natural skin color. The law of Moses prohibited the Lords covenant people from cutting sacrilegious marks (ancient tattoos) into their skin. The Bible simply calls these prohibited tattoos marks (Leviticus 19:28). This biblical meaning of the word mark, together with biblical meanings of other related words, helps us understand all Book of Mormon passages associated with the Lamanite mark.

Can atheists be good?

The unequivocal answer is that, yes, unbelievers can be good  and I hasten to add that, in my experience and reading, they quite often are. There is actually biblical support for this, in such passages as Romans 2:14-15:

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another. (Romans 2:14-15)

Now, Ill admit that that particular selection of Jacobean English is more than a tad obscure. So lets try, say, the Common English Bible:

Gentiles dont have the Law. But when they instinctively do what the Law requires they are a Law in themselves, though they dont have the Law. They show the proof of the Law written on their hearts, and their consciences affirm it. Their conflicting thoughts will accuse them, or even make a defense for them.

The apostle Paul is saying in that passage that even unbelievers  the Gentiles in his day were people who had not received or accepted biblical revelation  have moral principles written in their hearts. For most things, they dont need direct divine commands to judge right from wrong. They might be unaware of a divine prohibition on smoking cigarettes or a divine commandment to partake regularly of the sacrament, because such things are matters of special revelation given to the Latter-day Saints. But they know, mysteriously but quite certainly, that murder is wrong, as is tormenting animals for pleasure, and that kindness and service to others are good. Some mainstream Christian thinkers have seen in this an effect of general revelation, not unlike what Jewish thinkers have called Noahide laws or Noachic laws.

The question  and it is a very important one  is, What is the basis for such moral knowledge? Im not inclined at this point to try to answer it, except eventually to suggest what the basis probably cannot be.

All of those who read this blog entry, I hope, will agree that the Holocaust was morally wrong. But on what basis do we come  instantly, I would presume  to that judgment?

In his book A Devils Chaplain, the Oxford biologist and polemical atheist Richard Dawkins writes that

Science has no methods for deciding what is ethical. That is a matter for individuals and society. (Richard Dawkins, A Devils Chaplain: Reflections on Hope, Lies, Science, and Love [New York: Houghton Mifflin, 2003], 34)

And, of course, hes right on that. But on what basis are individuals and society to make such decisions?

We say that the Holocaust was wrong. However, advocates of the Third Reich not only believed it to be right but an imperative moral duty. (They were convinced Social Darwinists.) Were they wrong? Or was it merely a matter of preferences, like a taste for broccoli or a distaste for split pea soup? For a person living under the Third Reich, the society in which he lived had made the determination, or seemingly so. Should he dissent or resist? On what basis?

One might respond, of course, that the Third Reich was a moral anomaly, and that the surrounding non-Nazi world rejected the lethal anti-Semitism of Hitler and his associates. And that is, of course, more or less correct. So perhaps Professor Dawkinss morality-determining society should be bigger than merely Germany, Austria, and occupied France?

Alright. Suppose, now, that the Reich had won World War Two and even conquered the entire world  and that it eventually convinced all, or even a majority, of its global subjects that the Final Solution was morally justified. (The Nazis were, after all, extraordinarily adept practitioners of the art of propaganda.) Would it have actually become right? If society as a whole believed the extermination of lesser races to be morally correct, if every single person worldwide affirmed it to be right, would it be morally correct? If not, why not? On what basis?

For Richard Dawkinss New Atheist ally Sam Harris  whose bestseller The End of Faith includes a chapter titled A Science of Good and Evil (Professor Dawkins! Call your office!)  questions of right and wrong are really questions about the happiness and suffering of sentient creatures. (Sam Harris, The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason [New York: W. W. Norton, 2005], 178)

But which sentient creatures? Molluscs are sentient. So are shrimp and lobsters and crabs, and we eat them. We farm and eat fish, chickens, sheep, and cows, who are plainly sentient. In H. G. Wellss 1895 novel The Time Machine, which describes a future in which humanity has evolved into two distinct groups, the Eloi live off the labors of the Morlocks, much as the Third Reich sought to exploit the inferior races (e.g., the Slavs) that it didnt altogether exterminate. (The German noun Sklave and its English counterpart, slave, both derive ultimately from the medieval Latin sclava [Slavonic, captive].) On what basis should one of the Eloi object to the enslavement of the Morlocks? To the limited extent that they think about anything at all, every Eloi would undoubtedly think it the natural order of things. And, every 0nce in a while, the Morlocks would pick off one of the Eloi and eat it. On what basis should an (inconceivable) Morlock philosopher criticize such predatory behavior? Isnt it rather like deer-hunting for venison?

Ill return to this.

In the meantime, though, here are a couple of issues (and multiple links) from the immediate surroundings of the Christopher Hitchens Memorial How Religion Poisons Everything File:

Utah says porn sites must verify users are adults. Heres how one of the biggest sites responded: New age verification law takes effect Wednesday

Porn group sues Utah over law requiring age verification

Podcast: Religion ghosts in Pornhubs battle with Utah, Louisiana and red-state America?

As background for the items above you might find this interesting and of use:

Study: Pornography  mainstream or violent  a risk factor for couples: The study by BYU in the Journal of Sex Research found a particularly strong risk for relationship stability

Also found in the vicinity of the Hitchens File is this otherwise cheery item: Opinion: Loneliness is a killer: U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy says action needs to be taken immediately. Many studies have found that religious involvement  prepare yourselves for the horror of it!  mitigates loneliness and enhances mental, physical, and emotional well-being. For the advisory itself, see here. (Incidentally, according to the Brigham Young University homepage, BYU professor & international expert on loneliness and social isolation Julianne Holt-Lunstad is the lead scientist on a new National Advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General about the epidemic of loneliness and isolation facing our country and the extraordinary healing power of our relationships.)

Posted from Park City, Utah
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. A polling station has been set up at the Turkish Embassy in Azerbaijan in connection with the presidential and parliamentary elections in this country opened for voting at 9:00 (GMT +4) today, Trend reports.

Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan Jahit Bagchi voted first.

According to the Embassy, all preparations for the Turkish citizens permanently or temporarily residing in Azerbaijan to vote have been completed.

In order for Turkish citizens are able to vote, 9 ballot boxes will be installed in Baku on May 5, 6, 7, 3 - in Ganja, 3 - in Nakhchivan, in total 15 ballot boxes. Voting will last from 9:00 to 21:00 (GMT +4).

In accordance with the earlier decision of the Central Election Commission, 156 polling stations were opened in 75 countries. They are located at Turkish diplomatic missions. At border points, land checkpoints, airports and sea harbors of the country, 4,600 points have been set up for voters.

Presidential elections are scheduled to take place in Turkiye on 14 May 2023, alongside parliamentary elections. Voters will elect a president for a term of five years. Early elections in the country were postponed due to the deadly earthquake. It is estimated that about 65 million voters will cast their votes in the elections (over 60 million in the country, and some 3.6 million abroad).

The president of Turkiye is directly elected through the two-round system, under which a candidate must obtain a simple majority (more than 50 percent) of the popular vote in order to be elected. If no candidate secures an overall majority outright, then a runoff is held between the two most voted-for candidates from the first round, the winner of which is then declared elected.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been the president of Turkiye since 2014.
Covid is no longer a global emergency, according to leaders at the World Health Organization (WHO)  a symbolic moment the pandemic is near its end.



Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the UN health agency, said Friday: 'It's with great hope that I declare COVID over as a global health emergency.'



However, he stopped short of declaring the pandemic over, warning that the virus still posed a threat in developing countries that have not had access to vaccines.



It comes as the final pandemic restrictions in the US are set to end Thursday months after President Joe Biden declared the pandemic 'over' for America.



The pandemic, which triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended the global economy, and killed at least 7million people across the world.



Read Full Story .... Dailymail.co.uk >>> :









Source: Dailymail.co.uk









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President Akufo-Addo says his government is working assiduously to find a lasting solution to the issues of land and chieftaincy issues across the country.



He believes it is the major cause of most internal conflicts in Ghana.



So far in our governing system, we have not found a satisfactory way of dealing with it, he admitted, reason he said his government is working hard to find ways of dealing with them amicably.



He gave the assurance when the chiefs of the Nanung Traditional Council in the Northern Region led by the Nyelinbolgu Naa, Yakubu Andani Dasana called on him at the Jubilee House Tuesday evening.



The chiefs raised issue over some of their lands and chiefs being under the Oti Region but not being given proper recognition to the extent that chiefs unknown to the kingdom were being imposed on them.



President Akufo-Addo indicated that in such situations where lands that have been in the ownership of the people for a long time did not become part of the administrative set up they belong, it could create issues, with sometimes unscrupulous people taking advantage to create further divisions and conflicts.



He, therefore, commended the Regent for raising the issue even though he acknowledged the fact that it is not peculiar to their traditional area alone but a national phenomenon.



On the security of the area, the President expressed delight that there is peace in the area.



I am very happy to hear that because at any one stage my biggest concern is to make sure that there is peace in the area, was how he put it.



That, he said, was the reason government continues to equip the police to maintain law and order whilst protecting lives and properties.



Even that, he said still there are gaps that have to be filled and that efforts would be made to fill them and we should have that reassurance government would do its best to make sure that the issues of lawlessness in the area are dealt with.



President Akufo-Addo also assured that government would deal with their concerns about the expansion of the Bimbila Hospital to cater for the increasing number of patients as well as the request for the construction of health training institute for the area.



Naa Andani Dasana commended the President for his remarkable commitment to the welfare and progress of Ghanaians, saying we are fortunate to have you as our President especially in these turbulent times largely occasioned by external factors.



That, he said, was due to the fact that history has shown that great leaders emerge not from rosy moments but troubled times.



He was grateful for the support the people of Nanung has so far received especially through various social intervention programmes which has impacted on the lives of the people.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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At least seven teachers have been killed in a shooting at a school in northwestern Pakistan, following a separate attack in which another teacher was shot dead, Geo TV reported.



Both incidents took place on Thursday in the Parachinar area of Kurram tribal district near the border with Afghanistan, the local television channel said.



It said the motive behind the killings remained unclear, and that the teachers killed in both incidents belong to the countrys Shia Muslim minority.



Al Jazeeras Kamal Hyder, reporting from Islamabad, said the gruesome incident took place in an area that has witnessed in the past sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni tribes.



Most of the teachers who were killed belonged to the Turi Shia tribe, Hyder said.



The tribal district contains a majority Shia population who are often attacked by armed groups as part of the local Taliban movement.



This particular attack targeted the teachers while they were in the staffroom . . . they were there to conduct examinations which are under way throughout the province for lower secondary school, he said.



The circumstances have remained mysterious, as not many people were able to see what had transpired, how many attackers were involved, or what their motives were, Hyder said.











Read Full Story .... Aljazeera >>> :









Source: Aljazeera









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The Electricity Company of Ghana has asked consumers using its electricity app to pay their bills to be patient with them.



Managing Director of the company, speaking to the press on Thursday, May 4, in Accra, admitted that the ECG is having internet connectivity problems but will soon rectify it.



"Our power app is still going through an enhancement. We are receiving traffic. I must admit, we've been having some internet problems from our internet service providers and we are working hard to switch to a better one or add on to it so that our service becomes dynamic."



He, however, noted that the users can use the app to view their bills and urged them to pay their bills while the company works around the clock to address the challenges.



"On the power app now, you can actually view your bill. We are doing our best to make sure that all those whose information is on our system will be getting an estimated bill monthly until finally we can visit your premises to give you your meter," he said.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) has engaged the media in Koforidua to highlight the Authority's activities in the Petroleum Downstream industry and respond to industry-related questions from the media.



The Head of Planning, Mr Dominic Aboagye spoke on Fuel Supply and Availability in Ghana while the Eastern Regional Manager, Mr David Kena explained key operational issues of NPA in the region to the media.



A member of the Governing Board of NPA and Chairman of the Consumer Services sub-committee, Mr Kwami Sefa Kayi, who graced the occasion lauded the NPA for the sensitization drive and urged the media to be more proactive by asking the NPA industry-related questions for clarifications.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Ministry of Information has strongly condemned the recent attack on a journalist at Dagbon FM in Tamale.



In a press statement issued on Thursday, May 4, 2023, the Ministry expressed concern over the incident and urged the Ghana Police Service and relevant agencies to promptly investigate and prosecute the alleged perpetrators.



The Ministry of Information has noted with concern reports of an assault on a journalist at Dagbon FM, in Tamale. The Ministry condemns the act and urges the Ghana Police Service and relevant agencies to investigate and prosecute the perpetrators, the statement said.



It described as totally unacceptable the attack on the broadcaster and emphasized the importance of protecting journalists and ensuring that they can carry out their work without fear of violence or intimidation.



Background



Some unknown men physically assaulted Abubakari Sadiq Gariba, a radio presenter with Dagbon FM in Tamale during a live broadcast on Wednesday for reportedly criticizing one of the unnamed men for discussing the Abudu and Andani conflict on a political campaign platform.



This statement emphasized that the assault on the Dagbon FM presenter was a serious violation and must not be countenanced calling for severe and speedy response from law enforcement agencies to prevent copy-cat acts and maintain Ghanas status in upholding press freedom.



The Ministry expressed support to the victim of the attack with the Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah personally reaching out to Mr Gariba during a telephone conversation assuring him of the Ministry's assistance if needed.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Inspector-General of Police, Dr. George Akuffo-Dampare has assured the Journalist attacked at Tamale in the Northern Region, Sadiq Abubakari Gariba that his attackers will be arrested very soon.



The victim, whos a radio show host with Dagbon Radio was attacked while hosting a live show by the regions Former Deputy Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Hardi Pagazaa, who stormed the station and started an altercation.



Earlier, the panel had been discussing issues about the Ghana National Fire Service in the region.



What have I done to you? the NDC member is heard saying after he barged in with another man who also shouted, Stop mentioning his name if you dont want to die.



Hardi Pagazaa held the broadcaster by the neck in an attempt to drag him out of the studio resulting in a scuffle.



The incident has been roundly condemned by the Ghana Journalist Association(GJA) and many civil society organizations.



Starrfm.com.gh is reliably informed that the IGP in a telephone conversation with the victim to sympathize with him gave him the firm assurance that the police will arrest the suspects and bring them to face justice.

Source: Starrfm.com









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Galamsey queen Aisha Huang has admitted to breaching the immigration law when she appeared in court.



This was after she changed her plea in the immigration offence she is facing at the High Court from not guilty to guilty.



She has therefore been convicted on her plea for entering Ghana while she had been prohibited.

The judgement has however been deferred until the entire trial is over.



She however maintained her plea of not guilty on the three counts of undertaking a mining operation without license, facilitating the participation of persons engaged in a mining operation, the illegal employment of foreigners.



This was after months of trial when Aisha Huang decided to change her plea in the immigration offence.



The decision follows the prosecutions presentation of its last witness, an immigration officer who testified to Aisha Huang entering the country illegally.

Source: dailyguidenetwork.com









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Former President John Mahama has said he will fix the free senior high school (SHS) programme if he wins the 2024 presidential election.



Speaking at a campaign tour in Kongo in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region, Mr Mahama who is seeking a comeback, said the current form of the free SHS programme is appalling and counterproductive.



In his view, it is rather encumbering students and parents instead of its intended purpose of providing some academic and financial respite.



Free SHS is not working properly," he told the delegates on his tour, explaining that neither the parents nor students are reaping its fruits.



"I can tell you today that the money we are spending on our children to go to school is far more than when we used to pay school fees," Mr Mahama said.



We are going to repair the free SHS and make it better and create the situation that when school reopens, all the children will go together and when they vacate they all come home together.



He also repeated an earlier call for the resignation of Health Minister Kweku Agyemang-Manu over the "failed" national health insurance scheme.



The NHIL is completely destroyed. The minister himself said there is no benefit to the NHIL card and that when he goes to the hospital, he pays cash and that was why I said he should resign," Mahama said.



He promised: "NDC is coming to make it better.





Source: ghanaweb.com









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Kumawood actor, Salinko has disclosed that he and his wife have gone their separate ways after years of marriage.



According to him, he is currently divorced, however the reasons for their divorce remains sketchy.



"I have to break that I and my wife are no longer together. We have divorced. Right now, I am a divorcee. As you can see, I no more wear my ring," he said in an interview with Poleeno Multimedia.



Salinko, known in real life as Abraham Kofi Essuman Davis, revealed that her wife woke up one day and suddenly told him "she is fed up" with their relationship, therefore calling for a divorce.



"Madam just said she is fed up. We had a meeting with her father. This happened in 2001 and the father also said her daughter is fed up. I didn't beat her nor do anything to hurt her," he said.



He further stated that their divorce had nothing to do with promiscuity, stressing "my wife wasn't promiscuous. The same way when you ask her about Salinko, she will tell you I am not a womanizer and we didn't divorce because of promiscuity".



Salinko added that the divorce nearly caused him to lose his mind.



"I nearly went mad," he blurted out.





Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana









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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The impact of the geopolitical changes in the world on the global supply chains was inevitable. To avoid major disruptions, the largest players in Eurasia began to find gateways to shift from their usual routes. In this regard, many of them turned to Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyevs transit development strategy has once again proved to be exceptional.

The routes through Azerbaijan are now more attractive than ever, as the country creates all conditions to ensure safe transit in the shortest possible time. Azerbaijans modern railway, automobile and maritime transport infrastructure saves money and time. No wonder that the volume of cargo transit through Azerbaijan increased by more than 75 percent over the last year.

The economies of Central Asia have long ago established solid cooperation with Azerbaijan, especially, in regard with establishing stable transit routes through the Caspian. The countries of the region are using Azerbaijans infrastructure even more actively right now. For instance, just recently, Kazakhstan has reached an agreement with SOCAR to deliver 1.5 million tons through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline in 2023. Following this deal, Kazakhstans oil supplies through Azerbaijan jumped to 163,436 tons in 1Q2023 from 28,875 tons over the same period of 2022. Currently, negotiations are underway to build up these volumes further.

Moreover, Azerbaijan is also a transit point for Kazakhstans uranium exports to Europe. Since Central Asia is one of the worlds largest regions for uranium deposits and is eager to expand its production and processing of this resource, and while several European countries are now looking to revive their nuclear power development, Azerbaijan here is crucial in terms of providing supply ways, so both the sides benefit.

As President Ilham Aliyev noted, as he addressed the 4th international conference on Shaping the Geopolitics of the Greater Eurasia: from Past to Present to Future in Shusha on May 3, today, Central Asia expresses more interest in transport infrastructure on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Central Asia and Azerbaijan in the future can be more integrated because, of course, first of all, transportation, security issues, because today issues of transportation security and access to export markets for Central Asian countries become more important than a while ago. It's understandable why. And here is a friendly country with already modern transportation infrastructure whether its railroad, sea ports, biggest fleet in the Caspian, also, by the way, growing number of vessels in the Black Sea, President Ilham Aliyev pointed out.

Being at a crossroads of the main transport routes of the continent, such as the Middle Corridor, North South Corridor, and, potentially of the One Belt and One Road initiative, Azerbaijan will continue to play substantial role in their relevance, and will highly contribute to their development.

Here, the project of the Zangezur corridor will be one of the decisive elements for the successful development of these routes. As this route can be a part of the One Belt and One Road, as well as the North South Corridor, the potential of this project expands from regional to global.

Zangezur corridor is important not only for Azerbaijan and Armenia, but I think on a global scale. Because we expect a growing number of cargoes, growing volume of cargoes. So, the more roads we have the better. As far as we're concerned, next year we will complete the construction of the railroad, which was dismantled during the times of occupation and it was sold on the market by Armenians from Fuzuli to Zangilan, almost to Armenian border and 40 something kilometers on the territory of Armenia. If built, that will be, of course, an international project, President Ilham Aliyev explained.

Regarding the development of the Middle Corridor, Azerbaijan is now investing additional funds into the expansion of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad on the Georgian territory, having already allocated about $140 million to expand the capacity of this route up to 5 million tons by railroad. It is expected to achieve these numbers in approximately one year from now.

Azerbaijan is considered to be an important part of that project [Middle Corridor], especially now. So, we are very optimistic, what adds optimism is, first, that we made very good homework, as I said already, we modernized completely and still in the process of final, final touch, I would say, to modernize and to prepare more capacity for transportation infrastructure. At the same time more interest from Central Asia to use our infrastructure, President Ilham Aliyev mentioned.

Located at the intersection of North-South and East-West transport corridors, Azerbaijan is recognized as an important transport and logistics hub of the region. International transport corridors through its territory have a great advantage in terms of both distance and time. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Baku International Sea Trade Port further enhance opportunities in this regard. At the same time, these opportunities increase the volume of transit cargo.

Recent geopolitical uncertainties have led to significant changes in transport and logistics. Here is when Azerbaijan has come to the rescue. Having invested billions of dollars into transport infrastructure over the past 30 years, Azerbaijan has created new opportunities for the countries of the wider region. Thanks to the farsighted policy of President Ilham Aliyev in regard with developing the regions transit potential, today, everyone turns to Azerbaijan because of the efficiency and convenience of the routes the country provides.
Before Kain Heiland left for a sleepover in Red Lion last month, his stepdad told him to stick up for his mom if his friends made any inappropriate comments about her as they had recently.

Kain, who his family says stood up to bullies and loved his mom dearly, took this request to heart. He told his friend Nolan Grove to be quiet when the 13-year-old joked about Kains mom during the April 1 sleepover.

You know what happens, Nolan responded, reaching into his sweatshirt, pulling out his fathers .380-caliber gun, and pulling the trigger. The bullet went into Kains back and killed him.

On Friday, Nolan was charged with third-degree murder and a number of related offenses in connection to Kains death. York County District Attorney Dave Sunday said authorities are trying to find a secure juvenile facility in which to hold Nolan.

Kains mom Devin Rexroth said she hadnt met Nolan until April 1, when he and another boy hung out at Kains house before heading off to their sleepover. She said Kain was supposed to come home early the following morning to go shoot BB guns with his stepdad.

Rexroth was a teenager when she gave birth to Kain, and said they grew up together. Kain enjoyed helping his mother cook, clean and take care of his 5- and 4-year-old brothers. Kain and his mother were best friends, his family said.

Although the charges are the first step toward their family getting peace, Rexroth said Nolans arrest does not take away her grief. She said she hopes Nolan pleads guilty so her family doesnt have to deal with the emotional turmoil of a trial.

I just wish I still had my little boy, she said. He was going to be a man someday that God wanted him to be.

Several months ago, Kain walked to the front of Red Lions Family of God Community Church and asked God to save him so he could go to heaven one day. On April 12, family and friends gathered there for Kains funeral.

A funeral was held Wednesday, April 12, 2023 for 12-year-old Kain Heiland, who was shot and killed earlier this month in Red Lion, York County.

The communitys been amazing for us. I love all the support weve had, Rexroth said.

Kains family said he loved Pokemon, flamin hot Cheetos and cheering for the Baltimore Ravens.

Nolan, Kain Heiland and another boy spent April 1 wandering around town, in and out of the homes of Grove and the third boy. Nolan eventually grabbed a .380-caliber handgun with a laser from his house, where he lived with his father. According to the affidavit, Nolan kept loading and unloading the weapon and told his friends he wanted to shoot it.

State police said they obtained surveillance footage that showed Nolan pointing the gun at Kains chest the evening of April 1 while they were at their other friends house.

Take your finger off the trigger, Kain said, according to court documents. This is not fair, Im the only one without a gun. The affidavit said the third boy was carrying a BB gun.

Nolan was later heard saying that he wasnt afraid to shoot anybody, and he would if he could, according to the affidavit.

Court documents said another child was on FaceTime with the boys at around 7:52 p.m. when Nolan pointed the gun at Kain while Kain was lying on the ground, shielding his face  less than an hour before Kain was shot. State police said they obtained a screen recording of the FaceTime in which Nolan is pointing the laser from the gun at Kains chest.

Rexroth said she does not think shell ever know for sure what happened the day her son died, or why.

I feel a little better but Im still really depressed and sad, she said. Nothing could ever bring my son back.

Kain Heiland, 12, was shot and killed April 1, 2023, on the first block of First Avenue in Red Lion. Pennsylvania State Police said Kain's 13-year-old friend shot him. (Photos courtesy of Linda Arvin)

READ: Im so sorry, K, 13-year-old said after killing friend during argument: affidavit
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has issued a warning that raw milk sold in Susquehanna County may be contaminated and should not be consumed.

In a news release, the department said A Joy raw milk should be discarded.

Tests following a report of potential bacteria contamination confirmed the presence of listeria monocytogenes bacteria in half gallon and gallon plastic jugs at the A Joy Farm store at 21 Lalor Lane in Little Meadows, Susquehanna County.

The tainted raw milk may be unlabeled and undated, or may bear the A Joy label and A2 or A2/A2 product description.

The department said the producer of the milk has refused to issue a recall, post a notice, or supply a customer list for direct notification.

Symptoms of listeriosis are fever, muscle aches, nausea and diarrhea.

Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems. Listeriosis in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, serious infection of the newborn, or stillbirth.

The department said there have been no reported illnesses attributed to the raw milk.

READ MORE: Check your pantry - General Mills recalls some Gold Medal flour after testing reveals salmonella.
Supermodel Heidi Klum is showing fans that she still has it, even while standing next to her teenage daughter.

Klums new photoshoot features both her and her 18-year-old daughter posing in lingerie together, and now the 49-year-old model is facing backlash because of it, according to media sources.

Pictures of Klum and her daughter Leni were shared on Instagram Tuesday as the two teamed up in an ad campaign for the Italian lingerie brand Intimissimi, according to reports from The Independent and Yahoo.

In the Instagram photos, Klum posed in a purple and white bra and matching underwear while Leni wore a white lace bra and matching underwear, along with a cream-colored long-sleeved pajama top.

While the Americas Got Talent judge doesnt allow Instagram comments, naysayers voiced their concerns about the photos on Lenis Instagram account.

Somehow its weird to see mother and daughter in underwear, one wrote. I mean, how many were photographed like this with their mother.

Someone else sarcastically wrote, First thing I think of when I want to pose in my intimates: My mom should be here!

Overall though, the comments were mixed.

Legend and legends daughter, one wrote, while another wrote: QUEENS, with a red heart emoji.

Another commenter defended the photo and wrote, Its 2023 ... she is a young woman ... not a child. They are beautiful, and a very close, loving family. would have loved to have a beautiful loving Mother like her.

One commenter took the time to explain their confusion about the backlash.

This is actually a very classy ad for underwear, beautifully embracing the Italian background of this brand, the commenter wrote. Its mother and daughter in everyday underwear and if you automatically sexualize this, that is your problem! You might wanna think about the fact that not every womans body in underwear is meant to be sexual and that it is just a regular clothing item.

This isnt the first time mother and daughter have experienced a negative reaction over clothing.

The campaign comes months after the two first posed for an Intimissimi campaign in October 2022, which resulted in backlash about the appropriateness of them posing in underwear together, Yahoo reported.

But the backlash doesnt seem to bother the duo in the least.

Yiiiipppppiiiiiiii our new @intimissimiofficial campaign is here, Klum wrote on her Instagram page, along with a photo of Klum and her daughter holding hands in their lingerie and two other photos of each by themselves.

The brand also shared the pictures on their social media.

In an interview with Page Six last year, Leni revealed that she doesnt look at the comments.

I honestly didnt look at a lot of the reactions, she said at the time. I am overall happy with the campaign, and I had an amazing day with my mom. I think the photos turned out great, and we had an amazing time.

Read More:
Chipotle is a well-beloved food franchise thats kept peoples bellies full since 1993.

But did you know Pennsylvania is among the states that love Chipotle the most?

PennStakes.com lifted consumer analytics from ScrapeHero.com  a full-service provider of data  in order to rank each U.S. state on how much deep affection they hold for the food chain.

They added in Google Trends search volume for the phrase Chipotle near me in the past 90 days as well, parsing all the information out by location in order to determine final rankings.

Pennsylvania scored the ninth overall spot, solidifying its place among the top 10 Chipotle-loving states in the country. The study adds how the Keystone State also has about 9.14 Chipotle restaurants per 1 million people, a 4% share of Chipotles in the nation, tied with Virginia for second lowest among the top 10.

Indeed, theres no shortage for people who are gaga for Chipotle across the country in general: A 2019 Investopedia article details how the chain was an incredibly lucratively one, and achieved popularity from a consumer need of wanting healthy food with integrity.

Chipotle was born of the radical belief that there is a connection between how food is raised and prepared, and how it tastes, reads Chipotles website. Real is better. Better for You, Better for People, Better for Our Planet. It may be the hard way to do things, but its the right way.

States who claimed the top three rankings were Arizona (third), Maryland (second) and Ohio (first).
Update: N.J. pasta dumper identified as man trying to get rid of moms hoard

Hundreds of pounds of cooked pasta dumped in N.J. woods Quite pasta-bly one of the weirdest things we've ever seen.  Someone dumped an estimated 500 pounds of cooked pasta near a stream in Old Bridge last week and everyone wants to know why. https://l.nj.com/Qlq4Cb Posted by NJ.com on Thursday, May 4, 2023

Local police are investigating the mysterious dumping of 15 wheelbarrow loads of pasta along a creek in a residential section of Old Bridge, New Jersey, last week, officials said.

Police were contacted after local officials learned of the piles of pasta April 28 from photos circulated on several local Facebook groups, said Himanshu Shah, Old Bridges business administrator. The towns Department of Public Works cleaned up the pasta.

DPW visited the site and did in fact find what appeared to be 15 wheelbarrel loads of illegal dumped pasta along a creek in a residential neighborhood, Shah said in a statement.

The mounds of pasta were found in the area of Hilliard Road and Mimi Road, adjacent to the Iresick Brook, Shah said.

It is unclear if the pasta  which appeared in the photos to be spaghetti and macaroni  was already cooked or if it had been left at the site uncooked and softened when it was exposed to moisture.

We would estimate several hundred pounds of uncooked pasta that was removed from the packaging and then dumped along the creek. It looks like it was only there for a short time but moisture did start to soften some of the pasta, Shah said.

Pasta was dumped by a creek in Old Bridge, residents say. (Nina Jochnowitz | Facebook)

Photos of the illegal dumping were posted on Facebook by Nina Jochnowitz, who previously ran for council in the towns sixth ward. She said she was contacted by a concerned citizen who alerted her to the bizarre discovery.

Jochnowitz said she was taken to the area and took photos that she posted on her social media account on April 26.

She alleged the town was previously alerted about he pasta dump and did not respond. But, the town business administrator denied there was a delay in cleaning up the pasta.

The township did not receive any calls or report from any residents except the Facebook post, Shah said.

Once the police report was filed, Shah said two public works employees arrived to clean the area. They were able to clean up the estimated 500 pounds of the pasta in under an hour and properly dispose of it, he said.

Residents near Iresick Brook told NJ Advance Media they were baffled by the unusual dumping incident.

Why does somebody have 500 pounds of pasta? Cooked? Its a little bizarre, said Gail Fehl, who has lived in the area near the stream for 62 years.

Usha Kirchoff, another longtime resident, said people have dumped garbage near the stream before. Given the large amount of pasta dumped, Kirchoff questioned who might have such a large amount.

A local restaurant employee said one establishment doesnt even have enough pasta on hand to dump that much.

The incident remains under investigation by police, Shah said. A police spokesman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Old Bridge Township has many wooded areas and occasionally deals with illegal dumping, Shah said. But, he has never seen anything quite like the mounds of pasta left by the creek.

We have not had such large quantities of food dumping, Shah said.

The dumped pasta covered an area of about 25 feet near the stream, residents said. Nina Jochnowitz

Staff writer Chris Sheldon contributed to this report. Vashti Harris may be reached at vharris@njadvancemedia.com. Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com.
A Wisconsin company has agreed to pay a $15.8 million civil penalty related to charges that it failed to immediately report a defect with 32 of its generators that posed a risk of finger amputation.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Generac Power Systems of Waukesha, Wisconsin, agreed to pay the penalty.

The settlement resolves CPSCs charges that Generac failed to immediately report to CPSC, as required by law, that 32 models of its Generac and DR 6500 Watt and 8000 Watt portable generators contained a defect that could create a substantial product hazard and created an unreasonable risk of serious injury to consumers, the commission said in a news release.

The commission said that from October 2018 into 2020, Generac was receiving reports of consumers who had fingers that were partially amputated or crushed by the unlocked handle of the portable generator. Despite possessing this information, Generac did not immediately report to the Commission.

When Generac did finally report the issue, the commission said five people had received finger amputations while attempting to transport the portable generators, which required hospitalization, surgery, and/or sutures and resulted in permanent disfigurement.

Generac and the Commission jointly announced a recall of the portable generators on July 29, 2021.

In November 2022 the recall was again initiated after 37 reports of injury - including 24 resulting in finger amputations and five in finger crushing.

In November the commission said the recall included about 321,160 generators that were sold at home improvement and hardware stores nationwide and online including Ace Hardware, Amazon, Costco, Do it Best, The Home Depot, Lowes, Napa Auto Parts, Orgill and True Value from June 2013 through June 2021 for between $790 and $1,480.

The models recalled were:

XT8000E - model numbers G0064330, G0064331, G0064340, G0064340 and G00664342

XT8000EFI - model numbers G0071620, G0071621 and G0071621R.

GP6500 - model numbers G0076720, G0076800, G0076800R, G0076812, G0076830, G0076830R, G0076902, G0076902R and G0076903.

GP6500E - model numbers G0076820, G0076820R and G0076822.

GP8000E - model numbers G0076731, G0076751, G0076751R, G0076761, G0076761R and G0076861.

PRO 6500M - model numbers GP16505DMN and GP16505DMNR.

PRO 6500E - model number GP16505DEN

HomeLink 6500E - model numbers G0068650, G0068651 and G0079960.

Generac has more information about the recall and a free repair that is available here. The repair kit consists of a set of spacers to move the handle away from the frame, eliminating the pinch point.

READ MORE: Stop driving these older BMWs immediately, automaker says, as risk to occupants is dire.
HAMILTON, Ohio  A man who went to pick up his grandchildren from school Thursday accidentally got his foot stuck between the pedals of his vehicle, causing it to accelerate and crash through the wall of the school.

Although the car caused heavy structural damage to Ross Intermediate School in Butler County, Ohio, there were no children in the room in which the car crashed and no injuries were reported, the Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The room the car hit serves as therapy room for the school.

Students and staff were evacuated from the building after the crash, which occurred at about 3 p.m., WLWT Channel 5 reports.

Just to be safe we got everybody out of the building, Ross Local School District Superintendent Chad Konkle tells Fox 19. We shut off power, gas, electric, all that good stuff. We followed our safety protocol and everybody is safe.

About 400 students attend the school, which will be closed on Friday, the Enquirer reports.

More:

Police ID 3 found dead in crashed car after police chase in Dauphin County

Driver was texting, speeding before crash that killed Camp Hill woman: police
By James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram (TNS)

FORT WORTH, Texas  A meteorologist from North Texas who runs the weather forecasting website and social media accounts iWeatherNet is going viral after posting that he had a gun ready when a child rang his doorbell and that he made the child cry.

In the posts, which have since been deleted but were shared on Twitter as screenshots by the user @TisStef, Chris Robbins also said the child was looking for a lost kitten.

In the first of the two screenshots of his posts, Robbins wrote that his 6 was loaded, referencing a handgun, when a child rang his doorbell and that kids shouldnt ring doorbells.

Folks you do NOT ring doorbells in 2023, Robbins wrote in the post screenshot that was shared on Twitter.

In a second post screenshot, Robbins expanded on the details of the incident, saying the girl was looking for a lost kitten, that he made her cry and told her he would pull her hair if she rang his doorbell again.

Im so impatient, Robbins wrote in the second post. I feel bad because I warned her that I might pull her hair if they rang my doorbell again. She started crying. ... I told her to call animal control because I saw them in the neighborhood a few days ago.

According to the screenshot, Robbins wrote in the post that he was sharing the story to warn people about the dangers of ringing a strangers doorbell.

Read the news. Stop it, he wrote. If my doorbell rings again tomorrow I might pull someones hair lol. Im just playing, but it really is a bad idea for kids roaming around ringing doorbells. Its not 1972. If that brat rings my doorbell again tomorrow I will call the police. Take notes.

The National Weather Association, of which Robbins said in his bio he was a member of the social media committee, revoked his membership for violating the organizations code of ethics and policy.

The American Meteorological Society, where Robbins used to work as an associate editor of the weather and forecasting journal, also tweeted Monday to clarify that he has not been a member of its team since 2018 and that it would be looking further into the incident.

Robbins has since apologized in a new Facebook post for what hed originally shared.

According to a biography on the iWeatherNet website, Robbins is the founder and chief meteorologist of the organization. His Twitter bio says he is from Southlake. He lists his work experience as including jobs at the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service in Fort Worth.

In an apology posted to Facebook Wednesday, Robbins said he was just in a terrible mood and lashing out on social media and that he helped the girl find the cat.

Im truly very sorry for the ridiculous post that I made a few days ago about the doorbell, Robbins wrote in the apology. Temporarily lapse in judgment and we all make mistakes. I love everyone and I hope you all can forgive me. My point was, in light of recent events involving doorbells, its not a good idea to go around the neighborhood ringing them. I couldnt harm a flea. I helped that little girl find her kitten.

Robbins has received backlash from Twitter users since the post with the two original screenshots was made Monday but some support for his apology.
BMW is telling owners of about 90,000 of its vehicles that they should not drive them because of an outstanding Takata airbag recall.

The automaker on May 4, 2023, issued a do not drive warning to the owners of vehicles built between 2000 and 2006 that are under recall for a defective Takata airbag.

Owners of these vehicles should park them immediately and contact BMW for more information, according to a news release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

A free repair is available as well as free towing or mobile repair, according to the NHTSA. BMW said, Do not drive your vehicle. BMW will come to you.

These vehicles are 17 to 22 years old, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire. These are some of the oldest Takata airbags under recall and have an extremely high probability of failure during a crash.

If the inflators rupture, the metal fragments ejected toward the drivers face could kill or leave them with devastating, life-altering injuries.

NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said, ... with every day that passes, they become even more dangerous as they can rupture even in a minor crash.

Models involved in this recall include: 2000-2006 BMW 3 Series (E46) including M3, 2000-2003 5 Series (E39) including M5, and 2000-2004 X5s (E53) equipped with certain drivers front airbag inflators manufactured by Takata.

BMW owners can check here to see if their vehicle is included.

In February of this year, Honda issued the same warning to owners of specific models of 2001-2003 Acura and Honda vehicles with defective Takata Alpha driver-side airbag inflators.

Millions of Takata airbags have been recalled, according to the NHTSA. In 2022, the Associated Press reported, Since 2009, exploding airbags have killed at least 33 people worldwide, including 24 in the United States.
With Cumberland County securing its place as the fastest growing county in Pennsylvania, six candidates for three open magisterial district judge seats say they understand the need to increase efficiency, while also treating cases carefully and on an individual basis.

The candidates are bringing their police, military, and legal backgrounds to the table, in the hopes of securing a seat on the bench.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Heydar Aliyev is a person who has exceptional merits in building a strong Azerbaijani state, Chairman of the Center for Strategic Research of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkiye Hasan Ulusoy said at the international conference on "Priorities of the Foreign Policy of National leader Heydar Aliyev", organized jointly by the Center for Analysis of International Relations and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.

According to Ulusoy, Heydar Aliyev implemented these processes when Azerbaijan was in a very difficult situation.

"We can say with confidence that the unique approach of Heydar Aliyev has also been reflected in foreign policy, he said.

The priorities of the great leader Heydar Aliyev included the protection of the national interests of his country on the international arena. It was very important for him that Azerbaijan established good relations with other countries. Azerbaijan has also become a reliable partner in the world in matters of energy security. This activity is successfully continued by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev," Ulusoy said.
A letter carrier from Harrisburg is being recognized by The National Association of Letter Carriers as one of its 2022 Heroes of the Year.

Christopher Lippy of Harrisburg is being recognized as a Special Carrier Alert winner for his alertness and his actions that ended a mail-fraud scheme targeting an older couple on his route.

Lippy, a mail carrier for 33 years, noticed that a couple on his route was getting a second change of address form.

It was early December, he said in a news release, when he received the change of address form for the wife of a married couple on his route. [I got one] for her first, and I thought maybe [it was for] Christmas, he said. Maybe she did it so Christmas presents would go somewhere else.

When Lippy got a second change of address form, this time for the husband, he went up to the door and informed them about the temporary requests. The association said both customers said they hadnt placed the requests, and the carrier said he also had noticed a significant drop-off in the amount of mail he was delivering to them and suggested that they may have been the victims of mail fraud.

After an investigation, the association said that the post office discovered someone had placed the requests through an online form and had been collecting their forwarded mail.

He put two and two together, the judges from the association said. He was very close to what was going on with the married couple and laser-focused on his customers.

Im happy about it, Lippy said about being named the winner. Its nice to be recognized.

The National Association of Letter Carriers Heroes of the Year will be honored by Paul Barner, the associations executive vice president at a luncheon next week at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C.

The other mail carrier from Pennsylvania that will be recognized is Anthony Picariello of Philadelphia. He underwent open-heart surgery as a child and his newborn daughter needed surgery as well. He spends much of his free time making holidays joyous for hospitalized children. He will be recognized as the Humanitarian of the Year.

Other carriers that will be recognized include Christine Cambizaca of Torrington, Connecticut; Eric Smith of Charleston, West Virginia; Darin Chew of Sun City, Arizona; Eric Beu, Casey Ritchie, Meagan Sperling and Jeremiah Grant of Oklahoma City; and Sherri Baker of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Because the pandemic prevented the prior two annual ceremonies from being held, the event also will recognize the 2020 and 2021 winners.

The National Association of Letter Carriers has 293,000 members.

Note: This post has been updated to include additional information and a photo of Christopher Lippy.

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An incident late Thursday night in Harrisburg brought around 15 city officers and around 10 Critical Response Team (CRT) officers to the Old Uptown Historic District.

The incident began around 10:30 p.m.

Police presence focused around Fulton and Delaware streets, where a CRT armored car parked as officials shouted commands to a man inside the residence in the 1900 block of Fulton Street.

Police cordoned off parts of North Fourth, Muench, North Fifth and Peffer streets.

Come out with your hands up, was shouted to a man inside.

Later, another man was heard yelling, We love you, your family loves you, come on down.

Police were dispatched to an incident in the area of Delaware and Fulton streets in Harrisburg on Thursday evening.

A Facebook user live-streamed parts of the incident and showed a shirtless man leaving a white building on Fulton Street just before midnight.

While CRT officers then departed the scene, Harrisburg Bureau of Police presence remained there for at least another hour.

More:

Parents who fled from house fire with daughter arrested: police

Ex-leader of drug task force goes to prison for stealing $171K in seized cash
Pennsylvanians who were misled by TurboTax into paying for what should have been free tax filings will start getting reimbursement checks this month as a result of the legal settlement with the tax services owner, according to the Pennsylvania attorney generals office.

The commonwealth will receive $4.76 million out of the $141 million multi-state settlement with TurboTax owner Intuit, Attorney General Michelle Henry said Thursday. Those funds cover 158,779 Pennsylvania tax filers who paid to file their taxes through TurboTax, even though they should have been directed to file for free under the IRS Free File Program.

Those affected will be contacted by the AGs office via email and should receive around $30 apiece, with checks arriving this month, Henry said Thursday.

By requiring consumers to pay for tax-return services that should have been available for free, Intuit cheated taxpayers out of their hard-earned money, Henry said in a news release. Intuits deceptive practices and aggressive advertising campaign were unnecessary and illegal; especially when the IRS offers free tax-return services for eligible consumers.

The IRS Free File Program is a public-private partnership under which the IRS has agreed to not offer its own online tax filing system but instead support private tax-prep systems who commit to offering free services to low- and moderate-income filers.

Starting in 2019, a series of ProPublica investigations revealed that Intuit, while participating in the program, was deceptively directing free-file-eligible TurboTax users to pay for premium services. The Federal Trade Commission launched an inquiry, and a class-action suit by state attorneys general resulted in Intuit agreeing to pay out $141 million in compensation, although the company admitted no wrongdoing.

Those who paid to file with TurboTax in the 2016, 2017, and 2018 tax years might be eligible for compensation, according to Henry. More information about the settlement fund is available at AGTurboTaxSettlement.com.

More:

Hey, its May and Pa.s Legislature is working! Will it produce? | John Baer

500 pounds of illegal dumped pasta found in N.J. woods
A Canadian university has launched a formal probe into allegations of academic fraud against state Sen. Doug Mastriano, according to news reports.

A panel of three academics will investigate issues involving Mastrianos 2013 doctoral dissertation from the University of New Brunswick after scholars came forward claiming it contained hundreds of inaccuracies, fabrications and omissions, the CBC reported.

The investigation comes six months after the university told the Associated Press it would create a committee to review Mastrianos dissertation, as well as policies for graduate study and complaint processes.

Mastriano last fall blamed the controversy on left-leaning professors who took issue with his political views.

...I did have concerns that some of the left-leaning professors there would hold my politics or my military background against me, he told Real Americas Voice radio last November.

James Gregory, a University of Oklahoma scholar who first raised questions about Mastrianos thesis on the World War I Army hero Sgt. Alvin York in 2021, confirmed to the CBC this week that his allegations were found to warrant a formal investigation.

In 2021 Gregory claimed the dissertation was plagued with academic misconduct and said the university acted with gross incompetence for failing to uphold academic integrity, according to the AP.

His dissertation and subsequent book are built upon falsified research, Gregory wrote in a letter accompanying a list of what he described as 213 cases of academic misconduct in the thesis. This has polluted the historiography of Alvin York causing every historian who used his work to have an inaccurate base on which their claims are built.

Mastrianos dissertation, including six pages of corrections, was released last year.

Mastriano did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Friday.

The committees recommendations will be completed in 60 days but the institutions policy says the report will not be made public, the CBC said.
SELINSGROVE  A month after a Black Lives Matter banner was vandalized at Susquehanna University two swastikas were found drawn on a whiteboard in an Apfelbaum Hall classroom.

As he did during the March incident, university President Jonathan D. Green condemned the conduct stating in a message to the Susquehanna community: Let us be clear: this is an antisemitic symbol of hate. Swastikas have long been used to terrorize Jewish people and promote a white supremacist agenda.

Hate does not belong here! Bigotry, racism, sexism, and acts of prejudice toward others based upon their religion, their gender identity, or that of those they choose to love do not belong here.
A teachers aide and marching band director was charged Tuesday with sexually assaulting a male student at Riverside High School in New Jersey, according to news sources.

Michelle Jacoby, 27, of Riverside Township, Burlington County, was charged with first-degree sexual assault and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child and was released Wednesday after an appearance in Superior Court, according to The Philadelphia Inquirer and 6ABC.

The investigation into the special education teacher began after authorities were told that the student told another teacher about his sexual contact with Jacoby. It had involved multiple encounters over a two-year span, according to reports.

Superintendent of the Riverside Township School District Michael Adams said in a statement that Jacoby has been suspended from her duties, according to reports.

The safety of our students and staff is absolutely paramount, Adams said in the statement.

I want to assure you that based on the information shared with me regarding this specific allegation from a few years ago, there is no current safety concern for our staff or students. The School District will continue to cooperate fully with the authorities regarding this situation and will continue to provide the appropriate support/training for our staff and students.

So far, the Burlington Township Prosecutors Office and the Delanco Township Police Department are continuing to investigate this case, 6ABC reported.

Read More:
Slogans like America First and Buy American may sound patriotic and designed to support American workers and businesses, but they may actually do more harm than good.

In fact, American protectionism can end up scaring not only countries we consider our business rivals, but those we consider our friends, as well.

Thats the message Canadas newly appointed consul general Tom Clark diplomatically brought during his recent visit to Harrisburg. And its one Pennsylvanians would do well to ponder.

Tom Clark is the new Canadian consul general to the United States.

Clark reminded us Canada is both a friend and neighbor to our country. In fact, it is arguable the closest friend we have in this mean world. Many Pennsylvanians hop across the U.S. border at whim for a quick vacation and welcome thousands of tourists from Montreal and Ontario. Lets not forget Canada is our countrys number one trading partner, and Pennsylvanias business ties with Canadians are nothing to sneeze at.

The new consul general came to Pennsylvania recently to underscore that point. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently appointed Clark consul general to the United States, and he comes with serious business experience. He served as Chair of Global Public Affairs, one of the largest public affairs and strategic communications firms in Canada. His private sector clients included senior executives in Canada seeking guidance on public policy, strategic business communications and investment.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau meets with President Joe Biden at the Summit of the Americas, in Los Angeles, Thursday, June 9, 2022. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press via AP)AP

Before joining the business community, Consul General Clark was one of Canadas most respected broadcast journalists.

In his recent trip to Pennsylvania, Clark spent several days meeting with lawmakers and business leaders, armed with some enlightening statistics to remind us just how close Canada is Pennsylvania.

Heres some of the information he shared:

Pennsylvania businesses sell more goods to Canada than to our next four largest foreign markets combined.

More than 300 Canadian-owned businesses employ nearly 25,000 workers in Pennsylvania.

Businesses in Pennsylvanias Congressional 9th district alone export $1 billion in goods to Canada each year, along with $33 million in services.

Businesses in PAs 15th Congressional district export $811 million in goods in Canada each year, along with $41 in services.

There are more than 40 Canadian businesses in Pennsylvanias 9th and 15th districts, employing more than 1000 people.

His points were well made. Pennsylvanias economy benefits from Canadian investment. Our businesses profit from trade with Canada. Jobs depend on trade with Canada. When we talk America first and Buy America, we are excluding a major trading partner, ally and friend.

That may not be what patriotic Americans intend when they shout these slogans, but its what our friends to the north hear. And it can be a little alarming.

In this Jan. 29, 2018, file photo, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, center, talks with the U.S. Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, right, and Mexico's Secretary of Economy Ildefonso Guajardo Villarreal after delivering statements to the media during the sixth round of negotiations in Montreal for a new North American Free Trade Agreement in Montreal. The new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement replaced the 24-year-old NAFTA. But national security tariffs that President Trump imposed on steel and aluminum imports from Canada remain. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press via AP, File)AP

We also need to remember protectionism can work both ways. We saw what happened when President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports in 2018. Canada retaliated and slapped down its own. Not sure who benefitted from that little tiff.

Clark came to Harrisburg to remind us our nations are stronger when we stand together. He emphasized the values and historic ties we share. He took time to nurture the warm relationship our people enjoy.

Were glad he did. Its time Americans stop the empty slogans that stoke tension and fear. Were scaring our friends like Canada even more than our enemies. And we hurting ourselves.

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By Dr. Chadd K. Kraus

Pennsylvanias physicians are experiencing a sense of deja vu as the state appears to be heading toward another medical liability insurance crisis.

The state was gripped by such a crisis approximately twenty years ago as trial lawyers pursued malpractice lawsuits by venue shopping. This meant bringing cases in counties where the juries granted excessively high awards, even if the injury did not occur in those counties. Philadelphia and Allegheny counties were the most popular among such lawyers. Consequently, medical liability insurance costs soared, leading to early physician retirements and limited services in hospitals and outpatient facilities, causing critical care deprivation, especially for women seeking obstetrics and gynecology services.

According to some accounts, Pennsylvania had the worst medical liability environment in the nation.

The state government took a series of reforms in the early 2000s that stabilized the insurance market, and medical practice and patient care resumed as before. The most significant reform dealt with where lawsuits could be brought. Venue reform required medical liability lawsuits to be filed in the county where the injury occurred, and this ended trial lawyer venue shopping, saving Pennsylvanias healthcare delivery system.

However, in August 2022, the state Supreme Court reverted to the previous venue rules, discarding twenty years of commonsense jurisprudence and medical care stability. This move meant that venue shopping returned to Pennsylvania on January 1, 2023. The trial lawyers are back to their old ways, as evidenced by the data from Philadelphia County, where the number of medical liability cases rose significantly in 2023 compared to the same period last year.

The state Supreme Courts new/old venue rule, commonly known as a nexus rule, allows a medical liability lawsuit to be brought in any county that has a connection to the alleged injury. In 2023, it is far easier to establish a nexus to Philadelphia and Allegheny counties than it was 20 years ago. For instance, UPMC owns hospitals throughout the Commonwealth, meaning a physician in Williamsport could find herself defending a lawsuit in Allegheny County. Similarly, Lancaster General Hospital is affiliated with Penn Medicine, so the nexus to Philadelphia County courts is easy to establish.

However, the fact that two major integrated healthcare systems are headquartered in the two highest jury award payout counties should not affect whether a lawsuit can be brought in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. If a lawsuit is initiated, it should be filed and litigated in the county where the care was provided, not where the highest malpractice financial award might be won. This is simply common sense.

The Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians (PACEP) calls on the General Assembly and Gov. Josh Shapiro to enact reasonable and logical reforms to avoid another medical liability insurance crisis.

These include establishing Subject Matter Jurisdiction in the county of the alleged injury, reforming the current Certificate of Merit statute to require an actual medical expert report from a Pennsylvania licensed physician of the same training and specialty as the defendant physician, and restricting damages computation to only the economic indicators found in the county of the alleged injury.

PACEP pledges to work with the legislature and Governor Shapiro on these and other common sense reforms to prevent another medical liability insurance crisis. The time to act is now, before patients suffer due to a lack of vital services, causing deja vu all over again.

Chadd K. Kraus is physician and president of the Pennsylvania College of Emergency Physicians (PACEP).
Two Pennsylvania state senators are proposing legislation to restrict childrens use of social media accounts.

The proposal, which grows out of increasing concern over the impact the technology is having on young peoples mental health, would require parental consent for minors 16 and under to open a new social media account.

If enacted into law, this proposed bill also would ban data mining for any social media user under the age of 18. It also would allow parents or legal guardians to sue social media companies for harm done to their child.

The bipartisan measure to be offered by Sens. Kristin Phillips-Hill, R-York County, and Vincent Hughes, D-Philadelphia, is modeled after legislation introduced in other states including Ohio and Connecticut as well as the proposed federal Clean Slate for Kids Online Act. That federal legislation seeks to give people a right to demand that internet companies delete all personal information collected from or about a person when they were under 13.

In a memo to their Senate colleagues seeking support for their proposed bill, Phillips-Hill and Hughes wrote, We are facing a mental health crisis in the commonwealth. The data shows far too many minors are struggling with mental health, a fact laid bare during the COVID pandemic, and that social media is a contributing factor.

Moreover, Phillips-Hill said young people particularly those 15 and under may not think about the long-term consequences of what they post online and its potential impact on future job or college applications and thats why she believes parental guidance is necessary.

I think this is a good way to empower Pennsylvania parents as well as help address the mental health crisis that were seeing in the commonwealth and the fact that so many folks have attributed a lot of these challenges to social media, she said.

A 2022 Pew Research Center survey found 35% of 13- to 17-year olds reported using YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat or Facebook almost constantly, with TikTok and Snapchat being the most popular with this age group. A similar Pew survey conducted in 2018 found about a quarter of young teens found social media had a mostly negative effect on their life.

Further driving the senators desire to clamp down on teens social media usage was Bucks Countys decision to join a class-action lawsuit against four social media giants. In it, the county alleges TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Facebook have inflicted harm on the mental health of the countys children and caused an uptick in behavioral issues.

They seek unspecified monetary damage for the increased cost to the county to provide mental health services to address young peoples growing level of despair and to pay for law enforcement resources resulting from social media-related misbehavior.

The proposed Senate bill also would require parents and guardians to be notified if a new social media account was opened by a minor under 16 without their consent and it would allow individuals to request information collected about them when they were under 18 be deleted.

Phillips-Hill recently saw her bill prohibiting TikTok on state-owned devices and networks unanimously pass the Senate. PennLives survey of state agencies in December found they have already taken steps to curtail commonwealth devices from accessing that site.

Jan Murphy may be reached at jmurphy@pennlive.com. Follow her on Twitter at @JanMurphy.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 4. The fourth meeting of the EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue was held on 3 May 2023 in Brussels, Trend reports.

The meeting was co-chaired by Enrique Mora, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, and Hikmet Hajiyev, Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

The participants discussed the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, regional security issues, and the EU's role in supporting peace and stability in the region. They also engaged in a constructive discussion on issues of mutual interest in the area of foreign and security policy, and possible future cooperation, among others, on cyber and hybrid threats, fighting violent extremism and terrorism, and on space-related activities. Azerbaijans role as a reliable energy partner was also highlighted.

"In our fourth EU-Azerbaijan Security Dialogue, the EU reconfirmed its interest in enhancing cooperation on foreign and security policy issues, and readiness to work for the benefit of peace, security and stability, especially in the current challenging international context marked by Russias war of aggression against Ukraine. The EU is driven by the goal to contribute to building a stable, peaceful South Caucasus. The EUs key interest is that the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan progresses. The EU stands ready to support the peace process, also in the trilateral Brussels format facilitated by President of the European Council Charles Michel," said EEAS Deputy Secretary-General Enrique Mora.

Hikmet Hajiyev, in his turn, noted that Azerbaijan is a reliable partner of the EU in the region.

"Azerbaijan significantly contributes to the energy security of Europe. Azerbaijan actively promotes peace and stability in the region and contributes to global efforts to fight against terrorism, radicalism, illegal migration, and drug trafficking. Currently Azerbaijan conducts unprecedented reconstruction and humanitarian mine clearance in its territories. We highly appreciate the financial support of the EU on mine action. Azerbaijan presented five basic principles for a peace treaty to Armenia, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity and sovereignty. Azerbaijan supports the initiatives to normalize relations with Armenia, including the Brussels peace process facilitated by President of the European Council Charles Michel," he said.

In conclusion of the meeting, the EU and Azerbaijan agreed to continue regular exchanges on foreign and security policy issues relevant for them and for the wider region. They also agreed to pursue further work on emerging connectivity issues in the region.
Canadian Mary Foster of Quebec camps outside the Mall near Buckingham Palace before the coronation of King Charles III in London on Thursday, May 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. We support our brothers in Karabakh liberated after 30 years of occupation by all possible means, Trend reports via the tweet of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkish President noted that Turkiye attacks terrorist organizations decisively, including in Libya and Syria, with its political, diplomatic, and military might.

"Despite the fact that our country is the geopolitical center of three continents, for many years it has been governed by a single-vector foreign policy course. Thanks to the efforts of our diplomats, we have a confident, proactive, and humane foreign policy course," he said.

Erdogan pointed out that today Turkiye is one of the five countries in the world with the widest diplomatic ties. The number of diplomatic missions of the country around the world has grown from 163 to 260.

"We will not allow anyone to influence our domestic policy and interfere with our national will," he said.

The President of Turkiye expressed confidence that the country will achieve even greater diplomatic successes.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The best thing for Armenia is to accept new realities, former U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza said, Trend reports.

He made the remark during a panel discussion held within the framework of the international conference "Priorities of the foreign policy of national leader Heydar Aliyev", organized by the Center for Analysis of International Relations (AIR center) and the Academy of Public Administration under the President of Azerbaijan,

"Karabakh is Azerbaijan. The country has militarily secured its territorial integrity, and although Azerbaijan is a victorious country, it wants peace, unlike Armenia. So the best thing for Armenia is to accept the new realities. I don't believe there will be a war again. But I think it is possible that Armenia will take some provocative steps to violate the peace," Bryza said.

Also during his speech, Bryza underlined the importance of opening Azerbaijan's Zangezur corridor.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Karabakh conflict were introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, the Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

Following the liberation of its lands, Azerbaijan from Nov. 2020 started carrying out operations on clearing its lands from mines, booby traps, and various weapons left behind by the Armenian troops.
It was an action-packed start to the 25,000 EPT High Roller as the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo Casino starts to wind down. There were a total of 183 entries over the course of the first 10 levels of play and just 95 players bagged up chips to move on to Day 2.

Argentina's Alejandro Lococo bagged one of the biggest stacks with an impressive 361,500, good for 241 big blinds. Close on his heels were Juan Pardo (302,000), and Romain Lewis (251,000) who finished in the top five.

Lococo is no stranger to these types of fields, having won the 1,100 No Limit Hold'em Eureka Main Event at EPT Barcelona for 417,820 just over a year ago, Lococo will look to continue his run good to add to his already $2.3 Million in live tournament earnings.

Lithuania's Marius Kudzmanas bagged the chip lead with a stack of 364,000. Not much is known of Kudzmanas, but his spectacular play on Day 1 showed he will be a force to be reckoned with.

Top Ten Chip Counts

Rank Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Marius Kudzmanas Lithuania 364,000 243 2 Alejandro Lococo Argentina 361,500 241 3 Juan Pardo Spain 302,000 201 4 Romain Lewis France 251,000 167 5 Orpen Kisacikoglu Turkey 239,000 159 6 Ben Heath United Kingdom 228,500 152 7 Sam Grafton United Kingdom 223,000 149 8 Felipe Fontoura Brazil 213,500 142 9 Dominykas Mikolaitis Lithuania 212,500 142 10 Marton Czuczor Hungary 206,000 137

Day 1 Action

The action got underway at 12:30 p.m. local time with 41 players in their seats for the 50% registration fee rakeback offered by PokerStars. Despite the single reentry format, the number of entries grew consistently throughout the day.

Last year's event attracted a total of 179 entries, and that number has already been surpassed. With late registration and reentries still open until the start of Day 2, that figure will be sure to grow significantly.

Many of the biggest and best names in poker joined the field throughout Day 1. Some who were in the mix but not fortunate enough to find a bag included WSOP Main Event Champion Martin Jacobson, Women in Poker Hall of Fame inductee Maria Ho, and nine-time bracelet winner Erik Seidel to name a few.

Martin Jacobson

Many other big names who ran deep and bagged up a stack for Day 2 include PokerStars Ambassador Sam Grafton (223,000), High Stakes regular Seth Davies (176,000), and Ben Heath (228,500), who eliminated Jean-Noel Thorel on his last bullet in the final level of the day.

Late registration will remain open until the start of Day 2 for those that still wish to play or for those that still have a reentry available to them. Day 2 will begin at 12:30 p.m. local time at Sporting Monte-Carlo, where another ten levels will be on the schedule. The PokerNews live reporting team will be back on the tournament floor to bring you all live updates throughout the day.
A record-tying field of 1,098 entries has been dwindled down to just six players in the 5,300 EPT Main Event at the 2023 PokerStars European Poker Tour presented by Monte-Carlo Casino. Nearly a full five levels were completed on Day 5 before play came to an end with 35 minutes remaining in Level 29.

On the last hand of the night, Leo Worthington-Leese took over the chip lead with the elimination of Jason Wheeler in seventh place. Worthington-Leese will return for the final day with a stack of 8,270,000 chips. The British poker player is attending only his second EPT festival and only has one prior EPT result on his poker resume. This will also be his first six-figure score as he looks to lay claim to his first major title as well.

Trailing in his footsteps is seasoned veteran Mike Watson, who is all too familiar with this position in a tournament. Watson, who has over $18 million in career earnings, also has an EPT title. The Canadian high-roller can often be found in the larger buy-in events at the series and is looking to hoist another EPT trophy and add to his illustrious career. Watson will be returning to a stack of 8,135,000 chips, just two big blinds short of the leader.

The others that are still in contention include Joachim Haraldstad (5,130,000), Leonard Maue (4,305,000), and two Frenchman Samy Boujmala (3,675,000) and Arnaud Enselme (3,415,000) rounding out the field. It will still be anyone's game when the action resumes as the short stack will still have more than 34 big blinds to work with.

Final Table Seat Draw

Seat Player Country Chip Count Big Blinds 1 Samy Boujmala France 3,675,000 37 2 Mike Watson Canada 8,135,000 81 3 Leo Worthington-Leese United Kingdom 8,270,000 83 4 Leonard Maue Austria 4,305,000 43 5 Arnaud Enselme France 3,415,000 34 6 Joachim Haraldstad Norway 5,130,000 51

Day 5 Action

There were 13 players who returned for the penultimate day of the 5,300 EPT Main Event at the usual time slot of 12:00 p.m. Things started off with a bang on the feature table when Boujmala rivered the nut straight against the inferior straight of Arunas Sapitavicius. That was followed by an outburst on the outer table when Wheeler checked back an unthinkable holding, only to make the right decision against Maue.

There were no eliminations in the first hour of the day, but that changed when two players hit the rail simultaneously. Nicola Grieco was the victim of a runner-runner flush from Ori Hasson on the outer table while Kenan Taylor rivered a pair only to fall to the overpair of Haraldstad.

Despite picking up some chips early on, Hasson was soon cut down to the short stack by an aggressive Wheeler. Hasson lasted just a few minutes on the feature table until his ace-jack was no match for the ace-king of Maue. The same could be said for Oleg Vasylchenko who was chipping up nicely before running a failed bluff attempt. Unfortunately for the Ukrainian, he risked it all on the river and was picked off by the flush of Haraldstad.

With the final nine players gathering at a single table on the PokerStars Livestream, the eliminations came to a complete halt. The chip stacks were relatively even for the most part, with the short stack still holding north of 25 big blinds. Over 3.5 hours of poker occurred with chips constantly rotating around the table and all nine players still intact.

However, Maduka Meragal was unable to gain any forward momentum as he was left to grind out a short stack. Meragal eventually found top pair on the flop and opted to go with it but was out-kicked by Worthington-Leese. There was no help on the runout for Meragal who was eliminated in ninth place.

Just prior to the dinner break, Watson took over the chip lead at the expense of Sapitavicius' tournament life. The Lithuanian barrelled three streets with top pair top kicker, with the river being for the last of his chips. However, Watson rivered a flush and made the easy call to bring the field down to just seven.

With major ICM implications in play, the final seven players were treading very carefully over the course of the next hour. Some big folds were taking place while Wheeler tried to maneuver on the short stack. After defending a raise from the big blind, Wheeler flopped a flush draw with two over cards but found himself up against a set from Worthington-Leese when all of the chips went in the middle. Wheeler was unable to improve which left the final six players bagging up their chips.

Jason Wheeler eliminated in seventh place

They will return tomorrow for the sixth and final day of this event where the cards will go in the air at 12:30 p.m. local time. There will be roughly 35 minutes remaining in Level 29 with the blinds at 50,000/100,000 and a 100,000 big blind ante. The levels will continue to be 90 minutes in length until just three players remain and then they will be reduced to 45 minutes.

The official final table participants were all guaranteed at least a six-figure payday, with Meragal still earning a healthy 82,000 plus for his ninth-place finish. The final six players have each locked up at least 180,900 thus far, but the pay jumps will be increasingly more significant en route to the 890,000 first-place prize.

Final Table Payouts and Results

Place Player Country Prize (EUR) Prize (USD) 1st 890,000 $978,039 2nd 556,600 $611,659 3rd 397,450 $436,766 4th 305,750 $335,995 5th 235,150 $258,411 6th 180,900 $198,795 7th Jason Wheeler United States 139,150 $152,915 8th Arunas Sapitavicius Lithuania 107,050 $117,639 9th Maduka Meragal Canada 82,350 $90,496

The PokerNews live reporting team will be here to bring you all of the updates on a 30-minute delay to remain in sync with the PokerStars live stream. Stay tuned to find out who will become the 2023 EPT Monte Carlo Main Event champion.
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E. Jean Carrolls lawyers used a critical moment from Trumps deposition that might have lost the former presidents rape civil trial.

Video:

Lisa Rubin of MSNBC reported:

When the plaintiffs lawyers opened, that picture was the last thing that they showed the jury. They told the jury that they would hear from Trump in his own words that he had mistaken that picture of E. Jean Carroll for his wife  Im sorry, his second wife, Marla Maples, who was just his type. No question, thats extraordinarily powerful evidence.

I should also say that during that deposition, one of the things that I found powerful was when he was asked whether he owns the Access Hollywood statement about when you are a star they let you do it, he was asked, is that true? Rather than back away, he said, historically, for a million years, thats been the case. Fortunately, or unfortunately. Then she asked the damaging follow-up. Is it fair to say that you are a star? He said, thats fair to say. Yeah, when you are a star, they will let you do it. Im a star.

In a couple of swoops, Trump destroyed the idea that E. Jean Carroll wasnt his type by getting her confused with Marla Maples, and then he stood by his claim that being a star gave him an entitlement to sexually assault and rape women.

The jury got to hear Trump in his own words make these statements. That is a devastating act of self-incrimination which could easily cause him to lose the civil trial and lead to a jury concluding that he raped E. Jean Carroll.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. A phone conversation took place on May 5, 2023, between Azerbaijani Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeyhun Bayramov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, Trend reports.

During the conversation, the ministers exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and Turkiye, as well as on the current situation in the region.

The ministers also discussed negotiations on a draft peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

During the phone talk, the parties also touched upon other issues of mutual interest.
Aiken County recently received nearly $10 million from the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority to make improvements at the Horse Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The amount will go a long way toward helping us do some of the additional project work there that we are planning, said Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker. There is definitely going to be some work done on the Carrousels (Carrousel systems), and I think we may be putting one of the aeration basins back into service also.

The $9,852,300 grant from the Rural Infrastructure Authority raises the total the county has available to spend for upgrades to the Wastewater Treatment Plant to about $20 million, according to Bunker.

Its very important we continue to increase the capacity of the plant as Aiken County continues to grow, Bunker said. Here is the bottom line: If there are more users than the plant has the capacity for, it can halt development across the county.

At the facility, contaminants are removed from sewage, industrial wastewater and municipal wastewater so that the remaining liquid can be returned safely back into the environment.

The countys customers for that service include the City of Aiken and City of North Augusta.

In 2019, the Aiken Standard reported that $47.8 million in upgrades had been completed at the Wastewater Treatment Plant that were designed to help increase its capacity from 20 million gallons per day to 26 million gallons per day. But further improvements are required to make that higher capacity available throughout the facility.

Also known as the Horse Creek Pollution Control Facility, the Wastewater Treatment Plant is at 70 PSA Road in the Beech Island/Clearwater/North Augusta area.

Statewide, the 216 grants awarded by the Rural Infrastructure Authority were worth $1,369,633,226.

They included the following:

 $10 million to the City of Aiken for the construction of a new water treatment plant.

 $5,941,930 to Breezy Hill Water & Sewer Co. Inc.s for water treatment plant improvements.

 $1,463,027 to the Town of Burnettown for water system improvements.

 $3,451,535 to the New Ellenton Commission of Public Works for water improvements.

 $500,000 to the Town of Ridge Spring for water system and storm drainage evaluation.

 $959,438 to the Town of Wagener for wastewater treatment plant modifications.

 $3,189,934 to the Town of Jackson for water system improvements.

 $3,189,934 for water system improvements in the Town of Jackson.

 $7,656,789 to the City of North Augusta for sewer rehabilitation.

 $10 million to the City of Barnwell for wastewater service expansion.

 $5,199,688 to the City of Barnwell for a new elevated tank and wastewater rehabilitation.

 $950,747 to Edgefield County for Barton Road drainage improvements.

 $10 million to the Edgefield County Water and Sewer Authority for water treatment plant upgrades.

 $790,000 to the Town of Edgefield for gymnasium stormwater improvements.

According to the Rural Infrastructure Authority, the funds for the SC Infrastructure Investment Program, through which the grants were distributed, were allocated to the authority by the Palmetto State's General Assembly.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has delayed the expected completion date of a $14 million Aiken County project for the second time.

Kelly Moore, public engagement director for the South Carolina Department of Transportation, said the expected completion date of the Hitchcock Parkway project was late August.

The project includes resurfacing  adding a new layer of asphalt atop the old layers  from Silver Bluff Road to the Jefferson Davis Highway (US Route 1/78) and the addition of a shared use path which is a a bike path that can used by walkers, skaters and people in wheelchairs.

Also included are improvements to five intersections: Augusta Road (SC Hwy 421), Dibble Road, Huntsman Drive, Hickory Ridge Road/Oriole Street and Silver Bluff Road/Pine Log Road.

Moore added the project also includes drainage infrastructure upgrades and wider shoulders.

The project began in spring 2021 with an expected completion date of Nov. 30, 2022. In November, an SCDOT spokesman told the Aiken Standard project completion date had been moved to April 1.

Moore said the delays have been the result of an underperforming contractor that was removed from the project in accordance with federal requirements.

S.C. Sen. Tom Young, R-Aiken, said in a recent newsletter he and the rest of the county delegation would continue to push SCDOT and Reeves Construction, the prime contractor, on the project because of the danger and inconvenience motorists and residents face because of the work.

He sent a letter to Leland Colvin, deputy state transportation secretary for engineering, Feb. 27 asking for a status update on the project.

Colvin said Elite Concrete Contracting Inc., a disadvantaged business enterprise, had been released from the job in a March 13 emailed letter responding to Young's letter.

Colvin said Elite Concrete Contracting was performing all the drainage work on the project. He added following the federal requirements to remove Elite Concrete Contracting would delay the completion date approximately 120 days to July 30.

He said SCDOT was still coordinating with Carolina Gas for the relocation of a water service line near Dibble Road but added he believed they had reached a path forward on the issue.

Young said in his newsletter residents of Aiken, particularly south Aiken, are familiar with utility relocations being an issue. He said utility relocations delayed completion of Silver Bluff Road improvements by several months.

He added utility relocations are a statewide issue and that he had sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Christy Hall about how to improve utility relocations.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Sunshine and clouds mixed. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 89F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 64F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
After months of collecting acceptance letters to several top universities across the United States, the choice for Midland Valley High School student Daisy Gonzalez to attend Harvard University was an easy one.

I decided to apply on a whim. I always told myself that I would apply just to see if I could get in," Gonzalez said. "Ive never wanted to live with the regret of never applying and then living with the 'what if.'"

Gonzalez said she chose Harvard in part because its "financial aid made it extremely affordable" and because she felt that she could fit into the school and grow as a person and a student.

The senior, with a 5.395 GPA, is no stranger to academic excellence. In addition to being in the running for class valedictorian, she already received her associates degree from Aiken Technical College in Arts and Sciences. Midland Valley High School counselors also said that Gonzalezs college total scholarship awards could surpass $1.4 million.

In our minds, she is a five-star academic student, said Sheldon Higgenbottom, principal of Midland Valley High. Considering the schools that she is accepted by we just decided that this is what we wanted to do. Weve got some special students here, a lot of which are sitting up here and we think the world of and she is one of them too.

I never would have thought that as the daughter of immigrants that I would have the chance to attend any of these universities, so I am extremely grateful for everything that my parents have done for me, from sacrificing their lives to emigrate to this country and give me and my siblings the opportunity that we have today, Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez is thankful for her Aiken Tech and Midland Valley teachers. She is looking forward to studying at Harvard being a part of the academic environment.

Were there moments where I thought to myself am I doing too much? Yes there were. But are you really ever doing too much if it gets you into Harvard? I am really appreciative of the community here in the Valley, Gonzalez said. I couldnt have imagined going anywhere else, and I am just immensely happy to have had the chance to work with so many of the Midland Valley teachers even though half of my classes were with Aiken Technical professors. My teachers from Midland Valley prepared me for the next level and my teachers at Aiken Tech have prepared me for what is to come next.

We are so proud of her because I never thought that she would get this far and she did it, Gonzalezs father said. I am so proud of her and so proud of the entire family in each school that she has been into, the staff of when she started at Clearwater Elementary, LBC Middle and then with high school at Midland Valley, all of the staff that works in this school they really work hard with her to help her out to get what she needs.
This story was originally published by ProPublica.

The meeting was arranged in secret. On Nov. 19, 2021, the chief of staff for South Carolinas Senate Judiciary Committee texted Dalton Tresvant, a key aide to Rep. Jim Clyburn, the states most powerful Democrat.

Hey Dalton - Andy Fiffick here, he said. We wrapped up some morning things quicker than we thought, so if you want/can come earlier than 1:30 were available.

The state legislature had begun the crucial task of redrawing voting district lines after the 2020 census. Even small changes in the lines can mean the difference between who wins office, who loses and which party holds power. As the process commenced, Clyburn had a problem: His once majority Black district had suffered a daunting exodus of residents since the last count. He wanted his seat to be made as safe as possible. Republicans understood the powerful Black Democrat could not be ignored, even though he came from the opposing party and had no official role in the state-level process. Fortunately for them, Clyburn, who is 82 and was recently reelected to his 16th term, had long ago made peace with the art of bartering.

The old and new 6th District

Tresvant made his way to the grounds of the antebellum Statehouse, a relic still marked by cannon fire from Shermans army. The aide carried a hand-drawn map of Clyburns 6th District and presented it to Fiffick and the other Republican committee staffers who were working to reconfigure the states congressional boundaries.

Some of Tresvants proposals appealed to Republicans. The sketch added Black voters to Clyburns district while moving out some predominantly White precincts that leaned toward the GOP. The Republicans kept Tresvants map confidential as they worked through the redistricting process for the following two months. They looped in Tresvant again near the end, according to public records obtained by ProPublica.

The resulting map, finalized in January 2022, made Clyburns lock on power stronger than it might have been otherwise. A House of Representatives seat that Democrats held as recently as 2018 would become even more solid for the incumbent Republican. This came at a cost: Democrats now have virtually no shot of winning any congressional seat in South Carolina other than Clyburns, state political leaders on both sides of the aisle say.

As others attacked the Republican redistricting as an illegal racial gerrymander, Clyburn said nothing publicly. His role throughout the redistricting process has remained out of the public view, and he has denied any involvement in state legislative decisions. And while its been clear that Clyburn has been a key participant in past state redistricting, the extent of his role in the 2021 negotiations has not been previously examined. This account draws on public records, hundreds of pages of legal filings and interviews with dozens of South Carolina lawmakers and political experts from both sides of the aisle.

While redistricting fights are usually depicted as exercises in raw partisan power, the records and legal filings provide an inside look that reveals they can often involve self-interested input from incumbents and backroom horse trading between the two parties. With the House so closely divided today, every seat takes on more value.

More Information ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. Sign up for Dispatches, a newsletter that spotlights wrongdoing around the country, to receive our stories in your inbox every week.

South Carolinas 2021 redistricting is now being challenged in federal court by the NAACP. The organization contends that Republicans deliberately moved Black voters into Clyburns district to solidify their partys hold on the neighboring swing district, the 1st. A three-judge federal panel ruled in January that aspects of the states map were an unconstitutional racial gerrymander that must be corrected before any more elections in the 1st District are held.

But Clyburns role already has complicated the NAACPs case. The judges dismissed some of the groups contentions partly because Clyburns early requests drove some of the mapping changes. The Republicans are now appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has yet to decide if it wants to hear oral arguments in the case.

The redistricting process was the first South Carolina has undertaken since a series of Supreme Court rulings made it easier for states to redraw their districts. In 2013, the high court significantly weakened the Voting Rights Act, removing South Carolina and other Southern states, with their history of Black disenfranchisement, from Department of Justice oversight. And in 2019, the Supreme Court opened the door to more aggressive gerrymandering by barring federal court challenges on the basis of partisanship. But it can be illegal to draw lines based on race. Republican gerrymanders in Florida, Texas and several other states have recently been challenged for targeting Black voters.

The fight over the South Carolina redistricting has exacerbated racial wounds in a state where the growing White population now accounts for about 68 percent of residents, up from 66 percent a decade ago. Driven by the immigration of White retirees and a slow emigration of Black people, the states Black population has dropped over the years to just over a quarter of its 5.2 million residents. The GOP now controls all major state elected offices except for Clyburns seat.

Clyburns role highlights an underbelly of the redistricting process: In the South, Black Democratic incumbents have often worked with Republicans in power to achieve their own goals.

Few state Democrats will criticize Clyburn by name on the record. Bakari Sellers, 38, a former state Democratic lawmaker who once served on the redistricting committee, said, There is a very unholy alliance between many Black legislators and their Republican counterparts in the redistricting process. Clyburns district is probably one of the best examples. Moving that many Black voters into Clyburns district meant we eliminate a chance to win in other districts, he said.

Im not saying that we could win, but Im saying we could be competitive, and people of color, those poor people, those individuals who have been crying out for so long, would have a voice, Sellers said.

Clyburn speaks in the deep baritone of a preachers son, but his voice rises in anger when the subject turns to criticisms of his involvement in redistricting. Unfounded, he says.

In an interview, Clyburn said the redistricting plan signed by the Republican governor in early 2022 proves he did not get all that he wanted, mainly because his district lost its majority Black status. On questions about Tresvants work, a Clyburn spokesperson acknowledged that the office had engaged in discussions regarding the boundaries of the 6th Congressional District by responding to inquiries but did not answer detailed follow-up questions about his role. Tresvant did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Any accusation that Congressman Clyburn in any way enabled or facilitated Republican gerrymandering that wouldnt have otherwise occurred is fanciful, Clyburns office said in a statement, calling the notion a bizarre conspiracy theory. Clyburn agrees with the decision of the three-judge panel and hopes it will be upheld.

Backroom deals

Clyburns district, the 6th, itself resulted from what political experts would later describe as a racial gerrymander. After the 1990 census, a federal court imposed a plan that gave South Carolinas Black population, then about a third of the state, a fair shot at electing a member of Congress. It hadnt done so since 1897.

The 6ths boundaries brought in Black people from across the state to create a crescent-shaped district. Black people made up almost 6 in 10 residents. National Democratic Party strategist Bill Carrick, then a South Carolina campaign consultant, said race guided the GOP. It was like the Republicans decided, Lets see how many African Americans we can put into one district  instead of our own, he said.

This redistricting technique is known as packing. Packing can be a double-edged sword, giving underrepresented communities a voice but also limiting them to one  and only one  member of Congress. Clyburn, the first Black person in modern times to head a South Carolina state agency, won the seat in 1992. He rose to prominence in Washington, climbing to the post of House majority whip by 2007. His 2020 endorsement helped Joe Biden seal the Democratic presidential nomination, and he was recently named a co-chair of Bidens 2024 campaign.

Clyburns stature within the state was unparalleled. He had learned early in his career the value of backroom negotiations, at first dealing with staunch segregationists running the state government. His role in Washington required negotiating with GOP leaders to pass legislation though he would publicly criticize them when they rejected Democrats initiatives, like new voting rights proposals.

He is best known back home for delivering federal money. Clyburns name is emblazoned on taxpayer-funded structures all over the state, including a Medical University of South Carolina research center and an intermodal transportation center (otherwise known as a bus station) in his hometown, Sumter.

Clyburn also was willing to help local Republicans. When the family business of George Chip Campsen, a top GOP state leader, had a dispute with the National Park Service over how much it owed the federal government, Clyburn co-sponsored a Republican lawmakers bill to pressure the service into mediation. The parties then settled in 2002 on favorable terms to the Campsen family company. Clyburns office said he did nothing improper. (Campsen did not respond to a question about the deal.)

Clyburns ties with Republicans have come in handy during the previous redistricting battle. Clyburn has repeatedly angled to keep a majority Black constituency, according to documents and political observers.

Redistricting is meant to follow clear principles. Each congressional districts population must be as similar as possible. Maps are supposed to be understandable, with counties and cities kept whole and lines following natural boundaries, like rivers or highways. And the process is designed to be transparent, guided by public input.

But it has rarely worked out that way. Despite a recent history of moves to disenfranchise minority voters, Republicans have sometimes been able to capitalize on individual politicians self-interest. In the early 1990s, then-Republican National Committee counsel Benjamin Ginsberg seized upon Black disenchantment with White Southern Democrats gerrymanders to forge what has come to be known as the unholy alliance between the RNC and Black elected officials. Ginsburg told the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in 1990 that the RNC would share its redistricting tools with minorities as part of a natural alliance born of the gerrymander. The upside for the Republican party is that Black voters in Southern states could be limited to as few seats as possible.

In 1994, the GOP took over the House and the Congressional Black Caucus reached its largest membership since Reconstruction. Redistricting increased the political power of both groups, said David Daley, author of Ratf**ked, a book on gerrymandering that delves into the history of the alliance between the GOP and Black Southern Democrats. Republicans regained control of the House, and the Congressional Black Caucus grew to its largest numbers since Reconstruction.

Clyburn is part of a generation of Black officials who lived through the Jim Crow era and cherished the protections of the Voting Rights Act. But many politicians who agree about the importance of the act say that the notion that Black politicians need majority Black districts to get elected is outdated. Because hes been in office so long, Jim Clyburn could win reelection with 20 percent Black voters, said former Rep. Mel Watt of North Carolina. Hes trying to protect the district for the candidate coming after him.

Despite state and local resistance, the number of elected Black officials in South Carolina increased from 38 in 1970 to 540 in 2000 and continued growing. Yet complaints continued to flood into the Justice Department about gross abuses of voting rights, including biased handling of redistricting.

The last congressional redistricting overseen by the Justice Department in South Carolina was in 2011. Then, as now, the states population was booming, and it had gained another congressional seat, which both parties hoped to claim. As is the case today, Republicans controlled the legislature. The Democrats, however, could rely on the Justice Department, which had to preapprove the plan, to prevent gross abuses.

Both Clyburn and the NAACP were among those who publicly submitted their own maps as part of the states legal submission to the Justice Department. Clyburns map suggested that his district include a Black voting age population of nearly 55 percent, a higher level than what the NAACPs map recommended.

Some Democrats proposed moving Black voters out of Clyburns district to create a new district, with the hope that the party could elect a second member of Congress. The Republican House speaker blocked the efforts.

Behind the scenes, some lawmakers believed Clyburn was working with the speaker. On a visit to Columbia, the capital, Clyburn went to the House map room and made suggestions to protect his position, according to a nonpartisan former House staff member, who asked not be named because he was not authorized to discuss his work.

During the process, Clyburn met privately with then-Republican state Rep. Alan Clemmons, head of that years redistricting panel, according to an account Clemmons later gave to local media. Clemmons said Clyburn had Tresvant act as his eyes and ears, the same role that he would take on in 2021. Tresvant would request specific businesses and churches be included in Clyburns district, according to a 2018 report by The Post and Courier of Clemmons account.

Clemmons, now an equity court judge, declined to comment, citing the judicial ethics code.

The 2011 redistricting plan also prompted a federal lawsuit, which unsuccessfully challenged Clyburns district as an illegal racial gerrymander. Clyburn did not testify, but in an affidavit, he accused Republicans of making an intentional effort to decrease the political influence of Black people by packing them into a single district. He said nothing about his own behind-the-scenes negotiations with Republican leaders.

The 2021 strategy

Ten years later, Clyburn followed a familiar strategy when Republicans began redistricting again. For the first time, the Justice Department had no oversight role. This time, however, none of his actions were public.

Clyburns district had lost about 85,000 people. Each new district had to be drawn to represent 731,203 people. One obvious place to look for additional constituents would be the 1st District, just to the southeast along the coast. That district was overpopulated by almost 88,000. The First District was the last remaining swing district, with a history of tight races. In 2018, a Democrat had won by about 4,000 votes. Two years later, a Republican, Nancy Mace, won it by about 5,000. If the GOP could remove enough Black or Democratic voters from that district, it could give the party a lock on the seat.

The map Clyburns aide Tresvant had quietly brought to the GOP at the beginning of the 2021 process included suggestions that would help both Clyburn and the Republicans. His map gave his boss a larger portion of heavily Democratic Charleston County, drawing from Maces district. Clyburns suggested lines reflected a move of about 77,000 new people to his district, according to an expert who analyzed the maps for ProPublica.

Not every request of his was about race. Clyburn also sought to move an additional 29,000 people into his district from Berkeley County, which he split with Mace. Berkeley is a fast-growing area, adding White voters, but is also home to some of the states largest employers.

Clyburn didnt only suggest adding Democratic voters. He was also willing to give up pockets of his district where elections were trending Republican. One such proposal would help Republicans seal control of the 1st. Clyburn suggested giving up about 4,600 people in Jasper County, an area that was trending Republican as White Northern retirees relocated there.

During the NAACPs trial, some Republican senate aides said they did not rely on Clyburns map. But the staffer for Senate Republicans who was chiefly responsible for redrawing the lines testified that he used it as a starting point. And then the GOP went further. As the redistricting plan made its way through the legislature, Republicans further solidified their hold on the 1st District. Clyburn monitored their progress in calls to Democratic allies, according to two state senators who spoke with him during the period.

A plan proposed by Campsen, the state senator whose family company Clyburn helped years earlier, moved almost all of Charleston Countys Black and Democrat-leaning precincts to Clyburn. The shift gave Clyburn the city of Charleston, where he had deep connections, and consolidated the countys major colleges and universities into his district, a political plus. The new borders for Clyburn gave him a number of small pockets of Black voters, including about 1,500 in Lincolnville, which juts out of the election map like an old-fashioned door key. The congressman was hoping to get Lincolnville years and years ago and finally succeeded in 2022, said the towns mayor, Enoch Dickerson.

As a result of Campsens plan, the Black voting-age population of the 1st District fell to just over 17 percent, the lowest in the state. In the 2022 election, Mace beat her Democratic opponent by about 38,000 votes  a 14 percentage point landslide, up from her 1 percentage point in the previous election.

Clyburn said nothing publicly as some Democrats in Charleston County, led by former Rep. Joe Cunningham, protested Campsens plan. On the Senate floor, Campsen praised Clyburn and said Charleston County would be well served by having both Clyburn and Mace looking out for its interests.

Jim Clyburn has more influence with the Biden administration perhaps than anyone in the nation, Campsen said.

As Clyburn monitored the debate, Fiffick kept Tresvant in the loop, texting him again on Jan. 14, 2022, to share a link to the redistricting webpage. Its unclear why Fiffick sent it.

Campsens plan was approved by the legislature and signed by the governor Jan. 26, 2022.

In the end, Clyburn didnt get everything he wanted. Republicans moved all of rapidly growing Berkeley County to the 1st District. The percentage of Black voters in his district has dipped below 50 percent, the threshold he long sought to preserve.

The congressman soon got to work serving his constituents. Shortly afterward, Clyburn had Lincolnville added to a federal program that protects historic stops along the Gullah Geechee trail. In the 2022 election, Clyburn won 62 percent of the vote, lower than the 68 percent he won in 2020 but comfortable nonetheless.

Consequences

Soon after the new redistricting plan went into effect, the NAACP pressed ahead with its lawsuit against state Republican leaders, charging that many congressional mapping decisions were based predominantly on race. The case dealt with more than just the changes in Maces district that had an impact on Clyburn.

A three-judge federal appeals panel ruled that the plans division of the 1st and 6th districts was an unlawful racial gerrymander aimed at creating a stronger Republican tilt in Maces district. The court said that the movement of about 30,000 Black voters into Clyburns district was effectively impossible without racial gerrymandering.

But the court knocked down some of the NAACPs claims. In several cases, it said, Clyburn had requested the mapping changes. The NAACP declined to comment.

Antonio Ingram, an assistant counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, said lawyers for Republican leaders tried to shift the emphasis to Clyburns early requests. He said it was inappropriate to blame a congressman for the General Assemblys decision to pass discriminatory maps.

Republican leaders appealed the panels decision and asked the Supreme Court to reject the racial gerrymandering charge.

If the court orders that the map be redrawn, it could have ripple effects on Clyburns district and other parts of the state. Although a Republican challenger gained ground on him in 2022, hes considered a shoo-in if he chooses to seek reelection, no matter how the lines are drawn.

Taiwan Scott, who lives in Maces district and is the lead plaintiff in the NAACP lawsuit, said racial gerrymandering has deprived Black voters of fair congressional representation. A small businessman in Hilton Head, Scott said Black people are showing disapproval by declining to vote.

It is bigger than myself. Its systemic, he said.

Contributing: Andy Kroll contributed reporting. Gabriel Sandoval contributed research.
COLUMBIA  A city panel has prevented the expansion of a Five Points tattoo parlor into space across the street after an objection came from another neighborhood parlor.

Southern Cypress Tattoo had sought to open additional space in the 2002 Greene St. building, across from its current location but right next door to another parlor, Born Again Tattoo.

By a 5-1 vote, the Board of Zoning Appeals ruled May 4 that there was no proper exception to the city's rules that now limit tattoo or piercing businesses from being too close to one another.

A city ordinance, passed as part of a 2021 revision to zoning rules, prevents tattoo shops from being approved to open within 1,000 feet  or about two city blocks  from an existing tattoo parlor.

Five Points already has three shops along Harden Street, including the two involved in this case.

Stephanie Melora, owner of Southern Cypress, said the clash was not a matter of rules but rivalry for the space.

"I would never tear down another tattoo shop like that," Melora said after the panel's vote. "There's plenty of art for everyone."

Sushil Patel, owner of Born Again Tattoo, argued to the board that an exemption initially allowed by city zoning staff did not follow the Columbia's ordinances. The expansion had been grandfathered because the previous business in the space had been a piercing parlor, the city staff decided.

While piercing is another form of body modification like tattoos, Patel noted that tattoos and piercing cannot be done in the same business under South Carolina law.

The city code was designed to prevent a cluster of tattoo parlors in the same place and allowing what he called a fourth parlor in Five Points would create that, Patel argued.

"The whole block is going to be tattoo shops," Patel said.

Patel also argued that allowing Southern Cypress to expand into his building would create additional traffic and trash issues.

Board members said that the law appeared to be on Patel's side, restricting Melora from expanding her business into a different building across the street or citing a previous license for a piercing parlor as reason for an exception.

"It is in fact a different use," board member Kathryn Fenner said.

Tattoos have become more popular in recent years. A 2019 Ipsos poll found that three in 10 Americans surveyed had at least one tattoo. About one-half of millennials surveyed for a 2015 Harris Poll said they had one, compared with 13 percent of baby boomers.

Laws and the marketplace, however, make locating a parlor in Columbia challenging.

Tattoo shops face tight restrictions on locations statewide: they cannot be approved within 1,000 feet of a church entrance, city park or playground. On top of that comes Columbia's requirement that new shops not be within 1,000 feet of an existing parlor.

Another challenge: many national businesses that are the main tenants of shopping centers impose limits on what kinds of shops are allowed in the same retail area, including a ban on tattoo places.

Melora is unsure what she will do now that she cannot use the space she already has leased for a tattoo parlor. To appeal the board's ruling would require taking the case to Richland County Circuit Court.

She said she is reluctant to seek out a larger space elsewhere in the city.

"Five Points is my heart," she said. "It's where I want to be."
COLUMBIA  A crowd of 75  including nearly a dozen drag performers in foot-tall crowns, full lashes and sparkling body suits  protested in front of the S.C. Statehouse against a bill that would restrict drag shows this year. Such efforts have won support in other states.

Waving signs reading "My life is not a crime," "Trans lives matter" and "Don't be a drag, just be a queen," the gathering cheered as the performers from South Carolina and Georgia shared the ways drag had brought them community and purpose.

"Drag is an art form that celebrates diversity, gender expression, glamour, fantasy and love," Koko Dove, a South Carolina drag queen, told the rally after protestors marched around the Statehouse. "Drag has been on Earth for centuries, and it's not going anywhere. No matter how bad people want to eradicate us. This art form is ancient and beautiful."

Republican South Carolina legislators from the ultraconservative Freedom Caucus introduced a bill in January that would designate any venue that hosts drag performances as sexually oriented, limiting a business's access to public funding and ability to serve minors.

The bill never advanced to being heard by a subcommittee.

The proposal is part of a national trend to legislate against LGBTQ rights, often in the name of protecting children. A record 474 anti-LGBTQ bills have been introduced on the state level since the start of the year, according to the American Civil Liberties Union.

The bills nationwide include bans or restrictions on gender-affirming healthcare for minors and adults, limits on what information about gender identity and sexual orientation can be taught in schools, restrictions on what bathrooms and locker rooms transgender people can use and even bills designed to remove transgender children from the care of supportive parents.

The ACLU identified 19 proposed anti-gay and anti-trans bills in South Carolina, none of which have passed as the session heads into its final week on May 8. But the bills remain active for one more session in 2024.

The South Carolina bill generating most concern in the drag community would prohibit drag shows from being supported by public funding, knocking out paid drag performances at universities, libraries or other state-funded institutions, and ban drag from being shown to anyone under the age of 18, also eliminating drag from public spaces like pride parades or restaurants.

South Carolina's proposed drag ban, like those across the country, defined drag as anyone using clothing or makeup to exhibit "a gender identity that is different than the performer's gender assigned at birth."

Gouda Judy, Columbia drag queen and reigning Miss Outfest in the capital city, feared the definition is open-ended enough that transgender or gender non-conforming performers could be targeted as well, regardless of whether or not they're in drag.

The bill also defines drag as "intended to provide sexual stimulation or sexual gratification."

Supporters of these bills argue that it is designed to protect children from seeing sexual materials. The South Carolina bill was named the Defense of Children's Innocence Act.

Drag is a vast art form that can be graphic or child-friendly, Dove said during the rally.

"Some paintings are suitable for children, some paintings aren't. Some movies are suitable for children, some aren't. Some drag shows are suitable for children and some aren't," she said. "You don't see legislators banning every movie. You don't see legislators banning every painting."

Shye Nee, the reigning Miss Upstate Pride who organized the protest, invited legislators who oppose drag to attend her shows and see that the art form is not sexual or inappropriate.

"I do not believe that protecting our children can be done by eliminating drag from a public setting," Nee said. She would rather see legislators focus on healthcare for young people or gun reform.

In Tennessee, where a similar bill passed earlier this year, a federal judge halted the restrictions from being enforced until May 26.

Columbia venues host a number of drag shows. Downtown gay bars PT's 1109 and Capital Club host nightly drag shows. Restaurants like The Venue in downtown and The Hideout in West Columbia bring in queens to perform at weekly drag brunches.

The statewide drag pageant, Miss Outfest, has drawn international drag stars to the streets of Columbia every June. Last year, the Ru Paul's Drag Race winner Willow Pill was a special guest of the pageant. University of South Carolina's annual show, The Birdcage, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last month, is hosted in the Russell House student union.

Nee fears that removing drag performers from the public would also take out some of the loudest advocates in the LGBTQ community.

"Entertainers in this state have some of the loudest voices because we're the most confident," she said. "We're like the marines of the LGBT community. We can speak for the voices of the unheard and amplify the voices of those who are heard."

Dove said she has seen a cultural shift in how drag is perceived in the state. Dove usually brings her two children to every pride parade where she performs. Dove's young daughter helps her pick out drag outfits and songs to lip-sync.

"She just wants to be a superstar like her mommy," she said.

This year, she told her children they couldn't come to pride with her after a video of Dove performing with her daughter on a pride float was shown on Fox News, she said. Dove said she received threats and was called a pedophile by right-wing organizations around South Carolina.

"If you guys could have seen the heartbreak on my daughter's face, I swear it would have broken your heart," Dove said.
COLUMBIA  Behind-the-scenes talks among Richland County Council members were likely the catalyst for the council reversing an earlier vote turning down tax incentives for a gun manufacturer.

Two weeks after rejecting tax breaks for a $16.5 million expansion of gun maker FN America in a 5-5 decision, Councilwoman Cheryl English used a procedural technicality to bring the issue back to the floor on May 2. She and Councilman Derrek Pugh changed their votes, making the final tally 7-3.

On one side of the vote were council members saying they did not support using tax breaks to incentivize a company making guns amid recent mass shootings. On the other, council members said the proposition was purely economical: It made sense to encourage the $16.5 million expansion, along with about 100 additional jobs. Rejecting tax incentives over political issues could scare away other investors considering Richland County, they said.

Talks between meetings

Council Chairman Overture Walker and Councilman Paul Livingston, both of whom voted for the incentive package that would bring in 100 jobs April 18, said they had conversations with other council members in which they explained their stance.

Columbia Chamber of Commerce President Carl Blackstone said he also talked with council members in between meetings, answering questions about the company, which manufactures firearms for law enforcement, military and retail sale, according to its website.

Council members also consulted with representatives of Virginia-based FN America, which has had a location just outside of northeast Columbia for more than 40 years, Blackstone said.

FN America did not respond to a request for comment.

Councilwoman Gretchen Barron, who voted for the incentive package multiple times, said she did not have conversations with other council members about their positions on it between meetings. Other council members did not respond to requests for comment May 3.

"Sidebar" discussions over why council members voted the way they did are not unusual, Walker said, and he often asks his colleagues which way they're leaning and whether they have any reservations or apprehension.

"I didn't go back to them and ask them to change their vote," Walker said. "It was just asking a few council members what were their concerns about the item."

But the conversations seemed to be influential. During the May 2 meeting, English attributed her changed vote to her being more informed about the decision and its potential effects.

"Just speaking with different people and doing my homework on this, its not so much that I had a change of heart but that I truly understand the need and economic impact to all of Columbia, especially toward Fort Jackson," English said at the meeting.

English could not be reached for further explanation on her vote. Neither could Pugh, the other council member to change his vote.

Walker, Livingston, Barron and Blackstone all attributed the change to council members hearing concerns about how turning down the incentive package could scare off future business looking to locate in the county.

"I think that's what it boiled down for many folk," Walker said.

Part of the decision likely also came from conversations about whether local government was the right place to deal with issues like gun control, Livingston and Walker said. Because the state has its own laws about regulating gun ownership, the county can do little, if anything, to put further controls on firearms.

Instead, the county should focus on addressing the root causes of gun violence, such as helping people out of poverty, Walker and Livingston said.

"Understand the importance of making sure that we do what we can do for our community," Livingston said he told other council members. "And those things (that) you don't have the authority to do, let's not try to legislate them."

Blackstone said he fielded questions from other council members about the company and the types of weapons it makes.

"I think, in fairness, we asked a lot of our council members to know everything on the front end, and sometimes not all questions are addressed as needed," Blackstone said. "But after some consultations with the company, I think they feel confident going forward that this is the right move."

By the time the council reconsidered the vote in a rare but not infrequent procedural move May 2, members had already voted three times on it. Twice, it passed 7-3; on the third vote, which would typically have been the final one, English and Pugh switched to oppose the deal.

The idea of the council casting a final vote without having the full story raised concerns for Brandi Jo Sturdevant, secretary for anti-gun violence nonprofit For Ryan's Sake.

"Should we be voting on issues if we're not fully informed?" Sturdevant said.

Recent mass shootings

The decision to approve the incentives came three days after a mass shooting in Richland County in which nine teenagers and young adults were shot and another two injured after people opened fire into a so-called "flash party."

We are horrified regularly about mass shootings, Councilwoman Allison Terracio, a Democrat, said at the April 18 meeting before voting against the deal. We are horrified regularly about just day-to-day shootings in our communities.

Sturdevant said the decision raised alarms for her, particularly coming so soon after a mass shooting in Richland County.

"I would be interested in knowing what the council members put the value of a human life at," Sturdevant said. "If 100 jobs are being created and the county gets more taxes paid into it, does that justify any lives lost?"

Walker, Livingston and Barron emphasized that they are staunch supporters of gun control, though they believe local government is not the right place to decide on it. The decision on FN America was purely business, they said.

Barron sat down with families soon after the shooting, which occurred in the early hours of April 29, she said during the May 2 meeting. They asked her about her vote, she said, and she put her emotions aside and stood by it.

"This is not necessarily about (nine) children getting shot over the weekend," Barron said. "This is about doing right, expanding services, expanding businesses, expanding opportunities and getting more people employed here."

Councilwoman Yvonne McBride, who also voted against the agreement every time, said during meetings the issue for her was not about gun control but about the county offering tax breaks to make guns.

"FN can sell guns or do whatever they want to in Richland County; that is not the issue," McBride said during the May 2 meeting. "The issue is tax incentives."

But the investment will benefit the county by bringing in more revenue and adding to the tax base, other council members said. In turn, it also creates more jobs and gives the county more resources to address some of the causes of gun violence, such as education, law enforcement and recreation, Walker and Livingston said.

"If we're concerned about gun violence, we need more economic development," Livingston said May 3. "Because what that means is we can provide the resources that deal with the symptoms of gun violence."

'Speed bump'

Soon after the council rejected the tax breaks in its April decision, Blackstone, Walker and others said they worried it could create a "slippery slope" and deter other companies from looking to come to Richland County.

Turning down a tax incentive proposal is a rare move for a county that has been working to attract more industry and grow. Often, counties only reject tax deals with companies over concrete problems like increases in traffic or bad environmental records.

The May 2 reversal assuaged concerns over scaring companies into nearby counties, council members and Blackstone said.

"Two weeks ago  that was a little speed bump," Blackstone said. "But at the end of the day, you look at what (Richland County has) been able to do and the incentives they've offered companies the last six months, I think shows that they're very open to business in Richland County."

Click here for more news from Columbia, S.C.
First version published at 14:12

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Iran declared four Azerbaijan diplomats as "persona non grata" (unwelcome person), Spokesperson for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada told reporters, Trend reports.

They received this status for activities that do not correspond to the diplomatic status and contradicted the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961.

"The Iranian side, in turn, a few days after this step taken by Azerbaijan, without any grounds and under the pretext of only the principle of reciprocity, declared two employees of the Embassy of our country in Iran and two employees of the Consulate General, evacuated back in January, undesirable persons," Hajizada said.

He also added that this step taken against Azerbaijan damages bilateral relations, which include a number of other problems.
COLUMBIA  The S.C. Department of Transportation broke ground on a project to redesign and modernize a major Interstate 26 interchange near Columbia as part of a larger plan to fix up the thruway connecting the capital city to Charleston and the Upstate.

The project, which will build more modern on and off ramps at the convergence of U.S. 21 and I-26 that is 12 miles south of downtown Columbia near I-77, will stimulate growth in the Midlands and statewide, SCDOT Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said.

"(South Carolina), we're having growing pains," said Gov. Henry McMaster, who attended the ceremony. "We have grown and our job is to be sure that we do the right thing. We're going in the right direction."

The I-26/U.S. 21 interchange has stood since 1959 and is a "tangled mess of ramps" that is in desperate need of a facelift as South Carolina continues to grow, Hall said.

DOT formally broke ground on the project on May 5 and expects to start work immediately, Hall said. The project is expected to take about three years, but drivers will have access to the same number of lanes as they normally would during construction, she said.

The project will start by demolishing the U.S. 21 overpass and constructing a new bridge. The current cloverleaf ramps will be replaced with diamond shaped ramps that are more compatible with current Interstate vehicle speeds, according to a DOT statement.

Additionally, U.S. 21 and Rolling Meadows Lane will be realigned to simplify the road network and accommodate a new eastbound offramp.

The project is expected to cost $62.1 million.

Lawmakers touted the soon-to-be improved interchange as an access point to a major South Carolina business hub.

Rep. Russell Ott, D-St. Matthews, highlighted the impact the project will have for cargo access to nearby business such as Blanchard Machinery and the State Farmers Market.

Sen. Nikki Setzler, D-West Columbia, added could impact the Saxe Gotha Industrial Park, home to Nephron Pharmaceuticals and two Amazon facilities, which is just a few miles from the interchange.

Additionally, improved the infrastructure in rural areas of South Carolina could attract businesses and open up well paying jobs for people in more remote areas, Ott said.

DOT will continue to make major improvements to I-26 and update the outdated road in the coming years, Hall said.

Meanwhile, 13 miles west on I-26, construction at the convergence of I-20 and I-26, known as Malfunction Junction, is underway, as part of a $2 billion, 9-year project aimed at easing congestion in the area's most notorious interchange.
KINGSTREE  The state takeover of Williamsburg County schools will extend indefinitely, the South Carolina Education Department announced.

The department previously indicated it planned to return control to the local school board in the near future, but Republican Superintendent Ellen Weaver told the board this spring the district will remain under state control.

"The current state superintendent and her leadership team have reviewed the Williamsburg County (academic and financial) data and are committed to partnering closely with the district and board of trustees in ensuring excellent outcomes for its students," said Derek Phillips, education department spokesman.

Williamsburg's school board didn't respond to request for comment May 3 and 4.

The number of school districts taken over by state education departments has increased exponentially in recent years. As of 2016, takeovers were happening at nearly twice the rate they had in the previous decade.

Most of the takeovers were of districts where the majority of the population is Black.

Domingo Morel, an associate professor at New York University who focuses on the impact state takeovers have on minority communities, found they typically happened to Democratic districts in states where both the governor and legislature are Republican. In an interview with The Post and Courier last year, Morel pointed out these Republican lawmakers didn't have to rely on Democratic votes.

South Carolina took over its first school district, Allendale County schools, in the 1990s during Democratic Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum's tenure. She took over the district because of its poor academic performance, lack of teamwork on the school board and because the community felt alienated by both the board and superintendent, according to education department reports from that time.

When the takeover was announced, Allendale County residents, many of whom were low-income and Black, accused the state of colonization.

In a 2022 interview, Tenenbaum denied that characterization. She said the department poured every resource it had into making the school district better.

Allendale's academic performance improved during the takeover, but faltered after the takeover ended in 2007.

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The S.C. Department of Education began looking at takeovers to remedy districts' academic and financial problems during the tenure of former Superintendent Molly Spearman.

The Republican superintendent spoke to the office of school transformation shortly after becoming superintendent and asked them which districts they were most concerned about. The department told her it was watching five districts but was most concerned about Williamsburg, Florence 4 and Allendale.

In addition to poor academic performance, the districts also had financial issues and high leadership turnover, according to Spearman. All were rural districts with a high population of Black residents.

Spearman's department took over all three school districts in 2018. In a statement announcing the Williamsburg takeover, Spearman said while she believes education is best served on a local level, the district's continuous financial and programmatic issues put the students at risk.

"The management decisions of the Williamsburg County School District have led to a high financial risk rating, years of deficiencies in special education and other integral programs, and a loss of hundreds of thousands of federal dollars meant to serve our most vulnerable students," she said.

Williamsburg schools' academic performance, as well as test scores in the other two districts that were taken over, improved under state control, according to a Post and Courier analysis of academic data from 2018-22.

But there have been other controversies. Spearman made Rose Wilder, a respected South Carolina education leader, Williamsburg's superintendent when the takeover was announced. After Wilder passed away last year, Spearman's department appointed Kelvin Wymbs to the position.

Wymbs was accused by colleagues in previous districts where he worked of unprofessional outbursts of anger, and a sheriff's deputy observed him threatening a school board member in Dorchester 4. He also sent profanity riddled text messages and threats to school board members in that district, according to documents the paper received through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Despite these problems, Wymbs has received backing from the state. Spearman told the paper in 2022 that the claims against Wymbs were taken seriously and investigated  and that the matter is closed.
GREENVILLE  When Methodical Coffees owners relocated their roasting operation in 2019 to a back room at The Commons in downtown Greenville, they assumed it would be plenty of space.

Their original location was in a warehouse in the Monaghan Mill community but they decided to move into The Commons to be more transparent with their roasting process.

Then their business grew. And grew. And grew.

We almost immediately outgrew that, co-owner Marco Suarez said.

Their success led the three owners to search for a place to consolidate their roastery, landing on a 40,000-square-foot industrial warehouse in Travelers Rest. But they were left to wonder what to do with the extra space at The Commons?

While they initially considered relinquishing it back to the landlord, they recognized it was prime real estate. So they chose to reconfigure it.

Work is currently underway to transform the once roasting space into additional seating and an updated kitchen. The expansion should be done by Memorial Day, Suarez said.

Things are moving very quickly now, he said.

Reimagining a 2,000-square-foot spot

The Commons is a multi-tenant redevelopment project spearheaded by founder of Parker Group Drew Parker and his business partners. The group bought a strip of blighted industrial warehouse properties in what is now Unity Park and transformed them into a food hall, where Methodical is housed, along with other retail and office spaces. It is currently under construction on its next 18-tenant phase.

Methodicals corner presently includes a cafe bar and ordering counter, a kitchen and a 2,000-square-foot space former roasting facility. The old roastery will be split in half, with part dedicated to growing the kitchen and the other to adding more seats  many of which are nook-like to provide a sense of privacy.

The updated kitchen will be more exposed because people love to watch food being made, Suarez said. It will include a counter where patrons can see pastries be produced.

Basically, we took the transparency into the roasting operation out and replaced it with transparency into our baking and cooking operation, he said.

The Commons Methodical makes all the baked goods for its cafes and is the only location that also serves made-to-order food like breakfast sandwiches. Its head chef is Perrin Gardner, and it also recently hired a bread lead and a pastry lead.

We now have all engines firing, he said. Were working on some new offerings. New menu items have not been nailed down yet.

It is also stretching out its retail area. A few shelves currently line Methodicals walls at The Commons but the owners want to provide more space for merchandise and add a grab-and-go refrigerator.

To Suarez, the coming expansion makes The Commons their most fully-formed cafe. Other locations can be found in downtown Greenville at 101 N. Main St. and on Wade Hampton Boulevard near The Community Tap.

[At The Commons], were trying to nail all three of those things that we know really well  the coffee bar and coffee service, the food program and the retail program, he said.

Methodical Manufactory in Travelers Rest

Within a few months of relocating the roasting operations to The Commons, the owners moved a portion of it back to the warehouse in the Monaghan Mill community. They roasted between the two facilities for over a year, which proved to be a logistical challenge.

Around 2021, the trio began to look for a facility to consolidate its roasting operations. They found an industrial space just north of Travelers Rest High School. Production began in the new facility, known as Methodical Manufactory, this February.

Methodical subleases parts of its 40,000-sqaure-foot space through a co-working concept for food-based product companies like Common Pops and Lumineaux Chocolate.

Suarez said they still have other spaces available in the commissary kitchen concept along with two parcels, a 4,000 and 6,000 square feet, available for rent.

It was originally advertised that GOAT, South Carolinas only non-profit climbing center, would be housed in the facility but Suarez said that is no longer happening.
GREENVILLE  Spring and summer are busy times in the city, with festivals, outdoor concerts and markets galore.

This year, buying local in Greenville doesnt have to end at noon when the TD Saturday Market ends downtown. You can grab a bite to eat for lunch and mosey on to the Village of West Greenville to attend the Village Launch Market.

This year the Village Launch Market, which is sponsored by Fluor, will move to a new home and a new day. The market will take place noon to 4 p.m. on the first Saturday of each month at the corner of Pendleton and Burdette streets from May through December.

This marks the third year for the market, which is organized by Village Launch, a Mill Village Ministries social enterprise. The market is distinct in that all its vendors are women and minority entrepreneurs who have graduated from the Village Launch entrepreneur training program.

Minority- and women-owned businesses still face challenges accessing capital, information and support.

Some 46 percent of Black business owners said they had faced issues accessing capital, according to Bank of Americas 2022 Women & Minority Business Owner Spotlight. The same survey revealed 59 percent of women business owners said they had to work harder to achieve the same level of success as men.

For Cluffy Casstevens, Village Launch has allowed her to grow her business and to make it her full-time focus. The owner of Journey By Nature LLC has grown her all-natural beauty and bath products company immensely since completing the Village Launch program in the fall of 2022.

For Casstevens its not just the confidence and resources shes been able to access, but also the support.

The biggest thing I learned was to always be confident when you talk about your business. Its your business. No one knows it as well as you, Casstevens said. I just know whatever Im going through I can call anyone from Village Launch and they will take care of me.

The new location for the market is also significant, said City Councilwoman Lillian Brock Flemming, who grew up shopping at West Greenville Plaza, next to where the market will be held. Flemming recalled the area was a business center for the community before the neighborhood, which was historically majority Black, dwindled due to economic and systemic forces that pushed residents out and forced businesses to close.

This is a great opportunity to rebuild what was there, Flemming told a crowd gathered for a news conference for the market May 3. That is growth, when you take something that had a history and you go back and get its history and help it to build again.

Village Launch began in 2012 as a way to lift up and mentor entrepreneurs who might not otherwise have easy access to resources or mentorship. The 10-week program sets up entrepreneurs to bring their ideas into action through workshops, trainings and one-on-one mentoring.

Since its start, Village Launch has graduated 200 entrepreneurs in fields from body care to herbal tea, baked goods to catering.

In addition to the Village Launch Market, Mill Village Farms is also hosting a several produce markets featuring locally grown produce at affordable prices. The market, which will take place on the first Saturday of every month May through October, will accept SNAP payments and be held at 17 Bolt St., across from Long Branch Baptist Church.

Cant make the Saturday market? Mill Village will also host several pop-ups at Rise Bakery on Thursdays in June and July.

The Village Launch Market begins at noon on May 6. The market will feature food trucks, family-friendly activities, live music and over 20 vendors.

For more on Village Launch Market, visit villagelaunch.org. For more on Mill Village Farms markets, visit millvillagefarms.org.
To mark its one-year anniversary in Charleston, the international bike-sharing company Lime is organizing a small e-bike ride downtown on May 6, and gathering afterward in Washington Square for public announcements from city officials about sustainable mobility solutions.

A day before National Bike Day, Lime is inviting 20 people to ride along the tip of the peninsula from East Bay Street to Colonial Lake, then across Beaufain Street and, ultimately to Washington Square.

The area south of Calhoun Street is where most riders use Lime bikes and scooters, according to Operations Partnership Manager Adriana Lopez Hernandez.

The company, which advocates for environmentally sustainable transportation options, especially in urban areas, is planning its expansion.

Lime has 280 bikes on Charlestons streets. Once it secures additional places where bikes can be parked, it will add to its inventory, Hernandez said.

The bike-sharing program, which mostly provides electric bikes, has proven popular. In the past year, Lime has served 43,000 unique riders who have embarked on 90,000 trips and traveled 163,000 miles, Hernandez said.

In so doing, they avoided producing 15 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

Now the company is branding its program Charleston Spokes, changing the color of its two-wheeled devices from green to blue, and encouraging more people to ditch their cars and trucks, especially downtown, in favor of e-bikes. Riders spend less money than the average cost of a parking meter or garage, Hernandez said.

Tourists could leave their cars behind. Residents could find it easier to get around while reducing traffic congestion.

Expected at the weekend event are Mayor John Tecklenburg; City Councilmen Mike Seekings and Peter Shahid; and Patrick Cawley, executive director and CEO of the Medical University of South Carolinas Medical Center. MUSC is sponsoring the e-bike ride.

Susan Johnson, MUSC director of health promotion and a professor in the College of Health Professions, said the bike-share program provides practical benefits and aligns well with the Medical Universitys values. Thats why MUSC backed the citys first bike-share program several years ago, and thats why its backing this one.

We are really interested in finding ways for caregivers, faculty, staff and (other) employees to get to campus in a more sustainable way, Johnson said.

Parking can be hard to find and costly. Traffic can be intimidating and disruptive. The bikes provide a convenient  and healthy  alternative that seems to improve employee satisfaction, she said.

Its a no-brainer, Johnson said. We love the fact that we can support the city in trying to get folks to find alternative forms of transportation and cut down on all the negative aspects of single drivers and cars.

MUSC employees enjoy a special discount, which provides a welcomed incentive that Lime plans to apply elsewhere.

The company wants to forge more partnerships  with organizations such as the Charleston Housing Authority, and with developers building residential and hotel properties, Hernandez said. People living in low-income and subsidized housing stand to benefit from added transportation options, and they qualify for significant rider discounts.

Tecklenburg has pushed for reductions in fossil fuel reliance and for solutions that address climate change and sea level rise.

In May 2021, the city adopted its Climate Action Plan, a five-year strategic framework to reduce carbon emissions, a communitywide initiative that, if successful, would reduce emissions by 56 percent by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2050.

The transportation fleet is the citys second-largest CO emitter. (The buildings are the largest.) Nearly 27 percent of total CO emissions come from gas- and diesel-powered vehicles, which spew nearly 8,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent each year.

On May 4, Tecklenburg announced that city had acquired its first two electric vehicles, the beginning of a transition to an all-electric fleet. One of the vehicles will be used by the citys mail courier, the other by the planning department.

While cars are the primary way our citizens travel from point A to point B, and therefore remain our top transportation priority, making Charleston a more walkable, bikeable city is a critical quality-of-life issue for our residents, said city spokesman Jack OToole. That's why we're working with our federal, state and local partners on several current initiatives, including the Ashley River Crossing, new bike-ped lanes in West Ashley, downtown and on Daniel Island, and major pedestrian safety improvements on James and Johns islands.

The citys also pushing several transportation-related quality-of-life projects through the planning and grant-writing process, OToole said.
Keeping wastewater away from clean water is a problem as old as Charleston.

Privies built too close to the shallow wells in the 19th century contaminated the drinking supply. Yellow fever, typhoid fever, consumption and cholera came in waves.

In the 1840s, one in four White children died before turning 5 years old, and one in five Black children died before their first birthday, according to Walter Edgar's 1998 book "South Carolina: A History."

In 1849, 80 percent of people in Charleston had dysentery.

Cisterns to collect rainwater popped up in response to the death toll. But they were often installed with the top of the cistern at ground level, too close to the privies.

In 1880, Charleston Mayor William Courtenay wrote that getting rid of privy vaults for human waste was the top priority for making the city healthier.

"Few realize the magnitude of the sanitary evil compared with which all others are of minor character," he wrote. "This pernicious system is a daily discomfort to our existence, lowering the vital standard and energy of the whole population by the putrid contamination of the air we breathe, and often of the water thousands drink, originating a large class of maladies known as filth diseases, and perpetuating a high annual death rate by the operation of causes strictly preventable."

But it wasn't an easy task to convince people of the invisible danger.

The city's health director, Dr. John Mercier Green, was warning people to stop using the condemned cisterns. Nearly every case of typhoid in the city was linked to contaminated water he said in 1904.

But four years later, a decade after a Charleston doctor discovered colon bacteria in multiple cisterns, Green was still trying to force the school board to stop using underground cisterns for the water supply at schools. Children's health is at risk, he said.

Without a full understanding of the science, school leaders resisted, even as a quarter of all cisterns tested in the city the year before were contaminated. One school board member wrote a letter to the editor in 1908 saying he still drank exclusively from cisterns and didn't trust the cleanliness of water piped in from Goose Creek. "The question for him was  should he insist upon making the school children drink water that he avoided himself," Henry Smith wrote, referring to himself in the third person.

Green responded that the school board's recklessness in letting children drink polluted cistern water was "little less than criminal."

In the 1960s, oysters harvested from the Lowcountry were linked to cases of hepatitis because of polluted waters, driving the state to set up a monitoring program.

Back then, oysters harvested in Charleston, Beaufort, Georgetown and other areas had to be replanted in the Chesapeake Bay so they'd eventually be clean enough to eat.

Today on James Island Creek, failing septic tanks are the most likely cause of its high fecal bacteria count. Forty years ago, 100,000 gallons of partially treated sewage flowed into the creek every day from a 4-acre sewage lagoon, according to a 1982 Post and Courier story. It took years to close even after sewer lines were installed.

Much of James Island used sewage lagoons until the EPA banned those that were running off into local streams. Sewer lines were extended, but they don't cover every home on the island. Residents required to connect to the sewer lines weren't happy about the $9 million project. The head of the wastewater system in 1979 said the top two questions he heard were "who says the sewer system is mandatory," followed by "why is it mandatory?"

Charleston Waterkeeper Andrew Wunderley, who has been raising alarms about pollution from leaking septic tanks, said history shows leaders eventually find solutions when people begin to understand the problem.

"There's precedent for this happening. How quickly we forget, it happened as recently as the 70s and 80s," Wunderley said. "Right now we're dealing with a whole new wave of it, and we're creating the same problem for the future."
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Some sunshine with a thunderstorm or two possible this afternoon. Storms may contain strong gusty winds. High 88F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Scattered thunderstorms during the evening. Partly cloudy skies after midnight. Low 67F. SW winds shifting to NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
From her dock overlooking James Island Creek, Mary Edna Fraser has painted this stretch of water at sunrise and sunset and every hour in between, capturing the subtle changes in lighting and ripples on the surface. A low-hanging live oak limb serves as her easel.

The scene looks different than when she and her husband moved here more than 30 years ago, just before Hurricane Hugo. Development drove away the egrets that once nested nearby. The water keeps rising. And the oyster bed on the opposite bank is rapidly shrinking.

But it's what she can't see that scares her.

The creek has become a toilet, almost always teeming with germs found in feces.

Researchers who've studied the problem say the few hundred septic tanks on James Island  some of them right along the creek  are likely a major culprit. And its not an isolated problem.

The waters of James Island Creek are among more than 100 recreational and fishing waters in the coastal region flagged by the state as impaired because they're too often polluted by fecal bacteria. Another 115 oyster beds are on the list. Tests last year in Charleston County, where dozens of the impaired waters are located, also revealed strains of tuberculosis, staph and cholera.

A Post and Courier analysis of thousands of septic tank and water quality records shows South Carolina's housing boom over the last decade has brought with it a surge in septic tanks in coastal counties. At the same time, a growing number of waters in the region are testing positive for fecal coliform, E. coli or enterococcus.

The evidence points to an often silent, odorless problem science is just beginning to understand: Climate change is undermining septic tanks from below.

Charleston Waterkeeper Andrew Wunderley is among a growing chorus of scientists and environmentalists warning that leaky septic tanks could have a devastating effect on public health, seafood and tourism, a $29 billion industry in South Carolina. But fixing the problem will likely cost millions as well, presenting a quandary for officials as the pollution grows worse.

Wunderleys group has been using Fraser's James Island dock to test waters in the creek for fecal bacteria for the past 10 years. Testing started not long after Fraser reported skin rashes, ear infections and other symptoms she was sure were linked to something in the water. The timing always coincided with days she swam.

Of the 248 tests performed by Charleston Waterkeeper, 210 exceeded the safe limits for swimming. In one out of every four tests, it was at least five times higher.

Wunderley also oversees the local testing program that reports near-constant fecal contamination in Mount Pleasants Shem Creek and Filbin Creek in North Charleston. As the group began investigating there and on James Island, they quickly confirmed that rainfall was causing a spike in bacteria counts. But the most polluted watersheds nearly always had one other factor in common as well: numerous septic tanks.

"It's not just that you're risking people getting sick and public health, but you're also risking the very thing that brings people to this area," said Wunderley, whose group is among those suing the state over its septic tank policies. "If you can't swim off the neighborhood dock, you can't catch crabs, you can't go pick oysters, you can't fish safely, you can't paddle down Shem Creek without getting sick, at that point, what is Charleston?"

The Post and Couriers analysis shows there is growing reason for such concerns. Among other things, the newspaper found:

 The number of waters the state has designated as impaired by fecal contamination grew by 50 percent in the past decade. More than half of those  creeks, rivers and oyster habitats  are in coastal counties. Leading the pack is Charleston.

 The number of septic tank applications in South Carolina more than doubled from 2010 to 2022, steadily rising from 8,000 to more than 16,000. In Charleston County, they nearly quadrupled. Coastal region counties, where the state saw nearly half of its growth over the past decade, account for one in every five of the 148,000 applications during that time.

 State regulators don't track septic failures. They don't even know how many tanks the state has. No one has taken an official count of septic tanks in South Carolina since the 1990 census, when roughly 40 percent of households reported having one.

 South Carolina's method of handling of septic tank failures leaves a blind spot for the odorless underground pollution making its way to waters near the coast. The only time the state knows a septic tank might be failing is when someone complains after noticing a smell in the yard or a mess in the house. So the 8,000 complaints the state received over the past decade are most common in the Upstate and suburbs of Columbia, making Charleston seem clean by comparison. The water here tells a different story.

Rob Young, a professor at Western Carolina University who studies coastal communities, said the newspaper's findings line up with what he'd expect to see from chronic, invisible underground septic tank failures. He calls them "the dirty hidden little secret of the coast." But more research would be necessary to pinpoint how much of the blame lies with septic tanks versus other forms of pollution that spike with increased development.

"I really worry about the impact of long-term sea level rise on septic systems," Young said. "It's a much more silent problem, and honestly I don't think we have done the science to understand the level of failure and what's really ending up in our surface waters from these failing systems."

Scientists and environmentalists studying the issue say the findings demand further research and better state oversight. While no state is equipped to deal with the potential magnitude of the problem, South Carolina's rules make it especially vulnerable.

A study published in October warned that coastal communities in the Carolinas face growing risks from septic tank pollution triggered by climate change and rising sea levels.

Groundwater, which flows beneath the Earth's surface, is being pushed higher near the coast by rising sea levels. It can rise for weeks at a time after storms, research has shown. That shrinks the time that wastewater from septic tanks is treated. In some cases, septic tanks are sitting in the groundwater, dispersing untreated waste to the nearest stream or lake. Septic tanks in low-lying areas near bodies of water are most at risk, a description that applies to much of the Lowcountry.

A 2015 study in Michigan that used tracers to link the bacteria directly back to humans found the No. 1 predictor for fecal pollution in dozens of waterways was the density of septic tanks nearby. But that kind of direct evidence doesn't exist in South Carolina, in large part because of the state's hands-off approach.

In the Southeast, where septic tanks are most common, South Carolina has the weakest set of rules for installing and maintaining them. Environmental groups are suing the state Department of Health and Environmental Control in an effort to force it to consider coastal vulnerabilities when approving septic tanks, the way it does with other permits. On April 28, the Waterkeeper, the Coastal Conservation League and the S.C. Environmental Law Project asked a judge to ban large-scale housing development using septic tanks along the coast until the lawsuit is resolved.

Leslie Lenhardt, a lawyer for SCELP, said James Island is a perfect example of septic tanks seeping into nearby waterways.

"It's a difficult question to handle, but we certainly believe DHEC is not doing their job in terms of evaluating these things in light of climate change, sea level rise, all of these issues that are making it more critical to look closely," she said.

The man who oversees DHEC's septic tanks program said the state makes sure new septic tanks comply with state standards and can operate effectively where they're installed. But he cast doubt on the idea of widespread underground failures near the coast, calling it a "broad, shotgun-blast accusation."

Out of sight, out of mind

Septic tanks have long been the solution for rural homes where public water and sewer lines don't extend. By some estimates, as many as half of homes in the Carolinas still rely on septic tanks.

Invented in France in 1860, the septic tank's genius lies in its simplicity. There are newer, more advanced systems, but the vast majority in use are still essentially the same old technology.

Pipes connect the toilet, sinks and showers to the septic tank, a sealed underground holding cell with a drain pipe near the top of the other side. In the tank, solids become liquids, sludge drops to the bottom and a layer of scum rises to the top. It operates when nearly full, with each flush pushing out water into a drain field through a series of long, perforated pipes in a trench surrounded by gravel.

Dirty water, partially cleaned by bacteria in the tank, slowly seeps out of those holes into the soil. At that point, the earth takes over, essentially filtering out the bacteria and viruses before they come in contact with groundwater below.

But if the ground is too soggy, or the layer of dirt between the drain field and groundwater isn't thick enough, the process breaks down. That's because rising sea levels and more intense rainfall near the coast fueled by climate change cause spikes in the groundwater levels. After a big storm, groundwater can remain at elevated levels for up to 100 days, research along the North Carolina coast found.

"These systems are going to be under water for a really long time possibly. And we've seen that in recent years." said Jared Bowden, a climate modeler at North Carolina State University. In some instances, the rising water pushes wastewater back into homes.

If the soil is too soggy to treat the waste, the distance it has to travel underground before arriving at a creek can also impact how dirty the water is. On James Island and the South Carolina coast, that distance usually isn't far.

Figuring out which tanks are failing, and where they're located, is a task the state isn't equipped to handle. It destroys septic tank permits after five years and has no requirements for inspections or repairs.

Once you have a septic tank, it's your own personal sewage plant, and you're on the hook to make sure it's working.

In South Carolina, the layer of soil between the septic tank and groundwater has to be at least 6 inches thick.

That is far less than other places across the Southeast, said Jenny Brennan, a policy analyst with the Southern Environmental Law Center who researched septic tank regulations in several states.

Alabama and Georgia require 24 inches. In most of North Carolina, the requirement is 12 inches, but it's 18 inches near the coast.

Alabama also bans septic tanks in areas prone to flooding and on lots smaller than an acre.

South Carolina's rules leave little room for rising waters.

"The way we've been thinking about these has to change to match the new conditions that we're experiencing," Brennan said.

Before a septic tank can be installed in South Carolina, the land has to pass a soil test to make sure the ground isn't too saturated.

In Beaufort County, monitoring wells last year found that groundwater levels rose by more than 3 feet after heavy rains, putting them close enough to the surface to inundate septic tanks in some areas. The tests weren't conducted directly beside any septic tanks, but their results were troubling.

Underground water levels in some spots rose high enough to be in contact with septic tanks across large swaths of the county, said Alicia Wilson, a hydrogeology professor at the University of South Carolina. Portions of the May River in Bluffton have been closed for oyster harvesting since 2009 because of fecal bacteria.

Groundwater also responds to sea level rise, but it's not clear precisely how much.

Sea levels in Charleston have risen by 10 inches since 1950, with an acceleration to 1 inch every two years since 2010. Older homes near the water that had enough dry soil for a working septic tank decades ago wouldn't pass a soil test today, experts said. Some areas today can only pass a soil test if it's taken at low tide.

In Rodanthe, N.C., houses are falling into the ocean in one of the most extreme East Coast examples of climate change. Septic tanks sometimes float out into the surf and burst. Closer to home, large hurricanes have in some cases left septic tanks exposed in the sand at Folly Beach and Edisto.

Wilson has been traveling the East Coast this spring to speak at universities about rising groundwaters and her ongoing work. From Rhode Island to Florida, she said, academic researchers are trying to get a handle on how climate change impacts underground water tables. Ideally, she said, research could lead to the equivalent of flood maps for groundwater risks associated with climate change.

"Everybody's concerned about this. Everybody's noticed the surface flooding, that's been obvious for decades," Wilson said. "But this (undergound) water thing, that's a hot new topic all the way up and down."

Sticker Shock

Solutions to the problem don't come cheap. Plans to connect 120,000 homes in South Florida to sewer lines in Miami-Dade County will cost an estimated $4 billion and take years to complete. Homeowners will likely have to pay $7,500 or more to connect to the sewer lines.

Last month,South Carolina's Rural Infrastructure Authority announced more than $600 million in grants for 90 projects aimed at aging wastewater systems across the state as part of a larger package that also includes public water systems. The money, designated from federal pandemic relief funds, is for a mix of sewer system upgrades and expansions. About 20 percent of the wastewater money is headed to coastal counties.

Around Mount Pleasant, efforts to run public sewer lines to residents in the Snowden community, where failing septic tanks sometimes back up into their homes, have dragged on for more than two decades, a casualty of cost and politics. The first round of work to connect homes cost about $5 million more than a decade ago. Connecting the rest is expected to be even more expensive. The same is true along Shem Creek, where plans to eliminate surrounding septic tanks remain years from completion. The state recently announced $13 million in grants to help pay for both projects, in addition to $4 million previously set aside. Local grants will help homeowners pay the $9,000 connection fee.

Shem Creek is among the Lowcountry's most popular spots for kayakers and paddleboarders to spend a day with the dolphins. Runoff from septic tanks and Mount Pleasant's building boom make it every bit as disgusting as James Island Creek. Shem Creek is dirtiest farthest from the harbor. Four of every five tests at the upper end of Shem Creek showed unsafe levels of fecal bacteria over the past decade, with a third of the results at least five times higher than safe levels.

Take the boat landing where the creek is surrounded by bars and restaurants with views of downtown Charleston across the harbor. Fecal contamination showed up in two out of every five tests taken there. At Shem Creek Park, close to the mouth of the harbor, contamination reached unsafe levels in one out of every five tests.

On James Island, an $8 million state grant announced in April will cover part of the cost to connect 190 homes to sewer lines, a process that will take years and has an estimated price tag of $55,000 per home.

David Vaughan, who oversees septic tanks and rabies prevention at DHEC, said his staff has been overwhelmed as tank applications arrive at a record pace and employee turnover hovers above 20 percent. At the beginning of April, DHEC had a backlog of 700 permits and the wait time ranged from a month to almost three.

When the state learns of a septic tank failure, it requires the owner to fix it. He said the initial permitting process makes sure septic tanks are properly installed in soils that can handle them.

But the state isn't looking for failures. It's responding to complaints. And its rules aren't equipped to consider the pressures causing groundwaters to rise near the coast. State law directs DHEC to "abate obnoxious and offensive odors" from septic tanks. Underground failures emit no odors.

Vaughan said coming up with a total number of septic tanks in South Carolina is a figure, "I don't think we could ever get the answer to."

He noted that last year DHEC increased the required distance between coastal marshlands and septic tanks. But he declined to say whether the situation at James Island Creek or The Post and Courier's data analysis merited further investigation. He noted the water quality data couldn't rule out things like stormwater, livestock or pets as the main causes of poop in the water.

A network of doggie bag stations hasn't put a dent in pollution levels on James Island, which has no livestock farms. Across the state, livestock numbers have dwindled over the past decade, with 30 percent fewer cattle and more than 10 percent fewer hogs.

"While reports that you're seeing have identified septic tanks, we don't have a report saying these specific ones here are doing this." Vaughan said. "Trying to pinpoint a failing septic tank is really like just throwing a dart at the wall with a blindfold on."

Young, the coastal scientist, said Vaughan's approach shows the shortcomings in how the state thinks about septic tanks failures. If the tank backs up into the house or leaks into the yard, that can be handled on a one-by-one basis. But inundation from below is a regional problem, he said.

"You can't deal with this a parcel at a time. Or you shouldn't. And you especially shouldn't for future permits," Young said. "I would guess that 98 percent of the failures in the coastal zone, it's not something you're going to see."

A lot of uncertainty remains around the issue, said Jane Harrison, one of the authors of a 2022 study on climate change and septic tanks in the coastal Carolinas. The best strategy would first target the tanks causing the most pollution, but there's no easy way to identify them.

The costs of doing nothing are high, in addition to the human health and seafood risks. A study in Cape Cod, Mass., found beaches with no history of water-quality closures are more than twice as valuable to the local economies, while another showed home prices rose for waterfront properties along the Chesapeake Bay from Virginia up to Delaware after efforts to clean up the water.

South Carolina had to temporarily close beaches 26 times in 2021, according to a report published last year by DHEC. Another 16 had long-term advisories warning of persistent fecal bacteria exposure. Over the past decade, about 1 in 12 tests at beaches monitored by the state had unsafe levels of fecal bacteria. Those numbers spike in years with more rainfall.

Out of sight, out of mind, not worried about it, not talking about it, not knowing about it isn't making us very resilient, said Harrison, a coastal economics specialist with North Carolina Sea Grant. "Ultimately, this isn't just one town or one city's issue."

Lawmakers in this year's session considered two bills regarding septic tanks. Both ultimately failed. One would have barred localities from forcing people to agree to be annexed in exchange for sewer line extensions. The other originally had two aims: reducing the backlog of permits causing delays for developers and barring DHEC from forcing property owners to hook up to nearby sewer lines after their septic tanks fail.

Vaughan said he hopes there's an end in sight to the increased reliance on septic tanks, but that depends on the economy and the housing market.

A building boom

Growth in coastal counties is outpacing the reach of pubic sewer lines. That explains why, in Charleston County, applications for septic tanks steadily rose from 250 a year in 2010 to nearly 1,000 last year.

Up and down the coast, large suburban-style developments are popping up, with dozens or hundreds of homes and septic tanks clustered together.

"They're putting septic tanks in the wettest areas I've ever seen in my life," said Roger Herrington, who's been installing and repairing septic tanks in Horry County for three decades. "They're crowding too many people in too small of an area. When you have 10 or 15 or 20 houses in a row, the ground never gets a break."

Herrington said he uses a bigger tank and tries to provide a little extra room in the soil to keep systems from failing. Herrington says ultra-shallow septic systems engineered to work closer to the surface fare better near the coast. The state should also consider keeping track of whose installations are failing most frequently, he said.

Large developments near the coast have faced opposition from environmental groups who say the state is failing to protect coastal waters from septic tank pollution.

Alabama requires homes on septic tanks to be built on lots no smaller than an acre, and Tennessee has an extra set of rules for large subdivisions. Virginia is in the process of updating its septic tank laws to require climate change to be a factor in the approval process.

In South Carolina, each septic tank is considered individually, with no regard for how many others will be nearby.

Consider the situation in the northern Charleston County town of Awendaw, situated between a national forest and Cape Romain, a seaside wilderness that's home to hundreds of species of birds and fish. The town hosts an annual oyster roast, a blue crab festival and a nature festival.

From its inception in 1992 until 2009, it had the same mayor, who was elected without opposition. In 2009, William Alston's platform included running sewer lines through Awendaw to deal with failing septic tanks. He lost to a candidate who preferred repairing septic tanks, in part over fears that sewer lines would bring unchecked suburban-style development that could ruin Awendaw's rural character and add more pollution to its waters.

The sewer plan stopped, keeping large businesses and offices away. But suburban development, in the form of large-scale housing communities, came anyway. Last year, the town signed off on more than 400 homes with septic tanks near the road leading to Cape Romain.

That subdivision is among half a dozen planned in Charleston County or along the Ashley River just outside its borders that worry environmental groups. Combined, the plans call for nearly 1,800 new houses, all using septic tanks.

Another developer recently asked Awendaw to rezone 60 acres to allow his company to build more than 60 homes on half-acre lots. The houses would connect to the town's water service but have septic tanks in each yard. Wetlands run through the middle of the site, which isn't accessible by any street.

Town planners asked him to come back with a more detailed plan that shows where the homes and streets would be located. None raised concerns about septic tanks.

"We've already increased the size of Awendaw by 40 percent from the things that have been approved in this past year," Susan Cox, an Awendaw resident, told town planners during a meeting packed with residents opposed to the new development. "As all of the environmental people will tell you, it isn't just about the proximity to the waterways for the septic tanks. It is the total number of septic tanks that you allow in this area that will affect what happens with the health of our waterways."

'An invisible, dangerous reality'

Meanwhile on James Island, a plan to get rid of nearly 400 septic tanks believed to be contributing to the nasty conditions in parts of the creek is still in its early stages.

Fraser and her husband, pediatrician John Sperry, disconnected their backyard septic tank and installed one farther from the creek after the water tests confirmed they'd been swimming in poop. They get it pumped regularly. But that's one septic tank in an area with about 400. They can't be sure it's never contributing to the problem, but their options are limited as they wait for sewer lines to come through the neighborhood.

It's been a decade since they hosted a high-tide party  up to 20 of their children's friends would come swim and play all day in the creek.

Fraser, an environmental activist, tried to raise the alarm with local, state and federal officials back then, when the water was making her sick.

"Not a single group of our environmental protectors took it to heart," she said.

No one except the nonprofit Charleston Waterkeeper, which agreed to test the waters off her dock. Wunderley said he'd noticed a gap in state testing that was allowing pollution around Charleston to go unchecked.

The state hadn't sampled water quality in Shem Creek, one of the most popular recreational water bodies in Charleston, for two years. And when the state did test, it only ran them six times a year, which isn't enough to determine the water quality. He said the state's' stance amounted to assuming the water was safe.

Based on what data, he thought. Now his team partners with College of Charleston to test local waters every Wednesday from May through October. They immediately noticed that rainfall was causing bacteria levels to skyrocket.

James Island is working to identify which septic tanks are causing the worst problems. Folly Beach is also working to solve its persistent problems. Both towns are requiring regular inspections and pumpouts.

But real solutions are likely years and millions of dollars away.

After COVID-19 arrived, people flocked to James Island Creek for the outdoor isolation. People still swim, kayak and fish there.

Fraser remembers watching and wondering how many of them knew what was in the water.

"It's an invisible, dangerous reality," Fraser said.

But sometimes, the creek is a temptation too great to resist. If it hasn't rained in the past week, the only conditions that seem to cause the bacteria levels to dip, Fraser and Sperry go swimming.

She wears a hat as a reminder not to submerge her head. And as soon as Fraser leaves the water she's spent decades admiring, she goes inside to wash it off.
Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi sovereign investor, will invest $500 million in Brightspeed, a US-based broadband and telecommunications services company.

With this investment, Mubadala will become a minority shareholder alongside investment funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, Apollo).

This is part of Mubadalas rapidly growing digital infrastructure portfolio headed by its Executive Director Mounir Barakat. In 2022, Mubadala invested $350 million into Princeton Digital Group, a leading pan-Asia data centre company focused on expanding world-class data center services to meet increasing demand across Asia. Mubadala has also invested 800 million ($998 million) into CityFibre, the UKs largest independent full-fibre platform. To date, CityFibre has enabled connectivity for more than 2 million homes in the UK to its advanced fibre network.

Fifth largest carrier

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Brightspeed is the fifth-largest incumbent local exchange carrier (ILEC) in the US, with the capability of serving more than 6.5 million homes and businesses in mainly rural and suburban communities across the US Midwest, Southeast and parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Brightspeed officially launched operations in October 2022 and began the build-out of its state-of-the-art fibre optics network, which started serving its first fibre customers in March 2023.

Brightspeeds planned fibre optics transformation is expected to reach up to 3 million homes and businesses over the next five years, including in many places where fibre and advanced technology has not historically been deployed.

As data volumes increase and demand for faster, reliable connectivity rapidly grows as a result of the rise of cloud services, video streaming, IoT applications and 5G technologies, companies like Brightspeed play a crucial role in providing essential digital infrastructure solutions.

Digital divide

Brightspeed is rooted in an ambition to help bridge the digital divide. This investment will help accelerate Brightspeeds growth plans to bring high-speed, dependable internet connectivity to communities where access to fibre internet and advanced technology has historically been limited.

Khaled Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Chief Executive Officer of Real Estate and Infrastructure Investments at Mubadala, said: Digital infrastructure is driving growth and development across all sectors of society, enabling people and economies to reach their full potential. As a responsible global investor, Mubadala sees huge opportunity in supporting Brightspeeds growth strategy in transitioning large swathes of the US to fibre connectivity and promoting digital equity and inclusion.

Growth opportunities

Were delighted to be partnering with Apollo and Brightspeed to capitalise on the growth opportunities in fibre deployment and create not only sustainable, long-term value, but also support the digital infrastructure development across the US.

Bob Mudge, Chief Executive Officer for Brightspeed, said: We are in the early stages of our companys growth trajectory, and we are grateful for Mubadalas endorsement of Brightspeeds vision and strategy. The added investment from another well-respected institutional investor is a testament to the value we will create and the connections we will enable for homes and businesses across our 20-state footprint.

Aaron Sobel, Apollo Private Equity Partner, said: We are pleased to welcome our longtime partners at Mubadala as Brightspeed shareholders and believe this commitment validates our transformational thesis and the strength of the management team.

Growing relationship

This transaction also represents Mubadala and Apollos growing relationship since the expansion of their global strategic partnership in 2022. Last February, the firms announced an agreement focused on private credit investment opportunities and deal origination across asset classes.

The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and conditions.

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is serving as legal counsel to Brightspeed. King & Spalding LLP is serving as legal counsel to Mubadala.-- TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. On May 5, at about 12:00, the Armenian armed forces units from the positions in the direction of Digh settlement of the Gorus region subjected to fire a tractor doing engineering work in the territory of the Lachin region, opposite Azerbaijan Army positions located on the conditional border, Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan told Trend.

The Azerbaijan Army Units stationed in these directions took adequate retaliatory measures.
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MILAN, ITALY / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Alia Therapeutics, a Trento-based start-up specializing in innovative treatments for rare genetic diseases through next-generation gene editing technology, announced the appointment of Letizia Goretti as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Board Director, effective immediately.Letizia, who is joining Alia from Johnson & Johnson, has more than 25 years of international experience in life sciences. She brings a broad background in strategic, operational, R&D, and commercial activities across the sector, and a track record of building strong partnerships and delivering sustainable value to stakeholders and patients.In her previous role as Senior Director, Transactions and Alliances at the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre in London, she led strategic partnering efforts with academia, entrepreneurs, industries, governmental organizations, and charities, focusing on the development and adoption of genomics and digital capabilities for discovery and development."Letizia's appointment as CEO marks an important step forward for Alia," said Paola Pozzi, a Partner at Sofinnova Partners. "Her all-round experience and leadership skills, combined with her drive to create value through innovation, will be a great catalyst to accelerate Alia's growth." "I am fascinated by the opportunity to work with a team of cutting-edge scientists on a quest to develop its innovative platform for CRISPR-based medicine," Letizia said. "We are enabling novel gene editing strategies designed to overcome current limitations and bring more therapies to patients with underserved and currently untreatable diseases and conditions." "Our Board of Directors is thrilled to appoint a leader like Letizia," said Silvano Spinelli, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "With her broad background and track record of value creation, she is well positioned to guide Alia into a bright future." Letizia holds a M.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Perugia. She started her career at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Italy before moving to The Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, where she held several roles with increasing responsibilities and international scope in business development, CMC development, commercial life cycle management and global new product launches.In April, Alia announced a 4.4 million seed financing extension led by Sofinnova Partners through the Sofinnova Telethon Fund. Other investors included Indaco Bio and a group of Italian investors brought together by Banor SIM and Banca Profilo.About Alia TherapeuticsAlia Therapeutics is an Italian biotech start-up whose mission is to develop innovative treatments for incurable genetic diseases using gene editing technology. The company was founded in October 2018 by Anna Cereseto and a group of researchers from CIBIO, the biotech department of the University of Trento, who discovered the core CRISPR technologies exploited by the start-up. Read more at aliatherapeutics.com About Sofinnova PartnersSofinnova Partners is a leading European venture capital firm in life sciences, specializing in healthcare and sustainability. Based in Paris, London and Milan, the firm brings together a team of professionals from all over the world with strong scientific, medical and business expertise. Sofinnova Partners is a hands-on company builder across the entire value chain of life sciences investments, from seed to later-stage. The firm actively partners with ambitious entrepreneurs as a lead or cornerstone investor to develop transformative innovations that have the potential to positively impact our collective future.Founded in 1972, Sofinnova Partners is a deeply established venture capital firm in Europe, with 50 years of experience backing over 500 companies and creating market leaders around the globe. Today, Sofinnova Partners has over 2.5 billion under management. For more information, please visit: sofinnovapartners.com For more information about Sofinnova Telethon, visit https://sofinnovapartners.com/strategy/telethon ContactLetizia GorettiCEO, Alia Therapeuticsinfo@ aliatx.com SOURCE: Alia Therapeutics
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ATLANTA, GA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / In 1948, a group of determined doctors came together with a shared mission: "We have to do something about arthritis." In the 75 years that have followed, what is now known as the Arthritis Foundation has invested over $500 million to support the development of groundbreaking arthritis treatments, created innovative resources and nurtured a vibrant, caring community for the millions of adults and children who live with arthritis. As the largest nonprofit organization dedicated to providing tools and resources, advocacy, scientific research and support, the Arthritis Foundation is the go-to source for information on arthritis.In a memorable moment to raise awareness of arthritis and commemorate the Arthritis Foundation's anniversary, national and regional landmarks across the country - including Niagara Falls, 1 World Trade Center, Boston City Hall and Chicago's Willis Tower -- will light up green on May 6th and throughout May which is Arthritis Awareness Month."Our organization was founded with a clear goal to attack the challenges of arthritis through a national program to fund medical research and provide better medical services for patients," said Steven Taylor, CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. "Today, seventy-five years later, we have made significant progress in improving quality of life for the millions of people living with arthritis." In its mission, Arthritis Foundation works at local, state and national levels. Among the many highlights of its accomplishments:Scientific AdvancementsArthritis Foundation has inspired and helped fund important studies in the quest to cure arthritis and provide symptom relief. Notably, in 1983, the organization funded a research grant to explore the role of interleukin-1 in rheumatoid arthritis, ushering in the biologic era - fundamental to modern treatments.And the organization funded research leading to the 2015 FDA approval of secukinumab (Cosentyx) to treat ankylosing spondylitis and psoriatic arthritis.More about the Foundation's scientific agenda and its impact can be found on the Arthritis Foundation's website.Fierce AdvocacyFrom its early days, the Arthritis Foundation has been a staunch advocate of people living with arthritis and since 2014, it has helped pass over 150 state laws in all 50 states to improve access to care and to mitigate issues such as surprise billing, prior authorization and co-pay assistance.In addition, the Arthritis Foundation was instrumental in the federal Children's Health Act of 2000, which intensified juvenile arthritis research and addressed the pediatric rheumatology shortage.The organization also co-wrote model legislation on step therapy reform, the basis for bills passed in 34 states to-date - and for the federal Safe Step Act bill currently under consideration.Education and ResourcesArthritis Foundation offers a wealth of information ranging from education to support in real time. Among its resources:Launched in 2015, a toll-free Helpline offers licensed, clinical social workers and trained staff members who connect people to arthritis information, doctors and local resources in English Spanish, and in many other languages, online and over the phone. The number to call is 1-800-283-7800.Live Yes! Connect Groups, launched in 2017, now number 75 online and in-person groups - all offering empowering support and bringing people together to share common interests and challenges with arthritis. Connect Groups include groups by topic, such as Newly Diagnosed, and by specific disease, such as Rheumatoid Arthritis.The JA Family Summit, launched in 1987, offers specific support and resources to children and their families living with juvenile arthritis. Families, children, teens and young adults affected by JA gather annually for this four-day educational conference focused on health, wellness and connection to others like them, helping them realize that they are neither different nor alone.How To Get InvolvedThe Arthritis Foundation invites everyone to engage in one or more ways:People are encouraged to join the movement to #GoGreenforArthritis in May by lighting their home in green or wearing green to support the arthritis community.Inspiring Stories of Yes can be found on the Arthritis Foundation's website -- arthritis.org --including 75 Stories of Yes which will appear over the balance of 2023.To know more about the Arthritis Foundation's history and impact, check out an interactive timeline at arthritis.org/history And all are invited to share their arthritis stories on social media, tagging #75YearsofProgress, #GoGreenforArthritis, #WeJourneyTogether and #WeLiveYes.Social Media LinksFacebookInstagramTwitterLinkedInYouTubeAbout the Arthritis FoundationThe Arthritis Foundation is fighting for all people who live with arthritis. As Champions of Yes, the Arthritis Foundation's mission is to turn the obstacles arthritis causes into opportunities. The Arthritis Foundation champions life-changing solutions and medical advancements, and it also provides ways for people to connect, break down barriers in health care and join the fight to conquer arthritis - uniting hearts, minds and resources to change the future of arthritis. To join the fight to conquer arthritis, visit arthritis.org # # #CONTACT:Jill Konopka/Mary GendronEmail: jkonopka@ mower.com / mgendron@ mower.com Ph: 959.888.1554/212.980.9065SOURCE: Arthritis Foundation
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has signed a decree on amendments to the "Structure of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan", Trend reports.

According to the amendment, the East Zangezur Customs Administration will be created in accordance with the decree.

The full text of the decree can be found here.
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MLIFE's Executive Vice-President, Njuguna Muiruri, with the Former Vice-Mayor of Richmond, CA, Demnlus Johnson III, who traveled to Kenya in 2019 through MLIFE's partnership with the University of California Berkeley's Goldman School of Public Policy.SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / US Charities, MLIFE Foundation, and Rugged Elegance announced a groundbreaking intercultural program to revolutionize how African-Americans and Black Diaspora collaborate. The program designed to catalyze African-Americans' familial connection to Africa through cross-cultural exchange also provides opportunities for skills transfer to the Black Diaspora. By leveraging resources available across the Atlantic with those in the Americas, the program aims to enable collective impact and accelerate change for young and older communities on both sides of the ocean.Primarily launched to support expatriates and NextGen leaders willing to become change-makers in Africa and Black Diasporans living in America, the intercultural and skill transfer program seeks to create sustained socio-economic change in Sub-Saharan Africa. Through short and long-term initiatives, it will transfer US technological expertise to spur innovation, enhance cross-cultural collaboration to promote equitable outcomes for Black communities in the US and Diaspora, and invest in regenerative agriculture to lessen food insecurity.Among early companies adopting the program is Qrius Pay, We Are Guru, and Hyphen8tion Studios. "This project uniquely cultivates a rich ecosystem that fosters a dynamic exchange of skills and knowledge to hasten growth in the region and foster global relationships," says the CEO of QRius Pay, Laurent Sevigny. QRius Pay is a digital fundraising platform providing management consulting services to nonprofits in Canada and the United States.In the past four years, MLIFE has coordinated self-funded trips to East and West Africa for policymakers and high-net-worth individuals, generating more than $1m in new investments in Africa. With this new initiative, MLIFE seeks to "elevate justice, empower NextGen leaders, and provide a space for intercultural connectedness and healing among members of the Black Diaspora and African-Americans," says Mwangi Mukami, the founder and president of the MLIFE Foundation. Mwangi adds that MLIFE's new initiative promotes boundary-spanning by sharing valuable expertise, innovative ideas, and best practices across communities and cultures. It augments the Black voice at home and in the Diaspora, affirms a new Black agency, and promotes Black Renaissance.The first cohort of NextGen leaders under this new initiative departs this June for a fully-funded 10-day trip to learn about Africa's cultural heritage and connect with their peers in Nairobi, Kenya. Rugged Elegance has committed financial support for three of the fifteen-member cohort. "More than ever, we need to move away from a purely transactional 'getting ahead' mindset toward a relational 'getting along' mindset," says Timothy Charles Fredel, a Board member of Rugged Elegance. MLIFE partnership ties to Rugged Elegance's current Africa Rising Initiative, which aims to amplify the impact of the African Diaspora 10-fold.MLIFE will coordinate these trips twice during the Winter and Summer of each year. "Our work with MLIFE will enable our team members to develop a greater sense of empathy and social responsibility," says Alex Bryan, the CEO of Hyphen8tion Studios, which provides smart design solutions for for-profit and nonprofit organizations. Alex, both Black, and Croatian, intends to lead his team on the next trip scheduled in Winter 2024.MLIFE and Rugged Elegance believe the program will build bridges between Black Diaspora and the African-American community, foster collaboration between both communities and equip them with the tools and resources they need to make meaningful changes on both sides of the Atlantic.About MLIFE FoundationMLIFE Foundation is a US 501(c)3 faith-based charitable organization that supports under-resourced children experiencing learning poverty to read and write, mentors NextGen leaders to lead and thrive, and elevates families living on the margins to meet their basic needs.Contact: Mwangi Mukami (650) 713.3057Website: mlifefoundation.org About Rugged Elegance FoundationThe mission of Rugged Elegance is to inspire healthy, adventuresome, soulful living and philanthropic giving. Rugged Elegance is the creator of RE soulful network, a private, invitation-only community of historically marginalized impacted leaders determined to address the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.Website: https://www.ruggedelegance.org Contact: Jennifer Carolyn King and Timothy Charles Fredel at (707) 340-5377 or jck@ ruggedelegance.com SOURCE: MLIFE Foundation
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Baymark Partners Worked with WebsiteClosers.com to Purchase the eCommerce Business Nelly's SecurityGUAYNABO, PUERTO RICO / ACCESSWIRE / May 4, 2023 / WebsiteClosers.com , a leading business broker firm, is pleased to announce the successful sale of an online business.The acquisition of Nelly's Security was completed by David Hook of Baymark Partners, and was purchased from Sean Nelson. The specific terms of the deal are not being disclosed due to confidentiality reasons.Nate Lind, Business Broker and M&A Advisor with Website Closers, managed the sell-side for the transaction, starting with valuing the company through the due diligence process, all the way to the successful closing."From the time Sean and I first spoke I knew his company would get a lot of attention," Lind said, adding that he started by providing his client with a free business valuation.Lind's hunch about Nelly's Security was correct."We had 59 buyers reach out about his business. I had 187 email threads, phone calls, and touch points between me and these 59 buyers. I prescreened the buyers before we started talking with them," Lind noted.Nelly's Security, which was launched 14 years ago, provides customers with a host of security products.The highly profitable eCommerce business has built up a strong B2B customer base for its home security systems. The company has taken full advantage of a robust security market to sell its security cameras, alarms and access control devices to professional installers, and assisting homeowners and business owners in getting the most modern protections for their properties.As Nelson noted, prior to contacting WebsiteClosers.com , he tried unsuccessfully to work with local brokers in his hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma."Nate was much more knowledgeable than previous brokers I've worked with in the past. I was very impressed with Nate's knowledge of and understanding of the financial documents," Nelson said, adding that Lind valued the company at a much higher amount than Nelson was expecting.Hook said the entire transaction went smoothly from start to finish."Baymark Partners has worked with Website Closers for several years and when we found Nelly's Security on their platform, we were excited to pursue it," Hook said."Working with Nate Lind from Website Closers has been a pleasure. He's logical, easy going, and advocates for solid buyers like us to their clientele so the transaction doesn't become hostile." Business Broker and M&A Advisor ContactNate LindContact Me FormMedia Contact:Nate Lindnate@ natelind.com 787-299-9222ABOUT WEBSITE CLOSERSAs one of the world's largest Full Service Tech & Internet M&A Firms, Website Closers is dedicated to providing M&A Services to a wide range of private companies from as small as $1 Million to as large as $1 Billion across the globe, including Technology, Software, Internet, eCommerce, Amazon and other Digital companies.SOURCE: Website Closers
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CASHIERS, NC / ACCESSWIRE / May 4, 2023 / One of the largest Brava contractors in the nation, and one of the only preferred Brava contractors in the Southeast, Braswell Construction Group (BCG), is honored to receive Brava's Excellence Award for 2022. Brava awarded BCG for the quality and craftsmanship of the Lake Forest Shake' roof they installed on a custom DreamBuilt home located in Reynolds, Lake Oconee. This immaculate and newsworthy home by Lake Oconee's top builder DreamBuilt, with Shake roof by Braswell Construction Group, was the first home built in the new luxury development of Homesteads which is part of Reynolds Lake Oconee. Not only was this the first home to be completed in this 5-star development, but the home has paved the way for other homes in Homestead to have the luxury look of synthetic slate and shake.Braswell Construction Group is recognized in Georgia as the top roofing specialist for real cedar shake, real slate and synthetic shake/slate roofing, and prides itself on its high-quality service. One attribute that separates BCG from other Georgia roofing contractors is that they are one of very few installers of Brava Roof Tile that is certified. Additionally, BCG has recently been awarded Brava Preferred Contractor' making this the first roofing company recognized for this honor in the state of Georgia. Once named as a Brava Preferred Contractor', the provider is considered among the best in the industry known for their experience and commitment to quality roofing.More information about Brava products can be found on the company website via: https://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com/brava-roofing BCG offers premium shake and slate roofing options for customers wanting to improve the look and function of their home. The expanding category of synthetic roofing products cater to homeowners, builders, and remodelers who prefer renewable resources that come with the advantage of extreme durability and longevity yet want the look of natural slate or shake roofs. Braswell Construction Group explains that synthetic slate roofing is a mixture of recycled rubber and plastic put into molds that are taken from real slate and shake roofing. As contrasted to real slate & shake roofing, this is less costly, lighter, and is much more resilient and durable because it can be installed without the concern of damaging the product. And just like the real slate & shake roofing, its life expectancy can also last a hundred years.Advanced materials and manufacturing technologies give the synthetic products better resistance to weathering, greater durability, and longer lifespans than real slate or cedar, according to manufacturers. "The material is mimicked to obtain efficiency and also longer life over the natural product," says Chris Braswell, owner of BCG. "Other composite roofing materials pale in comparison to Brava. We use Brava products because they perfectly resemble the natural beauty of cedar shake roofs and slate roof shingles, but without the drawbacks and upkeep." More information about BCG's Brava Roofing specialty slate and tile options can be found at: https://bravaroofer.com About DreamBuiltFounded in 1999, DreamBuilt was created with the mission of enhancing the lives of their clients and shaping a better lake community. With an approach focused on thoughtful design, quality construction, and craftsmanship of their work, DreamBuilt homes stand out in the landscape of Lake Oconee.The four original DreamBuilt partners chose to move to the lake with their young families from various design and construction backgrounds in Atlanta. Jim and Paige Ruhl & Derek and Ann Welch set out to foster partnerships in the community with clients and trades to create a reputation of uncompromising excellence, always. As the lake community has grown, DreamBuilt has expanded its partnership to grow alongside it. The addition of Jep Pound and Haley Ruhl has allowed their business to continue to serve all clients - past, present and future - to the exceptional standard of personal attention and thoughtfulness that DreamBuilt was founded on.About Braswell Construction GroupBraswell Construction Group is a leader in specialty roofing and in addition to being a Brava Preferred Contractor, the top Georgia Roofing Company is also a DaVinci Roofer Masterpiece Contractor, and Owens Corning Platinum Preferred Contractor.BCG has been locally owned and operated since 2002, and prides itself on its high-quality craftsmanship, exceptional customer service, and professional acumen. They have a reputation for always completing its roofing and restoration projects on time and on budget while providing customized service, top-notch customer service, and unparalleled workmanship.Braswell Construction Group has been featured dozens of times in Yahoo Finance, ABC, FOX, CBS, Atlanta Leader among many others as an industry leader and the top Roofing Contractor in the state of Georgia.Braswell Construction Group operates from four Georgia locations to service homeowners with all their roofing and restoration needs in Greensboro/Lake Oconee, Covington/Conyers, Stone Mountain, Atlanta, and their respective surrounding areas.For more information, please visit https://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com Braswell Construction Group, Inc. Roofing & RestorationContact Info:Name: Michelle BirdEmail: chris@ braswellconstructiongroup.com Organization: Braswell Construction Group, Inc. Roofing & RestorationAddress: 3060 Pharr Ct N Northwest #32, Atlanta, GA 30305Phone: (678) 283-2551Website: http://www.braswellconstructiongroup.com SOURCE: Braswell Construction Group
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NEW ORLEANS, LA / ACCESSWIRE / May 4, 2023 / Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 8, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 18, 2021 and March 20, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). These actions are pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey.What You May DoIf you purchased securities of Credit Suisse and would like to discuss your legal rights and how these cases might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ( lewis.kahn@ksfcounsel.com) , or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-cs/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in the class action, you must petition the Court by May 8, 2023.About the LawsuitsCredit Suisse and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.On February 9, 2023, the Company disclosed that, contrary to its prior statements, it had continued to experience large customer outflows through yearend 2022, specifically, outflows of 110.5 billion Swiss francs in the final three months of 2022, a figure which far exceeded market expectations. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell $0.56 per ADS, or 15.64%, to close at $3.02 on February 9, 2023.Then, on March 15, 2023, news media sources revealed that the Company's "biggest backer," Saudi National Bank, would not buy any more of the Company's shares due to regulatory grounds. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell 13.94% to close at $2.16 per ADS.Finally, on March 20, 2023, the Company announced a merger agreement with UBS, stating that it "represents the best available outcomewe are forced to reach a solution today that provides a durable outcome." On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell 52.99% to close at $0.9450 per ADS on March 20.The first-filed case is Calhoun v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-01297. A subsequently-filed case, Turner v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-01476, expanded the class period. A third case filed, Linhares v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-02246, further expanded the class period.About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCKSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey.To learn more about KSF, you may visit http://ksfcounsel.com/ Contact:Kahn Swick & Foti, LLCLewis Kahn, Managing Partner1-877-515-18501100 Poydras St., Suite 960New Orleans, LA 70163SOURCE: Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE:CS, CSGKF) investors who suffered over $500k in losses to submit your losses now.Expanded Class Period: Feb. 18, 2021 - Mar. 20, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 8, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/CS Contact An Attorney Now: CS@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Credit Suisse Group AG (CS, CSGKF) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on Credit Suisse's statements about its liquidity and overall financial condition.On Dec. 1, 2022, the company's Chairman (Axel P. Lehmann) assured investors during an interview with the Financial Times that customer outflows not only "completely flattened out" but also that outflows had "partially reversed." The next day, Lehmann stated in an interview with Bloomberg Television that, as of Nov. 11, 2022, customer outflows had "basically stopped." The complaint alleges that: (1) contrary to statements by Lehmann, the sharp increase in customer outflows Credit Suisse began experiencing in Oct. 2022 remained ongoing; and (2) consequently, the company downplayed the impact of its recent series of quarterly losses and risk and compliance failures on its liquidity and client retention ability.Investors began to learn the truth on Feb. 9, 2023, when Credit Suisse announced its 2022 financial results that revealed large customer outflows continued through year-end 2022.On Feb. 21, 2023, Reuters reported that Swiss regulators are investigating whether remarks by Lehmann about customer outflows having stabilized were potentially misleading.On Mar. 14, 2023 Credit Suisse revealed it failed to maintain an effective assessment process to identify material misstatement risks in its financial statements.On Mar. 15, 2023 Bloomberg reported that Saudi National Bank, Credit Suisse's largest shareholder, would not provide additional liquidity to the company.Most recently, on Mar. 20, 2023, Credit Suisse announced it agreed to merge with UBS and shareholders would receive 1 UBS share for 22.48 Credit Suisse shares.These events have driven the price of Credit Suisse American Depositary Receipts sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Credit Suisse lied about the magnitude of customer outflows in an effort to slow an apparent run-on-the-bank," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Credit Suisse and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Credit Suisse should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email CS@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 19:01:16

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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that securities class action complaints have been filed against Credit Suisse Group AG ("Credit Suisse") (NYSE:CS). The complaints charge Credit Suisse with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the company's business, operations, and prospects. As a result of Credit Suisse's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, Credit Suisse's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR CREDIT SUISSE LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/credit-suisse-group-ag?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=cs&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE:MAY 8, 2023CLASS PERIOD: FEBRUARY 18, 2021 THROUGH MARCH 20, 2023CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. at (484) 270-1453 or via email at info@ ktmc.com Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.CREDIT SUISSE'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCTIn October 2022, Credit Suisse began experiencing a sharp increase in customer outflows, or withdrawals of client funds, after a series of quarterly losses and risk and compliance failures significantly decreased the company's American Depositary Share ("ADS") price.On March 10, 2022, Credit Suisse filed with the SEC its 2021 annual report on a Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2021. The 2021 annual report failed to identify any material weaknesses with Credit Suisse's internal controls.On December 1, 2022, Credit Suisse's Chairman, Axel P. Lehmann ("Lehmann") stated in an interview with Financial Times that customer outflows had not only "completely flattened out," but had, in fact, "partially reversed." The following day, in an interview with Bloomberg Television, Lehmann reiterated his previous statements, reassuring investors that as of November 11, 2022, customer outflows had "basically stopped." Following Lehmann's statements, Credit Suisse's ADS price rose $0.29 per ADS, or 9.36%, to close at $3.38 per ADS on December 2, 2022.Then on February 9, 2023, Credit Suisse issued a press release announcing its 2022 financial results. The press release revealed that, contrary to Lehmann's prior statements, large customer outflows had continued through year-end 2022. Specifically, the press release reported customer outflows of 110.5 billion Swiss francs in the final three months of 2022, a figure which far exceeded market expectations. Following this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell $0.56 per ADS, or 15.64%, to close at $3.02 per ADS on February 9, 2023.On February 21, 2023, Reuters reported that the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority was reviewing Lehmann's previous comments regarding customer outflows. Following this news, Credit Suisse's ADS price fell another $0.10 per ADS, or 3.31%, to close at $2.92 per ADS on February 21, 2023.Then on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, Credit Suisse issued its annual 2022 report and revealed that it had identified "certain material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting" for the years 2021 and 2022. Additionally, on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, the chairman of Credit Suisse's largest shareholder, Saudi National Bank, which holds 9.88% of Credit Suisse, announced that it won't provide further financial support to Credit Suisse and that it would not buy more shares on regulatory grounds.Following this news, the price of Credit Suisse ADSs fell 13.94% to close at $2.16 per ADS on March 15, 2023.Finally, on March 20, 2023, Credit Suisse issued an announcement on Form 6-K of its merger agreement with Union Bank of Switzerland and that Union Bank of Switzerland would be the surviving entity upon closing of the merger transaction.Following this news, the price of Credit Suisse ADSs fell 52.99% to close at $0.9450 per ADS on March 20, 2023.WHAT CAN I DO?Credit Suisse investors may, no later than May 8, 2023, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP encourages Credit Suisse investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The first class action complaint against Credit Suisse, Calhoun v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al. Case No. 23-cv-01297, is filed in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey before the Honorable Karen McGlashan Williams.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLPKessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and other corporate misconduct. All of our work is driven by a common goal: to protect investors, consumers, employees and others from fraud, abuse, misconduct and negligence by businesses and fiduciaries. The complaints were not filed by Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP. For more information about Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP please visit www.ktmc.com CONTACT:Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPJonathan Naji, Esq.280 King of Prussia RoadRadnor, PA 19087(484) 270-1453info@ ktmc.com SOUR
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 15:55:22

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SPR) investors who suffered $500k or more in losses submit your losses now.Class Period: Apr. 8, 2020 - Apr. 13, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: July 5, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/SPR Contact An Attorney Now: SPR@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (SPR) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on Spirit AeroSystem's past statements concerning its operational performance and quality controls, particularly with respect to supplying its largest customer (Boeing).According to the complaint, Defendants failed to disclose to investors that: (1) Spirit lacked adequate production quality controls; (2) Spirit incorrectly installed fittings designed to join the aft fuselage to the vertical tail for some Boeing 737 MAX airplanes; (3) Spirit would have to develop an inspection and repair procedure for the affected fuselages; and (4) the foregoing would negatively impact Spirit's financial results.Investors began to learn the truth on Apr. 13, 2023, when the financial press reported that Spirit notified Boeing of a quality problem that could stretch back to 2019. Reuters reported that "[t]he issue will likely affect a significant' number of undelivered 737 MAX airplanes both in production and in storage, and could result in lowered 737 MAX deliveries in the near term" and "[t]he problem, which affects a portion of the 737 MAX family [] involves the installation of two fittings that join the aft fuselage made by Spirit to the vertical tail, which were not attached correctly before it was sent to Boeing." Most recently, on May 3, 2023, Spirit announced that fuselage repair costs would negatively impact 2023 gross profit by $31 million and said that additional costs are expected.These events have driven the price of Spirit shares sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Spirit knew it embarked on a cost cutting program that adversely affected quality control," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Spirit and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Spirit should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email SPR@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 16:01:09

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (NYSE:MPW) investors who suffered substantial losses submit your losses now.Class Period: July 15, 2019- Feb. 22, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: June 12, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/MPW Contact An Attorney Now: MPW@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Medical Properties Trust, Inc. (MPW) Securities Fraud Class Action:According to the complaint, Defendants made false and misleading statements and failed to disclose that Medical Properties: (1) masked the distressed state of its tenants through sale-leaseback arrangements that were essentially round-robin transactions in that they allowed debt-saddled tenants to meet their obligations in the short term; (2) fraudulently transferred hundreds of millions of dollars in what amounted to a bailout of financially distressed tenants; and (3) concealed its fraudulent transfers with fake construction projects with purportedly high capital expenses, despite the fact that the company entered into "triple-net leases" that obligated its tenants to pay a significant portion of expenses.Investors began to learn the truth on Jan. 26, 2023, when Viceroy Research published a scathing report accusing Medical Properties of "engaging in billions of dollars of uncommercial transactions with its tenants and their management teams in order to mask a pervasive revenue round-robin scheme and/or theft." Then, on Feb. 2, 2023, Viceroy sent and published its letter to Medical Properties' auditor highlighting Viceroy's concerns about severely distressed tenants and round-tripped revenues, uncollectible accrued revenues and impaired asset values.Finally, on Feb. 23, 2023, the company announced Q4 and full-year 2022 financial results that included a whopping $171 million impairment charge relating to four properties leased to Prospect and a write-off of $112 million on unbilled Prospect rent.These revelations drove the price of Medical Properties shares sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Medical Properties cooked its books," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Medical Properties and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Medical Properties should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email MPW@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE:NSC) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Oct. 8, 2020 - Mar. 3, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 15, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/NSC Contact An Attorney Now: NSC@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Norfolk Southern Corporation (NSC) Securities Fraud Class Action:The complaint alleges that Defendants misrepresented and concealed material facts concerning Norfolk Southern's increased risk-taking at the expense of reasonable safety precautions due to the company's near-term focus on profits.Specifically, the company invoked a plan to, among other things, use longer, heavier trains staffed by fewer personnel, which led to increased train derailments and the risk of future catastrophic events. The complaint also alleges that while failing to make proper capital expenditures in safety risk programs, the company concurrently lobbied for policies undermining its ability to provide safe, efficient, and reliable rail transportation services.The complaint alleges that this undisclosed conduct made Norfolk Southern more susceptible to accidents that could seriously harm the company, its workers, its customers, third parties, and the environment.The true facts began to emerge on Feb. 3, 2023, when a Norfolk Southern freight train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited and required the immediate evacuation of those within a one-mile by two-mile area. According to regulators, the derailment was entirely preventable.An additional revelation of Norfolk Southern's safety lapses occurred on Mar. 14, 2023, when another of its freight trains derailed near Springfield, Ohio."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Norfolk Southern put profits over safety," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Norfolk Southern and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Norfolk Southern should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email NSC@ hbsslaw.com # # #About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 15:10:29

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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / The law firm of Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP( www.ktmc.com) informs investors that a securities class action lawsuit has been against Norfolk Southern Corporation ("Norfolk Southern") (NYSE:NSC). The action charges Norfolk Southern with violations of the federal securities laws, including omissions and fraudulent misrepresentations relating to the company's business, operations, and prospects. As a result of Norfolk Southern's materially misleading statements and omissions to the public, Norfolk Southern's investors have suffered significant losses.CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR NORFOLK SOUTHERN LOSSES. YOU CAN ALSO CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK OR COPY AND PASTE IN YOUR BROWSER: https://www.ktmc.com/new-cases/norfolk-southern-corporation?utm_source=PR&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=nsc&mktm=r CANNOT VIEW THIS VIDEO? PLEASE CLICK HERELEAD PLAINTIFF DEADLINE:MAY 15, 2023CLASS PERIOD: OCTOBER 28, 2020 THROUGH MARCH 3, 2023CONTACT AN ATTORNEY TO DISCUSS YOUR RIGHTS:Jonathan Naji, Esq. at (484) 270-1453 or via email at info@ ktmc.com Kessler Topaz is one of the world's foremost advocates in protecting the public against corporate fraud and other wrongdoing. Our securities fraud litigators are regularly recognized as leaders in the field individually and our firm is both feared and respected among the defense bar and the insurance bar. We are proud to have recovered billions of dollars for our clients and the classes of shareholders we represent.NORFOLK SOUTHERN'S ALLEGED MISCONDUCTFor several years leading up to the beginning of the Class Period, Norfolk Southern took a number of measures which put profits and executive compensation over safety. For example, in October 2018, Norfolk Southern adopted "Precision Scheduled Railroading" or "PSR" which was purportedly aimed at producing better service at a lower cost. In actuality, the company sought to increase revenues by cutting operating costs including reducing staff, running fewer, heavier, faster trains and optimizing the company's networks in order to increase efficiency. Norfolk Southern also began tying executive compensation to achieving PSR goals. For example, in 2021, multiple Norfolk Southern executives received millions of dollars in cash bonuses for reducing costs by achieving "record performance for train length and weight." Industry critics have warned that this type of compensation system incentivizes executives to cut costs at the expense of safety and also leads to longer and more dangerous trains which "have greater damage done, greater, larger pileups, fires and so on." At the same time, Norfolk Southern and its lobbyists played a key role in defeating an Obama-era safety rule that was used following a number of oil train accidents, including the "ECP Brake Rule" which was ultimately repealed in 2018.On February 3, 2023, a Norfolk Southern Railway Company general merchandise freight train derailed 38 railcars in East Palestine, Ohio, leaving behind what the Associated Press called "a mangled and charred mass of boxcars and flames." The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited, fueling fires that damaged an additional 12 non-derailed railcars.On February 6, 2023, responders engaged in a controlled detonation and burn of the vinyl chloride, spewing massive volumes of chemicals into the vicinity. The chemicals released from the derailment entered the air and water of the surrounding residential areas, the closest of which were only 1,000 feet from the site of the accident. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell on February 6, 2023 - down $5.66 per share from its closing price on Friday, February 3, 2023.Then, on February 8, 2023, after lifting a previously issued evacuation order, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine stated that Norfolk Southern was "the one[] who created the problem. It's their liability. They're the ones who ought to pay for it." Following their return, numerous residents reported hazardous air quality and other health and environmental concerns. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell on February 9, 2023, closing at $238.98 per share - down $7.64 per share from its closing price of $246.62 per share on February 8, 2023.Thereafter, Norfolk Southern's stock price continued to drop in response to several other reports and public officials who spoke out about Norfolk Southern's liability for all of the harm and damage it had caused.On March 4, 2023, another Norfolk Southern freight train derailed near Springfield, Ohio. Two days later, on March 6, 2023, Norfolk Southern announced a 6-part plan to improve operational safety. Following this news, the price of Norfolk Southern stock fell again on March 6 and March 7, 2023, closing at $215.18 per share - down $13.21 per share from its closing price of $228.39 on Friday, March 3, 2023.WHAT CAN I DO?Norfolk Southern investors may, no later than May 15, 2023, move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff for the class, through Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPor other counsel, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLPencourages Norfolk Southern investors who have suffered significant losses to contact the firm directly to acquire more information. The class action complaint against Norfolk Southern, captioned Bucks County Employees Retirement System v. Norfolk Southern Corporation, et al. and docketed under 23-cv-0982, is filed in the United States District Court for Southern District of Ohio (Eastern Division) before the Honorable Michael H. Watson.CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE CASEWHO CAN BE A LEAD PLAINTIFF?A lead plaintiff is a representative party who acts on behalf of all class members in directing the litigation. The lead plaintiff is usually the investor or small group of investors who have the largest financial interest and who are also adequate and typical of the proposed class of investors. The lead plaintiff selects counsel to represent the lead plaintiff and the class and these attorneys, if approved by the court, are lead or class counsel. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision of whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff.ABOUT KESSLER TOPAZ MELTZER & CHECK, LLPKessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP prosecutes class actions in state and federal courts throughout the country and around the world. The firm has developed a global reputation for excellence and has recovered billions of dollars for victims of fraud and oth
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan has signed a decree on amendments to the "List of positions with higher special ranks in the customs authorities of Azerbaijan", Trend reports.

The decree reads as follows:

1.1. Paragraphs "Head of the Sumgait Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service", "Head of the Western Territorial Main Customs Administration - Major General of the Customs Service", "Head of the Southern Territorial Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service" and "Head of the Northern Territorial Main Customs Administration  Major General of the Customs Service" have been canceled.

1.2. The words "Head of the Main Customs Administration for Energy Resources and Sea Transport" are replaced by the words "Head of the Main Customs Administration for Sea Transport and Energy Resources".

2. The Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan will resolve issues arising from this Decree.
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 09:00:34

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Power Nickel Inc. (the "Company" or "Power Nickel") (TSXV:PNPN)(OTCQB:PNPNF)(Frankfurt:IVVI) is pleased to announce it has closed the final tranche of the private placement previously announced on March 13, 2023 (the "Offering") for 1,032,000 flow-through units (each, an "FT Unit") of the Company, at a price of $0.50 per FT Unit, for gross proceeds of CAD $516,000. The Company has received conditional TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval for the Private Placement."We are pleased to close the final tranche of our previously announced Private Placement. It ended up at $4,810,000. We could have hung around for another week and closed more, but we just wanted to get this closed and focus on getting more great results out on our drilling and exploration program at Nisk," said Power Nickel CEO Terry Lynch. "At the risk of being repetitive, we have benefited greatly by having our project in Quebec, where very favorable incentives exist for Critical Mineral projects like our NISK Nickel Sulfide project at Nemaska." Lynch commented further, "Quebec, Canada is, in our opinion, the World's leading jurisdiction for exploration for Critical Minerals. This was further cemented by the recent Quebec and Canadian budgets, which provide substantial incentives to explore Critical Minerals and build mines. In our case, this financing is focused on exploration, and we were able to raise twice as much money with half the dilution. Going forward, the new, unappreciated by the market incentives, could, for example, advance as much as $200 Million USD to building a $400 Million Nickel Mine. While significant steps remain before determining if a mine would be viable and the budgets are not yet law, these are substantial incentives that de-risk projects for investors and enable governments to inspire investment and development in the critical mineral sector. We look forward to utilizing these incentives on our quest to build the world's first Carbon Neutral Nickel Mine." The Company expects to have additional assays available for release next week and believes the next two months could be among the busiest and best for Power Nickel."We are planning to have multiple material releases coming on additional assay results, the results of the Airborne EM, the release of the results of the metallurgical study, The commencement of the Fleet Ambient Noise Tomography program, and some potential major surprises. Nisk is delivering the goods, and we will be working hard to get the word out via our appearances at multiple conferences and a heavy Podcast schedule," commented CEO Terry Lynch.Each FT Unit is composed of one common share of the Company that qualifies as a "flow-through share" (each, an "FT Share") for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "ITA"), and one-half of one transferable non-flow-through common share purchase warrant (each whole, being a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable into one non-flow-through common share (each a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.50 per Warrant Share for five years from the date of issuance. All securities issued under the Private Placement, including the broker warrants (described below), are subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period. The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause that entitles the Company to provide notice (the "Acceleration Notice") to holders that the Warrants will expire 30 days from the date the Company provides the Acceleration Notice. The Company can only provide the Acceleration Notice if the closing price of the Company's Common Shares on the TSXV is equal to or greater than $1.00 for ten consecutive trading days. The Acceleration Notice can be provided at any time after the statutory hold period and before the expiry date of the Warrants.The Company intends to use the gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares for exploration activities on the Company's NISK property located in Quebec and to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses, within the meaning of the ITA, that will qualify for the federal 30% Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit.The Company paid finder's fees of $30,960 in connection with the closing of the second tranche of the Offering. It issued 61,920 broker warrants enabling the broker to purchase common shares for $0.50 until November 4, 2024.About Power Nickel Inc.Power Nickel is a Canadian junior exploration company focusing on high-potential copper, gold, and battery metal prospects in Canada and Chile. On February 1, 2021, Power Nickel (then called Chilean Metals) completed the acquisition of its option to acquire up to 80% of the Nisk project from Critical Elements Lithium Corp. (CRE: TSXV). The NISK property comprises a large land position (20 kilometers of strike length) with numerous high-grade intercepts. Power Nickel is focused on expanding its current high-grade nickel-copper PGE mineralization Ni 43- 101 resource with a series of drill programs designed to test the initial Nisk discovery zone and to explore the land package for adjacent potential Nickel deposits.HighlightsRecent assay results from the current drill program at the Nisk deposit continue to return high-grade Ni-Cu- Co sulfide and PGE mineralization.Significant results from this batch of assays include:40.3m @ 0.88% Ni, 0.56% Cu, 0.06% Co, 1.64 ppm Pd and 0.15 ppm Pt (PN-22-009)Including:25.86m @ 1.17% Ni, 0.80% Cu, 0.08% Co, 1.46 ppm Pd and 0.23 ppm PtPower Nickel announced on June 8th, 2021, that an agreement had been made to complete the 100% acquisition of its Golden Ivan project in the heart of the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle has reported mineral resources (past production and current resources) in a total of 130 million ounces of gold, 800 million ounces of silver, and 40 billion pounds of copper. (Resource World) This property hosts two known mineral showings (Gold ore and Magee), and a portion of the past-producing Silverado mine, which was reportedly exploited between 1921 and 1939. These mineral showings are described to be Polymetallic veins that contain quantities of silver, lead, zinc, plus/minus gold, and plus/minus copper.Power Nickel is also 100 percent owner of five properties comprising over 50,000 acres strategically located in the prolific iron-oxide-copper-gold belt of northern Chile. It also owns a 3-per-cent NSR royalty interest on any future production from the Copaquire copper-molybdenum deposit, which was sold to a subsidiary of Teck Resources Inc. Under the terms of the sale agreement, Teck has the right to acquire one-third of the 3-per-cent NS
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 11:21:05

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Panama City, Republic of Panama, May 2, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - Leading global fintech brand PreIPO has successfully participated in the First Sustainable Investment Forum of Panama, organized by PROPANAMA and held earlier this month at the Panama Convention Center in Amador, which is the biggest convention center in Central America. The disruptive private equity platform joined the event to demonstrate its innovative approach to optimizing distribution, maximizing liquidity, and democratizing the capital formation process for issuers, intermediaries, and investors."We are excited to explore the investment opportunities in Panama's thriving economy and contribute to its sustainable development through our innovative fintech solutions," said Harold Alvarez, Chief Syndicate Officer PreIPO.com The Panama Sustainable Investment Forum is a prestigious event that brings together international investors and businesses interested in exploring the sustainable investment opportunities offered by Panama's dynamic and growing economy. The event highlights Panama's unique advantages, including incomparable connectivity, a safe environment, and the benefits of various special regimes for foreign investment. Participants are introduced to the competitive, business-friendly, and transparent tax, labor, and migration legal tools available in the country.PreIPO showcased its cutting-edge fintech solutions at the forum, highlighting the transformative potential of its platform for sustainable investments in Panama. By offering an accessible and efficient capital formation process, PreIPO aims to support the growth of sustainable businesses and contribute to the long-term economic development of the country."Participating in PROPANAMA's Sustainable Investment Forum has been a remarkable experience for PreIPO," said Harold Alvarez, Chief Syndication Officer at PreIPO. "We are excited to explore the investment opportunities in Panama's thriving economy and contribute to its sustainable development through our innovative fintech solutions." PreIPO.com's presence at the Panama Sustainable Investment Forum reinforces its commitment to promoting sustainable investments and fostering economic growth in emerging markets. The company's platform aims to empower businesses and investors worldwide, driving positive social and environmental impacts through smart and responsible investments.About PreIPO.com The event took place on the cusp of PreIPO launching its $128M Series A Round to scale globally in a rapid manner. Currently, PreIPO.com currently features over $1B in deal flow Available in the Deal Room ( www.preipo.com/deal-room-preipo) . PreIPO is an innovative global fintech brand that has revolutionized the private equity industry with its disruptive platform. The company's unique approach optimizes distribution, maximizes liquidity, and democratizes the capital formation process for issuers, intermediaries, and investors. PreIPO is dedicated to empowering businesses and investors with efficient, transparent, and accessible solutions that drive sustainable growth and create lasting value.To Learn More about how you can participate in the PreIPO Ecosystem, please visit www.preipo.com or contact info@ preipo.com Harold AlvarezPreIPO+1 888-863-1582info@ preipo.com
PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 16:05:12

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Hagens Berman urges Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE:RAD) investors who suffered substantial losses to submit your losses now.Class Period: Apr. 26, 2018 - Mar. 13, 2023Lead Plaintiff Deadline: May 19, 2023Visit: www.hbsslaw.com/investor-fraud/RAD Contact An Attorney Now: RAD@ hbsslaw.com 844-916-0895Rite Aid Corporation (RAD) Securities Fraud Class Action:The litigation focuses on Rite Aid's compliance with federal regulations concerning its pharmacies' prescriptions practices and its federal healthcare program reimbursement billing.According to the complaint, Defendants made false and misleading statements or failed to disclose that Rite Aid: (1) filled hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances that lacked a legitimate medical purpose until June 2019; (2) ignored evidence that its stores were dispensing unlawful prescriptions and intentionally deleted internal notes about suspicious prescribers written by concerned pharmacists; (4) violated the Controlled Substances Act by knowingly filling unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances; and (5) violated the False Claims Act when it sought reimbursement from federal healthcare programs.Investors began to learn the truth on Mar. 13, 2023, when the US Department of Justice announced it filed a lawsuit against Rite Aid alleging that the company knowingly filled hundreds of thousands of unlawful prescriptions for controlled substances and knowingly submitted false or fraudulent reimbursement claims for such prescriptions to federal healthcare programs. The DOJ alleges these activities violate the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act and states, in part, "[w]hile making millions of dollars [Rite Aid] opened the floodgates for millions of pills of opioids and other controlled substances to flow illegally out of [its] stores." This news sent the price of Rite Aid shares sharply lower."We're focused on investors' losses and proving Rite Aid's decision to put profits ahead of safety enabled it to record illegally-generated revenues," said Reed Kathrein, the Hagens Berman partner leading the investigation.If you invested in Rite Aid and have substantial losses, or have knowledge that may assist the firm's investigation, click here to discuss your legal rights with Hagens Berman.Whistleblowers: Persons with non-public information regarding Rite Aid should consider their options to help in the investigation or take advantage of the SEC Whistleblower program. Under the new program, whistleblowers who provide original information may receive rewards totaling up to 30 percent of any successful recovery made by the SEC. For more information, call Reed Kathrein at 844-916-0895 or email RAD@ hbsslaw.com About Hagens BermanHagens Berman is a global plaintiffs' rights complex litigation law firm focusing on corporate accountability through class-action law. The firm is home to a robust securities litigation practice and represents investors as well as whistleblowers, workers, consumers and others in cases achieving real results for those harmed by corporate negligence and fraud. More about the firm and its successes can be found at hbsslaw.com . Follow the firm for updates and news at @ClassActionLaw.Contact:Reed Kathrein, 844-916-0895SOURCE: Hagens Berman
T4 Banking Philippines 2023: Trends, Tactics, Trust Building Components, and Technology in the Philippine banking landscape

PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 12:47:09

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MANILA, May 4, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - As one of Philippines' premium conference brands for banking community, T4 Banking is considered as a bridge, and an arena where we connect the thinkers, innovators, disruptors and most importantly all of the decision-makers in the Philippine banking ecosystem.The live, in-person event will be the gathering of all business executives from banks, financial regulators, pan-financial companies, and technology solution providers across the entire country. The 2023 Edition with the theme "Digital readiness and the future of banking in the Philippines" will be hosted on August 17, 2023 in The Manila Hilton Hotel, where you can expect to see more than 300 high profile delegates such as Technical Directors, CEO CIO CTO CDO Risk Control Directors, Information Security Heads, and a lot more.The event is strongly committed in providing its audience deeper knowledge with 4 Ts - Tactics, Trends, Trust Building Components, and Technology in the Philippine banking landscape. The community aims to accelerate the transformation to a future digital banking ecosystem. This conference will be a closed door, B2B oriented forum. Varies type of arrangements will be presented during the event such as lucky draws, interactive panel discussions, roundtable luncheon, booth making contest, one-to-one private meetings, networking and awards-giving.This is not your ordinary conference. We will be bringing the highest level of excitement and energy showcasing the world's top banking technology providers and bank participants, all in one roof!KEY SUBJECTS:1. Data governance mechanisms to drive bank performance2. Banks evolving as API providers: Open banking takeaways3. Artificial intelligence for the banking ecosystem4. Bank intelligent branches and digital tools5. AI: The secret sauce to banks risk management strategy6. The fundamental elements of core modernization for banks7. Digital customer banking experience: From journeys to intent8. Cybersecurity in banking: Importance, threats, and challenges9. Banking risk and compliance management 2023 outlook10. Upgrading bank marketing technology to become future-ready11. Philippine banking: Talent acquisition, development, retention and engagement12. Global banking innovations and emerging technology trendsFor sponsorship, and speaking engagement please contact our event director at jimby@ t4bevent.com or visit our event website at www.t4bevent.com Don't miss the opportunity to be a part of the biggest event in the Philippine banking ecosystem! Witness how we gather all of the leading experts in the industry and share their thoughts and insights with very timely topics.
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According to some experts, the key to solving America's teen mental health crisis may truly lie in our own hands our device-free hands.DULUTH, MN / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / The pandemic left a lasting impact on the mental health of individuals across all demographics. Among those most affected are teenagers, who had to navigate the challenges of remote learning, social isolation, and an uncertain future. The escalating rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people signal an urgent need for change.Current trends in teen depression, anxiety, violence, and suicide point to a crisis that demands urgent action. According to the CDC, suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults. As schools struggle with limited budgets and resources, more reactive solutions can continue to fail, leaving some students to slip through the cracks.Many feel it's time for a drastic new approach to intervening in the teen mental health crisis, one that goes directly to the source: the students themselves. Some believe that raising teen self-awareness and empowerment can offer the key to unlocking this crisis. Organizations like A Gen Z Revolution, founded by speaker Heather Wilde, send inspirational speakers into high schools, giving voice to often quiet teenagers and helping reframe their mindset. While each of the nation's speaking organizations has a different focus, A Gen Z Revolution focuses on helping teens deal with trauma and cope with everyday challenges, citing statistics on teen depression, gun violence, and school shootings as evidence of the need for first-hand intervention.A Gen Z Revolution challenges students to unplug from social media, peers, and expectations; show up fully to their own lives; and take ownership of the choices shaping their future. "Students need to become the directors of their story instead of simply watching it unfold," says Founder Heather Wilde. She and her team believe that until teens regain control of their narratives, problems like depression, anxiety, violence, and suicide will persist.Bringing awareness to these harsh realities has become easier in the wake of tragedies, but intervention has proven far more difficult. Standard crisis programs can offer a Band-Aid, but often fall short of providing a lasting cure. Young people today face pressures unheard of in previous generations, from social media fame to college admissions, to existential threats of climate change. "To solve the teen mental health crisis, only giving teenagers the skills and motivation to adapt to today's pressures on their own terms will truly move the needle," Wilde claims.Tying into Current Events: A Generation in DistressThere's no denying it: there are a multitude of challenges facing today's teenagers. In recent years, the United States has experienced a series of high-profile school shootings and incidents of gun violence, each tragedy shining a spotlight on the mental health of young people. Despite the increased attention, substantive change has been slow to materialize.Furthermore, since the pandemic had a profound effect on students' mental health because of remote learning, social isolation, and the loss of milestone events like prom and graduation, countless teens have taken a downturn in mental health. For some, existing mental health issues have worsened, while others have developed new issues as a result of the drastic changes in their lives.A Gen Z Revolution's solution centers on engaging with students to foster self-awareness and empowerment, which can help them confront and overcome their struggles. By connecting with students on a personal level, the organization hopes to address the deeper roots of the mental health crisis.One key aspect of A Gen Z Revolution's work is encouraging students to unplug from digital devices and be present in the moment. In a world dominated by social media, becoming aware of its impact on mental health, particularly among teenagers, is crucial. By teaching students the value of disconnecting, A Gen Z Revolution promotes the development of real-life connections that can serve as a support network during difficult times. "We can only deal powerfully with life when we are present and the only way to actually be present is by unplugging. True connection lies on the other side of connectivity." While the "unplugging" message is often not initially embraced by teens, A Gen Z Revolution has found that once the teens and their parents set down their devices try it, the results have been extremely positive.ABOUT:A Gen Z Revolution is designed to be a beacon of light for people needing validation, hope, and healing. Founder and CEO Heather Wilde is an educator and published author living on the shores of Lake Superior. She holds degrees in Secondary English, a Masters in Character Education, and a certification in Alternative Education. She is an expert with trauma processing, accountability, and self-awareness. To learn more, visit A Gen Z Revolution website.CONTACT:Heather Wildehello@ wildehouseof.com 218-393-2679SOURCE: A Gen Z Revolution
Thousands of supporters join Habitat for Humanity's 2023 youth campaign for decent, affordable homes in Asia-Pacific

PR-Inside.com: 2023-05-05 12:14:28

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MANILA, May 2, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - "This is fun! It's something new and challenging," said Kimberly, a Filipino test product engineer who spent a day painting houses in Laguna, the Philippines. She is among the thousands of young leaders who joined the 2023 Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build, which will culminate tomorrow in a series of virtual and physical events in at least eight countries in the Asia-Pacific region.Organized annually since 2012, the campaign brings together youth from across the region to support people and families in need of decent housing. This year, campaign participants are back volunteering in full force after a three-year hiatus on physical volunteering activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic."The effects of the global pandemic and disruptions of supply chains showed us the vulnerabilities that many young people face, including diminished economic prospects that could put them at risk of long-term inability to own an affordable home. Yet, we at Habitat for Humanity have also seen firsthand through the Young Leaders Build campaign that the youth can be part of the solution by being aware of the urgent need and ready to take action for decent, affordable housing in their communities. We are incredibly grateful that young volunteers and participants have stepped up to raise awareness, mobilize their own networks, and raise funds and other resources in support of our vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live," said Luis Noda, Vice-President for Asia-Pacific, Habitat for Humanity International.During the campaign culmination, more than 600 volunteers are expected to help repair and paint houses, build new homes and community facilities, and organize virtual and physical forums on housing market systems and volunteerism as well as leadership and sustainable communities, among others. Supporters will also raise their voices on social media by posting their photos with the campaign's flag and sharing their volunteering experience.Since launching in December during International Volunteers' Day, the campaign has mobilized at least 500 volunteers from Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Philippines, and Vietnam. To date, they have helped raise over US$25,000 to help families build or repair the places they call home.About Habitat for HumanityDriven by the vision that everyone needs a decent place to live, Habitat for Humanity found its earliest inspirations as a grassroots movement on an interracial community farm in U.S.A. Since its founding in 1976, the housing organization has grown to become a leading global nonprofit working in more than 70 countries. In the Asia-Pacific region since 1983, Habitat for Humanity has supported millions of people to build or improve a place they can call home. Through financial support, volunteering or adding a voice to support affordable housing, everyone can help families achieve the strength, stability and self-reliance they need to build better lives for themselves. To learn more, donate or volunteer, visit habitat.org/asiapacific For further information, please contact:Ms. Angeli Alba-Pascual, AAlba@ habitat.org , +63 920 956 3376, or Ms. Michele Soh, MSoh@ habitat.org , +65 9233 1544.
The co-founder of an offshore firm that won a controversial $6.6 billion arbitration award after arguing that Nigeria failed to fulfill an energy contract has admitted in a London court that the company and its affiliates had previously engaged in financial misconduct and deception  including unexplained payments to senior officials, and falsifying invoices.

Nigeria has gone to court to contest the 2017 arbitration ruling  which, with interest, has now almost doubled to $11 billion  arguing that it shouldnt have to pay since Process & Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID), registered in the British Virgin Islands, obtained the contract through bribing government officials. P&ID denies any bribery in the gas contract. A decision is expected within weeks.

The case has generated headlines worldwide, but the testimony from the eight-week trial in London sheds unprecedented light on apparent bribery and other questionable business practices by P&ID and its sister company, Industrial Consultants International Limited (ICIL).

Under intense cross-examination by Nigerias lawyer, P&ID figures addressed two decades of alleged wrongdoing in the West African nation, including but not limited to the gas dispute.

They testified that employees gained access to privileged government documents, moved undeclared cash across borders, sought to influence a witness, tried to destroy evidence, and did business with individuals they knew to have previously paid bribes.

In a filing near the end of the English High Court trial in March, P&ID conceded that during the proceedings, some evidence of corrupt or apparently corrupt activity within the ICIL group of companies has come to light.

This is of course regrettable, although one has to be realistic: so endemic is corruption in Nigeria that there cannot be many companies with a track record of doing business there in relation to which that would not turn out to be the case, the company wrote.

Nigerias lawyer, Mark Howard, told the court that this line of reasoningdemonstrates the scorn that P&ID has for Nigeria, its rule of law, its people, and indeed its efforts to stamp out corruption. Nigeria, which accuses P&ID of bribery on an industrial scale, has called on the High Court to invalidate the arbitration award. P&ID denies Nigerias charge.

If the government loses its challenge, it would owe P&ID close to a third of its foreign exchange reserves. Nigerian economists argue that paying this amount would cripple public finances in a country where about 95 million people live in poverty.

The beneficiaries, meanwhile, would receive riches beyond the dreams of avarice, as Nigerias lawyer put it.

It Might Be Less Than Honest

P&ID was set up in 2006 by Brendan Cahill and Michael Quinn, a pair of Irish businessmen who had been working together since the 1970s and had previously secured contracts from Nigerias ministries of Defense and Police Affairs.

In 2010, the company won a contract from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources to build a gas-processing plant in Nigerias southeastern city of Calabar. Nigeria was to supply the gas for free over 20 years and the two parties would split the processed resources. But Nigeria never provided the promised gas, and the plant was never built.

P&ID successfully sued the Nigerian government for breach of the contract at an arbitration tribunal presided over by Lord Hoffmann, a retired senior English judge. Today, P&IDs only activity is its legal effort to secure Nigerias payment of the arbitration award.

During the High Court trial earlier this year, lawyers for the Nigerian government argued that not only was the original gas contract tainted by corruption, but that P&ID figures also engaged in bribery to win the U.K. arbitration. P&ID has denied both claims. Asked for a response to testimony delivered in the High Court trial, lawyers for P&ID said it would not be appropriate for us to comment pending judgment in these proceedings.

On the witness stand, Neil Murray, an Irish businessman who used to take on jobs for P&ID, admitted that he had obtained access to privileged government documents between 2010 and 2013. They outlined internal government discussions about the arbitration case, giving P&ID extraordinary insight into Nigerias thinking.

The Nigerian government argues that this unexplained access to sensitive government documents is one of many signs that the company was bribing Nigerian officials and lawyers to covertly work on its behalf during the arbitration. P&ID accepts that the companys access to privileged documents was a strange feature of the arbitration, but argues that Nigeria has not been able to establish that it obtained them through bribery.

The lawyer for the Nigerian government said there was no doubt that Murray should not have had the documents in his possession. I accept that, Murray said.

Murray claimed he didnt know how he got them. But when asked if they might have been obtained by corrupt means, he said: Probably before it got to my desk.

Murray, who at the time worked as a consultant for ICIL in Nigerias capital, Abuja, testified that he scanned and emailed them to P&ID colleagues abroad before deleting the messages and shredding the paper copies.

It might be less than honest, but it is the way we behaved, Murray told the court.

Nigerias lawyer asked Murray whether Quinn and Cahill were less than honest in the way they conducted business. In some instances, yes, Murray replied.

I Was Not in the Mood To Know What Is Right Or Wrong

In his written statements to the court, Cahill acknowledged paying $88,000 to Grace Taiga, the ministrys head lawyer, who advised the petroleum minister to sign a memorandum of understanding with P&ID in 2009 and witnessed the ministers signing of the gas contract with P&ID the following year.

Though Cahill maintained the payments were lawful gifts to support Grace with any legal or medical assistance she needed after she had retired, he admitted under cross-examination that in 2019 he directed them to one of Taigas daughters in the United States so that Nigerian law enforcement would not become aware of the transfers.

Appearing remotely from Nigeria as a P&ID witness, Taiga did not contest Nigerias claim that she and her family received more than $200,000 from Quinn and Cahill between 2004 and 2019. But she insisted the payments were not bribes. When she accepted Quinns offer to support her financially, she was ill, going through a divorce, and earning a meager salary as a government lawyer, she said.

I was not in the mood to know what is right or wrong, Taiga said.

Nigeria also alleged that Quinn, who died in 2015, paid $2,000 to a Nigerian petroleum ministry lawyer, Ibrahim Haske Dikko, in 2012. Asked about the payment, Cahill said that, rightly or wrongly, it was not terribly unlikely that Quinn had made it. Asked whether P&ID might have compromised Dikko  who was representing Nigeria in the arbitration case  Cahill denied that Quinn had sought to corrupt the lawyer, and added: In Nigeria, there is a culture whereby people give presents.

Dikko did not respond to a request for comment.

He Wants to Fiddle the Books

Cahill told the court that his and Quinns companies used sham invoices at least twice. In 2013 and 2015, he said, colleagues forged invoices to skirt anti-money laundering measures at a Cypriot bank and get it to process $150,000 in transfers from P&ID and an ICIL group company to a P&ID representative in Nigeria, Adetunji Adebayo  money that Nigeria said was to feed a slush fund for bribes Adebayo paid on P&IDs behalf. Cahill said that the money was unrelated to the gas dispute, while the government said that it was.It was to facilitate a transfer from the bank which would not be made otherwise, Cahill saidof his colleagues efforts. They simply cut corners. I am not defending it.

Adebayo did not respond to a request for comment.

Murray described similar practices in the companys accounts. In court, he was shown an email he received ahead of a 2013 tax audit, in which an ICIL accountant proposed creating new payment vouchers to justify certain expenses.

Asked by Nigerias lawyer whether the accountant wanted to amend the records, Murray responded: I would go further and say he wants to fiddle the books. Was the accountant proposing to produce sham invoices in order to make improper payments seem proper? That appears to be his thinking, yes, Murray replied.

But Cahill said this interpretation was completely incorrect.

P&IDs treatment of witnesses also came under scrutiny. Trevor Burke, a lawyer who worked on the arbitration claim against Nigeria, said under cross-examination that in 2019 he asked Cahill to get Grace Taiga to delete from her phone WhatsApp messages between herself and Cahill.

Nigeria claims that this was done to conceal incriminating communications. Burke, who is the nephew of deceased P&ID founder Quinn, said he did it in very specific circumstances where Nigerian authorities were seeking to freeze funds sent from Cahill to Taiga that, Burke said, were used to pay for medical expenses. Asked whether he typically advised clients to delete documents, Burke said: Ive done it once in my career and it was this time.

Cahill himself admitted that he advised one of Taigas daughters on what to say in a witness statement.

He told the court: With hindsight, I accept that that was not appropriate and I am sorry I did it, but I did.

Unexplained Payments

The trial also addressed evidence of practices unrelated to the gas dispute, as the government sought to prove that P&ID figures had a track record of illicit activities in Nigeria.

In the 2000s, ICIL and companies linked to it paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to senior Nigerian officials, including army generals, according to Cahills court testimony.

Cahill admitted that these payments were sometimes anonymized in internal company accounts by replacing the names of recipients with a special code. He said this was done out of a concern that law enforcement might raid their offices and use the information they found to accuse the company of corruption.

I am not disputing that the purpose of the code was to make sure that if somebody raided the office they were not in a position to say, Here are payments to individuals, here are payments to officials, here are payments to the army, etc, without invoices, Cahill said.

Nigeria said the code was used to hide actual corruption, which Cahill disputed.

Cahill explained some payments as legitimate expenses, but acknowledged that there were no documents to back this up. He also said that he was surprised to see, in a 2005 company spreadsheet, that he had paid 32.3 million Nigerian naira  worth about $250,000 at the time  in cash to an unnamed minister of police affairs. He had no explanation for 1.5 million naira  about $12,500 at the time  paid in 2002 to the wife of an unnamed finance minister, marked in a separate spreadsheet.

Asked whether the payment to the finance ministers wife was a bribe, Murray said: That is how it looks.

Murray was also shown evidence of $90,000 in payments to Nigerias former minister of police affairs, Broderick Bozimo, and his family. Bozimo was in the role between 2003 and 2007, while the payments were made between 2006 and 2009. Asked whether these payments were bribes, Murray said: I wouldnt be surprised if they were, but I dont find the sums disturbingly high.

Contacted by OCCRP, Bozimo denied that either he or any member of his family received bribes during his tenure as minister. I remain steadfast in my assertion that I

discharged those duties with merit and integrity, he wrote. P&ID did not respond to specific questions from OCCRP about the payments to Bozimo.

$50,000 to Spread Around

Also unrelated to the gas dispute, Nigeria claims that the companies owned by Cahill and Quinn paid money to individuals identified as Prof, Uzo, and Dr. Alimi. The three then distributed the money as bribes to officials, the Nigerian government claims: $770,000 in the case of Prof and Uzo, about $50,000 in the case of Dr. Alimi.

Cahill admitted to working with the three individuals, and acknowledged that Prof and Uzo had paid out bribes by 2007, though he said this was not done on his companies behalf.

Cahill was also shown an email that he received in December 2015 in which he was told that Alimi was requesting $50,000 to spread around the places he will be going for us.

That is on its face a patent reference to paying of bribes, do you agree? Nigerias lawyer asked.

It is, Cahill replied.

I will not pretend that I was shocked to receive such a message, he added. Nigeria is widely known to be a pretty corrupt country. Nonetheless, he called Alimi a respected lawyer in Nigeria.

Cahill claimed never to have acceded to Alimis request for bribe money, as Nigeria alleged he did.

Finally, Murray stated that he often transported undeclared cash on international business trips for ICIL, sometimes as much as $50,000 in a shoulder bag, including on one trip in 2008 that he said took him from Nigeria, probably through London, to Ukraine.

You cannot lawfully bring into most countries in excess of $10,000 in cash. Are you aware of that? Nigerias lawyer asked Murray.

He replied: That is the ruling today and recently, yes.

No, not recently, reacted the lawyer. That, I think you will find, has been the law for a very long time, Mr. Murray.

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Another 130 Nigerian evacuees from Sudan on Friday arrived in Abuja in what has now become the second batch of a government-assisted evacuation exercise.

They arrived in an aircraft belonging to Tarco Air which arrived at about 3 p.m. (Nigerian time).

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the first batch of 376 evacuees arrived late on Wednesday night in aircraft belonging to Air Peace and the Nigeria Air Force.

According to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), there are about 1,700 Nigerians awaiting evacuation which will be concluded in the coming days.

Max Air with capacity of 540 passengers, Azman Air with capacity of 400 passengers and C130 (NAF) are on ground to evacuate others while Tarco promised to make two more trips as well as Air Peace on standby, NiDCOM wrote on Twitter.

In an update on the situation of Nigerians at Port Sudan, the agency said a woman who gave birth and her baby are healthy and will return to Nigeria soon.

Another Nigerian who sustained a hand injury has been treated and discharged from hospital.

All returnees will be profiled, catered for and provided with post-trauma treatment and counselling and liaise with the federal ministry of education for the continuation of their studies in Nigeria, NiDCOM added.

A third batch is expected to arrive in another 12 hours.

Returnees received dignity packs and N100,000 transportation fare supported by the Dangote Foundation.

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The Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has announced that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have resolved to zone the next Senate President to the South-south geopolitical region of the country.

The governors under the umbrella of Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) had earlier recommended that the Senate President should be zoned to either South-east or South-south regions.

They also proposed that the position of majority leader, deputy majority leader and chief whip should be used as compensation for those that may be asked to step down from running from the four presiding officers position.

But, in a video circulating on the internet by African Independent Television (AIT), Mr Ganduje affirmed that the APC governors have decided to support former governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, who is from the South-south.

The video showed that Mr Ganduje and some of his governor colleagues including Ben Ayade of Cross River State were in a meeting with some individuals.

Mr Ganduje assured that nothing will change the plan of the zoning formula the governors had proposed for the party.

The Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the South-south and no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom , the uncommon governor, , the uncommon minister who will be the uncommon president of the senate, he said.

We have resolved that, so we are giving you assurance. We are waiting for the deal day to be the Senate President of Nigeria.

Responding, Mr Ayade expressed appreciation to the APC governors for zoning the senate president to his geopolitical region.

READ ALSO:

He congratulated Mr Akpabio as the next senate president.

I want to also thank you so much for actually zoning the president of the Senate to South-south and to our brother from our neighbouring state who is also part of Cross River State. We celebrate him and thank you for giving us this opportunity.

Mr Akpabio and Osita Izunaso who is from Imo State are the candidates jostling for the ticket of the senate president from South-south and South-east geopolitical zones.

Messers Akpabio and Izunaso have previously spent one term of four years in the senate. They have also visited president Muhammadu Buhari to allegedly persuade the president to facilitate the zoning to their region.

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Just as South Africa was done rescinding its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the saga of former Sudanese president Omar al-Bashirs 2015 visit to Johannesburg, it probably wished it had withdrawn after all. Because now the government has to deal with another dilemma over a visiting head of state with an ICC arrest warrant  Russian President Vladimir Putin.

So Pretoria is again toying with the idea of pulling out of the ICC. Or at least amending South Africas 2002 ICC legislation to try to legalise immunity for visiting heads of state. This raises a question about whether the countrys revised approach to the international court might not inspire some of the 33 other African signatories of the ICCs Rome Statute to follow suit.

Pretoria was reprimanded by the ICC and its own courts after ignoring an ICC request to arrest and surrender Mr al-Bashir when he visited the country for an African Union (AU) summit. Mr al-Bashir was indicted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity allegedly committed between 2003 and 2008 in Sudans Darfur region.

The ICC arrest warrants for Mr al-Bashir, and Kenyas Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, who both became presidents, provoked anger in the AU and an instruction to member states to not cooperate with the court. It also triggered moves in Africa to withdraw.

South Africa under former president Jacob Zuma tried to leave but was blocked in 2017 by its courts because the move had not been approved by Parliament. Then President Cyril Ramaphosa replaced Mr Zuma, and the steps to withdraw were shelved and eventually dropped, in March this year.

However, just days later, the ICC issued its warrant for Mr Putins arrest. The Russian president is allegedly responsible for war crimes against children in Ukraine since February 2022. The courts decision threw Pretoria into a panic as Putin is due to visit South Africa in August for the BRICS summit (with Brazil, Russia, India and China).

So last week, both Mr Ramaphosa and the African National Congress (ANC) caused an uproar by announcing that South Africa intended, again, to withdraw from the ICC. This was a shock to rule of law advocates inside and outside government, who were encouraged by the recent confirmation of their commitment to the international court.

READ ALSO:

Then, just hours later, both recanted these decisions. They said withdrawal was the last option if other solutions to the dilemma of hosting Mr Putin and complying with its ICC obligations failed. This embarrassing about-turn has prompted considerable speculation about Mr Ramaphosas competence. Some wonder whether Russia has some powerful hold over the ANC, perhaps financial.

One solution was suggested by Justice Minister Ronald Lamola when he told Parliament this week that the government was exploring the possibility of amending the countrys ICC implementation act to allow the usual diplomatic immunity for visiting heads of state. Mr Lamola said countries such as Britain and the Netherlands had domesticated the Rome Statute to enable the executive to exit or suspend the statutes operations if it was not in the national interest to implement them.

Experts have privately expressed doubts to ISS Today that the law could be amended in time for the BRICS summit. It seems more likely that the summit will be held virtually or elsewhere. Still, Pretoria appears to be preparing for future visits by allies who might fall foul of the ICC.

The government has again made it clear that it thinks the ICC is biased in its prosecutions against Africa and enemies of the West. The ANC, Mr Ramaphosa and Mr Lamola all quoted Amnesty Internationals 2022/2023 human rights report that blasted the international community  including the ICC  for shameless double standards.

Amnesty International said the Wests robust response to Russias aggression against Ukraine  including the ICC indictment of Putin  contrasts sharply with a deplorable lack of meaningful action on grave violations by some of their allies including Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. It also contrasted the ICC action against Russia to pitiful existing responses on conflicts such as Ethiopia and Myanmar.

Could similar sentiments motivate other African countries to consider withdrawal from the ICC? South Africa has a particular grievance because of its BRICS membership and strong historical ties to Russia, or at least the Soviet Union.

But other African countries have similar ties. Namibias ruling South West Africa Peoples Organisation also received military and other support from the Soviet Union in its liberation struggle. President Hage Geingob, who visited South Africa last week, has also threatened to pull Namibia out of the ICC before.

The fact that many African countries voted against or abstained from United Nations General Assembly resolutions condemning Russias aggression in Ukraine suggests that dismay at Mr Putins indictment may extend to other states on the continent.

The ANCs decision to rescind its withdrawal from the ICC also noted that few African countries had ratified the Malabo Protocol. This would enable the African Court to replace the ICC as a viable  and from Africas perspective, more objective  judge of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and transnational organised crime.

The continent has no real intention of establishing a viable African Court though. So withdrawal from the ICC should not be a real option. However, the sort of changes Mr Lamola proposes could have some traction on the continent, even though that means blunting the most important purpose of the ICC  to ensure that even heads of state dont escape justice.

There is another irony in this saga. While the ANC welcomed Amnesty Internationals criticism of the ICCs disproportionate focus on Ukraine, would the ANC necessarily appreciate a more even-handed approach in practice?

This week Nigerian human rights lawyer and activist Chidi Odinkalu rebuked the ICC for being so focused on Ukraine that it was neglecting the violence in Sudan  including Darfur, a location under active ICC consideration. It was in Darfur, of course, that atrocities were committed almost 20 years ago for which Mr al-Bashir was indicted.

If the ICC were to issue arrest warrants for the two antagonists in Sudans war, Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, and one of them emerged as Sudans head of state, would Pretoria and other African capitals be happy to welcome him?

Peter Fabricius, Consultant, Institute for Security Studies (ISS) Pretoria

(This article was first published by ISS Today, a Premium Times syndication partner. We have their permission to republish).

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Armenia's actions run counter to its statements, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with Turkish media, Trend reports.

"Azerbaijan is sincere. It wants peace and offers peace. Armenia, on the one hand, says that Karabakh is Azerbaijan, and on the other hand, it sends its armed groups to Karabakh. If they want peace, why send armed groups? The statement was signed, but no steps were taken along the Zangezur corridor. European countries, the West also established that Armenia illegally transferred weapons and soldiers to Karabakh," he said.

He noted that Armenia most of all needs normalization of relations.

"Knowing this, Armenia continues to take an unconstructive position. The opening of the Nemesis monument dedicated to terrorists is unacceptable," FM added.

Cavusoglu added that Turkiye, as a gesture of goodwill, opened its airspace to Armenia.

"We closed it after this incident with the monument, we also closed it for Pashinyan's plane. If such steps of Armenia continue, then, of course, the normalization process will be delayed," he said.
The Minister of State for Power, Abubakar Aliyu, has berated Nigerians over their attitude towards payment of electricity bill.

The minister said despite supplying the cheapest electricity to Nigerians, the country still recorded the highest number of electricity bill defaulters in the world.

Mr Aliyu made the assertion on Thursday during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Power and heads of agencies in the power sector in Abuja.

The minister made the claim by comparing the cost of electricity in Nigeria to other African countries.

Cost of electricity in Nigeria is the cheapest across the globe, particularly gas to power, which is highly subsidised, he said.

For example, while cost of electricity in Nigeria is 15 cent per kilowatt , it is 42 cent in Niger Republic, 23 cent in Republic of Benin , 25 cent in Mali , 28 cent in Senegal , 27 cent in Burkina Faso etc.

Mr Aliyu complained that while the Nigerian government is making efforts to ensure its citizens have access to affordable electricity, many consumers and even government agencies default in payment of electricity bills.

The Managing Director of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) , Sulyman Abdulaziz, also lamented the high rate of defaulters of electricity bills.

He said the increase in the number of electricity defaulters led to the disconnection of Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs) in Kaduna and Kano states from the National grid recently .

Proffering solutions to the defaulting rate, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Gabriel Suswam, proposed that the ministry of finance should deduct from the allocations of the affected government agencies that are found guilty of defaulting electricity bills.

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The Ebonyi State Government has received a temporary shelter for Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors in the state.

The United States Agency for International Development-Momentum Country and Global Leadership Project (USAID-MCGL) handed over the shelter to the State Governor, David Umahi, in Abakaliki on Thursday.

The handing over and inauguration ceremony of the facility also known as Safe Space, was organised by USAID-MCGL in collaboration with the states Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.

Mr Umahi, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Kenneth Ugbala, expressed satisfaction over the standard and commitments by partners, and promised proper use of the centre.

We want to assure you of proper utilisation of the centre and particularly for the purpose it was meant for and also continue to contribute our quota, Mr Umahi said.

The governor commended USAID, MCGL, Jhpiego, the state Ministry of Women Affairs, among other partners for their support so far in the state.

Crucial for survivors social assets

Chioma Oduenyi, the project director, USAID-MCGL, described the temporary shelter as crucial as a way of rebuilding survivors social assets in the country.

Mrs Oduenyi stated that the facility would give survivors of GBV, space to recuperate and be reintegrated into the society.

She explained that the establishment would help to reduce dangers and prevent further harm against survivors who are at risk of immediate danger from their perpetrators.

She noted that the project was funded by USAID.

The USAID-MCGL is proud to have partnered with the women affairs in equipping the GBV shelter for routine operations through funding from the agency and USAID, today the GBV safe space is a reality.

Since 2021, the USAID-MCGL, a five-year project, has been working with the state government through health, women affairs ministries, and indigenous non-governmental partners to implement a robust GBV prevention and response activity, Mrs Oduenyi said.

She encouraged the ministry to observe strict compliance of standard to operating procedure.

She expressed confidence that the shelter would serve its purpose of providing and developing supportive services to meet their needs.

She thanked USAID for financial support, Adetiloye Oniyire, Jhpiego country director and the management team for their assurance to deliver.

She commended the state government for providing an enabling environment for the project to thrive.

I appreciate all stakeholders, especially the MCGL team, led by Mrs Nneka Dikeocha, for the great feat achieved, Mrs Oduenyi said.

The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Deborah Okah assured the partners that the state would make sure the objectives of establishing the safe space is realised.

Mrs Okah said the centre would provide rooms for professional counseling and skill acquisition programmes to enable GBV survivors fit into the society as they leave the facility.

With the existence of the shelter, survivors will be more encouraged to report violence cases and be safe.

We are determined in the fight against any forms of violence meted out to women and girls in the state, Mrs Okah assured.

The MCGL team lead, Nneka Dikeocha said the project started in March 2022, stating that a maintenance process known as standard operation procedure would be developed to manage the place.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the facility, which comprises a skilled acquisition unit, rooms for adults and children, among others was named after the First Lady of the state, Rachael Umahi.

(NAN)

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The Ijaw Youth Council has backed the proposal by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to explore the possibility of building a railway line that would connect all the states in the Niger Delta region.

The groups president, Peter Igbifa, who spoke on the matter on Thursday in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State vowed not to allow anybody scuttle the project idea, according to a report by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

Managing Director of NDDC, Samuel Ogbuku, last month, signed a $15 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Atlantic Global Resources Inc., a US-based company to build the railway network to connect the nine states in Nigerias Niger Delta.

The agreement signing was done in Lagos, South-west Nigeria, at a one-day Public Private Partnership (PPP) Submit organised by the NDDC.

The project, when it is implemented, would ease the infrastructure deficit in the oil-rich Niger Delta, Mr Ogbuku said.

In a swift reaction to the agreement, the Chairperson of the NDDC Governing Board, Lauretta Onochie said the MOU was illegal, null and void.

She claimed the agreement was done without the knowledge of the board.

According to Mrs Onochie, the Act establishing the NDDC, empowers the chairperson of the board to sign MOUs on behalf of the agency.

But the NDDC management, in its response to Mrs Onochie, said the MOU was a preliminary process, and not a contract award.

Apparently referring to the chairperson of the NDDC board, the commissions Director of Corporate Communication, Ibitoye Abosede said some persons may have misconstrued the MOU to mean Engineering, Procurement, Construction contract.

What we signed on 25 April is simply the opening phase that will determine how far we will go, but definitely showcases how interested the international partners are in tapping into the Niger Delta region, Mr Abosede said adding that the model is to provide alternative sources of funding for key projects and programmes of the commission.

Ijaw Youth Council reacts

Speaking at an event in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, Mr Igbifa who described the railway project idea as an answered prayer, said it would boost commerce in the region.

Although he did not mention the comments made by Mrs Onochie concerning the project, Mr Igbifa urged the US-based company to disregard any attempt to discourage them from following up the agreement.

He described the project idea as a paradigm shift from the quick-win project, which he said the NDDC is known for.

The proposed railway network will surely stimulate the type of economic activities required to place the region on the fast lane of development.

The proposal is in tandem with the core mandate of the NDDC. We need to unite to ensure that it is realised. We are in support of the project. We shall not allow anybody to scuttle its implementation.

We see it as an answer to our prayer for a regional project that will promote development and regional integration, Mr Igbifa said.

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At least 1,625 intending pilgrims to Mecca from Jigawa State have deposited about N4 billion to the National Hajj Commission (NAHCON) for the 2023 Hajj exercise.

The Executive Secretary of the Jigawa Pilgrims Board, Ahmad Labbo, told reporters that the board has also secured hotel accommodations close to the holy site (Kaaba) for the state pilgrims in Mecca unlike in the previous hajj exercise.

We have so far deposited about N4 billion to the National Hajj Commission for the seats allocated to the state. We have secured visas for the intending pilgrims and two flights to airlift them from Thursday, Mr Labbo said.

Mr Labbo said The National Hajj Commission has appointed Azman Air to airlift the states intending pilgrims to the holy land.

He allayed fears about assigning Azman Air aircraft which is said to have limited capacity to the state, saying arrangements are in place to ensure efficiency in the exercise.

In the last years hajj exercise, Kano State rejected Azman Air over alleged limited capacity and delay in operations to convey its pilgrims to Mecca.

The National Hajj Commission has allocated Azman Air for the Jigawa state as against the usual Max Air aircraft.

There is no panic about it any Airliner being allocated, the arrangement this year was that for any airliner that failed on its assigned task, another company will take over immediately and fill the gap by evacuating any stranded intending pilgrims.

Regarding the arrangement for the airlift of pilgrims, we can only assemble exact numbers of intending pilgrims after we are acquainted with the plane capacity coming to evacuate them.

Unlike in the previous arrangement where a small capacity aircraft would be sent without notifying officials about its capacity which usually resulted in disagreements between officials and intending pilgrims, Mr Labbo said.

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Senators elected on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday paid a courtesy visit to the president-elect, Bola Tinubu.

The senators-elect visited Mr Tinubu in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, after he commissioned projects on the invitation of the State Governor, Nyesom Wike.

Among those who were present at the meeting were a former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, Shuaib Salisu from Ogun State, Solomon Olamilekan from Lagos State and many others.

The details of the meeting were sketchy at the time of filing this report but in a video of the meeting obtained by our reporter, Mr Akpabio was seen introducing the senators-elect to Mr Tinubu.

In the video, the president-elect exchanged greetings and pleasantries with the senators-elect.

The race for senate president has generated controversy among senators elected for the 10th assembly on the platform of the ruling APC.

Six influential senators from different geopolitical zones have formally indicated an interest in the seat of the next senate president.

Some of the contenders, apart from Mr Akpabio, are Jibrin Barau (Kano), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia), Osita Izunaso (Imo) and Sani Musa (Niger).

Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, had announced that the inner caucus of the party resolved to zone the senate president to the South-south in favour of Mr Akpabio.

The party is yet to announce its decision on the zoning of the 10th National Assembly leadership.

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, has described the electoral victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the 2023 general elections as a difficult reality for the opposition parties.

The presidential aide stated this while receiving members of the Arewa Young Lawyers Forum (AYLF), the umbrella body for all young lawyers in the northern part of Nigeria, on Thursday in Abuja.

According to him, the victory of the president-elect and vice president-elect, Bola Tinubu, and Kashim Shettima, respectively, and the established control of the APC in 21 out of 36 states, had firmly established the party as a dominant national political party.

This is a difficult reality for the opposition parties, he said.

Mr Shehu said the oppositions victory in the general election would not only have been a career-ending moment for many APC leaders but would also have had negative consequences for the various programmes of the Buhari administration.

He noted that these programmes empowered marginalised groups and remedied much of the nations infrastructure deficit.

APC victory in the election is a watershed moment for the Buhari government, its orientation, its programmes and projects.

In the hands of the opposition, many of the laudable programmes of the Buhari administration would have been sabotaged or unimplemented.

An important and overlooked aspect of the Tinubu/Shettima victory is that it ensures, not only an orderly transfer of power from the outgoing administration to the incoming one, but also the safety of policies and programmes of the outgoing government.

For this, we remain grateful to the Almighty, and to citizens of Nigeria for sticking with our party, he said.

In accepting his appointment as Grand Patron of the Arewa Young Lawyers Forum, the presidential spokesperson urged members of the association to be at the vanguard of promoting the study and practice of the legal profession in the northern states.

To build and secure democracy in our communities, you need lawyers and journalists as its guardians and protectors. Without one, the other will not be successful, he admonished them.

READ ALSO: APC to liaise with Tinubu on 10th NASS leadership Adamu

The Chairman of AYLF, Olayinka Jimoh, craved the support of the presidency in giving strategic training to young wigs to enhance their leadership roles in society.

Other members of the forum at the meeting were Audu Umaru, national welfare director (Borno); Ahmad Khalil, national treasurer (Yobe); and Paul Gbande, director of publicity (Benue).

(NAN)

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Senator-elect, Abdulaziz Yari, says the contest for the position of the president of the 10th Senate will be based on constitutional provisions and not instructions by anyone.

Mr Yari, a former governor of Zamfara State, said this on Friday while meeting with the executives of the Tinubu Shettima Network (TSN), headed by its National Chairman, Kailani Muhammad, in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr Yari had declared his intention to contest for the position of president of the 10th Senate.

The senator-elect described the contest as senators business, backed by the constitution to choose their leaders within themselves.

The senate presidency is senators business and on the D- day when we are going to elect our president, we will do the needful.

When we do that, we are not for anybody. We are doing what the constitution says that we should take our leader within ourselves.

That is what the sections of the constitution stated very clearly. What is going to happen that day, it is going to happen based on the instructions of the constitution and not for anyone.

So, we are going to exercise our constitutional rights there, Mr Yari said.

He commended the TSN for supporting his cause to become the president of the 10th Senate, saying that the groups work in the area of mobilisation support for his cause was commendable.

According to him, this is a special session we have with the TSN leadership. If we can recall four weeks ago, I was in their office where I declared my intention to contest for senate presidency.

I was there to seek their support and all the executives of the body gave their commitments that they were going to give me support for this contest.

And today, we are to review what happened from then to where we are here today.

From what we have been seeing and receiving from the media shows clearly that the work is in progress and very excellent. So, the organisation is doing very well, Mr Yari said.

In his remarks, Mr Muhammad said the purpose of the meeting was to brief Mr Yari on how far the group had gone in terms of mobilisation, adding that it achieved over 70 per cent of the work.

He expressed optimism that the senator-elect who participated in the sixth Senate would by the Grace of God emerge as president of the Senate.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian government on Thursday inaugurated the Special National Food and Nutrition Media Team as part of efforts to drive the success of nutrition programmes and interventions in the country.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the media, the fourth estate of the realm, and the watchdog of the society, has a huge and indispensable role to play in achieving the goals of the National Multi-sectoral Plan of Action on Food and Nutrition (NMPFAN).

Mr Mohammed, who was represented by the ministrys Permanent Secretary, Lydia Jafiya, said the media team has been critically selected based on national and sub-national coverage, relevance, integrity, capability, and performance.

He noted that there are gaps in nutrition investment in the country, hence the need to work with the media to spread the word on the importance of nutrition.

This is another essential reason for setting up this media team, to harness the power of the watchdog to spread the word on nutrition and increase the outcomes thereof, he said.

He said the team, with support from other nutrition stakeholders, will develop a National Nutrition Media Strategy, engage in continuous public nutrition literacy, and follow up on all issues relating to nutrition reporting, monitoring, and evaluation processes.

He noted that the effective and efficient monitoring of nutrition programmes through media spotlighting on nutrition issues and feedback mechanisms on the utilisation of resources expended on nutrition will improve accountability, which will ultimately lead to an increase in nutrition investment by major stakeholders in the country.

Prioritising nutrition

Mr Mohammed said nutrition is a critical part of health and development and also a key component of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

He said for the country to achieve SDGs by 2030, it must make meaningful progress in nutrition. Suffice it to say that a critical tenet of attaining the SDGs is to make meaningful progress in nutrition, he said.

For this reason, it is imperative to tackle malnutrition because winning the fight against it will have far-reaching consequences on the improvement of the general health of the people, and a great stride towards ending poverty in our country.

Quoting UNICEF, Mr Mohammed said malnutrition is the direct or underlying cause of 45 per cent of all deaths of under-five children.

He said Nigeria is ranked number one in Africa, and number two globally in terms of the number of malnourished children, with an estimated 14.7 million children under the age of five years predicted to suffer this year from wasting, a condition from moderate and severe to acute malnutrition.

He explained that malnutrition threatens the survival, growth, and development of millions of children.

Work in progress

Mr Mohammed said the government has demonstrated commitment towards addressing malnutrition in the country, which led to the approval by the Federal Executive Council of NMPFAN, and the inclusion of nutrition in the National Development Plan.

He said these are blueprints to guide and enhance nutrition security both at national and sub-national levels.

He said this also calls for urgent actions to strengthen current efforts by all stakeholders, to complement the governments activities, and reverse the ugly trend.

In his goodwill message, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Nutrition, Abimbola Adesanmi, said the federal government recognises nutrition as a crucial pillar in the development of a healthy and productive nation.

Ms Adesanmi, who was represented by the Communication Expert, National Council on Nutrition (NCN) Delivery Unit, Emmanuel Ohiomokhare, said this has been demonstrated by the current actions around the approval of the five-year plan of action, the inclusion of a chapter on food and nutrition in the NDP 2021-2025 and the approval of the establishment of nutrition departments across key MDAs.

She said the inauguration of the media team is a welcome development at this time as it ensures an effective coordination of the media activities as covered in the plan and ultimately helps in the reduction of the morbidity and mortality associated with malnutrition.

She said: It is with the passion that the Vice-President and Chairman of the NCN, Yemi Osinbajo, desires that every nutrition intervention contributes to ensuring every household in rural, peri-urban, and urban areas have access, can afford and indeed benefit from nutrition interventions as made available by the government, in collaboration with their partners and numerous stakeholders.

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On 18 April, the Federal High Court in Abuja struck down eight controversial sections of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2020. The verdict nullifying some of the provisions of the law was a sequel to a suit filed by a constitutional and human rights lawyer, Emmanuel Ekpenyong. In this interview with PREMIUM TIMES Ameh Ejekwonyilo, Mr Ekpenyong speaks on his motivation to challenge the law, and how he intends to enforce the judgement. Meanwhile, the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) says it has appealed against the judgement.

Excerpts:

PT: What motivated you to institute the lawsuit against sections of the CAMA 2020?

Ekpenyong: My background in the enforcement of fundamental human rights as well as constitutional law inspired the action. Now, many people, especially from the Federal Ministry of Justice, see fundamental rights as rights that are redundant. Most times, if you commence an action against the government for enforcement of fundamental rights, they usually think you are a busybody.

However, fundamental human rights are supposed to be life rights; the basis upon which every law in Nigeria is supposed to be predicated. That is why section 1 (3) of Nigerias constitution says the constitution is supreme and every other law that is inconsistent with the provisions of the constitution is null and void to the extent of its own inconsistency.

So, when the new CAMA was passed in 2020, it heralded a new dawn in doing business in Nigeria. A large part of our practice at Fred-Young & Evans Legal Practitioners is company law. So, when we saw the law, we were excited because it brought in innovations.

PT: What were the innovations?

Ekpenyong: For instance, the law brought in a one-man company, that is, a person can own a company these days and hold meetings via Skype and Zoom instead of calling for meetings and travelling; incurring extra expenses and the attendant issues. Another innovation was a limited partnership.

So, the CAMA 2020 is a wonderful legislation in terms of doing business in Nigeria. But I do not know what happened when it came to the issue of incorporated trustees. I think the provisions went too far without considering the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.

Therefore, there is no way the legislature should make a law that seeks to emasculate the rights the Nigerian people have. Now, either by design or by mistake, those provisions of CAMA that we applied to the court for it to declare them null and void actually ran in the face of the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.

For instance, section 839 of CAMA 2020 gives the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), wide latitude, and enormous powers to remove trustees of associations and appoint an interim manager if they mismanage an association. But it is not the duty of the CAC to remove the trustees of associations.

It will be recalled that under the old regime of CAMA 1990, associations were registered with the CAC and their constitutions were registered. The members were guided by their constitution. If any member of an incorporated trustee had a problem with the way the trustees ran the association, they had the power to go to court to ventilate their grievances. It is not the duty of the CAC to determine what happens in an association.

As you may be aware, churches, mosques or religious organisations, non-governmental organisations as well as other entities in which the Nigerian people practise their freedom of thought, conscience and religion are through incorporated trustees.

A simple analogy is this  I am a Roman Catholic and I practise my thoughts and religion by participating in the activities of the church. So, it is too much a power for the commission who is not a Catholic like I am for any reason of a mismanagement of the incorporated trustees of the Roman Catholic church to remove the archbishop as a trustee and appoint whoever it wants. That has infringed on my right to freedom of religion.

So, we were convinced that those provisions of CAMA from 839 to 848 infringe on the provisions of freedom of thought, conscience and religion as well as the freedom enshrined in sections 38 and 40 of the constitution which guarantees peaceful assembly.

Curiously, section 851 of CAMA went to the extent of establishing an Administrative Proceedings Committee who are to hear and determine matters that might emanate from the new legislation. But it is elementary law that matters flowing from company law should be entertained and decided by the Federal High Court. So, the parliament enacted a law that empowered a committee to take over the statutory powers of the court.

We were happy that the judge, James Omotosho, was courageous enough to strike down the offending provisions of the new CAMA owing to their inconsistency with the provisions of the constitution.

PT: What are the safeguards for the laudable intentions of the provisions of CAMA that have been nullified?

Ekpenyong: Well, the intentions of the CAMA were good, but the lawmakers adopted the Charity Act of the United Kingdom, which is completely at variance with our peculiar business climate. Laws are supposed to reflect the wishes and aspirations of the people. Though charities are registered as associations in Nigeria, the mere fact that the lawmakers adopted everything that had to do with the charity in the UK does not mean all associations in Nigeria are registered as charities.

For instance, churches and Islamic organisations in Nigeria are not charities. I think the intention of the lawmakers was that monies contributed by incorporated associations should be transparently managed. This is because there are reports that some churches and mosques generate humongous funds without paying taxes to the government. But incorporated trustees as you would realise from the judgement of the court are not incorporated companies. They are not run for the purpose of making a profit. That should not be. The government cannot regulate religious bodies the same way it does to charities.

PT: What is your grouse with the Nigerian government regulating not-for-profit organisations?

Ekpenyong: The CAMA puts incorporated trustees at par with companies. That shouldnt be. For instance, charities should be different from churches and Islamic organisations as well as non-governmental organisations that serve as watchdogs over government activities. So, for you to allow the CAC, an agency of government, to regulate such important entities will water down their powers to check excesses of government institutions.

What we were challenging were the powers of the commission to remove the incorporated trustees and that commercial banks should report dormant accounts of incorporated trustees as failure to comply within 15 days would attract a closure of such an entity. But these are not government funds. What is CACs business with dormant accounts of incorporated trustees?

The essence of the suit was to curtail the excessive executive powers of the government over the Nigerian people. This did not happen during the draconian era of the military.

So, the nullified sections of the law gave discretionary powers to the commission that were subject to abuse. We believe that the powers of the CAC to regulate incorporated trustees should be limited to registration, constitutional law and ancillary matters, but not the management of the trustees.

PT: How do you intend to enforce the judgement?

Ekpenyong: Well, the judgement will be served on the CAC, and we will give a legal opinion pointing out that those provisions that granted them enormous powers to regulate incorporated trustees have been nullified, except an appellate court says otherwise. The commission should not enforce those provisions.

Then we will send the judgement to key religious organisations of different faiths  the Catholic Church, the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Islamic organisations. This is to sensitise them that those provisions of CAMA are no longer applicable to them because a court of competent jurisdiction has set them aside.

If the CAC insists on enforcing any of the nullified provisions, those organisations have the right to commence an action in court.

The judgement is a victory for Nigerias democracy. Now, the myth that one cannot commence an action against the government and win has been repudiated. We are in a democracy and citizens have the right to commence a suit on constitutional matters and human rights enforcement cases for the courts to make pronouncements on. This is how democracy thrives.

This is also a call to lawmakers at all levels of government to compare provisions in bills with provisions of the constitution, especially Chapter 4, which deals with the fundamental rights of citizens before such bills are sent to either the president or governor for assent.

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The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has asked the House of Representatives to approve its budgets for 2021 and 2022after spending the funds for the financial cycles.

Samuel Ogbuku, managing director of the Commission, while appearing before the House Committee on NDDC on Thursday, said the 2021, 2022 and 2023 budgets have been consolidated into what he called Budget of Rewind to Rebirth.

While defending the budget, Mr Ogbuku explained that a total budget of N485.7 billion was proposed for the NDDC in 2021, N928.2 billion in 2022, and N876 billion in 2023.

He noted that although the 2023 budget is being presented late to this Honorable Committee, we are confident that we shall strive to channel the lean resources to impactful projects/programmes, he said.

Turbulence in the NDDC

For a couple of years, the NDDC had no board until this January.

The Senate had in November 2019, confirmed the 15 nominees sent by Mr Buhari as NDDC board members. The president had sent the names of the nominees led by an Edo State politician, Pius Odubu, to the Senate in October.

The president, however, refused to inaugurate the nominees even after they were cleared by the Senate. During the confirmation process, the president ordered a forensic audit of the operations of the organisation from 2001 to 2019.

Also, before the nominees were cleared by the Senate, the former Minister of Niger Delta, Godswill Akpabio, named an interim management committee for the NDDC.

In November 2022, Lauretta Onochie was appointed the chairman of the board of the NDDC and a board was constituted.

I inherited a dysfunctional NDDC  Ogbuku

Mr Ogbuku said he has been working to correct the dysfunctional situation he inherited from his predecessor.

On resumption of office, we know that the task was very huge. We met a lot of dysfunctional situations in the commission which we as management and the board try to correct a few of them, especially the internal administration reorganisation. We have done most of that.

We believe that as a team it will make more sense to start looking behind to blame the past. We thought that it was our responsibility for us to pick up from where we met the situation of the commission by improving on the successes of our predecessors and also correcting their mistakes, he said.

The Chairman of the Committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo (APC, Ondo), while responding to the comment made by the MD, said the committee will cooperate with the commission but that the budgets will not be passed without proper scrutiny.

But be rest assured that as much as we are ready to show you love and cooperation to ensure that you succeed, I as the chairman and members of the committee will not hesitate to activate all parts of the law needed to stop abuse and misuse of resources, he said.

We waited three to four years to have this board, it is time to put your house in order and stop all this paper tigerism and the fights on the pages of newspapers.

Please, let the wait be worth it. The people are hungry for development. The people are not interested in ego fights, blame games, or buck-passing, the people of the region need hope  renewed hope  and this is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.

Please, make your achievements in the NDDC an enhancement of your profiles, not a dent in your social and corporate standing, he said.

The committee subsequently went into a closed-door session to deliberate on the details of the budget.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. As reported previously, Chair of the Azerbaijani Parliament (Milli Majlis) Sahiba Gafarova is in London on a working trip to attend the coronation of King Charles III of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Trend reports citing the press service of Milli Majlis.

On 5 May, Sahiba Gafarova had a meeting with Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Europe Leo Docherty.

He greeted Gafarova, thanked her for the intended attendance of the coronation and pointed out the high level of British-Azerbaijani relations and the daily rising profile of Azerbaijan, an essential trading and energy partner, as a supplier of energy resources to Europe. He stressed Azerbaijans stabilising role in her region before recalling fondly his visit to Baku in February this year and underscoring the significance of the conversations held with Azerbaijani officials held during that visit. He also enquired after the activities of the Milli Majlis.

Sahiba Gafarova thanked for the hospitality extended to her. She spoke of mutual trust and support between Azerbaijan and the UK underpinning the dynamic advance of our co-operation in the political, economic, humanitarian and other fields.

Besides, she put Docherty in detail of the work done by the Milli Mejlis and highlighted the inspiring growth in inter-parliamentary relations. She was pleased to bring up her visit to London last July as well as her conversations with the leadership of the British Parliament held during it.

Madam Speaker also briefed him on the current situation in our region.

Other issues of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting as well.
Nigerias president-elect, Bola Tinubu, whose victory in February is being challenged in court, has been keeping part of his wealth in the United Kingdom, where he and his close associates own at least 20 properties that were mostly acquired when Tinubu was the governor of Lagos State.

Following the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu is scheduled to succeed Muhammadu Buhari as president on 29 May 2023. His opponents claim the elections have been fixed.

The 71-year-old is widely seen as Nigerias political kingmaker for his role in the elections of several governors in the countrys southwest region, as well as the election of Buhari, who defeated the incumbent in 2015.

The governors he picked tended to be former directors of companies owned by Tinubu or his son.

Bloomberg first reported on Tuesday that Tinubus son, Oluwaseyi, is the main shareholder of Aranda Overseas Corporation, an offshore company that bought a controversial US$10.8 million U.K. property in 2017.

At the time it was bought, Nigeria was trying to confiscate the London house that belonged to a Nigerian oil dealer who was facing corruption charges at home and in the United States, according to OCCRP Nigerian partner Premium Times.

However, OCCRP has uncovered more than a dozen other properties with links to Tinubu, mostly acquired while he served as Lagos States governor from May 1999 to May 2007. Tinubus spokesman did not respond to email and text messages seeking comment.

If there are reasonable grounds to suspect these assets were bought with criminal funds then they should be investigated, said Steve Goodrich, head of research and investigations at Transparency International U.K. Owning a home via an offshore company has seldom made much sense except for securing secrecy, he added.

Tinubus history is not entirely clean. He was forced to forfeit $460,000 to the U.S. government in 1993 as proceeds of narcotics trafficking, according to the ruling of a U.S. District Court in Illinois.

However, about a year later, Abeeb Holdings Limited, an offshore company registered in Gibraltar with Tinubu as the beneficial owner, bought Flat 9 at 96-100 New Cavendish Street in London.

His connection to Abeeb Holdings Limited has been revealed, thanks to the Register of Overseas Entities, a new measure designed by the U.K. to reveal the true owners of offshore firms that hold property in the country.

In 2011, his sons Aranda Overseas Corporation bought Flat 10A in the same building. The lease agreement was signed by Tinubus associate, Oladipo Eludoyin, a director of Aranda Overseas Corporation.

Eludoyin is also the founding director of Aranda Resources Limited, a Nigerian registered company whose shares are owned by Aranda Overseas Corporation.

OCCRP further found that Eludoyin is the beneficial owner of 17 U.K. properties through three offshore companies registered in the British Virgin Islands.

Eludoyins properties were purchased between 2004 and 2007 when Tinubu was governor of Lagos State. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Tinubu was succeeded by Babatunde Fashola, who previously served as his chief of staff. Fashola also had a hand in Aranda Resources Limited. He signed and presented the allotment of shares of Aranda Resources Limited to Nigerias corporate registry in December 2001. Fasholas spokesperson did not respond to requests for comment.

Following his term as governor, Tinubu remained an influential politician. Local media reported that he picked Babajide Sanwo-Olu and made him governor of Lagos State in 2019, despite entreaties from his party to allow Sanwo-Olus predecessor to continue for a second term.

Sanwo-Olu was a director in Aranda Resources Limited until 26 days before his first day in office as governor in May 2019. His spokesperson also did not respond to requests for comment.

Another director of Aranda Resources Limited and Aranda Overseas Corporation, Adegboyega Oyetola, was elected governor of the Nigerian southwestern state of Osun in 2018, and Tinubu was widely credited for his electoral success.

It is not clear when he became the beneficial owner, but when Aranda Overseas Corporation was incorporated in November 1999 in the tax haven British Virgin Islands, the younger Tinubu was 14 and had just been admitted into Milton Abbey School in England for his secondary school education while his father had just spent nearly six months as the governor of Lagos State.

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A UK court Friday sentenced Nigerias former deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu, to nine years and eight months in prison.

The court also sentenced Mr Ekweremadus wife, Beatrice, to four years and six months in prison while a doctor who allegedly colluded with them, Obinna Obeta, was sentenced to 10 years in prison.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Nigerian politician and the two others were found guilty of organ trafficking but their sentencing was deferred to today. They allegedly procured a 21-year-old Nigerian and flew him to the UK with the intention to harvest his kidney for their sick daughter.

Mr Ekweremadu, according to the BBC, was described by the judge as the driving force of the crime. His wife received a lesser sentence due to her more limited involvement, the judge ruled.

During a televised sentence hearing, the judge, Justice Johnson, said he took into consideration a 51-page document pleading for leniency for Mr Ekweremadu and highlighting how he is a person of upstanding character.

The Nigerian parliament and ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, among others, had pleaded for leniency for the Ekweremadus.

More details later

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The Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological-Practitioners Association (NASA) has elected new executive members to drive the associations agenda.

The election took place during the 27th annual conference of the association which was held at Baze University, a private tertiary institution that is located in Abuja, Nigerias Federal Capital Territory.

The theme for this years conference is: Social Dynamics, Value Orientation, and Nigerias Future: The Need for Strong Institutions.

New leaders

The association elected Hauwau Yusuf, a professor at Kaduna State University, as President of the association. She succeeds Nkemdili Nnonyelu, a professor who works at Nnamdi Azikiwe University.

The association also elected six vice presidents, one from each of the six geopolitical zones in the country. Aniefiok Ukommi from the University of Uyo was elected Vice President, South-south; Agnes Njoku, a professor from Imo State University as Vice President, Southeast, and Sakiru Raji, Lagos State University, Vice President, South-west.

Also, Jurji Gomos from Plateau State University was elected Vice President, North-central; Aminu Dukku, a professor from Bayero University, Kano, was elected Vice President, Northwest; and Epron Silas of the College of Health Science and Technology, Gombe, was elected as Vice President to represent the North-east.

Suleiman Barnabas and Chris Onyemenam of Baze University, Abuja, were elected General-Secretary and legal adviser respectively.

Emmanuel Nwakanma from the University of Port Harcourt was elected Assistant Secretary and Eze Nwokocha, a professor at the University of Ibadan, was elected as the associations Editor-in-Chief.

Others include Abraham Evans, Nigeria Police University, Wudil, Kano State, who was elected as Publicity Secretary; Imuetinyan Iguodala-cole of Bingham University, Abuja, was elected the Welfare Officer while Jamilu Bello from Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto was elected as Treasurer.

Inducted fellows

Meanwhile, at the opening ceremony of the conference, the association also inducted 17 individuals as its fellows.

These fellows include the Assistant Inspector General of Police, Zone 14, Ahmed Abdulrahman, and the current Vice-Chancellor of Nasarawa State University, Suleiman Mohammed, a professor.

About NASA

The Nigerian Anthropological and Sociological Practitioners Association (NASA) is the body established for the regulation of teaching and practice of Sociology in Nigeria.

The association is registered as a non-governmental organisation.

NASA as a professional body was inaugurated on 20 March 1971 in UI, following a pre-inauguration meeting held on 15 January 1971 and chaired by Essien Udom, a professor.

READ ALSO: NNPC to begin oil drilling in Nasarawa Official

The objective of the association is to organise and enlighten sociologists, anthropologists and interested persons in related disciplines to abide by appropriate ethical conduct in the teaching, research and practice of sociology and anthropology and to stimulate them to contribute sociological insights towards scholarship and national development.

Qosim Suleiman is a reporter at Premium Times in partnership with Report for the World, which matches local newsrooms with talented emerging journalists to report on under-covered issues around the globe

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Mr President-elect, it would be a serious misjudgment to give Atiku Bagudu any role in our financial or economic realm. Atiku Bagudu will be a terrible choice for finance minister, or trade minister or petroleum minister or governor of the central bank of Nigeria, for example. Its a reflection of the terrifying times we live in that Atiku Bagudu still resurfaces in the corridors of power and tries to position himself for an important role in the new administration.

I offer you my warm congratulations on the hard fought 2023 presidential election and your honeyed victory. I believe youre worthy of this victory and I dare say I never contemplated a different outcome.

As youre aware, all eyes are now on you as you begin the task of selecting a formidable team, including a result-oriented cabinet that will help you steer the ship of state to greatness.

Broadly speaking, you promised to continue from wherever President Muhammadu Buhari stops by restoring security, reviving the economy, fighting corruption, providing employment (the reason why you recently visited Tony Elumelu, I suppose) and renewing hope in our country.

Which brings me to the very important issue of the presidential transition council established by outgoing President Buhari, with your nominations into it.

I will not mince words: the nomination of Mr Olawale Edun is apropos. However, the nomination of Atiku Bagudu, the outgoing governor of Kebbi State is, to put it mildly, troubling and dangerous for our country. The nomination of Atiku Bagudu into the presidential transition council and his presentation as the representative of the President-elect is a sad development.

We all know the antecedents of Atiku Bagudu, particularly his past role as the bag man of the evil dictator, General Muhammed Sani Abacha, in his infamous desecration and plunder of the national treasury. Till today, Nigeria is fighting hard to recover the insane amount of money that Sani Abacha shipped out of this country illegally with the suspected connivance of Atiku Bagudu.

Now, like a thief in the dead night, Atiku Bagudu is back in his game. He is trying hard to penetrate the president-elect and have a seat on the table of a promising administration we all are helping to bring about. Atiku Bagudu has this creepy ability to infiltrate and waltz his way into the embrace of any administration for what it can afford him: power and wealth, but lately, personal security too. That was how he infiltrated the Abachas.

Haunted by his messy past, Atiku Bagudu is now trying hard to get a foothold in the incoming administration and gain power and wealth and immunity. I shudder at the reputational injury that the presence of Atiku Bagudu will cause the new administration, not to talk of the mismanagement of whatever assignment that may be given to him.

Having served as the arrowhead in the fight against the political rapacity, economic strangulation and social corruption of our country by Sani Abacha, it would be catastrophic of you to hand Atiku Bagudu, Abachas errand boy, a frontline seat in the top echelons of your administration. That would send a dreadful signal to patriots.

If youwould not appoint Sani Abacha as your Army Chief or Defence Minister, you should also not contemplate trusting Atiku Bagudu with an important role in your new administration. Not in the Finance or Trade Ministries, not in Petroleum Ministry, not at the Central Bank of Nigeria, and not in any strategic sector where money or loans are negotiated or repaid!

That wilbe l tantamount to handing these places to Sani Abacha and returning Nigeria to 1993. I am sorry, Mr President-elect, but handing Atiku Bagudu an important role cannot renew our hope in Nigeria, it will kill it. If you give Atiku Bagudu any important role in your administration, people will laugh at us. How can a General Abacha acolyte return to the centre of our national government just thirty years after Abachas grand larceny? What happens to honour? What happens to decency?

Now, take a look at the appalling eight-year record of Atiku Bagudu as the governor of the unlucky state of Kebbi. First, Atiku Bagudu made a solemn promise to build a sugar factory somewhere in Argungu. He has delivered zero on that.

Unlike you who laid the foundation for a modern Lagos, the Atiku Bagudu administration did not initiate any sustainable development plan or roadmap for Kebbi State, not in agricultural sector, or education or health or science and technology. Bagudus administration operated and still operates as the spirit directs, with neither vision nor mission. In 2019, following his re-election, it took him six months to reconstitute his cabinet.

Next, Atiku Bagudu vowed to establish a solar power plant at Fakon Sarki to provide electricity to our folks. A few weeks to his exit from Kebbi government house, his effort in that direction is zilch and this is despite the alleged N300 million compensation he was said to have paid for the land earmarked for the plant.

Thirdly, Lake Rice. I should have begun with this. Where is Lake Rice? Atiku Bagudus dubious scheme to produce and distribute Lake Rice ended up in fiasco. We can recall that Bagudu had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the former Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, with fanfare, to supply Lagos consumers with endless amounts of Lake Rice. Alas, Lake Rice disappeared under the weight of Bagudus duplicity. What happened to the cultivators of Lake Rice and who are they now selling to? Please note that nobody was able to buy Lake Rice in Kebbi while the stunt lasted.

Enter Atiku Bagudu again with another grand scheme: It was announced that Kebbi State government was going to establish an ethanol plant in partnership with the Nigerian National Petroeleum Corporation (NNPC)  that immobile octopus! Large portions of land were acquired for this. So much cassava and sugarcane were planted. All have since wilted and up till today, not a drop of ethanol has been produced. Only Allah knows how much of Kebbis financial resources have gone down the drain in that shadowy exercise.

At another time, it was also claimed that Aliko Dangote was going to build a rice mill around Yauri. There were reports that Dangote could not even find iron benders for this purpose in Kebbi because there were none. He had to go to Kano and Lagos to hire the iron benders needed to twist the iron rods for the foundation structure of the mill. Suffice it to say that whatever work was done in that regard has been abandoned and all is now quiet on that front.

There is also the much-trumpeted tomato paste factory at Gafara village in Yauri area, said to have been built by Erisco in partnership with Kebbi State. It was supposed to be another showpiece of Bagudus capacity to attract private investment to Kebbi. The last thing we heard about this project was that bandits had attacked the premises, and everyone had run away. Again, we never saw the product of this factory on the shelves of our shops or in our pots of soup. The extent of the commitments of Kebbi State, financial or otherwise, to this Erisco tomato factory, is also unknown.

Equally, sometimes last year, the foundation stone for an aviation academy was laid at Sir Ahmadu Bello Airport, Birnin Kebbi, which it was said would produce all manners of aviation experts  aircraft engineers, pilots, air hostesses/stewards and what not. That also has not materialised, and the place is now desolate.

Similarly, on the outskirts of Birnin Kebbi, the state capital, there is a neighbourhood called Malala. The inhabitants of Malala have for many years suffered from erosion and their profuse complaint had attracted the attention of politicians, including the outgoing governor, since his stint as a senator. The story had been told of how the then Senator Atiku Bagudu had turned up at the place shedding tears on account of the destructive effects he had observed erosion inflict on the people. To cut the story short, the governor whose tenure ends next month, is yet to fulfill his many promises to address the erosion issue of Malala. Where are all the ecological funds Bagudu has received all these years?

Unlike you who laid the foundation for a modern Lagos, the Atiku Bagudu administration did not initiate any sustainable development plan or roadmap for Kebbi State, not in agricultural sector, or education or health or science and technology. Bagudus administration operated and still operates as the spirit directs, with neither vision nor mission. In 2019, following his re-election, it took him six months to reconstitute his cabinet. Youd think that a governor who had just served his first time had gained the necessary experience to quickly form a cabinet and switch over to the second term mode. But no, and when he reconstituted the cabinet, there was no surprise, and no outstanding member. As you would imagine, Bagudu used the interregnum to approve and expend millions alone, including N600 million allegedly, for the renovation of six schools.

In his eight years of a shambolic administration, Atiku Bagudu has not built a university or teaching hospital or water treatment plant or stadium or even a school. The people of Yauri, an important urban centre in Kebbi, still drink yellow water.

In terms of the completion of inherited projects, the Atiku Bagudu administration scores zero. The state secretariat building started by his predecessor, Alhaji Saidu Dakingari, has remained as it is  abandoned. Although Atiku Bagudu prides himself as Fulani, he has not seen wisdom in completing the veterinary clinics begun by Governor Dakingari. It should be borne in mind that Kebbi is a rural state and its economy depended so much on agriculture, including animal husbandry. Kebbi is one of the most backward states in Nigeria in all ramifications because privileged and rapacious persons like Atiku Bagudu would rather take advantage of the people and live in opulence, instead of using power to improve the material conditions of their compatriots.

Mr President-elect, it would be a serious misjudgment to give Atiku Bagudu any role in our financial or economic realm. Atiku Bagudu will be a terrible choice for finance minister, or trade minister or petroleum minister or governor of the central bank of Nigeria, for example. Its a reflection of the terrifying times we live in that Atiku Bagudu still resurfaces in the corridors of power and tries to position himself for an important role in the new administration.

Im telling you, Mr President-elect, that your self-declared commitment to emplace a cabinet of competent people requires that you bypass Atiku Bagudu. This is because Kebbi has a good supply of excellent people by far better than Atiku Bagudu and tapping any of them will garner for you an incredible national goodwill.

Mr President-elect, in the final analysis, even those opposed to you would hope that you assemble a truly competent team of patriots to help you deal with the Nigerias numerous political, economic and social problems. Certainly, Nigerians dont expect the Jagaban Borgu to assign prominent role in his administration to notorious personalities staring at arrest and detention as soon as they step outside this country.

We couldnt  and Im a card carrying member of APC  have fought for this democracy and this electoral victory only to surrender a prominent role to a well-known Abacha crony. You cant fight Abacha that bloody and then give Atiku Bagudu that lift! Ah ah, Kilode? Kilon sele? Not at all. God forbid.

Unlike you, Asiwaju Tinubu, who is a successful politician, a dogged democrat, a financial expert and a veteran fighter for the well-being of the people of Lagos and Nigeria in general, who toiled to bring financial independence to Lagos during difficult times, Atiku Bagudu, from his Abacha days till now, has not brought any tangible benefit to the people of Kebbi or anywhere. If the Federal Government were to deny Kebbi its share of federal allocations, the state would collapse in three months.

Unlike your cabinet in Lagos State that was a rallying ground for talented men and women and productive technocrats, Atiku Bagudu is surrounded by clowns, charlatans and cowards. Unlike you who has identified and nurtured leaders, Atiku Bagudu has not developed anyone beside himself. Its a known fact that Bagudus handpicked successor, the APC gubernatorial candidate, lacks capacity and cannot even speak English properly. It was Bagudus penchant for the manipulation of the APC in Kebbi that made the party to haemorrhage. His decision to hand himself the APC senatorial ticket and also the determined effort to hoist a charlatan as the next governor of the state was the direct cause of the crash of the party in the presidential election.

As I write, Kebbi has had no chief of staff since the resignation of the previous holder last year and his job has since been cannibalised and shared among ghosts.

Dont get me wrong: Atiku Bagudu has built a number of sub-standard roads within and outside Birnin Kebbi and renovated some schools and dashed money to Hisbah, some fishermen and okada riders. But, definitely, he has not tackled the rot in education, water supply and health sectors of the state.

Mr President-elect, I know Atiku Bagudu very well. Hes a smooth talking, endlessly smiling dude with an army of social media hirelings. But Bagudu is an astonishingly incompetent, notoriously unreliable and fearfully unsafe hand that must not be given any important role in your administration. Any mistake made in placing Bagudu in our financial, economic, trade or oil industry will accelerate the destruction of what remains of this beleaguered economy. A few people recall that Atiku Bagudu is the chairman of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, the chairman of the taskforce on the accelerated production of rice and wheat, the vice chairman of the so-called National Food Security Council, in addition to being the so-called chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum. Regrettably, Bagudu has made no positive impact in any of these bodies. Certainly, Nigeria lacks food security and all you need to do to confirm this is to go to Kebbi where you will find an army of hungry people. Right now Kebbi State has the highest number of out-of-school children, which was 67.6% as at the last count. In other words, in our state, there are more children outside school than inside it. You may verify all of the above sir.

Im telling you, Mr President-elect, that your self-declared commitment to emplace a cabinet of competent people requires that you bypass Atiku Bagudu. This is because Kebbi has a good supply of excellent people by far better than Atiku Bagudu and tapping any of them will garner for you an incredible national goodwill.

Imagine appointing Professor Muhammed Attahiru Jega as Nigerias minister of Education, or the cerebral Professor Bello Bala Shehu, the Kebbi-born top African neuro-surgeon, as minister of Health or the formidable Barrister Bukhari Bello as minister of Interior, or the hotcake of a young man and Associate Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Sharjah, UAE, Dr. Yazid Abubakar Abdullahi!

Mr President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, youre no longer the property of APC alone. Please be careful with Atiku Bagudu. Uphold honour, walk the talk, recruit the best and shut out garbage from your administration.

This is a public advisory issued in furtherance of duty to myself, the president-elect, the people of Kebbi, the North West and Nigerians wherever they are.

HazbunalLah wa niimal wakil.

Abu Najakku wrotes from Kofar Kola, Birnin Kebbi.

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Islam is keen to foster solidarity among the Muslim individual and his community and harmoniously preserve both the private and public interests to ensure that neither would undermine the other. An individual interacts and cooperates with other members of his community to maintain this harmonious balance.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation  may He extol the Messenger in the highest company of Angels and send His peace and blessings upon him  likewise upon his family, Companions, and true followers.

Dear brothers and sisters! From a social perspective, the teachings of Islam was aim to bring together all Muslims to be a unified entity, in conformity with the words of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him), when he said:

The example of the believers as regards their mutual love and compassion is like that of a single body. If any of its parts aches, all the other parts share in the sleeplessness and fever. [Muslim]

Which means the strong among them support the weak, and the rich help the poor. Social solidarity manifests in the Muslim community such that its objectives and implications are realised. There are many Shariah (Islamic Law) texts and provisions describing the Muslim community and how it should embody the spirit of solidarity.

There are multiple objectives for such solidarity that incorporate all the needs of the individual and the community, whether material or moral. Social solidarity means that Muslims should work together, each through his position and status, to preserve the public interests of the community as a whole and the private interests of the individuals, so that everyone in the community would feel that his rights are fulfilled and he, accordingly, is eager to fulfill his duties and obligations towards other members of his community. The scope of this solidarity then expands to encompass all people (not limited only among Muslims). Allah, the Almighty Says:

O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted. [Quran, 49:13]

Allah, the Exalted, honoured Man and commanded us to treat all children of Adam may Allah exalt his mention accordingly (with respect). He Says:

And We have certainly honoured the children of Adam. [Quran, 17:70]

From day one, the teachings of Islam laid emphasis on fostering human ties, strengthening social bonds, and establishing equality among all people so that each and every Muslim would feel the bond of brotherhood with his fellow Muslims. Islam also established a social safety net on the basis of solidarity to enhance the moral and physical building of the individual and community. It laid the foundations of the righteous Muslim individual, the virtuous family, and the integrated society to ensure the establishment of the Muslim community that provides security and safety for all its members.

The circle of this solidarity begins with every Muslim individual as he refines his own self, takes care of it and rectifies it, directing it to what is good for himself and for all people, and then he tends to the bonds that connect him with the members of his family. Each family member bears his own responsibilities and shoulders his duties, acting upon the words of the Prophet (Peace be upon him), when he said:

All of you are guardians and are responsible for your subjects. [Bukhari]

A man is a guardian in his family; he has rights and duties, and the same applies to the woman who has her own rights and duties. This critical task begins from the very moment a man chooses his prospective wife; he should choose someone from a righteous family to be a good building block for their family and be able to provide their children with a good upbringing that pleases Allah, the Exalted. This is why the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said:

A woman is married for four [reasons]: her wealth, her noble descent, her beauty, and her religion. So win the religious woman  otherwise, you will be a loser. [Bukhari]

The marital life should be founded on mutual kindness, as Allah, the Exalted, prescribed, acting upon the instructions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) when he said:

The best of you are those who are best to their wives, and I am the best of you to my wives. [At-Tirmizi]

As for the process of raising the children and taking care of them, it is a joint duty of both parents. Allah, the Exalted, Says:

O you who have believed, protect yourselves and your families from a Fire whose fuel is people and stones [Quran, 66:6]

This includes directing them from an early age towards what benefits them in their worldly lives and the Hereafter, starting with the acts of worship and all good deeds. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Command your children to perform prayer when they are seven years old, and beat them (for abandoning it) when they are ten. [Ahmad]

When these teachings are instilled within the individual at a young age, he has successfully taken the first steps in the right direction and recognised his position and status in his community. Islam is keen to foster solidarity among the Muslim individual and his community and harmoniously preserve both the private and public interests to ensure that neither would undermine the other. An individual interacts and cooperates with other members of his community to maintain this harmonious balance. Allah, the Almighty, Says:

And cooperate in righteousness and piety, but do not cooperate in sin and aggression. [Quran, 5:2]

On the other side, the community is responsible for preserving the private rights of the individuals, and this contributes to maintaining public order for the sake of the community and all its members.

The scope of such solidarity is not confined to the interests of the individual, the community, or even the country, but rather extends to include other communities and future generations, as confirmed by the words of Allah. He Almighty Says:

And [there is a share for] those who came after them, saying, Our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith and put not in our hearts [any] resentment toward those who have believed. Our Lord, indeed You are Kind and Merciful. [Quran, 59:10]

This is how the humanness of man that Allah, the Exalted, intends for us Muslims is realised, and it is how the enjoined solidarity is realised with its temporal and spatial dimensions.

Respected servants of Allah! One of the most important manifestations of solidarity which Islam is keen to instill in our communities is how to treat the elderly and take care of them, starting with ones parents, acting upon the verse that reads:

And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [Quran, 46:15]

Also, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

He is not one of us who is not merciful to our youngsters and does not respect and honour our elders. [At-Tirmizi]

Then comes the duty of caring for the orphans, the poor, and the needy, and supporting them. Allah, The Almighty, Says:

They ask you [O Muhammad] what they should spend. Say, Whatever you spend of good is [to be] for parents and relatives and orphans and the needy and the traveler. And whatever you do of good  indeed, Allah is Knowing of it. [Quran, 2:215]

This can be achieved by providing job opportunities for all members of the community rather than concentrating the employment opportunities in specific segments or groups, eliminating the obstacles hindering the poor, and empowering them to break free from the feelings of inferiority to their peers.

Another important manifestation of solidarity in Islam is the enjoined kindness towards neighbours by keenly fulfilling their rights and preserving their interests. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer! By Allah, he is not a believer. It was asked, Who is he, O Messenger of Allah? He (Peace be upon him) said: The one whose neighbour does not feel safe from his evil. [Bukhari]

Another manifestation is honouring guests and offering them hospitality, and this applies to your private guests or those visiting your country, your town or house, such as tourists or expatriates (guest workers). You should be hospitable to them all; the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be hospitable to his guest. [Bukhari]

There are many ways by means of which the members of the community can contribute to the realisation of this solidarity, including: Zakah, charity, expiation, Waqf (Islamic endowment), Wasiyyah (will), Ariyah (gratuitous loan of non-fungible objects or property), gifts, grants, and others. There are also other means which the government is responsible for, including: carrying out public projects, building infrastructure for the cities and villages, providing job opportunities for all members of the community, facilitating the fulfillment of peoples needs, organising transportation and communication means, and the means of individual solidarity among the members of the community such as facilitating the establishment of centres for collecting and distributing Zakah and facilitating their work, acting upon the verse that reads:

Take [O, Muhammad] from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [the blessings of Allah] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing. [Quran, 9:103]

Dear brothers and sisters! These were some of the features and manifestations of social solidarity in light of the teachings of Islam, and there is no doubt that this topic deserves more detailing, but brevity is the soul of wit, and less is always more; and Allah Knows best.

I ask Allah, the Most High to grant us success and enable us to be correct in what we say and write.

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and securityand his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.

Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumuah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okenes Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.

This Jumuah Khutbah (Friday sermon) was prepared for delivery today, Friday, Shawwal 15, 1444 AH (May 05, 2023).

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As the count down to the inauguration of the Tenth National Assembly ticks on, whatever acts of political negotiations being carried out, there is the need to be very mindful of the Nigerian diversity and the promotion of a strong sense of inclusion, so that all can feel an essntial part of the Nigerian project, and be motivated in contributing to its sustainability.

At this juncture in the political experience of the Nigerian polity, we have certainly come to the period of hihg horse-trading following the February and March elections, in which all sorts of interests are canvassing for pole positions in the sixth cycle of governance of the Federal Republic. What could easily be lost in this process is schemes and negotiations that could grate on our diversity in the country and negate the principles of federal character.

The legislature itself can be described as the true hub of representative democracy in Nigeria, particularly the federal House of Representatives, where the diversity of Nigeria is in full display, in terms of ethnic nationality, gender and religion, etc. And considering how identity has been highly weaponised in the last elections, there is need to tread very carefully in the selection of principal officials of the 10th National Assembly, so that the present identitarian divides in the country are not deepend but are gradually bridged through intentional acts of inclusion.

We were all witnesses to how religion and ethnicity served very volatile purposes in these past elections and hence there is need for a very conscious effort to defuse the polity by symbolic gestures in the selection of leadership within the very heartbeat of democracy, while enabling a newer regime of healing and national reconciliation. In this, the North-Central zone of Nigeria, with its identitarian peculiarities, needs to be centrally factored into the leadership mix of incoming governance, in order to promote a strong sense of political inclusion.

Being the prominent party in the National Assembly, the All Progressives Congress (APC) should be guided by the principles of equity, fairness and justice as its membership engages in wheeling and dealing in the selection of principal officers, particularly in the House of Representatives. In short, considering the already known prominence taken by politicians from the South-West and North-East and North-Western states in in national political leadership, from the Presidency down, the speakership position of the House of Representatives ought to be zoned to the North-Central. In the annals of Nigerias legislature, out of the zones that have occupied this seat of the first among equals, the North-Central has had the shortest stint of only three months in this role. All the other zones have held it for several years, excluding the South-South.

The only time the North-Central held it was in 1983, when the National Party of Nigeria administration of Shehu Shagari won a second term and late Hon. Akkai Chaha Biam from Benue was elected speaker and served from October to December of that year before the military came and sacked the Second Republic.

Earlier in the First Republic, Chief Jaja Wachukwu from the South-East became the first indigenous speaker shortly before independence in 1959, and he had handed over to Ibrahim Jalo Waziri from the region now known as North-East in 1960.

Also, in 1979, Chief Edwin Umezeoke of the Nigeria Peoples Party from the South-East steered the ship of the House between 1979 to 1983. When the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida administration inaugurated a federal legislature that served under his military government, the South-East took the slot of speaker. Agunwa Anaekwe from Anambra served in this role as numero uno between 1992 and 1993. The South-East has thus held the position thrice.

From 1999 to 2007, the position was zoned to the North West, with Salisu Buhari, Ghali Naaba and Aminu Masari holding sway consecutively. Between 2007 and 2011, the South-West had it with Dimeji Bankole and Patricia Olubunmi Etteh as Speakers. Between 2011 to 2015, Aminu Tambuwal from the North-West presided over the House. Yakubu Dogara from the North East was speaker of the House from 2015 to 2019.

It is pertinent to note that the North-Central contributed impressively to the success and victory of the APC during the recent presidential and National Assembly elections. Infact, the APC won four out of the six states of the North-Central. The zone gave Asiwaju Bola Tinubu 1,670,091 votes, even more than what he got from the North-East (1,190,458). The party lost in the North-West states of Kebbi, Katsina, Kano, Kaduna and Sokoto.

Section 14 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, proclaims that, The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies shall be carried out in a manner as to reflect the Federal Character of Nigeria thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few ethnic or sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies, in order to command loyalty and peaceful coexistence.

It is against this backdrop that the North-Central needs to be strongly considered for leadership of the Tenth National Assembly. And, the APC leadership should redirect its attention to this zone rather than the dilutionary pursuits of political stakeholders who are not interested in a sense of fairness or sensitivity to a notion of political inclusion in the country. Hence, I believe that zoning the position to the North-Central is germane for national cohesion, unity and development.

With prominent lawmakers from the North-Central who are in the race including Tunji Raheem and Idris Wase, one finds particularly interesting the case of a figure like Yusuf Gagdi from the Plateau APC, who seems to be in a pole position for this leadership race. Having represented the Pankshin/Kanam/Kanke Federal Constituency in the Ninth House of Representatives, he set a record as a federal lawmaker to have personally sponsored six bills that were accented to by the President, with two of these being for for federal universities, while also serving in distinguished committees.

As the count down to the inauguration of the Tenth National Assembly ticks on, whatever acts of political negotiations being carried out, there is the need to be very mindful of the Nigerian diversity and the promotion of a strong sense of inclusion, so that all can feel an essntial part of the Nigerian project, and be motivated in contributing to its sustainability.

Fidelis Nwagwu writes from Abuja.

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Everyday, this epidemic destroys countless lives. It is time for America to rise to the occasion and show real leadership, putting aside political affiliations and ideological biases to find viable solutions to gun violence. The crisis goes beyond partisan politics  its not about red or blue, left or right. It is about every Americans right to live in a safe and secure society.

On the night of 28 April, in Cleveland, Texas, a sleepy community 50 miles north from where my family and I live, bullet-riddled bodies of five human beings, including an eight-year-old boy, lay lifeless, cut down in the most gruesome way. Their only sin was asking for a night of peace, but their request was met with the deafening sound of gunfire from a neighbour brandishing an AR-15. This senseless tragedy is yet another grim victory for the National Rifle Association (NRA)s beloved Americas Rifle, a killer machine that has been responsible for countless devastating incidents of mass murder like this one.

For decades, the AR-15 has been the go-to assault rifle for the US military in every major conflict since Vietnam. With its ability to fire dozens, if not hundreds, of rounds in rapid succession, the AR was designed to inflict maximum casualties in the shortest possible time. In recent years, however, the NRA and US gun-makers have successfully transformed this deadly weapon into a symbol of civilian pride and independence.

By some warped logic, owning an AR-15 has somehow become synonymous with patriotism, and a fundamental right, fiercely protected by the Second Amendment. Sadly, this glorification of a weapon of mass destruction has had devastating consequences. From Aurora to Newtown, Orlando, San Bernardino, and now Cleveland, the monster leaves a trail of tragedy and despair in its wake, casting a dark shadow on Americas future.

For the American right and many in the Republican Party, a common refrain is that guns dont kill people; people kill people. But this overly simplistic view overlooks the complexity of the issue at hand. Mental illness is often cited as the root of gun violence, but this ignores the fact that many countries with similar rates of mental illness dont have the same levels of gun violence as the United States has. Not even close to it. So far this year, there have been at least 160 mass shootings across the US. In each of the last three years, there have been more than 600 mass shootings, almost two a day on average, according to figures from the Gun Violence Archive.

While it is true that some individuals who commit acts of gun violence may have mental health issues, research suggests that this is not the sole or even primary factor that contributes to gun violence in the US. In fact, studies have found that individuals with mental illness are actually more likely to be victims of violence than its perpetrators.

With an estimated 393 million guns currently in circulation in the United States, there is a crucial need to have honest conversations about responsible gun ownership and sensible gun control measures that can help keep America safe. The idea that any discussion about gun control is seen by the American right and second amendment champions as a subterranian effort to confiscate all gunsis a baseless fear-mongering tactic

Its high time America confronts the uncomfortable truth  the unhindered availability of firearms plays a significant role in making it easier for individuals to carry out violent acts. The nation can no longer ignore this stark reality. It is worth noting that other developed countries with significantly lower rates of gun violence have implemented strict gun control laws and tackled the underlying social and economic factors that fuel violence.

With an estimated 393 million guns currently in circulation in the United States, there is a crucial need to have honest conversations about responsible gun ownership and sensible gun control measures that can help keep America safe. The idea that any discussion about gun control is seen by the American right and second amendment champions as a subterranian effort to confiscate all guns from responsible gun owners, is a baseless fear-mongering tactic propagated by conscienceless gun lobbyists.

It is no secret that Americas political landscape has become a battlefield of divisions, where civil discourse is all but extinct. Instead, the country is faced with a reality in which political super PACs, the corporate media, and special interests, all peddle divisive conspiracy theories for their own gains. Rather than seeking out truth and understanding, Americans have become fixated on winning at all costs, regardless of whether each side has the superior argument or not.

The United States faces a critical internal threat thats arguably more significant than external forces like China or Russia  in terms of political polarisation, the breakdown of civil discourse, and the erosion of trust between different segments of society. This toxic environment has made it difficult for lawmakers from both sides of the isle to collaborate and pass legislation for the betterment of the country.

The issue of gun violence in the United States goes beyond public safety, it poses existential threats that must be addressed expeditiously. Failure to do so will continue to erode the countrys reputation on the global stage, and undermine its efforts to promote democracy and human rights around the world.

This situation is made worse by the rise of extremist ideologies, hate crimes, and domestic terrorism that threaten to O the nation. These forces are tearing apart the social fabric of America, eroding the foundations of democracy, and undermining the values of equality, freedom, and justice that the country was founded upon.

The issue of gun violence in the United States goes beyond public safety, it poses existential threats that must be addressed expeditiously. Failure to do so will continue to erode the countrys reputation on the global stage, and undermine its efforts to promote democracy and human rights around the world.

Everyday, this epidemic destroys countless lives. It is time for America to rise to the occasion and show real leadership, putting aside political affiliations and ideological biases to find viable solutions to gun violence. The crisis goes beyond partisan politics  its not about red or blue, left or right. It is about every Americans right to live in a safe and secure society.

If the United States does not find a way out of the current political gridlock, the country will continue to face significant challenges that threaten its long-term stability, security, and prosperity.

Osmund Agbo writes from Houston, Texas. Email: Eagleosmund@yahoo.com

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The former chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Jigawa State, Habibu Sara, has been jailed for allegedly defaming the character of the state governor, Muhammad Badaru, during a radio programme.

Mr Sara was arrested by the police and charged to court and remanded in prison on Thursday following the radio programme which aired on radio stations in Jigawa and neighbouring Kano State on 25 and 26 April.

Mr Sara claimed that the governor convened a meeting in Saudi Arabia with some politicians where they planned to scuttle the incoming administration of the governor-elect, Umar Namadi.

The governor has already bought vehicles to be distributed to the commissioners of the incoming administration. He should not be doing this because its not his responsibility to purchase vehicles for the new administration.

For the past eight years, he (Governor Badaru) bought 200 vehicles whose transactions and distribution were shrouded in secrecy. We are demanding an explanation, Mr Sara claimed in the radio programmes.

But the governors aide on media content development, Habibu Muhammad, in a letter of complaint, asked the police to arrest Mr Sara and one other person, Karami Jahun, whom he accused of peddling false information against his principal.

The above allegations are false and are intended to defame the character of the governor of Jigawa and his servants including myself (Mr Muhammad) and to incite public disturbance and disharmony in the governance of the state and between Jigawa State and the incoming governor.

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Its against this background that I write this complaint to urge you to investigate the matter and bring the culprit to book if found wanting in violation of the law, Mr Muhammed wrote to the police.

On Thursday, a magistrate, Auwal Balago, charged Messrs Sara and Jahun with a three-count charge of defamation of character, an attempt to incite public disturbance and disorder.

The duo pleaded not guilty.

The magistrate, Mr Balago ordered that the accused be detained in a correctional facility till 8 May for the hearing of the case.

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Suspected hoodlums have burnt down the house of a 60-year-old widow in Ebonyi State, south-east Nigeria.

The widow, Monica Nweke, was asleep alongside her two daughters and two grandchildren when the arsonists set her building ablaze at about 1.30 a.m. on Tuesday, according to a report by Punch newspaper.

The widow hails from Ogboji, a community in Ezza North Local Government Area of the state.

A source from the community told the newspaper that the attackers set the building ablaze and waited until the inferno had gutted all the valuables of the widow.

But the widow and her two daughters and grandchildren escaped through the back door while the fire raged.

A human rights group in the state, the Human Rights, Access and Defenders, has condemned the incident and called for justice for the widow, the newspaper reported.

In a statement, on Friday, by its spokesperson, Chinasa Okereke, the group said it had intelligence that at least four suspects have been arrested in connection to the incident.

Some other suspects were still on the run, it said.

(The) hoodlums attacked the house, looted virtually everything and immediately set the building on fire, the group said.

It claimed that the attackers were sponsored by some big politicians in Ezza North Council Area who have been having a face-off with Sampson Nweke, an activist and a son to the widow.

Sampson is the chairperson of the rights group in the state.

Onome Onovwakpoyeya, the police spokesperson in Ebonyi State, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking his comments.

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Lissun's experts on mental health successfully diagnosed over 600 students, shedding light on a range of mental health conditions and highlighting the need for greater awareness and support in student populations

Kota, May 04, 2023: LISSUN, Indias leading mental health Platform has successfully conducted a Mental Health Awareness Camp for students in Kota, Rajasthan on Sunday, 30th April 2023. The camp was organized to address the escalating mental health concerns among students in Kota, a hub for engineering and medical preparation, and shed light on the need for greater awareness and support in student populations.

The camp, which was held at City Mall Kota, witnessed an overwhelming response from the students, with more than 600 participants attending the event. Lissuns team of mental health experts conducted one-on-one diagnoses on each student, revealing a broad spectrum of mental health conditions prevalent among adolescents. The comprehensive mental health examination orchestrated by the mental wellness platform brought to attention a substantial proportion of students struggling with depression, anxiety, and stress, with 40%, 70%, and 80% of students indicative of each respective condition.

Dr. Krishna Veer Singh, Co-Founder & CEO of Lissun, addressed the students and spoke about the importance of mental health and the best practices to follow in order to maintain good mental health while pursuing their academic studies based on his experience as a one-time JEE aspirant and IIT student. He also shared insights into the mental health problems that students commonly face and offered guidance on fostering a culture of mental wellness.

Our Mental Health Awareness Camp is a step towards empowering future minds and enabling them to lead a fulfilling and healthy life, said Dr. Krishna Veer Singh. Through camps like these, we hope to encourage students to prioritize their mental health and seek help when needed. We believe that with the right awareness, support, and resources, students can thrive both academically and mentally.

The mental health awareness camp was meticulously arranged for students aged between 16-21 years and incorporated multiple stress-relief activities that aided in the management of their stress levels. In an effort to confront the surging mental health concerns among the student community, Lissuns team intends to spearhead analogous camps across multiple cities as a part of their Mental Health Awareness and Acceptance initiative.

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BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The Heydar Aliyev Center hosted amazing 'Jazz Day' in Baku with the participation of musicians from Azerbaijan, the US and Cuba, Trend Life reports.

The "centerpiece" was the virtuoso pianist and composer from the US Ruslan Agababayev, who actively promotes Azerbaijani music around the world.

Jazz expert, radio and TV presenter, honored worker of culture Rahib Azeri spoke about the artist's creative path, which began in his native Baku, at the opening of the evening. The graduate of the piano faculty of the Baku Music Academy named after Uzeyir Hajibeyov, Ruslan Agababayev, continued his studies at the Department of Classical Composition of New York New School University.

Performing concerts all over the world, he collaborated with famous jazz and ethno-musical artists. He has won many prizes at international festivals and has been accepted into American Society of Composers, Authors, Publishers (ASCAP). He often comes from New York to Baku to visit relatives and perform concerts.

"I adore Azerbaijan a lot and always feel special happiness when performing in my homeland. Since early childhood, music has become a part of my life. By the age of six, I began to play the piano and study music seriously. After a couple of years, I began to improvise, so this world became a part of my life. We played the most diverse music at home from classical, folk music to mugham, songs by Rashid Beybutov, Muslim Magomayev and jazz. My idols were Vagif Mustafazade, Bill Evans, Chick Corea and others," Agababayev said.

Agababayev constantly gets acquainted with new authors, but at the same time never forgets about classical music.

"I listen to a lot of different genres. I am inspired by music, especially ethnic music. In my creative work I always try to find new talent musicians, who create unknown compositions, and such music becomes one of the sources of my inspiration. Improvisational music is something incredible, especially when you're on stage with wonderful musicians. Real works appear, only when the music comes from soul," he said.

A concert program consisting of ethnic, jazz and classical music was presented this evening. The trio was led by Ruslan Agababayev with honored artist Ruslan Huseynov (bass guitar) and Elvin Bashirov (drums).

The concert was also featured Anvar Sadigov (accordion), Tunzala Agayeva (vocals), honored artists Ceyla Seidova (violin), Sevda Alekperzade (vocals), Elnur Mikailov (kamancha) and others joined them during the evening, as well as Cuban musician Yanssel Castellon gave the audience many vivid impressions, spiritual relaxation and an incendiary drive.
Company's Support of Dog Racing Sparks "TwinSpires Cruelty" Campaign

ARLINGTON, Mass., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The largest greyhound protection group in the world announced it will fly an airplane banner advertisement over the 149th Kentucky Derby, to inform the public that gambling operator Churchill Downs, and its online betting service, TwinSpires, is the last major corporation propping up dog racing in the United States.

Kentucky Derby airplane banner advertisement

"If Churchill Downs takes its own corporate social responsibility policy seriously, it will stop supporting an activity that is out of step with mainstream American values," said GREY2K USA President and General Counsel Christine A. Dorchak. "Churchill Downs and its subsidiary, TwinSpires, are propping up the final remnants of an industry that is responsible for the confinement, deaths and abuse of thousands of dogs. Such greed is unacceptable in today's increasingly humane economy."

In January, GREY2K USA launched an educational website, TwinSpiresCruelty.org, to educate the public about Churchill Downs' involvement in greyhound racing. It has since reached out to major investors of the company, including the single largest shareholder, Fidelity Investments, with a request that they divest their holdings in Churchill Downs, Inc. (CHDN). Meanwhile, a Change.org petition that urges Churchill Downs CEO Bill Carstanjen to cease offering dog racing on its platform has been signed by nearly 43,000 people.

"We believe there is reputational risk for any company that continues to align itself with greyhound racing," said Dorchak. "We are especially concerned that TwinSpires is offering races from Agua Caliente on its betting platform. Caliente is a Tijuana-based dog track with no animal welfare standards that is owned by a controversial figure with alleged ties to organized crime."

Most gambling on dog racing now occurs over the internet. In 2022 the largest competitor to Churchill Downs, TVG, removed dog racing from its platform, leaving Churchill Downs as the largest remaining purveyor of greyhound wagering in the United States.

"The companies that are partnering with Churchill Downs, should ask themselves whether they want to be associated with a demonstrably cruel industry," said Dorchak. "Even the company that owns the last two remaining dog tracks, Delaware North, has publicly announced it is losing money on the activity and supports ending the state mandate for greyhound racing."

Greyhound racing is illegal in 42 states, and only continues to exist at two tracks in West Virginia. After dog racing gradually declined for decades, Florida voters outlawed the activity in 2018 in a vote of 69% to 31%, closing twelve operational racetracks. A bill to prohibit gambling on greyhound racing nationwide was introduced in the 117th Congress and earned the support of 105 cosponsors and more than 250 humane groups, anti-gambling organizations and local animal shelters.

All mainstream animal protection groups oppose greyhound racing due to animal welfare concerns. At the last two remaining dog tracks in West Virginia, state records indicate that 666 greyhounds were injured in 2022 including 218 dogs that suffered broken bones and four greyhounds that died. Thousands of dogs also endure lives of confinement at West Virginia tracks, kept in cages barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around for long hours each day.

About GREY2K USA Worldwide

Formed in February of 2001, GREY2K USA is the largest greyhound protection organization in the United States with more than 300,000 supporters. As a non-profit 501(c)4 organization, the group works to pass stronger greyhound protection laws and end the cruelty of dog racing on both national and international levels. GREY2K USA also promotes the rescue and adoption of greyhounds across the globe. For more information, go to www.GREY2KUSA.org or visit GREY2K USA on Facebook , Twitter or Instagram.

Contact: Christine A. Dorchak, Esq., 617.981.0490, [email protected]

SOURCE GREY2K USA
Outcomes Demonstrate the Promise of Atia Vision's Modular, Shape-Changing Lens System

CAMPBELL, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Atia Vision, Inc ., a Shifamed portfolio company committed to improving patient outcomes through the development of a modular shape-changing intraocular lens (IOL), today announced the first clinical data about their patented OmniVu IOL System will be presented at the 2023 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Cataract Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in San Diego, California.

First-in-human findings will be shared by George O. Waring IV, M.D., founder and medical director of the Waring Vision Institute in South Carolina, on Saturday, May 6, 2023, from 3:40-3:45 p.m. PT. His presentation, which will take place in Upper-Level Room 5B in the San Diego Conference Center, is titled "Prospective, Open-Label, Non-Randomized, Trial of a Presbyopia-Correcting, Modular Intraocular Lens System for Treatment of Cataract."

"I am extremely encouraged by these early findings and look forward to the results of additional studies." - Dr. Waring Tweet this

"There has long been an unmet need for a solution that reliably delivers a full range of vision to patients with cataracts and presbyopia without visual disturbances," Dr. Waring said. "I am extremely encouraged by these early findings and look forward to the results of additional studies."

With this lens, Atia Vision aims to address the limitations of current solutions for cataracts, which affect nearly 65 million people worldwide and can lead to blindness if untreated. Implanted using conventional techniques, the novel IOL features a fluid-filled, shape-changing base designed to provide clear vision from far to near and a fixed-power front optic that allows physicians to select the appropriate lens to meet each patient's target refraction.

The OmniVu Lens System is designed to predictably, consistently, and reproducibly restore full functional visual acuity, mimicking the eye's natural ability at near, intermediate, and distance ranges without generating side effects such as halos, glares, or artifacts. In developing the lens, Atia Vision evaluated and leveraged the comprehensive body of research conducted in the accommodative lens arena to date.

"We are extremely pleased with these early clinical findings related to the performance of our next-generation lens," said Mariam Maghribi, President and CEO of Atia Vision. "We are excited about the possibilities this innovative technology may offer to eye care professionals and their patients seeking an alternative solution for cataract surgery that facilities a full range of vision."

About Atia Vision, Inc.

Atia Vision is a privately held medical device company formed by Shifamed LLC. To learn more about Atia Vision, please visit www.atiavision.com.

About Shifamed LLC

Founded by serial entrepreneur Amr Salahieh, Shifamed LLC is a highly-specialized medical innovation hub focused on developing advanced solutions that accelerate time to market, reduce risk, increase impact, and forge a path toward a world where patients are able to lead longer, healthier lives. To learn more about Shifamed, please visit www.shifamed.com .

MEDIA CONTACT:

Katie Arnold

SPRIG Consulting LLC

+1 (408) 805-0520

[email protected]

SOURCE Atia Vision, Inc.
A song that will revolutionize the music industry.

Two styles and two cultures united, through music.

A fusion where borders do not exist.

Making history once again!

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BANDA MS is excited to release his new single, CUALES FRONTERAS? featuring rapper ICE CUBE. Set to revolutionize the music industry across Mexico, the United States, and around the world, the single brings together two great musical artists who merge their distinct styles, cultures, and personalities to create a knock-out hit that addresses social issues.

As the title indicates, CUALES FRONTERAS? is a hymn to unity and solidarity. The lyrics of this song are motivating and invite listeners to reflect:"Cuales Fronteras? If we are one of the same, here there are no flags, rather there is a team..." A powerful phrase at the beginning of this song that undoubtedly makes it worth listening to.

This is not the first time BANDA MS presents this level of collaboration. In May 2020, the Sinaloan group transcended barriers with "QUE MALDICION" (Feat. Snoop Dogg), which to date has over 128 million plays on Spotify and over 85 million views on its music video.

Transcending borders, Banda MS and Ice Cube present "CUALES FRONTERAS?" reaffirming that nothing is impossible for music.

Some representative figures:

BANDA MS

Spotify. - 14 million monthly listeners

Youtube. - 3.8 million subscribers

Instagram. - 3.6 million followers

Facebook. - 17 million followers

TikTok. - 3 million followers

ICE CUBE

Spotify. - 15 million monthly listeners

Youtube. - 2.9 million subscribers

Instagram. - 29 million followers

Facebook. - 17 million followers

More about Banda MS

Debuted in the year 2003 in Mazatlan, Sinaloa, taking the initials of their homeland to give the group its name. BANDA MS is synonymous with stability and international projection. Always with firm objectives, the group has earned the title of the "highest-grossing band." A slogan that reflects the work that has been carried out throughout more than 16 years of their musical career. SERGIO LIZARRAGA of Banda MS, has been cataloged by the press as the most influential group of its kind.

The band is listed by the Spotify platform as the most listened Mexican artist. With 872 million views it achieved throughout the year 2020. The most recent album of BANDA MS is titled "PUNTO Y APARTE".

They have consecutively managed to reach first place with 20 of their songs on the radio: "EL MECHON", "MI RAZON DE SER", "HERMOSA EXPERIENCIA", "NO ME PIDAS PERDON", "HABLAME DE TI", "A LO MEJOR", "PIENSALO", "SOLO CON VERTE", "ME VAS A EXTRANAR", "TENGO QUE COLGAR", "ES TUYO MO AMOR", "LAS COSAS NO SE HACEN ASI", "EL COLOR DE TUS OJOS", "TU POSTURA", "MEJOR ME ALEJO", "POR SIEMPRE MI AMOR", "POR MI NO TE DETENGAS", "NO ELEGI CONOCERTE", "CERRANDO CICLOS", "LA CASITA" y "OJOS CERRADOS".

More about Ice Cube

Ice Cube is an American rapper and actor who started his career in gangsta rap group N.W.A which gained him acclaim and launched his successful solo career. Ice Cube is known by hip-hop critics and fans as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. Known for his chart-topping hits 'IT WAS A GOOD DAY,' 'CHECK YO SELF,' 'YOU KNOW HOW WE DO IT' and in N.W.A's 'STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON' and 'F THA POLICE,' Ice Cube has earned his reputation in the music industry as a pioneer of gangster rap and legendary lyricist. As a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and having sold over 10 million albums, Ice Cube bolsters his list of powerful songs that reflect issues facing a skewed society.

Since the beginning of the 1990's, Ice Cube has been actively pursuing a career in the film industry. He co-wrote and acted in the comedy "Friday,' which set the stage for a lucrative series and transformed him into a marketable movie star. As of 2020, he had roles in roughly 40 movies, including buddy cop comedy '21 Jump Street,'' '22 Jump Street', and 'Ride Along' as well as family comedies like the 'Barbershop' series. Many of these movies, as well as the 2015 biopic 'Straight Outta Compton,' had him on the executive producing team.

About Lizos Music:

Founded in 2014, LIZOS MUSIC, is a company that has managed to make people talk about it in today's recording world. LIZOS HQ, is located in the city of Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico. As well as having a second office in San Diego, California. The company is under the general direction of Sergio Lizarraga, who preaches the basic philosophy of "team-work", and also recognizes that he wants to work with people who share his passion for music. The company is headed by BANDA MS'sSERGIO LIZARRAGA. A group that is making history and has remained one of the best of its kind.

LIZOS MUSIC is a record label dedicated to the promotion and diffusion of artists of the Mexican regional genre. In addition to this, it also specializes in management and artistic representation. The catalog is made up of artists with specific characteristics, with each one having a distinctive touch. LIZOS MUSIC has a great team of professionals. Young minds complemented by experienced connoisseurs of the musical industry. Everyone works together bringing a different business model to the music industry.

About Bobby Dee Presents:

In 1987, Bobby Dee Presents was founded by Bobby Dee Sr with the goal of catering to specialized markets all over the country in the music industry. Together with his son Bobby Dee Jr., Bobby Dee Presents consistently generates sold-out shows by bringing together artists, spectators, and venues. Originally from Southern California, Bobby Dee has been making waves across the nation. Through Bobby Dee Presents, your favorite artists will perform at a venue near you. In the music industry, Bobby Dee Jr, who is also a partner of Snoop Dogg's booking agency called Uncle Snoop's Army, has opened doors for artists of every genre. "Peso Pluma", "Natanel & Junior H", "Fuerza Regida", "My 00's Playlist," "R&B Rewind," "Freestyle Festival," "Danzig Sings Elvis," "Morrissey," "Latin Legends," "Grupo Firme," "Banda MS" and many other artists have been part of Bobby Dee's carefully planned lineups that have become national tours that have sold out across the United States.

SOURCE Bobby Dee Presents
Community-Driven 'Salute To Nurses' Celebrates Healthcare Heros With Special Event, Acclaimed Sponsored Print & Digital Feature

BOSTON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Globe Media today announced the 20th anniversary edition of its Salute to Nurses initiative, a special advertiser-supported section of The Boston Globe which is published annually to coincide with the observance of National Nurses Week (May 6 - May 12). Since 2003, this community-driven program has allowed thousands of people in the region to recognize and thank area nurses who have helped them and their loved ones through difficult times. Hundreds of nomination letters are received each year, demonstrating the profound and lasting impact nurses have on patient's lives.

Beth Israel Lahey Health Celebrate 20 Years Of Honoring Area Nurses For National Nurses Week 2023

"Every year, we receive hundreds upon hundreds of nominations from readers, asking us to recognize the nurses who have helped change their lives," said Kazi Ahmed, vp of integrated marketing at Boston Globe Media. "It's an incredible testament to how important and vibrant the healthcare community is in the Greater Boston and New England region. Now in its 20th year, Salute to Nurses is, and will continue to be, among the most important initiatives we feature each year."

This year, Salute to Nurses will launch a special 20th anniversary digital section ahead of National Nurses Day on Friday, May 5. A commemorative print feature will be included in the advertising section of The Boston Sunday Globe on May 7. Following publication, Boston Globe Media together with premier sponsor Beth Israel Lahey Health, will celebrate National Nurses Week and the 20th Anniversary of Salute to Nurses for an in-person celebration of 400+ of their nurses.

"We are proud to recognize the extraordinary care Beth Israel Lahey Health nurses provide each and every day," said Sue Harris, chief human resources officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health. "This Nurses Week, BILH is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of Salute to Nurses to celebrate the dedication of our nurses in making our patients and communities healthier."

The Salute to Nurses special section will be featured in the May 7 issue of The Boston Sunday Globe and can also be accessed online at globe.com/salute . To learn more about Boston Globe Media's advertiser-supported opportunities, contact [email protected] .

About Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC ("BGMP") is a locally owned, award-winning media company serving Boston and New England. The cornerstone of the brand is The Boston Globe, a 27-time Pulitzer Prize winning news source and one of the most successful metro news organizations in the U.S. with the largest newsroom in New England and one of the highest daily print circulations among metro newspapers. The Globe has served the region for over 150 years as a trusted source of news and has more than 240,000 digital subscribers, a growing portfolio of events, and a range of digital and home-delivered advertising solutions that reach more consumers than any other New England media brand. Boston Globe Media's properties include The Boston Globe, Globe.com , Boston.com , STAT , Boston Globe Today , The B-Side , Globe Publishing Services, Globe Events , and Studio/B .

About Beth Israel Lahey Health

Beth Israel Lahey Health is a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.

Advertiser-supported projects such as Salute to Nurses are produced by Studio/B in collaboration with advertisers. The news and editorial departments of The Boston Globe have no role in its production or display.

Press: Heidi Flood, Boston Globe Media Partners, [email protected] / Sarah Finlaw, Beth Israel Lahey Health, [email protected]

SOURCE Boston Globe Media Group
WASHINGTON, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brady, one of America's oldest gun violence prevention organizations, has launched a new message-tested advertising campaign to highlight the destructive impact of military-style assault weapons in our communities.

Kris Brown , president of Brady, said:

"Mass shootings involving assault weapons are becoming increasingly regular in the U.S., and this campaign reminds people that these weapons of war are tearing apart our communities."

Consisting of three digital images and a video that have been featured in Times Square, the campaign's goal is to inspire a culture change around guns in America and increase support for banning these weapons of war.

In the video ad, a U.S. Navy veteran, Dan Kirchner, reads a true story of a shooting that sounds like a firsthand account of combat in a war zone. When he comes to the end of the letter, he learns that the author is not a fellow war veteran, but instead a mass shooting survivor who was only six years old when a shooter turned an assault weapon on his day camp.

Kirchner said:

"I hadn't given the Assault Weapons Ban much thought before I participated in this campaign. When the opportunity came up, I went for it because I wanted to do something, anything to help end mass shootings in our country. Reading Josh's experience, it really could have been told by any of my fellow combat veterans  that struck a chord with me.

In addition to the video, Brady produced a series of photos that show coffins draped with an American flag in everyday places where mass shootings involving assault weapons have become all too frequent, including a grocery store, a gym and a nightclub.

The campaign follows a deadly spate of preventable shootings across the U.S. committed with assault weapons and recent Biden administration efforts to curb gun violence, including his call to reinstate the assault weapons ban.

About Brady Brady has one powerful mission  to unite all Americans against gun violence. We work across Congress, the courts, and our communities with over 90 grassroots chapters, bringing together young and old, red and blue, and every shade of color to find common ground in the common sense.

Press Contact:

Mike Stankiewicz, [email protected]

Izzy Olive, [email protected]

SOURCE Brady
The beta release of Chainlink Functions on Avalanche will help anyone to easily connect a smart contract to any Web2 API

BARCELONA, Spain, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ava Labs, today announced the beta release of Chainlink Functions a serverless developer platform that empowers anyone to easily connect a smart contract to any Web2 APIon Avalanche Fuji testnet. Developers on Avalanche can now leverage Chainlink's highly secure and reliable network to seamlessly build new and more advanced Web3 applications.

Smart contract developers building on Avalanche can now use Chainlink Functions to easily connect Web2 APIs and cloud services in their smart contracts.

Chainlink Functions unlocks an entirely new frontier of Web3 and Web2 integrations. Until now, Web3 developers couldn't connect their smart contracts to existing Web2 APIs to access social media signals, AI computation, messaging services, and more. Conversely, Web2 developers couldn't leverage their existing infrastructure when getting started building a Web3 app. Chainlink Functions provides this key piece of missing infrastructure developers need to build sophisticated applications that take advantage of the best of both worlds.

"The integration of Chainlink Functions unlocks a multitude of new and exciting smart contract use cases for the Avalanche ecosystem as it simplifies the developer experience of connecting Web3 apps with Web2 data sources," said John Nahas, Vice President of Business Development at Ava Labs. "Developers can now connect their smart contract to any Web2 API in minutes to unlock the next big use case for Web3 while taking advantage of both the proven security and reliability of the Chainlink Network."

Chainlink Functions acts as a decentralized compute runtime to test, simulate, and run custom logic off-chain for Web3 applicationsakin to a more trust-minimized and blockchain-enabled version of existing cloud-based serverless solutions such as AWS Lambda, GCP CloudFunctions, and Cloudflare Workers. By taking advantage of the blockchain industry's most time-tested infrastructure for oracle connectivity and computation, developers can focus on their decentralized applications while being able to rely on the connectivity, security, and reliability of the Chainlink Network. Furthermore, Chainlink Functions is a truly self-serve platform, meaning developers can fulfill their external data and compute needs without having to interface with node operators.

"We're excited to expand the suite of Web3 services available on Avalanche to include Chainlink Functions, empowering Avalanche developers to connect their smart contracts to existing Web2 APIs," said Kemal El Moujahid, Chief Product Officer at Chainlink Labs. "The seamless connectivity of Chainlink Functions makes it easy for developers to combine smart contracts with powerful Web2 APIs and data sources to unlock a new frontier of exciting capabilities and applications."

Smart contract developers building on Avalanche can now use Chainlink Functions to easily connect Web2 APIs and cloud services in their smart contracts. Chainlink Functions can also be combined with other high-quality Chainlink services available on Avalanche, including Chainlink Data Feeds , Chainlink VRF , and Chainlink Automation .

If you're a developer and would like to access the beta version of Chainlink Functions, sign up here . Also, check out the Chainlink Functions developer documentation and join the Chainlink Discord for any technical questions or feedback.

About Chainlink

Chainlink is the industry-standard Web3 services platform and has enabled trillions of dollars in transaction volume across DeFi, insurance, gaming, NFTs, and other major industries. As the leading decentralized oracle network, Chainlink enables developers to build feature-rich Web3 applications with seamless access to real-world data and off-chain computation across any blockchain and provides global enterprises with a universal gateway to all blockchains.

Learn more about Chainlink by visiting chain.link or reading the developer documentation at docs.chain.link . To discuss an integration, reach out to an expert .

About Ava Labs

Ava Labs makes it simple to launch decentralized finance applications on Avalanche, the fastest smart contracts platform in the blockchain industry. We are empowering people to easily and freely digitize all the world's assets on one open, programmable blockchain platform.

Ava Labs was founded by Cornell computer scientists who brought on talent from Wall Street to execute their vision. The company has received funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Initialized Capital, and Polychain Capital, with angel investments from Balaji Srinivasan and Naval Ravikant.

About Avalanche

Avalanche is a smart contracts platform built to scale infinitely and finalize transactions in under a second. Avalanche is blazingly fast, low cost, and eco-friendly. Build anything you want, any way you want, on a blockchain designed for both Web3 devs and businesses. Don't believe it? Try an app on Avalanche today.

SOURCE Chainlink; Ava Labs
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the Ministry of Culture will organize Kharibulbul International Music Festival in Azerbaijans cultural capital Shusha on May 9 through 11, 2023, Trend reports via the ministry.

Within the framework of the festival, concert programs, exhibitions and various presentations will be held.

In 2023, the city of Shusha was declared by the International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) as the Cultural Capital of the Turkic World.

The Kharibulbul International Music Festival will also be attended by creative teams of TURKSOY countries, Turkic-speaking countries and peoples of the region.

On May 12, 2023, the official opening of the 'Shusha - cultural capital of the Turkic world 2023' event will take place.

The International Music Festival held in Shusha city and other areas of Azerbaijans Karabakh region in May 1989-1991 was again held in the city on May 12 and 13, 2021 after a 30-year break [due to Armenia's occupation of Shusha until the 2020 second Karabakh war] under organization of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation.

The 5th 'Kharibulbul' International Folklore Festival was held in Azerbaijans Shusha from May 12 through May 14, 2022.

Since 1990, the Kharibulbul festival has received international status. The invitation of folklore groups from foreign countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, Israel, and Turkiye to the event aroused great public interest. Due to the difficult situation in Shusha as a result of Karabakh conflict, the main events of the festival began to be held on the territory of Aghdam, and some concerts were held in Barda and Aghjabadi cities. In total, about 170 people from around the world took part in the second festival.

The third festival took place in 1991. It was attended by nearly 300 people from 25 countries. Due to the large number of spectators, the concerts were also held at the stadiums.

The final concerts of the 2-nd and 3-rd festivals were held in Baku at the Heydar Aliyev Palace.
CHICAGO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chicago-based rapper Dreadrock is thrilled to announce the upcoming release of his latest music single, SDS, on May 5, 2023. Produced by Swervgang, the track draws inspiration from Dreadrock's personal experiences with smoking, drinking, and sex. It's a high-energy party anthem aimed at college students and anyone who loves to let loose and have a good time.

Dreadrock's SDS promises to be a game-changer in the hip-hop industry, with its infectious beat, catchy hooks, and relatable lyrics. The single is set to take the airwaves by storm, and fans can expect to hear it in clubs and parties across the country.

Commenting on the release, Dreadrock said, "I'm excited to share SDS with my fans. This song is all about having fun, and I hope it brings joy and energy to everyone who listens to it."

Swervgang, the production team behind the single, is equally excited about its release. They believe that SDS is the perfect mix of creativity, energy, and artistry, and they are confident that it will be a chart-topping hit.

SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES

Dreadrock's Social media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreadrock700/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Dreadrocksge

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dreadrocksge_/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-samuels-jr-dreadrock-396755232/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvFkUkAHYrTVLlaQICg8KsQ

Websites:

Swervnation: https://swervnation.com/

Dreadrock: https://dreadrock.swervnation.com/

Store: https://shop.swervnation.com/

Songwhip : https://songwhip.com/dreadrock

SOURCE Dreadrock
- PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy designed to provide a long half-life -

PARMA, Italy, BOSTON and CARMIEL, Israel, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases, and Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:PLX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization to PRX-102 (pegunigalsidase alfa) in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease.

"People living with Fabry disease often perceive their disease as burdensome and still experience unmet medical needs," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "Our deepest gratitude to all patients and patient advocates who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with clinical researchers, scientists and regulators during the clinical development program, providing the data needed for this approval. I believe this is a vital ingredient in bringing innovation to the real lives of patients and enabling hope and definitive, integrated solutions."

"We are delighted that the European Commission has approved PRX-102 for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease. The EU authorization is a testament to our commitment to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases," said Diego Ardigo, M.D., Ph.D., head of research and development of Global Rare Diseases at the Chiesi Group. "As a certified B Corp we are committed to ensuring access to PRX-102 to as many people living with Fabry disease as possible and thank those who participated in our extensive clinical research program. It is important to deliver this new treatment option to reduce the burden of this chronic disease on patients, their families, and the healthcare system."

"The European Commission's approval of PRX-102 is a significant milestone for patients with Fabry disease and their families, providing a new therapeutic option," said Dror Bashan, Protalix's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud of this achievement and believe that this approval further validates our science and technology. Based on solid results from our robust clinical programs, PRX-102 has the potential to be widely used for many years to come. Together with Chiesi, we remain committed to meeting the needs of patients with Fabry disease and bringing this new treatment option to market."

PRX-102 is a PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). It is a recombinant human GalactosidaseA enzyme expressed in plant-cell culture that is designed to provide a long half-life.

The EC authorization of PRX-102 is based on results from a comprehensive clinical development program in more than 140 patients with up to 7.5 years of treatment. It has been studied in both ERT-naive and ERT-experienced patients, including a head-to-head trial that met its primary endpoint, with PRX-102 demonstrating non-inferior efficacy to agalsidase beta in controlling kidney disease as evaluated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline.

Pegunigalsidase alfa, an investigational new drug product, is currently not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The effectiveness and safety of pegunigalsidase alfa is under review, but has not yet been approved, by the FDA. Prior to FDA review and approval, no conclusions can be drawn on pegunigalsidase alfa's efficacy and safety profile. When seeking expanded access, treating physicians should consider all possible risks of treatment with pegunigalsidase alfa. Access must be compliant with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Investigators should not seek reimbursement for product provided to patients who participate in a government funded insurance program.

About Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is an Xlinked inherited disease that results from deficient activity of the lysosomal GalactosidaseA enzyme resulting in progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance called globotriaosylceramide (Gb 3 ) in the lysosomes throughout a person's body. Fabry disease occurs in one person per 40,000 to 60,000. Fabry patients inherit a deficiency of the GalactosidaseA enzyme, which is normally responsible for the breakdown of Gb 3 . The abnormal storage of Gb 3 increases with time and, accordingly, Gb 3 accumulates, primarily in the blood vessel and tissues. The ultimate consequences of Gb 3 deposition range from episodes of pain and impaired peripheral sensation to end-organ failure.

About PRX102

PRX102 (pegunigalsidase alfa) is a PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) to treat Fabry disease that is now approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is under evaluation by the FDA. PRX-102 is a plant cell culture-expressed, and chemically modified stabilized recombinant version of the GalactosidaseA enzyme. Protein sub-units are covalently bound via chemical cross-linking using short PEG moieties, resulting in a molecule with stable pharmacokinetic parameters. In clinical studies, PRX102 has been observed to have a circulatory half-life of approximately 80 hours.

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system.

For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 31 countries, and counts more than 6,500 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. It is the first company to gain FDA approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. This unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights to taliglucerase alfa, Protalix's first product manufactured through ProCellEx, excluding in Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights.

Protalix's development pipeline consists of proprietary versions of recombinant therapeutic proteins that target established pharmaceutical markets, including the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified stabilized version of the recombinant human -Galactosidase-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; PRX-115, a plant cell-expressed recombinant PEGylated uricase for the treatment of severe gout; PRX-119, a plant cell-expressed long action DNase I for the treatment of NETs-related diseases; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States, for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa.

Protalix's Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "may," "plan," "will," "would," "should" and "intend," and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on Protalix's current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the timing, progress and likelihood of final approval by the FDA of the resubmitted Biologics License Application (BLA) by the PDUFA action date, if at all, and, if approved, whether the FDA will impose significant limitations on the use of PRX102; risks related to the commercial success of PRX-102, and of Protalix's other product and product candidates, if approved; the likelihood that the FDA, EMA or other applicable health regulatory authorities will approve an alternative dosing regimen; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our other product candidates which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to satisfactorily demonstrate non-inferiority to approved therapies; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA, EMA or other health regulatory authorities for our other product candidates, and other risks relating to the review process; risks associated with the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID19, outbreak, which may adversely impact our business, preclinical studies and clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support the applicable claims of safety or efficacy, or that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks related to our ability to maintain and manage our relationship with our collaborators, distributors or partners; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.

Chiesi Group Media Contact

Chiara Travagin

Rare Communication Manager

Tel: +39 348 8818985

Email [email protected]

Alessio Pappagallo

Press Office Manager

Tel: +39 339 5897483

Email [email protected]

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

[email protected]

Protalix Investor Contact

Chuck Padala, Managing Director

LifeSci Advisors

646-627-8390

[email protected]

SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases; Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
MIAMI, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bishop Peter Eaton and the Consul General of the United Kingdom in Miami are inviting members of the Episcopal Church, and the entire community, to Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Miami for a festive Choral Evensong in Celebration of the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The joyous service will take place Sunday, May 7, 2023, at 5:30 p.m.

South Florida is home to a significant population of British expatriates and citizens from Commonwealth Nations. This special celebration will be an opportunity for the community to come together in prayer and thanksgiving as we mark this happy event.

The Very Reverend Jason Roberson will preside. Deputy Consul, Mr. Alistair Church will give the welcome from the Consulate. The Trinity Episcopal Cathedral Choir and the Anglican Chorale of Southeast Florida will sing a selection of music to celebrate the King's Coronation which will include Zadok the Priest by George Frederic Handel, a piece from the actual Coronation. Additionally, there will be music from well-known Anglican composers from the United Kingdom including Thomas Tallis, Charles Villiers Stanford, and Humphrey Clucas.

Everyone is welcome to join us for this evening of music and prayer.

The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida is a member church of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Church of England.

Please use free valet parking at the 16th Street entrance. For more information, visit https://bit.ly/diosefchoralevensong.

About The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida

Founded in 1969, The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida remains a pillar of faith in our community. Under the guidance of Bishop Peter Eaton, The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida works to support the parishioners, leaders, congregations, and schools within our diocese. No matter where you come from or whom you come with, you'll find that our Episcopal congregations and schools share common values and a welcoming spirit.

76 churches throughout six regions including the Keys, North and South Dade, Broward , and North and South Palm Beach

, and North and 270 clergy ministering to over 33,000 parishioners

A variety of diocesan ministries and outreach programs, including our Immigration and Social Justice Ministry

18 schools educating thousands of children Grades PreK12

To learn more visit www.diosef.org

About Trinity Episcopal Cathedral

Like the cathedrals of old, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral (464 NE 16th Street, Miami, FL 33132) is a place for contemplation, worship, and ministry to the community. Today, the Cathedral is a house of prayer for all people and its many programs and activities reach out to the community in numerous ways. The Cathedral congregation is ethnically and culturally diverse, making it a microcosm of the Miami community. To learn more visit http://www.trinitymiami.org/.

CONTACT: Shani Maxwell, Director of Communications at [email protected].

SOURCE The Episcopal Church in Southeast Florida
SizeUp by Comerica provides small business customers nationwide with key insights to make data-driven decisions

DALLAS, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Small Business Week, Comerica Bank is introducing SizeUp by Comerica, an exclusive and complimentary new tool that allows small business customers to tap into industry-specific research, insights and analysis to help them make data-driven business decisions. SizeUp by Comerica thus provides small businesses with a competitive advantage in a highly challenging business environment.

In recognition of National Small Business Week, Comerica Bank is introducing SizeUp by Comerica, an exclusive and complimentary new tool that allows small business customers to tap into industry-specific research, insights and analysis to help them make data-driven business decisions

The new tool is the latest addition to the Comerica SmallBizCo-op, a suite of unique product and service offerings designed to help Comerica small businesses customers grow and thrive. Specifically, SizeUp by Comerica allows small business banking customers to:

Rank their business performance to industry competitors

Compare revenue, employment, wages and more to the local competition

Discover potential customers, suppliers and competitors

Measure consumer spending in their local area

Optimize marketing to target their ideal customers

"SizeUp by Comerica is a leading-edge tool that enables our small business customers to harness the power of big data and obtain free market data, along with customized analysis that would otherwise cost them thousands of dollars to obtain on their own," said Omar Salah, Comerica Bank's Director of Small Business Banking. "We are dedicated to helping small businesses reach their goals, and this resource has the ability to make a significant impact on the growth trajectory of small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs across the country."

To learn more about SizeUp by Comerica, visit here.

Part of a larger, concerted small business support strategy

SizeUp by Comerica is the latest solution Comerica has launched as part of a larger initiative to share its resources with small business customers. Through SmallBizCo-op, Comerica also provides customers with significant savings on everyday business purchases and more nationally, along with other programs uniquely tailored to specific markets.

SizeUp by Comerica follows the announcement of Comerica CoWorkSpaces, a new concept that offers complimentary office space exclusively to the bank's small business customers in North Texas. Through a $3 million investment, nearly 10,000 square feet of existing banking center space across nine Comerica Bank locations will be transformed into unique resource centers where Comerica customers can conduct business. Each CoWorkSpaces site will be equipped with features like Wi-Fi, AV presentation equipment, reservable meeting rooms, hospitality stations and more. For more information about CoWorkSpaces, visit comerica.com/spaces.

About Comerica

Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica, one of the 25 largest U.S. financial holding companies, focuses on building relationships and helping people and businesses be successful. Comerica provides more than 400 banking centers across the country with locations in Arizona, California, Florida, Michigan and Texas. Founded nearly 174 years ago in Detroit, Michigan, Comerica continues to expand into new regions, establishing its Southeast Market, based in North Carolina, and Mountain West Market in Colorado. Comerica has offices in 17 states and services 14 of the 15 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, as well as Canada and Mexico. Comerica reported total assets of $91.1 billion at March 31, 2023. Learn more about how Comerica is raising expectations of what a bank can be by visiting www.comerica.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

SOURCE Comerica Bank
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40), U.S. Representative Don Beyer (VA-08), and U.S. Representative Mike Levin (CA-49) visited TAE Technologies, the world's largest private fusion energy company. Rep. Beyer founded and co-chairs the bipartisan fusion energy caucus in 2021, which is touring energy facilities across California.

Members of the Congressional Fusion Energy Caucus toured the headquarters of the worlds largest private fusion energy company, TAE Technologies, on May 3, 2023. (From left:) TAE CTO Artem Smirnov, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), Rep. Young Kim (CA-40), TAE CEO Michl Binderbauer, and Rep. Don Beyer (VA-08) stand near the companys National Laboratory-scale fusion energy research device. (PRNewsfoto/TAE Technologies)

"TAE Technologies is closer than ever to delivering clean, safe, commercial fusion power, and the Fusion Caucus' work is crucial to ensuring that the U.S. and California continue to lead the way over the next decade," TAE CEO Michl Binderbauer said. "We appreciate the opportunity to share our research and progress with Reps. Kim, Beyer, and Levin and look forward to continued partnerships."

The delegation toured TAE's fifth-generation National Laboratory-scale fusion energy research device to learn more about TAE's pioneering pursuit of the cleanest and most economical path to providing electricity with hydrogen-boron (also known as proton-boron, p-B11, or p11B), an abundant, environmentally sound fuel. The visit included a tour of TAE Power Solutions, the company's recently announced second subsidiary focused on commercializing breakthroughs in energy storage, electric mobility, fast charging, and grid efficiency for business-to-business applications.

"Innovation is the key to unlocking our nation's energy future and independence, and companies like TAE Technologies are leading the way to make that happen through breakthroughs in fusion energy," Rep. Young Kim said. "I thank the TAE team for the headquarters tour with the Congressional Fusion Caucus. I am proud to represent TAE Technologies in California's 40th district and look forward to working together on clean energy innovation."

"Strong public and private investment have enabled a wide variety of fusion energy techniques to undergo development and testing," Rep. Don Beyer said. "Our scientific community is learning so much through the many approaches to fusion, and this investment and exploration will ultimately enable us to reach our goal of commercialized fusion energy faster."

"Fusion energy has the potential to be the clean energy source of the future if we continue to invest in research and development capabilities to expand its potential," Rep. Mike Levin said. "California is leading the way in the creation of clean energy jobs and fusion provides another avenue for creating more good-paying jobs. Through the bipartisan Fusion Energy Caucus, we are exploring how federal policies can support the expansion of fusion energy and how partnerships in the public and private sectors can enhance that."

Early this year, TAE broke ground at a new 100,000 square foot facility in Irvine, Calif. to build its next fusion research machine, Copernicus, which is expected to demonstrate the viability of net energy generation from TAE's proprietary configuration around the mid-2020s. With that milestone in hand, TAE will develop its first prototype fusion power plant, Da Vinci, to deliver electrons to the grid in the early-2030s.

About TAE Technologies

TAE Technologies (pronounced T-A-E) was founded in 1998 to develop commercial fusion power with the cleanest environmental profile. The company's pioneering work represents the fastest, most practical, and economically competitive solution to bring abundant clean energy to the grid. With over 1,800 patents filed globally and over 1,100 granted, $1.2 billion in private capital raised, five generations of National Laboratory-scale devices built and two more in development, and an experienced team of over 500 employees, TAE is now on the cusp of delivering this transformational energy source capable of sustaining the planet for thousands of years.

SOURCE TAE Technologies
CALGARY, AB, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - Crescent Point Energy Corp. ("Crescent Point" or the "Company") (TSX: CPG) (NYSE: CPG) announces that its Annual Meeting of Shareholders ("AGM") will be held on May 18, 2023, at the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (120 9th Avenue SE) at 10:00 a.m. MT (12:00 p.m. ET).

Shareholders are encouraged to attend the meeting. For those unable to attend, a live webcast of the AGM is available. It will not be possible to vote, or otherwise participate in the meeting through the webcast. The live webcast and replay is also accessible through the conference call and webcasts page of the Company's website.

For further information about the AGM, including access to all meeting materials, please visit Crescent Point's website.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON CRESCENT POINT ENERGY, PLEASE CONTACT:

Shant Madian, Vice President, Capital Markets, or

Sarfraz Somani, Manager, Investor Relations

Telephone: (403) 693-0020 Toll-free (US and Canada): 888-693-0020 Fax: (403) 693-0070

Address: Crescent Point Energy Corp. Suite 2000, 585 - 8th Avenue S.W. Calgary AB T2P 1G1

www.crescentpointenergy.com

Crescent Point shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CPG.

SOURCE Crescent Point Energy Corp.
Industry veteran Marco Reggiani joins as CEO

Thaleia will support the energy transition and the national energy security also through acquisitions, building on its initial focus on gas

MILAN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP ("Davidson Kempner"), a global investment management firm, and One33 SpA ("One33"), a key operating partner for Italy, announce the launch of Thaleia, a dedicated energy transition infrastructure platform, with a strong focus on supporting national and European energy security and resilience.

Thaleia will be led by Marco Reggiani, both as CEO and General Manager, an industry veteran with 25 years' experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He previously held leadership roles including Chairman at Stogit, the largest Italian player in gas storage and among the largest players in Europe, and Chairman at Italgas, Italy's leading gas distribution operator. He also served as General Counsel of Snam.

Thaleia's establishment follows Davidson Kempner's acquisition, with One33's support, of the "Cugno le Macine Stoccaggio" natural gas storage concession in Basilicata. Thaleia aims to develop the full potential of the largest natural gas storage site in southern Italy.

"The European goal of becoming the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 cannot be achieved through individual actions alone. It will require a structural effort involving the whole energy supply chain, in collaboration with the worlds of industry, agriculture, and infrastructure. The energy system is changing radically to achieve sustainability goals, and natural gas is playing a crucial role in enabling this, while delivering a response to global growing energy demands," said Mr. Reggiani. "Moreover, the international geopolitical evolution clearly shows the need for increasing supply chain security and demonstrates how the availability of affordable energy is increasingly central to the long-term sustainability of the economic and production systems."

Thaleia's main objective is to build an energy and infrastructure platform on a European scale with a particular focus on the Mediterranean region. The growth strategy is grounded in an ambitious acquisition plan implemented in full collaboration with the governments and local communities in the countries where Thaleia will operate. This approach has been successfully implemented by Davidson Kempner in the energy transition space before, most notably with Nature Energy, a Danish company that was previously owned by several municipalities and which has since become a world leader in biomethane production.

Further information on Thaleia is available at www.thaleia.it

About Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP

Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP is a global investment management firm with more than 39 years of experience and a focus on fundamental investing with a multi-strategy approach. Davidson Kempner has approximately $38 billion in assets under management and over 500 employees across seven offices: New York, Philadelphia, London, Dublin, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Mumbai. Additional information is available at: www.davidsonkempnere.com

About One33

One33 is a key operating partner for Davidson Kempner's corporate investments in Italy. Davidson Kempner and One33 have been working together on a specific investment strategy for Italy focused on special situations where One33 can provide sophisticated structuring technical solutions and intense operational activity contributing to develop important and ambitious projects capable of playing a significant role in the transformation of industrial sectors. Additional information is available at: www.one33.it

Press Contacts

Greenbrook

Rob White/Matthew Goodman/Teresa Berezowski

Email: [email protected]

Tel: +44 207 952 2000

Community

Roberto Patriarca

Email: [email protected]

Tel: + 39 335 6509568

SOURCE Davidson Kempner; Thaleia; One33
Double Chicken Please , New York City , is crowned No.1 at the second annual North America's 50 Best Bars

, , is crowned No.1 at the second annual 50 Best Bars This year's list features 28 U.S. bars, 14 from Mexico , 7 from Canada and 1 based in the Caribbean

, 7 from and 1 based in the Handshake Speakeasy , Mexico City , at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Mexico

, , at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Civil Liberties , Toronto , at No.12, earns The Best Bar in Canada

, , at No.12, earns The Best Bar in La Factoria, Puerto Rico , at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Caribbean

, at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Cuban drinks legend Julio Cabrera from Miami wins the Roku Industry Icon

from wins the Roku Industry Icon Manhatta , New York City , is awarded Campari One To Watch

, , is awarded Campari One To Watch Rayo , Mexico City , earns the London Essence Best New Opening

, , earns the London Essence Best New Opening Yacht Club , Denver , wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award

, , wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award Allegory, Washington, D.C. , wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

, wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Overstory , New York City , is the Nikka Highest Climber

, , is the Nikka Highest Climber Bar Pompette, Toronto , wins Disaronno Highest New Entry

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The list of North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at a live awards ceremony on May 4, 2023 at Hacienda Los Picachos in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The annual ranking features bars from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. New York City's Double Chicken Please is crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North America and The Best Bar in Northeast USA, sponsored by Perrier, with Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy ranking No.2 and named The Best Bar in Mexico, followed by New York City's Katana Kitten at No.3.

Double Chicken Please in New York City, USA, takes the No.1 spot at the second annual North Americas 50 Best Bars awards 2023, sponsored by Perrier. (PRNewsfoto/50 Best) Related Documents View PDF

Toronto's Civil Liberties (No.12) wins The Best Bar in Canada for the second year in a row, while Puerto Rico's La Factoria, at No.24, retains The Best Bar in the Caribbean. Overall, the USA leads the list with 28 bars, with Mexico fielding 14, Canada boasting seven and the Caribbean celebrating one top bar. The full list can be viewed here.

Mark Sansom, Content Director for 50 Best, says: "We commend Double Chicken Please and its visionary founders, GN Chan and Faye Chen, for reaching the peak of cocktail excellence on the North American continent. We congratulate the team for this deserved accolade, as well as all the other fantastic bars on this year's list."

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2070384/50BBars_Winner_Highres.jpg

PDF - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2069387/NA_50_Best_Bars_2023.pdf

Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2069400/NA_50_Best_Bars_2023_Logo.jpg

SOURCE 50 Best
First quarter revenues of $1.211 billion , up 3.4% year-over-year

GAAP Income from Operations was 9.9% of revenues and Non-GAAP Income from Operations was 14.7% of revenues for the first quarter

First quarter GAAP Diluted EPS of $1.73 , an increase of 13.8%, and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS of $2.47 , a decrease of 0.8% on a year-over-year basis

For the full year, EPAM now expects revenues to be in the range of $4.950 billion to $5.000 billion , GAAP Diluted EPS to be in the range of $8.11 to $8.31 and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS to be in the range of $10.60 to $10.80

For the second quarter, EPAM expects revenues to be in the range of $1.195 billion to $1.205 billion , GAAP Diluted EPS to be in the range of $1.82 to $1.90 and Non-GAAP Diluted EPS to be in the range of $2.38 to $2.46

NEWTOWN, Pa., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM), a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company, today reported results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023.

EPAM Reports Results for First Quarter 2023 and Updates Full Year Outlook

"EPAM delivered solid results in the first quarter, made possible by the dedication of our talented team," said Arkadiy Dobkin, CEO & President, EPAM. "I am confident that our strong fundamentals and our ability to adapt the Company to a variety of challenges will enable us to navigate the current market uncertainties while positioning EPAM for the recovery of demand for technology-led transformation services."

First Quarter 2023 Highlights

Revenues increased to $1.211 billion , a year-over-year increase of $39.3 million , or 3.4%. On an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia , revenues were up 7.0% compared to the first quarter of 2022;

, a year-over-year increase of , or 3.4%. On an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from , revenues were up 7.0% compared to the first quarter of 2022; GAAP income from operations was $120.4 million , a decrease of $8.9 million , or 6.9%, compared to $129.2 million in the first quarter of 2022;

, a decrease of , or 6.9%, compared to in the first quarter of 2022; Non-GAAP income from operations was $178.3 million , a decrease of $10.4 million , or 5.5%, compared to $188.7 million in the first quarter of 2022;

, a decrease of , or 5.5%, compared to in the first quarter of 2022; Diluted earnings per share ("EPS") on a GAAP basis was $1.73 , an increase of $0.21 , or 13.8%, compared to $1.52 in the first quarter of 2022; and

, an increase of , or 13.8%, compared to in the first quarter of 2022; and Non-GAAP diluted EPS was $2.47 , a decrease of $0.02 , or 0.8%, compared to $2.49 in the first quarter of 2022.

Cash Flow and Other Metrics

Cash provided by operating activities was $87.3 million for the first three months of 2023, compared to cash used in operating activities of $51.8 million for the first three months of 2022;

for the first three months of 2023, compared to cash used in operating activities of for the first three months of 2022; Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $1.752 billion as of March 31, 2023 , an increase of $68.4 million , or 4.1%, from $1.684 billion as of December 31, 2022 ; and

as of , an increase of , or 4.1%, from as of ; and Total headcount was approximately 57,450 as of March 31, 2023 . Included in this number were approximately 51,100 delivery professionals, a decrease of 3.3% from December 31, 2022 .

2023 Outlook - Full Year and Second Quarter

Full Year

Due to uneven improvement in demand, EPAM now expects the following for the full year:

The Company now expects revenues will be in the range of $4.950 billion to $5.000 billion for the full year reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of 3% at the midpoint of the range. Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia will be over 3% at the midpoint of the range;

to for the full year reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of 3% at the midpoint of the range. Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from will be over 3% at the midpoint of the range; For the full year, EPAM expects GAAP income from operations to continue to be in the range of 11.5% to 12.5% of revenues and non-GAAP income from operations to continue to be in the range of 15.5% to 16.5% of revenues;

The Company expects its GAAP effective tax rate to continue to be approximately 21% and its non-GAAP effective tax rate to continue to be approximately 23%; and

EPAM expects GAAP diluted EPS to now be in the range of $8.11 to $8.31 for the year, and non-GAAP diluted EPS to now be in the range of $10.60 to $10.80 for the year. The Company now expects weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the year of 59.4 million.

Second Quarter

EPAM expects the following for the second quarter:

Revenues will be in the range of $1.195 billion to $1.205 billion for the second quarter reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of less than 1% at the midpoint of the range. Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia will be less than 1% at the midpoint of the range;

to for the second quarter reflecting a year-over-year growth rate of less than 1% at the midpoint of the range. Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from will be less than 1% at the midpoint of the range; For the second quarter, EPAM expects GAAP income from operations to be in the range of 10.0% to 11.0% of revenues and non-GAAP income from operations to be in the range of 14.0% to 15.0% of revenues;

The Company expects its GAAP effective tax rate to be approximately 20% and its non-GAAP effective tax rate to be approximately 23%; and

EPAM expects GAAP diluted EPS will be in the range of $1.82 to $1.90 for the quarter, and non-GAAP diluted EPS will be in the range of $2.38 to $2.46 for the quarter. The Company expects weighted average diluted shares outstanding for the quarter of 59.4 million.

Conference Call Information

EPAM will host a conference call to discuss the results on Friday, May 5, 2023, at 8:00 a.m. EDT. The conference call will be available live on the EPAM website at https://investors.epam.com. Please visit the website at least 15 minutes prior to the call to register for the event. For those who cannot access the live webcast, a replay will be available in the Investor Relations section of the website.

About EPAM Systems

Since 1993, EPAM Systems, Inc. (NYSE: EPAM) has leveraged its advanced software engineering heritage to become the foremost global digital transformation services provider  leading the industry in digital and physical product development and digital platform engineering services. Through its innovative strategy; integrated advisory, consulting, and design capabilities; and unique 'Engineering DNA,' EPAM's globally deployed hybrid teams help make the future real for clients and communities around the world by powering better enterprise, education and health platforms that connect people, optimize experiences, and improve people's lives. In 2021, EPAM was added to the S&P 500 and included among the list of Forbes Global 2000 companies.

Selected by Newsweek as a 2021 and 2022 Most Loved Workplace, EPAM's global multidisciplinary teams serve customers in more than 50 countries across six continents. As a recognized leader, EPAM is listed among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services on the Fortune 1000 and ranked four times as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list. EPAM is also listed among Ad Age's top 25 World's Largest Agency Companies for three consecutive years, and Consulting Magazine named EPAM Continuum a top 20 Fastest Growing Firm.

Learn more at www.epam.com and follow EPAM on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

EPAM supplements results reported in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles, referred to as GAAP, with non-GAAP financial measures. Management believes these measures help illustrate underlying trends in EPAM's business and uses the measures to establish budgets and operational goals, communicate internally and externally, for managing EPAM's business and evaluating its performance. Management also believes these measures help investors compare EPAM's operating performance with its results in prior periods. EPAM anticipates that it will continue to report both GAAP and certain non-GAAP financial measures in its financial results, including non-GAAP results that exclude stock-based compensation expenses, acquisition-related costs including amortization of acquired intangible assets, impairment of assets, expenses associated with EPAM's humanitarian commitment to its professionals in Ukraine, unbilled business continuity resources resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, costs associated with the geographic repositioning of EPAM employees based outside of Ukraine impacted by the war and geopolitical instability in the region, employee separation costs in Russia, certain other one-time charges and benefits, changes in fair value of contingent consideration, foreign exchange gains and losses, excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation, and the related effect on income taxes of the pre-tax adjustments. Management also compares revenues on an "organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia," which is also a non-GAAP financial measure. This measure excludes the effect of acquisitions by removing revenues from an acquired company in the twelve months after completing an acquisition, foreign currency exchange rate fluctuations by translating the current period revenues into U.S. dollars at the weighted average exchange rates of the prior period of comparison and the decision to exit from Russia by removing revenues from customers located in Russia in both the current period and prior period of comparison. Because EPAM's reported non-GAAP financial measures are not calculated in accordance with GAAP, these measures are not comparable to GAAP and may not be comparable to similarly described non-GAAP measures reported by other companies within EPAM's industry. Consequently, EPAM's non-GAAP financial measures should not be evaluated in isolation or supplant comparable GAAP measures, but rather, should be considered together with the information in EPAM's consolidated financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with GAAP.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes estimates and statements which may constitute forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, the accuracy of which are necessarily subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Our estimates and forward-looking statements are mainly based on our current expectations and estimates of future events and trends, which affect or may affect our business and operations. These statements may include words such as "may," "will," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate" or similar expressions. Those future events and trends may relate to, among other things, developments relating to the war in Ukraine and escalation of the war in the surrounding region, political and civil unrest or military action in the geographies where we conduct business and operate, difficult conditions in global capital markets, foreign exchange markets and the broader economy, and the effect that these events may have on our revenues, operations, access to capital, and profitability. Other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied include general economic conditions, the risk factors discussed in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and the factors discussed in the Company's Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, particularly under the headings "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" and "Risk Factors" and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Although we believe that these estimates and forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, they are subject to several risks and uncertainties and are made based on information currently available to us. EPAM undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable securities law.

EPAM SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (Unaudited) (In thousands, except per share data)



Three Months Ended March 31,

2023

2022 Revenues $ 1,210,941

$ 1,171,614 Operating expenses:





Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) 855,901

780,836 Selling, general and administrative expenses 211,887

237,277 Depreciation and amortization expense 22,782

24,259 Income from operations 120,371

129,242 Interest and other income/(loss), net 11,521

(165) Foreign exchange loss (4,608)

(22,785) Income before provision for income taxes 127,284

106,292 Provision for income taxes 24,992

16,573 Net income $ 102,292

$ 89,719







Net income per share:





Basic $ 1.77

$ 1.58 Diluted $ 1.73

$ 1.52 Shares used in calculation of net income per share:





Basic 57,702

56,915 Diluted 59,298

58,941

EPAM SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Unaudited) (In thousands, except par value)



As of March 31, 2023

As of December 31, 2022 Assets





Current assets





Cash and cash equivalents $ 1,749,422

$ 1,681,344 Trade receivables and contract assets, net of allowance of 14,184 and 15,310, respectively 934,236

932,626 Short-term investments 60,373

60,336 Prepaid and other current assets 86,758

85,319 Total current assets 2,830,789

2,759,625 Property and equipment, net 267,067

273,348 Operating lease right-of-use assets, net 146,815

148,780 Intangible assets, net 73,113

77,652 Goodwill 533,730

529,072 Deferred tax assets 167,654

172,797 Other noncurrent assets 52,177

47,877 Total assets $ 4,071,345

$ 4,009,151







Liabilities





Current liabilities





Accounts payable $ 28,857

$ 30,852 Accrued compensation and benefits expenses 444,728

475,871 Accrued expenses and other current liabilities 130,902

154,339 Income taxes payable, current 37,439

46,069 Operating lease liabilities, current 40,932

40,352 Total current liabilities 682,858

747,483 Long-term debt 28,253

27,693 Operating lease liabilities, noncurrent 117,913

122,317 Other noncurrent liabilities 111,879

108,648 Total liabilities 940,903

1,006,141 Commitments and contingencies





Stockholders' equity





Common stock, $0.001 par value; 160,000 shares authorized; 57,862 and 57,668

shares issued, 57,848 and 57,655 shares outstanding at March 31, 2023 and

December 31, 2022, respectively 58

58 Additional paid-in capital 864,254

847,965 Retained earnings 2,342,730

2,248,948 Treasury stock (118)

(118) Accumulated other comprehensive loss (77,960)

(95,321) Total EPAM Systems Inc. stockholders' equity 3,128,964

3,001,532 Noncontrolling interest in consolidated subsidiaries 1,478

1,478 Total equity 3,130,442

3,003,010 Total liabilities and stockholders' equity $ 4,071,345

$ 4,009,151

EPAM SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Reconciliations of Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Comparable GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited) (In thousands, except percent and per share amounts)

Reconciliation of revenue growth as reported on a GAAP basis to revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding

the impact of the exit from Russia is presented in the table below:



Three Months Ended March 31, 2023 Revenue growth as reported 3.4 % Foreign exchange rates impact 1.5 % Inorganic revenue growth (0.1) % Impact of exit from Russia 2.2 % Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia (1) 7.0 %





(1) Constant currency revenue results are calculated by translating current period revenues in local currency into U.S. dollars at the weighted average exchange rates of the comparable prior period.

Reconciliation of various income statement amounts from GAAP to non-GAAP for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022:



Three Months Ended March 31, 2023

GAAP

Adjustments

Non-GAAP Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)(2) $ 855,901

$ (25,821)

$ 830,080 Selling, general and administrative expenses(3) $ 211,887

$ (26,539)

$ 185,348 Income from operations(4) $ 120,371

$ 57,897

$ 178,268 Operating margin 9.9 %

4.8 %

14.7 % Net income(5) $ 102,292

$ 44,301

$ 146,593 Diluted earnings per share $ 1.73





$ 2.47



Three Months Ended March 31, 2022

GAAP

Adjustments

Non-GAAP Cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization)(2) $ 780,836

$ 54

$ 780,890 Selling, general and administrative expenses(3) $ 237,277

$ (54,254)

$ 183,023 Income from operations(4) $ 129,242

$ 59,444

$ 188,686 Operating margin 11.0 %

5.1 %

16.1 % Net income(5) $ 89,719

$ 57,324

$ 147,043 Diluted earnings per share $ 1.52





$ 2.49



Items (2) through (5) above are detailed in the table below with the specific cross-reference noted in the appropriate item.



Three Months Ended March 31,

2023

2022 Stock-based compensation expense/(benefit) $ 16,011

$ (424) Humanitarian support in Ukraine (a) 2,440

19,156 Unbilled business continuity resources (b) 7,370

2,570 Discretionary compensation (c) 

(21,356) Total adjustments to GAAP cost of revenues(2) 25,821

(54) Stock-based compensation expenses 22,568

7,536 Other acquisition-related expenses 241

579 One-time (benefits)/charges (99)

1,363 Humanitarian support in Ukraine (a) 3,617

6,500 Geographic repositioning (d) 212

18,706 Russia long-lived asset impairment charges (e) 

19,570 Total adjustments to GAAP selling, general and administrative expenses(3) 26,539

54,254 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 5,537

5,244 Total adjustments to GAAP income from operations(4) 57,897

59,444 Change in fair value of contingent consideration included in Interest and other income, net 300

3,373 Impairment of financial assets 

1,300 Foreign exchange loss 4,608

22,785 Provision for income taxes:





Tax effect on non-GAAP adjustments (11,514)

(16,469) Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation (6,022)

(13,109) Net discrete benefit from tax planning (f) (968)

 Total adjustments to GAAP net income(5) $ 44,301

$ 57,324



(a) Humanitarian support in Ukraine includes expenses related to EPAM's $100 million humanitarian commitment in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine to support EPAM professionals and their families in and displaced from Ukraine. These expenses are incremental to those expenses incurred prior to the crisis, clearly separable from normal operations, and not expected to recur once the crisis has subsided and operations return to normal.

(b) Given the uncertainty in the region introduced by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, EPAM has assigned delivery employees in locations outside of the region to ensure the continuity of delivery for customers who have substantial delivery exposure to Ukraine or other delivery concerns resulting from the invasion. These employees are not billed to clients and operate largely in a standby or backup capacity. These expenses are incremental to those expenses incurred prior to the crisis, clearly separable from normal operations, and not expected to recur once the crisis has subsided and operations return to normal.

(c) Discretionary compensation includes the reduction of previously accrued amounts associated with the Company's variable compensation program for the year ended December 31, 2021. This adjustment was made in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and is not expected to recur in the future.

(d) Geographic repositioning includes expenses associated with the relocation to other countries of employees based outside of Ukraine impacted by the war and geopolitical instability in the region, and includes the cost of accommodations, travel and food. These expenses are incremental to those expenses incurred prior to the crisis, clearly separable from normal operations, and not expected to recur once the crisis has subsided and operations return to normal.

(e) As a result of the Company's decision to no longer serve customers in Russia, the Company incurred impairment charges for long-lived assets in Russia including charges of $15.1 million associated with property and equipment, $3.8 million associated with right-of-use assets and $0.7 million associated with goodwill for the three months ended March 31, 2022. Consistent with the Company's historical non-GAAP policy, impairment charges have been excluded from non-GAAP results as these are one-time and unusual in nature.

(f) One-time benefit related to the implementation of tax planning to disregard certain foreign subsidiaries as separate entities for U.S. income tax purposes. Consistent with the Company's historical non-GAAP policy, the benefit related to the implementation of tax planning has been excluded from non-GAAP results as it is one-time and unusual in nature.

EPAM SYSTEMS, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Reconciliations of Guidance Non-GAAP Financial Measures to Comparable GAAP Financial Measures (Unaudited)

The below guidance constitutes forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws and is

based on a number of assumptions that are subject to change and many of which are outside the control of the

Company. Actual results may differ materially from the Company's expectations depending on factors discussed

in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Reconciliation of expected revenue growth on a GAAP basis to expected revenue growth on an organic constant

currency basis excluding the impact of the exit from Russia is presented in the table below:



Second Quarter 2023

Full Year 2023 Revenue growth (at midpoint of the range) 0.5 %

3 % Foreign exchange rates impact (0.8) %

(0.9) % Inorganic revenue growth (0.1) %

 % Impact of exit from Russia 0.9 %

1.2 % Revenue growth on an organic constant currency basis excluding the

impact of the exit from Russia (at midpoint of the range) (6) 0.5 %

3.3 %





(6) Constant currency revenue results are calculated by translating expected revenues in local currency into U.S. dollars at the weighted average exchange rates of the comparable prior period.

Reconciliation of expected GAAP to non-GAAP income from operations as a percentage of revenues is presented in the table below:



Second Quarter 2023

Full Year 2023 GAAP income from operations as a percentage of revenues 10% to 11%

11.5% to 12.5% Stock-based compensation expenses 2.8 %

3.0 % Included in cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) 1.3 %

1.4 % Included in selling, general and administrative expenses 1.5 %

1.6 % Humanitarian support in Ukraine (a) 0.3 %

0.3 % Unbilled business continuity resources (b) 0.2 %

0.2 % One-time charges 0.2 %

0.1 % Amortization of acquired intangible assets 0.5 %

0.4 % Non-GAAP income from operations as a percentage of revenues 14% to 15%

15.5% to 16.5%

Reconciliation of expected GAAP to non-GAAP effective tax rate is presented in the table below:



Second Quarter 2023

Full Year 2023 GAAP effective tax rate (approximately) 20 %

21 % Tax effect on non-GAAP adjustments 1.9 %

1.4 % Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation 1.1 %

0.6 % Non-GAAP effective tax rate (approximately) 23 %

23 %

Reconciliation of expected GAAP to non-GAAP diluted earnings per share is presented in the table below:



Second Quarter 2023

Full Year 2023 GAAP diluted earnings per share $1.82 to $1.90

$8.11 to $8.31 Stock-based compensation expenses 0.56

2.48 Included in cost of revenues (exclusive of depreciation and amortization) 0.27

1.18 Included in selling, general and administrative expenses 0.29

1.30 Humanitarian support in Ukraine (a) 0.07

0.30 Unbilled business continuity resources (b) 0.05

0.17 One-time charges 0.05

0.03 Other acquisition-related expenses 

0.02 Amortization of acquired intangible assets 0.09

0.37 Foreign exchange loss 

0.08 Provision for income taxes:





Tax effect on non-GAAP adjustments (0.16)

(0.66) Excess tax benefits related to stock-based compensation (0.10)

(0.30) Non-GAAP diluted earnings per share $2.38 to $2.46

$10.60 to $10.80

SOURCE EPAM Systems, Inc.
Serving students and the community, the Maguire Art Museum offers a fresh, vibrant, accessible space for art and education

PHILADELPHIA, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Saint Joseph's University will open the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum to the public on May 6, following a meticulous five-year renovation of its historic building, the former Barnes Foundation gallery building. The University will celebrate the opening with a weekend of access to the Museum galleries. On display are pieces from the University's permanent art collection, as well as the first rotating exhibition, "Shifting Ecologies: Contemporary Artists and The Environment," which features 15 artists who work in a variety of media. Opening weekend will also feature family friendly activities in the surrounding Barnes Arboretum at Saint Joseph's University.

Saint Joseph's University leadership and The Maguire Foundation cutting a celebratory ribbon for the opening of the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum. Left to right: James Norris 85, chair of the Saint Joseph's Board of Trustees, Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD, president of Saint Joseph's University, James J. Maguire 58, H '14, co-founder of The Maguire Foundation, Emily Hage, PhD, director of the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum, Rev. Daniel R. J. Joyce, S.J. '88, vice president of mission and ministry.

"Creative partnerships and strategic affiliations are key to what we do here at Saint Joseph's and who we are as an anchor institution within our communities," says Cheryl A. McConnell, PhD , president of Saint Joseph's. "Our unique affiliation agreement with the Barnes Foundation, with transformational support from the Maguire Foundation, has opened up access to arts education for our campus and the local community, all while preserving a treasure of American architecture and art."

In 2018, the Barnes Foundation and Saint Joseph's entered an educational affiliation just as longtime benefactor James J. '58 and Frances M. Maguire's H '14 made a historic $50 million gift to SJU . A portion of that gift went to naming the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum to honor Frannie (as friends and family knew her) as an accomplished artist and arts advocate.

"My mother was an incredible champion for the arts and culture in Philadelphia and her influence is evident throughout the region and now in Lower Merion at the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum," says Megan Maguire Nicoletti '08 (MS), president and CEO of the Maguire Foundation. "This is a wonderful day for our family and our hope is that the museum will inspire future generations to explore, appreciate and celebrate the beauty of artistic expression."

The Maguire Art Museum's historic building was designed by renowned architect Paul Philippe Cret for Philadelphia art collector and educator Dr. Albert C. Barnes, and served as a gallery for the art collection of the Barnes Foundation  one of the world's finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and modern paintings  from 1925 until 2011.

DIGSAU, a Philadelphia-based architectural firm, led the renovations, creating a space that meticulously preserves the Beaux-Arts charm that Cret originally infused into the property.

Nestled within the Barnes Arboretum at Saint Josephs' University , the Maguire Art Museum now includes 15 galleries, teaching and performance space, and enhanced accessibility. It is home to the University's art collection, which includes approximately 3,000 artworks produced over nearly three millennia in North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Especially well represented are works produced in Latin America from the 17th through the 21st centuries. The Maguire Art Museum will regularly host rotating exhibitions with an emphasis on contemporary art.

"We are thrilled to be starting a new chapter, a new life, for this extraordinary building and revitalizing the gallery in keeping with its original purpose," says Emily Hage, PhD , director of the Maguire Art Museum and professor of art history at Saint Joseph's University. "The Museum is a long-awaited, centralized home for the University's diverse art collection, and an incredible resource for the University and the community at large."

Saint Joseph's looks forward to sharing and celebrating the power of art and education within the community. Hage and a newly established museum staff are crafting programming with University students, faculty, and staff, as well as K-12 students and other community partners.

"We have developed myriad programsincluding lectures, tours, and gamesfor a variety of audiences, all designed to make the Museum a fun, welcoming, and inspiring destination," says Hage.

Beginning on May 6, the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum will be open from Thursday through Saturday, 11am  4pm. It will be closed in July and August to prepare for the academic year, reopening with the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. Admission is free, with a suggested donation of $10. For more information on the Frances M. Maguire Art Museum, visit sju.edu/maguire-art-museum .

SOURCE Saint Joseph's University
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Foreign companies refrained from investing in the country in the early years of Azerbaijan's independence, bps Vice President for the Caspian region, Communications and External Affairs Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli said, Trend reports.

Aslanbayli made the remark during panel discussions on "Heydar Aliyev's energy strategy" within the international conference on "Foreign policy priorities of national leader Heydar Aliyev", organized by the Center of Analysis of International Relations and the Public Administration Academy under the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

According to bps vice president, great leader Heydar Aliyev was able to attract foreign oil companies to Azerbaijan and achieve the signing of the "Contract of the Century".

He noted that at that time Azerbaijan lagged behind in terms of modern oil and gas technologies, the country had no export opportunities.

"The great leader Heydar Aliyev, having resolved all these issues, ensured the entry of Azerbaijani oil to the world market," Aslanbayli said.

According to him, from the first day of the start of production to the present, about 189 billion cubic meters of gas have been produced from the Shah Deniz field, and 4.2 billion barrels of oil have been produced under the Contract of the Century. Over the past years, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan received $167 billion under the "Contract of the Century".

"Today, in many countries of the world, there are no such technologies that we use in oil and gas fields. For example, a recently commissioned platform can be controlled remotely. bp has applied this technology for the first time in Azerbaijan. Thanks to this, Azerbaijan has become one of the world's oil and gas production centers," he added.

Under the leadership of national leader Heydar Aliyev, one of the landmark agreements in Azerbaijan's 20th-century history due to its political, economic and strategic importance - the Agreement on the Joint Development and Production Sharing for the Azeri and Chirag Fields and the Gunashli Field in the Azerbaijani Sector of the Caspian Sea - "The Contract of the Century" was signed on September 20, 1994.

The $7.4 billion agreement involved 11 international oil companies (AMOCO, bp, McDermott, UNOCAL, SOCAR, Lukoil, Statoil, TPAO, Pennzoil, Ramco, Delta) representing seven countries (Azerbaijan, US, UK, Russia, Turkiye, Norway and Saudi Arabia) as contractor parties.

On April 4, 2023, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev attended a sail-away ceremony for the Azeri-Central-East platform topsides at the Bayil fabrication yard.

bps regional president for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkiye Gary Jones, project general manager for the Azeri-Central-East project Neal Phillips informed the head of state of the work done on the project.

The Azeri-Central-East (ACE) sanction is the first major investment decision by the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli (ACG) partnership since the extension of the ACG Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to 2049 was agreed upon in 2017. The ACE project is a $6 billion development that includes a new offshore platform and facilities designed to process up to 100,000 barrels of oil per day. The project is expected to produce up to 300 million barrels over its lifetime.

ACE is centered on a new 48-slot production, drilling and quarters platform located mid-way between the existing Central Azeri and East Azeri platforms in a water depth of approximately 140 meters. The project also includes new infield pipelines to transfer oil and gas from the ACE platform to the existing ACG Phase 2 oil and gas export pipelines for transportation to the onshore Sangachal terminal.

In addition, there is a water injection pipeline between the East Azeri and ACE platforms to supply injection water from the Central Azeri compression and water injection platform to the ACE facilities.

The ACE topsides facilities have a design weight of 19,600 tonnes containing oil and gas processing facilities, an integrated drilling rig, a gas compressor and living quarters.

The topsides unit has been constructed by Azfen in the Bayil fabrication yard using local infrastructure and resources. Currently, the construction and commissioning work is in the final stages with 95 percent of overall onshore commissioning work already completed.

At peak, the topsides construction activities involved up to 4,400 workers and over 90 percent of them were Azerbaijani nationals.

The platform will be remotely controlled from the Sangachal terminal and includes innovative system automation.
"We are excited to add Coccinelle to our premium collection of handbag brands at GALERIA," said Carlos Castellon Fernandez, Purchasing Director of Novus Inc. "The brand's commitment to quality and craftsmanship aligns perfectly with our style at GALERIA. We strive to bring the best international brands to Puerto Rico, and Coccinelle is a fantastic addition to our portfolio."

Coccinelle's arrival at GALERIA further strengthens the retailer's position as Puerto Rico's premier fashion destination. With a wide range of premium fashion brands available at GALERIA, shoppers can find everything from the latest trends to timeless classics, all in one place.

Experience the luxury and sophistication of Coccinelle handbags at Galeria, located on the first floor of Plaza las Americas. Visit galeriashoes.com to explore the exclusive collection and shop the premium Italian brand.

About Novus Inc.

Novus Inc. designs, markets, sells and manages fashion shoes and accessories via different retail store formats and internet web siteaccesss. Novus, Galeria, La Favorita, Naturalizer, Bakers, and Parfois appeal to different socio- economic segments of the middle to high end consumers by sourcing directly from the best factories in Spain, Italy, Brazil, China and India. The company was founded in 1973 with its first store Novus and then grew to 60 stores between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, and the continental United States. Novus Inc. employs approximately 600 people in different areas from Store Operations to Purchasing with over 40 years of experience and reputation.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Frances De la Cruz

[email protected]

SOURCE Novus Inc.
DENVER, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE:GTES), a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions, today announced that the Company will participate in the 2023 Goldman Sachs Industrials & Materials Conference in New York, NY, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Tom Pitstick, Chief Strategy Officer, will present at 10:15 a.m. Eastern time.

To access a webcast of this presentation, please visit the Events & Presentations section of the Gates Investor Relations website at investors.gates.com, and click on the event webcast link.

About Gates Industrial Corporation plc

Gates Industrial Corporation plc is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers, and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Our products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries to everyday consumer applications including virtually every form of transportation. Our products are sold in over 130 countries across our four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Greater China; and East Asia & India.

SOURCE Gates Industrial Corporation plc
DUBLIN, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Global Joint Venture Partnering Terms and Agreements in Pharma, Biotech and Diagnostics 2016-2023" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Joint Venture Partnering Terms and Agreements in Pharma, Biotech and Diagnostics 2016-2023 report provides comprehensive understanding and unprecedented access to the joint venture deals and agreements entered into by the worlds leading life science companies.



This report provides details of the latest joint venture agreements announced in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and diagnostic sectors. Fully up to date, the report provides details of joint venture agreements from 2016.



There is an increasing willingness for parties to enter joint venture deals; such deals enable both parties to benefit from the upside of a big product win, whereas traditional licensing deals forfeit upside for near term upfront, milestone and royalty payments.



Joint venture partnering allow the parties to securitize value and reduce risk, but keep a part of the potential upside should the product reach the market. Event if the licensor does not commercialize the project they can either sell those rights to the licensee partner or another partner for an amount higher than would have been achieved at an earlier stage licensing deal.



Another reason for joint venture deals is the joint origin of a project. Drug development projects often require various scientific and technological novelties that stem from different companies. If both companies contributed to the origination of the project, then both have from the beginning a stake in the project.



Understanding the flexibility of a prospective partner's negotiated deals terms provides critical insight into the negotiation process in terms of what you can expect to achieve during the negotiation of terms. Whilst many smaller companies will be seeking details of the payments clauses, the devil is in the detail in terms of how payments are triggered - contract documents provide this insight where press releases and databases do not.



This report contains a comprehensive listing of all joint venture deals announced since 2016 as recorded in the Current Agreements deals and alliances database, including financial terms where available, plus links to online copies of actual joint venture contract documents as submitted to the Securities Exchange Commission by companies and their partners.



Contract documents provide the answers to numerous questions about a prospective partner's flexibility on a wide range of important issues, many of which will have a significant impact on each party's ability to derive value from the deal.



The initial chapters of this report provide an orientation of joint venture dealmaking and business activities. Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the report, whilst chapter 2 provides an analysis of the trends in joint venture as well as a discussion on the merits of the type of deal.



Chapter 3 provides an overview of the structure of joint venture deals. The chapter includes numerous case studies to enable understanding of joint venture deals.



Chapter 4 provides a review of the leading Joint venture deals since 2016. Deals are listed by headline value. Where the deal has an agreement contract published at the SEC a link provides online access to the contract via the Current Agreements deals and alliances database.



Chapter 5 provides a comprehensive listing of the top 25 most active Joint venture dealmaker companies. Each deal title links via Current Agreements deals and alliances database to an online version of the full deal record, and where available, the actual contract document, providing easy access to each deal record on demand.



Chapter 6 provides a comprehensive and detailed review of Joint venture deals organized by company A-Z, therapy, technology and industry type signed and announced since 2016 where a contract document is available. Contract documents provide an indepth insight into the actual deal terms agreed between the parties with respect to the Joint venture deal.



Key benefits

In-depth understanding of joint venture partnering deal trends since 2016, with real life case studies

Comprehensive listing of all joint venture deals since 2016, together with deal terms, value and press release

Comprehensive access to actual joint venture contracts entered into by the world's life science companies

Insight into the terms included in a joint venture agreement, together with real world clause examples

Understand the key deal terms companies have agreed in previous deals

Undertake due diligence to assess suitability of your proposed deal terms for partner companies

Global Joint Venture Partnering Terms and Agreements in Pharma, Biotech and Diagnostics 2016-2023 includes:

Trends in joint venture dealmaking in the biopharma industry since 2016

Case studies of real-life joint venture deals

Comprehensive listing of joint venture deals since 2016

Access to joint venture contract documents

The leading joint venture deals by value since 2016

Most active joint venture dealmakers since 2016

The leading joint venture partnering resources

Available deals and contracts are listed by:

Company A-Z

Headline value

Therapeutic area

Technology type

Analyzing actual contract agreements allows assessment of the following:

What are the precise rights granted or optioned?

What is actually granted by the agreement to the partner company?

What exclusivity is granted?

What is the payment structure for the deal?

How do milestone align with clinical stage development phases?

How are sales and payments audited?

What is the deal term?

How are the key terms of the agreement defined?

How are IPRs handled and owned?

Who is responsible for commercialization?

Who is responsible for development, supply, and manufacture?

How is confidentiality and publication managed?

How are disputes to be resolved?

Under what conditions can the deal be terminated?

What happens when there is a change of ownership?

What sublicensing and subcontracting provisions have been agreed?

Which boilerplate clauses does the company insist upon?

Which boilerplate clauses appear to differ from partner to partner or deal type to deal type?

Which jurisdiction does the company insist upon for agreement law?

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/8vvdvf

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
DUBLIN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Precision Irrigation Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Product, Application, and Country Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The global precision irrigation market was valued at $2,238.7 million in 2022 and is forecast to reach $4,471.2 million by 2027 at a CAGR of 14.84%.

Owing to the growing demand for food and grains, the growth in the precision irrigation market is expected to be driven by the increasing adoption of digital and smart agriculture equipment and technologies.

Some of the primary benefits related to precision irrigation market in the agricultural field include yield monitoring and field mapping, crop scouting, weather tracking and forecasting, irrigation management, and farm economics.

The precision irrigation market is in a growth phase. Since 2010, the adoption of precision irrigation has increased, especially by medium and large-scale farmers. Increased awareness regarding the benefits of precision irrigation market has increased the adoption rate of these solutions. High technological advancement in some regions of the world is another driver toward the adoption of precision irrigation by farmers.

In precision irrigation, by delivering water and nutrients directly to the roots of plants, farmers can cultivate healthier crops and get bigger yields, which helps them to meet the growing demand for food without using up limited resources. This enhances the wide acceptance of precision irrigation among farmers.

Precision irrigation enables farmers to increase profitability by achieving higher yields per hectare, better-quality crops, while using less water, fertilizer, and energy. It helps farmers save water and reduce their water bills by avoiding over-watering their crops, which can lead to water waste and increased costs.

Market Segmentation

Precision irrigation is used in several applications, such as on-field and controlled environment agriculture, including greenhouse and indoor farming. The demand for precision irrigation for on-field was the largest in 2021 and is expected to remain a major application segment during the forecast period.

The two major methods of precision irrigation are drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. In 2021, drip irrigation was the largest method and is projected to remain so until 2027.

The market share is dominated by hardware solutions. Automation and control systems, sensing and imaging systems, and others make up the bulk of the hardware systems for precision irrigation solutions.

Asia-Pacific generated the highest revenue of $584.0 million in 2021, which is attributed to the large-scale adoption of advanced technologies and an increasing number of precision irrigation startups backed by the government, institutional, and corporate funding in the region.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing the company's coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Recent Developments in Global Precision Irrigation Market

In June 2022, Rivulis and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.'s subsidiary Jain International Trading merged with an aim to have definitive transaction agreements.

In February 2022, CALSENSE introduced irrigation management as a service or IMaaS. IMaaS consists of a unique and valuable way of irrigation management, which removes the need for customers to secure funds for purchasing smart irrigation controllers, sensors, and software.

In May 2022, HUNTER INDUSTRIES launched a 12"" eco-indicator that offers greater visibility from a distance. Eco-Indicator makes it quicker and easier to verify system operation from afar. The rugged 12"" device also provides a convenient visual signal when the system is pressurized also running. Its further elevated height offers a clear line of sight over tall shrubs, flowers, as well as grasses.

In March 2022, HydroPoint and Aliaxis partnered for smart water management. Through this partnership, Aliaxis and HydroPoint joined forces in the field of smart irrigation systems along with leak and flow monitoring services for the building industry. The new partnership would further allow both companies to build upon each other's strengths.

Industry Outlook

Market Strategies and Developments

Business Strategies

Product Developments and Innovations

Market Developments

Corporate Strategies

Mergers and Acquisitions

Partnerships, Collaborations, and Joint Ventures

Snapshot of Corporate Strategies Adopted by the Key Players in Global Precision Irrigation Market

Ongoing Trends

Growing Popularity of Precision Irrigation as a Service

Precision Irrigation as a Tool for Sustainable Agriculture

Ecosystem/Ongoing Programs

Consortiums and Associations

Government Initiatives Landscape

Business Opportunities

Focus on Low-Cost Precision Irrigation Solutions to Enter Untapped Markets

Rise in Adoption of Robots and Drones in Precision Irrigation

Business Drivers

Need for Optimal Water Usage in Agriculture

Decreasing Labor Force in Agriculture

Increasing Adoption of Fertigation and Chemigation

Business Challenges

High Initial Investment

Lack of Technological Infrastructure

Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

Rivulis

CALSENSE

Galcon

Holman Industries

HUNTER INDUSTRIES

HydroPoint

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.

K-Rain

Lindsay Corporation

Nelson Irrigation

NETAFIM

Rachio inc.

Rain Bird Corporation

The Toro Company

Valmont Industries, Inc.

Trimble Inc.

Prospera Technologies

CropX Inc.

Pycno

Arable

Acuity Agriculture

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yggufy

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

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SOURCE Research and Markets
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Golden Grail Technology, doing business as Golden Grail Beverages (OTC: GOGY), is pleased to announce that we have expanded our partnership with Central and Moon Distributors to include distribution of Cause Water in the State of Arkansas.

Central and Moon Distributors are an Arkansas family-owned Wholesale Wine, Spirits, Beer and beverage business started by the Hastings family in 1935, currently operating under the 4th generation of the Hastings family. With 175 employees and over 3,000 grocery and convenience accounts, they are one of the largest distributors in the state.

"A major focus for early 2023 has been working with our partners to expand their distribution to include our full beverage portfolio." said Steven Hoffman, CEO of Golden Grail. "Central and Moon Distributors has been a great partner to work with on Sway Energy. We are happy to announce that we have signed an agreement with them to include distribution of Cause Water throughout the state of Arkansas."

Golden Grail Beverages (OTC: GOGY) www.GoldenGrailBeverages.com is a fast-growing company with a strategic mission to innovate, build and streamline the growth of its beverage portfolio through fiscally responsible investing. The company targets brands with a proven sales history, loyal consumer following, retail presence and strong value proposition who need assistance to get to the next few levels. Golden Grail has been actively acquiring brands within emerging and growing beverage categories. Our robust product offerings include Sway Energy Drink, Spider Energy Drink, Trevi Fruit Essence Water, Tickle Water, Sketch Can for Tweens, Cause Water & KOZ Water helping reduce global plastic pollution and Scorpion Energy Hemp/CBD.

https://goldengrailbeverages.com/

https://www.facebook.com/GoldenGrailBeverages

https://www.instagram.com/goldengrailbeverages/

https://twitter.com/goldengrailbev

Forward-Looking Statements:

This press release includes forward-looking statements concerning the future performance of our business, its operations and its financial performance and condition. Also, it includes selected operating results presented without the context of accompanying financial results. These forward-looking statements include, among others, statements with respect to our objectives and strategies to achieve those objectives, as well as statements with respect to our beliefs, plans, expectations, anticipations, estimates or intentions. These forward-looking statements are based on our current expectations. We caution that all forward-looking information is inherently uncertain and actual results may differ materially from the assumptions, estimates or expectations reflected or contained in the forward-looking information, and that actual future performance will be affected by a number of factors, including economic conditions, technological change, regulatory change and competitive factors, many of which are beyond our control. Therefore, future events and results may vary significantly from what we currently foresee. We are under no obligation (and we expressly disclaim any such obligation) to update or alter the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Golden Grail Technology Corp
BAODING, China, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- GWM unveiled multiple highly-anticipated new energy vehicles at the Auto Shanghai 2023. What are the highlights of these models in terms of design? After the press conference, Andrew Dyson, GWM's VP of Design, talked about the design philosophy and future development of GWM's next-generation models, taking GWM ORA as an example.

GWM Designer Unlocks Secrets Behind "ORA EGG Aesthetic of Life"

GWM is speeding up the process of its intelligent and new energy transformation, during which it is important to find a way to reflect the brand value of "Go With More" with its design. Andrew Dyson introduced that "Life  Energy", the design philosophy of present generation of GWM products, injecting the philosophy of "eternal" and strong emotions of life into the automobile industry. It is committed to the pursuit of perfection and natural beauty in design to lift the brand perception.

Based on this, GWM ORA design team has extracted the eternal beauty of structure, the gentle beauty of tranquility, and the glorious beauty of life by using the unique metaphor of the "egg", leading to the creation of the ORA EGG aesthetic of life.

The design is the first thing consumers notice and connect with. Therefore, finding a way to meet their demands for the design of new energy vehicles should be a top priority. Andrew Dyson revealed that GWM's secret lies in translating the consumer's demand for personalization into an innovative design language while remaining consumer experience-focused.

"Egg has a perfect and exquisite structure, along with an immaculate curve in nature. Its convex surface is capable of withstanding a force 120 times its weight. Taking inspiration from the unique egg-shaped curve and the principle of dispersed force on the eggshell, our design team embodies an all-round solid body structure for safety combined with an elegant look. The ORA design team integrates these concepts into the unique design language of models, conveying creativity through the expression of personality," explained Dyson.

Silhouettes of ORA models are inspired by egg shapes. ORA EGG aesthetic of life makes the pronounced front fenders and round-shaped headlamps work in harmony. The rear of the model drops down in graceful curves. The round shape is also applied to instrument panel, integrated door panels and the comfortable seats. There are many eco-friendly materials. The internal design serves the consumers with a sense of freedom and tranquility.

Dyson said that ORA is committed to creating a calm and relaxing experience and a comfortable space for car owners to relax and unwind.

GWM is a brand with a rich history in car manufacturing and vigorous moves towards new energy transformation. Besides inheriting the essence of previous designs, it continuously innovates the design philosophy with consumer experience as the core. The brand will introduce more diverse design languages in other mass-produced models in the future.

SOURCE GWM
EVANSVILLE, Ind., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

A Settlement has been reached in a class action lawsuit against Midwestern Pet Foods, Inc. and Nunn Milling Co. ("Defendants") that alleged Defendants marketed and sold pet food products contaminated with dangerous levels of aflatoxin, which can cause serious injury and death, and other pet food products contaminated with Salmonella, which can make pets sick. The Defendants deny the allegations in the lawsuit, and the Court has not decided who is right.

Am I a Settlement Class Member? You are a Settlement Class Member if you purchased one or more of the Midwestern Pet Food Products in the United States. For a full list of the Pet Foods Products covered by this Settlement, visit www.mwpfsettlement.com.

What does the Settlement Provide? Defendants have agreed to create a $6,375,000 Settlement Fund to be used to pay cash benefits to Settlement Class Members, class notice and settlement administration costs, attorneys' fees and expense reimbursements, and service awards to the Class Representatives. If you are a Settlement Class Member and submit a valid claim, you will receive a payment from the Settlement Fund. Settlement Class Members can recover money by submitting valid Pet Injury Claims (e.g., payments for pet illness or death and related losses; breeder losses) and/or Consumer Food Purchase Claims (e.g., refunds for pet food purchase price). Generally, claims supported by documentation will be paid at higher amounts. Payment amounts may also be reduced depending on the number of valid claims submitted. For more information about the cash benefits available and to file Claims online, go to www.mwpfsettlement.com.

Your Options. Settlement Class Members seeking monetary benefits must complete and submit a Claim Form to the Claims Administrator by August 3, 2023. Claim Forms can be submitted online at www.mwpfsettlement.com or by mail. If by mail, the Claim Form must be postmarked by August 3, 2023. You can also exclude yourself from, or object to the Settlement on or before August 3, 2023. If you do not exclude yourself from the Settlement, you will remain in the Class and will give up the right to sue the Defendants about the legal issues in this litigation. A summary of your rights under the Settlement and instructions regarding how to submit a claim, exclude yourself, or object are available at www.mwpfsettlement.com.

The Court will hold a Final Approval Hearing on August 21, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. (CST). At this hearing, the Court will consider whether the Settlement is fair, reasonable, and adequate and consider Class Counsel's request for attorneys' fees (not to exceed 33.33% of the Settlement Fund), expense reimbursement up to $125,000, and a $3,500 service award for each Class Representative. The Court will also listen to people who have asked to speak at the hearing. You may attend the Hearing at your own expense, or you may also pay your own lawyer to attend, but it is not necessary.

This notice is a summary. The Settlement Agreement and more information about the lawsuit and Settlement are available at www.mwpfsettlement.com or by calling toll-free 1-888-501-9437.

URL: www.mwpfsettlement.com

SOURCE United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana
BANGALORE, India, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Industrial Wax Market is Segmented by Type (Fossil Based, Synthetic Based, Bio Based), by Application (Candles, Packaging, Coatings & Polishing, Hot Melt Adhesive, Tires & Rubber, Cosmetics & Personal Care, Food): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022-2029. It is published in Valuates Reports under the Chemicals Industry Category.

The global Industrial Wax market was valued at USD 8677.2 Million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 11690 Million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 3.9% during the forecast period 2023-2029. The influence of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine War were considered while estimating market sizes.

Major factors driving the growth of the Industrial Wax Market:

Customers are drawn to purchase candles because of product advancements in product shape, design, color, and scent. Due to shifting consumer behavior and the rising popularity of crafts made from candles as well as related decoration and interior design, the traditional candle industry has evolved into a cutting-edge, creative, and brand-conscious industry that is anticipated to drive the Industrial Wax market.

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TRENDS INFLUENCING THE GROWTH OF INDUSTRIAL WAX MARKET:

Paraffin wax is frequently used on the hands and feet for cosmetic purposes. The wax is a natural emollient that aids in the suppleness and softness of the skin. When applied to the skin, it increases moisture levels and keeps doing so even after the treatment is finished. Additionally, it can aid in pore opening and dead skin cell removal. The skin may feel smoother and seem more youthful as a result. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Industrial Wax market.

Market expansion is anticipated to be aided by rising demand for industrial wax from uses like candles, rubber, and tire and rubber products. Colorful and scented candles are becoming more and more popular for home and business use, including restaurant atmosphere, home decor, and home and office ambiance. Additionally, the use of candles infused with essential oils in spas and massage parlors to set the mood and provide better customer relaxation experiences is growing. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Industrial Wax market.

Wax is applied to paper and packaging surfaces for packaging purposes, including food boxes, wax sheets for wrapping, and cosmetic coating. To safeguard the goods within, the container offers water resistance and scratch resistance. The packaging sector is expanding due to the rising demand for convenience foods, which is anticipated to result in increased product consumption. Various food products, including cheese and fruits, have coatings applied to them to keep them fresh and free from external bacteria. Food preservation benefits from wax include its resistance to microbial growth. The demand for wax is consequently being driven by the rising consumer demand for high-quality food during the epidemic. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Industrial Wax market.

Industrial waxes also affect the bonding power, thermal stability, and crystallization rates of an adhesive. Waxes are essential ingredients in a range of adhesive solutions, including hot-melt adhesives. Wax may influence two qualities, namely binding strength and temperature resistance. Because they have good moisture barrier properties, waxes are used in food packaging materials. As a result, they can prevent dry foods from absorbing moisture from the environment or minimize moisture loss. Additionally, a wax coating may shield food during handling and transportation. This factor is expected to drive the growth of the Industrial Wax market.

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INDUSTRIAL WAX MARKET SHARE ANALYSIS:

During the forecast period, Asia Pacific is anticipated to experience the fastest growth. Rapid industrialization, rising demand from numerous applications, and rising government expenditure are the main drivers of the expansion. By establishing manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, and research & development facilities, several businesses are focused on these new areas and expanding their presence. The candle industry, coatings, tire, cosmetic, and packaging sectors are likely to increase their need for industrial wax in APAC.

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Key Companies:

Sinopec

Shell

Petrobras

ExxonMobil

Sasol

Lukoil

Numaligarh Refinery

HCI

Blayson

IGI

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SIMILAR REPORTS:

- Fossil Based Industrial Wax Market

- Specialty Waxes Market

- Bio Based Industrial Wax Market

- Paraffin Wax Candles Market

- Scented Candles & Home Fragrance Market

- Dental Wax Separator Market

- Cavity Wax Market

- Microcrystalline Wax market size is estimated to be worth USD 744 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 1009.3 million by 2029 with a CAGR of 4.4% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Oxidized PE Wax Market

- Car Wash Wax Market

- Bottle Sealing Wax market size is estimated to be worth USD 62 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 73 million by 2029 with a CAGR of 2.4% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Synthetic Paraffin Wax market was valued at USD 6252 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 8367.2 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Surfboard Wax Market

- FT Wax (Fischer Tropsch Wax) market was valued at USD 932.1 million in 2020 and it is expected to reach USD 1458.4 million by the end of 2027, growing at a CAGR of 6.4% during 2021-2027.

- Industrial Rubber Protecting Wax Market

- Ski and Snowboard Wax market was valued at USD 192 million in 2022 and is anticipated to reach USD 227.5 million by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 2.4% during the forecast period 2023-2029.

- Industrial Grade Wax Market

- Wax market was valued at USD 11.6 billion in 2020, and is projected to reach USD 16.7 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 3.7% from 2021 to 2030.

- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global Industrial Fasteners market size is estimated to be worth USD 78810 million in 2022 and is forecast to a readjusted size of USD 113710 million by 2028 with a CAGR of 6.3% during the review period.

Click here to see related reports on Industrial Wax Market

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LAKE MARY, Fla., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida-based insurance industry veterans are meeting the needs of Florida homeowners by providing another option that can also lower their premiums. OpenHouse Home Insurance offers home insurance during a critical time when Floridians are searching for an alternative option.

"Floridians are facing decreasing options and increasing premiums causing serious challenges to finding affordable home insurance," says West McCall, COO of OpenHouse Home Insurance. "We knew the time was right to develop an innovative product that gives people more choice and helps make it affordable to own a home by offering lower insurance premiums."

OpenHouse's insurtech product provides an experience where homeowners can get a policy online  not just a quote. The product's AI technology assesses characteristics of each home to create truly customized policies. It also provides lower premiums by rewarding homeowners for their smart life choices, including having a gym membership, owning smart home devices and being a blood donor or pet owner, among others. To learn more about how people can afford home insurance without sacrificing quality or coverage, visit www.openhouseinsurance.com.

"This is more than insurtech and fancy buzzwords," says McCall. "OpenHouse provides real, usable and, most importantly, needed tech-enabled solutions to Florida homeowners."

About OpenHouse Home Insurance

OpenHouse Home Insurance provides an online-first experience for homeowners to get a policy in minutes. OpenHouse's AI technology assesses characteristics of homes and smart life choices of homeowners to create customized policies for substantial savings. OpenHouse is an insurtech product launched by insurance industry veterans who knew innovation was necessary in home insurance. OpenHouse is backed by the strength of First Protective Insurance Company with headquarters in Lake Mary, Fla., serving homeowners for 25 years, protecting more than 300,000 homes and having paid more than $4 billion in claims. To learn more, visit www.openhouseinsurance.com.

Media Contact:

Shelby Eiger

[email protected]

(407) 430-2705

SOURCE OpenHouse Home Insurance
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading international software awards program, The SaaS Awards, today announces four new judges for the 2023 awards season.

The judges bring decades of experience from some of the most successful companies in the technology industry, including Microsoft, Meta and Amazon.

Judge Maneet Bansal Judge Deepthi Mohan

New judge Maneet Bansal, tech lead at Meta and Ivy League graduate, brings over 12 years of industry experience in distributed systems, computer security, IoT and AI. He said: "I am absolutely thrilled to join the esteemed judging panel for the Cloud Awards!

"As a passionate advocate for innovation and transformation in cloud computing, I can't wait to work alongside industry experts and thought leaders to recognize and honor the top performers in this rapidly-evolving field. Let's celebrate the pioneers and visionaries who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the cloud!"

Deepthi Mohan, Principal Technical Product Manager at Amazon Web Services, also joins the panel with more than 12 years of industry experience at organizations such as SAP Labs and PricewaterhouseCoopers. She said: "Being a part of the SaaS Awards panel of judges is a great opportunity to recognize and celebrate the innovation happening in the industry. I am excited to collaborate with such a talented and experienced group to identify the most promising SaaS solutions and highlight the impact they have on businesses and organizations."

Bansal and Mohan are joined by Raghuram Pendyala, a Principal Software Engineering Manager at Microsoft responsible for large-scale enterprise cloud platforms, and Sharda Kumari, a global business technology leader who has held prominent positions at Airbnb, Salesforce, Wells Fargo, and Avaya. Both have over 15 years' experience in their fields.

Head of Operations for The SaaS Awards, James Williams, said: "We're discussing breathtaking expertise. Every participant in our awards programs benefits from this ever-growing pool of visionaries, from such innovative organizations. This helps cement The SaaS Awards, The Cloud Awards, and The Cloud Security Awards as de-facto standards for recognition in the international technology community. The SaaS Awards has an imminent May deadline, so we look forward to working with the new judges to identify the best software."

The SaaS Awards are open for entries until May 19, 2023, recognizing excellence in over 50 categories including 'Best SaaS Product for Business or Accounting' and 'Best Enterprise-Level SaaS Product.' For more information on the SaaS Awards, and to submit an entry, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/software-as-a-service-awards/.

The Cloud Awards, recognizing excellence in cloud computing, is also accepting nominations through 20 October, while The Cloud Security Awards announces its finalists on 16 May and ultimate winners on 13 June.

Contact details

For The Cloud Awards, The SaaS Awards and The Cloud Security Awards

James Williams  head of operations

(212) 574-8117

[email protected]

Notes for editors

About The Cloud Awards

The Cloud Awards is an international program which has been recognizing and honoring industry leaders, innovators, and organizational transformation in cloud computing since 2011. The awards are open to large, small, established and start-up organizations from across the entire globe, with an aim to find and celebrate the pioneers who will shape the future of the Cloud. Categories include the Software as a Service award, Most Promising Start-Up, and "Best in Mobile" Cloud Solution.

Winners are selected by a judging panel of international industry experts. For more information about The Cloud Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/cloud-computing-awards/.

About The SaaS Awards

The SaaS Awards is a sister program to The Cloud Awards, which was founded in 2011. The SaaS Awards focuses on recognizing excellence and innovation in software solutions. Categories range from Best Enterprise-Level SaaS to Best UX or UI Design in a SaaS Product. For more information about The SaaS Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/software-as-a-service-awards/.

About The Cloud Security Awards

The Cloud Security Awards joins The SaaS Awards and The Cloud Awards as a third awards program identifying excellence and innovation in the cloud. The Cloud Security Awards celebrates innovation in the cybersecurity industry. The program includes a wide range of categories, including 'Best Web Security Solution,' 'Cloud Security Innovator of the Year,' and 'Best Security Solution for Finance or Banking.' For more information about the Cloud Security Awards, please visit https://www.cloud-awards.com/cloud-security-awards/.

SOURCE The SaaS Awards
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The capacity of the Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria (IGB), which has 15 gas traders as registered users, was booked by 90 percent in February, Teodora Georgieva, chief executive director of ICGB company, the pipeline operator, said, Trend reports.

Moreover, she noted that in December, with over 90 percent of its capacity booked, IGB transported gas to Moldova.

"The capacity reserved for Moldova was used to secure the necessary quantities for the countrys domestic consumption during the winter period," Teodora Georgieva told SeeNews.

In the first two months of 2023, IGB supplied a total of 3.08 million MWh of gas, while around 7.9 million MWh have been transported since the commissioning. Now IGB is set to procure insurance services under a public tender worth an estimated 2.7 million euros.

"Some of the tasks before the company as a transmission system operator now include managing procurements, negotiating contract terms, recruiting highly skilled and experienced professionals with international expertise to enhance our team, investing in equipment and technology for the safe and efficient operation of the infrastructure, and navigating the complex landscape of strategic partnerships to ensure maximum booked capacity of the pipeline," Georgieva added.

Moreover, she pointed out that IGB will play a crucial role in the Vertical Gas Corridor that brings together Greece, Bulgaria, Romania and Hungary, she said.

The Interconnector Greece-Bulgaria began commercial operation on October 1, 2022.

Since the beginning of the current heating season, the interconnector provides nearly 1/3 of the winter consumption of natural gas in Bulgaria. IGB is the first route for diversified supplies of natural gas to Bulgaria, guaranteeing increased security of supply and diversity of sources, contributing significantly to the competition in the natural gas market, which is a prerequisite for optimized prices for businesses and domestic consumers in the country.

Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
VANCOUVER, BC, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (the "Company") - (TSX: ITH) (NYSE American: THM) today announced that it has filed its unaudited first quarter Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three-month period ended March 31, 2023.

As of March 31, 2023, the Company had working capital of US$4.2 million.

Shareholders can obtain copies of the Company's unaudited first quarter Financial Statements and associated Management Discussion and Analysis and Form 10-Q on SEDAR at: www.sedar.com, EDGAR at www.sec.gov and on the Company's website at: www.ithmines.com. The Company will also provide hard copies of these documents, free of charge, to shareholders who request a copy directly from the Company.

About International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. has a 100% interest in its Livengood Gold Project located along the paved Elliott Highway, 70 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska.

On behalf of

International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.

(signed) Karl L. Hanneman

Chief Executive Officer

This news release is not, and is not to be construed in any way as, an offer to buy or sell securities in the United States.

SOURCE International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --

WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of securities of Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. (the "Company" or "TDS") (NYSE: TDS, TDSPrU, TDSPrV) between May 6, 2022 and November 3, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"). A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 3, 2023.

SO WHAT: If you purchased TDS securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.

WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the TDS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=15807 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than July 3, 2023. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.

WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.

DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, the Company and its subsidiary, United States Cellular Corporation ("UScellular"), made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had no reason to believe UScellular's "free upgrade" promotional activity, which was tested and trialed during the second quarter of 2022, was effective at reducing the Company's postpaid churn rate as they represented to investors, as opposed to merely adding new postpaid subscribers, when its churn rate was actually increasing or remaining constant over most quarters in the class period; (2) UScellular was not making progress with respect to its churn rate, as it represented to investors; (3) UScellular was not in fact balancing its promotional activity and its profitability; (4) due to extreme competition among postpaid carriers, UScellular did not have the flexibility to offset the costs from widespread, expensive promotions with price increases; and (5) as a result of the Companies' decision for UScellular to continue engaging in heavy promotions to address its postpaid subscriber churn rate despite any lack of positive impact on churn rate, UScellular's profitability substantially declined. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.

To join the TDS class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=15807 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action.

No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.

Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.

Contact Information:

Laurence Rosen, Esq.

Phillip Kim, Esq.

The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.

275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor

New York, NY 10016

Tel: (212) 686-1060

Toll Free: (866) 767-3653

Fax: (212) 202-3827

[email protected]

[email protected]

[email protected]

www.rosenlegal.com

SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation celebrated Autism Awareness Month in Kazakhstan with an innovative hybrid communication campaign.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bulat Utemuratov Foundation celebrated global Autism Awareness Month in Kazakhstan with an innovative hybrid communication campaign and an inspiring level of engagement. From digital street boards to photo exhibitions in public spaces and other original events, the Foundation contributed to the global effort to raise autism awareness.

Bulat Utemuratov Foundation

"In 2022, there were 12,087 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in Kazakhstan. Like people without a diagnosis, people with ASD have strengths, weaknesses, and unique talents. Our mission is to help them cultivate and manage those qualities so that they can actively participate in society and lead fulfilling lives," said Dr. Almaz Sharman, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation.

The Foundation kicked off its autism awareness campaign by inaugurating its 12th and largest autism center in Astana, which will have the capacity to host 900 children per year. The Asyl Miras Autism Centers provide early intervention programs for children with autism up to 18 years of age. Over 15,000 children have received help as part of the program since 2015.

Additionally, the Bulat Utemuratov Foundation organized a photo exhibition in a mall in Almaty, Kazakhstan's largest city, offering visitors a closer look at the lives of children with ASD. The Foundation also teamed up with the urban innovation company Citix to set up smartboards in Almaty and Astana streets that provide information on autism symptoms, and advice for parents.

Online, the Foundation ran a series of interviews with autism experts that were published on social media, debunking myths about autism and sharing ways in which society can become more inclusive.

With the aim of raising awareness about autism and promoting an inclusive culture, the Foundation hosts the annual "Autism. The World of Opportunities" international conference in Almaty. In 2022, world-renowned experts like Connie Kasari and Stephen Shore took part in the conference. In April 2023, the Foundation shared its experience in implementing evidence-based practices in autism centers in Kazakhstan at the International Conference for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ICAN) in Dubai. To advance global knowledge about autism, the Foundation also supported this year's Annual Meeting of INSAR (International Society for Autism Research) in Stockholm.

Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2070560/Bulat_Utemuratov_Foundation.jpg

SOURCE Bulat Utemuratov Foundation
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- KISS Products, Inc. is excited to announce it will be launching a disruptive out-of-home advertising campaign in NYC & Los Angeles to support its latest innovation, imPRESS Falsies. Since its launch earlier this year, imPRESS Falsies has taken consumers by storm. imPRESS Press-On Falsies is the world's first-ever one-step, press-on under lash false eyelash that uses revolutionary pre-bonded technology which eliminates the need for glue.

As part of the brands national rollout and launch campaign, KISS will be bringing imPRESS Falsies to life on the big screen in New York and Los Angeles as part of a multi-city, multi-media 360-degree marketing support plan which includes a disruptive OOH advertising campaign set to run from May 1, 2023, through May 28, 2023.

In New York, imPRESS Falsies advertisements will be placed in Times Square, larger than life on the trio board that flanks the sides of the Paramount Hotel right in the heart of Times Square, and is seen by 475k consumers daily. Additionally, advertisements will be displayed digitally on 66 urban panels above subway and transit openings. Having the advertisements run in both places will allow the brand to be viewed by both pedestrian foot traffic on the street and by daily commuters using the NY transit system.

In Los Angeles, the brand is expanding its reach with Santa Monica Digital Kiosks, in addition to taking over a Playa Vista Town Center Billboard. This large format digital unit is located at Runway Playa Vista, in the heart of LA's Silicon Beach. Runway is the social hub of Playa Vista with a state-of-the-art cinema, restaurants, bars, beauty, fitness venues, and cafes in addition media agencies, startups and established tech companies like YouTube, Space LA, and Facebook  which sees nearly 227k consumers daily. There will be 12 sidewalk kiosks with the ad. The QR code will drive directly to the imPRESS Falsies website.

The campaign is expected to reach a total over 40.3 million consumers across both cities and is part of a larger 360-degree multi-media national launch plan including social, digital, video, influencer, and sampling to support this innovative NO GLUE NEEDED imPRESS Falsies launch that has already achieved top selling positions in the false lash category at chain stores across the U.S. to date.

You can learn more about imPRESS Falsies by visiting imPRESSmanicure.com.

ABOUT KISS: KISS is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of fashion nails and is the market leader in both fashion nails and false eyelashes in the U.S. KISS offers innovative, accessible, easy to use, salon quality beauty products including fashion nails, false eyelashes, color cosmetics, hair styling tools, haircare, hair accessories and more. KISS brings the power of self-care home for all people. KISS products are available at mass and drug retailers nationwide. For more information visit www.KISSusa.com

SOURCE KISS
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- As per Facts and Factors study, the global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market size was worth around USD 37.25 billion in 2021 and is predicted to grow to around USD 41 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 10% between 2022 and 2030.

Report Link with All Related Graphs & Charts: https://www.fnfresearch.com/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-market

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Overview

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most common polymers from the polyester family. They are thermoplastic polymers which means that the material becomes mouldable or pliable after a certain degree of elevated temperature and when it is cooled down, it turns into a solid structure. They are used in the clothing industry as they are needed to produce clothing fiber. PET is also used to produce containers for food and fruit packaging. In 2021, the annual production of PET was over 55 million tons globally.

In textile applications, it is commonly referred to as polyester whereas PET is the generally accepted term in the packaging industry. PET is made of repeated units of C10H8O4 and it can be recycled. The final structure being semi-crystalline or amorphous depends on the thermal and processing history of PET. The semi-crystalline PET may appear white, opaque, or transparent depending on the particle size. It was first patented in 1941 and currently, the trademark owner of PET is DuPont Teijin Films.

In its most stable state, PET is a semi-crystalline and colorless resin and its physical properties can be changed by putting the compound through various processes. It is hygroscopic which means that it can hold water molecules through adsorption or absorption from the vicinity. Owing to its high-impact resistance, the compound has gained massive popularity in the packaging industry.

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Key Insights:

As per the analysis shared by our research analyst, the global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market is estimated to grow annually at a CAGR of around 10% over the forecast period (2022-2030)

In terms of revenue, the global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market size was valued at around USD 37.25 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 41 billion , by 2030.

in 2021 and is projected to reach , by 2030. The market is projected to grow at a significant rate due to the growing applications in the packaging industry

Based on type segmentation, virgin was predicted to show maximum market share in the year 2021

Based on application segmentation, rigid packaging was the leading application in 2021

On the basis of region, Asia-Pacific was the leading revenue generator in 2021

Facts and Factors published the latest report titled "Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market Market Size, Share, Growth Analysis Report By Application (Sheets & Straps, Rigid Packaging, and Others), By Type (Recycled and Virgin), 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:

Global Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Growth Drivers

Growing applications in the packaging industry to propel market growth.

The global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market is projected to grow due to the growing applications of the polymer in one of the fastest-growing industries which is the packaging industry. PET is the most preferred option for players in the food & beverages industry (F&B) for the safe packaging of various food items. The packaging containers made with PET are extremely durable and offer high-grade protection in terms of physical damage as well as restrict the entry of moisture, dirt, or other contaminants.

Due to the growing demand for food products owing to multiple factors like growth in population, high market penetration, the emergence of hypermarkets & supermarkets, product innovation, and an increase in disposable income is expected to propel the manufacturing and production capacity of PET in the coming years. What makes the compound unique and desirable is its ability to be molded as per consumer requirements while also offering extreme rigidity once the mold is created.

Global Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Restraints

Growing littering to act as a major restraint during the growth factor.

PET in general is not a toxic compound however, one of the major restraints in the global market growth trajectory is the growing concern over littering. PET plastic bottles are commonly used across the world and littered bottles have become a regular sight not only in underdeveloped nations but in developed economies as well.

A report published in 2021 stated the growing problems the economy of Bangladesh is facing due to garbage and plastic waste and various campaigns for a litter-free economy have already begun.

Directly Purchase a Copy of the Report @ https://www.fnfresearch.com/buynow/su/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-market

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Opportunities

Assistance in managing resource depletion to provide higher growth opportunities.

One of the major factors that influence the use of PET over other polymers is its ability to use less non-renewable sources of energy. For instance, as compared to petroleum, the amount of crude oil required in the processing of PET is comparatively less. This property gives the compound an upper hand over other polymers as resource depletion continues to remain a major area of concern for global leaders and businesses. As per the report by the Geological Survey of Finland, the average resource-depletion rate currently stands between 5% to 7%.

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Challenges

Containment of microfiber from microplastics and apparel to pose a major challenge.

Apparel is known to shed microfibers over time while machine drying or during the washing process. Microplastics found in the seabed or at the bottom of the river can enter the food chain or the ecosystem due to their consumption by sea animals. Although studies have concluded that there is no widespread risk associated with PET being present in the food system, more conclusive studies are needed in this regard, which currently lacks in the research world.

Global Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: Segmentation

The global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market is segmented based on application, type, and region

Based on application, the global market divisions are sheet & straps, rigid packaging, and others. In 2021, the global market witnessed the highest growth in the rigid packaging segment due to the growing demand for eco-friendly and non-toxic packaging material as well as the increasing requirement for packaging products in general. Waste generated from the packaging industry is one of the major parts of the global waste disposal problem.

Most of the unused parts end up in landfills and take years before they completely degrade. The Environment Protection Agency has estimated that over 30% of the annual waste generated in the US is due to products in the packaging sector. This has led to more companies adopting eco-friendly products that can either be recycled or reused.

Based on type, the global market divisions are recycled and virgin. The latter dominated the global market growth in 2021. Virgin PET is produced from natural gas or crude oil and has high demand in the F&B packaging sector. Virgin PET is also used to produce bottles and containers which is a leading cause for the segmental growth. In 2016, more than 480 million tons of PET bottles were produced.

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List of Key Players in Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market:

The Dow Chemicals Company

Nan Ya Plastics Corporation

BASF SE

Indorama Ventures

Key questions answered in this report:

What are the growth rate forecast and market size for POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Market?

What are the key driving factors propelling the POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Market forward?

What are the most important companies in the POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Market Industry?

What segments does the POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Market cover?

How can I receive a free copy of the POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) Market sample report and company profiles?

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market size value in 2021 USD 37.25 Billion Revenue forecast in 2030 USD 41 Billion Growth Rate CAGR of almost 10% 2023-2030 Base Year 2021 Historic Years 2016  2020 Forecast Years 2022-2030 Segments Covered By Application, Type, and Region 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 The Dow Chemicals Company, Nan Ya Plastics Corporation, BASF SE, Indorama Ventures, 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/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-market

Free Brochure: https://www.fnfresearch.com/ask-to-analyst/polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-market

Regional Dominance:

China to lead Asia-Pacific during the forecast period.

The global polyethylene terephthalate (PET) market is projected to grow owing to the growing use of PET bottles and the subsequent production of PET compounds in China and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region. China not only leads the global chemical industry but is also the largest producer of PET-based resin and consumer of PET bottles. The consumption pattern is driven by the growing population of the country which currently stands at 1.4 billion and the demand in their regional F&B sector.

China is currently focusing on developing most of the products ranging from consumer goods to chemical and other products in-house to make the economy less dependent on international businesses. The country is taking steps toward reducing plastic waste in the country which resulted in the 2018 ban on the import of plastic waste which means the country is producing the compound within the Chinese regions.

Global Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market is segmented as follows:

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: By Application Outlook (2023-2030)

Sheets & Straps

Rigid Packaging

Others

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: By Type Outlook (2023-2030)

Recycled

Virgin

Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) Market: By Region Outlook (2023-2030)

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: https://www.fnfresearch.com/news/global-polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-market

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According to Facts and Factors, the global firefighting foam market size was worth around in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 3.81% between 2023 and 2030. Hydrophobic Coatings Market : According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global hydrophobic coatings market size was worth around USD 1.92 billion in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around USD 3.05 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 6.1% between 2023 and 2030.

According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global hydrophobic coatings market size was worth around in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 6.1% between 2023 and 2030. Graphene Composites Market : According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global graphene composites market size was worth around USD 14 million in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around USD 130 million by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 38.81% between 2023 and 2030.

According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global graphene composites market size was worth around in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 38.81% between 2023 and 2030. Marine Battery Market : According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global marine battery market size was worth around USD 0.53 billion in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around USD 2.1 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 18.61% between 2023 and 2030.

According to the report published by Facts Factors, the global marine battery market size was worth around in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 18.61% between 2023 and 2030. White Oil Market: According to the report published by Facts and Factors, the global white oil market size was worth around USD 2.1 billion in 2022 and is predicted to grow to around USD 3.0 billion by 2030 with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 4.5% between 2023 and 2030.

Browse through Facts and Factors's coverage of the Global Chemical & Materials Industry

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SOURCE FnF Research
WASHINGTON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Letter carriers who protected a woman being pursued by an assailant, pulled residents from a burning home, found a missing child or saved a man having a health crisis are among those to be honored on May 11.

Christine Cambizaca of Torrington, CT, just a month into her job, risked her own safety by protecting a bloodied and bruised woman, too frightened to speak, from a knife-wielding attacker. She is the 2022 National Hero of the Year. The Eastern Region Hero is Eric Smith of Charleston, WV, who braved intense heat and thick smoke to rescue two unconscious residents from a house consumed by fire. Darin Chew of Sun City, AZ, the Western Region Hero, used his Marine Corps CPR training to save an unconscious postal customer who was under a car and wasn't breathing.

Several other carriers also are being recognized as 2022 Heroes. They represent thousands of letter carriers who not only deliver the nation's mail six or even seven days a week, but often assist in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises, or improve the communities in which they work.

Eric Beu, Casey Ritchie, Meagan Sperling and Jeremiah Grant of Oklahoma City, winners of the Unit Citation Award, returned a 1-year-old boy to his father after investigating a car suspiciously abandoned in the middle of the street, engine running. The Central Region Hero, Sherri Baker of Little Rock, AR, tried to stop several assailants from shooting a man and then robbing him after he fell to the ground; she then focused on trying to save the victim. Baker takes solace, she says, in the fact that at least he did not die alone.

Anthony Picariello of Philadelphia, who underwent open-heart surgery as a child and whose newborn daughter needed surgery, spends much of his free time making holidays joyous for hospitalized children; he is the Humanitarian of the Year. Christopher Lippy of Harrisburg, PA is the Special Carrier Alert winner; his alertness and his actions ended a mail-fraud scheme targeting an elderly couple on his route.

The National Association of Letter Carriers Heroes of the Year will be honored by NALC Executive Vice President Paul Barner at a special luncheon at noon on Thursday, May 11, at the Mayflower Hotel, 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC. Because the pandemic prevented the prior two annual ceremonies from being held, the event also will recognize 2020 and 2021 Heroes winners.

Go to nalc.org/heroes for further information on the Heroes, including text and photos.

******

NALC represents letter carriers across the country. Its 293,000 members make it the largest of the four unions representing employees of the United States Postal Service. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, NALC is among the country's oldest labor unions.

SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers
Combined firm to seek aggressive growth in Brazil through independence and customer-centric approach

SAO PAULO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Lockton, the world's largest privately held insurance broker and consultancy, announced today its acquisition of THB Brazil from Amwins, the largest independent wholesale distributor of specialty insurance products in the U.S.

The combination of two leaders in the Brazilian insurance and people solutions marketplace will allow for scalability and profitable growth, and access to an even richer suite of innovative solutions for the clients of both firms.

Eduardo Lucena, chief executive officer of THB Brazil, will assume new responsibilities as Deputy chief executive officer of Lockton in Brazil upon completion of the deal. Other THB executives will also join the combined company's management team. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"We're delighted to begin a new era for Lockton in Brazil," said Jose Otavio Sampaio, chief executive officer of Lockton in Brazil. "As separate entities, Lockton and THB have both performed exceptionally in recent years. Our combined strength will only make us better, enabling us to develop more meaningful and long-term relationships with our clients, insurers and reinsurers, provide development opportunities for our Associates, and achieve our goal of doubling in size over the next three years."

The acquisition of THB follows other recent investments by Lockton designed to expand its Brazilian operations. In recent years, the broker has focused on attracting and retaining industry-best talent in the country across its Risk Solutions, People Solutions and Reinsurance teams. Adding THB further strengthens Lockton's commercial team, expands its capacity in Brazil and presents new opportunities for sales and product development.

"The Brazilian insurance sector is expected to grow in 2023 and beyond and staying competitive requires us to continually adapt and innovate to meet our clients' needs," said Eduardo Lucena, chief executive officer of THB Brazil. "We're excited to join forces with Lockton and be a part of its independent, client- and people-focused culture."

About Lockton

What makes Lockton stand apart is also what makes us better: independence. Lockton's private ownership empowers its 9,500+ Associates doing business in over 125 countries to focus solely on clients' risk, insurance and people needs. With expertise that reaches around the globe, Lockton delivers the deep understanding needed to accomplish remarkable results.

For 14 consecutive years, Business Insurance magazine has recognized Lockton as a "Best Place to Work in Insurance." In 2022, Forbes named Lockton among America's Best Large Employers and one of the Best Employers for Diversity. For more information, visit www.lockton.com.

SOURCE Lockton Companies
 TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) is the only FDA approved treatment for adults with HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function1 

DUBLIN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE American: MNK), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce it has received an award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), recognizing it as an "Industry Innovator" for the creation of a treatment "to improve the lives of rare disease patients." Mallinckrodt is being recognized for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) for injection for the treatment of adults with HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function.1

TERLIVAZ, the first and only FDA-approved product indicated for the treatment of adults with Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS) involving rapid reduction in kidney function,1 an acute and life-threatening condition requiring hospitalization,2 was approved for use on September 14, 2022.

Please see Limitation of Use and Important Safety Information, including Boxed Warning, below.

Peter Richardson, MRCP (UK), Executive Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt, said, "We are honored to receive this award from NORD. TERLIVAZ is an important treatment option for patients faced with this life-threatening condition and for their U.S. physicians who historically have had limited treatment options.3 We are grateful to the patients who participated in our clinical trials, their caregivers and healthcare providers, and the team at Mallinckrodt who worked tirelessly to advance TERLIVAZ."

The presentation of awards took place the evening of May 4th, during NORD's 2023 Rare Impact Awards in Washington, D.C. Find more information on the Rare Impact Awards website, and see the full list of Industry Innovators in the recent press release.

About the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)

With a 40-year history of advancing care, treatments and policy, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is the leading and longest-standing patient advocacy group for the more than 25 million Americans living with a rare disease. NORD, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them. NORD, along with its more than 330 patient organization members, is committed to improving the health and well-being of people with rare diseases by driving advances in care, research and policy. For more information, please visit https://rarediseases.org/.

About Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS)

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) involving rapid reduction in kidney function1 is an acute and life-threatening condition that occurs in people with advanced liver disease.2 HRS is classified into two distinct types  a rapidly progressive type that leads to acute renal failure where patients are typically hospitalized for their care and a more chronic type that progresses over weeks to months.2 HRS involving rapid reduction in kidney function1 is estimated to affect between 30,000 and 40,000 Americans annually.4, 5 If left untreated, HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function1 has a median survival time of approximately two weeks and greater than 80 percent mortality within three months.6

INDICATION AND LIMITATION OF USE

TERLIVAZ is indicated to improve kidney function in adults with hepatorenal syndrome with rapid reduction in kidney function.

Patients with a serum creatinine >5 mg/dL are unlikely to experience benefit.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: SERIOUS OR FATAL RESPIRATORY FAILURE

TERLIVAZ may cause serious or fatal respiratory failure. Patients with volume overload or with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) Grade 3 are at increased risk. Assess oxygenation saturation (e.g., SpO 2 ) before initiating TERLIVAZ.

Do not initiate TERLIVAZ in patients experiencing hypoxia (e.g., SpO 2 <90%) until oxygenation levels improve. Monitor patients for hypoxia using continuous pulse oximetry during treatment and discontinue TERLIVAZ if SpO 2 decreases below 90%.

Contraindications

TERLIVAZ is contraindicated:

In patients experiencing hypoxia or worsening respiratory symptoms.

In patients with ongoing coronary, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia.

Warnings and Precautions

Serious or Fatal Respiratory Failure: Obtain baseline oxygen saturation and do not initiate TERLIVAZ in hypoxic patients. Monitor patients for changes in respiratory status using continuous pulse oximetry and regular clinical assessments. Discontinue TERLIVAZ in patients experiencing hypoxia or increased respiratory symptoms.



Manage intravascular volume overload by reducing or discontinuing the administration of albumin and/or other fluids and through judicious use of diuretics. Temporarily interrupt, reduce, or discontinue TERLIVAZ treatment until patient volume status improves. Avoid use in patients with ACLF Grade 3 because they are at significant risk for respiratory failure.

Ineligibility for Liver Transplant: TERLIVAZ-related adverse reactions (respiratory failure, ischemia) may make a patient ineligible for liver transplantation, if listed. For patients with high prioritization for liver transplantation (e.g., MELD 35), the benefits of TERLIVAZ may not outweigh its risks.

Ischemic Events: TERLIVAZ may cause cardiac, cerebrovascular, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia. Avoid use of TERLIVAZ in patients with a history of severe cardiovascular conditions or cerebrovascular or ischemic disease. Discontinue TERLIVAZ in patients who experience signs or symptoms suggestive of ischemic adverse reactions.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: TERLIVAZ may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. If TERLIVAZ is used during pregnancy, the patient should be informed of the potential risk to the fetus.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (10%) include abdominal pain, nausea, respiratory failure, diarrhea, and dyspnea.

Please click here to see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, hepatology, nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, and oncology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics; cultured skin substitutes and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements, including with regard to TERLIVAZ and its potential impact on patients. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT

Media Inquiries

Heather Guzzi

Senior Vice President, Green Room Communications

973-524-4112

[email protected]

Investor Relations

Daniel J. Speciale

Global Corporate Controller & Chief Investor Relations Officer

314-654-3638

[email protected]

Derek Belz

Vice President, Investor Relations

314-654-3950

[email protected]

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners.

2023 Mallinckrodt. US-2300255 5/23

References

1 TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) for injection. [Prescribing Information]. Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.

2 National Organization for Rare Disorders. Hepatorenal Syndrome. Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/hepatorenal-syndrome/. Accessed April 27, 2023.

3 Belcher, et al. Terlipressin and the Treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome: How the CONFIRM Trial Moves the Story Forward. Am J Kidney Dis. 2022;79(5):737-745. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.08.016.

4 C Pant, B S Jani, M Desai, A Deshpande, Prashant Pandya, Ryan Taylor, R Gilroy, M OIyaee. Heptorenal syndrome in hospitalized patients with chronic liver disease: results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2002-2012. J of Investig Med. 2016; 64:33-38.

5 United States Census Bureau: Quick Facts. Available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218. Accessed April 27, 2023.

6 Flamm SL, Brown K, Wadei HM., et al. The Current Management of Hepatorenal SyndromeAcute Kidney Injury in the United States and the Potential of Terlipressin. Liver Transpl. 2021;27:1191-1202. https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.26072.

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc
MediaGo was recognized for its deep-learning technology

SAN FRANCISCO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MediaGo, a leading global AI-integrated marketing platform from Baidu's Global Business Unit, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie Award in the Advertising or Campaign Management Platform category in the 21st Annual American Business Awards.

MediaGo Honored as Gold Stevie Award Winner in 2023 American Business Awards

MediaGo was recognized for its deep learning technology, which uses discriminative and generative AI in ad placement scenarios to provide a deep understanding of traffic, users, and ads. This allows for continuous and automatic optimization, adjusted delivery mode, and algorithm optimization based on different ad delivery scenarios

"We've seen complex traffic composition, erratic delivery results, increased competition and data privacy regulation difficulties challenge the open data marketplace," said Elaine Hu, Head of U.S. Strategy and Partnership at Baidu's Global Business Unit. "We're thrilled to offer a meaningful answer to these problems and to have the American Business Awards recognize our deep learning technology as a solution to help advertisers achieve better results."

When commenting on MediaGo's entry, an American Business Awards judge said that MediaGo was "a very functional platform that enhances advertiser capability to target the right audience across media."

In 2022, MediaGo partnered with MVF , a leading global customer generation platform, to deploy its AI-integrated native ad platform to increase the scale and ROI of its programmatic ads. This partnership resulted in conversions at a 35% lower cost per action (CPA) than MVF's average. `

"MediaGo's global inventory, spanning eleven countries in total, meant that MVF could capitalize on top-tier MSN traffic in key territories and reach new customers, helping to drive rapid scale and impressive results for its clients," said Calum McAuley, Native Advertising Manager at MVF.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations  public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevie for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13. Tickets are now on sale.

More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, and more than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About MediaGo

MediaGo is a global AI-integrated marketing platform under the Baidu Global brand that helps clients to rapidly expand into the global market and enhance international influence. Available to customers in North America, Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. MediaGo provides cross-media integrated marketing solutions, including programmatic advertising, advertising reselling and AI-backed recommendations to more than 10,000 companies. MediaGo is committed to building an AI advertising engine that leverages media context to achieve precision marketing in the modern era. Learn more about MediaGo, please visit: https://www.mediago.io/.

Sponsors of The 2023 American Business Awards include HCL America, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

SOURCE MediaGo
GREENWICH, Conn., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AdminaHealth, the leading provider of premium billing solutions for the healthcare, insurance, and voluntary benefits marketplace, will be exhibiting, as well as presenting, at the BenefitsPRO Broker Expo taking place May 8-10 at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta in Atlanta, GA. The multi-day Expo brings together the nation's top brokers, industry practitioners, and benefits experts and highlights industry innovations.

Meet AdminaHealth at Booth #801 at the 2023 BenefitsPRO Broker Expo

Attendees are invited to stop by booth #801 and meet with Vice Presidents of Sales Christian Morris and Grace Brueckner to learn more about how implementing a SaaS solution for billing administration can be a remarkably simple way to fast-track business growth. AdminaHealth clients often quickly realize positive ROI to cover the first year or more of platform costs. Moreover, given the platform's exceptional accuracy and ability to eliminate billing challenges, users of the AdminaHealth Billing Suite are robustly equipped to retain current clients and attract new business.

The AdminaHealth Billing Suite is recognized in the industry for enabling a smooth transition from spreadsheet-based employee benefit premium billing administration to a streamlined process where 80 percent or more of the effort is automated. It is comprehensive and flexible, providing benefits professionals with one location to reconcile, consolidate, report on, and pay for benefits for both fully-insured and self-funded groups.

On Tuesday, May 9, Brueckner will be presenting The Future of Benefits Billing: One Solution and Pay Them All at 12:30 PM on the Solutions Stage. In her presentation, Brueckner will cover some of the advanced features of the AdminaHealth Billing Suite, including the Payroll Comparison Report, sub-level reconciliation reporting, benefits expense allocation, and digital payments.

"With its ability to seamlessly and quickly integrate with any enrollment, BenAdmin, or payroll platform, the AdminaHealth solution offers brokers an automated SaaS platform that removes the complexities of billing," says Robert A. Bull, AdminaHealth CEO, and Founding Member. "Our clients appreciate that they can offer unlimited medical, insurance, and voluntary benefit coverages with minimal administrative burden."

All Expo attendees are invited to visit AdminaHealth at Booth #801. Attendees who would like to schedule a meeting during the conference can email the AdminaHealth team at [email protected].

Media Contact

Jennifer Collinson, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, AdminaHealth

203-973-7521, [email protected]

SOURCE AdminaHealth
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WASHINGTON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After the previous launch target date changed due to weather conditions in New Zealand, NASA and Rocket Lab are now targeting 9 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 7, (1 p.m. Monday, May 8, New Zealand Standard Time), to launch two storm tracking CubeSats into orbit.

The agency's TROPICS (Time-Resolved Observations of Precipitation structure and storm Intensity with a Constellation of Smallsats) mission has a two-hour launch window from Launch Complex 1 Pad B in Mahia, New Zealand.

A wet dress rehearsal underway for Rocket Labs Electron rocket at Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand on April 28, 2023. Credits: NASA

Rocket Lab will provide live coverage beginning approximately 20 minutes before launch. Coverage will air on NASA Television, the NASA app, the agency's website, and Rocket Lab's website.

A second launch from Rocket Lab will carry two additional CubeSats, with exact launch times contingent on the date and time of the first launch. TROPICS is a constellation of four identical CubeSats designed to observe tropical cyclones from low Earth orbit, making observations more frequently than current weather tracking satellites. Gathering data more frequently can help scientists improve weather forecasting models.

TROPICS will study tropical cyclones as part of NASA's Earth Venture Class missions, which select targeted science missions to fill gaps in our overarching understanding of the entire Earth system.

Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern):

Sunday, May 7

Approximately 8:40 p.m.  Live launch coverage begins

9 p.m.  Launch window opens

NASA website launch coverage

Follow countdown coverage on NASA's launch blog for live updates beginning no earlier than 8 p.m. as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff on Rocket Lab's website and Flickr. Imagery also is available on the NASA website.

Watch, engage on social media

Stay connected and receive mission updates by following and tagging these accounts:

Twitter: @NASA_LSP, @NASAEarth, @NASAKennedy, @NASA, @RocketLab

Facebook: NASA, NASA LSP, RocketLabUSA

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAEarth, @RocketLabUSA

The TROPICS team is led by Dr. William Blackwell at MIT's Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts, and includes researchers from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and several universities and commercial partners. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, is managing the launch service.

For more information about NASA's TROPICS, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/3h46pJp

SOURCE NASA
LAKEWOOD, Colo., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers announces plans to close two stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on June 27, 2023. The two North Texas stores, Fort Worth-North, located at 5230 North Tarrant Parkway and Coppell, located at 120 S. Denton Tap Road, Suite 300, will begin store-wide closing sales on May 15, 2023, with discounts of 25% off everything in the stores. All sales will be final.

The Company is working closely with each of its valued good4uSM Crew members impacted by these closures to identify transfer opportunities to other stores. All other impacted Crew members will be offered a transition package, including severance and benefits.

Fort Worth-North and Coppell are two of 25 Natural Grocers stores in Texas. Natural Grocers states the decision to close the stores was made after careful consideration of each store's performance and reflects the Company's commitment to enhancing operating efficiencies across its store base. The Company states it currently has no plans to close any additional stores.

"We made the difficult decision to close two lower-performing stores, Fort Worth-North and Coppell," said Kemper Isely, Co-President of Natural Grocers. "We remain committed to serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and believe that our neighboring stores will continue to provide these communities the world-class customer service, quality and affordability for which Natural Grocers is known."

Stores Near Fort Worth-North:

Keller : 1501 Keller Parkway, Keller, TX 76248 Hurst : 759 Grapevine Highway, Hurst, TX 76054

Stores Near Coppell:

Dallas  Preston and Forest: 11661 Preston Road, Dallas, TX 75230 Dallas  Richardson : 677 West Campbell Road, Suite 100, Richardson, TX 75080

Please direct questions related to the closures or about the Company to Katie Macarelli: [email protected].

ABOUT NATURAL GROCERS

Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) is an expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The products sold by Natural Grocers must meet strict quality guidelines and may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. The Company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. Natural Grocers' flexible smaller-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly, clean, and convenient retail environment. The Company also provides extensive free science-based Nutrition Education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. The Company, founded in 1955, has 166 stores in 21 states. Visit www.NaturalGrocers.com for more information and store locations.

SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc.
BOULDER, Colo., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Informa Markets' New Hope Network, producer of Natural Products Expo, has unveiled the New Hope Innovation Experience, part of Natural Products Expo East 2023, a one-day event for attendees looking to learn about, engage with, taste and even challenge the newest innovations that have potential to shape the future of food and CPG. The Innovation Experience is open to all Expo East attendees and will take place Friday, September 22, during Natural Products Expo East.

The event is designed to be an environment of learning and conversation with education sessions, keynote talks and experiential demonstrations alongside exhibitor booths. Themes for participants to explore will include responsible technology, retail and foodservice transformation, sustainability solutions and inventive business models.

Emerging and innovative brands will showcase their ideas to retailer and foodservice buyers looking to discover, better understand and help guide what's next in CPG disruption. Attendees will emerge from the Innovation Experience armed with a greater understanding of new technologies, business models and philosophies that can support the health of people and planet.

"Leading-edge innovations are disrupting nearly every aspect of the CPG industry and creating the potential for significant, long-term change. Food technologies, artificial intelligence, nutrition science and alternative business models are creating a new landscape for suppliers, manufacturers, retailers and investors," said Jessica Rubino, Vice President, Content at Informa Markets' New Hope Network. "These innovations are hereand to help steward CPG toward a healthier, more regenerative and equitable future, we must seek to understand them and engage in conversations about how to use innovation as a force for good."

Exhibiting brands will have the opportunity to share the "how" and "why" behind their products and innovations in an environment that is intimate, interactive and education focused. Retailer and foodservice buyers who are curious about purpose-driven innovation will discover new products, gain access to detailed product and company information and leave better understanding new products that fit with their specific needs and values.

"We were excited to learn about the Innovation Experience at Expo East. Our company had huge success at Expo West and we were originally not planning to attend Expo East. This is a great opportunity for our start-up to showcase at both shows in the early stages of our growth and to have the opportunity to show the innovation of our products," said Sara Moser, Field Activation Specialist for Meati, an exhibitor at the Innovation Experience.

The Innovation Experience is open to all badge holders at Natural Products Expo East 2023, which will run September 20-23 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. For more information about the New Hope Innovation Experience, brands can contact their account manager and find more information online.

Follow @NatProdExpo on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter! Visit @Natural Products Expo on LinkedIn to join in on ongoing conversations. Natural Products Expo is a business-to-business trade show and is not open to the public.

About New Hope Network

New Hope Network is at the forefront of the healthy lifestyle products industry. With solutions for the complete supply chain from manufacturers, retailers/distributors, service providers and ingredient suppliers, the network offers a robust portfolio of content, events, data, research and consultative services. Through all its actions, New Hope Network aims to cultivate a prosperous high-integrity CPG and retail ecosystem that creates health, joy and justice for all people while regenerating the planet.

For more information visit www.newhope.com.

About Informa Markets

Informa Markets creates platforms for industries and specialist markets to trade, innovate and grow. We provide marketplace participants around the globe with opportunities to engage, experience and do business through face-to-face exhibitions, targeted digital services and actionable data solutions. We connect buyers and sellers across more than a dozen global verticals, including Pharmaceuticals, Food, Medical Technology and Infrastructure. As the world's leading market-making company, we bring a diverse range of specialist markets to life, unlocking opportunities and helping them to thrive 365 days of the year. For more information, please visit www.informamarkets.com.

SOURCE New Hope Network
CHICAGO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A promising future lies in the application of Natural Language Processing (NLP) in education since it has the ability to alter how students engage with educational content and improve academic standards. It has the potential to change the way we teach and learn, enhancing everyone's access to high-quality education.

The global NLP in Education Market size is projected to grow from USD 99 million in 2023 to USD 228 million by 2028, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 18.1% during the forecast period. The NLP in education is being used in language learning applications to provide better pronunciation feedback, enhance translation quality, and create conversational bots that allow students to practice speaking with a virtual tutor.

Browse in-depth TOC on "NLP in Education Market"

284 - Tables

46 - Figures

250 - Pages

Download PDF Brochure @ https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=259166534

Scope of the Report

Report Metrics Details Market size available for years 2018-2028 Base year considered 2022 Forecast period 2023-2028 Forecast units Value (USD Million/USD Billion) Segments covered Offering, Model Type, Application, End User, and Region Regions covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America Companies covered IBM (US), Microsoft (US), Google (US), AWS (US), SAS Institute (US), Inbenta (US), Baidu (China), Welocalize (US), Yellow.ai (US), NICE (US), ABBYY (US), Automated Insights (US), Width.ai (US) and many more.

Solutions segment to hold highest market share during forecast period

Al solutions are widely used as people become more aware of their alleged advantages. The NLP in education is a subset of artificial intelligence (AI) that corresponds to the processing and mining of unstructured data. It helps AI machines comprehend the intricacies and circumstances of language used by people to express themselves. It is often applied to data generated in the form of text, voice, and video materials. NLP in education solutions is provided by vendors like IBM, Microsoft, and Google with cutting-edge functions, including sentiment analysis, text classification & summarization, and speech recognition. Several manufacturers provide high-end NLP in education software solutions or Application Program Interfaces (APIs) with tailored capabilities in response to market customer expectations.

Professional Services segment to hold highest market share during forecast period

Training and consulting, system integration and implementation, and support and maintenance are the three sub-categories of professional services, where these services are supplementary to the purchase of software. A few businesses lack the necessary knowledge to successfully manage infrastructure, and as a result, they contract it out to firms that can offer these services. These services are essential for the deployment of NLP software. They are in charge of supporting, managing, and maintaining the installed software.

Modeling, organizing NLP, upgrading, and offering numerous other IT services are examples of professional services. Organizations that provide these services include big data specialists, devoted project management teams, support software, tools, services, and knowledge with a focus on the design and delivery of key choices.

Asia Pacific (APAC) to record highest growth rate in NLP in Education Market in 2023

Asia Pacific is anticipated to have the greatest CAGR during the projection period due to its advanced and dynamic adoption of new technologies. The adoption of NLP solutions & services in the region is anticipated to be fueled by the commercialization of AI and ML technologies and the need for additional developments to effectively utilise the technology. More than 50% of the world's population lives in the region. Therefore any significant technology advancements like those predicted by Al are likely to have a significant impact on the region's future. The majority of the NLP market in education share in this region is held by IBM, Microsoft, Google, and Amazon, together with a number of other important NLP-based solution providers. The region's SMEs and large businesses have been implementing NLP-based solutions as they have grown more mindful of government rules and compliances.

NLP in Education Market Dynamics

Driver:

Rising demand for efficient language learning

Increasing adoption of predictive analytics to provide targeted support to students at risks.

Evolution of AI and deep learning

Restraint:

Limited availability of educational data impacts efficiency of NLP models

Risks associated with data breaches and sensitive information leakage.

Opportunities:

Growing adoption of NLP to assess student performance.

Soaring demand for personalized learning

Challenges:

 Developing customized NLP solutions

 Regulatory and privacy concerns over data security

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Key Vendors

Key and innovative vendors in the NLP in Education Market are IBM (US), Microsoft (US), Google (US), AWS (US), SAS Institute (US), Inbenta (US), Baidu (China), Welocalize (US), Yellow.ai (US), NICE (US), ABBYY (US), Automated Insights (US), Width.ai (US), Revolve.ai (Islamabad), Primer.ai (US), Carnegie Learning (US), Gecko (US), Ivy.ai (US), Attivio (US), Conversica (US), Avaamo (US), Aylien (Ireland), Haptik (India), Gupshup (US), Sensforth.ai (US), Chivox (China), and Cognii (US). These vendors have adopted many organic as well as inorganic growth strategies, such as product launches, partnerships, and collaborations, to expand their offerings and market shares in the NLP in Education Market.

Recent Developments:

In March 2023 , Yellow.ai launched Salem , which is a new AI-powered customer service channel available on WhatsApp.

, Yellow.ai launched , which is a new AI-powered customer service channel available on WhatsApp. In February 2023 , Microsoft launched Automated ML supports NLP, which allows ML professionals and data scientists to bring text data and build custom models for tasks such as multi-class text classification, multi-label text classification, and named entity recognition (NER).

, Microsoft launched Automated ML supports NLP, which allows ML professionals and data scientists to bring text data and build custom models for tasks such as multi-class text classification, multi-label text classification, and named entity recognition (NER). In January 2023 , IBM announced BM Partner Plus. This new program reimagines how IBM engages with its business partners through unprecedented access to IBM resources, incentives, and tailored support to deepen its technical expertise and help speed time to market.

, IBM announced BM Partner Plus. This new program reimagines how IBM engages with its business partners through unprecedented access to IBM resources, incentives, and tailored support to deepen its technical expertise and help speed time to market. In December 2022 , NICE launched ElevateAI, a new AIaaS solution that brings the power of Enlighten AI, its purpose-built CX AI, to the developer community.

, NICE launched ElevateAI, a new AIaaS solution that brings the power of Enlighten AI, its purpose-built CX AI, to the developer community. In November 2022 , Google announced an ambitious new project to develop a single AI language model that supports the world's 1,000 most spoken languages.

Application Integration Market Advantages

NLP can assist in establishing chances for personalised learning for pupils. NLP can assess the student's language to recommend suitable learning materials, change the level of difficulty of the content, and provide feedback in order to improve learning outcomes.

Real-time translation and grammatical checks provided by NLP can help students learn new languages. Through the use of NLP, students can communicate with virtual teachers to improve their vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation.

Automating the evaluation of student performance is possible using NLP. It may evaluate essays, assignments, and other written content to offer recommendations on grammar, spelling, and other language-related issues. This saves time for teachers while also assisting them in identifying areas where kids need to grow.

Chatbots that engage with students and respond to their queries can be created using NLP. These chatbots can assist students with their coursework and any questions they may have around-the-clock.

Report Objectives

To determine and forecast the global NLP in education by offering, model type, and end user. Application and region from 2023 to 2028, and analyze the various macroeconomic and microeconomic factors that affect the market growth.

To forecast the size of the market segments with respect to five main regions: North America , Europe , Asia Pacific (APAC), Latin America , and the Middle East & Africa (MEA)

, , (APAC), , and the & (MEA) To provide detailed information about the major factors (drivers, restraints, opportunities, and challenges) influencing the growth of the NLP in Education Market

To analyze each submarket with respect to individual growth trends, prospects, and contributions to the overall NLP in Education Market

To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high-growth segments of the NLP in Education Market

To profile the key market players; provide a comparative analysis based on business overviews, regional presence, product offerings, business strategies, and key financials; and illustrate the competitive landscape of the market.

To track and analyze competitive developments, such as mergers and acquisitions, product launches and enhancements, partnerships and collaborations, and Research and Development (R&D) activities, in the market

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GOTHENBURG, Sweden, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The shareholders of Minesto AB, reg. no. 556719-4914 ("Minesto" or the "Company"), are hereby given notice to attend the Annual General Meeting to be held on Wednesday, 7 June 2023 at 3 p.m. at Hotel Riverton at the address Stora Badhusgatan 26 in Gothenburg. The entrance opens and the registration starts at 2.30 p.m.

Exercise voting rights at the general meeting

Any shareholder wishing to participate at the Annual General Meeting must:

i. be entered in the share register kept by Euroclear Sweden AB as per Monday 29 May 2023, and, if the shares are nominee-registered, request that the nominee register the voting rights no later than Wednesday 31 May 2023, and

ii. have notified their intention to participate in the Annual General Meeting to the Company in accordance with the instructions under the heading "Registration of personal participation or participation by proxy", in such time that the notification is received by the Company no later than 31 May 2023.

Notification of personal participation or participation by proxy

Shareholders wishing to attend the Annual General Meeting in person or by proxy shall notify the Company no later than Wednesday 31 May 2023, either:

i. by e-mail to [email protected]; or

ii. by post to Minesto AB, J A Wettergrens Gata 14, 421 30 Vastra Frolunda, Sweden (mark the envelope "Annual General Meeting 2023").

The notification shall include name or company name, personal identification number or corporate registration number, address, telephone number as well as, where applicable, the number of assistants (maximum two).

Anyone who does not wish to attend in person may exercise their right at the Annual General Meeting by proxy with a written, signed and dated power of attorney. If the power of attorney has been issued by a legal entity, a copy of the registration certificate or equivalent document of authorisation for the legal entity must be attached.

To facilitate access to the Annual General Meeting powers of attorney, registration certificates and other authorisation documents should be received by the Company at the address Minesto AB, J A Wettergrens Gata 14, 421 30 Vastra Frolunda (mark the envelope "Annual General Meeting 2023") well in advance of the Annual General Meeting and preferably no later than Wednesday, 31 May 2023.

Please note that the notification of participation at the Annual General Meeting shall take place even if a shareholder wishes to exercise its rights at the Annual General Meeting by proxy. Submission of power of attorney shall not constitute a valid notification to the Annual General Meeting.

A power of attorney form is available on the Company's website, www.minesto.com.

Nominee registered shares

To be entitled to participate at the Annual General Meeting, shareholders who have caused their shares to be registered with a nominee must request that they be temporarily registered in their own name in the shareholders' register maintained by Euroclear Sweden AB. The shareholder should provide notice to the nominee thereof in due time so that entry in the share register has taken place on Wednesday 31 May 2023.

Business

Proposed agenda :

1. Opening of the meeting;

2. Election of chairperson of the meeting;

3. Preparation and approval of the voting register;

4. Election of one or two persons to verify the minutes;

5. Determination of whether the Annual General Meeting has been duly convened;

6. Approval of the agenda;

7. Presentation by the CEO;

8. Presentation of the annual report and the auditor's report for the company and the group;

9. Resolutions regarding:

a. adoption of the income statement and balance sheet for the company and the group;

b. allocation of the company's results according to the adopted balance sheet;

c. discharge from liability for the directors and the CEO;

10. Resolution regarding determination of the number of directors and deputy directors;

11. Resolution regarding determination of the fees payable to the directors and the auditors;

12. Election of the Board of Directors;

13. Election of auditor;

14. Resolution regarding determination of principles for the nomination committee;

15. Resolution regarding guidelines for compensation to senior executives;

16. Resolution regarding authorization of the Board of Directors to issue shares and/or warrants and/or convertibles;

17. Resolution regarding adjustment authorization;

18. Closing of the meeting.

Nomination committee

In accordance with the principles adopted by last year's Annual General Meeting, the nomination committee is composed of three directors, whereof two directors are appointed by the Company's largest shareholder as per 30 September 2022, and one director who has been convening. The nomination committee appoints a chairman from amongst its members.

The nomination committee has consisted of Git Sturesjo Adolfsson (appointed by BGA Invest AB), Goran Linder (appointed by Corespring New Technology AB) and Bengt Adolfsson (appointed chairman. The chairman of the nomination committee has been Git Sturesjo Adolfsson.

Proposed resolutions by the nomination committee

2. Election of chairperson of the meeting

The nomination committee proposes attorney Eric Ehrencrona or, in the event of an impediment, the person appointed by the nomination committee to be elected as the chair of the Annual General Meeting.

10. Resolution regarding determination of the number of directors and deputy directors

The nomination committee proposes that the number of directors for the period until the next Annual General Meeting is six and that one deputy director shall be appointed.

11. Resolution regarding determination of the fees payable to the directors and the auditors

The nomination committee proposes that the fee per director elected shall be distributed as follows (the same price base amount level as last year): annual fee of four price base amounts to the chairman of the Board of Directors and annual fee of two price base amounts to directors not employed by the Company. The price-base amount per 2023 shall be applied upon resolution under this item.

If the meeting resolves according to the nomination committee's proposal as regards the composition of the Board of Directors, the total fee will amount to twelve (ten) price base amounts.

It is proposed that no fee shall be paid to the board of director's remuneration committee respectively auditors committee since these are made up of members of the board of directors.

It is proposed that fees be paid to the auditor according to invoice approved by the Company.

12. Election of the Board of Directors

The nomination committee proposes re-election of directors of the board Bengt Adolfsson, Martin Edlund, Goran Linder, Jonas Millqvist and Git Sturesjo Adolfsson as well as new election of Joel Lybert. Andreas Gunnarsson is proposed to be re-elected as deputy director.

Joel Lybert (born 1975) has a Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering from University of Kalmar and an IHM Advanced Certificate Business Development from IHM Business School. Johan Lybert is manging director of Granitor Systems AB and was managing director of Zander & Ingestrom AB during the years 2019-2021. Joel Lybert has previously been, among other things, head of business unit industry costumer services and sales director on the business unit power and gas at Siemens during the years 2014-2019.

The nomination committee proposes re-election of Jonas Millqvist as chairman of the Board of Directors.

The proposed composition of the Board of Directors of the Company complies with the corporate governance code regarding independence. All directors except Martin Edlund are independent in relation to the Company and the company management. Jonas Millqvist, Martin Edlund, and Joel Lybert are independent in relation to the Company's major shareholders.

13. Election of auditor

The nomination committee proposes re-election of Ernst & Young AB (EY) as auditor of the Company. EY has informed that in the event it is re-elected, Andreas Mast will continue in his capacity as principal auditor.

14. Resolution regarding determination of principles for the nomination committee

It is proposed that the Company shall have a nominations committee consisting of three persons in accordance with last year's principles according to the following. Each of the Company's two largest shareholders in terms of voting power as of 30 September 2023 shall each have the right to appoint a member of the nomination committee. In addition, the nomination committee shall consist of the chairman of the Board of Directors who shall convene the first meeting. The nominations committee appoints the chairman of the committee.

The nomination committee shall submit proposals to the 2024 Annual General Meeting for: a) election of chairman of the Annual General Meeting, b) resolution regarding number of board members, c) resolution regarding compensation to the chairman of the Board of Directors and each of the other directors d) election of board members, e) election of chairman of the board, f) resolution regarding remuneration to auditor, g) election of auditor, h) resolution regarding principles for appointing the nomination committee and i) resolution regarding principles for the nomination committee..

If any of the two members of the nomination committee appointed by the two largest shareholders by voting power resign from the nomination committee prior to completion of its work, the shareholder appointing the resigning member shall have the right to appoint a new member. In case any of the two largest shareholders by voting power sells all, not only a portion, of its shares in the Company prior to the nomination committee completing its work, instead of such shareholder the third largest shareholder shall have the right to appoint a new member etc.

Fees shall not be paid to members of the nomination committee. Upon request of the nomination committee, the Company shall, however, provide personnel resources to facilitate the work of the nomination committee, such as, for example, a secretary. If necessary, the Company shall also pay for other reasonable costs necessary for the work of the nomination committee.

Proposed resolutions by the Board of Directors

9 b. Resolution on allocation of the Company's results according to the adopted balance sheet

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting resolves that the Company's results be allocated according to the Board of Directors' proposal in the annual report. The Board of Directors accordingly proposes that no dividend be paid for the financial year 2022.

15. Resolution regarding guidelines for compensation to senior executives

Compensation to senior management

Senior executives in the Company refer to the CEO and other members of the management group. The remuneration committee, which consists of the Board of Directors excluding the CEO, prepares the issue of adoption of guidelines for compensation and other terms of employment for senior executives, and proposes them to the board of directors.

The Board of Directors proposes the following guidelines for the determination of salaries and other compensation to senior management. For the purpose of ensuring that the Company is able to recruit and retain qualified senior executives, the fundamental principle is that the senior executives must be offered employment terms and compensation on market terms.

Salaries and other benefits: Compensation to the senior executives shall be comprised of a fixed salary and pension. The fixed salaries are normally reviewed on a calendar year basis. In addition to fixed salary, a variable salary may be implemented under the pre-requisite that the variable part never exceeds 25 percent of the yearly salary. In addition, senior management shall be entitled to customary non-monetary benefits such as, company cars and occupational healthcare. Other benefits may also be offered on an individual basis.

Pension: Senior executives shall be offered pension terms that include a defined plan for provisions with premiums based on the entire basic salary. The pension provisions are individual and shall be in relation to the basic salary.

Notice of termination period and severance pay: The notice period shall be a maximum of six months, if the Company gives the notice and a maximum of six months if the notice is given on the initiative of the senior executive. In the event of termination by the Company, severance pay may, in addition be paid in an amount corresponding to a maximum of six-monthly salaries.

Incentive program: Resolution regarding share and share price-related incentive programs directed to senior executives shall be made by the Annual General Meeting.

Remuneration Committee: The remuneration committee, i.e., the board excluding the CEO, shall prepare issues regarding compensation principles, compensation and other terms of employment for senior executives. The more detailed principles for salary setting, pensions and other benefits shall be found in the salary policy established by the Remuneration Committee regarding senior executives.

Deviations in individual cases: The Board of Directors shall be entitled to deviate from these guidelines where there is special cause for such an individual case.

Compensation to Board of Directors

Compensation to the Board of Directors is determined by the Annual General Meeting based on proposals from the nomination committee. However, the Board of Directors is entitled, in specific cases, to commission an individual director to perform consultancy services on behalf of the Company within their respective areas of competence. Directors elected by the Annual General Meeting shall, in these specific cases, be eligible to receive fees for services, which do not constitute board work. With respect to the services, a fee on market terms will be payable, which must be approved by the Board of Directors. This shall also be applicable if the work is carried out through a company wholly or partially owned by a board member.

These guidelines correspond to the guidelines approved by the Annual General Meeting 2022.

16. Resolution regarding authorization of the Board of Directors to issue shares and/or warrants and/or convertibles

The Board of Directors proposes that the Annual General Meeting authorizes the Board of Directors to resolve, on one or several occasions, on issue of shares and/or warrants and/or convertibles during the time until the next Annual General Meeting for payment in cash and/or with terms regarding set-off or issue in kind or otherwise with terms and thereby deviate from the preferential right of the shareholders.

The number of shares that could be issued, or the number of shares that could be subscribed for through warrants, or the number of shares that convertibles could be converted into shall amount to a total maximum of 17,859,188 new shares representing a dilution amounting to ten per cent.

The purpose of the authorization and the reason to deviate from the preferential right of the shareholders is that issues shall be possible for financing the company's business, commercialisation and development of the company's products and markets and/or acquisition of businesses, companies, or parts of companies and/or enable a broadening of the owner base of the Company.

If the Board of Directors consider it appropriate to enable delivery of shares in connection with an issue as described above, the issue can be made at a subscription price corresponding to the share's quota value.

The approval by the Annual General Meeting of this proposal in accordance with the above is valid only if supported by shareholders representing at least 2/3 of both the votes cast and the votes represented at the meeting.

17. Resolution regarding adjustment authorization

The Board of Directors, the CEO or the person appointed by the Board of Directors shall be authorized to make such minor amendments and clarifications of the resolution by the Annual General Meeting that may prove necessary in connection with registration of the resolutions.

Number of shares and votes

At the time of this notice, the total number of shares and votes in the Company amounts to 160 732 694. The Company holds no treasury shares.

Other

Power of attorney forms and complete proposals for resolutions with adhering documents will be made available no later than two weeks prior to the Extraordinary General Meeting. The notice and documents as above will be made available at the Company on J A Wettergrens Gata 14 in Vastra Frolunda, Sweden, and on the Company's website www.minesto.com and will be sent to shareholders who request it and provide their e-mail or postal address. The Extraordinary General Meeting's shareholder's register is available at the Company's office at the above address.

The shareholders are reminded of the right to, at the Extraordinary General Meeting, request information from the Board of Directors and the Managing Director in accordance with Chapter 7, Section 32 of the Swedish Companies Act.

Processing of personal data

For information on how your personal data is processed please refer to the integrity policy available on Euroclear's website: https://www.euroclear.com/dam/ESw/Legal/Integritetspolicy-bolagsstammor-svenska.pdf.

Gothenburg in May 2023

Minesto AB

The Board of Directors

For additional information, please contact

Cecilia Sernhage, Communications Manager

+46 735 23 71 58

[email protected]

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/14621/3764353/2035444.pdf Press release

SOURCE Minesto AB
CHICAGO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The nuclear medicine industry is poised for significant growth in the near future, driven by the increasing incidence of cancer and chronic diseases that require advanced diagnostic and treatment options. Advancements in imaging technology, such as hybrid imaging and PET-CT scans, are also fueling demand for nuclear medicine. Additionally, there is a focus on developing radiopharmaceuticals and theragnostic that can target specific diseases and deliver treatments directly to affected areas. Despite potential challenges such as the high cost of equipment and the shortage of trained professionals, the outlook for the nuclear medicine industry is positive, and it is expected to continue to innovate and improve patient care in the coming years.

Nuclear Medicine Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $5.5 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $9.4 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 11.3% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The nuclear medicine market is mainly driven by factors such as rising incidence and prevalence of target disease and need for adoption of nuclear medicine for early diagnosis of diseases. However, hospital budget cuts and high equipment prices have made it difficult for a section of end users to opt for nuclear medicine are challenging the growth of this market.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=417

Browse in-depth TOC on "Nuclear Medicine Market"

449 - Tables

39 - Figures

359 - Pages

Nuclear Medicine Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $5.5 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $9.4 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 11.3% Market Size Available for 2021-2028 Forecast Period 20232028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, Application, Procedure volume, End User & Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, ROW Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Use of radiopharmaceuticals in neurological applications Key Market Drivers Increasing incidence and prevalence of target conditions

The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.

On the basis of type, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET radiopharmaceuticals, while the therapeutic nuclear medicine segment is further divided into beta emitters, alpha emitters, and brachytherapy isotopes. The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is expected to holds the largest share of the nuclear medicine market during forecast period. The rising prevalence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and advancements in radiotracers are some of the key factors driving the growth of this segment.

The diagnostic procedure segment is projected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.

On the basis of procedural volume, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The diagnostic procedure segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET procedures. The diagnostic procedures accounted for the largest share, in the nuclear medicine market. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the diagnostic radioisotopes finding wider demand and use as compared to therapeutic radioisotopes.

The diagnostic application segment is expected to account for the largest share of the nuclear medicine application market in 2022.

On the basis of application, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The diagnostic application segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET applications, while the therapeutic nuclear medicine segment is further divided into endocrine tumors, thyroid indications, bone metastasis, lymphoma, other therapeutic applications. The diagnostic application segment is expected to account for the largest share of the nuclear medicine market. The increasing demand for SPECT diagnosis owing to the rising demand for minimally invasive surgeries and targeted radiotherapy is the major factor driving the adoption of the diagnostic application using nuclear medicine.

North America accounted for the largest share for players operating in the nuclear medicine market in 2022

On the basis of region, the nuclear medicine market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America holds the largest share of the nuclear medicine market in 2022. This can be attributed to the rising surge of geriatric population, growing requirement of nuclear medicine in the early diagnosis of diseases, technology advancement for radioisotope production, government funding, and key players in this region are also impelling the nuclear medicine market in the region.

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Nuclear Medicine Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Increasing incidence and prevalence of target conditions Development of alpha-radioimmunotherapy-based targeted cancer treatments Initiatives to reduce demand and supply gap of Mo-99

Restraints:

Short half-life of radiopharmaceuticals

Opportunities:

Use of radiopharmaceuticals in neurological applications Growth opportunities in emerging economies

Challenges:

Hospital budget cuts and high equipment costs

Key Market Players:

The nuclear medicine market is highly consolidated. Some of the major players operating in this market include GE HealthCare (US), Cardinal Health (US), Curium (France),Bayer AG (Germany), Lantheus Holdings, Inc.(US), Bracco Imaging S.p.A. (Italy), PharmaLogic Holdings Corp. (US), Eczacibasi-Monrol Nuclear Products (Turkey), NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd (South Africa), Nordion Inc.(Canada), Advanced Accelerator Applications (France), NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (US), Eckert & Ziegler (Germany), Isotope JSC (Russia), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Jubilant DraxImage,Inc. (Canada).

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Recent Developments:

In January 2023 , NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (US) achieved a major milestone in advancing its new technology for non-uranium-based production of the critical medical radioisotope, molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

, NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (US) achieved a major milestone in advancing its new technology for non-uranium-based production of the critical medical radioisotope, molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). In November 2022 , Curium ( France ) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DaTscan (Ioflupane I 123 Injection) to assist in evaluating adult patients with suspected Parkinsonian Syndromes.

, Curium ( ) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DaTscan (Ioflupane I 123 Injection) to assist in evaluating adult patients with suspected Parkinsonian Syndromes. In October 2022 , Blue Earth Diagnostics (UK) signed a data-sharing agreement with Siemens Healthineers ( Germany ) and the University Hospital of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3, an investigational PET imaging agent, to support AI-based algorithms development.

, Blue Earth Diagnostics (UK) signed a data-sharing agreement with Siemens Healthineers ( ) and the University Hospital of the Technical University of (TUM) for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3, an investigational PET imaging agent, to support AI-based algorithms development. In January 2021 , Advanced Accelerator Applications ( France ) signed a multi-year exclusive supply agreement for lutetium-177 with the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Through this agreement, MURR will supply AAA with GMP-quality lutetium-177 chloride, the precursor for developing Lutathera and other Lu-177-based therapeutics.

Nuclear Medicine Market Advantages:

Accurate diagnosis: nuclear medicine allows for highly accurate diagnosis of various diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders. This is because it enables imaging and functional assessment at a molecular level, providing more precise information about the disease.

Personalized treatment: Radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine can be customized to target specific tissues or cells, enabling personalized treatment for patients. This approach can improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.

Minimally invasive: nuclear medicine procedures are minimally invasive and require only small amounts of radioactive materials. This means that they are generally safer and less invasive than surgical procedures.

Early detection: nuclear medicine can detect diseases and conditions at an early stage, before symptoms appear. This can lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes.

Non-invasive: Nuclear medicine procedures are generally non-invasive, which means they do not require incisions or other invasive techniques. This can lead to faster recovery times and lower risk of complications.

Nuclear Medicine Market - Report Highlights:

The updated version of the report covers the historical market for the nuclear medicine market for the years 2021 and 2022, the estimated market for 2023, and the forecast for 2028, along with CAGR from 2023 to 2028.

UPDATED MARKET OVERVIEW:

The current edition of the report covers regulatory bodies, government agencies, and other organizations, industry trends, pricing analysis, key conferences & events, pipeline analysis, and key stakeholders & buying criteria in the market overview chapter.

ADDITION OF END USER:

The current edition of the report includes the end user chapter.

UPDATED COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE CHAPTER:

The competitive landscape chapter has been updated with the company evaluation quadrant (DIVE Matrix), company evaluation quadrant for start-ups, footprint of nuclear medicine/radiopharmaceuticals market by type, and geographical assessment of the top market players.

The competitive landscape also includes the updated strategies adopted by key players, a revenue share analysis of the top market players, as well as competitive situations and trends section.

COMPANY PROFILES:

Company profiles give a glimpse of the key players in the market with respect to business overviews, financials, product offerings, and recent developments. One additional company profile has been added (a total of 25 companies profiled).

UPDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION/PRODUCT PORTFOLIOS OF PLAYERS:

The new edition of the report provides updated financial information in the context of the nuclear medicine market until 2022 for each listed company in a graphical representation in a single diagram (instead of multiple tables). This will easily help analyze the present status of profiled companies in terms of their financial strength, key revenue-generating country/region, business segment focus in terms of the highest revenue-generating segment, and investments in R&D activities.

UPDATED MARKET DEVELOPMENTS OF PROFILED PLAYERS:

Recent developments are important to understand the market trend and growth strategies adopted by players in the global nuclear medicine market space. The current edition of this report provides updated developments of profiled players from January 2019 to March 2023, indicating a continuation of the previous version. Partnerships, collaborations, agreements, product approval & enhancements, expansions, and acquisitions have been the principal growth strategies adopted by the market players in this period.

ADDITION OF RECESSION IMPACT:

The current edition of the report consists of the impact of the recession on the nuclear medicine/radiopharmaceuticals market.

A section on the impact of the recession on all regional markets, such as North America , Asia Pacific , Europe , and Rest of the World have been included.

Related Reports:

Radiation Detection Monitoring Safety Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Surgical Robots Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Electroceuticals Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Diagnostic Imaging Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Nuclear Imaging Equipment Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
Michael Graham Richard Has Been Hired as Head of Infinite Media, O'Shaughnessy Ventures' Media Vertical

Nicholas Tawil Has Been Hired as Chief of Staff to Founder and CEO Jim O'Shaughnessy

GREENWICH, Conn., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC ("OSV"), an investment firm that empowers creators, has announced that it has hired Michael Graham Richard (known online as "Liberty") as the head of its media vertical, Infinite Media. Graham Richard's role at OSV will be to build a win-win engine of discovery, curation, and creation.

O'Shaughnessy Ventures Chief of Staff Nicholas Tawil and Director of Infinite Media Graham Richard.

OSV has also announced that Nicholas Tawil has been appointed Chief of Staff to its founder and CEO, Jim O'Shaughnessy. As Chief of Staff, Tawil will work directly with O'Shaughnessy and his team across all verticals to continue building on the OSV vision.

"After an extensive search, I'm delighted to welcome Michael and Nicholas to OSV," said O'Shaughnessy, "I have been a subscriber to Michael's newsletter for years and consider him one of the best curators on the planet. Nicholas' achievements across both his military and financial career are hugely impressive. They are both fantastic additions to our growing team."

Graham Richard commented, "I joined the OSV mothership because the organization's North Star is very aligned with mine. I want to optimize my life to do interesting and impactful things with people I admire and respect while also having the freedom to try to become the best version of myself. This seemed like a great way to do that!"

Tawil said, "O'Shaughnessy Ventures offers a unique perspective on supporting innovation at the cross-section of science, art, technology, and entrepreneurship. I'm incredibly excited to join Jim and the team and to help continue building out the reality of this vision."

About Graham Richard

Graham Richard, better known online as "Liberty," never quite figured out what he wanted to do growing up. Ultimately, he realized that the search itself was the thing and curiosity the best fuel. He believes that most people's favorite thing is out there, and they haven't found it yet.

A generalist in a world dominated by specialists, what brings him the most satisfaction is the self-reinforcing cycle of exploration and creation. His playground keeps expanding and covers business, technology, science, history, and the arts.

Graham Richard obtained a Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) degree before deciding that he did not want to practice law. He then joined an online media startup where he played many roles over a decade, including editor-in-chief. He became a full-time investor for several years before starting a newsletter and podcast where he provides Exploration-as-a-Service.

More information about Graham Richard can be found on his Substack Liberty's Highlights .

About Tawil

Tawil strongly believes in serving others and working on dedicated, mission-oriented teams.

After the Sep. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Tawil attended the U.S. Naval Academy. As a naval officer, he deployed around the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

After military service, Tawil's interest in the innovation economy and investing led him to leadership roles in finance across investment banking and venture capital. In these roles, he helped deploy capital across the venture capital ecosystem, including emerging fund managers and company founders.

More information about Tawil can be found on his LinkedIn .

About O'Shaughnessy Ventures

OSV is a creative investment firm that empowers and inspires creators to bring their ideas to life. Founded by Jim O'Shaughnessy, a pioneer in quantitative investing, founder of O'Shaughnessy Asset Management, and author of four books on investing, OSV aims to provide financial support and to partner in growing the next life-changing creative ideas.

OSV combines O'Shaughnessy's deeply rooted interest in all things art, science, investing, and tech with his long-held desire to establish scenarios designed to help promising creators and their inspiring ideas succeed, regardless of age, location, job history, or level of education. For more information, visit https://www.osv.llc/ .

Ena Gong

O'Shaughnessy Ventures LLC

(917) 355-7420

[email protected]

SOURCE O'Shaughnessy Ventures
TAMPA, Fla., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Phonism, leading provider of intelligent Device Lifecycle Management (iDLM) solutions, is excited to announce its integration with Zoom Video Communications, Inc. and official launch into the Zoom App Marketplace . This relationship enables large Enterprises the ability to deploy and manage IP phones at scale on Zoom Phone, a feature-rich cloud phone system for businesses of all sizes. Phonism empowers Service Providers with a strategic BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) approach, enabling a host of previously unsupported devices the ability to now be powered by Zoom Phone.

Phonism's seamless integration with Zoom Phone allows businesses to streamline and centralize VoIP phone provisioning, management, compliance and customer experience across multiple devices.

Phonism's seamless integration with Zoom Phone allows businesses to streamline and centralize VoIP phone provisioning, management, compliance and customer experience across multiple devices. Connecting these platforms provides an automatic hierarchy sync and imports devices into a feature-rich admin and user experience. Phonism offers a compliance lock for supported devices on Zoom Phone, further preventing the tampering of or misconfiguration of settings and firmware. Technician onsite visits are greatly reduced, and customer self-service eliminates most device-related support tickets.

Key benefits of Phonism's integration with Zoom Phone include:

Multi-Vendor Zero-Touch Provisioning

Universal Visual Device + Button Management

Eliminating XML + Config File Management

Compliance Lock + 5-Tier Hierarchy Stackable Templates

Remote Command + Control ( Reboot, Reset to Factory )

Bulk Move, Add, Change, Delete ( MACD )

Network + SIP Management Tools

Support for 260+ Devices - Including Avaya, Mitel and Many Others.

"We are excited to be working with Zoom to help support additional device types for Zoom Phone as well as accelerate expansion into the Enterprise sector and increase our overall addressable markets," says Steve Lazaridis, Founder and CEO of Phonism.

"Zoom Phone's growth over the past four years has been exceptional and Phonism helps our customers to support a wide variety of device manufactures while simplifying their migration to the cloud," said Mitch Ricks, Global Leader ISV Partners.

About Phonism

Phonism helps service providers, manufacturers, distributors, and app developers eliminate the complexities of provisioning, deploying, and managing VoIP devices throughout the entire lifecycle. Their vendor-agnostic approach allows customers to expand TAM (Total Addressable Markets) by taking advantage of revenue producing, profit-generating Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) opportunities. Phonism customers win more deals, deploy faster and maintain devices efficiently with innovative and enhanced self-service experiences.

Phonism was founded in 2012 in Tampa, Florida. In the past year, Phonism more than doubled headcount and expanded their team on 3 continents. Phonism makes it easy for anyone in the VoIP ecosystem to sell and support more than 260 devices and over 1400 versions of firmware on nearly any voice platform.

For more information on Phonism, please visit Phonism.com , email or call 813-200-7922.

Media Contact:

Angela Lee

[email protected]

813-200-7922

SOURCE Phonism
SOLNA, Sweden, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Prostatype Genomics AB announced today that Professor Gerald Andriole has been appointed as global Chief Medical Officer at Prostatype Genomics. With more than 35 years in urology, Professor Andriole brings a wealth of experience and expertise to Prostatype Genomics as the company works towards commercializing the Prostatype test in the United States and globally.

Gerald L. Andriole, Jr., MD, was most recently Professor in the Department of Urology and Director of the Brady Urological Institute in the National Capital Region of Johns Hopkins University. Previously, he was the Robert K. Royce Distinguished Professor and Chief of Urologic Surgery at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, the Siteman Cancer Center, and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri.

Professor Andriole received his medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He completed urology residency at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. He then received specialty training in Urologic Oncology at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland.

Professor Andriole has over 35 years of consistent contributions in caring for men with prostate cancer and in prostate cancer prevention, screening and treatment research. He has contributed more than 450 peer-reviewed publications and has served on the editorial boards of several prestigious medical journals. He has been Chairman of the Prostate Committee of the National Cancer Institute's Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial; Chairman of the Prostate Committee for the Society of Urologic Oncology Clinical Trials Consortium; and Chairman of the Steering Committee of the REDUCE International Prostate Cancer Prevention Trial.

Professor Andriole has been the recipient of numerous awards including the outstanding achievement award from the Urologic Oncology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, the Distinguished Clinician Award from Washington University in St. Louis and the Richard Williams Award for Prostate Cancer Research Excellence from the American Urologic Association Urology Care Foundation.

Fredrik Persson CEO of Prostatype Genomics says "We are honored that Professor Andriole has decided to join Prostatype Genomics. His strong track record as an investigator, his reputation as an internationally recognized key opinion leader in Urology and significant focus on men with prostate cancer provides us with the expertise to bring a benchmark test like Prostatype to physicians and patients. His research and clinical experience, much of which focuses on genomic testing, allows him to continue to positively impact the quality of care and outcomes for patients diagnosed with prostate cancer. Professor Andriole's background will provide significant guidance to Prostatype Genomics in the US as well as globally."

"I am excited about this next step in my career" says Professor Andriole. "By working with the team at Prostatype Genomics, we aim to help patients and clinicians globally make better decisions about the treatment of prostate cancer. The Prostatype test determines the unique molecular characteristics of the patient's cancer, which used in conjunction with routine clinical information, better enables the patient and his physician to determine the most appropriate, personalized care for his tumor."

About Prostatype Genomics; Prostatype Genomics AB manufactures, markets and sells the prognostic gene test Prostatype. By giving a comprehensive assessment of the aggressiveness of the prostate cancer, Prostatype helps clinicians and patients to make more informed treatment decisions. Over and under treatment of prostate cancer can be minimized, the quality of life for the patient improved and money saved for the health care sector. Prostatype Genomics Inc is a wholly owned subsidiary of Prostatype Genomic AB, Stockholm, Sweden

Press contact

Nicklas Rosendal

[email protected]

Certified Advisor

Svensk Kapitalmarknadsgranskning AB,

www.skmg.se

SOURCE Prostatype Genomics AB
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Pubs, Bars, and Nightclubs Market by Product, Application, and Geography - Forecast and Analysis 2023-2027" report has been added to Technavio's offering. The pubs, bars, and nightclubs market is estimated to grow by USD 31.46 billion between 2022 and 2027 at a CAGR of 5.09%. Europe will account for 41% of the market growth during the forecast period. The growth of the regional market is driven by the presence of many restaurant chains and high consumer expenditure in leisure activities. In addition, the increasing popularity of wine among the older population and the rising demand for lager, flavored lager, and craft beer types are contributing to the growth of the pubs, bars, and nightclubs market in Europe. For comprehensive details on the market size of the historic period (2017 to 2021) and forecast period (2023-2027) - View a Sample Report

Technavio has announced its latest market research report titled Global Pubs, Bars, and Nightclubs Market 2023-2027

Vendor Landscape

The pubs, bars, and nightclubs market is fragmented due to the presence of numerous small and large vendors. All these players compete to meet the needs of consumers and to increase their market reach. The heterogeneous nature of this industry has led to vendors intensely competing against each other based on quality, pricing, service, and menu variations. The current market includes companies of varying sizes. The market faces competition from an unrelated segment, such as fine dining restaurants and local mobile and street vendors. Some of the key vendors covered in the report include:

J D Wetherspoon plc - The company is an award-winning hotel that owns pubs and bars across the UK and Ireland .

- The company is an award-winning hotel that owns pubs and bars across the UK and . Floreria Atlantico - The company has one of the best cocktail bars in Argentina .

- The company has one of the best cocktail bars in . Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. - It is an international luxury hotel and resort company that owns hotels, resorts, and bars.

- It is an international luxury hotel and resort company that owns hotels, resorts, and bars. Hakkasan Group - The company has a world-class Chinese dining cuisine restaurant brand born in London .

- The company has a world-class Chinese dining cuisine restaurant brand born in . Attaboy

Boadas

Kings Head Pub

Licoreria Limantour

Maybourne Hotel Group.

McKs Tavern

Mitchells and Butlers plc

Oberoi Group

Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH

PCO

The Atlas

The report provides a full list of key vendors, their strategies, and the latest developments. Buy Now

Market Dynamics

Major Driver  The market is driven by the increasing number of pubs and bars. Socialization at bars and restaurants is a growing trend among urban youth. Over recent years, the urban population has increased significantly. This can be attributed to the increased urbanization rate in developed countries such as the US, Canada, and European countries. The rate of urbanization is also increasing in developing countries in APAC. Changing tastes and preferences for different types of premium beverages among the urban population have increased the number of pubs and bars that offer alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages. In addition, increased investments in infrastructure development projects such as airports and expressways are contributing to the growth of the market.

Key Trend  The rise in premium products is identified as the key trend in the market. Changes in drinking habits have encouraged consumers to prefer mixing their own cocktails. They are exhibiting increased demand for high-quality cocktails and beverages. Also, consumers are willing to spend more and purchase premium spirits and ingredients. To capitalize on this trend, vendors are changing their menus and adding cocktail lists that feature local, sustainable, or top-shelf spirits. They are also using illustrative drink descriptions on the menu. All these factors are expected to positively influence the market growth over the forecast period.

Major Challenge  Threats from the rising popularity of home-cooked food and takeaway services will challenge the growth of the market. Many people are increasing their preference for home-cooked food than eating at bars and pubs. The growing awareness about healthy eating habits and the risk of lifestyle-borne diseases like heart problems, diabetes, and obesity have led consumers to prefer home-cooked food. Home-cooked food is more nutritious, hygienic, and economical than dining out or takeaway foods. This shift in the eating habits among consumers will negatively affect the market growth.

Drivers, trends, and challenges have an impact on market dynamics, which can impact businesses. Find more insights in a sample report!

Company Profiles

The pubs, bars, and nightclubs market report includes information on the product launches, sustainability, and prospects of leading vendors including Accor SA, Attaboy, Boadas, Floreria Atlantico, Four Seasons Hotels Ltd., Hakkasan Group, J D Wetherspoon plc, Kings Head Pub, Licoreria Limantour, Maybourne Hotel Group., McKs Tavern, Mitchells and Butlers plc, Oberoi Grou, Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH, PCO, The Atlas, The Cats Eye Pub, The Clumsies, The Dove, and Trailer Happiness.

Get lifetime access to our Technavio Insights! Subscribe to our Basic Plan billed annually at USD 5000

Competitive Analysis

The report includes competitive analysis, a proprietary tool to analyze and evaluate the position of companies based on their industry position score and market performance score. The competitive scenario categorizes companies based on various performance indicators. Some of the factors considered include the financial performance of companies over the past few years, growth strategies, product innovations, new product launches, investments, and growth in market share, among others.

Market Segmentation

By product, the market is classified into beverages and foods.

By application, the market is classified into men and women.

By geography, the market is classified as Europe , APAC, North America , Middle East and Africa , and South America .

Related Reports:

The luxury hotel market is estimated to decline at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2022 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 54.46 billion. The market is segmented by type (upscale, upper-upscale, and luxury), ownership (chain and independent), and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

The cafes and bars market size is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.81% between 2023 and 2027. The size of the market is forecasted to increase by USD 73.63 billion. The market is segmented by product (beverages and food), type (bars and pubs, cafes, and specialty coffee shops), and geography (Europe, APAC, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America).

Pubs, Bars, and Nightclubs Market Scope Report Coverage Details Base year 2022 Historic period 2017-2021 Forecast period 2023-2027 Growth momentum & CAGR Accelerate at a CAGR of 5.09% Market growth 2023-2027 USD 31.46 billion Market structure Fragmented YoY growth 2022-2023 (%) 4.11 Regional analysis Europe, APAC, North America, Middle East and Africa, and South America Performing market contribution Europe at 41% Key countries US, China, Japan, UK, and France Competitive landscape Leading Vendors, Market Positioning of Vendors, Competitive Strategies, and Industry Risks Key companies profiled Accor SA, Attaboy, Boadas, Floreria Atlantico, Four Seasons Hotels Ltd., Hakkasan Group, J D Wetherspoon plc, Kings Head Pub, Licoreria Limantour, Maybourne Hotel Group., McKs Tavern, Mitchells and Butlers plc, Oberoi Grou, Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH, PCO, The Atlas, The Cats Eye Pub, The Clumsies, The Dove, and Trailer Happiness Market dynamics Parent market analysis, market growth inducers and obstacles, fast-growing and slow-growing segment analysis, COVID-19 impact and recovery analysis and future consumer dynamics, and market condition analysis for the forecast period. Customization purview If our report has not included the data that you are looking for, you can reach out to our analysts and get segments customized.

Browse through Technavio's Consumer Discretionary Market Re ports

Table of contents:

1 Executive Summary

1.1 Market overview

Exhibit 01: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Overview



Exhibit 02: Executive Summary  Data Table on Market Overview



Exhibit 03: Executive Summary  Chart on Global Market Characteristics



Exhibit 04: Executive Summary  Chart on Market by Geography



Exhibit 05: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Product



Exhibit 06: Executive Summary  Chart on Market Segmentation by Application



Exhibit 07: Executive Summary  Chart on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 08: Executive Summary  Data Table on Incremental Growth



Exhibit 09: Executive Summary  Chart on Vendor Market Positioning

2 Market Landscape

2.1 Market ecosystem

Exhibit 10: Parent market



Exhibit 11: Market Characteristics

3 Market Sizing

3.1 Market definition

Exhibit 12: Offerings of vendors included in the market definition

3.2 Market segment analysis

Exhibit 13: Market segments

3.3 Market size 2022

3.4 Market outlook: Forecast for 2022-2027

Exhibit 14: Chart on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 15: Data Table on Global - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 16: Chart on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 17: Data Table on Global Market: Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

4 Historic Market Size

4.1 Global pubs, bars and nightclubs market 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 18: Historic Market Size  Data Table on Global pubs, bars and nightclubs market 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.2 By Product Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 19: Historic Market Size  By Product Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.3 By Application Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 20: Historic Market Size  By Application Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.4 Geography Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 21: Historic Market Size  Geography Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

4.5 Country Segment Analysis 2017 - 2021

Exhibit 22: Historic Market Size  Country Segment 2017 - 2021 ($ billion)

5 Five Forces Analysis

5.1 Five forces summary

Exhibit 23: Five forces analysis - Comparison between 2022 and 2027

5.2 Bargaining power of buyers

Exhibit 24: Chart on Bargaining power of buyers  Impact of key factors 2022 and 2027

5.3 Bargaining power of suppliers

Exhibit 25: Bargaining power of suppliers  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.4 Threat of new entrants

Exhibit 26: Threat of new entrants  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.5 Threat of substitutes

Exhibit 27: Threat of substitutes  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.6 Threat of rivalry

Exhibit 28: Threat of rivalry  Impact of key factors in 2022 and 2027

5.7 Market condition

Exhibit 29: Chart on Market condition - Five forces 2022 and 2027

6 Market Segmentation by Product

6.1 Market segments

Exhibit 30: Chart on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 31: Data Table on Product - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

6.2 Comparison by Product

Exhibit 32: Chart on Comparison by Product



Exhibit 33: Data Table on Comparison by Product

6.3 Beverages - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 34: Chart on Beverages - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 35: Data Table on Beverages - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 36: Chart on Beverages - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 37: Data Table on Beverages - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.4 Foods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 38: Chart on Foods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 39: Data Table on Foods - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 40: Chart on Foods - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 41: Data Table on Foods - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

6.5 Market opportunity by Product

Exhibit 42: Market opportunity by Product ($ billion)

7 Market Segmentation by Application

7.1 Market segments

Exhibit 43: Chart on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 44: Data Table on Application - Market share 2022-2027 (%)

7.2 Comparison by Application

Exhibit 45: Chart on Comparison by Application



Exhibit 46: Data Table on Comparison by Application

7.3 Men - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 47: Chart on Men - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 48: Data Table on Men - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 49: Chart on Men - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 50: Data Table on Men - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.4 Women - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 51: Chart on Women - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 52: Data Table on Women - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 53: Chart on Women - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 54: Data Table on Women - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

7.5 Market opportunity by Application

Exhibit 55: Market opportunity by Application ($ billion)

8 Customer Landscape

8.1 Customer landscape overview

Exhibit 56: Analysis of price sensitivity, lifecycle, customer purchase basket, adoption rates, and purchase criteria

9 Geographic Landscape

9.1 Geographic segmentation

Exhibit 57: Chart on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 58: Data Table on Market share by geography 2022-2027 (%)

9.2 Geographic comparison

Exhibit 59: Chart on Geographic comparison



Exhibit 60: Data Table on Geographic comparison

9.3 Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 61: Chart on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 62: Data Table on Europe - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 63: Chart on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 64: Data Table on Europe - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.4 APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 65: Chart on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 66: Data Table on APAC - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 67: Chart on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 68: Data Table on APAC - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.5 North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 69: Chart on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 70: Data Table on North America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 71: Chart on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 72: Data Table on North America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.6 Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 73: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 74: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

and - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 75: Chart on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

and - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 76: Data Table on Middle East and Africa - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.7 South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 77: Chart on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 78: Data Table on South America - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 79: Chart on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 80: Data Table on South America - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.8 US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 81: Chart on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 82: Data Table on US - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 83: Chart on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 84: Data Table on US - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.9 China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 85: Chart on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 86: Data Table on China - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 87: Chart on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 88: Data Table on China - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.10 UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

Exhibit 89: Chart on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 90: Data Table on UK - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)



Exhibit 91: Chart on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)



Exhibit 92: Data Table on UK - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.11 Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 93: Chart on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 94: Data Table on Japan - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 95: Chart on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 96: Data Table on Japan - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.12 France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 Exhibit 97: Chart on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 98: Data Table on France - Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

- Market size and forecast 2022-2027 ($ billion)

Exhibit 99: Chart on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

- Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

Exhibit 100: Data Table on France - Year-over-year growth 2022-2027 (%)

9.13 Market opportunity by geography

Exhibit 101: Market opportunity by geography ($ billion)

10 Drivers, Challenges, and Trends

10.1 Market drivers

10.2 Market challenges

10.3 Impact of drivers and challenges

Exhibit 102: Impact of drivers and challenges in 2022 and 2027

10.4 Market trends

11 Vendor Landscape

11.1 Overview

11.2 Vendor landscape

Exhibit 103: Overview on Criticality of inputs and Factors of differentiation

11.3 Landscape disruption

Exhibit 104: Overview on factors of disruption

11.4 Industry risks

Exhibit 105: Impact of key risks on business

12 Vendor Analysis

12.1 Vendors covered

Exhibit 106: Vendors covered

12.2 Market positioning of vendors

Exhibit 107: Matrix on vendor position and classification

12.3 Accor SA

Exhibit 108: Accor SA - Overview



Exhibit 109: Accor SA - Business segments



Exhibit 110: Accor SA - Key offerings



Exhibit 111: Accor SA - Segment focus

12.4 Attaboy

Exhibit 112: Attaboy - Overview



Exhibit 113: Attaboy - Product / Service



Exhibit 114: Attaboy - Key offerings

12.5 Floreria Atlantico

Exhibit 115: Floreria Atlantico - Overview



Exhibit 116: Floreria Atlantico - Product / Service



Exhibit 117: Floreria Atlantico - Key offerings

12.6 Four Seasons Hotels Ltd.

Exhibit 118: Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. - Overview



Exhibit 119: Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. - Product / Service



Exhibit 120: Four Seasons Hotels Ltd. - Key offerings

12.7 Hakkasan Group

Exhibit 121: Hakkasan Group - Overview



Exhibit 122: Hakkasan Group - Product / Service



Exhibit 123: Hakkasan Group - Key offerings

12.8 J D Wetherspoon plc

Exhibit 124: J D Wetherspoon plc - Overview



Exhibit 125: J D Wetherspoon plc - Business segments



Exhibit 126: J D Wetherspoon plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 127: J D Wetherspoon plc - Segment focus

12.9 Kings Head Pub

Exhibit 128: Kings Head Pub - Overview



Exhibit 129: Kings Head Pub - Product / Service



Exhibit 130: Kings Head Pub - Key offerings

12.10 Licoreria Limantour

Exhibit 131: Licoreria Limantour - Overview



Exhibit 132: Licoreria Limantour - Product / Service



Exhibit 133: Licoreria Limantour - Key offerings

12.11 Maybourne Hotel Group.

Exhibit 134: Maybourne Hotel Group. - Overview



Exhibit 135: Maybourne Hotel Group. - Product / Service



Exhibit 136: Maybourne Hotel Group. - Key offerings

12.12 McKs Tavern

Exhibit 137: McKs Tavern - Overview



Exhibit 138: McKs Tavern - Product / Service



Exhibit 139: McKs Tavern - Key offerings

12.13 Mitchells and Butlers plc

Exhibit 140: Mitchells and Butlers plc - Overview



Exhibit 141: Mitchells and Butlers plc - Business segments



Exhibit 142: Mitchells and Butlers plc - Key offerings



Exhibit 143: Mitchells and Butlers plc - Segment focus

12.14 Oberoi Group

Exhibit 144: Oberoi Group - Overview



Exhibit 145: Oberoi Group - Product / Service



Exhibit 146: Oberoi Group - Key offerings

12.15 Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH

Exhibit 147: Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH - Overview



Exhibit 148: Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH - Product / Service



Exhibit 149: Oetker Hotel Management Company GmbH - Key offerings

12.16 PCO

Exhibit 150: PCO - Overview



Exhibit 151: PCO - Product / Service



Exhibit 152: PCO - Key offerings

12.17 The Atlas

Exhibit 153: The Atlas - Overview



Exhibit 154: The Atlas - Product / Service



Exhibit 155: The Atlas - Key offerings

13 Appendix

13.1 Scope of the report

13.2 Inclusions and exclusions checklist

Exhibit 156: Inclusions checklist



Exhibit 157: Exclusions checklist

13.3 Currency conversion rates for US$

Exhibit 158: Currency conversion rates for US$

13.4 Research methodology

Exhibit 159: Research methodology



Exhibit 160: Validation techniques employed for market sizing



Exhibit 161: Information sources

13.5 List of abbreviations

Exhibit 162: List of abbreviations

About Us

Technavio is a leading global technology research and advisory company. Their research and analysis focus on emerging market trends and provide actionable insights to help businesses identify market opportunities and develop effective strategies to optimize their market positions. With over 500 specialized analysts, Technavio's report library consists of more than 17,000 reports and counting, covering 800 technologies, spanning across 50 countries. Their client base consists of enterprises of all sizes, including more than 100 Fortune 500 companies. This growing client base relies on Technavio's comprehensive coverage, extensive research, and actionable market insights to identify opportunities in existing and potential markets and assess their competitive positions within changing market scenarios.

Contact

Technavio Research

Jesse Maida

Media & Marketing Executive

US: +1 844 364 1100

UK: +44 203 893 3200

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.technavio.com/

SOURCE Technavio
flydubai, the Dubai-based carrier, has unveiled its latest premium business class seat, offering passengers added comfort, privacy and an exceptional onboard experience at the ongoing Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.



The Business Suite, designed exclusively for single-aisle aircraft, is the latest evolution in flydubais Business Class offering which will see 10 suites introduced to a number of the carriers newest aircraft before the end of 2023. The new seat will offer all passengers in Business Class direct aisle access, which rivals the Business Class experience on board many wide-body aircraft.



flydubai is the launch customer for this brand-new seat. Close collaboration with Safran Seats, one of the world's leading manufacturers of aircraft seats, and JPA Design, a multinational design company operating in the transportation, interiors, and product design arenas, has resulted in a uniquely flydubai and best-in-class Business Class seating product.



Commenting on the new launch, Ghaith Al Ghaith, Chief Executive Officer at flydubai, said: flydubai is committed to exceeding expectations. Our business and product offerings have evolved from the initial no-frills model over the past 14 years to cater to the ever-growing needs of our customers and the markets we operate to.



We have come a long way since the introduction of our first Business Class offering in 2013, which has served us well. Today, we are proud to unveil a new premium product which rivals the Business Class experience offered by many airlines on wide-body aircraft. We will continue to invest in innovation to enhance the customer experience across our growing fleet.



Victoria Foy, CEO of Safran Seats, said: We are very excited to have flydubai as our launch customer for flydubais The Business Suite VUE seat, it has been an exciting journey working together to bring this product to the market for the first time on a Boeing aircraft. flydubai will operate with an outstanding Business Class seat designed for the best onboard experience on single-aisle longer haul flights.



Daniel Kerrison, Vice President of Inflight Product at flydubai, said: The new business suite will take comfort on board to the next level. The increased height of the back-shell, a sliding suite door and direct aisle access for every passenger create a level of privacy never before seen on Boeing 737s. We have been working with Safran Seats and JPA Design over the past three years to develop an experience that meets the growing demand for premium air travel services across our network, offering passengers wide-body comfort on our narrow-body fleet.



James Park, Chairman & Founder of JPA Design, said: We have been trusted partners of flydubai for many years and have had the privilege of designing their aircraft cabins since they introduced their first lie-flat seat to market in 2017. This latest collaboration demonstrates flydubais clear commitment to offering the very highest level of product to their customers.  TradeArabia News Service
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ - Kazakhstan Railways) has clarified the social media rumors about the ban of oil product supplies via rail to the Russian port of Taman by KZT, Trend reports via the press service of KTZ.

As the KTZ noted, the convention ban on the transportation of petroleum products, which is going to take effect on May 8, 2023, was introduced by the Council for Rail Transport of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) at the request of Russian Railways JSC (RZD), not by the KTZ.

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, Russian Railways has also restricted rail deliveries to Taman after Russian officials said a fuel depot had caught fire near a crucial bridge linking Russia to Crimea.

Taman port is located on the Russian side of the Kerch Strait which connects the Black and Azov Seas.

Recently, Kazakhstan's KTZ Express JSC jointly with Russia's RZD Logistics JSC organized the dispatch of the first refrigerated container train in direct rail traffic on the Moscow-Xi'an (China) route.
Fueled by CIM's $100M warehouse facility, R2 continues to forge ahead with its mission to broaden financial access to small and medium businesses in Latin America.

MEXICO CITY, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- R2 , the leading embedded lending infrastructure company in Latin America, has successfully closed a $100 million warehouse facility with Community Investment Management ( CIM ), a global impact-focused investment manager. The transaction provides the funding capacity to heavily scale and strengthen R2 's lending capabilities and partnerships, spurring a new wave of innovation in the industry and positioning R2 to make a significant economic impact in Mexico and beyond.

Since its founding, R2 has emerged as a key player in the sector launching multiple embedded lending partnerships and originating over $20 million in Revenue-Based Financing and B2B Buy Now, Pay Later to over 6,000 small and medium business users (SMBs) in Mexico, Colombia, Chile, and Ecuador. Through its integration with leading technology companies in the payments and food delivery sectors, R2 empowers SMB users across the region to access the capital they need to grow and thrive. The $100 million warehouse facility follows R2 's $15 million Series A, led by Gradient Ventures, Google's AI-focused venture fund. The rapid growth, institutional capital base, and modern software infrastructure establishes R2 as the trusted technology partner for companies seeking to embed financial solutions in Latin America.

Thomas Wright, Head of Finance & Capital Markets at R2 , expressed his enthusiasm for the transaction: "We are delighted to secure this warehouse facility with CIM , an institutional debt capital provider with global reach that shares our commitment to deliver social impact through an innovative lending approach. This facility will enable R2 to provide seamless financial services to a broader range of small businesses that sell digitally, fostering more economic growth in Mexico." Roger Larach, R2 's Co-Founder & CEO, echoed the sentiment: "We are confident that our partnership with CIM will pave the way for a more inclusive financial landscape in Latin America."

Elena Tchouvasheva Amato, Managing Director at CIM , also shared her excitement on the potential of this partnership: "At CIM , we are dedicated to supporting organizations that drive meaningful and responsible change in the lending industry. In Latin America, creditworthy small and medium businesses continue to be overlooked by traditional financial institutions because they can't leverage granular enough data to properly assess SMB risk. R2 's cutting-edge embedded lending solution and AI-based underwriting solves this and the company is poised to transform the way SMBs access capital. We are thrilled to support their next phase of growth and believe this partnership will create lasting value for both our organizations and, most importantly, the communities we serve."

With this transaction, R2 consolidates its position as a market leader in the embedded lending industry, while CIM reaffirms its commitment to driving responsible innovation in lending. Together, the two organizations are poised to deliver meaningful impact by creating a more inclusive financial playing field, unlocking growth opportunities for small and medium businesses across Latin America, and transforming the financial landscape in the region.

About R2

Founded in 2020, R2 enables payment processors, POS systems and marketplaces to provide financing to small and medium businesses in Latin America. Via its API, R2 provides an end-to-end lending experience to technology platforms so that they provide capital to businesses without taking on any risk. R2 works with some of Latin America's leading technology companies and is backed by General Catalyst, Gradient Ventures, Y Combinator, 166 2nd, Femsa Ventures, among others. For more information, visit r2.co .

About Community Investment Management

Community Investment Management ( CIM ) is an institutional impact investment manager that provides strategic debt capital to demonstrate and scale responsible innovation in lending. CIM is dedicated to supporting organizations that drive positive change and foster financial inclusion, economic growth, and social impact. For more information, visit https://cim-llc.com/ .

SOURCE R2
LONDON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ReadyWise, the leading manufacturer of emergency food supplies in the United States, is pleased to announce the launch of its new website in Germany and its availability on Amazon in Germany. The launch will offer customers in Germany easy access to ReadyWise's range of non-perishable emergency food supplies. You never know what the future holds: Natural Disasters, Supply Chain Constraints, Social and Political Unrest, Cyber-Attacks, Pandemics with Lock Downs, Wars, and more. The two most important things you need are food and water, which makes it essential to have Emergency Food Supplies to ensure you and your family are prepared. Don't wait until it is too late to invest in your security.

With European headquarters in the UK and expanding operations throughout Europe, ReadyWise provides customers with high-quality, long-lasting food supplies that are essential in times of emergency. The launch of the new website in Germany will allow underserved customers in the DACH region (Deutschland, Austria, and Switzerland) access to ReadyWise's unique selection of emergency food kits that allow them to get their families and themselves prepared for unexpected situations.

ReadyWise emergency food supplies are perfect for individuals, families, and businesses who want a stockpile of non-perishable foods that can last for a long time with up to 25-year shelf life. Emergency food offers people peace of mind that they are prepared for unexpected situations and ensure they have food on the table during tough times. They provide a range of food products, including freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, breakfasts, and entrees that are easy to prepare and store.

"We are thrilled to launch our new website in Germany and expand our presence in Europe," said Mr Kim Berknov, Vice President of EMEA. "We believe that our emergency food supplies can help people prepare for any situation, and we are committed to providing our customers with high-quality, nutritious food that can be stored for an extended period."

ReadyWise's emergency food supplies are also available on www.amazon.de, making it easier for customers to purchase their products online. Don't wait for disaster to strike. Be prepared with ReadyWise's emergency food supplies. Visit the new website today at www.readywise.co.uk/de to learn more.

About ReadyWise: ReadyWise, headquartered in Salt Lake City, UT, and the UK, is a leader in Emergency Food Supplies. ReadyWise helps their customers prepare with their manufactured freeze-dried and dehydrated meals with up to 25-year shelf life. To learn more about ReadyWise products, visit www.readywise.co.uk/de

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SOURCE ReadyWise
MENLO PARK, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive year, global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) ranked as the number one Best Place to Work in the Bay Area (500+ employees) by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Protiviti, Robert Half's consulting subsidiary, is included on the list for companies with 100-199 employees.

Nominees were selected based on scores obtained from an independent survey of workers in the Bay Area. The featured companies are those whose employees rated them highest on key factors, such as compensation and benefits, collaboration and communication and management practices.

"This recognition, which is a direct result of employee feedback, is a testament to our thriving company culture," said Lynne Smith, senior vice president of global human resources at Robert Half. "Being a Best Place to Work means putting our people first, creating a supportive and inclusive work environment, and providing all employees with opportunities to connect and grow."

Robert Half offers innovative programs and benefits designed to enhance employee morale, engagement and productivity. These initiatives are highlighted in the company's 2022 Leading With Integrity: Environmental, Social and Governance Report.

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Offering contract and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, administrative and customer support, legal, and marketing and creative, Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide, including nearly 100 locations in 18 countries outside the United States. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half, including Protiviti, has been named to the Fortune Most Admired Companies and Most Innovative Companies lists and is a Forbes Best Employer for Diversity. Explore our comprehensive solutions, research and insights at RobertHalf.com.

SOURCE Robert Half
Experienced educator and administrator to helm one of the top universities in Silicon Valley

FREMONT, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Nicholas Ladany, PhD, as the new President of the university. Dr. Ladany brings an extensive background in higher education, with over 30 years of experience working with and leading institutions nationwide.

San Francisco Bay University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, is renowned for its strong connections to the tech community and innovative educational approach. As President, Dr. Ladany will seek to further enhance SFBU's position as a leading institution for cutting-edge technology. He will also work to expand the university's partnerships with local and global organizations, providing students with unparalleled opportunities to gain real-world experience and develop the skills necessary to succeed in today's fast-paced, ever-evolving global economy. With Dr. Ladany at the helm, SFBU is poised to build on its reputation for excellence and continue producing graduates who are well-equipped to make meaningful contributions to society.

San Francisco Bay University Appoints Dr. Nicholas Ladany as New President Tweet this

In a statement, Dr. Ladany shared his enthusiasm for leading SFBU: "I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead an institution as dynamic as SFBU. SFBU is charting a new course in the educational space  one focused on student outcomes. The university is uniquely situated due to geography and program offerings to provide its diverse and globally-minded students with a meaningful and innovative higher education experience that sets them up for successful lifelong careers. I intend to capitalize fully on SFBU's current momentum and continue to establish our university among the elite institutions in the region and become a national model and leader in higher education."

Before joining SFBU, Dr. Ladany served as President of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he achieved remarkable success in increasing enrollment to record levels, overseeing the development of the university's strategic plan, and launching various diversity initiatives. Under his leadership, Oglethorpe University successfully strengthened its finances, as well as student support, retention, and graduation.

Before his tenure at Oglethorpe, Dr. Ladany held numerous prestigious positions, including Dean and Associate Provost at the University of San Diego, Dean at Santa Clara University, and professor at Lehigh University, Temple University, and the University of Maryland.

As SFBU embarks on a new phase of development for its academic programs and curriculum, the university is excited to be led by a President as experienced and forward-thinking as Dr. Ladany. The entire SFBU community extends a warm welcome to Dr. Ladany as he joins our family!

SFBU is a premier WASC/WSCUC-accredited, nonprofit university located in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley. SFBU offers degree programs in computer science, engineering, technology, and management. Learn more at www.SFBU.edu .

SOURCE San Francisco Bay University
The Allyson Felix-led footwear brand launches a new 'Ballerina' colorway of the Saysh One sneaker alongside their latest campaign, 'We're Built Different'

LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Saysh, the community-centered footwear brand for and by women, is pleased to announce the introduction of a new colorway of the brand's hit Saysh One sneaker: Ballerina. Beginning May 5, 2023, customers can purchase the newest addition alongside Saysh's full selection of footwear and lifestyle products on Saysh.com .

Saysh One Ballerina

Inspired by the strength of the women who wear it, Saysh One Ballerina is feminine and strong, soft and bold. Saysh was born to champion women, with the brand's latest sneakers furthering this mission by delivering a product that women don't need to compromise for. Saysh One Ballerina was created on behalf of all women, providing support for a woman's foot, in turn supporting a woman's body.

Debuting alongside the release of Ballerina, Saysh's newest campaign, 'We're Built Different', recognizes not only the strength of women, but simultaneously serves as a reminder that Saysh sneakers are, in fact, built differently. Specifically, Saysh sneakers are made using a last shaped from the female foot, unlike most sneakers on the market, thus providing a dynamic fit made specifically for women.

Throughout the campaign, Saysh highlights the power, determination, and grit of women. Knowing that women are no strangers to the experience of being an afterthought or overlooked, 'We're Built Different puts the strength of women on center stage. This campaign celebrates the power of using the collective voice to continue overcoming adversity and demand better for women.

Saysh is a community-centered footwear brand for and by women. Upon finding that most sneakers on the market are made for men, the Saysh team began crafting sneaker designs thoughtfully, piece by piece, for women, which very few brands do. From the design to testing to manufacturing, the brand's core products, which include the Saysh One and the Saysh Two, have been designed specifically for women and are sculpted based on the true proportions and needs of a woman's foot. To shop the brand's selection of footwear made for and by women, and to learn about the brand's groundbreaking Maternity Returns Policy , visit Saysh.com and follow @bysaysh .

Lifestyle Images HERE | Product Images HERE

About Saysh:

Saysh is a community-centered footwear brand for and by women focused on ethical conscience, aesthetic sensibility, and an athletic mindset. Saysh is co-founded by Allyson Felix, the most decorated Track and field Olympian, and Wes Felix, her brother, and business partner. The brand's debut lifestyle sneaker is the Saysh One. Visit Saysh.com and join us at @bySaysh on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

SOURCE Saysh
DUBLIN, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Southeast Asia Tractors Market - Industry Analysis & Forecast 2023-2028" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market size is expected to reach 1,18,182 units by 2028. The agriculture tractor market in Southeast Asia increased by 3.1% in 2022 from 2021.

The increase in crop production and tractor sales was due to favorable climate conditions and government support to farmers.

The Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market is highly concentrated, with the top players controlling most of the industry. Domestic and global brands, on the other hand, are equally represented in the market.

Southeast Asian government plans schemes and initiatives to facilitate credit and improve agriculture-related operations, which will contribute to the growth of the overall value chain of the market.

MARKET TRENDS & OPPURUNTITES

Technological Advances in The Tractor Technology



A new frontier of innovation emerged as agriculture met digital technology, opening various paths to a smart agricultural future. Tractor manufacturers are competitive, and companies constantly strive to innovate and ensure product differentiation at affordable prices. State-of-the-art technology-based tractors are currently available in the market. GPS and remote sensing make farming more accurate and productive.



Increased Farm Mechanization



Using animal and human power in the Southeast Asian agricultural sector is low. Fossil fuel-powered vehicles, such as tractors and diesel engines, are used instead. Hence, the Southeast Asia agricultural tractors industry will likely be driven by increased agricultural equipment or machinery used during the forecast period. The farm holding structure is based on the economic size of a farm, depending on the farm's output per year.

A high number of small farms characterizes the agricultural sector. The farm holding structure is consolidated, and medium-scale farms account for more farming lands in several regions. The high number of medium-scale farms in high agrarian areas will positively affect the industry in Southeast Asian countries. Such farms employ more than one tractor and other related agri-equipment to carry out several agricultural activities.

Further, there is an increase in the adoption of compact agricultural equipment as the export demand for fruits and flowers is high in the region. Several major and highest-selling brands, including Kubota and New Holland, offer compact equipment in the Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market.



SEGMENTATION INSIGHTS

INSIGHTS BY HORSEPOWER



The less than 50 HP horsepower segment dominated the Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market in 2022.

Factors favoring the sale of tractors in the less than 50 HP range include versatility, the presence of hard soil in Southeast Asian countries, and increased purchasing power of farmers due to better Minimum Support Prices (MSP) and crop realization.

In Southeast Asian countries, the government focuses on increasing agricultural production in almost all the regions, which is likely to increase the potential of below 50 HP tractors due to the nature of crop farming and fragmentation of landholding structures.

INSIGHTS BY BY WHEEL-DRIVE



The Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market is dominated by low-range HP 2WD tractors. Among the several tractor models available in the country, 2WD tractors are the most favored by farmers. The low relative cost of ownership, the sufficiency of features and haulage power, and convention make 2WD tractors more popular among farmers.

Industry players are trying to redesign their 2WD tractors with more power and ease of handling features so that farmers can upgrade their tractors and buy new ones per their usage. Features such as fuel efficiency, added comfort for operating in confined spaces, and light loading work is expected to be in demand in several agricultural economies.

REGIONAL ANALYSIS



In 2022, Thailand was Southeast Asia's largest producer of agriculture and crop outputs. Moreover, a country with high agriculture and crop outputs remains the major prospect for agricultural tractors.

Due to such factors, Thailand held the largest Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market share in 2022. For Thai governments, food self-sufficiency is the key agenda due to the decline in arable land due to urbanization, exploitation of natural resources, and a massive shift in the production and consumption of food patterns across the globe.

In 2022, the less than 50 HP tractor segment recorded high growth in Thailand with a CAGR of 4.02%. The country's sales of above 100 HP tractors are expected to remain steady during the forecast period due to the segregation of large and medium-scale farmlands in the coming years.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE



The Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market is highly concentrated, with the top players controlling most of the industry. Domestic and global brands, on the other hand, are equally represented in the industry. John Deere, CNH Industrial, and Kubota dominated the Southeast Asia agricultural tractors market with a collective market share of over 50%.

The threat of rivalry is high in the industry since more than 50% of the share belongs to the top three key players. These players are thriving on innovation in the tractor market. They are increasingly investing in developing advanced agricultural tractor technology for precision farming and machine automation.



Key Vendors

John Deere

CNH Industrial

AGCO

Kubota

Other Prominent Vendors

Mahindra

Deutz-Fahr

CLAAS

ISEKI & Co., Ltd.

Kioti

Yanmar

Key Topics Covered:



1 Research Methodology



2 Research Objectives



3 Research Process



4 Scope & Coverage

4.1 Market Definition

4.2 Base Year

4.3 Scope of the Study



5 Report Assumptions & Caveats

5.1 Key Caveats

5.2 Currency Conversion

5.3 Market Derivation



6 Market at a Glance



7 Premium Insights



8 Introduction

8.1 Overview

8.2 Value Chain Analysis

8.2.1 Overview

8.2.2 Raw Material & Component Suppliers

8.2.3 Manufacturers

8.2.4 Dealers/Distributors

8.2.5 Retailers

8.2.6 End-Users

8.3 SWOT Analysis of Agricultural Tractor Industry

8.4 Distribution Channels for Farm Equipment

8.4.1 Financing Options for Acquiring Farm Machinery

8.5 Technological Advances



9 Market Opportunities & Trends

9.1 Technological Advances in Agricultural Tractor Technology

9.1.1 Swath Control and Variable Rate Technology (Vrt)

9.1.2 High Demand for Autonomous Equipment

9.2 Shortage of Agricultural Labor

9.3 Use of Energy-Efficient Agri Tractors



10 Market Growth Enablers

10.1 Assistance to Farmers Through Loans & Subsidies

10.2 Increased Agricultural Productivity & Exports

10.3 Increased Farm Mechanization



11 Market Restraints

11.1 Lack of Awareness of Latest Innovations in Agricultural Tractors

11.2 High Demand for Used & Rental Tractors

11.3 Climate Change Adversely Impacts Agricultural Activities



12 Market Landscape

12.1 Market Overview

12.2 Market Size & Forecast

12.3 Five Forces Analysis



13 Horsepower

13.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

13.2 Market Overview

13.3 Less Than 50 Hp

13.4 50-100 Hp

13.5 Above 100 Hp



14 Wheel-Drive Type

14.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

14.2 Market Overview

14.3 2-Wheel Drive

14.4 4-Wheel Drive



15 Country

15.1 Market Snapshot & Growth Engine

15.2 Geographic Overview

15.3 Thailand

15.4 Myanmar

15.5 Philippines

15.6 Malaysia

15.7 Others

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/x90pll

About ResearchAndMarkets.com

ResearchAndMarkets.com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Organizing Victory is Sixth in N.C. in 60 Days

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers in the fixed collections units at the American Red Cross facility in Winston-Salem voted to join Teamsters Local 391. This is the sixth organizing victory at a Red Cross facility in North Carolina in the last 60 days.

"American Red Cross workers are watching their co-workers join the Teamsters and they want to secure the benefits of a strong Teamster contract for themselves," said Moses Darden, Lead Organizer at Local 391. "The momentum we're seeing in North Carolina and across the nation among Red Cross workers is thrilling. These workers provide critical health care services to our communities, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome another unit of workers to Local 391."

"Since launching the American Red Cross organizing campaign in November, the Teamsters have had 22 organizing victories at Red Cross facilities in several states," said Jason Lopes, Teamsters Health Care Director. "These workers play a crucial role in America's blood supply chain and should be compensated fairly for their important work. We are glad that Red Cross workers across the nation are joining the Teamsters and getting contracts that recognize their valuable work."

In voting the join the Teamsters, these 49 workers will join more than 1,700 other Red Cross workers represented by the Teamsters and immediately be covered by a National Master Agreement between Teamsters and the American Red Cross.

"I voted to join the Teamsters because I wanted a fair work environment and a voice on the job," said Tokara Harper, a mobile collections worker at American Red Cross' Winston-Salem facility. "Just last week, several of our co-workers voted to join Local 391 and joining them was an easy decision."

Chartered in 1938, Teamsters Local 391 represents thousands of workers in North Carolina throughout a wide variety of industries. For more information go to teamsterslocal391.org.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid, (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

SOURCE Teamsters Local 391
WOODLAND HILLS, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI), a non-profit research organization devoted to developing bioengineered systems, devices, and technology for biomedical applications, held a Grand Opening celebration at their newest research facility in Woodland Hills. The event drew almost 100 guests, which included local dignitaries, members of the Terasaki family, TIBI faculty and staff, and members of the building's design and construction teams.

Front Row (L-R): Leila Lee, representing Mayor Karen Bass, Zac Gaidzik, representing LA County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Dr. Keith Terasaki, TIBIs Chairman of the Board, LA Councilman Robert J. Blumenfield, Keiths wife Cecilia and children Paul and Susie, TIBI President Stewart Han. Second row (L-R): TIBI's Chief Innovation Officer, Maurizio Vecchione, TIBI's Director and CEO, Dr. Ali Khademhosseini, KTLA 5 Morning News anchor Frank Buckley, Sean Rogan, representing Congressman Brad Sherman. Photography Credit: McCall Jones, for BioscienceLA TV (PRNewsfoto/Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation)

A special Grand Opening program, emceed by KTLA 5 Morning News anchor Frank Buckley, began with certificates of commendation presented by Robert J. Blumenfield, Los Angeles City Councilman, 3rd Council District, and representatives from the offices of Linda Horvath, Los Angeles County Supervisor, 3rd Supervisorial District, and City of Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass. In addition, a flag that once flew over the United States Capitol in 2018 was presented to the institute from District 32's Congressman Brad Sherman.

This was followed by addresses given by members of TIBI's executive team and scientific faculty, who described TIBI's many realms of ongoing research, innovation, and entrepreneurial endeavors. The program also included recorded congratulatory remarks given by Dave Whelan, CEO of Bioscience LA, a non-profit organization that provides resources, coordination, and support for bioscience organizations in the Los Angeles area.

"It was very gratifying to see the interest and support from the audience and from the community at this event," said TIBI President, Stewart Han. We were proud to present our brand-new facility and exciting research and we are looking forward to being a major component of Los Angeles' vibrant bioscientific research hub."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted in front of the building, followed by a reception and public tours of the laboratories.

The Woodland Hills laboratory is the third of the Terasaki Institute's facilities, named after the late Dr. Paul I. Terasaki, a pioneering scientist in the field of organ transplantation, who dedicated his life to impactful medical research.

The new building offers 50,000 square feet of floor space for state-of-the-art equipment and up to 200 employees. It will also be able to accommodate meetings, seminars, and conferences to further the education and exchange of ideas among researchers and collaborators. When combined with TIBI's administrative and research and development buildings in Westwood and West Los Angeles, the institute grows to almost 100,000 square feet of space.

"I'm very excited about the addition of the new building to the Terasaki Institute. I believe it will give us the research space needed for our scientists to develop the best in biomedical innovations, while allowing for growth and expansion of the institute," said Terasaki Institute's Director and CEO, Ali Khademhosseini, PhD. "After seeing all the effort that went into creating this new building, it gives me great joy to see it come to fruition."

About the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation

The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation is accelerating the pace of translational research by supporting the world's leading scientists with an open, entrepreneurial environment for bioengineering new materials, biological models, and advanced technologies to address critical challenges to the health of the planet and its people. The Institute's worldwide collaborations with academic, clinical, and entrepreneurial partners provide a rich foundation for translating innovations to the real world.

Photography Credit: McCall Jones, for BioscienceLA TV

SOURCE Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation
Texas Children's seeks new President. Mark A. Wallace remains Chief Executive Officer

HOUSTON , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Texas Children's Hospital is pleased to announce its search for a new President of the organization. The new President will report to Mark A. Wallace, who will continue to serve as Chief Executive Officer.

During Wallace's dynamic and unparalleled 34-year tenure as President & CEO, Texas Children's has risen to number two in the nation, according to the U.S. News & World Report 2022-2023 Best Children's Hospitals rankings. The organization provides world-class specialists and pediatricians who serve children and women across the globe.

Mark A. Wallace, President and CEO at Texas Childrens Hospital

"The Board of Trustees has witnessed firsthand the impact Mark has had and continues to have on the success of this vibrant and complex organization," said Michael C. Linn, Chair of the Texas Children's Board of Trustees. "While we would love for Mark to continue to serve as President and CEO of Texas Children's forever, we acknowledge that the next evolution in leadership needs to begin. We are grateful to have Mark continue to serve at the helm of Texas Children's as CEO."

Texas Children's stated the search for the organization's next President would be a thoughtful, strategic and progressive process with a flexible timeline. "This is a pivotal search, and it is our humble responsibility to find the absolute best person for the role and for Texas Children's. We are excited to review and evaluate a strong slate of internal and external candidates for this incredible opportunity," said C. Park Shaper, Vice Chair of the Texas Children's Board of Trustees and Chair of the Search Committee. "Mark's significance to Texas Children's and the Texas Medical Center is beyond compare, and we are grateful to have Mark be a part of this process as we begin our search."

Wallace has served as President & CEO of Texas Children's for over three decades and has served in a leadership role in the Texas Medical Center for 45 years. His legacy of leadership in healthcare is unmatched, and with 5.2 million patient encounters annually, and more than 120 locations throughout Houston, Austin and Central Texas, he has made an indelible mark on the healthcare landscape.

"Serving as President and Chief Executive Officer for these past 34 years has been the greatest honor of my life, and continuing to serve as CEO will remain a distinct honor and privilege. I have always dwelled in possibilities, but I could not have predicted growing from one seven-story building in the Texas Medical Center into the world's largest pediatric and women's healthcare system. I am humbled to be a part of the Texas Children's story, and I am honored to continue serving and supporting the 16,000 faculty and staff whose dedication to our patients and their families is unparalleled," said Wallace.

The organization has engaged Heidrick & Struggles, an industry leader, to lead the search efforts. Learn more about H&S.

Learn more about Texas Children's Hospital

ABOUT TEXAS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL

Texas Children's Hospital, a not-for-profit healthcare organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas and among the top in the nation, Texas Children's has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women's health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children's care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children's HealthPlan, the nation's first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children's Pediatrics; Texas Children's Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that's channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children's Global Health program leads efforts that advance healthcare equity through innovative collaboration in care, education and research for underserved populations globally. Texas Children's Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.

Media Contact:

Kelley Carville, Vice President, Public Relations | Texas Children's Hospital

832.824.3921 | [email protected]

SOURCE Texas Children's Hospital
MEDFORD, Ore., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Visitors to The Human Bean website are waking up to a new look and feel this spring. The Oregon-based coffee franchise is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and with that merrymaking comes  not one, but two  freshly-designed websites that reflect how the brand has grown and evolved from 1998 to today.

"For the main website, we wanted to infuse energy into our drink descriptions and e-commerce store," says chief marketing officer, Janie Page. "It's fun and dynamic, and it represents the kind of experience you have when you visit The Human Bean drive-thrus. It's true to who we are."

New features include a colorful compilation of drink menu items (each listed with nutritional information), a searchable locator map with over 150 drive-thrus across the U.S., and a robust e-commerce shop where loyal customers and coffee lovers can find their true match in apparel, drinkware and coffee beans.

Separate from the main website is a new franchise-focused site dedicated to resources that current and future franchise partners can easily access online. Frequently asked questions, information about available markets, and a step-by-step walk-through of the application process are all housed in one easy to bookmark place.

"The Human Bean has grown to a nation-wide company because we continue to pick and attract the right kind of partners," says franchise COO Scott Anderson. "And then we provide guidance and tools to make their ownership experience really enjoyable and rewarding. This new website that's dedicated to our franchise family is part of that endeavor."

With drive-thru locations open and in development in 20 states, The Human Bean's new websites will be visited annually by millions looking for everything from a convenient drink on the go to a beverage-based business opportunity.

More info can be found at thehumanbean.com and franchise.thehumanbean.com .

About The Human Bean

With a passion for creating happy 'Human Beans', the company's drive-thrus around the U.S. have established a reputation for friendly baristas, high-quality coffee, and innovative flavors. The Human Bean opened its first drive-thru espresso stand in Ashland, Oregon in 1998, and currently supports locations open or under development in 20 states.

Learn more at thehumanbean.com .

SOURCE The Human Bean
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Simon Law Group and the Trial Lab are thrilled to announce a historic verdict of $161 million in the case of Soulliere v. Suzuki Motor Corporation. A motorcycle accident case, this landmark verdict is a major accomplishment for our team, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to our lawyers Robbie Munoz, Travis Davis, and Gabe Houston (The Trial Lab) for their tireless efforts and outstanding work on this case.

This landmark verdict demonstrates our commitment to seeking justice for our clients. Tweet this Our award winning team of personal injury attorneys has won over 100 million as California's top personal injury law firm. Suzuki had defective brakes on their motorcycles and hid that from consumers for years. Our client broke his leg in a crash when the front brake cylinder on his motorcycle failed.

The verdict, which resulted from a retrial following numerous appeals, amounted to an $11 million award in compensatory damages and $150 million in punitive damages. It marks a significant victory in our ongoing fight for justice and accountability. Our client was severely injured in a motorcycle accident when the front brake master cylinder on his Suzuki motorcycle failed due to a defect that the company had concealed from the public for years.

At The Simon Law Group and the Trial Lab, we are committed to holding corporations accountable for their actions, particularly when they endanger the safety and well-being of consumers. We have long believed that it is the responsibility of companies like Suzuki Motor Corporation to prioritize the safety of their products and provide clear and transparent information to consumers about potential risks.

Our team worked tirelessly for years to pursue justice in this case, and we are proud of the outcome. In 2018, we obtained a favorable verdict, but it was subsequently overturned on appeal. Despite the odds, we persevered, were granted a new trial, overcame another appeal, and ultimately tried the case, which led to this incredible verdict.

This landmark verdict demonstrates our commitment to seeking justice for our clients and our dedication to holding negligent corporations accountable for their actions. While we celebrate this momentous victory, we acknowledge that there is still work to be done, including post-trial motions and possibly more appeals. However, this verdict sends a clear message to corporations that they will be held accountable for their actions and that we will continue to fight tirelessly for the rights of our clients.

SOURCE Simon Law Group
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy energy industry press releases from PR Newswire, including training for clean energy jobs and EE North America's expanding solar pipeline.

NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the energy and natural resources industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Energy Press Release Roundup, May 1-5, 2023. Photo provided by ABB E-mobility. https://prn.to/3LLAJrE

Read more of the latest energy-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNenergy on Twitter.

Can't-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for SunPower, Sunoco LP, and ONE Gas.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy travel industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a new destination for Adventures by Disney and growing interest in camping and glamping.

NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the travel industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

PR Newswire Weekly Travel Press Release Roundup, May 1-5, 2023. Photo provided by Kampgrounds of America, Inc. https://prn.to/3oZiOVd

Read more of the latest travel-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtravel on Twitter.

Can't-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Royal Caribbean Group, Marriott International, Allegiant Travel Company, and MGM Resorts.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more. Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story. Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles. Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at [email protected].

SOURCE PR Newswire
New funding in recently-passed budget ensures 80% of New York students  hundreds of thousands of which already live in food-insecure households  will now be fed in school

NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Tusk Philanthropies' Solving Hunger , a nonprofit dedicated to ending hunger in the United States, applauded leaders in Albany after the recently passed budget included $134.6 million in new funding to feed students in schools across New York State. This funding followed a successful $150,000+ lobbying and ad campaign by Tusk Philanthropies to encourage Governor Hochul and the legislature to fund school meals in New York and put New York State in line with other states that have adopted or are moving toward universal school meals, including California, Maine, Colorado, Minnesota, and New Mexico.

Beginning in the Spring of 2020, the federal government paid the full cost to feed all K-12 public school children without poverty tests. However, that program expired in the Fall of 2022, leaving millions of children unable to access the nutrition they needed to learn in school. The new $134 million in funding will ensure that high-poverty schools in New York can more easily enroll all students in school meals  without students needing to demonstrate need or fill out arduous paperwork.

Statement from Bradley Tusk, Founder of Tusk Philanthropies:

"Imagine taking Citi Field, filling it more than seven times over with kids, and then giving all of those kids breakfast and lunch every single day going forward. What the Governor and legislature did here is transformational."

"2022 ended with kids going hungry when the pandemic-era federal program to feed all children in school came to an end. Hungry kids can't learn, and we stepped up alongside legislative champions like Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Speaker Heastie, Senator Hinchey, Senator Mayer, and Assemblymember Gonzalez-Rojas to fight for this funding. These efforts paid off, and now nearly 300,000 more students from high-poverty school districts will be guaranteed meals in school."

"This is a victory that will improve the health, education, and well-being of our kids. We thank these legislators and Governor Hochul for their work, and we're going to build on this success next year and aim to expand funding that covers all schools and all kids in New York State."

Statement from Senator Michelle Hinchey:

"This year, we took an unprecedented stand on the urgent need to combat child hunger in New York, forming one of the strongest, most determined coalitions that built a movement resulting in the significant expansion of free school meals. Because of that, nearly 40,000 students in my district alone will have access to free breakfast and lunch, setting them up for success while saving families money each week in grocery costs. I'm proud of our incredible coalition of hunger advocates, parents, teachers, and students, and thankful to Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas for her partnership. We will continue to build on this transformative progress and fight for more support, resources, and solutions to deliver healthy meals for all New York students."

Statement from Senator Shelley B. Mayer:

"I am thrilled by the historic investment of $135 million to expand access to school meals for almost 300,000 new students across New York State. Every teacher and student knows how difficult it is for children to learn when they are hungry. This relief will bring improved academic performance, social and emotional development, and a more unified school environment while easing expenses for families."

Statement from Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas:

"I can't think of a cause more critical for the government to address than feeding hungry children. I commend the legislative leaders, including Speaker Heastie, for their inclusion of $135 million in our enacted state budget to expand school meals to more students and schools across our state. After we transition to a 25% community eligibility threshold (CEP) in New York, we will expand school meals to about 300,000 students across 950 schools in our state. I am grateful to all of the advocates, including Solving Hunger, and all of my colleagues who supported the Healthy School Meals for All NY campaign. While this allocation is not everything that we sought, this fight is far from over. I look forward to continuing to organize with advocates and my colleagues to achieve universal school meals for all our students."

About Solving Hunger

Solving Hunger runs coordinated anti-hunger campaigns in cities and states to pass legislation that expands nutrition programs. For this upcoming year, Solving Hunger will provide resources and funding to four organizations focused solely on enacting political and policy changes to bring healthy school meals for all (also known as Universal Free Meals) to their communities.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Tusk Philanthropies
New platform created to house investment verticals across real estate, venture capital, private equity and credit to address social, economic, and environmental challenges facing cities.

Real Estate investor NREP, venture capital firm 2150, established credit platform Velo Capital, and new private equity investor Luma Equity come together under new impact-led Urban Partners group, representing 20bn of AUM.

Integrated partnership-first approach allows Urban Partners to address complex challenges facing cities.

Dedicated pool of constructive capital now available to invest in the assets, companies, technologies that will accelerate decarbonization and transform urban neighborhoods, in partnership with cities.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Partners, a group of investment verticals launched today, has called on the real estate and urban investment industry to radically change their approach to investment and how returns are measured to recognize the complexity of urban ecosystems.

The Railway District in Copenhagen

Speaking at the launch of the new platform Claus Mathisen, CEO of Urban Partners, said: "The launch of Urban Partners represents a new investment thesis and a new level of ambition. Only by taking an integrated approach, bringing together expertise from real estate, private capital, and credit will we be able to address the complex challenges of decarbonization, affordability, health, biodiversity, urban efficiency, and infrastructure that cities face. No-one can solve these challenges alone. We urge our peers to follow our lead."

Cities consume most of the world's resources, generate the majority of global emissions, and are home to half the world's population. But the interests of investors have often failed to align with the leadership and residents of the cities they invest in. Venture capital and private equity funding continues to be misallocated, with sectors accounting for more than half of global emissions (buildings and industry) only attracting 13% of investment. Urban Partners aims to change this by pioneering problem-solving partnerships that bridge the gap between the interests of capital and cities.

Urban Partners is founded on the principle of partnership. Bringing together different types of expertise and capital allows Urban Partners to tackle the complex challenges facing cities, by looking at every factor required to decarbonize and regenerate the urban environment rather than real estate or climate tech in isolation.

Urban Partners brings together NREP (one of the largest Europe-based real estate investors), 2150 (a venture capital firm focused on sustainable technologies), Luma Equity (a private equity investor backing companies scaling sustainable solutions) and Velo Capital (a financing provider helping its customers accelerate their sustainable transition).

The launch of Urban Partners makes the first dedicated pool of constructive capital - with returns being measured alongside impact - with 5bn available to invest today.

With NREP already working towards achieving net zero by 2028, and the IPCC recently highlighting that emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, Urban Partners is now calling on other urban investors to recognize the urgent need for a new approach to accelerate cities' transition to sustainability.

Claus Mathisen, CEO of Urban Partners, said: "If we are to achieve net zero emissions, we need a massive redistribution of capital towards buildings and industry, which account for more than half of global emissions but attract only 13% of investment. Coming together as Urban Partners will give us the best chance of scaling the companies and solutions that will make the biggest impact on our most pressing sustainability challenges."

Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby, Chairperson of Urban Partners, said: "We launched Urban Partners to bridge the gap between the interests of people, cities, and capital. Misalignment between these has led to inadequate, sometimes even harmful, development of the urban ecosystem  urban sprawl, segregation, and ever rising carbon emissions being the consequence. We want to lead a new era where shared visions deliver shared benefits. Where we put our financial weight and urban expertise into finding solutions to the largest problem out there: making cities livable for the long-term.

About Urban Partners: Urban Partners is a platform of vision-aligned investment verticals shaped around urban problem solving. By uniting insights, stakeholders and capital, its ambition is to deliver a long-term positive impact for all stakeholders. With a purpose to power the progress of cities, its focus is to help decarbonize the built environment and (re)generate urban neighborhoods. The platform includes four ESG-focused investment verticals: European real estate investor NREP, the venture capital firm 2150, private equity investor Luma, and the credit service vertical Velo Capital. With 20bn under management, Urban Partners invest in assets, companies, technologies, and solutions. Founded in 2005, the platform today manages investments in more than 15 countries and employs 700 employees. Read more: www.urban.partners

About NREP: NREP is a real estate pioneer, investing with a holistic ESG focus. With a successful track record, NREP is known for its ability to reimagine the built environment, including several large-scale neighborhood developments. NREP manages one of Europe's largest real estate funds and runs a platform with over 8 million square meters across eight countries. The company's carbon pledge is one of the most progressive in the industry with a target of becoming Net Zero by 2028.

About 2150: 2150 is a venture capital firm investing in the sustainable reshaping of the broad urban environment. 2150 backs entrepreneurs working at the forefront of the climate transition and helps scale the companies and technologies with long-term equitable impact across the whole 'urban stack', including how cities are built, designed, constructed, and powered, to the way people live, work and are cared for.

About Velo Capital: Velo Capital provides flexible real estate credit solutions, helping its customers focus on sustainable assets. With 10 years of alternative real estate credit track record, Velo oversees three active funds with approximately 1bn AuM, focusing on real estate assets in Germany's top cities. Velo Capital is currently in the process of launching new credit strategies across Northern Europe, with a keen focus on green financing.

About Luma Equity: Luma Equity is a private equity investor set up to back companies with solutions that can help cities drive down carbon emissions from the urban environment, with a focus on innovative materials and technologies ready to scale.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2070125/Urban_Partners.jpg

SOURCE Urban Partners
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation announced the three scholarship awardees Carson Padilla, Mayra Olivas and Maya Leitka during their annual meeting on May 4, 2023.

Each year U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation award three unique $2,000 scholarships to students entering or attending an accredited two  or four-year college or university. Each scholarship has a special theme, and applicants are required to submit essays, videos, presentations, or podcasts.

This year's categories were: Concern for Community, Create a Business Plan and the Vigil Bullying Prevention Scholarship.

Mayra Olivas received the Concern for Community Scholarship where students were asked about a specific need in their community and what action they took to make a difference.

Mayra took notice of the increased trash and litter in her rural agricultural community and how this impacted the livestock living nearby. She organized a community clean-up day where neighbors, friends, and family came together to collect two 50-gallon bags of trash in addition to larger trash items.

Mayra attended U.S. Eagle's 2023 Annual Meeting to accept her award. When asked if she would be hosting any future community clean up events, she answered, "I plan to make the Community Clean Up Day an annual event around the same time every year."

Our second scholarship category was awarded to Maya Leitka for her impressive Create a Business Plan entry, which asked students to create a presentation for a made up or existing business.

Maya's thorough submission outlined her plan for a nonprofit organization in conjunction with New Mexico's Women, Infants, and Children Program, specifically aimed toward combatting diaper insecurity.

While receiving the scholarship award, Maya shared, "I found that there were a lot of community concern about there being less or virtually no support for diaper hygiene and diaper products for children, especially in New Mexico. I thought it would be a great opportunity to propose this plan".

The final scholarship category was awarded to Carson Padilla for his Vigil Bullying Prevention essay. Students were asked to describe their efforts in either directly participating or creating an effective anti-bullying initiative in this school or community.

Carson's essay focused on the Natural Helpers Group that he is currently involved with at Farmington High School, where he attends. The group is dedicated to anti-bullying and suicide prevention, where the overall goal aims to make the school a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.

In his essay, Carson reflected on his experience in the group, stating, "It has shown me that change is possible, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I am proud of the work we have done and the impact we have had on our school and community. I am confident that our efforts will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of students for years to come."

To read more about each recipient, visit www.useagle.org/learn/scholarships/2023.

About U.S. Eagle

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union is the state's first member-owned credit union. Founded in 1935, U.S. Eagle offers a full suite of financial products and services with locations in Albuquerque, Bernalillo, Farmington, and Santa Fe. With assets of more than $1.5 billion, more than 90,000 members, and as a four-time Forbes Best-In-State Credit Union award recipient, U.S. Eagle is where people mean more.

SOURCE U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union
HUMMELSTOWN, Pa., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Multiple communities from Providence Place Senior Living have been recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a 2023-2024 Best in Senior Living. The ratings offer a look at the best senior living communities across the United States, to assist older adults and their loved ones when researching and choosing the right senior living community.

Providence Place Senior Living of Pottsville and Providence Place Senior Living of Chambersburg top list for Best of Memory Care by U.S. News in 2023 Providence Place Senior Living at the Collegeville Inn wins Best of Assisted Living accolade in 2023

For 2023-2024 Best Senior Living , U. S. News rated nearly 4,000 communities natiowide on several criteria, including resident and family members' satisfaction with safety, care, community management and staff, value, and other services and amenities provided by the community.

Providence Place Senior Living's seven communities participated in a campus-wide survey of residents and family members and topped the annual report in the following:

Best Independent Living : Providence Place Senior Living of Dover ( York )

: Providence Place Senior Living of ( ) Best Assisted Living : Providence Place Senior Living at the Collegeville Inn

: Providence Place Senior Living at the Collegeville Inn Best Memory Care : Providence Place Senior Living of Chambersburg

: Providence Place Senior Living of Best Memory Care: Providence Place Senior Living of Pottsville

The detailed survey results provided quantitative information as well as feedback and comments from residents and family members. Many family member testimonials were included, like the following:

"This place has really been an asset to my parents' lives. It has transitioned them into this stage of their lives. This has been a great experience for them with many opportunities to get as involved as the would like. They have accommodated my parents through the different stages and medical difficulties. I no longer worry about their safety of them living by themselves and strongly recommend this place to others that are looking for a facility for their family."

The organization looks forward to celebrating the Best of honors in 2023 as well as Providence Place's 25 years of service to Pennsylvania seniors.

About Providence Place Senior Living: Providence Place and The Leader family operates seven (7) communities in central and eastern Pennsylvania and offers Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Support Services to about 800 seniors company-wide. Locations in Chambersburg, Collegeville, Dover (York), Drums (Hazleton), Lancaster, Pine Grove and Pottsville. For more information, visit www.Providence-Place.com.

Contact:

Laura Gifford

7175200330

[email protected]

SOURCE Providence Place Senior Living
NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Jakubowitz Law announces that an investigation into potential securities fraud allegations has commenced on behalf of shareholders of United States Cellular Corporation (NYSE:USM).

To be contacted by a member of our team, fill out the form:

https://claimyourloss.com/securities/uscellular-class-action-loss-submission-form/?from=4

Further details on the investigation: After market closed on November 3, 2022, UScellular announced results for the third fiscal quarter ended September 30, 2022, including that service revenues totaled $781 million, versus $788 million for the same period in the previous year, and that net income (loss) attributable to UScellular shareholders and related diluted earnings (loss) per share were $(12) million and $(0.15), respectively, for the third quarter of 2022 compared to $34 million and $0.38, respectively, for the third quarter of 2021. UScellular also announced that it was reducing the Company's fiscal year 2022 outlook, such that the upper bounds for the ranges of fiscal 2022 guidance concerning service revenues, adjusted OIBDA, and adjusted EBITDA were lowered by $50 million, $75 million, and $75 million, respectively.

Following this news, UScellular's stock price fell more than 22%, declining from a closing price of $31.05 per share on November 3, 2022 to a close of $24.09 on November 4, 2022.

Jakubowitz Law is vigorous in pursuit of justice for shareholders who have been the victim of securities fraud. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.

CONTACT:

JAKUBOWITZ LAW

1140 Avenue of the Americas

9th Floor

New York, New York 10036

T: (628) 895-0423

F: (212) 537-5887

SOURCE Jakubowitz Law
MANCHESTER, N.H., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Postal Service celebrates children's book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola with the release of a Forever stamp. A dedication ceremony for the stamp was held May 5 at the Currier Museum of Art.

The Postal Service honors award-winning childrens book author and illustrator Tomie dePaola with new Forever stamps.

"There are many gifted children's book authors and illustrators, but Tomie dePaola's genius is unique in so many ways: He could communicate with  and without  words, and touch readers across cultures and generations," said Steve Monteith, chief customer and marketing officer, who was the dedicating official for the ceremony. "At the Postal Service, we feel great kinship in this idea. We help Americans of all backgrounds and generations stay connected, no matter where they are."

Other participants at the ceremony included Bruce McColl, director of engagement at the Currier Museum of Art; Dr. Susan Lynch, former first lady of New Hampshire and Currier Museum of Art board member; Judie dePaola Bobbi, sister of Tomie dePaola; Erin Fehlau, WMUR-TV anchor; Jon Anderson, president and publisher of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; Sarah Mackenzie, founder of Read-Aloud Revival; and Kathleen McCaffery, English language arts consultant at the New Hampshire Department of Education.

DePaola (1934-2020) produced an extraordinarily varied body of work that encompasses folktales and legends, informational books, religious and holiday stories, and autobiographical tales. Deceptively simple, his stories contain layers of emotional meaning that appeal to readers of all ages.

DePaola is probably best known for the "Strega Nona" picture book series. Set in southern Italy, the gently humorous stories focus on Strega Nona, or "Grandma Witch," who uses magic to help with matters of the heart and to cure her neighbors' ills. Published in 1975, the first book in the series received a Caldecott Honor as one of the most distinguished picture books published that year.

The "Strega Nona" stories read like well-worn folktales, as do plenty of dePaola's other works. Some of his books retell legends that have shaped cultures around the world. Other stories are dePaola inventions. Many of his books emphasize family relationships and draw on dePaola's personal experience. "I've discovered," he once said, "that children most respond to books based on my own life."

Whatever the subject, dePaola's illustrations are instantly recognizable. Characterized by bright but muted tones and flat, two-dimensional perspectives, they offer a distinctive mix of Romanesque painting styles and traditional folk art. Objects that meant the most to dePaola  notably hearts and white birds  recur throughout his work.

In all his books, dePaola tried to convey three fundamental truths: Success depends on hard work, happiness relies on embracing one's true self, and love and kindness underscore all.

In 2011, the American Library Association awarded him the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now the Children's Literature Legacy Award) for his "substantial and lasting contribution to literature for children."

DePaola died in Lebanon, NH, after complications from surgery following a fall. Following his death, the Currier Museum established the Tomie dePaola Art Education Fund to support art instruction for young people from all backgrounds. Counting more than 100 pieces of art by dePaola in its permanent collection, the museum shares his long-held belief in the power of art to transform a child's life.

The stamp art features a detail from the cover of "Strega Nona." Derry Noyes, an art director for USPS, designed the stamp with dePaola's original art. News of the Tomie dePaola stamp is being shared with the hashtag #TomiedePaolaStamp.

Postal Products

Customers may purchase stamps and other philatelic products through the Postal Store at usps.com/shopstamps , by calling 844-737-7826, by mail through USA Philatelic or at Post Office locations nationwide.

Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.

The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.

For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.

National contact: Tatiana Roy

[email protected]

usps.com/news

Local contact: Steve Doherty

[email protected]

usps.com/news

SOURCE U.S. Postal Service
CAPE TOWN, South Africa, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vantage (or "Vantage Markets"), the global multi-asset broker, is pleased to announce it has obtained a derivatives license issued by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa.

Ted Odigie, Head of Sales Africa, Vantage

The FSCA is the regulatory authority for financial institutions in South Africa, responsible for licensing, supervising, and enforcing compliance with financial laws and regulations. The new licence marks a significant milestone for the company, to develop a more powerful presence in Africa, demonstrating its commitment to providing high-quality financial services to clients on the subcontinent, while remaining in compliance with the regulatory requirements set by the FSCA.

"We are thrilled to receive our FSCA license," said Marc Despallieres, Chief Strategy & Trading Officer, Vantage. "We have had our sights on South Africa for some time, and we were determined to be able to provide traders with exceptional financial services and products while operating in compliance with the highest regulatory standards."

Vantage's growing focus on South Africa was marked by the promotion of Ted Odigie to Head of Sales for Africa in November 2022. Odigie joined Vantage in August 2021, with over 17 years of experience in the financial services sector, and a key focus on business development and client management.

Vantage will be exhibiting at the Finance Magnates Africa Summit in Johannesburg from 8 to 10 May 2023. Odigie will be a key speaker at the panel discussion "Market Opportunities: Where's the Alpha in Q2?", held at the Centre Stage on 9 May 2023.

"Our clients' satisfaction and trust are our top priorities," said Odigie. "With this license, our clients will know we are a reputable and trustworthy global broker - committed to protecting their interests and providing the best-in-class trading services."

About Vantage

Vantage (or Vantage Markets) is a multi-asset broker offering clients access to a nimble and powerful service for trading CFD on Forex, Commodities, Indices, Shares, ETFs, and Bonds.

With more than 13 years of market experience, Vantage entities now have over 1,000 employees across more than 30 global offices.

Vantage is more than a broker. It provides a trusted trading ecosystem, an award-winning mobile trading app, and a user- friendly trading platform that enables clients to take advantage of trading opportunities. Download the Vantage App on App Store or Google Play.

trade smarter @vantage

SOURCE Vantage
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The trade turnover between Turkmenistan and the EU countries from January through February 2023 amounted to over 118.36 million euros, the source at Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, told Trend.

According to the information, these figures in the reporting period are 27.3 percent less than in the first two months of last year (162.86 million euros).

Turkmen exports to the EU amounted to almost 36 million euros from January through February 2023, which is almost half the figure for the same months of 2022 (71.32 million euros).

Furthermore, Turkmenistan reduced imports from EU countries by 10.02 percent in the first two months of this year compared to January through February 2022 (91.54 million euros) to 82.36 million euros.

Meanwhile, the trade turnover between Turkmenistan and the EU countries in 2022 amounted to 1 billion euros, which is 25.9 percent less than in 2021 (1.35 billion euros).
HONG KONG, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In April, Viva Biotech was invited to attend 2022 SAPA-China Annual Conference, 88th API China, Drug Discovery Chemistry, American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023, CPHI Japan 2023, PharmFuture 2023 Small Molecule Innovative Drug Future Leadership Summit, 2023 China - Yangzhou Biopharmaceutical Forum, 2023 Dalian Biopharmaceutical Industry Conference and International Gene Festival, etc. Experts shared a lot of great contents and idea in these conferences and events.

2022 SAPA-China Annual Conference

6th-7th April, the "2022 SAPA-China Annual Conference - Opportunities and Challenges for the Development of China's Biopharmaceutical Industry" hosted by The Sino-American Pharmaceutical Professionals Association (SAPA) was held in Chengdu, Sichuan. Viva Biotech was invited to participate in this annual conference, and Dr. Jianhua Cai, Senior Vice President of Viva Biotech, and Dr. Jianguo Ma, Senior Vice President of Viva Biotech and CEO of Langhua Pharmaceutical, were invited as guest speakers in the keynote speeches.

Throughout the years, the United States has been a leader in the global innovative pharmaceutical product field, where many blockbuster drugs are born and greatly improved the life quality of patients. However, compared to leading countries like the United States, Chinese pharmaceutical industry still has a long way to go in terms of developing innovative new drug. As one of the key players in innovative drug discovery CRO, Viva has served thousands of global innovative drug development clients in the past decade. Through an analysis of the collaboration with these international and domestic clients, Dr. Cai pointed out that overseas innovative biotech companies prefer biology-driven drug discovery strategies and pay more efforts on studying biological mechanisms. In contrast, in the past decades domestic clients focus more on fast follow strategy. However, from the increasing demand for drug screening technology by domestic clients, the innovation of domestic companies' projects has been continuously improving in recent years, and more and more domestic companies are initiating first-in-class drug development projects. In order to further illustrate the biologically-driven R&D strategy of overseas innovative drug companies, Dr. Cai shared two successful cases published by a foreign partner of Viva in the top international journals Science and Journal of Medicinal Chemistry respectively (details in the reference at the end of the article). Dr. Cai gave a comprehensive introduction to Viva's biophysical technologies, including X-ray, Cryo-EM, HDX-MS, SPR, Intact-MS, Native-MS, and their critical roles in drug mechanism of action (MOA) studies. He explained how to use biophysical technologies for affinity-based drug screening and shared the application of ASMS technology in the screening of multi-conformational proteins and molecular glue, crystal soaking technology and SPR screening of fragment libraries, and Intact-MS screening of covalent compound libraries. Finally, Dr. Cai showcased Viva's technology platform in original drug research through 2 case studies: the discovery of small molecule PCSK9 conformational inhibitors and pseudokinase targets. Viva's medicinal chemistry team also participated in the compound design and optimization of these projects, making important contributions to the compounds' intellectual property. He believes that in the future, Viva Biotech can empower more domestic innovative drug companies and help them achieve internationalization in original drug research.

Nowadays, green chemistry has become a globally focused area, and more and more pharmaceutical companies are including it in their considerations to promote sustainable and benign development of their businesses. Dr. Jianguo Ma provided a comprehensive introduction to what green chemistry is, existing and urgently needed green chemistry technologies. He emphasizes green chemistry technologies such as continuous reactions, enzyme catalysis, hydrogen borrowing reactions, photoredox reactions, and provides in-depth explanations of their wide applications in production with multiple classic cases. Finally, regarding the future development of green chemistry, Dr. Ma believes that synthetic biology will be the most promising green chemistry for drug synthesis.

At SAPA-CHINA, Viva Biotech fully demonstrated its one-stop platform for early-stage structure-based drug discovery to commercial drug delivery, as well as multiple core technologies and successful cases such as protein production and preparation, structural biology, cryo-EM, drug screening, Bioassay, medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug design, etc. The exhibition attracted many guests to visit and consult, and the feedback on site was positive with a warm atmosphere.

The 88th API China

"The 88th API China and the 26th CHINA-PHARM was held on April 12-14 at Qingdao Expo City International Exhibition Center.

At that time, Langhua Pharmaceutical, a subsidiary of Viva Biotech, attended the exhibition and showcased its high-quality pharmaceutical ingredient products at Booth N3B15, attracting many exhibitors who showed great interests on the displayed products.

Drug Discovery Chemistry

Drug Discovery Chemistry, a dynamic conference for medicinal and biophysical chemists working in pharma, biotech, and academia, was held April 10-13, 2023 (PDT time) in San Diego, USA and virtually. The forum focused on the discovery and optimization challenges of small molecule drug candidates. Other topics for 2023 include targeting transcription factors, plus more expanded coverage of protein degraders, molecular glues, and artificial intelligence for early drug discovery. Yinghong Gao, Vice President of BD at Viva Biotech, Rajeev Hotchandani, Vice President of BD at Viva Biotech and Simon Bury, Head of BD & Vice President at SYNthesis med chem, attended this forum and had in-depth communication with friends and partners from the industry.

During the exhibition, Viva Biotech showcased a one-stop comprehensive service platform for drug development from early-stage structure-based drug discovery to commercial drug delivery, as well as core technologies and successful cases in protein production and preparation, structural biology, cryo-EM, drug screening, bioassay platform, chemical services, computer-aided drug design, and more. They also shared their rich R&D experience and professional insights in early drug discovery with guests, attracting the attention of many international biopharmaceutical companies.

AACR Annual Meeting 2023

One of the largest cancer research conferences in the world, the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023 (AACR) was held April 14-19, 2023 (EDT time) in Orlando, Florida, USA. More than 20,000 cancer scientists, clinical doctors, and policymakers gathered here to focus on the latest advances in cancer research, including population science and prevention, cancer biology, translational and clinical research, survivorship and advocacy.

Dr. Maarten Postema and Rajeev Hotchandani, Senior Vice President of BD at Viva Biotech, attended the forum and communicated with guests who came to consult at booth, sharing Viva's successful cases and professional insights in the field of new drug development for cancer drugs. At the exhibition, Viva Biotech fully demonstrated its one-stop comprehensive service capabilities, from early structure-based drug discovery to commercial drug delivery, covering core services such as cancer drug development, PROTAC drug development, protein production and structural research, cryo-EM, drug screening, Bioassay platform, medicinal chemistry, computer-aided drug design, etc.

CPHI Japan 2023

CPhI worldwide is the largest, highest standard and most well-known trade fair in the pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates industry, which is held regularly every year in Europe, Japan, India and South America, with exhibitors and visitors from all five continents. This exhibition was held from April 19-21, 2023 in Tokyo, Japan, which was also the largest professional international pharmaceutical ingredients exhibition in Japan.

Ms. Yan Ban, Board Director of Langhua Pharmaceutical, attended the exhibition together with the commercial team, and had an in-depth discussion with clients and colleagues from Japanese pharmaceutical industry on market demands, small molecule drugs cooperation and Japanese market dynamics at Booth 6E-22.

PharmFuture 2023 Small Molecule Innovative Drug Future Leadership Summit

From April 22-23, PharmFuture 2023 Small Molecule Innovative Drug Future Leaders Summit was held in Shanghai, focusing on "New Targets and Technologies", "Anti-tumor Small Molecule Drug Development", "CNS Neuropharmaceuticals and Improved New Drugs", "High-end Formulation & Drug Delivery", "Non-Marketable Targets", "Analytical Methods/CMC/Drug Delivery" etc. to discuss the industry trends of small molecule innovative drug development. Dr. Jianguo Ma, Senior Vice President of Viva Biotech and CEO of Langhua Pharmaceutical, was invited to attend and delivered a keynote report entitled "R&D, Production and Declaration of Innovative Drug API from IND to NDA".

Dr. Ma shared his professional insights and technical experience in this field, and made an in-depth explanation based on the successful cases of Langhua Pharmaceuticals in API R&D and production in different clinical stages. In addition, he highlighted Langhua's capabilities, advantages, and successful cases in providing one-stop CMC (raw materials and formulations) services, including a first-class R&D team, advanced technology platforms for raw materials and formulations, sufficient production capacity, reliable GMP and EHS management systems, and a comprehensive IP protection system. Thanks to these capabilities, Langhua meets the one-stop CDMO needs of clients for small molecule drug research and production in an efficient, flexible, and high-quality manner.

At the same time, Langhua Pharmaceutical also had a booth at the exhibition A39, where the on-site commercial team provided professional answers to the many inquiries.

2023 China - Yangzhou Biopharmaceutical Forum

The "2023 China - Yangzhou Biopharmaceutical Forum" was held on April 25-26 in Yangzhou, China. The forum included in-depth discussions on cooperative development between pharmaceutical companies and biotech projects, overseas investment and financing of innovative drugs, and antibody and vaccine process development.

Dr. Jianhua Cai, Senior Vice President of Viva Biotech, participated in the Forum's President's Parlor event and made a presentation. He said that with its leading position in structure-based drug discovery (SBDD) technology, Viva Biotech provides CRO services to global partners at the new drug research stage, covering the full range of biological and chemical services from target to preclinical candidate compounds. Viva's SBDD technology has helped 4 FIC drugs to be approved by FDA for marketing. In addition, With our subsidiary, Langhua Pharmaceutical, Viva also offers a one-stop integrated CMC/CDMO service from preclinical to commercial manufacturing. Viva would continue to strengthen one-stop drug development and manufacturing service platform to better empower the development of biopharmaceutical innovation.

2023 Dalian Biopharmaceutical Industry Conference and International Gene Conference

The "2023 Dalian Biomedical Industry Conference and International Gene Festival" was held at Dalian Bio Valley and Dalian International Conference Center from April 25-28. The theme is "Making the life industry great forever".

Driven by a series of reform measures in NMPA and CDE, talent supply and investment in the biomedical field have seen vigorous development, and China's innovative drug R&D has evolved rapidly from generic drugs to me-too/me-better and then to BIC/FIC. Focusing on this development status of the pharmaceutical industry, Dr Han Dai, CIO of Viva Biotech and Head of Viva BioInnovator, acted as the moderator of the " Biomedical High-End Dialogue 1&2" roundtables and had an in-depth conversation and discussion with the present guests. They also discussed and provided professional insights on how companies can better navigate the current environment, which tends to rationalized biomedical investment and financing.

About Viva Biotech Holdings

Established in 2008, Viva Biotech (01873.HK) provides one-stop services ranging from early-stage structure-based drug R&D to commercial drug delivery to global biopharmaceutical innovators. We offer leading early-stage to late-phase drug discovery expertise by integrating our dedicated team of experts, cutting-edge technology platforms, and state-of-the-art equipment in X-ray crystallization, Cryo-EM, ASMS, SPR, HDX, CADD, and much more. Our business covers all aspects of therapeutic strategies and drug modalities, including small molecules and biologics across the pharma and biotech spectrum. The experienced chemistry team, led by senior medicinal chemists and drug discovery biologists, provides services for drug design, medicinal chemistry (hit to lead and lead optimization), custom synthesis, chemical analysis and purification, kilogram scale-up, peptide synthesis and corresponding bioassays. With our subsidiary, Langhua Pharma, we offer our worldwide pharmaceutical and biotech partners a one-stop integrated CMC (Chemical, Manufacturing, and Control) service from preclinical to commercial manufacturing. Additionally, Viva embedded an equity for service (EFS) model to high potential startups to address unmet medical needs.

SOURCE Viva Biotech Holdings
SHANGHAI, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading media agency Wavemaker has announced its partnership with Great Wall Motor (GWM), a leading automaker in China. The partnership aims to leverage Wavemaker's expertise in media and marketing to help GWM to accelerate ORA and WEY brands' entry into Germany and other European countries.

GWM serves as a model for Chinese automakers expanding into foreign markets

As China becomes the world's largest auto producer and seller, it is becoming increasingly clear that Chinese auto brands must find a way to integrate into local overseas markets and seize the opportunities present there as part of their globalization strategy. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that Chinese automakers exported 3.111 million units in 2022, up 54.4% year on year. Chinese vehicles now dominate the Middle East and Latin American auto markets in addition to holding a sizable portion of the European market. China is now one of the world's top three exporters of passenger vehicles.

GWM, long a key player in China's automotive sector, was, from the beginning, an eager "early adopter" when the opportunity to start exporting abroad made it first appearance. Following the first shipments of the Great Wall pickup in 1998, GWM established R&D centers in seven countries, with the largest operations in the US, Japan, Germany, and Canada. The carmaker has also built global processes and complete vehicle production facilities in Thailand and Brazil. GWM has shipped complete vehicles to more than 170 countries and regions worldwide. By 2022, overall overseas sales had already surpassed the one million unit milestone, the result of GWM's search and success in establishing a development model that benefits both the local economy and its shareholders. Additionally, GWM has fully localized R&D, production, sales, and services as part of its shift in global business strategy from exporting automobiles to exporting ecosystems.

To this end, GWM unveiled its latest globalization brand strategy - ONE GWM - in December 2022. As part of the new plan, the automaker's five brands - HAVAL, Great Wall, TANK, WEY, and ORA - will each adopt their own development path based on their unique characteristics, resulting in a differentiated product portfolio by taking into account and integrating into the production chain the industrial policies of each country and region in which it operates, building a localized ecosystem and accelerating the company's transformation and globalization.

Wavemaker helps brands increase the global visibility of firms in search of a reliable growth strategy

GWM entered the European market first by establishing a footprint in France and Germany with its two brands ORA and WEY. European customers are well renowned for their high standards when it comes to both quality and safety. Successful access to the region suggests that the products have already received the go ahead and support from the relevant government authorities, but more aggressive outreach to consumers is needed to earn their buy-in. Europe is one of the most developed automotive markets in the world, with a strong automotive industry DNA and culture. Car owners throughout the continent adore and trust their local brands. How to establish a presence in consumers' minds is one of the most important challenges that Chinese brands, such as GWM, face and must overcome when entering the market.

Wavemaker, a leading marketing firm that combines media communication, content marketing, and technical innovation, has from day one believed that there is always an appropriate way to grow at any given time. It is a monumental task to introduce a Chinese brand in the birthplace of the automobile, nevertheless, prospects look promising, according to Wavemaker. The marketing firm is in charge of ORA's debut in Germany and the rest of Europe. Wavemaker has provided GWM with a detailed launch strategy for ORA in Germany that is at variance with conventional automotive branding strategies by tapping into its unique communication planning and digital prowess to turn challenges into opportunities. The marketing firm expects to assist GWM in progressively expanding its market reach while enhancing the global appeal of Chinese brands. Wavemaker sees the GWM experience as a model for inspiring more Chinese companies to expand abroad, despite the fact that overseas branding is a long-term and ongoing process.

Regina Preuss, Managing Partner of Wavemaker Germany, said, "Great Wall Motor is a super exciting company that stands for innovation and consistent customer focus with its ORA brand, making it a perfect fit for Wavemaker. The trust that Great Wall Motor and the ORA team place in us makes us very happy and once again confirms our comprehensive strategic expertise as well as our big data know-how, which we will use to sustainably establish the new automotive and lifestyle brand in Europe". Wavemaker will provide media services not only for ORA but also exclusively for the WEY brand in Germany and other European markets together with the partner agency 'Best of Media'.

GWM is confident about the partnership. Yao Fei, Vice President of ORA Europe, said, "We are thrilled to have Wavemaker as a strong and powerful partner for our media activities in Germany and, by extension, Europe. As a relatively young brand, we have placed ourselves in the best possible position for a successful entry into the media market".

Milton Liao, Head of Wavemaker China for Overseas Business, noted that the major challenge that Chinese automakers must overcome when establishing a presence overseas is how to properly integrate local lifestyles into one's entire production, sales and after-service cycle in order to reach the local market. Wavemaker will keep integrating international resources and customize local offerings to make GWM's ONE GWM vision a reality.

SOURCE Wavemaker
Mixologists, culinary creators and artisans collaborate to benefit Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund

CHICAGO and LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Zing Zang, America's #1 Bloody Mary Mix, and Watch Hill Proper Bourbon Bar & Kitchen, the world's largest American Whiskey Bar and Kentucky's first premier bourbon club, have teamed up to create the World's Most Expensive Bloody Mary in time for the Kentucky Derby. The Zing Zang "Win" Mary is a $1,149 bourbon Bloody Mary featuring Zing Zang's new Blazing Bloody Mary Mix, paired with a trio of decadent menu items, a flight of rare Pappy Van Winkle bourbon and is served in a 24-karat gold leaf, handblown crystal glass with a handcrafted custom silver sipper stirrer made by the fifth-generation silversmiths who made the Kentucky Derby Trophy for 47 years. A portion of proceeds will be donated to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund (PDJF), a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. The Zing Zang "Win" Mary can be purchased online at www.watchhillproper.com/zingzang.

Zing Zang, Americas #1 Bloody Mary Mix, and Watch Hill Proper Bourbon Bar & Kitchen, the worlds largest American Whiskey Bar and Kentuckys first premier bourbon club, created the Worlds Most Expensive Bloody Mary in time for Kentucky Derby. The Zing Zang Win Mary is a $1,149 bourbon Bloody Mary featuring Zing Zang Blazing Bloody Mary Mix, paired with a flight of rare Pappy Van Winkle and served in a 24-karat gold leaf, handblown crystal glass with a custom silver stirrer. Photo: Dan Dry

Watch Hill Proper's Creative Director and award-winning mixologist Karla Green has created a unique bourbon Bloody Mary featuring Zing Zang Blazing Bloody Mary Mix, a new hotter and spicier version of the original Zing Zang Bloody Mary Mix, Benton's bacon fat-washed Buffalo Trace bourbon, olive brine, lemon juice and horseradish. The Zing Zang "Win" Mary will be accompanied by a bone marrow luge and half-ounce pours of Pappy Van Winkle 23, 20 and 15-year-old bourbons. In addition, Watch Hill Proper's Executive Chef Michael Crouch created a special menu to accompany the cocktail, featuring a fried king crab corn dog with clarified foie gras butter and caviar, a wagyu rib cap nigiri with uni shoyu and black truffle, and a duck confit and lion's mane mushroom croquette with ramp and sour apple napa slaw.

The Zing Zang "Win" Mary will be served in the finest silverware and glassware. Zing Zang partnered with Susanne Blackinton-Juaire, a fifth-generation silversmith from S.R. Blackinton of Smithfield, Rhode Island, who produced the Kentucky Derby Trophy for 47 years, and handcrafted the silver sipper stirrers. The sipper stirrers feature a custom "wishing you good luck" design, inspired by a pin given to jockeys in Europe in the early 1900's before a big race.

The Zing Zang "Win" Mary is served in 24-karat gold leaf etched crystal glasses, handblown by Benjamin Giguere of Gather Glass Blowing Studio, located on historic Federal Hill in Providence, Rhode Island. Giguere, an expert glass blower for 26 years, followed old-world, Swedish-style techniques for crafting these custom glasses.

Only four Zing Zang "Win" Marys will be available to purchase online or in-person at www.watchhillproper.com/zingzang  but Watch Hill Proper will offer other bourbon Bloody Mary options for patrons.

A Zing Zang "Place" Mary will be available, following Green's bourbon Bloody Mary recipe, paired with a half-ounce flight of W.L. Weller 12 Year Bourbon, Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Bourbon, Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon and select sides. The Zing Zang "Place" Mary will be served in a handblown commemorative crystal glass and available for $350.

An unlimited amount of Zing Zang "Show" Marys are available for patrons. Guests can enjoy the same unique recipe alongside a half-ounce flight of Eagle Rare Bourbon, E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon, and 1792 Small Batch Bourbon and select sides for $65. The Zing Zang Win, Place and Show Bourbon Bloody Marys will be available May 2  May 6, 2023.

"We are proud to partner with such an innovative establishment as Watch Hill Proper and world-class artisans as S.R. Blackinton and Gather Glass to create a bold, first-of-its kind cocktail, while raising money for an important cause," said E.G Fishburne, Vice President of Marketing at Zing Zang. "Like Zing Zang, each element of these cocktails was meticulously crafted with the highest quality ingredients and materials available. We're thrilled to help add a little spice and boldness to Derby week."

Zing Zang Bloody Mary mixes are made from a proprietary blend of seven real vegetable juices and a complex array of bold spices and seasonings. The Chicago-based company delivers signature bold flavors with a variety of award-winning mixers made with real ingredients, as well as canned ready-to-drink and ready-to-serve cocktails.

Watch Hill Proper recently celebrated its first anniversary after an incredible year. After opening in April of 2022, it has become one of the most nationally recognized Bourbon Clubs known around the globe for its innovative modern cuisine with a classical French influence and award-winning cocktails.

"In just over a year, we have celebrated many milestones and can now add creating the World's Most Expensive Bloody Mary to that list," said co-founders Josh Howes and Tommy Craggs. "Whiskey is the perfect accompaniment to a Bloody Mary and we pride ourselves on having a near endless supply to choose from. When you combine Zing Zang, Karla and Michael's creativity, renowned artisans and a hometown charity, it's the perfect recipe for success."

Win, Place, and Show  Zing Zang Blazing Bourbon Bloody Mary Recipe

4 ounces Zing Zang Blazing Bloody Mary Mix

1 ounce Benton's bacon fat-washed Buffalo Trace bourbon

 ounce fresh lemon juice

 ounce olive brine

Pinch of freshly grated horseradish

Glass: Collins

Method: Rolled

Cocktail Garnish: Dusted bourbon barrel smoked salt and Tajin citrus wheel, truffle fromage Cheese Whiz stuffed grilled olive, basil leaf, Watch Hill Proper amuse (pimento on rye)

Sides  Zing Zang "Win" Mary

Three -ounce pours of Pappy 23 year, Pappy 20 year, Pappy 15 year bourbons

Fried king crab corn dog with clarified foie gras butter and caviar

Wagyu rib cap nigiri with uni shoyu and black truffle

Duck confit and lion's mane mushroom croquette with ramp and sour apple napa slaw

Commemorative silver sipper stirrer and 24-karat gold leaf etched crystal glass

Sides  Zing Zang "Place" Mary

Three -ounce pours of Weller 12 Year, Elmer T. Lee and Blanton's bourbons

and Blanton's bourbons Fried king crab corn dog, with clarified foie gras butter and caviar

Wagyu rib cap nigiri with uni shoyu and black truffle

Commemorative crystal glass

Sides  Zing Zang "Show" Mary

Three -ounce pours of Eagle Rare, E.H. Taylor Small Batch BIB, and 1792 Small Batch bourbons

Duck confit and lion's mane mushroom croquette with ramp and sour apple napa slaw

Learn more at www.watchhillproper.com/zingzang.

About Zing Zang:

Zing Zang is the leading and fastest growing non-alcoholic cocktail mix brand in the U.S. The company markets a complete line of premium-quality mixers including the leading Bloody Mary Mix in the U.S., and a naturally crafted line-up of Margarita, Sweet & Sour, Strawberry Margarita-Daiquiri and Pina Colada Mixes, which contain no high fructose corn syrup, no preservatives, and no artificial dyes. Zing Zang recently introduced a line of ready-to-serve (RTS) Bloody Mary cocktails, and also ready-to-drink (RTD) canned cocktails, using the Zing Zang award-winning mixes and premium spirits. The RTD line includes Bloody Mary, Blazing Bloody Mary, Margarita, Mango Margarita, and Bourbon Whiskey Sour. Zing Zang is available nationwide in over 200,000 retail and on-premise locations. The company was founded in 1997 and is based in Chicago, Illinois. For more information, please visit www.zingzang.com.

About Watch Hill Proper:

Watch Hill Proper Bourbon Bar & Kitchen in Norton Commons is the world's most extensive American whiskey bar. The purpose of Watch Hill Proper is to be a dining destination that celebrates American whiskey from all around the country, particularly Kentucky bourbon. The restaurant hosts public and private events, including bourbon and wine tastings, meet and greets with bourbon master distillers, and themed dinners. For more information, please visit www.watchhillproper.com.

SOURCE Zing Zang, LLC
Washington, May 5 : The US has denied Russia's claims that the Washington had a role in the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.

A day after accusing Ukraine of carrying out the alleged attack aimed at assassinating President Vladimir Putin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was done with Washington's support.

Peskov said on Thursday that the US was "undoubtedly" behind the alleged attack, without providing evidence. "Decisions on such attacks are not made in Kiev, but in Washington," Peskov was quoted as saying by BBC.

Responding to Russian claims, US National Security spokesman John Kirby said: "Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple." "The United States has nothing to do with it. We don't even know exactly what happened here, but I can assure you the United States had no role in it whatsoever." The US official said Washington did not encourage or enable Ukraine to strike outside its borders, and did not endorse attacks on individual leaders.

Ukraine has said that the alleged attack was a false flag operation by Moscow, the British news broadcaster reported.

The alleged attack on the Kremlin occurred early on Wednesday. Footage on social media showed smoke rising over the government complex in central Moscow.

Later in the evening, the Kremlin press service claimed that Ukrainian drones had "attempted to strike" at the residence of Putin.

The Kremlin called the so-called attack a "planned terrorist action" and an "assassination attempt on the Russian President".

In response, Serhii Nykyforov, spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Ukraine had no information about the attack on the Kremlin.

"What happened in Moscow was clearly a Russian escalation of the situation," he added.

Zelensky too denied that his country carried out an alleged drone attack on the Kremlin.
Guwahati, May 5 : The Gauhati High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Srinivas B.V.

Another appeal made by the Congress leader to quash the complaint lodged by the former Assam Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta was also rejected by the court on Thursday.

As a result of this, Srinivas may face an arrest.

He was supposed to appear before the Assam Police on Tuesday, however, he sought an extension as his plea before the Gauhati High Court was pending.

According to police sources, Srinivas may be asked to come to Dispur police station within a day or two.

In her complaint, Dutta claimed that Srinivas had been persistently harassing and torturing her for the last six months by making sexist comments, using slang words, and also threatening her of dire consequences if she keeps complaining against him to the senior party office bearers.

The complaint was lodged on April 19 at the Dispur police station.

She further stated in her complaint that the accused harassed her, grabbed her arm, shoved her, used vulgar terms, and threatened to damage her career in the party if she reported about him during the most recent party plenary meeting in Raipur.

In accordance with the IT Act and various IPC sections pertaining to harassment of women, the police had filed a FIR.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Assam Police went to Srinivas' residence in Bengaluru and served a notice to appear in person before the police in Guwahati.

In the notice, Srinivas was asked not to tamper with the evidence in the case and to not make any threat, inducement or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case.

"Failure to attend/comply with the terms of this notice can render you liable for arrest under section 41A(3) and (4) of CrPC," the police notice further mentioned.
Lucknow, May 5 : Special DG, law and order Prashant Kumar has said that the UP Police would provide proper security to those who testify in the court against criminals.

The Director General praised the STF for gunning down dreaded gangster Anil Dujana (43) in an encounter in Meerut on Thursday.

"We have zero tolerance against crime and criminals and this encounter is an achievement of the STF. We will continue acting against such mafia. Besides, all those who give testimony in the court against such criminals will be provided with proper security by the state on the directives of the SC," he said.

The Dujana encounter, incidentally, took place on the day the STF was celebrating its silver jubilee.

The STF was formed in 1998 to eliminate then don Shri Prakash Shukla.

Prashant Kumar said Dujana had 64 cases registered against him, including 18 murders, six counts of rioting, dacoity, robbery and extortion, and was on the list of the top 66 criminals being monitored by the DGP headquarters in Lucknow.

"Dujana's reign of terror was spread in the NCR region, especially in Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Meerut and Delhi. Action has been taken against 45 members of his gang and his Rs 2 crore property seized so far," he said.

He said Dujana was going to meet his aides from Baghpat to Muzaffarnagar when he was intercepted by the STF in the Jani area of Meerut.

"Acting on a tip off, STF Meerut team cordoned off the area. When an SUV carrying Dujana was spotted, cops signalled it to stop. However, the driver tried to speed away but instead collided with an electric pole. When the STF team reached near them, the miscreant opened fire. In retaliation, the STF shot back following which Dujana slumped on the ground," said Kumar.

He said large quantity of arms and ammunition was also recovered from him.
New Delhi, May 5 : Apple set a quarterly record in the January-March period in India and grew very strong, in double digits year-over-year, said Tim Cook, the company's CEO who was in India last month to open the first branded retail stores in Mumbai and New Delhi.

Apple reported a record revenue of $94.8 billion for its March quarter which was better than expectations.

"Looking at the business in India, we did set a quarterly record, grew very strong, double digits year-over-year. So it was quite a good quarter for us, taking a step back, India is an incredibly exciting market. It's a major focus for us. I was just there, and the dynamism in the market, the vibrancy is unbelievable," Cook told analysts during the earnings call late on Thursday.

Over time, he said, Apple has been expanding operations in India to serve more customers.

"Three years ago, we launched the Apple Store online, and then, we launched two stores just a few weeks ago, and they're off to a great start, one in Mumbai and one in Delhi," said Cook.

Apple has got a number of channel partners in the country as well.

"Overall, I couldn't be more delighted and excited by the enthusiasm I'm seeing for the brand there. There are a lot of people coming into the middle class, and I really feel that India is at a tipping point, and it's great to be there," said the Apple CEO.

The company achieved all-time records in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the UAE, as well as a number of March quarter records, including in Brazil, Malaysia and India.
Mumbai, May 5 : After 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz', director Kushan Nandy is all set to work with actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui for the second time in 'Jogira Sara Ra Ra'.

Talking about his association with Nawazuddin, Nandy said: "Nawaz, of course, is a fabulous actor. There is no rocket science in figuring that out. Also, there is a kind of rapport that develops over the years." "There are a lot of times on the sets when we just exchange glances after a take, and he knows what I am thinking and I know what he is thinking. So, there is a kind of brotherhood that we share." He added: "I feel very secure as a director because I feel my actor is going to give me exactly what I want and so it makes him very special to me. Also, apart from being an actor, he is almost like a brother to me." "I have known him since 2012 when I was pitching 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz'. I have seen his growth and I have seen him do different films and reach where he is today, and become a star. There is a lot of humility and niceness in him. There is a lot of innocence in him and when he really enjoys something, he laughs like a child. So, there is a lot of sweetness, warmth and I enjoy that and I think given a chance I would keep working with him again and again." Does 'Jogira Sara Ra Ra' have the same tone as 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz'?

He said: "We wanted to do something different from 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' because we can't keep doing the same thing again and again. We wanted to do something that shocks you." "This is a complete reverse of 'Babumoshai Bandookbaaz' and a completely different Nawazuddin Siddiqui. So hopefully the next time we do something, it will be completely different from 'Jogira Sara Ra Ra', and perhaps we will surprise you once more!"
Jammu, May 5 : An encounter broke out between the terrorists and security forces in the Kandi area in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district, officials said on Friday.

The gunfight started after a joint team of police and security forces got an input about the presence of terrorists in that area.

After security forces cordoned off the area, terrorists hiding there started firing, drawing retaliation by the security forces.

There have been a series of encounters between the terrorists and security forces in the union territory in the recent past in which terrorists have been eliminated.

Two lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists were killed in an encounter with the security forces in the Drach area in Wanigam Payeen Kreeri area of North Kashmir's Baramulla district on Thursday.

On Wednesday, an infiltration bid was foiled, and two terrorists were killed along the Line of Control (LoC) in Machil sector of north Kashmir's Kupwara district.
Guwahati, May 5 : Assam Police have arrested the main accused in the rape and murder of a minor girl in Tinsukia district's Margherita town, officials said on Friday.

The body of the 12-year-old girl was recovered from a septic tank on Wednesday evening. Her family claimed that the 36 year-old accused, Anand Tanti -- who was known to them -- raped and killed her.

Tanti, who was on the run after committing the crime, was arrested on Thursday evening.

According to the police, he tried to escape and attack the officers.

Police shot at him to stop him. As a result, Tanti sustained bullet injuries.

"We located him, and a police squad immediately travelled to Arunachal Pradesh on Thursday night. We were able to track him down with the assistance of the local police, but when he tried to escape, he attacked the officers. We had to fire at him. He suffered injuries to his lower body," a senior police officer said.

The gruesome incident took place in the town's Segunbari area.

The victim went to a Bihu event with her mother on April 30. Since it had gotten late while they were returning, the woman decided for her daughter to stay back at Tanti's residence.

When the victim's mother went to Tanti's house the next morning, her daughter was missing.

The police filed a complaint against the accused, but he fled the area.

Later, Tinsukia Police released a photo of the suspect and requested the general public contact them if they saw the man.

Hemanta Kumar Borah, a senior police officer said: "After receiving the complaint, a search operation was started, but the girl was not found. When the accused man's wife was questioned by the police, she admitted to them that her husband had killed the young girl and hid body in their home's septic tank.

"The victim's family members believe that she was raped before being killed. When the autopsy report is released, things will become clear." Meanwhile, Tanti has been admitted in a hospital in Arunachal following the police firing.

He will be brought to Tinsukia for questioning after he recovers, according to the police.
New Delhi, May 5 : Twenty-eight countries have come together as part of CITES Big Cats Task Force to combat the illegal trade of big cats, comprising the lion, leopard, tiger and the snow leopard.

Big cats are affected by illegal international trade and have been targeted over the last several decades for their furs, teeth, bones and other body parts, as well as for live animal trade.

The CITES secretariat (The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) convened a meeting of the CITES Big Cats Task Force in Entebbe, Uganda, last week to strengthen responses to the global illegal trade in big cats.

Over 70 representatives from 28 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America and representatives from the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC), other international inter-governmental, Regional Wildlife Enforcement Networks and non-governmental organisations, attended the Task Force meeting.

The aim of the Task Force meeting was to develop strategies to strengthen law enforcement responses to combat illegal trade in big cats and their parts and derivatives, focusing on big cat species that are of highest concern from a conservation and illegal trade perspective: Cheetah, mainland clouded leopard, Sunda clouded leopard, lion, jaguar, leopard, tiger and snow leopard.

Data from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) indicates that the global population of tigers in the wild is around 3,000 individuals with a similar figure for snow leopards.

The population of wild cheetahs is estimated at approximately 6,500. The population trend for all big cat species focused on at the Task Force meeting is considered to be decreasing.

Effective implementation and enforcement of the regulatory framework established by CITES, play an important role in preventing and addressing the illegal wildlife trade.

All big cat species are protected under CITES due to the fact that unregulated and illegal trade poses serious threats to their survival.

At the Task Force meeting, there was a strong focus on enforcement and implementation challenges, information and intelligence sharing about the nature of the illegal trade and associated illegal trade routes, sharing knowledge on forensics and other processes in identifying big cat specimens in trade, discussions on the demand for live big cats and strengthening frontline cooperation and coordination.

Over the course of the five-day meeting, participants identified best practices and innovative approaches to address this illegal trade and built strong professional relationships with their law enforcement counterparts from other countries.

CITES Secretary-General Ivonne Higuero said on Thursday: "Over the past century we have been losing big cats, one of the planet's most majestic predators, at an alarming rate. Today, big cat populations are continuing to diminish, due to habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, wildlife crime and the illegal trade.

"In recent years, there has been progress in conservation efforts, coexistence strategies, and enforcement measures to tackle illegal trade in big cats, but more needs to be done. The CITES Big Cats Task Force meeting has provided an opportunity for Parties, IGOs, NGOs and experts to come together to share knowledge and expertise on big cats.

"The outcomes of this meeting provide inputs to Parties to strengthen responses to illegal trade in big cats." The outcomes from the meeting of the CITES Big Cats Task Force will be presented to the 77th meeting of the CITES Standing Committee in Geneva in Switzerland in November.
Ottawa, May 5 : Canada has summoned Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu over allegations of political interference and intimidation, the media reported.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly disclosed the news on Thursday during a heated exchange in Ottawa with opposition lawmaker Michael Chong, now at the centre of the accusations against China, reports CNN.

Chong was allegedly targeted for harassment by Beijing, and has fiercely criticized the slow response of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government.

Joly also told MPs during a foreign affairs committee session that Canada is considering taking retaliatory action against China and that "all options are on the table", including diplomatic expulsions.

However, she admitted Canada's government was carefully weighing the possibility of retaliation by China, which denies interfering in Canadian political affairs.

"Of course China and the PRC (People's Republic of China) will take action (against) these interests including economic interest, consumer interest and also diplomatic interest, will be affected and therefore, but it's about also the interests of the country so as we are assessing the interest and I know that we are under pressure to go fast we need to make sure as well that we protect our democracy," CNN quoted the Foreign Affairs Minister as saying.

According to a Canadian intelligence report that first emerged in the Globe and Mail newspaper, Chong, a Conservative politician in Canada, was targeted by the Chinese government after he put forward a motion in parliament in 2021 that declared Beijing's treatment of its ethnic Uyghur minority population a genocide.

China has denied the accusations and sanctioned Chong shortly after in response, reports the BBC.

The Globe and Mail report, published on Monday, suggested that Beijing had sought information about Chong's relatives who may be in Hong Kong in a likely effort to "make an example of this MP and deter others from taking anti-PRC positions".

In a statement to the BBC, China's Foreign Embassy said the Ambassador "protested strongly" during his meeting with Canadian officials about the threat to expel Chinese diplomats.

Calling the allegations a "self-directed political farce", the Embassy said: "China has always adhered to the principle of non-interference in other countries' internal affairs." Meanwhile, Prime Minister Trudeau has said that he only learned about the issue after the Globe and Mail report.
Melbourne, May 5 : A Hindu temple in Australia has been vandalised just weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country on May 23.

The front wall of the BAPS Swaminarayan temple in Rosehill suburb of western Sydney was spray-painted with the message "Declare Modi Terrorist" early on Friday morning, The Australia Today reported.

"When I came this morning for prayers I saw ugly vandalism on the front wall," Sejal Patel, a daily visitor to the temple, said.

Temple authorities also found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate, and reported the matter to New South Wales police.

According to the report, police officers visited the temple and have been provided with the CCTV footage of the attack.

This incident comes after a brief almost two months of Khalistan activities in Australia.

In March, the boundary wall of the Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane was vandalised.

In January alone, three Hindu temples in Melbourne were defaced with anti-India graffiti and pro-Bhindranwale slogans by Khalistani supporters, and later, temple priests received threatening calls to raise 'Khalistan Zindabad' slogans.

Following vandalisation of Hindu temples, Khalistani flags were found attached to the Indian consulate in Brisbane in February -- just days after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar's visit to Australia.

India has time and again registered a strong protest with the Australian government asking it to take swift action and bring perpetraters to the book.

During his visit to India this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had assured Modi of strict action, saying that safety of the Indian community is a priority of his government.

Modi is scheduled to travel to Japan, Papua New Guinea and Australia in May with the power-packed visit concluding Down Under where he will attend the Quad summit from May 23-24 in Sydney.
San Francisco, May 5 : US Vice President Kamala Harris has told top Big Tech CEOs, including Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (ChatGPT fame), that the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products.

In her meeting with CEOs of four US companies who are at the forefront of AI innovation, which also saw US President Joe Biden dropping by, she stressed that in order to realise the benefits that might come from advances in AI, "it is imperative to mitigate both the current and potential risks AI poses to individuals, society, and national security".

"These include risks to safety, security, human and civil rights, privacy, jobs, and democratic values," the White House said in a statement late on Thursday.

"Every company must comply with existing laws to protect the American people. I look forward to the follow through and follow up in the weeks to come," Harris said.

She told the CEOs that advances in technology have always presented opportunities and risks, and generative AI is no different.

"AI is one of today's most powerful technologies, with the potential to improve people's lives and tackle some of society's biggest challenges. At the same time, AI has the potential to dramatically increase threats to safety and security, infringe civil rights and privacy, and erode public trust and faith in democracy," she stressed.

Meanwhile, The White House also announced more funding and policy guidance for developing responsible AI.

"We're investing an additional $140 million to stand up seven new National AI Research Institutes. That will bring the total 25 National AI Research Institutes across the country, with half a billion dollars of funding to support responsible innovation that advances the public good," said the Biden administration.
Kolkata, May 5 : A crucial hearing on the cases against Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the alleged multi-crore recruitment scam in West Bengal, which were transferred from the bench of Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay following an order of the Supreme of Court on April 28, will be heard on Monday.

Calcutta High Court's single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Sinha, where the two cases have been transferred, will hear the matter.

Meanwhile, Calcutta High Court's counsels Firdaus Shamim and Sudipto Sengupta, on behalf of the petitioners in these two cases, have made a fresh plea at Justice Sinha's bench. In the plea, Shamim has argued that with the transfer of the two cases, the Supreme Court has also revoked the stay on Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI)'s action in these two cases related to expelled Kuntal Ghosh's letters accusing the central agencies of putting pressure on him to name Abhishek Banerjee in the alleged recruitment scam.

In his appeal to Justice Sinha's bench, Shamim has requested the court to enquire from CBI on the progress made by the agency in the matter.

At the same time, on Monday only, another crucial case -- municipalities recruitment scam -- will come up for hearing at Justice Sinha's bench.

To recall, the Supreme Court had earlier put an interim stay on the order by Justice Gangopadhyay for a CBI probe in the municipalities recruitment scam in West Bengal, which Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths unearthed during their course of investigation in the alleged recruitment scam in state-run schools in West Bengal.

Besides putting the interim stay, the apex court had also referred the matter back to the Calcutta High Court. Meanwhile, West Bengal has made a fresh appeal to Justice Sinha's bench for reconsideration of the order for CBI probe in the alleged recruitment scam in urban civic bodies. This matter will also be heard on Monday.
Bengaluru, May 5 : Priyank Kharge, son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, in his reply to the Election Commission (EC) notice has said that he has not violated model of conduct and that he only referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "empty" rhetoric for the Banjara community at an election rally as "nalayak (inept)".

Responding to the Election Commission (EC)'s notice, Priyank, the Congress's incumbent MLA and candidate from Karnataka's Chittapur seat, in his three-page long reply said, "It is alleged by the three BJP leaders, Pyush Goyal, Anil Baluni and Om Pathak that they find what I said to be abusive and that I allegedly invoked caste thus attempting to create disaffection between voters and citizens.

"Even on a strained reading of my comments, the above allegations are completely and wholly unfounded. The barest and most superficial perusal of my comments establishes the false and desperate nature of this complaint," the Congress leader said in his reply.

He further said that caste is a reality of India and only those coming from privileged backgrounds, like the BJP leaders who submitted a complaint against him, will never understand the inequality and discrimination meted out by BJP governments and certain other members of society holding similar beliefs to the BJP vis-A-vis the members of the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, the Backward Classes and Minorities.

"The imputation attributed to me has to be seen in the context of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's remarks made at Kalburgi for the Banjara community, which has been deeply hurt by the anti Banjara-Scheduled Caste policies of the Modi-Bommai Governments, who have done nothing for the SC-Banjara community (along with the entire SC-ST fraternity), except for paying lip service and then trampling upon their rights," he said.

Targeting the BJP governments at the Centre and in state, the Congress leader said, "To highlight the completely hollow nature of the PM's promises to the voters, it must be pointed out that the BJP government at the Centre and State have done absolutely nothing to ameliorate the conditions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. On the contrary, the state BJP government has done great injustice by changing the reservation structure three times in ninety days." He further said that what is most painful to every member of the SC and ST community is that the increased reservation for them have been brazenly rejected by the Modi government in their reply to the Parliament on March 14, 2023.

"This has lacerated the soul of the SC's and ST's across the state of Karnataka. This pains me immensely and especially because of the fact that the Nagmohan Das Committee, which recommended the enhanced reservations for SC's and ST's, was appointed by me as Karnataka's then Minister for Social Justice in order to do justice to the downtrodden sections of the society and bring them at par with full rights, respect and honour," he said.

"I do not think that anyone, including the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi (whose government rejected the increased reservation in its reply to the Parliament) or the Election Commission can understand the agony, anguish and the immeasurable pain suffered by myself and other members of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes of Karnataka," he said.

"What is even more painful is that on one side our, i.e. SC's and ST's justifiable demands and right of reservation is rejected by the Modi Government and on the other side, we are mocked at and ridiculed by none less than the Prime Minister of India, he noted in his reply to the poll body.

"I am ready to make any sacrifice and to accept any punishment for raising the voice of the underprivileged, the poor and my brothers and sisters of the SC and ST community of Karnataka. I respect the Prime Minister but no one, including the PM, has the authority to trample upon the rights of Karnataka's Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and to mock or ridicule us," he said, adding that "I respectfully submit that I have not violated any provisions of the Model Code of Conduct".

The EC had issued a show-cause notice to Priyank, the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Wednesday for alleged violation of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for his "nalayak" remark against the PM, asking him to submit his reply by 5 p.m. Thursday.

The high decibel assembly election in Karnataka has witnessed the ruling party and Congress trading barbs at each other.

The polling for the 224-member assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Los Angeles, May 5 : Actress Amber Heard has reportedly quit Hollywood and moved to Madrid, Spain.

"I can reveal that Heard has quit Hollywood and quietly relocated to Spain with her young daughter Oonagh," the Daily Mail claimed in an article published Thursday, reports pagesix.com.

According to the journalist of the portal, a friend of Heard said: "She's bilingual in Spanish and is happy there, raising her daughter away from all the noise." The friend also told the outlet that the 37-year-old actress may one day return to Tinseltown.

"I don't think she is in any hurry to return to work or to Hollywood, but she will probably come back when the time is right, for the right project," the friend explained, per the Daily Mail report.

Notably, Heard sold her Yucca Valley, California, home in July 2022 for $1.1 million.

Since then, she has spent plenty of time in Spain. Last October, the actress was photographed flaunting her bikini body on the beaches of Palma de Mallorca.

Days prior, she was spotted playing with her daughter, Oonagh, 2, at a kids' park during her Spanish getaway. The mom of one has largely kept her child out of the public eye since welcoming her via surrogate in July 2021.

Heard's alleged move to Spain comes nearly a year after her defamation trial with ex-husband Johnny Depp.

Depp, 59, sued Heard for $50 million in 2019, claiming she lied about him abusing her only to obtain more money in their divorce settlement.

One year later, his ex-wife countersued him for $100 million.

The trial ended in June 2022 with the court ordering Heard to pay Depp $10 million compensatory damages plus $350,000 in punitive damages for defaming the 'Cry Baby' actor in a 2018 op-ed piece she wrote for 'The Washington Post'.

Heard later asked the judge to toss the jury's verdict and requested a retrial, claiming that the judgment was not supported by evidence.
Islamabad, May 5 : Pakistan is most likely to pay for the Russian oil in Chinese yuan with the test cargo carrying 750,000 barrels of crude expected to dock in June.

Pakistan will pay the price of crude most probably in the Chinese currency and the "Bank of China may play its role for transactions", The News reported on Friday citing an official as saying.

However, the official refused to divulge in crystal clear terms the details about the mode of payment and the exact discount arguing it is not in the interest of the country and the seller also does not want to make it public fearing backlash from the other countries buying Russian oil directly from Moscow.

"Russia will provide URAL crude in the test cargo and most probably Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL) will be tasked to refine the Russian crude," he added.

Commercial analysis of Russian crude has been conducted in favour of Pakistan's economy but it will further be cross-checked after refining the Russian oil.

The shipping cost of the Russian oil has also been estimated somewhere at $15 per barrel, but it will be finalised after it arrives at the Pakistan port.

Other sources confided that Pakistan has finalised the per barrel price close to $50-52 against the cap price of G7 countries at $60 per barrel, The News reported.

Pakistani refineries have been importing 80 per cent of crude under long-term agreements from ADNOC and Saudi Aramco and in the remaining 20 per cent there is a cushion to purchase Russian oil under on a long-term agreement to some extent.

But the government would also prefer to keep some cushion for purchasing the crude from the international market as the crude price can go down even blow the cost signed under the long-term agreements, The News reported.
Aden, May 5 : Yemen's government and the Houthi militia have separately announced their readiness to resume UN-facilitated negotiations on the exchange of prisoners and detainees.

In a statement, the government's prisoner affairs committee voiced its readiness to join the meetings on May 15 that aimed at putting an end to the plight of prisoners held in Houthi jails, reports Xinhua news agency.

It called on the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to continue facilitating the exchange of prisoners between the Yemeni warring sides without preconditions.

It also reaffirmed the government's commitment to free all prisoners and put an end to the humanitarian issue on the basis of an "all-for-all" principle.

For their part, officials from the Houthi rebel group in Sanaa also said they were fully ready to join the next round of negotiations on prisoner exchange.

On Tuesday, Abdulkadir al-Murtada, head of the Houthi prisoner affairs' committee, said he met UN Special Envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and his team in Sanaa, and discussed ways to advance the prisoner exchange issue.

According to al-Murtada, the Houthis have informed the UN envoy of their willingness to have mutual prison visits as previously arranged as well as to participate in the upcoming negotiations in mid-May.

The negotiations may result in the release of more prisoners, end the suffering of thousands of war prisoners, and provide relief to their families in the impoverished Arab country, analysts say.

UN-brokered negotiations in March successfully led to the release of around 900 prisoners in April, marking the second largest prisoner exchange between the warring sides since the start of the Yemen civil war over eight years ago.

High-profile figures, including Nasser Mansour Hadi, the brother of former President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, and Mahmoud Al Subeihi, the country's former Defence Minister, were among those who were freed last month.

The prisoner swap comes as part of ongoing efforts aimed at building trust between the government forces and the Houthi militia, who have been engaged in a brutal internal conflict since late 2014.

It is also widely regarded as a crucial step toward preparing favourable conditions for and demonstrating both parties' commitment to forthcoming negotiations that aimed at achieving a lasting peace.

Yemen has been embroiled in a years-long military conflict after the Houthi militia took control of several northern cities and ousted the government from Sanaa in 2014.

The ongoing conflict has resulted in a staggering number of casualties and has plunged the Arab world's poorest country into humanitarian crises, including a widespread famine.
Mumbai, May 5 : American pop star Nick Jonas cannot stop gushing about his wife Priyanka Chopra Jonas as he calls her "boss" after seeing her performance in the series 'Citadel'.

Nick took to Instagram Stories to share a poster of Citadel featuring Priyanka with her co-stars and fellow spies Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci. It had 'Citadel, no. 1 title on Prime Video' written on it.

Captioning the poster, he wrote: "My wife is a boss. Congrats to the entire Citadel and Prime Video family." The first three episodes of Citadel are out right on Prime Video, and new episodes will be released every Friday and the finale on May 26. Filled with action, thrill and drama, the series stars Priyanka, Richard Madden and Stanley Tucci.
New Delhi, May 5 : A 26-year-old accused who had been on the run since beating a man to death in Delhi last year, was finally apprehended in Madhya Pradesh, a Delhi Police official said on Friday.

The accused has been identified as Ajay alias Hariya, a resident of Tikamgarh in Madhya Pradesh.

In April 2022, Ajay along with others had beaten the man to death in Delhi's Bindapur area.

"During investigation about a month ago, specific inputs were received regarding Ajay, who had been declared a 'Proclaimed Offender' by a Dwarka court," said M Harsha Vardhan, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Dwarka).

On the basis of technical surveillance, he was located and traced at all his possible hideouts in Delhi, Jhansi and Tikamgarh.

"Many raids were conducted to nab him but he managed to escape each time. On April 30, his location was zeroed down to Tikamgarh and a police team was dispatched to nab him," said Vardhan.

On seeing the team, Ajay again tried to escape but was apprehended after a brief chase, said the DCP.

On interrogation, he disclosed that after the murder he fled from his house and kept on changing address frequently to evade arrest.

The official said that Ajay was also found to be involved in four other cases of murder and Arms Act.
Bengaluru, May 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi is arriving in Karnataka on Friday for a three-day visit for the final leg of campaigning.

He will take part in public rallies organised in Ballary and Tumakuru districts on Friday.

PM Modi will hold a massive roadshow on Saturday in Bengaluru which will pass through 18 Assembly constituencies. This roadshow will be held in two parts.

On Saturday, the roadshow will be held between 10 a.m. and 12.30 p.m. from Brigade Millennium of J.P. Nagara to Maramma Circle in Malleshwaram in Bengaluru Central.

On Sunday, he will embark on the second leg of the roadshow from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. in Bengaluru South from Suranjan Das circle to Trinity circle. The distance of the roadshow has been reduced by four kms.

The Congress party had appealed to the Election Commission not to permit the roadshow of PM Modi. However, the Commission has given a green signal.

The ruling BJP is hoping to recover from the anti-incumbency factor with PM Modi's visit. The Bajrang Dal ban proposal has also helped the BJP to gain grounds at the fag end of election campaigning in Karnataka.

The BJP has challenged the Congress to ban Bajrang Dal and claimed that it has "insulted" Lord Hanuman. The party also aims to wrestle a major chunk of 28 seats of Bengaluru city with PM Modi's outreach to voters.
New Delhi, May 5: Fund-raising at mosques for the cause of Kashmir and Palestine, and the idea of jihad, have become mainstream in Pakistani society. Recently, a video on social media showed two turbaned men collecting donations on behalf of global terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in Peshawar during Eid celebrations.

Similar videos and photographs of terror organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) helping flood-affected people and recruiting youth had surfaced last year. A Pakistani activist told India Narrative that fund-raising for jihad has become a routine activity in the country. "Every Friday, you will find people collecting money in most mosques in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh. You will witness the activity in cities like Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi," says the activist.

This fund-raising activity, which is a public and visible activity, is significant in many ways.

One, it helps to divert international attention away from the Pakistani government, the army and Pakistan's spy agencies which are the main supporters for terror organisations like JeM and LeT. Therefore, fund-raising publicly helps in building opinion that the masses support jihad and the people are funding Pakistan's terror organisations.

The second point is that the masses become a stakeholder in the idea of jihad and the ideology remains alive among the society. For the terror groups, it becomes easy to recruit people for their radical activities.

"The money collected is small and is kept by the local commanders for supplementary activities - arranging food, daily upkeep and given to parents to send their sons to the madrasa for '40 days'. The 40-day training has faith-based significance and during this time the boys are indoctrinated into the idea of jihad and jannat. Meanwhile, the parents are happy with the new-found source of income in poverty-stricken Pakistan," says the activist.

He adds that the Pakistani army and the ISI take care of the terror groups. "All the weapons are provided by the army and the various agencies. The fund-raising in mosques is a miniscule amount only to keep the idea of jihad alive," adds the activist.

Geopolitical activist Mark Kinra says: "The attack by the JeM-backed People's Anti-Fascist Front (PAFF) followed Pakistani Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Asim Munir's support to Kashmiri groups at the passing out parade in Kakul Military Academy shows Pakistan's total support to terror groups in Kashmir. Because of the fear of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Pakistan may temporarily sideline JeM or terror leaders like Maulana Masood Azhar but it will create new groups like PAFF to continue the terror momentum, all the while pulling wool over FATF eyes." It was in October 2022 that FATF removed Pakistan from its grey list of countries financing terror and indulging in money laundering. Around the same time, Pakistan's largest private sector bank, Habib Bank Ltd (HBL) was battling allegations that it had financed global terror organisation Al-Qaeda, leading to the deaths and injuries to hundreds of people in Afghanistan.

Months later, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, was spotted in Rawalpindi protected by a ring of Pakistani soldiers. He was threatening to attack Indians at the funeral prayers of a top terrorist, Bashir Ahmad Peer, who had been killed in Pakistan in February 2023.

With terror financing unabated, the FATF may need to wake up and re-scruitinise Pakistani state's complicity in spreading global terror.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
Panaji, May 5 : External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday welcomed his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Goa on Friday for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting.

Bilawal's visit is the first by a Pakistani Foreign Minister to India since July 2011.

Sources informed that SCO Foreign Ministers will finalise their deliberations on the second day of their meeting on Friday.

A set of 15 decisions or proposals are likely to be finalised for consideration of the grouping's summit in July.

The proposals are aimed at expanding cooperation among the SCO member countries in the areas of trade, technology, commerce, security and socio-cultural ties.

The meeting is being chaired by Jaishankar.

The two-day meeting of SCO members began here on Thursday.

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the bloc.

He laid down the key focus areas including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Union Minister on Thursday also held a discussion with China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang "on our bilateral relationship".

"Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," Jaishankar said in a tweet, adding that their talks also focused on the SCO, G20 and BRICS.

Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.
Gaza, May 5 : Hundreds of Palestinian workers in Gaza took to the streets demanding more jobs and a pay increase.

The workers who have endured economic hardship and harsh living conditions for more than 16 years took part in the rally to make a strong appeal to authorities and local businesses for a real solution, Abdul Karim al-Khalidi from the Trade Union Action Front in the besieged enclave told Xinhua news agency.

Samih al-Masri, a worker from Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, said the years-long Israeli blockade and internal Palestinian division deepen Gaza's economic struggle.

More than half of the Palestinians in Gaza have no source of income as a result of the Israeli blockade imposed on the territory since 200.

A recent report issued by the General Union of Palestinian Workers (GUPW) shows that Gaza's unemployment rate has exceeded 60 per cent, poverty rates reached 64 percent, and food insecurity rates at 70 per cent.

As a result, nearly 1.5 million Gazans depend on aid provided by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and other relief institutions, according to the GUPW report.
Lucknow, May 5 : A galaxy of starfish along with sea anemones in the aquarium in the Lucknow Zoo, are the latest attractions for visitors.

A glass partition has been created to separate spaces for both the creatures.

The zoo authorities have procured six starfish. Of these, two were put in the aquarium last week, while four more will be introduced later and placed together in a separate aquarium that is being prepared for these creatures.

There are about 2,000 varieties of starfishes of which 600 are found in the Indian coastline.

"We have brought commonly available six starfish from Chennai. Each one is about 200-300 gms with a diameter of 8 inches. A starfish grows to about 12 inches. They are being fed small dead fishes," said zoo aquarist Indramani Raja.

The salinity of the water in the aquarium for starfish is maintained by mixing salt and is under constant monitoring with a hydrometer.

Besides, a special set of bacteria is released in the water to eliminate impurities and make it fit for sea creatures.

"The bacteria and salt have been imported from Israel. A starfish can live up to six years in captivity and 14 years in nature. The starfishes are shy, yet aggressive and can even re-grow their arms once it gets chopped," Raja added.

In 2019, two species of starfish were brought to the zoo aquarium, but they could not survive.

The two sea anemones brought last month are doing well, but the clown fish procured along with them died under unforeseen circumstances.
Ottawa, May 5 : Canada's merchandise imports and exports were down in March, the national statistical agency said.

Statistics Canada said on Thursday that the country's total monthly imports of goods decreased 2.9 per cent from February to C$62.6 billion, and total exports of goods were down 0.7 per cent to C$63.6 billion, reports Xinhua news agency.

Imports of consumer goods decreased 11 per cent in March, mainly because of lower imports of pharmaceutical products.

In February, large quantities of drugs unrelated to Covid-19 were imported, and these shipments did not repeat in March, causing a sharp drop for the month.

Most notable export declines were observed in energy products, mainly because of lower exports of crude oil.

While this was mostly the result of lower prices, crude oil export volumes also decreased in March.

According to the agency, exports of services were up 0.2 per cent to C$14 billion, as an increase in commercial services was moderated by a decline in travel services.

Imports edged up 0.1 per cent to C$16 billion, reflecting higher commercial services, which was partially offset by lower transportation services.

Canada's total exports were down 0.3 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, mainly because of lower prices.

Meanwhile, quarterly imports edged down 0.2 per cent.

However, in real terms, quarterly exports increased 3.5 per cent, while imports decreased 0.4 per cent, Statistics Canada said.
Imphal, May 5 : Army and Assam Rifles continued to conduct flag marches in several trouble-torn districts of Manipur for the third day on Friday even as sporadic incidents were reported from different areas, officials said.

A defence spokesman on Friday said that flag marches were underway in several areas specially in the most volatile Churachandpur district.

He claimed that the situation was brought under control in many areas through coordinated actions by all stakeholders.

"Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties to carry additional Army and Paramilitary troops from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on the night of Thursday and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of Friday. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night," the Defence PRO said.

The Manipur government on Thursday appointed Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Ashutosh Sinha as the overall Operational Commander to control the situation and bring normalcy in the state.

Sinha on Friday said that 23 police stations, mostly in mountainous districts of the state, have been identified as most vulnerable and Army and central para-military forces were deployed in these police stations.

The ADGP, accompanied by senior other police officials, told the media that over 20,000 affected people of different communities have been evacuated and sheltered in safer places. "We urge the people not to fall prey to any rumour and if they need any assistance contact the nearby police stations and the government authorities," Sinha said.

A senior official of Manipur Home Department said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur round the clock and he is in constant touch with top functionaries of state and Centre.

The Home Minister since Thursday held two video-conference meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, State Chief Secretary, DGP, Union Home Secretary and other top officials.

Shah also spoke to Chief Ministers of several northeastern states and discussed the Manipur situation and about the wellbeing of the students and people living in Manipur.

Retired IPS officer Kuldiep Singh, a former CRPF Chief, has been appointed security advisor by the Manipur government.

Various state governments of the northeastern states are in touch with the Manipur authorities on the safety and security of the students and people belonging to different northeastern states living in Manipur.

Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram governments have set up 24 X 7 help lines for the benefit of the students and people living in Manipur.

The situation turned seriously volatile after thousands turned up for the 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

In view of the prevailing situation, the Manipur government on Thursday authorised all District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and all Executive Magistrates to issue "Shoot at sight orders" in extreme cases.

A defence spokesman said that Army and Assam Rifles personnel conducted flag marches and aerial reconnaissance in areas of Khuga, Tampa, and Khomaujanbba areas of Churachandpur district, Mantripukhri, Lamphel, and Koeirangi area of Imphal West District, and Sugnu in Kakching districts.

In an appeal to the people, the Chief Minister urged them to maintain peace and calm and cooperate with the state government."Wednesday's incidents took place due to misunderstanding between the communities. The government will settle the genuine demands and grievances after talking with all the communities and leaders," Singh said in a video message.

Rumours of several deaths are being spread creating problems for the law enforcement agencies. However, authorities have not confirmed any fatalities.

Chief Ministers of all the northeastern states and six-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom separately urged the people to maintain ethnic harmony, peace and calm.

The situation in Manipur turned volatile as thousands of tribals on Wednesday turned up for the march called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in all the 10 hill districts to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category.

Acting on a writ petition filed by the Meetei (Meitei) Trade Union, the Manipur High Court on April 19 had directed the state government to consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list expeditiously.

The valley is dominated by Meitei and they are seeking the ST category status, alleging infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar, destroying the demographic pattern in the state.

Following the rally, clashes, attacks, counter-attacks among different communities and burning of houses and shops took place in different districts, forcing authorities to suspend mobile internet services for five days, while a night curfew was also imposed in several tension-ridden mountainous districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Tenugopal, and Churachandpur.

The state government on Wednesday night requisitioned the Army and Assam Rifles to control the ethnic violence in at least six districts.

Tribals - the Nagas and Kukis who are mainly Christians - constitute about 40 per cent of the state's around three million population and inhabit the hill districts which account for much of the state's land.

Protesting against the state government's action to evict them from forest lands and destruction of illegal poppy cultivation in the reserve and protected forests, the tribals had on March 10 organised protest rallies in three districts -- Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal, during which five people were injured.

Fresh incidents of violence, including arson and vandalisation of government properties, were triggered on April 27 in Churachandpur district after the tribals launched fresh protests against the state government's action against illegal poppy cultivation.
The existing relations between Georgia and Hungary, as well as the prospects of future cooperation in both bilateral and multilateral formats, were discussed on Thursday by Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban, Trend reports with reference to Agenda.

At the meeting, held within the framework of the annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Hungarys capital city of Budapest, the officials highlighted the importance of conducting the conference. The sides emphasised the messages voiced at the conference, representing common values for many countries, the Government Administration said.

The conversation touched on the prospects of deepening economic cooperation between the two states, including in the fields of trade, investments, tourism and agriculture. Garibashvili emphasised that Georgia remained committed to the goal for further strengthening the cooperation with Hungary.

Georgias European Union integration was also discussed by the PMs, with the officials emphasising the significance of Hungarys support to the country to get the membership candidate status.

Garibashvili stressed the Georgian Government had fulfilled most of the recommendations set out by the European Commission last year for granting the country the candidate status, highlighting that Georgia was waiting for the status to be granted, as the country deserved it.

After the meeting, the Hungarian Prime Minister hosted a working lunch held in honour of his Georgian counterpart and the countrys delegation.
Anti-terror measures are need of the hour: Jaishankar at SCO meet.(photo:@DrSJaishankar) Image Source: IANS News

Anti-terror measures are need of the hour: Jaishankar at SCO meet.(photo:@DrSJaishankar) Image Source: IANS News

Anti-terror measures are need of the hour: Jaishankar at SCO meet.(photo:@DrSJaishankar) Image Source: IANS News

Panaji, May 5 : Stating that terrorism is a major threat, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday said that anti-terror measures are the need of the hour.

Speaking at the Shanghai Organisation Corporation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa, Jaishankar said that the channels of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked to curb all these activities.

On the second day of the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting, he welcomed all his counterparts, who are members of the SCO.

He said that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, and as this menace continues there is a need to take measures to stop terrorism.

Jaishankar also said that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms.

The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here Thursday, with Jaishankar also holding meetings with his counterparts.

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.

He laid down the key focus areas, including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.

Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.
San Francisco, May 5 : Google is reportedly planning to enhance accessibility to its AI chatbot Bard on Pixel phones and tablets by introducing an exclusive homescreen widget on its devices in the near future.

According to 9to5Google, the Bard AI is expected to launch on Android soon, complete with a homescreen widget.

However, it is not clear whether Bard will be integrated into the Google Search app or arrive as a standalone app.

A home screen widget is a small app or feature that can be placed on a smartphone's main screen.

With the addition of Bard as a home screen widget, Pixel phone users might be able to create stories, and other forms of creative writing directly from their phone's home screen, or may suggest prompts for conversations, opening directly into the corresponding app, the report said.

Although the precise workings of Google's Bard widget on the Pixel phone's home screen remain unknown, it is anticipated that users will have the option to choose from a range of styles and formats.

While there is no official release date for the Bard AI's arrival as a home screen widget on Pixel phones, it is expected that Google will roll it out to Pixel users in the coming months, the report said.

In March, Google gave some Pixel Superfans the chance to try out Bard.

The tech giant allowed a "small, randomly selected group of Pixel Superfans" to access Bard, reports The Verge.

"Meet Bard, an early experiment by Google that lets you collaborate with generative AI. We'd like to offer you -- a member of our Pixel Superfan community -- early access so you can get started as soon as Bard launches, and share your feedback," the tech giant wrote in an email to users.
Hyderabad, May 5 : Yerra Gangi Reddy, the prime accused in former Andhra Pradesh minister Y. S. Vivekananda Reddy's murder case, surrendered in CBI court on Friday on the direction of the Telangana High Court.

The CBI court remanded him to judicial custody till June 2. He will be shifted to Chanchalguda Central Jail.

On April 27, the High Court had cancelled the bail of Gangi Reddy and directed him to surrender before the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court by May 5.

The High Court ruled that as the CBI is scheduled to complete the hearing on June 30, Gangi Reddy may be granted bail on July 1 on a personal bond of Rs 1.50 lakh.

Recently, the Supreme Court extended the deadline for completing the investigation into the sensational case till June 30.

The CBI sought the cancellation of the bail on the ground that Gangi Reddy is the main accused and has been influencing key witnesses in the case.

Gangi Reddy is having political backing and is trying to put pressure on the witnesses through his connections, the CBI counsel had argued.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Andhra Pradesh police, which was then investigating the murder case, arrested Gangi Reddy on March 28, 2019.

Reddy was granted default bail by a local court at Pulivendula on June 27, 2019 as the SIT had failed to file chargesheet in the specified period. After the CBI took over the investigation and filed the chargesheet, it had approached the court to cancel his bail. The court had dismissed the CBI petition.

Later, the Andhra Pradesh High Court also upheld the decision of the lower court.

Subsequently, the CBI had approached the Supreme Court, challenging the order of the High Court.

The Supreme Court in November last year transferred the trial in the murder case from Andhra Pradesh to CBI court in Hyderabad. Consequent to this, the apex court asked the CBI to approach the Telangana High Court for cancellation of bail of Gangi Reddy.

Vivekananda Reddy, brother of former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy and uncle of present Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, was murdered at his residence in Pulivendula of Kadapa district on March 15, 2019, weeks before elections.

The 68-year-old former state minister and former MP was alone at his house when unidentified persons barged in and killed him.

The CBI took over the investigation into the case in 2020 on the direction of Andhra Pradesh High Court while hearing a petition of Vivekananda Reddy's daughter Suneetha Reddy, who raised suspicion about some relatives.

The Supreme Court transferred the case to Hyderabad while observing that doubts raised by Suneetha Reddy about getting a fair trial and investigation in Andhra Pradesh were reasonable.
Hyderabad, May 5 : YSR Telangana Party (YSRTP) leader YS Sharmila on a Friday lodged a police complaint against the Telangana state IT department, seeking filing of an FIR against the department's suspected role in the TSPSC paper leak case.

She filed the complaint at Begum Bazar police station and alleged that Special Investigation Team (SIT) is being run under the direction of Pragati Bhavan (Chief Minister's official residence), and cannot be trusted.

Stating that big fish may be involved, she sought investigation into the "role" of IT minister K. T. Rama Rao and the department's officials.

Speaking to the media at the police station, she said, "In March 2023, the TSPSC chairman addressed the media and stated that the one of the arrested in the scam, the prime accused, Rajasekhar Reddy had access to the IPs of the systems in the TSPSC. The Chairman made it clear that it was easier to access information from anywhere when one knew the IPs. On record, the accused, Rajasekhar Reddy was arrested along with the other accused, Praveen, an insider. The Chairman made it clear that Rajasekhar Reddy colluded with Praveen to hack systems and got access to the papers." "When the TSPSC systems have been hacked and accessed with such ingenuity and ease, serious doubts are raised over the functioning of the role of the officials of the IT department who are suspected to have colluded with the accused. At the same time, the IT Minister went on record saying that it was only the misdeeds of two individuals and no departments could be blamed for this. This statement of the minister has left the public in general that the culprits in the department could go scot-free with no cases on them, nor any inquiry ordered into him," added YSR Telangana Party leader.

She further added, "The minister himself is discouraging any probe into the role of the department and its officials. In a way, this is shielding them when it is evident that without bypassing authentication levels, OTPs, and other security levels, it was impossible to access the papers." Sharmila said that the role of the Personal Assistant of the IT Minister in the TSPSC paper leak issue has been widely reported in the media. It was reported that the prime accused Rajasekhar and the PA of the minister hail from neighbouring villages and are known to each other. Eventually, the close associates of both Rajasekhar and the PA of the minister got the highest marks in the TSPSC examination. All these points to a larger and well-woven conspiracy.

"We demand a probe into this connivance angle. It is naive to even think that all these incidents happened without getting into the notice of the IT minister when fingers in the media are pointing towards his PA's role," she said.
New Delhi, May 5 : Amid a continuous decline in job postings, hiring trends remain upbeat in the sectors related to Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data, according to a report on Friday.

The first quarter (Q1) of 2023 saw many companies including major players like Salesforce, Accenture, and JP Morgan Chase & Co announcing layoffs amidst a continuous decline in job postings.

Despite this, sectors such as retail, healthcare, and technology continued to hire actively. Key themes driving hiring trends being Cloud, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and Big Data, reveals the report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company.

GlobalData's latest report, 'Global Hiring Activity - Trends & Signals Q1 2023', reveals that the global hiring activity continued to decline in Q1 2023, as active jobs declined by 27.8 per cent, with new job postings declining by 19.1 per cent and closures rose 36.3 per cent compared to postings.

However, retail, healthcare, and technology continued to hire actively although active jobs declined by around 30 per cent sequentially in Q1 2023.

"Foodservice, travel and tourism, business and consumer services, and construction had higher job postings and lower closures than other industries in Q1 2023. AmRest Holdings SE, Marriott International Inc, and Black & Veatch Corp were among the top recruiters during the same period," said Sherla Sriprada, Business Fundamentals Analyst at GlobalData, in a statement.

In terms of themes, digitalisation, AI, and renewable energy had higher job postings and lower closures during the quarter.

"While the decline in job postings and the surge in layoffs are concerning, the key takeaway is that industries need to adapt to digital transformation and upskill their workforce to stay relevant," Sriprada said.
Mumbai, May 5 : Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut on Friday welcomed the Nationalist Congress Party decision rejecting its President Sharad Pawar's resignation.

"It was on anticipated lines... There's no alternative to Pawar Saheb... The NCP committee's decision is correct," said Raut, soon after the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally's turmoil-ridden party's move.

He said that Pawar is the most respected and nationally accepted leader and all the Opposition parties in the country want him to continue in his post.

"All parties are clear on this, he is a uniting force... Pawar Saheb must continue as NCP President, at least till the (2024) elections," urged Raut.

He reiterated that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party was making attempts to destroy all Opposition parties and force them to merge with it, using pressure tactics of different kinds.

"First the BJP broke up the Shiv Sena, then the NCP was being targeted similarly with the fear of the central investigating agencies... This cannot work in a democracy," he pointed out.

He revealed that Pawar had even written on this to Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently.

Raut's reactions came soon after the NCP panel meeting, which unanimously rejected Pawar's shock decision of May 2 to step down as the party president, and also requested him to continue in his post.

The NCP top leadership went to meet Pawar and submitted the resolutions passed by the committee, asking him to honour the same and convey his response on priority.

NCP Vice-President Praful Patel said that Pawar has sought some time to think over it and his final call is expected soon.

State chief Jayant Patil said that there's no truth in the rumours being floated that the NCP will split and asserted that the party is fully united behind Sharad Pawar.
Canberra, May 5 : The free trade agreement (FTA) between Australia and the UK has been fast-tracked to come into effect from the end of May, the government in Canberra said in a statement on Friday.

During his visit to the UK, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced May 31 as the start date for the trade deal, reports Xinhua news agency.

Under the agreement, 99 per cent of Australian goods will enter Britain duty free.

After five years, all British imports will enter Australia duty free, "helping ease cost-of-living pressures for households and input costs for Australian business", the government statement said.

It is expected to deliver a long-term boost to two-way trade between the countries, which was worth A$21.7 billion ($14.5 billion) in 2021.

In addition to erasing most tariffs, the FTA will remove red tape and liberalise working visas.

The deal also includes commitments on the environment and labour.

Digital trade rules under the agreement will "provide greater certainty" and facilitate trade for businesses.

"This agreement will deliver significant benefits to Australian exporters, consumers, workers, and our economy more broadly," Albanese added.

-- Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Prokerala team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed
Islamabad, May 5 : The Foreign Ministers of Afghanistan and China will arrive in Pakistan on Friday to participate in the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue, the media reported.

The Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said Afghanistan's acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Acting Afghan Minister for Commerce and Industry Haji Nooruddin Azizi, and senior officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Transport, and Trade, The Express Tribune reported.

"The visit of the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister is a continuation of Pakistan's political engagement process with Afghanistan," the FO said.

It added that Pakistan was committed to pursue practical engagement with the Afghan government.

During Muttaqi's visit, the two sides would also "review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade, connectivity, peace and security, and education domains", according to the Foreign Office statement.

The 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue will be held Saturday.

The FO said that Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang will also participate in the meeting, The Express Tribune reported.

"China looks forward to exchanging views with Afghanistan and Pakistan on the situation and trilateral cooperation through this (trilateral) dialogue," it added.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning, confirmed that Foreign Minister Qin would visit Pakistan and attend the three-way dialogue.

Mao said that it would be Qin's first visit to Pakistan as the country's Foreign Minister.

"The visit of Qin Gang is also an important part of the recent intensive interaction between China and Pakistan," she said.

During the visit, FQin would meet with the leaders of Pakistan, and co-chair the fourth strategic dialogue between the Foreign Ministers of China and Pakistan with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, The Express Tribune reported.

"Qin Gang will conduct face-to-face and in-depth communication on the relations between the two countries and the international and regional situation," she added.
Bhopal, May 5 : At least six persons were shot dead in broad daylight over an alleged property dispute between two groups in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district on Friday, the police said.

The deceased include three women belonging to the same family, while at least four are reportedly admitted in a hospital with severe injuries.

The incident was recorded on a mobile phone by an eyewitness when four to five people got into a scuffle and started shouting. After this a man with a gun was seen opening fire on the people present at the spot, the police added.

The incident took place in Lepa village over an old land dispute, the police said.

According to the police, a fight broke out between two groups supporting Dhir Singh and Gajendra Singh. Initially, the supporters of Gajendra Singh were beaten with sticks and eventually, the situation turned violent as Shaymu and Ajit (belonging to the Dhir Singh camp) opened fire on the other side.

Senior police officials reached the spot and have started investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, State Congress President Kamal Nath has said "this incident is a serious challenge to the law and order situation in the state. Incidents challenging law and order are happening one after the other in the state but the state government is not able to control the situation".

Taking to his official Twitter account to express his concern over the incident, Nath added, "I request the Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan that action should be taken in this matter according to the law."
Imphal, May 5 : In view of the prevailing widespread unrest in Manipur, the Central Government on Friday imposed Article 355 in the state to control the situation, top police officials said on Friday.

Article 355 is a part of emergency provisions contained in the Constitution that empowers the Centre to take all necessary steps to protect a state against internal disturbances and external aggression.

Director General of Manipur Police, P. Doungel while talking to the media said that after reviewing the overall situation, Article 355 has been imposed in the entire state allowing the Centre to take all necessary steps to bring the situation under control and protect the lives and properties of the people.

The police chief said that some miscreants looted arms from a police station in Bishnupur district and he urged them to return the arms and ammunition failing which stern action would be initiated against them.

"The situation in Manipur is expected to be brought under control in a day or two," the DGP said. Army and Assam Rifles continued to conduct flag marches in several trouble-torn districts of Manipur for the third day on Friday even as sporadic incidents were reported from different areas.

A defence spokesman on Friday said that flag marches were underway in several areas specially in the most volatile Churachandpur district.

He claimed that the situation was brought under control in many areas through coordinated actions by all stakeholders.

"Indian Air Force undertook continuous sorties to carry additional Army and Paramilitary troops from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircrafts. Induction commenced on the night of Thursday and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of Friday. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night," the Defence PRO said.

The Manipur government on Thursday appointed Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence) Ashutosh Sinha as the overall Operational Commander to control the situation and bring normalcy in the state.

Sinha on Friday said that 23 police stations, mostly in mountainous districts of the state, have been identified as most vulnerable and Army and central para-military forces were deployed in these police stations.

The ADGP, accompanied by senior other police officials, told the media that over 20,000 affected people of different communities have been evacuated and sheltered in safer places. "We urge the people not to fall prey to any rumour and if they need any assistance contact the nearby police stations and the government authorities," Sinha said.

Retired IPS officer Kuldiep Singh, a former CRPF Chief, has been appointed security advisor by the Manipur government.

Meanwhile, more than five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate the deployment of various security forces in violence infested Manipur.

A senior official of Manipur Home Department said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur round the clock and he is in constant touch with top functionaries of state and Centre.

The Home Minister since Thursday held two video-conference meetings with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, State Chief Secretary, DGP, Union Home Secretary and other top officials.

Shah also spoke to Chief Ministers of several northeastern states and discussed the Manipur situation and about the wellbeing of the students and people living in Manipur.

Various state governments of the northeastern states are in touch with the Manipur authorities on the safety and security of the students and people belonging to different northeastern states living in Manipur.

Assam, Nagaland, Tripura, Meghalaya, Mizoram governments have set up 24 X 7 help lines for the benefit of the students and people living in Manipur.

The situation turned seriously volatile after thousands turned up for the 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

In view of the prevailing situation, the Manipur government on Thursday authorised all District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and all Executive Magistrates to issue "Shoot at sight orders" in extreme cases.

A defence spokesman said that Army and Assam Rifles personnel conducted flag marches and aerial reconnaissance in areas of Khuga, Tampa, and Khomaujanbba areas of Churachandpur district, Mantripukhri, Lamphel, and Koeirangi area of Imphal West District, and Sugnu in Kakching districts.

In an appeal to the people, the Chief Minister urged them to maintain peace and calm and cooperate with the state government.

"Wednesday's incidents took place due to misunderstanding between the communities. The government will settle the genuine demands and grievances after talking with all the communities and leaders," Singh said in a video message.

Rumours of several deaths are being spread creating problems for the law enforcement agencies. However, authorities have not confirmed any fatalities.

Chief Ministers of all the northeastern states and six-time world champion boxer M.C. Mary Kom separately urged the people to maintain ethnic harmony, peace and calm.

The situation in Manipur turned volatile as thousands of tribals on Wednesday turned up for the march called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in all the 10 hill districts to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category.

Acting on a writ petition filed by the Meetei (Meitei) Trade Union, the Manipur High Court on April 19 had directed the state government to consider the case of the petitioners for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list expeditiously.

The valley is dominated by Meitei and they are seeking the ST category status, alleging infiltration from Bangladesh and Myanmar, destroying the demographic pattern in the state.

Following the rally, clashes, attacks, counter-attacks among different communities and burning of houses and shops took place in different districts, forcing authorities to suspend mobile internet services for five days, while a night curfew was also imposed in several tension-ridden mountainous districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Tenugopal, and Churachandpur.

The state government on Wednesday night requisitioned the Army and Assam Rifles to control the ethnic violence in at least six districts.Tribals - the Nagas and Kukis who are mainly Christians - constitute about 40 per cent of the state's around three million population and inhabit the hill districts which account for much of the state's land.

Protesting against the state government's action to evict them from forest lands and destruction of illegal poppy cultivation in the reserve and protected forests, the tribals had on March 10 organised protest rallies in three districts -- Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal, during which five people were injured.

Fresh incidents of violence, including arson and vandalisation of government properties, were triggered on April 27 in Churachandpur district after the tribals launched fresh protests against the state government's action against illegal poppy cultivation.
The Sudanese army said late Friday that it had sent envoys to Saudi Arabia to discuss details of the truce in the process of being extended with its paramilitary foes, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya.

Regular army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan had given his backing to a seven-day ceasefire announced by South Sudan on Wednesday, but early on Friday the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces said they were extending by three days a previous truce brokered under US-Saudi mediation.

Multiple truces have been agreed since the fighting between the rival security forces erupted on April 15, but none has been respected.
May 05 : The makers of Hanu Man, a superhero film written and directed by Prasanth Varma, starring Teja Sajja, Amritha Aiyer, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Raj Deepak Shetty, and Vinay Rai, has issued a statement regarding the release of the film. The has been postpone with no release date on the horizon.

The makers issued a statement, it read, All your humongous love the Hanuman Teaser has touched our hearts and raises our responsibility to deliver the best outcome. We promise you a film, that will be cherished, celebrated, and will stand as a perfect ode to Lord Hanuman

From hearts to heart, we cant wait for you to experience Hanu Man on the big screens. A New release date will be announced soon. Jai Shri Ram read the full note.

Hanu Man is set in the fictional village of Anjanadri and is first installment of the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe (PVCU), followed by Adhira.

The film is inspired by the Hindu God Hanuman, the name of the protagonist is Hanu-Man. The name of the fictional village was announced as Anjanadri.

Anudeep Dev, Hari Gowra and Krishna Saurabh were hired for composing the music of the film. It is edited by SB Raju Tallari.

The film was initially scheduled to release on 12 May 2023 in Telugu, along with the dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Marathi, English, Spanish, Korean, Japanese, and Chinese, but it has been delayed indefinitely.
Canberra, May 5 : The Australian government will establish the National Net Zero Authority (NNZA), a new body to support fossil fuel-dependent communities in the net zero transition, Minister for Climate Change & Energy Chris Bowen announced on Friday.

The authority will start work on July 1 to steer private investment into clean energy opportunities and ensure that workers, industries and communities that have relied on emissions-intensive industries are not left behind in the transition, reports Xinhua news agency.

Australia has set an emissions reduction target of 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and a net zero target by 2050.

"The global transformation to a net zero economy is a massive source of economic opportunity for Australia, its regions, industries and workers," Bowen said in a joint statement with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

They said the authority will work with state, territory and local governments, existing regional bodies, unions, industry, investors, First Nations groups and others to help key regions, industries, employers and others proactively manage the transformation to a clean energy economy.

The NNZA can support workers in emissions-intensive sectors to access new employment, skills and support as the net zero transformation continues.

Some business and environmental groups supported creating the new body.

Jennifer Westacott, chief executive of the Business Council of Australia (BCA) said it would play a crucial role in keeping manufacturing jobs onshore.
New Delhi, May 5 : A couple of days after violent clashes broke out in Manipur, Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Friday requested President Droupadi Murmu to impose President's Rule in the state.

In a video statement, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said, "For the last few days Manipur is burning. Due to violence, the internet has been snapped and curfew has been imposed in eight out of 16 districts." Shrinate said that Indian Railways has also suspended rail operations in Manipur in view of the violence and even the government has issued shoot at sight orders in the northeastern state.

Targetting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress leader said, "The BJP ministers and MLAs and even Olympic medal winner and Rajya Sabha member Mary Kom had urged the Prime Minister and Home Minister to save Manipur from burning. But the Prime Minister and the Home Minister are busy campaigning in Karnataka Assembly elections and they don't have time for Manipur." Firing salvos at the government, she said, "Is it not the moral responsibility of the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to focus entirely on Manipur. In Karnataka, Amit Shah had said that if voted to power BJP will not let riots happen. Then how did the riots break in Manipur?. As Home Minister Amit Shah has failed entirely." "Looking at the present situation, the President should impose Article 356 or President's Rule in Manipur immediately to bring the law and order under control," she demanded.

Echoing similar views, RJD Rajya Sabha MP Manoj Jha also wrote to President Murmu demanding imposition of President's Rule.

In a letter to the President, the RJD spokesperson said, "I am writing to express my deep concern about the recent spate of violence in Manipur, which has been alarmingly widespread and has resulted in loss of life and property." He said that "as you are aware, Manipur has a complex ethnic and political landscape, with several communities living in the region".

He also pointed out that ethnic conflicts with their roots in the colonial era have been a significant challenge for the state.

"The demand for Scheduled Tribe status for the Meitei community has been a contentious issue, with other communities in Manipur opposing it. This issue has led to violence and protests in the past, and the recent escalation of violence is a matter of grave concern. The situation has only worsened recently due to the partisan attitude of the state government and its complete failure to maintain law and order," he said.

"Your Excellency! You might be aware that the violence has affected innocent civilians, disrupted normal life, and created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity. Majoritarian violence in one state of the country conveys impunity for similar violence in the rest of the country and provides encouragement to destabilising forces: I, therefore, urge you to consider imposing the President's Rule in Manipur," Jha said.

He also said that the imposition of President's Rule is a measure of last resort, but in the current situation, it is necessary to protect the lives and property of the people of Manipur. "I urge you to ask the union government to take immediate action to address the situation and ensure that peace and stability are restored in the state." Notably, on Wednesday night, violent clashes broke out in Manipur.

The situation turned seriously volatile after thousands turned up for the 'Tribal Solidarity March' on Wednesday to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category.

In view of the prevailing situation, the Manipur government on Thursday authorised all District Magistrates, Sub-Divisional Magistrates and all Executive Magistrates to issue "Shoot at sight orders" in extreme cases.

Army and Assam Rifles continued to conduct flag marches in several trouble-torn districts of Manipur for the third day on Thursday even as sporadic incidents were reported from different areas.
Bengaluru/Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 : Two-time former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, who is undergoing treatment for throat cancer in Bengaluru, was admitted to a hospital in Bengaluru on Friday for viral pneumonia.

His son, Chandy Oommen posted this information in his social media account, and asked all to pray for his health.

Since February, the former Chief Minister has been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru.

He has not been keeping well since 2019, and had undergone laser surgery for a throat ailment at a hospital in Germany.

He was under treatment at a multi-specialty hospital in Bengaluru last year, but had returned to Thiruvananthapuram on January 1. He was supposed to return for treatment after some days, but failed to do so which led to speculation and confusion.

His younger brother and 41 others wrote to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan expressing concerns about Oommen Chandy's health. After that things started to move and a special team of government medical professionals was constituted in January. On advice, he was taken to a private hospital and it was found that he was suffering from pneumonia.
Amaravati, May 5 : The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday refused to pass interim orders on a petition filed by farmers of Amaravati challenging the state government's move to allot house sites in the capital region to non-locals.

The High Court declined to stay the process of allotment but said the allotment of house sites will be subject to final judgment in the case.

The state government declared a new zone R-5-in Amaravati in March to provide houses for poor people over 900 acres of land.

The move has angered the farmers who are already protesting the decision of the state government to develop three state capitals.

Amaravati farmers' Joint Action Committee (JAC) said the decision was taken without consulting the farmers. They challenged it in the High Court on the ground that this would change the status of the capital region and affect their interests.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Ravi Nath Tilhari, however, refused to give any interim directions on the petition.

The farmers challenged the allotment house sites in violation of the master plan. They argued that locals should be allotted the sites after development of the region.

The government defended its action. It argued that farmers can demand lands assured to them by the government but it has the right to allot land to anybody. The court was told that the government has taken a decision to allot land to the poor.

It was in October last year that the government had amended the Amaravati master plan in order to provide houses to poor people over 900 acres of land spread across four villages.

The farmers had challenged the amendment in the court and, on the direction of the court, authorities had organised a meeting in the villages. Farmers had totally opposed the order.

However, ignoring the objection of farmers, the government went ahead by issuing a gazette in March.

Earlier efforts by the government to allot lands proved futile as pro-Amaravati farmers had filed a petition and the High Court cancelled the order. Following this, the YSRC government amended the APCRDA Act to provide house sites.

The new zone-R-5-in the capital region will be within the boundaries of Krishnayapalem, Nidamarru, Kuragallu in Mangalagiri mandal, Manddam and Ainavolu villages in Thullur mandal.
New York, May 5 : A 21-year-old Indian origin man has been booked for fatally shooting two men at a parking lot of a mall in US state of Oregon in a possible case of double homicide, police said.

Jobanpreet Singh, 21, was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on two counts of murder in the first degree on Thursday, the Portland Police Bureau said.

Central Precinct officers responded to a report of a shooting on Wednesday at 2.45 p.m. (local time) in the 9100 block of Southeast Barbur Boulevard, and found two men dead in a parking lot after arriving.

Portland police are yet to publicly identify the two men who died, media reports said.

According to OregonLive, Singh pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder and four counts of unlawful use of a weapon when he made a brief appearance in court on Thursday for an arraignment.

According to video surveillance footage reviewed by police, Singh and two friends were seated at a table outside Bentoz Teriyaki restaurant before he got up and walked toward a man who had just parked his car, the website reported.

Another man approached that car and then walked quickly toward Singh with a phone in his hand, Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Margaret Burgess wrote in the affidavit.

Singh then drew out a pistol from his pocket, raised it towards the two men in front of him, and "shot multiple rounds", Burgess wrote.

The report said that Singh continued to shoot even after the two men had collapsed to the pavement in the parking lot, the affidavit said.

While the two men died on the spot, Singh called 911 to report the shooting, remained at the scene and was arrested, the OregonLive reported.

The affidavit did not mention what led to the shooting, but according to witnesses they heard some type of yelling or argument before hearing between six and 10 gunshots.

"One man got into another person's face. The shooter pulled out his gun and the two young men ran," Kayia Murrell, a witness, told OregonLive.

The two men who were shot did not appear to be armed, she said, adding that she didn't know what the men were arguing about.

Singh, who is being held without bail in the detention centre, is scheduled to return to court on May 12. The Portland Police Bureau Homicide Unit is investigating the incident, and has asked witnesses to come forward.
New Delhi, May 5 : Another chilling CCTV footage has surfaced showing the murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya allegedly by the members of the notorious Jitender Gogi gang inside the high-security Tihar Jail on May 2 in the presence of prison officials, who appear to be standing by without intervening.

The entire incident took place within the sight of Tihar jail officials, who seemed to be standing idle by as mere spectators.

The newly surfaced 2.36-minute-long video shows the attackers forcefully entering a separate area where prison officials were in the process of taking Tillu Tajpuriya a.k.a. Sunil Maan.

However, the assailants proceeded to viciously stab, kick, and punch Tajpuriya in a brutal attack aimed at ensuring his demise.

The disturbing footage has sparked significant concerns about the level of security within Tihar and the apparent lack of action on the part of officials to quell the violence.

As per reports, Tajpuriya was stabbed around 50 times by the assailants.

Tajpuriya (33), a resident of Tajpur Kalan on the outskirts of Delhi, was lodged in Tihar Jail under tight security measures.

Gangster Satinder Singh Brar, also known as Goldy Brar who is believed to be in hiding in Canada, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Tajpuriya, citing revenge, according to an unverified social media post.

During the inquiry, it was revealed that another undertrial prisoner, Rohit, was injured in the attack.

"The prison staff revealed that Deepak a.k.a. Titar (31), Yogesh a.k.a. Gainda (30), Rajesh a.k.a. Tunda (42), and Riyaz Khan (39) had attacked Tajpuriya with improvised knives. When Rohit tried to intervene, he was also attacked and injured," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Akshat Kaushal said.

Tajpuriya, an accused in the 2021 Rohini court shootout in which gangster Jitender Gogi was killed, was lodged on the ground-floor of Jail number 8.
New Delhi, May 5 : A tenth standard student was stabbed by his classmates in south Delhi's Tigri area, an official said on Friday.

The police said the accused duo has been apprehended.

According to the police, a PCR call was received on Thursday informing about a stabbing incident involving students at a government school in Tigri. The injured student was admitted to the hospital with stab injuries on his shoulder and back.

"We have recorded the statement of the injured student, wherein he said that he was named the class monitor by his teacher on Thursday. When another student was causing disturbance in the class, he wrote his name on the blackboard," said Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

"The accused boy got annoyed. After school, he along with his friend confronted the class monitor outside the school and stabbed him," the DCP said.

"A case under Sections 307 (attempt to murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Tigri police station. The two accused students have been apprehended," the DCP added.
New Delhi, May 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Bastille Day parade in Paris this year, as he has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to be the guest of honour for the annual event, slated to take place on July 14.

"On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on 14 July 2023 in Paris," a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry on Friday said.

It added that to mark this important milestone, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the parade alongside their French counterparts. The Prime Minister's visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

"This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of sustainable development goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 Presidency," the statement added.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.

Bastille Day is celebrated as the National Day of France and is commemorated as an important milestone in the French Revolution.

In 1789, the people of Paris had seized weapons from the armoury, marched towards the Bastille jail and released its prisoners after a fight.
Mumbai, May 5 : Shiv Sena MP Shrikant Shinde on Friday rubbished certain reports claiming that his father and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had a secret meeting with the family members of Shiv Sena-UBT President Uddhav Thackeray.

The news, flashed by a private local TV channel here, claiming CM Shinde had met Rashmi Uddhav Thackeray and her son, created a political sensation.

"This is a LIE. No secret meet. Shinde and Rashmi Thackerayji never met as shown on (TV)," said Shrikant Shinde.

He termed the news as "desperation, false news and nothing else" and said he will ask the Mumbai Police to conduct a probe in the matter.

"We will complain to Twitter and Police - several accounts are spreading deliberate fake news and lies today. This needs to stop," he said.

Shinde called upon the Mumbai Police to take cognisance of rampant spread of misleading news and deliberate lies, several accounts circulating baseless propaganda about secret meets which are patently false.

"Please investigate the sources of these false news reports for appropriate action. Irresponsible journalism," he said.

After the news was telecast by the private TV channel, it sparked off furious political speculation on the motives, the agenda, and whether it spelt the start of a new political chapter in the state, etc.
US first lady Jill Biden met British Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks wife Akshata Murty on Friday as she visited London to represent the United States at King Charles coronation, Trend reports citing Al Arabiya.

Meeting for the first time, Biden and Murty embraced and posed for photos in front of black door of Number 10 Downing Street, behind which lies the prime ministers residence and office.

The coronation ceremony takes place on Saturday at Westminster Abbey and will be attended by foreign heads of state and dignitaries.

Biden, 71, also visited a local school along with Murty on Friday afternoon, after which she was scheduled to meet staff at the US embassy and King Charles at a reception in Buckingham Palace.

Have fun tomorrow, Ill be thinking about all of you, she told children at the school, where students greeted her wearing golden paper crowns and shared a tea-party lunch.

US President Joe Biden has faced some criticism, notably from his predecessor and potential 2024 election rival Donald Trump, for not attending Charles coronation.

But no US president has ever attended a British monarchs coronation. During the last such event, when Charles late mother Queen Elizabeth was crowned in 1953, then US President Dwight Eisenhower sent a delegation of envoys to represent him.

The White House said last month Biden had told Charles he wanted to meet him in Britain at a future date.

Biden visited Northern Ireland and Ireland last month to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday peace pact.
New Delhi, May 5 : India and Russia have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen counter-terrorism cooperation in bilateral as well as other multilateral platforms, during the 12th India-Russia joint working group on counter-terrorism.

The 12th round of bilateral consultations of the India-Russia joint working group on counter-terrorism took place between May 3 and 4 in Moscow, which was attended by Secretary (West) in the External Affairs Ministry Sanjay Verma.

The bilateral consultations also focussed on UN and multilateral issues, official sources said, adding that both the sides shared their experiences in combating terrorism and extremism and discussed current terrorist threats at the global and regional level.

"The Russian side expressed appreciation for India's role as Chair of the Counter-Terrorism Committee of the UN Security Council in 2022 and welcomed the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration that had focussed on combating the use of new and emerging technologies for terrorist purposes," a statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said.

The joint working group was co-chaired by Verma and Oleg Syromolotov, Russia's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Representatives of respective departments and agencies from both sides also participated in the meeting.

The India-Russia bilateral consultations on UN-related issues were held on May 4 between Verma and Rusian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Vershinin.

Both sides held wide ranging discussions on several issues pertaining to the UN Security Council, including its reform.

Russia reiterated its support for India as a permanent member in a reformed UN Security Council, the statement said.
Panaji, May 5 : External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar on Friday discussed economy, energy and digital cooperation with his counterparts from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.

In a meeting with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Murat Nurtleu, he discussed economic, political cooperation and increasing engagement with the region.

"Warm conversation with DPM and FM Murat Nurtleu of Kazakhstan after SCO CFM in Goa. Thanked him for supporting our presidency.ADiscussed broad-basing our economic and political cooperation and increase engagement with the region," he tweeted.

Jaishankar also discussed the issues of connectivity, energy and digital cooperation with Tajik counterpart Sirojiddin Muhriddin.

"Good meeting with FM Sirojiddin Muhriddin of Tajikistan. Appreciate his support for the Indian SCO presidency. Agreed on increasing the frequency of meetings of our institutional mechanisms. Discussed connectivity, energy and digital cooperation. Exchanged perspectives on the region," he said.

Sources informed that the Foreign Ministers of the SCO member countries are likely to finalise in the day a set of 15 decisions or proposals for the consideration of the grouping's summit in July.

The proposals are aimed at expanding cooperation among the SCO member countries in the areas of trade, technology, commerce, security, and socio-cultural ties.

Jaishankar has appreciated the support of member countries for India's proposal of creation of two new working groups on startups and innovation and traditional medicines.

The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here Thursday, with Jaishankar also holding meetings with his counterparts.

He also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for India's SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.

He laid down the key focus areas, including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.
New Delhi, May 5 : Another homegrown edtech startup Teachmint has laid off over 70 employees, its second round of job cuts after sacking about 45 workers some five months ago, media reports said on Friday.

According to leading startup news portal Inc42, the Lightspeed-backed edtech startup informed about the layoffs in a town-hall meeting with employees.

The layoff impacted employees in talent acquisition, tech, and support roles teams at the Bengaluru-based startup.

"Some roles have been unfortunately impacted as we work on increasing structural efficiencies in our operations. We have proactively communicated to the impacted colleagues and are working on providing them comprehensive support," said a Teachmint spokesperson.

Led by edtech startups, over 25,000 employees have been laid off by nearly 100 startups in India including BYJU'S, Unacademy and Vedantu.

Last month, Chennai-based edtech startup Skill-Lync laid off employees as it consolidates operations across Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad amid global macroeconomic conditions.

In March, Gaurav Munjal, Co-Founder and CEO of Unacademy, announced to reduce the size of the team by 12 per cent or more than 350 employees to "meet the goals we are chasing in the current realities we face".

In November last year, the edtech major laid off 10 per cent of its workforce or nearly 350 employees, as funding winter deepened.
Chandigarh, May 5 : Taking notice of the alleged 'sexual misconduct' by a Punjab cabinet minister, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), on order of its Chairman Vijay Sampla, on Friday issued a notice to the state Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to submit an action-taken report.

In a video message and a letter to the NCSC, the victim has demanded justice as well as security, alleging minister Lal Chand Kataruchak was giving "threats to his life".

"I am now on the run and submitting a complaint in Delhi as the minister is threatening to harm me and my family. I request the NCSC to take action against the minister over sexual misconduct and provide me with security," the victim said.

The victim, who is from the Scheduled Caste community, alleged that "Kataruchak had approached him by sending a friend request on Facebook in 2013-14 and when he accepted it, Kataruchak allegedly started making advances. Since he was an influential person, he had promised me a government job due to which I remained mum. I was too young at that time to understand anything. But, his sexual excesses continued till 2021.

"However, he met me for the last time on Diwali in 2021 and he neither provided me with a job nor did he meet me after that." Recently, the purported video was handed over to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit by Congress legislator Sukhpal Khaira.

Meanwhile, the NCSC asked the Chief Secretary and the Director General of Police to investigate the matter and to submit an action-taken report, through post or email.

It also asked the officials to provide security for the victim.

Sampla cautioned the officers that if an action-taken report is not received within the stipulated time, the Commission might exercise the powers of the civil court conferred on it under article 338 of the Constitution and issue a summon for personal appearance before the commission in Delhi.

Responding to the allegations against the minister, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said here on Tuesday that the government had not received any video involving Kataruchak.

"Khaira has a habit of making baseless allegations to stay in the limelight and draw political mileage," said the Chief Minister.
India and Russia held "a confidential exchange of views" in Goa on Thursday to drive forward the dynamics of cooperation in key areas of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between both countries.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who held a bilateral on the sidelines of the ongoing meeting of Foreign Ministers of the member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), discussed ways to strengthen coordination activities between New Delhi and Moscow.

The interaction becomes more significant as it took place ahead of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) Summit which is scheduled to be held on July 3-4 in the Indian capital and is expected to witness an in-person participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"A confidential exchange of views took place on the main issues of bilateral relations, including the schedule of upcoming contacts, as well as topical issues on the global and regional agenda," said the Russian Foreign Ministry in a statement after the Jaishankar-Lavrov meeting.

The parties also agreed to continue following the course of building a fair multipolar system of interstate relations besides developing common approaches within the framework of interaction at the most important international platforms - the SCO, BRICS, the UN, and the G20.

"Comprehensive review of our bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Appreciated Russia's support for India's SCO presidency. Also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS," tweeted EAM Jaishankar.

This is Lavrov's second visit to India in as many months. He was in New Delhi in March to attend the G20 Ministerial Council meeting which brought together foreign ministers of the world's leading economies.

Both ministers have been discussing issues concerning trade and investment, transport and logistics cooperation, the use of national currencies in mutual settlements, and promising projects in the energy sector.

They have also regularly exchanged assessments of topical international issues, including interaction under the Indian chairmanship of the SCO and the G20, as well as the formation of security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the state of affairs in Afghanistan, and the situation in Ukraine.

Russia continues to back India as a permanent member in a reformed United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

As Jaishankar and Lavrov met in Goa, MEA Secretary (West) Sanjay Verma met Russia's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Vershinin in Moscow on Wednesday to hold bilateral consultations on UN-related issues.

Verma was in the Russian capital to co-chair the 12th meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on countering terrorism and India-Russia bilateral consultations on UN and multilateral issues.

The first meeting stressed the importance of further development of international cooperation on the issues of combating the use of modern technologies for terrorist purposes, the spread of terrorist and extremist ideology, as well as to curb the financing and other material support of terrorism.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com) --indianarrative
IAF tactical rescue operation in Sudan by C-17, non stop nearly 24 hours, evacuated 192 people Image Source: IANS News

IAF tactical rescue operation in Sudan by C-17, non stop nearly 24 hours, evacuated 192 people Image Source: IANS News

IAF tactical rescue operation in Sudan by C-17, non stop nearly 24 hours, evacuated 192 people Image Source: IANS News

New Delhi, May 5 : In its latest rescue operation, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has evacuated another 192 people from war-torn Sudan.

The crew flew through extended duty periods of nearly 24 hours to get some of the last stranded countrymen back to India, the IAF said.

The aircraft carried additional fuel from Jeddah to avoid a situation of non-availability of fuel and refuelling delays in Sudan.

Officials said the mission was "one of a kind" with the aircraft carrying 192 passengers, mostly ladies, children and elderly persons, who were either NRIs, foreign nationals or OCIs (Overseas Citizens of India).

Senior officers of the Indian Air Force said the heavy aircraft -- C-17 Globemaster -- was required to be flown directly to India without any halts.

An IAF C-17 Globemaster aircraft that took off from Ghaziabad's Hindon Airbase on May 3 flew through the night to land in the early morning hours at Jeddah in Saudi Arabia.

The aircraft refuelled at Jeddah to undertake a non-stop flight from Jeddah, via war-torn Sudan, to India.

During the entire duration of the ground operations in Sudan, the aircraft engines were kept running to stay prepared for the situation of making a quick exit from the airfield -- in case of such a need arising.

The IAF said that the crew encountered another unplanned emergency when one of the passengers became unconscious during the flight. This situation was immediately and proficiently handled by the crew who administered the passenger oxygen to stabilise him.

The aircraft landed at Ahmedabad on May 4 and then departed for Hindon late in the night.
Gurugram, May 5 : Two more accused persons have been arrested in connection with the murder of a 28-year-old man in Gurugram, the police said on Friday.

The arrested persons have been identified as Pawan and Pankaj, the police said.

The police had already arrested the key accused in the case, Ajay a.k.a. Ajju, on April 28 and recovered a country-made pistol from his possession.

The victim Gyanender was a resident of Asavata village in Palwal.

During interrogation, Ajay disclosed that Gyanender had an enmity with his friend Bharat. He also confessed to firing several rounds outside the victim's house.

"The accused hatched a conspiracy along with his accomplices and killed the victim on April 13 with hammers and iron rods and fled from the spot," the police said.

"The accused also filmed the act and uploaded the video on social media. Pawan and Pankaj were nabbed from the Sohna-Ballabhgarh road on Thursday," Preet Pal Sangwan, ACP (crime), said.

On April 13, Gyanender had come to a farmhouse in Lakhuwas village in Sohna along with his friends, where around a dozen people surrounded him and started beating him with hammers and iron rods.

The villagers took Gyanendra to the hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.

Based on a complaint filed by Gyanendra's cousin brother, a case of murder was registered at the Sohna City police station.
Hyderabad, May 5 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be organising Hindu Ekta Yatra in Karimnagar on May 14 on the occasion of Hanuman Jayanti.

BJP state president and Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar announced that about a lakh people will attend this yatra.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJP in-charge of Telangana, Tarun Chugh and other leaders will participate in the yatra.

Sanjay Kumar appealed to all those "working for the protection of the Hindu religion" to participate in the Hindu Ekta yatra. He said the yatra would demonstrate the unity of Hindus.

The yatra is seen as another attempt by the BJP for polarisation of votes along communal lines in the run up to Assembly elections scheduled later this year.

With a few months left for the polls, the saffron party has intensified its efforts to consolidate its vote bank. The party has been raising controversial issues to cash in on them politically.

On Friday, the BJP organised a recitation of Hanuman Chalisa in front of the Congress party's state headquarters, Gandhi Bhavan, in Hyderabad to condemn the Congress party's electoral promise in Karnataka to ban Bajrang Dal.

Scores of BJP and Bajrang Dal workers gathered outside Gandhi Bhavan, raising religious slogans and reciting Hanuman Chalisa.

The BJP, which is projecting itself as the only viable alternative to the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), is also planning a series of visits by top leaders of the party to gear up the organisation for the poll battle.

Last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Hyderabad to launch various development schemes and to address a public meeting. This was followed by union home minister Amit Shah's public meeting at Chevella near Hyderabad.

The party plans to rope in several central leaders of the BJP and its chief ministers from various states for public meetings and other events every month to intensify the efforts to capture power in the state.
Patna, May 5 : A Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight from Dhaka to Kathmandu with 77 passengers on board made an emergency landing at the Jay Prakash Narayan International Airport in Patna on Friday afternoon after developing a technical glitch.

Both the passengers and the flight crew are safe, sources said.

The pilot of the flight detected the snag in time and contacted the ATC Patna, which was the nearest at that time.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has confirmed the emergency landing by the Biman Bangladesh Airways flight No. 371 at Patna airport. Aircraft maintenance engineers of Air India immediately reached the spot to detect the glitches.

Last year, a SpiceJet flight carrying 185 passengers had to make emergency landing at the Patna airport after a bird hit.
Thiruvananthapuram, May 5 : The Grand Mufti of Egypt, H.E. Dr Shawqi Allam, visited his Indian counterpart, Sheikh Abubkar Ahmad, at his office at Karanthur in Kerala's Kozhikode on Friday and held discussions on various issues.

He later led the Friday prayers at Jamiul Futuh, the Grand Masjid at Markaz Knowledge City.

Sheikh Shawki Allam is the first president of the Supreme Council of the General Secretariat for Fatwa Authorities Worldwide and is the nineteenth and the current Grand Mufti of Egypt since March 4, 2013.

He prayed for the health and long life of Sheikh Abubakr Ahmad and extended his warm greetings, and said he was rejoicing to visit Kerala and to have precious time with the Indian Sunni cleric.

In the meeting, they discussed the policies to be adopted by the Muslim community against deviant ideologies and internal conflicts.

In the discussion, they also agreed to accelerate educational exchange relations between India and Egypt and strengthen academic leadership and joint efforts against terrorist ideologies.

Sheikh Shawki Allam arrived in India on a six-day visit as an official guest of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations under the Ministry of External Affairs.

He visited Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Markazu Saquafathi Sunniya in Kozhikode and interacted with teachers and students.
At least 40 extremist militants have been killed in operations by Nigerian government forces in the country's northeastern region in the past two weeks, a military spokesperson said on Thursday, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

The troops also rescued 131 abductees in the restive region, said Musa Danmadami, a spokesman for the military.

He said that 510 members of Boko Haram extremist group and their families, comprising 54 adult males, 164 adult females and 292 children, surrendered to the government troops at different locations.
Kolkata, May 5 : Veteran Congress leader and West Bengal unit President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Friday held the Union and the state government as equally responsible for the rise in cattle-smuggling in the state.

His remark comes just a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had submitted its supplementary charge sheet on the alleged multi-crore cattle-smuggling scam in West Bengal reportedly holding a section of the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel as partners in the alleged scam.

"Cattle mainly arrive in West Bengal from states like Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and the transportation on this count is mainly done through the National Highways. After entering the state, these cattle are transported to India-Bangladesh border through roads that come under the jurisdiction of the state police. After reaching the border, the cattle-smugglers involve a section of the BSF personnel for smuggling those cattle across the borders. So, from the sequence, it is clear that both the Union and state governments are equally responsible for this menace," Chowdhury told media persons here.

He also accused Defence Minister Rajnath Singh for being silent about this issue when he was the Union Home Minister in the previous Narendra Modi government. "He had never said anything against the state government on this matter and that is why cattle- smuggling in West Bengal reached its peak during his tenure as the Union Home Minister," Chowdhury said.

t is learnt that that in the charge sheet, the ED sleuths had tried to give a detailed picture on how the cattle smuggled from the local cattle market in Birbhum district were transported to the India-Bangladesh border villages in Murshidabad district taking the different law-enforcement agencies personnel into confidence. The charge sheet, sources said, also has reference of the different law-enforcement agencies personnel who played a role in the entire process on this count.

--IANS src/vd

A
Imphal, May 5 : Infiltration from Myanmar, illegal poppy cultivation, drugs menace, militant outfits' backing to certain tribal communities, differences in perception between the people living in valleys and mountainous areas besides complex demographic pattern are the offshoots of the prevailing unrest-like situation in Manipur.

The northeastern region, which presents a complex linguistic mosaic and has "jealously" preserved over 200 dialects, is home to 45.58 million people (according to the 2011 Census).

The indigenous tribes constitute around 28 per cent of the population and they mostly speak in their native language or their indigenous language.

Besides, a large number of non-tribals belonging to Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities, a reasonable portion of indigenous and Hindi-speaking people live in the region with different life-styles, cultures, traditions and languages.

The region, comprising 8 states, has some peculiar characteristics which are different from other regions of the country.

In Manipur, there are 35 different communities with different lifestyles, cultures, traditions, language and food habits.

While the Meitei community mostly lives in the valleys and the tribals - the Nagas and Kukis, who are mainly Christians - constitute about 40 per cent of the state's around three million population and inhabit the hill districts which account for much of the state's land.

Tribals have been enjoying the Scheduled Tribe (ST) category status for decades since India's Independence and they have always strongly opposed allowing others ST category status.

The prevailing situation in Manipur turned seriously volatile as thousands of tribals on May 3 turned up in the rallies called by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) in all the 10 hill districts to oppose the demand for inclusion of the Meitei community in the ST category.

The Meitei community -- mostly Hindu, which dominate the non-tribal population in Manipur, have been demanding ST status for decades, alleging infiltration from Myanmar and Bangladesh, destroying the demographic pattern.

Notably, the fertile and resourceful valley areas make up around one tenth of the total land mass of Manipur, while the surrounding mountainous areas, known for militants' hide-outs and home to decades-old insurgency, account for 90 per cent of the state's lands.

The government in Manipur, irrespective of which party comes to power in the state, has always been dominated by non-tribal Meiteis, who account for about 53 per cent of the state's population.

In the current 60-member Manipur assembly, there are 10 MLAs, including BJP's five legislators belonging to Kuki tribes, while the Kuki People's Alliance (KPA), which is an ally of the ruling BJP, has two MLAs.

The Naga People's Front with five legislators is also the partner of the BJP-led government.

Around 4.50 lakh people, belonging to Meitei communities, also live in Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland and other states in India.

Following the April 3 rally, clashes, attacks, counter-attacks among different communities and burning of houses and shops took place in different districts, forcing authorities to suspend mobile Internet services for five days, while a night curfew was also imposed in several tension-ridden mountainous districts, including Imphal West, Bishnupur, Jiribam, Tenugopal, and Churachandpur.

The state government on April 3 night requisitioned the Army and Assam Rifles to control the ethnic violence in at least six districts.

Earlier, tribals protested against the state government's action to evict them from forest lands and destruction of illegal poppy cultivation in the reserve and protected forests and organised protest rallies on March 10 in three districts -- Churachandpur, Kangpokpi and Tengnoupal, during which five people were injured.

Incidents of violence, including arson and vandalisation of government properties, were triggered on April 27 in Churachandpur district after the tribals launched fresh protests against the state government's action against illegal poppy cultivation.

Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh cancelled his April 28 visit to Churachandpur district, where prohibitory orders have been clamped and mobile internet services suspended following the April violence in which "miscreants" set afire the venue, burnt chairs and damaged other materials.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Ludhiana, May 5 : Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday dared Prime Minister Narendra Modi to hang him publicly "if corruption of even a paisa is found against him".

In his address at an event in Punjab's Ludhiana city after dedicating 80 Aam Aadmi Clinics, Kejriwal said the central government has put probe agencies after him to prove "by any means" that he is "a thief".

"They put the CBI, the ED, the Income Tax and the police after me. Why? There is only one purpose, which is to prove by any means that Kejriwal 'chor hai' (os a thief) and prove that he has indulged in corruption." Daring the Prime Minister, Kejriwal, who was questioned by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy case in which his former deputy Manish Sisodia is already behind bars, said: "I want to tell Modi-ji if Kejriwal is corrupt, there is no one honest in this world. I want to tell him that the day you find corruption of a single paisa against Kejriwal, hang me publicly. But stop this 'roz-roz ki nautanki and tamasha' (daily drama)."
Ballary : , May 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday raked up the issue of 'love jihad' in the run up to the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, as he accused the Congress of siding with the conspirators in this regard.

Indirectly referring to the just-released controversial film 'The Kerala Story' while addressing a massive rally in Ballary, Modi said a film has been made on the new form of terrorism based on incidents in Kerala.

"The people of the beautiful land of Kerala are hardworking and talented. But a new form of terrorism has been unleashed, and the Congress is siding with the conspirators of this new form of terrorism. Not only this, it is forging political ties behind doors with the conspirators. The people of Karnataka should be careful about the Congress," Modi said.

"The Congress has always pursued vote-bank politics. As a result, there has been a spurt in terrorism. In the last few years, the forms of terrorism have changed. In present times, acts of terror are not only carried out using guns and bombs. Certain people in the society are quietly pursuing new forms of terrorism. 'The Kerala Story' has a similar storyline and it is being discussed," Modi said.

"I will share with you a serious matter. Thousands of Indians were stuck in Sudan amid the unrest. The big nations did not initiate any process to bring back their people. However, India has rescued its citizens by launching 'Operation Kaveri'. But the Congress tried to play pilitics with this effort also. It made public the identities of the Indians there. The party was ready to make political gains had there been a tragedy," Modi said.

The Prime Minister also said that India will go to any extent to solve the crisis of its people.

"Indian people have successfully rescued from Sudan. Likewise, thousands of Indians were evacuated before from Yemen, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Iraq. When our soldier Abhinandan was captured by Pakistan, we ensured that he returned to India safely," Modi said.
Guwahati, May 5 : Natives of Manipur, including a large number of students, held a protest in Guwahati on Friday in the wake of the violence that paralysed the state for the last few days.

The protesters said that unauthentic information has been peddled which is causing a state of confusion.

"We are very worried about the situation there. As the internet services snapped off in many parts of Manipur, wrong information has been circulating in the social media that is creating a state of panic among us who are living far from home," a student who took part in the protest said.

The protesters demanded that the government must ensure that peace returns in Manipur at the earliest.

Meanwhile, a section of protesters alleged that the Manipur government's intention to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state is behind the outbreak of the violence.

A protester said: "The issue is not with granting ST status to the Meitei community. The NRC is the basic cause of the recent conflict." Notably, following the High Court's directive to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to non-tribal Meitei community in Manipur has reopened a decade-old faultline between the hill tribes and Meitei community.

A protest march organised by All Tribal Students' Union Manipur (ATSUM) turned violent in the border area of Bishnupur and Churachandpur districts when the demonstrators clashed with a group of local people there.

According to reports, following the clashes, a few unidentified miscreants set ablaze houses belonging to a particular group. After that, unrest spread in many locations including the state capital Imphal.
New Delhi, May 5 : Days after holding a discussion with the UPSC aspirants in the national capital, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Friday visited Delhi University to have lunch with the students.

Rahul Gandhi, who was disqualified as a Lok Sabha MP in March this year following his conviction in a defamation case, held a discussion with the students at the PG Men's hostel here on the north campus of Delhi University.

A party source, who was present at the meeting of the Congress leader, said that he only discussed their careers and no political discussions were held.

Last month, Rahul Gandhi visited Mukherjee Nagar in north Delhi and met the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants.

"It is always a delight to listen to and engage with students," he had posted on social media.

Alongside many photographs of himself, he wrote: "They are the ones who hold the key to India's progressive future." He had also visited the Bengali Market and the Jama Masjid area and tried several dishes.

Rahul Gandhi, who was elected from Kerala's Wayanad Parliamentary constituency, lost his membership after he was convicted by a Surat court.

Following his conviction, he was disqualified as an MP on March 23 and was also asked to vacate his residence. He vacated his official residence on April 22.
New Delhi, May 5 : Global pharma major Lupin Limited on Friday announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the entire share capital of French pharmaceutical company, Medisol.

Founded in 2011, Medisol specialises in Generics Injectable products and is engaged in developing and commercialising its products in France, in pharmacies and in hospitals.

With this acquisition, Lupin will gain access to Medisol's portfolio of seven injectable products across four therapeutic areas, including pain management, anti-inflammatory, cardiovascular diseases, and obstetrics.

Commenting on the acquisition, Vinita Gupta, CEO, Lupin, said, "The acquisition of Medisol is part of our strategy to expand our presence in the EU and accelerate our injectables franchise in France." Thierry Volle, President - EMEA, Lupin, added, "The acquisition of Medisol marks a significant milestone in Lupin's journey to strengthen our injectables portfolio in France, the second-largest market in Europe for injectables." Medisol said in a statement, "We are proud to have found a partner like Lupin who shares our vision and commitment to improving patient outcomes. Since our founding in 2011, Medisol has built a niche portfolio of generic injectable products that have made a positive impact on patients in France. With Lupin's extensive capabilities and expertise in the injectables space, Medisol's products will continue to be available to more patients in France."
New Delhi, May 5 : A 20-year-old man was killed allegedly by his brother-in-law on the outskirts of Delhi on Friday, a Delhi Police official said.

The deceased, identified as Vikas alias Akash, a resident of Kirari Suleman Nagar, was found lying in a pool of blood, with his throat slit, near the railway station park in Nangloi.

According to police, a PCR call was received at 1.30 p.m. regarding the murder of a man.

"Upon arrival at the scene, the police found the body of 20-year-old Vikas, with his throat slit with a sharp-edged weapon. The caller was identified as Bimlesh Rana, the brother of the accused Pankaj," Deputy Commissioner of Police, Outer, Harendra Singh said.

"The Forensic Science Laboratory and crime teams were called to the scene, and the body was shifted to the mortuary. The investigation is currently ongoing, and several teams have been constituted to nab the accused," he said.

During investigation, it was revealed that Pankaj had married Geeta Kumari, the sister of Vikas, in 2016.

The police have not yet disclosed any possible motive for the murder.
Bhubaneswar, May 5 : President Droupadi Murmu on Friday visited Similipal Tiger Reserve and undertook a safari ride to see wild animals and the flora and fauna of the national park.

Murmu, who is on a three-day visit to home district Mayurbhanj in Odisha, stayed at her house in Rairangpur on Thursday night. Though she was scheduled to stay at a government bungalow at Rairangpur, she did not miss the chance to stay with her family members and relatives at her own house.

She started the second day of her visit by paying floral tributes to former President Giani Zail Singh on his birth anniversary at Rairangpur.

She also paid tributes to Pandit Raghunath Murmu, the inventor of the Ol Chiki script of Santhali language, at his birthplace Dandabosh village on the occasion of his birth anniversary.

Later, she visited Similipal Tiger Reserve. She visited Chahala in the core area, where local tribal food was served to her and then undertook safari to see deer, sambhar and elephants. The President also visited the waterfalls at Barehipani and Joranda.

After her return from Similipal, she is now at Baripada, where she will spend the night. The President will attend the convocation of Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University on Saturday before flying back to Delhi.
Guwahati, May 5 : Former BJP MLA Joy Ram Engleng has joined Congress on Friday in Diphu at a meeting where the State Congress President Bhupen Bora and Lok Sabha MP Gaurav Gogoi were present.

Engleng resigned from the BJP a few days ago writing a letter to the Assam BJP Chief Bhavesh Kalita.

He was also the chief executive member of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council (KAAC).

Engleng fought the 2016 Assembly election on BJP's ticket from the Howraghat Assembly constituency in Karbi Anglong district. He won the polls with a margin of more than 6,000 votes.

However, in 2021 state Assembly polls, he was denied a ticket by the BJP and Darsing Ronghang won the Assembly seat by more than 20,000 votes on behalf of the saffron party.

Along with Engleng, Bhupen Hasnu, former executive member of KAAC, and seven others have joined the Congress on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma played down Engleng's importance in the Karbi region.

He said, "Joy Ram Engleng has been inactive in politics for last few years. Whenever I visit Karbi Anglong district, I do not see him taking part in any activities. That is why I think his switching over to Congress will have no impact in the electoral politics."
CPC's rich experience in cultivating youth inspiring

08:09, May 05, 2023 By Adnan Bourji ( Xinhua

Representatives of the Chinese Communist Youth League members and Young Pioneers salute the Communist Party of China and express commitment to the Party's cause during a ceremony marking the CPC centenary at Tian'anmen Square in Beijing, capital of China, July 1, 2021. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)

China's dream of building an affluent society concerns all Chinese, but it holds even greater significance for young people as it is linked to their future.

His Excellency Chinese President Xi Jinping has a rich, fruitful, and distinguished experience, and thus he represents a distinguished role model for the Chinese youth.

In 2012, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) drew up an ambitious plan to complete the building of a moderately prosperous society in all respects and called for moving towards achieving this goal when the CPC celebrated its centenary in 2021. This goal constitutes a dream for all Chinese people, especially the youth, who naturally have great dreams and have great potential to realize them.

China's dream of building an affluent society concerns all Chinese, but it holds even greater significance for young people as it is linked to their future. The youth are most capable of confronting the challenges that come with realizing this grand vision and are most willing to overcome obstacles and barriers and deal with the technologies of the age. Therefore, specific and focused foundations must be identified to ensure that efforts are made toward the right goals and in the right direction.

His Excellency Chinese President Xi Jinping has a rich, fruitful, and distinguished experience, and thus he represents a distinguished role model for the Chinese youth. The Chinese president's presence is strongly and effectively felt in the party's institutions. By reviewing the CPC publications, the researcher has derived the foundations on which the party inspires young people, and they can be summarized as follows:

1. The consolidation of ideals and faith is crucial as achieving great feats depends on big aspirations, and achieving a big cause depends on hard work. Ideals can guide human beings, and faith determines the success or failure of a business.

2. Young people must possess real competencies, as education provides factors for moving up the ladder towards progress and growth, and practice is what gives young people experience and raises their competence. As an old Chinese proverb goes, "Learning is the bow, while competence is the arrow." Neither the bow alone is sufficient, nor can the arrow hit the target without the bow. Young people should keep learning and renewing knowledge to face modernization, development, and the future in which technology is accelerating dramatically and rapidly.

Chinese short-track skater and Winter Olympic medalist Wu Dajing delivers a speech during the opening ceremony of the Asia Youth Leaders Forum in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, March 25, 2023. (Xinhua)

3. Young people must dare to innovate, which is the spirit of progress and the inexhaustible source for the prosperity and development of the country. Youth is the most dynamic and capable group for innovation, and it is their duty to move forward with full force in innovation. Life is in a constant state of flux, and therefore people should not be content with the existing conditions, nor wait for those who do not strive for progress. It is not possible to enjoy the blessings of this world without putting in the effort. Young people are required to surpass the achievements of their predecessors and be determined to build a youthful state and nation, and they must show determination and persistence in the pursuit of truth, no matter how challenging the journey may be.

4. Continuous refinement is what gives a sword its sharpness, and the fragrant scent of flowers follows the harshness of winter. Similarly, the hopes of people are not easily achieved but require a bitter struggle. China has rich experience in this regard, as the Chinese nation has gone from poverty and weakness to growth and prosperity through generations of tireless struggle. The future holds significant opportunities for growth, but also presents unprecedented difficulties and challenges. Only those who enhance their capabilities and self-confidence can rise to the occasion and become superior.

5. Young people must refine their morals. As an Arab proverb states, "Nations remain for as long as they have morals, and if their morals are gone, they are gone." In the case of China, socialism with Chinese characteristics has led to the development of both spiritual and material civilizations. This is because a nation that lacks spiritual strength would find it difficult to achieve its own strength, and a cause devoid of culture cannot last long. The late Chinese leader Mao Zedong once wrote an inscription, "Learn from Comrade Lei Feng," a late ordinary soldier and a role model in China celebrated for selflessly helping others. Lei Feng had been persistent in serving the people with honesty and sincerity and was happy to provide assistance to others. He died young as a martyr of duty, and China commemorates his life and spirit every year on March 5, which is celebrated as Lei Feng Day.

People visit the Lei Feng Memorial Hall in Fushun, northeast China's Liaoning Province, March 4, 2023. Many people visited the Lei Feng Memorial hall ahead of "Lei Feng Day", which falls on March 5 every year in remembrance of Lei Feng, a young soldier who embodied the spirit of self-sacrifice. (Xinhua/Pan Yulong)

6. The youth in the CPC should launch practical activities and provide in-depth education for both old and young people about the Chinese dream. When the general dream becomes the dream of every person, the ability to realize it increases rapidly. In union, there is strength.

7. It is necessary to consolidate the common thought base of a large number of young people, to define the viewpoint on the world, on human life, on the correct values, and the correlation between words and actions. The West has talked for a long time about democracy and freedom in its books, films, and publications, but the shocking truth is that those who control power and the capabilities of society are greedy capitalists who are unconcerned about the destinies of people and instead always seek sources of profit and increased wealth. Numerous wars have been waged, past and present, under false pretexts, with reality revealing that they were motivated by arms manufacturers and the greedy capitalist lobby. The collision between words and deeds has led many Western societies to suffer from intellectual emptiness, making them captive to drugs and perversions.

8. An exemplary personality usually sets a good example for young people. Youth leaders can also achieve this status if they are sincere in their commitment to their faith, consciously and perceptively adhere to the interests of society, prioritize the public interest over personal gain, and set their sights on high values and ideals. They must not hesitate to undertake tasks, whether big or small.

This photo taken on March 25, 2023 shows an exterior view of the venue of the Asia Youth Leaders Forum in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua)

9. Youth comes only once in a person's life. We have the choice to either make the most of this time by pursuing personal growth, contributing to society, developing new skills, and maintaining our physical and mental health, or slip into laziness and waste time, thus becoming a burden on our families, society, country, and nation. Choosing to endure the hardships and challenges of youth can lead to a bountiful harvest in the prime of life.

10. Experiencing setbacks, despair, and challenges during youth can help individuals navigate life's path more effectively. Such experiences can help foster determination, enabling individuals to pursue progress despite facing obstacles.

Editor's note: Adnan Bourji is the director of the Lebanese National Center for Studies.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
China and Russia have agreed to further develop bilateral relations and build the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation, Trend reports citing Xinhua.

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the SCO foreign ministers' meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China is ready to join hands with Russia to implement the important consensuses reached between heads of state of the two countries and strengthen strategic communication.

The two countries have conducted frequent exchanges at all levels and strengthened cooperation in various fields, said Qin.

Lavrov said that Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Russia in March has injected great impetus into the development of bilateral relations. Russia is willing to jointly push forward cooperation with China in various areas and elevate bilateral ties to a new high.

Both sides agreed to plan and arrange high-level exchanges and exchanges at various levels, enhance economic and trade cooperation, deepen cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and facilitate personnel exchanges.

They vowed to enhance communication and coordination with other SCO member states, and maintain the SCO solidarity and cooperation so as to build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

The two sides also agreed to enhance coordination and cooperation within BRICS, Group of 20, the United Nations and other multilateral frameworks, oppose all forms of hegemonism, safeguard the common interests of emerging market economies and developing countries, and uphold international fairness and justice.
New Delhi, May 5 : An 18-year-old boy died after he was stabbed in the stomach following a scuffle in Delhi's Sarai Kale Khan area, an official said on Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Akash, who worked as a labourer.

According to the police, at around 4.30 p.m. on Thursday, a PCR call was received in which a man claimed that his brother-in-law had been stabbed.

On reaching the spot, the police found that his relatives had already taken the victim to AIIMS where he succumbed to his injuries.

"Investigation revealed that Akash was one of four boys who got involved in an altercation with an unknown youth. Soon the altercation turned violent, and the four boys started beating up the unknown youth," said Rajesh Deo, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast).

A man named Rupesh Kumar, who was passing by in his OLA cab, saw the incident and called the police for help.

"Rupesh tried to intervene and stop the fight, but the boys turned on him instead, as more people from the locality joined in. In the heat of the moment, Rupesh allegedly stabbed Akash and then fled the scene. His taxi was also damaged by the locals," said the DCP.

The police have registered a case of murder at the Sunlight Colony police station.

"Efforts are being made to arrest Rupesh, who is currently absconding," the DCP said.
New Delhi, May 5 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting him to be the guest of honour on Bastille Day parade.

"Thank you my friend @EmmanuelMacron! I look forward to celebrating Bastille Day and our Strategic Partnership with you and the French people," Modi tweeted.

He was responding to a tweet by Macron, who wrote in Hindi that he would be happy to host Modi as a respected guest in Paris during Bastille Day parade, which is held annually on July 14.

Earlier during the day, the External Affairs Ministry had said in a statement that the Prime Minister had accepted the French President's invitation to be the guest of honour for the annual event.
Jaipur, May 5 : Stunning bowling display from Afghan spin duo Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmed helped Gujarat Titans (GT) bowl out Rajasthan Royals (RR) for a paltry 118 in 17.5 overs in an IPL 2023 match at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Friday.

Rashid (3/14) and Noor (2/25) once again proved to be lethal with their attacking bowling skillset as the duo rattled the Royals' batting line-up in the middle overs.

The Royals had a slow start as they lost Jos Buttler early. Yashaswi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson went for a few big hits to add crucial runs before the former got run out and the hosts posted 50/2 in the PowerPlay.

Titans continued to put pressure on the hosts with their clinical bowling and RR failed to establish a stable partnership, as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Hardik Pandya struck in the second over to dismiss Buttler after conceding two successive boundaries. Then, Jaiswal and Samson off a flier collected 26 runs in the next two overs.

An over later, RR suffered another blow when Samson tried to guide the ball past backward point and Jaiswal set off for a single from the non-striker's end and Samson was out of the crease, but saw the fielding and went back. Jaiswal was already at his end by then and the fielder had ample time to relay a calm throw to the non-striker end and the opener ended up getting run out.

The next over Joshua Little sent Samson back and Royals were three down in seven overs. Sanju moved across the stumps to flick to mid-wicket and it climbed on him, resulting in a top edge swirling over cover and Hardik collected a good catch.

Rashid posed another threat in the eighth over as he cleaned up Ravichandran Ashwin cheaply for 2 before trapping Riyan Parag in the 10th over to reduce RR to 72/5.

Noor too joined the party and struck in his two overs to put a further dent in RR innings with the wicket of Devdutt Padikkal for 12. Soon, he trapped Dhruv Jurel lbw in the 14th over. The next over Rashid removed Shimron Hetmyer, reducing the Royals to 96-8.

After an impressive opening over, Shami came into the attack in the 17 over and dismissed Trent Boult on fine yorker.

The next over Adam Zampa lofted the ball from the toe end of his bat and the fielder ran back from cover for a catch but it was out of his reach. Abhinav Manohar came sprinting to his right to collect the ball, firing in a sharp one-bounce throw at the striker's end stumps to deny Zampa a second run and get him out as Royals were bowled for 118 in 17.5 overs.

Brief scores: Rajasthan Royals 118 all-out in 17.5 overs (Sanju Samson 30 off 20; Rashid Khan 3/14, Noor Ahmad 2/25) against Gujarat Titans
Agra May 5 : Local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are stunned by the dismally low percentage of votes polled for the Agra Municipal Corporation elections held on Thursday.

"Just 37 per cent turnout this time, which was 45 per cent last time. Our election managers are finding it hard to explain how and why there was such shocking disenchantment with the local elections," Nandan Shrotriya, a local BJP leader, said.

The voting percentage in Mathura was 40 per cent while in neighbouring Firozabad, it was 50 per cent plus.

"The campaign was well-managed, the issues were clear, the track record of Mayor Navin Jain and his team was generally appreciated in terms of the developmental projects executed. The weather gods were also kind, but yet the voters chose to show apathy and indifference. It is not clear what will be the impact of the low turnout on the final outcome," said Jugal Kishor, a BJP activist.

The BJP has been in power in the Agra Municipal Corporation since 1989 and has been running its affairs without any major political threat from the opposition parties.

But this time there are signals that Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Lata Balmiki could give the BJP a run for its money.

"We have some information that the Samajwadi Party has transferred its votes to the BSP candidate and that makes the contest a tough one for the BJP, which was brimming with overconfidence," said Chaturbhuj Tiwari, a political observer.

The Agra Municipal Corporation has 100 corporators. Independent observers hinted that the BJP could be in for a shock this time from the Bahujan Samaj Party which has tacit support from the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.

Even Aam Admi Party's mayoral candidate, Sunita Diwakar, said that her party stood a good chance of winning a number of seats.

A week before the elections, local BJP leaders had sounded the state party functionaries about the dissidence and anger that was brewing because of ticket distribution.

"Wrong people had been given tickets. This resulted in a large number of rebels entering the fray. To compound the issue further, there were complaints from most booths of faulty electoral lists. Thousands of voters could not vote as their names were missing from the lists," said Jagan Prasad, a political observer.

Social activist Padmini Iyer said the BJP had disappointed the voters.

"The continued neglect of environmental issues, in particular the sad state of Yamuna, had angered a large number of voters, including BJP supporters, who chose to stay at home," she said.

The counting of votes will be taken up on May 13.
Patna, May 5 : Nine labourers, who were rescued from civil war-hit Sudan by the Indian government, have reached Patna.

The Patna district administration received those labourers on Thursday and made arrangements for their travel to their respective villages. Of the 9, eight are from West Champaran district while one belongs to Nasriganj locality under Danapur police station in Patna district.

Sharing their experience, the labourers said that they have faced tough times in Sudan.

Parvez Mirza, one of the labourers said: "Due to the civil war in Sudan, we have faced some tough times there. There was no electricity, water, and food. When we heard about rescue operations started by the Indian government, we contacted the Indian Embassy in Khartoum and shared our plight. The officials at the India Embassy asked us to reach there and they will make arrangements to send it back to India." "We have travelled 18 hours to reach the Sudanese capital and reached the Indian Embassy. They have sent us to Delhi and we finally reached Patna. We were frightened while staying in Sudan but now feeling better. The Indian Embassy has done a good job," he added.

The Indian government is airlifting Indian people trapped in Sudan after fighting broke out there. A large number of labourers were airlifted and reached Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The state governments are making arrangements for further travel of the rescued people.
Patna, May 5 : Five teenagers, aged from 14 to 19, drowned in the Gandak river in Bihar's Begusarai district on Friday afternoon, local officials said.

The deceased were identified as Golu Kumar, 19, Halchal Kumar, 18, Rishabh Kumar, 16, and Chotu Kumar, 15, and one more. They came to Begusarai to attend a marriage function held at Bishanpur village under Sahebpur Kamal police station.

Subodh Kumar, the Mukhiya of Bishunpur village said: "Nine children in an age group of 14 to 19 went to Gandak river near Vishnupur Ahok village to take a bath in the river. Five of them drowned while local villagers managed to rescue 4 of them. We have also recovered the dead body of Chotu Kumar, the brother of the bride.

"Following the incident, we have informed local police and SDRF team for the rescue operation."
Imphal, May 5 : The violence in Manipur caused reactions in the neighbouring states as thousands of students of different northeastern states are studying in the state while a large number of Manipuris, including those of the Meitei community, are also living in states around.

Tribals belonging to Naga and Kuki communities, though mostly inhabiting in Nagaland and Manipur, are also living in other northeastern states.

Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga, in a letter to his Manipur counterpart N. Biren Singh, said that he is deeply pained by the violence that has flared up in parts of Manipur and the underlying tension between the Meitei community and tribals there.

"At a time when our two states are already facing issues as a result of the political situation in Myanmar and Bangladesh and the lingering effects of Covid-19, including the prospect of a new wave with more and more cases being detected, such violence only makes things worse," he said.

Zoramthanga requested Biren Singh to exercise his leadership that the people of Manipur know he is capable of and reach out to all parties involved to try and bring an end to this senseless violence.

He assured the highest cooperation of his government and the people of Mizoram as they pray for reconciliation and healing in the state of Manipur.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Meiteis, including a large number of students, held a protest in Guwahati on Friday in the wake of the violence that paralysed Manipur for the past three days.

Meanwhile, a section of protesters alleged that the Manipur government's intention to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state is behind the outbreak of the violence.

In the wake of the ongoing unrest in Manipur, over 600 people have crossed the border into Assam's Cachar district seeking shelter, officials said.

"We have arranged temporary shelters at a few government schools in the Lakhipur sub-division area. Food and other necessary commodities have been provided to them," a Cachar district official said.

Chief Ministers of Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh separately expressed their reactions over the Manipur violence and asked their senior officials to keep in touch with the Manipur authorities to ensure safety and wellbeing of the students studying in medical colleges and agricultural university in Manipur.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is now in election campaign in Karnataka, said in a tweet: "Several families affected by the recent incidents in Manipur have sought refuge in Assam. I have requested the District Administration of Cachar to take care of these families.I am also in constant communication with the HCM N Biren Singh and have pledged the full support of the Assam Government during this hour of crisis".

Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, after holding a meeting with senior officials, said that he had tried to contact his Manipur counterpart on Thursday night and even Friday morning but Biren Singh "could not take my call, perhaps he is busy".

"However, I have instructed our Chief Secretary (J.K. Sinha) and the Director General of Police (Amitabh Ranjan) to be in touch with the administration in Manipur as around 150 students are studying there in the medical college, dental college and in the agriculture college. Tripura government has also opened a helpline number for proving round the clock support to residents of Tripura with respect to disturbance in Manipur.

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, in a tweet, said: "I am deeply disturbed about the unrest in Manipur. I appeal to the people of Manipur for peace and harmony." "We have activated the helpline 1800-345-3644 for students staying in Manipur and for parents in case of emergencies. We are closely monitoring the situation to ensure the safety of our students studying in the state," Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma tweeted.

"We are bringing back our stranded students and citizens through regular flights and chartered flights. We are closely in touch with the central and state governments, security agencies to ensure that all necessary arrangements are made for the safe return of our students and citizens," Sangma told the media.

Taking to Twitter, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu said: "Deeply pained over the violence in Manipur, which has displaced several families. In this hour of crisis, we are with the people of Manipur and HCM Shri N. Biren Singh ji and extend support to every step aimed restoring peace and bonhomie in the state.

"Dialogue is the best way to resolve all differences and grievances in a democratic set up. My special thanks and gratitude to HCM Assam Shri Himanta Biswa Sarma ji for his kind interventions in ensuring the affected families are taken care of if they take shelter in the state. I am hopeful the peace will soon return to Manipur, a great land of diversity, fraternity and compassion." The Meghalaya government has started evacuating students and civilians from violence-hit Manipur. State Health and Family Welfare and Law Minister Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh said on Friday that 64 students were evacuated from Manipur to Guwahati airport in Assam and eight more students would be evacuated on Saturday morning, while another 36 more would be shifted on Sunday.

The efforts to evacuate the students and civilians of Meghalaya from Manipur would continue till normalcy returns in that state.
New Delhi, May 5 : Three days after the brutal murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya a.k.a Sunil Maan inside the high-security Tihar Jail, the Director-General (Prison) has suspended three assistant superintendents, four wardens and another staff member, sources said on Friday.

Department inquiries have also been initiated against three wardens even as DG Sanjay Baniwal instructed action to be taken against the commander of the Tamil Nadu Special Police Force under whose command nine personnel served, who were in the prison ward at the time of incident.

"The prison department has initiated action in the matter of Tillu Tajpuria's killing in which eight staff, including three assistant supritendents, of the prison department has been suspended," confirmed a prison spokesperson.

Recently, chilling CCTV footages surfaced showing the murder of Tajpuriya allegedly by the members of the notorious Jitender Gogi gang inside the high-security Tihar Jail on May 2 in the presence of prison officials, who appeared to be standing by without even intervening.

The incident took place within the sight of Tihar Jail officials, who seemed to be standing idle as mere spectators.

A new 2.36-minute-long video shows the attackers forcefully entering a separate area where prison officials were in the process of taking Tajpuriya to the hospital after the attack on him.

However, the assailants proceeded to viciously stab, kick, and punch Tajpuriya in a brutal attack aimed at ensuring his death, in front of a number of prison officials.

The disturbing footage has sparked significant concerns about the level of security within Tihar and the apparent lack of action on the part of the officials to quell the violence.

As per reports, Tajpuriya was stabbed over 90 times by the assailants.

Tajpuriya (33), a resident of Tajpur Kalan on the outskirts of Delhi, was lodged in Tihar Jail under tight security measures on the ground-floor of Jail No. 8.

"The prison staff revealed that Deepak a.k.a. Titar (31), Yogesh a.k.a. Gainda (30), Rajesh a.k.a. Tunda (42), and Riyaz Khan (39) had attacked Tajpuriya with improvised knives. When another inmate, Rohit, tried to intervene, he was also attacked and injured," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Akshat Kaushal said.

Tajpuriya was an accused in the 2021 Rohini court shootout in which gangster Jitender Gogi was killed.
Ahmedabad, May 5 : The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) on Friday requested Union Finance Nirmala Sitharaman to waive off interest and penalty for Integrated Goods and Services Tax (IGST) payable under notification No. 54/2018 dated October 9, 2018.

The GCCI said that it has received representations from its various member units, stating that they have received summons along with interest and penalty in regards to IGST payable under the notification. These companies had imported material under advance license scheme and had missed paying IGST during clearance of the consignment as it was not reflected in the Bill of Exchange (BOE).

In a letter to Sitharaman, GCCI President Pathik Patwari said: "Many units in Gujarat were not aware of the new notification issued by the GST Council, which stated that IGST had to be paid at the time of clearance of the consignment and then claimed as a refund through Input Tax Credit (ITC), or a Letter of Undertaking (LUT) was required to be submitted for not paying the IGST. As a result, they cleared their consignments without paying IGST, assuming it was not applicable and no LUT was submitted. The Customs Department also cleared their consignments without the LUT or payment of IGST." The GCCI said that it believes that the units in question did not intend to deliberately evade payment of tax, but this was an inadvertent error committed on their part. Furthermore, the GST Department did not incur any revenue loss due to this transaction. As per the revised notification, the units would have paid IGST in advance and then claimed a refund through ITC, resulting in the same outcome for the GST Department in terms of revenue collection.

However, due to the accumulated interest and penalty, many of the units are unable to pay the outstanding tax amount. This could have adverse financial consequences for these units, as most of them are MSMEs, it said.
Tehran, May 6 : Iran has expelled four Azerbaijani diplomats from Iran after declaring them "persona non grata", a media report said.

The move was a "retaliatory response" to the expulsion of four Iranian diplomats from Azerbaijan after having been declared "persona non grata" by Baku in April, Iran's official news agency IRNA said in a report on Friday, without elaborating on the exact timing of the move and its other reasons, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to IRNA, the four Azerbaijani diplomats were working at Azerbaijan's embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

In early April, Azerbaijan declared four diplomats of the Iranian embassy in Baku as "persona non grata" due to their activities that were "incompatible with diplomatic status".

On April 6, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry said it had summoned Iran's ambassador Seyed Abbas Mousavi to inform him that the four should leave the country within 48 hours.
Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency that has been in effect in the world since 2020, Trend reports citing TASS.

"Yesterday, the Emergency Committee met for the 15th time and recommended to me that I declare an end to the public health emergency of international concern. I've accepted that advice," the WHO chief said. "It's therefore with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency," Ghebreyesus said on Friday during a briefing in Geneva.

The WHO head explained that for more than a year, "the pandemic has been on a downward trend, with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection, mortality decreasing and the pressure on health systems easing." According to hi, this trend has "allowed most countries to return to life" they knew before.

Ghebreyesus pointed out that countries must remain vigilant about COVID-19, because coronavirus has not gone anywhere and continues to evolve, with the potential for new outbreaks. "This virus is here to stay. It is still killing, and its still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths," he said. The WHO chief warned that the decision to end the global public health emergency for COVID should not be taken as an opportunity to "let down its guard". The end of the emergency phase does not mean that SARS-CoV-2 is no longer a global threat, the director-general stressed.

The WHO chief also recalled that the "deep scars" that COVID has left on the world "must serve as a permanent reminder of the potential for new viruses to emerge, with devastating consequences," thats why the global community should learn lessons from the pandemic. In that regard, Ghebreyesus drew attention to the lack of coordination and solidarity in the fight against COVID, which has prevented the global community from making full use of the tools available to deal with the spread of infection.

The director-general also said the WHO Emergency Committee would cease its work and a new body, "a Review Committee to develop long-term, standing recommendations for countries on how to manage COVID-19 on an ongoing basis" will be established.
Inventa is an essential tool for any business that prioritizes the secure management of their sensitive data.

1touch.io, provider of Inventa, a sensitive data intelligence solution powered by advanced machine learning, announced today that it has secured a $14M series B round led by Neotribe Ventures with continuing support from National Grid Partners and Ocean Azul Partners. 1touch.io has gained significant momentum since the previous fundraise including over 300% year-to-year revenue growth highlighted by numerous Fortune 500 customers and global accounts with Financial Services, Insurance and Hospitality placing the largest orders. In addition, OEM agreements with IBM Security and Comforte have driven a strong channel strategy with additional reach into large accounts. This explosive growth potential helped to drive the fundraise in the current challenging financial climate.

Inventa's technological edge is what enables it to truly differentiate from legacy discovery and classification tools. Using network discovery and a machine-learning foundation, Inventa is built from open-APIs for easy integration. Its supervised AI module enables classification accuracy far superior to other alternative tools. Layered on top of the classification are business context and data insights to create intelligence which drives prioritization and efficiencies for security, privacy, compliance, governance and risk teams. This allows for more agile business responsiveness and therefore reduced corporate risk, and higher accuracy, with ability to deep dive into the 15% of hidden data that goes largely unmanaged.

Typical customer use cases include: Cloud Migration, Third Party Data Sharing, Attack Surface Reduction, DSAR Requests and DLP Extension.Basic discovery and classification has been around for a while but has not lived up to its promise until now, said Nitin Chopra from Neotribe Ventures. We were excited by 1touch.io from the start but after validating the Inventa platform with multiple CISOs and CIOs, it became evident that 1touch.io's superior technical approach impressed and enthused them, leading to the consensus that Inventa is an essential tool for any business that prioritizes the secure management of their sensitive data."

"The process efficiencies we get from Inventa has been a game-changer in helping us pass audits, improve security posture and respond quickly to privacy requests. I can't imagine my organization functioning without it" said Vince D'Amico, Head of Information Security, Privacy and Business Security at Jennison Associates. "On top of that, the team is great to work with and always responsive to our questions and needs."

Our focus has been to create the most accurate, scalable and secure sensitive data intelligence solution in the market, said Itzhak Assaraf, CTO of 1touch.io. Our deep focus on Machine Learning to optimize the system for both petabyte scale and nearly flawless accuracy for any type of data has made us a shared service across security, privacy, and governance teams.

At a time when companies are struggling to find venture capital, this up-round validates the technology behind our clear-blue water sensitive data intelligence strategy said Zak Rubinstein, CEO of 1touch.io. This round of investment will allow us to scale up our sales and marketing efforts and to increase our market share. We are very excited to be adding Nitin at Neotribe to our Board of Directors as we seek to expand our market presence."

About 1touch.io (https://1touch.io)

1touch.io Inventa is a leading sensitive data intelligence solution with unprecedented data discovery and classification technology to improve outcomes across the enterprise via a centralized management console. 1touch.io Inventa gives organizations complete visibility into the business value of all data  including shadow IT and unknown data sources  by automating the discovery process starting at the network-layer and providing a comprehensive, accurate and up-to-date master inventory. This visibility enables organizations of any size to easily meet security, privacy and compliance requirements while getting more out of their existing investments and improving operational efficiency.

About Neotribe Ventures (https://www.neotribe.vc/)

Neotribe Ventures focuses on strategic investments in early to growth-stage companies developing breakthrough technologies that stretch the imagination. Founded in 2017, the firm manages nearly $450 million in assets across three funds and has invested in a diverse set of companies including enterprise software, security, software infrastructure, AI/ML, robotics, climate tech, computational biology, and more.Just as tribes represent small, protective, and caring groups, Neotribe believes that startups with innovative and aspirational teams thrive if provided the security and backing to be unafraid in the pursuit of new ideas, excellence, and success.
Pynk Vybes is proud to announce their newest location opening at 4021 Belt Line Road in Addison. The Texas-based company is driven to help all women indulge in routine self-care and relaxation with Hemp based products.

All of the products we offer online and in store are created with the intent of offering a luxury product to women of all ages. Pynk Vybes derives their cannabis options from locally sourced farmers, and our partnerships allow us to bring the highest quality product to you while also being safe and responsibly sourced.

Pynk Vybes, a female owned and operated business, offers a space where women can learn about CANNABIS and its diverse benefits. Store Owner, April Watson, wants to encourage the community to harness the potency and power that can be found in nature.

Too much about the conversation about smoking or even usages of marijuana are rooted in stigma and stereotypes, Watson said. There are a lot of people who are curious about some of the benefits and usages but still intimidated to ask the questions or may not even know where to go. cannabis is a wonderful product to utilize for self-care. We create the space for a deeper understanding of Cannabis allowing women to fully explore some of the different benefits while having an enjoyable experience.

Pynk Vybes offers women a space for women to get into their self-love zone. Focused on helping women create their own customized relaxation experience, our stores offer a wide range of products from beauty products, edibles, infused oils, and tinctures all hand picked with your needs in mind.

To learn more about Pynk Vybes, visit their storefront which opens on May 6th at 4021 Belt Line Road. Suite 211.

Pynk Vybes celebrated its growth during the "Pynk Euphoria" on Saturday, April 29th at The Vine - 2819 Commerce Street Suite 110 in Dallas, TX. This exclusive event was hosted by J Kruz & Kita Rose from K104s DeDe in the Morning Show and Space Boi Fresh from 97.9 The Beat. This All Pynk Party was held in conjunction with the anniversary of Pynk Vybes, which opened its flagship location at The Shops at Willow Bend (Plano, TX) in 2022.

April Watson is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Pynk Vybes and The Weed Spot, with several successful franchise locations throughout Texas and the United States.

About Pynk Vybes

At Pynk Vybes, weve made it our mission to harness the true power and potency of hemp-based ingredients in everything we create. We have worked with local farms to develop responsibly sourced, safe and effective products that are sure to bring out the best in you. Sit back, relax, and enjoy all that we have to offer.

Media Contact:

Rekesha Pittman, Media Director

972-736-5253

rekeshap@gmail.com
Janek Performance Group, a leading sales performance company, today announced it is exhibiting at the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference 2023, which will be held May 16 & 17, 2023, at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, NV.

As an exhibitor of the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference 2023, Janek Performance Group will showcase its innovative range of sales enablement solutions that empower sales organizations and their teams to operate more effectively. Attendees can visit Janek Performance Group at booth 102 to learn more about best practices for effective training delivery, the latest learning and development trends, and how to leverage technology for blended learning experiences.

We are thrilled to be an exhibitor at the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference 2023," said Nick Kane, Managing Partner at Janek Performance Group. "This event provides an excellent opportunity for us to connect with industry leaders and showcase our innovative solutions that help organizations achieve their sales and customer service goals. We look forward to sharing our expertise and insights with the attendees and learning from other leaders in the field."

"Our commitment to staying at the forefront of the industry, and leveraging the latest research and technology, has allowed us to develop highly effective training programs that drive measurable results, added Janek Performance Group Managing Partner Justin Zappulla. We look forward to engaging with attendees at the conference and sharing our expertise with them."

For more information about the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference 2023, please visit the conference website at https://www.gartner.com/en/conferences/na/sales-us.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally and is used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About the Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference

The Gartner CSO & Sales Leader Conference is taking place May 16-17, 2023 in Las Vegas, providing sales leaders with the latest research on sales talent, customer buying behavior, account-based marketing strategies and leveraging digital channels. Follow news and updates coming out of the conference on the Gartner Newsroom and on Twitter and LinkedIn using #GartnerSales.

About Janek Performance Group

Janek Performance Group is an industry-leading, award-winning sales performance company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada. Janek offers solutions in sales training, consulting, and talent management for companies of all sizes, from startups to Fortune 100. Janek is expertly positioned to advise and serve clients in planning, developing, implementing, and sustaining sales performance solutions that generate measurable results. Janeks portfolio of offerings span all modern selling situations and are research-based and purpose-built to enable salespeople, sales leaders, and their organizations to win more often. For more information, visit https://www.janek.com.
Firmex, one of the most widely used providers of virtual data rooms, announced the publication of the Firmex Deal Flow Bulletin for Q2 2023. This report combines proprietary data on virtual data room activity with M&A advisor interviews to forecast deal activity for the second quarter. In addition, to deal flow, the bulletin also highlights M&A advisor sentiment on the deal landscape for Q2 and beyond, given the challenges in the current market.

Dealmakers report facing new challenges to closing deals, but they remain positive in their outlook and ready to adapt, said Mark Wright, General Manager of Firmex. And overall, there seems to be a return to normal.

Highlights in the Q2 2023 Deal Flow Bulletin include:



More than half of middle-market merger advisors surveyed (55%) feel positive about the M&A market overall, a slight increase from three months ago.

M&A activity is projected to pick up in Europe, based on an analysis of virtual deal room activity on the Firmex platform. Firmex projects that 6% more European deals will be announced in the second quarter of 2022 than in the first quarter.

European merger advisors agree, more than half (54%) expect volume to increase this quarter.

The picture is more mixed in North America, where Firmex projects volume to decline by 2%.

Advisors in North America are split about prospects for the second quarter, with 36% predicting increased volume and 29% expecting deal flow to decline.

Valuations have returned to normal levels from the highs of 2021. Only one in five advisors say values are below average, but thats an increase from previous surveys.

In North America, three in five advisors expect valuations to fall over the next three months. In Europe, 37% say values will go lower, and 30% say they will rise.

A recession within the next year seems likely to 61% of advisors in North America and 44% of those in Europe.

Dealmaking is getting harder, with debt financing becoming scarcer and deals taking longer to close.

Advisors are compensating by working more earnouts and other contingent provisions into merger agreements.

To read the Firmex Deal Flow Bulletin for Q2 2023, visit firmex.com.

About Firmex

Firmex is a global provider of virtual data rooms and secure document-sharing solutions. As one of the worlds most widely used virtual data rooms, Firmex supports complex processes for organizations of all sizes, including diligence, compliance, and litigation. Whenever professionals need to share sensitive documents beyond the firewall, Firmex is their trusted partner. A Firmex subscription provides simple, safe, and stress-free document sharing without hidden costs or complexity. Since 2006, Firmex has helped over 120,000 companies worldwide take control of their confidential documents. For more information, please visit http://www.firmex.com.
Sardi's Peruvian Chicken's flagship location We spent many years focusing on the growth of the company, opening new stores and expanding. We want to focus on becoming a better company to work for, a better experience for our customers, and to overall invest in our company internally and externally, Sardis owner Phil E. Sardelis said.

Sardis Peruvian Chicken has unveiled a new look, complete with a rebrand, new website (SardisChicken.com), and a flagship restaurant which recently opened its doors in Clinton, Maryland.

Co-founded by cousins Phil E. Sardelis and Phil G. Sardelis, Sardis is known for its authentic Peruvian recipes and experiences. Sardis now has 15 locations across three states, and the rebrand was intended to create consistency throughout the brand, communications, and stores.

To kick off the excitement of the rebrand, website, and flagship restaurant, Sardis is hosting a Grand Opening event at the new Sardis location in Clinton on Friday, May 19 from 11 AM to 3 PM. During the event, Sardis will be offering free giveaways, including newly designed promotional items with their new branding consisting of backpacks, hats, reusable souvenir cups, magnets, and lanyards.

Sardis Clinton features a revolutionized style with new colors, graphics, and signage. Our aim was to provide the same genuine experience to all our customers at every location, along with modernizing our restaurants and our website. With our rebrand and our new website, we want customers to be able to easily navigate what we have to offer. Sardis owner Phil E. Sardelis said.

Partnering with Ironmark, an omni-channel marketing solutions provider, Sardis developed its rebrand while staying true to its original Peruvian roots. Website visitors can view menu items, specials, locations, careers, and company history, and easily purchase gift cards and place online orders.

We spent many years focusing on the growth of the company, opening new stores and expanding. Those years were spent building our brand. Now, our goal is to bring consistency across our locations and update our brand. We want to focus on becoming a better company to work for, a better experience for our customers, and to overall invest in our company internally and externally, Sardelis said.

Sardis Chicken was co-founded by cousins, Phil E. Sardelis and Phil G. Sardelis in 2008. Since then, Sardis has grown to 15 locations in Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania serving millions of new and returning customers each year. Sardis Chicken offers authentic Peruvian chicken, as well as a variety of Latin and South American specialties.

Connect with Sardis Peruvian Chicken at SardisChicken.com or on social media @SardisChicken.

Customers can visit the new location at 8900 Woodyard Road in Clinton, MD.
As the Neal Awards are billed as the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of business-to-business journalism, Josh Zygmont, Content Director for EHS Daily Advisor said, were extremely proud to be recognized and surrounded by impressive company in the winners circle.

On Friday, April 21, the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) recognized EHS Daily Advisor as the winner of Best Range of Work by a Media Brand at the 69th Annual Jesse H. Neal Awards in New York. This category recognizes a media brands overall excellence by evaluating its depth of offerings across all media, including journalistic excellence, presentation, service to readers, innovation, and use of multiple content platforms to serve its audience.

Fifty-nine awards were handed out across 24 categories at one of the longest-running premier awards programs honoring business-to-business (B2B) journalism. As the Neal Awards are billed as the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of business-to-business journalism, Josh Zygmont, Content Director for EHS Daily Advisor said, were extremely proud to be recognized and surrounded by impressive company in the winners circle.

For over 10 years, EHS Daily Advisor has provided comprehensive daily coverage and insight on the topics and trends that matter most in the environment, health, and safety (EHS) industry. Serving as a resource to both educate and connect leaders in its community of over 400,000 subscribers, EHS Daily Advisor offers content across a variety of multimedia formats, including:



A free daily e-newsletter with a 24/7 online archive of articles

Research reports, white papers, tools/tips, and best practices

EHS on Tap Podcast and webinars

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Christmas Decor, the 300-plus unit strong Texas-based holiday decorating franchise, has been named a Top Franchise for Less Than $50,000 by Entrepreneur Magazine. The companies on this list are ranked based on the scores they received in Entrepreneurs 2023 Franchise 500 ranking, which analyzes each brand on more than 150 data points in the areas of costs and fees, size and growth, franchisee support, brand strength, and financial strength and stability. Christmas Decor ranked within the top 50 brands at number 48.

It is an honor to be recognized by Entrepreneur as a top franchise under $50,000, said Brandon Stephens, President of Christmas Decor. Over the past several years, Christmas Decor has seen impressive growth, and were looking forward to keeping the momentum going by partnering with even more franchisees this year.

An investment in Christmas Decor is relatively low-cost, ranging from just $19,550 to $62,250, and the brands average franchisee makes $339,252 in average gross sales in 3+ years of operation.

Originally created as an off-season supplement to the landscaping business, Christmas Decor now brings holiday cheer to over 300 communities across North America, ultimately creating jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be unemployed. For landscapers and other outdoor business owners, Christmas Decor provides an opportunity to offset fixed overhead costs, generate new income streams and maintain key employees year-round.

The brand also brings its franchisees repeat business from homeowners and commercial contacts who value the brands renowned white-glove service and customized designs. Providing a high-margin service like holiday decorating for commercial clients has its financial benefits. And on the residential side, seasonal contractors who offer multiple home services benefit from more than just finances.

You're recruiting at a very economically resilient client, said Stephens. Our residential clients tend to be on the more affluent side, and youre building relationships with them. So if you're a contractor who offers other services, you may land them as a Christmas client, then you can go in and cross-sell them on all your other services.

Franchisees who want to diversify their portfolio can also take advantage of other The Decor Group brands within the parent company, including low-voltage landscape lighting provider Nite Time Decor and permanent commercial lighting provider PermaLites 365, allowing them to operate a year-round business. In addition, these ancillary services allow franchisees to better tap into the commercial side of the business.

The Decor Group brands are created to help franchisees generate year-round revenue and supplement other seasonal businesses, said Stephens. Now, after experiencing some of our strongest growth yet over the past several years, we are excited to continue partnering with franchisees and giving them the opportunity to service their communities all year-round.

About Christmas Decor

Founded in 1986 by Blake Smith, Christmas Decor has become the leading holiday decorating brand in the U.S. and Canada. Originally created as an off-season supplement to the landscaping business, the Texas-based franchise now brings holiday cheer to over 300 communities across North America, ultimately creating jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be unemployed. Backed by a strong business model and double-digit revenue increase year-over-year for the last 11 years, Christmas Decor is looking to grow in markets across the U.S. and Canada. For more information on Christmas Decor, please visit https://www.christmasdecor.net/franchise/.
Law Office of Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP For more information about the class action lawsuit against Byer California call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

The San Francisco employment law attorneys, at Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP, filed a class action complaint alleging that Byer California violated the California Labor Code. The Byer California class action lawsuit, Case No. CGC-23-605878, is currently pending in the San Francisco County Superior Court of the State of California. A copy of the Complaint can be read here.

According to the Complaint, the company's non-exempt employees were allegedly unable to take off-duty meal breaks due to their rigorous work schedules. California labor laws require an employer to provide an employee required to perform work for more than five (5) hours during a shift with, a thirty (30) minute uninterrupted meal break prior to the end of the employee's fifth (5th) hour of work and a second uninterrupted meal break when employees are required to work ten (10) hours. The Complaint claims that the company did not provide their employees who forfeited meal breaks additional compensation.

Additionally, Byer California allegedly failed to reimburse employees for required business expenses. California Labor Code  2802 expressly states that "an employer shall indemnify his or her employee for all necessary expenditures or losses incurred by the employee in direct consequence of the discharge of his or her duties..." During employment, Plaintiff and other California Class Members were allegedly required to use their personal cellular phones as a result of and in furtherance of their job duties.

For more information about the class action lawsuit against Byer California call (800) 568-8020 to speak to an experienced California employment attorney today.

Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik De Blouw LLP is an employment law firm with offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside and Chicago that dedicates its practice to helping employees, investors and consumers fight back against unfair business practices, including violations of the California Labor Code and Fair Labor Standards Act. If you need help in collecting unpaid overtime wages, unpaid commissions, being wrongfully terminated from work, and other employment law claims, contact one of their attorneys today.

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Collage of photos from Ball High School ground breaking Our children, who are the future of Galveston, the future of Texas, and the future of the United States, are going to be taught in first class facilities."

Team members from Galveston Independent School District, Zero/Six Consulting, Gilbane Building Company, J.W. Kelso Construction, and PBK Architects gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Ball High School. Standing behind the podium in a wall of purple and gold, Ball High School cheerleaders, marching band, and ROTC all came out to join in the festivities. Other community members from the GISD District, GISD Visioning Committee, and GISD Educational Fund also attended to show overwhelming support for passing the 2023 GISD Bond Program and the new 457,500 sq ft campus.

As a Galveston County resident and Gilbane employee, I am super proud that our team was selected to build the new high school. This is beyond monumental for our community, said David Cooper, project executive, Gilbane Building Company.

The project will demolish the current Ball High School structure and construct a new building, as well as a natatorium and press box at Courville Stadium. The new school will serve 2,500 students, with the two buildings sitting on either side of Avenue O. The project is set to begin construction over summer break and will be completed in two phases. The project is slated for substantial completion in 2025.

This unique and challenging project will be great for the community and the residents of Galveston County. I am grateful to be part of the team and looking forward to starting soon, said Ahmed Alsaffar, project manager, Gilbane Building Company. At Gilbane, we always rise to the challenge. This is another project that will require everybody's effort to get it past the finish line, but I know we will succeed.

The high school was originally constructed in 1953 and underwent major renovations in 2007. As part of the 2022 GISD 2022 Bond program, the facility replacement will expand the many programs already offered at Ball High School and address needs identified by the visioning committee. The new facility will be constructed on the existing site of the current building.

It is time that the kids in Galveston have first class facilities." said Dr. Matthew Hay, former GISD trustee, and Galveston Educational Foundation board member. Our children, who are the future of Galveston, the future of Texas, and the future of the United States, are going to be taught in first class facilities. If you can think of our kids and what they produce now and then put them in those facilities, our kids are going to continue to rule the world.

About Gilbane Building Company

Gilbane provides a full slate of construction and facilities-related services  from preconstruction planning and integrated consulting capabilities to comprehensive construction management, general contracting, design-build, and facility management services  for clients across various markets. Founded in 1870 and still a privately held, family-owned company, Gilbane has more than 45 office locations worldwide. With an increased demand for private, institutional, and public projects, Gilbane remains a trusted partner in providing construction services for our Texas clients. Since 1981, we have developed a reputation for quality service and client satisfaction. Our team is dedicated to providing an exceptional client experience, prioritizing safety, creating high-quality design solutions, and delivering projects on time and within budget.

Visit http://www.gilbaneco.com for more information.
Greeley did it the right way. Instead of going and buying a shiny new toy, they invested in a foundational plan.

The city of Greeley, Colo., has gone live with its Cityworks Asset Management System (AMS), implemented by Woolpert. The implementation provides an enterprise-wide platform for managing assets through system-based activity, cost, and document tracking for the Greeley Water and Sewer Department. The department includes two water treatment plants, a water reclamation or wastewater treatment plant, and nine water reservoirs. The growing city of more than 100,000, located 60 miles northeast of Denver, treats and distributes nearly 9 billion gallons of water over 500 million miles of pipeline annually.

This implementation is a key initiative that supports the citywide Asset Management Vision and Asset Management Plan developed with Woolpert. The Asset Management Plan provides a framework for strategically approaching asset operation and maintenance decisions in a proactive fashion. Woolpert Program Director Jeff Pesler said, prior to developing this plan, each city department employed independent work management systems with different capabilities, workflows, and requirements.

We were originally hired to do an AMS implementation for Greeleys Water and Sewer Department, but during negotiations, it became clear that the city had greater asset management aspirations, Pesler said. So, we worked with them to architect an asset management program that provides a structured and strategic approach to making data-driven decisions that make the most of capital and operating budgets.

The plan informed the design and configuration of Cityworks AMS for the Water and Sewer Department, which was deployed to approximately 120 users across distribution, collection, non-potable, high mountain reservoir, water treatment, and water reclamation divisions. Woolpert, drawing on its wet utility expertise and geospatial data capabilities, also developed vertical GIS schemas for department plants and created dashboards to visualize the alignment of strategies, metrics, and performance.

Greeley did it the right way. Instead of going and buying a shiny new toy, they invested in a foundational plan. The Asset Management Plan defines the purpose for all the transactional data tracking and analysis that occurs in the software, Pesler said. We will continue to support Greeley and make sure that they are able to get over the early hurdles of working with a new system, but we also aim to help them become as self-sufficient as possible.

About Woolpert

Woolpert is the premier architecture, engineering, geospatial (AEG), and strategic consulting firm, with a vision to become one of the best companies in the world. We innovate within and across markets to effectively serve public, private, and government clients worldwide. Woolpert is a Global Top 100 Geospatial Company, a Top 100 ENR Global Design firm, earned six straight Great Place to Work certifications, and actively nurtures a culture of growth, inclusion, diversity, and respect. Founded in 1911 in Dayton, Ohio, Woolpert has been Americas fastest-growing AEG firm since 2015. Woolpert has over 2,000 employees and more than 60 offices on five continents. For more, visit woolpert.com.
Turkish officials, including Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavushoglu, criticized The Economist and other media outlets for their latest editions, which feature blatantly biased anti-Erdogan cover urging Turkish citizens to vote him out, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

Slamming the London-based weekly for deciding on behalf of the Turkish people, Cavushoglu said it is interfering in the domestic affairs of the country.

"Nobody can usurp the will of the Turkish people," Cavushoglu said Thursday.

Theyre saying Erdogan should go, he must go. Theyre making decisions on behalf of the Turkish people, or are trying to give advice to them. Why should Erdogan go? the foreign minister said.

He continued by saying that there wouldve been a global food crisis if it wasnt for President Erdogans efforts to ensure the grain initiative and that it is unacceptable for foreign media outlets to interfere in the domestic affairs of a country.

Cavushoglualso criticized Germany for refusing to authorize Turkiye for setting up polling stations in more areas to meet the soaring demand of voters in the country.

The minister also noted that he has retracted his op-ed for The Economists next issue and that the Turkish people would respond to The Economist on May 14, the day of the elections.

The Economists latest edition featured a cover with the title The Most Important Election of 2023 adorned with tags Save Democracy and Erdogan Must Go.

French Le Point and L'Express magazines also featured anti-Erdogan covers, with the former referring to Erdogan as the other Putin while LExpress associated him with the risk of chaos, with subheadings including relations with Europe, the migrants and the Middle East, as well as his discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Both magazines featured photos edited to villanize the president.

Meanwhile, Presidential Communications Director Fahrettin Altun also criticized the Western media outlets for their anti-Erdogan rhetoric.

Criticizing the media outlets for completely disregarding the principle of impartiality, Altun said they are trying to manage perception through their propaganda.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag also criticized The Economists issue, saying that it is none of the magazines business to decide who would win the vote.

Who will decide on Erdogans departure? The Economist? What is it up to them? Bozdag said.

He continued by criticizing the biased publication, saying that the president has always won through democracy and embraced the will of the people during crises, such as the July 15 failed coup attempt.

He also noted that the Turkish people are also staunch defendants of democracy and did not hesitate to stand up against tanks and bullets on the night of the coup attempt to protect it.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) spokesperson Omer Celik also criticized Western media outlets for anti-Erdogan rhetoric, saying that they have all mobilized to influence the political process in Turkiye.
Accept cryptocurrency payments for free The latest Open API-based payments solution will enable businesses to easily integrate crypto payments in their websites, expanding their customer base and contributing to the growth of the digital economy, driving crypto adoption and financial inclusion.

Leading global crypto exchange PayBito has launched a new crypto solution for businesses looking to accept crypto payments via an Open API integration. By providing a free and versatile payment processing solution that accepts cryptocurrencies, the US-based exchange aims to promote financial inclusivity and disrupt the existing financial landscape. With this offering, businesses can easily and securely accept crypto payments for free on their website.

How Does the Payment Processing Take Place?

The PayBito crypto payment processor utilizes the sharing of an invoice with the customer, who then pays the invoice at a locked-in exchange rate. PayBito then converts the payment into fiat currency and initiates the bank settlement on the following business day. PayBito's services are free to use, and the company has already helped thousands of businesses improve their payment processing experience.

The Worlds No. 1 White Label Crypto Exchange Provider:

PayBito has attained global recognition as the worlds number one provider of white-label crypto exchange architecture. The platforms decision to offer groundbreaking crypto solutions for free attests to its mission of fostering collaboration, financial empowerment, and accelerating global crypto adoption. Being the pioneer of the crypto broker platform, the exchange is now pushing ahead with more innovative ideas.

PayBito provides traders with a user-friendly and efficient registration process, a cloud-based broker and exchange platform that can be accessed from any location, AI-based trading tools, multiple trading options, and improved security measures, unlike traditional trading platforms.

The blockchain-based crypto trading platform has recently introduced an instant crypto exchange solution that safeguards consumers' funds and data, with features such as anti-phishing, DDoS protection, GEO-targeting, 2FA, and DB encryption. The platform also includes advanced AI-based trading tools.

Standout Features of the PayBitos Free Crypto Payment Processor:

PayBito CEO Raj Chowdhury states, "The latest Open API-based payments solution will enable businesses to easily integrate crypto payments in their websites, expanding their customer base and contributing to the growth of the digital economy, driving crypto adoption and financial inclusion."

Along with its innovative design, the PayBito payments solution features the following advantages:



Free To Use: PayBito features zero-cost usage, enabling businesses to accept crypto payments without any fees.

Accepts All Major Cryptocurrencies: PayBito accepts all major cryptocurrencies, enabling businesses to expand their reach and cater to a broader customer base.

Zero Chargebacks And Faster Settlements: PayBito offers zero chargebacks and faster settlements, ensuring businesses receive payments without any disruptions.

Identity Theft Protection: The trading platform prioritizes security and offers identity theft protection, encrypted APIs, and two-factor authentication.

Real-Time Dashboards and Interfaces: PayBito's real-time dashboard and interface enhance businesses' payment processing experience by providing them with better control, a ticketing system, easy refund features, and customer issue management.

Direct Bank Deposits To Protect From Volatility: PayBito offers direct bank deposits to protect businesses from crypto volatility, allowing them to receive payments in their preferred currency.

Easy Customers Refunds: PayBito's easy refund process helps businesses build trust with customers and improve their reputation.

Shopping Cart Integration And Hosted Integration: PayBito's "Buy Now" and "Pay Now" buttons, shopping cart integration, and hosted integration enable businesses to accept cryptocurrency payments on their website easily.

Multi-Currency Bank Settlement in 38 countries: PayBito's bank settlements in 38 countries and support for multiple currencies simplify international payments for businesses, allowing them to focus on growth.

Innovations through Open API Integration:

PayBito's Open API integration allows businesses to seamlessly integrate cryptocurrency payment acceptance on their website without any additional charges. With the ability to accept payments in cryptocurrencies, businesses can tap into a new market of customers and offer them a more secure and faster payment option. PayBito's secure and encrypted APIs ensure that businesses can process transactions without any security concerns.

Brokering World Hunger Away:

PayBito's crypto services have an additional philanthropic aspect. Through its "Brokering World Hunger Away" campaign, brokers can contribute to feeding undernourished children worldwide by donating their commission income without investing any funds. This social welfare initiative allows both entrepreneurs and enterprises to engage in the establishment of sustainable programs.

Looking Forward:

PayBito is revolutionizing the payment industry with its latest offering, increasing the rate of crypto adoption among businesses. With free usage, support for all major cryptocurrencies, and a range of security and payment management features, PayBito is the go-to payment gateway for businesses looking to accept cryptocurrency payments, thereby growing the global crypto community.

About PayBito:

PayBito is a leading cryptocurrency asset trading platform operating globally. The platform is designed and managed by a team with rich experience in Banking security systems, Cryptocurrency trading, and Blockchain technology. It is available in the web version as well as in iOS and Android stores. PayBito services include white-label crypto exchange solutions, white-label payment gateway, exchange affiliate, and coin listing. PayBito offers some of the best rates and top-notch security in the crypto world.
Ronald Bizick has been named President and CEO of Vertical Bridge, LLC. Rons deep experience building and scaling tower companies will be indispensable as Vertical Bridge continues to grow. We are a private company with permanent capital, a veteran leadership team, and the scale and capabilities to meet the needs of telecommunication clients," Alex Gellman said.

Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC (Vertical Bridge or "the Company"), the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure in the United States, today announced the appointment of Ronald G. Bizick, II as President and Chief Executive Officer effective May 2, 2023. Mr. Bizick has served as President and Chief Operating Officer since joining the Company in March 2022. Current CEO and Co-Founder Alex Gellman will become Executive Chairman and remain active in steering the strategy and investments of the Company.

As President and CEO, Mr. Bizick will oversee the firms day-to-day operations as well as overall strategy and growth initiatives, working alongside the Vertical Bridge senior leadership team to support customers and their buildout of 5G infrastructure and emerging technologies.

I am honored to take on this responsibility, and excited to continue to build the Company in partnership with Alex and our exceptional leadership team, said Bizick. Vertical Bridge continues to lead on sustainability, give back to our communities, and provide best-in-class wireless infrastructure solutions to our customers. Its an exciting time to be with Team VB, and I look forward to this next chapter.

Rons deep experience building and scaling tower companies will be indispensable as Vertical Bridge continues to grow, said Gellman. We are a private company with permanent capital, a veteran leadership team, and the scale and capabilities to meet the needs of telecommunication clients. Rons promotion is part of an overall succession plan at Vertical Bridge. We are fortunate to have many talented people who will be leaders for years to come.

This is a natural, planned evolution of the process that began when Ron joined the Company, said Marc Ganzi, CEO of Digital Bridge Group, Inc., who will now serve as Vice Chairman of Vertical Bridge. He has the skills and experience to lead Vertical Bridge forward and will seamlessly transition to his new role as CEO.

Mr. Bizick brings 34 years of telecommunications infrastructure experience to the role of President and CEO of Vertical Bridge. He previously co-founded and served as CEO of Tarpon Towers, LLC which develops, acquires, and manages wireless communication sites throughout the United States. He also served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Global Signal, Inc., a former NYSE-listed company. The company completed a successful IPO, acquired nearly $2 billion in tower assets, raised over $2.2 billion in mortgage-backed securitizations, and tripled its portfolio from 3,500 to over 11,000 owned and managed communication sites in less than four years. Prior to Global Signal, Mr. Bizick was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of SBA Communications, a start-up that grew into a nationwide, publicly traded company during his tenure.

About Vertical Bridge

Vertical Bridge REIT, LLC is the largest private owner and operator of communications infrastructure and locations in the United States, with a portfolio of more than 500,000 sites, including over 11,000 owned and master-leased towers and the nations largest and tallest collection of broadcast tower sites. The Companys portfolio spreads across all 50 states and Puerto Rico and is comprised of towers, rooftops, billboards, utility attachments, convenience stores and other locations in support of wireless network deployments. In addition to colocation, Vertical Bridge offers build-to-suit, edge data centers and inbuilding wireless network solutions.

Based in Boca Raton, Florida, Vertical Bridge was founded in 2014 and is led by a senior management team with over 400 years of collective experience in tower infrastructure and related sectors. Vertical Bridge became the first tower company in the world to reach net-zero emissions, gaining CarbonNeutral certification in 2020. The company was recertified in 2021 and 2022. For more information, please visit https://www.verticalbridge.com/


After adjusting for possible cofounders, our results show women with a recorded exposure to domestic violence and abuse had a 52% increased risk of developing atopic diseases.

Being a woman exposed to domestic violence and abuse is positively associated with the development of atopic disease, with the association strongest for asthma development, according to research published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice), a journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI).

After adjusting for possible cofounders, our results show women with a recorded exposure to domestic violence and abuse had a 52% increased risk of developing atopic diseases, said Dr Joht Singh Chandan, PhD, corresponding author of the study.

Domestic violence and abuse is a global issue that disproportionately affects women. We set out to deepen our understanding of the health impacts of domestic violence so evidence-based public health policies can be further developed to address not only domestic violence, but secondary effects like the development of atopic diseases, Dr. Chandan said.

Researchers performed a retrospective open cohort study in the United Kingdom, looking at adult women (those aged 18 and older) with a physician recorded exposure to domestic violence and comparing them to women over 18 without a recorded exposure. Patients with pre-existing reports of atopic disease were excluded from the study.

A total of 13,852 women were identified as being exposed to domestic violence and were matched to 49,036 similar women without a reported exposure. In total, 967/13,852 women in the exposed group (incidence rate (IR) 20.10 per 1,000 py) were diagnosed with atopic disease compared to 2,607/49,036 in the unexposed group (IR 13.24 per 1,000 py).

There were limitations to the study. Women in the exposed group were more likely to be a current smoker than women in the unexposed group. Ethnicity data was often lacking in the database and median follow-up for both groups of women was relatively short given the relapsing nature of atopic disease. Researchers hope to address these limitations in future studies.

You can learn more about atopic diseases here. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website or contact their hotline at 1-800-799-7233 for assistance.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) is the leading membership organization of more than 7,100 allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. The AAAAI is the go-to resource for patients living with allergies, asthma and immune deficiency disorders. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,100 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. AAAAIs Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.
PTI Fact Check: Photo of abandoned Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane shared on social media in name of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 wreckage

New Delhi, May 3 (Abhinav Gupta / Pratyush Ranjan PTI Fact Check): A Twitter user shared a photo of underwater airplane wreckage and claimed that Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 had gone missing in March 2014. The user also claimed that the wreckage was found without a human skeleton despite carrying 239 people on board. In its investigation, the PTI Fact Check Desk found that the photo was of an abandoned Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane, which was intentionally sunk into Jordans Gulf of Aqaba in 2019 to attract divers and create an artificial reef for marine life. The photo was shared on social media with a false claim.

Claim

A Twitter user shared on May 2 a photo of airplane wreckage underwater and claimed that it was the Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which had gone missing in March 2014. The user also claimed that the wreckage was found without a human skeleton despite carrying 239 people on board.

Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared nine years ago has been found under the ocean with no human skeleton. The plane had 239 passengers on board, read the Twitter post, which has garnered over 58,000 views and 350 likes.

Here is the link and archive link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same:

Investigation

Starting the investigation, the Desk conducted a Google Reverse Image Search on the photo shared in the viral social media post. The search results revealed a Twitter post with the same image and claim.

Here is the link and archive link to the tweet with more than 570K views and 2400 likes. Below is a screenshot of the post:

The search results also led to a CNN report published on July 22, 2022, which carried a similar photo of underwater aeroplane wreckage. The report headline read: Eerie abandoned passenger plane sits on the floor of Red Sea.

Here is the link to the article, and below is a screenshot of the same:

The venerable old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar airplane, with its three engines, mounted on wings and tail fin, would be a sight to behold in the air or on the ground, let alone deep beneath the surface of the Red Sea, among the fish and coral, the report read.

The abandoned jet, sunk in 2019 to create an artificial reef to encourage marine life, has been photographed by American underwater photographer Brett Hoelzer in a series of images that capture the eerie spectacle created by this aquatic airliner, it added.

The report also mentioned a hyperlink to Hoelzers Instagram page, where we found a video he posted whose visuals were strikingly similar to the photo shared in social media posts.

We had an epic dive at the Tristar wreck this week. I shot this footage and took many photos. The guests diving with @deepbluedivecenter had an awesome time at this site, read the May 2 post.

Here is the link to the post, and below is a screenshot of the same:

Below is a combination image comparing the viral photo with the visuals of the video posted by the underwater photographer:

We found another post on Hoelzers Instagram page, which showed the same wrecked airplane as in the abovementioned post.

Here is the link to the Instagram post, and below is a screenshot of the same:

We again compared the viral photo with the photo shared by the underwater photographer and noticed the same damage in the nose of the aircraft.

The Desk then conducted a customised Google search with the keyword Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane. The search results led to a YouTube video posted by one Marinko Sanjkovic on August 31, 2022.

Here is the link to the video titled Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Wreck, and below is a screenshot of the same:

The search results also led to the official website of Aqaba Tourism, where we found a page on the wrecked airplane titled Dive a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Wreck.

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) scuttled A Lockheed L-1011 TriStar in the waters of the Red Sea next to King Abdullah Reef dive site and adjacent to Aqaba Container Terminal, it read.

Here is the link to the page, and below is a screenshot of the same:

In the next part of the investigation, the Desk conducted a Google search with the keyword Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370. The search results led to a video report by Al Jazeera, published on Mar 14, 2023.

The report stated that the wreckage of the missing airplane is still missing.

The search results also led to the Malaysian governments official website, which released its findings on the missing airplane on April 30, 2017. It stated that particular marine debris found in the western Indian Ocean had been established as parts of the missing aircraft. However, the airplane wreckage is yet to be found.

Here is the link to the page, and below is a screenshot of the same:

Subsequently, the Desk concluded that a Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane photo was falsely labelled as the wreckage of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370.

Claim

The wreckage of the Malaysia airplane MH370 that disappeared in 2014 was found under the ocean with no human skeleton despite carrying 239 passengers on board.

Fact

The photo shows the abandoned Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane, which was intentionally sunk into Jordans Gulf of Aqaba in 2019 to attract divers and create an artificial reef for marine life.

Conclusion

Social media users shared a photo of underwater airplane wreckage, claiming it was of the Malaysian airplane MH370 that went missing in 2014 while carrying 239 people. The Desk found in its investigation that the photo was of an abandoned Lockheed Martin L1011 TriStar airplane, which was intentionally sunk into Jordans Gulf of Aqaba in 2019 to attract divers and create an artificial reef for marine life. The photo was shared on social media with a false claim.

You can contact PTI Fact Check on WhatsApp Number +91-8130503759 and share any claim or social media post you think is essential to fact-check and want us to verify.
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 5. The cost of natural gas, which will be supplied to the population free of charge for 1 month, is estimated at 40 billion Turkish liras ($2 billion), Turkish "Resmi Gazete" newspaper said, Trend reports with reference to TurkicWorld.

According to the source, about 19.7 million people in Turkiye will be able to use it.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in August 2020 announced that hydrocarbon reserves of about 320 bcm of natural gas were discovered in the Turkish sector of the Black Sea. According to him, this discovery will help to rid Turkiye of external energy dependence.

Erdogan underlined that energy resources are important for the country's national security, and in the near future, this gas will be at the disposal of the Turkish people.

At the Black Sea Natural Gas Commissioning Ceremony, Erdogan also noted that natural gas would be supplied to the population for free for one month.
Between ChatGPT and cryptocurrency, TikTok millionaires and real estate in the metaverse, much about the emerging internet economy seems daunting and new. But two very old forces are driving innovation and competition in the digital landscape: money and power. Forthcoming books look at the lives of content creators, the battle for supremacy between digital platforms, and the cutting-edge technologies that promise to reshape work and money itselfasking who will win in this new business environment, who will lose, and how our lives might change as a result.

Under the influence

Social media is a central pillar of the internet economy: without images and videos to mindlessly scroll through, a huge swath of the tech industrys revenue would dry up. That state of affairs has put power and money into the hands of content creators, a new class of entrepreneurs who serve as the focus of two forthcoming books.

Online influence is the most powerful modern currency, says Taylor Lorenz, a Washington Post technology reporter whose first book, Extremely Online, will be published by Simon & Schuster in October. The book traces the evolution of user-driven web content, from mommy blogs to viral TikTok videos, and examines how creators have shaped digital culture and forged new pathways to success. A career as an influencer, Lorenz adds, provides access to endless power, fame, and moneyyou can use it to launch anything. Whoever wields power on the internet wields political power.

Nevertheless, influencers and content creators are often belittled by the culture at large, says Portfolio editor Merry Sun. In June Portfolio will publish Glamour senior editor Stephanie McNeals Swipe up for More!, which PW called an entertaining inquiry into the not-so-secret lives of social media celebrities.

So much of the commentary is about how theyre terrible and evil, theyre not doing real work, Sun says. But theyve shifted the way we interact online. How we buy thingshow trust worksin the digital marketplace.

Lorenz points out that the media often focuses on the founders of social media platforms, when in reality those founders dont quite know how their platforms will be used. Its the power users, influencers, and content creators, she says, who end up defining both the nature and the long-term fate of a platform.

Platform wars

The question of who owns and controls digital platformsand how contests for power over them affect our daily livesis taken up in further titles that look at the heavy hitters of the internet economy, and at innovations that promise to reshape it.

Despite the outsize influence of content creators, some platforms are still beholden to the larger-than-life personalities at their helms. Breaking Twitter by Ben Mezrich (The Accidental Billionaires) tracks the takeover of Twitter by Elon Musk, who in his short time as CEO has implemented the tech shibboleth move fast and break things with a particular focus on the second part.

Grand Central will release Mezrichs book in November, and executive editor Karyn Marcus says its part of a larger conversation about the tension between the decentralized potential of the internet and the struggle by executives and corporations to maintain control. Were in an interesting moment where the internet is becoming more and more pushed forward by corporations, she explains. What could be a more democratic force than the internetbut can it survive powerful corporate interests?

A similar question is taken up by business journalist Jason del Reys Winner Sells All (HarperBusiness, June), which PW calls an impressive account of the retail wars between Walmart, a traditional retailer that had to become an e-tailer, and Amazon, an e-commerce pioneer that has built out a bricks-and-mortar footprint.

Del Reys book explores the potential perils of an economy in which Amazon and Walmart are the two go-to suppliers of everything American consumers might buy, he says. No one, he adds, wants to wake up in a world where you have only two options. But in some communities, this is already a reality.

At the same time, the postpandemic era has given a boost to some unexpected contenders. In The Phoenix Economy (Harper Business, May), Felix Salmon, Axios chief financial correspondent and host of the Slate Money podcast, examines the new not normal of post-Covid times and looks at platforms that rocketed in popularity during lockdown, including Zoom and Slack, by capitalizing on the sudden ubiquity of remote work.

The question of how work and consumer habits will change in the coming yearsand which companies will win and which will lose outis hard to answer, Salmon notes. Shit is really fucking weird right now, he says, and will continue to be really fucking weird for a long time.

Adding to the weirdness is the emergence of whats often referred to as Web3, a nascent model of the World Wide Web in which blockchain technologies and digital currencies pave the way for a more distributed, decentralized internet that promises to transfer power from platforms to creators. In September Harper Business will publish Web3 by Alex Tapscott (coauthor of 2016s Blockchain Revolution), which offers a deep dive into this new system and how it might afford users more control.

This shift is a challenge to the status quo, says Hollis Heimbouch, publisher of Harper Business. It gives everyone the opportunity to play a role in creation.

Show me the tokens

Inevitably, contests between platforms and the emergence of new technologies will have profound effects on our financial liveshow we earn money, how we spend it, and even what we consider money in the first place.

Web3 promises not only to democratize the internet but to give more ownershipand potentially economic powerto creators. In The Metaverse Economy (Kogan Page, Aug.), fintech experts Arun Krishnakumar and Theodora Lau explore decentralized finance, token-based economies, and the economic principles driving business in Web3. In the new economic model thats emerging, Krishnakumar says, if you create value for the ecosystem, you should accrue value from the ecosystem. Before, when people took your data, you got nothing in return. That wont be the case anymore.

Given Web3s association with digital currencies, however, what creators get in return might not look like money as we know it today. Tokens (Verso, Oct.) by Rachel ODwyer, a lecturer at National College of Art and Design (Dublin), looks at digital currencies such as Bitcoin and Dogecoin and explores the ramifications of an economic system in which technology platforms operate as banks.

She cites as an example the Amazon-owned live-streaming service Twitch, on which users can buy bits to tip streamers. $1.40 worth of bits is cashed out by the streamer at $1, with Amazon keeping the rest. Such tokens are money-ish things, ODwyer says, both more or less than money. And platforms can use them to maximize their profits and to keep users in their thrall.

Echoing a concern raised by many people interviewed for this article, Metaverse Economy coauthor Lau cautions that human beings, not technology, will need to ensure equitable access to this new, rapidly evolving internet. Web3 allows more people to participate in the new economy, but who is at the table? she asks. Who has a voice to lead it where it needs to go?

Liz Scheier is a writer, editor, and product strategist living in Washington, D.C. She is the author of the memoir Never Simple.

Read more from our Business & Personal Finance Books feature:

When Healthcare Reform Isnt Enough: PW Talks with Amy Finkelstein

In "Weve Got You Covered" (Portfolio, July) MIT economist Amy Finkelstein, with collaborator Stanford economist Liran Einav, poses how to reboot the U.S. healthcare system.

A Toxic Workplace Made in America: PW Talks with Kate Flannery

In "Strip Tees" (Holt, July), Flannery writes about her years as a spokesmodel for American Apparel, and the companys charismatic, problematic founder.

Penny for Your Feelings: Business & Personal Finance Books 2023

Making good money decisions takes more than sober calculation and information-gathering, say the authors of these forthcoming personal finance titles.
Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the U.N. failed to come to an agreement to allow new vessels to transport grain exports as part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, the U.N.'s spokesman Farhan Haq said Friday, Trend reports citing Daily Sabah.

He noted that the aforementioned parties continued to inspect previously authorized ships.

The global body also urged all parties to continue their discussions on the continuation of the Black Sea grain deal in the meeting in Istanbul.

"We urge all parties to continue their discussions, overcome operational challenges and work towards the full implementation and continuation of the initiative," Haq said.

Technical personnel from Turkiye, Russia, Ukraine and the U.N. met in Istanbul on Friday to discuss the Black Sea grain deal.

"Today, what we have is a technical meeting that the Government of Turkiye's convened. So but we'll see down the line, but our expectation is next week there will be a senior-level meeting taking place," Haq said.

The U.N. spokesperson said the Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul has not reached an agreement on Friday to authorize new vessels to participate in the Black Sea initiative.

"The JCC continues its daily inspection work on the previously authorized vessels," he continued.

Speaking as a guest speaker at the daily press briefing, Maximo Torero, Chief Economist of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the Black Sea grain deal has played a significant role since it was signed because it "increased the availability of cereals to the world" and allowed "prices to fall."

The pace of shipments from Ukraine under the U.N.-backed initiative has slowed as concerns grow over ships getting stuck if a deal is not renewed later this month.

Russia, which is one of the key parties involved, said it will keep talking although Moscow has threatened to quit on May 18, which has created more uncertainty for traders and shipping companies trying to plan ahead.

Under the accord, Ukraine has been able to export some 29.5 million tons of agricultural products, including 14.9 million tons of corn and 8.1 million tons of wheat.

However, the number of ships coming in to pick up cargoes has dropped this week to two vessels a day from three to four ships on average daily in the past three weeks, data from the agreement's joint coordination center suggested.

The deputy defense ministers of Russia, Ukraine and Turkiye are expected to hold another meeting next week, as Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said that Ankara continues its efforts for further extension of the deal that will expire on May 18.

Last month, Russia said that the current situation "does not favor " an extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as a deadline loomed.

Turkiye, the U.N., Russia, and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul last July to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February 2022, exacerbating global food insecurity.

A coordination center or Joint Coordination Centre (JCC) was set up in Istanbul to oversee shipments with officials from the three countries and the U.N.
Dave Eggers is known as an accomplished memoirist and novelistbut fewer people realize he is also the author of several books for children, including picture books with illustrator Shawn Harris, Her Right Foot and What Can a Citizen Do?, and the forthcoming Moving the Millers Minnie Moore Mine Mansion: A True Story, illustrated by Julia Sarda. But Eggers prefers not to think of them as childrens books at all, rejecting market categorization of his books wherever possible. In his latest novel, The Eyes and the Impossible, also illustrated by Harris, a young dog named Johannes considers what it means for him and other animals to be free. Eggers spoke with PW about writing for young people and adults alike, his favorite childrens book authors, and why he felt driven to tell a story entirely from the perspective of animals.

How did you approach writing this book differently than you might a book for adults?

I actually didnt approach this project any differently than writing for adults. As I was writing, I thought, Im just going to write this exactly as I think it should be written, and not really worry about the audience. I was so ready to write freely, without having to check facts, or write about technologyjust writing from a much more untethered place. I guess the freedom expressed in the book, or that [the protagonist] Johannes feels, is very much the freedom I was feeling as a writer. But you know, Johannes is a young dog and there are certain things that come through his perspective that resonate with a younger reader.

For the McSweeneys edition [which has a special wood-bound cover], were sending the message that the book is for all ages. I know that for the Knopf Books for Young Readers version, its childrens middle grade. And I totally understand those kinds of designations from a publishers perspective and a librarians perspective. I just personally love the all-ages designation. I tend to resist genre and age group designations. I really resist critical designations of this or that literary movement.

Im hoping that anybody would feel welcome to this book. All of these designations hamper what should be the pleasure of just picking up any book that looks intriguing to you.

Are there any particular writers who are categorized as childrens book authors who you particularly enjoy?

There are so many authors, whether its Jason Reynolds or Katherine Applegate, or Kate DiCamillo, who I got to read with my kids, and enjoyed just as much as they did.

Especially when I discovered Kate DiCamillos books when my kids were little. I thought, these are classics, and the writing is so pure and perfect. She became one of my favorite writers. And yet, there are probably some adults who say, Oh, those types of books arent for me, even though they would benefit greatly from the pure reading pleasure of those books.

The authors note in the beginning of the book cautions readers against anthropomorphizing the animals. Why was that important to you to emphasize?

I wanted to free the reader from misinterpretation and to help them be able to take the story at face value. The park in the book is not Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, but I was inspired by it. And the bison who are kept thereI never took those bison as anyone but unfortunate creatures stuck in the pen in the park. They dont symbolize anything else to me. As humans, we do tend to think its all about us, and I wanted to caution the reader against that.

We got cats during Covid. I had written most of the book at that point, but I was revising and polishing it, and I was just thinking about how we have these two cats, and theyre related, but theyre different in every conceivable way. Every single tendency is different from one to the other, and everything about them is so specific and complicated. But we dont assume that level of complexity about animals, that they could have their own sense of soulfulness and spirituality.

And this is so key to Johannes; he becomes hypnotized again and again by his first exposure to art, and it gets him in a lot of trouble. And so allowing that dog to have that kind of exaltation in freedom and beauty was crucial to the voice, and to the book in general. I mean, if nothing else, thats really what the book is about.

Had you been thinking more about themes of animal liberation when you began writing it?

I remember in my 20s, so this was like 1994, I went on my first horseback riding trip in Idaho, at a dude ranch. We were just going slowly up the hill on a hot day, and moving the exact speed that we could have walked ourselves. But instead, were sitting on a horse who is sweating profusely and biting my leg every couple of minutes. The horse was so pissed off about the whole project, and Im looking at him in the eyes and thinking, I dont need to ride you. Were not moving any faster. Im just three feet higher than I would be if I were walking on my own.

And the whole project was so absurd, for everybody. That was my first time thinking about how this animal really has a mind of his own. And so, I have pretty strong opinions about animal freedom. But Im full of contradictions, too. Im not a vegan. I wish I were.

I think in the case of the bison at Golden Gate Park who inspired the bison characters in this book, having seen them now for 30 years, I never had a sense that they were living their best life right there. And Johannes is always sort of contrasting his life with the animals he sees who are kept.

I think that I am kind of a purist when it comes to freedom. It really has to be unmitigated. I would never preach to anybody about how to keep a pet or anything. All I know is that there is something really special when your cats come back to you every night because they want to sleep inside and they like your companionship and foodbut during the day theyre gone, and they have totally independent lives. It just feels like thats probably the best arrangement; the one that feels most in balance, and most fair.

This is not a political book, but I do think I tried to channel what it might feel likethe contrast between an animal in captivity and an animal who owes nothing to anybody, and is utterly free.

The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers, illus. by Shawn Harris. Knopf, $18.99 ISBN 978-1-524764-20-3; McSweeneys, $28 ISBN 978-1-952119-45-3 May 9 ISBN 978-1-5247-6420-3
Jack Zipes technically retired from his position as professor of German and comparative literature at the University of Minnesota in 2008, but he hasnt paused his prolific contributions to storytelling and radical childrens literature. Princeton University Press published Zipess Buried Treasures: The Power of Political Fairy Tales last month; PWs review called it a potent testament to the power of stories. In addition, Zipes recently wrote prefaces for and edited a series of three Routledge fairy tale collections, originally arranged by British author Romer Wilson in the context of political upheaval in the early 20th century: Green Magic (1928), Silver Magic (1929), and Red Magic (1930).

On April 25, Zipes spoke about his career at Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis, where many in the audience knew him from his work with children in the Twin Cities literacy organization he co-founded, Neighborhood Bridges. He introduced Buried Treasures to attendees and later spoke with PW about his ongoing research. The roots of Buried Treasures can be found in the book series Oddly Modern Fairy Tales, which he established with Princeton University Press. Notable childrens authors and critics including Philip Pullman, Michael Rosen, and Maria Tatar contributed to editions in the series, and Zipes served as translator on many of the volumes too.

I wrote the introductions to many of the Oddly Modern books, Zipes said, and when I retired and had more time on my hands, I thought I should revise them. Hed also founded an imprint, Little Mole and Honey Bear, and although hed ceased publication (you just cant do a one-person publishing house), he still wanted readers to learn about rediscoveries like German illustrator Christian Barmann and French war veteran Paul Vaillant-Couturier (Johnny Breadless: A Pacifist Fairy Tale, 1921). Princeton publisher Anne Savarese gave him the go-ahead to create an essay collection, and the result was Buried Treasures, a literary education in radical fairy tales.

The collections most familiar entry might be the piece on Felix Salten. Zipess 2022 translation project, The Original Bambi: The Story of a Life in the Forest, takes a fresh look at Saltens famous 1923 novel about a European roe deer, which was published in English in 1928 and adapted by Disney in 1942. Zipess translation reveals the novels commentary on antisemitism, political persecution, and the rise of fascism that Salten, a Jewish man living in Austria, experienced in the early 20th century.

The things I do have a serendipity, Zipes said. I am so curious, and Ive spent quite a bit of my days in bookstores in Paris or London or Rome or New York. I sniff out significant, so-called antique books and breathe new life into themand they breathe new life into me, so its sort of dialectical. He described learning about Austrian Jewish illustrator and painter Mariette Lydis, whom he writes about in a chapter on daydreaming and creativity (she escaped the Nazis, and her work in the 1930s and 40s was absolutely brilliant; nobodys done anything in the United States or England to give her the credit she deserves). He also has unearthed lesser-known stories by Dadaist collagist Kurt Schwitters and Viennese author Hermynia Zur Muhlen.

Zipes remains especially committed to revolutionary Jewish storytellers of a century and more ago. For 10 years, on and off, Ive been collecting unusual tales by Jewish authors and illustrators starting in 1870, when Jews were allowed to be considered citizens and began publishing their own stories from Yiddish, from Hebrew, and so on, he said. Some of the stories are known, but a lot of them arent, and the way Ive pieced them together they are making a statement about war and fascism and political resistance.

I did think for a while that I was going to retire for good, he said, but retirement has given me time to translate and write some stories. At 85, hes still unearthing stories that need to be retold.
Chicago-based writer Stephen Patrick Bell thought he was close to completing his forthcoming novel, The Placeholders, when feedback from his peers at the Lambda Literary Writers Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices helped him find a new point of view.

Our fiction workshop instructor Zeyn Joukhadar was a structure wizard," said Bell, who attended the retreat virtually last year. "He gave the group so many useful prompts, and I cannot overstate the value of the one-on-one time the Fellows get to spend with instructors. Conversations centered on universal truths, trauma, and joy helped me see a new route to the conclusion of my protagonists story," said Bell, and an excerpt of his novel was published in Emerge: 2022 Lambda Fellows Anthology.

Bell, who described himself as having been a "bookish child," has joined the ranks of many LGBTQ authors and writers, including Anthony Veasna So, Kristen Arnett, Meredith Talusan, Edgar Gomez, Craig Willse and Soniya Munshi, who describe Lambda's Writers Retreat as having a profound effect on developing their identities and voices in queer literature.

My first job in high school was at my public library, so Ive always had a vague awareness of Lambda Literary and the sorts of work they champion, said Bell.

Now with a new executive director in Samiya Bashir, and a renewed goal to reconnect in-person with LGBTQ writers and readers after a pandemic pushed everything online, previous Lambda Literary Writers Retreat fellows said the experience is even more purposeful as queer writers face LGBTQ book bans and anti-LGBTQ legislation. The first in-person retreat since the pandemic is set for July 30-August 5 at Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia.

"Lambda has been important to many for a lot of years," said Bashir. For her it's been 30 years, "since I first discovered the Lambda Book Report, when I was a young little baby dyke writer in the world at the Different Light bookstore, and the Lambda Book Report was the only place where you could find reviews of queer and trans books."

With retreat program manager Chloe Feffer at the helm, Bashir said the organization plans to bring its retreat back bigger and better as a hybrid in-person and virtual experience.

We created a whole new multi-genre cohort that is specifically virtual, so that people who are unable to physically be present still have access to the writers retreat, said Bashir. We are going to bring that virtual cohort into our in-real-life space as much as we can. We are setting up big screens, and we are going to have a lot of interactivity.

Another part of the retreat process Bashir emphasized is the availability of scholarships. "It is particularly important, in this difficult and dangerous time, for us to be able to support our Fellows, many of whom require scholarship support in order to attend the retreat," said Bashir.

Feffer added that the organization has been able to provide partial and full scholarships through its own fundraising efforts. Tuition for the retreat is listed at $1,875, and money raised for 2023 scholarships has reached above $5,000. "We also encourage Fellows to raise money via peer-to-peer fundraising," she said. "We believe lack of funds should never be a reason to miss out on this opportunity."

For Bell the retreat gave him a much-needed audience with his peers. Personally, Id say my biggest takeaway is about my work: that these things I make in private, words I put down mostly to entertain myself, speak to a community of peers I didnt know I was in dialogue with, he said. More broadly, Id say queer literature is A Thing, it is a force and a community, and it is in flux.

He added, For me, a person who wrote in quiet isolation for years, it gave me an instant writing community I am grateful to be a part of.

Describing herself as an older student but at a young stage of fiction writing, 2022 fellow Soniya Munshi said, "One of the things that I appreciated about the retreat was that there was such a range of experiences among the participants."

Working on a forthcoming memoir, Munshi explained that the retreat gave her the perspective that her work was part of the larger queer literature genre. "The things that I think about memoir is that it is an individual story, but it's also part of a collective story," she said. "The retreat really helped me understand that in a different way. I was so invested in my other fellows' writing. It helped me to think about my voice and sharpening what is my perspective and my own unique experiences, but also understanding that it's going to be a part of something larger."

For Willse, the retreat was his first formal workshop, pursuing fiction after having done mostly academic writing for the last 15 years.

Being in community with so many talented, committed writers helped me feel like my new writing life was really real, said Willse. I learned a lot in terms of craft and writing practice, but just as importantly, through Lambda I entered a world that encouraged me to take myself seriously as a writer.

Attending the retreat virtually in 2021, Willse said Lambda as an organization remains more relevant now than ever.

I think Lambda absolutely remains relevant, and as an organization has shown its willingness and even eagerness to grow and change and challenge itself, said Willse. There is so much amazing work coming out right now, across a wide range of genres. Also, we are in a strange, turbulent moment around queer/trans politics in the United States, and I think it is forcing many of us to reckon with the ways that increased visibility is not the same thing as material safety/security."

Bell added, "Whats funny about all of these thoughts is how the Lambda Literary Retreat for Emerging LGBTQ Voices, in centering queerness, makes queerness totally irrelevant. I was in community with talented writers who were so different from me in so many ways but at no point was my personhood up for debate, my experiences werent questioned. My art was all I brought to the table and that is what we discussed. We did the work."
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For Release Friday

May 5, 2023

Providing defendants with legal counsel during their initial bail hearing decreases use of monetary bail and pretrial detention, without increasing the likelihood that defendants fail to appear at the subsequent preliminary hearing, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Researchers found that having legal counsel at bail hearings increased the probability of being released without monetary bail by 21 percent and reduced the probability that an individual was in jail three days after their bail hearing by 10 percent.

The analysis, based on a field experiment in Pittsburgh where public defenders were assigned to a limited number of initial bail hearings, is one of the few high-quality studies of what happens when legal services are provided to defendants at an initial bail hearing. The findings are published in the journal Science Advances.

These results clearly show that public defenders have a substantial impact on defendants receiving a favorable outcome at the initial bail hearing, said Shamena Anwar, one of the study's authors and a senior economist at RAND, a nonprofit research organization.

In the United States, during the first court appearance after an arrest, a judge makes a decision about the conditions necessary for a defendant to be released from jail until the case is resolved. Most jurisdictions operate a cash bail system in which a judge determines an amount a person must pay to be released from detention.

Recent studies have provided substantial evidence that pretrial detention leads to worse outcomes for both the defendant and society at large, with longer jail stays and higher chances of conviction in the short term, and worse recidivism and employment outcomes over the long term.

Prior to this study, an open question was whether providing a lawyer at the bail hearing will have an impact on defendant outcomes. While defendants have a right to an attorney at all critical stages of a criminal prosecution, bail hearings are not considered a critical stage in many jurisdictions, in part because they are short, non-evidentiary hearings (often lasting less than five minutes) that are often conducted in an assembly line fashion without much input from the defendant or prosecution.

The RAND study analyzes the results from a unique year-long initiative in the Pittsburgh Municipal Court where public defenders were available to represent newly arrested people at some initial bail hearings. The jurisdiction only had sufficient resources to provide public defenders for half of the shifts that did not already have public defenders.

The RAND team created a public defender work schedule such that the shifts in which a public defender was working had defendants and judges who were on average nearly identical to those in which a public defender was not working. This meant the study was akin to a randomized control trial, allowing researchers to rigorously measure the impact of providing a public defender at a defendant's initial bail hearing.

The study was in the field from April 2019 to March 2020.

Researchers found that while those who did not have legal representation received some type of non-monetary release 49 percent of the time, those with public defenders received a non-monetary release 59 percent of the timea large increase.

This reduction in the use of monetary bail in turn led to a decline in the percentage of individuals who were in jail immediately after their bail hearing. In particular, while 45.4 percent of those without a public defender were in jail following their bail hearing, this percentage was 40.8 percent among those with a public defender.

However, the intervention did result in a short-term increase in rearrests on theft charges among those who had public defenders. Based upon prior survey work that asked people how they perceive the costs of incarceration and theft, RAND researchers suggest that a theft incident would have to be at least 8.5 times as costly as a day in detention for most jurisdictions to find this tradeoff undesirable.

This study is particularly relevant given that roughly half of the counties in the United States do not currently provide defense representation at the bail hearing, Anwar said. These results should be helpful for jurisdictions that are considering providing defense representation at bail hearings, although more research in this area is needed to understand the extent to which the results we find here are generalizable to other jurisdictions with different bail hearing procedures.

Support for the study was provided by Arnold Ventures. Other authors of the study are Shawn Bushway and John Engberg.

The RAND Social and Economic Well-Being division seeks to actively improve the health, social, and economic well-being of populations and communities throughout the world.
Once again, classified materials linked to U.S. intelligence and defense agencies have reached the public domain via the internet. But do these documents really undermine Washington and its allies by revealing information not already known to geopolitical rivals? Is there much in the leaked items that is actually, or deserved to be, top secret? Or have the revelations, embarrassing as they might be to America and its partners, been shaped and reshaped to influence rivals and the global public by demonstrating the limitations of opposing powers?

What Came Through the Discord App

The so-called top secret documents have been exposed since February 2022. They were spread by a nondescript National Guardsman, Jack Teixeira, on Discord servers and chat groups to a Minecraft chat server, to the 4chan bulletin board and Russian Telegram channels, and eventually to Twitter users. Apparently, only in April did the Pentagon catch on to the online revelations.

The information leaked included intelligence analysis products about issues both related and unrelated to the war in Ukraine. Directly relevant data detailed estimates about Israel supplying equipment to Ukraine, the UAE and Egypt possibly supplying rockets to Russia, discussions by South Korean officials about supplying munitions to Ukraine, NATO plans to equip and train Ukrainian troops, personnel losses on both sides, and Russian plans to reward the destruction of NATO tanks. Other information covers topics such as a cyberattack on Canadian oil infrastructure, the Mossads attitude about judiciary protests in Israel, Chinas hypersonic advances and its Indo-Pacific maneuvers, emerging powers seeking to stay removed from superpower rivalries, and shifting geopolitical alliances.

A Damaging Leak?

The greatest concern about this leak would be that Russia or other adversaries could figure out who collected information or how information was collected  sources and methods, in other words. Knowing sources means an adversary can remove them. Knowing methods means an opportunity to end access, or to work around it and nullify its usefulness. Should either or both these occur, U.S. ability to support Ukrainian battlefield maneuvers with effective intelligence, and to peer into the inner workings of rival nations, could fall short.

However, the leaked documents contain no great new revelations. The data sets were largely known and available through open sources. Likewise, many of the leaked analytical conclusions had already circulated beyond government circles without the need for top-secret, covertly collected data.

U.S. President Joe Biden nodded to the consequences lack of severity by telling the press, Im concerned that it happened, but theres nothing contemporaneous that Im aware of that is of great consequence right now. Unauthorized disclosure, rather than revealed knowledge of data, sources, and methods, is the focus of the U.S. governments response. The Discord leak is a violation of law and duty by the leaker and therefore an area of concern for information security, but it is not a national security calamity.

An Embarrassing Disclosure?

The Pentagon Papers by Daniel Ellsberg in 1971, the Wikileaks trove by Chelsea Manning in 2010, the NSA tranche by Edward Snowden in 2013, and the Intercept report by Reality Winner in 2017, top the list of previous failures to contain top secret materials. The Discord documents leak is yet another awkward moment for the U.S. military and intelligence communities because it highlights poor information security practices. This disclosure suggests that data management has not improved significantly since previous incidents that have been damaging to national security and to foreign relations.

Content about Canada, Israel, Pakistan, India, and South Korea may be discomforting, but is not particularly consequential. The United States can conduct an apology tour of our allies and friends by our Secretaries of Defense and State. Directors of our major intelligence agencies likely will be performing their own apology tours to the other members of the Five Eyes (Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand) in addition to other friendly countries named in the documents. They will carry assurances that measures have been taken to reduce the chances of such a leak happening again.

An Influence Operation?

Upon parsing the data carefully, it becomes apparent that the primary knowledge gleaned from this leak is obvious  that countries spy on each other, even among allies and partners. Moreover, as already noted, much of the so-called classified information was already available in the public domain. As such, the possibility this leaked data was reworked to unsettle global competitors, especially Russia and China, cannot be disregarded. The data show how thoroughly those governments and their military and intelligence sectors have been infiltrated by the US. Leaders and subordinates within those authoritarian regimes will now be looking at each other with greater distrust.

The Discord documents indicate that, however challenging the situation may be for Ukraine, not only is Russia losing more personnel and materiel, but its forces are also completely infiltrated by human intelligence agents, signals intelligence, and geospatial intelligence. The many ways Beijing aids Moscow in its pursuit of an unjust war, while bullying its way around East Asia and the Pacific, have also been laid bare. If some of the data leaked through the Discord server reflect an influence operation, or were reshaped to serve such purpose, the intent is to show Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Federal Security Service, as well as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Peoples Liberation Army, that they have no secrets Washington cannot purloin. Certainly, Kremlin leaders worry this is a deliberate information dump  in essence waging a hybrid war against us.

Outcomes

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a review of intelligence access, accountability, and control procedures. As has happened after previous revelations, more cyber defenses will be deployed, and the number of people who can receive classified intelligence will be tightened even further under more stringent protocols.

There is another related, important, question arising from the Discord leaks that needs to be addressed by U.S. intelligence agencies. Why does so much publicly available information, and inference easily reached from open-source materials, need to be classified as secret  let alone top-secret? Focusing on classifying only the much smaller, truly important, covertly obtained data sets, and analyses derived from those information caches, will make U.S. secrets easier to secure from spies, leakers, hackers, and other bad actors.

Yet government employees and contract personnel involved in the handling of top secret information would still number in the thousands. Thus, even with a zero trust approach, future leaks may be unavoidable. Whether those disclosures, like the current one, damage American capabilities, merely generate foreign policy discomfort, or can be exploited to place rivals at a disadvantage, will depend not only on the information revealed, but on how efficiently, and even covertly, responses occur.

Carol E. B. Choksy is Senior Lecturer of Strategic Intelligence in the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing and Engineering at Indiana University. Jamsheed K. Choksy is Distinguished Professor and Director of the Inner Asian and Uralic National Resource Center in the Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies at Indiana University. The views expressed are the authors' own.
Drew Barrymore will no longer host the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

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The 48-year-old actress and talk show host has dropped out of hosting this year's event in support of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, according to Variety.

Barrymore has agreed to host the 2024 awards show.

Deadline and The Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news.

"I have listened to the writers, and in order to truly respect them, I will pivot from hosting the MTV Movie & TV Awards live in solidarity with the strike," Barrymore said in a statement. "Everything we celebrate and honor about movies and television is born out of their creation. And until a solution is reached, I am choosing to wait but I'll be watching from home and hope you will join me."

"I thank MTV, who has truly been some of the best partners I have ever worked with. And I can't wait to be a part of this next year, when I can truly celebrate everything that MTV has created, which is a show that allows fans to choose who the awards go to and is truly inclusive," she added.

The MTV Movie & TV Awards will still air Sunday but without a host. In addition, MTV has called off the red carpet for the show.

Writers Guild of America voted to authorize a strike this week that went into effect Tuesday. Late-night talk shows such as The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon have shut down and will air reruns, along with Saturday Night Live.

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Scripted television series and production on other TV shows and films will likely be affected.
Emilio Estevez said he still hopes to reprise the role of Billy the Kid in a third Young Guns movie, but perhaps a fourth and fifth too. Estevez is now 60 and said there is enough historical evidence to inspire more than just Guns 3, the title listed on IMDb.

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"This guy is a really fascinating character in history and I think that there's an opportunity to not only make Part 3 but Part 4 and Part 5," Estevez told UPI in a phone interview promoting the re-release of The Way.

Estevez said new forensic evidence suggests William Bonney was not shot and killed by Pat Garrett in Fort Sumner in 1881. Young Guns 2 addressed the question with an elderly man (Estevez) claiming to be Bily the Kid.

If Bonney lived, Estevez said, he may have had adventures in several historical events. Estevez compared the newly uncovered stories of Billy the Kid to Woody Allen's Zelig character who blended into historical events.

"He fought at the battle of San Juan Hill alongside Teddy Roosevelt and with the Rough Riders," Estevez said. "He was with Pancho Villa in Mexico fighting in the Battle of Ciudad Juarez in the Mexican Revolution and on and on and on.

"There's even evidence that's being uncovered that he was a lawman for a while in the '30s," Estevez continued, adding "that he in fact lived on and sought the pardon that was promised to him by governor Lew Wallace and died before that was ever granted in 1950."

Estevez said he imagined a series of Guns films, by the end of which he could hand the role off to his father, Martin Sheen.

"Take him all the way to 1950 and then hand it off to my dad and then I don't have to wear the old man makeup," Estevez said. "Sorry, dad."

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The rights to the Young Guns franchise are complicated, Estevez said. Morgan Creek produced the first two films, with 20th Century Fox distributing the first and Warner Bros. the second.

Now that Estevez is a director, he may also direct the Guns sequels. However, he has other sequels he wants to make first, including a sequel to The Way starring his father.

"It really depends on what's going on in my professional life," Estevez said. "Martin's going to be 83 this year and I think the timing might be right to get that one in the can before we start talking about Young Guns 3."

The Way returns to theaters May 16 and UPI will have the full interview with Estevez ahead of that rerelease.
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tom Petty now has a posthumous honorary degree from the University of Florida.

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The university Thursday bestowed the Doctor of Music degree on Petty, a Florida native who was born and raised in Gainesville, where the university's campus is located.

The school posted a short tribute to Petty social media Thursday.

Petty died Oct. 2, 2017, at the age of 66. He was found in cardiac arrest at the home of his manager, and a coroner later ruled the cause of death as organ failure from cardiac arrest as a result of "mixed drug toxicity."

The school first voted unanimously in 2021 to give the rock legend the honorary degree.

Petty never attended the university as a student but did work there for a time as a groundskeeper on the campus.

"The University of Florida is privileged to recognize Tom Petty for his achievements as a rock star, a beacon of creative freedom, and an advocate for his fellow artists for those most in need, and for our Gators," University of Florida President Ben Sasse, who conferred the degree, told assembly Thursday.

Petty's family also made a $100,000 donation to establish an endowment fund for guitars and innovation.

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The school celebrated its first-ever Tom Petty Day last year.
THE MOST POPULAR OPTION FOR CONCEALED CARRY WEAPONS, A COMPACT 9MM PISTOL IS JUST ABOUT PERFECT IN EVERY WAY

Much of life is spent looking for that Goldilocks item. The bed that is not too soft, the coffee that is just hot enough or the compact 9mm pistol that fits just right.

While I cant help you with the first two, I can get you started on the third. Were in a golden age of compact 9mm pistols with better options than ever before. But even with all of the choices on the market, there are some that rise above and stand out as the best.

Well break down some quick info you should know and give you the best 9mm compact pistols.

FULL-SIZE VS. COMPACT VS. SUBCOMPACT VS. MICROCOMPACT

First a crash course in how things are named  knowing this isnt required, but itll help you while you shop around looking for what is perfect for you.

Its important to understand that while there are generally accepted rough dimensions for these names, none of them are set in stone. Really it comes down to how the manufacturer wants to market its gun.

That said, if there was an industry standard it would be based on the Glock 17 and Glock 19 since these are overwhelmingly popular models.

Left to right: Glock 26, 19, 17, and 34. Image Via AlienGearHolsters

Because Glock is so dominant in the market, most other guns can be described as Glock ?? sized.

Glock 17 is roughly the default full-size pistol. Others in the same class would be the Beretta 92FS, SIG Sauer P320, and CZ 75. These are all generally considered duty pistols and are designed to be less concealable but easier to control and normally have a few extra rounds in their standard magazine ranging between 15 to 17ish-rounds.

Down one step is the Glock 19, a roughly standardized compact size pistol. Similar pistols in size are the CZ P01, Smith & Wesson M&P Compact, and HK VP9.

Compact is by far the most common CCW size for a pistol. Its small enough it's easy to hide but large enough that it shoots like a real gun and carries a good amount of ammo in each magazine  generally about 15-rounds.

Subcompacts are even smaller and generally sized like the Glock 29, however, these are kind of outdated now. Up until a few years ago subcompacts like the Glock 29, Springfield XD-S, or Walther PPS were the smallest you could get without going into Darrengers that only have 2 shots.

Those last-gen subcompacts carried 6 to 8ish rounds in a magazine and were better than nothing.

Recently something new has hit the market  the microcompact. Guns like the SIG P365, Springfield Hellcat, and Glock 43x.

Springfield Hellcat microcompact

The name is a little deceptive though because truthfully while micro sounds smaller than sub, microcompact pistols are basically the same size as subcompact pistols.

But where subcompacts might only carry 6 or 7 shots in a magazine, microcompacts stuff in 10 to 12 rounds of 9mm per magazine.

Microcompact basically was coined as a way of giving these pistols a name to set themselves apart from the rest.

Dont worry, none of this will be on the test (there is no test). Familiarizing yourself with these terms will at least help everything else make a little more sense.

WHY SIZE MATTERS

Size matters because of size. Small guns are fundamentally harder to control and harder to shoot. You can bend the rules of physics a little but you cant break them  smaller guns shooting the same caliber are going to kick harder and prove much more snappy on your wrists.

Larger guns also have the room to carry more ammo. Larger grip = larger magazines = more ammo. And no one who survived a gunfight ever said wow, I brought way too much ammo.

Life isnt like the movies. Assuming a single round will stop a knife threat could spell serious trouble. Any legit CCW instructor will teach you how to fire controlled groupings, to move and shoot, and to use other combat-effective concepts to stop an attacker.

Downsides to larger guns are they are harder to hide on your person. This depends a lot on where you are carrying on your body, what kind of body type you have, what youre wearing, and how much you want to conceal your firearm.

Personally, I strongly recommend concealing it as much as possible.

That said, if you live in a cold area where you spend 99 percent of your time wearing 3 layers and an overcoat then its pretty easy to hide a Desert Eagle with an extended magazine under all that cloth.

But if youre in South Florida and your go-to look is long trunks, tank top, and flip flops  good luck hiding much of anything.

Compacts are generally a good balance between size, weight, capacity, and shootability.

IS COMPACT RIGHT FOR YOU?

Honestly only you can really answer this. Compact is definitely not a bad place to start, but you might find that a compact isnt perfect for you. If I had to guess Id say that its 50/50 between people choosing a compact for their EDC CCW or a microcompact.

Personally, I carry a Glock 19 Gen 3 with a whole load of customizations  but Im a big dude that doesnt mind wearing a strong belt. When Im feeling lazy, I reach for my subcompact 380 ACP.

BEST COMPACT 9MM PISTOLS

Glock 19

The gold standard in compact 9mm, the Glock 19 is a legend in every way. From reliability to customization, there is nothing a Glock 19 cant do.

If you want the perfect platform to build your perfect CCW out of, this might be the best there has ever been.

Glock 19, Gen 4 EDC kit

However, out of the box, some people might not like it as much as others. While the Glock 19 is a key that works in any lock, that doesnt make it the perfect fit each time.

The Gen 5 goes a long way to mitigate this by including interchangeable back straps for different hand sizes and MOS models that offer the Glock MOS optic mounting plate system for red dots.

All in all, this is a gun that sells itself. Its the gold standard for a good reason and will never let you down.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 4

Overall Length: 7.36

Weight: 21.16 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 15

Optic Ready: MOS model only

P320 Compact

The slightly smaller version of the P320 and recently adopted by the military as the M18, the P320 Compact is exactly like its larger brother in every way  except slightly smaller.

If you want the latest and greatest in military adoption, this is a strong contender to consider.

The winning gun(s) of the Modular Handgun Solicitation. The M17 is full-sized, and the M18 is carry-sized.

Military testing proves the P320 can handle hard use and rough conditions. From the first shot to the last this gun will not quit on you.

The grip is a little more 1911-ish in shape and design over the Glock giving it a different if not better feel, especially for shooters who are not already conditioned to love the Glock shape.

XCompact models come with an optic plate for red dots, I highly recommend taking a look at that!

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 3.9

Overall Length: 7.2

Weight: 25.8 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 15

Optic Ready: XCompact models only

HK VP9

Maybe the BMW of the compact 9mm pistol world, a VP9 isnt something you see every day but when you get to shoot one youll fall in love.

Optics ready from the start with perfectly formed controls and a larger rear tab on the slide to make racking easier, the VP9 is H&K through and through.

Though trigger pull is a bit light for the authors self-defense tastes, the HK VP9 has proven a superbly shootable pistol.

A pretty cool feature that is often overlooked, the VP9 is offered in either a paddle magazine release model or a button release model. The paddle release takes some getting used to but offers a totally ambi method of dropping your mag, not normally found on pistols.

No switching parts, no ad hoc training methods, the system simply works and works well.

Something else to love is the fact that while almost identical to the Glock 19 in size, the VP9 comes with 17-round standard magazines.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 4.09

Overall Length: 7.34

Weight: 25.56 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 17

Optic Ready: Yes

Walther PDP Compact

I admit that I have a soft spot for Walther guns. I just love the feel of them. But I dont think anyone can argue the PDP Compact is an awesome gun no matter what.

An optics mounting plate comes standard with the PDP Compact and the grip feels perfect in larger hands like mine.

Full-size Walther PDP with red dot

But what makes the PDP stand out is its amazing trigger. If youre used to shooting match-grade triggers in your other guns, striker-fired pistols can feel like a letdown.

Walther comes in big with the PDP trigger making it lighter and smoother than almost any other factory-standard offering.

If you want to change things up a bit, the PDP comes in a lot of different flavors including 5-inch barrel models for extra muzzle velocity and even threaded barrels to add a suppressor  great for duel duty home defense and CCW pistols.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 4

Overall Length: 7.5

Weight: 25.56 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 15

Optic Ready: Yes

Smith & Wesson M&P9 Shield EZ

This isnt the gun you want if you want the most ammo per magazine. This also isnt the gun you want if you require optics on your CCW. But this is absolutely the gun you want if you have compromised grip strength, poor vision, or conditions like arthritis.

The Shield EZ was designed from the ground up to be a gun everyone can use.

M&P Shield EZ

There are many among us that dont have the grip strength to rack semi-auto pistols or have pain in our hands making loading and shooting hard.

Thats why the Shield EZ has a very light recoil spring, single-stack, easy-to-load magazines, and even oversized sights to see with poor vision.

An easy-to-activate grip safety gives you a layer of safety without complicating matters, but you can also get a thumb safety model if you so desire.

My 65-plus-year-old mother used to carry a Lady Smith revolver because she physically cannot rack slides. The Shield EZ gives her the option to carry a modern semi-auto she can actually shoot.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 3.6

Overall Length: 6.8

Weight: 23.1 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 8

Optic Ready: No

FN 509

The gun the U.S. military almost adopted (and many of us wish it had), the FN 509 is another great-to-shoot, super-reliable, optics-ready optional compact 9mm pistol from a legendary manufacturer.

So what makes this special?

Personally, Id say the cold hammer-forged barrel, replaceable back straps, and the amount of grip texturing make it one rock-solid platform.

FN 509 with weapon light and red dot!

This gun is super accurate, not like accurate for a pistol but plain accurate like you wouldnt expect. If you plan on doing a lot of shooting and training, youll quickly appreciate how much better this gun shoots compared to many in its class.

The texture on a gun might sound kind of boring, but a lot of pistols just dont have the greatest grip texture. While lightly textured grips might be the way to go for some, I want deep checkers that bit my hand while I shoot.

FNs 509 is one of the few that really delivers in this department.

Combine it all  the trigger, the barrel, the grip  and you get a pistol offing a host of advantages to a marksman.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 4

Overall Length: 7.4

Weight: 26.9 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 17

Optic Ready: Optional

Taurus G3C

Maybe youre on a bare-bones budget or you just want more money left over for ammo (a good idea these days), then the Taurus G3C is here for you!

Coming in at a shockingly low MSRP of $340 the G3C is the third generation of this gun and has quickly earned a reputation for being reliable, smooth shooting, and surpassing people's expectations.

Taurus G3C

This one is also a bit smaller and thinner than most of the other compacts and since it only carries 12 rounds in a standard magazine, it kind of blurs the line between compact and microcompact.

Personally, I feel like it shoots great and is just large enough to fit my hands more like a compact than a micro. I like that a lot since some of the micros feel a little small.

Overall the G3C might not do anything crazy that makes it stand out, but the fact that it comes in at a price that anyone can afford means a lot.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 3.2

Overall Length: 6.3

Weight: 22 Ounces

Standard. Capacity: 12

Optic Ready: No

SIG Sauer P365 XMACRO

Okay, were really blurring the lines here because the P365 was basically the pistol that invented the microcompact design.

But I will submit that the XMACRO version with a longer slide, longer grip, and more rounds in the magazine makes it basically a compact pistol. Slightly taller than a Glock 19, but much thinner, and rocking a 17-round magazine.

SIG P365 XL

I love the XMACRO because it fits my large hands better than the normal size P365 but is wildly thin and super easy to conceal. Plus, an optic mounting plate is always something I dig.

The P365 has a huge aftermarket following now, and there are tons of upgrades. Anything you want to do to your gun, you can do.

With good size, good feel, and great reliability, the P365 XMACRO might be the perfect blend of compact and microcompact you can find.

SPECS:

Barrel Length: 3.7

Overall Length: 6.6

Height: 5.2

Width: 1.1

Weight: 22 Ounces

Standard Capacity: 17

Optic Ready: Yes

LOOSE ROUNDS

My carry gun is a Glock 19 Gen 3  but if I had the opportunity Id switch to a SIG Sauer 365 XL in a moment.

Im also a huge proponent of red dots on compact 9mm pistols, but thats another topic for another article.

Any of the guns on this list will serve you well in your CCW needs. They are reliable, are solid shooters, and carry enough ammo to make a difference.

Liked what you saw? Take a look at some more great articles!
FN has big plans for their US-based facilities! In addition to the second location in Liberty, South Carolina, FN America has announced they will be investing $18 million dollars into the Columbia, SC facility also.

Work starting later this year with a planned completion date of Q2 2024, will add more than 40,000 square-feet of manufacturing and office space and create a Design Center of Excellence for new FN America R&D efforts.

The record growth that our company has had these last several years has enabled us to invest in our South Carolina manufacturing footprint with our soon-to-be new facility in Liberty and now the expansion of our Columbia facility, said Mark Cherpes, President and CEO for FN America, LLC. We were established in Richland County more than 40 years ago to manufacture small arms for the U.S. Army, and we are proud to expand our capacity to support that sector of our business.

For over 40 years, FN has been operating its production facility in Richland County, South Carolina, where it has successfully delivered more than 1 million small arms to the U.S. Department of Defense. The company was first established in the United States in 1979, and since 1981, it has been producing the M240 medium machine gun, which is a variation of the FN MAG-58, under contract to the U.S. Army.

At present, FN America has a workforce of over 600 employees who are dedicated to producing firearms, accessories, and other related products for the U.S. military, law enforcement agencies, and consumers. The company has fulfilled contracts for the M4A1, M16A4, M249 light machine gun, M240 medium machine gun, and FN SCAR, which are used by the U.S. military. Moreover, the company has also supplied the FN 509 striker-fired pistol series to law enforcement agencies like the Los Angeles Police Department and individual officers across the nation.
Porterville, CA (93257)

Today

Partly cloudy this morning, then becoming cloudy during the afternoon. High 73F. Winds WNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 48F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Podcast host, advocate, activist, jack-of-all-trades radio man, true crime junkie  its safe to say that Cameron Harrelson wears many hats.

Throughout the past 10 years, the lifelong advocate has worked to make Athens a safe and inclusive place for all, especially those in the LGBTQ+ community, through his work with the Athens Pride and Queer Collective. He has also forged the way for change in cold case law in Georgia.
Doctors dont fully know the effects that such exposure could cause and have not been able to clear confusion among East Palestine residents. Imagine the absolute terror that has been unleashed on this community. What is the overwhelming response from officials? That theres nothing to be afraid of since Environmental Protection Agency testing found that the air and water quality are safe, but some other experts are questioning the credibility of this data.
It may sound bizarre, but incidents of public sector bankers dying by suicide could probably equal the number of such bankers quitting their jobs, reveals Tamal Bandyopadhyay.

IMAGE: Kindly note the image has only been posted for representational purposes. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters

It may sound like an apocryphal story. But it's not.

Early March, when India was celebrating Holi, the festival of colours, a senior banker attended the wedding of a close friend's daughter in Mumbai. It was a public holiday.

The gentleman stayed put through all the rituals over two days at a five-star hotel but was seen hiding whenever the camera clicked to shoot the goings-on.

Why was he doing that? Was he camera-shy? Not exactly.

He didn't want to leave any trace of his presence at the wedding.

The Delhi-based banker was not comfortable with the idea of any of his bosses getting to know that he was at the wedding in Mumbai over two days in March, the last month of the financial year.

This could have been interpreted as dereliction of duty. This is despite the fact that one of the two days was a public holiday.

In the past, the banker had seen a colleague being reprimanded for missing office for one day in March. He had fever.

This sums up the stress that most public sector bankers, across the hierarchy, go through.

There are many other pressure points. A few recent media reports tell us the story.

In early April, the Hindustan Times reported that the managing director of a Goregaon, north west Mumbai-based private company was booked for allegedly abetting the suicide of the manager of the State Bank of India's Hindu Colony branch, north central Mumbai.

The banker, Sandesh Malpani (44), had jumped off his ninth-floor flat. He had left behind a suicide note, alleging that he was forced to end his life because of the MD.

According to the FIR, the MD had drawn a loan of Rs 8.49 crore (Rs 84.9 million) from ICICI Bank Ltd.

The company had approached SBI's Hindu Colony branch for transferring the loan, which the branch did after preliminary assessment.

Under the terms of the transfer, the company was to submit the title deeds of two properties for which the loan was taken, but it did not.

Malpani's senior colleagues held him responsible for the lapse.

Under tremendous stress, the banker chose to end his life.

In his suicide note, he mentioned the names of three other bank officials who were involved in processing the loan.

Another report (in The Sentinel) in January was on Silchar (Assam) police arresting Yogendra Pandey, chief manager (audit) of SBI, for the mysterious death of a young branch manager, Kuldeep Dasgupta.

Pandey was arrested at the Silchar railway station from where he was about to catch the last train to Guwahati.

Going by the FIR, filed by the deceased's mother, Dasgupta had blown the whistle on the corrupt practices of some of his senior colleagues while sanctioning agricultural loans to local farmers.

He was mentally harassed, continuously, and even forced to buy gifts for Pandey, his mother alleged.

It may sound bizarre, but incidents of public sector bankers dying by suicide could probably equal the number of such bankers quitting their jobs.

They enjoy job security and also higher salary than their private sector peers at junior and middle levels, but the stress they go through is very different from what private bankers face.

The number of clerical employees and subordinates in banks has plunged in the past decade, between 2010 and 2021, while the number of officers has witnessed a sharp spike.

In 2005, clerks and subordinates combined made for at least 63 per cent of the employees in scheduled commercial banks. By 2010, this had dropped to 55 per cent and by 2021, 30 per cent.

That's the industry figure, but the decline is even sharper in the public sector, thanks to digitisation.

The number of branches has gone up by more than one-fourth in the past decade but employee strength has fallen.

Incidentally, in 2015, the finance ministry had asked the public sector lenders to consider promoting lower-rung employees on merit in view of the imminent retirement of many senior executives.

The ministry asked the banks to promote the competent clerks to scale I and II officers.

The pressure on such employees is too high as they struggle to cope with the new ecosystem and meet the high expectations of the organisation.

The HR heads of private banks have been facing a very different kind of challenge -- the highest-ever employee turnover (at least for some of these banks).

Till recently, the turnover was high for the front-end employees -- those interacting directly with the customers, including the relationship managers. But now employees across segments, including those involved in specialised jobs such as technology, compliance and risk management, have started leaving in hordes.

Apart from one bank poaching from another, bank employees are in high demand in IT companies, fintechs, techfins, fast-moving consumer goods outfits and even delivery service providers.

A section of them -- however small -- is also leaving to launch their own start-ups. An ambitious and restless lot, looking for different opportunities.

The issues in public sector banks are unique.

In most of the banks, the focus is on short-term monthly and quarterly targets for deposits and loans. That seems to be the main source of stress for the bankers.

There are other issues as well. As most banks are fast-tracking promotions, too many employees of different seniority levels are jostling for those positions, making the whole environment hostile.

Then, there is too much focus on cross-selling of financial products such as mutual funds and insurance policies.

For the time being, of course, the primary focus is on deposit mobilisation for most banks but, overall, the emphasis on cross-selling of other products for ramping up fee income is diluting pure-play banking and hurting the work ethics of many who firmly believe in conventional banking.

Add to these the perennial pressure of implementing several government schemes.

A bigger cultural issue is misbehaviour by senior bankers, who don't mind using abusive language to run their junior colleagues down.

Several video clippings have been doing the rounds on social media depicting such incidents.

The practice of blaming juniors for most lapses is creating a fear psychosis, leading a few to take extreme steps.

The poor HR culture seems to be prevalent in other public units in the financial sector such as Life Insurance Corporation of India.

In January, First India reported the suicide of Sujit Kumar Pandey, a senior manager at LIC.

The report, datelined Sasaram (Bihar), said Pandey had hanged himself.

The contents of his suicide note are not in the public domain, but his colleagues talk about work pressure as the trigger.

The psychological pressure is sometimes too much to bear even for senior employees.

I am aware of a senior general manager of one public sector bank whose blood pressure rises every time the managing director stops talking to him.

This happens for missing targets. At meetings, when he is ignored and the boss doesn't even look at him, he becomes restless and the time he spends in the office gets longer.

Will he quit his job? No. He will continue working in this high-stress environment and, hopefully, not reach the tipping point.

Tamal Bandyopadhyay is a consulting editor of Business Standard, is an author and senior adviser to Jana Small Finance Bank Ltd.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
In the first nine months of financial year 2022-23, Indias exports of medical devices have grown by 17 per cent, while imports have declined by around 8 per cent, show the latest data compiled by the Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD).

Image used for representative purpose only. Photograph: Aly Song/Reuters

However, import of 30 medical devices from China has risen between 25 per cent and 152 per cent during this period, the AiMeD has written to Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal in March.

The AiMeD is an umbrella organisation of medical device makers.

In FY22, imports from China had grown by 48 per cent year on year (YoY) at Rs 12,979 crore.

India primarily imports consumables, testing kits, etc. from China.

Exports, too, are on a growth path, the data shows.

Medical devices exports have gone up to Rs 20,511 crore in the April-December period of FY23 from Rs 17,557 crore in the first nine months of FY22. In FY22, exports had grown by 21 per cent to Rs 19,803 crore for the full year.

Imports, too, had grown by 41 per cent in FY22 to Rs 63,000 crore.

On Wednesday, the Centre announced the National Medical Device Policy, 2023, to boost local manufacturing and research, reduce import dependence, and create an ecosystem for the sector.

This policy was key to making India one of the top 5 suppliers of medical devices to the world, and this was long-awaited since the initial draft policy in June 2014, said Rajiv Nath, chairman and managing director of Hindustan Syringes and Medical Devices, worlds largest syringe maker.

The policy details will hopefully help traders and importers to start investing in putting up factories and end the 70-80 per cent import dependency and the ever-rising import bill (last year imports shot up by 41 per cent to over Rs 63,000 crore, said Nath, who is also forum coordinator of AiMeD.

Industry insiders felt this would help attract investors to the sector.

Raghvendra Goud Vaggu, global CEO of EMPE Diagnostics, makers of TB testing kits, said the new policy would help bring in new-age technologies, coupled with artificial intelligence and machine learning tools, to the sector.

The latest policy aims to achieve a 10-12 per cent share in the expanding global market over the next 25 years from the current 1.5 per cent.

Moreover, the policy is expected to help the medical devices sector grow from $11 billion (Rs 90,000 crore) to $50 billion (Rs 4.5 trillion) by 2030.

The Union government is implementing the production-linked incentive scheme for medical devices and supporting setting up four medical devices parks in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh.

Under the scheme, 26 projects have so far been approved, with a committed investment of Rs 1,206 crore.

Of this, an investment of Rs 714 crore has been achieved.

Under the scheme, 14 projects for 37 products have been commissioned and domestic manufacturing of high-end medical devices has started.

"Remaining 12 products will be commissioned in the near future. Five projects have been approved under category B for domestic manufacturing of 87 products/product components, the Centre said on Wednesday.
'What The Kerala Story is trying to do is take the fake hate propaganda which we saw earlier only on WhatsApp to the big screen now.'

'Uncovering the truth that was kept hidden' so say the makers of the film The Kerala Story. They claimed so far 32,000 Hindu women were radicalised, converted to Islam to fight as militants.

54% of Kerala's population of 35 million are Hindus, but the news of 32,000 Hindu women getting radicalised was kept hidden, according to the makers of The Kerala Story.

The anger and backlash that followed the release of the film's trailer made the film-makers change the number from 32,000 to 3!

The question is, how did the story of three women became the story of Kerala?

Several politicians including Kerala's CPI-M Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Shashi Tharoor, the Congress MP from Thiruvanathapuram, questioned the propaganda behind such a film.

Challenging the film-makers as an individual was C Shukkur, an advocate from Kerala who was recently in the news for marrying his wife again under the Special Marriage Act so that his daughters could be his inheritors.

His #keralastorychallenge was, 'I am offering 11 lakh rupees to those who publish information such as names and addresses of women who were converted to Islam and become members of the Islamic State by Muslim youth of Kerala. No need to produce proof for 32,000 women, just 32 is enough.'

Shukkur tells Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier why he decided to challenge the makers of The Kerala Story.

Was it because you were provoked by the trailer of the film, The Kerala Story that you decided to pose a challenge to its makers? Or, were you very angry?

There are two reasons behind the challenge I posed. One, we are all Malayalis and we know the truth about our state.

With the title of the film, The Kerala Story, the makers are misleading all the non-Malayalis.

They will get the impression that Kerala is a terrorist state, but it is not the truth.

Next, India has the second largest Muslim population in the world, around 195 million.

Out of a population of 195 million, 150-200 people were radicalised.

As per the data provided by the Centre, 155 such radicalised Muslims went to Afghanistan to fight.

Cases were filed against 200 people for supporting ISIS.

We understand that 44 Muslims went from Kerala to Afghanistan, out of which 4-5 were women.

It is said that two women got converted from the Christian community and one was a Hindu before she converted to Islam.

They were all students before they were radicalised.

We can never accept, support or justify what they did.

When you compare these numbers with what happened in France, Germany or America, we realise that many, many more people went from these countries to Afghanistan.

In none of those countries, the entire Muslim population is blamed for what a few did. But that's not the case here in India.

For the three women who went from Kerala, it became the story of Kerala.

The trailer of the film claiming 32,000 women from Kerala were radicalised, did not provoke me.

It made me sad because they were doing injustice to the people of Kerala by shouting such blatant lies.

Do you feel they were maligning Kerala society as a whole through this lie, or the Muslim community?

I would say, they are maligning the women of Kerala.

Every woman has a right over her body and mind. The Constitution gives that right.

And she can decide who she wants to love, who she wants to marry and who she wants to have a relationship with.

Here, when your propaganda is that 32,000 Hindu women changed their religion because of some Muslim men, who are you belittling? These Hindu women.

You may think the propaganda of the film is against Muslims, but the fact is, this propaganda is to cement the patriarchal mindset.

In a patriarchal society, all religions -- whether it is Hindu, Christian or Muslim -- say that the man decides who a woman should marry, who a woman should love and how a woman should live.

So, I see this film as a part of a larger conspiracy to force patriarchy upon women.

Along with this, I also see the agenda to spread Islamophobia in the entire Indian society.

Photograph: Kind courtesy sunshinepicturesofficial/Instagram

Do you see the expression love jihad as anti-woman propaganda where a woman is portrayed as weak, incapable of taking proper decisions and someone who can be swayed easily?

No doubt about that.

In Hadiya's case what the Supreme Court said was, a woman had the right to autonomy over her person.

The court upheld her right to 'autonomy and self-determination regarding her marriage and faith'.

According to Muslim personal law, a woman will be ruled by a man. When this Hindu father says, his daughter should marry the person chosen by him, it is another version of the same patriarchy.

What message does films like this give? That a woman cannot take a decision on her own, that her life decisions are dictated either by her father or brother or husband.

Also, she gets influenced by any Muslim boy.

They want to portray Kerala society as a highly patriarchal one where women are mere subjects and all their life decisions are taken by men.

That is an extension of Manu Smriti...

Definitely. I see in The Kerala Story the agenda to reinstate Manu vaadam and make women second class citizens.

The makers first said 32,000 women were radicalised and after the backlash, the number has been reduced to 3....

Their number changed from 32,000 to 3. Where is 32,000 and where is 3?

Nobody is denying the fact that radicalisation is happening in the Muslim community.

It all started with the chopping of Professor Joseph's hand in 2010. So, we have to look at the history of Muslims in Kerala as before 2010 and after 2010.

This particular incident in 2010 made all the other communities look at the Muslim community with suspicion and distrust.

It is unfortunate that even today, some Muslim fundamentalists speak in support of that incident.

It is the duty of the rest of the community to stop these people from doing so. No religion should allow radicalisation to happen.

It is also the duty of mainstream politicians and religious leaders to condemn such acts. Only then, we can stop radicalisation.

In a democratic society, nobody is above criticism. In a democratic society, we can question and debate everything.

Because three women were radicalised and converted, can you look at the entire 27% of Muslims in Kerala with suspicion?

The Muslims in Kerala have always been a major part of mainstream politics, and have contributed immensely to the growth of Kerala.

Whether it is business or culture or literature or education or cinema or music or theatre, you cannot ignore the contributions of the Muslim community.

Can you talk about Malayalam literature keeping Vaikom Mohammed Basheer aside?

Is there Malayalam cinema without Prem Nazir and Mammootty?

What I am saying is, just because three people got radicalised and went to Afghanistan, you cannot tarnish the entire Muslim community of Kerala.

The film-maker says he got the idea from a press conference the then chief minister of Kerala, V S Achuthanandan did in Delhi in which he said Kerala would be an Islamic State soon...

It was after the Professor Joseph incident that VS had that press conference in Delhi. And, he didn't say Kerala would be an Islamic State soon.

What he said was the leaflets collected from the Popular Front office after a raid spoke about making Kerala an Islamic State in 20 years. he added that Kerala would never let the PFI do so.

VS was talking about the PFI and not about the Muslim community.

IMAGE: Adah Sharma plays Fatima Ba in The Kerala Story. Photograph: Kind courtesy Adah Sharma/Twitter

How much do you think a film like The Kerala Story will affect the image of Kerala?

Tourism is an important part of the economy of Kerala. After the pandemic, it was only now that the tourism industry has started booming.

At a time like this, if you try to propagate that Kerala is a terrorist state, the tourism industry is going to be affected badly.

Such propaganda will not only affect the tourism industry negatively, it will also affect the reputation of our children who go abroad to study.

It will affect the image of all Keralites. They are there in every nook and corner of the world.

How would they feel if you give an image that Kerala is a terrorist state and Kerala women get radicalised?

It is going to adversely affect the image of the entire state and every Malayali woman.

That's why all of us have to fight against such false propaganda.

IMAGE: Advocate C Shukkur Photograph: C Shukkur/Facebook IMAGE: Advocate C Shukkur

Did you get any name or address after your challenge on Facebook?

I haven't got a single name or address.

My challenge was to make everyone realise that what they are trying to portray is fake.

You may know that the two tools used by Hitler also were, fake and hate.

What The Kerala Story is trying to do is take the fake hate propaganda which we saw earlier only on WhatsApp and other platforms to the big screen now.

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
'With one fell swoop he (Sharad Pawar) won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief.'

IMAGE: Uddhav Thackeray with Eknath Shinde.



A senior Shiv Sena leader and Cabinet minister in the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis led government told Rediff.com that the June 2022 split in the Shiv Sena could have been averted had the then chief minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray resigned as the party chief as well as offered to resign as the chief minister.

Interestingly, this minister, who holds a position of influence among several MLAs in the Eknath Shinde camp, expressed the possibility of the rebels coming back to the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) if Thackeray purges the influence of his Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut.

"He knew almost six months ago (in early 2022) that several Shiv Sena MLAs were not happy about their alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress. I was among one of those who had cautioned him about the restlessness among us," says this Cabinet minister, requesting his name not be revealed.

"Hech tar Uddhav sahebanni karayla hava hota... Party vachli asti ((if only Uddhav saheb had resigned like Pawar the split in Shiv Sena could have been averted). See how smartly Pawar saheb has saved his party from going the Shiv Sena way," he says, sounding remorseful about the split in the Shiv Sena.

"Pawar saheb knew that Ajit dada (Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar) and his band of loyal MLAs were all set to split the party. With his (Pawar's) resignation and the subsequent resentment it caused among NCP voters and workers, Pawar ensured that these MLAs would realise that they can enjoy the perks of power only till 2024 if they joined hands with the BJP; the NCP voter and worker would solidly remain behind the NCP patriarch," he adds.

IMAGE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar with his wife Pratibha and nephew Ajit Pawar during a book launch event, Mumbai, May 2, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

"This is the second time Pawar saheb has checkmated his nephew's plans to join hands with the BJP (the first attempt by Ajit Pawar to form a government with the BJP came to nought within three days of oath taking by Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis in 2019). With this resignation act he has sent a message not only to those MLAs loyal to Ajit dada but even to those who are fence-sitters in the NCP."

"With one fell swoop he won the sympathies of the NCP workers at the grassroots, his own flock of MLAs and bolstered his position as the NCP chief," he adds.

IMAGE: Shiv Sena (UBT) supporters stage a protest against Eknath Shinde and his MLAs, in Pune on Sunday. Photograph: ANI Photo

"I wish Uddhav saheb too had done a drama like this; Shinde sahebancha vishayach sampoon gela asta (none of the MLAs would have dared to desert Thackeray and go along with Eknath Shinde to form a government with the BJP)."

"This is the difference between Sharad Pawar and Uddhavji. He (Thackeray) should at least learn these tricks from him (Pawar)," he says.

This minister was hopeful that if Thackeray reins in Shiv Sena's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut's influence over him, then the rebels would still think of going back to him.

"Sanjay Raut yancha kahi tari kela pahije sahebanni; tyancha muskaat aval-la pahije sahebanni (Uddhav Thackeray must rein in Sanjay Raut; he must purge his influence in party politics). But he has made Raut his blue-eyed boy," he says.

"The situation in Maharashtra politics has come to such a pass that only time will tell which MLA would join which party to get a ticket to contest the 2024 (assembly) election. Just wait and watch the fun when we come to the bridge (2024 assembly elections)."
The Delhi government's prisons department on Friday suspended eight Tihar Jail staff members in connection with the fatal stabbing of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya on the premises, officials said.

IMAGE: Slain gangster Tillu Tajpuriya. Photograph: ANI Photo

Tajpuriya was killed early on Tuesday allegedly by four members of the rival Gogi gang -- Deepak alias Titar, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh, and Riyaz Khan -- who stabbed him "92 times".

A senior prisons department official said they conducted a departmental inquiry based on which eight staff members were suspended.

The officer had earlier said, "The report was received on Friday and lapses were found on the part of nine staff members. Out of them, seven -- three assistant superintendents and four warders -- have been suspended.

"We had a meeting with officials of the Tamil Nadu special police and they have also agreed to take departmental action against their personnel."

The Tamil Nadu Special Police provides security on the jail premises.

Sources said Tihar Jail director-general Sanjay Beniwal met Lt Governor VK Saxena and presented him a detailed report on the stabbing.

A fresh CCTV video from Tihar Jail emerged on social media purportedly showing Tajpuriya being attacked in front of security personnel as well when they were carrying him away after he was stabbed.

Tajpuriya was assaulted with improvised weapons by the Gogi gang members inside the high security prison on Tuesday morning. But he was still alive and was being carried away by the prison security personnel when the accused attacked him for a second time, according to the fresh footage.

The footage shows security personnel were in a corridor when the accused barged in through the door and again attacked Tajpuriya. He could be seen moving his leg in the video, confirming he was alive at that time. In the footage, it appears that the security personnel remained a bystander while the assailants keep attacking the gangster.
Ajay Banga will be a 'transformative leader', who will bring expertise, experience, and innovation to the position of World Bank president, United States President Joe Biden has said after the top Indian-American business executive was confirmed as the new head of the international lender.

IMAGE: United States President Joe Biden, with newly elected World Bank president Ajay Banga, at the Oval Office. Photograph: Courtesy @POTUS/Twitter

The Executive Directors of the World Bank on Wednesday selected Banga as the 14th President of the bank for a five-year term beginning June 2.

He became the first-ever Indian-American to head the Washington-based bank and will replace David Malpass.

In February, President Biden announced that the US would nominate Banga, 63, to lead the World Bank because he is 'well equipped' to lead the global institution at 'this critical moment in history'.

"Ajay Banga will be a transformative leader, bringing expertise, experience, and innovation to the position of World Bank President. And together with World Bank leadership and shareholders, he will help steer the institution as it evolves and expands to address global challenges that directly affect its core mission of poverty reduction -- including climate change," Biden said on Wednesday.

"Ajay will also be integral in bringing together the public and private sectors, alongside philanthropies, to usher in the fundamental changes in development finance that this moment requires," said the president congratulating his nominee for the next President of the World Bank on his resounding approval by the Bank's Board of Governors.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Banga will play a critical role in undertaking a vital effort to evolve the World Bank and other multilateral development banks to redouble their work on global challenges like climate change in a way that accelerates progress on national development priorities.

"His track record of forging partnerships between the public sector, private sector, and non-profits uniquely equips him to help mobilise private capital and press for the reforms needed to meet our shared ambitions. In doing so, the World Bank can serve as a force multiplier for good by setting the right agenda and catalysing action from across the spectrum," she said.

After he was nominated for this position, Banga, who worked at Nestle and Citigroup before joining Mastercard, spent the last couple of months travelling around the world, including India, and meeting with governments from the World Bank's diverse shareholder base and stakeholders from both the private and philanthropic sectors.

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also congratulated Banga on his appointment.

'Hearty congratulations Ajay Banga on being selected as the President of @WorldBank,' she tweeted on Thursday.

'I am confident that you'll bring your wide experience in the corporate world for meeting the goals of the Bank,' the minister tweeted from Incheon, South Korea, where she is attending the Asian Development Bank's annual meeting.

Meanwhile, senior Biden administration officials have welcomed Banga's appointment.

"Today's vote is an indication that he's gained widespread support from across that shareholder base with resounding approval from the shareholders. Ajay himself is a business leader with decades of experience leading large global organisations forging public-private partnerships to address financial inclusion and climate change," a senior administration official told reporters.

"We are confident that Ajay is going to play a key role in steering the World Bank to evolve itself to address global challenges like climate change, pandemics, fragility conflict, or effectively at greater scale, and in doing so will help fulfil the President's vision and the priorities placed around exactly those goals," the official said.

"While the World Bank will continue to play a key role in improving the lives of people around the globe. I can't do it alone, and Ajay's track record of forging partnerships between the public sector and the private sector and non-profit is uniquely equipped to help mobilise the private capital and press for the reforms needed to meet our shared ambition," said the official.

Another senior official said that Banga's appointment was a really good day for the World Bank.

"And it's a really good day for the countries and the people who seek to partner with the World Bank, particularly in a very difficult time for emerging and developing countries. Awe think he is the right person for this moment, including on a very important and weepy evolution agenda that might describe that well," the official said.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has cancelled all his programmes for the upcoming assembly elections in Karnataka in the wake of clashes reported in parts of Manipur, sources said.

IMAGE: Vandalism and arson occurred in several districts of Manipur as tensions grip the northeastern state amid widespread protests, on Thursday. Photograph: ANI Photo

According to the sources, Shah who is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur, is expected to continue to hold meetings with authorities in the state, about the prevailing scene and measures being taken to restore normalcy.

On Thursday, Shah called off all his election-bound meetings, and held multiple meetings via video conferencing and also spoke to chief ministers of the north-east states on maintaining law and order situation.

"The Union Home Minister Shah had discussion late at night with Manipur CM N Biren Singh and other top officials in view of the situation in state," sources added.

Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings via video-conferencing and spoke with the CMs of Manipur and neighbouring states including that of Nagaland, Mizoram and Assam in view of the situation in Manipur.

Moreover, keep the situation in control, the central paramilitary forces were rushed to Manipur.

According to sources, there was a speculation that Shah could visit the violence-hit state, but the speculations were turned down by the party leaders, who said that as of now, he will be monitoring the situation from Delhi.

Army and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Manipur and flag marches were also taken out to keep the situation under control.

Violence broke out on May 3, during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) Manipur to protest the demand for inclusion of Meitei/Meetei in the Scheduled Tribe category.

This prompted the state government to issue prohibitory order and suspend internet services across the state for five days. Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the state.

The Army asked people to be careful about rumours and fake videos.

'Fake Videos on the security situation in Manipur including a video of an attack on Assam Rifles post being circulated by inimical elements for vested interests. #IndianArmy requests all to rely on content through official & verified sources only,' the Spear Corps, Indian Army said in a tweet.

A day after this, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma called an urgent meeting to ensure the safety of students from the state after violence reported in Manipur.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the situation in Manipur with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and top officials, even as the Centre dispatched additional security forces and anti-riot vehicles to maintain peace there, sources said.

IMAGE: Vehicles set ablze after violence broke out between tribals and non-tribals during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), in Imphal, May 4, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Shah, who is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur and is in constant touch with top functionaries of the state and central governments throughout the day, held the review meeting through video conference.

The chief minister, the state's chief secretary and director general of police, union home secretary and other senior officials attended the meeting, sources said.

Shah, who is staying put in the national capital away from poll campaign in Karnataka, is also taking regular inputs from security and intelligence agencies about the Manipur situation, which by and large remained peaceful on Friday.

Around 1,000 more central paramilitary personnel with anti-riot vehicles reached Manipur on Friday, sources said.

They said Article 355 of the Constitution has not been invoked in Manipur. Under the provision, the central government can handle the law and order machinery of a state.

Clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday and intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a 'Tribal Solidarity March' to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the Meitei community.

The state government on Thursday issued shoot-at-sight orders in "extreme cases" to contain the spiralling violence which has displaced more than 9,000 people from their villages.

On Thursday, Shah held two meetings via video-conferencing attended by the Manipur chief minister, the state's chief secretary, the police chief, the Union home secretary and other top officials of the central government.

He also held telephonic conversations with chief ministers Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, Zoramthanga of Mizoram and Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam in view of the situation in Manipur on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at least five deputy inspectors general (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked with coordinating the deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, sources said.

Some of these senior officers are being rushed in from Delhi and Ranchi, a source said.
The police have arrested 10 persons, including a Bajrang Dal member, for allegedly vandalising the Congress's office in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, during a protest against the party's poll promise in Karnataka to act against the right-wing outfit, an official said on Friday.

IMAGE: Bajrang Dal workers vandalise Congress office in Jabalpur, May 4, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Of the 10 arrested so far, Sumit Singh Thakur has been identified as the main accused, Additional Superintendent of Police Priyanka Shukla told PTI.

The official said that 25 people have been booked so far on the basis of video footage and a complaint for rampaging through the Congress city office in the Baldeo Bagh area. A case has been registered under sections 452 (trespass with intention of assaulting a person) and 147 (rioting) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, said police.

Thakur is a functionary, vibhag prachar pramukh', of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Jabalpur, according to Umesh Mishra, who holds the position of Mahakoshal Pranth Mantri in the organisation. He said Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of the VHP.

A local Sangh Parivar leader said Thakur has been assigned to work with the Bajrang Dal.

The Congress in its manifesto for next week's Karnataka polls, released on Tuesday, promised to take action as per law, including imposing a ban, on organisations like the Bajrang Dal and PFI which spread hatred.

The Jabalpur unit of the Bajrang Dal had said on Wednesday that it would stage a protest.

Before his arrest, Thakur on Thursday said they protested as the Congress equated a Hindu organisation that works for welfare, security and culture promotion with PFI, a jehadi organisation.

He also denied that Bajrang Dal activists resorted to vandalism. They were Congress workers.... They entered our group and after covering their faces indulged in vandalism, he claimed.

A group of people barged into their office and ransacked it, Congress leaders alleged on Thursday.

Meanwhile, videos showing men wearing saffron stoles and waving saffron flags barging into the Congress office went viral on social media.
Delhi Durbars, crowns and tiaras and the much talked about Kohinoor, of course.

IMAGE: People wearing ceremonial clothes walk outside the Westminster Abbey during a rehearsal, ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, in London, Britain May 4, 2023. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

As the stage gets set for the coronation of King Charles III and some monarchy gazing, the India connect over the centuries glimmers faintly through pages of colonial history.

King Charles III will be officially crowned at Westminster Abbey in London on Saturday, 112 years after the ceremony was held for his great grandfather King George V -- the only British monarch to subsequently travel to India to attend his coronation Durbar in Delhi.

Ahead of the May 6 coronation ceremony, which will see guests from around the world in attendance and will be broadcast across numerous platforms, the Kohinoor -- a diamond with a contested history -- and some of the crown jewels in possession of the British royal family have made headlines.

King Charles III is set to wear the St Edward's Crown, while Queen Camila will wear the Queen Mary's Crown (from the 1911 coronation) without the Kohinoor at the grand event.

The ceremony will evoke images of previous coronations -- more so of the 1911 coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, who had a profound link with India.

The crown for her June 1911 coronation was commissioned by Queen Mary from the Crown Jewellers, Garrard & Co., according to the website of the Royal Collection Trust.

It contained three large diamonds -- the Koh-i-nur, Cullinan III and IV, (also known as the Lesser Stars of Africa) -- which were later replaced with quartz crystal replicas so that the jewels could be used in alternative settings, according to a description of the 'Queen Mary's Crown 1911' on the website.

Six months later, the royal couple arrived in India and attended a spectacular Delhi Durbar, where they were proclaimed Emperor and Empress of India.

The 1911 Durbar was historic for two reasons.

It was the only one attended by the Emperor himself and this was where the shifting of the imperial capital from Calcutta to Delhi was announced.

The five-week royal tour from December 1911 to January 1912 was the first time a reigning British monarch set foot on Indian soil.

King George V and Queen Mary sailed from Portsmouth on RMS Medina.

The Delhi Durbar, a ceremonial gathering which marked George V's succession as King Emperor of India, was held on December 12, 1911.

As it was against the law to remove any royal regalia from England, it was decided that a new crown would be created for the Delhi Durbar.

This was designed by Garrard, according to the website of the Royal Collection Trust.

For King George V, the Imperial Crown of India was commissioned while for Queen Mary, the Delhi Durbar tiara.

One of the Delhi Durbar official portraits in the Trust's archives shows King George V wearing ermine robes and the Imperial Crown of India and Queen Mary wearing the tiara mounted with the Cambridge emeralds and the Delhi Durbar necklace with the Cullinan VII pendant.

The Imperial Crown of India has a silver frame laminated with gold and is set with 6,100 diamonds as well as emeralds, sapphires and rubies, says the Trust's website, adding the Delhi Durbar tiara was originally surmounted by 10 large emeralds to match the suite of diamond and emerald jewellery.

The sprawling grounds where the 1911 coronation Durbar and the previous two editions were held, is today called the Coronation Park. An obelisk marks the site of the grand ceremony.

"Here on the 12th Day of December 1911 His Imperial Majesty King George V Emperor of India Accompanied by the Queen Empress in Solemn Durbar Announced in Person to the Governors Princes and Peoples of India His Coronation Celebrated in England on the 22nd of June 1911 And Received From Them Their Dutiful Homage and Allegiance," reads a plaque installed at the base of the obelisk.

An imposing marble statue of King George V which earlier stood in the India Gate canopy was removed in the 1960s and later dumped at the Coronation Park beside the statues of various British-era viceroys, following protests after India's Independence.
In an unsparing attack, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday accused his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of being a "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terror industry" after a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation witnessed a face-off between the two sides.

IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto prior to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Foreign Ministers' Conclave, in Goa, May 5, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

Jaishankar mounted the offensive against the visiting Pakistani foreign minister after Bhutto Zardari in his address at the SCO meeting in this beach resort contended that terrorism shouldn't be "weaponised for diplomatic point-scoring", in remarks seen as directed at India.

Hours later at a press conference, Jaishankar said Bhutto Zardari's statement on the weaponisation of terrorism unconsciously revealed a mindset.

"As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and a spokesperson of a terrorism industry, which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered including at the SCO meeting itself," Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar's counter-attack on Bhutto Zardari came on a day when there was outrage over the death of five Army soldiers in an encounter with terrorists in the Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

On Pakistan's tackling of terrorism, Jaishankar said the country's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves.

"Victims of terrorism do not sit together with the perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism," Jaishankar said when asked about the possibility of India and Pakistan working towards combating the menace.

"Victims of terrorism defend themselves to counter acts of terrorism. They call it out, they delegitimise it. And that is what is happening. To come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat. I mean they are committing acts of terrorism," he said.

In his address at the meeting of the SCO foreign ministers, Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terrorist activities must be blocked without any distinction and that terrorism in all its forms including cross-border terrorism must be stopped.

Chairing the conclave, Jaishankar also said that taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated, in another veiled reference to Pakistan.

"We must not allow anybody -- individual or State -- to hide behind non-State actors," Jaishankar said in the presence of Bhutto Zardari and his counterparts from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism," he added.

The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy.

"Please do not see it as anything more than that," he said

During his address, Bhutto Zardari referred to what he described as a "violation of international law", remarks which were seen as an apparent reference to Kashmir.

The SCO norms do not allow raking up bilateral issues and the two foreign ministers made the comments indirectly and did not name any country.

"Unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives," the Pakistani minister said.

While expressing Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism, Bhutto Zardari also appeared to take a swipe at India as he called for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring".

"We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors," he noted.

The Pakistan foreign minister also remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination at the hands of terrorists.

"When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," Bhutto Zardari said.

"I feel the pain of this loss, empathize with victims across the world in a way most can't. I and my country are firmly committed to being part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach," he added.

"It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he said.

At the press conference, replying to a question on the Rajouri incident, Jaishankar said he does not want to "jump the gun on what happened today."

"But we are all feeling equally outraged. Let's be very very clear on this. On this terrorism matter, I would say Pakistan's credibility is depleting even faster than its forex reserves," he said.

Jaishankar also trashed Pakistan's objection to holding a G-20 meeting in Srinagar and asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will"

always be part of India.

"There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when does Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir," he said.

On the abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, Jaishakar said, "it is history. Wake up and smell the coffee."

On the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

"This has been our long-standing position and nobody should have any doubt about it and I assure you that those who were in the room today have no doubt about it. I made sure of that," he said.

Slamming Bhutto Zardari for his "weaponisation of terrorism" remarks, Jaishankar said,'It is a very interesting statement because it unconsciously reveals a mindset. What does weaponising something mean?"

"It means that the activity is legitimate and somebody is weaponising it...somebody saying you are weaponising terrorism. That means they think terrorism is legitimate," Jaishankar said.

"We are countering terrorism. we are defending ourselves, we are calling it out, we are exposing it...we are not scoring diplomatic points. We are politically, diplomatically exposing Pakistan before the world," he said.

"As a victim of terrorism I am completely entitled to do so. That sentence spoke so much about the mindset of that country," he added.
The relations between India and China cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Friday.

IMAGE: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar holds talks with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, in in Benaulim, Goa, May 4, 2023. Photograph: Courtesy S Jaishankar/Twitter

His comments at a press conference came a day after his talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

"I think the issue is that there is an abnormal position in border areas," he said, adding "we had a frank discussion about it."

"We have to take the disengagement process forward," he further said.

Jaishankar and Qin held bilateral talks on Thursday on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

The meeting between the two foreign ministers was their second in the last two months. The Chinese foreign minister visited India in March to attend a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers.

During the talks, Jaishankar conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the state of India-China relations is "abnormal" because of the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.

Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the corps commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff in a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on "three mutuals" -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong lake and in the Gogra area.
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reiterated that the situation at the India-China border is generally stable and both sides should consolidate the present achievements and strictly abide by the relevant agreements while pushing for further cooling and easing of the conditions for sustainable peace and tranquillity at the frontier.

IMAGE: EAM Dr S Jaishankar during a bilateral talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on the sidelines of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting, in Goa, on Thursday. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo

In his talks with External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar at Benaulim in Goa on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) foreign ministers meeting on Thursday, Qin restated China's oft-repeated recent stance that the current situation on the China-India border is generally stable, in an apparent reference to the ongoing military standoff in Eastern Ladakh which brought the relations to standstill.

Qin said the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas, a press release on Qin-Jaishankar talks issued in Beijing on Friday said.

In a tweet after the talks, Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

"A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

Jaishankar said the discussions were also held on issues relating to the SCO, G20 and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

Qin maintained that China and India, as the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernisation.

He said we should draw lessons from history, approach the bilateral relations from a strategic and long-term perspective, respect, learn from and make achievements from each other, and embark on a new path of harmonious coexistence, peaceful development and common rejuvenation among major neighbours, so as to lend impetus to national rejuvenation and inject stability and positive energy into world peace and development

China is ready to work with India to carry out bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks, deepen coordination and cooperation on international and regional issues and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and stable development.

Qin Gang said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role for the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, the press release added.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements 'eroded' the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

The meeting on April 27 took place in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conclave of the SCO defence ministers.

Days ahead of the meeting between the two defence ministers, the Indian and Chinese armies held 18th round of talks on ending the border row.

In the Corps Commander talks on April 23, the two sides agreed to stay in close touch and work out a mutually acceptable solution to the remaining issues in eastern Ladakh at the earliest.

However, there was no indication of any clear forward movement in ending the three-year row.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades.

The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a standoff at a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks.

India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on 'three mutuals' -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

The eastern Ladakh border standoff erupted on May 5, 2020, following a violent clash in the Pangong Lake area.

As a result of a series of military and diplomatic talks, the two sides completed the disengagement process in 2021 on the north and south banks of the Pangong Lake and in the Gogra area.
The Gauhati high court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Youth Congress president BV Srinivas in a case by the expelled chief of Assam Youth Congress, Angkita Dutta in Guwahati accusing him of causing mental agony to her.

IMAGE: Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV. Photograph: ANI Photo

Justice Ajit Borthakur in his judgement said that the court is of the opinion that the case is not a fit one to grant the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petitioner and as such it stood rejected.

The judge returned the case diary and also disposed of the anticipatory bail application. Opposing the bail plea, public prosecutor M Phukan argued that the petitioner had filed two pre-arrest bail applications before the sessions court in Bengaluru and both were rejected after appreciating the materials of the case diary.

He submitted that the alleged offences were related to outraging the modesty of a woman and the privilege of pre-arrest bail may not be granted in favour of the petitioner.

KN Choudhury, the counsel for Srinivas, argued that the allegations levelled against the petitioner are 'completely false and mala fide" and that the case was been filed with an ulterior motive to malign his reputation. It was done also to "avoid any litigation for making defamatory statements by the informant on social media'.

He argued that all charges levelled against the YC president under various sections, barring those under Section 354 of the IPC are bailable in nature.

Section 354 relates to assault or use of criminal force on any woman with the intention of outraging their modesty.

Besides, the alleged offence occurred in Raipur in Chhattisgarh which is beyond the territorial jurisdiction of the Dispur police station, where the case was filed, Choudhury argued.

The judge after hearing both sides observed that the victim is aged 35 years and according to the order of the Kamrup (Metro) additional chief judicial magistrate he was satisfied that she had "deposed voluntarily and without being under any pressure or influence from any side'.

The magistrate had recorded her statement after giving her two hours for reflection.

The FIR appears to have been filed on April 20 after a preliminary inquiry and the investigation is at its nascent stage, he observed.

'For these reasons as well as consideration of the various pleas taken by the petitioner and the documents he filed, the Court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case to grant the privilege of pre-arrest bail to the petition', Justice Borthakur stated.

Srinivas in his petition filed in the HC in Guwahati on April 26 had appealed that the FIR filed by Dutta alleging 'mental harassment and physical manhandling' be quashed immediately.

The court after hearing both sides had posted the matter for further hearing on May 2. As Dutta's lawyer had said that his client had not received the petition, the court had fixed the next date of hearing on May 4. The judge announced his order on May 5.

Dutta in her complaint at Dispur police station alleged that Srinivas was 'persistently harassing and torturing her for the last six months by making sexist comments, using slang words and also threatening her of dire consequences" if she kept complaining against him to the senior party office bearers.

She had also claimed that Srinivas had heckled her, held her arm, pushed and pulled her and used slang words during the party's recent plenary session at Raipur. He had also threatened to ruin her career in the party if she complained against him.

Dutta had made allegations against the YC president in a series of tweets in the micro-blogging site Twitter on April 18.

A five-member Guwahati police team went to Bengaluru on April 23 and pasted a notice at Srinivas' residence directing him to appear at Dispur Police station by May 2.

The Congress issued show cause notice to her and later expelled her from the primary membership of the party for six years for anti-party activities.

Srinivas had also served a legal notice to Dutta demanding an apology, failing which he threatened to initiate legal proceedings.
The Imphal Valley in Manipur remained peaceful but tense on Friday, however intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were reported from the hill districts surrounding the valley.

IMAGE: Charred remains of a vehicle that was set ablaze after violence broke out during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' called by All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM), in Imphal, on Thursday, May 4, 2023. Photograph: PTI Photo

The exchanges of fire between militant groups, who have involved themselves in the ethnic clashes in the state, and security forces were reported at Kangvai in Churachandpur district, western hill range of Phougakchao in adjoining Bishnupur district and Dolaithabi and Pukhao in Imphal East district, a senior police officer said.

However, it was not immediately known whether there was any casualty on either side.

Over 6,000 soldiers from the Army and the Assam Rifles have been deployed in the state and more brought in by road from Nagaland and by air using C17 Globemaster and AN 32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force from Assam.



Officials said the Army's Sikh regiment is currently carrying out rescue operations in Langol in Imphal West district, shifting out over 500 people to safe shelters in the Leimakhong army camp.

The defence PRO, in a statement, said, 'The situation has been brought under control through coordinated actions by all stakeholders. The Indian Air Force (IAF) undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft.'

'Induction commenced on the night of May 4 and additional columns commenced domination with effect from wee hours of May 5. Domination & evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway,' it added.

Fifty-five columns of Army and Assam Rifles have been deployed and 14 more have been kept in reserve, defence officials said.

Violence first erupted in Torbung area in Churachandpur district during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The march was organised by tribals -- including Nagas and Kukis -- after the Manipur high court asked the state government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Metei community.

During the march in Torbung, an armed mob allegedly attacked people of the Meitei community, leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, which escalated the violence throughout the state, police said.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley.

Tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly the hill districts which surround the Valley.

Two shopping malls in New Checkon and Chingmeirong areas of Imphal city were vandalised and torched by an angry mob on Thursday evening.

People were not seen gathering in large numbers or venturing out of their houses in Imphal and other areas on Thursday night as patrolling was intensified on the streets, he said.

A tribal MLA, Vunzagin Valte, of Thanlon constituency was critically injured and was undergoing treatment at a hospital after he was assaulted by a mob on Thursday, the officer said.

Multiple sources said the fighting between communities had left more than a score of people dead and several scores more injured.

However, the police were unwilling to confirm this.

The violence between majority Meiteis and tribals over demand of the former for ST status has displaced over 9,000 people from both communities.

Many affected people are taking shelter in camps of security forces.

The Manipur government has given 'shoot at sight' orders to contain the violence and Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said the violence was a result of 'misunderstanding' in the society and that his administration was taking all measures to bring the situation under control.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has held meetings with top functionaries of Manipur and central governments through video conference to review the situation besides talking to Singh and his counterparts in Nagaland (Neiphiu Rio), Mizoram (Zoramthanga) and Assam (Himanta Biswa Sarma).
Mounting a fresh attack on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, it has nurtured, given shelter and surrendered before terror.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a public meeting for the Karnataka assembly elections, at the Municipal High School ground, Ballari, May 5, 2023. Photograph: ANI Photo

He said the movie The Kerala Story is said to be a work based on the terrorists' deceitful policies and conspiracies in just one state, and accused the Congress of indulging in backdoor political bargaining with people having terror inclinations.

"To make Karnataka number one state in the country, law and order is important. Karnataka remaining free from terror is equally important. BJP has always been harsh against terror. But whenever there is action against terror Congress will get a stomach ache," Modi said.

Addressing a public meeting here ahead of the May 10 assembly polls in the state, Modi said today the whole world is worried about the danger of terror and that India too has on several occasions suffered due to it. The country has lost a large number of innocent civilians due to terror attacks.

"Terrorism is anti-humanity, anti-human values and anti-development. I am surprised that for the sake of its vote bank, Congress has surrendered before terror. Can such a party protect Karnataka and its civilians in any way. Under the climate of terror, the industries here, the IT industry, farmers, and rich culture and heritage here will be destroyed, " he added.

Claiming that the Congress has lost courage to speak against terror, Modi alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, the party has nurtured and given shelter to terror.

"With changing times, the nature of terror is also changing. Whether smuggling or drug trade or communal frenzy, all are somehow connected to terror," he said.

Highlighting that in the last few years, another dangerous form of terror has emerged, Modi said, the sound of bomb and guns can at least be heard, but there won't be any sound to terror conspiracy.

Even courts have expressed worry on this nature of terror, he said. The film made on such a terror conspiracy, The Kerala Story, is under discussion. "It is said the film is based on the terrorists' deceitful policies and conspiracies in just one state," Modi said.

"Such a beautiful state of the country, where people are hardworking and talented. This Kerala Story film brings out terror conspiracies happening in that state," he said.

"It is unfortunate that Congress can be seen standing with this terror trend that is seeking to ruin the country. Congress is even indulging in backdoor political bargaining with people having terror inclinations. People of Karnataka should be cautious about Congress," the PM added.
Nationalist Congress Party president Sharad Pawar has sought more time to reconsider his decision to step down as party chief, senior NCP leader Praful Patel said on Friday.

IMAGE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar during a protest by party members demanding him to take back his decision of stepping down as the NCP president, in Mumbai on Thursday. Photograph: ANI Photo

Patel and senior party leaders met Pawar at his Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai after a committee formed to choose his successor rejected his decision to step down as NCP chief.

We requested (Sharad) Pawar saheb to consider the NCP committee's resolution (which rejected his decision of stepping down as party chief). He (Pawar) has asked for more time and will convey his decision, Patel said.

Earlier in the day, the committee set up to choose the new NCP chief rejected Pawar's decision to step down.

The committee has unanimously passed a resolution.

It unanimously rejects his decision to step down and urges him to continue as party president, Patel said after a meeting of the committee.

Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, after he announced on May 2 that he would be resigning as NCP chief.

We will meet Pawar saheb with this resolution and request him to reconsider his decision, Patel, who is also the vice president and convenor of the committee, told the media after the meeting.

Patel said the party and the country needs a leader like Pawar.

Pawar saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored, Patel said.

As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message I am with saheb demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision.

Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.

The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party.

Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.

The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.

According to party sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam spoke to Sule over phone to enquire about developments in the NCP following Tuesday's announcement.

While Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Congress have maintained the developments in the NCP will not affect the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the three parties, political observers said a lot would depend on what Ajit Pawar does after the Supreme Court verdict, likely in a couple of days, on petitions related to the toppling of the Thackeray government in June last year.
A key meeting of top Nationalist Congress Party leaders is going on at the party's south Mumbai office to choose its next president.

IMAGE: NCP patriarch Sharad Pawar with wife Pratibha Pawar after resigning from the post of party president, at YB Chawan Auditorium in Mumbai on Tuesday. Daughter and party leader Supriya Sule walks past from behind. Photograph: ANI Photo

As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message 'I am with saheb' demanded that NCP president Sharad Pawar reconsider his decision to step down as party chief.

A committee of senior NCP leaders, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, former Union minister Parful Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, began its meeting a few minutes before 11 am to decide on who will lead the party following their chief Sharad Pawar's decision to step down earlier this week.

Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.

The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party.

Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.

The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday greeted his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, China's Qin Gang and other foreign ministers with a namaste on their arrival at the venue of the India-hosted conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

IMAGE: External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar welcomes Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting, in Goa, on Friday. Photograph: Rahul Singh/ANI Photo

Though the two-day SCO Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting began at the Taj Exotica Resort in Benaulim on Thursday evening with a reception hosted by Jaishankar, the main deliberations took place on Friday.

The external affairs minister greeted each visiting foreign minister with a namaste and there was no handshake.

At Thursday evening's reception, Jaishankar shook hands with his Pakistani counterpart like he did with others, according to a few people who are part of Bhtutto-Zardari's entourage.

Bhutto-Zardari landed in Goa on Thursday, becoming the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years.

In 2011, Pakistan's then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India and held talks with her then counterpart S M Krishna.

India hosted the SCO foreign ministers' conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping.

The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest trans-regional international organisations.

The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017.

India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region.

India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
Sharad Pawar on Friday withdrew his decision to step down as Nationalist Congress Party president after mounting pressure from shocked party leaders and workers, three days after his announcement that had also put a question mark on opposition unity efforts ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

IMAGE: NCP president Sharad Pawar announces to the media that he was taking back his resignation as party chief, Mumbai, May 5, 2023. Photograph: ANI on Twitter

The U-turn by the 82-year-old Maratha strongman known for his deft political manoeuvring also came after leaders from various political parties across Maharashtra and the country requested him to continue as the party president, he said.

Sharad Pawar's nephew and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who was seen backing his uncle's decision to step down when he made the dramatic announcement on May 2, was conspicuous by his absence at the NCP supremo's press conference.

Ajit Pawar, who is eyeing a larger role within the NCP, later appeared to downplay his absence and came out with a statement that he welcomed his uncle's "positive decision", saying it will "energise" party workers including him and give "strength" to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and opposition unity.

Sharad Pawar, whose 63-year-long political career has been marked by twists and turns, said he could not disrespect the sentiments of his colleagues and party workers who insisted that he withdraw his decision.

I cannot disrespect their feelings. I am overwhelmed by the love, trust and faith showered on me. Considering the appeals made by all of you, and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party, I am withdrawing my decision to retire, he said hours after the NCP panel selected by him to pick his successor passed a resolution that he continue as the party chief.

Asked about Ajit Pawar's absence at Friday's press briefing, Sharad Pawar said, Not all people can be at all places, and asked media not to read too much in his nephew not being present.

Pawar, a key Congress ally, said his daughter and MP Supriya Sule declined to a suggestion by party leaders to become NCP working president.

Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil said all party leaders compelled Sharad Pawar to withdraw his decision, telling him that he must continue working for the country and the state. He also took to Twitter to appeal to the cadres to distribute sugar across the state.

Pawar's dramatic announcement on Tuesday had sent shockwaves among the party cadre. After pressure from party workers and leaders had mounted, he had said he would take two-three days to rethink his decision.

"I had given a slight hint about my resignation to Ajit (Pawar), but did not tell anyone else sitting here," he said on Friday.

Pawar also stressed that there has to be a "succession plan" for any post or responsibility in an organisation and that he will focus on making organisational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities and creating new leadership.

"I will also work vigorously for the growth of the organisation and take our ideology and goals of the party to the people."

"During the publication of my autobiography, I had announced my retirement from the NCP chief's post. After 63 years in public life, I wanted to be free from all responsibilities. However, my decision did not go down well with the people and a strong reaction was seen. NCP workers, office bearers, and people were unhappy. They asked me to reconsider my decision. They appealed to me for the same.

"Also, leaders from various political parties across the state and the country requested me to continue as the president of the party," Pawar said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK supremo M K Stalin on Friday appealed to Pawar to reconsider his decision. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is also reported to have spoken to Sule after Pawar had said he was stepping down.

The NCP chief said that although he will continue with his responsibilities, his primary focus now would be creating a new leadership and handing over new responsibilities to them.

On his role ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pawar, one of the tallest Opposition leaders in the country who could help stitch an alliance to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party, said, "Bringing all parties together is important when it comes to the elections."

"I enjoy personal relations with many who said that I was required for this. They include Rahul Gandhi, Sitaram Yechury and many more.

The rumours about some of our MLAs joining the BJP are completely false, Pawar said.

The NCP panel met earlier in the day after which party leaders rejected Sharad Pawar's resignation.

Pawar expressed his desire to step down as president of the party. We unanimously reject the resignation. We have passed a resolution that we will request him to carry on as party president, NCP vice president Praful Patel told reporters before leaving for Sharad Pawar's residence to brief him about the resolution.

Patel said the party and the country needs a leader like Pawar.

Pawar saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored."

On the absence of Ajit Pawar from the press conference, Jayant Patil said, Ajit Pawar was there to urge him to withdraw the resignation. He was there even when we visited Pawar Sahab's residence after the decision was taken at the party office.

As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message I am with saheb demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision.

The four-day long resignation drama followed recent media reports of a section of NCP MLAs planning to leave the party with Ajit Pawar to join the BJP, after which Pawar junior had said he will never leave the party.

A four-time Maharashtra chief minister who also served as Union Defence and Agriculture minister, Pawar was instrumental in forging the unlikely coalition of the NCP, Congress and their ideological foe Shiv Sena to form the MVA government in Maharashtra with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister after the 2019 assembly elections.
President Droupadi Murmu came home to Rairangpur in Odisha nearly a year after her election as India's First Citizen.

IMAGE: President Droupadi Murmu receives a warm welcome in Rairangpur. All photographs: Rashtrapati Bhavan

At a civic reception hosted in her honour by the Rairangpur Municipality, the President said she often thinks of her village, adding that her family members, neighbours and villagers are always in her heart.

Recalling her journey, the President said right from childhood, she had the urge to learn a lot. Though her father was not affluent, he wanted her to pursue higher studies.

There were no resources at home, but there was will power and when there is will power, the way is automatically paved, the President asserted.

Ater joining the Sri Aurobindo integral school at Rairangpur as an honorary teacher, the President said she learnt a lot about Sri Aurobindo and he became a source of inspiration for her.

She fondly remembered Atal Bihari Vajpayee and referred to his famous poem in which he beseeched God that he would not like to attain so much that he could not embrace his own people.

IMAGE: Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, President Murmu and Union Minister of State Bishweswar Tudu.

Whatever she is today, it is because of Rairangpur, the President said.

She may or may not bring repute to the place, she added, but she will never bring disrepute to Rairangpur.

As the vice chairperson of the Rairangpur Municipality, the President recalled she was given the responsibility to look after the cleanliness of Rairangpur.

Although there was no Swachh Bharat Abhiyan then, she said she worked for the cleanliness of Rairangpur.

Earlier in the day, the President inaugurated a 100 feet flag mast hoisting the National Flag near Badabandha, Rairangpur.

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com
Three mentees pay homage to Sherna Gandhy, the legendary journalist and editor who passed into the ages on April 28 after a long battle with cancer.

IMAGE: Sherna Gandhy was a lodestar for generations of young journalists.

Meher Marfatia

She was godmother, guiding light, lode star. Just what a 21-year-old rookie writer like me could do with when I joined the venerated The Illustrated Weekly of India in 1985.

Subbing to perfection was hardly the sole skill Sherna Gandhy groomed hundreds of team members for, respecting her rigour of work in a dozen publications over five decades dedicated to print journalism.

A quiet powerhouse, incredibly understated considering the professional star she was, her intelligence, compassion, warmth and wit (often acerbic, always fair, never unkind) taught us much about life itself.

How to conduct oneself with utmost honesty, practicality, courage and compassion.

Leading by example, she showed the importance of picking battles. The wisdom to gauge when to brush off the inconsequential with a smile or shrug, think when to take up cudgels for a cause worth the purpose and passion.

I fully value this today -- navigating through situations rather than just railing against them.

Also, how to differ and argue justly, so that even the toughest nut to crack can end up respecting you, a quality admired by all the editors she took on.

Ten years my senior, perceptive and sharp, the no-nonsense and sensible soul she was, made her absolutely the best kind of confidante, offering ultimately sensible advice on matters both personal and journalistic.

She loved my parents, in-laws and children every bit as much as I do her family.

IMAGE: Meher Marfatia, left, with Sherna Gandhy.

As I shared with her cousin, when I would wish Sherna on her April 16th birthday each year and told her how much of my life she impacted, she'd grin, saying with typical self-deprecation: "Oho, now enough Meher. I fear getting a swollen head and that's the last thing anyone should have!" Too true.

In a world invaded by shrill hyperbole and chest-thumping megalomania, she shone a muted light, visibly bright only to those lucky enough to have spent time with her. She refined the word 'low-key'.

And how she raged against the dying of the light -- combating cancer for eight years uncomplainingly, matter-of-factly, worrying for her family alone.

As I consoled some grieving colleagues, she'd scold us for moping, not carrying on joyfully with our lives.

We need to recount the good times shared together. Try to honour her brilliant legacy by continuing to write and edit following the exacting standards she set, which stand us in good stead.

Among all the abundance to offer gratitude for, I am deeply thankful for the privilege of knowing my beautiful, brave friend now gone gently in the good night.

***

IMAGE: Sherna Gandhy, centre, flanked by Meher Marfatia, left, and Payal Singh Mohanka, right; Standing: Minnie Vaid.

Minnie Vaid

There is no one in the Universe whose opinion I valued more than Sherna Gandhy's -- on both professional matters and personal decisions.

Last week all of that ended with the untimely death of my mentor, my friend, my trusted critic for 40 years.

A journalist/editor par excellence, who always called a spade a spade, never minced her (sometimes acerbic) words and a friend who stood by you forever if you were lucky enough to matter to her.

I was one of the lucky ones -- taught by her how to deliver flawlessly 'clean' copy at the Illustrated Weekly of India when I was a callow cub reporter/sub-editor in the early 1980s.

In fact, she made grammar Nazis of us all, for the rest of our lives. We'd gleefully point out errors made by subsequent editors and publishers and silently thank her for it.

Three decades later, it was Sherna who steered my new career of writing non-fiction books with meticulous guidance and feedback, chapter by chapter of my first book on Dr Binayak Sen.

If I went overboard or veered off-track, she'd point it out in a trice, with detailed track changes in red -- I waited for these reverts with equal parts anticipation and jittery nerves.

If she liked bits in a chapter, it made my day, if she didn't, I'd get upset and get a scolding, "You know you don't have to take my feedback as gospel truth, don't you? Make your own decisions about what to keep and what to discard."

It is worth noting that the biggest criticism my first book faced (in public reviews no less) was exactly what Sherna had pointed out a year ago and what I had chosen to discard -- that the central character had elements of hero-worship.

Every book, every film had to pass the 'Sherna test' for me, she was generous with her time and attention, taking her responsibility as mentor seriously, decades after she quit being my boss and became an equally generous friend, showing up for film screenings and book launches even when she was battling serious health issues.

And it is this, far more than her professional skills, that I admire the most in my friend-- Sherna's incredible stoicism and uncomplaining courage in the last eight years of her battle with cancer.

In the many visits to her home and telephone calls that I exchanged with her, she never once said she was in pain or even mention the silent suffering she endured daily.

She'd answer, "Getting there" to my usual query of "Are you feeling better Sherna?"

IMAGE: As we noted on the day of her passing, 'For many who learnt the basics of good editing from her and struggle to reach the high standards she kept and expected of her wards, it's a silent tribute to her every time a copy is opened for editing.'

She preferred talking about current topics of interest, the state of the nation, the far-reaching impact of the political polarisation post 2014 on personal relationships, the pressing need for a push-back by each one of us instead of whining about how bad things were getting today.

The last visit of the Weekly gang to her home in the last week of December 2022 was precious and full of reminiscences and banter, prompting me to message her that I would visit her much more often, once a week if possible. Her immediate blunt reply -- "Once a week not necessary, once a month will do"!

Today I can clearly hear her voice admonishing me with her very own mix of affection-laced, straight talk -- "You're telling me you've been crying for three days? Just stop it at once. Get back to work."

I will Sherna, just as soon as I can figure out how to survive in a world without you.

***

IMAGE: Sherna Gandhy, left, with Ammu Joseph, centre, and Meher Marfatia.

Payal Singh Mohanka

Sherna Gandhy leaves behind a collage of memories. She was the perfect boss who could sternly tick you off if you faltered or swamp with praise if deserved.

But most important was her gentle, loving, presence as she sat next to me at the Illustrated Weekly office in Mumbai.

I remember a day in 1987 when I went up to Sherna and said I had finished my pages, I needed to step out for lunch and may get a little late returning as I had some "personal matter" to attend to.

"Sure," said Sherna as she put the pages aside, leaned back, crossed her arms and with barely concealed amusement she said, "And what if I may ask, is this personal matter you have to attend to?"

When I very awkwardly told her I had received a proposal for marriage the previous evening and I had to meet the individual at the Bombay Gym, just behind our office, Sherna's face broke into a big smile, my awkwardness melted away as she said, "Of course, you must go!"

Over the years my husband Manoj too became a friend of Sherna's. And even after I moved to Kolkata, we remained in touch.

Years later when my publisher asked me to suggest an editor for my book, my first thought was Sherna and to my delight, she agreed. She was the best editor I knew.

IMAGE: Ammu Joseph, left, Meher Marfatia, Sherna Gandhy, S G Vasudev.

Last December I made a short trip to Bombay with the sole objective of spending time with Sherna.

A common friend had suggested I come and meet our dearest friend and former colleague while she was her usual cheerful self, even as she courageously combated cancer.

I am so glad I was able to meet her each day of my three-day trip to Mumbai.

We were transported back in time as the 'Weekly ladies' reminisced and enjoyed the hospitality of the Gandhy home.

Will always cherish memories of her warm presence, our animated conversations and her full-throated laughter. She hugely touched many lives including mine.

May God take special care of an exceptional human being!

All Photographs: Kind courtesy Meher Marfatia
The 2022 St. Michael's Episcopal Church tag sale brought in approximately $9,800 to help local refugee and asylum-seeker resettlement efforts. This year's tag sale will be held on Saturday, from 8:30 to 2 p.m. on the church lawn and in the Undercroft. Proceeds benefit the Groundworks Collaborative and the Windham County Heat Fund.
On April 26, 2021, Vermont Bread Co. in Brattleboro, Superior Bakery in North Grosvenordale, Conn., and Koffee Kup Bakery in Burlington have ceased operations. Suits related to the closure are winding their way through the courts.
Jason Herron raises his hand to ask a question during the Guilford Town Meeting on March 7, 2023.
You are the owner of this article.
Jack Bell is the general manager of Long View Forest, Inc. in Westminster and Hartland. Paul Lang is the product support for the company and Allen Fortier is service manager. The opinions expressed by columnists do not necessarily reflect the views of Vermont News & Media.
Photographer / Multimedia Editor

Has been working as a photojournalist since 2007, before moving into newspapers, he worked with an NGO called Project HOPE. He then went to work for the Press and Sun-Bulletin in New York, and then in New England working for the Brattleboro Reformer.
HARTFORD  A Windsor man and his former girlfriend allowed two relatives to slowly bleed to death while begging for their lives, according to statements from the victims' family read in court.

The pair were sentenced this week for their roles in the stabbing deaths of Marianne Marci Dzurenka, 55, and her mother, Sandra Marci, 78, on May 11, 2020.

Charles "CJ" Dzurenka Jr., 20, was sentenced in state Superior Court in Hartford to 48 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty to murder and assault charges in February in the plot that killed his stepmother and stepgrandmother. His father, Charles Dzurenka, was seriously injured in the attack, police said.

Makenzie Bezio of Torrington, also 20, was sentenced to 10 years behind bars after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit murder. The person who carried out the hourslong killings, Terry T. Brown Jr., pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 58 years in prison.

Marianne Dzurenka had done all she could for her troubled stepson, taking him to appointments, making sure he had what he needed for school and driving him to and from his first job because she didn't think public transportation was safe for him, according to statements read in court by the victims' family's attorney, Jacqelline Reardon.

"For all their kindness and a lifetime of family devotion, they were brutally stabbed to death in their own home, stabbed over 20 times over a 5 1/2-hour-long period of time; attacked, bleeding out and scared, begging for their lives," the family wrote in their statement.

Dzurenka Jr. told police that his stepmother constantly berated him, and his father backed her up, according to an arrest warrant.

"I felt that if they all died, my life would get better," he told police, according to the warrant.

So he connected with his friend, Terry Brown, who agreed to kill the parents, taking whatever he found in the house as payment, police said.

Dzurenka Jr., then 17 years old, left his family home on Clover Street with Bezio, and Brown broke in, according to the warrant.

Brown first attacked the elder Dzurenka, stabbing him in the head, police said. Brown then stabbed the two women and sent a SnapChat message to the younger Dzurenka from the house: "Dying slowly," according to police.

The elder Dzurenka was still breathing normally, Brown messaged his friend, and Dzurenka Jr. told Brown he should spare his life to give him a chance to be a better father, according to the warrant.

The victims' family addressed Bezio in a separate statement, saying she knew about the murderous plot, but did nothing to stop it.

"All of the kindness they showed you, was met with tragedy," the family wrote. "I hope you reflect back on this for the rest of your life and know that these generous, innocent, defenseless, trusting women did not deserve what you did to them. They had so much more life left to live before this senseless and horrific attack."

The family said both Bezio and Dzurenka Jr., should serve their full sentences.

To Dzurenka Jr., whom they knew as CJ, the family wrote, "You sat in the home they welcomed you into with open arms, letting them care for you day in, day out for years, all the while plotting to kill them in the most horrific way you could think of.

"They gave you everything they had to give and in return you had them murdered in such a monstrous way. I hope you reflect back on this for the rest of your life and know that these generous women, who just wanted the best for you, who took you in and loved you, did not deserve what you did to them."
NEW BRITAIN  A Stratford man found dead near a local fire station on Thursday was facing charges in connection with a house blaze in Litchfield County last week, officials said.

Ronald Nelson's body was spotted on a patch of grass on Stanley Street just a few hundred feet from New Britain fire station 5 early Thursday morning, city officials said.

No obvious signs of trauma were visible, according to city spokesperson Rachel Zaniewski.

Police are still investigating how he wound up at the location, which abuts a highway and is across from a union building.

The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not determined a cause or manner death after an autopsy Friday morning, officials said. His cause of death is listed as "pending further studies," which could include the results of toxicology tests that take about six to eight weeks.

Less than two weeks ago, Nelson, 25, was charged by Connecticut State Police with two counts of interfering with an officer and second-degree criminal trespass after they said he was found at a fire that destroyed a Wildcat Hill Road home in Harwinton on April 25.

Troopers were called to the scene of the fire about 8 a.m. that morning and determined Nelson "trespassed and interfered with troopers while they were conducting the investigation," state police said.

Nelson was held overnight on $10,000 bond and arraigned the next day in state Superior Court in Torrington. He had been released after his court date.

The house was heavily damaged in the blaze and left uninhabitable, according to fire officials. Five displaced residents  a family consisting of two adults and three children  are receiving assistance from the American Red Cross, the nonprofit organization reported.

"The cause of the fire has not yet been determined," state police said in the news release for Nelson's arrest. The agency said the Harwinton Fire Marshal's Office is investigating with the help of the Connecticut State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit.

Staff writers Peter Yankowski and Caroline Tien contributed to this story.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  An anthropology professor at the University of California, Berkeley, whose identity as Native American had been questioned for years apologized this week for falsely identifying as Indigenous, saying she is a white person" who lived an identity based on family lore.

Elizabeth Hoover, associate professor of environmental science, policy and management, said in an apology posted Monday on her website that she claimed an identity as a woman of Mohawk and Mikmaq descent but never confirmed that identity with those communities or researched her ancestry until recently.

I caused harm, Hoover wrote. I hurt Native people who have been my friends, colleagues, students, and family, both directly through fractured trust and through activating historical harms. This hurt has also interrupted student and faculty life and careers. I acknowledge that I could have prevented all of this hurt by investigating and confirming my family stories sooner. For this, I am deeply sorry.

Hoovers alleged Indigenous roots came into question in 2021 after her name appeared on an Alleged Pretendian List." The list compiled by Jacqueline Keeler, a Native American writer and activist, includes more than 200 names of people Keeler says are falsely claiming Native heritage.

Hoover first addressed doubts about her ethnic identity last year when she said in an October post on her website that she had conducted genealogical research and found no records of tribal citizenship for any of my family members in the tribal databases that were accessed.

Her statement caused an uproar, and some of her former students authored a letter in November demanding her resignation. The letter was signed by hundreds of students and scholars from UC Berkeley and other universities along with members of Native American communities. It also called for her to apologize, stop identifying as Indigenous and acknowledge she had caused harm, among other demands.

As scholars embedded in the kinship networks of our communities, we find Hoovers repeated attempts to differentiate herself from settlers with similar stories and her claims of having lived experience as an Indigenous person by dancing at powwows absolutely appalling, the letter reads.

Janet Gilmore, a UC Berkeley spokesperson, said in a statement she couldnt comment on whether Hoover faces disciplinary action, saying discussing it would violate personnel matters and/or violate privacy rights, both of which are protected by law.

However, we are aware of and support ongoing efforts to achieve restorative justice in a way that acknowledges and addresses the extent to which this matter has caused harm and upset among members of our community, Gilmore added.

Hoover is the latest person to apologize for falsely claiming a racial or ethnic identity.

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren angered many Native Americans during her presidential campaign in 2018 when she used the results of a DNA test to try and rebut the ridicule of then-President Donald Trump, who had derisively referred to her as fake Pocahontas.

Despite the DNA results, which showed some evidence of a Native American in Warrens lineage, probably six to 10 generations ago, Warren is not a member of any tribe, and DNA tests are not typically used as evidence to determine tribal citizenship.

Warren later offered a public apology at a forum on Native American issues, saying she was sorry for the harm I have caused.

In 2015, Rachel Dolezal was fired as head of the Spokane, Washington, chapter of the NAACP and was kicked off a police ombudsman commission after her parent told local media their daughter was born white but was presenting herself as Black. She also lost her job teaching African studies at Eastern Washington University in nearby Cheney.

Hoover said her identity was challenged after she began her first assistant professor job. She began teaching at UC Berkeley in the Fall of 2020.

At the time, I interpreted inquiries into the validity of my Native identity as petty jealousy or people just looking to interfere in my life, she wrote.

Hoover said that she grew up in rural upstate New York thinking she was someone of mixed Mohawk, Mikmaq, French, English, Irish and German descent, and attending food summits and powwows. Her mother shared stories about her grandmother being a Mohawk woman who married an abusive French-Canadian man and who committed suicide, leaving her children behind to be raised by someone else.

She said she would no longer identify as Indigenous but would continue to help with food sovereignty and environmental justice movements in Native communities that ask her for her support.

In her apology issued Monday, Hoover acknowledged she benefited from programs and funding that were geared toward Native scholars and said she is committed to engaging in the restorative justice process taking place on campus, as well as supporting restorative justice processes in other circles I have been involved with, where my participation is invited.
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NEW BRITAIN  Local police have identified a person found dead near a local fire station as a man in his 20s.

City spokesperson Rachel Zaniewski identified the deceased as Ronald Nelson, 25, of Stratford. His next of kin have been notified, Zaniewski said.

Police were called to the scene near Station 5, a fire house on Stanley Street, for a "person laying in the grass" Thursday morning, Zaniewski said in a previous statement.

"After arriving, it was discovered that the individual was deceased," she said.

The body was found some distance from the station across the street from a labor union building. No obvious signs of trauma were visible, Zaniewski said.

Workers nearby said police were already at the scene when the first of them arrived around 7 a.m. Three neighbors in the area said police arrived early in the morning.

The body was transported to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Farmington, according to Zanieweski. An OCME employee said an autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning.

Zaniewski said police have an "active investigation" into the incident.

Clarification: The headline and story have been updated to reflect the body was found near the firehouse.

Staff Writer Lisa Backus contributed reporting.
STAMFORD  A man was arrested after he threatened hospital staff at knifepoint Wednesday, police said.

Officers were called to Stamford Hospital around 9:35 p.m. for the incident. Police said they isolated the man, identified as 56-year-old Candido Jerez, in a room where police talked to him about surrendering the knife. At one point, an officer used a Taser to incapacitate the man so they could disarm him, Assistant Police Chief Richard Conklin said.

Were very happy that nobody got hurt, Conklin added.

Jerez, who Conklin said does not have a residence, was arrested earlier in the day by Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police on a larceny charge.

He was acting in a manner that concerned them, so they brought him to the hospital where he was released on an appearance ticket, Conklin said. While he was there being evaluated, he accessed this knife and threatened emergency room personnel.

Conklin was unsure how Jerez got ahold of the weapon, but said police are looking into it.

At police headquarters, Jerez spat on an officer attempting to process him, according to Conklin.

Jerez was charged with second-degree threatening, carrying a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer, interfering with police and breach of peace. He is being held on a $75,000 bond and is next scheduled to appear in state Superior Court in Stamford on July 19.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is dispatching one his top advisers to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the oil-rich kingdom, later this week.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi officials and will also meet with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and India during his visit.

Sullivan said he would discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf, as well as the United States and the rest of the region. India and UAE last year signed a comprehensive economic partnership aimed at improving ties between the two countries.

Sullivan is expected to meet with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initial MBS, during the visit, according to a person familiar with Sullivan's travel plans who was not authorized to publicly discuss that element of them.

Sullivan spoke by phone with MBS last month amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making remarkable progress toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict.

He said the Yemen war will be a significant topic of conversation during his upcoming Saudi visit.

Sullivan's planned visit is the latest sign of warming relations between the kingdom and the Biden administration that have been strained by Bidens criticism of Saudi Arabia's human rights record and oil policies.

Last October, after the OPEC+ alliance cut oil production, Biden said there would be consequences for the kingdom, which is a leading member. The administration saw the oil production cut  which boosted oil prices  as softening the financial blow on another OPEC+ member, Russia, caused by U.S. and Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Sullivan spoke of his plans during wide-ranging remarks on the Biden administrations Middle East policy at an event hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP)  The Iowa Legislature adjourned Thursday after approving most of the Republican majority's priorities, including using public money for private school tuition, banning gender-affirming care for transgender children, removing some books from school libraries and reorganizing state government in a way that gives the governor more power over top administrators.

Both chambers adjourned after approving an $8.5 billion budget. Earlier in the week, Republicans who hold large majorities in both chambers pushed through a $100 million property tax cut that Gov. Kim Reynolds planned to sign Thursday.

Earlier in the session, Republicans approved the bill allowing public money for private school tuition, making Iowa among a handful of states that allows such spending with few restrictions.

Democrats and educators had argued the bill to create education savings accounts would result in reduced funding for public schools, but Reynolds had pushed hard for the change. The governor argued it would make private schools available for everyone, rather than only those who could afford the extra costs.

For the first time, we will fund students instead of a system, a decisive step in ensuring that every child in Iowa can receive the best education possible, Reynolds said in a statement when she signed the bill into law.

The measure is expected to cost $345 million annually in its fourth year, after it is fully implemented, according to a nonpartisan legislative analysis.

Under the bill Reynolds signed into law banning gender-affirming care for those younger than 18, doctors will have to stop prescribing puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones. That bill will also bar transgender students from using public school restrooms that align with their gender identity.

Another bill approved by lawmakers and awaiting Reynolds' signature would require books with descriptions or visual depictions of a sex act to be removed from school libraries or classrooms. Exceptions would include the Bible and other religious texts.

The bill also would ban instruction about gender identity or sexual orientation in kindergarten through sixth grade, and require schools to notify parents if a child requests to use a different pronoun.

The government reorganization bill signed into law by Reynolds reduces the number of cabinet-level agencies from 37 to 16. It allows the governor to appoint more administrators, rather than leaving that to state boards, and will make it easier for her to pay them higher salaries.

Reynolds said the changes will result in a more efficient, less costly state government.
WARSAW, Poland (AP)  The Polish Foreign Ministry summoned the Russian ambassador in protest Friday after a former Russian official suggested that it would be acceptable to assassinate Poland's ambassador to Russia.

Pavel Astakhov, Russia's childrens ombudsman from 2009 to 2016, spoke on a television program hosted by Russian propagandist Vladimir Solovyov. He was being interviewed after Polish authorities took over a school building in Warsaw on Saturday that was serving the children of Russian diplomats and the military.

Astakhov argued that murdering an ambassador in retaliation for unfriendly actions ... is within the framework of international law," adding: I was taught this well at the KGB school at the counterintelligence faculty."

That school takeover was the latest of several incidents which have added to tensions between Russia and Poland, an ally of Kyiv which has been supplying Ukraine's military with weapons.

In the interview with Solovyov, Astakhov referred to Poland's seizure of other properties, its freezing of Russian bank accounts, and an incident last year in which an activist in Warsaw doused the Russian ambassador to Poland, Sergey Andreev, with a red liquid. Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau at the time strongly condemned that incident, calling it highly deplorable.

Astakhov said when Andreev was doused with the liquid, he waited to see will they find Polands ambassador floating in the Moskva River?

Poland's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had summoned Andreev and handed him a protest note about Astakhov's statement calling for the murder of the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to Moscow.

The Polish side protested firmly against this situation and urged that criminal proceedings be instituted immediately and the perpetrator be punished without delay, spokesman Lukasz Jasina said.

Poland's ambassador to Russia is Krzysztof Krajewski, who has had extra security protection since May 2022, Jasina said.

Poland has been the target of a series of incendiary statements recently by Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who is now the deputy secretary of Russias Security Council chaired by President Vladimir Putin.

In a tweet that was briefly removed by Twitter, Medvedev said Saturday that he saw no point in maintaining diplomatic ties with Poland, and added: This state must not exist for us while there is no one but Russophobes in power and Ukraine is full of Polish mercenaries, who should be ruthlessly exterminated like stinky rats.

A Polish anti-hate organization, Never Again, has been monitoring Medvedev's comments and working with some other groups to get Twitter to take them down, with mixed success. A previous tweet last month referring to Poles with the derogatory term Polacks and false accusations that Poland seeks to take parts of Ukraine was removed in Poland and some other countries upon the group's complaint.

Rafal Pankowski, the head of the organization, said that he considers some of Medvedev's language to be genocidal and worries that his comments, which are written in English for a global audience, could shift perceptions of the war in Russia's favor.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Friday expressed outrage over the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district in which five jawans were martyred while speaking at a press conference following the SCO Foreign Ministers' meet in Goa. Asked a question about Pakistan being behind the terror attack, Jaishankar said, "I don't want to jump the gun on what happened today but we are all feeling equally outraged. On this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistan's credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves." Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto was among the attendees at the conference.

On the possibility of bilateral talks with Pakistan, Jaishankar said Bilawal Bhutto had come to India as a foreign minister of an SCO member state. "That is part of multilateral diplomacy. Dont see it as anything more than that. I think that nothing from what he said or what I heard he said deserves for this to be treated more than thatAs a promoter, justifier and I am sorry to say, spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered, including at the SCO meeting."

"Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here and preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat, EAM Jaishankar said further.

What happened in Rajouri?

Five Army personnel lost their lives due to an explosion triggered by terrorists in the Kandi area of Jammu and Kashmirs Rajouri on Friday. The operation was initiated following inputs about the presence of a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an Army truck in Bhata Dhurian of Poonch district last month, in which five security personnel were killed. On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on May 3. Around 7.30 am on Friday, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave.

As per officials, additional troops of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Army were inducted into the area to put it in tight cordon so that terrorists do not escape the spot. The terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. The slain soldiers were Lance Naik Ruchin Singh Rawat from Gairsain in Uttarakhand, Paratrooper Siddhant Chettri from Darjeeling in West Bengal, Naik Arvind Kumar from Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, Havildar Neelam Singh from Jammu and Paratrooper Pramod Negi from Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies)
External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Friday called out his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of the 'terrorism industry' at a press conference following the SCO Foreign Affairs meeting in Goa. "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with its perpetrators to discuss terrorism," the External Affairs Minister said. "As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Mr Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a 'terrorism industry' which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and were countered including at the SCO meeting itself," Jaishankar said in a press conference.

"Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. Victims of terrorism defend themselves and counter the acts of terrorism. They call it out. They delegitimise it. That is exactly what is happening. To come here and preach hypocritical boasts as we are on the same boat," the EAM said.

EAM's take on Pakistan

The EAM said Pakistan's credibility has been depleting faster than even its reserves on the matter of terrorism."They are committing acts of terrorism. I don't want to jump the gun on what happened today but we are all feeling equally outraged. On this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistan's credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves. He came here as a member of an SCO member state that is part of multilateral diplomacy. It is not meant and treated more than that," he said.

He also said that Jammu and Kashmir is an integral part of India and G20 meetings will take place in the union territory despite opposition from the neighbouring country.

"Jammu and Kashmir was, is, and will be a part of India. The G20 meetings are held in all Indian unions and territories. So it is completely natural that it is held there," Jaishankar said,

On the China-Pakistan economic corridor, Jaishankar said, "It was made clear not once but twice that connectivity is good for progress but it cannot violate territorial integrity and sovereignty of the states. This has been our long-standing position."
Omer Easa is watching the violence roiling his native Sudan with deep trepidation. The further Sudan sinks into chaos and violence, he fears, the longer he is likely to remain an unrecognized asylum-seeker in Israel, where he has few protections.

Backers of migrants like Easa say their rights will likely come under greater threat if Israels government, its most right-wing ever, moves ahead on a contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

The plan, if it passes in its original form, could lead to legal measures that would embitter the everyday lives of the migrants and, critics say, make their stay in Israel intolerable.

My heart is there. My head is there. It is just that my body is here, said Easa, 31, who said he fled the war-torn region of Darfur in 2012 over concerns for his life. We live here often thanks to the graces of the Supreme Court.

Proponents of the legal overhaul say the migrants are the main reason the plan must move ahead.

African migrants, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, began arriving in Israel in 2005 through its porous border with Egypt.

Israel initially turned a blind eye to their influx and many took up menial jobs in hotels and restaurants. But as their numbers swelled to a high of about 60,000, there was a backlash, with growing calls to expel the new arrivals. After years of attempts to push them out, they now number about 25,000, according to the Israeli Interior Ministry.

Easa is one of the thousands of Sudanese migrants in Israel who live a precarious existence. Israel recognizes very few as asylum seekers, seeing them overwhelmingly as economic migrants and says it has no legal obligation to keep them. Talk of repatriating them emerged when Israel and Sudan signed a normalization agreement in 2020, but the turmoil there has slowed progress on the deal.

Violence in Sudan between forces loyal to two warring generals erupted last month, pushing the nation to the brink of collapse. The fighting, which began as Sudan was expected to start transitioning from last year's military coup to civilian rule, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions, and looters.

With Sudan's cellphone network all but dead, Easa and others in Israel have struggled to reach their loved ones.

Israel's African migrants say they are asylum-seekers who fled for their lives and face danger if they return. Those from Sudan see the renewed conflict at home as another reminder of why they cannot go back and why their status should be settled, especially at a time of uncertainty over the future of Israels judicial system.

Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk. Critics accuse the government instead of trying to coerce them into leaving.

Israel has used various tactics that have made their lives more difficult, from detaining them in remote desert prisons to holding part of their wages and making the money available to them only after they agree to leave the country. It has left thousands of asylum requests open and offered cash payments to those who agreed to move to a third country, somewhere in Africa.

Israel also has built a barrier along the border with Egypt to stop the influx and agreed with the United Nations to resettle thousands of migrants in Western countries while allowing thousands of others to remain in Israel. That deal, however, was quickly scrapped under pressure from anti-migrant activists and hard-line legislators.

The Supreme Court has also blocked some of those efforts, striking down some anti-migrant laws deemed unconstitutional, including those dealing with their detention and their salaries. Those rulings have made the migrant issue a rallying cry for supporters of the legal overhaul, who say the court has overstepped in its rulings.

In March, before he paused the overhaul under intense pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the migrant issue as an example in which the court intervened unjustly.

The overhaul plan would weaken the Supreme Court and limit judicial oversight over government decisions. If it moves ahead in its proposed form, the government could re-legislate laws the court invalidated or enact new ones and override any future court decisions on them.

Migrants will face "a much greater risk" if the plan goes through, said Sigal Rozen, public policy director for the Hotline for Migrant Workers, a rights group.

A weakened Supreme Court would not be able to stand in the way of a proposed law planned by an ultranationalist coalition member who seeks to incarcerate migrants indefinitely, withhold part of their salary and restrict their movement within Israel, she said.

The migrants presence has long divided the country. Their supporters say Israel, a country founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust and built up by Jewish refugees, should welcome those seeking asylum.

Opponents claim the migrants have brought crime to the low-income southern Tel Aviv neighborhoods where they have settled. Some Israeli politicians have labeled them infiltrators, with one calling them a cancer threatening the countrys Jewish character.

Proponents of the legal changes say the Supreme Court is oblivious to the problems posed by the migrants presence.

It's not the role of the court to decide our immigration policies, said Sheffi Paz, a prominent anti-migrant activist. That's what we elect our lawmakers to do.

The fighting in Sudan hasn't softened her opposition, she said.

Since fleeing Sudan, Easa, the migrant, has had a tough existence in Israel. He was shot at by Egyptian forces as he tried to cross into Israel, was detained in an Israeli prison, and now ekes out a living as a deliveryman.

All the while he has been hoping that Israel might one day recognise him as an asylum seeker with proper rights and an insurance policy against deportation.

I hope they will ... let people live with dignity," he said, speaking in fluent Hebrew. "And we hope there will be peace.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the United States of attempting to interfere in Afghanistan's affairs again while talking to the media on the sidelines of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on Friday. Lavrov claimed that the US-support terrorist groups were still present in Afghanistan and were opposed to the Taliban. Lavrov expressed the hope that the decision to activate the SCO-Afghanistan group would be implemented quickly. The situation in Afghanistan requires urgent measures, he added.

Lavrov went on to say that the US is attempting to re-inject its military infrastructure into the region surrounding Afghanistan and Central Asia, despite the serious dangers posed by such actions. Russia will firmly resist any such attempts, Lavrov stressed. The SCO-Afghanistan group was established to ensure peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region. The SCO is a regional intergovernmental organisation that includes China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India, and Pakistan.

Why is Russia interested in Afghanistan?

Russia has long had an interest in Afghanistan, dating back to the Soviet era when it invaded the country in 1979. The Soviet Union's intervention in Afghanistan was driven by strategic interests related to the country's location and resources, as well as ideological considerations related to spreading communism. However, the Soviet occupation was met with fierce resistance from Afghan fighters known as the Mujahideen, who were supported by the US and other Western powers. The Soviet Union eventually withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in 1989.

The US's intervention in Afghanistan was driven by a desire to eliminate the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, but it was also part of a broader strategy aimed at countering terrorism and promoting democracy in the Middle East and Central Asia. The US saw Afghanistan as a crucial battleground in the fight against terrorism and sought to establish a stable and democratic government that would be an ally in the region. The US initially achieved some success, toppling the Taliban regime and installing a pro-Western government led by Hamid Karzai. However, the situation quickly deteriorated as the Taliban regrouped and launched a new insurgency against the Afghan government and US forces.

Russia's interest in Afghanistan today is shaped by similar strategic considerations related to the country's location and resources. Afghanistan borders several countries that are of strategic importance to Russia, including Iran, Pakistan, and China. Russia is also interested in Afghanistan's mineral resources, which include gold, copper, and lithium. Moreover, Afghanistan's status as a transit hub for oil and gas pipelines from Central Asia to the Indian Ocean makes it a critical piece of infrastructure in the region.
Diplomats from Arab nations are planning an emergency meeting in Cairo over the weekend about the fighting in Sudan and the prospect of Syria's return to the Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended, an official said Friday.

Sundays meeting, confirmed by Gamal Rushdy, a spokesman for the Arab League, comes as some Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have opened up relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad and their foreign ministers have visited Damascus in recent weeks. Syrias foreign minister also visited Cairo and the Saudi capital of Riyadh in April, the first such visits in more than a decade.

Syrias membership in the 22-member Arab League has suspended in the early months of the war 12 years ago, and Arab countries later imposed economic sanctions. The conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19, when Syrias membership is widely expected to be on the table. Some members, mainly gas-rich Qatar, have opposed Damascus return to the organization.

In November 2011, 18 of the 22 members of the Arab League backed the suspension of Syrias membership. Lebanon, Yemen and Syria voted against the decision, while Iraq abstained.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told CNN that he believes there are enough votes among Arab League members for Syria to return to the organization.

The meeting in Cairo on Sunday by Arab foreign ministers will focus on restoring Syrias membership and comes at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, said Rushdy, the Arab League spokesman.

When asked about the vote count, Rushdy said Arab League decisions are resolutions usually made by consensus, but each country has the right to submit its reservations.

An Iraqi diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists said that in addition to Syria and Sudan, the recent events in Israel and the Palestinian territories would be on the agenda.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country with help from his main allies Russia and Iran, Syrias neighbors have begun to take steps toward rapprochement. The overtures picked up pace since the massive Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered reestablishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Syria and Saudi Arabia said last month they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming flights between the two countries for the first time in more than a decade.

Syrias pro-government Al-Watan daily reported Friday that a foreign ministry delegation visited the Syrian embassy in Riyadh recently in preparation to reopen the mission in the coming weeks.

The foreign ministers will also discuss Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since fighting erupted in mid-April between the countrys two rival top generals, killing more than 400 people. The conflict started on April 15, preceded by months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting turned urban areas into battlefields and foreign governments rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan.
India's foreign minister on Friday criticized global institutions' response to the COVID-19 pandemic and their ability to resolve geopolitical upheaval, saying that alternative forums have an opportunity to tackle such challenges.

Subhrahmanyam Jaishankar said the developments have disrupted global supply chains, especially in energy, food and fertilizer, and hit developing nations the hardest. His remarks opened a meeting of foreign ministers as part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security pact dominated by Moscow and Beijing that seeks to act as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean.

These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner, he said. With more than 40% of the world's population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact."

Jaishankar did not mention Russia's war in Ukraine in his remarks, and analysts say Moscow is unlikely to face backlash over its invasion among the grouping and will instead use the meeting to flex its influence in the region.

Foreign ministers of the SCO are in the Indian coastal resort of Goa, where they are expected to discuss regional security and economic cooperation, among other issues, on Friday. Iran is expected to join the organization later this year.

The SCO was founded in 2001 by China and Russia, and included the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It was expanded in 2017 to include India and Pakistan.

Jaishankar on Friday also stressed the need to combat terrorism, noting the group is concerned about the security situation in Afghanistan, where the Taliban swept to power after America's chaotic departure last year.

He said cross-border terrorism must be stopped, a veiled dig at archrival Pakistan, which sent its foreign minister to Goa in the first visit to India by a high-ranking official in nearly a decade.

India accuses Pakistan of arming and training insurgent groups fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Let's not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, Pakistan's foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his opening remarks.

A flurry of bilateral talks were held Thursday ahead of the meeting, as Jaishankar met with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang and Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov.

The meeting between the Indian and Chinese foreign ministers came amid a tense situation along their disputed border, where a three-year standoff has involved thousands of soldiers stationed in the eastern Ladakh region.

Qin said the border situation was stable overall and that both sides should abide by existing agreements to promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area, according to a statement from Chinas Foreign Ministry.

India did not release a statement after the meeting, but Jaishankar tweeted afterwards to say the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace along the border.

But a meeting last week between their defense ministers highlighted the differing views held by both sides. While India accused its neighbor of eroding ties by violating bilateral agreements, China said the border conditions were stable.

China is willing to work with India to put their relations back into the track of healthy and stable development, the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement read.

Qin also met with Lavrov on Thursday. China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into Russian President Vladimir Putins treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing is also trying to assert itself as a global diplomatic force, and has said it would like to serve as a mediator in the war.

Qin said China would continue to promote peace talks on Ukraine and maintain communication with Russia to make tangible contributions to a political settlement of the crisis, the Chinese Foreign Ministry statement said.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Beijing would send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement.

China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russia and refused to criticize Moscows actions. However, it has refrained from issuing a full-throated endorsement of the invasion and is not known to have provided arms or other material assistance to the Russian military effort.
Photos on social media from last month showed some workers linked together in chains.

Cambodian migrant workers arrested by Thai authorities in April 2023 are seen chained together in Bangkok.

The recent mass arrest in Thailand of hundreds of Cambodian migrant workers  some of whom were photographed chained together in Bangkok  has prompted one NGO to urge the Cambodian government to take action with Thai authorities.

Many of the 800 workers arrested last month didnt have enough money to pay fees at the border, had expired working permits or didnt have enough documentation. The workers were returning to Thailand illegally following the recent Khmer New Year holiday, which ran from April 14-16.

Photos shared on social media showed people linked together, with their hands in chains as they sat with their heads bowed in a police van.

The images were an attempt by Thai authorities to publicly shame illegal migrants and possibly discourage others from coming into Thailand, said Dy The Hoya, the migration program director at the Phnom Penh-based Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights, or CENTRAL.

Most Cambodian people who were arrested were tortured and handcuffed, a statement from CENTRAL said. People were detained in a narrow space. These arrests dont just impact basic human rights, but also their finances and family living standards.

The actions of the Thai authorities went well beyond normal law enforcement measures and if there is no action from Cambodian authorities, Cambodian migrant workers will continue to face the same treatment, Hoya said.

When torture is allowed, it is an act of inhumanity and violation of human rights, he said. It can happen to our people again. This could be the tip of the iceberg.

Cambodian migrant workers arrested by Thai authorities in April 2023 are seen chained together in Bangkok. Credit: Mara Yim Facebook page





No statement yet

There are about 2 million Cambodians working in Thailand, about half of whom are undocumented, according to CENTRAL. People who have recently lost their jobs in factories or cant find work in Cambodias construction industry have continued to cross into Thailand to find work, the NGO said.

The Cambodian government should talk to Thai authorities to secure the release of all of those recently arrested, and to ensure that Cambodian workers can work legally and with full legal protection and benefits, CENTRAL said.

One worker told Radio Free Asia that there were nine Cambodians who were arrested along with him who were still in jail.

Prum Bunthorn said he was detained in Pathum Thani province, north of Bangkok, on April 24 because he didnt have sufficient documents. He was released when his Thai boss paid his bail, he said.

Cambodians who enter another country illegally face arrest  but in this case, the decision by Thai authorities to put the migrant workers in chains was an insult, said Sim Vibol, a professor and legal adviser in Phnom Penh.

In this case, Cambodia is obliged to submit a diplomatic note to the Thai government or complain to international institutions like the United Nations, he said.

If this is found to be happening only to Cambodians, we can accuse Thailand of discriminating against Cambodians, said Soeung Senkaruna, a spokesperson for the Cambodian rights group Adhoc.

The Cambodian government hasnt issued a statement about the arrests, although the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand has urged Thai authorities to stop arresting Cambodian migrants.

Cambodian Foreign Ministry spokesman An Sok Khoeun and government spokesman Phay Siphan didnt respond to messages left by RFA this week.

Translated by Sok Ry Sum and Samean Yun. Edited by Matt Reed and Malcolm Foster.
With help from informers, books are being pulled from shelves under national security law.

At left, the book "Xi Jinping: The Governance of China" is displayed at the annual book fair in Hong Kong, July 20, 2022. Albert Wan [right], owner and founder of the independent bookstore Bleak House Books, at the shop's last day of operations before closing due to the Beijing-imposed national security law.

Some Hong Kongers are calling it a war on libraries.

The number of books on offer at Hong Kong's public libraries has fallen as officials remove books from shelves under a restrictive national security law imposed in the wake of the 2019 protest movement.

Since then, libraries have been required to remove politically sensitive titles from their collections, leading to a cull of books, and less time for staff to invest in new ones, according to the Leisure and Cultural Services Department.

"In order to maintain national security, more time is required to select suitable library materials, meaning that the size of the collection has also been reduced," the department said in a recent comment on an annual review of the city's public library services.

"Inspection of library books to maintain national security is an ongoing effort in Hong Kong's public libraries," it said in a response to a report from the city's audit office. "From time to time, complaints from the public are received, which require inspection of library materials.

Titles addressing the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, as well as books written by jailed protest leader Joshua Wong and Occupy Central movement founder Benny Tai, have disappeared from library shelves since the law took effect on July 1, 2020, according to local media reports.

Hong Kong is in the throes of a "war on libraries," said current affairs commentator Sang Pu, who called on the government to disclose full details of books that have been removed from the collection, and to reinstate them.

He also called on Hong Kongers overseas to set up a repository of banned titles so future generations would be able to read them and their content wouldnt be forgotten.

Informers

The general public have been actively encouraged by police to inform on any words or deeds that could be deemed subversive under the law, which criminalizes dissent in the form of words or deeds that "incite hatred" of the Hong Kong or Chinese authorities, leading to more than 40,000 tip-offs last year.

Many of the books quietly disappeared from libraries after denunciations in the government-backed media, which said they broke the national security law, according to reports in pro-democracy news outlets, some of which have themselves been forced to close amid investigation by the national security police.

Limited selection of Political science books are on a shelf in a public library in Hong Kong on July 4, 2020. Books written by prominent Hong Kong democracy activists have disappeared from the city's libraries after Beijing imposed a draconian national security law. Credit: Isaac Lawrence/AFP





"Hong Kong public libraries completed its review of [existing] library books that are clearly not conducive to national security, and has removed them from the collection," the Hong Kong Audit Commission said in an annual report released on April 26.

But it added: "As of February 2023, inspections and follow-up actions are ongoing."

It said government guidelines require libraries to "safeguard national security by preventing activities that could endanger it."

"In purchasing library materials, considering book proposals, accepting book donations and adding to collections [by] purchasing books, libraries must ensure that their collections do not prejudice national security," it said, recommending that new acquisitions are processed through the government's Book Registration Unit.

"If content is found in the collection that could violate the national security law, then loans of those materials must be suspended," it said. "The material can only be relisted after libraries have ensured that the content does not violate the law."

Not conducive to creativity

The entire publishing industry is feeling the effects of the law, said published author Johnny Lau.

"It's not just the libraries, but the entire publishing industry," Lau said. "In the current climate, a lot of people are censoring themselves."

"The publishing industry and library collections as a whole are shrinking, and fewer and fewer books are getting published," he said. "The restrictions are affecting some people's desire to write books at all."

"This climate hinders both freedom of speech and publication," Lau said.

A worker cleans a window of the Hong Kong Central Library overlooking high-rise residential buildings May 14, 2001 Credit: Bobby Yip/Reuters





Former Hong Kong bookseller Lam Wing-kei, who fled to the democratic island of Taiwan after being detained by mainland Chinese authorities for selling "banned" books to customers in China, said the government has no choice but to censor libraries under the national security law.

"The Leisure and Cultural Services Department must follow the policies of the Hong Kong government, which is now the same as the mainland Chinese government," Lam said. "No book with any kind of ideological issue is going to get published now."

"The current climate in Hong Kong isn't conducive to creative work," he said.

Much as mainland Chinese writers used to get their banned books published in Hong Kong, authors who write about Hong Kong issues are now choosing to publish in Taiwan, where the publishing industry is much freer.

"There are more and more Chinese-language books getting published in Taiwan," Lam said. "Recent works include The Last Concession, which chronicles changes in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong Secret Operations about young people wanted [following the 2019 protests] who fled."

"It's not just social commentary, but literary works as well," Lam said. "Taiwan is the only market for Chinese-language books in the world that remains free and open."

"More and more Hong Kongers are coming to Taiwan to buy books, and they're surprised to see that there are so many being published here with a Hong Kong theme," he added.

Translated by Luisetta Mudie. Edited by Malcolm Foster.
Refugees say they are uninterested in moving back to camps.

Members of a Rohingya delegation are seen at a government rest house in Teknaf, in Coxs Bazar, Bangladesh, April 4, 2023

Bangladesh is moving full steam ahead with a China-backed project to begin repatriating Rohingya to Myanmar, a plan that Human Rights Watch warned would put the lives of the persecuted refugees at grave risk.

On Friday, a delegation of 27 people, including 20 Rohingya from refugee camps in southeastern Bangladesh, is scheduled to visit Maungdaw in Myanmars Rakhine state, to assess preparations for the planned move this month of about 1,000 refugees.

Bangladeshs refugee relief and repatriation commissioner said the trip would be a follow-on action to a visit in March by Burmese officials to verify the identities of the Rohingya who were part of a mass exodus who fled a brutal 2017 military crackdown against the stateless minority group.

We are going to help the forcibly displaced people of Myanmar to assess whether the situation in Rakhine is favorable for return, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman on Thusday told BenarNews, an RFA-afilliated online news service.

Our plan is to start the repatriation by this month, he said, insisting that Dhaka would not force any refugees to go back.

Despite its questionable role in this repatriation program, the United Nations refugee agency said in March that conditions in Rakhine state were not favorable for the safe return of 1,000 Rohingya.

Abul Kashem, a Rohingya leader from the Coxs Bazar camp who is part of the delegation visiting Friday, told BenarNews that refugees were not interested in going back to camps in Myanmar.

Once we go there, we can see whether the situation is conducive to return. We, the Rohingya people, want to return to our homesteads, but not to camps there, he said.

Bangladesh diplomatic observers said the plan really is a ploy by Myanmars military rulers to stave off international pressure ahead of a hearing next month at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in an application to the court by The Gambia that says Myanmar committed genocide against the Rohingya.

The United States in March 2021 declared as a genocide the Myanmar militarys 2017 deadly crackdown against Rohingya Muslims that killed thousands and forced nearly 740,000 people to flee across the border to neighboring Bangladesh.

Myanmar is interested in starting repatriation, though on a limited scale, said Faruk Khan, the chairman of the Bangladesh foreign ministrys parliamentary watchdog committee.

Myanmar has come to understand that they must take their people back. Otherwise, they would face more international sanctions and pressures, he told BenarNews.

China has also come to understand that the Rohingya crisis must be settled. So they have been using their influence over Myanmar. I would not say that all people would return in a year, but once the repatriation starts, gradually the pace would be faster, he added, about the Beijing-backed plan.

A former foreign secretary, Md. Shahidul Haque, expressed skepticism about the repatriation move.

The Rohingya refugees want to return to their original homesteads, while Myanmar says they must live at guarded camps for 120 days before going to their villages; a big question remains what freedom the Rohingya would get in Rakhine, Haque told BenarNews.

Myanmar is set to submit their counter-[argument] at the ICJ. Keeping this issue in mind, Myanmar has been showing interests in repatriation. They become active in repatriation before every ICJ hearings, and cut off communications afterwards.

In March, Human Rights Watch urged Bangladesh to halt the repatriation plan. The prospect of durable returns has grown ever more distant since the February 2021 military coup in Myanmar, carried out by the same generals who orchestrated the 2017 mass atrocities, HRW said.

Voluntary, safe, and dignified returns of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar are not possible while the military junta is carrying out massacres around the country and apartheid in Rakhine State, said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director for the watchdog group.

Bangladesh authorities should stop deceiving these refugees to get them to engage with junta officials when its clear that Rohingya will only be able to return safely when rights-respecting rule is established.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.
Desertions and defections have weakened the army, suggesting that junta victory is not assumed.

The size of Myanmars military has been drastically overestimated by the international community, a U.S.-based think tank said Friday, suggesting that its victory over the countrys armed opposition is no longer a foregone conclusion.

Estimates prior to the Feb. 1, 2021, coup detat put the headcount of Myanmars military, an opaque entity also known as the Tatmadaw, at 300,000-400,000. But an analysis published Friday by the U.S. Institute of Peace, or USIP, asserts that the estimates are based on undependable data and posits that the current number is almost certainly no more than half the historical benchmark.

Ye Myo Hein, a visiting scholar at the USIP in Washington, concludes that the military currently has about 150,000 personnel, including roughly 70,000 who serve as combat soldiers, while at least 21,000 service members have been lost through casualties, desertions and defection since the coup.

The estimates are based on interviews with deserters and defectors, internal directives, historical records of troop movements and sizes, and casualty counts from primary conflict data and military hospital records.

At this troop level, the Sit-Tat is barely able to sustain itself as a fighting force, much less a government, Ye Myo Hein said, using another name for Myanmars armed forces.

With only a fraction of the countrys military serving as combat soldiers, Ye Myo Hein said it should no longer be assumed that the junta will overcome the resistance and consolidate its rule.

Therefore, the international community should stop engaging with the junta as if it is bound to win and the only relevant player in achieving stability, he said.

Ye Myo Hein said that such engagement only bolsters the generals delusion that they will wipe out the opposition and delays the time until the junta comes to the table to negotiate.

Defections, desertions

Not only is the size of the military smaller than previously thought, the author said, but the post-coup rebellion is exacerbating the shortfall in combat forces.

Ye Myo Hein said that lagging recruitment, defections and desertions are devastating the military. He cited sources as estimating that some 10,000 military personnel and police have gone over to the resistance, while the shadow National Unity Government puts the number at more than 12,300. Some 8,000 troops are believed to have defected or deserted since the coup.

Although estimates vary, the NUG believes that around 20,000 junta combat troops have been killed since the coup, while analysts say that those killed or badly wounded over the past two years number between 10,000 and 15,000.

Meanwhile, Ye Myo Hein said, the military is actively working to conceal and falsify data about its numbers at all levels, further complicating any efforts at determining the institutions strength.

Kaung Thu Win, who said he served as a captain in Myanmar's military before defecting in December 2021, shows a photograph of himself wearing an army uniform on his mobile phone, during an interview in northeastern India, Jan. 21, 2022. Credit: Reuters





Fridays analysis cited a former adjutant officer in the military who acknowledged that his primary duties involved falsifying data on deserters from his battalion, prior to his defection. He said the number of deserters was so high that his battalion commander asked him not to submit the full list, lest he face charges or lose his chance for promotion.

The frequency of data tampering was so high that even I was confused about the actual military strength of my battalion, he was quoted as saying.

As a result of the dwindling numbers, Myanmars generals have been forced to play a game of military whack-a-mole with resources, reassigning support corps and other inexperienced personnel to the front lines, often with disastrous results. The military has also increasingly relied on air operations to make up for growing losses on the ground, leading to widespread destruction and civilian deaths.

Ye Myo Hein said that Myanmars military is now in its weakest and most vulnerable position, adding that what remains of its mirage of strength is rapidly disintegrating in the face of the resistance and unprecedented public hatred.

It is high time for the international community, particularly those in the region of Myanmar, to take a hard look at assumptions about the Sit-Tats strength, recognize that the emperor has no clothes, and recalibrate their approach to this conflict, he said.

Military bases under attack

Fridays analysis came days after the NUGs ministry of defense claimed that anti-junta forces had attacked the militarys regional headquarters, bases and camps at least 70 times in the first four months of 2023 alone. Of those attacks, 44 were successful, the ministry said.

NUG Secretary of Defense Naing Htoo Aung told RFA Burmese that such attacks are not intended to take control of bases, but to destroy them or have a psychological impact on the juntas troops.

In one such attack, a combined force of area Peoples Defense Force paramilitaries launched a raid on a police outpost in Magway regions Kan village on March 31, in which the anti-junta fighters seized 75% of the outpost before the military sent reinforcements, forcing them to retreat.

An official with the PDF in Gangaw township, where Kan is located, told RFA that the outpost in the village was the juntas strongest base in the region.

Since weve already raided it, attacking the other two small police outposts in the town will be a piece of cake for us, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing security concerns. Were no longer afraid of airstrikes [when we raid them] because if they attack their outposts, their men will be killed too.

The PDF official claimed that as many as 40 junta troops were killed during the raid, while only two members of the resistance groups were killed and nine injured. RFA was unable to independently verify the claims.

Attempts by RFA to contact junta Deputy Information Minister Major Gen. Zaw Min Tun for comment on the raids of military bases went unanswered.

Further raids expected

Political analyst Than Soe Naing said that the NUG hopes to change the balance of the military dynamic in Myanmar this year and suggested that there will be more raids by armed resistance groups on such strategic targets going forward.

From such raids, the anti-regime armed groups can gain more territory from which to stage further military activities, he said. I expect there will be more attacks [on junta bases] because [the resistance] can seize badly needed arms and ammunition during those raids.

In its second anniversary report on May 3, the NUG claimed that anti-junta forces have killed more than 30,000 junta soldiers and wounded more than 10,000 others since the coup.

According to the report, more than 300 regiments of local defense forces have been formed in more than 250 townships across the country.

Translated by Htin Aung Kyaw. Edited by Joshua Lipes and Malcolm Foster.
Philippine president says the U.S. has never asked Manila to contribute troops should war break out over Taiwan.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discusses "the modernization of the U.S.-Philippines alliance," during an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on May 4, 2023.

Philippine military bases where the United States has been granted expanded access are not intended to be used for offensive action against any country, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said as he wrapped up a four-day visit to Washington.

Marcos remarks as he spoke at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a local think-tank, marked his first categorical public rejection of such a scenario and it was also a message he said he had conveyed recently to Chinas foreign minister.

I assured him that, no, these are not intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone  not China, not any country, he said at the CSIS event on Thursday, in response to a question from BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Marcos also replied that the U.S. had never asked Manila to contribute Filipino troops to combat operations should war break out between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

The sites under the bilateral Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement were conceived to respond more efficiently to natural disasters driven by climate change, and the U.S. had not brought up using them as staging areas for offensive action, he said.

He added, however, that with increasing tensions, especially in the Taiwan Strait, security and defense had become part of the mission.

Thats why it became sensitive, he said. And that is why China has been terribly critical.

Since coming to office last year, Marcos has deepened traditional security ties with the U.S., including by granting its treaty ally access to four new military bases in February. China criticized the move saying it would escalate tensions and endanger peace and stability in the region.

The Marcos administrations decision to grant American forces expanded access to Philippine bases under the EDCA has also sparked domestic criticism from Filipinos, who worry this could drag their country into a war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan.

Should there be such an attempt to use the EDCA sites for offensive action, then that would be outside the parameters of what we had discussed and what the EDCA sites are in fact for, Marcos said at CSIS.

But to be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that we will use  that the United States will use  the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive action against any country.

Protesters denounce an Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows U.S. forces to use Philippine military sites, during a May Day demonstration outside the American embassy in Manila, May 1, 2023. Credit: Jojo Rinoza/BenarNews

Analysts say Marcos is walking a foreign policy tightrope. On the one hand, the Philippines is on the front line of a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea, while on the other, China is one of the Southeast Asian nations biggest trading partners.

The issue of U.S. access to Philippine bases comes amid heightened tensions between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers a renegade province that must be reunited  by force if necessary.

Washington has said it wants to see Taiwans status resolved peacefully, though it is committed to providing the island with the military needs to defend itself.

Marcos visit to the U.S. follows Balikatan, the largest joint training exercise between the partners in the Philippines, which included training on Patriot, Avenger and Stinger systems. The exercise featured a mock attack to sink an enemy ship.

More recently, Washington joined with Manila in calling on Beijing to stop harassing Philippine ships after the coast guard reported a near-collision with a Chinese ship near the Manila-occupied Ayungin Shoal in the South China Sea.

New defense guidelines

Earlier this week, Marcos and U.S. President Joe Biden announced new guidelines for their 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty. The updated guidelines now specifically mention that an armed attack on either country in the South China Sea, which includes both nations coast guards, would invoke mutual defense commitments.

The document also outlined continued support for modernization of the Philippine military  considered among the weakest in the region  and promised to transfer four patrol vessels as well as a military transport plane as part of its commitment.

Renato Reyes, secretary general of left-wing nationalist group Bayan, said Philippine defense policy would now be more dependent on the U.S. and that Marcos had opened the country to American intervention.

While some will view this as a deterrent against Chinas aggressive actions in the West Philippine Sea, it cannot be denied that this also ties the hands of the Philippines to support U.S. military provocations and intervention in the region, he said.

If there is an incident involving American and Chinese ships, we become obligated to support the U.S. militarily, regardless of cause and outcome.

It still remains to be seen whether such provisions will indeed serve as a deterrent to China or if these will only further escalate tensions.

While Marcos has secured more clarity surrounding the conditions under which Washington would come to the countrys defense, agreements on trade and investment were thin on the ground, according to Richard Heydarian, a political analyst and senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Asian Center.

Why is this important? Because Marcos keeps on emphasizing that trade and investment are key to his foreign policy, he said. This is important because trade and investment are one important element of Chinese statecraft and influencing regional states and my sense is that the Chinese will try to pull the pledges of Chinese investments to dissuade Marcos from going all out with the U.S.

Heydarian said that Marcos appeared to be genuinely afraid of being dragged into conflict with China, and would rather have a defense arrangement with the U.S. that is hot enough to keep the Chinese in check, but not too hot to provoke the Chinese.

BenarNews is an RFA-affiliated news service.
Uyghurs demonstrate outside the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C., calling for the release of Uyghur refugees still remaining in Thai immigration detention centers in Thailand, on Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

A Uyghur demonstrator places a placard outside the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C., calling for the release of Uyghur refugees still remaining in Thai immigration detention centers in Thailand, on Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Elfidar Iltebir, president of the Uyghur American Association, shouts slogans during a demonstration outside the Thai embassy as a security guard watches from inside in Washington, D.C., Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Uyghurs demonstrate outside the Thai embassy as a security guard watches from inside in Washington, D.C., Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Uyghurs demonstrate outside the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C., calling for the release of Uyghur refugees still remaining in Thai immigration detention centers in Thailand, on Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Uyghurs demonstrate outside the Thai embassy in Washington, D.C., calling for the release of Uyghur refugees still remaining in Thai immigration detention centers in Thailand, on Friday, May 5, 2023. (RFA Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)

Raising her fist in the air, Zumretay Arkin shouted into a microphone on a quiet side street in Munich, Germany, outside the Thai consulate.

Liberty for Uyghurs! We want freedom! We want justice! We want liberty! Release Uyghur detainees! yelled Arkin, a Uyghur-Canadian, as a group of about 20 demonstrators  some holding the blue and white crescent-and-star flag of East Turkistan, the Uyghurs homeland in what is now Xinjiang, China  chanted the words back to her.

The protests came in response to the April death of Mettohti Metqurban, 40, a Uyghur refugee at the Suan Phlu Immigration Detention Center in Bangkok, due to suspected liver failure. He was the fifth Uyghur to perish in the facility since 2018, and the second one to die this year.

Uyghur activists in Germany and in four U.S. cities gathered outside Thai consulates and embassies on Friday, demanding that the Southeast Asian government improve the condition of Uyghur refugees in detention in Thailand.

The protesters also demanded that Thailand allow U.N. human rights officers to have access to them, and to release them and work with third countries to resettle and reunite the refugees with their families.

Zumretay Arkin of the World Uyghur Congress leads a protest of Uyghur activists demanding the releases of Uyghur refugees held in a Thai immigration detention center, outside the Thai consulate in Munich, Germany, May 5, 2025. Credit: World Uyghur Congress

About 30 Uyghurs holding East Turkestan flags and placards also gathered outside the Thai Embassy in Washington, D.C., demanding the release of the Uyghur refugees and handing security guards a letter addressed to the Thai ambassador.

Metqurban, also known as Mattohti Mattursun and Muhammad Tursun, was one of 350 Uyghur men, women, and children who fled China in 2014. He had been held at the Thai facility since March 2014 and was one of about 50 Uyghur men who remain in detention there.

It is extremely distressing to receive the news of another death in the Thai IDC, Arkin told Radio Free Asia, referring to Bangkok's Immigration Detention Center, notorious for its overcrowded and squalid conditions for inmates.

The Thai government has to improve the conditions of detention of Uyghur detainees, she said.

We call on Thailand to immediately release the detainees to a safe third country and to give access to UNHCR, Arkin said, referring to the U.N. refugee agency, or the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

Thailand has not ratified the U.N.s refugee convention. Uyghurs, considered a special group, are managed by national security agencies, and are prevented from registering for the refugee status determination process.

'Improve their condition of detention'

Metqurbans death has raised concern among members of the global Uyghur diaspora about the Thai governments continued detention of Uyghur refugees in Bangkok. Rights organizations are demanding that the Thai government release and resettle the remaining detainees in a refugee-hospitable country.

Besides demanding the release of the remaining Uyghur refugees, the World Uyghur Congress, or WUC, called upon the Thai government to work closely with democratic countries to explore opportunities for all those detained to seek asylum.



This recent death stirred the public opinion leading to the reporting of their case by mainstream media urging the Thai authorities to take action to safeguard their safety, said WUC in a letter dated May 3 and addressed to the Thai consulate in Munich Germany.

We request the Thai Government to take immediate action to improve their condition of detention, to allow access to UNHCR officers or other independent bodies, and to release them to safe third countries, the organization said.

The Uyghur American Association urged the Thai government to do the same.

The detention of Uyghur refugees, especially with an ongoing genocide in their homeland, violates international human rights and core Thai values, especially those of morality, generosity, integrity and service of the common good, said a letter the organizations president, Elfidar Iltebir, sent to Tanee Sangrat, Thailands ambassador to the U.S.

The U.S. government and several Western parliaments have declared that the Chinese Communist Partys human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other Turkic groups in Xinjiang, Chinas far-western autonomous region that Uyghurs call East Turkistan, constitute genocide and crimes against humanity.

The U.N. Office of the High Commissioner on Human Rights said in an exhaustive report last August that the detentions of Uyghurs and others in camps in the region may constitute crimes against humanity.

Despite these determinations, the Thai government continues to detain Uyghur refugees, Iltebir said in his letter.

Edited by Roseanne Gerin and Malcolm Foster.
Iran's clerical leadership has often lauded the impact of sports in rallying the nation, but commendations can quickly turn to condemnation for athletes who dare to step out of line.

Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, scores of athletes who have shown anything but complete loyalty to the clerical establishment have been barred from competitions, arrested, or even executed. Amid mass anti-government protests that have broken out in recent years, sports figures who raised their voices have again been targeted by the authorities.

Revolutionary Change

While meeting a group of Iranian athletes in 1979, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini expressed his faith in their ability to use international competition to spread the ideals of the revolution across the globe.

"I am not an athlete, but I love athletes. I love the doers of good, although I am not one of them," he said. "I beseech God, the most blessed and exalted, to grant greater success to you young people, who are the assets of this country and the source of hope for the nation and Islam, in doing sports in all human dimensions."

But not all of Iran's athletes fit the mold. Among the prominent stars missing from the photo op was soccer star Habib Khabiri, a key factor in Iran's march to its first-ever appearance at the World Cup in 1978. While Khabiri would go on to captain the national squad in 1980, he would eventually pay the ultimate price for his alleged disloyalty to the revolution.

While Khabiri initially joined the street protests that ushered in the revolution, he later allegedly joined the Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO), which itself had participated in the Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah but was soon branded a threat by the new clerical establishment.

A team photo taken prior to a game in 1982 in which Khabiri is the only player not holding up a portrait of Khomeini has long been taken as black and white proof of his differences with the authorities.

Fellow teammate Ebrahim Kian Tahmasebi, also seen in the photo, explained the backstory.

"Habib turned Khomeini's picture upside down in the dressing room," Tahmasebi told RFE/RL's Radio Farda from Sweden. And when other players turned on him, Khabiri didn't budge. "Habib was calm, as always, and said: The revolution will not be overturned by overturning the photo.'"

In 1983, as the authorities cracked down on suspected sympathizers and members of the MKO -- which by then openly called for Khomeini's overthrow and had aligned with Baghdad in the Iran-Iraq War -- Khabiri was arrested.

After being subjected to torture in prison, according to fellow prisoners and teammates, Khabiri was executed at the age of 29 alongside 40 other alleged dissidents in July 1984.

Deadly Trend

Recent cases involving prominent sports figures caught up in the crackdown on ongoing antiestablishment protests bear some resemblance to Khabiri's. Two athletes have been executed despite international outcry, while others have been killed during protests, arrested, or pressured to get in line with the authorities' demands. Many have been subjected to sham trials with little or no chance to defend themselves, according to rights groups. And athletes' immediate families have often faced pressure as well.

Navid Afkari

Navid Afkari, once one of Iran's highest-ranked Greco-Roman wrestlers, was executed at the age of 27 in September 2020 after being convicted of murdering a security guard during antiestablishment protests in the southern city of Shiraz in 2018.

There were worldwide calls for Afkari to be pardoned, and his execution was condemned by rights groups who criticized the trial as a "travesty of justice" that denied him legal representation and refused to take into account his testimony that he had been forced to confess under torture.

The former wrestling champion's last recorded words were: "If I am executed, I want you to know that an innocent person, even though he tried and fought with all his strength to be heard, was executed."

An attorney who advocated for Afkari argued that there was no proof of guilt, and decried that the wrestler's family was not allowed to meet him prior to his execution, a violation of Iranian law. His brothers, Vahid and Habib, were sentenced to 54 and 27 years, respectively, in prison in the same case.

Many Iranians condemned his execution on social media, and as other Iranian athletes have been targeted by the authorities, the "United4Navid" hashtag is quickly revived as a reminder of his legacy.

In September 2021, Shahin Naseri, a prisoner who claimed he witnessed Afkari being tortured before his execution, was himself executed.

Mohammad Mehdi Karami

The mass protests that broke out in September over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini soon after she was arrested by the morality police for allegedly violating the head-scarf law have also resulted in the arrests and deaths of sports figures who supported her cause.

In January, three-time youth karate champion and national team member Mohammad Mehdi Karami was executed after being found guilty of involvement in the death of a member of the Basij paramilitary forces during a demonstration in the city of Karaj, west of Tehran.

Karami's execution took place just 65 days after his arrest and following a trial in which he was given just 15 minutes to defend himself in court. The 22-year-old was denied the right to choose his own legal representation, and had begun a dry hunger strike in protest. Activists alleged that Karami was beaten unconscious by prison guards and threatened with rape while incarcerated, and rights groups said that the court relied on forced confessions.

Of the 16 people detained in relation to the killing of the Basij officer, Karami and one other were executed, while the others, including minors, received lengthy prison sentences.

Keeping Score

One of the biggest stars to ever suit up for Iran's national soccer team, Ali Daei, ran into trouble after he voiced support for the protests. In December, the 53-year-old former player and coach was denied the right to leave the country to attend Iran's World Cup appearance in Qatar, and has also had his business shuttered by the authorities owing to his support for the protests.

Voria Ghafouri, who was left off the World Cup squad, was arrested in November for "insulting the national soccer team and propagandizing against the government" just days after expressing sympathy for Amini's family and calling for an end to the state crackdown on protesters.

And members of the national team reportedly got a talking to from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps after they appeared to support the protests by abstaining from singing Iran's national anthem ahead of their game with England.

In January, wrestler Mohammad Namjoo-Motlagh told Radio Farda he was seeking asylum in Germany after facing "constant threats and psychological pressure" from the Iranian Wrestling Federation and other state bodies over his support for the ongoing protests.

"It was clear where this was going," said Namjoo-Motlagh, who is believed to have posted social-media posts that were critical of the authorities and supportive of the protests. "I would either lose my life or they would blind me, or in the best-case scenario, I would be sent to prison."

The same month came news that a death sentence handed down to Amir Nasr-Azadani, a soccer player who played for a number of clubs in Iran's top domestic league and had campaigned for women's rights, had been overturned. But Nasr-Azadani, who the previous month was found guilty of complicity in the killings of three Basij officers during protests, still faces 16 years in prison.

The trend of punishing sports figures who protest has extended to the chessboard and reached great heights.

In October, sport-climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea without her hair covered, a violation of Iran's strict rules during international competition. The act was widely seen as one of support for the protests.

When Rekabi returned to Iran, she offered an apology that some fellow athletes said was forced. In April, it was reported that she was not allowed to leave the country to continue her training in Spain.

Sara Khadem, a top female Iranian chess player, competed without a head scarf at an international tournament in Kazakhstan in December. Khadem refused to return to Iran for fear of retribution and moved to Spain with her husband. She recently said while competing in a tournament there that she has no regrets for her actions.

Soccer player Reza Shekari, meanwhile, has been banned from playing in Irans domestic league and summoned to face a disciplinary committee after he refused to celebrate after scoring a goal.

Gone But Not Forgotten

To this day, Tehran has given no explanation for the reasons for Khabib's arrest, the charges against him, or details regarding his trial. His reported denunciation of the MKO appears not to have been taken into consideration, and his family members were not allowed to attend his funeral.

But his legacy is undeniable, both on and off the pitch.

Journalist Faridun Shibani, who traveled with the national team when Khabib played, said that there were some things about the man and player that he could not write at the time.

"I fell in love with the morals of this young man," Shibani told Radio Farda. "Habib is one of the leaders in recognizing and opposing the Islamic republic. He opened the eyes of others to the new system."

Buried in secret in an unmarked grave, the authorities eventually relented to the public, allowing a simple gravestone bearing the soccer legend's name to mark his plot at Tehran's Behesht-e Zahra cemetery.

Written by Michael Scollon based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he and visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on May 9 discussed Ukraine's progress toward integration into the European Union, European ammunition deliveries for the Ukrainian military, and fresh Russia sanctions.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv after Russia overnight launched another missile attack on the Ukrainian capital -- the fifth since the start of the month and the second in as many days.

Zelensky said after the talks that he told von der Leyen, he told her that the Ukrainian military needs faster deliveries of artillery shells from the EU.

Later on May 9, EU lawmakers on May 9 voted to speed up consideration of a law to boost ammunition production in Europe to the tune of 500 million euros ($550 million), due to efforts to supply Ukraine.

The decision should see the new legislation -- termed the Act in Support of Ammunition Production (ASAP) -- in place by the end of the year, MEPs and European Commission officials said.

The spending proposal, initiated by the commission, comes as the bloc seeks to supply one million artillery shells to Ukraine over the next 12 months, adding to a stream of military deliveries.

After the meeting with von der Leyen, Zelenskiy also said he criticized the restrictions that some EU nations have imposed on grain exports from Ukraine, saying the measures play to Russia's advantage. The two also talked about a new package of Russia sanctions that the EU is preparing and about Kyiv's progress in EU accession negotiations.

Von der Leyen's visit -- her fifth since the start of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine -- takes place on a day full of symbolism as the European Union on May 9 celebrates Europe Day, a nod to the Schuman Declaration presented by French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman on the same day in 1950.

The declaration is seen as cornerstone of what was to become the present-day 27-member EU.

Zelenskiy submitted a bill to parliament officially marking May 9 as Europe Day in Ukraine, while Victory Day, May 8, is to be celebrated as a "day of remembrance and victory over Nazism." The move was seen as a snub to Russia, which invaded Ukraine to prevent it from integrating with Europe.



Zelenskiy said Ukraine would mark May 9 as Europe Day together with all of free Europe, adding that Ukraine has always been, is, and will be a part of [this Europe]."



Von der Leyen said on Twitter that she welcomed Zelenskiy's decision to make May 9 Europe Day in Ukraine.

Von der Leyen's arrival came hours after Russia launched 25 cruise missiles at Ukraine, 15 of them targeting Kyiv, in a second attack following a wave of drone strikes on May 8.

"In total, during two waves of attacks on Ukraine on the night of May 9, the Russian occupiers launched 25 cruise missiles; 23 of them were destroyed by the air defense of Ukraine," the General Staff of Ukraine's military said in a statement early on May 9.

The United States on May 9 announced a $1.2 billion security assistance package for Ukraine that includes munitions to boost air defenses and provide Kyiv with additional artillery ammunition, the Defense Department said in a statement.



The package provides funding to purchase weapons from the defense industry as opposed to a drawdown from U.S. stocks, but this means the assistance will take longer to reach the battlefield.

Earlier on May 9, the head of the capital's military administration, Serhiy Popko, reported that Kyiv's air defenses had detected and destroyed about 15 missiles above the city.

No casualties or damages were immediately reported, Popko said.

The attack on Kyiv was the second in hours, after Russia on May 8 launched 35 suicide drones and 16 missiles. The missile strikes targeted the regions of Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolayiv, and Odesa, and inflicted human casualties.

"Unfortunately, there are dead and wounded civilians, and high-rise buildings, private homes, and other civilian infrastructure were damaged," the General Staff said.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that five people were injured overnight on May 8 as a result of a drone strike that damaged buildings and infrastructure.

On the battlefield, Ukrainian defenders repelled 42 attacks over the 24-hour period that ended early on May 9 on the Bakhmut-Avdiyivka-Maryinka direction in Donetsk, the military said. The fiercest fighting was taking place in Bakhmut and Maryinka, it added.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, claimed his forces were inching forward in the fiercely contested town of Bakhmut.



But later on May 9, he accused the Russian Defense Ministry of failing to supply his mercenary fighters with enough ammunition and accused Russian troops of fleeing the fighting around Bakhmut. Prigozhins comments were the latest in his long-running public feud with top Russian military officials.



He blamed a lack of ammunition for his groups inability to capture Bakhmut and just days ago threatened to pull out of the city if a resupply of ammo did not arrive soon.

On May 8, he said that his forces had begun to receive more ammunition.

With reporting by Reuters, AFP, and dpa
PRAGUE -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian still sees a "huge difference" between the wording of a draft peace agreement for Armenia and Azerbaijan and the two sides' positions despite reported progress in bilateral talks hosted by the United States this week.

In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL's Armenian Service on May 5, Pashinian said the key differences concern not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also territorial and security guarantees.

"We are still unable to reach agreement in the draft peace agreement on the wording that will give us confidence that Azerbaijan recognizes 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia" within its Soviet-era borders, he said.

Pashinian also highlighted the need for guarantees as "any agreement, even the most unambiguously written one, allows for interpretations."

Pashinian, who spoke with RFE/RL while on a two-day official visit to Prague, referred to the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations that was discussed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart, Jeyhun Bayramov, during the U.S.-sponsored talks.

A joint statement issued on May 4 at the conclusion of the talks said Mirzoyan and Bayramov and their teams "made progress in mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral [peace agreement]" but noted that positions on a number of key issues remain different.

Despite U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken's optimism that "with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach," Pashinian assessed the progress as minimal.

"While the difference between the sides was one kilometer before, now it is 990 meters. It is progress, but there is still a huge difference," he said in the interview with RFE/RL.

Pashinian reiterated Armenia's position that the issue of the rights and security of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenians should be discussed in a dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert with international engagement.

"Otherwise, this topic and agenda can simply be forgotten by Azerbaijan," he said, adding that there are different interpretations in Yerevan and Baku on how to address the rights of Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenians.

He also said that both international and local mechanisms should be applied to such matters as the withdrawal of troops and the establishment of a demilitarized zone.

Pashinian said the discussion that started in Washington can continue in Moscow, denying claims there are differing "Western" and "Russian" drafts.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh for decades. Some 30,000 people were killed in a war in the early 1990s that left ethnic Armenians in control of the predominantly Armenian-populated region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan proper.

Decades of internationally mediated talks failed to result in a diplomatic solution, and the simmering conflict led to another war in 2020 in which nearly 7,000 soldiers were killed on both sides.

The six-week war in which Azerbaijan regained all the Armenian-controlled areas outside of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as chunks of territory inside the Soviet-era autonomous region ended with a Russian-brokered cease-fire under which Moscow deployed about 2,000 troops to serve as peacekeepers.

Tensions along the restive Armenian-Azerbaijani border and around Nagorno-Karabakh leading to sporadic fighting and loss of life have persisted despite the cease-fire and the presence of Russian troops.

They flared anew last month when Azerbaijan installed a road checkpoint at the start of the Lachin Corridor, the only route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia says the checkpoint, set up on April 23, is a violation of the cease-fire. Azerbaijan insists it established it in response to what it says were Armenian military supplies to Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia denies that accusation.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service
"I didn't know he was dead," said Nadezhda Skaleyush after learning that her father's grave had been found in a cemetery for Russian mercenaries killed in Ukraine. "But the date on the grave is his."

Skaleyush had no idea that her estranged father, 40-year-old Aleksandr Skaleyush, had been recruited from prison by the Kremlin-connected Wagner mercenary group. Asked if it sounded like something he would do, she said, "Most likely, yes."

RFE/RL's Idel.Realities found Skaleyush's grave among about 200 others in a cemetery in Nikolayevka, a village whose population was recorded in the 2010 census as 522. About 25 kilometers southeast of the Volga River city of Samara, the village sits on a highway but is not served by public transportation. By car from Samara, it takes at least half an hour to get there.

In mid-April, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin made the trip to Nikolayevka to unveil a monument to the mercenaries interred at the cemetery. "Here are buried fighters of the Wagner private security company who died for their country in 2022-23," reads the inscription on the obelisk.

Although no journalists were invited to the ceremony, Wagner issued a video in which Prigozhin gave a short speech over the howl of a constant wind, saying "our descendants will remember their glory for centuries."

WATCH: After being recruited from prisons to fight in the war in Ukraine, some mercenaries from the private Wagner Group are accused of having committed violent crimes in Russia, including murder.

Moscow has not released reliable or up-to-date figures on its losses in Ukraine, where a devastating war continues more than 14 months after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a large-scale invasion in February 2022. The United States estimates that about 10,000 Wagner mercenaries have been killed in the past five months alone, most of them convicts killed in the intense fighting in and around the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut.

Prigozhin himself has described the trench warfare there as a "meat grinder" and has complained that his forces have been ill-supplied for the fighting. The Ukrainian military has said Wagner's tactics seem to amount to little more than throwing large numbers of troops into battle against hardened positions.

Journalists have discovered seven Wagner cemeteries, six in Russia and one in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine's Luhansk region.

In early April, journalists discovered at least 69 Wagner graves in a Novosibirsk cemetery. A plot in a cemetery in Irkutsk has been set aside for Wagner burials, with at least 11 graves already there as of mid-April. In March, nearly 70 Wagner graves were found in a village outside of Yekaterinburg. Journalists reported in April that the number had grown to 106. Twenty-two Wagner graves were found in a cemetery near the Moscow region settlement of Fryanovo, many of them belonging to citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, the BBC reported, adding that there appeared to be a large area set aside for additional burials.

In early April, journalists reported 607 Wagner graves in the Krasnodar region village of Bakinskaya.

About 100 Wagner graves have been reported at a cemetery in the occupied Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

Although Wagner insists the men died as heroes, the company seems to take pains to put the graves in remote locations and bury its dead without fanfare. By researching the social-media pages of some of the men buried at the cemetery, RFE/RL was able to contact some of their relatives and to learn more about the path they followed to the trenches in Ukraine.

'I Don't Know What To Tell You'

According to court records, Aleksandr Skaleyush, a resident of the southern city of Orenburg, stopped a passerby in June 2020 and stole his mobile phone. He later sold the phone to a taxi driver for 1,200 rubles ($15). It took police almost a year to find and arrest him.

In court, Skaleyush reportedly confessed and repented. On June 30, 2022, the court found him guilty and -- taking into consideration an earlier conviction on robbery and theft charges -- sentenced him to one year in prison.

"None of our relatives wanted to be in contact with him," his daughter told RFE/RL. "He was constantly in trouble with the law. Constantly drunk. I don't know what to tell you. He didn't work. Drank a lot. He disappeared in 2020 and that is all I know."

Skaleyush's social-media pages were active until March 2022. On August 25, his appeal was rejected. According to his grave marker, he was killed in Ukraine on November 19, 2022.

After speaking with RFE/RL, Nadezhda Skaleyush contacted Wagner seeking information about her father. She says the Wagner representative sarcastically told her to get a death certificate "from the journalist who told her" that her father was dead. Later, another Wagner representative confirmed that her father was dead and promised to send his effects to her.

Three Weeks At War

The Nikolayevka grave of Mikhail Skripkin is one of the few in the cemetery that bears a photograph. The Orthodox cross is decorated with an oval photo of Skripkin in military uniform from his time in the Russian Army after he graduated from high school. When he was killed on October 27, 2022, he was 32 years old.

"Yes, that is my brother," Dmitry Skripkin told RFE/RL after being shown a photograph of the grave. "I didn't know he was dead."

Although Dmitry Skripkin was unwilling to speak about the matter further, his wife, Yekaterina Koltunova, agreed to be interviewed. "We knew that he had gone to the war on October 1," she said. "He had already passed the midway point in his sentence, but they told him that if he served [as a soldier] for six months, he'd be released."

She added that the fact that he was killed in combat just three weeks later indicates how poorly the Wagner mercenaries are prepared.

Koltunova said that Skripkin had been encouraged to volunteer by an actively pro-war aunt who, she supposes, had supplied the photograph for the grave marker. "She told him that all the guys are coming back from there and that the money was good," Koltunova said. "So, he signed up."

In July 2016, when he was 25, Skripkin picked up a sealed package containing three mobile phones. He later testified in court that he had no idea there were also 14 grams of heroin in the bag, which was wrapped with duct tape.

He took a taxi to the building of Correctional Facility No. 6 in Samara. He was detained outside the prison wall, with prison guards saying he intended to throw the package over the wall to prisoners inside. He was reportedly heavily drunk at the time.

Skripkin testified in court that a friend serving time in the prison had called him and asked him to help smuggle the telephones in exchange for money. He denied any knowledge of the drugs.

Nonetheless, a Samara court convicted him on October 31, 2016, of attempted large-scale drug smuggling and sentenced him to 10 years and one month in prison. The judge took into account the fact that when Skripkin committed the crime, he was just five days into a two-year suspended sentence for theft.

"Misha really wanted to serve in the army," Koltunova said, "to show everyone he was tough. He had earlier been in the army in Lipetsk. He came back normal enough. He was very kind and generous. He didn't have a family of his own. A good boy. I don't know what else to say. He planned to return to the army -- they'd promised to give him an apartment. But then he stupidly ended up in prison."

Koltunova later told RFE/RL that she and her husband were in contact with Wagner in an effort to confirm her brother-in-law's death and secure a death certificate.

'Federal Burial Districts'

Sergei Podsytnik is the editor in chief of the local news website Protokol.Samara. He told RFE/RL that he first heard about the Wagner graves at Nikolayevka in early April.

"We discovered that many of the graves contained convicts from, for instance, Tatarstan or the Orenburg region," he said, describing the Samara region cemetery as a "hub." "Apparently there is some sort of territorial principle -- some sort of new federal burial districts."

He says his research indicated that most of the graves were those of men who had few or no contacts with relatives and who had expressed a desire to be interred with their Wagner comrades.

"These are mercenaries who didn't leave any contact information," he said. "Or the contacts they left were ignored by the Wagner representatives. As a rule, there is one representative per region, and they are supposed to be responsible for reporting the deaths, issuing the documents, and making payments. I don't know why they often don't do this. We have followed online discussion groups of Wagner relatives and they often talk about this topic."

Podsytnik also observes that Wagner takes pains to conceal its losses, picking hard-to-reach locations and conducting low-key burials. "For those of us who are against the war, the losses are obvious," he explained. "But for supporters of the so-called 'special military operation,' the enormous number of crosses could come as a surprise.

'No One Would Come To Get Him'

Another Wagner grave in Nikolayevka bears the name Yury Zhartsev. Through his social-media pages, RFE/RL learned he was a native of Ufa, the capital of the Bashkortostan region. He was 44 years old when he was killed in Ukraine on January 18, 2023.

"My Yurka had a modest biography," said his ex-wife, Oksana Zemlyanskaya. "He came from a large family, was the seventh child. I used to be friends with his sister, and I knew him since I was a child. But when he was 15, he fell into bad company and his life went out of control. After he went to prison, all his relatives disowned him."

He had many convictions, Zemlyanskaya says, including robbery and assault.

On July 29, 2021, an Ufa court sentenced Zhartsev to 12 1/2 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter for beating to death an acquaintance the previous March. Zhartsev pleaded guilty but said he had not intended to kill the man. A prosecution witness at the trial said he had known Zhartsev for 30 years and that he "was feared across the whole region."

Zemlyanskaya says Zhartsev did not tell her he was going to Ukraine, adding that was not surprising because they had long been divorced.

She says she would not be surprised to find out that he had requested to be buried in a Wagner cemetery in the Samara region rather than being sent back to Ufa.

"He knew that no one would come to get him," she said, adding that she would make an effort to visit his grave in Nikolayevka.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting from Russia by RFE/RL's Idel.Realities
BELGRADE -- People in the hundreds, many of them clutching flowers, many of them young, gathered outside the school in the Serbian capital of Belgrade on May 4 that was the site just a day before of one of the Balkan country's bloodiest mass shootings.

A 13-year-old boy is alleged to have used his father's guns to kill eight of his schoolmates and a security guard at the Vladislav Ribnikar primary school on May 3. The boy was arrested at the scene and has been placed in a psychiatric clinic.

As Serbia was observing a three-day mourning period for the victims of the school shooting, late on May 4, at least eight people were killed and 14 wounded after a gunman in a moving car opened fire on passersby south of the Serbian capital.

The 21-year-old male in that attack is alleged to have used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people in several villages near Mladenovac, 50 kilometers south of Belgrade. He was on the run for hours before being arrested early on May 5, police said.

The two incidents have shocked Serbia and prompted much soul-searching -- and, inevitably, plenty of blame.

Serbian Education Minister Branko Ruzic pinned the school shooting in part on the "cancerous influence of the Internet, video games, and so-called Western values." At a press conference on May 3 in Belgrade, Ruzic said that Serbia was "unfortunately part of the world where things like this happen more and more often."

"It is clear to all of us that major change is needed, the tightening of measures, but also a systemic solution, so that this tragedy does not become a socially acceptable form of behavior, as is, unfortunately, the case in some Western societies," Ruzic said without elaborating further.

The remarks earned Ruzic a rebuke and calls for his resignation. On May 4, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), a Serbian-based NGO, called for the dismissal of Ruzic for politicizing the school shooting.

"By declaring that 'the system did not fail' and accusing 'Western values, the Internet, and video games', Minister Ruzic, instead of taking responsibility and resigning, did not miss the opportunity to recklessly politically abuse a great tragedy," the organization said in a statement.

Students interviewed by RFE/RL's Balkan Service seemed to agree that some officials were trying to find scapegoats for the school tragedy.

Ognjen Tutic, a 24-year-old student from Sremska Mitrovica in the Serbian region of Vojvodina, said it was "irresponsible" to point the finger at the West or video games. "The tragedy is huge, unfathomable, and it is completely irresponsible to talk about who is to blame in that way, and especially to point the finger at the West [or] video games.... What, are we tilting at windmills?" Tutic told RFE/RL.

Instead of blaming the West, 19-year-old student Jovana Zujovic said Serbia needed to start looking for answers in the home. "I think that the way we raise children is the first factor that determines how children comprehend content on the Internet. This should be resolved through a conversation with parents," she said.

Twenty-year-old Marija Duric from Belgrade agreed, telling RFE/RL that instead of the West, the authorities had failed to pay proper attention to dysfunctional families and the school system itself. "We blame the West for everything. That child wouldn't have done that if he had a happy life. If he was happy, he wouldn't have that amount of anger to kill someone," Duric said.

The European Movement in Serbia (EMINS), a Belgrade-based NGO, also slammed Education Minister Ruzic for his remarks and called for his resignation. "It is unfortunate that such an event is used for daily political purposes.... The government must take responsibility for promoting hate speech and intolerance, shaping public opinion at its discretion, as well as creating a dominant feeling of anxiety," EMINS said in a statement.

Ruzic has held the post of education minister since October 2020. He is a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia, a coalition partner in the government of President Aleksandar Vucic's ruling Serbian Progressive Party. Dozens of high-school teachers rallied in front of the Education Ministry in downtown Belgrade on May 4, demanding improvements to school security and the education system.

At a press conference on May 3, Vucic was asked whether Ruzic should step down over the school shooting. He only said that everyone can talk about their own responsibility. "Today, Branko Ruzic said that he is ready to resign, but that is up to him and [Prime Minister Ana] Brnabic.... I try to be objective and fair, and we'll see if there is any fault on his part or not. Only then, we'll see further," said the president.

WATCH: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic called the country's second mass shooting in less than two days an act of terrorism.

The Balkans as a region ranks high globally for the number of guns per capita, with many weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s. Serbia has one of the highest per capita gun-ownership rates in the world -- 39.1 weapons per 100 residents -- according to the latest data from the Small Arms Survey, an independent research project located at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland.

Despite the surfeit of guns, mass shootings are rare in Serbia. In April 2013, army veteran Ljubisa Bogdanovic killed 13 people in the village of Velika Ivanca near Mladenovac, in the deadliest mass shooting in Serbia. Automatic weapons are illegal and, over the years, the authorities have offered several amnesties to those who surrender them.

In an address to the nation on May 5, Vucic said the second incident was "a terrorist attack" and vowed tough gun-control steps that will amount to what he said was a "practical disarmament" of the country.

On May 4, the government said it was instituting an extensive revision of existing private gun permits and other measures.

Written by Tony Wesolowsky based on reporting by Iva Gajic of RFE/RL Balkan Service
Welcome to The Azadi Briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter that unpacks the key issues in Afghanistan. To subscribe, click here.

I'm Abubakar Siddique, a senior correspondent at RFE/RL's Radio Azadi. Here's what I've been tracking and what I'm keeping an eye on in the days ahead.

The Key Issue

The Taliban has intensified its crackdown on independent reporters and media outlets in Afghanistan, where the militant group has stamped out any form of dissent.

An Afghan media watchdog said cases of arbitrary arrests and detention, threats, and intimidation of journalists rose by around 60 percent in the past year.

In its annual report issued on May 3, the Afghanistan Journalist Center said it documented 213 human rights violations against media personnel in the past year. During that time, one journalist was killed and 21 wounded in attacks targeting media workers.

"Taliban intelligence has made our working environment terrifying," a female Afghan journalist, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution, told Radio Azadi. "Journalists face torture and detentions daily, which shows the real state of press freedom in our country."

Afghan media advocacy group NAI said around half of Afghanistan's estimated 600 media outlets have closed since the Taliban seized power in 2021. Around two-thirds of reporters have lost their jobs in that time, according to NAI.

Female media workers have been disproportionately affected. The Taliban's restrictions on women's right to work has left many women journalists unable to carry out their jobs.

Why It's Important: Since seizing power, the Taliban has waged a brutal crackdown on dissent that has targeted human rights defenders, women activists, intellectuals, and journalists.

The clampdown appears to have intensified in recent months, with the United Nations highlighting the "concerning number of civil society activists and media workers have been detained since early 2023."

They include journalists Khairullah Parhar and Mortaza Behboudi.

"Journalists are being forced to make editorial decisions based on fear, not public interest. It's sadly part of a wider trend of declining freedom of expression and access to information," said Roza Otunbaeva, the UN secretary-general's special representative for Afghanistan.

What's Next: The Taliban appears likely to further restrict the freedom of the press in Afghanistan as part of a wider rolling back of basic rights.

Despite promising to allow free media upon seizing power, the Taliban has issued decrees intended to protect its government from "disrespectful" criticism by the media.

The militants have also issued "11 rules for journalists" that prohibit the publication or broadcasting of reports that are "contrary to Islam," and which discourage reporting of news that has not been confirmed by Taliban officials.

What To Keep An Eye On

The Taliban has announced that it will build a nearly 1,500-kilometer-long railway line connecting three major Afghan cities.

The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabiullah Mujahid, said the railway line would connect the northern city of Mazar-e Sharif with the southern city of Kandahar via the western city of Herat.

Mujahid said the Taliban would fund the ambitious project through domestic revenues.

Why It's Important: The project underscores the Taliban's ambitions to transform Afghanistan into a trading hub connecting Central Asia to South Asia.

But it is doubtful whether the Taliban government has the finances and technical expertise to complete the multibillion-dollar project on its own.

There is also little indication that neighboring or regional powers are willing or able to step in to help the Taliban, whose government remains unrecognized and is under international sanctions.

The Taliban has gone ahead with a giant canal project in northern Afghanistan that has provoked controversy in the region. Meanwhile, its attempts to attract Chinese investment in the mining sector have yet to bear fruit.

That's all from me for now.

Until next time,

Abubakar Siddique

If you enjoyed this briefing and don't want to miss the next edition, subscribe here. It will be sent to your inbox every Friday.
The Ukrainian military reported on May 5 that fresh Russian reinforcements were being brought into Bakhmut, a city in the Donetsk region where fighting has intensified. The region has been at the epicenter of Moscow's push in eastern Ukraine, while Russia continued the shelling of southern Ukraine.

On the battlefield in Bakhmut, Ukrainian defenders repelled 60 Russian assaults over the past 24 hours, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said in its daily report on May 5, in what marked an increase in the intensity of Russia's repeated attempts to take the city.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensives, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.



Fierce fighting was also reported in Maryinka, close to Bakhmut, where Russian forces attempted to improve their tactical positions, the General Staff said.

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said Russian troops -- spearheaded by mercenaries from the private Wagner group -- are making every effort to capture Bakhmut by May 9, the date when Moscow celebrates its World War II Victory Day.

"To achieve this, they are bringing in Wagner forces from other battlefields who are being replaced with paratrooper assault units that are currently fighting in the Bakhmut direction," Malyar said on Telegram.

"The Russians are inclined toward symbolism, and their key historic myth is May 9. They really have established the objective of taking control of Bakhmut by this date," Malyar said separately on Ukrainian television.

Malyar's statement contradicted an apparent threat by Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who earlier on May 5 claimed he would withdraw his fighters from Bakhmut in what looked like an escalation of his ongoing feud with the Russian Defense Ministry over supplies and support.

In a video posted by his press service on May 5, Prigozhin said he would pull out Wagner forces from Bakhmut by May 10 -- the day after the Kremlins planned World War II Victory Day commemorations.

"We were supposed to take Bakhmut by May 9, but pseudo-military bureaucrats, who knew about it, literally cut us off from artillery ammunition," Prigozhin said in the video, as he addressed the camera with a group of apparent Wagner soldiers in the background.

Later on May 5, the Russian-installed head of the Zaporizhzhya region ordered the evacuation from Russian-held frontline areas in southern Ukraine.

"In the past few days, the enemy has stepped up shelling of settlements close to the front line," Yevgeny Balitsky wrote on social media. "I have therefore made a decision to evacuate first of all children and parents, elderly people, disabled people, and hospital patients."

The "temporary evacuation" order affects 18 places, including the town of Enerhodar, where the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant is located.

WATCH: The village of Bohoyavlenka in Ukraine's Donetsk region is located 10 kilometers from the front line. Of 1,500 people who lived here before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, only 234 remain. But residents can still be found planting potatoes, beets, and zucchini.

Meanwhile, Russia bombed the southern city of Kherson again on May 5, regional officials said, causing injuries and infrastructure damage.

Earlier in the day, heavy artillery fire destroyed civilian and energy infrastructure in Nikopol, said the head of the Dnipropetrovsk regional council, Mykola Lukashuk.

"The occupiers targeted the homes of the townspeople. Ten private houses, a building, gas furnaces, and electricity networks were destroyed," Lukashuk wrote on Telegram.

Russia has stepped up its strikes on southern Ukraine in recent days, targeting mostly the liberated areas of the Kherson region, where at least 23 civilians were killed by shelling this week.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, and dpa
Welcome back to the China In Eurasia briefing, an RFE/RL newsletter tracking Chinas resurgent influence from Eastern Europe to Central Asia. To subscribe, click here.

Im RFE/RL correspondent Reid Standish and heres what Im following right now.

Beijing, Moscow, And Leaked Documents

Along with my colleagues at Systema, RFE/RL's Russian investigative unit, we obtained never before reported documents and recordings from closed-door meetings in 2017 and 2019 between Chinese and Russian officials where they share methods and tactics for monitoring dissent and controlling the Internet.

Finding Perspective: China and Russias growing ties are no secret, but the documents provide a unique window into the practical level of cooperation under way between China and Russia when it comes to monitoring and restricting their respective Internets.

Among some of the key findings, Russian officials are seen asking for advice and practical know-how from their Chinese counterparts on a range of topics, including disrupting circumvention tools like VPNs and Tor, cracking encrypted Internet traffic, and seeking tips from China's experience in regulating messaging platforms.

LISTEN: Beijing and Moscows deepening ties are no secret, but what do recently leaked Pentagon documents tell us about where their burgeoning military partnership is headed? Dennis Wilder, former Asia adviser to U.S. President George W. Bush, joins host Reid Standish.

In another instance, in July 2017, Aleksandr Zharov, who served as the head of Roskomnadzor until 2020, asks a Chinese delegation to help arrange a visit for Russian specialists to China, where they could study the operations of the Golden Shield Project -- the all-encompassing Internet censorship and surveillance system that helps make up what is colloquially known as Chinas Great Firewall.

In turn, Chinese officials sought Russian expertise on regulating media and dealing with popular dissent, including monitoring protests led by opposition figure Aleksei Navalny.

In another 2019 exchange, officials from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) also made requests to Roskomnadzor to block a variety of China-related links to news articles and interviews that they had deemed to be of a dangerous nature and harmful to the public interest.

Why It Matters: Beijing and Moscow have been deepening their ties for the past decade and controlling the flow of information online has been a focal point of that cooperation since Chinese leader Xi Jinpings first trip to Russia as leader in 2013.

The documents shed new light on a pivotal time inside Russia and point to how Russia has sought to emulate China in exerting control over its people in the social media age.

For years, the Russian government has been putting in place new measures to smother freedom of speech online, but many have stumbled in practice. But in 2019, those efforts reached a zenith when a controversial sovereign Internet law went into force that allowed Moscow to tighten control over the countrys Internet by routing web traffic through state-controlled infrastructure and creating a national system of domain names.

While many of Russia's measures are still a far cry from those inside China, they have continued to be more technologically advanced and restrictive, a process that has accelerated since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Expert Corner: Who Speaks For Europe?

Readers asked: French President Emmanuel Macron got into hot water over his comments about Taiwan. Weve also recently seen various other -- sometimes contradictory -- comments coming from European Union and European officials. Why does this seem to happen when it comes to China?

To find out more, I asked Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RLs Europe editor:

It happens because there really isnt a coherent policy toward China. It is sometimes a rival, notably when it comes to geopolitics, and sometimes a partner in areas such as climate change mitigation. And then, of course, there is economic dependence on Beijing that leads to some EU member states not wanting to be too harsh on China. EU foreign policy is made up via the lowest common denominator as all the 27 EU capitals need to green-light any move. For China, this means that you have a mishmash of interests, ideas, and fears that makes outsiders unsure about what Europes China policy really is.

I also think that the EU has failed to formulate a coherent Taiwan policy and this adds to the mixed messages coming out from Europe. Macron said that Europe should not get caught up in a conflict over the island, but have he and fellow European leaders drawn up any plans on what Brussels will do if China were to attack? Its still unclear what Europes red lines would be and how it would react.

Do you have a question about Chinas growing footprint in Eurasia? Send it to me at StandishR@rferl.org or reply directly to this e-mail and Ill get it answered by leading experts and policymakers.

Three More Stories From Eurasia

1. The Pentagon Leaks

China approved the provision of lethal aid to Russia for its war in Ukraine but wanted any shipments to remain a secret, according to leaked U.S. government documents.

What You Need To Know: The recently leaked trove of classified Pentagon documents that contain assessments and reports from Americas intelligence agencies shows that Beijing had approved the incremental provision of weapons to Moscow, which it would disguise as civilian items.

That comes from a February 23 top-secret intelligence summary that The Washington Post reported was gathered by U.S. agents eavesdropping on discussions by Russias secret service. The Russians said Chinas central military commission wanted the shipments to remain secret.

Among other revelations, a separate file in the trove of leaked documents said Beijing would consider a significant Ukrainian strike with American or NATO weapons on Russian territory as an escalation of the conflict that would merit sending arms to Russia.

The timing is notable. A public U.S.-led campaign over a potential Chinese arms transfer accelerated in late February, and shortly after that document circulated within the U.S. government NBC News reported that the U.S. information about the plan to obtain lethal aid from China was gleaned from Russian officials.

Whats less clear is if the transfers are taking place or if the public pressure on China has worked.

Reports based on trade data show private sales of small-scale weapons from China to Russia, and senior Ukrainian officials have said their forces are finding a growing number of components from China in Russian weapons on the battlefield.

Whether Chinese covert efforts are under way or not, defense cooperation between China and Russia is set to grow. A large portion of the Chinese delegation for Xis Moscow summit in March were defense officials, and Chinese Defense Minister Li Shangfu was in Russia on April 16 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

2. Lula's 'Peace Club'

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva wrapped up a state visit to China, where he sought to position himself as a peace broker in the ongoing war in Ukraine while attempting to elevate Brazil's global status and boost economic ties with Beijing.

The Details: As I reported here, a key piece of Lula's outreach is courting political backing for his proposal that Brazil and other developing countries, including China, form a peace club to broker a deal to end the war in Ukraine.

Analysts, however, remain skeptical about the chances of Lula's peace proposal, which is unlikely to gain support from Kyiv and its backers given China's close ties with Russia and past comments from the Brazilian leader that Ukraine should cede Crimea -- which was forcibly annexed by Moscow in 2014 -- as a means to reach a deal.

Beyond the diplomacy push from Lula, the visit allowed him to shore up Brazils economic and political ties with China, as he left Beijing with a slew of new agreements.

But as Carlos Solar, a senior fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, told me, Lula is still hedging his bets, having already made a trip to Washington to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden and made moves to position Brazil to be a regional power in Latin America.

[Lula] needs this frenzy of deals in China and talks with Xi in part to show his public that he's still an influential guy around the world, Solar said. But when you look more closely, you can see that he is putting his eggs in different baskets.

3. Frustrated By The Taliban, Interested In Afghanistan

Frustrated by the Talibans reluctance to take action against an array of militants, including a strengthening Islamic State group, Afghanistan's neighbors have resolved to come up with a joint strategy to counter security threats emanating from the country.

What It Means: Top diplomats from Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan attended an April 13 conference that focused on ensuring regional security in light of the situation in Afghanistan.

Russia and China are among the few countries that have kept their diplomatic missions in Kabul since the Taliban retook power, but lingering frustrations with the group as a partner have been boiling up.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was ready to work more closely with Afghanistans neighbors and the international community, and Beijing also expressed hope that the Taliban would continue working actively to meet Afghans' interests and the international communitys expectations for an open and inclusive political structure.

China has a growing interest in the countrys resources -- having secured rights for mining and oil and gas exploration -- but security concerns have kept those projects mostly on paper for the time being.

Still, the cash-strapped Taliban is hoping that it can draw in more Chinese interest, recently floating progress on a potential $10 billion investment from the China Petroleum Economics and Information Research Center (CPEIC) in Afghanistans lithium deposits.

Few details beyond a Taliban press release were offered, but even if something is inked, realizing the project -- and others with China -- is still a distant prospect due to the countrys tough security situation.

Across The Supercontinent

A New Case In Pakistan: A Chinese man has been arrested in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province after an angry mob accused him of blasphemy and tried to enter a camp near the construction site of the Dasu Dam, the biggest hydropower project in Pakistan, which involves both Chinese and Pakistani workers.

Police filed a blasphemy charge against the Chinese man, RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal reported.

Internal Review: Hikvisions human rights investigator admits the company's Chinese police contracts in Xinjiang explicitly target Uyghurs as a group.

The Chinese surveillance giant has repeatedly denied reports that the company is complicit in human rights abuses targeting Uyghurs, but documents obtained by technology trade publication IPVM show otherwise.

Brussels To Beijing: The EU lodged a protest with China after police detained veteran rights lawyer Yu Wensheng and his activist wife, Xu Yan, ahead of an April 13 meeting with its diplomats in China, Radio Free Asia reports.

Macron In China: Looking to catch up on Macrons trip to China earlier this month? Listen to the last episode of Talking China In Eurasia, where guest Rikard Jozwiak explained why the French president thinks he can split China and Russia and where he fits among Europes large groups of actors looking to engage and pressure Beijing.

One Thing To Watch

Chinas economic growth is exceeding expectations. GDP grew 4.5 percent year on year in the first quarter. Strong growth in exports and infrastructure investment, as well as a rebound in retail consumption and property prices, are said to be driving the recovery.

That momentum looks set to continue, but economists have warned that consumption and the property sector might struggle to maintain strong growth, while exports could be threatened by weaker demand in developed economies.

Thats all from me for now. Dont forget to send me any questions, comments, or tips that you might have.

Until next time,

Reid Standish

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AN ADDICT who spent years living rough on the streets to fuel his drug and alcohol habit told how he had turned his life around to become a reformed man.

Michael Smith (44) said he had lived a rollercoaster lifestyle on the streets of Leigh in Greater Manchester, which had led to break-ups, career-ending dreams, violence and living rough on the streets.

His early years were filled with a rebellious streak marked by unhappy family relationships.

Id do silly things as a kid such as break into my primary school where Id absolutely destroy the place because I was angry, he said.

My step-dad was an alcoholic and he used to beat me.

I tried to meet with my biological father who lived in Liverpool but his wife wasnt keen on us having a relationship, so he ended up turning his back on me.

He didnt want to see me again, which was difficult to take as a kid.

It was a really difficult time in my life which is probably why I started to lose control.

Michael said he had got into drugs at a young age, which had destroyed his one childhood ambition.

I first smoked weed when I was about 12 which quickly progressed to taking amphetamine, acid, cocaine, heroin and LSD by the time I turned 15, he said.

I did this whilst becoming a father and trying to make it as a professional rugby league player.

Id fallen in love with the sport as a child and was eventually signed by the Widnes Vikings.

Despite having the talent to make it to the top, I could never maintain the consistency required because of my drug taking.

In the end, it was a choice between making it big as a rugby league player or the drugs.

I chose the drugs.

Michael outline the extent to which his excesses would go in order to fuel his habit.

At one point, I was injecting amphetamine, whiskey and vodka to get the next hit because it made me feel alive, he said.

Back in the 1990s, drug taking was quite prolific and you could buy drugs cheaply.

Id also get the opposite side where drug dealers hunted me down for money and demanded I buy more drugs.

I remember being beaten so badly by drug dealers that they attacked me with a metal bar where I was bleeding to a pulp.

Somehow I made it out alive.

It was very scary.

Michael said he had left all his responsibilities behind in order to keep taking drugs whilst on the streets.

I was around 24 and all the money I had was going towards my addiction  I couldnt afford a home anymore so thats when I moved to life on the streets, he said.

It was quite daunting being out in the freezing cold when you couldnt feel your hands or feet.

I was finding a means to take drugs by committing petty crimes and selling items Id sold.

Unfortunately, I was caught on quite a few occasions and it led to a time behind bars.

Id hit rock bottom.

A defining moment in Michaels life came in 2014 when he plucked up the courage to ask for help in 2014.

Id simply had enough and decided that I needed to change my life after years of abuse, he added.

Thanks to Leigh Foodbank, I was referred to a christian charity centre called Betel UK, who help people overcome addiction to drugs and alcohol. It saved my life.

They gave me accommodation and gave me guidance on how to improve my life to find meaning with God's help.

Being around the culture of drug taking led to the deaths of so many good people.

I wanted to make a change but knew I needed help.

Michael said he had been given a sense of purpose and wanted to help others who had experienced homelessness and addiction like him.

Betel helped to restore my broken life and I found myself progressing to a position where I was helping others overcome their demons, he added.

I found this really rewarding.

I moved to Rotherham in 2021 to work at the Lighthouse, which helps homeless people.

Ive helped people to learn to love themselves again which is what has inspired me to this day.

I met my wife Debbie through this and shes given me the strength to love myself again as well.

Mick said he now hoped to save just one life from the pain that drugs and alcohol can cause.

Ive made a lot of mistakes and done some terrible things in the past, but I made it out the other side and found faith which inspired me to change my ways, he added.

If I see people on the streets living rough, I feel urged to help them out because I know what they are going through.

Just buying them some food can give them a real chance of getting through the problems they face and make a huge difference to them.

I still live with the guilt of never being a father figure to my children tThey didnt deserve a dad like me.

Its perfectly understandable why they may never want to see me, but Im confident we can reconnect in the future and I can make it up to them.

The recovering addict has made a new life for himself in Greasbrough with Debbie.

I have a wife, a home and quite possibly everything I could have ever wished for, he added.

Im studying to be a graphic designer at Rotherham College and Ive been accepted to study graphic design at Doncaster College University in the autumn.

It really shows just how anything can be achieved.

From being at my worst ever point in life to where I am now is incredible.

Drugs are absolutely evil.

If my story can save one person from making the same mistakes I did, I will be happy.
POLICE investigating reports of indecent exposure and lewd behaviour have released an E-fit image of a suspect  and are exploring if there are any potential connections with previous incidents.

Concerned members of the public first reported a man was exposing himself and committing a lewd act in a wooded area near to Barkers Park, in Kimberworth Park, at 1.30pm on Sunday, April 9.

Officers also received further reports of a similar nature at around 3pm the same day, with people reporting a man exposing himself while in the wooded area across from Barkers Park which leads onto the fields near to Scholes Lane.

A spokesperson for South Yorkshire Police said: Given the location and nature of the offences reported, we are exploring whether the latest reports are connected to previous incidents of indecent exposure reported in the Thorpe Hesley, Scholes and Kimberworth areas of the town.

One of the individuals affected by the most recent incidents last month has helped to produce an e-fit image of a suspect we are keen to identify.

Do you know this man?

Anyone with information should get in touch via the polices live chat and online portal or by calling 101 quoting incident number 468 of April 9, 2023.

CCTV or video doorbell footage of this individual can email it to enquiries@southyorks.pnn.police.uk and quote the same incident number in the email subject line.

Alternatively, if you would prefer not to give your personal details, you can stay anonymous and pass on what you know by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers.

Call the UK contact centre on freephone 0800 555 111 or complete a simple and secure anonymous online form at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
UTC & GMT: same but different? UTC & GMT: same but different?

Some companies name their travel watches GMT, while others prefer to label them UTC. Is this a marketing ploy or a genuine technical... Some companies name their travel watches...
A PAIR of dedicated first aid volunteers from Rotherham will be among the celebration party for the Kings coronation.

Jay Hughes and Michelle Hartley have been allocated places by St John Ambulance for the concert at Windsor Castle on Saturday.

Jay has been a volunteer since he was 14, when he joined as a cadet, learnt basic first aid skills and attended community events, including Rotherham United matchdays.

He is now a qualified paramedic but still serves St John as a volunteer, youth group leader and first aid trainer.

Michelle, a youth leader with 17 years experience, said she was excited about the trip to Windsor and hoped to catch a glimpse of the coronation procession through London.

Jay (23), of Catcliffe, explained: St John Ambulance was given ten pairs of tickets for the Coronation celebrations at Windsor castle.

In order to be selected for the ballot, I had to have served three years of voluntary service and nominate another volunteer who met this requirement.

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I nominated Michelle, thinking no more of it, and thinking we wouldnt be selected.

A week later, I received a call from the head of the chancery for St John and was told that myself and Michelle had been selected, along with a small number of other volunteers from across the country to attend the celebrations at Windsor Castle.

We will be making our way down to London on the coronation morning and we are most looking forward to watching to procession down the mall, the Kings appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace and finally attending the concert at Windsor Castle.

Michelle, of Bolton on Dearne, said: I still cant believe St John had ten pairs of tickets and we got one. We initially thought wed have to go in uniform but St John said we can wear what we want so I couldnt resist getting a new dress.

I hope we can see some of the procession, too  even just to catch a glimpse would be amazing.

She added: Jay was actually one of my cadets.

I joined the junior section, the Badgers, when I was about seven but sadly that group folded a few years later. I rejoined when I was 17 and am now a youth leader and help run our cadet division.

The young people we have coming through are brilliant. They work really hard and have first aid skills you would not believe.
(bloomberg.com) - With Russian gold shut out of Western markets, little-known companies are stepping in to help the countrys bullion find new buyers. Dozens of logistics firms and merchants that are small players in the gold sector have since taken over the Russian bullion trade, according to data from trade-tracking firm ImportGenius based on Russian customs figures for six months through August. And instead of massive shipments going to London to sit in vaults of top bullion banks like JPMorgan Chase & Co. and HSBC Holdings Plc, Russian supplies are heading piecemeal to places like the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong and Turkey, where there are no restrictions.



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Comments by Ahmed bin Sulayem, Chairman and CEO of the Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC)

(twitter.com/ahmedbinsulayem)  @Edspencive while I agree that gold has naturally found the path of least resistance to continue its function as a globally traded commodity, you overlooked the following:

1. The @LBMA clearly stated that "all Russian bars that were already in the Loco London and Loco Swiss markets prior to 7 March 2022 remain good delivery" meaning the same Russian bars that are now in London can still be traded and are widely held across the gold and silver ETFs that use the vault facilities of @JPMorgan and @HSBC  so these banks have certainly not exited involvement.

2. While the G7 may have banned 'new' gold originating from Russia on 26 June 2022, gold produced before 7 March and exported from Russia prior to that date was still acceptable.

3. Switzerland didn't ban gold exports until 3rd August 2022 - two weeks after the EU did. Interestingly, Switzerland specifically imported 3 tonnes from Russia for refining in May 2022.

4. London remains a major stockpile for Russian gold. Why does the LBMA refuse to disclose how much gold is held in London to the public? While both JP Morgan and HSBC already have conspicuous track records of harbouring corruption and fraud, the LBMA's complete lack of transparency isn't a good look considering two of its biggest banks are not only two of its four clearing banks, but also convicted money launderers and financial violators. in the latter's case, for the Mexican drug cartels.

5. British and Swiss customs data show huge shipments to China, India and other countries in Asia and the Middle East, with the LBMA recording a drop of 468 tonnes of gold stored in London in the first 11 months of 2022. LBMA banks are still very much actively dealing in Russian bars.

6. While the UAE was already a top destination for Russian gold, it fails to mention that the flow has been very much supported by LBMAs banks who continue to trade in existing Russian gold in large quantities.
Army Soldiers

In view of security, internet service has been suspended in the district

RAJOURI: At least five army jawans were martyred during the encounter between security forces and terrorists in Rajouri of Jammu and Kashmir. According to North Command, In view of security, internet service has been suspended in the district.

The army said in a statement that this incident took place when the army team was conducting a search operation in the forest area on the edge of Rajouri sector. The team is working on intelligence to trace a group of terrorists who attacked an army truck in Tota Gali area in Jammu region on Tuesday. The search team of the army had an encounter with the terrorists at 7:30 am on Friday. Meanwhile, firing took place from both sides. After this, the terrorists exploded to escape. Additional teams from nearby areas were dispatched to the site.

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Two soldiers were killed and four others were seriously injured in the blast. As per the update, three injured jawans have also died during the treatment in the hospital.
Farmers' Organizations

BKU Women cadre will hold protests on May 11, 12 & 13 in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand

New Delhi: A day after protesting wrestlers called on farmers to join the wrestlers' protest over their demand for the arrest of the head of the Wrestling Federation of India Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Punjab's largest farmers' union Bharti Kisan Union (Ugrahan) announced that thousands of women would reach Jantar Mantar on May 7.

The State president of the union, Joginder Singh Ugrahan, said that the female wrestlers who were sitting on a peaceful protest were abused and beaten first and now the police have barricaded them to suppress their rights. He said that the caravan of women farmer leaders will leave for Delhi on May 6 against the dictatorial decision of the Modi government.

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Ugrahan said that a big demonstration will be held at Jantar Mantar under the leadership of women leaders Harinder Kaur Bindu and Kuldeep Kaur on May 7. Apart from this, BKU Women cadre will hold protests on May 11, 12 and 13 in Punjab, Haryana and Uttarakhand.

They are demanding that the President of Indian Wrestling Federation, Brij Bhushan Singh, should be arrested and the injured players should be given free government treatment. He has said that if the demands are not met, the agitation will be intensified.


Cops Arrests Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd CMD Kewal Krishan Kumar

The Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police has arrested him after interrogation on Friday

NEW-DELHI: Delhi Police has arrested Shakti Bhog Food Limited Chairman and Managing Director Kewal Krishan Kumar in a Money Laundering Case. The Economic Offenses Wing of Delhi Police has arrested him after interrogation on Friday (May 5). The police have taken this action in the case of fraud of Rs 10 crores. Recently, Kewal Krishan Kumar walked of jail on bail in an another case.

According to the statement issued by the Delhi Police, the key accused and other accused directors of the company had issued post-dated cheques of Rs 10 crores to the complainant in exchange for the purchase of raw materials. Later, these cheques were dishonored as they were issued by his company which was already under liquidation and its account had already been blocked. After the complaint, the Economic Crime Branch of Delhi Police took this action.

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Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate had arrested the CMD of Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd. ED had raided 9 locations of Kewal Krishan Kumar in Delhi and Haryana. Meanwhile, many suspicious documents and digital evidence came into the hands of the agency. CBI filed an FIR against Kewal Krishan Kumar on charges of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal conduct. The CMD of Shakti Bhog Foods Ltd is accused of misappropriating funds through his companies.

Shakti Bhog Foods Limited is a Delhi-based company that manufactures flour, rice, biscuits and cookies under the Shakti Bhog brand. Earlier this year, the CBI had registered a case against the company for defrauding 10 banks to the tune of Rs 3,269.42 crore.


Pak Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari Meets EAM S Jaishankar

Combating terrorism is one of the main objectives of the SCO: S. Jaishankar

GOA: Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar welcomed Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting. Meanwhile, there was no bilateral conversation between the two. Bilawal Bhutto arrived in Goa yesterday to attend a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and became the first foreign minister of Pakistan to visit India in nearly 12 years. This is the first such high-level visit to India from neighboring Pakistan since 2011.

In the meeting, Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said that terrorism has to be stopped at all costs. Jaishankar said, "The fury of terrorism is unabated. We believe that terrorism cannot be justified in any way. It must be stopped in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism. Combating terrorism is one of the main objectives of the SCO".

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He said, "In this meeting, I am happy that the discussion on reform and renewal of SCO has started." Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar met face to face on Friday and Jaishankar welcomed Bilawal Bhutto in the meeting.

Apart from this, Foreign Minister Jaishankar met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. General Secretary Zhang Ming also attended the meeting. Foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan are also participating in this meeting. Established in 2001, the organization aims to promote security cooperation, combat ethnic and religious extremism, and promote trade and investment.


Navjot Singh Sidhu

The next hearing in this matter is slated to be held on May 12

CHANDIGARH: A hearing was held in the Punjab Haryana High Court over the case in connection with the security halved of former Punjab Congress President Navjot Singh Sidhu. Meanwhile, the Punjab government have sought more time to review. The government side said that if Sidhu needs security, it will be increased further.

The next hearing in this matter is scheduled to be held on May 12, in which the government can submit a review report. Earlier, during the hearing on April 27, the High Court issued a notice to the Punjab government and sought its response and the hearing was adjourned till May 5.

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It is worth mentioning here that Sidhu has demanded Z Plus security citing death threats. Along with this, Sidhu's lawyer had told the court that the policemen assigned to protect Navjot Sidhu are nearing retirement. Navjot Singh Sidhu, defending himself in the court, said that he has received death threats several times. This is the reason why the Center provided him Z Plus security.

Significantly, Sidhu's security was withdrawn when he went to jail in the road rage case, but in the meantime, he was asked to provide security when he came out of jail. A few days after his release from prison, an unidentified suspect was seen on the roof of his house. In this case, the Patiala police had also registered a case against the unknown person and the investigation in the matter is ongoing.


Pakistan

At least 50 members of 10 families have converted to Islam, including 23 Women

ISLAMABAD: At least 50 members of 10 families have converted to Islam in Pakistan's southern province of Sindh, raising concerns among Hindu activists who have accused the government of engaging in mass conversion.

Media reports said that these people are from different areas of Mirpurkhas region of the state and they renounced their religion and embraced Islam during a ceremony held at Bait-ul-Iman New Muslim Colony Madrasa in the city. .

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At least 50 members of 10 families have converted to Islam, including 23 women and a one-year-old girl, confirmed the caretaker of the madrassa, Qari Taimur Rajput. According to the news, Mohammad Shamroz Khan, son of Minister of Religious Affairs Mohammad Talha Mehmood, participated in the religious conversion ceremony.

Rajput quoted Khan as saying, All of them accepted Islam of their own free will. No one forced them. Hindu activists, on the other hand, resent the mass conversion and have expressed their anger and frustration.

Fakir Shiva Kuchi, a Hindu activist who has often raised his voice against religious conversion, said, "It seems that the government itself is involved in this religious conversion."

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He said that for many years, the people of the community have been demanding the government to enact a law against religious practices. "Proselytization is a serious issue in Sindh, and instead of taking adequate measures to prevent it, the son of a federal minister attends proselytizing events," he said.




Golden Opportunity for Nurses

Golden Opportunity for Nurses to study in Canadian Universities

TORONTO: Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the demand for nurses has increased in different parts of the world. A large number of visas were issued on a priority basis to people associated with the nursing field by many major countries. If you also belongs to the nursing field then this news is very important for you. There is a golden opportunity for nurses to study in Canadian universities. Now, you can get a 3 year work permit after 2 years of study. Contact 95555-56789 for more information.

Notably, If you want to make your career in nursing field then you can apply for it till September 2023. During this, you will also get the benefit of post basic nursing practice. Apart from this, you can also advance your career in the field of gerontology hospice palliative care.

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This process will be completed in a very easy way and at a low fee. It is worth noting here that there is a huge demand for Indian nurses in Canada and a large number of girls are providing services in the nursing field there. If you also want to fulfill your dream of settling in Canada, then apply today. For more information, you can contact 95555-56789.
President Joe Biden Congratulates Ajaipal Singh Banga

I look forward to working with Ajay in his new role: President Joe Biden

WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden has congratulated Ajaypal Singh Banga on becoming the next chief of the World Bank. President Biden tweeted a picture with Ajaypal Singh Banga and wrote that he will lead the World Bank to reduce poverty and solve global challenges, including climate.

Taking to Twitter, President Biden wrote, "Congratulations to my nominee, Ajay Banga, on becoming the next President of the World Bank. I look forward to working with Ajay in his new role, and to supporting his efforts to transform the World Bank to reduce poverty and address global challenges including climate."

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Earlier, the Vice President of America Kamala Harris also congratulated India born Ajaypal Singh Banga on being elected as the President of the World Bank. It is worth mentioning here that Ajaypal Singh will assume his post on June 2. Banga is the first Indian-American and Sikh-American to head either of two major international financial institutions: the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Ajaypal Singh Banga (63) was nominated by US President Joe Biden as the next head of the World Bank. In an open letter of support, 55 lawyers, academics, executives, ex-servicemen and former government officials endorsed the nomination for the post of World Bank chief. Among those, who supported Banga were several Nobel laureates.




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Whats not to love about an interchangeable strap! Wearers who want more versatility from their watch can swap from metal to rubber to leather and back again, at home, on the go and without any special tools. With such a broad offering to choose from, weve picked six of the best.

Like all its Overseas stablemates, the Moon Phase Retrograde Date benefits from the interchangeable strap system which Vacheron Constantin introduced in 2016, in response to customers desire for greater versatility. A metal bracelet and two straps, in rubber or leather, lend themselves to different occasions and styles: rubber for a sporty feel, leather when events call for something dressier and metal for every occasion.

Overseas Moon Phase Retrograde Date in steel, 41mm diameter, automatic movement, retrograde pointer date, moon-phase indicator.  Vacheron Constantin

The Big Bang Unico was the first watch Hublot fitted with its in-house Unico movement, an automatic flyback column-wheel chronograph incorporating silicon technology. And this isnt all the Big Bang Unico has to offer: it also features Hublots patented One Click system for swapping straps in and out. This system has now been extended to the entire Big Bang range across all sizes: 33, 39 and 42mm.

Big Bang Unico in titanium, ceramic bezel, 45.5mm diameter, automatic skeleton chronograph movement.  Hublot

The Santos de Cartier combines two exclusive and patented mechanisms. The SmartLink system allows the wearer to adjust the length of the metal bracelet for a perfect fit by adding or removing links. As for the QuickSwitch mechanism, it makes swapping a metal bracelet for a leather strap, and vice versa, childs play - all without tools.

Santos de Cartier Large Model in steel, 40 x 40mm, automatic movement, date aperture.  Cartier

The Riviera Diver comes on a satin-finish steel bracelet that can be easily switched for an integrated grained rubber strap, thanks to a robust and secure mechanism. Simply purchase the second strap of your choice. For additional comfort, the bracelets deployant clasp incorporates a security pusher and an adjustment system.

Riviera Diver in steel, 42mm diameter, automatic movement, date aperture.  Baume & Mercier

Released to celebrate Frederique Constants first 35 years (and counting!), the Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture comes as a 35-piece limited edition in rose gold and an unlimited edition in steel. Both executions are supplied with interchangeable straps to match your style and mood: a leather strap and a rubber strap for the rose gold version; a steel bracelet, a leather strap and a rubber strap for the steel model. This is Do-It-Yourself made easy!

Highlife Worldtimer Manufacture in steel, 41mm diameter, automatic movement, pointer date, world time.  Frederique Constant

Like the Baume & Mercier Riviera, Tudors Black Bay 54 is proposed with options for a steel bracelet and a rubber strap, offering maximum versatility (again, the second strap is purchased separately). Both the bracelet and the rubber strap feature a clasp with Tudors T-Fit rapid adjustment. Easy to use, without tools and through five positions, this practical system allows the wearer to precisely adjust the length of the metal bracelet by up to 8mm. For a perfect fit, the rubber strap can be cut to the exact size of the wearers wrist.
Online Fraud

More than 30 Chinese nationals involved in online fraud were arrested last month

Sri Lanka has uncovered a large network of Chinese nationals who were involved in online fraud. In the first such action by Colombo, Beijing was accused of defrauding millions.

According to media reports, more than 30 Chinese nationals involved in online fraud were arrested last month and are now in Sri Lankan jails. This operation was conducted by the Sri Lankan authorities on the basis of Interpol Alter.

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According to the information, these arrests were made from the western province of Sri Lanka. It is being reported that the accused had reached Sri Lanka on a tourist visa after defrauding people for more than two months. A laptop and some mobile phones have also been recovered from their possession. The matter is being investigated and it will be heard in the court next month.
Canadian shares look headed for a positive start on Friday, tracking steady European .

However, jobs data from the U.S. and Canada are set to significantly impact the mood in the market.

Data on Canadian employment for the month of April is due at 8:30 AM ET. The Canadian added 35,000 jobs in March, much higher than an expected addition of about 12,000 jobs.

The unemployment rate in Canada was at 5% in March, remaining at the same level for the fourth consecutive month.

The Canadian market ended moderately lower on Thursday, pushed down by losses in healthcare, consumer discretionary, industrials and financials sectors. Worries about the of the banking sector, and a potential recession in the U.S. weighed on sentiment.

The benchmark S&P/TSX Composite Index ended with a loss of 116.49 points or 0.57% at 20,238.19, sliding from a high of 20,444.18.

Asian stocks ended on a mixed note on Friday, as investors fretted about the health of U.S. banks and reacted to mixed China data, strong earnings results from Apple and the ECB rate decision. Trading volumes were thin due to holidays in Japan and South Korea.

European stocks are up in positive territory with investors assessing the monetary policy moves and looking ahead to more economic data for clues about the strength of the global economy.

In commodities, West Texas Intermediate Crude oil futures are up $1.92 or 2.8% at $70.48 a barrel.

Gold futures are down $9.70 or 0.5% at $2,046.00 an ounce, while Silver futures are lower by $0.072 or 0.27% at $26.155 an ounce.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
The UN Refugees Agency (UNHCR) revealed on Friday that 56,000 have crossed the Egyptian-Sudanese borders, adding that the number of arrivals is increasing.

As of 4 May, more than 56,000 people crossed into Egypt through [Qustul and Arqeen], including at least 52,500 Sudanese and 3,950 third-country nationals, UNHCR Egypt said in a tweet on its official Twitter account.

The UN body added that the source of the number was the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The tweet was accompanied by a video showing a large number of buses queued at a border crossing.

Air flights between Egypt and Sudan have resumed via Port Sudan Airport but till now there have been no official figures of the number of passengers.

On Thursday, the UNHCR stated that $445 million is urgently needed to support the displaced as a result of the conflict in Sudan.

The UNHCR also stated that the current fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and Sudanese Rapid Supports Forces has already displaced over 330,000 people inside Sudan with a further over 100,000 leaving the country.

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Weather Alert

...Fire Weather Concerns Exist Across Vermont Today... Fine fuels have dried out across Vermont this past weekend according to the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. This, combined with low relative humidity values of 20-25 percent and gusty northwest winds of 15-20 mph, may have an impact on fire weather conditions today. If any fires were to start, the weather and fuel conditions could cause fires to quickly get out of control and be difficult to contain. For more information about the current fire danger rating, any burn restrictions, and wildfire prevention and education, please visit https://www.fpr.vermont.gov.
His son, Majd Haidar, the owner of Ward publishing house, announced his passing on his Facebook page, saying, "The Leopard left us to his kingdom," referring to the protagonist of his 1968 novel The Leopard, which was adapted into a film with the same name by the late Syrian director Nabil Al-Maleh.

Haidar was born in the village of Hussein Al-Baher on the Syrian coast in 1936. He began his career as a teacher of Arabic in Algeria before settling in Beirut where he worked in publishing. During the Lebanese civil war, he joined the Palestinian resistance movement and later worked as a culture editor of Al-Mawqef Al-Arabi and Sawt Al-Bilad in Cyprus.

Haidar was known for his critical stance towards political and religious institutions and his willingness to tackle controversial topics in his writing. He wrote seventeen books of fiction, short fiction, essay and biography, including The Desolate Time, which was chosen by the Arab Writers Union as one of the best 105 books of the 20th century.

Although none of his book-length works have been translated into English, an excerpt from his novel A Banquet for Seaweed and his short story The Silence of Fire have been translated and published in English-language literary journals.

Haidar's works were often the subject of controversy and censorship, particularly A Banquet for Seaweed, which was banned in several Arab countries. The novel sparked protests in Cairo in 2000 when it was reprinted, leading to its confiscation and accusations of heresy and offending Islam leveled against Haidar by Al-Azhar University clerics.

Despite these challenges, Haidar remained committed to his critical perspective and his oppositional stance. As Hisham Bustani writes in the introduction to his interview with Haidar in The Common in 2019: "Despite changing times, Haidar has not been defeated by censorshipeither imposed by others or himself.

He has kept a fierce, critical distance from all sides: the dictatorship of the ruling regime in his country of Syria; the dictatorship of public taste and conventions; the oppression of dogmatic ideology and the ruling party; the tyranny of power derived from religion.

Haidar Haidar saw culture as the last wall of resistance in the Arab world, without which the Arab nation would collapse. He stated in several interviews that "in light of the political decline that the Arab world is experiencing, all gates to the future and hope have been closed, and only the enlightened and deep culture remains, which is responsible for shedding light at the end of the tunnel and illuminating this darkness."

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Al Ahram Weekly reports on the fate of Egyptian school and university students returning from Sudan just a few days before the final exams

Around 5,000 university Egyptian students along with 35 school students are currently being evacuated from Sudan following the ongoing conflict in the neighbouring country. Both ministries of education are working on plans to help the students complete the academic year and sit for the final exams.

Twenty-one of the school students are in their final high school year (Thanaweya Amma).

According to Minister of Education and Technical Education Reda Hegazi, returning Egyptian students must go to the ministrys General Administration for Examinations to facilitate the procedures for their placement in schools and to set up a mechanism for this years final exams. We have decided to postpone the exams of the returnees in the k12 system and technical diplomas until their status is stabilised in Sudan, Hegazi said.

Ministry of Education spokesman Shadi Zalata told Al-Ahram Weekly that the ministry has opened the registration for the 21 Thanaweya Amma students in order to sit for their finals even though registration has closed. Thanaweya Amma students returning from Sudan will be allowed to choose between sitting for their finals at their scheduled time in June or taking them in the second round in August in order to give them enough time to settle down and study, Zalata said.

According to Zalata, the ministry will be responsible for Egyptian students who were studying in Sudan in schools affiliated to the Egyptian mission, not those studying at Sudanese schools. Curriculum being taught at schools in the Egyptian mission is similar to the curriculum being taken here in Egypt. The only difference is in history and geography.

Students grades are usually divided between the first and second semesters. Grades of students returning from Sudan will be calculated only in the second term to enable them to obtain better grades, Zalata said.

He added that the ministry is not responsible for students whether Egyptians or Sudanese who are studying in Sudanese schools. Those students have to contact the Sudanese Embassy in Egypt as well as the ministries of immigration and Egyptian expats and foreign affairs to guide them. Those students were studying Sudanese, not Egyptian, curriculum and, therefore, we cannot help them, Zalata said.

He said students in the Sudanese education system who wish to join the Egyptian system in Egypt must sit for equivalency exams, so must contact the ministrys General Administration for Examinations to know the required steps. They will be enrolled in Egyptian schools the coming academic year after passing the required exams.

Concerning Egyptian university students who were studying in Sudan, the Ministry for Higher Education has asked them to submit identification papers proving which faculties and universities they were enrolled in. This is in addition to documents verifying their grades as well as the details of the topics they were studying to determine their scientific and educational level.

Mahmoud Zaki, a member of the Supreme Council for Universities (SCU), said the total number of Egyptian university students studying in Sudan comes to around only 3,000. The remaining 2,000 are not registered on the Egyptian scientific platform for studying abroad, affiliated to the Ministry of Higher Education.

Egyptian students who were studying at Egyptian universities whether governmental or private will be reintegrated into it. The same procedures adopted for students who returned from Ukraine after the war with Russia broke out will be applied to students returning from Sudan, Zaki said

Zaki pointed out that the SCU held an extended meeting on 2 May to consider all possible alternatives to reintegrate students who were studying at Sudanese universities.

No one knows when this war will end and the SCU intends to employ all its capabilities to help students returning from Sudan, Zaki said.

Egypts Ministry of Foreign Affairs in coordination with Sudanese authorities recently evacuated more than 6,500 Egyptians from Sudan.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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One of several Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails who had reached a critical condition as a result of their continued hunger strike has died

On Tuesday Khedr Adnan, a Palestinian detained by Israel who had been on hunger strike for three months, died as a result. The health of Palestinian prisoners on hunger strike to protest unjust detention, in many cases ongoing without charge or trial, has been deteriorating rapidly. The Palestinian Authoritys Ministry for Detainees and Former Detainees Affairs had warned of the possibility of their death.

Israel detains around 1,000 Palestinians administratively, that is without charging them, out of a total of 4,900 Palestinians in Israeli prisons, according to the ministrys latest statistics. These include 31 women and 160 children under the age of 18. Some 400 prisoners have spent over 20 years in Israeli prisons.

Among the most prominent Palestinian prisoners is Nael Al-Barghouti, who spent 34 years in Israeli jails before his release in 2011 as part of the Egypt-mediated Shalit prisoner exchange deal between Hamas and Israel. In 2014 the Israeli authorities re-arrested Barghouti  who remains in custody.

The ministry has warned that 700 prisoners suffer from various illnesses, and several started an open hunger strike to pressure the Israeli authorities to release them. They include Khedr Adnan, who has been on hunger strike for three months.

Minister of Detainees Qadri Abu Bakr said Sheikh Adnan has been on hunger strike for so long that his health is deteriorating by the day, and his life is in danger. Adnans only request is to be released or charged. Abu Bakr told Al-Ahram Weekly another detainee is Ezzeddin Amarneh, who is blind, and has been on hunger strike for ten days. He too is demanding to be set free and not have another administrative detention order issued against him. The condition of another detainee, Walid Abu Daqa, has deteriorated rapidly. He is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. Essam Al-Rifaie, meanwhile, has cancer and requires treatment.

There are dozens of ill detainees in the prisons of the Israeli occupation whose requests for treatment are being denied by the Israeli Prison Authority, due to a policy of deliberate medical negligence which threatens the lives of all ill detainees, asserted Abu Bakr. We are taking Arab and international action to shine a spotlight on the suffering of Palestinian detainees in the prisons of the occupation, beginning with a conference on detainees at the Arab League in the next few weeks.

The new Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to impose a fait accompli on Palestinian prisoners by adopting a series of restrictive measures. Detainees reacted by threatening to go on a mass hunger strike at the beginning of Ramadan, before an agreement was reached on some arbitrary measures and the strike was called off.

Raafat Hamdouneh, the director of the Detainee Studies Centre, told the Weekly that the circumstances of detainees have been appalling especially since Netanyahu came back to power. That is due to the Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who adopted very dangerous policies that violate international laws on the treatment of detainees. The Israeli occupation continues to abuse detainees, denying them their basic rights that are guaranteed by international law. There are also unfair policies against female Palestinian detainees including denying them treatment. Israel does all this without any deterrent and without fear of international accountability.

He asserted that Israel is violating international law and dealing with Palestinian detainees as prisoners, denying them the legal status guaranteed by international law. Hamdouneh stressed the need to prosecute Israel on the international stage on several issues, especially that of detainees and withholding the corpses of dozens of detainees who died in prison.

Official Palestinian figures show that since the start of 2023, Israel detained some 2,300 Palestinians including 350 children, most of whom are from Jerusalem. Some 40 women and girls were also detained.

Israeli forces carry out raids on towns in the West Bank and occupied Jerusalem on an almost daily basis to arrest Palestinians, releasing a few after briefly hold. It also orders the arrest of others for various periods of time.

The Palestinian Detainee Club, a quasi-official institution focused on detainees, stated that Israel attempted to pass racist laws that impact the fate of detainees and their families, such as a draft law for the execution of detainees who carried out attacks that killed Israelis, and a law revoking the citizenship and residency of released prisoners from Jerusalem.

Israeli abuses against Palestinian detainees increased after the escape of several prisoners from Gilboa prison in September 2021. Six prisoners, mostly from the Islamic Jihad, escaped from the maximum security prison before they were recaptured. Although detainees had abandoned a planned mass hunger strike, they are now threatening to go ahead with it in response to Israel escalating policies against them, especially solitary confinement for long periods of time, frequent raids on detainee cells, tampering with their personal possessions, and preventing them from seeing their families.

Armed Palestinian factions, especially the Islamic Jihad, continually threaten to escalate against Israel if it continues abusing Palestinian detainees. Meanwhile, Arab and international parties are trying to contain a potentially explosive situation on the ground.

* A version of this article appears in print in the 4 May, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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New research led by an Oregon State University scientist begins to unravel the role dust plays in nourishing global ocean ecosystems while helping regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.

Researchers have long known that phytoplankton -- plantlike organisms that live in the upper part of the ocean and are the foundation of the marine food web -- rely on dust from land-based sources for key nutrients. But the extent and magnitude of the impact of the dust -- particles from sources such as soil that are lifted by the wind and impact the Earth's climate -- have been difficult to estimate globally.

"This is really the first time it has been shown, using the modern observational record and at the global scale, that the nutrients carried by dust being deposited on the ocean are creating a response in the surface ocean biology," said Toby Westberry, an oceanographer at Oregon State and lead author of the just-published paper in Science.

The ocean plays an important role in the carbon cycle; carbon dioxide from the atmosphere dissolves in surface waters, where phytoplankton turn the carbon into organic matter through photosynthesis. Some of the newly formed organic matter sinks from the surface ocean to the deep sea, where it is locked away, a pathway known as the biological pump.

In the new paper, Westberry and other scientists from Oregon State; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center estimate deposition of dust supports 4.5% of the global annual export production, or sink, of carbon. Regional variation in this contribution can be much higher, approaching 20% to 40%, they found.

"That's important because it's a pathway to get carbon out of the atmosphere and down into the deep ocean," Westberry said. "The biological pump is one of the key controls on atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is a dominant factor driving global warming and climate change."

In the ocean, vital nutrients for phytoplankton growth are largely provided through the physical movement of those nutrients from deep waters up to the surface, a process known as mixing or upwelling. But some nutrients are also provided through atmospheric dust.

To date, the understanding of the response by natural marine ecosystems to atmospheric inputs has been limited to singularly large events, such as wildfires, volcanic eruptions and extreme dust storms. In fact, previous research by Westberry and others examined ecosystem responses following the 2008 eruption on Kasatochi Island in southwestern Alaska.

In the new paper, Westberry and Michael Behrenfeld, an Oregon State professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, along with scientists from UMBC and NASA built on this past research to look at phytoplankton response worldwide.

Westberry and Behrenfeld focused their efforts on using satellite data to examine changes in ocean color following dust inputs. Ocean color imagery is collected across the global ocean every day and reports changes in the abundance of phytoplankton and their overall health. For example, greener water generally corresponds to abundant and healthy phytoplankton populations, while bluer waters represent regions where phytoplankton are scarce and often undernourished.

The scientists at UMBC and NASA focused their efforts on modeling dust transport and deposition to the ocean surface.

"Determining how much dust is deposited into the ocean is hard, because much of the deposition occurs during rainstorms when satellites cannot see the dust. That is why we turned to a model," said UMBC's Lorraine Remer, research professor at the Goddard Earth Sciences Technology and Research Center II, a consortium led by UMBC. The UMBC team used observations to confirm a NASA global model before incorporating its results into the study.

Working together, the research team found that the response of phytoplankton to dust deposition varies based on location.

In low-latitude ocean regions, the signature of dust input is predominately seen as an improvement in phytoplankton health, but not abundance. In contrast, phytoplankton in higher-latitude waters often show improved health and increased abundance when dust is provided. This contrast reflects differing relationships between phytoplankton and the animals that eat them.

Lower latitude environments tend to be more stable, leading to a tight balance between phytoplankton growth and predation. Thus, when dust improves phytoplankton health, or growth rate, this new production is rapidly consumed and almost immediately transferred up the food chain.

At higher latitudes, the link between phytoplankton and their predators is weaker because of constantly changing environmental conditions. Accordingly, when dust stimulates phytoplankton growth, the predators are a step behind, and the phytoplankton populations exhibit both improved health and increased abundance.

The research team is continuing this research, bringing in improved modeling tools and preparing for more advanced satellite data from NASA's upcoming Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite mission, some of which will be collected by the UMBC-designed and -built HARP2 instrument.

"The current analysis demonstrates measurable ocean biological responses to an enormous dynamic range in atmospheric inputs," Westberry said. "We anticipate that, as the planet continues to warm, this link between the atmosphere and oceans will change."
Continents are part of what makes Earth uniquely habitable for life among the planets of the solar system, yet surprisingly little is understood about what gave rise to these huge pieces of the planet's crust and their special properties. New research from Elizabeth Cottrell, research geologist and curator of rocks at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, and lead study author Megan Holycross, formerly a Peter Buck Fellow and National Science Foundation Fellow at the museum and now an assistant professor at Cornell University, deepens the understanding of Earth's crust by testing and ultimately eliminating one popular hypothesis about why continental crust is lower in iron and more oxidized compared to oceanic crust. The iron-poor composition of continental crust is a major reason why vast portions of the Earth's surface stand above sea level as dry land, making terrestrial life possible today.

The study, published today in Science, uses laboratory experiments to show that the iron-depleted, oxidized chemistry typical of Earth's continental crust likely did not come from crystallization of the mineral garnet, as a popular explanation proposed in 2018.

The building blocks of new continental crust issue forth from the depths of the Earth at what are known as continental arc volcanoes, which are found at subduction zones where an oceanic plate dives beneath a continental plate. In the garnet explanation for continental crust's iron-depleted and oxidized state, the crystallization of garnet in the magmas beneath these continental arc volcanoes removes non-oxidized (reduced or ferrous, as it is known among scientists) iron from the terrestrial plates, simultaneously depleting the molten magma of iron and leaving it more oxidized.

One of the key consequences of Earth's continental crust's low iron content relative to oceanic crust is that it makes the continents less dense and more buoyant, causing the continental plates to sit higher atop the planet's mantle than oceanic plates. This discrepancy in density and buoyancy is a major reason that the continents feature dry land while oceanic crusts are underwater, as well as why continental plates always come out on top when they meet oceanic plates at subduction zones.

The garnet explanation for the iron depletion and oxidation in continental arc magmas was compelling, but Cottrell said one aspect of it did not sit right with her.

"You need high pressures to make garnet stable, and you find this low-iron magma at places where crust isn't that thick and so the pressure isn't super high," she said.

In 2018, Cottrell and her colleagues set about finding a way to test whether the crystallization of garnet deep beneath these arc volcanoes is indeed essential to the process of creating continental crust as is understood. To accomplish this, Cottrell and Holycross had to find ways to replicate the intense heat and pressure of the Earth's crust in the lab, and then develop techniques sensitive enough to measure not just how much iron was present, but to differentiate whether that iron was oxidized.

To recreate the massive pressure and heat found beneath continental arc volcanoes, the team used what are called piston-cylinder presses in the museum's High-Pressure Laboratory and at Cornell. A hydraulic piston-cylinder press is about the size of a mini fridge and is mostly made of incredibly thick and strong steel and tungsten carbide. Force applied by a large hydraulic ram results in very high pressures on tiny rock samples, about a cubic millimeter in size. The assembly consists of electrical and thermal insulators surrounding the rock sample, as well as a cylindrical furnace. The combination of the piston-cylinder press and heating assembly allows for experiments that can attain the very high pressures and temperatures found under volcanoes.

In 13 different experiments, Cottrell and Holycross grew samples of garnet from molten rock inside the piston-cylinder press under pressures and temperatures designed to simulate conditions inside magma chambers deep in Earth's crust. The pressures used in the experiments ranged from 1.5 to 3 gigapascals -- that is roughly 15,000 to 30,000 Earth atmospheres of pressure or 8,000 times more pressure than inside a can of soda. Temperatures ranged from 950 to 1,230 degrees Celsius, which is hot enough to melt rock.

Next, the team collected garnets from Smithsonian's National Rock Collection and from other researchers around the world. Crucially, this group of garnets had already been analyzed so their concentrations of oxidized and unoxidized iron were known.

Finally, the study authors took the materials from their experiments and those gathered from collections to the Advanced Photon Source at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois. There the team used high-energy X-ray beams to conduct X-ray absorption spectroscopy, a technique that can tell scientists about the structure and composition of materials based on how they absorb X-rays. In this case, the researchers were looking into the concentrations of oxidized and unoxidized iron.

The samples with known ratios of oxidized and unoxidized iron provided a way to check and calibrate the team's X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements and facilitated a comparison with the materials from their experiments.

The results of these tests revealed that the garnets had not incorporated enough unoxidized iron from the rock samples to account for the levels of iron-depletion and oxidation present in the magmas that are the building blocks of Earth's continental crust.

"These results make the garnet crystallization model an extremely unlikely explanation for why magmas from continental arc volcanoes are oxidized and iron depleted," Cottrell said. "It's more likely that conditions in Earth's mantle below continental crust are setting these oxidized conditions."

Like so many results in science, the findings lead to more questions: "What is doing the oxidizing or iron depleting?" Cottrell asked. "If it's not garnet crystallization in the crust and it's something about how the magmas arrive from the mantle, then what is happening in the mantle? How did their compositions get modified?"

Cottrell said that these questions are hard to answer but that now the leading theory is that oxidized sulfur could be oxidizing the iron, something a current Peter Buck Fellow is investigating under her mentorship at the museum.

This study is an example of the kind of research that museum scientists will tackle under the museum's new Our Unique Planet initiative, a public-private partnership, which supports research into some of the most enduring and significant questions about what makes Earth special. Other research will investigate the source of Earth's liquid oceans and how minerals may have served as templates for life.

This research was supported by funding from the Smithsonian, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and the Lyda Hill Foundation.
A major challenge in human genetics is understanding which parts of the genome drive specific traits or contribute to disease risk. This challenge is even greater for genetic variants found in the 98% of the genome that does not encode proteins.

A new approach developed by researchers at New York University and the New York Genome Center combines genetic association studies, gene editing, and single-cell sequencing to address these challenges and discover causal variants and genetic mechanisms for blood cell traits.

Their approach, dubbed STING-seq and published in Science, addresses the challenge of directly connecting genetic variants to human traits and health, and can help scientists identify drug targets for diseases with a genetic basis.

Over the past two decades, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become an important tool for studying the human genome. Using GWAS, scientists have identified thousands of genetic mutations or variants associated with many diseases, from schizophrenia to diabetes, as well as traits such as height. These studies are conducted by comparing the genomes of large populations to find variants that occur more often in those with a specific disease or trait.

GWAS can reveal what regions of the genome and potential variants are implicated in diseases or traits. However, these associations are nearly always found in the 98% of the genome that does not code for proteins, which is much less well understood than the well-studied 2% of the genome that codes for proteins. A further complication is that many variants are found in close proximity to each other within the genome and travel together through generations, a concept known as linkage. This can make it difficult to tease apart which variant plays a truly causal role from other variants that are just located nearby. Even when scientists can identify which variant is causing a disease or trait, they do not always know what gene the variant impacts.

"A major goal for the study of human diseases is to identify causal genes and variants, which can clarify biological mechanisms and inform drug targets for these diseases," said Neville Sanjana, associate professor of biology at NYU, associate professor of neuroscience and physiology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, a core faculty member at New York Genome Center, and the study's co-senior author.

"The huge success in GWAS has highlighted the challenge of extracting insights into disease biology from these massive data sets. Despite all of our efforts during the past 10 years, the glass was still just half full -- at best. We needed a new approach," said Tuuli Lappalainen, senior associate faculty member at the New York Genome Center, professor of genomics at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, and the study's co-senior author.

A cure for sickle cell anemia

A recent scientific breakthrough in the treatment of sickle cell anemia -- a genetic disorder marked by episodes of intense pain -- illustrates how combining GWAS with cutting-edge molecular tools like gene editing can identify causal variants and lead to innovative therapies. Using GWAS, scientists identified areas of the genome important for producing fetal hemoglobin, a target based on its promise for reversing sickle cell anemia, but they did not know which exact variant drives its production.

The researchers turned to CRISPR -- a gene editing tool that uses "molecular scissors to cut DNA," according to Sanjana -- to edit the regions identified by GWAS. When CRISPR edits were made at a specific location in the noncoding genome near a gene called BCL11A, it resulted high levels of fetal hemoglobin.

CRISPR has now been used in clinical trials to edit this region in bone marrow cells of dozens of patients with sickle cell anemia. After the modified cells are infused back into patients, they begin producing fetal hemoglobin, which displaces the mutated adult form of hemoglobin, effectively curing them of sickle-cell disease.

"This success story in treating sickle cell disease is a result of combining insights from GWAS with gene editing," said Sanjana. "But it took years of research on only one disease. How do we scale this up to better identify causal variants and target genes from GWAS?"

GWAS meets CRISPR and single-cell sequencing

The research team created a workflow called STING-seq -- Systematic Targeting and Inhibition of Noncoding GWAS loci with single-cell sequencing. STING-seq works by taking biobank-scale GWAS and looking for likely causal variants using a combination of biochemical hallmarks and regulatory elements. The researchers then use CRISPR to target each of the regions of the genomes implicated by GWAS and conduct single-cell sequencing to evaluate gene and protein expression.

In their study, the researchers illustrated the use of STING-seq to discover target genes of noncoding variants for blood traits. Blood traits -- such as the percentages of platelets, white blood cells, and red blood cells -- are easy to measure in routine blood tests and have been well-studied in GWAS. As a result, the researchers were able to use GWAS representing nearly 750,000 people from diverse backgrounds to study blood traits.

Once the researchers identified 543 candidate regions of the genome that may play a role in blood traits, they used a version of CRISPR called CRISPR inhibition that can silence precise regions of the genome.

After CRISPR silencing of regions identified by GWAS, the researchers looked at the expression of nearby genes in individual cells to see if particular genes were turned on or off. If they saw a difference in gene expression between cells where variants were and were not silenced, they could link specific noncoding regions to target genes. By doing this, the researchers could pinpoint which noncoding regions are central to specific traits (and which ones are not) and often also the cellular pathways through which these noncoding regions work.

"The power of STING-seq is we could apply this approach to any disease or trait," said John Morris, a postdoctoral associate at the New York Genome Center and NYU and the first author of the study.

Using STING-seq to test clusters of likely variants and see their impact on genes eliminates the guesswork scientists previously encountered when faced with linkage among variants or genes closest to variants, which are often but not always the target gene. In the case of a blood trait called monocyte count, applying CRISPR caused one gene, CD52, to clearly stand out as significantly altered -- and while CD52 was near the variant of interest, it was not the closest gene, so may have been overlooked using previous methods.

In another analysis, the researchers identified a gene called PTPRC that is associated with 10 blood traits, including those related to red and white blood cells and platelets. However, there are several GWAS-identified noncoding variants within close proximity and it was challenging to understand which (if any) could modulate PTPRC expression. Applying STING-seq enabled them to isolate which variants were causal by seeing which changed PTPRC expression.

STING-seq and beyond

While STING-seq can identify the target gene and causal variant by silencing the variants, it does not explain the direction of the effect -- whether a specific noncoding variant will crank up or reduce expression of a nearby gene. The researchers took their approach a step further to create a complementary approach they call beeSTING-seq (base editing STING-seq) that uses CRISPR to precisely insert a genetic variant instead of just inhibiting that region of the genome.

The researchers envision STING-seq and beeSTING-seq being used to identify causal variants for a wide range of diseases that can either be treated with gene editing -- as was used in sickle cell anemia -- or with drugs that target specific genes or cellular pathways.

"Now that we can connect noncoding variants to target genes, this gives us evidence that either small molecules or antibody therapies could be developed to change the expression of specific genes," said Lappalainen.

Additional study authors include Christina Caragine, Zharko Daniloski, Lu Lu, and Kyrie Davis, of NYU and the New York Genome Center; Julia Domingo, Marcello Ziosi, Dafni Glinos, Stephanie Hao, Eleni P. Mimitou, and Peter Smibert of the New York Genome Center; Timothy Barry and Kathryn Roeder of Carnegie Mellon University; and Eugene Katsevich of the University of Pennsylvania.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (DP2HG010099, R01CA279135, R01CA218668, R01AI176601, R01MH106842, UM1HG008901, R01GM122924, K99HG012792, R01MH123184), the National Science Foundation (DMS-2113072), the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the European Molecular Biology Organization (ALTF 345-2021), the American Heart Association (20POST35220040), the Simons Foundation for Autism Research, the MacMillan Center for the Study of the Non-Coding Cancer Genome, the Wharton Data Science and Business Analytics Fund, New York University, and the New York Genome Center.
Food poisoning is especially common in spring as people head outdoors with packed lunches that can spoil easily or eat wild plants that may be toxic.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety analyzed food poisoning cases between 2010 and 2014 and found that one out of three occurred in spring.

An average of 6,561 people contracted food poisoning every year, and 35 percent of the cases occurred between April and June.

Health officials attributed the rise to a lack of caution in storing food properly as morning and evening temperatures remain chilly but it gets hot during the day.

People also suffered food poisoning after eating wild plants they picked in forests or along mountain trails.
The United States will allow Chinese airlines to increase U.S. passenger services to 12 weekly round trips, the Transportation Department (USDOT) said on Wednesday, equal to the number of flights Beijing has permitted for American carriers.

It is a boost from the eight weekly round-trip flights currently allowed by Chinese carriers and matches what Beijing has permitted for U.S. carriers, but a small fraction of the more than 150 round-trip flights allowed by each side before restrictions were imposed in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

USDOT's order said its goal was "a gradual, broader reopening of the U.S.-China air services market." China in March reopened its borders to foreign tourists for the first time in the three years after abandoning COVID-related border controls for its own citizens in January.
A retrospective at the Megabox theater in Seoul's Seongsu-dong honors actress Kang Soo-yeon, who died on May 7 last year at the age of only 55.

Eleven of her films will be shown from Saturday to Tuesday, including "The Surrogate Woman."

Kang was a huge star in her heyday in the 1980s and 90s and the first Korean woman to win best actress at the Venice International Film Festival in 1987 for her leading role in Im Kwon-taek's film.
The Securities and Exchange Commission today filed charges against Cedric Dewayne Griffin alleging that he raised approximately $5.9 million from at least 103 investors through a fraudulent securities offering targeting members of the African-American community in Jacksonville, Florida and elsewhere.

The SEC's complaint alleges that from at least January 2020 to December 2021, Griffin lured individuals into investing in promissory notes issued by two of his companies, G8 Equity LLC and G8 RE Capital LLC, promising investors high monthly returns ranging from 10% to 33%. As alleged, Griffin represented to investors that he would use their money to purchase, rehabilitate, and resell real estate for a profit, and provide investors monthly returns from those profits. According to the SEC's complaint, Griffin did not, in fact, purchase any real estate and, instead, misappropriated investor funds and used investor funds to pay other investors their purported investment returns in Ponzi-like fashion.

The SEC's complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, charges Griffin with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC seeks permanent injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains with prejudgment interest, civil penalties, and an officer-and-director bar against Griffin.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Christine Hernandez and Mark Dee, and supervised by Eric Busto, Fernando Torres, and Glenn Gordon in the Miami Regional Office. The SEC's litigation is being led by Amie Riggle Berlin and supervised by Teresa Verges. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Office of the State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit of Florida, Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, U.S. Secret Service Jacksonville Field Office and Federal Bureau of Investigation Jacksonville Field Office.
The Securities and Exchange Commission recently amended its complaint charging Safeguard Metals LLC and its owner Jeffrey Ikahn with engaging in a multi-million fraudulent scheme involving hundreds of investors who were at or near retirement age. The amendment complaint reflects defendant Jeffrey S. Santulan's name change to "Jeffrey Ikahn."

According to the SEC's amended complaint, from December 2017 through at least July 2021, Safeguard and Ikahn acted as investment advisers and persuaded investors to sell their existing securities, transfer the proceeds into self-directed Individual Retirement Accounts, and invest the proceeds into gold and silver coins by making false and misleading statements about the safety and liquidity of the investors' securities investments, Safeguard's business, and its compensation.

As alleged, Safeguard fraudulently marketed itself as a full-service investment firm with offices in London, New York City, and Beverly Hills that employed prominent individuals in the securities industry and had $11 billion in assets under management. In reality, Ikahn allegedly operated the company from a small leased space in a Woodland Hills, Calif. office building using sales agents. The amended complaint further alleges that Safeguard's sales agents used prepared scripts, some written by Ikahn, that were filled with false and misleading statements about how the market was going to crash and how their retirement accounts would be frozen under a new 'unpublicized' law.

Safeguard and Ikahn also allegedly misled investors about Safeguard's commissions and markups on the coins, charging average markups of approximately 64% on its sales of silver coins, instead of the 4% to 33% markups that they disclosed to investors. According to the amended complaint, Safeguard obtained approximately $67 million from the sale of coins to more than 450 mostly elderly, retail investors, and kept approximately $25.5 million in mark ups.

The SEC's amended complaint, which was filed in federal district court in the Central District of California, charges Safeguard and Ikahn with violating the antifraud provisions of Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder, and Sections 206(1) and 206(2) of the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, and also charges Ikahn with aiding and abetting Safeguard's violations and as a control person within the meaning of Section 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC is seeking permanent injunctions, disgorgement of allegedly ill-gotten gains, plus prejudgment interest, and civil penalties.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Jedediah B. Forkner and Jean M. Javorski of the SEC's Chicago Regional Office, and was supervised by Anne C. McKinley. The litigation will be led by Jonathan S. Polish. The SEC appreciates the assistance of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission and state regulators that are members of the North American Securities Administrators Association.
On May 3, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut entered a final judgment against former Connecticut resident Ronald D. Swanson ordering him to pay over $927,000 in disgorgement and penalties in a securities offering fraud action previously filed by the SEC in May 2020. The Court also ordered Swanson barred from serving as the officer or director of a publicly-traded company for a period of 10 years.

The SEC's complaint alleged that Swanson fraudulently raised more than $2 million from investors between October 2012 and August 2015 by making false and misleading statements about Texas-based liquid purification technology company Sonic Cavitation, Inc. The complaint alleged that while serving as the chief executive officer and general counsel of Sonic Cavitation, Swanson made multiple false claims exaggerating the interest level of Sonic Cavitation's potential business partners and the capabilities of its technology, and minimizing the risk level of its investment offerings.

Swanson had previously consented, without admitting or denying the allegations in the complaint, to the entry of a final judgment in the SEC action that permanently enjoined him from violating the antifraud provisions of Section 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5 thereunder upon the entry of the final judgment by the Court. Swanson had also consented to the imposition of penalties, disgorgement, prejudgment interest, and a bar from serving as an officer and director of a public company, with the amounts and durations of those remedies to be determined by the Court. The judgment issued by the District Court after a hearing bars Swanson from serving as an officer or director of any public company for ten years, and finds him liable for disgorgement of $677,753, plus prejudgment interest in an amount to be determined, and a civil penalty of $250,000.

The SEC's case was handled by Rua Kelly, Marc Jones, Dawn Edick, and Amy Gwiazda of the Boston Regional Office. The civil action followed an examination in a related matter conducted by Maria Pimentel Viana and Kenneth Leung of the Boston Regional Office. The SEC appreciates the assistance that the District of Columbia Bar's Office of Disciplinary Counsel provided in this matter.
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The following is a list of Bay Area restaurants that closed in April 2023. Click here for the March 2023 list of closings.

Popular Berkeley pie shop Pie Society closed for good in April. The shop first announced its imminent closing back in February. The shop offered a variety of fresh fruit pies, cream and custard pies, savory pot pies and quiches. While its headquarters are now closed, Pie Society has plans for pop- ups this summer.

Mission District watering hole the Wooden Nickel closed for good in April. The bar was inactive for months, after flooding damage from last winters storms and subsequent mold problems in the building. Broke-Ass Stuart first reported the closing.

After serving carnitas and other homestyle Mexican takeout dishes for 36 years, Cow Hollows beloved La Canasta has closed. A myriad of problems affecting owners Luis Alberto and Lili Mier, including mounting utility bills at the restaurant and the couple losing their home, forced them to close the restaurant. Tablehopper first reported on the closure.

The second-oldest Blue Bottle Coffee location, at SoMas Mint Plaza, served its final lattes and cups of coffee on April 14. The location announced the closing with a sign on the door, directing people to its other four nearby locations. SFGate first reported the closing.

San Rafaels outpost of restaurant-brewery chain BJs at the Northgate Mall closed on April 12. The S.F. Business Times broke the news, reporting that the location employed 90 workers.

East Bay Nosh reports DYar Mediterranean, an affordable stop near the UC campus for fresh gyros and Mediterranean dishes, closed for good in April. The south Berkeley location on Durant Avenue remains open.

The Waterfronts Blanc et Rouge Cava closed on April 21. The wine bar offered an extensive selection of white and red wines from classic European regions and California, along with savory bites. Tablehopper first reported the closing.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

After 55 years in business, KCs BBQ in West Berkeley closed its doors. The family-owned Kansas City-style restaurant offered barbecue classics like full racks of ribs, half chickens, smoked brisket and sausages along with sides like candied yams and potato salad. The rising costs of operating in the Bay Area forced the closure.

Dogpatch diner Just for You Cafe closed after decades serving sugar-dusted beignets and Southern dishes like buttermilk fried chicken and Creole-style crab cakes. It operated at its longtime location since 1990, moving over from a small space in Potrero Hill. Owner Reid Hannula told The Chronicle the restaurant has made no money since the start of the pandemic.

Jessica Christian/The Chronicle

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Gluten-free bakery Misfits Bakehouse shut down its popular storefront in Palo Alto on April 15. Owner Mina Makram told The Chronicle that he is moving to Florida to look after his parents, although it was also becoming harder to operate the bakery. Misfits began as a farmers market stand and moved into its own brick-and-mortar in 2019. Makram hopes to continue baking in Florida.

Walnut Creeks Caspers ended its more than 40-year run of serving snappy, old-fashioned Chicago hot dogs on April 16. The restaurants owners did not reveal why they chose to close the restaurant, alluding in a press release to preserving the stability of the chain as a whole. The Chronicle first reported the imminent closing in March.

A 50% rent increase spelled the end of Don Ramons Mexican Restaurant in SoMa. The family-run restaurant served enchilada plates and chile verde in a two-story dining room inspired by old haciendas. Don Ramons first offered its Jalisco-style dishes in 1982.

KATY RADDATZ/SFC

Japanese restaurant Mums closed after 40 years inside the Kimpton Hotel Enso in Japantown. The restaurant was best known for its shabu shabu hot pots, although during the pandemic, it only offered breakfast.
Cate Blanchett is a universally-admired actress who has nothing left to prove. She has won two Oscars, four BAFTAs, and four Golden Globes. For some critics, she is the best of her generation. The fact that she devotes all that power of influence to support refugees makes her a powerful spokesperson. She spoke to EL PAIS in a London apartment in the southwest of the city, near the Tate Modern museum. She hardly needs to be asked questions. Her message is resounding and passionate  a monologue full of data and elaborate reasoning. Blanchett is a goodwill ambassador for UNHCR, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. She has just returned from her second visit to the refugee camps in Jordan.

Question. How do you feel after returning from Jordan?

Answer. It was seven years since Ive been to Jordan. And so I was reconnecting with some refugees Ive met. Theyre both in urban settings and in at archery, camp, and just to see their level of resourcefulness to make something out of nothing is amazing. Its so disappointing to me, and maddening, that this xenophobic rhetoric around the welcoming embrace of refugees takes root [in the West], because they are people who have so much to offer, because they can see opportunities where often other people cant.

Q. What led you to support this cause?

A. Its the same with the challenges we have with addressing climate change. You can see something happening, and at the same time, you see how people are either turning a blind eye to a festering problem, or talking about the problem, like it doesnt exist, or not describing the problem as it actually is. But in the case of refugees  with people using wildly xenophobic, inaccurate terminology and dehumanizing them  theres something in me that is compelled to address the falsification of that narrative.

Q. Your experience in your home country contributed to this?

A. Being Australian, I grew up in a country that was  colonial invasion notwithstanding  really positively built on a welcoming embrace of refugees and asylum seekers. So as a result, the brand Australia that I grew up in as a child was multiculturalism. It was all about the integration, in a country that had been colonized by the British, but a very powerful indigenous history. We were a melting pot. And I think that that produced a really positive global outlook, creatively, culturally, we punch above our weight because of that welcoming embrace.

Q. That spirit faded at the end of the last century, with the arrival of so-called boat people from Vietnam, Cambodia and later, the Middle East.

A. All of that calcified and was dehumanized. From the mid to late 1990s onwards, I saw the detrimental impact it had on the Australian civilian population. The inhumane offshore processing of asylum seekers and refugees [since 2012, Australia has been sending undocumented migrants to the islands of Nauru and Manus, near Papua New Guinea] was shameful. Im also seeing now that turn around, that we are having to acknowledge that shame. Theres much still to be done.

Q. Australia has taken a step forward, and the United Kingdom has taken a step back, with a similar offshore processing plan that consists of deporting irregular immigrants to Rwanda.

A. It doesnt work. It is expensive. The human cost and the economic cost of exclusion is far higher than the cost of inclusion. And so to buy into that false rhetoric is an economic and humanitarian disaster. Rather than looking at the outcome, were being caught up in the whirlwind of this xenophobic narrative. We must remember we are talking about a basic human right. Everyone has a right to seek safety.

Q. And the problem is exaggerated. In reality, it only affects the West to a small extent.

A. Seventy-four percent of refugees are housed in poor countries. Theyre not housed by wealthier countries, despite the figures from the fearful narrative that were all fed. One in four people in Lebanon is a Syrian refugee. It behooves everybody to help those neighboring countries shoulder that responsibility.

Q. But neither the left nor the right, at least in the U.K., want to face an issue that is unpopular with voters.

A. I think that when you make people fearful of something, theyre easier to control. And I think we can see that not just in the rhetoric around the refugee crisis, the human displacement crisis, but we can see it around issues of climate. Its a way of evading responsibility, of avoidance. I find it repugnant. Any country  not just England  that pushes the issue onto another country will only have another problem, another incursion, another conflict. The pressure is too great. It has to be part of a collective responsibility.

Q. Has the situation worsened in recent years?

A. After 2015, when the funding waned to the neighboring countries, we saw a massive influx of people making unsafe journeys across the Mediterranean. Its important to keep up humanitarian aid to countries like Jordan. Spain has been an incredibly welcoming country, particularly in the wake of the Syria and now with Ukraine. But we have to continue to see it as our collective responsibility. As an investment in human capital.

Q. We are seeing this with Ukraine. Support from governments and the people for asylum seekers started to wane after a few months.

A. This is the case of Syria, which is a protracted crisis. We must invest with organizations like UNHCR over a long period. You have to keep investing in the education of these people. But it doesnt serve anybody if they are not to do anything with those skills that they have developed.

Q. One thinks of the former German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She accepted 1.2 million refugees from Syria, and it ended up causing an internal political problem that played against her.

A. That government thought, as one of the leading countries in the EU, we will set the example. But then what happened is other countries didnt follow with having similar levels of intake. So there were only a couple of countries who were shouldering the massive responsibility. It became difficult for [Merkel] internally because it wasnt reciprocated.

Q. It is not a problem unique to one country.

A. Were all so connected, with information flows on the internet. But yet were building these nation states, as if humans never moved, and shall never move. And the truth is that they have done so since time immemorial. I have seen in my own country, what happens to the national psyche, the negative impact it has, when you know that your country is contravening human rights. It starts to harden. You start to then be antagonistic towards your neighbor. We started talking about refugees, not as people, but as a problem.

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Broc Cellars, the popular natural winery in Berkeley, has purchased its first vineyard  making it one of the rare small, independent wine producers in Northern California to own its own land.

The property is Fox Hill Vineyard, located between Ukiah and Hopland in Mendocino County. Over the last decade, Fox Hill has become an in-demand grape source among hip, young winemakers, largely thanks to the eclectic mix of Italian grape varieties planted there. Broc Cellars first started buying Nero dAvola grapes from Fox Hill in 2013. Fox Hill grapes go into several of Broc Cellars wines, including the Badger, Amore Rosso, Amore Bianco and Amore Blendo.

Owner and winemaker Chris Brockway has long had vineyard ownership in the back of his mind. Wed been looking for something to call our own for quite a while, he said. But Californias expensive. (Brockway purchased the vineyard with a partner, Tim Elenteny. He did not disclose a purchase price for Fox Hill.)

Indeed, owning land in Northern California has seemed largely out of reach for many of Brockways winemaker peers. When he started making wine, in 2004, he said, the people that I thought were making great wines were doing it in a warehouse, working with small growers.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

Those who owned vineyards seemed incentivized to plant commercially popular grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Brockway continued  not the sorts of alternative wines he wanted to make.

But if the opportunity to buy the right site ever materialized, Brockway knew hed want to seize it. The chance to control his own farming regimen and shepherd the wine from grape to bottle, he said, has always appealed.

Hes not the only small-but-established winemaker to buy a notable vineyard in recent years. Last year, Stewart Cellars bought the historic Montecillo Vineyard in Sonoma, its first estate; in 2021, vintners Pax Mahle (of Pax Wines) and Baron Ziegler (of Marine Layer Wines) together bought the Halcon Vineyard, a Mendocino County site that some wine geeks consider to grow the best Syrah in California.

Brockway learned about Fox Hill from his friend Sam Bilbro, the owner of Idlewild Wines in Healdsburg, who had a close relationship with the previous owners, Lowell and Barbara Stone. The Stones had begun ripping out some of the more familiar grape varieties they had, like Chardonnay and Riesling, to instead plant Italian grapes. Within the last decade, at Bilbros encouragement, the Stones planted even more Italian varieties, many of them esoteric, such as Cortese, Dolcetto and Nero dAvola.

Over the last decade, Brockway, Bilbro and a few other winemaker friends who bought Fox Hill fruit, like Evan Lewandowski of Ruth Lewandowski Wines and Megan and Ryan Glaab of Ryme Cellars, talked about the possibility of eventually buying Fox Hill together, whenever the Stones were ready to sell. But plans changed, Brockway said; Bilbro ended up acquiring his own large vineyard in Mendocino Countys Yorkville Highlands, called Lost Hills Ranch.

Noah Berger/Special to The Chronicle

After Lowell and Barbara Stone died, about three years ago, Brockway took over the farming management and began talking with the Stone family about purchasing the property from them. The deal took more than 2 years to finalize. The family wanted to sell to somebody that wanted to keep Lowells vision going, Brockway said. Not having somebody come in thats going to rip everything out and plant Cabernet.

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He is making a few changes, however. Brockway is planting some additional grape varieties  Frapatto, Cataratto and Grillo, all Sicilian imports. And he expects to achieve organic certification for Fox Hill by the end of this year.

There is an old winery on-site, though it would need significant renovations, and possibly a new permit, before it could be used again. Still, maybe someday well have a small little winery there, Brockway mused. Maybe we wont be driving grapes down to Berkeley all the time.

Broc Cellars will not take all of Fox Hills 59 acres of grapes for itself, Brockway said. Hell continue to sell fruit to the wineries who currently buy it: Idlewild, Ruth Lewandowski, Ryme and En Cavale.

Historically, owning a vineyard has been risky, and these days theres even more to think about, Brockway said  variable yields, climate events like wildfires, drought. But to control the farming, to get a little more in touch with how this crazy business works, is exciting.
Californias attorney general is warning two tobacco companies that their new cigarettes appear to violate a state ban on most flavored tobacco products that was upheld by voters last year.

Attorney General Rob Bonta sent letters to R.J. Reynolds and ITG Brands LLC, dated April 25, warning that the packaging and promotional materials for nine reformulated versions of Camel, Newport and Kool cigarettes were likely against the law.

Californias ban includes menthol-flavored cigarettes, and the state said it determined after a review that the products are presumptively flavored under the California flavor ban law. It gave the companies until June 23 to respond.

The federal government last year announced plans to ban menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, and tobacco companies response to the California law has been seen as a preview of how they would handle a national ban. Rhode Island, New Jersey, New York, and Massachusetts also ban flavored tobacco, which a 2021 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found was favored by young smokers. The mint flavor in menthol cigarettes has a cooling effect that can blunt harsh cigarette smoke, making it easier to start smoking.

R.J. Reynolds, which produces the seven Camel and Newport varieties challenged by the state, said Thursday that its cigarettes comply with the law and that it will work with the Attorney Generals Office to make sure they can still be sold in California.

The cigarettes do not impart a distinguishable taste or aroma other than tobacco, the company said. We market these products to clearly indicate that they are non-menthol.

R.J. Reynolds said Californias review of its cigarettes was based on packaging and marketing materials, not the cigarettes themselves. ITG Brands did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

The attorney generals letters include examples of marketing materials and a side-by-side comparison of the similar-looking menthol and non-menthol cigarette packaging, and assert that the companies promote the new varieties as substitutes or replacements for menthol-flavored cigarettes.

Camel promises smooth tobacco flavor and a crisp smoking experience, while Kools marketing says it is still bold and still smooth.

Never compromise, California, urges the Newport brand. Introducing whats next in fresh. The non-menthol for menthol smokers.

Californias ban was approved by state lawmakers in 2020, but it was delayed when tobacco companies gathered enough signatures to put the issue before voters. After it was upheld by nearly two-thirds of voters last November, it took effect on Dec. 21.

The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids called the attorney generals letters a significant step forward that is sending a clear message that California is serious about enforcing the law and will not tolerate the tobacco industrys efforts to evade it. It said the new cigarettes have a cooling flavor similar to menthol.

The Attorney Generals Office cited a portion of the law that creates a rebuttable presumption that a tobacco product is flavored if the manufacturer markets it as being flavored. That includes using labeling or packaging to explicitly or implicitly communicate that the tobacco product has a characterizing flavor.

The specific products being challenged are Kool Non-Menthol, Kool Blue Non-Menthol, Camel Crisp, Camel Crush Oasis Silver, Camel Crush Oasis Blue, Camel Crush Oasis Green, Newport Non-Menthol Green, Newport EXP Non-Menthol Mix, and Newport EXP Non-Menthol Max.
The World Health Organization announced on Friday that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer qualifies as a global emergency, more than three years after the organization declared the virus an international crisis.

The decision marks a symbolic end to the devastating pandemic that has upended economies, triggered lockdowns, and claimed millions of lives worldwide.

Coronavirus map: How many COVID cases are in Bay Area and California

Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, he added, stating that experts will reconvene if a new variant puts our world in peril.

While the emergency phase is over, the pandemic is not. WHO officials noted recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and highlighted the fact that thousands of people are dying from the virus every week, with millions more experiencing debilitating long-term effects.

Dr. Yvonne Maldonado, an infectious disease expert at Stanford, said the time is right for the transition.

At a certain point, you cant live in an emergency mode any longer, she said. You need to start incorporating best practices into daily life  into international, national, and local policies, into public health, into virtually every aspect of our life that we found this virus affected. And, no, the virus is clearly not gone.

The WHOs announcement came as COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. reached their lowest point since the earliest days of the coronavirus outbreak in early 2020. The virus dropped from the third to the fourth leading cause of death in the country in 2022, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this week.

California and the Bay Area have also seen the worst outcomes of the virus recede at a dramatic rate since the beginning of the year, with deaths down by 77% and hospitalizations down 70%.

Were now much better positioned now than we were before, said Dr. Abraar Karan, a global health physician and researcher with Stanford. We have vaccines and antivirals that work quite well to prevent severe disease and hospitalization. We understand long COVID better. We know being outdoors is better than being indoors, being in less crowded areas is better than being in more crowded areas. We know the different qualities of masks that help prevent the spread of the virus. So I think from those perspectives, things are good.

This is despite the emergence of newer, more contagious offshoots of the virus, including the XBB.1.5 omicron subvariant that the CDC estimates makes up approximately 67% of new cases, and XBB.1.16, XBB.1.9.1 and the newly disaggregated XBB.2.3.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the novel coronavirus an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it had not yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China. More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally, and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of a vaccine.

In the U.S., the federal public health emergency declaration concerning COVID-19 is set to expire on Thursday. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped most of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

From the very beginning, we didnt understand really what we were dealing with, said Maldonado. I think some of us had a general idea but nobody could have known the breadth and depth of this virus impact.

At the same time, we got to a point reasonably early when we realized that we werent going to eradicate this virus, she added. It would be like saying were going to eradicate the cold. You cant do that, not at least with our current understanding of epidemiology and molecular biology. So what do you do? You at least contain it and you make it as harmless as possible. And I think we have the tools to do that.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems. However, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain.

Fabrice Coffrini/Pool/AFP/TNS

We need to do a better job of learning how to communicate with each other as to health care and public health officials, as well as with the public, said Maldonado. Thats where we failed the most, I would say. And not for lack of trying. I think its a lack of doing it properly and integrating our messaging. You dont need to have an emergency to do that. You need the political will to be able to build those things up.

Also on Friday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the head of the CDC, submitted her resignation, saying the waning of the COVID-19 pandemic was a good time to make a transition.

In her letter to President Biden, she expressed mixed feelings about the decision and didnt say exactly why she is stepping down, but said the nation is at a moment of transition as emergency declarations come to an end.

The same day, the agency announced it would scale back its COVID-19 data reports when the public health emergency ends, shifting the focus from cases to weekly hospital admission levels and the percentage of all COVID-19-associated deaths as the primary surveillance indicators.

We will continue to keep our eye on the COVID-19 ball, Dr. Nirav Shah, the CDCs principal deputy director, said. And will do so through a multitude of metrics.

The White House on Monday said it will end most of the last remaining federal COVID-19 vaccine requirements when the national public health emergency ends.

COVID continues to be a problem, said White House COVID-19 coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha. But our health care system or public health resources are far more able to respond to the threat that COVID poses to our country and do so in a way that does not cause problems with access to care for Americans.

He added, Some of these emergency powers are just not necessary in the same way anymore.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
In January, when stormwater breached a levee and forced an evacuation of the entire unincorporated community of Planada in Merced County, most of the communitys agricultural worker population was displaced and unable to work. It was a similar scene a couple of months later in the unincorporated and also largely Latino immigrant farming community of Pajaro in Monterey County, where thousands of residents were evacuated and unable to work after storms caused a nearby levee to breach. In both cases, despite working in some of Californias most vital jobs and contributing to state and local tax revenues, many of the workers were not able to access unemployment benefits.

Why? Because theyre undocumented.

Its no secret that Californias economy  the fourth largest in the world  is powered by a large population of immigrant, noncitizen and often undocumented workers. According to our estimates, over 6% of California workers are undocumented. These workers fill 1 in 16 jobs in the state and generate $3.7 billion in state and local tax revenues. And every year, the employers of undocumented workers pay an estimated $302 million in tax contributions into Californias unemployment insurance system on their behalf. Yet, because of their status, undocumented workers are not eligible for unemployment benefits.

Thats a problem for the workers, their employers and the economy.

Having unemployment benefits improves the overall health and well-being of workers and our research suggests that would hold true for undocumented workers as well. From 2020 to 2022, we co-led the largest academic survey of farmworker health through the UC Merced Community and Labor Center. In our study, more than half of agricultural workers were undocumented and 36% were unwilling to report employer violations, mostly due to fear of retaliation such as job loss or deportation. We also found that those who lacked access to unemployment benefits were more likely to fear retaliation, indicating that increasing access to these benefits could improve job quality and security. For employers, there are significant benefits when their workers have an economic safety net  namely, stronger assurance that an act of God, like the recent floods, for example, wont permanently displace what could be their only workforce.

For the communities in which undocumented workers live, a lack of unemployment benefits translates into a loss of economic investment. After the floods in Planada this year, we conducted a community needs assessment and found that 87% (667 of 766) of two-worker households missed work at a median of 21 days. Yet 57% (383 of 766) of those households did not have a single worker who was eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, potentially depriving local businesses of over $800,000 in revenue during the first weeks following the disaster  and deepening a local economic downturn that could have been partly avoided.

Simply put, having unemployment benefits would have allowed unemployed workers to continue contributing to their local economy.

As a country, we didnt always deny undocumented workers access to unemployment benefits. Our national unemployment insurance system was created in 1935 as part of the New Deal in response to mass unemployment wrought by the Great Depression  back when immigrants largely hailed from Europe. For nearly four decades, the unemployment insurance system treated undocumented immigrant workers the same as all other workers; they paid into and benefited from the system just like any other worker. But in the 1970s, following the shifting national origins of U.S. immigrants from Europe to Latin America and Asia, and rising nativism against immigrant communities of color, U.S. lawmakers introduced the first federal laws prohibiting undocumented immigrants from accessing unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicaid and benefits for families with children. The last undocumented workers to have access to unemployment insurance, before it was made ineligible to them in 1976, have nearly all reached retirement age  marking an entire generation of workers who toiled without an economic safety net due to racist backlash against immigrants of color.

Fortunately, lawmakers are moving to address the problem. The California Legislature is considering SB227, which would create a state-funded unemployment insurance system for undocumented workers. Last year, a similar bill easily passed through the Legislature but was vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This year, the governor has an opportunity to make things right.

Californias undocumented immigrant workers are responsible for sustaining the nations largest agricultural industry. They keep the food supply chain moving through work in food processing, transportation, grocery, retail, restaurants and food services. They work jobs in the logistics sector that has boomed with online retail, from warehouses to transportation jobs across the state. Understanding that undocumented immigrants have helped modernize our state, our states leaders should modernize their investment in them.

States are the source of innovation and leadership in the face of federal gridlock and national crises. During the Great Depression, Wisconsin created the first publicly funded unemployment system in the nation three years before the New Deal created unemployment insurance. This past year, Colorado became the first state to create a permanent unemployment benefits system for undocumented workers. Ideas once thought of as radical turn out to be rational, moral and sound policy. It is now Californias turn to lead.
A California lawmaker is taking aim at sell-by dates and other arguably misleading food labels that recycling advocates say confuse consumers and cause unspoiled food to be tossed out.

The dates listed on food packaging often dont reflect the true expiration date because there is no law requiring uniformity on such food labels in the United States. Confusion over expiration dates accounts for an estimated 20% of food waste nationwide every year, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

In California, thats equivalent to roughly 1.2 million tons of wasted food every year  food scraps and waste that pile up in landfills, drive up consumers grocery bills and emit planet-warming methane gasses as they decompose, exacerbating climate change.

Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks (Ventura County), has proposed legislation that would ban sell-by dates and a host of other labels that she said mislead consumers. Her bill would require manufacturers to use the same phrases for expiration labels: best if used by to indicate peak freshness or quality, and use by to indicate food safety.

Irwin said she recently visited a supermarket and noticed four types of labels in the cheese aisle alone. She said the wide variety of labels, including enjoy by, best before and sell by have no universal meaning.

These labels consistently mislead and confuse consumers, Irwin said. Sell-by dates, for example, are meant to show grocers when to rotate stock, and they are meaningless to the consumer.

Her measure, AB660, would take effect Jan. 1, 2025, if approved by the state Legislature and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. The bill sailed through its first two committees, but likely faces a tougher road with a floor vote in the Assembly.

California lawmakers previously tried to pass a similar measure in 2016. That bill, carried by then-Assembly Member David Chiu (now San Franciscos city attorney), died in committee.

Food companies and legislators agreed on a compromise bill in 2017, which created a voluntary uniform-labeling system for packaging. Six years later, consumers can still find a wide variety of expiration labels in stores, and Irwins office said studies have found between 36% and 43% of items use the voluntary labels.

Irwins bill is opposed by the Consumer Brands Association, an industry group that represents manufacturers of food and household products. It warns that California passing its own mandate on expiration labels could make business difficult for out-of-state companies.

There have been attempts by members of Congress to pass a federal law mandating uniform expiration labels. But those efforts have fallen short.

Were supporting federal legislation. We think that is, by far, the best way to do this, Dennis Albiani, a lobbyist for the Consumer Brands Association, told legislators during a hearing last week. Single-state legislation is very challenging.

During the hearing, Assembly Member Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, chafed at the suggestion that California should wait for the federal government to act. He said the industry has failed to convince many manufacturers to adopt the standard best if used by and use by labels.

We took it on faith that the industry was actually going to do more than has been done, Wood told Albiani. Were kind of tired of waiting, quite frankly.

Irwins bill is sponsored by Californians Against Waste and the Natural Resources Defense Council, two prominent environmental groups. Nick Lapis, director of advocacy for Californians Against Waste, said food scraps are the single most common type of waste in landfills.

The issue we have is that the same term can mean something totally different when used by different manufacturers, he said.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, most shelf-stable foods, such as canned goods, are safe to eat indefinitely unless the can has been damaged. Packaged foods, such as cereal, crackers and pasta, are usually good past the best by date, though they may eventually become stale or develop an off flavor.
A federal appeals court refused Thursday to order Sen. Elizabeth Warren to withdraw a letter that criticized online giant Amazon for recommending a book by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other vaccine deniers that accuses the global elite of using the COVID-19 pandemic to seize unprecedented power.

Kennedy and his coauthors and publisher accused Warren, D-Mass., of violating their freedom of speech by trying to coerce Amazon into removing computer settings that directed customers to their book. But the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco said the senators message was one of persuasion, not coercion, and upheld a judges denial of an injunction that would require Warren to retract the letter.

The 2021 book, The Truth About COVID-19: Exposing the Great Reset, Lockdowns, Vaccine Passports, and the New Normal, denounces government-approved vaccines as unsafe and ineffective and urges readers to take vitamins and medications rejected by U.S. health officials.

The lead author, Dr. Joseph Mercola, a Florida osteopath, sells some of the products he recommends and was issued a warning letter in 2021 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration saying he was advertising unapproved and misbranded products as established COVID-19 treatments on his website.

The books forward was written by Kennedy, son of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who announced last month that he would challenge President Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2024. His attacks on the vaccines have included a statement in January 2022 that Dr. Anthony Fauci, then Bidens top health adviser, was promoting fascism, a month after Kennedy had posted a video depicting Fauci in a Hitler mustache.

The court case involved a letter Warren sent to Amazon in September 2021, and announced to the public in a press release, saying she was concerned the company is peddling misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines and treatments by promoting the book. She cited Amazons computer algorithms that directed users to the book, and the companys listing of The Truth About COVID-19 as the #1 Best Seller in Amazons Political Freedom category.

Noting her previous complaint to Amazon on another COVID issue, Warren said, This pattern and practice of misbehavior suggests that Amazon is either unwilling or unable to modify its business practices to prevent the spread of falsehoods or the sale of inappropriate products.

Several weeks later, Amazon notified the publisher, Chelsea Green Publishing, that it would not advertise the book  though the court said there was no evidence Amazon had actually advertised it in the past. Chelsea Green, Kennedy and Mercola then sued Warren, accusing her of trying to intimidate Amazon into stifling their free speech.

In denying an injunction against the senator, the appeals court said her letter did not violate the standards the Supreme Court declared in a 1963 ruling. That case involved Rhode Islands state-created Commission to Encourage Morality that told distributors of allegedly indecent books and magazines that it had reported them to police and they should halt circulation of the publications. The court said such state-sponsored informal censorship violated the First Amendment.

While Warren used some strong words  our system of government requires that elected officials be able to express their views and rally support for their positions, Judge Paul Watford wrote in Thursdays ruling.

The suit cited Warrens assertion that the book was promoting potentially unlawful conduct as an attempt to coerce Amazon by threatening prosecution. That might be the case if the letter came from a prosecutor or executive official, Watford said, but Elizabeth Warren, as a single Senator, has no unilateral power to penalize Amazon.

There is no evidence that Amazon or any other bookseller perceived the letter as a threat, he wrote.

Judge Michelle Friedland joined Watfords opinion. The third panel member, Judge Mark Bennett, said he considered some aspects of Warrens letter to be potentially coercive, but not enough for an injunction that would require her to withdraw it.

Opposing lawyers in the case did not respond to requests for comment.
After 66 years at Sixth and Brannan streets, the San Francisco Flower Mart will relocate to Potrero Hill later this year, freeing the 6-acre SoMa property for a long anticipated 2.2 million-square-foot mixed-use redevelopment.

But while San Franciscos rapidly shrinking economy and record-setting office vacancy rate will likely delay the Flower Mart propertys next chapter for years, developer Kilroy Realty is facing another challenge: an escalating legal dispute with neighboring property owners over control of a private alleyway that is crucial to the redevelopment.

A group of 13 property owners who own a row of modest commercial buildings along the 700 block of Bryant Street have sued Kilroy in San Francisco Superior Court, alleging that the real estate investment trust, which has a market capitalization of $3.2 billion, took advantage of a decades-old clerical error to grab majority ownership of the alley in the rear of their properties.

It really is a David and Goliath story, said attorney Michael Donner, who represents the building owners.

The alleyway, a 550-foot-long dead end, is crucial to both Kilroy and the Bryant Street building owners.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

For the tenants and owners of the Bryant Street buildings  currently a mishmash of small manufacturers, artists, auto shops and antique dealers  it provides parking as well as a place for trucks and vans to load and unload. The property owners say they are unable to plan for the future or refinance their buildings because they dont know how the Flower Mart redevelopment will impact their businesses.

For Kilroy, the alleyway is a central artery of the projects vehicular circulation plan, which calls for the alleyway to be widened and to service both the projects underground parking garage and provide a loading zone for the commercial trucks that will service the redevelopment, which will include 30,000 square feet of restaurants and retail, a public plaza and daycare center.

Marilyn Yu, a clothing designer and manufacturer, owns 739 Bryant St., which is home to the motorcycle clothing business Plutonium Moto as well as Shared SF, a co-working space for makers and artists. Yu accused Kilroy of using its political muscle and deep legal resources to wrest control of the alleyway.

At a time when property crime in the city is on the rise, Kilroy Realty is bringing it to a whole new level by trying to steal an alley in broad daylight, she said, adding that she feels the citys Planning Department has been complicit in the developers efforts.

For most of the last century the midblock alley, an unnamed former rail spur, has been owned equally by the property owners on both Bryant and Brannan streets. Since 1956, the southern 50% of the alleyway has been owned by the Flower Mart, which Kilroy bought in 2015. The northern half has been owned by 14 buildings on that stretch of Bryant  a mix of small manufacturers, auto shops, distribution companies and offices.

But last year the Bryant Street property owners were surprised to learn that in 2019 Kilroy had recorded documents with the city showing that it not only owned the 50% of the alleyway behind the Flower Mart buildings, but also had taken ownership of a section of the alleyway behind 735 Bryant St., which represented 3.82% of the alleys square footage. For Kilroy, the difference between 50% and 53.82% was a game-changer: it allowed them to control the alley and call the shots on how it would be incorporated into the Flower Mart development.

While the deed was news to all the Bryant Street owners, it was especially shocking to Abraham and Andre Panossian, the owners of the currently vacant 735 Bryant, according to attorney Donner.

Donner said the Panossians had every reason to believe that the stretch of alley behind their 19,000-square-foot building was included when they bought it in 2012 for $3.2 million. In a court filing, Donner said that the fact that the spur parcel was not part of the sale of 735 Bryant was a clerical error that was first made during a sale of the building in 1988 and then was repeated several more times over the years as the property was bought and sold.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

Each previous buyer and seller of the building intended to convey all of that property, including the alleyway portion, to its corresponding buyer, Donner wrote in a lawsuit filed in Superior County.

But, for Kilroy, the fact that the alleyway had been left off the deed during multiple sales presented a lucky break. The developer was able to track down a representative from the Aizawa family, who had owned the building from 1975 to 1988, and, according to property records, somehow still owned the random square of paved alleyway in the heart of SoMa.

When contacted by Kilroy in 2019 the Aizawa Family Trust agreed to convey to Kilroy all rights, title, and interests of the parcel, according to court filings.

In a statement, Kilroy Senior Vice President Mike Grisso said the company would spend millions on a new, wider, safer, and more efficient service drive to replace the existing dark, congested, dead-end service drive. The new road will connect to Morris Street, another dead-end alley off of Sixth Street. He said the plan has been developed in concert with the citys planned improvements for Fifth and Brannan streets, which include new bike lanes and wider sidewalks.

We believe this will enhance the value and desirability of all surrounding properties, said Grisso.

Grisso said the Bryant Street owners had ample opportunities to weigh in on the project during a five-year approval process that included dozens of public meetings.

Despite multiple opportunities to raise concerns/objections to the project, none of the Bryant Street property owners ever did, he said.

He said Kilroy officials met with the Bryant Street property owners for several years regarding our shared use of the service drive in an attempt to reach an agreement.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

But he said the Bryant Street owners made unreasonable demands, including demanding to know the exact dates of construction, which Kilroy couldnt commit to. He said the property owners would get plenty of advance notice and that Kilroy has offered to engage in a mediation process.

At a time when the South of Market is pocked with vacant storefronts and empty offices, the 700 block of Bryant Street feels like a bustling slice of pre-pandemic San Francisco.

There is a custom furniture maker who works with top interior designers from around the country. There is a dealer of European antiques, a commercial printer, a furniture refurbishment company, a cannabis outlet, a wine importer and small manufacturers who make motorcycle jackets for women and luggage for bicycles.

At 739 Bryant, Yu operates the collective Shared Spaces, teaches sewing, and makes motorcycle clothing for women  jackets and full-body suits. She owns the 7,200-square-foot two-story building, which, like the other buildings on the block, was built in 1923. She said she was in the process of refinancing her building, but the bank wasnt willing to complete the deal because of uncertainty about the alleyway.

Down the block, Linda Benvenuto operates Antonios Antiques, a family-owned business of 50 years that, these days, is mostly known for making high-end custom furniture in a workshop at 701 Bryant.

On Monday, workers were in the alleyway behind the store loading a 20-piece custom-made furniture set into a truck that was headed to a customer in Napa. Benvenuto is worried that the size and scale of Kilroys plans for the alley will require her business to relocate.

We are all small businesses trying to survive through COVID, the economic downturn, the homeless problem. We are doing the best we can, given the obstacles, she said. We are not asking for anything more than 50% ownership of the alley. We dont want to give up control of something to someone it doesnt belong to.

Scott Strazzante/The Chronicle

While its hard to imagine a project like the Flower Mart redevelopment happening anytime soon, San Francisco is especially prone to boom-and-bust cycles, and SoMa will likely eventually bounce back.

And, for the city, the Flower Mart plan has a lot going for it: Kilroy is paying for the construction of the new Flower Mart location in Potrero Hill. The development will include 50,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 41,000 square feet of open space, and a 23,000-square-foot child care center. In total, the project is expected to pay the city about $225 million in fees, including $107 million for affordable housing.

San Francisco Planning Department Chief of Staff Dan Sider said he couldnt comment on active litigation in the courts, but said that he expects the disagreement will be ironed out.

This parcel was used as an alleyway during the project review and approval process and is currently being used as an alleyway, he said. It will continue to be used as an alleyway when the project is built.

Donner said there have been some good settlement talks with Kilroy but that the sides were still too far apart.

This alleyway is really integral to my clients operations, said Donner. This a great group of people. They are sensible. They care. But they are also business people. They dont want to be deprived of value. They want to find a way out of this that makes sense.
Women gave at times emotionally wrenching testimony Thursday as they recounted what they described as chilling encounters with Bill Gene Hobbs, the 34-year-old San Francisco man on trial for allegedly stalking and grabbing 13 women between November 2021 and September 2022.

Multiple women who accused Hobbs of groping or kissing them without their consent cried after repeated questions from Hobbs attorney, Deputy Public Defender Max Breecker, about whether they wanted Hobbs to be punished.

Hobbs faces 12 misdemeanor counts of sexual battery, battery and assault and one count of felony false imprisonment. He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

One woman who testified Thursday said she was grabbed and followed by Hobbs while running in Golden Gate Park. She said the incident was deeply traumatic and left her so withdrawn she was afraid to leave her apartment for several weeks. After she attempted to run away from Hobbs, she said, he continued to follow her until she sought help from a nearby couple and called 911.

It seemed like  like he was enjoying how afraid I was, said the witness, identified in court as Karina S. He was smiling like a Cheshire cat, staring me down as I was screaming to get away."

In her court testimony, Karina S. said she experienced night terrors after the encounter, purchased additional security reinforcements for her apartment and adopted a guard dog to feel safe walking outside without having to grip pepper spray.

Media coverage about the allegations against Hobbs has been a central part of his legal defense. Breecker, both in his opening statement Wednesday and in his questioning of witnesses Thursday, said news reports about Hobbs warped public perception of him, and that every single woman who accused Hobbs of wrongdoing did so in response to this media coverage.

Before the case gained widespread media coverage, San Francisco police said they were investigating multiple reports about a male committing suspicious acts toward females, whom prosecutors later determined was Hobbs.

Some women also shared their experiences on social media prior to a series of articles by Chronicle columnist Heather Knight, who raised questions about why law enforcement officials hadnt acted with more urgency in response to the mounting claims.

A witness and Hobbs accuser, Olivia J. resumed her testimony for a second day Thursday. She testified that she was walking to the gym when he pulled her into his arms and pretended to know her, telling her she was beautiful.

Olivia J. said she had filed a police report about the incident after reading Knights columns about Hobbs and recognizing him as the man who had groped her and then followed her for several blocks.

Breecker asked whether the coverage had biased her against Hobbs. She replied it left her feeling victimized, scared and frustrated.

You want to see Hobbs punished? Breecker asked.

I want him to get help, Olivia J. replied. I want to stop him from doing this to other people.

Breecker repeated the question. Olivia J. paused for more than a minute, her face tightening. She tilted away from the jury and stared at the microphone before replying, Yes.

A woman identified as Kate Z. testified that Hobbs walked up to her at a bar in the Marina and, in a matter of seconds, leaned in to kiss her.

Another woman identified in court as Madeline E. testified that she was walking her dog in Pacific Heights when she felt someone wrap their arms around her from behind, lift her off the ground and carry her while she struggled to get away.

The alleged incident prompted prosecutors to file the felony false imprisonment charge against Hobbs.

The trial was expected to continue Friday.
T-Mobile has joined the great exodus from the San Francisco downtown shopping core by vacating its flagship store near Union Square.

The vast space  17,000 square feet on two levels  was emptied out and a sign on the door directs customers to the nearest store on Mission Street. A clerk there told a Chronicle reporter the store at 1 Stockton Street closed three or four weeks ago.

The space, at the intersection where Stockton meets Ellis and Market streets, had been the first downtown Apple store before it moved uphill on the corner of Stockton and Post in 2016.

The closing of T-Mobile was first reported by the San Francisco Business Times.

In 2013, 1 Stockton sold to Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., a New York firm with German backing, for $50 million. Now it sits vacant among a cluster of vacancies. Representatives for Ashkenazy did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson for T-Mobile corporate offices did not respond to a request for comment.

The T-Mobile flagship sat at an entrance to the new Central Subway, and was convenient to both BART and multiple Muni lines. The block was once anchored by Planet Hollywood, a major concept restaurant, store and nightclub full of moviemaking bric-a-brac that was directly across the street from the T-Mobile location.

When Planet Hollywood opened, in 1995, the first block of Stockton was closed for a block party and concert with co-owner Bruce Willis fronting a blues band. But Planet Hollywood did not last and neither did the Virgin Megastore next to it.

The east side of Stockton has managed to stay occupied but the west side is alarmingly vacant. Starting at the corner anchored by T-Mobile, three consecutive buildings are vacant and for lease, reaching nearly to the corner of OFarrell Street.

The retail vacancies on Stockton Street have been joined by a spate of them on the Market Street shopping corridor. Earlier this week, Nordstrom announced it would vacate its space as the anchor tenant at the Westfield mall, and the Nordstrom Rack, at the corner of Market and Fifth streets. Saks Off 5th also announced it would close. Reasons given cite high crime in the area, including rampant shoplifting, and a homeless population that has made the area unappealing to visitors.
Mayor London Breed will embark on a week-long international trip Monday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of San Franciscos sister-city relationship with Haifa, Israel.

Breeds travel begins Monday but she wont arrive in Haifa until Tuesday, according to her office. While in Israel, the mayor will also visit Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. She will return to San Francisco on May 15.

Private donors, largely from the Bay Areas Jewish community, are funding the trip, which costs about $7,500 per person, not including airfare. San Francisco taxpayers will only cover the cost of Breeds security, the mayors office said.

The mayors departure comes at a sensitive time for San Francisco, which is grappling with a surge in fatal drug overdoses, multiple high-profile deaths and a faltering downtown economy.

Breeds office said the goal of her visit is to build economic relationships, exchange ideas and foster cultural connections abroad. She will meet with Israeli business and technology leaders from clean tech and bioscience companies, which the mayors office said would help with her efforts to improve San Franciscos economy and attract new businesses downtown.



Breed said in a statement that she was proud to take part in what she called a historic mission to commemorate a half-century of shared history and collaboration with the city of Haifa.

Our two cities have much in common, from our vibrant tech scenes to our rich cultural diversity and this anniversary is an opportunity to reflect on our shared goals to improve the quality of life of the people we represent, recommit to the exchange of ideas that have made our cities vibrant and resilient, and build stronger economic ties, Breed said.

This will be Breeds second sister-city trip; her first was in Paris last spring. The San Francisco-Haifa Sister City Committee led similar mayoral delegations with both of Breeds predecessors, Gavin Newsom and Ed Lee, in 2008 and 2016, respectively.

Breeds out-of-country trip may face criticism given the multiple local crises that came to a head this week.

They included the impending loss of mainstay department store Nordstrom, contributing to the hollowing out of downtown and the citys economy, and controversy over crime, with community members and elected officials pushing back over the district attorneys decision not to charge a security guard for fatally shooting an alleged shoplifter at a downtown Walgreens.

Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who confirmed in March that he was considering a run for mayor next year, said he supports renewing San Franciscos sister city relationship with Haifa. But he questioned the length of Breeds visit.

Its an important relationship. Its an important anniversary. ... But I dont know if a week is the right amount of time, given everything thats happening in the city right now, he said. Its hard to be away when the city is being mismanaged.



Breed spokesperson Parisa Safarzadeh defended the mayors decision to go on the trip.

The mayor has been really forthcoming and honest about the challenges that the city faces, Safarzadeh said, but San Francisco is a world-class city, its known globally, its important that we not only work on our community here, but work with our community around the world as it impacts the local constituency and our local economy.

In Israel, Breed and Haifa Mayor Einat Kalisch-Rotem intend to renew their tw cities sister-city relationship. In Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Bethlehem, Breed will visit historical and cultural sites  including the Western Wall and Israels national Holocaust memorial  and meet with experts in water and the environment.

Breeds office said her delegation to Israel will also engage with diverse communities, including Ethiopian Israelis, Arab citizens of Israel, Palestinians, and LGBTQ activists.

Bob Tandler, chair of the San Francisco-Haifa Sister City Committee, said in a statement that the delegation will visit Rambam Medical Center, which he described as having a working relationship with San Francisco General Hospital on best practices in emergency medicine and trauma.



The connections that come from this trip will form further bridges of cooperation and friendship, and we look forward to writing the next half-century of this special relationship, Tandler said.

Breeds delegation includes a total of 32 people, including herself, some of her staff and her security detail. Various business people and leaders of San Franciscos Jewish community are also attending.

Supervisor Catherine Stefani will serve as acting mayor in Breed's absence.
In the 1960s and 1970s, comics took a sidereal trip to San Francisco, then a city in which hippies, yippies, pimps, drug dealers, hookers, whores, freaks, eclectic musicians, bikers and revolutionaries of all stripes gathered together. Joining them were illustrators who wanted to blow peoples minds by drawing that atmosphere of acid trips and joint smoke. Robert Crumb and Aline Kominsky were two names that stood out in that scene. The former was the international figurehead of a highly sexualized comic who employed a wealth of forms and backgrounds; he was brilliantly sharp in all areas. The latter was the creator of biographical works that were less flashy but not exactly out of modesty or shyness. Both were part of the Underground Comix cartoonist collective. The couple married in 1978. Each had their own career and their comics circulated widely around the world. Their work was trendsetting and they talked about experiences beyond the typical American way of life.

Kominsky-Crumb died in November. Her work focused on food, sex, death, happiness, love and pain. She detailed her life in her comics, from her first sexual experience as a teenager to going to live in a castle in the south of France with her husband to becoming a grandmother when her daughter Sophie had her own child. Her comics were testaments to independence and vindicated desire while rejecting moralistic morality and emasculating religions. She depicted her life and journey full of sex, drugs and music, and did so without modesty or social formalism. Kominsky-Crumb also told of her early adoration of the Beatles, her volatile relationship with her family, and her tense time at the womens comics collective Wimmens Comix.

Comics author Aline Kominsky-Crumb, in an undated image. Lora Fountain (Reservoir Books)

Sophie Crumb Kominsky (Woodland, California, 1981), her daughter with Robert Crumb, says that her mother was a true outsider even within the underground, a 100% original, self-made artist. Her humor is very specific, [its] not necessarily accessible to everyone, and her drawing is naive and anti-academic. Sophie, who is also a noted illustrator, notes by email that shes very proud to be her daughter. On her mothers idea of being an outsider, Sophie observes that her mother changed the meaning of what feminism meant: She brought sexual freedom to feminism, the right to be anti-politically correct, to be hypersexual, to love and to be spanked as well. And thats a huge part of what it means to be a free woman, its about not caring about norms or being accepted by a group. In my opinion, she was a punk.

As with punk, at least in its original version, Kominsky-Crumb surprises and shocks an audience thats unaccustomed to breaking the rules. Hillary Chute, an art professor at Rutgers University and an expert in comics, notes: Her work uniquely combines images of desire and repulsion and brings visibility to the disgusting aspects of womens bodies and desires. In this age of moral judgment that weighs in on maternal behavior, admitting to having used lots of drugs during pregnancy is not a conventional thing to share publicly, especially since she is unapologetic and not the least bit ashamed.

A Double page spread of 'Querido Callo' [Dear Callus], by Aline Kominsky-Crumb, published by Reservoir Books.

Sophie Crumb Kominsky believes that her parents were the best artists in the world. She adds that she admires her mothers originality, humor and realism. She always had a weird and hilarious comment to make, a strange face to draw or a peculiar idea to contribute. Jaume Bonfill, the literary director at Reservoir Books (which published Kominsky-Crumbs work in Spanish), met the author in 2016. He describes her as a woman [who was] full of energy, highly educated, charming and seductive. He said that her work blows your mind and adds: She takes the path of formal radicalism and deliberately strange drawing, [using it] in the service of her own truth. [She created] a graphic language that hadnt been done yet and fifty years later, [it] has not lost its relevance.

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Whether San Francisco opens 70 tiny homes in the Mission District to house homeless people could come down to the presence of a couple tents a little over a mile away.

A plan to open the site remains uncertain as the neighborhoods supervisor is withholding her support until the city improves conditions around an existing shelter at 1515 South Van Ness Ave.

The new proposal faces other hurdles  including an eye-popping $100,000-per-cabin price, ten times higher than similar homes built in Oakland  but Supervisor Hillary Ronens main concern right now is not cost.

Conditions around the South Van Ness shelter have frustrated Ronen so much that she says she wont back the tiny cabins unless the city can keep the blocks around the existing site free of tents, loitering, graffiti and trash, at least for a few weeks. She blames Mayor London Breeds homeless and other departments for the situation and argues that its unfair to open a second site until the city proves that these sites improve street conditions.

Michaela Vatcheva/Special to The Chronicle

Ronen pushed to fund the tiny homes last year. But after neighbors and families at a school next to the proposed site pushed back in February, the supervisor said she needed assurances from the city that the new site wouldnt make conditions in the neighborhood worse. The supervisor said shes opened homeless services in the district despite resistance from neighbors, but became fed up as conditions, in her view and that of some vocal neighbors, devolved around the South Van Ness site.

I cant keep promising my constituents that Im going to make the neighborhood better by bringing more services into the neighborhood if that isnt true, Ronen said. We have to make that commitment to neighborhoods. And if we cannot deliver on that commitment, then the whole system is at risk.

The ultimatum leaves in limbo the plan to open the tiny homes in a city where thousands slept on the streets last year. The conflict is playing out amid intensifying battles in the city over unsheltered homelessness, with some fed-up residents pushing to improve street conditions while also resisting proposals to house or shelter people next to their homes and businesses. Advocates argue that street conditions wont improve until the city opens more shelters and permanent housing.

The homelessness department doesnt know if the site will open without Ronens support, but said its still looking for vendors to build and run it.

I would hate to see the perfect get in the way of the good here, spokeswoman Emily Cohen said. I would hate to see that be a roadblock for opening cabins for other people who could be coming in off the street. And I agree with Supervisor Ronen that we can and need to be good neighbors.

Francesca Pastine, president of the Inner Mission Neighborhood Association who lives on Shotwell and 26th Streets, said encampments grew outside the shelter despite promises when it opened. Cohen said the site was set up during the pandemic without typical good neighbor policies.

Pastine said that after a stranger with mental illness was convicted of assaulting her husband in the Bayview, she developed anxiety leaving her house. Neighbors circulated a petition to shut down the site, prompting city departments to sign an agreement to manage street conditions in February, Mission Local reported. Pastine was grateful conditions have improved since then.

On Tuesday morning, the Chronicle spotted two tents and four people sitting or sleeping outside in a four-block radius of the shelter. One lives in the shelter, but said she feels unsafe there. The owner of a nearby corner store said he hadnt seen conditions change much in 12 years.

Cohen said one person remains a persistent challenge, but she was hopeful multiple departments could help.

Pastine was not surprised by the vitriol at the tiny homes. She said since the city had allowed neighborhoods to be taken over by drug activity, petty crimes and other endemic problems, residents dont trust officials to operate services in a way that ensures clean and safe neighborhoods. But she said Ronen has to convince people because we do need those shelters and also needs to provide more mental health care.

Michaela Vatcheva/Special to The Chronicle

Laura Valdez, head of Mission-based nonprofit Dolores Street Community Services, which runs the South Van Ness shelter, argued the site had a positive impact by sheltering people with high needs, and said staff did outreach to move people in the area inside when it opened. She said some of the unhoused community members who are still on the streets were there before the site opened and that moving them from one block to another block, it doesnt eliminate the problem of homelessness.

Jennifer Friedenbach, head of the Coalition on Homelessness, said it was very frustrating to see Ronen tempering her support for the project after the anti-homeless vitriol in the February meeting.

There is an unrealistic expectation to think that once we open up a service somewhere, then well clear out homeless people, Friedenbach said. They have nowhere to go.

Friedenbachs organization sued the city over its response to street homelessness, resulting in a judges temporary ban on sweeps without providing immediate shelter. City workers can still ask people to move for health or safety reasons. Officials have argued in court that the ruling ties their hands.

Ronen, whos advocated in her more than six years in office for more homeless and health services, didnt believe the injunction was hindering efforts at South Van Ness. She agrees with Friedenbach that the city cant eliminate encampments everywhere because of a shortage of shelter and housing, but argues that the city must guarantee there are no tents outside homeless facilities.

Ronen said when the city opened a shelter at the same spot at South Van Ness under Mayor Ed Lee, outreach workers told people who didnt want to move inside that they couldnt sleep in the Mission anymore.

When asked what the city should do if people refuse to move, Ronen said she doesnt support police forcing people. Shes convinced the city can get people services they will accept by providing dedicated case managers. She said she would support forced treatment if the person qualifies and a bed is available.

Ronen said if the city cant clean up the site, it should instead set up tiny homes in a richer area where they have cleared streets around homeless facilities  pointing to a previously contested shelter at the Embarcadero. Cohen said the city doesnt have another location for the cabins at the moment other than the vacant, publicly owned lot in the Mission.

Were just scouring this town for places to put services, Cohen said. It would be a shame to let this parcel go to waste.

Last year, Ronens district had the third highest number of unsheltered people in the city and saw the greatest increase over three years.

The project would be the second tiny home site in the city, with 70 cabins already on Gough Street.

Michaela Vatcheva/Special to The Chronicle

The homelessness department said in a statement that safe and clean conditions are not provided by HSH alone, and that outreach workers engage with people daily. Workers are partnering with a new team run by the health department, which saw success in the Castro, to engage with severely mentally ill people who do not want to go into the site.

The health department said in a statement that its daily Mission-based team tries to place people in ongoing care, but this takes time due to a myriad of factors, including a reluctance by individuals with the most complex needs to receive services.

Ronen is not yet convinced, since she said shes been trying to work with the homeless department to address conditions for a couple of years and the health department more recently.

I just dont see that the city has its act together enough to be able to deal with this, she said.

On Tuesday outside the shelter, a man slept surrounded by carts of belongings, a woman sat on a piece of cardboard talking to herself and two friends hung out.

Zach Ylitalo had spent the night on the street. He said he lived inside the shelter briefly with his girlfriend until she reported another resident had a butcher knife last month. He said staff didnt do anything other than offer to move them, so the couple left. His girlfriend went to stay with family in L.A. and he returned to San Francisco since hes on a list to get housing.

Missy Krisik, who said she has schizoaffective disorder and has been homeless for 21 years, has lived in the shelter for two years. She said its better than the street, but shared two written complaints  one she filed and a second from a witness  that said a resident punched her in front of a staff member and others during an argument last week. She said staff just offered to move her.

Valdez said staff investigated the complaints and followed shelter policy. She said staff did not witness the punch and cant evict someone without first-hand knowledge of the incident. In the case of the knife, staff found it but couldnt prove who owned it, she said.

Krisik said the city should do more to make shelters safe and make it easier to get housing. |



Cohen said its unclear when the shelter will close since the department doesnt want to shutter it before opening tiny homes. Krisik and Ylitalo said they would move to a tiny home.

Ronen said she must see results first and is working with the city.

Im not just complaining, she said. Im saying there are consequences. And Im literally destroying my own work as a consequence, which makes me very sad.
Most Bay Area residents are likely to experience some form of unsettled weather Friday night into Saturday morning. Another low-pressure system is set to replicate some of the cold, wet pattern that brought stormy weather earlier in the week.

These May showers may feel out of season for many residents, considering the past few Mays were warmer and drier. Climatologically, there is some truth to that sentiment.

The late-season rain showers

More sunshine is forecast to break through some of the clouds Friday as the jet stream flows over California again, helping clear out the cutoff low responsible for most of this weeks unsettled weather.

But the positioning of the jet stream will also help a new low-pressure system flow in above the Pacific Ocean and near California. One of those lows is forecast to arrive in Northern California on Friday night, raising chances of light showers in parts of the Bay Area.

Baron/Lynx

Both the American and European weather models forecast that the bulk of the rain will fall overnight between Friday and Saturday, with residual showers into Saturday morning. The North Bay will have the highest chance of showers, with up to a third of an inch of rain possible in some of the Sonoma County highlands.

Other hot spots include the Diablo Range and the eastern foothills of the Santa Clara Valley, including East San Jose. The rest of the Bay Area can expect rainfall totals closer to a tenth of an inch.

How unusual is this rain?

According to the San Francisco weather stations monthly climate normals, May tends to be at the very tail end of the wet season, with most rainfall tapering off after March.

The downtown San Francisco station normally sees around 0.7 inches of rain over the month of May, which is roughly half of the rainfall wed see in April. But this wet season in the Bay Area has been anything but normal.

The cutoff low from earlier in the week left behind over an inch of rain during its 3-day run, packing a punch downtown. On average, the first three days of May typically measure less than 0.10 inches  largely the result of lighter showers and the gradual transition to more frequent drizzles, mist and fog.

The same goes for inland cities. On average, the Redwood City weather station measures around 0.10 inches of rain in the first three days of May. This year, 0.94 inches of rain were measured. Even San Jose, which usually is rainshadowed and only measures 0.07 inches of rain, wound up measuring 0.20 inches.

This weeks wet pattern is unusual for May in the Bay Area, and resembles storms seen in late February or March. The rainmaker coming in Friday night is set to bring rainfall levels that are more typical for this time of the year, with downtown San Francisco forecast to measure a few hundredths of an inch. Weather models are forecasting a more typical weather setup for the Bay Area after Monday: Coastal fog and light drizzle is right around the corner.

Weekend breakdown

San Francisco: Another low-pressure system is set to roll up between Friday and Sunday, keeping temperatures from fluctuating much. Look for mostly cloudy skies and daytime highs in the mid-50s on the west side and upper 50s east of Sutro Tower on Friday and Saturday.

As southwest winds pick up Friday, gusts are set to peak at around 25 mph around Twin Peaks, Bernal Heights and Mount Davidson, along with the Embarcadero, Presidio and Ocean Beach. Fridays winds will continue overnight, reeling in drizzle for the hillsides and waterfront that will evolve into light showers. Expect intermittent showers Saturday, with gloomy overcast skies over most of the city.

These showers are looking to clear out by Saturday night into Sunday morning, making way for sunnier skies and daytime highs in the upper 50s on the west side and along Mission Bay and the Embarcadero, while highs reach the lower 60s in the rest of the city.

Peninsula and Pacific Coast: A chilly weekend is on tap for the Peninsula as a cool breeze arrives Friday afternoon, keeping daytime highs in the mid-50s on the coast and San Bruno Gap and upper 50s south of Millbrae. Friday nights southwest winds will stream just enough moisture to the region to raise a slight chance for drizzle overnight into Saturday morning along Highway 1 between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay. Expect more widespread intermittent rounds of light rain on Saturday afternoon across the rest of the Peninsula.

Temperatures Saturday look to only reach the upper 50s across the Peninsula as overcast skies from the showers dot the region. A few pockets of sunshine along the I-280 and 101 corridors could briefly raise temperatures to 60 in Redwood City, Atherton and Menlo Park.

The air will dry out Sunday, allowing more sunshine along San Andreas Lake and most of the east-facing hillsides of San Mateo County. This will allow daytime highs from Daly City to Millbrae to rise to 60, while lower 60s will dot most of the Peninsula. The exception will be the immediate Pacific Coast where light winds and spotty fog look to keep Sundays daytime highs in the upper 50s.

North Bay: A low-pressure system to the northwest looks to raise light showers and rounds of cool winds across Marin, Sonoma, Napa and Solano counties this weekend. Friday will start with a mix of clouds and sunshine, followed by darkening skies in the afternoon across the Santa Rosa, Napa and Petaluma valleys. This will help keep Fridays daytime highs in the lower 60s while San Pablo Bay and the delta region can expect temperatures closer to 60. Weather models suggest that light showers will develop around Guerneville and Healdsburg on Friday evening, spreading to the rest of the valleys and highlands into early Saturday morning.

Overcast skies and intermittent showers will be possible Saturday across the North Bay, keeping daytime highs around the same as Fridays. The pattern warms up starting Sunday as drier air returns, clearing out some cloud cover and allowing temperatures to rise to the lower 60s in bayside and delta cities like Vallejo, San Rafael and Sausalito while highs reach the mid-60s in the inland valleys.

East Bay: A cooling trend is coming to Alameda and Contra Costa counties between Friday and Saturday. Chilly winds should blow into the Oakland and Berkeley hills and the delta region Friday afternoon. This will keep daytime temperatures Friday in the lower 60s in Oakland, Richmond, Hayward and Concord, while mid-60s will be possible east of the Caldecott Tunnel. The chilly winds will eventually spill into the San Ramon and Livermore valleys overnight.

These winds will hoist chances for showers by early Saturday morning, with spotty showers likely all day. The overcast skies and chilly winds will keep daytime highs close to Fridays on the bayside and delta, while Walnut Creek, Dublin and Pleasanton can expect highs in the lower 60s. Conditions improve by Sunday as warmer, drier air arrives in the East Bay. Look for sunnier skies and daytime highs reaching the mid-60s across Alameda and Contra Costa counties.

South Bay and Santa Cruz: Some whiplash is coming to Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties this weekend as a low-pressure system passes over the region. Fridays highs are set to reach the mid-60s in the Santa Clara Valley, including near the 101 pass in Morgan Hill and the Highway 17 pass in Los Gatos. Clouds will begin rolling in Friday afternoon, keeping temperatures from going any higher. On Monterey Bay, including Aptos, Soquel, Capitola and Santa Cruz, can expect cooler conditions on Friday, with highs in the upper 50s thanks to a steady bay breeze.

This breeze will pick up overnight and into Saturday morning, raising a slight chance of rain for most of the day. Overcast skies and spotty showers are most likely along the Santa Cruz coast and the Santa Cruz Mountains where daytime temperatures will reach the mid- to upper 50s. Pockets of sunshine will help San Jose and most of the Santa Clara Valley reach the lower 60s on Saturday, though spotty showers could keep a few places closer to 60.

Warm, dry air returns Sunday, helping raise daytime highs back to 60 along the Santa Cruz coast, lower 60s in the Santa Cruz Mountains and mid-60s in the Santa Clara Valley.
Comic fans are getting ready for Free Comic Book Day. The event, where millions of comic books are given away without any cost, was born more than 20 years ago with the idea of increasing attention to the medium, taking advantage of the popularity of comic-book films. Joe Field, a California-based comics retailer proposed the event in a column in Comics & Games Retailer Magazine which received positive reaction, leading to the first event coinciding with the opening weekend of Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi.

The event has grown every year, with thousands of retailers ordering millions of comic books for fans and for people who are just getting into the medium. The comics released are usually 32-page single-issue stories, which sometimes serve as an introduction for newcomers to a new series or an established comic book. Even though the event is mostly to promote independent comics, Marvel and DC also release several books. Heres all the info you need for this years event.

What is Free Comic Book Day?

Free Comic Book Day is a single day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books for free to anyone who comes into their shops. Over 2,000 participating stores give away millions of comic books annually. While giving out free comic books, retailers often run additional promotions, which include sales on selected merchandise, creator signings, raffles, cosplay contests and other activities.

When is Free Comic Book Day 2023?

Free Comic Book Day 2023 is scheduled to take place on Saturday, May 6. The event is traditionally held the first Saturday in May each year. In some editions, the event is cross-promoted with the release of a superhero film. Last years took place following the release of Marvel Studios Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This year it comes following the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Which comic stores celebrate Free Comic Book Day?

The event celebrates the independent comic book specialty shops, but not all of them participate. You can look for a nearby participating comic store on the Free Comic Book Day website directory.

Enter the website and look for the Find a Shop section. There you can type in your zip code to see nearby participant comic shops. Most of the participant shops are in the U.S. and Canada but there are other countries that celebrate it. Any comic book shop in the world can participate in Free Comic Book Day, although there may be some limitations on which titles are available in which countries due to licensing and other considerations, the event states.

Free Comic Book Day 2023 List

The comics that are released on the Free Comic Book Day are divided in two categories: Gold and Silver. These tiers reflect the availability of those titles at participating comic shops.

The Gold sponsor titles will be available at every participating comic shop, while Silver sponsor titles may be available. The website states: Because all participating shops are free to order as many (or as few) Silver sponsor titles as they wish, a participating shop may not have all the Silver sponsor titles available in their shop. However, a participating comic shop will always have all the Gold sponsor comic books available (while supplies last)

Gold Comics

Archie Horror Presents Cursed Library

Avengers X-Men #1

Choujin X & Rooster Fighter

Conan Barbarian SP

Dog Man and the League of Misfits

Fishflies #1

Ranger Academy Preview

Red Sonja She Devil With A Sword #0

Seismic Stories

Spider-Man Venom #1

Star Trek Day of Blood

Umbrella Academy & Witcher

Silver Comics

2000 AD Presents The Best Comic Ever

Animal Castle

Animal Crossing & Kirby Manga Mania

Baby Sitters Little Sister Karens Haircut

Crimebuster #1

Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers

Frazettaverse #0

I Am Stan Sampler

Investigators All Tide Up Sneak Peek

Kodansha Shaman King Flowers Demon School Sampler

Kotto Kotorra

Last Comics on Earth Sampler

Madballs vs Garbage Pail Kids #0

Marvel Voices #1

Mech Cadets Special

Mexikid Sampler

NBX Battle For Pumpkin King #1

Overstreet Guide to Collecting

Princeless

Punch Up! Preview

Runescape Untold Tales God Wars

Sacrifiers #!

Shadowman Dark Legacy

Smurfs #1

Spidey & Friends #1

Star Wars High Repub ADVS & Avatar Last Airbender

Street Fighter 6 #0

Sweet Valley Twins Teacher Pet Sampler

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Tom Hollands Fright Night #1 FCBD Edition

West of Sundown #1

How many comics can I take home?

The amount of comics from both tiers that you can take home will depend on several factors, especially the policy of each shop. Some stores allow buyers to choose more than three Gold titles and a few Silvers, but it also depends on the store availability and if you go early to the event. We recommend finding a local comic shop and checking its policy.

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A 15-year-old boy died after being shot in San Francisco's Fillmore District on Thursday evening, officials said.

The San Francisco Police Department said in a news release issued Friday that it responded to a report of a shooting at 7:19 p.m. on the 1800 block of Eddy Street, which is just off Divisadero Street, three blocks from the Raymond Kimbell Playground.

At the scene, officers found the teen with life-threatening injuries. First responders provided medical aid before putting the boy in an ambulance, which rushed him to a local hospital.

Despite efforts to save the boy's life, he was pronounced dead.

The department's homicide detail is leading an investigation and asking anyone with information about the fatal shooting to call the tip line at 415-575-4444. You can also text a tip to TIP411; begin your message with SFPD. It's OK if you prefer to remain anonymous.
A 21-year-old who was a UC Davis student until last week was formally charged Friday with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder after a series of stabbings terrorized the small city, officials said. Carlos Dominguez was arrested by the Davis Police Department on Thursday and is accused of two fatal stabbings and a third that critically injured one person.

The charging papers filed by Yolo County District Attorney Jeff Reisigs office allege that the two deaths and third attack were willful, deliberate and premeditated.

The charges include enhancements for great violence, great bodily harm, threat of great bodily harm, or other acts disclosing a high degree of cruelty, viciousness, or callousness. Another enhancement alleges Dominguez committed multiple murders; prosecutors could use this to make a case for life in prison without parole or the death penalty (though California currently has a moratorium on the death penalty) though this decision will be made later, the DAs office said in a statement.

The filing was released ahead of Dominguezs arraignment scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The three stabbings occurred across less than a weeks time and rattled Davis, a college town of about 70,000 people about 15 miles west of Sacramento. Some students left the UC Davis campus out of fear.

The first stabbing occurred April 26 or 27 in the citys Central Park, where David Breaux, 50, known as the Compassion Guy, was found dead with multiple stab wounds hunched over on a bench the morning of April 27, police said.

He had been stabbed many times, Darren Pytel, chief of the Davis Police Department, said in a press conference. And it was apparent that it was a particularly brazen and brutal attack. We launched an investigation, collected a lot of physical evidence and immediately started looking for who may be responsible. The problem with this one is there was no eyewitnesses.

Two days later, Karim Abou Najm, 20, was walking in Sycamore Park when he was stabbed to death early in the morning of April 29, according to police. A witness had seen the last part of the attack, Pytel said, had a short interaction with the suspect, who took off going westbound out of the park. We immediately started a search, but we werent able to locate the suspect that night.

On May 1, Kimberlee Guillory was attacked multiple times with a knife while she was inside a tent where she had been living near Second and L streets, police said. She underwent surgery and she is recovering, Pytel said.

Dominguez was detained near Sycamore Park at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, after more than a dozen people called the police department, reporting that they had seen a young man who matched witnesses description of a suspect wandering around the park, Pytel said. After hours of questioning, he was booked at Yolo County Jail. Pytel said that evidence indicates all three stabbings are linked and committed by the same person.

Dominguez started at UC Davis in fall 2020 and was enrolled as a biology major until April 25, when he was kicked out of the school for academic reasons, the university said in a statement.

We are partnering with law enforcement to provide access to any and all information as part of the investigation, the university said in a statement issued just before 3 p.m. Thursday. We are providing support to any students who may have interacted with him. As we learn more and are able to provide updates that do not interfere with the ongoing investigation, we will do so.
Ford Motor Co. is recalling certain 2004 to 2006 Ranger vehicles because replacement front passenger air bag inflators may have been installed incorrectly.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a letter that the recall includes 231,942 vehicles.

The vehicles had received replacement front passenger air bag inflators under a previous recall. The NHTSA said that an incorrectly installed inflator may not properly inflate the passenger air bag, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.

Dealers will inspect and reinstall the front passenger air bag inflator, if needed, for free.

Notification letters are expected to be mailed to owners of the impacted vehicles on May 22.

Ford recalled about 98,000 Rangers for the same problem in February, and the recent action adds about 133,000 of the pickups.

Vehicle owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 or the NHTSA at vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153).

Ford recalled about 98,000 Rangers for the same problem in February, and the recent action adds about 133,000 of the pickups.

A day earlier, BMW warned the owners of about 90,000 older vehicles in the U.S. not to drive them due to an increasing threat that the air bags might explode in a crash.

The warning covers vehicles from the 2000 through 2006 model years that previously had been recalled to replace faulty and dangerous air bag inflators made by Takata.

The company used volatile ammonium nitrate to inflate the air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to heat and humidity and blow apart a metal canister, hurling shrapnel that can injure or kill drivers and passengers.

Since 2009, the exploding air bags made by Takata have killed at least 33 people worldwide, including 24 in the United States. Most of the deaths and about 400 injuries have happened in U.S., but they also have occurred in Australia and Malaysia.
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TALLINN, Estonia (AP)  A Russian court on Friday ordered pretrial detention for a theater director and a playwright facing charges of justifying terrorism, the latest move in a relentless crackdown on dissent in Russia that spiked to unprecedented levels since the start of the war in Ukraine.

The Zamoskvoretsky District Court in Moscow jailed Zhenya Berkovich, a prominent independent theater director, and Svetlana Petriychuk, a playwright, for two months pending investigation and trial. The two were detained in the Russian capital on Thursday because of the play Petriychuk wrote and Berkovich staged, Finist, the Brave Falcon. Police also raided the apartments of Berkovich's parents and grandmother in St. Petersburg.

The play, named after a Russian fairy tale, depicts Russian women who faced prosecution after being lured into marriage and life in Syria by representatives of radical Islam.

The authorities have alleged that the play justifies terrorism, accusations that both Berkovich and Petriychuk have rejected, maintaining their innocence.

Berkovich's lawyer Yulia, Tregubova, pointed out in court on Friday that the play was supported by the Russian Culture Ministry and won the Golden Mask award, Russia's most prestigious national theater award. Petriychuk's lawyer Sergei Badamshin told the court that in 2019, the play was read to inmates of a women's prison in Siberia, and Russia's state penitentiary service praised it on its website.

Justifying terrorism is a criminal offense in Russia, punishable by up to seven years in prison.

The case against Berkovich and Petriychuk elicited outrage in Russia. An open letter in support of the two artists, started by the independent Novaya Gazeta newspaper, has been signed by more than 3,400 people by Friday evening. The play, the letter argued, carries an absolutely clear anti-terrorist sentiment.

Dozens of Russian actors, directors and journalists also signed affidavits urging the court to release Berkovich from custody pending investigation and trial.

Immediately after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Kremlin unleashed a sweeping campaign of repression, unparalleled since the Soviet era. It has effectively criminalized any criticism of the war, with the authorities targeting not only prominent opposition figures who eventually received draconian prison terms, but anyone who spoke out against it, publicly or otherwise.

Pressure mounted on critical artists in Russia, too. Actors and directors were fired from state-run theaters, and musicians were blacklisted from performing in the country. Some were slapped with the foreign agent label, which carries additional government scrutiny and strong negative connotations. Many left Russia.

Berkovich, who raises two adopted daughters, has refused to leave Russia and continued working with her independent theater production in Moscow, called Soso's Daughters. Shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine, she staged an anti-war picket and was jailed for 11 days.
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An empty 2.5-acre lot in Atherton recently sold for $25 million, listing agent Michael Repka of DeLeon Realty confirmed to SFGATE. The Real Deal first reported on the sale.

The lot at 75 Isabella Ave. is located near Menlo College, in the heart of the Bay Area enclave known as the countrys most expensive ZIP code year after year.
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CLEVELAND, Texas (AP)  Manuela Lara's Mexican food stand is not far from the house on Walter Drive, the one with the Christmas lights still up, where a man next door with an AR-style rifle walked over and killed five of his Honduran neighbors.

Lara is also an immigrant and has lived for years in the Trails End neighborhood, where residents say law enforcement was slow to respond to frequent gunfire long before the rural sheriffs department drew scrutiny for taking 11 minutes to get to the scene of the April 28 shooting, and for the ensuing four-day manhunt.

There arent enough patrols. The police dont come over here, Lara said. This happened because police didnt come in here.

The capture of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza Tuesday night has not eased concerns in the largely Latino neighborhood about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Houston, where many immigrant residents feel disregarded and disrespected by officials from the local level up to the governor.

In the arrest's wake, even some law enforcement officials have questioned how the response was coordinated.

Authorities have acknowledged it usually takes deputies from 30 minutes up to an hour to respond to calls in Trails End, but say they face challenges that are familiar to law enforcement across rural America, where firearms are common and officers are responsible for vast stretches of terrain. Three deputies were patrolling the 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers) of San Jacinto County when the first call about the shooting came in as a harassment report at 11:31 p.m., according to the sheriff's office.

Weve got poor roads. Were understaffed," Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said. "Welcome to rural law enforcement.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, sheriff's deputies got help searching for Oropeza from several local and state law enforcement agencies. But they didn't formally accept help from the FBI until the next morning, according to the bureau. And an official with the two-man agency that does much of the day-to-day police work in the neighborhood said they were left to learn about the shooting and manhunt the next morning through calls from neighbors and news reports.

"Maybe we could have caught him faster. I can't say that we would have, but when it happens in your own back yard you would hope youd be the first to be notified, said Cpt. Peter Sparta of the San Jacinto County Constables Office. The sheriff's office generally doesn't coordinate with the area constable, who lives a 15-minute drive from where the shooting occurred, Sparta added.

Oropeza is now in jail on five murder charges and awaiting the appointment of a lawyer. But some residents question whether the shooting will prompt action needed for local law enforcement to show up quicker next time they call. Others remain angry with Gov. Greg Abbott for calling the victims illegal immigrants, saying immigration status is irrelevant to their being the victims of gun violence.

Theyre human beings and they just lost their family, said Shawn Crawford, 52, who also lives on Walter Drive. It had nothing to do with politics, the border, the immigrants.

Abbott, a Republican, drew widespread backlash for the comment and his office later apologized, acknowledging at least one of the victims was in the U.S. legally.

Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21, will be buried in the United States, according to her father, who said she had recently obtained residency after leaving Honduras eight years ago.

Oropeza was a Mexican national who was deported four times between 2009 and 2016, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trails End is on the outskirts of Cleveland, a diverse town of about 8,000, and homes there sit on wide lots and under a dense canopy of pine trees. As in other rural places in Texas, the legality of firing weapons in one's backyard can be confusing depending on where one lives but seems to be largely tolerated by law enforcement as long as no one is hurt and nothing damaged. Complaints about such gunfire in the neighborhood were daily, according to the sheriff's office.

Nearly 31% of Cleveland's population are Latinos, and their growing presence can be seen in businesses from taquerias to stores that sell products from Mexico and Central America. Some of the Hondurans killed in the shooting had lived in the U.S. for years, according to their families back home.

Authorities say the shooting began after three of Oropeza's neighbors asked him to go farther away if he was going to fire his gun so late because a baby was trying to sleep.

At a vigil for the victims a few days before Oropeza's arrest, Krystal Segundo was one of the many residents who complained about law enforcement not responding in the past to calls about gunfire from neighbors.

They accused San Jacinto County Sheriffs deputies of normally not taking any action.

I told my husband, after this tragedy now we have so many police. Before, I never saw one officer pass or do anything, said Segundo, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years with her husband and four kids.

Wilson Garcia, whose wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, and his 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed in the shooting, told reporters that people in his house called police five times after Oropeza brushed them off about firing his gun, and that each time a dispatcher told them help was coming.

Deputies took 11 minutes to arrive, Sheriff Greg Capers said. Thats pretty quick, according to Kean. The chief deputy said one of the three working deputies was responding to a robbery at the time of the shooting, but didnt specify where the other two were.

The exact timeline of the police response to the shooting remains unclear because the sheriffs office has yet to release call logs, 911 recordings and other records in response to public records requests.

You got to remember the initial call on this was somebody firing their gun in the yard, all right. At that point, it wasnt an attack, Kean said. So the aggravated robbery trumps the guy shooting in the yard.

But Sparta, the constables captain, who said he grew up nearby, suggested the shooting might have been avoided if more resources went to doing routine police work there.

You need to police these communities where these peoples houses are," he said. It prevents burglaries. It prevents things that just happen like this.

___

Weber reported from Austin and Bleiberg from Dallas. Associated Press videojournalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report.
BRANFORD  An effort by workers at a Branford Starbucks to unionize failed short by three votes, and the union group now is alleging the Seattle-based coffee giant of coercive actions.

Workers at the Starbucks on North Main Street first filed a petition seeking a union election with the National Labor Relations Board about three months ago, becoming the third Starbucks in the state to pursue such action  after West Hartford and Vernon stores.

Out of 21 total ballots cast, 12 voted against unionizing while nine people were in support, NLRB record shows. The proposed bargaining unit of 22 people included all full-time and regular part-time baristas and shift supervisors but excluded managers.

Shortly after the failed election, Workers United filed a charge with the NLRB against Starbucks, alleging the company threatened "employees with loss of access to a Lyft benefit to assist with transportation to and from work" and "loss of access to tips through credit cards" if they voted to unionize.

NLRB Press Secretary Kayla Blado confirmed Thursday the agencys Region 1-Boston office is investigating the allegation. According to the NLRB, the investigation process usually takes 7-14 weeks before a decision about the merits of a charge is made.

Andrew Trull, Starbucks senior manager of corporate communications, said Thursday the company hadn't yet received the specific charges from the NLRB. However, he said, workers in Branford don't currently participate in the Lyft program and that Starbucks rolled out a new technology to allow tipping options through credit or debit cards.

"At no time has Starbucks taken away or threatened to take away benefits currently provided to any partner," Trull said.

He said when the union election was held, "there were no objections to the vote filed by either Starbucks or Workers United," calling the charges filed after the fact Workers United's attempt to "undermine the outcome of an undisputed and fairly conducted election" that does "nothing but suppress our partners' voices."

"To be clear: We respect the rights of all partners to make their own decisions about union representation and to engage in lawful union activities without fear or reprisal or retaliation," he said.

Jordie Adams, an organizer with Starbucks Workers United whos been helping the Branford branch, said Wednesday that its about the tactics the corporation is encouraging management to use to try to deter people from voting for a union.

So things like saying that benefits will be taken away or they wont receive new benefits, or that raises are subject to be taken away should the union vote succeed, Adams alleged.

In the Branford case, Adams said the store used to have a benefit in which the store reimbursed workers for rides to or from work through Lyft.

Starbucks has been facing public scrutiny for alleged anti-union tactics as 295 coffee shops have unionized across the country. According to the NLRB, there are 542 open or settled unfair labor practice cases filed against Starbucks with the agency  including three charges in Connecticut.

Starbucks' Trull said the company believes the allegations lack merit and are "another attempt by the union to undermine our ability to share factual information and our perspective with partners so they can make an informed and balanced decision regarding union representation."

The NLRB, on two occasions, has ruled against the company: one was a Philadelphia case in which Starbucks unlawfully fired two organizing employees, while the other was a Seattle case in which Starbucks refused to bargain with the union at its Reserve Roastery.

The Office of Administrative Law Judges within the Department of Labor has found Starbucks in violation for nine cases including cases involving loss of access to benefits. U.S. District Courts have injunctive reliefs in two cases involving unlawful terminations.

Adams, who worked at unionized Vernon Starbucks and now works in Massachusetts, said many of the Branford workers she spoke to are excited with the idea of the union but the main deterrents were the alleged illegal union busting.

Having spoken to the partners on an individual level, a lot of them that I know, were hesitant, Adams said, noting she faced a similar situation.

Asked whether other Starbucks in Connecticut are unionizing, Adams said we're constantly getting partners reaching out from everywhere, but declined to name any specific location.
BGLOOMINGTON, Ill. (AP)  An eastern Illinois man was sentenced to 44 years in prison for assaulting a state trooper during a traffic stop.

Randy M. Turner, of Danville, was pulled over in May 2022 for driving over 100 mph (161 kph) on Interstate 55 near Chenoa, northeast of Bloomington, The Pantagraph reported.
Edgar Morin on the grounds of a hotel in Marrakesh, Morocco, the city where he lives with his wife.

Edgar Morin is a man with a mission. An unfinished, unpostponable, unavoidable mission: transmitting his ideas and sharing knowledge. Intellectual production keeps the French philosopher lucid and vibrant at 101 years of age. It feeds him and preserves him: he sees himself as being possessed every time he confronts a book or an article on his computer. In his recent book Lessons from a Century of Life, he confesses that he was a bad son and a bad father. Not a bad husband, he clarifies. And not a bad thinker.

Morin is part of an endangered species: the great intellectuals of the 20th century. He has written more than 20 books  in addition to other short works and collections of interviews  and, in France, he has just published De guerre en guerre: de 1940 a lUkraine [From war to war: from 1940 to Ukraine]. In this dissident essay, he goes against the current that is dominant in Western media, making a clear plea for peace in a war that has shaken the world since February of 2022.

In June, Morin plans to publish another work, Encore un peu [Once again, a little more]. And in September, another, co-written with the woman who sustains him: Sabah Abouessalam, a Moroccan sociologist. He met his wife at a conference in 2009.

A reference for the French left and an inspiration for Spains 2015 anti-austerity protests, this descendant of Spanish Sephardic Jews  who was born with the name Edgar Nahoum  is a humanist who has always liked to intervene in public debates. Meanwhile, in the intellectual world, he is recognized for the publication of six volumes of multidisciplinary reflections between 1977 and 2004, where he develops the keys to complex thought.

Morin divides his time between Morrocco, Paris, and Montpellier, in the south of France. He receives EL PAIS in one of his favorite corners of Marrakesh: the Es Saadi palace, which has been converted into a hotel. It has an orchard filled with birds and palm trees. Hes spending time here because the air conditioning is broken in his house, making the conditions unbearable.

The weight of 101 years lived is suddenly lifted as soon as the recorder is turned on. Morin starts speaking and begins to glow. The momentum breaks through his voice  his hands begin to accompany the inflections in his words.

Question. You begin your new book by evoking the first Luftwaffe bombardments that annihilated Rotterdam in May of 1940. You were assigned to the General Staff of the First Army, commanded by Lattre de Tassigny. Did the horrors of war that you experienced push you to write a book advocating for peace?

Answer. The images of the war in Ukraine the destroyed buildings, the corpses of civilians... all of this reminded me of the wars I lived through, especially World War II. Back then, I saw cities like Hamburg and Mannheim completely destroyed.

Q. In your book, you write that any war in the name of good actually involves evil. Does this occur in Ukraine?

A. Yes, but not at such a massive level. Although Putins Russia is guilty of having attacked and even of [having tried] to annex Ukraine, there are war crimes that have been committed on both sides; there is war propaganda on both sides. War favors lies, false information, hiding what is negative for your side... I want our contemporaries to be aware of this. Especially since, in France, for example, there has been a kind of beatification of Ukraine, at the same time that devilish intentions have been attributed to Putin.

Q. Arent Putins intentions diabolical?

A. What is diabolical about Putin, above all, is his internal repression of his opponents and the dictatorship he maintains in Russia. Were in the middle of a war, which evidently has criminal aspects. But were informed of the actions of the Russians by the Ukrainians. Theres a fog of information.

Q. In the book, you make a clear plea for peace. But peace means making concessions to an invader, to Putin.

A. When the forces of the two adversaries are equal, compromise can be reached. Crimea, in 2014, had 1,400,000 Russians, 500,000 Ukrainians and 400,000 Tatars in the census. Given history and demographics, an agreement could be sought in this area. [But now], its not clear why Ukraine is asking for a monopoly on Crimea  a compromise can be sought. Donbas is an extremely mineral-rich region that began to be industrialized by Tsarist Russia at the end of the 19th century. And it was Stalins USSR that hyper-industrialized it  a large part of the engineers and workers there are of Russian origin. The question could be raised that perhaps the wealth of Donbas [could be jointly] exploited.

Q. Should these kinds of concessions be made?

A. This could be a compromise solution to obtain the sovereignty of Ukraine, its accession to the European Union and its military neutrality. We mustnt forget that the Americans played a key role in the entire chronology that led to the war, with the expansion of NATO. Theres a new Russian imperialism of a pan-Slavic character But theres also a U.S. imperialism that is present in a political, economic and military way.

Ukraine  in its search for independence and sovereignty  is the scene of a conflict between two imperialisms. With this book, I knew that [this notion] was not in the mainstream  I know very well that its dissident in the current circumstances. I was even in danger of being attacked. You know, in France, anyone who disagrees [with the current policy] is immediately branded to be pro-Putin.

Q. Are you concerned about the reaction?

A. I dont like it. But my duty is to say what I think is useful. Were in an age where Manichean thinking and simplistic alternatives masquerade as knowledge or thought. And in the current conditions, its increasingly difficult to defend a complex vision of things.

Q. You say youre the heir of the philosophers Montaigne and Spinoza.

A. Yes, because Montaigne advised [that we should] practice doubt and self-knowledge. He had a very human spirit. He said: Every man is my countryman. He is the first anti-colonialist. And Spinoza made the great revolution in modern thought by ending the idea of a superior and external God who is the creator and owner of the world. He gave creative sovereignty to nature.

Q. Mr. Morin, may I ask: how do you maintain your intellectual faculties so well, at 101 years of age?

A. I persevere in my being, as Spinoza would say. Age affects me  I walk worse than before, I have various physical problems. But fortunately, mentally, Im still the same. Ive kept all my curiosity, my interest in the future of humanity.

Q. And how do you see that future?

A. I dont think were heading towards a brighter tomorrow. The future is dark. I know that, often, the unexpected happens in history. Im attentive and vigilant, but Im also very anxious about the future of humanity.

Edgar Morin, French philosopher and sociologist. Jaime Villanueva

Q. In Lessons from a Century of Life, you write that its essential for a person to have a poetic life.

A. You cannot live poetically all the time. Life is a struggle between prose and poetry. Prose is the boring stuff  the stuff you have to put up with. Poetry is that state of enchantment, of communion, of enjoyment It gives you love for another, collective friendship, a work of art... Each of us must try to cultivate the poetic part of life, because thats living. The other part is just survival.

Q. What surprises you the most about contemporary life?

A. In big cities, above all, the anonymity. I lived my youth at a time when neighbors not only spoke to each other, but helped each other. You chatted with the store clerk. Today, were witnessing the destruction of coexistence. Some of it remains, with friends, with family. In addition to anonymity, theres the robotization of life; the increasingly strict, timed obligations at work. All of this leads to a degradation of civilization, civility and human relations.

Q. You often say that, in our societies, a metastasis of the ego is taking place.

A. Modern individualism has developed positive aspects, such as autonomy. But there are also negative aspects, such as the predominance of oneself over others. The human being is, on one hand, egocentric: he must defend himself, feed himself and think about himself. But a human being is also communal, open to others, loving. Egocentrism must be reduced to the vital minimum Fraternity is essential.

Q. In an interview with the Italian philosopher Nuccio Ordine, you said that capitalist economic development has unleashed the great problems on our planet. How so?

A. The hegemony of profit is manifesting itself throughout the world  its leading to the ecological degradation of the planet. We have to resist [by] trying to live in an oasis of brotherhood and coexistence, because, at the moment, theres no political force capable of creating a new path forward.

Q. At this point in your life, how do you define yourself politically?

A. I define myself as a man of the left. But since my break with communism in 1951, Im independent of any party and I want to remain so. Being on the left means taking elements from three main sources, as well as from a fourth: from anarchism, [regarding] the free individual; from socialism, for a better society; from communism, [to create] human brotherhood. These three notions have been separated and opposed, but for me, these three notions must be associated. The fourth is the relationship with nature that ecology teaches us.

Q. And how should the left position itself in the face of current capitalist economic development?

A. We must reverse the hegemony of profit in all areas where possible. In agriculture, [this means] progressively leaving behind industrialized [farming] to move towards an ecological kind. We must recover a sense of solidarity. Economic neoliberalism tends to destroy public services; we must infuse them with vitality. Reforms are needed to gradually transform society because, in my opinion, revolution is not possible; at least, as it has existed, it has been more destructive than constructive. Im thinking of the Soviet Union or China. This is a progressive collective mission and, for the moment, there is no political force capable of promoting it.

Q. But is there a leftist force in any country that is particularly interesting to you?

A. There were attempts But they didnt last for very long and they ultimately failed. Such as with the [former] president of Ecuador, Rafael Correa. In Chile, there was a spark, but it didnt last. In Brazil, there were positive developments, but they didnt work out. The planet is undergoing a process of generalized political regression: a crisis of democracy, regimes with democratic facades and neo-authoritarians that are multiplying. This isnt just the case of Russia, Turkey, or Hungary. In Europe, there are other threatened countries, such as France.

Q. Do you feel that France is at risk?

A. Economic regression, growing inequalities, the power of the super-rich, a very small elite while the rest of the world is impoverished... Were on a dangerous slope.

Q. And how do you think that the fight against Macron in the streets and the increase in the retirement age in France have influenced this?

A. I think that the movement that will benefit from all of this will be Marine Le Pens National Rally. With the disintegration of the classical right, the crisis within Macronism  which is a kind of centrism  and the crisis of the left, theres a danger that, in the next elections (2027), the National Rally will come to power and establish a neo-authoritarian regime.

Q. In an interview you gave during the pandemic, you said: At my age, death is always on the horizon. Therefore, its better to think about life and what is happening. Death is taboo in our society, but is it also taboo at 101?

A. I think that the taboo has weakened a bit. When I wrote Man and Death, in 1951, it was a subject that seemed obscene. But its true that, when one exceeds 100 years of age, you arrive in a land that is little known and inhabited. There arent many centenarians. Its evident that the proximity of death is permanent. Its something that can happen to me any night; its unknown. But while I am possessed by the forces of life, participation, curiosity and action, the specter of death recedes.

I must say that there are moments of emptiness in which, abruptly, death appears to me. And I say to myself: is this it? Its the fate, not only of all living beings, but of everything in the world: even the stars die. Sometimes, of course, the idea of my disappearing self gives me a feeling of emptiness; I feel the presence of nothing. But Im not obsessed  these are merely moments. I am much more focused on the forces of life.

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Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia "Ginni" Thomas, the documents show. The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case.

Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conway that he wanted her to "give" Ginni Thomas "another $25K," the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have "No mention of Ginni, of course."

Conway's firm, the Polling Company, sent the Judicial Education Project a $25,000 bill that day. Per Leo's instructions, it listed the purpose as "Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting," the documents show.

In all, according to the documents, the Polling Company paid Thomas's firm, Liberty Consulting, $80,000 between June 2011 and June 2012, and it expected to pay $20,000 more before the end of 2012. The documents reviewed by The Post do not indicate the precise nature of any work Thomas did for the Judicial Education Project or the Polling Company.

The arrangement reveals that Leo, a longtime Federalist Society leader and friend of the Thomases, has functioned not only as an ideological ally of Clarence Thomas's but also has worked to provide financial remuneration to his family. And it shows Leo arranging for the money to be drawn from a nonprofit that soon would have an interest before the court.

In response to questions from The Post, Leo issued a statement defending the Thomases. "It is no secret that Ginni Thomas has a long history of working on issues within the conservative movement, and part of that work has involved gauging public attitudes and sentiment. The work she did here did not involve anything connected with either the Court's business or with other legal issues," he wrote. "As an advisor to JEP I have long been supportive of its opinion research relating to limited government, and The Polling Company, along with Ginni Thomas's help, has been an invaluable resource for gauging public attitudes."

Of the effort to keep Thomas's name off paperwork, Leo said: "Knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni."

Leo's statement did not address questions about whether he had arranged other work for Ginni Thomas or how much money he directed to her in all from the nonprofit.

Conway did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The Thomases did not respond to messages seeking comment. Ginni Thomas, a political activist and former GOP aide on Capitol Hill, has long maintained that she and her husband keep their careers separate.

In December 2012, the Judicial Education Project submitted an amicus brief in Shelby County v. Holder, a case challenging a landmark civil rights law aimed at protecting minority voters. The court struck down a formula in the Voting Rights Act that determined which states had to obtain federal clearance before changing their voting rules and procedures. Clarence Thomas was part of the 5-to-4 majority.

Thomas issued a concurring opinion in the case, arguing that the preclearance requirement itself is unconstitutional. Thomas's opinion, which was consistent with a previous opinion he wrote, favored the outcome the Judicial Education Project and several other conservative organizations had advocated in their amicus briefs. He did not cite the Judicial Education Project brief.

Legal ethics experts disagreed about whether the arrangement outlined by Leo and the payments from Conway should have led Thomas to recuse himself from the Shelby case.

Federal law requires justices to recuse if their "impartiality might reasonably be questioned," a standard that has not been well-defined as applied to filers of amicus briefs, the experts said. Law professor Kathleen Clark of Washington University said that if the Judicial Education Project paid Ginni Thomas $100,000 in the year and a half before it filed its brief, the size and timing of the payments would have been enough to cast doubt on Clarence Thomas's impartiality and require his recusal. Law professor Stephen Gillers of New York University, however, said that as the rule is now interpreted, the link appeared too "attenuated" to require recusal.

But both experts said the arrangement shows that current ethics rules and disclosure requirements fail to protect public confidence in the independence of the courts. For example, although justices must report the name of companies that pay their spouses, they are not required to report the names of the companies' clients. In this case, even if there were such a requirement, it is not clear that the Judicial Education Project would have been listed as a client, because the fees intended for Ginni Thomas were to go through Conway.

"The idea that Leonard Leo, who has a passionate ideological interest in how the court rules and who has worked hard for years to advance that interest, could pick up the phone and generate substantial compensation to Virginia Thomas, which also benefits Clarence Thomas - that idea is bad for the country, the court and the rule of law," Gillers said. "It's not the way the Supreme Court should do its business or allow its business to be done."

The effort to keep Ginni Thomas's name off paperwork makes the arrangement seem "more egregious," said Clark.

In his statement to The Post, Leo said that Ginni Thomas's work had no bearing on her husband's opinions.

"I have known Clarence and Ginni Thomas since 1990. They are dear friends and are people of tremendous good will and integrity. Anybody who thinks that Justice Thomas is influenced in his work by what others say or do, including his wife Ginni, is completely ignorant of who this man is and what he stands for. And anybody who thinks Ginni Thomas would seek to influence the Supreme Court's work is completely ignorant of the respect she has for her husband and the important role that he and his colleagues play in our society."

Leo, 57, has for years been the behind-the-scenes leader of a network of interlocking nonprofits that has raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support conservative judges and causes. Marble Freedom Trust, one of the organizations Leo chairs, received a contribution worth $1.6 billion in 2020 from a Chicago businessman, Barre Seid.

The Judicial Education Project was part of that network, although Leo was not listed on its tax filings or incorporation records. Leo's allies founded the Judicial Education Project in 2004. Its mission was to "conduct research and educate the public on the role of the judiciary as laid out in the U.S. Constitution," according to its tax filings. It secured tax-exempt status in 2011 and was not initially well-funded, filing paperwork with the IRS indicating it brought in less than $50,000 annually.

In 2012, it received about $1.5 million from donors whose identities were not publicly disclosed, the tax filings show. The Judicial Education Project spent $150,000 on "polling" that year, according to its tax filing. The filing does not identify which firm did the work.

The president of the Judicial Education Project that year was Neil Corkery, a Leo ally and bookkeeper for several of his nonprofit groups. Corkery certified on the group's 2012 tax filing that no one other than the group's officers or key employees had control over the nonprofit.

Corkery declined to comment.

Clarence Thomas has been under scrutiny since ProPublica revealed in April that Texas billionaire Harlan Crow took him on lavish vacations and also bought from Thomas and his relatives a Georgia home where Thomas's mother lived; the transaction was not listed on the justice's annual disclosure forms.

Senate Democrats this week held a hearing focused on Supreme Court ethics. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. declined an invitation to testify, offering instead a statement signed by all the justices in which they reaffirmed their commitment to abide by "foundational ethics principles and practices."

During the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) mentioned Leo, who The Post has reported used the nonprofit network during the Trump administration to conduct publicity campaigns in support of nominees he helped select. "This guy doesn't have business before the court," Whitehouse said. "His business is the court."

Leo's ties to the Thomases go back decades and span their personal and professional lives.

Leo advised Clarence Thomas through his contentious confirmation process in the early 1990s and made Thomas the godfather of one of his children. Leo also has hosted the justice at his New England vacation home, according to the New York Times.

At a Federalist Society event in 2018, Thomas shared a stage with Leo and jokingly told him, "You're the Number Three most powerful person in the world."

The year before that, Ginni Thomas called Leo a "mentor to me" and "a hero" when she honored him with one of her Impact awards for conservative activists.

"Leonard Leo has single-handedly changed the face of the judiciary," she said at the awards dinner, held at what was then the Trump International Hotel in Washington. "He has many hats. That isn't even all he does. He does not really tell all that he does. But I know enough to know the man is a force of nature."

In 2009, when Thomas founded a tea party-aligned nonprofit called Liberty Central, Leo served on the board, tax filings show. Corkery was the nonprofit's accountant, public records show.

Thomas stepped away from Liberty Central in late 2010 amid controversy over whether its anonymous funding - including one donation for $500,000 - posed a potential conflict of interest for her husband. (Politico reported the following year that the donation had come from Crow.)

She then formed Liberty Consulting, a for-profit firm. On her LinkedIn page, Thomas describes her work as collaborating with "citizen activists, leaders and nonprofits to succeed and have impact in defending the principles that have made America an exceptional nation."

Liberty Consulting began receiving payments from Conway's firm within months of its creation in 2011, documents reviewed by The Post show. On multiple occasions, Thomas contacted the Polling Company to discuss her payments, the documents show.

The documents do not indicate whether Thomas knew of Leo's role in the arrangement with Conway's company, or of the Judicial Education Project's role. (Conway sold the company in 2017 to what is now known as CRC Advisors, another firm that Leo chairs.)

Since its first amicus brief, in the voting rights case in 2012, the Judicial Education Project has submitted about a dozen amicus briefs to the Supreme Court. It has argued for limiting or rolling back race-based college admissions policies, regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions and gun-control measures.

In 2014, the group filed a brief in the Hobby Lobby case, which challenged a mandate in the Affordable Care Act that employers make contraception available to workers at no cost to the workers. The court's ruling struck down part of the requirement in a split decision, with Clarence Thomas again in the narrow majority.

Thomas's votes were aligned with the Judicial Education Project in six of the cases in which it filed briefs, including the Hobby Lobby case and two involving affirmative action at public universities. Thomas, a longtime critic of affirmative action, voted with the majority to uphold Michigan's prohibition on race-based admissions at its public universities, and he dissented in a ruling that upheld admissions policies at the University of Texas.

Thomas's votes did not align with the group's position in three other cases, including one that largely upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's ability to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. The court did not take up all the cases in which the Judicial Education Project filed briefs.

The group's interest in the Supreme Court extended beyond the courtroom. It spent money on campaigns to support President Donald Trump's nominations of Brett M. Kavanaugh and Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. And it is listed as a funder in the credits of a 2020 documentary that celebrated Thomas. Clarence and Ginni Thomas are featured extensively in the documentary, titled "Created Equal: Justice Thomas In His Own Words," talking about the justice's upbringing and his judicial philosophy.

As the Judicial Education Project pushed for a conservative court, the group grew into a financial juggernaut and was rebranded as the 85 Fund. Between 2020 and 2021, its revenue nearly doubled from about $66 million to more than $117 million, tax forms show.

Even so, the group has never had more than a handful of employees, tax filings show. It has listed its main office address as a UPS Store situated amid rowhouses and retail stores in the Georgetown neighborhood of D.C.

- - -

The Washington Post's Alice Crites contributed to this report.
NEWINGTON  A Georgia man was arrested this week after, police say, he sexually assaulted a child on several occasions more than eight years ago.

Miguel Angel Grados, 41, was extradited back to Connecticut on Wednesday to face five counts of first-degree sexual assault. The charges came after detectives conducted an extensive investigation, according to Newington Police Sgt. Ryan Deane in a news release Friday.
A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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FedNow wont give agency power to seize bank accounts for political beliefs

CLAIM: The Federal Reserve is launching a new program that will give it the power to monitor, freeze and even seize private bank accounts based on a persons behavior or political beliefs.

THE FACTS: Fed officials and banking experts say the new FedNow service does not give the agency additional surveillance and enforcement authorities. They say the service simply replaces the agencys outdated system for banks to process checks and electronic payments. Yet social media posts are sharing a lengthy blog piece with the headline U.S. Government Docket No. OP-1670 Exposes New Fed Power to Seize Control of U.S. Bank Accounts. The blog item claims a secretive government initiative gives unelected officials the power to closely monitor or even freeze your account based on your behavior, and potentially even based on your political views. It also claims the system would give government officials the power to monitor a persons investments, restricting how much they can invest or contribute to certain companies, causes and political parties. But the government document referenced by the post  Docket No. OP-1670  suggests nothing of the sort, Fed officials and banking experts say. Instead, they say, it details the creation of FedNow, a new service set to launch this summer that will allow banks and credit unions to speed up the dayslong process of clearing checks and electronic payments. The Fed and FedNow cannot access individuals bank accounts or control how they choose to spend their money, the agency said in an emailed statement. Aaron Klein, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, D.C., concurred. He said the Fed is simply revamping its outdated Automated Clearinghouse system, which is the network financial institutions use to send each other electronic credit and debit transfers such as payroll direct deposits, social security benefits and tax refunds. They are upgrading their current system that runs on 1950s tech to one thats modern, Klein explained in an email. Its like changing from Blockbuster to Netflix. Nicholas Anthony, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, another Washington-based research group, noted that banking institutions are already required to report suspicious financial behavior and other potential threats under the federal Bank Secrecy Act, which was enacted in 1970 to crack down on money laundering and the financing of terrorism. There isnt anything secretive about the planned system, either, as the blog post claims, Anthony noted. The Fed has provided regular updates on the process, launched a frequently asked questions page and even published a notice in the Federal Registe r early in the process in order to solicit public feedback. The blog post appears to wrongly conflate the forthcoming FedNow system with digital currency, commonly referred to as a  central bank digital currency, or CBDC, which the Fed has also said it is exploring, Anthony and other experts say. Fed officials have stressed FedNow is unrelated to the notion of a government-run digital currency, which social media users also falsely claim would lead to the elimination of cash.

 Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

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Video of Kamala Harris saying today is today was altered

CLAIM: A video shows Vice President Kamala Harris saying in a speech: Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.

THE FACTS: The original footage, from a rally on reproductive rights at Howard University last week, does not contain this quote. In the days after Harris headlined the rally in Washington, D.C., a real clip of her speech was mocked by Republicans, with one critic dubbing it a word salad. In the real footage, Harris says: So I think its very important  as you have heard from so many incredible leaders  for us, at every moment in time, and certainly this one, to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past, but the future. But over the weekend, social media users began sharing a version of the video that had been altered to change the audio so that Harris appears to be rambling incoherently. Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow, Harris appears to say in the 22-second clip. The altered clip was first posted by an account that frequently posts footage of politicians that have been edited for comedic effect. While many users shared their video as a joke, others suggested it was real. The original footage was live streamed by NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights nonprofit. The White Houses transcript of Harris remarks also does not include the statement from the altered video.

 Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed this report.

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Video spreads false notion of unlimited oil supply

CLAIM: The planet has an unlimited supply of oil.

THE FACTS: Crude oil supplies are not unlimited, experts say. Crude oil is not a renewable resource. Those facts are contrary to a video claiming that oil is an unlimited resource, which has spread widely among social media users in recent days. The video features the text, Oil is unlimited while a man says, There is an unlimited amount of oil. He goes on to suggest that the public is being misled into thinking the oil and other resources are scarce. But the notion is false, according to experts and government agencies. Crude oil is not a renewable resource and takes millions of years to form. While crude oil resources are thought to be abundant, humans are consuming oil much faster than it takes to form, and current technological and financial limitations prevent humans from extracting all potential oil resources. Oil is not a renewable resource, Marianne Kah, an adjunct senior research scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, wrote in an email to the AP. Kah added that oil supplies are limited by current technology, the financial viability of what can be produced, and other constraints, like resource access, permitting and geopolitics. Were depleting a fossil resource base that doesnt get replenished, except on 100 million year time scales, Carey King, an energy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a phone interview. And were depleting it on 100 year time scales. Humans wont be able to extract all of the worlds oil resources because it wont be cost effective or technology limitations will still exist, King said. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the global supply of crude oil, other liquid carbons, and biofuels is expected to meet global demand through 2050. The worlds underground oil and natural gas accumulations are limited and non-renewable, Energy Information Administration spokesperson Chris Higginbotham wrote in an email to the AP. Mark Finley, a fellow in energy and global oil at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, wrote in an email that according to a BP report, there were 1.7 trillion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, or oil that is currently technically and economically viable to recover, at the end of 2020, which was enough to cover more than 50 years of that years global production. Proven oil reserves have increased as technological developments make more resources accessible and financially viable. He added that while its doubtful that the world will run out of proven oil reserves or supplies, this will be due to decreasing demand for oil and increasing demand for cheaper sustainable energy sources.

 Associated Press writer Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed this report.

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No, MH370 hasnt been found, underwater photo is a different plane

CLAIM: A photo of a plane underwater shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has finally been found.

THE FACTS: The photo shows an old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar airplane in the Red Sea. The image comes from a video posted online by the Deep Blue Dive Center, a scuba diving company in Aqaba, Jordan. Social media users are falsely claiming the photo shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which has been missing since it went down in 2014 with 239 people aboard. That Boeing 777 that vanished in 2014 remains missing. The photo circulating with the erroneous claim shows the front of a rusty airplane covered in algae. The image actually shows an abandoned plane that was sunk off the coast of Jordan to create an artificial reef. The photo comes from an Instagram video posted on April 6 by the Deep Blue Dive Center, a company that offers scuba diving lessons and other underwater activities in the Gulf of Aqaba. The original video also matches the other shots of the plane that were in the Facebook post. Tristar Airplane Wreck Red Sea, Aqaba JO, reads the caption. The company noted on the post that the plane was scuttled, or deliberately sunk, in 2019, and has become an artificial reef. Deep Blue Dive Center did not immediately respond to the APs request for comment. The plane is an old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar plane, according to Aqabas official tourism page. The plane was out of service and parked at nearby King Hussein International Airport for several years before the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority purchased the aircraft and sank it to become a destination for divers. Brett Hoelzer, who works with Deep Blue Dive Center as a photographer and a dive master, confirmed to the AP over Instagram that the image shared online was the Tristar. Hoelzer had taken similar photos of the same plane for his Instagram page. The Malaysian Airlines flight vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. An official search by Malaysia, Australia and China was suspended in 2016 and the countries agreed that an official search would only resume if there was credible evidence that identified a location, according to AP reporting.

 Karena Phan

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Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck

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A man has been arrested in connection with the stabbings in Davis that killed two, hurt another, and kept the quiet college town on edge for several days.

The man, 21-year-old Carlos Dominguez, was identified as a person of interest Wednesday and officially considered a suspect and arrested on Thursday, according to Davis police Chief Darren Pytel.

Dominguez was a student at the University of California, Davis, until last week.

Police initially said they were looking for a young man described as having a light complexion, curly hair, 5 feet and 6 inches to 5 feet and 9 inches tall, and a thin build. He was believed to be wearing a black or blue sweatshirt, black Adidas pants with stripes and carrying a brown backpack.

Pytel said he was arrested with a large knife in his backpack. He was compliant during his arrest, he said.

Dominguez is accused of stabbing and killing David Breaux and Karim Abou Najm, and stabbing a woman through her tent. He is being charged with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

LiveCopter 3 was over the scene Dominguez was taken into custody.

He was detained in the area of Pine Lane and Colby Drive near Sycamore Park.

Breaux was identified as the man who was stabbed to death in Davis Central Park on April 27.

Breaux was a well-known community member and a positive presence around town, often referred to as the Compassion Guy for asking others about their definition of compassion.

Two days later, Najm, a 20-year-old UC Davis student, was stabbed and killed at Davis Sycamore Park while going home from an undergraduate awards ceremony.

The student was studying computer science and was set to graduate in six weeks, according to his father, Majdi Abou Najm, who also said his son already had two jobs lined up for after graduation.

A 64-year-old woman who has not been identified was stabbed the night of May 1 at a homeless encampment in Davis on 2nd and L streets.

She was taken to a nearby hospital and underwent surgery. At Tuesday's city council meeting, officials said the victim was alert and talking.

According to the police chief, the stabbings were unprecedented in Davis.

As the investigation continued, several businesses decided to close early, several events were canceled, and UC Davis adjusted its evening classes to be remote for the safety of its students and the community.

The FBI was even called in to help with the investigation into stabbings.

"We're a small agency and we're working around the clock with the personnel that we have now. I have detectives sleeping under their desks for a couple of hours, staying away from their families," Dan Beckwith with Davis police said on Monday.
A worker who was unaccounted for after an explosion at a chemical plant in Newburyport has been found dead, according to the fire chief of the Massachusetts city.

Newburyport Fire Department Chief Steve Bradbury said that search-and-rescue crews found the worker's body at about 5:25 p.m. Thursday, nearly 17 hours after the explosion happened.

The family of the worker has identified him as 61-year-old Jack O'Keefe, of Methuen.

Officials said that at about 12:45 a.m. Thursday, 911 operators received a report of an explosion.

Upon arrival, fire crews saw that an industrial-sized vat from inside the building had moved about 30 feet because of the explosion, and it was sitting in an adjacent parking lot.

Video below: Surveillance camera captures explosion on video

Five workers were inside the building at the time of the blast, according to Bradbury. Four people were taken to a local hospital, treated and released.

The building sustained major structural damage, which initially prevented firefighters and technical rescue crews from entering to begin a search for the missing worker, officials said.

Bradbury said crews are working to put together a plan to remove the victim's body from the wreckage.

"We're hoping we can get that done as soon as possible. It's in a hazardous situation," the fire chief said.



A Coast Guard helicopter was called to the scene to perform an aerial search.

"It was a very violent explosion, and we wanted to search the perimeter (of the building}," Bradbury said.



O'Keefe's sister told sister station WCVB that he was a father of two and U.S. Army veteran. She said O'Keefe was a longtime employee of Seqens and was at the plant when it was rocked by a series of explosions in 2020.

"Now, you have another massive explosion ... This is bad," O'Keefe's sister said. "Aren't you going to fix something?"

Video below: Sister of the man who died talked about him and his work at the plant prior to his body being found

Officials say there is no danger to area residents, but police are asking people who would be coming to work in the industrial park to avoid the area.

"We are deeply saddened to report that one of our valued employees is currently unaccounted for after an explosion," the company said in a statement shared before the worker was found dead. "We are working closely with the family, providing them with support and assistance during this difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and we and local authorities are doing everything in our power to locate their loved one. The safety of our employees has always been, and continues to be, our top priority. We strive to follow best practices and regulatory guidelines, and have implemented safety protocols and procedures to prevent incidents like this from occurring. We are fully committed to working closely with the authorities and relevant agencies to determine the cause of the incident. Again, we want to thank the First Responders for their quick work and help in securing the safety of four other employees, who have been released from area hospitals with no injuries. We will continue to provide updates as more information becomes available."

In 2020, a series of explosions rocked the same company. In 2020, firefighters who were called to the Seqens plant were met with several explosions. No one was injured in that incident. Fire officials said a chemical storage drum experienced a reaction causing it to explode upward  leaving a hole in the roof.

Before the company changed names from PCI Synthesis to Seqens, the company's safety record showed several OSHA violations.

In 2019, the company agreed to pay $50,000 for six violations issued by OSHA. The following year, the company agreed to pay $28.000 in fines after an explosion blew a hole through the roof. The same year, it paid $8,000 for violations, including one that was categorized as "serious."

State Fire Marshal Peter Ostroskey said in his opinion, Thursdays incident falls into a more serious category.

"I would term it as more significant than previous incidents here. There's a fairly large debris field, he said.

Seqens North America is an active pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturing company, according to the company's website.

Video Below: Explosions at same company in 2020




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ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Pakistani president on Friday assured Beijings top diplomat that his country will boost security for all Chinese nationals working on multi-billion dollar projects in cash-strapped Pakistan.

China has been demanding more security from Pakistan for its nationals residing and working in the Islamic country since 2021, when a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack in Pakistan's volatile northwest.

More recently, a Chinese national working on the Dasu Dam, a Chinese-funded hydropower project and the biggest of its kind in Pakistan, was arrested on blasphemy charges after an angry mob accused him of insulting Islam when he criticized a coworker for taking too much time to pray during working hours.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws carry the death penalty, and sometimes even a mere suggestion of blasphemy is enough to entice mobs to violence or lynching. The Chinese man was subsequently released under a court order but it remained unclear if he would face trial or be deported home.

President Arif Alvi pledged more security for Chinese workers during a meeting Friday with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The two spoke ahead of a mini-summit on Saturday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, during which Pakistans foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will host Qin and also Afghanistans Taliban-appointed foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Muttaqi also arrived in Islamabad on Friday ahead of the three-way meeting the next day. The gathering is also seen as an outreach to the Taliban by Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator with Afghanistan's new rulers, and also China, which is eager to expand its influence in the region.

The Taliban have been shunned by most of the international community for the harsh and restrictive measures they have imposed since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war, particularly banning girls from education beyond the sixth grade and barring women from most jobs and public life.

In Pakistan, Beijing is bankrolling the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC  a sprawling package that includes a multitude of mega projects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture. The package is a lifeline for Pakistan's cash-strapped government, currently facing one of the worst economic crises amid stalled talks on a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

CPEC, also known as the One Road Project, is part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, a global endeavor aimed at reconstituting the Silk Road and linking China to all corners of Asia.

Alvi and Qin on Friday reaffirmed their resolve to work together to promote regional peace and prosperity as well as jointly cope with external challenges. Alvi told the Chinese diplomat that Pakistan-China relations were rooted in mutual trust" and understanding.

The Chinese minister was quoted in the statement as saying their nations were all-weather friends whose friendship was as solid as a rock.

This is the second time that Muttaqi, the Taliban official, is visiting Pakistan since the Taliban takeover. Pakistan has lately expressed concern over a surge in attacks across the country by the Pakistani Taliban  an independent militant group that is allied with and sheltered by the Afghan Taliban.

Islamabad has demanded from the Taliban in Kabul that they do more to rein in anti-Pakistani groups such as the Pakistani Taliban  also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP  which have stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months.

Muttaqi is also expected to discuss the issue of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan as well as the two nations' border issues. In February, the two sides shut the main Afghan-Pakistan border crossing at Torkham, stranding people and thousands of trucks carrying food and essential items.

After a Pakistani delegation travelled to Kabul for talks on the crisis, the border was reopened after a week.
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Britain's free trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia will come into force by the end of this month, the leaders from the three nations said Friday.

The announcement came while the prime ministers from the two Southern Hemisphere nations are in London for the coronation of King Charles III.

The deals are part of Britain's efforts to expand its economic ties after it left the European Union. Both deals were first agreed to in 2021.

New Zealand officials say its deal will help boost sales of products like wine, butter, beef and honey, and will increase the size of its economy by up to 1 billion New Zealand dollars ($629 million).

New Zealand Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said it was a gold-standard agreement.

"The market access outcomes are among the very best New Zealand has secured in any trade deal, Hipkins said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the deal with New Zealand reflected the close relationship between the nations.

This deal will unlock new opportunities for businesses and investors across New Zealand and the United Kingdom, drive growth, boost jobs, and, most importantly, build a more prosperous future for the next generation, Sunak said in a statement.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it would mean more market access for its exporters.

So for beef, for our sheep products, for our seafood, for our other products it will mean much greater access to the British market, Albanese told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in an interview.

Albanese said it would also mean greater access for younger Australians to work in Britain and vice versa after the terms of a working holiday arrangement were expanded.

A similar scheme between New Zealand and Britain has also been expanded, increasing the length of working visas from two years to three years and the maximum eligible age from 30 to 35.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP)  After 60 tumultuous days fighting about abortion, immigration, LGBTQ+ issues, guns and teaching sexuality in schools, the Florida Legislature ended its annual session by unanimously passing a $117 billion state budget Friday.

The ending was a stark contrast to the the two months leading up to it, with cheers instead of jeers and unity instead of divisiveness.

Ive been getting texts all day from people whove been in the process for years. One said in 50 years, he has never seen such a seamless session, Republican President Kathleen Passidomo said while standing with Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and Republican House Speaker Paul Renner.

Most years, the last day of session drags on well past sunset as the final trading on important legislation goes back and forth. This year, DeSantis told lawmakers not to save the biggest items for the last week.

Other than the budget, which was passed before noon Friday, that was largely accomplished. Seamless, of course, is in the eye of the winner. A Republican supermajority in both chambers left Democrats powerless to stop many of the issues on DeSantis agenda.

And DeSantis, who has controlled the Legislature like no other governor in recent history, made it clear from the start that he didn't want the session to become a train wreck in the final week.

If you take just two or three of these items, that would usually be enough to say that youve had a banner session, DeSantis said. This Legislature said that were going to tackle all these issues and were going to take all the meat off the bone and we are going to deliver results.

Many of the results will feed into DeSantis' political future as he considers seeking the Republican nomination for president: a six-week ban on abortion, efforts to shield students from lessons on LGBTQ+ issues, further crackdowns on immigrants in the country illegally, a prohibition on gender-affirming care for minors, allowing gun owners to carry concealed weapons and other conservative issues.

Renner and Passidomo also highlighted other priorities  like efforts to increase available affordable housing, expanding school voucher programs, and expanded sales tax holidays for back to school supplies, hurricane supplies and outdoor recreation.

For Democrats, though, there wasn't as much to celebrate in a year when the Senate Democratic leader was arrested for protesting abortion bills, citizens opposing DeSantis' agenda were arrested for refusing to leave while singing in his office lobby and LGBTQ+ lawmakers felt their very existence was being attacked.

Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones said that DeSantis micromanaged the session and steered GOP leaders to a political agenda instead of focusing more on issues like property insurance, health care and gun violence.

The thing that struck me the most this session is the concept of the free state of Florida. There was nothing free about this legislative session when you are infringing on the rights of women, when you continue to attack the marginalized people, whether they're Black, immigrant or LGBTQ, Jones said. The governor led with a very firm, strong hand. He continues to show it's my way or no way at all.

With the session over, the big question facing DeSantis is what's next in his future. He's widely expected to jump into the presidential race soon.

Whats next for me is to go through this budget they passed, DeSantis said. What happens in the future, well get to that relatively soon. You have to put up or shut up.
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BERLIN (AP)  Germany's energy minister announced plans Friday to ease bureaucratic hurdles for solar power as the country set a new record for photovoltaic installations during the first quarter.

Europe's biggest economy added 2.7 gigawatts of solar power capacity during the first three months of 2023, putting it on course to beat the target of 9 GW this year, compared with 7 GW in 2022.

Energy Minister Robert Habeck said that he hoped Germany would for the first time install new PV capacity in the double-digits this year, an important milestone in the country's effort to become carbon neutral by 2045.

The government wants to have 215 GW of solar installed in Germany by 2030, more than tripling existing capacity in seven years.

To achieve that increase, Habeck announced a series of measures that would cut red tape, including accelerating the planning and approval process for PV on buildings and on unbuilt land.

While many of the changes concern minor bureaucratic issues that had a considerable deterrent effect on businesses and individuals wanting to use solar power, other measures are aimed at boosting production of PV panels in Germany and training workers to install them.

Solar power was responsible for more than 10% of Germany's electricity production last year, compared with about 23% from wind. The country aims to generate 80% of its electricity from all forms of renewables by 2030.

Habeck, a member of the environmentalist Green party, has faced allegations of nepotism in recent days over the way key positions in his ministerial portfolio were filled since he took office at the end of 2021.

Asked about the criticism, Habeck said mistakes had been made with the appointment of the head of the German Energy Agency, a government think tank, but insisted that other positions had been filled in a transparent way with safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest.
The United States is dealing with its worst banking crisis since 2008-2009. So far, the turmoil has seen three banks fail: Silicon Valley Bank (SVB), Signature Bank and First Republic. Between them, the three institutions accounted for assets totaling some $535 billion; Lehman Brothers held a similar amount when it went to the wall, making it the fourth largest financial entity in the country. Given the contagion experienced in the last financial crisis, the U.S. government had no option but to step in. However, unlike the bailouts witnessed 15 years ago, on this occasion authorities have been at pains not to see citizens pay the price of the banks mismanagement. As a result, the use of public money has been avoided and all deposits have been guaranteed.

President Joe Biden has repeated a message several times since authorities intervened in a bid to put an end to the crisis in mid-March: No losses will be borne by the taxpayers, he said during a White House address on March 13. Instead, the money will come from the fees that banks pay into the Deposit Insurance Fund []. Investors in the banks will not be protected. They knowingly took a risk and when the risk didnt pay off, investors lose their money. Thats how capitalism works.

In the main, the bailouts carried out have been characterized by a careful balance between state and private intervention. The cost of each rescue package has been covered by the money that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) obtains when it liquidates the bank, either by selling it to another financial institution or by auctioning its assets. Any cost beyond that is paid using the FDICs Deposit Insurance Fund, which is maintained by fees paid by participating banks and shareholders.

In parallel, the Bank Term Funding Program (BTFP) has been created. The BTFP is a scheme that offers loans of up to a year to banks, savings entities and other depository institutions that have liquidity problems. This instrument is backed up by $25 billion from a guarantee fund already in place at the Federal Reserve.

Although a buyer was sought for each bank, in the cases of SVB and Signature Bank, authorities werent going to have time to complete an auction before the institutions bled out completely. Amid fears that a mass flight of deposits could take other banks with it, supervisors had no option but to trigger a mechanism called the systemic risk exception, which entails closing the banks and naming the FDIC as their administrator. A so-called bridge bank was established to protect depositors and, until the sale of their assets, manage their banking activities and branches. This was the process followed with Signature Bank until an agreement was reached with Flagstar Bank, a subsidiary of the New York Community Bancorp, to take practically the entirety of the entity at an estimated cost of $2.5 billion.

In the case of First Republic, meanwhile, public intervention lasted only until U.S. authorities reached a deal that saw JPMorgan purchase the banks deposits and loan portfolio for $10.6 billion, a sum that went to the FDIC. As part of the agreement, both parties agreed to share the losses from First Republics residential and business loans, but the regulator doesnt cover uninsured deposits, so they are to be guaranteed by the U.S.s biggest bank.

This brings us to the third major difference between the bailouts of now and the Great Recession: coverage of deposits. Authorities have decided to ignore the $250,000 coverage limit and guarantee them all. This is a measure that seeks to avoid defaults among the entities clients, which in the case of SVB and First Republic were high-net-worth customers, venture-capital funds and technological start-ups. On the other hand, shareholders with any kind of instrument in these banks lost their investment.

This is different to what happened recently at the Swiss giant Credit Suisse, which was rescued in March by its competitor UBS, in a deal backed by Switzerlands authorities. Under the terms of the purchase, shareholders received 0.76 Swiss francs per share. The only individuals who lost out in this agreement were those who held CoCos, or contingent convertible capital instruments. They lost all their money.

Following the failure of the banking crisis latest victim, the FDIC has proposed a reform to the system of guaranteeing the money of depositors at U.S. financial institutions, as it feels there is a need to give greater coverage to business payment accounts. Whats more, the agency is next week set to publish a proposal for replenishing its Deposit Guarantee Fund, which has been partly drained by the failures of Signature Bank, SVB and First Republic. According to plans revealed by anonymous sources to Bloomberg, the biggest banks would have to pay more money, given the size of their balances and their number of depositors. Meanwhile, entities with less than $10 billion in assets wont have to pay. Per FDIC data, there were more than 4,000 banks below this threshold as of last year.

Depending on the size of their portfolio of deposits, some banks with up to $50 billion in assets will also avoid these payments, which could be spread over two years or paid up front, according to the sources spoken to by Bloomberg. The fees wouldnt cover the $13 billion in estimated losses from the intervention in First Republic Bank; this hit will be paid for by regular quarterly contributions. Either way, it could be that First Republic Bank isnt the final victim. On Thursday, two regional banks  PacWest and Western Alliance  plummeted on the stock market, and it is thought possible that buyers are being sought.

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CHICAGO (AP)  After a retinal disease left him legally blind, architect John Gleichman was struck by a taxicab while walking home near Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo  at the same intersection where a 4-year-old girl was killed by a hit-and-run driver years earlier.

Although Maya Hirsch's death in 2006 ignited a citywide crusade for pedestrian safety improvements, almost all the electronic upgrades since then have been for people who can see. Nearly 3,000 Chicago intersections are now equipped with visual crossing signals, yet fewer than three dozen include audible cues.

A federal judge ruled in March that such disparity in the nation's third-largest city violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, a second landmark victory for blind residents who challenged the accessibility of a major city's signalized crosswalks.

Every time I go out to go downtown for a meeting, I have to think I could get hit today and not make it home, said Gleichman, 65, who has been struck four times times by vehicles while navigating the city with his white cane since being diagnosed as legally blind in 2005. He considers himself fortunate to have escaped serious injury each time.

Future court proceedings could decide how many audible crossing signals Chicago must install, but a similar case in New York City suggests it could be substantial. A federal judge there appointed an independent monitor and in December 2021 gave officials a decade to gradually make at least 10,000 of its approximately 13,000 signalized intersections accessible to blind pedestrians. Its already well ahead of schedule.

It's been huge progress. It's a game-changer to the blind and visually impaired community, said Terence Page, president of the Greater New York Council of the Blind. As new cities begin to build infrastructure, we want accessibility to not be an afterthought but work in parallel with the upgrades.

Accessible pedestrian signals, known as APS, have been around for decades, though the technology has evolved.

Many of Chicago's few APS-equipped intersections  including on a busy street outside The Chicago Lighthouse, which provides services to blind and low-vision residents  still rely on beeps or cuckoo chirps to announce when it's safe to cross. Newer models actually speak the words walk or don't walk, and feature tactical buttons to clarify directions so blind pedestrians don't stray into traffic. Some also convey the time remaining before the light turns red.

Sandy Murillo, a lifelong Chicago-area resident who was born with glaucoma and lost her sight at age 2, said she didn't even know about APS until she heard a strange voice say walk during a childhood family trip to Southern California.

That kind of made it dawn on me, said Murillo, who produces a radio show for The Chicago Lighthouse and writes a blog on issues facing the blind community. I thought, 'Oh, so that's what it is. They're there for people like me.'"

Chicago's Department of Transportation declined to comment on the judge's ruling, citing the ongoing litigation. But spokesperson Erica Schroeder told The Associated Press in an email that APS devices are installed at 35 intersections and under construction, in design, or in procurement at more than 150 others.

The department estimates a $50,000 to $200,000 price tag per intersection to install APS. Grant money is available through the 2021 federal infrastructure law to help cities defray some costs.

Advocates for Chicagos blind residents say they pushed the city for years to add APS with little success before taking legal action.

Kathy Austin, a community engagement specialist at Second Sense  a downtown organization serving blind residents  recalls a meeting in 2017 or 2018 in which she and others in the blind community presented a list of the most dangerous intersections, only to be told by city officials that APS was too difficult to install in many of those places.

There was a laundry list of excuses, Austin said.

Blind residents know from their mobility training to wait to hear the sounds of parallel traffic before crossing a street. Thats often difficult in noisy downtowns like Chicagos with its overhead L trains stations and other ambient noises. Then, when the pandemic hit and downtown traffic steeply declined, they encountered the opposite problem  not enough vehicles or even people around to help decipher when to walk or stop.

Sometimes I would stand at an intersection for like half a minute and no car would come by, Gleichman said. So you either ask somebody walking by, Do I have the light? or you just go out in the road and hope you dont get hit.

London-based Waymap, which created a smartphone navigation app for blind pedestrians that Washington, D.C.s subway system uses as an accessibility tool, found in a study that blind people average just 2.5 regular routes  such as from home to the office or grocery store and back  if they use a cane or 3.5 if they use a guide dog. Celso Zuccollo, Waymaps chief operating officer, said the study found that people who lack independent mobility were far more likely to experience depression.

Maureen Reid, a job-placement counselor at The Chicago Lighthouse, said she feels more comfortable than many of her blind friends moving about the city because of her familiarity with its sidewalks and the help of her guide dog, Gaston. But she acknowledges there's room for numerous safety improvements  including more tactile strips at pedestrian crosswalks and transit stations. Her previous dog slipped off a platform edge at an L station and dangled from his harness over the commuter train track as Reid yelled for help. The dog was unharmed.

San Francisco voluntarily entered a settlement with blind residents nearly two decades ago to add APS, and numerous other U.S. cities as well as the state of Maryland require it, said Torie Atkinson, senior staff attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, which represents plaintiffs in both the New York and Chicago cases.

Matt Baker, vice president of sales and marketing at Greenville, Texas-based Polara, a leading manufacturer of APS products, said the Chicago market has been one of the toughest to crack  with just a few intersections equipped with Polara devices. Baker said that could change due to the court ruling and expectations that the federal board reviewing public right-of-way issues will eventually require APS at most new or rebuilt signalized intersections nationwide.

Either way, Chicago will almost certainly be compelled to include the technology in future construction. Atkinson said the Chicago verdict expanded on the New York ruling in several key areas, reinforcing the need for Chicago to equip all its signalized intersections with APS.

I would genuinely hope these lawsuits are a wake-up call, Atkinson said.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP)  Missouri's Interstate 70 will be expanded to three lanes across the state as part of a roughly $50 billion state budget approved Friday by lawmakers.

Republican lawmakers took up GOP Gov. Mike Parson's January call to pour money into I-70 this year, and they went even further than he initially requested.

Instead of targeting only the most congested areas of the highway in urban areas, as Parson proposed, the Legislature went big and set aside $2.8 billion to complete lane expansions from suburban St. Louis to suburban Kansas City.

This represents the single greatest investment into our transportation network in the state's history, Republican House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith said.

The governor appears likely to sign off on the highway plan. Parson's spokeswoman, Kelli Jones, in a Friday email said funding for the project is well spent money.

The budget also prioritizes funding for pre-K education and childcare, which influential business groups have said is needed to give parents and guardians the ability to work and hopefully ease Missouri's workforce shortage.

Lawmakers set aside $78 million for childcare subsidies and another $56 million to expand access to pre-K, which Parson also had requested.

Kansas City Democratic Sen. Lauren Arthur said the extra money will help ensure more safe options available for parents.

Public K-12 schools will get $3.6 billion in primary funding, as well as the minimum amount required to provide busing to all students. Public colleges and universities will get a 7% funding hike.

Lawmakers also expanded a grant program to ensure K-12 teachers make at least $38,000 a year. Previously, the state asked local schools to chip in 30% of the cost to raise teacher pay to that minimum. Beginning in July, the state will foot the bill to hike pay to that level.

Lawmakers ultimately decided to keep public funding for libraries and government spending on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, despite a controversial push by the House to zero-out those programs.

Senate Democratic Minority Leader John Rizzo on Friday told reporters that the legislative session has been defined by a war on acronyms, referring to the common shorthand of DEI for diversity, equity and inclusion, among others.

Other major programs in the upcoming budget include $171 million to raise pay for workers who care for people with developmental disabilities  an increase that Democrats praised but said is not enough  and close to $14 million to hire 100 more staffers in the overworked state Children's Division. Missouri State Highway Patrol officers are set to get a 20% raise as part of a strategy to attract more recruits.
Oregon Republicans blocking bills about abortion, gun control and gender-affirming health care in the Statehouse say they are simply following a decades-old law requiring that bill summaries be easy to read.

The 1979 state law requires a score of at least 60 on something called the Flesch readability test. Thats the equivalent of an eighth- or ninth-grade reading level. Dr. Rudolf Flesch, a Vienna-born psychologist, developed the test in the 1940s.
WASHINGTON (AP)  Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio wasn't even in Washington when members of his extremist group, angry over Donald Trump 's election loss, stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Yet federal prosecutors, using his words, won a conviction on the most serious charge levied in the insurrection.

The seditious conspiracy guilty verdicts of Tarrio and three lieutenants handed down Thursday  after a contentious and erratic trial that lasted more than twice as long as expected  bolster the Justice Department's record in its historic prosecution of the Capitol attack. The investigation has now led to convictions against two top extremist group leaders on a legally complex charge that's rarely ever brought and can be difficult to prove.

The verdicts could further embolden the Justice Department and special counsel Jack Smith as they dig into efforts by Trump and his allies to undo President Joe Bidens victory.

Mostly in private, Smith's work is proceeding apace. Just last week, a federal grand jury  meeting in the same courthouse where the Proud Boys trial was held  heard hours of testimony from former Vice President Mike Pence, who has publicly described a pressure campaign by Trump aimed at getting him to halt Congress' certification of the election results.

In the Proud Boys case, prosecutors secured a conviction by relying on Jan. 6 rhetoric and a legal theory alleging that Tarrio and his lieutenants mobilized a loyal group of foot soldiers  or tools  to supply the force necessary to carry out their plot to stop the transfer of power from Trump to Biden on Jan. 20.

Could the Justice Department follow a similar path with Trump? After all, just before the riot erupted he urged his supporters to go to the Capitol and fight like hell." The House committee that investigated the insurrection recommended Trump be prosecuted for assisting and providing aid and comfort to an insurrection.

Who inspired them to do that? Who directed them to do that? Who was the person telling his followers to fight like hell? Of course, thats former President Trump, said Jimmy Gurule, a University of Notre Dame law professor. Hes not silent. Hes not oblivious to whats going on. Hes leading the charge. Hes encouraging them to act.

But some experts say the successful prosecution of the Proud Boys may not make it any easier to bring a case against Trump.

Tarrio wasnt there, but he was responsible because he was the one who was an organizer and leader, said Laurie Levenson, a former federal prosecutor now a professor at Loyola Marymount Law School. People might say Well, wouldn't that apply to Trump? It might," she said.

But you have to again have the very direct evidence that Trump calling people to storm the Capitol, he was calling them to violence. And Im not sure we have the answer to that yet, although I think the special counsel is getting closer, putting people like Mike Pence in the grand jury, she added.

Attorney General Merrick Garland alluded to the wider investigation after Tarrio's conviction, declaring, Our work will continue."

Todays verdict makes clear the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy, Garland said.

Trump loomed large over the monthslong Proud Boys trial at the U.S. Courthouse in Washington, where the Capitol can be seen in the distance from the windows. Lawyers for one of Tarrios co-defendants at one point said they wanted to call the former president to the witness stand, although the idea went nowhere.

Prosecutors argued that the Proud Boys saw themselves as Trumps army and were prepared to do whatever it took to keep their preferred leader in power. Messages displayed throughout the trial showed Tarrio warning that the Proud Boys would become political prisoners if Biden were to become president. As the riot proceeded, he gloated about his groups role, writing in one message, We did this.

Tarrios lawyers, however, sought to use Trump as part of his defense, claiming the former president was to blame and that prosecutors were trying to use Tarrio as a scapegoat for the president  an argument jurors appear to have roundly rejected.

Trump has denied inciting any violence on Jan. 6 and has argued that he was fully permitted by the First Amendment to challenge his loss to Biden.

This was the third seditious conspiracy trial stemming from the riot, which left dozens of police officers injured and sent lawmakers dashing for safety and into hiding. Stewart Rhodes  the founder of the Oath Keepers, another far-right extremist group  was convicted in November, and the Justice Department in a court filing Friday recommended he be sentenced to 25 years in prison. Four other Oath Keepers were convicted in a second trial.

Tarrio was at a hotel in Baltimore when the chaos unfolded on Jan. 6, having been kicked out of the capital city after being arrested two days earlier on allegations that he defaced a Black Lives Matter banner. Law enforcement later said that Tarrio was picked up in part to quell potential violence.

Three Proud Boys members were convicted of the sedition charge alongside him: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl. A fifth defendant, Dominic Pezzola, was acquitted of seditious conspiracy, but convicted of other serious crimes.

Its not clear how closely special counsel Jack Smith and his team of prosecutors were tracking the trial or taking stock of the verdicts. Smith has his own team of prosecutors  separate from Justice Department lawyers working on more than 1,000 Jan. 6 cases who are probing efforts by Trump and his allies to subvert the election results.

Since his appointment in November, Smith has cast a broad net in demanding interviews and testimony related to fundraising, Trump's rally that preceded the riot on Jan. 6, and communications between Trump associates and election officials in battleground states. Separately, Smith is investigating the presence of classified documents at Trump's Florida Mar-a-Lago estate and Trump's potential efforts to obstruct the government's work to get them back.

In Georgia on Friday, the attorney for eight Republican fake electors who signed a certificate falsely saying Trump had won the state said they had agreed to immunity deals in Georgias investigation into Trumps actions.

As for the Proud Boys, George Washington University law professor Stephen Saltzburg, who used to work in the Justice Department, said he believes Thursday's verdict will have zero impact on Smith and his team. There hasnt been any evidence of communications between high-ranking Trump White House officials and the Proud Boys, he noted.

If that sort of thing does exist, then it wouldnt matter what the jury did in this (Proud Boys) case because there would be independent evidence that other people were conspiring, Saltzburg said. If theres not similar evidence involving the president and people around him, then its a harder case.

One of the hallmarks of a conspiracy charge is that prosecutors don't have to allege a defendant took every action themselves, said Randall Eliason, another former federal prosecutor now a GW law professor.

So someone like Tarrio doesnt have to actually participate in the riot itself and can still be held accountable, Eliason said. The same is true of people in the White House and anyone else who could reasonably be considered to have been part of the conspiracy without having set foot in the Capitol, he said.

Still, Eliason downplayed the impact the verdict could have on Smiths charging decisions, noting that its hardly a revelation that conspiracies can wrap up a broad range of defendants and not just direct participants.

I wouldnt say personally that this verdict is going to embolden him to do something he might otherwise have worried about doing, he said.

___

Richer reported from Boston. Associated Press reporter Lindsay Whitehurst in Washington contributed to this report.

For more on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump.
E. Jean Carroll testified in sometimes searing detail about the day she says Donald Trump raped her in a department store dressing room two decades before he became president, allegations the Republican has repeatedly and vehemently denied.

Taking the witness stand in support of Carroll this week, two friends told jurors that they spoke with the former magazine columnist shortly after the alleged 1996 attack, and that they believe she is telling the truth. Other women testified about separate encounters; one said Trump grabbed and groped her while they were on a flight in the late 1970s, the other told jurors he forcibly kissed her at his Florida home in 2005.

The accounts, shared during the civil trial on Carroll's claims of battery and defamation against Trump, mark the first time that any of the numerous allegations of sexual misconduct against the former president have been heard in a court trial. Given a chance to rebut Carroll's accusations on the witness stand, Trump declined to make an appearance, instead traveling overseas. He told reporters in Ireland that he may still testify in person, though his attorney said in court that he will not and that they will not present other witnesses.

For most politicians, the allegations laid out in a New York courtroom would be enough to torpedo any future aspirations. But Trump isn't the average politician, a fact that became clear when he won the 2016 presidential contest a month after the release of an Access Hollywood tape in which he boasted about sexually assaulting women and said that as a star, you can do anything.

Now, as Trump campaigns for a 2024 presidential bid, the Carroll case provides another test of Trump's ability to survive scandals that would sink others. Some political observers say the public already has hardened opinions of the former president  love him or hate him  and that claims about him abusing women arent new.

At this point, the American people have a pretty good sense of Donald Trumps character, so it is unlikely that the Carroll trial will change many voters minds, said Christina Wolbrecht, a political science professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies politics and gender.

She said a more relevant question is whether a verdict against Trump in this trial, or convictions in other cases, will scare away potential donors or advisers.

In addition to the Carroll case, Trump was recently charged in New York with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a hush-money scheme to cover up allegations of extramarital affairs during the 2016 campaign. He is also under criminal investigation over his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss and his retention of classified documents after leaving office.

Democratic pollster Celinda Lake, who has worked with President Joe Biden, said that during recent focus groups she's been conducting with Democratic and independent likely voters on Trump and his legal troubles, women kept volunteering that the case they were most troubled by is the rape case. That has left Lake thinking the trial testimony could be more damaging than she initially assumed.

I was flabbergasted, because I thought this was baked in to how voters feel about Trump, Lake said. They knew he didnt respect women and that he was a real playboy, but rape is different.

Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for Trumps campaign, did not respond to a message seeking comment for this story.

Trump's other legal issues have so far brought limited political fallout, but that could change, according to a poll last month by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

It found only 4 in 10 U.S. adults believe Trump acted illegally in the New York hush-money case. About half of voters believe he broke the law in Georgia, where he is under investigation for interfering in the 2020 election vote count, the poll found.

It also showed about half feel similarly about Trump's role in his supporters' storming of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and his handling of classified documents found at Mar-a-Lago. The poll did not ask about the Carroll case.

Carroll filed a defamation suit against Trump while he was still president, over denials and insults he made about her. She filed the rape claim in November, under a New York state law that temporarily allows sexual assault victims to sue over alleged attacks that happened even decades ago. Because it is a civil and not criminal case, Trump faces no prison time; Carroll is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

Jurors did see parts of a recorded deposition in which Trump answered questions under oath last fall. He called Carroll a nut job and mentally sick," adding, She said that I did something to her that never took place." The jury also was shown the Access Hollywood tape.

Trump, his attorneys and his supporters have dismissed Carrolls allegations as politically motivated attacks and an attempt to sell more copies of her memoir. Trump has said he wasnt at the department store with Carroll and had no clue who she was when she first aired the story publicly. On his social media network last week, Trump called the case a made up SCAM.

At trial, Trumps attorney also questioned why Carroll didnt report the alleged assault to police at the time; Carroll, 79, said many people her age were conditioned to keep quiet about such attacks. Carroll, a registered Democrat, also testified that she voted for Trumps Democratic opponents in 2016 and 2020 but said that has nothing to do with her lawsuit.

Rachel O'Leary Carmona, executive director of Women's March, said she is hopeful that Carroll's case will mobilize voters. After Trump's election, millions of people turned out to protest him at women's marches across the country, and the events have been credited with sparking increased political involvement by women, including seeing a record number of women elected to the U.S. House in the 2018 midterms.

I hope that we can take this moment as another proof point of the absolutely dire, critically dire need to build womens political power in this country, she said.

The Associated Press typically does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.

___

Associated Press writer Michelle Price in New York contributed to this report.
ISTANBUL (AP)  Ukrainian and Russian delegates have had to be separated after a scuffle during a meeting of Black Sea countries in the Turkish capital Ankara.

Oleksandr Marikovski, a Ukrainian member of parliament, landed several blows to the head of a Russian official after his Ukrainian flag was ripped from his hands during a summit at the Turkish parliament building on Thursday.

A video posted on Marikovskis Facebook page shows him waving the flag behind Russian delegate Ola Timofeeva as she records a video on her phone. A man approaches, grabs the flag and is chased by Marikovski.

During a brief altercation in parliaments hallway, Marikovski grabs the flag back, pushing the man in the face. Others separate the men and plead please, no fighting. Marikovski replies: Its our flag. Were going to fight for this flag.

In a caption to his Facebook video, Marikovski wrote: Paws off our flag, paws off Ukraine, Russian filth!

The outburst happened at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, a grouping of 13 countries. It came a day before officials from Russia, Ukraine and Turkey were scheduled to meet in Istanbul to discuss extending the deal for exporting grain and fertilizer through Black Sea ports, which is due to expire on May 18.

The deal, which was first agreed last July, has allowed cargo ships to transport millions of tons of food for export safely through the Black Sea, despite the war in Ukraine.

Thursday's summit was earlier disturbed when Ukrainian delegates interrupted a speech to the assembly by Timofeeva, waving Ukraines yellow and blue flag by her side as she spoke.

Mustafa Sentop, the Turkish parliamentary speaker, condemned the provocative and physically offensive actions of some members of the Ukrainian parliamentary delegation in a Twitter post.

He added: I condemn this behavior that disrupts the environment of peace Turkey is trying to achieve.
A criminal network made up of former vice-ministers who served under President Hugo Chavez  who governed Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013  is being investigated for looting more than $2.2 billion in public funds. They allegedly took this money from the state-owned Petroleos de Venezuela SA (PDVSA)  the crown jewel of the oil-rich Latin American country.

While some of these embezzled monies are unrecoverable, the government authorities of Andorra have frozen more than $55 million in alleged bribes that were collected in the European country by 21 members of the scheme. This is according to a confidential report by the Andorran police, which EL PAIS has managed to access.

The funds allegedly come from illegal commissions, which were paid to the network by contractors who received million-dollar contracts from PDVSA and its subsidiaries between 2007 and 2012. The money from this corruption scheme was deposited in Banca Privada dAndorra (BPA)  almost 5,000 miles away from Caracas.

Businessman Diego Salazar  a first cousin of Rafael Ramirez, the former head of PDVA who once served as Venezuelas minister of petroleum  heads the list of members of the network. He currently has more than $20 million being withheld by Andorran authorities.

Rafael Ramirez, Venezuelas former minister of petroleum, in January of 2013. Ariana Cubillos (AP)

Next on the list is Salazars business manager  attorney Luis Mariano Rodriguez Cabello  who has about $8.6 million blocked by the tiny landlocked European country. Andorra  with a population of only 77,000  had secretive banking laws up until 2017.

Jose Ramon Arias Lanz  a former technical manager of the Venezuelan Petroleum Corporation and planning manager for PDVSA  currently directs an oil company in Ecuador. He has had more than $7.7 million frozen by the Andorran authorities. According to the investigators who drafted the report in May of 2022, Arias Lanz  who resides in the United States  controlled this money in Andorra through accounts in the name of inactive corporations, such as Ansonia Assets Foundation and White Snake Properties Inc.

Javier Alvardo  a former Chavista strongman who served as deputy minister of Electric Energy and Petroleum between 2007 and 2010  will not be able to withdraw the $6.3 million he has stashed in Andorra. The former politician  who moved more than $50 million through BPA  channelled his funds through a convoluted series of shell companies.

The Andorran authorities have also blocked $5.3 million from Ruben Dario Figuera Olivari, a former member of the board of directors of Venezuelas National Pipeline Institute. Figuera Olivari washed his ill-gotten gains through inactive companies, such as Gashell International Inc. and the Reston Foundation. He received millions of dollars in transfers from Salazars accounts, masked as consulting fees.

Luis Abraham Bastidas Ramirez  another cousin of Rafael Ramirez  will similarly not be able to withdraw the $2.77 million that he deposited in Andorra. He received a succulent commission, [transferred to him] from accounts under the management of Luis Mariano Rodriguez Cabello, the investigators highlight in the report.

Like him, another Venezuelan affected by the embargo is Nervis Villalobos, a former vice minister of energy, who also presided over PDVAs electrical subsidiary. A leftover from the hierarchy of the early days of Chavezs government, Villalobos currently has $2.2 million frozen in Andorra.

According to the Police Corps of Andorra, national and international investigations reveal that, during Villalobos tenure at the oil company, he obtained million-dollar commissions  bribes  [from] those who won contracts from PDVSA. Through his accounts in Andorra, Villalobos has moved more than $137 million since the early 2000s.

The list of those who have had their funds frozen also includes Gerardo Elias Esteves Duque  former general secretary of the metropolitan district of Caracas, who received $567,630 from other parties in Andorra  and Luis Enrique Tenorio Rodriguez, who was first secretary of the Embassy of Venezuela in China, who will not be able to touch the $109,850 he has in BPA.

According to investigators, Tenorio Rodriguez was allegedly responsible for getting Chinese companies to pay bribes to win contracts with public companies in Venezuela. Behind [his diplomatic role], he was hiding a huge business of illegal commissions, the agents note. Another official with ties to China  Francisco Javier Jimenez Villaroel, who managed PDVSAs representative office in China between 2005 and 2013  has had $3,360 withheld.

The blacklist also includes Carlos Enrique Luengo Herrera  who was executive vice president of human management at PDVSAs electrical subsidiary  and Pablo Noya Gonzalez, Luengo Herreras assistant, as well as Ramon Elias Morales Rossi, former secretary of citizen security in Caracas. They each have between $50 thousand and $100 thousand frozen.

Others being investigated include the financial intermediaries of this network, such as Luis Alejandro Rivero Garcia  with $83,310 frozen  and his brother, Leonardo, with $7,630 frozen.

Omar Jesus Farias Luces  a businessman known as the insurance czar  has been classifed as Diego Salazars strategic partner by Andorras police. His right-hand man  the insurance broker Jose Luis Zabala  will not be able to touch the $581,480 dollars he has in the European country, according to the latest report from investigators. His financial movements stand out for his fondness for luxury, especially for the acquisition of jewelry, works of art and high-end Swiss watches.

Gabriel Guillermo Salas Ely  the business partner of Luis Alejandro Rivero  has had $122,750 withheld. Maria Mercedes Matheus Batista  who was the risk and insurance manager of PDVSA  and Ninoska Corromoto Garcia  an administrator working for Jose Luis Zabala  each have had the modest sums of $381 and $1,430 frozen respectively. They had minor facilitating roles in the plot that oversaw the looting of Venezuelas state oil company.

Made up of former Chavista leaders and officials of the powerful state firm, the network of corruption was charging illegal commissions of more than 10% from subcontractors  especially Chinese firms  who were later awarded PDVSA contracts, as revealed by this newspaper. The network hid its illicit money through a convoluted web of accounts at BPA.

Through 30 opaque companies based in tax havens such as Switzerland or Belize, the organization flowed funds into Andorra. In order not to arouse suspicion, multi-million dollar incomes were camouflaged under the umbrella of consulting jobs that, according to investigators, never actually existed.

Since 2018  after its banking laws were toughened  Andorra has prosecuted about 30 members of this Venezuelan money laundering scheme, which has been intertwined with the countrys banking establishment.

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MADISON, Wis. (AP)  Gov. Tony Evers ordered a special election Friday to fill an open Assembly seat representing Milwaukee's northern suburbs.

Republican Dan Knodl represented the 24th Assembly District from 2009 until last month, when he won a special election to fill a state Senate seat left vacant after longtime Republican incumbent Alberta Darling retired in November.
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Four Cambodian prospectors who were digging for gold in the central province of Kampong Thom were killed when earth collapsed into the pit where they were mining, a government official and a fellow villager said Friday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith on his Facebook page quoted reports from a local official saying the four men who died had been hired by a couple who own the mine in the rural jungle village of Snong An.

The accident occurred Thursday morning as the men were digging, said Ven Srey Tith, a villager living near the site.

Speaking by phone from her home, she said the pit was only a little more than two meters (six feet) deep, but mounds of excavated earth collapsed into it without warning and no one was nearby to see the men's plight.

Their bodies were retrieved the same day and sent to their families for religious rites.

Mining without a license is illegal, and Ven Srey Tith said the authorities had told villagers a long time ago that they are not allowed to mine gold there.

Some villagers pleaded to be allowed to dig for gold because they are poor and need the income, she said. Most villagers farm for a living, she said.

Despite the official ban, mining has been occurring at the village since 2012 and there had not been any major accidents until now, she said. Other miners stopped digging on Friday, at least temporarily, after hearing of the tragedy, she said.

Illegal gold mining on a small scale is often tolerated, while licensed industrial mining for gold in carried out by a handful of companies, including from Australia, China, Vietnam and India.
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CAIRO (AP)  Diplomats from Arab nations are planning an emergency meeting in Cairo over the weekend about the fighting in Sudan and the prospect of Syria's return to the Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended, an official said Friday.

Sundays meeting, confirmed by Gamal Rushdy, a spokesman for the Arab League, comes as some Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have opened up relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad and their foreign ministers have visited Damascus in recent weeks. Syrias foreign minister also visited Cairo and the Saudi capital of Riyadh in April, the first such visits in more than a decade.

Syrias membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended in the early months of the war 12 years ago, and Arab countries later imposed economic sanctions. The conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19, when Syrias membership is widely expected to be on the table. Some members, mainly gas-rich Qatar, have opposed Damascus return to the organization.

In November 2011, 18 of the 22 members of the Arab League backed the suspension of Syrias membership. Lebanon, Yemen and Syria voted against the decision, while Iraq abstained.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told CNN that he believes there are enough votes among Arab League members for Syria to return to the organization.

The meeting in Cairo on Sunday by Arab foreign ministers will focus on restoring Syrias membership and comes at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, said Rushdy, the Arab League spokesman.

When asked about the vote count, Rushdy said Arab League decisions are resolutions usually made by consensus, but each country has the right to submit its reservations.

An Iraqi diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists said that in addition to Syria and Sudan, the recent events in Israel and the Palestinian territories would be on the agenda.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country with help from his main allies Russia and Iran, Syrias neighbors have begun to take steps toward rapprochement. The overtures picked up pace since the massive Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered reestablishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Syria and Saudi Arabia said last month they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming flights between the two countries for the first time in more than a decade.

Syrias pro-government Al-Watan daily reported Friday that a foreign ministry delegation visited the Syrian embassy in Riyadh recently in preparation to reopen the mission in the coming weeks.

The foreign ministers will also discuss Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since fighting erupted in mid-April between the countrys two rival top generals, killing more than 400 people. The conflict started on April 15, preceded by months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting turned urban areas into battlefields and foreign governments rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.
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SANTIAGO, Chile (AP)  Chile will vote Sunday to choose 50 delegates to a council that will draw up a new Constitution, after voters overwhelmingly rejected a proposed charter last year that was widely described as one of the worlds most progressive.

It's the latest step in a process to replace the countrys dictatorship-era charter that began with massive protests in 2019. For the most part, though, Chileans appear to be greeting this latest phase with a collective shrug.

Im only going to vote because I dont want to pay the fine, said Patricia Borzone, a 45-year-old architect.

Borzone is hardly alone as surveys have shown theres a general apathy in this South American country regarding the vote while many seem to know little about who is on the ballot. Polls conducted by Criteria and Cadem in late March and April, respectively, indicated that nearly 70% of those surveyed said they had little or no interest in Sundays vote.

The election Sunday will be a key step in the effort to come up with a new proposal for a Constitution after 62% of voters rejected the previous proposed charter in September, which was the first in the world to be written by a convention split equally between male and female delegates. Critics had said the document was too long, lacked clarity and went too far in some of its measures, which included characterizing Chile as a plurinational state, establishing autonomous Indigenous territories, and prioritizing the environment and gender parity.

The overwhelming rejection of the first document is one of the reasons theres so much disinterest in the process now because it led to frustration, discontent and a sense of hopelessness, said Gonzalo Muller, head of the Public Policies Center at the University for Development.

In addition, theres been little political mobilization from the candidates, who have not done much campaigning on the streets, leading many to not know any of the 351 people who will be on the ballot Sunday, said Carmen Le Foulon, who coordinates the public opinion division of the Public Studies Center, a local think tank.

For many Chileans the idea of rewriting the constitution takes a back seat to more bread-and-butter issues.

The problems our country is facing in terms of public safety, a profound migration crisis and an economic crisis have led the urgency of the day-to-day to overshadow the interest in constitutional matters, Muller added.

That is precisely why Borzone is less than enthused about heading to the polls Sunday, saying that she doubts the constitutional process will guarantee concrete improvements in education and healthcare, which are fundamental for the country to truly develop.

People want to know how theyre going to be able to buy things, how they can have a better quality of life. And the Constitution, after all, is just a piece of paper. Its not something that can solve personal problems for you, Savka Pollak said in Chiles capital.

Voters will choose delegates for their part of the country, with more populous districts sending more delegates to the council.

Voters generally will choose between five competing political parties or electoral coalitions: the leftist bloc of President Gabriel Boric, a center-left group, a center-right group, the populist Party of the People, and the conservative Republican Party, which has long been opposed to changing the constitution that was imposed by the dictatorship of Gen. Augusto Pinochet.

Numerous polls have shown that the opposition, and in particular the Republican Party, is likely to come out on top.

Even some close to Boric appear to be getting ready for disappointing results.

Sen. Juan Luis Castro, who is a Boric ally, said its inevitable that the government will suffer a setback because theres no interest, theres distrust and there is a high level of disapproval of the government. Borics approval rating is around 30%.

Once elected, the councilors will not start from scratch, but rather work from a preliminary document drafted by 24 experts who were approved by Congress.

The experts are working on 12 constitutional frameworks, including Chile as a unitary state, the recognition of indigenous peoples as part of an indivisible nation, the separation of legislative, judicial and executive powers, and the guarantee of respect for rights and freedoms, including the right to life, property, and equality before the law.

The councilors will receive the draft on June 6 and will have to submit their final version in October. The document will once again be put up for a plebiscite on Dec. 17.

Chile embarked on a closely watched effort to rewrite its Constitution after the country once seen as a paragon of stability in the region exploded in student-led street protests in 2019. The unrest was sparked by a hike in public transportation prices, but it quickly expanded into broader demands for greater equality and more social protections.



Associated Press journalist Daniel Politi contributed to this report from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20, he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the U.N secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Rutos mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country, he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important, he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONEs Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholzs statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage, he said in a statement.
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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian officials said Friday they were working to rescue dozens of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar to work as cyber scammers, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia.

At least 20 Indonesian job seekers are trapped in Myawaddy township, the site of an armed conflict between Myanmar's military and ethnic Karen rebels, said Judha Nugraha, an official in Indonesias Foreign Affairs Ministry. Myawaddy is in eastern Kayin state along the Thai border.

According to Nugraha, fake recruiters offered the victims high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of Naypyidaw, the capital, to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps.

The Indonesian Migrant Worker Union, a nonprofit group, said some victims were tortured when they failed to reach certain targets and forced to pay more than $10,000 in travel costs. Authorities said the victims were likely trafficked to Myanmar by illegal means since no records can be found of their arrival in Myanmars immigration system.

The challenges on the ground are indeed high as authorities in Myanmar face difficulties entering Myawaddy since rebels have taken over the region, Nugraha said.

Indonesian officials are working with authorities in Naypyidaw, Myawaddy and Thailand, and have asked for assistance from other organizations to help get the victims out of the area safely, he said.

Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a news conference on Friday that the government has worked on 1,841 human trafficking cases in the past three years where victims are Indonesians who were duped into online scams.

That number includes 1,138 Indonesians who were repatriated from Cambodia last year, Marsudi said.

From this number, you can see the magnitude of human trafficking related to online scams whose victims are ASEAN citizens, she said, adding that victims from several nations are involved in the latest case.

Marsudi said the government is also working to help Indonesian victims of online scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

She said the Indonesian Embassy in Manila said Friday that Philippine authorities have rescued more than 1,000 trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be repatriated to their countries of origin.

As the chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia is trying to raise this issue at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, Marsudi said.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippine, Singapore and Thailand. Indonesia will host the blocs leaders' meeting in May 10-11 in Labuan Bajo on Flores island.
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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP)  A court in Kenya on Friday gave police five more days to hold a pastor facing possible terror-related charges in the deaths of more than 100 his congregants, many of whom are believed to have starved to death.

Police rescued 15 emaciated parishioners from the 800-acre Kilifi County property of Paul Mackenzie last month. Four of them died after the group was taken to a hospital, and survivors told investigators the pastor had instructed them to fast to death before the world ends so they could meet Jesus.

A search of Mackenzie's property, located in a remote forested area, found more than 100 bodies and dozens of mass graves dug out, authorities have said. Autopsies on the bodies were ongoing, but completed ones showed some of the buried people had died of starvation, strangulation or suffocation.

Mackenzie was arrested two weeks ago for alleged links to cultism. A lower court freed him this week but he was rearrested and presented to a higher court. Police have said their investigations pointed to signs of radicalization.

The court that ordered Mackenzie held for five more days is considering an application for a further 90-day detention.

The pastor was arrested twice before  in 2019 and in March of this year  in connection with the deaths of children. He was released on bond both times, and those cases are still proceeding through the court system.

Kenyan President William Ruto on Friday formed a committee of inquiry into the deaths.

Ruto tasked the committee with establishing the circumstances under which people died and identifying other individuals and organizations that may bear responsibility and making recommendations.

The country's broadcast regulator, the Kenya Film and Classification Board, sounded the alarm in 2017 on content televised by Mackenzie that might promote radicalization. The boards former chairperson, Ezekiel Mutua, told local media that the content was taken off the air and law enforcement agencies were notified.

Another pastor in the same county, Ezekiel Odero, was arrested last week in connection with the deaths of congregants at his coastal megachurch. On Thursday, a court said Odero could be released from jail if he posted a bond in the amount of 3 million Kenyan shillings (about $22,000) or cash bail of 1.5 million shillings ($11,000).

Oderos lawyers acknowledged after his arrest that 15 people died at his church but said the deaths were reported at a police station as required by law. Police have said there was no evidence at the time to suggest a crime was involved.

The pastor remains under investigation for his ties to Mackenzie, from whom he bought a television channel in 2019.

Kenyas national communications authority last week suspended Oderos TV channel for airing inappropriate content on exorcism during hours when adult programming is not allowed. (
LONDON (AP)  A senior Nigerian politician and his wife were handed prison sentences Friday for conspiring to transport a street trader to the U.K. as part of an organ-harvesting plot.

Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy president of the Nigerian Senate, and his wife Beatrice were convicted in March of conspiring to arrange the travel of a 21-year-old man to be a kidney donor for their sick daughter.

Ike Ekweremadu, 60, was sentenced to nine years and eight months by a judge at Londons Central Criminal Court. Beatrice Ekweremadu, 56, was jailed for four and a half years and 51-year-old Dr. Obinna Obeta, described by prosecutors as a medical middleman in the plot, received a 10-year sentence.

The case was the first to convict suspects of an organ-harvesting conspiracy under the U.K.s modern slavery laws.

Passing sentence, judge Jeremy Johnson said that people-trafficking across international borders for the harvesting of human organs is a form of slavery."

It treats human beings and their body parts as commodities to be bought and sold. It is a trade that preys on poverty, misery and desperation," he said, telling the defendants: You each played a part in that despicable trade.

Prosecutors said the couple was behind the recruitment of the man at a Lagos street market, and that they arranged for the victim to provide a kidney to their 25-year-old daughter, Sonia, in an 80,000-pound (nearly $100,000) transplant operation at a London hospital.

They said the victim, who was transported to London in February 2022, believed he was being taken to Britain to work. When he discovered the truth, he fled and went to police.

Meanwhile a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital had become suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the proposed operation, and decided it couldnt go ahead. The Ekweremadus then tried to find more potential donors in Turkey, prosecutors said.

Kidney donations are legal in the U.K., but its a criminal offense to pay someone for doing so.

The victim, who cant be named for legal reasons, told the trial that he did not agree to donate a kidney and would never have done so.

My body is not for sale, he said.

The victim, who now lives in the U.K., said members of his family in Nigeria had been visited and told to drop the case.

I cannot think about going home to Nigeria, he said. These people are extremely powerful and I worry for my family.

Even though I live here in the U.K. at the moment, I know I need to be careful too. I have no-one here, no family, no friends. I am having to start my life again.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy of the Metropolitan Police said it had been a challenging and complex case.

Ike and Beatrice Ekweremadu and Obeta preyed on the victim, a young man vulnerable by his personal circumstances, using their significant wealth and political influence to intimidate and exploit him, he said.

The Metropolitan Police is committed to tackling modern slavery, human trafficking and exploitation in all its forms and we can only succeed in this by working closely with partners in the U.K. and overseas," he added.
ROME (AP)  Pope Francis sought to encourage his embattled child protection advisory board Friday, following weeks of turmoil sparked by the latest resignation of a founding member and fresh questions about its direction.

Francis urged his Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors to pursue a spirituality of reparation with abuse survivors and build a culture of safeguarding to prevent priests from raping and molesting children.

In particular, he praised the commission's efforts to establish church child protection programs in Asia, Africa and Latin America, where there is less funding than in the U.S. and Europe.

It is not right that the most prosperous areas of the world should have well-trained and well-funded safeguarding programs, where victims and their families are respected, while in other parts of the world they suffer in silence, perhaps rejected or stigmatized when they try to come forward to tell of the abuse they have suffered, Francis said.

Francis announced the creation of the commission in 2013 to provide best-practices advice on combatting abuse in the church. The commission has gone through several iterations in the decade since, most significantly with resignations of members frustrated by the resistance of the Vatican bureaucracy to its recommendations and exasperated about the commission's unclear mandate and model.

The latest departure was the Rev. Hans Zollner, a German Jesuit who runs a child protection institute at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. In a blistering statement March 29 announcing his resignation, Zollner identified a series of internal problems in the commission that he said made it impossible for him to remain.

He cited a lack of financial accountability, lack of transparency about decision-making and lack of clarity about what members are supposed to do and how they're appointed. Zollners criticisms underscored broader questions about the purpose and direction of the commission, which has never found its place in a Vatican bureaucracy inherently resistant to change and defensive in particular about the abuse dossier.

Francis recently moved the commission under the auspices of the Vaticans Dicastery (department) for the Doctrine of the Faith in a bid to give it institutional legitimacy. But even that has created problems. Critics note that placing the commission under the Dicastery, where all abuse cases are processed, was akin to putting a victims advocacy group inside a federal court.

The commission, headed by Boston Cardinal Sean OMalley, has recently moved into new, fancy quarters in a downtown Rome palazzo which it hopes will be used as a place for victims to be heard and welcomed.

In addition, OMalley told Francis on Friday that the commission had created a fund of 3 million euros to provide safeguarding resources to poorer churches in the developing world.

The bulk of that funding, some 2.5 million euros, has come from the Italian Bishops Conference, which has been criticized repeatedly for its own failures to punish predator priests in Italy and the bishops who shield them.

Francis acknowledged the sex abuse scandal had undermined the churchs ability to do its core job of spreading the Gospel.

A culture of safeguarding will only take root if there is a pastoral conversion in this regard among the churchs leaders, he said.
Queen Elizabeth II left this mortal coil without the British people having the faintest idea what she thought about any of the most relevant political and social issues to unfold during her reign. Conversely, Charles III was warning against climate change before most of us had even taken it on board. He was also flagging up the U.K.s economic and social inequalities just as the neoliberal Thatcher era was busy sweeping them under the carpet.

The 74-year-old, who this Saturday will be crowned in Westminster Abbey at an age when most of us expect to be enjoying retirement, knows that his period on the throne, to be known as the Carolean age, will be far shorter than his mothers. Perhaps on account of this, he comes armed with a no-time-to-lose agenda shaped by convictions that have been maturing over decades while at the same time understanding, in his own peculiar way, the institutional neutrality expected of the Crown, as we have seen over the past seven months.

His mother came to the throne as a popular, pretty young princess, in an age of deference, when no one questioned the status quo, wrote Penny Junor in the Daily Mail  Junor being the first biographer to defend Charles when Lady Dis death made him the villain of the story. Seventy years on, he is a grizzled grandfather and times and attitudes have changed. He needs to make monarchy be seen to work in todays utilitarian, egalitarian and transparent world, and to safeguard for the future the institution to which his beloved mother devoted her life.

Eight days after the death of Elizabeth II, Charles III received 30 religious leaders at Buckingham Palace from various faiths that coexist in the United Kingdom today. I have always thought Britain as a community of communities, he told them. That has led me to understand that the Sovereign has an additional duty It is the duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.

The coronation ceremony will be the consecration of Charles III as supreme leader of the Anglican Protestant Church of England and Wales. But a monarch who has spent hours reading religious and spiritual texts aspires to turn that church into an umbrella organization that welcomes followers of all faiths in the U.K. According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of Britons who identified themselves as Christians in 2021 was less than half the population, at 46.2% for the first time in history. This Saturdays liturgy at Westminster Abbey is part of a thousand-year-old tradition, but the new monarch faces the challenge of being the religious leader of the country in broader terms.

A minimalized monarchy

During Elizabeth IIs reign, when her son took over more and more royal duties, there was speculation that his purpose was to reduce the size of the British monarchy, to make it function like the Nordic model with a similar number of active members. It has never been an officially declared purpose, but events have indicated this to be the case.

In recent years, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have declared war on the institution and severed ties by going into exile in the U.S. The Kings brother, Prince Andrew, has been ostracized for his ill-advised relationship with American pedophile tycoon Jeffrey Epstein. Neither his ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, nor his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie now participate in official events on behalf of the crown. Charles III has even gone so far as to move his brother out of the Royal Lodge at Windsor and into the more modest Frogmore Cottage, Harry and Meghans former residence.

Its a case of needs must, and the new king and his entourage know that keeping the spectacle of the British monarchy alive requires all hands on deck. Well, I think the slimmed down [version] was said in a day when there were a few more people around, said Princess Anne, who holds the record for attendance at public events with 400, and in 2022 attended 214 against Charles 181. It doesnt sound like a good idea from where Im standing, I would say. Im not quite sure what else we can do.

Ties to the European continent

Had it not been for the fact that President Emmanuel Macrons pension reform had inflamed the streets of Paris, Charles IIIs first task would have been to start repairing bridges with the French damaged by Brexit. Still, he traveled to Berlin, and the Germans could appreciate his command of their language during his speech in the Bundestag German Parliament: In the long and exceptional history of our two countries, many chapters remain to be written, the monarch said, in a clear signal that he aspired to write his own.

In a sense, he began to do so when he agreed to meet with European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, last February, just after London and Brussels signed an agreement ending hostilities over Northern Irelands situation in the post-Brexit era. To the irritation of Euroskeptics, Charles III accepted the request of U.K. Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, and pitched in with the reconciliation effort.

Charles has devoted much of his life to engaging with controversial positions, said historian Piers Brendon, an expert on the Windsors. His views, particularly in the field of architecture and environmental advocacy, have been considered by many people to be controversial to say the least.

But while the King is busy rolling his sleeves up, he fully understands his constitutional role: Im not that stupid, he told the BBC four years ago when it was suggested he might be an activist or meddling king. Just as he helped Sunak with Brussels, he bowed to the wishes of the previous prime minister, Liz Truss, and did not attend the Climate Summit in Egypt last November, even though it is a matter he is clearly passionate about.

Colonialism and slavery

Now, adding to the republican tensions in Australia or Canada, where Charles III is head of state, he is faced with similar pressure in Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Solomon Islands, where a majority of citizens, according to the latest survey funded by billionaire politician and sociologist Michael Ashcroft, would prefer to renounce the monarchy, as Barbados did in 2021.

For republicans, the objection to the Crown is not that it stops them doing what they want but that it feels irrelevant to their country and their allegiance to it seems an anachronism, explained Lord Ashcroft in the Daily Mail. But much of that sentiment also derives from current perceptions of The Firms colonial past and links to the slave trade. For the first time in history, Charles III has allowed access to the institutions archives so that the murkier elements of its history can be allowed to come to light.

As in many other matters, the new tenant of Buckingham Palace conveys the feeling that there is much to put right, and not much time to do so.

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TEL AVIV, Israel (AP)  Omer Easa is watching the violence roiling his native Sudan with deep trepidation. The further Sudan sinks into chaos and violence, he fears, the longer he is likely to remain an unrecognized asylum-seeker in Israel, where he has few protections.

Backers of migrants like Easa say their rights will likely come under greater threat if Israels government, its most right-wing ever, moves ahead on a contentious plan to overhaul the judiciary.

The plan, if it passes in its original form, could lead to legal measures that would embitter the everyday lives of the migrants and, critics say, make their stay in Israel intolerable.

My heart is there. My head is there. It is just that my body is here, said Easa, 31, who said he fled the war-torn region of Darfur in 2012 over concerns for his life. We live here often thanks to the graces of the Supreme Court.

Proponents of the legal overhaul say the migrants are a main reason the plan must move ahead.

African migrants, mainly from Sudan and Eritrea, began arriving in Israel in 2005 through its porous border with Egypt.

Israel initially turned a blind eye to their influx and many took up menial jobs in hotels and restaurants. But as their numbers swelled to a high of about 60,000, there was a backlash, with growing calls to expel the new arrivals. After years of attempts to push them out, they now number about 25,000, according to the Israeli Interior Ministry.

Easa is one of thousands of Sudanese migrants in Israel who live a precarious existence. Israel recognizes very few as asylum seekers, seeing them overwhelmingly as economic migrants and says it has no legal obligation to keep them. Talk of repatriating them emerged when Israel and Sudan signed a normalization agreement in 2020, but the turmoil there has slowed progress on the deal.

Violence in Sudan between forces loyal to two warring generals erupted last month, pushing the nation to the brink of collapse. The fighting, which began as Sudan was expected to start transitioning from last year's military coup to civilian rule, already has killed hundreds of people and left millions trapped in urban areas, sheltering from gunfire, explosions and looters.

With Sudan's cellphone network all but dead, Easa and others in Israel have struggle to reach their loved ones.

Israel's African migrants say they are asylum-seekers who fled for their lives and face danger if they return. Those from Sudan see the renewed conflict at home as another reminder of why they cannot go back and why their status should be settled, especially at a time of uncertainty over the future of Israels judicial system.

Under international law, Israel cannot forcibly send migrants back to a country where their life or liberty may be at risk. Critics accuse the government instead of trying to coerce them into leaving.

Israel has used various tactics that have made their lives more difficult, from detaining them in remote desert prisons to holding part of their wages and making the money available to them only after they agree to leave the country. It has left thousands of asylum requests open and offered cash payments to those who agreed to move to a third country, somewhere in Africa.

Israel also has built a barrier along the border with Egypt to stop the influx and agreed with the United Nations to resettle thousands of migrants in Western countries while allowing thousands of others to remain in Israel. That deal, however, was quickly scrapped under pressure from anti-migrant activists and hard-line legislators.

The Supreme Court has also blocked some of those efforts, striking down some anti-migrant laws deemed unconstitutional, including those dealing with their detention and their salaries. Those rulings have made the migrant issue a rallying cry for supporters of the legal overhaul, who say the court has overstepped in its rulings.

In March, before he paused the overhaul under intense pressure, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited the migrant issue as an example in which the court intervened unjustly.

The overhaul plan would weaken the Supreme Court and limit judicial oversight over government decisions. If it moves ahead in its proposed form, the government could re-legislate laws the court invalidated or enact new ones and override any future court decisions on them.

Migrants will face "a much greater risk" if the plan goes through, said Sigal Rozen, public policy director for the Hotline for Migrant Workers, a rights group.

A weakened Supreme Court would not be able to stand in the way of a proposed law planned by an ultranationalist coalition member who seeks to incarcerate migrants indefinitely, withhold part of their salary and restrict their movement within Israel, she said.

The migrants presence has long divided the country. Their supporters say Israel, a country founded upon the ashes of the Holocaust and built up by Jewish refugees, should welcome those seeking asylum.

Opponents claim the migrants have brought crime to the low-income southern Tel Aviv neighborhoods where they have settled. Some Israeli politicians have labeled them infiltrators, with one calling them a cancer threatening the countrys Jewish character.

Proponents of the legal changes say the Supreme Court is oblivious to the problems posed by the migrants presence.

It's not the role of the court to decide our immigration policies, said Sheffi Paz, a prominent anti-migrant activist. That's what we elect our lawmakers to do.

The fighting in Sudan hasn't softened her opposition, she said.

Since fleeing Sudan, Easa, the migrant, has had a tough existence in Israel. He was shot at by Egyptian forces as he tried to cross into Israel, was detained in an Israeli prison and now ekes out a living as a deliveryman.

All the while he has been hoping that Israel might one day recognize him as an asylum seeker with proper rights and an insurance policy against deportation.

I hope they will ... let people live with dignity," he said, speaking in fluent Hebrew. "And we hope there will be peace.
BERLIN (AP)  German authorities said Friday that a man sought in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old Syrian in the western town of Luedenscheid has been detained after surrendering to police.

Prosecutors in the western city of Hagen said the 23-year-old suspect is also a Syrian citizen and knew the victim, who died at a hospital hours after Monday's shooting in the nearby town of Luedenscheid.
ISLAMABAD (AP)  Taliban restrictions on Afghan women and girls may amount to femicide if they are not reversed, a team of U.N. experts warned on Friday.

Since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, the Taliban have barred women from most jobs and workplaces, and girls cant go to school beyond the sixth grade. Woman are also banned from public spaces and must cover themselves from head to toe outside the home.

In a statement released Friday, the U.N. experts accused Afghanistans Taliban authorities of the most extreme forms of misogyny and said there could be multiple preventable deaths that may amount to femicide if the restrictions are not reversed.

The restrictive measures and bans imposed by the Taliban have caused international condemnation and outrage, but the Taliban have shown no sign of willingness to lift them.

The U.N. experts also said the Taliban are imposing their interpretation of Islam, which appear not to be shared by the vast majority of Afghans. They expressed alarm about widespread mental health issues and accounts of escalating suicides among women and girls.

As girls and women are prohibited from attending school above grade six, as well as university education, and they can only be provided care by female doctors, unless the restrictions are reversed rapidly, the stage may be set for multiple preventable deaths that could amount to femicide, said the experts, who shared their preliminary observations from an eight-day trip to Afghanistan.

The bans have reportedly contributed to an increase in the rates of child marriages and forced marriages, as well as the growth of gender-based violence perpetrated with impunity, the statement said.

The U.N. experts noted, however, that gender-based discrimination in Afghanistan precedes the Taliban rule and is engrained in society, and urged the international community not to use Afghan women and girls for political purposes, saying their rights should never be a negotiation tool.

The experts, appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council, include Richard Bennett, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan, and the head of the working group on discrimination against women and girls, Dorothy Estrada-Tanck.

Last November, the U.N. experts said the Taliban treatment of women and girls in Afghanistan may amount to a crime against humanity and should be investigated and prosecuted under international law.

The Taliban at the time rejected their statement.
WFO SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, May 9, 2023

_____

AREAL FLOOD WARNING

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED

Flood Warning

National Weather Service Hanford CA

950 AM PDT Fri May 5 2023

.Very high flows along the Kings River continue due to releases from

Pine Flat Dam.

...FLOOD WARNING FOR A DAM FLOODGATE RELEASE AT PINE FLAT DAM

REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE...

* WHAT...Flooding caused by upstream dam release continues.

* WHERE...A portion of central California, including the following

counties, Fresno, Kings and Tulare.

* WHEN...Until further notice.

* IMPACTS...Flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying

and flood-prone locations is imminent or occurring. Several

structures are flooded and some sand bagging operations are

continuing. Streams continue to rise due to excess runoff from

earlier rainfall. Low-water crossings are inundated with water and

may not be passable.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 948 AM PDT, an upstream floodgate release is expected to

cause flooding in the warned area.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Sanger, Reedley and Laton.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 5, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WS 186

NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK

1053 PM CDT THU MAY 04 2023

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 186 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1200 AM CDT

FOR THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

BELL COLLIN CORYELL

DIMMIT FALLS FANNIN

FREESTONE FRIO HILL

HUNT LAMPASAS LEON

LIMESTONE MCLENNAN MILAM

NAVARRO ROBERTSON ZAVALA

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Dimmit,

southeastern Zavala and southwestern Frio Counties through 1145 PM

CDT...

At 1054 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Big Wells, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Big Wells, Las Vegas and Brundage.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.

Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe

shelter inside a building or vehicle.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

south central Texas.

LAT...LON 2856 9970 2871 9966 2875 9925 2864 9925

2864 9939 2849 9940

TIME...MOT...LOC 0354Z 277DEG 16KT 2862 9954

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN

MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

The National Weather Service in Shreveport has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southwestern McCurtain County in southeastern Oklahoma...

Northwestern Bowie County in northeastern Texas...

Red River County in northeastern Texas...

* Until 1145 PM CDT.

* At 1053 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from near Sawyer to 8 miles northwest of Bagwell to near

Pattonville, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Expect damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Clarksville, Boxelder, Idabel, Bogata, Bagwell, Manchester,

Detroit, Deport, Avery, Annona, Haworth, Garvin, Beaverdams, Lydia,

Woodland, Redland, Kanawha, Kiomatia, Farmers Hill and Negley.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

Damaging winds and continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring

with these storms. Move indoors immediately. Lightning is one of

nature's leading killers. Remember, if you can hear thunder, you are

close enough to be struck by lightning.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 AM CDT FRIDAY...

* WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of central Texas, including the following

county, McLennan.

* WHEN...Until 200 AM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This

will likely cause urban and small stream flooding. Low lying

and/or poor drainage areas will experience minor flooding in

the advisory area.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Waco, Hewitt, Robinson, Bellmead, Woodway, Lacy-Lakeview,

McGregor, Mart, Beverly Hills, Lorena, Bruceville-Eddy,

Moody, Riesel, Golinda, Hallsburg, Lake Waco, Lake Creek

Lake, Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir, Downsville and Asa.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the

dangers of flooding.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Fort Worth TX

738 PM CDT Thu May 4 2023

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN HAMILTON...NORTHEASTERN MILLS AND SOUTHEASTERN

COMANCHE COUNTIES...

At 738 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 9 miles northeast of

Mullin, or 17 miles south of Comanche, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind

damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Mullin, Democrat, Shive, Energy, Pottsville, Priddy, Gentrys Mill,

Pecan Wells, Indian Gap and Caradan.

TORNADO WATCH 185 REMAINS VALID UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING FOR

THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 2 COUNTIES

IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS

COOKE MONTAGUE

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BOWIE, GAINESVILLE, AND NOCONA.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED TORNADO WATCH 185 TO

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AREAS UNTIL 9 PM CDT THIS EVENING

FANNIN GRAYSON

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BONHAM, DENISON, AND SHERMAN.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 186 REMAINS VALID UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

TONIGHT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 14 COUNTIES

IN CENTRAL TEXAS

COMANCHE HAMILTON LAMPASAS

MILLS

EASTLAND ERATH HOOD

JACK PALO PINTO PARKER

SOMERVELL STEPHENS WISE

YOUNG

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BRECKENRIDGE, BRIAR, BRIDGEPORT,

CISCO, COMANCHE, DE LEON, DECATUR, DUBLIN, EASTLAND, GLEN ROSE,

GOLDTHWAITE, GORMAN, GRAHAM, GRANBURY, HAMILTON, HICO, JACKSBORO,

LAMPASAS, MINERAL WELLS, OAK TRAIL SHORES, OLNEY, RANGER,

STEPHENVILLE, AND WEATHERFORD.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS EXTENDED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM

WATCH 186 TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING AREAS UNTIL MIDNIGHT CDT

TONIGHT

IN TEXAS THIS WATCH INCLUDES 12 COUNTIES

BELL BOSQUE CORYELL

FALLS FREESTONE HILL

LEON LIMESTONE MCLENNAN

MILAM ROBERTSON

NAVARRO

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF BUFFALO, CALVERT, CAMERON,

CENTERVILLE, CLIFTON, COPPERAS COVE, CORSICANA, FAIRFIELD,

FORT HOOD, FRANKLIN, GATESVILLE, GROESBECK, HEARNE, HILLSBORO,

JEWETT, KILLEEN, MARLIN, MERIDIAN, MEXIA, NORMANGEE, OAKWOOD,

ROCKDALE, TEAGUE, TEMPLE, VALLEY MILLS, WACO, AND WORTHAM.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 945 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of west central Texas, including the following

county, Brown.

* WHEN...Until 945 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 739 PM CDT, a band of thunderstorms with very heavy rain

was moving east across Brown County and the Brownwood area.

Rainfall of 1 to 2 inches of rain will occur in a short

period of time.Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to

thunderstorms. This will cause urban and small stream

flooding.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Brownwood, Early, Bangs, Blanket, Camp Bowie, Lake Brownwood

State Park, Lake Brownwood, Lake Brownwood Near Thrifty,

Brookesmith, Owens and Thrifty.

- This includes the following Low Water Crossings...

Gifford at Beaver, Austin Street at Avenue G, Cordell at

Anderson, Good Shephard at 11th, Belle Plain at Romines,

Indian Creek at 9th, 4th Street at Wood, Magnolia at

Belmeade, Willis at Belmeade and Austin Street at Avenue J.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southwestern Montague County in north central Texas...

Northwestern Wise County in north central Texas...

Northeastern Jack County in north central Texas...

* Until 845 PM CDT.

* At 741 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Newport, or

12 miles southwest of Bowie, moving southeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Chico, Sunset, Lake Amon G Carter, Newport, Lake Bridgeport,

Fruitland, Park Springs, Postoak and Crafton.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for north central

Texas.

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Fort Worth TX

752 PM CDT Thu May 4 2023

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN HAMILTON...NORTHEASTERN MILLS AND SOUTHEASTERN

COMANCHE COUNTIES...

At 751 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 12 miles south of

Gustine, or 18 miles southeast of Comanche, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Two inch hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated. 2 inch hail was reported near Democrat at

7:40 PM.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind

damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Shive, Energy, Pottsville, Priddy, Gentrys Mill, Pecan Wells, Indian

Gap and Caradan.

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southern Brown County in west central Texas...

* Until 830 PM CDT.

* At 754 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Indian Creek,

or near Brookesmith, moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Zephyr around 820 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include Indian

Creek.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service Fort Worth TX

803 PM CDT Thu May 4 2023

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 830 PM CDT

FOR NORTHEASTERN HAMILTON...SOUTHERN ERATH AND SOUTHEASTERN COMANCHE

COUNTIES...

At 802 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Gustine, or 11

miles south of Dublin, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Comanche, Hico, Gustine, Proctor Lake, Purves, Lamkin, Alexander,

Proctor, Clairette, Olin, Hasse, Duffau, Edna Hill, Newburg, Energy,

Van Dyke, Gentrys Mill, Carlton and Fairy.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Montague County in north central Texas...

Cooke County in north central Texas...

* Until 900 PM CDT.

* At 803 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line

extending from 7 miles south of Leon to near St. Jo to near Sunset,

moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Gainesville, Muenster, St. Jo, Lindsay, Callisburg, Hubert H Moss

Lake, Lake Kiowa, Ray Roberts Park Johnson Branch, Sunset, Lake

Muenster, Road Runner, Valley View, Prairie Point, Leo, Rosston,

Bulcher, Capps Corner, Lake Ray Roberts, Hood and Myra.

This includes Interstate 35 between mile markers 482 and 503.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CDT for north central

Texas.

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS CANCELLED TORNADO WATCH 185 FOR

THE FOLLOWING AREAS

IN OKLAHOMA THIS CANCELS 3 COUNTIES

IN SOUTHERN OKLAHOMA

JEFFERSON STEPHENS

IN SOUTHWEST OKLAHOMA

COTTON

IN TEXAS THIS CANCELS 3 COUNTIES

IN NORTHERN TEXAS

ARCHER CLAY WICHITA

THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF ARCHER CITY, DUNCAN, HENRIETTA,

HOLLIDAY, LAKESIDE CITY, RINGLING, RYAN, SCOTLAND, SHEPPARD AFB,

TEMPLE, WALTERS, WAURIKA, AND WICHITA FALLS.

FOR SOUTHEASTERN BROWN COUNTY...

At 804 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Indian Creek,

or 7 miles south of Camp Bowie, moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

This severe thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

southeastern Brown County, including the following locations...

Indian Creek.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

COOKE FANNIN GRAYSON

MONTAGUE

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

TORNADO WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...

Northeastern Brown County in west central Texas...

* Until 715 PM CDT.

* At 652 PM CDT, a tornado producing storm was located near May,

moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Damaging tornado.

SOURCE...Radar confirmed tornado.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without

shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.

Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree

damage is likely.

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of

northeastern Brown County, including the following locations...

Owens.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

To repeat, a tornado is on the ground. TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a

basement or an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy

building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in

a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect

yourself from flying debris.

TX

. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ARCHER BAYLOR CLAY

COOKE MONTAGUE WICHITA

WILBARGER

BANDERA BROWN BURNET

CALLAHAN COKE COLEMAN

COMANCHE CONCHO CROCKETT

DIMMIT EASTLAND EDWARDS

ERATH GILLESPIE HAMILTON

HASKELL HOOD IRION

JACK JONES KERR

KIMBLE KINNEY LAMPASAS

LLANO MCCULLOCH MASON

MAVERICK MEDINA MENARD

MILLS PALO PINTO PARKER

REAL RUNNELS SAN SABA

SCHLEICHER SHACKELFORD SOMERVELL

STEPHENS SUTTON TAYLOR

THROCKMORTON TOM GREEN UVALDE

VAL VERDE WISE YOUNG

ZAVALA

The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southern Clay County in northern Texas...

Southeastern Archer County in northern Texas...

* Until 745 PM CDT.

* At 653 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Windthorst,

moving east at 30 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Windthorst, Bellevue, Newport, Vashti, Shannon, and Joy.

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the warned area.

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM CDT FOR

NORTHEASTERN BROWN COUNTY...

At 655 PM CDT, a confirmed tornado was located near May, moving east

at 35 mph. Law enforcement a tornado north of Brownwood, along

highway 279, at 6:42 PM.

HAZARD...Damaging tornado.

SOURCE...Law enforcement confirmed tornado.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without

shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage

to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is

likely.

Locations impacted include...

May and Owens.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Central Brown County in west central Texas...

East central Coleman County in west central Texas...

* Until 745 PM CDT.

* At 659 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Santa Anna,

moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Bangs and Grosvenor around 710 PM CDT.

Lake Brownwood and Lake Brownwood Near Thrifty around 715 PM CDT.

Byrds around 720 PM CDT.

Lake Brownwood State Park around 725 PM CDT.

Early around 730 PM CDT.

May around 735 PM CDT.

Blanket around 745 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include Owens

and Thrifty.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Archive image of a police convoy in Managua, Nicaragua. Esteban Felix (AP)

Police raids carried out in Nicaragua on Wednesday saw opponents of the regime of President Daniel Ortega and his wife, Vice-President Rosario Murillo, detained across the Central American country. Political opponents, journalists and peasant activists were rounded up in the regions of Managua, Rivas, Matagalpa, Chinandega, Madriz, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega and Chontales, with opposition groups estimating that at least 40 people were arrested. This is the largest number of detentions registered on a single day in Nicaragua since the 2018 paramilitary operation known as Operacion Limpieza (Operation Clean-Up).

The arrested individuals faced court hearings late on Wednesday and in the early hours of Thursday morning, and have been accused of conspiracy to damage national integrity and the spreading of false news. According to several sources consulted by EL PAIS, almost half of those targeted have been placed under house arrest, and will have to report to their nearest police station daily.

Among the most notable detentions is that of Maria de la Cruz Bermudez, the mother of Richard Pavon, a student killed in mass protests against Ortega in April 2018. In the city of Rivas, a leader of the demonstrations against the regimes failed inter-oceanic canal project, Octavio Ortega Arana, was arrested. Ortega Arana was led away by police on crutches; in mid-2022, he had a leg amputated due to problems with diabetes.

Coinciding with World Press Freedom Day, William Aragon, a journalist who formerly worked for the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa, was detained. Aragon was then placed under house arrest, with his computer and other electronic devices confiscated. In Matagulpa, the political opponent Ileana Velasquez was arrested; in Somoto, five citizens  Danelia Arguello, Xiomara Ruiz, Ruth Espinoza, Socorro Medina and Daniel Moncada  were intercepted as they left a Catholic church; and in Chontales, the peasant activist leader Teresa Mena was taken to the El Chipote prison, where conditions have been described by human-rights groups as cruel and inhumane.

Amid threats from the Nicaraguan authorities, not all those rounded up have made their arrest known, over fear of reprisals.

The strategy of stamping out any trace of opposition, no matter how small, continues, Felix Maradiaga, a former presidential candidate now living in exile, tells EL PAIS. They want to eradicate any form of local resistance, so that any foreign action against the regime has a lower impact within the country. The regime senses that major international pressure could be on the way, so they feel its important to snuff out any kind of expression of local resistance. Theres also the repression of the Catholic church. The regime knows that this religious persecution could heighten indignation among the citizens of a country where Catholic faith is widespread, so they carry out a policy of direct repression against people who, according to the regimes dictatorial paranoia, could directly channel that civil discontent.

New repressive strategy pushes opponents into exile

Opposition groups have condemned the mass detention and charging of individuals as a strategy adopted by the Nicaraguan regime to create an atmosphere of fear and force people into exile.

Theyre tracking activists, political opponents and human-rights defenders who are still in the country, said a citizen-network source who is monitoring the situation in Nicaragua and, for security reasons, asked to remain anonymous. What theyre doing is pushing people into exile in a new wave of terror.

Many of those forced into house arrest are terrified and considering leaving Nicaragua, amid an environment of underlying danger in which court decisions are unpredictable. Due process isnt being followed, says the lawyer Yonarqui Martinez, who received more than a dozen complaints from those arrested on Wednesday. When they had their hearing, they werent allowed to have a lawyer of their choosing; they were kidnapped and taken before a judicial authority. Arresting people and taking them before a judge in the early hours of the morning for mass hearings is something weve never seen in the history of Nicaragua. Without a fair trial process, all the rights of the accused have been violated. Carrying out these mass arrests across several regions is a new strategy.

After the regime exiled 222 opponents in February, police have set in motion the revolving door effect, a plan aimed at re-filling prisons with political prisoners. Before this weeks raid, the most notable detentions took place during April, five years on from the protests that shook the Ortega-Murillo administration. However, last months arrests, which totaled 21, were carried out in a staggered fashion.

Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get more English-language news coverage from EL PAIS USA Edition
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT

Special Weather Statement

National Weather Service San Angelo TX

947 PM CDT Thu May 4 2023

...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northeastern Mason

County through 1030 PM CDT...

At 947 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near

Katemcy, moving southeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around

unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is

possible.

Locations impacted include...

Art.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until midnight CDT for

west central Texas.

LAT...LON 3079 9929 3093 9919 3087 9896 3066 9897

TIME...MOT...LOC 0247Z 294DEG 15KT 3084 9917

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN

MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN GRAYSON COUNTY IS

CANCELLED...

The severe thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out of

the warned area. Therefore, the warning has been cancelled.

north central Texas.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN FANNIN COUNTY...

At 947 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Ravenna, or 8

miles northwest of Bonham, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Bonham, Whitewright, Savoy, Ector, Trenton, Ravenna, Valley Lake,

Randolph, Boyd, Ridings, Sowells Bluff, Ely and Ambrose.

...FLOOD ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 PM CDT THIS EVENING...

* WHAT...Urban and small stream flooding caused by excessive

rainfall is expected.

* WHERE...A portion of north central Texas, including the following

county, Grayson.

* WHEN...Until 1130 PM CDT.

* IMPACTS...Minor flooding in low-lying and poor drainage areas.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- Doppler radar indicated heavy rain due to thunderstorms. This

is causing urban and small stream flooding. Flooding has been

reported along Highway 75 near FM 1417 in Sherman. Low lying

and/or poor drainage areas have already experienced minor

flooding in the advisory area. Between 1 and 3 inches of rain

have fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are

possible.

- Some locations that will experience flooding include...

Sherman, Denison, Bells, Knollwood, Dorchester, Randell Lake,

Eisenhower State Park, Valley Lake, Lake Texoma, Southmayd,

Boddie, Luella, Ida, Carpenters Bluff and Ambrose.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood

deaths occur in vehicles.

Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the

dangers of flooding.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Western Lamar County in north central Texas...

Fannin County in north central Texas...

* Until 1045 PM CDT.

* At 950 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located over Ector, or

near Bonham, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Bonham, Honey Grove, Savoy, Ector, Roxton, Dodd City, Ravenna,

Bonham State Park, Lake Bonham, Valley Lake, Sumner, Lake Gibbons,

Randolph, Crockett Lake, Coffee Mill Lake, Pat Mayse Lake, Forest

Hill, Boyd, Ladonia and Bailey.

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 5, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in San Angelo has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southeastern Callahan County in west central Texas...

Northeastern Coleman County in west central Texas...

* Until 430 PM CDT.

* At 333 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Lake Coleman,

or near Novice, moving northeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* This severe thunderstorm will be near...

Rowden around 415 PM CDT.

Cross Plains and Atwell around 430 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include Us-

283 Near The Coleman-Callahan County Line and Lake Coleman.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO SAN ANGELO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, May 5, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

Severe Weather Statement

National Weather Service San Angelo TX

503 PM CDT Fri May 5 2023

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHERN SAN SABA COUNTY...

At 502 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Harkeyville, or

just southwest of San Saba, moving northeast at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect wind

damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

This severe storm will be near...

San Saba around 525 PM CDT.

Other locations impacted by this severe thunderstorm include Us-

190 Near The San Saba-Lampasas County Line and Harkeyville.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Comanche County in central Texas...

* Until 600 PM CDT.

* At 506 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near May, or 11

miles north of Early, moving northeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...65 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Comanche, De Leon, Proctor Lake, Comyn, Proctor, Hasse, Sidney,

Duster, Downing, Rucker, Van Dyke, Beattie and Sipe Springs.

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

Continuous cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.

Move indoors immediately. Lightning can kill.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Numis Corporation said in its interim results on Friday that, despite facing unfavourable market conditions, it maintained a robust balance sheet position in the first half, with strong liquidity and capital positions.

The AIM-traded firm said revenue for the period ended 31 March totalled 63.8m, down 14% compared to the prior period, due to subdued market activity.

Its profit before tax slid 55% to 6.0m, which the board put down to the operational gearing in the business.

Investment banking revenues declined 12% as low capital markets activity was partially offset by record performance in the advisory business.

The companys advisory revenues were up 40% year-on-year, with average fees up 204% compared to the first half of the 2022 financial year, as Numis started to build a broader pipeline of merger and acquisition transactions.

On the other hand, capital markets revenues were down 52% as UK ECM volumes dropped to a 10-year low.

Equities revenues also saw a decline of 17%, due to weak second-quarter trading performance.

Despite the challenging market conditions, the company said it managed to maintain resilient shareholder returns, with an interim dividend of 6p consistent with the prior year, and a further 4.4m spent on share repurchases.

The company's strategic highlights included the recent agreement reached between the board of Numis and the management board of Deutsche Bank on the terms of a recommended all-cash offer by Deutsche for the entire issued and to-be-issued share capital of Numis.

Further details on the timetable of the offer would be announced in due course, the board confirmed.

Looking ahead, the company said the general macroeconomic sentiment continued to weigh on the outlook for the investment banking industry.

However, the advisory business was continuing to perform well, and had a good pipeline of both buy-side and sell-side mandates for a range of clients.

Capital markets volumes were likely to remain relatively low, but there were some emerging indications that the historic lows experienced recently could give way to better conditions in the second half.

We are pleased that our business continues to perform resiliently despite the persistence of the unfavourable market conditions that have been a feature of the investment banking sector for the past 12 months or so, said co-chief executive officers Alex Ham and Ross Mitchinson in a joint statement.

Diversification has been the foundation of our comparative resilience throughout this down cycle and this has been demonstrated by record revenues in our advisory business.

This diversity also allows for us to maintain a focus on total shareholder returns through cycles with the interim dividend maintained at 6p per share.

Ham and Mitchinson added that, while capital market volumes were likely to remain relatively low over the near-term, Numis had started to see emerging indications that the second half could see relatively better conditions.

Irrespective of the market environment, the financial position of the group remains resilient and our capital position strong.

At 1000 BST, shares in Numis Corporation were down 0.02% at 340.92p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has appointed business ethics consultancy Principia Advisory to assist in a review of its culture, according to a report from Sky News.

It comes four weeks ahead of a meeting of members to determine the organisation's future.

New CBI director-general Rain Newton-Smith signed off on the appointment after the departure of a number of corporate members two weeks ago.

The CBI, Britain's largest business lobbying group, was facing a crisis over its very existence due to its handling of allegations of rape and other sexual misconduct.

Most of its operations remained suspended amid a comprehensive review, after several longtime members including the John Lewis Partnership and Aviva quit the organisation.

Last month, the CBI sacked its director-general Tony Danker after an inquiry into his behaviour, although Danker had since accused the organisation of "throwing me under a bus."

Sky News said that in a memo to members sent on Friday, Newton-Smith said an extraordinary general meeting would take place on 6 June to determine the way forward for the CBI.

It said Principia Advisory would collaborate with the group to identify the root causes of past failures, recommend changes for cultural renewal, and rebuild trust.

Newton-Smith added that the CBI required "concrete actions and transparency about what we're doing so that everyone feels empowered to share their stories and knows they will be supported."

She also said that the CBI staff were "already doing what they do best, coming together with brilliant ideas and dedication," but added that members needed to be at the heart of the initiative.

Newton-Smith expressed hope that the CBI would be able to rebuild its culture, redefine its purpose, and regain the trust of members so that it could play a part in the recovery of the UK economy.

Sky said a CBI spokesperson had confirmed the contents of Newton-Smith's memo.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
Eqtec reported revenue and other operating income of 8m in its final results on Friday, a decrease from 9.2m in the prior year.

The AIM-traded firm said its EBITDA loss before significant and non-recurring items totalled 4.9m for the 12 months ended 31 December, widening from 3.8m year-on-year.

Net assets at period end were 37.1m, a decrease from 43.4m at the end of 2021.

During the period, Eqtec secured two loan facilities - one for up to 10m (11.3m), and the other for 2m.

The company also raised 3.7m through the placing of new shares.

However, its net loss, including significant and non-recurring items, came in at 10.5m, including an investment impairment of 4.7m in relation to the North Fork project in California.

Despite the losses, Eqtec said it had made significant progress since year-end.

The company signed a cooperation agreement with the Republic of Guinea for the construction and operation of a waste-to-energy plant.

Additionally, it signed a collaboration agreement with Iberdrola Renewables Espana for the development of hydrogen projects in Spain.

Eqtec in 2022 reaffirmed its business strategy, strengthened its growth platform and toughened its resolve, said chief executive officer David Palumbo.

Based on having one of the few technologies of its kind with a proven track record, we focused our energies on ensuring we can truly make our technology available, reliably and consistently, for the several business models we support in the world of new energy infrastructure.

We delivered focused, formative progress in three key areas of our business strategy.

Palumbo said that first, the company pushed ahead with three MDCs, as demonstration of Eqtecs versatile syngas solutions in live, reference plants.

Second, we took further steps in retaining our technology leadership, deploying upgraded research and development capability for regular testing of solutions for advanced biofuels such as RNG, hydrogen, liquid fuels such as sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) and for chemicals such as ethanol or methanol.

Third, we released the company from untenable liabilities in major projects and turned our attention to the tier one and two leaders that will help us deploy our solutions through the world's best funded, best managed projects.

Eqtecs target remained becoming a leading licensor and innovator of technology to deliver clean, baseload energy and biofuels to industrial and utility companies, David Palumbo added, as well as to municipalities and agroindustry.

To become that, we must be more than simply the leading innovator for waste-to-value solutions; we must also be known for deploying our technology through projects that consistently deliver on time, to budget and for plants that deliver healthy returns on investment, sustainably over their lifetimes.

At 1124 BST, shares in Eqtec were down 2.86% at 0.19p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.
European shares opened higher on Friday as better-than-expected results from tech giant Apple boosted sentiment, despite lingering fears over the stability of the US banking system.

The pan-regional Stoxx 600 index rose 0.32% in early deals with all major bourses higher and US futures indicating a positive start to the final session of the week.

Apple surprised markets with an unexpected rise in iPhone sales amid a global slump in smartphone purchases as consumers start to retrench spending on big-ticket tech items.

Eyes will also be on US labour market data, with non-farm payrolls expected to have increased by 180,000 last month, the smallest increase in nearly 2-1/2 years, although wage growth is expected to have remained strong.

In economic news, German factory orders plunged in March, missing expectations and reversing previous gains.

According to the Federal Statistics Office, new orders in manufacturing fell 10.7% month-on-month, and by 11% on March 2022. That compares to a month-on-month increase of 4.5% in February. Analysts had been expecting a far more modest fall, of around 2.2%.

It was the strongest decline since April 2020, at the start of the pandemic.

Investors were also digesting the latest data out of China, showing growth in the services sector was a little weaker than expected in April.

The Caixin services purchasing managers index dipped to 56.4 from 57.8 in March, coming in below consensus expectations for a reading of 57.0. Still, it remained above the 50.0 mark that separates contraction from expansion for the fourth month in a row. It also marked the second-highest figure recorded since November 2020.

Wang Zhe, senior economist at Caixin Insight Group, said the reading indicates that services activity is still "undergoing a fast recovery".

On the equities front it was a much quieter day after a deluge of earnings reports and trading statements across the Continent.

Shares in British Airways owner IAG were higher as the company beat forecasts and lifted guidance after reporting a first-quarter operating profit in what is traditionally quiet period for airlines.

Norwegian renewable energy producer Scatec shares were 10% higher after strong results.

Reporting by Frank Prenesti for Sharecast.com
HSBC shareholders rejected a proposal on Friday to split the business and spin off the Asian arm.

The proposal, which was backed by the banks largest shareholder - Chinese insurer Ping An Asset Management - was voted down earlier at the annual meeting in Birgmingham.

Resolutions 17 and 18 on the agenda were tabled by a group of investors led by Ken Lui, and called for a strategic review of the bank, which included the potential spinoff and a proposal for fixed dividends.

Ping An owns an 8% stake in HSBC.

Chairman Mark Tucker said: "I'm delighted that the large majority of HSBC's shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to support the bank's strategy and draw a line under the debate on the structure of the bank.

"The board, HSBC colleagues and our shareholders can now move forward with the shared objective of focusing on our customers, driving stronger performance, and creating more value for our investors."
InterContinental Hotels Group s chief executive is to step down after more than 30 years with the company, it was announced on Friday.

IHG said Keith Barr, who was appointed chief executive in July 2017, will leave at the end of June to return to his native US.

He will be replaced by Elie Maalouf, who has led IHGs Americas business as regional chief executive for the last eight years.

The update came as IHG posted a jump in first-quarter revenues. Revenue per available room, a standard industry measure, rose 33% in the three months to March end, with occupancy up 10.4 percentage points. The average daily rate was up 10% compared to 2019 and 11% on 2022.

The blue chip said it had been a "good start" to the year, with strong trading in the Americas and EMEAA, as well as an "excellent rebound in demand" as Covid restrictions in China were lifted.

A total of 8,000 rooms were opened during the quarter across 45 hotels.

Barr, 52, said: "While comparatives to 2022 get tougher from the second quarter onwards and there are ongoing economic uncertainties, IHG has continued to prove the resilience of its business model and we remain confident about the strong tailwinds for the attractive, long-term sustainable growth and value creation."

Commenting on his imminent departure, he added: "I feel incredibly privileged to have spent three decades as part of IHG.

"After a long time living abroad, now is the right time for me and my family to return to the US. I am proud of the strong position that IHG is in today, thanks to the investments we have made to transform every aspect of our business."
The UK and US have intervened in the race to develop ever more powerful artificial intelligence technology, as the British competition watchdog launched a review of the sector and the White House advised tech firms of their fundamental responsibility to develop safe products. Regulators are under mounting pressure to intervene, as the emergence of AI-powered language generators such as ChatGPT raises concerns about the potential spread of misinformation, a rise in fraud and the impact on the jobs market, with Elon Musk among nearly 30,000 signatories to a letter published last month urging a pause in significant projects.  Guardian

Train passengers face further disruption this summer after members of the RMT rail union voted overwhelmingly for further strike action. A ballot of members working across 14 train operating companies massively reaffirmed a mandate for further strike action, the union said on Thursday, with 90% of votes cast in favour of holding more strikes over the next six months.  Guardian

Apple has reported its second straight drop in revenues as the rising cost of living hits sales of its high-end devices. The US tech giant, the worlds biggest company by market value, said last night that revenues had fallen by 3pc to $94.8bn (75.4bn) in the first three months of the year. Profits dropped by 3.4pc to $24.2bn.  Telegraph

The Bank of England is to give City rulebreakers half-price fines if they settle cases early in an attempt to speed up investigations. As part of an overhaul of its enforcement powers for non-criminal cases, the Banks Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) has outlined plans for an early account scheme.  Telegraph

Vodafone and Three are closing in on a 15 billion merger agreement to create the UKs biggest mobile network operator with 28 million customers. The deal, which would be likely to face intense regulatory scrutiny, is expected to be announced this month and follows the appointment of Margherita Della Valle, formerly Vodafones chief financial officer, as chief executive.  The Times

Boohoo Group has asked its suppliers for a 10 per cent discount on delivered and undelivered clothing orders as the online fashion retailer takes a tighter control of costs. One supplier, who spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity, said they had received a call yesterday demanding a discount on all outstanding orders. It turns all orders produced into losses, the supplier said. This is major self-harm. They are struggling to find suppliers and now they are screwing the ones they have.  The Times
Israeli protest movement leaders declared May 4 as National Equality Day and faced off with counter-demonstrators in Jerusalems Bayit VeGan neighborhood. Separated by a handful of police officers, the two sides hurled angry words at each other like flaming arrows. To protest the Benjamin Netanyahu governments judicial reforms, they marched in front of a Talmudic school to denounce the exemption of ultra-Orthodox Jews from compulsory military service. They wore military caps and chanted We want democracy! and Equality for all! On the other side were ultra-Orthodox Jews and people from other factions of Israels ruling right-wing coalition. They greeted the protestors with shouts of Leftists! Traitors! and We are defending you through the Torah! Some yelled, 64 Knesset members, referring to the right-wing majority in Israels parliament that elected Netanyahu as prime minister. They tossed water on the protestors and tried to steal their flags. Some just gave them the middle finger.

Dont touch me, warned a secular demonstrator to the young man yelling in her face.

I wouldnt want to touch you, he said as another guy warned him that getting so close to a woman is blasphemy.

The two sides numbered less than 100, but the tension was palpable and they almost came to blows. They were fairly evenly matched, just like the nations divide over the judicial reform that has exposed the countrys long-running societal strife: secular versus religious, centrists versus both wings, Ashkenazi versus Mizrahi, and so on. The outrage that has mobilized hundreds of thousands of Israelis every week since January is increasingly spreading to other divisive issues, especially what Israelis call burden-sharing. Much of the country wants ultra-Orthodox men and women to share the economic and military burden.

The ultra-Orthodox are exempt from Israels military service, which is 32 months for men and 24 months for women. Instead of working, they often devote themselves to religious activities for which they receive financial subsidies. The ultra-Orthodox comprise 13% of the population and have an average of seven children in each family. According to Israels Central Bureau of Statistics, ultra-Orthodox Jews will comprise 32% of the population by 2065.

Im not saying they have to serve like the rest of us, but they should do one or two years of social service instead. We shouldnt exempt a group supported by our taxes from collective responsibility, said Micha Weiss, a 59-year-old demonstrator waving an Israeli flag. The nations flag has become a symbol of the movement against judicial reforms that would give the executive branch unprecedented control over the Supreme Court, which is practically the only institutional counterbalance in the government. Weiss believes people need to speak out about the countrys issues and defends holding a rally in front of a religious school. You have to confront the issue, not demonstrate in some other place where there is no problem I have an 18-year-old son who is going into the army. What if he gets sent to a crazy war over some settlement? And they dont have to go?

In a traffic circle across the street, Amnon Avinadav countered the demonstrators with his own shouts. He has come all the way from Tel Aviv and calls them hypocrites. If they really want equality, he said, they should go to Umm al-Fahm and ask them. But they only want to fight the ultra-Orthodox because they hate them, he said. Umm al-Fahm is a city in the Haifa district, predominantly populated by Arab citizens of Israel, 20% of who are also exempt from military service for various reasons.

The military recruitment office

There was another demonstration that day near Tel Aviv in Bnei Brak, the largest ultra-Orthodox town in the country. In March, the government set up a military recruitment office there. A protestor told us, Gone are the days when our people serve the country while funding Talmudic schools that seek to build a dictatorship based on Jewish law. There is no democracy without equality.

In a recent editorial for the Haaretz newspaper Odeh Bisharat, a former secretary general of Hadash (the far-left political coalition formed by the Israeli Communist Party and other leftist groups), wrote: Part of the Israeli mainstream is obsessed with forcing the ultra-Orthodox to enlist. Even if the army were paradise on earth, you cant drag people there in chains In the name of equality, they are trying to force an entire community to do something it doesnt believe in.

Mothers wearing Israel Defense Forces berets protest against a military conscription bill exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews, on May 4, 2023, in Jerusalem. Maya Alleruzzo (AP)

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are in the eye of the storm, but they did not take part in the large demonstration supporting the judicial reforms in April. And the parties representing them in the ruling coalition have been their least vocal defenders. They support the initiative mainly so the Supreme Court cannot overturn a clear legal exemption to compulsory military service.

After firing Defense Minister Yoav Galant for distancing himself from the judicial reforms, Netanyahu put the initiative on hold in late March under pressure from the widespread opposition. Netanyahu reinstated Galant and withdrew the bill from the Knesset session that began on May 1 and ends in July. In April, while the Knesset was in recess, demonstrators marched every Saturday against the reform as the government and the opposition fruitlessly negotiated at President Isaac Herzogs residence.

Once the Knesset was back in session, weekly Thursday protests started up again. Many were small but very visible and symbolic expressions of dissent around the country. The large demonstrations also continued, along with the traditional blockade of the Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv.

More pressing problems

The May 4 protest didnt just focus on military exemption, but on a host of political issues. The demonstration organizers believe the government is focusing only on judicial reform (presented a week after taking office in late December) instead of more pressing problems.

Demonstrators dyed the water of a Tel Aviv fountain to protest food prices that continue to rise despite Netanyahus campaign promise it would be his top priority. They surreptitiously put stickers on milk cartons in supermarkets with messages denouncing the governments deal with producers that inflated milk prices by 9.2%.

The protest movement also staged a performance in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, in front of the home of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right, tough-on-crime hardliner. Their street theater used bloody mannequins to decry the surge in homicides of Palestinians, a minority that comprises 20% of Israels population but accounts for 77% of the deaths. So far, 88 homicides have been recorded (five on May 3 alone), double the number for the same period in 2022. The crowd shouted, You cant handle the job, Ben-Gvir! and Where are you? Step up!

Others marched in front of Israels Chief Rabbinate headquarters in Jerusalem calling for gender equality. In front of the Tel Aviv District Court, a mock same-sex wedding (illegal in Israel) was staged in protest. Dozens more rallied at the home of a drag performer who was stoned by a crowd in late April.

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Londons FTSE 100 was up 0.8% at 7,760.78 in afternoon trade on Friday.

Oil giant BP was the standout gainer on the index as oil prices rose.

Banks were also on the front foot, with NatWest, HSBC and Barclays all higher. HSBC was in focus after its shareholders rejected a proposal to split the business and spin off the Asian arm.

The proposal, which was backed by the banks largest shareholder - Chinese insurer Ping An Asset Management - was voted down earlier at the annual meeting in Birgmingham.

Resolutions 17 and 18 on the agenda were tabled by a group of investors led by Ken Lui, and called for a strategic review of the bank, which included the spinoff and a proposal for fixed dividends.

On the downside, InterContinental Hotels slumped after it announced the departure of chief executive Keith Barr and said it had seen a "good start" to the year. Barr will be replaced by Elie Maalouf, who has led IHGs Americas business as regional chief executive for the last eight years.

FTSE 100 - Risers

BP (BP.) 491.45p +3.14%

NATWEST GROUP (NWG) 259.90p +2.97%

HSBC Holdings (HSBA) 597.60p +2.33%

Prudential (PRU) 1,185.50p +2.29%

Barclays (BARC) 151.62p +2.28%

Anglo American (AAL) 2,428.00p +2.15%

Glencore (GLEN) 442.65p +1.99%

St James's Place (STJ) 1,128.00p +1.81%

Entain (ENT) 1,496.50p +1.80%

Ocado Group (OCDO) 490.80p +1.78%

FTSE 100 - Fallers

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) 5,424.00p -1.70%

BAE Systems (BA.) 978.80p -1.45%

Hargreaves Lansdown (HL.) 790.40p -1.25%

Compass Group (CPG) 2,079.00p -1.00%

Endeavour Mining (EDV) 2,084.00p -0.95%

Reckitt Benckiser Group (RKT) 6,420.00p -0.93%

GSK (GSK) 1,452.80p -0.91%

Relx plc (REL) 2,429.00p -0.86%

Smith & Nephew (SN.) 1,264.50p -0.78%

Smiths Group (SMIN) 1,656.00p -0.60%
Dona Teres whole life was about looking for her son, Jose Luis, said a person who knew her. Teresa Magueyal was 65 years old and lived in San Miguel Octopan, a town in Celaya, in the state of Guanajuato. On Tuesday morning Dona Tere, as she was known in town, went out on her bicycle, never to return. Two men on a motorcycle shot her at point blank range and then fled. Teresa Magueyal was left for dead on the ground a few blocks from her home. Her murder reflects the horrific violence that is rocking Mexico, the failure of authorities who are overwhelmed and the danger that the relatives of the disappeared face because they are striving to find their children, their brothers and sisters, their fathers and mothers.

In Guanajuato alone, five searchers  four women and one man  have been killed since 2020. Teresa Magueyal has become the sixth, though there are countless others around the country. Every day, hundreds of mothers risk their lives with the sole purpose of finding their dead loved ones so they can bury them. Dona Tere had been searching for her son Jose Luis Apaseo Magueyal since 2020  the 34-year-old disappeared in the same town where she was murdered on Tuesday.

The Prosecutors Office has opened an investigation to shed light on the case, while institutional condolences have poured in. However, the organizations lament that both state and federal authorities have left these families to their own fate for some time now and are not offering them any protection. I dont know how many more deaths they want there to be for that to happen, said a woman from the collective who prefers not to give her name because she fears a possible backlash.

Shows of affection have also flooded the headquarters of the Una Promesa por Cumplir (A Promise to Keep) group, the organization which Teresa was a member of. It has been extremely hard for us because Dona Tere was such a loved person in the collective and it hurts us deeply that this has happened in this way, said a member of this association, which comprises 70 families. The people who knew her will always remember Magueyal with a smile on her face and being extremely active in her searches. When somebody was down in the dumps, she would come in and cheer us all up, said one of her colleagues.

Since 2019, a spike in violence in Guanajuato, the disputed territory of several cartels, has sparked a missing persons crisis of some 3,000 individuals, according to the National Registry of Missing Persons. However, civil society organizations argue that this figure is actually closer to 3,700, according to the Platform for Peace and Justice in Guanajuato. On top of this, there is the states current forensic crisis, with hundreds of unidentified corpses piling up in the morgues. Guanajuato is the deadliest place in the country and certainly in the continent for female searchers, said Raymundo Sandoval, from the aforementioned Platform. The murder of a female searcher sends a message to the rest to abandon their efforts, he added.

This fear is echoed by all the searching mothers in Mexico  many of whom are under constant threat of death and have been compelled to move away from their homes. Were afraid well become just another statistic, said Ceci Flores, who is looking for two of her children who disappeared in Sinaloa and Sonora. We have to do the work ourselves because we encounter apathy, insensitivity and bureaucracy from authorities who do not do their jobs, added the activist, who heads the Madres Buscadoras de Sonora (Sonora Searching Mothers) collective. We know that we are risking our lives, but the moment we lost our children, we also lost our lives and all that remains is to continue the search for them, she said.

To date the perpetrators of Teresa Magueyals murder remain unknown, but the organizations are not ruling out the possibility that it may have been committed with the consent of police forces, which further complicates the investigations. Local and state police in several municipalities often collaborate with organized crime and sometimes even prevent searches, explained Raymundo Sandoval. Teresas collective condemned the attack and is calling for justice. This should not go unpunished and it must not happen again to anyone. Families are already enduring a painful process with the disappearance of their loved ones and now the fear of being murdered has become even worse, said a member of Una Promesa Por Cumplir. The murder has also been roundly condemned by the office in Mexico of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN-HCHR), which urgently called for a stop to these types of murders and stressed that the authorities are obliged to provide victims with protection and security.

The collective complains that the searching mothers have been completely abandoned by federal and state authorities. We are tired of asking for help, of marches demanding that the government protect the female searchers, but nothing has been done, said a colleague of Teresa Magueyal. This feeling of desperation is also shared by the Platform for Peace and Justice. Since 2021, we have been asking the federal agency for a protection plan for the female searchers, but we have been ignored. We requested a meeting with the Secretary of the Interior, Adan Augusto Lopez, and the Deputy Secretary of Human Rights, Alejandro Encinas, but we have also been ignored. The governor of Guanajuato, Diego Sinhue, has also failed to provide protection, explained Sandoval.

During 2022, other searching mothers were murdered in Mexico. In Morelos, Ana Luisa Garduno was killed while trying to find her daughter. Aranza Ramos, from Sonora, was searching for her husband when she was shot to death. In Sinaloa, Rosario Rodriguez Barraza was kidnapped and murdered after attending a mass in honor of her missing son. Blanca Esmeralda Gallardo was trying to find her daughter, Betzabe, who was kidnapped by a trafficking ring in Tlaxcala, and she died on the very same spot where her daughter had disappeared, in the state of Puebla. Finally, Maria Carmela Vazquez was in search of her son and was murdered just a few steps away from her home. I believe that there is a point where the murderers of our children become afraid of being caught and thats why they kill us, added Ceci Flores, who was also on the receiving end of death threats two years ago.

In total, there are currently in excess of 110,000 missing persons in Mexico. In the face of a crisis of this magnitude, the authorities are inundated and the only resort left for the families is to go out and search for their sons and daughters themselves. This means risking their lives, without stopping until they find one little clue, a piece of bone, an empty skeleton that will give them the faintest hope of finding their bodies. Well keep working, they assured at Una Promesa Por Cumplir. Now it is our mission to find Dona Teres son and to demand justice so that her murder will not go unpunished.

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman exhorted South Korea to invest in India as she highlighted the country's enabling policy framework for electric vehicles and green hydrogen sectors. Meeting South Korea's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho on the sidelines of the ADB's annual meeting in Incheon, she emphasised on greater opportunities in India for investments in manufacturing, renewable energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals and food processing, including marine resources, among other sectors, official sources said.

She also invited the Korea Investment Corporation and other investors to take forward investment in infrastructure sector in India. Both leaders recognised that India and South Korea share a special strategic partnership, which is also manifested in the fact that both countries are celebrating 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.

Choo Kyung-ho said the two countries should continue to broaden cooperation and engagement and hoped that Korea will get the opportunity to participate in the investment avenues in India.

He appreciated India's leadership of G20 and extended Korea's cooperation and support to the G20 India presidency and added that it will be meaningful to strengthen and broaden the economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.

Sitharaman also informed Choo Kyung-ho about investment opportunities for value addition in seafood sector in India and about the newly identified projects under the EDCF Framework Agreement and expressed hope for their quicker implementation.

She also mentioned that India is looking forward for more committed bilateral relations between the two nations and more ways to further deepen the investment cooperation.
Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) clinical bowling display including T Natarajan's stunning last over kept Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to 171/9 in an IPL 2023 match at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. For SRH, it was Marco Jansen (2/24), who set the tone early, striking twice in his first over. Then Karthik Tyagi got the crucial wicket of Jason Roy in his first over.

Despite the three early wickets, Hyderabad did leak a few runs during the middle overs but they pulled things back nicely. Natarajan (2/30) bowled a brilliant 20th over, conceding just three runs and picked up a wicket along with inflicting a runout. Putting into bat first, KKR had a slow start, losing two quick wickets in the first couple of overs and later lost the set batter, Roy, who threatened with a few boundaries, as the visitors ended the powerplay at 49/3.

Roy started off with back-to-back boundaries to Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the opening over before Jansen struck in the next over to dismiss Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck. A couple of balls later, he got rid of Venkatesh Iyer cheaply for seven and KKR were reduced to 16/2 early in the innings.

Tyagi began the fifth over with a wide and no-ball but the pacer was quick to bounce back as he got the big wicket of Roy, who miscued his slash to short third where Mayank Agarwal pouched it with ease. While SRH continued with tight bowling, Nitish Rana and Rinku Singh got into the rebuilding act as they found big hits in between to keep the scoreboard ticking and went on to score 61 off 40 balls.

Rana smashed Tyagi for a boundary and two consecutive maximums in the 10th over to take KKR to 90/3 halfway through the innings. Tyagi almost beat Rana with pace as the batter sliced it into the hands of backward point and Mayank Agarwal grabbed the ball and appealed for a catch. The umpires went upstairs to check and replay showed that the ball was under the bat at the point of contact.

An over later, a brilliant caught and bowled by Markram ended KKR skipper's stay on the crease. Then, Andre Russell came in and thumped two sixes in two overs to accelerate the innings but Mayank Markane cut short his stay and removed him in the 15th over for 24 and half of the KKR side headed back to the hut in 15 overs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar got his first in the next over, removing Sunil Narine, who was beaten by the lack of pace and chipped it towards extra cover where Agarwal ran to his left to complete an easy catch.

Shardul Thakur slashed straight at deep point off the bowling of Natarajan for a big but Abdul Samad completed a simple catch and it was all on Rinku to give KKR the big finish. Impact player Anukul Roy came in and smashed two successive boundaries in the 19th over to add crucial runs to the board.

Then, Natarajan bowled a brilliant last over, he first denied Rinku a half-century, removing him on low full toss and inflicted a brilliant run-out to dismiss Harshit Rana on the next delivery. He gave away just three off the over as KKR finished with 171/9 in 20 overs.
Direct to consumer milk delivery startup Uzhavarbumi has secured an investment of Rs 7 crore from Anicut Capital. The proceeds will be deployed towards technology infra, improving plant and machinery equipment, hiring and expanding its operation across Bengaluru and Hyderabad, Uzhavarbumi said.

Founded by Vetrivel Palani, Uzhavarbumi promotes direct commerce between farmers and consumers as the company delivers farm-fresh milk to urban areas of Chennai, procuring milk from rural and marginal farmers at a better market price and forming a bridge between the primary producers and consumers. This also empowers farmers with a stable income as Uzhavarbumi procures milk from them throughout the year.

The startup claims that it procures from more than 2,200 farmers and operates 42 hubs across Chennai, delivering dairy products to over 15,000 customers. It claims that it is doing over 15 lakhs home deliveries per year catering to the growing demand for farm- fresh milk.

Uzhavarbumi says to have an eco-friendly approach of using glass bottles for delivery, has been well-received by customers and leads to reduction of 7 tons of plastic usage every year. It competes with Milk Mantra, Milky Mist, Country Delight, Akshayakalpa, and several other D2C dairy brands which also sell milk-based products.

Anicut Capital currently manages two debt funds: Anicut Angel Fund and Grand Anicut Fund 3. Its portfolio companies include brands like Wow! Momo, Bira, Sugar Cosmetics, Earth rhythm, Sharechat, Agnikul and others.
A postcard that Father Pica, a Jesuit priest, sent to one of his nephews in 1978.

In 2018, EL PAIS launched an investigation of pedophilia in Spains Roman Catholic Church and developed a database with all the known cases. If you know of any unreported cases, write to us at abusos@elpais.es or abusosamerica@elpais.es if the case is in Latin America.

What seemed like an ordinary cardboard box changed Fernando Pedrajas life. It happened in early 2021 amid the pandemic, just before an unprecedented snowstorm blanketed Madrid in white. Fernandos mother had died a few months earlier, so he had gone to the family home to sort everything out and put it up for rent. He went down to the storage room and found a dusty box with PICA written on it. It belonged to his uncle, Alfonso Pedrajas, a Jesuit priest known as Padre Pica who died of cancer in 2009. Inside the box were a few things that had been sent to Fernandos mother from Bolivia, where Pica served as a missionary: his passport, some books, a handful of photographs and a green file folder with what appeared to be his uncles journal. Typed on the first page was one word: Historia.

More information Diary of a pedophile priest

This is the inside story of a sexual abuse case that has shaken Bolivia. As Fernando Pedrajas read the document in the dusty cardboard box, he learned that his uncle  Father Pica  had abused dozens of minors while he was a teacher in various Jesuit schools in Bolivia, where he lived from 1960 to 2009. Pica wrote that he confessed this terrible sin to his Jesuit superiors, who covered it up. Fernando turned the journal over to EL PAIS, who published the story in Spanish on April 30 and in English on May 5 with interviews of the victims and their relatives. Within 48 hours of the publication in Spanish, Bolivias attorney general launched an investigation, and the Jesuits dismissed eight former high-ranking members of the order. The Bolivian Roman Catholic Church issued a formal apology and asked for forgiveness. In Picas native country, the Spanish Episcopal Conference replied to our questions with one sentence: We share the feelings expressed by the Society of Jesus in their statement and support their initiatives regarding this painful case.

Fernando Pedrajas, the pederast priests nephew, agreed to tell us how it all happened.

Question. How did you feel when you read the journal?

Answer. It was a while before I read it. I saw it was worth looking at, but left it in the box. I began reading it months later when I emptied the house to rent it. It was enjoyable at first as he tells how he traveled hundreds of kilometers throughout Bolivia to celebrate mass and help the poor. I thought it was beautiful. But as I read on, I discovered Pica was a pederast and that the order protected him. I felt fear and disgust. I was shocked and felt completely let down.

Q. What was your relationship with him?

A. I always felt we had a certain connection. He had some artistic gifts that I identified with. I think he felt the same way. I started playing the guitar when I was 10 years old, and Pica was one of my first teachers.

Q. What happened when you told the rest of the family?

A. That also took me a while. I first had to digest and assimilate it all. In February 2022, I emailed my whole family and sent them the journal. I can count the responses on one hand. I think they prefer to look the other way.

Q. What did you do next?

A. I knew I had to do two things: turn everything over to the authorities and go to the press. I wrote another email outlining the story and sent it to Luis Carrasco, the current director of the Juan XXIII School [that most of Picas victims attended]; the board of directors of the schools J23 alumni association; all the organizations dedicated to protecting child abuse victims I could find on Google; and to the main news media outlets.

Q. What were the responses?

A. I received many replies from the news media, but I wanted EL PAIS to have the story because it was already investigating the issue and had a presence in Latin America. The first person who contacted me from Bolivia was Luis Carrasco, the current director of the school. He told me he knew nothing about this and therefore he couldnt help. He alerted the Jesuits, and a priest named Osvaldo Chirveches contacted me. Chirveches is a former provincial director and the current director for safe environments in the Jesuit order.

Q. What did he say?

A. He asked to meet with me. I agreed, but said I would also like Carrasco to attend, and copied him on my email. He [Carrasco] emailed saying he couldnt take part in that meeting since he didnt have an [adequate] internet connection. That was the last communication from the director of the school where my uncle abused countless children. Thats when I decided to go public with all of this.

Q. Did you continue to communicate with the Jesuits?

A. Yes, Chirveches was very insistent that I send him the journal. But I didnt trust him.

Q. What about the Spanish ecclesiastical authorities?

A. I took the complaint to the archdiocese of Madrid, where I live. But I couldnt get anyones attention. I went five times and never could identify someone who would receive the complaint and document. I left my name and contact information, but no one ever called. Unbelievable... I gave up.

Q. What happened with the alumni?

A. I offered the journal to the alumni association in case they wanted to use it to file a complaint in Bolivia. But I said if they wanted to publish it, I preferred for the press to do it first. I felt it essential that everything be verified before publishing. They decided not to accept the journal or file a complaint. I continued communicating with them cordially and they were always very cooperative. They should have the journal right away. It belongs to them and they should read it.

Q. Did they help you locate the victims?

A. Yes. The victims are the key to everything from now on. I would like to say to them and others I havent met that Im very sorry they had this terrible experience  I cant even imagine. But also that theyre not alone.

Q. You took the case to the public prosecutor [in Spain].

A. Yes, but it was filed away. My uncle is dead, and the statute of limitations has expired. A victim testified from Bolivia, although the alumni association decided not to support her. But I intend to reopen the complaint so that the people who knew about Picas abuse and covered it up are held accountable. I also want to form a victims group who will support a general complaint filed here in Spain. They can remain anonymous. I know many victims who havent spoken out yet, and Id like to tell them this: many of you occupy important positions in the Bolivian government. Your collaboration is important. I encourage you to email me at asociacionvictimasj23@gmail.com. Its time to act.

Q. The journal is also a story about a cover-up.

A. Thats the most alarming part of this. Its so disgusting I dont even know what to say. They cant hide behind the seal of confession. Marco Recolons [the only person involved who spoke to EL PAIS] should be put on trial. If its proven that he knew [about the abuse], he should suffer the consequences. The Churchs silence is shameful  they knew about the abuse committed by Pica and other Jesuits for decades. They covered it up with lies and are still lying.

Q. They are still lying?

A. Yes, they have received more reports of abuse by Pica and other priests.

Q. What do you think about the reaction to the report published by EL PAIS?

A. There is one very positive outcome. The Jesuits dismissed eight people within 48 hours, something that has never happened so quickly and thoroughly. Its more evidence that they were aware of the situation. This happened because of the report, which fortunately also had a surprising impact on the Bolivian media and institutions.

Q. What do you want to happen now?

A. We are looking at the tip of the iceberg. Lets hope that, at the very least, those who covered up all of this and are still alive will be tried and convicted. And the Catholic Church should pay reparations to the victims.

Q. Many people think you have been unusually courageous by deliberately tarnishing the name of a relative.

A. I dont think so. I think families of abusers should step up and firmly denounce what their relatives have done. Theres no middle ground here  youre with the victims or with the pedophile. You denounce their behavior or cover it up. There are no nuances to it.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Chipotle employees will be slinging Tex-Mex fare along with the slogan real ingredient, real people and real flavor in Port Richmond soon. A former bank building in the neighborhood will play home to the fast food restaurant.

A spokeswoman for the company said, We are currently scheduled to open a third location in Staten Island this summer. It will be located at 1630 Forest Ave. and feature the brands signature Chipotlane, a drive-thru pickup lane that allows guests to conveniently pick up digital orders without leaving their cars.

Entry to the drive-thru area is currently on Arnprior Street. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The corner building at Arnpiror Street was established as a drive-thru in its former business iteration as Santander and, prior to that, a Staten Island Savings Bank. As Santander restructured, it shrank its Staten Island branches by three in 2019. The structure has remained vacant ever since.

Right now there are two Chipotles on Staten Island  2655 Richmond Ave., at the Staten Island Mall, and 2602 Hylan Blvd., New Dorp. All stores are corporate-owned, not franchised.

This is the current look of the drive-thru lane footprint. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The Chipotlane concept is unique. There are only seven of such concepts in the New York-New Jersey area.

The Chipotle brand was established in 1993 by Steve Ells in Denver, Colo. He was inspired by the West Coasts passion for tacos and burritos. But his riff allowed patrons to customize toppings, sides and meal presentations  as tacos, burrito bowls, salads and tacos. Ingredients are assembled in front of the customer by Chipotle staffers.

But the world of Chipotle exploded when McDonalds invested in Ells upstart. According to Business Insider, The burger chain made an investment in Chipotle in 1998 that helped it grow from 14 locations to nearly 500 within seven years. By 2005, McDonalds had a 90% stake in Chipotles business.

That relationship crash-landed in 2006 as McDonalds divested in Chipotle. As explained by Entrepreneur magazine which reported on a contentious Golden Arches shareholders meeting in May, 2015, One McDonalds shareholder had a different restaurant chain on her mind: Chipotle. And the woman asked why the brand was sold.

Chipotle in New Dorp, one of two current corporate-owned locations on Staten Island, soon to be three. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

McDonalds then-CEO Steve Easterbrook explained that the company was focused on other concepts like Boston Market and that took away from the core McDonalds brand.

Now, Chipotle maintains a strong environmental mindfulness. As framed by Chipotle.com, Chipotle seeks out extraordinary ingredients that are not only fresh, but that are raised responsibly, with respect for the animals, land, and people who produce them. Chipotle prepares its food using real, whole ingredients, and is the only national restaurant brand that prepares its food using no added colors, flavors or other industrial additives typically found in fast food.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Authorities allege that a raid of a smoke shop in Meiers Corners uncovered a stash of the leafy stimulant Khat, untaxed cigarettes and various candy products tainted with illegal substances that include the active ingredient in weed and a hallucinogenic commonly referred to a magic mushrooms.

Police armed with a search warrant stormed the Zack 1 Convenience & Vape store at 2236 Victory Blvd. around 4 p.m. on April 25. Sami Sayed, 22, of Riverside Lane in Port Richmond, was the sole occupant and allegedly was standing behind the register, according to the criminal complaint.

Bars of Belgium chocolate containing psilocybin, usually referred to as magic mushrooms, were stored behind the sales counter, the complaint alleges.

Officers also allege they recovered more than five ounces of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is concentrated cannabis, as well as gummies, liquid and wax tainted with THC as labeled on the packaging.

Police seized 21 packs and 31 cartons of cigarettes not taxed by the state or city of New York, although some of the smokes did bear tax stamps for the state of Virginia, the complaint alleges.

Police also allege they found three plastic bags containing Khat, a yellow-green leafy substance, on the passenger-side floor of the defendants car.

Khat is a flowering evergreen shrub that is abused for its stimulant-like effect, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) website.

Khat is typically chewed like tobacco, then retained in the cheek and chewed intermittently to release the active drug, which produces a stimulant-like effect. Dried khat leaves can be made into tea or a chewable paste, and khat can also be smoked and even sprinkled on food.

The complaint alleges that Sayed sold a chocolate bar containing magic mushrooms to an undercover officer on two occasions in March and April in Meiers Corners. The suspect also allegedly peddled a pack of untaxed, Newport cigarettes to an undercover officer in April in that same community.

Sayed has been charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, criminal possession of a controlled substance with intent to sell, criminal possession of cannabis, criminal possession of a controlled substance and possessing or selling untaxed cigarettes.

He has been released on his own recognizance and is due back in Criminal Court on June 23, according to public records.

An attorney for the defendant did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SMOKE SHOP RAIDS ALL OVER STATEN ISLAND

Authorities have being raiding smoke shops all over Staten Island in recent months as they attempt to stem illegal sales of weed and other contraband that officials claim are drawing sales away from legal cannabis businesses.

Two men were arrested after authorities raided 1426 Castleton Ave. in Port Richmond on March 21 around 1 p.m., according to the criminal complaint.

Zaza & Co. is located at the address supplied by authorities.

The complaint alleges that officers recovered 87 white pills of oxycodone-acetaminophen in addition to a chocolate candy bar and 13 gummies tainted with magic mushrooms at the shop. The contraband allegedly was stashed behind the counter of the store, where the suspects were standing.

One defendant in that case allegedly sold products laced with magic mushrooms to an undercover officer.

Items recovered from two unlicensed smoke shops in Great Kills and Port Richmond. (Courtesy of the RCDA)

Eight additional suspects are being prosecuted in connection with drug busts at smoke shops in Great Kills and Port Richmond on March 28 after authorities allege nearly 100 pounds of weed and 69 candy bars laced with a hallucinogenic were seized.

Authorities armed with search warrants swarmed GK Express at 27 Brower Court steps from the Great Kills train station, and the P.A.I.N. Station at 207 Port Richmond Ave.

OTHER STATEN ISLAND NEWS:

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>> Source: Suspect who fired into S.I. salon missed gang target, hit innocent teen, woman

>> Death of boy, 1, on Staten Island ruled homicide; caused by fentanyl, cocaine, M.E. rules

>> NYPD: $9K in smoke products stolen in burglary on Staten Island

>> Husband charged with murder in stabbing death of wife in Richmond

>> Carjackings, threats, scams on Staten Island prompt warning about selling, buying cars on Facebook Marketplace
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  A charge of attempted murder is back in play against a defendant in a shots-fired incident last month in Clifton involving multiple suspects and a police officer.

Raymond Jackson, 29, was arrested April 16 after what law-enforcement officials described as a gunfight between multiple suspects in the confines of the Park Hill Apartments complex that culminated with an officer firing his weapon. Authorities say Jackson fired a gun at an unidentified civilian, and that video shows a gun in his right hand. Jackson lives in the vicinity of the incident.

The officer fired to prevent more harm toward himself or others, prosecutors alleged at the defendants first court appearance in the case.

Early reports alleged the defendant had possibly raised a firearm toward the officer. But an attempted murder charge was removed from the docket at the defendants April 19 arraignment in Criminal Court, St. George. The top charge in the case at the time was criminal possession of a weapon.

Since then, the defendant has been indicted in state Supreme Court, St. George, for those charges, in addition to a separate indictment surrounding the same incident that includes attempted murder and reckless endangerment charges. The alleged target of the attempted murder in the second indictment is unclear in court documents.

Attorneys for Jackson  a persistent felon who at the time was working a demolition job  have argued he was being shot at from one or more unidentified adversaries, at which point he saw responding officers and ran toward them for help when he instead was met with gunfire. Somehow, no one was shot in the harrowing ordeal that played out on an unseasonably warm Sunday within distance of innocent bystanders.

There are two unapprehended individuals in the case, sources said.

The NYPD cordoned off a large crime scene in Clifton after police said an officer discharged a firearm at the location. (Staten Island Advance/Joseph Ostapiuk) Joseph Ostapiuk

The officer who opened fire was technically assigned to the 123rd Precinct on the boroughs South Shore at the time of the shots-fired incident. One law-enforcement source said the department has been shifting cops to different precincts to prevent and/or quickly respond to street violence in the boroughs most troubled neighborhoods  at least in part compensating for staffing shortages.

Its unclear in online records how long the officer has been employed by the department.

The defense meanwhile is launching an independent investigation in the case.

We believe that theres way more to the story than whats being reported and alleged by the DA, said defense attorney Sharon Covino. We look forward to seeing any evidence the DA is willing to share with us.

TIES TO CHICAGO, OPEN DV CASES

Jackson has two other open cases in Richmond County Criminal Court, both involving alleged domestic violence.

His attorney at his arraignment in Criminal Court argued that both cases are on track for dismissal.

Jackson is considered a persistent felon in New York, with a conviction record here and in Chicago.

Police cordon off a large section of Targee Street, near Hillside and Vanderbilt avenues in Clifton, as investigators probe an incident where an officer fired a shot. (Staten Island Advance)

Past charges include criminal possession of a weapon and attempted burglary. If found guilty in the ongoing shooting case, his criminal history would add weight to that sentence, per state law.

His wife and other family showed up in court for his latest appearance.

Sources said Jacksons family was forced to move out of the residence after receiving violent threats in regard to the case. The nature of the threats and/or who was making them was not clear.

Bail was continued Wednesday at $500,000 cash or $750,000 bond. Hes due back in court later this month in both cases.

In bail arguments, prosecutors have stated the defendant was residing at the 55 Bowen St. apartment building in the vicinity of where most of his [past]crimes have occurred.

They added that his presumed connections in Illinois make him even more of a flight risk.



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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Former President Donald Trump and his supporters once called for his impending trial to be held on Staten Island. Now, however, they are asking a New York City judge to move his case to federal court.

In Manhattan Supreme Court, attorney Todd Blanche told Justice Juan Merchan he would file a request to move the case against Trump  for criminal charges related to payments made to Stormy Daniels during his 2016 presidential campaign, the New York Post reported.

Defendants have 31 days from being arraigned on criminal charges to file a request.

In April, attorney Alan Dershowitz told Fox News host Sean Hannity that the case should be moved to New York Citys most conservative borough in order to avoid a prejudiced jury.

This case has to get out of Manhattan. Will it get out of Manhattan? We dont know, Dershowitz told the talk show host at the time. I would try to move it to Staten Island or some upstate venue.

The former president, in an April post on his social media platform, Truth Social, referred to the judge, without naming him, as highly partisan with a family of well known Trump haters.

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island/South Brooklyn) at the time also called for a change of venue to the borough.

If the request is rejected, Merchan told the prosecution and Trumps lawyers to plan for a trial date in February or March, according to the New York Post.

Merchan, who is handling the case, has overseen Trump-related cases in the past. Among those is the criminal tax fraud case against the Trump Organization, in which it was found guilty, last year.

Two Trump companies, Trump Corp. and Trump Payroll Corp., were found guilty on all counts of criminal tax fraud and falsifying business records, with a maximum penalty of $1.61 million.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  With two years of construction and about 300 rolling pins under their collective belts, the Carrozza family opened their fifth sweet adventure  Coffee & Collectibles in Castleton Corners, where Charles Pfieffer medical supplies lived originally. The Saturday afternoon grand opening at 561 Manor Road attracted a slew of Staten Islanders from the neighborhood, Chamber of Commerce and beyond. According to revelers in the crowd, the experience rated on the Disney level.

And co-owner Salvatore Carrozza was going for just that very effect. On his last visit to the Florida amusement park, he admired its moving parts and, literally, put some of those elements into motion at the bakery.

Cake Chef James Carrozza with Vito Galifi, former baker at Cake Chef and retired owner of Brooklyn's Galifi Bakery. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

A rotating sign greets patrons just outside the parking lot entrance on Manor. A window display features a Ferris wheel that balances colorful birthday cakes on platforms. The apparatus rotates in a window within view of Richmond County Savings Bank and the post office. Passersby who happen to gaze at the spectacle appear mesmerized with the occasional honk to a particularly engaged driver.

While the tour on this episode of The Dish captured a glimpse of the excitement at Coffee & Collectibles, its immersive experience goes beyond food. A visitor can spend hours in the venue between its antiques store and sit-down cafe.

Maria Carrozza said, People will feel nostalgic when walking through the antique store and spotting items that their parents or grandparents used to have. It combines an antique store for the first time into our bakery enterprises and creates a warm and inviting experience. Many people will find comfort here.

Maria Carrozza takes a photo of herself with Richard Wazz, a Westerleigh resident who checked out the new business and test drove its piano. (Staten Island Advnace/Pamela Silvestri)

Her husband, James, aka the Cake Chef, scours the country for treasures. To show them off and share a story behind them, he gladly gives tours of the operations collectibles side, officially called Objects of Interest. It offers a maze of tidily arranged bits and bobs  plates, lamps, paintings, retro toys, clothing, pocketbooks and memorabilia.

The inventory is decades in the making and ramps lead up to an attic moving a body through the museum-like space much like a silver ball in a pinball machine. For access to this section, patrons can walk through an entrance at 1753 Victory Blvd. or via the cafe.

Salvatore Carrozza, left, greets guests at the grand opening of Coffee & Collectibles. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Both points of entry to Coffee & Collectibles are conversation-worthy. From the Manor Road-side doors, guests can peek into the kitchen and watch the cakes underway. Another segue comes from the bakery end: a shopper must pass under a series of rolling pins of assorted colors and sizes. The sight begs the eyes for a scanning from beginning to end. A shift of gaze along one side of the cafe past illuminated showcases of cakes and pastries, past a neon sign reading Brooklyn yields a library and past time piano.

Savoring Coffee & Collectibles over coffee and breakfast. (Staten Island Advnace/Pamela Silvestri)

It was a treat to tour Coffee and Collectibles, which is a feast for the senses, said Linda Baran, president and CEO of the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce. She helped the Carrozzas cut the ribbon on Saturday.

Baran shared, There is so much to taste on the new menu, and the aroma of coffee brewing and fresh food fills the new space. You can not only see but feel decades of memorabilia, from vintage cookbooks to long-lost artifacts. Most of all, Im excited that Staten Island has a new gathering place, where customers can relax, collaborate, or simply explore the space with a cup of coffee in hand. I wish the Carrozza family the best of luck.

The ribbon cutting on Saturday, April 29, 2023. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Coffee & Collectibles is open Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. On the initial menu are savory sandwiches, assorted pastries and cookies, juices and coffee-based drinks. The restaurant can be found at 561 Manor Rd., Castleton Corners; 718-360-5090, Coffeeandcollectiblesnyc.com.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.

The Carrozza's started on Jewett Avenue with their first venture, Cake Chef. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The display cases at C&C (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Coffee & Collectibles features juices. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The grand opening included tastes of cookies and cakes. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

This is the Carrozza's fifth bakery with Cake Chef, Piece A Cake and Cookie Jar as sister stores. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Under the lights: a sign from the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live included a neon sign with the word "Brooklyn" built by a stage crew who happen to live on Staten Island. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The ribbon cutting included guests from the Chamber of Commerce and beyond. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The menu boards are written in chalk. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

Cookies, cakes and pastries in the case. (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The grand opening scenes at Coffee & Collectibles (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The grand opening scenes at Coffee & Collectibles (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The grand opening scenes at Coffee & Collectibles (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)

The grand opening scenes at Coffee & Collectibles (Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Pete Davidson ordered pizzas this week from Deninos for Bupkis  seriously.

The comedian ordered dozens of pies from his favorite hometown parlor for delivery on both coasts. Courtesy of Peacock TV, the famed food served as give-aways to promote Bupkis, Davidsons new half-hour, live action comedy offered by the streaming service from NBCUniversal as of May 4.

To do the deed, Deninos co-owner Michael Burke flew to California and worked from a franchisee operation at 1710 Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks.

Burke said, In New York we did quite a number for different news outlets and different producers and people. Then, at the same time we did the West Coast. Right now, with this new store we opened two weeks ago, we made the pies. We did pizzas out here and that went to writers and producers plus people like Martha Stewart.

Special boxes for the delivery featured Pete Davidson's image. (Courtesy of Michael Burke)

He added, They had us par-bake them and cut out mozzarella to spell out bupkis. Then the people finished cooking them in their homes.

Mozzarella cut-outs spell "Bupkis." (Courtesy of Michael Burke)

Like the Port Richmond original, the Deninos outpost in The Golden State uses a combination of Polly-O and Grande mozzarella cheeses plus a proprietary marinara sauce. Burke assures the dough made in the Thousand Oaks kitchen is delicious even without New York City water. For this Davidson delivery, both parlors shipped pies in boxes specially marked with the stars image.

A cheesy finish to a "Bupkis" pie from Denino's. (Courtesy of Michael Burke)

As for Bupkis, the Peacocks promos explain that the show is a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidsons real life. The production company further describes it as grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known. Scenes were filmed on Staten Island.

In the fall of 2022, Pete Davidson and his NBC Universal colleagues filmed Bupkis scenes on John Street, then at Lacey's Bridge Tavern. (Special to the Staten Island Advance)

Co-stars in the series include Charlie Day, Brad Garrett, Davidsons former Saturday Night Live co-star Kenan Thompson, Simon Rex, Chase Sui Wonders and Ray Romano. Davidson will write and co-produce with Edie Falco. Falco plays Petes Mom and Joe Pesci his grandfather.

And just how did a Deninos end up in the L.A. area?

Burkes childhood pal encouraged him to open up in Thousand Oaks, a city he describes as very similar to Staten Island. While he has no plans to move out there, the native Islander joked, Were trying to normalize the West Coast.

Pamela Silvestri is Advance Food Editor. She can be reached at silvestri@siadvance.com.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  New York City officials began handing out $50 fines Monday to people not abiding by new trash takeout rules in the five boroughs.

Those rules, announced last October and in effect since April 1, changed trash takeout times for New Yorkers from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for trash in containers with secure lids, but the takeout time for non-containerized trash has been pushed to 8 p.m.

During the new times first month in effect, the city Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has handed out more than 20,000 warnings, primarily in commercial areas and densely-populated residential area, a department spokesman said.

The spokesman said a borough-by-borough breakdown where those warnings occurred is not available, but said DSNY would begin targeting locations that received warning for the early fines.

Mayor Eric Adams and city Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the new takeout times in October framing the move as a way to help take out some of the citys rat population.

Mayor Eric Adams, pictured with (from left) Deputy Mayor Meera Joshi, Chief Advisor to the Mayor Ingrid Lewis-Martin, Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and City Councilman Shaun Abreu, addresses the media regarding a sanitation announcement on Monday, Oct. 17, 2022. (Staten Island Advance/Paul Liotta)

Tisch noted the 4 p.m. takeout time had been unique among global cities that typically have their residents and businesses takeout trash later into the evening.

On its own, the later takeout cuts rats street-side smorgasbord by four hours, but the sanitation commissioner said the city plans to couple that policy with increased efforts to collect trash overnight.

Workers on DSNYs midnight shift began doing about 25% of the citys trash collection, which changed from the traditional focus on collection during the 5 a.m. shift, according to DSNY.

The new rules apply to residential and commercial properties around the five boroughs, but officials designed a number of carveout exemptions under the proposed program.

Traditionally, businesses can put their trash out an hour before closing time, and theyll still be able to do so if that trash is containerized.

Large residential buildings of nine units or more also have the chance to opt into an early morning takeout time for which the city will design special routes, and runs from 4 a.m. to 7 a.m. The opt-in period for that program closed earlier this year, but will reopen Jan. 1, 2024, according to DSNY.

The Adams administrations broader goal is to move to containerization of the citys waste as opposed to the piles of trash bags found on curbsides.

We have to do something about the garbage. European cities, South American cities, they all understand that garbage should not be sitting on the streets for a long period of time, Adams said at an April press conference. I take my hat off to Commissioner Tisch, and were going to continue to monitor, we are continuing to move towards placing our garbage in containers because thats going to improve our quality of life.

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A New York State mother spent $3,000 recently to announce her daughter was going to the University of Alabama.

The story was recounted in The Wall Street Journal, which documented bed parties, an event situated largely among would-be college students in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The practice began during COVID-19, when students would announce their college admission with a photograph of a bed, piled in the swag of their favorite school. And like gender reveals and baby showers, the practice has become more elaborate over time.

The parties can be either a surprise, or directed by the student, complete with registries.

As Romi Tenembaum, of Plainview, N.Y., told the paper, she laughed when she first heard of the practice. But when her daughter, Isabella Alstodt, 17, was accepted last fall to the University of Alabama, she shelled out nearly $3,000 for party gear.

Included in that price tag was an inflatable queen-size bed for the partys more than 20 invited guests. There were red-and-silver streamers, a custom Alabama banner, and balloons spelling Bama.

About 80 friends showed up for the party, bringing their own Crimson Tide articles.

Isabella even prepared a 22-page Google slideshow listing specific gifts and consulted online to get the right look for her bed party, according to the paper.

According to the University of Alabamas website, total direct and indirect costs for the 2022-23 year associated with one year on campus total $53,364.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Cyclists participating in this years TD Five Boro Bike Tour can expect warm weather and mostly sunny skies as they cruise the streets of New York City on Sunday.

The TD Five Boro Bike Tour, the nations largest charitable bike ride, will take place on Sunday, May 7, with 32,000 cyclists from all around the world expected to participate.

The 40-mile tour spans the citys five boroughs, beginning in Lower Manhattan and traveling north into the Bronx, before heading to Queens, Brooklyn and, ultimately, crossing the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge and concluding in St. George near the Staten Island Ferry.

Click here to view a map of the route.

The National Weather Service is predicting mostly sunny skies with a high of 70 degrees.

Riders shouldnt need to worry about rain, with the last showers of the weekend expected to wrap up Friday night and no additional precipitation in the forecast until Tuesday.

Accuweather is calling for even warmer conditions, with a high of 72 degrees and RealFeel of 79 degrees due to sunny skies.

Similar to the forecast from the National Weather Service, Accuweather is predicting no rain for Sundays event.

STREET CLOSURES

To accommodate the final leg of the tour, the Department of Transportation has announced the following Staten Island streets will be closed on Sunday, at the discretion of the NYPD.

Bay Street, between New York Avenue and Hylan Boulevard

Hylan Boulevard, between Bay Street and Edgewater Street

Edgewater Street/Front Street, between Hylan Boulevard and Hannah Street

Hannah Street, between Front Street and Bay Street

Bay Street, between Hannah Street and Richmond Terrace

Richmond Terrace, between Bay Street and Nicholas Street

Wall Street, between Richmond Terrace and Dead End

Additionally, the Staten Island-bound lower level of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge will be closed on Sunday from 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The upper level of the bridge will remain open in both directions throughout the entirety of the event, though it will only be accessible in the Staten Island-bound direction from the Belt Parkway and 92 Street entrance ramps.

Other closings at and around the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge include:

The Gowanus/Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) westbound approach (I-278 West) to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

One Brooklyn bound lane on the lower level from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Bay Street exit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The 92 Street entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Belt Parkway entrance ramp to the Staten Island-bound lower level from approximately 12:01 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The Lily Pond Ave exit from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

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MTA now allowing e-bikes on buses, subways, commuter rails

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Riders of one Staten Island bus route will be commuting fare-free, but which route will be selected remains a mystery.

Last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the MTA will pilot free rides on five bus routes throughout the city as part of the states budget deal.

The two-year pilot program will bring one free route to each borough, down from the two routes per borough that state legislators had pushed for in recent budget negotiations.

Im also pleased to announce, as we encourage more people to take buses, take public transportation, that were launching a two-year pilot program in New York City to offer free bus service on five different lines, one in each of the boroughs, Hochul said.

The MTA will be responsible for selecting which routes will be included in the pilot program, but we want to hear what Staten Islanders think.

The pilot program is reserved for local and limited buses, meaning that all express bus riders will continue paying $6.75 per trip.

But even when you exclude express buses, the MTA has a lot of options from which to choose.

On Staten Island, there are 19 local routes, 11 limited stop routes and one select bus service route, all of which can be viewed on the MTA website.

In selecting which route will be made free, the MTA will consider ridership and fare evasion rates while prioritizing low-income and economically disadvantage communities.

We have not at all determined where these are going to be, but here are a couple of principles. One, were really going to use it to study whether you know, pricing could be used to grow ridership, to have more people use the system, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said Monday.

Lieber said the agency must emphasize that only the selected routes are free, and riders must continue to pay on all other routes, with the agency losing millions each year from fare evasion on buses.

What we dont want to do is to have people to reinforce the idea that all the buses are free. We made the buses free during COVID because we were trying to protect the bus drivers in the early days. And we were having trouble getting people to pay again, Lieber said.

As a result, its unlikely that the agency will select a route that shares bus stops with several other routes.

Thats why, strategically, its got to be not on the same route, as you know, five other bus lines so people are not confused about whats the paying bus, Lieber added.

So which Staten Island bus route should the agency pick?

If theres a specific Staten Island bus route that you think would be perfect for the fare-free pilot program, please email the route and why it should be selected to transportation reporter Erik Bascome at tbascome@siadvance.com, and we will follow up with some of the top responses.

ADDITIONAL TRANSPORTATION NEWS

Delayed Staten Island bike lanes near Bayonne, Goethals bridges expected to be completed this year

MTA no longer providing service alerts on Twitter citing unreliability of platform

MTAs OMNY card vending machines coming to NYC this fall

MTA: E-mirrors to be tested on NYC buses, as traditional side mirrors account for 25% of collisions

Staten Island bus route S76 detoured until Memorial Day, due to delayed $77M infrastructure project

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MTA now allowing e-bikes on buses, subways, commuter rails

NYC parking meters: How much does it cost to park across the city?

NYC comptroller sets higher wages for Staten Island Ferry engineers

NYC congestion pricing pushed back to 2024, costing $250M in revenue, MTA says
Opinion articles written in the style of their author." These texts are to be based on verified facts and must be respectful towards people, even though their actions may be criticized. shall feature, along with the author's name (regardless of their greater or lesser renown), a footer stating their office, academic title, political affiliation (if any) and main occupation, or the occupation related to the topic being assessed

The White House is bracing for a possible wave of irregular immigration at Americas southern border as a result of the end of an emergency measure that allowed authorities to immediately return border crossers to Mexico. The measure, called Title 42, was approved by the Trump Administration at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. With the excuse of preventing the entry of potentially infected people, the former president destroyed the asylum application system and replaced an imperfect reality with an administrative wall that has caused enormous pain on the other side of the border. The emergency measure that justified Title 42 will end on May 10, following a legal battle in which the Republicans tried to keep it in place.

From March 2020 to March 2023, Title 42 was used to justify 2.6 million forced removals, annulling traditional asylum protocols in the U.S. These are in addition to the 2.8 million deportations executed in the same period using previous immigration laws. The numbers provide an idea of the extra layer of administrative clampdown that the emergency laws implied. They are also evidence that at no time has Title 42 been effective as a deterrent to stop desperate people. It has simply provided a wall for people with legitimate asylum claims whose cases have never been heard by a judge. With the end of this policy, the border partly returns to the complicated normality prior to the Trump presidency.

President Joe Biden has decided to send 1,500 soldiers to the border on a temporary 90-day mission in anticipation that the people-trafficking mafias will encourage more crossings. The troops will not participate in security tasks, exclusive to the border police; they will only be there to provide logistical and administrative support. It is largely a decision based on image that other presidents have used in the past as well.

Irregular immigration is not a problem that can be solved; it is a reality that must be managed. Any promise to seal borders or stop the flow of people must be taken as mere xenophobic demagoguery. Its good news that this kind of message has disappeared from Washington. The White House is now trying to expand resources to manage more petitions, as well as speed up detentions and deportations in collaboration with Mexico and Central America, in a system that will always be insufficient to cover a 1,951-mile border that hundreds of millions of men and women are willing to cross. In the difficult balance between firmness and respect for asylum rights, at least the Biden Administration seems determined to eliminate some of the unnecessary cruelty that Trump had added.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  The World Health Organization (WHO) said the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is no longer a global health emergency on Friday during a press conference.

A panel of experts had convened the day prior and made the decision to lower the level of alert.

Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, according to the Associated Press.

However, while COVID-19 is no longer considered a global health emergency, Ghebreyesus said that doesnt mean its no longer a global health threat.

He added that the WHO will continue to monitor COVID-19 numbers throughout the world and wouldnt hesitate to reconvene health experts again to reassess the situation should COVID-19 put our world in peril.

Ghebreyesus acknowledged the damage that the coronavirus wrought on every country in the world, but said most nations have already returned to life the way it was before the pandemic  mask and vaccination requirements have been lifted, businesses have reopened, children are back at school and people are no longer afraid to leave their homes.

COVID has changed our world and it has changed us, Ghebreyesus said, according to the report, while still warning the global health community that new COVID-19 variants are still a risk.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped many of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

-- Associated Press material was used in this report

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Burgeoning hotelier and developer Glenn Piper has expanded his portfolio after splashing out $29 million to buy the popular Commodore pub on Sydneys lower north shore.

The hotel has been a fixture on Blues Point Road at McMahons Point for many years. It was sold to the rising hospitality baron by John Azars Good Beer Company, which bought the property and business for about $18.5 million in August 2019.

Glenn Piper (inset) has bought the Commodore Hotel in McMahons Point for $29 million.

Piper, who owns the Harbord Hotel on the northern beaches, made a bold entry into the industry when he bought the leasehold of the historic quarantine station on 30 hectares of Manlys North Head in November 2021.

He quickly followed with the purchase of the Merewether Beach Hotel on the Newcastle waterfront for about $40 million and not long after he snapped up his third major hospitality asset, worth a combined $100 million, being the leasehold of Hook Island in the Whitsundays where he plans to open an eco-lodge.
Then a close friend with whom Gutman shared her studio died in a cycling accident. It was  one of those crazy life moments where everything shifts. I ended up moving back home [to Australia] and  re-centering the way I was thinking about life. Relationships are everything and people are everything.

I was thinking about the sculptures in terms of their politics, and what [their materials] represented on a global level, she says, Like who made them, where were they produced, what that says about gender, what that says about class.

Twelve months ago Julia Gutman was living in New York making sculptures from found textiles and objects, having completed studies at Rhode Island School of Design in 2018.

This interview with artist Julia Gutman was published in November 2020, as the artist was preparing for an exhibition at Artspace in Woolloomooloo in Sydney.

This change extended to Gutmans art practice. I had all this material that I had collected in the studio to represent one thing, and all of a sudden it just felt related to our friendship, and to her. It shifted the way I started thinking about materials.

The Sydney-based artist began asking friends for used clothes, which she has used in the embroidered textile work No one Told Me the Shadows Could Be so Bright, Gutmans contribution to the 2020 NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship exhibition, currently showing at Woolloomooloo's Artspace Visual Arts Centre.

While Gutman found herself creating imagery of friends using their clothes, rather than being a depiction of those relationships specifically its more about  those pieces of ourselves that we leave behind in each other, and how were made of everyone that we meet.

During lockdown Gutman lost access to her Waverley Council studio space for six months, so each detailed portrait was made at the sewing machine in her bedroom, and later incorporated into the larger pieces on show. I like to LOL: I like lots of labour, she says, explaining that the figures in the works are meticulously built up over time, in contrast to the bolder collaged elements that can come together in an evenings work.

Now Gutman is one of eight finalists in the running for fellowship. With more than 100 years of history, the fellowship is one of the nation's longest standing travelling art scholarships. Each year, a judging panel convened by Create NSW selects finalists from a competitive round of proposals. The $30,000 prize allows an emerging artist to undertake a self-directed program of professional development.
On April 1 this year the world passed a foreboding milestone when the global average sea surface temperature hit a record high of 21.1C, beating the previous record of 21 degrees set in March 2016.

Both these records are just over a degree hotter than the average sea surface temperature in the period between 1982 and 2011.

But it was not just the high temperatures that concerned scientists around the world as the data kept coming in over recent weeks.

It was the timing of the records in the season and the fact that these were not just spikes, but that sea surface temperatures were remaining so abnormally high for so long.
In just a few months, millions of women were vaccinated against Covid-19. Many of them reported changes in their menstruation shortly after receiving their doses, with irregular bleeding or heavier or lighter flows. Different drug safety systems in different countries, in charge of observing possible negative effects of approved medications, have noted these anomalies, which have also been registered in menstrual cycle tracking applications and mentioned on social media and in gynecologist appointments. Though menstrual cycles naturally vary, and such changes do not necessarily imply health problems, they can be a reason for concern amidst a massive and accelerated vaccination campaign in which the adverse effects may not be understood. The European Agency of medicines recommended in October that excessive menstrual flow be included as a possible side effect along with the vaccines.

To evaluate with greater precision the risk of menstrual disturbances after receiving the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, a team led by the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products followed up with almost three million women between December 2020 and February 2022. The results, published today in the journal BMJ, indicate that there was no increase in hospital visits for menstruating women who received the vaccine. A slight increase in cases of bleeding among menopausal women was found with the third dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, but not with the AstraZeneca shot. The weak association, according to the authors, is not sufficient to establish a causal relationship between the vaccine and the bleeding.

Previous studies have been conducted to examine the effects of vaccines on the menstrual cycle, but no causal relationship has been established. Some works have found related disorders, although the results are inconclusive. A study published last year in Science Advances used a survey of around 40,000 people to estimate that 42% of women with regular menstrual cycles reported heavier bleeding after the Covid vaccine. The researchers recognized that the discoveries show a trend, but do not demonstrate that the changes were caused by the vaccines. The selection of the participants may have affected the results. The people who participated probably had more probabilities of having experienced a menstrual change than the general population, said Katharine Lee, professor of anthropology at Tulane University and the studys co-author. The researcher also mentions that the changes reported, which have also been observed associated with Covid, tend to disappear within a short time.

Santiago Palacios, spokesperson of the Spanish Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics, who did not participate in the study, emphasizes the value of the results because of the large number of vaccinated patients included. He also highlights the irrelevance of the side effects registered: As in the case of other vaccines, the authors talk about the emotional component of getting a vaccine, which can explain some changes in menstruation or bleeding. Even so, Palacios says that it can be criticized that they attribute those changes to emotional effects and not another reaction to the vaccine, related to the immune system. The gynecologist recognizes that menstrual alterations after the vaccine are something that patients mention frequently. He observes, though, that when something unusual happens, like being pregnant or receiving a vaccine, you are more aware of what happens to you, and you may notice changes that normally you would have ignored.

Menstrual irregularities were not included among the factors monitored in the initial vaccine studies or additional follow-up. Studies like this one give more information about the risk of these side effects and how to interpret them. Along the same line, previous studies have discarded the possibility that the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines may produce fertility problems in men and women.

In recent years, debates about coronavirus vaccines have had two major consequences, according to a recent Unicef report for the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The study found a decrease in immunizations in almost all the countries studied. In addition to distrust, the production and distribution difficulties caused by the pandemic are behind the global decrease in vaccination rates.

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This story is part of the May 6 Edition of Good Weekend. See all 21 stories . Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size The first thing that hits you as you walk into A-esques Richmond headquarters is the aroma of leather. Good leather. Soft Italian leather. The kind my grandmother used to hold up to my nose as a child and say, in her thick central European accent: Smell it. They dont make it like this any more. I inhale deeply as A-esque founder Amanda Rettig, dressed head-to-toe in black, flops on one of two sofas  black leather, of course  in the middle of this open-plan warehouse. Were in an inner-Melbourne suburb thats home to designer furniture stores, cocktail bars and the MCG  but these days, thanks to high property prices, very few fashion businesses. The space is divided into zones. At the front, hooks and shelves display bags of different shapes and sizes, from pillowy clutches that fit snugly under an arm to boxy carry-alls that hold everything from a laptop to a sippy-cup. Up the back, metal racks heave with rolls of leather. Theres a bookcase filled with ring binders  one for each style in the A-esque catalogue. And, taking up nearly half the room is the workspace, where a customer can see their bag being made  in real time, if they wish  before taking it home. This hybrid model of manufacturing and retail feels both old and new. It has always been part of Rettigs vision for A-esque, which turned 10 last year, but it took her most of the decade to bring it to fruition. The bags used to be made elsewhere in Richmond before being sent to wholesalers, online customers and the labels three retail stores in Melbourne and Sydney. Inside Melbourne boutique bag brand A-esques Richmond HQ, where its goods are made, displayed and sold, bringing customers closer to the action. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk But during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Rettig decided to close her shops and move everything, retail and manufacturing, into this one, consolidated space. Her aim is to host meet the maker nights and fashion parades here, for both her own and other independent Australian brands. The move reflects global attempts by many labels to bring their customers closer, extending the relationship beyond impersonal transactions that, these days, can be done from the comfort of a customers couch.

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Before our meeting on an unusually warm, windy day in April, Rettig texts to say the atelier is quieter than usual due to the impending Easter break. But as I arrive, its humming: a sewing machine whirs, couriers deliver trolley-loads of leather and Rettig chats to a customer, a woman aged about 30, who is purchasing a small bag. If this is quiet, what does busy look like? Loading Rettig, 52, has spent most of her life in the fashion industry, having founded the Mimco accessories brand in 1996, when she went by her former name, Amanda Briskin. After selling her controlling stake to private equity in 2007 for a reported $30 million, Rettig spent a few years consulting to other labels. If she was going to do another bag brand, she decided, she wanted it to be smaller and quieter than Mimco, with an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship. By the time she launched A-esque in 2012, logomania was massive, with luxury brands plastering their names on everything from bags to sweatshirts. In this sense, her range, which bears no obvious logos or insignia, was something of an outlier. When A-esque started, it was very against the grain in terms of how strong branding was [as a trend], Rettig says. I was pretty confident that it would work. It didnt make sense to me that human beings at large could only want brands that are owned by big fashion houses to define their style and accessories. A-esque customers can see their bag being made  in real time, if they wish  before taking it home. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk Rettigs hunch was right. Over the past decade, bags by small independent brands, bearing little or no branding and often priced in the $500 to $1000 range  the so-called affordable luxury category  have become something of a sleeper hit. They still account for only a tiny slice of the Australian handbag market, which IBISWorld estimates to be worth $480 million annually. That market is dominated by Strandbags, Louis Vuitton and Mimco. Together with Luxottica, owner of Sunglass Hut, that trio accounts for nearly half of all accessories sold in Australia. But the indie maker is an emerging niche, particularly among discerning women interested in more than the latest fad.

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Many younger women, in particular, have gravitated towards brands that eschew logos and other hallmarks of the traditional It bag, attracted in part by the tendency of smaller independent brands to focus on sustainable manufacturing. Even in China, where the market for designer bags is among the strongest globally, the number of locally produced, indie bag brands is growing. Weve created styles that really fit into our customers lives. The majority of them could afford any bag, but its about saying, Im socially aware.  Amanda Rettig Another thing that ties some of these brands together is a welcome return to practicality. These are bags for people who have things to carry and places to go, a contrast to the tiny-bag trend that peaked ahead of the pandemic, when some of the worlds most coveted styles couldnt even fit an iPhone. As further proof of this snap back to utility, in April, global trend forecaster Lyst announced the most trending style of the past quarter: a $20 beige nylon satchel from multinational retailer Uniqlo. Practicality, albeit with a luxurious leaning, drove Wellington-based Jessie Wong to launch her bag business, Yu Mei, in 2015. When Wong, 29, was studying fashion design at Otago Polytechnic in Dunedin, she couldnt find a bag she liked within her budget that fitted her laptop and lunchbox. So she started making them for herself, then for her friends, in the corner of a friends shop. New Zealand bag label Yu Mei is all about practicality and sustainability. Fans include former prime minister Jacinda Ardern, pictured here. Credit:Getty Images In a nod to both sustainability and tactility, most of Yu Meis bags are made from deer leather, a byproduct of New Zealands venison industry, which Wong sends to a factory in China. Wong says deer leather provides the strength of cowhide and the softness of lambskin, while also being lightweight, making it the ideal material for her larger styles, which retail for about $1500. What Wong finds interesting about her customers, who include former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern, is that most of them could easily afford pricier bags, but they choose to carry something less flashy that resonates with their values. Like Rettig, Wong is trying to foster a community through a free membership program that offers access to events at her Auckland and Wellington stores. Weve created styles that really fit into our customers lives, she says. The majority of them could afford any bag, but its about saying, Im socially aware. 

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They [Gen Z] want something thats quality, theres the sustainability factor  knowing where something is made, that it has some inherent value to the product, says Liam Bowden, founder of Deadly Ponies. Credit:Instagram/@deadlyponies Another New Zealand brand with a strong social conscience is Deadly Ponies, which graphic designer Liam Bowden founded in 2005 as a way to teach himself new skills. He began making jewellery and bags in his Auckland garage; the closure of a nearby tannery eventually forced Bowden and his business partner and now-husband Steve Boyd to open their own factory in 2020 in northern Thailand. Loading Deadly Ponies details on its website where it sources each of its materials, from calf leather to mohair. Todays customers want this kind of information, Bowden notes; labels cant afford to treat transparency as an afterthought. Among the companys other initiatives, customers get a $50 store credit for returning their Deadly Ponies bags that are beyond repair, which are then refurbished or stripped down and recycled into other goods, such as beanbags, key fobs or earbud holders. They [Gen Z] want something thats quality, theres the sustainability factor  knowing where something is made, that it has some inherent value to the product, Bowden says. Deadly Ponies recently expanded into shoes, beginning with 15 styles of boots, mules and slides that are made in Portugal and cost between $450 to $800. But not every brand wants to diversify. After expanding Mimco into jewellery, sunglasses and shoes, Rettig is keen for A-esque to remain a bag specialist. A selection of A-esque leather bags. Credit:Peter Tarasiuk Similarly, Bonnie Davis is in the process of paring back her brand, Dylan Kain, which she started 11 years ago with the goal of making functional, elegant bags that look expensive but only cost a few hundred dollars. Manufacturing in Australia proved prohibitively expensive. After pursuing a few options, she settled on China, where workers trained in Italy make the bags, which are then sold online and at department stores. Their branding is tiny, but the bags are identifiable by their silver hardware in the form of the Roman numerals I and II, a reference to Davis and her two sisters, one of whom is champion surfer Stephanie Gilmore. The range started small but over time, it ballooned into an array of colours and shapes that didnt fit the brands ethos, says Davis. Shes in the process of editing the range back to six core styles. For the next five or 10 years, I want to go back to what were known for ... because otherwise, you just end up homogenised with your competitors, she says.

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The builders of a Sydney home that collapsed last month have been banned from working, indefinitely, after authorities cancelled their licence.

Almost a month after the Condell Park home collapsed, with the family inside narrowly escaping injury, Fair Trading NSW cancelled Hemisphere Constructions building licence on Monday.

The collapsed Norman Street residential property in Condell Park. Credit: Kate Geraghty

The companys licence already had conditions applied to it in the days following the collapse, which meant it could not enter into any new contracts as investigations continued. At the time, a spokesperson for Hemisphere said they would work with authorities to investigate the cause of the failure.

We have maintained an excellent track record in construction and this incident is deeply distressing to our staff, contractors and family, they said.
Loading Public schools are not funded enough. Thats the truth of it, Car said, adding the government will bring NSW public schools to 100 per cent of the School Resourcing Standard during the next five-year funding agreement with the federal government. Ive already had a conversation with [federal education minister] Jason Clare about that, she said. As one of the biggest providers of public education in the world we have to lead the way. Her son attends a private school. It was a decision she said she made because we were in one of the suburbs where the government didnt build a school. President of the NSW Secondary Principals Council, Craig Petersen, said while dealing with school staffing was the obvious, immediate challenge, changing the damaged culture of public education was the bigger fight ahead. We need to rebuild confidence in NSW public schools, and trust in the quality of the profession.

One of the first moves the new government made was to sack NSW Education Department boss Georgina Harrisson, a career bureaucrat who was head of NSWs 2200 public school for two years. Her replacement is acting secretary Murat Dizdar, a former garbageman, then school teacher, who was one of the most senior officials in the Department before stepping into his current role. It was a symbolic step to place a former public school teacher and principal in the acting role after seven years under Harrisson and her predecessor former ABC boss Mark Scott. Weve been elected, I think clearly, to make systemic change for most teachers across the board, Car said. That is in terms of their pay and conditions. This is a big change, to have a government that admits to teachers you are not paid enough. That is the truth. State school teachers walked off the job in support of better pay and conditions last May. Credit: Getty The NSW Education Department and the Teachers Federation have begun negotiation on lifting teachers pay, but Car would not be drawn further on the issue.

She also confirmed the new government would dump the previous Coalitions rewarding excellence program, led by education academic John Hattie, which planned to give a selection of top teachers super-salaries. We are not about paying a very small percentage of certain teachers significantly more than others. We will be negotiating to provide greater opportunities for all teachers across the board in salaries, conditions and workload, Car said. Car grew up near Penrith. Her father, Noel Guillaume, who has French and Indian heritage, met her mother Ann when they were working for a bank. Prue Cars year 12 year book; Car and her three-unit English teacher Michele Elborough. She spent her schooling life in the Catholic system, attending Our Lady of the Sacred Way in Emu Plains, and then Caroline Chisholm College in Glenmore Park, where she was school captain and dux.

In an interview with The Catholic Weekly, she said the faith she was brought up on influences me in everything I do, including politics. Her three-unit English teacher, Michele Elborough recalled there were early signs she would be drawn to a political career. Wed be in class discussing Jane Eyre, or Yeats, and conversations would steer towards politics or political ideas. It was quite unusual. Id drive her and her classmates to so many random debating and public speaking competitions around western Sydney on Friday nights  God, thinking about it, Im sure these are things you couldnt do now as a teacher. Elborough said as a student Car was diligent, hard-working. She put a lot of pressure on herself. One day, she hands me this picture of Keating, and Ive kept it ever since. Car, 40, has been in parliament eight years, and in the shadow education portfolio since 2019.

Car on the campaign trail with former NSW Labor leader John Robertson in 2011. Credit: Peter Rae After dropping out of an arts degree at the University of Sydney (she ditched the course after becoming swept up in NSW Young Labor), Car took a job in 2003 at then-NSW premier Bob Carrs office, where he remembers her as a lively, self-motivated recruit. She handled liaison with the backbench, and that was more important than it sounds. I got the impression that her attention to detail would see her rise in the party ranks, he recalls. A stint as a Penrith city councillor was followed by her election to the NSW legislative assembly as the member for Londonderry in 2015. Four years later, she replaced Jihad Dib, a former principal of Punchbowl Boys High, who became famous for turning around the turbulent school, as shadow education minister. In winter last year, in the lead up to the campaign, she was diagnosed with cancer after doctors discovered a rapidly growing tumour in her kidney. After immediate surgery she took two months leave during her recovery, returning in September. One of the key election pledges by the new Minns government was to build a suite of new high schools spanning from Gregory Hills to Schofields.

She blamed previous governments failure to build public high schools in high-growth parts of western Sydney, as one reason parents have abandoned the sector. In my community, where I grew up, governments havent built enough schools. And then parents have often felt forced to send their children to non-government schools because there are precious little options. Around Marsden Park there is no public high school, but there will be now. Loading In opposition Car was also a vocal supporter of the non-government system, declaring herself a big fan of private schools in a meeting of school heads two weeks before the election. One policy idea borrowed from independent schools that the new government took to the election was the promise to make the International Baccalaureate available in state schools, an idea criticised by experts who believe it will undermine the HSC and deepen an already alarming education divide.

Its that divide, and arresting the slump in academic performance in international tests, that is another colossal task for the new government. The incontestable data is that we have gone backwards in results, former premier Bob Carr said, emphasising that turning around academic performance was the main functional policy challenge for Car. You cant persuade me that we cant do better in maths and science and that we are doomed to be outperformed by Singapore. Given the extra resources [governments have] invested we should be busting through any benchmarks. I dont think new programs will excite the interest of the public as much as the demonstrable turn around in school performance, he said. In the past two weeks, Car has announced a number of initiatives including reducing the administration workload on teachers, and starting a review of a controversial behaviour policy brought in during term 4 last year that restricted the length and number of suspensions schools could issue. Were not giving our schools the tools to deal with behaviour, she said. And the implementation of the behaviour policy made it worse. One of the biggest things that teachers do is manage behaviour in a classroom. And the government has to make sure that it doesnt make it more difficult for them to do that.

Loading It is understood Donna Cross, appointed as NSWs behaviour advisor under the Coalition, will stay on, but it is unclear in what capacity. As the Herald revealed this week, the government is also pausing the release of almost 30 syllabuses to allow teachers to focus on the new maths and English curriculum. Car said the government was pressing ahead with a review of almost 200 NSW Education Department policies and programs, from school report cards to excursion forms. There will be no changes to NAPLAN, she confirmed. Our priority at the moment is improving outcomes by getting more teachers in classrooms.
Hamzys business pursuits, the court has heard, include the importation of brand name sneakers from Asia and a fruit that grows year-round in South America. Hes been involved in the distribution of a large quantity of bathroom accessories. He sought an interest in a property development in Burwood, and a $100,000-a-month opportunity to buy a stake in Peruvian nightclubs. Investments in bottled water, agriculture and property in Belize, in Central America, were also on the cards. Hamzys barrister Dennis Stewart argued that his client had only engaged in legitimate business, bringing in money with which he could help pay the legal fees of friends and associates, along with his own. But prosecutors allege Hamzys apparent charity with legal fees was little more than a front to disguise serious criminal activity  where a direction to pay the barrister is code for supplying drugs to a dealer. The Crown case relies heavily on the testimony of two former Brothers 4 Life members, who can be identified only as Witness I and Witness A  and whose evidence, Crown prosecutor Adrian Robertson said in his opening, would be corroborated by intercepted phone calls and text messages, and other police surveillance. Both witnesses are set to receive a sentence reduction for co-operating, provided their evidence is truthful, Robertson told the jury. The court has closed to the public, bar a handful of accredited journalists, for the witnesses testimony.

From Tuesday to Friday, Witness I testified remotely, his face beamed into the room via two large TV screens: one above the dock for the jury to watch; the other positioned opposite, for the benefit of the accused. Witness I told the court he was courted to join Brothers 4 Life via personal phone calls from Hamzy, who initially used a contraband mobile phone to make contact from his cell. Hamzy was making plans around a chapter he wanted to open in Wollongong  meaning a local division of the Brothers 4 Life gang. Witness I said he politely declined to join initially, but on a subsequent call he was wooed by Hamzy telling him we have accountants, we have lawyers, we have many different types of people in Brothers 4 Life and we do legitimate things too. His interest was piqued by talk of construction, which I was more interested in, plans to import a fruit he was saying grew most of the year round from South America, and a venture to import Nike or adidas sneakers from Thailand I dont know if they were real or fake. Ultimately, Witness I said, I joined Brothers 4 Life. But despite his interest in legal business, he quickly became involved in drug supply.

Coded calls Witness I told the court he received directions from Hamzy, whod had his mobile phone taken, by listening in to his phone calls with Churchill. The solicitor would call him and discuss business, then say, Bass is going to call me from jail ... please be quiet and Ill tell him your response. On one such call, of several aired in court, Witness I is heard telling Churchill: I saw the barrister the other day, I gave the barrister another 7000. When Hamzy joins the call from the jail phone, he says hes a little bit confused by how much has been paid to whom, but I know exactly how much [Witness I] paid the barristers ... its my bread and butter. I hope absolutely no ones spoken about my legal fees ... what other people rate for my appeal is no ones business, Hamzy is heard saying.

Loading Witness I told the court that conversations such as this were referring to drug deals, not actual legal fees. The barrister referred to is a drug dealer, paying them means supplying with drugs. Numbers could refer to either actual money, or ounces of drugs. Throughout the witnesss testimony, Hamzy has maintained a business-like composure, frequently plucking post-it notes from a colourful pile on the bench in front of him and passing them to his counsel. During an occasionally heated cross-examination, Stewart repeatedly put to Witness I that youre just making it up. The witness accepted there were inconsistencies in his account of the code used  sometimes $3500 meant an ounce of drugs, while $4000 could mean four ounces  but insisted thats just what happened.
A celestial spectacular will entertain those willing to head outside at 3am on Saturday. The Earths shadow will fall across the moon, causing a lunar eclipse at the same time one of the southern hemispheres brightest meteor showers bursts across the sky.

Hopeful stargazers will shiver, however, as Sydney temperatures plunge to their coldest in six months and snow blankets parts of NSW over the weekend.

A dumping of snow fell on NSWs Perisher ski resort on Wednesday, with more to come this weekend. Credit: Perisher

Friday night will hit lows of 9 degrees, the chilliest night since October. A blast of Antarctic air will dust the Blue Mountains with snow and make Sunday Sydneys coldest day this year, based on Bureau of Meteorology measurements from Observatory Hill, with highs of 18 degrees.

The cold front moving up through South Australia and Victoria is bringing the coldest early May weather in three years to the southern states and will hit NSW by Sunday, Weatherzone meteorologist Maryam Al-Ansari said.
Public prosecutors have dropped 542 charges against a Perth physiotherapist, which had followed one of the states biggest ever public corruption scandals.

Jacob Anthonisz, 45, had been charged over allegations he helped former Department of Communities bureaucrat Paul Whyte steal $27 million in taxpayer money.

Paul Whyte (left) and Jacob Anthonisz (right).

In a Supreme Court hearing on Friday afternoon, prosecutor Michael Cvetkoski confirmed to Justice Joseph McGrath the decision to discontinue every charge.

McGrath was told preparations for the case may have taken another year and a half and the Department of Public Prosecutions decided it was not in the public interest to continue.
The West Australian Supreme Court has heard how three children killed by their mother in the states Pilbara were regularly abused, with one of them telling police they were scared of her hitting them just weeks before their deaths in July last year.

The details were read out in court on Friday as Margaret Hawke was sentenced to three life sentences for the murders of her 10-year-old daughter, seven-year-old son and four-month-old baby in South Hedland last year.

Margaret Hawke was sentenced over the murder of her three children. Credit: Facebook

Hawke will serve the sentences concurrently and will be eligible for parole after 25 years, with Justice Michael Lundberg telling her it was a sad and distressing case.

Lundberg said the case had touched him personally as someone who grew up in Port Hedland and attended the same high school as Hawke.
The Greens and key independent David Pocock say an expected tax hike on gas in Tuesdays federal budget does not go nearly far enough and would barely touch the sector, which raked in more than $90 billion in export earnings last year.

The government has been considering changes to the $2 billion-a-year petroleum resources rent tax (PRRT) on offshore oil and gas projects, and sources who were not authorised to speak publicly have said they could deliver around $3 billion more in tax revenue over four years.

Sources say the government is preparing to raise $3 billion more over the next four years from a tax on offshore gas projects.

Pocock on Friday welcomed reports the government was planning to boost the tax but urged it to go harder.

Australians expect a greater return on the sale of our resources, Pocock said. The government should stop selling our resources on the cheap for foreign-owned companies to send offshore.
Labors red-shirted rank and file will join a coalition of unions to protest against a major container port south of Sydney becoming a nuclear-powered zone under the AUKUS deal.

Representatives from the Electrical Trades Union, Maritime Union of Australia, Australian Services Union and Unions NSW are among those who will on Saturday rally against the possibility of Port Kembla, near Wollongong, becoming a nuclear submarine base.

Unionists (from left) Shane Elliott, Elizabeth Scott, Maurie Mulheron, Sharon Callaghan and Pat Bates are protesting about the proposed nuclear submarine base in Port Kembla, NSW. Credit: Janie Barrett

NSW Electrical Trades Union secretary Allen Hicks, who represents a workforce that would be expected to work on the future fleet, should it be docked at the commercial port, said his members were resolutely opposed to nuclear propelled submarines in Australia.

Electricians and engineers have deep and long-standing health and safety concerns about nuclear technology, said Hicks, who is scheduled to speak at the May Day march.
Leading integrity advocates have censured the NSW Nationals for threatening to involve the corruption watchdog in an upper house brawl, only months after MPs were cautioned against weaponising the ICAC.

As the proposed nomination of Nationals MP Ben Franklin for upper house president triggered threats from his own party executive, the Greens entered the fray on Friday claiming the threat itself could be considered corrupt conduct.

Former minister and Nationals MP Ben Franklin is considering his options after a party room meeting on Thursday. Credit: Edwina Pickles

Revelations Franklin was tapped for the role by close friend Premier Chris Minns sparked panic within the Nationals because the move would give Labor an effective progressive majority in the evenly balanced upper house.

NSW Nationals chair Andrew Fraser later vowed to refer the nomination to the Independent Commission Against Corruption if Franklin were to accept, suggesting it was partial conduct.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, left, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman arrive to the White House for a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris on artificial intelligence, on May 4, 2023, in Washington.

Vice President Kamala Harris met on Thursday with the heads of Google, Microsoft and two other companies developing artificial intelligence as the Biden administration rolls out initiatives meant to ensure the rapidly evolving technology improves lives without putting peoples rights and safety at risk. The Democratic administration announced an investment of $140 million to establish seven new AI research institutes.

In addition, the White House Office of Management and Budget is expected to issue guidance in the next few months on how federal agencies can use AI tools. There is also an independent commitment by top AI developers to participate in a public evaluation of their systems in August at the Las Vegas hacker convention DEF CON.

The Thursday meeting was designed for Harris and administration officials to discuss the risks they see in current AI development with the CEOs of Google, Microsoft and two influential startups they support: Microsoft-backed OpenAI and Google-backed Anthropic. The government leaders message to the companies is that they have a role to play in reducing the risks and that they can work together with the government.

Authorities in the United Kingdom also said Thursday they are looking at the risks associated with AI. Britains competition watchdog said its opening a review of the AI market, focusing on the technology underpinning chatbots like ChatGPT, which was developed by OpenAI.

President Joe Biden noted last month that AI can help to address disease and climate change but also could harm national security and disrupt the economy in destabilizing ways. Biden also stopped by the event Thursday. He has been extensively briefed on ChatGPT, seen how it works and has even experimented with the tool, according to a White House official.

The release of ChatGPT late last year has led to increased debate about AI and the governments role with the technology. The ability of new generative AI tools to produce human-like writing and fake images has added to ethical and societal concerns about automated systems.

Some of the companies, including OpenAI, have been secretive about the data their AI systems have been trained upon. Thats made it harder to understand why a chatbot is producing biased or false answers to requests or to address concerns about whether its stealing from copyrighted works.

Companies worried about being liable for something in their training data might also not have incentives to rigorously track it, said Margaret Mitchell, chief ethics scientist at AI startup Hugging Face.

I think it might not be possible for OpenAI to actually detail all of its training data at a level of detail that would be really useful in terms of some of the concerns around consent and privacy and licensing, Mitchell said in an interview Tuesday. From what I know of tech culture, that just isnt done.

Theoretically, some kind of disclosure law could force AI providers to open up their systems to more third-party scrutiny. But with AI systems being built atop previous models, it wont be easy for companies to provide greater transparency after the fact.

I think its really going to be up to the governments to decide whether this means that you have to trash all the work youve done or not, Mitchell said. Of course, I kind of imagine that at least in the U.S., the decisions will lean towards the corporations and be supportive of the fact that its already been done. It would have such massive ramifications if all these companies had to essentially trash all of this work and start over.

While the White House on Thursday signaled a collaborative approach with the industry, companies that build or use AI are also facing heightened scrutiny from U.S. agencies such as the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces consumer protection and antitrust laws.

The companies also face potentially tighter rules in the European Union, where negotiators are putting the finishing touches on AI regulations first proposed two years ago. The rules could vault the 27-nation bloc to the forefront of the global push to set standards for the technology.

When the EU first drew up its proposal for AI rules in 2021, the focus was on reining in high-risk applications that threaten peoples safety or rights such as live facial scanning or government social scoring systems, which judge people based on their behavior. Chatbots were barely mentioned.

But in a reflection of how fast AI technology has developed, negotiators in Brussels have been scrambling to update their proposals to take into account general purpose AI systems. Provisions added to the bill would require so-called foundation AI models to disclose copyright material used to train the systems, according to a recent partial draft of the legislation obtained by The Associated Press.

Foundation models are a sub-category of general purpose AI that includes systems like ChatGPT. Their algorithms are trained on vast pools of data.

A European Parliament committee is due to vote next week on the bill, but it could be years before the AI Act takes effect.

Elsewhere in Europe, Italy temporarily banned ChatGPT over a breach of stringent European privacy rules, and the European Data Protection Board set up an AI task force, in a possible initial step to draw up common AI privacy rules.

In the U.S., putting AI systems up for public inspection at the DEF CON hacker conference could be a novel way to test risks, though the one-time event might not be as thorough as a prolonged audit, said Heather Frase, a senior fellow at Georgetown Universitys Center for Security and Emerging Technology.

Along with Google, Microsoft, OpenAI and Anthropic, companies that the White House says have agreed to participate include Hugging Face, chipmaker Nvidia and Stability AI, known for its image-generator Stable Diffusion.

This would be a way for very skilled and creative people to do it in one kind of big burst, Frase said.

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Bossi is the much-anticipated restaurant sidekick to Deli di Bossi, an upscale delicatessen thats been a hit with Aucklanders since it opened last year. Located a gnocchis throw along the same street, Bossi is a more sophisticated affair, with a sweeping marble-topped bar, cosy booths and a striking Italian fresco. The two venues share the same culinary philosophy  traditional Italian dishes prepared using the best local ingredients. Expect innovative twists on the classics, such as ravioli stuffed with osso buco and a creamy polenta with Italian sausage ragu. Dessert fans are especially blessed  the tiramisu and limoncello-soaked baba sponge are divine. See bossi.co.nz

ALMA

Looking for an authentic taste of southern Spain without the hefty airfare? Head to Alma, a stylish eatery on Quay Street in Aucklands buzzy Britomart precinct. Inspired by the food and culture of Andalusia, the restaurants secret weapon is a large open flame grill, which it uses to create the charred, smoky flavours for which the region is famous. Kick off with bite-sized tostadas of sweetcorn and smoked feta then move onto flavoursome pork pinchitos and chargrilled chicken thighs with harissa. And for dessert? Pair the baked cheesecake with a knockout espresso martini. See alma.nz

BIVACCO

Often when a restaurant tries to be all things to all people, it ends up delighting no one. Bivacco is a rare exception. Occupying a prime waterfront spot in Viaduct Harbour, the Italian eatery can do long, lazy lunches; snacky, pre-dinner drinks and indulgent multi-course dinners. The menu has everything from kid-friendly woodfired pizzas and delicate antipasti (dont miss the truffle-infused carpaccio) to hearty handmade pastas and chilled seafood medleys. Our tip? Secure a spot on the sun-soaked verandah during aperitivo hour (weekdays, 4-6pm) and enjoy drink specials and complimentary bites. See savor.co.nz/bivacco
As the day approached he had to be wined and dined by various colleagues and friends who said, Come on, you know you can do this. The son of an Anglican vicar, McKie was born in Collingwood and educated at Melbourne Grammar, before going on to study the organ at the Royal College of Music in London. Loading He was appointed to the Abbey in 1941 and took up his post in 1946 after returning from war service in the RAF Volunteer Reserve. McKie was influential in rebuilding Westminster Abbeys musical tradition. In the same year, he arranged the music for the wedding of the then Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip and composed his motet We wait for thy loving kindness, O God for the ceremony.

In a letter dated February 1953, Ralph Vaughan Williams, among the best-known British composers of the 20th century, wrote to McKie in an attempt to include a hymn - The Old Hundred (All people that on earth do dwell) - with which the congregation could join in. I do not think the fanfare at the beginning and end will upset the congregation, but if you still think, so I will cut them out, Vaughan Williams wrote. A scene from Queen Elizabeths coronation in 1952. Credit: AP I should like all the extra fanfare trumpets to play in the introduction and before the last verse. Could you tell me the size and composition of your orchestra and then when you have approved this (if you do) I will start scoring it. Wilkinson, then 12, remembered McKie as a very arresting character; tall, with a jutting chin, who, even on relatively informal occasions would wear pin-striped trousers and a black jacket.

He recalled the organisation of the coronation as a massive project. It went on for six months and the normal seating was increased from 2000 to about 8000. He said away from the noise of the building work, rehearsals began in earnest, climaxing in the main rehearsal just a couple of days before the coronation itself. Loading Wilkinson recalled the climactic moment when Elizabeth was crowned and the whole congregation shouted, God save the Queen, long live the Queen.

Indian princes dressed in gold and silks and highly coloured costumes and turbans, and the peers in their crimson robes trimmed with white ermine fur, he said. McKie was lauded for interspersing contemporary compositions with older works steeped in the traditions of coronations past. It proved the high point of his career. On the day before the event, he received a knighthood in the Queens Coronation Honours in recognition of his great musical contribution to the Commonwealth. It made him a star at home too. In September of that year he returned home to Melbourne for the first time in 15 years. A brief item appeared The Sydney Morning Herald, announcing the Melbourne-born organist, who selected, directed and conducted the music for Queen Elizabeths coronation, had come to Australia to help raise 1 million for the restoration of the abbey by giving organ recitals in the Anglican cathedrals of all state capital. Australian author and historian Geoffrey Dutton once recalled that, while McKie was a perfectionist, there was also a lot of fun in him.
Although Hunter kept a low profile during the 2020 presidential campaign  when he had spiralled into a battle with addiction and became a focal point of Republican attacks  he has taken on a more public and assertive role recently. He has appeared with his father at events including the state dinner for French President Emmanuel Macron and the Kennedy Centre Honours, and was by the presidents side at nearly every stop last month during a trip to Ireland, their ancestral homeland. Stand up, guys, the president said at one stop, asking his son and his sister to rise and be recognised. Im proud of you. Joe Biden is sworn in as president on January 20, 2021, as wife Jill, daughter Ashley and Hunter watch. Credit: AP The Washington Post reported last year that federal agents had concluded they had enough evidence to charge Hunter with tax crimes and making a false statement related to a gun purchase. But it is ultimately up to prosecutors at the Justice Department, not agents, to decide whether to file charges; prosecutors generally do so if they think the evidence is likely to lead to a conviction at trial. The investigation into Hunter began in 2018 and centred on his finances related to overseas business ties and consulting work. Over time, investigators shifted their focus to whether he failed to report all his income and whether he lied on a form for a gun purchase by denying that he was a drug abuser.

Hunters own memoir, Beautiful Things, recounts in detail his long battle with drug addiction, saying that for stretches of 2018, he smoked crack every 15 minutes. Of key interest to prosecutors is his purchase of a handgun in October of that year  at a time when, by his own account, he was using drugs. He filled out a federal form related to the purchase in which he allegedly answered no to whether he was an unlawful user of, or addicted to, marijuana or any depressant, stimulant, narcotic drug, or any other controlled substance. Loading Prosecutions for false statements on gun-purchase forms are relatively rare, but they do happen. Federal agents refer to such cases as lying and buying. Historically, prosecutors have significant discretion to decide which ones are worth federal resources. When then-president Donald Trump ran for re-election in 2020, facing off against Democrat Joe Biden, he made allegations of wrongdoing against Hunter a centrepiece of his campaign. At the height of the campaign, Trump allies revealed that the owner of a Delaware computer shop had turned over to the FBI a laptop that had apparently belonged to Hunter Biden. Trump and others argued that data on the laptop showed evidence of unethical and possible illegal business deals. Joe Biden and his supporters denounced the efforts as a smear. Last year, The Post reported that two computer security experts had reviewed nearly 129,000 emails purportedly from Hunter Bidens computer and determined, based on cryptography signatures from Google and other technology companies, that at least 22,000 could be authenticated. The Post has not been able to learn whether the laptop and its contents have been useful in the Justice Department investigation.

Republicans have long called for Garland to appoint a special counsel to handle the Hunter investigation, saying that such an appointment would help keep the probe insulated from political pressure. Loading But Garland did not do so, saying such a step was not necessary since Weiss was a career federal prosecutor tapped by Trump to serve as a US attorney. In the early days of the Biden administration, a Justice Department official said removing Weiss as US attorney would probably spark significant political backlash as he was overseeing the Hunter Biden case. Republican calls for a special counsel only intensified after Garland appointed a special counsel in November to take over the departments investigations into whether Trump mishandled classified material at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida after his presidency, and whether he or his advisers broke the law in trying to overturn the 2020 election results. The attorney-general has said he named a special counsel for the Trump probes because Trump had launched his 2024 presidential campaign and Joe Biden  who has since declared his candidacy  was expected to seek re-election as well. Garland also appointed a different special counsel to investigate the discovery of classified documents at Bidens Delaware home and at an office he used after his vice presidency.

Questions about the younger Bidens foreign business ventures have long dogged his fathers political life. Trump and his Republican Party allies specifically cite as ethical conflicts Hunters past work for a Ukrainian gas company while his father was vice president, as well as his China-related business affairs. In a July 2019 phone call, Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to investigate both Joe and Hunter Biden  part of a pressure campaign that led to the first of Trumps two impeachment trials in Congress. Loading In December 2020, federal agents sought to interview the younger Biden, leading him to publicly acknowledge that he was under investigation. I take this matter very seriously but I am confident that a professional and objective review of these matters will demonstrate that I handled my affairs legally and appropriately, including with the benefit of professional tax advisers, Hunter said in a statement at that time. His allies point out that he has paid any owed taxes, in part by using some $US2 million (nearly $3 million) provided by Kevin Morris, a Hollywood lawyer and novelist who befriended him in 2019. The legal and political focus on Hunter Biden has been intensifying recently, with the new Republican majority in Congress launching its own investigations into his business dealings. He also was ordered to appear earlier this week in an Arkansas courtroom in an ongoing case between him and the mother of a four-year-old child they had together. His lawyers, citing a substantial material change in his income, have been trying to lower child support payments that they say for years have been $US20,000 per month.

Last month, an IRS (tax office) agent who has been working on the tax case asked for whistleblower protection to testify to Congress about what he asserts is political interference and improper handling of the case by the Biden administration. Loading Mark Lytle, a lawyer for the unnamed IRS criminal supervisory special agent, sent a letter to Congress saying the agent would like to give information to lawmakers that substantiates his allegations of undue influence. Despite serious risks of retaliation, my client is offering to provide you with information necessary to exercise your constitutional oversight function and wishes to make the disclosures in a non-partisan manner to the leadership of the relevant committees on both sides of the political aisle, Lytle wrote to top lawmakers on several House and Senate committees. After years of trying to avoid the spotlight, Hunter Biden has started to take a more combative posture towards Republican lawmakers and other accusers. Earlier this year, a newly refashioned legal team sent cease-and-desist letters, filed countersuits and issued criminal referral letters against some of his most aggressive critics. The Washington Post
PHILIPSBURG:--- Le Sommet Foundation announces new Craft and Farmers Market dates at the Wifold Building in Philipsburg. President of Le Sommet Foundation, Mr. Fabio Doralice, and his team have been hard at work organizing this event, and the new dates are May 13th & 27th, June 10th & 24th, and July 8th & 22nd. The Craft and Farmers Market is part one of a three-part project aimed at promoting sustainable agriculture in Sint Maarten.



Following the launch, We will seek to engage the schools, there are two ways we wish to approach this. First, we will seek a partnership agreement with technical schools like Nipa and others, more details will be announced soon. Secondly, we shall seek to adopt a primary school and help develop a sustainable agricultural program.



The third part of this project will be a systemic approach that will help establish a Farmers Association. This association will provide technical support, training programs, and market linkages to farmers. The association will also act as a platform to provide financial support mechanisms to farmers, such as access to credit facilities, insurance, and subsidies. By providing comprehensive support to farmers, we can help improve their livelihoods, increase their productivity, and contribute to the overall growth of the agriculture sector.



"We are excited to launch the Craft and Farmers Market pilot program as part our the development plan for sustainable agriculture in Sint Maarten, This initiative is a step towards building a stronger and more resilient agricultural community.



All interested farmers and crafters are invited to the final meeting on Monday, May 8th, at the Wifold Building at 7 pm. Vendors are encouraged to register for the market. They can pass by our office at the Wifold Building in Philipsburg, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or call or WhatsApp us at +17215268232 or +1721-5236353.



continue to follow our social pages for updates.

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Osisko Development reports 2022 drill results at Trixie, including: 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m and 36.81 g/t Au and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m

Osisko Development Corp. (NYSE: ODV, TSXV: ODV) (\Osisko Development\ or the \Company\  https://www.commodity-tv.com/ondemand/companies/profil/osisko-development-corp/) is pleased to announce underground diamond drilling (\DD\) results as part of its ongoing exploration program at its 100%-owned Trixie test mine (\Trixie\), within the Company\-s wider Tintic Project (\Tintic\ or the \Tintic Project\), located in the historic East Tintic Mining District in central Utah, U.S.A.

Chris Lodder, President of Osisko Development, commented, \These drill results from the 2022 underground diamond drilling campaign continue to showcase the continuity of the high-grade mineralization within the T2 structure and wider zones of mineralization within the T4 stockwork zone. Our current underground drill program is building upon these results and this work is expected to support a future update to the existing Trixie mineral resource estimate.\

DRILL ASSAY HIGHLIGHTS

This news release includes assays from 8 DD holes (refer to Table 1). Select assay highlights include:

50 grams per tonne (\g/t\) gold (\Au\) and 220.00 g/t silver (\ Ag \) over 0.52 meters (\ m \) in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (\ oz/t \) Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (\ ft. \)

and 220.00 g/t silver (\ \) over 0.52 meters (\ \) in hole TUG-625-034 (3.75 troy ounces per short ton (\ \) Au and 6.42 oz/t Ag over 1.70 feet (\ \) 63 g/t Au and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.)

and 175.81 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.51 oz/t Au and 5.13 oz/t Ag over 13.00 ft.) 51 g/t Au and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.)

and 50.19 g/t Ag over 5.79 m in hole TUG-625-034 (0.22 oz/t Au and 1.46 oz/t Ag over 19.00 ft.) 81 g/t Au and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 50 g/t Au and 65.00 g/t Ag over 0.61 m (3.92 oz/t Au and 1.90 oz/t Ag over 2.00 ft.)

and 30.89 g/t Ag over 3.35 m in hole TUG-625-036 (1.07 oz/t Au and 0.90 oz/t Ag over 11.00 ft.) including 88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m (4.49 oz/t Au and 11.58 oz/t Ag over 1.50 ft.)

and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m in hole TUG-625-037 (0.61 oz/t Au and 1.31 oz/t Ag over 18.50 ft.) including 27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 50 g/t Au and 177.00 g/t Ag over 0.91 m (3.08 oz/t Au and 5.16 oz/t Ag over 3.00 ft.)

and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 (1.55 oz/t Au and 2.63 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) including 40 g/t Au and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.)

and 301.00 g/t Ag over 0.73 m in hole TUG-625-085 (2.46 oz/t Au and 8.78 oz/t Ag over 2.40 ft.) 61 g/t Au and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.)

and 163.56 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-085 (0.46 oz/t Au and 4.77 oz/t Ag over 8.00 ft.) 78 g/t Au and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.)

and 38.15 g/t Ag over 3.96 m in hole TUG-625-094 (0.31 oz/t Au and 1.11 oz/t Ag over 13.0 ft.) 50 g/t Au and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.)

and 246.00 g/t Ag over 0.76 m in hole TUG-625-094 (1.68 oz/t Au and 7.18 oz/t Ag over 2.50 ft.) 80 g/t Au and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.)

and 106.00 g/t Ag over 0.64 m in hole TUG-625-100 (2.30 oz/t Au and 3.09 oz/t Ag over 2.10 ft.) 10 g/t Au and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.)

and 69.90 g/t Ag over 1.37 m in hole TUG-625-100 (1.23 oz/t Au and 2.04 oz/t Ag over 4.50 ft.) 86 g/t Au and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.)

and 60.26 g/t Ag over 4.54 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.49 oz/t Au and 1.76 oz/t Ag over 14.90 ft.) 80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (0.90 oz/t Au and 3.33 oz/t Ag over 7.40 ft.)

DRILL SUMMARY

The high-grade intercepts disclosed in this news release are located within the T2 structure and T4 stockwork in the central and southern areas of the current Trixie Mineral Resource Estimate (\ Trixie MRE \) (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE.

\) (see Figure 2). These drilling results will provide valuable infill data in order to improve our understanding and the confidence level of the mineralized zones defined in the Trixie MRE. The T2 structure continues to intersect high-grade mineralization including 53.27 g/t Au and 90.24 g/t Ag over 2.44 m in hole TUG-625-037 and 30.80 g/t Au and 114.00 g/t Ag over 2.26 m in hole TUG-625-100 (see Figure 3).

The T4 stockwork zone returned several anomalous intervals, displaying both high-grade structures analogous to the T2 structure and wider mineralized zones as seen in hole TUG-625-037 that intersected 20.88 g/t Au and 45.08 g/t Ag over 5.64 m and 42.00 g/t Au and 60.40 g/t Ag over 0.76 m (including 154.00 g/t Au and 397.00 g/t Ag over 0.46 m).

EXPLORATION NEXT STEPS

The Company currently has two underground diamond drill rigs in operation at Trixie conducting exploration activities.

Follow up exploration targets include drill testing of the contact beneath the Ophir Shale cap rock, where mineralization appears to be concentrated, as well as testing the 75-85 structure at depth.

In 2022, the Company completed 28 surface reverse circulation (\RC\) drill holes near Trixie totalling approximately 8,753 m (28,718 ft.) and 66 underground DD holes in the 625 level at Trixie totalling approximately 2,985 m (9,796 ft.). To date, assays have been received for 8 RC drill holes and 64 DD holes.

About Trixie

The Trixie test mine is one of several gold and base metal targets within the larger Tintic Project consisting of >17,000 acres of patented mining claims and mineral leases within the historic East Tintic Mining District of Central Utah, U.S.A. The T2 and T4 structures at Trixie show multi-ounce gold grades associated with high sulphidation epithermal mineralization, structurally controlled and hosted within quartzites. The T2 structure mineralization consists of native Au, and rare Au-Ag a rich telluride minerals with quartz. The T4 is a mineralized stockwork zone is located in the hanging wall of the T2 and is comprised of Au-Ag rich mineralization in host rock quartzite with quartz-barite-sulphosalt stockwork veining. Mineralization reports consistent multi-ounce gold grades along the entire strike length.

Information relating to the Tintic Project and the Trixie MRE is supported by the technical report titled \NI 43-101 Technical Report, Initial Mineral Resource Estimate for the Trixie Deposit, Tintic Project, Utah, United States of America\, dated January 27, 2023 (with an effective date of January 10, 2023) prepared for the Company by independent representatives of Micon International Limited (the \Tintic Technical Report\). Reference should be made to the full text of the Tintic Technical Report, which was prepared in accordance with National Instrument 43-101 a Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (\NI 43-101\) and is available electronically on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on EDGAR (www.sec.gov) under Osisko Development\-s issuer profile and on the Company\-s website at www.osiskodev.com.

Qualified Persons

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Maggie Layman, P.Geo., Vice President, Exploration of Osisko Development, and a \qualified person\ within the meaning of NI 43-101.

Quality Assurance (QA) a Quality Control (QC)

True width determination is estimated to be approximately 0.3 m to 2.4 m (1 to 8 ft.) wide for the T2 structure and approximately 3 m to 25 m (10 to 80 ft.) for the T4 mineralized stockwork zone located in the hanging wall of the T2 structure. All drill core and exploration samples are dispatched to ALS Laboratory for offsite sample preparation and analysis. Samples are assigned a unique sample ID. All geological and sampling information is entered into Datamine Fusion database. Core is sawn in half and half are sampled. Certified standards and blanks inserted into all sample dispatches. Samples are collected by Old Dominion Transportation and dispatched to ALS Laboratory in Reno, NV. Sample submission forms accompany the samples, and digital copies emailed to ALS.

All sample preparation is completed by ALS, including crushing and pulverizing (Prep31) of samples. Analytical assays include gold and silver by fire assay of 50 g sample with AAS finish (Au-AA26), over limits by gravimetric analysis (Au-Grav22). Multi element analysis is by four acid digest (ME-MS61). The pulps are returned to Osisko Development and coarse rejects are disposed after 90 days. Assays are reported to Osisko Development, and then loaded into Datamine Fusion, QA/QC samples are checked, and assays merged with sample information for future reporting.

About Osisko Development Corp.

Osisko Development Corp. is a premier North American gold development company focused on high-quality past-producing properties located in mining friendly jurisdictions with district scale potential. The Company\-s objective is to become an intermediate gold producer by advancing its 100%-owned Cariboo Gold Project, located in central BC, Canada, the Tintic Project in the historic East Tintic mining district in Utah, U.S.A., and the San Antonio Gold Project in Sonora, Mexico. In addition to considerable brownfield exploration potential of these properties, that benefit from significant historical mining data, existing infrastructure and access to skilled labour, the Company\-s project pipeline is complemented by other prospective exploration properties. The Company\-s strategy is to develop attractive, long-life, socially and environmentally sustainable mining assets, while minimizing exposure to development risk and growing mineral resources.

For further information, please contact Osisko Development Corp.:

Sean Roosen

Chairman and CEO

Email:A sroosen@osiskodev.com

Tel: +1 (514) 940-0685

Philip Rabenok

Director, Investor Relations

Email: prabenok@osiskodev.com

Tel: +1 (437) 423-3644

In Europe:

Swiss Resource Capital AG

Jochen Staiger

info@resource-capital.ch

www.resource-capital.ch

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

Cautionary Statement Regarding Test Mining Without Feasibility Study

The Company cautions that the decision to commence small-scale underground mining activities and batch vat leaching at the Trixie test mine has been made without the benefit of a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves, demonstrating economic and technical viability, and, as a result there may be increased uncertainty of achieving any particular level of recovery of material or the cost of such recovery. The Company cautions that historically, such projects have a much higher risk of economic and technical failure. Small scale test-mining at Trixie was suspended in December 2022, if and when test mining re-commences there is no guarantee that production will continue as anticipated or at all or that anticipated production costs will be achieved. The failure to continue production may have a material adverse impact on the Company\-s ability to generate revenue and cash flow to fund operations. Failure to achieve the anticipated production costs may have a material adverse impact on the Company\-s cash flow and potential profitability. In continuing current operations at Trixie after closing, the Company will not be basing its decision to continue such operations on a feasibility study, or reported mineral resources or mineral reserves demonstrating economic and technical viability. The Company cautions that mining at Trixie could be suspended at any time.

Cautionary Statement to U.S. Investors

The Company is subject to the reporting requirements of the applicable Canadian securities laws, and as a result reports information regarding mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, in accordance with Canadian reporting requirements, which are governed by NI 43-101. As such, such information concerning mineral properties, mineralization and estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources, including the information in the Technical Reports, the Financial Statements, MD&A and this news release, is not comparable to similar information made public by U.S. companies subject to the reporting and disclosure requirements of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (\SEC\).

CAUTION REGARDING FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this news release may be deemed \forward-looking statements\ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and \forward-looking information\ within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. These forward?looking statements, by their nature, require Osisko Development to make certain assumptions and necessarily involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in these forward?looking statements. Forward?looking statements are not guarantees of performance. Words such as \may\, \will\, \would\, \could\, \expect\, \believe\, \plan\, \anticipate\, \intend\, \estimate\, \continue\, or the negative or comparable terminology, as well as terms usually used in the future and the conditional, are intended to identify forward?looking statements. Information contained in forward?looking statements is based upon certain material assumptions that were applied in drawing a conclusion or making a forecast or projection, including management\-s perceptions of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments; the utility and significance of historic data, including the significance of the district hosting past producing mines; future mining activities; the unique mineralization at Trixie; the potential of high grade gold mineralization on Trixie; the results (if any) of further exploration work to define and expand mineral resources; the ability of exploration work (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization; the ability to generate additional drill targets; the ability of management to understand the geology and potential of Trixie; the ability of the Company to expand mineral resources beyond current mineral resource estimates at Trixie; the timing and ability of the Company to complete upgrades to the Trixie MRE (or any subsequent MRE) (if at all); the timing and resumption of test mining activities at Trixie; the information and the scope of the contemplated Trixie MRE (and any subsequent MRE); the impact of the Trixie MRE; the ability of the Company to complete its exploration objectives in 2023 in the timing contemplated (if at all); the ongoing advancement of the Trixie decline; the deposit remaining open for expansion at depth and down plunge; the ability to realize upon any mineralization in a manner that is economic; as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances, and any other information herein that is not a historical fact may be \forward looking information\. Material assumptions also include, management\-s perceptions of historical trends, the ability of exploration (including drilling) to accurately predict mineralization, budget constraints and access to capital on terms acceptable to the Company, current conditions and expected future developments, results of further exploration work to define or expand any mineral resources, as well as other considerations that are believed to be appropriate in the circumstances. Osisko Development considers its assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available, but cautions the reader that their assumptions regarding future events, many of which are beyond the control of Osisko Development, may ultimately prove to be incorrect since they are subject to risks and uncertainties that affect Osisko Development and its business. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, risks relating to capital market conditions and the Company\-s ability to access capital on terms acceptable to the Company for the contemplated exploration and development at Tintic; the ability to continue current operations and exploration; regulatory framework and presence of laws and regulations that may impose restrictions on mining; the ability of exploration activities (including drill results) to accurately predict mineralization; errors in management\-s geological modelling; the ability to expand operations or complete further exploration activities, including drilling; property and stream interests in the Tintic Project; the ability of the Company to obtain required approvals and permits; the results of exploration activities; risks relating to exploration, development and mining activities; the global economic climate; metal and commodity prices; fluctuations in the currency markets; dilution; environmental risks; and community, non-governmental and governmental actions and the impact of stakeholder actions. Readers are urged to consult the disclosure provided under the heading \Risk Factors\ in the Company\-s annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, as well as the Financial Statements and MD&A for the year ended December 31, 2022, which have been filed on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) under Osisko Development\-s issuer profile and on the SEC\-s EDGAR website (www.sec.gov), for further information regarding the risks and other factors applicable to the exploration results. Although the Company\-s believes the expectations conveyed by the forward-looking statements are reasonable based on information available as of the date hereof, no assurances can be given as to future results, levels of activity and achievements. The Company disclaims any obligation to update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, except as required by law. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance and there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein.
The screen at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans honors Tyre Nichols before an NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Washington Wizards, Jan. 28, 2023.

Tyre Nichols died of blunt force injuries to the head after he was beaten by Memphis police during a January arrest, an autopsy report released Thursday showed. The autopsy said the manner of death was homicide. It described multiple contusions, brain injuries, cuts and bruises to the head and other parts of the body.

Nichols was Black, as were the five police officers fired and charged with second-degree murder and other counts after his death. They pleaded not guilty Feb. 17.

Nichols was stopped by police Jan. 7 for an alleged traffic violation and was aggressively pulled out of his car by officers. An officer shot at Nichols with a stun gun, but Nichols ran away toward his nearby home, according to video footage released by the city of Memphis and other police records.

Officers who were part of a crime-suppression team known as Scorpion caught up with Nichols and punched him, kicked him and slugged him with a baton as he yelled for his mother.

After the beating, officers stood by and talked with one another as Nichols struggled with his injuries while he was on the ground, video showed. One officer also took photos of Nichols as he was propped up against an unmarked police car, video and other records showed.

Nichols was taken to a hospital in an ambulance that left the site of the beating 27 minutes after emergency medical technicians arrived, authorities said.

Nichols, 29, died three days later. His funeral was held Feb. 1.

Police said Nichols had been suspected of reckless driving, but no verified evidence of a traffic violation has emerged in public documents or in video footage, and Memphis Police Chief Cerelyn CJ Davis has said she has seen no evidence justifying the stop or the officers response. She disbanded the Scorpion unit after Nichols death.

In addition to the five Black officers fired and charged with murder, one white officer who was involved in the initial traffic stop has been fired. That officer will not face charges for his role in Nichols death. Another officer who has not been identified also has been fired. An additional officer retired before he could be fired.

Three Memphis Fire Department employees who were at the site of the arrest have been fired. Two Shelby County sheriffs deputies who were there were also suspended.

Nichols family, their lawyers, community leaders and activists have called for changes within the Memphis Police Department concerning issues related to traffic stops, use of force, improving transparency and other policies. The city council has passed an ordinance ending traffic stops based solely on a single secondary violation, such as an improperly places license tag.

Nichols mother has filed a $550 million federal lawsuit against the city, the police department and police chief Cerelyn CJ Davis. The city has declined comment on the lawsuit.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky gestures as he leaves the International Criminal Court in The Hague, on May 4, 2023, as part of his first visit to the Netherlands.

Ukraine and Russia pressed their wartime rhetoric Thursday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressing confidence that Vladimir Putin would be convicted of war crimes, and the Kremlin alleging that the U.S. was behind what it called an assassination attempt against the Russian president.

The countries leaders have personally attacked each other multiple times during the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. The latest flare-up came Wednesday, with Russias claim that Ukraine had attacked the Kremlin in Moscow with drones meant to assassinate Putin.

Zelensky denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for the purported drone attack. The Kremlin promised unspecified retaliation for what it termed a terrorist act, and pro-Kremlin figures called for the assassinations of senior Ukraine leaders.

Uncertainty still surrounds exactly what happened in the purported attack.

Putins spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of involvement. To generate domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia through its help for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington.

And then Kyiv does what its told to do, Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as ludicrous. Zelensky, in the Netherlands, said he was not interested in the Kremlins opinion.

U.S. intelligence officials are still trying to determine who was behind the drone incident and are exploring various possibilities, including a false flag operation by Russia or that a fringe group with sympathies for Ukraine could have been involved, according to a U.S. official. But the official, who spoke Thursday on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said intelligence officials dont yet have any definitive answers.

The official added that the Biden administration certainly would not support the strike against Mr. Putin.

Zelenskys top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed Thursday that Russia had staged the alleged drone attack. He cited the delay in Russian state media reporting it and simultaneous video from different angles that appeared to show the aftermath of the alleged 2:30 a.m. attack.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging.

Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilization, the think tank said.

Given recent Russian moves to bolster security, its extremely unlikely that two drones could have penetrated multiple layers of air defense and detonated or been shot down just over the heart of the Kremlin in a way that provided spectacular imagery caught nicely on camera, the ISW stated.

In The Hague, where the International Criminal Court is based, Zelensky urged the global community to hold Putin accountable and told the ICC judges that Russias leader deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law.

In March, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. It was the first time the global court circulated a warrant for a leader of one of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members.

Zelenskys visit to the Netherlands came a day after he went to Finland, which doubled the size of NATOs border with Russia when it joined the military alliance last month, largely out of its concerns about Moscows long-term ambitions.

The Ukrainian president also used his trip to press the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands to send advanced warplanes, so his country can achieve justice on the battlefield. Zelensky has successfully assembled significant Western military and political support for Ukraines defense since the war began.

Zelensky traveled in a Dutch-supplied plane and an armored car, with security kept tight at his appearances. Next week, he is expected to go to Berlin, the capital of European Union economic powerhouse Germany, in the latest display of the Western might marshaled against Putin.

Zelenskys trips have paid dividends. After traveling to Washington last December and then London, Paris and Brussels in February, Ukraine received heavy artillery and tanks.

But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court, which puts individuals on trial for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and aggression, doesnt have a police force to execute its warrants. The Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICCs 123 member nations, which are under obligation to arrest him, if they can.

On the battlefield, Ukraines military said that three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had for Moscow and for the Kremlin written on them, seemingly implying they were sent in retaliation for the reported strike on the Kremlin.

Ukraines capital, Kyiv was the target of an air attack for the third time in four days  once Thursday morning, then a second time at night. Kyivs air defense systems downed a drone in the central Pecherskyi district, sparking a fire in a four-story building, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. People sheltered in underground tunnels beneath Kyivs Maidan Square as air raid sirens wailed. Two defensive missiles streaked across the evening sky, and a loud explosion was heard. No casualties were immediately reported.

In Russia, drones hit two oil facilities in southern regions of the country near Ukraine in what appeared to be a series of attacks on fuel depots behind enemy lines, Russian media reported Thursday.

Four drones struck an oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, which borders the Russia-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing law enforcement sources. Another facility was reportedly hit in the Rostov region.

The Netherlands has been a strong supporter of the Ukrainian war effort. Prime Minister Mark Ruttes government has promised 14 modern Leopard 2 tanks it is buying together with Denmark. They are expected to be delivered next year.

The Netherlands also joined forces with Germany and Denmark to buy at least 100 older Leopard 1 tanks for Ukraine.

In addition, the Dutch government sent two Patriot air defense missile systems, promised two naval minehunter ships and sent military forensic experts to Ukraine to assist with war crime investigations.

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The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) is an uncrewed spacecraft currently orbiting and studying the moon

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has studied the moon up close since its launch in 2009 and continues to do so to this day.

When LRO launched, its mission planners intended the mission to last two years, with a primary goal of producing a 3D map of the moon 's surface, according to NASA . Instead, LRO has lasted well over a decade  and its lifespan is far from over.

The mission particularly focuses on the moon's poles to search for water or ice thought to exist there.

Related: How far is the moon from Earth?

What is the LRO?

As its name indicates, LRO is an uncrewed lunar orbiter.

LRO launched on June 18, 2009 . It arrived in lunar orbit five days later and settled into its final orbit by September. When it launched, LRO was NASA's first lunar orbiter since Lunar Prospector in 1998. LRO was launched as an initial step and support for NASA's Constellation program, which planned to put humans on the moon by 2020.

Unfortunately, budget cuts meant that Constellation did not materialize. Still, LRO orbited on, evolving into a more dedicated science mission.

But NASA's priorities continued to shift. Now, LRO has found new life as a forward scout for the Artemis program , NASA's project to return humans to the moon's surface

Where is the LRO?

LRO lives in a circular orbit, roughly 31 miles (50 kilometers) above the lunar surface, according to NASA. When it reached the moon in 2009, this was the closest to the moon that any orbiter had come. The probe takes roughly two Earth hours to complete one full orbit.

The orbit takes LRO over the lunar poles, where interest in human habitation is highest . The orbit slowly processes around the moon such that LRO flies over a specific location about twice an Earth month.

You can see where the LRO is with NASA's live LRO tracker . Arizona State University's website also updates LRO's position every five minutes.

What is the LRO's purpose?

LRO came to the moon with two chief purposes: Studying the moon for scientists and surveying the moon for future missions. LRO carries a toolbox of several instruments that it can use to map the moon's surface , probe the layers just underneath, search for volatiles like water, and test how humans will fare in the moon's surrounding space.

Related: Amazing moon photos from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

Scientists can use LRO's data to better understand the moon's surface environment in far greater detail than they could with any mission before. They want to use it to understand the moon's history and composition: everything from the water ice that might lie under the surface to the volcanic activity that might have shaped the moon in its past, according to NASA.

Meanwhile, mission planners on Earth can rely on LRO's data. They can use LRO's maps to select landing sites or find promising spots for longer-term habitation, such as points with access to subsurface water. LRO data was used to help choose a landing site (opens in new tab) for NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, mission. VIPER is part of NASA's Artemis Program and is currently scheduled to launch late 2024 (opens in new tab). The rover needs to be able to stay in contact with Earth while also exploring craters to study water ice, the mission team members were able to use extensive mapping data from LRO and decided to land the rover near the western edge of Nobile crater .

LRO scientists can also use LRO's measurements of the moon's tenuous atmosphere or the radiation around the moon to infer how human space travelers might fare under prolonged exposure .

LRO's purpose has evolved over the course of its mission. In the 2020s, scientists are confident that the moon is home to volatiles. So, LRO now wants to estimate how many volatiles there are, precisely, how they're changing, and why they're there in the first place. Additionally, LRO has been around the moon long enough that scientists can watch changes in its history: for instance, new craters forming as meteors impact the lunar surface.

Related: Rogue rocket's moon crash site spotted by NASA probe (photos)

The site of the March 4, 2022 rocket crash on the moon is shown in this before-and-after pair of photos taken by NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on Feb. 28, 2022 and May 21, 2022, respectively. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

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How did the LRO image Apollo landing sites?

Perhaps LRO's most well-known instrument is the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (opens in new tab) (LROC). This instrument consists of three cameras: two Narrow Angle Cameras, which provide 1,640-ft (500-meter) resolution n images over a 3-mile (5-km) wide area; and one Wide Angle Camera, which provide 328-ft (100-m) resolution images over a 37-mile (60-km) wide area.

Not long after LRO arrived at the moon, LROC captured the landing sites of several Apollo missions. The instrument's camera viewed the remaining lunar modules, astronauts' footprints through the moondust, and even scientific instruments that the astronauts left behind. The Apollo landing sites can further be explored on LROC's official website (opens in new tab).

LROC has imaged other spacecraft, too: for instance, the Chang'e 3 and its Yutu rover, which landed on and traversed the lunar surface, respectively, in 2013; and the Vikram lander , which lost contact with its parent Chandrayaan 2 orbiter and crashed into the lunar surface in 2019.

Related: Apollo landing sites: An observer's guide on how to spot them on the moon

LRO FAQs answered by an expert

We asked Noah Petro, project scientist for LRO a few commonly asked questions about the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Noah Petro Social Links Navigation Noah Petro is the project scientist for LRO at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

What can the LRO do to support missions? First and foremost, we can collect more data. So, "Mission X wants to go to this particular landing site." Well, what data do we have? What data can we collect to really improve our understanding of a particular site. Turning around and then making more data products: whether it's higher-resolution topographic models, refined understanding of the thermal environment, specific maps of volatile abundance and distribution and what have you, we can turn around specific data products to support these missions and support the specific places.

Hasn't the LRO mapped everything? We've had a map of the moon for a long time, but the moon's a big place. There are locations on the moon, that we're interested in going to, that we may not have as much data as we would have for other locations. So, part of what we need to do is go around and say: Here's additional datasets that we have to collect. And that takes time. We can't drive the spacecraft: "Okay, go over this place!" Twice a month, we fly over particular locations, and we have that opportunity to collect data. Some of those datasets require very specific illumination geometries, so we have to wait.

How can the LRO support Artemis? We've done this now for the Artemis candidate landing sites, for Artemis 3. Where do we want to go? Let's not only pull together all the data that we have, but what additional datasets can we collect? How can that feed into the safe places to go, the scientifically interesting places to go, and what we do when we get there? And once the missions start flying  so, once Artemis 3 lands  what happens while they're on the surface? Can we image that landing site to see the lander, to characterize the changes to the surface that occur? Once the mission leaves, we can go back and either fly over that site or try to collect as much data of that site as possible to understand: "Hey, what happened while we were on the surface?"

How long can the LRO's data last? We recognize that the science team, the LRO team, can't answer every single question. What we're also trying to do is build up the data that future generations can use to try to constrain these problems. So, as much as our science teams are set about answering specific questions, we also know we need to collect as much data as we can.

What instruments does the LRO carry?

In addition to LROC, the probe carries six other instruments.

The Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation (opens in new tab) (CRaTER) studies the radiation that rains down upon the moon's environs. Coming in the form of solar radiation and cosmic rays from far outside the solar system , that radiation can pose an existential threat to humans by damaging their DNA. Therefore, the instrument is fashioned from a plastic that mimics human tissue, allowing it to measure the amount of radiation that a human space traveler would experience.

Diviner (opens in new tab) observes the moon in infrared, mapping its surface temperature. These measurements help scientists understand how the temperature fluctuates through the weeks-long lunar days and nights. Without an atmosphere thick enough to stabilize the climate, lunar surface temperatures can spike to 400K (260.6 F) in the day and plunge to 100K (-279.4 F) at night. Whereas the Apollo missions all landed on equatorial regions during the lunar day, future missions will land on a much broader swath of the world. Additionally, the moon's infrared emissions and temperature shifts indicate what minerals  including ice  might lie underneath.

The Lyman-Alpha Mapping Project (opens in new tab) (LAMP) is an ultraviolet sensor that detects Lyman  radiation: ultraviolet emitted from hydrogen atoms . Both distant stars and clouds of hydrogen within the solar system generate this ultraviolet radiation. As it glances off the moon, LAMP can use it to "see in the dark" into places like the poles and the interiors of large craters, shadowed by the sun 's visible light. LAMP can measure it to search for ice and other minerals.

The Lunar Exploration Neutron Detector (opens in new tab) (LEND) measures neutrons streaming from the lunar surface. Cosmic rays striking the moon create high-energy neutrons a few feet beneath its surface, which stream back up. Scientists can scan these neutrons to learn about the minerals they pass through en route. In particular, if neutrons collide with hydrogen nuclei, they quickly lose their energy. Therefore, LEND can easily see hydrogen-bearing compounds, such as water.

The Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (opens in new tab) (LOLA) scans the lunar surface with a quintet of laser beams, measuring the moon's topography. Scientists have used LOLA to map the moon's elevation down to less than a kilometer. LOLA's high-detail maps can help planners on Earth pinpoint optimal landing sites.

Mini-RF (opens in new tab) is an experimental radar instrument that scans the lunar poles in search of water ice. In 2011, Mini-RF's transmitter failed , ending its initial experimentation. Mini-RF's receiver, however, is still functioning. Scientists can still use it: for instance, by bouncing radar transmissions off the lunar surface and using Mini-RF to pick them up.

How long can the LRO last?

LRO will last so long as its instrumentation can remain functioning and NASA continues renewing its extended mission. Its current orbit is reportedly very fuel-efficient, and at LRO's present rate of propellant consumption, NASA officials expect the probe to last into the late 2020s.

Additional resources

Pan around (opens in new tab) the moon on LROCs website, and see many more (opens in new tab) LRO images thanks to NASA. Watch the launch of LRO  and sister satellite LCROSS (opens in new tab)  here on NASA's YouTube channel (opens in new tab).

Bibliography

Lunar reconnaissance orbiter camera. Arizona State University. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2023, from http://lroc.sese.asu.edu/about/whereislro (opens in new tab)

Lunar reconnaissance orbiter camera. Arizona State University. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.lroc.asu.edu/about (opens in new tab)

NASA. (2020, October 7). In depth. NASA. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/lro/in-depth/ (opens in new tab)

NASA. (n.d.). Mini-RF. Mini-RF. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/main/ (opens in new tab)

NASA, B. (n.d.). Mini-RF operations on hold. Mini-RF. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/Mini-RF/news/Mini-RF_operations_on_hold.html (opens in new tab)

NASA. (n.d.). Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter. NASA. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://lunar.gsfc.nasa.gov/lola/index.html (opens in new tab)

NASA. (2015, March 10). LRO sees Apollo Landing Sites. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/multimedia/lroimages/apollosites.html (opens in new tab)

Science. Diviner. (n.d.). Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.diviner.ucla.edu/science (opens in new tab)

Southwest Research Institute. (n.d.). Seeing in the dark. LAMP. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://www.boulder.swri.edu/lamp/index.html (opens in new tab)

Space Research Institute. (n.d.). LEND. Department of Nuclear Planetology. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://np.cosmos.ru/en-us/instruments/lend (opens in new tab)

UNH. Crater Cosmic Ray Telescope. Donahue, Kristi. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://crater.unh.edu/ (opens in new tab)

USGS. (n.d.). Moon LRO Lola Color Shaded Relief 388M V4. USGS Astrogeology Science Center. Retrieved April 19, 2023, from https://astrogeology.usgs.gov/search/map/Moon/LMMP/LOLA-derived/Lunar_LRO_LOLA_ClrShade_Global_128ppd_v04 (opens in new tab)
Insults, threats target Spain forecasters over climate 'conspiracy'



Madrid, May 5 (AFP) May 05, 2023



Spain's government on Friday came to the defence of the AEMET weather agency, which has suffered threats and abuse from climate conspiracy theorists over its forecasts during a record drought.

"Murderers", "Criminals", "You'll pay for this" and "We're watching you" are just some of the anonymous messages sent to AEMET in recent weeks on social media, by email and even by phone.

The threats were responding to forecasts and reports published by AEMET, notably over last week's early heatwave, when Spain registered its hottest-ever temperature for April, reaching 38.8 degrees Celsius (101.8 degrees Fahrenheit) in Cordoba.

"Enough is enough," wrote Ecology Minister Teresa Ribera on social media.

"Lying, fuelling conspiracies and fear, being insulting... impoverishes us as a society and has unacceptable consequences," she said.

In a video published last month on Twitter that highlighted some of the abuse it had received, AEMET called for "respect" for its staff.

"While we respect freedom of expression and welcome interaction, not everything is OK," it said.

Greenpeace Spain said it was "very concerned about the aggressive tone taken by some climate deniers and conspiracy theorists".

In an interview with the El Diario news website, AEMET's Estrella Gutierrez said she had "never" come across such aggression in her 30 years of working in the sector.

"Climate change is obviously real. The latest IPCC report and others before it, found that climate change is bringing episodes of higher temperatures and now we're feeling it," she said.

Last week's scorching temperatures worsened drought conditions that have already seen some farmers chosing not to sow crops this year.

In 2022, Spain experienced its hottest year since records began, with United Nations figures suggesting nearly 75 percent of the country is susceptible to desertification due to climate change.

With water reservoirs at half their capacity and farmers unions saying 60 percent of agricultural land is "suffocating" from lack of rain, Spain has asked Brussels to help by activating the European Unoin's agriculture crisis reserve funds.

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U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas speaks at a presser about immigration and the end of Title 42, on May 5, 2023 in Brownsville, Texas.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Friday that authorities faced extremely challenging circumstances along the border with Mexico days before pandemic-related asylum restrictions end.

A surge of Venezuelan migrants through South Texas, particularly in and around Brownsville, has occurred over the last two weeks for reasons that Mayorkas said were unclear. On Thursday, 4,000 of about 6,000 migrants in Border Patrol custody in Texas Rio Grande Valley were Venezuelan.

Mayorkas noted that Mexico agreed this week to continue taking back Venezuelans who enter the U.S. illegally after asylum restrictions end Thursday, along with Cubans, Haitians and Nicaraguans. Migrants have been expelled from the U.S. more than 2.8 million times since March 2020 under what is known as Title 42 authority.

The secretary reaffirmed plans to finalize a new policy by Thursday that will make it extremely difficult for migrants to seek asylum if they pass through another country, like Mexico, on their way to the U.S. border.

The situation at the border is a very serious one, a very challenging one and a very difficult one, Mayorkas said.

Illegal crossings tumbled after President Joe Biden announced asylum restrictions in January, but they have risen since mid-April. Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council, said this week they have been hovering around 7,200 daily, up from about 5,200 in March.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz said 1,500 active-duty troops will be dispatched to El Paso, Texas, adding to 2,500 National Guard troops already positioned across the border. Ortiz said El Paso was chosen because it has been a busy corridor for illegal crossings over the last six months. The troop deployment was announced this week but not the location.

Mayorkas, on his second day of a visit to the Rio Grande Valley, said smugglers were deceiving migrants and luring them on a dangerous journey. The border is not open, it has not been open, and it will not be open subsequent to May 11, he said.

Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard echoed Mayorkas sentiment about smugglers spreading misinformation.

Were seeing a very significant flow (of migrants) in recent days on the basis of a hoax, Ebrard said at a news conference. He said smugglers are saying, Hurry up to get to the United States by crossing Mexico because on May 11 theyre going to end Title 42.

Its a trick and theyre at risk, Ebrard said.

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador urged those who want to migrate to follow legal pathways, such as applying in U.S. processing centers scheduled to open in Guatemala and Colombia. He said Mexico was not making special preparations for the end of Title 42 because he didnt expect a surge.

A lot of people wont let themselves be tricked, the president said.

Mayorkas touted new legal pathways, which include parole for up to 30,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans a month who apply online with a financial sponsor. But he said the Biden administration could only do so much without Congress.

We have a plan, we are executing on that plan, Mayorkas said. Fundamentally, however, we are working within a broken immigration system that for decades has been in dire need of reform.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Friday that it is raising the number of people admitted to the country at land crossings with Mexico to 1,000 a day from 740 using a mobile app called CBPOne that was extended in January to asylum-seekers. Demand has far outweighed available slots.

The administration faced a setback, at least a temporary one, when Colombia said Thursday that it suspended deportation flights from the U.S. due to cruel and degrading treatment of migrants. Colombias immigration agency said it canceled returns of 1,200 Colombians after complaints about conditions in U.S. detention centers and on the flights.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  China was the biggest global jailer of journalists last year with more than 100 behind bars, according to a press freedom group, as President Xi Jinpings government tightened control over society.

Xi's government also was one of the biggest exporters of propaganda content, according to Reporters without Borders. China ranked second to last on the groups annual index of press freedom, behind only neighbor North Korea.

The ruling Communist Party has tightened already strict controls on media in China, where all newspapers and broadcasters are state-owned. Websites and social media are required to enforce censorship that bans material that might spread opposition to one-party rule.

Xi, Chinas most powerful figure in decades, called during a 2016 meeting with journalists who had been awarded official prizes for them to adhere to the correct orientation of public opinion."

Xi is pursuing a crusade against journalism, Reporters Without Borders said in a report Wednesday. It called China's decline in press freedom disastrous.

Beijing operates what is regarded as the world's most extensive system of internet controls. Its filters try to block the Chinese public from seeing websites abroad operated by news outlets, governments and human rights and other activist groups.

Chinese journalists have been prosecuted on charges of spying, leaking national secrets and picking quarrels, a vague accusation used to jail dissidents. Others are subjected to surveillance, intimidation and harassment.

Journalist Dong Yuyu, who worked at a ruling party-affiliated newspaper and is a former Harvard University fellow, faces espionage charges after being detained for more than one year, his family said last week.

In 2022, Chinese-born Australian journalist Cheng Lei was tried in China on national security charges but has yet to learn the verdict, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in March.

Cheng worked for CGTN, the English-language state TV channel aimed at foreign audiences. She was detained in August 2019 and accused of sharing state secrets.

In Hong Kong, the Communist Party forced a prominent newspaper, Apple Daily, to shut down as part of a crackdown on pro-democracy sentiment.

Apple Daily's founder, Jimmy Lai, was convicted of fraud last year that his supporters said were politically motivated. Six other former executives of the newspaper pleaded guilty.
HARTFORD  Thursday's mayoral forum at the Connecticut Historical Society was teetering along like most have during this election season, with a laundry list of candidates on stage mostly agreeing that the city needs to address a slew of major issues. But then it heated up.

An audience member asked the candidates if they would support the winner of the expected Democratic primary in September. Most said they would, until the microphone was passed to former state Sen. and Judge Eric Coleman, who drew a few gasps with his answer.

"If the process is a fair one, and some of us have reason to believe that it won't be, if the process is fair I will have no hesitancy in supporting the winner of the September primary," he said. "However, I personally have made too many sacrifices, and my family has made too many sacrifices for me not to pursue the position of mayor in the city of Hartford if someone or some people have their fingers on the scale and are skewing the process."

Next was Councilman Nick Lebron, who said quickly, "I hope everybody's going to support me."

Then it was Hartford Land Bank CEO Arunan Arulampalam, who said, "I will support the winner of the primary, and I will not engage in any election denialism in the city of Hartford."

That marked the end of the forum. Asked afterward what he meant, Coleman told CT Insider he'd heard from members of the Democratic Town Committee that they were being "arm twisted" to vote for Arulampalam.

"If we got to the convention and everybody turns around and supports me, obviously then the town chair's efforts were not successful," Coleman said. "If there are votes that are changed and multiple ballots that occur and people are changing votes in ballots after the first ballot, I will know that the town chair is responsible."

Coleman said he would decide after seeing how the process plays out if he supports the primary winner. Giselle Jacobs, another candidate in the crowded eight-person field in the race for mayor, said she would file to run as a petitioning candidate in the general election if she does not win the primary.

Arulampalam denied there was any "arm twisting" and said he had support from some town committee members because of his relationship building and campaigning.

"I have been sitting down in people's living rooms and having coffee conversations with them and drinks with them and talking with them one on one," he said. "And because of that, a number of community leaders who happen to be on the town committee are supporting me. It's not arm twisting. I don't have the power to do that. In fact, I'm the only one who doesn't have a legislative record to do that with. It's just general relationship building."

He criticized Coleman for questioning the election process.

"To doubt in our election process, because I'm getting support in this race, is incredibly cynical," he said. "And I think coming out of the Trump years, we all know it's incredibly dangerous."

The forum had been similar to others so far this election cycle until the final few minutes, when organizers asked for questions from audience members. That led to an exchange between state Sen. John Fonfara and a few audience members, including Hartford activist Bridgitte Prince. The back-and-forth concerned a proposed bill in the state legislature, SB 1139, that would have reformed the oft-criticized Metropolitan District Commission.

Fonfara said he had not voted on any bill about the MDC.

"There is no amendment. There is no bill that has come before me," Fonfara said. "People can say things, but the facts are that there's nothing for anyone to vote on in the legislature in that regard."

Prince then said she had been told by state Sen. Derek Slap, D-West Hartford, that it would not have support. It wasn't immediately clear what the bill's status was.

Lebron, who resigned from the MDC board of finance last month and has been outspoken about his issues with the agency, said the bill would have provided oversight over MDC but was not going to move forward.

"We can no longer protect folks who don't need to be protected, when they don't have the vested interest for people who have poop in their basements," he said, referring to the flooding and sewage problems that have plagued Hartford's North End for years.
Inmates in Connecticut prisons may soon be allowed again to attend funerals in person, a state spokesperson has confirmed.

Advocates, including Barbara Fair, lead organizer for advocacy organization Stop Solitary in Connecticut, say its a question of basic humanity.

They need to begin again, Fair said. You can't hide behind COVID as an excuse for that. Because COVID is not the threat that it was originally. Your mom dies and you can't even go to touch her or say goodbye or anything? You got the option, I guess, of video, but how inhumane is that? You need to be in the room with your mom or your cousin or whoever. But that last goodbye, that's just human nature.

Most of us have been to funerals for people who we love, and understand that it's an important part of the grieving process and it benefits everyone for people to be able to grieve appropriately from their loss, said attorney Alex Taubes. It's also just the compassionate and right thing to do to allow people to go to these funerals and a video screen cannot replace that.

Before the pandemic, inmates in state facilities were allowed to attend loved ones funerals, with some caveats. Viewings were private, arranged between the state Department of Correction and the funeral homes.

The individual is evaluated as to whether or not this is something that we would be able to do and if we are going to do it, what security measures would be required, said Ashley McCarthy, a spokesperson for the DOC.

But all that ended with the pandemic. In-person funeral visits were stopped early on, and have never resumed. One of the changes to policy that we made during the pandemic, as all of us were facing the unknown during this time, was scaling back on community interactions as much as possible so that included funeral visits, McCarthy said.

Since the start of the pandemic, inmates have attended family funerals remotely.

They brought out the alternative of having people who are incarcerated be able to do a Teams call where they were able to see a video essentially of the funeral or of the funeral home, Taubes said. Several times over the past two years, I've been called both by clients and by family members of incarcerated men and women, asking, begging me to contact the DOC to request that they or a family member be allowed to visit a funeral.

In-person visits have not resumed, though the DOC has shifted away from some pandemic-related protocols. Masks, for example, are only required in certain situations.

The first time I contacted the DOC about this in 2021 was on behalf of a client whose father had died, and normally they would be allowed to do a viewing or a visiting of the deceased, Taubes said.

In a series of emails to Taubes, which he shared with Hearst Connecticut Media and was confirmed by McCarthy, DOC Commissioner Angel Quiros said that could change. Previously, he told Taubes that it was a question of COVID positivity rates.

We will continue with the current process as the COVID positivity rate is over 13 percent, he said by email on May 12, 2022. Once the COVID rate comes down, DOC will reevaluate in order to determine when to recommence with funeral visits.

Statewide, the COVID positivity rate was 3.12 percent as of May 3, according to state data. On Wednesday, McCarthy said the COVID positivity rate within Connecticut prisons was still about 13 percent, but Quiros wrote this week to Taubes that the policy is under review with the hope of returning back to in-person funeral visits in the near future.

We are very aware that as the rest of the world is adapting to life after the great pause. We have to adjust to that as well and this is one of those policies that we are going back and taking a look at to see how can we best accommodate, McCarthy said. As it becomes safe to do so. Commissioner Quiros is very focused on reintegrating that back into our policies.
Tyler Sizemore, John Nickerson and Michael Cummo of Hearst Connecticut Media and contributed photo by Ed Rondano

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STAMFORD  Superintendent Tamu Lucero had the highest salary of the top paid Stamford employees last year, followed by 49 police officers.

You have to scroll to number 51 on the list to find the top city earner who is not Lucero or a Stamford police officer. In that spot is Ronald Markey, a landscape specialist who earned a total of $223,881 last year.

In an emailed statement, mayoral spokesperson Lauren Meyer said Markey is the city's tree warden and is on-call for any tree emergencies, for which he is paid a separate sum from his base salary.

Meyer wrote that Markey also helps set up special events, such as those put together by Stamford Downtown.

All told, the city spent $349.6 million on salaries and compensation in 2022, according to a list sent from the city's Controller's Office to the Stamford Advocate late last week.

In 2021, the city spent $324.7 million on wages.

The list from the city only includes the total dollar amount each employee made, and does not break down the figure into salary and extra earnings such as overtime or extra-duty work for police officers.

Top 10 city salaries of 2022 1. Tamu Lucero, schools superintendent, $427,021

2. Richard Conklin, police, $375,462

3. Rhett Connelly, police, $373,115

4. Diedrich Hohn, police, $365,393

5. Thomas Scanlon, police, $348,513

6. Fredrick Raman, police, $340,794

7. Douglas Deiso, police, $323,938

8. Richard Gasparino, police, $315,342

9. John O'Meara, police, $285,610

10. Eugene Dohmann, police, $282,281 Here are some of Stamford's highest paid employees in 2022. Left to right: 1. Tamu Lucero, 2. Richard Conklin, 3. Rhett Connelly, 4. Diedrich Hohn, 7. Douglas Deiso and 8. Richard Gasparino. Tyler Sizemore, John Nickerson and Michael Cummo of Hearst Connecticut Media and contributed photo by Ed Rondano See More Collapse

Lucero topped the list with a total take-home amount of $427,021.

A sizeable chunk of that amount came from payments from 2021, said Stamford schools spokesperson Kathleen Steinberg. Lucero signed her most recent contract in January 2022, a deal that was retroactive to July 2021, so she was paid a prorated amount of about $29,000 from the salary bump for the second half of 2021, Steinberg said.

Lucero's contract renewal was a contentious topic for months during the second half of 2021 as the Board of Education failed to garner enough votes to extend it. That changed after the 2021 election when the composition of the board shifted and Lucero was able to sign her new three-year contract, which included a raise of $35,000 to her base salary, as well as other fringe benefits.

But when her contract was up for a one-year extension last summer, the board voted against it, with some pointing to growing discontent from teachers, many of whom signed onto votes of no confidence against the school district leader.

Lucero's contract is set to expire in June 2024.

Lucero was first hired in the Stamford school district in 2013 as an assistant superintendent for elementary education. In 2018, she took on the role of deputy superintendent under previous Superintendent Earl Kim. Once Kim left the school system in 2019, Lucero took over the top job.

In a statement from Stamford Public Schools sent by Steinberg, Lucero is described as the CEO of "the largest school district in Lower Fairfield County and one of the most diverse districts in the State of Connecticut."

The school system is one of the largest employers in the city, with more than 2,500 certified teachers and staff, the statement reads.

"Like superintendents in most municipalities, the Superintendent of Stamford Public Schools is annually among the citys highest paid municipal employees," it reads.

After Lucero, the rest of the top 50 earners in Stamford last year were all members of the Stamford Police Department.

Richard Conklin, a 40-year veteran, was second on the list, taking home $375,462 in 2002. Late last year, he was promoted to assistant police chief.

The next three on the list were Sgt. Rhett Connelly, $373,155; Capt. Diedrich Hohn, $365,393; and Lt. Tom Scanlon, $348,513.

Police Chief Tim Shaw, who was hired in 2020, made $199,528, good for 92nd on the list.

David O'Meara, president of the Stamford Police Association, said officers have been picking up more work in recent years because of understaffing.

He said the number of "order backs"  when an officer is told to report back for duty during off hours  has been high, in order to meet the minimum manpower needed at any one time.

"People are working a lot more," he said.

That leads to more overtime and detail work per officer as well.

O'Meara said that even though police employees make up a large percentage of the top earners in the city, their base salary still remains lower than many surrounding communities. He said many officers take on additional jobs in order to catch up with the cost of living in the region.

"Were priced out of the communities we work in," he said.

Looking at the very top earners, O'Meara said he wouldn't trade places with them.

"They are never ever home," he said. "These guys are just continuously working every day, taking away from their family time."

He said the city has made an effort to increase hiring, which he said he hopes will lessen the burden on officers. But retention is also of primary concern, as many are leaving the field.

Further down the salary list is Mayor Caroline Simmons, who made $191,449 in 2022, putting her at 111.

Other top earners among school employees were associate superintendents Michael Fernandes, $222,209, and Amy Beldotti, $205,682.

Westhill High School principal Michael Rinaldi took home $198,467, while Stamford High School principal Matt Forker made $192,770 last year. Tina Rivera, principal of the city's smallest high school, the Academy of Information Technology & Engineering, collected $178,402.

Overall, 90 city employees made more than $200,000 last year, and 1,536 employees took home at least $100,000.
KYODO NEWS - May 5, 2023 - 09:34 | All, World

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. made it clear Thursday the additional military bases in his country that he recently granted the United States access to will not be used to target China or any other country.

Speaking at a think-tank event, Marcos also said the simple answer is "no" when asked if the United States has requested that his government contribute troops for combat operations should a war break out between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.

His remarks just before wrapping up his four-day visit to Washington came at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China, which are locked in geopolitical competition.

China has dialed up pressure not only on Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory, but also on the Philippines with what Marcos called the "intimidation" of vessels in the South China Sea.

Marcos in February granted the United States access to four more bases, raising the number that American forces can use in the Philippines to nine, under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that has made it even more difficult for him to walk a delicate diplomatic tightrope.

Marcos, who agreed with President Joe Biden this week to boost defense and economic cooperation, stressed that the additional bases were intended to be used in response to natural disasters, including quickly providing rescue and relief assistance.

At the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Marcos also disclosed that the United States has "never brought up the possibility" of using the sites for any offensive action against any country.

The president, whose Washington visit marked the first in more than a decade by a Philippine leader, said he believes that Manila and Washington are "in lockstep" on the matter and U.S. officials are aware of the Philippines' concerns.

The Philippines, the United States' oldest security ally in the Indo-Pacific, has long been embroiled in a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Situated near Taiwan and strategically important sea lanes, the Biden administration regards the Philippines and the enhancement of the bilateral alliance as crucial to raising the level of deterrence against China.

However, since taking office almost a year ago, Marcos has repeatedly said the Philippines' foreign policy will be independent and Manila will not choose sides between the United States and China, while making efforts to rebuild ties with Washington and its partners.

Under his predecessor, Rodrigo Duterte, bilateral relations were frayed due to his pro-China, anti-U.S. stance.

Marcos, who did not hold a joint press conference with Biden and had made almost no public comments on security issues during his stay in the U.S. capital, emphasized at Thursday's event that the Philippines' policy is to be "a friend to all and an enemy to none."

Related coverage:

U.S., Philippine leaders agree to push 3-way cooperation with Japan
A small Yorkshire terrier was emaciated, infested with fleas and hardly breathing when a property manager found it alone in a Waterbury apartment, documents show.

The former tenants had abandoned the dog without food or water after they were evicted the week before. The property manager swaddled the delicate dog in towels, placed it in a cardboard box and went to the Waterbury Animal Control Division for help.

Though the division at the time required a $50 surrender fee, an officer told him over the phone they would waive the charge due to the circumstances. However, once there, he was met with a different officer, Patrick Dionne, who demanded the fee, documents show.

Before even asking about what was in the box that I was bringing in, (Dionne) wanted to know about the $50 to drop a dead dog off, the property manager wrote in a statement to police. I tried to tell him that the dog was still alive and needed help, but he was not concerned in the slightest.

The September 2010 incident  which an investigation found was among several occurrences of animal mistreatment and/or improper care of animals  contributed to Dionnes 16-day suspension without pay in 2011, according to his personnel file. Twelve years later, Dionne, who now serves as the animal control officer for Waterbury and Beacon Falls, is under investigation again.

Dionne was placed on paid administrative leave in March amid a state Department of Agriculture investigation into a derelict farm in Beacon Falls. On the Lopus Road farm, investigators found seven sheep dead before seizing 100 animals  99 sheep and one goose. Fifteen cats were also voluntarily surrendered to Woodbridge Regional Animal Control.

As a result of the investigation, the owner of the farm was charged with animal cruelty, Attorney General William Tongs office said.

The Waterbury Police Department moved Dionne from leave to administrative duty at the department's Animal Control Division on April 19 while they wait for the state Department of Agriculture's investigation to be completed, Lt. Ryan Bessette said.

As of April 18, the state Department of Agriculture had no further information it could share about the investigation.

Dionnes 72-page personnel file showed that he started with the Waterbury Police Department as an assistant animal control officer in February 2007. He first received disciplinary action in September 2009 when he got a written warning for an incident that summer when he used a snare, an animal trap, to walk a pregnant pit bull alongside his truck, the personnel documents show.

Though an Internal Affairs investigation later noted investigators did not find Dionne had abused, mistreated or tortured any animals, they said his handling of dogs raises questions about mistreatment. Investigators also said there was evidence indicating Dionne repeatedly failed to provide medical treatment for animals under his care even after being repeatedly questioned about it by co-workers and subordinates.

In November 2010, a series of incidents led the police chief at the time to place Dionne on paid administrative leave as the department investigated two complaints. Dionne received two suspension letters in February 2011, resulting in a total suspension of 16 days without pay, his personnel file shows.

The first occurred when a co-worker filed a complaint in July 2010 with the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities that led to a 15-day suspension in February 2011, according to Dionne's personnel file. The investigation determined the workload between Dionne and the other assistant animal control officer was not balanced," the report shows.

Dionne was first told of the unequal workload in October 2008 and chose to do other things rather than equally share the workload, according to the investigation. Dionne admitted to investigators that he spent considerable time at his computer doing non-work related activities while his co-worker carried a large amount of the workload, the investigation found.

The investigation also found that Dionne placed empty food containers and garbage on his co-workers desk, claiming it was at the direction of his supervisor, according to the investigation.

On Oct. 12, 2010, the Internal Affairs Division received a second complaint from a Waterbury-area property manager. This investigation led to a one-day suspension without pay in February 2011, the documents show.

The property manager detailed two incidents in which Dionne lacked concern for animals wellbeing, including the Yorkshire terrier incident and an incident in 2010 that involved a stray dog at another property, the report shows. In that instance, Dionne also demanded the $50 fee and threatened the property manager with jail if he didnt pay and if the dog later bit someone, according to the investigation.

Investigators determined Dionne was not incorrect in requesting the $50 fee  However, due to the condition of the animal, it would have been reasonable for him to have waived this fee.

Though he did not remember the incident with the stray dog, Dionne told investigators he was following protocol with the Yorkshire terrier and that it was very rare for the division to waive the fee, the documents show. Dionne said he couldnt waive the fee himself and wouldve had to ask his supervisor, the report shows.

Dionne said he was not aware of the dogs medical status because he had to attend to a call, according to the investigation.

A supervisor also told investigators the fee was rarely waived and when a tenant leaves a dog behind, the animal technically becomes the landlords property, the investigation stated.

The Yorkshire terrier ended up being rescued by Charlotte Meade. The former New Preston resident frequented municipal pounds to rescue dogs, saw the disagreement and decided to take the dog to a veterinarian herself.

Meade remembers that day well.

It probably didnt have much longer to live, she said. There was no compassion, they didnt care.

The former Connecticut resident started rescuing dogs about a year or two before encountering the yorkie. Outraged by euthanasia rates at municipal pounds, she took in hundreds of dogs from Connecticut and New York offices and found families for them. She now runs Meade Canine Rescue in California, where she helps older and special needs dogs.

In a phone interview, Meade said she nursed the Yorkshire terrier back to health. It was later adopted by a loving family.

It went to a great home, she said. And ended up having a great life with somebody who adored the dog.
A judge has extended her order barring the enforcement of a unique rule pushed by Missouri's Republican attorney general that would require adults and children to undergo more than a year of therapy and fulfill other requirements before they could receive gender-affirming treatments such as puberty blockers, hormones and surgery.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey initially sought to implement the rule effective April 27, prompting a lawsuit on behalf of transgender people. St. Louis County Judge Ellen Ribaudo on Monday granted a temporary restraining order and originally scheduled a May 11 hearing on the lawsuit.

A posting Thursday on Missouri's online court system shows that Ribaudo pushed back the hearing to July 20, following a joint request from both sides. The posting said the order will remain in effect until July 24 or until the judge rules on whether to grant a preliminary injunction.

A spokeswoman for Bailey confirmed the date change, saying the July hearing date was the one that worked best for all parties in the case.

Ribaudo's ruling granting the temporary restraining order noted that patients are at high risk of having their medical care interrupted indefinitely and losing care through their current providers if the rule takes effect.

Legal experts and transgender advocates say that implementation of the rule would make Missouri the first state to restrict gender-affirming care for adults and the first to enact such restrictions through emergency rule-making instead of through a new law.

On Thursday, the Kansas City Council introduced a resolution making Missouri's largest city a sanctuary city for transgender people receiving gender-affirming care. The resolution now goes to a committee, which will receive public input before deciding on further action.

The lawsuit argues that Bailey sidestepped the Republican-led Legislature and exceeded his authority by attempting to regulate the health care through Missouris consumer-protection law.

Bailey said the rule would shield minors from what he describes as experimental medical treatments, though puberty blockers and sex hormones have been prescribed for decades and the rule would also apply to adults.

The attorney generals office has said there are 12,400 Missourians who identify as transgender. The office has estimated that 600 to 700 Missourians would begin intervention in the next year.

The rule would require people to have experienced an intense pattern of documented gender dysphoria for three years and to have received at least 15 hourly sessions with a therapist over at least 18 months before they could receive treatment. Prospective patients also would be required to be screened for autism, and any psychiatric symptoms from mental health issues would have to be treated and resolved.

Minors, but not adults, also would have to be screened for social media addiction before treatments could begin.

Bailey issued the restrictions after launching an investigation in February into the Washington University Transgender Center at St. Louis Childrens Hospital. The probe was prompted by a former employee who alleged that the center was providing children with gender-affirming care without informed consent, a sufficient individualized case review and wraparound mental health services.

The universitys internal review found no misconduct, determining the claims were unsubstantiated.

Baileys emergency rule on gender-affirming care comes amid a push by Republicans throughout the country to pass laws aimed at transgender people. More than a dozen states have enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors.
BRIDGEPORT  Fugitive Omar Nelson who was wanted in a New Haven homicide on Chapel Street in January, a West Haven robbery and at least four Bridgeport incidents was captured by U.S. marshals in Bridgeport Thursday morning, the agency said in a news release.

Nelson, 22, was found hiding under insulation in the attic of a home in the 500 block of East Main Street when he was taken into custody by U.S. Marshals with the help of Bridgeport, Norwalk and West Haven police, according to U.S. Marshal Supervisor Deputy Matthew Duffy.

A domestic dispute with a woman in Bridgeport earlier in the week led U.S. marshals to believe he was staying in the city at that address with family, Duffy said.

The Connecticut U.S. Marshal Violent Fugitive Task Force made up of U.S. marshals and state and municipal police arrived at the house at 5:30 a.m., Duffy said. Family members did not immediately let them in, he said. "Of course, they lied to us and said he wasn't there," Duffy said.

Nelson was found in the attic about 30 minutes later, Duffy said.

He was turned over to New Haven police to be charged with murder in the killing of Kentel Robinson, who was found with at least one gunshot wound on Chapel Street about 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 4, police said. Robinson died from his injuries three days later, New Haven police said.

Nelson had been on the lam for months and was facing "numerous" charges outlined in at least 10 outstanding arrest warrants, including one for Robinson's killing, Duffy said. Nelson is also wanted for an armed robbery of a vape shop in West Haven on Jan. 7, and police believe he shot at West Haven detectives as they attempted to take him into custody on Jan. 10, Duffy said.

Nelson was also wanted by Bridgeport police on several warrants charging him with second-degree strangulation, third-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint, first-degree reckless endangerment and violation of probation, Duffy said.

Bridgeport police have been looking to arrest Nelson since August. He was accused of committing domestic violence on Aug. 9 and engaging police in a pursuit in a stolen car, reports said. The stolen car case generated charges of first-degree assault and evading responsibility with serious injuries, Bridgeport police said. Police said he also committed a second domestic violence incident in Bridgeport on Oct. 23.

The departments requested the assistance of the task force in February to bring Nelson in, Duffy said.

Following his arraignment in Superior Court in New Haven Thursday, Nelson was held on $2 million bond. Bridgeport police will likely seek to have Nelson brought to court in the coming weeks to serve their warrants, said Bridgeport Capt. Kevin Gilleran, who is the head of the city's detective division.

Nelson is also wanted by Fairfield and Trumbull police, Duffy said.
WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Western Archer County in northern Texas...

Southeastern Baylor County in northern Texas...

* Until 615 PM CDT.

* At 535 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 4 miles west of

Westover, moving northeast at 35 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Archer City, Holliday, Megargel, Westover, and Lake Kickapoo.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the warned area.

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM CDT

FOR SOUTHWESTERN WICHITA AND SOUTHEASTERN WILBARGER COUNTIES...

At 536 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located near Grayback,

moving east at 35 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to

roofs, siding, and trees.

Locations impacted include...

Electra, Harrold, Grayback, and Haynesville.

A tornado watch remains in effect for the warned area. Tornadoes can

develop quickly from severe thunderstorms.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
KYODO NEWS - May 5, 2023 - 16:50 | World, All

Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen expressed her gratitude to Paraguay president-elect Santiago Pena during phone talks Friday for his firm stance on maintaining ties, days after his victory in a race that called into question the Latin American country's diplomatic recognition of Taipei.

Tsai wrote in a recent tweet she looks forward to working with Pena to "advance our bilateral cooperation" and "the well-being of our peoples." Paraguay is one of only 13 countries that maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead of Beijing.

Pena, a former finance minister, will begin his five-year term on Aug. 15. In the presidential election last Sunday, he beat Efrain Alegre, who had called for a switch in diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, a potential market for Paraguay's beef and soybeans, according to local media reports.

On Paraguay's relations with Taiwan, Pena tweeted Tuesday, "We will continue to strengthen our historical ties of brotherhood and cooperation."

China and Taiwan have been separately governed since they split in 1949 due to a civil war. Beijing regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be unified with the mainland, by force if necessary.

In March, Honduras became the ninth country to end diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing since Tsai of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party took office in 2016. Critics say China has extended significant investment and financial aid to those countries.

Related coverage:

Pro-Taiwan candidate Pena wins Paraguay presidential race
C onstruction has begun on a spaceport on the northern coast of the British mainland, which plans to host up to 12 rocket launches into space each year.

The Sutherland Spaceport, located on the AMhoine peninsula, will be home to the rocket company Orbex.

The Forres-based company aims to use the site to launch satellites into orbit to meet global demand for commercial space services.

However a rival spaceport located on Unst  at the very north of the Shetland Isles  hosted a rocket engine test in April.

SaxaVord Spaceport was the test site of a rocket motor made by German company HyImpulse, which hopes to carry out a suborbital launch there later this year.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Sutherland Spaceport was attended by the Scottish Governments Trade Minister Richard Lochhead.

Owners say it will be the first carbon-neutral spaceport in the world, as Orbexs 19-metre long Prime rocket will run on biofuel.

Public bodies have invested 14.6 million in the Sutherland Spaceport.

Mr Lochhead said: It is an incredibly exciting time for the space sector, with the first orbital launch from UK soil expected to take place in Scotland later this year.

Despite our relatively small country, Scotland plays a leading role in the space sector and with the global market projected to grow to 490 billion by 2030, we are well placed to become Europes leading space nation by 2030.

He added: As I told Parliament last week, the Scottish space sector is opening up new frontiers.

With the construction of Sutherland Spaceport under way, this is an important piece of the puzzle that will make the UK a modern space nation

Kristian von Bengtson, interim chief executive of Orbex, said: Sutherland represents a new breed of spaceport, for a new breed of rocket.

This is 21st century, agile spaceflight with sustainability at its core.

With the construction of Sutherland Spaceport under way, this is an important piece of the puzzle that will make the UK a modern space nation.

Just as importantly, were hopefully also setting the tone for how business can be a force for good, creating jobs and opportunities while minimising the impact upon the environment.
T he owner of Holiday Inn has benefited from the reopening of China, it said on Friday, as it revealed that occupancy levels are close to what they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) said that revenue per available room  a key metric for the hotel industry  rose by a third in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period in 2022.

Growth was most pronounced in Greater China, where revenue per room grew 75%. The same figure jumped 64% in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and much of Asia (EMEAA), the business said.

The figure rose 12% in the UK, but fell by 9% in Japan, the business said. In the Americas the figure was up 18% compared to last year.

Weve seen a good start to the year, with continued strong trading in both the Americas and EMEAA, and an excellent rebound in demand in Greater China since the lifting of travel restrictions, said chief executive Keith Barr.

Leisure demand has remained buoyant, and there has been further return of business and group travel as expected.

The guest appeal of our brands has continued to support pricing, with rate up 10% versus 2019 and occupancy now almost back to pre-Covid levels.

Mr Barr added: We opened 8,000 rooms across 45 hotels in the quarter, and while financing challenges for the wider commercial real estate industry are holding back new hotel development and opening activity fully returning to normal, we anticipate improving levels as the year progresses.

Meanwhile, conversions increased to be over a third of both openings and signings in the period.

The business said that it was nearly a third of the way through its share buyback programme, which was announced in February and aims to return 750 million dollars (594 million) to its investors.

On Friday IHG also revealed that Mr Barr would step down from his role as chief executive, after deciding he wants to return to the US with his family.

He has been IHGs top boss since 2017 and with the business for 30 years. He hands over the role to Elie Maalouf, the current Americas chief executive.
I nsurance group and activist HSBC investor Ping An found few allies in its plan to force a breakup of the London-headquartered banking giant, with more than 80% of shareholders voting against a pro-split proposal.

Ping An has repeatedly called for HSBCs Asian arm to be spun off, but the companys management has argued that this would not represent the best value for shareholders. Both the insurance business and HSBC chair Mark Tucker lobbied shareholders to vote with them ahead of todays meeting in Birmingham.

Ultimately, only 19.8% of voting shares were cast in favour of the proposal to review HSBCs strategy and provide regular updates on the aims of its Asian business, in order to prepare for a potential split. The lenders board noted that Ping An represented between 18% and 19% of voting shares at the meeting, which would mean it gained little support otherwise.

Tucker claimed victory after the banks AGM, which was also disrupted by climate protestors. He said it was time to draw a line under the debate.

Im delighted that the large majority of HSBCs shareholders have voted overwhelmingly to support the banks strategy and draw a line under the debate on the structure of the bank, he said. The board, HSBC colleagues and our shareholders can now move forward with the shared objective of focusing on our customers, driving stronger performance, and creating more value for our investors.

Just over 20% of votes were cast against HSBCs director pay policy, with the vast majority of these also coming from Ping An.

Before the AGM, Tucker urged shareholders to reject Ping Ans resolutions.

Our current strategy is working, Tucker said in his speech to open the event. It is improving our performance and increasing your dividends. You should not put this at risk.

We respect the views and opinions of our shareholders. But we would only ever pursue suggestions if they offered material net benefits for all our shareholders. It is our unanimous view that these resolutions do not do that.

The Board has a clear responsibility to protect and grow shareholder value. And the best way to do that is to continue with our current strategy.
I nterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) boss Keith Barr is to check out at the end of June so he can return to the US, the company announced today.

Barr spent 30 years with the Holiday Inn and Kimpton owner, including six as CEO, and made 4.1 million last year.

I am proud of the strong position that IHG is in today, thanks to the investments we have made to transform every aspect of our business, deliver for our guests and owners, and grow and operate our brands in the right way, Barr said.

He will be replaced by Elie Maalouf, currently head of IHGs Americas arm. Malouf will move to the UK when he takes over.

I am extremely proud to be appointed CEO of one of the world's leading hotel companies and excited to work with our talented teams and owners around the world on what will be an important new chapter for IHG, he said.

Last month, Barr described London as not a very attractive place to list new companies. He said today that IHG was still happy to be London-listed, but that the City must keep taking steps to be more competitive.

His departure means IHG will now replace its two top executives within four months, as finance boss Paul Edgecliffe-Johnson left for gambling giant Flutter in March.

IHG also revealed this morning that revenue per active room so far this year has exceeded pre-pandemic levels. China rebounded as Covid-19 restrictions eased, with revenue there jumping by 74.6%, though it was the only region that was still trading below 2019.

Barr said his company had not yet seen a notable impact on demand from the cost-of-living crisis.

What youre going to hear from all travel chief executives, whether airlines, hotels, is that consumers are spending on experiences, not on goods, he said.

IHG is hosting its annual shareholders meeting in Buckinghamshire today. Barr said it couldnt hold the meeting in London because all of IHGs hotels were full for the Coronation.

Shares are down 152p to 5,366p.
W ith the Coronation of King Charles III fast approaching one small group of companies will be watching events with particular interest and wondering what will follow: Royal Warrant holders.

They are the 800 firms and brands that supply goods or services to the Royal Household and are permitted to use the Royal Arms in connection with their business.

Such companies are part of a tradition that can be traced back to medieval times when competition for Royal favour was intense and the Monarch had the pick of the countrys best tradespeople, according to the Royal Warrant Holders Associations website.

Those who acted as suppliers of goods and services to the Sovereign received formal recognition, and over the centuries the relationship between the Crown and individual tradesmen was formalised by the issue of Royal Warrants. Those that have served the Palace include an operator for the teeth in 1684, while 105 years later a rat catcher was appointed to the court.

Today there are Royal Warrant holders operating in a wide range of industries, including fashion, food and tech. There is no requirement for the company concerned to be British owned or UK-based although many on the list are, such as Burberry.

But following Queen Elizabeth IIs death last year, an automatic review is under way followed by a process for reapplying.

So just how worthwhile is it for firms, which have to demonstrate they have an appropriate environmental and sustainability policy in place, to have such a stamp of approval?

According to Helen Brocklebank, who leads luxury goods trade body Walpole, there are financial gains to be had from being a Royal Warrant holder. She points to some results from its own recent survey, which found those in the special club enjoy a 15% uplift in a purchasers consideration, meaning shoppers are more likely to want to buy it.

Meanwhile 14% of people would pay more for an upscale drinks brand that has a Royal Arms linked to it.

Brocklebank adds many firms with a strong royal connection will benefit this month as international visitors to the UK and domestic customers alike look for mementos and memorable experiences.

Galvin Weston, chairman of British-founded chocolatier Charbonnel et Walker, which was awarded The Royal Warrant to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1970, agrees that such recognition can have a positive impact on sales. He thinks for tourists in particular buying his firms treats signifies something very special, very British.

The chairman says: For our customers at home and abroad, it is definitely an indicator of luxury and a well thought out gift.

The company, which is selling organic milk chocolate crowns to celebrate the coronation, is expected to apply to the King for a warrant.

Pamela Harper is CEO of Halcyon Days / Halcyon days

One firm seeing a sales jump recently is English fine bone china specialist, Halcyon Days, one of only 14 companies worldwide to hold three Royal Warrants.

Chief executive Pamela Harper is hugely encouraged by demand for coronation products which include 110 teacup and saucer sets and a 425 presentation plate. Halcyon Days is forecasting sales of its coronation collection will reach around 1 million.

Companies also have deep satisfaction at being awarded a Royal Warrant, including electricals retailer Richer Sounds, whose chairman David Robinson says it was an honour to receive one. He says it a source of great pride among colleagues.

At John Lewis in Oxford Street, where a Royal Warrant was granted by Her Majesty The Queen in 2008 for the supply of haberdashery and household goods, partner Chris Payne also says the team are proud to work in that store. He believes it is a real privilege and honour to be a holder.

Given the challenges retailers are facing  from the removal of tax-free shopping for foreign tourists to soaring energy costs  anything that can potentially boost revenue, such as the regal seal of approval embodied in a Royal Warrant, will be warmly welcomed.
T omorrow will be the most important day in the reign of King Charles III. All his life he has been expecting it but he never knew when it would come. The main problem for a Prince of Wales is that uncertainty of timing. That he waited until he was 73, now 74, means he is somewhat more than well prepared for this momentous late-life elevation.

When the date was announced, he said he wanted his coronation to be a slimmed down, more modest affair. He pitched that just right. I am assured that he was not at all displeased when commentators (myself included) responded: You may want it modest. We want it magnificent! We do not have long to wait to find out how that balance lies.

What we do know is that the King is a stylish and highly cultured man. Way back in 1981, before his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer, he became greatly animated in a pre-wedding interview when announcing that he had persuaded Kiri Te Kanawa to sing Hail the Bright Seraphim while they signed the register. For this coronation he will give us a feast of new music alongside the traditional Hubert Parrys I Was Glad and Handels Zadok the Priest.

The main purpose of a coronation is to confirm the monarch as Supreme Governor of the Church of England. The various parts of the sacred rite contain many different elements  the recognition whereby he is shown to all corners of the Abbey, the oath and declaration of faith (the only written contracts a monarch makes with his people), then the anointing with holy oil (the most sacred part  of which one historian wrote: Nothing which goes before and nothing which comes after can approach the significance of the anointing. Without it the king cannot receive the royal ornaments. Without it, in a word, he is not king.) Then the King will be handed the various crown jewels and finally crowned by the Archbishop. There follows homage by the Archbishop, the Prince of Wales and by us  the people  and it ends with a Communion service.

There has been much speculation over how other faiths will be integrated into this Church of England service. Whereas in 1953 only the Archbishop of Canterbury blessed the Queen after placing the Crown on her head, this time the blessing will be shared by the Archbishop of York, the Greek Orthodox Archimandrite, the Moderator of the Free Churches, the Secretary-General of Churches Together in England and the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. And at the very end of the service by the Great West Door, the King will be greeted by faith leaders and representatives  Jewish, Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist.

All this represents a desire to be inclusive and diverse, but there is an element of exclusion from the Coronation too. Basically, the aristocracy is out. In 1953 the north and south transepts were filled with hereditary peers and the peeresses in red velvet and ermine, the latter adorned with diamonds and tiaras. At the moment of crowning they all put on their coronets.

For those who regret the loss of this moment, at least the Kings of Arms (the senior heralds) will put on their crowns. Nor will there be the fine sweep when four Knights of the Garter come forward with the gold canopy for the anointing as they have done since at least the reign of Henry VI. This time the anointing will take place behind a screen. Any traditional peers who present regalia are referred to, somewhat apologetically, in the service notes devised by the Archbishop, as having established an historic claim as an acknowledgment to tradition.

The presence of lounge suits among the congregation is also a new feature but hopefully there will be enough colourful uniforms on display to keep Britain firmly established.

If there are only 2,000 guests instead of 8,000 in special stands, there will be one omnipresent feature  the television cameras. The filming of this coronation will be infinitely more impressive than the flickering black-and-white images of 1953. We certainly would not tolerate seeing the processions go up the Nave from behind  filmed by a single camera. Thus this service can be watched live in every corner of the globe.

The King is not only stylish and cultured, he is also a deeply spiritual man. I am told that he has been looking forward to his coronation but he will approach it with considerable gravity.

After her coronation in 1953, the Queen wrote to Archbishop Fisher to thank him for all his encouragement and explanations which had made the tremendous significance of the service and the strain of the day so much easier to face. She had drawn strength from a little book of Devotions he prepared for her for the month before June 2.

It will be as true for King Charles as for his mother and grandparents that he goes into the Abbey as one man and he comes out as another  anointed, consecrated and crowned. He will be deeply moved by all that happens in the Abbey and no doubt further reassured by the response of the crowds outside. The photographer and diarist Cecil Beaton noticed a change in George VI after his coronation in 1937: It is interesting to note how as soon as someone becomes loved & his duties of kingship have been taken up with such devotion, he has acquired an added beauty and nobility he has become King now.

The sacred service and the whole panoply of the Coronation is the final step for King Charles as he embarks on his reign. From the changes made and the approach to the Coronation we see an assured and well-trained Prince of Wales becoming a substantial and confident king. He will be less formal than the late Queen  he heads straight to the crowds to shake miscellaneous hands. He will be circumspect in his public utterance but will pursue the commitments to which he is devoted, quietly behind the scenes.

He is a workaholic, barely eating lunch. Inevitably, he realises that he does not have as much time as his late mother to achieve all that he wishes to do in his reign.

He has made an impressive start  and we all wish him well on his big day.
T he last time Britain celebrated a coronation, Winston Churchill was prime minister, the structure of DNA had only recently been discovered, and Blackpool were celebrating winning the FA Cup following the legendary Stanley Matthews Final.

Whether you regard yourself as a royalist, republican or somewhere in between, there is no disputing the significance of this weekend. The Coronation will be a moment of celebration for millions in London and across Britain.

It also serves as a rare opportunity for Londoners of every age and background to gather together in a way that only Royal occasions afford.

One of my earliest and fondest memories as a child was joining crowds to line the street as the Silver Jubilee procession of Queen Elizabeth wound its way past our council estate in Earlsfield. I was there as a six-year old in Tooting with family, friends and neighbours, waiting eagerly by the roadside, beaming from ear to ear, Union Jack flags in hand, and paper crowns on our heads.

I will never forget the excitement of that day. Nor will I forget what it meant to swear my oath of allegiance to the Queen as an MP or my pride at becoming a member of her Privy Council.

So on a personal note, I will be honoured to take my seat in Westminster Abbey on behalf of London to witness this chapter in our nations story unfold.

During this period of change, many Londoners will take heart in knowing that our new sovereign shares a lifelong connection and commitment to our capital. From a visit to a community kitchen in Harrow, to a tour of the East End and standing in solidarity with our Syrian and Turkish diaspora communities following the terrible earthquakes there, the King has shown in the last few months that the enduring support our city has enjoyed from the Crown will continue.

It goes without saying that no other city in the world can compete with London when it comes to staging events on the scale of the Coronation. Our success in hosting these great spectacles is not down to chance, it demands months of intense planning and the tireless dedication of countless people. And I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to all involved, including those working across the weekend in our emergency services and on our transport network.

As well as offering a morale boost, the Coronation will also bring economic benefits to London. Last years Platinum Jubilee celebrations drew more than two million tourists to the capital and contributed 80 million to our economy. We hope a similar impact is seen this weekend.

Beyond the pageantry and celebrations, this weekend will reveal something profound about the direction our country has taken over the past 70 years. The Coronation of Elizabeth II took place in a Britain caught between the past and future. It was an era of great change, which included welcoming the Windrush Generation and other migrants to help rebuild our country from the ruin of war. Since then, revolutions of all natures, from social to technological, economic to cultural, have redefined our nation.

The monarchy has not resisted reform. Indeed, our new sovereign is determined to represent this new Britain. We know the King holds a sincere desire to serve as a protector of all faiths, to act as a champion of our environment and the natural world and to help improve the lives of people.

However, I believe there is no more visible measure of the change experienced in Britain since the last coronation than in the diversity of the democratically elected officials invited to attend this one. This includes a Hindu Prime Minister and a Muslim First Minister of Scotland. The path of progress can feel slow, but we must allow ourselves the opportunity to celebrate how far we have come.
H ollywood actor Chris Pratt has commemorated the release of the third Guardians Of The Galaxy by sharing a number of pictures and videos of his cast mates on set during filming.

The final instalment in the Marvel franchise sees Pratt reprise his role as Star-Lord Peter Quill in the blockbuster, alongside Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Vin Diesel.

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 3 was released in the UK on Wednesday and in the US on Friday.

On Twitter, Pratt shared a video of Gillan and Saldana, dressed in their respective characters Nebula and Gamora, dancing to We Are Family by Sister Sledge before their stunt doubles also appear on-screen.

The 43-year-old also shared a photo of director James Gunn carrying him in his arms, a picture of all the cast dressed in their characters on set and a video panning around the set.

Pratt captioned the Twitter post: Todays the day! I am SO pumped for all of you to experience the final Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

All I can say is, thank you to all our friends and fans who made this so fun.

The past 10 years wouldnt have been possible without any of you. Ill forever be grateful. #GOTGVol3.
KYODO NEWS - May 5, 2023 - 18:03 | All, World, Japan

Japan imported a record 155.2 billion yen ($1.2 billion) worth of marine products from Russia in 2022, data from the Finance Ministry showed Friday, highlighting the country's continued reliance on Moscow for its seafood supply despite a deterioration of relations over the war in Ukraine.

While Japan did impose economic sanctions, including banning imports of vodka and lumber, on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine last year, marine products were exempted as Tokyo deemed the adverse effect on domestic businesses would be too great.

Japan's poor catches and Russia's larger volume in waters around disputed islands, known as the Northern Territories in Japan and the Southern Kurils in Russia, were factors in last year's imports hitting the highest since 1992, a year after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The previous record high was logged in 2018 when Japan imported 140.2 billion yen of marine products from Russia. It is estimated that Japan imports around 40 percent of the seafood consumed in the country, with Russia ranking third after Chile and the United States by import value in 2022.

By product, snow crab accounted for the highest value of imports from Russia last year at 32.6 billion yen. The increase is likely due to Russian exporters shifting to Japan after being banned from the U.S. and other Western markets, according to sources in the fisheries industry.

The figure was also boosted by Japan's need for new import sources due to a U.S. suspension of snow crab fishing in the Bering Sea due to declining stock, the sources said.

Imports of pollack paste, the raw ingredient for "kamaboko" fishcakes, increased roughly seven-fold from the previous year to 7.4 billion yen in 2022. Poor fishing conditions in Japan also resulted in an increase in imports of sea urchins, salmon and trout from Russia, among other products.

"The Russian government is focusing on revitalizing the fishing industry for the development of its Far East. The presence of Russian products (in Japan) is expected to increase in the future as production continues to decrease in the United States," said Seiji Haraguchi, director of the Hokkaido Trawl Fisheries Cooperative Federation.
E veryones heard of Goldfrapp. As the moniker of the acclaimed electronic music duo behind raunchy Noughties hits like Strict Machine and Twist, its been famous for 25 years. Now, at the age of 56, Alison Goldfrapp is emerging from the shield of her surname to go solo for the first time with The Love Invention.

I didnt have that confidence to do it sooner, she says. I sort of felt like maybe I couldnt do it. This is a feeling Ive wanted to explore for quite some time. And I want to explore it more.

She and Will Gregory, the producer and keyboardist, made seven studio albums as Goldfrapp  with her siren-like vocals setting their work apart, from the 2001 Mercury Prize-shortlisted debut Felt Mountain to the platinum-selling classic, 2005s Supernature. Gregory didnt tour with Goldfrapp, operating out of public view and once joking he was paranoid that people didnt know he existed. Still, Goldfrapp herself doesnt feel like shes going solo, as such.

Im still collaborating, she says. And with stellar names no less; Richard X (who produces Roisin Murphy) and James Greenwood (who works with Daniel Avery) both had a hand in her new record. I feel like Ive got my mojo back, she says.

I really hope this album will take me to the States, and to more of Europe. I really missed that element, she continues. After touring in 2017 to support Silver Eye, her most recent album with Gregory, she took a sabbatical from music for a few years. And then, Covid hit.

But lockdown, for all its limitations, was a motor for creativity. Faced with social distancing, Goldfrapp set about building a studio in her east London home: a space that would unlock the reveries that course through The Love Invention. The window out of which she stared was both a reminder of her confinement and, shes explained, a gateway to another world: Im not in this room when Im in this room. Its the portal.

Alison Goldfrapp shot by Matt Maitland / PR handout

The albums lead single, So Hard So Hot, plays on those feelings. Written at the peak of last summers heatwave, it reimagines the extreme temperature she felt in the studio as an invitation to join a sweaty dancefloor. I like lyrics that have a double meaning, she deadpans. So Hard So Hot is a sexual come-on, but it also has a deeper message  somewhere beneath the percolating beats is an environmental alarm bell.

The climate crisis is a major source of anxiety for the songwriter. I think of it for no more than five seconds, and I feel absolutely terrified, she says, giggling nervously. Weve all got our heads in the sand about it. An increasingly polarised political landscape doesnt help either, she says. On the one hand, we seem to become more accepting, but on the other, there are people consciously going against that.

Goldfrapp blames social media for galvanising division and admits to feeling confused by the resurgence of fascism in the West, amid so much progress and acceptance elsewhere in society. She fears we are hurtling towards annihilation: Were not going to be here that much longer, because were f***ing it right up anyway.

Goldfrapps album is an antidote to all the fear and anxiety: a call to abandonment. Drawing on Italo disco and electropop, the album is chiefly about pleasure seeking, she says. While thats hardly surprising for a dance record, its thrilling to hear something so energetic from a musician in her 50s. Shes not one to be hemmed in by convention: her music is as sexy and ebullient as it was 20 years ago. For Goldfrapp, ageism has no place in music  or anywhere else. I still think theres a long way to go, she says, about what older women are told to wear or how to behave.

Madonnas an interesting case, she continues. I do think we have this notion that once we hit a certain age, we shouldnt be wearing this or that, or doing certain things. I felt like that in the last few months, getting my hair cut a certain way or wanting to wear a certain dress.

She fears it also ties into a wider narrative that puts a deadline on achievement. I do think people have these notions, even if theyre trying very hard not to, that you should have achieved certain things by a certain age. Its just a load of garbage really.

Theres personal history behind this: though Goldfrapp has been making music since she was a teenager, moving from the South West to a London squat at the age of 16. She didnt get a record deal until she was 30, after an early appearance on Orbitals 1994 album Snivilisation, and lending her voice to Trickys 1995 song The Pumpkin. It was that collaboration which brought her and Gregory together: he heard the song, reached out, and the rest is history.

Ive always felt older than everyone else, she says, of signing to Mute Records in 1996. I ask her whether that translated to more maturity  an advantage over the fellow newbies who came up alongside her. She cackles. No! I was such a babbling, nervous idiot a lot of the time, and didnt know what the f*** I was doing!

She wishes shed had the same confidence and eloquence that she sees in younger pop stars. I hear Taylor Swift talk, and Im just so impressed, she says. Irrespective of whether you like her music or not [] shes so articulate.

Goldfrapps approach to making music is fascinating  something akin to synaesthesia. For me, making music is a visual experience, she says. I think about the atmosphere, and often picture a particular environment, and particular colours... Its sort of like a dream.

Our talk turns to this weekends festivities. Amid all the Coronation celebrations up and down the country over the next few days, Goldfrapp is among those who will not be hanging up the bunting. She finds it all a bit embarrassing, baffled by the celebrations of the monarchy in the 21st century. She wouldnt, however, mind a little ride in the carriage. Id like to rock up to a club, and then maybe a gig in that carriage, if its for hire.

The Love Invention (BMG) is out on May 12
D avid Tennant will play the title role in the Donmar Warehouses newly announced production of Macbeth, which is set to open in December for an eight-week run.

Donmar associate director Max Webster will direct the new production, which will be one of two just announced as concluding the Donmars 30th birthday celebrations, as well as the 2023 programme.

I am so excited to witness David Tennants portrayal of Macbeth, in what will be an unmissable production said artistic director Michael Longhurst, who is stepping down from his role next year.

The first Shakespeare I ever read was Macbeth. Its a play that has haunted me for as long as I can remember, Tennant told the BBC. To be playing this part, in the unique and intimate Donmar Warehouse... is daunting and humbling, but most of all... thrilling.

The new play will be Tennants first stage performance in over a year. The Scottish actor last tread the boards in 2022 when he starred in Cecil Philip Taylors Good at the Harold Pinter Theatre in Londons West End. The 52-year-old has played Macbeth before, but in a BBC Radio 4 production of the play, which aired last year.

Tennant has also starred as Richard II in a Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production from 2013 to 2014 and again in 2016, but most famously perhaps played Hamlet, in the RSC production of the play that ran at the Novello Theatre in 2008.

At the time, his performance won rave reviews, with The Guardian saying, This is a Hamlet of quicksilver intelligence, mimetic vigour and wild humour: one of the funniest Ive ever seen, and, David Tennant is the best RSC Hamlet in years.

Who's on: Fans queue for tickets to see David Tennant in Hamlet

Tennant has also starred in countless other Shakespeare productions, including Much Ado About Nothing in 2011, in which he played Benedick opposite Catherine Tates Beatrice; Loves Labours Lost where he played Berowne (2008); A Midsummer Nights Dream, where he played Lysander (2001); Romeo and Juliet  obviously Romeo (2000); King Lear where he played Edgar (1999), and As You Like It, in which he played Touchstone (1996).

Tennant will also be making his return to the screen in November this year, as Doctor Who, starring in a series of special 60th anniversary episodes written by Russell T Davies.

The second play announced to conclude the Donmars 2023 programme will be the European premiere of double Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottages CLYDES, a play about the staff and customers at a truck stop diner in Pennsylvania which is staffed by formerly incarcerated people.

The play will see New York writer Nottage reunite with director Lynette Linton, who helmed Nottages play Sweat at the Donmar in 2018-19. The production, which starred the American actress Martha Plimpton, won Best Play at the Evening Standard Theatre Awards in 2019, and enjoyed a sold-out run at the Donmar before transferring to the West Ends Gielgud Theatre. CLYDES will run at the Donmar from October 19 to December 2.

Macbeth, December 15 to February 10; tickets go on sale on May 16 from 9am online and midday over the phone; donmarwarehouse.com
Review at a glance









B lack Ops opens with a high-speed chase scene. A hooded criminal is being pursued across East Londons rooftops by an angry local; together, the pair vault stairs, leap buildings and slam into walls.

Unfortunately for our heroes, this is not them. In fact, when the wrongdoer in question eventually gets pinned by his pursuer, they look the other way.

Shit, its kicking off, one tells the other. Pretend we cant see.

The reason why, it transpires, is because neither are capable of making arrests: theyre Community Support Officers, who dont have the power to stick perps in cuffs. As Kay (Hammed Animashaun) puts it: "awkward, we actually cant. And this sets the tone pretty neatly for the entirety of show: funny, irreverent and just a little bit stilted.

The show  co-written by and starring Famalams Gbemisola Ikumelo  goes something like this. Ikumelo and Animashauns characters Dom and Kay are disaffected Community Support Officers, stuck in a police force where theyre routinely sidelined because of their gender and race.

However, their employers are also looking to find two officers capable of infiltrating a local (all black) drug gang. The white officers theyve dredged up are no good (I do a decent patois, sir, if youre interested, one chirpily says), so Dom and Kay are suddenly drafted into a job way beyond their pay grade.

Dangerous: two of the drug dealers in question / BBC/Gary Moyes

One quick montage later, theyve been fired from their jobs (as far as I can understand it, to create a verifiable cover story), been secretly rehired by the undercover squad, and have stolen a load of drugs from the police lock-up to cement their cover as rival drug dealers. Heres where the chaos starts  because naturally, nothing really goes to plan.

Make no mistake: this is a comedy first and foremost, and while the campy, farcical tone works in some areas (the first fifteen minutes delivers a solid stream of zingers, and nearly all of them land), it doesnt in others.

Kay and Doms odd-couple banter (hes a wimp; shes assertive) often feels forced  even more so in high-pressure situations, like when the pair are held at gunpoint by a local drug gang. Kay starts begging them not to shoot the hand he plays the church organ with, while Dom complains that shes just had her nails done.

Its cringe in the extreme, and exposes the cracks: sometimes, the stilted delivery of some of the actors (especially those playing secondary characters), or the content of the lines themselves, jars so hard it pulls you up short. Its not as if a comedy this silly requires you to suspend your disbelief  but Black Ops requires you to throw it out of a window.

Fortunately you can forgive it almost anything because, for the most part, this show is funny. The writers relentlessly skewer the Met, gang culture, the crime/thriller genre  in one especially awkward scene, a white police officer tells the pair, who are in civilian dress, that theyre not allowed in staff-only areas. While theyre standing right next to a poster of Dom, advertising diversity within the force. And thats after the sergeant in charge of sourcing the aforementioned white candidates to infiltrate the drug gang covers up his mistake by telling the only black man in the room: terribly sorry sir, I dont see colour. Frankly its both unbelievable and exactly the kind of thing you can imagine happening in real life.

The plot romps along apace, distilling three hours into six tight 30-minute episodes that get progressively more bonkers (anybody for a high-speed bike chase?). Does it make sense? Not a bit of it, but that doesnt matter. There are more than enough gags to compensate.

Black Ops will air on BBC One and iPlayer from May 5
W hether youre a keen royal fanatic or simply looking to avoid the hustle and bustle of the Coronation crowds this weekend, take a pit stop at one of Londons very many wonderful tea spots. Afterall, what better way to spend the day than by partaking in a quintessentially British activity?

Ahead of the big royal bonanza, ES Magazine have teamed up with the citys best afternoon spots, where you can squabble over the most contentious of questions cream before jam or jam before cream? (the latter being the correct answer and only way to eat such a treat).

Fortnum and Masons / Fortnum and Masons

With a call to traditionalism in mind, Fortnum and Masons Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon over in Piccadilly ought to be your first port of call. Theres peace to be found inside the iconic department store, where you can expect to hear squeals of joy and the clinking of cutlery against green china plates. It is, if nothing else, an unforgettable experience.

Dishes are inspired by those served at Queen Elizabeth IIs Coronation in 1953 and some of King Charles favourite foods Welsh lamb scotch egg drizzled in wild herb aioli, spiced Native lobster, Harbourne blue cheese mousse with London honey glaze and popcorn, all of which are an ode to his love for local produce. Warm scones are filled with lashings of thick clotted cream and strawberry jam ambitiously piled on after, best paired with teas from here, there and everywhere the Darjeeling blend reigns supreme!

Searcys at The Gherkin / Searcys at The Gherkin

If youre looking to dine with a view, let Searcys at the Gherkin be your guide with their afternoon Coronation special. The cosmopolitan building is simply a restorative experience, and indeed very much a treat with more treats following. After finally navigating the buildings very many elevators, waft up to the top floor of the and bask in the sunshine over a cup of blackcurrant and hibiscus tea and multi-tiered cake stand served in the sky.

Feast your eyes and bellies on pheasant crumble pie, delectable miniature trifles, created using Searcys new signature gin and seasonal poached Lincolnshire rhubarb. Dont worry plant-based folk! Theres plenty for you, pulled Coronation jackfruit brimming with spiced sultanas, dinky mushroom pastries studded with nigella seeds and finger-sized candied coffee chocolate mousses. For the ultimate sugar-shock, try the summer berry macaron, sprinkled with confectioners sugar and topped with edible butterflies, its a winner!

The Rosewood / The Rosewood

Whilst The Rosewood are taking a less than ordinary approach to the after-lunch meal, with their fabulous Coronation art afternoon tea. Cucumber finger sandwiches, bite-size tarts and mouth-watering pastries are to be expected and rightfully eaten in gleeful mouthfuls, but the luxury hotel over in High Holborn is serving up a rather unique feast.

Its a David Hockney inspired affair with lots of bold and innovative twists on offer. Chocolate topped earl grey flavoured sponges, pistachio and cherry sable biscuits and bright blue tangy treats, conjuring up images of the famed artists work. Quirky and cool yet keeping it quintessential at heart (thats just how us Brits be).

The Bollinger Burlington Bar in Mayfair / The Bollinger Burlington Bar in Mayfair

Meanwhile over in Mayfair, Champagne Bollinger are serving up a royally good time with their Afternoon Treat Menu. The dimly lit interiors of this is the Bollinger Burlington Bar, with its luxurious gold-flecked furnishings, make a perfect setting for a light bite. This one-off Coronation menu was dreamt up by none other than the Royal Warrant patisserie chef Didier Merveilleux. Here you will find tiers of tangy peach and vanilla tarts and passion fruit yuzu macaroons so bright they put the crown jewels to shame.

Toast the Kings accession to the throne with one or two glasses of Bollingers signature Special Cuvee its so divine youll be buying it by the bottle. Expect flushed cheeks and a fun one this bank holiday weekend. Cheers!
I was born and bred in west London, around Ladbroke Grove, but I moved east in 2014 and I am so glad I did.

I love Mile End  it reminds me of what west London used to be like before it became wealthy and gentrified, and the tapestry of community seemed to fray. When wealth comes, lots of walls and gates and fences seem to come with it. When I moved to east London, I felt that community again.

The other thing I love about Mile End is that it is not Shoreditch, I am not into all that chaos.

Eating and drinking

The Pavilion cafe in Victoria Park is one of Nabils favourites / Alamy Stock Photo

There are so many places that you are spoiled for choice, but my day-to-day is the Pavilion cafe in Victoria Park, for delicious coffee and cakes and a bit of people-watching. I also like The Coffee Room on Grove Road, which is a really old-school, Italian-owned place where they know you by name.

Mae + Harvey on Roman Road is another favourite, healthy and tasty, and owned by Tasha, the hardest-working woman Ive ever met.

I have not drunk for a couple of years, but I would recommend Satans Whiskers on Cambridge Heath Road, which has the best non-alcoholic cocktails for me, while my beloved sips something a bit stronger.

Where I work out

I am a ridiculously early riser, like 5am to 5.30am, and I like to take my yoga mat to Victoria Park and work out under the stars, where theres also monkey bars and things like that to use.

I joined Fightzone London on Pritchards Road about a year ago. I love that place. It does mixed martial arts, and it feels a bit like a family.

The climbing wall at Mile End Park / Matt Writtle

There is also a climbing wall at Mile End Park, which some of my friends use and I have been tempted by.

To commune with nature

I love walking along the Regents Canal, all the way to the Limehouse Basin, and often I will jump on my bike and cycle along the canal to Upper Street.

The calm of Regents Canal / Matt Writtle

Grocery shopping

I am a fan of a market and Roman Road Market has some really good Turkish stalls for fruit and vegetables. And on Saturdays and Sundays there is a really good organic market in Victoria Park.

For a culture fix

Genesis Cinema offers 5 tickets / Matt Writtle

Rich Mix on Bethnal Green Road is doing some really great things.

And Ive got to talk about Genesis Cinema, which is this independent cinema on Mile End Road. The owner is Tyrone Walker-Hebborn and he offers 5 tickets because he really wants to get people back into the cinema, and I love that.

Getting around

Bike is my preferred mode of transport. If we are filming in east London I often cycle to set, and I can be in the West End in half an hour. But I do love the Elizabeth line. I can get from Whitechapel to Tottenham Court Road in something ridiculous like eight minutes.

Cycling is Nabils favourite way to get around / Matt Writtle

Dream street

I love Tredegar Square, and all around there. I like all the gorgeous old houses; they seem like theyd be really spacious.

Something you only see in Mile End

On Saturday Roman Road Market is an absolute delight. There is a South Asian food truck, Home Made Delights, run by a family, which I really recommend.

Tredegar Square, one of Londons finest examples of Georgian elegance / Matt Writtle

Whats the catch?

I dont drive any more but dont like how they are closing off all the side roads so that all the traffic is funnelled into the main roads. How is cars idling good for the environment?

In three words

Vibrant, green space, fun.

Nabil Elouahabi is currently filming season two of the thriller Trigger Point alongside Vicky McClure. Catch up with season one on ITVX.

Schools

Most local primary schools hold good Ofsted reports. For older students, Central Foundation Girls School is also rated good by the schools watchdog, as is the Stepney Green Mathematics and Computing College for pupils keen on numbers and tech.

This isnt really private-school territory, but the high-performing City of London School is three miles west.

What it costs

Buying in Mile End

Average flat price: 424,550

Average house price: 892,430

Renting in Mile End

Average one-bed rent: 1,500 pcm

Average three-bed rent: 2,840 pcm

Source: Hamptons & Land Registry
The Coronation commotion has begun.

Today, a number of outings have drawn the public eye: The Waleses headed to the Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, alongside King Charles III, where the Princess of Wales looked restricted but respectful in a plain white dress custom made by Jenny Packham, and complete with long sleeves and a black wasitband. She paired it with Aquazzura black high heels, worth 620, as the couple headed for a walk about outside Buckingham Palace, greeting keen royal fans.

The Princess of Wales on a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, to meet wellwishers ahead of the Coronation on Saturday / PA

But it was at No.10 where a riot of colour erupted. Jill Biden, First Lady of The United States of America, who will be representing the country at the Coronation without President Joe Biden, was greeted by UK Prime Ministers wife Akshata Murty - and opted for raging hot pink to do so.

First Lady Jill Biden of the United States meets Akshata Murty, wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at number 10 Downing Street on May 5, 2023 / Getty Images

Biden paired a just-over-the-knee pink dress with ribbon bow waistband with a coordinating, button-up coat for the occasion, and finished her look with pearl earrings, pearl and gold bracelets, and a particularly special pair of 870 Dior floral patterned slingback kitten heels. Biden is a longtime fan of Diors high heel offering, and was seen wearing similar branded slingbacks during her husbands 2020 campaign rallies.

First Lady Jill Biden of the United States and and her Granddaughter Finnegan Biden meet Akshata Murty, wife of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at number 10 Downing Street on May 5, 2023 / Getty Images

By her side braving Londons stormy weather was Murty, who looked smart-if-safe in a silk printed blue and white floral gown with contrast checkerboard sleeves and skirt hem. The Prime Ministers wife, who has attracted media attention for her penchant for designer labels (including dropping her children at school wearing 570 JW Anderson chain loafers) was likely being careful to keep obvious luxury branding to a minimum.

Murty was also introduced to one of Bidens granddaughters Finnegan, who looked sophisticated in a navy suit with nude high heels.

It comes as excitement builds across the capital for tomorrows Coronation of Charles III, where the hotly anticipated ceremony will begin at Westminster Abbey at 11am.
A man has been charged with the murder of 31-year-old Johanita Kossiwa Dogbey in Brixton on Monday.

Mohamed Nur, 33, of Bondway, Vauxhall was charged with murder and possession of an offensive weapon.

He has also been charged with a further count of possession of an offensive weapon and three counts of causing grievous bodily harm against two separate women and a man.

The two women and a man suffered slash injuries in separate incidents in Town Hall Parade, Brixton Road and Acre Lane in Brixton, on Saturday, April 29.

Ms Dogbey had been buying a birthday gift for her mother when she was attacked near Brixtons O2 Academy about 4.30pm on Bank Holiday Monday.

According to the charges, Nur is suspected of being armed with a pair of scissors on the day he allegedly murdered Ms Dogbye.

It is alleged he had an offensive weapon, namely a made bladed article - two silver bladed items with blue cloth and rubber band wrapped around it, believed to be an open pair of scissors.

The day after the stabbing, Nur was allegedly in possession of a piece of glass taped up to be a weapon in Brixton Road.

Devout Christian Ms Dogbey founded sickle cell disease charity the Odette Foundation and lived with her family about 300 yards from where she was attacked.

Her father Yao said: We have no words at this moment. My daughter was beautiful and kind-hearted.

Announcing the charges, CPS Deputy Chief Crown Prosecutor for London North Lisa Ramsarran said: The CPS has authorised the Metropolitan Police to charge Mohamed Nur with murder. This charge is in relation to a woman who was stabbed while walking alone near Stockwell Park Road in Brixton on Monday 1 May 2023.

Charges have also been authorised in respect of three counts of wounding with intent and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon. The alleged offences occurred between 29 April 2023 and 2 May 2023.

The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against Mr Nur are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.

It is extremely important there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.

Nur is due to attend Croydon Magistrates Court on Friday.
T wo victims of the Windrush scandal have lost High Court battles with the Government over their level of compensation.

Surjit Kaur brought legal action against the Home Office over being denied a compensatory award for decades of lost work and benefits.

Ms Kaur, 82, who came to the UK from India in 1963, claimed she had not been given documentation to prove her lawful immigration status and fell into abject poverty with her six children.

Vernon Vanriel, 67, pursued a legal claim against the department over its alleged refusal to compensate him for a loss of benefits after he was wrongly prevented from re-entering the UK.

The ex-boxer and electrician, who came to the UK as a child in 1962, was in poor mental health, unable to work, destitute and homeless in the 10 years after he was denied permission to return from a visit to Jamaica in 2008, the court was told.

Ms Kaur was granted 40,000 under an impact on life award after she applied to the Windrush Compensation Scheme, but the Government later said she had not provided evidence of being rejected from jobs due to a lack of documentation.

Mr Vanriel received just over 103,500 under the scheme and was offered an award of 29,250 in relation to his homelessness, but Home Office lawyers said he had no entitlement to compensation for loss of benefits.

In two separate rulings issued over the past week, judges rejected both individuals bids for more compensation.

Mr Justice Henshaw was told at a hearing in London in February that after Ms Kaur came to the UK to join her husband, he had died and she had to sell their home to support her family.

She claimed to have lacked support from the Government and lived her life as an outcast.

Ms Kaur told a caseworker she was forced to live a miserable life with no financial support without enough heating or lighting and that she sat with her children in rooms lit by candlelight.

She described being huddled up together as they could only afford to heat one room and said life was akin to life in the Victorian era.

Ms Kaur claimed to have been rejected from jobs due to being unable to prove her immigration status and that when showing her Indian passport at job centres she was told she was ineligible for benefits.

But in a ruling on Friday, the judge rejected her claim, saying there was no failure lawfully to assess her evidence and no flaw in an earlier review of her case and that her award was not irrational nor otherwise unlawful.

Mr Vanriel returned to the UK in September 2018 and received a personal apology from former home secretary Priti Patel over the shameful injustice and hardship suffered by him and other members of the Windrush generation.

He won a separate High Court challenge over the Home Offices refusal to grant him British citizenship following his return to the UK in December 2021.

Arriving aged six, he lived in the UK continuously from 1962 until 2005, starting his own electrician business and becoming an accomplished boxer who rose to number two in Britain and fighting at the Royal Albert Hall.

In July 2005 he visited his youngest son in Jamaica but was refused re-entry to the UK three years later, leaving him stranded and destitute in Jamaica.

At another hearing in February, Mr Justice Griffiths was told he was forced to live in shelters, including a disused chicken coop and an abandoned grocery shack without electricity or a bathroom.

Mr Vanriels lawyers said he had received incapacity benefit, income support and disability living allowance before leaving the UK, and was eligible for benefits on his return years later.

They said his September 2021 acceptance of a full and final settlement of his compensation claim did not prevent him bringing further claims for more money.

But in a ruling issued on April 28, the judge concluded that by accepting the settlement Mr Vanriel agreed that his claim was at an end.

Mr Justice Griffiths said it was an abuse of process for (Mr Vanriel) to pursue a claim for judicial review in respect of an award under the scheme which he has accepted in full and final settlement and been paid.
M idwives are set to be celebrated and championed worldwide on their official day.

The International Confederation of Midwives, a supporting body, has been organising the event since 1992, and it is marked in 50 countries.

The confederation fights to secure worldwide access for women to midwifery and works with United Nations agencies.

When is International Day of the Midwife 2023?

The 2023 banner / International Confederation of Midwives

The 2023 edition is being celebrated on Friday, May 5.

This years theme is Together again: from evidence to reality, which the confederation said is a nod to the upcoming 33rd confederation triennial congress, where the global midwife community will come together for the first time in more than five years.

Dr Franka Cadee, the confederation president, and Dr Sally Pairman, the chief executive released a joint statement celebrating the day.

This read: Last year marked the 100th anniversary of the International Confederation of Midwives, meaning 2023 is the first year of our new century  one that will undoubtedly see major developments for midwives and midwifery.

If we want to ensure midwives have the resources and support to lead these developments, we need to leverage moments like International Day of the Midwife to garner attention for our life-enhancing work and ensure that midwives have the resources to fulfil the full scope of midwifery care.

How will International Day of the Midwife 2023 be celebrated?

The confederation says it has done things a bit differently, this year.

This will include adding a new member zone to its website for midwives to promote events and initiatives for the day.

In the lead up-to the event, there was also a competition, where between February 15 and May 1 people could nominate a midwife and explain why they are deserving of a prize. And the winner will receive a five-day, all-expenses-paid trip to Bali.

There is also a push on social media for people to thank their midwives and advocate for support.

The statement added: In our respective roles as president and chief executive and in our careers as midwives and gender equality advocates, weve seen how pivotal [the international day] has become in advancing our collective demand for greater investment in midwives and midwifery.

Weve also seen how important it is to include voices from outside of the midwifery workforce in promoting and celebrating midwifery, specifically, the voices of the women and families we care for.

Thats why, this years #IDM2023 resource pack is designed to encourage everyone to contribute to our advocacy efforts.
L ondon surgeons have operated on a record number of women living with endometriosis in a single weekend using a groundbreaking approach that could help reduce the NHS backlog.

Specialists at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital performed a phenomenal 24 surgical procedures last Saturday and Sunday - eight times the amount that would usually be done in a single week.

The High Intensity Theatre List technique saw two surgeons in two theatres performing 12 operations each throughout the day, assisted by the Da Vinci surgical robot. They were supported by a team of 20 members of staff focused on rapidly moving patients in and out of the theatre.

Clinicians at the hospital were alerted to the technique following the Standard's report last year on Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, who used a HIT list to perform a record eight prostate cancer operations in under ten hours.

One in 10 women in the UK are affected by endometriosis, a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Every month, the cells react the same way to those in the womb, building up and then breaking down and bleeding.

Endometriosis causes debilitating symptoms including chronic pelvic pain, fatigue and fertility problems. Surgery can help to provide pain relief.

Half a million women are currently on a waiting list for gynaecology treatment in the UK, according to Endometriosis UK. More than 5,000 have been waiting more than 18 months.

The team at Chelsea and Westminster used two da Vinci surgical robots to perform the minimally invasive procedures. With the help of robotic tools, surgeons made small incisions, using instruments attached to the arms of the system.

The robots also allow the surgeons to complete an operation in between 35 and 40 minutes, rather than an hour or longer for laparascopic surgery, which is commonly offered to endometriosis patients. They also cause less blood loss and have a faster recovery time.

Dr Jeffrey Ahmed, a Consultant Gynaecologist and Service Director at the Trust who performed the operations, explained that many endometriosis patients have a patchwork access to surgery, with some unable to find the treatment they need.

The use of robotic tools have mainly been the domain of cancer surgery, he told the Standard, meaning that it is unavailable for those suffering from endometriosis.

Endometriosis patients stuck on a waiting list are suffering and we have an ability to help reduce or remove their pain. It isn't an issue that is talked about enough, but this surgery can be life changing for women.

Dr Ahmed told the Standard that the surgical list had involved a huge effort from hospital staff as well as meticulous planning in the months prior.

It gave everyone a huge morale boost and has definitely bonded us. We put the list up around 8 weeks ago and, in 24 hours, all 18 nursing slots had been filled. That is the excitement it caused among our staff.

Around 90 per cent of patients had been discharged within 24 hours of their operation, allowing beds to remain free in the hospital and people to get home on the same day.

Dr Amer Raza, Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Chelsea and Westminster NHS Trust, who also performed the procedures, said he hoped that the weekend would provide inspiration for future surgical lists.

We really impressed ourselves and the Trust is keen for us to work together to understand how it worked so efficiently. Hopefully we can translate this into every single list we do in the hospital.

It is hoped that the HIT lists, if rolled out more widely, could help the NHS to reduce the backlog in care caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

There were more than a million London patients waiting for routine hospital treatment at the end of February, according to NHS data. This included more than 88,000 waiting for gynaeological treatment in the capital.
KYODO NEWS - May 5, 2023 - 11:52 | All, Japan

A 25-year-old riot officer of the Metropolitan Police Department apparently fatally shot himself on Friday in a toilet at a guard station on the premises of the prime minister's office, the police said.

The officer, found bleeding from the head at around 4:40 a.m. with a gun at the scene, was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to the police.

A colleague of the officer heard what sounded like a gunshot and found him lying in the toilet. A bullet had been fired from the gun and no suicide note was found.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is currently on a trip abroad.
T ube and train passengers, your ears are not deceiving you. Yes, that really was the King telling you to mind the gap.

Charles and Camilla have recorded a special message that will be played across all 2,570 UK rail stations and the 270 London Underground stations over the Coronation weekend.

It includes the King playing the role of station announcer to issue the most famous of all Tube warnings: Mind the gap.

Coronation rehearsal for HM King Charles III | Wednesday 3rd May 2023 1 / 32 Coronation rehearsal for HM King Charles III | Wednesday 3rd May 2023 PA Wire PA PA AP PA PA PA AP AP PA PA PA PA PA PA REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS REUTERS AP AP REUTERS

The recording, which was made at Charless country retreat, Highgrove, earlier this year in conjunction with Transport for London audio engineers, sees the royal couple perform a double act.

The King says: My wife and I wish you and your families a wonderful Coronation weekend.

The Queen Consort continues: Wherever you are travelling, we hope you have a safe and pleasant journey.

The King then adds: And remember, please mind the gap.

The announcement will be heard from Friday May 5 until Monday May 8.

Charles and Camilla travel on a Metropolitan underground train from Farringdon to Kings Cross as they mark 150 years of London Underground in 2013 / Getty Images

Andy Lord, TfL commissioner, said: With less than one day to go before the Coronation, we look forward to hosting Londoners and visitors from across the globe.

We are honoured to support the celebrations with a special station announcement across our network from their majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

Jacqueline Starr, chief executive of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail firms, said: The Coronation is a rare and exciting event and we very much look forward to welcoming passengers with this special message.

Its wonderful that their majesties are including rail passengers as part of this historic moment.

Network Rail chief executive Andrew Haines said: Our station colleagues are pulling out all the stops to welcome people to London for the Coronation and its fantastic that they will also be welcomed by King Charles III and Queen Camilla.

On Thursday, the Prince and Princess of Wales made their first trip on the Elizabeth line - named in honour of Williams grandmother - as part of the Coronation festivities.

They boarded an eastbound train at Acton and travelled to Tottenham Court Road before heading to the Dog and Duck pub in Soho, where William poured the first pint of Kingmaker beer, a pale ale brewed to mark the Coronation.

TfL is running a full service over the Coronation weekend and some rail firms are laying on extra trains. The Carolean Express, the newly renamed 11am London North East Railway (LNER) service from Kings Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, will start running on Saturday, at the very minute the Coronation service begins at Westminster Abbey.
P rolific street artist Pegasus has given the King a Sex Pistols twist in his pop art Coronation tribute unveiled in north London.

The artwork, created over the course of three hours outside the N7 collective in Highbury and Islington, draws inspiration from the Sex Pistols original God Save The Queen artwork and Jean-Michel Basquiats crown motif.

The self-proclaimed massive fan of Eighties and Nineties pop art wanted to create this new kind of pop icon in King Charles by adding that Basquiat touch.

A young King is depicted wearing a pin earring and choker collar as a nod to Londons punk movement and the artists previous punk-based works of the late Queen.

With Pegasus newly signed to Clarendon Fine Art, and nine of his artworks already in their possession, the Coronation piece is expected to list eventually for about 4,750.

With my previous images of the Queen, Ive always wanted to make her look a bit edgy, Chris Turner, AKA Pegasus, told the Standard.

I wanted to always make her have a little punk feel, so thats kind of like my aesthetic when Im painting the royals.

I wanted to carry that on to King Charles. By adding the choker and the earring as well, it just nods to punk London.

The King is wearing a Basquiat-esque crown with the symbols of some of the worlds largest religions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam, reflecting Charles pledge to be the defender of all faiths. The crown also has a globe to reflect his sustainability efforts.

Harry and Meghan, left, and the King / Pegasus

Although I was trying to create this punk image I also wanted to put a little political message in there, Mr Turner said.

As we know, King Charles has always been very vocal about world religions coexisting together in peace and harmony, so thats the reason for those three main religion symbols on his crown.

And then the globe is just about how he is, in my eyes, the green King.

The Union Flag was intentionally painted upside down to reflect the distress in the ever posing question of the relevance of our monarchy in todays society and to highlight the challenges of the new King in holding the commonwealth together, Mr Turner said.

The artist will be glued to the TV on Saturday watching the Coronation procession and service.

I just want to see the whole thing. Obviously Ive never witnessed the Coronation before so this is historical for me. Its very exciting.

Pegasus Street Art - In pictures 1 / 41 Pegasus Street Art - In pictures Donald Tump Statue of Liberty @pegasusart David Bowie @pegasusart A Karl Lagerfeld Street Art tribute by Pegasus in London with assistance from Global Street Art @pegasusart Meghan Markle @pegasusart Madonna @pegasusart Amy Winehouse @pegasusart Tribute to George Michael @pegasusart Kim Jong Un @pegasusart Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Getty Images Aretha Franklin @pegasusart Pegasus Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Moving Street Art Installation around London @pegasusart Pegasus strikes with a powerful Donald Trump artwork @pegasusart Theresa May 'Dressed to Kill' @pegasusart Kate Moss @pegasusart Amy Winehouse Jeremy Selwyn Tribute to Carrie Fisher @pegasusart Renowned graffiti artist Pegasusass Charlie Chaplin in new artwork for exhibition launching at landmark development, Two Fifty One Theresa May and Donald Trump @pegasusart Hillary Clinton @pegasusart Depiction of a Syrian boy pulled from the rubble after airstrikes in Aleppo @pegasusart Street artist Pegasus poses for photographers at an exhibition celebrating the life of musician Amy Winehouse at the Jewish Museum in Camden, Joel Ryan/Invision/AP Tribute to George Michael @pegasusart Amy Winehouse Jeremy Selwyn Tribute to Carrie Fisher @pegasusart Amy Winehouse @pegasusart St Giles Hotel unveils works by London street artist Pegasus @pegasusart St Giles Hotel unveils works by London street artist Pegasus Nigel Howard Renowned graffiti artist Pegasusass Charlie Chaplin in new artwork for exhibition launching at landmark development, Two Fifty One Theresa May 'Dressed to Kill' @pegasusart A new street art mural of Madonna in Shoreditch @pegasusart Stonewall trubute: Love always wins @pegasusart

Mr Turner has painted a number of the royals before, including Queen Elizabeth II and a naked Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

With a lack of wall space for the painting, Mr Turner created the Harry and Meghan artwork on the back of a van and drove it around Buckingham Palace.

He said he was almost arrested for the stunt.

At one point we got stopped and we were asked to get out of the van, they searched the back of the van and they were like, Dont come back here. It was pretty scary, he explained.

There was no malice behind it anyway, it was all just kind of fun.
T he Foreign Secretary said he broached areas of deep disagreement during a meeting with the Chinese vice-president in London.

James Cleverly said he made plain the UKs position on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan during talks on Friday with Han Zheng ahead of the coronation.

The Chinese politician, who has been blamed for overseeing a crackdown on freedom in Hong Kong, was recently appointed as President Xi Jinpings deputy and is set to represent China at the royal event on Saturday.

Conservative MPs have criticised the UK Governments decision to invite Mr Han due to his previous role in Hong Kong.

It also comes at a time of increasingly fractious relations between London and Beijing, with a vocal section of Tory backbenchers calling for the UK to become more hawkish towards China due to security concerns.

Ministers updated the UKs integrated review on foreign and defence policy in March, describing China under Communist Party rule as representing an epoch-defining and systemic challenge to almost every aspect of Government policy and the everyday lives of British people.

Mr Cleverly, writing on Twitter on Friday, said: Engagement with China means discussing areas of deep disagreement and vital co-operation.

Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan.

We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links.

The Foreign Secretary has taken a less harsh line with China than some in his party would like.

In a speech last month, the Cabinet minister said isolating China would be a sign of weakness.

But some senior Tories want ministers to go further in distancing the UK from China and want the Government to be more outspoken in criticising the Far East countrys leadership.

Former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith is among those to have criticised the invitation for Mr Han to attend the Westminster Abbey service.

The vice-president led Hong Kong affairs for Beijing between 2018 and March this year, during which time it imposed the national security law after mass protests in the city, stifling opposition and criminalising dissent.

The move strained relations with the UK and led to the creation of a visa scheme allowing Hongkongers to come to Britain.

The UK has said China remains in breach of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, under which it has a duty to uphold Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and rights and freedoms.

Hong Kong was handed over from the UK to China in 1997 with a promise by Beijing to keep Western-style liberties under a one country, two systems framework.

On Taiwan, there are international fears that China could look to take the self-governed island by force.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 following a civil war that ended with the Communist Party in control of the mainland.

The island has never been part of the Peoples Republic of China, but Beijing says it must unite with the mainland, by force if necessary.

In Xinjiang, there has been international condemnation of human rights abuses against the Uyghur people, with some being kept in mass incarceration camps.

Beijing describes them as re-education centres for the Muslim minority people.

Human rights charity Amnesty International said the UKs decision to invite Mr Han to Charles crowning sent a very dangerous message as it called for ministers to hold the senior Chinese figure accountable for his role in the brutal crackdown in Hong Kong.

Sacha Deshmukh, chief executive of the charitys UK arm, said: The invitation to Han Zheng risks sending the very dangerous message that the UK is prepared to prioritise the financial rewards that come from good relations with China over its atrocious human rights record in places like Hong Kong and Xinjiang.

There must be no question of the UK authorities allowing the coronation to be used as a tool for international diplomacy for anyone involved in human rights abuses.
T he Tories have lost more than 1,000 councillors and key strongholds such as Swindon and Medway, local election results on Friday showed, as Labour and the Lib Dems made significant gains.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the party is going to bottle this feeling we have today and turn it into a General Election win next year. Labour has become the largst party in local Government as it gained hundreds of seats.

The Lib Dems said that they are exceeding all expectations in the capitals commuter belt but leader Sir Ed Davey would not be drawn on whether his party would seek to enter a coalition with Labour at the General Election.

With results still flooding in, the Tories had lost control of 48 councils, Labour gained 22 and the Lib Dems had gained 12. The Greens took overall control of their first council, Mid Suffolk. Labour has gained more than 500 councillors, and the Lib Dems more than 400.

Prime MinisterRishi Sunak said he wasdisappointed at losing some councillors but sought to highlight where his party was doing better.

Earlier, election analyst Professor Michael Thrashertold Sky News the Tories were suffering a hammering by any standard.

The Conservatives have lost a third of their council seats so far  a hammering by any standard. If that trend continues the party is likely to post a final tally that rivals the debacle of 1995 that left them limping towards a massacre at the general election two years later, he said.

The contests were the first to be fought under new rules requiring voters to carry photographic ID, and the elections watchdog said regrettably some people were turned away from polling stations as a result.
O ne of the greatest assets that Queen Camilla has is that she has never lost the common touch. Even as a young woman she was never fazed by the royal family, and this is something that first made her attractive to the young Charles. Born on July 17, 1947 in London, she grew up in rural Sussex and was educated at Queens Gate School in South Kensington, before finishing schools in Switzerland and France.

Charles first met the fun, confident Camilla on Windsor Great Park polo field in 1970 when he had just left Cambridge, a year before he joined the Royal Navy. Legend has it that she was the one to remind him of a long-standing liaison between her great-grandmother Alice Keppel and King Edward VII.

My great-grandmother was your great-great grandfathers mistress  so how about it? she is supposed to have asked Charles.

They first started dating after she and her boyfriend, Andrew Parker Bowles, had split for the first time. But that early love affair  one that was so passionate and real for Charles  ended when Camilla returned to the dashing cavalry officer Parker Bowles and married him in 1973.

Charles and Camilla celebrating their 15th wedding anniversary at Balmoral in April 2020 / Clarence House via Getty Images

The wedding happened while Charles was at sea serving in the Royal Navy in the Caribbean. When he discovered that she was married, he was left with a feeling of emptiness that was exacerbated by the fact that his sister Princess Anne  his trusted and loyal confidante  had also wed her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.

Camilla enjoyed a period of happy marriage and the couple had two children, Tom and Laura. Camilla even asked Charles to be her sons godfather, a role he happily accepted.

But the Parker Bowless marriage hit troubled times and the couple began to lead separate lives. She sought solace with Charles again and their intimacy resumed. However, the pressure was on Charles as heir apparent to Queen Elizabeth II to settle down and produce the so-called heir and a spare.

He had stated publicly that he thought 30 was a good age to marry and the tabloid press was on the case for him to settle down.

His problem was he was a man who was in love with a married woman  who in those days would have been unacceptable as a royal bride.

Charles has since told close friends that has caught between the devil and the deep blue sea and he agonised over finding the right woman to share his life and be his future Queen.

Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles pictured in 1975 / Rex Features

As Camilla was deemed unsuitable for anything other than to be his mistress, he went out searching for a wife, marrying the 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer in 1981. Even when he announced his engagement to Diana five months earlier he couldnt state he was in love.

When asked by an ITN reporter if they were in love, Diana shot back: Of course. Charles could only reply: Whatever in love means. Although she didnt show it, his comment sparked shock in Diana, who was already suspicious of his close relationship with Camilla.

The failed marriage, divorce and tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997 has been well documented. In his grief Charles turned to the one loyal woman he relied on and trusted implicitly.

Both of his sons needed convincing of his relationship with Camilla, but they were happy he had found love again and that at last their restless father seemed content.

Charles and Camillas first public appearance together was outside the Ritz hotel in 1999, where a mass of waiting photographers had been tipped off.

After the Evening Standard revealed the plans for the couple to marry in 2005, the palace fudged the issue of her future title, and said when the time came Camilla would be known as the Princess Consort  not as Queen.

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The culmination of the romance was a marriage between the couple, who wed in a civil ceremony at Windsor Guildhall on April 9, 2005.

Over time Camilla worked tirelessly, supporting the late Queen and her husband in a role she came to late in life. After initially being cast as the third person in Charles and Dianas marriage, her public image has been transformed. During the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth declared her wish for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort on Charless accession.

But it seems she will be known as Queen Camilla following the Coronation after Buckingham Palace used the title for the first time on the official invitation.

I have covered the royal family for more than 30 years and, since she married our new King, I have got to know Camilla. Like Prince Philip was to the Queen, she has become the monarchs strength and stay. She is a patron or supporter of a number of literacy charities, speaks out in support of victims of domestic violence and champions several animal welfare organisations.

I like her. She is good with people and down to earth.

When I reported on a royal visit last year to my home town of Southend-on-Sea when it became a city, she made sure to pop into a fish and chip restaurant  and even ordered a wally (a pickled gherkin).

She has put in a good shift for the Firm and when she is crowned alongside her King it will be the culmination of an incredible journey.

One thing is for sure, the Lady Boss wont let it go to her head and she will keep her feet firmly on the ground.
T housands of Londoners will join The Big Help Out on Monday to create a volunteering legacy from the Coronation weekend.

Organisers hope the day of volunteering on the special bank holiday will inspire the public to help out in their communities throughout the summer.

Buckingham Palace said the day will encourage people to try volunteering for themselves and join the work being undertaken to support their local areas. Stuart Andrew, minister for ceremonial events, said it was a tribute to the Kings lifetime of public service and a wonderful way to begin this new age.

More than 1,500 charities are involved in The Big Help Out and several members of the royal family will take part.

The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will be at a puppy class at the Guide Dogs training centre in Reading; the Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence will attend a civic service recognising volunteers at Gloucester Cathedral; and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester will meet young volunteers at a Coronation party at St Marks Coptic Orthodox Church in Kensington.

A Palace spokesman said polling suggested that about 6.5 million people plan to take part in The Big Help Out. Food charities hope it will help to recruit a new wave of food bank, surplus food and community kithen volunteers. The Felix Project, FareShare, City Harvest, and London Community Kitchen launched a community food push last week, backed by anti-poverty campaigner Jack Monroe.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he is delighted to support The Big Help Out as helping others is a key theme of the Coronation weekend. He added: Lets build a legacy of love for one another.

Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis KBE urged everyone to take part in this day of national volunteering.

Radha Mohan das, a Hindu representative based at the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple, a Hertfordshire mansion in 78 acres donated by the late George Harrison, called The Big Help Out a fantastic initiative.

Aliya Azam MBE, an interfaith co-ordinator at the Al-Khoei Foundation which organises The Big Iftar during Ramadan, said even the smallest acts of kindness can make a big difference.

Brendan Cox, who co-founded the Together Coalition which is organising the event, said: The UKs faith communities excel at volunteering and bringing people together. Thats why we are excited about what they can and will contribute to The Big Help Out.
T he United Kingdom is the last country in Europe to hold a Coronation ceremony for its monarchy.

However, other European countries still have monarchies, and practice their own unique ceremonies.

There are 12 sovereign monarchies left on the continent, with 10 of them hereditary, and two, Vatican City and Andorra, elective.

Here is a list of how their royals accede to the throne:

 Luxembourg

Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy, with a hereditary Grand Duke serving as head of state.

He is inaugurated during a ceremony at Luxembourgs parliament, the Chamber of Deputies, where he vows to obey the countrys constitution.

 Denmark

Denmark is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary head of state.

The current monarch, Queen Margrethe II, did not have any formal enthronement ceremony.

Instead, news of her accession was announced from the balcony of Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen.

 Norway

Norway is a constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary monarch as its head of state.

The current monarch, King Harald V, was consecrated as king during a ceremony at Nidaros Cathedral in the city of Trondheim in 1991.

 Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein, a microstate landlocked between Austria and Switzerland, is a semi-constitutional monarchy, with a hereditary prince as its head of state.

The state does not have a coronation.

Instead, the most recent prince, Prince Hans Adam, attended a mass by the Catholic Archbishop of Vaduz in Liechtenstein.

 Sweden

Sweden is a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary monarch as its head of state.

Instead of a coronation, Swedens monarch takes an oath of regal assurance during a meeting of the Swedish cabinet.

Afterwards, a formal ceremony is held at the Hall of State at the Royal Palace in Stockholm.

 Vatican City

Vatican City is the home of the Holy See, the Government of the Catholic Church.

The Pope is the elected head of the church.

He is chosen by the churchs cardinals.

After the pope is elected, he is inaugurated during a mass in St Peters Square in the Vatican.

 Spain

Spain is a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary monarch as its head of state.

The current king, King Juan Carlos, ascended to the throne in a low-key ceremony at the Spanish parliament following the abdication of his father in 2014.

 Andorra

Andorra, a microstate landlocked between France and Spain, is a semi-elective diarchy. This means that it has two heads of state  one appointed and one elected.

The elected head of state is the President of France, while the appointed head of state is the Catholic Bishop of Urgell.

When Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as President of France, he also became the co-prince of Andorra.

Similarly, when Joan-Enric Vives i Sicilia was appointed Bishop of Urgell by the Pope he was made a co-prince too.

 The Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary monarch as its head of state.

The king or queen is inaugurated during a joint-assembly of the countrys parliament, held at the Nieuwe Kerk church in Amsterdam.

 Belgium

Belgium is a constitutional monarchy with a hereditary monarch as its head of state.

The current king, King Phillipe, was sworn in as monarch during a formal service in Brussels.

A parade was held through the streets of the capital, with King Philippe appearing with his family at the balcony of the Royal Palace.

 Monaco

Monaco, a microstate on the French Riviera, is a principality, with a hereditary prince as its head of state.

The Prince of Monaco is enthroned in an investiture ceremony at Saint Nicholas Cathedral.

The prince is presented with two keys of the city as part of his investiture.
W hen Prince Harrys love affair with Meghan Markle was first revealed in October 2016, it would set in motion a chain of events that would rock the royal family to its core.

Although he was known as the fun-loving prince, he was understandably scarred by the death of his mother, Princess Diana, in a Paris car crash when he was just 12. Now with Meghan at his side, and his naturally protective nature, he felt he was reliving that nightmare and believed that the media had his fiancee in their sights.

Losing his mother had sent an emotional Harry on a series of drug and drink-fuelled nights out in his teens. William, in contrast, publicly put on a show of dignified strength. His relationship with Kate helped him cope with his loss. William had met her at St Andrews University and on the late Queens urging had courted her for many years, so that she knew the Windsor way.

He urged his brother Harry to be cautious before committing himself to a life with Meghan. Even when Harry said that he wanted to marry her, William apparently told him: Shes an American actress after all, Harold, anything might happen.

William knew that even before meeting Meghan, Harry had been obsessed with the idea of marrying and settling down. Out of the blue, Charles announced that he couldnt afford to pay for Meghan as well as for Camilla, and for William, Kate and their young family. It left Harry incandescent. As his wedding approached, he became aware of what he thought were slights against him and his bride-to-be.

William and Harry arriving for the unveiling of a statue they commissioned of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales at Kensington Palace, London (Yui Mok/PA) / PA Wire

Meghans introduction to William and his wife at Kensington Palace had left the Suits actress with the impression that Kate was stand-offish. And then there was the spat over a bridesmaids dress for Princess Charlotte. William and Kate noticed that Harry seemed to be on edge. Members of the bride and grooms entourage also noted that the prince had become petulant and short-tempered. Harry, for his part, was convinced that William didnt approve of his choice of bride.

The once close bond between the siblings was disintegrating. Charles was baffled. He welcomed Meghan into the Firm and pronounced himself captivated by her intelligence and vivacious personality.

Attempts to reunite the two couples, dubbed the Fab Four, failed. Williams idea to put on a show of unity at Windsor for their late grandmother was a good one. His wife was nervous but agreed.

She privately admitted later to a senior royal that, such was the ill-feeling between the two couples, the joint walkabout after the Queens death was one of the hardest things that she has had to do.

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And this was even before Harry published Spare, the autobiography that not only revealed family secrets but laid bare his resentment of his brother.

It was even before the Netflix docu- series and TV interviews in which he slammed the royal institution and his family. If Kate found it tricky then, before all the revelations and half truths, what is the state of play now?

I am told that while the King is open to a reconciliation  or at least to open a discussion with Harry  other senior royals including Camilla and William are less inclined to be conciliatory.

A source said: His Majesty loves his sons equally. He is delighted that Prince Harry is attending the Coronation. But his focus will be on the Coronation. Any thoughts of reconciliation is for another day.
T he King is a deep-thinking, spiritual man. In these uncertain times, we have an anchored monarch who  like his mother before him  cares deeply about those he serves: in Britain, the realms and Commonwealth.

He might have been born into a family of wealth and privilege but he has always done his best to justify that good fortune by working to improve the lot of others less fortunate. He would be the first to admit he is not perfect. Charles can be a little eccentric but he is a passionate, driven man who has a great admiration for the arts.

He loves Shakespeare  his favourite play is Henry V  he is a fan of radio comedy The Goon Show, the poetry of Dylan Thomas, the music of Bach and Leonard Cohen and the architecture of Rome, Sir Christopher Wren and Quinlan Terry. Charles believes in harmony and how the natural world complements the human soul.

His journey from shy prince to our oldest monarch to be crowned is a truly remarkable one. He was born at 9.14pm on November 14, 1948, at Buckingham Palace, weighing 7lb 6oz. From an early age Charles shared a close bond with his sister, Princess Anne, who was born on August 15, 1950. They relied on each other for company when their parents were on overseas tours or carrying out royal duties. The two remained close into adulthood.

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There is a decade between the birth of Anne and Prince Andrew, who was born on February 19, 1960. Charles spent part of his childhood at Hampshire school, Cheam, just like his father Prince Philip who had been a pupil there in the Thirties. On May 1, 1962 his father took him to his boarding school, Gordonstoun in Scotland, but Charles found aspects of his life there difficult. He had to contend with early-morning runs, cold showers, and bullying. He alluded to the German prisoner-of-war camp Colditz Castle when he called it Colditz in kilts.

The Queen and Philips family was complete with the birth of their fourth child, Prince Edward, on March 10, 1964. By then, the Queen had become more comfortable in her role and what was expected of her.

After a period of schooling in Australia, Charles went to Trinity College, Cambridge. Before his investiture as Prince of Wales, he threw himself into learning Welsh at Aberystwyth University. The ceremony at Caernarfon Castle, on July 1, 1969, was watched by a record television audience of 19 million.

Family man: Charles with William and Harry in 1997 / Fiona Hanson/ PA

After graduating from Trinity College in 1970, Charles trained as a pilot at RAF Cranwell, before enrolling at the Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. He began his service on the destroyer HMS Norfolk in November 1971. The prince later qualified as a helicopter pilot and joined the 845 Naval Air Squadron on the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes. In February 1976, Charles commanded the coastal minesweeper HMS Bronington. He was promoted to the rank of commander and ended active service in the Royal Navy in 1977.

Charles first met the love of his life, the then Camilla Shand, in 1971 and they enjoyed a passionate romance. They resumed that affair after she married Andrew Parker Bowles and again after his marriage to Princess Diana had irretrievably broken down. He later told the Queen that Camillas position in his life was non-negotiable.

Torn between the devil and the deep blue sea, Charles proposed to Lady Diana Spencer on February 6, 1981. He was deeply unsure about the marriage as he believed they were incompatible and he wanted to call it off. But the wedding, described by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Robert Runcie, who officiated, as the stuff of which fairy tales are made, went ahead on July 29, 1981.

Charles and Diana with their sons during a holiday in the Scilly Isles / PA

A global television audience of 750 million watched the wedding with around 600,000 people lining the route from the palace to St Pauls. Almost exactly a year after their marriage, on July 9, 1982, Charles and Diana were delighted at the birth of their son, Prince William. But despite her smiles, the princess was struggling to cope both physically and mentally. Diana was expected to do her duty and join Charles on a gruelling tour of Australia and New Zealand. One of the most enduring moments was the happy family photo- shoot where baby William played with his parents on the lawn of Government House in Auckland. They had the heir. Now it was time for the so-called Spare.

Prince Harry was born on September 15, 1984. By this point the couples marriage was rocky. Diana had known for months that she was having a boy but had kept it from her husband. When they returned to Kensington Palace, Charles told her he was off to play polo at Windsor. Diana saw this as a sign of his uncaring attitude and said she felt abandoned. She later turned to Major James Hewitt for love and their five-year affair ended in 1991. During her notorious BBC Panorama interview in 1995, Diana admitted that she loved and adored Hewitt.

The then Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana, leaving hospital with Prince Harry / PA

Touring India in February 1992, Princess Diana posed in front of the worlds greatest monument to love, the Taj Mahal in Jaipur. But Charles did not join her and attended a business function in Delhi. The photograph was published under the headline: Temple of Loneliness. On December 9, 1992, then prime minister John Major announced the formal separation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Buckingham Palace released a statement on December 21, 1995, saying the Queen had written to Charles and Diana urging them to divorce, which they agreed to do. When the divorce was finalised, it emerged that the princess would be stripped of the title Her Royal Highness. She would be known as Diana, Princess of Wales. It was agreed that the couple would have shared custody of the boys and she received a lump sum of 17 million as well as 400,000 a year.

What happened next rocked the monarchy. On August 31, 1997, the Princess of Wales was killed in a Paris car crash with new boyfriend Dodi Fayed.

Charles showed a great strength and compassion as a single father and he threw himself into the role. Harry, however, now questions his fathers suitability for parenthood, saying that he had an air of never being quite ready for it.

PA

Charles never gave up on having Camilla at his side. He hired PR expert Mark Bolland to mastermind a campaign dubbed Operation Mrs PB, to secure enough public acceptance of her that a marriage would be possible.

Charles and Camilla married on April 9, 2005, when she became HRH the Duchess of Cornwall. They used their wedding to repent past deeds, as each had been involved in the break-up of the others marriage.

The couple chose the sternest possible prayer of penitence from the 1662 Book of Common Prayer to be read by themselves and their guests at the blessing of their marriage. Camilla has proved a tower of strength to His Majesty.

During the late Queens Platinum Jubilee celebrations last June, marking 70 years on the throne, Charles was loudly cheered when he publicly thanked her for her lifetime of selfless service.

Elizabeth died on September 8 at Balmoral. In his eloquent first televised address as King, he vowed to serve as his beloved mother had done, all his life. His pay-off line: May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest was a quote taken from Act V, Scene II of Shakespeares Hamlet. It was a mark of respect by Charles for the woman who had been his guiding light, which had now been extinguished.

At 11am on September 19, the Queens state funeral was held at Westminster Abbey. Charles was formally proclaimed monarch at an accession council in an ancient ceremony at St Jamess Palace, which was televised for the first time.

Robert Jobson is the author of Sunday Times bestseller Our King: Charles III  The Man and The Monarch Revealed published by John Blake/Bonnier
T he Princess of Wales has described the Kings coronation as a great moment for celebration as the Prince praised The Malls party atmosphere.

William and Kate joined the King for a surprise walkabout in The Mall meeting royalists who have staked their spot on the famous London thoroughfare.

With Prince George set to play a starring role in the coronation and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis expected to attend the historic event, the princess revealed her children were a bit nervous and excited and could not wait for the day.

The King shook dozens of outstretched hands and laughed when one man asked if he was nervous for tomorrow, while another royal fan with a strong accent said: Love you, Im from Italy, and a third told the King, Good luck for tomorrow.

Charles took a break from a busy schedule of meetings and official engagements, including a final coronation rehearsal at Westminster Abbey, to go on the walkabout which lasted more than 20 minutes with his son and daughter-in-law.

REUTERS

The prince and princess posed for selfies on the other side of The Mall to the King, and chatted to people behind crash barriers with Kate telling one person she had an early start tomorrow but the occasion is a great moment for celebration.

Quizzed by a BBC reporter how George, Charlotte and Louis were doing, Kate replied: Theyre really well, thank you.

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Excited, a bit nervous obviously with a big day ahead  cant wait actually.

George will act as one of the Kings Pages of Honour and is expected to help hold the long train of his grandfathers robe of estate.

REUTERS

Questioned about how she and husband William were coping, the princess replied: All good, hopefully a bit like swans, relatively calm on the outside and paddling on the inside.

And when asked about the King, she said: Looking forward to it as well.

REUTERS

The couple posed for selfies with the royal fans, crouching down to get into the frame and at one point Kate joined a live video call with a womans father called Peter.

Waving at the person on the other end of the call, she said: Hi Peter, sorry youre not here.

REUTERS

And when handed a phone by another well-wisher, Kate took the voice call and chatted away and again said: Im so sorry youre not here.

When one woman told William she had flown from Phoenix, Arizona, and would be camping out in The Mall overnight, he replied No way, well done you.

He added with a smile: Theres not much sleeping going on around here, theyre all sat in their chairs. I think theres a good party atmosphere.

AFP via Getty Images

With rain forecast for Saturday he put his hands together and said: I pray you guys stay dry.

Preparations for the coronation are nearing their completion with The Mall decorated with huge union flags and others from the Commonwealth and crash barriers and other crowd control measures in place.

Theresa Iredale, who turns 66 on Saturday, the day of Charles coronation, wore a plastic crown for her encounter with Charles.

She said: He said, thank you for coming and he appreciated it and I did say it was my birthday and he said, oh, congratulations.

I was shaking. I saw his hand coming out to mine and I was like, I cant believe Im shaking the Kings hand. A special moment.
A visitor looks at an artwork at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)

SYDNEY, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.

Held at the China Cultural Center in Sydney, the exhibition was divided into two sections with the paintings of three artists, and also siblings. The first section includes more than 40 ink paintings by Ren Jianguo, who once learned from famous Chinese painter Li Keran, while the second presents the works of Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong with acrylic and color hand-painting as a medium.

Like being immersed in an artistic journey from past to present, visitors can not only sense the beauty of China's mountains and water scenery and street views in traditional Chinese painting styles, but also enjoy innovative combinations of Eastern and Western cultural elements, such as "Chinese New Year" in Ren Lihong's Visual Journal Series.

The show demonstrates the artists' persistence and promotion of Chinese traditional culture, and their aspiration of integrating Eastern and Western cultures against Australia's multicultural background, Xiao Xiayong, director of the Chinese Cultural Center in Sydney, said at the opening ceremony.

"The exhibition will further enhance the understanding of Chinese culture and art among the Australian art community and promote cultural exchange and cooperation between China and Australia," Xiao added.

The exhibition will run through June 8. 

Visitors look at artworks at the "Profound and Lasting - Painting Exhibition from Ren Jianguo, Ren Guozhong and Ren Lihong" held in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023.

A painting exhibition opened here on Thursday, featuring over 60 artworks created by Chinese Australian artists to boost dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures.(Photo by Hu Jingchen/Xinhua)
P resident of Ireland Michael D Higgins will meet the King on Friday night ahead of becoming the first Irish head of state to attend a coronation.

Mr Higgins and his wife Sabina will be guests at a reception at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the coronation ceremony in London.

It will be the ninth occasion the two heads of state have met and continues a long-standing friendship between the two.

Mr and Mrs Higgins will then attend the coronation on Saturday at Westminster Abbey.

To mark the event, the president and his wife requested the Tree Council of Ireland to plant a native Irish oak tree in the woodland forest of Aurora in Co Wicklow.

The gesture was to acknowledge the Kings commitment to environmental sustainability.

The Irish premier, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, is also expected to attend the coronation.

Political leaders from Northern Ireland have also been invited.

Among those who will attend is Sinn Fein vice president Michelle ONeill in another demonstration of the markedly improved relations between the republican movement and the royal family since the peace process.
T he Prime Minister of Belize Johnny Briceno stated it was "quite likely" that Belize would be the next Commonwealth nation to become a republic, stating that the British government had a moral obligation to apologise for the horrors of slavery and supporting calls for financial compensation.

Rishi Sunak, whose parents are of Punjabi Indian descent, said last week in front of the UK parliament that he would not apologise for the country's involvement in slavery and colonialism.

Speaking in Belmopan, the nation's capital, Briceo said: I think he [Sunak] has a moral responsibility to be able to offer at the very least an apology,

Briceno added: When you read and hear about the plundering that took place in the land of his ancestors, I do believe that he should have offered an apology.

Which countries is King Charles III head of state for and what nations are looking to leave Crown rule?

Which countries is King Charles head of state for?

Antigua and Barbuda

Australia

The Bahamas

Belize

Canada

Grenada

Jamaica

New Zealand

Papua New Guinea

Saints Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Solomon Islands

Tuvalu

Which nations are looking to leave Crown rule?

Belize

In an interview with the Guardian, Prime Minister Briceno conceded that Belize will "quite likely" be the next nation to leave the Commonwealth after Barbados' historic decision to become a republic in 2021.

Geographically located in Central America, currently with a population of 400,000, Belize is a part of the English-speaking Caribbean.

It is one of the eight remaining Commonwealth realms in the region. It was once a British settlement and then a colony.

Belize is the only country in the Commonwealth that King Charles has never visited.

Jamaica

The Prince and Princess of Wales' visit to Jamaica in 2022 was met with protests as the island nation demands reparations for slavery after 300 years under British Empire rule. With the Coronation coming up, there is likely to be a resurgence of interest in the issue.

As the country considers its future, 2022 polls suggest more than 50 per cent of Jamaicans support becoming a republic, according to the BBC.

The Jamaican government has promised a vote before the 2025 general election, where removal would require a simple majority in a referendum and a two-thirds majority in parliament.

Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda's Prime Minister Gaston Browne has declared that the public will be given the option to vote on whether to become a republic within three years.

Browne told ITV: This is not an act of hostility or any difference between Antigua and Barbuda and the monarchy, but it is the final step to complete that circle of independence, to ensure that we are truly a sovereign nation.

Australia

The death of Queen Elizabeth has ignited the debate over whether to become a republic and leave its colonial heritage as another Commonwealth country. Earlier this year, the nation took a step closer to their freedom by removing the British royal family from their banknotes. The decision came after a meeting with the Federal government.

The question of whether the UK monarchy should remain the nation's head of state was put to the Australian people in a referendum in 1999, but the establishment of a republic was narrowly rejected.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

For St Vincent and the Grenadines, a referendum on a transition to a republic failed in 2009.

The Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, expressed support for another referendum last year but indicated he would only do so with bipartisan backing, therefore no specific timeline has been established.
During a vigil in Rothley, Leicestershire, that marked the 16th anniversary of her sisters disappearance on May 3, Amelie said: Its nice that everyone is here together, but its a sad occasion.

Her sister was three years old when she disappeared from their holiday apartment in Portugals Praia da Luz back in 2007. Amelie and her twin brother Sean were sleeping in the same room the night Madeleine was allegedly kidnapped.

Despite the British Government dedicating millions of pounds to police investigations, Madeleine has never been found.

Here is a comprehensive look at the timeline of Madeleine McCanns vanishment.

2007

On May 3, Madeleines parents Kate and Gerry left their three kids asleep in their holiday apartment in Praia da Liz as they met up with friends for dinner.

At 9 pm, Gerry walked back to the apartment, which was 100 yards away, to check on the little ones.

At 10 pm, Kate made the same journey for another check. However, this time, Madeleine was gone.

The hotel staff and guests searched the hotel complex while the police started the investigations that night. The next few days saw hundreds of volunteers and officials join the search.

The Portuguese police revealed that they believed the little girl had been abducted but remained alive and in Portugal.

A family friend of Kate and Gerrys who was dining with them on the night of the disappearance revealed that shed seen a man carrying a child on the night Maddie disappeared.

On May 14, an Anglo-Portuguese property developer named Robert Murat was arrested. He lived just 100 yards from the holiday apartment Maddie was sleeping in.

Later, in June of that year, the Portuguese officials confessed that they may have lost vital evidence. In July, the British police decided to send sniffer dogs.

On August 11, for the first time, the Portuguese forces said that Madeleine might be dead.

Weeks later, in September, after talking to her parents, they also made them official suspects in their daughters disappearance. In a matter of days after becoming suspects, the McCanns decided to fly back to the UK with their children.

2008

In July 2008, the Portuguese police removed the McCanns and Robert Murat from the suspect list, while investigations continued.

2009

In May 2009, the McCanns announced that they would be taking the Portuguese detective who was in charge of the original investigation, Goncalo Amaral, to court, after he published a book that claimed that Maddie died in her familys holiday apartment and wasnt abducted.

In November, the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre in Britain released a video message in seven languages that showcased what Maddie would look like two years after her disappearance.

2010

Madeleines parents launched a petition that asked for the Portugal and UK investigations to be reviewed after the two countries shelved their search efforts.

Madeleine McCann - In pictures 1 / 34 Madeleine McCann - In pictures PA Media Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal ten years ago, during an interview with the BBC's Fiona Bruce at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough PA Screen grabbed image taken from the Official Find Madeleine Campaign Facebook page of a message from Madeleine McCann's parents, Gerry and Kate, who has described the tenth anniversary of her daughter's disappearance as a "horrible marker of time, stolen time" PA Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz The Ocean Club in Praia Da Luz where Madeleine McCann disappeared Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann with a computer image of how their missing daughter Madeleine might look Reuters Maddie disappeared in 2007 Madeleine McCann: Disappeared in 2007 aged three PA Madeleine McCann Maddie disappeared in 2007 PA Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Mark Rowley, who has revealed that British detectives working on the Madeleine McCann case are still pursuing "critical" leads as the 10th anniversary of her disappearance approaches PA Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann before a charity run in London AFP/Getty Images The Ocean Club which is next to Apartment 5A in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Kate and Gerry McCann, whose daughter Madeleine disappeared from a holiday flat in Portugal ten years ago, during an interview with the BBC's Fiona Bruce at Prestwold Hall in Loughborough PA Kate McCann Kate McCann speaks to press at a Lisbon court last year AFP/Getty Images Kate and Gerry McCann with their children Kate and Gerry return home from Portugal in 2007 AFP/Getty Images A general view of the coastline in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Portugal police Police in Portugal comb the Algarve resort after Madeleine disappeared in 2007 AFP/Getty Images Kate and Gerry McCann Kate and Gerry McCann pictured shortly after Maddie went missing AFP/Getty Images Kate McCann Kate McCann cries during a 2008 TV appearance Madeleine McCann Maddie in an Everton shirt Everton FC/PA A general view of Church of Nossa Senhora da Luz in Praia Da Luz, Portugal, close to where Madeline McCann went missing PA Members of Scotland Yard dig at an area during the search for missing British girl Madeleine McCann in Praia da Luz, near Lagos on 07 June 2014 Reuters Kate and Gerry McCann Kate McCann and Gerry McCann speak to press after being cleared of being formal suspects Getty Images A poster is shown whilst Kate and Gerry McCann give a press conference in 2012 about their missing daughter Madeline McCann Daily Mail Kate and Gerry pictured five years after Maddie went missing Getty Images The Ocean Club which is next to Apartment 5A in Praia Da Luz in Portugal, where Madeline McCann went missing PA Maddie's parents in an interview with Crimewatch A scene from a Crimewatch reconstruction BBC

2011

Gerry McCann published a book about Maddies disappearance on what would have been her eighth birthday on May 12.

Meanwhile, following the request of the then home secretary Theresa May, which was backed by the prime minister David Cameron, Scotland Yard launched an official review of the Madeleine McCann case.

2012

In April, Scotland Yard officials revealed that they believed Maddie could still be alive.

They released images of what she would look like as a nine-year-old and urged the Portuguese forces to reopen the case. The Portuguese officials, however, declined the request, citing a lack of fresh evidence.

Kate and Gerry McCann with an updated poster of what police believe Madeleine would look like, if still alive / John Stilwell / PA Archive

2013

In July, Scotland Yard officially launched its own investigation into Maddies disappearance, called Operation Grange.

They revealed that they had identified 38 people of interest, including 12 Britons.

In October, the Portuguese police shared that they had reviewed their original investigation and found new lines of inquiry, too, and would be reopening the case.

2014

British detectives travelled to Portugal at the start of the year, with many believing they were about to make arrests. However, this didnt happen.

In June, the authorities used specialist teams and sniffer dogs to search an area close to where Maddie was staying, but nothing of interest was discovered.

In December, the detectives started questioning 11 new people.

2015

In September, the Government revealed that the investigation into the disappearance of Maddie had cost the taxpayers more than 10 million. A month after the announcement, Operation Granges team was slashed from 29 officers to four.

2017

In April, Kate and Gerry McCann marked a decade since their daughters disappearance by doing an interview with the BBC. They vowed that they will do whatever it takes as long as it takes.

2018

The Government dedicated another 150,000 to the investigation, pushing the overall cost of the search to an estimated 11.75 million.

2019

In March, Netflix released an eight-part docuseries about Madeleines disappearance.

In May, the Portuguese media revealed that the police were investigating a foreign paedophile as a suspect.

2020

In June, Scotland Yard revealed that they had identified a 43-year-old German prisoner by the name of Christian Brueckner as a suspect in Maddies disappearance.

The man was in the Praia de Luz resort on the night Maddie vanished. He completed a half-an-hour phone call shortly before she went missing on May 3, 2007, and re-registered his 1993 Jaguar vehicle the next day.

The German police revealed that their investigations suggested that Maddie was no longer alive.

Meanwhile, in 2020, Scotland Yard revealed that they had now spent 12.3 million of taxpayers money on the case and had no definitive evidence whether Madeleine is alive or dead.

2021

In May, Kate and Gerry share a statement on the official Find Madeleine website saying they still hope to see their daughter again one day.

Official suspect Christian Brueckner / Italian Carabinieri / AFP Photo

2022

In April, the Portuguese authorities also made Brueckner one of their formal suspects.

In May, the McCann family said its essential for them to find out what happened to their daughter.

On October 11, Brueckner was charged with three counts of rape and two charges of child sex abuse, unrelated to Maddies disappearance.

2023

In February, an Instagrammer claimed she was Madeleine. By April, her claims had been universally dismissed and her account suspended, and a DNA test put an end to the saga once and for all, though she controversially gained more than one million followers.

In March, an additional 302,470 of funding for Operation Grange was approved for 2022/2023, and a Home Office spokesperson confirmed that another application had been made, although they did not disclose how much for.

Last month, Brueckner had the unrelated charges of rape and sexual assault thrown out by a German court because he lived in a different region of the country at the time of the alleged offences.

This means legal authorities in Braunschweig have no jurisdiction over Madeleines case, although he remains an official suspect.
P olice Scotland has sparked a backlash from officers over a new policy that will require staff to be clean-shaven while wearing protective masks.

Police chiefs said the policy is being brought in to protect those on the frontline as wearing the FFP3 mask properly requires no facial hair.

The change means hundreds of officers will be forced to shave off their beards and moustaches by the end of the month.

Four police officers have already launched legal action over the controversial policy.

David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, told Sky News: The SPF has been inundated with officers complaints.

"The Health and Safety Executive guidance is that a RPE (Respiratory Protective Equipment) policy should only be utilised as a last resort and there have been relevant questions raised as to why this policy is now being proposed.

There are serious concerns in relation to the proposed implementation of the policy and its proportionality to risk.

We are currently supporting several members who have lodged employment tribunal cases relating to the policy and have sought legal opinion relating to health and safety, discrimination and human rights.

Police Scotland said there will be exemptions to the clean-shaven rule on religious or medical grounds.

Assistant Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: The safety of our officers and staff is a priority and the policy around the use of respiratory equipment is being implemented to protect those on the frontline.

Significant learning from the COVID pandemic identified that the FFP3 mask - which is face-fitted and requires users to be clean shaven - offers the most appropriate and effective respiratory protection to officers and staff.

The respiratory protective equipment policy mandates that, where it can be reasonably foreseen that an officer or member of staff will use an FFP3 mask in the course of their duties, they should be clean-shaven.
B ritish police are carrying out welfare checks on addresses where a poisonous substance linked to suicides may have been sent.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) is working with Canadian police in its investigation sparked by the arrest of Canadian citizen Kenneth Law, who is charged with counselling or aiding two deaths by suicides.

British officials are working to identify possible cases of vulnerable people buying the poison in Britain, reported the BBC.

Law, a former aerospace engineer, is alleged to have run an online business that sold a substance to customers in the United Kingdom and the United States.

The 57-year-old is accused of sending 1,200 packages to more than 40 countries.

It is not known whether if they all contained the substance, which has some industrial uses but has also been linked to suicides.

Canadas Peel Police said its investigation began in late March when a Canadian citizen died of poisoning as a result of the substance allegedly purchased through an online company owned by Law.

Earlier this week, Canadian police charged Law with two counts of counselling or aiding suicide on Tuesday in relation to Canadian adults.

Peel Regional Police Deputy Chief Marc Andrews said: We would not have laid the charges if we did not have the grounds to lay those charges.

Laws arrest comes after a probe by the Times newspaper, which alleged his businesses had links to at least four deaths in the UK.

Mr Law is due to appear in court on May 9.

Speaking to Canadas Globe and Mail newspaper last week, he said: Im selling a legal product, okay. And what the person does with it? I have no control.

Under Canadas criminal code, counselling or aiding a person to die by suicide can result in a 14-year prison sentence.
A six-year-old British girl has been seriously injured in a car crash in which her mother died on the island of Ibiza.

Spanish officials are yet to release the name of the child, who was flown to the Hospital Son Espases in Palma, Majorca.

It was reported that the girl and her mother, 42, were in a head-on crash with a rental car, whose driver lost control of the vehicle.

The childs mother was lifted out of the wreckage but pronounced dead at the scene on Wednesday afternoon.

A third car overturned as it swerved to avoid the crash.

A Norwegian woman, 40, was also injured in the three-crash crash and remains in hospital in Ibiza.

It is not clear if the mother and daughter were tourists or living on the island.
T he head of Vladimir Putins Wagner Group private army threatened on Friday to pull his troops out of the eastern town of Bakhmut after a ferocious bust-up with Russian army chiefs.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would on May 10 leave the Ukrainian town which has seen some of the fiercest fighting in Europe since the Second World War.

He made the announcement after unleashing a tirade against Russian army chiefs for not supplying his mercenary soldiers with enough munitions, displaying the bodies of several of them in a video to highlight how they are being slaughtered leading the fight for Bakhmut.

Prigozhin said: "I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds.

"Im pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition theyre doomed to perish senselessly."

Wagner has been spearheading Russias attempt to capture Bakhmut since last summer, in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war in Ukraine.

Putin has made it a prized aim to seize the town.

But Ukrainian military chiefs surprised defence analysts by deciding to fight to hold onto the town, despite it having no strategic importance.

Keeping control of it has now, though, taken on symbolic importance.

It was not clear if Prigozhin will see through his withdrawal threat or whether he is just seeking to pile pressure on Russian army chiefs to give his forces more ammunition.

But his anger was clear in an expletive-filled video published early on Friday in which Prigozhin, surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, yelled and swore at Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

He said they were to blame for Wagner's losses because they had starved it of ammunition.

The clash between Putins military chiefs came as Ukraine is on the brink of launching a major counter-offensive to try to recapture land seized by Russia since the invasion in February 2022.

The White House estimates 20,000 Russian soldiers, including from the Wagner Group, have been killed since December as Putin and Prigozhin have thrown units into meat grinder battles, mainly to try to capture Bakhmut.

The West has supplied Ukraine with tanks, including British Challenger IIs, as well as long-range artillery for its counter-offensive.
A t least eight people have been killed and 13 people injured in a drive-by shooting near Serbias capital Belgrade.

The attacker used an automatic weapon to shoot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac which is around 30 miles south of the city on Thursday night, state TV reported.

It later reported that the suspected gunman, a 21-year-old identified only as U.B, has been arrested following a manhunt dubbed Operation Whirlwind.

The minister of police, Bratislav Gasic, said he was treating the shooting as a terrorist attack.

Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) said the youngest person reported to have been killed was born in 2008.

They also said 600 special unit officers are involved in the search operation which is using helicopters and thermal imaging cameras to try and find the suspect.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his father's guns to kill eight fellow students and a guard at a school in Belgrade.

Dozens of Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, paid silent homage on Thursday to peers killed a day earlier.

The students filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they streamed in from all over the city.

Though Serbia has no shortage of weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings are extremely rare.

Wednesday's school shooting was the first in the country's modern history. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

The tragedy sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts which has created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them safe, away from children.
C ould there be a spirit more synonymous with London than gin? Well, you may be surprised to hear that its not actually a British invention  in fact, that honour goes to the Dutch. Nevertheless, the UKs capital could surely be considered its spiritual home. Theres even a type of gin called London Dry: shorthand for quality, its a distinction of distillation rather than any geographical appellation.

So when drinks industry legend Simon Ford felt a calling to create the first true cocktail gin, a spirit so versatile it could elevate any gin cocktail, he knew that its home had to be London  in partnership with one distillery in particular; Thames Distillers, run by 11th generation master distiller Charles Maxwell, whose family have been making gin since the 17th century.

Making the ultimate cocktail gin

Drinks industry legend Simon Ford, left, and 11th generation master distiller Charles Maxwell, right, shared their wealth of experience to create Fords Gin / Fords Gin

Equipped with 50 years of gin experience between them, the pair set about reverse engineering a spirit that offered an unrivalled versatility while staying true to the classic gin characteristics that customers expect.

The journey to create Fords Gin began on cocktail napkins in the worlds greatest bars. As a gin guru with over 25 years of experience in the drinks business, Ford found himself having countless conversations with fellow bartenders about the need for a go-to cocktail gin. Bartenders wanted a versatile spirit that could be used in any gin-based cocktail, no matter what ingredients the recipe called for.

In his pursuit of the perfect pour, Ford, with some of the biggest names in the hospitality community, considered all the classic gin cocktails and broke them down by flavour profile. These flavours were then paired with the many popular botanicals found in gin to ultimately determine the most versatile mix of botanicals possible.

Fords Gin: an award-winning spirit to savour

Cassia bark is one of the nine botanicals that flavour Fords Gin / Fords Gin

Ford and Maxwell set about combining warm, citrus and floral notes, playing with proportions and tinkering with the steeping process in order to get the best out of their ingredients when it came to distillation.

Along the way, Fords friends and colleagues in the drinks industry were tapped to taste test, providing feedback that fuelled tweaks and revisions of which there were many.

Ford and Maxwell developed the definitive cocktail gin using botanicals from Joseph Flach & Sons, esteemed importers of medicinal and culinary plants, herbs and spices.

Persistence paid off. With recipe number 83, Ford and Maxwell cracked the code, and settled on a mix of nine botanicals thoughtfully sourced from around the world  including coriander seed from Romania, angelica root from Poland and jasmine flower from China  to name a few.

It was clearly worth the wait: since it launched a decade ago, Fords Gin has won a host of industry awards and a coveted spot behind the bar at some of the best cocktail establishments in the world.

Whether its stirred into a cold martini or topped up with tonic and served with ice and a slice of citrus or three, Fords Gin has become a favourite pour for bartenders who want to elevate the cocktail experience for their customers.

Mix yourself a gin and tonic like no other

With its higher-than-standard ABV of 45%, Fords Gin stands up well in tall serves / Fords Gin

More than just an industry darling, Fords Gin is a clever buy for the drinks cabinet at home too, especially if youre on a mission to buy less but better this year. The versatile nature of Fords Gin means you can cut out the clutter of multiple spirit bottles.

Thanks to a slightly higher than the norm ABV of 45%, it wont get lost in long serves such as the ever-dependable gin and tonic. So, when entertaining, why not impress your guests with a batch of triple citrus G&Ts? Theyre simple to make: just mix one part Fords Gin to two parts premium tonic over plenty of ice, then garnish with orange, grapefruit and lemon. Its a drink thats elevated, elegant and assured  something we can all cheers to.

Fords Gin can be found in good independent drinks retailers and online at The Whisky Exchange

PLEASE COCKTAIL RESPONSIBLY. Fords Gin is a registered trademark. (C) 2023 Brown-Forman Corporation. All rights reserved
W hether its the prevalance of lumious gnashers on TV and social media or the Zoom effect, but according to a survey on Dentistry, 43 per cent of UK respondents wanted to improve their teeth with whitening, veneers or Invisalign.

Us Brits have not always had the best reputation for our pearly whites, quite the opposite in fact.

The stereotype for those of us residing on UK shores was that of an Austin Powers-like smile with crooked disalignment, disoloration and questionable dental health. But the tides have turned and for those looking to transform the tint of their teeth, it doesnt need to cost an arm and a leg in professional dentist treatments for a Hollywood sheen.

Theres just something about a gleaming bright smile that can bring a confidence boost but for those of us with a penchant for red wine, coffee or have a naturally yellow tint, we had to choose between painful enamel-destroying at-home treatments or costly in-clinic alternatives. This is no longer the case and it has never been easier to grin from ear to ear with whitened gnashers.

The main whitening product used is hydrogen peroxide, although there are innovative alternatives that are kinder on the enamel. In the UK, it is only legal to sell 0.1 per cent hydrogen peroxide products versus the 6 per cent in professional dentist treatments.

The market is awash with various treatments to slip into your oral care routines with ease. From teeth whitening strips to whitening toothpastes, and the focus of this article, LED kits that offer a speedy and advanced process.

Is whitening safe for your teeth?

Teeth whitening is one of the most common cosmetic dental procedures explains Dr Raj Juneja, Principal Dentist at Face Teeth Smile Dental Clinic. This is because it is the least invasive way of improving the shade of your teeth, requiring no drilling of the teeth.

Teeth whitening kits will not be for everyone. It is important to first visit a dentist to ensure that your teeth and gums are in good nick. We need to make sure that your teeth and gums are healthy to be able to receive the whitening before you embark on treatment says Dr Safa Al-Naher, the director and principal dentist of Serene Dentist. The only people who will know if you are ready for a tooth whitening treatment is a dental professional, either a dentist or a hygiene therapist.

She continues, there is a very small chance that you might have an allergic reaction - dentists will know how to deal with any issues you might have.

This is emphasised by Payal Bhalla, Lead Dentist and Clinical Director of Quest Dental Over the counter teeth whitening products, such as whitening strips, gels, and toothpaste, may be less effective and potentially harmful if not used properly. These products can cause tooth sensitivity, gum irritation, and even damage to the enamel if overused or applied incorrectly.

How do home teeth whitening kits work?

Dr Bhalla breaks it down. Home teeth whitening kits typically work by using a bleaching agent, such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, to remove surface stains from the teeth. These kits usually come in the form of whitening strips, gels, or trays.

First he dives into teeth whitening strips. Whitening strips are thin, flexible plastic strips coated with a peroxide-based gel that you apply directly to the teeth. The strips are left on for a specified amount of time, usually around 30 minutes, and then removed.

Next up is the gels. Whitening gels come in small syringes and are applied to the teeth using a brush or tray. The gel is left on for a specified amount of time, usually around 30 minutes, and then rinsed off. Whitening trays are custom-fitted to your teeth and are filled with a peroxide-based gel. You wear the trays for a specified amount of time, usually several hours, each day for a period of several days or weeks.

Do teeth whitening kits remove stains?

Quite simply, Yes reveals Dr Bhalla. Teeth whitening kits can remove stains from the surface of your teeth. The bleaching agent in the whitening kit, such as hydrogen peroxide or carbamide peroxide, penetrates the porous outer layer of your teeth and breaks down the stain molecules, resulting in a brighter and whiter smile.

To be more specific, the dentist explains, There are two main types of stains that can occur on teeth: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic stains occur on the surface of the teeth and are typically caused by consuming dark-coloured foods and drinks, such as coffee, tea, and red wine, or by smoking. Intrinsic stains, on the other hand, occur beneath the surface of the teeth and may be caused by certain medications, trauma, or excessive fluoride exposure.

Dr Raj Juneja believes that the former extrinsic stains may be more challenging to remove and thus may require visiting your dentist or hygienist beforehand to have the teeth cleaned and polished.

How long does home teeth whitening take to work?

It may not be as immediate as you like. The length of time it takes for home teeth whitening kits to work can vary depending on the type of product and the severity of the staining on your teeth says Dr Bhalla. In general, most home teeth whitening kits take several days to a few weeks to achieve noticeable results. Whitening strips, for example, are typically used for 30 minutes a day for a period of two weeks, while whitening gels and trays may be used for several hours a day for a period of several days to a few weeks.

How often can you whiten your teeth?

I often recommend patients not whiten their teeth more than every three months per course of whitening advises Dr Juneja. The frequency of when teeth should be whitened is often a personal choice by patients and down to their lifestyle. For example, patients who smoke, drink excessive amounts of coffee or regularly have staining foods may have to whiten more often.

Dr Bhalla says that you must pay close attention to the information provided by the brand. Its generally recommended to whiten your teeth no more than once every six months to a year, as excessive or frequent whitening can lead to tooth sensitivity and damage to the enamel. If youre using an over-the-counter whitening product, such as whitening strips or toothpaste, its important to follow the instructions carefully and not to overuse the product.

Shop the best at-home teeth whitening kits below
This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

by Xinhua writers Wang Yi, Zhu Wei and Mao Pengfei

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Under the scorching sun in Malaysia, the construction work of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), was in full swing.

Ten Youth Rapid Response Teams, employees from both China and Malaysia, are working actively on the construction sites along the line which expands more than 600 kilometers.

In July 2017, the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the ECRL project was established. Zhang Tan, 33, is now the team leader. Before coming to Malaysia, he had participated in the construction of a BRI project in Africa.

Zhang was carrying out inspections at the beam yard with his colleague Deng Youzhi, a technical director. Procedures at the yard were all in an orderly manner with more than a hundred pieces of precast T-shaped beams stored in a well-aligned way, waiting to be erected on the piers.

Zhang explained to Xinhua that the beam yard plays a crucial role in the railway construction. He said it is only by supplying the required, high-quality beams in an efficient way, that track-laying and erecting work can be achieved on schedule and the ECRL project can be completed smoothly.

"All our team members work at the key sites of the line and play quite important roles," said Zhang, adding that although there are some difficulties, they are devoted to their work and can produce four pieces of beams every day.

Built by the China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), the ECRL is expected to greatly enhance connectivity and bring more balanced growth to Malaysia, by linking its less-developed region of Malaysia on the East Coast to the economic heartland on the West Coast upon its completion.

According to Ye Xiaoyang, deputy project director of CCCC (ECRL) SDN BHD, 2023 is a key year for the civil engineering of the ECRL project, and it is expected that the number of employees will exceed 20,000.

The project has 10 Youth Rapid Response Teams comprising 223 people, of which 185 people are aged 35 and under. They all work at important sites, such as tunnels, culverts, bridges and roadbeds, and have made great contributions to the construction of the ECRL.

Deng, from southwest China's Sichuan province, started working here only several months ago. As a newcomer, he spends most of his time in the production yard, examining all the procedures and trying his best to contribute as a technical director.

In a T-shirt dyed by sweat and marl, he proudly said that his technical suggestions had been accepted to improve the working efficiency, and as a member of the Youth Rapid Response Teams, he will uphold the spirit of craftsmanship to overcome all kinds of obstacles and to strive for excellence.

The Youth Rapid Response Teams attract not only Chinese staff but also their Malaysian peers.

Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, joined the ECRL after graduating from the University of Malaya.

"I was at the site when we drove the first pile. I have experienced a lot in the past two years. In addition to personal growth, it's also about watching the project steadily moving forward. I feel that we are getting closer to the goal," he said.

Over the past two years, with the help of his Chinese colleagues, he has adapted well to this working environment and has been participating more actively in the project.

Teng said that ECRL has brought more job opportunities for local people and that he had met many alumni from his middle school on the project.

Ye said that the project's construction work has been accelerated and is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

For Teng, he believes that after the completion of the project, it will bring more convenient transportation and more opportunities. 

Zhang Tan (C), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), inspects a construction site in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

People work at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Zhang Tan (center R), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), inspects a construction site in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Zhang Tan (R), leader of the first Youth Rapid Response Team of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), discusses production issues with technical director Deng Youzhi (C) and Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, at a beam yard of the project in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Technical director Deng Youzhi (R) and Teng De Wei, a young Malaysian engineer, discuss production issues at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

An employee works at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

This aerial photo taken on April 26, 2023 shows a construction site of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)

Employees work at a beam yard of the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), a major infrastructure project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Kelantan, Malaysia, April 26, 2023. (Xinhua/Zhu Wei)
Y ou dont need to have a priceless collection of rare wines to appreciate a wine fridge. These days, wine fridges (or wine coolers, as theyre often referred to) come in all shapes and sizes and are designed not only to store your reds, whites and roses at optimal temperatures, but to protect them from light, vibrations and humidity.

Features such as UV-resistant glass, ultra-quiet compressors and dual temperature zones will all help to keep your vino in tip-top condition. However, this doesnt mean that a decent wine fridge will cost a fortune. Although built-in and integrated models tend to be more expensive than freestanding ones (well explain why shortly), advances in tech have generally made wine fridges much more affordable.

The first decision youll have to make is which type of wine fridge youre after, and we roped in Elite Fridges Cherry Yung to give us the lowdown on the three main types.

Freestanding

Freestanding units are very similar to normal fridge freezers, which require ventilation space around them, says Cherry. They come in various sizes from around 16-bottle capacity right up to 294, so can be used for pre-serving or long-term storage of wine.

Built-in

Built-in wine coolers are designed to be installed under a counter top with kitchen cabinets wrapped around them, says Cherry. They are front-venting and have their own built-in ventilation system which allows them to breathe with kitchen cabinets around them. They are a great design feature, come in a range of sizes and are primarily designed for the maintenance of serving temperatures.

Integrated

Integrated wine coolers are designed to be installed into a tower unit, so they will be off the floor, at eye level, says Cherry. They come in various sizes but will have similar depths, to match standard kitchen units.

Shop the best wine fridges here

Swisscave 39 Bottle Single Temperature Zone Wine Cooler SWISSCAVE Bottle capacity: 39 Style: freestanding Swiss Caves wine coolers look a little different to most, and thats why we love them. This particular single-zone option, which holds up to 39 bottles and is freestanding, is a great example  its less boxy and more curvaceous than most wine fridges, and comes in a wide range of colours (the cherry-red hue is our favourite). The telescopic shelves put your favourite tipples within easy reach, and the combination of an active charcoal filter, UV-protected glass and low-vibration compressor ensures that your wine stays in top condition. Buy now  1169 , Elite Fridges {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} CDA FWC153SS 15cm Wide Wine Cooler Homebase Bottle capacity: seven Style: freestanding/under counter This totem pole-like wine fridge, which will hold seven standard-sized bottles of wine, is ideal for smaller houses and apartments. But dont make the mistake of thinking its petite size means sacrifices when it comes to functionality  its extremely quiet and has all the features needed to keep your wine in great condition, including a UV-protecting, smoked glass door to provide light protection, and a handy memory function which allows it to maintain optimal temperature conditions. Buy now  179.99 , Amazon {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Candy CCVB 15 UK Wine Cooler Appliances Direct Bottle capacity: seven Style: freestanding Candys freestanding wine fridge holds seven bottles of wine, and its six adjustable shelves make it easy to accommodate bottles all shapes and sizes. Whether youre chilling seven bottles of Merlot or four magnums of champagne, this may be the cooler for you. Features include UV-protecting glass and anti-vibration technology, as well as adjustable feet which can alter the height of the fridge  an incredibly useful option for those with limited space. 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It also prompted us to wonder why more wine fridges dont come with a lock  there cant be many of us who didnt raid our parents drinks cabinet at one point or another, after all. Its extremely quiet (producing just 40 dB) and although theres just one temperature zone, the range (between 5-18C) is more than sufficient. We also loved its versatility - theres a traditional curved wine rack at the top, above a flat rack, and the roomier bottom section is perfect for storing larger bottles, such as magnums of champagne. Dreamy. Buy now  145 , Currys {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} LG Wine Cellar LSR200W LG Bottle capacity: 65 Style: freestanding Youll fit 65 bottles of wine in this all-singing, all-dancing, three-zone wine fridge (or cellar, to use its proper name). Our favourite feature? Knock twice on the glass and the interior will illuminate, allowing you to stock check your stash without letting in any warm air. We also love the sensor under the door. Juggling multiple bottles of priceless plonk? Avoid a disaster by activating the sensor with your foot, and the door will automatically open. And then theres LGs legendary Optimal Preservation Technology, which keeps your wine in top condition by reducing vibrations and locks in humidity. Buy now  6999 , Currys {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Dunavox Integrated Dual Zone Wine Fridge Dunavox Bottle capacity: 25 Style: integrated The fact that this integrated, 25-bottle wine cooler comes with a choice of white, orange or blue internal LED lighting and a funky blue temperature display wont improve your wines aroma or enhance its taste, but it will turn it into the star of the show. We loved how the beech shelves in this dual-zone cooler can be easily removed to make room for larger bottles. We were impressed by its environmental credentials, too  its rated A for energy efficiency, and will only use 140kWh/annum. Buy now  1749 , Elite Fridges {{#hasItems}} Price comparison {{/hasItems}} {{#items}} {{ merchant }} {{ price }} Buy now {{/items}} {{#hasItems}} {{/hasItems}} Teca Vino Built in Wine Wall Teca Bottle capacity: 120 Style: built-in Do you ever look at the art-like displays of wine in posh restaurants or bars and dream of creating something similar at home? Look no further than Teca Vinos Built in Wine Wall, which will hold up to 120 bottles. Its a fridge with plenty of bells and whistles, including an automatic evaporation system to ensure optimum correct storage conditions, UV-treated glass doors to prevent light-related damage, and hi-tech fans which reduce temperature fluctuations by distributing the air more evenly. 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A mber Heard is said to have ditched Hollywood and moved to Madrid.

The actress, who lost a very public court battle with ex-husband Johnny Depp last year, reportedly fled to the Spanish city amid the ongoing drama from the fallout of the trial.

I can reveal that Heard has quit Hollywood and quietly relocated to Spain with her young daughter Oonagh, the Daily Mail columnist Alison Boshoff claimed a friend of Heard told her.

[Heard is] bilingual in Spanish and is happy there, raising her daughter away from all the noise.

I dont think she is in any hurry to return to work or to Hollywood, but she will probably come back when the time is right, for the right project, the friend added.

Heard (L) has faced the heat since losing defamation case brought by Johnny Depp (R) / getty

The 37-year-old Aquaman star sold her Yucca Valley, California home in July 2022 and has spent a lot of time in Spain since then.

Last October, she was snapped enjoying a day out on the beaches of Palma de Mallorca and, a few days before, was spotted playing with her daughter, Oonagh, two, at a park during the holiday.

The Standard has reached out to Heards team to ask about the relocation.

Heard is expected to be in Tinsel Town, however, for the premiere of the upcoming Aquaman sequel.

It was revealed recently that she is set to reprise her role as Mera.

Jason Momoa, left, and Heard in a scene from Aquaman / AP

The actresss future in the film was believed to be uncertain after she lost the six-week televised legal battle with Depp, 59, who accused her of defaming him, last year.

Heard, 37, had claimed during the high-profile court case that her role in the upcoming sequel was reduced, and that she fought really hard to stay in the movie.

Walter Hamada, president of DC Films at Warner Bros, testified that there were talks about recasting her  but it was down to her lack of chemistry with Momoa and not the trial.

When a jury sided with Depp and instructed Heard to pay the actor millions in damages, a fan petition calling for her removal from Aquaman gained 4.5 million signatures.
H istorian David Starkey has denied his remarks about Rishi Sunak not being fully grounded in our culture were racist, saying he was referring to the Prime Minister being a typical international liberal with no interest in British values.

The academic was accused of making derogatory references to Mr Sunaks British Indian descent and Hindu faith when he made the initial comment on Thursday.

Dr Starkey returned to GB News to defend himself on Friday, claiming his remarks had been wilfully misconstrued and that he had never ever, ever said anything racist in my life.

He's never shown any sign of an understanding of our history or of a concern with it

But he went on to attack Mr Sunaks education and career in the United States, which he said made him a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Even when he became  I think it was on the point of becoming Prime Minister  he had an American green card. His wife is non dom.

Dr Starkey said that at Oxford, Mr Sunak read that terrible degree called PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics), which has destroyed our governing class, going on to Californias Stanford business school.

He added: So we have a Prime Minister who is astonishingly intelligent, but I think sees things as an MBA (Master of Business Administration).

What he campaigns about is money. He thinks in terms of spreadsheets.

Dr Starkey described the Prime Minister as a member of a highly technical elite.

He said: Mr Sunak has never talked about values

Hes never shown any sign of an understanding of our history or of a concern with it. All his speeches are technical.

The historian batted away accusations of racism that arose from his original comment.

What I was trying to emphasise was nothing to do with race, he said, claiming that had been wrongly inferred by the usual witch hunters who hate GB News and hate me in particular.

Dr Starkey sparked the row when, in his Thursday appearance on the TV channel, he said Mr Sunak  the first non-white occupant of No 10  was a man of immense talent, of extraordinary skill, but really not fully grounded in our culture.

Asked to explain his comment, made as he criticised the Prime Minister for being invisible in preparations for the coronation, he said: In terms of religion.

Tory MPs including former party chairman Nadhim Zahawi and Caroline Nokes reportedly slammed the remarks as ill-informed, and vile and racist.

Dr Starkey has been embroiled in controversy in the past, including for saying in an interview that slavery was not genocide because there are so many damn blacks.
D avid Tennant will take on the title role in Macbeth for a new Donmar Warehouse production of the William Shakespeare play.

The 52-year-old Doctor Who actor, who was recently nominated for an Olivier Award for his performance in the West End play Good, previously played the general-turned-murderous king in a BBC Radio 4 broadcast in April.

Macbeth is opening as part of the Donmar Warehouses 30th anniversary celebrations.

Tennant is no stranger to Shakespeares work, having previously performed lead roles in Hamlet, Richard II and Romeo And Juliet.

Artistic director at the Donmar Warehouse Michael Longhurst said: I am so excited to witness David Tennants portrayal of Macbeth, in what will be an unmissable production directed by Max Webster.

We are also proud to share an adapted version of our last Shakespeare production Henry V with young people in Camden and Westminster in our next schools tour, created by artists from our training programme.

Longhurst, who will step down from his role after five years as his contract ends in February 2024, will see his final season of shows announced in autumn 2023.

Webster, who directed the play adaptation of Life Of Pi, which took home five Oliviers in April last year, is also Donmar associate director, and has previously been a director of other Shakespeare plays such as Henry V, As You Like It and Twelfth Night.

Macbeth opens on December 15 with previews from December 8 and is set to run until February 10.

Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and director Lynette Linton will also bring the play Clydes, set at a run-down Pennsylvania truck stop, to the Donmar from October 13 to December 2.

William Shakespeares Henry V tours for four weeks in June and July, with performances offered free of charge reaching up to 3,000 young people in Camden and Westminster.

The theatre will offer 10 tickets on all of its productions in 2023 for audiences under the age of 30 as part of its birthday celebrations.

Six of these tickets will be available for every performance of Clydes and 10 for every performance of Macbeth.
K ate Garraway has given a health update on husband Derek Draper and revealed a touching gesture made by King Charles III.

Mr Draper, 55, is thought to be the UKs worst-affected Covid survivor after contracting it in 2020, and has since experienced ongoing health issues.

Good Morning Britain presenter Garraway, 56, put her career on hold temporarily to care for him and their plight was featured in the documentaries Finding Derek and Caring For Derek.

Last month she revealed that he was back in hospital again having suffered a health setback.

Appearing on ITVs Lorraine on Friday, she told host Lorraine Kelly that he is doing well.

Kate Garraway pictured with husband Derek Draper / Instagram/Kate Garraway

She was also asked about a letter that King Charless III wrote to her while Draper was in hospital the first time around.

I think it came about because of the Princes Trust, she explained.

It was when Derek got sick and was very ill in a coma. Of course, he and the Queen had both had covid.He wrote the most amazing personal letter, just wonderfully uplifting for me.

Although she was not allowed to divulge the exact content of the note, the mum-of-two confessed what he had said was beautiful.

She continued: I know other people that have had letters from him for various different reasons.

I think what he does, I think this is what hell be thinking about tonight and tomorrow, he gets why its special for people to have that letter.

She added: He gets why his role makes it special.
A top EU official has warned Apple it cannot put limits on competitor charging cables for its new iPhones, according to reports.

If the tech giant tries to hamper the functionality of rival cables, the sale of iPhones could be prevented in the European Union, Commissioner Thierry Breton told the company in a letter, according to German news agency DPA.

Under new EU legislation, USB-C charging ports are to become standard across all electronic devices from the end of 2024. Apple had been expected to adapt to the change with the release of its iPhone 15, but rumours emerged earlier this year that it would limit charging and data transfer through competitor cables.

If this was the case, iPhone users could have found that cables not certified under Apples Made for iPhone programme performed less well than Apple versions, with potential limits on charging speed and data transfers. A small chip inside the USB-C port would be able to verify whether the charger was an Apple product.

However, the rumours have never been confirmed by Apple. The company did not respond immediately to a request for comment on Friday.

Mr Breton, who is the European Commissioner for the Internal Market, responded to the reports by writing a letter to Apple, warning them against making some functions available only for its own cables.

Devices that do not meet the requirements for the common charger will not be allowed on the EU market, he said.

The incoming EU rules mean Apples proprietary Lightning cable could be slowly phased out, even in countries like the UK that are not part of the bloc. Although the UK Government has not said it will put in place similar rules, the iPhone maker seems unlikely to create a UK-only version of the next handset.

The law, passed in October last year, requires all mobile phones, tablets, cameras, and other small- or medium-sized electronics sold in the EU to have a USB-C charging port by December 2024.

The technology is a long-standing feature of Apple products, appearing on every handset since the iPhone 5 was released in 2012. However, its iPad range has used the USB-C since 2018.

Mr Bretons office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Its Tech & Science Dailys media edition to mark the coronation of King Charles III.

The newly-minted monarchs big day will be streamed, broadcasted, tweeted, browsed and clicked in high dynamic range, real-time 4K across the worlds devices.

But its been some 70 years since the UK last saw a coronation in the pre-Norman Westminster Abbey.

How far has media tech come since the days when the film footage of Queen Elizabeth II had to be flown by plane across the Atlantic to the US, and why did young patients at Great Ormond Street Hospital enjoy a colour television exclusive?

Well hear Alex Falk speaking outside Buckingham Palace, who was 17 years old in 1953 working for the Press Association as a photographers runner.

He describes dashing to get film across town to Fleet Street so shots could be developed and printed at top speed in the dark room for the Sunday press.

Plus, Tech & Science Daily is joined by Jean Seaton, professor of media history at the University of Westminster.

Professor Seaton explains the evolution of broadcast media technology, the challenges of sending news footage abroad and why the timeless skill of an eye for a good television shot is critical in the abbey.

Listen above, and find us on your Spotify Daily Drive or wherever you stream your podcasts.
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

The more chaotic and intertwined the international situation is, the more firmly the SCO, as a key constructive force in global and regional affairs, should display the Shanghai Spirit, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said. He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future.

GOA, India, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to uphold strategic independence and deepen security cooperation.

When delivering a speech at the SCO foreign ministers' meeting, Qin pointed out that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics.

The more chaotic and intertwined the international situation is, the more firmly the SCO, as a key constructive force in global and regional affairs, should display the Shanghai Spirit, said the Chinese foreign minister.

He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future.



First, upholding strategic independence, and enhancing solidarity and mutual trust. The SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues or inciting color revolutions, he said.

Second, deepening security cooperation and maintaining regional peace. The SCO members should continue to jointly crack down on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, support Afghanistan in establishing a broadly-based and inclusive political structure and combat any form of terrorism, Qin said.

Third, advocating openness and inclusiveness, and promoting interconnected development. The SCO members should resolutely oppose any act violating international economic order and market rules, so as to ensure smooth and stable industrial and supply chains, he said.

Fourth, upholding fairness and justice, and improving global governance. China is ready to coordinate and cooperate with other SCO members and jointly support the SCO's participation in implementing the major initiatives including that of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, in order to establish a more just and rational international order, Qin said.

Fifth, developing a vision for long-term development and building mechanisms. The SCO should complete the process for the memberships of Iran and Belarus in an orderly manner, and enhance the organization's cohesion and capacity for action, he added.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (R4) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

Qin said China is willing to expand cooperation with other SCO member states, jointly move forward on the path of national development and revitalization, and work together toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Participants at the meeting spoke highly of the contributions to regional security and development made by the SCO as a major regional cooperation platform.

The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold multilateralism.

They agreed to further strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism, drug production and trafficking, and cyber crimes.

They also pledged to enhance cooperation in such areas as transport, energy, finance, investment, free trade, digital economy and environmental protection so as to achieve common development.

In addition, they agreed to accelerate the building of the SCO secretariat and the regional anti-terrorism institutions, and advance the SCO membership expansion process in an orderly manner in order to promote the international influence of the SCO.

The ministerial meeting made full preparations for the SCO summit to be held in New Delhi this summer. 
GOA, India, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China and Russia have agreed to further develop bilateral relations and build the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

At a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday on the sidelines of the SCO foreign minsters' meeting, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang said the two countries have conducted frequent exchanges at all levels and strengthened cooperation in various fields.

Both sides agreed to enhance communication with other SCO members and maintain solidarity in order to build the SCO into a platform for mutually beneficial cooperation.

They agreed to strengthen communication and coordination in the Asia-Pacific region, oppose a new "Cold War" and safeguard regional peace and stability.

The two sides also exchanged views on the crisis in Ukraine. 
It may be a good month to help those in need.

Jordan food bank Village of Hope has dubbed May Food for All month, and to help with those efforts, the campaign will culminate with a townwide food drive on Saturday, May 27, organized by volunteer Kim Bakker and with support from Calvary Gospel Church in Beamsville.

Its a great community show of support, said Bakker, whos currently seeking volunteers to help.

The goal, she said, is to cover as much of the town as possible. Calvary church volunteers will be taking care of a large swath of Beamsville, but Bakker said shes still looking for those to help with other parts of town, as well as for other aspects of the drive, including flyer distribution.

We will need an army of volunteers, she said.

Anyone interested in helping out can email Bakker at kimsden@gmail.com. She said its a good opportunity for high school kids who need their community service hours.

Pickups will be performed between 10 a.m. and noon. Bakker said theyll be accepting not just non-perishable items, but also fresh, frozen and cold foods. Additionally, gift cards to grocery stores are welcomed. Anything over $10 will come with a charity tax receipt.

For more information, visit villageofhopeniagara.org.

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The third application was a charm for Kai-Yu Wang. But for the Brock University professor, it wasnt simply the end results that mattered  just as important were the steps that led him on the path to achieving his final goal.

The recognition, however, didnt hurt.

The Brock University Goodman School of Business marketing professor was awarded the 2023 3M National Teaching Fellowship, one of 10 given out nationwide each year. The 13th Brock recipient  but first from Brocks business school  Wang said he was extremely honoured and thrilled to receive one of Canadas most prestigious post-secondary teaching excellence awards.

Sponsored by 3M Canada and the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, the fellowship created in 1986 honours exceptional contributions to teaching, learning and leadership at the post-secondary level.

To be recognized for teaching innovation and educational leadership, in particular, was special because Wang said those elements werent at the forefront of his professional mind years ago.

Wang was born in Taiwan, where he earned his bachelors degree in psychology and business, as well as his masters degree, before moving to the U.S. for his PhD. He came to Brock in 2007, wanting to follow in the footsteps of his own professors who cared not only about his academic performance, but about his life and career.

In his first three years on campus, two Brock professors were recipients of the fellowship and Wang said he read their profiles, admiring the work they had done. Every year that followed  including after submitting his first two fellowship applications  he would read the names of those who did win, thinking what else can I improve in terms of teaching and innovation and leadership so that I could be part of this prestigious group?

Thats very beneficial to me personally, for my professional growth. It forced me to think about what are my visions and what do I want to do, said Wang, also chair of the schools marketing, international business and strategy department.

He began to think about what he wanted to achieve.

Wang turned his attention to experiential education, creating curriculum to allow his digital marketing students to gain real-world experience within the learning environment. In the past decade, Wang developed a unique partnership model, connecting students to community partners, which forced students to apply what they learned in the classroom to solve the real-world problem.

Students are trained throughout the year to develop marketing proposals and solutions for local businesses, with hands-on experience and simulations. In the last two weeks of the course, the students run the campaigns themselves.

Ensuring all the details are in place within the curriculum and students are equipped with the skills they need to be confident adds to his own workload, but Wang doesnt mind.

Sometimes my colleagues will say, Youre too crazy, but when you see the students smile, when they complete the project, they got the job offer, you see the smile from the community partner  you feel that I have to do it again, said Wang, whose students have completed projects with 110 local businesses over the past 11 years.

As the first business fellow, Wang said his dean has already given him tasks to encourage and promote experiential education, helping develop the second and third teaching fellowships in the near future, which he is happy to do.

But he is looking beyond the business department, wanting to assist faculty in every department who are so passionate about teaching. The awards evaluation committed also noted Wangs desire to assist outside the university, launching a eight-week online digital marketing micro-credential program helping train and equip professionals in Niagara looking to enter the industry or enhance their digital marketing skills.

Through his years at Brock, Wang has been recognized with the 2020 Brock University Award for Distinguished Teaching, the 2021 Goodman Faculty Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2022 Society for Marketing Advanced Distinguished Teaching Award.

But the fellowship is something special, now a lifetime member of the national organization working to advance teaching and learning in higher education.

International student in the States come here on a work visa, (become) Canadian and then become professor receiving the fellowship, the most prestigious teaching award in Canada  I just feel thats quite a journey for me, said Wang.

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VLADIVOSTOK, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov warned on Thursday that Russia and the United States are on the verge of an open armed conflict over Ukraine, but Moscow is trying to prevent this.

Ryabkov said that Moscow knew that Kiev was acting under Washington's instructions when it chose to attack targets in Russia, including a drone strike on the Kremlin, adding that both Ukraine and the United States looked ridiculous when they denied their involvement in the attack.

Noting the growing risk of escalation in recent months, he said the United States continued to use Ukraine as a tool to stage and carry out audacious and dangerous acts of provocation.

Moscow patiently and calmly made it clear to Washington that further escalation was unacceptable, Ryabkov said, adding that it was necessary for both sides to have contact. 
Saying theyre underpaid, overworked, and frustrated by a lack of resources to do their jobs, a provincewide poll of registered practical nurses has shown more than 60 per cent of them are considering leaving the profession.

I got into nursing because I care about people, said Briar Moore, an RPN and chief steward for SEIU Healthcare at Niagara Health hospitals.

It breaks my heart every time I have to say, Im sorry I have to go do something else. Im sorry, I dont have time for this. These patients deserve 100 per cent from us.

Nurses, she added, deserve to be paid for what we do.

Moore was one of several speakers at media conference held in front of St. Catharines hospital Friday, held to share results of a poll conducted by Nanos Research and commissioned by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

The poll, conducted in March, asked 1,000 RPNs about the working conditions they faced, as well as about workplace moral and the burnout that is very real to them, said Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer for CUPEs Ontario Council of Hospital Unions.

Richer said consistent under-staffing and overwork is having a big impact on the RPNs the two unions represent.

As a result of that, combined with subpar wages, she said 62 per cent of poll respondents said they were considering leaving the profession at a time when the province is already struggling with severe nursing shortage.

This is a large number of RPNs who are thinking they should leave the hospital, she said, adding about 40 per cent of those nurses said the wages they receive do not match the workload they are being asked to do.

Richer said RPNs are doing almost 96 per cent of the same work as a registered nurse for much, much lower pay.

Despite the similarities in their scope of practice, she said registered practical nurses are paid at least $15 an hour less than registered nurses.

Richer said the Ontario government seems to be turning a blind eye to the problems contributing to the increasing shortage of nurses, while other provinces are taking steps to address the issues.

RPNs here in Niagara have been effectively rewarded with a drastic cut. As we see the cost of living going up their wages are shrinking by nearly 12 per cent, she said. This is shameful. These people are what brought us through the pandemic. They showed up for work every single day and here we are begging for a wage increase.

She said RPNs are poised to fall further behind other health-care staff, including personal support workers who recently were granted a well deserved $2 an hour wage increase.

Arbitrators have also awarded registered nurses retroactive wage increases for the past three years while Bill 124 was in place  provincial legislation that was deemed unconstitutional in November, limiting public sector salaries to one per cent per year. The increases include additional wage increases of 0.75 per cent for 2020, one per cent in 2021 and two per cent in 2022.

These RPNs are feeling like no one cared about them and we need to stop this, Richer said. This is an unsustainable way to deal with health care in Ontario.

Jackie Walker can hear the frustration in the voices of the registered practical nurses she works with daily, as president of SEIU Healthcares nursing division.

You can hear theres a struggle to go to work, you can hear theyre struggling to pay their bills, theyre struggling to show up everyday and do the best they can with the very little resources that we have, Walker said.

When six out of 10 registered practical nurses say theyre considering leaving the profession, we need to acknowledge (Premier Doug) Ford is not doing a good enough job in acknowledging and addressing this crisis.

Walker said the solution to the problem is simple.

Pay registered practical nurses 70 per cent of the RN salary for doing (more than) 90 per cent of their scope of practice, and increase a minimum universal wage across all sectors  thats long-term care, home and community care, the hospital sector, she said. That will keep registered practical nurses, who once loved what they did, had pride in what they did, at the bedside.

Richer said that would increase the salaries of RPNs to at least $35 an hour, up from an average of about $31.18.

Were not asking for gobs of money, she said.

Walker said the unions will enter arbitration for a new contract for RPNs on May 10, in the midst of nursing week May 8 to 14, and they plan to show the province what could be at stake if the concerns are not addressed.

She said the poll also found about 82 per cent of RPNs experience high levels of stress, 64 per cent have difficulty sleeping and dread going into work every day, and two in five experience feelings of depression.

That is something we should all be concerned about, she said.

When I started nursing, I was really proud. When I started working with my union, I was really proud to represent registered practical nurses. But that pride is kind of dwindling when I look around and see nurses are suffering.

Gesturing to St. Catharines hospital behind her, she said dreams of working in a hospital like this one or at a nursing home, those dreams are turning into dread  and thats not right.

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How is the delivery of health care in Niagara doing?

There are two answers to that question, and they vary depending on the angle you look from.

Up close, the same frustrations remain  most times of day, patients who go to either a hospital emergency department or one of the urgent-care centres face long waits.

On Wednesday evening, for example, wait times ranged from two and a half hours at the Niagara Falls hospital ER to three hours everywhere else. That leaves few options for anyone shopping for the shortest stay for treatment, but on the bright side it can get worse and often does.

Niagara still needs more doctors, as we heard last week from Niagara Region Public Health physician recruitment and retention specialist Jill Croteau.

She said Welland, with about 55,000 residents, needs another 17 family doctors to meet local needs. A year ago, Croteau reported Niagara region as a whole needs 345 family doctors who are taking patients, but it had only 255, a shortfall of 90 MDs.

Blame it on a lot of factors: Niagara has a greater share of older people than most other parts of Ontario, including family doctors; the fact every municipality is competing for more doctors; the health system is still recovering from the stress of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Niagaras not in a bubble, and these issues persist to varying degrees across Ontario. Not to make light of them  health care is serious business  but thats the way it is, and it will take time to correct the problems.

Take a step back, though, to see the bigger picture and there are a lot of reasons to be optimistic that the condition of Niagaras health care is improving.

The clearest sign of that is happening at the intersection of Biggar and Montrose roads in Niagara Falls.

Finally, the heavy machinery is out and the site is being prepared to house the new south Niagara hospital with a projected 2028 opening date.

At about 1.3 million square feet in size and with numerous state-of-the-art features, its expected to provide 469 beds (30 critical care, 170 complex care, and 269 for surgical patients).

At the other end of Niagara, construction continues on the new West Niagara hospital for residents in the regions west end. It is expected to be ready for occupancy in two years.

This week, a groundbreaking was held to start work on a new 10-bed Hospice Niagara site being built in Welland through an expansion of Foyer Richelieu.

Hospice Niagara will also open a 10-bed facility in Fort Erie, at the site of the new Niagara Region nursing home that will replace the aging Gilmore Lodge.

When its all done, that will boost Hospice Niagaras complement of beds to 30 from its current 10. Providing a place for terminally ill people to spend their final days in comfort is important; health care is cradle to grave.

Also this week, Niagara Health was able to launch a new program that will make it a national leader in hospital-based medical research, led by Dr. Jennifer Tsang and paid for through a $4-million donation by the McCall MacBain Foundation.

The idea is to introduce more research programs in local hospitals, where the hard work of health care really happens.

As an example, Tsang pointed to the research hospitals carried out on COVID-19 while the virus continued to spread and mutate, resulting in real-time and practice-changing work that led to many high-impact publications.

The view of local health care from 30,000 feet looks promising; closer up, many frustrations remain.

Thats no consolation to people who need to see a doctor right now, but it does point to a better future.

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SASKATOON - It may have been the greatest battle between robots and humans to ever take place inside a Saskatchewan brewery.

The grain mash was masterful and the fermentation feisty as a brewer went head to head in a taste-off with ChatGPT to find out who, or what, can make the best beer.

The idea for the faceoff against the artificial intelligence-powered chatbot came out of a meeting between staff at 9 Mile Legacy Brewing, a Saskatoon nanobrewery known for making craft beer and pushing boundaries.

Garrett Pederson, 9 Miles co-founder and head brewer, said they were playing around with the explosively popular chatbot earlier this year and thought it would be fun to test the technologys usefulness when it comes to one of the oldest drinks humans have produced.

We will challenge it to make a recipe and Ill essentially make a recipe and we will see where that goes, Pederson said.

Luke Clark, an assistant brewer, became Team Robot and was tasked with asking ChatGPT to come up with a recipe.

ChatGPT, developed by U.S.-based company OpenAI, uses written information already available on the internet to provide detailed responses to queries by users. It has received widespread attention for coming up with song lyrics, poems and scripts.

Clark said he started by asking the chatbot to make an award-winning gose recipe using local ingredients. A gose is typically a sour and salty beer with origins in Germany.

The chatbot started spitting out recipes, Clark said, and they all predictably included Saskatoon berries.

What wasnt so predictable was the alcohol content. Some would have resulted in a beer with 30 per cent alcohol content, others with two per cent.

While the ingredient quantities werent quite right, Clark said he was surprised to see all the things that would be needed were there.

I had  to keep refining it until I got something I could actually use and tweaked it a little bit, Clark said.

Meanwhile, for Team Human, Pederson came up with his own recipe for a rhubarb ginger sour. He used the tried and true methods of researching old brew records and recipes, talking with other brewers and looking online.

Its always long, with a lot of time and research put into it, he said.

Once the brewing itself was complete, it was time for the true test to see how humanity would fare against the machine.

You knew wed never take the coming robopocalypse lying down the brewery posted on social media announcing a blind taste test of the two beers to celebrate its eighth anniversary.

People gathered in the taproom last Friday. There was no way for them to know which beer was from a human-developed recipe and which one came from a robot. They sipped, they tasted and then they voted.

They ended up being quite different but both really, really good, actually, Pederson said.

And while Team Human put in a good fight it was ultimately Team Robot that took the win with 60 per cent of the votes

Pederson said with a laugh that he suspects it was actually the malevolent artificial intelligence Skynet from the Terminator movie series that intervened.

We are going to do a Round 2, he said. Just keep playing until I win.

Despite the outcome, the brewers dont see the artificial intelligence taking over any time soon.

While it was interesting to see the chatbot gather information quickly from around the internet to understand the basics of the brew, it still required quite a lot of human intervention to make it something they could sell.

I was just surprised it was drinkable beer at the end of the day, Clark said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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Several top Canadian universities said Thursday they have decided not to enter new research agreements with Huawei, after the University of Waterloo told the Star this week it would end all existing partnerships with the Chinese telecommunications giant.

Amid increased scrutiny of Canadian university partnerships, and as a national conversation continues about Beijings influence efforts in this country, the move by Waterloo was seen as a potentially precedent-setting step.

The University of Toronto was among the schools to make a statement Thursday.

In response to concerns about research security, the University of Toronto decided in April to stop any new research engagements with Huawei, said a statement from Leah Cowen, vice-president, research and innovation and strategic initiatives.

This includes new agreements, new projects within existing agreements, renewals and funded extensions. We also hired a Director of Research Security in September 2022, and are in the process of establishing a research security office.

Similarly, McGill University confirmed it has decided against pursuing further deals with Huawei.

This past winter, McGill made an important decision to not develop further contracts with Huawei, a McGill spokesperson said. McGill University takes this matter very seriously. Martha Crago, McGills Vice-Principal Research and Innovation, helped set up the first universities working group close to five years ago with the Government of Canada on this topic in 2018.

The Chinese company has repeatedly defended its integrity and cybersecurity practices as a private multinational, but has admitted it is subject to Chinese laws compelling companies to assist in national intelligence work.

The University of Saskatchewan and the University of Manitoba, meanwhile, said they have no current research agreements with Huawei.

The three schools, along with the University of Waterloo, are members of the U15 Canada association of leading research universities. The Star contacted all 15 schools on Thursday.

The University of Calgary, another member, said in an email the school currently has three active research partnerships with Huawei, established in prior years, with each carrying end-dates in 2023 or 2024. The university did not comment on whether it will pursue new partnerships with Huawei.

The University of British Columbia declined to comment, and the University of Albertas Office of the Vice-President said it could not comment because it was preoccupied with the provincial election underway.

Meanwhile, the Universite de Montreal said it has one partnership with Huawei, stemming from a $3.9-million donation in 2019 to support informatics and operations research, that will end in December 2024.

We have already contacted Huawei to let them know that we do not intend to continue the partnership after it expires, a university spokesperson said.

Western University said it was currently reviewing its relationships with Huawei and have no new partnerships under consideration.

Additionally, Carleton University, which is not a U15 member but had previously announced a research collaboration with Huawei, told The Logic it now has no active agreements with the company.

While Canada has banned Huawei from its next-generation 5G wireless networks, the government has so far left it to universities to decide whether to collaborate with the company.

Chad Gaffield, chief executive officer of the U15 group, said it was heartening to see research institutions making decisions on appropriate actions and making judgments on whats best  for the sake of the Canadian research ecosystem.

He said a shift to prioritizing national security concerns related to research with international entities has occurred in Canada only within the past few years, and most universities are in the process of hammering out their approaches.

Our hope is that we will move to a place where approaches to safeguarding research security are routinized just the way that over the years, we have routinized best practices for research with human subjects and animal care in laboratory environments.

In February, Canadian authorities tightened their policies on bankrolling research with foreign entities, announcing that Canadas federal research granting councils would reject funding for projects with institutions that had ties to foreign governments posing a risk to national security.

That announcement did not mention specific countries, but security officials have warned for years that China and Russia are among foreign states with interest in Canadas advanced technologies.

Huawei Canada has not responded to requests from the Star for comment.

Joanna Chiu is a B.C.-based staff reporter for the Star. She covers global and national affairs. Follow her on Twitter: @joannachiu

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ST. JOHNS, N.L. - A former employee of a national non-profit organization for incarcerated men has been accused of demanding a sexual favour in exchange for a clean urine test.

Newfoundland and Labrador provincial court documents show Rodney Harris was charged March 31 with one count of extortion for allegedly threatening to fail a mans required urine test if he didnt provide him with sexual gratification.

The incident is alleged to have occurred on June 14, 2021, and the alleged victims identity is protected by a publication ban.

Harris was an employee with the provincial branch of the John Howard Society at the time, Crown prosecutor Renee Coates said in an email. A government report listed a Rod Harris as the contact for Howard House, a 16-bed facility run by the organization for men on parole, probation or statutory release. When asked about the case, the provinces John Howard Society said that it was aware of the charge and that an employee left the organization in the summer of 2021.

While we cannot comment on the details, we can say that any breach of the (John Howard Society) policies or code of conduct by any person is taken very seriously, executive director Cindy Murphy said in an email. We became aware of such a breach and acted upon it immediately.

Jonathan Noonan, the accuseds lawyer, said in an email that his client is presumed innocent, and allegations are based on witnesses whose reliability and credibility have not yet been established in court.

The court documents show Harris is due back in court on May 31.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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Heavy rain sweeping across southern and central British Columbia has intensified an already difficult flood situation along numerous rivers, creeks and streams.

The forecast has prompted a warning from the provincial government for people living near the swelling waterways to be prepared to get out quickly.

A week of record temperatures has quickly melted mountain snowpacks. Environment Canada said 19 daily heat records were broken Thursday in B.C.s Interior, including in Kelowna, where the temperature exceeded a peak set in 1900.

The weather office has issued severe thunderstorm watches for the Boundary and Okanagan regions, saying heavy downpours are likely to cause flash floods.

A lower-level bulletin covers the neighbouring West Kootenay region, where Environment Canada said heavy rain could contribute to mudslides and flooding.

The rain is expected to persist through Saturday night.

Everett Baker, the mayor of Grand Forks, B.C., said he is confident the communitys downtown is prepared for a 200-year flood.

The city of about 4,100 residents not far from the Canada-U.S. border already endured a major flood in 2018, losing 95 homes.

He said theyve protected what they can.

I have great confidence in our flood mitigation program that will do the job it needs to do in the downtown core and protect industry, he said, while watching the rain come down from his office window on Friday.

Is it enough? I guess Monday morning will tell that story.

A statement from the Ministry of Emergency Management on Friday said people in at-risk areas should be ready with a household plan and grab-and-go bags filled with essentials, should they need to leave their homes.

B.C.s River Forecast Centre has issued flood warnings for the Boundary Region, including the Kettle and Granby rivers that run through Grand Forks.

A flood warning has also been posted for the Lower Thompson region, including Cache Creek, Criss Creek and the Bonaparte and Deadman rivers.

Low-level flood watches cover the Kootenay region; the Similkameen, Okanagan and Salmon rivers; and the middle Fraser River, including its plateau around Quesnel and Williams Lake.

High streamflow advisories have been issued for the Coquihalla River, the Nicola and Shuswap rivers and their tributaries, the upper Fraser River and the surrounding areas, and the Skeena region, including the Bulkley River.

Parts of the village of Cache Creek, about 80 kilometres west of Kamloops, remain inundated by floodwaters that flowed through the communitys firehall as well as businesses and several homes.

Village Mayor John Ranta said this week the normally babbling brook became a raging river.

The villages Facebook page on Friday said 21 properties have been evacuated, with more on alert as floodwaters cut through the downtown.

Highways 1 and 97 had been closed in both directions as they intersect Cache Creek, but the routes have since reopened to single-lane alternating traffic.

At Canadas Best Value Inn & Suites in Cache Creek, maintenance worker Craig Poljer joked that he wasnt even aware of the day because hes been so busy piling sandbags and cleaning mud out of rooms with two other housekeepers.

He said they were lucky because the inn is on higher ground.

The rooms are higher up, so we are not going to get flooding in the rooms. Not like other motels that are going to be shut down for probably six months to a year while they get cleaned up, said Poljer.

Were good in the hotel. (I am) so sorry about the other ones that are all damaged.

Amelia Hillyard, a Cache Creek resident and employee at the Sunset Motel, said many businesses and schools shut down because the highway was closed.

She said people have been supporting each other.

Its been difficult being the community itself is split by the river. So, on one side we cant get to each other. So, thats definitely been a big challenge, she said.

The Okanagan Indian Band has placed several properties on evacuation order in the neighbourhood of Parker Cove on Okanagan Lake, west of Vernon, where it said floodwaters from Whiteman Creek have eroded land and undercut trees.

An update posted Friday afternoon said 100 evacuees from 55 households in that area had registered with the provinces emergency support service program.

So far, 10 properties in Grand Forks are under evacuation order while another 34 have been placed on evacuation alert due to flood risk.

The Regional District of Kootenay Boundary has issued an alert for an additional 591 properties affecting an estimated 1,182 people in the surrounding area. It has also put 47 properties for the village of Midway in floodplain on the banks of the Kettle River on evacuation alert.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay issued an evacuation alert Friday for 892 properties in the village of Salmo and the communities of Erie and Ymir. It later issued an evacuation alert for Duhamel Creek, near Nelson. The district said heavy rain in the forecast could threaten the structural integrity of the Duhamel Creek dike.

It said Erie Creek, the Salmo River and all surrounding tributaries are rising and people should remain vigilant and be prepared to leave at a moments notice.

Baker, in Grand Forks, said many residents dont qualify for overland flood insurance. Depending on how things progress this weekend, the community would have to ask for financial help from the provincial and federal governments to cover any damage, he said.

The mayor said hes confident the other levels of government would step up to help and that Bowinn Ma, B.C.s minister of emergency management, has called him to see how the community is doing.

The provinces statement said residents living in high-risk areas are encouraged to connect with their neighbours, self-register for emergency support services and stay connected with their local government or First Nation for updates.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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Abida Suboors commute to campus has been tougher in the last few weeks.

The graduate student uses GO Transit to get from her home in Milton, Ont., to the University of Guelph but changes to her typical bus route have meant shes had to shift her routine or endure a journey that takes more than double the time.

Its been tough, to say the least, said the 24-year-old. I share a vehicle with my family. Thats a reason why having  a route that I could really depend on mattered to me.

Suboor is among the students in the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions whove been affected by changes GO Transit operator Metrolinx made to some routes last month.

Among the changes was the elimination of a direct bus route between Milton and Torontos Union Station, a key transit hub. Metrolinx also increased service on certain busy routes between Toronto and Kitchener, Ont., but scrapped some train services and replaced them with buses.

Suboor used to take GO Transits Route 21 bus  which ran between Milton and Union Station  to a stop in Mississauga, Ont., where she would transfer to a bus running to Guelph.

Metrolinxs changes mean the bus has altered its route and no longer travels all the way from Milton to Union  eliminating Suboors transfer point. Commuters now have to take a bus to train stations on the Lakeshore West GO train line and then travel east to Union Station or west to other stops.

A trip that used to take Suboor 40 minutes would now take two hours, she said. Suboor now takes a different bus, Route 27, which runs less frequently, to make it to campus. It means she needs to get up earlier and stay on campus later.

If I were wanting to be done by 2 (p.m.) in Guelph, I cant come back home without having to inconvenience someone from my family because theres no bus running at two for the 27, she said.

Prem Shah, a student at George Brown College in Toronto, also relies heavily on transit and used to take the Route 21 bus to get to his part-time job in Mississauga. The recent change has made his commute to work, often after classes, much longer, he said.

It has been mentally stressful, to be honest, said the 29-year-old.

The GO changes also came in the middle of his semester, when he couldnt make changes to his already tight schedule, he said.

I may have to even consider leaving my role (at work), he said. If this  affects my studies, that would be a problem.

Several other GO Transit users identifying themselves as students have complained about the transit operators route changes on social media.

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie reached out to Metrolinx to raise concerns about the changes to Route 21, which serves a significant number of residents and those who work in the city.

We are already hearing complaints from residents and commuters that this change will add up to one hour travel on their commute, she wrote in a letter to the transit operator.

Those who commute to our city from work are considering whether or not coming into the office is worth their time and are said to be considering fully remote work instead.

Metrolinx has said that long-anticipated efforts to refurbish Torontos Gardiner Expressway prompted the changes on Route 21.

When asked to respond to students commuting concerns, the transit operator said GO buses on Route 21 were delayed 40 minutes or more on almost half of last summers weekends due to congestion.

Upcoming construction is expected to make these delays worse, potentially increasing travel times by an hour or more for our customers, it wrote in a statement.

That is why we have changed GO Bus Route 21 to avoid the Gardiner, redirecting customers to the closest GO Train Station to bring them into Union Station.

Metrolinx said the adjusted route ensures service is more efficient and reliable.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. - Police in New Westminster, B.C., say two suspects have been charged in the armed kidnapping of a person in the city last month.

Police say they learned a local resident had been kidnapped on April 25, and with the help of five other Metro Vancouver police units, including the gang squad and emergency response team, they were quickly able to arrest two armed suspects and safely rescue the hostage.

Police say the two suspects face charges of kidnapping, forcible confinement and use of intimidation with a firearm.

One suspect, a 40-year-old man from Kamloops, also faces an additional charge of assault with a weapon.

The other suspect is a 42-year-old man from Vernon.

Police say both of the accused remain in custody as investigators continue gathering evidence.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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CALGARY - Albertas NDP is promising to hire thousands of teachers and support workers in the public education system if the party wins the provincial election set for May 29.

Leader Rachel Notley says an NDP government would add $700 million in funding for public education over the next four years.

She says the money would go toward hiring 4,000 teachers and 3,000 support workers to get class sizes down across the province.

At her announcement in Calgary, Notley also took a moment to extend her sympathies to families who have lost homes in wildfires.

She says her thoughts are with residents who are being forced from their homes.

And she thanked the firefighters who are working to keep people safe.

Albertans ... you can also help all of these folks out, Notley said Friday.

I know its hard to imagine with snow still melting in some parts of the province. But there is a provincewide fire ban in effect, so please follow it and please be safe.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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UNITED NATIONS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- There is a "crucial need" for additional money to close the funding gap to salvage the Safer oil tanker off Yemen's Red Sea coast, a United Nations spokesman said on Thursday.

A pledging event hosted Thursday by Britain and the Netherlands for the UN-led Safer project raised 5.6 million U.S. dollars in new funding, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

The UN calls on the international community to help close the funding gap, which still stands at 23.8 million dollars for the emergency phase, he said.

The Safer tanker, a 47-year-old vessel that has moored off Yemen and has not been maintained since 2015 because of the conflict in Yemen, has decayed to the point where there is an imminent risk it could explode or break apart, which would have disastrous environmental effects on the region.

As part of an emergency operation, the UN Development Programme purchased from Belgian shipping company Euronav in March the vessel "Nautica" to remove over a million barrels of oil from the decaying Safer tanker. The vessel is expected to arrive in Yemen in early May.

According to Haq, an additional 19 million dollars is also required for the critical second phase of the UN-coordinated operation to avert a catastrophic oil spill in the Red Sea.

"It is urgent that this gap is closed to successfully implement the operation," Haq said.

"While we appreciate the contributions received so far, there is a crucial need for the funds to allow us to complete the task that we have begun," he added. 
EDMONTON  More than 37 wildfires were burning out of control in Alberta on Friday and thousands of people have been evacuated in several affected areas, according to provincial officials.

Evacuation orders rolled out through the day bringing the total number of evacuees to over 13,000 people. Early Friday evening, Edson, a town of more than 8,000 people to the west of Edmonton, was told to evacuate immediately as an out of control wildfire continued to rage nearby.

Its only May and  when compared to similar time frames in years past  government officials have already dubbed it one of the worst years for wildfires in recent memory with there having been, since January, 363 wildfires that have burnt at least 25,000 hectares of land.

Hot, windy weather conditions meant a dangerous situation for emergency crews spread across the province battling back the flames.

In total there were 104 wildfires with 37 designated as out of control. Some of the fires listed as out of control are just 12 hectares; others are spread over thousands of hectares.

At a Friday morning press conference in Edmonton, Stephen Lacroix, managing director at the Alberta Emergency Management Agency, started by offering sympathy to people in Alberta who have lost everything in the fires.

Calling the situation very serious, Lacroix said this is a stark reminder of just how unpredictable and powerful wildfires can be.

Government officials are advising that anyone near a fire listed on the provincial dashboard pay close attention to emergency updates.

The province is in the run-up to a general election, but Premier Danielle Smith activated Albertas Emergency Management Cabinet Committee, which is chaired by the premier and vice-chaired by Minister of Public Safety Mike Ellis, on Friday. It was set to meet in the afternoon.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who serves as opposition leader, is also receiving updates on the wildfire situation, a media notice from the premiers office said.

Cabinet continues to have decision-making abilities to deal with emergency decisions, the statement said.

Officials said they couldnt provide a full picture of the destruction so far, but said one of the most devastated areas was the community in Fox Lake where between 17 and 20 homes have been lost.

The fire there is 4,400 hectares large and as of Friday had 55 firefighters, five helicopters, six structure protection crews and heavy equipment fighting to contain it.

Lacroix added that the community police station, general store, and potentially the water plant were also damaged in Fox Lake, which is in the northern part of the province.

Christie Tucker, the information unit manager with Alberta Wildfire said that on Friday, weather conditions for northern Alberta looked dangerous.

Were expecting very warm weather and extremely strong winds, she said. This is not great for wildfire activity. That tends to cause very active wildfires.

There had been no deaths reported as of Friday.

Most of the worst fires are in central and northern Alberta. One out of control fire in the Drayton Valley area outside Edmonton is about 1,500 hectares in size, officials said. There were 26 firefighters, three helicopters and air tankers battling back the blaze on Friday.

Further north of the capital, in the Slave Lake forest area, there were a staggering ten wildfires listed as out of control by Friday afternoon. Five were listed as being under control and one was designated as being held which means it wasnt expected to grow.

Officials told people to pack enough supplies to be ready to be away from their homes for at least three days.

Tucker said the situation was rapidly changing and told people to keep checking the Alberta Wildfire website along with the provincial dashboard for the most recent information.

Many areas and municipalities across Alberta have fire bans in place for public and private property.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people from La Loche and the Clearwater River Dene Nation in northern Saskatchewan have also been forced to leave due to the threat of a nearby wildfire.

Buses carrying people from La Loche left early Friday for the provincial capital, where they are to receive shelter and support at a hotel and at the University of Regina. Staff with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency brought food, bottled water, diapers and comforters to dozens of evacuees arriving at a downtown hotel.

The fire burning in the region spans 226 hectares and crews are trying to prevent it from destroying homes.

La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois said no homes have burned, but some sheds that store hunting equipment have.

Jolibois, who has stayed behind in La Loche, says if the fire does not pick up today she believes the community could be in good shape.

She says the past two days have been chaotic.

Spring is the busiest fire season for Alberta  the province sees more area burned during spring than any other province or territory, said Richard Carr, with the Canadian Forest Service.

As of now, the forecast predicts fairly above normal fire severity for much of the west due to windy, dry conditions and warm temperatures.

The latest forecast is first of all favouring southern British Columbia or southwestern British Columbia to maybe stay a little bit above normal through the summer. The other region thats highlighted from this May 1 forecast  Manitoba, eastern Saskatchewan and maybe Western Ontario, Carr said.

An El Nino, typically associated with higher temperatures, is expected to develop over the summer.

The current forecast predicts May and June being quite active for wild fires, then tapering over the rest of the summer, but theres still a possibility of fires continuing into September.

With files from The Canadian Press and Omar Mosleh

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REGINA - Molly Herman says all she could do was cry as she and her three young children fled from La Loche, Sask., early Friday morning as a nearby wildfire threatens the northern community.

Standing outside a Regina hotel, Herman said shes weak and tired after she and dozens of others took a bus to the provincial capital for shelter and support.

You could just see flames in the air, like a block away behind my house  I was literally shedding tears while I was packing my babies, Herman said.

The smell was exhaustively strong. Im just praying dearly, God, that our homes are saved and that everybodys safe. We dont need fire. We need lots of rain.

Residents of La Loche and the Clearwater River Dene Nation have been forced to leave as a 266-hectare wildfire burns in the region.

Steve Roberts, vice-president of operations for the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency, said the forecast is hot and dry for the next 72 hours and theres a high hazard for new fires.

Roberts said all fires currently burning in the province are caused by humans and would be investigated.

He said there are 13 active wildfires in the province, six uncontained.

Roberts said at least 147 people have been evacuated from La Loche and have arrived in Regina, but an unknown number of people have also left on their own.

No one has been injured, he added.

La Loche Mayor Georgina Jolibois said no homes have burned, but some sheds that store hunting equipment have.

Jolibois, who has stayed behind, said if the fire doesnt grow on Friday, the community could be in good shape.

These last couple of days have been extremely chaotic and very difficult for many because the fire was very, very close, Jolibois said. The fires were literally at the doorsteps of two neighbourhoods in the community.

Staff with the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency have brought food, bottled water, diapers and comforters to dozens of evacuees arriving at the downtown hotel.

Herman said shed been reminded of 2015, when a fire drove thousands from their homes.

She said she had to flee during the wildfires that year.

I was hurting to see elders being removed, Herman said, adding that her dad was moved from the hospital in La Loche to a home care facility in Meadow Lake.

It was kind of sad but then its OK because my sister lives in Meadow Lake, so hes near with my sisters.

Herman said she doesnt know how long she and others are to stay in Regina.

She pleaded for people to leave the La Loche area if they havent done so already.

Its not a fun thing right now. Its not a vacation everybody is going on, she said. Its an emergency.

Jolibois said shes been impressed with how crews have managed to keep the fire at bay.

Theyve been working non-stop and they have been superb, she said. I do believe that in the north, when we send our local firefighters out, they are very good at what they do.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

-- with files from Ritika Dubey in Edmonton

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A 21-year-old driver has been charged after an 8-year-old girl was killed in a hit-and-run outside a school in Burlington.

This is a massive tragedy, Halton Regional Police Const. Ryan Anderson said at media conference outside the school on Thursday morning.

On Wednesday, families were attending Burlington Central Public School for a theatre event being held in the vicinity during after-school hours.

Halton police said the girl was exiting the vehicle in the schools driveway shared with Burlington Central High School near the intersection of Baldwin and Locust Streets.

Upon crossing the street towards the school's east entrance door, police said the girl was struck by a white SUV, which then fled the scene.

The girl was transported to McMaster Childrens Hospital but was pronounced dead.

We got a whole community here that's really hurting, Anderson said.

The driver was taken into custody in the vicinity of the school last night. The Burlington resident has been charged with failure to remain on the scene of a collision causing death.

I am absolutely heart-broken and devastated, wrote Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward on Twitter, adding she sends her deepest condolences on behalf of the city council.

Natalie Pierre, Burlington MPP, echoed the mayors message adding the unfortunate passing of the young girl is a heartbreaking loss for the community.

In a statement to The Star, the Halton District School Board said members from the tragic events response team, including child youth counsellors and social workers, would be at the school to support students and staff for "as long as needed."

"Our first priority this morning is the family and friends of the student involved and the students and staff of the school community," said Colette Ruddock, Superintendent of Education at Halton District School Board.

Police said the circumstances surrounding the incident are still under investigation and are encouraging any witnesses to come forward.

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JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Indonesian officials said Friday they were working to rescue dozens of their nationals who were trafficked to Myanmar to work as cyber scammers, amid an increase in human trafficking cases in Southeast Asia.

At least 20 Indonesian job seekers are trapped in Myawaddy township, the site of an armed conflict between Myanmars military and ethnic Karen rebels, said Judha Nugraha, an official in Indonesias Foreign Affairs Ministry. Myawaddy is in eastern Kayin state along the Thai border.

According to Nugraha, fake recruiters offered the victims high-paying jobs in Thailand but instead trafficked them to Myawaddy, about 567 kilometers (352 miles) south of Naypyidaw, the capital, to perform cyber scams for crypto websites or apps.

The Indonesian Migrant Worker Union, a nonprofit group, said some victims were tortured when they failed to reach certain targets and forced to pay more than $10,000 in travel costs. Authorities said the victims were likely trafficked to Myanmar by illegal means since no records can be found of their arrival in Myanmars immigration system.

The challenges on the ground are indeed high as authorities in Myanmar face difficulties entering Myawaddy since rebels have taken over the region, Nugraha said.

Indonesian officials are working with authorities in Naypyidaw, Myawaddy and Thailand, and have asked for assistance from other organizations to help get the victims out of the area safely, he said.

Indonesias Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a news conference on Friday that the government has worked on 1,841 human trafficking cases in the past three years where victims are Indonesians who were duped into online scams.

That number includes 1,138 Indonesians who were repatriated from Cambodia last year, Marsudi said.

From this number, you can see the magnitude of human trafficking related to online scams whose victims are ASEAN citizens, she said, adding that victims from several nations are involved in the latest case.

Marsudi said the government is also working to help Indonesian victims of online scams in Myanmar, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and the Philippines.

She said the Indonesian Embassy in Manila said Friday that Philippine authorities have rescued more than 1,000 trafficking victims from 10 countries, including 143 Indonesians, who will be repatriated to their countries of origin.

As the chair of ASEAN this year, Indonesia is trying to raise this issue at the 42nd ASEAN Summit, Marsudi said.

ASEAN includes Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippine, Singapore and Thailand. Indonesia will host the blocs leaders meeting in May 10-11 in Labuan Bajo on Flores island.

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KYIV, Ukraine (AP)  The owner of Russias Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscows military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russias Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russias military, with which he has long been in conflict. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasnt carried out.

Prigozhins spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

These are someones fathers and someones sons, Prigozhin says. The scum that doesnt give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhins comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck.

But why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall, said Michel, who is based in Berlin.

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the wars longest  and likely bloodiest  battle. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russias invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhins claims of ammunition shortages. Military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak told The Associated Press that Prigozhin was trying to justify their unsuccessful actions in Bakhmut.

Shoigu didnt immediately respond to Prigozhin, but his ministry reported Friday that he ordered a top official to ensure a continuous supply of all necessary weapons and military equipment to Russian troops. And in a counterpoint to Prigozhins visibility, an official video showed Shoigu inspecting tanks and other military equipment destined for Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the end of last year, the U.S. estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts the company has enlisted. That makes it a small part of Russian fighting forces.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagners troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, Michel said.

If hes removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia, he said.

Prigozhins acrimonious relations with the military brass date back to Wagners creation in 2014. During the war in Ukraine, he has publicly accused some top Russian military officials of incompetence  behavior that is highly unusual in Russias tightly controlled political system.

Prigozhin alleged Friday that Russias regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but were advancing despite the fact that the enemys resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhins statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

Hanna Maliar, deputy head of Ukraines Defense Ministry, said Friday that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed some Wagner ammunition depots, and other military officials said Ukrainian forces were holding their own in Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had destroyed a bridge that Ukrainian troops used to supply their side in Bakhmut. It wasnt possible to independently verify either sides claims.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa.

Bakhmut, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it wont be decisive in the wars outcome. The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a ghost town.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter.

Prigozhin had already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once before, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhins statement Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment.

Also on Friday, an oil refinery in Russias southern Krasnodar region, which borders the Crimean Peninsula that Russia illegally annexed, briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russias state news agency Tass reported. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.

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Follow APs coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

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WASHINGTON (AP)  President Joe Biden is dispatching one his top advisers to Saudi Arabia to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de facto leader of the oil-rich kingdom, later this week.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi officials and will also meet with his counterparts from the United Arab Emirates and India during his visit.

Sullivan said he would discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf, as well as the United States and the rest of the region. India and UAE last year signed a comprehensive economic partnership aimed at improving ties between the two countries.

Sullivan is expected to meet with the crown prince, who is often referred to by his initial MBS, during the visit, according to a person familiar with Sullivans travel plans who was not authorized to publicly discuss that element of them.

Sullivan spoke by phone with MBS last month amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making remarkable progress toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict.

He said the Yemen war will be a significant topic of conversation during his upcoming Saudi visit.

Sullivans planned visit is the latest sign of warming relations between the kingdom and the Biden administration that have been strained by Bidens criticism of Saudi Arabias human rights record and oil policies.

Last October, after the OPEC+ alliance cut oil production, Biden said there would be consequences for the kingdom, which is a leading member. The administration saw the oil production cut  which boosted oil prices  as softening the financial blow on another OPEC+ member, Russia, caused by U.S. and Western sanctions imposed on Moscow for its war in Ukraine.

Sullivan spoke of his plans during wide-ranging remarks on the Biden administrations Middle East policy at an event hosted by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

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WASHINGTON (AP)  Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firms attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

The Treasury Departments Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. It would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses both air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal and eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security.

The new rule would affect Grand Forks and seven other bases, including three that are tied to the B-21 Raider, the nations future stealth bomber. The Pentagon has taken great pains to protect its new, most-advanced bomber from spying by China. The bomber will carry nuclear weapons and be able to fly manned and unmanned missions.

Six bombers are in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California, while the two other bases will serve as future homes for the 100-aircraft stealth bomber fleet: Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

The national security concerns regarding the other bases were not immediately clear. Also on the list were Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, which are both training bases. The others selected for greater protection are the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines and Luke Air Force Base, located in Glendale, Arizona.

The Air Force was not immediately available for comment on why the eight bases were selected.

CFIUS, a committee whose members come from the State, Justice, Energy and Commerce departments among others, already had the power to block property sales within 100 miles of other military bases under a 2018 law.

Hoeven said the CFIUS process for reviewing proposed projects needed to be updated.

Accordingly, Chinas investments in the U.S. need to be carefully scrutinized, particularly for facilities like the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a key national security asset that serves as the lead for all Air Force Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and has a growing role in U.S. space operations, he said.

In February, Andrew Hunter, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, said in a letter to North Dakota officials that the military considered the project a security risk but did not elaborate on the kinds of risks Fufengs project would pose.

The letter prompted Grand Forks officials, who had initially welcomed the milling plant as an economic boon for the region, to withdraw support by denying building permits and refusing to connect the 370-acre (150-hectare) site to public infrastructure.

Fufeng makes products for animal nutrition, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, oil and gas, and others industries. Its a leading producer of xanthan gum. It denied that the plant would be used for espionage.

Lawmakers have also called for a review of foreign investments in agricultural lands. Earlier this year, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced legislation aimed at preventing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from acquiring U.S. farmland.

Countries like China who want to undermine Americas status as the worlds leading economic superpower have no business owning property on our own soil  especially near our military bases, Tester said in a statement Thursday.

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Stafford reported from Liberty, Missouri.

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CLEVELAND, Texas (AP)  Manuela Laras Mexican food stand is not far from the house on Walter Drive, the one with the Christmas lights still up, where a man next door with an AR-style rifle walked over and killed five of his Honduran neighbors.

Lara is also an immigrant and has lived for years in the Trails End neighborhood, where residents say law enforcement was slow to respond to frequent gunfire long before the rural sheriffs department drew scrutiny for taking 11 minutes to get to the scene of the April 28 shooting, and for the ensuing four-day manhunt.

There arent enough patrols. The police dont come over here, Lara said. This happened because police didnt come in here.

The capture of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza Tuesday night has not eased concerns in the largely Latino neighborhood about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Houston, where many immigrant residents feel disregarded and disrespected by officials from the local level up to the governor.

In the arrests wake, even some law enforcement officials have questioned how the response was coordinated.

Authorities have acknowledged it usually takes deputies from 30 minutes up to an hour to respond to calls in Trails End, but say they face challenges that are familiar to law enforcement across rural America, where firearms are common and officers are responsible for vast stretches of terrain. Three deputies were patrolling the 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers) of San Jacinto County when the first call about the shooting came in as a harassment report at 11:31 p.m., according to the sheriffs office.

Weve got poor roads. Were understaffed, Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said. Welcome to rural law enforcement.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, sheriffs deputies got help searching for Oropeza from several local and state law enforcement agencies. But they didnt formally accept help from the FBI until the next morning, according to the bureau. And an official with the two-man agency that does much of the day-to-day police work in the neighborhood said they were left to learn about the shooting and manhunt the next morning through calls from neighbors and news reports.

Maybe we could have caught him faster. I cant say that we would have, but when it happens in your own back yard you would hope youd be the first to be notified, said Cpt. Peter Sparta of the San Jacinto County Constables Office. The sheriffs office generally doesnt coordinate with the area constable, who lives a 15-minute drive from where the shooting occurred, Sparta added.

Oropeza is now in jail on five murder charges and awaiting the appointment of a lawyer. But some residents question whether the shooting will prompt action needed for local law enforcement to show up quicker next time they call. Others remain angry with Gov. Greg Abbott for calling the victims illegal immigrants, saying immigration status is irrelevant to their being the victims of gun violence.

Theyre human beings and they just lost their family, said Shawn Crawford, 52, who also lives on Walter Drive. It had nothing to do with politics, the border, the immigrants.

Abbott, a Republican, drew widespread backlash for the comment and his office later apologized, acknowledging at least one of the victims was in the U.S. legally.

Diana Velasquez Alvarado, 21, will be buried in the United States, according to her father, who said she had recently obtained residency after leaving Honduras eight years ago.

Oropeza was a Mexican national who was deported four times between 2009 and 2016, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Trails End is on the outskirts of Cleveland, a diverse town of about 8,000, and homes there sit on wide lots and under a dense canopy of pine trees. As in other rural places in Texas, the legality of firing weapons in ones backyard can be confusing depending on where one lives but seems to be largely tolerated by law enforcement as long as no one is hurt and nothing damaged. Complaints about such gunfire in the neighborhood were daily, according to the sheriffs office.

Nearly 31% of Clevelands population are Latinos, and their growing presence can be seen in businesses from taquerias to stores that sell products from Mexico and Central America. Some of the Hondurans killed in the shooting had lived in the U.S. for years, according to their families back home.

Authorities say the shooting began after three of Oropezas neighbors asked him to go farther away if he was going to fire his gun so late because a baby was trying to sleep.

At a vigil for the victims a few days before Oropezas arrest, Krystal Segundo was one of the many residents who complained about law enforcement not responding in the past to calls about gunfire from neighbors.

They accused San Jacinto County Sheriffs deputies of normally not taking any action.

I told my husband, after this tragedy now we have so many police. Before, I never saw one officer pass or do anything, said Segundo, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years with her husband and four kids.

Wilson Garcia, whose wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, and his 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed in the shooting, told reporters that people in his house called police five times after Oropeza brushed them off about firing his gun, and that each time a dispatcher told them help was coming.

Deputies took 11 minutes to arrive, Sheriff Greg Capers said. Thats pretty quick, according to Kean. The chief deputy said one of the three working deputies was responding to a robbery at the time of the shooting, but didnt specify where the other two were.

The exact timeline of the police response to the shooting remains unclear because the sheriffs office has yet to release call logs, 911 recordings and other records in response to public records requests.

You got to remember the initial call on this was somebody firing their gun in the yard, all right. At that point, it wasnt an attack, Kean said. So the aggravated robbery trumps the guy shooting in the yard.

But Sparta, the constables captain, who said he grew up nearby, suggested the shooting might have been avoided if more resources went to doing routine police work there.

You need to police these communities where these peoples houses are, he said. It prevents burglaries. It prevents things that just happen like this.

___

Weber reported from Austin and Bleiberg from Dallas. Associated Press videojournalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report.

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ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  Native Americans whose relatives have gone missing or been killed wore red on Friday, a color synonymous with raising awareness about the disproportionate number of Indigenous people who have been victims of violence.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples Awareness Day is held on May 5  the birthday of Hanna Harris, who was only 21 when she was slain on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation in Montana.

Countless more Indigenous people have gone missing since her body was found nearly a decade ago. Advocates describe it as a silent crisis, rooted in colonization, forced removal and government policies that led to the stamping out of culture and identity as entire communities were marginalized.

This weekends marches, symposiums, prayer gatherings, art installations and ceremonies are meant to pressure policy makers in the U.S. and Canada to ensure equity when investigating such cases. The red dresses, they say, are used to call home the spirits of missing and slain Indigenous victims.

We have to call this national state of emergency what it is -- a genocide, Carol McBride, president of the Native Womens Association of Canada, said in an email. She urged people to channel their grief into activism. Wearing red is powerful.

Canadas House of Commons unanimously approved a motion this week calling on the government to declare a national state of emergency. Such a declaration would make more tools available, said Mel Critch, who works with the Native Womens Association of Canada and is co-chair of the group Manitoba Moon Voices.

The burden of tackling the problem has fallen largely to Indigenous women, relatives and other community members, Critch said.

As this moves through the Senate, our communities will be watching and listening carefully, praying for its adoption and a day when this will end, when our children and families will be safe, Critch said.

Lawmakers in the U.S. introduced their own resolutions this week supporting the May 5 effort.

High rates of violence, sexual assault, homicides and disappearances of Indigenous people, particularly women, have festered for generations amid inadequate public safety resources in Indian Country, where tiny police forces are responsible for vast territories and a tangled web of local and federal jurisdictions often complicates efforts to track and communicate about cases as they happen.

About 4,200 missing and murdered cases have gone unsolved, according to U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs estimates. Federal health statistics document murder rates for Native American and Alaska Native women at 10 times the national rate.

Still, the number of missing and slain Indigenous women remains unknown. A 2021 review by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office pointed to reporting problems, distrust of law enforcement and jurisdictional conflicts.

Recently adopted U.S. laws aim to improve data collection and law enforcement responses. A national commission began holding public meetings in April to craft more recommendations. Gary Restaino, the U.S. attorney for Arizona, will be listening to tribal leaders and families at next weeks commission meeting in Flagstaff.

He said the Justice Department now prioritizes cases in Indian Country, bringing the Marshals Service, Drug Enforcement Administration and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to support the FBI when local or tribal police call for help.

That, I think, is a real expansion from the way we have traditionally done these cases and should be an opportunity to get more resources into underserved areas in Indian Country, he said.

Many states have created their own task forces and commissions, aiming to keep cases from falling through the cracks. Prosecutors in New Mexicos largest judicial district have a special unit to help with missing person investigations involving Native Americans.

In California, lawmakers approved the creation of an alert system to help find Indigenous people missing under suspicious circumstances. The legislation came last year after the Yurok Tribe issued an emergency declaration after five Indigenous women were reported as missing or were killed within a span of 18 months.

Every time someone goes missing in this state, that is tomorrows historical trauma, said Abby Abinanti, the Yurok Tribes chief judge.

The tribe plans to use drones to bolster its search and rescue program.

The Round Valley Indian Tribes in Northern California also declared an emergency, and imposed a curfew for minors following the recent killings of two tribal citizens.

Washington is creating a cold case investigations unit, and Oklahomas governor signed legislation Monday ordering state public safety officials to work with tribes on an alert system named for Cherokee Nation citizen Kasey Russell, who went missing in 2016.

While there has been progress, state and federal lawmakers agree that more needs to be done.

California Assemblymember James Ramos told a hearing Tuesday that trends in his state dont show improvement. He wants qualified tribal law enforcement officers to be able to access a statewide telecommunications system as they investigate missing persons cases.

In New Mexico, advocates want the governor to issue a new executive order to chart the next phase of implementing recommendations made in an extensive task force report in 2020.

For Melody Delmar, who leads MMIP projects for New Mexicos Indian Affairs Department, the crisis is personal. As a social worker, shes often among the first people families call when they need help.

Her dream? A state office dedicated to Indian Country cases where families could be assigned a social worker.

Theres just so many levels of this and it can be complicated, she said. But we also can look at this and know there are solutions out there too.

Nearly two years passed before federal authorities made an arrest in the case of Ella Mae Begay, a master Navajo weaver who went missing in 2021.

Her niece, Seraphine Warren, walked from the Navajo Nation to Washington D.C. to raise awareness. She has not given up finding her aunt  shes gathering volunteers for another search of the desert in the coming weeks.

Waiting for information to trickle down from authorities to grieving family members is like torture, Warren said.

All that families want is for somebody to check on them, to see if their cases are still being investigated, said Warren, who will be marching in Seattle this weekend.

U.S. Interior Secretary Deb Haaland received a briefing Friday in Albuquerque from her agencys Missing and Murdered Unit, created in 2021. To date, the unit has investigated 728 cases; solved or closed 263 missing persons cases; and solved eight murder cases.

Advocates are watching closely as Congress hashes out budget requests for federal agencies, including the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cuts could result in fewer law enforcement officers in areas that are already understaffed.

U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona Democrat, said Congress has a responsibility to honor trust and treaty obligations with Indian Country.

And its important to affirm that this is a priority, he said.

___

Associated Press contributors include Sophie Austin in Sacramento, Calif.; Claire Rush in Portland, Ore., Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, Okla. and Terry Tang in Phoenix, Ariz.

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MONTREAL - A Canadian senator is defending two Montreal-area Chinese community organizations that have been accused by the RCMP of hosting secret Chinese government police stations.

The RCMP should bring forth their evidence or leave the groups alone, Independent Sen. Yuen Pau Woo told reporters in Montreal.

Provide information, clarity, and in the meantime, dont create more problems for the community, Woo said.

Woo, an Independent senator representing British Columbia, called for fairness, due process and the rule of law. He said the two community groups -- which he said provide assistance to Quebecs Chinese community -- have been found guilty of allegations that havent been explained.

It has caused members of the community to hesitate to come and seek services and they suffer  not you ... not the RCMP, but the individuals who would come here for services and who are hesitating to come because they worry about what might happen if they come here, Woo said.

Woo made the comments during a news conference with members of Montreals Chinese community at the office of one of the groups targeted by the RCMP, Service a la Famille Chinoise du Grand Montreal. Members called for an end to the investigation, describing it as a sword of Damocles hanging over the community. Some mused about seeking damages in court.

In mid-March, the RCMP said that the organization, along with Centre Sino-Quebec de la Rive-Sud, located on Montreals South Shore, hosted Chinese government agents who allegedly harassed members of the citys Chinese community.

Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino told a parliamentary committee last week that the RCMP had shut down the so-called police stations in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver.

The RCMP said Friday they continue to actively investigate reports of criminal activity in relation to the so-called police stations.

It is important to note that some of the activity the RCMP is investigating was occurring at locations where other legitimate services to the Chinese Canadian community were, or are being, offered, said Cpl. Kim Chamberland in an emailed statement.

The RCMP will not comment on specific locations as investigations are ongoing. However, the RCMP can confirm that our national response has disrupted illegal activity.

The Spanish human rights organization Safeguard Defenders, which has identified more than 100 of the alleged police stations in more than 50 countries, has said the stations serve to persuade people who Chinese authorities claim are fugitives to return to China to face charges.

The Chinese government has denied those claims.

Woo pushed back against that Spanish group on Friday, asking why authorities were taking the word of a foreign organization, making allegations, grave allegations that impact Canadians.

He said that neither he nor the groups under RCMP investigation know the details of what they are being accused of or what even constitutes a clandestine police station.

All of us here are opposed to foreign interference, all of us, all of us against harassment, intimidation of Canadians and we need to use every tool we have, legal tool to stop foreign interference, harassment and intimidation, Woo added. But we cannot do it at the expense of the rights and privileges of our citizens.

Walter Tom, an immigration lawyer, called it irresponsible to associate the community organizations to illegal practices without backing it up.

By associating, in such an irresponsible manner, these two organizations with secret police stations, and particularly by flashing the names of these two organizations every time that there are headlines about secret police, is creating an atmosphere of fear, Tom said.

May Chiu, a family lawyer and head of the Chinatown Roundtable, said all board members of the two organizations have collaborated with the RCMP but have not heard anything from police since mid-March. Chiu, a former executive director of the Montreal centre, said she was unaware of any illegal activities during her time.

She said the staff is made up mainly of women who are social workers, adding that many are fearful and stressed about losing their livelihood.

It just breaks my heart that they themselves are living very, very precariously right now, Chiu said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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This aerial photo taken on April 14, 2023 shows the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

JINAN, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Jiaozhou Bay in east China's Shandong Province is among the country's first to carry out comprehensive and systematic marine ecological surveys.

"We've observed the bay's environment since the 1980s and set up 14 long-term monitoring spots here. Starting from 2003, our monitoring frequency has increased to once a month, covering the major ecological areas of Jiaozhou Bay," said Sun Xiaoxia, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanography under the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Over the past four decades, the bay, in the coastal city of Qingdao, has witnessed tremendous progress in its ecological environment preservation. Thanks to a series of eco-friendly policies and restoration efforts, the local government has continuously improved the bay's environmental health and recovered the aquatic plant population.

"The health of the bay's ecosystem has been steadily recovering since 2003, reaching its historical best over the past two decades in 2021," Sun said.

Liu Song, born in 1990, has lived at the bay since her childhood. She has taken over a family seafood business, farming clams and sea cucumbers.

Hailing from a family that relies on the local marine ecosystem, Liu knows better than many others about the ecological changes of Jiaozhou Bay over the years.

"The quality of our local specialty, Hongdao clams, is good nowadays, but back in 2000, due to poor water quality, clam quality was far inferior to what it is now," Liu recalled.

"Sea cucumber farming has also benefited from the improving water quality in Jiaozhou Bay," Liu added.

According to the Qingdao municipal ecology and environment bureau, the proportion of waters with excellent quality in Qingdao's offshore areas has come in at 99 percent, indicating continuous improvement of the local marine environment.

Such ecological progress is hard-won.

In the 1990s, as Qingdao was accelerating its urbanization, the amount of wastewater discharge ballooned, worsening Jiaozhou Bay's pollution situation.

Fortunately, the municipal government took timely environmental protection measures including building sewage treatment plants, riverway dredging and remediation, and wetland restoration, while also strengthening their law enforcement efforts to ensure orderly marine resource exploitation and proper pollution treatment.

Zhao Mei, head of a local sewage treatment company, said that her company has spent more than 10 million yuan (about 1.44 million U.S. dollars) on upgrading its equipment. Currently, the treated wastewater is used for landscaping irrigation and road cleaning.

Sun Xiaoxia said that since the beginning of the 21st century, the biomass of plankton in Jiaozhou Bay has posted an obvious increase, multiplying 2.54 times compared to that of the 1990s.

Li Xinzheng, a researcher at the Institute of Oceanography, also attributed the rising average biomass and density of large benthic organisms in or near the bay to the complete ban on all forms of trawling and the implementation of relevant fishing moratorium policies in Jiaozhou Bay.

"The successful governance of Jiaozhou Bay's ecological environment has become a model for China's marine ecological governance and a typical achievement of the country's sustainable development and utilization of its coastal waters," said Sun. 

Tourists have fun at a park in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, April 8, 2023. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)

This photo taken on April 14, 2023 shows the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)
OTTAWAIn a speech laden with barbs for his chief political opponent, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau used his sole appearance at the Liberal partys national convention Thursday to defend his record in government and paint Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre as an irresponsible purveyor of populist anger.

Speaking on stage before hundreds of Liberal supporters, Trudeau ran through a litany of accusations and attacks on Poilievre as he tried to fire up his partisan base for the next federal election. Describing how Canada faces an amalgam of challenges, from climate change to global instability and rising costs of living, Trudeau charged that Poilievres Conservatives arent up to the task of facing it.

In this consequential moment, Trudeau said it would be the honour of his life to lead the party through the next election  his latest confirmation that he intends to stay in the job through the next campaign.

At the same time, the prime minister accused Poilievre of parroting gun lobbyists. He condemned him for allowing Conservative MPs to meet with a German far-right politician. And he decried Poilievres show of support for protesters who took part in the so-called Freedom Convoy occupation that blockaded our streets and borders for weeks last year.

Trudeau also harkened back to his previous statements that, despite their differences, Conservative Canadians are our neighbours and should be treated as such. But he accused Poilievre of failing to understand the value of thriving communities, in part because of his criticism of the governments multi-billion-dollar subsidies to bring a Volkswagen electric vehicle battery factory to southwestern Ontario.

He doesnt seem interested in building strong communities. Hes too busy building anger, Trudeau charged.

Many Conservative Canadians feel abandoned by what the Conservative Party has become, he went on. They havent left their party; their party left them. But our approach is to always be there for all Canadians.

Trudeaus speech came on the first day of a three-day convention, the Liberals first in-person national gathering since 2018. For months, the party has trailed the Conservatives in the polls. And the government has been embroiled in a political firestorm in recent weeks amid a series of media reports about alleged Chinese foreign interference in Canadian politics.

It has also been 10 years since Trudeau was elected Liberal leader, and more than seven since his party took power in the 2015 election.

During his speech, Trudeau rhymed off a range of achievements he said his party has achieved. He championed how the government introduced more affordable child care, lifted 138 drinking water advisories on Indigenous reserves, and combated climate change by creating a national minimum carbon price.

He then tried to contrast this record with Poilievre, whom Trudeau accused of a brokenist ideology for policies that include his pledge to scrap the CBC and his opposition to the governments emerging dental care program.

Pierre Poilievres populism, his slogan and buzzwords, are not serious solutions to the serious challenges were facing, he said.

Earlier in the evening, hundreds of Liberal supporters greeted each other and listened to sessions about engaging young people, supporting seniors and how best to talk to voters door-to-door. There were also Liberals lobbying for various policy resolutions, including a call to revive Trudeaus abandoned pledge from 2015 to change Canadas electoral system.

Standing in the crowd was Fred DeLorey, a long-time Conservative strategist who ran the federal partys campaign machine for the 2021 election. DeLorey said he was not impressed by the atmosphere of the convention, which he described as dull and very quiet.

Asked whether Trudeau is the preferred Liberal leader for Poilievre to take on in the next campaign, DeLorey said it was a double-edged sword. Trudeau has proven to be an effective campaigner, having led his party to three straight election victories; but he has also been prime minister for almost eight years, DeLorey said. That means many Canadians are ready for change, he added, arguing Poilievres strategy to motivate the Conservatives base of supporters will drive more voters to his party.

Its very hard to punch through and get that fourth mandate, DeLorey added.

History suggests that is true. The last federal politician to lead their party to four straight election victories was Wilfrid Laurier, who won his final campaign in 1908.

But enthusiasm for Trudeau remains and was easy to find as delegates schmoozed around the convention floor before the prime ministers speech Thursday night.

When Trudeau breezed through the crowd in the afternoon, shaking hands and dolling out hugs and posing for photos, Rose Huang managed to meet him. The second-year Queens University student, and director of the Liberal riding association in Bay of Quinte, said Trudeau is the best person to lead the Liberals into the next campaign, whenever it may come.

I dont think the energy is really dying out here, she said. Theres only more to come.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cant seem to shake off his broken promise on electoral reform  even with members of his own party.

Liberal partisans will vote Saturday on a proposal to create a citizens assembly on electoral reform. The proposal, from the partys British Columbia wing, has already gone through several hoops of the nearly year-long policy process to make it to the floor of the convention.

It notes that back in 2015, the Liberals promised to end the first-past-the-post electoral system. Trudeau broke that pledge 16 months later, announcing the government had found no clear consensus on electoral reform. But its clear, many Liberals havent moved on.

In an online forum for party supporters to discuss policy ahead of this weekends national convention, several noted the impact of the partys broken promise.

Last year, I volunteered at the Liberal party booth at Hamilton Pride, where we had a blank piece of paper out for people to provide the party feedback. The most tangible piece of feedback was, what happened to electoral reform?, wrote Hamiltonian Heino Dssing. I get that so often when I am out and about. People trusted wed get it done. They are disappointed we didnt. I think it will be a huge boost for the party to step back up to the plate on electoral reform and get it done, he said.

Dssings comments were echoed by others but still, some felt the issue belonged on the back burner and should stay there. Bahahaha, didnt someone promise this already?, wrote John Zinck. Quit wasting time, as the winning party wont change this.

At the Grits convention, Peter Brannen is straddling the door of an organizing workshop titled Winning new seats in non-urban ridings. Hes handing out leaflets and asking for support for the resolution which calls on the party to urge the Government of Canada to establish a non-partisan national citizens assembly on electoral reform to continue the work started in 2014.

Hes pretty confident the resolution will pass Saturday but hes not taking it for granted.

Brannen, who lives just outside Seeleys Bay, Ont., in the township of Leeds, believes that by promising electoral reform again Liberals can mobilize rural residents who often feel their voices dont count in the electoral process. He says this proposal takes the decision making out of the hands of self-serving politicians and ensures a cross-partisan approach.

Although hes now a registered Liberal, Brannen describes himself as swing voter, and says he voted for Stephen Harpers Conservatives back in 2006 on a promise of more open, accountable government.

I am a big supporter of electoral reform and Im a big proponent of democracy, he says. Hes even set up a website called swingvoters.ca.

Right now, 40 per cent of the vote gets you 60 per cent of the seats. No matter what party, no matter whether youre provincial or federal. That means 20 per cent of the votes dont count. One out of five votes dont count. How is that the best democracy we can have?

Nearby, Joan Mercer Fryer is also handing out pamphlets. Shes a member of fair vote Canada, which is pushing this resolution. I want people to think that their vote counts, she says. I strategically vote sometimes instead of with my heart, which I dont want to do anymore.

Politicians should be trying to win the hearts and mind of all Canadians, she says, not just those in swing ridings.

Mercer Fryer says she was disappointed Trudeau broke his word. I have a son, a grown son who refuses to vote until first-past-the-post is gone. So thats why Im here.

Reception to the resolution has been very good, she says. Many have been very supportive, especially the younger caucus.

The Liberals have an important and concerning deficit with young people. Earlier Friday, in that same room, the partys previous pollster Dan Arnold noted that in the 2021 election the age group that was least supportive of the party was people under 35. That was the Liberals best age cohort in 2015.

While Mercer Fryer would like to see a proportional representation adopted, it is far from certain a system would favour the Liberals.

Back in 2019 and 2021, if seats were allocated in per-vote fashion, then Conservative leaders Andrew Scheer and Erin OToole would have had the most seats of any party. Without a deal with the New Democrats  arguably, one that gives them much more power than the current confidence agreement  the Grits wouldnt have been able to govern.

In fact, Trudeau has since said that his enthusiasm for electoral reform is limited to preferential or ranked ballots.

And while its clear there is enthusiasm at the Grits convention for a renewed push towards electoral reform, many like British Columbian Gurbux Saini think the grassroots effort wont amount to much even if it becomes party policy.

For whatever reason, the government decided not to go forward, he tells me. To re-do it again, I dont think practically the government can go there.

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PSD Senator Robert Cazanciuc drew attention, on Friday, that the myth of freedom given by drugs actually represents the path to slavery for individuals who do not value life.

Cazanciuc participated on Thursday, at the "Spiru Haret" National College in Bucharest, together with the head of the Department of Toxicology at the Floreasca Clinical Hospital, Radu Tincu, in a discussion with the students about the dangers of drugs.

"The high school students understood from the debate that there is no shortcut to a carefree life, that a beautiful life can only be obtained through study and work, that there are no miraculous ways, only charlatans who want to sell illusions. To gain the trust of potential victims, drug dealers, i.e. criminals, use various methods, such as offering free 'happy pills' out of friendship, to create addiction to illegal substances. The myth of non-addictive drugs is, in fact, just another method to create addiction to substances that the dealers will sell expensively to the victims," Cazanciuc wrote on Facebook on Friday.

He explained that physical addiction does not set in immediately, being preceded by a mental one, and those who sell drugs know how to capture the attention of those who want to experiment, believing that nothing can happen to them.

"It is only a matter of time before drug users will have their health affected or put their lives in danger. Depending on the type of prohibited substance or the amount introduced into the body, there can be quick or long-term health consequences. Drugs can affect the nervous system so that you are paralyzed for life immediately by the very consumption of them or they can create a hallucinogenic effect so that you stumble over any object in your path that you can no longer see and remain there paralyzed or you can have the feeling that you are the chosen one to teach people how to fly with their own arms", added Robert Cazanciuc.

The PSD senator urges young people to learn and work to "be truly free".

He announces that dialogues will also follow with those called to apply the law against those who think they can sell illusions without them paying.
Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu met on Friday with Ambassador of the Italian Republic in Bucharest Alfredo Maria Durante Mangoni, and the discussions focused, among other things, on cooperation between the two countries on extradition procedures.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Justice on Friday, the agenda of the meeting included bilateral judicial cooperation in the area of criminal law."Without prejudice to the independence of the judiciary in Romania and Italy, the Justice Minister stressed the bilateral and European interest in the rigorous application of the Council Framework Decision of June 13, 2002, on the European arrest warrant and the turn over procedures between member states. In this context, the Justice Minister welcomed the decision of the Italian Prosecutor General to request a re-examination of the extradition case concerning Romanian citizen Ionel Arsene, who has received a final sentence, and thanked the Ambassador for this," the press release points out.The two officials agreed on the usefulness and necessity of continuing dialogue on the issues under discussion, including at ministerial level, the source said.The Ministry of Justice expresses its "interest" and "hope" that the Italian authorities will locate and arrest Darius Valcov, who has been given a final prison sentence, as soon as possible."The Ministry of Justice will carry out, as it has done so far, all its legal powers with regard to any Romanian citizen issued a final criminal sentence against, until the full implementation of the decisions of the Romanian justice system, regardless of how long these procedures take," the press release reads.
Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday, during a press conference in Piatra Neamt, referring to the armed attacks in Serbia, that there should not be a major concern about possible similar events in schools in Romania, but that he is "firmly convinced" that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) will come up with additional rules on the regime of weapons and ammunition.

"What happened in Serbia is related to the arms and ammunition regime and I have seen that the Ministry of Interior is already preparing some measures. To keep away from machine guns in schools, even though Romania does not have such a wide access to machine guns as in Serbia because we have seen that the President of Serbia has said that he will make some changes in that regard, we are already entering an abnormal logic. However, I am firmly convinced that the Ministry of Interior will come up with certain rules regarding those who hold a gun permit in Romania so that this does not happen," said PSD Chairman Marcel Ciolacu.

On Wednesday, a teenager shot dead nine people and left seven injured at a school in Belgrade before turning himself in. Later, another armed attack took place near the Serbian town of Mladenovac, some 60 kilometres south of the capital Belgrade, in which a 21-year-old killed eight people and injured 13 others.
Raiffeisen Bank Romania recorded a net profit of 414 million RON in the first quarter, a significant increase compared to the previous year, in the context of an intense lending activity for all business segments, the bank announced Friday in a press release.

According to the source, the bank's revenues were up 28% year-on-year, supported mainly by the evolution of lending activity for corporate customers, as well as the upward trend in market rates compared to the first quarter of 2022.

At the same time, net fee and commission income grew slightly by 1% year-on-year due to increased transactional activity in the cards area, but also from foreign exchange.

At the end of the first quarter, more than 60% of the total retail customer base were active digital customers.

At the same time, Raiffeisen Bank has a portfolio of over 570,000 cards.

Raiffeisen Bank Romania has over 2.3 million individual and corporate customers and 4,908 employees in 291 units, 1,123 cash machines (ATMs) & multi-function machines (MFMs) and 28,100 Point of Sale (PoS) machines.AGERPRES
Chatbots, facial recognition and autonomous vehicles - artificial intelligence (AI) offers countless possibilities. While supporters of this technology foresee rapid growth for innovation in Europe, critics fear unpredictable negative effects on society. EU lawmakers are trying to find a middle ground.

Europe is moving to regulate artificial intelligence (AI), tighten security standards for chatbots such as ChatGPT, and impose a regulatory framework on developers and manufacturers who want to do business in the EU internal market - an ambitious challenge on the global market, where the United States and China simply let technological progress run wild. The European Commission proposed a new set of rules two years ago, the so-called Artificial Intelligence Act, which is currently being negotiated in Brussels and is set to be the first-ever legal framework on AI.

On 28 April, the political groups in the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on the EU's AI rulebook, which mainly focuses on so-called "foundation models", primary knowledge building blocks that serve as the fundament for AI technologies. MEPs want these elements to be rigorously "designed and developed in accordance with EU law and fundamental rights, including freedom of expression."

The text based on the informal agreement will now have to go to the European Parliament's Internal Market Committee for a vote on May 11. A plenary vote on the European Parliament's negotiating position is expected in June, followed by negotiations with the Council and the Commission.

Endless possibilities versus unpredictable risks

Sabine Bendiek, Head of Human Resources at German software company SAP, said that AI could enormously improve productivity and be a support for people. For example, extremely monotonous, repetitive tasks could be taken over by AI. "Our employees can then really focus on using what makes humans so strong: creativity and the ability to evaluate results with a different perspective and implement them accordingly."

But what about current and future developments based on algorithms and artificial intelligence? What about ChatGTP and autonomous cars? What about the risk that AI could be used to spread disinformation? Several MEPs recently called for a global summit on the dangers of artificial intelligence.

Last month, German Digital Minister Volker Wissing called for the swift creation of a legal framework for AI in Europe. "We must react wisely now and regulate artificial intelligence sensibly before it is too late for that. This must not take years again," Wissing told the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag. A spokeswoman for the German Interior Ministry told the daily Handelsblatt that "it is essential to strike a balance between openness to innovation and a clear legal framework that defines standards for trustworthy AI."

"Artificial intelligence regulation is at a very low level and its acceleration must be maximized," said Dobroslav Dimitrov, Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Software Companies (BASSCOM) and Bulgarian Employers' Association of Innovative Technologies (BRAIT). In his opinion, the initiative is definitely overdue, which is why all decision makers at government, corporate or educational level should look into what is going on and adjust themselves on the move.

Dimitrov compared AI with nuclear energy. "It can set the whole planet in motion, but it can also destroy it if used for destructive purposes. The same applies to artificial intelligence," he said.

Italian Minister for Economic Development Adolfo Urso stated that it was necessary to develop new regulations to better define the relationship between man and machines, as machines seemed to have the advantage for the first time.

ChatGPT under scrutiny, causes acceleration of AI legislation

Recalling the case of AI chatbot ChatGPT, which Italy had temporarily banned in March and made available again at the end of April, Urso stressed that it "showed the pitfalls of a sector that still needs strict regulation." He added that the Italian data protection authority's provisional restriction of ChatGPT "has resulted in a higher level of protection for users."

Early last month, French Digital Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that ChatGPT did not comply with the EU General Data Protection Directive (GDPR), but that it was better to "frame" it rather than ban it. In mid-April, the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL) decided to open an investigation into five complaints against the chatbot.

The European Data Protection Board (EDPB), which is the European level equivalent of the CNIL in the various member states and responsible for coordinating the authorities, announced the creation of a dedicated working group to promote European cooperation on the subject.

Applying AI in the workforce

Urso recently stated that the artificial intelligence sector in Italy, for example, had grown by 32 percent in one year to a value of 500 million euros. The sector "is now central to the development programs of companies of all sizes that invest in intelligent data processing, language AI and computer vision," he said.

In the general business landscape in Spain, artificial intelligence is used in 8 percent of companies with more than 10 employees. According to data for 2021 published by the EU statistics office Eurostat, this figure corresponds to the European average. Production processes, marketing and sales strategies, cybersecurity and the organisation of management processes are the main applications of AI in Spanish companies, according to a 2022 study by the Spanish multinational financial service company Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria (BBVA).

The Croatian Association for Artificial Intelligence (CroAI) gathers leading companies and startups in the field of artificial intelligence in Croatia. According to data from that association, more than 130 startups in Croatia were developing and looking for the application of artificial intelligence as of the end of 2022. While three years ago, 220 companies were applying AI, that number had grown to around 440 by October 2022, CroAI said.

Europe as a global player in AI

Bulgarian Interim Minister for Economy and Innovation Alexander Pulev recently noted that Bulgaria could become a regional hub for the flow of digital information from Asia. Furthermore, he said that Bulgaria and the US government had signed a declaration aimed at improving the quality of Bulgaria's digital infrastructure with a focus on cyber security.

The President of the Foundation "Society of Common Values" in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Zlatko LagumdLzija, pointed out the importance of integrating the digital transformation of the EU, which should not be limited to EU member states, but should include neighbouring countries like those of the Western Balkans on the same principles and projects.

Speaking at a conference in Cambridge, LagumdLzija noted that only in this way could the EU demonstrate that it had the capacity to lead these processes on a global level, together with, for example, the United States and Japan.

The EU was already deeply into the process of creating an online regulatory framework, and must go back to the drawing board now to figure out how to effectively regulate AI.The battle over an outright ban on the use of artificial intelligence facial recognition technologies without the consent of those involved, where the EU Council could push through an exception related to national security clauses, is expected to be particularly bitter.
Senators of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) have initiated and tabled with the Senate a bill establishing a technical and financial assistance fund for development intended for Moldova's local public administration.

"Romania is making available to the local public administration of the Republic of Moldova a financial package for the operationalisation of the fund in 2022-2025 to the amount of 10,000,000 euros, current prices, with the possibility of additional money by government decision. The fund is managed by the Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA) that administers the fund by means of direct implementation and indirect implementation, in compliance with the legal provisions in force," reads the bill.

It also says that MDLPA allocates money for projects carried out at the initiative of the potential beneficiaries, Moldova's local public administrations, which have a twinning relationship with the local public administration of Romania, based on estimated budgets of expenses drawn up and certified by the potential beneficiaries in terms of their legality, opportunity, necessity and economy.

The fund finances investment projects such as developing transport infrastructure, energy and the environment, as well as information and communication technology, the construction/rehabilitation/equipment of school and pre-school education facilities and healthcare facilities, developing social work services for vulnerable groups, the construction/ the rehabilitation of museums, libraries, arts and music schools, the construction of facilities for the training of athletes, the purchase of vehicles and equipment for snow removal, green space maintenance and public lighting.

"A minimum amount of 3% of the value committed under a project will be used by the beneficiary to carry out the information and publicity measures of the project in Moldova, highlighting the financial contribution of Romania, both during the implementation period and afterwards. The maximum amount allowed for a project is 100,000 euros current prices. The beneficiary's minimum own contribution is 5% of the minimum amount committed to the project. The project implementation period can end on June 30, 2025, at the latest. The local public administration of Romania in partnership with a beneficiary, performs an evaluation halfway through the implementation period and a final evaluation. The evaluations are sent to the funding authority," according to the bill. AGERPRES
The Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel has an "open door" for students and researchers from Romania, the president of the institution, Prof. Alon Chen, told AGERPRES on Thursday evening, during a short visit to Bucharest to set up a special scholarship programme for young people with "excellent" results in the natural and exact sciences.

Focused on "curiosity-driven research", as neuroscience expert Alon Chen describes it, the Weizmann Institute of Science is "a research institute, not a university", covering the whole field of natural and exact sciences: biology, biomedicine, mathematics, computer science, chemistry, physics and others.

"Students just have to apply - that's why we have the Feinberg Graduate School - or they can approach our scientists through our website, depending on their field of interest. At the Weizmann, we don't have any tuition fees. All students and PostDocs receive scholarships," said the head of the institute.

"Our door is open to students and researchers from Romania. Scientists come to Weizmann from all over the world, we have an international campus, everything is held in English, 75 percent of post-docs are international, as are 30 percent of master's and PhD students. They include students from Romania. Unfortunately, their number is very small. And this is one of the reasons why I am here, to raise awareness about the Weizmann Institute," said Alon Chen.

During his short visit to our country, the president of the Weizmann Institute of Science paved the way for the establishment of a "special fund for Romania".

The steps to recruit Romanian students interested in training at the famous institute in Israel consist, first of all, in raising awareness of its activities.

"Then, we plan to bring students for short visits of a few weeks to the Weizmann, to get to know and understand what we do and what opportunities exist for them and to understand that the environment in Israel is safe," said the president of the institution.

After enrolling, the students will be evaluated by a committee of scientists from the Weizmann Institute, as well as from Romania.

"We want to encourage scholarships in Romania. We have just initiated it and are working on it. If we have support - and in this regard we have seen a very good response, an increased interest - I think we can set it up and running in half a year or a year," added Alon Chen on the special fund for Romania.
GENEVA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the COVID-19 pandemic no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the WHO's highest alert level.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, made the announcement at a virtual press conference from Geneva. 
LONDON (AP)  The coronation of King Charles III involves one of the most important and complex security operations in U.K. history, Britains security minister said Wednesday, as rights groups accused the authorities of stifling civil liberties in their attempt to ensure events run smoothly.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said the coronation involves one of the most important security operations that the country has put into plan," with scores of foreign royals, dignitaries and heads of state expected to attend Saturday's Westminster Abbey service.

This is an enormously important moment for the country, Tugendhat told Times Radio. The police are, to put it mildly, all over it, and our intelligence and other security forces are extremely aware of the challenges that we face and ready to deal with them  as the police did quite brilliantly yesterday.

As thousands of police began to be deployed across London, officers arrested a man and blew up a suspicious bag outside Buckingham Palace.

London's Metropolitan Police force said the man approached the palace gates on Tuesday night and asked to speak to a soldier. When he was refused, he began to throw shotgun cartridges into the palace grounds, the force said.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Ade Adelekan said the man was searched and a lock knife was found. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife and ammunition.

Video footage showed officers walking a man backward away from the palace gates.

Adelekan said the man's knapsack was blown up in a controlled explosion after the suspect told officers to handle it with care.

Police said the run-in was not being treated as terrorism-related. No shots were fired, and no one was injured.

Charles and Camilla, the queen consort, were not at Buckingham Palace at the time.

Buckingham Palace has seen a flurry of activity as tourists and international media begin to descend for the coronation  the first to take place in the country since Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in 1953.

More than 9,000 police officers are expected to patrol London on coronation day, along with 2,500 law specialist members of law enforcement, including marine police, explosives experts and surveillance officers.

The Metropolitan Police also said it would use facial recognition technology in central London to spot wanted criminals among the crowds  a move the privacy campaign group Big Brother Watch called Orwellian.

British police have previously conducted limited trials of facial recognition, sparking debate about its intrusiveness and its accuracy.

The hundreds of thousands of innocent people attending this historic event must not be treated like suspects in a lineup and subjected to biometric police identity checks, said Madeleine Stone, legal and policy officer for Big Brother Watch.

Tugendhat said the presence of so many foreign dignitaries  and potentially myriad protesters  made maintaining security for the coronation a very complex policing operation, a very complex intelligence operation.

Hundreds of anti-monarchist protesters plan to chant Not my king during the procession, and police say environmental activists could also try to disrupt the day's events.

Authorities sent mixed signals to coronation dissenters. Prime Minister Rishi Sunaks spokesman said that the right to protest is fundamental," but the police force said its tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low.

Activists accused authorities of trying to intimidate protesters with a government letter reminding them of new police powers to curb disruptive demonstrations.

New measures in the Public Order Act, introduced in response to civil disobedience by environmental groups, allow police to search demonstrators for items including locks and glue and imposes penalties of up to 12 months in prison for protesters who block roads or interfere with national infrastructure.

Graham Smith of anti-monarchist group Republic described the letter as intimidatory. He said the group would protest as planned on coronation day.
The order will remain in effect until July 24 or until the judge rules on whether to grant a preliminary injunction.
Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is stepping down at the end of June after 2 tumultuous years leading the nations primary public health agency  and much of the Biden administrations effort to combat the covid-19 pandemic.

I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDC  and public health  forward into a much better and more trusted place, she wrote in her resignation letter to President Joe Biden, which was released Friday.

In a statement from the White House, Biden said Walensky led a complex organization on the frontlines of a once-in-a-generation pandemic with honesty and integrity.

Her departure is another mark of the federal governments official winding down of the covid pandemic response. The nations declared public health emergency expires May 11, and on Friday the World Health Organization downgraded the virus from a global emergency to a global health threat.

White House officials widely expect covid czar Ashish Jha to leave Washington and return to his job in Rhode Island as dean of the Brown University School of Public Health.

Walensky was seen from the start of her tenure as a curious choice to lead the influential agency. An infectious disease specialist who practiced in Boston and taught at Harvard Medical School, she came with little direct experience in public health and none leading a large and labyrinthine organization.

She took over the CDC, which is headquartered in Atlanta, at one of the most difficult times in the agencys history. Once among the most trusted agencies in the federal government, the CDC fell on particularly hard times during the Trump administration, when officials intervened in the agencys pandemic response and prompted accusations that the CDC was putting politics ahead of public health.

The perception inside the agency that its science-based recommendations were being ignored or altered contributed to a staff exodus, particularly from the agencys senior tier. The departures further undercut Walenskys ability to turn around the agencys reputation, as well as to reassure a skeptical public that its recommendations were based on what was best for public health, not politics.

Biden has not yet announced a replacement for Walensky. The head of the CDC is one of the few top jobs in the Department of Health and Human Services that does not require Senate confirmation. That is scheduled to change, but not until 2025. So, Bidens next choice could take the helm immediately.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFFan independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger Close Get email notifications on {{subject}} daily! Your notification has been saved. There was a problem saving your notification. {{description}} Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. Save Manage followed notifications Close Followed notifications Please log in to use this feature Log In Don't have an account? Sign Up Today

ST. LOUIS  The day before Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner negotiated her removal from office, Andrew Warren was in a federal appeals court in Alabama fighting to get his job back.

From the beginning, weve believed that the law is on our side, he said as he entered court, and we hope that the court sees it this way.

Warren is, or was, the prosecuting attorney in Tampa, Florida, before he was removed from office last year by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican whose presidential ambitions are turning his state into an authoritarian theme park.

Gardner and Warren are different sides of the same coin. They are Democrats, progressive prosecutors, who received at least some indirect campaign support from liberal billionaire George Soros, a Jewish immigrant from Hungary who some Republicans have unfairly demonized for living out the American dream. From the first day of their elections, like progressive prosecutors in dozens of other cities, they were attacked by police unions and other critics as being soft on crime, often with no evidence to back the claims.

What has happened in St. Louis and in other parts of the country should be deeply troubling to anyone who cares about democracy and upholding the will of the people, says Miriam Krinsky, executive director of Fair and Just Prosecution, a nonprofit that supports progressive prosecutors.

Krinskys not wrong. But all politics are local, and not all progressive prosecutors are the same. Warren is in court fighting for his job, and already got one federal judge to examine the evidence and say DeSantis acted capriciously and without cause. On Thursday, Gardner succumbed to the pressure specifically because she doesnt want to see the failure of her office displayed in court for all to see, in the quo warranto action brought against her by Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey.

Gardners prosecutorial career collapsed in failure, with an office depleted of attorneys and unable to function. Judges were seeking to hold her in contempt when prosecutors didnt show for murder cases. Defendants were held in jail for years in cases that didnt come to trial because she couldnt get the job done; only to have cases dropped and refiled, so as to start the clock on justice ticking again.

It was a slow-motion failure that was several years in the making, even before her second election.

Heres what I wrote ahead of that election, when former incendiary police union spokesman Jeff Roorda was whipping up angry outrage directed at Gardner:

Two things can be true at the same time. Gardner can be under relentless, and in some cases, unfair, attack from the status quo  particularly the police union  because she represents a new way of thinking about the role of the prosecutor. The same thing is happening in other jurisdictions in which progressive-minded prosecutors have been elected, such as Philadelphia; Tampa, Florida; Chicago; San Francisco; Brooklyn, New York; and Baltimore. But shes also had missteps of her own making  including the hiring of an investigator who has been accused of lying to the court during the dropped prosecution of former Gov. Eric Greitens.

Gardner outlasted Roorda, but she is going out the same way Greitens did, resigning under pressure, not wanting the full facts of her failure displayed in public, while taking no responsibility for her own mistakes.

Her letter of resignation blames everybody but herself. Thats not an uncommon trait among politicians, but its an unfortunate one. Accountability doesnt have to be so difficult. For instance, I was slow to see Gardners failures, believing more in the idea of her than seeing how badly she was actually performing her job. My muted criticisms should have been louder and more explicit. See, that wasnt so hard.

But the blame game is over and now the heavy lifting begins. The prosecutors office is decimated with a full slate of murder trials scheduled over the summer. Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, now must choose a replacement, at least until next years election, to right the ship. Hopefully he does so with the significant input of Mayor Tishaura Jones, a Democrat, and other city leaders, political and civic.

To guide his decision, Parson should heed the words of former Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster, who once lamented to me that elections for prosecutors and attorneys general are fought over the wrong battleground. The most important skill in one of those offices is to be able to run a law firm, a big law firm, with dozens of attorneys doing the daily blocking and tackling of keeping the criminal justice system working, and fair.

In the short term, St. Louis needs a manager who can hire people with the skills to prosecute cases, and the ability to show up to work. Thats job one. Perhaps that theme can carry over into the next election in 2024, when the citys voters will pick up the pieces from Kim Gardners tragic fall.
KIRKWOOD  A former nurse at St. John Vianney High School here has been charged with felony sex crimes after admitting to sexual contact with an underage student.

Erin Foerstel, 43, of Kirkwood, faces charges of statutory sodomy in the second degree and sexual contact with a student younger than 17, the age of consent in Missouri.

Foerstel confessed to police that she performed a sexual act on a student at Vianney last month while employed at the school as a nurse, Kirkwood detective Donald Douglas wrote in a probable cause statement.

Foerstel worked at Vianney from August 2020 until April 24, when administrators fired her after receiving a report of the alleged sex incident last month, Vianney President Rick Davis and Principal Ian Mulligan said in an email Thursday to parents with students at the all-male, Catholic private school.

Foerstel had also had inappropriate contact with students through social media, they said.

The administrators immediately contacted the Missouri Department of Social Services and Kirkwood Police after receiving the report, and contacted families with students enrolled at the school between August 2020 and April of this year to inform them of the allegation.

"They have been asked to notify us if they are aware of inappropriate behavior while attending Vianney," Davis and Mulligan said in an email. "Please continue to respect the privacy of our students and their families as we keep them in our prayers."

Foerstel was in custody on Friday in St. Louis County jail with her bond set at $75,000, according to online court records.
ST. LOUIS  Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner lashed out at her critics and defended her record in comments Friday, one day after announcing her imminent resignation in the face of ballooning scandals that threatened to consume her office.

Surrounded by supporters, Gardner cast herself as a reformer who tried to hold police officers accountable and offer second chances to deserving defendants  and incurred the wrath of racist, reactionary political and legal establishments as a result.

Its just sad how every side is against me, she said.

Gardner, the city's first Black circuit attorney, chalked it up to a sinister effort to dismantle Black political power and fears that a new approach would take money away from people who depend on the arrest, detention and prosecution of Black people.

There are a lot of jobs that get affected when we actually streamline the people we need to focus on and the people that we can give an opportunity and still be about public safety, she said.

Critics of Gardner have long cast such allegations as attempts to deflect from real issues in her office. She has hemorrhaged attorneys, who now number about a third of what she had when she first took office. They in turn have struggled to review charges, resulting in a backlog of thousands of cases.

She has also been reprimanded by the state Supreme Court for ethical lapses, and criticized by local judges for failing to turn over evidence to defense attorneys as required by law.

And this year, even allies expressed concern in February when an out-of-town volleyball player was severely injured in a crash downtown and it was revealed that the the man charged in the incident was free on bond in a pending robbery case despite violating the conditions of his GPS monitor dozens of times. That incident prompted the state attorney general to file suit seeking to remove her. It also supercharged an effort to strip her of power in the state Legislature, which ultimately led to her resignation on Thursday.

But on Friday, when she spoke to her supporters at the Carnahan Courthouse in a closed-door meeting livestreamed via the New Real STL News Facebook page, she brushed all of that off. And she listed factors that held her back:

Recruitment, she said, is harder than people think when most law school graduates laden with debt jump at the higher pay of the private sector. And judges, she said, urged her staff to quit to protect their careers. She also disputed assertions made by other prosecutors that she refused offers of help to clear the backlog of cases.

Im a little bit brighter than that, she said.

She blamed police for issues with turning over evidence; she said police fought tooth-and-nail against her efforts to hold officers more accountable.

She said mayors defunded her office over and over  despite multiple significant increases to her budget  leaving her with a bubblegum budget bereft of essential tools to do the job.

She also threw cold water on the well wishes expressed in prepared statements by city politicians following Thursdays announcement. I know why you well-wishing, she said. Because you can go back to business as usual.

Despite the obstacles, good things happened, she told supporters.

She talked about her offices work on pretrial diversion programs aimed at rehabilitating people struggling with substance abuse rather than sending them to prison. She highlighted the exoneration of Lamar Johnson, a man convicted of first-degree murder 30 years ago despite what a judge called clear and convincing evidence of his innocence.

And she became emotional as she talked about resigning, effective June 1, as part of a deal with state officials to block legislation that would strip her office of much of its power and allow the governor to appoint a special prosecutor over major crimes. She said city residents must have the right to elect their top prosecutor.

I know I did the right thing, she said. These are tears of joy because you still have that right.

She said her focus now was making sure officials make good on their end of the deal. There is still a week left until the end of the state legislative session.

She declined comment to the Post-Dispatch following the event.

Missouri AG Andrew Bailey wont dismiss suit against Kim Gardner. The fights not over Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Friday said he would not dismiss his lawsuit seeking St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's removal until she vacates her office.

With Kim Gardner leaving, hands raise to pick up backlog in St. Louis criminal cases The attorney general, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell and downtown law firms Lewis Rice and Thompson Coburn all said they stand ready to help.

St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner to resign June 1 after weeks of resistance The news sent shockwaves through downtown courthouses where victims, defense attorneys and judges had complained for weeks about the dysfunction.
ST. LOUIS  Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Friday said he would not dismiss his lawsuit seeking to remove St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner until she leaves office, making way for the continued collection of documents and evidence.

I dont stop punching until the bell rings, Bailey said in an interview. The fights not over.

Gardner announced Thursday she would resign June 1, after months of complaints over dysfunction in her office and weeks of resisting calls for her removal. In a letter addressed to Gov. Mike Parson announcing her departure, she made no mention of the turmoil in her office nor extensive staff departures. Instead, she said she was trying to prevent the Legislature from passing a bill that would strip her of most of her power.

In an interview, Bailey railed against her decision to stay in office for another month and pledged to keep collecting documents from her tenure, including emails, case records and complaints from victims. He is also seeking records from St. Louis University where Gardner is enrolled in nursing classes.

Five days ago, the circuit attorney was thundering from the pulpit that she would have to be dragged from her office, Bailey said. Now, all of a sudden, she brokered some deal with the Democrats in the Senate to resign after theyre out of session.

He said he wanted the Legislature to pass a bill that would prevent people like Gardner who resign amid a removal lawsuit, or who are removed from office, from running again.

Until we get a structural fix to prevent this moving forward, I am going to proceed with my case, he said.

St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner to resign June 1 after weeks of resistance The news sent shockwaves through downtown courthouses where victims, defense attorneys and judges had complained for weeks about the dysfunction.

Missouri AG takes aim at Kim Gardners enrollment as SLU nursing student Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner is a current student in St. Louis University's nursing program, an ongoing lawsuit revealed this week.
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- During this year's May Day holiday, more and more Chinese tourists are adding destinations such as museums and art galleries to their itinerary, suggesting an upward trend in China's domestic cultural tourism sector.

A female surnamed Dong is among the country's traditional culture fanatics. She was in charge of arranging her family's tour from Langfang, north China's Hebei Province, to the Chinese capital of Beijing during the five-day holiday. The tour's highlights included visiting the signature Palace Museum dressed in ancient costumes and seeing the national treasures at the National Museum of China with their own eyes.

On the last day of the May Day holiday, Dong took her child to a niche museum in Beijing, the eastern suburbs exhibition hall of China Railway Museum.

They took photos with the abandoned station platforms and all kinds of locomotives, and her child enjoyed a small steam train ride while learning more about the history of China's railway development. Cuddling his favourite toy, a Transformer-like train man, the young boy felt fully satisfied by the time they departed for their journey home.

As the first May Day holiday after the country optimized its epidemic response measures, cultural tourist attractions, especially museums and art galleries, have become a hot new trend.

Local residents and tourists from afar shuttled between all kinds of museums, wandering in various exhibitions, busy watching rarities from all over the world and experiencing tangible and intangible cultural exchanges in ancient and modern times between home and abroad.

Data collected by multiple museums show that the number of visitors during the holiday rebounded above the pre-COVID level recorded during the same period of 2019. On the first day of the May Day holiday, the top 10 scenic spots in Beijing in terms of the visitor numbers included several cultural tourist attractions: Qianmen Street, the Summer Palace, Nanluogu Lane, the Temple of Heaven, the Beihai Park and the Old Summer Palace, or "Yuanmingyuan."

Cultural institutions were also a preferred choice for those seeking a relaxed and enjoyable holiday experience.

During the just-concluded May Day holiday, museums and art galleries all over China teamed up with foreign counterparts to make their exhibits more innovative and attractive, with almost a panoramic view of the worldwide cultural treasures on offer.

Digital technologies also helped give visitors a more immersive experience, adding a strong impetus to the cultural and art craze in China.

A retrospective exhibition named "Parallel Space -- Meet the Terracotta Warriors in Greece" digitally presents the past archaeological achievements collected and preserved in the National Archaeological Museum of Athens, the archaeological sites of Terracotta Warriors, and a relevant cultural relics protection laboratory of China.

With the help of digital technologies, visitors in Shougang Park in western Beijing can see the ancient warriors stand face to face with the statue of Kroisos Kouros, seemingly having a "dialogue" across time and space.

As China's night economy continues to heat up, some museums extended their opening hours and even remained open at night during the holiday.

More than 30 museums in Beijing alone, such as the Capital Museum and China Railway Museum, stayed open late during the holiday. Many famous architectures in the city held related nighttime activities, allowing visitors to appreciate the ancient buildings' special beauty against the night sky.

From Monday to Wednesday, Beijing held a bazaar selling all kinds of cultural and creative products from over 40 museums in the city, highlighting a collaboration between time-honored brands and new fashion forms.

"Beijing is rich in museum resources, so I choose to visit the bazaar during the holiday with my classmates. I've collected multiple museum seals today. Each of the seals is a cultural imprint for me," said Ma Hualin, a graduate student in Beijing University of Chemical Technology, who participated in the event on Monday.

A visitor surnamed Zheng traveled from south China's metropolis of Guangzhou all the way to Beijing. After a one-day tour at the Civil Aviation Museum, Zheng took his family to the bazaar on Monday. Luckily, he guessed correctly about an aircraft model on display according to rough descriptions during an on-site interactive activity, winning a comic postcard of the plane.

"My son likes to study all kinds of planes and thus I took him to the bazaar, hoping to help broaden his horizons," Zheng said.

"Now, the society pays great attention to museums, and the number of people who like to visit museums is expanding. People of different ages visit museums for diversified purposes, such as viewing exhibitions, listening to lectures, participating in social and educational activities or simply shopping," said Gu Ying, deputy director with the White Pagoda Temple administrative office.

Gu added that the cultural and creative products have also prompted Chinese youngsters to favor museums.

"Museums are an important force to inspire wisdom for a better life, promote social well-being and build a sustainable future. Behind the cultural tourism craze is the public's discovery and recognition of the historical and cultural value of the museums," said Bai Chong, director of the museum division of Beijing municipal bureau of cultural heritage. 
Elected and other officials across St. Louis and Missouri, for the most part, applauded St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardners decision to step down.

Here are some of the reactions:

Gov. Mike Parson, Republican: Our office has officially been notified of the resignation of Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner, effective June 1, 2023. We fully understand the gravity of this situation and approach our duty to appoint a replacement with the utmost seriousness. We will immediately start the replacement process according to the Missouri Constitution and Section 105.050, RSMo. We are committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the City's criminal justice system.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones, Democrat: In February, I said Circuit Attorney Gardner should take accountability for her office and do some soul-searching to determine whether or not she wants to continue in her role. She has clearly taken that advice to heart by offering her resignation. Circuit Attorney Gardner made history by becoming the first Black woman to lead the office. Theres no doubt she has faced more obstacles than her predecessors because of it. Our Circuit Attorneys Office is a critical public safety partner, and it must be managed and staffed effectively to help protect constitutional rights and deliver justice. No one wanted to see the Circuit Attorneys Office fail, and my administration has reached out consistently to the Office to offer assistance. We are hopeful that the governor will work with local leaders to appoint a successor who reflects the values of communities across St. Louis.

U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, St. Louis Democrat: As we move forward, our focus must be on serving St. Louis needs and appointing a replacement who will prioritize public safety and the well-being of our residents. While this transition and the challenges at the Circuit Attorneys office leading up to this point represent a difficult time for our community, it must not be lost on us in this moment that, during her tenure as the first Black woman to serve in this role, Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner too often faced unfair and unprecedented attacks rooted in misogyny and racism. Whats especially troubling is that these attacks are not anomalies; they mimic a larger pattern of far-right efforts nationwide to undercut and undermine the leadership of Black elected officials. That is an unacceptable reality we must not tolerate. As we turn a new page in the Circuit Attorneys office, we must come together as a community to ensure that the office moves in the direction of becoming more accountable to the people it serves first and foremost: the people of St. Louis.

Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, Republican: There is absolutely no reason for the Circuit Attorney to remain in office until June 1st. We remain undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office. Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger. How many victims will there be between now and June 1st? How many defendants will have their constitutional rights violated? How many cases will continue to go unprosecuted?

St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, a Democrat: Obviously this was an incredibly difficult decision for Circuit Attorney Gardner to make, and I wish her the best as she transitions into the next chapter of her life and career. As many people and stakeholders who care about this region and our collective safety understand, the Circuit Attorneys Office is vital to a thriving and safer St. Louis region. To that end, we stand ready to assist our City of St. Louis family in any way we can.

St. Louis Comptroller Darlene Green, Democrat: Kim Gardners decision to leave on her own terms was a courageous move. Ive known Kim Gardner as a dedicated public servant. She is incredibly smart, and talented, and has a bright future ahead of her. I wish her all the best.

St. Louis Aldermanic President Megan Green, Democrat: St. Louisans deserve a fair and just criminal justice system. There is no doubt that our system is in need of reform. But we cant rely on todays decision by the Circuit Attorney alone to solve the issues prevalent in our broken criminal justice system. We have to reduce conditions that lead to violent crimes in the first place. Addressing root issues creates a cascading effect  making residents safer and the Circuit Attorneys office more effective in the cases it does prosecute. I am encouraged by Governor Parsons readiness to work with local officials in appointing a new Circuit Attorney. Im calling on him to name a constructive partner who understands the needs and values of city residents.

St. Louis Alderman Tom Oldenburg, 2nd Ward Democrat: I am pleased that Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has finally decided to resign from office. However, I am extremely disappointed that it will not be effective immediately and she will stay in office until June 1. Our city will be safer with criminals off the streets and I am hopeful that the next circuit attorney will make significant strides to ensure the safety of our citizens. During her six-plus years in office, Kim Gardner has destroyed the Circuit Attorneys Office and it will take some time for the next circuit attorney to rebuild it and restore public trust. Nonetheless, it is time to look forward and create a safer place for our families in the city.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, Republican: Kim Gardners decision to resign as the St. Louis Circuit Attorney is a major step forward in restoring the rule of law in St. Louis. This is the only decision she has made during her tenure with which I agree. Dysfunction in the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys office, and Kim Gardners unwillingness to take violent crime seriously, has hindered St. Louis for years. This resignation is long overdue. Further, Kim Gardner should never run for this office again. I was born and raised in St. Louis and I know the opportunities the city can provide. However, economic growth and success cannot take place in a lawless environment. I will continue to work with law enforcement and community leaders to help restore accountability and secure safety and justice for the people of St. Louis.

House Speaker Dean Plocher, House Speaker Pro Tem Mike Henderson, and House Majority Floor Leader Jon Patterson, all Republicans, in a joint statement: We have achieved an important victory in restoring law and order in the City of St. Louis with this resignation. Addressing the violent crime crisis that has destabilized the St. Louis region has been one of our highest priorities this session, which has included holding the Circuit Attorney accountable for the willful neglect of her constitutional duties. Members of the General Assembly brought much-needed pressure and filed important legislation this session to force this debate and resignation. State government will act when local government fails to secure the safety of our communities and protect Missourians, which has been evident in the City of St. Louis. Now is the time for local leadership to take responsibility and take action to once again earn the trust of the people and return St. Louis to the great city we all know it should be. It is time to work together to restore accountability, deliver justice for victims, stand with our brave men and women in law enforcement, and restore the rule of law in the City of St. Louis.

State Sen. Steven Roberts, St. Louis Democrat: An effective and dedicated circuit attorney is of the utmost importance for ensuring that the victims of crimes, their families, and the accused receive justice. Violent crime impacts all of St. Louis, and those who fill the role of purveyors of justice have an enormous responsibility. Kim Gardner is making what she believes is the best decision given the circumstances, and the best decision for the City of St. Louis.

State Sen. Karla May, St. Louis Democrat: I appreciate Kim Gardner for her many years of service to the City of St. Louis where she exposed corruption, freed the wrongfully convicted, and put a broken system on a path to reform. I know her resignation was an incredibly difficult thing to do, and my heart goes out to her.

U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt, former Missouri attorney general and Republican: For years, violent crime has been plaguing the city of St. Louis. Because of Kim Gardners incompetence, some of the most violent criminals in St. Louis werent prosecuted while victims waited far too long for justice. Its my hope that the next Circuit Attorney will aggressively prosecute crime and return St. Louis to a city where residents can feel safe.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, former Missouri attorney general and Republican: This is the right outcome for the people of St. Louis, who deserve a prosecutor dedicated to protecting THEM, not the criminals.

U.S. Rep. Ann Wagner, R-Town and Country: Todays resignation is just the first step in restoring credibility in the justice system for the city of St. Louis., I called on Kim Gardner to resign back in February and its egregious she is only now recognizing how her incompetence has torn apart families and irreparably changed the lives of so many in our St. Louis metro community. From Day 1, she demonstrated a flagrant disregard for both the fundamental rights of victims and the safety of our neighborhoods, completely ignoring her responsibility to uphold the law and put criminal behind bars. She has presided over miscarriages of justice for years, hurting countless victims who put their trust in her and letting dangerous criminal escape the accountability they deserve. St. Louis will be better off without her.

A spokesman for judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit in St. Louis issued this statement: The judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit in St. Louis remain committed to serving the people of our great city and are ready to work with the next Circuit Attorney. We hope St. Louis next Circuit Attorney is successful in restoring stability to the Office and rebuilding its ranks with experienced prosecutors. However, the judges of the 22nd Judicial Circuit remain deeply concerned about the high volume of serious criminal cases scheduled for trial in the coming weeks without assigned prosecutors. We remain hopeful that community stakeholders in the St. Louis region will work together to offer support and assistance to the new Circuit Attorney as quickly as possible.

Madison County States Attorney Thomas A. Haine, Republican: As a region, we need to continue to do better. The justice system is complex, and relies on the efforts of innumerable unsung public servants to produce a good and just result for citizens. When it goes haywire, whether through mismanagement, neglect, or lack of appropriate resources, the results are often true human tragedies where criminals roam free, victims are left without lawful recourse, and once-beautiful neighborhoods wither. I look forward to the efforts the new Circuit Attorney will make toward reinforcing the rule of law at the heart of our region  the historic and great City of St. Louis. We at the Madison County States Attorneys Office stand ready to help however we can in that process.

A former elected official, at one time a target of Gardners office, also weighed in:

Eric Greitens, former Missouri governor and a Republican: Finally, justice. Kim Gardner broke the law and broke countless families under her lawless reign. May she be held fully accountable for her crimes against me, and the people of St. Louis.

Updated at 7:30 p.m. with additional comments.
ST. LOUIS  Major St. Louis law firms and area prosecuting attorneys are preparing to send staff and other assistance to buoy a badly undermanned St. Louis Circuit Attorneys office, in the wake of Kimberly M. Gardners announcement she would resign next month.

The state attorney generals office, St. Louis County prosecutor Wesley Bell and downtown law firms Lewis Rice and Thompson Coburn all said they stand ready to help rebuild a cornerstone of the criminal justice system at the heart of the region.

Everybody wants the same thing, said Attorney General Andrew Bailey in an interview Friday morning. Which is whoever the governor appoints to be successful in prosecuting criminals, restoring the rule of law and finding justice for victims.

After six years of disruption and dysfunction, Gardners roster of attorneys stands at around 20, about a third of what it was when she took office in 2017. Nearly all of the most experienced prosecutors from before her time are gone. The corps of attorneys handling violent crimes has been almost completely wiped out, forcing a rotating crew of supervisors and lower-level felony and misdemeanor attorneys to take on the citys highest profile cases.

Prosecutors from around the region said Gardner repeatedly refused or ignored their offers of help during her time in office. But that likely wont be an option for whoever Gov. Mike Parson, a Republican, appoints to replace Gardner, a Democrat. It is widely agreed that an injection of manpower will be necessary to clear the backlog of thousands of pending cases built up over the years.

And the offers rolled in on Thursday and Friday:

Bell, the St. Louis County prosecutor, and Mike Wood, the Lincoln County prosecutor, said their offices stand ready to assist the city in any way they can. The Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys said it would lend a hand once an outside expert develops a restructuring plan for the city office. And Bailey, who sued to remove Gardner for malpractice and repeatedly expressed concern for victims of crime in the city, offered his own assurances Friday.

The state has resources that are ready to deploy in the fight against violent crime, he said. Those resources are ready to deploy today.

And that came on top of a previous pledge of support from St. Charles County prosecutor Joseph McCulloch, published Wednesday in the Post-Dispatch.

Jason Hall, CEO of regional economic development group Greater St. Louis Inc., said the business community also recognizes the gravity of the situation and the citys law firms can help. He said he has already begun discussions with them, and they have been very receptive about making their attorneys available.

Roman Wuller, chair of St. Louis-based Thompson Coburn, said Thursday his firm was on board. So did Richard Walsh Jr., the chairman of Lewis Rice.

Lewis Rice stands ready to assist the Circuit Attorneys Office to help clear the backlog of cases, and expects that other law firms would do the same to support the city, Walsh said.

St. Louis law firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner signaled it would help, too:

For decades we have provided significant pro bono service within the St. Louis community, the firm said in a statement, and would evaluate pro bono opportunities at the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys office as we would any request for pro bono work.

The recruitment of private attorneys to tackle public prosecutions is not unheard of but not common, said Peter Joy, who leads the criminal justice clinic at Washington University School of Law. But such an effort will require coordination and some additional training, he said.

In the meantime, Joy said he wouldnt be surprised if some of the prosecutors who have recently left the office may come back now that Gardner is leaving.

Patrick Hamacher, one of those former prosecutors who ran against Gardner for the top job in 2016, agreed.

He said many of his former colleagues have continued in public service, and would eagerly offer their help to rebuild an office they care deeply about.

For me and my former colleagues, thats a sacred place, Hamacher said.

Missouri AG Andrew Bailey wont dismiss suit against Kim Gardner. The fights not over Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey on Friday said he would not dismiss his lawsuit seeking St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner's removal until she vacates her office.

St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner to resign June 1 after weeks of resistance The news sent shockwaves through downtown courthouses where victims, defense attorneys and judges had complained for weeks about the dysfunction.
FLORISSANT  Charges claim that a 16-year-old girl pepper sprayed and stabbed a woman to death last year in a Florissant home.

Persia S. Langston, now 18, of St. Louis, was certified as an adult last month and charged Friday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 20-year-old Amira Lumpkins.

Florissant police did not release any public information on the killing at the time, but charging documents say that on Jan. 20, 2022 officers were called to the stabbing at a home in the 1100 block of Charbonier Road. When they arrived, they found Lumpkins on the front porch with a stab wound to the liver, police wrote in court documents. She died in an ambulance on the way to a hospital.

Charging documents say a Florissant officer tracked Langston down as she was running from the scene of the stabbing and watched her discard a can of pepper spray on her way. Police wrote that interviews revealed Langston had spoken to others the day before about planning to pepper spray Lumkpins then stabbing her.
EAST ST. LOUIS  Prosecutors have charged a 25-year-old woman and three teenagers in connection to the shooting of an 11-year-old boy last month.

Breona McClain was charged on April 25 with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharged of a firearm and mob action. She remained at large Thursday afternoon, according to Illinois State Patrol.

The charges stem from an April 14 shooting of an 11-year-old boy in East St. Louis.

Two women who wanted clothing returned to them opened fire during a dispute with the boys mother just after midnight. One of the shots went through the wall of the boy's house and hit the boy, Chief Cantrell Patterson previously told the Post-Dispatch.

When the mom ran into the home, she found her son injured. They live in the 1400 block of North 39th Street, south of Caseyville Avenue.

Minutes after the shooting, police stopped a car in a pursuit and took two women into custody.

In addition to charging McClain, prosecutors charged three teenagers.

A 15-year-old girl is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, two counts of aggravated discharge of a firearm, one count of reckless discharge of a firearm, one count of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, and one count of mob action.

A boy, 16, is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and mob action. The third teen, a 15-year-old boy, was charged with mob action.

Authorities did not release their names.

Editor's note: The headline of this article has been edited; the boy was injured in the shooting.
ST. LOUIS  Metro Transit is getting more than $196.2 million in federal money to help the agency buy as many as 48 light rail replacement cars for its MetroLink line.

Among the cars to be replaced are 25 of the 30 original MetroLink cars that have been used since the light rail line began operating in 1993.

The cars will be produced and phased in over several years, beginning in 2026, Metro said.

The grant, announced Friday by the Federal Transit Administration, is from the massive infrastructure funding bill passed by Congress in 2021. Metro will provide $78 million as a local match. Metro officials said the grant is believed to be one of the largest federal outlays ever to the area transit system.

Metro said it's currently negotiating with Siemens, the company that has won the contract for the MetroLink replacement program.
WASHINGTON  Former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio and three other members of the far-right extremist group were convicted Thursday of a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol in a desperate bid to keep Donald Trump in power after the Republican lost the 2020 presidential election.

A jury in Washington, D.C., found Tarrio and three lieutenants guilty of seditious conspiracy after hearing from dozens of witnesses over more than three months in one of the most serious cases brought in the attack that unfolded on Jan. 6, 2021, as the world watched on live TV.

Jurors cleared a fifth defendant  Dominic Pezzola  of the sedition charge, though he was convicted of other serious felonies. The judge excused the jury without delivering a verdict on some counts  including another conspiracy charge for Pezzola  after jurors failed to reach a unanimous decision.

It's a significant milestone for the Justice Department, which has now secured seditious conspiracy convictions against the leaders of two major extremist groups prosecutors say were intent on keeping Democratic President Joe Biden out of the White House at all costs. The charge carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years.

"The Justice Department will never stop working to defend the democracy to which all Americans are entitled," Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters after the verdict.

Tarrio has been behind bars since his March 2022 arrest.

The verdict came after a trial that took more than twice as long as expected, slowed by bickering, mistrial motions and revelations of government informants in the group.

Securing the conviction of Tarrio, a high-profile leader who wasn't at the riot itself, could embolden the Justice Department as a special counsel investigates Trump, including key aspects of the Jan. 6 insurrection.

Special Counsel Jack Smith in recent weeks sought the testimony of many people close to Trump. They include former Vice President Mike Pence, who testified before a grand jury last week, likely giving prosecutors a key first-person account about certain conversations and events in the weeks preceding the riot.

Tarrio was a top target of what has become the largest Justice Department investigation in American history. He led the neo-fascist group  known for street fights with left-wing activists  when Trump infamously told the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" during his first debate with Biden.

Tarrio wasn't in Washington on Jan. 6 because he was arrested two days earlier in a separate case and ordered out of the capital city. Prosecutors said he organized and directed the attack by Proud Boys who stormed the Capitol that day.

In addition to Tarrio, three other Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy: Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs and Zachary Rehl.

Tarrio, Nordean, Biggs and Rehl were also convicted of obstructing Congress' certification of Biden's electoral victory and obstructing law enforcement as well as two other conspiracy charges. The four were cleared of an assault charge stemming from Pezzola, who stole an officer's riot shield.

The judge told jurors to keep deliberating on a few remaining counts where they haven't reached agreement.

Rehl's attorney, Carmen Hernandez, said her client "continues to maintain his innocence." Lawyers for Tarrio, Biggs and Pezzola declined to comment.

Prosecutors told jurors the group viewed itself as "Trump's army" and was prepared for "all-out war" to stop Biden from becoming president.

The Proud Boys were "lined up behind Donald Trump and willing to commit violence on his behalf," prosecutor Conor Mulroe said in his closing argument.

The backbone of the government's case was hundreds of messages exchanged by Proud Boys in the days leading up to Jan. 6 that show the far-right extremist group peddling Trump's false claims of a stolen election and trading fears over what would happen when Biden took office.

As Proud Boys swarmed the Capitol, Tarrio cheered them on from afar, writing on social media: "Do what must be done." In a Proud Boys encrypted group chat later that day someone asked what they should do next. Tarrio responded: "Do it again."

"Make no mistake," Tarrio wrote in another message. "We did this."

Defense lawyers denied there was any plot to attack the Capitol or stop Congress' certification of Biden's win. A lawyer for Tarrio sought to push the blame onto Trump, arguing the former president incited the pro-Trump mob's attack when he urged the crowd near the White House to "fight like hell."

"It was Donald Trump's words. It was his motivation. It was his anger that caused what occurred on January 6th in your beautiful and amazing city," attorney Nayib Hassan said in his final appeal to jurors. "It was not Enrique Tarrio. They want to use Enrique Tarrio as a scapegoat for Donald J. Trump and those in power."

The Justice Department hadn't tried a seditious conspiracy case in a decade before a jury convicted another extremist group leader, Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, of the Civil War-era charge last year.

Over the course of two Oath Keepers trials, Rhodes and five other members were convicted of seditious conspiracy for what prosecutors said was a separate plot to forcibly halt the transfer of presidential power from Trump to Biden. Three defendants were acquitted of the sedition charge, but convicted of obstructing Congress' certification of Biden's electoral victory.

The Justice Department has yet to disclose how much prison time it will seek when the Oath Keepers are sentenced later this month.
The St. Louis police officer on the phone confirmed my name, then asked, Does your daughter see a dentist?

I knew it was something bad but never thought it was murder until the detectives asked to meet with me. Then I knew my baby was gone, because the detectives dont just come meet you for nothing.

They sat me and her dad in the back of a patrol car. Then they pulled out a picture of my baby lying on the ground. I screamed so loud, I think everyone in the world heard me. It was the visual I just kept seeing over and over when I closed my eyes  it was just horrible for a mother to have to identify her child in that way.

It still haunts me to this day, but I keep praying and asking a higher power for strength to make it another day because I know its another mother out there who needs me.

Carieal was spending the night at my mothers house, but I later learned someone she knew had picked her up. Two hours later, someone shot her in the back of the head. From what the police told me, she probably didnt know it was coming. And then the killer just left her where he killed her.

After I lost Carieal, my life spiraled. I turned to alcohol as a means of numbing my pain. I was suicidal and ended up in the psych ward twice, diagnosed with PTSD. My health declined and I had a heart attack within the first three months after losing her.

My family tried to help, but it was fruitless. As this was the outset of the pandemic, I was locked down at home with literally nobody to turn to. I grieved completely alone and kept thinking, Shes going to come through that door.

Police picked up her killer a week later thanks to an anonymous tip, and the gun was with him. At least there would be justice  but then the charges against her killer were dropped because the prosecutor mishandled evidence and botched the case.

It was like losing Carieal all over again. But in the middle of my pain, I found a way to honor my daughter and help other mothers suffering the same loss. Our lives continue after tragedy, and although there is never a return to normal after losing a loved one, we can either remain in the loss or we can honor their lives by helping others.

My cousin encouraged me to write about Carieal. Every day she told me to write. That made me angry, but she continued to push me. Then one day, I found a blank notebook on the kitchen table with a pencil beside it. I had no idea where the words came from  I still dont know. So I wrote. Writing each day was so easy, and yet so hard. But eventually, my work culminated in a book titled Six Minutes of Freedom.

Carieal had planned to go skydiving that June. She could not wait. But she died two months before, so I went skydiving for her. It took three minutes to fly up and three minutes to skydive down. And during those six minutes, I had peace for the first time after losing her. I was free for those six minutes  thus the title of our story.

The book brought me to Atlanta, where I connected with Silvia, a woman who had also lost her daughter. She told me about a Woodson Center project called Voices of Black Mothers United.

There I met mothers who knew how I felt, mothers who had gone through losing a child to violence before me. Meeting so many mothers who truly understood and knew my pain was foreign to me. Other grief groups did help me, but they didnt ignite that spark in me to help others.

After Silvia swooped in and helped me, I knew I had to help other mothers like me. These mothers are grieving, but the world continues to go on around them. We live knowing our child will not come home.

On April 28, I hosted a Victims and Survivors Ball. It was a formal ball with awards for survivors of violence and their supporters. The reason I wanted to have a ball is because Carieal never got to attend prom or graduation. So I thought to myself: Ill have this ball as her prom yearly. My main goal was to help these mothers know they are loved and feel good about the grief work theyve accomplished.

Like all of these mothers, the pain of losing my daughter is always with me. Some days I feel it will overtake me. And the pain of the prosecutor denying her justice makes it worse.

But I get up daily because of the other mothers who, wholeheartedly, hold me physically, emotionally and mentally. For those who have lost a child to violence or know someone who has, I pray they have the same kind of people holding them.

Johnetta Doss is a St. Louis-based representative of Voices of Black Mothers United.
America is truly exceptional with its weekly gun massacres

I would like to address that most exceptional aspect of American exceptionalism: our weekly massacres. The problem has two major components: unregulated guns and unregulated maniacs  which predictably leads to maniacs with guns.

Full disclosure, Im a gun owner. Like most Americans, I support thorough background checks, limits on magazine capacity and a ban on assault weapons. Well-funded extremists, who own Congress, believe that the most hate-filled scumbags should be able to walk into a gun store and walk out with a war weapon, no questions asked. Just like our Founders intended. And if you disagree, its because youre a no-good commie who wants to destroy our freedoms. This mindset permeates the toxic cult that worships a distorted interpretation of the Second Amendment.

Regarding the maniacs: The U.S. cant even provide basic health care for every citizen, including mental health care. Here in America, we like our mentally ill homeless, in jail or suffering silently. This approach works well enough until some miserable wretch decides to share his misery with an AR-15. The people most able to help are the loved ones of the afflicted. They must be empowered to alert authorities. A nationwide system of red-flag laws should be enacted. The goal should be to help him while he deserves help, not wait until he deserves death. Voters must throw out those who refuse to deal with the problem.

Dennis Keith  Leslie

Awful campaign conditions lead to awful candidate options

So President Joe Biden has declared he will run again in 2024 (Biden announces 2024 reelection bid, April 25) and former President Donald Trump is the frontrunner in the GOP. Are these two really the best that the United States can come up with to lead a country of more than 330 million people? It baffles me that other more sensible, capable, knowledgeable, intelligent and educated people dont run for office, especially for president.

One possible reason is that intelligent, emotionally well-adjusted and mature individual wouldnt want to put up with what is involved in running for president. Candidates can count on their opponent digging through their entire life and presenting every misstep and failure in the worst possible light. Their reputation will be dragged through the mud. The candidate will have to give the same speech over and over again for two years, consuming virtually his or her entire waking life seven days a week. Candidates have to raise incredible amounts of money, requiring appeals to all sorts of rich, influential people and groups with objectives often in conflict with their own. What healthy, well-adjusted person would want to do that?

We get the sort of candidates we do because of how we have allowed our politics to become so degrading and unpleasant. We need to stop demonizing our opponents and start having more reasoned, factual, debates on the issues.

Richard Livingston  Webster Groves

Home loan plan ignores lessons of the 2008 banking meltdown

The major cause of the 2008 financial crisis was a federal program that allowed financially unqualified people to get home loans. Now the Biden administration is going to make higher-qualified people pay higher loan fees to help the financially unqualified get home loans, by lowering their fees and loan requirements. Dont they ever learn?

James Sargent  Lake Sherwood

Christians shouldnt be above scrutiny for domestic terrorism

Regarding Hawley grills AG over FBI memo seen as targeting conservative Roman Catholics (April 28): Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley believes the FBI program for monitoring potential foreign and domestic terrorism threats has inappropriately targeted some ultra-conservative Catholics. These Catholics yearn for a return to the centuries-old Latin Mass traditions and criticize the Second Vatican Council and the papacy of Pope Francis.

Hawley seems to suggest that sincere Christians would never be involved in clandestine activities to undermine duly-elected government. Therefore, theres no reason for the FBI to monitor them.

I beg to differ. For example, Steve Bannon, who fashions himself a true traditionalist Catholic and critic of Pope Francis, was once a high-level adviser in the administration of Donald Trump. Trump fostered demonstrable lies about the 2020 election, fomented illegal armed insurrection and was headed toward establishing autocratic rule. Bannon was later convicted of contempt of Congress and sentenced to four months in prison for refusing to answer subpoenas to the committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Trump pardoned Bannon just before leaving office.

Hawley was never a Catholic but is a practicing Presbyterian. Special counsel Jack Smiths report on the insurrection could well highlight Hawleys support for the insurrectionists and his own actions in trying to prevent vote certification on Jan. 6. Im all for the FBI keeping an eye on anyone reasonably suspected of being clandestinely involved in planning, supporting or participating in actions to undermine our constitutional democracy.

Tom OConnor  St. Louis County

Read letters online at STLToday.com
COLUMBIA, S.C.  Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, officials in several battleground states proposed boosting funding to add staff, enhance security and expand training within election offices that are facing heavier workloads and heightened public scrutiny.

The potential extra funding comes as many election offices are grappling with a wave of retirements and a flood of public records requests, stemming partly from lingering election distrust seeded by former President Donald Trump in his 2020 defeat.

In South Carolina, host of one of the earliest presidential primaries, almost half of county election directors have resigned in the last two years, state Election Commission Executive Director Howard Knapp said.

The unprecedented turnover has created an "enormous knowledge and competency gap," Knapp said, prompting a budget request for millions of additional state dol lars to boost staffing and training. Without the funds, Knapp warned the gap will grow and elections will be "severely impacted."

About three-fourths of local election officials across the U.S. say their budgets need to grow over the next several years, according to a recent Brennan Center for Justice survey of 852 local election officials. The nonpartisan democracy-focused policy institute highlighted the need for more spending to hire poll workers and office staff, replace voting equipment and improve physical and cyber security measures.

Elections officials, governors and lawmakers in states that hold early primaries or play pivotal roles in the presidential election, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Wisconsin, proposed funding increases. In many of those states, lawmakers are working on the final budget.

Time is of the essence. Most annual state budgets take effect in July, meaning they will encompass presidential primaries occurring in the first half of 2024. Once funding is approved, election officials will need time to hire and train employees and purchase new security and voting equipment.

Georgia, where a grand jury is investigating whether Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election, is one of about a dozen states where lawmakers passed a 2024 budget. The Republican-led General Assembly added $427,010 to hire two investigators, one administrative assistant and an executive director for the State Election Board.

One state still weighing more election spending is Arizona, which became a focal point for election challenges and conspiracies after Trump narrowly lost the state in 2020.

Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs, a Democrat who previously served as secretary of state, proposed an $11 million increase for a new election task force. The panel, which held its first meeting earlier this month, is expected to release recommendations by November on ways to standardize election practices, update election equipment and security guidelines and provide training to workers.

Arizona's Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes is pushing for an additional $3.1 million in election-related spending, in part to add six employees to help train and certify election workers and a new chief information security officer to confront cyber vulnerabilities in election systems.

There is no evidence of widespread fraud or manipulation of voting equipment in the 2020 elections. Yet distrust about U.S. elections persists among Republicans, fueled by Trump allies who have been traveling the country highlighting theoretical vulnerabilities.

In the past three years, almost every election office across the country saw an increase in the number of public records requests, said Tammy Patrick, chief executive officer for programs at the National Association of Election Officials.

South Carolina experienced a 500% increase in election-related public-records requests, Election Transparency and Compliance to handle requests driven largely by election skeptics submitting model language drafted by out-of-state conspiracy groups, Knapp said. The state election commission seeks $3.2 million to help establish a new training division and enhance technical support. Knapp also wants about $1.2 million to hire seven staff members, including a public information officer to respond to media, voters and interest groups.

Voting advocates said strong training is especially important in a hostile environment where bad faith actors may twist instances of incompetence or irregularities to undermine election integrity.

Officials in Nevada, Oregon and Wisconsin also proposed funding increases to hire additional staff to handle public requests for election records and information.

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, proposed $1.9 million over the next two fiscal years to hire 10 staff for a new Office of

"Unfortunately, this structure has proved inadequate to address the hundreds of thousands of questions and concerns, along with hundreds of records requests and complaints," the election commission wrote m its budget request.

Separate budget plans in North Carolina include money to hire more regional staff to help county election boards with technology, security and other needs.

Michigan's Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is seeking to boost the secretary of state's overall budget by nearly $10 million, including a $3 million increase for branch offices and $1.2 million to expand staffing for seven mobile offices.
Bad influence on Instagram

A self-styled mom influencer in California ratcheted up her Instagram viewership with a harrowing story about a couple attempting to abduct her two young children outside a craft shop. She may soon have to do her influencing with fellow inmates, as she faces up to six months in jail for making the whole thing up to boost her online profile.

Katie Sorensen went to a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, Calif., with her two children in December 2020, bought some items, then put the kids back in the car and drove off, The Washington Post reported. Minutes after leaving the parking lot, she called police and claimed a couple had tried to abduct her kids.

Police became suspicious when Sorensen started sharing her story on social media with additional details she hadnt told them. They re-interviewed her, during which she identified who she said was the couple on security footage. But other footage debunked her story completely. She was convicted of filing a false police report, a misdemeanor.

Dumpster-diving bear

A West Virginia elementary school principal got the scare of his life when he unlocked a dumpster behind the school as part of his morning routine: Out lunged a large black bear. According to security video footage, the bear had been slipping in and out of the dumpster all weekend, pushing around the locks, and apparently fell asleep in there before the principal opened it Monday morning.

The video footage of that moment shows the principal, James Marsh, and the bear, name unknown, bolting in opposite directions after the chance encounter.

Marshs wife, Shawna, shared the video on her Facebook page. Poor guy!!! wrote one commenter. Unlocking the dumpster will never be the same for him!!

Wrote another: I didnt know Jimmy could move that fast. To which Shawna Marsh replied: Me either! I told him he ran like a scared little girl!

Unscheduled stop

Children on school buses can act, well, childish  by making rude gestures at passing adults, for example. Adults are supposed to know better than to respond by parking in front of the bus and forcing it to stop, then picking fights with parents who arrive at the scene. A Georgia man who somehow didnt understand that has been arrested and charged.

Local media outlets report that Roger ONeal Barrett, 55, used his pickup truck to block the path of the bus after one of the kids inside flipped off him and his wife. He then called the local sheriffs office and indicated he wouldnt release the bus until police came and got the kids information. Meantime, he got into verbal confrontations with parents who showed up, summoned by their kids cell phones.

You shouldve handled it like a grownup! one angry mom can be heard on a cell phone video telling Barrett. Police arrested Barrett and charged him with interference with the operation of public schools.

A Barbie for everyone

Mattel Inc. has come under a lot of criticism over the years for marketing its super-slim, super-tall, well-endowed and very white Barbie dolls to girls everywhere as the model for how women are expected to look. The company has responded to the criticism with a number of modifications  introducing Barbies of color and of different cultural styles so girls from those backgrounds can play with a figure closer to the way they look. Then Mattel altered the doll to make it more closely match human dimensions.

Still, girls and boys from all walks of life want to see more of themselves in the dolls they play with. That includes girls with Down syndrome. So Mattel says it partnered with the National Down Syndrome Society to design a doll that celebrates this community.

The doll helps expose children to other peoples experiences and understand that no one in the real world comes from a cookie-cutter background.

Its entirely possible that some conservative critics will cite Mattel as joining the national wokeness movement, but hey, they dont have to play with the doll if they dont want to.

Breaking the fast by breaking a heart

After 17 years of service in Prospect Park, New Jersey, Mohamed Khairullah is the longest-serving Muslim mayor in America. His leadership credentials are impeccable and his loyalty to this country beyond reproach. But Khairullah finds himself unable to travel freely or take advantage of an invitation to the White House because of an apparent secret watch list dating back to the post-9/11 era.

Khairullah was invited along with other prominent Muslims this week to the White House to attend a meal celebrating the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. But the Secret Service declined to clear him for entry  without explanation. Khairullah told National Public Radio that he contacted the Council on American Islamic Relations shortly after he was disinvited to the White House, and the organization told him that he was on a secret watch list that was leaked earlier this year.

The list is an anachronism in the United States, rooted in attacks that occurred more than 20 years ago and long after the terrorism threat had subsided.

Even the late Sen. Ted Kennedy found himself blocked from flying in 2004 because of a government security overreaction. These days, the far greater terrorism threat is from white supremacists, right-wing extremists and domestic insurrectionists. And yet the watch list, along with its unjustified  and unexplained  focus on Muslims and Arab Americans, persists.
HAIKOU, China, May 5 (Xinhua) -- When Li Jing first arrived in Tianxin a decade ago, she never imagined the small fishing village would transform itself into a bustling surfing resort.

Located just a few hundred meters from Riyue Bay, a premier surfing spot in Wanning City in southern China's Hainan Province, Tianxin has reaped the benefits of surfing's development and morphed into a surfer's paradise in recent years.

Li settled in the village in 2013. "The environment here is perfect for me. I adore living by the sea with my dog, surfing under the blue sky and white clouds every day," she said.

Over the past ten years, Li has taken part in surfing competitions and related activities, witnessing the village's remarkable evolution.

"In 2013, the village had just one path leading into it, and express delivery services were non-existent. Now, Tianxin boasts five express stations, a gym, and even a skatepark. Life is becoming increasingly convenient," Li explained.

Riyue Bay, with its high-quality seawater and comfortable water temperature, has become a world-class surfing destination suitable for year-round enjoyment. The bay is renowned for its long waves and consistent swells.

Tianxin has emerged as a preferred choice for surfers seeking accommodation and dining options. Surfing's surge in popularity since 2019 has attracted more surfers and tourists to Riyue Bay, as well as young entrepreneurs looking to start their businesses.

Tang Xin first visited Riyue Bay with friends on China's National Day in 2021. Just one month later, he decided to launch a homestay business in Tianxin.

"This village is the closest to Riyue Bay surfing base and has experienced rapid development in recent years. The construction of additional parking lots and charging stations has made it even more convenient for tourists," Tang said.

"Our rooms get fully booked up before holidays," he added.

The growing popularity of surfing has prompted hundreds of young locals to return from big cities to their hometown, seeking new opportunities.

Today, Tianxin is home to 35 homestays and 30 surfing clubs. Villagers have shifted away from fishing to make a living, opting instead to engage in surfing-related businesses.

Hu Zhigang, a 25-year-old Tianxin native, returned from Shenzhen in 2021. He now operates a surfing club that teaches beginners how to surf, and is currently outfitting a new restaurant to expand his enterprise.

"I think I've found my path. My club is thriving, and it generates 200,000 yuan (28,930 U.S. dollars) to 300,000 yuan annually," Hu said. 
The Company will host a conference call and webcast to discuss those results on May 11th at 10AM ET

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Adcore Inc. (the "Company" or "Adcore") (TSX:ADCO)(OTCQX:ADCOF)(FSE:ADQ)(TSX:ADCO-WT), a leading e-commerce advertising management and automation platform to leverage digital marketing in an effortless and accessible way ("Effortless Marketing"), today announced that it will release its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2023 after the market closes on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Adcore will host a webcast and conference call to discuss those results on Thursday, May 11, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. ET.

To register for the conference call/webcast please click here or visit: https://click.adcore.com/q1-conference-call

The conference call will include a brief statement by management and will focus on answering questions about Adcore's results. Questions regarding results can be sent in advance to [email protected].

ABOUT ADCORE

Adcore is empowering entrepreneurs, advertisers, and the future of e-commerce through its advertising management and automation platform. By combining extensive industry knowledge and experience with its proprietary artificial intelligence engine, Adcore offers a unique digital marketing solution that empowers entrepreneurs and advertisers by managing and automating their e-commerce store advertising and monitoring and analyzing the performance of their advertising budget to ensure maximum Return on Investment. In addition to being named numerous times on Deloitte's Fast 50 Technology list, Adcore is a certified Google Premier Partner, Elite Tier Microsoft Partner, Facebook Partner and TikTok Partner.

Established in 2006, the Company employs over fifty people in its headquarters in Tel Aviv, Israel and satellite offices in Toronto, Canada, Melbourne, Australia, Hong Kong and Shanghai, China.

For more information about Adcore, please visit https://www.adcore.com/investors/ , https://www.adcore.com/blog or follow us on LinkedIn.

ABOUT AMPHY

Founded in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic, Amphy is the world's most diverse 24/7 live online learning marketplace. With Amphy, learners can choose from thousands of classes across hundreds of categories to grow their passions and skills, expand their children's learning opportunities, and much more. Instructors on the Amphy platform join a vibrant virtual teacher community that promotes and supports their success through enrichment seminars, marketing and advertising, and a suite of tools that allow them to run their classes hassle-free and focus on their students. Amphy students gain access to high-quality, personalized classes accessible from 24/7, as well as join a growing community of lifelong learners.

For more on Amphy please visit - https://www.amphy.com/ and https://blog.amphy.com/ or follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements, including statements about the Company. Wherever possible, words such as "may", "will", "should", "could", "expect", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "predict" or "potential" or the negative or other variations of these words, or similar words or phrases, have been used to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on information currently available to management as at the date hereof.

Forward-looking statements involve significant risk, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from the results discussed or implied in the forward-looking statements. These factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements. Although the forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon what management believes to be reasonable assumptions, the Company cannot assure readers that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances, except as required by law.

For further information please contact:

ADCORE INC.

https://www.adcore.com/investors/

Martijn van den Bemd Investor Relations Investor Relations Europe Chief Partnerships Officer Glen Akselrod Dr. Eva Reuter Bristol Capital Dr. Reuter Investor Relations Telephone: 647-497-5337 Telephone: 905-326-1888 ext 1 Telephone: +49 (0) 69 1532 5857 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: Adcore Inc.

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WEST MELBOURNE, FL / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / BK Technologies Corporation (NYSE American:BKTI) today announced that John Suzuki, Chief Executive Officer, and Scott Malmanger, Chief Financial Officer, will attend the Inaugural EF Hutton Global Conference at The Plaza Hotel in New York City on Wednesday, May 10. Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Malmanger will be available for 1x1 meetings throughout the day.

To learn more, please visit: https://efhconference.com/

About BK Technologies

BK Technologies Corporation manufactures high-specification, American-made communications equipment of unsurpassed reliability and value for use by public safety professionals and government agencies. BK Technologies SaaS business focuses on new, innovative public safety smartphone services that will make the first responders safer or more productive. BK Technologies is honored to serve these heroes when every moment counts. The Company's common stock trades on the NYSE American market under the symbol "BKTI". Maintaining its headquarters and primary manufacturing facility in West Melbourne, Florida, BK Technologies can be contacted through its web site at www.bktechnologies.com or directly at 1-800-821-2900.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the "Safe Harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements concern the Company's operations, economic performance, and financial condition, including, but not limited to, statements regarding the Company's long-term strategic plan, and are based largely on the Company's beliefs and expectations. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of the Company, or industry results, to be materially different from any future results, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors and risks, some of which have been, and may further be, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, include, among others, the following: changes or advances in technology; the success of our land mobile radio product line; disruption in the global supply chain creating delays, unavailability and adverse conditions; successful introduction of new products and technologies, including our ability to successfully develop and sell our anticipated new multiband product and other related products in the planned new BKR Series product line; competition in the land mobile radio industry; general economic and business conditions, including federal, state and local government budget deficits and spending limitations, any impact from a prolonged shutdown of the U.S. Government, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic; the availability, terms and deployment of capital; reliance on contract manufacturers and suppliers; risks associated with fixed-price contracts; heavy reliance on sales to agencies of the U.S. Government and our ability to comply with the requirements of contracts, laws and regulations related to such sales; allocations by government agencies among multiple approved suppliers under existing agreements; our ability to comply with U.S. tax laws and utilize deferred tax assets; our ability to attract and retain executive officers, skilled workers and key personnel; our ability to manage our growth; our ability to identify potential candidates for, and to consummate, acquisition, disposition or investment transactions, and risks incumbent to being a noncontrolling interest stockholder in a corporation; impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the companies in which the Company holds investments; impact of our capital allocation strategy; risks related to maintaining our brand and reputation; impact of government regulation; impact of rising health care costs; our business with manufacturers located in other countries, including changes in the U.S. Government and foreign governments' trade and tariff policies, as well as any further impact resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; our inventory and debt levels; protection of our intellectual property rights; fluctuation in our operating results and stock price; acts of war or terrorism, natural disasters and other catastrophic events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic; any infringement claims; data security breaches, cyber-attacks and other factors impacting our technology systems; availability of adequate insurance coverage; maintenance of our NYSE American listing; risks related to being a holding company; and the effect on our stock price and ability to raise equity capital of future sales of shares of our common stock. Certain of these factors and risks, as well as other risks and uncertainties, are stated in more detail in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and in the Company's subsequent filings with the SEC. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release, and 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 the forward-looking statements.

Company Contact:

IMS Investor Relations

John Nesbett/Jennifer Belodeau

[email protected]

(203) 972-9200

SOURCE: BK Technologies Corporation

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NEW YORK, NY / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Syndesis Health announced today that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) for genomic sequencing programs.





COMSATS and Syndesis Join Hands

Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director, COMSATS, and Mr. Kamil Mehmood, Co-Founder & Director of Syndesis Health, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations.





An intergovernmental organization, COMSATS presently has 27 developing countries as members across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The MoU provides a broad framework for collaborative activities aimed at providing better healthcare to the citizens of these member countries, supporting curative drug development, and devising guidelines to help in managing pharmaceutical products.

Ambassador Dr. Mohammad Nafees Zakaria, Executive Director, COMSATS, and Mr. Kamil Mehmood, Co-Founder & Director of Syndesis Health, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organizations at a ceremony hosted by COMSATS Secretariat in Islamabad. Event participants included heads and representatives of diplomatic missions of COMSATS' Member States in Islamabad, senior officials of relevant ministries, as well as media representatives.

Addressing the participants, Ambassador Zakaria, the Executive Director COMSATS, shared his thoughts on the agreement and its prospects for research, impact on the industrial sector, and economy. He commented that the MOU demonstrates a mutual desire to support each other in endeavors to keep pace with rapid developments in science and technology, ensuring better healthcare for all through effective utilization of modern-day technologies. The Director of Syndesis Health, Mr. Mehmood assured the full support of Syndesis Health to COMSATS in implementing the related programs.

Ambassador Zakaria and Mr. Mehmood briefed the media and the distinguished participants on how the collaboration would utilize the latest technological know-how for strengthening the healthcare sector, reducing healthcare costs, and contributing to the national economy.

About Syndesis Health

Syndesis Health accelerates research and innovation for healthcare and life sciences companies. The company was founded on the potential for real-world clinical data to advance medical research, improve patient health outcomes, and inform healthcare policy decisions. The Syndesis Health Network enables secure collaboration amongst member organizations and is empowered by the Syndesis Data Platform, which provides secure, centralized access to global real-world data sets sourced from numerous healthcare institutions. The data is comprised of millions of de-identified patient journeys, representing a diverse population of patients across many common and rare diseases. Visit our website at https://syndesis.com to learn more.

Contact Information:

Leah Patterson

Chief Marketing Officer

[email protected]

+1.646.274.1420

SOURCE: Syndesis Health

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ANCHORAGE, AK / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / KeyBank has announced a $100,000 gift to the Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA). The funds will be used to support CIHA's low-income residents toward health and stability through grants to CIHA's Protein Food Pantry and the Housing Stability Program. CIHA is the Tribally Designated Housing Entity (TDHE) for the Cook Inlet Region receiving federal housing funds through an Indian Housing Block Grant established in the 1996 Native American Housing Assistance and Self Determination (NAHASDA) act.

CIHA's Protein Food Pantry provides healthy food to senior residents living on fixed incomes who often struggle with food insecurity. Through this program, they can access protein-rich food once a month, contributing to their health and allowing them to allocate their budgets elsewhere, such as for medicine, rent and utilities. With KeyBank's funding, the pantry will be able to purchase additional food and expand the reach of the program by at least 25%.

The Housing Stability program provides resource and referral services to CIHA residents who are fighting to make ends meet. The KeyBank funds will be used to purchase items such as grocery gift cards, bus passes, rent and utility payments, and supplies and training required to obtain employment.

"Our funding priorities at KeyBank make up four pillars: neighbors, workforce, education and service, and we know that safe and stable housing and access to healthy food is crucial to each one of these," said Alaska KeyBank President Lori McCaffrey in announcing the gift. "At KeyBank we are dedicated to building stronger communities and improving the lives of our neighbors and underserved communities. We are delighted to play a role in helping CIHA's clients meet their most basic needs."

"We are extremely grateful for the partnership of KeyBank in our affordable housing work. Their investment not only in the financing of our developments, but equally as important, directly in programming to support the success of our residents is meaningful, impactful and important. This funding helps stabilize individuals, families and elders who may need just a little extra support in order to continue their journey to self-sufficiency and independence," Carol Gore, President/CEO, Cook Inlet Housing Authority.

About Cook Inlet Housing Authority (CIHA)

Cook Inlet Housing Authority's mission is to create housing opportunities that empower our people and build our communities. Cook Inlet Housing develops, owns and operates affordable housing in the Cook Inlet region of Alaska. https://cookinlethousing.org

About KeyBank

KeyCorp's roots trace back nearly 200 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Key is one of the nation's largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of approximately $198 billion at March 31, 2023. Key provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank National Association through a network of approximately 1,000 branches and approximately 1,300 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity, syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc Capital Markets trade name. For more information, visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from KeyBank on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: KeyBank

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/keybank

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: KeyBank

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LAS VEGAS, NV / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / International Endeavors Corporation "IEC" (OTC PINK:IDVV) announced that its AI division WITech has entered into an agreement with its first client in the Medical Sector, Anti Aging & Wellness, a provider of various anti-aging treatments including Stem Cell Therapy, HGH Therapy, TRT Therapy and more.

Terms of the agreement call for the following:

An extensive AI marketing campaign beginning in Southern California, Nevada and Latin America including Mexico.

Development of an AI platform for new patient intake and management.

The agreement is to be for one year non-exclusive as IDVV plans to expand its services to additional clients in the medical sector.

Payment for agreement to come on a quarterly basis based on set monthly fees and sales volume.

Company Vice President Bill Martin stated "We are pleased to announce our first agreement in the Medical sector. Anti-aging is a booming industry, and its very competitive. We anticipate yearly revenues to reach the seven figure range in short order from this agreement. As stated before, this is just the beginning, we will receive steady deal flow for our AI division as we grow into each industry we are focused on."

As news about the capability of AI is spreading and receiving positive feedback from major institutions. International Endeavors is ready to capitalize on this and grow.

We encourage everyone to follow us.

Twitter

https://twitter.com/IDVVcorp

Website

https://IDVVCORP.COM

About Us

International Endeavors Corporation ("IEC") is a technology holdings company focused on Clean Energy, Crypto and A.I. Specializing in solar technology, battery storage, as well as clean energy crypto mining options for both on & off grid.

We're currently implementing EV2G / Bi-directional charging options, thus allowing you to use your electric vehicle as a means of a backup battery, or to sell power back to the grid.

In 2022 IDVV started to offer its clients a Clean Energy Crypto mining solution. Our Plug-n-Play mining rigs can be installed in existing or current systems and allows the option to sell power back to the grid or mine crypto currency with any power surplus.

In 2023 We acquired WITech and SF Corp as part of an expansion into the AI Sector. We are incorporating AI technology into our crypto offerings, and developing a platform for AI Content Marketing.

The Company currently is reporting its financial information on OTCMarkets.

Our filings can be seen at https://www.otcmarkets.com .

Disclaimer

Forward-Looking Statements are included within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements regarding our expected future financial position, results of operations, cash flows, financing plans, business strategy, products and services, competitive positions, growth opportunities, plans and objectives of management for future operations, including words such as "anticipate," "if," "believe," "plan," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "could," "should," "will," and other similar expressions are forward-looking statements and involve risks, uncertainties and contingencies, many of which are beyond our control, which may cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from anticipated results, performance, or achievements. International Endeavors Corporation (IDVV) is under no obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Contact:

Bill Martin, Vice President

Phone: 1-619-343-3199

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE: International Endeavors Corporation, Inc.

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MONTREAL, QC / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Valsoft Corporation Inc. ("Valsoft"), a Montreal-based company specializing in the acquisition and development of vertical market software businesses, is pleased to officially announce the acquisition of the assets of Irosoft Inc. ("Irosoft").

Irosoft's solutions are leaders in the technology and services space, specializing in leveraging structured and unstructured data using tools, algorithms, and products based on automatic natural language processing (NLP).

"Irosoft has almost 30 years of expertise, making the solution a leader in legal management solutions and document management. We were looking for a company that shared the same values as Irosoft," said Ren-Luc Morin, former co-owner of Irosoft. "Valsoft has proven to be the best choice for our employees, and our customers, with the ability to grow globally. We are particularly proud of this transaction because Valsoft is a Quebec-based company."

With a well-established reputation in the legislative sector and a unique legislative information management system (LIMS), Irosoft will be a great addition to the Local Government Vertical at Valsoft.

Irosoft's notoriety also comes from the many instances of its document management solution (Docutheque) deployed by a large number of public organizations.

With its team of specialized and experienced consultants, Irosoft also offers a large array of consulting services in the field of information management and digital transformation.

"We're excited to welcome our colleagues at Irosoft to the Valsoft family," said Sam Youssef, CEO at Valsoft. "The team, experience, and reputation are well aligned with our existing values, and we look forward to building on the excellent customer relationship that Irosoft developed over the years."

Aspire Software, the operating group at Valsoft, will be working closely with the existing management team to further strengthen its position in Quebec while exploring new opportunities abroad.

"Excellent customer service and robust software solutions will continue to be at the forefront of Irosoft's priorities," added Michael Assi, CEO at Aspire. "We look forward to working with the team to expand on its commitment of being at the forefront of the latest trends and methodologies in artificial intelligence."

About Valsoft

Valsoft acquires and develops vertical market software companies, enabling each business to deliver the best mission-critical solutions for customers in their respective industry or niche. A key tenet of Valsoft's philosophy is to invest in well-established businesses and foster an entrepreneurial environment that molds companies into leaders in their respective industries. Valsoft looks to buy, hold, and create value through long-term partnerships with existing management.

About Irosoft

Founded in 1995, Irosoft is a technology and services company specializing in the leveraging of structured and unstructured data. It develops tools, algorithms and products based on automatic natural language processing (NLP) techniques that enable its customers to transform simple information into useful and easily exploitable data. Irosoft brings strong value to customers' data by producing, simplifying, and optimizing it.

Valsoft was represented internally by David Felicissimo, General Counsel and Shinjay (Ssin) Choi, Senior Legal Counsel. Irosoft was represented by Guy Rouleau, Nicolas Sayour and Jean-Francois Noel from Fasken (Montreal, Quebec).

For more information on the company, please visit https://www.valsoftcorp.com/

For further information:

Joey Strizzi

Director of Communications and Public Relations Valsoft Corporation

[email protected]

Office: 514-316-7647

Mobile: 514-258-0256

SOURCE: Valsoft Corp.

View source version on accesswire.com:
(Updated - May 5, 2023 9:31 AM EDT)

It has been a tough week for smaller US banks. KRE, the ETF that tracks regional banks, has declined about 16% since Monday when trading resumed after First Republic entered FDIC receivership and was sold to JPMorgan.

PacWest has suffered the most. Its stock was down over 65% since Monday, amid reports the company is considering strategic alternatives. Rumors stoked concerns it too could suffer the same fate as First Republic, Silicon Valley bank and other recent failures.

Shares of Western Alliance also suffered, falling 51%. At one point its stock was lower by nearly 70%. Shares later recovered after it denied reports that it is considering a sale. It later blasted the Financial Times for publishing the rumor, claiming the publisher was, used as an instrument of short sellers and as a conduit for spreading false narratives about a financially sound and profitable bank.

The chaos prompted calls for a moratorium on short selling of banks. So far, the SEC hasnt taken such steps, but a report from Reuters suggests US officials are assessing the possibility of market manipulation being behind big moves in the banks.

With concerns about the banking sector so intense, some on Wall Street think now is the time to take the other side of the trade.

This morning, analysts at JPMorgan made a bold call, upgrading three regional banks to Overweight  Western Alliance, Comerica, and Zions Bancorp.

...regional bank stocks have seen intense shorting/selling pressure tied to a mismatch of (1) short-sellers feeling empowered post FRC being placed into receivership and (2) many long-only funds rethinking their capital allocation strategy into regional banks given concerns over NIM, credit and, new to the equation, deposit runs. To this end, we believe a sell-off in regional banks has become a catalyst itself to cause further fear and selling pressure, wrote analyst Steven Alexopoulos.

Alexopoulos thinks sentiment has shifted too far to one side.

As a result of substantial selling pressure since 1Q23 earnings season, our average regional bank stock is now trading at 6.6x 2023e EPS, 0.9x 2023e TBV, and at a 16% implied cost of equity. Despite that industry headwinds remain, this valuation tells us that investors (as well as short-sellers) are predominantly bearish. With sentiment very negative and a potential sector re-rating on the horizon, we now move to the middle of the boat and adopt a neutral sector stance.

The JPMorgan analyst concluded, "With sentiment this negative, in our view it wont take much to see a significant intermediate-term favorable re-rating of regional bank stocks.

by Louis Juricic
LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of a- (Excellent) of Motors Insurance Company Limited (MICL) (United Kingdom). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. MICL is a wholly owned subsidiary of AmTrust International Insurance, Ltd., which is a member of the AmTrust Group.

The ratings reflect MICLs balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its strong operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management.

MICLs balance sheet strength is underpinned by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which is supported by prudent reserving practices and a low-risk, liquid investment portfolio. Prospectively, AM Best expects MICLs risk-adjusted capitalisation to remain at the strongest level, benefitting from strong internal capital generation and a prudent capital management policy. The companys moderate dependence on reinsurance and concentration to one reinsurance counterparty is partially mitigated by that counterpartys excellent credit quality.

MICL has a track record of strong operating performance, with a five-year (2018-2022) weighted average return-on-equity ratio of 9.5%. The companys earnings are underpinned by solid and stable underwriting results, demonstrated by a combined ratio that has ranged between 88.5% and 94.0% over the past five years, driven by prudent pricing and profit-sharing arrangements. In addition, the companys overall earnings are supported by modest investment returns.

MICL provides auto warranty and auto add-on policies, primarily distributed by retail intermediaries. The company has a well-established competitive position in the auto warranty market in the United Kingdom, which generates almost all of its revenue. AM Best expects the companys book of business to remain stable.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Bests website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Bests Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Bests Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Bests Credit Ratings, Bests Performance Assessments, Bests Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Bests Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005254/en/

Marving Lopez

Financial Analyst

+44 20 7397 4389

[email protected]

Christopher Sharkey

Associate Director, Public Relations

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

[email protected]

Kanika Thukral

Associate Director, Analytics

+44 20 7397 0327

[email protected]

Al Slavin

Senior Public Relations Specialist

+1 908 439 2200, ext. 5098

[email protected]

Source: AM Best
TAMPA, Fla. & SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AtlasClear, Inc. (AtlasClear) and Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation (Quantum) (NYSE: QFTA), a publicly traded special purpose acquisition company, today announced the filing on May 4, 2023 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) of a registration statement on Form S-4 by Calculator New Pubco, Inc. (New Pubco) (to be renamed AtlasClear Holdings, Inc. (AtlasClear Holdings)) in relation to its previously announced business combination.

In November 2022, Quantum entered into a definitive business combination agreement that is expected to result in Atlas FinTech Holdings Corp. transferring its trading technology assets to AtlasClear and the acquisition by AtlasClear of Wilson Davis & Co., Inc., a correspondent clearing broker-dealer (Wilson-Davis), pending required regulatory approvals. AtlasClear has also entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming, a federal reserve member (Commercial Bancorp), following consummation of the initial business combination, which is expected to close in the second or third quarter of 2023, pending required regulatory approvals.

About AtlasClear Holdings

AtlasClear Holdings plans to build a cutting-edge technology enabled financial services firm that would create a more efficient platform for trading, clearing, settlement and banking of evolving and innovative financial products with a focus on the small and middle market financial services firms. The team that will lead AtlasClear Holdings consists of respected financial services industry veterans that have founded and led other companies in the industry including Penson Clearing, Southwest Securities, NexTrade and Anderen Bank.

The nature of the combined entity is expected to be supported by robust, proven, financial technologies with a full suite that will enable the flow of business and success of the enterprise. The combined entity is expected to have a full exchange platform for a spectrum of financial products. In addition, the combined entity is expected to have a full prime brokerage and, following the Commercial Bancorp acquisition, a prime banking platform with complete front-end delivery. The enterprise is anticipated to offer a fixed income risk management platform which can be expanded to a diverse application on financial products.

The combined entity is expected to be run by a new digital suite of technologies that will be part of the transaction at closing.

About Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation

Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation is a blank check company, also commonly referred to as a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, that was formed for the purpose of entering into a merger, share exchange, asset acquisition, stock purchase, recapitalization, reorganization or other similar business combination with one or more businesses, with a principal focus on identifying high-growth financial services and fintech businesses as targets.

About Wilson-Davis & Co., Inc.

Wilson-Davis is a full-service correspondent securities broker-dealer. The company is registered with the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority and the Securities Investor Protection Organization. In addition, Wilson-Davis is a member of DTCC as well as the National Securities Clearing Corporation. Headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah and Dallas, Texas. Wilson-Davis has been servicing the investment community since 1968, with satellite offices in California, Arizona, Colorado, New York, New Jersey and Florida.

About Commercial Bancorp of Wyoming

Commercial Bancorp is a bank holding company operating through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Farmers State Bank (FSB) and has been servicing the local community in Pine Bluffs, WY since 1915. It has focused the majority of its services on private and corporate banking. A member of the Federal Reserve, FSB is expected to be a strategic asset for the combined companys long-term business model.

Additional Information and Where to Find It

In connection with the proposed business combination and related transactions contemplated in connection therewith (the Proposed Transaction), New Pubco has publicly filed with the SEC a registration statement on Form S-4 containing a preliminary proxy statement of Quantum and prospectus of New Pubco, and after the registration statement is declared effective, Quantum will mail a definitive proxy statement/prospectus relating to the Proposed Transaction to its stockholders. This press release does not contain any information that should be considered by Quantums stockholders concerning the Proposed Transaction and is not intended to constitute the basis of any voting or investment decision in respect of the Proposed Transaction or the securities of New Pubco. Quantums stockholders and other interested persons are advised to read the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and the amendments thereto and, when available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus and other documents filed in connection with the Proposed Transaction, as these materials will contain important information about New Pubco, Quantum, AtlasClear, WDCO, Commercial Bancorp and its subsidiary bank, FSB, and the Proposed Transaction. When available, the definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to stockholders of Quantum as of a record date to be established for voting on the Proposed Transaction. Stockholders will also be able to obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus, the definitive proxy statement/ prospectus and other documents filed with the SEC, without charge, once available, at the SECs website at www.sec.gov, or by directing a request to: Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation, 4221 W Boy Scout Blvd., Suite 300, Tampa, FL 33607, Attention: Investor Relations or by email at [email protected].

No Offer or Solicitation

This press release shall not constitute a solicitation as defined in Section 14 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. This press release does not constitute an offer, or a solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any securities, investment or other specific product, or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale of securities, investment or other specific product in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offer of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or an exemption therefrom.

Participants in Solicitation

Quantum, AtlasClear and their respective directors and executive officers may be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies from Quantum stockholders with respect to the Proposed Transaction. Quantum stockholders and other interested persons may obtain, without charge, more detailed information regarding the directors and officers of Quantum in its Annual Report on Form 10-K, filed with the SEC on March 31, 2023 (the 2022 Form 10-K), which is available free of charge at the SECs website at www.sec.gov. Information regarding the persons who may, under SEC rules, be deemed participants in the solicitation of proxies to Quantum stockholders in connection with the Proposed Transaction and other matters to be voted upon at Quantums special meeting of stockholders will be set forth in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Proposed Transaction when available. Additional information regarding the interests of the participants in the solicitation of proxies from Quantums stockholders with respect to the Proposed Transaction will be contained in the proxy statement/prospectus for the Proposed Transaction when available.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This communication contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, that reflect AtlasClears and Quantums current views with respect to, among other things, the future operations and financial performance of AtlasClear, Quantum and the combined company. Forward-looking statements in this communication may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, assume, believe, continue, could, estimate, expect, foreseeable, future, intend, may, outlook, plan, potential, proposed predict, project, seek, should, target, trends, will, would and similar terms and phrases. Forward-looking statements contained in this communication include, but are not limited to, statements as to (i) expectations regarding the Proposed Transaction, including timing for its consummation, (ii) anticipated use of proceeds from the transaction, (iii) AtlasClear and Quantums expectations as to various operational results and market conditions, (iv) AtlasClears anticipated growth strategy, including the proposed acquisitions, (v) anticipated benefits of the Proposed Transaction and proposed acquisitions, (vi) the financial technology of the combined entity, and (vii) expected listing of the combined company.

The forward-looking statements contained in this communication are based on the current expectations of AtlasClear, Quantum and their respective management and are subject to risks and uncertainties. No assurance can be given that future developments affecting AtlasClear, Quantum or the combined company will be those that are anticipated. Actual results may differ materially from current expectations due to changes in global, regional or local economic, business, competitive, market, regulatory and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of AtlasClear and Quantum. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of the assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary in material respects from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ may emerge from time to time, and it is not possible to predict all of them.

Such factors include, but are not limited to: the risk that the transaction may not be completed in a timely manner or at all; the risk that the transaction closes but AtlasClears acquisition of Commercial Bancorp and its subsidiary bank, FSB, does not close as a result of the failure to satisfy the conditions to closing such acquisition (including, without limitation, the receipt of approval of Commercial Bancorps stockholders and receipt of required regulatory approvals); the failure to obtain requisite approval for the transaction or meet other closing conditions; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstances that could give rise to the termination of the definitive agreement in respect of the transaction; failure to achieve sufficient cash available (taking into account all available financing sources) following any redemptions of Quantums public stockholders; failure to obtain the requisite approval of Quantums stockholders; failure to meet relevant listing standards in connection with the consummation of the transaction; failure to recognize the anticipated benefits of the transaction, which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of the combined entity to maintain relationships with customers and suppliers and strategic alliance third parties, and to retain its management and key employees; potential litigation relating to the proposed transaction; changes to the proposed structure of the transaction that may be required or appropriate as a result of the announcement and execution of the transaction; unexpected costs and expenses related to the transaction; estimates of AtlasClear and the combined companys financial performance being materially incorrect predictions; AtlasClears failure to complete the proposed acquisitions on favorable terms to AtlasClear or at all; AtlasClears inability to integrate, and to realize the benefits of, the proposed acquisitions; changes in general economic or political conditions; changes in the markets that AtlasClear targets or the combined company will target; slowdowns in securities or cryptocurrency trading or shifting demand for trading, clearing and settling financial products; the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic; any change in laws applicable to Quantum or AtlasClear or any regulatory or judicial interpretation thereof; and other factors, risks and uncertainties, including those to be included under the heading Risk Factors in the proxy statement/prospectus filed or to be later filed with the SEC, and those included under the heading Risk Factors in Quantums 2022 Form 10-K and its subsequent filings with the SEC. AtlasClear and Quantum caution that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. Any forward-looking statement made in this communication speaks only as of the date hereof. Plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements may not be achieved and no one should place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Neither AtlasClear nor Quantum undertake any obligation to update, revise or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required by any applicable securities laws.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005206/en/

Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation



Investors

[email protected]



Media

[email protected]

Source: Quantum FinTech Acquisition Corporation
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Audax Private Debt (Audax) announced that, as Administrative Agent and Lead Arranger, it provided a unitranche credit facility to support Amulet Capital Partners (Amulet) in their acquisition of minds + assembly (the Company).

Founded in 2015 and headquartered in New York City, minds + assembly is a full-service creative agency focused on providing healthcare communication solutions to pharmaceutical and biotechnology customers. The Company offers design, content development, brand commercialization, and marketing strategy services to help increase awareness of therapeutics addressing a variety of health conditions.

By leveraging the healthcare expertise and creative talent of their team, minds + assembly has established an impressive platform to service the needs of pharmaceutical companies, said Robin Dholaria, Managing Director at Audax Private Debt. We are excited to partner with Amulet as they seek to help the Company achieve their next phase of growth.

Audax Private Debt has been a collaborative partner to Amulet throughout the financing process. They were able to structure and execute an effective financing solution that we believe will position the Company for continued success moving forward, said Avi Uttamchandani, Principal at Amulet Capital Partners. We are thrilled to be partnering with Audax on this investment and look forward to leveraging their experience and capabilities as we execute on the Companys growth strategy.

About Audax Private Debt

Based in New York, Audax Private Debt is a leading debt capital partner for North American middle market companies. Since its inception in 2000, Audax Private Debt has invested over $34 billion across more than 1,100 companies in support of over 275 private equity sponsors and has raised over $27 billion in capital. The platform offers its clients a range of financing solutions, including first lien, stretch senior, unitranche, second lien and subordinated debt, as well as equity co-investments. With more than 50 investment professionals and over 190 employees, Audax Private Debt provides financing certainty, add-on investment capability, and the experience and collaborative approach to partner with private equity firms and their portfolio companies. For more information, please visit www.audaxprivatedebt.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Audax Private Debt is an integral part of Audax Group, a leading alternative investment manager with offices in Boston, New York, San Francisco, and London.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504006126/en/

Robin Dholaria

Audax Private Debt

(212) 703-2746

[email protected]

Media

FGS Global

Julie Rudnick / Zachary Tramonti

[email protected]

Source: Audax Private Debt
Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (front) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)

GOA, India, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday called on member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to uphold strategic independence and deepening security cooperation.

When delivering a speech at the SCO foreign ministers' meeting, Qin pointed out that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics.

The more chaotic and intertwined the international situation is, the more firmly the SCO, as a key constructive force in global and regional affairs, should display the Shanghai Spirit, said the Chinese foreign minister.

He put forward a five-point proposal to build a closer SCO community with a shared future.

First, upholding strategic independence, and enhancing solidarity and mutual trust. The SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues or inciting color revolutions, he said.

Second, deepening security cooperation and maintaining regional peace. The SCO members should continue to jointly crack down on the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism, drug trafficking and transnational organized crimes, support Afghanistan in establishing a broadly-based and inclusive political structure and combat any form of terrorism, Qin said.

Third, advocating openness and inclusiveness, and promoting interconnected development. The SCO members should resolutely oppose any act violating international economic order and market rules, so as to ensure smooth and stable industrial and supply chains, he said.

Fourth, upholding fairness and justice, and improving global governance. China is ready to coordinate and cooperate with other SCO members and jointly support the SCO's participation in implementing the major initiatives including that of building a community with a shared future for mankind, as well as the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, in order to establish a more just and rational international order, Qin said.

Fifth, developing a vision for long-term development and building mechanisms. The SCO should complete the process for the memberships of Iran and Belarus in an orderly manner, and enhance the organization's cohesion and capacity for action, he added.

Qin said China is willing to expand cooperation with other SCO member states, jointly move forward on the path of national development and revitalization, and work together toward building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Participants at the meeting spoke highly of the contributions to regional security and development made by the SCO as a major regional cooperation platform.

The SCO members said they support Afghanistan in achieving national stability and reconstruction, back the SCO to strengthen cooperation with the United Nations and BRICS countries, defend the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and uphold multilateralism.

They agreed to further strengthen security cooperation and jointly combat terrorism, separatism, drug production and trafficking, and cyber crimes.

They also pledged to enhance cooperation in such areas as transport, energy, finance, investment, free trade, digital economy and environmental protection so as to achieve common development.

In addition, they agreed to accelerate the building of the SCO secretariat and the regional anti-terrorism institutions, and advance the SCO membership expansion process in an orderly manner in order to promote the international influence of the SCO.

The ministerial meeting made full preparations for the SCO summit to be held in New Delhi this summer. 

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (4th R) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers' meeting in Goa, India, May 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)
WALLA WALLA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Newsweek has named Banner Bank one of Americas Most Trustworthy Companies 2023. This prestigious list is compiled by Newsweek, in collaboration with market research partner Statista Inc., the world-leading statistics portal and industry ranking provider.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005468/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

Banner is in good company, sharing the list with some of the most well-known brands in the country, said President and CEO Mark Grescovich. Being recognized as one of the most trustworthy companies in the nation is a tremendous compliment, especially considering the current economic environment. We believe its a reflection of our long history to always do the right thing for all our stakeholders.

America's Most Trustworthy Companies were identified in an independent survey based on a vast sample of U.S. residents who rated companies they know in terms of all three touchpoints of trust: customer trust, investor trust, and employee trust. They were asked how much they agreed with statements like "I trust in this company to treat me fairly as its customer," "I believe this company offers good opportunities for career development," and "I believe this company would be a good long-term investment."

A total of 95,000 evaluations were submitted. All U.S. public and private companies with more than $500 million in revenue were considered in the study. From Newsweek and Statista teams selected the most trustworthy companies across 23 industries. In the banking industry category, Banner ranked very well at seventh of the 37 companies that made this years list.

View the full list of all companies on the Newsweek 2023 list.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005468/en/

Kelly McPhee, Senior Vice President, PR & Communications [email protected]

Source: Banner Bank
Grand opening event celebrates Beldens return to Chicago

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Belden Inc. (NYSE: BDC), a leading global supplier of network infrastructure and digitization solutions, has opened the companys fourth Customer Innovation Center (CIC) in Chicago, Illinois. The event brought together customers, partners and Belden leaders and showcased Beldens capabilities to provide customized Industry 4.0 solutions to build a reliable network foundation for the digital world.

To commemorate the opening, an exclusive event celebrating the newly commissioned Customer Innovation Center was held on May 4th and marked a return of the company to its roots. The location in Americas heartland holds special historical significance for the company as it was founded by Joseph C. Belden in Chicago in 1902. The original Belden home office was located on the top floor of a five-story building at 116-118 Michigan Street in Chicagos Loop district.

Customer Innovation Centers, also known as CICs, are one of Beldens newest methods of delivering value to customers by providing a space where solutions can be crafted and validated onsite. The new Chicago center provides an ecosystem for Belden customers to co-innovate with sales and product engineers to develop, test, document, and validate proven solutions that drive efficiency, security and innovation.

We are thrilled to open the doors of our flagship Customer Innovation Center and return to the great city of Chicago, said Andries Boone, Managing Director, Solutions Delivery at Belden. This milestone is so much more than a facility opening, it represents the future of Belden and our commitment to collaborating, driving innovation and building solutions with our customers. We are looking forward to welcoming guests for many years to come.

Belden uses a vendor-agnostic approach to provide best-in-class consulting to transform ideas into solutions and technical support, empowering companies to feel secure and maintain focus on their business objectives. The Belden CIC model was developed to address key business goals and outcomes that encompass various areas of customers operations. These include safety, automation, quality, and productivity, all tested to simulate challenges and stressors a network may face.

A team of Belden technologists and application experts work together to accelerate the design and implementation of future-ready networks, beginning with Solutions Architects who develop modular solutions that can be customized for each customer. Digital Automation Consultants then study customers existing networks to recommend opportunities for enhanced digitization and data flow management. These recommendations are customized in collaboration with the customer and Solutions Consultants, who then validate the solution with the architects in our validation lab. Finally, Service Engineers provide on-site implementation and post-sales support. All of these steps in the CIC model are designed to provide a complete solution that reduces risk for the customer while enabling their digital transformation journey.

The first of five Belden Customer Innovation Centers opened in 2021 in Stuttgart, Germany. A second location opened in Santa Clara, California in 2022 and a third location was unveiled in Shanghai, China in March of 2023. Later this year, following the opening of the Chicago location, Belden plans to launch a Customer Innovation Center in Bangalore, India.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Chicago Customer Innovation Center. To learn more about what is possible at a Belden CIC, visit the Customer Innovation Center (belden.com).

About Belden

Belden Inc. delivers the infrastructure that makes the digital journey simpler, smarter and secure. Were moving beyond connectivity, from what we make to what we make possible through a performance-driven portfolio, forward-thinking expertise and purpose-built solutions. With a legacy of quality and reliability spanning 120-plus years, we have a strong foundation to continue building the future. We are headquartered in St. Louis and have manufacturing capabilities in North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. For more information, visit us at www.belden.com; follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

Belden and the Belden logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Belden Inc. or its affiliated companies in the United States and other jurisdictions. Belden and other parties may also have trademark rights in other terms used herein.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005298/en/

Katie Babbitt

Director, Corporate Communications

(463) 248-8441

[email protected]

Source: Belden Inc
Join CACI and Torchlight AI on May 8 during SOF Week 2023 to discuss Theater Special Operations Commands (TSOC)

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CACI International Inc.s (NYSE: CACI) Bluestone Analytics and Torchlight AI (Torchlight) announced today a strategic partnership to provide the DarkPursuit capability within the Torchlight Catalyst platform. This partnership will provide Torchlight customers, mainly Special Operations Forces (SOF), with safe and secure access to browse the open, deep, and dark web.

"We are excited to partner with Torchlight to provide SOF customers with safe and secure access to Dark Web and open-source channels through the DarkPursuit infrastructure, said Meisha Lutsey, President of Operations Support and Services. This partnership offers SOF customers a way to accelerate obtaining critical information that can give them an advantage over our adversaries.

CACIs DarkPursuit is a capability within the DarkBlue Intelligence Suite that enables users to pivot from analysis and targeting activity to secure virtual browsing on the open, deep, and dark web (Tor, I2P, Freenet, and ZeroNet).

Bluestone Analytics, acquired by CACI in 2021, is a leader in Dark Web exploitation and analysis. Its DarkBlue Intelligence Platform assists defense, security, and intelligence customers in searching and analyzing critical data on the deep and dark web and on select open-source intelligence (OSINT) platforms. Torchlight provides exclusive data through a battle-tested user interface with a library of 17,000+ threat behaviors to streamline analytic processes that enhance decision-making.

With access to the DarkPursuit tool, Torchlight has enhanced its capability for real-time, enhanced decision-making across the spectrum of SOF challenges, including irregular warfare.

Torchlight provides AI-enabled risk intelligence software designed to protect people, property, and ideas. For SOF customers, Torchlight uses behavioral analytics to identify leading indicators of risk at scale and globally. With Catalyst, customers can easily build and deploy custom AI models for a wide range of mission-oriented use cases, including natural language processing, image and video analysis, predictive analytics, and more.

"Torchlight is thrilled to partner with CACI, a leading provider of technology and expertise to the federal government. CACIs DarkPursuit technology is an industry gold standard and fills a capability gap that helps us to provide our customers, especially SOF, with the advantage they need," said James Bourie, Chief Executive Officer of Torchlight. "Together, we will leverage our collective capabilities to deliver innovative solutions that drive mission success."

Meet CACI and Torchlight at SOF Week 2023, May 8-12, in Tampa, Florida

The Greater NDIA Tampa Bay Chapter in partnership with the SEAL Legacy Foundation, Torchlight AI, and CACI will host a panel discussion on Countering GPC through strategic deterrence by optimizing TSOC interoperability with commercial data.

Join us on May 8 at 6 p.m. ET by registering here: https://www.seallegacy.org/events/ndia-tampa/

The discussion will be moderated by Leslie Babich, Director of SOFWERX

Panelists include:

Col. Rhea Pritchett, Program Executive Officer (PEO), SOF Digital Applications

Mr. John Markham, Deputy Division Chief J39, SOCOM

Ms. Faye Cuevas, Deputy Chief of Staff, SOCAF

Vice Adm. (Ret.), Robert Sharp, NGA Director, (former)

Or visit CACI in booth #1313 to learn more.

ABOUT CACI

CACIs approximately 22,000 talented employees are ever vigilant in providing the unique expertise and distinctive technology that address our customers greatest enterprise and mission challenges. Our culture of good character, innovation, and excellence drives our success and earns us recognition as a Fortune World's Most Admired Company. As a member of the Fortune 1000 Largest Companies, the Russell 1000 Index, and the S&P MidCap 400 Index, we consistently deliver strong shareholder value. Visit us at www.caci.com.

There are statements made herein which do not address historical facts, and therefore could be interpreted to be forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are subject to factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from anticipated results. The factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in CACIs Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022, and other such filings that CACI makes with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. Any forward-looking statements should not be unduly relied upon and only speak as of the date hereof.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504006073/en/

Corporate Communications and Media:

Lorraine Corcoran

Executive Vice President, Corporate Communications

(703) 434-4165, [email protected]

Investor Relations:

Daniel Leckburg

Senior Vice President, Investor Relations

(703) 841-7666, [email protected]

Source: CACI International Inc
SaaS security leader demonstrates commitment to helping organizations understand and remediate data leakage risks in all SaaS applications.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Please replace the release dated 03-Mar-2023 12:30 PM ET with the following corrected version due to multiple revisions.

The updated release reads:

APPOMNI LAUNCHES FREE SAAS DATA LEAKAGE DETECTION SCANNER

SaaS security leader demonstrates commitment to helping organizations understand and remediate data leakage risks in all SaaS applications.

AppOmni, the leader in SaaS Security, has announced its free SaaS Data Leakage Detection Scanner to help organizations secure their SaaS platforms from data exposure risks and misconfigurations.

SaaS data leaks recently identified by Krebs on Security have resulted in exposure of numerous organizations sensitive data. These data leaks occur when SaaS customers access control permissions are misconfigured. The reported misconfigurations, along with others previously discovered by AppOmnis Principal SaaS Security Engineer Aaron Costello, are frequent targets for threat actors seeking to compromise an organizations SaaS estate.

AppOmnis SaaS Data Leakage Detection Scanner will evaluate SaaS instances for misconfigurations and data exposure risks. The scanner will then determine if a SaaS application is impacted by the recently disclosed data exposures and provide steps for remediating them.

The scanner is available at appomni.com. These data leaks  and the permissions misconfigurations that led to them  reinforce the urgency for organizations of all stripes to prioritize SaaS security, Brendan OConnor, AppOmni CEO and Co-Founder, said. The importance of identifying and mitigating these risks cannot be overstated.

As SaaS products have grown exponentially more powerful and complex, ensuring correct security and access configuration settings are in place across the SaaS ecosystem is increasingly challenging for overburdened SaaS application owners and security teams. The matter is further complicated as SaaS providers routinely introduce new features into their products and enable them by default, boosting the likelihood of inadvertently exposing SaaS customers to new risks.

AppOmni is the leader in identifying and remediating these SaaS security risks. The company provides security and IT teams, along with SaaS applications owners, advanced security tooling to understand and remediate misconfigurations, overpermissioned users, data exposure risks, and unsanctioned SaaS-to-SaaS connections. These prevention measures are complemented with AppOmnis threat detection capabilities to drastically diminish the attack surface and help security teams make smarter decisions, faster.

H-ISAC Spring Americas Summit attendees can visit AppOmni at Booth 47 between May 9 - 11 to speak with SaaS data exposure and misconfiguration experts. The ISAC community represents the best in cybersecurity information-sharing and professional growth, and our team is ready and eager to help all ISAC members protect their organizations most sensitive SaaS data, OConnor added.

For more information about securing SaaS apps, visit appomni.com. Or email [email protected] to learn more.

About AppOmni

AppOmni is the leader in SaaS Security. AppOmni provides unprecedented data access visibility, management, and security of SaaS solutions, enabling organizations to secure mission-critical and sensitive data. AppOmnis patent-pending technology deeply scans APIs, security controls, and configuration settings to evaluate the current state of SaaS deployments and compare against best practices and business intent. With AppOmni, organizations can establish rules for data access, data sharing, and SaaS-to-SaaS applications that will be continuously and automatically validated. The companys leadership team brings expertise and innovation from leading SaaS providers, high tech companies, and cybersecurity vendors. Backed by Cisco Investments, Salesforce Ventures, ServiceNow Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and more, AppOmni was recently named as a PURE CYBER 100 Companies To Watch In 2023 and one of CyberTech 100s Companies for 2022. The company has been recognized as a Dark Reading Cybersecurity Vendor to Watch and a SINET16 Innovator.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230503005711/en/

Jesse Butts

Head of Content and Communications

AppOmni

[email protected]

Source: AppOmni
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Dillon Consulting Limited is pleased to announce that it has acquired Internat Energy Solutions Canada (IESC), an engineering consulting firm committed to promoting a sustainable economy, government, and society. Founded in 2009 with offices in Toronto and Calgary, Internat Energy Solutions Canada has been providing private and public sector clients with comprehensive energy management solutions across North America. With a focus on energy conservation and efficiency; GHG reduction strategies; and the integration of renewable energy production, Internat has been supporting energy transition and decarbonization for more than 15 years.

We are thrilled to announce the acquisition of IESC, a leading energy management firm that will allow us to expand our offerings and accelerate the energy transition and decarbonization for our clients. We have collaborated with IESC for several years and witnessed their remarkable expertise and experience in implementing sustainable solutions. Our values are aligned, and we are excited to join forces and deliver solutions that enable our clients to achieve their decarbonization and energy transition objectives. With this acquisition, we are poised to meet the growing demand and need for sustainable solutions, and we look forward to the exciting opportunities ahead. - Sean Hanlon, CEO, Dillon Consulting Limited

On behalf of IESC, we are excited to have the next chapter of our evolution to be with Dillon, a company that aligns in strategy, core values and vision with which our organization was founded on. There is anticipation for the opportunities that will develop from our industry leading experience and expertise, paired with Dillon's exceptional reputation within the broader consulting community. The landscape of our industry is changing as the movement towards a low carbon economy, locally and internationally, rapidly accelerates. With this change, IESC is poised to become an integral part of the Dillon team and secure a continued prominent role in this energy transition - Livio Nichilo, CEO, Internat Energy Solutions Canada

The acquisition of IESC is anticipated to accelerate the growth of Dillons new Energy Transition Business Unit and support the continued growth of Dillons Facilities Business Unit by strengthening their technical depth in the Ontario Market. Internat Energy Solutions Canadas values are strongly aligned with those of Dillons. The addition of the entrepreneurial leaders of Internat as owners of Dillon, strengthens and supports the growth and sustainability of Dillons employee-owned firm.

Founded in 1946, Dillon is an established, employee-owned professional consulting firm specializing in planning, management, engineering, and environmental science. With over 20 offices and more than 1,000 employees across Canada, Dillon offers a wide range of services related to building and improving facilities and infrastructure, protecting the environment, and developing communities. www.dillon.ca

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005023/en/

For media inquiries:

Dennis Heinrichs

[email protected]

(204-223-3844)

Source: Dillon Consulting Limited
Portfolio of assets generates a collective 188 MW of solar, wind, and run-of-river hydropower renewable energy

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- EnfraGen, LLC (EnfraGen), a developer, owner, and operator of specialized sustainable and renewable power and grid stability assets in Latin America owned by Glenfarne Energy Transition, LLC (Glenfarne), a global energy transition leader providing critical solutions to lower the worlds carbon footprint, and leading global private markets firm Partners Group, on behalf of its clients, today announced they have entered into an agreement to acquire six assets in Panama and Costa Rica with a combined capacity of 188 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy from Grupo Argos (symbol: GrupoArgos) subsidiary, Celsia S.A. (symbol: CELSIA), a Colombian electricity company focused on renewable energies and energy efficiency.

Brendan Duval, CEO and Founder of EnfraGen and Glenfarne Energy Transition, LLC, commented, This acquisition continues to expand EnfraGens diversified renewable energy portfolio and progresses our mission to accelerate the energy transition in Latin America and beyond. Continued investment in these high-quality and high-growth markets aligns well with EnfraGens objectives.

The transaction includes the acquisition of EnfraGens first wind and Costa Rican asset. The renewable power facilities in the transaction are:

Dos Mares Hydro Complex (DMA): three run-of-river (ROR) downstream hydro plants in Panama totaling 119.0 MW of installed capacity.

Prudencia and Divisa (Solar Plants): two solar PV plants in Panama totaling 19.7 MW of installed capacity.

Guanacaste Wind Farm (PEG): one wind installation located in Costa Rica totaling 49.5 MW of installed capacity.

Ed Diffendal, Managing Director and Co-Head of Private Infrastructure Americas at Partners Group, commented, The acquisition of these renewable energy assets should positively impact EnfraGens financial performance and geographically diversify its portfolio. EnfraGen is growing in a sustainable manner that is helping the global energy transition, which reflects Partners Group's commitment to investing in next-generation infrastructure platforms.

Panama has always been an attractive market for potential expansion by EnfraGen strategically driven by its well-run U.S. dollar-based economy and our five years of positive and successful operations with our existing run-of-river hydro assets in the country, said Bryan Murphy, President and General Counsel of EnfraGen. Panamas power market is properly regulated, runs efficiently, and has embraced the energy transition, which are three important items that we consider when growing EnfraGen.

Upon closing of the transaction, EnfraGens operational and in-construction assets will total over 2.1 GW of capacity across Chile, Panama, Colombia, and Costa Rica with corporate offices located in Houston and New York in the United States. EnfraGen most recently acquired four run-of-river hydropower assets in southern Chile, totaling 13.6 MW.

Paul Hastings LLP, SIGMA Law Firm in Panama, and Dentons Munoz in Costa Rica acted as legal advisors for EnfraGen.

About EnfraGen, LLC

EnfraGen is a developer, owner, and operator of grid stability and value-added renewable energy infrastructure businesses across Latin America. EnfraGens grid stability assets supply flexible capacity and energy to local and regional grids in support of renewable power plant intermittent energy production. EnfraGens renewable plants are smaller scale, distributed solar photovoltaic and hydroelectric assets that take advantage of unique access points to electrical infrastructure or are located in optimized geographical locations. The business mission is to support the transition to zero-carbon emission electric grids.

EnfraGen is jointly controlled by Glenfarne Energy Transition, LLC, and global private markets investment manager Partners Group, on behalf of its clients, and has operational and in-construction assets across its subsidiaries totaling over 2.1 GW of installed capacity upon completion of its most recent acquisition. The company, including its affiliates and subsidiaries, is supported by a team of nearly 400 professionals. EnfraGen maintains offices and assets in Chile, Panama, Colombia, and the United States. For more information, please visit www.EnfraGen.com.

About Glenfarne Energy Transition

Glenfarne Energy Transition is a wholly owned subsidiary of Glenfarne Group, a privately held energy and infrastructure development and management firm based in New York City and Houston, Texas, with offices in Dallas, Texas; Panama City, Panama; Santiago, Chile; Bogota, Colombia; Barcelona, Spain; and Seoul, South Korea. Glenfarne Energy Transition aims to address the here and now global energy transition through three core businesses: Global LNG Solutions, Renewables, and Grid Stability. The companys seasoned executives, asset managers, and operators develop, acquire, manage, and operate energy infrastructure assets throughout North and South America. For more information, please visit www.GlenfarneEnergyTransition.com.

About Partners Group

Partners Group is a leading global private markets firm. Since 1996, the firm has invested over USD 195 billion in private equity, private real estate, private debt, and private infrastructure on behalf of its clients globally. Partners Group seeks to generate superior returns through capitalizing on thematic growth trends and transforming attractive businesses and assets into market leaders. The firm is a committed, responsible investor and aims to create sustainable returns with lasting, positive impact for all its stakeholders. With over USD 135 billion in assets under management as of 31 December 2022, Partners Group provides an innovative range of bespoke client solutions to institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, family offices and private individuals globally. The firm employs more than 1,800 diverse professionals across 20 offices worldwide and has regional headquarters in Baar-Zug, Switzerland; Denver, USA; and Singapore. It has been listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange since 2006 (symbol: PGHN). For more information, please visit www.partnersgroup.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

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Kris Cole

[email protected]

(310) 652-1411

Source: EnfraGen, LLC
HF-GRO Will Fund Pre-Clinical Research in Aging Biology and Geroscience

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hevolution Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides grants and early-stage investments to incentivize research and entrepreneurship in healthspan science, is launching a new grants program, Hevolution Foundation - Geroscience Research Opportunities (HF-GRO). HF-GRO will provide funding for pre-clinical research in aging biology and geroscience in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The program has a budget of up to $25 million for the remainder of 2023, and up to $115 million over five years.

We see HF-GRO as a major step on the path to funding a significant amount of promising aging biology and geroscience research on an international scale, commented Felipe Sierra, PhD, Hevolution Foundations Chief Scientific Officer. We anticipate releasing calls covering other geographic areas in the coming months.

Funded projects are expected to last four to five years, with direct costs of each project anticipated to be in the range of $300,000 to $500,000 annually. The HF-GRO Awards are for basic and translational research only (not clinical trials).

The American Federation for Aging Research (AFAR) is providing programmatic support for the HF-GRO program for Hevolution Foundation. Information and related materials about this funding opportunity may be found here. Questions about HF-GRO may be directed to [email protected].

About Hevolution Foundation

Founded in the belief that every person has the right to live a longer, healthier life, Hevolution Foundation is a global catalyst, partner, and convener, on a mission to drive efforts to extend healthy human lifespan and understand the processes of aging. Hevolution Foundation aims to increase the number of aging-related treatments on the market, compress the timeline of drug development, and increase accessibility to therapeutics that extend healthy lifespan, also known as healthspan. A non-profit organization headquartered in Riyadh, with an annual budget of up to $1 Billion, Hevolution Foundation plans to open hubs in North America and other global locations to support a cutting-edge, global ecosystem of talent to propel aging and geroscience research forward and achieve medical breakthroughs to help humanity live healthier, longer.

Connect with Hevolution Foundation on LinkedIn, Twitter and at Hevolution.com.

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Media for Hevolution Foundation:

[email protected]

Source: Hevolution Foundation
Hyatts 2023 Investor Day on May 11th to Focus on Hyatts Transformation

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Hyatt Hotels Corporation (Hyatt or the Company) (NYSE: H) announced today additional details for its Investor Day on Thursday, May 11, 2023. The event, which is themed "The New Hyatt: Fee-Based, Resilient, and Asset-Light," will be streamed live from the luxury, all-inclusive Moxche Resort in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and will include investors and analysts on site for the event.

Weve made substantial progress advancing our strategy over the past several years and look forward to sharing details on our strategic initiatives, growth trajectory, and exciting future, said Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer at Hyatt.

Featured speakers for the event include:

Thomas Pritzker, Executive Chairman;

Mark Hoplamazian, President and Chief Executive Officer;

Joan Bottarini, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer;

Margaret Egan, Executive Vice President and General Counsel;

Mark Vondrasek, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer;

Additional members of Hyatts leadership team.

"We're excited to provide an inside look into Hyatts transformational journey," said Joan Bottarini, Chief Financial Officer at Hyatt. "At our Investor Day, we'll be discussing how our fee-based, resilient, and asset-light model is driving growth and strong results. We look forward to sharing our progress and plans for the future."

In-person attendance is by invitation only due to limited capacity. However, interested parties can register and access the live stream through the Companys website at investors.hyatt.com. The event will begin at 8:30am CT on Thursday, May 11, 2023. Additionally, the event will be recorded in its entirety and recordings will be available beginning at 2:30pm CT the same day. A copy of the slide presentation will be available on the Companys website at investors.hyatt.com on the morning of May 11, 2023, prior to the commencement of the event.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company guided by its purpose  to care for people so they can be their best. As of March 31, 2023, the Companys portfolio included more than 1,250 hotels and all-inclusive properties in 75 countries across six continents. The Company's offering includes brands in the Timeless Collection, including Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt, Hyatt Residence Club, Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Studios, and UrCove; the Boundless Collection, including Miraval, Alila, Andaz, Thompson Hotels, Dream Hotels, Hyatt Centric, and Caption by Hyatt; the Independent Collection, including The Unbound Collection by Hyatt, Destination by Hyatt, and JdV by Hyatt; and the Inclusive Collection, including Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Zoetry Wellness & Spa Resorts, Secrets Resorts & Spas, Breathless Resorts & Spas, Dreams Resorts & Spas, Hyatt Vivid Hotels & Resorts, Alua Hotels & Resorts, and Sunscape Resorts & Spas. Subsidiaries of the Company operate the World of Hyatt loyalty program, ALG Vacations, Unlimited Vacation Club, Amstar DMC destination management services, and Trisept Solutions technology services. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Forward-Looking Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements include statements about our 2023 Investor Day, plans, strategies, and outlook. Our actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. In some cases, you can identify forward-looking statements by the use of words such as may, could, expect, intend, plan, seek, anticipate, believe, estimate, predict, potential, continue, likely, will, would and variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by us and our management, are inherently uncertain, and are subject to numerous assumptions and uncertainties, many of which are outside the Companys control, which could cause our actual results, performance or achievements could differ materially from those expressed in or implied by any of our forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any of these forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

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Media:

Franziska Weber

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

+ 1 312-780-6106

[email protected]

Investors:

Noah Hoppe

Hyatt Hotels Corporation

+ 1 312-780-5991

[email protected]

Source: Hyatt Hotels Corporation
SACRAMENTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Inszone Insurance Services, a rapidly growing national provider of benefits, personal, and commercial lines insurance, reached a company milestone this past week. The company has completed six deals within a single week, including four acquisitions on Friday, April 28th, setting a new internal record. This impressive performance demonstrates Inszone Insurance's unwavering commitment to growth and expansion, as well as the successful entry into the New Mexico market.

The company's mergers and acquisitions team has been relentless in identifying and evaluating potential acquisition targets, resulting in the successful completion of these deals. This outstanding accomplishment demonstrates Inszone Insurance's resilience and exceptional performance amid a decline in M&A activity among other companies in the industry. By setting a new internal record, Inszone has cemented its position as a strong player in the M&A space, continuing its responsible and aggressive growth strategy with ambitious goals for the remainder of the year. The recent acquisitions and the expansion into New Mexico further solidify the company's commitment to increasing its market presence and providing exceptional services to its clients.

"We are immensely proud of our team's dedication and hard work, which has been a driving force behind Inszone's growth and expansion," said Chris Walters, CEO of Inszone Insurance. "I want to extend my gratitude to our exceptional M&A team, whose efforts have been instrumental in maintaining our position as a formidable player in the M&A space. As we continue to pursue our ambitious goals for the remainder of the year, we remain focused on capitalizing on the opportunities these acquisitions present and delivering exceptional services to our clients."

Inszone Insurance looks forward to sharing more details on these acquisitions soon. The company remains committed to a seamless transition for clients and leveraging the opportunities these deals provide, reinforcing its position as an industry leader and setting the stage for future growth.

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Sacramento, California, Inszone is a full-service insurance brokerage firm that provides a broad array of property & casualty insurance, along with employee benefits solutions. With a strong, experienced management team, Inszone continues to grow organically, as well as through acquisitions. With 42 locations across California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Michigan, Missouri, Oregon, Texas, Illinois, and New Mexico the company is looking to further expand throughout the United States.

For more information about Inszone, please visit www.inszoneinsurance.com/mergers-acquisition

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Inszone Insurance

Chris Walters  CEO

714-619-5620

[email protected]

Source: Inszone Insurance Services
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kathleen Wilkinson has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Third Circuit. (Her husband, Thomas G. Wilkinson Jr. will receive the same award.) Chief Judge Michael A. Chagares will present the awards in Philadelphia on May 10. Wilkinson is a partner at the Philadelphia firm Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman and Dicker LLP and specializes in complex civil litigation.

With 40 years of litigation experience, she is regularly entrusted by clients with their most difficult matters, frequently involving death and severe injury, writes Dale G. Larrimore, Esquire, past president of the Villanova Law J. Willard OBrien American Inn of Court. But it is not for her litigation skills that our Inn is nominating Kathleen for this award. What is special is that in achieving successful results for her clients, she has done it the right waywith unquestioned integrity and dedication to upholding the rules of ethics, while at the same time giving back to the bar and community.

Throughout her career, Wilkinson has been an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She served as the associations president in 2021 and 2022 and led the associations House of Delegates to adopt the American Bar Associations Seven Point Wellness Pledge. She is also a member of the American Bar Associations House of Delegates.

In 2013, Wilkinson served as chancellor of the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association, the countrys oldest metropolitan bar association. In that role, she created the Chancellors Leadership Institute, which features programs on mentorship and leadership training for young and diverse attorneys. In 2019, the Philadelphia Bar Association gave her the Justice Sandra Day OConnor Award in recognition of her leadership within the legal community and her mentoring of other women attorneys.

Wilkinson is a founding member of the OBrien Inn and was its first woman president from 2004 to 2006. In 2022, she received the Legal Excellence and Professionalism Award from the Herbert B. Cohen American Inn of Court.

Wilkinson earned a summa cum laude undergraduate degree from Kean College in Union, New Jersey, and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the Villanova Law Review. In 2013, she received the Villanova Law Alumni Association Gerald Abraham Award for Service.

The American Inns of Court, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, inspires the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The organizations membership includes nearly 30,000 federal, state, and local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students in more than 360 chapters nationwide. More information is available at www.innsofcourt.org.

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American Inns of Court

Cindy Dennis

Awards & Scholarships Coordinator

(571) 319-4703

[email protected]

Source: American Inns of Court
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, capital of China, April 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Liu Bin)

In an opinion piece, The Economist downplayed Europe's ability to make independent decisions, disregarded international law and consensus regarding Taiwan and was seen as aligning with the views of the United States, just like a vassalized media organization.

BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron's call on Europe to develop more strategic autonomy lest the continent become a "vassal" in the event of a great-power confrontation has stirred up anxiety and furor in Western media. But he was later criticized by some Anglo-Saxon media for making a "blunder," though he merely told the truth.



In an opinion piece, The Economist downplayed Europe's ability to make independent decisions, disregarded international law and consensus regarding Taiwan and was seen as aligning with the views of the United States, just like a vassalized media organization.

During an interview on his flight back from China in April, Macron said it was not the continent's business "getting caught up in crises that are not ours," and "the worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and adapt to the American rhythm or a Chinese overreaction."

The Economist enumerated Macron's "two errors" in the interview, claiming his words sowed further division inside the bloc, peeled Europe away from the United States and undermined "allied support for Taiwan."

However, these arguments are rendered invalid by the following basic facts. First, Washington treats the bloc only as a "selective ally," with their ally-ship subject to the U.S. interests. Second, the Taiwan question is purely an internal matter for China and brooks no external interference.

A staff member hangs a U.S. national flag before U.S. President Joe Biden arrives for the European Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium, March 24, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Cheng)

The United States, a master of the "beggar-thy-ally" scheme, has never wanted a united and autonomous Europe. The distrust and divide in Europe and between the two sides of the Atlantic should be ascribed to self-serving Washington, as reflected by the Ukraine crisis.

Pascal Boniface, director of the Institute for International and Strategic Affairs in Paris, opines that Washington has utilized the crisis to keep Europe permanently dependent on the United States.

By inflaming the Ukraine situation, the United States has reaped considerable profits from Europe, pushing the continent to bear all the painful consequences, such as the energy fiasco and selling it energy at much higher prices when it desperately needed gas. Macron was quoted as saying last year "That is not exactly the meaning of friendship."

With the transatlantic rift deepening in recent years, the voice calling for Europe's "strategic autonomy" is simultaneously growing. In mid-April, European Council President Charles Michel suggested that Macron's position was not isolated among EU leaders but instead reflected an ongoing tendency among them.

As for the Taiwan question, there is only one China, and Taiwan is part of China; this is an indisputable fact supported by history and law. Any attempt to distort these facts and dispute or deny the one-China principle will fail.

Apart from Macron, many European leaders, including Michel, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, have recently reiterated their commitment to the one-China policy on various diplomatic occasions.

(From L to R) French President Emmanuel Macron, U.S. President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are pictured during the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in Schloss Elmau in south Germany's Bavarian Alps on June 26, 2022. (Xinhua/Guo Chen)

The suspicion and hysteria sparked by Macron's truthful remarks have highlighted the hypocrisy and fragility of "Western unity."

Meanwhile, the Economist represented a crowd of self-righteous elites in the West who elevate themselves by smearing others and seek to bolster Western hegemony while pretending that it claims a moral high ground. By the way, the UK is not as seriously affected as its neighbors on the European continent in the Ukraine crisis.

The Economist concluded, "Together, America and Europe may or may not prevail. Apart, they will usher in a Chinese century" -- a typical piece of the dualistic discourse.

In fact, China advocates for a multipolar world and greater democracy in international relations but never a so-called "Chinese century." And what the Economist fears most is that China's development will drive the Global South's pursuit for a more just, balanced and democratic world, thereby ending a Western-centric, hegemonic era.
Kinaxis becomes the first vendor to occupy the furthest positions on both axes in the report, which it believes reinforces its continued delivery of proven business value for supply chain resiliency and agility

OTTAWA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kinaxis Inc. (TSX: KXS), the authority in driving agility for fast, confident decision-making in an unpredictable world, today announced it has been named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions1. Of the 20 vendors evaluated, Gartner positioned Kinaxis furthest on the Completeness of Vision axis, as well as highest on the Ability to Execute axis, making Kinaxis the first and only vendor to have ever placed the furthest on both axes in this report. Kinaxis attributes this position to its proprietary concurrent planning technique, vision for the future, including use of AI to empower teams, and track record of quickly deploying the RapidResponse platform to deliver value for customers.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504006120/en/

(Graphic: Business Wire)

A complimentary copy of the report can be downloaded from the Kinaxis website. This is the ninth consecutive time Kinaxis has been named a Leader in a Gartner Magic Quadrant related to supply chain planning. Kinaxis dedication to the craft of planning is shown through its customer co-innovation, investment in academic and professional supply chain communities, and its commitment to help more companies transition to advance planning faster with its Planning One foundational package and RapidStart implementation approach.

With the rate of global disruption accelerating, now more than ever its critical that supply chain leaders make decisions that not only benefit profits, but people and the planet as well. That requires a level of agility only possible by embracing concurrent planning, said John Sicard, CEO of Kinaxis. We believe our consistent placement as a Leader and recognition for our vision and ability to execute is a testament to how well we empower companies to make fast, confident decisions no matter how often things change.

Leading manufacturers around the world in aerospace and defense, automotive, consumer products, high-tech and electronics, industrial, life sciences and pharmaceuticals, and retail trust Kinaxis as a valued supply chain partner, including Leonardo DRS, Mazda, Eaton, Siemens Healthcare and more.

With multiple planning applications powered by the single Kinaxis RapidResponse platform, companies can choose from highly personalized transformation journeys to tailorable rapid deployments that can be deployed in-production in as few as 12 weeks with Kinaxis or a value-added reseller partner. Companies of all sizes can now transition to advanced concurrent planning with a low-risk, low-cost starting point to accelerate value realization.

Kinaxis Planning.AI advanced analytical approach automatically detects and fuses the best combination of heuristics, optimization and machine learning, providing a highly accurate answer in the fastest time possible. Planning.AI matures planning processes across supply and demand, driving next-level business results across the end-to-end supply chain.

In 2022 Kinaxis acquired MPO, a European headquartered company that offers a unified global cloud-based SaaS platform for multi party orchestration of orders, inventory, and transport. The addition of order management, reverse logistics, and transportation management extends Kinaxis vision for concurrent supply chain orchestration, allowing a complete real-time picture of every order across the lifecycle  from planned commitment through ultimate delivery.

Gartner defines a supply chain planning solution as a platform providing technology support that allows a company to manage, link, align, collaborate and share its planning data across an extended supply chain. It supports demand creation through to the detailed supply-side response and from strategic through execution-level planning. A supply chain planning (SC) solution is the planning decision repository for a defined end-to-end supply chain and is the environment in which end-to-end integrated supply chain decisions are managed. It establishes a single version of the truth for the plan data and decisions, regardless of the underlying execution technology environment.

According to Gartner, Leaders demonstrate strong vision and execution capabilities for SCP solutions. They have broad, deep and differentiated functionality that addresses a broad range of user requirements. Their coverage of the main categories of planning capability  configure, optimize, respond and execution visibility (see Note 2)  is good enough, with a good balance across todays categories and/or those planned for the future. Leaders have a reasonable range of features to support organizations maturity journeys. Their visions for supporting a Level 5 maturity planning environment align well with Gartners vision. Leaders anticipate where customer demands and markets are moving, and clearly identify how innovative technologies can be applied to planning applications. They have strategies to support emerging requirements to build future-proof SCP solutions that focus on enabling both high-quality decision making and achieving a high degree of user adoption. Because Leaders are typically well-established in leading-edge, complex user environments, they benefit from user communities that help them remain at the forefront of emerging needs and innovation. Leaders exhibit strong financial performance and viability with their SCP solutions. Leaders generally have good market penetration, as well as broad functional penetration of their customers. Many customers have deployed a single instance of a Leaders SCP software that supports large planning models and a high degree of supply chain complexity.

For further information, you can access a complimentary copy of the full Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions report here.

Additional resources

1 Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Supply Chain Planning Solutions, P. Orup Lund,T. Payne, J. Suleski, C, Thomson, A. Salley, May 2, 2023.

Gartner Disclaimer:

Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner's research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, MAGIC QUADRANT is a registered trademark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

About Kinaxis Inc.

Everyday volatility and uncertainty demand quick action. Kinaxis delivers the agility to make fast, confident decisions across integrated business planning and the digital supply chain. People can plan better, live better and change the world. Trusted by innovative brands, we combine human intelligence with AI and concurrent planning to help companies plan for any future, monitor risks and opportunities and respond at the pace of change. Powered by an extensible, cloud-based platform, Kinaxis delivers industry-proven applications so everyone can know sooner, act faster and remove waste. For more Kinaxis news, visit Kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements as to Kinaxis' growth opportunities and the potential benefits of, and demand for, Kinaxis products and services. These statements are subject to certain assumptions, risks and uncertainties, including our view of the relative position of Kinaxis' products and services compared to competitive offerings in the industry. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such statements. Kinaxis' actual results, performance, achievements and developments may differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements. Risk factors that may cause the actual results, performance, achievements or developments of Kinaxis to differ materially from the results, performance, achievements or developments expressed or implied by such statements can be found in the public documents filed by Kinaxis with Canadian securities regulatory authorities. Kinaxis assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as expressly required by law.

Source: Kinaxis

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Media Relations

Jaime Cook | Kinaxis

[email protected]

289-552-4640



Investor Relations

Rick Wadsworth | Kinaxis

[email protected]

613-907-7613

Source: Kinaxis Inc.
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- All amounts are in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise indicated:

FIRST QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS

Average production for the first quarter of 2023 was 3,194 BOEPD, an increase of 203% compared to first quarter of 2022 average production of 1,054 BOEPD. The production increase is due to the additional production from the five wells in the 2022 drilling program.

Adjusted EBITDA(1) was $11.4 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2022. The increase was due to higher production partially offset by lower average prices.

Revenue, net of royalties was $14.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $5.5 million for the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 158%. The increase was due to higher production partially offset by lower average prices.

Net income in the first quarter of 2023 was $7.9 million, compared to a net loss of $2.5 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was due to higher production partially offset by lower average prices. In addition, the Company had an unrealized gain on commodity contracts in the first quarter of 2023 compared to an unrealized loss in the first quarter of 2022.

Average netback from operations(2) for the first quarter of 2023 was $43.67 per BOE, a decrease of 11% from the prior year first quarter of $48.91 per BOE due to lower average prices. Netback including commodity contracts(2) for the first quarter of 2023 was $42.23 per BOE compared to $36.88 in the first quarter of 2022, an increase of 15% from the prior year period. The increase compared to the prior year was due to lower realized losses from commodity contracts in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.04 per BOE in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $9.56 per BOE in the first quarter of 2022, a decrease of 37%. The decrease was due to lower production taxes and increased production which reduced the per barrel fixed costs.

At March 31, 2023, the Company had $6.8 million of available borrowing capacity on the credit facility. The Company is currently awaiting its next redetermination from the bank which is expected to occur in the second quarter of 2023.

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP measure. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release. (2) Netback from operations and netback including commodity contracts are considered non-GAAP ratios. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release.

Kolibris President and Chief Executive Officer, Wolf Regener commented:

We are pleased with the first quarter performance of the Company, which included production from the three wells that were drilled at the end of 2022. Those wells far exceeded our management type curve, as did all of our wells that were drilled in 2022. We started our 2023 drilling program with the drilling of the first three wells, which we expect will further increase our production and cash flow. Both the Barnes 8-2H (98% working interest) and the Barnes 8-3H (98% working interest) have been drilled and cased, and the Barnes 8-1H (98% working interest) is currently being drilled. We expect to begin fracture stimulation operations in late May 2023, with production expected to begin in June 2023.

Average production for the first quarter of 2023 was 3,194 BOEPD, an increase of 203% compared to first quarter of 2022 average production of 1,054 BOEPD. The production increase is due to the additional production from the five wells in the 2022 drilling program.

In the first quarter of 2023, we generated $11.4 million of adjusted EBITDA, compared to $2.8 million in the first quarter of 2022, which was an increase of 305%. The increase was due to higher average production of 203% partially offset by lower average prices of 16%.

Net revenue increased by 158% in the first quarter of 2023 due to higher average production partially offset by lower prices.

Net income in the first quarter of 2023 was $7.9 million, compared to a net loss of $2.5 million in the same period of 2022. The increase was due to higher production, partially offset by lower average prices. In addition, the Company had an unrealized gain on commodity contracts in the first quarter of 2023 compared to an unrealized loss in the first quarter of 2022.

Netback from operations(2) decreased to $43.67 per BOE in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $48.91 per BOE in the same period of 2022, a decrease of 11% due to lower average prices. Netback including commodity contracts(2) for the first quarter of 2023 was $42.23 per BOE compared to $36.88 in 2022, an increase of 15% from the prior year period. The increase compared to the prior year was due to lower realized losses from commodity contracts in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the first quarter of 2022.

Production and operating expense per barrel averaged $6.04 per BOE in the first quarter of 2023 compared to $9.56 per BOE in the first quarter of 2022, a decrease of 37%. The decrease was due to lower production taxes and increased production which reduced the per barrel fixed costs.

1st Qtr 2023 1st Qtr 2022 % Net income (loss): $ Thousands $ 7,896 $ (2,456 ) - $ per common share assuming dilution $ 0.22 $ (0.07 ) - Capital Expenditures $ 4,188 $ 7,401 (43 )% Adjusted EBITDA(1) $ 11,396 $ 2,812 305 % Average production per day (Boepd) 3,194 1,054 203 % Average price per boe $ 62.87 $ 74.97 (16 )% Netback from operations(2) $ 43.67 $ 48.91 (11 )% Netback including commodity contracts(2) $ 42.23 $ 36.88 15 % 3/31/2023 12/31/2022 Cash and Cash Equivalents $ 3,771 $ 1,037 Working Capital $ 113 $ (6,569 )

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP measure. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release. (2) Netback from operations and netback including commodity contracts are considered non-GAAP ratios. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release.

First Quarter 2023 versus First Quarter 2022

Oil and gas gross revenues totaled $16,278,000 in the first quarter of 2023 versus $6,179,000 in the first quarter of 2022. Oil revenues increased $10,099,000 or 163% as oil production increased by 240% to 2,431 bopd partially offset by an oil price decrease of $21.77 per barrel or 23% to $74.40 per barrel. Natural gas revenues increased $424,000, or 108%, to $815,000 as natural gas production increased by 132% to 2,138 mcfpd partially offset by a price decrease of 10% to $4.24/mcf. Natural gas liquids (NGLs) revenues increased $440,000, or 81%, as NGL production increased by 119% to 407 boepd partially offset by a price decrease of 17 to $26.77 per BOE.

Average production for the first quarter of 2023 was 3,194 BOEPD, an increase of 203% compared to first quarter of 2022 average production of 1,054 BOEPD. The production increase is due to the additional production from the five wells in the 2022 drilling program.

Production and operating expenses for the first quarter of 2023 was $1.6 million compared to $0.9 million in the prior year period, an increase of 77%. The increase is due to the increase in production of 203% partially offset by lower production taxes and compressor costs which are accounted for as leases under IFRS 16 and therefore not included in the first quarter of 2023 production and operating expenses. Production and operating expenses including these compressor costs would have been $1.7 million for the first quarter of 2023.

Depletion and depreciation expense for the first quarter of 2023 was $4.3 million compared to $1.1 million in the same period of 2022. The increase of 290% is due to increased production and a higher PP&E balance.

General and administrative expenses for the first quarter of 2023 was $0.9 million compared to $0.7 million for the same period of 2022, an increase of 29%. The increase is due to increases in both payroll costs and director fees in 2023 and an increase in investor relations and marketing costs in 2023.

Finance income increased $1.3 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year quarter due to an unrealized gain on commodity contracts in 2023.

Finance expense decreased $4.2 million in the first quarter of 2023 compared to the prior year quarter due primarily to an unrealized loss on commodity contracts in the first quarter of 2022 of $3.8 million.

KOLIBRI GLOBAL ENERGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Unaudited, Expressed in Thousands of United States Dollars) ($000 except as noted) March 31 December 31 2023 2022 Current Assets Cash $ 3,771 $ 1,037 Trade and other receivables 5,536 5,773 Deposits and prepaid expenses 774 670 10,081 7,480 Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment 176,727 176,554 Right of use assets 1,215 48 177,942 176,602 Total Assets $ 188,023 $ 184,082 Current Liabilities Trade and other payables $ 8,642 $ 12,596 Lease payable 742 32 Fair value of commodity contracts 584 1,421 9,968 14,049 Non-current liabilities Loans and borrowings 17,819 17,799 Asset retirement obligations 1,589 1,425 Lease payable 488 17 Fair value of commodity contracts 41 594 19,937 19,835 Equity Share capital 296,227 296,221 Contributed surplus 23,272 23,254 Deficit (161,381 ) (169,277 ) Total Equity 158,118 150,198 Total Equity and Liabilities $ 188,023 $ 184,082

KOLIBRI GLOBAL ENERGY INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS AND COMPREHENSIVE LOSS (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except per share amounts) ($000 except as noted) Three months ended March 31, ($000s) 2023 2022 Oil and gas revenue net of royalties $ 14,293 $ 5,547 Other income 1 1 14,294 5,548 Production and operating expenses 1,553 907 Depletion and depreciation 4,338 1,139 General and administrative expenses 930 686 Share based compensation 18 125 $ 6,839 $ 2,857 Finance Income 1,390 12 Finance Expense (949 ) (5,159 ) Net income (loss) 7,896 (2,456 ) Net income (loss) per share $ 0.22 $ (0.07 )

KOLIBRI GLOBAL ENERGY INC. FIRST QUARTER 2023 (Unaudited, expressed in Thousands of United States dollars, except as noted) Quarter Ending March 31, 2023 2022 Oil revenue before royalties $ 16,278 $ 6,179 Natural gas revenue before royalties 815 391 NGL revenue before royalties 981 541 Oil and Gas revenue before royalties 18,074 7,111 Adjusted EBITDA(1) 11,396 2,812 Capital expenditures 4,188 7,401 Statistics: Average oil production (Bopd) 2,431 714 Average natural gas production (mcf/d) 2,138 922 Average NGL production (Boepd) 407 186 Average production (Boepd) 3,194 1,054 Average oil price ($/bbl) $ 74.40 $ 96.17 Average natural gas price ($/mcf) 4.24 4.71 Average NGL price ($/bbl) 26.77 32.25 Average price per barrel $ 62.87 $ 74.97 Royalties per barrel 13.16 16.50 Operating expenses per barrel(3) 6.04 9.56 Netback from operations(2) 43.67 48.91 Price adjustment from commodity contracts (Boe) (1.44 ) (12.03 ) Netback including commodity contracts (Boe)(2) $ 42.23 $ 36.88

(1) Adjusted EBITDA is considered a non-GAAP measure. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release. (2) Netback from operations and netback including commodity contracts are considered non-GAAP ratios. Refer to the section entitled Non-GAAP Measures of this earnings release. (3) Operating expenses in the first quarter of 2023 include $182,625 of compressor costs that are accounted for as a lease under IFRS 16 as of January 1, 2023.

The information outlined above is extracted from and should be read in conjunction with the Company's unaudited financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and the related management's discussion and analysis thereof, copies of which are available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com.

NON-GAAP MEASURES

Netback from operations, netback including commodity contracts and adjusted EBITDA (collectively, the "Companys Non-GAAP Measures") are not measures or ratios recognized under Canadian generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP") and do not have any standardized meanings prescribed by IFRS. Management of the Company believes that such measures and ratios are relevant for evaluating returns on each of the Company's projects as well as the performance of the enterprise as a whole. The Company's Non-GAAP Measures may differ from similar computations as reported by other similar organizations and, accordingly, may not be comparable to similar non-GAAP measures and ratios as reported by such organizations. The Companys Non-GAAP Measures should not be construed as alternatives to net income, cash flows related to operating activities, working capital or other financial measures and ratios determined in accordance with IFRS, as an indicator of the Company's performance.

An explanation of how the Companys Non-GAAP Measures provide useful information to an investor and the purposes for which the Companys management uses the Non-GAAP Measures is set out in the management's discussion and analysis under the heading Non-GAAP Measures which is available under the Company's profile at www.sedar.com and is incorporated by reference into this earnings release.

The following is the reconciliation of the non-GAAP ratio netback from operations to net income (loss) from continuing operations, which the Company considers to be the most directly comparable financial measure that is disclosed in the Companys financial statements:

(US $000) For the three months ended March 31, 2023 2022 Net income (loss) 7,896 (2,456 ) Adjustments: Finance income (1,390 ) (12 ) Finance expense 949 5,159 Share based compensation 18 125 General and administrative expenses 930 686 Depletion, depreciation and amortization 4,338 1,139 Other income (1 ) (1 ) Operating netback 12,740 4,640 Netback from operations $ 43.67 $ 48.91

The following is the reconciliation of the non-GAAP measure adjusted EBITDA to the comparable financial measures disclosed in the Companys financial statements:

(US $000) Three months ended March 31, 2023 2022 Net income (loss) 7,896 (2,456 ) Depletion and depreciation 4,338 1,139 Accretion 45 6 Interest expense 485 225 Unrealized (gain) loss on commodity contracts (1,390 ) 3,786 Share based compensation 18 125 Interest income - (2 ) Other income (1 ) (1 ) Foreign currency loss (gain) 5 (10 ) Adjusted EBITDA 11,396 2,812

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS

In this news release and the Companys other public disclosure:

(a) The Company's natural gas production is reported in thousands of cubic feet ("Mcfs"). The Company also uses references to barrels ("Bbls") and barrels of oil equivalent ("Boes") to reflect natural gas liquids and oil production and sales. Boes may be misleading, particularly if used in isolation. A Boe conversion ratio of 6 Mcf:1 Bbl is based on an energy equivalency conversion method primarily applicable at the burner tip and does not represent a value equivalency at the wellhead. Given that the value ratio based on the current price of crude oil as compared to natural gas is significantly different from the energy equivalency of 6:1, utilizing a conversion on a 6:1 basis may be misleading as an indication of value. (b) Discounted and undiscounted net present value of future net revenues attributable to reserves do not represent fair market value. (c) Possible reserves are those additional reserves that are less certain to be recovered than probable reserves. There is a 10% probability that the quantities actually recovered will equal or exceed the sum of proved plus probable plus possible reserves. (d) The Company discloses peak and 30-day initial production rates and other short-term production rates. Readers are cautioned that such production rates are preliminary in nature and are not necessarily indicative of long-term performance or of ultimate recovery.

Caution Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This release contains forward-looking information including information regarding the proposed timing and expected results of exploratory and development work including production from the Company's Tishomingo field, Oklahoma acreage, projected increases in production and cash flow, the Companys reserves based loan facility, expected hedging levels and the Companys strategy and objectives. The use of any of the words target, plans, "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "may", "will", "project", "should", "believe" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.

Such forward-looking information is based on managements expectations and assumptions, including that the Company's geologic and reservoir models and analysis will be validated, that indications of early results are reasonably accurate predictors of the prospectiveness of the shale intervals, that previous exploration results are indicative of future results and success, that expected production from future wells can be achieved as modeled, that declines will match the modeling, that future well production rates will be improved over existing wells, that rates of return as modeled can be achieved, that recoveries are consistent with managements expectations, that additional wells are actually drilled and completed, that design and performance improvements will reduce development time and expense and improve productivity, that discoveries will prove to be economic, that anticipated results and estimated costs will be consistent with managements expectations, that all required permits and approvals and the necessary labor and equipment will be obtained, provided or available, as applicable, on terms that are acceptable to the Company, when required, that no unforeseen delays, unexpected geological or other effects, equipment failures, permitting delays or labor or contract disputes are encountered, that the development plans of the Company and its co-venturers will not change, that the demand for oil and gas will be sustained or increase, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient capital through financings, credit facilities, farm-ins or other participation arrangements to maintain its projects, that the Company will continue in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and that the borrowing base will not be reduced, that funds will be available from the Companys reserves based loan facility when required to fund planned operations, that the Company will not be adversely affected by changing government policies and regulations, social instability or other political, economic or diplomatic developments in the countries in which it operates and that global economic conditions will not deteriorate in a manner that has an adverse impact on the Company's business and its ability to advance its business strategy.

Forward looking information involves significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to: the risk that any of the assumptions on which such forward looking information is based vary or prove to be invalid, including that the Companys geologic and reservoir models or analysis are not validated, that anticipated results and estimated costs will not be consistent with managements expectations, the risks associated with the oil and gas industry (e.g. operational risks in development, exploration and production; delays or changes in plans with respect to exploration and development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of reserve and resource estimates and projections relating to production, costs and expenses, and health, safety and environmental risks including flooding and extended interruptions due to inclement or hazardous weather), the risk of commodity price and foreign exchange rate fluctuations, risks and uncertainties associated with securing the necessary regulatory approvals and financing to proceed with continued development of the Tishomingo Field, the risk that the Company or its subsidiaries is not able for any reason to obtain and provide the information necessary to secure required approvals or that required regulatory approvals are otherwise not available when required, that unexpected geological results are encountered, that completion techniques require further optimization, that production rates do not match the Companys assumptions, that very low or no production rates are achieved, that the Company will cease to be in compliance with the covenants under its reserves-based loan facility and be required to repay outstanding amounts or that the borrowing base will be reduced pursuant to a borrowing base re-determination and the Company will be required to repay the resulting shortfall, that the Company is unable to access required capital, that funding is not available from the Companys reserves based loan facility at the times or in the amounts required for planned operations, that occurrences such as those that are assumed will not occur, do in fact occur, and those conditions that are assumed will continue or improve, do not continue or improve and the other risks identified in the Companys most recent Annual Information Form under the Risk Factors section, the Companys most recent management's discussion and analysis and the Companys other public disclosure, available under the Companys profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Although the Company has attempted to take into account important factors that could cause actual costs or results to differ materially, there may be other factors that cause actual 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. The forward-looking information included in this release is expressly qualified in its entirety by this cautionary statement. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements, other than as required by applicable law.

About Kolibri Global Energy Inc.

KEI is an North American energy company focused on finding and exploiting energy projects in oil, gas and clean and sustainable energy. Through various subsidiaries, the Company owns and operates energy properties in the United States. The Company continues to utilize its technical and operational expertise to identify and acquire additional projects. The common shares of the Company trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) under the symbol KEI and on the Over the Counter QX (OTCQX) under the symbol KGEIF.

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Wolf E. Regener, President and Chief Executive Officer +1 (805) 484-3613

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.kolibrienergy.com

Source: Kolibri Global Energy Inc.
Portuguese government invests in nationwide TETRA digital radio communications network

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Motorola Solutions (NYSE: MSI) has been awarded a five-year contract by the Portuguese Ministry of the Internal Administration to maintain and enhance the countrys mission-critical public safety communications network. This agreement enables 180 public safety agencies and 40,000 first responders including police, fire and medical services to benefit from a modern, highly reliable and secure TETRA communications network.

Built and deployed by Motorola Solutions and operated by SIRESP (Sistema Integrado de Redes de Emergencia e Seguranca de Portugal), the digital radio network continues to provide vital communications to public safety organizations in Portugal during day-to-day operations as well as during emergencies, such as wildfires, floods and associated rescue missions.

Motorola Solutions will deliver a comprehensive suite of public safety services for SIRESP, including 24x7 local support and technical consultancy services, helping to keep technology up-to-date, secure and performing reliably in any situation or emergency.

We value and respect the trusted partnership we have shared with SIRESP and Portugal's public safety organizations for many years, said Michael Kaae, corporate vice president at Motorola Solutions. Public safety communications is an essential service that must operate at the highest levels and in the harshest environments. With the combination of our resilient, purpose-built technology and strong local team of communications experts, we're proud to continue supporting Portugals public safety agencies in their mission to protect the nation's communities."

Portugal is amongst many other countries worldwide that continue to rely on TETRA digital radios and networks for mission-critical voice communications for public safety organizations. The latest TETRA report from the analyst firm, Omdia, highlights the continued growth of the TETRA market*. Motorola Solutions has deployed more than 1,000 TETRA systems worldwide, from large nationwide to local networks.

Notes to the Editor:

*Source: Omdia Tetra Terminals - 2022 Data

About Motorola Solutions

Motorola Solutions is a global leader in public safety and enterprise security. Our solutions in land mobile radio communications, video security & access control and the command center, bolstered by managed & support services, create an integrated technology ecosystem to help make communities safer and businesses stay productive and secure. At Motorola Solutions, were ushering in a new era in public safety and security. Learn more at www.motorolasolutions.com.

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Susanne Stier

Motorola Solutions

Mobile: +49 (0)172 6161773

[email protected]

Source: Motorola Solutions
COLLIERVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MLI) announced today that its Board of Directors has declared a regular quarterly cash dividend on its common stock of 30 cents per share. The dividend will be payable June 16, 2023 to shareholders of record on June 2, 2023.

Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MLI) is an industrial corporation whose holdings manufacture vital goods for important markets such as air, water, oil and gas distribution; climate comfort; food preservation; energy transmission; medical; aerospace; and automotive. It includes a network of companies and brands throughout North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.

Statements in this release that are not strictly historical may be "forward-looking" statements, which involve risks and uncertainties. These include economic and currency conditions, continued availability of raw materials and energy, market demand, pricing, competitive and technological factors, and the availability of financing, among others, as set forth in the Company's SEC filings. The words "outlook," "estimate," "project," "intend," "expect," "believe," "target," "encourage," "anticipate," "appear," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report. The Company has no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this report.

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Jeffrey A. Martin

(901) 753-3226

Source: Mueller Industries, Inc.
LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nexus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading sterile manufacturer in the pharmaceutical industry, today announced that its pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, was successfully inspected by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which will allow Nexus to begin commercial operations.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005389/en/

Nexus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Manufacturing Facility in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, U.S. (Photo: Business Wire)

The Pleasant Prairie facility, which spans more than 84,000 square feet, is equipped with state-of-the-art isolator technology and adheres to the highest current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) standards. The facility will produce a wide array of injectable medications, providing hospitals and clinicians access to safe, affordable, and critical-need medications.

"We are thrilled to receive the EIR for our Pleasant Prairie facility," said Usman Ahmed, President & Chief Executive Officer of Nexus Pharmaceuticals. "This is a major milestone for our company and reflects our commitments to reshoring sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing to the U.S. Looking ahead, we are now in an even stronger position to accelerate growth and drive innovation in our industry.

The rigorous FDA approval process ensures that facilities meet strict safety and quality standards. Nexus Pharmaceuticals, Inc. plans to manufacture a number of NDAs and ANDAs from the Wisconsin-based facility to bring innovative products as well as supply chain durability to the U.S. healthcare system. The leadership, regulatory, and business functions will remain in the Illinois headquarters facility.

Ahmed continued, "We are proud of our team's hard work and focus on achieving a successful inspection. This accomplishment is a testament to the expertise and dedication of our employees and our commitment to providing the highest quality medication to our customers."

For more information about the state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, visit https://www.nexuspharma.net/our-facility.

About Nexus Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Nexus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a U.S.-based healthcare company and certified diverse supplier, specializes in innovative processes to make difficult-to-manufacture specialty and generic drugs that are easier to use, less labor-intensive, and more streamlined in practice. Nexus ensures that its high-quality FDA-approved drugs fulfill a critical unmet medical need and deliver dependable life-saving treatment options when and where theyre needed most. For more information about Nexus Pharmaceuticals and its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Wisconsin, visit https://www.nexuspharma.net/project-tomorrow/.

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Deana Mndrucic

[email protected]

847-996-3790

Source: Nexus Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Companys 2022 paperless billing/tree planting campaign received top award for the best in environmental innovation and expertise in the Commonwealth

MECHANICSBURG, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- At an awards dinner in Harrisburg last week, Pennsylvania American Water received the Commonwealths top award for the best in environmental innovation and expertise. The Governors Award for Environmental Excellence, presented by the secretaries of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), recognized the company for its April 2022 Paperless Billing/Tree Planting campaign. Through this sustainability-focused company initiative, the company planted nearly 2,000 trees in recognition of customers switching to paperless billing in partnership with the Chesapeake Bay Foundations Keystone 10 Million Trees Partnership.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005244/en/

L to R: Davitt Woodwell, President, Pennsylvania Environmental Council; Thomas Chiomento, VP, Business Development, Government & External Affairs, Pennsylvania American Water; Brenda Lee Sieglitz, Director of Major Giving Pennsylvania, Chesapeake Bay Foundation; Cindy Adams Dunn, Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources; Laura Martin, Senior Director, Government & External Affairs, Pennsylvania American Water; Richard Negrin, Acting Secretary, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

Pennsylvania American Water joined 20 other businesses, schools and community organizations recognized with this honor. Award nominations were evaluated for their degree of environmental protection, innovation, partnership, economic impact, consideration of climate change, sustainability, environmental justice, and outcomes achieved.

We are honored to be recognized by Governor Shapiro and PA DEP for our efforts to help our customers make more sustainable choices, said Thomas Chiomento, vice president of business development, government and external affairs for Pennsylvania American Water. The trees that we planted through this initiative will help improve air and water quality, prevent pollution from running into our streams and rivers, and contribute to a healthy, thriving environment in communities we serve across the Commonwealth.

Two other award recipients  Lower Allen Township for their Water Sampling & Analysis for Cedar Run and Yellow Breeches Creek and The Watersmith Guild for their First Waves Program  were recipients of prior funding through Pennsylvania American Waters annual Environmental Grant Program. Representatives from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation joined the company in receiving the award.

Brenda Lee Sieglitz, director of major giving for Pennsylvania at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, commended the company for this accolade. Pennsylvania American Water understands the true costs and value to clean water of planting a tree and has shown their dedication to the Keystone Trees Partnership through this paperless billing project, Sieglitz said. Thank you, Pennsylvania American Water, for your support.

About Pennsylvania American Water

Pennsylvania American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and wastewater services to approximately 2.3 million people.

About American Water

With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs approximately 6,500 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and regulated-like drinking water and wastewater services to an estimated 14 million people in 24 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable, and reliable water services to our customers to help keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and diversityataw.com. Follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

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Media:

Laura Martin

Senior Director, Government and External Affairs

304-932-7158

[email protected]

Source: Pennsylvania American Water
Co-Branded Collection Includes New Home Furnishings, Decor, and Textiles for Baby and Kids in Vintage-Inspired Styles

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pottery Barn Kids, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM), the worlds largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, announced today its debut childrens home furnishings collaboration with husband-and-wife design duo, Chris and Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia. The new Chris Loves Julia collection for Pottery Barn Kids is the couples first and only partnership in the childrens home furnishings market and showcases their shared belief with Pottery Barn Kids that living spaces can be stylish yet comfortable.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504005226/en/

Chris Loves Julia x Pottery Barn Kids (Photo: Pottery Barn Kids)

Since 2009, Chris and Julia have been documenting their love of design, bringing their social followers along on adventures through home renovations, DIY projects and day-to-day living. Their namesake blog and Instagram handle, Chris Loves Julia, is a digital space that celebrates embracing home at every stage. Since the start of Chris Loves Julia, the couple has welcomed three daughters, captured their experiences of multiple cross-country moves, and shared countless design tips with their highly engaged audience.

The Chris Loves Julia collection for Pottery Barn Kids draws upon the couples own experience as parents and the pieces they were drawn to when decorating their kids spaces. The result is a collaboration of furniture, textiles and decor that combines Chris and Julias love of dark tone woods and traditional silhouettes with the craftsmanship, quality, sustainability, and design expertise of Pottery Barn Kids.

We admire the rapport and connection Chris and Julia have built with their engaged community, and were thrilled to partner on a collection of quality, vintage-inspired products true to their aesthetic, said Jennifer Kellor, President, Pottery Barn Kids. The collaboration was born out of our shared love for creating interiors that feel comfortable and welcoming.

This collaboration was thoughtfully crafted with function at its core, featuring furniture designed to save space or convert as a child grows, ensuring the pieces can be used for years to come. The wall art display doubles as meaningful decor that can showcase a childs art, favorite prints, or family heirlooms in a stylish frame. The reversible quilt and shams feature two designs that can be easily interchanged to update a bedrooms look and feel.

This collection was designed with rich woods, nostalgic silhouettes, fresh patterns, and lots of character  with our daughters in mind! We wanted to design pieces that could grow with our kids: heirloom-quality furniture that would look just as sweet in a babys room as it would in a kids or teens room, said Julia Marcum of Chris Loves Julia.

To learn more about the collection, visit www.potterybarnkids.com/chrislovesjulia. Join the conversation on social media with @potterybarnkids and @chrislovesjulia.

ABOUT POTTERY BARN KIDS

Introduced in 1999, Pottery Barn Kids offers exclusive home furnishings available online and in stores globally to create kid-friendly, eco-conscious, stylish, and innovative spaces. Pottery Barn Kids mission is to bring the utmost in quality design, sustainability, and safety into every familys home. Products are rigorously tested to meet the highest child safety standards and are expertly crafted from the best materials to last beyond the childhood years. Pottery Barn Kids is a member of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) and participates in The Key Rewards, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the family of brands.

ABOUT CHRIS LOVES JULIA

Chris and Julia Marcum are the duo behind Chris Loves Julia  the home design platform that's all about loving where you live. Together, they work to uncover their homes potential through quick DIYs, major renovations, splurge-and-save design, and day-to-day family living.

WSM-PR

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Molly Terrell

Public Relations, Pottery Barn Kids

[email protected]

Lauren Sanchez

Public Relations, Pottery Barn Kids

[email protected]

Source: Pottery Barn
The Debut Collaboration Includes Barware, Tabletop, Bedding, Bath, And Home Decor

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Pottery Barn, a portfolio brand of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM), the worlds largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer, announced today the launch of a new collaboration with Sweet July, a lifestyle brand founded by renowned restaurateur, chef, two-time New York Times bestselling author and entrepreneur, Ayesha Curry.

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Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn Collection (Photo: Pottery Barn)

Anchored by natural textures, fresh patterns, and earthy tones, the Sweet July by Ayesha Curry collaboration for Pottery Barn features a well-crafted collection of beautiful items for the home.

The new Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection is inspired by summer celebrations and embraces a range of neutral tones with pops of bold and rich terracotta for an elevated, modern look that mix and match seamlessly. From guest-ready bedding and bath accessories to modern barware, table linens, and Calacatta marble serveware and dinnerware debossed with a herringbone pattern, the collections thoughtful details celebrate Ayeshas passion for design and love of al fresco dining.

"Our collaboration with Ayesha Curry has been so organic and inspiring because we share core values of bringing together good people and products through meaningful design," said CEO of Pottery Barn Brands Marta Benson. The new Sweet July collection showcases our shared passion for family and beautiful living in the home."

Its been a dream working with the Pottery Barn design team to create a collection featuring products and designs that offer comfort and serenity throughout the home, said Ayesha Curry, CEO & Founder of Sweet July. I was inspired by neutral palettes, playing with clean lines and textures that can be mixed and matched in the spaces that mean most to you and your loved ones.

The Sweet July by Ayesha Curry x Pottery Barn collection will debut for Summer 2023 on May 5 at potterybarn.com/sweetjuly and in select California Pottery Barn stores -- the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, the Westfield Galleria in Roseville, and Broadway Plaza in Walnut Creek. Be the first to see the new collection by following @potterybarn and @sweetjuly on Instagram.

ABOUT POTTERY BARN

Pottery Barn, a member of the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE: WSM) portfolio of brands, is a premier specialty retailer for casual, comfortable and stylish home furnishings. The brand is dedicated to beautiful ideas for real life, quality products that are crafted to last, sustainability and service. Key product categories include furniture, bedding, bath, rugs, window treatments, tabletop, lighting and decorative accessories. Nearly all Pottery Barn products are designed in-house and are exclusive to its catalogs, stores and website. Pottery Barn operates company-owned stores in the United States, Canada and Australia and has unaffiliated franchisees that operate stores in the Middle East, India, the Philippines and South Korea, and stores and ecommerce websites in Mexico, as well as an ecommerce site at www.potterybarn.com that offers international shipping to customers worldwide. Pottery Barn provides complimentary design services and a comprehensive gift registry program for weddings and other special events. Pottery Barn now offers products for all life stages and every room in the home through Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, and Pottery Barn Teen. Pottery Barn is also part of The Key Rewards, a free-to-join loyalty program that offers members exclusive benefits across the Williams-Sonoma family of brands, the worlds largest digital-first, design-led and sustainable home retailer. The company is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

ABOUT AYESHA CURRY

Ayesha Curry is a renowned restaurateur, chef, 2x New York Times bestselling author, producer, host, entrepreneur and was featured on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Her accessible approach to cooking has made her one of the most sought-after experts in food and lifestyle. Ayesha is the Founder and CEO of Sweet July, her burgeoning lifestyle brand with a focus to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and stories shared. In 2019 Ayesha launched Sweet July, a quarterly lifestyle magazine that covers a range of topics such as wellness, fashion, fitness, beauty, entrepreneurism and food. Following the launch of the magazine, Ayesha opened a brick-and-mortar Sweet July storefront and cafe in Oakland, CA and its accompanying website, featuring thoughtfully created products alongside other carefully selected items from Black-owned and female-founded companies. In 2020, Ayesha launched Sweet July Productions, which focuses on creating content centered around food, family, faith and female empowerment. Most recently, Ayesha served as host and executive producer of HBO Maxs ABOUT LAST NIGHT. In 2022, Ayesha announced Sweet July Books in partnership with Zando. Sweet July Books will acquire fiction and nonfiction work, with a focus on diverse authors and womens stories. Ayesha, along with her husband Stephen, is the co-founder of Eat. Learn. Play., an organization dedicated to unleashing the potential of every child and making a positive impact for generations to come.

ABOUT SWEET JULY

Sweet July is a Black, female-owned lifestyle brand founded by Ayesha Curry. Launched in 2019 with an eponymous lifestyle magazine, Sweet July aims to uplift an inclusive and eclectic array of creators through the products sold and the stories shared. Additionally, Sweet July creates products for the self and home, from pantry essentials to self-care staples. The company opened their flagship store and cafe in 2021 in the heart of Oakland, featuring products from Sweet July, in addition to Black-owned and women-owned brands, thoughtfully curated by Ayesha and the Sweet July editorial team. Sweet July has also expanded to include a production company, Sweet July Productions, a publishing imprint, Sweet July Books and an online digital platform in sweetjuly.com for quality journalism with profiles, features, recipes and more content from a diverse array of contributors.

WSM-PR

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Media Contact

[email protected]

Source: Pottery Barn
ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Thomas Wilkinson Jr. has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Third Circuit. (His wife, Kathleen Wilkinson, will receive the same award.) Chief Judge Michael A. Chagares will present the award in Philadelphia on May 10. Wilkinson is a member of the Philadelphia law firm Cozen OConnor, where he practices commercial litigation and is a leader of the Legal Profession Services Group. He also chairs the firms Professional Responsibility Committee.

Without a doubt, he is seen as the go-to person for any ethical conundrum facing an attorney in this Commonwealth, writes past president Dale G. Larrimore, Esquire, who nominated Wilkinson on behalf of the Villanova Law J. Willard OBrien American Inn of Court. In an increasingly polarized society, Tom helps to bring us together in our understanding of what we need to know to uphold the highest standards of the legal profession and the rule of law.

Wilkinson is the coeditor of the Pennsylvania Ethics Handbook, whose fifth edition was published in 2017. For more than three decades, he has also edited ethics opinion summaries for Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine.

Wilkinson served as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from 2012 to 2013. He led the associations Committee on Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility for nearly a dozen years. From 2008 to 2009, he served as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Institute. Since 2021, Wilkinson has also been a member of the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association. He served previously as the associations Pennsylvania state delegate.

Wilkinson earned an undergraduate degree magna cum laude from the University of New Hampshire in 1978. He earned his law degree in 1981 from Villanova University School of Law, where he served as managing editor of the Villanova Law Review. In 2013, he received the Villanova Law Alumni Association Gerald Abraham Award for Service in recognition of his leadership and contributions in helping the law school achieve its goals.

Wilkinson is a member of the Villanova Law J. Willard OBrien American Inn of Court. In 2013, he and his wife received the Inns J. Clayton Undercofler III Esquire 66 Distinguished Service Award, which recognizes those whose career and service to the Inn exemplify an extraordinary level of leadership, integrity, and dedication to the legal profession and rule of law.

The American Inns of Court, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, inspires the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The organizations membership includes nearly 30,000 federal, state, and local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students in more than 360 chapters nationwide. More information is available at www.innsofcourt.org.

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American Inns of Court

Cindy Dennis

Awards & Scholarships Coordinator

(571) 319-4703

[email protected]

Source: American Inns of Court
PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

In accordance with Article 5 of EU Regulation n 596/2014 (Market Abuse Regulation), detailed information is available on the website of Tikehau Capital (Paris: TKO): https://www.tikehaucapital.com/fr/shareholders/regulatory-information

Name of the issuer Issuer Identity Code (LEI) Trading Day ISIN Aggregated volume

per day (number of

shares) Weighted

average price

per day Market (MIC

Code) TIKEHAU CAPITAL 969500BY8TEU16U3SJ94 28/04/2023 FR0013230612 2,000 24.7894 XPAR TIKEHAU CAPITAL 969500BY8TEU16U3SJ94 02/05/2023 FR0013230612 2,000 24.6963 XPAR TIKEHAU CAPITAL 969500BY8TEU16U3SJ94 03/05/2023 FR0013230612 2,000 24.3980 XPAR TIKEHAU CAPITAL 969500BY8TEU16U3SJ94 04/05/2023 FR0013230612 12,346 24.4940 XPAR TOTAL 18,346 24.5378

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Tikehau Capital

Source: Tikehau Capital
TEHRAN, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Iran's ambassador to the United Nations has blamed the U.S. sanctions for causing negative impact on Iran's environment, which harms Iranians' lives and welfare, the official news agency IRNA reported on Thursday.

Amir Saeid Iravani made the remarks in a letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and President of the UN General Assembly Csaba Korosi, the report said.

The Iranian diplomat urged the U.S. to lift all its "illegal" sanctions against Iran, which are in contradiction with international law and the UN Charter.

Iravani said that the U.S. sanctions against Iran have exacerbated the country's environmental problems, posing risks to the health of Iranian citizens.

He cited that the U.S. sanctions have been preventing foreign investments in Iran's environmental projects, blocking the country's access to modern technologies in the area, and depriving Iranian scientists of engaging in joint environmental research projects abroad.

The Iranian envoy added that the U.S. coercive measures have "destructive" impacts by denying Iran's access to clean energies to minimize the greenhouse gas emission, hindering the implementation of environmental projects, and harming Iranians' health and welfare.

Iran has been under U.S. sanctions for the past four decades. The sanctions intensified following the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from a 2015 nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in May 2018.

Although the U.S. claims that its sanctions do not include humanitarian items and areas, they have in fact negatively impacted the Iranians' lives. Among the disastrous consequences of the U.S. sanctions includes air pollution, particularly during the cold seasons.

On Dec. 20, 2022, a group of UN human rights experts announced that "it is no surprise that the Iranian capital Tehran is one of the world's most polluted cities, as U.S. sanctions force people to prolong the use of older vehicles that burn fuel less efficiently, while making it impossible for the country to obtain equipment and technology to reduce vehicle emissions." 
Conditions of availability of the preparatory documents

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Shareholders are invited to participate at the Ordinary and Extraordinary Shareholders Meeting of TotalEnergies (Paris: TTE) (LSE: TTE) (NYSE: TTE) which will be held on Friday May 26, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the salle Pleyel, 252 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore, 75008 Paris.

The Shareholders Meeting will be streamed live in full on the website www.totalenergies.com/investors/shareholders-meetings. All useful information relating to this Meeting is regularly updated on this page of the website.

Shareholders may exercise their voting rights before the holding of the Shareholders Meeting, either by internet via the secured Votaccess platform, or by returning their postal voting form, or also by giving proxy. The detailed procedures relating to the exercise of the right to vote are specified in the notice of the Shareholders Meeting.

The preliminary notice of the Shareholders Meeting and the convening notice were published in the French Bulletin des annonces legales obligatoires (BALO) on March 24, 2023 and on May 5, 2023 respectively.

The documents referred to in Article R. 225-83 of the French Commercial Code are made available to Shareholders as from the date of the convening notice for the Meeting in accordance with applicable regulations:

Shareholders holding registered shares may, up to and including the fifth day prior to the Meeting, request that the Company sends these documents to them free of charge. For shareholders holding bearer shares, the exercise of this right is subject to the provision of a certificate of registration in the accounts of the bearer shares issued by the authorized intermediary;

Shareholders may consult these documents at the Companys registered office, 2 place Jean Millier  La Defense 6  92400 Courbevoie, under the conditions provided for by applicable regulations.

The documents referred to in Article R. 22-10-23 of the French Commercial Code may be consulted and downloaded on the Companys website: totalenergies.com/Investors/Annual Shareholders meeting/The documents of the Meeting.

***

About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in close to 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.

@TotalEnergies | TotalEnergies | TotalEnergies | TotalEnergies

Cautionary Note

The terms TotalEnergies, TotalEnergies company or Company in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words we, us and our may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Universal Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorite des Marches Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005151/en/

TotalEnergies Contacts

Media Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 99 l [email protected] l @TotalEnergiesPR

Investor Relations: +33 (0)1 47 44 46 46 l [email protected]

Source: TOTALENERGIES SE
Article L. 238-8-II of the French commercial Code and article 223-16 of the AMF (French Financial Markets Authority) general regulation

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Regulatory News:

Corporate name of the issuer: Veolia Environnement 21 rue La Boetie 75008 PARIS FRANCE (ISIN code: FR0000124141-VIE)

Information closing date Total number of

shares forming the

share capital * Total number of voting rights * April 30, 2023 714,574,367 Total number of theoretical voting rights (1): 731,553,181 Total number of voting rights that may be exercised (2): 719,143,879

* Inclusion in the Veolia Environnement Articles of Association of a clause requiring a reporting obligation of the declaration of crossing a shareholding threshold, complementary to the one relating to the thresholds provided by the French law and the regulations in force (article 8).

(1) Number of theoretical voting rights = after taking into account the number of shares with double voting rights as of April 30, 2023 (16,978,814 shares) and the number of treasury shares held as of April 30, 2023 (12,409,302 shares).

(2) Number of voting rights that may be exercised = number of theoretical voting rights (or total number of voting rights attached to shares) - shares without voting rights (number of treasury shares held as of April 30, 2023).

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005438/en/

Veolia Environnement

Source: Veolia Environnement
Digipath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP) (Digipath or the Company), a service-oriented independent analytical testing laboratory and data analytics firm, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with DPL Nevada, LLC to sell the assets of Digipath Labs, Inc., its testing subsidiary. DPLs owners currently own Delta Verde Labs of Arizona. Both independent cannabis and hemp testing laboratories are highly dedicated to best-in-class compliance testing and white glove customer service.

Over the past eighteen months, the leadership teams of both labs have been evaluating one anothers technical capabilities and verifying the testing methodologies the other uses. Digipath Labs has operated with the same professional standards and dedication to truth in testing that we have at Delta Verde Labs, which makes this relationship a natural fit and combines over two decades of technical knowledge and cannabis matrix expertise, said Nate Allen, owner of Delta Verde Labs.

Nothing at Digipath Labs will change for our customers including my role and the role of our scientific staff once the sale is complete, said Todd Denkin, President of Digipath Labs. More good news is that our lab operation will now have a larger brain-trust of scientists to share ideas and information with, which will benefit customers in both Nevada and Arizona.

The sale is subject to approval from the Nevada Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and other customary conditions.

Once the CCB approves the transaction and the sale is completed, Digipath, Inc., the public holding company, will change its name and will actively seek to acquire a new business while Digipath Labs will continue to operate as usual.
Know Labs, Inc. (NYSE American: KNW), an emerging developer of non-invasive medical diagnostic technology, today announced the results of its latest technical feasibility study titled, Technical Feasibility of a Novel Sensor for Non-Invasive Blood Glucose Monitoring Compared to Dexcom G6. Know Labs is presenting these results today, May 5, at the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology (AACE) Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA.

From December 2022 through February 2023, Know Labs conducted a series of internal studies to validate the technical feasibility of its Bio-RFID sensor technology at quantifying blood glucose concentration (BGC) in five healthy participants, using the Dexcom G6 as a reference device. Bio-RFID is a novel platform technology using electromagnetic energy in the form of radio waves to non-invasively capture molecular signatures and convert them into physiologically meaningful information.

The purpose of this technical feasibility study was to demonstrate hardware and software infrastructure stability, and to collect additional data to determine the accuracy of the sensor at quantifying BGC in vivo non-invasively using radio frequency, by means of training a neural network (NN) model to predict readings of the Dexcom G6 as a proxy for BGC.

In the aggregate  across five individual participants, 46 tests and 92 samples, which collected 4.7 million data points per sample or roughly 430 million data points for all samples  the study resulted in a mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of 20.6% and performed with 46% of predictions within the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) recommended limit for accuracy for new blood glucose monitors.

We have successfully completed our foundational studies, we have a stable sensor that delivers repeatable results, and we have developed software infrastructure to manage and interpret large, novel datasets, said Steve Kent, Chief Product Officer at Know Labs. As you increase sample size, it is expected that there are changes in accuracy, resulting from variability in testing conditions, biological diversity, and other factors. This is the goal of expanded data collection, and we will continue to share results as we collect more high resolution data, from more participants, across more testing scenarios.

During the data collection period, participants placed their forearms on the Bio-RFID sensor and consumed liquid D-Glucose to simulate a glucose spike. Participants' BGC was monitored for three hours while readings from the Bio-RFID sensor and the Dexcom G6 were simultaneously logged. Data were collected on a continuous basis, using sweeps across the 500 MHz to 1500 MHz range at 0.1 MHz intervals, collecting values at 10,001 frequencies per sweep. Know Labs then used these data from the Bio-RFID sensor to train a NN model to predict BGC readings of the Dexcom G6 reference device.

Todays methods of testing BGC come with several disadvantages, from the pain of finger pricks and inserting probes for continuous monitors to the high cost and environmental waste these methods produce, said Ron Erickson, CEO and Chairman at Know Labs. This study demonstrates our progress toward getting the first FDA-cleared non-invasive glucose monitoring device in the hands of the nearly 40 million people living with diabetes in the U.S. Weve achieved so much over the last several months. Weve refined data collection methods and increased our participant population, with our dataset growing from 3 in our exploratory study to 92 in this study, a 30-fold increase in the sample size. To-date, weve collected 1.4 billion data points that are now being used to refine our glucose value prediction algorithm.

This technical feasibility study is part of ongoing clinical research that Know Labs is conducting as the company prioritizes validation of the Bio-RFID technology. A Technical Report of the company's Proof of Concept (N=1) results is publicly available at www.knowlabs.co/research-and-validation.

The study abstract and AACE 2023 Annual Meeting Poster can be viewed at www.knowlabs.co.

About Know Labs, Inc.

Know Labs, Inc. is a public company whose shares trade on the NYSE American Exchange under the stock symbol KNW. The Companys technology uses spectroscopy to direct electromagnetic energy through a substance or material to capture a unique molecular signature. The Company refers to its technology as Bio-RFID. The Bio-RFID technology can be integrated into a variety of wearable, mobile or bench-top form factors. This patented and patent-pending technology makes it possible to effectively identify and monitor analytes that could only previously be performed by invasive and/or expensive and time-consuming lab-based tests. The first application of our Bio-RFID technology will be in a product marketed as a non-invasive glucose monitor. It will provide the user with real-time information on blood glucose levels. This product will require U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance prior to its introduction to the market.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains statements that constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements appear in a number of places in this release and include all statements that are not statements of historical fact regarding the intent, belief or current expectations of Know Labs, Inc., its directors or its officers with respect to, among other things: (i) financing plans; (ii) trends affecting its financial condition or results of operations; (iii) growth strategy and operating strategy; and (iv) performance of products. You can identify these statements by the use of the words may, will, could, should, would, plans, expects, anticipates, continue, estimate, project, intend, likely, forecast, probable, potential, and similar expressions and variations thereof are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Know Labs, Inc.s ability to control, and actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of various factors. These risks and uncertainties also include such additional risk factors as are discussed in the Companys filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2022, Forms 10-Q and 8-K, and in other filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. These documents are available on the SEC Filings section of the Investor Relations section of our website at www.knowlabs.co. The Company cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. The Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after the date on which such statement is made.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005054/en/

For Know Labs Media Inquiries Contact:



Matter Health



Laura Bastardi



[email protected]



Ph. (603) 494-6667

Know Labs, Inc. Contact:



Jordyn Hujar



[email protected]



Ph. (206) 629-6414

Source: Know Labs, Inc.
EDMUNDSTON, New Brunswick, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acadian Timber Corp. (TSX: ADN) (the Company) announced that the nominees listed in the management proxy circular for the 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders were elected as directors of the Company. Detailed results of the votes for the election of directors held at the virtual Annual Meeting of Shareholders on May 4, 2023 are set out below.

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Malcolm Cockwell 10,958,022 97.74% 252,821 2.26% Heather Fitzpatrick 11,168,192 99.62% 42,651 0.38% Karen Oldfield 11,165,839 99.60% 45,004 0.40% Erika Reilly 11,187,204 99.79% 23,639 0.21% Bruce Robertson 11,171,553 99.65% 39,290 0.35% Adam Sheparski 11,187,109 99.79% 23,734 0.21%

About Acadian Timber

Acadian Timber Corp. (Acadian) is one of the largest timberland owners in Eastern Canada and the Northeastern U.S. and has a total of approximately 2.4 million acres of land under management. Acadian owns and manages approximately 761,000 acres of freehold timberlands in New Brunswick, approximately 300,000 acres of freehold timberlands in Maine and provides timber services relating to approximately 1.3 million acres of Crown licensed timberlands in New Brunswick. Acadians products include softwood and hardwood sawlogs, pulpwood, and biomass by-products, sold to approximately 90 regional customers.

Acadians business strategy is to maximize cash flows from its existing timberland assets through sustainable forest management and other land use activities while growing its business by acquiring assets and actively managing these assets to drive improved performance.

Acadians shares are listed for trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol ADN.

For further information, please visit our website at www.acadiantimber.com or contact:

Susan Wood Chief Financial Officer Tel: 506-737-2345 Email: [email protected]

Source: Acadian Timber Corp.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE: AGN) (FRANKFURT: AGW0) (OTCQB: AGNPF) (the Company or Algernon) a Canadian clinical stage pharmaceutical development company announces that it has closed its previously announced rights offering which expired on April 27, 2023 (the Rights Offering). At closing, the Company issued 4,753,369 units (the Units) at the subscription price of $0.25 per Unit for total gross proceeds of approximately $1,188,342. Each Unit consists of one Class A common share (a Share) and one Share purchase warrant (a Warrant), with each Warrant being exercisable for one Share at the exercise price of $0.52 until November 5, 2024, subject to acceleration to a date that is not less than 30 days following delivery of an acceleration notice to the holders of the Warrants if the volume weighted average price of the Shares for each of the ten consecutive trading days on the Canadian Securities Exchange exceeds $1.04.

The Company received subscriptions for 2,871,597 Units pursuant to the basic subscription privilege and 1,881,772 Units pursuant to the additional subscription privilege.

The total number of issued and outstanding Shares of the Company upon completion of the Rights Offering will be 14,550,757, before the exercise of the Warrants.

To the knowledge of the Company, after reasonable inquiry, directors, officers and insiders of the Company purchased 1,418,982 Units under their basic subscription privilege and 600,000 Units under the additional subscription privilege for an aggregate of 2,018,982 Units purchased under the Rights Offering, representing total subscription proceeds of $504,746. To the knowledge of the Company, after reasonable inquiry, no person became a new shareholder holding more than 10% of the Shares upon closing of the Rights Offering.

The participation in the Rights Offering by certain related parties of the Company, namely, directors, officers and 10% shareholders of Company, constitutes a related party transaction, as such terms are defined by Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions (MI 61-101). The Company is relying on an exemption from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the participation in the Rights Offering does not exceed 25% of the market capitalization of the Company.

Pursuant to the Dealer Manager Agreement entered into by the Company with Research Capital Corporation (RCC or the Soliciting Dealer), the Company paid to RCC a cash fee of $42,292, of which $10,000 of the fee was settled by way of the issuance of 40,000 Units, and a corporate finance fee of $22,600, which was settled by way of the issuance of 90,400 Units. The Company also issued to RCC 165,166 Soliciting Dealer warrants (the Soliciting Dealer Warrants). Each Soliciting Dealer Warrant is exercisable for one Unit at the exercise price of $0.25 until November 5, 2024. The securities issued to RCC as compensation are subject to a four month and one day hold period pursuant to applicable Canadian securities laws.

The proceeds of the Rights Offering are expected to be used for working capital and general corporate purposes and administrative expenses.

About Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Algernon is a drug re-purposing company that investigates safe, already approved drugs, including naturally occurring compounds, for new disease applications, moving them efficiently and safely into new human trials, developing new formulations and seeking new regulatory approvals in global markets. Algernon specifically investigates compounds that have never been approved in the U.S. or Europe to avoid off label prescription writing.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Christopher J. Moreau CEO Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc. 604.398.4175 ext 701 [email protected] [email protected] www.algernonpharmaceuticals.com

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange nor its Market Regulator (as that term is defined in the policies of the Canadian Securities Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT: No Securities Exchange has reviewed nor accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release. This news release contains forward-looking statements relating to the Rights Offering and use of proceeds from the Rights Offering and other statements that are not historical facts. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as will, may, should, anticipate, expects and similar expressions. All statements other than statements of historical fact, included in this release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Companys expectations include the failure to satisfy the conditions of the relevant securities exchange(s) and other risks detailed from time to time in the filings made by the Company with securities regulations. The reader is cautioned that assumptions used in the preparation of any forward-looking information may prove to be incorrect. Events or circumstances may cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted, as a result of numerous known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of the Company. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Such information, although considered reasonable by management at the time of preparation, may prove to be incorrect and actual results may differ materially from those anticipated. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company will update or revise publicly any of the included forward-looking statements as expressly required by applicable law.

Source: Algernon Pharmaceuticals
Bombardier to provide Iridium Certus services on Challenger 3500 jets, answering clients' worldwide connectivity needs

Challenger 3500 aircraft passengers will benefit from a highly reliable connectivity with lower latency and largest coverage

The Challenger 3500 aircraft becomes the industrys first super mid-size jet to be equipped with Iridium Certus connectivity as a baseline feature

MONTREAL, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Bombardier today announced that all Challenger 3500 aircraft will now be equipped with Iridium Certus connectivity as a baseline feature, providing clients with a highly reliable internet service. Collaborating with Collins Aerospace, Bombardiers Preferred Service Provider for fleetwide connectivity services, this new offering will support the aircrafts exquisite on-board experience and ensure heightened productivity.

With a top connection speed of 704 Kbps, Iridium Certus provides a strong foundation for connectivity needs, with the lowest latency and the largest coverage, stretching from north to south and from east to west. Thanks to a constellation of more than 66 cross-linked satellites, passengers will benefit from a truly global network with higher data speed for optimal efficiency and a seamless in-flight experience. All present operators of Challenger 300 and Challenger 350 aircraft will be able to install this new service as a retrofit in Bombardiers extensive service centre network.

We are proud of our leadership position of the industry when it comes to cabin comfort and reliability, said Jean-Christophe Gallagher, Executive Vice President, Aircraft Sales and Bombardier Defense. By incorporating the new Certus system to Challenger 3500 jets, we offer our clients a highly reliable connectivity service with pole-to-pole coverage. This shows our unwavering commitment to our clients.

Building on the Challenger series strong track record of reliability and undisputed performance, the Challenger 3500 jet boasts an extra luxurious interior, including Bombardiers stylish and exclusive Nuage seat. The aircrafts advanced design also prioritizes passenger wellness, with a dramatically lower cabin-pressure altitude that engenders a more pervasive sense of comfort and well-being. The addition of the Certus service brings the Challenger 3500 in-flight experience to new heights.

Collins Aerospaces new Iridium SATCOM solution will provide Challenger 3500 operators with faster speeds, lower weight and smaller antenna footprint than legacy SATCOM systems allowing for minimum drag and lower power usage while providing more efficient connectivity services for the passengers in the cabin, said Nate Boelkins, Vice President and General Manager Business and Regional Avionics at Collins Aerospace

In line with Bombardiers commitment to the environment, the Challenger 3500 aircraft is designed and manufactured with sustainability in mind. It is the first business jet in the super mid-size segment to have an Environmental Product Declaration published, documenting the aircrafts environmental footprint over its lifecycle. In the cabin, a range of high-end, environmentally friendly choices make it possible for customers to opt for up-cycled fabrics, alternative types of wood and natural fiber-based materials without compromising style or comfort. The aircraft also allows flight crews to optimize fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions, using a unique eco app, a first in the business aviation industry.

Bombardiers iconic Challenger family  the best-selling super mid-size platform for the past eight years  is the platform of choice among top corporate flight departments and charter operators worldwide.

About Bombardier

Bombardier (BBD-B.TO) is a global leader in aviation, focused on designing, manufacturing, and servicing the world's most exceptional business jets. Bombardiers Challenger and Global aircraft families are renowned for their cutting-edge innovation, cabin design, performance, and reliability. Bombardier has a worldwide fleet of approximately 5,000 aircraft in service with a wide variety of multinational corporations, charter and fractional ownership providers, governments, and private individuals. Bombardier aircraft are also trusted around the world in government and military special-mission roles leveraging Bombardier Defenses proven expertise.

Headquartered in Greater Montreal, Quebec, Bombardier operates aerostructure, assembly and completion facilities in Canada, the United States and Mexico. The companys robust customer support network services the Learjet, Challenger and Global families of aircraft, and includes facilities in strategic locations in the United States and Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, the UAE, Singapore, China and Australia.

For corporate news and information, including Bombardiers Environmental, Social and Governance report, as well as the companys plans to cover all its flight operations with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) utilizing the Book and Claim system visit bombardier.com. Learn more about Bombardiers industry-leading products and customer service network at businessaircraft.bombardier.com. Follow us on Twitter @Bombardier.

Bombardier, Challenger, Challenger 3500 and Nuage are registered or unregistered trademarks of Bombardier Inc. or its subsidiaries.

For information

Mark MasluchBombardier 514-297-7043[email protected]

Source: Bombardier Inc.
TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Citadel Income Fund (TSX  CTF.UN) (the Fund) announced today that the trustee of the Fund, Artemis Investment Management Limited (Artemis), has called a meeting of unitholders (the Meeting), to be held on September 11, 2023, in response to a third unitholder requisition (the Requisition) submitted by Saba Capital Management, L.P. (Saba). Saba had previously submitted two requisitions, each of which the Fund determined were invalid as they failed to comply with the Funds declaration of trust (the Declaration of Trust) and applicable law.

In connection with the Requisition, Saba has also requested that Artemis unilaterally waive the provisions in the Declaration of Trust that prohibited Saba and its Connected Parties (as defined in the Declaration of Trust) from voting on the matters of business to be considered at the Meeting. However, those provisions were approved by Unitholders at a meeting of Unitholders held on August 7, 2012, prior to Artemis serving as trustee and manager of the Fund, for the purpose of protecting minority Unitholders.

The Fund will provide further information on the Meeting in due course and Unitholders are not required to take any action at this time.

Despite the unnecessary time and money that Sabas action will require, the Fund remains committed to acting in the best interest of all Unitholders and continues to welcome constructive recommendations for strategies that have the potential to create value.

For further information, please contact your financial advisor, call Artemis Investment Managements investor relations line at (416) 9347455 or visit our website at www.artemisfunds.ca.

Advisors

The Fund has retained Kingsdale Advisors as its strategic Unitholder and communications advisor and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP as its legal advisors.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including but not limited to statements about the Requisition, Saba, the Meeting, and matters relating thereto. Forwardlooking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, in the event, if, believes, asserts, position, intends, envisages, assumes, recommends, estimates, approximate, projects, potential, indicate and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Forwardlooking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of the Fund that, while considered reasonable by the Fund, are inherently subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the outcome to differ materially from current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, litigation, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Fund's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forwardlooking statements. These factors include, among others, uncertainties related to the Requisition and the calling of the Meeting, as well as other risk factors set out under the heading Risk in the Funds Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forwardlooking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.

Source: Citadel Income Fund
Press Release

VELIZY-VILLACOUBLAY, France  May 5, 2023

COMBINED GENERAL SHAREHOLDERS MEETING

OF MAY 24, 2023

Availability of preliminary documents

Dassault Systemes (Euronext Paris: FR0014003TT8, DSY.PA) informs its shareholders that its Combined Shareholders Meeting will be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 at 3:00 pm at Dassault Systemes headquarters, 10 rue Marcel Dassault  78140 Velizy-Villacoublay.

The preliminary notification stating the agenda and the draft resolutions was published in the Bulletin des Annonces Legales Obligatoires (BALO) on April 17, 2023, and is available on Dassault Systemes website at the following address: https://investor.3ds.com/shareholders-meeting/home.

The convening notice stating the agenda is published on May 5, 2023 in the BALO and will be made available at the foregoing address.

Documents and information relating to this meeting and especially information provided by the article R.22-10-23 of the French Commercial code, are available to the shareholders at the foregoing internet address. They will also be available at Dassault Systemes headquarters.

Shareholders are invited to consult the Dassault Systemes 2022 Universal Registration Document, filed on March 17, 2023 with the Autorite des marches financiers (AMF) and available on Dassault Systemes website at the forgoing internet address. It provides a major part of information mentioned in the article R.225-83 of the French Commercial code and especially the presentation of the resolutions proposed.

###

ABOUT DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Dassault Systemes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our 3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers can redefine the creation, production and life-cycle-management processes of their offer and thus have a meaningful impact to make the world more sustainable. The beauty of the Experience Economy is that it is a human-centered economy for the benefit of all consumers, patients and citizens.

Dassault Systemes brings value to more than 300,000 customers of all sizes, in all industries, in more than 150 countries. For more information, visit www.3ds.com.

Dassault Systemes Investor Relations Team FTI Consulting

Beatrix Martinez: Arnaud de Cheffontaines: +33 1 47 03 69 48

+33 1 61 62 40 73 / 69 24 Jamie Ricketts: +44 20 3727 1600

[email protected] Tom Blundell: +44 20 3727 1600

USA & Canada: [email protected]

Dassault Systemes Press Contacts

Corporate / France

Arnaud Malherbe: +33 1 61 62 87 73

[email protected]

 Dassault Systemes. All rights reserved. 3DEXPERIENCE, the 3DS logo, the Compass icon, IFWE, 3DEXCITE, 3DVIA, BIOVIA, CATIA, CENTRIC PLM, DELMIA, ENOVIA, GEOVIA, MEDIDATA, NETVIBES, OUTSCALE, SIMULIA and SOLIDWORKS are commercial trademarks or registered trademarks of Dassault Systemes, a European company (Societas Europaea) incorporated under French law, and registered with the Versailles trade and companies registry under number 322 306 440, or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.

Attachment
Arizonas Delta Verde Signs Deal Pending CCB Approval With Digipath, Inc.to Purchase Digipath Labs Assets and Remain Operating in Las Vegas Under the Digipath Labs Brand

LAS VEGAS, NV, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NewMediaWire  Digipath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP) (Digipath or the Company), a service-oriented independent analytical testing laboratory and data analytics firm, is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with DPL Nevada, LLC to sell the assets of Digipath Labs, Inc., its testing subsidiary. DPLs owners currently own Delta Verde Labs of Arizona. Both independent cannabis and hemp testing laboratories are highly dedicated to best-in-class compliance testing and white glove customer service.

Over the past eighteen months, the leadership teams of both labs have been evaluating one anothers technical capabilities and verifying the testing methodologies the other uses. Digipath Labs has operated with the same professional standards and dedication to truth in testing that we have at Delta Verde Labs, which makes this relationship a natural fit and combines over two decades of technical knowledge and cannabis matrix expertise, said Nate Allen, owner of Delta Verde Labs.

Nothing at Digipath Labs will change for our customers including my role and the role of our scientific staff once the sale is complete, said Todd Denkin, President of Digipath Labs. More good news is that our lab operation will now have a larger brain-trust of scientists to share ideas and information with, which will benefit customers in both Nevada and Arizona.

The sale is subject to approval from the Nevada Cannabis Control Board (CCB) and other customary conditions.

Once the CCB approves the transaction and the sale is completed, Digipath, Inc., the public holding company, will change its name and will actively seek to acquire a new business while Digipath Labs will continue to operate as usual.

About Digipath, Inc. (OTCQB: DIGP)

Digipath, Inc., the publicly traded holding company, supports the cannabis industrys best practices for reliable testing, data acquisition, formulations, and new canna-tech to the cannabis industry.

Digipath Labs provides pharmaceutical-grade analysis and testing to the cannabis industry to ensure producers, consumers and patients know exactly what is in the cannabis they ingest and to help maximize the quality of its clients products through analysis, research, development, and standardization.

About Delta Verde Labs

Since its founding in 2014, Delta Verde Laboratory has become a highly specialized and ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accredited analytical and microbiology lab that is dedicated to the fast, accurate, and affordable compliance testing of cannabis and cannabis infused products.

Information about Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that include information relating to future events. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which that performance or those results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time they are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause these differences include, but are not limited to: the Company's inability to consummate the closing of the Steep Hill acquisition, need for additional funding, the demand for the Company's products, governmental regulation of the cannabis industry, the Company's ability to maintain customer and strategic business relationships, the impact of competitive products and pricing, growth in targeted markets, the adequacy of the Company's liquidity and financial strength to support its growth, and other risks that may be detailed from time-to-time in the Company's filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. For a more detailed description of the risk factors and uncertainties affecting Digipath, please refer to the Company's recent Securities and Exchange Commission filings, which are available at www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

Corporate Contact:Digipath, Inc.(702) 209-2429

Attachment

Delta Verde Labs Analytical Testing With Integrity

Source: Digipath, Inc.
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Trade and economic ties between China and Central and Eastern Europe have boomed over the past decade despite recent challenges such as the COVID pandemic and a slowing world economy.

So far, two-way investment between China and Central and Eastern European Countries (CEECs) has reached nearly 20 billion U.S. dollars, Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei told a press conference.

China's direct investment in CEECs rose by 148 percent year on year in the first quarter of 2023, Li said.

"Chinese companies are keen to invest in these regions in areas such as auto parts, home appliances, medicine, logistics, energy and minerals," the vice minister said.

China's trade with CEECs has grown at an average annual rate of 8.1 percent since 2012, with China's imports from these countries rising 9.2 percent year on year on average, data shows.

Two-way trade reached 33.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter, up 1.6 percent from a year earlier, showing a steady and positive start.

"China has become a key trading partner and source of imports for CEECs, since the China-CEEC cooperation mechanism was launched in 2012," said Yu Yuantang, another official with the Ministry of Commerce.

The number of China-Europe freight trains stood at 16,000 in 2022, up 9 percent year on year. Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and other countries have become key destinations for China-Europe freight trains.

UPCOMING EXPO

Talking about the third China-CEEC Expo & International Consumer Goods Fair, officials at the press conference said that it has become a trade propeller between China and CEECs, providing opportunities for exhibitors and buyers from home and abroad.

The expo will be held in Ningbo, east China's Zhejiang Province, from May 16 to 20.

There are about 3,000 exhibitors at this year's expo, an increase of 30 percent over the second one, said Lu Shan, deputy governor of Zhejiang.

So far, 2,030 buyers have registered for the expo, with the number of participants expected to exceed 100,000, Lu said.

Companies in CEECs are also encouraged to leverage other Chinese expos to further expand the popularity of their products, Yu said.

Future prospects for trade between China and CEECs are "still very broad," he said.

"We will focus on expanding cooperation in new fields such as green, digital and health industries in addition to traditional areas, so as to further promote the sustainable development of trade between China and CEECs," Yu noted. 
SAN ANTONIO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) has announced the workshops of its 37th Annual Conference, to be held at the Hilton Chicago, Oct. 28-30, 2023, along with pre- and post-conference events. More than 50 workshops offered under seven tracks on the theme Championing Hispanic Higher Education Success: Diversifying our Workforce and Strengthening America, will feature some of the best and most promising practices in the education of Hispanics and at Hispanic-Serving Institutions.

HACUs premier conference on Hispanic higher education will feature an Opening Plenary with HACU President and CEO Antonio R. Flores delivering the State of HACU Address, an International Plenary, a Town Hall and an Exhibit Hall. The HACU Adelante! Leadership Institute (student track), offered for undergraduate students in conjunction with the conference, will be held Oct. 28-30. Students can apply to be sponsored to attend the conference through HACUs Leader in Residence Program by the deadline of June 23, 2023.

New to the pre-conference line-up on Oct. 27 is the inaugural Womens Leadership Symposium, a half-day event for women higher education professionals at all levels to explore, dialogue and learn from other women in executive leadership positions. Topics include navigating the higher education work environment, building a strategic network, and preparing to assume executive roles in education or other career fields.

Pre-conference events on Oct. 28 will include the 22nd Latino Higher Education Leadership Institute, Exploring Diverse and Inclusive Workforce Strategies that Lead to Organizational Success, and the Ninth PreK-12/Higher Education Collaboration Symposium. The post-conference 12th Annual Deans Forum on Hispanic Higher Education, Leading a Diverse and Inclusive Workforce in the 21st Century, will take place on Oct. 31.

For a complete agenda and list of workshops, click here.

Registration for HACUs 37th Annual Conference is available online at www.hacu.net.

Advertising, Exhibitor, and Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Special thanks to all 37th Annual Conference sponsors and partners.

About HACUThe Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, founded in 1986, represents more than 500 colleges and universities in the United States, Latin America, Spain and school districts throughout the U.S. HACU is the only national association representing existing and emerging Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs). The Associations headquarters are in San Antonio, Texas, with regional offices in Washington, D.C and Sacramento, California.

CONTACT:Norma Jean Revilla-GarciaSenior Executive Director of Communications and Marketing(210) 576-3206[email protected]OrChristopher de Hoyos Assistant Director of Communications and Marketing(210) 576-3242 [email protected]

Source: HACU
Lithuanian electricity transmission system operator LITGRID AB (company code 302564383, registered office address Karlo Gustavo Emilio Manerheimo str. 8, Vilnius, Lithuania) is publishing results of the Company for the three months of 2023.

Main financial results Q1 2023 Q1 2022 Revenue, EUR million 86.8 67.8 EBITDA, EUR million 19.9 3.4 Net profit, EUR million 12.9 -2.0 ROE (for the last 12 months), percents -17.3 2.9 Adjusted* EBITDA, EUR million 9.4 9.3 Adjusted* Net profit, EUR million 4.0 3.0 Adjusted* ROE (for the last 12 months), percents 6.0 6.2

*The adjustment of regulated income, costs and profitability indicators is carried out due to temporary regulatory difference from the regulated profitability approved by NERC. The indicators are adjusted by the correction of income, which has already been approved by the decision of NERC when the regulated transmission service prices of the reporting period were approved. Also, the indicators are adjusted by the deviation of the NERC-approved (regulated) and actual profitability of the reporting period, which NERC will evaluate when determining the transmission service prices for the coming period.

Attached:

Financial results of the Company.

More information:

Jurga Eivaite

Communications Project Manager

+370 613 19977

[email protected]

Attachment
Stevie winners will be presented their awards on June 13 in New York

LONDON, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- NordLayer , an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses, was named the bronze winner of an AMERICAN BUSINESS Stevie Award in the Best Business Technology Pivot category in The 21st Annual American Business Awards today.



We are proud to be recognized as a leading industry player by being named a winner by the Stevie Awards, says Povilas Zukauskas, CMO at NordLayer. Behind this distinguished success are our product innovations and relentless drive to stay customer focused. We believe this recognition from the Stevie Awards further validates our commitment to our customers and their security needs.

Companies were distinguished in different categories, such as Best Technical Support Solution, Technical Professional of the Year, Excellence in Transforming Business, and so on.

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations  public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word meaning crowned, the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13.

More than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this years Stevie Award winners. Sponsors of The 2023 American Business Awards include HCL America, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA .

ABOUT NORDLAYER

NordLayer  an adaptive network access security solution for modern businesses. It helps organizations of all sizes to fulfill scaling and integration challenges. Moving towards an ever-evolving SSE ecosystem, NordLayer is quick and easy to implement with existing infrastructure, hardware free, and designed with ease of scale. As a cloud-native solution with an easy-to-use interface, NordLayer offers protection to businesses of any size, complexity, or work model, including remote or hybrid workplaces. More information: nordlayer.com
HIGHLIGHTS

+20,000 m aircore ( AC ) drilling program underway in the northern Egina Gold Camp at Novos flagship Becher Project , located in the Pilbara, Western Australia.

) drilling program underway in the northern Egina Gold Camp at Novos flagship , located in the Pilbara, Western Australia. Becher is situated adjacent to De Grey Mining Limiteds 10.6 Moz Au (JORC 2012)1 Mallina Gold Project and 2.5 km south of their new Withnell South discovery2.

is situated adjacent to De Grey Mining Limiteds 10.6 Moz Au (JORC 2012)1 Mallina Gold Project and 2.5 km south of their new Withnell South discovery2. New results from 1 m split re-assay AC samples closely mirror intercepts from previously reported composite samples3 and include high grades of: 1 m @ 7.27 g/t Au from 9 m (F0632) at the intersection of the Irvine and Heckmair trends 1 m @ 3.1 g/t Au from 17 m (F519) at Whillans 1 m @ 4.27 g/t Au from 17 m (F1393) at Bonatti

Analysis of multielement geochemistry from the 2022 AC drill program identified prospective hornblende-diorite intrusions (sanukitoids) within and around the targeted structural corridors; these intrusions are commonly associated with gold deposits in the Mallina Basin.

The AC program will test multiple, high-priority structural and intrusion-hosted gold targets, delineated in well-defined and highly anomalous structural corridors and scheduled for completion by end Q2 2023.

High-priority drill prospects are Heckmair, Irvine and Whillans, based on significant gold and pathfinder anomalies and sanukitoid intrusion-related signatures in bottom of 2022 AC drill hole samples.

Commenting on the drill program, Novo Executive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO Mike Spreadborough said, We are very excited to have recommenced drilling at our flagship Becher Project, as we embark on a targeted +20,000 m follow-up program for this quarter. Importantly, results from our 2022 drill program have confirmed the right geological indicators for discovery success and we believe there is significant prospectivity in the Becher area.

Drilling at the Heckmair Prospect in April 2023, showing the flat topography in open sand covered plains is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fd72d03e-12d4-442c-b230-3e0cba17fa0e

_______________1 De Grey has reported that its Hemi deposit at the Mallina Gold Project is comprised of Measured Mineral Resources of 4.7 Mt @ 1.7 g/t Au for 265 koz Au, Indicated Mineral Resources of 153.4 Mt @ 1.3 g/t Au for 6,590 koz Au, and Inferred Mineral Resources of 92.6 Mt @ 1.3 g/t Au for 3,779 koz Au, as those categories are defined in the JORC Code (as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Refer to De Greys public disclosure record for further details.2 While certain aspects of Becher mineralisation seem analogous to that at the Mallina Gold Project as disclosed by De Grey Minings Mallina Gold Project, mineralisation is not necessarily representative of mineralisation throughout the Becher Area or the Egina Gold Camp.3 Refer to the Companys news release dated February 14, 2023.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novo Resources Corp. (Novo or the Company) (TSX: NVO, NVO.WT & NVO.WT.A) (OTCQX: NSRPF) is pleased to announce the commencement of a +20,000 m AC drilling program at the Companys flagship Becher Project (Becher or the Project), located in the northern sector of the Egina Gold Camp (Egina). Results referred to in this news release are not necessarily representative of mineralisation throughout the Egina Gold Camp.

The Becher Area (E47/3673, 100%-owned by Novo) contains multiple high-priority orogenic gold targets under shallow cover in the highly prospective, yet under-explored Mallina Basin. Becher is located ~28 km to the west-southwest of De Grey Mining Limiteds (De Grey) Hemi deposit, along an interpreted gold-fertile corridor and only 2.5 km south of their recent Withnell South discovery (Figure 1).

Novos 2022 drill program proved to be extremely successful on several fronts:

The location and tenor of gold assay results from drill sampling have provided confidence in the fertility of the interpreted regional structural corridors;

Multi-element analysis of bottom-of-hole AC drill samples revealed intrusion-related sanukitoid signatures, which are known hosts to gold mineralisation elsewhere in the district;

The distribution of pathfinder elements such as arsenic, antimony and tungsten (amongst others) defined vectors which have helped finesse understanding on the controls on gold mineralisation; and

The realisation that the cover sequence is shallow (generally less than 10 m) and is less consequential than expected, is of particular note.

All of these findings have considerable influence in targeting and prioritising the 2023 drill programs.

Final results have also been received for 1 m split samples sourced from 4 m composite samples in the reverse circulation (RC) and AC drilling completed in 2022. The new results closely mirror intercepts from previously reported composite samples3 and include high grade assays of (Appendix, Table 1) as follows:

1 m @ 7.27 g/t Au from 9 m (F0632) at the intersection of the Irvine and Heckmair trends;

1 m @ 3.1 g/t Au from 17 m (F519) at Whillans; and

1 m @ 4.27 g/t Au from 17 m (F1393) at Bonatti

New results also highlight potential for Intrusion Related Gold (IRG) mineralisation at Irvine South and this concept is supported by highly anomalous Au-Cu results and associated pathfinder elements (Au-Ag-Cu-Bi-Mo-Sb) in AC on the most southerly line drilled in 2022. The presence of a strong magnetic target, coincident with the edge of current drill coverage and its location immediately west of the Becher epithermal vein system, provides further support for this possible target style.

The current AC program will test multiple high-priority structural and intrusion-hosted gold targets, which appear similar to De Greys Mallina Gold Project2. These targets have been defined by significant gold and pathfinder anomalies in an area of approximately 20 sq km, delineated in anomalous structural corridors at the Heckmair, Irvine and Whillans prospects (Figures 2 to 4). Additional targets are also emerging from partly completed reconnaissance drilling at Lowe and Bonatti. A minimum of 20,000 m of AC will be conducted as part of the program, which commenced in mid-April 2023 and will be completed in June 2023.

Figure 1: Novos Pilbara tenure, showing location of the Becher Project within the Egina Gold Camp is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e4e51159-436f-4b7a-a3d8-45fd9b702597

Figure 2: Becher target area showing the position of the De Grey Hemi and Withnell gold discoveries2 is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f71b5be3-ce46-4ca4-9551-eececfc75ed0

2022 EXPLORATION PROGRAM DETAILS

In mid-2022, Novo commenced a major exploration campaign to test multiple significant shear corridors adjacent to De Greys 10.6 Moz Au (JORC 2012)1 Mallina Gold Project. Numerous targets were identified or enhanced utilising an expansive high-resolution aeromagnetic and radiometric survey, coupled with detailed ground gravity surveys in mid-2022. The target style of mineralisation included both structurally controlled orogenic gold and orogenic intrusion-hosted gold, similar mineralisation styles to those at the Hemi gold deposit2.

Mapping in the area highlighted an abundance of transported surficial cover including aeolian sand and sheetwash gravel, driving the interpretation that previous companies surface geochemical sampling programs in the area did not effectively test the underlying targets. Two heritage surveys were completed to enable execution of the planned 2022 program.

Systematic broad spaced AC drilling commenced in mid-September 2022 and was completed in mid-December 2022. Drilling totalled 1,413 holes for 31,824 m on 29 sections at 640 m spaced section lines, with occasional 320 m infill lines. The program aimed to test five main targets (Irvine Shear, Whillans Shear, Heckmair Fault and Intrusion, Lowe and Bonatti Shears).

Litho-geochemical studies were conducted on bottom of hole aircore samples that were analysed for Au by fire assay and for 33 multielements by ICP-MS. These studies have enabled Novo to discern between Millindina mafic to ultramafic intrusive suites, possible mafic and komatiitic lavas, sanukitoid (hornblende-diorite) intrusions and highly fractionated (more granitic) equivalents. Petrological investigations are pending.

Figure 3: Target map with significant 4 m composite AC drill intercepts >0.1 g/t Au and AC and RC drilling completed in 2022 is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/1f6d3323-7087-4a28-adb1-c98d697ba652

Heckmair Prospect

The Heckmair prospect is characterised by a significant hornblende-diorite sanukitoid intrusive complex which has been dextrally offset by a major NNW-SSE trending fault. Within the complex there are several demagnetised sanukitoid phases and fractionated felsic melts. Several high-priority targets have been identified across the intrusion, on the margins and potential extensional zones around the intrusion and within structural offsets cutting through the intrusion, particularly at the southern termination with the Irvine Shear Zone.

Peak AC results for gold3 from recently received 1 m split results (0.1 g/t Au lower cut-off), include:

4 m @ 0.40 g/t Au from 12 m (F0738) repeating in new split results as 3 m @ 0.39 g/t Au from 12 m

3 m @ 0.44 g/t Au from 20 m (F0858) repeating in new split results as 2 m @ 0.47 g/t Au from 21 m

Highly anomalous base metal results have also been identified adjacent to gold targets at Heckmair, with a peak intercept of 4 m @ 3.4 g/t Ag, 0.49% Pb and 0.1% Zn from 20 m (F0749).

Irvine Prospect

The Irvine prospect is defined by an ENE-WSW trending shear corridor hosting variably sheared sedimentary units, as well as carbonate-silica-altered ultramafic and mafic intrusive rocks of the Millindina Suite. These are bound on the southern shear margin by late sanukitoid intrusions. This corridor is extremely anomalous in arsenic and antimony (Figures 5 and 6).

At the Irvine prospect, positive AC drilling results3 listed below, were followed up with 3,541 m of RC drilling from 32 holes drilled on 320 m line spacing.

8 m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 8 m (F0632) repeating in new split results as 6 m @ 2.15 g/t Au from 8 m, including 1m @ 7.27 g/t Au from 9 m at the intersection of Irvine and Heckmair trends

23 m @ 0.56 g/t Au from 0 m (A0034)

15 m @ 0.15 g/t Au from 12 m (A0029)

2 m @ 0.40 g/t Au from 3 m (F0123)

Peak RC intercepts previously reported include3:

33 m @ 0.493 g/t Au from 33 m (G0005) including 5 m @ 1.28 g/t Au

20 m @ 0.406 g/t Au from 32 m (G0016), repeating in new split results as 18 m @ 0.40 g/t Au from 32 m, including 4 m @ 1.1 g/t Au from 45 m

24 m @ 0.39 g/t Au from 76 m (G0018) repeating in new split results as 23 m @ 0.39 g/t Au from 77 m, including 10 m @ 0.49 g/t Au from 80 m and 5m @ 0.51 g/t Au from 93 m

Irvine South Prospect

Highly anomalous Au-Cu results were returned from AC drilling at Irvine South (previously reported as 4 m composites4), located just to the west of the Becher epithermal vein and include:

6 m @ 0.14 g/t Au and 0.23% Cu from 8 m and 4 m @ 0.17 g/t Au and 0.21% Cu from 20 m (A0001)

2 m @ 0.91 g/t Au and 473 ppm Cu from 66 m (A0003)

The multielement association of Au-Ag-Cu-Bi-Mo-Sb (and Sn, Ga and Ce) is suggestive of an IRG or related system. Peak values returned include 0.23 ppm Au, 6.7 ppm Ag, 37.2 ppm Bi, 0.68% Cu, 84 ppm Sb and 12.3 ppm Mo.

New understanding based on drill hole geology and related magnetic interpretation suggest a fertile IRG granite may be present directly south of A0001 at Irvine South. The interpreted IRG intrusion and adjacent sedimentary rocks have a strong Au-Ag-Cu-Bi-Mo-Sb multielement signature, lie west of the Becher epithermal vein system and immediately south of the Irvine Shear.

_______________4 Refer to the Companys news release dated October 27, 2022.

Whillans Prospect

The Whillans Shear is a major E-W to WNW trending break in geology, characterised by strongly sheared sediments with folded ultramafic and mafic lithologies of the Millindina Suite to the north. The Whillans Shear is located 2.5 km to the south of the Withnell gold resource, currently containing 1.6 Moz of gold1. A large ENE trending shear, with significant As-Sb and moderate gold anomalism has recently been defined (the West Shear, Figure 4) truncating the Whillans Shear in the central part of the target area and will be a focus for upcoming exploration.

Peak AC gold results (previously released) including recently received 1 m split results (0.1 g/t Au lower cut-off), include3:

8 m @ 0.20 g/t Au from 16 m (F0519) repeating in new split results as 6 m @ 0.64 g/t Au from 16 m including 1 m @ 3.1 g/t Au from 17 m

4 m @ 0.37 g/t Au from 20 m (F1136) repeating in new split results as 3 m @ 0.32 g/t Au from 19 m

Bonatti and Lowe Prospects

Drilling during 2022 tested portions of the Bonatti Shear corridor, a 1.8 km wide NE-SW trend with a strike length of approximately 13 km, incorporating the Lowe and Bonatti Prospects. The Bonatti prospect (Figure 7) comprises folded and faulted sediments, ultramafic to mafic lithologies of the Millindina Suite and rare sanukitoid intrusions in the northern sector. Encouraging results include 1m @ 4.27 g/t Au from 17 m in F1393 and 1 m @ 1.85 g/t Au from 11 m in F1242.

The Lowe prospect (Figure 7) is characterised by an isoclinally folded tholeiite unit with associated ultramafic lithologies of the Millindina Suite and complex late-stage gabbro and fractionated felsic intrusions. AC logging has identified large zones of intense alteration, coupled with disseminated sulphide minerals, which require further investigation.

PLANNED 2023 DRILLING PROGRAM

Results from recent AC drilling have clearly delineated priority targets including both structurally controlled orogenic gold and intrusion-hosted gold which appear similar to mineralisation with De Greys Mallina Gold Project2. The Irvine, Heckmair and Whillans Au targets and the Irvine South Au-Cu target are the primary focus for current AC drilling and follow-up RC drilling. A minimum of 20,000 m of AC will be conducted as part of the current program.

WEST PILBARA DIVESTMENT

The Company also advises that it has commenced a divestment process for base metals on certain tenements in the West Pilbara region of Western Australia. Interested parties are invited to contact Liam Twigger of Argonaut PCF Limited of Perth, Western Australia at [email protected].

Figure 4: Recent geological Interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with gold values for bottom of hole samples is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/39cdb787-99b8-43b2-9238-8409e8805d46

Figure 5: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with arsenic values for bottom of hole samples is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/20e65847-8a5f-4adf-afd1-9f924343c94e

Figure 6: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with antimony values for bottom of hole samples is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/b61e48cb-6acc-4627-a0ad-d8b568d5e23e

Figure 7: Becher targets defined by AC drilling, drilling completed to date and priority follow up AC overlain on recent geological interpretation is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/221ae29d-6bd4-4275-9857-3f7f3e85a56d

ANALYTIC METHODOLOGY

Four-metre composite samples of AC chips were sent to Intertek Genalysis (Intertek) in Perth, Western Australia with the entire sample smart crushed to -3mm (NVO02 prep code), with a 500 g split sample analysed for gold using Photon Assay (PHXR/AU01). An additional bottom hole sample from each drill hole (1 to 5 m composite representing rock from the bottom of the drill hole) was assayed using four acid digest and 50 g charge fire assay FA50/OE and for 48 multielement using four acid digest  MS finish (4A/MS). AC drill holes with anomalous gold or base metals have been split through a single tier riffle splitter and are assayed using four acid digest and 50 g charge fire assay FA50/OE and for 48 multielement using four acid digest  MS finish (4A/MS).

QAQC procedures include insertion of a certified blank approximately every 25 samples (4 per hundred), a certified standard approximately every 50 samples (2 per 100) and duplicate sampling (split of 4m composite) at the rate of 4 per hundred. Intertek inserts customized Chrysos certified standards at the rate of 2 per hundred.

RC holes were sampled using spear sampling 4 m composites and 4 m composite samples were sent to Intertek with the entire sample smart crushed to -3 mm (NVOO2 prep code), with a 500 g split sample (1 jar photon assay) analysed for gold using photon assay (PHXR/AU01). QAQC for RC samples are inserted at the rate of 4 standards per 100, 4 blanks per 100 and 4 riffle split duplicates per 100, providing a total of 12% QAQC. Rig split samples for RC were collected as 1m cone splits directly off the rig with the entire sample smart crushed to -3 mm (NVOO2 prep code), with two 500 g split samples (2 jar photon assay) analysed for gold using photon assay (PHXR/AU02) and the results of the two pots have been averaged.

There were no limitations to the verification process and all relevant data was verified by a qualified person as defined in National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects (NI 43-101) by reviewing analytical procedures undertaken by Intertek.

QP STATEMENT

Mr. Iain Groves (MAIG), is the qualified person, as defined under NI 43-101, responsible for, and having reviewed and approved, the technical information contained in this news release other than information concerning De Greys Mallina Gold Project. Mr. Groves is Novos Exploration Manger  West Pilbara.

ABOUT NOVO

Novo explores and develops its prospective land package covering approximately 10,500 square kilometres in the Pilbara region of Western Australia, along with the 22 square kilometre Belltopper Project in the Bendigo Tectonic Zone of Victoria, Australia. In addition to the Companys primary focus, Novo seeks to leverage its internal geological expertise to deliver value-accretive opportunities to its stakeholders. For more information, please contact Michael Spreadborough at +61-419-329-687 or [email protected], or Leo Karabelas at +1-416-543-3120 or [email protected].

On Behalf of the Board of Directors,

Novo Resources Corp.

Michael Spreadborough

Michael Spreadborough

Executive Co-Chairman and Acting CEO

Forward-looking information

Some statements in this news release contain forward-looking information (within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation) including, without limitation, the anticipated outcome of various exploration activities. These statements address future events and conditions and, as such, involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the statements. Such factors include, without limitation, customary risks of the resource industry and the risk factors identified in Novos annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available under Novos profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date those statements are made. Except as required by applicable law, Novo assumes no obligation to update or to publicly announce the results of any change to any forward-looking statement contained or incorporated by reference herein to reflect actual results, future events or developments, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting the forward-looking statements. If Novo updates any forward-looking statement(s), no inference should be drawn that the Company will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

APPENDIX

Table 1: Becher Area  Aircore drilling Intercepts > 0.1 g/t Au with up to 2 m internal dilution comparing new 1 m aircore split results with the original aircore speared composite sample.

Original composite spear samples 1m split samples Hole ID Depth From m Depth To m Width (m) Au (g/t) Hole ID Depth From m Depth To m Width (m) Au (g/t) F0506 12 16 4 0.12 F0506 12 14 2 0.17 F0519 16 24 8 0.2 F0519 16 22 6 0.64 including 17 18 1 3.1 F0521 20 28 8 0.14 F0521 21 28 7 0.14 F0567 8 12 4 0.13 F0567 8 12 4 0.13 F0573 12 16 4 0.1 F0573 12 16 4 0.10 F0574 4 8 4 0.1 F0574 4 8 4 0.10 F0594 8 12 4 0.13 F0594 8 11 3 0.19 F0597 0 4 4 0.21 F0597 0 4 4 0.02 F0598 4 8 4 0.13 F0598 6 7 1 0.24 F0605 16 21 5 0.12 F0605 16 21 5 0.12 F0632 8 16 8 2.14 F0632 8 14 6 2.15 including 9 10 1 7.27 F0644 8 12 4 0.11 F0644 8 12 4 0.04 F0654 4 10 6 0.24 F0654 3 10 7 0.20 F0724 8 12 4 0.14 F0724 11 12 1 0.19 F0738 12 16 4 0.4 F0738 12 15 3 0.39 F0739 12 16 4 0.17 F0739 9 13 4 0.20 F0740 12 16 4 0.17 F0740 11 14 3 0.23 F0744 12 16 4 0.12 F0744 12 16 4 0.12 F0747 12 16 4 0.11 F0747 12 16 4 0.05 F0748 0 4 4 0.23 F0748 1 2 1 0.82 F0755 12 16 4 0.12 F0755 11 14 3 0.19 F0756 12 16 4 0.35 F0756 12 14 2 0.61 F0757 28 32 4 0.1 F0757 31 32 1 0.26 F0759 12 16 4 0.11 F0759 13 14 1 0.13 F0760 12 16 4 0.32 F0760 13 16 3 0.46 F0761 8 16 8 0.23 F0761 11 14 3 0.47 F0762 12 16 4 0.14 F0762 11 15 4 0.12 F0764 8 16 8 0.12 F0764 6 7 1 0.13 F0764 11 13 2 0.32 F0858 20 23 3 0.44 F0858 21 23 2 0.47 F0902 20 24 4 0.1 F0902 22 23 1 0.16 F0903 8 12 4 0.17 F0903 10 14 4 0.22 F0936 12 16 4 0.19 F0936 13 19 6 0.20 F0939 4 8 4 0.12 F0939 4 8 4 0.12

F0940 8 12 4 0.33 F0940 5 6 1 0.14 F0940 9 12 3 0.4 F0941 8 12 4 0.11 F0941 5 6 1 0.13 F0941 9 12 3 0.15 F0983 0 4 4 0.15 F0983 0 4 4 0.15 F1016 8 12 4 0.22 F1016 9 12 3 0.24 F1027 8 12 4 0.12 F1027 8 12 4 0.12 F1064 8 12 4 0.13 F1064 8 12 4 0.13 F1075 16 21 5 0.14 F1075 19 21 2 0.20 F1115 12 16 4 0.18 F1115 15 17 2 0.30 F1121 8 12 4 0.19 F1121 10 12 2 0.20 F1134 20 24 4 0.2 F1134 19 26 7 0.24 F1135 20 24 4 0.12 F1135 20 24 4 0.12 F1136 20 24 4 0.37 F1136 19 22 3 0.30 F1138 12 16 4 0.27 F1138 13 15 2 0.44 F1242 8 13 5 0.49 F1242 11 12 1 1.85 F1260 4 8 4 0.1 F1260 4 8 4 0.10 F1393 16 21 5 0.29 F1393 17 18 1 4.27

Table 2: Becher Area  Significant RC drilling intercepts > 0.1 g/t Au for 2022 drilling with up to 2 m internal dilution for new 1 m split samples of original 4 m composite samples.

Hole ID Depth From m Depth To m Width (m) Au (g/t) G0016 32 50 18.00 0.4 including 45 49 4.00 1.08 G0017 4 16 12.00 0.13 G0017 47 48 1.00 0.35 G0018 48 56 8.00 0.10 G0018 77 100 23.00 0.39 including 80 90 10.00 0.49 and 93 98 5.00 0.51 G0019 9 10 1.00 0.35 G0019 17 21 4.00 0.28 G0019 85 106 21.00 0.2 G0022 16 20 4.00 0.12 G0022 28 33 5.00 0.24 G0022 38 45 7.00 0.17 G0022 50 64 14.00 0.28 including 54 60 6.00 0.46 G0022 116 121 5.00 0.13 G0023 10 11 1.00 0.2 G0023 36 38 2.00 0.40 G0023 58 60 2.00 0.22 G0023 84 85 1.00 0.87 G0023 89 92 3.00 0.27 G0023 112 115 3.00 0.28 G0024 75 79 4.00 0.14 G0024 86 103 17.00 0.17 including 101 103 2.00 0.57

Table 3: Becher Area  New 4 m composite drilling intercepts from the final 2022 RC drill holes > 0.1 g/t Au with up to 2m internal dilution.

Hole ID Depth From m Depth To m Width (m) Au (g/t) G0026 56 60 4.00 0.16 G0027 8 20 12.00 0.16 G0027 68 72 4.00 0.23 G0028 48 56 8.00 0.16 G0028 76 80 4.00 0.17 G0031 52 56 4.00 0.26 G0031 120 127 7.00 0.23 G0032 28 36 8.00 0.28

Drilling at the Heckmair Prospect in April 2023, showing the flat topography in open sand covered plains Drilling at the Heckmair Prospect in April 2023, showing the flat topography in open sand covered plains Figure 1: Novos Pilbara tenure, showing location of the Becher Project within the Egina Gold Camp Figure 1: Novos Pilbara tenure, showing location of the Becher Project within the Egina Gold Camp Figure 2: Becher target area showing the position of the De Grey Hemi and Withnell gold discoveries(2) Figure 2: Becher target area showing the position of the De Grey Hemi and Withnell gold discoveries(2) Figure 3: Target map with significant 4 m composite AC drill intercepts >0.1 g/t Au and AC and RC drilling completed in 2022 Figure 3: Target map with significant 4 m composite AC drill intercepts >0.1 g/t Au and AC and RC drilling completed in 2022 Figure 4: Recent geological Interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with gold values for bottom of hole samples Figure 4: Recent geological Interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with gold values for bottom of hole samples Figure 5: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with arsenic values for bottom of hole samples Figure 5: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with arsenic values for bottom of hole samples Figure 6: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with antimony values for bottom of hole samples Figure 6: Recent geological interpretation highlighting major structures, 2022 AC drilling with antimony values for bottom of hole samples Figure 7: Becher targets defined by AC drilling, drilling completed to date and priority follow up AC overlain on recent geological interpretation Figure 7: Becher targets defined by AC drilling, drilling completed to date and priority follow up AC overlain on recent geological interpretation

Source: Novo Resources Corp.
CALGARY, Alberta, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

Precision Drilling Corporation (Precision) reminds shareholders that it is holding its 2023 Annual Meeting of Shareholders (the Annual Meeting) on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. MST. As previously announced, the Annual Meeting will be held in a virtual-only meeting format. The meeting format will provide all shareholders an equal opportunity to participate in the Annual Meeting regardless of their geographic location.

The Annual Meeting can be accessed by logging in online at https://web.lumiagm.com/220635712. Registered shareholders and duly appointed proxyholders who participate in the Annual Meeting online will be able to listen to the Annual Meeting, ask questions and vote, all in real time, provided that they are connected to the internet. In all cases, shareholders must follow the instructions set out in their applicable proxy or voting instruction forms. Shareholders can vote by proxy in advance of the Annual Meeting as in prior years. Guests can listen to the Annual Meeting but will not be able to communicate or vote.

Additional information regarding shareholder participation in the Annual Meeting (including voting instructions) may be found in Precisions Management Information Circular, dated March 29, 2023, which is available on our website (www.precisiondrilling.com). Additionally, detailed instructions for shareholders to participate in the meeting are provided in Precisions Virtual AGM User Guide available on our website by selecting Investor Relations, then Webcasts & Presentations.

If you have questions regarding your ability to participate or vote at the Annual Meeting, please contact Precisions registrar and transfer agent, Computershare, at 1-800-564-6253.

About Precision

Precision is a leading provider of safe and environmentally responsible High Performance, High Value services to the energy industry, offering customers access to an extensive fleet of Super Series drilling rigs. Precision has commercialized an industry-leading digital technology portfolio known as Alpha that utilizes advanced automation software and analytics to generate efficient, predictable, and repeatable results for energy customers. Our drilling services are enhanced by our EverGreen suite of environmental solutions, which bolsters our commitment to reducing the environmental impact of our operations. Additionally, Precision offers well service rigs, camps and rental equipment all backed by a comprehensive mix of technical support services and skilled, experienced personnel.

Precision is headquartered in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the trading symbol PD and on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol PDS.

For further information, please contact:

Lavonne Zdunich, CPA, CADirector, Investor Relations403.716.4500

800, 525 - 8th Avenue S.W.Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 1G1Website: www.precisiondrilling.com

Source: Precision Drilling Corporation
TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virgo Global Holdings Inc., the holding company of VirgoCX Inc. and other companies (Virgo Group), is pleased to announce the acquisition of Toronto-based Canadian crypto asset management firm Arxnovum Investments Inc., pending regulatory approval.

Virgo Group is making a significant step forward by seeking to serve clients across the digital asset management space with regulated investment products. The combined firms will seek to provide Canadians with increased product choice, and the benefits of regulatory compliant innovation in our capital markets.

We are excited to consolidate Arxnovums experience and connections in the digital asset management space to launch crypto investment funds, including private funds and ETFs, that have been requested by investors, Adam Cai, CEO of Virgo Group, stated.

Arxnovum Investments is excited to partner with Virgo Group to create investment products for Canadians that provide access to the transformations heralded by blockchain innovations and digital assets, Shaun Cumby, CEO of Arxnovum, stated. Together, we intend to create investment vehicles that can be trusted and uphold the highest industry standards.

The announcement of this acquisition, despite current market conditions and recent industry fallouts, shows Virgo Groups strong belief in the future of a regulated digital assets industry, Cai remarked. This acquisition illustrates Virgo Groups stability and growth strategy, which also includes offering trading platform and investment management services in other international markets.

About Virgo Group

Virgo Group is dedicated to enabling massive adoption of crypto assets and blockchain technology on a global scale. Virgo Group offers multiple business lines, including regulated retail fiat-to-crypto trading and crypto over-the-counter (OTC) trading. With continuous innovation in mind, Virgo Group is poised to become an integrated global digital asset service provider.

For information about Virgo Group, please visit: www.virgo.coFor information about VirgoCX, please visit: www.virgocx.ca

About Arxnovum Investments Inc.

Arxnovum is focused on alternative asset management. The Arxnovum team, led by Shaun Cumby and Tanvir Sodhi, has over 40 combined years in investing experience in both traditional and digital assets. The team created Canadas first publicly traded Bitcoin and Ether funds. Arxnovum is set to bring diverse digital asset investment products to Canadian investors.

Media Contact

Peter IpHead of marketing[email protected]

Source: VirgoCX Inc.
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Western Forest Products Inc. (TSX: WEF) (Western or the Company) announces the following voting results in respect of the election of directors at its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (the Meeting) held today:

Name of Nominee Votes For % For Votes Against % Against Laura A. Cillis 194,583,486 97.94 % 4,093,489 2.06 % Steven Hofer 196,937,550 99.12 % 1,739,425 0.88 % Randy Krotowski 196,921,551 99.12 % 1,755,424 0.88 % Fiona Macfarlane 175,660,756 88.42 % 23,016,219 11.58 % Noordin Nanji 193,273,025 97.28 % 5,403,950 2.72 % Daniel Nocente 196,935,602 99.12 % 1,741,373 0.88 % Peter Wijnbergen 196,917,069 99.11 % 1,759,906 0.89 % John Williamson 163,066,218 82.08 % 35,610,757 17.92 %

The total number of shares represented by shareholders in person and by proxy at the Meeting was 200,765,622, representing 63.38% of the Companys outstanding shares.

As part of best governance practices, the Companys Board of Directors has constituted its Board Committees as summarized below. All members of the Board Committees are 100% independent.

Audit Committee Environmental, Health and Safety Committee Management Resource and Compensation Committee Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Laura A. Cillis (Chair) Randy Krotowski (Chair) Fiona Macfarlane(Chair) John Williamson(Chair) Randy Krotowski Fiona Macfarlane Peter Wijnbergen Laura A. Cillis Peter Wijnbergen Noordin Nanji John Williamson Fiona Macfarlane John Williamson Noordin Nanji

The Company has also filed a report of voting results on all resolutions voted on at the Meeting on www.sedar.com.

About Western Forest Products Inc.

Western is an integrated forest products company building a margin-focused log and lumber business to compete successfully in global softwood markets. With operations and employees located primarily on the coast of British Columbia and Washington State, Western is a premier supplier of high-value, specialty forest products to worldwide markets. Western has a lumber capacity in excess of 1.0 billion board feet from seven sawmills and four remanufacturing facilities. The Company sources timber from its private lands, long-term licenses, First Nations arrangements, and market purchases. Western supplements its production through a wholesale program providing customers with a comprehensive range of specialty products.

For further information, please contact:

Stephen WilliamsExecutive Vice President & Chief Financial Officer(604) 648-4500

Source: Western Forest Products Inc.
Chuck Schumer, the Senate Majority Leader, has reaffirmed his commitment to pursuing marijuana banking legislation that includes criminal justice provisions and described the broader endeavor to undo the damage caused by the drug war as a moral duty for Congress. Schumer reiterated his intent to pass the SAFE Banking Act, which had been refiled the day before by bipartisan members of the house and senate, during his speech on the House floor this week. He also promised to keep working on a more comprehensive package that supports industry equity and justice for those impacted by the drug war.

The measure, which has undergone minor revisions since the previous session, would shield banks from federal regulators sanctions when they cooperate with cannabis businesses that

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Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Atacama Copper Corporation (TSXV: ACOP) ("Atacama Copper" or, the "Company") is pleased to announce that it intends to issue, by way of a non-brokered private placement, common shares of the Company ("Common Shares") at a purchase price of $0.18 per Common Share (the "Offering Price") for gross proceeds of up to $300,000 (the "Offering").

Atacama Copper expects the Offering to close on or about May 15, 2023 (the "Closing Date").

The net proceeds of the Offering will be for general corporate purposes and no commission, finder's fee or similar payment (whether in the form of cash, securities or an interest in assets) will be paid by the Company in connection with the Offering.

Completion of the Offering is subject to certain conditions including, but not limited to, the receipt of all necessary regulatory approvals including the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange (the "TSXV"). The TSXV has not approved the Offering Price and this remains subject to change. The Common Shares will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus one day from the Closing Date, in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

It is expected that certain Insiders (as such term is defined under the policies of the TSXV) of the Company may participate in the Offering. The participation of Insiders in the Offering will constitute a "related party transaction" within the meaning of Multilateral Instrument 61-101 - Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101"). The Corporation intends to rely upon exemptions from the formal valuation and minority approval requirements of MI 61-101.

This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities in the United States. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "U.S. Securities Act") or any state securities laws and may not be offered or sold within the United States or to U.S. persons unless registered under the U.S. Securities Act and applicable state securities laws or an exemption from such registration is available.

About Atacama Copper Corporation

Atacama Copper Corporation is a resource company focusing on acquiring, exploring, and developing copper properties in Chile and elsewhere in the Americas. It is committed to advancing the exploration and development of the Placeton and El Cofre projects while looking to increase its asset portfolio through the acquisition and development of other high-value copper exploration, development, and production opportunities. Atacama Copper's Placeton project is a large porphyry copper target located between the Relincho and El Morro Copper-gold deposits of the Nueva Union joint venture between Teck and Newmont Mining.

Additional Information - Please Contact

For more information, please contact:

Tim Warman

Chief Executive Officer and Director

Atacama Copper Corporation

Email: [email protected]

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

Cautionary Statements

This news release contains "forward-looking information" and "forward-looking statements" (collectively, "forward-looking statements") within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as "expects", or "does not expect", "is expected", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", "plans", "budget", "scheduled", "forecasts", "estimates", "believes" or "intends" or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results "may" or "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements.

In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, statements relating to the receipt of regulatory approvals (including TSXV approvals) and the timing thereof, statutory hold periods, the terms and conditions of the Offering, the closing date for the Offering, the anticipated use of the net proceeds from the Offering and the participation of Insiders in the Offering. Various assumptions or factors are typically applied in drawing conclusions or making the forecasts or projections set out in forward-looking information. Those assumptions and factors are based on information currently available to the Company. The material facts and assumptions include obtaining approval of the TSXV of the proposed Offering; the availability of certain prospectus exemptions in respect of the Offering; and the intended use of proceeds remaining in the best interests of the Company. The Company cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive. The forward-looking information contained in this release is made as of the date hereof and the Company is not obligated to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws. Due to the risks, uncertainties and assumptions contained herein, investors should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The foregoing statements expressly qualify any forward-looking information contained herein.

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/165002
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Bravada Gold Corporation (TSXV: BVA) (the "Company" or "Bravada") announces that it intends to apply to the TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") for approval to extend the original expiry dates of an aggregate 27,611,285 share purchase warrants (the "Warrants") as follows:

Number of Warrants Exercise Price per Share Closing Date of Private Placement Original Expiry Date Proposed Amended Expiry Date 7,555,000 $0.12 May 13, 2019 May 13, 2023 May 13, 2024 4,552,142 $0.12 July 17, 2019 July 17, 2023 July 17, 2024 8,305,000 $0.15 June 11, 2020 June 11, 2023 June 11, 2024 4,260,000 $0.12 August 6, 2021 August 6, 2023 August 6, 2024 2,757,143 $0.12 October 1, 2021 October 1, 2023 October 1, 2024 182,000 $0.12 October 25, 2021 October 25, 2023 October 25, 2024

All other terms and conditions of the Warrants will remain the same. In accordance with TSXV policies, warrants issued as compensation to brokers and finders will not be extended. The proposed amendments are subject to TSXV approval.

About Bravada

Bravada is an exploration company with a portfolio of high-quality properties in Nevada, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world. Bravada has successfully identified and advanced properties with the potential to host high-margin deposits while successfully attracting partners to fund later stages of project development. Bravada's value is underpinned by a substantial gold and silver resource with a positive PEA at Wind Mountain, and the Company has significant upside potential from possible new discoveries at its exploration properties.

Since 2005, the Company entered into 32 earn-in joint-venture agreements for its properties with 19 publicly traded companies, as well as a similar number of property-acquisition agreements with private individuals. Bravada currently has 10 projects in its portfolio, consisting of 810 claims for approximately 6,500 ha in the Battle Mountain/Eureka and Walker Lane Trends, two of Nevada's most prolific gold trends. Most of the projects host encouraging drill intercepts of gold and already have drill targets developed. Several videos are available on the Company's website that describe Bravada's major properties, responding to investor's commonly asked questions. Simply click on this link https://bravadagold.com/projects/project-videos/.

On behalf of the Board of Directors of Bravada Gold Corporation

"Joseph A. Kizis, Jr."

Joseph A. Kizis, Jr., Director, President, Bravada Gold Corporation

For further information, please visit Bravada Gold Corporation's website at bravadagold.com or contact the Company at 604.684.9384 or 775.746.3780.

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 including but not limited to comments regarding the timing and content of upcoming work programs, geological interpretations, receipt of property titles, potential mineral recovery processes, etc. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements. These statements are based on a number of assumptions, including, but not limited to, assumptions regarding general economic conditions, interest rates, commodity markets, regulatory and governmental approvals for the company's projects, and the availability of financing for the company's development projects on reasonable terms. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, the timing and receipt of government and regulatory approvals, and continued availability of capital and financing and general economic, market or business conditions. Bravada Gold 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/165048
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- China's State Council has deliberated and adopted a guideline on accelerating the development of advanced manufacturing clusters, according to a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Qiang on Friday.

The meeting called for greater priority to be given to the development of advanced manufacturing clusters, taking the whole country into account, guiding all localities to leverage their comparative advantages and intensifying work related to specialization and differentiation.

Work should be done to promote the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, as well as the cultivation and strengthening of emerging industries, it said. Work should also be done to facilitate technological innovation and application, advance the country's high-end, smart and green transformation, and expand the number of high-quality enterprises, it said.

The meeting pledged to combine an effective market with an active government in an improved manner, and create a sound ecological environment for industrial development.

The meeting also made arrangements on speeding up the construction of charging infrastructure to better promote new energy vehicles in rural areas and rural vitalization.

Efforts should be made to focus on the prominent bottlenecks restricting the promotion of new energy vehicles in rural areas, moderately advance the construction of charging infrastructure, and innovate the mode of construction, operations and maintenance of charging infrastructure.

The country will optimize its policies supporting the purchase and use of new energy vehicles further, encourage enterprises to enrich supply, and strengthen safety supervision to promote the healthy development of the new energy vehicle market in rural areas, according to the meeting. 
Ottawa, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Today, on Red Dress Day, the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) lifts up all Indigenous peoples and communities across Turtle Island as we remember and honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA+ people, and calls on the federal government to implement a red dress alert.

Systemic discrimination, racism, and violence against Indigenous people has resulted in violence against and loss of our women, girls, and 2S+ people. The ongoing epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people is a national tragedy that demands urgent action and attention.

We support the call by MP Leah Gazan and others to implement a public alert system to inform all Canadians when an Indigenous woman, girl, or 2S+ person goes missing. The Government of Canada has a duty to Indigenous peoples and must take a leadership role, financially and otherwise, in implementing an MMIWG2S+ "Red Dress" alert system.

We also call on the Federal Government to urgently address violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people and stop delaying important measures like the Red Dress Alert, because every moment is critical to saving lives.

On Red Dress Day, we remember and continue to draw strength from the resilience and courage of our loved ones who have been lost to violence. On Red Dress Day, we honor their lives and commit ourselves to the important work of ensuring that no more Indigenous women, girls, and 2S+ people are lost to violence.

Media Contact

For media interviews please contact:

Hana Sabah, CAP Communications support

Cell: (514) 834-8841

Email: [email protected]

Background

The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples (CAP) is the second-oldest national aboriginal organization in Canada. It was founded in 1971, one year after the AFN. CAP represents the interests of off-reserve status and non-status Indians, Mtis and Southern Inuit Aboriginal Peoples throughout Canada. CAP is one of five national Indigenous organizations recognized by the federal government, and holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165058
New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - May 4, 2023) - OFOOH is proud to announce the unveiling of its brand and footwear e-commerce Marketplace.

The aim of the marketplace is to make it easier for consumers to shop online for fashionable shoes at a reasonable price without compromising on comfort or quality.

OFOOH is partnering with various global independent and start-up brands that are currently not available in the GCC region to offer a comprehensive selection of footwear.

"We believe that fashion is a form of self-expression. This expression however has been largely monopolised by fast-fashion brands, which is why we decided to establish OFOOH," said Fatima Khan, co-founder of OFOOH. "Everyone deserves to feel confident and comfortable whether they are getting ready for a special occasion or going about their daily routine and the first step towards achieving that feeling is to look your best."

OFOOH, the brand, is registered in the UK with the headquarters of the retail business based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. To provide a seamless experience to its customers, the company has partnered with a technology driven logistics and last-mile delivery partner with a state-of-the-art fulfillment center in Dubai.

The company aims to grow by offering chic and exclusive fashion products which are not readily available for retail to consumers in the GCC.

About OFOOH

OFOOH is family-owned online fashion start-up based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The e-commerce marketplace is expected to go live by August 2023. To learn more about the platform, please visit their website.

Contact:

Fatima Khan

+971566056198

Ofooh, Shoes, Footwear

Ofooh LTD

[email protected]

www.ofooh.com

Dubai, United Arab Emirates

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164860
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Reagan Glazier, president and CEO of Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. (TSXV: PBM) ("Pacific Bay" or the "Company") reports that Pacific Bay and Brixton Metals Corp ("Brixton") have agreed to amend the terms of the definitive option agreement entered into by the parties on May 4th, 2022 enabling Pacific Bay to acquire up to a 100% interest in the Atlin Goldfields Property in northern BC (the "Agreement"). The amending agreement (the "Amendment") provides Pacific Bay additional time to complete the required first anniversary cash payment and work commitment, as outlined below.

Under the Amendment, the $200,000 cash payment due May 4th, 2023 may be paid by Pacific Bay on the earlier of July 10th, 2023 or five days following the completion of a private placement financing by the Company. The Amendment also permits Pacific Bay to complete the required $500,000 in year one expenditures during the second year of the Agreement. The 1,000,000 Pacific Bay shares payable to Brixton under the Agreement are to be issued forthwith. Pacific Bay will also forthwith file approximately $250,000 in Atlin expenditures to date as assessment work.

"Pacific Bay is very bullish about the Atlin Goldfields project and we appreciate the flexibility provided by Brixton to advance this exciting gold camp," said Reagan Glazier, President & CEO of Pacific Bay. "We will shortly be updating investors about our financing plans and exploration strategy for Atlin."

Pacific Bay Minerals Ltd. Per/

Reagan Glazier, President & CEO

Contact: Reagan Glazier, 604-682-2421, [email protected]

This news release contains "forwardlooking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forwardlooking statements include, but are not limited to, statements with respect to the timing for payment of the option payments, timing regarding any future financings of the Company and timing for completion of future expenditures and plans relating to exploration of the Property, the magnitude and quality of the Property and spending commitments. Such statements and information are based on numerous assumptions regarding present and future business strategies and the environment in which Pacific Bay will operate in the future. Certain important factors that could cause actual results, performances or achievements to differ materially from those in the forwardlooking statements include, amongst others, the global economic climate, dilution, share price volatility and competition, results of exploration activities and development of the Atlin Goldfields Property, risks associated with the Agreement, including that the Agreement may be terminated or the option not exercised, risks relating to regulatory approvals, and the ability of the Company to complete a private placement financing. Although Pacific Bay has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forwardlooking statements, 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 forwardlooking statements. Pacific Bay does not undertake to update any forwardlooking statements, except in accordance with 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.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164951
London, United Kingdom--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Join 350+ senior peers at Reuters Events: The Future of Insurance Europe 2023 (28-29 November, Amsterdam) to discuss strategy, technology, customer, and the industrys trajectory.

What? - Europe's most senior insurance meeting

When? - 28th-29th November, 2023

Where? - Hotel Novotel, Amsterdam City

Who? - 350+ executives from all major European insurance providers

Get the key information you need ahead of #FOIEurope and pre-order the brochure here.

By pre-ordering the brochure, you will be the first to receive information about the 2023 speaker line-up, event agenda, networking activities, pass discounts and most importantly, who else will be in Amsterdam with you.

Reuters Events will have 65 senior exec speakers and 350 decision makers attending, with CEOs, CXOs, VPs, Heads of Department and Board members - plus, a whole host of dedicated networking designed to fast-forward your business strategy through connections and learning from others.

Companies in attendance last year included:

Admiral, Aegon, Ageas, AIG, Allianz, Aon, AXA, Cigna, ERGO Group AG, Gallagher Re, Generali, Hannover Re, Helvetia, Irish Life, Marsh McLennan, Munich Re, NN Group, RSA, Swiss Re, UNIQA, Zurich and many more&

Pre-order The Future of Insurance Europe 2023 brochure here.

Speakers already confirmed include:

Amelie Breitburd, CEO , Lloyd's Europe

, Henrik Ryden, CEO Nordics , Marsh McLennan

, Tibor Boettcher, CEO , Volkswagen Insurance Company

, Ian Thompson, Group Chief Claims Officer , Zurich

, Cyril Steffen, Chief Claims Officer, Europe , AXA

, Imre Sztano, Chief Digital Officer , NN International Insurance

, Raphal Gusdorf, Chief Digital Officer, AG2R La Mondiale

&among many more.

We're looking forward to seeing you there!

Contact:

Nuriya Powell

[email protected]

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164958
Edmonton, Alberta--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - TrustBIX Inc. (TSXV: TBIX) (OTCQB: TBIXF)("TrustBIX" or the "Company")announces that on April 30, 2023, Mr. Tom Ogaranko stepped down as Chief Innovation Officer and has agreed to join the TrustBIX Advisory Board. The Board of Directors expressed their tremendous gratitude for Toms contributions to the Company over the years.



We thank Tom for his excellent work as Chief Innovation Officer. He has been key to the success of our development and growth strategies, allowing us to deploy our technology and support sustainability in many industries. We are excited to continue working with him as one of our advisors, said Hubert Lau, TrustBIX CEO.



In addition, on May 3, 2023, Ms. Deborah Wilson has stepped down as an Officer of the Company and her role has changed from Chief Industry Engagement Officer to the new position of Senior Vice President, Channel Sales and Industry Relations. This will allow her to redirect her focus away from executive operational duties to revenue growth. She will be responsible for developing and realizing BIX solutions with the Companys resellers and industry partners to ensure mutual revenue and profits.

About TrustBIX (TSXV: TBIX) (OTCQB: TBIXF)

The vision is to create a world where we trust more and waste less by leveraging BIX and the use of its technology solutions. TrustBIX delivers independent validation of provenance and sustainable practices within multiple supply chains and industries.

BIX Location Services offer solutions to supply chains that bring situational awareness for high-value assets.

ViewTrak Technologies Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary, provides a suite of hardware and software solutions to the livestock industry in North America and China.

www.trustbix.com

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Hubert Lau

President and CEO

Telephone: (780) 456-2207

Email: [email protected]

Twitter

LinkedIn

Facebook

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy of accuracy of this release.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/165062
Hangzhou, China--(Newsfile Corp. - May 5, 2023) - Vograce, a professional animation peripheral customized enterprise, has announced its expansion plans to meet the growing demand for personalized products. With a team of over 500 employees, Vograce integrates design, development, production, and sales to create unique products that cater to individual tastes.

Vograce

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8199/164820_29d75cab545c0808_001full.jpg

The company's factory, covering an area of 6000 square meters, now houses over 200 production equipment, increasing its annual export capacity to over 2 million U.S. dollars. The expansion also enables Vograce to serve a wider range of customers with more personalized products.

"Our investment in new equipment and facilities is a testament to our commitment to providing the best customized products for our customers," said spokesperson Jerry Hu for Vograce. "Without sacrificing quality, we're thrilled to be able to offer more options and quicker turnaround times."

Vograce's dedication to customization is not limited to its product offerings. The company has also developed a user-friendly webpage that enables clients to effortlessly upload creative designs and place purchases. The website features a design tool that enables users to preview their designs on the product of their choice before finalizing their order.

"Our commitment to providing a seamless and user-friendly experience for our customers has always been a top priority," Jerry Hu added. "We understand that customization is all about expressing one's individuality, and we want to make that process as easy and enjoyable as possible."

Vograce offers a wide range of products for customization, including custom keychains, custom washi tape, stickers, custom body pillows, and more. The company has recently expanded its product offerings to include not only anime-inspired merchandise but also other pop culture and gaming-inspired designs.

"We're constantly keeping up with the latest trends and preferences of our customers to provide the most relevant and personalised products," said Jerry Hu. "Our goal is to offer something for everyone, whether you're a fan of anime, gaming, or pop culture."

With its strong reputation in the customization industry, Vograce aims to continue providing innovative solutions for customers looking for unique and personalized products. The company's commitment to development and client service positions it for continued success in the future.

In conclusion, Vograce's expansion plans and commitment to customization showcase its dedication to meeting the growing demand for personalized products. The company's investment in new equipment and facilities, user-friendly website, and diverse product offerings position it as a leader in the customization industry.

About Vograce:

Vograce is a professional animation peripheral product manufacturer and supplier that specializes in customized modifications. With a focus on personalized customization, Vograce provides a diverse inventory of goods that cater to particular tastes.

Facebook URL https://www.facebook.com/VograceCreatives/

Instagram URL https://www.instagram.com/vograce_official/

Twitter URL https://twitter.com/VograceCharms

YouTube URL https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMd2dQcKZHzYsIc8LhUf8jQ

Pinterest URL https://www.pinterest.com/Vogracecharm/_created/

TikTok URLhttps://www.tiktok.com/@vogracecharms

Discord URL https://discord.gg/vvrkbwdekC

Media Details:

Name: Vograce

Contact Name: Rachel Zhang

Email: [email protected]

City: Hangzhou

Country: China

Website: https://vograce.com/

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164820
Community-Driven 'Salute To Nurses' Celebrates Healthcare Heros With Special Event, Acclaimed Sponsored Print & Digital Feature

BOSTON , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Boston Globe Media today announced the 20th anniversary edition of its Salute to Nurses initiative, a special advertiser-supported section of The Boston Globe which is published annually to coincide with the observance of National Nurses Week ( May 6 - May 12 ). Since 2003, this community-driven program has allowed thousands of people in the region to recognize and thank area nurses who have helped them and their loved ones through difficult times. Hundreds of nomination letters are received each year, demonstrating the profound and lasting impact nurses have on patient's lives.

"Every year, we receive hundreds upon hundreds of nominations from readers, asking us to recognize the nurses who have helped change their lives," said Kazi Ahmed , vp of integrated marketing at Boston Globe Media. "It's an incredible testament to how important and vibrant the healthcare community is in the Greater Boston and New England region. Now in its 20th year, Salute to Nurses is, and will continue to be, among the most important initiatives we feature each year."

This year, Salute to Nurses will launch a special 20th anniversary digital section ahead of National Nurses Day on Friday, May 5 . A commemorative print feature will be included in the advertising section of The Boston Sunday Globe on May 7 . Following publication, Boston Globe Media together with premier sponsor Beth Israel Lahey Health, will celebrate National Nurses Week and the 20th Anniversary of Salute to Nurses for an in-person celebration of 400+ of their nurses.

"We are proud to recognize the extraordinary care Beth Israel Lahey Health nurses provide each and every day," said Sue Harris , chief human resources officer, Beth Israel Lahey Health. "This Nurses Week, BILH is pleased to be the presenting sponsor of Salute to Nurses to celebrate the dedication of our nurses in making our patients and communities healthier."

The Salute to Nurses special section will be featured in the May 7 issue of The Boston Sunday Globe and can also be accessed online at globe.com/salute . To learn more about Boston Globe Media's advertiser-supported opportunities, contact [email protected] .

About Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC ("BGMP") is a locally owned, award-winning media company serving Boston and New England . The cornerstone of the brand is The Boston Globe, a 27-time Pulitzer Prize winning news source and one of the most successful metro news organizations in the U.S. with the largest newsroom in New England and one of the highest daily print circulations among metro newspapers. The Globe has served the region for over 150 years as a trusted source of news and has more than 240,000 digital subscribers, a growing portfolio of events, and a range of digital and home-delivered advertising solutions that reach more consumers than any other New England media brand. Boston Globe Media's properties include The Boston Globe, Globe.com , Boston.com , STAT , Boston Globe Today , The B-Side , Globe Publishing Services, Globe Events , and Studio/B .

About Beth Israel Lahey Health

Beth Israel Lahey Health is a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.

Advertiser-supported projects such as Salute to Nurses are produced by Studio/B in collaboration with advertisers. The news and editorial departments of The Boston Globe have no role in its production or display.

Press: Heidi Flood , Boston Globe Media Partners, [email protected] / Sarah Finlaw , Beth Israel Lahey Health, [email protected]

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/boston-globe-media-beth-israel-lahey-health-celebrate-20-years-of-honoring-area-nurses-for-national-nurses-week-2023-301817398.html

SOURCE Boston Globe Media Group
SizeUp by Comerica provides small business customers nationwide with key insights to make data-driven decisions

DALLAS , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In recognition of National Small Business Week, Comerica Bank is introducing SizeUp by Comerica, an exclusive and complimentary new tool that allows small business customers to tap into industry-specific research, insights and analysis to help them make data-driven business decisions. SizeUp by Comerica thus provides small businesses with a competitive advantage in a highly challenging business environment.

The new tool is the latest addition to the Comerica SmallBizCo-op, a suite of unique product and service offerings designed to help Comerica small businesses customers grow and thrive. Specifically, SizeUp by Comerica allows small business banking customers to:

Rank their business performance to industry competitors

Compare revenue, employment, wages and more to the local competition

Discover potential customers, suppliers and competitors

Measure consumer spending in their local area

Optimize marketing to target their ideal customers

"SizeUp by Comerica is a leading-edge tool that enables our small business customers to harness the power of big data and obtain free market data, along with customized analysis that would otherwise cost them thousands of dollars to obtain on their own," said Omar Salah , Comerica Bank's Director of Small Business Banking. "We are dedicated to helping small businesses reach their goals, and this resource has the ability to make a significant impact on the growth trajectory of small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs across the country."

To learn more about SizeUp by Comerica, visit here.

Part of a larger, concerted small business support strategy

SizeUp by Comerica is the latest solution Comerica has launched as part of a larger initiative to share its resources with small business customers. Through SmallBizCo-op, Comerica also provides customers with significant savings on everyday business purchases and more nationally, along with other programs uniquely tailored to specific markets.

SizeUp by Comerica follows the announcement of Comerica CoWorkSpaces, a new concept that offers complimentary office space exclusively to the bank's small business customers in North Texas . Through a $3 million investment, nearly 10,000 square feet of existing banking center space across nine Comerica Bank locations will be transformed into unique resource centers where Comerica customers can conduct business. Each CoWorkSpaces site will be equipped with features like Wi-Fi, AV presentation equipment, reservable meeting rooms, hospitality stations and more. For more information about CoWorkSpaces, visit comerica.com/spaces.

About Comerica

Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA) is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas , and strategically aligned by three business segments: The Commercial Bank, The Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. Comerica, one of the 25 largest U.S. financial holding companies, focuses on building relationships and helping people and businesses be successful. Comerica provides more than 400 banking centers across the country with locations in Arizona , California , Florida , Michigan and Texas . Founded nearly 174 years ago in Detroit, Michigan , Comerica continues to expand into new regions, establishing its Southeast Market, based in North Carolina , and Mountain West Market in Colorado . Comerica has offices in 17 states and services 14 of the 15 largest U.S. metropolitan areas, as well as Canada and Mexico . Comerica reported total assets of $91.1 billion at March 31, 2023 . Learn more about how Comerica is raising expectations of what a bank can be by visiting www.comerica.com, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/comerica-bank-delivers-valuable-competitive-market-research-to-small-businesses-301817257.html

SOURCE Comerica Bank
JACKSON, Mich. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Board of Directors of Consumers Energy, the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy, has declared a quarterly dividend on the utility's preferred stock.

The following dividend is payable July 1, 2023 , to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 5, 2023 : $1.125 per share on the $4.50 preferred stock (NYSE: CMS_pb).

CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS) is a Michigan -based energy provider featuring Consumers Energy as its primary business. It also owns and operates independent power generation businesses.

For more information on CMS Energy, please visit our website at cmsenergy.com.

To sign up for email alert notifications, please visit the Investor Relations section of our website.

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SOURCE CMS Energy
Years long study shows minimally trained clinicians can use the device to accurately identify malignancies. Moderate specificity, which could triage 38%67% of women with benign masses without tertiary referral, should further improve with AI and observer training with portable US.

LOS ANGELES , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research funded the multiyear study in Guadalajara, Mexico , led by Susan Love , Wendie A. Berg , Ana-Lilia Lopez Aldrete, Linda Larsen et al.

Years-long study shows that minimally trained clinicians can use the device to accurately identify malignancies.

Key takeaways from this study include: Artificial intelligence (AI) using standard-of-care ultrasound images of 758 masses accurately classified 95% of malignancies, and 79% of benign masses, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.95. With the use of low-cost portable ultrasound images obtained by a radiologist on 603 masses, AI correctly classified all 35 malignancies with 100% sensitivity but showed reduced specificity at 51.2% of benign masses versus benign masses at 80.5% with images from the standard-of-care ultrasound. AI performance was reduced with images obtained with low-cost portable US by an untrained observer.

The study signifies a momentous advance for treatment of patients in low resource environments everywhere in the world, as AI enabled imaging can be obtained with a handheld device by minimally trained clinical staff. Use of the device will mean an enormous expansion for the reach of screenings across rural and undeveloped communities, and countries.

Breast cancer is a global public health threat, and while mortality has decreased thanks to advances in early screening and diagnosis, over 600,000 women still die annually from breast cancer. Proportionally, a greater number of these deaths affect women in low- to middle- income countries. Low- to middle- income countries typically have lower resources and less access to care in a timely manner that would serve for better outcomes.

CEO Christopher Clinton Conway states, "the Foundation is thrilled to have been able to utilize AI and is excited for the potential to be able to provide timely care to patients, especially those in low resource environments. AI tools accurately classifying breast masses has the potential to change lives for the better going forward."

To read the full abstract published in Radiology, click here.

About Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research

Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research challenges the status quo to end breast cancer and improve the lives of people impacted by it now through education and advocacy. The Foundation drives collaborative, cutting-edge research with nontraditional partners, brings to light the collateral damage of treatment and seeks ways to diminish it, and interprets science to empower patients. Fast, flexible, and project-based, the Foundation actively engages the public in scientific research to ensure that it produces accurate and meaningful results.

For more information please visit: DrSusanLoveResearch.org

For Media Inquiries:

Allie Cormier

Chief Marketing Officer

[email protected]

direct: 323.353.0750

Dr. Susan Love Foundation for Breast Cancer Research

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SOURCE Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation
Pakistani people evacuated from Sudan by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy's comprehensive supply ship Weishanhu arrive at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah on April 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Haizhou)

"Chinese friends opened their doors and hearts for us during our most dire circumstances" in conflict-torn Sudan, said a 42-year-old Pakistani mechanic after being evacuated aboard a Chinese navy ship to Saudi Arabia.

by Misbah Saba Malik

SWABI, Pakistan, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Nasrullah Khan, a 42-year-old Pakistani mechanic who worked in Sudan, experienced the real adversity of life for the first time since his birth when sitting anguished and penniless in Port Sudan in recent days.

Now safely in his home in Swabi, a city in Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, he recalled the intense and moving experience, saying that "the Pakistan-China ironclad friendship helped him out of danger."

Deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces erupted on April 15, killing hundreds of people and injuring thousands.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, meets with his friends and family at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

"It was the worst time of my life when the conflict in Sudan broke out, I was so uncertain if I could get back home because the situation was getting dismal back there. With every passing hour, my hopes were fading until I heard an announcement to get on board a Chinese navy vessel to take a voyage towards peace," Khan, who worked in a printing factory in Sudan, told Xinhua.

In the wake of the recent unrest in Sudan, Khan and thousands of other foreigners working in the African country had to flee for their lives, leaving all their belongings behind.

Khan rushed to a safer place from his workplace in the Sudanese city of Soba to the capital city of Khartoum one night in April, from where he was sent to Port Sudan by the Pakistani embassy for evacuation.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, chats with his friends at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

According to Pakistan's foreign ministry, over 200 Pakistani evacuees in Sudan were brought to Jeddah city of Saudi Arabia by the Chinese navy ship Weishanhu.

"We are grateful to our Chinese friends for this gesture of support and friendship," the ministry said.

Khan told Xinhua that he and other Pakistanis spent four days in a hotel near the port, adding that initially the Pakistanis were being evacuated in groups of 30 to 40 people, but when the Chinese navy vessel arrived, it evacuated over 200 Pakistanis waiting at the port.

"Chinese friends opened their doors and hearts for us during our most dire circumstances, they took good care of us and ensured that our 18-hour-long voyage to Jeddah was a comfortable one," Khan said while ruffling his daughter's hair in affection.

Khan took selfies with the Chinese navy staff, enjoyed the halal cuisine specially prepared for the Pakistani evacuees, and eventually had a peaceful sleep in a cozy room in the vessel after many days of fear and uncertainty in Sudan.

"Throughout my life, I had heard about the Pakistan-China friendship, but never had I imagined the depth of the friendship until I experienced it myself ... It made my heart swell with pride that my best friends saved my life and reunited me with my family. For us, China is indeed the most valuable friend in this time of need," the father of four children told Xinhua.

Nasrullah Khan, a Pakistani evacuated by a Chinese navy vessel from Sudan, meets with his daughters at his home in northwest Pakistan's Swabi, on May 3, 2023. (Xinhua/Ahmad Kamal)

Khan Ghalib, Khan's 65-year-old father, a white-bearded man living with the children of Khan and four of his other sons in an old ancestral home in the remote area of Swabi, said that he had several sleepless nights when Khan was stranded in Sudan.

"I was worried about his life and wellbeing, and I sighed with relief when I saw him safe and sound before my eyes," Ghalib told Xinhua.

He said that since his son returned safely, he always wished the crew which had evacuated Khan the very best, and hoped that the Pakistan-China friendship would further bloom.

According to an official statement, Chinese naval vessels evacuated 493 people, including 272 Chinese and 221 foreigners from countries such as Pakistan and Brazil, from Sudan in two evacuation operations that concluded on April 29, as the evacuees arrived at the Saudi Arabian port of Jeddah.
Earnings Call Scheduled for 8:00 A.M. U.S. ET on May 22, 2023

GUIYANG, China , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. ("FTA" or the "Company") (NYSE: YMM), a leading digital freight platform, today announced that it will release its first quarter 2023 unaudited financial results on Monday, May 22, 2023 , before the open of the U.S. markets.

The Company's management will hold an earnings conference call at 8:00 A.M. U.S. Eastern Time on May 22, 2023 or 8:00 P.M. Beijing Time to discuss the financial results. Listeners may access the call by dialing the following numbers:

United States (toll free): +1-888-317-6003 International: +1-412-317-6061 Mainland China (toll free): 400-120-6115 Hong Kong , SAR (toll free): 800-963-976 Hong Kong , SAR: +852-5808-1995 United Kingdom (toll free): 08082389063 Singapore (toll free): 800-120-5863 Access Code: 1534611

A replay of the conference call will be accessible by phone one hour after the conclusion of the live call at the following numbers, until May 29, 2023 :

United States :











+1-877-344-7529 International:











+1-412-317-0088 Replay Access Code:











1773949

A live and archived webcast of the conference call will also be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.fulltruckalliance.com/.

About Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd. (NYSE: YMM) is a leading digital freight platform connecting shippers with truckers to facilitate shipments across distance ranges, cargo weights and types. The Company provides a range of freight matching services, including freight listing, freight brokerage and online transaction services. The Company also provides a range of value-added services that cater to the various needs of shippers and truckers, such as financial institutions, highway authorities, and gas station operators. With a mission to make logistics smarter, the Company is shaping the future of logistics with technology and aspires to revolutionize logistics, improve efficiency across the value chain and reduce its carbon footprint for our planet. For more information, please visit ir.fulltruckalliance.com.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

In China :

Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.

Mao Mao

E-mail: [email protected]

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Hui Fan

Tel: +86-10-6508-0677

E-mail: [email protected]

In the United States :

The Piacente Group, Inc.

Brandi Piacente

Tel: +1-212-481-2050

E-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Full Truck Alliance Co. Ltd.
CALGARY, AB , May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - (TSXV: GRD) (OTCQB: GRDAF) - Grounded Lithium Corp. ("GLC" or the "Company") announces that it filed its inaugural annual information form ("AIF") for the year ended December 31, 2022 on the System for Electronic Analysis and Retrieval ("SEDAR"). An electronic copy of the AIF may be obtained on the Company's website at www.groundedlithium.com or on the Company's SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

The filing of the Company's AIF is in conjunction with the concurrent filing of the Company's Preliminary Short Form Base Shelf Prospectus dated May 4, 2023 with the British Columbia , Alberta , Saskatchewan , Manitoba and Ontario securities regulatory authorities (the "Regulatory Authorities"). Assuming a receipt for the Final Short Form Base Shelf Prospectus (the "Final Shelf") is obtained from the Regulatory Authorities, the Final Shelf is expected to support longer term fundraising efforts to achieve our forecasted goal of commercial production in H2 2026. The Final Shelf, once filed, can remain in place for a period of 25 months and securities issued under it will be free of resale restrictions.

About Grounded Lithium Corp.

GLC is a publicly traded lithium brine exploration and development company that controls approximately 4.2 million metric tons of lithium carbonate equivalent of inferred resource over our focused land holdings in Southwest Saskatchewan. GLC's multi-faceted business model involves the consolidation, delineation, exploitation and ultimately development of our opportunity base to fulfill our vision to build a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition shift. U.S. investors can find current financial disclosure and Real-Time Level 2 quotes for the Company on https://www.otcmarkets.com/.

Qualified Person

Scientific and technical information contained in this press release has been prepared under the supervision of Doug Ashton , P.Eng , Suryanarayana Karri , P. Geoph., Alexey Romanov , P. Geo . and Meghan Klein , P. Eng ., each of whom is a qualified person within the meaning of National Instrument 43-101  Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. The opinions, forecasts, projections and statements about future events of results, are forward looking information, forward-looking statements or financial outlooks (collectively, "forward-looking statements") under the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These statements are made as of the date of this press release and the fact that this press release remains available does not constitute a representation by GLC that the Company believes these forward-looking statements continue to be true as of any subsequent date. Although GLC believes that the assumptions underlying, and expectations reflected in, these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these assumptions and expectations will prove to be correct. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Final Shelf aiding the Company in future fundraising efforts, obtaining a receipt for the Final Shelf from the Regulatory Authorities, anticipated commercial operations, the free-trading status of securities issued under the Final Shelf and GLC's vision of becoming a best-in-class, environmentally responsible, Canadian lithium producer supporting the global energy transition.

Among the important factors, risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements are: GLC's expectation that our operations will be in Western Canada , unexpected problems can arise due to technical difficulties and operational difficulties which impact the production, transport or sale of our products; geographic and weather conditions can impact the production; the risk that current global economic and credit conditions may impact commodity prices and consumption more than GLC currently predicts; the failure to obtain financing on reasonable terms; the risk that unexpected delays and difficulties in developing currently owned properties may occur; the failure of drilling to result in commercial projects; unexpected delays due to the limited availability of drilling equipment and personnel; and the other risk factors detailed from time to time in GLC's periodic reports. GLC's forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information contained herein except as required by securities laws.

This news release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in any jurisdiction.

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.

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SOURCE Grounded Lithium Corp
ST. PAUL, Minn. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On May 4, 2023 , a Minnesota federal jury issued a complete defense verdict in favor of ionlake, LLC, affirming that the company did not infringe plaintiff CellTrust's patents and that both CellTrust patents at issue in the lawsuit were invalid.

The case dates back to 2019 when CellTrust sued ionlake for patent infringement related to ionlakes's MyRepChat product. That product, a SMS communication platform, was the brainchild of Derrick Girard , a former financial professional who recognized a problem facing the financial services industry. He created the product to address security and compliance issues in client communications. In its lawsuit, CellTrust argued its patents covered products that send SMS/MMS/Voice communications to archivers to meet FINRA/SEC compliance requirements. After an eight-day trial and only two hours of deliberations, the jury found that ionlake did not infringe any of CellTrust's patents and that all the asserted claims in CellTrust's patents (9,775,012 and 10,778,837) were invalid.

"Securing this result is a significant victory for ionlake," said Derrick Girard , CEO of ionlake. "With this victory, the team can ensure that the MyRepChat product continues to lead the way in features and functionality."

About ionlake:

ionlake is a Minnesota LLC created in 2006. In 2017, ionlake launched MyRepChat as a solution designed for the financial services industry and has changed the way financial advisors communicate and engage with clients.

Media Contact:

Derrick Girard

612.502.5770

[email protected]

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SOURCE ionlake, LLC
WASHINGTON , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Letter carriers who protected a woman being pursued by an assailant, pulled residents from a burning home, found a missing child or saved a man having a health crisis are among those to be honored on May 11 .

Christine Cambizaca of Torrington, CT , just a month into her job, risked her own safety by protecting a bloodied and bruised woman, too frightened to speak, from a knife-wielding attacker. She is the 2022 National Hero of the Year. The Eastern Region Hero is Eric Smith of Charleston, WV , who braved intense heat and thick smoke to rescue two unconscious residents from a house consumed by fire. Darin Chew of Sun City, AZ , the Western Region Hero, used his Marine Corps CPR training to save an unconscious postal customer who was under a car and wasn't breathing.

Several other carriers also are being recognized as 2022 Heroes. They represent thousands of letter carriers who not only deliver the nation's mail six or even seven days a week, but often assist in situations involving accidents, fires, crimes or health crises, or improve the communities in which they work.

Eric Beu , Casey Ritchie , Meagan Sperling and Jeremiah Grant of Oklahoma City , winners of the Unit Citation Award, returned a 1-year-old boy to his father after investigating a car suspiciously abandoned in the middle of the street, engine running. The Central Region Hero, Sherri Baker of Little Rock, AR , tried to stop several assailants from shooting a man and then robbing him after he fell to the ground; she then focused on trying to save the victim. Baker takes solace, she says, in the fact that at least he did not die alone.

Anthony Picariello of Philadelphia , who underwent open-heart surgery as a child and whose newborn daughter needed surgery, spends much of his free time making holidays joyous for hospitalized children; he is the Humanitarian of the Year. Christopher Lippy of Harrisburg, PA is the Special Carrier Alert winner; his alertness and his actions ended a mail-fraud scheme targeting an elderly couple on his route.

The National Association of Letter Carriers Heroes of the Year will be honored by NALC Executive Vice President Paul Barner at a special luncheon at noon on Thursday, May 11 , at the Mayflower Hotel , 1127 Connecticut Ave. NW , Washington, DC . Because the pandemic prevented the prior two annual ceremonies from being held, the event also will recognize 2020 and 2021 Heroes winners.

Go to nalc.org/heroes for further information on the Heroes, including text and photos.

******

NALC represents letter carriers across the country. Its 293,000 members make it the largest of the four unions representing employees of the United States Postal Service. Founded by Civil War veterans in 1889, NALC is among the country's oldest labor unions.

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SOURCE National Association of Letter Carriers
Fueled by CIM's $100M warehouse facility, R2 continues to forge ahead with its mission to broaden financial access to small and medium businesses in Latin America .

MEXICO CITY , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- R2 , the leading embedded lending infrastructure company in Latin America , has successfully closed a $100 million warehouse facility with Community Investment Management ( CIM ), a global impact-focused investment manager. The transaction provides the funding capacity to heavily scale and strengthen R2 's lending capabilities and partnerships, spurring a new wave of innovation in the industry and positioning R2 to make a significant economic impact in Mexico and beyond.

Since its founding, R2 has emerged as a key player in the sector launching multiple embedded lending partnerships and originating over $20 million in Revenue-Based Financing and B2B Buy Now, Pay Later to over 6,000 small and medium business users (SMBs) in Mexico , Colombia , Chile , and Ecuador . Through its integration with leading technology companies in the payments and food delivery sectors, R2 empowers SMB users across the region to access the capital they need to grow and thrive. The $100 million warehouse facility follows R2 's $15 million Series A, led by Gradient Ventures, Google's AI-focused venture fund. The rapid growth, institutional capital base, and modern software infrastructure establishes R2 as the trusted technology partner for companies seeking to embed financial solutions in Latin America .

Thomas Wright, Head of Finance & Capital Markets at R2 , expressed his enthusiasm for the transaction: "We are delighted to secure this warehouse facility with CIM , an institutional debt capital provider with global reach that shares our commitment to deliver social impact through an innovative lending approach. This facility will enable R2 to provide seamless financial services to a broader range of small businesses that sell digitally, fostering more economic growth in Mexico ." Roger Larach , R2 's Co-Founder & CEO, echoed the sentiment: "We are confident that our partnership with CIM will pave the way for a more inclusive financial landscape in Latin America ."

Elena Tchouvasheva Amato, Managing Director at CIM , also shared her excitement on the potential of this partnership: "At CIM , we are dedicated to supporting organizations that drive meaningful and responsible change in the lending industry. In Latin America , creditworthy small and medium businesses continue to be overlooked by traditional financial institutions because they can't leverage granular enough data to properly assess SMB risk. R2 's cutting-edge embedded lending solution and AI-based underwriting solves this and the company is poised to transform the way SMBs access capital. We are thrilled to support their next phase of growth and believe this partnership will create lasting value for both our organizations and, most importantly, the communities we serve."

With this transaction, R2 consolidates its position as a market leader in the embedded lending industry, while CIM reaffirms its commitment to driving responsible innovation in lending. Together, the two organizations are poised to deliver meaningful impact by creating a more inclusive financial playing field, unlocking growth opportunities for small and medium businesses across Latin America , and transforming the financial landscape in the region.

About R2

Founded in 2020, R2 enables payment processors, POS systems and marketplaces to provide financing to small and medium businesses in Latin America . Via its API, R2 provides an end-to-end lending experience to technology platforms so that they provide capital to businesses without taking on any risk. R2 works with some of Latin America's leading technology companies and is backed by General Catalyst, Gradient Ventures, Y Combinator, 166 2nd, Femsa Ventures, among others. For more information, visit r2.co .

About Community Investment Management

Community Investment Management ( CIM ) is an institutional impact investment manager that provides strategic debt capital to demonstrate and scale responsible innovation in lending. CIM is dedicated to supporting organizations that drive positive change and foster financial inclusion, economic growth, and social impact. For more information, visit https://cim-llc.com/ .

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/r2-secures-100-million-warehouse-facility-from-community-investment-management-301817158.html

SOURCE R2
MENLO PARK, Calif. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second consecutive year, global talent solutions and business consulting firm Robert Half (NYSE: RHI) ranked as the number one Best Place to Work in the Bay Area (500+ employees) by the San Francisco Business Times and the Silicon Valley Business Journal. Protiviti, Robert Half's consulting subsidiary, is included on the list for companies with 100-199 employees.

Nominees were selected based on scores obtained from an independent survey of workers in the Bay Area . The featured companies are those whose employees rated them highest on key factors, such as compensation and benefits, collaboration and communication and management practices.

"This recognition, which is a direct result of employee feedback, is a testament to our thriving company culture," said Lynne Smith , senior vice president of global human resources at Robert Half. "Being a Best Place to Work means putting our people first, creating a supportive and inclusive work environment, and providing all employees with opportunities to connect and grow."

Robert Half offers innovative programs and benefits designed to enhance employee morale, engagement and productivity. These initiatives are highlighted in the company's 2022 Leading With Integrity: Environmental, Social and Governance Report.

About Robert Half

Robert Half is the world's first and largest specialized talent solutions firm that connects opportunities at great companies with highly skilled job seekers. Offering contract and permanent placement solutions in the fields of finance and accounting, technology, administrative and customer support, legal, and marketing and creative, Robert Half has more than 300 locations worldwide, including nearly 100 locations in 18 countries outside the United States. Robert Half is the parent company of Protiviti, a global consulting firm that provides internal audit, risk, business and technology consulting solutions. Robert Half , including Protiviti, has been named to the Fortune Most Admired Companies and Most Innovative Companies lists and is a Forbes Best Employer for Diversity. Explore our comprehensive solutions, research and insights at RobertHalf.com.

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Experienced educator and administrator to helm one of the top universities in Silicon Valley

FREMONT, Calif. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) is thrilled to announce the appointment of Nicholas Ladany , PhD, as the new President of the university. Dr. Ladany brings an extensive background in higher education, with over 30 years of experience working with and leading institutions nationwide.

San Francisco Bay University Appoints Dr. Nicholas Ladany as New President

San Francisco Bay University, located in the heart of Silicon Valley , is renowned for its strong connections to the tech community and innovative educational approach. As President, Dr. Ladany will seek to further enhance SFBU's position as a leading institution for cutting-edge technology. He will also work to expand the university's partnerships with local and global organizations, providing students with unparalleled opportunities to gain real-world experience and develop the skills necessary to succeed in today's fast-paced, ever-evolving global economy. With Dr. Ladany at the helm, SFBU is poised to build on its reputation for excellence and continue producing graduates who are well-equipped to make meaningful contributions to society.

In a statement, Dr. Ladany shared his enthusiasm for leading SFBU: "I am extremely excited to have the opportunity to lead an institution as dynamic as SFBU. SFBU is charting a new course in the educational space  one focused on student outcomes. The university is uniquely situated due to geography and program offerings to provide its diverse and globally-minded students with a meaningful and innovative higher education experience that sets them up for successful lifelong careers. I intend to capitalize fully on SFBU's current momentum and continue to establish our university among the elite institutions in the region and become a national model and leader in higher education."

Before joining SFBU, Dr. Ladany served as President of Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia , where he achieved remarkable success in increasing enrollment to record levels, overseeing the development of the university's strategic plan, and launching various diversity initiatives. Under his leadership, Oglethorpe University successfully strengthened its finances, as well as student support, retention, and graduation.

Before his tenure at Oglethorpe, Dr. Ladany held numerous prestigious positions, including Dean and Associate Provost at the University of San Diego, Dean at Santa Clara University, and professor at Lehigh University, Temple University, and the University of Maryland.

As SFBU embarks on a new phase of development for its academic programs and curriculum, the university is excited to be led by a President as experienced and forward-thinking as Dr. Ladany . The entire SFBU community extends a warm welcome to Dr. Ladany as he joins our family!

SFBU is a premier WASC/WSCUC-accredited, nonprofit university located in the San Francisco Bay Area/Silicon Valley . SFBU offers degree programs in computer science, engineering, technology, and management. Learn more at www.SFBU.edu .

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SOURCE San Francisco Bay University
Organizing Victory is Sixth in N.C. in 60 Days

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers in the fixed collections units at the American Red Cross facility in Winston-Salem voted to join Teamsters Local 391. This is the sixth organizing victory at a Red Cross facility in North Carolina in the last 60 days.

"American Red Cross workers are watching their co-workers join the Teamsters and they want to secure the benefits of a strong Teamster contract for themselves," said Moses Darden , Lead Organizer at Local 391. "The momentum we're seeing in North Carolina and across the nation among Red Cross workers is thrilling. These workers provide critical health care services to our communities, and we couldn't be more excited to welcome another unit of workers to Local 391."

"Since launching the American Red Cross organizing campaign in November, the Teamsters have had 22 organizing victories at Red Cross facilities in several states," said Jason Lopes , Teamsters Health Care Director. "These workers play a crucial role in America's blood supply chain and should be compensated fairly for their important work. We are glad that Red Cross workers across the nation are joining the Teamsters and getting contracts that recognize their valuable work."

In voting the join the Teamsters, these 49 workers will join more than 1,700 other Red Cross workers represented by the Teamsters and immediately be covered by a National Master Agreement between Teamsters and the American Red Cross.

"I voted to join the Teamsters because I wanted a fair work environment and a voice on the job," said Tokara Harper , a mobile collections worker at American Red Cross' Winston-Salem facility. "Just last week, several of our co-workers voted to join Local 391 and joining them was an easy decision."

Chartered in 1938, Teamsters Local 391 represents thousands of workers in North Carolina throughout a wide variety of industries. For more information go to teamsterslocal391.org.

Contact:

Matt McQuaid , (202) 624-6877

[email protected]

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SOURCE Teamsters Local 391
CALGARY, AB , May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - TransAlta Renewables Inc. ("TransAlta Renewables" or the "Company") (TSX: RNW) held its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders ("the Meeting") on May 4, 2023 . The total number of common shares represented by shareholders at the Meeting and by proxy was 197,765,987, representing 74.11 per cent of the Company's outstanding common shares.

The following resolutions were approved by shareholders:

Election of Directors

The eight director nominees proposed by management were elected. The votes by ballot were received as follows:

Nominee Votes For Per cent Withheld Per cent David W. Drinkwater 190,429,252 96.66 % 6,570,524 3.34 % Brett M. Gellner 191,382,537 97.15 % 5,617,239 2.85 % Allen R. Hagerman 193,030,786 97.99 % 3,968,990 2.01 % Georganne M. Hodges 190,281,537 96.59 % 6,718,239 3.41 % Kerry O'Reilly Wilks 192,264,082 97.60 % 4,735,694 2.40 % Todd J. Stack 193,276,322 98.11 % 3,723,454 1.89 % Michael J. Novelli 191,554,528 97.24 % 5,445,248 2.76 % Susan M. Ward 195,327,196 99.15 % 1,672,580 0.85 %

Appointment of Auditors

The appointment of Ernst & Young LLP to serve as the independent auditors for 2023 was approved. The votes by ballot were received as follows:

Votes For Percent Withheld Per cent 197,669,640 99.95 % 96,347 0.05 %

About TransAlta Renewables Inc. :

TransAlta Renewables is among the largest of any publicly traded renewable independent power producers ("IPP") in Canada . Our asset platform and economic interests are diversified in terms of geography, generation and counterparties and consist of interests in 26 wind facilities, 11 hydroelectric facilities, eight natural gas generation facilities, two solar facilities, one natural gas pipeline, and one battery storage project, representing an ownership interest of 2,965 megawatts of owned generating capacity, located in the provinces of British Columbia , Alberta , Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , the States of Pennsylvania , New Hampshire , Wyoming , Massachusetts , Michigan , Minnesota , Washington , North Carolina , and the State of Western Australia .

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SOURCE TransAlta Renewables Inc
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation announced the three scholarship awardees Carson Padilla , Mayra Olivas and Maya Leitka during their annual meeting on May 4, 2023 .

Each year U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union and ARNIA Foundation award three unique $2,000 scholarships to students entering or attending an accredited two  or four-year college or university. Each scholarship has a special theme, and applicants are required to submit essays, videos, presentations, or podcasts.

This year's categories were: Concern for Community, Create a Business Plan and the Vigil Bullying Prevention Scholarship.

Mayra Olivas received the Concern for Community Scholarship where students were asked about a specific need in their community and what action they took to make a difference.

Mayra took notice of the increased trash and litter in her rural agricultural community and how this impacted the livestock living nearby. She organized a community clean-up day where neighbors, friends, and family came together to collect two 50-gallon bags of trash in addition to larger trash items.

Mayra attended U.S. Eagle's 2023 Annual Meeting to accept her award. When asked if she would be hosting any future community clean up events, she answered, "I plan to make the Community Clean Up Day an annual event around the same time every year."

Our second scholarship category was awarded to Maya Leitka for her impressive Create a Business Plan entry, which asked students to create a presentation for a made up or existing business.

Maya's thorough submission outlined her plan for a nonprofit organization in conjunction with New Mexico's Women, Infants, and Children Program, specifically aimed toward combatting diaper insecurity.

While receiving the scholarship award, Maya shared, "I found that there were a lot of community concern about there being less or virtually no support for diaper hygiene and diaper products for children, especially in New Mexico . I thought it would be a great opportunity to propose this plan".

The final scholarship category was awarded to Carson Padilla for his Vigil Bullying Prevention essay. Students were asked to describe their efforts in either directly participating or creating an effective anti-bullying initiative in this school or community.

Carson's essay focused on the Natural Helpers Group that he is currently involved with at Farmington High School, where he attends. The group is dedicated to anti-bullying and suicide prevention, where the overall goal aims to make the school a safer and more inclusive environment for all students.

In his essay, Carson reflected on his experience in the group, stating, "It has shown me that change is possible, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. I am proud of the work we have done and the impact we have had on our school and community. I am confident that our efforts will continue to make a positive impact on the lives of students for years to come."

To read more about each recipient, visit www.useagle.org/learn/scholarships/2023.

About U.S. Eagle

U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union is the state's first member-owned credit union. Founded in 1935, U.S. Eagle offers a full suite of financial products and services with locations in Albuquerque , Bernalillo , Farmington , and Santa Fe . With assets of more than $1.5 billion , more than 90,000 members, and as a four-time Forbes Best-In-State Credit Union award recipient, U.S. Eagle is where people mean more.

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SOURCE U.S. Eagle Federal Credit Union
TUNIS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Tunisian President Kais Saied has removed Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Neila Nouira Gonji from her duties, the Tunisian Presidency said in a statement on Thursday.

The statement declined to give any reasons for this decision by the president.

Saied made the decision 10 days after his meeting with members of the National Security Council to discuss the file of phosphate production, which has been suffering from difficulties since 2011.

Since the formation of the government of Prime Minister Najla Bouden Romdhane in October 2021, several ministers have been sacked or left the cabinet.

On Feb. 7, Saied sacked Foreign Minister Othman Jerandi, a month after the dismissal of Trade Minister Fadhila Rabhi. Fifteen days later, he removed Minister of Employment and Training Nasreddine Nsibi.

On March 17, Tunisian Interior Minister Taoufik Charfeddine announced his resignation for "family reasons." 
With an aggressive recruitment and fundraising effort, USC President Carol L. Folt launches the single largest comprehensive academic initiative in the university's history: Frontiers of Computing. The initiative integrates computing throughout education and research to enhance digital literacy for all students as the university aims to hold its lead as a top provider of tech professionals.

LOS ANGELES , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USC President Carol L. Folt on Thursday announced a $1 billion -plus initiative for computing research and education across disciplines, with a focus on AI, machine learning and data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming and block chain.

The initiative integrates computing throughout education and research.

"I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do," Folt said. "We will integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the workforce of the future."

Seeded with a $260 million gift from the Lord Foundation of California, USC Frontiers of Computing encompasses a multipronged effort to push the boundaries of computing into a new era:

A new school : The USC School of Advanced Computing headquartered in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility, the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The building, now under construction, will formally open in fall 2024.

: headquartered in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility, the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The building, now under construction, will formally open in fall 2024. Recruitment: Hiring 30 new faculty in the first three years who are leaders in computer science and computing-based research, with 60 additional hires by 2030. The new faculty members will hold appointments in multiple schools at USC in recognition that computational methods, particularly AI, are transforming the way people live and work.

Hiring 30 new faculty in the first three years who are leaders in computer science and computing-based research, with 60 additional hires by 2030. The new faculty members will hold appointments in multiple schools at in recognition that computational methods, particularly AI, are transforming the way people live and work. Economic impact : USC Frontiers of Computing will bolster the university's influence on technology across various industries and expand its footprint in Silicon Beach on L.A.'s West side , which already is home to two of USC's tech incubators, the Information Sciences Institute and Institute for Creative Technologies . USC currently has a $9 billion economic footprint in the L.A. area, according to a study in 2017, and its impact is expanding to the East Coast , with the new USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.

: USC Frontiers of Computing will bolster the university's influence on technology across various industries and expand its footprint in Silicon Beach on L.A.'s , which already is home to two of tech incubators, the and . currently has a economic footprint in the L.A. area, according to a study in 2017, and its impact is expanding to the , with the new USC Capital Campus in Education: The initiative will broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs. USC aims to prepare students for a more tech-intensive world of work, spark new technological advances and shape responsible policy through new programs and course offerings, as well as through experiential education.

The initiative will broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs. aims to prepare students for a more tech-intensive world of work, spark new technological advances and shape responsible policy through new programs and course offerings, as well as through experiential education. Ethics: USC is instilling a culture of responsibility and conscience among students, faculty and its broader community across academic programs and research that will influence application, development, policy and research, says Ishwar K. Puri , senior vice president for research and innovation. The new Center for Generative A.I. and Society is prominent within the initiative's ethics endeavor. The recently opened center draws together experts from across the university to navigate difficult discussions about ethics and responsibility and generative A.I.

USC leaders began developing Frontiers of Computing three years ago, before the recent rise of artificial intelligence and generative A.I.

USC already is the leading provider of tech talent for the nation. More than 1,300 students per year graduate with bachelor's, master's and PhDs in computer science.

"We all know the world is changing very fast right now," Folt said. "We need to take that momentum of change  and couple it with USC's history of innovation  to create what has never been done before. And we're going to do it."

Learn more online and see this video.http://computing.usc.edu/

In addition to President Carol L. Folt , other USC leaders are available for interviews about the USC Frontiers of Computing:

"This endeavor is a tremendous opportunity to apply new computing tools to accelerate and expand the impact of scientific discovery. It is not only the ability to solve problems that sets this apart, but the speed with which it can be done."

Ishwar K. Puri , USC Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation

"With an entire academic department dedicated to data science, and with technically skilled faculty placed throughout all our business programs, we are well-placed not only to focus on the cutting-edge business applications of technologies like AI and blockchain, but also to understand and shape their consequences for society."

Geoff Garrett , Dean, USC Marshall School of Business

"The potential is tremendous not only for great progress in applications such as cryptography and seismic simulations, but also for foundational breakthroughs in research areas like black holes, computational biology and quantum materials."

Amber D. Miller , Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences

"The world needs engineers and computer scientists to solve the grand challenges we face. The new School of Advanced Computing will tackle this goal by developing reimagined engineering curricula, that also emphasize the ethics of technology, in our fast-changing world."

Yannis C. Yortsos , Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering

Contact: Emily Gersema , [email protected] or (213) 712-3168 or Paul McQuiston , [email protected] or (323) 527-7770

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SOURCE University of Southern California
New platform created to house investment verticals across real estate, venture capital, private equity and credit to address social, economic, and environmental challenges facing cities.

Real Estate investor NREP, venture capital firm 2150, established credit platform Velo Capital , and new private equity investor Luma Equity come together under new impact-led Urban Partners group, representing 20bn of AUM.

Integrated partnership-first approach allows Urban Partners to address complex challenges facing cities.

Dedicated pool of constructive capital now available to invest in the assets, companies, technologies that will accelerate decarbonization and transform urban neighborhoods, in partnership with cities.

COPENHAGEN, Denmark , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Urban Partners, a group of investment verticals launched today, has called on the real estate and urban investment industry to radically change their approach to investment and how returns are measured to recognize the complexity of urban ecosystems.

Speaking at the launch of the new platform Claus Mathisen , CEO of Urban Partners, said: "The launch of Urban Partners represents a new investment thesis and a new level of ambition. Only by taking an integrated approach, bringing together expertise from real estate, private capital, and credit will we be able to address the complex challenges of decarbonization, affordability, health, biodiversity, urban efficiency, and infrastructure that cities face. No-one can solve these challenges alone. We urge our peers to follow our lead."

Cities consume most of the world's resources, generate the majority of global emissions, and are home to half the world's population. But the interests of investors have often failed to align with the leadership and residents of the cities they invest in. Venture capital and private equity funding continues to be misallocated, with sectors accounting for more than half of global emissions (buildings and industry) only attracting 13% of investment. Urban Partners aims to change this by pioneering problem-solving partnerships that bridge the gap between the interests of capital and cities.

Urban Partners is founded on the principle of partnership. Bringing together different types of expertise and capital allows Urban Partners to tackle the complex challenges facing cities, by looking at every factor required to decarbonize and regenerate the urban environment rather than real estate or climate tech in isolation.

Urban Partners brings together NREP (one of the largest Europe -based real estate investors), 2150 (a venture capital firm focused on sustainable technologies), Luma Equity (a private equity investor backing companies scaling sustainable solutions) and Velo Capital (a financing provider helping its customers accelerate their sustainable transition).

The launch of Urban Partners makes the first dedicated pool of constructive capital - with returns being measured alongside impact - with 5bn available to invest today.

With NREP already working towards achieving net zero by 2028, and the IPCC recently highlighting that emissions will need to be cut by almost half by 2030, Urban Partners is now calling on other urban investors to recognize the urgent need for a new approach to accelerate cities' transition to sustainability.

Claus Mathisen , CEO of Urban Partners, said: "If we are to achieve net zero emissions, we need a massive redistribution of capital towards buildings and industry, which account for more than half of global emissions but attract only 13% of investment. Coming together as Urban Partners will give us the best chance of scaling the companies and solutions that will make the biggest impact on our most pressing sustainability challenges."

Mikkel Bulow-Lehnsby, Chairperson of Urban Partners, said: "We launched Urban Partners to bridge the gap between the interests of people, cities, and capital. Misalignment between these has led to inadequate, sometimes even harmful, development of the urban ecosystem  urban sprawl, segregation, and ever rising carbon emissions being the consequence. We want to lead a new era where shared visions deliver shared benefits. Where we put our financial weight and urban expertise into finding solutions to the largest problem out there: making cities livable for the long-term.

About Urban Partners: Urban Partners is a platform of vision-aligned investment verticals shaped around urban problem solving. By uniting insights, stakeholders and capital, its ambition is to deliver a long-term positive impact for all stakeholders. With a purpose to power the progress of cities, its focus is to help decarbonize the built environment and (re)generate urban neighborhoods. The platform includes four ESG-focused investment verticals: European real estate investor NREP, the venture capital firm 2150, private equity investor Luma, and the credit service vertical Velo Capital. With 20bn under management, Urban Partners invest in assets, companies, technologies, and solutions. Founded in 2005, the platform today manages investments in more than 15 countries and employs 700 employees. Read more: www.urban.partners

About NREP: NREP is a real estate pioneer, investing with a holistic ESG focus. With a successful track record, NREP is known for its ability to reimagine the built environment, including several large-scale neighborhood developments. NREP manages one of Europe's largest real estate funds and runs a platform with over 8 million square meters across eight countries. The company's carbon pledge is one of the most progressive in the industry with a target of becoming Net Zero by 2028.

About 2150: 2150 is a venture capital firm investing in the sustainable reshaping of the broad urban environment. 2150 backs entrepreneurs working at the forefront of the climate transition and helps scale the companies and technologies with long-term equitable impact across the whole 'urban stack', including how cities are built, designed, constructed, and powered, to the way people live, work and are cared for.

About Velo Capital: Velo Capital provides flexible real estate credit solutions, helping its customers focus on sustainable assets. With 10 years of alternative real estate credit track record, Velo oversees three active funds with approximately 1bn AuM, focusing on real estate assets in Germany's top cities. Velo Capital is currently in the process of launching new credit strategies across Northern Europe , with a keen focus on green financing.

About Luma Equity: Luma Equity is a private equity investor set up to back companies with solutions that can help cities drive down carbon emissions from the urban environment, with a focus on innovative materials and technologies ready to scale.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2070125/Urban_Partners.jpg

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SOURCE Urban Partners
SHANGHAI , May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading media agency Wavemaker has announced its partnership with Great Wall Motor (GWM), a leading automaker in China . The partnership aims to leverage Wavemaker's expertise in media and marketing to help GWM to accelerate ORA and WEY brands' entry into Germany and other European countries.

GWM serves as a model for Chinese automakers expanding into foreign markets

As China becomes the world's largest auto producer and seller, it is becoming increasingly clear that Chinese auto brands must find a way to integrate into local overseas markets and seize the opportunities present there as part of their globalization strategy. Data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers show that Chinese automakers exported 3.111 million units in 2022, up 54.4% year on year. Chinese vehicles now dominate the Middle East and Latin American auto markets in addition to holding a sizable portion of the European market. China is now one of the world's top three exporters of passenger vehicles.

GWM, long a key player in China's automotive sector, was, from the beginning, an eager "early adopter" when the opportunity to start exporting abroad made it first appearance. Following the first shipments of the Great Wall pickup in 1998, GWM established R&D centers in seven countries, with the largest operations in the US, Japan , Germany , and Canada . The carmaker has also built global processes and complete vehicle production facilities in Thailand and Brazil . GWM has shipped complete vehicles to more than 170 countries and regions worldwide. By 2022, overall overseas sales had already surpassed the one million unit milestone, the result of GWM's search and success in establishing a development model that benefits both the local economy and its shareholders. Additionally, GWM has fully localized R&D, production, sales, and services as part of its shift in global business strategy from exporting automobiles to exporting ecosystems.

To this end, GWM unveiled its latest globalization brand strategy - ONE GWM - in December 2022 . As part of the new plan, the automaker's five brands - HAVAL, Great Wall, TANK, WEY, and ORA - will each adopt their own development path based on their unique characteristics, resulting in a differentiated product portfolio by taking into account and integrating into the production chain the industrial policies of each country and region in which it operates, building a localized ecosystem and accelerating the company's transformation and globalization.

Wavemaker helps brands increase the global visibility of firms in search of a reliable growth strategy

GWM entered the European market first by establishing a footprint in France and Germany with its two brands ORA and WEY. European customers are well renowned for their high standards when it comes to both quality and safety. Successful access to the region suggests that the products have already received the go ahead and support from the relevant government authorities, but more aggressive outreach to consumers is needed to earn their buy-in. Europe is one of the most developed automotive markets in the world, with a strong automotive industry DNA and culture. Car owners throughout the continent adore and trust their local brands. How to establish a presence in consumers' minds is one of the most important challenges that Chinese brands, such as GWM, face and must overcome when entering the market.

Wavemaker, a leading marketing firm that combines media communication, content marketing, and technical innovation, has from day one believed that there is always an appropriate way to grow at any given time. It is a monumental task to introduce a Chinese brand in the birthplace of the automobile, nevertheless, prospects look promising, according to Wavemaker. The marketing firm is in charge of ORA's debut in Germany and the rest of Europe . Wavemaker has provided GWM with a detailed launch strategy for ORA in Germany that is at variance with conventional automotive branding strategies by tapping into its unique communication planning and digital prowess to turn challenges into opportunities. The marketing firm expects to assist GWM in progressively expanding its market reach while enhancing the global appeal of Chinese brands. Wavemaker sees the GWM experience as a model for inspiring more Chinese companies to expand abroad, despite the fact that overseas branding is a long-term and ongoing process.

Regina Preuss , Managing Partner of Wavemaker Germany, said, "Great Wall Motor is a super exciting company that stands for innovation and consistent customer focus with its ORA brand, making it a perfect fit for Wavemaker. The trust that Great Wall Motor and the ORA team place in us makes us very happy and once again confirms our comprehensive strategic expertise as well as our big data know-how, which we will use to sustainably establish the new automotive and lifestyle brand in Europe ". Wavemaker will provide media services not only for ORA but also exclusively for the WEY brand in Germany and other European markets together with the partner agency 'Best of Media'.

GWM is confident about the partnership. Yao Fei , Vice President of ORA Europe , said, "We are thrilled to have Wavemaker as a strong and powerful partner for our media activities in Germany and, by extension, Europe . As a relatively young brand, we have placed ourselves in the best possible position for a successful entry into the media market".

Milton Liao , Head of Wavemaker China for Overseas Business, noted that the major challenge that Chinese automakers must overcome when establishing a presence overseas is how to properly integrate local lifestyles into one's entire production, sales and after-service cycle in order to reach the local market. Wavemaker will keep integrating international resources and customize local offerings to make GWM's ONE GWM vision a reality.

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SOURCE Wavemaker
FILE PHOTO: Seven & i Holdings Co. incoming President Ryuichi Isaka poses for a photograph next to the company logo and a map of Japan at the company headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, May 5, 2016. REUTERS/Issei Kato/File Photo

By Ritsuko Shimizu

TOKYO (Reuters) - A spin-off of 7-Eleven would jeopardise the convenience store chain's future growth by cutting it off from its parent's strength in the food business, the chief executive of Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co Ltd told Reuters.

The comments from Ryuichi Isaka come as he faces a call for his ouster from shareholder ValueAct Capital, the San Francisco-based investment firm that holds a 4.4% stake in the sprawling Japanese retail conglomerate.

ValueAct has long been critical of Seven & i's conglomerate structure, calling for a spin-off of the 7-Eleven chain or for a sale of the entire company, but Isaka said that would not be in the chain's best interests.

"When we think about the growth of the convenience store business over the next five to ten years, we are open to considering all options but think it is not the right decision to spin off right now," Isaka said in an interview late on Thursday.

"The risk and probability of 7-Eleven Japan's growth coming to a halt would be very high if the company's product development resources were to be cut off," he said.

In April, ValueAct ratcheted up the pressure on the company, calling for Isaka's departure and saying he was responsible for a "flawed strategy".

The contentious battle highlights the vocal role shareholders - including foreign ones - are increasingly taking as they push for better returns at some of Japan Inc's heavyweight companies.

ValueAct also wants to replace three other directors at an annual shareholder meeting later this month. Seven & i says such proposals would hurt long-term value by disrupting its ongoing transformation. It has urged shareholders to back its slate of board nominees.

Isaka said 7-Eleven is reliant on staff and know-how from Seven & i's supermarket businesses, such as Ito-Yokado, in developing products for its "Seven Premium" private brand.

In overseas markets, not just Japan, there is a correlation between sales of fresh foods such as bento boxed lunches and the number of customers, he said.

To take advantage of its strength in food, the company is looking to build a supply network of original products in the United States and Vietnam, he said.

(Reporting by Ritsuko Shimizu; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Sonali Paul)
Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement as he stand next to Wagner fighters in an undisclosed location in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in this still image taken from video released May 5, 2023. Press service

By Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn and Jonathan Landay

LONDON (Reuters) - An extraordinary announcement by Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin that his fighters will abandon the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut looks like an exercise in blame avoidance and disinformation, Russia specialists and military analysts say.

But it takes his conflict with defence chiefs to a new level in what has been a difficult week for Moscow, two days after a purported drone attack on the Kremlin. It also highlights Russian frustration at failing to complete the capture of Bakhmut after more than nine months of costly, intense battle.

Prigozhin delivered an effective ultimatum to President Vladimir Putin and the military establishment on Friday by saying Wagner would quit Bakhmut on May 10 and withdraw to "lick its wounds" after suffering exponentially rising losses. He accused military bureaucrats of starving it of the ammunition it needed.

But many months of impetuous tirades from the former Kremlin catering magnate, a master in the art of self-promotion, have made clear that his words are seldom to be taken at face value.

Ukraine immediately scented a bluff. Its deputy defence minister said Wagner was actually bringing in fighters from other parts of the front line to try to complete the capture of Bakhmut in time for Russia's World War Two Victory Day celebrations next Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify those movements.

Kimberly Marten, a professor at Barnard College and Columbia University who specialises in Russian security issues, said Prigozhin and his mercenaries are "essential elements of Russian military intelligence, so we don't believe anything he says".

"This is all smoke and mirrors, so we are just guessing," said Marten, who has testified multiple times to the U.S. Congress on Wagner. She noted it would be foolhardy for any commander to "broadcast" their intentions to their enemy five or six days in advance.

ANGRY TIRADE

What looked real, however, was Prigozhin's fury at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov. He hurled abuse on both their names in a tirade filmed in front of dozens of bloodied corpses, and said he would hold them responsible for "tens of thousands of Wagner dead and injured".

Some saw Prigozhin's move as a desperate gamble to try to force Moscow to give him the extra supplies and Russian troop support he needs - and one that might work, because Russia has paid too high a price to give up now on Bakhmut.

"If this (pullout) is exactly what happens, we should expect the Ukrainian army to attack during the rotation and the loss of all, or most, of the city," wrote a Russian military blogger, Zhivov Z.

Alexander Bovdunov, a political analyst, told Russia's 'Argumenty Nedeli' news portal: "Wagner is our most effective assault infantry. It must get everything it needs. Internal bureaucratic conflicts must recede into the background if Russia is to achieve victory."

Austrian analyst Gerhard Mangott said if Prigozhin really withdrew, "this would be much too quick for the Russian regular armed forces to take over the positions of the Wagner fighters in and around Bakhmut."

"If he really means it ... this would give the Ukrainian armed forces the opportunity to seize parts, or the whole of Bakhmut from the Russians," he said, adding this would be a disaster for Putin and Shoigu.

Yohann Michel, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, said Prigozhin's statement looked like an attempt to transfer blame for the failure to take Bakhmut, and an indication that its capture remained elusive.

He also questioned whether Prigozhin had the agency to withdraw without Kremlin permission. "If Putin wants him to be in combat, he'll force him in one way or another to do so."

Michael Mulroy, a former senior Pentagon official, said Prigozhin's latest comments could be a bluff or a sign he was truly short on manpower, saying Russian commanders had treated Wagner "as if they were totally expendable".

VITAL UNIT

Western intelligence assessments have regularly concluded that Wagner is one of Russia's most effective battlefield units because of its ability - up to now - to absorb high casualties and carry out full frontal attacks using "human waves".

Although it started out as a force of around 10,000 made up of former professional soldiers and special forces, its momentum - however slow - became contingent upon a constant supply of new recruits which dried up when the defence ministry in February stopped it from using convicts recruited from prisons.

The U.S. intelligence community estimated that up to 40,000 convicts were fighting for Wagner at one point.

Wagner has since opened recruiting centres to try to replenish its ranks at the same time as the defence ministry itself is recruiting professional soldiers.

Marten said its involvement in the battle for Bakhmut, including fighters recruited from Russian prisons, had allowed Putin to avoid declaring a full-scale mobilization.

Whatever its immediate intentions around Bakhmut, Wagner is likely to remain a significant player in the war, given Prigozhin's personal ambitions and determination to stay in the limelight. Pro-war bloggers reported that former deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, sanctioned by Western countries for orchestrating the brutal siege of Ukraine's Mariupol, has been newly recruited to Wagner as a deputy commander.

"We will lick our wounds, and when the motherland is in danger, we will rise again to defend it. The Russian people can count on us," Prigozhin said on Friday.

(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan, Andrew Osborn, Jonathan Landay and Idrees Ali; Editing by Daniel Wallis)
Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak leaves his campaign headquarters after addressing his supporters, in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble

LONDON (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Friday announced that his country will contribute 80 million pounds ($101.15 million) to the Amazon Fund, a major development for Brazil as the South American nation tries to garner more donors to the initiative aimed at fighting deforestation.

Sunak's pledge in a meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at 10 Downing Street follows a similar commitment by U.S. President Joe Biden earlier this year, joining previous donors Norway and Germany.

"There are so many interests we have in common," Sunak told Lula at the meeting, mentioning higher trade and the fight against climate change. "I'm delighted to announce we will be investing in your Amazon Fund and I pay tribute to your leadership in this initiative."

The prime minister later wrote on Twitter that Britain would donate 80 million pounds.

Lula thanked Sunak and said it was time to "normalize" relations between the United Kingdom and Brazil, adding that "much more can be done in terms of trade."

He again stated that countries with large forests need support - especially from developed nations - to protect them, while reaffirming Brazil's commitment to zero deforestation by 2030.

First launched in 2009, the fund works to combat deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and spur sustainable development. It was reactivated by Lula this year after his predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, froze it in 2019.

British environment secretary Therese Coffey had already told Reuters in a January interview after Lula's inauguration that Britain was considering joining the initiative.

Biden last month announced that he would request from Congress $500 million over five years to contribute to the fund and related activities. France and Spain have shown interest in contributing, according to Brazil.

($1 = 0.7909 pounds)

(Reporting by Gabriel Araujo in Sao Paulo and Maria Carolina Marcello in Brasilia; Editing by Steven Grattan and Alistair Bell)
FILE PHOTO: Capita's logo is pictured on a smartphone in front of an electronic display showing the same logo in this illustration taken, December 4, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

(Reuters) -British outsourcing company Capita has confirmed to pension clients that some data it processed was likely to have been hacked during a recent cyber incident, the Financial Times reported on Thursday.

The company, which was affected by a cyber incident in March, said last month that there was no evidence of any data being compromised after its internal Microsoft Office 365 applications were affected.

A large team of staff at Capita had searched the affected servers and identified that some pensions data that Capita processes on behalf of its clients "is likely to have been exfiltrated", the newspaper reported, citing correspondence sent to trustees.

"Capita is working closely with specialist advisers and forensic experts in investigating the incident to provide assurance around any potential customer, supplier or colleague data exfiltration," a company spokesperson said in a statement to Reuters.

The British outsourcing company "continues to work through its forensic investigations and inform any customers, suppliers or colleagues that are impacted in a timely manner", the spokesperson added.

Among its clients, the company provides the British government with services to connect with citizens including managing tax and I.T. services for councils.

The report added that there was "no evidence" that Capita pensions data was available on the dark web and that it had a third-party specialist checking on a regular basis.

The investigations are expected to be finalised by the end of next week or shortly thereafter, the report said.

(Reporting by Baranjot Kaur in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Mrinmay Dey; Editing by Deepa Babington and Stephen Coates)
Local residents are seen a during an evacuation effort at a bus station in the outskirts of Kherson, Ukraine May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

By Elizabeth Piper and Vlad Smilianets

OUTSKIRTS OF KHERSON, Ukraine (Reuters) -Some residents left the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in cars and buses on Friday, and others stocked up on groceries, before a weekend curfew imposed as Kyiv prepares for a counter-offensive against Russian forces.

The announcement of the unusually long curfew, due to last 58 hours from Friday evening to Monday morning, has prompted speculation in Kherson that the city is about to used as a launch point for the counter-attack.

Some residents left because they were scared, others because they did not want to spend most of the weekend indoors.

Senol Gezer, a 56-year-old man originally from Turkey, said he and his wife were going to a hotel in nearby Odesa.

"We are not afraid. We do not want to sit at home. We have time to leave," he said, filling his car with petrol.

"The authorities say they will clean up the collaborators (accused of cooperating with the Russians). But that is what the authorities are saying. I think something big is about to start soon. These are preparations for that, most likely."

Local authorities gave little away about the reason for the curfew, beyond saying it was intended to enable law enforcement agencies to "conduct their activities in Kherson".

No one will be allowed to enter or exit the city during the curfew, and residents must limit their movements to short walks outside their homes.

DAILY BOMBARDMENT

It is the latest inconvenience for residents who, after enduring months of Russian occupation last year, have been subjected to daily bombardments by Russian troops encamped nearby on the other side of the River Dnipro.

Despite their retreat from Kherson city last November, Russian forces still hold large swathes of territory in the wider Kherson region which Ukraine wants to recapture.

Russian shelling on Wednesday killed 23 people in Kherson city, and attacks on Ukrainian-controlled parts of the Kherson region continued on Friday, regional authorities said.

Iryna Chupryna, a 51-year-old former real estate manager, said she had to stay in Kherson to look after her mother and her brother. Both are invalids.

"Everybody understands it (the curfew). It means it is necessary for our military," she said.

"The Russian occupiers ... were in Kherson for nine months. They know, they know every location, and where there are more people, and they hit exactly there. And if the days are tense, and they should be sat through, we understand it."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; editing by Timothy Heritage)
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia September 30, 2014. REUTERS/Tami Chappell/File Photo

By Ahmed Aboulenein

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Friday it would stop reporting or monitoring COVID-19 case data and transmission rates after the government ends the pandemic's public health emergency designation next week.

The agency will stop using its color-coded COVID-19 Community Levels (CCL) system, which relies on those metrics to track the spread of the virus and will instead primarily rely on hospital admission data.

The government on May 11 will end the COVID-19 public health emergency that allowed millions of Americans to receive vaccines, tests, and treatments at no cost during the pandemic.

"The changes that we're discussing today are happening because the end of the Public Health Emergency means that CDC will have less authority to collect certain types of public health data," said CDC Principal Deputy Director Dr. Nirav Shah.

The current CCL system relies in part on aggregate case rates, he told reporters on a press call, but some local jurisdictions may stop reporting that data after May 11.

"There has been a 99% concordance between the community levels, which are being retired, and the new hospital admission driven metrics," he said.

"We will still be able to tell that it's snowing, even though we're no longer counting every snowflake."

Data on hospitalizations will still be collected nationwide, although weekly instead of daily, and will provide a detailed look at trends down to the county level, Dr. Brendan Jackson, who leads the CDC's COVID-19 Response, said on the call.

Hospitals are required to report admissions data beyond May 11 and until April 30 of next year.

The CDC will continue to provide COVID death rates but will no longer rely on aggregate case data reported by local jurisdictions and will instead use national death certificate data, Jackson said.

COVID-19 surveillance will be folded into a wider integrated strategy for monitoring respiratory viruses, he said, adding that some data reporting including demographic case data, the CDC's work on long COVID, and wastewater surveillance for the virus will continue past May 11.

(Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
BEIJING (Reuters) - Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang assured his Russian and Indian counterparts of deepening bilateral ties, promising that "coordination and cooperation" will only grow stronger, in a show of solidarity with two of China's biggest neighbours.

Qin met in India on Thursday with other foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a bloc of nations spanning most of Eurasia, with Beijing seeking to preserve stable relations with countries in the region as ties with the West, particularly Washington, remain tense.

The United States has long urged China to help resolve the war in Ukraine even though Beijing has refused to denounce Russia's military moves as an invasion. In a landmark move last week, Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke directly with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskiy for the first time since Moscow sent its troops into Ukraine.

During his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the SCO meeting, Qin said China is "willing to maintain communication and coordination with Russia to make tangible contributions to the political settlement of the crisis" in Ukraine.

The two sides also agreed to strengthen communication and coordination with other SCO member-states and maintain the bloc's "unity", according to a statement from the Chinese foreign ministry on Friday.

They additionally agreed to strengthen coordination in the Asia-Pacific, the ministry said, without giving details.

Currently the bloc includes Russia, India, China, Pakistan and four Central Asian countries - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Iran and Belarus are expected to be inducted into the SCO at a summit in New Delhi in July, an Indian foreign ministry official said.

In a separate meeting with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, Qin said China is willing to deepen "coordination and cooperation" on international and regional issues with India and bring ties back to a "healthy" track of development.

China's ties with India have deteriorated since 2020, when their troops clashed on a disputed Himalayan border and 24 people were killed. Last month, Beijing published a map showing Arunachal Pradesh, claimed by India, as part of Tibet, angering New Delhi.

Qin told Jaishankar that the situation on the border is "generally stable".

"We should draw experience and lessons from history, grasp bilateral relations from a strategic height and a long-term perspective, respect each other, learn from each other, and achieve mutual success," Qin told Jaishankar.

(Reporting by Ryan Woo and Liz Lee; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)
A member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) waves party flags in Istanbul, Turkiye, April 25, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, May 5 (Xinhua) --- As the upcoming Turkish presidential and parliamentary elections on May 14th are less than two weeks away, an army of canvassing volunteers is out in Istanbul's streets, trying their best to woo a vote from 11.3 million eligible voters living in Turkiye's largest city.

With more than one in six eligible voters, Istanbul, also a cultural and financial center, is considered the most important battleground city in the elections.

Meanwhile, the presidential election is expected as a tight race between two of four candidates: incumbent President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, representing the electoral coalition People's Alliance and seeking a new five-year term, and Kemal Kilicdaroglu, head of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), who runs for an alliance of opposition parties.

Both candidates are campaigning to improve the quality of life for many Turks affected by the recent economic downturn. If no candidate secures more than 50 percent of the votes in the first round, a second ballot will be held on May 28.

Kemal Duranoglu, a member of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), canvases in the Fatih district in Istanbul, the ruling party's stronghold.

"We have campaign buses and campaign tents everywhere," he told Xinhua, "We're talking with young people on the ground."

A member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) distributes an election campaign flyer to a woman in Istanbul, Turkiye, April 25, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)

"The president has very nice projects concerning youths lined up for the future," he added.

In the Sisli district on the European side of Istanbul, Bahar Alban is canvassing for the CHP. "We have stands and offices in every corner of Sisli," she told Xinhua.

"Our faith [in victory] is very high," she added. "If we didn't have faith, it would be really hard to walk this path. We first have to believe to succeed."

The canvassers usually set up their stands at 10 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and continue all day until around 7 p.m., distributing campaign flyers to passers-by and discussing the party platform with anyone who wants to learn more.

Of the around 85 million citizens living in Turkiye, 60.7 million are eligible voters. An additional 3.4 million are citizens living abroad, who will vote at 152 embassies and consulates in 74 different countries or at 4,671 ballot boxes set up at airports and border gates around the country. Early voting for citizens living abroad began last week.

A man walks past a campaign bus of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Istanbul, Turkiye, May 5, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)

People walk past an election campaign poster in Istanbul, Turkiye, May 5, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)

A member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) distributing election campaign flyers is seen in Istanbul, Turkiye, April 25, 2023. (Photo by Omer Kuscu/Xinhua)
Signage for Cigna is pictured at a health facility in Queens, New York City, U.S., November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly

By Leroy Leo and Khushi Mandowara

(Reuters) -Cigna Group on Friday raised its annual profit forecast after lower medical costs at the company's health insurance business helped it beat estimates in the first quarter, lifting shares 7.5% in morning trade.

The health insurer also cut the midpoint of its 2023 medical cost ratio - or spending on claims as a percentage of premiums - by 10 basis points to between 81.5% and 82.3%.

Peers including UnitedHealth and Humana also beat profit estimates and raised forecasts this quarter thanks to strength in their government-backed plans and low medical costs.

Still, that has largely failed to allay investor concerns around 2024, when regulatory pressure on insurers and drug middlemen is seen ramping up in light of the U.S. elections.

Investors have also fretted over insurers recording softer medical costs even as hospitals and medical device makers saw a recovery in non-urgent procedures.

"Should we not see economic weakness transpire later in the year or should we pick up some unexpected customers from the Medicaid re-determinations, we may have some upside in our Cigna Healthcare customer accounts," Cigna CFO Brian Evanko said in an investor conference call.

Insurers are hoping to re-absorb members who may be deemed ineligible for Medicaid as U.S. states resume dropping beneficiaries from the health insurance for low-income people, a process that was halted during the pandemic.

Revenue from Cigna's Evernorth unit - home to its pharmacy benefit management business - rose nearly 8% to $36.18 billion.

While revenue across segments was stronger than expected, the forecast increase primarily reflected strength in the insurance business, J.P. Morgan analyst Lisa Gill said in a note.

Excluding one-off items, Cigna reported profit of $5.41 per share, beating estimates of $5.22, and raised its profit forecast by 10 cents to at least $24.70 per share.

(Reporting by Khushi Mandowara and Leroy Leo in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
FILE PHOTO: Partizan fans pay tribute before the start of the match between Partizan and Real Madrid, following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff, in Belgrade, Serbia May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana J

BELGRADE (Reuters) - The father of a 13-year-old boy suspected of killing nine people in a school shooting this week denied on Friday any responsibility for the attack, the High Public Prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The boy also wounded seven people at the school in Belgrade before turning himself in. Although his father was arrested, the boy is below Serbia's age of criminal responsibility and instead is undergoing a psychiatric assessment.

"During the hearing, the suspect denied committing the crime and presented his defence in detail," the statement said.

The prosecution said it had charged the father, identified as Vladimir K., with a serious offence against general security for which, if convicted, he could face up to 12 years in jail.

The prosecution also said it would urge the judge handling preliminary proceedings to remand Vladimir K. in custody "to prevent influence on witnesses, a repeat of the offence and because of public anxiety".

It said the father was suspected of training his son to handle weapons by taking him to target practice "despite the fact that the child is 13 years old and that such an activity was ... inappropriate for his age".

It also said Vladimir K. was suspected of failing to adequately secure weapons and ammunition.

"It is suspected that, as a result of his actions, on May 3, 2023, his son K.K. managed to take into possession" two pistols he later used in the school shooting, it said.

Serbia was reeling on Friday from a second mass shooting in just two days. In the latest incident, which occurred on Thursday evening, a gunman killed eight people and wounded 14 during a shooting spree in three villages south of Belgrade.

(Reporting by Aleksandar Vasovic; Editing by Gareth Jones)
FILE PHOTO: A still image taken from video shows a flying object exploding in an intense burst of light near the dome of the Kremlin Senate building during the alleged Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow, Russia, in this image taken from video obtained by Re

By Mike Stone

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The drones that crashed over the Kremlin earlier this week probably evaded an extensive number of defenses in and around Moscow, suggesting they might have been launched from inside Russia, U.S.-based drones experts said.

Footage of the unmanned aircraft has sent governments and open source intelligence analysts on a hunt to discover the origin of the drones designed to fly to a destination and explode.

Moscow has been very concerned about protecting the Kremlin from drones since at least 2015 when it began using electronic countermeasures to automatically direct them away by "spoofing" GPS locations, said Dana Goward, president of the non-profit Resilient Navigation and Timing Foundation, which advocates for tougher and redundant GPS.

"Spoofing" occurs when a counterfeit GPS signal is sent to replace a legitimate one, electronically fooling guidance systems on drones or other devices.

Goward said the sophisticated defense devices could mean that the type of drone used, which he believed to be mid-sized, "was likely not using GPS but was either manually controlled - suggesting a nearby launch - or just pointed and set upon a path, kamikaze style."

Two of numerous videos published on Russian social media channels show two objects flying on the same trajectory toward one of the highest points in the Kremlin complex, the dome of the Senate. The first seemed to be destroyed with little more than a puff of smoke, the second appeared to leave blazing wreckage on the dome.

Russia accused Ukraine of orchestrating an attack with U.S. help. Kyiv and Washington denied any involvement.

Avoiding detection while flying over long distances is difficult.

HOW WAS KREMLIN REACHED?

"It is surprising this drone was able to fly through all of Moscow up to the Kremlin without being detected and destroyed," said Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of drone maker BRINC.

"The relatively small size and low altitude could help. If the drone was not utilizing GPS and not communicating with a ground control station, that would also harden it from jamming or spoofing techniques," Resnick said.

The Kremlin has any number of close-defense systems based on radar and visual tracking, Goward said, that can use bullets and explosive projectiles to protect it from drones and even missiles.

"Of all the types of one-way attack drones, the aircraft used in this instance appears to have been a fixed-wing aircraft and among the larger one-way attack drones currently in use or development," said drone expert Dan Gettinger at the Vertical Flight Society, an engineering advocacy group.

If it were a military-style drone with longer distance capabilities - flight from Ukraine for example - only a few countries would have that size of drone on hand.

About half a dozen larger military drones currently in development or use worldwide have the ability to fly the 400 plus kilometer distance. China, India, Taiwan and Ukraine are among a clutch of nations producing drones of this size and capability, Gettinger said.

Gettinger, who published a paper on one-way attack drones on Thursday, said if the aircraft was launched from within Russia, there was a significantly greater number of aircraft capable of carrying out this attack.

(Reporting by Mike Stone in Washington; editing by Chris Sanders and Andrew Cawthorne)
FILE PHOTO: Ecuadorean President Guillermo Lasso participates in an interview at Carondelet Palace, in Quito, Ecuador April 26, 2022. REUTERS/Santiago Arcos

By Alexandra Valencia

QUITO (Reuters) - The oversight committee of Ecuador's National Assembly will debate a draft report that concludes President Guillermo Lasso did not participate in embezzlement and recommends against his impeachment, a lawmaker said on Friday.

Opposition politicians pushed for impeachment hearings on accusations Lasso turned a blind eye to alleged embezzlement related to a contract between state-owned oil transportation company Flopec and a private business.

Lasso has denied the allegations, saying the contract was signed in 2018 - long before he became president in 2021 - and that his administration made profitable changes to the deal based on advice from the comptroller.

Oversight committee president Fernando Villavicencio said the draft report is based on an analysis of all the evidence presented in hearings by the committee.

"We have prepared and concluded the report which recommends that there is not cause to try or remove President Guillermo Lasso," Villavicencio told TV station Teleamazonas.

The report will be debated and voted on Saturday by the nine-member committee.

Regardless of the committee's decision, the report will then pass to the plenary of the 137-member assembly, which will decide whether to hold hearings and possibly remove Lasso.

Ninety-two votes are needed to remove him, and lawmakers from the party of ex-President Rafael Correa - himself convicted of corruption - have pledged their 47 votes in favor.

Other opposition parties are divided on whether to back Lasso's removal, while his allies have said they have enough votes to block the motion.

The government did not immediately respond to Villavicencio's comments, but Lasso's lawyer has said the opposition failed to establish what alleged loss of funds took place in relation to the contract.

Under Ecuador's constitution, Lasso could call early presidential and legislative elections rather than face a removal vote.

(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by David Gregorio)
Police operates in a checkpoint during the aftermath of a shooting, in Dubona, Serbia, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

By Antonio Bronic and Aleksandar Vasovic

DUBONA, Serbia (Reuters) -A young man wearing a T-shirt with neo-Nazi symbols killed eight people and wounded 14 in Serbia's second mass shooting in consecutive days, and he was caught later hiding at his grandfather's house, authorities said on Friday.

The latest rampage took place in the village of Dubona, south of the capital, late on Thursday, as the Balkan country was already mourning nine people killed the previous day in an unprecedented shooting by a 13-year old boy at a Belgrade school.

"This is terrible for our country, this is a huge defeat. In two days, so many ... killed," said a village resident named Ivan not far from where the shooting took place.

State broadcaster RTS said the suspect had been involved in an altercation in a school yard. He left to fetch an assault rifle and a handgun, opened fire, then continued to shoot at people from a moving car.

The man fired at people in two other nearby villages before fleeing, authorities said. Police found him eventually hiding in his grandfather's house, where they also discovered hand grenades, an automatic rifle and ammunition.

"The suspect U.B., born in 2002, has been apprehended in the vicinity of the city of Kragujevac, he is suspected of killing eight people and wounding 14 overnight," Serbia's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Police also arrested his grandfather and uncle.

In a sombre national address, President Aleksandar Vucic called the incident a "terrorist attack" and said the gunman had been wearing a T-shirt with neo-Nazi symbols.

"There will be justice. These monsters will never see the light of the day," he said, referring to the suspects from both this week's shootings.

Despite strong gun controls, Serbia and the rest of the Western Balkans are awash with military-grade weapons and ordnance that stayed in private hands after the 1990s wars.

GUN MEASURES

Vucic proposed a moratorium on gun permits, in what he called a "practical disarmament" of Serbia that would also include more frequent, mandatory medical and psychological checks of gun owners.

In Serbia, the president is largely a ceremonial figure but Vucic wields considerable power as he also heads the ruling party, and the government later approved his proposals.

The government also plans to hire 1,200 new police officers for schools security and to offer an amnesty for people surrendering illegal weapons and explosive devices.

Vucic said he had proposed reintroducing the death penalty but said the government was against such a step.

Foreign heads of state including Pope Francis and Britain's King Charles sent condolences.

Serbian Health Minister Danica Grujicic said many of the wounded from Thursday's incident had suffered multiple injuries and undergone surgery, but all were stable.

Locals and RTS said an off-duty policeman and his sister were among those killed.

"This is sad, the young policeman is my daughter's age, born in 1998," said Danijela, a woman in Dubona. "My daughter is taking sedatives, we could not sleep all night. They grew up together."

Amid national soul-searching, the editor-in-chief of the Vreme weekly, Filip Svarm, said there was clearly a copycat element in the latest shooting and that media coverage too often ended up glamourising killers.

However, tougher restrictions could prove counter-productive, he warned. "I am afraid that now, precisely because of this panicked reaction from the Serbian president, citizens will start to arm themselves illegally."

Serbia's gun culture is especially entrenched in rural areas.

"We don't even have an assessment of how many illegal weapons are out there and what kind," said Aleksandar Zivotic, a historian at Belgrade University.

In the first shooting case, the detained father of the teen suspect denied any responsibility on Friday, the High Public Prosecutor's office said in a statement.

The prosecution said the father, identified as Vladimir K., faced up to 12 years in jail on suspicion of training his son by taking him to target practice and failing to secure arms.

(Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac;Writing by Gareth Jones and Andrew Cawthorne;Editing by Nick Macfie and David Gregorio)
Partizan fans light up candles before the start of the match between Partizan and Real Madrid, following a school mass shooting, after a boy opened fire on others, killing fellow students and staff, in Belgrade, Serbia May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Zorana Jevtic

(Reuters) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has proposed new gun control measures after two mass shootings in which 17 people were killed, including at least eight children.

Here are some details on how Serbia and other countries have responded to such mass shootings.

SERBIA

Vucic proposed a moratorium on gun permits regardless of weapon type and more frequent medical and psychological checks on gun owners. He also said Serbia would hire 1,200 new police officers to improve security in schools.

Serbia has an entrenched gun culture, especially in rural areas, but its gun control laws were fairly strict even before the latest shootings. Automatic weapons are illegal and the authorities previously offered amnesties for surrendering them.

UNITED STATES

Mass shootings have become commonplace in the United States, where repeated attempts to tighten gun laws have run into strong opposition in the U.S. Congress, especially from Republicans.

The Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution enshrines the right to bear arms and the Supreme Court has taken an increasingly broad view of that right in recent years, overruling laws meant to limit the carrying of guns in public.

Last year, the United States passed the first major federal gun legislation in 30 years, putting limits on gun sales to those convicted of domestic violence.

There have been nearly 200 verified mass shootings in the United States this year as of May 5, while 650 people were killed in U.S. mass shootings in 2022, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit group. It defines a mass shooting as any in which four or more people are wounded or killed, excluding the shooter.

FRANCE

France has strict gun ownership laws but the arsenal of weapons used by Islamist militants in synchronised attacks on Paris venues in November 2015 demonstrated how difficult it is tackle the flow of illegal arms across Europe's porous borders.

Ownership of military-grade guns is banned in France. Individuals who want to own a weapon with a removable magazine with a capacity larger than three rounds must undergo annual mental physical and health checks. Hunting weapons must be registered and owners must undertake a full day of theory exams.

GERMANY

Germany's government has faced pressure to tighten gun ownership rules following attacks in recent years and after the authorities uncovered an extremist network plotting an armed coup last year.

Germany outlawed certain large magazines in 2020. It also introduced five-yearly checks on gun owners to ascertain whether their possession of a weapon is justified.

About 1 million private citizens, in a population of about 83 million, own about 5 million guns, government data shows.

NORWAY

Norway in 2021 made it illegal to acquire high-powered semi-automatic rifles, responding to the 2011 massacre of 77 people by far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik.

From 2024 it will be illegal to possess any such rifles even if they were bought before the new legislation took effect.

CANADA

After 14 students were killed in their Montreal classroom in 1989, new legislation required safety courses, background checks and increased penalties for some gun crimes.

In 2020, after a gunman killed 13 people in Nova Scotia, Canada banned more than 1,500 models of "assault-style" firearms and components, and set limits on how destructive bullets could be.

Canada's rate of firearm homicides is 0.5 per 100,000 people versus a U.S. rate of 4.12, the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) said in a 2021 analysis.

UNITED KINGDOM

After a gunman killed 16 children and their teacher in Scotland in 1996, a public campaign led to Britain adopting some of the strictest gun controls in the world. Within two years, new laws effectively banned civilians from owning handguns.

The United Kingdom's rate of gun homicides is 0.04 per 100,000 people, the IHME calculates.

AUSTRALIA

After a gunman killed 35 people at a cafe and tourist site in 1996, Australia banned all semi-automatic rifles and all semi-automatic and pump-action shotguns. Thousands of unlicensed firearms were surrendered under a gun amnesty programme, and licensed gun owners required to take a safety course.

The chances of being murdered by a gun in Australia fell 72% to 0.15 per 100,000 people in 2014 from 0.54 per 100,000 people in 1996, a Reuters analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics figures showed.

NEW ZEALAND

After shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people in March 2019, New Zealand banned the sale of assault weapons within days. Parliament voted to bar the circulation and use of most semi-automatic firearms, parts that convert firearms into semi-automatic firearms, magazines over a certain capacity, and some shotguns.

Firearm-related murders were rare in New Zealand and remain so. The country had 11 in 2021.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Compiled by Gareth Jones; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Britain's King Charles is greeted at an informal meeting with Commonwealth Leaders at Marlborough House, in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Anna Gordon/Pool

By Michael Holden and Kate Holton

LONDON (Reuters) -King Charles will be crowned at Westminster Abbey in a ceremony full of pomp, pageantry and solemn religious significance on Saturday.

Below are details about Charles, his role in the Commonwealth and why he has a coronation.

CHARLES

Charles was born in 1948, the eldest of Queen Elizabeth's four children, ahead of Anne, and brothers Andrew and Edward.

Charles, who previously held the title of Prince of Wales, had two children with his first wife Princess Diana: heir-to-the-throne Prince William and younger son Harry who has moved to the United States to live with his wife Meghan.

Charles will be crowned alongside his second wife Camilla. The couple have been married for 18 years.

CHARLES' ROLE WITHIN THE COMMONWEALTH

Charles became monarch of the United Kingdom and 14 other realms on the death of Queen Elizabeth in September last year. Their leaders will attend the coronation.

The 14 realms are Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.

Barbados ditched the monarchy in 2021. Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Jamaica and the Bahamas have all expressed an intent to cut ties with the British crown.

Charles has acknowledged growing republican sentiment in some Commonwealth nations and said it was for them to decide their constitutional arrangements.

WILL THE CORONATION BE FOLLOWED AROUND THE COMMONWEALTH?

The build up to the coronation in Commonwealth countries including Australia and New Zealand appears to be low key.

Unlike the death of Queen Elizabeth, when her image was projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House, major buildings in Australia will not be lit up to mark the king's coronation.

However a fly past will take place in Australia and New Zealand. The Canadian government will hold an official ceremony.

WHY IS CHARLES HAVING A CORONATION?

A coronation is not essential and no other monarchy across the globe has an event in the same style. But royal historian Alice Hunt said it had persisted as a means to legitimise the monarch in a public way.

"Although the monarch is the monarch from the moment the predecessor has died, the language of the coronation ceremony from since it was locked down in the 14th Century has still articulated that the king or queen somehow changes during that ceremony," she said.

WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF CORONATIONS?

For the best part of a thousand years, the kings and queens of England and Britain have been crowned at London's Westminster Abbey in a ceremony that has changed little throughout the centuries.

The coronation of every king and queen of England and Britain has been held at the Abbey since 1066. Two monarchs - Edward V, one of two young princes believed to have been murdered in the Tower of London in the 15th Century, and Edward VIII, who abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson - were not crowned.

(Reporting by Michael Holden and Kate Holton; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
FILE PHOTO: IHG logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration

By Eva Mathews and Radhika Anilkumar

(Reuters) - IHG Plc Chief Executive Keith Barr will step down next month after six years at the helm, the Holiday Inn-owner said on Friday, sending its shares down despite strong first-quarter results driven by a rebound in Chinese demand.

The 52 year-old American plans to return to his family in the United States, IHG said, adding he would be succeeded by Americas head Elie Maalouf.

IHG stock was down 2.8% to 5,364 pence at 0840 GMT.

Barr ran the company's Chinese business for several years and became CEO in 2017 at a time when online rental companies such as Airbnb had started to capture market share.

"Keith had done a strong job invigorating the brand portfolio and improving the loyalty and digital offering," Bernstein analysts said.

Shares in the Crowne Plaza-owner IHG have risen about 29% under Barr's leadership.

Maalouf, 59, will take over a business returning towards pre-pandemic levels of growth, but with an uncertain economic outlook weighing on consumer-focused industries.

Some relief was seen in early 2023, however, after China lifted its COVID curbs in December.

IHG said first-quarter revenue per available room (RevPAR) - a key measure of the industry's top-line performance - jumped 33%, fuelled by a 75% increase in the Greater China region.

U.S. peers Hilton and Marriott International Inc have also benefited from China's rebound and pent-up travel demand.

Still, when compared to 2019, IHG's group RevPAR for the quarter rose 6.8%, while Chinese RevPAR was down 9%.

GRAPHIC: IHG's China business moves closer to pre-pandemic levels https://www.reuters.com/graphics/IHG-CHINA/dwvkdyarlpm/chart_eikon.jpg

Through the year, travel demand from small and medium businesses and during summer will drive growth, Barr said in an interview.

Airlines across the world are also seeing strong ticket sales for summer travel, with consumers prioritising travel spend despite high inflation.

On a slowdown in commercial real estate lending, Barr said IHG expected it would "normalise over time."

(Reporting by Radhika Anilkumar and Eva Mathews in Bengaluru; Editing by Conor Humphries and Mark Potter)
FILE PHOTO: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaks during a joint commission meeting between South Korea and Indonesia at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, March 31, 2023. Lee Jin-man/Pool via REUTERS

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia's foreign minister on Friday confirmed her country had engaged with Thailand, China, India and the United Nations on the crisis in Myanmar, as well as Myanmar's key stakeholders, during which it called for an immediate halt to violence.

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told a press conference it was crucial to build trust and not use megaphone diplomacy.

Retno earlier on Friday told Reuters exclusively that Indonesia, the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had been communicating with key stakeholders in Myanmar's crisis, with its diplomats involved in more than 60 engagements in the past four months.

(Reporting by Ananda Teresia; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Kanupriya Kapoor)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) descends down the House entrance steps on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., May 19, 2022. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

By Jane Lanhee Lee

Santa Clara, California (Reuters) - Silicon Valley's U.S. Democratic Representative Ro Khanna and the director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) warned on Friday against delays to funding for U.S. research in the face of surging technology investment by rivals such as China.

While the CHIPS and Science Act authorized the NSF's budget of $81 billion over five years, which could double the annual budget by 2027, the foundation's director, Sethuraman Panchanathan, told Reuters he was concerned the funding could get delayed.

The bill was signed by President Joe Biden last year as the U.S. looks to bring back chip manufacturing and maintain a competitive edge on technologies against adversaries, in particular China.

"The time is now. This is an important moment not to cede leadership in any emerging technologies," Panchanathan said.

The NSF is a federal agency that funds a big portion of science and engineering, including research at universities.

It had a budget of $8.8 billion for the fiscal year of 2022, and Panchanathan said an increase in funding would help support the NSF's Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, called TIP.

TIP is the agency's first new directorate in more than 30 years and would help identify research, a lot of it already funded by the NSF, that can become technology products, he said.

The directorate would help build up an ecosystem of academics, corporates, venture capitalists, and others to help researchers and startups get off the ground.

Panchanathan and Khanna met nearly two dozen venture capitalists, startup CEOs, and some big tech firm executives in Santa Clara, California to discuss the CHIPS and Science Act.

"We're under-investing in science in America. We are at historic lows," Khanna told Reuters. "China is investing extraordinarily in these technologies that we would need to compete. And this is a first significant investment in that."

(Reporting By Jane Lanhee Lee; Editing by Robert Birsel)
KHARTOUM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- As the fighting between the Sudanese Army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) enters the fourth week, the residents of the Sudanese capital Khartoum are confronted with more hardships due to a lack of basic services.

Residents in Khartoum, Omdurman and Bahri (Khartoum North) are going through a serious crisis that features a short supply of bread, water and electricity as well as the exposure of water and electricity facilities to military strikes.

On Friday, people who fled shortly after the fighting are left with no choices but to re-emerge in a number of neighborhoods in the Sudanese capital, where they are seeking to buy some bread and other necessities.

Only a few bakeries are still open in the three cities of the capital, but they are unable to supply enough food due to the severe shortage of flour, ongoing power outages, and the lack of cooking gas.

To solve the problems, Sudanese Finance Minister Jibril Ibrahim announced on Friday the establishment of two committees, one for handling humanitarian emergencies and the other for monitoring the flow of goods and services.

"We are making every effort with the parties to provide food and fuel," Ibrahim said in a statement on Friday.

"Safe passages must be kept open for medical staff to reach their workplaces, and for engineers to fix electricity and water problems," he said.

Several hospitals are out of service due to a shortage in medicines. According to the Sudanese Doctors Union, medical staff are unable to reach hospitals, and health facilities have either been destroyed or seized and turned into military barracks.

"We reject any military presence inside medical facilities," the union said in a statement on Friday.

The union urged the conflicting parties to "prevent the armed presence in or near medical facilities and medical institutions, stop using them as bombing platforms, and stop turning them into a battlefield."

Additionally, Internet services are hardly accessible to the residents of Khartoum, who are also facing difficulties in communicating through the main telecommunications networks.

Due to repeated power outages and fuel shortage, the telecommunications sector in Sudan has had a tough time in providing services to subscribers ever since the clashes broke out between the army and the RSF on April 15.

MTN Communication Sudan announced on Friday that it had to suspend all services provided to subscribers in Khartoum because of power outages at its facilities.

"The generators' fuel could not be transported due to the current circumstances. We appeal to the concerned authorities to find urgent solutions," the company said in a statement on its Facebook account.

Meanwhile, the clashes between the army and the RSF continued on Friday despite the two sides earlier this week had agreed to a seven-day truce extension proposed by the regional African bloc Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.

The Sudanese Army said on Friday that it has sent negotiators to the Saudi port city of Jeddah to discuss the humanitarian truce as part of a Saudi-American initiative to end the conflict in the African country.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in the capital city of Khartoum and other areas since mid-April, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

According to UN statistics, thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad.

So far, the deadly clashes have left 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded, according to the Sudanese health ministry. 
FILE PHOTO: Mali's then Prime Minister Abdoulaye Maiga attends the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. Headquarters in New York City, U.S., September 24, 2022. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Mali's military government on Friday set a new date for a delayed constitutional referendum meant to pave the way for presidential elections next year.

The vote, initially scheduled for March 19, is the first in a series of polls meant to restore democracy in the West African country after two military takeovers since August 2020.

It was delayed days before that date to give electoral management authorities more time to set up in all of Mali's 19 administrative regions.

Government spokesman Abdoulaye Maiga announced on state television on Friday that the referendum would now take place on June 18. He added that the new date showed authorities were true to their word and democratic commitments.

Mali's junta has pushed back against regional and international pressure to rapidly return to civilian rule, proposing lengthy transition timelines after failing to hold promised elections in February last year.

The region's main economic and political bloc ECOWAS imposed stiff sanctions on the country at the start of 2022 for straying from its commitments.

After months of negotiations with its rulers, the bloc accepted a new 24-month transition that was to begin in March 2022. It has lifted sanctions but kept Mali suspended from the bloc.

Presidential elections are now scheduled to take place in February 2024.

Mali's two coups were spurred in part by anger over the failure of authorities to block a violent Islamist insurgency that has spread through West Africa over the past decade.

Similar frustrations contributed to two military takeovers in neighbouring Burkina Faso last year. Authorities there have pledged to restore democracy by next July.

Military rulers in both countries have previously blamed election delays on insecurity, saying it made it difficult to organise polls.

(Reporting by Tiemoko Diallo; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Nick Macfie)
FILE PHOTO: Meta Platforms Inc's logo is seen on a smartphone in this illustration picture taken October 28, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

By Katie Paul

(Reuters) - Meta Platforms Inc has hired an Oslo-based team that until late last year was building artificial-intelligence networking technology at British chip unicorn Graphcore.

A Meta spokesperson confirmed the hirings in response to a request for comment, after Reuters identified 10 people whose LinkedIn profiles said they worked at Graphcore until December 2022 or January 2023 and subsequently joined Meta in February or March of this year.

"We recently welcomed a number of highly-specialized engineers in Oslo to our infrastructure team at Meta. They bring deep expertise in the design and development of supercomputing systems to support AI and machine learning at scale in Meta's data centers," said Jon Carvill, the Meta spokesperson.

The move brings additional muscle to the social media giant's bid to improve how its data centers handle AI work, as it races to cope with demand for AI-oriented infrastructure from teams across the company looking to build new features.

Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, has become increasingly reliant on AI technology to target advertising, select posts for its apps' feeds and purge banned content from its platforms.

On top of that, it is now rushing to join competitors like Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc's Google in releasing generative AI products capable of creating human-like writing, art and other content, which investors see as the next big growth area for tech companies.

The 10 employees' job descriptions on LinkedIn indicated the team had worked on AI-specific networking technology at Graphcore, which develops computer chips and systems optimized for AI work.

Carvill declined to say what they would be working on at Meta.

Graphcore closed its Oslo office as part of a broader restructuring announced in October last year, a spokesperson for the startup said, as it struggled to make inroads against U.S.-based firms like Nvidia Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc which dominate the market for AI chips.

Meta already has an in-house unit designing several kinds of chips aimed at speeding up and maximizing efficiency for its AI work, including a network chip that performs a sort of air traffic control function for servers, two sources told Reuters.

Efficient networking is especially useful for modern AI systems like those behind chatbot ChatGPT or image-generation tool Dall-E, which are far too large to fit onto a single computing chip and must instead be split up over many chips strung together.

A new category of network chip has emerged to help keep data moving smoothly within those computing clusters. Nvidia, AMD and Intel Corp all make such network chips.

In addition to its network chip, Meta is also designing a complex computing chip to both train AI models and perform inference, a process in which the trained models make judgments and generate responses to prompts, although it does not expect that chip to be ready until around 2025.

Graphcore, one of the UK's most valuable tech startups, once was seen by investors like Microsoft and venture capital firm Sequoia as a promising potential challenger to Nvidia's commanding lead in the market for AI chip systems.

However, it faced a setback in 2020 when Microsoft scrapped an early deal to buy Graphcore's chips for its Azure cloud computing platform, according to a report by UK newspaper The Times. Microsoft instead used Nvidia's GPUs to build the massive infrastructure powering ChatGPT developer OpenAI, which Microsoft also backs.

Sequoia has since written down its investment in Graphcore to zero, although it remains on the company's board, according to a source familiar with the relationship. The write-down was first reported by Insider in October.

The Graphcore spokesperson confirmed the setbacks, but said the company was "perfectly positioned" to take advantage of accelerating commercial adoption of AI.

Graphcore was last valued at $2.8 billion after raising $222 million in its most recent investment round in 2020.

(Reporting by Katie Paul and Krystal Hu in New York and Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Kenneth Li and Matthew Lewis)
FILE PHOTO: Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks during a news conference at the Secretariat of Security and Civilian Protection in Mexico City, Mexico March 9, 2023. REUTERS/Henry Romero

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) -Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador does not foresee a jump in migrant flows once U.S. border restrictions are lifted next week, contrary to U.S. officials who are preparing for the possibility of a spike in illegal border crossings.

The border policy known as Title 42, which allows U.S. authorities to rapidly expel migrants to Mexico without the chance to seek asylum, is due to expire on May 11.

U.S. officials have been preparing for the possible arrival of tens of thousands more migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border once those restrictions end. A top U.S. border official estimated that migrant crossings could jump to 10,000 per day after May 11, nearly double the daily average in March.

Lopez Obrador said on Friday his government is working to inform migrants about U.S. permits and visas they can request from their home countries, noting that he expected those programs to keep the numbers of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border from growing.

"We think migrant flows will not increase, because another option, an alternative, is opening up," Lopez Obrador told his regular daily news conference.

A U.S. program that started this year allows up to 360,000 Venezuelans, Haitians, Cubans and Nicaraguans to request humanitarian parole from their home countries.

As well, in recent days the U.S. has said it will accept some 100,000 people from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras under an expanded family reunification program, and open centers in Guatemala and Colombia for migrants to apply for refugee resettlement and other forms of entry.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the news of Title 42 ending has already reached migrants via smugglers who are charging up to $7,000 with offers to bring migrants into the U.S. once the policy ends.

(Reporting by Valentine Hilaire and Raul Cortes; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon and Sandra Maler)
WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand will undertake a review of the risks and benefits of seabed mining and whether domestic regulation is needed, the government announced on Friday.

Environment Minister David Parker said there was a range of strong views on seabed mining and a review would give New Zealanders a say on the issue.

"Concerns about the environmental impacts of seabed mining need to be considered, along with the potential role that minerals recovered by seabed mining could play in New Zealands transition to a decarbonised economy, Parker said in a statement.

Seabed mining is allowed in New Zealand but it has to be approved by the Environmental Protection Agency. Although three projects have been proposed to the agency none has been given final clearance.

An increasingly contentious debate is happening over whether the world's seabeds should be mined for nickel and other green energy transition minerals.

Last October, New Zealand backed a conditional moratorium on seabed mining in areas beyond national jurisdiction.

"New Zealands international position does not require the government to change its domestic approach to seabed mining. But having backed a conditional moratorium, it is timely to examine our own regulatory settings," Parker said.

Feedback and inquiry findings from the review would inform any regulatory changes, the government said.

(Reporting by Lucy Craymer; Editing by Robert Birsel)
FILE PHOTO: Senator Paraguayo Cubas Colomes looks on while participating in a demonstration near the Paraguayan Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay April 25, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno

ASUNCION (Reuters) -Paraguayo Cubas, who placed third in Paraguay's presidential elections, has been arrested following post-election protests, authorities said on Friday.

Cubas led protests to dispute Sunday's election results and call for a recount, though international organizations said there was no reason to doubt the integrity of the vote.

Cubas has been charged with "disrupting the peace" and other crimes, according to an arrest warrant issued by the attorney general's office.

A political figure from the country's eastern region who calls himself an anarchist, Cubas pulled in a surprising 23% of the vote, coming behind victor Santiago Pena and second-place Efrain Alegre.

He was detained in the last leg of a planned trip to Asuncion to protest the elections at an electoral court.

"As you can see, I'm being arrested," Cubas said in a video posted to social media. "All the criminals in this country should be handcuffed like Paraguayo Cubas," he added as he got into a patrol car.

Late Monday, Cubas' supporters blocked roads in the capital and parts of the country's east and clashed with police outside of an electoral court. Cubas had announced plans for renewed protests after his arrival in the capital.

(Reporting by Daniela Desantis; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)
FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

By Caroline Valetkevitch

NEW YORK (Reuters) -The estimated decline in first-quarter S&P 500 earnings has improved from last week and is now at just 0.7% year-over-year, Refinitiv data showed on Friday, thanks to another round of upbeat results from companies including Apple Inc..

The first-quarter reporting period is in the final stretch, with results now in from 419 of the S&P 500 companies. The latest forecast is based on actual results as of Friday and estimates for the remaining components.

About 77% of reports are beating analysts' earnings expectations. Also, in aggregate, companies are reporting earnings 7.2% above expectations, the highest "surprise rate" since the third quarter of 2021, according to Refinitiv.

The 0.7% projected decline compares with an estimated fall for the first quarter of 1.9% a week ago and a drop of 5.1% at the start of April.

Despite the improved forecast, the first quarter still would mark a second straight quarterly fall for U.S. corporate earnings, or an "earnings recession," which last occurred when COVID-19 hit corporate results in 2020.

S&P 500 earnings fell 3.2% in the fourth quarter of 2022 from the year-ago period.

Upbeat results have helped the stock market in recent weeks as well, with Apple shares jumping 4.8% on Friday. Apple late Thursday reported stronger-than-expected results and iPhone sales.

Among companies still to report this earnings season are many top U.S. retailers including Walmart Inc..

(Reporting by Caroline Valetkevitch; Editing by Leslie Adler)
FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict outside Enerhodar in the Zaporizhzhia region, Russian-controlled Ukraine, March 29, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

(Reuters) - Record high water levels could overwhelm a major dam in southern Ukraine and damage parts of the Russian-controlled Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, a Russian official told Tass agency on Thursday.

Renat Karchaa, an adviser to the general director of nuclear energy firm Rosenergoatom, said if the Nova Kakhovka dam did rupture, the power cable line for the Zaporizhzhia plant's pumping stations would be flooded.

"This (would create) functional problems for the operation of the plant and risks for nuclear safety," he told Tass.

Last November, after Russian forces withdrew from the nearby southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, satellite imagery showed significant new damage to the dam.

Both sides have accused each other of planning to breach the dam using explosives, which would flood much of the area downstream and would likely cause major destruction around Kherson.

Karchaa's comments represent a significant contrast from those made in late March by Ukrainian officials, who said they feared the Zaporizhzhia facility could face a shortage of water to cool reactors by late summer because Russian forces had let water out of a reservoir that supplied the plant.

Russian troops took over the plant as they invaded parts of Ukraine last year. It is at the centre of a nuclear security crisis due to near-constant shelling in its vicinity which Kyiv and Moscow blame on each other.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Sandra Maler)
WARSAW (Reuters) - Russia's ambassador has been summoned to the Polish foreign ministry regarding a statement by the former ombudsman for children of Russia calling for the murder of the Polish ambassador, a Polish foreign ministry spokesman said on Friday.

"The Polish side expressed a firm protest regarding the situation and expectation of an immediate initiation of criminal proceedings and immediate punishment of the perpetrator," Lukasz Jasina said on Twitter, referring to ex-ombudsman Pavel Astakhov.

Already hostile relations between Russia and Poland have worsened since the start of the war in Ukraine; Warsaw has positioned itself as one of Kyiv's staunchest allies.

(Reporting by Anna Wlodarczak-Semczuk; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
FILE PHOTO: Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev speaks during a session of the Joint Coordination Centre of the Defence and Foreign Ministries of Russia in Moscow, Russia July 25, 2018. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin/File Photo

By Felix Light

(Reuters) - Former Russian deputy defence minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev has joined the Wagner Group private militia as a deputy commander, Russian pro-war social media channels reported on Thursday.

In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev - clad in Wagner-branded combat gear - was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the east Ukrainian town of Bakhmut.

The footage coincided with the release of two video statements by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, who furiously renewed long-standing accusations that the defence establishment was starving his forces of ammunition from jealousy of their success.

While Prigozhin has regularly accused the mainstream military including Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu of incompetence, he has singled out individual commanders for praise.

On April 29, the day after Mizintsev's reported sacking from the Defence Ministry, Prigozhin's press service said he had offered to hire the general.

Mizintsev, who orchestrated the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in the early months of the war last year, had only been made deputy defence minister in charge of logistics and supplies last September.

Grey Zone, a heavily followed Telegram channel affiliated with Wagner, wrote that Mizintsev had become "not the first and obviously not the last general who was out of place amid the bureaucracy and sycophancy".

The European Union imposed sanctions on Mizintsev in June, calling him the "Butcher of Mariupol" for his role in the siege, which devastated the city.

In a video statement, Prigozhin praised Mizintsev but did not confirm that he had been hired. In response to a Reuters question, he said that in wartime, such matters were secret.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Ukrainian service members from a 28th separate mechanised brigade named after the Knights of the Winter Campaign of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, prepare fire an anti-tank grenade launcher at a front line, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, near the city of

By Felix Light and Caleb Davis

(Reuters) -Russia's main mercenary group announced plans on Friday to withdraw from the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, but Ukraine said the fighters were reinforcing positions to try to seize it before Russia marks World War Two Victory Day next week.

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his men had been starved of ammunition and would expect the army to take their place in Bakhmut next Wednesday, jeopardising what has long been Russia's main target in its attempt to carve up its neighbour.

"My lads will not suffer useless and unjustified losses in Bakhmut without ammunition," Prigozhin said in a video accompanying a written withdrawal announcement addressed to military leaders including President Vladimir Putin.

The announcement said "bureaucrats" had held back supplies despite knowing that Wagner's target date to capture the city was May 9, the day of the World War Two commemoration.

"If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that's your problem," Prigozhin added in the video.

State-owned RIA news agency later reported that Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu had instructed one of his deputy ministers to ensure troops had all the weapons they needed.

The battle for Bakhmut, which Russia sees as a stepping stone to other cities in Ukraine's Donbas region still beyond its control, has been the most intense of the conflict, costing thousands of lives on both sides in months of grinding warfare.

CLINGING ON

Ukrainian troops have been pushed back in recent weeks but have clung on in the city to inflict as many Russian losses as possible ahead of Kyiv's planned big push against the invading forces along the 1,000 km (620 mile) front line.

Ukraine's Armed Forces General Staff said in an evening report that Ukrainian forces repelled more than 30 attacks on the main sectors of the front line on Friday, with Bakhmut and Maryinka to the south seeing the heaviest fighting.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, governor of Donetsk region, said on the Telegram messaging app that Russian missiles had struck a heavy machinery manufacturing plant in the town of Kramatorsk and a home furnishing factory in the town of Sloviansk. He said there were no injuries in either attack.

Both towns are west of the front in and around Bakhmut.

Reuters pictures and video from Kramatorsk showed the machinery plant heavily damaged with windows blown out, facades torn off and top floors reduced to a twisted mass of metal and other building materials.

"Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are increasing exponentially every day," Prigozhin's statement said. His fighters would be obliged to hand over their positions in Bakhmut to defence ministry units on May 10 and then withdraw to logistics camps "to lick our wounds", he added.

SMOKESCREEN?

It was not clear whether Prigozhin, who often makes impulsive comments, would proceed with the withdrawal if his men got more ammunition or if the dispute might be a smokescreen.

A senior Ukrainian official said Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from along the front line to Bakhmut to capture it by Victory Day.

"We are now seeing them pulling (fighters) from the entire offensive line where the Wagner fighters were, they are pulling (them) to the Bakhmut direction," Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar said on Ukrainian television.

The Kremlin declined to comment on Prigozhin's statement.

Earlier, Prigozhin was pictured surrounded by corpses he said were his men, shouting abuse at Defence Minister Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

Prigozhin said Shoigu and Gerasimov must bear responsibility for "tens of thousands of Wagner dead and injured".

Prigozhin's vow to pull out of Bakhmut highlighted the pressure Russian forces are under as Ukraine makes the final preparations for a counter-offensive backed by thousands of Western-donated armoured vehicles and freshly trained troops.

The Russian-installed governor of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, said he had ordered the evacuation of villages close to the front line with Ukrainian forces there, saying that Ukrainian shelling had intensified in recent days.

The Ukrainian counterattack is viewed as likely to take in the Zaporizhzhia region, about 80% of which is held by Moscow.

Some residents left the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in cars and buses on Friday, and others stocked up on groceries, before the start of an unusually long weekend curfew.

The announcement of the curfew, to last from Friday evening to Monday morning, has prompted speculation in Kherson that the city is about to be used as a launch point for the counter-attack.

Speaking on return from visits to Helsinki and The Hague, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an address he had won "a powerful reinforcement of weapons for our soldiers - on land, in the air and at sea" as a result of talks with allies there.

Meanwhile, the pace of grain shipments from Ukraine under a U.N.-backed initiative has slowed as concerns grow over ships getting stuck if a deal is not renewed later this month, according to sources and data. Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and the United Nations failed to authorize any new ships on Friday under the deal.

Russia has suffered few direct attacks during the war, but Russian news agencies reported a second drone attack in as many days on its Ilsky oil refinery on Friday, causing a fire but no casualties. It was not immediately clear who launched it.

(Additional reporting by Olena Harmash and Pavel Polityuk in KYIV; Writing by Philippa Fletcher, Ron Popeski, William Maclean; Editing by Conor Humphries, Daniel Wallis and Grant McCool)
ADEN, Yemen, May 5 (Xinhua) -- A roadside bomb exploded next to a military ambulance in Yemen's southern province of Abyan on Friday, killing two soldiers and wounding three others, a security official told Xinhua.

The local official asked to remain anonymous said the ambulance was blasted by the homemade bomb when it was transporting soldiers of Yemeni government forces who were wounded in sporadic fighting with al-Qaida militants.

The explosive device was pre-planted on the side of the road in the Mudiyah district where the ambulance would be passing, said the official.

This is the latest of a series of roadside bomb attacks in Abyan over the past few weeks. Yemeni officials blamed the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) being behind the attacks.

AQAP is seen as one of the most dangerous branches of al-Qaida and has been active in Yemen for years. The group has taken advantage of Yemen's civil war and the resulting power vacuum to launch attacks on military and government targets. 
FILE PHOTO: Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves a cemetery before the funeral of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin widely known by the name of Vladlen Tatarsky, who was recently killed in a bomb attack in a St Petersburg

By Felix Light, Caleb Davis and Andrew Osborn

(Reuters) -Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia's Wagner Group mercenary force, said in a dramatic announcement on Friday that his forces would pull out of the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut that they have been trying to capture since last summer.

Prigozhin said they would withdraw on May 10 - ending their involvement in the longest and bloodiest battle of the war - because of heavy losses and inadequate ammunition supplies. He asked defence chiefs to insert regular army troops in their place.

"I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on May 10, 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds," Prigozhin said in a statement.

"I'm pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they're doomed to perish senselessly."

The Kremlin declined to comment and there was no immediate reaction from the defence ministry, which said the offensive on Bakhmut continued with paratroopers supporting assault units as a Ukrainian official said Russia was bringing Wagner fighters from elsewhere to fight in Bakhmut.

Bakhmut, a city of 70,000 people before the start of the war, has taken on huge symbolic importance for both sides because of the sheer intensity and duration of the fighting there.

Wagner has been spearheading Russia's attempt to capture it and Prigozhin said his men had taken all but 2.5 square kilometres of the city which he said was 45 square kilometres in total.

It was not clear if his latest statement could be taken at face value, as he has frequently posted impulsive comments in the past. Only last week he withdrew one statement he said he had made as a "joke".

Earlier on Friday he appeared in a video surrounded by dozens of corpses he said were Wagner fighters, and was shown yelling and swearing at Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov with whom he has a long-running feud.

"We have a 70% shortage of ammunition. Shoigu! Gerasimov! Where is the ******* ammunition?" he shouted into the camera.

In another video issued later, he accused Shoigu and Gerasimov of being responsible for "tens of thousands of Wagner dead and injured" and said he would hold them to account.

Vladimir Pastukhov, a political analyst, said Prigozhin's behaviour looked like an attempt to pin the blame for Russia's setbacks and losses in Ukraine on Shoigu.

"He and Shoigu are playing a zero-sum game in which there cannot be two winners," Pastukhov wrote on the Telegram messaging service. "Someone will have to answer for the mountain of corpses. And that moment is approaching."

KEY MOMENT IN THE WAR

His announcement comes at a key juncture in the war, with Ukraine expected to launch a long-anticipated counter-offensive imminently.

It was the second dramatic development in the space of three days, after Moscow accused Ukraine of sending drones to the Kremlin in the early hours of Wednesday in an attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv denied it, and the United States dismissed Kremlin claims it was behind the incident as "lies".

Abbas Gallyamov, a former Putin speech writer designated "a foreign agent" by Russia, said he thought that Putin would have to intervene in the Prigozhin standoff to show he was decisive as such episodes could become destabilising.

Prigozhin's written statement - addressed to the head of the General Staff, the defence ministry, and Putin as supreme commander - was accompanied by a video in which Prigozhin appeared in full combat gear in front of dozens of his fighters, an automatic rifle dangling from his shoulder.

"If, because of your petty jealousy, you do not want to give the Russian people the victory of taking Bakhmut, that's your problem."

Rob Lee, a U.S. military expert on Russia, said he thought the Russian defence ministry may have decided to ration ammunition ahead of Ukraine's counter-offensive as it had to ensure the entire front was defended while Prigozhin "only cares about taking Bakhmut."

The stated withdrawal date of May 10 gives defence chiefs just five days to fill the gap a Wagner pullout would create.

One Telegram channel regarded as close to the defence ministry said the May 10 withdrawal date had long been decided and that Prigozhin was now using it as "a nice pretext" to blame what it called his failures and heavy losses on a lack of ammo.

The same channel said the despatch of regular paratroopers and tank units to Bakhmut had "almost been agreed" and that it was not a certainty that Wagner's forces would fall back.

Reuters could not verify those assertions.

Prigozhin's outburst threatens to overshadow national celebrations on May 9, when Russia commemorates victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two and Putin is due to address the nation from Red Square.

(Writing by Mark Trevelyan/Andrew Osborn; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Conor Humphries)
Russian theatre director Yevgenia Berkovich, detained on suspicion of justifying terrorism, is escorted before a court hearing in Moscow, Russia May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Stringer

MOSCOW (Reuters) - A prominent Russian theatre director was remanded in custody for two months on Friday after being accused of justifying terrorism with an award-winning play about Russian women who married Islamic State fighters, the state news agency TASS reported.

Investigators opened a case this week against Yevgenia (Zhenya) Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk, alleging that Petriychuk's "Finist, the Brave Falcon", which premiered in 2020 under Berkovich's direction, had broken the law.

Since Russia sent its armed forces into Ukraine last year, Moscow has intensified a clampdown on freedom of expression, and encouraged citizens to report anyone they suspect of demonstrating disloyalty.

"Finist, the Brave Falcon" won two "Golden Mask" national theatre awards last year, and Berkovich also received a nomination for best director.

The detention of the two women has drawn condemnation from several prominent Russian artists and cultural figures.

Journalist Ksenia Sobchak said the case against them showed "rampant ignorance", and that the play in fact had an anti-terrorist message.

"The heroines leave their families, their universities, their jobs and go into hell to their new lovers, who promise them love and a happy life," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

"There they first become semi-slaves in the militant units and then return to their homeland as prisoners. It's clear that the production has an anti-terrorist message."

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Jonathan Oatis)
FILE PHOTO: Recaptured drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is escorted by soldiers at the hangar belonging to the office of the Attorney General in Mexico City, Mexico January 8, 2016. REUTERS/Henry Romero/File Photo/File Photo

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Sons of former Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman denied U.S. allegations that they were major traffickers flooding the United States with synthetic opioid fentanyl, addressing the claims against them in a rare letter.

The U.S. Justice Department last month charged leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel with trafficking fentanyl and other drugs, including four sons of El Chapo, the cartel's one time leader who is now imprisoned in the U.S.

The letter was sent on behalf of El Chapo's four indicted sons known as "Los Chapitos," or little Chapos, including Ovidio Guzman, who was captured in Mexico in January and awaits extradition to the United States.

"We have never produced, manufactured or marketed fentanyl or any of its derivatives," the sons wrote in the letter, published by Mexican news outlet Milenio late on Wednesday.

The letter was shared with Milenio by Jose Refugio Rodriguez, who when contacted by Reuters confirmed he is the Guzman family lawyer.

In the letter, the sons say they are not the Sinaloa Cartel's leaders but rather are the victims of an international misinformation campaign by companies, the media and public figures that has painted them to be notorious drug traffickers.

Their letter was in response to a press conference on April 14 in Washington, DC, where senior U.S. officials said the Sinaloa Cartel was the main supplier of illicit fentanyl to the United States.

They also singled out Los Chapitos as key figures in the Sinaloa Cartel, blaming them for worsening the U.S. opioid epidemic.

Mexico and the United States agreed last month to ramp up efforts to stop the trafficking of fentanyl, which has driven a surge in overdose deaths in the United States.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Boyle and Drazen Jorgic; Editing by Chris Reese)
Recruits of the Swiss army Tank School 21 perform an attack exercise with the Leopard 2 tank in Bure, Switzerland May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

By Denis Balibouse

BURE, Switzerland (Reuters) - In a sleepy village on the French border, Swiss soldiers rode down a dusty road on a Leopard 2 tank, an armoured vehicle that has spurred debate around Switzerland's role in European defence.

Switzerland has 134 Leopard 2 tanks in service, some of which were used in training exercises by the country's Tank School 21 in the northwestern canton of Jura this week.

But the Leopard 2 tanks that have drawn attention in Switzerland are, in fact, the 96 it keeps in storage.

Germany has asked Switzerland to sell mothballed Leopard 2 tanks to arms maker Rheinmetall, which would help fill the gaps in the armaments of European Union and NATO members that have been sending the tanks to support Ukraine in fighting off the Russian invasion.

Under its neutrality laws and a separate arms embargo, Switzerland is prohibited from sending weapons directly to a country at war. The German government assured Bern that if it decided to sell its Leopard 2 tanks, these would not be used in Ukraine.

Switzerland's foreign policy of neutrality and the conditions it sets on selling weapons abroad pose no obstacle to the sale of the tanks. Parliament, however, must approve their decommission from military service before they can be sold.

(Writing by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Louise Heavens)
ANKARA (Reuters) - A Ukrainian delegate punched a Russian delegate in the face during a gathering of Black Sea nations in the Turkish capital on Thursday, after his Ukrainian flag was snatched away to stop him photobombing a video interview with Russia's lead delegate.

Olesandr Marikovski posted a video of himself thumping the Russian and retrieving the blue and yellow flag on his Facebook page. The incident took place in a hallway of the parliament building, where the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) assembly was being held.

Earlier in the day, some Ukrainian delegates scuffled with security officers who had tried to pull them away as they staged a protest, shouting and holding their flags next to Russia's lead delegate as she tried to address the assembly.

Pictures of the disturbance were posted by the Turkish parliament on its website, and Mustafa Sentop, the parliament's head, issued a stiff rebuke.

"I condemn this behaviour that disrupts the peaceful environment that Turkey is trying to establish," he said.

While representatives from the 13 countries in the BSEC met on Thursday, Russian drones continued to attack the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. There are currently no peace talks to end the war, which has devastated Ukrainian towns and cities, killed thousands of people and driven millions from their homes.

(Reporting by Ezgi Erkoyun and Omer Berberoglu; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
By Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters) -Ukraine said on Friday Russia was bringing Wagner mercenary fighters from other parts of the front line to fight in Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, and that Moscow wanted to capture the city in time for Victory Day celebrations next week.

Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said his mercenary forces would pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 because of heavy losses and inadequate ammunition supplies.

That is one day after Russia celebrates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, an important day in the Russian calendar.

"We are now seeing them pulling (fighters) from the entire offensive line where the Wagner fighters were, they are pulling (them) to the Bakhmut direction," Maliar said in televised comments.

"The Russians are inclined towards symbolism and their key historic myth is May 9 and they really have set the objective of taking control of Bakhmut by this date," she said.

Prigozhin's Wagner mercenaries have spearheaded Russia's months-long assault on Bakhmut in the industrial Donbas region. He has regularly accused Russia's military top brass of incompetence.

Andriy Yusov, a Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson, said Prigozhin's remarks showed a long-running feud with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov was not over.

"The confrontation continues," he said.

Though of questionable military strategic value, Bakhmut, which had a pre-war population of 70,000, has taken on huge symbolic importance in Russia's full-scale invasion. Casualties there have been high.

Russia marks May 9 annually with a big military parade on Red Square presided over by President Vladimir Putin.

(Reporting by Pavel Polityuk; writing by Tom Balmforth; editing by Timothy Heritage)
FILE PHOTO-British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly attends a meeting with teams coordinating the evacuation of British nationals from Sudan at the FCDO Crisis Centre in London, Britain, April 25, 2023. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/Pool

LONDON (Reuters) -British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday he had "made plain" Britain's views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan in a meeting with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng during the latter's visit to London for King Charles' coronation.

"Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UKs views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan," Cleverly said on Twitter. "We also discussed working together on climate change, economic ties and people-to-people links."

The rare meeting between senior government officials from Britain and China comes during a low point in relations.

London has restricted Chinese investment over national security worries and expressed concern at Beijing's increasing military and economic assertiveness.

In a speech in London last week, Cleverly urged China to be more open about what he called the biggest military build-up in peacetime history, and said Britain should engage constructively with China despite its "revulsion" over the treatment of Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

A host of foreign dignitaries and heads of state are visiting London for Charles's coronation on Saturday, and British ministers are using the opportunity to hold meetings with foreign leaders.

(Reporting by Sarah Young, writing by Sachin Ravikumar)
FILE PHOTO: A group of women wearing burqas crosses the street as members of the Taliban drive past in Kabul, Afghanistan October 9, 2021. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo

By Michelle Nichols

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Friday it will continue to keep Afghan staff working from home after the Taliban administration began enforcing a ban on Afghan women working for the world body a month ago.

The United Nations has some 3,300 Afghan staff, of whom about 400 are female, while about 600 international staff in the country are not affected by the ban. The UN had said it would review its operations and keep Afghan staff home until May 5.

Deputy U.N. spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday there had been no change to "our posture on the ground."

"We're working to come to decisions on appropriate working modalities," Haq told reporters in New York. "Obviously, we have a challenge because the needs of the Afghan people are immense, and we intend to fulfill those needs, but at the same time, our operations are clearly impeded."

The Afghan people are in for a "very difficult year ahead," the top U.S. aid official warned this week, as donors grapple with challenging a Taliban administration crackdown on women and girls, more crises around the world, and less funding overall.

Haq said aid work continued in areas like health and education where the U.N. had been able to get some limited exemptions to the ban on Afghan women. He indicated, however, that some U.N. agencies may be taking a different approach.

"I believe that different agencies have different mandates about the provision of aid and so they have had different ways of handling the situation as I characterized it," Haq said.

The Taliban seized power in August 2021 as U.S.-led forces withdrew following 20 years of war. It has since also tightened controls on women's access to public life, including barring women from university and closing girls' high schools.

The Taliban says it respects women's rights in accordance with its strict interpretation of Islamic law. Taliban officials said decisions on female aid workers are an "internal issue."

The U.N. Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan and the chair of the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls - both mandated by the U.N. Human Rights Council - visited Afghanistan between April 27 and May 4.

"We are deeply concerned about the apparent perpetration in Afghanistan of gender persecution  a systematic and grave human rights violation and a crime against humanity," they said in a joint statement on Friday.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Leslie Adler)
FILE PHOTO: U.S. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks at a press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., December 12, 2022. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend for talks with Saudi leaders, as the United States seeks to bolster often-frayed ties with Riyadh.

Sullivan, speaking at a think tank conference, also said the United States will "take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon" and still seeks a diplomatic outcome to the challenge posed by Tehran.

Sullivan, speaking at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said he would be traveling to Saudi Arabia on Saturday for talks with Saudi leaders. A source said Sullivan is expected to meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Oil production cuts by Saudi-led OPEC+ and differences between the United States and Saudi Arabia over the 2018 death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi have damaged ties.

Sullivan said that also going to Saudi Arabia will be representatives from India and the United Arab Emirates to discuss "new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region."

Former President Donald Trump's administration brokered a number of normalization deals between Gulf allies and Israel. Sullivan said the United States was working hard to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

"Ultimately getting to full normalization is a declared national security interest of the United States. We have been clear about that," he said.

"Now as a sign of my seriousness about how much we're focused on this, and how seriously we are taking this, I am not going to say anything further lest I upset the efforts we are undertaking on this issue," he said.

Sullivan said the United States still seeks a diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear program and lamented Trump's decision in 2018 to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.

"Yes, we will take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon," Sullivan said.

"At the end of the day, that is the fundamental test - Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. They do not today and they cannot have one," he said.

Sullivan said Washington was working with allies including Israel to deter Iran from developing a weapon.

"We will continue to send a clear message about the costs and consequences of going too far, while at the same time continuing to seek the possibility of a diplomatically brokered outcome that puts Irans nuclear program back into a box."

Sullivan played down U.S. tensions with Israel that have developed since Benjamin Netanyahu took over again as Israeli prime minister late last year. He said he held a video conference with his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday and Netanyahu joined in for part of it.

He did not say, however, when Biden would extend an invitation to the Israeli leader to visit Washington.

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Editing by Leslie Adler)
Item 2. Managements Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with, and is qualified in its entirety by reference to, our unaudited financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Quarterly Report, which have been prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States (U.S. GAAP). The following discussion may contain forward-looking statements based on assumptions we believe to be reasonable. Our actual results could differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to these differences include, but are not limited to, those set forth under Part II, Item 1A. Risk Factors in this Quarterly Report or in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors and Forward-Looking Statements or other sections of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022.

Trust Overview

The Trust is a passive entity that is managed and administered by the Sponsor and does not have any officers, directors or employees. The Trust holds Bitcoins and, from time to time on a periodic basis, issues Creation Baskets in exchange for deposits of Bitcoins. As a passive investment vehicle, the Trusts investment objective is for the value of the Shares (based on Bitcoin per Share) to reflect the value of Bitcoins held by the Trust, determined by reference to the Index Price, less the Trusts expenses and other liabilities. While an investment in the Shares is not a direct investment in Bitcoin, the Shares are designed to provide investors with a cost-effective and convenient way to gain investment exposure to Bitcoin. To date, the Trust has not met its investment objective and the Shares quoted on OTCQX have not reflected the value of Bitcoins held by the Trust, less the Trusts expenses and other liabilities, but instead have traded at both premiums and discounts to such value, which at times have been substantial. The Trust is not managed like a business corporation or an active investment vehicle.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Investment Transactions and Revenue Recognition

The Trust considers investment transactions to be the receipt of Bitcoin for Share creations and the delivery of Bitcoin for Share redemptions or for payment of expenses in Bitcoin. At this time, the Trust is not accepting redemption requests from shareholders. The Trust records its investment transactions on a trade date basis and changes in fair value are reflected as net change in unrealized appreciation or depreciation on investments. Realized gains and losses are calculated using the specific identification method. Realized gains and losses are recognized in connection with transactions including settling obligations for the Sponsors Fee in Bitcoin.

Principal Market and Fair Value Determination

To determine which market is the Trusts principal market (or in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market) for purposes of calculating the Trusts net asset value (NAV), the Trust follows Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 820-10, which outlines the application of fair value accounting. ASC 820-10 determines fair value to be the price that would be received for Bitcoin in a current sale, which assumes an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. ASC 820-10 requires the Trust to assume that Bitcoin is sold in its principal market to market participants or, in the absence of a principal market, the most advantageous market. Market participants are defined as buyers and sellers in the principal or most advantageous market that are independent, knowledgeable, and willing and able to transact.

The Trust only receives Bitcoin in connection with a creation order from the Authorized Participant (or its Liquidity Provider) and does not itself transact on any Digital Asset Markets. Therefore, the Trust looks to market-based volume and level of activity for Digital Asset Markets. The Authorized Participant(s), or a Liquidity Provider on behalf of the Authorized Participant(s), may transact in a Brokered Market, a Dealer Market, Principal-to-Principal Markets and Exchange Markets, each as defined in the FASB ASC Master Glossary (collectively, Digital Asset Markets). In determining which of the eligible Digital Asset Markets is the Trusts principal market, the Trust reviews these criteria in the following order:

 First, the Trust reviews a list of Digital Asset Markets that maintain practices and policies designed to comply with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations, and non-Digital Asset Exchange Markets that the Trust reasonably believes are operating in compliance with applicable law, including federal and state licensing requirements, based upon information and assurances provided to it by each market.

 Second, the Trust sorts these Digital Asset Markets from high to low by market-based volume and level of activity of Bitcoin traded on each Digital Asset Market in the trailing twelve months.

 Third, the Trust then reviews pricing fluctuations and the degree of variances in price on Digital Asset Markets to identify any material notable variances that may impact the volume or price information of a particular Digital Asset Market.

 Fourth, the Trust then selects a Digital Asset Market as its principal market based on the highest market-based volume, level of activity and price stability in comparison to the other Digital Asset Markets on the list. Based on information reasonably available to the Trust, Exchange Markets have the greatest volume and level of activity for the asset. The Trust therefore looks to accessible Exchange Markets as opposed to the Brokered Market, Dealer Market and Principal-to-Principal Markets to determine its principal market. As a result of the aforementioned analysis, an Exchange Market has been selected as the Trusts principal market.

13
BEIJING, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday stressed speeding up the construction of the country's modern industrial system backed by the real economy and advancing Chinese modernization with support from the high-quality development of the population.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, chairman of the Central Military Commission, and director of the Central Commission for Financial and Economic Affairs (CCFEA), made the remarks while presiding over the first meeting of the CCFEA under the 20th CPC Central Committee.

Xi said a modern industrial system is the material foundation of a modern country, and the focus of economic growth must be on the real economy to provide a solid material foundation for China to realize the Second Centenary Goal.

Population development is a vital issue related to the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation, and efforts must be made to improve the overall population quality to support Chinese modernization, Xi said.

Other Chinese leaders, including Li Qiang, Cai Qi, and Ding Xuexiang, attended the meeting, during which working rules for the commission and the commission's office were approved.

According to the meeting, in order to build a modern industrial system that is holistic, advanced, and secure, China should seize opportunities presented by the new scientific and technological revolution, such as artificial intelligence, adapt to the requirements of harmonious coexistence between human and nature, maintain and strengthen its advantages of a complete industrial system and strong supporting capacity, promote the efficient aggregation of global innovation factors, and boost the intelligent, green, and integrated development of industries.

The meeting urged insisting on the integrated development of the first, second, and tertiary industries, the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries, and opening up and cooperation.

China should fine-tune its industrial policies for the new development stage and take industrial security as a top priority, noted the meeting, calling for efforts to enhance the top-level design in areas of strategic importance and policy coordination.

The principal position of enterprises in sci-tech innovation should be ensured with institutional arrangements, while greater attention should be given to enhancing the application of technologies in grain production, according to the meeting.

It urged making full use of the advantage of the super-sized market, with efforts to integrate the strategies of domestic demand expansion and innovation-driven development and promote opening up and cooperation of the industrial and supply chains.

The meeting stressed fostering world-class enterprises in China and valuing outstanding entrepreneurs.

The meeting pointed out that China is currently experiencing a trend of birthrate decline, population aging, and differentiation in regional population growth.

Efforts should be made to perfect the strategy for population development in the new era, understand, adapt to, and guide the new normal of population development, improve the overall quality of the population, and maintain an appropriate birthrate and population size, it said.

The country should speed up the development of modern human resources with good quality, sufficient quantity, optimized structure, and reasonable distribution, so that Chinese modernization will be advanced with support from the high-quality development of the population, stressed the meeting.

China will further reform education and health services, establish a sound policy system to support child-bearing, develop inclusive childcare services, reduce the burden on families of child-bearing, child-rearing, and education, promote a child-bearing-friendly society, and safeguard long-term and balanced population development.

The meeting highlighted the work to develop human resources, stabilize the labor force participation rate and improve the efficient use of human resources.

The country will actively respond to the population aging, advance the construction of a basic old-age service system, develop the silver economy, and accelerate the development of a multi-tiered and multi-pillar old-age insurance system.

China will better coordinate the relationship between population, economy, society, resources and the environment, optimize the population structure, and promote high-quality population development, said the meeting. 
Gen. Charles CQ Brown Jr., the Air Forces current top officer, is expected to soon be nominated by the White House to serve as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to multiple reports.

Brown would replace Gen. Mark Milley, who is slated to retire this summer after serving as the top military adviser to the president for the past four years.

The appointment would mark the first time that the Pentagons two top positions will be held by Black men, with Brown joining Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

He also would be the second Black officer appointed chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Army Gen. Colin Powell served in that capacity during the presidencies of George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton.

Brown would step into the role having already broken down racial barriers as the first Black officer to lead one of the militarys service branches.

President Joe Biden also was considering Gen. David Berger, commandant of the Marine Corps, for the position. However, Politico and The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Biden ultimately decided on Brown.

Its not clear when Biden will formally announce his nomination.

Before serving as Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Brown commanded the Air Force in the Pacific, which gives him experience grappling with the challenge posed by China.

Brown has given blunt assessments of what is in store from Beijing. In 2021, he told reporters that the world is experiencing changes to the rules-based international order not seen since World War II.

To put the gravity of our pacing challenge in perspective, at the height of the Cold War, the USSRs GDP was 57% of the U.S.s, Brown said. Chinas economy will likely exceed the U.S.s in dollar terms as the largest economy in the world in the next 10 years ... I really believe, without change, we are at risk of losing.

He also held senior positions for the Air Force in Europe and the Middle East.

In military circles, Brown is regarded as a low-key leader not inclined to seek out the spotlight. But in 2020, he garnered national attention when he weighed in on the racial unrest roiling the country in connection with the Minneapolis police killing of George Floyd, a Black man who was choked to death by an arresting officer.

In an emotional 5-minute video, Brown spoke of living in two worlds and the racial divide that many Black Americans feel. He also talked about the challenges of rising through the ranks as a Black pilot, a rarity in the service when he was a young officer.

Im thinking about wearing the same flight suit with the same wings on my chest as my peers, and then being questioned by another military member, Are you a pilot? he said at the time.

While Browns job as chairman would revolve around advising Biden on top security concerns like countering Russia and China, he also will likely have to contend with the ongoing culture wars in the United States.

In recent years, the military has found itself caught in the middle on so-called woke issues such as transgender rights, drag queen performances on bases and books in military school libraries related to gender identity.

Such matters are likely to come up during Browns nomination process.

Last week, he got a sampling of such questions during a congressional hearing about an Air Force Academy diversity training initiative that suggested cadets consider favoring words such as parents or guardians instead of moms and dads.

Part of leadership is understanding the people you are privileged to lead, he said. And as you have that opportunity, you get to know them. Now, every one of us grows up differently and has different experiences and different backgrounds, and we cant assume who we engage with.
(Tribune News Service)  Cruise ship passengers watched as a Coast Guard helicopter dipped dangerously close to the ocean in a harrowing rescue, a video showed.

A Carnival Dream cruise ship called the U.S. Coast Guard for help when a 76-year-old passenger showed signs of a heart attack around 4:30 a.m. April 29, according to an April 30 news release.

Cruise staff requested a medevac, and a Jayhawk helicopter started the 300-mile flight out to the ship off the Alabama coast.

As it flew, extreme weather rolled in, and soon rescuers were battling heavy rain and strong wind.

U.S Coast Guard HH-60 almost crashes into the sea after being hit by bad weather while evacuating a passenger onboard a cruiseliner.



 Damion Bailey pic.twitter.com/HXjWWMDJD7  Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) May 2, 2023

In a video shared on Twitter, the helicopter is visibly fighting the wind , jerking around above the ship as passengers stand on their balconies to get a better look.

The Jayhawk aircrew arrived on scene and lowered their rescue swimmer. While hoisting a cruise ship nurse, a severe squall caused the aircrew to back off from the ship, the Coast Guard said in the release. The helicopter then encountered a severe downwind, prompting the aircrew to recover the aircraft close to the waters surface.

In another video shared on TikTok, the helicopter is seen having difficulty staying in the air, and in a terrifying moment the aircraft is pushed down toward the waves.

Through exceptional real-time risk management, crew resource management, and superb piloting, the aircrew was able to safely recover the aircraft and land at the air station without further incident, commanding officer of Air Station New Orleans, Keith Blair, said in the release.

The Coast Guard said a second helicopter was sent back to the ship later and was able to hoist the 76-year-old passenger into the aircraft. He was transferred to a New Orleans hospital after landing and was in stable condition, according to the release.

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NAIROBI, Kenya  German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the U.N Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

"Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the U.N Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20," he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the U.N secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Ruto's mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

"The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country," he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

"I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important," he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONE's Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholz's statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

"A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage," he said in a statement.
(Tribune News Service)  A tropical island off southern China, best known for its sandy beaches and luxury hotels, has become the unlikely focus of Europe's concerns over a booming waste-oil industry.

On the edge of the South China Sea, Hainan has become a green-fuel hot spot over the past year, accounting for nearly a third of the country's biodiesel exports. The catch is that China's answer to Hawaii has no capacity to convert used cooking oil, the most obviously compliant feedstock, into biodiesel.

According to producers, traders and analysts who held conversations on the sidelines of a conference in Singapore last week, it suggests the island may instead be serving as a transshipment hub, facilitating efforts to mix fuels with cheaper feedstock, then mislabeling the product to qualify for European green incentives.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity as their conversations are private, many fretted about the consequences of potentially fraudulent biodiesel exports to Europe, including greater scrutiny and quality inspections. They expressed concern that punitive tariffs could be imposed on Chinese products should there be findings of dumping or fraud, which would hurt the entire industry.

Chinese and European producers worried they were being undercut by noncompliant cargoes.

And at the center of their disquiet is Hainan.

Hainan-registered companies exported 498,000 tons of biodiesel over the whole of last year, making up 28% of China's total outbound shipment, according to customs data compiled by Bloomberg. Its share of exports climbed to 31% in the first quarter this year, with volumes at 205,000 tons. Almost all the cargoes were bound for the Netherlands, a large consumer market and home to major European ports.

Europe is an increasingly attractive market for biofuels because of incentives offered for fuels made from waste products, intended to foster sustainability and which mean higher prices than for those made directly from crops.

The problem is that it's hard to check what's blended into biodiesel.

The spike in exports from China to Europe comes at the same time as a surge in Chinese imports of palm waste and palm-based biofuel from Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is generally shunned by the European Union due to deforestation fears, and the bloc is phasing out its use for biodiesel feedstock.

Chinese customs data show Hainan-registered firms handled more than 60% of the country's biodiesel imports in the first three months. Most of the volumes came from Indonesia and Malaysia, the biggest palm oil suppliers globally.

China's biodiesel production reached 2.4 billion liters last year, up by a third from 2021 due to a surge in export demand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Facilities are located mainly in Shandong, Guangdong, Shaanxi and Jiangsu. Nearly all are export-oriented to take advantage of E.U. tax policies.

A domestic market for biodiesel remains elusive. Efforts by some provinces including Hainan to break into the road fuel market have been largely unsuccessful, leaving Shanghai the only local authority committed to supporting a biodiesel program.

Calls to the department of commerce of the Hainan provincial government went unanswered.

The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification - which provides certification for materials and fuels, including what's needed to comply with E.U. rules - said in April it's implementing measures including unannounced integrity audits at processing units in China and Singapore and expanded auditor capacity in Asia.
MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan  A study about depression in stressed-out flies has won a high school student at this base south of Hiroshima nearly $10,000 in scholarship money.

Matthew C. Perry junior McKenzie Mitchell, 17, placed second at the Junior Science and Humanities Symposium at the regional and national levels. The symposium, held April 12-15 in Virginia Beach, Va., drew 227 competitors, according to its website.

She earned a $1,500 scholarship at the Pacific Region JSHS competition and a $8,000 scholarship at the national level.

Mitchell got the idea for her project  The Effects of Mechanical Stress on Male and Female D. melanogaster General Activity and Survivorship  in an AP Biology class.

Depression can be studied in flies if they are exposed to uncontrollable vibration stress, in response to which flies brains and behaviors parallel depression, she explained in a news release. However, this has only been researched in male flies, so I investigated the differential impact of this procedure on female flies compared to males in terms of their walking activity and survivorship.

Mitchell learned female flies were less affected than male flies by uncontrollable vibration stress.

This initial finding is important because it demonstrates the continued need for research in this field, because there is a large gender-based disparity in diagnosis, treatment efficacy, and depression severity, and if gender differences are explored then treatments and diagnostic criteria may become more effective, she said in the release.

The Navy hosted the symposium, which was administered by the National Science Teaching Association. The program encourages high school students to conduct original research in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics and recognizes students for outstanding achievement.

Mitchell attributes her passion for science to her mother, Shannon, and father, Adam, who is a Department of Defense Education Activity science teacher at M.C. Perry.

My parents have always encouraged me to pursue science growing up, and they encouraged me to join science fairs, she told Stars and Stripes by phone Wednesday. My dad, he loves things like bug collections, so he would always take me along. And so, I kind of started getting involved in research from a very young age.

Mitchell hopes to one day have a career as a STEM researcher, with interests in molecular biology and genetics.

I worked the absolute hardest I could, but I had no expectation of placing at all in such a tough and prestigious competition, she said in the release. Hard work isnt always going to receive recognition, so I feel very fortunate to have my work validated with this reward.
LAGOS, May 5 (Xinhua) -- At least 40 extremist militants have been killed in operations by Nigerian government forces in the country's northeastern region in the past two weeks, a military spokesperson said on Thursday.

The troops also rescued 131 abductees in the restive region, said Musa Danmadami, a spokesman for the military.

He said that 510 members of Boko Haram extremist group and their families, comprising 54 adult males, 164 adult females and 292 children, surrendered to the government troops at different locations. 
A missile-defense system proposed for Guam is expected to be operational by 2027 and comprise up to 20 individual sites across the island to achieve 360-degree coverage, according to the Missile Defense Agency.

New details about the project  the Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System  show 20 locations ranging from Guams northernmost coastline to the islands relatively remote southern region, according to a fact sheet released by the agency on Friday.

The systems components  radars, sensors, launchers, interceptors, support facilities and a command-and-control center  would be distributed around the island to achieve its 360-degree capability, according to Joint Region Marianas, the installation management command on Guam.

The proposed action is needed to provide a comprehensive, persistent defensive system for Guam that can adapt against the rapidly evolving threats of missile attacks from regional adversaries, Lt. Cmdr. Katie Koenig, spokeswoman for Joint Region Marianas, said in an email Friday.

Most of the components would be built on military installations, according to the MDA release. But the project may require the purchase of privately owned real estate as well.

Site selection is evolving, and additional sites may be considered, Koenig said.

The announcement is overwhelming, according to Robert Underwood, a former delegate to Congress from Guam and chairman for the research institute Pacific Center for Island Security.

Theyre proceeding with this combination of scoping and EIS review, and we dont really know what sites theyre talking about, he said by phone Friday, referring to the environmental impact study required under the National Environmental Policy Act.

Even the Defense Department is concerned about the systems effectiveness, Underwood said. He cited a January report from the Secretary of Defenses Office on Operational Test and Evaluation that called the project a significant test planning challenge and suggested additional development of testing strategies and an agile test program for the system.

A spokesperson for MDA, which is based in Virginia, did not immediately respond to requests for additional details, such as the number of personnel required to operate the system, or comments on the January report.

The project, a joint effort between several DOD agencies and spearheaded by MDA, is a response to perceived threats from potential adversaries like China and North Korea, including ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles. An estimate of the cost to build the system was not included in the announcement Friday.

Within the context of homeland defense, Guam is a key strategic location for sustaining and maintaining U.S. influence, deterring adversaries, responding to crises and maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Friday release said. Current U.S. forces are capable of defending Guam against regional ballistic missile threats. However, regional missile threats to Guam continue to increase and advance technologically.

The projects official notice of intent was published Friday, launching a 30-day window for public comment for identifying, defining and prioritizing issues to be evaluated in the projects environmental impact statement. A draft of the statement is expected to be released in spring 2024, according to the fact sheet.

Public scoping meetings are scheduled for June 14 at the University of Guam Fieldhouse; Okkodo High School on June 15 and Southern High School on June 16. The National Environment Policy Act mandates a 45-day comment period following the environmental impact statements release.
ISLAMABAD  The Pakistani president on Friday assured Beijing's top diplomat that his country will boost security for all Chinese nationals working on multi-billion dollar projects in cash-strapped Pakistan.

China has been demanding more security from Pakistan for its nationals residing and working in the Islamic country since 2021, when a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack in Pakistan's volatile northwest.

More recently, a Chinese national working on the Dasu Dam, a Chinese-funded hydropower project and the biggest of its kind in Pakistan, was arrested on blasphemy charges after an angry mob accused him of insulting Islam when he criticized a coworker for taking too much time to pray during working hours.

Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws carry the death penalty, and sometimes even a mere suggestion of blasphemy is enough to entice mobs to violence or lynching. The Chinese man was subsequently released under a court order but it remained unclear if he would face trial or be deported home.

President Arif Alvi pledged more security for Chinese workers during a meeting Friday with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The two spoke ahead of a mini-summit on Saturday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, during which Pakistan's foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will host Qin and also Afghanistan's Taliban-appointed foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Muttaqi also arrived in Islamabad on Friday ahead of the three-way meeting the next day. The gathering is also seen as an outreach to the Taliban by Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator with Afghanistan's new rulers, and also China, which is eager to expand its influence in the region.

The Taliban have been shunned by most of the international community for the harsh and restrictive measures they have imposed since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war, particularly banning girls from education beyond the sixth grade and barring women from most jobs and public life.

In Pakistan, Beijing is bankrolling the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC  a sprawling package that includes a multitude of mega projects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture. The package is a lifeline for Pakistan's cash-strapped government, currently facing one of the worst economic crises amid stalled talks on a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

CPEC, also known as the One Road Project, is part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, a global endeavor aimed at reconstituting the Silk Road and linking China to all corners of Asia.

Alvi and Qin on Friday "reaffirmed their resolve to work together to promote regional peace and prosperity as well as jointly cope with external challenges." Alvi told the Chinese diplomat that Pakistan-China relations were "rooted in mutual trust" and understanding.

The Chinese minister was quoted in the statement as saying their nations were "all-weather friends" whose friendship "was as solid as a rock."

This is the second time that Muttaqi, the Taliban official, is visiting Pakistan since the Taliban takeover. Pakistan has lately expressed concern over a surge in attacks across the country by the Pakistani Taliban  an independent militant group that is allied with and sheltered by the Afghan Taliban.

Islamabad has demanded from the Taliban in Kabul that they do more to rein in anti-Pakistani groups such as the Pakistani Taliban  also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP  which have stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months.

Muttaqi is also expected to discuss the issue of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan as well as the two nations' border issues. In February, the two sides shut the main Afghan-Pakistan border crossing at Torkham, stranding people and thousands of trucks carrying food and essential items.

After a Pakistani delegation travelled to Kabul for talks on the crisis, the border was reopened after a week.
PANAJI, India  Foreign ministers from a group of nations led by China and Russia criticized on Friday the ability of world institutions to resolve geopolitical problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, and said their organization should do more to address such challenges.

Indian Foreign Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar said in remarks at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that the crises have disrupted global supply chains and have hit developing nations the hardest.

They have "exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner," he said, adding that alternative organizations like the SCO can help address such challenges.

"With more than 40% of the world's population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact," he said.

Russia and China founded the SCO in 2001 as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which Russia considers its backyard. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members, and Iran and Belarus are set to join later this year.

Russia and China have sought to reduce the dominance of what they see as U.S. and Western-led global institutions and alliances, and China accuses Washington of attempting to contain its economic and military rise.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the foreign ministers that "the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics," China's official Xinhua News Agency reported.

"SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues," he said.

At a briefing after the meeting, Jaishankar dismissed questions about whether the SCO is anti-Western, saying, "how people perceive it is something I cannot answer for." Instead, he stressed India's "multidirectional foreign policy" and said "it's not always possible that all our partners get along with other partners."

India enjoys strong ties with Cold War ally Russia, while its relations with the United States have warmed in recent years and its ties with China have cooled over a border dispute. It is increasingly seen by the West as a counterweight to China's growing global ambitions.

Jaishankar did not mention Russia's war in Ukraine, and analysts said Moscow was unlikely to face a backlash over its invasion from the SCO and would instead use the meeting to flex its influence in the region. For Russia, the SCO remains one of the few international groups where it can still comfortably engage with members and further ties.

The visit by Pakistan's foreign minister to archrival India to attend the meeting was the first by a high-ranking Pakistani official in nearly a decade. Jaishankar stressed the need to stop cross-border terrorism in his remarks, a dig at Pakistan, which India accuses of arming and training rebels fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

"Let's not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his opening remarks.

Despite speculation, India and Pakistan did not hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting. "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism," Jaishankar said at the briefing.

Jaishankar held separate talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on Thursday.

The meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin came amid continued tensions along their disputed border, where a three-year standoff involves thousands of soldiers stationed in the eastern Ladakh region.

Qin earlier said the border situation was "stable overall" and that both sides should abide by existing agreements to "promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area," according to China's Foreign Ministry.

India did not release a statement after the meeting, but Jaishankar said relations between the two countries were not normal and "cannot be if peace and tranquility in border areas is disturbed."

Qin also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing is also trying to present itself as a global diplomatic force and has said it is willing to serve as a mediator in the war.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement.

China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russia and refused to criticize Moscow's actions. However, it has refrained from issuing a full-throated endorsement of the invasion and is not known to have provided arms or other material assistance to the Russian military effort.
KYIV, Ukraine  The owner of Russia's Wagner military contractor threatened Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscow's military command of starving his forces of ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner fighters had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russia's Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany. But they were undersupplied and suffering heavy losses, he said, and would hand over operations to the regular army on May 10.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russia's military, with which he has long been in conflict. Known for bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasn't carried out.

Prigozhin's spokespeople also published a video of him Friday shouting, swearing and pointing at about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone, and demands ammunition from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

"These are someone's fathers and someone's sons," Prigozhin says. "The scum that doesn't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell."

Yohann Michel, a research analyst with the International Institute for Strategic Studies think tank, said Prigozhin's comments should usually be taken with a grain of salt, but "this time I would take a shovel of salt, at least, or maybe a truck."

But why Prigozhin is threatening to pull his forces out is an open question, Michel said. He might want to regroup without being accused of retreating; he may worry about being fired for not taking the city and prefer to say he left on his own; or he could genuinely need more ammunition.

"The only thing I am taking seriously from that declaration is that Bakhmut is probably not ready to fall," said Michel, who is based in Berlin.

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for Bakhmut, the war's longest  and likely bloodiest  battle. U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday the U.S. estimates that nearly half of the 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine since December were Wagner fighters in Bakhmut.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russia's invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could build international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Like Michel, Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhin's claims of ammunition shortages. Military intelligence representative Andrii Cherniak told The Associated Press that Prigozhin was trying to "justify their unsuccessful actions" in Bakhmut.

Shoigu didn't immediately respond to Prigozhin, but his ministry reported Friday that he ordered a top official to ensure a "continuous supply" of all necessary weapons and military equipment to Russian troops. And in a counterpoint to Prigozhin's visibility, an official video showed Shoigu inspecting tanks and other military equipment destined for Russian troops in Ukraine.

At the end of last year, the U.S. estimated Wagner had about 50,000 personnel fighting in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts the company has enlisted. That makes it a small part of Russian fighting forces.

If Prigozhin did pull Wagner's troops out of Bakhmut, it would have serious implications, Michel said.

"If he's removed from the front line  except if Russia surprisingly has reserves that they did not want to use before  I think we can say it is the end of this phase of the offensive for Russia," he said.

Prigozhin's acrimonious relations with the military brass date back to Wagner's creation in 2014. During the war in Ukraine, he has publicly accused some top Russian military officials of incompetence  behavior that is highly unusual in Russia's tightly controlled political system.

Prigozhin alleged Friday that Russia's regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is "barely holding on to them," deploying "tens and rarely hundreds" of troops.

"Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we're advancing despite the fact that the enemy's resources outnumber ours fivefold," Prigozhin's statement said. "Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day."

Hanna Maliar, deputy head of Ukraine's Defense Ministry, said Friday that Ukrainian artillery had destroyed some Wagner ammunition depots, and other military officials said Ukrainian forces were holding their own in Bakhmut. The Russian Defense Ministry, meanwhile, said its forces had destroyed a bridge that Ukrainian troops used to supply their side in Bakhmut. It wasn't possible to independently verify either side's claims.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa.

Bakhmut, about 34 miles north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it won't be decisive in the war's outcome. The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a ghost town.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter.

Prigozhin had already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once before, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhin's statement Friday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov declined comment.

Also on Friday, an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, which borders the Crimean Peninsula that Russia illegally annexed, briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russia's state news agency Tass reported. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.
CAIRO  Diplomats from Arab nations are planning an emergency meeting in Cairo over the weekend about the fighting in Sudan and the prospect of Syria's return to the Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended, an official said Friday.

Sunday's meeting, confirmed by Gamal Rushdy, a spokesman for the Arab League, comes as some Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have opened up relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad and their foreign ministers have visited Damascus in recent weeks. Syria's foreign minister also visited Cairo and the Saudi capital of Riyadh in April, the first such visits in more than a decade.

Syria's membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended in the early months of the war 12 years ago, and Arab countries later imposed economic sanctions. The conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the country's pre-war population of 23 million.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19, when Syria's membership is widely expected to be on the table. Some members, mainly gas-rich Qatar, have opposed Damascus' return to the organization.

In November 2011, 18 of the 22 members of the Arab League backed the suspension of Syria's membership. Lebanon, Yemen and Syria voted against the decision, while Iraq abstained.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told CNN that he believes there are enough votes among Arab League members for Syria to return to the organization.

The meeting in Cairo on Sunday by Arab foreign ministers will focus on restoring Syria's membership and comes at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, said Rushdy, the Arab League spokesman.

When asked about the vote count, Rushdy said Arab League decisions are resolutions usually made by consensus, but each country has the right to submit its reservations.

An Iraqi diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists said that in addition to Syria and Sudan, the recent events in Israel and the Palestinian territories would be on the agenda.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country with help from his main allies Russia and Iran, Syria's neighbors have begun to take steps toward rapprochement. The overtures picked up pace since the massive Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered reestablishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Syria and Saudi Arabia said last month they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming flights between the two countries for the first time in more than a decade.

Syria's pro-government Al-Watan daily reported Friday that a foreign ministry delegation visited the Syrian embassy in Riyadh recently in preparation to reopen the mission in the coming weeks.

The foreign ministers will also discuss Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since fighting erupted in mid-April between the country's two rival top generals, killing more than 400 people. The conflict started on April 15, preceded by months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting turned urban areas into battlefields and foreign governments rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan.

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.
Military parents of newborns are entitled up to four times more parental leave, depending on their roles, under the recently authorized National Defense Authorization Act.

Birth parents can now claim a maximum 18 weeks of nonchargeable leave, six more weeks than their previous benefit; non-birth parents are entitled to 12 weeks, up from three.

The new policy also allows service members to take parental leave in seven-day increments, if permitted by their commander.

Commanders are encouraged to approve requests for incremental periods of parental leave, the policy states. If the unit commander does not approve taking incremental parental leave, they must allow the member to take the full 12 weeks of parental leave in one continuous period.

President Joe Biden signed the fiscal 2023 NDAA, which funds the Department of Defense and other defense-related activities, on Dec. 23. The act allocates $816.7 billion to the DOD.

For parental leave purposes, the act took effect Dec. 27; military parents are eligible for the expanded benefit if their children were born on or after that date, according to a news release Wednesday from the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Parents have one year from the birth of their child to exercise the expanded benefit.

Individual service branches have yet to issue their own specific guidance on parental leave in accordance with the new policy, which Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force JoAnne Bass acknowledged Monday on her Facebook page.

Weve been pretty transparent in that we are waiting on guidance from OSD to drop, she said in response to a comment on her post Monday. Once that does, we are ready to push the service guidance. I understand the frustration  as weve been pushing for this for awhile.

Birth parents, who previously received six weeks of convalescent leave, are entitled to 12 more for 18 total, according to the DOD release. Their partners, the non-birth parents, are eligible for 12 weeks of non-chargeable leave following the birth or adoption of their child, or for long-term foster care. No birth parent is designated in the event of an adoption or surrogate birth, for example.

Unit commanders are allowed some leeway in approving leave, according to the policy.

Unit commanders must balance the needs of the unit with the needs of the member to maximize opportunity to use parental leave, it states.
NORFOLK, Va.  A U.S. Army soldier won't get a new trial for his lawsuit against two police officers after he was pepper-sprayed, struck and handcuffed during a traffic stop in rural Virginia, a federal judge has ruled.

Video of the incident in the small town of Windsor got millions of views after Caron Nazario filed his lawsuit in 2021. For many, the stop highlighted fears of mistreatment among Black drivers and raised questions about reasonable police conduct.

Nazario, who was never arrested, sought $1 million in damages in his initial lawsuit. But in January, a jury in Richmond mostly sided with two police officers and awarded the soldier a total of $3,685.

Nazario almost immediately requested a new trial, claiming the jury's verdict was against the clear weight of the evidence, among other grounds.

U.S. District Judge Roderick C. Young disagreed. In a ruling issued Wednesday, Young wrote that Nazario "makes no showing that the jury's findings were not within their discretion."

"The jury is at liberty to weigh the credibility of the evidence as it sees fit," the judge wrote.

The traffic stop occurred about 30 miles west of Norfolk in December 2020. Video shows Windsor police officers Daniel Crocker and Joe Gutierrez pointing handguns at a uniformed Nazario behind the wheel of his Chevy Tahoe at a gas station.

The officers repeatedly commanded Nazario to exit his SUV, with Gutierrez warning at one point that Nazario was "fixing to ride the lightning" when he didn't get out.

Nazario held his hands in the air outside the driver's side window and continually asked why he was being stopped.

Nazario also said: "I'm honestly afraid to get out."

"You should be," Gutierrez responded.

Nazario stayed in the vehicle. Gutierrez went on to pepper-spray him through the open window. Once Nazario exited the SUV, the officers commanded him to get on the ground, with Gutierrez using his knees to strike Nazario's legs, the soldier's lawsuit stated.

In court documents, Nazario said he developed anxiety, depression and PTSD. A psychologist found that Nazario, who is Black and Latino, suffers from race-based trauma associated with violent police encounters.

"Mr. Nazario recalls that he thought he was going to die that evening," his lawsuit stated.

Nazario sued Crocker and Gutierrez. Crocker was still on the force. But Gutierrez was fired in April 2021, the same month Nazario filed his lawsuit.

The men denied ever threatening to kill Nazario. They contended that Nazario misconstrued Gutierrez's statement that Nazario was "fixing to ride the lightning." Gutierrez spoke those words while holstering his gun and drawing his Taser and was referencing his stun gun, not an execution, according to court filings.

Crocker and Gutierrez argued that they performed their duties within the law after Nazario failed to immediately pull over and refused to exit his vehicle. Plus, a federal judge already found they had probable cause to stop Nazario for an improperly displayed license plate, and to charge him with eluding police, as well as obstruction of justice and failure to obey.

In court filings, Gutierrez questioned the extent of Nazario's mental anguish and pointed out that the solider was still in the National Guard in the months leading up to the trial.

During the trial in January, the jury had to consider Nazario's allegations that he was illegally searched, assaulted, battered and falsely imprisoned.

The jury found Gutierrez liable for assault and awarded Nazario $2,685 in compensatory damages.

The jury also awarded Nazario $1,000 in punitive damages for Crocker's illegal search of Nazario's SUV. A federal judge had already ruled that Crocker was liable for the search.

But the jury found in favor of Crocker and against Nazario's claims of assault and battery and false imprisonment. The jury also found in favor of Gutierrez regarding the soldier's claims of battery, false imprisonment and illegal search.

While denying Nazario's request for a new trial on Wednesday, the judge acknowledged that "reasonable persons could find" for the soldier. But Young also wrote that the weight and credibility of the evidence wasn't enough to "require the extraordinary step of overturning a jury verdict."

Young did agree with Nazario on one matter: Based on Virginia law, the soldier was owed compensatory damages on top of the $1,000 in punitive damages the jury awarded for Crocker's illegal search.

Nazario was awarded $1 in nominal damages "in order to vindicate his rights under the U.S. Constitution," the judge wrote.
ATLANTA  The suspect in a mass shooting in Atlanta that left one woman dead and four others wounded has been charged with one count of murder and four counts of aggravated assault, Fulton County Jail records show.

Deion Patterson waived his first court appearance Thursday, a day after police say he opened fire in the waiting room of an Atlanta medical practice. Authorities swarmed the city's midtown neighborhood shortly after noon Wednesday in search of the shooter. Patterson, 24, was captured hours later in Cobb County, just northwest of Atlanta, after several residents there called 911 to report seeing someone who matched his description.

Patterson was being held without bond. Shawn Hoover, an attorney appointed to represent him, said he met with Patterson Thursday morning.

"He is a veteran and suffers from apparent mental health issues," Hoover wrote in an email. "My team is investigating the details and circumstances of the charges to provide him with zealous, effective, and timely representation."

Atlanta Police Deputy Chief Charles Hampton Jr. declined Wednesday to discuss any details of the investigation or a possible motive, saying, "Why he did what he did, all of that is still under investigation."

Patterson had an appointment at a Northside Medical building and opened fire shortly after arriving in an attack that lasted about two minutes, law enforcement officials said at a news conference Wednesday night.

Patterson then went to a Shell gas station and took a pickup truck that had been left running and unattended, authorities said.

Amy St. Pierre, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene. She left behind a husband and two young children.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where she worked, "is deeply saddened by the unexpected loss of a colleague," spokesperson Benjamin Haynes said in a statement.

St. Pierre has done research aimed at reducing pregnancy-related deaths, according to a 2021 research report she co-authored. That research involved a CDC program called "Enhancing Reviews and Surveillance to Eliminate Maternal Mortality." A key aim of the initiative is to work toward "the elimination of preventable maternal mortality in the United States."

"She was driven by compassion, both in her work in the field of maternal mortality, and in her everyday life," her family said in a statement issued Thursday. "Amy was selfless always, she wanted more for others but never for herself. Generous supporter of worthy causes, she was the social conscience of our family."

Patterson used a semi-automatic handgun to shoot St. Pierre according to arrest warrants released Thursday. He also shot Alesha Hollinger in the face, and fired multiple shots into Jazzmin Daniel's abdomen, the documents state. Another woman, Lisa Glynn, was shot in the abdomen; and Georgette Whitow was shot in the arm, the records show.

The four women who survived remained hospitalized Thursday, authorities said. Three of the four were in the intensive care unit, said Dr. Robert Jansen, chief medical officer at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Daniel has been able to communicate with her loved ones by using her hands and fingers, her father said Thursday.

"She just keeps giving us the thumbs-up," Quentin Daniel told The Associated Press.

Daniel, 25, is an intake nurse at the midtown clinic, where she is among the first to interact with patients at the clinic, her father said. She was to have been transferred to Northside Hospital just north of the city on Friday.

She's also missing her 1-year-old child, who is being cared for by relatives, he said.

Jansen said he's been able to speak to two of the women, who told him they are grateful for the care they're getting, "but they realize that this is a horrific event and the fact that they were in a health care facility just makes it worse."

"Physically, they all have a ways to go," Jansen said. "I think psychologically and mentally, we have to also remember that, the impact on them and their families. You know, you can't underestimate how traumatic this is. And they have a long way to go."

Patterson was arrested after 911 calls from residents near the Braves' stadium.

One man who lives in an apartment complex near there called to say he had been walking his dog when he saw the distinctive footprints from a pair of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers in the mud, according to 911 calls released Thursday. Since he rarely saw any prints other than his own in the mud, he thought it could be related and called 911. After hearing about the shooting, another resident saw a man in a hoodie and carrying a black bag throw something in a pond. Dispatchers worked with her and others to pinpoint the location.

The shooting comes as cities around the U.S. have been wracked by gun violence and mass shootings in 2023.

Patterson's mother, Minyone Patterson, who police said had accompanied her son to the medical office, told the AP by phone Wednesday evening that her son, a former Coast Guardsman, had "some mental instability going on" from medication that he began taking Friday.

She said her son had wanted Ativan to deal with anxiety and depression but the Veterans Affairs health system would not give it to him because they said it would be "too addicting." She's a nurse and said she told them he would only have taken the proper dosage.

"Those families, those families," she said, starting to sob. "They're hurting because they wouldn't give my son his damn Ativan. Those families lost their loved ones because he had a mental break because they wouldn't listen to me."

She ended the call without saying what medication her son had been taking.

Doctors' offices and medical clinics in the U.S. have increasingly become targets of gun violence. And many physicians who prescribe pain medication report being threatened by patients, such as those being given alternatives to opioids or being weaned from addictive painkillers.

According to the American Academy of Pain Medicine, more than two-thirds of pain specialists surveyed during a 2019 violence education session reported being threatened by patients at least once per year. And nearly half said they had been threatened over opioid management.
Conservative judicial activist Leonard Leo arranged for the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be paid tens of thousands of dollars for consulting work just over a decade ago, specifying that her name be left off billing paperwork, according to documents reviewed by The Washington Post.

In January 2012, Leo instructed the GOP pollster Kellyanne Conway to bill a nonprofit group he advises and use that money to pay Virginia Ginni Thomas, the documents show. The same year, the nonprofit, the Judicial Education Project, filed a brief to the Supreme Court in a landmark voting rights case.

Leo, a key figure in a network of nonprofits that has worked to support the nominations of conservative judges, told Conway that he wanted her to give Ginni Thomas another $25K, the documents show. He emphasized that the paperwork should have No mention of Ginni, of course.

Conways firm, the Polling Company, sent the Judicial Education Project a $25,000 bill that day. Per Leos instructions, it listed the purpose as Supplement for Constitution Polling and Opinion Consulting, the documents show.

In all, according to the documents, the Polling Company paid Thomass firm, Liberty Consulting, $80,000 between June 2011 and June 2012, and it expected to pay $20,000 more before the end of 2012. The documents reviewed by The Post do not indicate the precise nature of any work Thomas did for the Judicial Education Project or the Polling Company.

The arrangement reveals that Leo, a longtime Federalist Society leader and friend of the Thomases, has functioned not only as an ideological ally of Clarence Thomass but also has worked to provide financial remuneration to his family. And it shows Leo arranging for the money to be drawn from a nonprofit that soon would have an interest before the court.

In response to questions from The Post, Leo issued a statement defending the Thomases. It is no secret that Ginni Thomas has a long history of working on issues within the conservative movement, and part of that work has involved gauging public attitudes and sentiment. The work she did here did not involve anything connected with either the Courts business or with other legal issues, he wrote. As an advisor to JEP I have long been supportive of its opinion research relating to limited government, and The Polling Company, along with Ginni Thomass help, has been an invaluable resource for gauging public attitudes.

Of the effort to keep Thomass name off paperwork, Leo said: Knowing how disrespectful, malicious and gossipy people can be, I have always tried to protect the privacy of Justice Thomas and Ginni.

Leos statement did not address questions about whether he had arranged other work for Ginni Thomas or how much money he directed to her in all from the nonprofit.

Conway did not respond to messages seeking comment.

The Thomases did not respond to messages seeking comment. Ginni Thomas, a political activist and former GOP aide on Capitol Hill, has long maintained that she and her husband keep their careers separate.

In December 2012, the Judicial Education Project submitted an amicus brief in Shelby County v. Holder, a case challenging a landmark civil rights law aimed at protecting minority voters. The court struck down a formula in the Voting Rights Act that determined which states had to obtain federal clearance before changing their voting rules and procedures. Clarence Thomas was part of the 5-to-4 majority.

Thomas issued a concurring opinion in the case, arguing that the preclearance requirement itself is unconstitutional. Thomass opinion, which was consistent with a previous opinion he wrote, favored the outcome the Judicial Education Project and several other conservative organizations had advocated in their amicus briefs. He did not cite the Judicial Education Project brief.

Legal ethics experts disagreed about whether the arrangement outlined by Leo and the payments from Conway should have led Thomas to recuse himself from the Shelby case.

Federal law requires justices to recuse if their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, a standard that has not been well-defined as applied to filers of amicus briefs, the experts said. Law professor Kathleen Clark of Washington University said that if the Judicial Education Project paid Ginni Thomas $100,000 in the year and a half before it filed its brief, the size and timing of the payments would have been enough to cast doubt on Clarence Thomass impartiality and require his recusal. Law professor Stephen Gillers of New York University, however, said that as the rule is now interpreted, the link appeared too attenuated to require recusal.

But both experts said the arrangement shows that current ethics rules and disclosure requirements fail to protect public confidence in the independence of the courts. For example, although justices must report the name of companies that pay their spouses, they are not required to report the names of the companies clients. In this case, even if there were such a requirement, it is not clear that the Judicial Education Project would have been listed as a client, because the fees intended for Ginni Thomas were to go through Conway.

The idea that Leonard Leo, who has a passionate ideological interest in how the court rules and who has worked hard for years to advance that interest, could pick up the phone and generate substantial compensation to Virginia Thomas, which also benefits Clarence Thomas - that idea is bad for the country, the court and the rule of law, Gillers said. Its not the way the Supreme Court should do its business or allow its business to be done.

The effort to keep Ginni Thomass name off paperwork makes the arrangement seem more egregious, said Clark.

In his statement to The Post, Leo said that Ginni Thomass work had no bearing on her husbands opinions.

I have known Clarence and Ginni Thomas since 1990. They are dear friends and are people of tremendous good will and integrity. Anybody who thinks that Justice Thomas is influenced in his work by what others say or do, including his wife Ginni, is completely ignorant of who this man is and what he stands for. And anybody who thinks Ginni Thomas would seek to influence the Supreme Courts work is completely ignorant of the respect she has for her husband and the important role that he and his colleagues play in our society.

Leo, 57, has for years been the behind-the-scenes leader of a network of interlocking nonprofits that has raised and spent hundreds of millions of dollars to support conservative judges and causes. Marble Freedom Trust, one of the organizations Leo chairs, received a contribution worth $1.6 billion in 2020 from a Chicago businessman, Barre Seid.

The Judicial Education Project was part of that network, although Leo was not listed on its tax filings or incorporation records. Leos allies founded the Judicial Education Project in 2004. Its mission was to conduct research and educate the public on the role of the judiciary as laid out in the U.S. Constitution, according to its tax filings. It secured tax-exempt status in 2011 and was not initially well-funded, filing paperwork with the IRS indicating it brought in less than $50,000 annually.

In 2012, it received about $1.5 million from donors whose identities were not publicly disclosed, the tax filings show. The Judicial Education Project spent $150,000 on polling that year, according to its tax filing. The filing does not identify which firm did the work.

The president of the Judicial Education Project that year was Neil Corkery, a Leo ally and bookkeeper for several of his nonprofit groups. Corkery certified on the groups 2012 tax filing that no one other than the groups officers or key employees had control over the nonprofit.

Corkery declined to comment.

Clarence Thomas has been under scrutiny since ProPublica revealed in April that Texas billionaire Harlan Crow took him on lavish vacations and also bought from Thomas and his relatives a Georgia home where Thomass mother lived; the transaction was not listed on the justices annual disclosure forms.

Senate Democrats this week held a hearing focused on Supreme Court ethics. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. declined an invitation to testify, offering instead a statement signed by all the justices in which they reaffirmed their commitment to abide by foundational ethics principles and practices.

During the hearing, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., mentioned Leo, who The Post has reported used the nonprofit network during the Trump administration to conduct publicity campaigns in support of nominees he helped select. This guy doesnt have business before the court, Whitehouse said. His business is the court.

Leos ties to the Thomases go back decades and span their personal and professional lives.

Leo advised Clarence Thomas through his contentious confirmation process in the early 1990s and made Thomas the godfather of one of his children. Leo also has hosted the justice at his New England vacation home, according to the New York Times.

At a Federalist Society event in 2018, Thomas shared a stage with Leo and jokingly told him, Youre the Number Three most powerful person in the world.

The year before that, Ginni Thomas called Leo a mentor to me and a hero when she honored him with one of her Impact awards for conservative activists.

Leonard Leo has single-handedly changed the face of the judiciary, she said at the awards dinner, held at what was then the Trump International Hotel in Washington. He has many hats. That isnt even all he does. He does not really tell all that he does. But I know enough to know the man is a force of nature.

In 2009, when Thomas founded a tea party-aligned nonprofit called Liberty Central, Leo served on the board, tax filings show. Corkery was the nonprofits accountant, public records show.

Thomas stepped away from Liberty Central in late 2010 amid controversy over whether its anonymous funding - including one donation for $500,000 - posed a potential conflict of interest for her husband. Politico reported the following year that the donation had come from Crow.

She then formed Liberty Consulting, a for-profit firm. On her LinkedIn page, Thomas describes her work as collaborating with citizen activists, leaders and nonprofits to succeed and have impact in defending the principles that have made America an exceptional nation.

Liberty Consulting began receiving payments from Conways firm within months of its creation in 2011, documents reviewed by The Post show. On multiple occasions, Thomas contacted the Polling Company to discuss her payments, the documents show.

The documents do not indicate whether Thomas knew of Leos role in the arrangement with Conways company, or of the Judicial Education Projects role. Conway sold the company in 2017 to what is now known as CRC Advisors, another firm that Leo chairs.

Since its first amicus brief, in the voting rights case in 2012, the Judicial Education Project has submitted about a dozen amicus briefs to the Supreme Court. It has argued for limiting or rolling back race-based college admissions policies, regulations on greenhouse-gas emissions and gun-control measures.

In 2014, the group filed a brief in the Hobby Lobby case, which challenged a mandate in the Affordable Care Act that employers make contraception available to workers at no cost to the workers. The courts ruling struck down part of the requirement in a split decision, with Clarence Thomas again in the narrow majority.

Thomass votes were aligned with the Judicial Education Project in six of the cases in which it filed briefs, including the Hobby Lobby case and two involving affirmative action at public universities. Thomas, a longtime critic of affirmative action, voted with the majority to uphold Michigans prohibition on race-based admissions at its public universities, and he dissented in a ruling that upheld admissions policies at the University of Texas.

Thomass votes did not align with the groups position in three other cases, including one that largely upheld the Environmental Protection Agencys ability to regulate greenhouse-gas emissions. The court did not take up all the cases in which the Judicial Education Project filed briefs.

The groups interest in the Supreme Court extended beyond the courtroom. It spent money on campaigns to support President Donald Trumps nominations of Brett M. Kavanaugh and Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court. And it is listed as a funder in the credits of a 2020 documentary that celebrated Thomas. Clarence and Ginni Thomas are featured extensively in the documentary, titled Created Equal: Justice Thomas In His Own Words, talking about the justices upbringing and his judicial philosophy.

As the Judicial Education Project pushed for a conservative court, the group grew into a financial juggernaut and was rebranded as the 85 Fund. Between 2020 and 2021, its revenue nearly doubled from about $66 million to more than $117 million, tax forms show.

Even so, the group has never had more than a handful of employees, tax filings show. It has listed its main office address as a UPS Store situated amid rowhouses and retail stores in the Georgetown neighborhood of D.C.

The Washington Posts Alice Crites contributed to this report.
WASHINGTON  Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firms attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

The Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. It would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses both air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal and eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security.

The new rule would affect Grand Forks and seven other bases, including three that are tied to the B-21 Raider, the nations future stealth bomber. The Pentagon has taken great pains to protect its new, most-advanced bomber from spying by China. The bomber will carry nuclear weapons and be able to fly manned and unmanned missions.

Six bombers are in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California, while the two other bases will serve as future homes for the 100-aircraft stealth bomber fleet: Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

The national security concerns regarding the other bases were not immediately clear. Also on the list were Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, which are both training bases. The others selected for greater protection are the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines and Luke Air Force Base, located in Glendale, Arizona.

The Air Force was not immediately available for comment on why the eight bases were selected.

CFIUS, a committee whose members come from the State, Justice, Energy and Commerce departments among others, already had the power to block property sales within 100 miles of other military bases under a 2018 law.

Hoeven said the CFIUS process for reviewing proposed projects needed to be updated.

"Accordingly, Chinas investments in the U.S. need to be carefully scrutinized, particularly for facilities like the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a key national security asset that serves as the lead for all Air Force Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and has a growing role in U.S. space operations, he said.

In February, Andrew Hunter, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, said in a letter to North Dakota officials that the military considered the project a security risk but did not elaborate on the kinds of risks Fufeng's project would pose.

The letter prompted Grand Forks officials, who had initially welcomed the milling plant as an economic boon for the region, to withdraw support by denying building permits and refusing to connect the 370-acre site to public infrastructure.

Fufeng makes products for animal nutrition, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, oil and gas, and others industries. Its a leading producer of xanthan gum. It denied that the plant would be used for espionage.

Lawmakers have also called for a review of foreign investments in agricultural lands. Earlier this year, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced legislation aimed at preventing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from acquiring U.S. farmland.

Countries like China who want to undermine Americas status as the worlds leading economic superpower have no business owning property on our own soil  especially near our military bases," Tester said in a statement Thursday.

Stafford reported from Liberty, Missouri.
MOGADISHU, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has urgently appealed for funding to assist migrants facing life-threatening risks in Somalia.

Funding to assist migrants in the country has fallen drastically over the years, while the needs of the migrant population continue to increase due to climatic shocks, conflicts, and economic crises, the United Nations migration agency said.

IOM Chief of Mission for Somalia Frantz Celestin said the agency needs 3 million U.S. dollars before the end of June, or at least 50,000 migrants who are passing through Somalia will be left without access to critical life-saving assistance each year.

"We will also be forced to close the Migration Response Centers (MRCs) in Bosaso and Hargeisa, which have been operational since 2009 and 2008 respectively, and assist an average of 10,000 migrants each year," Celestin said in a statement issued in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, Thursday evening.

The MRCs are run by the Somali government and supported by the IOM, where stranded and transiting migrants can access free medical care, psychosocial support, water, food, clothes, information, family tracing, and a safe return option to their countries of origin.

The agency said these challenging circumstances are forcing thousands of people each year to go on perilous journeys out of the Horn of Africa in search of better opportunities in Gulf countries or Europe.

With sufficient funding, the IOM said, it can work with the government to provide immediate assistance, raise awareness about the risks of such journeys and develop effective migration management strategies to promote reintegration, access to a safe return, and reception.

Somalia is a main transit country for thousands of migrants heading to Gulf countries, according to the IOM.

Migrants travel through the country on foot or with the assistance of smugglers who often treat them inhumanely, some going as far as killing them, it said.

"We are deeply concerned, especially as we are seeing more and more unaccompanied migrant children stranded. They don't speak the language, have lost contact with their families, and often find themselves working under exploitative conditions or being forcibly married in the case of girls," Celestin said. 
President Biden on Friday welcomed the strong jobs report and the lowest unemployment rate in a half-century and warned that Republicans' "manufactured crisis" on the debt limit could send the U.S. economy into a free fall.

"We've made enormous progress over the past two years," said Biden, who is scheduled to meet with congressional leaders next week to discuss raising the debt ceiling. "The last thing this country needs, after all we've been through, is a manufactured crisis  driven by the MAGA Republicans in the Congress."

White House economists said in an analysis released Wednesday that an extended breach of the nation's borrowing limit could wipe out more than 8 million jobs and cause "severe" economic damage.

If the United States fails to make its payment obligations, interest rates could spike as investors demand a higher premium on purchases of government debt. Higher interest rates would ripple throughout the economy, making mortgages, credit cards and purchases more expensive for most Americans. Retirement accounts, consumer and business confidence, and consumption would all take a hit.

Biden warned Friday that defaulting on the country's debt could erase economic gains made during the first two years of his presidency. He pointed to Friday's report by the Bureau of Labor Statistics - which found that employers created 253,000 jobs in April and unemployment fell to 3.4 percent, which matches a low from May 1969 - to show what is at stake if Congress doesn't act.

Biden has insisted that Congress vote to increase the debt ceiling with no conditions attached - as Congress did three times during the Trump administration. But House Republicans demanded deep spending cuts in exchange for raising the debt limit - though they have yet to put forth a proposed budget.

"The two are totally unrelated," Biden said of the debt ceiling and the nation's budget during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on Friday. "Whether you pay the debt or not doesn't have a darn thing to do with what your budget is."

The limit is a cap on the total amount of money that the United States is authorized to borrow to fund the government and fulfill its financial obligations.

Last week, House Republicans passed a measure that would raise the debt limit but also slash the federal budget back to levels adopted in the 2022 fiscal year, then cap future growth of federal agencies' budgets at 1 percent for the next decade.

Their bill stands no chance in the Democratic-led Senate, and Biden said he would veto it.

The president said he will reiterate to congressional leaders during next week's meeting that they must do what "every other Congress" has done: raise the debt limit and avoid default.

"As I've said all along, we can debate where to cut, how much to spend and how to finally move the tax system where everybody can pay their fair share," Biden said. "But not under the threat of default."

The four congressional leaders  House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.,  are expected to attend the meeting, which was announced the same day that Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen warned Congress that the country risks default as early as June 1 if the limit isn't raised.

The prospect of a debt ceiling collapse, Biden added, is already becoming "an issue in other countries" that he said are asking: "What's the United States going to do? Are they really fooling around with not paying their debts?"

The president also warned on Friday that House Republicans' proposed spending cuts would put millions of Americans at risk of losing access to Medicaid. Republicans' cuts, Biden said, would affect federal law enforcement agencies, as well as public schools and health-care programs for veterans.

"Let's have the normal arguments," Biden said "That's why we have a budget process, to debate  so you all can see it and know exactly what it is that they want to spend the money on, what they want to cut."

Amy B Wang and Jeff Stein contributed to this report.
For Desiree, a 26-year-old home health aide who works as a bartender on weekends, life is a constant scramble. She and her boyfriend, who live in Tucson and have a 3-year-old daughter, want more children  but only after she goes to nursing school and they buy a house.

We need more time to get settled, said Desiree, who spoke on the condition that she be identified by only her first name to discuss private matters.

Recently, Desirees birth control prescription ran out. To get a new one, she has to wait at least a month to see a doctor. She and her partner are taking steps to avoid a pregnancy, but it would be way, way easier if she could just buy pills over the counter, Desiree said.

That day may be coming. For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is weighing whether to allow a daily contraceptive to be sold OTC  over the counter. Next week, the agencys outside experts are expected to meet to discuss an OTC request from a French company that makes a contraceptive called Opill. Birth control pills are available in more than 100 countries without a prescription.

The FDA could decide on the application by the end of the summer. If it approves the OTC switch, it would mark the latest milestone in a reproductive health landscape shaken by seismic legal and political upheavals during the past year.

This month marks the 63rd anniversary of the FDAs approval of the first birth control pill  a move that transformed American society. Many consider the arrival of the pill, promoted for decades by activists determined to give women greater sexual and economic freedom, to be a landmark moment in the 20th century.

Now, a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed the nationwide right to abortion, the pill should immediately be made more widely available, say reproductive health advocates and medical groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Medical Association. About 46 percent of U.S. pregnancies are unintended, according to a new study by the Guttmacher Institute, a U.S. research organization that supports reproductive rights.

We are all living in a post-Roe world where access to contraception is more important than ever, said Raegan McDonald-Mosley, CEO of Power to Decide and a member of the steering committee of the Free the Pill coalition, an advocacy group. It creates a new urgency to make contraception as available and accessible as possible.

Some of the biggest beneficiaries of OTC contraceptives would be people of color and members of other underserved communities who face a constellation of barriers in getting access to prescription birth control pills, public health experts say.

Those obstacles include finding a doctor or other provider, getting to a clinic and arranging child care during doctors visits, as well as privacy concerns, said Krishna Upadhya, a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist who is vice president of quality care and health equity at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.

Young people certainly face those barriers, as do Black, Latino and LGBTQ people, Upadhya said.

Rural communities, facing waves of hospital and pharmacy closures amid a national maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, also need much better access to birth control, said Brian E. Dixon, director of public health informatics at the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health.

Pregnancy takes a big toll, Dixon, who researches rural womens health, said. Women who are not seeking to be pregnant should have the ability to prevent it.

Meanwhile, the prospect of an OTC pill has not set off political and legal battles akin to those ignited by one of the abortion drugs, mifepristone, which is the target of a lawsuit by antiabortion medical organizations and doctors.

Asked about over-the-counter birth control, the National Right to Life organization said it does not take a stance on anything that prevents fertilization. Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America said its focus is on advancing laws that protect unborn children and their mothers from abortion, especially from dangerous mail-order abortion pills.

The OTC application for Opill was submitted last July by HRA Pharma, a Paris firm owned by Perrigo, a giant Dublin-based generic drugmaker. The drug was cleared decades ago under a different name for prescription use but eventually taken off the market by Pfizer for commercial reasons. HRA Pharma acquired it in 2014 and, in recent years, has been working closely with Ibis Reproductive Health, a Cambridge, Mass., research group that heads Free the Pill.

We thought there was a need to give women more access and to go for a switch, said Frederique Welgryn, Perrigo/HRA Pharma global vice president for womens health.

By all accounts, the FDA is being extremely cautious in its review. It postponed a meeting of its outside experts, scheduled for last fall, to review more information from the manufacturer. The FDA declined to comment on Opill, saying it does not discuss pending applications.

For proponents of a nonprescription birth control pill, FDA approval would be a significant but not complete win. To ensure access by adolescents, they say, the product must be reasonably priced and available without age restrictions. In addition, they are calling on the Biden administration to explicitly state that insurers must cover the costs of OTC birth control pills.

The only way that this will be seen as a win for reproductive rights is if this is not just approved but also approved for all ages, at an accessible price and covered by insurance, said Daniel Grossman, director of the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health research program at the University of California at San Francisco.

The Affordable Care Act requires insurers to cover contraception for free. But plans arent required to cover items available over the counter, including emergency contraception sometimes called the morning after pill, unless a patient has a prescription, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That means an OTC birth control pill could still be out of reach for many, depending on the price.

While the agency says it encourages plans to cover OTC contraception for free when someone doesnt have a prescription, its not clear whether the Biden administration could require insurers to do so. In a statement, CMS said the agency remains committed to ensuring broad access to high-quality, affordable, person-centered health care coverage.

Some states are adopting a more aggressive posture. Several are requiring the insurance companies they regulate to cover contraceptive products sold without a prescription, according to the Guttmacher Institute. In the meantime, people who want to ensure coverage of their pills can still use one of the many prescription products available.

HRA Pharma is unlikely to announce the price for its nonprescription product until receiving OTC approval from the FDA. The company has said it will offer assistance to people who cannot afford the drug.

There are two main kinds of birth control pills. One contains only progestin, a synthetic form of the natural hormone progesterone. The other contains progestin and a synthetic version of the hormone estrogen.

Opill, which is a progestin-only pill, prevents pregnancy by suppressing ovulation and thickening the mucus in the cervix, preventing sperm from entering the uterus. Progestin-only pills are more popular in Europe than in the United States, where most pills are the combination type.

Both kinds of pills are safe and effective, although the combination pill has more contraindications  meaning people with certain medical conditions should avoid it.

Neither birth control pill is recommended for women with a history of breast cancer. Women who are cigarette smokers and older than 35, and those with high blood pressure, are urged to avoid combination pills  which also have been linked to extremely rare blood clots. Progestin-only pills can result in occasional bleeding between menstrual periods, and users are urged to take them about the same time every day to ensure maximum protection.

For the FDA, drugmakers seeking to sell their products without a prescription must provide evidence that consumers can understand the label and use the medication safely without a doctors supervision. The agency has approved over-the-counter status for dozens of drugs, including the opioid-overdose treatment Narcan, the heartburn drug Nexium and the allergy medication Claritin.

The emergency contraceptive Plan B, which is designed to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sex, was approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sale in 2006, seven years after being cleared for prescription use. But an age restriction on the OTC version spurred political and legal battles until 2013, when the age rule was finally dropped.

Many of the advocacy efforts involving Opill arose out of frustration stemming from previous administrations handling of Plan B, said Dana Singiser, co-founder of the nonprofit advocacy group Contraceptive Access Initiative. She wrote in Stat, a medical news site, that Plan B became ensnared in endless pink tape - the extra hurdles that womens products must clear as a result of societal bias.

Cadence, a small pharmaceutical company in Oakland, Calif., has said it is planning to ask the FDA for permission to sell a combination birth control pill over the counter. But that effort is years behind HRA Pharmas.

Because there are more health conditions that make combination pills inappropriate for some people, Cadence has developed a technology-assisted label, consisting of a series of questions, to help consumers determine whether the product is right for them, according to Samantha Miller, the companys co-founder and co-CEO.

Opposition to OTC birth control has emerged largely from Catholic groups that have traditionally opposed birth control in favor of natural family planning methods that rely on tracking a womans cycle, and fertility, throughout the month. Catholic groups that oppose OTC status focus, in part, on safety issues.

We strenuously oppose the non-prescription availability of Opill, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, National Catholic Bioethics Center, Catholic Medical Association and National Association of Catholic Nurses wrote to the FDAs outside advisers in November.

Tim Millea, chair of the Catholic Medical Associations health-care policy committee, noted a recent study suggested there is an increased  albeit extremely small  risk of breast cancer for users of hormonal birth control and said patients should be required to see their doctor at least once a year to check for risk factors.

The convenience of over-the-counter availability is going to be more than outweighed by the risk of missing things that could be caught early, Millea said.

Victoria Nichols, project director for Free the Pill, said in a statement that the study cited by Millea did not draw a causal link between hormonal contraception and breast cancer but did provide important information for people considering what contraceptive method to use.

Female sterilization is the most common form of contraception in the United States, but the pill is the most popular form of reversible birth control.

White women use the pill at about twice the rate of Black and Hispanic women, federal researchers found. Women who are Black, Hispanic and under 30 are less likely to use any method of contraception, according to researchers.

Beau Nelson, a sophomore at Williams College in Massachusetts and a member of Advocates for Youth, an advocacy group, takes the pill to regulate menstrual periods and reduce pain. But Nelson cant get the drug now because their doctor, who practices in their hometown of Sarasota, Fla., wont renew the prescription until Nelson comes in for an appointment, and Nelson is tied up at school.

When Sriha Srinivasan, a senior at the University of California at Los Angeles, told her mother she was going to join the campaign for OTC status for birth control pills, her mother was surprised to hear oral contraceptives were not available over the counter in the United States. In her mothers native India, women could just go to the drugstore and buy them, Srinivasan said.

Women with little access to health care might benefit most from the availability of an OTC pill. Georgia state Sen. Kim Jackson (D), an Episcopal priest who runs a program for homeless people near Atlanta, said many of the women she helps do not have regular access to a physician.

The women often are quite transient, homeless, engaging in survival sex work, so having access to OTC contraception would be incredibly helpful for them, she said, adding that she believes such a change would reduce the number of abortions.

Nonprescription birth control pills have been available in Asia and Latin America for years. The United States has lagged, experts say, for several reasons: a lack of interest by the pharmaceutical industry, caution by the FDA, the stigma surrounding womens reproductive health issues and the battle involving Plan B.

It became such a big political fight that I think it really scared off pharmaceutical companies, UCSFs Grossman said. They saw they could do all this investment and research and still there could be political opposition to derail the whole project.

Leah Dolan, a 32-year-old mother with three children under age 8, said she uses an intrauterine device  IUD  for birth control. But she would consider switching to an OTC pill for convenience.

Time is everything to a parent, said Dolan, who lives in Phoenix. She said shes fortunate to be able to drop her children off at her in-laws when she has to go to the doctor, but with three little kids, it is hard to get out of the house. You have to pack 1,000 things.

Dolan supports an OTC pill for another reason: Women are just getting really tired of other people deciding what is healthy and good for them, especially concerning their sex lives.
Colonial Williamsburg announced that archaeologists have discovered the skeletal remains of four bodies while excavating a mass burial near the site of a Civil War hospital in Williamsburg.

The archaeologists also found the remains of three amputated legs that may have come from surgeries conducted at the hospital, according to the Wednesday announcement.

The remains are thought to belong to soldiers who fought in the Battle of Williamsburg in May 1862. They have been removed to the Institute for Historical Biology at William & Mary for analysis, Colonial Williamsburg said.

Archaeologists at Colonial Williamsburg first spotted the remains last year as they worked near the sites historical Powder Magazine. They said the excavation was halted until the team this year received a permit to exhume the bones.

Jack Gary, the head of archaeology at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, has said the Williamsburg Baptist Church once stood nearby. The church, which was demolished in the mid-1900s, served as a hospital during and after the Battle of Williamsburg.

Gary said the four individuals appear to have been buried respectfully, with their hands folded over their stomachs and resting more or less side by side. There was evidence of trauma to their bodies, and bullets were found in the graves.

All four of them appeared to have been laid in their graves, Gary said. They werent just haphazardly put in there.

Buttons and suspender buckles were found in the grave, Gary said, but it has not yet been determined which side of the conflict the soldiers were on.

Unfortunately, there were no uniforms or other items so far that weve been able to use to determine if they were Confederate or Union, Gary said.

The limbs were found in a separate area close by and included one leg that had been amputated above the knee, he said. Amputated limbs were often buried with or near dead soldiers after a battle.

In all cases, there was evidence that the limbs had been sawed off. Two appeared to have been damaged, necessitating amputation. It was very obvious, Gary said.

The battle, on May 5, 1862, was fought southeast of town.

Afterward, almost every building in the community flew a yellow hospital flag, the historian Stephen W. Sears wrote.

Private John Wilson, of the Unions 38th New York Infantry Regiment, wrote in his diary, according to the American Battlefield Trust: the rebels left about 1000 sick and wounded in [Williamsburg. I] was all over the battlefield today and it was an awful looking sight at some places our men and the rebels laying side by side where they charged bayonets and killed each other.

In an earlier interview, Gary noted: Theres quite a bit of documentary evidence, right after the battle, about there being mass graves dug for the casualties that are happening in the Baptist church hospital.

Further analysis will be conducted to try to determine the cause of death for the individuals found at the burial site and their affiliation, so they can be properly reburied.

The discovery was similar to a find on the battlefield at Manassas, Va., where the skeletons of two Union soldiers were found at a burial site, along with several amputated limbs.

That find was announced by the National Park Service in 2018. In that instance, one of the soldiers had a bullet still embedded in a bone in his leg. Archaeologists said that they knew the soldiers fought for the Union because the bullet was a type fired from a rifle commonly used by Confederates.

Those soldiers had been killed at the Second Battle of Bull Run in August 1862, roughly four months after the Battle of Williamsburg. They were buried in Arlington National Cemetery in 2018.
A doctor who worked at a Veterans Affairs medical center in Georgia is accused of sexually assaulting at least four patients, the Justice Department said in a statement Thursday announcing his indictment.

Rajesh Motibhai Patel, 68, is charged with violating patients bodily integrity and engaging in unwanted sexual contact, said the statement by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Patel is accused of improperly touching four female patients during routine exams between 2019 and 2020 at the VA hospital in Decatur, Ga., the statement said.

He worked as a primary care doctor there from Dec. 13, 2015, to Feb. 4, 2020, court documents unsealed Friday said.

The hospital reassigned Patel to a job without patient interaction, according to a VA statement Monday.

He is accused of acting under color of law, a legal term that refers to crimes committed in the guise of official duties.

At a hearing last week, Patel pleaded not guilty, according to court documents.

Prosecutors said there may be other victims, and they are asking the public to call the VA inspector generals tip line at 770-758-6646.
WASHINGTON  More than 50 House Republicans are accusing the Department of Veterans Affairs of launching a misinformation campaign after the agency publicized the impact to veterans of a debt ceiling bill that cuts federal spending.

The lawmakers took aim at VA Secretary Denis McDonough for the release of a dishonest and shameless budget analysis last month that determined the House Republicans plan to raise the nations borrowing limit would slash the departments spending by 22%.

The facts are that nowhere in the Limit, Save, Grow Act is it indicated that the VA budget would be cut, the Republicans wrote Thursday in a letter to McDonough. The intent of the legislation is to set a topline number for the entire federal budget.

The legislation narrowly passed the House last week amid protests from Democrats and veterans groups, noting the bill calls for a return to 2022 spending levels across the government without singling out the VA for protection.

The VA calculated the proposal, which is unlikely to gain traction in the Democrat-led Senate, would result in thousands of job losses across the VA, 30 million fewer veterans outpatient visits and increase the disability claims backlog by 134,000.

Republicans have insisted health care and benefits for veterans would be spared from any cuts. They slammed President Joe Bidens administration for sowing panic and fear in the veteran population through dishonest talking points.

The leaders of the congressional bodies that oversee and fund the VA have all firmly stated that veterans earned care and benefits are not on the table, the Republicans wrote. The VA purposely chose to ignore these facts in favor of baseless political talking points.

Rep. Mike Bost, R-Ill., the chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, said in a call Sunday with reporters that he spoke with McDonough about his disappointment with the VA's actions but the conversation didn't go much past that.

In my nine years as a member of Congress, I have never seen the use of an agency that is so vitally important to so many people be used as a political hammer, to deliver a message that is false, so that it would stir people up to cause our veterans to be used as pawns in a political game, he said.

McDonough said during a news conference last week that a fair reading of the bill required the VA to map out and be ready for a full range of outcomes.

I read the bill and the bill does not carve VA out of the potential cuts, he said. [That] leads me as a leader of this organization and one who considers himself a prudent leader, to need to prepare for very real cuts. Thats why weve done the analysis, to be sure that [Congress] members understand that and we begin to prepare for that.

Backlash to the Republican plan continued this week with the Military Order of the Purple Heart urging Congress on Thursday to reject the legislation. The commander of the congressionally chartered war veterans organization said lawmakers need to work toward increasing funding for the VA, not decreasing it.

The VA is already underfunded, and cutting its budget will only exacerbate the problem, resulting in longer wait times, reduced services and decreased access to care, Christopher Vedvick, the groups national commander, said in a statement.

The political standoff over the debt limit intensified this week after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced Monday that the U.S. could run out of money to pay its bills by June 1 if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit.

House Republicans have refused to raise the limit without steep spending cuts. Their plan raises the debt limit in exchange for capping 2024 discretionary spending at 2022 levels and sets a 1% cap on growth for the next decade.

The White House said congressional leaders will meet with Biden next week to continue negotiations.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., on Thursday dismissed Republican complaints about the characterization of their debt limit bill and again called attention to a looming threat to veteran services.

If Republicans get their way, up to 80,000 jobs at the Veterans Health Administration would be cut, he said on the Senate floor. Our nations veterans have dedicated their lives to keeping our country safe. There is no greater shame than intentionally depriving them of the resources to stay healthy, but that is precisely what the House Republican bill does.

shkolnikova.svetlana@stripes.com

Twitter: @svetashko
The federal government has sought more time for negotiations from the Supreme Court (SC) for developing consensus on the same-day elections in Pakistan.A three-member bench of the Supreme Court comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan and Justice Munib Akhtar is hearing the case.

At the outset of the hearing, Farooq H Naek, read the statement submitted by the coalition government in the Supreme Court. Naek said that Pakistans debt has reached to 78pc and circular debate has also increased by 125pc.

The last years floods caused a loss of $31 billion to the national economy, Naek said and added that before the dissolution of the NA, the approval for the IMF agreement and Trade Policy is necessary.

The PPP lawyer said govt and PTI agreed on same-day elections in the country but the consensus on the date of the dissolution of the assemblies has not been finalsied yet.

Both the parties showed flexibility during the talks, but more time was needed for negotiations, he added.

CJP Umar Ata Bandial said the political issue should be resolved by the political leadership. We are hearing the issue on the legal matter.

Negotiations with the IMF and the federal budget are important issues currently, the CJP remarked. CJP observed that government wants to do politics on the issue.

We have taken the oath to protect the constitution in front of Allah, the CJP remarked and added they will not respond to the political statements.

The top judge remarked the govt did not take the matter seriously from the start of the issue. We will not hesitate from any sacrifice for the implementation of the constitution.

The SC is exercising restraint, but it should not be taken as its weakness.

The government is bound to implement the decision of the Supreme Court, CJP Umar Ata Bandial remarked.

PTI pleads to implement orders of elections on May 14

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Barrister Ali Zafar in his arguments before the SC said they agreed to hold elections on the same day across the country during negotiations.

During negotiations PTI forwarded three conditions, Zafar said. Dissolve NA, Sindh and Balochistan Assemblies by May 14.

Hold elections in the second week of July.

In case of delaying the polls, a constitutional amendment should be made.

PTIs counsel said the incumbent govt has not filed a review petition regarding the decision of holding Punjab elections on May 14. He pleaded with the court to ensure implementation of its verdict of holding polls on May 14 and dismiss the plea.

The petition filed by a citizen, Sardar Kashif Khan, nominated the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), and major political parties as respondents.

The petition states it would be "in the interests of justice and equity as well as fulfilment of the constitutional imperatives (and balancing of competing constitutional requirements) if the general elections of National Assembly and all four provincial assemblies were held together rather than in piecemeal".

If elections across the country were held on the same day, they would be done under caretaker setups which would "ensure that the general elections are carried out honestly, justly, fairly and in accordance with law".

"Having political governments in power in the provinces when general elections are being held for the National Assembly has the potential to adversely affect the National Assembly election more than in the inverse situation since provincial governments have operational control of all day-to-day affairs in the respective NA constituencies (other than those in ICT)," the petition added.

Moreover, holding elections simultaneously would save billions of rupees and the expenses could be included in the budget for the upcoming year.

The armed forces and police would also only be required once instead of multiple times, allowing them to devote more time to their principal duties, it stated. The move would free up law enforcement agencies to focus on improving the country's law and order situation instead.

The petition contended that elections to the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies would be held based on the results of the 2017 census while those to the National, Sindh and Balochistan assemblies would be conducted on the latest census figures. "Such a situation should preferably be avoided as it could also lead to unforeseen complications," it urged.

It pointed out that the difference in the date previously ordered by the apex court for holding polls in Punjab and the one suggested by the government in October was "only a few months so there was no significant harm or delay".

The petition further said that the parliament could address the issues of delaying the Punjab and KP polls by passing a constitutional amendment.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government and the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) held multiple rounds of talks on the directives of the Supreme Court to try and build a consensus on a date for the elections.

Both sides agreed to hold elections on the same day across the country but failed to evolve consensus on the date of the polls.

Yesterday, the Imran Khan-led PTI submitted a report to the Supreme Court on negotiations with the PDM government, requesting the top court to ensure implementation on its April 4 judgement regarding holding elections to the Punjab Assembly on May 14.

In the report, the PTI  the main opposition party  apprised the apex court of progress on negotiations, saying it held three rounds of talks with the team of ruling PDM, an alliance of 13 political parties, in line with the commitment made to the top court in the Punjab elections delay case.
Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar welcomed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday as the latter arrived at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Goa.

The meeting of the CFM was scheduled to begin in the morning and by noon, the "decision document" will be signed, which will be followed by a working lunch.

FM Bilawal  who is leading the country's delegation  arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend the the two-day meeting of the SCO CFM.

Meanwhile, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zehra Baloch said India has given Pakistan no reason to complain regarding Bilawals visit to attend SCO moot in Goa.

They havent given us a chance to complain. All is well so far, she said.

When asked if Bilawal's handshake with his Indian counterpart Jaishankar was reflective of past bitterness, Baloch said: You are giving it a lot of importance. It was a routine formality.

A day earlier, Bilawal arrived in the Indian city on his first-ever visit to India, hoping for a "successful" meeting of the SCO foreign ministers.

Following his arrival, Bilawal became the first Pakistani foreign minister who visited the neighbouring country after a gap of nearly 12 years.

Speaking to the media after landing in Goa, the foreign minister said: "I am happy that I have reached here in Goa to attend the SCO meeting. I hope that the SCO CFM will be a success."

The spokesperson further said that a host welcomed Bilawal like they did for other foreign ministers.

Responding to a question regarding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharifs visit to India in July to attend the SCO summit, the FO spokesperson said it is too early to say anything at the moment.

During the visit, Bilawal  alongside his delegation  is set to engage with several of his counterparts from different nations.

In a video message that he posted on Twitter, the foreign minister said he is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Then, he will meet Uzbekistan's Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov.

Following the meetings, Bilawal is set to attend a dinner in which foreign ministers from all the nations will be present. After that, he is set to engage with media personnel for interviews.

'No justification for terrorism'

During the moot, Dr Jaishankar said: As SCO chair we've initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events.

Talking to the participants, he said that the SCO platform was in its third decade of existence.

This is an opportune time for reform and modernisation of the SCO to keep it relevant in a rapidly reforming world, he said, adding that he was pleased to note that discussions for reform and modernisation have already commenced.

Furthermore, the host reiterated his countrys long-standing demand that English be made the third official language of the moot. At the moment Russian and Mandarin are the languages used at the form officially.

Dr Jaishankar contended that using English would enable a deeper engagement from English-speaking states and take the SCO to reach a larger international platform.

He also shared that progress had been made of including Iran and Belarus as full members of the SCO.

During his speech, the host also discussed the rise of terrorism in the world.

While the world faced COVID-19 and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated, he said, adding that taking eyes of this menace is detrimental to the security interests of all.

Dr Jaishankar added that there was no justification for terrorism and that it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism.

Channels of financing terror must be seized and blocked without distinction, he stressed, adding that combatting terrorism was one of the original mandates of the SCO.
KHARTOUM, May 4 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese capital Khartoum and other areas in the country witnessed violent clashes on Thursday between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), despite a seven-day truce agreed by the two parties.

Early Thursday, the Sudanese army announced that its units clashed with RSF fighters in the town of Bahri, north of Khartoum.

"Our forces clashed at dawn today with the rebels who tried to attack the command Bahri (Khartoum North) military area," the Sudanese army said in a statement.

"Our forces destroyed eight combat vehicles of the enemy and seized 11 vehicles, a Katyusha launcher and communication devices," the statement added.

The Sudanese army further called on the citizens to keep away from the sites of clashes and strange metal objects.

The RSF, for its part, accused the army of violating the declared humanitarian truce and attacking their posts at dawn on Thursday.

"Our forces and residential neighborhoods came under indiscriminate artillery and aircraft bombardment in a flagrant violation of international norms as well as international and humanitarian law," the RSF said in a statement.

Meanwhile, violent clashes also took place on Thursday in El-Obeid, the capital city of western Sudan's North Kordofan State.

"El-Obeid city and the command of the 5th Infantry Division came under a treacherous attack by the rebels today," the army said in a statement.

"The enemy was crushed and suffered heavy losses and its remnants are being chased out of the city," said the statement.

The army said that the operational situation in all parts of Sudan was stable and calm, except for parts of the capital and El-Obeid city.

The clashes came a few hours after the two sides agreed to a seven-day truce extension proposed by the regional African bloc Inter-Governmental Authority on Development.

Earlier in the day, Sudan's Foreign Ministry condemned what it termed "the violations of the rebel Rapid Support Forces against embassies and diplomatic missions without the slightest regard to the declared truce or respect for international law."

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns the attacks by the rebel forces on the headquarters of the Indian Embassy," the ministry said in a statement.

It said that it had also received complaints about attacks on the building of the Saudi cultural attache, residences of the Swiss diplomats, and the consular section of the Turkish embassy.

Given that the clashes have pushed the country to the edge of a humanitarian crisis, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths, who arrived in Sudan's eastern city of Port Sudan on Wednesday, urged the warring parties to ensure the safe delivery of humanitarian aid to the needy.

To this end, RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo pledged in a tweet on Thursday to open and protect humanitarian corridors to facilitate the movement of citizens in areas controlled by his forces.

Fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted on April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

So far, the conflict has left more than 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded in Sudan, while thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas or neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad. 
Ilann Power had previously admitted one of the charges but changed his plea when he appeared in Dublin District Court today

A BUSINESSMAN has pleaded not guilty to breaching company laws, saying I wish to clear my good name.

Company Director Illann Power (30) is facing three counts of providing false information to the Companies Registration Office (CRO).

He had previously admitted one of the charges but changed his plea when he appeared in Dublin District Court today.

Judge Bryan Smyth adjourned the case at Dublin District Court to fix a trial date in the non-jury court.

Mr Power, an entrepreneur from Co Carlow, was charged last year following an investigation by the Corporate Enforcement Authority (CEA).

He faces three charges of providing false information contrary to Section 876 of the Companies Act 2014, knowingly or recklessly furnishing information to an electronic filing agent from 2014 to 2017.

Last March, he entered a guilty plea to one count of being reckless as to whether a B1 filing and accompanying documentation was made for the financial year 2014/2015; with the remaining charges to be withdrawn by the prosecution.

Today, the court heard Mr Power was discharging his lawyers and legally representing himself.

I have re-examined the issue with my family and due to other factorsI have decided to withdraw the plea at this time, Mr Power told the judge. I wish to plead not guilty and request a date for hearing.

Prosecuting barrister Eoin Lawlor objected, saying Mr Power had entered the guilty plea while legally advised.

Mr Power said he did not believe the prosecution was going to be able to make its case in the matter.

The judge asked the accused why he had originally entered a guilty plea. He replied that he had felt under pressure at the time and had been unable to return to work. The case had left my family in an awful state and the only thing I have left is my good name and I wish to clear that.

He said his family came first and he had a lot of people to look after.. The matter had dragged on, he said, and there was an article about him in the news media nearly every week.

He was discharging his lawyers because he was not in a position to retain them.

Judge Smyth said what was known to the accused now had been known to him when he pleaded guilty and he did not see how that had changed all that much.

Its an entirely unsatisfactory state of affairs, the judge said, but agreed to allow Mr Power to change his plea in the interest of justice.

He remanded the accused on continuing bail to a date later this month.

Mr Power was previously a founder of the spirits company Incubrands, which was acquired by Bacardi in 2015. He also co-created Illann Power Companies, an investment firm and Nohovation, a start-up venture fund.

The charges follow an investigation by the CEA into Dublin Distillers & Co Teoranta about filing B1 Annual Returns with the CRO.
Hannah McErlean (32) said she did not realise she was skipping the queue and she just lost it in a moment of madness.

A hairdresser headbutted a shopper in the face after a row about skipping a queue, a court has heard.

Hannah McErlean (32) left the other woman with a bleeding and broken nose following the supermarket assault.

She was at the end of her tether, having gone through the Covid-19 pandemic with her partner and three children, one of whom has complex special needs.

Judge John OLeary ordered McErlean to pay 500 to the victim and fined her 500.

The defendant, of Liffey Dale, Liffey Valley Park in Lucan, admitted seriously assaulting another woman at Lidl in Clondalkin.

Garda Aishling Halligan told Blanchardstown District Court she received a phone call around 7pm on June 27, 2021, from a manager in Lidl saying a woman had been assaulted and was on her way to hospital.

The victim stepped in, and waved McErlean on, and she was headbutted in the face.

Gda Halligan said the defendant then arrived into the station, saying she had lost it in the queue and headbutted another shopper.

Gda Halligan said McErlean had bruising to her forehead.

The injured party later told gardai there had been an argument between her friend and the defendant about skipping a queue.

The victim stepped in, and waved McErlean on, and she was headbutted in the face.

She suffered a broken nose, and was off work for a week.

Lawyer Ciaran MacLoughlin said this incident took place at the height of Covid, when tensions were fraught.

Mr MacLoughlin said McErlean did not realise she was skipping the queue and she just lost it in a moment of madness.

She was very sorry, and had immediately gone to the garda station and admitted her behaviour.

Mr MacLoughlin said McErlean, a hairdresser, had three children.

One of her children was non-verbal and had complex special needs, and McErlean found Covid difficult, as everyone was at home, and many of the professional services for her child were not available.
Mary Lynch also stole a tourists backpack from a chair at the Mercantile Bar on Dame Street on August 20, 2019.

A MOTHER-of-one used a crutch to smash the front window of a flat and a car windscreen in two late-night attacks, a court has heard.

Mary Lynch (40) separately had a knife for her own protection and stole a tourists backpack from a pub.

Judge Bryan Smyth referred the case to the drugs treatment court for assessment but said if this did not work, Lynch faced consecutive prison sentences for her cluster of offending.

Lynch, with an address at a city centre hotel, pleaded guilty to criminal damage, possession of a weapon, theft and other offences.

Dublin District Court heard a resident at Bride Street, Dublin 8, was woken by the smashing of glass at her ground-floor flat at 1am on June 25, 2019.

Her front living room window was broken.

On the same night, on the same street, it was reported to gardai that a parked car had its windscreen smashed.

Gardai viewed CCTV footage and saw Lynch smashing the window and windscreen with a crutch.

On June 10 that year, a garda saw Lynch acting suspiciously on a city street, trying to conceal a knife in her bag.

When stopped, she told gardai it was for her own protection.

Separately, she stole a tourists backpack from a chair at the Mercantile Bar on Dame Street on August 20, 2019.

On November 13, 2020, she filled a shopping trolley with groceries at SuperValu, Sundrive Road. She was stopped by security and the goods worth 362 were recovered.

Lynch had a drug habit on and off since her teens, her lawyer said. Since the recent birth of her child, she had gone from a rootless, chaotic existence to a stable one.
Celina Merriman (53) of Drombawn Avenue, Dublin 9, pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawful possession of the Browning firing pistol on January 18, 2021

A mother of two who kept a blank firing pistol in a safe as a "prop" for her protection after getting threatened has been given a wholly suspended sentence.

Celina Merriman (53) of Drombawn Avenue, Dublin 9, pleaded guilty yesterday to unlawful possession of the Browning firing pistol on January 18, 2021.

Dublin District Court heard that gardai responded to reports from relatives that the accused had a gun at her address. During a search, they located the pistol in a safe in the kitchen.

Judge Bryan Smyth was told a Garda ballistics examination confirmed it to be a firearm, but it fired blanks.

Pleading for leniency, defence counsel Kevin McCrave said his client, who was not required to give evidence, had the pistol believing it was a "prop", and she kept it for her protection.

The court heard she "felt under threat" after a motorcycle she minded at a former address was stolen, and the owner became angry and wanted 8,500.

She felt "somewhat vulnerable", and a friend advised her where to get the pistol, but Merriman did not have to pay for it and did not get any ammunition.

The court heard she suffered from mobility issues following a fall four years ago and had co-operated with gardai.

Judge Smyth heard her prior convictions were for motoring offences, and the last of those was in 2012, but he said the firearm was "realistic enough". He added that it warranted a custodial sentence, but noting the mitigation, he suspended it if she kept the peace and did not re-offend for two years.

The offence was contrary to the 1925 Firearms Act.
Senator Flynn, a member of the travelling community, spoke in the Seanad yesterday how the harrowing effect the incident had on her.

A taxi driver who refused to bring a senator to her home on a halting site in Ballyfermot should have done so in accordance with the law, say the Irish Taxi Drivers Federation.

Yesterday, Senator Eileen Flynn  who is a member of the Travelling community  spoke about how a taxi refused to take her home to a halting site in this week.

Describing the incident to the Seanad, senator Eileen Flynn said we have a long way to go before we tackle racism in this country.

Speaking to the Sunday World, Irish Taxi Drivers Federation (ITDF) secretary Philip Egan said the cab driver should not have refused to bring Senator Flynn home.

Travellers are an important part of our community and technically, the driver should have taken her to her exact destination, but we dont know what has happened in the drivers past, Mr Egan said.

Philip Egan

Despite the widespread discrimination faced by the Travelling Community in Ireland, Mr Egan said people should also not be quick to judge the motives of the taxi driver.

I know when I get my head shaved, people treat me differently. So its about tackling stereotypes in one sense.

On the other hand, we dont know the circumstances of what the driver has been through.

Often a driver will leave someone at the top of a road or at the top of a lane. I know there are sometimes ramps which drivers dont want to go over. It may have been dark at the time.

Its a 50:50 on both sides. The driver possibly had a bad experience but you cant tarnish everybody under the one brush, Philp added.

Senator Flynn spoke in the Seanad about how the incident made her feel.

No matter what you are and no matter who you are, to a lot of people I am still just a member of the Travelling community.

Im still just a pikey, a knacker, somebody who came from absolutely nothing, and last night I felt that right to the cut of my stomach.

We have a long way to go before we tackle racism in this country, and to be not brought where you want to go and to be judged on the basis of everybody in the community. We dont judge settled people.

Unfortunately, when you are a member of the Traveller community, even in 2023, being a Senator or what you will be, you will experience racism and discrimination.

We need to do more than tackle it. We need to protect people and put good legislation in place, Ms Flynn said.

Senator Flynn is the first Traveller to serve in the Oireachtas and has served in the Seanad since June 2020.

She described how she explained her position as a public representative to the taxi driver, however, they still refused to drive to the halting site and Ms Flynn refused to pay.

She subsequently rang the gardai to report discrimination and was told by the operator, this is a waste of gardais time.

The driver then agreed to take Senator Flynn home if the garda operator stayed on the phone.

I have to go through all of that, she said, welcoming the new hate crime legislation going before the Oireachtas.

We have a long way to go before we tackle racism in this country, and to be not brought where you want to go and to be judged on the basis of everybody in the community. We dont judge settled people."
He sent a photo with the caption 'That's him', to which Miller had replied 'Clips going in his head'

Connor Palmer, Craig Miller and Elijah Stokes have all been convicted (Pics: West Midlands Police)

Three men are facing jail after they hired an assassin to kill a man on the orders of a Dubai-based 'Mr Big' drug dealer.

A court heard that Craig Miller, Elijah Stokes and Connor Palmer (all 37) had paid the would-be assassin to carry out the murder as part of a 100,000 'movie-like' murder plot in May 2020.

They paid the gunman 40,000 to carry out the hit on behalf of a high-level UK drug dealer who is currently living in Dubai.

Jurors were told the victim's partner opened the door to their home in the Sheldon area of Birmingham to find a man in a Tesco jacket and wearing a high-vis vest.

He asked if she was expecting a delivery and then said: He's here, isn't he before walking into the house and opening fire at the man.

Despite gunshot wounds to his face, arm and hand that left him fighting for his life, the victim survived the attack.

A young child was in the house at the time but was uninjured.

It also emerged that in the weeks after the murder attempt, the 'Mr Big' dealer in Dubai told Miller he wanted another man to be killed.

He sent a photo with the caption 'That's him', to which Miller had replied 'Clips going in his head'.

The messages were discovered on an encrypted EncroChat phone belonging to Palmer by West Midlands Police that eventually to the gangs downfall.

Detectives found Palmer, Miller and another man formed a group which was paid 100,00 by the high-level drug dealer to kill their victim.

Stokes arranged for the car and gun to be delivered to the hitman, who has never been identified.

Miller, of Epsom, Surrey, Stokes, of Earlsdon, Coventry and Palmer, of Norbury, South London, were found guilty of conspiracy to murder at Birmingham Crown Court.

Miller was also found guilty of conspiracy to murder the second person following the three month long trial, although the shooting never actually took place.

The trio will be sentenced at a later date.

Detective Inspector Gemma Currie said the messages uncovered as part of the investigation make for truly chilling reading and are like something from a movie.

It was a miracle that the victim of the shooting in Sheldon survived, Detective Inspector Currie said.

It was thanks to the EncroChat breakthrough that we were unable to unravel this conspiracy to murder.

The gang thought that they were able to communicate securely about their murderous plans, but thanks to the international law enforcement community, we were able to show exactly what they were planning and how they planned it.
Clongriffin Train station has been the site of ongoing anti-social behaviour for years

'Temporary' access to Clongriffin Dart Station has been in place for 13 years. Pic: @hopkins_joan

A train station in north Dublin has been called a filthy cage, amid calls to address the temporary access which has now been in place for 13 years.

Clongriffin Dart Station, the next stop after Howth Junction, has been in operation since April 2010.

However, there is no access via the temporary stairwell and lift leading to Baldoyle.

The station has been called disgraceful and a filthy cage by councillor Joan Hopkins, who said locals in Baldoyle have no access to the station.

Its a cage, its absolutely filthy.

"There is graffiti and its a temporary structure built in an isolated spot, she told councillors at a local area meeting this week.

People living in Baldoyle do not have access to that train station. Its regularly filthy and Im talking about the temporary structure, she said.

Clongriffin Train Station has been described as a 'filthy cage'. Pic: Damien Eagers

In a response to the council, Irish Rail said, there are no issues regarding accessibility access for wheelchair customers and customers with prams at Clongriffin Station.

Both lifts to the platforms are in working order. There was an issue with the lift in the stairwell leading to Baldoyle, this stairwell is not maintained by Irish Rail as is not Irish Rail property.

The temporary structure with a stairwell and lift from the Baldoyle side is privately owned and is not in the ownership of the council.

Correspondence has been issued by the council to the owners informing them of recent complaints regarding the maintenance of the lift and stairwell and requests set out measures to be taken to rectify matters raised, said Irish Rail.

Clongriffin Train station has been the site of ongoing anti-social behaviour for years, with passengers being threatened on repeated occasions and bins being set on fire.

In 2018, a group of youths caused about 4,000 worth of damage when they mounted a train with knives, balaclavas and wooden blocks and spray-painted the carriage with graffiti.

According to councillor Hopkins, we have designed this to attract anti-social behaviour.

We should be building out from that station and giving people access to it. Its totally unforgivable after ten years that people in Baldoyle cant use that train station, she said.

Councillor Jimmy Guerin also said he has been shocked at the condition of the train station.

You would nearly be fearful for people if it was late at night or winter months when it is dark, he said.
One abuse victim described the response of the institutions involved towards the compensation fund as disgraceful

Religious orders and charities have still not paid a penny towards compensation for children abused while in their care.

The millions paid out so far  at least 54 million  through a compensation fund set up after the horrific findings of the Historical Institutional Abuse (HIA) inquiry has all come from taxpayers in Northern Ireland.

One abuse victim described the response of the institutions involved towards the compensation fund as disgraceful.

The ongoing Stormont stalemate is believed to have been a significant factor in the issues around the compensation fund.

In 2017, the HIA inquiry found hundreds of children had been sexually and physically abused while living in so-called care homes in Northern Ireland between 1922 to 1995.

One of the key recommendations of the inquiry was the creation of a compensation fund.

While the inquiry stated the compensation should mainly be provided by the government to ensure all victims received money, it said the organisations involved in running the institutions should also make a contribution.

However, six years on, that has still not happened, the Sunday World can today reveal.

The old Kincora home

The institutions who ran the homes included child protection charity Barnardos and the Sisters of Nazareth and Good Shepherd Sisters religious orders.

These were other facilities run by local authorities, the Catholic Church and the Irish Churches Mission (ICM).

One of the institutions investigated was the former Kincora Boys Home in east Belfast, where many children were abused.

Three former members of staff at the home, William McGrath, Raymond Semple and Joseph Mains, were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.

The home opened in 1958 and closed in 1980.

The HIA inquiry concluded that the abuse that took place at Kincora was limited to the actions of the three staff members and did not take place with the collusion of the state or intelligence services.

However, last year the Police Ombudsman said complaints made about the failure of police to investigate allegations of sexual abuse at the home were found to be legitimate and justified.

Set up in 2012, the HIA examined complaints about 22 homes and was the biggest child abuse public inquiry ever held in the UK.

It found some children were physically and sexually abused by priests and lay people entrusted to look after them.

More than 300 abuse victims gave evidence to the inquiry, which was chaired by retired high court judge Sir Anthony Hart.

As recommended in the inquirys report, the Historical Institutional Abuse Redress Board (HIARB) was established in March 2020 to process applications for compensation from victims.

At the end of last year, the HIARB said it had paid out 54 million to date to victims, who have received payouts of between 7,500 and 100,000 each. Its predicted the final compensation bill could top 100 million.

A spokesperson for the Executive Office at Stormont, which helped set up the HIARB, this week confirmed all compensation payments so far had come from government funds.

To date, the Executive has financed all the costs of establishing and operating the Redress Board; covering the cost of payments made to date to victims and survivors of abuse; the legal costs for survivors applying to the Redress Board; the cost of establishing the Commissioner for Survivors of Institutional Childhood Abuse; and the cost of support services provided by the Victims and Survivors Service, relating to survivors of HIA, said the spokesperson.

The government representative said talks over compensation contributions were continuing with the institutions who ran the care homes. However, no progress is expected while Stormont remains in stalemate because of the DUPs refusal to return to the Assembly.

Margaret McGuckin, from Survivors & Victims of Institutional Abuse, who herself suffered institutional abuse as a child, said the institutions needed to pay up.

They should accept their responsibility over what happened to the victims and help with the compensation payments, she said.

It is disgraceful they have not contributed anything to the fund all these years after it was first put forward by Sir Anthony.

In the HIA report, the authors said: There is a widely expressed view, which we believe to be valid, that the total cost of compensation awarded to the victims of historical institutional abuse should not fall completely on the taxpayer.

When asked why a contribution had not yet been made to the compensation fund, a spokesperson for the Catholic Church said: Ongoing discussions around the redress scheme are a matter between the Executive Office and the relevant institutions concerned.

When the same question was put to ICM, a spokesperson said: We in ICM continue to follow the lead being given by the redress board on the matter of institutional contributions and remain committed to cooperating with this process and with the recommendations of the Hart Report.
The lawn will host a garden party on Saturday.

King Charles III on a walkabout outside Buckingham Palace, London, to meet wellwishers ahead of the coronation on Saturday. Photo: PA   PA

Tricksters have mown a giant penis into a famous 'perfect lawn' on one of Britain's most exclusive streets - just days before a coronation party.

Residents of the exclusive Royal Crescent in Bath were stunned to wake up to the large image on the grass outside their homes this week.

The Royal Crescent is hosting a Georgian-themed Grand Coronation Party at the weekend.

A flyer for the party says says: "Celebrate the 300th anniversary of the Georgian era.

"Decorate your own regal crown, watch demonstrations on royal fashion and visit the Georgian Cook cooking up delicious recipes in the kitchen."

The Royal Crescent will be familiar to Netflix viewers as the location of the smash-hit Regency era drama Bridgerton.

Tweet

Meanwhile a People Before Profit TD has said that RTE's planned broadcast of King Charles coronation this weekend is quite inappropriate.

Paul Murphy said the state broadcaster should rethink their coverage of the event, which he believes is simply an attempt to launder the reputation of the monarchy.

People are going to be asked on Saturday, through their TV screens, to swear allegiance to Charles, a man who nobody has cast a single vote for, a man who was titular head of the parachute regiment responsible for Bloody Sunday, a man who received suitcases full of cash from the Qatari prime minister.

The idea that RTE - a public service broadcaster in a republic, which was colonised by the British empire - should be showing this as some major item, as opposed to featuring it for a couple of minutes in a news piece, seems to me to be quite inappropriate.

RTE will televise the event from 10am on Saturday and while Murphy explained that he wasnt trying to police public service broadcasting, he believes the coronation has no place on Irish television screens.

Another tweet

The British monarchy is not some benign tourist attraction. It is built on racism, on slavery, on empire, he said.

They're going to spend something like 250m, they're going to give an additional 400m to do a full renovation of the palaces for Charles and Camilla.

This isnt some kind of neutral thing. Even the idea that the history of racism for the monarchy is something in the distant past... Camillas crown is being refurbished with 60m of Star of Africa diamonds. They were taken from South Africa in 1907.

Theres going to be 6,000 British troops (and) 60 fighter jets. Its going to be a display of obscene militarism and imperialism.

Lets see if people want to watch it. Even in Britain 70pc of the public say they don't care very much, or they don't care at all, about the coronation.

In Ireland, I suspect the numbers who care are going to be substantially less, Mr Murphy said.
The pair tied the knot at a registry office in London last month ahead of their main ceremony in Seville, Spain in a few weeks' time.

Made In Chelsea star Sophie Habboo has said that she and new husband Jamie Laing felt so awful after forgetting to invite Spencer Matthews and Vogue Williams to their wedding.

The pair tied the knot at a registry office in London last month ahead of their main ceremony in Seville, Spain in a few weeks' time.

But although Spencer is one of Jamies groomsmen, he and his wife were notably absent from the celebrations due to a miscommunication in which Jamie failed to invite his pals because they were on holiday in Portugal at the time.

Spencer Matthews and Vogue Williams (Yui Mok/PA)

The blunder stirred up some strong emotions, but four friends cleared the air in a recent episode of Jamie and Sophies podcast Newlyweds.

Speaking about the mix-up, Sophie placed the blame on her new husband for being disorganised as she confirmed that Spencer would be front and centre at their wedding bash in Spain.

Obviously Spencer will be at our Spanish wedding, she told MailOnline.

The drama with Spencer It was so stupid of Jamie, he's just so disorganised and it all just changed last minute.

Originally it was just close family and obviously Spencer was away. I felt so bad for both of them, and Jamie felt so awful.

Both of us are so unorganised and it was always supposed to be a really intimate and small wedding but last minute we changed it.

Essentially it was my bridesmaids and his best men and then two of our best friends who are pregnant and can't make the Spanish wedding, so it looked like there were a lot more people and there was.

It was never going to be that many people. Spencer was in Portugal when we decided last minute, and Jamie didn't even think really. Obviously, we would have loved him there and it was a silly error.

Sophie also lifted the lid on who is among the 200 guests invited to watch her say I do for a second time, revealing that she and Jamie would be joined by a host of famous faces in Seville.

Well, Spencer is the MC at our wedding in Spain, so he's front and centre.

Millie Mackintosh is coming, Caggie Dunlop, Jack Whitehall, Ruby Adler, Liv Bentley, Emily Blackwell, Lottie Moss, Alex Mytton, Proudlock, the whole crew!

She also gushed about her intimate civil ceremony at Chelsea Wedding Registry and being a new bride.

The ceremony in Chelsea was euphoric. It sounds weird and I'm really not the most emotional person, but I really do feel a sense of calmness that I didn't know I'd feel at all. I never felt on my own but now I feel like we're together and a team, she added.
KHARTOUM, May 5 (Xinhua) -- The Sudanese Army said on Friday that it has sent negotiators to the Saudi port city of Jeddah to discuss the humanitarian truce as part of a Saudi-American initiative to end the conflict in the African country.

"As part of the Saudi-American initiative, a delegation of the Sudanese Armed Forces left for Jeddah to discuss the details relating to the truce," the Sudanese army said in a statement.

"This tends to secure and prepare the suitable circumstances to deal with the humanitarian aspects for our citizens under the current conditions," the statement added.

Earlier this week, both the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to extend the truce for seven days.

The RSF has not officially confirmed that it had sent negotiators to Jeddah, though local media reports said so.

Sudan has been witnessing deadly armed clashes between the Sudanese army and the RSF in the capital city of Khartoum and other areas since April 15, with the two sides accusing each other of initiating the conflict.

According to UN statistics, thousands of Sudanese citizens have been displaced or forced to seek refuge in safe areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, including Egypt, Ethiopia and Chad.

So far, the deadly clashes have left 550 people dead and 4,926 others wounded, according to the Sudanese health ministry. 
Tauranga City Council and Western Bay of Plenty District Council are joining the nationwide effort of planting native trees to commemorate the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III this weekend.

A kauri tree will be planted this Saturday, May 6 at 10am on the Village Green at the Historic Village to commemorate the occasion.

Commissioners Shadrach Rolleston and Bill Wasley will host the planting.

On Saturday evening the Wharf Street lanterns will be coloured purple to mark the coronation.

Three native trees will be planted in Council reserves across the Western Bay marking the coronation of a new monarch for New Zealand and a new chapter in history.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council is also joining the national effort to plant native trees co-ordinated by the Department of Internal Affairs in celebration of the upcoming coronation of His Majesty Charles III, King of New Zealand.

They will be celebrating the coronation by planting native trees at three separate locations.

Everyone is welcome to come and watch the plantings take place on Saturday May 6, says a Western Bay of Plenty District Council spokesperson.

The WBOPDC plantings are scheduled at the following times:

9.30am at Jubilee Park in Te Puke (near 12 Jocelyn Street) - Titoki tree

11.30am at Gerald Crapp Reserve in Omokoroa (access from Gellibrand Place) - Puriri tree

1.30pm in Diggelmann Park, Katikati  Kauri tree

Western Bay Mayor James Denyer says, the coronation of King Charles III is an historic occasion, and I am pleased that our District has the chance to be part of the celebrations.

The King has long been an advocate of sustainability and conservation, and so planting native trees to mark the start of his reign is very fitting.

I wanted each part of our District to be involved, so there will be a tree planted in each of our three wards. Each native tree was chosen as being a species that will thrive in its new home.

Over 45 plantings have been planned by councils across Aotearoa over the weekend.

Following the coronation, the Governor-General will plant the final coronation tree at Government House in Wellington.

The Department of Internal Affairs are recording GPS locations for all tree plantings with plans to create a webpage allowing everyone to find the Kings trees for years to come.
The Kaimai Mamaku Ranges are a taonga to Aotearoa. But the Kaimai Mamaku forests and catchments are not thriving. Our precious natural infrastructure is under threat.

Working to restore the mauri of the ngahere/forest is the Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust.

A proudly co-governed organisation, MKMT brings together iwi-hapu, agencies, and stakeholders to improve the health of the Kaimai Mamaku for present and future generations.

In 2022, the Department of Conservation delegated authority to MKMT to deliver the Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Project, which currently consists of 12 iwi-hapu led restoration sub-projects funded by the Governments Mahi o te Taiao/Jobs for Nature programme.

Nga Mata Hiringa project led by Ngamanawa.

Local community trust, TECT, has recently approved a substantial $2.5M worth of funding to support the expansion of four Kaimai Mamaku Restoration Projects in the TECT district.

TECT is committed to investing in the protection and regeneration of our regions natural environment and biodiversity, says TECT Chairperson Bill Holland.

The need for resilient solutions to biodiversity loss and climate change is urgent and requires collective action.

Significant cultural and social outcomes include re-engagement of iwi-hapu with the land and increased community understanding of the essential role the Kaimai Mamaku ecosystems play in community wellbeing and economic prosperity.

We applaud the enabling work of MKMT and all the iwi and hapu-led projects to restore the whenua, which will ensure a long-standing legacy of conservation and connection in the Kaimai Mamaku.

Te Maire project led by Ngai Tamawhariua.

The Kaimai Mamaku extends ki uta ki tai/from mountains to sea and is home to a diverse and unique range of ecosystems. However, this significant area is struggling.

Louise Saunders, CEO of Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trust, says, TECT's Catalyst for Change funding will have a monumental impact on people, our forests and our future. By supporting sustainable, conservation-based employment alongside the community volunteer groups, this funding will contribute to transformational change.

Te Wao Nui o Taipuika project led by Taipuka.

The four sub-projects receiving TECT funding are:

Nga Mata Hiringa: This project is led by Ngamanawa Incorporation, a collaboration between Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Hangarau, and Raukawa. The project includes wilding pine control and pest animal control in 580ha of forest at Omanawa and Opuiaki to support taonga species including kokako.

This project is led by Ngamanawa Incorporation, a collaboration between Ngati Ranginui, Ngati Hangarau, and Raukawa. The project includes wilding pine control and pest animal control in 580ha of forest at Omanawa and Opuiaki to support taonga species including kokako. Te Maire: Led by Ngai Tamawhariua, this project includes pest animal control in 900-1,000ha of forest at Aongatete, beside Aongatete Forest Project. The combined area of both will create a significant core habitat for threatened species.

Led by Ngai Tamawhariua, this project includes pest animal control in 900-1,000ha of forest at Aongatete, beside Aongatete Forest Project. The combined area of both will create a significant core habitat for threatened species. Otawa Waitaha a Hei: Led by Te Kapu o Waitaha, this project includes pest animal control in 400ha at Otawa Scenic Reserve and contributes to an increase in pest control across a key habitat area for Hochstetters Frogs and other taonga species.

Led by Te Kapu o Waitaha, this project includes pest animal control in 400ha at Otawa Scenic Reserve and contributes to an increase in pest control across a key habitat area for Hochstetters Frogs and other taonga species. Te Wao Nui o Tapuika: This project is led by Tapuika and includes pest animal control in 500ha of Te Matai Forest, a key part of the Kokako Ecosystem Expansion Project area (KEEP). KEEP is a collective of stakeholders establishing an ecological corridor to expand the habitat of kokako.

For more information, visit Manaaki Kaimai Mamaku Trusts website: https://mkm.org.nz/
Whakatane Mayor Victor Luca says it is time for the district council to step up and show leadership around reducing emissions.

At a meeting on Thursday, Whakatane District Councils energy, environment and resilience committee, which he chairs, discussed a scoping report the council had commissioned to investigate the potential for producing solar energy on council properties.

New Zealand accounts for about 0.05 per cent of global emissions, which is bugger all, says Victor.

Some will take the view that shows we should do nothing. But theres also the argument that if a country like ours, that is relatively prosperous, cannot do the right thing, and reduce its emissions, then why on earth would China - which is now the biggest emitter on the planet - ever try and do anything? Or India for that matter, or the United States?

As community leaders it is also incumbent on us to show leadership, and that includes reducing our own emissions. So this [report] can contribute to that as well.

He says localised energy production will also provide the community with greater energy resilience in times of crisis.

Weve just seen how, when youve got a non-distributed system with centralised generation, you knock out one part of it and youve taken out the lot.

Victor says New Zealand is almost completely dependent on hydro generation, which is not going to see any increases in capacity in the near future.

Our energy requirements are going to increase by at least 40 percent by 2040 and probably double or triple by 2050. Were not going to have enough power in this country.

If everybody wants their lights to go on and has got used to living with power, you might want to give some consideration to increasing generation capacity.

However, theres a lot of water to go under the bridge before the council can make any decisions on solar energy options.

There is a lot to weigh up in terms of models and how exactly you structure these things.

Victor says there are at least three big companies putting in utility scale solar farms in the Whakatane district already, because they have noticed that we are very sunny.

Local Democracy Reporting has previously published a story about the Lodestone Energy building, a 32MW solar farm in Edgecumbe.

He says Helios Energy is also quite far advanced in building an 110MW solar farm in Edgecumbe and he understands Far North Solar is also looking into the area.

The original proposals that we put in preceded that. Now theyre here, and theyre not there for a haircut. Theyre here to make money.

He says a lot of other territorial authorities around the country are also getting into the solar energy game.

New Plymouth [council] is about to build a solar farm, Christchurch has a massive solar farm going in by their airport. I think its time for us to step up.

Council still considering whether to consider solar farm?

During his presentation to Whakatanes energy, environment and resilience committee yesterday, strategy and transformation general manager Steven Perdia called Local Democracy Reportings story on the solar energy scoping study into question.

Some of you may have seen the headline in the article yesterday about this report, but I can assure you that the headline doesnt reflect the actual content of the report.

We havent proposed a 7.2MW solar farm. We havent proposed that council use $16 million to pursue these projects. We havent proposed a community solar farm. What we have proposed is that council include this report in the Climate Change Strategy review process where it can be considered alongside other projects.

Steven says the report had been instigated after a discussion at the end of last year that Solar PV (photovoltaic) had become a hot topic.

There were some funding pots that were becoming available ... We decided to go ahead and commission a report that gave us more information on how we might consider solar projects in the future and what sort of information was currently available, what criteria would you use... and what information didnt we have available should we want to make some funding applications in the future.

It is only an investigation report, and it was largely about educating us about what sort of criteria you might consider in a solar pv and also understanding what information we currently have available and what information we might need to gather."

Victor thanked Steven for setting the record straight.

"Ive got to say that when I saw the newspaper front page, I just about fell off the sofa.

Councillor John Pullar clarified the issue further.

These are only options and we are not going to dive into it at this stage.

-Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.




Almunecar: A question of interpreting coins The word 'Seks' has Phoenician origins and was later changed to the Latin version 'Sexi', but the modern name comes from the Islamic period

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The coastal town of Almunecar, of which neighbouring La Herradura also forms a part, is on the Costa Tropical in Granada province and is home to 26,514 people (2019). Of this number, 4,729 are foreign residents from 80 different countries.

Here, festivals and traditions are important; for example, the patron saint of the Virgen de la Antigua has been celebrated since 1569.

The towns modern name comes from the Muslim period; al-Munakkar, which means "the one protected by hills". However, its history and previous names go back to Phoencian times. The town halls archaeologist, Elena Navas, explains, "Some 3,000 years ago, ships arrived at the coast of Almunecar from Tyre, a Phoenician city located at the other end of the Mediterranean Sea, where Lebanon is today.

They established a colony and minted coins on which they wrote the name of the city in the Phoenician alphabet, which is why we know that Almunecar in Phoenician times was called Sks. The Phoenician alphabet has no vowels and the writing starts from right to left."

Another important activity in the town was the salting of fish and producing the famous garum fish paste, which was used to flavour foods and was so important that the coins that they minted feature two fish placed horizontally, one on top of the other, leaving a free space between them in the centre, where the name of the city is placed.

On the other side they placed the image of the god Melkar, who was king of Tyre. Therefore, Sks was the name of Almunecar in Phoenician times.

Later, during the Roman empire, the coins were minted using the Latin alphabet and Sks became Sexi. The coins now bore the image of the Roman god Hercules on the other side. This is why even now it is sometimes referred to as Sexi and there are a number of places named Sexi, like the Loro Sexi bird park or the Antigua Sexi secondary school.

The inhabitants called themselves Sexitans, which is still in use today; Sexitano for men and Sexitana for women.

Coins

The Romans called the town Sexi Firmum Iulium, which means that Sexi was loyal to the Julio- Claudio dynasty to which the first Roman emperors belonged and whose lineage they linked to Aeneas, hero of Troy and ancestor of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome.

According to Antonio Ruiz Fernandez, a professor of Ancient History and Latin from Almunecar, "The Sks coins explain the Phoenician name for Almunecar. In his thesis on the Sks coins, "the interpretation of the name has given rise to some controversy between linguists and epigraphers".

Ampliar

He argues that until now, "the most widely accepted works on the Sks legend are those of J. M. Sola-Sole who interprets the graphics as S K S, proposing the semantic meaning enclosure, limited extension."

In his work he goes on to explain that the interpretation of the phonetics of Sks is "controversial". "It is a question of interpretation of alphabetic terminology".

Fortress on a hill

It wasnt until the Islamic period of Al-Andalus that the name changed to a much closer version of Almunecar. The town was known as Hizn Al-Munekhab, believed to mean "Fortress on the hill", which later became "al-Munekkab".

When the Christians returned to the town at the end of the fifteenth century, the name became Almunecar, pronounced: almonhekar.

In the case of neighbouring La Herradura, the explanation is much simpler; herradura means horseshoe in Spanish and anyone who looks at the towns bay will see that it is indeed shaped like a horseshoe.
Improving coordination on the dance floor Ballroom dancing. The U3A dance classes offer basic and simple routines for beginners and those who want to brush up on their skills

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Until fairly recently, ballroom dancing was considered as something from the past, something our parents engaged in before the invention of pop music and the disco. However, this popular style of dancing was given a new breath of life and acquired a new army of fans with British television shows like Strictly Come Dancing.

Ballroom dance may refer, at its widest definition, to almost any recreational dance with a partner, so understanding and learning the routines of the two main categories, Standard and Latin, can be daunting exercise for those who have never set foot on a dance floor.

However, those living on the Costa del Sol who want to take up this sociable pastime, and those who simply want to refresh their ballroom skills, now have the perfect opportunity to put on their dancing shoes.

For many years the U3A in Fuengirola has been providing activities and social opportunities for residents and visitors, and the association has restarted its popular weekly ballroom classes. The classes are run by Wendy Lowe and her husband, David, who moved to Fuengirola from Nottingham in 2021, and discovered the U3A last September. The couple joined the group to take advantage of the dance class, as during the pandemic, there had been no close-contact classes available, and they were "soon roped in" to run the group.

"We joined the U3A to refresh our ballroom skills after missing out during the coronavirus. The very brave lady who started the class had little experience of dance, so we were persuaded to take over seeing as we have been dancing for some years," Wendy told SUR in English.

Wendy began taking dance seriously in the UK almost 20 years ago after her daughter had been persuaded by a friend to take up salsa in 2005.

"I wanted to do salsa and asked if I could go also. My daughter dropped out and I went instead. I loved it. It gave me new confidence as well as increasing my coordination and fitness levels. I'd been dancing for about two years when David started the classes. He was frightened to ask me to dance at first in case he trod on my toes, but he has been dancing ever since," she explained.

The couple married one year later and they continued to dance: along with salsa, they began experimenting with ceroc classes (modern jive), ballroom and sequence dancing.

No room for worries

Wendy claims that the classes she teaches at the U3A "improves coordination and cooperation with your partner", and she points out that dancing "can make you feel closer if you work together".

"Dancing to nice music takes you to a place where there is no room for your worries. It also stimulates the brain cells as you coordinate movements. Above all else, it's not strictly serious and we have lots of fun participating," Wendy declared.

The weekly classes consist mostly of beginners, along with a few experienced couples, and Wendy teaches basic and simple routines in order to encourage those who are not confident to get on the dance floor and have a go. The classes include a variety of different styles, such as waltz, social foxtrot, cha cha, rumba and saunter together, although future classes will venture into Argentine tango and bossa nova.

The class numbers vary a lot as the group attracts visitors from countries like the UK, France and Holland who participate while on holiday, but on average, the classes consist of around 15 people. The group is not expecting to present any shows, but Wendy is planning to start an afternoon tea dance, during which, her pupils will be able to show off their newly acquired dancing skills.

"Our classes are held at the Manila Bar each Wednesday between 5pm and 6.30pm. We teach simple dance routines to beginners to get them on the dance floor, and many are often delighted with themselves when they discover that they can dance. Hopefully we also provide something interesting for our more experienced dancers, who also often help the beginners. New dancers are always welcome, although it's useful if ladies can bring along a partner," Wendy concludes.

Although the ballroom classes are free, participants must join the U3A Costa del Sol, which costs ten euros per term.

Those interested in joining the group should contact Wendy by email: wendyglowe@hotmail.com, or see www.u3acostadelsol.wixsite.com/fuengirola
The artist who is rebuilding the Alhambra with origami Juanoto Perez. The teacher and researcher is completing his PhD on the Japanese technique, studying all the great mathematical and geometric detail of this Granada monument

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A Malaga man, born and bred, he studied design, worked as a teacher and later life led him to study fine arts at the age of 39. Then, different circumstances brought him into contact with Japan, where origami is considered to be the starting point of everything. A form of exploration, meditation and art hidden in the folds of paper that take shape in the hands of Juan Antonio Perez, better known in the art world as Juanoto Perez. A cancer diagnosis at 22 and another later on led to some skin burns and shoulder problems: "Until then I was painting, doing photography and many other things. But I lost some mobility in one arm and I was committed to finishing my Master's degree. Thinking about what I could do, I remembered a teacher showing me how to make origami at the age of 10 and I wanted to pick up on making these again, especially the more mathematical and geometric ones," he said.

This was just the beginning of a project that he began in 2015 and in which he is still immersed: his doctoral thesis on the geometry and mathematics of the Alhambra and the 17 types of mosaics that can only be seen together in this monument.

"During my literature review for the thesis I came across Arabic geometry and, as I continued my reading, I discovered that a large part of the Arabic influences that came to Spain were not from northern Africa, rather from a culture originating in Asia. And I began to establish a connection with those influences to the geometry of the Alhambra by experimenting with the shapes and analysing how polygons and stars were created with just four lines... Thus I began to study how these polygons were constructed mathematically and I then applied it to origami," added Perez, who considers himself a self-taught person in mathematics and origami. "Now that I've learned it, I can put my twist on it."

He explains all this in the presence of some of the origami designs that recreate the tile mosaics covering a large part of the Alhambra in Granada.

Together all these polygons conjure up images of the walls of this monument so well known in Andalusian culture, but he creates them as origami.

Ampliar Some details of the origami models made by Juanoto Perez Francis Silva

"When you do the mathematical drawing there are many lines that I can take as folds to give them shape, adapting them to my field of work. This is how the 17 repetitions of these types of mosaics in the Alhambra begin to emerge, which is the only monument to have them all. For now I have 15, I'm missing two," concluded Juanoto Perez, who is coming to the end of his research for his doctoral thesis.

Since his decision to return to origami on that day in 2015, the Alhambra research project isn't the only one keeping Juanoto Perez busy. He recently took part in the second edition of the Japanese cultural week in Malaga by making an armchair upholstered with this paper technique. He's also exhibited in the recent Andalusian Origami event; he worked with the organiser, Olga Grymierski, and participated in several workshops.

"Origami is a passion, you do not calculate how much time you spend on making something, you don't even think about it... In the end this becomes a form of meditation because there's a process to handling the paper, making friends with it, because then it tells you where you can kick off and what you can do," he said.

Paper lamps

As for his day to day work, Perez takes the small mosaic designs from the Alhambra to use in paintings or lamps made from tracing paper. He cannot always use proper origami paper: "It's very difficult to find, but for my work I use everything from thin pieces of card to baking sheets to a kind of tracing paper with which I make the mosaics of the Alhambra, (a type of paper that not even the woman who sells it to me knows its name),"revealed the artist.

Fashion design, graphic design, window dressing, drawing... So many subjects that surround him in his life as a teacher and all with one thing in common: creativity. Always on the lookout for one more project, this artist had, for this year's Japan cultural week, prepared to make a kimono with origami, but his health problems have meant that he has had to delay its completion.

That said, the design he has started is quite delightful. Meanwhile, Juanoto Perez will continue turning the Alhambra into origami. From Al-Andalus to Japan, from art to mathematics, from life to circumstance.
British family issue urgent appeal for sightings of mother last seen in Malaga province Jasmine Dale, who is in her early 70s, is travelling alone through Portugal and Spain in her motorhome bearing a UK registration plate

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The family of Jasmine Dale have appealed to people in Malaga province's Axarquia area and Granada province area to look out for their mother, Jasmine Dale, who is in her early 70s and is travelling alone through Portugal and Spain in her motorhome. She is five feet seven inches tall (approx. 1.7 metres) and has long dark brown hair.

Her children have said that she has not been in touch since Sunday 30 April and they have been unable to make contact with her. The family says that she last posted on Facebook on the evening of Saturday 29 April and her son Paul Dale says, We believe the beach photos [were] taken were somewhere near Playa De Almayate Bajamar (Velez-Malaga).

Her disappearance has been reported to the Spanish police as well as the British consulate and she is now on the European Interpol missing list.

She is driving an Elddis Autoquest 2012, with a UK registration number: PO62CZE. We are unsure of the direction she may be travelling but she claimed she was driving two or three hours a day," her son, Paul Dale said.

They know she left an aire (camping car park) at Playa De Almayate Bajamar at 10.30am on Sunday 30 April and this is the last place she was seen or heard from. The family believes she is heading towards Granada and may have taken the A-356 road through the Axarquia towards Zafarraya.

The family has appealed to anyone in the area to check campsites or camping areas for the vehicle.

Above: the motorhome Jasmine Dale is travelling in; missing person Jasmine Dale. SUR

If you have any information, contact her son Paul on: Paulhdale@gmail.com, Malaga police on Tel: 952 046 200, or the British consulate on: 952 35 23 00.
Harvesters collect fresh tea leaves at a tea land near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

NAIROBI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Kenya is keen to expand its tea export to China in order to boost the sector's revenues, a government official said Friday.

"This year, we expect the volume to increase as more Kenyan orthodox and black teas find their way to China," said Peris Mudida, head of the Tea Directorate at the Agriculture and Food Authority of Kenya, the world's top tea exporter.

Tea contributes about 23 percent of total foreign exchange earnings in Kenya, according to the Tea Directorate. The country produces more than 450 million kg of tea annually, and the industry supports about 5 million people directly and indirectly in the East African country with a population of 53 million.

According to the Tea Industry Committee of the China Association for the Promotion of International Agricultural Cooperation, Kenya exported 1.4 million kg of tea to China in 2022.

Mudida said that Kenya recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a Chinese company that will help enhance the manufacturing capacity of tea factories in the country and expand their access to the global market. "This is of significant importance to the tea industry as Kenya can easily meet China's immediate and future tea requirements," Mudida said. 

Harvesters collect fresh tea leaves at a tea land near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Workers select tea leaves at a tea factory near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

A worker selects tea leaves at a tea factory near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

A worker performs quality testing at a tea factory near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)

Harvesters collect fresh tea leaves at a tea land near Nairobi, the capital of Kenya on May 4, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Guansen)
British woman reported missing by her family found safe and well by French tourist in Spain The worried relatives of Jasmine Dale had launched an urgent appeal and contacted authorities having not heard from her since Sunday 30 April when she was Malaga province

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The missing British woman, Jasmine Dale, has been found alive and well her son, Paul Dale, has confirmed.

He contacted SUR in English at around 7pm on Friday 5 May to say that his mother had "just made contact".

Mr Dale explained that Jasmine, who is in her early '70s and travelling through Portugal and Spain on her own in a motorhome, was heading back towards Portugal after leaving a camping area in the coastal village of Almayate (Velez-Malaga) in Malaga province on Sunday 30 April and had had no signal on her phone.

"A French guy spotted her and showed her that she was all over Spain as missing. She had no clue," he told this newspaper.

The family had launched an urgent appeal on Wednesday 4 May, having not been able to contact Ms Dale since her last Facebook post on the morning of Sunday 30 April at the camping area in Almayate.

Mr Dale said that the family was "so relieved" when they finally heard from her.
Unique chance to unwind by the sea at Civitas Puerto Banus international yoga festival The free event will offer more than 30 outdoor yoga classes as well as meditation sessions, sound baths, live music, healthy food and a craft market

The free event will be held from 26 May until 28 May.

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What better setting to meditate and practice mindfulness than under a warm sun and alongside a still sea on the beautiful Costa del Sol?

Well, you will have that chance and more when Puerto Banus holds its first international yoga festival between 26-28 May.

It will bring together 20 renowned yoga instructors from around Spain and the UK, who will give classes for all levels throughout the free event.

In addition to a variety of more than 30 outdoor yoga sessions, you can participate in meditation sessions, sound baths, enjoy live music, healthy food and a craft market.

About 4,000 participants are expected to join in on the weekend and benefit from the teachings of instructors from Fermin Suarez Yoga School & MIND, and teachers such as Lourdes Vidal, Gabi Mastragostino, Antonio Galan, and Deborah Niccolini, and many others.

Ampliar SUR

The event, which is promoted and sponsored by the port itself along with Fermin Suarez Yoga School & MIND, Turismo Marbella, Zentrity by Naturitas, Smart Yachting and Estelle LYS, is free to attend with prior registration.

Yoga sessions on a yacht are expected to be a hit among participants. With the help of British teacher Estelle LYS and Smart Yachting, Civitas Puerto Banus will offer the unique experience for small groups and a chance to unwind and connect the mind and body while floating out at sea.

During the course of the weekend there will be classes at various times and according to different types of yoga such as hatha, vinyasa and ashtanga.

Renowned figures in the yoga world will give talks and workshops. There will also be live concerts of talas and ragas, which are composed of Hindu rhythms.

With the aim of promoting a healthy lifestyle and commemorating International Yoga Day, which is celebrated every year on 21 June, the first edition of the yoga and meditation masterclass was held at Civitas Puerto Banus last year.

More than 350 people gathered for the experience in the open air at the marina's seawall, where participants enjoyed a relaxing session led by seven experts.

You can register for the free event at the following link: https://bit.ly/3UWNsuz
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NEW DELHI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- At least six people, including three women, were killed and five others injured in India's central state of Madhya Pradesh on Friday when members of a family opened fire on another family over a land dispute, confirmed a local police source to Xinhua over the phone.

The firing incident occurred in Lepa village of Morena district. The two families were having a decade-long dispute over a piece of land, added the cop.

All the dead belonged to the same family. A video of one of the killers using a rifle for firing at the victims went viral in Indian media and on various social media platforms.

The local police have identified the killers, and a hunt has been launched to arrest them, said the police. 
Camillus, N.Y.  A national clothing retailer is planning to move into the former Bed Bath & Beyond space in Fairmount Fair in Camillus.

Old Navy is poised to move into the space, which has been vacant since Bed Bath & Beyond closed its Fairmount Fair location in late 2020. It had been open since 2008.
Yellowstone ending

Yellowstone is ending after five seasons, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kevin Costners final episodes of the hit Paramount series (the second half of season 5) will air starting in November amid reports of a scheduling battle with the Oscar-winning actor, whos in the middle of divorce from his wife of 19 years. However, the Dutton Dynasty will continue as a Yellowstone sequel has been given a straight-to-series order, joining Taylor Sheridans franchise that includes 1883 and 1923. Details have not been announced, but Matthew McConaughey is reportedly in talks for a role and the new show, which THR reports will have Yellowstone in its title and air on the Paramount Network and then be available on Paramount+.

Taylor Swift dating Matty Healy?

Is Taylor Swift dating Matty Healy of The 1975? Billboard reports rumors are flying since Swift split from longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn, including speculation about All Too Well video star Dylan OBrien, F1 driver Fernando Alonso, and actor Bradley Cooper. Shes been friends with Healy for years, even making a surprise appearance at The 1975s January concert in London, and Healy has publicly said hed like to work with Swift on music: Love Taylor Swift. Think shes one of the best songwriters. He also joked: Shes probably sat there watching this, pining for a feature on a 1975 track. Nothings been confirmed, but Swifties are having fun on social media with the possible romance.

New music

TGIF: Weve got a new Syracuse Playlist this month, but if youre hungry for more music, check out Ed Sheerans new album - (Subtract), Wont He Do It from Buffalos Conway the Machine, The Hives first new music in 11 years, Fred Agains Secret Life with Brian Eno, and songs from DaBaby, Lil Baby, Megan Moroney, Bring Me the Horizon, Luke Bryan, Luke Bryan, The Smashing Pumpkins, Flume, grandson and Icona Pop.

MORE BUZZ:

Ed Sheeran didnt plagiarize Marvin Gaye, jury finds ( AP

Drew Barrymore wont host MTV Movie & TV Awards out of WGA solidarity ( RS

Lizzo cancels concert due to illness ( BB

Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 16 trailer: Show returns June 7 ( SF

Brendan Fraser details sons autism diagnosis ( ET

Kool & The Gang to celebrate 60th anniversary with new album ( RS

Post Malone to receive award at Songwriters Hall of Fame gala ( BB

Karl Urban in talks to play Johnny Cage in Mortal Kombat sequel ( SF

Priyanka Chopra says shes recorded songs with Nick Jonas ( ET

Kanye West hires Milo Yiannopoulos to run presidential campaign ( RS

Record Store Day gives indie stores biggest boost in 15 years ( BB

Buzz is a daily roundup of entertainment news about movies, TV, music and celebrities.
Syracuse, N.Y.  Families of two people killed by the same man told him directly about the pain and damage he has done to their families, especially to the children of the two victims.

They talked of children asking why, failing in school and the pain one boy suffers from having to testify in court to what he witnessed.

It was an emotional, tearful and sometimes angry sentencing in court Thursday of Bruce Myles. The families asked the judge to lock him up in prison forever without any chance for parole.

Myles, 41, was convicted of first-degree murder for fatally shooting Shabriah Gainey, 29, and Julian Mansaw, 33, in an apartment on Croly Street in Syracuse in September 2021.

Myles was sentenced to a minimum of 41 1/3 years to life in prison.

Colleen Davis, Mansaws mother, said his 9-year-old son was struggling to understand why his father was killed. He keeps asking why this happened, she said.

Youre supposed to talk things out, not kill people, the boy said in a statement Davis read in court. Im mad.

Davis said Mansaws young daughter has been devastated by the loss of her dad and shes been failing in school. Mansaw used to help her do her homework over the phone almost every night, Davis said. She is now getting grades in the 50s now that her fathers gone.

Jack Glen, Mansaws brother, read a statement from Mansaws daughter saying that she hates thinking about what happened and every time someone at school brings it up she gets sad and uncomfortable.

Both children asked in their statements that Myles receive the strongest penalty for his actions

Shabriah Gaineys sister Taykola Gainey spoke about the struggles her nephew -- who was in the house when the murders happened -- has gone through since the day he woke up to gunshots in his home and found the bodies of his mother and her lover.

Taykola Gainey had to spend months preparing the boy, who is 8 now but was just 6 at the time of the murder, to testify in court, something she said no child should have to be pulled out of school to do.

She told the court that the boy has night terrors and suffers severe PTSD. Her family worked very hard to make sure he did not end up in the foster system but she is struggling to stay afloat taking care of the boy by herself while they both grieve.

Shabriah Gainey's sister Taykola Gainey describes the hardships on the family since her sister's death. Sentencing of Bruce Myles in Onondaga County Court. found guilty of murdering two, Shariah Gainey and Julian Mansaw. May 4, 2023. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

After the families addressed the court, Judge Gordon Cuffy, gave Myles a chance to speak.

Myles maintained his innocence and did not take responsibility or express remorse. That elicited shocked expressions from the large group of family members of both victims.

Im not going to apologize or say I am sorry because I have nothing to be sorry about, Myles said.

He accused Cuffy, the police and the district attorneys office of corruption. He also said that the jury ignored evidence of his innocence.

After Myles spoke, Judge Cuffy began his statements by offering his condolences to both families before addressing Myles.

This is an incredibly selfish and evil crime, shes dead because you were angry, Cuffy said. Shes dead because of your ego, your selfish attitude. It is repulsive, your statement just now was frankly repulsive to me.

Cuffy said the evidence against him in the trial was overwhelming. The jury was shown a video of Myles entering and exiting the apartment complex at the exact time of the murder, he said.

What do you think, people are stupid, Mr. Myles? Cuffy said.

Cuffy said the only innocent people in this case are the victims and their children, who were left traumatized by Myles actions.

Cuffy sentenced Myles to 25 years to life for first-degree murder, 15 years to life for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon and 1 1/3 to 3 years for tampering with evidence. All those sentences will run consecutively for a minimum of 41 1/3 years and a maximum of life in prison.

Family members of Shariah Gainney listen to the judge during the sentencing phase for Bruce Myles in Onondaga County Court. On the left is Gaineys sister Taykola Gainey (left) and Lakiesha Hudson. Myles was found guilty of murdering two, Shariah Gainey and Julian Mansaw. May 34, 2023. Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her at ahayes@syracuse.com.
Syracuse, N.Y.  A Syracuse man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for selling N-Ethylpentylone, the drug known as molly, federal prosecutors said.

Rory R. Williams, 45, admitted to making a $2,500 molly sale in November 2021 outside his home and making sales in in the city of Oswego, according to a news release Friday by the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Northern District of New York

Williams also admitted that $203,204 in cash found in his home were from drug sales, prosecutors said.

Williams told prosecutors he arranged sales with the help of Frederick A. Powers, who also took a guilty plea in federal court.

Molly is a Schedule I controlled substance that produces stimulant-like effects similar to those of methcathinone and methamphetamine, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration. It is commonly abused for its psychoactive effects and has caused fatal overdoses, according to the DEA.

U.S. District Judge David N. Hurd, who sentenced Williams on Thursday, also ordered him to serve a three-year term of supervised release following his sentence.

Staff writer Fernando Alba covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, question or comment? Reach him: Email | Twitter or at 315-690-6950.
Syracuse, N.Y.  The Syracuse Police Department has issued a warrant for a suspect wanted in a murder on Shonnard Street in April, police said.

Alexander Galan, 30, is wanted on charges of second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, said Lt. Matthew Malinowski, a spokesperson for Syracuse police.

Galan is 5 feet, 10 inches and weighs 290 pounds, Malinowski said.

Gregory Dugga Graves, 39, of Syracuse, was shot shortly before 7:30 p.m. April 16 in the 400 block of Shonnard Street, Syracuse police said. He was taken to Upstate University Hospital where he died.

Related article: Syracuse family loses a second loved one to gun violence: Leave the guns alone

Police arrested Miguel A. Cruz, 35, of Clay, and charged him with second-degree murder and second-degree criminal possession for the murder. He was arrested at the Hampton Inn on Route 31 in Clay by SWAT officers and homicide detectives.

Cruz is accused of handing a gun to a person who fired the shots that killed Graves, a Syracuse detective wrote in a criminal complaint filed in Syracuse City Court. The shooter was not identified.

Cruz was captured on multiple cameras in Syracuse, according to the complaint. The video footage and other evidence were enough to show Cruzs complicity in this crime, according to the complaint.

He is being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center jail without bail, according to jail records.

Gregory Dugga Graves is survived by his father, two sons, a daughter and an 11-month-old granddaughter, according to his obituary.

Gregory "Dugga" Graves, 39, of Syracuse, was shot and killed Sunday, April 16, 2023, on Shonnard Street in Syracuse. His family is mourning his death.

Staff writer Rylee Kirk covers breaking news, crime and public safety. Have a tip, story idea, photo, question or comment? Reach her at 315-396-5961, on Twitter @kirk_rylee, or rkirk@syracuse.com.
This story was reported and written by Joyelle Ronan, a student in the Goldring Arts Journalism and Communications program at Syracuse University and an intern for Syracuse Stage.

For playwright Kyle Bass, the thrill of writing comes from seeing his work performed. Unlike a novelist, Bass gets to hear his words inhabited and interpreted while looking over the shoulder of his audience. While that prospect inspires both excitement and fear, he likes the nature of succeeding (or failing) so publicly. His latest play Tender Rain will have its world premiere at Syracuse Stage  where Bass has held several positions and is currently the resident playwright.

While he began his writing career with poetry and fiction, Bass says that a graduate school advisor encouraged him to write for the stage. Relying on diction and dialogue to express the interiority of each role, Basss character-driven stories lend themselves well to performance. Bass has been living with the story of Tender Rain in his head for nearly two decades, since the first draft of his masters thesis was filed in 2004.

A play is a dead letter until its performed. Its a blueprint. Its a map, Bass says. You can learn so much about your play, especially from smart actors, they can teach you a lot about your play that you didnt know and didnt realize.

In the collaborative nature of taking a play from page to stage, there comes a point where Bass must give his work away to be interpreted by the director, actors, and eventually the audience.

Tender Rain tells the story of Milton Millard, a white banker who lives in a small Southern city in the 1950s. Struggling with his marriage, Milton turns to Ruthie Mimms, an older Black woman who has greatly impacted his life. The plays themes of pain, violence, and suffering show how oppression bleeds into domestic lives and intimate relationships.

Bass says he wanted a director who knows how to direct actors and not just move bodies in a space. He began working with the plays director, his friend and frequent collaborator Rodney Hudson, to find the right actors to play Ruthie and Milton. Bass writes in the style of American classics  following characters instead of plot. Because this style isnt being written very much anymore, it can be difficult to cast actors up for the challenge.

Its a lot of work for an actor if they hadnt worked out that muscle, right? I always think what are you? is an easier question to answer than who are you? And thats what Im asking actors to really consider, who are you? Bass says.

Actor Marjorie Johnson, who plays Ruthie Mimms, said working with Bass and Hudson has been a wonderful collaboration because she can bring her own interpretation to the character, drawing from the essences of family members and even herself. For me, Ruthie Mimms is already there, Johnson says. There was nothing about Ruthie that I didnt understand or didnt agree with. So, I just brought myself to Ruthie Mimms. Because I know Ruthie. I felt like I knew her from the minute I read the script.

Ruthie is a strong character who has experienced the world and has endured its cruelties. While she is small, Bass says she is a powerful woman and has not elapsed or been worn down. He says Johnson brings all those qualities, and ones he never imagined. Johnson hopes that these traits will cause people to feel compassion for Ruthie.

Shes a Black woman. But any other ethnicity could feel and understand and relate to the root to Ruthie, said Johnson. My hope is that they will see her heart. See what she has given up in life. How she led her life, and why she did what she does in the play. because theres a lot of things that people might not agree with, Ill say, but I think they would understand.

The opening moment of Tender Rain will instruct the audience on what to expect and how to watch it, Bass says. He hopes that his words will make people feel something, whether that feeling is love or outrage. Given Basss musical background as a pianist, violinist, and flutist, he takes a symphonic approach to writing (he was once told by an advisor that his characters dont speak, they sing). He says that the audience will be able to feel a searching or yearning inspired by symphonies, even if they dont realize it.

Not only do I like to write melodious dialogue, but also the very structures of the play, Ill use the structure of a string quartet, Bass says. Its sort of written in three movements that are marked, you know, Allegro, Adagio, Presto, I know that the audience doesnt know that, but I do. But what the audience does know is that they feel a sort of structural integrity about it all, something. A beginning, a middle, and an end.

Tender Rain written by Kyle Bass and directed by Rodney Hudson opens at Syracuse Stage on Friday, May 5 and runs through May 21. Tickets are available via syracusestage.org.
The challenge of running Syracuses biggest annual street party will pass to a new leader next year.

Janet Higgins is retiring as president of the Syracuse St. Patricks Parade Committee, a post shes held since 2006. Her involvement with the parade dates back to 1982, when she and her husband Ed Higgins helped Channel 9 TV reporter Nancy Duffy launch the first trek through downtown streets.

The new president will be Vince Christian, who has worked with the parade committee many years and currently serves as its vice president. He has also been the chair of the main committees St. Patricks Hunger Project, which raises money and collects food for the Food Bank of Central New York.

Christian will have to live up to the motto that Higgins frequently used to describe her role: As long as everyone is marching in the same direction, Im happy.

The 2024 St. Patricks Parade, to be held on March 16, will be the 42nd, (although the parade was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid.) It always falls on the Saturday before St. Patricks Day itself (March 17), unless March 17 is a Saturday. It runs down Salina Street from Clinton Square to the Marriott Syracuse Downtown hotel near West Onondaga Street.

Notable achievements during Higgins leadership included dealing with a collapsing building on the route, water main breaks and extreme weather, a news release from the parade committee notes. She also oversaw the parades comeback in 2022 after the Covid break.

She was also instrumental in helping the committee become a recognized non-profit and establish the St. Patrick Hunger Project, which was founded by Bill Gooley, John Young and Richie Walsh. The project does much of its work during February and March when food supplies at local agencies are particularly low.

115 1 / 115 Syracuse St. Patrick's Parade 2023 Charlie Miller

Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
By Rachel Silberstein | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  Nearly a year after the first case of mpox was identified in New York, the state Department of Health is launching an ad campaign encouraging eligible New Yorkers to get the two-dose vaccine series to help prevent another outbreak this summer.

Cases of the rare viral condition previously known as monkeypox exploded in May 2022 in the U.S., with New York  particularly New York City  bearing the brunt of the outbreak. About 4,250 cases were identified statewide, including more than 380 in upstate New York and Long Island, according to the most recent data from state and federal health agencies.

Infections have since waned, with the states last reported case occurring in mid-March. But health authorities are concerned that the late spring and summer months could bring a resurgence of the virus among the most impacted populations, which includes men who have sex with men and immunocompromised individuals.

This year, while mpox cases are extremely low in New York, cases continue to be diagnosed here in New York and around the globe and there is still a risk of resurgence, Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. We are taking proactive measures now to encourage those at risk to get fully vaccinated by getting both doses. Taking this measure of protection is a gesture of self-love and love for the communities in which you live.

The virus, which is transmitted by skin-to-skin contact, is rarely fatal, typically presenting as a painful, scarring rash with accompanying flu-like symptoms, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 40 Americans have died from the virus, according to the CDC.

While current figures show mpox cases may have plateaued, the CDCs latest mpox risk assessment warns that without proper vaccination, the risk of a resurgent mpox outbreak in most places is 35 percent. The CDC warns that community outbreaks could be as large as, or larger than, the 2022 outbreak.

New Yorks multimedia vaccination campaign, which began May 1 and will run statewide through midsummer, includes digital ads on websites, social platforms and search engines, as well as posters in stores and throughout communities.

The state has also issued a health advisory to providers across New York regarding mpox cases associated with person-to-person transmission and contacted local health departments to encourage them to sign up for the CDCs vaccine finder tool to maximize accessibility and ensure community members know where to find a nearby vaccine.

While anyone can get mpox, the current outbreak has been associated with sexual contact and has affected certain communities more than others, including those who identify as gay, bisexual, other men who have sex with men and transgender individuals. New York Citys data from May to December 2022 showed that 94 percent of mpox cases involved men, and 64 percent of those infected identified as a member of the LGBTQ community  which has historically faced discrimination and health care disparities around sex and sexuality.

The statewide campaign highlights two themes to raise awareness about the two-dose vaccine. The first It Takes Two campaign includes the tagline two to hug... to tango... two doses to protect yourself from mpox. The second message urges New Yorkers to Know the Skin Youre In since mpox can spread to anyone through close, personal, skin-to-skin contact.

State health officials say the campaign is part of a continued mission to advance programmatic priorities around sexual health and to foster a more affirming and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual health. The campaign materials and advertisements were developed with input and feedback from LGBTQ organizations.

The state Health Department will make available materials and resources developed for the campaign free to partner organizations including LGBTQ+ organizations, local county health departments, health care providers and businesses for distribution.

Last summers shortage of the Jynneos vaccine made it difficult for most vulnerable communities to access the shots. Women and white men made up a disproportionate number of vaccine recipients despite the fact that Black and Hispanic men and transgender individuals were most affected by the outbreak.

A Health Department spokesperson said there is ample supply of the mpox vaccine in New York and anyone who is eligible for a vaccine should be able to receive one.

The Departments AIDS Institute has also distributed $2.8 million in funding to providers to support their efforts to build access to mpox services, including testing, treatment and vaccination.

AIDS Institute Director Joseph Kerwin said, Our partners and community advocates will continue to inform DOHs commitment to equitable vaccine distribution and access to ensure that all New Yorkers have the protection to remain healthy.

The two-dose vaccine series is administered subcutaneously, with each dose given four weeks apart. Individuals are not considered fully vaccinated until two weeks after their second dose. However, people should get the second dose no matter how much time has passed since their first dose.

Data received by the state Department of Health shows that during the 2022 outbreak, 17,190 New Yorkers outside New York City received their first dose of the series, but only 65 percent received their second dose, resulting in more than 6,000 individuals with less than maximum protection. In New York City, between May 19 and December 31, 2022, 102,183 first doses were administered but only 52,374 second doses.

The Department of Health is urging everyone who is eligible or may be at risk of getting mpox to get the Jynneos vaccine now, in preparation for summer travel as well as Pride events and other large gatherings.

Anyone who suspects they may have been exposed to mpox or have been identified as a contact of a suspected or confirmed case of mpox is also urged to get a shot.

Health care providers who would like to request a supply of Jynneos vaccine may reach out to mpox@health.ny.gov for more information.

___

(c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
Syracuse, N.Y.  Syracuse hospitals could get an additional $106 million a year in federal money under a proposed change in a Medicare funding formula.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-New York, said today hospitals across Upstate New York stand to get nearly $1 billion more in annual funding.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is expected to make a final decision on the formula change this summer after reviewing public comments on the proposal.

Schumer said the extra money will be a game changer for short-staffed Upstate hospitals that will be able to hire more nurses, doctors and other employees.

Its going to mean shorter wait times and youll be able to get an appointment more quickly, Schumer said during a news conference. Just about every aspect of health care will improve for Upstate New Yorkers.

Medicare is the federal health insurance program that pays a big share of hospital bills.

The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid recently announced a proposal to adjust the Medicare wage index, which accounts for geographic wage differences in hospital labor costs.

Schumer said Upstate hospitals have long been short-changed by that index. The proposed revision to that formula will correct that disparity, he said.

SUNY Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse is expected to get a $45.6 million increase.

These proposed modifications would materially improve payment rates for services provided to our Medicare patient population, Upstate said in a prepared statement.

Schumers office estimated the change will increase annual Medicare payments to Central New York hospitals by more than $121 million.

Heres a breakdown by hospital:

SUNY Upstate University, Syracuse -- $45.6 million;

St. Josephs, Syracuse -- $37.9 million;

Crouse, Syracuse -- $22.7 million;

Oneida Health, Oneida -- $5.3 million;

Guthrie, Cortland -- $4.9 million;

Auburn Community, Auburn -- $$2.9 million;

Oswego Health, Oswego -- $1.9 million

James T. Mulder covers health. Have a news tip? Contact him at (315) 470-2245 or jmulder@syracuse.com
In late April a man from Dover, in Dutchess County, illegally killed a black bear he claimed attacked his dog. Dutchess County Sheriffs deputies investigating a report of gunfire witnessed the man dragging the bear back to his home.

A New York State Department of Environmental Conservation police officer (ECO) interviewed the man and determined that his story didnt match the physical evidence at the scene. The ECO further concluded that the mans dog had actually attacked the bear, and that the man had followed and shot the bear.

The ECO issued the bear poacher several tickets, including taking bear out of season, illegal take of protected wildlife, and hunting/taking a protected animal without a license. The bear was seized as evidence and donated.

A DEC police officer removed a nuisance raccoon from an Erie County woman's home in April. The raccoon had familiarized itself with the home thanks to a two-way pet door and food provided by the homeowner meant for stray cats.

The following reports are excerpted from DEC

On April 4, an Erie County woman found a raccoon in her house that refused to leave. An ECO arrived, had a look around, and saw that the woman had a small, two-way pet door that not only allowed the raccoon access to her house, but also several stray cats. The ECO determined that the woman was intentionally feeding these animals, including the raccoon. The ECO removed the raccoon and advised the woman of local leash and vermin laws, letting her off with a warning that possessing raccoons is not just unlawful, its also dangerous.

A male red-tailed hawk got hung up in a tight space between two buildings in Westbury on April 5 and was unable to open its wings to escape. Without a way to reach the bird, ECOs contacted the Westbury Fire Department for ladder assistance. Firefighters forced open a sealed basement window, allowing ECOs access into an alley. ECOs captured the hawk and transferred it to a certified rehabilitator who successfully freed the bird three days later.

An ECO captured a Suffolk County swan in April and safely removed a fishing lure stuck in its beak, with no harm to the bird.

A Suffolk County swan got a fishing lure stuck in its beak on April 10. Public safety officers and a volunteer from a wildlife rehabilitation facility were unable to capture the swan using a fishing net. An ECO arrived, put on some waders, grabbed his catchpole, and brought the swan safely to shore, where he removed the hook. The bird was returned to the pond with no obvious ill effects. The ECO also removed additional hooks, bobbers, and fishing line from nearby vegetation. DEC reminds anglers to recover snagged lines and hooks when done fishing.

An ECO patrolling Suffolk County in early April observed someone using a backpack sprayer filled with unknown chemicals. The sprayer wasnt labeled as required by law. The ECO discovered that the person was operating an illegal pesticide business and possessed an unlabeled moss-killing agent and several bags of unlabeled herbicides in the bed of their truck. The ECO issued three tickets to the business owner for operating an unregistered pesticide business, possessing an unlabeled pesticide container, and failure to place warning signs before applying pesticides to a lawn. DEC warns that incorrect use of pesticides can harm public health and the environment.

DEC police and wildlife personnel drag a dead yearling moose that had been fitted with a radio collar out of the woods in the Adirondacks.

On April 6, ECOs helped DEC Wildlife personnel drag a dead yearling moose from a heavily forested area in the Adirondacks. DEC had fitted the moose with a GPS collar in 2022 that recently gave off a signal indicating the animal was dead. The team hiked 500 yards through three feet of snow, strapped the dead moose to a sled, and pulled it back to a snowmobile. The animal was sent to DECs wildlife pathology laboratory in Delmar for a full necropsy.

New York City police called ECOs for back up on April 8 for help in catching a couple of poachers fishing on the beach behind the NYPD firing range in Rodmans Neck. The pair had filled garbage bags with 13 striped bass. ECOs ticketed them for possessing striped bass out of season and failure to release a catch without undue harm, violations which carry a fine of up to $250 and/or up to 15 days in jail per charge upon conviction.

In 2022, DEC police officers investigators responded to more than 25,600 calls and worked on cases that resulted in nearly 13,800 tickets or arrests for violations ranging from deer poaching to solid waste dumping, illegal mining, the black market pet trade, and excessive emissions violations.



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DEC police officer uses hoodie to save bear cubs stranded near Upstate NY railroad tracks - syracuse.com

DEC police rescue two deer that broke through ice on Jamesville Reservoir - syracuse.com

DEC police catch Central New York deer poachers, safeguard sunbathing seal - newyorkupstate.com

DEC would like to know who misplaced 14-foot python found on New York roadside - syracuse.com

DEC police bust Upstate NY poacher, rescue two raptors and an opossum - syracuse.com

Steve Featherstone covers the outdoors for The Post-Standard, syracuse.com and NYUP.com. Contact him at sfeatherstone@syracuse.com or on Twitter @featheroutdoors. You can also follow along with all of our outdoors content at newyorkupstate.com/outdoors/ or follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/upstatenyoutdoors.
HANOI, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will need to increase infrastructure spending if it is to succeed in ramping up the transition to net zero, the Vietnam News has reported.

As Vietnam is set to achieve its ambitious goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, at least 60 percent of the country's infrastructure will need significant developments in the coming years, according to the auditing firm PwC.

The Vietnamese government has taken active measures to promote investments in green facilities to support the rapid uptake of electric vehicles, renewable energy and shift away from fossil fuels, said Dang Huy Dong, head of the Planning and Development Institute.

The country is taking the lead in Asia, spending a total of 5.7 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) on infrastructure, he added.

Infrastructure system, providing all services from power, clean water, transportation, waste treatment to digital connectivity, has been featured as a key factor in Vietnam's master plan for the period of 2021 to 2030 with a vision to 2050, Dong said.

Infrastructure developments will also open up more opportunities for stakeholders and investors in the green sector, said Edward Clayton, partner at Capital Projects & Infrastructure, PwC Vietnam.

Since addressing energy transformation challenges will require strong state orchestration, at least during the development of strategic infrastructure, said PwC experts.

One of the challenges involves the lack of experience and finance in local authorities, which has proved to be a big setback to high-quality infrastructure projects, said Adrian Box, a PwC expert on integrated infrastructure.

He underlined Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as an effective mechanism to deal with the challenge thanks to its split of risks between public and private sectors.

According to a report by the International Finance Corporation, Vietnam will need 368 billion U.S. dollars or 6.8 percent of the GDP per year, through 2040 to tackle climate change.

The transition to net zero and the new energy landscape require a collective response from the government and the private sector, said the PwC. 
By Joshua Solomon | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  State Attorney General Letitia James is pressing the Legislature to adopt what she contends would be nation-leading regulations governing the cryptocurrency industry, which are intended to increase transparency and protect investors.

Rampant fraud and dysfunction have become the hallmarks of cryptocurrency and it is time to bring law and order to the multi-billion-dollar industry, James said in a statement. New York investors should have the peace of mind that there are safeguards in place to protect them and their money.

James is set to release proposed legislation for the consideration of state lawmakers before the end of their legislative session next month. It is the latest pitch to the Legislature in a series of regulatory goals by the Brooklyn Democrat, who was reelected to a four-year term in November.

The legislation is intended to reduce potential conflicts of interest, require public reporting of financial statements and improve protections for investors in the crypto industry, according to James office.

James cryptocurrency legislation sets the standard for all U.S. states and territories on how to regulate the fledgling cryptocurrency industry, said John Stark, a consultant who was the former chief of the federal Securities and Exchanges Commissions Office of Internet Enforcement.

The proposal would allow for both the attorney generals office and the states Department of Financial Services to have broader authority in regulation of the crypto field. It could include granting the attorney general the ability to issue subpoenas, issue civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation by individual or $100,000 by firm.

As recent events demonstrate, unregulated actors will exploit consumers and investors in their quest for outsized profits, damaging the market for those who seek to comply with the rules, said Maria T. Vullo, former Superintendent of the state Department of Financial Services and former executive deputy attorney general for economic justice.

The CRPTO Act, which seeks regulation, protection, transparency and oversight, is looking to ensure the crypto business provides similar information that those in the rest of the financial marketplace are required to provide. It could also prohibit brokers from borrowing or lending customer assets.

It would also seek to require crypto companies to public audited financial statements and provide investors with disclosures on potential conflicts of interest. It also would prevent companies from using stablecoin to describe their assets unless it is evenly backed by U.S. currency or other high-quality liquid assets.

The crypto industry has been in the crosshairs of state policy in recent years. The fights typically pit crypto companies against environmental advocates. James has also recently found her office at odds with the industry and has filed multiple lawsuits against crypto companies.

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(c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
By Raga Justin | Times Union, Albany

Albany, N.Y.  New York is poised to vastly expand the use of body scanning devices in its correctional facilities through a measure included in the state budget that was adopted this week.

Under the retooled regulations, state employees working at correctional facilities could be subject to body scanning as well as anyone who is visiting an inmate or those who are in custody.

The move comes as prison and jail staff members say they are contending with an increase in contraband and violence in the facilities. The smuggling of contraband into correctional facilities by visitors and employees has remained a security problem for years.

The new security measures also are intended to reduce more invasive searches, including body cavity searches. Body scanners are able to detect the presence of concealed items without having to remove clothing.

Use of body scanning has been permitted in local correctional facilities since at least 2018. During a February budget hearing, state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision acting Commissioner Anthony J. Annucci told lawmakers an estimated 14 jurisdictions, plus the Rikers Island jail complex in New York City, have the technology on-site.

But use of the technology in prisons and jails has been controversial. Some health authorities have floated concerns that the radiation from the machines could endanger inmates, especially those who are pregnant without knowing it.

The machines will utilize ionizing radiation in low doses, according to state regulations. But that radiation, even in small doses, has been linked to higher risks of cancer and other adverse health effects, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Jennifer Scaife, the executive director of the Correctional Association of New York, also pointed to potential privacy issues with the scanning technology, especially in facilities housing women. DOCCS may have to adopt regulations on how anatomical scans are logged, Scaife said.

Scaife also said that while the technology is a good idea in theory, she is concerned that it is a response to a symptom of a deeper problem. Scaife pointed to other underlying factors such as a culture of hostility, inadequate mental health care and excessive idle time as potential drivers of violence.

The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, which represents thousands of corrections officers, applauded the measure, calling it necessary to crack down on what officials call an epidemic of violence across correctional facilities in the wake of the pandemic.

A spokesman said the union is aware and supportive of the budget language that included employees as a group of people subject to possible screening.

The safety and well-being of everyone who works or resides in a New York state prison is NYSCOPBAs top priority, union President Michael Powers said in a statement. Utilizing enhanced security measures like this ... will assist us in our efforts to reduce dangerous contraband from entering our facilities and in turn reduce violence.

Correctional staff have tied the presence of contraband, particularly illicit drugs, to incidents of violence between inmates and staff.

Scaife pushed back against that link and said she has not yet seen a targeted analysis from state officials that demonstrates how contraband like drugs as opposed to weapons drives violent incidents.

Im in favor of body scanners, but Im also in favor of greater transparency, Scaife said.

Body scanning technology is used to produce an anatomical image capable of detecting objects placed on, attached to or secreted within a persons body, according to state regulations that offer some guardrails against overexposure to radiation.

Current public health law mandates that facilities continually inspect body scanning machines, keep records on how many times contraband items are found and provide inmates with details on how much radiation they were exposed to.

During the February budget hearing, Annucci said the agency will acquire about 80 body scanners, which he estimated will cost $13 million  funds the state already has available, he said. The Department of Corrections and Community Supervision manages 44 correctional facilities with around 26,000 employees.

According to the new changes, anyone can refuse a body scan for reasons including medical concerns. The law bars any harassment, intimidation or disciplinary action for refusing a body scan and choosing an alternative method.

The budget directs DOCCS to regulate the rollout of the technology across the state and mandates that an employees request to be searched by an alternative method of screening in lieu of body scanning cannot be grounds for any disciplinary action.

Currently, correctional facilities employ methods like strip searches and frisking, as well as metal detectors, to detect contraband items.

Prisons had been free to install scanners until 2015, when officials vetoed use of the technology because of a narrowly worded state statute, according to an Associated Press report at the time. Concerns were also floated about the health risks posed by the radiation.

But three years later, lawmakers and former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo were persuaded that the technology was needed, following multiple reports of inmate slashing incidents using hidden ceramic blades and other weapons that had been smuggled into facilities. Cuomo signed legislation in 2018 that resuscitated the use of body scanning.

The state has already instituted a program that reduces contraband by using outside vendors to send care packages directly to prisons instead of being dropped off by family or mailed to the facilities.

___

(c)2023 the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.)

Visit the Times Union (Albany, N.Y.) at www.timesunion.com
A New York State mother spent $3,000 recently to announce her daughter was going to the University of Alabama.

The story was recounted in The Wall Street Journal, which documented bed parties, an event situated largely among would-be college students in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The practice began during COVID-19, when students would announce their college admission with a photograph of a bed, piled in the swag of their favorite school. And like gender reveals and baby showers, the practice has become more elaborate over time.

The parties can be either a surprise, or directed by the student, complete with registries.

As Romi Tenembaum, of Plainview, N.Y., told the paper, she laughed when she first heard of the practice. But when her daughter, Isabella Alstodt, 17, was accepted last fall to the University of Alabama, she shelled out nearly $3,000 for party gear.

Included in that price tag was an inflatable queen-size bed for the partys more than 20 invited guests. There were red-and-silver streamers, a custom Alabama banner, and balloons spelling Bama.

About 80 friends showed up for the party, bringing their own Crimson Tide articles.

Isabella even prepared a 22-page Google slideshow listing specific gifts and consulted online to get the right look for her bed party, according to the paper.

According to the University of Alabamas website, total direct and indirect costs for the 2022-23 year associated with one year on campus total $53,364.

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NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trumps lawyers have asked a federal court to take control of his New York City criminal case. They argued Thursday that the former president cant be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office.

In court papers, Trumps lawyers said the criminal case involves important federal questions, including alleged violations of federal election law. Federal officers, including former presidents, have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from conduct performed while in office, the lawyers argued.

Echoing Trumps claims that his indictment is politically motivated, lawyer Susan Necheles urged the federal court to exert its protective jurisdiction and seize the case from the state courts where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg routinely practices.

Such requests are rarely granted in criminal cases, although Trumps request is unprecedented because hes the first former president ever charged with a crime.

This effort is extremely unlikely to succeed, said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School. Its not even clear that this would be a particularly effective delay tactic.

Moving the case could give Trump some advantages, such as a broader, more politically diverse jury pool  but the fundamentals of the case would remain largely intact.

The Manhattan district attorneys office would still prosecute him and state law would still apply, but with the oversight of a federal judge, said University of Iowa law professor Derek Muller.

Its essentially just a change in courthouses, Muller said.

Trumps attorney, Todd Blanche, first raised the prospect of moving the case to federal court during a state court hearing Thursday where a judge indicated hed put limits on Trumps access to certain evidence, as prosecutors requested.

But Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said he wouldnt issue a gag order or bar Trump from speaking publicly about the case.

Trumps lawyers faced a Thursday deadline to file paperwork seeking to move the case  30 days after the April 4 state court arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A federal judge will now weigh whether to grant the request. While that plays out, the case will proceed in state court and all pretrial deadlines will remain in effect.

It is possible to remove a state prosecution to federal court but the reasons for doing so are narrow and none seem to apply in this case, Roiphe, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said.

Prosecutors didnt address the request during Thursdays hearing. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office issued a statement saying it was reviewing the request to transfer the case and would file an appropriate response with the court.

The criminal charges are related to payments Trumps company made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say those payments, most of which took place in 2017, while Trump was president, were intended to reimburse and compensate Cohen for orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously investigated and only charged one person: Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the hush money payments. Cohen is a key witness in the state case against Trump.

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

Earlier in the hearing Thursday, the judge sought to broker a compromise between Trumps lawyers and prosecutors, who raised concerns that he would use evidence obtained in the pretrial discovery process to attack witnesses and other people involved in the case, as he has in the past.

Merchan, a target of Trumps social media ire in the wake of his indictment, did not rule on the prosecutions request for whats known as a protective order. But he suggested he wants to balance the sanctity of the case, the safety of people involved, and Trumps free speech rights.

The judge said Trumps fame and megaphone make him different from other criminal defendants, but with that comes responsibility that his words, especially when used in the form of rhetoric, can have consequences.

Blanche said Trump wasnt seeking to put evidence on social media nor was he objecting to a prosecution request, based in part on safety concerns, to keep identifying information about district attorneys office employees secret until the trial starts.

Once he rules, Merchan said, he will hold a hybrid conference  lawyers in court, Trump appearing by video  where he will apprise him of the dos and donts of his impending order.

Merchan asked the defense and prosecution to agree on a trial date in February or March 2024. Barring removal to federal court, that could land Trump, whos making a comeback run for the White House, in court during next years primaries.

William Dow III, a Connecticut attorney for more than 50 years, said hed never heard of a state criminal case being removed to federal court. He said such moves are a delaying ploy.

Sometimes people who want to run away from their problems take any avenue thats available, whether its accurate or not. I think this (Trumps case) is subject to that interpretation, said Dow, whose clients have included former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland in a political corruption case that forced him to resign in 2004.
WASHINGTON (AP)  A Republican megadonor paid two years of private school tuition for a child raised by Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, who did not disclose the payments, a lawyer who has represented Thomas and his wife acknowledged Thursday.

The revelation of tuition payments made by Dallas billionaire Harlan Crow is the latest example of Crows generosity to Thomas and his family that has raised questions about Thomas ethics and disclosure requirements more generally. The payments, along with the earlier examples of Crows financial ties to Thomas, were first reported by the nonprofit investigative journalism site ProPublica.

ProPublica reported Thursday that Crow paid tuition for Thomas great-nephew Mark Martin. Thomas and his wife, Virginia, raised Martin from the age of 6.

Over the past month, ProPublica has reported in other stories about luxury vacations paid for by Crow that the conservative justice took as well as Crows purchase of property from the Thomas family, neither of which were disclosed. Democrats have used the revelations to call for stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and the Democrat-controlled Senate held a hearing on ethics issues this week. Republicans have defended Thomas.

According to the ProPublica story, Crow paid tuition for Martin at a military boarding school in Virginia, Randolph-Macon Academy, as well as Hidden Lake Academy in Georgia.

ProPublica said Thomas did not respond to questions. Crows office responded in a statement to questions but did not address a question about how much he paid in total for Martins tuition. He did say that Thomas had not requested the support for either school, ProPublica reported.

A Supreme Court spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press about whether Thomas would have any response to the story. On Twitter, however, lawyer Mark Paoletta defended Thomas in an extended statement. Paoletta, a longtime friend of Thomas, called the story another attempt to manufacture a scandal about Justice Thomas.

Paoletta said in his statement that Crow had recommended that Thomas consider Randolph-Macon Academy, which Crow had attended, and had offered to pay for Martins first year there in 2006, a payment that went directly to the school. When the school recommended Martin spend a year at Hidden Lake Academy, Crow offered again to pay for that year, a payment that also went directly to the school, Paoletta said.

In response to the story, lawmakers in Congress were again divided by party.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., who once clerked for Chief Justice John Roberts, said it was just the latest installment of the lefts multi-decade campaign to target Justice Thomas.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said in a statement that with every new revelation in this case, it becomes clearer that Harlan Crow has been subsidizing an extravagant lifestyle that Thomas could not otherwise afford.

This is a foul breach of ethics standards, which are already far too low when it comes to the Supreme Court, Wyden said.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, urged Roberts to take note.

I hope that Chief Justice Roberts reads this story this morning and understands something has to be done, Durbin said. The reputation of the Supreme Court is at stake here, the credibility of the court when it comes to its future decisions is at stake.
BELGRADE, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Serbia will implement strict measures to improve general safety and regain the feeling of security after the country saw two shootings, which left 17 dead and over 20 wounded in just 48 hours, the country's President Aleksandar Vucic said at an extraordinary press conference here on Friday.

Accompanied by the members of the government, including Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Vucic announced increased police presence in the streets and in schools across the country, and stricter procedures related to gun ownership.

"The attack last night was a terrorist attack in which our special counter-terrorist units had the task to arrest or neutralize the terrorist. The villain was arrested, and he will not see the light of day again," Vucic said.

Vucic explained that the killer had been located thanks to a kidnapped taxi driver, who gave out his location, and that upon surrendering, the perpetrator briefly explained that he had committed the act because he felt "disregarded."

"This is an attack on the whole of our country, and each citizen feels this," Vucic said.

The armed 21-year-old attacker, who killed 8 and injured 14 people in the villages of Sepsin, Malo Orasje and Dubona on Thursday night, was arrested after a comprehensive search on Friday morning, the police said.

This was the second such incident to occur in Serbia this week. On Wednesday, a 13-year-old boy killed 8 students and a security guard and wounded 7 others in an elementary school shooting in Belgrade.

Vucic said that the police should hire more people and that they should spend more time in schools. He also called for a revision of the existing private gun permits and for a crackdown on illegal arms. He announced a moratorium on all gun permits and said that the police will beef up patrols in the streets in the upcoming weeks to help the public regain the feeling of security.

The survivors of the two shootings are still recovering under medical care. Some of them are listed in critical condition. 
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A hot potato: In news that really illustrates the age we're living in, Amnesty International has been criticized for posting AI-generated images of human rights abuses that took place during the 2021 protests in Colombia.

To commemorate the 2nd anniversary of the protests against tax rises imposed by the Colombian government during the height of Covid-19, the international human rights advocacy group posted images on Twitter of incidents that appear to have taken place at the time, including one of the Colombian police leading away a protestor that was captioned, "Why the Colombian police need comprehensive reform."

But the image contains plenty of tell-tale signs that an AI created it, the most obvious being the people's faces, which have the strange, distorted look that AIs tend to spit out. The Guardian notes that the Colombian flag carried by the protestor has the colors in the wrong order, too, and the police uniform is outdated.

Amnesty did include text in the tweet stating that an AI generated the images. The organization said that while it had used actual photographs of the protests in previous reports, it chose to use AI-generated images in this instance to protect the protestors' identities. A spokesperson said some of the protestors were still being targeted for prosecution by Colombian authorities over their involvement.

"The intention was for this artwork to serve as a symbolic example that highlights the fear that many of the victims still feel about publicly denouncing the repression they suffered," said the spokesperson.

Despite the good intentions behind the post, and the included note stating that a machine created them, Amnesty International has removed the images as it doesn't "want the criticism for the use of AI-generated images to distract from the core message in support of the victims and their calls for justice in Colombia," said Erika Guevara Rosas, director for Americas at Amnesty. "But we do take the criticism seriously and want to continue the engagement to ensure we understand better the implications and our role to address the ethical dilemmas posed by the use of such technology."

Juancho Torres, a photojournalist based in Bogota, said the use of the AI images in this way was an insult to all photojournalists who put themselves in danger to cover protests.

Using AI-generated images remains controversial, even when companies don't try to hide it. Prime Matter, the publisher behind the upcoming System Shock remake, received a slew of criticism for using Midjourney to create an image of game antagonist Shodan in a tweet. Many responses complained that using an AI to generate an image takes jobs away from real artists, and most of what is generated is plagiarized from others' work.
STOCKHOLM, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Under new rules proposed by the Swedish government, job seekers from non-European Union (EU) countries will need to secure a higher minimum wage than before if they wish to obtain a work permit in the country, according to the government on Thursday.

The government, together with the support party, the Sweden Democrats, has a majority in parliament. If passed, the proposal will more than double the required sum from 13,000 kronor (1,269 U.S. dollars) to 26,560 kronor a month.

"The (proposal) aims to reduce fraud and exploitation linked to work-related immigration, while making it easier for more people who are already in Sweden to take the jobs that are available," Minister for Migration Maria Malmer Stenergard told a press conference on Thursday.

The proposal is expected to mostly affect companies in the service sectors such as restaurants, cleaners and providers of domestic services.

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise has criticized the proposal, saying that many sectors which now have wages below the proposed threshold will have problems filling vacancies.

"No one is better placed to determine who needs to come here than the companies themselves," the confederation's Deputy Director General Karin Johansson told the newspaper Dagens Nyheter (DN).

Work-related immigration is a sign that the labor force needed by companies is not available in the country, Johansson said.

While the proposal is expected to lower the influx of unskilled laborers, it will not affect the recruitment of skilled job seekers, the government said.

Last year, the Swedish Migration Agency approved some 24,000 work permit applications, while in the first four months of this year, the corresponding number was 11,300, according to the latest data published by the agency.

The government said it expects the new rule to be in effect from October. (1 Swedish krona = 0.097 U.S. dollars) 
In context: The recently approved EU Chips Act should provide a lot of money for companies willing to invest and create new development opportunities in the Old Continent. These firms likely include TSMC, which is seemingly already in talks with Europe's largest economy to build a new chip manufacturing fab.

Working together with NXP Semiconductor, Bosch, and Infineon, TSMC is planning a new chip fab to be built in the Free State of Saxony, one of the sixteen regions of the Federal Republic of Germany. The initial budget for the new venture would be "at least" 7 billion, while the overall investment would likely be closer to 10 billion.

According to unnamed sources familiar with the matter, the Taiwanese chip foundry is still talking with its potential partners, the German government, and local authorities, and final plans could be subject to change. The new facility could be approved as soon as August, the sources said, and it would be TSMC's first manufacturing plant built in Europe.

In recent years, TSMC said it was considering building a chip plant in Germany, and that it was in "advanced talks" with local authorities about the all-important funding matter. The EU Chips Act, which will invest 43 billion to boost Europe's semiconductor industry, likely was a convincing motivation to push these talks further.

The new German plant would be employed to make 28-nanometer chips, while TSMC is still keeping cutting-edge manufacturing processes at home, in Taiwan. For the already approved facility being built in Arizona, the corporation is planning to produce 4nm semiconductors in 2024 before adopting an even more advanced node (3nm) at a later date.

Any new funding for chip manufacturing plants in Germany would need official approval from European authorities, while TSMC and the other companies are seemingly trying to squeeze more money from public officials. In Japan, TSMC is investing $8.6 billion in a new chip plant, and half of that sum will come directly from Tokyo's government.

The Taiwanese giant isn't the only chip manufacturer interested in building new plants in Germany, as Infineon is spending an additional 5 billion for a manufacturing fab in Dresden. The Saxon city already hosts production facilities for GlobalFoundries and Bosch. Meanwhile, Intel has delayed the start of a major manufacturing project in Germany while asking for more funds.
The big picture: Developing an alternative to Nvidia's powerful GPUs is a massive undertaking, and companies with deep pockets like Microsoft are more likely to succeed in doing so. The Redmond company arguably needs to go that route as its AI ambitions are growing faster than the supply of data center GPUs.

Earlier this week, we learned that Microsoft might be interested in following the Apple recipe of developing custom silicon for its ambitions. However, this shouldn't surprise anyone watching the tech industry, as pretty much all tech giants are working on their own chips. Facebook, Amazon, Google, Baidu, and others are especially interested in server chips to become less reliant on off-the-shelf hardware and reduce the total cost of ownership for their data centers.

In Microsoft's case, these ambitions started small  the company needed to make aspirational devices for Windows on Arm, so it forged an exclusive partnership with Qualcomm to fine-tune Snapdragon chipsets for Surface PCs. Last year, this collaboration expanded to include purpose-built chips for augmented and virtual reality glasses. By that point, Microsoft had already developed some expertise in creating low-power digital signal processors that aggregate data from various gesture and environment sensors in HoloLens headsets.

A new report from Bloomberg claims the Redmond giant has enlisted the help of AMD to build AI chips. The publication cites internal sources with knowledge of the "Athena" project and the strategy behind it. Microsoft is said to be providing AMD with engineering resources to spearhead the development of specialized hardware for AI training and inference. In turn, this would help the latter company gain a foothold in a market almost completely dominated by Nvidia.

While Microsoft has acknowledged the existence of the Athena project, they say AMD isn't involved in it. This doesn't exclude the possibility the two companies may be working on custom AI accelerators based on AMD's MI300 APUs.

The new partnership is supposedly born of a need to quickly scale up infrastructure for generative AI models, which require vast amounts of computing power. To put things in perspective, the processing power needed to train and run artificial intelligence systems has increased exponentially in recent years. Microsoft and AMD need around $700,000 per day just to run the popular ChatGPT service that is now part of almost every news cycle.

It's quite common for AI startups to spend over 80 percent of the capital they raise on compute costs alone, as the highly sought-after Nvidia A100 and H100 GPUs they typically use cost between $10,000 to $40,000 apiece. This is why Nvidia's annual data center revenue reached the $13 billion mark last year. For reference, AI-specific companies like SambaNova Systems, Cerebras, and Graphcore made $5.1 billion, $4 billion, and $2.8 billion, respectively in 2022.

Now read: The tech world has a new obsession with AI

In partnering with Microsoft, AMD could have a real chance at cashing in on the AI craze. After all, the two companies already have a strong partnership that saw the latter's Pensando Data Processing Units get deployed into the former's Azure cloud.

During a recent investor call, AMD CEO Lisa Su mentioned the company's data center segment saw a drop in operating income during Q1 2023 primarily due to "increased R&D investments to address large opportunities ahead of us." This is likely related to the company's upcoming Bergamo silicon, but Su explained the company has also created a new AI group from teams that were scattered across various divisions. She pointed to generative AIs as AMD's number one strategic priority and an area where the Xilinx acquisition and the "very capable semi-custom team" can bring a lot to the table.

The Redmond company has reportedly spent $2 billion on its chip efforts and currently employs around 1,000 engineers in the Microsoft Silicon team. Microsoft also poached high-profile Apple chip architect Mike Fillipo and put Rani Borkar  a former Intel executive  in charge of the group. It will be interesting to see the capabilities of the Athena silicon, but the first version is expected to be ready in 2024 at the earliest.
Senior officials from the White House and Vice President Kamala Harris met with CEOs of four leading tech companies to discuss the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI), according to an official readout.

This comes at the height of OpenAI's viral chatbot ChatGPT, attracting millions of users around the world with its ability to generate human-like responses to various prompts.

However, this has also caused concerns in various fields, particularly on how it could impact jobs, security, privacy, and many more.

3 Key Areas

The meeting included a discussion of three key areas that need to be addressed to ensure AI's benefits are realized while mitigating the potential risks to society, individuals, and national security.

President Biden joined the meeting to emphasize the responsibility of companies to ensure that their products are safe and secure before they are made public.

The administration stressed the significance of these companies' leadership in setting an example of responsible behavior and taking measures to establish safeguards that ensure the safety and rights of individuals.

The three key areas discussed during the meeting were transparency, the ability to evaluate and verify the safety, security, and efficacy of AI systems, and the need for AI systems to be safe from malicious actors and attacks.

Both the officials and CEOs concurred that there is a necessity for further efforts to create appropriate safeguards and protections for this emerging technology.

The CEOs made a commitment to collaborate with the administration to ensure that the American people can benefit from AI innovation while their safety and rights are protected. This meeting was part of the administration's ongoing efforts to engage with stakeholders on important AI issues.

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Proposed Regulations for AI

The White House also issued a statement outlining additional actions aimed at promoting responsible innovation and risk mitigation in AI. These actions include the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, executive actions, the AI Risk Management Framework, and a plan to establish a National AI Research Resource.

The meeting reflected the Biden-Harris administration's commitment to promoting responsible innovation and mitigating the risks associated with AI. The administration sees the potential for AI to drive economic growth and improve the lives of Americans but recognizes that this potential must be balanced against the risks to individuals, society, and national security.

"As I shared today with CEOs of companies at the forefront of American AI innovation, the private sector has an ethical, moral, and legal responsibility to ensure the safety and security of their products," VP Harris said in an official statement.



"And every company must comply with existing laws to protect the American people. I look forward to the follow through and follow up in the weeks to come."

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The world's smallest LED developed by researchers in Singapore has paved the way for converting existing mobile phone cameras into high-resolution microscopes.

Smaller than the Wavelength of Light

A new type of LED, which is smaller than the wavelength of light, has been utilized to construct the world's tiniest holographic microscope. The silicon chip and software in conventional cameras have been modified to create microscopes.



Moreover, the scientists have devised a pioneering neural networking algorithm that rebuilds objects scanned by the holographic microscope. This innovation makes it feasible to inspect microscopic items like cells and bacteria without the need for cumbersome conventional microscopes or supplementary optics.



The researchers made a new tiny LED that is very bright and has the smallest light emission area ever seen for silicon LEDs. They used this LED to build a tiny microscope that does not need a lens or pinhole, called a lensless holographic microscope.



The conventional method of computational reconstruction relies heavily on a precise understanding of the experiment setup for accurate results, which is susceptible to optical aberrations, noise, and the twin-image issue.

To overcome these issues, the researchers created a deep neural network architecture that enhances image reconstruction quality.



This new deep neural network does not need training data, unlike conventional methods. It includes a physics model within the algorithm, providing an increase in contrast through total variation regularization, and takes into account the wide spectral bandwidth of the source.

The researchers showed that the untrained neural network can be used to work with new light sources, even if the spectrum or beam profile is not known beforehand. They achieved this by using the novel and smallest known Si LED fabricated via a fully commercial, unmodified bulk CMOS microelectronics.

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Next-gen On-chip Imaging Systems

The researchers see potential for applying the combination of CMOS micro-LEDs and the neural network to other computational imaging applications, such as compact microscopes for live-cell tracking or spectroscopic imaging of living plant tissues.

Moreover, the study demonstrates the potential for developing next-generation on-chip imaging systems.



Various applications, such as particle tracking, environmental monitoring, biological sample imaging, and metrology, have already utilized in-line holography microscopes. In the future, it could be feasible to array these LEDs in CMOS for the creation of programmable coherent illumination, which could further enhance the complexity of systems, according to the team.

"Our breakthrough represents a proof of concept that could be hugely impactful for numerous applications requiring the use of micro-LEDs," Iksung Kang, lead author and research assistant at MIT, said in a statement.



"For instance, this LED could be combined into an array for higher levels of illumination needed for larger-scale applications. In addition, due to the low cost and scalability of microelectronics CMOS processes, this can be done without increasing the system's complexity, cost, or form factor."

The findings of the team were published in the journal Nature Communications.

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The MQ-9 "Reaper" drone operated on a regular highway for the first time.

Does this mean that U.S. residents will soon see this advanced defense UAV on automobile highways?

The U.S. Air Force conducted this activity as a part of its Exercise Agile Chariot event, which happened from Apr. 30 until May 2. Now, here's what happened during the MQ-9 drone exercise.

MQ-9 Reaper Drone Operates on Regular Highway for the First Time!

According to Interesting Engineering's latest report, an MQ-9 Reaper drone landed, re-armed, and re-fueled on a common highway for cars.

Also Read: US Army Grants Operational Capability to Northrop Grumman's Integrated Battle Command System

The U.S. Air Force conducted the activity on Highway 287; a north-south U.S. highway spanning over 1,700 miles long.

Highway 287 is considered to be the 2nd longest three-digit U.S. Route, serving as a major truck highway.

The U.S. Department of Defense described the latest Air Force activity as an "organic, entirely air-delivered, run-way independent operation.

"When you get the right people, at the right time, in the right place, you can accomplish impressive feats," said Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, an AFSOC commander, via The Drive.

Why MQ-9 Drone Operation is Big Deal?

The Exercise Agile Chariot event was conducted to see of U.S. defense aircraft models can operated in areas without runways or airfields.

The MQ-9 drone is not the only aircraft that was used during the event. An MC-130J Commando II and two A-10C Thunderbolt II attack jets were also included.

Some MH-6M Little Bird helicopters also participated in the Exercise Agile Chariot event.

But, the MQ-9 drone operation is the most notable one. Lt. Col. David Payne, 2nd Special Operations Squadron Commander, said that the achievement shows that the drone can expand its reach to protect U.S. residents.

If you want to see the actual photos of the latest Exercise Agile Chariot mission, you can click this link.

In other news, the new military satellites of Northrop Grumman are expected to revolutionize U.S. defense communications.

We also reported about the first drone boat of the U.S. Navy, which was recently deployed via the Strait of Hormuz.

For more news updates about defense, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: F-16 Drones as Robotic Wingmen to Pilots? This is What Project VENOM Aims to Achieve

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Tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist Vinod Khosla has suggested that Elon Musk's warnings about the dangers of artificial intelligence (AI) may be a strategy to catch up with rival companies in the AI race.

Khosla shared his thoughts with Bloomberg, stating that Musk's calls to slow down AI development could be a ploy to give himself an edge in the field.

Musk Joins Call to Halt AI Development

In March of this year, Musk joined over 1,000 individuals who signed an open letter that cautioned about the uncontrollable competition between AI companies, calling for a six-month hiatus on further advancements.

Recently, Musk backed up Geoffrey Hinton, popularly referred to as the "Godfather of AI," when he expressed remorse about the creation of AI that might endanger humanity.

However, Khosla believes that Musk's warnings about AI may be a strategic move to keep up with other AI firms. "Elon is behind," he said. "I 80% suspect his call to slow down AI development was so he could catch up."

It must be noted that in 2015, Musk co-founded OpenAI with a group of investors and researchers, including Sam Altman and Greg Brockman. The organization aimed to develop safe AI and ensure its benefits were shared among everyone.

However, in 2018, Musk resigned from OpenAI's board due to conflicts with the team. He expressed concerns that the company's research could be monopolized by powerful companies, including Google, and that it could contribute to the development of dangerous AI.

Since then, Musk has been focused on developing AI at his other companies, including Tesla and Neuralink. According to reports, Musk was concerned that OpenAI was lagging behind Google in the race for new AI advancements. He believed that his chance of achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI) would be greater at Tesla.

But now, Musk is focused on growing his AI businesses and developing a ChatGPT alternative. His prospective competitor to ChatGPT would be named "TruthGPT."

Read Also: Elon Musk: Tesla Full Autonomy Promised for 2023, Again-Is He Referring to Level 4/5 Autonomy?

All About TruthGPT

In an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Musk claimed that ChatGPT exhibits a liberal bias and that his alternative would be a "maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe."

Musk has recently introduced a new venture called X.AI Corp and lists himself as its director, with his longtime adviser Jared Birchall as the secretary.

TruthGPT was announced when concerns were growing about the rise of AI tools. Musk was among the tech leaders who supported an open letter urging AI companies to halt development, and TruthGPT aims to address concerns about alleged liberal bias in AI tools.

Musk has expressed concerns about the potential threats of AI to humanity and has even stated that AI may be more dangerous than cars or rockets.

However, Khosla believes that these warnings are merely Musk's strategy to keep up with the ongoing AI race.

Related Article: Elon Musk AI: New Claims CEO Purchased 10,000 GPUs Over at Twitter to Compete with OpenAI's GPT-4

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Artificial intelligence (AI) for some time has been a source of debate among experts, notably over its potential to annihilate humanity.

With growing concerns from governments, tech personalities like Elon Musk and Steve Wozniak, and, most recently, stern warnings from AI pioneers, AI's image as a potent technology is already imprinting on society.

Fox News Asked ChatGPT About Some Doomsday Predictions

Fox News recently asked OpenAI's ChatGPT for its take on the apocalypse, and the chatbot gave its predictions for how humanity would be wiped off the face of the Earth.

And it is surprisingly grounded on facts, making the predictions a little bit more terrifying.

Climate change was the bot's initial forecast, warning that failing to address this issue could have devastating consequences for the globe.

Rising sea levels, food scarcity, and harsh weather might cause widespread displacement, violence, and instability, eventually resulting in the end of the world.

While no available data on climate change openly states how these events could be an extinction-level threat, NASA tells us that all these signs are happening at alarming speeds never-seen-before.

ChatGPT Talks About More Man-Made Threats

The chatbot's second prediction was about nuclear weapons, suggesting that their continuous growth could seriously threaten humanity and the Earth.

While the likelihood of nuclear war is currently low, global tensions and regional conflicts could erupt and have catastrophic repercussions.

However, this prediction is not without basis, as several reports have recently surfaced indicating that China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran continue to invest in technologies that will allow them to strike the United States with nuclear weapons. Each has demonstrated that the nuclear arsenal is no longer a deterrent.

ChatGPT Talks About Robots and the End of the World

The third ChatGPT forecast focused on the continuous progress of artificial intelligence and robotics, which raises concerns about the potential impact on jobs and societal institutions.

Read Also: North Korean Kimsuky Hacking Group Launches 'ReconShark' Malware: Security Gap-Detecting Recon Tool

Job automation has the potential to cause enormous economic and social disruption, potentially contributing to widespread unrest and instability. A handful of studies have already peeked at this alarming scenario.

The AI Warns About Deadlier Pandemics

ChatGPT's fourth and final forecast centered on pandemics and public health catastrophes. The rapid spread of infectious illnesses, particularly in a globalized world, has the potential to cause widespread disease, death, and social and economic devastation.

As an example of this hazard, the chatbot mentioned the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, which has already claimed close to 7 million people worldwide.

Calm Down. It's Just a Bot

While ChatGPT's forecasts are speculative, they are based on current patterns and anticipated events that may significantly impact humanity's direction.

The chatbot's forecasts match the growing concerns of technology gurus like Elon Musk, who has warned that AI can destroy civilization.

However, it is crucial to emphasize that predicting the end of the world is a difficult and highly speculative endeavor, and any forecasts in this regard should be treated with caution.

ChatGPT agreed that, as a species, we might be able to solve these problems and prevent the worst repercussions. It also suggested that people must take these dangers seriously and collaborate to find methods to lessen their impact and create a more sustainable and resilient world.

Stay posted here at Tech Times.

Related Article: AI-Powered Wearables Could Identify User's Mental Health, Well-Being

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Artificial intelligence (AI) and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are poised to significantly transform the world of work. The World Economic Forum has revealed some of the jobs that could soon be replaced by AI in their Future of Jobs Report 2023.

The Future of Work

According to the report, the number of AI and machine learning specialists is anticipated to increase by 40% by the year 2027.

Moreover, there is a projected increase of 30-35% in the demand for data analysts and scientists, while the demand for information security analysts is expected to rise by 31%.



Accenture, a professional services company, states that large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT-4, have the potential to impact up to 40% of all working hours.



"This is because language tasks account for 62% of the total time employees work," the company said.



According to Accenture, even though the potential impact of large language models on language tasks could be a cause of concern, it is possible to convert 65% of the time spent on these tasks into more productive activities by using augmentation and automation.



Accenture said that companies must ensure that their employees are developing the new skills that will be required in the age of AI.

It adds that effective implementation of generative AI demands equal attention to technology and human resources. This includes imparting training to employees in technical skills like AI engineering and enterprise architecture, as well as educating individuals throughout the organization on how to work efficiently with AI-based systems.

The Future of Jobs Report states that although artificial intelligence is anticipated to be implemented by almost 75% of the companies surveyed and result in high turnover, with half of the organizations predicting job expansion and a quarter expecting job loss, certain roles such as bank tellers and data entry clerks, which are predominantly clerical or secretarial in nature, are likely to decrease rapidly due to AI.

Read Also: Microsoft Introduces Bing Chat, Features More than AI Text Generation, Available for Open Preview

Fastest Growing vs. Declining Jobs

Here are the top 10 jobs that could be replaced by AI as they decline over time, according to the World Economic Forum's recent report:

1. Bank Tellers and Related Checks

2. Postal Service Clerks

3. Cashiers and ticket Clerks

4. Data Entry Clerks

5. Administrative and Executive Secretaries

6. Material-Recording and Stock-Keeping Clerks

7. Accounting, Bookkeeping and Payroll Checks

8. Legislators and Officials

9. Statistical, Finance and Insurance Clerks

10. Door-To-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers

Meanwhile, here are the top 10 fastest growing jobs:

1. AI and Machine Learning Specialists



2. Sustainability Specialists



3. Business Intelligence Analysts



4. Information Security Analysts



5. Fintech Engineers



6. Data Analysts and Scientists



7. Robotics Engineers



8. Electrotechnology Engineers



9. Agricultural Equipment Operators

10. Digital Transformation Specialists

According to the Future of Jobs Report, AI adoption by 75% of surveyed companies will lead to high churn, with 50% expecting job growth and 25% anticipating job losses.

Related Article: Quick Guide: New AI-Powered App Superchat Allows Users to Chat With DaVinci, Other Historical People!

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TSB Bank, a leading commercial bank in the U.K., is now warning clients about the rise of Get-Rich-Quick scams on Meta-owned platforms.

The financial firm's analysis revealed that fraud cases within its three largest fraud categories are coming from WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Specifically, around 80% of these malicious campaigns come from the mentioned Meta-owned online platforms. TSB Bank's latest analysis covers its own internal data over the past two years.

TSB Bank Warns About Get-Rich-Quick Scams on Meta-Owned Platforms!

According to Sky News' latest report, TSB Bank claims that purchase, impersonation, and investment scams are becoming more rampant on Meta-owned platforms.

Also Read: Australians Lost an Estimate of Over $2 Billion to Scams in 2021: Crypto Scams at Large

Because of this, the commercial bank is now warning users to avoid random messages from unknown contacts claiming to be their friends, family members, or relatives.

TSB Bank suggested directly contacting these unknown individuals before sending any money to them.

Aside from this, TSB Bank also advised using recognized investment platforms instead of Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram.

As of writing, TSB Bank is urging social media firms to remove scams on their platforms. "Social media companies must urgently clean up their platforms to protect the countless innocent people who use their services every day," said TSB Director of Fraud Prevention, Paul Davis.

"In the meantime, we are urging the public to remain cautious of potential scam content - and to spread the word to help protect those around you," he added.

How to Spot Get-Rich-Quick Scams?

MakeUseOf explained that Get-Rich-Quick scams are malicious campaigns offering unrealistic return rates for investments.

These financial scams are usually spread through cold calling, spam emails, social media ads, and social media messages.

To help you identify them, here are some red flags you need to look out for:

Offering money in exchange for access to your account.

Asking for bank information.

Asking for financial transactions, such as transfers, withdrawals, etc.

Offering an unrealistic earning.

If you want to learn more about these Get-Rich-Quick scams, you can click here.

Here are other stories we recently wrote about scams:

In 2021, security researchers warned about crypto scammers who are using Google ads to siphon money. We also reported about a previous study, which claimed that Facebook's reactive approach against fraudulent content was a failure.

For more news updates about scams and other security threats, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Bank of America Warns iPhone, Android Users About Scam Bank Investment Texts

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Google has been the subject of rumors in the past as more sources say that the company is preparing to launch its first-ever foldable smartphone. It seems that this is true following the announcement about the launch of Pixel Fold on May 10 at Google I/O 2023.

Google Unveils Pixel Fold For the First Time

While the search engine firm has already confirmed that its foldable phone is coming this year, Google remains tight-lipped about its specs.

However, The Verge reports that you can actually see some similarities between the Pixel Fold with other Samsung Galaxy Z Fold models.

From the looks of it, its outer display appears to be taken out of Samsung's book. Another noticeable feature is the rear camera which was previously seen in leaked reports and clips.

Prior to its launch, CNBC first reported that Google's foldable measures 5.8 inches. It will then fold into a 7.6-inch tablet.

The news publication added that its price will exceed $1,700. For reference, Samsung's Z Fold 4 costs $1,799. It will also boast a Tensor G2 chip which Google itself makes.

As per Wired, Google will reveal more details about Pixel Fold during the upcoming Google I/O keynote address. The event will take place on Wednesday, May 10, in Mountain View, California.

Related Article: Google Pixel 8 Case Leak Hints on New Renders of Upcoming Flagship Series

Foldable Market Remains 'Relatively Small'

When flip phones first trended in the 90s, some people thought that they wouldn't be replaceable. Even before the era of smartphones cae, foldable handsets seem to be dominant at any angle.

With many celebrities promoting the use of foldable units, it's still surprising to see that its market does not fare well compared to advanced smartphones.

According to CNN, Samsung is the leading manufacturer of foldable phones at the moment. The South Korean giant was followed by Motorola, Oppo, and Huawei.

In 2021, foldable displays only accounted for 0.7% of the smartphone market. The following year, it declined further to 2%, according to ABI Research.

It is said that the high prices of foldable phones led to lower adoption by consumers.

Assuming that Google wants to be a pioneer in the foldable business, it's expected that it will release other models in the years to come.

The market might be quite noticeable for now, but these phones have special places in the hearts of the collectors who miss vibing with their 90s-styled phones decades ago.

For now, all we can do is wait for the annual developer conference in the next few days to see if Pixel Fold's specs are good enough for the hype that has been built up for the past months. If it's interesting, many users might immediately jump into it in less than a month.

Read Also: Vietnamese Website Teases Early Images of Google Pixel 7a Ahead of Launch

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An actor performs art of face-changing during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua) -- A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels.

Prestigious guests attending the ceremony were invited to delve into Chinese culture through tea ceremonies, elegant dances, exhibitions and music.

Open until June 9, the event known as Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" will acquaint guests with different tea varieties from 15 Chinese provinces, including green, black, white, dark and yellow tea. The tea ceremonies are accompanied by an exhibition on the history of Chinese tea and the role it plays in people's lives today.

Yaji, which means "gathering all that is elegant" in Chinese, was a common way for ancient Chinese scholars to collectively enjoy their cultural heritage. The event aims to celebrate the inclusion of "traditional Chinese tea processing techniques and associated social practice in China" on the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2022.

It will also mark the "International Tea Day," which is due on May 21.

But above all, it is "a reflection of Chinese culture which attaches great importance to peace, elegance and harmony between man and nature," Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Belgium, told the event at the ceremony.

Chinese tea has been traded all over the world for 2000 years, first via the ancient Silk Road stretching from Chang'an (the ancient capital of China) to Rome, Italy. The cargoes travelled a long way through the countries of Central Asia.

"The ancient Silk Road promoted communication and trade, but also cultural exchange between China and other countries. Chinese tea was one of the most important products traded along the Silk Road," Cao said.

"Cultural and economic cooperation between states is the basis for peace, for Europe and for the whole world. I think this exhibition showcases for the people of Europe and around the world how to live together," Miroslav Radacovsky, a member of the European Parliament, told Xinhua at the opening event. 

Delegates cut the ribbon during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People watch Chinese calligraphy demonstration during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People watch an exhibition related to tea culture during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

A visitor prepares to taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People watch tea art performance during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)

People watch a performance during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)
From children's books to recipes, AI tools such as ChatGPT provide the right answers we want to hear. While the platform is here to stay for some reason, others think that overusing it might be detrimental to other people who write content for a living.

As such, AI-authored content is almost everywhere on the internet. It's a matter of time before they occupy the web space with so much suspicious information.

AI-Written Recipes and Reviews Are Widespread

The Washington Post reports that Chris Cowell's experience sums up how people see AI-written books on the internet.

The software developer from Portland said that he spent over three years writing his own stuff, but only a few weeks before the launch of his book, he discovered a suspicious book bearing the same title as his own.

According to Cowell, the listing on Amazon suggests that Marie Karpos, author of the "Automating DevOps with GitLab CI/CD Pipelines" book. The writer's identity is mysterious to him since he has not yet heard of it.

When he searched it up online, it appeared that ChatGPT wrote the book. What's alarming is that the reviews are not trusted either. The five-star reviews on Amazon came from Indian reviewers whose identities are dubious. The book was published under inKstall, an educational tech firm in Mumbai.

The case of Cowell is only one of many cases which emphasize that AI-written content is not to be underestimated. Given that it's now easier to publish works online, it's also easier to fake the name of the authors as if they are the legit writers of the book, recipe, or blog post.

"If you have a connection to the internet, you have consumed AI-generated content. It's already here," New York-based e-commerce investor Jonathan Greenglass said.

Related Article: ChatGPT Makes Alarming List of Doomsday Predictions

AI-Authored Books Could Likely Bring Misinformation

Some online readers have no clue that what they're reading online is just machine-generated articles. It's kind of alarming to think that these personalized articles often produce junk misinformation and data manipulation.

According to Hugging Face chief ethics scientist Margaret Mitchell, AI does not know the truth in every content that it writes. The system will only continue to get full without grounding.

In another report by The Register, Newsguard found that 49 news sites contained AI-fabricated content. With the ease of use for ChatGPT, it's no wonder why click-bait articles are on the rise, and Google does not bother to exclude them from the search results.

Newsguard also claimed that AI tools tend to emulate how actual human writers write their reports. It's simply a downgrade from the usual content, given the amount of misinformation they produce.

Indeed, AI is a double-edged sword that needs to be used properly. In some situations, it is helpful, but it can also worsen the quality of content by bringing untruthful data to the public.

Read Also: AI Could Conduct 10,000 Scientific Experiments a Day, According to Study

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A new AI voice scam analysis revealed that 77% of victims are losing their money.

As of writing, artificial intelligence technologies are on the rise. However, the risks they pose also worsen. One of these is cybersecurity risks.

There's no denying that AI benefits many consumers across the globe. However, this innovation also helps malicious actors in their campaigns.

One in particular is the AI voice scam; a malicious campaign that involves the use of artificial intelligence to clone people's voices.

New AI Voice Scam Analysis Claims 77% of Victims Lose Money!

According to 9To5Mac's latest report, McAfee's latest analysis revealed that AI voice scams are becoming more rampant than before.

Also Read: Holiday Scams: The New Go-to for Modern-Day Criminals

McAfee stated that AI voice scams can become more convincing. Some malicious actors can use AI to clone a loved one's voice and ask victims for money due to an emergency.

Meanwhile, other criminals use AI-cloned voices of people to fake ransom; this is effective enough to fool victims.

The computer security software firm explained that AI voice scams are becoming rampant because AI voice clone tools are widely available and cheap.

Aside from this, many U.S. residents also tend to share audio recordings of their voices on social media.

Here's what McAfee's analysis revealed.

23% of U.S. residents share their audio recordings once or twice a week.

15% of U.S. residents share their audio recordings three to four times a week.

8% of U.S. residents share their audio recordings 5-10 times a week.

6% of U.S. residents share their audio recordings more than 11 times a week.

With the information it acquired, McAfee concluded that one in four adults becomes a victim of AI voice scams.

How to Protect Yourself From AI Voice Scams?

Via its official analysis post, McAfee said that it surveyed over 7,000 people from seven countries.

"77% of victims said they had lost money as a result," confirmed the security software provider.

If you don't want to become among these victims, then you need to follow McAfee's tips on how to avoid AI voice scams:

Use identity monitoring services so that your identifiable information will not be accessible to the Dark Web.

If you are always using social media platforms, then you need to think before accessing and sharing content.

If you receive a text or even a voice message, always check the source before believing what they say.

In other news, the Bank of America warned iPhone and Android users about the rise of scam bank investment texts. TSB Bank also announced that Get-Rich-Quick scams are becoming more rampant on Meta-owned platforms.

For more news updates about scams, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

Related Article: Scammers Use AI to Clone Girl's Voice, Demand Mother Pay $1 Million Ransom

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ANKARA, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Turkish National Intelligence Organization (MIT) killed a senior member of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in northern Iraq, the state-run TRT broadcaster reported on Friday.

MIT "neutralized" the PKK's special forces logistics officer Nechirvan Seven, code-named "Firaz Zilan", in an operation in the Gara region of northern Iraq, according to the TRT.

Turkish authorities often use the term "neutralized" to imply that "terrorists" are killed, wounded, or captured in security operations.

Seven was followed by MIT due to the attacks he organized in northern Iraq and his role in logistics activities.

Turkish intelligence has intensified its cross-border operations in the region to nab or kill the senior members of the group since last year. The Turkish forces frequently carry out ground operations, airstrikes, and artillery bombardments in northern Iraq, especially the Qandil Mountains, the main base of the PKK.

The PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and the European Union, has rebelled against the Turkish government for more than three decades. 
French international Sebastien Vahaamahina - 41 caps for the France team, has had his license withdrawn by his club AS Clermont because of a new concussion. The 2nd line had to stop his career at the age of 31. He blames poor management of the concussion protocol by his club. What are the rules? Why is Clermont once again singled out? Lionel Rosso debates in this new episode of the podcast "Dans la melee" with his guests: Jerome Papin, Europe 1 consultant Mathieu Blin, Canal + consultant Philippe Groussard, Canal + journalist Philippe Guillard, former player and director and author of the film "Pour l'honneur"
Paintings are displayed at the exhibition held at China Institute Gallery in New York, the United States, on May 4, 2023. The exhibition Flowers on a River: The Art of Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting, is held here from March 23 to June 25, presenting over 100 works by 59 artists. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Visitors view a painting at the exhibition held at China Institute Gallery in New York, the United States, on May 4, 2023. The exhibition Flowers on a River: The Art of Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting, is held here from March 23 to June 25, presenting over 100 works by 59 artists. (Xinhua/Li Rui)

Willow Weilan Hai (R), director and chief curator of China Institute Gallery, introduces a painting to visitors at China Institute Gallery in New York, the United States, on May 4, 2023. The exhibition Flowers on a River: The Art of Chinese Flower-and-Bird Painting, is held here from March 23 to June 25, presenting over 100 works by 59 artists. (Xinhua/Li Rui)
Jakarta: According to Indonesia's foreign minister, the country has been secretly interacting with important conflict actors in Myanmar for months as well as its neighbours India, Thailand, and China in an effort to jump-start a peace process as violence increases.

Retno Marsudi stated earlier that Indonesia, as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), had started a quiet effort to resolve the crisis, with its diplomats holding more than 60 "engagements" with all parties concerned.

According to her, these included a pro-democracy shadow government, the junta, and ethnic minority armies. Retno stressed the importance of earning everyone's trust during a press conference afterward.

Also Read: IMF ready to discuss Pakistan's FY2024 budget plans

According to her, Indonesia uses non-megaphone diplomacy to establish trust with all parties and encourage communication."Quiet diplomacy does not imply that we took no action. In actuality, Indonesia has accomplished a lot over the last four months.

The action by Indonesia is the first significant attempt to bring together all the important parties involved in the conflict in Myanmar and to push for the implementation of a peace "consensus" that its top general reached with the bloc two years ago.

Retno said, "We tried to be as inclusive as we could. "Indonesia continues to try to play a bridging role to narrow a wide and acute gap between the stakeholders."

Requests for comment from the two armed ethnic groups and the Myanmar junta went unanswered. According to a NUG spokesperson, the group is working with the ASEAN chair while "trying for a peace dialogue."

Also Read: Khalistanis attack on Hindu temple in Sydney, slogans against India and PM Modi written on the walls

An official from Indonesia's foreign ministry confirmed that ASEAN members supported the initiative to involve all stakeholders.

Since the military overthrew the government in a coup in 2021 and began a brutal crackdown on opponents, some of whom fled abroad to found the National Unity Government (NUG), Myanmar has been plagued by violence and economic instability.

Others joined the nation's armed resistance organisations, which are fighting the junta alongside the NUG and some of the ethnic minority armies.

Due to the junta's persistent attacks on critics and refusal to put the peace consensus into action, ASEAN leaders have been growing impatient with it. The junta has been prohibited by the bloc from attending its high-level meetings since late 2021 until progress is shown. Retno discussed whether or not Myanmar's generals would once more be excluded from the ASEAN leaders summit the following week.

Also Read: Khalistanis attack on Hindu temple in Sydney, slogans against India and PM Modi written on the walls

She added that Indonesia had already hosted 195 ASEAN gatherings, the majority of which were dominated by worries about the conflict in Myanmar and regional tensions between rival superpowers China and the United States.

Government and think-tank representatives from Myanmar and its neighbours, including India and China, met in New Delhi late last month as part of a covert effort to resolve the Myanmar crisis, in addition to Indonesia's understated diplomacy
Bahraini foreign minister pays first visit ever to Ukraine 5 May, 05:30 PM Bahraini foreign minister pays first visit ever to Ukraine (Photo: )

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met in Kyiv with Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kingdom of Bahrain, according to a message posted on Zelenskyys official Instagram account on May 5.

It was the first such visit to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in July 1992.

Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude to Bahrain for its "unwavering support of Ukraines territorial integrity and sovereignty while resisting full-scale Russian aggression," the presidential office reported.

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Zelenskyy proposed Bahrain cooperate with Ukraine in implementing some points of the Ukrainian presidents Peace Formula, and invited Al Zayan to the upcoming Peace Summit.

Zelenskyy highlighted the problem of the children's abduction from Ukraine to Russia and the need to search for ways to return them home to their families.

During the meeting, Zelenskyy and Al Zayan discussed Bahrains participation in post-war reconstruction, joint humanitarian and economic projects, the demining of Ukrainian territories, and the need for equipment.

Zelenskyy paid a surprise visit to Finland on May 3, where he took part in the Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Helsinki.

Read also: Zelenskyy to visit Berlin on May 13 to visit Chancellor and receive Charlemagne Prize

The next day, he traveled to the Netherlands, where he met with the Dutch prime minister and the king.

The president also gave speeches at the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the Dutch parliament.

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Reading Andre Daos Anam feels like stepping into this water, which gently pulls us into a deepening flow of memory. Early on, the narrator imagines a machine for perfect remembrance, which summons ghosts to tell a complete story of their lives. Anam is replete with such ghosts, but the remembrances it is filled with are imperfect and incomplete  necessarily so, for it is a monument to Daos grandfather, who survived 10 years as a political detainee in Chi Hoa prison in Vietnam.

In the winter of 1986, Toni Morrison was invited to speak at The New York Public Library. All water has a perfect memory and is forever trying to get back to where it was, she noted. Writers are like that: remembering where we were, what valley we ran through, what the banks were like, the light that was there and the route back to our original place.

In his search for a way to honour his grandfathers story, and the stories of others, Daos elegiac debut took 12 years to complete. He finally chose to write the book as autofiction, and it is through this form  suspended between fiction and autobiography  that he creates a sprawling work that untangles the endlessly knotted problems of memory, inheritance and home. As the narrator notes, the ground beneath us is not firm.

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Fictional worlds are inherently delimited  soothing for those who seek refuge from lifes chaos with a satisfying denouement. Yet the autofictive mode, precarious and permeable, plays with such limits, and Dao uses it to refuse expected narratives of diasporic assimilation or belonging.

I had thought my grandfathers stories and images were a history of a place called Vietnam, the unnamed narrator notes. But now I realise he was always speaking of some other place, not entirely coextensive with the thin, S-shaped spit of land between the sea and the mountains that bears that name on our maps. The narrator names this place Anam.

The novel is narrated by a young father who has moved from Footscray to Cambridge to complete his Masters in law. He lives with his partner and their baby, and spends his time studying and walking the university town. The narrator is distracted from his studies. He explains that the guiding principle of Anam is anamnesis  in his words, the Ancient Greek belief that our eternal souls have forgotten all there is to know, or the Catholic act of salvation through worshipful remembrance.
The writer Gabrielle Carey, who died this week at the age of 64, was probably best known for co-writing the novel Puberty Blues with Kathy Lette. But she did not want that to be her legacy.

She told the novelist and academic Debra Adelaide that it would probably be on her gravestone. I asked whats wrong with that, Adelaide said. I told her she should be very proud of the book, but she wanted to escape it.

Gabrielle Carey did not want Puberty Blues to be her epitaph.

Carey and Adelaide were friends for more than 50 years. They met when they were 12 at Sylvania Primary School in the Sutherland Shire and were two of only three students who went on to the huge and terrifying Gymea High School.

Gab was fun, the physical opposite of me - short, beautiful and blonde - and had a great sense of humour. She was an amazing person and made my world very special. We were friends because we clung together.
Ellen Stutzman, a senior Writers Guild of America official, stood on a battered patch of grass outside Netflix headquarters in Los Angeles. She was calm  remarkably so, given the wild scene unfolding around her, and the role she had played in its creation.

Hey, Netflix! Youre no good! Pay your writers like you should! hundreds of striking movie and television writers shouted in unison as they marched outside the Netflix complex. The spectacle had snarled traffic on Sunset Boulevard on Tuesday afternoon, and numerous drivers blared horns in support of a strike. Undulating picket signs, a few of which were covered with expletives, added to the sense of chaos, as did a hovering news helicopter and a barking dog. Wow, a Netflix employee said as he inched his car out of the companys driveway, which was blocked by writers.

TV and movie writers went on strike this week. Credit: AP

In February, unions representing 11,500 screenwriters selected Stutzman, 40, to be their chief negotiator in talks with studios and streaming services for a new contract. Negotiations broke off on Monday night, shortly before the contract expired. Stutzman and other union officials voted unanimously to call a strike, shattering 15 years of labor peace in Hollywood, and bringing the entertainment industrys creative assembly lines to a grinding halt.

We told them there was a ton of pent-up anger, Stutzman said, referring to the companies at the bargaining table, which included Amazon and Apple. They didnt seem to believe us.
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Eating outJust open Dont miss the fresh jersey milk cheese buns at A.P Bakerys new outpost The popular Sydney bakery has taken over the kitchen at Marrickville brewery Wildflower. Bianca Hrovat May 5, 2023 Save Log in , register or subscribe to save recipes for later. You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add more. Save this article for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime. Got it Share

A.P Bakery has taken over the kitchen at Marrickville brewery Wildflower, where theyre serving a spectacular bun filled with pillows of grilled jersey milk cheese. Its the next stage in the rapid evolution of the popular bakery brand, taking them from sourdough loaves and sugary pastries to a full menu of pizzas, pies, salads and desserts. Head baker Dougal Muffet says the team jumped at the opportunity to work directly with Wildflower on a very casual, snack-oriented bistro. Colin Woods jersey cheese and hot honey bun from the All Purpose Bakery x Wildflower snack menu. Supplied We are a bakery first, but its a good space to experiment with different concepts, he says.

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We love what we do and will play around with a few ideas, using the [Newtown] bakery as the hub. Standout dishes at Wildflower include the grilled jersey cheese and hot honey bun ($22), which isnt as heavy as you might expect from a giant slab of cheese, beef and Wildflower Amber Ale pies ($13) and cheesy cauliflower croquettes with fermented hot sauce ($6 for three). The potato salad with salted egg yolk ($12) is also a winner. Topher Boehm at his Wildflower brewery in Marrickville. Dominic Lorrimer Muffet recommends pairing the dishes with a schooner of Village 2022, an ale made as part of Wildflowers annual collaboration with Katoomba brewery Mountain Culture. Wildflower is known for its unique approach to fermentation, using yeasts and bacteria from native wildflowers in their range of beers. This week, they released their sixth Post Brood Blend, a barrel-aged golden beer refermented with post-brood wild honeycomb from Malfroys Gold Wild Honey, rich in fermented pollen and propolis.

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For those who prefer sweetness in their desserts rather than their drinks, Muffet recommends the Basque cheesecake. Sydney cheesemaker extraordinaire Colin Wood had a hand in developing both the cheesecake and the jersey cheese, which one online commenter describes as quite literally the best Ive ever had. What makes it so good? Youll have to try it and find out, says Muffet. A.P Bakery at Wildflower serves its Basque cheesecake with preserved kumquats. Supplied A.P first opened on the rooftop of Paramount House Hotel in February 2022, and has since expanded to a regular Carriageworks stall and a standalone shop in Newtown. They plan to stay at Wildflower indefinitely, or as long as its working and were welcome. The menu, however, is expected to change regularly.

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Open Fri-Sat noon-9pm and Sun noon-6pm. 11-13 Brompton Street, Marrickville, apbakery.com.au, wildflowerbeer.com

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Sydney trucking company chiefs never questioned why their drivers timesheets were filled with errors, impossible hours and incorrect rest breaks before he fatally ran down four police officers outside Melbourne, a court has heard.

The driver, Mohinder Singh, on Friday gave evidence against his former employer and confessed he was on drugs before his semi-trailer ran off the road on April 22, 2020, and killed the officers.

Mohinder Singh outside the Melbourne Supreme Court in April 2021. Credit: Jason South

Sydneys Connect Logistics has pleaded guilty to recklessly exposing people to serious injury or death  the most serious offence of its kind.

Two executives, Corey Matthews and Shane Chalmers, pleaded guilty to one count each of failing in their lawful duties as executives.
There is no new funding in Tuesdays federal budget to back the $1.8 billion south-east Queensland City Deal designed four years ago to help the region cope with population growth.

The deal between the three levels of government was signed in 2019, promising to expand the south-east Queensland economys revenue by $58 billion by 2041.

Brisbane had the highest population growth rate (2.3 per cent); higher than Perth (1.5 per cent), Melbourne (1.1 per cent), Adelaide (1.1 per cent) and Sydney (0.7 per cent) according to April 2023 Australian Bureau of Statistics research.

South-east Queensland is arguing for a set funding deal from local, state and federal government to cope with population growth. Credit: Louie Douvis

The SEQ City Deal ties the three levels of government to specific contributions to selected projects over 20 years in a 34,000-square-kilometre area where one in seven Australians live.
Both Atkinson and Stewart, a Nira illim bulluk man of the Taungurung Nation, are freshwater people and were in a booth at RST Seafood Restaurant. As a Birpai man with a high cultural degree in the consumption of oysters and prawns, Im curious to see how they go on the tooth with some salty creatures from the deep. Were already discussing the make-up and responsibilities of assembly 2.0 when the starters arrive: Six Coffin Bay oysters Kilpatrick style, whitebait fritters with lemon butter sauce, pan-seared scallops wrapped with prosciutto and fish croquettes with a chilli mayo. Coffin Bay Oysters Kilpatrick at RTS Seafood Restaurant. Credit: Penny Stephens Seventy-three traditional owners of Country have been officially confirmed as candidates for the second term of the assembly. Twenty-two of those will be elected to general seats, representing five regions: 10 from the Metro region, three from the North-West Victoria region, three from the North-East region, three from the South-East, and three from the South-West. Voting will run from May 13 to June 3, culminating in a large music and cultural festival in Richmond. Mob aged 16 and older can vote either in person, online or through the post.

A further 11 seats are currently reserved for each of the Recognised Aboriginal Parties or RAPs, though this number could increase over the four-year term as more nation groups are formally recognised. The second assembly is due to begin negotiating a statewide treaty before the end of the year. When I look up from scribbling these details in my notebook, I discover our stock of shellfish entrees has been smashed in impressive fashion. Well played, freshwater mob, well played. Ultimately, whats ahead for the second assembly is to transform the social and cultural fabric of this state by putting First Peoples in the drivers seat, Stewart says. To give us autonomy over issues that disproportionately impact us, to create a political power balance so that theres nothing about us without us any more. Its been an eventful four years in Aboriginal affairs in Victoria. Its now a state that leads the way in progressing an Indigenous representative body, and a formal process of truth-telling in the Yoorook Justice Commission, and a pathway to statewide treaty and traditional owner treaties. Its unfolding at a time when the federal government has committed itself to a similarly fraught political road. So, what achievements during the assemblys first term are the two co-chairs most proud of?

Loading For Atkinson, the proudest moment was the negotiations that ultimately established the Treaty Authority last year. The body will umpire the negotiation processes between the state and First Peoples, and ensure that Indigenous lore, law and cultural authority are observed and upheld. We wanted it to have complete independence from government and complete independence from the assembly. We didnt want it to be a statutory body, she explains. And that involved heading out into the regions and lobbying politicians of all persuasions. We made them aware of what treaty would deliver for their local communities, that it would deliver better outcomes. And we were able to get bipartisan support for the legislation ... all but one member came out and supported it. I was just so proud that we got people, the politicians, onside. Stewart says he felt proudest the day he announced that he would not stand for the assemblys second term. It was a moment that gave him pause, he says, to reflect upon the faith that communities across Victoria had put in the assembly, and how its members had been able to come together.

We dont always like each other, we dont always agree, but we were able to do the work. Even through our most difficult discussions or debates, we were capable of coming together and delivering something that is a reflection of all views in our community, he adds. We never once accepted mediocrity from government. We fought for everything weve got. We built faith in what the assembly is. And now its a proven safe set of hands. Its delivered on what it set out to do. Our record speaks for itself and thats a credit to our communities and testament to the assembly members. The crayfish mornay at RTS Seafood Restaurant. Credit: Penny Stephens Our mains arrive and Atkinson has gone for the potato gnocchi with bay lobster tails in a chive-garlic cream sauce. Ive opted for a bowl of chowder, rich with cream and loaded with a variety of chopped crustaceans. Stewart has selected something considerably more eye-catching: a lobster the length of my forearm, split down the middle and doused in a mornay sauce. Ive never had crayfish before, he confides. When I heard [The Age] was buying, I thought it was the right time to try it. Touche.

Loading We drink Little Goat Sauv Blanc, and I ask the co-chairs if the assembly is the kind of Indigenous Voice weve all been hearing so much about out of Canberra since Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced his governments commitment to take the matter to a national referendum later this year. Well, assembly was an elected voice of community from its initial standpoint, but on the treaty journey. What we saw in the first three years, whether it was lobbying or community seeking our support on things, it was as a voice. So it evolved naturally. So, the next assembly will have the decision of negotiating does it want to expand its mandate as a Voice, Stewart says. Atkinson says: What weve said all along is we are the voice of the community. The work that were doing towards treaty, came from their voices, it was informed by them. I think that shows weve been the Voice. I note that there have been cases more recently where the co-chairs, with a consensus from assembly members, have advocated outside of areas strictly concerned with progressing treaty, such as when the Andrews government proposed to change the name of Maroondah Hospital in Melbournes east to honour the Queen after her death in September.

The receipt at RST Seafood. Credit: Jack Latimore Maroondah means leaf and throwing leaves in the traditional language of the Woiwurrung people, and symbolises the suburbs green environment. A 53,000-signature petition called on the government to retain the name. Stewart delivered a hard copy to the premiers office, and at the time said: To erase the name of the subjugated, in favour of the name of the oppressor, is an act of colonisation all over again. While supported in the main, Stewarts outspoken activism drew some public criticism, including from quarters of inner-city Melbournes Indigenous community. Stewart describes his role as the elected pinata  everybody gets a whack. As dessert is delivered (a chocolate mousse for Atkinson and sticky date pudding for Stewart), I ask if the assembly had provided a useful and influential template when it came to internal deliberations on the prime ministers working group on an Indigenous Voice, of which the co-chairs are members. Assembly has taught the general public what the expectation of a Voice looks like, what it does, how it operates. I think the assembly has become part of the machinery and is accepted by and large, Stewart says.
Israels top representative in Australia is urging the Albanese government not to recognise Palestine as a state as Labor seeks to avoid a flare-up over the divisive issue at its upcoming national conference.

Labors official policy platform supports Palestinian statehood, but the government is wary of taking such a dramatic step after infuriating Israel last year by announcing Australia would no longer recognise West Jerusalem as Israels capital.

Israels ambassador Amir Maimon said recognising Palestine before a final peace settlement would undermine the peace process. Credit: Instagram

The governments position is being closely watched internationally given recognising Palestine would represent a major break from Australias closest allies, but failing to do so would rankle Labors progressive base.

In a rare intervention, Israels ambassador Amir Maimon told this masthead: Israels position is that the final status of the [Palestinian] territories should be decided by the two parties involved.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. Got it Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Peter Dutton is correct on one count, at least. The Victorian branch of the Liberal Party is a mess. A guerilla-style campaign conducted by a small band of conservatives  terrorists according to some Liberals  has now descended into open warfare. The Andrews government, which right now should be pinned down under a growing pile of its own political baggage, has instead wheeled out the deck chairs to watch the show, amid accusations of bullying, doctored minutes from a party room meeting, and a threat by MP Moira Deeming to sue Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto over her nine-month suspension from the parliamentary party. Moira Deeming, John Pesutto and federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton. Credit:Stephen Kiprillis Federal Liberal leader Dutton wants the mess sorted out pronto, suggesting the spectacle is damaging the Liberal Partys national brand. I wouldnt rule out federal intervention and I make it very clear to the Victorian division that I want this mess sorted out as quickly as possible, Dutton told ABCs RN Breakfast program. My interest is in getting the matters that are in the press at the moment resolved because it doesnt help our brand. It doesnt reflect on broader party movements. But what could he do? And have interventions happened before?

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What exactly could Dutton do? The idea of a federal intervention goes against the Liberal Partys democratic, decentralised ethos, where local branch members have traditionally controlled the preselection of candidates, the partys policy platform, fundraising and other administrative matters. Overruling the will of about 11,000 Victorian Liberal branch members and an entire state division would be a massive call, and a high-stakes gamble for Dutton, risking propelling the battle onto a national stage and further alienating an already cranky state division. Yet Duttons reference on Friday to the Liberal brand and the broader party is significant. As a first step to staging a formal intervention, Dutton would need to convince his colleagues that the shenanigans in Victoria have hampered his chances of winning in the next federal election. It would be a tough ask. What does the Liberal Partys national constitution say about intervening? Under the Liberal Partys national constitution, there are three grounds for a formal intervention in a state division. The first is serious financial mismanagement, including insolvency or accounting irregularities. The second is substantial non-compliance with the partys federal constitution.

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But in the case of the mess in Victoria, it is the third criterion that is most relevant: the existence of circumstances that, in the opinion of the Liberal Partys federal executive, would prejudice the ability of the party to effectively contest or win a federal election. Loading Under this rule, Dutton would need to convince at least three-quarters of his colleagues presiding with him on the federal executive (which is made up of federal office bearers, state division presidents and the federal parliamentary leadership group) that the state party had become so dysfunctional, so hopeless, so moribund, it was cruelling the partys chances of winning a federal election. Assuming a successful vote, the federal executive could then either opt to appoint an administrator or committee to take over the management of a state division for up to two years, or it could reverse or amend any decision made by the state division, or take various other forms of action. Even if the national executive were to successfully stage an intervention, there would be limits. If a committee, for example, were appointed to run the state division, it would only be able to make decisions about preselections, fundraising and elections campaigns, and administrative matters. Questions about the Liberal leadership, or whether to expel an MP from the party, would still be up to the parliamentary party. How likely is it Dutton will attempt such an intervention? Some state Liberals point out such a takeover would be incredibly risky for Dutton, and potentially subject to legal challenge.

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Tensions are already at boiling point, both within the state branch of the Liberal Party and between the federal and state branches of the party. Former opposition leader Matthew Guy, for example, this week called on state president Greg Mirabella to resign, calling his performance during the recent state election campaign woeful. Dutton would need to convince the federal executive that the Victorian Liberals had become so dysfunctional, they were cruelling the partys chances of winning a federal election. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen There is also a view among some state Liberals that part of the blame for the partys dismal political performance in Victoria, including the recent historic byelection loss of the federal seat of Aston, in Melbournes east, can be attributed to Dutton himself. As one senior state Liberal put it on Friday: There are a few of our federal colleagues living in glass houses and throwing stones. You wouldnt say the (federal) partys performance in NSW or Western Australia in the federal election was fantastic. These places are distant from Victoria. Have the intervention powers been used previously? Historically, its federal Labor that has been more willing to intervene in state branches. In 2020, for example, Victorian Labor was subject to a humiliating federal intervention after revelations of branch stacking in The Age.

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Black Sea grain deal talks in deadlock 5 May, 10:29 PM A cargo ship waiting for inspection to enter the Bosphorus Strait, October, 2012 (Photo:REUTERS/Umit Bektas)

The latest round of negotiations in Istanbul between Ukraine, Turkey, the UN, and Russia on extending the Black Sea Grain Agreement has reached a deadlock, CNN reported on May 5, citing a UN representative.

While the parties have failed to reach an agreement on extending the deal, UN representative Farhan Haq stated that inspections of previously authorized grain ships will continue. The current agreement expires on May 18.

Recently, tensions have been rising between Russia and Ukraine over the grain agreement. On April 24, Russian Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of violating the agreement by attacking Sevastopol (in occupied Crimea) with naval drones, allegedly launched from the port of Odesa. Russia, which has routinely sought to undermine the agreement in the past, has warned of a potential threat to the deals extension beyond May 18.

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In response, Ukrainian Military Intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov denied the accusations, saying that any Ukrainian operations in Crimea are focused on exclusively military targets.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged the UN to assist in the renewal of the grain agreement.

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From pretty much anywhere on the mainland in Krabi province  Krabi town, Ao Nang, Koh Lanta  its possible to do a day-trip, or even a half-day trip, to the Phi Phi islands via traditional longtail boat or fancy modern speedboat. Most trips call into Koh Phi Phi Leh to see famous Maya Bay, before allowing time to hike to the viewpoint on Koh Phi Phi Don, and maybe snorkel at Bamboo Island. THE RESTAURANT The Banyan Tree breakfast buffet is outstanding. Though it features plenty of Western staples, its the Thai specialties (mostly there for domestic visitors) that you should be heading for. Get the khanom jeen, fermented rice noodles, with a rich curry of minced fish. Try the moo yang, charcoal-grilled pork neck with chilli sambal and sticky rice. Or sample guay tiew nam sai, a clear noodle soup with fish balls and pork. What a start to the day. THE CAFE Australian travellers arent the easiest to please when it comes to coffee. That said, Thailand has a burgeoning coffee culture, and in Krabi there are several cafes that do a great flat white, as well as local-style drip coffee on ice. The best of those is probably May and Marks House (no website), a friendly and popular spot in the middle of Krabi town that serves Australian-style espresso, as well and Thai and international food.

THE NATIONAL PARK Though Hat Nopparat Thara National Park tends to attract the most visitors  it encompasses Railay Beach, Ao Nang, and more than 80 islands  Krabis sleeper hit has to be Khao Ngon Nak, in the provinces north. The key experience here is the hike to the top of Khao Ngon Nak, otherwise known as Dragon Crest, a three-hour climb that takes in plenty of spectacular viewpoints, not to mention the summit, which has amazing views over the sparkling, island-dotted Andaman. THE VIEWPOINT Dragon Crest is obviously a great option if youre looking for views. However, theres another famous lookout in Krabi: the Phi Phi viewpoint. Positioned on a hilltop on Koh Phi Phi Don, accessible via a steep climb, the Phi Phi lookout commands spectacular views via three separate points over the narrow isthmus connected the two main sections of the island, with plenty of cliffs and forests in the background. Dawn and dusk are the best times to visit. THE TEMPLE
Travellers to Vietnam beware, as the visa system has been revised and now all visas need to be obtained online. A recent trip there was hampered by the e-visa not arriving on time. I contacted the Vietnamese Consulate in Sydney to be told I could get a visa if I came in  not true. I was also told I could get a visa on arrival, however the catch was that you need a Letter of Approval first and that must be obtained online, taking just as long as an e-visa to obtain. So beware, leave plenty of time to organise an e-visa before leaving. My granddaughter ended up having to change her flight to a later date at great expense. Suzanne Kavanagh, Windsor, NSW

I greatly enjoyed reliving memories of Wroclaw via Brian Johnstons entertaining article (Traveller, April 22). However, he did not mention my greatest delight about the city. Its the small gnomes that are scattered throughout the town centre. I understand this practice started as a protest against the Soviet occupation with locals putting figures around town and replacing them as quickly as the hated authorities could remove them. Now the gnomes are permanent, and looking out for them adds to the enjoyment of this most delightful city.

Helene Juliff, Ashburton Vic

REMOTE CONTROL

The art of outback driving (Traveller, April 22) brought back happy memories of a three-month road trip our family did 10 years ago. While the article was almost poetic about the outbacks beauty, it recommended a four-wheel drive to access it. Our two wheel-drive sedan did a 16,200 kilometres trip just fine  Darwin to Adelaide, Tennant Creek to Rockhampton, Alice Springs to Uluru, Sydney to Broken Hill - those highways have been paved for decades. Do the climate a favour and save your cash; dont buy a four-wheel drive for your outback trip unless you are going really remote.

Carrie Bengston, Clovelly, NSW

CROISSANT PURPOSES

The suggestion in your money-saving travel tips story, (Traveller, April 22) to tuck a croissant or two into your bag from the breakfast buffet is not advisable. Many hotels treat this as theft and I have seen people get caught and asked to pay. Many hotels note that the buffet is for food to be consumed on site and if you want to pack some lunch it costs a set amount.

John Sutton, Brunswick West, Vic

EDITORS NOTE Considering the abject amount of food wastage from an average hotel buffet breakfast, may we respectfully suggest that hoteliers encourage some controlled croissant snaffling. Were interested to hear the views of other readers.

SNAP UNHAPPY

Many over-popular European destinations are cracking down on tourist hordes and the behaviours that can sometimes accompany them. One of my favourite destinations in Paris was Musee de lOrangerie where Monets Water Lilies is displayed. A monument to peace after the horrors of World War One, it was gifted by the artist to France after Armistice Day in1918. To my own horror when I last visited, the strict no photo rule had been waived and sightseers lined themselves along the wall in front of these masterpieces for their photo ops before moving on. As for Mona Lisa in the nearby Louvre, forget it unless you are there on Friday night when it is open until 9.45 pm and it can be fairly deserted, with tour groups out for dinner or gone to the Moulin Rouge to tick another box.

Mark Baxter, Kingscliff. NSW
However inexorable our drift towards becoming a republic, there should be little doubt that Saturdays coronation, for all the doubters and grumbling we have endured ahead of time, will go down as a resounding success.

The biggest ceremonial event since the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, it promises to overwhelm even the most reluctant royal watchers with its pageantry, mythic ritual and sheer gloss: for when it comes to grand displays of soft power, we are in the hands of experts.

The owners of Vals English Tea and Pie Shop decorate the window before the coronation of King Charles III. Credit: AP

The British are good at these things, writes historian Max Hastings for Bloomberg. Of course, in the 21st century, royalty is all nonsense, but it is relatively harmless nonsense that gives pleasure to many people. The royal brand is a real marketing asset for Britain  something the French and Germans do not have and, dare I say it, of which many Americans are sort of jealous.

Rain may yet put a dampener on the parade, for which thousands have camped out to secure a glimpse of the rattly carriage in which Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla will travel to Westminster Abbey, and perhaps on some of the 65,000-odd commemorative gatherings across Britain. But few will deny the days historical significance: the latest link in a chain that casts back, for better or worse, almost 1000 years. Umbrellas will not hinder it.
StoreDot aims to manufacture its leading XFC batteries on three continents: the US, Europe , and Asia

, and Company deploys a strategy of making batteries where its automotive manufacturing customers are located, localizing its supply chain, reducing carbon impact and enabling just-in-time production

StoreDot is set to produce its groundbreaking extreme fast charging cells in local gigafactories, rather than building its own facilities in the mid-term

StoreDot will continue to develop its cells in its labs in the US and Israel and remains on target for mass production readiness of '100in5' cells by 2024 delivering at least 100 miles of range for each five minutes of charging

HERZLIYA, Israel, May 3, 2023 -- StoreDot, the pioneer of extreme fast charging (XFC) high energy battery solution for electric vehicles has announced its global manufacturing strategy in three continents  to best serve its global automotive customers.

StoreDot's manufacturing strategy is focused on localizing its supply chain in the US, Asia, and Europe, allowing it to serve its OEM customers in their own locations, reducing carbon impact, and enabling just-in-time production efficiency.

StoreDot plans to collaboratively produce these batteries in existing and future local gigafactories, rather than building its own facilities in the mid-term and production is on track to commence later next year.

Dr Doron Myersdorf, StoreDot CEO "Today's announcement is an important milestone for StoreDot as we build our global supply chain and manufacturing footprint. We look forward to working with our OEM partners in the US, Europe, and Asia to supply them with our world class extreme fast charging batteries. It's important that leading battery developers like StoreDot can deliver batteries consistently, efficiently, conveniently, and sustainably, as we care greatly about the environmental impact of battery supply chains. By serving our OEM customers from their own locations we can do this more effectively while demonstrating our commitment to net zero."

This announcement follows news at the beginning of the year that its groundbreaking XFC batteries and systems are now being tested by over 15 global automotive brand manufacturers, and that it has additional potential manufacturing partnerships in the pipeline for this year.

StoreDot now has a growing network of strategic global partnerships and investors, spanning the entire battery ecosystem. To date it has received investments from global automotive manufacturers including Daimler, VinFast, Volvo Cars, Polestar and Ola Electric.

Last year, StoreDot revealed its '100inX' strategic technology roadmap which featured 100in5, 100in3 and 100in2 of miles per minute of charging - three generations of StoreDot technologies of silicon-dominant XFC, semi solid state and post-lithium architectures. The roadmap reaffirms that the timings for these will be delivered to automotive OEMs over the coming decade with 100in5 by 2024, 100in3 by 2028 and 100in2 by 2032.

About StoreDot:

StoreDot is the pioneer and global leader of extreme fast charging (XFC) electric vehicle batteries that overcome the critical barrier to mainstream EV adoption  charging anxiety. The company has revolutionized the conventional Li-ion battery by designing and synthesizing proprietary organic and inorganic compounds, optimized by Artificial Intelligence algorithms, to make it possible to charge an EV in under ten minutes  the same experience as refueling a conventional combustion engine car.

Through its '100inX' product roadmap, StoreDot's battery technology aims to deliver 'Range on Demand': 100 miles charged in 5 minutes in 2024, 100 miles charged in 3 minutes by 2028, and extreme energy density solution enabling 100 miles to be charged in 2 minutes by 2032. StoreDot's strategic investors and partners include Daimler, bp, VinFast, Volvo Cars, Polestar, Ola Electric, Samsung, TDK, and its manufacturing partner EVE Energy. StoreDot's agnostic technology is designed to utilize existing standard production lines with no changes to process or equipment. In 2022, the company achieved a world first by demonstrating a live extreme fast charging of an EV battery cell in 10 minutes capable of over 1000 consecutive XFC cycles. This technology is now under testing with over 15 automotive OEMs. StoreDot is on target for mass production readiness of 100in5 technology by 2024.
In this piece, we will take a look at ten VLEO technology stocks and startups to watch. For more VLEO companies, head on over to 5 VLEO Technology Stocks and Startups to Watch.

VLEO, or very low Earth orbit, is the lowest orbit that a satellite can take without being overcome by the forces of gravity and crashing back to Earth. It's also one of the most underdeveloped orbits right now, particularly as its close counterpart, LEO is just starting to gain interest among the corporate sector. VLEO covers spacecraft that orbit the Earth below 450 kilometers, while LEO ranges in definitions. For instance, NASA classifies LEO as anything below 2,000 kilometers, while the European Space Agency (ESA) defines low Earth as below 1,000 kilometers.

The most popular use of LEO is SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet constellation. Starlink is the latest attempt to create a constellation of satellites to provide high speed internet access to both remote and populated areas of the globe. Contrary to popular belief, Starlink is not the first satellite constellation that aims to use LEO orbits for internet coverage. Additionally, satellite internet options have been available for almost two decades now, but these use higher orbits and larger satellites. However, these higher orbits have the simple disadvantage of being too high up, which then increases the time spent for the data to travel between the user and the satellites. Additionally, this altitude also leads to significant data loss as well and ends up in a rather poor experience for the end user.

Moving back to LEO internet, the first attempt to populate the orbit for internet use was made by Teledesic Corporation - a Washington firm set up in 1994 with plans of using a 288 satellite constellation in LEO for high speed internet access. The first Teledesic satellite was launched in 1998 as a demonstration project, but the project ended up being a failure and Teledesic went out of business in 2002. The project had, at the time, garnered $1 billion in investment (worth a little more than $1.5 billion in today's money), and Teledesic's fall came as a shock to many especially since at the height of its popularity many analysts had in fact started to worry if the firm would end up having a monopoly over global satellite broadband.

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Space, as they say, is hard. And no one has been more vocal about the pitfalls of setting up a satellite internet constellation than SpaceX's founder and chief executive officer Mr. Elon Musk. Musk's Starlink satellite internet constellation is the largest of its kind in human history, and throughout its journey of having launched more than four thousand satellites so far, he has regularly warned about the need for Starlink to be cash flow positive. Some of Musk's most telling comments about the costs of building Starlink came during the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in June 2021, where the executive shared:

Well, I think it depends on how you count investments. One way to count investment is to what is the total amount of money invested before Starlink becomes positive cash flow, and how much in that you include Falcon 9 and everything done there. You know I think probably before we go to fully positive cash flow it might be, it'll be at least $5 billion and maybe as much as ten. That's quite a lot. And, then you see how much you invest after it goes positive cash flow, I think we have to keep investing a great deal after that point in order to not being made irrelevant by continued improvements in cellular and continued expansion for cellular. Or lower-cost geosynchronous satellites. You know geosynchronous satellites can serve large swathe of territory but the total [inaudible] they conserve is not great and the latency is high. So we need to be able to offer our service at a comparable or ideally lower rate than GTO satellite connectivity. So, it's just basically total investment probably is like at least five, maybe $10 billion and then over time it's gonna be a multiple of that and go to $20 to $30 billion over time. It's a lot basically.

SpaceX doesn't plan to limit itself to LEO only. In fact, the company's Starlink constellation eventually envisaged t0 launch up to a whopping 30,000 satellites as part of the Gen2, or second generation, satellite upgrades. Out of these, roughly 24,000 will be in orbits ranging from 328 kilometers to 373 kilometers and most will be in orbits lower than 345 kilometers. However, to keep up the pace of its second generation constellation with the Starship rocket, SpaceX upgraded its plans in 2021 and reduced the number of satellites to be launched between 340 kilometers and 360 kilometers to roughly 19,000 spacecraft.

However, SpaceX is not the only one interested in the VLEO orbit. Its proximity to Earth not only provides for faster internet access but also crisper satellite imagery. On both these fronts, there are multiple research papers that swear by the benefits of operating satellites in lower orbit. One such paper from the British designer of orbital propulsion systems Anchor Orbital Systems shares that spacecraft in VLEO has the potential to solve the age old problem of space debris. Space debris is a growing problem that poses hazards not only for spacecraft leaving the Earth's atmosphere but also to astronauts living and working on the International Space Station (ISS). In fact, the astronauts and the cosmonauts have had several close calls with debris already, with the latest close call coming in March 2023 when astronauts had to fire a docked spaceship's thrusters to avoid a possible conjunction event.

Anchor Orbital uses data from an ESA satellite to show that when a satellite's orbit is reduced from 300 kilometers to 250 kilometers, the drag force that it experiences more than triples. This higher drag leads to the deorbit time for a satellite to reduce to mere weeks instead of years that would have been the case in higher orbits such as geostationary. Another research paper, this time from the University of Manchester, shares that VLEO orbits improve the signal to noise ratio for radars, improved positioning accuracy for location systems, better margins for communications systems, and higher spatial resolution.

With these details in mind, let's take a look at some very low Earth orbit (VLEO) technology stocks and startups that need to be on everyone's radar.

10 VLEO Technology Stocks and Startups to Watch

Our Methodology

To compile our list of VLEO companies, we first dug deep to figure out which firms are developing technologies for this avenue. Then, the firms market value or funding raise was determined when possible. All figures for funding raised are sourced from CB Insights or Crunchbase, and valuation estimates are sourced from press items. The firms are ranked according to these estimates, and the list starts by listing those companies for which no such information is publicly available.

VLEO Technology Stocks and Startups to Watch

10. Smart Small Satellite Systems GmbH

Latest Valuation/Funding Estimate: N/A

Smart Small Satellite Systems GmbH is a German startup set up in 2017. It aims to develop and manufacture small satellites, such as those built on the nano or pico scales. The company is working on a variety of interesting projects, such as those involving the study of cloud structure by using technology similar to CT scans, three dimensional Earth observation, and quantum satellite communications. Smart Small Satellite Systems GmbH also won a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) in 2021 to develop a telecommunications VLEO satellite.

9. Kreios Space

Latest Valuation/Funding Estimate: N/A

Kreios Space is one of the youngest companies on our list, since it was set up just two years back in 2021. It's a Spanish company headquartered in Barcelona, Spain. The firm is a backend satellite component designer, and it focuses its efforts on developing air breathing electric propulsion (ABEP) systems for use in VLEO. As opposed to traditional orbits, such as geostationary, VLEO orbits provide satellite designers with novel opportunities and challenges due to a thin layer of the Earth's atmosphere. Kreios Space's system uses air to generate plasma and accelerate it to produce thrust.

8. Thales Alenia

Latest Valuation/Funding Estimate: N/A

Thales Alenia is one of the more established companies on our list. The firm was set up more than a decade ago and it is a joint venture between two firms. Thales Alenia makes satellites and other space equipment such as space station modules and cargo transportation modules. It is also developing a VLEO satellite demonstrator called Skimsat. This is an Earth observation spacecraft and has a unique design where its solar panels are shaped like wings.

7. Cubecab

Latest Valuation/Funding Estimate: N/A

Cubecab is an American company based in California. The firm has one of the most interesting plans to launch satellites to VLEO, as it eyes to use a small 3D printed rocket attached to the wing pylons of a retired fighter jet for launch instead of first stage rockets that are used right now. The firm also won an award from the Air Force in 2021 to study the rapid deployment of CubeSats into VLEO to set up battlefield communications networks.

6. Skeyeon

Latest Valuation/Funding Estimate: $1.8 million

Skeyeon is another American company. The firm is based in San Diego, California and it is developing small VLEO satellites for Earth imaging applications.

Click to continue reading and see 5 VLEO Technology Stocks and Startups to Watch.

Suggested Articles:

Disclosure: None. 10 VLEO Technology Stocks and Startups to Watch is originally published on Insider Monkey.
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Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Agricultural Robots Market by Type, by Applications, by Component, by Farming Type, and by End Use - Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2022 - 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



Agriculture Robots Market size was valued at USD 7.07 billion in 2022, and is predicted to reach USD 24 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 15.4% during the forecast period, 2023 to 2030.



Demand for agriculture robots has increased across the globe, owing to the increasing penetration of indoor farming as it provides the farmer full control over the environmental aspects, such as exposure to light, nutrition and moisture level, for growing crops.

Agriculture robots can assist with various tasks in indoor farming, including planting, watering, fertilizing, monitoring, and harvesting crops. Agribots use various sensors to detect ripeness, moisture, and nutrition levels of plants or crops. Moreover, farmers can feed input data into their phones and monitor the farm from anywhere and at any time.



However, incapacity to match human dexterity which means the ability to match mental skill or cleverness that hamper the market growth.

On the contrary, rising inclination towards precision farming as agribots can provide farmers with real-time data on crop health, soil quality, and weather conditions, allowing for precise and targeted application of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation is expected to create ample opportunities for key players operating in the agriculture market during the coming decade

North America is dominating major market share in agriculture robots industry



North America plays a crucial role in the agricultural robotics market due to the widespread adoption of automation across industries such as e-commerce, pharmaceuticals, food & beverage, automotive, and agriculture. Farmers in the region are increasingly turning to robotic solutions for farming and dairy operations, driven by a shortage of skilled labor and the need to boost crop production.

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Additionally, the use of robotic sensors in vertical farming is also growing in popularity, as it provides precise data about crop conditions and can be used to automate many farming processes. The rising demand for aerial drones and driverless tractors is expected to drive the adoption of agricultural robots. This will fuel the market growth.



Moreover, the widespread use of robotics technology in agriculture by American farmers has led to an influx of new products from the U.S. companies, fueling the growth of the agribots industry.

For instance, in February 2022, Verdant Robotics launched a multi-functional agricultural robot aimed at elevating specialty crop farming to a superhuman level. Verdant has broadened its robot-as-a-service (RaaS) offering to make it more accessible to specialty crop farmers, leading to improved results such as increased crop production, higher yields, and cost savings.

Recent Developments

December 2022



CNH Industrial unveils latest Ag tech & smart farming by leveraging great iron to develop and deploy technology that simplifies and enhances operations, provides insightful data, and utilizing alternative power solutions for sustainably advance farming.



June 2022



AGCO partnered with Apex.AI for robotic planting, adding new capabilities to its autonomous farming robot, the Fendt Xaver concept vehicle by incorporating the easy-to-use Apex.OS software development kit.



April 2022



Deere & Company formed joint venture with GUSS Automation, LLC, in Kingsburg, California. Multiple GUSS sprayers can be remotely supervised by a single operator, allowing growers to spray orchards and vineyards more quickly and consistently, using fewer resources and reducing costs by eliminating operator error and downtime.



February 2022



Trimble launched a virtual farm platform for precision agriculture, allowing farmers worldwide to identify common operational challenges and find corresponding solutions. The interactive platform directs users to Trimble's connected solutions and offers assistance from a Trimble Ag representative.



February 2022



Naio Technologies introduced the Orio, a new light electric and autonomous agriculture robot. This cutting-edge technology combines advanced robotics and artificial intelligence, providing farmers with a sustainable, serviceable, and intelligent solution to their agricultural needs.

Key Market Players

GEA Group

CNH Industrial

Delaval

Deere & Company

Agco Corporation

Trimble Inc.

Naio Technologies

Yanmar Holdings Co. Ltd.

SZ DJI Technology Co. Ltd.

Boumatic

Harvest Automation Inc

Autonomous Solution Inc

Clearpath Robotics

Ageagle Aerial System

Kubota Corporation

Key Topics Covered:



1. Introduction



2. Agriculture Robots Market - Executive Summary

2.1. Market Snapshot, 2023 - 2030, Million Usd



3. Market Overview

3.1. Market Definition and Scope

3.2. Market Dynamics

3.2.1 Drivers

3.2.1.1 Shortage of Labor

3.2.1.2 Rising Penetration of Indoor Farming

3.2.1.3 Reducing Production Cost

3.2.1.4 Enhancing Crop Yields

3.2.2 Restraints

3.2.2.1 Lack of Technological Awareness Among Farmers

3.2.2.2 Inability to Match the Dexterity of Human

3.2.3 Opportunities

3.2.3.1 Increasing Development of Real Time Field Robots



4. Market Share Analysis

4.1. Market Share Analysis of Top Agriculture Robots Providers, 2022



5. Global Agriculture Robots Market, by Type

5.1. Overview

5.2. Driverless Tractors

5.3. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uavs)

5.4. Milking Robots

5.5. Automated Harvest Robots



6. Global Agriculture Robots Market, by Offering

6.1. Overview

6.2. Hardware

6.3. Software

6.4. Services



7. Global Agriculture Robots Market, by Farming Type

7.1. Overview

7.2. Indoor Farming

7.3. Outdoor Farming



8. Global Agriculture Robots Market, by Application

8.1. Overview

8.2. Dairy Management

8.3. Irrigation Management

8.4. Harvest Management

8.5. Soil Management

8.6. Inventory Management



9. Global Agriculture Robots Market, by End Use

9.1. Overview

9.2. Field Crops

9.3. Fruits & Vegetables

9.4. Livestock

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/61y5zx

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.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




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The real cost of getting a dog is more than just the purchase price -- long-term expenses need to be considered, as well. If you do a little research, you'll find that although there are dozens of dog breeds out there, some are pricier than others.

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GOBankingRates compiled a list of 28 dog breeds that are among the most expensive to own, considering the dog's purchase price, grooming expenses and potential healthcare costs for common issues faced by the breed. Click through to discover some of the most expensive animals -- and how much these furry friends would cost to buy and care for.

Akita

The family friendly Akita costs an average of $1,000 to $2,500 to purchase and has a life expectancy of 10 to 14 years. You can expect to pay around $80 each time your pup is groomed for a bath and brush.

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Akitas are prone to a variety of health issues -- including hip dysplasia, knee injuries and skin diseases -- bringing average possible healthcare costs to $4,500.

Alaskan Malamute

The Alaskan Malamute is a large breed that costs around $1,200 to $2,000 to buy as a pet. These curious, energetic dogs typically live 10 years or longer and, because of their heavy coats, cost at least $100 for each trip to the groomer. A high risk for a number of medical conditions like diabetes mellitus causes this dog's healthcare costs to total a steep $7,700.

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Bernese Mountain Dog

Popular as both a show dog and a family dog, the Bernese Mountain Dog costs in the range of $1,500 to $3,000.

This large breed has a very short life span of 7 to 10 years due to a number of health concerns -- including elbow and hip dysplasia and aseptic meningitis -- bringing potential healthcare expenses for common issues to around $6,500. That doesn't include treating cancer, which is not common with this breed - even with younger dogs. The cost to groom this 70-pound to 120-pound dog is around $110.

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Black Russian Terrier

Black Russian Terriers are one of the costliest dog breeds out there, with a range of $1,000 to $2,500. This large breed has a life span of 10 to 12 years. Plan to pay approximately $6,000 for potential healthcare costs to manage common orthopedic and eye problems.

Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

Thanks to its show dog status, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel is one of the most expensive dog breeds to buy. The typical purchase price for this dog comes out to $1,500 to $2,500. But grooming them is relatively easy, with a price tag of about $50 per visit.

This dog breed has an average life expectancy of 10 to 12 years and is susceptible to a host of health conditions, bringing potential medical costs to $1,350.

Chow Chow

Buying a Chow Chow of your own typically will cost between $1,200 and $2,000. And grooming costs for this medium-sized dog average a pricey $95. Chow Chows have a life expectancy of eight to 12 years, and typical healthcare costs could total a lofty $11,000.

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Dogo Argentino

An Argentinian big-game hunter and guardian breed, the Dogo Argentino makes the most expensive dog list because of its hefty purchase price of $1,500 to $2,500.

This large breed has an average life expectancy of at least 10 years. Potential healthcare costs to treat hip dysplasia and deafness -- conditions that commonly impact the breed -- can be as low as $1,600.

English Bulldog

The English Bulldog is one of the friendliest dog breeds and can be yours for anywhere between $2,000 and $4,000. These dogs cost an average of $40 to groom and are great for families with kids. They have an average life expectancy of just eight to 10 years and are at a high risk for many health concerns, a fact that makes them one of the most expensive dogs to have -- average health costs $5,700 or more.

French Bulldog

An expected purchase price of between $2,000 and $4,000 makes the French Bulldog one of the most expensive dogs to buy. Perfect for city living, these small dogs don't need a lot of exercise, and grooming costs average an affordable $35. Due to a number of serious health concerns, however, this breed has an average life expectancy of 10 to 12 years, with potential healthcare costs reaching $4,300 or more.

German Shepherd

Traditionally used as herding dogs, German Shepherds are gentle, good-tempered dogs with price tags generally from $800 to $2,000. German Shepherds' grooming costs are approximately $75, and they have an average life expectancy of nine to 13 years.

But, their sky-high potential medical costs of $20,500 -- used to treat a host of common conditions like hip dysplasia and perianal fistulas -- make them one of the more expensive dog breeds to own.

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Golden Retriever

Often described as the perfect family dog, a purebred Golden Retriever will cost around $1,000 to $2,000. And expect to spend around $85 every time you take this dog to the groomer.

This breed has an average life expectancy of 10 to 12 years, but it's predisposed to a number of serious health conditions -- including cancer -- causing potential medical costs to reach approximately $17,500.

Great Dane

Great Danes typically have a purchase price of $1,000 to $2,000. Although they're big dogs, these gentle giants are relatively easy to groom, with average costs totaling $65.

These dogs are also predisposed to myriad pricey health concerns, such as stomach conditions and even cardiomyopathy, giving them a shorter expected life span of 7 to 10 years. This also makes Great Danes one of the most expensive dog breeds to own -- average health costs can run to $7,100 and beyond.

Ibizan Hound

The Ibizan Hound's steep $2,000 to $2,500 purchase price makes it one of the most expensive dogs to own. This breed has a life span of up to 16 years and both of its coat types -- smooth and wire -- are easy to groom, costing an average of $40.

Purebred Ibizan Hounds have a low risk of developing hip dysplasia and a medium risk of going deaf, bringing potential healthcare costs for common issues to an average of $1,600.

Irish Wolfhound

A gentle giant, the Irish Wolfhound is one of the most expensive dog breeds to buy and own, with a general price tag of $1,500 to $2,500. This family friendly dog tends to get along well with everyone but has a short life span of just six to eight years. Expect grooming costs for this dog to average around $80, and plan for potential medical expenses to total around $7,700.

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Kerry Blue Terrier

The Kerry Blue Terrier costs about $2,000 to $2,500 and has an average life span of 12 to 15 years. However, grooming costs average about $85. And due to a number of possible health concerns, typical medical expenses average at least $8,000.

Lakeland Terrier

Although some terriers have been known to make millions for their owners, keep in mind they often require high upfront and maintenance costs -- depending on the specific breed.

Initially bred to hunt vermin in Northern England, the Lakeland Terrier is a smaller breed with a typical price tag of $1,500 to $2,800. Grooming costs about $45.

A Lakeland Terrier with an average life expectancy of 12 to 16 years might cost you approximately $1,000 in healthcare expenses, though the breed is not prone to many issues.

Miniature Bull Terrier

One of the most expensive dog breeds to own because of its $2,500 to $3,500 average purchase price, the Miniature Bull Terrier is a small animal with a lot of energy. These dogs have an average life expectancy of 10 to 12 years and cost approximately $30 to groom.

They're generally healthy, with potential minimum healthcare costs averaging $1,500. Just be sure to buy from a reputable breeder.

Newfoundland

Made famous by its appearance in "Peter Pan," the Newfoundland typically costs around $1,700 to $2,500 to purchase and has an average life span of 9 to 10 years.

Considered gentle and trainable, this giant breed requires regular grooming, which costs about $120 for professional service. A number of predisposed medical conditions -- such as cardiomyopathy and gastric dilatation volvulus -- could mean facing healthcare costs that total $5,500.

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Old English Sheepdog

The Old English Sheepdog is an excellent watchdog that's great with kids. With its price tag of $1,800 to $3,000, standard grooming fees of $100-plus per visit and potential healthcare costs of $7,600, this is one of the most expensive dog breeds you can buy. This dog's average life span is 10 to 12 years.

Pharaoh Hound

Intelligent, active and friendly, the Pharaoh Hound is one of the most expensive dogs due to its $1,800 to $2,500 purchase price. This large breed has an average life expectancy of as long as 16 years and is generally in good health, with possible issues costing approximately $1,500 to treat. Grooming costs for this short-haired breed are about $30 per visit.

Portuguese Water Dog

If possible, you might want to consider adopting a Portuguese Water Dog instead of buying one -- its purchase price averages a sky-high $2,000 to $3,000. As its name suggests, this medium-sized dog loves the water and costs approximately $80 for each trip to the groomer. The breed has an expected life span of 10 to 14 years and faces around $2,700 in potential medical expenses.

Rottweiler

The Rottweiler is a large breed that costs approximately $1,200 to $2,000 to buy and lives to be eight to 11 years old. Characterized as alert, fearless and intelligent, this short-haired dog will saddle you with $50 average grooming bills. A number of health concerns make Rottweilers expensive dogs to own, as well, with possible healthcare costs averaging about $7,800.

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Saint Bernard

Costing from $1,000 to $2,000 to buy, the Saint Bernard has a calm and patient temperament that makes it ideal for families and dog show handlers. Grooming fees for this giant breed generally run around $120, and its life expectancy ranges from eight to 10 years. Medical expenses are the main reason Saint Bernards are such expensive pets, with potential healthcare costs hovering at approximately $8,600.

Samoyed

A rare breed that costs between $1,500 to $3,000 to purchase, the Samoyed is known to be kind, loving and eager to please. Its thick, white coat usually requires brushing two or three times weekly, and professional grooming costs about $85 per visit.

This dog breed has a 10-to-12-year life expectancy and is prone to some expensive medical issues, like corneal dystrophy and autoimmune conditions, causing healthcare costs to be at least $4,800.

Spinone Italiano

Hailing from Italy, the Spinone Italiano is a large breed with a typical price tag of $1,200 to $2,000. Grooming these family-friendly pets costs around $60, and their life expectancy typically ranges from 12 to 14 years. While the breed is generally healthy, average potential medical expenses total $3,000 due to common health issues like hip dysplasia and gastric dilatation volvulus.

Staffordshire Bull Terrier

The Staffordshire Bull Terrier has a common purchase price of $1,500 to $2,500. These medium-sized, energetic dogs enjoy long walks and have modest grooming needs, costing approximately $45 for each trip to the groomer. If you buy a dog of this breed, you can expect it to live about a dozen years. Prepare to pay around $3,500 to care for general health issues.

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Tibetan Mastiff

The Tibetan Mastiff is one the most expensive dogs to own. It has an exorbitant purchase price that ranges from $2,500 to $4,000. Known as a great watchdog. The breed's life expectancy averages 10 to 14 years, and medical expenses can reach around $3,500 due to common health issues like hip and elbow dysplasia.

Yorkshire Terrier

Yorkshire Terriers -- Yorkies for short -- cost between $1,500 to $3,000 to purchase and have an average life expectancy of 13 to 16 years. These tiny purse dogs are one of the most expensive dog breeds because they're prone to a number of health conditions, including eye and knee issues, totaling a minimum of $9,800 in potential healthcare costs.

This high-maintenance breed doesn't shed much, but expect to pay about $50 each time you have the dog groomed.

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Jennifer Taylor contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates.com examined the following factors that can impact the overall cost of owning different types of dog breeds: purchase price, grooming costs and potential healthcare costs. 1. Purchase costs were calculated using figures from various dog breed sites, including (but not limited to) DogBreedsList.info and PetBudget.com. 2. Grooming costs were pulled from personal grooming websites that list dog breed prices. If the websites provided a range, the average was used. 3. Potential healthcare costs of common issues included the minimum total of all common conditions in each dog breed as specified by Embrace Pet Insurance. All data is accurate as of May 4, 2023.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 28 Most Expensive Dog Breeds
Cheyenne, WY (82001)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High near 70F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Considerable clouds this evening. Some decrease in clouds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 46F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Two hundred and seventeen Chadron State College candidates for undergraduate degrees and 58 candidates for graduate degrees will be honored in the Chicoine Center Saturday at 10 a.m. The commencement ceremony will be streamed online and on the video board in Beebe Stadium. Winter 2022 graduates will also be participating in the ceremony since the December event was canceled due to a severe snowstorm.

Moments of reflection will be offered by Jace Demeranville of Gering, Nebraska, who completed a cross-country bike ride for a CSC course with Dr. Kurt Kinbacher, and Jaqueline Buhr, a master's degree recipient, who is a staff member with Project Strive TRiO. ROTC cadet Chase Mestas of Colorado Springs, Colorado, will be commissioned into the Army during the ceremony.

The Commencement Speaker is Chadron State College alum and Chadron High School History and Civics teacher Michael Sandstrom. Sandstrom, a Chadron native, has earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from CSC. He also has a master's degree in American History from Pace University.

Sandstrom, who has taught American History, Advanced Placement U.S. History, World History, and Civic for 10 years, is part of a legacy at CSC. His wife, Sheyenne, his mother, JoAnn Sandstrom, and his mother-in-law, Lorie Hunn, are alumnae. Hunn is a member of the CSC Family and Consumer Sciences faculty. His sister, Madison, attends CSC, and his brother, Zach graduated in 2015.

Sandstrom has accumulated a number of honors in his career, beginning with earning the 2015 James Madison Fellow for Colorado when he was a teacher in that state. Through that fellowship, designed to improve the teaching of the Constitution in American schools, Sandstorm earned six graduate hours in constitutional study from Georgetown University.

"I was ecstatic. The fellowship presents valuable opportunities to learn about the constitution and our founding era that many teachers only dream about," he said.

In 2019, Sandstrom received the Nebraska History Teacher of the Year Award sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

When receiving the award, Sandstrom said he believes civic competence and historical knowledge should have a prominent role in education.

"Students believe that they possess all the required information at their fingertips, but the power unleashed by the study of history does not come from the memorization of dates and random facts," Sandstrom says. "My goal, every day, is to make history both relevant and challenging in the hope that they are better prepared for the 21st Century."

Along with the state award, Sandstrom became a finalist for the National History Teacher of the Year Award, and participated in the Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar, a week-long program of discussions between teachers and eminent historians, visits to historic sites, and hands-on work with primary sources.

Sandstrom was also named the 2022 Outstanding Teacher for the Third District by the Nebraska State Council for Social Studies.

Teachers have played a pivotal role in Sandstrom's life.

"History and social studies have interested me from middle school through high school and into my collegiate years. I believe the strength of my instructors at every level drove my interest, along with my own inquisitive nature," he said.

Colton Bell of Cheyenne, Wyo. (82009) Bachelor of Science in Education Magna Cum Laude

Kelsey Crock of Cheyenne, Wyo. (82009) Bachelor of Science in Education Summa Cum Laude

Robyn Merz of Cheyenne, Wyo. (82007) Bachelor of Science in Education Summa Cum Laude

Chadron State College, which was founded in 1911, is the only four-year, regionally-accredited college in the western half of Nebraska. As a public institution with its roots in teacher education, Chadron State takes pride in its accessibility and affordability. More than 2,000 undergraduate, graduate and online students currently attend Chadron State.
Warren Buffett speaks onstage during Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on October 13, 2015 in Washington, DC. Paul Morigi/Getty Images

Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting is set for this weekend in Omaha, Nebraska.

At the meeting, the company will vote on 6 shareholder proposals that include removing Warren Buffett as Chairman.

Buffett recommends investors vote against all of the shareholder proposals.

Thousands of investors will descend upon Omaha, Nebraska this weekend for Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting, and a lot will be up for discussion.

In addition to a review of the conglomerate's business performance and hours of questions and answers between investors and Berkshire Hathaway's Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, investors will vote on six shareholder proposals, all of which Buffett recommends shareholders vote "no" on.

Despite Berkshire Hathaway's significant outperformance relative to the S&P 500 over the past one-, three-, five-, 10-, and 20-year periods, one investor is calling for the removal of Warren Buffett as its chairman. Another is asking the company to not involve itself in political hot-button issues.

These are the six shareholder proposals Berkshire Hathaway investors are expected to vote on this weekend.

Proposals 1, 2, and 3: That Berkshire publishes an annual assessment addressing how the company manages physical and transitional climate-related risks and opportunities, disclose how climate risks are being governed by the company, and how it plans to help measure and reduce emissions to align itself with the Paris Climate Agreement.

Proposed by: The California Public Employees' Retirement System, Trustee of the Bright Start College Savings Trust, Elizabeth Kantor Trust U/A DTD 3/11/1993

Berkshire response: "Several of Berkshire's operating companies report their greenhouse gas emissions data and discuss climate-related risks and opportunities in their own reports that are linked on Berkshire's website... Climate-related risks and opportunities are addressed at the operating company level and considered by the Board and the Audit Committee simultaneously with enterprise and shareholder risk, in conjunction with the materiality of the company's individual contribution to Berkshire's consolidated net income."

Story continues

Proposal 4: That Berkshire report to shareholders on the effectiveness of the company's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Proposed by: Meredith Benton of Whistle Stop Capital, on behalf of Myra K. Young

Berkshire response: "Berkshire's commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the effectiveness of our companies' related programs starts with our leaders, including our Board of Directors, of which four members are female and two members are racially or ethnically diverse. However, it should be noted that these directors were not selected for diversity purposes. To ensure long-term success for our shareholders, Berkshire encourages its leaders to execute diversity, equity and inclusion strategies that are tailored to the unique aspects of their businesses."

Proposal 5: That Berkshire separates the role of CEO and Chairman, resulting in Buffett stepping down as Chairman.

Proposed by: National Legal and Policy Center

Berkshire Response: "Warren Buffett, Berkshire's CEO, currently has a 31.5% voting interest in Berkshire. The Board believes that as long as Mr. Buffett is Berkshire's CEO, he should continue as Board Chair and as Berkshire's CEO. However, as has been stated on numerous occasions by Mr. Buffett in the past, once Mr. Buffett is no longer Berkshire's CEO, a non-management director should be named Board Chair."

Proposal 6: That Berkshire receives a commitment that its portfolio companies avoid supporting or taking a public position on any controversial social or political issues.

Proposed by: American Conservative Values ETF

Berkshire Response: "Berkshire manages its operating businesses on an unusually decentralized basis and has minimal involvement in these businesses' day-to-day activities. The Board believes it is inconsistent with Berkshire's culture to dictate that public communications by leaders be 'previously, comprehensively and without bias justified by action on the basis of underlying business strategy, exigencies, and priorities' given Berkshire's long-standing business model that each of the businesses is individually responsible for implementing policies, programs and results that support its business strategy."

Read the original article on Business Insider
It's been brutal week for oil prices, despite a Friday rebound. Slides in earlier sessions led crude futures to close out their third straight week of losses.

The S&P 500 Energy Select Sector ETF (XLE) also rebounded during Friday's trading day, yet it ended the week down 5.7%.

Recession fears drove much of the the downward movement in prior sessions. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 basis points. The move is expected to further press the brakes on the economy.

This week's slide played out in tandem with the regional banking turmoil. As regional banks came under pressure, oil prices tanked.

"If we get a debacle in the financial markets, it will definitely have collateral damage in oil," OPIS global head of energy analysis Tom Kloza recently told Yahoo Finance Live.

Drilling rigs operate at sunset in Midland, Texas, U.S., February 13, 2019. Picture taken February 13, 2019. REUTERS/Nick Oxford

"Energy price movements are consistent with rising market expectations for a recession," Will Compernolle, FHN Macro Strategist wrote in a note to investors this week.

The EIAs recently released Weekly petroleum Status Report showed declining demand for gasoline and jet fuel in the week ending April 28th.

While China reopening is expected to be a positive for oil, the demand hasn't been linear. China factory activity unexpectedly cooled in April, reducing demand expectations.

"I think from a demand side perspective, the Chinese story from an industrial capacity perspective is still to play out throughout the year," Murray Auchincloss, chief financial officer of BP (BP), said during the energy giant's earnings call earlier this week.

"It's why we are constructive on oil prices looking out through the rest of the year," he added.

On Friday, West Texas Intermediate (CL=F) rose 4.1% while Brent (BZ=F) crude gained 3.9%. WTI and Brent closed out the week with a decline of 7.1% and 5.3% respectively.

Ines is a senior business reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter at @ines_ferre

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
NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / T-Mobile

By Shawna Ryan, T-Mobile Stories

Amy Viettry learned at a young age that she'd have to largely rely on herself and her own determination if she were to blaze a trail in corporate life, and indeed life itself.

"My parents came here to America to create opportunity for me," the T-Mobile Senior Program Manager says, "and they've pushed me to be successful on my own because they knew they couldn't line up all the ducks for me."

As the daughter of refugee immigrants from Vietnam, Amy said the language barrier was just one of many obstacles that put a lot of the responsibility on her shoulders when it came to her schooling - and impacted her career ambitions.

Yet, she's never lost sight of the sacrifices her parents made by creating a life for her in America. Today, with a bachelor's and master's degree in her pocket, she is committed to trailblazing a way for others like her to succeed by leading a company program aimed at high school students looking for support with their STEM career and education goals.

"We talk about networking all the time and it's hard when you have to start with zero network," she explains. "I don't have parents who can say I know someone at this college to meet with you or someone at a company I can get you an interview with. I come from a low-income family that's supporting me and my three siblings. I couldn't afford college, so I started working right away at 18."

The T-Mobile Explorer Prep Program follows the company's goal of hiring diverse early career talent in STEM fields. During the two 8-week summer internships, students can earn a professional certificate in their field of interest while gaining on the job experience.

After completing the program, students are eligible to apply for a full-time employment development role that unlocks tuition assistance for higher education. The program also provides a pathway for students to pursue higher education.

Story continues

For Amy, as T-Mobile's first program manager for the Explorer Prep Program, this presents a unique opportunity for high school students to jumpstart their careers in technology.

The conventional pathway into a career after completing high school and then college, Amy explains, isn't always the most accessible or equitable path. For her, the chance to explore an alternative was exactly what she needed to succeed and what others like her deserve.

"There are so many students that might be the first to try to go to college or who come from households that can't afford to pay for college and are fearful of going into debt from hefty student loans," she says. "This program is there to support them. For me, this is obviously very close to my heart. I'm living proof this can work, even if it is untraditional."

While the Explorer Prep program is currently offered at select partner schools in the Seattle and Kansas City areas, close to T-Mobile's two headquarters, Amy hopes its early success will expand its reach to more students in need.

We spoke with Amy about how the Explorer Prep Program works and how she is using her experiences to inform its optimal inclusivity.

Can you tell us a little about how growing up the child of immigrant parents has impacted you and your career choice?

My mom is Chinese and my dad is Vietnamese. Both were living in Vietnam and came over as refugees from the Vietnam War. I grew up in a low-income neighborhood, but I went to school in an affluent white neighborhood. My dad was the only source of income and worked seven days a week to provide for me and my three siblings while my mom took care of us at home. I'm so grateful because they never made me feel less privileged. I never felt like I didn't have money, I just knew that there were things that I couldn't have that other kids could.

School was a challenge because I had to do a lot of things on my own that I saw others' parents were handling for them. I had to fill out my own FAFSA and see school counselors and get school documents to register myself for things. I'd have to comprehend it all and explain it to them. There were so many kids out there I felt that had more support and connections when it came to getting into colleges. It's just about knowing people who can help!

I didn't get my bachelor's degree until 10 years after I graduated high school. I knew my family couldn't afford college, especially if it was just in the hopes of figuring out what exactly I wanted to do next. I started working right away at 18 knowing that my family wouldn't be able to continue supporting me. I got a job at T-Mobile in 2012. Fast forward to 2016 and I asked myself, "Why am I not taking advantage of this tuition assistance that my company's offering?" So, I enrolled into tuition assistance and I got my bachelor's degree in 2020.

Immediately after getting my bachelor's degree, I enrolled in my master's and have just graduated! It was a great opportunity for me to be able to get something later because our company offered that help. It's one reason why The Explorer Prep Program is so close to my heart. I'm living proof this can work, even if it is untraditional.

Can you explain how the Explorer Prep Program works?

The program started in 2020 and it's a two-consecutive summer experience program for high school students who are interested in pursuing a career in STEM. We're starting at the high school level and it's a great way for us to really help provide students the exposure that they're looking for in the industry to get their minds thinking sooner. When you think back to high school, many remember having no idea what they wanted to do but they're applying to a four-year university anyways and paying for general education classes. Students often switch majors and have no idea what a career in the field they're pinpointing even looks like. This program caters to both the students that don't know what they want to do and also to the students that know exactly what they want to do. Our targeted audience is simply students that might not have the means to go to college and that's where that diversity comes in. It's inclusive of everyone.

There are three fields that we're looking for: software engineers, cyber security engineers and user experience designers. We're looking to be able to build a pipeline of diverse, top talent at a younger age than college level. They join the summer of their junior year and the summer after they graduate high school. The application process goes through the schools, and my school partners review those applications and send to our recruiters, who then select 30 student candidates to come in May for what we call the Manager Match Event, which is set up like an interview. It's all in conjunction with local colleges for them to get a two-year certification in the career track that they want to go into. And they're paid during it all. The program is small right now with Seattle Public Schools, Edmonds School District and Kansas City Public Schools, but there's hopes of building it out with more partner schools.

Why is this program an important disruption to the status quo when it comes to the usual paths to education and career in your opinion?

It's an untraditional way to get into a career because it's kind of the reverse. The traditional route is you go to high school, you do a four-year university, you get into a college internship and you cross your fingers that you'll get a career out of it, right? This way is flipped around. You start taking college courses your senior year in high school and you start doing internships your high school summers. But it's actually so much more focused than an internship. It's a summer experience with a clear path towards their future.

While students typically go for that four-year bachelor's degree to get a career, what we're offering is a chance to get the experience to make the right career choice for you. You get a certification, which is a specialized certificate in a field of your choice, and then we offer you an exclusive interview for full-time employment with T-Mobile. Once you become an employee with T-Mobile, we offer tuition assistance. If you still want to pursue your bachelor's degree, we got you! So, yes, it's untraditional but we're offering something that students weren't able to get before.

Since becoming the first program manager to lead this, I've implemented a new recruiting strategy that invites the whole family onto our campus because parents are essentially the decision makers for these high school students, and we need to explain why we are doing this. Growing up, even I thought it had to be a four-year university to get your bachelor's to then get a career. That's how we were trained to think. I think it's important to talk to the parents and explain to them that there is a way to help your kids get their dream job without having to get caught up in student loan debt if that's the concern. Let me tell you how. Let me introduce you to the professionals who will be mentoring your children and helping them find their own pathway to career success, and how that can also lead to education success as well!

View additional multimedia and more ESG storytelling from T-Mobile on 3blmedia.com.

Contact Info:

Spokesperson: T-Mobile

Website: https://www.3blmedia.com/profiles/t-mobile

Email: info@3blmedia.com

SOURCE: T-Mobile





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/753179/AAPIHAM-Employee-Spotlight-Im-Living-Proof




$5.2 Billion PSAC Settlement Doesnt Include Bonuses: Fortier

While the Liberal government has agreed to add about $5.2 billion to the pockets of its employees over the next four years, the president of the Treasury Board says this does not include the cost of a $2,500 bonus for each worker, which if added, will raise the settlement by another $300 million.

Testifying before the Senate Standing Committee on National Finance on May 3, Mona Fortier said the deal Ottawa has tentatively reached with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) does not include the expense that will come with a one-time pensionable payment of $2,500 to each of the 120,000 PSAC members who were on strike from April 19 to May 1.

Fortier was responding to Sen. Clement Gignac who asked if the cost of the four-year settlement, which Fortier said at a press conference on May 1 is estimated at $1.3 billion a year, will include the $2,500 lump sum payments.

The answer is no. We will have to make an adjustment based on that lump sum amount, she said, as first reported by Blacklocks Reporter. Once this is ratified, well be able to modify or adjust that amount.

So it might be an additional two or $300 million in the first year if my math is correct.

Payment of $2,500 bonuses to 120,000 employees would total $300 million. On May 4, the last striking employees, comprising 35,000 members of the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE), reached a tentative deal with the Canada Revenue Agency with terms similar to that of PSACs. This means it will cost taxpayers another $87.5 million from the $2,500 payments.

No Studies on Work From Home

Under the new collective agreement, PSAC and UTE workers will be provided with 12.6 percent in compounded wage increases over the next four years, including the $2,500 payment that represents an additional 3.7 percent of salary for the average union member.

The Treasury Board did not elaborate on other union requests such as shift premiums for working past 4 p.m., but it did agree to maintain a current policy of allowing employees to work from home up to three days per week. PSAC is pushing for telework agreements to be enshrined in the collective agreement.

Sen. Larry Smith asked if there is any data on the number of people within PSAC working from home versus in the office.

We dont necessarily have all the numbers from all the departments, Fortier replied. We are starting to gather some intelligence and data gathering, but it is the departments prerogative on how they will assess and how they will also determine the up to three days for their delivery.

On May 2, Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux told the Senate committee that the federal government doesnt know how many employees are working remotely from home.

We have not sent a formal request for information but we put the question informally to the Treasury Board and several departments, said Giroux.

There are a few departments [that] have also indicated that no studies had been undertaken regarding whether public servants were more or less productive when they worked in person or remotely.

Productivity

Sen. Tony Loffreda asked Fortier if there was any proper work being done by her department to properly assess the efficiency of government services pre- and post-COVID-19 pandemic, given the number of full-time employees had increased over the past three years and that working from home is the new reality.

In light of these two major shifts, how can we evaluate the improvements in terms of service delivery to Canadians? he asked. Are we improving outcomes? And how are you measuring [outcomes]?

I think we need to make sure that we balance and we look at all of those data points that were gathering on productivity, Fortier replied.

Marnie Cathcart and Matthew Horwood contributed to this report.
56 House Republicans Criticize Veterans Affairs Secretary Over Debt Limit Bill Claims

Republican Congresswoman-elect Jen Kiggans at her victory speech in Virginia Beach, Va., on Nov. 8, 2022. (Terri Wu/The Epoch Times)

House Republicans have sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough, criticizing his department for making baseless political talking points about the GOP legislation to raise the debt ceiling while cutting future spending.

In a May 4 letter led by Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), a former Navy helicopter pilot, 56 House Republicans fended off the departments criticism against the recently-passed Limit, Save, Grow Act, after a vote of 217215 on April 26 mostly along party lines.

Today, I led over 50 of my @HouseGOP colleagues in condemning the dishonest, partisan use of the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] to spread fear and anxiety among Americas veterans regarding their benefits, Kiggans wrote on Twitter. Our veterans should never be used as political pawns.

The facts are that nowhere in the Limit, Save, Grow Act is it indicated that the VA budget would be cut, the letter explains. The intent of the legislation is to set a topline number for the entire federal budget.

The Speaker of the US. House of Representatives Kevin McCarthy, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Chairwoman for the House Committee on Appropriations Kay Granger, Chairman for the House Committee on Veterans Affairs Mike Bost, and others have all stated unequivocally that veterans will be protected, and the VA will be funded.

Republicans said in their letter that the departments statement, issued on April 21, falsely stated that the GOP legislation would threaten medical care for 30 million veterans, worsen wait times for hundreds of thousands of veterans and survivors applying for benets, and fail to honor the memory of all veterans.

The departments statement argued that the legislation would mean 30 million fewer outpatient visits for veterans, 81,000 jobs lost across the Veterans Health Administration, and increasing disability claims backlogs.

The GOP legislation would raise the nations $31.4 trillion debt by $1.5 trillion, in exchange for spending cuts Republicans estimated would save American taxpayers $4.5 trillion over a decade.

The legislation would reduce discretionary spending to the 2022 level, and limit spending increases to 1 percent annually for 10 years.

President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pass a clean increase to the $31.4 trillion cap, and has said he would veto the GOP legislation if it reaches his desk.

Many members of Congress are deeply troubled and personally offended that the Biden Administration continues to use these dishonest talking points to create panic and fear in our veteran populations, the letter says. Political games have absolutely no place in the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Rep. Derrick Van Orden (R-Wis.), a retired Navy SEAL who co-led the letter, issued a statement accusing the VA of fearmongering.

I am telling you that the Limit, Save, Grow Act sets a topline number for the entire federal budget, Van Orden said. It does not cut the VA budget. If the VA chooses to spend this money on a bloated bureaucracy instead of veterans health care, we will hold them publicly accountable.

They are fearmongering with our veterans and that is reprehensible.

Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio), who served in the Marine Corps Reserves, wrote on Twitter that he was proud to sign the letter.

[Biden] needs to stop this dishonest fear-mongering and work with Republicans to prevent a debt default, Miller wrote.

On May 1, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warned that the United States could default on its financial obligations as soon as June 1, if Congress does not raise or suspend the debt limit before that time.

The Department of Veterans Affairs did not comment on the letter.
65 Percent of Illegal Immigrants Facing Deportation Claim to Be Modern Slavery Victims

An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Most illegal immigrants arriving in the UK by small boats who were detained for removal have claimed they were victims of modern slavery, Home Office figures show.

Such claims would delay the deportation until a decision is made on their modern slavery claims.

According to data released by the Home Office on Thursday, in 2021, among the 404 illegal immigrants detained for return after arriving in the UK on a small boat, 294 (73 percent) were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM)a system designed to identify potential victims of modern slavery and human trafficking.

During January to September 2022, 1,305 illegal immigrants were detained for return, leading to an even greater number of referrals to the NRM (842 people), albeit a slightly smaller proportion (65 percent).

This is a large increase from earlier years, the Home Office said. In 2019, just 6 percent of the 831 people detained for return were referred to the NRM while in detention (50 people).

A Home Office analysis said: In recent years there has been an increase in the number and proportion of people referred to the NRM while awaiting return.

The analysis added: A referral to the NRM protects the person from return until after a modern slavery decision is made and, in most cases, the person is released from detention for the recovery and reflection period and conclusive grounds decision process.

This suggests that the prospect of having to leave the UK may act as a trigger for people to raise issues related to modern slavery, or that enforcement processes may help first responders identify potential victims.

Gaming the System

The Modern Slavery Act was introduced by former Prime Minister Theresa May during her time as home secretary in order to protect vulnerable people from exploitation, domestic servitude, or being trafficked for sex.

But UK government ministers have expressed concerns the system is being abused, allowing immigrants to remain in the UK.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman delivers a speech on policing at the Public Safety Foundation think tank in central London, on April 26, 2023. (Stefan Rousseau/PA Media)

At the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham in October, Home Secretary Suella Braverman told party members that the UKs modern slavery laws are being abused by people gaming the system, citing a 450 percent increase in modern slavery claims since 2014many of which she said are liesand anecdotes of foreign sex offenders blocking their removal by making modern slavery claims.

In November, more than 50 Conservative MPs signed a letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak demanding emergency legislation be introduced to amend modern slavery laws.

The signatories said that people claiming they have been unwilling victims of human trafficking or modern slavery should be sent back to their home countries.

If they have really been taken against their will, then they could not reasonably object to being returned to their own homes, the letter added.

The quirks in our modern slavery laws that prevent this are clearly in defiance of the aims of that law and should be removed, the letter stated.

Under the governments Illegal Migration Bill, which cleared the House of Commons last month, people who arrive in the UK illegally will be detained and then promptly removed, either to their home country or a safe third country such as Rwanda.

If the bill becomes law, challenges based on modern slavery laws will be barred, and any other legal attempt by illegal immigrants to stay would be heard overseas, after they have been removed.

But some politicians, including May, have warned that a tightening of rules could create extra problems and undermine protections for victims.

New Record

The number of people referred to the NRM in the first three months of this year was the highest since the scheme started in 2009, the Home Office said.

A total of 4,746 people were referred to the Home Office from January to March, the new figures show.

That is an increase of 26 percent from 3,773 in the first quarter of 2022 and a rise of 7 percent in the period from October to December.

Detainees inside the Manston short-term holding centre for illegal immigrants wave to members of the media outside, near Ramsgate, Kent, southeast England, on Nov. 3, 2022. (Daniel Leal /AFP via Getty Images)

Albanian nationals accounted for almost a third (31 percent) of all claimants, making up 1,452 of the total number.

The Home Office said referrals for Albanian nationals reached the highest number and proportion since the NRM began.

According to government figures released in November, 91 percent of Albanian small boat arrivals who claimed to be victims of modern slavery had been allowed to stay in the UK pending a full investigation of their claims.

According to the figures, the average application took 561 days to process, during which time the illegal immigrants are offered accommodation, food, legal aid, and counselling.

Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch, said last year that illegal immigrants and people traffickers are taking advantage of a huge loophole in UK legislation.

The government has no option but to plug this gaping hole, and do it quickly, he said.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Actor Richard Dreyfuss Discusses Importance of Teaching Civics in American Schools

Understanding the Constitution is necessary for good citizenship, Dreyfuss says

Actor Richard Dreyfuss arrives for the Los Angeles Premiere of "Sweetwater" in the Steven J. Ross Theater at the Warner Bros. Studio Lot in Burbank, Calif., on April 11, 2023. (Michael Tran/AFP via Getty Images)

Passive citizenship in America is the direct consequence of public schools not teaching about peoples constitutional rights and the rules for governing the country enshrined in the Constitution, said actor Richard Dreyfuss.

Dreyfusswho won an Academy Award in 1978 for his leading role in The Goodbye Girl and has acted in other famous films such as What About Bob?, American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and morespoke to The Epoch Times at Hunter College in New York City on May 2.

Dreyfuss was at the college for a discussion about his book, One Thought Scares Me

Richard Dreyfuss on getting rid of the US Constitution: "to junk it. Only an idiot would say that. And I mean, truly retarded, idiot." "No one has bettered or negotiated a way for the states and the federal government to work together." "America takes risk and America pic.twitter.com/z1sgNGKDAT  Jan Jekielek (@JanJekielek) May 7, 2023

People who have not been taught civics do not understand the powers civil authorities have been given or the hierarchy of powers, said Dreyfuss, who has advocated for the need for civic education in the American school system since 2008 with his organization, The Dreyfuss Civics Initiative.

Dreyfuss explained that it is too late to learn civics after a person gets elected to Congress.

You have to learn it and learn it so that its in your DNA. And thats why you study the Constitution, he said.

Americas founding was the marriage of the secular and the spiritual, Dreyfuss said. It has worked. It stopped working when they stopped teaching.

Lack of Civic Studies

In his book, Dreyfuss asserts that civics has not been taught in American public schools for over 50 years.

Civics has not been completely abandoned by schools, as many schools teach a subject named civics, but they do not teach about how the republic governs itself, and the requirements vary from state to state. As a result, students lack proficiency in civics.

Peter Wood, president of the National Association of Scholars, said in a 2018 report (pdf) that large percentages of college students could not answer basic questions about the American political order because most of them never had any basic instruction in civics.

This reflects the neglect of traditional civics instruction at every level of education, from grade school through college, Wood said in the report.

The Association of American Colleges and Universities said in its 2012 report commissioned by the Department of Education (pdf) that only 24 percent of graduating high school seniors scored at the proficient or advanced level in civics in 2010, fewer than in 2006 or in 1998.

Among 14,000 college seniors surveyed in 2006 and 2007, the average score on a civic literacy exam was just over 50 percent, an F, the report said. Half of the states no longer require civics education for high school graduation.

Wood said that civics in the traditional American sense meant learning about how the republic governs itself.

Wood said civics should include instruction about the government branches, the obligations of citizenship, constitutional rights, and the system of checks and balances that divide the states from the federal government. Students should learn how citizens take responsibility for their government, which includes voting, serving on juries, running for office, and serving in the military, Wood wrote.

Teaching Civics

Civics also teach people how to get along with the human proclivity for having different opinions, Dreyfuss said.

No one expects everyone to have the same opinion, he said, adding that the idea that everyone should agree came about because people stopped defending republican democracy via the Constitution.

This country is defined by the Constitution, Dreyfuss said.

It requires a dissent. And it requires an argument. Thats called perfection, he said.

During a Q&A session at the Hunter College event, Dreyfuss said that civics should be taught from kindergarten on and in every class, not just in the highest grades, likening it to how the Ten Commandments are being taught every Sunday to religious believers.

People should learn the Constitution because its the largest step forward in moral progress in the history of the human race, he added.

Dreyfuss said at the event that he wrote his book to remind people that they are the sovereign power in America.

If someone gets elected to Congress, that official is not the peoples boss, Dreyfuss told the audience.

Theyre not our boss. They are our servants, public servants, he said.

If they do not do what people ask them to do and if they do not constantly ask what people want, people should get rid of them and take over the government that they took from us, Dreyfuss said. Im not asking for a revolution. Im asking for participatory citizenship.

People became passive through the changes in the education system that led to the abandonment of teaching civics, Dreyfuss said at the event.

Voices Calling to Abolish the Constitution

There are some voices calling to abolish the Constitution. Ryan Cooper, a national correspondent at The Week, called the American Constitution a piece of junk and suggested throwing it out.

Louis Michael Seidman, a law professor at Georgetown University, argued that the Constitution is outdated and advised to give it up. Dozens of students at the University of Florida signed a petition to abolish the Constitution.

But Dreyfuss told The Epoch Times he would ask those who want to replace the Constitution for a better alternative to it.

No one has laid out the structure of the federal governmentand the way for the states and the federal government to work togetherbetter than the Constitution, Dreyfuss argued.
AI Chatbot Could Become Real Threat If Controlled by Oppressive Power: Cybersecurity Expert

AI chatbot, such as ChatGPT, could become a real threat if it is controlled by an oppressive power like China and Russia, according to Rex Lee, a cybersecurity adviser at My Smart Privacy.

He pointed to the recent remark of British computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, the Godfather of AI, who recently left his position as vice president and engineering fellow at Google.

In an interview with The New York Times, Hinton sounded the alarm about the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) to create false images, photos, and text to the point where the average person will not be able to know what is true anymore.

Lee echoed the concern, saying, A legitimate concern is the ability for AI ChatGPT, or AI in general, to be used to spread misinformation and disinformation over the internet.

But now, imagine a government in charge of this technology or oppressive governments like China or Russia with this technology. Again, its being trained by humans. Right now, we have humans who have a profit motive that are training this technology with Google and Microsoft. But now, mix in a government, and then it becomes much more of a threat, Lee told China in Focus on NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

He raised concern that with the facilitation of AI, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) can exacerbate its human rights abuse practices.

If you look at this in the hands of a government, like China and the CCP, and then imagine them programming the technology to oppress or suppress human rights, and also to censor stories and identify dissenters on the internet, and so forth, so that they can find those people and arrest them, then it becomes a huge threat, he said.

According to Lee, AI technology could also enable the communist regime to ramp up its disinformation campaign on social media in the United States at an unprecedented speed.

Imagine now you have over 100 million Tiktok users in the United States that are already being influenced by China and the CCP through the platform. But now, think of it this way, theyre being influenced at the speed of a jetyou add AI to that, then they can be influenced at the speed of light. Now, you can touch millions of people, literally billions of people, literally within seconds with this and misinformation that can be pushed out, he said.

And thats where it becomes very frightening  how it can be used politically and/or be used by bad actors, including drug cartels, and criminal actors that also can then have access to the technology as well, he added.

Elimination of Jobs

Lee pointed out that Hinton also expressed concern about the centralization of AI regarding Big Tech.

One of his concerns was that Microsoft had launched open AI ChatGPT, ahead of Googles Bark, which is their chatbot, and he felt that Google was rushing to market to compete against Microsoft, Lee said.

Another big concern is the elimination of jobs  this technology can and will eliminate a lot of jobs that are out there, thats becoming a bigger concern, he said, adding that AI can eliminate jobs that an automated computer chatbot can do, mainly in the area of customer service, but also in computer programming.

Mitigate Threats

Lee defined ChatGPT as a generated pre-trained transformer, which he said is basically the transformer, and its programmed by humans and trained.

Thus, he deemed human factors as the biggest concern.

Basically, AI is like a newborn baby; it can be programmed for good, just like a child. If the parents raise that child with a lot of love and care and respect, the child will grow up to be loving, caring, and respectful. But if its raised like a feral animal, and raised in the wild, like just letting AI learn by itself off of the internet with no controls or parameters, then you dont know what youre gonna get with it, he said.

To mitigate such a threat, Lee suggested that the regulators who understand it at a granular level work with these companies to see how theyre programming it and what algorithms are used to program it.

And they have to make sure that theyre training it with the right parameters to where it doesnt become a danger not only to them but to their customers.
ANALYSIS: How Bidens Immigration Policies Are Putting Americans at Risk

How illegal immigrants With criminal backgrounds remain in the United States

A migrant family from Venezuela illegally crosses the Rio Grande River in Eagle Pass, Texas, at the border with Mexico on June 30, 2022. (Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images)

Following a four-day manhunt, the illegal immigrant accused of shooting and killing five neighbors, including a 9-year-old boy, in Cleveland, Texas, was arrested on April 30 after authorities received a tip on his whereabouts.

Francisco Oropesa, 38, was taken into custody without incident on May 2 in Cut and Shoot, Texas, authorities said during a press conference following his arrest. Cut and Shoot is a small town about six miles east of Conroe.

Oropesa, a Mexican national, had been in the country illegally for years and had been deported at least four times from the United States, most recently in 2016, a spokesperson for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) told The Epoch Times.

The Border Patrol Tactical Unit, known as BORTAC, found Oropesa hiding under some laundry in a closet at the home of a family member about 20 miles from where the brutal killings occurred.

In small towns like Cleveland, Texas, the men and women of U.S. Customs and Border Protection [CBP]in particular, the U.S. Border Patrolprovide integral law enforcement to local authorities, protecting and serving the communities they live in, CBP Acting Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement on May 2 after Oropesas arrest.

Oropesa is charged with five counts of first-degree murder and is being held in the San Jacinto County Jail on a $7.5 million bond.

Divimara Nava, 52, who was identified as Oropesas wife during a court hearing on Wednesday, was arrested shortly after midnight on after May 3. Jail records list Nava as not married. She is accused of attempting to help Oropesa flee the country.

Nava is charged with hindering the apprehension of a felon, a third-degree felony that carries a sentence of two to 10 years in prison and up to a $10,000 fine. Nava is being held in the Montgomery County jail on a $250,000 bond.

The combined reward for Oropesas whereabouts increased to $100,000 on Tuesday before the suspects arrest.

Francisco Oropesa. (San Jacinto County Sheriffs Office via AP)

Oropesas Criminal and Deportation History

Oropesa was first deported in March of 2009 after an immigration judge ordered his removal, a spokesperson for ICE told The Epoch Times.

He returned unlawfully but was caught about six months later and deported again in September of 2009.

In January of 2012, Oropesa was deported once again after a driving while intoxicated conviction and jail sentence, the spokesperson said.

In July of 2016, he was apprehended and deported for a fourth time.

Oropesa unlawfully returned again.

Last year, Oropesas wife filed a protective order against him, San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said during a press conference. It was not immediately clear if Nava is the woman Capers was referring to as Oropesas wife.

Charges were filed against Oropesa, but he left the county, and Capers said authorities were unable to serve the warrant for his arrest. A few days later, the woman signed a non-prosecution statement, and the district attorney dropped the charges.

Millions of Illegal Immigrants

U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 2.2 million immigrants at the border in fiscal year (FY) 2022, according to the agencys data. The fiscal year runs from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30.

As of March, CBP has encountered more than 1.3 million immigrants crossing the border into the United States for FY 2023.

The number of total encounters jumped 23 percent in March 2023, with 191,900, up nearly 23 percent from 156,138 the prior month, according to a CBP press release in April.

In March 2023, over two-thirds, 69 percent of all southwest border encounters were single adults, a 19 percent increase over February.

There were 43,958 repeat encounters, or 23 percent, and 123,898 unique encounters.

The rate of repeat encounters with a prior encounter in the previous 12 months was 23 percent, compared to an average one-year re-encounter rate of 14 percent for fiscal years 20142019, according to the release.

Of those encountered, 46 percent were processed for removal under Title 42, which is set to expire on May 11.

In 2021, CBP encountered more than 1.6 million, up nearly 1.2 million over 2020, when there were about 405,000 immigrants encountered at the southern border.

Low Arrest and Removal Rates

CBP arrested 12,028 illegal immigrants with criminal convictions in fiscal year 2022, up from 10,763 the previous year, according to CBP data.

More than 5,100 have been arrested to date for the current fiscal year.

Convictions include assault, burglary, homicide, driving while intoxicated, drug possession or trafficking, illegal entry or reentry, and sexual offenses, among others.

ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) apprehended 43,396 noncitizens with criminal histories during FY 2022.

[T]his group had 198,498 charges and convictions for assault; 8,164 for sex offenses and sexual assault; 5,554 for weapons offenses; 1,501 for homicide-related offenses, and 1,114 for kidnapping, demonstrating the serious public risks associated with many of the noncitizens ERO targets and arrests in the interior, the ICE Fiscal Year 2022 Annual Report stated. (pdf)

Haitians deported from the United States arrive at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Oct. 28, 2021. (Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images)

ERO deported 72,177 noncitizens in FY 2022, up from non-detained FY 2021, when 59,011 were removed from the country. (pdf)

By the end of FY 2022, more than 1.2 million non-detained immigrants had final orders of removal, and more than 3.5 million cases were pending on court dockets.

The non-detained docket spiked 29 percent over the previous fiscal year. At the end of FY 2021, there were nearly 1.2 million orders of removal and 2.5 million pending cases.

The number of those detained and deported has fallen from prior years while the number of border crossings has climbed dramatically.

In FY 2020, there were 103,603 illegal immigrants arrested and 185,884 deportations. (pdf)

In FY 2019, ERO arrested 143,099 and removed 267,258. (pdf)

Policy and Enforcement

President Joe Biden began making swift changes to immigration policy and enforcement after taking office in 2021.

In February of 2021, a group of 60 House Democrats called on the newly appointed Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversees ICE and CBP, among other agencies, to fulfill Bidens campaign promises.

The letter urged the administration to end Department of Homeland Security (DHS) programs such as 287(g), which allows state and local police officers to act as ICE agents to arrest and detain illegal immigrants.

We respectfully urge you to end these programs and practicesand launch a new era of a more just and welcoming immigration enforcement system divorced from local law enforcement agencies, the lawmakers wrote.

The program has been de-escalated over the past two years, explained Ken Oliver, senior director of Engagement & Right on Immigration at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The Center for Immigration Studies called the Biden administrations policies a threat to public safety.

Sheriffs across the nation have reported to the Center for Immigration Studies that the Biden administration has been refusing to take custody of most criminal aliens identified through 287(g), forcing sheriffs to release counties criminals back onto the streets, the organization wrote on its website in February of 2022.

The DHS Enforcement Life Cycle Reports show that unless illegal immigrants are being held in detention, whether by federal or local law enforcementand this was true under the Trump administrationthey are unlikely to be deported, Oliver told The Epoch Times.

Oliver said that the local and federal partnerships help to close the loop because the crimes committed on the interior are typically at the local level.

They [local authorities] catch them, and then they would report them, Oliver said.

But the majority of counties in Texas and across the nation no longer participate in the 287(g) program due to a lack of support from the Biden administration.

For example, out of 254 counties in the state of Texas, only 26 counties participate.

The local authorities do have a role to play even if the Biden administration doesnt uphold their end of the bargain, Oliver continued.

Montogomery County, where Oropesa was taken into custody, is part of the program. Nearby San Jacinto and Liberty Counties do not participate.

Lives could have been saved, and this would not have happened if Oropesa had been arrested and deported before the night of the attack, Oliver said.

But the Biden administration has prioritized alternatives to detention over actual detention for illegal immigrants who are apprehended, arguing that just being in the country illegally is not a reason to detain a person. The policy shift has led to fewer detentions.

(Reuters/ Screenshot via NTD)

In March, Bidens mass release policy was struck down by Judge T. Kent Wetherell of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, a Republican, had sued the Biden administration over the policy.

The state argued that Bidens destruction of the Trump administrations immigration structures left border patrol with no other options except to release almost all immigrants encountered.

Wetherall, who was appointed by Trump in 2019, called Bidens actions akin to posting a flashing Come In, Were Open sign on the southern border.

The evidence established that Defendants have effectively turned the Southwest Border into a meaningless line in the sand and a little more than a speedbump for aliens flooding into the country by prioritizing alternatives to detention over actual detention and by releasing more than a million aliens into the countryon parole or pursuant to the exercise of prosecutorial discretion under a wholly inapplicable statutewithout even initiating removal proceedings, Wetherell wrote in his 109-page opinion.

The judges ruling affirmed what we have known all along, President Biden is responsible for the crisis, and his unlawful policies make this country less safe, Moody wrote in a press release after the ruling.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also applauded the decision. He said Bidens catch-and-release agenda not only puts Americans in danger but also poses a massive financial burden for the state.

Other Rescinded Policies

In 2021, Mayorkas issued a memo directing ICE and CBP to limit enforcement in or near courthouses.

In addition, he put an end to mass worksite enforcement operations.

Under the previous administration, these resource-intensive operations resulted in the simultaneous arrest of hundreds of workers and were used as a tool by exploitative employers to suppress and retaliate against workers assertion of labor laws, DHS said in a press release at the time.

Mayorkas also rescinded civil penalties for failure to depart, citing no indication that these penalties promoted compliance with noncitizens departure obligations.

The Epoch Times reached out to the DHS for comment.
Abercrombie & Fitch Management Co.

NEW ALBANY, Ohio, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) will host its quarterly earnings conference call for all interested parties on Wednesday, May 24, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. ET. A press release detailing the companys first quarter is expected to be issued shortly after 7:30 a.m. ET. In addition, a presentation of the first quarter results will be available on the companys website at approximately 7:30 a.m. ET.



Conference Call: To access the conference call by phone, participants will need to register to obtain a dial-in phone number and an access code. Register for the call using this link. Webcast: To listen to a live webcast of the call, please visit corporate.abercrombie.com/investors and select "News & Events" followed by Events then click the link to the webcast. Replay: A replay of the webcast will be available at corporate.abercrombie.com/investors shortly after the call ends and will be archived for one year.





Further information is available at corporate.abercrombie.com. Important information may be disseminated initially or exclusively via the website: investors should consult the site to access this information.

About Abercrombie & Fitch Co.

Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: ANF) is a leading, global, omnichannel specialty retailer of apparel and accessories for men, women and kids through five renowned brands. The iconic Abercrombie & Fitch brand was born in 1892 and aims to make every day feel as exceptional as the start of a long weekend. abercrombie kids sees the world through kids eyes, where play is life and every day is an opportunity to be anything and better anything. The Hollister brand believes in liberating the spirit of an endless summer inside everyone and making teens feel celebrated and comfortable in their own skin. Gilly Hicks, offering active lifestyle products, is designed to create happiness through movement. Social Tourist, the creative vision of Hollister and social media personalities, Dixie and Charli DAmelio, offers trend forward apparel that allows teens to experiment with their style, while exploring the duality of who they are both on social media and in real life.

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The brands share a commitment to offering products of enduring quality and exceptional comfort that allow consumers around the world to express their own individuality and style. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. operates approximately 770 stores under these brands across North America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, as well as the e-commerce sites www.abercrombie.com, www.abercrombiekids.com, www.hollisterco.com, www.gillyhicks.com and www.socialtourist.com.

Investor Contact: Media Contact: Mo Gupta Kate Wagner Abercrombie & Fitch Co. Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (614) 283-6751 (614) 283-6192 Investor_Relations@anfcorp.com Public_Relations@anfcorp.com




Andrew Gillum Acquitted of Lying to FBI, US Government Will Seek Retrial

On May 4, a federal grand jury found former the mayor of Tallahassee and former gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum not guilty of lying to the FBI. For the remaining 18 counts against him and co-defendant Sharon Lettman-Hickswhich included wire fraud and conspiracyjurors were deadlocked, and the court declared a mistrial.

According to the June 22, 2022, press release from the United States Department of Justice, Gillum and Lettman-Hicks conspired to commit wire fraud by unlawfully soliciting and obtaining funds from various entities and individuals through false and fraudulent promises and representations that the funds would be used for a legitimate purpose, between 2016 and 2019.

The indictment further alleges they used third parties to divert a portion of those funds to P&P Communications, a company owned by Lettman-Hicks. Lettman-Hicks then fraudulently distributed the funds, disguised as payroll payments, to Gillum for his personal use.

After five days of deliberations, the jury acquitted Gillum on the charge that he lied to the FBI about a Hamilton ticket and other gifts he took from undercover FBI agents in New York. However, the jury was unable to reach a consensus on the remaining charges, and U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor declared a mistrial.

Lettman-Hicksthe CEO of the National Black Justice Coalitionhad filed to run for a state House seat on June 1, just days before she was arrested and indicted along with Gillum. While she later suspended her campaign, she called the charges baseless in a news release.

Gillum was once considered to be a rising star among Democrats.

In 2003, Gillum became the youngest person to serve as a Tallahassee city commissioner. In 2014, Gillum became the 126th mayor of Tallahassee, where he stayed until 2018. In 2016, Gillum delivered a speech at the Democratic National Convention. Gillum launched his gubernatorial campaign in 2017. In 2018, Obama endorsed Gillum in his gubernatorial bid, calling him gifted and inspiring, Buzzfeed reported. He also received the endorsement of Kamal Harris.

In 2018, with the added backing of Bernie Sanders, Gillum won the Democratic primary to face the Republican candidate, Ron DeSantis. He was the first black nominee in a major political party to run for governor in Florida. However, Gillums star crashed in March 2020 when Gillum was named in a police report regarding a suspected drug overdose at a Miami Beach hotel.

Police responded around 1 a.m. to find Gillum naked on the floor, inebriated and initially unresponsive. Police say two other men were in the hotel room. The police report also stated that clear plastic baggies were found in the room containing suspected crystal meth on both the bed and floor of the hotel room. One of the two men, 30-year-old gay sex worker Travis Dyson, was treated for suspected cardiac arrest before being taken to the hospital.

Gillum was not charged with any crime and was allowed to leave the hotel after being cleared medically. Gillum later said in a statement that, while he had too much to drink, he insisted he never used methamphetamines. Gillum later came out as bisexual. He also entered rehab for alcoholism.

Lettman-Hicks was not the first political colleague of Gillums to be indicted of financial fraud.

Omar Smith at Andrew Gillums campaign office. (Courtesy of Project Veritas Action)

As reported by The Epoch Times on Nov. 1, 2018, Gillum campaign aide Omar Smith became the treasurer of a political action committee (PAC), A Better Florida for All. While federal law (pdf) prohibits PACs from coordinating activities with a candidates campaign, Project Veritas Action found Smith working at Gillums campaign office. While the campaign said Smith was a volunteer and vendor, records show he was paid $4,500 in July by the Florida Democratic Party. Smith also said Gillum would not be able to deliver on his campaign promises and referred to Florida as a [expletive] up [expletive] state and a [racial slur] state.

Soon after, Gillum severed ties with Smith.

According to a Nov. 17, 2022, press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Southern District of Florida, Smith was sentenced to 15 months in prison and two years of supervised release for lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan said the government would seek a retrial of Gillum and Lettman-Hicks.
Arizona Supreme Court Orders Hearing on Kari Lakes Signature Verification Case

The Arizona Supreme Court on Thursday ordered a hearing in connection to GOP candidate Kari Lakes signature verification issue, while fining her lawyers $2,000 for their claims that were made about ballots.

It is further ordered that the trial court shall forthwith conduct such proceedings as appropriate to resolve the unrelated question previously remanded, wrote Justice Robert Brutinel in the order (pdf).

Previously, the court remanded one of several of her election-related claims to trial court and allowed sanctions to be considered against her. Specifically, Lakes claim that Maricopa County violated its signature verification rules during last years election was allowed to proceed to trial court after it was improperly dismissed by a lower court, it was ordered.

The court fined Lakes lawyers $2,000 for what they said were unequivocally false claims that more than 35,000 ballots were injected into Maricopa Countys total after the midterm election finished. Lakes lawyers in March said that those ballots were added to the total at a third-party processing facility, while noting that Lake lost to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs by 17,000 votes.

Not only is that allegation strongly disputed by the other parties, this Court concluded and expressly stated that the assertion was unsupported by the record, and nothing in Lakes Motion for Leave to file a motion for reconsideration provides reason to revisit that issue, the order said.

Although Lake may have permissibly argued that an inference could be made that some ballots were added, there is no evidence that 35,563 ballots were and, more to the point here, this was certainly disputed by the Respondents, it added. The representation that this was an undisputed fact is therefore unequivocally false.

Lakes attorneys said the chain of custody for ballots was broken at an off-site facility where a contractor scans mail-in ballots to prepare them for processing. The lawyers asserted that workers put their own mail-in ballots into the pile rather than returning them through normal channels, and that paperwork documenting ballot transfers was missing. Maricopa County disputes the claims.

Meanwhile, the court denied requests by Hobbs and Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, both Democrats, to seek more legal sanctions over Lakes allegations.

Bill Gates, chair of the Maricopa Board of Supervisors, speaks about voting machine malfunctions at the Maricopa County Tabulation and Elections Center in Phoenix, Ariz., on Nov. 9, 2022. (Olivier Touron/AFP via Getty Images)

Sometimes campaigns and their attendant hyperbole spill over into legal challenges. But once a contest enters the judicial arena, rules of attorney ethics apply, Brutinel wrote in his ruling. He denied a request for Lake to pay the legal fees for Fontes and Hobbs.

An attorney for Lake, Kurt Olsen, disputed the $2,000 fine in a statement to multiple news outlets. We respectfully disagree with the Courts holding but look forward to presenting our case at trial, Olsen told Axios, referring to the upcoming trial.

When the order was handed down, legacy news outlets like NBC News and The Associated Press focused primarily on the court having sanctioned Lakes attorneys for $2,000 and made little mention of the trial court order on Lakes signature verification claims. Little mention was made of the courts order to deny requests to pay attorney fees for Hobbs and Fontes.

In response, Lake, who appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Hungary this week, wrote on Twitter: The media has their narrative. We have the truth. We look forward to showing the public that the signature verification process in Maricopa County is an absolute sham. Were moving forward.

In mid-February, the Arizona Court of Appeals rejected Lakes assertions, concluding she presented no evidence that voters whose ballots were unreadable by tabulators at polling places were not able to vote.

In her initial challenge, Lake focused on problems with ballot printers at some polling places in Maricopa County. The defective printers produced ballots that were too light to be read by the on-site tabulators at polling places, officials have claimed.

Lines backed up in some areas amid the confusion on Election Day, while Lake later alleged ballot printer problems were the result of intentional misconduct. County officials say everyone had a chance to vote, and all ballots were counted because those affected by the printers were taken to more sophisticated counters.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Australia to Witness Two Astronomical Wonders

Aquarian meteor showers and penumbral lunar eclipse

Australia, which has just seen off a solar eclipse, will welcome Aquarian meteor showers and a penumbral lunar eclipse in early May.(Ye Aung Thu/Getty Images)

Australia, which has just seen off a solar eclipse, will welcome Aquarian meteor showers and a penumbral lunar eclipse in early May.

Aquarian meteors

The annual Aquarian meteor shower will be most active on May 5 and 6, and there may be more meteors than usual in 2023, according to some scientists.

Aquarian meteor shower occurs from April 19 to May 28, with peaks usually around May 5. The best viewing time is between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m.

The source of the Aquarian meteor shower is the renowned Halleys comet, with its meteor characteristics being fast and bright, as well as a chance of showing bright pyrometeors.

However, coinciding with a full moon this year, the moons brightness may make the meteors harder to see.

This years shower will be a bit of a mixed bag, Prof. Jonti Horner, at the University of Southern Queensland, told ABC.

Due to a full moon on May 6, sky watchers are recommended to turn their backs on the moonlight while observing, which may help them to avoid the moonlight and catch the brighter pyrometeors.

Aquarian meteor shower occurs from April 19 to May 28, with peaks usually around May 5. (Cesar Manso/AFP/Getty Images)

Because there is more dust  the number of meteors we see is higher, Horner said. Look out on Friday and Saturday morning for the best rates.

While the shower this year may be washed out by the moon, there is always more to expect next year, according to Horner.

The shower in 2023 will give us an idea of what to expect in 2024, which some researchers have predicted will be the best Eta Aquariid display of the coming century, he said.

Lunar Eclipse

Australians will also get to see a lunar eclipse that comes hot on the heels of the solar eclipse that occurred two weeks ago.

A penumbral lunar eclipse will occur during the full moon, meaning that people watching the meteor shower on May 6 may see two astronomical wonders on the same day.

Penumbral lunar eclipse is a special astronomical phenomenon in which the moon passes through the Earths penumbra but does not pass through the Earths umbra.

The penumbral lunar eclipse will occur from the late night of May 5 to the early morning of May 6. The eclipse will begin at 23:14:10 on May 5, reaching its peak at 1:22:52 on May 6, and end at 3:31:41 on May 6, lasting a total of four hours, 17 minutes, and 31 seconds, according to Taipei Astronomical Museum.

A lunar eclipse will come on the heels of a solar eclipse in Australia two weeks ago. (Michael Probst/AP Photo)

Generally speaking, the brightness changes of a penumbral lunar eclipse are not obvious, but the maximum magnitude of eclipse this time will be 0.964, wrote the article.

If the weather conditions are good, there is still a chance to observe a slight darkening of the moon on one side.

In Queensland, New Zealand, Victoria, Tasmania and ACT, the eclipse will start at 3:22 PM and end at 5:31 PM. In South Australia and the Northern Territory, the eclipse will begin at 2:52 a.m. and end at 5:01 a.m. In Western Australia, it will start at 1:22 a.m. and end at 3:31 a.m.
Beijing Human Rights Lawyers Experience Repeated Eviction

Beijing's persecution of lawyers making families homeless

A Chinese paramilitary policeman stands guard outside Beijing's No. 2 Intermediate Court on August 31, 2006. (Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images)

Its been eight years since the Chinese Communist Party carried out a massive wave of arrests on July 9, 2015, incarcerating hundreds of human rights lawyers and activists in what became known as the 709 Crackdown. Today, victims of the Crackdown still face oppression by the regimeeven after they have been released from jail.

Recently, some of the lawyers and activists in Beijing spoke up about their situations, and how the Chinese regime continues to bring misery to their lives and homes.

One victim told The Epoch Times that their presence embarrassed Chinas communist regime because of the many foreign diplomats in Beijing. Repeated evictions are simply a ploy the regime uses to try to force them into leaving Beijing.

Wang Quanzhang Made Homeless

Lawyer Wang Quanzhang finally reunited with his wife and his then 7-year-old son in April, 2020, after nearly five years of imprisonment.

However, police surveillance has accompanied the familyand even their childs daily journey to schoolsince his release.

Wang, a defender of political activists, victims of land expropriation, and adherents of the persecuted spiritual group Falun Gong, received a four-and-a-half-year sentence on charges of subverting state powera euphemism for activities not endorsed by the communist regime.

On April 26, the landlord cut off their utilities, and the Wang family was forced to relocate to a local inn.

Wang Quanzhang with his wife, Li Wenzu, and their son. A human rights lawyer, Wang was detained in China without trial in August, 2015. (Courtesy of Li Wenzu)

Li Wenzu, the lawyers wife, posted on Twitter on the morning of April 29 that over a dozen police officers followed them that day when they left their home. A plainclothes police officer advised her: Why bother with all this? Wouldnt it be nice to go back to Shandong?

Her husband is a native of Shandong, but practiced law in Beijing.

On May 2, the family moved to Beijings Hi Inn. About 10 minutes after they booked in, the service desk employee came and asked them to leave. The police subsequently agreed to their staying for one night.

Li tweeted, They just want to drive us out of Beijing.

Li Heping Met With Repeated Evictions

Lawyer Li Heping was sentenced to prison for inciting subversion of state poweranother catch-all charge that Beijing often uses against dissidents. He was known for defending political dissidents and vulnerable groups in China, including underground Christians, victims of forced eviction, and Falun Gong practitioners.

Li was released in May 2017.

Wang Qiaoling, Li Hepings wife, said the family has experienced repeated forced eviction by the regime since the 709 Crackdown in 2015.

She explained that although their apartment leases were signed for one or two years, the landlord would then often ask them to move out before the lease expired.

For instance, a landlord had verbally agreed to renew their lease before its expiration in September, 2021.

However, while the landlord was away on business overseas, he entrusted an agent to tell Li and his family to move, saying that the landlord was under a lot of pressure.

Li Heping is pictured prior to his imprisonment in mid-2015. (Courtesy of Radio Free Asia)

Along with the repeated evictions, there are at least four vehicles and over a dozen plainclothes police by the entrance each time they leave their home, Lis wife told the Chinese edition of The Epoch Times on May 2.

They are followed whenever they step outside the apartment.

Both the stalking and eviction have escalated recently, she said. Actually, we dont really understand why.

In the past week, the police have pressured the landlords of Wang Quanzhangs and Li Hepings homes to move out. The landlord cut off water, electricity, and gas to force lawyer Wang Quanzhang to move. This is the worst eviction we have experienced since 709. pic.twitter.com/J0IYxagptc   (@709wangqiaoling) April 30, 2023

The Displaced Activist

Ji Feng, a participant in the 1989 Tiananmen Square student protest, was recently evicted from his apartment by local police.

Jis hometown was in Guizhou, southwest China.

Mr. Ming, a friend of Ji Feng, told The Epoch Times on May 3 that Ji is now forced to live on the streets of Beijing, with his belongings temporarily stored at a friends place.

But the police even had the local community staff visit his friend to make sure he did not stay there, Ming said.

Ming believes that the influence of the human rights lawyers and activists threatens the legitimacy of the communist regime.

Its been 44 years since the 1989 student protest. Ji Feng will not give in. He will not bow to the regime, Ming said.

Embarrassment

Lawyer Gao (a pseudonym) is also a victim of repeated eviction by the police.

He explained that the authorities never came to him directly, but worked against his family behind the scenes. Such insidious practices make renting extremely hard for human rights lawyers in Beijing.

One landlord wanted me to move, saying that I endangered state security, and that I was unpatriotic, he said.

Gao said the evictions are just a means to force them to leave Beijing.

Lawyers and dissidents are the frequent focus of foreign embassies in Beijing. That makes the regime extremely uneasy, he said.

Hong Ning contributed to this report.
Biden Admin Backs Down in Standoff With Catholic Hospital Over Chapel Candle

A lit candle in the chapel of Saint Francis Hospital South is at the center of a matter of religious liberty. (Saint Francis Health System.)

The Biden administration announced on May 5 that it is stepping back from a previous decision demanding that a Catholic hospital in Oklahoma remove a lit candle from its chapela practice and observance sacred to Catholicsor lose its ability to accept Medicare, Medicaid, or Childrens Health (CHIP) patients.

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), had ruled in April that the candle, which has burned continuously for 15 years at Saint Francis Hospital South in Tulsa, was a safety hazardeven though a local fire marshal cleared the candle and CMS permitted other flames, including pilot lights, in the hospital.

CMS said its decision was based on the findings of an independent group, The Joint Commission, which reviews hospitals to determine if they meet the standards necessary to be accredited to receive Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP patients.

The 12th largest U.S. health care network, Saint Francis Health System is the Catholic owner and operator of Saint Francis Hospital South, eight other hospitals, and 110 clinics in Oklahoma. Saint Francis appealed the CMS decree and sought a reasonable accommodation.

CMS denied Saint Francis request in a letter dated April 20.

Yet, following widespread protest, media attention, and a pre-litigation letter a leading religious liberty legal group, Becket Law, along with Yetter Coleman LLP, sent to CMS on behalf of Saint Francis, alleging that prohibiting the candle was a violation of the First Amendment free exercise of religion clause, the agency said it is now open to working with Saint Francis to find an arrangement that permits the burning candle to stay.

Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel for Becket Law, said that CMS adjusting its position is a win for religious freedom.

The decision of CMS shows that religious liberty protections extend to practicing your faith, and that includes providing health care and worship in a chapel, Windham told The Epoch Times. These protections apply to everyone. Today its a candle. Tomorrow it could be something else.

And so, a good decision today for Saint Francis is a good decision for religious believers across the country.

In a statement that CMS shared with The Epoch Times, the agency said: CMS is aware of a safety finding involving a fire risk, made by an independent accrediting organization, issued to a hospital in Oklahoma. CMS met with the hospital and accreditation organization, and issued a waiver to allow the hospital to mitigate the potential fire risk and correct the safety finding. The hospital will work with the accrediting organization on next steps.

Windham said Saint Francis has put up a sign to let people know there is a flame in the chapel and plans to put a rail or other barrier in place to prevent people from getting too close.

Saint Francis Health System, with its stated mission to extend the presence and healing ministry of Christ to all who seek its services, treats approximately 400,000 people annually and has delivered more than $650 million in free care to people in need over the past five years.

The organization employs more than 10,000 and has a volunteer force of 700.

Infringing on Religious Freedom

A lit candle in a chapel is a fundamental component of the Catholic canon law, of the rules and ways the church governs itself.

As was the case before the CMS judgment, the candle is set within two layers of glass, on a metal base with a metal top, and affixed to the wall.

When CMS said the candle had to go, it struck at the spiritual and cultural heart and foundation of the purpose of the Saint Francis Health System.

Were being asked to choose between serving those in need and worshiping God in the chapel, but they go hand in hand, said Barry Steichen, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Saint Francis Health System, in a May 3 statement.

Our work depends upon our faith in the living God, and the sanctuary candle represents this to us.

The 13-page pre-litigation letter sent to CMS asserted that prohibiting the candle was an example of consistently applying rules and regulations and violating religious freedom.

You have threatened to deny accreditation because Saint Francis keeps a candlean eternal flamein its hospital sanctuary, wrote Windham. For 15 years, that flame has burned without problem or concern in Saint Francis Hospital South in Tulsa; and for 63 years, the eternal flame has burned at Saint Francis Hospital Yale Campus, the largest hospital in the state of Oklahoma, without problem or concern.

From the moment Saint Francis opened its doors in 1960, this flame has been maintained without interruption. In requiring Saint Francis to extinguish its flame, you are trying to extinguish not just a candle, but the First Amendment rights of Saint Francis Health System, as well as vital healthcare for the elderly, poor, and disabled in Oklahoma.
Biden Clears Path for New Sanctions Amid Violence in Sudan

A damaged car and buildings are seen at the central market during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum North, Sudan, on April 27, 2023. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)

President Joe Biden signed an executive order on May 4 that opened the door to new Sudan-related sanctions amid the ongoing power struggle between rival military generals in the African nation.

The order authorizes future sanctions against individuals who threaten the peace, security, or stability of Sudan, impede the countrys democratic transition, or commit acts of violence against civilians or other human rights abuses.

The move follows weeks of fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which teamed up in 2021 to orchestrate a coup, resulting in the upheaval of the countrys transition toward democracy.

The Sudanese people suffered thirty years under an authoritarian regimebut they never gave up on their commitment to democracy or their hope for a better future, Biden said in a May 4 statement.

Their dedication brought down a dictator, only to endure a military takeover in October 2021, and now more violence among factions fighting for control.

Describing the violence as a betrayal of the Sudanese peoples desire for democracy, he called for a durable ceasefire between the opposing factions, adding that the United States would continue to provide humanitarian relief where conditions allow.

Smoke rises above buildings after aerial bombardment, during clashes between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, on May 1, 2023. (Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah/Reuters)

But the fighting, which broke out on April 15, isnt likely to end any time soon, according to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines.

The fighting in Sudan between the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces is, we assess, likely to be protracted as both sides believe they can win militarily and have few incentives to come to the negotiating table, Haines testified on May 4 before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Both sides of the conflict, she noted, are seeking outside support, which, if granted, could make matters worse.

Evacuations

Last weekend, the United States launched its first mass evacuation of citizens from Sudan since the conflict began.

On April 29, a government-organized convoy arrived at Port Sudan to assist in transporting U.S. citizens to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The evacuation began days after a second American was confirmed to have died amid the chaos in Sudan.

The U.S. government has taken extensive efforts to contact U.S. citizens in Sudan and enable the departure of those who wished to leave, the State Department said in a statement.

We messaged every U.S. citizen in Sudan who communicated with us during the crisis and provided specific instructions about joining this convoy to those who were interested in departing via the land route.

We encourage U.S. citizens who want to leave Sudan but chose not to participate in this convoy to contact the Department of State using the crisis intake form on our website.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Biden Seeks Dialogue With China Despite Growing CCP Aggression

President Joe Biden meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a virtual summit from the Roosevelt Room of the White House on Nov. 15, 2021. (Madel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images)

The White House hopes to restore regular dialogue with Beijing, months after a Chinese spy balloon flew over U.S. airspace, causing Secretary of State Antony Blinken to call off his scheduled trip to China in early February and further straining relations between the two countries.

Washington plans to start cabinet-level engagement first, expecting it to result in the resumption of talks between President Joe Biden and Chinese regime leader Xi Jinping.

For almost two months, Washington and Beijing have been discussing a potential trip to China by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to resume economic dialogue. Still, no decision has been made so far.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that the administration is still in talks with China about a potential trip for both secretaries to discuss trade and economic issues.

The president views our relationship with China as a strategic competition. He also believes that the United States is in a great position to succeed in that competition, Kirby told The Epoch Times. Were not looking for conflict with China, and we want to keep the lines of communication open.

In a recent interview, Blinken also expressed a desire to visit China soon.

I think its important  that we re-establish regular lines of communication at all levels and across our government, he told The Washington Post on May 3.

He said the administration is keen on ensuring that competition between the two countries doesnt veer into conflict.

The meeting between House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California in early April, followed by Chinas military drills around Taiwan, has further deteriorated U.S.China relations.

On April 17, the Justice Department charged two individuals for operating a secret police station in the Chinatown district of Manhattan on behalf of the Chinese regime. The White House condemned Beijing for its transnational repression and malign influence.

That sort of behavior is unacceptable, Kirby said.

Despite the growing tension between the two countries on numerous fronts, Biden is reportedly pursuing another summit with Xi, but Beijing has been giving him the cold shoulder. Both leaders last met on Nov. 14, 2022, in Bali, Indonesia, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit.

At this point, Xi wont even accept a phone call from the American president, Josh Rogin, a Washington Post columnist, said in a recent article.

He also said Bidens pursuit of economic diplomacy is risky and will lead nowhere.

Seeking such dialogue makes political sense, but it risks lifting U.S. pressure on China without achieving real gains in return, Rogin said.

National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby speaks during a press briefing at the White House on May 4, 2023. (Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times)

When asked why the Biden administration is still pursuing a meeting with China in light of all the frustration in Washington, Kirby said its essential to address issues through dialogue.

Look, the U.S.China relationship is the most consequential bilateral relationship in the world, he said, noting that much of that consequential nature stems from economic and trade issues rather than security concerns.

Thats why its important to get Secretary Blinken back to Beijing. Thats why its important to get Secretaries Yellen and Raimondo also over there to talk about these issues. It is precisely because we do not agree on everything with the Chinese that we want to keep talking to them.

Last month, Commerce Department officials traveled to Beijing and Shanghai to lay the groundwork for a possible trip by Raimondo.

The Commerce Department didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment regarding the status of her trip.

In April, Yellen also said she hoped to travel to Beijing at the appropriate time.

My hope is to engage in an important and substantive dialogue on economic issues with my new Chinese government counterpart, she said during a speech on the U.S.China economic relationship at Johns Hopkins University.

The Treasury Department didnt respond by press time to a request by The Epoch Times for comment about a possible trip.

In a recent speech, U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns highlighted the challenges he faced in thawing relations with Beijing.

What we really need is a more broad-based engagement at the Cabinet level, and the United States is ready for that, Burns said on May 2 at a Stimson Center event.

So we hope that the government here will be ready as well. And its hard for me to predict at this point when this kind of reengagement will reoccur, but we have never supported an icing of this relationship.
Bill Barr Says Hes Adamantly Against Another Trump Presidency

U.S. Attorney General Bill Barr speaks during a roundtable meeting on seniors with President Donald Trump in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington on June 15, 2020. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Former Attorney General Bill Barr is adamantly against the notion of his former boss, President Donald Trump, returning to the Oval Office.

While promoting his new book One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General at a May 5 event hosted by The City Club of Cleveland, Barr said it would be a tragedy if Trump won the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, though he added that he did not think that would be the case.

We have other serious candidates who have most of the same policies and dont have all the baggage, he noted.

Barr, who served as attorney general under both the George H.W. Bush and Trump presidencies, had a falling out with the latter in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, which Trump believes he rightfully won.

He went off half-cocked and there was no getting him back on the rails, Barr recounted. And the stuff about it being stolen, to me, once I started looking at it, understanding what had happened, it was clearly wrong. And I wasnt going to be a part of it.

As a result, Barr resigned in December 2020 and has been an outspoken critic of the former president in the years since.

Working for Trump

When asked Friday by Fox News Geraldo Rivera, who attended the Cleveland event, as to whether he believed Trump was fit to hold office, Barr responded that Trump would be the last person who could execute and achieve the policies he promotes.

He does not have the discipline; he does not have the ability for strategic thinking or setting priorities, or how to get things done in the system, he asserted. It is a horror show when hes left to his own devices. So, you may want his policies, but Trump will not deliver Trump policies.

Despite that criticism, Barr said that, up until the 2020 election, he felt that the Trump administration had been largely successful in accomplishing its goals.

I was satisfied with the performance, he noted, adding that he thought Trump had been treated unfairly by the press and federal law enforcement in relation to the Department of Justices Russia probe.

Barr also said he had enjoyed the informal and chaotic way in which the billionaire had conducted business, likening meetings in the Oval Office to life at a fraternity house.

We had a room in my fraternity at college. We called it the card room, and it just seemed that there was a 24/7 card game going on. And you could never sort of detect who was there and who wasntpeople were sort of coming and going in a subtle wayand it just kept on going. And thats what the Oval Office was like.

Nevertheless, the former attorney general did not hold back in his criticism of Trump, describing him as a narcissist who was difficult to work with.

And Trump has not been coy in sharing his thoughts on Barr, either, often describing him as a RINO (Republican in Name Only) and a sellout to the Washington establishment.

Last month, Trump ripped Fox News for interviewing the former attorney general, describing him in a Truth Social post as a coward who was absolutely petrified of being impeached and a slave to the Democratic Party.

Choosing a Nominee

According to a May 2 Morning Consult poll, Trump has the support of 56 percent of Republican primary votersa 34 percent edge over second-place contender Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not officially declared his candidacy.

Despite those numbers, Barr said he felt Republicans would be making a mistake if they put him forward again as their presidential nominee.

Without naming his preferred candidate, Barr said the party should instead take advantage of the Democrats leftward lunge and nominate someone who would appeal to a wider faction of the electorate.

I have felt for some time that this could be a replay of 1980, he said. When one party goes too far in one direction, it leaves a big spectrum for the other party to fill. And I feel the way for [Republicans to get] the country back was for the Republican Party to get the hint and put up somebody whos quasi-normal to be president of the United States.

When reached for further comment about Barrs criticism, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign simply replied, Who?
Bill Seeking to Counter Import of Slave Labour Products to Become Law; Critics Not Satisfied

Liberal MP John McKay rises in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, in a file photo. (The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld)

A bill passed by Parliament that creates reporting requirements for companies regarding products made by slave labour is seen by proponents as merely a first step in addressing the problem, while critics call it widely ineffective.

Bill S-211, an Act to enact the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act and to amend the Customs Tariff, cleared the House of Commons on May 3 and will now receive royal assent and become law.

Bloc Quebecois and NDP MPs voted against the bill sponsored by Sen. Julie Miville-Dechene in the Upper Chamber and Liberal MP John McKay in the House.

Im very pleased to say that it was a very, very strong vote. And now the real work begins, McKay said at a press conference in Ottawa on May 4.

McKay said he completed a four-year journey to get this passed, with previous efforts falling short.

We want a bill that works. We want a bill that compels Canadian companies to expeditiously complete their obligations under the bill and to build, if you will, a database so that we can expunge this scourge from our economic life.

McKay encouraged his fellow MPs to vote on the bill during Third Reading debate on April 26, noting that financial penalties are accompanied by the failure to comply, which can carry a fine of up to $250,000.

The bill creates requirements for government institutions and private companies to produce annual reports to the minister of public safety and emergency preparedness on steps taken to prevent and reduce the risk of forced or child labour being used in the supply chain.

Companies encompassed by the legislation must do business in Canada, be listed on the stock exchange in Canada, and meet two conditions of having at least $20 million in assets, generate at least $40 million in revenue, or employ at least 250 employees.

NDP MP Heather McPherson, her partys foreign affairs critic, criticized the legislation as doing nothing to fight forced labour and child labour in Canadian supply chains.

The NDP continue to push for mandatory due diligence legislation to ensure that [Canadian] companies dont contribute to human rights abuses, she wrote on Twitter on the day of the vote.

Mehmet Tothi, executive director of the Uyghur Rights Advocacy Project, has also been vocal against the bill. The Uyghurs, a Turkic Muslim minority in China, are forced to work under slave labour conditions in industries such as hair products and tomatoes.

S-211 is the pretence of pretending of doing something without doing nothing as this bill mandates only a reporting obligation to the companies if they exercise due diligence on Uyghur forced labour, Tohti previously told The Epoch Times.

Canada has yet to stop a single shipment of goods made from slave labour, whereas the United States has stopped over 3,000, with over 400 being denied entry.

Under the renegotiated free trade agreement with the U.S. and Mexico, parties have a duty to eliminate all forms of forced labour and prevent the importation of products sourced from such labour.
BMW: Dont Drive Older Models With Takata Air Bag Inflators

The logo of the German car manufacturer BMW is displayed on the headquarters in Munich on March 21, 2018. (Matthias Schrader/AP Photo)

DETROITBMW is warning the owners of about 90,000 older vehicles in the United States not to drive them due to an increasing threat that the air bags might explode in a crash.

The warning covers vehicles from the 2000 through 2006 model years that previously had been recalled to replace faulty and dangerous air bag inflators made by Takata.

The company used volatile ammonium nitrate to inflate the air bags in a crash. But the chemical can deteriorate over time when exposed to heat and humidity and blow apart a metal canister, hurling shrapnel that can injure or kill drivers and passengers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says drivers should park their vehicles and contact BMW for more information. Repairs are available at no cost to owners, as well as mobile repair and free towing.

These vehicles are 17 to 22 years old, and the risk to vehicle occupants is dire, the agency said in a statement Thursday. These are some of the oldest Takata air bags under recall and have an extremely high probability of failure during a crash.

NHTSA says if the inflators blow apart, metal fragments could be hurled toward the drivers face and could kill them or cause devastating, life-altering injuries.

Since 2009, the exploding air bags made by Takata have killed at least 33 people worldwide, including 24 in the United States. Most of the deaths and about 400 injuries have happened in U.S., but they also have occurred in Australia and Malaysia.

Models involved in the BMW recall include the 2000 through 2006 3 Series, the 2000 through 2003 5 Series and the 2000 through 2004 X5. All have drivers front air bag inflators made by Takata.

Owners can go to BMWs website to check if their vehicle is affected or call BMW customer relations at (866) 835-8615. NHTSA also has a recall lookup tool on its website.

Owners of some older Honda, Ford and Stellantis vehicles with Takata inflators have previously been told not to drive them.

These inflators are two decades old now, and they pose a 50 percent chance of rupturing in even a minor crash, NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in a statement. Dont gamble with your life or the life of someone you loveschedule your free repair today before its too late.

Takata used ammonium nitrate to create a small explosion to inflate air bags in a crash. But the chemical can become more volatile over time when exposed to moisture in the air and repeated high temperatures. The explosion can rupture a metal canister and hurl shrapnel into the passenger compartment.

Since 2009, the exploding air bags have killed at least 33 people worldwide, including 24 in the United States.

Most of the deaths and about 400 injuries have happened in the United States, but they also have occurred in Australia and Malaysia.

Potential for the dangerous malfunction led to the largest series of auto recalls in U.S. history, with at least 67 million Takata inflators recalled. The U.S. government says that many have not been repaired. About 100 million inflators have been recalled worldwide. The exploding air bags sent Takata Corp. of Japan into bankruptcy.
Dr. Ellen Turner

Dallas-Based Double Board-Certified Dermatologist Dr. Ellen Turner Is Providing a New, Customized EMFACE and Volux Technique to Refine the Lower Face

DALLAS, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Texas-based dermatologist Dr. Ellen Turnerwho provides medical and cosmetic dermatological care for Dallas, Irving, and beyondhas long worked with patients seeking improvement to their jawline area. After years of offering fillers, fat-reduction treatments, and more, she now is pleased to announce the development of an especially effective treatment strategy to maximize jawline definition. The Snatch & Lift technique combines the lifting and tightening power of EMFACE with the volume-adding ability of injectable Juvederm Volux to harness the abilities of both procedures.



Thinning skin, loss of muscle tone and bone density in the face, and increased tissue laxity can result in a sagging appearance as people get older. EMFACE is a non-invasive, radiofrequency and electromagnetic stimulation-based device designed to lift and tighten loose tissue. Its High-Intensity Facial Electrical Stimulation (HIFES) technology causes facial muscles to contract and strengthen, resulting in a lifting effect.

Volux is a hyaluronic acid-based filler designed specifically for the jawline. It is injected deeply to correct moderate to severe loss of jawline definition in adults older than 21. Its the first injectable filler of its kind to receive FDA-approval for the jaw area. The difference between this and other fillers in the Juvederm collection is that it has more structure, cohesivity, and lift capacity. Since it is much firmer than other fillers, it can give the jaw more structural support and create a desirable chiselled appearance. The filler can also give the face a sharper angle for a slimming effect while balancing the face overall.

The combination of EMFACE and Volux in a Snatch & Lift can be ideal for sculpting the lower face for a more youthful appearance.

Story continues

Dr. Turner attended the Texas Dermatological Society (TDS) Spring 2023 Annual Conference April 28 and 29 at the Hyatt Regency Austin Downtown, Austin TX. The event featured an exhibit hall of more than 50 companies and sponsors.

As a BTL Luminary, Dr. Turner will present the latest information on Emface at the upcoming BTL conference in Newport Beach, Calif., at the magnificent Pelican Hill resort on May 20. On June 3, in her hometown of Dallas, Texas, she will present to her peers on the most recent updates of the Emsculpt Neo technology. As an Allergan Medical Institute (AMI)-designated injector, she is a sought-after and highly regarded practitioner among only 500 AMI Facial Aesthetics trainers selected for this prestigious position.

For more advice about dermatological care, contact the Dermatology Office of Dr. Ellen Turner. Call 214-373-7546 or submit a contact form to request an appointment.




California State Senator Arrested for Drunk Driving to Be Arraigned in July

California State Sen. Dave Min, a Democrat from Irvine, is scheduled for his first court appearance following a drunk driving arrest this week.

The senator and congressional candidatefavored by the Democratic Party to replace outgoing Rep. Katie Porteris scheduled to appear for an arraignment on July 24 in Sacramento Superior Court, according to the Sacramento County District Attorneys Office.

The district attorneys office was unable to disclose what charges the senator might face after his May 2 arrest.

We received the case. Its under review, District Attorney spokeswoman Shelly Orio told The Epoch Times.

Min, 47, was arrested for driving under the influence at around 10:50 p.m. Tuesday in Sacramento. According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), Min was stopped for not having headlights on near the corner of Broadway and Riverside Boulevard, next to the citys historic cemetery.

The CHP officers also observed his Toyota Camry run a red light, according to a report provided to The Epoch Times.

Senator Dave Min presents a check for $15,000,000 to the Orange County Fire Authority at Fire Station 1 in Tustin, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Officers arrested Min after performing a drunk-driving investigation and said he was driving under the influence of alcohol with a blood content of more than .08 percent, officers reported.

Min was released the next morning after a brief stay in the county jail.

The senator is also a candidate for Californias 47th Congressional Districtone of Orange Countys most competitive districts. He posted a message on May 3 apologizing to his supporters for the incident on his campaigns Facebook page.

Last night I was cited for a misdemeanor for driving under the influence. My decision to drive last night was irresponsible. I accept full responsibility and there is no excuse for my actions. To my family, constituents and supporters, I am so deeply sorry. I know I need to do better. I will not let this personal failure distract from our work in California and in Washington, he wrote.

He has not posted on social media since the arrest.

Min was first elected in 2020 to the countys 37th state Senate district, which includes Anaheim Hills, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.

Mins office and the Senate Democratic Caucus did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
Chancellor of San Diego Community College District Resigns

The Chancellor of San Diego Community College District, Dr. Carlos Cortez, has resigned to care for his ill parents, according to a May 1 press release issued by the district.

I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made together over the past two years on behalf of our students and community we serve, Cortez said in the news release. My time at the district has been the highlight of my career thus far.

Cortez was chosen as chancellor in July 2021. Previously, he was its president of the College of Continuing Education for six years.

Dr. Cortez made significant contributions during his time as chancellor for which we are sincerely grateful, said San Diego Community College District Board of Trustees President Maria Nieto Senour in the announcement.

Senour said, in the release, Cortez oversaw the districts safe reopening following the COVID-19 pandemic and helped rebuild enrollment and strengthen the districts finances by securing grants and donations.

The district will now conduct a national search to replace him, according to the news release.

In the interim, Vice Chancellor of People, Culture, and Technology Greg Smith will serve as acting chancellor.

Greg Smith is an excellent choice to ensure that the district continues to make significant progress towards its goal of creating equitable outcomes for its students while providing well-trained graduates needed by local employers, Senour said in the news release.

The district serves about 100,000 students annually as one of the largest community college districts in California with an annual budget of $992 million.

Cortez initially took emergency family leave in March to care for his parents in Florida.
Child of Democratic Rep. Katherine Clark Gets Probation in Police Assault Case, Could See Case Dropped

House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.) speaks at an event to reintroduce the Child Care for Working Families Act, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on April 27, 2023. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Jared Riley Dowell, the transgender child of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), will receive probation after being charged with assaulting a Boston police officer and vandalizing city property on the Boston Common in January.

Dowell, a 23-year-old man who uses she/her pronouns, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon and property damage following a destructive protest event on Jan. 21. Police said Dowell spray-painted the Parkman Bandstand Monument with the words NO COP CITY and ACAB, an acronym often used in place of the phrase all cops are bad or all cops are [expletive]. While police attempted to arrest Dowell, a group of other demonstrators began to interfere and at least one officer was struck in the face, causing bleeding to his nose and mouth.

On Wednesday, Boston Municipal Court Judge Steven Key handed Dowell a pretrial probation agreement that will allow for the charges against Dowell to be dismissed upon completion of the probation period.

According to the probation terms, which NTD News reviewed, Dowell has to write a letter of apology to Daniel Roca, the Boston police officer who was injured during the Jan. 21 arrest incident. The Boston Globe reported that Dowell has already written this apology letter.

Dowell also must complete 30 hours of community service by May 3, 2024, complete another community-based program, continue a course of individual therapy, and stay away from the Boston Common.

Dowell will also have to repay the city of Boston for cleaning the graffiti, though the parties involved in the case still need to determine that repayment cost.

Pretrial probation is a favorable outcome for a defendant as it allows them to avoid prosecution so long as they complete the probation terms. If a defendant can successfully complete a pretrial probation, they also avoid having the case count towards their criminal record. If, however, a defendant violates the probation conditions, the criminal case can proceed and a defendant may be found guilty.

January Police Clash

Demonstrators have been protesting and rioting to stop the construction of a new police training facility in Atlanta, Georgia. The protesters have referred to the police facility as Cop City and have rallied support around calls for no cop city and stop cop city.

The demonstrations in Atlanta have reportedly galvanized protests in other cities throughout the country and activists from Massachusetts and other states have been arrested at the Cop City protests in Atlanta.

Dowells alleged graffiti messages of NO COP CITY and ACAB may have been in reference to the anti-police demonstrations in Atlanta.

Its not entirely clear how closely Dowell may have associated with the Cop City protests. The Jan. 21 protest in Boston came just three days after police fatally shot Manuel Esteban Paez Teran while clearing out Cop City demonstrators near the Atlanta construction site. Police have claimed Teran shot and injured a police officer before they returned fire, killing the activist.

Boston police said that as they arrested Dowell during the Jan. 21 clash, a group of about 20 protesters began to surround officers while screaming profanities though megaphones on the public street causing traffic to come to a standstill.

Clark acknowledged her childs criminal case in tweet following the arrest.

Last night, my daughter was arrested in Boston, Massachusetts. I love Riley, and this is a very difficult time in the cycle of joy and pain in parenting, Clark said. This will be evaluated by the legal system, and I am confident in that process.

On March 31, Clark again mentioned Dowell in a statement observing Trans Day of Visibility.

I rise with unconditional love for my trans daughter, Riley. And I rise in solidarity with every trans American seeking nothing less than their inalienable right to the pursuit of happiness, Clarks March 31 statement reads. To stand in the way of that right is to stand against our most basic American values. But thats exactly what MAGA extremists are doing across this country. On school boards. In state capitols. Here in the halls of Congress. Elected officials are using their power to undermine the freedoms and human dignity of trans Americans. And theyre waging an especially vicious crusade on our kids.

NTD News reached out to Clarks office for comment on the latest development in her childs case but did not receive a response by the time this article was published.

From NTD News
China Ties Weigh on US Brands

Apple, Nike, Adidas, and Disney under congressional pressure

New Apple iPhone 14's are put on display at an Apple store in Wuhan, China, on Sept. 16, 2022. (Getty Images)

Commentary

The pressure is on for the biggest U.S. brands, including Apple, Nike, Adidas, and Disney.

On May 2, two leading congressmen demanded that the fashion brands confirm that their supply chains are untainted by slave labor in China. Sourcing from forced labor in the countrys Xinjiang region, where a genocide is underway, is now against U.S. law.

Apple is so dependent on workers and consumers in China that on May 3, a Financial Times article called Apple a Chinese company. Apple has 54 stores in China, and its chief executive officer, Tim Cook, recently praised Apples side-by-side growth with the country as symbiotic.

After inking a secretive 2016 agreement to invest $275bn in Chinas economy, workforce, and technological capabilities, the iPhone became a best-seller, according to the article. In reality, Apple is now as much a Chinese company as it is American.

The author noted the difficulty of extricating Apple from China by shifting production to other countries: Even small shifts risk retaliation by Chinese overlords who might retaliate by turning Chinese consumers against Apple products.

At the same time, given the increasing public realization of the threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), brand-conscious Apple managers are doing just that by reshoring manufacturing facilities to less controversial places such as India, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Ireland.

After a visit to California last month, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-Wis.), who chairs the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, said that Apple and Disney face the greatest hurdles from inevitable future economic decoupling from China.

Apples at the heart of what is the most complex aspect of this competition, which is companies that have a massive presence in China are going have to deal with the fact that some form of selective economic decoupling is inevitable, he told Bloomberg.

Companies linked to China that have customer bases in the United Statesincluding Huawei, TikTok, Shein, Temu, Zoom, and Binanceare also distancing themselves from China or seeking loopholes. Lawmakers claim that Chinas fashion companies exploit a de minimus loophole that waives U.S. tariffs on imports under $800 sold directly to consumers.

Congress should close the loophole immediately. All purchasers of goods from China should pay the same high tariffs.

The fashion companies queried this week by the congressmen about their China supply lines must answer questions about whether they use materials made with slave labor in Xinjiang.

Lawmakers who demanded answers from the fashion companies include Gallagher and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), the committees ranking member.

They are delving deeper into allegations made in congressional testimony from March that some U.S. companies are in violation of the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA), which bans products of dubious provenance from Xinjiang. Unless companies can prove that their supply chains in the region are squeaky clean, they are in violation of the law, according to lawmakers.

In an escalation against the fashion companies, the congressmen gave them a short deadline to provide information about their materials suppliers, supplier audit policies, and other supply chain practices.

Gallagher, former Attorney General William Barr, and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) have also been critical of The Walt Disney Company. Rubio wrote an open letter in 2020, signed by Gallagher and other lawmakers, criticizing Disney for apparently collaborating with the CCP, including by filming parts of the movie Mulan in Xinjiang. Despite the ongoing genocide, Disney apparently cooperated with Xinjiangs CCP propaganda and security offices.

The letter, which asked for further information about any cooperation with the CCP, read, The decision to film parts of Mulan in the XUAR [Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region], in cooperation with local security and propaganda elements, offers tacit legitimacy to these perpetrators of crimes that may warrant the designation of genocide.

U.S. and Chinese companies are finally feeling the heat for their unacceptable collaboration with the CCP to the point of normalizing its totalitarian practices in China and abroad. To stop the threat from Beijing to human rights, the United States and its allies are unfortunately forced to accelerate economic decoupling.

While decoupling entails short-term risk to supply chains, and could cause higher prices to consumers, it will also increase jobs in the United States and among its allies. It will reindustrialize our economies, making supply chains more resilient in the long term. And doing nothing is even riskier. Limiting the economic control of the CCP is the best option in todays increasingly illiberal geopolitical environment.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Cyber Ransom Attack on Cancer Clinic Shows Australia Still Struggling With Cybersecurity

Stock Photo of a computer lit by a displayed cyber code is seen in this illustration picture.(vickygharat/Pixabay)

Hackers are continuing to target Australia, with the latest attack on a major cancer clinic in Sydney demonstrating that institutions across the country are still falling behind well behind in their cybersecurity.

New South Wales (NSW) Health said they were alerted to a Medusa ransomware attack on the Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre on Thursday and are investigating the issue.

A spokesperson for NSW Health told the ABC it did not appear to have impacted NSW Health or the cancer centres databases.

NSW Health continues to investigate this issue which does not appear to have impacted any NSW Health databases, nor Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre databases, they said.

The safety and security of all NSW Health systems remains of the highest importance and is continually monitored and safeguarded.

The ransomware hackers are demanding $100,000 (US$67,000) for the release of the encrypted data within the next seven days, or they will release the data onto the dark web, according to their ransomware blog, reported technological security company FalconFeedsio in a Twitter post.

Medusa #ransomware group added The Crown Princess Mary Cancer Centre, a cancer centre based in #Australia, to their victim list. They claims to publish the organizations data in 7 days.#Medusa #darkweb #deepweb #databreach #cyberrrisk pic.twitter.com/0KrlRT4OmN  FalconFeedsio (@FalconFeedsio) May 4, 2023

The hack is the latest in a string of ransomware attacks by the Medusa ransomware gang, which first emerged in June 2021 and had relatively low activity and victims. However, this changed at the beginning of 2023 when the group launched its Medusa blog, which it uses to leak data of victims who refuse to pay.

Previous targets from just the past four months include Chinese oil and gas giant PetroChina International, the Open University of Cyprus, the Minneapolis Public Schools, and the U.S. National Institute of Ocean Technology.

Australia Trailing World in Cyber Security

The latest attack comes after the Minister for Cyber Security Clare ONeil said Australia was five years behind where it should be on cyber security due to failures in the former governments cyber strategy.

When we arrived in office, there was no incident response function in the Australian Government to speak of. That is crazy that were in that situation, ONeil told the ABC on April 18.

Its crazy because we are going towe have experienced large-scale cyber attacks, and to a degree, they will continue.

Whatever we do, even if we are the most cyber-safe country in the world, were still going to see cyber attacks because cybercrime is that prolific. So part of the resilience kind of approach for the government is to make sure that were able to help the country recover quickly.

The Albanese government has been the first to establish a cyber incident response function as part of the Home Affairs department, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese recently appointing a Cyber Coordinator who will be responsible for conducting this nationally.

The minister has also said she believes Australia is currently not an easy target for hackers.

Read More Australia Not an Easy Cyber Target Says Home Affairs Minister

There is an enormous amount of effort going into making sure that Australia is a hard target, and we are making significant ground on that, ONeil said.

Weve set up Hack the Hackers, which is the first time the Australian government has asked the Federal Police and the cyber guns in the Australian Signals Directorate to work together to basically turn their energies and forces onto debilitating and degrading the ability of the hacking groups.

And that work is going really, really well, and its a model that countries around the world are looking at.

The Australian government has said it will strike back against cyber hackers, creating a 100-person strong task force staffed by the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Signals Directorate.

The task force has said it will debilitate hackers and ransomware syndicates around the world before crimes have been committed by collecting intelligence and identifying ring-leaders, networks, and infrastructure to disrupt and stop cyber-criminal syndicates.

Major Public Companies Targeted

Since 2022 Australia has experienced a raft of cyber incidents targeting major public companies like Medibank, Australias larger health insurer; Optus, the second largest telecommunications company; and EnergyAustralia, one of the three largest energy companies.

Hackers have also attacked Australian universities like Queensland University of Technology, as well as the defence department and private companies Vinomofo, Woolworths MyDeal, and Medlab.
Arizona Border Officials Brace for New Surge of Illegal Immigration

Communities prepare for end of Title 42 on May 11

San Luis Police Lt. Marco Santana (L) speaks with a member of the U.S. armed forces at the border fence in San Luis, Ariz., on May 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

SAN LUIS, Ariz.Law enforcement along Arizonas largely unguarded southern border with Mexico anticipate a potential surge of illegal entry when the clock strikes midnight on May 11, the official termination date of Title 42. This is despite the deployment of troops to the area.

To some extent, we knew it was going to happen, said Marco Santana, a veteran police lieutenant in the San Luis, Arizona, department.

Our main focus is if these people come in here, they wont be doing anything illegal. What I mean is criminal [activity] within the community, Santana said.

Located in Yuma County, San Luis, population 37,333, includes the U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) busy port of entry in San Luis, with more than 2.3 million people crossing annually.

Hundreds of illegal crossings already occur each day in and around the unfinished border fence in San Luis, whose construction began during the Trump administration.

The situation has left residents in San Luis feeling apprehensive following reports of potentially thousands of undocumented migrants preparing to make entry from Mexico.

Weve already had a surgecontinuously. If it gets larger, we could be in big trouble, said Betty Hayes of Yuma, Arizona. Not only from the number of people and how to deal with them, just concern how they will deal with them.

We can only bus so many [but] they dont want us to bus them because they dont want us to deal with them.

Razor wire ready to be installed sits at the southern border fence in San Luis, Ariz., on May 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

The southwestern border dividing the United States and Mexico stretches nearly 2,000 miles across four states, including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

Arizonas southern border stretches more than 372 miles and includes ports of entry at six locations.

Title 42 went into effect in 2020 during the Trump administration to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infections at ports of entry in the United States.

However, the law applied to people based on whether they were present in a country with a contagious disease and not their immigration status.

In 2022, President Joe Biden announced plans to end Title 42, and on April 1, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the laws termination in May 2023.

Regional Meetings Held

Meetings between federal and local law enforcement have occurred recently to prepare for a possible large influx of border crossings with the end of Title 42.

We are also preparing for a possible fluctuation, Tania Pavlak, public information officer with the Yuma County Sheriffs Office, told The Epoch Times.

Illegal immigrants wait to be processed by U.S. Border Patrol agents after crossing into Arizona from Mexico near Yuma, Ariz., on Sept. 26, 2022. (John Moore/Getty Images)

Santana said concern among law enforcement at the local and county level is community safety, should a sudden and massive surge of migrants occur.

I can tell you U.S. Customs main focus is to process them and to go inside and then Good luck,' Santana told The Epoch Times. You cant blame the people [for coming], but it comes down to our problems here in the United States.

Our main focus in San Luis is our community. Theyll do their part as far as processing. Border Patrol will be involved as well, maybe transporting. Each agency is responsible for what theyre dealing withvery specific.

According to Reuters, an estimated 3,000 people, mostly Venezuelans, are marching northbound for the United States after being detained for months in southern Mexico.

As far as the different people that might be coming in, youre looking at people from all over South AmericaEcuador, Brazil, people from even Europe, Russians, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, all these different places, Santana said.

The busy U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry in San Luis, Ariz., on May 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

To handle the potential influx, the Biden administration deployed an additional 1,500 military personnel for 90 days to supplement the 2,500 stationed along the southwest border.

In preparation for the return to Title 8 immigration enforcement, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) are implementing sweeping measures with our regional partners to reduce irregular migration, ensure safe, orderly, and efficient processing, and promptly remove individuals without a legal basis to remain in the United States, according to a DHS statement announcing additional Department of Defense (DOD) support on the southwest border on May 2.

DOD personnel will perform non-law enforcement duties such as ground-based detection and monitoring, data entry, and warehouse support. DoD personnel have never, and will not, perform law enforcement activities or interact with migrants or other individuals in DHS custody. This support will free up DHS law enforcement personnel to perform their critical missions.

Late Notice

Arizona border county sheriffs say they only learned about the troop deployment on May 2.

How long have we known [about] May 11, or Title 42 is going to go? Weve all known that for quite some time. Why are we waiting until days before to get out of this plan? Cochise County Sheriff Mark Dannels told Fox10 News.

A sign points pedestrians to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection port of entry in San Luis, Ariz., on May 4, 2023. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Is that a proactive approach, or that a reactive approach, based on the border is already in crisis mode?

San Luis police spotted two U.S. Army personnel stationed along the border fence in San Luis. One soldier sat in a pickup truck on May 4, watching independent contractors install razor wire and other equipment.

The soldier told Santana, I dont know whats going on [with the deployment]. They told us to be [ready] for more folks, but I dont know if its going to be this area or in Texas.

Santana said illegal immigration in San Luis is very complex, and an understaffed police department is feeling the pressure.

Military-grade equipment works near the southern border fence in San Luis, Ariz., on May 4, 2023, ahead of a potential surge of illegal immigrants. (Allan Stein/The Epoch Times)

Will there be a surge on May 11?

Its definitely a possibility. We dont know what is going to happen. We speculate it could, and I wouldnt say I like to use the word speculate. This is like a stop to where they want to go, Santana said.

If it goes where we have to defend our citizens, well deal with that.

A Border Patrol agent organizes illegal immigrants who have gathered by the border fence after crossing from Mexico into the United States in Yuma, Ariz., on Dec. 10, 2021. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

Hayes said the country cant sustain waves of illegal immigrants without risking becoming a third-world country.

We cant handle millions of peoplethats what it comes up to. Our system works on us paying our way and helping people that cant. But its the people who are working and live here. Were not set up to help the world.

Theres no way you can stop a surge of that many people. Were going to have to process all these people, and the criminals will have a day ride. Thats why I say its scary.

Her husband, Thomas Hayes, said the situation is already overwhelming.

Its sad, but it is.
Dutton Refuses to Rule out Intervening in Victorian Liberals, Urges Party to Sort Their Mess Out

Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton during a visit to A.H.Beard bedding manufacturer in Padstow, Sydney, Australia on May 2, 2023. (AAP Image/Nikki Short)

Opposition leader Peter Dutton has not ruled out federal intervention in the Victorian branch of the Liberal Party after suspended MP Moira Deeming threatened legal action against John Pesutto, the partys state leader.

I wouldnt rule out federal intervention, and I make it very clear to the Victorian division that I want this mess sorted out as quickly as possible, Dutton told ABC Radio on May 5.

It doesnt help our brand. It doesnt reflect on the broader party movement.

Deeming is challenging her nine-month suspension from the party, confirming in an email to her colleagues that she would be taking the matter further after Pesutto missed the 2 p.m., May 4 deadline to exonerate her of being a Nazi or Nazi sympathiser, reported Sky News.

However, Pesutto has denied ever saying Deeming was a Nazi or Nazi sympathiser.

Deeming was suspended for nine months after appearing at the Let Women Speak rally on March 18. The womans rights rally was overtaken by a neo-Nazi protest that was marred by violent clashes between the police and trans-activists who deemed the rally as having an anti-trans agenda.

Pesutto told the ABC that expelling Deeming was currently on the table, given her planned legal action.

This is a very serious step if its taken, but theres already a number of things that the party room is considering, Pesutto told ABC News Breakfast on May 5.

Victorian Opposition Leader Giovanni Pesutto addresses the media at the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia on March 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

I will consult with them. Im not going to air those publicly.

This follows a warning from party members who said that expelling Deeming would equate to shooting ourselves in the head, according to leaked minutes of a March 27 party room meeting, reported The Australian.

However, Pesutto said that he was unconcerned by Deemings legal threat.

If Moira Deeming is going to take action to sue me and effectively the parliamentary Liberal Party  that would be a matter for her to consider. Shes free to do what she wants, Im focused on holding the Andrews government to account, Pesutto told reporters on May 4.

Pesutto said any federal intervention by Dutton constituted organisational matters for the party but maintained that he was the right person to lead.

As hard as it is and as difficult as it looks right now  this reform process will result in a strong party that is a good opposition and can become the government in 2026, he said on May 5.

Dutton Says He Supports Pesutto But Wants Issues Sorted

Meanwhile, Dutton has affirmed his support for Pesutto.

There is a lot of good going on within the Liberal Party despite what you might hear on different programs, and its a distraction, and it needs to be dealt with, Dutton told the ABC.

[John Pesuttos] been elected the leader [of the Liberal Party] in Victoria. Hes a decent man, he said, adding that the Victorian Liberals should have been more competitive at the last state election.

They werent, and they need to be a credible alternative government, Dutton said.

Dutton added that while the Victorian Liberal Party was focused on internal battles, it was distracting them from their jobputting pressure on the Andrews government.

Whilst were a distraction away from Daniel Andrews, he gets away with more stuff day by day.

Deeming Seeks to Clear Her Name for the Sake Her Children

Deeming said in her May 4 email that clearing her name was her priority for the sake of her children.

Kim Wells negotiated with you all and persuaded me to accept a nine-month suspension to save Johns leadership in exchange for exoneration from all allegations and imputations made against me (and automatic reinstatement), the email reads.

MP Moira Deeming leaves the Parliament of Victoria in Melbourne in Melbourne Monday, March 27, 2023. (AAP Image/Diego Fedele)

And I accepted those terms in desperation, just to get my familys name cleared.

But instead, as is well documented, Leadership went right out and did the opposite, continuously, right up until this very week.

Deeming added that the entire saga has been unjust, and said that for six weeks she tried to mediate a mutually satisfactory joint statement.

However, she said that having no response from Pesuttos office meant that the partys leadership failed to honour the suspension agreement.

To date, I am the only one who has honoured that agreement. I am suspended, but there has been no joint exoneration statement and inconsistent messaging regarding my automatic return to the Party Room.

Epoch Times contributor and emeritus professor of law at the University of Queensland, Gabriel A. Moens, wrote in an op-ed that Deeming is still being punished for attending the rally, even though she was not involved in any way in the appearance of the neo-Nazis.

The suspension is a disturbing development because it imposes the onus on Deeming to prove that she was not guilty by association. It signifies that, in the eyes of the Liberal Party, she is still guilty by association (even if the association is indirect, unwanted, and involuntary).

The offices of John Pesutto and Moira Deeming have been reached for comment.
Elon Musk Says Censorship Enthusiasts Are Less Than Thrilled With Twitters User-Sourced Fact-Checks

Twitter CEO Elon Musk's photo is seen through a Twitter logo in this illustration, on Oct. 28, 2022. (Dado Ruvic/Reuters, File Photo)

Twitter CEO Elon Musk has praised the platforms Community Notes feature for ending censorship in guise of virtue and handing control of the narrative back to ordinary people.

Musk made the comments in a tweet responding to Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon, who wrote on the platform that Twitter was previously a place where false narratives were protected and promoted.

Dillon stated that under Musks leadership, Twitter has transformed into a place where false narratives are challenged and corrected thanks to its Community Notes feature, which allows Twitter users to collaboratively add context to potentially misleading tweets.

Under the feature, contributors can leave notes under any tweets across the platform and, if enough contributors from different points of view rate that note as helpful, the note publically appears under the tweet.

Its easy to think Musk has botched everything if by everything you mean the old system of strict narrative control. But he meant to abolish that system; that was the whole point, Dillion wrote.

Musk responded, Ending censorship in guise of virtue, handing control of the narrative to the people, and actually accurate fact-checking are essential goals.

Naturally, those who used to control the narrative and censored views they disliked are less than thrilled, Musk continued, adding, How tragic.

American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten visits with striking Chicago teachers at Oscar DePriest Elementary School in Chicago, on Oct. 22, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Politifact Fact-Checked

Dillons comment referenced an article shared on Twitter by fact-checkers at Politifact defending the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union boss Randi Weingartens actions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The article stated that early on in the pandemic, Weingarten advocated for schools to reopen for in-person learning, provided they use safety precautions.

She criticized the Trump administrations 2020 calls to reopen schools fully, but its misleading to claim that she opposed reopening at all, the article read.

However, Weingarten has been widely criticized for opposing efforts to reopen schools during the pandemic. She was also in close contact with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the days leading up to its publishing of guidance on school reopening guidance.

An added context box was quickly pegged to the post via the Community Notes feature stating that while Weingarten said she wanted schools to remain open during the pandemic, she consistently wrote tweets about her support for the closure of schools well into the fall of 2020.

Several links were attached to the added context box, including one tweet from August 2020 in which Weingarten took aim at Florida governor Ron DeSantis.

Dr. Anthony Fauci in Washington, on Dec. 9, 2022. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)

Twitter Tells Different Story

CRIMINAL!! Students in Martin County, FL returned to school Tuesday; already 1 elementary class was quarantined as students showed COVID-19 symptoms. Their teacher is required to report to work even when exposed to #covid under @RonDeSantisFL order,

This is why @FloridaEA sued, she added.

In another tweet attached to the post, also from August 2020, Weingarten praised the closure of the State University of New York at Oneonta as the way to aggressively stop #covid spread.

The added context box also linked to an article published by The Guardian in July 2020 in which Weingarten called the Secretary of Educations call for schools to reopen in the fall of 2020 reckless  callous  cruel.

The Epoch Times has contacted American Federation of Teachers for comment.

Musks comments come shortly after Dr. Anthony Fauci insisted that Americans should not blame him for lockdowns during the pandemic.

When people say, Fauci shut down the economyit wasnt Fauci, he told The New York Times Magazine on April 25. The CDC was the organization that made those recommendations. I happened to be perceived as the personification of the recommendations. But show me a school that I shut down and show me a factory that I shut down. Never. I never did.

I gave a public-health recommendation that echoed the CDCs recommendation, and people made a decision based on that. But I never criticized the people who had to make the decisions one way or the other, Fauci added.

The former head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases did, however, acknowledge that the government could have taken a better approach to the pandemic, adding, Anybody who thinks that what we or anybody else did was perfect is not looking at reality.
EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Calls for Review of Gender-Transition Medications After Mass Shooting

Federal officials should consider pausing or withdrawing government approval of the drugs used in gender-transitioning procedures such as those administered to Nashville Covenant School shooter Audrey Hale, according to a Tennessee congressman.

I think it certainly warrants some sort of investigation and or hearing into the matter. These are powerful drugs; they have side effects that can clearly be dangerous, if not deadly. And so I think it does call into question whether or not these drugs should be on the market and certainly consideration of the question of should there be further guidance and warnings and stipulations given as to when they are administered or prescribed, Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.) told The Epoch Times on May 5.

Ogles congressional district includes The Covenant School, a private Christian facility for pre-schoolers through sixth graders, where on March 27 Hale, a former student there, shot her way into the building and killed six people, including three 9-year-old children and three adults.

Ogles said the final decision about the status of the drugs should be left to the doctors and the experts, but this is an important question and, again, I think we have to ask these questions on behalf of the families, on behalf of the Nashville community, and of course, the nation.

The dead included Hallie Scruggs, the daughter of one of the pastors of Covenant Presbyterian Church of which the school is a ministry, and Katherine Koonce, the Head of School for the educational facility. Hale fired more than 150 rounds from a rifle and a pistol she used in the attack before two members of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) killed her.

Hale was undergoing drug treatments used in the controversial medical procedures involved in transforming the physical gender attributes of a male or female individual to those of their opposite sex. The procedures are typically used for an individual diagnosed with Gender Dysphoria, a mental condition in which the person is born as one gender but identifies with the opposite gender.

Ogles also told The Epoch Times he thinks its past time for authorities to make public Hales Manifestoher journal and other writings used prior to her attack and resulting deaththat have been in the possession of the MNPD. The documents have been analyzed by the FBIs experts in analyzing the psychological profiles of individuals like Hale who have become mass killers.

Public demand for release of the Manifesto has been growing since the officials declined to do so in the immediate aftermath of the tragedy. The Tennessee Firearms Association and a former local sheriff filed a request with a state court seeking an order for the documents release.

I am a big supporter of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. When you look at the shooting, they did everything right, you know. The command staff trusted the officers on the ground; the officers on the ground went into the building, assessed the situation and immediately engaged the shooter, Ogles said.

Make the Manifesto Public Now

After the shooting, the Nashville police had been great at communicating, but now were at this point where it is time for them to release the Manifesto. Part of that is they owe it to the families, the community, and, quite frankly, they owe it to the nation, Ogles continued.

The manifesto is going to show that that woman was deeply troubled. Its going to bring into question whether or not she should have been transitioning, and its going to bring into question the culpability of the doctors and the clinicians involved in feeding her physchosis, he said.

So it is imperative, from a trust and an accountability issue that Metro Nashville release the Manifesto and they do it immediately, Ogles stated.

Police officials said on May 3 that, while they had been preparing for a public release of the Manifesto, the filing of litigation on the issue prompted them to withhold it on the advice of counsel.

Asked if he sees a congressional role in the investigation of the shooting, Ogles told The Epoch Times that he is committed to making sure that, first and foremost, the family and the community have their questions answered and I will takeas a member of Congresswhatever steps are necessary to facilitate that.

If that means that we have to have a hearing, or a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request or subpoenas, we are going to do whatever we can within our power to make sure that the nation has the answers and, once and for all, peel back the truth about how mentally disturbed this individual was.

Ogles has called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to open a Hate Crime investigation of Hales murderous actions. In a March 30 statement, he declared that, In the wake of the Covenant School shooting, there has been a movement by radical Leftists to victimize and legitimize the actions of the shooter because she identified as transgender. Make no mistakeshe was a domestic terrorist who sought to kill and destroy. This type of targeted, brutal assault on Christians is nothing less than a hate crime.

Ogles also joined with Rep. Lance Gooden (R-Texas) in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland in which the two congressmen said, We urge you, as head of the Department of Justice, to immediately offer the full resources of federal law enforcement to the victims and community of this attack and open a hate crime investigation.

Additionally, we urge you to forcefully condemn anti-Christian bias to send an unambiguous message to all Americans that discrimination against any community is un-American and will not be tolerated.

A spokesman for Ogles told The Epoch Times that DOJ has not responded to the letter.
Fauci and Pfizer Lied to Trump About COVID-19 Vaccine, Claims Navarro

Peter Navarro, former trade adviser to President Donald Trump, speaks to reporters as he departs U.S. District Court after he was indicted on two counts of contempt of Congress for his failure to comply with a subpoena from the House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, in Washington on June 3, 2022. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)

Former Trump administration adviser Peter Navarro revealed that the ex-president was allegedly deceived into believing that Pfizers COVID-19 shot was a true vaccine while blaming Antony Fauci for hiding sensitive information regarding the COVID origin.

Fauci and Pfizer didnt disclose the side effects of that [vaccine] to Trump, Navarro said in a May 4 podcast by Patrick Bet-David on YouTube. And they werent clear with him. They made him think that it was a true vaccine when its not. Its mRNA technology. Traditional vaccines work by introducing a harmless piece of bacteria or virus into the human body to trigger an immune response, with most of these vaccines containing only a weakened or dead microbe.

However, mRNA vaccines do not use any part of the actual bacteria. Instead, they use a molecule called messenger RNA that corresponds to a viral protein, typically a piece of protein that is found in the outer membrane of the virus.

Navarro blamed Fauci for making the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States as bad as it was. Fauci knew for a fact that that virus came from the Wuhan lab. He knew that because he had funded the gain of function research in that lab and he had already begun to design a cover-up, he said.

And we know that from the emails he sent to a group of researchers and academics, trying to get their support to push that come from nature theory.

If he had simply owned up to the fact that that thing came from the lab, we could have pressured the Chinese to give us the genome sequence which would have allowed us to design an effective vaccine rather than the crap we wound up getting.

Travel Ban On China

Back in 2006, Navarro wrote a book called The Coming China Wars in which he proposed that Beijing will likely create a virus that will kill millions. After news of the COVID-19 outbreak broke out, Navarro took part in a meeting at the White Houses Situation Room on Jan. 28, 2020. This was the first time he met Fauci.

During the meeting, Trump asked for imposing a travel ban on China, Navarro said in the podcast. But the officials in the Situation Room were against making such a decision.

In addition to Fauci, other officials in the room included Robert Redfield, who was the director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as Mick Mulvaney, who was the acting White House Chief of Staff.

According to Navarro, he fought with Fauci and Mulvaney regarding the travel ban on China. While leaving the meeting, Mulvaney tried to say that the discussion has come to a consensus against the travel ban. However, Navarro rejected the claim and insisted that there are no consensus in this room.

What I do that night as I go home and I write a memo that Im going to plaster to the entire task force  that says that if we dont do this [travel ban], this virus is capable of killing half a million Americans and costing us trillions of dollars. Thats the best memo Ive probably ever written because it was spot on, he said on the podcast.

That day, January 28, was a very significant one overlooked in the history of the pandemic and in American history because Fauci was there, he opposed the presidents travel ban, he lied to the American people.

Even if he didnt know that [the virus] came from the lab, he should have told us it might have come from the lab. And because he didnt do that, we didnt get the genome, we didnt get a thing.

Suppressing Lab Leak Theory

For almost two years after the pandemic broke out, the lab leak theory of COVID-19 origin was widely dismissed in the mainstream narrative. Facebook censored content discussing the lab leak, only reversing the policy in June 2021.

On Jan. 28, 2023, epidemiologists Colin Butler and Delia Randolph, who have worked with the United Nations, said in a joint statement that the most likely explanation for COVID-19 is that it originated in a lab.

In February, FBI Director Christopher Wray confirmed that the agency has determined a lab in Wuhan, China, to be the likely source of COVID-19.

He also said that the Chinese regime has been interfering with the efforts made by the United States and other nations to identify the origin of the pandemic.

On March 1, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a bill that asked the Biden administration to declassify any intelligence related to the origins of COVID-19.

The Epoch Times reached out to Pfizer and attempted to contact Fauci for comment.
Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario

TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Deputy Registrar of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) has issued a Notice of Proposal (NOP) to revoke the liquor sales licence of Afro-East Restaurant, located at 91 Queen St S, Kitchener, ON. The Deputy Registrar has reasonable grounds to believe that the licence holder will not carry on business in accordance with the law and with integrity and honesty.



Contrary to the Liquor Licence and Control Act, 2019 (LLCA), the Registrars Interim Standards and Requirements for Liquor, and the applicable licence terms and conditions, multiple alleged violations by the licensee have been identified, including:

AGCO inspectors observed an individual working at the establishment who is prohibited from having any involvement in the business operations of the establishment or from being employed at the establishment.



The back exterior gate of the establishment was chained and locked shut, preventing emergency exiting from the premises. The chain and lock were removed by force and charges were laid by the City of Kitchener Fire Department against the licence holder for non-compliance with the Fire Protection and Prevention Act, 1997. During subsequent inspections conducted by the AGCO, the same back exterior gate was observed closed and chain locked once again. Further, the licence holder failed to notify the AGCO of these charges as required by a condition on its liquor sales licence.



AGCO inspectors observed persons involved in the sale and service of liquor at the establishment who did not hold a valid Smart Serve certification.



AGCO inspectors observed the licence holder permitting patrons to remove liquor from the licensed premises.



Those who hold a licence to sell and serve alcohol are required to meet their obligations under the LLCA and to carry on their business in accordance with the law and with honesty and integrity.

The AGCO is committed to ensuring that the alcohol sector is regulated in the public interest and in accordance with the principles of honesty and integrity, and social responsibility.

Story continues

QUOTES

There are consequences for licence holders who do not operate with integrity and honesty. While the AGCO takes a compliance-focused approach to regulation, in cases that involve multiple significant breaches impacting the safety of patrons, the AGCO will take strong regulatory action to protect the public.

Tom Mungham, Registrar and CEO, AGCO

Quick Facts

Licence holders who do not meet the requirements under LLCA are subject to regulatory action, including the possibility of an Order of Monetary Penalty, a temporary suspension of the licence, or in the most serious cases, a revocation of the licence.

An establishment served with a Notice of Proposal has the right to appeal the Registrars action to the Licence Appeal Tribunal, which is an adjudicative tribunal independent of the AGCO and part of Tribunals Ontario.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

MEDIA CONTACT

AGCO Communications

media@agco.ca

ABOUT THE AGCO

The AGCO is responsible for regulating the alcohol, gaming, horse racing and private cannabis retail sectors in Ontario in accordance with the principles of honesty and integrity, and in the public interest.

The AGCO is a regulatory agency with a governing board that reports to the Ministry of the Attorney General. The agency was established on February 23, 1998 under the Alcohol, Cannabis and Gaming Regulation and Public Protection Act, 1996.

News Releases




Feds Dont Know How Many Public Servants Are Working Remotely: Budget Officer

The federal government does not know how many employees are working remotely from home, according to Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux.

On May 2, Giroux testified before the Senate national finance committee, soon after the government and roughly 120,000 workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) reached a tentative agreement to end a strike that began on April 18.

The union had demanded the option for full-time work from home for some public servants, while the Treasury Board proposed a hybrid model that would have required some days to work in the office.

According to Blacklocks Reporter, in a directive dated Dec. 15, 2022, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier suggested that federal employees could work from home 40 to 60 percent of their regular schedule, up to three days each week.

We are not going back to the way things used to be. We are reimagining our workplace, Fortier told reporters at the time.

At the Senate meeting, Quebec Conservative Sen. Claude Carignan said he questioned the government on how many public servants there were on April 1 of 2021, 2022, and 2023, respectively. He also asked for the breakdown by province and municipality.

I was stunned to find out that the government doesnt know how many people are working remotely. I dont understand how a government in trying to be efficient and effective doesnt know how many people are working remotely, said Carignan.

Giroux responded: This is a question that has been raised a few times over the past few years. At the beginning of the pandemic, we asked how many public servants were on special leave under provision 699, which is a discretionary type of leave.

The budget officer said he found out that the government did not collect that information and decided to start to do so probably as a result of our questions.

Giroux said he was given the same answer the senator received: That there are no detailed answers and data about how many people are working remotely.

We have not sent a formal request for information but we put the question informally to the Treasury Board and several departments, said Giroux. There are a few departments [that] have also indicated that no studies had been undertaken regarding whether public servants were more or less productive when they worked in person or remotely, he added.

In a submission on June 10, 2022, Public Works told the Commons government operations committee that federal computer technicians had counted 240,000 remote internet connections to government servers.

Prior to the pandemic there was an average of 20,000 simultaneous remote connections, testified Filomena Tassi, the minister of public services and procurement at the time.

An Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons reported that federal offices had a daily vacancy rate running as high as 70 percent, and sometimes more. The report said the National Film Board office in Winnipeg had only one-tenth of their staff in the office working, as one example. A Gatineau, Quebec, office of the Canadian Space Agency has only 23 percent of staff working in person, based on average daily attendance.

A 2022 Public Works report said the federal government could save $1.3 billion annually if it cut its current office space by 40 percent. The report, Evaluation of the Office Portfolio, said infrastructure is the second-largest expense to the Government of Canada after salary expenses.

Peter Wilson contributed to this report.
Feds Spent Over $128M on Hotels for Roxham Road Migrants Since 2017: Federal Figures

Asylum seekers from Congo cross the border at Roxham Road in Quebec from Champlain, New York, on Feb. 9, 2023. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz)

The federal government spent over $128 million between April 2017 and February 2023 on accommodations for asylum seekers who illegally crossed the border at an unofficial entry point on Roxham Road in Quebec, according to federal figures released on May 3.

In an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons, cabinet said over 105,300 irregular asylum claims were made in Quebec in that time period.

The Inquiry did not provide March figures but said that as of March 16, the federal government was paying for over 7,550 asylum claimants staying in interim accommodations in Ontario, Quebec, and several other provinces.

The Inquiry said that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) had paid $128,521,372 directly to hotels or motels for individuals who have entered at Roxham Road since April 1, 2017.

Cabinet did not disclose the names or exact locations of the accommodations contracted by IRCC as designated shelters for asylum claimants, citing safety and security reasons, but said that a total of 44 had been contracted with the majority being in Ontario and Quebec. There was also one contracted accommodation in Winnipeg, one in Surrey, B.C., and five in east-coast provinces.

Most of the Ontario accommodations were in Niagara Falls, while those in Quebec were mostly in Dorval and Montreal.

Roxham Road

As of March 25, Canada began turning back asylum seekers attempting to enter the country at unofficial entry points due to the renegotiated Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Joe Biden on March 24.

The changes to the agreement were decided a year earlier but were not announced until Bidens visit to Canada.

The STCA is a bilateral treaty between Canada and the U.S., signed in 2004, that requires migrants to make their asylum claim in the first country of their arrival.

The previous agreement said it was illegal for migrants to make an asylum claim at official border crossings, leaving a loophole for those crossing at unofficial entries.

The loophole was mostly closed under the renegotiated version of the STCA, making it possible only with certain exceptions to claim asylum at any point along the U.S.-Canada border.

Federal statistics show that over 39,000 migrants claimed asylum in Canada while crossing into Quebec in 2022 and being intercepted by the RCMP, compared to just 369 migrants crossing the border into other provinces.
Former California College Student Arrested in 3 Stabbings

Police investigate the site where a homeless woman was stabbed several times through the side of her tent near Second and L streets in Davis, Calif., on May 2, 2023. (Hector Amezcua/The Sacramento Bee via AP)

DAVIS, Calif.A 21-year-old who had been a student at the University of California, Davis, until last week was arrested for allegedly stabbing three people, including two fatally, and sending fear through the quiet college community, city police said.

Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel said Thursday that Carlos Dominguez was taken into custody May 3 after 15 people called in reports of a person who matched the description of the suspect near a downtown park where he is accused of stabbing his second victim to death.

Pytel did not disclose a motive for the stabbings and said they do not yet know how or if Dominguez knew his victims.

Volunteers from the Yolo County Search and Rescue Team look for evidence from the stabbing murder of Karim Abou Najm near Sycamore Park in Davis, Calif., on, May 1, 2023. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP)

He was out wandering a neighborhood where the second homicide had occurred. He had a large knife in a backpack, wearing the same clothes from the third stabbing, said Pytel. Thats highly unusual and unique.

UC Davis officials said in a statement that Dominguez was a third-year student majoring in biological sciences until April 25, when he was separated for academic reasons.

It wasnt immediately clear if Dominguez had an attorney who could speak on his behalf.

NBC affiliate KCRA-TV in Sacramento, California, reported it captured aerial footage of police Wednesday afternoon speaking with a person near a downtown park where the second victim, a 20-year-old student at the University of CaliforniaDavis, was killed.

People view a memorial set up at the compassion bench to honor David Henry Breaux, 50, who was found stabbed to death in Central Park in Davis, Calif., on May 1, 2023. (Paul Kitagaki Jr./The Sacramento Bee via AP)

Officers were then seen placing the person in the back of a patrol car.

Davis is a small city about 70 miles northeast of San Francisco and 15 miles west of Sacramento. There are roughly 67,000 residents in the city in addition to more than 13,000 students who live on the UC Davis campus.

Davis police did not return phone calls and emails seeking more information.

The first death was reported April 27 when officers found David Henry Breaux, 50, in downtown Central Park, hunched over a bench where he often sat or slept.

The second victim, Karim Abou Najm, was found April 29 night at Sycamore Park with multiple stab wounds.

A homeless woman who is in her 60s was the victim of Mondays stabbing.
Former Intelligence Heads Brennan, Clapper to Testify to House Panel Over Role in Hunter Biden Laptop Letter

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper (L) and CIA Director John Brennan chat before testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Feb. 9, 2016. (Molly Riley/AFP/Getty Images)

Former CIA Director John Brennan and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper are scheduled to testify before a Congressional panel this month as House Republicans investigate the effort to discredit negative stories about President Joe Bidens son right before the 2020 election.

A representative from the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), confirmed to The Epoch Times that it will conduct a transcribed interview with Brennan on May 11 and Clapper on May 17.

Brennan and Clapper, both longtime government officials, were harsh critics of former President Donald Trump and held their most recent jobs under former President Barack Obama.

The pair were among the 51 ex-intelligence officials who signed the October 2020 letter (pdf) discouraging confidence in the content of Hunter Bidens laptop.

This letter helped spread the now-proven false idea that the stories about the laptops content were just Russian disinformation, an idea that Bidens 2020 campaign promoted.

Controversy has continued to swirl over the open letter that Clapper, Brennan, and former CIA deputy director Michael Morell signed, along with 48 other former intelligence officials.

The letter made the rounds following the New York Posts explosive report from October 2020 on a laptop later proven to belong to Hunter Biden, son of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden.

The letter said that the arrival on the U.S. political scene of emails purportedly belonging to Vice President Bidens son Hunter, much of it related to his time serving of the Board of the Ukrainian gas company Burisma, has all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation.

The also laptop contained photographs of Hunter Biden, including one allegedly depicting him passed out while smoking a crack pipe.

With a poster of a New York Post front-page story about Hunter Bidens emails on display, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) listens during a hearing before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee at Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 8, 2023. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Bidens presidential campaign at the time cited the letter as evidence that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation. Polling indicates that if voters had known the laptops contents, some would have voted differently, which could have altered the outcome of the 2020 presidential election.

Questions to Answer

Jordan, who heads both the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, has demanded that a number or figures, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, answer questions about details surrounding the letter.

Ian Sams, White House spokesperson for oversight and investigations, told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement that House Republicans are weaponizing their power to go after their political opponents and re-litigate the 2020 election with misleading claims.

The American people see these House GOP attacks for what they are: political stunts intended to hurt President Biden, and House Republicans would be wise to instead focus on doing their job, raising the debt ceiling to avoid an economic catastrophe, and working together with the President to make actual progress on important issues, he added.

Tom Ozimek and Mark Tapscott contributed to this report.
Fox Sends Cease-and-Desist Letter to Media Matters Over Leaked Tucker Carlson Footage

A Fox News channel sign is on a television vehicle outside the News Corporation building in New York City on Nov. 8, 2017. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

Fox Corporation, the parent company of Fox News, has sent a cease-and-desist letter to Media Matters for America (MMFA) over the left-wing media watchdog publicizing leaked footage of former Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson.

Carlson and Fox News parted ways on April 24.

In a May 5 letter to MMFA President and CEO Angelo Carusone, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a law firm, wrote that MMFA had no right to publish the footage.

That unaired footage is Foxs confidential intellectual property; Fox did not consent to its distribution or publication; and Fox does not consent to its further distribution or publication, they wrote. This proprietary material was given to you without Foxs authorization. Fox demands that Media Matters cease and desist from distribution, publication, and misuse of Foxs misappropriated proprietary footage, which you are now on notice was unlawfully obtained. We reserve all rights and remedies.

The footage includes Carlson making jokes with members of his staff. In one clip, on the set of his Fox Nation show, Tucker Carlson Today, Carlson said, I can never assess my appearance. I wait for my postmenopausal fans to weigh in on that.

In another video, Carlson blasted the companys on-demand subscription service, Fox Nation.

Nobodys going to watch it on Fox Nation. Nobody watches Fox Nation because the site sucks. So Id really like to just put thedump the whole thing on YouTube. But anyway, thats just my view, he said.

Im just frustrated with it. Its hard to use that site. I dont know why theyre not fixing it. Its driving me insane. And theyre like making, like, Lifetime movies, continued Carlson. But they dont, they dont work on the infrastructure of the site. Like what? Its crazy. And it drives me crazy because its like were doing all this extra work and no one can find it. Its unbelievable, actually.

In a statement provided to The Epoch Times, Carusone fired back at Fox.

Reporting on newsworthy leaked material is a cornerstone of journalism. For Fox to argue otherwise is absurd and further dispels any pretense that theyre a news operation, he said. Perhaps if I tell them that the footage came from a combination of WikiLeaks and Hunter Bidens laptop, it will alleviate their concerns.

Numerous public figures have weighed in on the leaked footage.

Journalist Megyn Kelly, a former primetime Fox News anchor, blamed her previous employer for leaking the footage, specifically.

Ask yourself about my theory that this is Fox News doing it to him, that its Irina Briganti, who sat there calling through his commercial downtime to look for anything, said Kelly, referring to Fox News senior executive vice president of corporate communications.

If this is all you got, you lost your fastball. I cant wait for the tape that absolutely sinks him because this is absurd, she continued. So far you made Fox Nation look bad. Youve made Tucker look good on his ripping on Media Matters for America. And youve made Tucker look good because hes obviously a funny guy who mocks his enemies and makes [it] clear that he understands you might be taping him!

Bill OReilly, who preceded Carlson in Fox News 8 p.m. ET weeknight slot, said on NewsNation on May 3 that the leaking was most likely by someone at Fox News in order to make Carlson look like a racist villain.

Fox has refuted allegations of its involvement in the leaks. This is completely false and an outright lie, a spokesman said on Wednesday.
Geraldo Riveras Appearances on Fox News Show Abruptly Canceled

Geraldo Rivera (L) and Erica Levy attend the Cartier Fifth Avenue Grand Reopening Event at the Cartier Mansion in New York City, on Sept. 7, 2016. (Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images for Cartier)

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera said that all his appearances on The Five have been canceled for this week with no explanation why.

My appearances today and tomorrow on The Five have been canceled. Im sure theres a good reason. Never fear, Ill be back week after next. Stay safe and happy. Thanks, Rivera wrote, although he did not offer an explanation for why he was removed.

Rivera, 79, has the liberal seat on The Five, the highest-rated show on the cable news network. Others who sit in the seat include contributor Jessica Tarlov and former Democrat Rep. Harold Ford Jr.

The announcement comes days after Fox News announced the departure of popular host Tucker Carlson, who had previously clashed with Rivera on the air. When Carlson left the network, Rivera appeared to praise the decision in a rare comment from a Fox News host about the move.

I dont wish ill on anybody, but there is no doubtas I said at the timeTucker Carlsons perverse January 6 conspiracy theory was [expletive]. Having lost the election President [Donald] Trump incited an insurrection that sought to undermine our Constitutional process, he wrote last week after Carlsons confirmed exit.

My appearances today and tomorrow on The Five have been canceled. Im sure theres a good reason. Never fear, Ill be back week after next. Stay safe and happy. Thanks   Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) May 4, 2023

His co-host, Greg Gutfeld, replied to the Twitter post: Youre a class act Geraldo. A real man of the people.

After alleging that his appearances on The Five were canceled, Rivera responded to Gutfelds reply a week later. Thank you @GregGutfeld for your kind remarks, he said.

Both Rivera and Gutfeld have publicly sparred on The Five, with the two recently shouting at one another about electric vehicles. At one point during that exchange, Rivera yelled at Gutfeld to stop pointing at me.

The Epoch Times has contacted Fox News for comment about Riveras Twitter post. The company has not released a public statement about the move.

On Thursday, Rivera responded to The Daily Beast about a question regarding the possible reasons for his being canceled for the week, saying that he couldnt comment beyond what he said in the public Twitter post.

Riveras announcement comes as Fox News continues to see its ratings drop in the wake of Carlsons departure. While Carlson had averaged about 3 million viewers per show in March, the replacement program, Fox News Tonight, was down considerably last week. On Monday evening, MSNBC topped Fox News in overall ratings, data shows.

We averaged the seven days that Tuckers been gone from Fox News and compared it with just the last week he was in the seat at 8 p.m. His overall number, thats everybody who is watching, is down almost 50 percent  its down 47 without him, former Fox News host Megyn Kelly said on her podcast Thursday. The key advertising demo, which is the number they care about25 to 54-year-oldsis down 59 percent at 8 p.m. Fifty-ninetheyve lost almost two-thirds of the audience that helps pay their bills. Theyre left with about a third of their audience.

Since Carlsons exit, Fox News has offered no comment on why he left, if he is still under contract, or the nature of the parting. Carlson, too, has remained mostly silent on the departure. Carlson appeared at a fundraiser event in Alabama on Thursday night in his first public appearance since leaving the network.

Im probably the first unemployed person you ever invited to speak, he joked on Thursday. Its funny. I never give speeches because Im working. When I accepted this speech six months ago or something, I didnt realize how much free time I would have. One never knows, does one?

Rather than focusing on Fox News and political issues, Carlson spoke about dogs, family, and highlighting charitable work, according to local media outlet AL.com.

We went through this weird, kind of mass hypnosis where everyone was convinced we had to move to some horrifying concrete city in order to make a living and forgot that actually you need to see green, or else youll go insane. If youre alienated from Gods creation, you become fundamentally alienated. Nature is the most beautiful thing, Carlson said at one point.

Driving around here today, I thought to myself, you think of Alabama, if you dont live in Alabama, as a place that has a lot of past attached to it. And I thought today, especially reading the numbers about whats happening in your state, Alabama is not the past, Alabamas the future.
Go to Florida: Australian Premier Lambasts Opponents of Drag Queen Event for Kids

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews speaks to media during a press conference in Melbourne, Australia, on March 7, 2023. (AAP Image/Joel Carrett)

State leader Daniel Andrews has delivered a stinging tirade at families and Melbourne locals who opposed a drag storytime event at a public library.

In a speech to the Victorian Parliament, the Labor premier labelled the actions of those protesting the Monash City Councils decision as shameful.

Andrews claimed it was not an exercise in free speech but an exercise in hate speech, bigotry, racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobiathe list goes on.

My message to those people is very [clear], if you want to behave like the worst elements of the Floridian Republican Party, well, get to Florida. Get over there where your hateful views might be worth something. Theyre worth nothing here, he told sitting MPs on May 4.

On Twitter, the premier wrote, Just imagine for a moment making a death threat over a story time for kids. Because thats all it is.

This Americanisation of our politics has no place here, he added.

Florida Takes Strong Stance on Gender Ideology

The Republican Florida administration has taken a strong stance against drag storytime events, which typically feature cross-dressers or transgender performers reading stories to young childrenall funded by the taxpayer.

In early February, the state cancelled the liquor license of an Orlando performance venue, saying its Drag Queen Christmas event was marketed towards families and children, despite the content being sexually explicit.

Rather than call attention to the Shows sexually explicit content or acknowledge that it might not be appropriate for children, Respondents promotional material unequivocally stated all ages welcome,' according to Floridas Department of Business in a complaint filed against the Orlando Philharmonic Plaza Foundation on Feb. 3.

In response to Andrews comments, former Victorian Liberal MP Neil Angus said the left faction of the Victorian Labor Party was fully in control.

[Premier Andrews] continues to pander to the hard left of his party, as evidenced by his repeated strong support for what are, in reality, minority views, especially in the area of sexual identity, he told The Epoch Times.

In March, the Labor government flew the transgender flag following a rally in the Melbourne city centre against transgenders entering womens spaces.

Some of Andrews comments could be an attempt by the premier to try and attract far-left voters, who would often be Greens voters, Angus said.

Community Uproar Over Drag Storytime

In late April, a Monash City Council meeting in Melbournes east was met by over 150 community members protesting the drag storytime event to be held at Oakleigh Librarya taxpayer-funded institution.

Families were invited to sign-up kids (aged one to six) to a sparkling morning of stories and songs to inspire young readers hosted by Lisa and a special guest, Sam T, aimed at spreading the message of equality and appreciation of diversity.

Mayor Tina Samardzija temporarily suspended the council meeting midway through some community members began chanting phrases like shame on you. A smaller group of about 30 supporters for the drag storytime was also present.

Police were called in to maintain order.

On May 4, the Monash Council CEO Andi Diamond announced that the event had been cancelled following alleged threats.

Councillors and staff have received messages that nobody should be expected to receive in their workplace, as have our LGBTIQA+ community. In recent days these threats have escalated to direct threats of violence involving the event itself, she said in a statement.

Victorian Senator Ralph Babet said there was overwhelming public displeasure from the community.

Public concern centred around the use of ratepayer money to host what many residents believe is inappropriate content for children aged one to six, the senator said in a statement.

Some have attempted to paint those opposing this event as right-wing, but they really are just concerned mothers, fathers and grandparents, he said. It is time for a civilised debate where both sides of the argument can be heard and respected.

Livestreamer Rukshan Fernando said reporting on the incident has been framed incorrectly by the media.

It was more reactionary, he previously told The Epoch Times, regarding the protests. The interruptions really began when the issue of the drag show came up, and the council gave its [pre-prepared] answer and wanted to move forward to the next topic.

I interpreted it as people werent satisfied with that answer, he said.
Google Is Rolling Out Password-Killing Technology to All Its Accounts

Google this week said it is rolling out an update for its users that it describes as the beginning of the end of the password.

Known as passkeys, the tech giant wrote that passkeys for Google Accounts are available starting this week. Google also suggested that passwords may eventually be phased out for its products, including Gmail and YouTube.

Of course, like any new beginning, the change to passkeys will take time. Thats why passwords and 2SV will still work for Google Accounts. We look forward to helping people, and others in the industry, take this next leap to make signing in easier and safer with Google, the company wrote in a post.

The company said that the passkey technology will allow billions of Google users to sign into its websites and apps the same way they unlock a device. Thats through a fingerprint, face scan, or a device PIN that can verify their identity.

Services such as Docusign, Kayak, PayPal, Shopify, and Yahoo! Japan have already deployed the technology. Google has claimed that the keys are more secure than passwords and resist cyberattacks such as phishing or brute force attacks.

Google account holders can set up passkeys for their Google accounts by logging in to g.co/passkeys and following the companys instructions. Business service Google Workspace accounts will soon get the option to enable passkeys for users, the company said.

Earlier this year, Apple, too, announced it would be switching to passkeys and will eventually remove passwords in general.

Criticism

One security researcher, Anthony Lawrence, noted that proclamations of a password-free future may be overblown and wont happen for years to come. He also noted that because of the technology involved in passkeys, websites will have to retain existing passwords.

There is a true issue. Websites are going to retain existing passwords. They will have to, because it will be decades before every user will have the hardware and software necessary, he wrote. But lets say you do have a new device and upon your next login, the website asks you to switch to passkeys. Will they destroy your old password? No, they cant because having one capable device doesnt mean all your devices are capable. Software may allow the use of your phone as the authentication for all of your devices, but theyd still need updated software that knows how to use the phone.

He and others have noted that another major potential disadvantage to using passkeys is if a user loses the secondary device they use to get access to their accounts.

A separate issue does not seem like its going to be fixed any time soon, and thats that passkeys sync via your operating system ecosystem, not via a browser, which represents a major regression over the way passwords work, according to Ars Technica. Today if I add a password to Chrome on Windows, that password will instantly be available everywhere I have Chrome installed, like an Android phone, a MacBook, an iPhone, a Chromebook, etc., but passkeys dont work like that.
Google Wins US Patent Trial Over Data-Retrieval Technology

An exterior view of building BV100, during a tour of Google's new Bay View Campus in Mountain View, Calif., on May 16, 2022. (Peter DaSilva/Reuters)

Alphabets Google LLC won a jury trial on Tuesday in a long-running patent lawsuit in Delaware federal court over features in Googles smartphones and apps.

The jury decided that Luxembourg-based patent owner Arendi SARLs patent was invalid and that Google did not infringe it, according to the verdict made public on Wednesday.

Attorneys for Arendi did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the company was pleased with the decision and appreciated the jurys careful attention to the extensive evidence presented in this case.

Norwegian inventor Atle Hedloys Arendi sued Google in 2013 over the patent, which relates to retrieving information like names and addresses from a database and entering it into word processors and spreadsheets.

Arendi alleged that Googles mobile devices and apps including Gmail, Chrome, Docs and Messages infringed. It asked the court for $45.5 million in damages, according to a spokesperson for Googles law firm Paul Hastings.

The jury determined that Google did not infringe Arendis patent and agreed with Googles argument that the patent was invalid based on earlier publications that disclosed the same invention.

Arendi has also sued other tech companies including Apple Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. over related patents. Those cases have all been dismissed or resolved.

By Blake Brittain
COVID-19 Vaccine Effectiveness Drops Near Zero Within Months: Study

Booster doses were also shown to lose effectiveness over time

The effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines fell below 20 percent a few months after vaccination, with booster shots seeing effectiveness drop below 30 percent.

The review, published in the JAMA Network journal on May 3, analyzed 40 studies estimating vaccine effectiveness (VE) over time against laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 infection and symptomatic disease. The studies were selected from 799 original articles, 149 reviews published in peer-reviewed journals, and 35 preprints. The review found that the vaccine effectiveness of a primary vaccination cycle against the Omicron infection and symptomatic disease was lower than 20 percent at 6 months from the administration of the last dose.

Booster doses restored vaccine effectiveness to levels similar to those seen after administration of the primacy cycle dose. However, nine months after the booster dose, vaccine effectiveness against Omicron was found to be lower than 30 percent against infection and symptomatic disease.

The half-life of VE against symptomatic infection was estimated to be 87 days for Omicron compared with 316 days for Delta. Similar waning rates of VE were found for different age segments of the population.

These findings suggest that the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against laboratory-confirmed Omicron or Delta infection and symptomatic disease rapidly wanes over time after the primary vaccination cycle and booster dose, the study said.

Putting together the bulk of available evidence on the waning of VE over time against COVID-19 variants has crucial implications for future interventions and vaccination programs.

Effectiveness by Vaccine Brand

Vaccine effectiveness against Omicron infection was 44.4 percent a month after the completion of the primary vaccination cycle. This fell to 20.7 percent at six months and then to 13.4 percent at nine months. Vaccine effectiveness was found to be higher against the Delta variant as compared to the Omicron variant.

Pooled estimates of VE after any primary vaccination cycle against symptomatic disease after Omicron infection show a marked waning over time, the study stated.

Effectiveness against symptomatic disease fell from 52.8 percent a month after completion of the primary vaccination cycle to 14.3 percent at six months and 8.9 percent at nine months.

Our estimates suggest that the initial VE could be different depending on the vaccine product, with higher VE found at one month from the second dose administration for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech compared with AstraZeneca and Sinovac.

With regard to age, vaccine effectiveness was found to be similar in younger and older age groups against the Omicron variant infection.

No significant differences were observed between the two age groups regarding vaccine effectiveness against Delta variant infection. A significantly lower VE was found for both age groups for Omicron compared with Delta, it stated.

The Epoch Times has reached out to Pfizer for comment.

Vaccine Harms

COVID-19 vaccines have been known to lead to several medical conditions. One study that examined 9,500 women found that those who had taken COVID-19 shots had a slightly higher risk of heavier menstrual bleeding. In the study, 40 out of 1,000 women saw bleeding increase after just a single dose of a vaccine.

Earlier research from the same team had found that the length of the menstrual cycle increased by 3.7 days on average among women who had taken two doses of COVID-19 vaccines compared to those who hadnt taken a shot.

According to a study from February published in the British Medical Journal, heart failure and deaths have occurred among those who have taken COVID-19 shots.

Researchers found that more people experienced myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination than after being infected by the virus. Myocarditis is a type of heart inflammation.

A March report from Phinance Technologies, a global macro investment firm co-founded by former BlackRock portfolio manager Edward Dowd, estimates that COVID-19 vaccine damages in the United States resulted in more than 26 million people being injured last year, with such injuries costing almost $150 billion to the economy.

Misleading Effectiveness Claims, Compensation for Injuries

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is also looking at whether Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson misrepresented the efficacy of their COVID-19 vaccines.

According to Paxton, the companies may have violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act, which bars people intending to sell a product from disseminating a statement that they know materially misrepresents the cost or character of tangible personal property, a security, service, or anything he may offer.

It also bans representing that a product is of a particular standard, quality, or grade  if they are of another.

Paxton has asked the three companies to submit relevant documents and information, including any concerns with regard to the vaccine trials.

Meanwhile, letters from U.S. officials that were reviewed by The Epoch Times show that authorities rejected multiple individuals who had sought compensation for injuries suffered as a result of taking a COVID-19 shot despite diagnoses from doctors.

One such individual is agricultural pilot Cody Flint who began suffering from adverse reactions to Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine after taking a shot. Four doctors confirmed that his medical complication, including experiencing intense head pressure, were linked to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Flint sent the medical files to the U.S. Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program (CICP), which is tasked with compensating people who prove that they were injured due to getting vaccinated against COVID-19.

However, CICP rejected Flints claim, saying that it did not find the requisite evidence necessary to prove that his health issues were caused by the Pfizer vaccine.
MarketsandMarkets Research Pvt. Ltd.

As per the report by MarketsandMarkets, the global Agrochemicals Market size is projected to reach USD 282.2 billion in 2028, at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period, 2023-2028. Agrochemicals are a critical component of the agriculture industry, providing farmers with the necessary tools to protect crops from pests and diseases while increasing yields.

Chicago, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global agrochemicals market size was valued at USD 235.2 billion in 2023. The market is estimated to expand USD 282.2 billion by 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 3.7% over the projected period. Agrochemicals are the critical component of the agriculture industry, providing farmers with the necessary tools to protect crops from pests and diseases while increasing yields. MarketsandMarkets provides this information in its research report, titled Agrochemicals Market Global Forecast, 2023-2028.

Download PDF brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=132

Key Industry Development:

With the growing global population, the demand for food has increased significantly. This has led to an increase in the use of agrochemicals to improve crop yields and meet the growing demand for food.

Report Scope & Segmentation:





Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 2023-2028 Forecast Period 2021 to 2026 CAGR 3.7% 2028 Value Projection USD 282.2 billion Segments covered Application, Region, Crop Type Regions covered Europe, North America, South America, Asia Pacific Report Coverage & Deliverables Revenue forecast, company ranking, driving factors, Competitive benchmarking, and analysis



Key Takeaways:

Agrochemicals market size was valued at 235.2 billion in 2023.

The adoption of genetically modified crops has increased significantly in recent years. These crops are designed to be resistant to pests and diseases, reducing the need for agrochemicals.

The demand for bio-based agrochemicals will continue to grow in the next five years. Bio-based agrochemicals are derived from natural sources and are more environmentally friendly than synthetic agrochemicals. There is increasing awareness among consumers and governments about the harmful effects of synthetic agrochemicals on human health and the environment, which is driving the demand for bio-based alternatives.

The agrochemicals market is highly competitive, with numerous players operating in the industry. Key players include Bayer AG, Syngenta, BASF, Nufarm, UPL etc.

Asia Pacific showed a significant growth in the agrochemicals market.

Story continues

Drivers and Restraints:

Increased demand for crop protection chemicals to increase productivity of crops

The progress of agricultural chemistry has enabled farmers to engage in intensive crop management in most countries, such as India, China, Thailand, Vietnam, and South Korea. The increasing awareness about crop protection chemicals has not only resulted in increased use of pest control products but has also led to awareness about the potential for more profitable opportunities with minimum loss. The global agrochemicals industry has been experiencing an increase in the number of patents and product registrations, resulting in greater use in agriculture, which drives the market.

Increasing resistance against agrochemicals in insect species

Over-reliance on pesticides leads to the evolution of pesticide resistance in insects, weeds, and diseases.

Farmers who use the same pesticides frequently eliminate most of the population who is vulnerable to the chemical. However, when the same pesticides are applied repeatedly and widely over time, the population becomes resistant to the pesticide due to the rapid population growth of these resistant individuals. Farmers who discover their fields overrun with weeds they lack the equipment and knowledge to eradicate face a serious threat from "superweeds," or weeds that have developed resistance to multiple herbicides. However, rather than addressing the root causes of resistance, agrichemical companies release new formulations of multiple herbicides. These new formulations occasionally include older, riskier substances like 2,4-D, dicamba, and atrazine. The quantity of chemicals sprayed on crops may significantly increase because of these reformulations.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=132

Segments:

Product Type: The agrochemicals market includes various types of products such as fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides.

Application: Agrochemicals are used for various applications such as crop protection, soil improvement, and plant growth enhancement.

Crop Type: Agrochemicals can also be segmented based on the type of crop they are used on, such as cereals, fruits and vegetables, oilseeds and pulses, and others.

Mode of Action: Agrochemicals can be classified based on their mode of action, such as contact, systemic, and fumigants.

Formulation: The market can also be segmented based on the formulation of agrochemicals, such as liquid, granular, and powder.

Region: The agrochemicals market can also be segmented based on the region, such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East and Africa.

Regional Insights:

The agrochemicals market in North America is driven by the increasing demand for food and the adoption of advanced farming technologies. The United States is the largest market in this region due to its large agricultural sector and high adoption of agrochemicals.

The European market for agrochemicals is driven by the demand for high-quality and safe food, as well as the increasing adoption of organic farming practices. The European Union has strict regulations on the use of agrochemicals, which is driving the development of more environmentally friendly products.

The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest growing market for agrochemicals due to the large population, increasing demand for food, and adoption of advanced farming technologies. India and China are the largest markets in this region, driven by the growing need to feed their large populations.

The Latin American market for agrochemicals is driven by the large agricultural sector and favorable government policies. Brazil is the largest market in this region, with a significant portion of its economy based on agriculture.

The Middle East and Africa market for agrochemicals is driven by the growing need to improve food security and the adoption of advanced farming technologies. Countries such as Egypt and South Africa have large agricultural sectors and are important markets for agrochemicals.

List of Key Players Mentioned in the Report:

Bayer AG (Germany)

Syngenta (Switzerland)

BASF (Germany)

UPL (India)

Nufarm (Australia)

ADAMA (Israel)

Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalystNew.asp?id=132

FAQs:

What is the projected market value of the global agrochemicals market?

The global agrochemicals market size is projected to reach USD 282.2 billion by 2028.

What is the estimated growth rate (CAGR) of the global agrochemicals market for the next five years?

The global agrochemicals market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.7% from 2023 to 2028.

What are the major revenue pockets in the agrochemicals market currently?

The demand for agrochemicals in Asia-Pacific region is also expected to grow significantly in the next five years. This is due to the increasing population, growing food demand, and increasing adoption of advanced farming technologies in countries such as India and China.

Browse Adjacent Reports @ Agriculture Industry Market Research Reports & Consulting

Other Reports to Consider:

Agricultural Biologicals Market

Crop Protection Chemicals Market

Biofertilizers Market

Water Soluble Fertilizers Market

Mycorrhizae based Biofertilizers Market

Controlled-release Fertilizers Market

Specialty Fertilizers Market

NPK Fertilizers Market

CONTACT: 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




Historic Trade Deal With UK Starts in May: PM

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says the Free Trade Agreement with the UK begins at the end of May.

During his current visit to the United Kingdom, Anthony Albanese announced that May 31 is the date of the commencement of the Free Trade Agreement, following the expected completion of UK domestic processes.

Based on the agreement, no tariffs will apply to almost all Australian exported goods, while more Australians will be able to enjoy longer working holidays in UK.

The Australia-UK FTA (A-UKFTA) represents one of the most comprehensive, innovative and ambitious free trade agreements concluded by Australia to date and strengthens an already close relationship between Australia and the UK, said the Australian Prime Minister.

Under the deal, many Australian businesses will gain significant benefits and will be able to create additional jobs as exporting becomes easier.

While the Australian agricultural industry will gain an extra market and be able to export more wine, grain, rice, honey, nuts, and other products, other sectors such as the automotive parts industry, electronic equipment and cosmetic products will also benefit.

However, the export of agricultural products, such as beef, lamb, dairy and sugar, may take longer as tariff quotas are removed over the next decade; meanwhile, Australia will have access to expanding tariff quota volumes.

A display of Australian beef sits in a butchers shop in the Melbourne suburb of Yarraville on May 12, 2020. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

Furthermore, Australia will save approximately $200 million per year as UK imports enjoy no tariffs.

Furthermore, all UK imports will enter Australia duty-free in five years time, which will further ease the cost of living for average Australians and input costs for businesses.

For the service sector, which was worth $4.4 billion in 2021-2022, this trade deal will further assist the services exports, making it easier to do business in the UK market.

More importantly, the FTA also provides a foundation for professional bodies to reach a deal for qualified professionals between the two countries to help ease the skills shortage in Australia.

During a visit to Bondi Green, an Australian-themed restaurant in London, on May 4, Anthony Albanese told reporters that the FTA between both countries means greater access to this market for Australian productsgreater access for our beef, for our sheep products, for our wine

[G]reater access for our beef, for our sheep products, for our wine.

After a two-year period, 99 percent of Australian exports to the UK would be free from any tariffs, and the same would apply to UK products arriving in Australia.

[T]he imports that we get from the UK, if you cut the taxes and cut the tariffs, then they are by definition cheaper, and that will have a positive impact on our economy, Albanese said.

This agreement will deliver significant benefits to Australian exporters, consumers, workers, and our economy more broadly.

FTA Will Deepen Bilateral Relationship

Don Farrell, the minister for Trade and Tourism, said the agreement would further deepen the already strong bilateral business relationship as the UK is Australias second-largest direct foreign investment nation.

This deal establishes procedures for artists, including First Nations peoples, to receive royalties when their artworks are resold in the UK.

After a two-year phase-in period, Australians will be able to apply for working holidays in the UK to the age of 35up from 30 and stay for a maximum of three years instead of two.

UK citizens coming to Australia can also work for three years.

Albanese said he expected to complete the trade agreement timetable during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on May 5, allowing the deal to come into force on May 31. The UK government said on May 4 that its free trade agreement with New Zealand, with similar conditions, would also start on the last day of May.
Humanity Comes Before Identity

Members of the public wave the Australian flag as they watch the Anzac Day March in Sydney, Australia, on April 25, 2023. (AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi)

Commentary

Somebody gave me a DNA test for Christmas. I duly provided the saliva, and my results have just come back. People have often told me that my name is typically English.

Well, maybe thats true, but it turned out that Ive got almost no English DNA at allI am, in fact, predominantly Irish and Scottish, but with just a touch of Finnish and even Basque!

Where on earth did the latter come from? I have no idea. When it comes to DNA and the secret life of atomic and sub-atomic particles, appearances, it seems, can be highly deceptive.

The unseen fabric of life, the reality behind appearances, is full of glorious and exciting mystery.

I recall a scientist friend of mine told me that every bath you take contains one molecule of water that once laved the comely limbs of Cleopatra.

A researcher a few years ago reported that Queen Elizabeth was descended directly from Mohammed.

Could that be true? Well, one of the things that confuse our perception of things like race and identity is our preoccupation, at least in the West, with the eldest male line of descent.

The common system of inheritance, known as primogeniture, means that only the senior male counts in a line of succession.

A saliva collection kit for DNA testing displayed in Washington on Dec. 19, 2018. (Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images)

This is a curious survival at a time when womens equal rights have been widely recognised, but it survives because it is simple and easy to follow, even if at the sacrifice of perspective.

Suppose we are bold enough, however, to tear ourselves away from that preoccupation with the male line and do a quick calculation on the back of an envelope. In that case, well probably find that hundreds of millions of people are descended from Mohammed.

We Cant Be Defined by Our Ancestors

The plain fact is that our racial identity is almost incredibly complex and that all claims to nobility, rank or status based upon descent and breeding are fundamentally absurd.

John Ball, the would-be mediaeval reformer (he was executed for his trouble in 1381), famously asked the question:

When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman?

How preposterous all our claims to social rank and status appear when we look behind appearances!

Likewise, claims of so-called racial purity, beloved by the reprehensible Nazis and the Ku Klux Klan, are groundless absurdities.

I once wrote an article in which I suggested that everybody probably could find both slaves and slave-owners somewhere in the remote roots of their family tree.

One reader wrote back at once to tell me that his wife was directly descended, in just a few generations, from one of each!

The ancient Aboriginal rock carving known as Climbing Man, believed to be thousands of years old in Burrup Peninsula, Western Australia, on June 17, 2008. (Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images)

I was hoping that my DNA results might produce evidence that I had some Aboriginal ancestry. But I was disappointed.

I would have been proud of that if it had been true, though some of my pioneering forbears would probably have taken pains to conceal such a thing if it had come to their notice!

Were much more honest and open about such things nowadays. Times are changingand sometimes for the better.

Connected by an Intricate Web

Heres a bold thought.

It could cause offence in the current sensitive climate, but might it actually strengthen the campaign for The Voice if people claiming aboriginality felt obliged to take DNA tests?

Clearly, there would be no need for those brought up in Aboriginal communities to do such a thing, but sadly there are some people whose claims to Aboriginal status appear so tenuous as to be virtually invisible.

Such claims attract suspicion and resentment, particularly if the claimants gain some kind of social or monetary benefit. Surely that can only be embarrassing to the Aboriginal cause.

We are soon to vote in a crucially important referendum. More people would vote YES if we had greater assurance around the actual composition and identity of the Indigenous community.

Youths and children wave the Australian Aboriginal flag as protesters take part in an Invasion Day demonstration on Australia Day in Sydney on Jan. 26, 2022. (Steven Saphore/AFP via Getty Images)

The reality, as Ive tried to argue above, is that we are all joined together in the common web of humanity. We each have hundreds of direct ancestors, thousands indeed if we track back far enough into the past.

We can all count slaves among our ancestors, without any question, and slave owners too.

Some of us are descended from rape victims, but the inevitable, depressing corollary of that is that we are also the offspring of rapists.

It would be a wonderful thing if our country could recognise that we have become a melting pot of all nations and races! And that theres good and bad in each one of us and unwanted skeletons in every closet.

It is no more reasonable to impute guilt for the crimes committed against Aboriginals (and against convicts, too) to the present generation of Australiansmost of whom are descended from people who came to this country long after it had been invaded by the first European settlersthan it is to hold modern Europeans responsible for the persecution of the Celts by the Anglo-Saxons, or the Etruscans by the Romans.

The awful truth is that all peoples on earth have blood on their hands and that slavery, tyranny, and the greedy theft of other peoples land have been practised on every continent.

Hopefully, we are all kinder and wiser now. Lets put the blame aside and build a nation together.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
American civilian and military leaders say war with China is ever more likely. But the United States isnt prepared for conflictit doesnt even have enough ammunition to defend against the CCPs hostilities. While Chinas military might grew, the United States ruling class instead focused its might on warring against their fellow Americans.

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In this shocking new episode of Over the Target, Lee Smith and retired Marine and former CIA paramilitary officer, Max Morton, uncover dark secrets about Washingtons incompetence and corruption to show why America isnt ready for China.
IN-DEPTH: How Active Shooter Response Has Evolved Since Columbine, Aurora, and Uvalde

The Century 16 movie theatre is seen where a gunman attacked moviegoers during an early morning screening of the Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," in Aurora, Colo., on July 20, 2012. (Thomas Cooper/Getty Images)

On March 27, officers from the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department (MNPD) responded to calls of an active shooter at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tennessee, and neutralized the threat within 14 minutes.

MNPDs response was a stark contrast to another elementary school shooting in May 2022 at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas.

Theres compelling evidence that the law enforcement response to the attack at Robb Elementary was an abject failure and antithetical to everything weve learned over the last two decades since the Columbine massacre, Col. Steve McCraw of the Texas Department of Public Safety told the Texas Senate last year. Three minutes after the subject entered the west building, there was sufficient number of armed officers wearing body armor to isolate, distract, and neutralize the subject.

McCraw said the only thing stopping the officers from moving into the room with the shooter was the on-scene commander who decided to place the lives of officers before the lives of children.

Uvalde was an example of what not to do in the case of a school shooter, but active-shooter response training nationwide has evolved over the years, from the aforementioned 1999 shooting at Columbine High School in Colorado to the 2012 Century 16 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado.

No Room for Negotiation

Uvalde changed everything.  There is no longer a time period where you can try to negotiate and mitigate any further carnage, Joseph Giacalone, a professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a retired New York City Police Department detective sergeant, told The Epoch Times in an interview. So it has come down to the point now where every time we have an active shooter, the police are going to be sent in there to end the threat. As simple as that.

Nashville Police Department officers rush toward the shooter at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn., on March 27, 2023. (Nashville Police Department via The Epoch Times)

Giacalone said police departments have to gear up for these situations literally and mentally for officers involved in active shooter situations today.

Were in a new paradigm here in regards to active shooters, and unfortunately, its always going to end in death, no matter what, he said. Unfortunately, theres going to be situations where police officers will continue to be shot or shot at. Thats the tough job that trainers and officers have in front of them.

He added that situations such as the shooting at a teen birthday party in Alabama in April are different compared to a school or workplace shooting, where someone goes into a building or room intent on killing people.

When you have a situation where somebody is walking in and intending on killing as many people as they can, then this is how its going to end, he added.

More Uvalde Lessons

Uvalde brought out a lot of problems regarding response times, he said. I think police departments have now taken cue from the outrage from the public about waiting too long or trying to see if officers can open up a line of negotiation. No matter what, the public has pretty much demanded that the police jump right in and end the threat.

In this image from surveillance video, a gunman carrying a rifle enters and walks down a hallway at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, on May 24, 2022. (Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District/Austin American-Statesman via AP)

He explained the option to negotiate rather than subdue the threat isnt an option the public accepts anymore.

The public has made that perfectly clear, he added. The horror of Uvalde brought that all outits pretty much the standard of what not to do.

Giacalone said that, although the situation was unfortunate, Nashvilles response to the shooting at The Covenant School has become an example of what to do.

MNPDs Training Evolution

MNPDs academy instructor for active shooter training, Sgt. Justin Coker, said training today is similar to what he was originally taught as a rookie in 2007, only with new additions.

When you look at what happened in Columbine, the police response was very traditional for law enforcement across the country at the time, Coker said. It was more of a SWAT response. With that fateful day in Colorado, everyone learned that we have to do something immediately and differently.

Columbine led to an evolution on training nationally and at the local level, with departments focusing on preparing for these incidents.

Like anything that evolves, weve just learned to train, spend more time, and spend more resources on training, he said. Looking at the incidents since 1999 to now nationally, they happen at a much more frequent rate. Its not just an anomaly that you see every once in a while. Its an unfortunate truth that its become the new norm that you see more in the headlines across the country.

Coker noted the likelihood of being involved in this kind of incident is low, but the fact is that the incidents happen more often.

In the early 2010s, Coker became an instructor, and active shooter response is a primary focus for him.

One of my responsibilities was developing that program, taking it to the next level and making sure were prepared, should we be faced with such an incident.

Shootings as a Patrol Officer Response

Coker said Columbine changed the view of training from a SWAT response to a patrol officer response, because patrol officers are the ones responding directly to the scene of active killings and have to do what they can to stop that killing from happening.

Students run from Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo., on April 20, 1999, after two masked teens on a suicide mission stormed the school and blasted fellow students with guns and explosives before turning the weapons on themselves. (Mark Leffingwell/AFP/Getty Images)

Coker uses the phrase active killing, which he said is common nationally, to describe a situation where a perpetrator is killing other people.

We all have the underlying standard, or the underlying norm, that we have to get in there and stop that killing from happening as soon as possible, he said.

Coker said he goes coast to coast to learn from other law enforcement in order to bring back those details to Nashvilles training programs.

What I find is that, just like we all might have a little bit of different accents and we may say things a little bit differently, the umbrella response is that were all going to get in there ASAP to save lives.

Coker said departments use the ALERRT (Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training) program at Texas State University to train the trainer.

They partner with [federal agencies] for a free federally funded program allowing law enforcement across the country to go train and take those standards home, Coker said.

Comprehensive Approach Alongside EMS, Fire

Coker said in the early 2010s he helped organize the Rescue Task Force program at MNPD, which is an approach also implemented nationally, to include emergency medical service providers and fire department officials in the training and response to active killings.

Thats where we realized, especially after the incident that happened in Aurora, Colorado, at the Century 16 movie theater shooting, that law enforcement can respond as quickly as possible, but there can still be quite a bit of people injured, laying there needing immediate medical attention, he said. What we realized is, this is not a one department problem to solve.

He said it takes all first responders working together to make sure people are able to survive active shooting incidents.

Ive gone to Aurora, Colorado, Ive gone to the scene, and Ive gone and spoke to the fire department and the EMS divisions there Coker explained. Ive been to the theater and Ive sat through their debrief. They are the first to say, dont get caught in this situation and not have a plan, and theyve been saying that since that horrible day.

Julia Kouris hugs Steve Sundberg as they visit the memorial setup across the street from the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, Colo., where a mass shooting took place on July 20, 2012. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Coker said MNPD partnered with the Nashville Fire Department, which in Nashville is under the same umbrella as emergency medical services. They work to respond to the incidents together.

Law enforcement goes in immediately and starts looking to stop the killing from happening, he said. Then we work on stopping the dying, and thats where our fire department and EMS counterparts are there with us.

He added he didnt want to share any critical tactics publicly, but other first responders place trust in law enforcement because they are needed to save lives.

We have set up protocols in place to get them in as quickly as possible, get them loaded in ambulances and get them to the emergency rooms, he said. Were in the business of trying to stop the dying process, but the only one that can actually do that is the surgeons at the emergency room.

He said the Aurora incident, where many victims were transported in the back of police vehicles, was a wake up call for fire and EMS to be involved. Typically, EMS makes sure scenes are safe before going in, but EMS and other first responders have stepped up and said although they have done things differently in the past, they recognize active shootings are a unique situation.

They understand that we have to get in there as quickly as possible to help save lives, Coker said. Remember, everybody thats responding, theyre all sons and daughters, they all have husbands and wives and kids and all that stuff. But at least the officers have an opportunity to have a little bit more tools and a little bit more training to protect themselves.

He added its important to understand the role that non-law-enforcement first responders play in saving lives.

Mourners observe the makeshift memorial at The Covenant School in the Green Hills neighborhood of Nashville on March 31, four days after six were killed at the school in a shooting. (Chase Smith/The Epoch Times)

Understand and show respect for the dedication and devotion that these medics and fire department personnel have that show up with nothing more than their medic bag and trust the partnership with us and realize if they go in to take care of victims and help us save lives, that law enforcement would get them in and out safely.

Public Education

Coker added it is important for the public to learn about how to survive an active shooter situation as well, should they be found in such a scenario.

The horrible new norm that were forced to deal with these days is not a one person problem, its not a one agency problem, and its not a one viewpoint problem, he said. Theres several of us that all have to work together to make sure that were safer in our communities in these situations. Were not saying this stuff to breed fear, thats absolutely not it. This is 100 percent a personal safety program.

An ALERRT website called Avoid Deny Defend can be searched to find the civilian equivalent to the training law enforcement uses to train their own trainers.
India, China Foreign Ministers Meet to Discuss Outstanding Issues

India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar (R) speaking with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers' meeting in Benaulim, on May 4, 2023. (Indian Ministry of External Affairs/AFP via Getty Images)

Indias Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said Thursday he had a detailed discussion with his Chinese counterpart about outstanding issues pertaining to the India-China border dispute.

The two ministers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers meeting in Goa, India. The SCO is an eight-member multilateral organization, which also includes Russia.

Jaishankar stated on Twitter that his bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang was focused on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

A detailed discussion with state councilor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship, the Indian minister stated. His ministry did not issue any official readout about the meeting.

According to the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Qin told Jaishankar that the current India-China border situation is generally stable and urged India to abide by relevant agreements signed by both leaderships.

Qin said China is willing to conduct bilateral consultations and exchanges, enhance dialogue and cooperation under multilateral frameworks with India to push for healthy bilateral ties.

China and India, the two most populous developing countries in the world, are both in a critical period of modernization, the Chinese official said.

India-China Border Dispute

Relations between India and China have been strained since the 2020 confrontation between their troops on a disputed Himalayan border, which left at least 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers dead.

The 2020 conflict has led to a heavy military buildup on both sides of the disputed border. India has said that restoring normalcy with China is impossible should the border situation remains unresolved.

This video frame grab taken from footage recorded in mid-June 2020 and released by China Central Television (CCTV) on Feb. 20, 2021, shows Chinese (foreground) and Indian soldiers (R, background) during an incident where troops from both countries clashed in the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Galwan Valley, in the Karakoram Mountains in the Himalayas. The two sides again clashed on Dec. 9, 2022 in Tawang sector of Arunachal Pradesh leading to injuries. (AFP Photo/China Central Television)

During his visit to the Dominican Republic in April, Jaishankar said that India strives to advance ties with all nations without seeking exclusivity, but China falls into a somewhat different category.

Whether it is the U.S., Europe, Russia, or Japan, we are trying to ensure that all these ties advance without seeking exclusivity, he told reporters, according to India Today.

China falls in a somewhat different category because of the boundary dispute and the currently abnormal nature of our ties. That is an outcome of a violation of agreements regarding border management by them, he added.

China Refused to Acknowledge Clashes

Last December, Indian and Chinese troops scuffled along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Arunachal Pradeshs Tawang Sector, which borders southern China, causing minor injuries on both sides.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said Chinese troops tried to unilaterally change the status quo by crossing the LACa demarcation line between the Indian territory and the Chinese-controlled area.

The ensuing face-off led to a physical scuffle in which the Indian Army bravely prevented the [Peoples Liberation Army] from transgressing into our territory and compelled them to return to their posts, he stated.

But China refused to acknowledge the skirmish, saying the overall border situation at Tawang Sector was stable.

Singh held talks with his Chinese counterpart, General Li Shangfu, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting on April 27 and urged to resolve border disputes under existing India-China accords.

He told Li that violation of existing agreements has eroded the entire basis of bilateral relations and disengagement at the border will logically be followed with de-escalation, according to his ministry.
Kayleigh McEnany Taking Over Tucker Carlsons Fox News Time Slot Next Week

Tucker Carlson (L) at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood in Hollywood, Fla,. on Nov. 17, 2022. (Jason Koerner/Getty Images); White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany (R) speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington on Jan. 7, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany will take over the time slot formerly occupied by the Tucker Carlson Tonight show on Fox News from next week.

McEnany, who co-hosts the Outnumbered program, will anchor the 89 p.m. ET replacement show currently branded Fox News Tonight for at least a week, becoming the third interim host after the Rupert Murdoch-owned cable channel announced last month it and Carlson had parted ways.

I am honored to share that I will be hosting Fox News Tonight  at 8pm ET all next week (5/8-5/12)! McEnany wrote on Twitter Thursday evening. Set your DVR [digital video recorder], she added.

Please join me next week as we dig into the state of politics, media, culture, and faith in America! the on-air commentator who previously served under President Donald Trump concluded.

McEnany will fill in the time slot as a temporary anchor until a permanent replacement is found. The program has been presented by anchors Brian Kilmeade and Lawrence Jones so far.

Kilmeade, who co-hosts Fox & Friends, was the first replacement during the week Carlson suddenly departed from the network. Kilmeades show reported a subsequent drop in primetime ratings.

For all of March, Carlsons show averaged above 3 million viewers per program, while about 2.5 million watched Kilmeades first show on April 24. However, the figure ultimately dropped to about 1.3 million on April 28, according to Nielsen ratings. Jones, meanwhile, drew 1.55 millionmore than Kilmeades second show, but not by much.

McEnany is a Harvard Law School graduate who worked for Trumps campaign and the Republican National Committee. She joined Fox News as an on-air commentator in March 2021, soon after Trump left office in January.

Then-President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany walk toward members of the press in Washington, Sept. 15, 2020. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Soon after joining the network, McEnany was named a co-host of the hour-long daytime show Outnumbered. According to Nielson Media Research cited by Fox News, the program is the most popular cable news program in its 12 p.m. ET time slot. The show features regular female panelists and a rotating male guest.

Before co-hosting Outnumbered, McEnany also provided political analysis and insight during appearances on programs including Fox & Friends, America Reports, and The Five.

Meanwhile, the nightly Fox programs hosted by Sean Hannity, Laura Ingraham, and Jesse Watters took hits to their respective ratings in the past week. Gutfeld, hosted by Greg Gutfeld, was the only Fox News primetime show that saw an increase, according to the ratings.

When asked about Fox News ratings drop, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times last week that Fox News is leading cable news in primetime and today day (Wednesday, April 24) with viewers and A25-54, referring to the age demographic coveted by advertisers.

For more than 21 years, Fox News Channel has been cable news most-watched network in all categories with more Democrats, Independents and Republicans now tuning in than either CNN or MSNBC, the company said in a statement about its ratings. Attracting more than 50 percent of the cable news viewing audience with the top 12 programs in cable news, Fox News powerhouse team of journalists, analysts and opinion hosts are trusted more by viewers than any other news source.

Carlson has yet to give public indications about why he left Fox News. The Tucker Carlson Tonight frontman appeared in a two-minute video posted on his personal Twitter page that lambasted the state of the news media in general, drawing tens of millions of views.

Jack Phillips contributed to this report.

From NTD News
Kids Help Phone Runs Ad With Drag Queen Stars of Childrens Show

Kids Help Phone has been a go-to mental health service for Canadian children since the 1980s and recently received a $3 million boost from the federal government. It has released an ad featuring two drag queens who also star in The Fabulous Show with Fay and Fluffy aired on Family Jr.

Jean Paul Kane (Fay) is an educator at the Toronto District School Board, according to the duos website. Kaleb Robertson (Fluffy) is a DJ, event host, and childcare provider. He used to run a home daycare and worked as a manny, their website says.

The pair star in the Kids Help Phone ad wearing big pink wigs and matching green dresses, along with beards, tattoos, body hair, and showy makeup.

What do you do when you have lots of feelings? Fluffy asks. Sometimes I hold my favourite stuffy, says Fay, hugging a teddy bear.

Protests Around Drag Events for Kids

Protests and counterprotests have sprung up across the country in recent months around drag queen performances for children. Some critics have said government-funded organizations in particular should not hold such events.

For example, the government-funded Carousel Theatre for Young People in Vancouver will host a drag queen camp for kids aged 7 and up this summer.

Camps indoctrinating kids as young as 7 with gender ideology and sexual confusion are now being promoted and subsidized by all government levels, said Maxime Bernier, Peoples Party of Canada leader, in a March 31 tweet.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is committed to advancing inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility, the department said in a statement emailed to The Epoch Times on April 11. We support inclusive and equitable artistic and cultural experiences for all ages and backgrounds, such as those offered by the Carousel Theatre for Young People.

The statement continued, The Government of Canada values 2SLGBTQI+ rights as human rights and upholds the values of diversity and inclusion as key to building a better and more prosperous Canada for everyone.

Fay and Fluffys Show

Fay and Fluffys television show is aimed at preschoolers and has been nominated for Best Program, Live Action Non-Scripted by the Youth Media Alliance. Winners will be announced at a ceremony at CBCs Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto on May 31.

It was nominated Best Pre-school Program or Series, along with nominations in three other categories, in the 2023 Canadian Screen Awards hosted by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television in April.

The duo started out hosting drag queen storytime events in Toronto in 2016. Robertson (Fluffy) is an activist who has called for people to protect trans-kids.

Kids Help Phone has created materials in recent years related to the growing issue of gender dysphoria among youth.

Its website walks children through transitioning, including a suggestion that they consider medical treatments before puberty. Thinking about gender-affirming medical care before starting puberty can be an option for some peopleit can be a way to get ahead of the changes that may happen to your body before it matures.
Kroger to Pay $68 Million to Settle West Virginia Opioid Claims

A screen displays the company logo for Kroger Co. on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York on Oct. 14, 2022. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

The Kroger Co. has agreed to pay West Virginia $68 million to settle claims that it fueled the opioid epidemic through lax oversight of its pill sales, bringing the states years-long litigation over the opioid crisis to a close.

The deal, announced Thursday by West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, comes a month before the grocery store had been set to go to trial against the state. All other companies sued by the state over opioids had already settled.

This is an important day for West Virginia, Morrisey said. This is a day of healing.

Morrisey also touted the states framework for spending the funds on fighting the opioid epidemic, in which 72.5 percent will go to a newly created foundation, overseen by a board chosen by the governor and by local governments. Most of the remainder will go to local governments.

Republican senate nominee Patrick Morrisey speaks with a supporter at a blacksmiths forge ahead of the 2018 midterm elections in Falling Water, W.V., on Nov. 4, 2018. (Joshua Roberts/Reuters)

He said the framework would ensure that the money is spent well and does not disappear into a black hole.

A Kroger spokesperson said in an email that the company believes the lawsuit is without merit, but that the settlement was the best path forward to resolve this litigation.

West Virginia, which has opted out of nationwide opioid settlements totaling more than $50 billion in order to pursue cases on its own, has now secured approximately $1 billion from drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies, Morrisey said, a larger amount per capita than any other state.

West Virginia had the highest drug overdose death rate of any state in 2021, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Thousands of lawsuits have been filed by states, local governments and Native American tribes over opioids, accusing drug companies of downplaying opioids risks and distributors and pharmacies of ignoring red flags that they were being trafficked illegally.

By Brendan Pierson
Lawmakers Tout Effect of CHIPs Act in US Competition with China

President Joe Biden (C) signs H.R. 4346, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 9, 2022. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)

Last August, President Joe Biden signed the Chips and Science (or CHIPS) Act into law, promising over $50 billion to domestic semiconductor manufacturers to boost domestic production and counter China. Pivotal in drafting and negotiating on behalf of the law was Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), who beat out Republican candidate Blake Masters in the 2022 midterm elections.

After over a year of hard work, our landmark microchip manufacturing bill is now law, the senator said in a statement after the bills passage last year, adding that the measure would boost Arizonas competitiveness in the chip industry and be a big loss for China.

However, one economist argued that the policy is actually more aligned with the values of communist China than those of American free enterprise.

The CHIPS Act is just another example of top-down industrial planning that is more reminiscent of Maoist China than an ostensible market economy, Mises Institute senior fellow Robert Murphy told The Epoch Times.

Kelly also predicted a return of manufacturing jobs as a result of the law, but Murphy, who received his Ph.D. from New York University in 2003, argued the laws inclusion of a wage floor is not conducive to that end.

If they want to create manufacturing jobs, then its counterproductive to insist on union wage rates, the economist added. That means U.S. employers wont be able to hire as many workers as they otherwise would.

Another concern among free-market economists is that by flushing historically uncompetitive American firms with new capital, the law will disincentivize innovation by artificially propping up the revenue of domestic chip companies without their needing to improve the product. When asked about this, Kelly, a former astronaut, argued corporate profits are frequently reinvested into research and development, so this should be no different.

Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) speaks with a journalist before going to a luncheon with Senate Democrats in Washington, on June 14, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), just as an example, is investing $40 billion of their own money to be able to make this product, he told The Epoch Times on Wednesday. This is a small piece of what they neededto make the economic argumentto close the gap with manufacturing these things in China or Taiwan.

We dont want this technology manufactured in a country which we view as our biggest adversary, he said.

Also speaking with The Epoch Times on Wednesday was Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.), who similarly stressed the geopolitical concerns that were the impetus behind the bills passage.

Were in a global competition here, he said. As it relates to the highest-end chips, theres a national security justification for having domestic supply.

Murphy acknowledged that parts of the law are not all bad but still disagreed with the implementation strategy, saying it leaves too much discretion to the federal government.

There are some individual elements that are defensiblesuch as providing investment tax creditsbut even there, it would make more sense to give a broad-based tax rate reduction on all businesses, not targeted breaks where the government picks politically favored firms and techniques.
More Canadian Universities to End Research Partnerships With Huawei

A number of Canadian universities are disassociating from Huawei amid concerns about the tech giants affiliation with the Chinese military.

The University of Waterloo said on May 4 that it will be terminating research collaboration with Huawei after their contract expires this year. The move is to safeguard scientific research at the school, according to the universitys vice president for research Charmaine Dean.

Several other top Canadian universities that are members of the Group of Canadian Research Universities (U15)an association of 15 leading research universities across Canadasaid they are following the trend of disengaging with Huawei.

The University of Montreal said it informed Huawei last February that it wont be extending their partnership after it expires in December 2024. The company is currently providing $3.9 million in funding for one research collaboration with the universitys Department of Informatics and Operations Research, a spokesperson told The Epoch Times in an email statement.

Importantly, the company has no say in the scientific findings, the statement said. The agreement contains no deliverables and no sharing of intellectual property.

McGill University said it takes the matter very seriously and that it made an important decision to not develop further contracts with Huawei this past winter.

A spokesperson at McMaster University said it is in the process of winding down the limited number of research projects with Huawei, with most projects to be completed by early summer this year. The university no longer approves new collaborations with the company, said the spokesperson.

The University of Calgary said in a statement that the school currently has three active research partnerships with Huawei, established in prior years, with each carrying end-dates in 2023 or 2024. The university didnt respond when asked whether it will pursue new partnerships with Huawei.

Meanwhile, the University of Toronto told the Toronto Star on May 4 that it made a decision in April to stop any new research engagements with Huawei in response to concerns about research security.

This includes new agreements, new projects within existing agreements, renewals and funded extensions, said Leah Cowen, vice-president of research and innovation and strategic initiatives. She also noted that the university hired a director of research security last September, and is in the process of establishing a research security office.

Guidelines

Some U15 members said they dont have an existing partnership with Huawei, but are careful about research security.

The University of Manitoba said it currently doesnt have a partnership with Huawei. A spokesperson pointed to an earlier statement, which said it doesnt have a restricted foreign universities list or blanket policies surrounding a single nation so as to avoid bias, racial profiling, or unfair targeting when assessing all partnerships and international collaborations. The school added that it is committed to aligning with guidelines on protecting research security issued by federal cabinet ministers in a Feb. 14 joint statement.

The statement required Canadas federal research granting councils to ramp up scrutiny when granting funds to research sensitive topics, particularly projects that are affiliated with a university, research institute or laboratory connected to military, national defence or state security entities of foreign state actors that pose a risk to our national security.

The University of Saskatchewan said it has no record of formal partnerships with the Chinese company, though records show that one research paper was published in conjunction with Huawei France in 2017. Associate vice president of research Darcy Marciniuk said the university has no active connection to Huawei and is not pursuing partnerships or projects with the company.

Some U15 universities declined to comment, including Queens University, while others didnt respond to inquiries from The Epoch Times.

The University of Alberta also declined to comment, with a spokesperson saying the reason is due to the ongoing provincial election. He didnt respond when asked to clarify the connection between concerns about research security and the election.

Warnings

The federal government banned Huawei from participating in Canadas 5G telecommunication network over security concerns, including the companys alleged ties to the Chinese military. The company has denied the accusation, though Chinas national intelligence law requires Chinese entities to help the state collect intelligence.

Multiple reports have shown that Huawei is closely affiliated with the Chinese military. A 2021 report, published by the French Military School Strategic Research Institute, detailed how Huawei and other Chinese state-owned telecom companies are heavily subsidized by Beijing. The regime has also planted Huaweis technology in a wide array of infrastructure around the world, raising concerns about illicit data collection.

In recent years, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been tightening control over private high-tech giants by acquiring voting shares or installing party branches within the companies as the militarys intelligence assistanta move that has alarmed the United States and European countries, according to a report that cited recent bans by these countries of the Chinese social media app TikTok.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service has warned academic institutions that research partnerships can be vehicles for espionage, and that intellectual property might fall into the hands of foreign agents from malign states like China or Russia.

In February, the federal government tightened its policies on bankrolling research with foreign entities, announcing that Canadas federal research granting councils would reject funding for projects with institutions that had ties to foreign governments posing a risk to national security.

That announcement did not mention specific countries, but security officials have warned for years that China and Russia are among foreign states with interest in Canadas advanced technologies.

Tara MacIsaac and The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
Allied Market Research

Increasing need for cleaner and quieter aircraft, rise in demand for electrical components in aircraft, and advancement in electric aircraft propulsion systems drive the growth of the global aircraft electrification market.

Portland, OR, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Allied Market Research published a report, titled,  Aircraft Electrification Market by Component (Batteries, Fuel Cells, Electric Actuators, Generators, Motors, Power Electronics, Distribution Devices, and Others), by Application (Power Generation, Power Distribution, Power Conversion, and Energy Storage), by Technology (More Electric, Hybrid Electric, and Fully Electric): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2023-2032. According to the report, the global aircraft electrification industry generated $6.2 billion in 2022, and is anticipated to generate $21.8 billion by 2032, witnessing a CAGR of 13.5% from 2023 to 2032.

Download Sample of Research Report - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/request-sample/7470

Prime determinants of growth

The global aircraft electrification market is driven by factors such as increasing need for cleaner and quieter aircraft, rise in demand for electrical components in aircraft, and advancement in electric aircraft propulsion systems. However, high voltage and thermal issues of aircraft electrical systems and high capital requirements are hampering the aircraft electrification market growth. On the contrary, expansion of alternative power sources, and development of lithium-ion batteries are expected to offer remunerative opportunities for the expansion of the aircraft electrification market during the forecast period.

Report coverage & details:

Report Coverage Details Forecast Period 20232032 Base Year 2022 Market Size in 2022 $6.2 billion Market Size in 2032 $21.8 billion CAGR 13.5% No. of Pages in Report 270 Segments Covered Component, Application, Technology, and Region. Drivers Increasing need for cleaner and quieter aircraft



Rise in demand for electrical components in aircraft



Advancement in electric aircraft propulsion systems Opportunities Expansion of alternative power sources



Development of lithium-ion batteries Restraints High voltage and thermal issues of aircraft electrical systems



High capital requirement

Covid-19 Scenario

Prototype testing of hybrid aircraft, certification, and production were severely impacted during the pandemic, due to the need for increased economic growth to sustain development across the industry.

However, the airline industry is starting to recover from losses incurred during the pandemic. As such, the development of the aircraft electrification market has given rise to several proposals for the certification and approval of various electric aircraft models by electric aircraft OEMs.

Story continues

The distribution devices segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on components, the distribution devices segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly one-fourth of the global aircraft electrification market revenue, and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, as it becomes advanced, with features such as remote monitoring and control, power conditioning, and advanced fault detection and isolation. These advancements are improving the reliability and efficiency of aircraft electrification systems. However, the fuel cells segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 19.0% from 2023 to 2032, as it offers a low-emission alternative to traditional aircraft engines, making them an attractive option for sustainable aviation.

Procure Complete Research Report Now - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/aircraft-electrification-market/purchase-options

The power generation segment to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period

Based on application, the power generation segment held the highest market share in 2022, accounting for nearly two-fifths of the global aircraft electrification market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to the rise in global air traffic and the need for optimized performance delivery encourages the shift of the aviation industry toward electric power generation systems. However, the energy storage segment is projected to manifest the highest CAGR of 15.8% from 2023 to 2032, owing to the private organizations and government agencies have been developing advanced energy storage systems for keeping up with the aviation market trends.

The more electric segment to maintain its lead position during the forecast period

Based on technology, the more electric segment accounted for the largest share in 2022, accounting for nearly three-fifths of the global aircraft electrification market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, as it involves the gradual replacement of hydraulic and pneumatic power with electric power and aids in the reduction of aircraft mass, fuel consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, assembling costs, and maintenance costs. However, the fully electric segment is expected to portray the largest CAGR of 16.7% from 2023 to 2032. This is driven by government initiatives to promote sustainable aviation, advances in battery technology, and address increasing concerns about climate change.

Europe to maintain its dominance by 2031

Based on region, Europe held the highest market share in terms of revenue in 2021, accounting for more than two-fifths of the global aircraft electrification market revenue and is estimated to maintain its leadership status throughout the forecast period, owing to rise in investment, and R&D activities among the civil, defense, and commercial aviation industries for developing power electronics, high-density electric motors and other technological advancements in the aviation industry. However, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest CAGR of 15.6% from 2023 to 2032, owing to growing economies such as China, India, Japan, and others in the Asia-Pacific region require versatile air transportation solutions across the region.

Interested to Procure the Data with Actionable Strategy & Insights? Inquire Before Buying - https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/purchase-enquiry/7470

Leading Market Players: -

Ametek

Astronics Corporation

BAE Systems plc

Honeywell International Inc.

Magnix

Meggitt PLC

Collins Aerospace

Rolls Royce Plc

Safran

Thales Group

The report provides a detailed analysis of these key players of the global aircraft electrification market. These players have adopted different strategies such as new product launches, collaborations, expansion, joint ventures, agreements, and others to increase their market share and maintain dominant shares in different regions. The report is valuable in highlighting business performance, operating segments, product portfolio, and strategic moves of market players to showcase the competitive scenario.

Similar Reports We Have on Aircraft Industry:

More Electric Aircraft Market Research Report 2023-2035

Electric Aircraft Market Research Report 2023-2035

Zero-Emission Aircraft Market Research Report 2023-2035

Hydrogen Aircraft Market Research Report 2023-2035

CONTACT: About Us Allied Market Research (AMR) is a full-service market research and business-consulting wing of Allied Analytics LLP based in Portland, Oregon. Allied Market Research provides global enterprises as well as medium and small businesses with unmatched quality of "Market Research Reports" and "Business Intelligence Solutions." AMR has a targeted view to provide business insights and consulting to assist its clients to make strategic business decisions and achieve sustainable growth in their respective market domain. We are in professional corporate relations with various companies and this helps us in digging out market data that helps us generate accurate research data tables and confirms utmost accuracy in our market forecasting. Allied Market Research CEO Pawan Kumar is instrumental in inspiring and encouraging everyone associated with the company to maintain high quality of data and help clients in every way possible to achieve success. Each and every data presented in the reports published by us is extracted through primary interviews with top officials from leading companies of domain concerned. Our secondary data procurement methodology includes deep online and offline research and discussion with knowledgeable professionals and analysts in the industry. Contact: David Correa 5933 NE Win Sivers Drive #205, Portland, OR 97220 United States USA/Canada (Toll Free): +1-800-792-5285, +1-503-894-6022 UK: +44-845-528-1300 Hong Kong: +852-301-84916 India (Pune): +91-20-66346060 Fax: +1(855)550-5975 help@alliedmarketresearch.com Web: https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/reports-store/aerospace-and-defence Follow Our Blog: www.theinnovativereport.com




More Than 13,000 People Forced From Homes as Wildfires Burn Across Alberta

Smoke from an out-of-control fire near Lodgepole, Alta., is shown in this May 4, 2023 handout photo. (The Canadian Press/Alberta Wildfire)

Alberta emergency officials say more than 13,000 people have been ordered to leave their homes as 78 wildfires burn across the province19 of them out of control.

An out-of-control 1,500-hectare wildfire has caused thousands of people to flee Drayton Valley, Alta., and the surrounding rural area

An evacuation order was issued Thursday night instructing more than 7,000 residents to leave the town about 140 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Evacuees are to go to Edmonton and register at the Expo Centre.

In the north of the province, the Alberta government says a 4,400-hectare wildfire has destroyed 20 homes, an RCMP detachment and a store in the community of Fox Lake.

In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday night, the chief of Little Red River Cree Nation said he believed everyone got out of the remote community about 550 kilometres north of Edmonton.

Residents were taken out by boats and a barge.

Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire says the province assisted with the evacuation of 115 people by helicopter from Fox Lake.

The communities of John DOr Prairie, High Level and the Paddle Prairie Metis Settlement are supporting evacuees.

Most of central Alberta is under a fire ban after a period of windy and unseasonably hot conditions.
After Report That Iran Can Build 5 Nuclear Bombs, Top Biden Adviser Calls for Resumption of Talks With Regime

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks to reporters during a briefing in Washington on March 22, 2022. (Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images)

National security adviser Jake Sullivan called on May 4 for the resumption of negotiations with Iran in response to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallants warning that Iran has enough material to build five nuclear bombs.

While one Iranian arm spreads weapons and [terrorist] proxies, the other continues its program to obtain nuclear military capabilities. And make no mistakeIran will not be satisfied with a single nuclear bomb, said Gallant in Athens, Greece, on May 4.

So far, Iran has gained material enriched to 20 percent and 60 percent for five nuclear bombs.

Iranian progress and enrichment to 90 percent would be a grave mistake on Irans part and could ignite the region, he added.

When asked in a Q&A, following his keynote to the Washington Institute for Near East Policys Soref Symposium, about that claim, Sullivan said that it is a reminder of the need to resume talks about Irans nuclear program.

The best way to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon is an effective agreement that stops them from getting a nuclear weapon, Sullivan said.

Indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran, with the Europeans going back and forth between the parties, have been on an indefinite pause since last year due to last-minute demands from Tehran and Moscow that were rejected by the United States. The United States withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, in May 2018 and reimposed sanctions lifted under it alongside enacting fresh sanctions against Iran.

Sullivan lamented the withdrawal, which happened under then-President Donald Trump.

He claimed that before the JCPOA, Iran was also sitting on multiple bombs worth of lower-enriched-grade uranium, and the JCPOA forced them to basically get rid of all of that. And we should get back to a deal in whichwhether its five bombs or whatever it may be of 60 percentthat also goes by the board.

Sullivan said the United States will take the necessary action to ensure that Iran does not acquire a nuclear weapon.

Now, you know, some part of me is sort of like, Theyre accumulating enriched uranium; they would not be accumulating enriched uranium if we were still in the deal; they are because were not in the deal, he added.

So its a kind of strange position for me to be in to kind of defend a strategy of being out of the deal when, you know, I was one of the people who helped kind of pave the way for it in the first place.
Neera Tanden Appointed Domestic Policy Adviser After Failed OMB Nomination in 2021

Neera Tanden, President Joe Biden's then-nominee for director of the Office of Management and Budget, testifies during a Senate Budget Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on Feb. 10, 2021. (Andrew Harnik/AP Photo)

President Joe Biden announced on May 5 that Neera Tanden, the White House staff secretary, would be elevated to the position of domestic policy adviser, replacing Susan Rice.

The White House also included in the announcement that Zayn Siddique will be appointed as Principal Deputy of the Domestic Policy Council, and Stefanie Feldman will take over as White House staff secretary.

I am pleased to announce that Neera Tanden will continue to drive the formulation and implementation of my domestic policy, from economic mobility and racial equity to health care, immigration and education, the president said. As Senior Adviser and Staff Secretary, Neera oversaw decision-making processes across my domestic, economic and national security teams.

Biden noted Tandens history of work in his administration, the Obama administration, and beyond. He highlighted her 25 years of experience in policy, serving under three presidents and in some of the nations largest think thanks.

She was a key architect of the Affordable Care Act and helped drive key domestic policies that became part of my agenda, including clean energy subsidies and sensible gun reform  I look forward to continuing to work closely with Neera in her new role.

Tanden previously made headlines when she was nominated to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2021.

However, because of her public criticism while president of the Center for American Progress, Tanden confronted significant opposition from senators of both parties.

Tanden withdrew her nomination in early March 2021, telling Biden in a letter that it now seems clear that there is no path forward to gain confirmation and that she didnt want her nomination to be a distraction from [his] other priorities.

Biden accepted her request and indicated that she would be selected for another role in his administration.

I have the utmost respect for her record of accomplishment, her experience, and her counsel, and I look forward to having her serve in a role in my Administration. She will bring valuable perspective and insight to our work, the president said in a 2021 statement.

When Tanden was preparing for the OMB nomination, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) announced that he would oppose it because of her partisan statements directed at legislators on both sides of the aisle. She also drew the ire of a number of Republican senators.

Tandens statements included labeling Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) a fraud and accusing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) of having ties to the Russian government.

She also wrote in an essay that the opposition to contraception was successful as a political cudgel, helping isolate extreme anti-choice advocates from the mainstream.

Janita Kan contributed to this report.
No Decision Made on Expulsion of Chinese Diplomat, Trudeau Says

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters at the Liberal party convention in Ottawa on May 5, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press)

The government is still evaluating the consequences of expelling a Chinese diplomat reportedly involved in targeting a Conservative MP, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on May 5.

This is a big step, not a small step to expel diplomats. Its one that has to be taken with due consideration on all the potential impacts and all the very clear messages that it will send, Trudeau said while attending the Liberal Party convention in Ottawa.

This is something that the minister is looking at very carefully, looking at all the information around it and she will make a decision in due course.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly told a House of Commons committee on May 4 her department was assessing the potential consequences of expelling Chinese consular officer Zhao Wei, who is stationed in Toronto.

According to national security information initially relayed by the Globe and Mail on May 1, Zhao Wei was involved in efforts to target Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family for his anti-regime stances.

Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) Director David Vigneault briefed Chong on the same information on May 2 after the controversy was brought to light.

Joly warned that Beijing would probably retaliate if the diplomat is expelled and said she was drawing from the experience of the arbitrary detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor.

Kovrig and Spavor were kept in captivity by Beijing for over 1,000 days in retaliation for Canada honouring its legal obligations towards the United States by keeping under house arrest Huawei executive Meng Wangzhou, who was accused of fraud.

Chinese Ambassador to Canada Cong Peiwu was summoned by Global Affairs Canada on May 4 over the revelations that a Chinese spy service and Zhao Wei had targeted MPs after the 2021 House of Commons declared the treatment of Uyghurs in China a genocide.

The Chinese embassy in Ottawa released a statement after the meeting and suggested it would retaliate if Canada continues to make provocations.

MP Chong has decried the fact that he wasnt warned two years ago about the threat and that the diplomat is still in Canada.

Once it becomes public that a diplomat is engaged in coercive and intimidating activities targeting Parliament, targeting elected Members of Parliament, then the government has no choice but to have this individual removed from Canada, he told reporters on May 4.

To do otherwise is to put a giant billboard up to the world advertising that Canada is open for authoritarian states to send agents here to conduct threat activities against Canadian citizens and thats unacceptable.

Trudeau said on May 5 that the CSIS information about threats to MPs had never made it to him or his chief of staff, after saying two days earlier it hadnt left CSIS.

National Security and Intelligence Adviser Jody Thomas reportedly told Chong on May 4 that the information had actually been passed to her predecessor who sits within the Privy Council Office, the prime ministers department.
Not a Safe Place Anymore: Actor Scott Baio Leaving California

Actor Scott Baio is leaving California, after feeling unsafe due to the states insurmountable homeless crisis, the star announced on Wednesday.

The 62-year-old has lived in Los Angeles for 45 years, but says its now time to exit stage right from California adding its not a safe place anymore.

After 45 years, Im making my way to finally exit stage right from California. Baio posted on Twitter.

Baio included a quote from a report on KTLA5 that read, The most recent survey conducted by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority found approximately 69,000 people experiencing homelessness in L.A. County and 41,000 in the city in 2022.

Baio recently listed his southern California five-bedroom, 4.5-bath mansion in the Woodland Hills neighborhood for $3.85 million. The actor paid $1.85 million for the home in 2010, according to Realtor.com

Homeless tents line a freeway overpass in Los Angeles, Calif., on Nov. 6, 2020. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

Los Angeles and California as a whole have always struggled with the huge homeless crisis. The government has put into place many programs to help the homeless community but critics say it is tackling the matter slowly.

L.A. Mayor Karen Bass has launched a program called Inside Safe which aims to clear homeless encampments and help transition those experiencing homelessness into permanent housing. On April 18 Bass her plan to spend $1.3 billion next year to get unhoused people into shelter and treatment programs.

After years of frustration  we can see a clearer path to a new Los Angeles, Bass said, speaking inside the ornate City Council chambers. We have finally dispelled the myth that people do not want to come inside. They do.

Bass recognizes that there is more work to be done to improve the homeless issues around Los Angeles.

I cannot declare that the state of our city is where it needs to be, she added.

Baio also claims that homelessness brings down property value. Also, no consequences for crime that is rampant, making things higher in price and its just not a safe place anymore. [ImFree] he said in a message on Twitter.

Despite Mayor Basss efforts to tackle homelessness, some are criticizing her Inside Safe program and say its facilities have lacked adequate social services, such as mental health professionals and substance-use counselors.

This program seems so much more about clearing the sidewalk, rather than the quality of life of people going into Inside Safe, Carla Orendorff, who advocates on behalf of unhoused residents living in the San Fernando Valley, told the LA Times.

California Governor Gavin Newsom announced his own funding plan of $736 million to help cities throughout the state provide resources and housing for the homeless population.

At a time when more housing is desperately needed, Home Key is proving that we can build faster, and at a fraction of conventional construction costs. My Administration has made available an unprecedented $3.4 billion to date for Homekey to use at the local level to address housing and homelessness. I look forward to seeing more communities use this latest round of funding to boost housing around the state, Newsom said in a statement.

Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman says the governor and state officials are doing all that they can to make California communities safer and help get homeless individuals off the streets.

The states homelessness crisis is so severe that the Governor has called in the National Guard, and several city leaders have declared emergencies in their jurisdictions. However, lasting progress will be out of reach without an ongoing source of state investment in local communities, Coleman said in a statement. City officials are doing their part to be a strong partner to support unhoused residents and keep Californians in their homes, and dedicated state funding is critical if were going to reverse this decades-in-the-making crisis.

So, where are Californians and other Hollywood stars headed?
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) prompted a fiery exchange by asking how much $50 trillion spent on carbon neutrality would actually lower global temperatures during Deputy Energy Secretary David Turks testimony on Capitol Hill this week.

House and Senate Republicans are criticizing the U.S. Navy for using a drag performer in its recruitment program.

The George Soros-backed circuit attorney for Saint Louis plans to resign on June 1, following a push to remove her from office. She is accused of neglecting to keep the city safe.

Topics in this episode include:

1. U.S. Economy Adds 253,000 Jobs in April

2. Analyst: Low Depositor Confidence Main Issue

3. Turbotax Paying $141 Million to Taxpayers

4. Senate and House GOP Blast Navy for Drag Show

5. Kennedy Stumps Energy Official on Neutrality

6. Auto Union Delays Endorsing Biden Reelection

7. WHO: COVID-19 Global Health Emergency Ends

8. NY Becomes 1st State to Ban Future Gas Stoves

9. Soros-Backed Prosecutor Kim Gardner to Resign

10. Tucker Carlson Jokes About Being Fired

11. Trump Lawyers Seek to Move Case to Fed Court

12. FL: Dad Jailed for Punching Umpire at Game

13. NTD Host Urges Beijing to Release His Father

14. Beijing Accessing Americans Financial Data?

15. UK Conservatives Suffer Election Losses

16. Mass Biometric Tech Problematic: Expert

17. Godfather of AI Quits Google to Sound Alarm

18. Wagner Group to Leave Bakhmut

19. US Ambassador Visits Paul Whelan in Prison

20. UK Museum Exhibit Explores Luxury and Power

21. Historian Says He Found Mona Lisa Bridge

22. Museo Nazionale Romano Opens Chariot Exhibit

23. Champagne Bubble Study Sheds Light on Physics

24. Scientists Seek to Identify New Marine Life

25. New York: Ducklings Rescued from Sewer Grate

26. Couples Say I Do, Mark Star Wars Day
On-Site Screenings Help Orange County Firefighters With Cancer Prevention

Dr. Tanya Evans from CalDerm is seen performing skin cancer spot screening on a firefighter in Huntington Beach, Calif., on April 30, 2023. (Sophie Li/The Epoch Times)

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif.Lines of fire trucks arrived at a training facility April 30, bringing dozens of Orange County firefighters to receive free skin cancer screenings.

Occupational cancer is so big in the fire service right now. Its the number one line-of-duty death for us, Scott Jennie, with the Firefighter Cancer Support Network told The Epoch Times.

Nearly all skin cancer can be cured if detected and treated at an early stage.

The screenings were made possible by a collaboration between the support network, a Sacramento-based dermatology organization called CalDerm, Vista firefighter Mark Gaffney and the Andy Valenta Melanoma Foundation founded by Caylie Valenta, who lost her firefighter husband Andy in 2022 due to a rare and aggressive form of melanoma.

A Huntington Beach fire truck is seen in a file photo. (Sophie Li/The Epoch Times)

Since its launching, the foundation has helped provide free screenings to over 1,500 firefighters in Southern California, according to Valenta.

Two CalDerm dermatologists performed the 10 to 15 minute screenings examining moles, birthmarks, and pigmented areas with abnormal traits such as color, size, shape, or texture. Any areas of concern are always referred for a biopsy.

In 2022, all forms of cancer accounted for over 70 percent of firefighter deaths, according to the International Association of Fire Fighters.

Jennie said environmental factors play a higher risk for cancer amongst firefighters.

All the building materials are man-made and [use] synthetics  so its creating a very toxic soup, he said. We want them to be advocates of their own [health] and be proactive in their healthy well-being.

The Huntington Beach Firefighters Association presented a $2,000 check, during the recent screenings, to the Andy Valenta Melanoma Foundation in support of its ongoing work.

The Huntington Beach Firefighters Association presented a $2,000 check, during the recent screenings, to the Andy Valenta Melanoma Foundation in support of its ongoing work in Huntington Beach, Calif., on April 30, 2023. (Sophie Li/The Epoch Times)
Orange Countys CalOptima Failed to Spend $675 Million Surplus, Violated Hiring Rules: State Auditor

A state audit conducted on CalOptima Health, Orange Countys medical insurance group for low-income residents, found the agency held back spending surplus funds on service improvement and did not follow best practices when hiring some executive positions.

Created by the county in 1993, the agency accumulated more than $1.2 billion in unrestricted funds as of June 2022, according to the state auditors report published May 2.

The agency set aside $570 million of those funds as a reserve, which the auditor said was prudent, but the remaining $675 million were surplus funds.

When CalOptima has identified projects for using surplus funds, it has struggled to spend the funds in a timely manner, State Auditor Grant Parks said in the report.

County law requires CalOptima to implement a spending plan to use the surplus for specific purposes, like improving benefits.

Although CalOptima approved $100 million of the surplus funds for health initiatives to benefit the homeless population between 2020 and 2022, only $34 million had been spent as of June 2022, according to the report.

As of March, the agency still had more than $400 million not allocated, the auditor reported.

A CalOptima building in Orange, Calif., on July 25, 2022. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Parks recommended the agency create and implement a detailed plan to spend the money on expanding access, improving benefits, or augmenting provider reimbursement. He also recommended the agency develop a policy for handling unused budgets.

The agencys chief financial officer told the state auditor that higher-than-usual rates of staff turnover and vacancies and the COVID-19 pandemic slowed the program down, the auditor said in the report.

As the countys largest health insurance provider, CalOptima serves around 938,000 vulnerable and low-income residents, including the homeless. The agencys 20222023 budget is $4 billion, according to its website.

CalOptima is the only Medi-Cal managed care plan in Orange County. Federal and state governments fund the costs of Medi-Cal, which supports CalOptima. The agency was not able to report to the state auditors office the amount of state and federal funding it received, according to the report.

The state auditor also reported that CalOptima kept some of the state funds originally set aside for supplemental payments to Medi-Cal providers.

Despite the surplus, CalOptima patients were not getting timely services, according to the report. A survey conducted for the agency between September 2021 and July 2022 indicates that its primary care and specialty providers did not meet the agencys standard for timely access to routine or urgent appointments.

Hiring Violations

Besides funding issues, CalOptima did not follow best practices for hiring some executives and possibly violated state law, the auditor reported.

In 2020, the CalOptima Board of Directors appointed Richard Sanchez as CEO of the agency. Sanchez was first appointed interim director while also serving as director of the Orange County Health Care Agency and on the CalOptima board of directors.

A state lawGovernment Code section 1090prohibits state and local officers or employees from being financially interested in any contracts made by them in their official capacity or by any boards of which they are members.

Also, from 2014 through 2022, CalOptimas executive turnover rate was about 23 percent per year and rose to 31 percent in 2020 and 50 percent in 2021, which was significantly higher than other plans managed by Medi-Cal, the auditor reported.

As a result of its practices, CalOptima has limited its ability to attract and select the most qualified candidates, and it has opened itself to criticism about the objectivity, appropriateness, and transparency of its hiring process, Parks said.

According to the report, the agency also did not follow its own hiring guidelines for executives and also did not have procedures in place to address allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse.

Changes Already Underway: CalOptima

CalOptimas executives did not agree with all of the auditors findings and recommendations, according to a letter the agency sent to Parks on April 7.

While we understand the audit scope required your office to look back nearly one decade, we cannot speak to all the decisions of past leadership, CEO Michael Hunn, Board Chair Clayton Corwin, and Board Vice Chair Blair Contratto wrote. As such, CalOptima Health cannot fully concur with all the findings and recommendations, as the timeframe of the audit does not account for recent leadership actions over the past year.

The agency also stated it intended to implement a number of actions, including monitoring providers performance and sending warnings and letters to providers who continued to violate the minimum performance standards, the auditor reported.

In the response letter, CalOptimas executives said they had already rectified many of the changes and recommendations and have made additional investments with their providers and community partners to care for the homeless.

The agency implemented a street medicine program in April specifically designed to address medical needs of homeless people in Orange County, the officials said.

Before the release of the audit report, the beleaguered health agency has been criticized on several fronts recently.

An investigation by The Epoch Times in November revealed CalOptimas executives earn salaries of $308,000 to $841,500 per year, plus car allowances and bonuses. Hunn, a former priest from St. Louis, earns the highest pay as the agencys CEO, with a salary of $841,500, plus $550 a month in a car allowance.

Orange County Supervisor Andrew Do also resigned from CalOptimas board in February during the states investigation of the agencys spending habits.

Where Did the Surplus Come From?

The audit found several factors that led to CalOptimas bloated surplus account. From 2018 to 2019, the agencys revenues grew, because of rate increases, transfers from the states California Healthcare, funds from the Tobacco Tax Act of 2016 (Proposition 56), lower medical expenses, and nearly $44 million in investment income, the auditor found. This added up to $157 million in surplus for that time period.

From 2019 to 2020, another $49 million flowed into the account, mostly from investment income.

During the pandemic between 2020 and 2021, the surplus grew by $280 million thanks to the following changes: increased revenue from a 9.4 percent increase in enrollment after Medi-Cal suspended its eligibility requirements and disenrollment process; lowered health care expenses for newly enrolled members; and delayed or deferred nonurgent surgeries and services after Gov. Gavin Newsom used emergency powers to prohibit people from getting nonessential medical treatment.

During the year 20212022, CalOptima took in more funds from increased rates for new Medi-Cal programs and COVID-19 testing and treatment services. Although the agency lost $20 million in investment income that year, it managed to stack up another $102 million in surplus, according to the report.
Parents of Teenager Who Took His Own Life After Sextortion Highlight Dangers of Online Scams

A record 2.7m online scams were taken down last year by the National Cyber Security Centre (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

The parents of a 17-year-old Michigan teenager who took his own life after being targeted in a sextortion scam online are warning parents to have tough conversations with their children about the dangers posed by such scams.

Jordan DeMay, from Marquette, Michigan, was found dead by law enforcement officers on March 25, 2022, from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

His death prompted an investigation by the Marquette County Sheriffs Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which culminated in the arrest of three Nigerian men who prosecutors say pretended to be female when they contacted the teenager on Instagram and coerced him into sexual communication.

The three men later compelled DeMay to send a nude photo of himself, according to prosecutors, which was then used to blackmail the teenager for $1,000.

When we were informed that Jordan was potentially a victim of an internet scam called sextortion via Instagram, there was never a hesitation in our minds to share his story, his mother, Jennifer Buta told reporters at a press conference with federal law enforcement officials on May 3.

We wanted everyone to be aware about sextortion and have those tough conversations with their families so if it did happen to them, they knew to talk to someone, Buta continued. Our focus going forward is to bring more awareness to children, young adults, and parents. Our family has forever been changed by this heinous crime and our objective is to prevent another individual from being victimized.

Kids, teenagers, young adults, and even adults can be a target of sextortion. We urge you to have discussions about this and have a plan for your children to reach out if it does happen to them, she added.

Suspects Arrested, Charged

The three men who scammed DeMay were identified by the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan this week as Samuel Ogoshi, 22, Samson Ogoshi, 20, and Ezekiel Ejehem Robert, 19, all of Lagos, Nigeria.

According to prosecutors, the three individuals extorted or attempted to extort hundreds of young men and teenage boys in the Western District of Michigan and across the United States through hacked social media accounts that they purchased, pretending to be young women.

In targeting DeMay, prosecutors allege the men communicated with the teen through an Instagram account with the user name dani.robertts and used Google and other online tools to research more information about him, including where he went to school, worked, and who his family and friends were.

On the day of his death, DeMay was coerced by the men into sending a naked picture of himself, which was later used to extort $1,000 from him.

DeMay told the men that he didnt have that kind of money and only $100 in cash along with $50 in Venmo. He later transferred $300 to the men but they continued to send him threatening messages demanding more money.

The teenager, described by his parents as a role-model son, later told the men that he was going to take his own life due to their demands, to which they responded, Good, do that fast, enjoy your miserable life and I will make u commit suicide.

Ogoshi has been charged with one count of Sexual Exploitation and Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor Resulting in Death in relation to DeMay, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison.

All three men have been charged with Conspiracy to Sexually Exploit Minors for getting the children to send them pornographic images that were then used to blackmail them. They face a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison each and a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison.

Jordans Smile Could Light Up Any Room

They have also been charged with Conspiracy to Distribute Child Pornography for sending child pornography images to minors, as well as their families and friends, and face up to 20 years behind bars for that charge.

A final count charges them with Conspiracy to Commit Stalking Through the Internet for engaging in the sextortion scheme 7 with the minors. That charge has a maximum penalty of five years behind bars.

The three men are in the process of being extradited to the United States, according to federal officials.

Jordans smile could light up any room, Buta told reporters during Wednesdays press conference. Jordans charm and beautiful smile were contagious. Drawing people to him wherever he went and leaving a lasting impression on everyone he met. He wanted to connect and be everyones friend and he did just that. As parents, we cannot begin to imagine what Jordan went through that night and how scared he was because of this senseless act.

In January, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, issued a public safety alert warning of an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money.

According to the agency, more than 3,000 minor victims, primarily boys, were targeted in such scams last year throughout the country.

Financial sextortion is a global crisis that impacts teens in our country and around the globe, said James A. Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan in a statement. Thats why the FBI is working hand in hand with our domestic and international law enforcement partners to prevent youth from becoming victims of this tragic crime and to hold those who target our teens in this manner accountable  no matter where in the world they may be.

If You Are Having Suicidal Thoughts

If you live in the United States and are having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 for free and confidential support. Its open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For crisis support in Spanish, call 888-628-9454.

Crisis Text Line provides a live, trained crisis counselor via a simple text for help.

The National Health Service also lists a variety of resources on its website.

Befrienders Worldwide has created a help app that connects users to the nearest emotional support center for the part of the world they live init will run on a PC desktop or mobile phone.
Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified to Consider Policy Requiring School Board Approval for Classroom Books

Placentia Yorba Linda Unified School District board members prepare for a public meeting with parents gathered in mass to express their concerns for mandatory vaccine mandates for their children in Placentia, Calif., on Oct. 12, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

The Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified Education Board will soon vote on a policy that requires board approval before the district can pilot a new book in classrooms after several controversial books made their way into lessons.

Under the districts current policy, teachers submit books to the districts Literary Review Committeemade up of parents, teachers, and community membersfor review as a pilot for a semester.

If approved, the committee will later analyze feedback from the pilot period and decide if the book should be a part of the districts extended reading list. To be included on the districts core reading list, board approval would be required.

The proposed policy would require the board to approve a book during a public meeting before it is piloted in classrooms and that parents be notified of its inclusion.

Its just a simple transparent step  to present [these] books to the public  just as a safeguard, Trustee Todd Frazier, who introduced the proposal, told The Epoch Times. I think its a good protocol, to make sure that were doing whats in the best interest for the students and the parents and the community of our district.

The board voted 32 for the policy during its first reading on April 11.

Library books in Westminster, Calif., on Sept. 22, 2020. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Trustee Leandra Blades, who supported the policy proposal, told The Epoch Times it aims to include parents in the process.

By adding this step before books are piloted, were giving all parents the opportunity to be involved, she said. The parents will be notified now that their child is taking part in a pilot process for a book and so they can opt out if they so choose to do so.

Critics of the policy raised concerns about book bans and say the policy strips teachers of the ability to choose classroom materials.

Trustees Marilyn Anderson and Carrie Buck said they opposed the policy but supported informing parents that a book is being piloted.

Buck said elected trustees are not qualified to decide which books get tested.

Were not experts in this field, Buck said during the meeting.

Some parents spoke at the meeting to oppose the policy.

If you support parents rights, then support my right to have trained professionals select my students curriculum. I can opt out. Dont give yourself the authority to opt out on my behalf, one parent said during public comment.

Controversial Books

Meanwhile, a handful of controversial books have already been piloted in the districts classrooms, according to trustee Blades.

Last month, Blades raised concerns about one titled Persepolis: The Story of Childhood, about the Iranian revolution that was recently piloted for 11th graders.

Blades said she was uncomfortable with some derogatory language the book used toward women, as well as some themes of Marxism and communism, which are against the districts critical race theory ban enacted last year.

However, the board unanimously approved adding the book to the districts core reading list during the meeting.

Additionally, Blades said, another book that was recently piloted is Internmenta fictional tale set in the near future about Muslim Americans who are placed in an internment camp in the United States by conservatives.

Blades said she found the book to be politically divisive and biased.

Arent our classrooms supposed to be apolitical? she said. Plus, this book is fiction. Its not rooted in any true events or history, so its not really relevant to classrooms.

The book had already been piloted in classrooms and approved by the Literature Review Committee through the current process and the board will vote on May 9 on whether to add it to its core reading list.

Blades said the book demonstrates why materials should require more vetting and a wider perspective before they enter classrooms.

This is not a book-banning policy, she said. Its just another step of checks and balances before books go into classrooms.

Trustees Shawn Youngblood and Carrie Buck did not respond to requests for comment by press time. Trustee Marilyn Anderson declined to comment.
Long Island-based BEDGEAR donates new bedding to Americas VetDogs

Future Service Dogs with BEDGEAR Dog Beds

BEDGEAR donates new dog beds and bedding to the dormitory at America's VetDogs campus in Smithtown, New York

BEDGEAR Employees Give Back

BEDGEAR employees came to America's VetDogs campus to unpack and make beds in the student residence halls.

Smithtown, New York, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Americas VetDogs, a national nonprofit that provides specially trained guide and service dogs to veterans, first responders and active-duty service members, is thrilled to announce a partnership with BEDGEAR, a Long Island-based brand of Performance that provides innovative bedding by focusing on an active lifestyle and well-being. Through BEDGEARs nonprofit arm, the BEDGEAR Foundation, the company has generously donated mattresses, sheets, pillows, blankets, and mattress protectors for the Americas VetDogs on-campus dormitory; outfitting sixteen bedrooms.

Once a veteran or first responder [client] is accepted into Americas VetDogs program, they are invited to spend two-weeks on-site at the organizations headquarters in Smithtown, New York. While on campus, veterans stay in a resident hall, fully furnished to simulate a dormitory. During the two-week stay, clients learn how to work with their new service dog alongside a certified service dog instructor.

While on campus, our clients spend 14-hours a day learning how to work with their new service dog, said John Miller, president and CEO of Americas VetDogs. Having bedding in each of our dorm rooms that will support the rest and recovery of our clients is so impactful to ensure they wake ready each day to continue training with their dog. We are beyond grateful to BEDGEAR for their support and are excited to continue collaborating with them to support our mission and clients well-being.

At BEDGEAR, we are dedicated to giving back to our nations heroes, said Eugene Alletto, founder and CEO of BEDGEAR. Through the BEDGEAR Foundation, we are continuously supporting philanthropic efforts around the globe. This donation specifically is so impactful for us as Americas VetDogs is a nonprofit organization in our local community. We are honored to provide the proper bedding for their clients and are proud to play a part in giving veterans and first responders back their independence.

Story continues

BEDGEAR employees participated in a day of volunteering at Americas VetDogs campus on Thursday, May 4. During the day, BEDGEAR employees helped to unpack all the bedding essentials, dress all the new mattress, and participated in other activities including bathing future guide and service dogs, and assisting in feeding of dogs in the facility.

Learn more about Americas VetDogs by visiting VetDogs.org.

Learn more about BEDGEAR and the BEDGEAR Foundation at bedgearfoundation.org/

###

About Americas VetDogs

For 20 years, Americas VetDogs (www.VetDogs.org) has trained and placed guide and service dogs to provide independence, enhanced mobility, and companionship to veterans with disabilities from all eras. In 2015, VetDogs opened its programs to first responders, including fire, police, and emergency medical personnel. Americas VetDogs is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded by the Guide Dog Foundation and serves clients from across the United States. VetDogs relies on contributions from generous individuals, corporations, service clubs, and foundations to fund its mission to help those who have served our country live with dignity and independence. It costs over $50,000 to breed, raise, train, and place one assistance dog, but Americas VetDogs provides its services completely free of charge to the individual. Americas VetDogs has been accredited by both the International Guide Dog Federation and Assistance Dogs International.

About BEDGEAR

Launched in 2009, BEDGEAR is the brand of Performance that provides innovative bedding by focusing on an active lifestyle and well-being. BEDGEARs sleep solutions are engineered with fabrics that are moisture wicking and instant cooling and maximize airflow to allow the body to naturally regulate its temperature. With a core belief of One Size Does Not Fit All, BEDGEAR has redefined the way people view sleep by developing interactive in-store experiences and breathable bedding products that are personally fit to a consumer based on specific factors, including body type, sleep position and temperature. BEDGEAR is dedicated to integrating environmental responsibility into product development to ensure less returned goods are being sent to landfills.

BEDGEAR is essential to the rest and recovery routines of professional athletes and active people who need to maximize their sleep. A proud manufacturer in the USA, BEDGEAR offers mattresses, pillows, sheets, blankets, pet beds as well as travel, kids and baby products that often feature removable and washable covers to maintain a clean and healthy sleep environment. BEDGEAR is represented in more than 4,000 retail stores across the globe and has earned more than 220 U.S. and worldwide patents, trademark registrations and pending applications. Sleep Fuels Everything!

Attachments

CONTACT: Jamie Shrewsbury America's VetDogs 304-839-2551 jamie.shrewsbury@guidedog.org




Reparations Task Force Again Actually Hurts Black Californians

Commentary

If America is going to surviveand, yes, its existence is not certainwere going to have to start uniting our people instead of dividing them. As I have written in previous Epoch Times articles, the California Reparations Task Force is doing the opposite. My articles are here, here, here, and here.

That deleterious pattern was continued Monday, when the Task Force released voluminous documents and studies in preparation for its next meeting Saturday in Oakland. It is jogging toward a July 1 deadline for recommendations to the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom.

The main problem is this Task Force is only going to increase expectations among black Californians that theyll get payments of some kind. Yet the state now faces a budget deficit of at least $22.5 billion for fiscal year 2023-24, which begins on July 1. When no reparations are forthcoming, resentment only is going to rise, increasing the division in our already splintering body politic.

The Task Force also is a diversion from real policies that could help black Californians. It looks backward, instead of forward. It seeks revenge, instead of promoting opportunity. As I have written before, positive policies would include reducing housing costs through reform of the California Environmental Quality Act; enacting Arizona-style state educational vouchers; and reducing taxes to promote business and jobs creation. Such polices also, instead of dividing us by race, would lift up all boats. Everyone would benefit, which would unite us.

Lets just look at the final report on the list, which has a bureaucratically labyrinthine title: PART IV/Chapter 17: Final Recommendations of Task Force Regarding Calculations of Losses to African American Descendants of a Chattel Enslaved Person, or Descendants of a Free Black Person Living in the United States Prior to the End of the 19th Century, and Forms of Compensation and Restitution.

For atrocities and harms, they employ numerous complicated formulae that, together, amount to a farrago of nonsense. Heres one:

Scroll down in Chapter 17 to p. 31 if you want to know what all the symbols represent. Maybe you can figure out what the final formula means. I cant, even though Ive read thousands of government reports, and in school was good at math. But heres the studys conclusion for that formula:

$152,222,903,022 in missing African American business wealth in California. On a per capita basis, using the African American population as of 2020, that would amount to roughly $77,000 per African American in California.

But thats just a down payment on overall reparations demands. According to an estimate by the San Francisco Chronicle, the total would be up to $1.2 million for each black Californian over a lifetime. The up to depends on numerous complicate factors. But suppose its $1.2 million each. There are about 5 million black Californians. Blacks are 5 percent of the 39 million Californians, or about 2 million. So 1.2 million multiplied by 2 million = $2.4 trillion. An absurd number.

Earlier calculations from March, according to AP, were more than $800 billion  more than 2.5 times Californias $300 billion annual budget and does not include a recommended $1 million per older Black resident for health disparities that have shortened their average life span.

Death Penalty Sideshow

In Chapter 19, the Task Force says the death penalty in California needs to be abolished as part of reparations. It writes: The Task Force recommends the Legislature amend the California Constitution to abolish the death penalty in all cases. But it also notes, In 2019, Governor Newsom declared a moratorium on executions in California. In 2020, Assemblymembers David Chiu and Marc Levine introduced Assembly Constitutional Amendment Two, which would have abolished the death penalty, but the bill died in committee.

But it didnt note the death-row inmates all were put into the general prison population. And, like Newsom, future governors will not allow anyone to be executed, because its likely they all will be liberals. So the policy basically is mute.

Moreover, the Task Force did not note that, even if ACA 2 had been passed, it would have required a vote of the people of California to become law. And recent attempts to outlaw the death penalty were defeated in 2012, 52 percent to 48 percent for Proposition 34; and in 62, 53 percent to 47 percent for Proposition 62. This shows the Task Forces first task out to be more careful in what it recommends. Perhaps hire somebody who knows these things?

Backing Affirmative Action

The battle over affirmative action is an old one. Most people, including blacks, oppose it because it violates the American sense of treating everyone equally. Instead of affirmative action, whats embraced is equality of opportunity, as enshrined in Dr. Martin Luther Kings well-known words, I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

In 1996, California voters passed Proposition 209, banning affirmative action by the state. In 2020, Proposition 16, which would have repealed Prop. 209, was defeated heavily, 57 percent to 43 percent.

Despite that, the Task Force, in Chapter 10, attacks the retreat from 1960s-style racial affirmative action and demands reparations for the supposed harm done. Several times it blasts President Reagan, who in his life actually, from his childhood, did nothing but have good relations with blacks. The chapter claims, By the early 1980s, under President Ronald Reagan, the federal government began to restrict its enforcement of affirmative action requirements, halting the progress made during the preceding administrations.

This shows how, again, the task force is backward-looking. Affirmative action did nothing to help blacks achieve, but instead pointed them away from such real solutions as improving school achievement through more school choice.

School Busing Disaster

The task force even backs school busing, even though its long been discarded by everyone, including blacks. Thats where children of one race are bused long distances away from their own neighborhood school, to another school to meet some complicated racial quota system. The Task Force writes in Chapter 6:

Then, from the mid- to late-1970s through the 1990s, courts removed or limited desegregation orders in many California districts, as the Supreme Court and Congress further restricted the use of remedies like busing and school reassignment to integrate schools. In a few cases, such as in Berkeley, schools remained relatively integrated because school districts continued busing students and using school-selection processes designed to achieve integration, even without a desegregation order.

You might remember Berkeleys busing program came up in the Democratic presidential debates four years ago. At the June 28, 2019 debate in Miami, Sen. Kamala Harris, now the vice president, blasted former Vice President Joe Biden, now the president:

You also worked  to oppose busing. And, you know, there was a little girl in California who was part of the second class to integrate her public schools, and she was bused to school every day. And that little girl was me.

But as even a 2014 article in the left-wing Slate noted:

As nationalist sentiments rose with the Black Power movement of the 1970s, parent groups in Harlem and elsewhere began demanding community-based control of their own schools to implement Afrocentric teachings and curricula. Resentment festered on both sides of the racial divide. In the end, once all the blacks and whites with the means to bail on busing did bail on busing, all you were left with was an ever-diminishing pool of lower income black kids and white kids being shuffled around the map in order for America to pretend it was solving a problem.

Some busing attempts continued through the early 1990s. Then in 1995 the U.S. Supreme Court finally canceled it all in the case Missouri v. Jenkins. Slate continued:

White liberals screamed injustice. White conservatives declared victory. Over on the black side of the aisle, there was a mix of rejoicing, relief, and resignationintegration fatigue. Were tired of chasing white people, one black Kansas City resident told Time. Freed from the mandates of the court, the black community was happy for the opportunity to assert greater control over the district and focus its resources on their needsand they did.

Conclusion

I lived through the whole busing controversy, which started when I was a high-school student in a Detroit suburb in the early 1970s. But it was worst in Boston, where in 1974 Federal Judge W. Arthur Garrity ordered massive busing, supposedly to advance integration. In 2016 WBUR ran a recap:

But as the 1974 school year wore on, there was no peace.

By October The Boston Globe wrote: What we prayed wouldnt happen has happened. The city of Boston has gotten out of control.

A group of whites in South Boston brutally beat a Haitian resident of Roxbury who had driven into their neighborhood. A month later some black students stabbed a white student at South Boston High. The school was shut down for a month.

That the California Reparations Task Force would bring up busing as something good, and want us to relive that nightmare, shows it has gone badly off track. But, typical of most government bureaucracies, it just keeps going on and on, and even wants to set up a new state bureau to implement its recommendations. Then the folly will continue.

Instead, whats needed is forgiveness, kindness, real reforms that work, and moving on.

John Seilers email: writejohnseiler@gmail.com

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Rochelle Walensky Stepping Down as CDC Director

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Washington on May 4, 2023. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)

The director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is resigning.

Dr. Rochelle Walensky is stepping down at the end of June, the director told President Joe Biden in a letter, the CDC said on May 5.

Walensky, 54, did not cite a specific reason and the CDC did not return requests for comment.

Walensky said she believes the CDC is in a better position now than when she assumed the post on Jan. 20, 2021, the same day Biden was inaugurated.

The end of the COVID-19 public health emergency marks a tremendous transition for our country, for public health, and in my tenure as CDC director. I took on this role, at your request, with the goal of leaving behind the dark days of the pandemic and moving CDCand public healthforward into a much better and more trusted place, Walensky told Biden. In the process, we saved and improved lives and protected the country and the world from the greatest infectious disease threat we have seen in over 100 years.

During the first year of Walenskys tenure, the United States recorded more COVID-19 deaths than the previous year, despite the aggressive promotion of COVID-19 vaccines. Walensky has been a fierce advocate of vaccination, urging parents to vaccinate their children and dismiss concerns about side effects like heart inflammation. She also urged people to get multiple boosters to try to combat waning effectiveness while downplaying natural immunity.

Before becoming the CDCs director, Walensky was chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School.

The position of CDC director does not require Senate confirmation, unlike similar positions such as the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Biden administration officials have not identified potential replacements as of yet.

Divided Opinions

Some officials praised Walensky, asserting shes done a good job.

Biden said in a statement that Walensky has saved lives with her steadfast and unwavering focus on the health of every American and that we have all benefited from her service and dedication to public health, and I wish her the best in the next chapter.

Dr. Walensky took the reins of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the most disruptive global pandemic in a century. I wish her well in her next role and hope her work to improve morale for the dedicated doctors, nurses, scientists and other public health experts at CDC and to strengthen public health in the United States and around the world continues with the next director, Dr. Tom Frieden, a former CDC director, told The Epoch Times via email.

But others said Walensky failed.

Shes a failed CDC leader. Ive never seen trust in American public health lower, Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of medicine at Stanford University, told The Epoch Times.

Polls show that Americans trust in the CDC has fallen during the pandemic.

Whoever takes over is going to have will have a lot of work to do to restore trust in public health and the reputation of the CDC, Bhattacharya added.

Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, professor of medicine at Stanford University and one of the co-authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, in Hartford, Conn., on Feb. 17, 2023. (Tal Atzmon/The Epoch Times)

Doubling Down

Walensky and other top CDC officials have made multiple false statements on COVID-19, including exaggerating the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Walensky made the unsupported claim in the spring of 2021 while on television that people who had received COVID-19 vaccines do not carry the virus and dont get sick, based on real world data and data from clinical trials. A few months later, the CDC urged vaccinated people to wear masks because of research indicating no differences in viral load, of the amount of virus a person carries after getting infected, between the vaccinated and unvaccinated.

Walensky said in April while testifying to Congress that the claim was correct when she made it.

But she cited no evidence, and her advisers were unable to provide any. They pointed to observational studies that indicated the vaccines reduced, but did not prevent, symptomatic infection and transmission.

The studies all report observed reductions but none of them found that vaccinated people do not carry the virus, do not get sick, Dr. Tracy Hoeg, an epidemiologist based in California, told The Epoch Times in a Twitter message. Are they kidding? Seems delusional to come to that conclusion from those articles.

Walensky has acknowledged some missteps and ordered a reorganization of the CDC after a review found it did not adequately respond to the pandemic. Walensky said the restructuring would be aimed at implementing an action-oriented culture that features improved accountability and communication.

The review will ensure we have an even more effective CDC, Jha said.

A major reform should be making sure outside voices are included in the conversation as CDC officials consider policies and guidance, according to Bhattacharya.

And then in particular, it needs to consider the collateral consequences of this, the strategies and policies that are recommended, he said. That should not be just narrowly focused on one infectious disease and prevention of one infectious disease but more broadly. And I think thats the central failure of the CDC.

Support for Lockdowns

Walensky has also continued to support the lockdowns and mandates that were imposed in the United States even as new evidence has emerged to undercut them.

Extraordinary measures are necessary when hospitals are overwhelmed, she said in one hearing.

The CDC largely issues non-binding recommendations that were cited in support of mask and vaccine requirements throughout the country, but has also promulgated binding policies such as mask mandates for airplanes. Some have been struck down by courts.

Asked if she was behind the Biden administrations COVID-19 vaccine mandates, Walensky told a Senate panel this week that she was part of a group of advisers that advises Biden on his proclamations.

The administration is ending many of the remaining mandates on May 12, as the COVID-19 public health emergency expires. Several mandates, including one imposed by the Department of Veterans Affairs, will remain in place.
Sen. Rand Paul Warns RESTRICT Act Would Allow Feds to Nullify First Amendment

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has been a major critic of the RESTRICT Act, which has been sold to Congress and the public as a ban on TikTok.

He warned that it would authorize the federal government to censor any online communications it deems subversive and would nullify the First Amendment.

The popular social media app, which is controlled by a Chinese company with ties to the Chinese Communist Party, has more than 150 million monthly users in the United States alone and is used mainly by people under 30.

The app has been controversial for years, as concerns over security have led to several statewide bans of the app on government devices.

Legislation Faces More Opposition

Former President Donald Trump failed in his attempt to ban TikTok in the United States during his presidency, but momentum has been building ever since.

In April, President Joe Biden demanded that TikToks owners divest their stakes in the company or face a nationwide ban.

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) co-sponsored the RESTRICT Act, which now has the support of over 20 senators, to give the Commerce Department the power to impose restrictionsup to and including outright banson TikTok and other technologies that may pose a national security risk.

It would mainly apply to foreign apps and software from countries deemed hostile to the United States, like China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, Venezuela, and Cuba.

The legislation also empowers the Secretary of Commerce to unilaterally add any other country to the list.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said the House would draw up a bill to address the Chinese app, but the timeline is unclear.

On May 5, Paul published a column on conservative news website Townhall, warning that the bill bestows an astonishing amount of power to the Executive branch in a manner that the Chinese Communist Party would approve of.

Possible Trojan Horse for Political Abuses

The senator from Kentucky blocked an attempt to fast-track the legislation on March 29, citing concerns about free speech and expanding the power of the surveillance state.

His fellow Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, had sought unanimous consent for a TikTok ban in the Senate.

A growing number of Democrats and Republicans have raised concerns agreeing with Pauls assessment and have objected to the anti-TikTok legislation as being too broad.

Critics are concerned that certain sections of the act would vastly increase the federal governments ability to spy on Americans online and punish them for sharing information that opposes the official narrative.

Paul has gone against many of his colleagues in his party, warning on the Senate floor in March, I think we should beware of those who use fear to coax Americans to relinquish our liberties.

Every accusation of data gathering that has been attributed to TikTok could also be attributed to domestic big tech companies, he said.

Section 3 of the act would provide the authorities legal cover to pursue anyone deemed to have undermine[d] democratic processes in favor of the strategic objectives of a foreign adversary.

Paul said the act gives the executive branch wide ranging powers that would basically provide limitless authority for the president to ban speech.

The RESTRICT Act eschews almost all notions of checks and balances by granting a vast amount of power to the Executive branch to intervene in all kinds of economic transactions. It would effectively allow the Secretary of Commerce to become the Commissar of Commerce, he said in the column.

According to the legislation, the White House would be granted the power to enforce any measures to address any risk arising from any covered transaction by any person, or with respect to any property, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States that the Secretary determines

Paul said that the legislation goes far beyond banning TikTok, as the bill would also enable the government to target any business falling under the jurisdiction of a foreign adversary, an unacceptable risk to national security.

White House Could Censor Political Enemies

The new powers would allow the surveillance of those suspected of interfering in, or altering the result or reported result of a Federal election.

If broadly interpreted, the law would allow the federal government to spy on local elections in the name of mitigating any supposed threat, dangerously giving Washington enormous control over the electoral process.

The amount of power invested in the government is so broad, that all the Secretary of State would have to do is assert that any undesirable comment furthers a foreign adversarys interest that could influence a federal election, Paul wrote.

In other words, to rid social media of any disagreeable voices, the RESTRICT Act allows the Executive Branch to dissolve the First Amendment so long as it utters the magic words of national security,' Paul added.

He warned that federal officials could prevent the media from publishing critically important information in the name of combating foreign disinformation in an election.

Paul also referred to the allegations that federal officials working on behalf of the Democrats and the Biden administration had falsely insinuated that the Hunter Biden laptop story was part of a Russian disinformation campaign to affect the 2020 election.

We already know how these powers could be abused by our government to further the political agenda of the political class, he said.

The act further declares that anyone who disobeys an order given by the secretary of commerce under the act could go to prison for 20 years.

A company that publicly disagreed with the President could find themselves on an official enemies list, censored, and imprisoned, Paul warned.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Sen. Warner Calls for an Organized Approach to Deal With Technologies From China

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) said the federal government needs a rules-based approach to counter technologies owned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as TikTok.

We need an organized approach on how we deal with technologies from countries like Russia and China. And let me be clear, I want to talk about China. My beef is with the Communist Party of China.  Its not with the Chinese people. Its not with the Chinese diaspora where they live in America or anywhere else in the world.

I think TikTok is a national security concern, Warner told NTD, the sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

Warner, who has been critical of TikTok, said the platform has as many as 150 million Americans using it for an average of about 90 minutes daily.

With the apps popularity, especially among young Americans, Warner expressed concern that the CCP may manipulate information on the video-sharing platform, allowing it to shape young peoples minds according to Beijings narrative.

Since particularly young people are looking to TikTok for their news, the ability for the Communist Party to say, Hey, we want you to shape the news, thats pro-China or anti-America, I think its a real issue, he said.

The congressman pointed to a content moderation guideline leaked in 2019 that shows TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, instructed moderators to take down videos critical of the CCP, including the Tiananmen Square massacre and ongoing human rights abuses against Uyghurs. TikTok said at that time the guidelines were no longer in use.

Related Coverage TikTok CEO Refuses to Say Whether CCP Has Persecuted Uyghurs

Warner, chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said the CCP can use TikTok as a propaganda tool.

As we see tensions rise between China and Taiwan, the potential to have that algorithm that the CCP, I believe, ultimately can control  end[s] up becoming a propaganda tool, he said.

I think its such a potential downside.

The Epoch Times reached out to TikTok for comment and has not received a response as of press time.

Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) (L) is joined by Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) to introduce the Restrict Act at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on March 7, 2023. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

The Virginia Democrat noted the issue is broader than just TikTok.

There ought to be a rules-based approach because its TikTok today; it might be some other technology tomorrow, said Warner.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said a ban on TikTok and other foreign-owned apps is worth considering.

This is one of the things we will look at, for sure, Schumer said at a May 3 press conference, referring to the bipartisan legislation introduced by Warner.

In March, Warner and Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) unveiled legislation seeking to give the federal government more power to ban TikTok and other technology products from adversarial foreign nations, including Russia and communist China.

The bill, dubbed the RESTRICT Act, allows the Commerce Department to identify, deter, disrupt, prevent, prohibit, and mitigate information and technology products supplied by foreign adversaries that pose undue or unacceptable risk to U.S. national security interests, according to the summary of the bill released by Warners office.

Schumers comment came after Senate Democrats announced theyre crafting new legislation aimed at countering the Chinese regimes economic and military expansion.
Senate Republicans Question Navy for Platforming Drag Performer in Recruiting Program

The USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship of the United States Navy, takes part in the NATO exercise Trident Juncture 2018 near Trondheim, Norway, on Oct. 29, 2018. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)

A group of 14 Republican senators has questions for the U.S. Navy after the military branch brought on a drag-performing sailor for its pilot digital ambassador program in hopes of boosting recruiting.

This week, the Navy confirmed that it had invited Yeoman 2nd Class Joshua Kelley, the drag performer who goes by the stage name Harpy Daniels, to participate in the services digital ambassador program. The program ran from October 2022 to March of this year.

The revelation stirred questions from Sens. Ted Budd (R-N.C.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Steve Daines (R-Mont.), Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Roger Marshall (R-Kans.).

The 14 senators sent a letter to Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Wednesday, asking him to provide more details about the digital ambassador program.

Does the Navy endorse drag shows? Where does the Navy draw the line on promotion of the personal activities of its influencers? Would the Navy enlist burlesque or exotic dancers to reach possible recruits? the senators wrote. Such activity is not appropriate for promotion in a professional workplace or the United States military.

The Republican lawmakers specifically asked Del Toro to turn over details about how much Navy funding went toward the digital ambassador program. A Navy spokeswoman told NTD that members of the pilot program were not compensated for their participation.

The lawmakers also asked the Navy to share any data it has on the impact of the digital ambassador program, which the Navy said was meant to help reach potential new recruits.

Questions About TikTok

The Republican senators also focused on Kelleys prominence on the popular social media app TikTok. The app, developed by the Chinese firm ByteDance, has come under increased scrutiny over how it collects and potentially shares user data with the Chinese regime.

The Navy banned TikTok on government-issued devices in 2019, and military officials have continued to warn that the app may be used to harvest data and channel disinformation to influence American users.

While we understand the importance of social media for modern recruiting, we are concerned about both the promotion of a banned app and behavior that many deem inappropriate in a professional workplace, the senators wrote. At a time when our nations military is facing a recruiting crisis, it is as important as ever to reach broader swaths of the eligible populationbut not at the cost of privacy, security, or professionalism.

Wokeness and a Politicized Military

Some Republican and conservative critics have tied recent recruiting shortfalls to a perceived politicization of the military and an embrace of socially woke ideology in particular. Those critics noted (pdf) several programs highlighting and promoting racial and LGBT identity, including officially sanctioned drag performances.

Wokeness at the DoD has harmed recruitment, retention, and morale, wasted service members time and taxpayers dollars, and undermined the apolitical character of the military, which is a major threat to democracy and the American way of life, Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) said in a February statement regarding the militarys recruitment shortcomings.

The U.S. Navy hit its recruiting goal for active-duty enlisted personnel in fiscal year 2022 but missed its goals for recruiting new active and reserve officers, and reserve enlisted personnel. The U.S. Marine Corps was one of the few military services that hit all of its recruiting goals for 2022, while the U.S. Army missed its goal for new active-duty enlisted troops by 25 percenta 15,000-recruit shortfall.

While conservative critics linked drag performances to the woke ideology they believed hurt military recruiting in 2022, the Navy evidently saw Kelleys drag performance as a positive asset to the force and a potential source of new recruiting appeal.

Kelley rebuffed these conservative critics in a 2022 interview with the USS Constitution Museums website. During the interview, Kelley discussed the controversy surrounding an event where he was scheduled to perform at Langley Joint Air Force Base, saying: I was advertised as a drag performer at the event, and it caused an uproar to many conservatives and Christian extremists. Even Fox News host Tucker Carlson had something to say just to stir many right-wing minds.

Though critics have pointed to drag performances as one example of the woke politicization that they believe has undermined the military, proponents have argued that its helped a more diverse group of service members feel more comfortable and accepted in the military.

In his interview for the USS Constitution Museum website, Kelley said a sailor who had watched one of his drag performances on board a ship during a Morale, Welfare, and Recreation event had been convinced not to commit suicide.

Still, some Pentagon leaders have been wary of the opposition to funding or officially sanctioning such events. During a congressional hearing last month, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) asked whether taxpayer funding had gone toward any of several drag performances on military installations. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, the top-uniformed military leader, replied, Id like to take a look at those because I dont agree with those. I think those things shouldnt be happening.

The 14 Republican senators concluded their letter to the Navy secretary by emphasizing past successful military recruiting campaigns promoting patriotism, valor, and the myriad of benefits of serving.

From NTD News
Senators Urge China to Curb Flow of Chemicals Used in Fentanyl Production

Bags of heroin, laced with fentanyl, at the office of the New York attorney general in New York, on Sept. 23, 2016. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

On Thursday, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) urged Beijing to curb the flow of precursor chemicals into Mexico, which are used by drug cartels to produce fentanyl.

China is not doing enough to halt the stream of chemicals that Mexican drug cartels use to produce fentanyl, the destructive drug that has supercharged the opioid crisis raging in communities across America, Whitehouse stated.

In a letter addressed to the Chinese embassy in Washington, the senators demanded that China expand its information sharing on the flow of nonscheduled chemicals and designer precursor chemicals.

They urged China to tighten the enforcement of agreements for the proper labeling of overseas shipments and to implement customer due diligence standards to prevent such chemicals from being illegally diverted.

More than 72,000 Americans died from fentanyl-related overdoses in 2021, the senators said, citing data from the CDC. They claimed that Mexican cartels sourced precursor chemicals from China.

Grassley said it was an evil scheme on the part of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to allow the shipment of precursor chemicals since the CCP knows full well that its chemicals are being used by Mexican cartels to poison Americans.

Its an evil scheme thats killing thousands of Americans every year, including 471 Iowans who were lost in 2021 alone. Anyone who participates in these deadly dealings ought to be held accountable, he said.

US Sanctions 2 Chinese Firms, 5 Individuals

Last month, the U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned two Chinese entities and five individuals based in China and Guatemala for allegedly supplying precursor chemicals to drug cartels in Mexico for U.S.-bound fentanyl production.

The sanctions targeted China-based chemical firms Wuhan Shuokang Biological Technology and Suzhou Xiaoli Pharmatech, as well as four Chinese nationals and a Guatamela-based broker of fentanyl precursor chemicals.

Treasury, as part of the whole-of-government effort to respond to this crisis, will continue to vigorously apply our tools to prevent the transfer of precursor chemicals and machinery necessary to produce this drug, the department stated.

However, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned the U.S. sanctions, saying the move seriously undermines the U.S.-China bilateral cooperation in drug control.

Mexico and the United States agreed on April 13 to ramp up the fight against fentanyl trafficking, as well as drug cartels and their supply chains, in a joint bid to reduce consumption of the powerful opioid.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard during a news conference in Mexico City, Mexico, on June 15, 2021. (Luis Cortes/Reuters)

Both countries have asked China to curb the shipment of precursor chemicals to prevent the production of fentanyl.

Thats our goal, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said in a video released by his office, without mentioning the origin of these chemicals.

Last year, Anders Corr, the publisher of the Journal of Political Risk, said that China played a key role in flooding America with fentanyl, and the regime is now weaponizing the drug issue against the United States.

China is linking the fentanyl issue and negotiations with other totally different issues like [the] Taiwan issue. So when Pelosi visited Taiwan, one of the ways in which China retaliated against the United States was to cease negotiations over the fentanyl issue, Corr told NTD, a sister media outlet of The Epoch Times.

The CCP adopted a range of retaliatory measures against the United States in the aftermath of then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosis (D-Calif.) trip to Taiwan last August.

Corr said there are labs in China producing precursor chemicals, but that China has not done what it needs to do to shut down these labs, that they have to shut down the precursor trade.

The Biden administration is trying to negotiate with them to make changes to get more controls on the precursor chemicals that are used in fentanyl. And China just isnt budging, Corr said.

Hannah Ng, Tiffany Meier, and Reuters contributed to this report.
Senators Want US to Invest in Defense Startups to Compete With China

A bipartisan group of lawmakers from both chambers of Congress introduced the Investing in American Defense Technologies Act on May 4 to strengthen the United States competitiveness with China in advanced defense capabilities.

The billsponsored by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas)will encourage private capital investment in small defense firms producing advanced capabilities such as hypersonics.

The bicameral bill aims to boost cutting-edge defense technology production and make the United States more competitive against rivals such as China, the lawmakers said in a press release.

When it comes to maintaining the United States edge in advanced defense capabilities, we cannot afford to fall behind China, Rosen said in the release.

Rosen said the bipartisan bill would encourage establishing a publicprivate partnership to enable American defense-focused small businesses to succeed and scale their advanced technology innovations.

The number of small defense-centric companies in the United States has shrunk by more than 40 percent in the past decade owing to a lack of private capital, stunting growth and innovation in the field, they stated.

Houlahan said the bill would not only bolster U.S. defense technology and capabilities against foreign adversaries, but also accelerate growth and support small American defense businesses.

Strategic competition with our adversaries is a huge concern for American security, especially when it comes to the speed at which we are advancing our technologies, Houlahan stated.

We must work with Americas entrepreneurial strength to prevent future technological and security weakness.

China Could Outgun US

By 2030, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is expected to field 1,000 nuclear weapons, many of which will be capable of carrying multiple warheads. The regime is working to field hypersonic bombardment systems designed to be used as a first-strike weapon.

Such capabilities would put the United States at grave risk in a war and would present a decision-making dynamic among both militaries unseen since the Cold War.

Retired U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding said the United States ability to project power across 3,000 miles of the Pacific Ocean is sorely lacking.

Brig. Gen. Robert Spalding (Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

Spalding said the United States wouldnt be able to defeat China in a war over Taiwan because the CCP has too many weapons, and they are too close to home.

The U.S. could not muster enough combat power to stop China, he said.

The CCP views Taiwan as a renegade province that must be united with mainland China by any means necessary, even though Taiwan has never been ruled by the CCP and has its own democratic government.

Beijing staged three days of military drills around the self-ruled island on April 8 after Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in California.

Chinese aircraft incursions into the region continued despite that the CCP proclaimed the conclusion of its military exercise on April 10. Taiwans military detected 16 Chinese aircraft and nine vessels around the island on May 3, with four aircraft spotted crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait.

The only weapons that would enable us to balance the conventional military might of China are nuclear weapons, Spalding said. These would give the U.S. a fighting chance but would be devastating for the U.S., China, and the world.

Nevertheless, the surest way to war is to appear weak. This is why it is imperative that the U.S. project power. Today, the only way is with nuclear weapons. We dont have time for anything else.

Andrew Thornebrooke contributed to this report.
Paul Hanrahan enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. (NTD)

SYDNEY, AustraliaShen Yun Performing Arts graced the stage of Sydneys Lyric Theatre in another packed show on May 4.

Formed in 2006, the New York-based Shen Yun tours the globe each year to revive and showcase Chinas traditional culture, believed to be divinely-inspired but almost destroyed by communist rule. Shen Yun declares it is presenting China before communism.

For Mr. Paul Hanrahan, the executive director of Family Life International Australia, a pro-life and pro-family organisation, Shen Yun presented a message of hope.

Chinese culture and the Chinese people, traditionally, have believed in God, and they believe in family values, and the Chinese Communist Party is the anti-thesis of all those things, and suppresses the natural desire of the Chinese people to express their belief in God, and to have the family that they wished to have, and to live the way they want to live. And certainly its a corrupt regime, he said.

And [Shen Yun] actually shows [how] all through history there are corrupt regimes, and they never last, thats the good news. And that truth and love prevail, he added.

Ive Got to Come!: Former Govt. Department Member

Jonathan McLoughlin enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. (Beatrice Lee/The Epoch Times)

Mr. Jonathan McLoughlin is now retired, but he used to be a member of the legal division of a government department. Hed seen Shen Yun once four years ago, and having seen advertisements while on the internet this year, he decided: Ive got to come!

He was impressed by the spirituality and faith that came through Shen Yuns performance.

[Shen Yuns performance] says that communism is atheist, that is true  [Shen Yun also] talked about atheism and evolution, that its no good and that theres a divine being  most people still believe in a God, said Mr. McLoughlin.

He said he believes its important to believe in a God or a Creator because if we dont, we are just like animals.

If you dont believe in a God, evolution means we just keep evolving. But human beings havent evolved, theyve actually gone backward, he said. A lot of faiths dont believe in evolution.

The worst thing about people not believing [in a Creator] is  they think they are high achievers and they think they dont need anything  You just believe in yourself, that you are number one,' he said. Communism doesnt believe in religion; they just believe in themselves, and thats why they are like the way they are.

If you dont believe in a God you believe you can get away with things and there is no justice. You can just do what you want and thats it, Mr. McLoughlin said.

The last time [I saw Shen Yun] I thought to myself, Ive got to see this again. I appreciated it all because it was so visual, he said.

Farmer and Wife Travel 3 Hours to See Shen Yun

John Flanery and Kerryanne Flanery enjoyed Shen Yun Performing Arts at the Sydney Lyric Theatre in Sydney, Australia, on May 4, 2023. (Beatrice Lee/The Epoch Times)

John Flanery drove 3.5 hours to Sydney to see Shen Yun. He and his wife, Kerryanne Flanery, oversee a large farm with about 12,000 sheep and 500-1,000 cattle, as well as 2,000 acres of crop. Their farm is located near Harden, as well as near a large town called Young, which is largely known for being Australias cherry capital.

The choreography is outstanding. Well, obviously the quality of the dancing and the costumes, Mr. Flanery said after seeing Shen Yun for the first time. And the history, its good to learn the history.

He called Shen Yun spectacular.

Classical Chinese dance is Shen Yuns hallmark. Next to Western ballet, classical Chinese dance is one of the most sophisticated and expressive dance forms in the world. It can vividly depict a wide range of emotions and portray timeless virtues, including loyalty and benevolence.

Alongside classical Chinese dance, as well as ethnic and folk dance, Shen Yun portrays story-based dances, telling mini-dramas from ancient and modern times.

The dancing is spectacular. Im gobsmacked, said Mrs. Flanery. Beautiful costumes, beautiful design.  Its fascinating to learn the history. I find that when theyre playing the part I get all shivery  this is the history going back a long time.

She said Shen Yun is stunning, stunningly beautiful.

I cant wait to tell our friends [about Shen Yun], Mrs. Flanery said, turning to her husband, Arent you the same?

Yes, he said.

Both believed Shen Yun should be able to perform in China one day.

But it must be done with the world knowing it and being behind it. Not just these beautiful people going over there and putting themselves in danger, said Mrs. Flanery. She said she is aware of the persecution of Falun Dafa in China, having heard about it from some friends of hers who are Falun Dafa practitioners.

Some of Shen Yuns performers are also practitioners of Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice from China rooted in the principles of truth, compassion, and forbearance.

I think you should be free to follow your own belief, dont you? said Mrs. Flanery, reflecting on Shen Yuns depiction on stage of how the Chinese Communist Party persecutes innocent Falun Dafa practitioners. I think we should all have the freedom to believe what faith we choose.

I cant see why [Shen Yun] cant be performed in China, said Mr. Flanery.

He added that he believes belief and faith are important for people, because it creates a moral standard and within the community that which you tend to live by, and that creates a livable social standard that everyone lives by.

And if you abide by them, I think society is a lot happier, he said.

Reporting by NTD, Beatrice Lee, and Mimi Nguyen Ly.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Shooting Leaves 12-Year-Old Florida Boy Dead at Store

Broward Sheriff's Office Deputies work the scene of a shooting in Dania Beach, Fla., on May 5, 2023. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

DANIA BEACH, Fla.A gunman fatally shot a 12-year-old boy and wounded a man before turning the gun on himself inside a South Florida convenience store in an apparently random attack, sheriffs officials said Friday.

Broward County Sheriffs deputies said Darren Rosenthal, 29, shot a man sitting inside a car outside the Dania Beach 7-Eleven at about 11 p.m. Thursday. He then went inside the suburban Fort Lauderdale store and killed the boy. He then killed himself.

The names of the boy and the wounded man were not released. The man was taken to the hospital, but his condition was also not released.

Detectives do not believe there is any connection between the gunman and the victims; this does appear to be a random act, sheriffs spokesman Carey Codd said at a Friday news conference. There does not appear to be a connection between the two victims.

Store worker Maximo Limas said Rosenthal gave no warning before he started shooting.

The wounded man was chilling in his car, minding his business. Pow, shot him in the neck, Limas told Miamis WFOR-TV. The boy, he said, was also an innocent victim.

The kid just wanted to buy ice cream. Thats all he was doing, Limas said.

Miami-Dade County court records show Rosenthal had several misdemeanor drug- and alcohol-related arrests about eight years ago.

An investigation into the shooting is continuing and detectives are asking anyone with information to come forward.

Broward Sheriffs Office Deputies work the scene of a shooting in Dania Beach, Fla., on May 5, 2023. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)
Short-Selling Comes Under Fire Amid Bank Turmoil

A worker cleans windows at a First Republic Bank office in San Francisco on May 1, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

U.S. bankers are urging federal regulators to investigate the short-selling of financial institutions as regional banks get clobbered in the stock market.

The American Bankers Association (ABA) asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), in a May 4 letter to Chair Gary Gensler, to probe the substantial short sales of bank stocks that the lobbying group says were disconnected from the underlying financial realities.

Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO, confirmed that his organizations members had seen significant short sales of equity securities since the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

While Nichols noted that the ABA accepts that short selling is a legitimate and important financial tool, he warned that it can be a mechanism that can distort the markets through manipulation and abuse.

We urge the SEC to consider all its existing tools and to take measures to reduce the avenues for abusive trading practices and restore investor confidence, the trade association stated, noting that extensive social media engagement of many banks didnt mirror sector conditions.

These measures include, at a minimum, a clear message, and appropriate enforcement actions against market manipulation and other abusive short-selling practices.

Gensler issued a brief statement on May 4 acknowledging the possibility of misconduct in the financial markets.

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler listens during a meeting at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, on Oct. 3, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

As Ive said, in times of increased volatility and uncertainty, the SEC is particularly focused on identifying and prosecuting any form of misconduct that might threaten investors, capital formation, or the markets more broadly, he said.

Regional bank stocks have been hammered since March, especially First Horizon, PacWest Bancorp, and Western Alliance. Year to date, First Horizon shares have tumbled by 55 percent, PacWest has plunged by about 75 percent, and Western Alliance has dropped by 54 percent.

Short sellersinvestors who borrow securities and plan to buy them back at a lower price to pocket the differencehave realized enormous returns in the past two months.

According to data from analytics firm Ortex, short sellers made close to $379 million in paper profits by betting against these three banks. Short sellers also made about $1.2 billion in the first two sessions of May as a result of the sharp selloff in domestic regional lenders.

A Brief History of Shorts

Short-selling serves many different purposes, such as functioning as a check on capital misallocation and fraud. Shorts can also prevent financial bubbles from forming.

Over the years, prominent individuals have held different viewpoints.

Theres nothing evil, per se, about, in my view, about selling things short, Berkshire Hathaway CEO and Chairman Warren Buffett said during the companys annual shareholder meeting in 2006. Short sellersthe situations in which there have been huge short interests very oftenvery often have been later revealed to be frauds or semi-frauds.

Kyle Bass, founder and chief investment officer of Hayman Capital Management, is also opposed to short selling.

Remember folks, when governments and management teams blame their own ineptitude on short sellers, run  dont walk, he wrote on Twitter.

Tesla and Twitter CEO Elon Musk called the practice evil, accusing the participants of being bad people on Wall Street to steal money from small investors. He went as far as demanding it to be deemed illegal.

Some experts say corporate leaders who slam the strategy try to find blame when business fundamentals are weakening.

The U.S. government has banned short-selling in the past.

In September 2008, the SEC announced emergency measures to strengthen investor confidence and restore market stability by prohibiting short-selling for two weeks in about 1,000 financial stocks.

The commission is committed to using every weapon in its arsenal to combat market manipulation that threatens investors and capital markets. The emergency order temporarily banning short selling of financial stocks will restore equilibrium to markets, then-SEC chairman Christopher Cox said in a statement.

According to researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the plan backfired because it failed to slow the selloff in bank stocks and prices continued to decline. Shares only stabilized once the ban was lifted.

The 2008 restrictions did little to slow the decline in the prices of financial stocks; in fact, prices fell more than 12 percent over the 14 days in which the ban was in effect, New York Fed Bank researchers stated in a report. In addition, the authors calculate that the bans increased trading costs in the equity and options markets by more than $1 billion. Moreover, the authors uncover no evidence that stock prices declined following the downgrade of the U.S. credit rating as a result of short selling.

During the financial turmoil in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, there had been discussions about reintroducing restrictions on short-selling, following in the footsteps of South Korea.

Since 2020, Seoul has maintained a ban on short-selling, introduced to mitigate market volatility. However, in 2021, it lifted part of the ban, allowing investors to place short trades for large-cap stocks on the Kospi 200 and Kosdaq 150 indexes.

South Korean authorities are now considering removing the ban entirely this year.

If the dust of the financial turmoil is cleared within a couple of months, we will look into deregulation of short selling, hopefully this year, Lee Bokhyun, governor of the Financial Supervisory Service, told reporters. We will definitely take some measures to make the market more attractive to foreign investors.

Famed short seller Hindenburg Research recently captured business headlines when it announced that it would target well-known activist investor Carl Icahn and his Icahn Enterprises.

Given limited financial flexibility and worsening liquidity, we expect Icahn Enterprises will eventually cut or eliminate its dividend entirely, barring a miracle turnaround in investment performance, Hindenburg Research wrote in a note on May 2. Overall, we think Icahn, a legend of Wall Street, has made a classic mistake of taking on too much leverage in the face of sustained losses: a combination that rarely ends well.

Icahn Enterprises shares fell by about 25 percent last week.
American Express (AXP) CEO Stephen Squeri now has a direct line to legendary investor and No. 1 AmEx shareholder Warren Buffett  and all the business magic that comes with it. It's something Squeri views as a "privilege."

That special access is in sharp contrast to when Squeri first dined with the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK) chairman, known as the "Oracle of Omaha," many years ago.

"It was very intimidating," Squeri recalled in a chat with Yahoo Finance at his downtown NYC office, ahead of Berkshire's big annual meeting in Omaha on Saturday.

"Fortunately, Ken [former AmEx CEO Ken Chenault] was there, and there were other people there. But I looked at that and I said to myself here I am  and I'm senior vice president at the time, which is one of our top 120 people in the company  and in what world did I ever believe I'd be sitting down and having lunch with Warren Buffett. I remember calling my dad and saying, 'I just had lunch with Warren Buffett!'"

About five years into his tenure as head of AmEx, Squeri more fully understands the business and investing magic of billionaire Buffett. The Berkshire Hathaway boss's approach has led to his being a very long-term investor in AmEx, one who has been handsomely rewarded as the financial services company has grown.

The veteran investor's interest in AmEx began in the early 1960s when, in classic Buffett form, he smelled a lucrative opportunity in the heart of a crisis.

In 1963, Allied Crude Vegetable Oil Company founder Anthony De Angelis used its inventory as collateral for loans from more than 50 entities, including AmEx. De Angelis used these loans to drive up prices in the soybean oil market and increase the value of Allied.

Eventually, a whistleblower came forward claiming that Allied was misleading AmEx to get more loans, by filling up oil tanks with water. This was proven to be true, and De Angelis filed for bankruptcy and went to prison for seven years. The impropriety became known as the "salad-oil scandal" and prompted concerns on Wall Street, given AmEx had to pay Allied's bill.

Story continues

Buffett used the opportunity to acquire 5% of AmEx for roughly $20 million.

The credit-card boom of the 1970s and 1980s made AmEx a top player in the market. By the late 1990s, two-thirds of American households had a payments card.

Buffett established his first large position in AmEx in 1991 with a $300 million purchase. Within seven years, he owned more than 50 million shares of the company.

Berkshire Hathaway hasn't purchased any AmEx stock since the late 1990s, but its stake has continued to increase as a result of stock buybacks. Today, Buffett has a $23 billion-plus stake in AmEx, equaling 20.4% ownership.

Shares of AmEx have climbed from around $2.50 in early 1980 to more than $152 currently.

AmEx has more than 77 million cards in service worldwide. Wall Street analysts expect AmEx to post $8.2 billion in net profits this year, which would be up handsomely from $4.8 billion in 2016.

American Express CEO Stephen Squeri reflects on his interactions with top shareholder Warren Buffett through the years.

Squeri has seen the best investing magic of Buffett in the past few years: an unbridled focus on the long term, no matter what is happening in the present day.

"I talked to him [early on in the pandemic] and said to him that, 'Look, the reality is we're probably not going to have a great year. I mean we could actually lose money this year,'" Squeri said.

"As we went through this, he said: 'I don't care about this year, and I dont care about next year. What I care about is that you keep the brand special, that you continue to invest in the brand, and that you retain your customers,'" he added.

Those touchstones are at the heart of Buffett's approach, according to Squeri.

"He looks for good businesses that are sustainable. And he doesn't react to the peaks and valleys. When you have an investor that is focused on the long to medium term like he is, it is easy to make the right decisions for the business."

Buffett's long-term horizon has allowed Squeri more "freedom" to test his ideas as CEO, without fear of the rebuke that often comes from investors more focused on the short term.

The AmEx CEO says he isn't concerned some of the Buffett magic will fade once the veteran investor steps aside as Berkshire Hathaway CEO and hands the reins to likely successor Greg Abel.

"Warren has selected someone who is philosophically aligned with him. And my anticipation is that things will continue as they are," Squeri said.

Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com

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Supreme Court Halts Execution of Oklahoma Death Row Inmate Richard Glossip

Demonstrators gather in the Oklahoma State Capitol on May 4, 2023, to protest on behalf of death row inmate Richard Glossip. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

The U.S. Supreme Court on May 5 granted death row inmate Richard Glossip a stay of execution. At the same time, it considers two writs of certiorari in his murder case.

Glossips attorney is hopeful he is one step closer to saving Glossip from the execution chamber.

We hope that the Court will reverse the decision of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and vacate Mr. Glossips conviction once and for all, attorney Don Knight of Littleton, Colorado, wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

According to the order, the stay is issued pending the courts ruling on Glossips attorneys request to hear his case, find Glossip indigent, and appoint him legal counsel.

The order reads, Should both petitions for writs of certiorari be denied, this stay shall terminate automatically.

File photo of Richard Glossip on Feb. 19, 2021. (Oklahoma Department of Corrections via AP)

Oklahomas Republican Attorney General Gentner Drummond and several pro-death penalty state legislators have joined capital punishment abolitionists in calling for Glossip to be moved from death row.

Drummond believes Glossip is guilty of a crime, but not one he would be executed for. In court documents, he wrote that Glossips initial defense was inadequate, and there is evidence of prosecutorial misconduct that requires his conviction be vacated, and the case tried again.

I am very grateful to the U.S. Supreme Court for their decision to grant a stay of execution. I will continue working to ensure justice prevails in this important case, Drummond wrote in an email to The Epoch Times.

The case has drawn international attention. Talk show host, Dr. Phil, plans to broadcast his show during a rally on the steps of the Oklahoma state capitol on May 9. Noted death penalty abolitionist Sister Helen Prejean has taken up Glossips case as well as the actress Susan Sarandon, who played Prejean in the movie Dead Man Walking, and television reality show personality Kim Kardashian.

Placards used by demonstrators calling for a reprieve for death row inmate Richard Glossip sit in a hallway of the Oklahoma State capitol on May 5, 2023. (Michael Clements/The Epoch Times)

Glossip, manager of a motel in Oklahoma City, and handyman Justin Sneed were convicted of the 1997 murder of their employer Barry Van Treese.

According to court records, Sneed was sentenced to life without parole as part of a plea deal in which he agreed to testify against Glossip.

In 1997, Sneed was a 19-year-old roofer and methamphetamine addict whom Glossip had hired to do maintenance work. When he confessed to the murder, Sneed told police Glossip was afraid that Van Treese suspected him of stealing from the motel.

During a videotaped interrogation from 1997 posted on YouTube by a group called SaveRichardGlossip, Sneed told police Glossip promised him $10,000 if he would kill Van Treese.

The Court of Criminal Appeals for Oklahoma issued an opinion on April 20, 2023, stating that after two trials, five appeals, and two reprieves, the former motel manager had exhausted all his legal options.

Glossip is neither entitled to post-conviction relief nor a stay of execution, the Appeals Court decision reads.

The Pardon and Parole Board denied Glossip clemency during an April 26, 2023, hearing.
TD Pulls $13.4 Billion First Horizon Purchase, Leaves US Bank in Limbo

The Toronto Dominion (TD) bank logo is seen on a building in Toronto on March 16, 2017. (Chris Helgren/Reuters)

Canadas Toronto-Dominion Bank Group on Thursday called off its $13.4 billion takeover of First Horizon Corp., triggering a near 40 percent fall in the U.S. regional banks shares.

First Horizon and TD said in a statement they had mutually decided to end the deal because there was no clarity on when they would get regulatory approvals. TD will pay $200 million to First Horizon, in addition to a $25 million fee reimbursement.

TDs biggest deal to date, which it launched more than a year ago, had faced months of regulatory uncertainty and Canadas No. 2 lender came under pressure from some investors to scrap the purchase after the U.S. regional banking crisis.

A spokesperson for First Horizon said the termination was solely related to TD, which was unable to get approvals, and had nothing to do with ongoing banking turmoil.

First Horizon CEO Brian Jordan told investors that TD informed the U.S. bank that they could not provide an updated timeline for an extension and they could not produce assurance of regulatory approval in 2023 of 2024.

TD declined to comment beyond the press release.

We are surprised that the parties could not come to an agreed upon lower price and believe that there could be broader repercussions from walking away, Barclays analyst John Aiken said.

This could affect the willingness of potential partners to sit across the table from TD in the future, Aiken added.

TD agreed to buy First Horizon in February last year in a deal it said at the time would have made it the sixth-largest U.S. bank, raising its position from No. 8, with about $614 billion in assets and operating in 22 states.

The Canadian bank also has a stake in Charles Schwab, making it one of the most exposed to U.S. markets, and its First Horizon u-turn leaves its U.S. strategy in limbo.

We believe TD shareholders will be concerned about the banks ability to deploy excess capital into the U.S. market given regulatory headwinds that could persist for the foreseeable future, KBW analyst Mike Rizvanovic said.

The collapse of the deal further spooked already shaky sentiment towards U.S. regional banks. Three have collapsed since February after a deposit flight spiraled out of control.

The latest was First Republic Bank, which was taken over by regulators who then sold its assets to JPMorgan Chase & Co. earlier this week.

Average deposits at First Horizon fell 4 percent to $62.2 billion in the first quarter, compared to the end of last year.

Graphic: First Horizons wild ride since deal offer  https://www.reuters.com/graphics/FIRST%20HORIZON%20BANK-M&A/byprlbywzpe/First%20horizon.png

TD, which acquired New York-based boutique investment bank Cowen Inc for $1.3 billion this year, was also in the running for BNP Paribas U.S. unit, Bank of the West, but later lost that bid to peer Bank of Montreal.

ORTEX said on Thursday that TD was still the worlds most shorted banking stock, confirming its position early last month.

By Nivedita Balu and Niket Nishant
The Many Faces of Chinas New Obsession With Exit Bans

Commentary

A recent report by Safeguard Defenders revealed the changing and rapidly expanding use of exit bans by the Chinese regime, targeting ethnic minorities, human rights defenders, businesspeople, and foreign citizens.

The use of exit bans is more complex than a news headline can capture. There are, of course, good reasons for using exit bans, for example, to ensure that those facing criminal proceedings or out on bail pending judicial procedures dont escape. However, in China, exit bans mostly serve a very different purpose. In fact, different types of exit bans seemingly serve several other purposes.

Ethnic minorities, particularly Uyghurs, are blocked from leaving unless explicitly given permission; the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is likely afraid of the damage that the growing Uyghurs diaspora abroad canand already iscausing to China and, in particular, its attempted soft power push. In fact, a 2019 document outlined that merely applying for a passport was a valid reason to place an Uyghur into the labor camps that now fill the Xinjiang region.

Exit bans also apply to Hui Muslims, although more exclusively to curb religious travel, fearing that such could strengthen their religious convictions, which, in turn, represents a clear threat to CCP supremacy.

Extensive use of exit bans against Tibetans goes back further, even decades. For that group, the perceived danger seems to be the continued congregation of Tibetans in northern India and their closeness, physically as well as politically, to the Dalai Lama.

Human Rights Defenders Targeted

More well-known, perhaps, is the use of such exit bans on human rights defenders. Here, a combination of the lawful use of such exit bans, indirect methods such as confiscating passports, and the illegal issuing of exit bans to immigration authorities without any legal basis or process comes into play. Since 2018 at least, such use has swelled from being a rarity to now almost being a norm. Very few rights defenders in China can leave. What used to be a last resort to escape police persecution has now been almost entirely closed.

The CCP not long ago showed its brutality when it had Guo Feixiong stopped at the airport and banned from leaving the country, despite his reason for travel being to see his hospitalized and dying wife. Guo, his wife, and others all called upon Beijing to allow him to leave. The situation became a major news story, and two days after his wife passed away, Guo was taken by police and charged with inciting to subvert state power.

A similar case is that of Tang Jitian, who needed to go to Japan to see his daughter, who had fallen into a coma. It again became an international news story. Tang was disappeared not long after.

Its clear that the main reason for Guos arrest and Tangs disappearance was the attention their cases drew to the CCPs latest tool of repression, using exit bans to target rights defenders.

Of course, indirect exit bans also apply to an extensive part of Chinas extended civil service and public officials. Certain parts of the police force, intelligence officers, and, more recently, even teachers are banned from leaving China except when given explicit approval. In some cases, authorities are fearful that people can be targeted by foreign espionage operations; in other cases, theyre afraid that people can experience things that could undermine their belief in the CCP and the regime.

A balloon is held at a press conference and rally in front of the America ChangLe Association highlighting Beijings transnational repression, in New York, on Feb. 25, 2023. A now-closed overseas Chinese police station was located inside the association building.(Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times)

There are no exact numbers on Chinas growing trend of, like the Soviet Union, forbidding its citizens to leave the country. There are some numbers, of course. Through analysis of judicial decisions in the Supreme Court-run database, Wenshu, one can see that the number of cases that mentions exit bans has increased eightfold since 2016. This puts its use, right now, into the tens of thousands every year and growing fast.

However, it concerns only those cases that are actually uploaded into that database, and a great many arent. It also doesnt, of course, touch upon the use of illegal exit bans against human rights defenders. Nor does it include the millions of people with blanket exit bans on them because of their ethnicity, such as Uyghurs. And it also doesnt include the millions of teachers, police officers, and public officials with indirect exit bans on them. Thus, the real number stands in the millionsif not far higher.

More recently, as China expands its global reachparticularly its ability to force back people living abroad against their will by targeting their family still in Chinaexit bans have been used to threaten family members, with police being frank; if the targeted individual abroad doesnt return to China voluntarily, his or her family members will be trapped inside.

Foreigners Targeted

One part of exit bans that caught the medias attention is that theyre used against foreign citizens, ranging from foreign journalists barred from leaving, usually for shorter periods, to family members being kept in China, sometimes for years, as authorities tried to get their family member to return to face some form of a judicial proceeding. Likewise, foreign businesspeople that end up in disputes with their Chinese counterparts, already disadvantaged in a corrupt legal system, are often prohibited from leaving, sometimes for years.

Some governments, led by the United States, have started responding to this by raising travel advisories on travel to China, specifically highlighting that their citizens can be stranded and trapped for prolonged periods, sometimes as a bargaining chip in a conflict not of their own making.

Alongside the massive increase in the use of exit bans has also come a flurry of legal reform. There are at least 14 key laws and regulations that allow for issuing exit bans, and come July 1, the revised Counter Espionage Law (the 15th revision) will come into force. Several bodies, including non-law enforcement and non-judicial bodies, can now issue exit bans, and they can do so without any judicial process and without the targeted individuals facing any kind of judicial proceeding against them at all. In fact, several laws allow the issuance of exit bans simply because they claim a person leaving could threaten national security or have a negative impact on the national interest.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping can now add another crown to his already crowded head; he has made China second only to North Korea in its embrace of trapping its own citizens inside a cage. A large cage for sure, but a cage nonetheless.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The Racket of Regulatory Capture

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nephew of former U.S. President John F. Kennedy, speaks to people gathered under the Victory Column in the city center to hear speeches during a protest against coronavirus-related restrictions and government policy, in Berlin, Germany, on Aug. 29, 2020. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Commentary

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. never fails in interviews to bring up the problem of regulatory capture. He calls this merger of enterprise and government a kind of corporatism. Thats the older word for the ideology later called fascism. Its the correct label.

He is to be commended for raising the problem, which is a massive drag on U.S. productivity and crying out for a solution.

Lets consider some examples.

I have a friend who owns a small grocery with a butcher shop. They insist on selling grass-fed meat, which they get from Texas. Its then sent to Vermont for processing and sent yet again to Connecticut for sales. For retail sales, its only possible to use a processing plant approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Such facilities are only a fraction of the services on the market. If you dont use them, maybe you can sell your meat direct to the consumer, but you cant sell via retail. In some states, you cant sell it at all.

This, of course, is all in the name of safety, as it has been for a century. For a very long time, small farmers have been going nuts about the system. They are good at what they do and would be thrilled to have a market to make their business sustainable. But its made vastly more expensive or stopped entirely by the regulations.

Who precisely controls the approval process? As you might expect, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) mainly serves the interest of huge agribusiness and the most established industry players. These people use the regulatory system to reduce the competition they face in the free market. By excluding small and often healthier options from the sales options, they entrench their power and harm small farmers and ranchers.

Everyone in the industry knows about this problem. But most U.S. consumers have no clue. They go to the shops, grab their meat, and go without thinking about it. Most people have no idea that meat distribution in this country is wholly under the control of an industrial cartel. Its a reality because of the huge influence that big business has over the regulatory state. Indeed, they are wholly merged.

This is just one small case in point. It might seem small but it affects the whole population. Our meat is mostly corn-fed. Our chickens are pumped up with drugs. As for sausage, lets not go there. Its also a major reason for the inhumane treatment of animals in this country. The big boys like it that way and make it a sport to exclude anyone from the market who has better ideas.

This has created a major problem in the United States. Everyone wants to get healthy these days but we have a very hard time finding healthy food that we can afford. The USDA is the No. 1 contributor to the problem. If they simply got out of the way, and if somehow the claws of private industry were extracted from the agency, we might see more fairness and rationality in the system overall.

How deep and wide is this problem?

Half of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) budget comes from the pharmaceutical industry. The conspiracy is out in the open. When a manufacturer wants a product considered, it fires off a check for $1 million plus to the agency and the product moves to the front of the line. The FDA has every incentive to rubber-stamp high-priority drugs from well-heeled manufacturers such as Pfizer and Moderna.

On Oct. 5, 2021, two very high-level officials with real expertise on vaccinesDr. Marion Gruber and Dr. Philip Krauseresigned in protest as they saw boosters sailing through the regulatory process without proper trials. They smelled a rat and left. This should have triggered the end of the vaccine and a major investigation of the FDA. Instead, the national media largely ignored the entire thing. These two experts made a principled decision. Sadly, not many people noticed or cared.

Thats because the conspiracy is out in the open. Everyone knows about it. No one does anything about it. American health suffers as a result. To put it plainly, this is immoral.

How deep do the problems go? Very.

The major influence of the policies of the Department of Labor are the labor unions, which is why so many of the agencys policies discriminate against non-unionized workers, especially young people who are kept out of the market. The entire agency has dramatically reduced competition in the labor markets.

Reducing competition is what these agencies are all about, and they do it at the behest of the industrial cartels who use regulatory power to shore up their monopoly control.

So it is throughout the hundreds of agencies.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has a revolving door with Wall Street.

The Federal Reserve is the government arm of the private banking industry.

The Treasury Department represents the large bond dealers and always has.

The Department of Defense is thoroughly captured by the munitions manufacturers.

The Department of Transportation is dominated by the automakers.

The Federal Aviation Administration is captured by the major airlines.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development rules at the behest of major real-estate and construction companies.

The Federal Trade Commission is a tool easily manipulated by large industrial interests to keep competition at bay.

The Federal Communications Commission is wholly dominated by big media interests that use the power of government to exclude, punish, and censor alternative media.

The Environmental Protection Agency rules for the biggest polluters even as it pretends to be keeping the environment clean.

And I think by now we all know the truth about the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its a marketing agency for the vaccine makers and dominant pharmaceutical cartel.

And on it goes.

All told, this system constitutes not a free market but a corporatist structure more worthy of Mussolinis Italy than the country that once embraced free enterprise. Once you look carefully at whats really going on under the hood of the regulatory state, you cant help but be stunned.

Why isnt this more controversial in American politics? Few have any incentive to do anything about it. Concentrated interests benefit and the costs are dispersed throughout the population in ways that fleece unsuspecting consumers who themselves are powerless. Why should any politician take up the topic? Political campaigns are funded by the major industrial interests.

In this sense, Kennedy is to be commended for even making this an issue. His preferred solution is to clean up the agencies and he says he knows how to do it. I admit that I have my doubts that its possible. The trouble is that to be captured seems to be baked into the whole reason for the existence of all these agencies.

Have a look at Gabriel Kolkos classic work on the Progressive Era, called The Triumph of Conservatism. What we find here is that the agencies themselves were mostly established by large business interests to stop the growth of competition in their industries. If this is true, it becomes difficult even to imagine what these agencies would do if not impose rules and enforcement on behalf of the dominant market players.

Thats true in health, food, transportation, drugs, the medical marketplace, communications, defense, and pretty much every area of life. The government at this point is a large behemoth that serves not the public interest but private interests.

A better solution is to dismantle them all. Thats the path to genuine free enterprise. That said, at least Kennedy is raising the issue.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
They Are Not Above the Law Warns Detective in Landmark Organ Harvesting Case

A placard outside the trial of Nigerian Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, daughter, and another man, at the Old Bailey in London, on Feb. 7, 2023. (Chris Summers/The Epoch Times)

The detective in charge of the Metropolitan Polices modern slavery team has hailed the organ harvesting conviction of Nigerian Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, his wife Beatrice, and middleman Obinna Obeta as a landmark and said they were investigating several other cases in Britain.

On March 23, Ike Ekweremadu, 60, his wife Beatrice, 56, and Obeta, 50, were found guilty of conspiring to arrange or facilitate the travel of a young man from the Nigerian city of Lagos to London to exploit him for his kidney.

On Friday, Ike Ekweremadu was jailed for 9 years and 8 months at the Old Bailey. Obeta was given 10 years and Beatrice Ekweremadu was given 4 years and 6 months.

The 25-year-old daughter of the Nigerian politician, Sonia Ekweremaduwho has been diagnosed with a serious kidney condition called focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with nephrotic syndromewas acquitted of the same offence.

Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, the Mets modern slavery and child exploitation lead, told a briefing of journalists: It is a landmark prosecution  after a complex investigation and getting to the truth has been challenging and complex. The victim in this case was vulnerable due to his economic circumstances and the political power and wealth of the perpetrators.

Undated images of Nigerian senator Ike Ekweremadu (L), his wife Beatrice (C), and middleman Obinna Obeta (R), who were all convicted after an organ harvesting trial at the Old Bailey in London on March 23, 2023. (Metropolitan Police)

Detective Inspector Esther Richardson, who worked on the investigation, said of the convictions: It sends a message globally that no matter your power and influence, you are not above the law.

It was the first conviction for this kind of offence under the Modern Slavery Act, which was passed in 2015.

Furphy confirmed that the Ekweremadu case was not the only case of organ harvesting under investigation by his team but he said he was unable to give a figure for how many transplants or attempted transplants were being probed.

Furphy said: The United Nations say 10 percent of all organ transplants globally are done on the black market.

The Epoch Times has not been able to find the specific U.N. statistic referenced by Furphy, but the Transnational Crime and the Developing World report (pdf) by Global Financial Integrity (GFI) states: It is estimated that up to 10 percent of all transplants rely on organs that have been illicitly acquired.

A report (pdf) in November 2021 by the U.N.s inter-agency coordination group against trafficking in persons (ICAT) says: Between 2010 and 2018, approximately 300 victims of trafficking in persons for the removal of organs were detected across multiple countries.

The latest data available confirms that trafficking for the purpose of organ removal has been reported in North Africa, South and South-East Asia, Central America, and Europe, it added.

Richardson said: This type of the case, where the rich and powerful are looking to exploit poor and vulnerable people for their organs; we suspect this takes place around the world.

The trial at the Old Bailey heard a 21-year-old manwho cannot be named for legal reasonswas falsely presented as Sonias cousin in a bid to persuade surgeons to carry out the 80,000 operation at the Royal Free Hospital in north London.

The young man had been earning 300400 naira (55 to 72 pence) per day selling mobile phone accessories in Lagos when he was contacted in late 2021 by a strangerObetawho called him from England and offered to bring him to London and find him work.

Upskilling Hospital Staff

Doctors at the Royal Free rejected him as a suitable donor but did not refer the case to the police, who only became aware of the attempt after the man walked into Staines police station after walking 20 miles from Obetas home in south east London.

He initially said he was 15 years old and that age was widely reported by the media but Furphy said: He later admitted he was 21 and said he lied because he needed help.

Furphy said staff at Royal Free had been given significant training in the aftermath of the case and Detective Sergeant Andy Owen said the case had led to some learning at the hospital and staff had undergone upskilling about the dangers of human trafficking.

(L to R) Detective Sergeant Andy Owen, Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy and Detective Inspector Esther Richardson outside the Old Bailey in London on March 23, 2023. (PA)

The donor was rejected by nephrologists at the hospital and the transplant did not proceed, but the couple then sought other donors in Nigeria and switched their attention to Turkey, where the rules on unrelated people donating organs are less strict.

Ike Ekweremadu has been the senator for Enugu West in eastern Nigeria since 2003 and was deputy president of the countrys senate between 2007 and 2019.

Owen said when they discovered the Ekweremadus were a powerful and influential couple in Nigeria they feared it might prove difficult to get him extradited.

We thought it would take years to get them but in June 2022 we found out that Ike and Beatrice Ekweremadu were on a plane at Heathrow airport, Owen told reporters at last weeks briefing.

He said the couple had just flown in from Turkey to see their daughter, who was studying in the UK when she became ill and was undergoing regular dialysis.

Obeta Played Pivotal Role

Specialist officers arrested the couple on the plane but it took three weeks for detectives to locate the house in Londons Old Kent Road where the donor had been staying and to arrest Obeta, who was described as having played a pivotal role.

Obeta was a trained doctor who had gone to medical school with Ekweremadus brother Diwe.

Ike Ekweremadu and Obeta, who both gave evidence, insisted the young man was an altruistic donor and claimed such selfless acts were common among the Ibo tribe to which they all belonged.

But the jury rejected the claim he was an altruistic donor and chose instead to believe the young man, who gave evidence with the help of an Ibo interpreter.

Sonia Ekweremaduwho was later acquitted of an offence under the Modern Slavery Actsitting next to a man who was lined up by her parents to donate a kidney to her, in a restaurant in London in February 2022. (Metropolitan Police)

The witness said: The doctor asked if I knew why I was there and I said I didnt. He said he wanted to do a kidney transplant. I was shocked. That was the first time I heard about a kidney transplant.

He said the doctor told him they would not be going ahead with the operation.

The witness told the jury: The doctor said Im not going to touch you and I should stop worrying and not be afraid, because I was crying and shaking.

When The Epoch Times asked if they believed the donor really had no idea he had been brought over to donate a kidney, Owen replied: The victim maintains that the first he heard about was in the room at the hospital. It is irrelevant whether there was an agreement in place for him to be rewarded or not. The jury agreed that he didnt know before then.

Giving evidence, Obetawho had undergone a kidney transplant himself in London in 2021admitted he had lied on his paperwork, claiming his donor was his cousin, but he said, I was desperate to survive.

Furphy refused to comment on whether Chris Agbo, a Cambridge-based NHS nephrologist, or a medical secretary at the Royal Free, Evelyn Agbasonu, would face charges over their alleged involvement in the Ekweremadu case.

Prosecutor Hugh Davies KC told the trial Agbasonu asked the Ekweremadus for 1,500 to interpret on behalf of the donor and he added it was somewhat extraordinary that, according to the evidence, she appeared to agree to manipulate a second meeting to the advantage of the Ekweremadu family.

Davies told the jury Agbo had arranged Obetas transplantwhich used an unrelated donor from Nigeriaand he added: Whether Dr Agbo knew the claimed family relationship between Sonia Ekweremadu and the donor was false is under investigation.

Organ Trafficking

The ICAT report said: The organs reportedly removed from victims in trafficking in persons or organ removal cases are kidneys, and, less commonly, parts of livers.

Male victims are reported more frequently than women. Children may also be victimised by organ traffickers. Perpetrators of trafficking in persons often belong to complex organised criminal networks, including those acting on a transnational scale, added.

ICAT also said: The peculiarity of this form of trafficking, however, lies in the fact that, due to its specific medical nature, it often also involves health sector professionals, including surgeons, anaesthetists, nephrologists, nurses, ambulance drivers, and other medical specialists.

The ICAT report did not identify any countries in particular but China has been identified in the past as a country where organ harvesting is prevalent.

In 2020, after an 18-month investigation, an independent tribunal concluded beyond a reasonable doubt state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting from prisoners of conscience had taken place for years in China on a significant scale, and was still taking place.

The independent panel chaired by Sir Geoffrey Nice QCwho previously led the prosecution of former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes at the International Criminal Tribunalfound the main organ supply in China came from imprisoned practitioners of the persecuted spiritual group Falun Gong.
It might seem something of a wonderland when viewed from abovethe villages green- and gold-striped landscape weaves a tapestry that stretches toward the horizon, as far as the eye can see.

A long, lonely thread of street prods through the village of Suoszowa, 28 miles northwest of Krakow, Poland. That connects its nearly 6,000 inhabitants and their strangely-slim plots of land. All along the way, houses with brightly colored roofs hug the road as it buckles along its 6-mile traipse through town.

This unique approach to rural planning affords locals the benefits of community and agricultural land. Despite the surreal patchwork of fields, driving through at street level, Suoszowa looks very much like your average small towneveryone knows everyone else.

But there are murmurings in Wonderland.

Locals have mixed reviews about their towns recently going viralagainattracting attention that isnt always wanted. Meanwhile, some have seen drawbacks to living in such a remote place. Do the benefits outweigh the hassles?

An aerial view of the village of Suoszowa, 28 miles northwest of Krakow, Poland. (Olivier Uchmanski/Shutterstock)

Fields stretch to the horizon over Suoszowa, 28 miles northwest of Krakow, Poland. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

The town of Suoszowa, Poland, seen from a birds eye view. (Chawranphoto/Shutterstock)

There are many things to love about Suoszowafor locals and tourists alike. For one, its rich medieval origins have given rise to its popular nickname, Little Tuscany.

Dating back as early as 1315, Suoszowa has seen knightly lords, subjugation into serfdom, and utter devastation during World War I. Over the centuries, it has gone through political strife, power shifts, and religious rebellion.

Today, tourists may visit the medieval stronghold Pieskowa Skala castle, built by Polish king Kazimierz III the Great in the 14th century, which sits atop an escarpment overlooking the countryside on the east end of town.

A towering 98-foot-high limestone column known as the Bludgeon of Hercules stands like a sentinel by the roadside nearbya fine spot for tourists to take photos.

(Left) Pieskowa Skala castle, built by Polish king Kazimierz III the Great in the 14th century, is seen behind the 98-foot-high limestone column Bludgeon of Hercules in Suoszowa, Poland; (Right) Suoszowa seen from on high. (Left: ukasz Smigasiewicz/CC BY-SA 3.0 PL; Right: Olivier Uchmanski/Shutterstock)

An aerial view of Pieskowa Skala castle with 98-foot-high limestone column Bludgeon of Hercules in the foreground in southern Poland. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

Additionally, a string of medieval fortifications known as The Red Trail of the Eagles Nests spans from Krakow to Czestochowa, some 100 miles away; there are breathtaking vistas, cliffs, and ravines scattered throughout; the local mountains are littered with some 400 caves ripe for the exploring.

While many consider the remote village a hidden gem in the mountainous countryside of southern Poland, not everyone agrees. One local says it suffers from last mile syndrome.

Supposedly, we are close to everywhere, but actually far away, dad-of-two ukasz, 38, told the Daily Mail, though he adds, Its pretty here.

View of a house in the village of Suoszowa, 28 miles northwest of Krakow, Poland. (Screenshot/Google Maps)

Crop fields viewed from the air over Suoszowa, Poland. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

You can get to Krakow by bus from Olkusz [a village 8 miles away], but there are only a few of them during the day and they are often overcrowded, so you travel like sardines.

But with all its plots, surely there is much to enjoy in town.

One upshot of Suoszowas curious agriculture is its many food festivals centered around crop tastingstrawberries, potatoes, and suchthese being music-filled gatherings that pop up throughout town.

Part of what makes Suoszowa so special is that locals get to choose how they use their long, spindly plots. That can range from planting crops like rapeseed or berries, to raising livestock, to letting it be without making improvements.

The motley landscape has this aspect of choice to thank for its vibrant chromatic paletteand the fact that people take such good care of their fields.

Suoszowa village in Poland seen from a birds eye view. (Olivier Uchmanski/Shutterstock)

The town of Suoszowa, Poland, features narrow plots of land with various crops and agricultural usages. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

Both locals and visitors find themselves often walking to and from gatherings, due to the villages layout, in part, but also the fact that Suoszowa has no taxis. Yet that poses no issues for some.

Even though the village is long, I have everything within easy reach, shop assistant Martyna, 37, said. The shop, the village hall, the bank, the cliniceverything is within walking distance.

We have a couple of grocery shops selling local products and we have a bakery.

A heart-shaped growth of vegetation seen from over Suoszowa, Poland. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

A dramatic aerial view of Suoszowa, Poland. (Chawranphoto/Shutterstock)

Not all its locals are so fond of the villages tourist boon, though; some have gone so far as saying its unbearable.

Sundays are the worst because then we get all the tourists staring through my window, the villages oldest inhabitant, 74-year-old Stanisaw, said.

Moreover, despite the business tourism has brought, Suoszowa has seen a trend of more of its young people moving away to larger urban centers.

Not to mention that the village has no pub; local youths regularly travel to the nearby village Trzyciaz some 6.5 miles away to cut loose at Klub Apogeum.

Narrow strips of land are allotted to different properties in Suoszowa, Poland. (Courtesy of Magorzata Kindryk)

Suoszowa and its photogenic ribbons of crop fields seen from far above the ground in southern Poland. (Chawranphoto/Shutterstock)

The youngsters are going abroad or to big cities for work, Stanisaw said. And those that are here race their cars and motorbikes up and down the street outside my house.

Nuisances aside, though, certain locals appreciate the unique lifestyle Suoszowa offers.

With all the recent social media attention, they have chimed into the discussion to project a positive perspective.

I wouldnt trade this place for anything else, one local Twitter user wrote. It has its own charm and atmosphere. As the saying goes, theres something about it.

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Its not special breeding but a random quirk of nature that has given this adorable chimera cat from Eastern Europe her beautiful and unique look. Constantly likened to the famous supervillain Two-Face from the Batman comic book seriesbut infinitely sweeterYana has perfectly split facial markings.

She is a mixture of a red dad with a black cat mom, Yanas owner, Elizabeth Rubashko, 28, from Belarus, told The Epoch Times.

The 7-year-old feline earned instant fame when Rubashko shared photos of her on Instagram, with several people going so far as to dye their hair to match Yana.

Someone even got a tattoo of my cat on their arm, Rubashko said.

The web designer, who recently moved to Poland from Belarus, found Yana as a kitten when she spotted an advertisement placed by an elderly couple, and it was love at first sight. Her previous owners had started an Instagram page for Yana, whom they named in honor of the two-faced Greek god, Janus.

At first, Rubashko says, Yana resided with her mom but she was such a naughty kitten that Rubashko brought her to live in her own home: I gave the kitten to my mother, but Yana tore her curtains and peed where she shouldnt. My mom got a bit upset, saying she didnt need such a destructive kitten, so I took Yana with me.

These days, Rubashko laughs when she says shes glad Yana shredded her moms curtains. If not for this incident, perhaps we wouldnt have lived together because my mother and I were located in different cities, she said.

The once energetic and mischievous kitten has now grown into a very gentle and affectionate adult cat.

Previously, she was stand-offish and she didnt like it when we tried to pet her. Now, she happily lies in our arms and sleeps with us in bed on a pillow. We love her so much! Rubashko said.

Besides having appeared in magazines and on television, the beloved Yana has fans all over the world. When Rubashko posted the cats image, she was getting a thousand new subscribers every day on her Instagram channel.

What Yana loves most in the world is to sleep, and every morning, she starts her day watching the little birds outside the window. And Rubashko says the sweet kitty seems to feel her owners mood:

If Im sad, she comes to comfort me and if Im in pain she starts meowing, fussing over me. One day when I hurt myself, Yana instantly came running from another room, calling loudly.

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What is your worst nightmare? When you watch a train speed into the platform, has your brain everdespite all logicsuccumbed to its innate love for drama? Out of nowhere, your imagined body is tumbling hopelessly through the air and into the incoming train.

That thought alone is enough to send a chill down anybodys spine. Yet what if it actually happened? What if it was meant to be and rather than break you down, it opens new doors and brings out the best in you?

Predestined Fate

In the years leading up to his near-death experience, David Ditchfield was dragging his way through life.

Life was a bit of an uphill struggle. Id been living in London hoping to make something of [life] because I left school without any qualificationsIm dyslexic. In all fairness, I think I was just trying to push on all the wrong doors that werent meant for me, he said.



One day, on his way to visit his sisters family, Ditchfield met an elderly couple looking for directions. After he helped them, the lady handed Ditchfield a flyer for a seance and welcomed him to join.

Never a spiritual person, Ditchfield shrugged off the invite without a second thought. Yet, later that night, while nursing a beer in the pub after escaping from the chaos of his sisters kids, he fished out the leaflet and decided, Im going to go.

Inside the packed venue, an animated medium was walking down the aisle calling out messages from the beyond when she abruptly stopped in her tracksenergy shifting as she turned toward him.

Your life is going to change, she said. Theyre not telling me what but just for you to be prepared. Its going to be very big but youll be protected.

A Terrible Accident

In February 2006, Ditchfield was seeing a friend off at the train station when the unthinkable happened. As he leaned into the train for one last goodbye, the automatic doors closed on his thick sheepskin coat.

I pulled and screamed at the top of my lungs for help but the driver did not see me. The train pulled out at a great speed and I was dragged under the wheels, Ditchfield recounted on the podcast Round Trip Death.

It was violent, painful, and immensely terrifying. I was under a moving train and being thrown aroundlike inside a washing machine on full spin.

The train left Ditchfield on the tracks shattered and bruised. His left arm was severed completely from the elbow.

Following the accident, British Rail ran a year-long investigation and stripped the trains carriage door down to its last rivet. At its conclusion, the head of the police told Ditchfield, We banged our heads together. You should not be hereyou should be dead.

Threshold to Another Realm

Throughout the terrifying ordeal and his transfer to the hospital, Ditchfield stayed alert. Thenwhile awaiting surgeryhe was suddenly pulled from the agony and the cacophony of the ER into a realm of absolute peace and calm.

I found myself in what appeared to be a darkened roomI figured I was dead but I wasnt scared. I didnt resist that idea, yet I didnt want to die.

The place was beautiful and filled with orbs of colorful and pulsating lights. The hospital gurney was replaced by a huge slate of rock and to Ditchfields great surprise, his body was whole and healed beneath the blue satin sheet that covered him.

I looked up and there were three symmetrical grids of white lightvery bright and pure white. I couldnt take my gaze away, I sensed that there was a gentle energy healing all the trauma my body had just been through.

Ditchfield then noticed there was an androgynous being with white-blonde hair and a simple black t-shirt standing at his feet. I knew this persons face and I said, Where do I know you from? Who are you? The being smiled knowingly but remained silent.

A while later, two female figures entered the scene and hovered their hands above Ditchfields body. As they slowly ran their hands over the contour of his body, Ditchfield felt a powerful energy that went straight to his soul.

It was an energy of love. They were peeling off all the layers of hurt. All the baggage that Id been carrying all my life was slowly being taken away. They were healing my essence. It was a remarkable feelingthis unconditional love coming through in waves from their hands.

Though the three beings never spoke, Ditchfield was quickly gaining knowledge as they worked. Through telepathy, he understood that the being in the black t-shirt was his most important guardian angel and had been with him through this lifetime and beyond.

I realized that I hadnt just lived this one life. I was reincarnated and will be reincarnated again. I could have been a cat or another person in my past life but whatever it was, my soul was guarded by this particular being.

Infinite and Unconditional Love

Convinced that he was dead and worried about his familys reaction, Ditchfield peered over the edge of the rock hoping to see them. What he saw instead, was a waterfall of stars.

I saw stars tumbling down. I could see shooting stars, colors, and nebulous, beautiful things that Id never seen before with human eyes. I knew I was looking from one galaxy into anotherinto infinity, he recounted.

I felt the [most powerful] energy before I saw itevery molecule in my body was vibrating with pure and unconditional love. I looked past the being in the black t-shirt and saw a huge tunnel of white light surrounded by powerful, rotating flames.

The scene should have terrified him but all Ditchfield felt was love emanating from the center of the pure light. It was then he realized innately that he was looking at Godthe source of all creations.

This was not the image of God that we saw on the ceiling of the Vatican in Rome. I was so overwhelmed that I started to laugh. I was just so happy, Ditchfield said.

[Before this] I had no faith whatsoever. So, to suddenly see all this and realize that there was a Godto feel the pure vibration of love going through mewas really profound.

Then, just as suddenly as he had exited his physical body, Ditchfield came crashing back. In an instant, the pain and chaos of the hospital returned.

From then on, Ditchfield recovered with superhuman speed. Youve been under a train and you cant move, but youre positively glowing! exclaimed a friendone of many who had walked into Ditchfields hospital room prepared to see the worst.

Doctors estimated that he would need to spend at least four months in the hospital recovering. To their astonishment, Ditchfield made it home in just three and a half weeks.

A New Lease on Life

Most people said to me, You must have been really disappointed to come back after all this, but I wasnt. I was charged with so much energy. All I could think of was, Ive got to tell everybody about this! I decided then and there that I was going to paint what I saw.

Art was something Ditchfield had always enjoyed but didnt think he could pursue.

After the accident, however, things started falling into place naturally and help came in many formstwo friends offered him a studio space to work in, then an aunt visited and brought him a canvas, even strangers were stopping in to chat and encourage him as he painted.

I was apprehensive because I had no training and I didnt want to mess it up. However, as soon as I started, I knew I wasnt the only one creating this painting. I was still connected to that other realm and I was being helped, he said.

I became really prolific and I couldnt stop painting. The love that had been given to me gave me a sense of self-worth and confidence to bring out all that creativity within me.

One day years later, Ditchfield received a call from excited friends urging him to watch the news. Hubble telescope had just captured some images from the far side of our galaxy and those pictures looked just like Ditchfields paintingshe had been recreating things from the universe that no one had seen before.

In equally miraculous ways, Ditchfield achieved success both as a composer and a writer.

With only a cheap synthesizer, an old laptop, and basic musical knowledge, Ditchfield wrote his first-ever orchestral piece inspired by his near-death experience. It debuted to a sold-out audience.

Angels Watching Over Us

Looking back on his journey, the biggest message Ditchfield learned from the other realm was that were all loved and cared for. After all, our guardian angels are following us on a day-to-day basis. We just need to accept and tap into that love.

Its all about self-love. Once you start loving yourself with total, genuine, full-on loveyou start to evolve as a person. My music and art were already in methat self-worth gave me the confidence to bring it out and do something with it. Weve all got that.

Before his accident, Ditchfield spent a lot of time worrying about past mistakes, lost opportunities, and the future.

In the realm beyond, there was no sense of time, guilt, or shame. So, all those feelings of worry were a part of the past and I did not even think about the future, Ditchfield shared.

What does exist is the present moment that we are inthe past and the future are not as important as we give them [credit for.] It was really powerful to feel that.
Trudeau Says CSIS Info on Beijing Threats to MPs Never Reached Him

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on April 19, 2023. (The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby)

After initially saying that the information on Chinese regime threats to MPs never left the Canadian Security Intelligence Agency (CSIS), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau clarified on May 5 that it never made it to him.

During the Liberal Party convention in Ottawa, Trudeau was asked by reporters to react to information shared by Conservative MP Michael Chong the previous day.

Chong told the House of Commons that he had received a call from Trudeaus National Security and Intelligence Adviser Jody Thomas telling him that the 2021 assessment from CSIS on Chinese interference had been shared with departments, including with her office in the Privy Council Office.

The report spoke of Beijing retaliating against certain MPs for their stance against human rights violations in China.

Trudeau said it was clear that that information never made it up to the political level in my office, to me, or even to the minister of Public Safety at the time, which differed from a few days earlier, when he said the information had never left CSIS.

On Monday morning, two days ago, we asked what happened to that information. Was it ever briefed up out of CSIS? It was not, Trudeau said on May 3. CSIS made the determination that it wasnt something that needed to be raised to a higher level because it wasnt a significant enough concern.

Trudeau was asked on May 5 who told him that the information had never left CSIS.

I get briefings regularly from various sources. Im not going to go into details on that, he answered.

The controversy stems from a Globe and Mail report from May 1 which cites a top-secret CSIS assessment on Chinese interference.

The assessment reportedly stated that a Chinese spy service had taken specific actions to target Canadian MPs. A national security source told the Globe that Chong was being targeted and that a Chinese diplomat in Canada was also involved.

Chong provided additional context to reporters on May 4 about the call from Thomas.

She indicated that the prime minister did not receive this information, nor did his chief of staff, Chong said.

He added that he should have been immediately informed at the time and that the implicated Chinese diplomat should have been expelled.

Chinese consular officer Zhao Wei is still accredited to work in Canada. Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly told a committee on May 4 that her department was evaluating the consequences of expelling him.
Manufactured Media Lies Can End Democracy: Tucker Carlson Makes First In-Person Speech After Departing From Fox

OXFORD, AlabamaIn his first in-person speech after departing Fox News, Tucker Carlson did not hold back when speaking about what he sees are issues undermining Americalack of truth in the media landscape and a manufactured national division.

I think Im probably the first unemployed person who was ever invited to speak, he opened his speech after a 15-second standing ovation by a full house at the 1,215-seat Oxford Performing Arts Centre on Thursday.

When I accepted this speech  I didnt realize how much free time I would have, he joked.

Fox announced on April 24 that the two have agreed to part ways without explanation, drawing widespread speculation about the circumstances of the departure and whats in store next for the former anchor. The networks ratings have dropped significantly since.

The former news host of Fox Newss top-rated Tucker Carlson Tonight show said that he agreed six months ago to attend Thursdays private fundraiser event, which was organized by Rainbow Omega, a faith-based nonprofit that supports people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

During his hour-long speech, Carlson didnt directly address the situation with Fox News but spoke about Americas political and social issues that he believes can lead to the end of democracy and the enslavement of the American people.

Former Fox News host Tucker Carlson receives a standing ovation at the beginning of his speech at the Oxford Performing Arts Center, on May 4, 2023. (Gary Bai/ The Epoch Times)

Manufactured Division

According to Carlson, what he witnessed at Rainbow Omegas facilitypeoples lives being materially improvedstood in stark contrast to his experiences with American politics and the media industry.

American politics is supposed to be designed to improve peoples lives, but what is the point of it actually? he said. As were worried about these big abstract problems in faraway places, or claiming we can control the weather or whatever were claiming, there are kids with developmental disabilities who have aging parents, and the parents are legit terrified about what happens when they pass.

But he said the ideas promulgated in the public sphere arent only irrelevant to Americans everyday concerns and designed to divide.

Im starting to really believe that the divisions that we see in our society are pretty much manufactured, Carlson said, adding that one example of this is the idea of racism.

Obamas first term was how we were going to get past race. I didnt vote for the guy, but everybody I knew was excited, and so was I, Carlson said. We elect some guy I disagree with, but we get to the point where we stop picking at the scab and move forward as one country. Why wouldnt I be for that? As a Christian, I was totally for that.

But that changed in Obamas second term, he said: Oh no, were not post-racial. All were going to talk about is race and make each other hate each other on the basis of race.

I dont think most Americans hate each other on the basis of their ethnic differences, he added. I think a lot of that is just a lie, actually, designed to distract people.

A cause of this division, Carlson lamented, is what he has observed to be propaganda published by the overwhelming majority of American media.

Why are they not only not addressing the issues that matter? But theyre kind of going out of their way to ignore them? Carlson wondered. They have no idea that the economy is sagging, really? How could you not know that? We have no idea that were actively fighting Russia in a war?

I just think thats at some point, you have to call it what it iswhich is lying, he said. And lying with a very specific purpose, which is to avert your gaze, to pull your attention away from the things that matter. Thats not news coverage. Thats just classic propaganda.

End of Democracy

The democratic system cannot function with dishonesty dominating the public sphere, Carlson indicated.

The first effect is to, kind of, end democracy, he said. The whole idea of democracy is based on the understanding that the people who vote will have some knowledge of what theyre voting onwhat the real issues aretheyll be informed citizens.

But when the media industry is collectively excluding issues that matter, such as crime, immigration, and the economy, the population becomes uninformed, which undermines a fundamental part of democracy. The harm brought by the media industry is compounded by a lack of authenticity from the entire federal government, including politicians from both political parties, Carlson said.

If they cant even tell you the truth about a communicable disease thats killing people, theyre actually lying to you about that, he added. You cant believe anything. Well, thats very bewildering. Thats actually a form of chaos, which is the one condition people cant handle, he said.

This chaos, he added, undermines Americans belief in the democratic process, sets the stage for further division, and leads to a sort of enslavement of the population, Carlson said.

If you can control someones brain and get them to say, I really need to wear a mask inside my car alone to protect myselfif you can get someone to that place where he gets in his Subaru and just instinctively puts on a mask with the windows up, then youve won, Carlson said. Youve defeated them  in the enslavement of people, taking away their choice, and in so doing their dignity, really their humanity.

That is the goal, obviously.

Seeking Truth

The antidote to this, Carlson said in his speech, is to seek truthechoing a statement he made in a video published on Twitter last week, days after his exit from Fox, that truth will prevail.

Seek truth in your human relationshipsalways with humilitymindful that its pretty hard to get to the core truth of anything in this life, he said. And while we may never get to what is the deepest level of truth, we can move in that direction.

He encouraged the audience to tell the truth and not partake in what he says are the lies propagated in society.

We can begin by telling the truth ourselves, Carlson said. What we can control is what we do. And they can impose lies on usit doesnt mean we have to live them.

Because it robs you of the only thing that matters, which is your humanity, your God-given humanity, and it makes you something less than human.

He then encouraged the audience to vote their conscience. Hes pro-life, he said, and votes Republican because of the partys stance on this issue.

Real Charity

Finally, he proposed: I would say just the obvioustry to help actual people.

In other words, whether its your charitable contributions, the checks that you write, or the services that you perform, the deeds that you do  knowing that there is a flesh and blood human being in need, whose life is being tangibly improved by what you dothats what charity actually is, Carlson said.

That ought to be the role of the federal government, Carlson said on a side note.

His love for the state of Alabama aside, Carlson said, a primary reason that he came to speak was that he sincerely supports Rainbow Omegas work, which he said is helping people not in an abstract way, but in an actual way.

Carlson recounted his experience earlier in the day when he toured a facility run by an organization in the region and met one of the participants of the nonprofits program.

The thing that reallyI wont forgetthat really lightened my heart was seeing so people who live there walking down the road  and there were a pair of twins. And this girl turned to me. Her face was so radiant. It made me emotional looking at her, Carlson said. I thought, you know, I dont really understand a lot about God, but Gods on that persons sideGod thinks a lot more of her than he thinks of me.

And I thought: Wow, what a beautiful moment that was for me.
AMN Healthcare Services, Inc. (NYSE:AMN) Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript May 5, 2023

Operator: Good day, and thank you for standingby. Welcome to the AMN Healthcare First Quarter 2023 Earnings Call. At this time, all participants are in a listen-only mode. After the speaker presentation there will be a question and answer session. Please be advice that today's conference is being recording. I would now like to hand the conference over to our speaker, Randle Reece, Senior Director of Investor Relations. Please go ahead.

Randle Reece: Good afternoon, everyone. Welcome to AMN Healthcares first quarter 2023 earnings call. A replay of this webcast will be available at ir.amnhealthcare.com following the conclusion of this call. Various remarks we make during this call about future expectations, projections, trends, plans, events or circumstances constitute forward-looking statements. These statements reflect the companys current beliefs based upon information currently available to it. Our actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements, because of various factors and cautionary statements, including those identified in our most recently filed forms 10-K and 10-Q, our earnings release and subsequent filings with the SEC.

The company does not intend to update guidance or any forward-looking statements provided today prior to its next earnings release. This call contains certain non-GAAP financial information. Information regarding and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to the most directly comparable GAAP measures are included in our earnings release and on our financial reports page at ir.amnhealthcare.com. On the call today are Cary Grace, Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Knudson, Chief Financial Officer; Landry Seedig, Group President and COO of Nursing and Allied Solutions; and James Taylor, President and Chief Operating Officer of Physician and Leadership Solutions. I will now turn the call over to Cary.

Story continues

Cary Grace: Thank you, Randy, and welcome, everyone. AMN continues the strong partnership with our clients and clinicians in rebuilding a post-COVID sustainable workforce, which is evident in our solid first quarter results reported today. The industry landscape is changing, and we are moving quickly to bring clients to the breadth of our solutions to help them with their workforce challenges and needs. The healthcare workforce landscape was shaken by the pandemic. Clients emerge seeking more sustainable and controllable solutions to achieve their growth targets, while balancing quality and cost. We see clients more open to change, looking at new ideas that could help them create a more sustainable workforce. Healthcare professionals are also in transition, focusing on control, flexibility and well-being in their work and open to new options to achieve those goals.

All of this change is complicated by the continued shortage of healthcare professionals, which we expect to be a challenge for some time. Our latest position in nurse surveys shows rising numbers of professionals who plan to change jobs or leave the profession. We expected a direction change in the market this year, and we are making decisive moves to operationalize our growth plans, including technology and analytics to enable more comprehensive and sustainable workforce solutions, greater client focus and enhanced speed and efficiency in bringing all our solutions together to benefit our clients and clinicians. We said last quarter that our solution set would become even more comprehensive and differentiated and it is happening. In recent weeks, our leadership team came together to develop a 12-month plan to accelerate the evolution of our businesses, starting with Nurse and Allied.

We are moving swiftly to the implementation phase with changes that will boost our speed to deliver, provide a unified sales experience our clients desire, and strengthen our value proposition. To drive further engagement with a broader pool of clinicians, we already built AMN Passport into the top rated and powerful mobile app for nurse job search and career engagement, enabling our recruiters to grow their clinician base more effectively. AMN Passport is the only app that combines customized jobs search and engagement, AI job matching, credentialing self-service, and time and pay. We will continue to elevate Passport to be a digital staffing solution for all health care jobseekers at any stage of their careers across all AMN businesses. To help our clients with workforce management, we rolled out several new features this year with more companies to shift-wise, which we believe is the only scalable enterprise VMS platform made for health care.

We have modernized the architecture of our VMS platforms using advanced cloud services and newer web and mobile technologies, bringing a fresh user-friendly interface. Our data cloud for predictive and advanced analytics is powered by Snowflake and other AI technology partners. We also advanced our capabilities to integrate with our clients' HR system to drive digital and automation efficiencies. We have a strong history of flexing our cost structure to meet changes in demand. In this current demand environment, we are closely managing our resources, while also sustainably scaling our cost base through platform integration and automation across AMN. We believe these efforts, coupled with a favorable revenue mix shift will sustain an adjusted EBITDA margin above 15% for the full year.

Our priorities in capital management remains focused on disciplined growth. This year, we plan to spend approximately $90 million on capital expenditures prioritizing the key technology and operational initiatives I outlined. We are also announcing an accelerated share repurchase program given the long-term growth opportunities we see ahead. Our team remains focused on M&A opportunities as well and we are confident in our ability to continue to use M&A to strengthen our solution set and enhance shareholder value. Finally, new leadership will bolster our accelerated transformation with three extremely Qualified executives reporting directly to me, leading areas that empower our delivery of tech-enabled workforce solutions and our focus on client centricity and growth.

Meredith Lapointe is taking a newly created role as Chief Business Officer responsible for strategy, workforce optimization, marketing, and client relations. Meredith is well known for helping build the health care process at McKinsey for the past 16 years. She know the best workforce strategy is being implemented today and is uniquely qualified to foster strategic conversations with executives across the health care sector. Meredith was drawn to AMN by our powerful set of workforce solutions and technology, the opportunity to create value in our client partnerships, and the strong values and culture of our organization. Pat McCall is coming to AMN to serve as our Chief Growth Officer. Pat's background as a senior strategic sales leader with People 2.0, Randstad Beeline and other top players already brought him recognition as one of the staffing industry's most influential leaders.

Pat is the ideal leader to develop and operationalize and enterprise-wide growth acceleration focused around innovative technology and services. Similar to our other two segments, our Technology and Workforce Solutions segment will now have a dedicated leader. This important segment will be led by Nishan Sivathasan, who served most recently as our Chief Strategy and Experience Officer, including business strategy and M&A. Meredith, Pat and Sean are the leaders we need to accelerate our progress in key client and tech-driven solutions to become a central partners enabling the future of care. Now, I'll turn the call over to Jeff for the details about our results and outlook, after which I will return for some final comments.

Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com

Jeff Knudson: Thank you, Cary, and good afternoon, everyone. First quarter revenue of $1.126 billion was near the high end of our guidance range with the Technology and Workforce Solutions and Physician and Leadership Solutions segments performing above expectations. Consolidated revenue was down 27% from the peak quarter of the pandemic last year and flat sequentially. Gross margin for the quarter was 32.8% and up 80 basis points from the prior year period, mainly due to a mix shift in revenue towards higher-margin businesses. Sequentially, gross margin decreased 50 basis points primarily driven by the Nurse and Allied Solutions segment. Consolidated SG&A expenses were $206 million or 18.3% of revenue compared with $258 million or 16.6% of revenue in the prior year period and $219 million or 19.5% of revenue in the previous quarter.

The decrease in SG&A expenses year-over-year was primarily due to our efforts to adjust expenses in the current demand environment, along with less variable compensation with lower revenue. Sequentially, lower credit loss expense, variable expenses and legal expenses were the primary reasons for the decrease. Adjusted SG&A, excluding certain non-recurring expenses and stock-based compensation expense was $191 million in the first quarter or 16.9% of revenue compared with $239 million or 15.4% of revenue in the prior year period. The increase in adjusted SG&A margin year-over-year was mainly driven by lower revenue, offset in part by our expense management initiatives. In the first quarter, Nurse and Allied revenue was $824 million, down 33% from the record high of the prior year period and flat sequentially.

Average bill rate was down 22% year-over-year and sequentially was up 3%. Year-over-year, volume was down 11% and average hours worked were down 11%, and average hours worked were down 3%. Sequentially, both volume and average hours were flat. Travel Nurse revenue during the first quarter was $593 million a decrease of 39% from the prior year period and up 2% versus prior quarter. Allied revenue during the quarter was $196 million, down 8% year-over-year and flat with prior quarter. Nurse and Allied gross margin during the first quarter was 25.9%, down 30 basis points from the prior year period and down 70 basis points sequentially. Year-over-year, gross margin was lower, primarily due to lower average hours work. Quarter-over-quarter, higher pay packages and less labor disruption revenue weighed on the margin comparison.

Segment operating margin of 13.8% was 210 basis points lower year-over-year due to lower operating leverage. Sequentially, operating margin increased 110 basis points, primarily reflecting lower credit loss expense. Physician and Leadership Solutions revenue in the first quarter was $166 million, a decrease of 8% year-over-year and 1% sequentially. The Locum Tenens revenue was $107 million, down 5% from the prior year or growing by 11%, excluding pandemic-related assignments and up 3% sequentially. Interim leadership revenue of $40 million decreased 9% from the prior year period and was down 11% from prior quarter. Search revenue declined 16% from prior year and was flat sequentially. Interim and search revenue were down from prior year due to lower demand as hospitals focused on expense management.

Gross margin for the Physician and Leadership Solutions segment was 35.2%, up 20 basis points, both year-over-year and sequentially. The slight margin increase year-over-year was primarily due to improved gross margins for interim and locum tenens, partially offset by mix. Sequentially, margin growth was driven by the interim business. Segment operating margin was 15.1%, which increased 370 basis points year-over-year, mainly driven by lower SG&A expenses. Sequentially, Operating margin decreased 160 basis points, primarily due to favorable prior quarter professional liability and other adjustments. Technology and Workforce Solutions revenue during the first quarter was $136 million, down 6% year-over-year and up 2% sequentially. Within this segment, Language Services generated revenue of $62 million, an impressive increase of 25% year-over-year and 6% quarter-over-quarter.

BMS revenue of $54 million decreased 28% year-over-year and 2% sequentially. Segment gross margin was 71.4% and down 530 basis points from the prior year period and down 190 basis points sequentially. The decrease in gross margin year-over-year was primarily attributable to lower BMS revenue compared with the record high from a year ago. Sequentially, gross margin was lower, driven by a mix shift to language services. Segment operating margin in the first quarter was 49.3%, a decrease of 510 basis points year-over-year and down 90 basis points sequentially. The Consolidated first quarter adjusted EBITDA of $180 million decreased 30% year-over-year and increased 3% sequentially. Adjusted EBITDA margin of 15.9% was 70 basis points lower year-over-year and up 40 basis points sequentially.

First quarter net income was $84 million, down 42% year-over-year and up 3% sequentially. First quarter GAAP diluted earnings per share was $2.02 in the quarter. Adjusted earnings per share for the quarter was $2.49 compared to $3.49 in the prior year period and $2.48 in the prior quarter. Day sales outstanding was 55 days, in line with the prior quarter and two days lower than prior year. Operating cash flow for the first quarter was $43 million and capital expenditures were $17 million. As of March 31, we had cash and equivalents of $29 million, long-term debt of $990 million, including a $140 million draw on our revolving line of credit and a net leverage ratio of 1.3 times to one times. Today, we announced that we intend to enter into a $200 million accelerated share repurchase program in the coming days.

Year-to-date, we have bought back 2.4 million shares of stock for $225 million, excluding brokerage fees and excise tax on share repurchase. As of today, $427 million was outstanding on the repurchase program authorized by our Board of Directors. Moving to second quarter 2023 guidance. We project consolidated revenue to be in a range of $970 million to $1 billion, down 30% to 32% from the prior year period. Gross margin is projected to be 33.4% to 33.9%. Reported SG&A expenses are projected to be 19.1% to 19.6% of revenue. Operating margin is expected to be 10.6% to 11.2%, and adjusted EBITDA margin is expected to be 15.4% to 15.9%. Average diluted shares outstanding are projected to be approximately $39 million. Additional second quarter guidance details can be found in today's earnings release.

Last quarter, we talked about 2023 returning to a normal seasonal pattern after a greater than seasonal drop in second quarter revenue. The pullback in spending by hospitals intensified in recent months. The level of travel nurse demand in March and April lead us to expect the third quarter to be our lowest revenue quarter of the year. Travel nurse demand improved modestly in each of the past four weeks. We expect to finish 2023 with approximately $4 billion in revenue and an adjusted EBITDA margin of approximately 15.5%. This view assumes modest improvement in demand from current levels. Now I'd like to hand the call back to Cary.

Cary Grace: Thank you, Jeff. Before we move to Q&A, I want to recognize the great work that our health care professionals and team members are doing on the job every day. Thank you all for your dedication and your consistent excellence. I also want to give special recognition to our nurses, as we celebrate National Nurses month. Recently, our health care leadership solutions team, known under the AMN and B.E. Smith brand was recognized by Modern Healthcare as the industry leader in executive search. Our congratulations go out to the whole leadership solutions team, which is well positioned to help clients implement their own change efforts in the fast-moving post-pandemic environment. The foundation of our company is our shared values, which are demonstrated in our second annual ESG report.

For AMN, this is not a year reporting exercise. We demonstrate how responsible governance drives better health and wellness, diversity, equity, the quality and inclusion and sustainability across AMN and our community. AMN is an industry leader in ESG performance and disclosure, and that's something we are very proud of. Now, operator, please open the call for questions.

See also 12 Most Profitable Gold Stocks and 16 Best Places to Live in Texas.

To continue reading the Q&A session, please click here.
Tucker Carlson Will Be Able to Reach More People After Fox Ouster: Carol Swain

Dr. Carol Swain, Best Selling Co-author of Black Eye for America: How Critical Race Theory is burning down the house. attended the event of Defending Freedom in American Education in Georgia on Oct. 23, 2021.(Joan Wang/The Epoch Times)

While Tucker Carlson has lost a platform with his departure from the Fox News primetime lineup, retired Vanderbilt University law professor and author Carol Swain believes the shake-up will allow Carlson to share his message with an even larger audience.

I believe that all things work to the good and that Tucker will be given a larger platform, and he will be able to reach more people because of what Fox did to him, Swain told NTD News.

Carlson had led the eponymous Tucker Carlson Tonight on Fox News since 2016, and had been a fixture on the news channel long before that. Carlsons conservative news commentary program had been one of the networks most successful shows, and regularly garnered more than 3 million viewers per episode.

Swain suggested Carlsons break with Fox News could help him carry his views to an audience with a broader range of political views.

As conservatives, we need to be reaching Democrats and independents, a wider part of America, Swain said. And we know that millions of people have heard Tuckers speeches, millions of people have watched what Fox did to him. And I think that will give the Conservatives a bigger platform, if nothing else.

Carlson Ouster Could Unsettle Networks Other Employees

Swain suggested that other Fox News employees may feel a growing sense of unease about their own job security at the network.

The ones that you see that survive, they are the ones that will toe the company line, they are not there  to discover truth or to bring both sides, she said. Whatever the narrative is [that] the network wants to push, thats what they expect their hosts to do. And Tucker had fallen out of line.

Swain said Carlson had taken bold stances in his coverage and was pushing the envelope while working with Fox News.

And so Im sure that he was not surprised when they decided they had to act, she said.

Though generally considered conservative, Carlson regularly expressed populist opinions and spoke of his skepticism of government. He also repeatedly opened his platform to a range of political views, at times bringing on left-wing anti-war activists such as Jimmy Dore and Pink Floyds Roger Waters.

At times, Carlson shared his skepticism of the U.S. governments actionsboth domestically and abroad. In his two-part Patriot Purge documentary special for the Fox News streaming service, Fox Nation, Carlson suggested that federal agents may have played a role in provoking and inciting some of the chaos seen at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Carlson again challenged the official version of government actions at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021 when he aired previously undisclosed security footage from that day that showed police officers peacefully walking around the building with one of the defendants, Jacob Chansleywho is often referred to as the Q-Anon Shaman.

There were many issues that Tucker covered that the other journalists would not touch, Swain said. If Fox doesnt cover it, The New York Times doesnt cover it. CNN doesnt cover it. For many people, its like it didnt happen.

Carlsons Replacement

Many of Carlsons fans have indicated that he was their only reason for watching Fox News, and that they would stop watching the network and unsubscribe from the Fox Nation streaming service.

Fox News viewership during Carlsons former 8 p.m. time slot has also fallen in the days since he and the network parted ways. By the end of the week in which Carlson left, ratings for the 8 p.m. program fell by 56 percent.

Longtime Fox News presenter Brian Kilmeade initially filled in on the 8 p.m. slot, while libertarian commentator Lawrence Jones took over this past week.

Swainwho is African Americanalso shared her apprehension with Fox News naming Joneswho is also blackas a potential replacement for Carlson.

It would look like Fox was using Lawrence Jones, and it would look like affirmative action, Swain said.

Swain said she has received pushback for questioning Fox Newss decision to bring Jones on for the time slot. She said her comments are not meant to criticize Jones, but to instead expose the network for virtue signaling and for its hypocrisy in criticizing affirmative action in other areas of society.

Fox News did not respond to an NTD request for comment about Carlsons departure from the network. A Fox News spokesperson did respond to Swains comments about the networks decision to bring Jones on in Carlsons old time slot.

Dr. Carol Swains comments were disgraceful. Lawrence Jones is a rising star at Fox News and were thrilled to have him on our team, the spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

Fox News did not respond to a request for comment before this article was published. This article has since been updated to include the networks comments.

From NTD News
TurboTax to Pay $141 Million Settlement for Deceiving Taxpayers

New York attorney general Letitia James announced that low-income consumers who had been tricked by the financial software firm Intuit into paying for free tax services will be receiving millions in dollars as a settlement.

The case revolves around Intuits TurboTax tax-preparation software. The $141 million multistate settlement with Intuit was announced last year. The settlement was made after Intuit was charged for deceiving millions of low-income Americans to pay for tax services that should have been free. All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia have signed the agreement.

Around 4.4 million Americans nationwide will receive checks in mail as part of the settlement. In New York, over 176,000 citizens will altogether receive more than $5.4 million. Checks will be mailed throughout May.

Eligible recipients include individuals who paid for filing their federal tax returns via TurboTax in 2016, 2017, and 2018, but were qualified to file for free through the Internal Revenue Services Free File Program.

Most people are expected to receive amounts ranging between $29 and $30. Those who filed for three consecutive years through TurboTax can receive up to $85.

TurboTaxs predatory and deceptive marketing cheated millions of low-income Americans who were trying to fulfill their legal duties to file their taxes, said Attorney General James, according to a press release on May 4.

Today we are righting that wrong and putting money back into the pockets of hardworking taxpayers who should have never paid to file their taxes. I thank my fellow attorneys general for their partnership in this effort to stand up for ordinary Americans and hold companies who cheat consumers accountable.

The Investigation

The New York Office of the Attorney General (OAG) investigation against TurboTax was triggered following a 2019 story by news outlet ProPublica which claimed that Intuit was using deceptive digital tactics to move low-income customers away from free, government-supported tax services to its own commercial products.

Intuit had entered into a publicprivate partnership with the IRS to set up the IRS Free File program that allowed taxpayers earning around $34,000, as well as military members, to file taxes for free. In exchange, the IRS agreed that it would not offer its own electronic tax-filing services to citizens.

Intuit had a commercial service called TurboTax Free Edition that is only free for Americans who file simple returns as defined by the company. Intuit pushed this service, stressing the word free, through multiple ad campaigns.

However, TurboTax Free Edition only provided free services to around a third of American taxpayers, which is far lower than the IRS Free File service that was free for 70 percent of taxpayers.

The multistate investigation found that Intuit conducted multiple deceptive and unfair trade practices to limit peoples participation in the IRS Free File program. The firm used confusing similar names for both the IRS Free File program as well as its TurboTax Free Edition.

Intuit bid on paid search advertisements to direct consumers who were looking for the IRS Free File service to the TurboTax freemium product instead. Intuit also purposefully blocked its IRS Free File landing page from search engine results during the 2019 tax-filing season, effectively shutting out eligible taxpayers from filing their taxes for free, according to a press release on May 4.

Moreover, TurboTaxs website included a Products and Pricing page that stated it would recommend the right tax solution, but never displayed or recommended the IRS Free File program, even when consumers were ineligible for the freemium product.

In July 2021, Intuit withdrew from the IRS Free File program. The company has agreed to refrain from misrepresenting its tax-preparation offerings. Intuit will also design its products in a way that will better inform users whether they are eligible for free tax services.

Settlements in Other States

California attorney general Rob Bonta announced that roughly 370,000 citizens from the state will receive $11.4 million in settlement. Though 70 percent of taxpayers qualified for the IRS Free File program, less than 3 percent used it to file returns in 2020 due to the tricks and tactics employed by Intuit, a press release said.

In Colorado, more than 89,000 individuals are eligible for $2.7 million in settlements. Almost 500,000 citizens from Texas will receive more than $14 million in restitution.

Over 143,000 people in Illinois will get $4.38 million from the settlement. I am pleased that consumers will start to receive checks under the settlement, which holds Intuit accountable for intentionally deceiving taxpayers simply to increase sales of their products, said Attorney General Kwame Raoul.
UK Local Elections Well Run Though Some Voters Turned Away Under New Photo ID Rules: Watchdog

People leave after casting their vote at the polling station in Bridlington Priory Church, Yorkshire, England, on May 4, 2023. (Danny Lawson/PA Media)

The Electoral Commission has said that Thursdays local elections were well run despite some voters being turned away under the newly implemented voter ID rules.

Under the Elections Bill passed in April 2022, those turning up at polling stations are now required to show a valid photo ID before being given a voting slip.

An Electoral Commission spokesman said on Wednesday evening: These were the first set of polls to take place since the voter ID requirement came into force.

Our initial assessment is that overall, the elections were well run. Across the country, votes were cast throughout the day and in line with the law.

This is in large part thanks to the dedication of electoral administrators, who have worked hard to prepare for today and for the implementation of this new measure.

But the spokesman acknowledged that some people were unable to vote as a result of the new photo ID requirement.

He said, We already know from our research that the ID requirement posed a greater challenge for some groups in society, and that some people were regrettably unable to vote today as a result.

Impact Analysis

The commission said it has started work to understand the impact of the new requirement.

It will be essential to understand the extent of this impact, and the reasons behind it, before a final view can be taken on how the policy has worked in practice and what can be learned for future elections, said the spokesman.

He added: We are collecting data from polling stations about the numbers turned away and returning, and carrying out national public opinion research to collect data about voters experiences.

Given the fundamental role played by electoral administrators, it will also be vital that we hear from them about their experiences of the day, as well as other participants in the elections, including candidates.

The commission expects to publish its initial analysis of the implementation of voter ID in June, subject to data being available.

Meanwhile, the Association of Electoral Administrators said voters who feel they have been wrongly refused a ballot paper should contact their local elections office.

Chief Executive Peter Stanyon said: The initial picture is that polling day has run as smoothly as usual, without any major issues. This is testament to months of planning and hard work from returning officers and electoral administrators.

Weve seen many anecdotal reports of people not having been able to vote because they didnt meet new voter ID requirements. If anyone feels they have been wrongly refused a ballot paper, we would encourage you to contact your local elections office with details so they can look into it.

Election Integrity

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the photo ID requirement will help make sure voting is a high-integrity process.

Downing Street said the rules are aimed at preventing potential voter impersonation, rather than dealing with any widespread existing issue of voter fraud.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Suella Braverman listen as they visit a U3A community group at the Chiltern leisure centre in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, on May 3, 2023. (Frank Augstein/PA Media)

Voter ID is not entirely a novelty for the UK, as it has been a requirement in Northern Irelanda British provincefor nearly 40 years.

Voter ID requirements were introduced in Northern Ireland after the 1983 general elections following concerns about the extent of voter fraud in the British province. Since 2003 photographic ID has been required.

According to a briefing paper for the House of Commons, There has been no evidence that the ID requirements in Northern Ireland have affected turnout.

Since 2014, the Electoral Commission has recommended that photo ID should be required in the rest of the UK.

Opposition

Much like in the USA, the issue has become a hot topic in the UK, with Labour calling the new ID requirement a discriminatory policy that will disenfranchise millions of voters.

The Liberal Democrats and the Green Party also oppose the rule change.

Tom Brake, a former Lib Dem MP who currently leads the campaign group Unlock Democracy, called Thursday a dark day for British democracy.

Reports from all over the country confirm our very worst fears of the impact of the disastrous policy which has been made worse by the shambolic way it has been introduced, he said.

One voter turned away is one too many, but early estimates point to many thousands of people being turned away and denied their right to vote. Too many people were unaware that they needed photo ID or werent clear on exactly what type of ID was required.

He said the policy should be paused until an independent inquiry has examined its impact.

But Chris Heaton-Harris, the UK governments secretary of state for Northern Ireland, defended the voter ID requirements.

He said similar measures had been in place in Northern Ireland for 20 years and told Sky News, Its a thoroughly good thing, it means that you can be completely sure that your elections are well tested and safe.

PA Media contributed to this report.
Virginia GOP Asks State to Investigate University Costs, Including DEI Departments

The University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Va., at night on Feb 19, 2017. Thomas Jefferson founded the University of Virginia in 1819. (Felix Lipov/Shutterstock)

Virginia Assemblys top Republicans asked the states governmental watchdog group to study the cost efficiency of public universities and, more specifically, the increasing cost of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) departments on college campuses.

Republicans, Speaker of the House Del. Todd Gilbert, and House Majority Del. Terry Kilgore sent a letter to the executive director of the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Hal E. Greer, requesting that the agency investigate why higher educations tuitions are so high, including the growing DEI departments at many of the institutions.

The GOP letter was sent in the wake of Virginia Democrats criticizing Martin Brown, director of the Office of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion under Gov. Glenn Youngkin, for his April comments at the Virginia Military Institute, where he said DEI is dead.

Were not going to bring that cow up anymore; its dead. It was mandated by the General Assembly, but this governor [Gov. Glenn Youngkin] has a different philosophy of treating people with civility and discourse, Brown said.

Democrats, House Minority Del. Don Scott, and Sen. Scott Surovell criticized Browns statements and sent a letter to Virginias Attorney General Jason Miyares, asking him why the equity office that a 2020 law authorized is not called Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as the law requires.

Virginia General Assembly House of Delegates chamber in session in Richmond, Va., on Feb. 23, 2023. (Courtesy of Vision Times)

Our first question is whether the Governor is bound by Virginia Law because apparently, he doesnt think he is, Surovell wrote in a May 2 Twitter post.

The Governor does not have the legal power to change the names or mission of state employees who are in the Code  Virginias government is a democracy, not a business, he said in a separate statement.

In addition, former Speaker of the Virginia House Democrat Del. Eileen Filler-Corn, Asian American and Pacific Islander Caucus, and the Virginia NAACP have all called for Brown to resign.

In 2020, Democrat lawmakers passed HB 394 to establish the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. However, Martins official title with the state government is Chief Diversity Officer and Director of Diversity, Opportunity, and Inclusion.

Youngkin has repeatedly said he will prioritize equal opportunity over equity.

Governor Youngkin will continue to advance equal opportunitiesnot equal outcomesfor all Virginians, a spokesperson for Youngkin told The Epoch Times in an emailed statement. This is too important of an issue to succumb to those seeking to cancel Chief Brown for challenging the groupthink of the progressive lefts pursuit of equity at any cost.

Meanwhile, the GOP-led House Rules Committee introduced bill HJ 541, which would have funded a JLARC study of the rising cost of public higher education in the commonwealth and possibly eliminate DEI departments to cut costs. The measure identified 18 areas to study, including the number of individuals employed by each public institution of higher education to promote or advance diversity, equity, and inclusion, but failed to pass.

JLARC studied the rising cost of higher education in 2014 and produced a report in November titled Addressing the Cost of Public Higher Education in Virginia. The delegates asked Greer to clarify which of that reports 16 recommendations were adopted by the education institutions.

The House leaders say the tuition for Virginias public universities are some of the most expensive in the nation. The delegates also noted the low enrollment numbers, insufficient student-age population, and increased costs for non-instructional/administrative staff, particularly in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) positions. One such report stated that approximately 1,100 in-state students could receive a full-tuition scholarship for the amount spent on DEI salaries, the letter stated.

According to a Heritage Foundation report, the University of Virginia had 6.5 DEI staff for every 100 professors. A Fox News review found that these institutions top DEI staff earn salaries ranging from $325,000 to $430,000.

The University of Virginia has 94 employees in its department, led by Kevin McDonald, vice president for DEI who makes $340,000 a year, records show. In contrast, an average Virginia full-time professors salary is about $175,000.

The Republicans asked Greer to initiate another report, which would help them better legislate in the coming year.

An updated study and recommendations from JLARC will provide policy and budgetary leaders in the General Assembly with much-needed information as we consider how to address the looming challenges presented in higher education, the GOP letter concluded.
Windsor Police Officer Must Work Unpaid Hours as Penalty for Donating $50 to Freedom Convoy

Supporters of the Freedom Convoy protest against COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions near Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Jan. 28, 2022. (Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images)

As punishment for donating $50 to the Freedom Convoy, a Windsor police officer will have to work unpaid hours after being previously convicted of discreditable conduct.

Const. Michael Brisco, who donated to the Freedom Convoy protest in Ottawa through GiveSendGo on Feb. 7, 2022, was on unpaid leave at the time because he didnt meet Windsor Police Services (WPS) COVID-19 vaccination policy.

Briscos donation was made anonymously, but after GiveSendGo was hacked in February 2022, his name was found in a database of Freedom Convoy donors and made public.

At a penalty hearing on May 4, Windsor police lawyer David Amyot said that while Briscos donation was made from the comfort of his home when he was off duty, the action carried significant, reprehensible repercussions and brought the Windsor Police Service into disrepute.

During the hearing, lawyers submitted two different requests for the number of penalty hours Brisco would have to work. Defence lawyer Shane Miles asked for 40 hours, while Amyott requested a penalty of 140 hours.

The public must be shown that the Windsor Police Service does not condone this behaviour, Amyot said.

Briscos lawyer said the prosecutions proposed penalty was extreme and reserved only for the worst offenders in the worst circumstances, such as an officer convicted of excessive use of force.

I Thought I Was Laid Off

During his initial hearing in February, Brisco, a 16-year veteran of the WPS, testified he did not believe he would return to work as a police officer, thinking he was donating to the convoy as a civilian.

I thought I was laid off, he testified.

The hearing adjudicator, retired Ontario Provincial Police Sgt. Morris Elbers, ruled that the police forces vaccine directive was very clear and there was no reason for Brisco to think he was no longer employed with the service.

The evidence in my opinion is overwhelming, and I do not believe a reasonable person could reach any other conclusion, he wrote.

Elbers said the publics interest in the case looms very large, adding that a significant penalty for the violation would help to repair the publics confidence in Windsor police. He said he will have his decision on or before May 19.

In November 2022, an officer with the Ottawa Police Service (OPS) forfeited 40 hours of pay for donating to the Freedom Convoy protest. Constable Kristina Neilson pleaded guilty to discreditable conduct for donating $55 through GoFundMe on Jan. 23, 2022, and an additional $55 through GiveSendGo at a later date.

Neilson, who joined the OPS in 2012 and had no previous record of substantiated misconduct, was also ordered to participate in a Restorative Justice process as approved by the forces Professional Standards Unit.
708 deaths in GRPs Nagpur Division in 39 months since 2020





Staff Reporter

There is a steady increase in number of deaths reported in Government Railway Polices (GRP) Nagpur Division since the year 2020. In 39 months since January 1, 2020, as many as 708 persons have lost their lives, reveals the response from the office of the Superintendent of Police (Railway), Nagpur, in reply to a query under Right to Information Act. City-based activist Abhay Kolarkar had sought information regarding the deaths in the area under the jurisdiction of the Superintendent of Police (Railway), Nagpur for the period between January 1, 2020 and March 31, 2023. Hemant Shinde, Public Information Officer and Deputy Superintendent of Police (Headquarters), Railways, Nagpur, provided the sought information in reply.

As per the information, as many as 155 persons died in 2020. The number rose to 190 in 2021, followed by a further rise to 298 in 2022. In the first three months of the current year 2023, total 65 persons have died so far. Thus, the data reveals that total 708 persons have died in 39 months, and the number is increasing every year. Further analysis of the deaths reveals that maximum 157 persons died while crossing railway lines at different locations during the above said period. These included 46 each in 2020 and 2021, and 53 in 2022. In 2023, from January 1 to March 31, total 12 persons have died while crossing the railway lines. Another major reason behind deaths in GRPs Nagpur Division is fall from the train. In 2020, total 26 persons died as they fell from the train. The number of such deaths rose to 36 in 2021. It rose further to 52 in 2022. In the first three months of 2023, 15 persons have died under this category. Thus, total 129 persons have died due to fall from the train.
Agitated Bajrang Dal activists vandalise Congress office





Staff Reporter

Congress manifesto promising ban on Bajrang Dal in Karnataka was opposed aggressively in the city on Thursday when agitated Bajrang Dal activists entered into Congress office located in Baldevbagh and caused damage by tearing banners and posters. Irked activists also broke window panes, plastic sheets and other materials kept outside the office. Getting the information of vandalism, a number of senior Congress leaders reached the office. Former Congress City President Dinesh Yadav while daring Bajrang Dal activists said if they wanted to carry out such hooliganism, they should have announced it beforehand. On the other hand, Bajrang Dal spokesperson Sumit Singh Thakur stated that they were only conducting a peaceful protest and that none of their workers were involved in the violence. Instead, it was the Congress party workers who caused destruction while wearing saffron clothing.

Following the incident, a number of police personnel led by CSP Prabhat Shukla reached the Congress office. However, by the time police arrived, Bajrang Dal workers had already caused considerable damage. After the incident, the Congress leaders filed FIR at Kotwali Police Station and requested stern action against the guilty. Meanwhile, as a precautionary measure, heavy police force have been deployed at divisional office of Bharatiya Janata Party at Ranital. The incident has caused resentment among Congress workers. Taking a dig at police and district administration, Congress leaders said despite implementation of Section 144, which prohibits gathering of more than four people in an area, the incident took place, which has left Congress workers questioning effectiveness of law enforcement agencies.

Moreover, Congress leaders have also staged protests at Kotwali police station after the incident and demanded strict action against Bajrang Dal workers involved in vandalisation. Congress party has expressed its disappointment over law and order situation and demanded local administration and State Government to take immediate action to ensure safety and security of its workers and citizens. This incident has caused a lot of tension in the area and the Congress party has vowed to continue its fight against communal forces and maintain peace and harmony in the region. They have also urged police to take strict action against anyone who tries to disrupt peace and harmony in the city and State.
Become the best version of yourself





HELLO Beta! How was your performance? Why do you sound so distressed? I asked my niece who tried restlessly for her elocution inter-school competition. I have known her since childhood, she though tries hard, and gives her soul to whatever she participates in but fails to be labeled as the winner. This experience of mine urged me to ask her how was your performance, rather Have you won? Not because she cannot win but to make her realise that giving your best is equivalent to winning. It is rightly said, Winning means you are doing better than you have done before. Her reply in a groaning voice stunned me For the average child like me winning is just a dream. Does she mean participating or average is equal to nobody? thought reflected in my mind.

In this competitive, fast pace world the pressure to win at all costs is taking a toll on our entire society. Millennials, students, and workers alike are suffering from distress and depression at unprecedented levels. Society keeps telling you to be exceptional. Success gurus are feeding this in our brains too, You were born original, dont die average. All these instead of motivating people create an opposite impact. They tell you to stop being average at anything. Does it mean that being average means you are not worthy of appreciation? In todays society, we often strive for perfection and greatness. We idolise celebrities, athletes, and high achievers and we compare ourselves to their success. We set their perfection as a standard and strive to reach their standard ultimately leading to restlessness and anxiety.

Let us try to understand what average means. According to the dictionary, it means the normal standard. Statistically speaking, the vast majority of us are going to be average means falling in the category of normal standards. It means that we are part of the majority, and we share similar experiences with those around us. We all have our strengths and weaknesses, and we all make mistakes. The moment you embrace who you are- and stop pretending you are exceptional  thats when youll start focusing on self-improvement rather than bragging. It allows us to embrace our imperfections and recognise that they are what make us unique individuals. Sense of jubilation in what you have accomplished is in real terms success, ultimately leading to happiness.

Furthermore, rejoicing being average can help us set more realistic goals for ourselves. We can focus on improving our skills and achieving small victories along the way. This certainly will lead to a greater sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in our lives. Even Bhagavat Gita says, Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana, Ma Karma Phala Hetur Bhurmatey Sangostva Akarmani. This verse encourages individuals to focus on performing their duties and actions with sincerity, dedication, and without attachment to their outcome or results. By doing so, one can avoid being consumed by anxiety, frustration, or disappointment that may arise due to unfulfilled expectations or desires.

Be your own benchmark. Aspire to be the best version of yourself regardless of where you rank compared to others. This practice in turn will help you to become the Best version of yourself. This can lead to a greater sense of gratitude and joy in your life.
Cabinet approves formation of Shri Ramchandra Path-Gaman Trust





Staff Reporter

A meeting of the Council of Ministers was held at Mantralaya under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday. The Cabinet has approved formation of Shri Ramchandra Path-Gaman Trust for the development of Shri Ramchandra Path Gaman areas. There will be 33 members in the trust. It will have 28 ex-officio trustees and 5 non-official trustees. The maximum tenure of non-official trustees will be three years. Expert committees can be constituted from time to time to conduct the activities of the trust. The Culture Department will be competent for the institutional arrangement of the trust. A project management unit will be constituted for the smooth functioning of the trust. It will have a total of 7 posts of officers and employees. Approval has been given for creation of 32 new posts, including Chief Executive Officer, for conducting the activities of the trust. On this the annual financial burden will be more than Rs 1.57 crore.

Increase in financial assistance to writers and artists and their dependents facing financial problems: In the sequence of the announcement of Chief Minister Chouhan, the Cabinet has approved the hike in the amount of assistance to the scholars, litterateurs/artists and their dependents facing financial problems by the Directorate of Culture under the Culture Department. The monthly assistance amount per family artist/writer has been increased from Rs 1,500 to Rs 5,000. Along with this, approval has been given to give Rs 3,500 assistance to the family on the death of the artist/writer. Increase of 150 MBBS seats in Sagar Medical College: The Cabinet has sanctioned the increase of 150 MBBS seats in Sagar Medical College. At present, the admission capacity of 100 MBBS seats approved for graduate course has been increased to 250 MBBS seats. For this, administrative approval of Rs 200.31 crore has been given.

Approval of the scheme Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO): The Cabinet decided to implement the new state-funded scheme Formation and Promotion of Farmer Producer Organisations (FPO) with the aim of encouraging the formation of at least 2 Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) in every development block in the State. Such FPOs will be encouraged in the scheme which have not been formed with the assistance of any other organisation. Handholding will be provided to these FPOs. This will help the FPO members to use quality inputs, advanced agricultural machinery, post harvest techniques. Also, they can be linked to the market. The scheme will be implemented through the Director, Farmers Welfare and Agriculture Development.

Approval of development of e-municipality 2.0 portal: The Cabinet approved the development, implementation and operation of the second phase of the e-municipality project e-municipality 2.0 with the aim of continuing all the citizen services and departmental works being provided through the e-municipality portal through digital means. e-municipality 2.0 portal will be developed in 2 years and it will be operated and maintained for 5 years. This project will be of 7 years. The new system will include 16 modules and 24 citizen services. The project will be based on IT infrastructure and hardware cloud technology. The estimated expenditure on the entire project will be Rs 200 crore. With this, citizens will get services through quick and online medium and departmental works can be implemented with transparent and better management. MoU to develop and operate Datia airstrip under Udan Scheme: The Cabinet decided to execute O&M agreement and CNS/ATM MoU to develop and operate the Datia airstrip under the Udan Scheme by the Airports Authority of India on behalf of the State Government. In the first phase, air services will start on Datia-Bhopal and Datia-Khajuraho routes. Thus air services will be available for common citizens from Datia as well.
EIL to conduct feasibility study of petrochemical complex in Vid





By Niraj Chinchkhede

Paying heed to the long pending demand of a mega project in the region, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) on Wednesday asked the Engineers India Limited (EIL) to conduct a techno-economic feasibility study for a petrochemical complex in Vidarbha. MIDC, which is a nodal investment promotion agency under the Government of Maharashtra, has issued a work order to EIL to conduct the study involving a total expenditure of Rs 2.49 crore.

The public sector engineering consultancy and technology licensing company, EIL has been asked to complete the study within the next 21 weeks, said one of the senior officers of MIDC, on condition of anonymity. The Hitavada has a copy of the work order issued by Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MIDC Upendra Tamore on May 3.

MIDC is exploring the possibility of setting up a standalone petrochemical complex at the Additional Butibori Industrial Area wherein more than 1,500 acre land is available. The petrochemical complex will produce primarily bulk polymers with an aim to attract investment.

Recently, a team of EIL experts visited the Additional Butibori Industrial Area to have a look at the proposed site and to discuss the broad scope for undertaking the feasibility study for the proposed petrochemical complex. Under the techno-economic feasibility study, EIL will carry out a configuration study with various downstream units and identify the best suited configuration based on capital expenditures and operational expenditures. During the recent Maharashtra State Assembly Session in Nagpur, a delegation of Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED) had met Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister of Industries Uday Samant and raised the issues of petrochemical complex. President of VED Council Devendra Parekh, on Thursday told The Hitavada that the NGO has been consistently pursuing the issue for almost a decade.
Analysis-Fewer luxury shoppers but bigger spenders as Chinese return to Europe FILE PHOTO: The luxury retailer Louis Vuitton store at Place Vendome in Paris

By Casey Hall and Mimosa Spencer

SHANGHAI/PARIS (Reuters) - China's five-day Labour Day holiday in early May was once a good excuse for a quick European jaunt - with a side of luxury shopping on the agenda.

But with flights remaining limited after China's border reopening in January, European luxury stores will need to wait longer for the return of masses of tourists they once depended on for growth.

That may matter less to the bottom line of luxury firms than previously thought, although brands and investors are struggling to get a handle on the Chinese consumer recovery as domestic and overseas shopping habits shift after three unusual pandemic-hit years.

When it comes to high-end shopping overseas, retail industry executives and analysts say it may be more important to consider the type of Chinese visitors to Europe rather than just the numbers.

Air ticket prices from China to Europe are up to 80% more expensive than pre-pandemic, according to travel data firm ForwardKeys, and the number of travellers over the May holiday period was 64% lower than in 2019.

Those trickling back to Europe are mostly business travellers and wealthier people who have the means to travel "a bit differently", LVMH Managing Director Antonio Belloni said in an interview.

Chinese visitors to places like Paris and Milan now tend to be bigger spenders who are less sensitive to flight prices and more likely to secure visas because they can demonstrate larger amounts in their bank accounts, said Agility Research and Strategy Managing Director Amrita Banta.

The average transaction value by Chinese travellers in Europe in March was 28% above 2019 levels, UBS said, citing data from VAT refund provider Planet.

Cartier-owner Richemont, Hermes and LVMH were best placed to benefit from wealthy Chinese shoppers, UBS added.

LVMH's Belloni said changing travel trends after the pandemic meant Chinese tour groups would likely be the last to return, if they did at all.

Story continues

Executives have been pressed by investors about how stores would cope with a sharp uptick in traffic, but Belloni said a more gradual return suited the retailer.

"No one is ready to manage a complete change in traffic flows, whether its stores, hotels or airplanes," he said.

Overall, luxury companies are focusing on courting wealthier shoppers with higher purchasing power, including at Gucci-owner Kering, which is banking on new ultra-high-end "salons" offering merchandise priced at up to $3 million.

Luciano Santel, the chief corporate and supply officer at luxury retailer Moncler, on Wednesday told analysts that Chinese travelling to Europe still represented a "small contribution, but it is growing week after week".

Exane BNP Paribas research released just before the Labour Day holiday said industry insiders in Paris and Milan reported Chinese consumers represented the third-largest spend after French and Americans - and sometimes the second-largest at stores in tourist areas.

As wealthy Chinese return to Europe and other foreign destinations, the appeal of China's Hainan Island, a duty free shopping hotspot, appears to be waning among top luxury spenders.

Imke Wouters, retail and consumer goods partner at consultancy Oliver Wyman, said discussions with sales staff in Hainan revealed that as many as 70% of those shopping for high-end goods on the tropical island were making their very first luxury purchase.

China's "higher income, top luxury spenders (are) already travelling abroad again," she said, leading to an observable lower per-capita spend in Hainan.

COMPARISONS WILL BE TOUGH

Luxury firms have reported the beginnings of a consumer comeback since February, led by Hainan, after China's border reopened and the country's wave of COVID-19 infections subsided.

The sector's biggest players, LVMH and Birkin bag maker Hermes have benefited most, as reflected in their global sales growth over the first quarter, up 17% and 23% respectively.

But comparisons will be clouded by the weak performance within mainland China last year, when there were sporadic COVID lockdowns that depressed spending and a major shutdown of Shanghai in the second quarter.

"It will be important this year to look at how companies are performing in comparison with the sector overall," said Jonathan Yan, a Shanghai-based principal at consultancy Roland Berger. "Double-digit growth won't mean a lot on its own."

Oliver Wyman's Wouters said 2022 was a strangely depressed year, but 2021 was a year of unusual growth after the initial outbreak in 2020 led to a massive reshoring of luxury spending to China.

Comparisons with 2019, when as much as 70% of the luxury spend of Chinese consumers was made abroad, are also largely irrelevant, with analysts predicting a return to that level of spending overseas is unlikely, even in the longer term.

"If you speak with luxury brands, they are kind of struggling to see what's actually the baseline to compare with," Wouters said.

(Reporting by Casey Hall in Shanghai, Mimosa Spencer in Paris and Silvia Aloisi in Milan; Editing by Jamie Freed)
FDA seals factory making fries in Govindpura area





Staff Reporter

A factory manufacturing fries, which are eaten with great interest by the children, has been sealed by a team of district administration officials. The complaints against Sona Foods factory located in Govindpura Industrial area, were continuously being received by the Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). Under the campaign to get rid of adulteration, on the instructions of Collector Ashish Singh, a team of the department raided the factory.

The team found huge mess at the spot, amidst which fries were being made. On this, the team of FDA has sealed the factory. Apart from this, the team has taken samples of food items while taking action at different establishments.

District Food Safety Officer Devendra Dubey said that the factory of businessman Indrakumars Sona Foods is located in Govindpura Industrial area. Different types of coloured fries are made in the unit. When the team inspected the factory on Wednesday, there was filth all over. Not only this, the workers working here were also walking on the food items being dried on the ground.

Food was being produced here in an unhygienic conditions. Apart from this, the factory operator did not even get a food license under the Food Safety and Standards Act 2006. Apart from taking samples from this, the construction work has been stopped by sealing the factory. Action taken on the complaints of CM Helpline:

While investigating the complaints received from the Chief Minister Helpline by the Food Security Administration, samples of milk and paneer and gram flour were taken from Omshakti Kirana and Milk Dairy located at Ratan Colony Karond and Pallavi Nagar, Winter Rose Cafe located at Bawdia Kala. During regular checking, coriander, black salt from Jumerati-based Gandhi Traders, handed over from Shri Kalash Traders, black salt and milk and curd samples from Krishna Milk Curd Bhandar, Kotra were taken. On the basis of doubt on the quality, the samples have been sent to the State Food Testing Laboratory, Bhopal.
Flight trial successful at Maa Mahamaya Airport in Ambikapur





Staff Reporter

RAIPUR/AMBIKAPUR,

The Maa Mahamaya Airport located in Darima has successfully completed its testing flight, marking a historic moment for the city of Ambikapur. Health Minister T S Singhdeo and other dignitaries, including Chairman of Medicinal Plants Board Balkrishna Pathak and Chairman of Labor Welfare Board Shafi Ahmed, were present to witness the event.

The test flight, which was taken from Raipur, landed at the Airport at 3:16 pm, with Captain Arpit Balyan and Captain Abhay Sharma as pilots. Captain Balyan commended the excellent visibility and runway, stating that even the biggest aircraft can land and take off comfortably. The inspection team, which included five members of the Aviation Department, left for Raipur after conducting a two-hour inspection of the runway, terminal building, and other facilities. The Health Minister has been closely monitoring the progress of the airport, and after discussions with the Aviation Department, he announced that the DGCA team would conduct the final inspection between May 9 and 12. Once the inspection is complete, the airport will be issued a C-3 grade license, and 72 to 80 seater planes will be able to operate at the airport easily.

Congress workers, led by Labor Welfare Board President Shafi Ahmed and District Congress Committee President Rakesh Gupta, gave a grand welcome to the technical team upon their arrival for the testing. The team was greeted with flower garlands and drums, and they were also presented with a welcome kit. On learning about the test flight landing In-charge Minister of Surguja Shiv Dahariya, Fertiliser Minister Amarjeet Bhagat, MLA Dr Preetam Ram and others reached the airport and welcomed the team. Successful landing of the testing flight at Maa Mahamaya Airport represents a significant development for the transportation infrastructure in Surguja.
Gangster Anil Dujana killed in encounter with UP Police





MEERUT,

UTTAR Pradesh Police on Thursday gunned down alleged gangster Anil Dujana, an accused in 18 cases of murder, in an encounter at a village in this western UP district, officials said. According to police, a Special Task Force (STF) team retaliated when the gangster, recently released from prison on bail, opened fire at them after being cornered. His car had crashed into a pole. The encounter took place on the day of polling for the first phase of the urban local body elections in the state. The Yogi Adityanath governments major poll plank has been its strict handling of law and order.

Days earlier, gangster-politician Atiq Ahmads son Asad Ahmad and his accomplice were shot dead in an exchange of fire with the Uttar Pradesh Police. A couple of days later, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf Ahmad were gunned down in Prayagraj by three men while they were being escorted to a hospital by the police. Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh STF Amitabh Yash said, Anil Dujana, a wanted criminal, was surrounded by our team led by Additional SP of UP STF Brijesh Singh, in a village in Meerut on Thursday afternoon. He fired at our team to escape and was killed in retaliatory firing.

He was recently released from prison on bail and was trying to build his gang again, Special DG (Law and Order) Prashant Kumar said, adding that a case of extortion was also lodged against him at Dadri Police station of Gautam Buddh Nagar. The officer said the State police have been keeping tabs on 65 gangsters, including Dujana.
Go First crisis lifts fares manifold





Business Bureau

With Go First suspending all its flights due to a cash crunch the air fares from Nagpur airport to other parts of the country have shot up manifold. The passengers who had booked tickets are facing a dilemma as the Go First management has not given any indication or announcement as to when the flights would resume operations.

It seems that this situation has benefited rival airlines as they are witnessing huge rise in demand for tickets resulting in fares skyrocketing on various routes, said Varun Sarda of WT Fares.com while speaking with The Hitavada on Thursday.

Sarda further said that there are instances when a traveller makes last minute ticket booking where the tickets are sold for more than 100 per cent. Earlier, the low budget carrier, Go First tickets were priced about 30 per cent lower compared to its competitors. These low prices attracted travellers to book tickets. But, from past few months almost all the flights of Go First would get delayed by 3-4 hours, he said. Considering this scenario, travel agents felt that there was some major issue with the airline. Now, With more than 50 per cent of its aircraft grounded due to engine problems the airline is facing a cash crunch. Therefore, Go First has cancelled all its flights, he pointed out.

At present, travel agents are not booking tickets on Go First although its website is open for bookings from May 9, he added. Apart from this, there are travellers who are booking return tickets to Nagpur at exorbitant prices from places like Mumbai, Delhi, Pune etc. It is important to note that the prices of air tickets fluctuate on daily basis depending on the day, time, demand and supply, route and airline. The travel agents in the city are facing a hard time with no clarity from the airline regarding refunds.
Govt doctors call off strike after HC order





Staff Reporter

Government doctors in Madhya Pradesh called off their State-level protest after the High Courts order on Thursday.

The office-bearers of the associations claimed that they decided to end the strike following the order. However, they claimed that they have been assured by the State Government about action on their demands.

The over 1600 doctors across Madhya Pradesh went on a state-wide indefinite strike from Wednesday. The doctors were demanding implementation of DACP (Dynamic Assured Career progression), along with other long-pending demands to be fulfilled. They claimed that the interference by bureaucrats should be minimised in medical field. Besides, the bond money for rural postings should be minimised. Their strike was announced earlier and on Wednesday they staged sit-in at the hospitals. The strike caused trouble to patients across the State. The district administration had begun making arrangements in private hospitals for the patients. Notably, the HC had taken a stand immediately after the health services were suspended on Wednesday and issued the order.

Dr Avinash Thakur said that they have been assured by the Government and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan for a high-powered committee to look after their demands.
Hemodialysis Fistula Venoplasty facility now available at Super Speciality Hospital





By Shivanjali Verma

Ensuring great relief to needy patients suffering from Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), facility of Hemodialysis Fistula Venoplasty has been started at Department of Neuroradiology, Super Speciality Hospital, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College. Till date, patients had to approach other cities if they had issues like blockage in fistula which costs them hefty in terms of both time and money. Now, the facility is available in Super Speciality Hospital bringing great respite to patients who are already suffering due to kidney ailment.

Recently, the procedure was successfully performed upon a 49-year-old patient who was referred from the Department of Nephrology following complete blockage of dialysis fistula. Dr Nishtha Yadav, Assistant Professor, Department of Neuroradiology, who led the team during Hemodialysis Fistula Venoplasty, told this newspaper that patients with chronic kidney disease need dialysis regularly which is done by creating a high flow fistula in arm/forearm through which dialysis is done. This fistula provides high blood flow needed for successful dialysis. However, due to repeated needle punctures, this fistula can become non functional which leads to difficulty in doing dialysis for these patients. We can open up most of the non functional dialysis fistula by using venoplasty and thrombolysis procedure.
By Manash Pratim Bhuyan

BENAULIM (Goa),

EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday conveyed to his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang the importance of resolving the eastern Ladakh border row and ensuring peace and tranquillity along the frontier for development of bilateral ties. Jaishankar held bilateral talks with Qin at a beach resort in Benaulim on the sidelines of a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). In a tweet, the External Affairs Minister said, the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Jaishankar said the discussions were also held on issues relating to the SCO, G-20 and BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa).

The meeting between the two Foreign Ministers was their second in the last two months. The Chinese Foreign Minister visited India in March to attend a meeting of the G20 Foreign Ministers. On the sidelines of the meeting, Jaishankar held talks with Qin during which he conveyed to his Chinese counterpart that the state of India-China relations is abnormal because of the lingering border row in eastern Ladakh.

The ties between India and China nosedived significantly following the fierce clash in the Galwan Valley in June 2020 that marked the most serious military conflict between the two sides in decades. The Indian and the Chinese troops are locked in a stand-off in a few friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh for the last three years though they disengaged in several places following a series of military and diplomatic talks. India has been maintaining that the relationship between the two countries should be based on three mutuals -- mutual respect, mutual sensitivity and mutual interests.

EAM, Lavrov review India-Russia ties: EXTERNAL Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Thursday carried out a comprehensive review of India-Russia special and privileged strategic partnership in the backdrop of Moscows increasingly frosty relations with the West over the Ukraine crisis. The two Foreign Ministers held an hour-long meeting at a beach resort here in Benaulim on the sidelines of a conclave of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). A Russian readout said, the two sides agreed to continue working towards building a fair multipolar system of interstate relations. Lavrov arrived here on a two-day visit on Thursday, a day after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the Kremlin with drones in an unsuccessful attempt to kill President Vladimir Putin. Comprehensive review of our bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation with FM Sergey Lavrov of Russia. Appreciated Russias support for Indias SCO presidency. Also discussed issues pertaining to G20 and BRICS, Jaishankar said in a tweet.
ONLY PREJUDICE





THE assertion by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Mr. Sharad Pawar in his revised autobiography Lok Majhe Sangati to Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi that an alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was not possible, did not show any ideological stand by the Maratha leader. Much to the contrary, it shows that Mr. Pawar wanted to convert his anti-BJP prejudice into a political benefit of whatever nature. Such prejudices have often altered political scenario from time to time, not only in the case of Sharad Pawar but also in the case of many political leaders and their parties. As for Mr. Sharad Pawar, it must be stated that he has often made compromises with his ideology only to suit his politics of the moment.

This can be understood from the first political coup he staged when he quit Congress party and aligned with the Jan Sangh, the former avatar of the BJP to form Government in Maharashtra many, many years ago. This proves that Mr. Sharad Pawar is a politician without ideology, and has an abiding interest in his own welfare. Another such deception indulged in by Mr. Pawar was when he quit Congress party to form the NCP in protest against the rise of Mrs. Sonia Gandhi as a foreigner hobnobbing in Indian politics. And soon afterwards, he formed an alliance with the Congress party. Then came Mr. Pawars truck with Shiv Sena led by Mr. Uddhav Thackeray, a party whose ideology Mr. Pawar had been opposing for decades on end. Thus, Mr. Sharad Pawar should never talk about ideological divide etc because it has been he who kept making all sorts of compromises only to stay in power. Yet Mr. Pawar shows the temerity to tell Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi that he would have no truck with the BJP! Those who know Mr. Pawar, therefore, also know that this man has little respect for any ideology. All he knows is self-interest, with no interest whatsoever in ideology. This is the worst part of Mr. Pawars personality. But then, most parties with chieftain-like supremos, have had a similar track record. They have formed a negative opinion about the BJP and keep harping on it all the time -- that they would have no truck with the BJP on the basis of so-called ideological differences.

Of course, neither Prime Minister Mr. Modi, nor the BJP is bothered about such turncoat politicians. They are busy conducting their own affairs with efficiency and dynamism, two qualities that is not possessed by any non-BJP party. In fact, the BJP and its leadership must be laughing their guts out when Opposition parties or their leaders -- like Mr. Sharad Pawar -- keep making such mistakes. For, with such an approach, the Opposition parties are offering the BJP a singular position in peoples minds.

The benefit, thus, is for the BJP to have. When Opposition parties are engaged in BJP-bashing on this or that count -- count or even no count, the BJP leadership engages itself with the task of promoting its own party into different areas in the country. While writing about his so-called refusal to have any truck with the BJP, Mr. Pawar might have felt good for himself. However, subsequent developments proved Mr. Pawar wrong. Those developments made Mr. Sharad Pawar look like a minion rather than a political titan.

But what operates in such decisions is only prejudice and nothing else. It keeps Opposition parties keyed up against the BJP for so sensible reason. As a result, most non-BJP parties suffer at the hustings on a regular basis. They may garner a few seats, but the advantage the BJP has is far greater than any gain to the Opposition parties. These parties have no steadfast faith in their respective ideologies and are known to make compromises on that issue all the time.
Opposition grills ruling party over heavy waterlogging, stages protest





Staff Reporter

The general House meeting of Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC), on Thursday witnessed great uproar as Opposition BJP corporators grilled the ruling party over heavy waterlogging occurred recently in the city. They said the JMC administration makes hollow claims of ensuring proper cleaning of drains and nullahs to rid people of such situation.

Opposition members said the unseasonal rains have exposed all tall claims of the Mayor and Health Department of JMC. They demanded that the civic body must start special drive and clean all big and small drains and nullahs from now onwards to avoid waterlogging during rainy season. To express ire over inconvenience caused to people due to water-logging caused in many areas of the city, Opposition members also staged a massive protest outside Pt Bhawani Prasad Tiwari auditorium. The general house meeting of JMC was organised to discuss various significant issues, on Thursday. But opening front against the ruling party for their alleged failures to avoid waterlogging in the city, Opposition members created ruckus inside and outside the meeting hall. As soon as the meeting started, Opposition leader Kamlesh Agrawal accused the ruling party of not providing relief to people who were suffering due to water-logging caused by recent rains throughout the city. He stated that despite continuous calls from affected citizens to flood control room of JMC and senior officials concerned, they did not receive any assistance.

Agrawal argued that if the drains and nullahs had been cleaned, water-logging could have been avoided, but even after deploying big sanitation staff, job was not done properly and no action was taken against responsible officials.

Following the same, the Opposition corporators staged a sit-in outside the meeting hall, shouted slogans against Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh. After a long sit-in, they finally entered the meeting hall and discussions began on agenda items that were postponed from the previous meeting. The Mayor assured the House members that JMC is taking all necessary steps to avoid such situation in future and it will not let citizens face water-logging during rains.
Connecticut's settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is not a done deal. But one of its key provisions is being carried out at the medical campus of the states flagship public university.

UConn Health has taken down signs on its campus in Farmington that commemorated donations by late Purdue co-founder Raymond Sackler and his late wife, Beverly Sackler, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned.

The removal of the signage  some of which was taken down as recently as last week  reflects a process started after Connecticut announced in March 2022 an agreement to settle its lawsuit against Purdue and the Sacklers who own the company. In addition to UConn, many other institutions that have received donations from Sackler family members have taken similar actions in the past year, in response to the thousands of complaints that allege Purdue fueled the opioid crisis with deceptive OxyContin marketing.

We obtained consent from the donor to remove recognition following the 2022 civil settlement negotiated by the Connecticut attorney general, which allowed institutions to remove recognition, UConn Health said in a written statement.

Signs with the Sackler name included a plaque taken down on April 28 in UConn Healths Cell and Genome Building and a glass sign removed on April 27 from UConn Healths Academic Research Building, according to university officials.

The UConn Health location was the only site in which Sackler-specific signage was part of the gift agreement, UConn spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz said in an email. And to the best of our knowledge, no other such signs existed then or now elsewhere on our campuses.

UConn Health's former Sackler signs were markers for a Raymond and Beverly Sackler Institute for Biomedical, Biological, Physical and Engineering Sciences and a Raymond and Beverly Sackler Laboratory in Genetics and Molecular Medicine.

The center and laboratory name are defunct. The formerly named center was part of the Connecticut Convergence Institute for Translation in Regenerative Engineering, Reitz said. This Institute was renamed in February 2023 as The Cato T. Laurencin Institute for Regenerative Engineering. Note, there is no name attached to the Laboratory in Genetics and Molecular Medicine.

Raymond and Beverly Sackler lived in Greenwich. Raymond Sackler died in 2017, at age 97; Beverly Sackler died in 2019, at age 95. Beverly Sackler was one of the eight Sackler family members who own Purdue and who were named as defendants in Connecticuts lawsuit against the company, a complaint that was filed in December 2018.

Messages left this week for a public relations professional listed online as a spokesperson for Raymond and Beverly Sacklers family were not returned.

In addition to allowing institutions to remove the Sackler name from buildings, scholarships and fellowships, the settlement agreement that Connecticut Attorney General William Tong announced last year stipulates that Connecticut receive approximately $95 million. The money would support efforts to tackle the opioid crisis, which has led to the deaths of thousands of people in the state in recent years. But Connecticut cannot receive its allocation until Purdues overall settlement plan, which would provide total funding of about $6 billion, receives additional court approval.

The Sackler family amassed its wealth off the pain and suffering of thousands of Connecticut families, and its appropriate that their name be scrubbed from the walls of our public institutions, Tong said in a statement. The important research taking place inside the labs at UConn Health should not be tarnished by the shameful legacy of the Sackler name. I fought hard in settlement negotiations for this principle, and I am pleased to see this step by UConn Health.

Cutting ties

In the past few years, the litigation against Purdue and the Sacklers has prompted many universities, museums, medical organizations and other groups to disavow the Sacklers support. With a collective net worth that has been estimated in recent years at nearly $11 billion, Sackler family members have cumulatively given tens of millions of dollars to such institutions.

Between 1985 and 2014, UConn received a total of about $4.5 million from Raymond and Beverly Sackler, according to university data. Their contributions included $3.1 million to the School of Medicine and $1.2 million to the School of Fine Arts.

Raymond and Beverly Sackler, along with their foundation, were the only Sackler members to donate to the university, according to UConn officials.

The bulk of this giving was in the form of endowments to fund research, programming, student scholarship and/or faculty, Reitz said. They also made more modest donations to other areas, such as Global Affairs, University Libraries and scholarships for Stamford students. All of their substantial gifts to UConn were made prior to 2012.

UConn officials said that they are now working through a process to redirect the remainder of the Sackler donations. They did not specify the remaining amount.

Prior to the decision to freeze spending allocations from those funds, UConns administration worked directly with faculty and staff to decide where to devote the spendable portion of the funds, within the parameters of the stated purpose of the gift, Reitz said. Once the logistical matters are resolved and we lift the freeze on the allocations, they will be redirected as general funding toward those areas, but without the Sackler name attached.

In lawsuits, including Connecticuts, Purdue is accused of wrongful efforts to push the medical community to support greater prescribing of OxyContin, a prescription opioid that has generated billions of dollars in revenues for the company since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1995. But UConn officials maintain that none of the Sacklers contributions constituted conflicts of interest.

None of the funds that were established by Raymond and Beverly Sackler and none of the activities they supported at UConn  nor those that they will support in the future, when unfrozen  are connected to research, teaching or programs on pain management, the marketing of prescription opioids or influencing what physicians prescribe, Reitz said.

In addition to UConn, other institutions in Connecticut that received donations from the Sacklers have distanced themselves from the family in the past years. At Yale University, Sackler contributions included a $3 million donation in 2009 to establish the Richard Sackler and Jonathan Sackler Professorship in Internal Medicine.

Richard and Jonathan Sackler are the sons of Raymond and Beverly Sackler, and the brothers are among the defendants in Connecticuts lawsuit. Jonathan Sackler died in 2020.

Yale reached a decision in 2019 not to accept future gifts from the Sackler family, Yale said in a statement this week. In 2021, the university made a decision to pursue a separation from the Sackler name. The university consulted with Sackler family representatives about our proposed modifications to their prior contributions and appreciated receiving their approval. There is no longer a Sackler chair, and no institute, location or program at Yale bears the Sackler name.

At Greenwich Hospital, the name of the Center for Pain Management formerly included Raymond and Beverly Sackler. A spokesperson for the Yale New Haven Health system, which includes Greenwich Hospital, was not immediately able to explain this week why the Center for Pain Management no longer had the Sackler name. At the same time, the spokesperson said that Greenwich Hospital had not received any funds from any Sackler family members since 2017.

At the Palace Theatre in downtown Stamford, there was an art gallery named after Arthur Sackler, who died in 1987 and was a brother of Raymond Sackler. In early 2020, the Palaces Board of Directors approved decommissioning the Sackler Gallery. Related plaques were subsequently removed from the building.

Also in Stamford, a stone in a glade of Mill River Park bearing the name of Purdue was removed in late 2020 after several hundred people signed a petition calling for the parks nonprofit manager to take out the marker. The companys name was also dropped from the name of the glade.

The stones installation and the naming of the glade after Purdue recognized a $50,000 gift that the company made in 2009 to the Mill River Park Collaborative. In total, Purdue made monetary contributions totaling about $287,000 to the MRPC between 2004 and 2020, according to the organization.
Russia says Washington behind drone attack on Kremlin

Xinhua) 08:13, May 05, 2023

A "No Fly Zone" sign is seen near the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 3, 2023. (Photo by Alexander Zemlianichenko Jr/Xinhua)

"We have this data. The data that was received by our special service," Peskov said.

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Russia has evidence showing that the United States and Ukraine were behind the recent drone attack on the Kremlin, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"We have this data. The data that was received by our special service," Peskov said about an attempted drone attack Wednesday on the Kremlin.

Peskov noted that the United States must understand that Russia is aware of its participation in the terrorist attack, saying that it's important for Washington to "understand how dangerous such direct participation in the conflict really is."

Russia's presidential press service said Wednesday that Ukraine attempted to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin by using two drones to attack his Kremlin residence.

The Kremlin said the military and special services used radar warfare to put the unmanned aerial vehicles out of action.

Meanwhile, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday that Russia's claims are false. He told local media that "there was no involvement by the United States" in the attack.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Ant Group is pictured at the headquarters of Ant Group, an affiliate of Alibaba, in Hangzhou

(Reuters) -Ant Group Co Ltd is considering selling its stake in its virtual banking unit in Hong Kong, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Ant Bank (Hong Kong) Ltd is in talks with potential investors to bolster operations and the plan is preliminary in its preliminary stages, according to the report.

Ant Group's founder Jack Ma gave up control of the Chinese fintech giant early this year, with the company nearing the completion of its two-year regulatory-driven restructuring.

An Ant Group spokesperson declined to comment on the report, saying "We don't comment on market rumours."

(Reporting by Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio D'Souza)
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BRIDGEPORT  More than a week after his shooting death on the citys West Side, Aaron Hunts family has more questions than answers.

Most importantly  could the 25-year-olds life have been saved if police had found him when they responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Denver Avenue the night of April 26, instead of the next morning?

Right now I just want answers. Thats all I want, Hunts father, Geary Hunt, said Friday. I want answers on what took the police officers so long to find my sons body after they came out 12 hours prior to that.

I dont know if my son was dead right after the shooting, but if he had a chance to live, it would have been when they showed up and searched the area like they should have, he said. I just need answers about my sons death.

Darnell Crosland, a lawyer representing the family, said he is preparing a notice of their intent to file a lawsuit against the city to be served next week.

The lawyer said the initial police response to the report of the shooting seems to be very inadequate.

Im not going to accept that a human being could be shot and killed in the city of Bridgeport and be laying next to a car for 12 hours for a passerby to see, he said. We dont know if they could have rendered assistance and saved his life. Was he alive? Was he breathing? Was he gasping for air? For 12 hours? Its crazy to think of that.

Hunt said Police Chief Roderick Porter asked Thursday to speak with his family.

I told him after my son was buried that I would consider that, he said. I havent gotten any apologies. No explanation or anything.

Police did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment Friday afternoon.

Funeral services for the 25-year-old are scheduled for Wednesday in Norwalk, where he grew up.

The youngest of five brothers, Hunt said his son was full of life. A graduate of Brien McMahon High School, he was studying to be an HVAC specialist.

Aaron was a jokester with his brothers. He liked to make people laugh, Hunt said. Hew as raised with love and by love by both of his parents.

The family is going through a lot of pain, he said. I just wish he was still here with me, and I cant have him back.

Police on Thursday identified 27-year-old Andre Johnson, of Bridgeport, as a suspect in Hunts killing, saying he should be considered armed and dangerous.

Police have not released further details about what led to the shooting.

Officers responded to the 100 block of Denver Avenue around 8:15 p.m. April 26 after shots were detected in the vicinity by the program ShotSpotter, Capt. Kevin Gilleran of the Bridgeport Police Departments Detective Bureau said in a news release on April 27. Evidence was collected, interviews were conducted, and the area was canvassed in the ensuing investigation, Gilleran said.

On April 27, a civilian called police around 8:30 a.m. to report finding a body next to a house in the 100 block of Denver Avenue, according to Gilleran. Responding officers located an unresponsive man lying on the ground between a car and a house, Gilleran said. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medics, Gilleran said.

Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of the victim, he said in the initial news release.

A wanted poster distributed by police Thursday said Johnson weighs 150 pounds, stands 5 feet 9 inches tall and has black hair and brown eyes. He is known to frequent Bridgeports West Side, the poster said.

Police said anyone with information should immediately call 911 and follow up with the case officer, Det. Brian Coyne, at 203-581-5223.

Crosland, who represented the families of two Bridgeport women  Lauren Smith-Fields and Brenda Lee Rawls  whose families and subsequently others in the community criticized the police response to their untimely deaths, questioned whether the police department had learned from missteps in those cases.

You would think that a year later we wouldnt be finding dead bodies laying on the street for 12 hours, he said.

The lawyer said the city should take further steps to provide information to victims families.

Based on what were seeing, there needs to be a new department setup controlled directly under the mayor that responds to families of violent crimes in Bridgeport, Crosland said.
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DARIEN  The town of Darien is now the official owner of a 60-acre island worth $85 million.

In March, town officials finalized an agreement to purchase what has been described as one of the most valuable waterfront properties on the East Coast  a that purchase has been over a year in the making. Darien's Representative Town Meeting approved the island's purchase in late June, but the town's ownership was delayed by several months after extended due diligence.

I want to say to our Darien residents: Congratulations - we did it!" First Selectman Monica McNally said in a statement after the 2 p.m. Friday closing. "When this fabulous property became available, right in our back yard, it became my dream to make owning it a reality for Darien residents. We worked so very hard to make the dream come true, but today is only Chapter One on our road to both preserve and revive Great Island."

Until it is made safely accessible, the the property will only be open to Great Island residents and town personnel, she said.

"We will be careful and deliberate in defining our mission for Great Island," McNally said. "We must have the patience to get acquainted with the island before we make irreversible steps. Today ... Darien became a place for all of us to love just a little bit more.

McNally thanked town officials and the property's now former owners, the Steinkraus family, for making the town's acquisition possible.

"None of this could have happened without the willingness of the Steinkraus family, Ned, Eric and Philip, who were open to an offer from the Town for their childhood home," she said. "Their familys legacy with this property will live on forever in Dariens heart."

The property was sold by realtor Jennifer Leahy, of the firm Douglas Elliman.

The closing of Great Island is a huge moment in my career, as it is the second highest sale in the history of Connecticut and the highest transaction ever done by a woman," Leahy said. "More so, it is a monumental moment for the Town of Darien who has chosen to preserve this exquisite land."

Heres what we know so far about Darien's historic acquisition.

What is Great Island?

Great Island was the summer home of William Ziegler in the early 1900s, an industrialist and one of the founders of the Royal Baking Powder Company.

Included as part of the propertys sprawling grounds are nine buildings including the 13,000 square foot mansion, an equestrian facility and panoramic views overlooking Long Island Sound.

Originally packaged as one large property, the island was divided into two parcels  Great Island and the 52-acre Ziegler Farm, still owned by Zieglers descendents, the Steinkraus family, and listed for $85 million by Sothebys International Realty.

Why did Darien buy Great Island?

When Darien entered negotiations to purchase the island, First Selectman Monica McNally repeatedly emphasized the potential of Great Island as a town asset, particularly as it was one of the largest undeveloped pieces of land in the town.

McNally has also repeatedly said she hoped to protect the island from any substantial development. Several developers were reportedly also interested in the property, though the details are unknown.

Great Island is a pristine landscape with approximately one and a half miles of coastline in an environmentally sensitive cove on Long Island Sound," McNally said after the purchase was finalized. "With this purchase, we have prioritized the conservation of this magnificent property, saving it forever from intensive development. We have added significant open space for Darien, which is needed more and more as our town enters a new development phase.

What happens when Darien takes over the island?

Public access to the island was closed off immediately following Dariens acquisition. During negotiations, a number of access and environmental issues were discovered that extended the due diligence period by seven months and lowered the initial price.

The island will remain closed off to the public as initial remediation work is completed.

Who is making decisions about Great Island now?

The town is gathering members of the community to form the Great Island Advisory Committee, which will oversee the initial work to repair the island.

McNally described the first phase of development as the clean slate phase, handling the basic repairs, environmental remediation, street widening and basic infrastructure needs to make the property safe for residents to access.

"This is prepping the island for the next phase, which is the vision phase," she said after the committees approval. "Right now, I think we just want to get people onto the island so they can get a feel of that."

Once the work is completed, the committees charter or membership may be changed once discussions can begin on what the island might become. Past suggestions included recreation facilities like an ice rink, a museum, an amphitheater or a nature conservancy.

Committee members include two selectmen, chairs of the Board of Finance and Parks and Recreation Commission, a member of the RTM and four residents.

After a vote, Mark Adiletta, RTM Public Works committee chair, was chosen to represent the RTM on the committee. Applications for resident slots closed May 1.

How much will this cost?

After the extended due diligence, the propertys cost was negotiated down from $103 million to $85 million, largely because of the additional repairs Darien will have to complete now that it is responsible for the land.

Of the $103 million appropriated to cover the islands purchase, $6.5 million has been approved for repairs and $270,000 in legal fees.

So far the Board of Finance has approved $91.7 million in bonds and bond anticipation notes, which went on sale April 6.

As to the remaining $11 million appropriation, there has been no decision made.

Several members of the RTM finance and budget committee have said they would like the surplus returned to the town and spending decisions to go back through the RTM for approval.
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FLORENCE, Ala. (AP)  An Alabama inmate charged in the death of a jail official who helped him escape pleaded guilty Thursday to escape in exchange for having the murder case dismissed.

Casey Cole White, 39, entered the plea agreement in Lauderdale County Court, avoiding a June trial on the felony murder charge. He continues to await trial on a separate murder charge.

Authorities said White escaped from an Alabama jail in 2022 with the help of Vicky White, the assistant director of corrections for Lauderdale County and a 17-year veteran of the sheriffs office. Law enforcement officials initially thought that the inmate had kidnapped the female jailer but later learned the pair had a jailhouse romance.

An 11-day manhunt for the pair ended in Indiana as authorities caught up with them. Casey White was recaptured, and Vicky White died by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Casey White was charged in her death because Alabama law allows someone to be charged with murder if someone is killed while a felony is being committed.

WHNT-TV reported that Casey White apologized to Vicky White's mother when entering his plea. It wasnt supposed to go that way, he said. He said the pair had fallen in love, and they planned to start a new life together.

One requirement of the plea deal is that Casey White have no contact with Vicky White's family, court records show.

On the day of the escape, Vicky White, 56, told co-workers she was taking Casey White to a mental health evaluation. But authorities later learned no such appointment existed.

Casey White is also scheduled to go on trial this summer for capital murder in the 2015 stabbing death of Connie Ridgeway in Rogersville.
CHICAGO  A preliminary injunction against Illinois ban on assault-style rifles and high capacity magazines has been reversed, meaning the ban again can be enforced by the state.

On April 28, Southern District of Illinois Judge Stephen McGlynn issued a preliminary injunction against the state preventing it from enforcing the ban while legal challenges to it continues.

According to McGlynn's ruling, the ban not only restricts the right to defend oneself but, in some cases, "completely obliterated that right."

In response to the injunction, the state asked McGlynn to stay it pending appeal. After the judge instead scheduled briefings, the state motioned with the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene and reverse the injunction while the case plays out.

Late Thursday afternoon, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Circuit Judge Frank Easterbrook granted a stay on the injunction.

Any response to the motion for a stay must be received by the close of business on May 9, 2023, Easterbrook wrote.

Multiple court moves

On Monday, gun rights advocates appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to block both the state and a local ban in Illinois on the sale and possession of certain assault-style weapons and magazines.

This action took place after a federal district court and an appeals court denied the request for a preliminary injunction.

The state weapons law, enacted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Jan. 10 and called the Protect Illinois Communities Act, affects any "assault weapon or .50 caliber rifle," among other weapons. It provides for residents to possess such weapons on their private property but to register them.

There is no fee for registration, according to Illinois Sate Police, and the endorsement affidavit is scheduled to be available by October 1, 2023, and must be signed under oath and submitted to the ISP prior to January 1, 2024.

The law defines large capacity ammunition magazines or feeds as any "magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, or similar device that has a capacity of, or that can be readily restored or converted to accept, more than 10 rounds of ammunition for long guns and more than 15 rounds of ammunition for handguns; or any combination of parts from which a device described can be assembled," ISP report.

Last month, Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine was among state's attorneys across Illinois who objected to the weapons law. They filed a brief with the Illinois Supreme Court to overturn the ban.

Greg Bishop of Center Square contributed to this story.
ALTON  Two people have been charged in Tuesday's fatal shooting of an Alton teen whose identity authorities have not yet released.

At 12:50 p.m. Tuesday, Alton police responded to a report of a juvenile with a gunshot wound to the chest in the 2600 block of Maxey Street, according to Alton Police Department Chief Jarrett Ford. The victim, a 15-year-old male, was transported to a local hospital by the Alton Fire Department. Despite lifesaving efforts, the teen ultimately died of his injuries.

This is such a tragic loss for our community," said Alton Mayor David Goins. "Losing anybody to gun violence is tragic, but it is especially devastating when it happens to someone so young.

"Our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims family as they grieve the loss of their loved one," he said. "I also want to extend my thanks to the Alton Police Department, especially those who worked diligently on this case, in identifying and apprehending the suspect and bringing quick resolve to this senseless tragedy.

Ford said that, after the shooting, the Alton Police Departments Criminal Investigation Division immediately began investigating the case. Several witnesses remained on the scene and formal statements were obtained.

According to Ford, a search warrant was obtained for the residence and evidence relating to the shooting was recovered.

Throughout the investigation, information led to the identification of the alleged shooter, a juvenile male who was taken into custody. Ford said an adult male identified as Marquan Knight, 19, fled the scene prior to police arrival and was sought as an additional person of interest.

Knight, who was listed as homeless in Alton, was later contacted and taken into custody in the 2000 block of Central Avenue by detectives.

According to Ford, at about 8:41 p.m. on May 1, Alton police responded to the area of Main and Maxey streets for a report of several gunshots being fired. Officers recovered evidence of a firearm being discharged, Ford said, but none of the involved parties were located.

Ford said statements obtained during the May 2 death investigation helped connect the two incidents.

On Wednesday the Madison County States Attorneys Office reviewed the facts of these cases and charged an unnamed juvenile male with involuntary manslaughter, reckless discharge of a firearm, and aggravated discharge of a firearm.

Ford said the juvenile is currently being held at the Madison County Juvenile Detention Center.

Knight also has been charged with unlawful possession of a stolen firearm and aggravated unlawful use of weapons. Judge Ryan Jumper signed an arrest warrant for Knight and set bond at $100,000.

The Alton Police Department is continuing the investigation in conjunction with members of the Madison County Coroners Office and the Illinois State Police.

This unfortunate but quick investigation led to the seizure of two firearms being taken off of our streets, and out of the hands of individuals who are not of legal age to possess them," said Ford.

"I make a plea to the public that, if you are aware of teenagers who are in possession of firearms, to contact the police or to safely turn over these firearms to trusted authorities, so that these tragic deaths of our children do not continue to happen," he said. "I again offer my sincere condolences to the family of the victim.

Ford noted the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
KINSHASA, Congo (AP)  More than 100 people were killed in flooding and landslides brought on by torrential overnight rains in eastern Congo's South Kivu province, a local official said Friday.

Thomas Bakenge, a regional government official gave the estimate after overseeing recovery efforts in the affected territory of Kalehe, calling the scale of destruction "enormous, beyond words ... whole houses were carried away." He said bodies were still being collected from the shores of the nearby Lake Kivu.
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Linkedin Felix Martua (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, May 5, 2023 09:50 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b055e4dbf 1 Entertainment Indonesian-Movie,Indonesian-films,buya-hamka,Islamic-art Free

Director Fajar Bustomis biopic about Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah shows that local filmmakers need to be bolder in scrutinizing Indonesian figures of the past, even one regarded as possibly the most virtuous.

This review contains mild spoilers.

Aside from 1988's Tjoet Nja' Dhien, it is difficult to name an Indonesian biopic that has stuck the landing. This is not because of a lack of trying, though.

Over the past two decades, local cinephiles have been graced by numerous big screen adaptations of some of the most notable figures in the country's history. Some of these efforts went so far as to clinch warm public reception and industry accolades, such as Gie (2005), Soegija (2012) and Habibie & Ainun (2013). Be that as it may, rarely has there been an Indonesian biopic that not only satiates audiences but also offers a broad scrutiny of its subject.

Fajar Bustomi, known chiefly for helming the box-office crowd-pleaser Dilan trilogy, serves up another addition to the biopic menu with Buya Hamka Vol. 1.

The first film of the planned trilogy details the life of the late Indonesian cleric, novelist, politician and philosopher Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, also known by his pen name Hamka, from Dutch colonial rule, through the Japanese military occupation and to the post-independence era. But how does Buya Hamka Vol. 1 stack up against previous Indonesian biopics?

One thing is certain: Falcon Pictures, the studio behind the film, has held nothing back in the acting department. Citra Award winner Vino G. Bastian (Radit dan Jani) portrays the titular icon with a cast that includes Citra nominee Laudya Cynthia Bella (Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah) and Citra winner Donny Damara (Lovely Man).

Desy Ratnasari (Olga dan Sepatu Roda), Ferry Salim (Ca-bau-kan), Verdi Solaiman (Ruma Maida) and Anjasmara (Koper) round up the ensemble in the biopic, which had its theatrical release on April 19.

Writing, faith & freedom

Buya Hamka Vol. 1 opens in 1964 with the aged Hamka (played by Vino G. Bastian, nearly unrecognizable under prosthetic makeup) under house arrest in Sukabumi, West Java, who is visited by his elderly wife Sitti Raham (Laudya Cynthia Bella, also transformed by prosthetics) and a few of their adult sons. Their teary reunion quickly cuts back to 1933, when Hamka and his young family are living in Makassar, South Sulawesi, where he is an active member of the local branch of Muhammadiyah, the countrys second-largest Muslim organization.

Wanting to contribute more to the uprising against the Dutch government, Hamka takes a job at Medan-based magazine Pedoman Masyarakat in 1936. He also starts writing novels, including the romantic novels that would later be regarded as his magnum opuses: Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah (Under the Kaabas protection) and Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck (The sinking of the Van der Wijck), both published in 1938.

Romantic trilogy: 'Buya Hamka Vol. 1', a planned three-part biopic about Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah from director Fajar Bustomi and Falcon Pictures, marked its national premiere on April 19. (Courtesy of Fajar Bustomi) (Archive/Courtesy of Fajar Bustomi)

A personal loss soon follows, but Hamka's integrity as a Muslim and a nationalist is put to the test when the Japanese military take over the country and offer him a deal: support the Japanese and in return, they will not interfere with the religious activities of Muslims. Unfortunately, as the Japanese are set to depart Indonesia after surrendering to the Allied forces, public perception turns against Hamka.

After Indonesia formally declares independence, Hamka and his family live off the grid, in poverty. However, the possibility of a second Dutch invasion could force him, despite his poor reputation, to resume his fight for independence.

Lionization vs. humanization

No audience or critic could accuse either Fajar or Falcon Pictures of a lack of ambition. With excellent production value, numerous locations and detailed historical reconstruction of urban and rural life, Buya Hamka Vol. 1 is the studio's most grandiose project since 2019's Bumi Manusia. The regal score by Purwacaraka is enough on its own to immediately mark the veteran composer as the one to beat at this year's Citra Awards.

Unfortunately, the technical marvels cannot paper over the flimsy narrative that immediately starts unraveling, even before the film hits the 30th minute.

Some of the supposedly defining moments in Hamka's life, such as writing the two novels, the sudden passing of one of his sons and his refusing to enter into polygamy, are covered so hurriedly that the biopic feels more like a summation as opposed to a thoughtful examination of the cleric's life.

Despite the potent talents and industry experience of his actors, Fajar seems overwhelmed by how to make each one shine, the polar opposite of how he drew out the star qualities of leading actors Iqbaal Ramadhan and Vanesha Prescilla in Dilan 1990.

Donny Damara is devastatingly underused as influential cleric and Islamic reformist Abdul Karim Amrullah, serving as nothing more than a cog in Hamka's character development. Ferry Salim's performance as Japanese governor Nakashima delivers neither bark nor bite, making his standard-issue antagonist portrayal even more unremarkable.

Vino has his work cut out for him as Hamka. Sadly, just like his titular performance in 2017's Chrisye, the 41-year-old actor has difficulty staying in character over the course of the film. It is hard not to notice how a contemporary Jakartan dialect slips through the cracks in the Minangkabau accent the actor has adopted. During the scene in which Hamka delivers a rousing speech opposing the second Dutch invasion, Vino's sudden fieriness instead breaks character.

Laudya Cynthia Bella proves to more consistent compared to her screen husband. However, her impressive proficiency in the Minangkabau language is no saving grace against her characters long-suffering wife archetype.

Ultimately, the biggest sin Buya Hamka Vol. 1 commits is that, just like the other biopics that preceded it, its filmmakers and storytellers are unwilling to examine and scrutinize their subjects interiority.

The film succeeds in lionizing Hamka as a role model that is still relevant to Muslims everywhere. However, it unmistakably downplays his darkest and most questionable moments. Buya Hamka Vol. 1 does not address, for example, how the death of his son, the public backlash over his cooperating with the Japanese and his family's unstable financial situation shaped him, not just as a Muslim but also as a human being.

Will the planned trilogys second volume fare better? Only its release will tell. Hopefully, Fajar and company will remember that while lionizing a historical figure might charm the world, only humanizing them will transcend history. People are rarely simple creatures, no matter how devout or virtuous they may be.

Buya Hamka Vol. 1 is playing in theaters nationwide.
Class 8 truck orders fell dramatically in April compared to March, but OEMs are unconcerned. (Photo: Jim Allen/FreightWaves)

A dearth of Class 8 truck orders in April is more technical than meaningful. Major OEMs express optimism about delivering plenty of new equipment to ease pandemic-related pent-up demand.

Preliminary North America net orders were 11,600 units, down 27% from a year ago and off 39% compared to March, according to ACT Research. FTR Transportation Intelligence pegged preliminary orders at 12,050 units, down 20% year over year and 37% from March.

Class 8 truck orders nose-dived in April. (Source: FTR Transportation Intelligence)

Class 8 orders have totaled 298,500 for the previous 12 months, FTR said.

When 2024 order boards open later this year, we anticipate some modest additional strength in order activity, Eric Starks, FTR chairman, said in a news release. There still are indications that fleets are requesting equipment, and there has been no notable uptick in cancellations.

Not seeing any drop in demand whatsoever

Manufacturers express that sentiment in stronger terms.

Right now were not seeing any drop in demand whatsoever. Orders are still strong, Daimler Truck North America CEO John OLeary said. Something like 80% of the big fleets do business with us primarily. And most of them are positioned right now where their average [fleet] age has crept up.

The pandemic and resulting supply chain disruptions combined to practically dry up new truck availability for more than two years. That led to exorbitant prices for the few used trucks sold in auctions as fleets drove trucks beyond typical turnover cycles.

Even now, as availability of microchips and other components improves, stock units of new trucks are practically non-existent at dealerships.

I cannot remember the last time we had a truck that did not have a name on it, Alex Voets, a general manager at Velocity Truck Center in Fontana, California, told FreightWaves.

Opportunistic owner-operators exit market

OLeary said one segment, albeit a small one, of DTNAs business has noticeably declined.

Some of the smaller mom-and-pop owner-operators that always start up during a big boom in the industry when spot rates are high are struggling. And so the order intake from that part of the industry is weak, OLeary said

Story continues

Eric Crawford, ACT Research senior analyst, pointed to recent turmoil in the banking sector as worsening Aprils orders for some fleets because of tightening credit.

While we expect orders to remain at subdued levels into mid-Q3, we are not inclined to think Aprils order activity represents the likely run rate going forward.

Added Starks: With build strong over the last several months, backlogs will have come down during April. The incoming order rate for March was 145,000 annualized, which is on par with the weak order levels during the summer of 2022. Despite the weakness, we do not anticipate much, if any, negative impact on production levels over the next few quarters.

Neither do manufacturers. Several have raised their estimate for deliveries this year, the lower end of the funnel that starts with orders.

Germanys Traton Group, which includes Navistar Inc., said the ratio of incoming orders to unit sales was 0.81 in the first three months of the year. That meant sales exceeded new bookings, causing a moderate decrease in order backlog.

Paccar Inc. raised its full-year U.S. and Canada industry sales estimate to 280,000 to 320,000 trucks.

This continues to be a favorable operating environment, Paccar CEO Preston Feight said.

Related articles:

March Class 8 truck orders reset to normalized demand

Why Class 8 truck orders are outperforming a shaky economy

Daimler Truck reports strong Q1 earnings estimate

Click for more FreightWaves articles by Alan Adler.

The post April Class 8 truck orders tank but OEMs have ample backlogs appeared first on FreightWaves.
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Linkedin Nina A. Loasana (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, May 5, 2023

Indonesia is seeing another spike of COVID-19 cases fueled by the spread of the highly contagious Arcturus subvariant and greater public mobility during the annual Idul Fitri mudik (exodus) season.

Authorities reported 2,647 new infections on Wednesday, the highest daily caseload in five months, and 15,707 active cases. Last week, there were 12,504 new cases, almost double the figure in the previous week with 6,371 new cases.

Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril said that the increase in cases had also led to an increase in hospital bed occupancy rates across the country.

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Linkedin Theresia Sufa (The Jakarta Post) Bogor, West Java  Fri, May 5, 2023 14:02 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c25c4bb 1 Archipelago bogor,children-health,West-Java,stunting,stunting-in-children,health,children Free

The Bogor administration in West Java reported a total of 2,001 children are at risk of stunted growth in the municipality, which shares borders with Jakarta.

Municipal administration secretary Syarifah Sofiah said the administration would help provide assistance to 1,001 children by involving local communities and entrepreneurs.

Bogor civil servants and employees of regionally owned enterprises will donate one and a half kilograms of eggs each month to each of the remaining 1,000 children in 68 subdistricts.

The donation will last for six months; each month, the children will be weighed and their health development will be evaluated, Syarifah told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

The administration reported there were around 100,000 children under five in the municipality.

Bogor deputy mayor Dedie A. Rachim on Tuesday said in addition to carrying out several programs to overcome stunting problems, the municipal administration government also provided assistance through foster parents programs and ready-to-eat food donations.

Dedie is also calling all local communities and entrepreneurs, especially those engaged in the culinary businesses, to contribute.

Those in the business communities can provide assistance, including in the form of food donations such as vegetables, fruit and meat, said Dedie.

The 2022 Indonesian Nutrition Status Survey (SSGI) issued in January reported the stunting rate had fallen from 24.4 percent in 2021 to 21.6 percent in 2022 throughout the country. The SSGI reported the stunting rate was recorded at 30.8 percent in 2018 in the countrys 23 million children aged under five.

The Health Ministry reported the biggest decline, by more than three percentage points, occurred in West Java and East Java. However, the two provinces still have the largest number of cases of childhood stunting along with Central Java, North Sumatra and Banten.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo has called on Indonesians to work hard and work together with the government to lower the stunting prevalence rate to 14 percent by 2024. (dre/gev)
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Linkedin Ni Komang Erviani (The Jakarta Post) Denpasar  Fri, May 5, 2023

The Bali immigration authorities have deported a total of 101 foreigners from 31 countries in the last four months. The largest number are Russian nationals with 27 people deported, followed by eight British nationals, seven Americans, seven Nigerians and six Australians.

Most overstayed their visa or abused the visa or stay permit, Bali Law and Human Rights office chief Anggiat Napitupulu said on Thursday.

All the foreigners were deported in the period of Jan. 2 to April 30.



Anggiat also said there had been several foreigners deported for violating Balinese community norms. In the Indonesian legal concept, customary law is still applied in the form of the norms. And in our criminal code, it is known as a living law, Anggiat said.

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Linkedin Fikri Harish (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, May 5, 2023

Following a flurry of meetings between political elites, Democratic Party chairman Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) met with his National Awakening Party (PKB) counterpart Muhaimin Cak Imin Iskandar on Wednesday evening.

Lasting around two hours, Agus and Muhaimin met held behind closed doors at the Cikeas, West Java, residence of former president, Democratic Party founder and Agus father Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), who also attended the meeting.

At a press conference following the meeting, the two party leaders admitted to wooing each other for next years 2024 general election.

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Linkedin Julia Tijaja and Tong Yee Siong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Cambridge, United Kingdom  Fri, May 5, 2023

After decades of expanding cross-border flows of goods, services and capital, economic globalization has come into question. Terms suggesting reversal of the trend including geoeconomic fragmentation, decoupling, deglobalization and slowbalization have become common.

For some, global economic fragmentation is already here. They point to slowdowns in foreign direct investment (FDI) and shortening of supply chains a la reshoring, nearshoring and friend-shoring. Concerns about supply-chain resilience, rising geopolitical tensions and technological rivalry fuel inward-looking policies further.

We call for caveat emptor for two reasons.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Julia Tijaja and Tong Yee Siong (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta/Cambridge, United Kingdom  Fri, May 5 2023

After decades of expanding cross-border flows of goods, services and capital, economic globalization has come into question. Terms suggesting reversal of the trend including geoeconomic fragmentation, decoupling, deglobalization and slowbalization have become common.

For some, global economic fragmentation is already here. They point to slowdowns in foreign direct investment (FDI) and shortening of supply chains a la reshoring, nearshoring and friend-shoring. Concerns about supply-chain resilience, rising geopolitical tensions and technological rivalry fuel inward-looking policies further.

We call for caveat emptor for two reasons.

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Linkedin Aditya Hadi (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, May 5 2023

The government has decided to allow foreign entities to purchase credits in the Indonesian carbon market, paving the way for multinational companies and institutions to tap into the countrys large carbon potential.

Businesses involved in carbon-trading schemes lauded the decision, adding that it was aligned with the 2016 Paris Agreement on climate change. However, environmental analysts fear that the trade will not result in any real environmental improvement.

The announcement came after Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said on Wednesday that the Indonesian carbon market would be open, following a meeting with President Joko Jokowi Widodo in the State Palace prior to the press conference.

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Linkedin Agence Fance-Presse (The Jakarta Post) Brasilia  Fri, May 5 2023

Police in Brazil searched ex-president Jair Bolsonaro's home and seized his cell phone on Wednesday, investigating allegations the far-right vaccine skeptic and his inner circle falsified COVID-19 vaccination certificates to dodge health restrictions.

Bolsonaro, who faced widespread criticism as president for his unorthodox handling of the pandemic, denied the allegations, accusing the authorities of trying to fabricate a case against him.

"There was no falsification on my part. None," he told journalists outside his home in Brasilia after the early-morning raid.

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Linkedin Jennifer Rigby and Emma Farge (The Jakarta Post) Reuters/London  Fri, May 5 2023

A panel of global health experts will meet on Thursday to decide if COVID-19 is still an emergency under the World Health Organization's rules, a status that helps maintain international focus on the pandemic.

The WHO first gave COVID its highest level of alert on Jan. 30, 2020 and the panel has continued to apply the label ever since, at meetings held every three months.

However, a number of countries have recently begun lifting their domestic states of emergency, such as the United States. WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said he hopes to end the international emergency this year.

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Linkedin Reuters Jakarta  Fri, May 5, 2023 09:46 4 d5259e4d93052b0e76bee70b055e43fc 2 Asia and Pacific Indonesia,Myanmar,UN,military-junta,Retno-Marsudi,diplomacy,human-rights,NUG Free

Indonesia has for months been quietly engaging Myanmar's pro-democracy shadow government, its ruling junta and ethnic minority armies, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told Reuters, in an effort to kick-start a peace process as violence intensifies.

As chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) this year, Indonesia has been working intensively behind the scenes to deescalate the crisis in Myanmar, Retno said in an interview, highlighting for the first time her country's moves to try to bring to the table the key players in Myanmar's conflict.

Retno declined to give details about the discussions with different stakeholders but saidIndonesian diplomats had held more than 60 "engagements" with all parties involved.

The move comes amid frustration within ASEAN at Myanmar's State Administrative Council, as the junta is known, over its failure to implement a peace "consensus" that its top general agreed to with the bloc two years ago.

"We have engaged almost everybody - the State Administration Council, National Unity Government (NUG) and ...ethnic armed rebel groups as mandated by the five-point consensus," she said.

"We tried to be as inclusive as possible."

Representatives of the Myanmar junta and two armed ethnic groups did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson for the NUG said it is cooperating with the ASEAN chair as it is "trying for a peace dialogue".

Myanmar has been wracked by violence and economic turmoil since the military seized power in a coup in 2021 and launched a violent crackdown on opponents, some of whom fled overseas to form a government-in-exile. Others joined armed resistance groups nationwide, which are allied with the NUG and several ethnic minority armies in fighting the junta.

"Indonesia continues trying to play a bridging role to reduce a deep and sharp gap among the stakeholders," Retno said.

Retno spoke ahead of next week's meeting in Indonesia of ASEAN leaders, who have been losing patience with the junta over its lack of progress and its military's continued attacks on opponents.

The bloc has barred Myanmar's generals from attending its high-level meetings until progress is demonstrated.

Alongside Indonesia's quiet diplomacy, government and think-tank representatives from Myanmar and its neighbours, including India and China, held talks in New Delhi late last month as part of a secretive effort to resolve the Myanmar crisis.
SNS Insider pvt ltd

According to SNS Insider analysis, the growth of AI in accounting is driven by the need for increased efficiency, accuracy, and cost savings, as well as the potential for advanced analytics and regulatory compliance. As technology continues to advance, we can expect to see further growth and innovation in this field.

Pune, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market had a value of USD 1.99 billion in 2022, and it is projected to reach USD 39.57 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45.31% during the forecast period of 2023-2030, as reported by SNS Insider.

Market Overview

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become increasingly integrated into various industries, and accounting is no exception. AI in accounting refers to the use of advanced computer technology to automate tasks and improve decision-making processes. AI tools in accounting can be utilized for a variety of tasks, including data entry, fraud detection, financial analysis, and tax preparation. By automating mundane tasks such as data entry, AI technology allows accountants to focus on more complex tasks that require human expertise, such as strategic planning and analysis.

Market Analysis

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in accounting has become an increasingly popular trend among both private and public firms, primarily due to the need for faster and more accurate financial reporting. With the growing volume of financial data generated by companies, the demand for AI-driven accounting solutions is expected to continue to rise. Moreover, implementing AI in accounting can help organizations minimize their exposure to accounting risks such as outstanding debts or tax penalties. All these factors are contributing to the high growth of the artificial intelligence in accounting market.

Get a Sample Report of Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market@ https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/1266

Key Company Profiles Listed in this Report Are:

AWS

Microsoft

Intuit

Xero

Sage

UiPath

OSP

AppZen

Kore.ai

IBM

YayPay & More

Story continues

Impact of Recession on Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Growth

While businesses may be hesitant to invest in new technologies during an economic downturn, the pandemic has also highlighted the potential benefits of artificial intelligence in accounting market. As the economy recovers and businesses seek ways to improve their efficiency and reduce costs, AI is likely to play an increasingly important role in the accounting sector.

Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Report Scope:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 USD 1.99 Bn Market Size by 2030 USD 39.57 Bn CAGR CAGR of 45.31% From 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2020-2021 AI in Accounting Market: Key Segmentation  By Application (Invoice Classification and Approvals, Automated Bookkeeping, Reporting, Fraud and Risk Management, Others)

 By Component (Services [Professional Services and Managed Services], Solutions [Software Tools and Enterprise Sizes])

 By Deployment (Cloud and On-Premises)

 By Organization size (Large Enterprises and SMEs) Key Regional Coverage North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe (Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, South Korea, China, India, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), The Middle East & Africa (Israel, UAE, South Africa, Rest of Middle East & Africa), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America)

Key Regional Developments

North America dominates the artificial intelligence in accounting market, with the highest market share due to the presence of a large number of accounting and AI players in the region. The United States and Canada are leading the charge in adopting these new technologies, which has resulted in an increased focus on innovative solutions in the industry. However, the Asia-Pacific region is set to witness significant growth in the AI in accounting market. This growth can be attributed to the increasing awareness of AI and its benefits, a growing emphasis on automating processes, and the availability of significant amounts of data in the region.

Do you have any specific queries related to Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market? Ask your Query@ https://www.snsinsider.com/enquiry/1266

Key Takeaway from Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Study

The field of artificial intelligence (AI) in accounting is expected to witness significant growth in the coming years. In particular, the invoice classification and approvals segment is projected to dominate this market. With the increasing use of technology in the accounting industry, AI-powered solutions are becoming increasingly popular for automating routine tasks such as invoice processing and approvals.

The large enterprise segment is expected to lead the market as they realize the manifold benefits of leveraging AI-powered accounting tools. With the segment expected to dominate the market, it's clear that AI-powered accounting tools will play an increasingly important role in the business world in the years to come.

Recent Developments Related to Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market

Karbon, a leading provider of accounting practice management software, has recently launched an innovative new AI tool to enhance the efficiency and productivity of accounting practices. This cutting-edge tool is designed to automate routine tasks and streamline workflow processes, allowing accounting professionals to focus more on providing value-added services to their clients.

Trullion, an innovative AI-powered accounting platform, has recently raised an impressive $15 million in additional funding. The funding will be used to accelerate the company's growth plans and expand its capabilities in the realm of financial automation.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Market Dynamics

4. Impact Analysis

5. Value Chain Analysis

6. Porters 5 forces model

7. PEST Analysis

8. Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Segmentation, by Application

9. Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Segmentation, by Component

10. Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Segmentation, by Deployment

11. Artificial Intelligence in Accounting Market Segmentation, by Organization Size

12. Regional Analysis

13. Company Profiles

14. Competitive Landscape

15. Conclusion

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[For more information or need any customization research mail us at info@snsinsider.com]

About Us:

SNS Insider is one of the leading market research and consulting agencies that dominate the market research industry globally. Our company's aim is to give clients the knowledge they require in order to function in changing circumstances. In order to give you current, accurate market data, consumer insights, and opinions so that you can make decisions with confidence, we employ a variety of techniques, including surveys, video talks, and focus groups around the world.

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Linkedin AFP Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia  Fri, May 5, 2023 17:25 4 5fceed71997e5776a1634d25dc5fba36 2 Asia and Pacific Malaysia,1MDB,Jho-Low,Goldman-Sachs,Anwar-Ibrahim,extradition Free

Malaysia is negotiating with other countries for the return of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, who is facing criminal charges for his role in the 1MDB scandal, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Friday.

The businessman, popularly known as Jho Low, was the alleged mastermind in a scheme that funnelled billions of dollars stolen from the Malaysian state investment fund into US luxury real estate, fine art, and Hollywood films in the 2010s.

The scandal led to then-prime minister Najib Razak being ousted in 2018 and sentenced to 12 years in jail on corruption charges.

Low's whereabouts are unknown but it has been widely speculated in the media that he could be hiding in China.

"We are discussing with the countries (involved) to expedite the process," Anwar told reporters.

The negotiations are complicated and involve several countries, intelligence services and Interpol, he said.

Asked if China was among those countries, Anwar said: "We have never confirmed his whereabouts."

Anwar vowed to take a strong stand against corruption after coming to power last year.

The US Department of Justice indicted Low and two former Goldman Sachs bankers in 2018 on multiple criminal charges related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad.

A Malaysian court said in 2020 that Low played a key role in transferring 42 million ringgit ($9.46 million) from a former 1MDB unit to Najib's accounts.

Low has always denied any wrongdoing.

Pras Michel, a rapper in the 1990s hit trio The Fugees, was found guilty last month of helping Low funnel money from 1MDB into US politics.

Tens of millions of dollars were used by Najib's stepson, an aspiring film producer, to fund the Hollywood film "The Wolf of Wall Street", starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

DiCaprio testified in court about Low's wild spending sprees and lavish parties, sometimes including Michel.
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Linkedin AFP Washington, DC  Fri, May 5, 2023 11:00 4 96f72165d1db80845b6b1c241c236768 2 Middle East and Africa US,Saudi-Arabia,Jake-Sullivan,Joe-Biden,Muhammad-bin-Salman,diplomacy,Middle-East Free

President Joe Biden's national security advisor said on Thursday he will travel to Saudi Arabia at the weekend for talks with Saudi leaders as well as Indian and Emirati officials.

"This weekend I will be in Saudi Arabia for meetings with its leadership," Jake Sullivan said in a speech to the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank in Washington.

Sullivan's trip, which starts on Saturday, comes as relations between Washington and Riyadh have been strained since Biden's visit to the kingdom in July 2022, even though the two countries are collaborating in many areas, including recently on the crisis in Sudan.

"My (United Arab Emirate) and Indian counterparts will come to Saudi Arabia as well for meetings so that we can discuss new area of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf as well as the United States and the rest of the region, fueled in part by the comprehensive economic partnership signed last year between India and the UAE," Sullivan said,

"This can help us carry forward some very tangible initiatives that we think will be unlike anything we have seen the region in recent years," he added.

Sullivan, in what was billed as a US strategy speech, said the conflict in Yemen would be "a significant topic" during discussions over the weekend, praising the parties for working on a "roadmap to ultimately bring the war to an end."

Sullivan, who is Biden's top aide on national security matters, has been closely involved in Middle East issues and reiterated Washington's firm commitment to the region, using a strategy he said was both "realistic and pragmatic."

He said the strategy was based on "five basic elements: partnerships, deterrence, diplomacy and de-escalation, integration and values."
Envestnet (NYSE:ENV  Get Rating) updated its second quarter 2023 earnings guidance on Thursday. The company provided EPS guidance of $0.45-$0.46 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $0.50. The company issued revenue guidance of $312.00 million-$315.00 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $316.99 million. Envestnet also updated its FY 2023 guidance to $2.11-$2.19 EPS.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on ENV. JMP Securities restated a market outperform rating and set a $80.00 price target on shares of Envestnet in a research note on Monday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Envestnet from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Envestnet from $40.00 to $47.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Envestnet from $70.00 to $74.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 4th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Envestnet in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $63.75.

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Envestnet Trading Down 0.5 %

ENV stock traded down $0.33 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $60.86. The companys stock had a trading volume of 652,127 shares, compared to its average volume of 441,566. Envestnet has a 52 week low of $41.72 and a 52 week high of $78.85. The stock has a market cap of $3.31 billion, a PE ratio of -36.38 and a beta of 1.22. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $60.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at Envestnet

Envestnet ( NYSE:ENV Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 23rd. The business services provider reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.22 by ($0.07). Envestnet had a negative net margin of 6.53% and a positive return on equity of 6.63%. The business had revenue of $292.87 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $296.27 million. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Envestnet will post 1.22 EPS for the current year.

In other news, insider Shelly Obrien sold 8,800 shares of Envestnet stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.84, for a total transaction of $500,192.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 23,709 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,347,619.56. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Shelly Obrien sold 8,800 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.84, for a total value of $500,192.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 23,709 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,347,619.56. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Barry D. Cooper sold 530 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.93, for a total transaction of $30,172.90. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 30,242 shares in the company, valued at $1,721,677.06. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.44% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Envestnet

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Envestnet during the 4th quarter worth about $24,777,000. Eaton Vance Management lifted its position in Envestnet by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Eaton Vance Management now owns 920,714 shares of the business services providers stock worth $68,537,000 after buying an additional 78,656 shares in the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC lifted its position in Envestnet by 400.0% during the 1st quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 66,664 shares of the business services providers stock worth $4,962,000 after buying an additional 53,331 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in Envestnet by 38.6% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 181,202 shares of the business services providers stock worth $11,180,000 after buying an additional 50,503 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Envestnet by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,417,317 shares of the business services providers stock worth $240,528,000 after buying an additional 49,658 shares in the last quarter.

About Envestnet

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Envestnet, Inc engages in the provision of intelligent systems for wealth management and financial wellness. It operates through Envestnet Wealth Solutions and Envestnet Data and Analytics segments. The Envestnet Wealth Solutions segment provides unified wealth management software and services to empower financial advisors and institutions.

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First National of Nebraska, Inc. (OTCMKTS:FINN  Get Rating)s share price hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $12,700.00 and last traded at $12,700.00, with a volume of 2 shares. The stock had previously closed at $12,850.00.

First National of Nebraska Stock Down 0.8 %

The firms fifty day moving average is $13,424.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $13,648.84.

First National of Nebraska Company Profile

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First National of Nebraska, Inc is a multi-state holding company, which engages in the provision of banking and financial services. It operates through its subsidiaries in different states which also operates and provides banking and financial services. The company was founded on August 27, 1968 and is headquartered in Omaha, NE.

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Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of ASUSTeK Computer (OTCMKTS:ASUUY  Get Rating) from an underweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

ASUSTeK Computer Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:ASUUY opened at $40.00 on Tuesday. ASUSTeK Computer has a 52-week low of $40.00 and a 52-week high of $52.00. The company has a 50 day moving average of $45.76 and a two-hundred day moving average of $49.43.

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About ASUSTeK Computer

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Further Reading

ASUSTeK Computer Inc researches and develops, designs, manufactures, sells, and repairs computers, communications, and consumer electronic products in Taiwan, China, Singapore, Europe, the United States, and internationally. The company offers Internet information services; maintenance and operating services for information hardware; services information technology and communication products; and leases real estate property.

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Shares of Brixton Metals Co. (CVE:BBB  Get Rating) were up 3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$0.17 and last traded at C$0.17. Approximately 349,611 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 56% from the average daily volume of 223,845 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.17.

Brixton Metals Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.58, a current ratio of 16.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The company has a market capitalization of C$66.65 million, a P/E ratio of -2.92 and a beta of 0.97. The companys 50-day simple moving average is C$0.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.21.

Brixton Metals Company Profile

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Brixton Metals Corporation, an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, and evaluation of mineral properties in Canada and the United States. The company primarily explores for gold, silver, copper, and cobalt deposits. It holds a 100% interest in the Thorn Gold-Copper-Silver Project covering approximately 2,863 square kilometers located in Northwest British Columbia; the Hog Heaven Silver-Gold-Copper Project consists of approximately 6400 acres and is located in Northwest Montana; Langis-Hudson Bay Silver-Cobalt Project located in Northeast Ontario; and holds a 100% interest in Atlin Goldfields Project consisting of 142 mineral claims covering an area of approximately 950 square kilometers located in Northwest British Columbia.

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Brunswick Co. (NYSE:BC  Get Rating) Director Nancy E. Cooper sold 327 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $86.23, for a total value of $28,197.21. Following the sale, the director now owns 20,499 shares in the company, valued at $1,767,628.77. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Brunswick Trading Down 5.2 %

BC opened at $80.34 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.17, a current ratio of 1.86 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The companys 50 day simple moving average is $82.54 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $78.38. Brunswick Co. has a 1-year low of $61.89 and a 1-year high of $93.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.73 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.68 and a beta of 1.53.

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Brunswick (NYSE:BC  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.36 by $0.21. Brunswick had a net margin of 8.97% and a return on equity of 36.65%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.71 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.53 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Brunswick Co. will post 10.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Brunswick Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. Brunswicks dividend payout ratio is currently 19.28%.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on Brunswick from $110.00 to $122.00 in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Brunswick in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. KeyCorp assumed coverage on Brunswick in a research report on Wednesday, April 19th. They set an overweight rating and a $100.00 target price on the stock. Roth Capital restated a buy rating on shares of Brunswick in a research report on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, B. Riley raised their price target on shares of Brunswick from $88.00 to $108.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $102.25.

Institutional Trading of Brunswick

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in BC. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Brunswick during the 4th quarter worth approximately $53,519,000. Nuveen Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 179.2% during the 3rd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 1,085,451 shares of the companys stock worth $71,043,000 after buying an additional 696,744 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 20.5% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 3,662,239 shares of the companys stock worth $239,693,000 after buying an additional 622,720 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 100.6% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 953,791 shares of the companys stock worth $68,749,000 after buying an additional 478,329 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Brunswick by 384.7% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 423,729 shares of the companys stock worth $30,542,000 after buying an additional 336,315 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.01% of the companys stock.

Brunswick Company Profile

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Brunswick Corp. engages in the design, manufacture, and marketing of recreational marine products, including marine engines, boats, and parts and accessories for those products. It operates through the following segments: Propulsion, Parts and Accessories, Boat, and Corporate/Other. The Propulsion segment manufactures a full range of outboard, sterndrive, and inboard engines, as well as propulsion-related controls, propellers, and rigging parts and accessories.

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CONMED Co. (NYSE:CNMD  Get Rating) EVP Peter K. Shagory sold 2,442 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $128.00, for a total transaction of $312,576.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 1,861 shares in the company, valued at $238,208. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

CONMED Trading Down 2.8 %

Shares of CONMED stock opened at $122.97 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -37.84, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 1.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. CONMED Co. has a 12-month low of $71.09 and a 12-month high of $138.59. The firms 50-day moving average price is $107.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $99.60.

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CONMED (NYSE:CNMD  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The company reported $0.66 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $295.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $266.66 million. CONMED had a negative net margin of 7.71% and a positive return on equity of 11.39%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 21.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.70 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that CONMED Co. will post 3.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CONMED Dividend Announcement

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CONMED

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were paid a dividend of $0.20 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.65%. CONMEDs payout ratio is -24.62%.

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of CONMED by 14.7% in the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 4,635 shares of the companys stock valued at $411,000 after purchasing an additional 595 shares in the last quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE boosted its stake in shares of CONMED by 2.2% in the 3rd quarter. Congress Wealth Management LLC DE now owns 32,598 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,614,000 after purchasing an additional 708 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC boosted its stake in shares of CONMED by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 6,880 shares of the companys stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 180 shares in the last quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of CONMED by 13.4% in the 3rd quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 18,397 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,475,000 after purchasing an additional 2,171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC boosted its stake in shares of CONMED by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 11,860 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,051,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CNMD has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. StockNews.com raised shares of CONMED from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of CONMED from $118.00 to $130.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Piper Sandler raised their price target on shares of CONMED from $118.00 to $128.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of CONMED from $96.00 to $119.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Finally, Needham & Company LLC raised their price target on shares of CONMED from $122.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 27th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, CONMED has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $128.00.

CONMED Company Profile

(Get Rating)

CONMED Corp. operates as a medical technology company, which engages in the development, manufacturing, and sale of surgical devices and related equipment. It operates through the United States, Europe, Middle East, and Africa, and Asia Pacific geographical segments. Its products are used by surgeons and physicians in a variety of medical specialties, including orthopedic surgery, general surgery, gynecology, neurosurgery, thoracic surgery, and gastroenterology.

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Cordoba Minerals Corp. (CVE:CDB  Get Rating)s share price was up 9% on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$0.43 and last traded at C$0.43. Approximately 500 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 97% from the average daily volume of 16,950 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.39.

Cordoba Minerals Price Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 6.85. The company has a market cap of C$38.82 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.24 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of C$0.47 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of C$0.47.

About Cordoba Minerals

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Cordoba Minerals Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of base and precious metal properties in Colombia and the United States. The company explores for copper, silver, and gold deposits. It primarily holds a 100% interest in the San Matias project with exploration licenses covering 146.62 square kilometers and has an additional 893.91 square kilometers of exploration licenses under application located in the municipality of Puerto Libertador, in the Department of Cordoba, Colombia.

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Shares of Davide Campari-Milano (OTCMKTS:DVDCF  Get Rating) have been assigned a consensus rating of Hold from the eleven research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and two have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $12.00.

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Davide Campari-Milano to 13.00 ($14.29) in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. BNP Paribas lowered Davide Campari-Milano from a neutral rating to an underperform rating in a research note on Thursday, January 12th. Barclays upped their target price on Davide Campari-Milano to 10.70 ($11.76) in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group upped their target price on Davide Campari-Milano to 12.50 ($13.74) in a research note on Wednesday.

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Davide Campari-Milano Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of DVDCF stock opened at $13.40 on Friday. Davide Campari-Milano has a 12 month low of $8.55 and a 12 month high of $13.56. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $12.07 and a 200-day moving average of $10.96.

About Davide Campari-Milano

Davide Campari-Milano NV is a holding company, which engages in the production and distribution of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. The firm operates through its geographic segments: the Americas; Southern Europe; Middle East and Africa; Northern, Central and Eastern Europe; Asia-Pacific. Its product offerings include aperitifs, vodka, whisky, tequila, rum, gin, liqueurs, and sparkling and still wines under internation brands which include Campari, Aperol, Sky Vodka, Wild Turkey, Appleton Estate, Grand Marnier, and Wray and Nephew.

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HANGZHOU, China, May 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The first solar party of Astronergy World Tour 2023 held in Sydney, Australia on May 3rd, saw a customized PV module ASTRO N n-type TOPCon product launch for the Australian market and sharing of flowing fabulous views about new PV market trends and frontier PV tech from senior professionals.

Astronergy team members pose for a group photo after the solar party in Sydney, Australia on May 3rd. [Photo/Astronergy]

As the core section of Astronergy World Tour 2023 brand campaign, solar party is a series of event practicing its slogan of 'For A Greener World', aiming to support partners in PV industry, and generating frontier views and insights in panel chats of experienced and senior professors and industry insiders.

During the May 3rd event, Astronergy launched its newly customized product for Australia's residential, and commercial and industrial distributed power generations -- 440W ASTRO N5s TOPCon module.

That's a move to show our positive understanding and responding to local demands, said Shengyong Zhou  the Head of Global Technology and Product Management at Astronergy, also a strive to enable consumers enjoying much greener and cheaper electricity with the TOPCon product of 22.5% efficiency.

Bram Hoex, UNSW professor and one of the main contributors for TOPCon tech, gives speech at Astronergy Solar Party in Australia. [Photo/Astronergy]

Bram Hoex, UNSW professor and one of the main contributors for TOPCon tech, gave his opinions that n-type cell has significant higher power and higher efficiency, the newly launched ASTRO N TOPCon product could have higher yield for end users due to its better performance.

At the round table panel held after the new product launch, professionals from Australia's PV industry, Astronergy partners in PV industry chain, and professionals in the green and low-carbon field, discussed and talked at topics on PV and renewables, and perspectives about industry insight and sustainable development.

As an important market of Astronergy, Australia still has huge demand for renewables. Recent policies on solar installations and PV market development were set as the reasons for Astronergy to choose the country as its take-off point for its World Tour 2023. The solar party is not only aiming to showcase Astronergy's responsibility shouldering for the world's sustainability but also demonstrate its ace tech to response local needs.

Story continues

Astronergy World Tour 2023 will go on and next stop is in Shanghai, China. More surprises about the company will stage and blink.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/astronergy-kicks-off-solar-party-in-australia-for-a-greener-world-301816977.html

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Digital Realty Trust (NYSE:DLR  Get Rating) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $79.00 to $80.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on DLR. Credit Suisse Group dropped their price target on Digital Realty Trust from $81.00 to $80.00 and set an underperform rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $115.00 to $105.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a report on Friday, April 21st. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Digital Realty Trust from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $121.00 to $100.00 in a research report on Monday, March 27th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $119.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Raymond James reduced their price target on shares of Digital Realty Trust from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a strong-buy rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $116.92.

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Digital Realty Trust Trading Up 1.1 %

DLR stock opened at $95.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.50. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $97.83 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $102.99. Digital Realty Trust has a one year low of $85.76 and a one year high of $144.89. The stock has a market cap of $27.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 86.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 0.53.

Digital Realty Trust Dividend Announcement

Digital Realty Trust ( NYSE:DLR Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.19 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $1.65 by ($1.46). The business had revenue of $1.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.41 billion. Digital Realty Trust had a net margin of 7.61% and a return on equity of 2.34%. The companys revenue was up 18.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.67 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Digital Realty Trust will post 6.71 EPS for the current year.

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were issued a dividend of $1.22 per share. This represents a $4.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.09%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, March 14th. Digital Realty Trusts payout ratio is presently 439.64%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Digital Realty Trust

In other news, EVP Dyer Corey sold 4,401 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $104.19, for a total transaction of $458,540.19. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 30,026 shares of the companys stock, valued at $3,128,408.94. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.41% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Digital Realty Trust

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Digital Realty Trust during the 4th quarter valued at $442,477,000. Cohen & Steers Inc. increased its position in Digital Realty Trust by 25.3% during the 3rd quarter. Cohen & Steers Inc. now owns 21,480,318 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $2,130,012,000 after purchasing an additional 4,341,066 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Digital Realty Trust by 131.5% during the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 6,993,939 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $701,282,000 after purchasing an additional 3,972,349 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. increased its position in Digital Realty Trust by 37.4% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 5,385,149 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $539,969,000 after purchasing an additional 1,466,351 shares during the period. Finally, PGGM Investments increased its position in Digital Realty Trust by 185.9% during the 4th quarter. PGGM Investments now owns 1,718,260 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $172,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,117,161 shares during the period. 95.00% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Digital Realty Trust Company Profile

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Digital Realty Trust, Inc operates as a real estate investment trust, which engages in the provision of data center, colocation and interconnection solutions. It serves the following industries: artificial intelligence (AI), networks, cloud, digital media, mobile, financial services, healthcare, and gaming.

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Durango Resources Inc. (CVE:DGO  Get Rating) dropped 18.2% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as low as C$0.05 and last traded at C$0.05. Approximately 182,000 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 86% from the average daily volume of 97,619 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.06.

Durango Resources Stock Performance

The firms 50-day moving average price is C$0.06 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$0.06. The firm has a market capitalization of C$4.71 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.83 and a beta of 0.69.

About Durango Resources

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Durango Resources Inc, an exploration stage company, engages in the acquisition and exploration of precious and base mineral resource properties in Canada. It has a 100% interest in a group of properties totaling approximately 12,240 hectares in size in the Windfall Lake gold camp in the Abitibi region of Quebec, Canada.

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Erste Group Bank AG (OTC:EBKOF  Get Rating)s share price dropped 3.7% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as $34.55 and last traded at $35.38. Approximately 2,507 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 56% from the average daily volume of 1,611 shares. The stock had previously closed at $36.75.

Erste Group Bank Trading Down 3.7 %

The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $34.99 and a 200-day simple moving average of $33.03.

Erste Group Bank Company Profile

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Erste Group Bank AG provides a range of banking and other financial services to retail, corporate, real estate, and public sector customers in Austria, Central and Eastern Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Retail, Corporates, Group Markets, Asset/Liability Management & Local Corporate Center, Savings Banks, and Group Corporate Center segments.

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Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF (NYSEARCA:CHIH  Get Rating)s stock price fell 2% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $16.24 and last traded at $16.24. 29 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 98% from the average session volume of 1,477 shares. The stock had previously closed at $16.57.

Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $12.06 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.22 and a beta of 0.49. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $16.47 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.54.

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Institutional Trading of Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CHIH. Royal Bank of Canada increased its stake in Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF by 350.9% in the first quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 25,712 shares of the companys stock valued at $446,000 after acquiring an additional 20,009 shares during the last quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF by 51.8% during the 3rd quarter. OLD Mission Capital LLC now owns 36,942 shares of the companys stock worth $491,000 after buying an additional 12,613 shares in the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF during the 4th quarter worth $193,000. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $144,000.

Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF Company Profile

The Global X MSCI China Health Care ETF (CHIH) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI China Health Care 10-50 index. The fund tracks a market cap-weighted index of Chinese large- and mid-cap companies in the health care sector. The index includes A shares. CHIH was launched on Dec 7, 2018 and is managed by Global X.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE:CMG  Get Rating) insider Laurie Schalow sold 3,658 shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $2,066.73, for a total value of $7,560,098.34. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 1,637 shares in the company, valued at $3,383,237.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE:CMG opened at $2,033.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $56.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 55.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.32. Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has a twelve month low of $1,196.28 and a twelve month high of $2,077.29. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $1,699.00 and a 200-day simple moving average of $1,581.81.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE:CMG  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The restaurant operator reported $10.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.89 by $1.61. The company had revenue of $2.40 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $2.34 billion. Chipotle Mexican Grill had a net margin of 11.49% and a return on equity of 45.01%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 18.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $5.70 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. will post 43.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Chipotle Mexican Grill

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Little House Capital LLC raised its position in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 83.7% during the 1st quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 766 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $1,309,000 after purchasing an additional 349 shares in the last quarter. Resolute Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new position in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill during the first quarter valued at $752,000. Ellevest Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill by 14.8% in the first quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 194 shares of the restaurant operators stock valued at $331,000 after acquiring an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. Intrust Bank NA bought a new stake in shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in the first quarter valued at about $229,000. Finally, Founders Financial Securities LLC lifted its stake in Chipotle Mexican Grill by 29.9% in the first quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 274 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $468,000 after acquiring an additional 63 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.26% of the companys stock.

Several equities analysts have weighed in on CMG shares. Stephens lifted their price target on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,970.00 to $2,000.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Loop Capital lifted their target price on Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,700.00 to $1,850.00 and gave the company a hold rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill from $1,875.00 to $2,050.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. 888 reaffirmed a maintains rating on shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, StockNews.com raised Chipotle Mexican Grill from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twenty-three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $2,021.37.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc engages in the development and operation of classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. It offers a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls, and salads prepared using classic cooking methods. The company was founded by Steve Ells in 1993 and is headquartered in Newport Beach, CA.

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International Tower Hill Mines Ltd. (TSE:ITH  Get Rating) (NYSE:THM) shares passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$0.74 and traded as low as C$0.71. International Tower Hill Mines shares last traded at C$0.71, with a volume of 15,021 shares changing hands.

International Tower Hill Mines Stock Performance

The businesss 50 day moving average price is C$0.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is C$0.70. The company has a market capitalization of C$146.48 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -25.00 and a beta of 0.77.

International Tower Hill Mines Company Profile

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International Tower Hill Mines Ltd., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties. It holds or has rights to acquire interests in the Livengood gold project covering an area of approximately 19,546 hectares located to the northwest of Fairbanks, Alaska.

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IQVIA (NYSE:IQV  Get Rating) had its target price reduced by Wells Fargo & Company from $235.00 to $220.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, The Fly reports.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on IQVIA from $269.00 to $255.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on IQVIA from $240.00 to $235.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on IQVIA in a research report on Friday, March 17th. They set a buy rating and a $265.00 price objective on the stock. Guggenheim cut their target price on IQVIA from $266.00 to $258.00 in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $265.00 price objective on shares of IQVIA in a report on Monday, February 13th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $253.25.

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IQVIA Trading Down 1.4 %

Shares of IQV stock opened at $184.40 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $34.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.17, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.40. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $198.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $208.21. IQVIA has a 1 year low of $165.75 and a 1 year high of $249.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Insiders Place Their Bets

IQVIA ( NYSE:IQV Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 10th. The medical research company reported $2.78 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.76 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.71 billion. IQVIA had a return on equity of 30.95% and a net margin of 7.28%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.42 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that IQVIA will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

In other news, insider Eric Sherbet sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $230,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 17,053 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,922,190. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, insider Kevin C. Knightly sold 4,446 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $225.61, for a total value of $1,003,062.06. Following the sale, the insider now owns 1,973 shares in the company, valued at approximately $445,128.53. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Eric Sherbet sold 1,000 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $230,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 17,053 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $3,922,190. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On IQVIA

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management grew its position in IQVIA by 300.0% during the 1st quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management now owns 144 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. Clear Investment Research LLC bought a new stake in shares of IQVIA during the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Glassy Mountain Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in IQVIA in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in IQVIA by 40.3% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 167 shares of the medical research companys stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AllSquare Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in IQVIA during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. 86.20% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

About IQVIA

(Get Rating)

IQVIA Holdings, Inc engages in the provision of analytics, technology solutions, and clinical research services to the life sciences industry. It operates through the following segments: Technology and Analytics Solutions, Research and Development Solutions, and Contract Sales and Medical Solutions. The Technology and Analytics Solutions segment supplies mission critical information, technology solutions, and real-world solutions and services to the firms life science clients.

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Allegion plc (NYSE:ALLE  Get Rating) SVP Jeffrey N. Braun sold 2,278 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $110.34, for a total value of $251,354.52. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 11,336 shares in the company, valued at $1,250,814.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Allegion Price Performance

ALLE stock opened at $107.03 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $9.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 1.09. The companys fifty day moving average price is $106.27 and its 200-day moving average price is $108.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.02, a quick ratio of 1.17 and a current ratio of 1.87. Allegion plc has a one year low of $87.33 and a one year high of $123.46.

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Allegion (NYSE:ALLE  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 26th. The scientific and technical instruments company reported $1.58 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.35 by $0.23. Allegion had a net margin of 14.07% and a return on equity of 61.34%. The business had revenue of $923.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $846.29 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.07 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 27.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Allegion plc will post 6.63 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Allegion Dividend Announcement

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Allegion

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 15th will be given a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.68%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, June 14th. Allegions dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 32.55%.

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. raised its position in Allegion by 27.3% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 9,068 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $996,000 after purchasing an additional 1,944 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. grew its stake in shares of Allegion by 11.8% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 5,825 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $639,000 after buying an additional 614 shares during the last quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Allegion by 7.9% during the first quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 6,947 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock valued at $759,000 after buying an additional 510 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Allegion by 35.2% in the first quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,090 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $229,000 after buying an additional 544 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of Allegion by 88.3% during the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 3,336 shares of the scientific and technical instruments companys stock worth $366,000 after acquiring an additional 1,564 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.78% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on ALLE. Mizuho boosted their target price on Allegion from $123.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price objective on shares of Allegion from $138.00 to $119.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Allegion from $130.00 to $116.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Allegion from $108.00 to $119.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Allegion from $130.00 to $126.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Allegion currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $120.22.

Allegion Company Profile

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Allegion Plc engages in the provision of security products and solutions that keep people safe, secure, and productive. It operates through the Allegion Americas and Allegion International segments. Its brands include CISA, Interflex, LCN, Schlage, SimonsVoss, and Von Duprin. The company was founded on May 9, 2013 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Quanex Building Products (NYSE:NX  Get Rating) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday morning.

Separately, Benchmark restated a buy rating and issued a $28.00 price objective on shares of Quanex Building Products in a report on Tuesday, March 14th.

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Quanex Building Products Price Performance

Quanex Building Products stock opened at $18.98 on Monday. The companys fifty day moving average price is $21.23 and its 200 day moving average price is $22.97. Quanex Building Products has a 1 year low of $18.00 and a 1 year high of $27.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $630.88 million, a P/E ratio of 7.94 and a beta of 1.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 2.22.

Quanex Building Products Announces Dividend

Quanex Building Products ( NYSE:NX Get Rating ) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 9th. The construction company reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Quanex Building Products had a net margin of 6.50% and a return on equity of 18.33%. The company had revenue of $261.92 million for the quarter.

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 15th were given a dividend of $0.08 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, March 14th. This represents a $0.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.69%. Quanex Building Productss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 13.39%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Quanex Building Products

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of NX. Bank of Montreal Can increased its position in shares of Quanex Building Products by 4.0% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 25,162 shares of the construction companys stock valued at $570,000 after buying an additional 963 shares in the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in Quanex Building Products by 51.8% during the 1st quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 19,110 shares of the construction companys stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 6,525 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS increased its position in Quanex Building Products by 13.6% during the 1st quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 28,785 shares of the construction companys stock worth $604,000 after purchasing an additional 3,449 shares in the last quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC increased its position in Quanex Building Products by 6.2% during the 1st quarter. Yousif Capital Management LLC now owns 30,913 shares of the construction companys stock worth $649,000 after purchasing an additional 1,795 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LSV Asset Management increased its position in Quanex Building Products by 6,352.9% during the 1st quarter. LSV Asset Management now owns 548,496 shares of the construction companys stock worth $11,513,000 after purchasing an additional 539,996 shares in the last quarter. 98.49% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Quanex Building Products Company Profile

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Quanex Building Products Corp. engages in the manufacture of components sold to original equipment manufacturers in the building products industry. It also designs and produces energy-efficient fenestration products in addition to kitchen and bath cabinet components. The firm operates through the following segments: North American Fenestration, European Fenestration, North American Cabinet Components, and Unallocated Corporate and Other.

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Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp. (CVE:PGE  Get Rating)s stock price was up 2.6% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as C$0.20 and last traded at C$0.20. Approximately 4,000 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 94% from the average daily volume of 67,571 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.19.

Stillwater Critical Minerals Stock Down 2.6 %

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of C$0.20 and a 200-day moving average price of C$0.20. The stock has a market capitalization of C$33.70 million, a P/E ratio of -9.50 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20, a current ratio of 10.49 and a quick ratio of 5.39.

About Stillwater Critical Minerals

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Stillwater Critical Minerals Corp., a mineral exploration company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral properties in Canada and the United States. The company explores for gold, platinum group metals, palladium, nickel, copper, and cobalt deposits. Its flagship project is the 100%-owned Stillwater West project that comprise 763 claims covering an area of approximately 61 square kilometers located in Stillwater District, Montana.

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Waterloo Brewing Company (TSE:BRB  Get Rating) passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of C$0.00 and traded as high as C$3.61. Waterloo Brewing shares last traded at C$3.61, with a volume of 405 shares changing hands.

Waterloo Brewing Price Performance

The stocks 50-day moving average price is C$3.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 71.58, a quick ratio of 0.42 and a current ratio of 1.05. The company has a market capitalization of C$127.78 million and a P/E ratio of 41.98.

About Waterloo Brewing

(Get Rating)

Brick Brewing Co Limited produces, sells, markets, and distributes packaged and draft premium beer under the Waterloo brand name, and value beer under the Laker and Red Cap brands primarily in Ontario, Atlantic Canada, Western Canada, and the United States. The company also produces, sells, markets, and distributes coolers and ciders under the Seagram Coolers brand, as well as offers various beer products under the licensed President's Choice trademark.

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts (NYSE:XHR  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY23 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided EPS guidance of $1.39-1.60 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of $1.41.

Xenia Hotels & Resorts Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts stock traded up $0.12 during trading on Thursday, hitting $12.89. The stock had a trading volume of 753,386 shares, compared to its average volume of 737,518. The firms fifty day simple moving average is $13.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $14.05. The stock has a market cap of $1.43 billion, a PE ratio of 26.31 and a beta of 1.49. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a current ratio of 3.77 and a quick ratio of 3.77. Xenia Hotels & Resorts has a 12 month low of $11.74 and a 12 month high of $19.82.

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 14th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 31st were issued a $0.10 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $0.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.10%. Xenia Hotels & Resortss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 81.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on XHR shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $18.00 to $13.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. B. Riley lowered their target price on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 6th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a market perform rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from $13.00 to $12.00 and set an underweight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Xenia Hotels & Resorts from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Thursday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $16.00.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of XHR. Lazard Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Xenia Hotels & Resorts during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new stake in Xenia Hotels & Resorts during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $76,000. Retirement Group LLC lifted its stake in Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 1,735.0% during the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 8,955 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $118,000 after acquiring an additional 8,467 shares during the period. Point72 Middle East FZE acquired a new stake in Xenia Hotels & Resorts during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $122,000. Finally, Tower Research Capital LLC TRC lifted its stake in Xenia Hotels & Resorts by 164.0% during the 3rd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 10,319 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $142,000 after acquiring an additional 6,411 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 87.22% of the companys stock.

Xenia Hotels & Resorts Company Profile

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Xenia Hotels & Resorts, Inc is a real estate investment trust, which engages in the investment of luxury and upper upscale hotels and resorts. It also owns a diversified portfolio of lodging properties operated by Marriott, Kimpton, Hyatt, Aston, Fairmong, and Loews. The company was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Orlando, FL.

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FILE PHOTO: The logo of Raiffeisen Bank International is seen on their headquarters in Vienna

By Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Tom Sims

VIENNA (Reuters) -Austria's Raiffeisen Bank International, one of the banks in Europe most exposed to Russia, said on Friday that its profit in the country more than tripled in the first quarter, partly due to higher interest income.

The European Central Bank has pressed RBI to unwind its highly profitable Russian business, people have told Reuters, and the Austrian bank says it has been working on a solution.

"The group will continue to progress potential transactions which would result in the sale or spin-off of Raiffeisenbank Russia," RBI said as it released better-than-expected earnings.

Johann Strobl, the bank's chief executive, told analysts that he was working "at full steam" on both options and could not say which alternative would be favoured.

In Russia, profit after tax was 301 million euros ($332 million), up from 96 million euros a year earlier.

The higher interest income came despite a 24% fall in loan volumes, RBI said. A stronger rouble also helped lift earnings.

Overall, the Russia business generated more than 40% of RBI's in the quarter. Last year, it generated more than half.

RBI has been studying strategic options for the business since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year but has warned that its effort may take some time.

Shares in RBI were 2.2% higher during mid-afternoon trading.

The Austrian bank has operated in Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union and is Russia's 10th-largest bank by assets.

Even though its business there has contributed significantly to the group's profit, because of sanctions what it earns in Russia stays with its subsidiary there.

The number of Raiffeisen staff in Russia rose in the quarter by 2.3% to 9,890, while customers dropped 13% to 3.2 million.

($1 = 0.9056 euros)

(Reporting by Alexandra Schwarz-Goerlich and Tom Sims, Editing by Friederike Heine and Alexander Smith)
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An Ebonyi community leader, Barr Iro Ukpai, has said the change from Afikpo South Local Government Area to Edda Local Government Area in the state, which was a consequence of accent to a bill to that effect recently by the President, Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (rted), means a lot to the people of the area.

Aside from ease of identification, he argued the development will expose the people of the area to the respect and fame they were deprived them, outside placing the Edda clan on a global world map.

He stated this during a meeting with journalists, in Amoso village, Etiti Edda community, in the Afikpo South (now Edda) Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, on Thursday.

He said, "I'm Barrister Iro Ukpai, a community leader from Amoso village, Etiti Edda community, in formerly Afikpo South Local Government Area and now, Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, awaiting to be gazetted.

"The change is long over due and it's long been expected, and I'm extraordinarily excited and happy to have witnessed this auspicious change happening in our generation. The name, 'Edda' had been subsumed under Afikpo Local Government Area and as a very populous clan, the Edda people are the most homogenous people in Ebonyi State and beyond. Therefore, calling it Afikpo South means you have to navigate through Afikpo to arrive at Edda even at the point of introduction.

"When Gen. Babangida created the LGA and gave it Afikpo South as its name, a good number of us didn't quite appreciate that move, but because we needed a local government, we were happy that it was given to us.

"Now that it has been changed from Afikpo South to Edda LGA, we are happy and we thank His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari for making it possible and assenting to the bill that changed the name from Afikpo South to Edda LGA.

"The implication of this name change from Afikpo South to Edda LGA is whenever you are called and ask where are you from, you will be bold to say I'm from Edda. It's also going to make those who didn't know Edda to know Edda. The people will straightly navigate to Edda. And if our documents and records are changed from Afikpo South to Edda LGA in that constitutional amendment, it means Edda is going to become a household name in Ebonyi, in the South-East geo-political zone and in Nigeria. And so, the people are happy about it because their records, documents and easy of identification and location wouldn't be through Afikpo again.

"In those days, when they asked where are you from? You said Edda-you have to take back that introduction to Afikpo to start telling where you are from to enable the people identify you. So, the identity of an Edda man is going to be bold, it's going to be noticable and known to the whole world.

"The whole of Edda people are happy with this development. The day it was announced there was massive celebration all over Edda and all over Nigeria by the Edda people; and, we are still going to celebrate and to thank all the people that made it possible for the name to be changed.

"When you talk about culture, Edda has a lot of cultural activities and masquerades that can be showcased to the whole world, as a people."

He added, "However, I don't want to align myself to say that Egbela Edda is retarding the growth of the Edda people. Yes, to some extent it may have been the case in the past, because of the way and manner it was being done-where young men would have to spend seven years, in the bush before they are initiated into the Egbela Edda culture and then bought out from the bush.

"But now I don't think that is still the case. Every village or community world over, has a culture. What we need is a cultural realignment and change. This is because, according to the law, any culture that's not subject to change is bound to collapse. With a few minor changes here and there, Egbela Edda can be a weapon or a sign for development. It can even generate money for the people, because on the day of the festival people can come from all over the world, all over Africa, all over Nigeria and from different places to witness it. And by so doing, they either pay money or they lodge in hotels and buy food and other things in the course of the festival.

"Edda has very highly educated and intelligent people.We have many professors in different fields of law, medicine, engineering, accounting, etc. And it will be difficult to say that Egbela Edda retarded their growth, because these people are from Edda and a good number of them have passed through the Egbela Edda culture.

"However, there is a argument that the Egbela Edda actually needs to be retouched and refined so that the Christian kingdom and the cultural kingdom can meet and align, and then use Egbela Edda as a medium of celebration, identity and then everybody will be allowed to participate, and not just the men. The idea will be that both the men and the women can participate.

"Although in various clans, there are certain cultures which do not allow women participation. But there's need to change this trend, because women are now senators, local government chairmen and play different roles in the development of the society. Some women are chief executive officers, others are heads of NGOs and holding sensitive positions in the society. There's need to liberate the women so as to be part of the culture, too.

"The Edda people are known for their hardwork, they are known for their intelligence, they are known for their determination and even warfare. They were the first to begin to help to liberate other people, because of their physical power. And I think the change of name will now make it possible to showcase all those ingenuities and prowess that were being credited to our neighbours because we were passing through their name. Now we are navigating straightly to Edda.

"Edda will be recognised and appreciated by the Edda people, and our neighbours who will now identify us through the Edda name and concept. I want to personally thank all those who in one way or the other played a role for the actualisation of this noble and historic feat."
Chief executive officers including other stakeholders have urged the Federal Government to implement policies that will open an enabling environment for Nigerian businesses to thrive and grow.

The stakeholders made this call at a conference themed Business Unusual: Breaking Barriers, which was held in Lagos.

The convener of the conference, a development strategist, Linda Uneze, noted that the conference, which was in its third edition, became imperative in order to address several factors that posed threats to businesses, especially in Nigeria; and equip business people with what they needed to do in order to attain set goals.

In his keynote address titled Diversification of the Nigerian economy, the Founder and Chief Executive of AA Holdings, Austin Avuru, noted that the government had failed at all levels in energising the private sector to operate at optimal capacity.

He said, In the Nigerian case, we have people, albeit not at the level of education we want. We have natural resources in abundance. We have limited technology, but there is available technology to purchase. So, usually, good governance simply means organising your production capacity. That is, organising these people and natural resources to optimise growth. That is what it should be.

The Deputy High Commissioner of British High Commission, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, also expressed his thoughts on how policymaking can help remodel the private sector for optimum performance.

During a panel session which was moderated by Arise TV Business Journalist, Rotus Oddiri, the British envoy said improved port operations would be critical to boosting the countrys economy.

The Corporate Relations Director and Company Secretary at Guinness Nigeria Plc, Rotimi Odusola, who was also one of the panelists, harped on the role of small businesses in the economy and advised the government to pay close attention to the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

According to him, they are the engines of the economy and can provide inputs that the bigger businesses need.

The Chief Executive Officer of Transcorp Group, Owen Omogiafor, who delivered the second keynote address titled Business resilience in turbulent times, said businesses must expect challenges and disruptions, and that organisations who desire to navigate through times of crisis should have well defined crisis management plans in place

She said, You must constantly transform. You must not get complacent. Do not ever think that because you are number one, that you will always be number one. Number one cannot go higher. If you move, where are you going? Down. So, when you are number one, everybody that is competing is looking at you.

Rear Admiral Robert Ezekobe, who presented an address on Security as a yardstick of a countrys attractiveness for business, noted that Nigeria was confronted by a plethora of security challenges.
EDMONTON, AB, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - AutoCanada Inc. ("AutoCanada" or the "Company") (TSX: ACQ), a multi-location North American automobile dealership group, announced that all resolutions were passed at its Annual and Special Meeting (the "Meeting") held on May 4, 2023. A total of 15,786,187 common shares (representing 67.03% of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company) were represented virtually or by proxy at the Meeting. Each of the following nominees listed in the management information circular dated March 20, 2023 were duly elected as directors of the Company for the ensuing year:

AutoCanada Inc. Logo (CNW Group/AutoCanada Inc.)

Nominee Votes For % For Votes Withheld % Withheld Paul Antony 15,552,247 98.62 217,764 1.38 Dennis DesRosiers 15,126,019 95.92 643,992 4.08 Rhonda English 15,749,664 99.87 20,347 0.13 Stephen Green 13,812,037 87.58 1,957,974 12.42 Barry James 15,750,061 99.87 19,950 0.13 Lee Matheson 15,266,696 96.81 503,315 3.19 Elias Olmeta 15,726,326 99.72 43,685 0.28

About AutoCanada

AutoCanada is a leading North American multi-location automobile dealership group currently operating 83 franchised dealerships, comprised of 28 brands, in eight provinces in Canada as well as a group in Illinois, USA. AutoCanada currently sells Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, FIAT, Alfa Romeo, Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Infiniti, Nissan, Hyundai, Subaru, Audi, Volkswagen, Kia, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, MINI, Volvo, Toyota, Lincoln, Acura, Honda and Porsche branded vehicles. In addition, AutoCanada's Canadian Operations segment currently operates 3 used vehicle dealerships and 1 used vehicle auction business supporting the Used Digital Retail Division, 12 RightRide division locations, and 11 stand-alone collision centres within our group of 27 collision centres. In 2022, our dealerships sold approximately 100,000 vehicles and processed over 900,000 service and collision repair orders in our 1,367 service bays generating revenue in excess of $6 billion.

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Additional information about AutoCanada Inc. is available at www.sedar.com and the Company's website at www.autocan.ca.

SOURCE AutoCanada Inc.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2023/05/c2224.html
The Federal Ministry of Transportation says N180 million has been approved for the Port Standing Task Team (PSTT) to fight corruption and prevent other maritime crimes across the nations seaports.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Magdalene Ajani, said this at the 3rd roundtable on Maritime Sector Reforms: Consolidating the Gains, held in Lagos recently.

The roundtable was organised by the Maritime Anti-Corruption Network (MACN) and Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).

Ajani was represented by Babatunde Sule, who noted that the Federal Government urged Nigerian Shippers Council (NSC), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to provide funds and operational vehicles for the PSTT.

Ajani added that the government agencies were instructed to provide N60 million each for the Port Standing Task Team to carry on the anti-corruption crusade across the nations ports.

The permanent secretary, Federal Ministry of Transportation, Dr. Magdalene Ajani

Port administration policy is such that port users are able to demand, track, and ensure greater compliance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) by government agencies.

And so, incidences of corrupt demands as it relates to vessel clearance has reduced.

`Government capacity to establish policy on compliance systems and collaborate with the private sector and civil society to improve trade flows and the ease of doing business are being strengthened, she said.

She said that the ministry, through the NSC, the Technical Unit on Government and Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR), and other agencies, Nigeria was poised to augment its standing by further institutionalising and continuously sustaining its reforms.

The National Coordinator of PSTT, Mr Moses Fadipe, confirmed the approval for the operations of the task team, adding that only NSC, being the leading agency, had responded to the governments instruction.

He revealed that other agencies, which included NIMASA and NPA, were yet to respond and the PSTT had not received anything from them.

Fadipe noted that the Nigerian maritime sector had made significant progress towards promoting efficiency and transparency in recent years.

The PSTT has played a significant role in transforming the sector through its commendable monitoring and enforcement of adherence to the provisions of the Nigerian Ports Process Manual and in its discharge of other ancillary mandates.

National Coordinator of PSTT, Mr Moses Fadipe.

The task teams interventions have led to a reduction in inefficiencies and corruption, and there has been a positive impact on the economy.

Strict monitoring and enforcement of joint boarding of vessels procedure, transparency in monitoring, strict monitoring of joint cargo examinations, and the dismantling of illegal checkpoints and extortion points have all contributed to the improvement of the sector, he said
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has stated that Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, would emerge as the next president of the senate.

The governor said this on Thursday at a meeting with Ben Ayade, his Cross River counterpart, in Calabar, the state capital.

Also, Ibrahim Gambari, chief of staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, was also present at the meeting.

Gambari and Ganduje were in Cross River for the installation of Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero as new Chancellor, University of Calabar.

Ganduje said the decision to nominate Akpabio was already a done deal, but he did not explain if it was a decision of the All Progressives Congress (APC) leadership.

He said that the zoning arrangement adopted by the party leadership was based on equity, fairness and justice.

The governor added that Akapbio has the capacity and capability to unite Nigerians at the National Assembly as the number three citizen from the South-South region.

The senate president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will come from the south-south and it is no other person than the former governor of Akwa Ibom, he said.

The uncommon governor, the uncommon minister who is going to be the uncommon president of the senate. So we have resolved that.

I am giving you assurance, we are waiting for the D-Day that he will be the senate president of Nigeria.

In a remark, Ben Ayade expressed gratitude for the choice of Akpabio.

I want to thank you so much for zoning the senate president to the south-south and to our brother from a neighbouring state who is also part of Cross River state.

We want to thank you for this great opportunity because our dream of a Bakassi seaport is becoming very real, the governor said.
Clues, puzzles, maps and a mysterious case of missing alpacas.

Its a novel idea to say the least  and Katie Jackson is jumping at the chance to make it a reality.

Jackson is the owner and operator of Wanderlight Alpaca Experience, a unique operation that allows guests to embark on guided walks led by alpacas.

Launched in 2020, the business is based on Jacksons family farm in Douro-Dummer Township. After moving to the property years ago when Jackson started her own family, she began harvesting crops to sell at local markets. Half a decade later, Jackson knew the fertile land could offer more.

She saw 160 acres of pure potential.

Instead of opting to buy expensive equipment to grow crops and take the traditional farming route, Jackson decided to follow the advice of a friend, choosing to take on more of an unorthodox approach to harness the lands potential. She learned of a business that was offering patrons guided walks with the long-necked affable animals.

Id never heard of such a thing. But it planted the seed of the idea, Jackson recalled.

Soon, she was researching how to acquire and care for alpacas.

I thought, you know what? Its a great idea. Im going to try it.

With the help of Peterborough and the Kawarthas Business Advisory Centres Starter Plus Company program, provided by Peterborough and the Kawarthas Economic Development (PKED)  Jackson participated in the course in March 2020 and successfully pitched her business plan, earning a grant to help launch the venture  she did just that.

Now, Jacksons farm is now home to 13 alpacas  Puck, Q, Heaven and Briar to name a few  and Wanderlight Alpaca Experience has welcomed scores of guests who routinely remark on how relaxing and therapeutic the short yet impactful journey is.

Its been a really special experience to be able to share that with people, reflected Jackson.

Last fall, Jackson teamed up with Peterborough Youth Services, embarking on a 12-week animal-assisted trauma therapy program led by a professional therapist. Jackson hopes to bring the program back in the spring of 2024.

Wanderlight Alpaca Experience is a success.

But, again, Jackson knew she could tap into even more potential.

Thats why she participated in the Peterborough and the Kawarthas Spark Mentorships and Grants Program, a joint effort from the Tourism Innovation Lab and Peterborough and the Kawarthas Tourism.

Applicants submitted their new tourism ideas last month before five finalists were invited to present virtual pitches on Tuesday to a panel of judges.

Jackson unveiled her idea to take the alpaca experience to new heights.

Her one-of-a-kind idea is to add mystery agri-tourism and a culinary experience.

With Wanderlight Alpaca Mystery, the idea is to invite guests to crack the case of stolen alpacas by solving puzzles and following a series of clues. Once the animal has been tracked down, patrons-turned detectives will then embark on the guided walk portion of the experience. To top it off, alpacas will lead their trail companions back to the main farm site, where a picnic featuring locally-sourced food and drink will be waiting.

Jacksons pitch earned her $3,000 in seed grant funds, along with a series of upcoming business mentorship sessions.

Jackson, who works diligently to ensure the farms natural beauty is preserved, plans to make the mystery experience a zero-waste operation.

The idea was inspired by a trip to Millbrooks Escape Maze.

Jackson has spoken with the operators, who install custom escape mazes, courses and rooms, and she hopes to get the new addition to her alpaca-led experience up and running by late fall of this year.

Visits are booked by appointment only online at wanderlightalpaca.ca

Spark winners included Connor McIlveen and Glyne Pease of Shamrock Acres, and Wildflower Bakerys Scott Williams.

BB Brendan Burke is a staff reporter at the Examiner, based in Peterborough. His reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.

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Maryboro Lodge has always been a pleasant place to enjoy summer overlooking Cameron Lake.

On May 20, Maryboro Lodge Museum celebrates its 60th anniversary, marking the milestone with the opening a new exhibition that features the museums first short documentary, Just Another Job. The event, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. also features a variety of fun activities including a scavenger hunt, community campfire with North Country Express, balloon animals and the age-old tradition of enjoying tea overlooking Cameron Lake featuring Gem Gems from the Misses Abbotts cookbook.

Built as bachelor James Wallis backwoods lodge in 1837, Maryboro Lodge originally featured two dancing parlours and a dining room, but no indoor kitchen; an early addition incorporated a summer kitchen and quarters for his domestic help.

As a gentleman, it was not like his familys country estate, Maryborough, in Cork, Ireland, it was just a lodge, by the water, near a beautiful waterfall; there was not much of a village at that point. After Wallis married and moved to Peterborough, many churches would come and host picnics in the ancient oak grove.

In 1913, it became a tourist lodge, where guests came to enjoy tea with the Misses Abbotts.

Fifty years later, Fenelon Falls waterfront changed drastically. Parks Canada began removing many of the landmark buildings from the Island, as it reconstructed the Fenelon Falls Lock. Previously, Fenelon Falls had two locks and a swing bridge, which became a single lock and fixed bridge. Just upstream, Maryboro Lodge was reincarnated as a community museum, when the Abbott sisters had to move to a nursing home, and their devoted nephew ensured that the popular building became a public space.

In 1963, both the new Fenelon Falls Lock - showcased by the documentary that shares George Jacketts memories of digging out the lock pit - and Fenelon Falls Museum opened to the public. By 1972, the waterfront reconstruction was complete, as the old mill, municipal buildings and fire tower no longer welcomed boaters to Fenelon Falls.

Maryboro Lodges 60th Anniversary Party is the beginning of free family fun at the museum for the summer.

For more information and a schedule, check out https://maryboro.ca/events/spring-party/

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Families and community members are invited to learn more about the public school boards boundary review currently underway for Dr. George Hall Public School, Jack Callaghan Public School and Mariposa Elementary School.

The need to review several school boundaries was presented to Trillium Lakelands District School Board trustees in February. The review will help support continued educational programming, student achievement and well-being. Conducting a boundary review enables the board to look at the attendance area for a school or group of schools, examining student enrolment, program demand, new housing construction and/or other factors.

Presently, the Mariposa Elementary School boundary encircles Dr. George Hall Public School; in other words, Little Britain.

As a result, students who live in the south end of the township are bused to Mariposa instead of Dr. George Hall, which, for all intents and purposes, is closer.

The meeting takes place on Wednesday (May 10) starting at 7 p.m. in the Lindsay Collegiate and Vocational Institute cafeteria. Options provided by the public, as well as staff, will be presented to board trustees in June for consideration.

Staff are also reviewing Parkview Public School in Lindsay, where residential construction, currently underway, could impact the school, which is already at capacity. Adding portables to the school property is not a favourable option, and its unlikely the board would receive approval from the province for a capital expansion, given there is space at other schools in Lindsay. To this end, staff will investigate the impact changes would have on Alexandra, Queen Victoria and King Albert. Changes are unlikely for Central Senior Public School, which accommodates Grade 7 and 8 students.

The school board plans to place signs at all new developments within the Parkview catchment area indicating the boundaries are under review and notifying families their children may be required to attend another school.

The results of all consultations and surveys, as well as a staff report, will be presented to trustees next spring. Any action is expected to go into effect in September 2024.

Information about the review will be posted on the Boundary Review page on the boards website (www.tldsb.on.ca).

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From left, Hank Vandermeer, Susan Walsh, Rhonda Cunningham and Dr. Andrew Stratford at the Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care campaign launch at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope.





Significant future capital needs for the Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) has necessitated the hospital and its fundraising arm  the NHH Foundation  to plunge headlong into uncharted waters in terms of fundraising.

Toward this end, the NHH Foundation has unveiled its Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care campaign  reported to be the largest fundraising effort in the organizations history, as well as the history of Northumberland County  at the historic Capitol Theatre in Port Hope in May.

The goal? To raise $25 million to address the hospitals future capital needs, identified in the hospitals strategic plan completed in August 2021.

Those attending the fundraising launch let out a collective gasp when the large financial figure was flashed on the large screen on stage. Rhonda Cunningham, NHH Foundation CEO, noted it will take a concerted effort by everyone to not only get the word out, but ultimately to achieve the lofty fundraising goal.

A hospital is so critical to its community, and sharing our vision for our next chapter is something that has been in the making for over three years now, said Cunningham. While many will be hearing about our plans for the first time, our hope is that after today, everyone in Northumberland County will have as much deeper understanding of where we must go, what we have set out to accomplish and how they can help.

NHH President and CEO Susan Walsh noted the capital needs rose out of an aging population, as well as population growth in west Northumberland.

Walsh noted there are five areas of the hospital that will benefit from the capital fundraising campaign.

Replacing the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scanners is one area.

Walsh noted the CT scanner was installed 2009, and during its 14 years in use, it has completed the 206,523 examinations. The benefits of a new scanner include improved image quality through higher resolution, better visualization that supports more accurate diagnosis and reduction in radiation exposure due to increased speed, it was explained.

Meanwhile, the current MRI is 16 years old and has completed 115,000 examinations. Walsh noted a new MRI will have a larger bore (opening) for better patient comfort and shorter scan times, resulting in a reduction of wait times for patients.

Among the other campaign goals is creation of a six-bed integrated stroke unit.

It will not only bring care closer to home, but also it will decrease time between a patient experiencing a stroke and the initiation of the rehabilitation phase of care. Integrated stroke units result in better outcomes for patients and ensure the services are wrapped around the patient all in the same location, said Walsh of the new initiative.

The campaign also means expanding and centralizing the intensive care unit (ICU).

Walsh noted the hospital received funding to increase its ICU capacity from six to 10 beds.

We dont have capacity in our existing footprint to accommodate 10 beds in the same location. So, we are embarking on a project to bring these beds together centrally.

Building and equipping a fourth operating room is among the other goals.

Walsh said the benefits include increasing local and regional surgical capacity, decreasing surgical wait times and attracting and retaining NHH's talented team and the opportunity to bring new surgical services closer to home.

Redeveloping the pharmacy and medical device reprocessing department (MDRD) is also on the list.

With the expansion of the hospitals surgical department, Walsh noted there is a need for the hospital to renovate and expand its MDRD, which is responsible for the decontamination, inspection, packaging, sterilization and transportation of medical devices.

In addition, Walsh noted the pharmacy is in need of renovations to maintain our ability to meet current volumes and to ensure we continue to meet regulatory requirements.

The Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care campaign is helmed by Hank Vandermeer, a longtime resident and business leader, who was appointed as chair three years ago. Hes vowed to remain as chair until the last dollar is raised. He's excited to work with a large team of volunteer leaders on the campaign cabinet.

Thanks to the generosity of the community, $18 million  or 72 per cent  of this $25-million goal was also celebrated at the launch.

In other words, these funds were raised during a three-year quiet phase, where volunteers and the foundation team have been working behind the scenes, explained Cunningham.

We havent really been speaking publicly about some of our early success, but now we would love to celebrate our wonderful achievements met to date.

The $18 million raised thus far included support of more than $2 million from volunteer leadership, a $1-million contribution from the NHH Auxiliary, seven naming opportunities and a total of 133 gifts and pledges, ranging from $100 to more than $1 million, in addition to the community support of the foundations annual programs, said Cunningham.

Cunningham said as funds have been raised, its been put into action so patients can benefit as soon as possible. She noted the hospital has already implemented a new clinical information system, bought two portable X-ray units at a cost of $440,000 and they were received in September. After 20 years, the hospital replaced its ambulance bay doors and upgraded the lighting to LED. Cardiac monitors and the telemetry system have been upgraded, and a new low-temp sterilizer also purchased.

Dr. Andrew Stratford, chief of surgery for the past 12 years, recently shared how hes witnessed incredible growth in services at NHH and noted capacity for surgery has expanded at the hospital, thanks to the communitys financial support.

I came here in 2005; we had a great hospital and a wonderful staff, but it was a bit limited in what we could do and the surgical things we could do. There were a lot of reasons why people would have to leave town to get care.

Since Ive been here, and weve increased  capacity for what we can do, weve added plastic surgery, added neurological surgery, weve added ear, nose and throat surgery. Weve really developed a thriving ophthalmology service, and all of the sudden were offering things that werent offered before, he said, adding people who once had to travel to Peterborough, Oshawa and Kingston for surgery are now being accommodated here.

Stratford noted a fourth operating room will not only add capacity  thus decreasing wait times  it will also attract more specialists.

Anecdotally, Stratford noted having once worked in Kingston and keeping in touch with former colleagues there, there is a measure of envy with the working culture and state-of-the-art equipment available at NHH.

They are so jealous that I work in Cobourg. And they say and they want to know whats on the inside, it looks so nice on the outside and they want to know what do you have for instruments and I tell them, and they say What, how did you get that? This is what has happened, this is what weve created and thats what we appreciate so much, he said.

In coming months, residents can expect to hear more about the Exceptional Community, Exceptional Care campaign and ways to get involved. More info is available at www.itstimenorthumberland.ca.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Following a presser event around a historic campaign, we caught up with officials to delve into details around a $25-million hospital fundraising campaign and what it will translate to in terms of care for area residents.

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Chances are Bill Gates has enough change in his piggy bank to not have to worry about paying the bills, but the mega-billionaire still knows the value of saving money. One way he thinks people can do that is by transitioning to self-driving cars  though that will probably be many years in the future.

See: 8 Electric Cars You May Regret Buying

Find: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

In a March 29 blog on his GatesNotes site, Gates related his recent experience with an autonomous vehicle (AV) while visiting London. The Microsoft co-founder also shared a YouTube video of the ride, which was taken in a car made by Wayve, a British company whose autonomous vehicles are engineered to drive anywhere. Most AVs can only drive on streets that have already been loaded into the navigation system.

Among Gates conclusions: Wider adoption of AVs is coming sooner rather than later, and well reach a tipping point within the next decade. Gates also wrote in his blog that AVs will eventually become cheaper than regular vehicles.

AVs will help create more equity for the elderly and people with disabilities by providing them with more transportation options, Gates added. And theyll even help us avoid a climate disaster, since the majority in development are also electric vehicles.

The actual cost differences between regular cars and self-driving cars will depend on a variety of factors, including what they are used for. A 2022 report from McKinsey & Co. estimated that the cost per mile of an autonomous taxi could be about 20% higher than that of a private nonautonomous car in certain contexts, depending on use case, geography, and local conditions such as city archetype.

At the same time, McKinsey estimated that the cost per mile for a personal (not pooled) AV-taxi trip could cost about half as much as a driver-based ride-hailing trip.

Those savings wont come anytime soon, however. As Gates noted, widespread autonomous adoption will likely hit the long-haul trucking sector first, followed by delivery vehicles. Most consumers will probably get introduced to AVs through taxis and rental cars. Privately owned vehicles are expected to be the last to be widely adopted, experts say  partly because there will need to be an overhaul of the countrys roads and driving laws. That could be decades in the future.

Story continues

Meanwhile, the technology is still a work in progress. Look no further than Elon Musks push for self-driving cars at Tesla, which has run into so many delays that the company is nowhere close to perfecting the technology, the Washington Post reported.

Still, there have been some forward steps. Last year, U.S. regulators took an important first step by clearing the way for autonomous cars to be built without steering wheels or pedals, CNBC reported.

Take Our Poll: Are You Concerned About the Safety of Your Money in Your Bank Accounts?

McKinsey estimates that by 2035, more than one-third (37%) of new passenger cars sold will feature advanced autonomous driving technology that allows cars to handle most driving situations on their own, though it is unclear when laws be passed allowing them to do so on a wide scale.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Bill Gates Says These Cars Will Save You Money  Is He Right?
Want to learn more about how the new Port Hope Loyalist College will benefit local industry and advance the Northumberland economy?

Loyalist College says it has a business information session in the works to do just this.

This session will explore how Loyalist is helping industry by rapidly upskilling and developing the workforce to meet (its) evolving talent needs, said the college, while sharing details of a May 10 information session open to students, parents, community members and business owners.

The information session will be hosted at the Port Hope Lions Club at 29 Thomas St. from 6 to 8 p.m. May 10.

Loyalist College said it is also extending an invitation to folks who may be interested in learning how its applied research team can work with businesses to help develop innovative new products and enhance existing products.

As previously reported, the new Port Hope campus is set to open its doors and welcome students this fall. The campus is located at 10 Pine St. S. (the former St. Marys Catholic elementary school).

When plans for the new site were announced in 2022, it was said the campus will be home to an expected 120 students or so to start in the fall term. The plan is to expand to about 400 students by 2026.

To register for the upcoming info session and learn more, visit https://loyalistcollege.com/our-campus/port-hope-campus/.

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Greg, Anne and Peter Elmhirst gather around on a breezy spring day, out by the waterfront of their family resort just outside of Keene.

More than 100 years old, Elmhirsts Resort has been a travel destination for families around the world, and will continue to be as the business comes close to celebrating its century anniversary.

This comes as the businesss owners are being inducted into the Junior Achievement Business Hall of Fame in Peterborough.

Despite being so old, much has changed since Peter Elmhirsts great-grandfather first moved onto the property. The first building was erected in 1896, and was originally the family farm.

People started wanting to come here and stay on the waterfront, said Peter Elmhirst. The second generation, which was my father, was the builder, and he built about a dozen cottages.

Thus, the resort started as a summer-only place where Americans could come up north to fish. In 1969, the cottages were winterized and the business became year-round.

In 1980, the family doubled the amount of accommodations and expanded their offerings  a restaurant, an indoor pool  and became more of a formal resort.

Now Peters son, Greg Elmhirst, is a fourth-generation family member who manages the food and beverage side of the business.

Peter says he was just a few years old when his parents got him to do errands around the resort, and his son says he was eight when he got his first job there.

And its not just the Elmhirst family connected to the business  many families visit the resort annually. Many repeat customers who came as children are now bringing children or grandchildren of their own.

And the business has only continued to expand, says Anne Elmhirst. Theres farm-to-table dining with meats and ingredients grown on the property, and a wine cellar stocked exclusively with Ontario drinks. Theres also a pub and bush flying, as well as hosting for conferences, weddings and more.

Im happy to say we have markets around the world, said Anne.

And the focus continues to change as tourism evolves, notes Greg. Theres a greater focus on slow travel, with a slower pace and less movement.

Lots of our guests are more looking for more of a country experience, said Greg.

And the willingness to change has been one of the greatest assets for the business, says the Elmhirsts. Theyve continued to add services and experiences that travellers have been seeking as the travel industry has shifted.

Being a small family business means having the ability to implement change immediately, and the business environment worldwide is requiring that more and more, said Peter, adding that COVID-19 offered a great example of why thats important.

Not being afraid to try new things is key, noted Greg, adding that because the family also lives on the property, they try to make it fun for themselves too.

When Anne came on board, having married into the family, she brought her connections from the airlines, the hotel and the travel industry, thus expanding the possibilities of the business.

She brought a lot of much broader experience to the business when she joined us about 35 years ago, said Peter.

And there are many benefits to being part of a family-run business, says Anne. Corporations can be slow to change, but Elmhirsts has been able to pivot as quickly as they need to.

Here, we were able to make things happen right away because we were the ones doing it, said Anne. We knew what our guests wanted, we knew where we needed to be.

When COVID-19 caused worldwide disruptions to the travel industry, the resort was able to change in response. Check-ins became touchless, meals were served via delivery and a lot of new technologies were implemented.

While the resort had to lay off 90 per cent of its staff, unheard of in the resorts history, they have been able to come back and continue to improve and expand.

We reinvented essentially everything we do here to keep people socially distanced, said Greg. And a lot of those things are sticking around in the post-pandemic era.

And its not just a business, but a family thats been the cause of so much change. The family is emotionally attached to the resort and the land, so theres a dedication to maintaining the land to be good stewards for the next generation, adds Anne.

If youre going to go into business, go into a business youre going to enjoy, added Peter, noting he and his family have continued to love and care for Elmhirsts, and changed it over time so theyve continued to love it.

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Just as I was wondering what happened to author and activist Seth Klein and his war on climate change-- he appears to be making a comeback.

I was recently invited to attend a Time4Action webinar on Thursday, May 11t where Klein is the guest speaker. The topic was The Climate Emergency Unit: Strategies for Effective Climate Action. I have read Kleins book A Good War -- Mobilizing Canada for the Climate Emergencywhich could be a handbook for the federal government on how to stop global warming and wondered if the federal government has been taking Kleins advice since he wrote the book in 2020. Apparently not. This must be extremely frustrating for Klein who has dedicated his life to addressing the climate emergency with time-consuming research that has the answers to it. Yet who has been listening and acting on these answers?

In his book, A Good War, Klein points out that Canada is not on a path to meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets, and radical systemic change to the way we live and work must now happen at high speed. Klein has a bold, practical policy plan for a zero-carbon Canada, yet it seems to be falling on deaf ears, so hes sounding the alarm loud and clear again. The Time4Action Zoom webinar, focuses on Six Markers of the Climate Emergency.

The Six Markers of The Climate Emergency

1. Spend what it takes to win (the good war). Is the government willing and ready to budget and spend whats necessary?

2. Create new institutions to get the job done. We need new public corporations and federal programs that will mass produce and deploy the items needed to decarbonize and electrify our society. To reduce carbon emissions, we need new infrastructure, renewable energy solutions, efficient, accessible transportation and zero carbon buildings.

3. Shift from incentive-based and voluntary policies to mandatory measures.

Will the government implement policies that require Big Oil and other GHG emitters to reduce their emissions? Will they set clear and strong regulations that ban fossil fuels from our buildings and vehicles on a timeline that aligns with the emergency?

4. Tell the truth about the severity of the crisis and communicate a sense of urgency.

Is the government ready to consistently communicate to Canadians that we face an Emergency (adhering to the latest IPCC report (March 20, 2023) and say NO to new fossil fuel extraction and infrastructure projects?

5. Leave no one behind

The government needs to make a hopeful and compelling offer to those who feel that their economic and employment security is tied to fossil fuels. In implementing major transformations, how will the government ensure that all people receive fair and equitable treatment and opportunities? What supports will be in place for lower income households, fossil fuel workers and Indigenous communities on the front lines of fossil fuel extraction as we transition? Will Big Oil and the wealthy be made to pay their fair share?

6. Indigenous rights and leadership are essential to winning (this war)

How does the government plan to uphold indigenous sovereignty and rights, land rights and title, the right to deny pipeline expansion and industry land grabs? How will the government honour the articles in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRP) and ensure those rights are upheld in the face of fossil fuel projects, and support the efforts of Indigenous communities to gain energy, and food independence, free of fossil fuels?

These are all questions we need to ask our federal government. We need all hands on deck to expedite the urgency of the climate emergency.

To find out how you can help contact:

Climate Emergency Unit

c/o The David Suzuki Institute

201 Pringle Farm Road

Saltspring Island, B.C. VBK 2Y2

info@climateemergencyunit.ca

Tricia Clarkson is a climate change columnist and co-chair for the Peterborough Alliance for Climate Action



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Graffiti found on the historic stone gate in Nicholls Oval Park found on Monday was related to the annual protest against sexual assault by Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School students, which occurred the week prior, starting on April 24.

This was not representative of the event on the whole and the students have been working to make things right since they became aware of the issue, Greg Kidd, executive officer of communications and corporate affairs for the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, told The Examiner.

As part of their protest, students used white and red acrylic paint to paint handprints on their own bodies, stated Kidd, and the school found out about the vandalism on April 28.

Earlier this week the school became aware that some of that paint, mainly student handprints, had rubbed onto the gate, along with a couple statements related to the protest, he stated.

City police did not receive any calls about the handprints and slogans painted at the gate, explained Sandra Dueck, corporate communications co-ordinator for city police. However, she did note that this incident would likely be regarded as vandalism and not free expression.

Generally, vandalism and graffiti incidents would fall under mischief under the Criminal Code of Canada, Dueck told The Examiner. Officers have to have reasonable and probable grounds to lay a charge in any incident.

While it hasnt been ascertained who put the paint on the gate, according to the school board, a group of students who had helped organize the protest have been returning to the park to wash off the graffiti.

Since that became known to the student organizers this week, along with support from other participants, they were working to remove the paint yesterday, he stated. They were returning to continue that removal today and are committed to returning until it is all clear.

The park gate honours Charlotte Jane Nicholls, who died in 1890. Her husband Robert was an early merchant and banker in Peterborough and their family gifted land to the community for Nicholls Oval, Jackson Park, Inverlea Park and Peterboroughs hospital.

Meanwhile additional graffiti was discovered this weekend on the Morrow Building, next to the Memorial Centre, and there are plans for it to be removed, city communications manager Brendan Wedley told The Examiner. The Morrow Building vandalism does not appear to be connected to the protest.

NOTE: This story has been updated to clarify that it remains unclear who put the paint on the Nicholls Oval gate and that the organizers of the protest who have been returning to help clean off the paint did so to make things right and not as a punishment.

aschummer@peterboroughdaily.com

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Peterborough Public Library is hosting another Drag Queen Story Time with local performer Betty Baker on Saturday at 10:15 a.m., and a protest and counter-protest are expected again.

Betty Baker regularly reads stories to a library auditorium packed with parents and children; this happens Saturday mornings, about once a month or every other month.

There have been four Drag Queen Story Times since September, and at each one there has been an organized protest and an even larger counter-protest.

This week the Christian youth organization Save Canada, which attended the so-called Freedom Convoy in Ottawa last year and now protests drag events, had online notices encouraging a protest outside the Peterborough Public Library on Saturday.

Teen members of this group from Renfrew came to Peterborough to protest a Drag Queen Story Time in February.

There will also be counter-protesters attending from the group Peterborough and the Kawarthas United Against Hate, a new group formed in response to the ongoing protests.

The counter-protesters are planning to be outside the library starting at 9:30 a.m.

For more, see bit.ly/3HLiFvb

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The winner of the first-ever Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is Fatimah Asghar for their debut novel When We Were Sisters. The announcement was made at Parnassus Books in Nashville, the bookstore owned by American writer Ann Patchett.

The prize, worth $150,000 (U.S.)  around $206,000 Canadian  is to be awarded annually to a woman or non-binary writer. Asghar also receives a residency at the award-winning Fogo Island Inn in Newfoundland and Labrador and will choose a young writer to mentor during their year-long tenture as the prize holder.

Asghar is a powerful talent turning their hand to multiple artistic mediums: they are the author of the poetry collection If They Come for Us,; writer and co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls that highlights friendships between women of colour; they are also the editor, along with Safia Elhillo, of Halal If You Hear Me, an anthology that celebrates Muslim writers who are also women, queer, gender-nonconforming, and/or trans; and the writer of the Time and Again episode on Disney+s Ms. Marvel, of which they are also a co-producer.

Each of the other four finalists will receive $12,500 (U.S.), which works out to almost $17,000 Canadian. Those finalists include Canadian Suzette Mayr, who won the 2022 Giller Prize for The Sleeping Car Porter, which was also nominated for this prize; as well as Daphne Palasi Andreades for Brown Girls, Talia Lakshmi Kolluri for What We Fed to the Manticore, and Alexis Schaitkin for Elsewhere.

The finalists list was chosen from a long list of 15 nominations, that was itself selected from more than 250 entries by jury members Anita Rau Badami, Merilyn Simonds, Monique Truong and Crystal Wilkinson, chaired by Manitoba writer katherena vermette.

The Carol Shields prize was founded by Canadian writer Susan Swan, editor Janice Zawerbny and Don Oravec who has had a long career in arts marketing and administration , after a panel discussion at the Vancouver Writers Festival about inequality between women and men writers in the two countries. First announced in 2020, the prize was named for beloved author Shields, who held both Canadian and American citizenship and lived in Winnipeg.

Among those who have been championing and supporting the prize are Melinda Gates, who donated $250,000 (U.S.), as well internationally famous authors Jodi Picoult and Margaret Atwood.

This story has been updated from a previous version to clarify that the other finalists were not Canadians.

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Broadway legend Patti LuPone wants to do film, but has spent the majority of her career on stage. In writer/director Ari Asters new movie, Beau is Afraid, LuPone says that its the absolute best role shes ever been given.

Beau Is Afraid, which is now playing in theatres, follows the titular paranoid man (Joaquin Phoenix), who embarks on an odyssey to get home to his mother (LuPone). But mayhem ensues, sending his life in a new direction. He is forced to confront the lies hes been told by those closest to him. It also stars Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan and Parker Posey.

Everybody thinks of me only in musical theatre terms, and not my history as a straight actor, LuPone said in a virtual interview. Beau is Afraid is the best role Ive ever been handed on film; its a complete role that Im able to call upon my emotional capability, and Aris very specific, very fantastic writing. Its a big achievement for me. I hope it opens more doors for me as an actor on film. I was so fortunate that Ari cast me in the role. I dont get these roles on camera.

In the third act, audiences finally get to see LuPone, 74, make an entry. She is fierce and commanding, delivering a monologue that, in lesser hands, wouldnt have landed the same.

Ari wrote a great role for a woman and how many great roles for women my age, or even 50 years old, are there? The Tony winner for her turn on stage in productions such as Gypsy, Company, and Evita, was surprised when the filmmaker reached out to her. Turns out, he saw LuPone in a David Mamet play on Broadway and the rest, as they say, is history.

The level of intensity that the New York-born actor and Phoenix share in a dialogue-heavy final act is one that wont easily be forgotten. Both actors impressively pull their weight. For LuPone, understanding Phoenixs style of working helped her give it her all.

It was important for me to understand how Joaquin worked. I was not about to impose my working process on him. I am there to serve him. I dont want to sound obsequious in any way, but I didnt know his process, and I didnt want to interfere with his process. I think Im a flexible enough person to understand how to work with any actor that way. Once ... I garnered his trust, and I think I did, then we were able to play.

She continued, I gave Joaquin those speeches, I gave it to him every take we had. I gave him the same intensity of that dialogue  I just continued to give him the intensity of that scene in all of the takes.

It was while filming in Montreal that LuPone bonded with Aster and Phoenix over early morning coffee, and that downtime proved essential prior to filming the intense scenes.

We dealt with each other as people and talked with each other as just regular people so that when we got to that intensity, Joaquin knew me a little more as Patty, as opposed to the actor coming at him with those lines, she said. I think that was very essential, very important. I saw Joaquin with his wife and his little dog and his little baby. It was a sweet experience before we had to dive into something that was terrifying and disturbing.

The actress loved filming in Canada: Ive worked in Canada before and the crew is fantastic, Montreal was great. We went to Quebec City, which was fantastic.

After asking me where I was located, she enthusiastically added, I love Toronto. Im singing in Toronto. I think we moved it to November. It was going to be next weekend. I shot in Toronto a couple of times and in Edmonton, (in) Nova Scotia. The only place I havent shot is Vancouver.

Taking a spin off the title, I asked, What is Patti LuPone afraid of?

Without missing a beat, she said, The dark. Ive always been afraid of the inside dark, not the outside dark. Somebody read me a book when I was in elementary school that scared the sh** out of me and so Im still afraid of the inside dark.

Then she got more personal as she pondered the question: Im completely terrified in my life and I am fearless on stage. Thats just the way it is. I am more terrified now in the world were living in than Ive ever been. I have honest to God fear for my sons life, fear for my husbands life, fear for my life, fear of falling, fear of anything. I have fear. I dont deny it. But put me in front of a camera or put me on stage and Im fearless about it. Thats why its where I belong. Its my happy place.

Beau is Afraid is now playing in theatres.

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Q I have a friend who I met at work 30-plus years ago. Were now both in our 50s. We get together two to four times a year.

During COVID, we realized our politics are quite opposite. Shes a COVID denier and a Trump supporter. Im further left politically; I got vaccinated, and the NDP would be my political party. She wouldnt even discuss COVID and all of its mandates; she was against it all. She practically spit the word socialist when I revealed my stance.

For about six years, Ive been more open about my mental illness after receiving a late diagnosis and beginning my healing journey. Though Ive tried to explain the complexities of mental illness, my friend maintains that I just need to get outside. Shes mocked me behind my back, and says, Its all in your head.

Whereas Im fascinated by all cultures, shes openly prejudiced although she knows this bothers me a lot.

Im having a serious dilemma about whether or not to continue this casual long-term friendship.

Talking about it wont work. Were both aware of our fundamental differences. Due to my mental illness, our lives look extremely different. Ive explained it, but the seriousness of my suffering is dismissed.

Im failing to see the value in this casual friendship but theres some loyalty there and weve shared our life experiences.

Do I continue to keep things casual as they are and just keep quiet? Outward prejudice really offends me. I find deliberate ignorance irresponsible.

Too different?

A Youre total opposites regarding politics, the pandemic, racism  including her unkind and uninformed views regarding your personal health.

Yet somehow youve both maintained a casual but consistent link over some 20 years to the days of working together. Since its always a polarized discussion at each encounter, there are options: You could suggest very occasionally seeing a movie or theatre production together as a distraction (only if its not too controversial).

Or get together less often, down to an annual or semi-annual meetup.

Most important, protect yourself and prioritize your mental health. You may also tell her this, and close down further discussion of it.

This workplace friendship was in a different time, during different parts of your lives. Your loyalty is a fine trait, but not if its at the expense of your well-being.

Q My husband and I are having a disagreement. We were invited onto a friends yacht for a week and were very excited about it.

Several days after departure it was strongly suggested we tip the staff several thousand dollars at the end of the excursion.

I was shocked because were not in the same money bracket as our friends. Even though they often use their boat for business, it was something I felt they should have disclosed before we booked our trip. Now, my husband and I are upset with the couple, and with each other in how we want to respond.

Out to sea

A One or both of you should have asked some questions ahead.

I get it that you didnt want to look like newbies at sea. But the minute you saw staff workers, you should have checked on the tip situation. If there were cooks, waiters, cabin cleaners, etc., its fairly likely tipping would be required for extra guests.

But given the several thousand dollars request at the excursions end, your hosts were also wrong not to speak up beforehand.

Give what you can afford and some more, since you were focused on the luxury aspect. Hopefully, the friendship will survive.

Readers Commentary: Regarding the Single Sibling (April 18):

Its time for all the siblings and their mom to discuss either hiring help for her or moving her into a retirement residence closer to where her adult children live.

Her routines can be scheduled so she has more visitations. Plus, shell be with like-minded people and there are always activities.

My mother was in such a facility, always involved in activities. Id visit her on Sunday afternoons and my brother would visit on Sunday evenings.

But, do some serious research to locate a preferred facility for her.

Today, the kids are complaining over lack of opportunity to visit her. But events can turn very quickly. One serious fall or mishap can change the situation in an instant. Thats what happened to my mother. Unfortunately, two weeks later we were making funeral arrangements. Everyones priorities suddenly changed.

Dont take your moms life for granted.

Ellies tip of the day: Mental health issues require professional help (psychologists/psychiatrists/clinical social workers, etc.) not lay peoples uneducated opinions.

Ellie Tesher and Lisi Tesher are advice columnists for the Star and based in Toronto. Send your relationship questions via email: ellie@thestar.ca or lisi@thestar.ca

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Several thousand people have been ordered to leave their homes as more than 100 wildfires burn across Alberta.

Everybodys out, everybodys alive, nobodys injured, said Steven Lacroix, managing director of Alberta Emergency Management Agency.

As of early Saturday morning, there were 103 active wildfires in the province, with 37 listed as out of control.

An evacuation order was issued for the town of Edson and Yellowhead County Friday evening.

Edson, about 215 kilometres west of Edmonton, has a population of more than 8,000.

You need to evacuate immediately, the town said on its website.

An evacuation was ordered Thursday night for Drayton Valley, a town of around 7,000 people about 140 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Tyson Pietsch, president of the Drayton Valley Pro Rodeo, said his crew was able to herd more than 100 horses and cattle into trailers to be moved out of the area as the wildfire caused the rodeo to shut down.

Literally the ash was falling on us while we were loading out rodeo stock, said Pietsch, adding all animals and crew members are safe.

Pietsch said it took him nearly three hours to drive to his home in Buck Lake, which should normally take 35 minutes.

It was manic.

Awesome Pawsome ranch, just outside of Spruce Grove near Edmonton, was offering five days of free boarding for the pets of wildfire evacuees. During the Fort McMurray fires in 2016, business owner Shanin Neff said the ranch was completely full.

We have definitely been through this before with Fort McMurray, so were were getting prepared today, said Neff. We all got up at 5 oclock this morning to hear the news and weve been going ever since.

Parts of northern and central Alberta are under fire bans after a period of windy and unseasonably hot weather.

This is a rapidly changing situation, said Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire, noting more heat and extremely strong winds were expected later Friday, particularly in the north.

In Fox Lake, about 550 kilometres north of Edmonton, the province said a 4,400-hectare wildfire destroyed 20 homes, an RCMP detachment, a store and the communitys water treatment plant.

RCMP spokesman Cpl. Troy Savinkoff said in addition to losing the Fox Lake detachment and compound, including a residence, two homes that also housed officers were damaged.

He said RCMP successfully removed all firearms and exhibits from the detachment and members families and pets got out safely. Mounties, including officers from other detachments, remain in the community.

Well have to determine ways to work remotely, Savinkoff said. And then well work with the community and government to try to come up with temporary arrangements and then some more permanent arrangements down the line.

The Northern Store in Fox Lake was significantly damaged. The North West Company, which owns the store, said all staff are safe.

We are currently planning support for our staff and a donation of essential products for community members displaced by the fires, said CEO Dan McConnell. We extend our condolences to everyone impacted by the fires and especially to those families who have lost their homes.

In a video posted to Facebook on Thursday night, Chief Conroy Sewepagaham of Little Red River Cree Nation near Fox Lake said he believes everyone got out.

Residents were taken out by boats and a barge. Tucker said the province also assisted with the evacuation of 115 people by helicopter.

Residents in Rainbow Lake were also under an evacuation notice, but not required to leave. Tucker said a 400-hectare wildfire was moving away from that town but remained a significant priority.

RCMP said a helicopter that was fighting wildfires in western Alberta crash-landed at the Edson airport Thursday night. The pilot was able to walk away and was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith activated cabinets emergency management committee Friday and said there would be daily media briefings on the wildfire situation.

This is a very serious ongoing situation, and Albertas government will continue to monitor and provide Albertans with the most up-to-date information, said a statement from the premiers office.

NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who was campaigning Friday ahead of the May 29 provincial election, took a moment out of an education announcement in Calgary to share sympathies with those affected by the fires.

Our hearts go out to you in this very, very difficult time, she said.

Tucker said firefighters were expected to arrive from Ontario and Quebec to help. So far this year, she said 348 wildfires have burned more than 25,000 hectares across the province.

Thats significantly more wildfire activity for this time of year than weve certainly seen any time in the recent past.

 With files from Colette Derworiz in Calgary

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

___

This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.

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(Bloomberg) -- The Justice Department is investigating whether Binance Holdings Ltd. was used illegally to let Russians skirt US sanctions and move money through the worlds biggest cryptocurrency exchange, according to people familiar with the matter.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The inquiry by the Justice Departments national security division is looking at whether Binance or company officials ran afoul of sanctions related to Russias invasion of Ukraine, according to five people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing a confidential investigation.

The probe, which hasnt previously been reported, is moving on a parallel track with an existing inquiry by the criminal division, one of the people said. The development adds a new layer of scrutiny to the operator of the worlds biggest crypto exchange as the sector reels from a series of stunning bankruptcies and high-profile scandals.

Binance has been in discussions with the Justice Department to resolve previous complaints that the exchange was used to evade sanctions against Iran prior to strong compliance controls being put into place, according to another person familiar with the matter.

Binance said in a statement that the company complies fully with all US and international financial sanctions.

In 2021, Binance launched an initiative to completely overhaul its corporate governance structure, including bringing in a world-class bench of seasoned executives to fundamentally change how Binance operates globally, the statement said.

The companys know your customer protocols rival any in the traditional banking system and every customer is required to go through the controls, which include country of residence and personal identification checks, Binance said.

Story continues

Our policy imposes a zero-tolerance approach to double registrations, anonymous identities, and obscure sources of money, Binance added.

The Justice Department declined to comment.

Binance is already wrestling with multiple criminal and regulatory investigations. One of the most significant actions by the US to crack down on the cryptocurrency industry came in March when Washingtons derivatives regulator alleged that Binance broke its rules for years.

The Internal Revenue Service, as well as federal prosecutors, have been examining Binances compliance with anti-money laundering obligations, Bloomberg News has reported. The Securities and Exchange Commission has been scrutinizing whether the exchange has supported the trading of unregistered securities.

Binance has said it takes its legal obligations seriously and collaborates with regulators and law enforcement.

Binances co-founder, Changpeng Zhao, disputed many of the issues alleged in the civil lawsuit filed in March by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Zhao said in a blog post at the time that the CFTC lawsuit appears to contain an incomplete recitation of facts.

Binance has hired law firms including Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Latham & Watkins in the high-stakes showdown with the CFTC.

Not all inquiries lead to formal allegations of wrongdoing and these complex investigations can take time. There is no indication at the moment that the Justice Department is preparing to agree to a settlement with Binance, such as a non-prosecution or deferred-prosecution agreement, one of the people said. A company might negotiate with the government over terms for an agreement, depending on the facts of the case.

Binance has closed gaps in its regulatory compliance, Chief Strategy Officer Patrick Hillmann said in an interview in February. He said the company is in settlement discussions with US regulators, but didnt specify a timeline or potential settlement amounts.

Co-founded by Zhao in Shanghai in 2017, Binance has morphed into a brokerage, digital wallet, venture fund, custody service, data provider, digital-art marketplace and token issuer  all in one. While the company has no official headquarters, it has set up major hubs in Dubai and Paris.

Any action against Binance would reverberate across the crypto industry. After the collapse last year of Sam Bankman-Frieds FTX empire, Binance solidified its dominance as the biggest crypto exchange and accounted for 53% of all spot trading in March, according to data from researcher CCData. In a popular product known as perpetual futures, Binance controlled a record 62% of global volumes in 2022, a CoinGecko report shows.

--With assistance from Yueqi Yang and Sabrina Willmer.

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HALIFAX - Nova Scotias highest court released Friday a written decision explaining why it quashed the fraud conviction of a childrens hospital CEO who used her corporate credit card to allegedly pay for $47,000 in personal expenses.

Tracy Kitch, former chief executive of the IWK Health Centre, in Halifax, was sentenced to five months in jail on Aug. 10, 2022, but she was released on bail pending her appeal. The appeal was heard on March 7, and in a brief oral decision that day, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal called for a new trial.

The courts written decision says the trial judge failed to adequately explain the reasons behind his decision to convict Kitch in February 2022. Written by Justice Carole Beaton, the decision says provincial court Judge Paul Scovil did not provide the why behind a ruling that asserts the Crown provided sufficient factual findings to support all of the elements required to secure convictions on two charges.

The judges reasons do not reveal, even obliquely, how he applied these legal requirements to the facts of the case, the latest decision says.

Although the judge reviewed the factual circumstances in his reasons, he did not explain how they supported his ultimate conclusion the Crown had met its burden .... It is not possible to discern from the judges reasons whether the law, which he both cited and is presumed to know, was properly applied.

The Crown has yet to decide if a new trial should be held.

When Kitch was appointed as the hospitals CEO in 2014, she was provided a corporate credit card, and acknowledged in writing that it was not for personal use, the decision says. Early in her term, hospital staff found it difficult to track her business and personal expenses. And in October 2016, her expense records were posted on a public website, as required by the provincial government.

Eventually, media attention came to bear on the appellants expense history, the ruling says. By September 2017, the scrutiny was so intense that (Kitch), having by then reimbursed the IWK thousands of dollars for personal expenses, resigned. She was charged in October 2018.

In its decision, the three-member appeal panel said the trial judges decision may have been based on Kitchs procedural or ethical breaches, which do not translate directly to a conviction for fraud or fraud by a public officer. But the reasoning is not clear, the court said.

The judge did not have to provide exhaustive reasons that touched on each and every aspect of the evidence, the ruling says. However, we do not know how the judge reached his determination of  the guilty act in relation to the offence of fraud.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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A roundup of some of the most popular but completely untrue stories and visuals of the week. None of these are legit, even though they were shared widely on social media. The Associated Press checked them out. Here are the facts:

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FedNow wont give agency power to seize bank accounts for political beliefs

CLAIM: The Federal Reserve is launching a new program that will give it the power to monitor, freeze and even seize private bank accounts based on a persons behavior or political beliefs.

THE FACTS: Fed officials and banking experts say the new FedNow service does not give the agency additional surveillance and enforcement authorities. They say the service simply replaces the agencys outdated system for banks to process checks and electronic payments. Yet social media posts are sharing a lengthy blog piece with the headline U.S. Government Docket No. OP-1670 Exposes New Fed Power to Seize Control of U.S. Bank Accounts. The blog item claims a secretive government initiative gives unelected officials the power to closely monitor or even freeze your account based on your behavior, and potentially even based on your political views. It also claims the system would give government officials the power to monitor a persons investments, restricting how much they can invest or contribute to certain companies, causes and political parties. But the government document referenced by the post  Docket No. OP-1670  suggests nothing of the sort, Fed officials and banking experts say. Instead, they say, it details the creation of FedNow, a new service set to launch this summer that will allow banks and credit unions to speed up the dayslong process of clearing checks and electronic payments. The Fed and FedNow cannot access individuals bank accounts or control how they choose to spend their money, the agency said in an emailed statement. Aaron Klein, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a think tank in Washington, D.C., concurred. He said the Fed is simply revamping its outdated Automated Clearinghouse system, which is the network financial institutions use to send each other electronic credit and debit transfers such as payroll direct deposits, social security benefits and tax refunds. They are upgrading their current system that runs on 1950s tech to one thats modern, Klein explained in an email. Its like changing from Blockbuster to Netflix. Nicholas Anthony, a policy analyst at the Cato Institute, another Washington-based research group, noted that banking institutions are already required to report suspicious financial behavior and other potential threats under the federal Bank Secrecy Act, which was enacted in 1970 to crack down on money laundering and the financing of terrorism. There isnt anything secretive about the planned system, either, as the blog post claims, Anthony noted. The Fed has provided regular updates on the process, launched a frequently asked questions page and even published a notice in the Federal Registe r early in the process in order to solicit public feedback. The blog post appears to wrongly conflate the forthcoming FedNow system with digital currency, commonly referred to as a  central bank digital currency, or CBDC, which the Fed has also said it is exploring, Anthony and other experts say. Fed officials have stressed FedNow is unrelated to the notion of a government-run digital currency, which social media users also falsely claim would lead to the elimination of cash.

 Associated Press writer Philip Marcelo in New York contributed this report.

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Video of Kamala Harris saying today is today was altered

CLAIM: A video shows Vice President Kamala Harris saying in a speech: Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow.

THE FACTS: The original footage, from a rally on reproductive rights at Howard University last week, does not contain this quote. In the days after Harris headlined the rally in Washington, D.C., a real clip of her speech was mocked by Republicans, with one critic dubbing it a word salad. In the real footage, Harris says: So I think its very important  as you have heard from so many incredible leaders  for us, at every moment in time, and certainly this one, to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and in the moment as it relates not only to the past, but the future. But over the weekend, social media users began sharing a version of the video that had been altered to change the audio so that Harris appears to be rambling incoherently. Today is today. And yesterday was today yesterday. Tomorrow will be today tomorrow. So live today, so the future today will be as the past today as it is tomorrow, Harris appears to say in the 22-second clip. The altered clip was first posted by an account that frequently posts footage of politicians that have been edited for comedic effect. While many users shared their video as a joke, others suggested it was real. The original footage was live streamed by NARAL Pro-Choice America, an abortion rights nonprofit. The White Houses transcript of Harris remarks also does not include the statement from the altered video.

 Associated Press writer Karena Phan in Los Angeles contributed this report.

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Video spreads false notion of unlimited oil supply

CLAIM: The planet has an unlimited supply of oil.

THE FACTS: Crude oil supplies are not unlimited, experts say. Crude oil is not a renewable resource. Those facts are contrary to a video claiming that oil is an unlimited resource, which has spread widely among social media users in recent days. The video features the text, Oil is unlimited while a man says, There is an unlimited amount of oil. He goes on to suggest that the public is being misled into thinking the oil and other resources are scarce. But the notion is false, according to experts and government agencies. Crude oil is not a renewable resource and takes millions of years to form. While crude oil resources are thought to be abundant, humans are consuming oil much faster than it takes to form, and current technological and financial limitations prevent humans from extracting all potential oil resources. Oil is not a renewable resource, Marianne Kah, an adjunct senior research scholar at the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, wrote in an email to the AP. Kah added that oil supplies are limited by current technology, the financial viability of what can be produced, and other constraints, like resource access, permitting and geopolitics. Were depleting a fossil resource base that doesnt get replenished, except on 100 million year time scales, Carey King, an energy researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, said in a phone interview. And were depleting it on 100 year time scales. Humans wont be able to extract all of the worlds oil resources because it wont be cost effective or technology limitations will still exist, King said. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the global supply of crude oil, other liquid carbons, and biofuels is expected to meet global demand through 2050. The worlds underground oil and natural gas accumulations are limited and non-renewable, Energy Information Administration spokesperson Chris Higginbotham wrote in an email to the AP. Mark Finley, a fellow in energy and global oil at Rice Universitys Baker Institute, wrote in an email that according to a BP report, there were 1.7 trillion barrels of proven crude oil reserves, or oil that is currently technically and economically viable to recover, at the end of 2020, which was enough to cover more than 50 years of that years global production. Proven oil reserves have increased as technological developments make more resources accessible and financially viable. He added that while its doubtful that the world will run out of proven oil reserves or supplies, this will be due to decreasing demand for oil and increasing demand for cheaper sustainable energy sources.

 Associated Press writer Josh Kelety in Phoenix contributed this report.

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No, MH370 hasnt been found, underwater photo is a different plane

CLAIM: A photo of a plane underwater shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has finally been found.

THE FACTS: The photo shows an old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar airplane in the Red Sea. The image comes from a video posted online by the Deep Blue Dive Center, a scuba diving company in Aqaba, Jordan. Social media users are falsely claiming the photo shows the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which has been missing since it went down in 2014 with 239 people aboard. That Boeing 777 that vanished in 2014 remains missing. The photo circulating with the erroneous claim shows the front of a rusty airplane covered in algae. The image actually shows an abandoned plane that was sunk off the coast of Jordan to create an artificial reef. The photo comes from an Instagram video posted on April 6 by the Deep Blue Dive Center, a company that offers scuba diving lessons and other underwater activities in the Gulf of Aqaba. The original video also matches the other shots of the plane that were in the Facebook post. Tristar Airplane Wreck Red Sea, Aqaba JO, reads the caption. The company noted on the post that the plane was scuttled, or deliberately sunk, in 2019, and has become an artificial reef. Deep Blue Dive Center did not immediately respond to the APs request for comment. The plane is an old Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar plane, according to Aqabas official tourism page. The plane was out of service and parked at nearby King Hussein International Airport for several years before the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority purchased the aircraft and sank it to become a destination for divers. Brett Hoelzer, who works with Deep Blue Dive Center as a photographer and a dive master, confirmed to the AP over Instagram that the image shared online was the Tristar. Hoelzer had taken similar photos of the same plane for his Instagram page. The Malaysian Airlines flight vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. An official search by Malaysia, Australia and China was suspended in 2016 and the countries agreed that an official search would only resume if there was credible evidence that identified a location, according to AP reporting.

 Karena Phan

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CANBERRA, Australia (AP)  Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed frustration at the United States continuing efforts to extradite WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, saying: There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration.

Albaneses comments Friday in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. interview appeared to escalate diplomatic pressure on the United States to drop the charges against the 51-year-old Assange, who has spent four years in Britains Belmarsh Prison fighting extradition to the United States.

Before that, Assange had taken asylum for seven years in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

Albanese said Assanges case had to be examined in terms of whether the time Assange had effectively served was in excess of what would be reasonable if the allegations against him were proved.

I just say that enough is enough. There is nothing to be served by his ongoing incarceration, Albanese said.

I know its frustrating, I share the frustration. I cant do more than make very clear what my position is and the U.S. administration is certainly very aware of what the Australian governments position is, Albanese added.

Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse that stem from WikiLeaks publication of a huge trove of classified documents in 2010.

American prosecutors allege he helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.

To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Albanese said there was a disconnect between the U.S. treatment of Assange and Manning. Then-U.S. President Barack Obama commuted Mannings 35-year sentence to seven years, which allowed her release in 2017.

Albanese has said he has advocated for Assange in meetings with Biden administration officials. On Friday, he declined to say whether he would raise Assange with Biden when Albanese hosts the U.S. leader along with leaders of India and Japan in Sydney on May 24.

The way that diplomacy works  is probably not to forecast the discussions that you will have, or have had with leaders of other nations, Albanese said. Ill engage diplomatically in order to achieve an outcome.

Albanese said he did not want to get into an argument about whether Assanges alleged actions were right or wrong.

Albanese noted a British district court decision, since overturned, that rejected the extradition request on the grounds that Assange was likely to kill himself if held under harsh U.S. prison conditions.

I am concerned about Mr. Assanges mental health, Albanese said.

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ST. LOUIS (AP)  Now that Kim Gardner is stepping down as the chief prosecutor in St. Louis, Missouris governor is getting plenty of advice about the qualifications Gardners replacement should bring to the table.

Activists and Democrats want someone who will continue her progressive policies, even if many concede that Gardners replacement must restore confidence in the St. Louis Circuit Attorneys Office. Republicans cite a need to crack down on crime and work more cohesively with police.

Gardner, who has been at odds with Republicans for most of her six-and-a-half years in office, announced Thursday that she would resign effective June 1. She was among several big-city Democratic prosecutors across the country who have faced criticism and ouster efforts in recent months.

Since day one of my tenure as Circuit Attorney, I have experienced attacks on my reforms, on my judgment, on my integrity, on my prosecutorial discretion, on my responsibility to direct the limited resources of this office and more, Gardner said in her resignation letter, adding that the attacks were at the expense of public safety.

Republican Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey has been seeking Gardners removal, saying too many crimes go unpunished, the prosecutorial staff has dwindled to a dangerously low number and the office is too slow in taking on cases brought by police.

Meanwhile, the GOP-led Missouri House weighed a bill that would allow Republican Gov. Mike Parson to appoint a special prosecutor in St. Louis to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of Gardners responsibilities.

Parson, a former sheriff, is tasked with appointing Gardners replacement. His office declined an interview request, but Parson said in a statement on Thursday that he is committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading racial justice activist in St. Louis, knows that the next circuit attorney wont be a so-called progressive prosecutor like Gardner. But he urged Parson to appoint someone who will continue to consider diversion over incarceration, avoid seeking the death penalty and generally treat defendants with compassion.

Non-violent criminals for many cases dont need that mark on them that can haunt them for the rest of their lives, Gray said. These things are important for criminal justice reform.

Many others want the next circuit attorney to be laser-focused on prosecuting criminals.

Because of Kim Gardners incompetence violent criminals in St. Louis werent prosecuted while victims waited too long for justice, Republican U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt said in a tweet. St. Louis is better off without Kim Gardner. Its my hope the next Circuit Attorney will aggressively prosecute crime and people can feel safe again.

Michael Wolff, former chief justice of the Missouri Supreme Court and now professor emeritus at St. Louis University School of Law, said whoever takes over faces a tall task. Some St. Louis prosecutors are juggling hundreds of cases.

They have to basically rebuild the office, and theyre going to have to probably collaborate with some prosecutors around the region to get the help that they need immediately, Wolff said.

Gardner first drew the ire of Republicans in 2018 when she charged then-Gov. Eric Greitens with felony invasion of privacy, but the charge was eventually dropped. The Republican resigned June 1, 2018. Gardners resignation will be five years to the day after Greitens.

The Greitens case drew scrutiny that led to the conviction of Gardners investigator. Gardner received a written reprimand for failing to produce documents and mistakenly maintaining that all documents had been provided to Greitens lawyers.

In 2019, Gardner announced an exclusion list of city police officers prohibited from bringing cases to her office. The list included nearly 60 officers accused of posting racist and anti-Muslim comments on social media.

Despite her critics, Gardner easily won reelection in 2020. But even some of her supporters flipped as the backlog of criminal cases began to mount.

A pivotal turning point came in February after 17-year-old Janae Edmondson, a volleyball standout from Tennessee, was struck by a speeding car after a tournament game in downtown St. Louis. She lost both legs.

The driver, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was out on bond on a robbery charge despite nearly 100 bond violations that included letting his GPS monitor die and breaking the terms of his house arrest. Critics questioned why Riley was free despite so many bond violations.

Gardner isnt the lone prosecutor under GOP scrutiny.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was expected to sign a bill Friday creating a new commission to discipline and remove prosecutors if they categorically (refuse) to prosecute any offense or offenses of which he or she is required by law to prosecute.

In Pennsylvania, state House Republicans voted in November to impeach Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for reasons including his failure to prosecute some minor crimes, his bail policies and management. Krasner sued and a divided state court ruled that impeachment articles didnt reach the needed legal threshold.

In San Francisco, it was voters who decided to oust the chief prosecutor. District Attorney Chesa Boudin was removed last June in a recall election fueled by frustration over public safety in the deeply Democratic city. Viral video footage of people shoplifting and attacking seniors, particularly Asian Americans, rattled residents.

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AP reporter Summer Ballentine contributed to this report from Jefferson City, Missouri.

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OTTAWA - Russias current invasion in Ukraine happened because the world didnt do enough to respond when they did it before, former U.S. secretary of state Hillary Clinton said Friday in Ottawa.

And failing to stop Russia now would also be disastrous in terms of unleashing Chinese aggression, she said.

It is in our interest to stop them, Clinton said, as a keynote speaker at the Liberal policy convention in Ottawa.

Clinton was sharing a stage with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland for a wide-ranging discussion that heavily focused on the threats to democracy and human rights in both Canada and the United States.

Clinton said when Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Georgia in 2008, we all sat him down, we gave speeches about it.

We, you know, expressed our absolute opposition, but nobody really did much. Think of the lesson Putin took from that.

Then he invaded Ukraine the first time in 2014, and again it was Oh my gosh, we wish he wouldnt do, its really fortunate, but weve got other things weve got to focus on, other places that we have to pay attention to.

And the message Putin took from that was that he can get away with invading other countries and interfere with elections and buy his way to influence all in his great quest to restore Russian greatness.

The only solution, she said, is Ukraine has to win and that means like-minded nations must send everything they can to Ukraine to help them do that.

Freeland agreed and said its not just about Russia.

The single strongest message of deterrence we can send to China is a decisive Ukrainian victory that says to all the worlds dictators, You know what, democracy is prepared to fight back and democracy can actually win.

Clinton also brought with her warnings that Canada will not be immune to the attempts to turn back the clock on human rights, and in particular, reproductive rights, that are happening in the United States.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v Wade abortion rights ruling that allowed for legal abortions.

Make no mistake about it, in our country there is a very significant historical struggle going on, about whether we move forward or the clock is turned back, said Clinton.

And she said some of that debate is being fuelled by misinformation and disinformation campaigns, including by politicians who have started to see democracy as a nuisance to getting what they want.

And I would predict that youre going to have some of that, you know, in the next election whenever it is for you because there are forces in your own country that are trying to figure out whether they can tinker with the clock and maybe turn it back a little, said Clinton.

Clinton was enthusiastically received by the crowd of about 3,500 people in town for the Liberal convention. Another 500 or so were expected online.

It is the first in-person policy convention for the Liberals since 2018 and likely the last before the next election. Many Liberals wanted the convention to help the party regroup and recharge after an exhausting and difficult few years.

They got some of that Friday from former prime minister Jean Chretien, who before Clinton took the stage, led the Liberals on a walk down memory lane of the legacies Liberal governments have left.

He listed medicare, official language rights and gun control laws among them, but got the largest and loudest ovation for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

Liberals, said Chretien, must never lose their social conscience.

When you stick to your values, you cannot go wrong, he said. That has been my experience all my life.

The Liberals inclusion of Clinton on the program came in part as a way to draw more people to the convention, and give them a sense they got their moneys worth.

But the day before Clintons speech, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau borrowed from some of Clintons messaging as a presidential candidate in 2016, attempting to draw a sharp contrast between what he said was a positive, progressive Liberal vision for Canadas future  and the darker, more divisive one offered by his main political rival, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.

That narrative echoes the Democrats approach to challenging former president Donald Trump, who beat Clinton in the 2016 election and is now running for the Republican ticket again.

Liberal MP Rachel Bendayan, who introduced Clinton and Freeland, said Clintons appearance came because Freeland called to invite her personally. Freeland and Clinton have been close since they met when Clinton was secretary of state.

She has inspired a lot of women to get involved in politics  to really have their voices heard  and that will speak to a lot of women at the convention, said Bendayan in an interview.

Trudeau was absent from the evening Friday, boarding a plane to fly to London for the coronation of King Charles on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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If Donald Trump loses in court next week to his latest accuser, E. Jean Carroll, he might have been done in by the undeniably devastating testimony of former Toronto Star reporter Natasha Stoynoff.

As one U.S. legal expert opined at Trumps trial: Carroll, a quintessentially American woman may ultimately be vindicated thanks to an indefatigable Canadian.

That would be Stoynoff, of the Star. The description comes as no surprise to those of us who worked with her in the newsroom at One Yonge St. in the 1990s.

Not just indefatigable but fearless. That she came to be in court last week to denounce a former U.S. president, under oath, is a testament to her staying power.

Stoynoff blazed a trail at the Star as a tall, tough-talking photojournalist who refused to be intimidated by her subjects or her editors. In between training as a boxer  where you learn how to take a punch, get up off the mat and master your fears  she wrote about crime and punishment, celebrities and nobodies.

After honing her craft at the Star, Stoynoff moved to Manhattan to work for People, writing about more celebrated celebrities. When the editors dispatched her to Mar-a-Lago in 2005 to write about Trumps wedding anniversary, one year after he married Melania, she walked into an entirely different story.

While his pregnant wife changed outfits for the next photo shoot, Trump insisted on showing off his favourite room in the estate, but then closed the door behind them and pinned Stoynoffs shoulders to the wall while sticking his tongue down her throat, as she revealed years later. Stoynoff never wrote about it at the time, for it was a different time, when most people  and the magazine People  behaved and believed differently (about which well know more next week).

All that said, the incident did not go unremarked  even if unreported. Stoynoff confided in her inner circle, including her immediate supervisor and an old Ryerson journalism school mentor-professor, who could later corroborate her contemporaneous complaints.

She was rattled, but the reporter in her didnt want to see the story spiked or her job jeopardized. So she delivered the predictable quotes from the purportedly happy couple on deadline.

People published the story but, mercifully, took her off the Trump beat. Stoynoff moved on until, a decade later, the story came back to haunt her  if not yet Trump.

The infamous Access Hollywood tape came out, with the Republican presidential nominee boasting about his ability as a celebrity to assault women at will, just grab em by the p---y. After he denied ever forcing himself upon women, in a presidential debate days later, Stoynoff broke her silence.

She went public in that 2016 election year, only to discover that the power of the pen, or the web, is overrated. She wrote about it in People, but a lot of people didnt believe  or perhaps didnt want to believe.

When Trump claimed never to have met Stoynoff, People published photos of her interviewing him for the magazine  about ten times. The rest is history.

As Stoynoff acknowledged in a 2019 op-ed in the Washington Post, Trump supporters were not truly unbelieving, just unwilling to take account:

We got hate mail, death threats, she wrote. After the election, I told myself his supporters hadnt believed us. How else could they have voted for such a man? It took months before the cruel truth dawned on me  Trump supporters knew we were telling the truth. They just didnt care.

It was another powerful piece that apparently persuaded few people. Most of us who write for a living soon realize that the power of persuasion isnt all that powerful much of the time.

But as any reporter can tell you, being in the right place at the right time sometimes matters more. Especially under oath.

This week, Stoynoff appeared as a similar facts witness to show a pattern of behaviour by Trump, the so-called third woman to testify after another victim, Jessica Leeds, described being groped by Trump on a 1979 flight. Trumps lawyers fought desperately to exclude Stoynoff on the grounds that a forced kiss  interrupted by the butler announcing that Melania was ready for their next shared photo shoot  cant count as sexual assault, and was thus inadmissible.

Its easy to see why they didnt want the jury to see and hear her. Stoynoff is a strong presence but she dissolved in tears. No, she didnt scream when assaulted (Trumps lawyers had demanded to know why Carroll hadnt, as if that is a litmus test akin to a rape kit).

Stoynoff recounted feeling ashamed and humiliated, wondering if she was to blame for an interviewing style more Canadian nice than American interrogator, as MSNBC legal analyst Lisa Rubin put it.

In the end, Trumps tough-talking lawyer put only one rhetorical question to her in cross-examination: Did she file suit against Trump? (No, she hadnt, as if this devalued her testimony.)

Stoynoff was grounded and sure even when she wept, wrote Rubin, the lawyer reporting for MSNBC. She called it a powerful appearance with potential to sway the jury toward Carrolls version of events:

If a former American president is held liable for assaulting and defaming a quintessentially American woman, mark my words: An indefatigable Canadian will be one key reason why.

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Premier Doug Ford has scolded an Ontario school board for banning uniformed police officers from taking part in career day activities, calling it a disturbing trend that needs to stop.

Police officers are the people we call when we need help, the premier also said via social media. They deserve so much better than this. Im calling on the (Ottawa-Carleton District School Board) to immediately reverse this policy and show our heroes on the front lines the respect they deserve.

The Ottawa board is the second in the province where officers have been told they cannot join school events while wearing a uniform or if driving a police car  something Education Minister Stephen Lecce has called a dangerous ideology that does not reflect the values of hard working, law-abiding, taxpaying residents.

As first reported by the Toronto Sun, the Grand Erie District School Board has apologized after a parent, who is also a police officer, was initially barred from career day if wearing a uniform.

As a board, we value the work and dedication of police officers, and as parents, they are welcome in our schools, whether in uniform or not, the board said in a statement on its website.

In Ottawa, the president of the police association wrote to the public board Wednesday, saying he was disappointed to learn about the decision not to allow officers to talk to Grade 1 classes about community helpers.

Opportunities like this to educate the next generation of youth and provide a positive interaction with police should be something you strive to achieve, said the letter from president Matthew Cox.

Director of Education Michele Giroux, who will meet with Cox next week, responded that she appreciates the many perspectives and concerns that have been raised on this matter. Our priority is to work collaboratively with the Ottawa police to develop protocols that support student learning and school safety and are responsive to the community concerns.

In a letter to Cox, she said the parent was warmly invited to attend and to share her work experience with the class, but asked to do so without the uniform and the police car. It was an effort to find a balance between the direction of the board, student learning, parent engagement, and safety.

She went on cite a board decision from June 2021 that put an end to school resource officer programs involving uniformed police.

A message to Cox from board Chair Lyra Evans said the justifications laid out when the board made that decision have not changed: disproportionate police violence against some communities has caused a level of fear associated with the profession. When police roam the schools, this fear has a detrimental impact on the well-being of students, impacting their mental health and academic achievement.

The Grand Erie board has also put a hold on police programs in schools.

The Toronto District School Board, the countrys largest, ended its school resource officer program with the local force about six years ago, but says uniformed officers are welcome for career day activities.

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Glove procurement cases take shape

BANGKOK: The Public Warehouse Organization (PWO) has been working with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) and Anti-Money Laundering Office (Amlo) to proceed with lawsuits against those involved in corruption in procuring 500 million boxes of rubber gloves worth B112 billion in 2020.

corruption

By Bangkok Post

Friday 5 May 2023, 01:16PM

Gloves worth millions of baht seized by police and officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) during raids in five provinces in September 2020. Photo: Bangkok Post / File

PWO director Kriangsak Prateepvisut said yesterday (May 4) that the PWO is preparing to file civil and criminal lawsuits against those offenders after the NACC last month found grounds against 22 suspects, including senior PWO officials involved with alleged corruption in the gloves procurement.

The initial damage to the PWO was estimated at B2bn, which excluded the interest that acting PWO director Pol Col Rungroj Puttiyaphiwat and his associates colluded in withdrawing from the PWOs bank account to pay a deposit to Guardian Gloves Co Ltd, Mr Kriangsak said.

Guardian Gloves received orders from the PWO to supply rubber gloves which were in high demand during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, reports the Bangkok Post.

The PWO put down B2bn as a deposit for the order. However, the PWO never received a single pair of gloves, and the organisation has now scrapped the contract with the firm.

Mr Kriangsak said the NACC earlier froze B550 million of the B2bn in the bank account of Guardian Gloves, as well as 33 rai of land. Besides the bank account, Amlo discovered additional amounts of assets but said they cannot be disclosed for now.

That said, the PWO will cooperate with the two agencies to retrieve its assets soon, Mr Kriangsak explained. He said the tortious liability of state officials had been vetted by the panel and will be submitted to the Finance Ministry so that a civil lawsuit can be launched.

The PWO has also coordinated with the NACC to obtain information and send it to Amlo to probe transactions with the firm to file criminal lawsuits in relation to corruption.
SINGAPORE --News Direct-- BingX

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 5 May 2023 - BingX, one of the leading cryptocurrency exchange, is pleased to announce that it has initiated research on BRC-20, an emerging token standard on blockchain.

The recent popularity of the BRC-20 token standard of Bitcoin, particularly after the recent rise of the memecoin, has resulted in the creation of over 8,000 unique tokens using the BRC-20 standard, with the majority of them being memecoins like Ordinals ($ORDI) and Memetic ($MEME).

In comparison to the hundreds of thousands of ERC-20 tokens on Ethereum to only 8,000 BRC-20, the BingX research team is committed to conducting thorough analyses of various BRC20 projects. It is crucial that the research is carried out promptly to ensure that BingX traders have a strategic advantage while also providing them with a safe investing experience.

"Our team is excited to embark on this journey to research BRC20 token standard. Our goal is to provide our traders with access to the most innovative tokens in the market while ensuring their financial safety," said Elvisco Carrington, PR and Communications Director of BingX.

BingX is committed to identifying promising BTC NFT projects and forging partnerships with them, ensuring that top BRC20 coins are well-audited. Our mission is to equip our traders with the best tools and knowledge to make informed investment decisions.

Stay tuned for further updates from BingX as we continue to research and explore new ways to provide our traders with the best possible trading experience.

About BingX

Founded in 2018, BingX is a leading crypto exchange that offers spot, derivatives, copy, and grid trading services to over 100 countries and regions worldwide with over 5 million users. BingX continues to connect users with expert traders and the platform in a safe and innovative way. Additionally, BingX has launched BingX QA, an engine for trading analysis and investment guidance. Find the latest analysis that includes fundamental analysis and Ordi price prediction here.

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Contact Details

BingX

Elvisco

elvisco@bingx.com

View source version on newsdirect.com: https://newsdirect.com/news/bingx-takes-up-research-for-brc-20-coins-listing-878271120
Last week, Flash From the Past finished with demolition crews attacking the old factory buildings lining Waterloos King Street South  and left the citys youngest mayor, James Bauer, in Year 1 of his six-year tenure. This week is neither a detailed history of the new shopping centre that replaced the Waterloo Manufacturing and Snyders factories nor a biography of the mayor.

However, linking these two early 1960s subjects will emphasize the crucial significance of the mall and the mayor in transforming Waterloo into a more-than-modern community. Of course, James Bauer did not do it alone; however his advocacy while an alderman in the late 1950s and unflagging boosterism during six years as mayor did make him the point man.

This factories-to-shopping-centre development was not the sole game-changer in the 1950s-1960s era. Some might contend that the University of Waterloos founding was the spark and it would be hard to disagree. Others might point out the well-planned new subdivisions, a growing arts scene, the growth of Waterloo pride, etc.

But any number of books by sociologists, urbanologists and shopping-ists will tell you that a decaying, uninviting community core creates a powerful roadblock to growth and prosperity.

One need not look too far around Ontario for proof. Throughout the later 20th century, I marvelled at the ongoing vibrancy of Waterloos downtown (labelled Uptown for promotional purposes) compared to those of Kitchener, Cambridge, Guelph, Brantford, etc.  and please note that this is coming from a Kitchener-centric writer.

Both Snyders and Waterloo Manufacturing had earlier agreed to relocate their businesses to the municipal outskirts. After the city acquired their properties in the King/William/Caroline/CN block, five tenders came to council in January 1960. Four were out-of-town firms but Waterloos own Major Holdings also submitted a strong bid. The award went to Toronto Industrial Leaseholds, paying $460,000 for the property and promising a $5-million complex. This unique city/developer project was initially termed a mall, a plaza, a shopping centre but by years end the official name was Waterloo Square.

There were several stages to the work:

demolition of Waterloo Manufacturings buildings and construction of the northern segment closest to the rail line, to be done by May 1961;

a second stage just south of that, with a deadline of late 1961;

Stage 3 awaited the demolition of the Snyders furniture buildings so construction of the south ends major department store could begin;

a fourth stage was also planned, an office tower, but with no time frame. However, that was sped up when the city agreed to rent most of the space. In December 1961, civic departments left old city hall and moved in, joining Waterloo Chronicle as early tenants;

a bit of a wrinkle occurred when the developer proposed a seven-acre underground parking garage in May 1960, but that never got off the ground.

In mid-June 1960, James Bauer sat in the drivers seat of a huge earth excavator and did the ceremonial mud-and-ground-breaking while claiming that now Waterloo will be a modern city in all respects.

Fast forward to March 1962: 12 stores, shops and businesses were already open and the Waterloo Square Merchants Association began with Ross Klopp, president and George Kadwell, vice president. Soon other spaces were occupied: S.S. Kresge, Bata, Reitmans, Jessop & Whaley Cleaners, Loblaws, Laura Secord Candies. Bonnie Togs, Tamblyn Drugs, etc. My own must-visit shop was in the basement where future 1968 Olympic competitor Rudy Schulze opened Rudys Gun Shop. What a thrill for a teenager to handle some of his beautiful target rifles.

Waterloo Square has since had many owners, ups and downs, additions, alterations, even names, but it has always been there, anchoring Waterloos solid Uptown downtown.

James Bauer left the mayors chair in 1965 and that November became head of the new Grand River Conservation Authority. The GRCA replaced two previous groups and oversaw water control and quality in the entire Grand River watershed. Over the next 24 years, Bauers administration made the conservation authority into a Canadian conservation leader.

James Bauer and the development of Waterloo Square symbolize, to me, a most crucial conjunction in the citys success story.

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Dr. Mekalai Kumanan, a family doctor in Cambridge and president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians.







On a daily basis, Dr. Mekalai Kumanan says someone will ask her if she can take on a family member, friend or neighbour.

We're hearing stories of patients who've been looking for months, if not years, to find a family physician within the region, Kumanan, a Cambridge-based family doctor and current president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians, told the Chronicle recently.

The college is calling for urgent action with new data showing at least 64,900 people are without a family doctor in Waterloo Region, compared with 58,100 in 2020.

I think all of us who practice medicine find it very, very hard to have to say no, especially when it's someone you know or someone who's got medical issues where they require ongoing care, because this is what we do, Kumanan said. We provide care to patients and their families.

The college says the latest data reflects the crisis is being felt across the province, with approximately 2.2 million Ontarians without a family doctor  a significant rise from the previously reported 1.8 million in 2020.

Researchers believe these stats are underestimated because the data doesn't include babies born or people who moved to the area after 2019.

Regardless, a lot of people don't have access to things like cancer screening, vaccinations and chronic disease management, which leads to poorer outcomes and higher costs, Kumanan noted.

What's worrisome, when we look at the data of people who don't have family physicians, these are patients who are often among the patients who require it the most, she said.

Within the regions patient population of 533,813, more than 11,000 without a doctor live in racialized communities, 7,750 suffer from mental health issues; nearly 3,250 live with diabetes.

The OCFP says a multipronged approach is required to fast-track foreign-trained doctors, increase family medicine residency spots and add primary care team members who can support a broad range of patient needs.

Kimberly Moran, CEO of the college, said the provinces recent announcement to establish 18 new health teams is a step in the right direction, however there wont be enough new doctors to cover all patients who lose their doctor to retirement in future years.

Its projected that more than three million Ontarians or one in five people could be without a family doctor by 2025 when the provinces population is expected to surpass 15 million.

Kumanan said fewer medical students are choosing family medicine. We saw an increased rate of retirement in the early days of the pandemic, she added.

The College of Family Physicians of Canada found that the burnout rate among family physicians tripled in 2021 compared to the previous year, with 51 per cent indicating they were working beyond capacity.

Other research shows two in three family doctors are experiencing moderate to severe burnout, and one in four family doctors are experiencing high or severe burnout.?Another study found that physicians in Ontario spent approximately 18 million hours on administrative work per year in 2021.

The OCFP says improvements to outdated digital systems would help ease the burden and free up doctors time.

As our population is aging and patients are becoming more complex in terms of their medical issues, that requires more of our time as family doctors, and so we end up spending more time with our patients, which they need, Kumanan said.

RELATED STORIES Family doctor shortage is symptom of ongoing healthcare problems in Ontario

At a budget meeting held earlier this year, Waterloo city council increased the amount of money allotted to physician recruitment efforts conducted by the Greater K-W Chamber of Commerce, with some members questioning whether the program should be expanded to include other health care disciplines or a community health care model that could help address needs in certain areas of the city.

City staff say the chambers program that showcases the area with its annual Family Medicine Resident Weekend has been integral to keeping the region in relatively good stead compared to other areas of the province when it comes to physician shortages.

The chambers program lead, Jenna Petker, said its responsible for helping recruit between 10 and 14 full- and part-time physicians to the area each year.

STORY BEHIND THE STORY: New statistics show a growing number of people are without a family doctor in Waterloo Region and the Chronicle spoke to the Ontario College of Family Physicians about its call for action.

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Timothy King, ICTC Education Coordinator manning the ICTC CyberTitan booth at the Young Women in Technology Skills event earlier this week.



On Monday, May 8, Ontario teams composed of high school and middle school students will be heading to the University of Waterloo for one of Canadas largest cyber defence competitions.

Hosted by the universitys Cybersecurity and Privacy Institute (CPI), the sixth CyberTitan national finals organized by the Information and Communications Technology Council of Canada (ICTC) will challenge students with real-world cybersecurity situations.

In the rounds of competition, participants will be given test environments where they will be challenged to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities and ways to protect the system while maintaining critical services.

It teaches students first hand about digital forensics, OS hardening and network security. (It also) demystifies cybersecurity where it starts  in the computer on your desk, in your lap or in your hand, ICTC Education Coordinator Timothy King shared in an interview with the Chronicle.

Canada is facing an ongoing cyber-talent shortage he said, and events like this can help bring awareness about cybersecurity to the broader public.

We use networking information and communication technology every day in our learning, in our work and in our leisure time, yet there is almost no time given to systemically teaching the skills needed to operate this technology safely and effectively.

He believes the myth of the "digital native" created an entire generation lacking digital skills and resulted in a cyber-skills shortage putting the very systems that run critical infrastructures at risk.

The vast majority of successful cyber breaches are the result of user ignorance, he explained.

Ontario school boards that have previously been breached have never participated in this competition, he shared.

Were hoping that by holding a finals event in Waterloo, perhaps the boards in this area will see the value in this competition.

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KITCHENER  Police arrested a 60-year-old man after a weapons call in Kitchener.

Waterloo Regional Police responded to a report of a man carrying a concealed weapon in the area of Block Line Road and Fallowfield Drive on Thursday at about 1:10 p.m.

Police located the man, whos now facing several charges including possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose, carrying a concealed weapon, and two counts of failing to comply with a release order.

Police didnt provide details about the type of weapon in a release about the incident.

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KITCHENER  Police say attentive bank employees prevented an attempted grandparent scam targeting an 87-year-old victim.

Waterloo Regional Police said fraudsters contacted the Kitchener woman by phone on Tuesday, and convinced her that her grandchild had been arrested and needed $20,000 to be released on bail.

The victim went to the Scotiabank branch on Krug Street in Kitchener and tried to withdraw the money; shed been coerced into lying to bank employees about the reason.

Employees who have been trained by police in recognizing this type of fraud prevented any monetary loss.

The investigation is ongoing by Waterloo Regional Polices Organized Financial Crime Team.

Regional police have received 46 reports of grandparent scams so far this year.

If you believe you have been a victim of a similar scam, you can file a complaint with the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre or contact Waterloo Regional Police at 519-570-9777.

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WATERLOO  Two men are facing charges after a large amount of cash was stolen from an automated teller machine at a Waterloo shopping centre.

On April 30, Waterloo Regional Police were called to uptown Waterloo for a reported theft.

It was there officers discovered that two men had broken into an ATM and stolen a large sum of cash, police said.

On Thursday, officers identified and arrested two people in connection with this case. Police said they were able to recover and return a large portion of the stolen funds.

A 38-year-old Waterloo man and a 41-year-old man were both charged with theft over $5,000. The 38-year-old was also charged with possession of stolen property over $5,000.

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WATERLOO  Researchers at the University of Waterloo collaborating with Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei will be allowed to finish their research projects, a school spokesperson said.

However, all projects will be completed by the end of 2023, said Ian Milligan, Waterloos associate vice-president of research oversight and analysis.

Its not sudden, Milligan said on Friday. This has been on the University of Waterloos radar for a few years.

When the federal government announced in May 2022 that it would no longer allow Huawei access to Canadas 5G network, conversations began at the university about what its partnership with the Chinese telecommunications company would be going forward.

At that time, said Milligan, the university made an internal decision to pause any new contractual relationships with Huawei.

Over the last year, the university has been watching the situation unfold to determine what directions the winds are blowing.

In February, Canadian authorities tightened their policies on bankrolling research with foreign entities, announcing that Canadas federal research granting councils would reject funding for projects with institutions that had ties to foreign governments posing a risk to national security.

In reaction, Waterloo issued a statement saying it would address potential security risks in some of its international research relationships.

The change is that its really not a pause anymore, and we have made the decision that we are going to complete our current contracts, complete our current relationships with Huawei, but by the end of the year, we will be out of those contracts, and we wont enter any new contracts, said Milligan.

Science is complicated, he said, and there could be situations where projects are waiting for peer reviews or final publications  what were really underscoring is this is really about the formal relationships between our institution and Huawei, and we wont have money from Huawei coming in to support research projects.

The decision will affect dozens of deals between the university and the Chinese telecommunications company in areas including cloud computing, 5G communications, data management and data analytics, as well as the universitys Waterloo-Huawei Joint Innovation Lab, which was set up in 2018 with $6.5 million in funding from Huawei.

On Wednesday, the labs director, Tamar Ozsu, told the Star that the university had not notified him it has decided to end partnerships with Huawei, and sees it as spelling the end of the lab.

I think the lab will cease to exist. I think thats clear, he said. While many of these projects were coming to their end anyways, this decision is unfortunate.

Ozsu said Waterloo faculty were responsible for selecting projects  mainly in data management and Programming languages  and that intellectual property rights were shared between researchers and Huawei.

The lab has supported 34 projects involving 29 faculty members and 220 graduate students and post-docs.

Were not bringing in any new funding, so its reasonable to expect that the operations in that lab will be impacted, and it would not surprise me if the name changed, Milligan said on Friday.

The university is meeting with all researchers who are affected, as well as reaching out to governments and corporations to fill any funding shortfalls.

Milligan said the university is already getting inquiries from outside stakeholders.

The university will continue to monitor its current partnerships and address any concerns that arise, he said, and will use a wide range of risk assessments  some mandated and some coming from internal processes  before entering any new agreements.

I think there is a recognition at the university that we are in a different geopolitical context, said Milligan. We do need to look carefully at different ties we have, but were doing it all in the spirit of transparency, the spirit of academic freedom, and active engagement with the government of Canada and the province of Ontario.

 With files from Joanna Chiu

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WATERLOO  The Starbucks in Waterloo Town Square has become the first in Ontario to unionize.

In a news release on Thursday, the United Steelworkers union welcomed employees from the local coffee shop into the fold. The USW also represents Starbucks workers in municipalities in British Columbia and Alberta.

The statement from the union does not specify how many workers voted in favour to unionize, but describes it as a wide margin. The release also does not identify any labour or wage concerns the workers may have.

Since 2020, there have been union drives at major retailers across Canada in sectors where unionization is not as common. These retailers include Starbucks, Cineplex, Indigo, Sephora and PetSmart.

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So on the first day I spent $2,000, but on the second day I transferred $4,000 to make sure my balance didnt stay negative, he told Vice back in 2020. The transfer at night would go through, then reverse one day later. But if you stayed ahead of that reversal by doing another one, you could trick the system into thinking you had millions.
Kom Union urges

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IMPHAL, May 5 : The Kom Union Manipur has appealed to all Manipuris to let the Kom people live in peace.

In a statement, the Union said that Kom will never interfere in the rights of others other than protecting the integrity of the State.
SNS Insider pvt ltd

As per SNS Insider analysis, advancements in blockchain technology, such as the development of smart contracts and decentralized applications, are driving the demand for blockchain devices that can support these advancements

Pune, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Blockchain Devices Market had a valuation of USD 0.51 billion in 2021, and it is anticipated to attain USD 4.5 billion by 2028, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 36.5% during the forecast period of 2022-2028, as per SNS Insider.

Market Report Scope

Blockchain devices are specialized hardware tools that are designed to facilitate the secure and efficient functioning of blockchain technology. They offer a range of benefits such as enhanced security, improved scalability, and greater reliability. These devices are equipped with powerful processors, high-speed memory, and specialized software that enable them to perform complex calculations and maintain the integrity of blockchain networks.

Market Analysis

The growth of the blockchain devices market is expected to continue during the forecast period, driven by factors such as increased investment in blockchain technology and the rising demand for secure and transparent transactions. As more industries begin to realize the potential of blockchain technology, the demand for blockchain devices will only increase, providing significant opportunities for companies in the space. The future of blockchain technology looks bright, and the growth of the market is a clear indication of the transformative impact this technology is set to have on the world.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/2042

Impact of Recession

While the global economic recession had a negative impact on the blockchain devices market, the increasing adoption of blockchain technology and the development of innovative blockchain devices are expected to drive growth and expansion in the future. The potential benefits of using blockchain technology, such as enhanced security and transparency, are likely to attract more consumers and businesses to invest in these devices, leading to a more robust and thriving market.

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Key Regional Development

North America has emerged as a leading player in the global blockchain devices market, with a significant share of the market attributed to the region's growing adoption of these devices. The region's prominence in the market can be attributed to the high concentration of companies that offer security chips and solutions, which help businesses enhance their security. Given the promising outlook for blockchain devices in North America, the region is expected to experience significant growth in the next four to five years. The region's reputation for producing innovative security solutions has made it a hub for companies seeking to develop cutting-edge blockchain devices.

Key Takeaway from Blockchain Devices Market Study

The consumer segment is expected to be the dominant force in the market. This signifies a shift from the traditional focus on enterprise applications towards a greater emphasis on individual adoption and usage. The rise of blockchain technology has led to the development of various hardware devices designed to support decentralized applications and facilitate secure transactions.

The crypto hardware wallets segment is expected to continue to grow and take a leading position in the market. With the increasing demand for secure and reliable storage solutions for cryptocurrency, crypto hardware wallets are likely to remain a popular choice among investors and enthusiasts alike.

Recent Developments Related to Blockchain Devices Market

Samsung has recently unveiled a new blockchain-based security system for its smart devices. This new security system aims to enhance the security of smart devices by creating a decentralized network that is resistant to hacking and other cyber threats.

A group of leading companies, including Bosch, Cisco, and BNY Mellon, have come together to form a new blockchain consortium. This new consortium aims to explore the potential applications of blockchain technology across various industries and sectors.

Buy Exclusive PDF Copy of Blockchain Devices Market Along With ME Sheet: https://www.snsinsider.com/checkout/2042

Blockchain Devices Market Report Scope:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2021 US$ 510 Million Market Size by 2028 US$ 4.5 Billion CAGR CAGR of 36.5% From 2022 to 2028 Base Year 2021 Forecast Period 2022-2028 Historical Data 2017-2020 Key Segments  By Connectivity (Wired, Wireless)

 By Component (Crypto Hardware Wallets, Blockchain Smartphones, Crypto ATMs, Blockchain Iot Gateways, POS Devices, Other)

 By Application (Corporate, Personal)

 By End-User (Consumer, Government, Travel & Hospitality, Transportation & Logistics, BFSI, Retail & E-Commerce, Automotive, IT & Telecommunication, Others) Company Profiles Ledger, SatoshiLabs, Pundi X, Genesis Coin, HTC, ShapeShift, Coinsource, Samsung, Helium Systems, Lamassu Industries, PAYMYNT, SIRIN LABS, GENERAL BYTES, RIDDLE&CODE, Bitaccess, Infineon Technologies, AVADO, Tangem, SafePal, Modum, NXM Labs and other companies Key Drivers  Rapid adoption of blockchain technology in retail and supply chain management applications.

 Decentralized structure and other characteristics associated with blockchain technology.

Table of Content

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Market Dynamics

4. Impact Analysis

4.1 COVID 19 Impact Analysis

4.2 Impact of Ukraine-Russia War

5. Value Chain Analysis

6. Porters 5 forces model

7. PEST Analysis

8. Blockchain Devices Segmentation, by connectivity

9. Blockchain Devices Segmentation, by component

10. Blockchain Devices Segmentation, by application

11. Blockchain Devices Segmentation, by end-user

12. Regional Analysis

13.Company Profiles

14.Competitive Landscape

15.Conclusion

About SNS Insider:

At SNS Insider, we believe that businesses should have access to the best market intelligence and insights, regardless of their size or industry. That's why we offer a range of solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of each client, from startups to big corporations. With a passion for our work and an unwavering commitment to delivering value, we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their full potential.

CONTACT: Akash Anand  Head of Business Development & Strategy Email: info@snsinsider.com




Let the issue be very clear to all It is not Tribals Vs Meiteis

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Let it be very clear or else the issue can only take on an even bigger dimension and it would be more ugly than it is for everyone in Manipur. The stand off or clash or mayhem is not a confrontation between the Tribals and the Meiteis. It is a clash between the Meiteis and an ethnic community which happen to belong to the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution of India. To equate the present crisis as a clash between the Meiteis and the Tribals would be missing the trees for the woods and this is where care should be taken to ensure that no room for misinterpretation is given. This is where care should be taken to ensure that the stand off between the two communities does not get reduced to a clash between one community and the whole group of people who come under the tribal tag. Attempts to portray the present clash and give it a totally lop sided interpretation by terming it as a clash between the Meiteis and the Tribals is visible and this what should not be allowed to happen at any cost. Nip this attempt in the bud is the call to everyone concerned, particularly the State Government and this call is being sounded with a reason. It is only when the conflicting parties are clearly identified and acknowledged that rapprochement steps can be taken up. Interpret it in the wrong light and any attempt to walk the path of reconciliation would be that much tougher. All should be aware of the ploy that may be used by either side to play the victim card and nothing can be more mischievous than this. To get a better understanding of the present turmoil one will need to go back to the day when the Tribal Solidarity March was organised. This is where question ought to be raised on why trouble erupted at Churachandpur and not at say Ukhrul or Senapati where the people too took a sharp stand against the demand raised that the Meiteis be included in the Scheduled Tribe list of the Constitution. Why did the people of Ukhrul and Senapati not take the violent path, though the said March or Rally was also organised at the two places with heavy participation. It is also significant to note that trouble soon spread to Kangpokpi and Moreh and the question is why no trouble broke out at the other hill districts. Was the agenda of the Solidarity Rally only the ST demand or did it include other agenda which were not spelt out to garner support and sympathy from the other tribal groups ? This is a question which only the All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) can answer.

Who were the miscreants who set on fire the Anglo Kuki War Gate at Leisan village ? Significant to note that the Anglo Kuki War Gate is situated about 7.3 Kms from Chura-chandpur town where the mass rally was held. The question is who would have approached the Anglo Kuki War Gate when a highly charged solidarity rally was underway at Churachandpur ? Moreover how did the rallyists march all the way up to Torbung which located 11.2 Kms away from Churachandpur town ? This is a question which had been raised earlier and herein arises the question of why and how the rallyists were allowed to march well beyond the periphery of Churachandpur town. Some points just do not add up. The present situation is ugly, very ugly and that it has spread beyond Manipur to other places such as Delhi and the report that some students/persons have been detained/arrested over the same issue at Shillong is what has made the matter all that more disturbing. Time for the State Government to keep its doors open and see if an approach can be worked out to bring an understanding between the two sides and the sooner this is done the better it would be. Manipur is in the news and as in the past this time too it is for all the wrong reasons. And the understanding of Manipur may also undergo a drastic change in the coming days. This is what is deeply disturbing.
SC disposes of plea concerning movement of people belonging to Mao tribe on NH-2 in Nagaland

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New Delhi, May 5 : The Supreme Court on Thursday disposed of a plea seeking directions to the Centre and the states of Nagaland and Manipur to take appropriate steps to safeguard the freedom of movement of people belonging to the Mao tribe along National Highway number two in southern Nagaland, after it was informed that the problem has been resolved.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told a bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud that the Ministry of Home Affairs had interacted with the state government and now their movement was not hindered.

He told the bench, also comprising Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala, about the instructions received from the Director (North-East division) of the MHA.

Counsel for the petitioner submitted that though as a result of the intervention by this court at this stage the issue has been presently resolved, it was festering for over a decade as a consequence of which movement of persons belonging to the tribe in question was being thwarted, the bench said.

Since at this stage the problem seems to have resolved, it is not necessary to keep the proceedings pending any further, the apex court said.

While disposing of the plea, it granted liberty to the petitioner or any other aggrieved person to approach the chief secretary of Nagaland or, as the case may be, the Ministry of Home Affairs North-East division so that appropriate steps can be taken to resolve any recurrent issue.

The apex court was hearing a plea which had sought directions to the MHA and the states of Nagaland and Manipur to take appropriate steps to protect and safeguard the freedom of movement of people belonging to the Mao tribe along National Highway number two (erstwhile NH-39) in southern Nagaland.

PTI
Dundas two Rotary Clubs are hosting their Lobster and Rib Fest on Saturday, May 27 as a drive-thru pickup event again, but not because of COVID-19 this time.

Dave Carson said the Rotary Club of Dundas and Rotary Club of Dundas Valley Sunrise encourage folks to organize their own backyard Lobster and Rib Fests after picking up meals at Hamilton Air Force Association, 128 King St. E. in Dundas.

Carson said J.L. Grightmire Market Street Arena is not available for the event due to roof replacement, while Harry Howell Arena is also not available because the ice is staying in through the summer.

But the drive-thru version is returning, so the community can still enjoy the event while supporting the work of both local Rotary Clubs.

"This is their largest fundraiser for the year, with proceeds going to community projects," Carson said.

Tickets are $65 each and can be purchased from any Rotarian, from Eccles Auto Service at 121 King St. W., or online at rotary-lobster-n-ribs-grab.square.site.

The last day to order online is May 15.

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Its a murder mystery sprinkled with comedy, starring characters you may recognize.

Fans of the hit NBC comedy Friends will form an instant connection with a new dinner theatre production coming to the Royal Canadian Legion Hamilton Branch 163 (Mountain Legion) May 20.

Friends: The One With The Murder, Murder Mystery Dinner is the latest show from artistic director Theresa Noon-Hunter and her production company, There's A Production.

Combining the genres of murder mystery and musical theatre, the show includes main characters inspired by the 1990s comedy TV series with a classic whodunit thrown into the mix.

Noon-Hunter, a Hamilton resident, has been producing murder mysteries for about 10 years, often reaching out to fans on social media for show ideas. When fans suggested a show based on Friends, Noon-Hunter teamed up with writer Rick Simm, who developed the story. Noon-Hunter co-ordinated casting and selected popular music for the show, writing customized lyrics for the characters. She also acts, sings and directs the show. Except for Smelly Cat, all music is unrelated to the original Friends series.

Noon-Hunter promises an interactive experience, with opportunities for audience involvement.

Theres a large component of improvisation in the show, Noon-Hunter noted. When I audition my actors, they have to have a background in both improv and script work, because we like to involve the audience as much as possible.

Several actors play two roles. Noon-Hunter plays the roles of Janice and Monica. Tony Babcock plays Joey and Gunther, Ralph Tutin plays Chandler and Ross and Jessica Tutin portrays Phoebe.

Set at Central Perk, the show begins with the venue set up as an open mic fundraiser and surprise party for Monica.

The show is structured in three acts, with appetizers, dinner and dessert served in between. Catering will be provided by Zarkys Fine Foods and the event is licensed.

After setting the scene and developing the characters in act one, a murder takes place in act two, with resolution in act three.

In customary murder mystery fashion, the audience is invited to solve the murder and establish a motive.

Even if youre not a Friends fan, Noon-Hunter promises a great night out.

Its really set up to entertain people, she said. Its more of a spectacle because theres dinner, songs and all kinds of things that are happening.

Looking ahead, Noon-Hunter is hoping to stage an Addams Family show in the fall, with her playing the role of Wednesday.

Tickets for Friends: The One With The Murder, Murder Mystery Dinner are available at www.theresaproduction.com. Doors open at 6 p.m. on May 20, with the show beginning at 6:30 p.m. The $55 admission price includes dinner and the show.

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Food banks in Haldimand, Norfolk and Six Nations are seeing new faces come through their doors as the high cost of groceries and housing leaves some residents unable to make ends meet.

Normally we would only have one or two new registrations a month. Now were seeing eight or 10, said Joy Quail, a family service worker with the Salvation Army, which runs a food bank on Broad Street East in Dunnville that serves more than 500 people every month.

The majority of clients are on social assistance programs like Ontario Works, and thats not stretching nearly far enough, Quail said, adding the food bank is also seeing more people with employment coming in.

Its not that theyre using it for a long time. Theyre using it to help get through a sticky situation, she said of the latter group.

It might be six months, or maybe even only three months.

The increase in demand is similarly stark at the Six Nations Community Food Bank, according to Mary Monture, one of the community members who runs the food bank on Cao Lane.

Three years ago, Monture said, they would serve 40 to 50 people a week.

Were now up to anywhere from 200 to 250  to 300 at times, she said.

Theres people who come who have paying jobs, but by the time they raise their kids and pay their bills, theres not much left.

The Simcoe Caring Cupboard saw usage drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, but there now as many people frequently the volunteer-run food bank on Kent Street as there were in 2019.

But numbers have not risen as sharply as seen in larger centres like Hamilton and Toronto, where last month the Daily Bread Food Bank reported that usage had hit a 40-year high.

Administrator Al Marten attributes the slower growth in Simcoe to the fact that the Caring Cupboard still requires prospective clients to show proof of financial need, a process known as means testing.

Were a food bank. Were not a free grocery store. If youre not screening your clients, Im sorry, people are going to start taking advantage of you, Marten said.

If you can get $200 worth of groceries at a food bank, which our clients are walking out with, why would you go to a grocery store and buy it?

Marten said some people trying to register for the food bank cite a lack of money, but he finds out during the interview process that they recently bought luxury vehicles or have pricey cellphone plans.

To me, buying a brand new pickup truck is not a legitimate expense, Marten said, adding that he still enrols people who need immediate help, but also offers financial counselling.

We work with them and put a plan together to get them out of debt, he said.

As long as they make the payments, we let them come here till they get out of a bind. I want to empower people, not just enable people.

Were a food bank. Were not a free grocery store. If youre not screening your clients, Im sorry, people are going to start taking advantage of you Al Marten Simcoe Caring Cupboard administrator

Such situations are the exception, Marten added, noting that most of the 120 people who use the Caring Cupboard have been here for years, while Ukrainian refugees and international students have been among the newer faces.

Means testing, he said, reassures donors that their dollars  and the food donated by local grocery stores and farms  are helping those in direst need. To Marten, food banks that serve anyone who turns up  no questions asked  fail the accountability test.

Youre feeding the wrong people, and youre hurting the ones who really need it, he said.

At the Salvation Army in Dunnville, Quail said fraud is unlikely since food bank staff know their recurring clients well, and less than one per cent of clients would be responsible for any attempted abuse of the system.

And we address that as it comes up, she said.

We do an intake and a survey, but we dont do any means testing. Our philosophy is if youre brave enough to come to the door to ask for help and get food, then you probably need it.

The food bank on Six Nations is open to any on-reserve band members, with Monture saying that to ask prospective clients a lot of questions could discourage them from seeking assistance.

Its a very, very hard thing to walk through a door of a food bank and ask for help, she said.

It takes a lot of courage to say you cant manage on your own.

J.P. Antonacci s reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com

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Canada is a step closer to establishing its first-ever set of grocery industry rules in a bid to even out power imbalances for both food producers and grocers in a market dominated by five supermarket chains.

An industry group set up to hammer out a Canadian grocery code of conduct has reached a milestone with a proposed final version, seen by the Star, that includes a process to resolve disputes and impose sanctions on systemic violators.

The code stops short of imposing fines on companies that fail to adhere to its principles, but establishes an adjudicator office to settle disputes.

The code is about good business practices and creating balance in the supplier-retailer relationship, said Michael Graydon, CEO of supplier industry group Food, Health & Consumer Products of Canada and co-chair of the codes 10-person steering committee.

Many smaller food suppliers say they have endured years of unfair industry practices and supply-chain bullying under Canadas highly consolidated food retail market, including high fees to access store shelves, unexplained chargeback fines that shave thousands off invoices, and months-long payment delays.

Loblaw Companies, Empire Company (which owns Sobeys), Metro and Walmart, command roughly 70 per cent of the market according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report and industry observers have cautioned that the trend of big grocers using their market weight to impose fees without negotiations could lead to less competition, higher food costs and fewer brands on store shelves for consumers.

Canadas leading food retailers counter that supplier fees and fines are a fair, long-standing industry practice that helps to ensure that shipments from suppliers are complete and arrive on time.

Loblaw, Sobeys, Metro and Walmart Canada did not respond to inquiries on whether they would adhere to the code and its rules, which stipulate that any charges for programs such as stocking, listing, positioning, promotions, marketing costs, unsellables and shrinkage must be contractual.

Charges are expected to have reasonable substantiation in sufficient detail and in an effective format for verification of the deduction or invoice, the code says.

Despite criticism that the voluntary code has no teeth and is not government-led, some members of the codes steering committee say they are optimistic. The code, they say, will be up for review in 18 months and can be amended at that time if needed.

Weve committed to trying this as an industry on a voluntary basis, Graydon said. Theres enough substance within the provisions that there will be this cultural transition that we are looking for.

Gary Sands, a member of the committee and senior vice-president at the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, which represents more than 6,000 independently owned and operated grocery stores across the country, says the industry is taking a leap of faith.

The industry coming together to build this document is a recognition that things have to change, Sands said that we have to do better and we can do better.

However, Diane Brisebois, president and CEO of the Retail Council of Canada, which represents the countrys largest grocers, says theres still lots of work that needs to get done.

A consultation process on the proposed code is open to food industry members until May 30.

Brisbois said in an interview that there needs to be a very clear and simple process in place to manage disputes so that no one is mired in red tape.

The grocers aim is to ensure that the code will ultimately benefit consumers, she added.

The issue of supplier-grocer disputes came to a head in 2020 when Walmart Canada announced a fee hike that prompted United Grocers, a national buying group that represents Metro, to tell suppliers it expected the same.

Within months, Loblaw moved in the same direction, telling suppliers the cost of getting products on shelves would rise to help fund improvements to the grocers in-store and digital e-commerce operations.

The last formal review of Canadas Competition Act concluded in 2008.

Meanwhile, governments and regulators in countries such as the U.K. and Australia have studied their competition laws that has led to legislative action.

The U.K.s mandatory Groceries Supply Code of Practice allows policymakers to place restrictions on the purchasing activities of the biggest supermarket chains in the country to protect suppliers from some of their more extreme buying practices.

With files from The Canadian Press

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GENEVA (AP)  The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide.

The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe.

The U.N. health agencys officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasnt finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, long-term effects.

Its with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, he said, warning that new variants could yet emerge. Tedros noted that while the official COVID-19 death toll was 7 million, the real figure was estimated to be at least 20 million.

Tedros said the pandemic had been on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries have already returned to life before COVID-19.

He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, saying the pandemic had shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty.

The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving. Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administrations response to the pandemic had a role in his losing reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world  where more than 1 million people died across the country.

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHOs emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced.

Ryan said that some of the scenes witnessed during COVID-19, when people resorted to bartering for oxygen canisters, fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldnt get treated, must never be repeated.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadnt yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped most of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus potential to spread in countries with weak health systems.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

WHO doesnt declare pandemics, but first used the term to describe the outbreak in March 2020, when the virus had spread to every continent except Antarctica, long after many other scientists had said a pandemic was already underway.

WHO is the only agency mandated to coordinate the worlds response to acute health threats, but the organization faltered repeatedly as the coronavirus unfolded.

In January 2020, WHO publicly applauded China for its supposed speedy and transparent response, even though recordings of private meetings obtained by The Associated Press showed top officials were frustrated at the countrys lack of cooperation.

WHO also recommended against mask-wearing for the public for months, a mistake many health officials say cost lives.

Numerous scientists also slammed WHOs reluctance to acknowledge that COVID-19 was frequently spread in the air and by people without symptoms, criticizing the agencys lack of strong guidance to prevent such exposure.

Tedros was a vociferous critic of rich countries who hoarded the limited supplies of COVID-19 vaccines, warning that the world was on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure by failing to share shots with poor countries.

Most recently, WHO has struggled to investigate the origins of the coronavirus, a challenging scientific endeavour that has also become politically fraught.

After a weeks-long visit to China, WHO released a report in 2021 concluding that COVID-19 most likely jumped into humans from animals, dismissing the possibility that it originated in a lab as extremely unlikely.

But the U.N. agency backtracked the following year, saying key pieces of data were still missing and that it was premature to rule out that COVID-19 might have ties to a lab.

Mark Woolhouse, an infectious diseases professor at the University of Edinburgh, described COVID-19 as a once-in-a-lifetime disaster and said that broad immunity against the virus meant we were now in a new phase of the outbreak.

Woolhouse noted there had also been significant criticism of WHOs pandemic response, in addition to those of its member countries and others.

He lamented that the global community missed numerous chances to stop the coronavirus earlier, in addition to causing much self-inflicted harm by shutting down much of society.

Given the ever-present threat of another pandemic, lessons need to be learned, he said.

___

Maria Cheng reported from London.

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Halifax RCMP say three youths were motivated by hate when they burned a Pride flag outside their school in late April.

Two of the youths are facing a charge of mischief, while the third is facing charges of mischief and abetting.

The Mounties say officers were dispatched April 21 to Bay View High School, in Upper Tantallon, N.S., where they were told a youth, assisted by two others, had taken a Pride flag from inside the school and burned it outside.

Investigators say the incident was captured on video by one of the youths.

The Mounties worked with the Halifax Regional Police Hate Crimes Unit to determine the alleged criminal offence was motivated by hate based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression.

The youths were arrested earlier this week and released on conditions; they are scheduled to appear in Halifax youth court on May 25.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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Where the leaders are today on the Alberta election campaign trail:

United Conservative Party Leader Danielle Smith:

CALGARY  Appears on Global News Morning Edmonton and Global News Morning Calgary; spends the rest of the day with volunteers on the phone and at the doors talking to voters.

_

NDP Leader Rachel Notley:

CALGARY -- Makes an announcement about education (11:30 a.m., outside cSPACE King Edward, 1721 29 Ave. SW); attends a rally with candidates (5 p.m., Abbeydale Community Association, 821 Abbeydale Dr. NE)

_

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

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The federal agency tasked with regulating Canadas broadcasting and television services is mulling a ban on Fox News from Canadian cable packages.

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is seeking public comments on whether to remove the right-wing network from its list of stations authorized for distribution in Canada.

The CRTCs consultation process, running until June 2, follows an open letter issued by the LGBTQ advocacy group Egale Canada, which argued the American channel promotes hatred and violence against 2SLGBTQI communities.

The April letter, which called on the federal agency to initiate a public hearing on the issue, came after the Toronto-based organization was featured on Fox Newss Tucker Carlson Tonight.

Egale Canada said the programs now former host, conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, made false and horrifying claims about individuals who are Two-Spirit, transgender, non-binary and gender nonconforming.

During the segment, Carlson made the inflammatory and false claim that trans people are targeting Christians. To position trans people in existential opposition to Christianity is an incitement of violence against trans people that is plain to any viewer, read the letter, signed by Egale Canada executive director Helen Kennedy and addressed to Vicky Eatrides, chairperson and CEO of the CRTC.

This programming is in clear violation of Canadian broadcasting standards and has no place on Canadian broadcasting networks.

Neither Fox News nor Tucker Carlson immediately responded to the Stars request for comment.

Under Canadas Broadcasting Act, the CRTC is not legally required to open a public hearing in response to every complaint it receives, but may do so if it is satisfied that it would be in the public interest.

As of Friday morning, the CRTC has published more than 50 comments submitted by the public. The majority of the respondents oppose the proposal to ban Fox News from Canadian cable packages, with some noting that Carlson, frequently cited in the letter, no longer works for the network.

Carlson, who joined Fox News in 2009 as a contributor, abruptly left the organization in late April. His eponymous show, Tucker Carlson Tonight unceremoniously ended April 21 after airing since 2016.

The CRTCs public consultation process also comes after Fox News settled a defamation suit for US$787 million with voting machine company Dominion Voting Systems, which accused the network of peddling lies about the 2020 presidential election.

The case, which abruptly ended just as opening statements were set to begin, embarrassed the organization over several months and raised the possibility that founder Rupert Murdoch and the networks hosts would have to testify publicly.

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DUBLIN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Breast Cancer Screening Market, Size, Global Forecast 2023-2028, Industry Trends, Growth, Share, Outlook, Impact of Inflation, Opportunity Company Analysis" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Research and Markets Logo

Global Breast Cancer Screening Market will reach US$ 2.12 Billion in 2028, according to the publisher. Breast cancer screening can detect cancer early, even before any symptoms are present. Early detection is vital because it allows for more effective treatment options and increases the chances of a successful outcome.

When breast cancer is detected early, more treatment options are available, including less invasive treatments and the possibility of breast-conserving surgery. In addition, breast cancer screening is cost-effective, as the cost of screening is significantly lower than that of treating advanced breast cancer.

Breastcancer.org's 2022 update projects that in the United States, 287,850 individuals received a diagnosis of invasive breast cancer, and an additional 51,400 individuals were diagnosed with non-invasive (in situ) breast cancer.

Breast cancer screening markets shall experience a CAGR of 5.26% from 2022 to 2028

The demand for breast cancer screening services has been increasing due to the rising incidence of breast cancer worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), breast cancer is the most prevalent type of cancer globally, with over 2.3 million new cases. A growing awareness has fuelled this rise in demand for screening services among women about the importance of breast cancer screening. As a result, women are encouraged to undergo screening through various campaigns, educational programs, and advocacy groups. Additionally, the aging of the population has also played a role in the increased demand for breast cancer screening services, as frequent diagnosis of breast cancer is common in older women.



Governments have implemented screening programs and policies to increase access to breast cancer screening, particularly for underserved populations. In addition, technological advancements have led to the development of more accurate and less invasive screening methods, such as digital mammography, breast ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which have improved the detection of breast cancer. For instance, in March 2022, LifeCell launched Breast Screen Panel, a comprehensive genetic screening test assessing women's risk of breast cancer. Hence, the market value for the global breast cancer screening market was US$ 1.64 Billion in 2022.

Story continues

Increased Awareness, Technological Advancements, and Government Initiatives have led to the growing demand for Breast Cancer Screening Services in India

Countries present in the breast cancer screening market are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Rest of World. Increasing disposable income in India has allowed more individuals to afford breast cancer screening services, awareness campaigns, and government initiatives, raising women's awareness about the importance of breast cancer screening and improving access to screening services, particularly for underserved populations. In addition, government initiatives such as the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases, and Stroke (NPCDCS) and the National Health Mission (NHM) have improved access to breast cancer screening in India.



In China, improved access to healthcare services, including breast cancer screening, can be attributed to the country's recent increase in healthcare spending. Additionally, the Chinese government has launched various initiatives to improve access to breast cancer screening, focusing on underserved populations. An example of such an initiative is the National Breast Cancer Screening Program, which offers free breast cancer screening to women living in rural areas.

High Incidence of Breast Cancer in the United States has increased the emphasis on Breast Cancer Screening

Based on the Mammography breast cancer screening, there are 24 divisions - United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Brazil, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Rest of World. Health insurance plans cover mammography, making it more accessible and affordable. In addition, advanced mammography technology has improved the accuracy of screening. The government has implemented policies to increase access to mammography, including initiatives to achieve 'zero fatalities from breast cancer' by 2030, as announced by the National Breast Cancer Foundation, with USD 12.4 Million in funding for 20 research initiatives.



Private Healthcare Sector in Brazil Embraces Advanced Breast Cancer Screening Technologies Amid Growing Awareness among Women.



The countries where MRI breast cancer screening is prevalent are the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Rest of World. The private healthcare sector in Brazil has been investing in advanced breast cancer screening technologies, including MRI, to provide more accurate and effective screening services. Furthermore, there has been a growing awareness among women in Brazil about the importance of breast cancer screening, driven by campaigns, educational programs, and advocacy groups.

China shall have the Highest Share in the Ultrasound Screening Industry

United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, Singapore, India, Thailand, Malaysia, China, Brazil, South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Rest of World, is the different countries in the ultrasound breast cancer screening market. Ultrasound screening is safe and effective, particularly for younger women and women with dense breast tissue. The Chinese government has implemented initiatives to increase access to breast cancer screening, including promoting ultrasound screening as a primary screening method.



Additionally, the development and adoption of advanced ultrasound technology have improved the accuracy and effectiveness of ultrasound screening in detecting breast cancer.



There has been a growing emphasis on using ultrasound screening as a complement to mammography, particularly for women with dense breast tissue leading to increased adoption and utilization of ultrasound screening in the United States. Moreover, the United States has been a leader in developing and adopting advanced ultrasound technology, including 3D and 4D ultrasound, improving the accuracy and effectiveness of ultrasound screening in detecting breast cancer.

Key Players Analysis

AstraZeneca, Novartis, Sanofi, Pfizer, Bayer AG, and GlaxoSmithKline plc are significant companies competing in Breast Cancer Screening Market.



In June 2022, Walmart signed a general merchandise supplier agreement with Biomerica, Inc to sell the Aware Breast Self-Exam device in its retail system.

Breast Cancer Screening- Market breakup of 24 Countries:

1. United Kingdom

2. France

3. Germany

4. Italy

5. Spain

6. Switzerland

7. Norway

8. Netherlands

9. New Zealand

10. Australia

11. United States

12. Canada

13. Japan

14. Korea

15. Singapore

16. India

17. Thailand

18. Malaysia

19. China

20. Brazil

21. South Africa

22. United Arab Emirates

23. Saudi Arabia

24. Rest of World

Mammography Screening - Market breakup from 24 Viewpoints:

1. United Kingdom

2. France

3. Germany

4. Italy

5. Spain

6. Switzerland

7. Norway

8. Netherlands

9. New Zealand

10. Australia

11. United States

12. Canada

13. Japan

14. Korea

15. Singapore

16. India

17. Thailand

18. Malaysia

19. China

20. Brazil

21. South Africa

22. United Arab Emirates

23. Saudi Arabia

24. Rest of World

MRI Screening- Market breakup from 24 Viewpoints:

1. United Kingdom

2. France

3. Germany

4. Italy

5. Spain

6. Switzerland

7. Norway

8. Netherlands

9. New Zealand

10. Australia

11. United States

12. Canada

13. Japan

14. Korea

15. Singapore

16. India

17. Thailand

18. Malaysia

19. China

20. Brazil

21. South Africa

22. United Arab Emirates

23. Saudi Arabia

24. Rest of World

Ultrasound Screening- Market breakup from 24 Viewpoints:

1. United Kingdom

2. France

3. Germany

4. Italy

5. Spain

6. Switzerland

7. Norway

8. Netherlands

9. New Zealand

10. Australia

11. United States

12. Canada

13. Japan

14. Korea

15. Singapore

16. India

17. Thailand

18. Malaysia

19. China

20. Brazil

21. South Africa

22. United Arab Emirates

23. Saudi Arabia

24. Rest of World

Key Topics Covered:

1. Introduction



2. Research Methodology



3. Executive Summary



4. Market Dynamics



5. Porter's Five Forces



6. Global Breast Cancer Screening Market



7. By Types - Global Breast Cancer Screening Population



8. By Types - Global Breast Cancer Screening Market



9. Population Share - Global Breast Cancer Screening



10. Market Share - Global Breast Cancer Screening



Companies Mentioned

AstraZeneca

Novartis

Sanofi

Pfizer

Bayer AG

GlaxoSmithKline plc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/jwyi0m

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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Progressive mayoral candidate Josh Matlow says if hes elected this summer he could take inspiration from an unlikely source: former conservative mayor Rob Ford.

In an hour-long interview with the Star editorial board on Thursday, Matlow faced questions about how he would get his progressive agenda through city hall if hes successful in the June 26 mayoral byelection.

During his 13 years on city council, the Toronto-St. Pauls representative has developed a reputation as an outsider who sometimes struggles to get support for council motions. And because hes vowed not to use the citys new strong-mayor powers, if elected mayor he would be just one vote on the 26-member council.

Matlow pushed back against the suggestion he doesnt work well with colleagues, stating that while there is a small handful councillors who are not my fans, he gets along with most of them quite well.

But he said if he did face opposition, previous mayors track records indicate that winning the byelection would give him a strong enough mandate to convince council to back his priorities, which include reversing TTC service cuts, imposing a parking levy to pay for climate initiatives, and introducing a two-per-cent property tax increase to improve services and infrastructure.

Former mayors David Miller and John Tory were able to get their agendas through successfully almost without exceptions, and so was Ford before his administration went sideways, Matlow said.

He argued that Ford was the least popular councillor before his surprise mayoral victory in 2010, but council initially supported his plans to cut city spending. Fords term was later derailed by his crack cocaine use and other scandals.

As he has been since the start of the election campaign, Matlow was reluctant to directly criticize any of his opponents, which include Coun. Brad Bradford (Ward 19, Beaches-East York), Ontario Liberal MPP for Scarborough-Guildwood Mitzie Hunter, and former councillor Ana Bailao, who has been endorsed by four sitting councillors.

But asked why he is the better progressive choice than Olivia Chow, the former NDP MP with whom hes expected to compete for left-leaning voters, Matlow said hes the only one who has put forward an evidence-based platform.

He said that both he and Chow have announced similar tenant protection plans, but the main difference was that mine was costed and hers wasnt.

Chow has proposed increasing the new vacant-home tax to create a $100-million fund to protect affordable rental homes by transferring them to not-for-profit groups. She has estimated the program would provide homes for about 1,000 people each year.

But Matlow said recent data from the city shows the number of vacant homes in Toronto is small, and the tax cant be relied on because its intended to produce less revenue over time by giving owners an incentive to put properties on the market.

Matlow has said he would protect tenants by increasing funding to the citys Multi-Unit Residential Acquisition program by $50 million, which he would pay for by cancelling expensive plans to rebuild the elevated portion of the Gardiner Expressway. Chow announced Wednesday she also opposes the elevated rebuild.

I dont want to say anything to disparage Olivia Chow. I think that she has a long progressive and impressive track record, and I value her and I respect her, Matlow said.

But I just havent seen a campaign that understands the contemporary challenges that were experiencing at city hall, the substance of the issues that were tackling.

Chow is leading public opinion polls, while Matlow consistently hovers in second or third place. He wouldnt entertain the prospect of dropping out and throwing his support behind Chow if the contest narrows to a three-way race with a conservative candidate like former police chief Mark Saunders.

I would welcome Olivias endorsement, Matlow said.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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After facing sharp criticism last year over the slow opening of public bathrooms and water fountains, the city says it has completed its earliest-ever activation of washrooms in municipal parks.

In a press release Friday, the city said that as of this week 122 seasonal park washroom buildings and the drinking fountains attached to them are operable. Taking into account winterized facilities that are open year-round, a total of 174 park washrooms are now open to the public. Six others are closed for repairs but will open as soon as possible, the city said.

In a statement, Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie thanked city staff, who she said had been in the field since mid-April working hard to open washrooms and drinking water fountains in record time.

Extending the availability of our seasonal park washrooms is key to ensuring Toronto residents get the most out of their parks, she said.

The city has not yet finished activating all 750 stand-alone park drinking fountains and bottle filling stations, but aims to have them up and running by May 26, according to the release.

Last spring, then-mayor John Tory came under fire for initially defending the citys timelines for opening park fountains and washrooms, which staff said were intended to give them time to test the water and avoid the risk of a late frost damaging pipes.

Last year, just 60 per cent of Torontos public fountains were operable by the end of May, despite residents growing demand for green space and climate change making for warmer spring seasons. Critics claimed the slow opening was evidence that Torys administration was failing to deliver basic services to residents.

Last June, Tory introduced a motion at council asking staff to modernize their operations and open the facilities earlier. The 2023 budget Tory steered through council before resigning in February included $2.8 million in additional funding to speed up the process and keep washrooms and fountains open later in the year. The citys annual budget for the maintenance, staffing and operation of Torontos approximately 1,500 parks is more than $180 million.

According to the news release, the city plans to open splash and spray pads by May 20, and start opening some outdoor swimming pools on a partial schedule in mid-June. All pools and wading pools are scheduled to be open on a full schedule by June 30.

Residents can track the status of park fountains and washrooms on a new city website.

Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr

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A longtime Toronto police officer has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman in May 2022, Ontarios police watchdog said Friday.

Const. Ramdial Lokenath, an officer with 14 years with the Toronto Police Service, is also facing one count of breach of trust stemming from the same encounter, the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) said in a news release.

Citing Lokenaths fair trial interests, the SIU provided few details about the alleged criminal offences, including whether the alleged offences happened on or off duty.

As the matter is before the courts, and in consideration of the fair trial interests of the accused, the SIU will not provide further comment on the investigation, a spokesperson said in an email.

Lokenath is currently assigned to 41 division in Scarborough, and has been suspended with pay. Ontarios Police Services Act requires officers to be paid while suspended unless they are convicted of a crime and sentenced to jail time.

Breach of trust charges are typically laid when someone in a position of authority is alleged to have abused their power.

The SIU investigates deaths, serious injuries and allegations of sexual assault involving police officers in Ontario.

The watchdog typically investigates on-duty incidents but will probe off-duty conduct under some circumstances, including if an alleged offence was committed using police equipment, such as a weapon, or if the officer invoked his powers while off the job, such as performing an arrest or launching a pursuit.

Lokenath is scheduled to make his first appearance in a downtown courtroom later this month.

Wendy Gillis is a Toronto-based reporter covering crime and policing for the Star. Reach her by email at wgillis@thestar.ca or follow her on Twitter: @wendygillis

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Good morning. This is the Friday, May 5 edition of First Up, the Stars daily morning digest. Sign up to get it earlier each day, in your inbox.

Heres the latest on one familys mission to make lifelong memories, delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board and Rogers new lower prices.

DONT MISS:

Three of their kids are going blind  first, theyre going to see the world

Siblings Mia, 12, and her brothers Colin, 7, and Laurent, 4, all have a rare genetic condition called retinitis pigmentosa. Slowly theyre going to lose 180 (degree) vision and its going to get smaller and smaller, their mother, Edith Lemay, said. They say towards the end its like looking through a straw. By 40, most people with the condition are legally blind. In the meantime, the childrens parents have undertaken a mission to fill their minds with vast landscapes and experiences, spending months travelling through Africa, Turkey, Mongolia, Southeast Asia and Egypt. Steve McKinley writes about their cross-continental adventures and the memories  and lessons  that will last them a lifetime.

More: The family planned as they went, guided by the kids bucket list of activities. They wanted to go surfing, Mia wanted to ride horses, and Laurent inexplicably wanted to drink juice on a camel.

The aftermath: When we left, the goal was strictly to fill their visual memories, to get them to see beautiful landscapes, Lemay said. But then, during the trip, I realized there was so much more that they could learn from it.

An aggressive strategy is needed to fight excruciatingly long delays at the Landlord and Tenant Board

With massive backlogs that can cause cases to take up to years to get a hearing, the Landlord and Tenant Board has been failing in its role of providing swift justice, Ontarios ombudsman Paul Dube has found. In a new report, Dube says he received more than 4,000 complaints and details the negative impacts the lengthy waits have had on landlords and tenants. Victoria Gibson reports on the perfect storm of factors causing the delays and the changes being called for.

By the numbers: As of January, there were about 38,000 cases in the queue  an increase of about 13,000 since last May  according to Dubes investigation.

Case in point: One tenant who said they were being harassed by their landlord while living in a home with black mould and leaky windows waited more than a year for a hearing. With no solution in sight, she was forced to leave her home of eight years, Dube wrote.

Rogers has cut prices for most of its fastest cellphone plans following the Shaw takeover

Rogers closed its deal to acquire Shaws cable business last month and sold off that companys wire division Freedom Mobile to Quebecor. Now, as Rogers gears up to face new competition, the telecom giant is slashing prices for most of its fastest phone plans and is offering new deals for bundling wireless with home internet service. Do the price cuts signal a new era of competition in wireless? Christine Dobby reports what we know about the changes taking place and whats motivating Rogers.

Meanwhile: Quebecors CEO told the Star last month he has something surprising planned on wireless pricing. The company, which wants to grow its business in Ontario, British Columbia and Alberta, has not revealed what that is.

More: The president of Rogers wireless division told the Star that winning more customers who pay for both types of service was the main motivation for the pricing changes

WHAT ELSE:

Justin Trudeau is the Liberals only asset and Pierre Poilievre is attacking accordingly.

Why is the U.S. pushing Ottawa to require visas from Mexicans?

As more details emerge about the Michael Chong allegations, the federal government has summoned Chinas ambassador.

Progressive candidate Josh Matlow says he could take inspiration from Rob Ford if he becomes mayor. Heres why.

More Canadian universities now say theyll steer clear of Chinese telecom Huawei. They include McGill and these others.

Canada is a step closer to establishing its first-ever grocery code regulating powers. Heres what they could mean for the industry.

Listen: On a new episode of The Billionaire Murders Kevin Donovan has an unusual meeting with the Shermans only son.

This Ukrainian TikTokker found community with Indigenous Peoples in Canada  and a piece of home that tied them together.

The Maple Leafs have dug themselves a big hole with another baffling home loss against the Panthers.

Protesters are eyeing the Coronation of King Charles III  and facial recognition is eyeing them.

With Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3., Chris Pratt and James Gunn reflect on their decade-long journey.

Ed Sheeran has won his copyright trial. Here are 10 other hits that were accused of being copycats.

ICYMI:

A lush community garden was a source of peace and joy. Toronto Community Housing Corp. has turned it into a pile of dirt.

CLOSE-UP:

ROSEDALE: A small girl, whose name is unknown, will be remembered at a Toronto church on Saturday one year after the discovery of her remains was made public. Artist and illustrator Michele Nidenoff created this portrait of her to help inform the community. Heres what is planned for the event.

Thank you for reading First Up. You can reach me and the First Up team at firstup@thestar.ca

Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

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CAIRO (AP)  Diplomats from Arab nations are planning an emergency meeting in Cairo over the weekend about the fighting in Sudan and the prospect of Syrias return to the Arab League more than a decade after its membership was suspended, an official said Friday.

Sundays meeting, confirmed by Gamal Rushdy, a spokesman for the Arab League, comes as some Arab countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have opened up relations with Syrian President Bashar Assad and their foreign ministers have visited Damascus in recent weeks. Syrias foreign minister also visited Cairo and the Saudi capital of Riyadh in April, the first such visits in more than a decade.

Syrias membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended in the early months of the war 12 years ago, and Arab countries later imposed economic sanctions. The conflict has killed nearly a half million people since March 2011 and displaced half of the countrys pre-war population of 23 million.

Saudi Arabia is hosting the next Arab League summit on May 19, when Syrias membership is widely expected to be on the table. Some members, mainly gas-rich Qatar, have opposed Damascus return to the organization.

In November 2011, 18 of the 22 members of the Arab League backed the suspension of Syrias membership. Lebanon, Yemen and Syria voted against the decision, while Iraq abstained.

Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told CNN that he believes there are enough votes among Arab League members for Syria to return to the organization.

The meeting in Cairo on Sunday by Arab foreign ministers will focus on restoring Syrias membership and comes at the request of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, said Rushdy, the Arab League spokesman.

When asked about the vote count, Rushdy said Arab League decisions are resolutions usually made by consensus, but each country has the right to submit its reservations.

An Iraqi diplomat who also spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists said that in addition to Syria and Sudan, the recent events in Israel and the Palestinian territories would be on the agenda.

In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country with help from his main allies Russia and Iran, Syrias neighbors have begun to take steps toward rapprochement. The overtures picked up pace since the massive Feb. 6 earthquake in Turkey and Syria, and the Chinese-brokered reestablishment of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, which had backed opposing sides in the Syrian conflict.

Syria and Saudi Arabia said last month they were moving toward reopening embassies and resuming flights between the two countries for the first time in more than a decade.

Syrias pro-government Al-Watan daily reported Friday that a foreign ministry delegation visited the Syrian embassy in Riyadh recently in preparation to reopen the mission in the coming weeks.

The foreign ministers will also discuss Sudan, which has plunged into chaos since fighting erupted in mid-April between the countrys two rival top generals, killing more than 400 people. The conflict started on April 15, preceded by months of escalating tensions between the military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and a rival paramilitary group called the Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, commanded by Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo.

The fighting turned urban areas into battlefields and foreign governments rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan.

___

Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report from Baghdad.

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BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Malis military junta said Friday that its organizing a referendum on a new constitution for June 18, a key step towards a return to constitutional rule and a new presidential election expected next year in the West African country.

The referendum, in which voters can choose to either accept or reject a draft already contested by political opponents, was due to have taken place in March, but was postponed.

The announcement of the new date was made on national television by the government spokesman, Minister Abdoulaye Maiga. The draft constitution released by the junta in March of this year would considerably strengthen the power of the president. The head of state, rather than the government determines the policy of the nation, appoints the prime minister and ministers, and has the right to terminate their functions, according to the proposal.

Armed movements who fought for independence for Malis north but agreed to a peace deal in 2015 say the draft constitution wouldnt take into account the provisions of the peace agreement. Mali has been ruled by a military junta since a 2020 coup against an elected president, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. It has faced destabilizing attacks by armed extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group since 2013.

In 2021, France and its European partners engaged in the fight against extremists in Malis north withdrew from the country after the junta brought in mercenaries from Russias Wagner Group.

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ASWAN, Egypt (AP)  Sudans two warring generals sent their envoys on Friday to Saudi Arabia for talks aimed at firming up a shaky cease-fire after three weeks of fierce fighting that has killed hundreds and pushed the African country to the brink of collapse, three Sudanese officials said.

The negotiations would be the first between Sudans military, led by Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, commanded by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, since clashes broke out on April 15.

According to the three  two senior military officials and one from their paramilitary rival  the talks will begin in the Saudi coastal city of Jeddah on Saturday, following concerted efforts by Riyad and other international powers to pressure the warring sides in Sudan to the negotiating table.

The three officials spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the upcoming peace talks. No timeframe was given for the length of the talks.

The fighting has turned Sudans capital of Khartoum and other urban areas into battlefields and pushed hundreds of thousands from their homes. There is increasing concern for those trapped and displaced by the fighting, and aid workers and civilians have said there is a dire lack of basic services, medical care, food and water.

Foreign governments have rushed to evacuate their diplomats and thousands of foreign nationals out of Sudan. Saudi warships have been ferrying those fleeing from Port Sudan, on Sudans Red Sea coast, which has now become the entry hub for aid sent to the embattled nation.

A series of fragile and often violated cease-fires over the past three weeks has failed to stop the fighting. Fierce battles raged Friday in areas around the militarys headquarters and the international airport in Khartoum, according to residents. https://apnews.com/article/sudan-military-rsf-conflict-civilians-port-sudan-war-bd675f2ce360e7d40f4926c81057cdbf

According to the three officials, the talks in Jeddah would address the opening of humanitarian corridors in Khartoum and the adjacent city of Omdurman, which have been the centers of the battles.

One of the military officials said the talks are part of an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia and the United State. He said they would also discuss providing protection to civilian infrastructure, including health facilities.

The RSF official said Saudi and American officials would facilitate the talks. He said they would also discuss a mechanism to monitor the cease-fire and confirmed on Friday that the RSF delegation had left for Jeddah. Sudans military also later its delegation had departed to Saudi Arabia, saying the talks would discuss details of the truce, without elaborating.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, discussed the initiative in a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. It said the initiative aims to prepare the ground for dialogue to deescalate tensions in the African country. The statement also did not provide further details.

U.S. State department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Blinken expressed his gratitude for Saudi Arabias invaluable assistance in facilitating the safe arrival in Jeddah of U.S. citizens and their family members departing Sudan.

The two top diplomats affirmed their countries intensive collaboration on diplomatic work to bring about an end to the fighting in Sudan, Miller said.

The U.N. envoy in Sudan, Volker Perthes, lauded the move as a positive sign, but cautioned about high expectations from the meeting.

It is a positive sign, a sign of getting more realistic, realizing that there will be no easy or quick win, he told the AP from Port Sudan. We need to realize, however, that this is a first encounter.

The meeting may be exploratory rather than concrete, he said and added that achieving a lasting cease-fire would need more than one meeting.

The battle for control of Sudan, which capped months of tensions between Burhan and Dagalo, has so far killed at least 550 people, including civilians, and  as of Monday  wounded more than 4,900, according to the Sudanese Health Ministry.

The Sudanese Doctors Syndicate, which tracks only civilian casualties, said Friday that 473 civilians have been killed in the violence, and more than 2,450 have been wounded.

James Elder, a spokesman for the the U.N. children agency, said at least 190 children have been killed and 1,700 have been wounded in the fighting.

This means that every single hour, you have seven boys or girls ... killed or injured, he said at a press conference Friday in Geneva. I think this is underlining the enormity of how violent this is.

The power struggle has put millions of Sudanese in the line of gun battles, artillery bombardments and airstrikes. So far, at least 334,000 people have been displaced inside Sudan, and tens of thousands more have crossed to neighboring countries  Egypt, Chad, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Ethiopia, according to U.N. agencies.

The U.N. World Food Program projects that the number of acutely food insecure people in Sudan will increase by between 2 million and 2.5 million people  raising the number to a total of 19 million people  in the next three to six months if the current conflict continues, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said. The U.N. refugee agency announced that $445 million will be needed to support an estimated 860,000 Sudanese refugees fleeing Sudan to five countries affected by the emergency.

___

Associated Press writer Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.

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MEXICO CITY (AP)  Mexicos government said Friday over 2,000 migrants were kidnapped by smuggling gangs and drug cartels last year, as authorities mounted a successful search for 10 Colombians abducted in northern Mexico this week.

Mexicos national immigration agency said authorities had freed 2,115 migrants of all nationalities kidnapped by gangs in 2022.

Gangs and cartels appear to be increasingly charging migrants fees to cross Mexico, and then kidnapping them for ransom. There have been a string of such mass migrant abductions in Mexico in recent months.

Prosecutors in the northern border state of Sonora said late Friday they had found 10 Colombians who went missing Tuesday in the border city of San Luis Rio Colorado, across the border from Arizona. The Colombians were found in good shape at a gasoline station, officials said.

A relative of one of the missing Colombians said kidnappers had called to demand thousands of dollars from relatives in the United States.

Reached by telephone in Bogota, Colombia, Johan Morales  the son of a couple among those who went missing Tuesday  said his parents and other relatives had been planning to reach the Arizona border and turn themselves in to U.S. officials to request asylum. He said a cousin who lives in New York received a call from kidnappers Thursday demanding $2,500 apiece to release his relatives.

Just a week before, Ecuador had contacted officials in Sonora to complain that 30 Ecuadorans had been abducted in the state. When officials arrived at the safehouse where they were being held in another border town, they found more people than they expected: 43 Ecuadorans and 20 other abducted migrants were being held there.

That has not been uncommon in recent months: complaints about a few missing migrants have led police to investigate and find dozens more being held against their will.

In April, a reported kidnapping of about 20 people in the north-central state of San Luis Potosi led police to mount a massive search by air and land  and they found not only the 20 migrants they were looking for, but about 80 more migrants being held against their will, apparently by the same gang.

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PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP)  Four Cambodian prospectors who were digging for gold in the central province of Kampong Thom were killed when earth collapsed into the pit where they were mining, a government official and a fellow villager said Friday.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith on his Facebook page quoted reports from a local official saying the four men who died had been hired by a couple who own the mine in the rural jungle village of Snong An.

The accident occurred Thursday morning as the men were digging, said Ven Srey Tith, a villager living near the site.

Speaking by phone from her home, she said the pit was only a little more than two meters (six feet) deep, but mounds of excavated earth collapsed into it without warning and no one was nearby to see the mens plight.

Their bodies were retrieved the same day and sent to their families for religious rites.

Mining without a license is illegal, and Ven Srey Tith said the authorities had told villagers a long time ago that they are not allowed to mine gold there.

Some villagers pleaded to be allowed to dig for gold because they are poor and need the income, she said. Most villagers farm for a living, she said.

Despite the official ban, mining has been occurring at the village since 2012 and there had not been any major accidents until now, she said. Other miners stopped digging on Friday, at least temporarily, after hearing of the tragedy, she said.

Illegal gold mining on a small scale is often tolerated, while licensed industrial mining for gold in carried out by a handful of companies, including from Australia, China, Vietnam and India.

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By Foo Yun Chee

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. chipmaker Broadcom's Chief Executive Hock Tan on Friday will try to convince EU antitrust enforcers that his proposed $61 billion bid for cloud computing firm VMware, which has triggered scrutiny on both sides of the Atlantic, is pro-competitive.

Tan, flanked by his executives and lawyers, arrived early Friday morning in Brussels for a closed hearing on one of the biggest tie-ups in the history of the technology sector. He declined to comment as he headed into the hearing.

Tan will present his arguments to senior European Commission officials, including its deputy director general for mergers Guillaume Loriot, and their counterparts from national competition agencies as well as lawyers from the EU executive.

VMware President Sumit Dhawan will appear remotely at the hearing. There are no other third parties at the hearing.

Broadcom's request for the hearing came after the Commission last month warned the deal may restrict competition in the market for certain hardware components which interoperate with VMware's software.

The company had hoped that regulators would consider the presence of Amazon, Microsoft and Google in the cloud computing market as proof of strong competition, other people familiar with the matter told Reuters last year.

Broadcom is expected to offer remedies in the coming days after the oral hearing. The EU deadline for a decision is June 21, which will be extended once concessions are submitted.

(Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by David Gregorio and Conor Humphries)
ISLAMABAD (AP)  The Pakistani president on Friday assured Beijings top diplomat that his country will boost security for all Chinese nationals working on multi-billion dollar projects in cash-strapped Pakistan.

China has been demanding more security from Pakistan for its nationals residing and working in the Islamic country since 2021, when a suicide bomber killed nine Chinese and four Pakistanis in an attack in Pakistans volatile northwest.

More recently, a Chinese national working on the Dasu Dam, a Chinese-funded hydropower project and the biggest of its kind in Pakistan, was arrested on blasphemy charges after an angry mob accused him of insulting Islam when he criticized a coworker for taking too much time to pray during working hours.

Pakistans controversial blasphemy laws carry the death penalty, and sometimes even a mere suggestion of blasphemy is enough to entice mobs to violence or lynching. The Chinese man was subsequently released under a court order but it remained unclear if he would face trial or be deported home.

President Arif Alvi pledged more security for Chinese workers during a meeting Friday with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang. The two spoke ahead of a mini-summit on Saturday in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, during which Pakistans foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, will host Qin and also Afghanistans Taliban-appointed foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Muttaqi also arrived in Islamabad on Friday ahead of the three-way meeting the next day. The gathering is also seen as an outreach to the Taliban by Pakistan, which has acted as a mediator with Afghanistans new rulers, and also China, which is eager to expand its influence in the region.

The Taliban have been shunned by most of the international community for the harsh and restrictive measures they have imposed since they seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, when U.S. and NATO troops were in the final weeks of their pullout from the country after 20 years of war, particularly banning girls from education beyond the sixth grade and barring women from most jobs and public life.

In Pakistan, Beijing is bankrolling the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC  a sprawling package that includes a multitude of mega projects such as road construction, power plants and agriculture. The package is a lifeline for Pakistans cash-strapped government, currently facing one of the worst economic crises amid stalled talks on a bailout with the International Monetary Fund.

CPEC, also known as the One Road Project, is part of Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, a global endeavor aimed at reconstituting the Silk Road and linking China to all corners of Asia.

Alvi and Qin on Friday reaffirmed their resolve to work together to promote regional peace and prosperity as well as jointly cope with external challenges. Alvi told the Chinese diplomat that Pakistan-China relations were rooted in mutual trust and understanding.

The Chinese minister was quoted in the statement as saying their nations were all-weather friends whose friendship was as solid as a rock.

This is the second time that Muttaqi, the Taliban official, is visiting Pakistan since the Taliban takeover. Pakistan has lately expressed concern over a surge in attacks across the country by the Pakistani Taliban  an independent militant group that is allied with and sheltered by the Afghan Taliban.

Islamabad has demanded from the Taliban in Kabul that they do more to rein in anti-Pakistani groups such as the Pakistani Taliban  also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP  which have stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces in recent months.

Muttaqi is also expected to discuss the issue of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan as well as the two nations border issues. In February, the two sides shut the main Afghan-Pakistan border crossing at Torkham, stranding people and thousands of trucks carrying food and essential items.

After a Pakistani delegation travelled to Kabul for talks on the crisis, the border was reopened after a week.

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BERLIN (AP)  German authorities said Friday that a man sought in connection with the fatal shooting of a 24-year-old Syrian in the western town of Luedenscheid has been detained after surrendering to police.

Prosecutors in the western city of Hagen said the 23-year-old suspect is also a Syrian citizen and knew the victim, who died at a hospital hours after Mondays shooting in the nearby town of Luedenscheid.

Police declined to immediately provide further details about the suspect or the circumstances of the shooting.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have come to Germany since the start of the conflict in their country more than a decade ago.

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TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran has expelled four Azeri diplomats amid ongoing tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan, Iranian media reported on Friday.

Irans semiofficial news outlets did not provide details except to say that the four had been working in Azerbaijans Embassy in Tehran and its consulate in the northwestern city of Tabriz.

Last month, Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats from Baku.

Relations between Tehran and Baku, long chilly, soured further after a gunman in January stormed Azerbaijans embassy in Irans capital, killing its security chief and wounding two guards.

Azerbaijan accuses Iran of supporting hard-line Islamists who tried to overthrow the government in Baku, a charge Tehran denies.

Relations between the two also are tense because Azerbaijan in March opened an embassy in Israel. Iran has repeatedly opposed improving relations between Azerbaijan and Israel.

Iran and Israel see each other as archenemies.

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The final touches are being put in place ahead of coronation day in London  the first in seven decades.

As King Charles III prepares to officially receive the crown, heres a look at what he, other members of the Royal Family and special dignitaries from around the world were doing on the eve of the big event.

Buckingham Palace Lunch

The King, Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales, hosted a lunch Friday at Buckingham Palace for governor generals and prime ministers across the Commonwealth.

Royal Family Surprises Crowds

Thousands of royal watchers are already arriving at Buckingham Palace to secure a prime location ahead of the coronation procession. The Royal Family, including the King, William and Kate, took time on Friday to greet those waiting outside.

Indigenous Leaders Meet the King

Indigenous leaders met with King Charles on Friday. Assembly of First Nations National Chief RoseAnne Archibald, Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami president Natan Obed and Metis National Council president Cassidy Caron had a private audience with the King, along with Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.

Westminster Abbey Transformation

Ahead of Saturdays coronation service, Westminster Abbey released a video revealing how the church was transformed in just 11 days to be coronation-ready.

Londons Royal Parks are Royally Ready

The charity that manages Londons eight royal parks shared photos of St. Jamess Park on Friday. The coronation procession will pass by the park, filled with its neatly trimmed grass and array of colourful flowers.

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DENVER (AP)  A lawyer for a Colorado woman who repeatedly stabbed and then shot her 11-year-old stepson before driving his body across the country said Friday that the brutality of the attack was the strongest evidence that the killing was the result of a psychotic break.

During closing arguments in Letecia Stauchs murder trial in Colorado Springs, Josh Tolini urged jurors to find her not guilty by reason of insanity. He emphasized that she would be kept confined at the state mental hospital if they reached that verdict in the 2020 killing of Gannon Stauch. Tolini said prosecutors had not shown why the special needs teacher would want to kill the slight 80-pound boy she cared for and lived with in such a violent way.

This wasnt a pre-planned calculated killing for some gain. This was a psychotic break fueled by rage attacking a demon from the past, he said in court before jurors began deliberations.

Prosecutors say Gannon was stabbed 18 times before being hit in the head and then shot by Stauch, suggesting that she first tried to kill him by burning him and drugging him with an opioid. His father, Stauchs husband Al, was on a National Guard deployment at the time. They say Stauch then put Gannons body in a suitcase, drove it across the country in a rented van and threw the suitcase over the side of a bridge in the Florida Panhandle.

Prosecutors are not required to prove a motive but District Attorney Michael Allen said they had shown that Stauch killed Gannon because she hated him and because it was a way to hurt her husband, whom she planned to leave. He pointed to how Stauch had done a Google search for I dont like my stepson and had also researched getting a moving truck and places to live in Florida before killing him.

The brutality of it speaks to the abject hatred she had for Gannon and the pure determination she had to kill Gannon, Allen said.

Stauch is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree murder of a child by a person in a position of trust, tampering with a deceased human body and tampering with physical evidence.

Experts at the state mental hospital concluded that Stauch had a personality disorder with borderline and narcissistic features but was sane at the time Gannon was killed. Under Colorado law, that means understanding the difference between right and wrong and being able to form the intent to commit a crime.

The defense claims Stauch suffered a psychotic break because of trauma from being physically, emotionally and sexually abused by her mothers string of partners during her childhood. Its main witness, Dr. Dorothy Lewis, author of the book Crazy, Not Insane and featured in an HBO documentary with the same title, concluded Stauch suffered from dissociative identity disorder  when someone has two or more personalities as the result of trauma  and was not sane at the time. Allen pointed out that Lewis did not know how sanity is defined under Colorado law.

Prosecutors have argued that Stauch took steps to cover up her actions  proof that she knew what she did was wrong  and was therefore sane. They said she cleaned up blood in Gannons bedroom, where he was killed, and moved his body to various locations to hide it before disposing of it off a bridge that crosses a river flowing into the Gulf of Mexico. It was discovered shortly after by a bridge inspector doing a biennial safety check.

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WATERLOO, Iowa (AP)  A dog has fatally attacked a 9-month-old baby and seriously injured the childs grandmother at an Iowa home, authorities say.

Waterloo police Capt. Jason Feaker said that the 49-year-old grandmother was watching the baby at the childs home Thursday morning when the family pet, a neutered boxer/hound mix, attacked. He said the grandmother was hurt trying to intervene.

Patrol officers and other emergency responders went to the home, where the baby was declared dead. The grandmother was rushed to a local hospital and then flown to the larger University of Iowa Hospital, police said. Neither of their names have been released.

Feaker said the dog has been euthanized, and its remains sent to Iowa State University for further testing.

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DEER PARK, Texas (AP)  Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, leaving five workers hospitalized and sending up a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.

The Harris County Sheriffs Office said the fire was at a Shell USA Inc. facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston.

Law enforcement received a call to help divert traffic around the plant just after 3 p.m., Harris County Sheriffs Office spokesman Thomas Gilliland said. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.

Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a tweet that the fire was caused by a heat exchange between two heavy gas oils, but that the fire has since been contained and been diminished. Gonzalez said five contract workers were transported to a hospital for precautionary reasons, largely due to heat.

Shell was conducting their own air quality monitoring, but the city has yet to receive an update, said Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for the city of Deer Park. She said they have been advised by Shell that there is no need at the time to shelter in place, but that the city would update residents if that changed.

Fire crews from the plant and nearby plants are responding, as well as the Harris County Fire Marshals Office, which is leading the response, Gilliland said.

Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia, whose district includes Deer Park, said in a statement that his office has been assured that the situation is under control and that all employees have been accounted for. Garcia still urged people to avoid the area.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality officials said in a statement that they are responding to the industrial fire and have deployed air monitoring assets from the Houston, Beaumont and Austin offices to support local response.

Shell officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the strong presence of the petrochemical industry. In March, an explosion and a fire erupted at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol in nearby Pasadena, Texas, leaving one injured.

A fire in 2019 at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for days and though it caused no injuries, it triggered air quality warnings.

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DAVIS, Calif. (AP)  A 21-year-old former university student on Friday pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one of attempted murder in connection with a series of stabbings in the college community of Davis.

Yolo County Superior Court Judge Daniel Wolk also denied bail to Carlos Dominguez, citing the risk to public safety and the defendants own flight risk given the seriousness of the alleged crimes.

Dominguez remained expressionless as the judge read out the complaint filed by prosecutors Friday. He responded in the affirmative several times to questions from the judge but did not speak otherwise.

Yolo County prosecutors said Dominguez is eligible for a life prison term without the possibility of parole or the death penalty, given the multiple murders. He is accused of fatally stabbing two people, including a fellow student, and stabbing a third victim who is now recovering.

Dominguez was represented by Dan Hutchinson, a deputy public defender. Hutchinson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

He was picked up for questioning Wednesday near the city park where he was alleged to have killed his second victim and has been in jail since early Thursday.

News of his arrest Thursday was a relief to students and residents shocked by the vicious stabbings, which Davis Police Chief Darren Pytel described as particularly brutal and brazen.

Dominguez was a student at UC Davis until April 25  two days before the first victim was found  when he was let go for academic reasons, the university said. He was a third-year student majoring in biological sciences. Previously, he attended Laney College in Oakland, the university said.

On Friday, students headed to class, in contrast to earlier in the week when the campus was practically deserted, some said.

Talia Mickelsen, a third-year student studying animal sciences, said she lives across the street from the house in which Dominguez lived. She noticed him a few times, but never interacted with him, she said.

Mickelsen said the last week has been scary, and she feels more secure now that he is arrested.

It is very eye-opening, but I guess these things can happen anywhere, she said. Now, I just make sure Im vigilant and cautious wherever I go.

Coco Yan, a student also majoring in animal sciences, said she and a friend did not leave the house unless they went out together.

I have no sympathy for the stabber, said Yan. A lot of people were stressed and scared because of it.

Davis police and multiple law enforcement agencies fanned out to investigate after the body of David Breaux, 50, was discovered at a downtown park near the University of California, Davis campus April 27. The second victim, UC Davis senior Karim Abou Najm, 20, was found Saturday night at another city park.

On Monday, Kimberlee Guillory was attacked while inside her tent but survived. Both Breaux and Guillory were homeless.

Davis police have not provided a motive and it is unclear if he knew the victims.

Pytel, the police chief, said 15 people called into the department Wednesday afternoon when they spotted someone matching the stabbing suspects description at Sycamore Park, where Najm was found.

Dominguez went voluntarily with police for more questioning, Pytel said. They found a large knife in his backpack.

Davis is a city of 67,000, with an additional 13,000 students living on campus.

His next court date is May 22.

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During the past two weeks, music copyright litigation involving Ed Sheeran has drawn a lot of attention on social media. The case is often referred to as Ed Sheeran vs. Marvin Gaye, which is misleading because it is not a battle between two legendary songwriters.

The suit, instead, was brought by the heirs to the estate of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the song Lets Get it On with Gaye and passed away in 2003. This is common in music copyright litigation. Disputes between practicing musicians are not the norm, and cases often involve individuals who inherited the rights to a song or firms, such as Structured Asset Sales LLC, which acquire music copyrights and monetize them through licensing and litigation.

The copyright owners claimed that the chord progression of Lets Get it On is similar to the one of Thinking Out Loud, a song Sheeran released in 2014. There was substantial disagreement among musicians and commentators about the claim, as the chords used are very common in pop music and the two songs have very different lyrics and melodies.

A New York City jury on Thursday sided in favour of Sheeran.

Together with these technical issues, the case raised questions related to the costs and benefits of music copyright and on whether there is scope to improve the current intellectual property policy.

A striking feature of copyright protection is that it is extremely long. For songs composed after 1978, copyright protection lasts for the life of the author plus an additional 70 years. This vastly exceeds the length of intellectual property on products and processes, which are typically protected by patents lasting for 20 years.

The long length of copyright protection is the reason why several high-profile cases involve old songs, such as Lets Get it On, which was composed about 50 years ago. Advocates of long copyright protection typically argue that length stimulates creativity and the incentives to compose. The empirical evidence does not provide support for this view.

Economists Michela Giorcelli of UCLA and Petra Moser of NYU have conducted a study of the effect of copyright on music composition and creativity exploiting changes in copyright protection and duration within Italy due to Napoleons military victories. Their analysis finds that copyright does indeed incentivize composition. Italian regions that adopted copyright experienced an increase in the quantity and quality of music compositions. At the same time, their study also shows that there were no benefits from extending copyright protection beyond the life of the composer.

A second problem with the current copyright system is that, in some cases, U.S. courts have awarded very large damages that appear disconnected from the underlying sales lost by the copyright holder because of the infringement.

For example, in a former case Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had to pay more than $5 million in damages for infringing another song by Marvin Gaye titled Got to Give it Up. Together, litigation risk, long-lasting rights, and high damages have the potential to chill the incentives to compose and distribute new songs. Ed Sheeran himself stated that he would quit music if found guilty. The litigation risk is likely to increase in the future, as new technologies facilitate the creation of remix and mash-up compositions.

These issues suggest that there is scope for improvement in the current copyright system. A promising proposal for reform has been put forward by Peter Menell, a law scholar at UC Berkeley. Menell suggests implementing a system of compulsory licenses with mechanical royalties set by law.

This is already in place in the U.S. for cover songs, where artists do not need permission from copyright holders to record their own versions of a pre-existing musical composition, as long as they pay a statutory licensing fee to the original composer. Menell proposes to extend this approach beyond covers and to introduce a system of mechanical remix royalties. Implementing such a system would create more clarity in the intellectual property landscape and reduce the pressure on courts.

During Sheerans trial, many musicians and songwriters had voiced concerns about the current music copyright regime. At the same time, a number of economic and legal scholars have raised serious doubts about whether long copyright protection actually promotes creativity and innovation. Since the high-profile lawsuit generated significant interest in the subject, this may be the perfect time to initiate a conversation about the current policy framework and exploring options for reform.

Alberto Galasso is professor of strategic management at the University of Toronto, where he holds the Rotman Chair in Life Sciences Commercialization.

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BULGOLD Inc.

TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BULGOLD Inc. (TSXV: ZLTO) (formerly St Charles Resources Inc.) (the Company or BULGOLD), as previously announced on April 28, 2023, is pleased to announce that effective today, it has changed its name to BULGOLD Inc. (BULGOLD or the Company) (the Name Change) and implemented a share consolidation of the issued and outstanding common shares of the Company (the Common Shares) on the basis of one (1) post-consolidation Common Share for every three (3) pre-consolidation Common Shares of the Company (the Consolidation). No fractional Common Shares were issued in connection with the Consolidation.



The Companys trading symbol on the TSX Venture Exchange has also changed from SCRS to ZLTO and the new CUSIP number assigned to the Common Shares is 12016C100 and the new ISIN number is CA12016C1005.

The Name Change and Consolidation did not affect the rights of the Company's shareholders. Shareholders are not required to take any action in connection with the Name Change and Consolidation. Issued certificates representing Common Shares of the Company do not need to be exchanged. The Company encourages shareholders to contact their broker with any questions regarding the proposed Name Change and Consolidation.

About BULGOLD Inc.

BULGOLD is a gold exploration company focused on the exploration and development of mineral exploration projects in Eastern and Central Europe. The Company controls 100% of two quality quartz-adularia epithermal gold projects located in the Bulgarian portion of the Western Tethyan Belt: the Kutel Gold Project and the Kostilkovo Gold Project. Management of the Company believes that its assets show potential for high-grade, good-metallurgy, low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralisation. The Company also holds an option to acquire a 100% interest in the Lutila exploration licence located in central Slovakia which is prospective for low-sulfidation epithermal gold mineralisation.

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BULGOLD had approximately $1.8 million in its treasury at December 31, 2022. BULGOLDs issued and outstanding share capital totals 20,231,100 common shares, of which approximately 49.6% is held by Founders and Management.

Additional information about the Company is available on BULGOLDs website (www.BULGOLD.com) and on SEDAR (www.sedar.com).

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains forwardlooking statements and forwardlooking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance and include statements relating to the completion of the Name Change and the Consolidation. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forwardlooking statements or information. The forwardlooking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forwardlooking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

These statements are based upon assumptions that are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, including risks regarding the mining industry, commodity prices, market conditions, general economic factors, managements ability to manage and to operate the business, and explore and develop the projects of the Company, and the equity markets generally. Because of these risks and uncertainties and as a result of a variety of factors, the actual results, expectations, achievements or performance of the Company may differ materially from those anticipated and indicated by these forward-looking statements. Any number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as well as future results. Although each of the Company believes that the expectations reflected in forward looking statements are reasonable, they can give no assurances that the expectations of any forward-looking statements will prove to be correct. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assume 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.

For further information, please contact:

BULGOLD Inc.

Sean Hasson, President and Chief Executive Officer

Telephone: +359 2 989 2361

Email: information@BULGOLD.com

Website: www.BULGOLD.com




A litterateur, whod contributed literary research works on Durga Puja, has lodged an FIR against Prof Bidyut Chakraborty, vicechancellor of the Visva-Bharati University for the latters alleged derogatory remarks on Durga puja, today. Another written complaint was registered at Chetla police station in south Kolkata on Wednesday.

Bengali rights group Bangla Pokkhos Garga Chattopadhyay had earlier given a legal notice to prof Bidyut Chakraborty asking for forgiveness and only after 48 hours, the complaint was lodged. Chakraborty, while delivering at Rabindranath Tagores historical prayer hall at the VBU campus, the other day, described Durga Puja as a custom introduced to oil and grease the British rulers. He had said, We all know that Bengals Durga Puja has been recognized as one of the prominent events of the world. But, the history of the puja reveals that its introduced to please the British rulers.

The zamindars had introduced the event where several drinks were offered and it was not at all a religious matter. Zamindars had lined up to draw the attention of the British, how to please them and the idea of this event was conceived. The video of the speech was gathered by Radhamadhab Mondal, a litterateur from Ramnagar village in Ausgram block of East Burdwan.

He said, Prof Chakraborty has passed a careless and insulting remark on goddess Durga and Durga Puja. Ive lodged an FIR against him today seeking immediate penal action against him
Ahead of Karnataka Assembly elections on May 10, the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) Police on Thursday seized Rs 4 crore of unaccounted cash from a house and a car in Kolars Zion Hills.

Unaccounted cash of Rs 4,04,94,500 seized from a house and a car in Zion Hills by KGF Police under the direct supervision of SP Dr Dharani Devi, police said. It is believed that the money was kept allegedly to distribute among the voters, they said.

Further investigation is underway, the police added.

On April 14, the Bengaluru police caught two men with Rs 1 crore unaccounted cash in an auto-rickshaw near the city market.

The duo who were caught with the cash of two bags in an auto rickshaw has been identified as Suresh and Praveen.

When the police asked the duo to produce the documents related to the cash they failed to do so.

Both didnt have any documents related to money, police said.

Similarly, on April 6, a total of Rs 50 lakhs of unaccounted cash was seized during from a car at Dundur check post in Gadag district.

Due to the upcoming Assembly elections in the state, Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place in which moving a large sum of cash without proper documents is not permitted.

The Karnataka assembly elections will be held in a single phase on May 10, with the counting of votes scheduled on May 13.
Village children are happily hitting two punching bags hanging in an open area of Dalit Shakti Kendra (DSK) which has during the last many years empowered hundreds of poor people by making them aware of their rights and responsibilities.

The punching bags are symbols of untouchability which could not be eradicated from India in 75 years since independence. The kids punching the untouchability bags is just one of the few live exhibits at the Constitution museum that was inaugurated at the DSK compound here on Friday afternoon.

The first of its kind, this open air museum gives an insight into the process that led to the making of the Constitution and the stellar contribution of Dr B R Ambedkar to it.

Divided into four cottages spread over the DSK compound, the Constitution museum seeks to make the people aware of their various rights and responsibilities as well as the grievance redressal mechanisms available.

The Constitution is the guiding principle just like a lighthouse guides the ships towards the shore, DSK founder Martin Macwan told The Statesman on Friday.

Macwan had received the Kennedy Memorial Human Rights Award two decades ago for his contribution to empowering the Dalits.

Inaugurating the unique Constitution museum, Macwan said that not a penny of government money has been spent for the museum built with contributions of about Rs 6.50 lakhs from villagers of Gujarat.

As toys are good tools to educate children, another live exhibit in the museum is a bow and arrow game, the targets being fulfilling the Constitutional rights of tribals on the forest land and its produce.

Induben Rohit, who had last year led a march to Delhi for eradication of untouchability, said that through the Constitution, Babasaheb has given Dalits the power to assert their rights.

Such Constitution museums may be replicated in other states too, said Martin Macwan.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayans four-day visit to the UAE, which was scheduled from 7 May , has been cancelled, as the Central government has not given its permission for the same.

The Chief Minister was scheduled to visit the Gulf country between May 7 and 11 to take part in an investment meet at the National Exhibition Centre in Abu Dhabi and a couple of other events. The CM was also supposed to interact with Indian expatriates at the Abu Dhabi-Kerala Social Centre on May 7.

The Ministry of External Affairs has informed the state government that there is no need for the Chief Minister and Ministers to attend such a meeting and instead send an official team. A 9-member team consisting of the Chief Minister, Ministers P Rajeev, PA Muhammad Riaz and Chief Secretary VP Joy was proposed to visit the UAE

UAE Minister Dr Thani Ahmed Al Seyudi invited the Chief Minister and ministers to the UAE. The inappropriateness of foreign countries directly inviting the Chief Minister and Ministers, is learnt to have led to the denial of permission for the trip.

Meanwhile, KPCC president K Sudhakaran on Thursday sought an explanation from the state and the Centre governments on the denial of permission to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for his proposed UAE visit.

In a statement in Thiruvananthapuram on Thursday, Sudhakaran said that there seemed to be some mystery surrounding the manner in which the Centre had denied permission to Pinarayi Vijayans visit to the UAE and some clarity is necessary in the matter.

Stating that this is the first time in the history of Kerala that a Chief Minister has been denied permission to travel abroad, Sudhakaran said If the Centre has blocked the Chief Ministers foreign travel without sufficient reasons, it is tantamount to insulting Kerala

The Congress Kerala chief pointed out that a clarification in this regard is necessary as the Chief Minister, who usually reacted vociferously to any highhandedness by the Centre, had been conspicuous in his silence in this matter.

Sudhakaran recalled that it was in 2016 December, during his visit to the UAE, that CM Vijayan forgot to carry one of his bags, which was later taken to him by the then Principal Secretary M Sivsankar with the help of a UAE Consulate employee Swapna Suresh, who in now an accused in the diplomat baggage gold smuggling case. The bag was scanned and found to be full of currency, he said . Central agencies are conducting an investigation in this regard.

He said during his visit to Kerala last month, the Prime Minister had also mentioned about the gold smuggling in Kerala which took place in the state. He demanded that the Centre and the state government should clarify whether this was the reason for stopping the Chief Ministers visit to the UAE.

He said that while the UAE was hosting an investors meet to attract investments in that country, it was not really clear what the Chief Minister hoped to achieve in the UAE. It is suspected that the Chief Minister is participating in the investment meeting organized by the UAE government with some other investment agenda, he said

Stating that the state government had already spent over Rs.1.25 crore for the event, Sudhakaran sought an explanation from it on how it had spent the amount for the event for which the Chief Minister does not have permission to attend.
Five soldiers were killed and one injured in an explosion triggered by terrorists during a gunfight in the Kandi area of Rajouri along the Line of Control (LOC) on Friday. The terrorists were involved in the recent killing of five soldiers in an ambush in Poonch, said an Army spokesman.

The spokesman said that two soldiers died on the stop, while four others who were critically injured in the explosion in the morning during an ongoing Operation Trinetra to track down the terrorists. The injured, including an officer, were flown to the Udhampur-based command hospital, where three of them succumbed to their injuries in the afternoon taking the death toll to five.

He said there was a likelihood of casualties on the terrorists side too as they were trapped in the area.

J&K DGP Dilbag Singh, ADGP Jammu Range Mukesh Singh and top brass of the Army have reached the encounter spot to supervise the operation against the terrorists.

The DGP said that the terrain was very difficult at the site of the encounter.

Meanwhile, mobile internet services have been snapped in Rajouri as a precautionary measure. The police blocked the road leading to the encounter spot to prevent civilians from proceeding there.

In a statement given in the morning, the Northern Command said, Indian Army columns have been conducting relentless intelligence-based operations to flush out a group of terrorists involved in an ambush on an army truck in Tota Gali area of Bhata Dhurian in Jammu region.

On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in Rajauri Sector, a joint operation was launched on 3 May. At about 07:30 am on 5 May, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave in an area thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs. During the encounter with the security forces, the terrorists triggered an explosive device in which the Army team suffered two fatalities on the spot and injuries to four more soldiers including an officer.

Additional teams from the vicinity have been directed to the site of the encounter. The injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur.

As per initial reports, a group of terrorists are trapped in the area. There is a likelihood of casualties in terrorist group. The operation is in progress. Further details are being ascertained, the statement added.

In her reaction to the loss of lives of soldiers, former chief minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti tweeted; Terrible news coming in. My deepest condolences to the families of those who died in the line of duty.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah said; Terror is a scourge that has blighted numerous lives over the decades in J&K & deserves unreserved condemnation. I send my sincere condolences to the families of those we lost today.

Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari said; Their sacrifice for the safety of our nation will never be forgotten.

Peoples Conference chief Sajad Lone said; These are senseless acts of violence perpetuated by lunatics. And they will inshallah rot in hell.

BJP leader Devender Singh Rana said; Our respectful homage to the martyrs who laid down their precious lives in the service of the Nation.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Friday called on saints to cooperate with the state government in curbing the spread of social evils in the society.

Addressing a meeting on water conservation and de-addiction campaign with saints at the chief ministers official residence on his birthday, Manohar Lal Khattar said saints and great men have always worked to make people aware about social evils.

The people have also given full cooperation in eradicating social evils by following the ideas and teachings of saints. The campaign will definitely be successful, if saints and great men cooperate with the state government in water conservation and de-addiction campaigns, he added.

Besides Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, Member of Parliament (MP) from Alwar, Mahant Balaknath, Swami Gyananand attended the meeting.

During the meeting, Rajesh Khullar, additional chief secretary, information, public relations, languages and culture department, said that the state government is taking strict action against the drug peddlers.

Towards this end, he said the government has constituted a special task force. Anti-narcotics cells have been formed at the district, range and state levels and more than 5,000 arrests have been made in Haryana, Khullar added.

Till January 2023, properties worth Rs 37.29 Crore of persons involved in drug offences have been attached and the process of attaching property worth Rs 15 Crore is underway.

Khullar said a mobile app Saathi has been created to prevent illegal sale of medicines. Also, software HAWK has been developed for a database of criminal activities and an inter-state drug secretariat has been established at Panchkula.

He said the state government has prepared a special action plan for de-addiction and 52 de-addiction centers have been opened in the state. Besides, de-addiction wards have been opened in government medical colleges and de-addiction centers have been set up in civil hospitals of 13 districts.

Apart from this, toll free anti-drug helpline number 9050891508 has been started on which citizens can give information and Dhakad programmes are also being run to save the youth from drugs.

In the meeting, advisor (irrigation) to CM, Devender Singh said the state government is taking concrete steps towards water conservation. He also informed about the recently organized two-day Water Conclave in which a future action plan for water conservation and water harvesting was discussed.

Meanwhile, celebrating his birthday in a special way today, the CM gave employment gift to the youths of the state by sending job offers to 896 youth through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN).

The CM also announced an amount of Rs Two Crore to the Haryana State Council for Child Welfare for the welfare of orphans.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a Namastey on Friday in Goa at a conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation.

Zardari is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) and incidentally, the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years. The two-day-long meeting of SCO member states began here on Thursday.

Visuals showed the Jaishankar greeting Zardari in Indian tradition with a Namastey, avoiding a handshake.

On his arrival in the coastal State yesterday Zardari had said he looks forward to constructive discussions with his counterparts from friendly countries.

The Pakistan minister was received at the airport by Indian diplomat JP Singh (Joint Secretary, Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran desk).

The Pakistan politician is attending the SCO conclave at the invitation of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

I am happy to arrive in Goa for participating in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. I am leading the Pakistan delegation at SCO and hope that the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) will be successful, Zardari said in a video on Thursday shared by Pakistans Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson.

Ahead of Day Two of the SCO conclave foreign ministers of the member countries began to arrive at Taj Exotica venue and

Jaishankar also welcomed SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to the Meeting of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers.

On Thursday, Jaishankar held a meeting with Chinese counterpart Qin Gang. The discussions focussed on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. Also discussed SCO, G20 and BRICS, Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, too folded hands and greeted his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar as he was welcomed for the Meeting of the SCO meeting.

Jaishankar and Lavrov had yesterday held bilateral talks.

Foreign Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan were also received in Goa by the External Affairs Minister.

India hosted a cultural event on Thursday evening ahead of the main meeting on Friday.

The theme for Indias chairmanship of SCO in 2023 is Secure-SCO.

Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is an intergovernmental organisation established in 2001. The SCO has India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as its members. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the summit held in Samarkand in 2022.

The last meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. India took over the rotating presidency of the SCO at the Samarkand SCO Summit in 2022.
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Union Steel Holdings is S$0.74 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

With S$0.69 share price, Union Steel Holdings appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

Peers of Union Steel Holdings are currently trading on average at a 58% premium

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Union Steel Holdings Limited (SGX:BLA) by estimating the company's future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Don't get put off by the jargon, the math behind it is actually quite straightforward.

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Union Steel Holdings

The Model

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, and so the sum of these future cash flows is then discounted to today's value:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (SGD, Millions) S$4.19m S$3.66m S$3.36m S$3.19m S$3.09m S$3.04m S$3.03m S$3.04m S$3.06m S$3.09m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ -18.81% Est @ -12.58% Est @ -8.22% Est @ -5.16% Est @ -3.03% Est @ -1.53% Est @ -0.48% Est @ 0.25% Est @ 0.76% Est @ 1.12% Present Value (SGD, Millions) Discounted @ 12% S$3.7 S$2.9 S$2.4 S$2.0 S$1.8 S$1.5 S$1.4 S$1.2 S$1.1 S$1.0

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = S$19m

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.0%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 12%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = S$3.1m (1 + 2.0%)  (12% 2.0%) = S$32m

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= S$32m ( 1 + 12%)10= S$10m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is S$29m. In the final step we divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of S$0.7, the company appears about fair value at a 7.4% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Union Steel Holdings as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 12%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.681. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Union Steel Holdings

Strength

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Commercial Services market.

Opportunity

Current share price is below our estimate of fair value.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine BLA's earnings prospects.

Threat

No apparent threats visible for BLA.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. For instance, if the terminal value growth rate is adjusted slightly, it can dramatically alter the overall result. For Union Steel Holdings, we've compiled three relevant factors you should look at:

Risks: Take risks, for example - Union Steel Holdings has 2 warning signs (and 1 which is significant) we think you should know about. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Singaporean stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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A group of 9 stranded Indian evacuees from Sudan landed in Mumbai from Jeddah.

After returning from the crisis-hit country, evacuees expressed their happiness.

Salim, who returned to India, said, I went to meet my relatives. I was stuck in Sudan for about 20 days. When I contacted the embassy there, they served me very well and quickly.

Meanwhile, Mubarak, another evacuee that returned to Mumbai said that the Indian embassy in Sudan has helped him a lot. The Indian Embassy arranged food and gave shelter in its office. The Embassy also gave the bus service to go to Port Sudan, he added.

Another Indian evacuee, who used to work in Sudan, said, We were in a very difficult situation. We talked to Embassy regarding our situation, and then they took us to Port Sudan. I am very thankful to the Embassy.

Earlier, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed that nearly 3800 citizens have been successfully evacuated from crisis-hit Sudan.

IAF C-130J aircraft with 47 evacuees from Sudan is on its way to Delhi from Jeddah. Nearly 3800 persons have now been rescued from Sudan under #OperationKaveri, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi tweeted.

Earlier, on Thursday, 192 Indians, who were stranded in Sudan, landed in Ahmedabad.

They were brought to Gujarat in Indian Air Force C17 aircraft from Port Sudan to Ahmedabad.

On the same day, 20 evacuees departed from NDjamena in two batches of 2 and 18 onboard flights destined for Chennai and Bengaluru respectively. These evacuees had crossed over from Sudan into Chad through the adjoining land border, Bagchi tweeted.

A total of 3,584 Indians have been evacuated from the strife-torn Sudan under Operation Kaveri which completed nine days of operations on Thursday, according to the Indian embassy in Sudan.

Nine days have passed since the Government of India launched its ambitious rescue mission, Operation Kaveri to evacuate stranded Indians in conflict-ridden Sudan. The operation was carried out using 5 Indian Naval Ships and 16 Indian Air Force aircraft including one from Wadi Sayyidna military airbase.

The two warring factions in Sudan, the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) agreed to a seven-day ceasefire, according to a statement of the foreign ministry of South Sudan on Tuesday, reported CNN.

The statement added that the two sides also said that they would send representatives for peace talks to be held at an agreed venue of their choice. Neither SAF nor RSF commented on the report on their official channels.

Previous ceasefires havent been able to put an end to the violence between the opposing factions across the nation. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the commander of the Sudanese army, and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the leader of the RSF, failed to reach an agreement, and in the middle of April, there were violent skirmishes between the two sides that resulted in at least 528 deaths and large-scale migration of refugees from the country, CNN reported.

Tuesdays announcement came after the UNs refugee agency (UNHCR) warned that more than 800,000 people may migrate to other nations as continuous violence impedes convoys to evacuate people from Sudans major ports.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday talked tough on terror in the presence of his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Goa, warning member nations of the grouping that taking their eyes off the menace would be detrimental to their own security interests.

We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism. The channel of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction, he said chairing the key meeting, also attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Indian minister said SCO members need not be reminded that combating terrorism was one of the original mandates of the grouping and pointed out that even when the world was engaged in facing Covid-19 and its consequences, the menace continued unabated. This was in an obvious reference to Pakistans continued support to cross-border terrorism in India.

Jaishankar earlier greeted the foreign ministers, including the Pakistan foreign minister, with Namaste at the meeting venue in Goa. There was no handshake between Jaishankar and Bilawal last night too even as they exchanged pleasantries at the gala dinner hosted by the Indian minister last night, ahead of the CFM meet.

Addressing the meeting, Jaishankar said the unfolding situation in Afghanistan remained at the centre of the attention of the global community. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people. Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities, he said.

Jaishankar said as a result of the pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, the world was today facing a multitude of challenges. These events have disrupted global supply chains, leading to serious impacts on the supply of energy, food and fertilizers and cascading effects on developing nations.

These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner. These challenges, however, are also an opportunity for member states of the SCO to collaborate and address them collectively. With more than 40 per cent of the worlds population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact, he added.

He said India has always stood for multilateral approaches to addressing global challenges and has always been a willing partner in sharing its expertise and experience. In this regard, Indias own achievement in the field of startups and innovation was a remarkable journey. Today, there are more than 70,000 startups in India of which more than a hundred are unicorns. We stand ready to share our experience with Member States, Jaishankar added.

Noting that the SCO was in its third decade of existence and this was an opportune time for its reform and modernisation to keep the organisation relevant in a rapidly transforming world, he sought the support of member nations for the long-standing demand of India to make English as the third official language of the organisation.

India has, meanwhile, proposed an SCO Summit Declaration and four other thematic joint statements on cooperation in deradicalisation, strategies, promotion of millets and sustainable lifestyles to address climate change and digital transformation.
Microsoft on Thursday announced that it will be bringing the next wave of AI-powered innovation for Bing and Edge, including new ways to complete tasks, visual updates, and expanding the availability of the experience to open preview.

Today Im thrilled to share we are moving to the next generation of AI-powered Bing and Edge to transform the largest category of software in the world  search  by greatly expanding the vision and capabilities we think of as Your Copilot for the Web, Yusuf Mehdi  Corporate Vice President & Consumer Chief Marketing Officer, said in a blogpost.

The company said it will be opening up Bing to more people by moving from Limited Preview to Open Preview and eliminating the waitlist for trial.

With this, it will become easier for users to try the new Bing and Edge by simply signing into Bing with their Microsoft Account.

To make search more visual on Bing, Microsoft has introduced richer, more visual answers, including charts and graphs and updated formatting of answers, helping users find the information they seek more easily.

The company also expanding Image Creator to all languages in Bing  thats more than 100 languages  so that users can create images in their native language.

The tech giant is also said to roll out redesigned Microsoft Edge.

In the redesigned version, users will see a sleeker and enhanced user interface, including a streamlined look, rounded corners, organised containers and semi-transparent visual elements.

The company also expanding multi-modal capabilities and is beginning the work to incorporate visual search in chat so that users will be able to upload images and search the web for related content.

To make search more productive, Microsoft has introduced a new feature by which users will be able to pick up where they left off and return to previous chats in Bing chat with chat history.

Starting soon, the company will also be adding export and share functionalities into chat.

Chat in Microsoft Edge will also soon have improved summarisation capabilities for long documents, including PDFs and longer-form websites, making it easier to consume dense online content.

The company also introduced  Edge actions. Available in the coming weeks, people will soon be able to lean on AI to complete even more tasks with fewer steps, Microsoft said.

Further, Microsoft mentioned that it will soon build third-party plug-ins into the Bing chat experience, creating a platform for developers, for instance, if youre researching the latest restaurant for dinner in Bing chat, it will leverage OpenTable to help you find and book a reservation.
The United Kingdom has had no coronation ceremony in 70 years since 1953 when Elizabeth II became the queen of England. But now the historic event is happening again on May 6 in which well see Elizabeths son King Charles formally take his position as monarch. A three-day celebration is planned in London and the world will be watching it.

The Britons and visitors are all gearing up for this much-awaited event not only because it will officially make Charles the king of England but also because it is taking place ahead of the Commonwealth.

The coronation ceremony is called Operation Golden Orb. It will take place at Westminster Abbey, where kings and queens have been crowned for over 900 years. Prince Charles II was 73 when he became king, older than any British monarch before him. He recently announced his five-year modernisation plan to save money and slim down the royal family. That means the royal family will now have to become more independent.

The coronation ceremony will include a procession on oath, the anointing and the crowning, but this time the focus is not entirely on traditions but on the common people and their expectations from the new king, as 51 per cent of British people say that the UK government should not fund the ceremony.

According to the news circulating in the media, all the royal family members will be attending the coronation ceremony except Meghan Markle will be attending the ceremony. Around 2,000 guests are expected and Rs 1000 crore will be spent on this auspicious day. The king is expected to sit on his grandfather, George lVs throne, putting on a 90-year-old robe of the state and Saint Edwards crown that weighs around 2.23 kg. His wife Camilla will wear Queen Elizabeths coronation robe but she will not be wearing the controversial colonial Eire Kohinoor Diamond crown.

Coronation is also a solemn religious ceremony with the Church of England and bars at law among others playing an active role in its services. Whats noteworthy is that for the first time a practicing Hindu, Rishi Sunak, will be reciting from the Bible in his capacity as the prime minister of the country. A Hindu, a Sikh and a Muslim priest are invited for the coronation event.

French President Emanuel Macron, Australian Prime Minister Antony Albanese, Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the President of the Philippines and the Chinese vice-president are expected to attend the ceremony. Not even a political leader but also monarchs from different countries will be present on the occasion. Rowan Atkinson, Sonam Kapoor, Tom Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Bear Grylls, Tom Jones will participate in pre-recorded video segments. From India, Sonam Kapoor will be delivering a spoken word performance. Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankar is expected to attend the ceremony from India. Dr Isaac Mathai, a Bengaluru based doctor and the chairman of Sokya which is an international holistic Centre, is also invited to the ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

Dabbawalas of Mumbai are also getting ready to attend Prince Charless coronation ceremony as they were also invited to this event they were buying gifts for the king as well as the Queen.

All these invitees are expected to reflect the modern and multicultural Britain that will evolve further under the new king.
Stating that terrorism is a major threat, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Friday said that anti-terror measures are the need of the hour.

Speaking at the Shanghai Organisation Corporation (SCO) Foreign Ministers meeting in Goa, Jaishankar said that the channels of finances for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked to curb all these activities.

On the second day of the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting, he welcomed all his counterparts, who are members of the SCO.

He said that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO, and as this menace continues there is a need to take measures to stop terrorism.

Jaishankar also said that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms.

The two-day meeting of Foreign Ministers of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) members began here Thursday, with Jaishankar also holding meetings with his counterparts.

Jaishankar also met SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming and appreciated his support for Indias SCO Presidency and added that it is driven by a commitment to secure the SCO.

He laid down the key focus areas, including startups, traditional medicine, youth empowerment, Buddhist heritage and science & technology.

Established in June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the SCO originally comprised Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. India and Pakistan became members subsequently.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday declared that Covid-19 pandemic is over as a global health emergency.

The announcement was made by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO, while addressing a media briefing on Covid-19 and global health issues in Geneva.

It is, therefore, with great hope that I declare Covid-19 over as a global health emergency. However, that does not mean Covid-19 is over as a global health threat. Last week, Covid-19 claimed a life every three minutes  and thats just the deaths we know about, he said.

As we speak, thousands of people around the world are fighting for their lives in intensive care units. And millions more continue to live with the debilitating effects of post Covid-19 conditions, he added.

The WHO had declared Covid-19 as a global emergency in January 2020.

Tedros said 1,221 days ago, the WHO learned of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan, China.

On the 30th January 2020, on the advice of an Emergency Committee convened under the International Health Regulations, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over the global outbreak of Covid-19  the highest level of alarm under international law, Tedros said.

He said at that time, outside China there were fewer than 100 reported [Covid-19] cases, and no reported deaths.

In the three years since then, Covid-19 has turned our world upside down. Almost 7 million deaths have been reported to WHO, but we know the toll is several times higher  at least 20 million, Tedros noted.

What this news means is that it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing Covid-19 alongside other infectious diseases, he added.
Eight teachers of the same school were killed in two separate incidents in Upper Kurram Tehsil of Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Geo News reported.

At least seven teachers were killed in Upper Kurram Tehsil. According to local police, unidentified gunmen shot the teachers in the staffroom of Government High School Tari Mangal, as per the news report. All the teachers were present in the building and were carrying out their exam duties at the time of the incident. The authorities have imposed emergency in all the hospitals in the region. In another incident in the Parachinar region of Upper Kurram, a teacher was killed while he was travelling in a car on Shalozan Road. The incident took the total number of teachers killed in a day to eight. According to the police, the teacher, Mohammad Sharif, who was killed inside the car, belonged to the same school.

After the incident, the ongoing matriculation exams, which began on April 28, were postponed until further notice. The police have launched a search for the killers. However, the police have not been able to track the killers so far, Geo News reported.

Pakistan President Arif Alvi condemned the killing of teachers and expressed grief over the two incidents, Geo News reported.

Extending his condolences to the bereaved families, he expressed hope that the suspect will be punished soon according to the law.

Former Pakistan President and Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari also condemned the killing of teachers. He said the criminals involved in the killing of teachers should be brought to justice.

Taking to its official Twitter handle, the secretariat of the chairman Pakistan Peoples Party posted, Former President Asif Ali Zardari expressed regret over the killing of 7 teachers in Parachinar Killing of teachers during duty is terrorism, Asif Ali Zardari Criminals involved in the killing of teachers should be brought to justice, Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardaris prayer for the forgiveness of the slain teachers and high ranks Asif Ali Zardari expressed sympathy and condolences to the families of the slain teachers.
After ten years, Campari is announcing the evolution redesign of its bottle inspired by Milano, birthplace of the Aperitivo ritual, with an innovative and timeless design.

To mark the occasion, on May 4th and 5th, Campari will light up the Milanese skyline with a never seen before display of illuminated drones flying over Parco Sempione.

The event marks Campari's support for the City of Milano in the reopening and renovation project of the Nuovo Cinema Orchidea, with the aim of bringing one of the city's important cultural landmarks back to life.

MILAN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Campari celebrates the bond that has always existed between the brand and its hometown, Milano, with the launch of the new Campari bottle design inspired by a shared history that began in 1860. To mark this occasion, a never seen before drone show will light up the Milanese sky with the unmistakable Campari Red on the evenings of Thursday, May 4, and Friday, May 5. This special tribute will demonstrate how the stories of the brand and of Milano are closely connected and united by the same innovative and pioneering spirit that, over time, has made them style icons.

Campari announces the redesign of its iconic bottle with an innovative and timeless design, inspired by Milano, the birthplace of the Aperitivo ritual.

In fact, since its creation the Campari bottle has been changing shape and evolving alongside the city, drawing continuous inspiration from it. The new bottle, inspired by Milano, reflects the sleek, minimalist fashion and contemporary design that the city is known for  it is a visual homage to the city, combining effortlessness and understated elegance, just like Milano itself. The direction of the lines, with a modern and direct cut, symbolize the journey of the Aperitivo ritual from Milano to the rest of the world, leading the eye to the city's name in the center of the bottle. In addition, the dynamic movement and the tapering of the lines reflects the vitality and transformation over time that Milano and Campari have undergone together, from the past to the future, with an innovative and forward-thinking approach.

Story continues

To launch the new bottle, on May 4th and 5th Campari will host the largest drone show ever seen in Europe, lighting up the city's skyline, specifically Sempione Park  viewed from across the city. The display will last 12 minutes and bring the iconic Milanese symbols to life through a spectacular show of illuminations. "With this event and the presentation of the new Campari bottle, we wanted to pay homage to Milano, its resourcefulness and its excitement, traits that deeply bind it to the spirit of our brand"- explains Julka Villa, Campari's Global Head of Marketing -"Not only seeing the sky of Milano lit up in red through an incredible spectacle, but also with a concrete contribution by investing in a cultural project that will further enrich this city to support the art of filmmaking, something that has always been part of Campari's soul."

The harmonious union of two icons, Campari and Milano has continued for more than 160 years, a sign that the brand has found the city to be the perfect ally: a combination of modern and historical, classical and pioneering, entrepreneurial and enjoyable, reflecting the very essence of Campari. Milano can encompass creative souls of the most diverse facets, from the world of design to that of art and cinema. And it is precisely in this last art form that Campari's love for the city comes to fruition, through its support to the City of Milano and the reopening project of the historic Cinema Orchidea located on Via Terraggio, a few meters from the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio. After over 60 years of service and definitive closure in 2009, it will once again become an important center as an audiovisual and cultural reference point. Campari, which has always chosen film as a means of communication used to express the essence of the brand and its Red Passion, is committed to the establishment of new projects with a high social impact, in addition to the support of existing ones.

The brand's bond with the city will also be celebrated through the special cocktail list of the Camparino in Galleria, the famous Milanese venue founded in 1915 by Davide Campari overlooking Piazza Duomo, an icon and symbol of the Milanese aperitif par excellence.

www.campari.com

https://www.youtube.com/EnjoyCampari

https://www.facebook.com/Campari

https://instagram.com/campariofficial

Media Contacts

ABOUT CAMPARI

Campari, the iconic, unforgettable Italian red spirit sitting at the heart of some of the world's most famous cocktails. Campari was founded in Milan in 1860 by Gaspare Campari, and pioneered by his son, Davide, who created something so distinctive and revolutionary that its secret recipe has not been altered since. Vibrant red in colour, Campari's unique and multi-layered taste is the result of the infusion of herbs, aromatic plants and fruit in alcohol and water. As well as being unique and distinctive, Campari is extremely versatile, offering boundless and unexpected possibilities. As a source of this passionate inspiration since its creation seen through its founders' creative genius, artists in different fields and the world's best bartenders, Campari stimulates your instincts to unlock your passions, inspiring limitless creations.

ABOUT CAMPARI GROUP

Campari Group is a major player in the global spirits industry, with a portfolio of over 50 premium and super premium brands, spreading across Global, Regional and Local priorities. Global Priorities, the Group's key focus, include Aperol, Appleton Estate, Campari, SKYY, Wild Turkey and Grand Marnier. The Group was founded in 1860 and today is the sixth-largest player worldwide in the premium spirits industry. It has a global distribution reach, trading in over 190 nations around the world with leading positions in Europe and the Americas. Campari Group's growth strategy aims to combine organic growth through strong brand building and external growth via selective acquisitions of brands and businesses. Headquartered in Milan, Italy, Campari Group owns 22 plants worldwide and has its own distribution network in 22 countries. Campari Group employs approximately 4,000 people. The shares of the parent company Davide Campari-Milano N.V. (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) have been listed on the Italian Stock Exchange since 2001. For more information: http://www.camparigroup.com/en Please enjoy our brands responsibly.

ABOUT CAMPARINO

Camparino in Galleria is the legendary bar opened by Davide Campari in Milan's Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in 1915. The bar was opened opposite to Caffe Campari, the establishment opened by Gaspare Campari - Davide's father and the creator of the bitter liqueur - in 1867. An instant hit with the people of Milan, the bar became synonymous with the city's aperitivo tradition and in 2015 marked its 100th anniversary. Following a renovation project, the bar reopens to the public in autumn 2019 with a refreshed identity and food and drink offering designed to consolidate its status as one of the most influential establishments in the world for lovers of mixology and gastronomic innovation.

The new Campari bottle pays homage to its birthplace, Milano, and the iconic Negroni, the cocktail that took Milanese Aperitivo culture to the world.

The newly redesigned bottle, which pays homage to Milano, and Campari Spritz, a symbol of the Milanese Aperitif.

SOURCE Campari
MOUNT OLIVE  Mount Olive Illinois First Baptist Church, 410 West 3rd N. St., will be celebrating "Honor Mothers Day" on Sunday, May 14 in the 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. services.

Special music will include songs like "Faith of Our Mothers". A small gift for each mother and spiritual mother will be given. Everyone is welcome. For more information, call 217-299-0508.
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EDWARDSVILLE  Madison County State's Attorney Tom Haine said his office is "ready to help however we can" following the resignation of St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner.

Gardner, the city's first Black prosecutor and a Democrat, announced Thursday that she will resign following allegations of negligence and calls for her ouster by Republican leaders.

In a letter to Republican Gov. Mike Parson released by Gardner's office, she said she will step aside effective June 1. Parson in a statement said he will immediately begin looking for a replacement and that he is "committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the city's criminal justice system."

"As a region, we need to continue to do better," Haine said. "The justice system is complex, and relies on the efforts of innumerable unsung public servants to produce a good and just result for citizens. When it goes haywire  whether through mismanagement, neglect, or lack of appropriate resources  the results are often true human tragedies where criminals roam free, victims are left without lawful recourse, and once-beautiful neighborhoods wither.

"I look forward to the efforts the new circuit attorney will make toward reinforcing the rule of law at the heart of our region: the historic and great City of St. Louis," Haine said.

State Sen. Erica Harriss, R-Glen Carbon, also released a statement following Gardner's announcement, calling it "good news" for the people she represent who work and visit the city.

"They deserve to be able to enjoy St. Louis and feel safe without fear of becoming victim to the lawlessness Attorney Gardner has allowed," Harriss said. "I hope todays announcement is a step in the right direction so that violent criminals are once again held accountable for their actions.

Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey took legal steps to remove Gardner from office in February. Bailey said too many cases, including homicides, have gone unpunished under Gardner's watch, that victims and their families are left uninformed, and that the prosecutor's office is too slow to take on cases brought by police.

Gardner said Bailey's efforts to remove her were politically and racially motivated. A hearing on whether Gardner should be removed had been scheduled for September.

Gardner's resignation letter also cited legislative efforts on a bill that would allow Parson to appoint a special prosecutor to handle violent crimes, effectively removing the bulk of her responsibilities.

"Since day one of my tenure as Circuit Attorney, I have experienced attacks on my reforms, on my judgment, on my integrity, on my prosecutorial discretion, on my responsibility to direct the limited resources of this office and more," Gardner said in her letter. "Some of these attacks seem designed to stop the office from functioning, at the expense of public safety."

Democratic Senate Minority Leader John Rizzo said Gardner called him a few days ago to assess the probability of lawmakers passing the bill by their May 12 deadline. She began talks with Republican Senate President Pro Tem Caleb Rowden about the possibility of resigning when she realized that if she didn't, the bill likely would become law and hamstring her and future prosecutors, Rizzo said.

Rizzo said Gardner had planned to announce her resignation Wednesday but delayed after an assistant prosecutor in her office died in a fiery crash around 5 p.m.

"There is absolutely no reason for the Circuit Attorney to remain in office until June 1st," Bailey said in a statement. "We remain undeterred with our legal quest to forcibly remove her from office. Every day she remains puts the city of St. Louis in more danger. How many victims will there be between now and June 1st? How many defendants will have their constitutional rights violated? How many cases will continue to go unprosecuted?"

A statement from St. Louis Circuit Court said judges remain concerned about the high volume of pending cases for the understaffed Circuit Attorney's Office.

"We hope St. Louis' next Circuit Attorney is successful in restoring stability to the Office and rebuilding its ranks with experienced prosecutors," the statement read.

The Rev. Darryl Gray, a leading activist in St. Louis, lauded Gardner for progressive actions such as instituting an integrity unit to investigate allegations of police misconduct, and for a diversion program for some non-violent offenders.

But Gray said Gardner "has been battered from Day 1. How much more should we expect our champions to take? And she was taking a lot."

Criticism of Gardner escalated earlier this year after 17-year-old Janae Edmondson, a volleyball standout from Tennessee, was struck by a speeding car after a tournament game in downtown St. Louis. She lost both legs.

The driver, 21-year-old Daniel Riley, was out on bond on a robbery charge despite nearly 100 bond violations that included letting his GPS monitor die and breaking the terms of his house arrest, according to court records. Critics questioned why Riley was free despite so many bond violations.

St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones, a Democrat who also is Black, was among those who criticized Gardner after Edmonson was injured. In a statement Thursday, Jones said Gardner "made history by becoming the first Black woman" elected circuit attorney, and noted she "faced more obstacles than her predecessors because of it."

Jones urged Parson "to appoint a successor who reflects the values of communities across St. Louis."
Gold has been a constant metal of value since the earliest days of civilization, and while the days of the California Gold Rush during the mid-1800s have come to pass, the Smithsonian recently published that five places in the U.S. are still active areas to find gold.

While the Smithsonian listed its top five spots, Geology.com also weighed in and supported the report's claims. It added that over the past several centuries, the country has been thoroughly searched by prospectors. The report added that no other country in the world has been more thoroughly prospected for gold.

These states were noted as the most prominent areas to still find gold in the country.

Colorado

Former mining hot spots are good areas to consider when panning for gold, multiple reports said. It's legal to pan for gold in Colorado's national forests, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Most of the gold sites in the national forests are located near trails and roads. Castlewood Canyon State Park is a Colorado state park near Franktown, Colorado that was noted in the Smithsonian report as a place yielding gold nuggets.

alekseykh/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Nevada Desert

If traveling to the Nevada desert, the areas near rocky sediment are a prime spot for finding gold, the report said. Since Nevada is a dry and rocky state, it is best to use a metal detector in your search for gold, the report said, adding that prospectors can also use dry-washing techniques to get gold without the use of water.

disorderly/Getty Images/iStockphoto

California

The California gold rush is a notable era, and to this day, panning for gold is a popular attraction along the American River in California, according to the Visit El Dorado website. The California Gold Rush began on a fateful day in January 1848, with James W. Marshall accidentally striking gold on Sutters Mill while building a sawmill on the American River. If planning a trip, the visitor guide offers a variety of gold panning tips to consider before heading to the famous American River.

Patrick McDermott/Getty Images for IRONMAN

Alaska

The Dalton Highway stretches 414 miles from Livengood, Alaska, 80 miles north of Fairbanks, to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean coast, which are all hot spots for finding gold. Professional mining operations have already claimed many areas alongside the highway and high-yielding parcels of land with gold, the Smithsonian reported. However, some public access areas are classified as "high yield" for gold panning, according to the Bureau of Land Management.

Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Arizona

Arizona is similar to the other states in the report and has a rich history as a gold mining town from the 1800s. The saying goes, "Gold is where you find it," So your best bet is to look where it has been already found, according to the Arizona travel website. A few popular destinations mentioned included Lynx Creek in Prescott, Rich Hill in Stanton and Black Canyon City, to only name a few.
IndexBox, Inc.

NEW YORK, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Research firm IndexBox has just published a new comprehensive report on the global canned food market, offering insights and data-driven analysis on this thriving industry. The report, titled "Global Canned Food Market Report: Analysis and Forecast to 2030," is available on the company's website, with a direct link to access the report here: https://www.indexbox.io



For those interested in a more in-depth look at the market data, IndexBox is also offering trial access to their platform. This provides users with an opportunity to explore the comprehensive market data and gain a deeper understanding of the trends and factors driving the canned food industry.

The report includes a detailed market forecast until 2030, highlighting key growth drivers, challenges, and factors affecting demand. Among these factors are shifting consumer preferences, convenience, sustainability, and food safety concerns, which will shape the industry in the coming years.

This industry overview examines the market by segment, end-user, and region to provide a comprehensive understanding of the canned food market dynamics.

Product Type

The canned food market can be segmented into various product types, including:

a. Canned Meat and Seafood

b. Canned Vegetables

c. Canned Fruits

d. Canned Soups and Ready Meals

e. Canned Desserts and Dairy Products

Canned meat and seafood products are anticipated to dominate the market due to their longer shelf life and convenience. However, canned vegetables and fruits are expected to experience significant growth as consumers increasingly seek healthier and more sustainable food options.

Packaging Material

The market is segmented by packaging material into:

a. Aluminum

b. Steel

c. Glass

d. Plastic

Aluminum and steel cans are the most widely used packaging materials due to their durability, recyclability, and ability to preserve food quality. However, with the growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly packaging, alternative materials like glass and plastic are gaining traction.

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End-User:

Retail

The retail sector is a major end-user of canned food products, with supermarkets, hypermarkets, and convenience stores driving sales. The expansion of e-commerce platforms has also led to increased online sales of canned food products.

Foodservice

The foodservice industry, including restaurants, hotels, and catering services, utilizes canned food products for their long shelf life, ease of storage, and cost-effectiveness.

Institutional

Canned food products are used in various institutions, such as schools, hospitals, and military bases, due to their long shelf life and ability to withstand extreme conditions.

Regional Analysis:

North America

The United States dominates the North American market, driven by high consumer demand, a well-established food industry, and a wide range of product offerings. Canada and Mexico also contribute to the region's growth.

Europe

Europe is another significant market for canned food products, with the United Kingdom , Germany, and France being the leading consumers. The demand for canned food products is fueled by busy lifestyles, increasing health consciousness, and the need for convenient meal options.

Asia-Pacific

The Asia-Pacific region, led by China , India, and Japan, is anticipated to witness the fastest growth in the canned food market. Factors such as rising disposable incomes, rapid urbanization, and increasing demand for convenient food options contribute to the growth in this region.

Latin America

The Latin American market, including Brazil , Argentina, and Mexico, is expected to grow steadily due to rising consumer awareness, increasing disposable incomes, and a growing middle-class population.

Middle East & Africa

The Middle East and Africa region is projected to experience moderate growth in the canned food market, driven by increased demand for convenient and shelf-stable food products and the expansion of the retail sector.

IndexBox's research reveals the names of the ten largest manufacturers in the canned food industry, which are:

Del Monte Foods Hormel Foods Corporation Conagra Brands, Inc. The J.M. Smucker Company Campbell Soup Company Nestle S.A. BRF S.A. General Mills Inc. The Kraft Heinz Company Bonduelle

For further information or inquiries about the report, please visit https://www.indexbox.io/

Keywords: canned food, market research, global market, IndexBox, market forecast

CONTACT: contact: Mekhrona Dzhuraeva Editor Email: media@indexbox.io




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SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Most Republican members of the Oregon Senate failed to show up for the second straight day Thursday, delaying action by the majority Democrats on bills on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care.

The stayaway prevented a quorum, with Senate President Rob Wagner calling for another try on Friday. Republican lawmakers have used walkouts in the past, but this time  if they continue to stay away  theyll be testing a law approved overwhelmingly in a ballot measure last November that bans lawmakers with 10 unexcused absences from running for reelection.

The boycott comes as several statehouses around the nation, including in Montana and Tennessee, have become battlegrounds between conservatives and liberals. Oregon has increasingly been divided between liberal population centers like Portland and Eugene and its mostly conservative rural areas.

The leader of Senate Republicans, Sen. Tim Knopp, spoke on the phone Thursday with Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek after telling journalists Wednesday that a derailed legislative session would jeopardize the governor's legislative agenda, including tackling homelessness.

Knopps spokesperson, Ashley Kuenzi, said Kotek expressed willingness to help resolve the impasse. But the governor's office had a different characterization of the call, with Knopp being asked to stop the boycott.

The governor listened to his concerns and reiterated that he is making choices," said Koteks spokesperson, Elisabeth Shepard. She asked him to choose to get back to work to do the peoples business.

Knopp told a news conference Wednesday that Republicans are protesting because bill summaries are not being written in plain language even though a 1979 state law requires they be readable by anyone with an eighth or ninth-grade education, which is measured by a score of at least 60 on the Flesch readability test.

Senate Majority Leader Kate Lieber said that's just a pretext, and noted that the vast majority of bills have passed with bipartisan support, including on housing and attracting the semiconductor industry to Oregon.

This is about abortion, guns and transgender rights, Lieber said. The timing of this is such that theyre walking out on important legislation that Oregonians sent us here to do.

The Senate added this weekend to its schedule to convene, starting at 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

The existence of the readability law, passed by the Legislature in 1979 with bipartisan support, was discovered in April by a Republican caucus staffer. Knopp said he does not know when the law was last employed to make bill summaries easy to read.

But its important that we follow the law because, if were passing laws today, are we just expecting in, you know, 20, 30, 40 years that people are just going to ignore the laws that we have on the books that we all passed, Knopp said Wednesday. I dont think we would appreciate that."

Asked if the Republican boycott was due to the bills on gun control and abortion and gender-affirming care, Knopp said, Its about every bill. But those bills specifically also dont qualify under this law, and they refuse to fix them.

Knopp said Republicans are reviewing bills to see if they pass the readability test. He added that legislative counsel, the non-partisan office that drafts legislation, in large part is to blame for the bills not meeting Oregon law.

Some local leaders, labor organizations and activists supporting reproductive and LGBTQ+ rights in Central Oregon called on Knopp to end the Republican walkout and planned to hold a rally later on Thursday in Bend  Knopps hometown.

GOP lawmakers employed the same boycott strategy in 2019 and 2020 to freeze legislation capping greenhouse gas emissions, among other things. Oregon has a two-thirds quorum rule, meaning the state House and Senate need two-thirds of their members to be present to conduct business. In the Senate, thats 20 of its 30 members. Currently, 17 senators are Democrats, 12 are Republicans and one is an independent.

If Republican senators deny a quorum for the rest of the legislative session, which doesnt end until late June, they could theoretically kill the bills on gun control, abortion rights and gender-affirming care.

The wide-ranging bill on abortion and gender-affirming care would shield patients and providers from lawsuits originating in states where abortion and gender-affirming care are now restricted. It would also allow doctors to provide an abortion to anyone regardless of age and bar them in certain cases from disclosing that to parents.

The gun control measure would increase the purchasing age to 21 for AR-15-style rifles and similar guns, impose penalties for possessing undetectable firearms and allow for more limited concealed-carry rights.

___

The Associated Press receives support from several private foundations to enhance its explanatory coverage of elections and democracy. See more about APs democracy initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
BAMAKO, Mali (AP)  Mali's military junta said Friday that it's organizing a referendum on a new constitution for June 18, a key step towards a return to constitutional rule and a new presidential election expected next year in the West African country.

The referendum, in which voters can choose to either accept or reject a draft already contested by political opponents, was due to have taken place in March, but was postponed.
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WASHINGTON (AP)  Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 100 miles (160 kilometers) of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firms attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in North Dakota.

The Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security is set to propose the rule on Friday. The rule would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 12 miles (19 kilometers) from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal and eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security.

The new rule would affect Grand Forks and seven other bases, including three that are tied to the B-21 Raider, the nations future stealth bomber. The Pentagon has taken great pains to protect its new, most-advanced bomber from spying by China. The bomber will carry nuclear weapons and be able to fly manned and unmanned missions.

Six bombers are in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California, while the two other bases will serve as future homes for the 100-aircraft stealth bomber fleet: Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

Also on the list were Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, both training bases. The others selected for greater protection are the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, and Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.

The locations were selected for a variety of reasons, including the sensitivity of either current or future missions that would be based there, if they were near special use airspace, where military operations would be conducted or whether they were near military training routes, said a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

CFIUS, a committee whose members come from the State, Justice, Energy and Commerce departments among others, already had the power to block property sales within 100 miles of other military bases under a 2018 law.

Hoeven said the CFIUS process for reviewing proposed projects needed to be updated.

"Accordingly, Chinas investments in the U.S. need to be carefully scrutinized, particularly for facilities like the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a key national security asset that serves as the lead for all Air Force Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and has a growing role in U.S. space operations, he said.

In February, Andrew Hunter, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, said in a letter to North Dakota officials that the military considered the project a security risk but did not elaborate on the kinds of risks Fufeng's project would pose.

The letter prompted Grand Forks officials, who had initially welcomed the milling plant as an economic boon for the region, to withdraw support by denying building permits and refusing to connect the 370-acre (150-hectare) site to public infrastructure.

Fufeng makes products for animal nutrition, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, oil and gas, and others industries. Its a leading producer of xanthan gum. It denied that the plant would be used for espionage.

Lawmakers have also called for a review of foreign investments in agricultural lands. Earlier this year, Sens. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D., introduced legislation aimed at preventing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from acquiring U.S. farmland.

Countries like China who want to undermine Americas status as the worlds leading economic superpower have no business owning property on our own soil  especially near our military bases," Tester said in a statement Thursday.

___

Stafford reported from Liberty, Mo.
BRUSSELS (AP)  Authorities have detained seven people, most of them Chechen origin, on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack in Belgium, the federal prosecutor's office said Thursday.

The office said in a statement that the suspects had not yet selected a precise target but police decided to pick them for questioning anyway.
- PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy designed to provide a long half-life -

PARMA, Italy, BOSTON and CARMIEL, Israel, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Chiesi Global Rare Diseases, a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases, and Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American:PLX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx, today announced that the European Commission (EC) has granted marketing authorization to PRX-102 (pegunigalsidase alfa) in the European Union (EU) for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease.

Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

"People living with Fabry disease often perceive their disease as burdensome and still experience unmet medical needs," said Giacomo Chiesi, head of Chiesi Global Rare Diseases. "Our deepest gratitude to all patients and patient advocates who have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with clinical researchers, scientists and regulators during the clinical development program, providing the data needed for this approval. I believe this is a vital ingredient in bringing innovation to the real lives of patients and enabling hope and definitive, integrated solutions."

"We are delighted that the European Commission has approved PRX-102 for the treatment of adult patients with Fabry disease. The EU authorization is a testament to our commitment to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases," said Diego Ardigo, M.D., Ph.D., head of research and development of Global Rare Diseases at the Chiesi Group. "As a certified B Corp we are committed to ensuring access to PRX-102 to as many people living with Fabry disease as possible and thank those who participated in our extensive clinical research program. It is important to deliver this new treatment option to reduce the burden of this chronic disease on patients, their families, and the healthcare system."

Story continues

"The European Commission's approval of PRX-102 is a significant milestone for patients with Fabry disease and their families, providing a new therapeutic option," said Dror Bashan, Protalix's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We are proud of this achievement and believe that this approval further validates our science and technology. Based on solid results from our robust clinical programs, PRX-102 has the potential to be widely used for many years to come. Together with Chiesi, we remain committed to meeting the needs of patients with Fabry disease and bringing this new treatment option to market."

PRX-102 is a PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). It is a recombinant human GalactosidaseA enzyme expressed in plant-cell culture that is designed to provide a long half-life.

The EC authorization of PRX-102 is based on results from a comprehensive clinical development program in more than 140 patients with up to 7.5 years of treatment. It has been studied in both ERT-naive and ERT-experienced patients, including a head-to-head trial that met its primary endpoint, with PRX-102 demonstrating non-inferior efficacy to agalsidase beta in controlling kidney disease as evaluated by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline.

Pegunigalsidase alfa, an investigational new drug product, is currently not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The effectiveness and safety of pegunigalsidase alfa is under review, but has not yet been approved, by the FDA. Prior to FDA review and approval, no conclusions can be drawn on pegunigalsidase alfa's efficacy and safety profile. When seeking expanded access, treating physicians should consider all possible risks of treatment with pegunigalsidase alfa. Access must be compliant with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations. Investigators should not seek reimbursement for product provided to patients who participate in a government funded insurance program.

About Fabry Disease

Fabry disease is an Xlinked inherited disease that results from deficient activity of the lysosomal GalactosidaseA enzyme resulting in progressive accumulation of abnormal deposits of a fatty substance called globotriaosylceramide (Gb 3 ) in the lysosomes throughout a person's body. Fabry disease occurs in one person per 40,000 to 60,000. Fabry patients inherit a deficiency of the GalactosidaseA enzyme, which is normally responsible for the breakdown of Gb 3 . The abnormal storage of Gb 3 increases with time and, accordingly, Gb 3 accumulates, primarily in the blood vessel and tissues. The ultimate consequences of Gb 3 deposition range from episodes of pain and impaired peripheral sensation to end-organ failure.

About PRX102

PRX102 (pegunigalsidase alfa) is a PEGylated enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) to treat Fabry disease that is now approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and is under evaluation by the FDA. PRX-102 is a plant cell culture-expressed, and chemically modified stabilized recombinant version of the GalactosidaseA enzyme. Protein sub-units are covalently bound via chemical cross-linking using short PEG moieties, resulting in a molecule with stable pharmacokinetic parameters. In clinical studies, PRX102 has been observed to have a circulatory half-life of approximately 80 hours.

About Chiesi Global Rare Diseases

Chiesi Global Rare Diseases is a business unit of the Chiesi Group established to deliver innovative therapies and solutions for people affected by rare diseases. As a family business, Chiesi Group strives to create a world where it is common to have a therapy for all diseases and acts as a force for good, for society and the planet. The goal of the Global Rare Diseases unit is to ensure equal access so as many people as possible can experience their most fulfilling life. The unit collaborates with the rare disease community around the globe to bring voice to underserved people in the health care system.

For more information visit www.chiesirarediseases.com.

About Chiesi Group

Chiesi is an international, research-focused biopharmaceuticals group that develops and markets innovative therapeutic solutions in respiratory health, rare diseases, and specialty care. The company's mission is to improve people's quality of life and act responsibly towards both the community and the environment.

By changing its legal status to a Benefit Corporation in Italy, the US, and France, Chiesi's commitment to create shared value for society as a whole is legally binding and central to company-wide decision-making. As a certified B Corp since 2019, we're part of a global community of businesses that meet high standards of social and environmental impact. The company aims to reach Net-Zero greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions by 2035.

With over 85 years of experience, Chiesi is headquartered in Parma (Italy), operates in 31 countries, and counts more than 6,500 employees. The Group's research and development centre in Parma works alongside 6 other important R&D hubs in France, the US, Canada, China, the UK, and Sweden.

For further information please visit www.chiesi.com.

About Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.

Protalix is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of recombinant therapeutic proteins expressed through its proprietary plant cell-based expression system, ProCellEx. It is the first company to gain FDA approval of a protein produced through plant cell-based in suspension expression system. This unique expression system represents a new method for developing recombinant proteins in an industrial-scale manner. Protalix has licensed to Pfizer Inc. the worldwide development and commercialization rights to taliglucerase alfa, Protalix's first product manufactured through ProCellEx, excluding in Brazil, where Protalix retains full rights.

Protalix's development pipeline consists of proprietary versions of recombinant therapeutic proteins that target established pharmaceutical markets, including the following product candidates: pegunigalsidase alfa, a modified stabilized version of the recombinant human -Galactosidase-A protein for the treatment of Fabry disease; PRX-115, a plant cell-expressed recombinant PEGylated uricase for the treatment of severe gout; PRX-119, a plant cell-expressed long action DNase I for the treatment of NETs-related diseases; and others. Protalix has partnered with Chiesi Farmaceutici S.p.A., both in the United States and outside the United States, for the development and commercialization of pegunigalsidase alfa.

Protalix's Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe-harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The terms "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "project," "may," "plan," "will," "would," "should" and "intend," and other words or phrases of similar import are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future experience and results to differ materially from the statements made. These statements are based on Protalix's current beliefs and expectations as to such future outcomes. Factors that might cause material differences include, among others: risks related to the timing, progress and likelihood of final approval by the FDA of the resubmitted Biologics License Application (BLA) by the PDUFA action date, if at all, and, if approved, whether the FDA will impose significant limitations on the use of PRX102; risks related to the commercial success of PRX-102, and of Protalix's other product and product candidates, if approved; the likelihood that the FDA, EMA or other applicable health regulatory authorities will approve an alternative dosing regimen; failure or delay in the commencement or completion of preclinical studies and clinical trials of our other product candidates which may be caused by several factors, including: slower than expected rates of patient recruitment; unforeseen safety issues; determination of dosing issues; lack of effectiveness during clinical trials; inability to satisfactorily demonstrate non-inferiority to approved therapies; inability or unwillingness of medical investigators and institutional review boards to follow our clinical protocols; and inability to monitor patients adequately during or after treatment; delays in the approval or potential rejection of any applications we file with the FDA, EMA or other health regulatory authorities for our other product candidates, and other risks relating to the review process; risks associated with the novel coronavirus disease, or COVID19, outbreak, which may adversely impact our business, preclinical studies and clinical trials; the risk that the results of the clinical trials of our product candidates will not support the applicable claims of safety or efficacy, or that our product candidates will not have the desired effects or will be associated with undesirable side effects or other unexpected characteristics; risks related to our ability to maintain and manage our relationship with our collaborators, distributors or partners; our dependence on performance by third party providers of services and supplies, including without limitation, clinical trial services; the inherent risks and uncertainties in developing drug platforms and products of the type we are developing; the impact of development of competing therapies and/or technologies by other companies and institutions; potential product liability risks, and risks of securing adequate levels of product liability and other necessary insurance coverage; and other factors described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The statements in this press release are valid only as of the date hereof and we disclaim any obligation to update this information, except as may be required by law.

Chiesi Group Media Contact

Chiara Travagin

Rare Communication Manager

Tel: +39 348 8818985

Email c.travagin@chiesi.com

Alessio Pappagallo

Press Office Manager

Tel: +39 339 5897483

Email a.pappagallo@chiesi.com

Adam Daley

Berry & Company Public Relations

1-212-253-8881

adaley@berrypr.com

Protalix Investor Contact

Chuck Padala, Managing Director

LifeSci Advisors

646-627-8390

chuck@lifesciadvisors.com

(PRNewsfoto/Chiesi Global Rare Diseases)

Cision

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SOURCE Chiesi Global Rare Diseases; Protalix BioTherapeutics, Inc.
BEIJING (Reuters) - China will speed up the construction of charging facilities for new energy vehicles such as electric cars, and improve policies for purchasing and using them, state media quoted the cabinet as saying on Friday.

Improved charging infrastructure for new energy vehicles will help unleash the potential of rural consumption and support growth of rural tourism, adding new impetus to rural revitalisation, the cabinet was quoted as saying after a regular meeting.

The government is studying policies to promote auto consumption and support modernisation as China's NEV market faces challenges of weak domestic demand, Xin Guobin, vice minister at Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, said last month.

The cabinet, or State Council, has approved plans to speed up the development of advanced manufacturing clusters, state media reported.

Developing such clusters will be vital for steering China's industries towards innovation, and will help enhance the resilience and safety level of the country's industrial supply chains, the cabinet said.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom and Kevin Yao; Editing by Jan Harvey)
Job Title: Electrician

Organisation: United States US Embassy, US Mission in Uganda

Duty Station: Kampala, Uganda

Position Number: Kampala-2023-042

Annual Salary: UGX 44,197,171 /=

About US Embassy:

The United States Embassy in Kampala, Uganda has enjoyed diplomatic relations with Uganda for over 30 years. Ambassador Natalie E. Brown currently heads the U.S Mission to Uganda. The Mission is composed of several offices and organizations all working under the auspices of the Embassy and at the direction of the Ambassador.

Among the offices operating under the U.S Mission to Uganda are:

United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

Peace Corps

Job Summary: The Electrician reports directly to the Building Engineer Supervisor in the Facility Management office. The position holder is employed as an Electrical Technician to accomplish skilled maintenance and repair work at the journeyman electrician level, to International Building Code standards, throughout all facilities on the Chancery or GSO Ware house (to include office buildings, grounds, out buildings, ancillary structures, and residential owned/leased properties)









Qualifications, Skills and Experience:

NOTE: All applicants must address each selection criterion detailed below with specific and comprehensive information supporting each item.

The applicants for the United States US Embassy Electrician job opportunity should have completed secondary school. (Required). Completion of vocational training program from an accredited institute recognized as producing journeyman level technicians with specialization in the Electrical field is required. The Incumbent will have completed courses of study covering the principles of AC and DC circuitry, power distribution, control wiring, circuit ampacity and safe wiring practices for office and residential buildings, use of diagnostic equipment and electrical meters, and commercial wiring standards including power generation and distribution.

At least three years of experience journey-level experience in the repair and maintenance of electrical equipment and systems, power generation and electrical distribution systems, grounding, and control circuitry. This should include a minimum of two (2) years work experience on similar sized equipment configurations and systems with an increased level of complex work requirements. Use and implementation of International Building Code (IBC) standards, building, electrical, mechanical, and fire and life safety codes in the execution of projects.

The incumbent must know how to install circuits and electrical apparatuses, diagnose electrical problems in circuitry, make repairs that meet or exceed the standards of the IBC, and what constitutes proper preventive maintenance.

Must know how to use diagnostic equipment and be able to analyze readings to determine what and where the electrical problem is located.

Must know how to use safety equipment when working near energized equipment and parts.

Must know how to read and interpret construction and as-built drawings, schematics, manufacturers shop drawings, and performance curve charts and graphs.

Must have a thorough knowledge of ohms law and how to apply its formulas to circuit analysis.

Must have a very good technical understanding of major building electrical systems, switchgear, panel boards, lighting and power outlets, equipment, and control wiring.

Knowledge of reading technical documents, interpreting maintenance plans and technical literature is required and highly emphasized. General computer literacy is required in multiple applications (MS Office).

The incumbent shall have superior skills and abilities in the following areas: diagnosing and repairing electrical power generating and distribution systems, lighting and power branch circuit systems and components, and taking equipment readings with various meters.

Must be skilled and comfortable using hand tools, power tools, and specialty tools to determine appropriate repairs.

Must be able to use tools of the trade in order to install, troubleshoot and repair building electrical systems, and work with the mechanical technicians when repairs or replacement of control circuits, wiring, and associated devices needs to be performed.

Must have substantial skill in comprehending engineering reports, specifications, and related materials in English.

Must have an analytical mind to take cause and affect problems and diagnose the root cause creating the deficiency in the operating system or equipment. Additional abilities include responding to emergency situations in an efficient and timely manner to effect immediate repairs; work in various adverse conditions such as tight or enclosed spaces, heights, and temperature extremes, indoors or outdoors to complete work assignments; communicate orally and in writing with co-workers, contractors and vendors, the supervising engineer, the FM, and upper management providing pertinent information and technical jargon and translating it into laymen terminology.

A drivers license is required.

Language: English level III (Good working knowledge) Written/Speaking/Reading is required. Luganda level III (Good knowledge) Written/Speaking/Reading is required.

How to Apply:

All those interested in working with the United States Embassy, US Mission in Kampala should send their applications online at the link below.

Click Here

Deadline: 15th May 2023

For more of the latest jobs, please visit https://www.theugandanjobline.com or find us on our facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UgandanJobline
It has been more than three years since COVID-19 charged into Northeast Pennsylvania. Very little was known about the virus. There was no documentation on how to treat it or prevent its spread. Medical facilities were independently developing protocols on the fly to treat their patients while protecting their staff.

At The Wright Center for Community Health Mid Valley Practice in Jermyn, Nurse Manager Tiffany Richmond, LPN, and Assistant Nurse Manager Raelynn McCafferty, LPN, were instrumental in developing COVID-19 protocols for The Wright Centers care teams to follow.

Both women served on the enterprises COVID-19 Task Force and received praise for their work and their patient-centered approach to care throughout the pandemic. Nurses Day is celebrated May 6.

Tiffany and Raelynn represent the very best of our nurses. They did a tremendous job leading our nurses in keeping our friends, families and communities safe, regardless of the challenges they faced, said Jignesh Y. Sheth, M.D., MPH, chief medical officer and senior vice president of The Wright Centers for Community Health and Graduate Medical Education. Their professionalism and innovative thinking helped us lead the way in providing our communities with the best care possible under very difficult circumstances.

Richmond, a 2014 graduate of the Lackawanna County Career Technology Center, began her career at St. Josephs Center, then worked in home health before coming to The Wright Center six years ago. In her role as nurse manager, Richmond oversees the 20 licensed practical nurses who work at the nonprofit enterprises primary care clinics in Lackawanna, Luzerne and Wayne counties.

McCafferty, a Penn State Hazleton Practical Nursing program alumna, began her career at The Wright Center shortly after graduating in 2017.

It is incredible what The Wright Center does, said Richmond. We care for everybody in the community, especially the underprivileged. They usually do not have access to this level of care. We have so many resources for them besides medical care. We help them secure housing, clothing and food. It is great to be able to help these patients any way we can.

McCafferty added, I stay in primary care because of our patient relationships. We get to know our patients and their family members.

Prior to the pandemic, their roles involved typical primary care nursing duties, including chronic care management, overseeing medications, supervising the transition of care when patients were discharged from the hospital, and ensuring patients came in for their scheduled appointments.

Once COVID-19 arrived in Northeast Pennsylvania, a new layer of responsibility was placed on their shoulders.

Right off the bat, we were low on PPE (personal protective equipment) and thermometers, said Richmond. We called around to every store looking for masks and anything we can find for our patients and ourselves. We drove around on weekends and picked up supplies from our family and friends.

In addition, they worked with other task force members to develop protocols for treating the virus and safeguarding others from it. Combing through the daily updates from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Richmond and McCafferty played an important role in developing the procedures the medical staff followed at The Wright Center for Community Healths nine clinics in the region.

Once the vaccines were released, the nurses and medical assistants needed to understand the differences between the vaccines and how they needed to be administered. Richmond and McCafferty were responsible for communicating this critical information throughout the enterprise, including how the vaccines needed to be stored.

We did not want to waste any of the vaccines, so we had a list of people to call when we were done distributing vaccines for the day, McCafferty recalled. If we opened a vial and only gave out one dose, we found nine other people to give doses to, so nothing went to waste.

Their attention to detail in developing protocols for the pandemic and communicating those details to their colleagues got the attention of a representative from the Pennsylvania Department of Health during a site visit.

She suggested we create a document and share it with the University of Scranton, said Richmond. She said it was incredible what our task force was able to accomplish.
The CBI conducted searches at seven locations related to Jet Airways and its founder Naresh Goyal in Mumbai on Friday allegedly over a bank fraud case. According to reports, the searches were in connection with an alleged Rs 538 crore fraud case in Canara Bank.

The CBI searches were spread across residences and offices of Goyal, his wife Anita, and former airline director Gaurang Ananda Shetty.

The agency has registered a new case of alleged bank fraud of Rs 538 crore on a complaint from Canara Bank, they said.

The allegations pertain to alleged diversion of funds among other irregularities, they said.

The company was in the process of revival after Jalan Kalrock Consortium won the bid for Jet Airways under the insolvency resolution process at National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).

The NDTV reported that the agency alleged between April 1, 2011, and June 30, 2019, the airline reportedly spent Rs1,152.62 crore on professional and consultancy expenses. Suspicious transactions totalling  197.57 crore were also identified among entities linked to Jet Airways, the publication reported.

NDTV reported Jet Airways paid Rs 420.43 crore of the total Rs 1,152.62 crore in professional and consultancy expenses to entities whose business nature did not match the service descriptions on their invoices.

(With PTI inputs.)
An encounter has broken out between militants and security forces in Kesari area of Kandi in Rajouri on Friday.



The militants could be those involved in the attack on an Army truck in which five soldiers of the Armys Rashtriya Rifle (RR) soldiers were killed in Tota Gali area of Bhatta Dhurian - Bhimber Ghati sector of Poonch on April 20.



The encounter started after security forces launched a search operation on getting information about the presence of militants, numbering two to three, in the area. As the security forces neared the suspected hideout, militants opened fire triggering an encounter.



This is the third encounter in Jammu and Kashmir in the past 72 hours.
It is one step forward and two steps back. The first visit of a Pakistan foreign minister Pakistan to India after over a decade, to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, may have made history, but India made it clear that there is no shift in its position. The relations between the two countrieswhich have been at a lowwill continue to be frozen.



India is not trying to score diplomatic points by bringing up terrorism, said External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar at a media interaction after the summit. We are diplomatically and politically exposing Pakistan to the rest of the world. As a victim of terrorism, India is completely justified in doing this. We are not going to put up with terrorism.



While India and Pakistan both took swipes at each other, without naming each other during the summit, choosing to sit across the table in a multilateral forum, at the individual press interactions the gloves came off. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at his press conference with the Pakistani media raised the issue of Kashmira word he could not use on the floor of the SCO summit where bilateral issues cannot be raised. It was aimed at the audience back home. With the elections upcoming and under huge pressure for choosing to come to India, Bhutto had to tick the box. Asked about India holding a G20 summit in Kashmir, he said, Waqt aane par aisa jawab dengeit shows pettiness. It is a show of arrogance to the world that to hell with the international lawthey will hold their events.



Jaishankar, who held his press conference after Bhutto, had clearly been briefed about his Pakistani counterpart's comments and chose to come out all guns blazing. There is only one issue to discuss on Kashmir which is when will Pakistan vacate its illegal occupation of PoK. That is the only issue up for discussion.



In the history of India-Pakistan relations, the media interaction at the end of a summit has always set the agenda. General Pervez Musharraf had used a breakfast with editors in Agrawhen the diplomatic negotiations were stalled after 36 hoursto set his narrative. Then there was S.M. Qureshi who tried to use a dinner in Islamabad to settle scores against India on the eve of the Kartarpur Corridor reopening.



At the SCO summit, Jaishankar chose to use the platformwhere Pakistani journalists were also presentto come out strongly and make it clear that new India was quite comfortable with no engagement. A country that does terrorism cannot talk about peace in the same breath, he said. Pakistan has no credibility, it can say anything. Terrorism cannot be destiny.



The next round is in July!








Launching an all-out attack against Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday criticised the Opposition shielding terrorism for its vote-bank. While campaigning in poll-bound Karnataka's Ballari, Modi cited 'The Kerala Story' film and said that Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and is standing with terror tendencies.

Fore vote-bank politics, Congress has nurtured and given shelter to terror...I am surprised to see that Congress has succumbed to terrorism for the sake of its vote bank. Can such a party ever save Karnataka? said Modi.

Invoking the recent controversial film 'The Kerala Story', Modi said that it is based on a terror conspiracy. It shows the ugly truth of terrorism and exposes terrorists' design. Congress is opposing the film made on terrorism and standing with terror tendencies. Congress has shielded terrorism for the vote bank, said Modi, reported ANI.

Congress builds false narrative for the sake of winning election on the basis of money power. Congress's manifesto is all about bans....BJP manifesto is a 'sankalpa patra' with a roadmap to make Karnataka number one, said PM Modi at Ballari.

Modi also alleged that when BJP made a tribal woman as Presidential candidate, Congress had opposed her. Congress did not strengthen the tribal community, neither did it respect their culture, said Modi.

Even in the recent Sudan rescue operations, Congress did not stand with the country. Congress wanted to do politics on Sudan issue and take advantage of the situation in the polls as many were stranded there from the state, he said.

Modi stressed on the importance of security, law and order required in the state. It is important for Karnataka to remain free from terrorism. BJP has always been tough against terrorism, said Modi.

Congress makes fake narratives and surveys for winning politics and they attempt to mislead the voters in the state, he added.
(Bloomberg) -- A tropical island off southern China, best known for its sandy beaches and luxury hotels, has become the unlikely focus of Europes concerns over a booming waste-oil industry.

Most Read from Bloomberg

On the edge of the South China Sea, Hainan has become a green-fuel hot spot over the past year, accounting for nearly a third of the countrys biodiesel exports. The catch is that Chinas answer to Hawaii has no capacity to convert used cooking oil, the most obviously compliant feedstock, into biodiesel.

According to producers, traders and analysts who held conversations on the sidelines of a conference in Singapore last week, it suggests the island may instead be serving as a transshipment hub, facilitating efforts to mix fuels with cheaper feedstock, then mislabeling the product in order to qualify for European green incentives.

Speaking on condition of anonymity as their conversations are private, many fretted about the consequences of potentially fraudulent biodiesel exports to Europe, including greater scrutiny and quality inspections. They expressed concern that punitive tariffs could be imposed on Chinese products should there be findings of dumping or fraud, which would hurt the entire industry.

Chinese and European producers worried they were being undercut by non-compliant cargoes.

Asia Floods Europe with Green Fuel Suspected to Be Fraudulent

And at the center of their disquiet is Hainan.

Hainan-registered companies exported 498,000 tons of biodiesel over the whole of last year, making up 28% of Chinas total outbound shipment, according to customs data compiled by Bloomberg. Its share of exports climbed to 31% in the first quarter this year, with volumes at 205,000 tons. Almost all the cargoes were bound for the Netherlands, a large consumer market and home to major European ports.

Story continues

Europe is an increasingly attractive market for biofuels because of incentives offered for fuels made from waste products, intended to foster sustainability and which mean higher prices than for those made directly from crops.

The problem is that its hard to check whats blended into biodiesel.

The spike in exports from China to Europe comes at the same time as a surge in Chinese imports of palm waste and palm-based biofuel from Indonesia and Malaysia. Palm oil is generally shunned by the European Union due to deforestation fears, and the bloc is phasing out its use for biodiesel feedstock.

Chinese customs data show Hainan-registered firms handled more than 60% of the countrys biodiesel imports in the first three months. Most of the volumes came from Indonesia and Malaysia, the biggest palm oil suppliers globally.

Chinas biodiesel production reached 2.4 billion liters last year, up by a third from 2021 due to a surge in export demand, the US Department of Agriculture estimates. Facilities are located mainly in Shandong, Guangdong, Shaanxi, and Jiangsu. Nearly all are export-oriented to take advantage of EU tax policies.

A domestic market for biodiesel remains elusive. Efforts by some provinces including Hainan to break into the road fuel market have been largely unsuccessful, leaving Shanghai the only local authority committed to supporting a biodiesel program.

Calls to the department of commerce of the Hainan provincial government went unanswered.

The International Sustainability & Carbon Certification  which provides certification for materials and fuels, including whats needed to comply with EU rules  said in April its implementing measures including unannounced integrity audits at processing units in China and Singapore and expanded auditor capacity in Asia.

(Adds background on Chinese biodiesel market in third paragraph from bottom)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Six members of a family, including three women, were shot dead and three others were injured on Friday in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district apparently over past enmity, said a senior police official.

The crimes were committed around 10 am at Lepa village, 50 to 60 km from the district headquarters, under the Dimani assembly area, he said.

Three of the victims died on the spot and three others succumbed to their bullet wounds while being rushed to the district hospital, Inspector General of Police (Chambal Zone) S. Saxena told PTI over the phone.

He said the injured have been admitted to a hospital.

Police have identified eight persons who were allegedly involved in the murders and a case is being registered against them, he said.

Asked about the motive behind the killings, the official said that the deceased and the accused had an old enmity.

The victims' relatives have been accused of murdering the family members of today's alleged killers, the official said.
The Imphal Valley in Manipur which remained peaceful for most of Friday witnessed sporadic clashes later in the day as more security forces were rushed in from other states by road and air to calm down a state which had witnessed bloody ethnic rioting over the last 48 hours.

A Defence spokesperson said a total of 13,000 people were rescued and shifted to safe shelters, some in army camps as the army brought Churachandpur, Moreh, Kakching and Kangpokpi districts under its firm control.

Intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were also reported in the morning hours from various hill districts surrounding the valley, but a wary peace seems to be reigning there since.

"In the past 12 hours, Imphal East and West districts witnessed sporadic incidents of arson and attempts by inimical elements to establish blockades. However, the situation was controlled by a firm and synergised response," the Defence official said on Friday night.

Details of the incidents, however, were not available. Multiple sources said the fighting between communities had left several scores of people dead and nearly a hundred injured. However, the police were unwilling to confirm this.

Altogether 36 bodies, stated to be victims of the clashes, were brought to the morgue of the Regional Institute of Medical Science (RIMS) morgue in Imphal West district, sources in the hospital said on Friday night. The bodies were brought from districts such as Imphal East and West, Churachandpur and Bishenpur.

Many people with bullet injuries are also being treated at RIMS and Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences. The exchanges of fire between militant groups, who have involved themselves in the ethnic clashes in the state, and security forces were reported at Kangvai in Churachandpur district, western hill range of Phougakchao in adjoining Bishnupur district and Dolaithabi and Pukhao in Imphal East district, a senior police officer said.

However, it was not immediately known whether there was any casualty on either side.

"Prompt response by Security Forces led to rescuing of civilians of all communities from various minority pockets of areas affected by violence. As a result, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Moreh and Kakching are now under firm control with no major violence reported since yesterday night," the PRO said.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from the Army and the Assam Rifles have been deployed in the state which was rocked by clashes since Wednesday between the Meitei community, which mainly live in Imphal Valley, and Naga and Kuki tribals who are inhabitants of the hill districts.

"Total of approximately 13,000 civilians have been rescued and are currently staying in various ad-hoc boarding facilities specifically created for the purpose within Company Operating Bases and Military Garrisons," the defence official said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation in Manipur with Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and top officials, even as the Centre dispatched additional security forces and anti-riot vehicles to maintain peace there.

Around 1,000 more central paramilitary personnel with anti-riot vehicles reached Manipur on Friday, sources said.

Trains to Manipur have been cancelled with immediate effect on Friday due to the prevailing in the state, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.

The Defence PRO, in a statement, earlier said, "The Indian Air Force (IAF) undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft."

"Induction commenced on the night of May 4 and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of May 5. Domination and evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway," it added.

Violence first erupted in Torbung area in Churachandpur district during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The march was organised by tribals -- including Nagas and Kukis -- after the Manipur High Court asked the state government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Metei community.

During the march in Torbung, an armed mob allegedly attacked people of the Meitei community, leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, which escalated the violence throughout the state, police said.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of the population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts which surround the Valley.

Two shopping malls in New Checkon and Chingmeirong areas of the Imphal city were vandalised and torched by an angry mob on Thursday evening. People were not seen gathering in large numbers or venturing out of their houses in Imphal and other areas on Thursday night as patrolling was intensified on the streets, he said.

A tribal MLA, Vunzagin Valte, of Thanlon constituency was critically injured and was undergoing treatment at a hospital after he was assaulted by a mob on Thursday, the officer said.

The violence between the majority Meiteis and tribals over the demand of the former for ST status has displaced over 13,000 people from both communities.

People in various parts of the country protested against the violence in Manipur. The Manipur government has given "shoot at sight" orders to contain the violence and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has said the violence was a result of "misunderstanding" in the society and that his administration was taking all measures to bring the situation under control.
In a surprise move on Friday, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) panel, which met on Friday morning to decide on Sharad Pawar's successor, rejected the party supremo's resignation. Senior party leader Praful Patel said that the panel unanimously passed a resolution and said Pawar must continue as the party's chief.

This comes amid massive stir by party workers and supporters in Mumbai who have been demanding that the party patriarch withdraw his resignation. Not only NCP leaders but other party leaders and eminent personalities also requested him to continue as party chief, Patel said at a press meet after announcing the panel's decision.

'There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored, Patel said.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin also appealed to veteran leader to reconsider his decision to quit as the president of NCP, keeping in mind his role in forging a "secular alliance" ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also dialled the NCP patriarch after his surprise announcement earlier this week.

Sharad Pawar dropped a bombshell on May 2 as he announced his decision to quit. The move took even senior party leaders by surprise as he had not discussed it with anyone. It was speculated that the panel, appointed by Sharad Pawar himself, will pick his daughter Supriya Sule to succeed him as the party's national president.

Pawar, one of the top Opposition leaders of the country, also played a pivotal role in stitching together the Maha ViKas Aghadi coalition in Maharashtra.
The Supreme Court has said it is not an institution to "sermonise" society on morality and ethics and is bound by the brooding presence of the rule of law, as it allowed the appeal of a woman convicted of poisoning her two sons to death.



The apex court made the observation while dealing with the appeal filed by the woman against the August 2019 judgement of the Madras High Court which had upheld her conviction for murdering her two sons.



The top court noted the woman had a love affair with a man, who used to threaten her often, and this led her to take the decision to end her life by suicide along with her children.



A bench of Justices Ajay Rastogi and A Amanullah observed in its verdict that the woman bought pesticides and administered them to the two children who died. When she tried to consume the poison herself, her niece knocked it away.



"This court is not an institution to sermonise society on morality and ethics and we say no further on this score, bound as we are, by the brooding presence of the rule of law," the bench said in its judgement delivered on Thursday.



The bench noted that the woman, who had already spent almost 20 years in jail, had applied for premature release but the recommendation of the State Level Committee (SLC) was rejected by the state of Tamil Nadu in September 2019, considering the nature of the offence committed by her.



The top court, which refused to interfere with her conviction for the offence of murder, observed there was no valid reason or justifiable ground for the state for not accepting the SLC's recommendation for her premature release.



"We are not oblivious to the crime but we are equally not oblivious to the fact that the appellant (mother) has already suffered at the cruel hands of fate. The reason thereof is an arena this court would avoid entering," it said, while setting aside the order of the state rejecting her prayer for premature release.



The bench, while saying that the woman is entitled to the benefit of premature release, directed that she be released forthwith, if not required in any other case.



It noted that the trial court had convicted her in January 2005 for the offences punishable under sections 302 (murder) and 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), and had sentenced her to life imprisonment.



Later, the high court had partly allowed her plea by acquitting her for the offence under section 309 of IPC while upholding her conviction for murder.



"Having considered the matter in detail, this court finds that the circumstances in which the appellant is said to have administered poison to her two sons is clearly reflective of her being under a state of tremendous mental stress," the apex court said.



Dealing with the issue of premature release, it noted the positive recommendation of the SLC for her premature release was rejected by the state on the ground that she had administered poison to murder her two sons to continue her illicit relationship without any hinderance, an act which was cruel and brutal in nature.



"Pausing here, the court would note that the appellant never tried to murder her sons with a view to continue her illicit relationship. On the contrary, she had tried to commit suicide herself along with her children not with a view to continue her illicit relationship with her paramour but rather, in disappointment and frustration over the quarrel picked up by her paramour," the bench said.



The top court said it cannot be simply bracketed as a 'cruel and brutal' offence as the woman herself was trying to end her life but was prevented by her niece in the nick of time.
The key meeting of the 18-member committee formed by NCP chief Sharad Pawar to decide the new national president of the party will be held on Friday in Maharashtra. Pawar announced his surprise decision to quit as party chief on Tuesday, much to the shock of his workers.

Though there are speculations that the panel may urge Pawar to rethink his resignation, it is unlikely that the veteran leader might do so. He clarified on Thursday that his decision to step down from the post was taken for the future of the party and to create a new leadership.

The panel may also suggest appointing a working president to assist Pawar in routine work till the next Lok Sabha elections. However, Pawar is firm in his decision, Hindustan Times quoted state NCP president Jayant Patil.

"I shared with him the sentiments of everyone I met over the last two days. As the Maharashtra president, I am worried about the next elections. I also believe if Pawar saheb continues in his position, there will be justice for all," Patil told HT.

On the working president, there are reports that Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule might take up the mantle. Sule, the MP from Baramati, is likely to be the party's national chief while Ajit Pawar will take charge of the Maharashtra unit.

Party leaders believe the mantle of NCP chief is likely to remain within the Pawar family as giving the reins to someone from outside may lead to rifts and power tussles in the outfit formed in 1999, reported PTI.

These leaders asserted Sule, a three-term LS MP, had established herself as an effective parliamentarian and has contacts with leaders of parties across the political spectrum, whereas Ajit Pawar has good hold over the state unit and is widely acknowledged as an able administrator.

Moreover, these leaders added that Ajit Pawar had recently spoken about his chief ministerial dreams, while Sule has always said national politics interests her.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year's Bastille Day Parade in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday.

An Indian armed forces' contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, the MEA said in a statement.

On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to attend this year's Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, it said.

Prime Minister Modi's visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the MEA said.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said. "This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India's G20 presidency," the statement said.
After the Nationalist Congress Party panel, which was formed to choose the next party president, on Friday rejected Sharad Pawar's decision to quit as party chief, the veteran leader withdrew his resignation saying he respects the feelings of the party workers.

"I can't disrespect your sentiments. Due to your love, I am respecting the demand that was made to me to withdraw my resignation and the resolution that was passed by senior NCP leaders. I withdraw my decision to step down as the national president of," news agency ANI quoted Pawar as saying.

Sharad Pawar also promised to work for the party with renewed vigour.

He further said there has to be a succession plan in the NCP and added that his focus will be on making organisational changes in the party.

When asked about the absence of Ajit Pawar at the press conference where the senior leader announced the decision to withdraw his resignation, Pawar said, "Others are here. Committee took this decision and after their decision, I took my decision back. All are united and discussed this. Senior leaders are there in the committee."

After the NCP panel had rejected Pawar's decision, party workers had busrt into celebrations, raising slogans Ekach saheb (there is only one boss).

Pawar, on Tuesday, sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.
Briefing the press after the SCO meet at Goa, Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar called out Pakistan's position on terrorism at the meet. In an all-out attack, Jaishankar called his Pakistan counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson" of the terrorism industry.

On Bhutto Zardari's comments on tackling terrorism, Jaishankar said Pakistan's credibility in dealing with is depleting even faster than their forex reserves.

#WATCH | On Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's arrival in India, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "He came here as the Foreign Minister of an SCO Member State. That is part of multilateral diplomacy. Don't see it as anything more than that. I think that nothing from what pic.twitter.com/9vEIVw3iKS  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating the menace, the external affairs minister said, "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

Jaishankar also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will" always be part of India.

The external affairs minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. "Do not see it as anything more than that," he added. He added, As a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly.

On the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. He said as a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly.

In his opening remarks at the conclave, Jaishankar said, With more than 40 per cent of the world's population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact.

Jaishankar said, While the world was engaged in facing COVID and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continues unabated. Taking our eyes off this menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism.

He added all financial channels for terrorist activities must be seized and blocked without distinction. Members need not be reminded that combating terrorism is one of the original mandates of the SCO. The unfolding situation in Afghanistan remains at the centre of our attention. Our efforts should be directed towards the welfare of the Afghan people. Our immediate priorities include providing humanitarian assistance, ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government, combating terrorism and drug trafficking and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities, Jaishankar said.

Jaishankar said, India has proposed a New Delhi Declaration as an SCO Summit Declaration and four other thematic joint statements on cooperation in de-radicalization, strategies, promotion of millets, sustainable lifestyles to address climate change and digital transformation.

(With PTI inputs.)
After the deadly school attack, the second mass shooting in Serbia has claimed eight lives. At least 10 got injured in the shooting on Thursday. Reportedly, the gunman fired an automatic weapon from a moving vehicle near a village south of Belgrade.

Hundreds of Serbian special forces launch manhunt for the gunman behind the shooting.

According to media reports, special forces had arrived at the villages in Mladenovac and Dubona. Despite launching the search operation using helicopter, drones and multiple police patrols in and around Dubona, the police officials were unable to find the suspect.

Reportedly, a 20-year-old man started firing at people with an automatic weapon after having an argument with a police officer in a park in Dubona on Thursday evening. The man is said to have proceeded to shoot people from a car killing atleast eight people, reported BBC.

Earlier, a 13-year-old teenager killed eight of his fellow students at a school in Belgrade on Wednesday. The boy also shot dead the security guard of the school.

The incident of shooting was described as a terrorist act by the Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic.

Around 600 Serbian police, including elite Special Antiterrorist Unit (SAJ) and Gendarmerie launched a manhunt, dubbed Operation Whirlwind, for a 21-year-old suspect identified only as U.B, state broadcaster RTS reported.

Those wounded were transported to a hospital in Mladenovac and the University Hospital in Belgrade.

Three days of official mourning was announced in the Balkan nation following the shooting incident on Wednesday.

The suspect, a 13-year-old boy, took his father's handguns to kill eight people. On Thursday evening, hundreds of students and teachers gathered in front of Education Ministry in Belgrade demanding better school security and education system.

The recent incidents had prompted the Serbian government, which mostly have strict gun rules, to propose tighter restrictions of gun ownership. A two-year ban on issuing new gun permits, revision of existing permits and checks on storage of guns in shops has been introduced by the government.
As the UK celebrates King Charles IIIs coronation on Saturday, the spotlight will be on the crown perched on the head of Camilla, Queen Consort. Following Buckingham Palace's decision not to use the controversially-sourced Kohinoor diamond for the coronation, the onus fell on the Cullinan III, IV, and V diamonds from Queen Elizabeths jewellery collection to adorn Camilla's crown.

Interestingly, Cullinan's role in the coronation too comes with its set of controversies. The Cullinan III, IV and V have been cut from the 3,100-carat Cullinan mined near the South African capital city of Pretoria in 1905.



Roughly the size of a human heart and a blue-white colour, the stone was purchased by the colonial government in South Africa in 1907. The colonial government presented the diamond to Edward VII as a token of loyalty on the king's birthday in 1911 to repair the ties between local colonial rulers and the British Empire following the Second Boer War, which ended in 1902.



Despite being 'gifted', many see it as a symbol of colonial exploitation.



The uncut diamond was then taken to England and divided into nine large pieces, each assigned a number from I to IX.



Cullinan I was set into the Sovereign's Sceptre with the Cross and the II was fixed in the Imperial State Crown. The III and IV were originally part of Queen Mary's coronation crown, before being refashioned into brooches and other jewellery.



It is the reappearance of Cullinan III, IV and V that triggered a controversy in South Africa with a campaign calling for the jewels repatriation. After Queen Elizabeth II's death, over 8,000 people signed a petition calling for the return of the Cullinan diamonds.



African Transformation Movement MP Vuyo Zungula tweeted that South Africa must demand the return of "all the gold, diamonds stolen by Britain". "The minerals of our country and other countries continue to benefit Britain at the expense of our people," former African National Congress party member Thanduxolo Sabelo told South African media Times Live.



This brings to the fore the story of India's Kohinoor, a 105-carat oval jewel which was forcefully sourced from India by the British from the 11-year-old emperor of the Sikhs Maharaja Duleep Singh in the 19th century.



Amid India's strong protest seeking repatriation of the diamonds, Buckingham Palace announced in February that Camilla would not be crowned with the Kohinoor diamond. The decision was seen as a diplomatic gesture.


$2.1 million of debentures eliminated following reinvestment into Offering



Proceeds to be used to advance ongoing R&D programs and pursue a development/strategic partnership agreement

MONTREAL, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - ChitogenX Inc., (CSE: CHGX, OTCQB: CHNXF) ("ChitogenX" or the "Company"), a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company, today announced the closing of its amended non-brokered private placement offering of units for $3.86 million (the "Offering"), including $1.8 million of Insiders' subscriptions.

ChitogenX Inc. Logo (CNW Group/ChitogenX Inc.)

Holders of debentures that matured on May 1, 2023, also opted to reinvest $2.1 million of principal and accrued interest into the Private Placement.

"We appreciate the continued support from our existing investors and insiders and welcome new investors", said Philippe Deschamps, President and CEO. "We are excited by the prospects of our regenerative medicine development programs and are actively pursuing a strategic partnership to support the continued development and our ongoing rotator cuff tear repair phase I/II U.S clinical trial. We hope to capitalise on the market interest for novel regenerative medicine delivery scaffolds, as demonstrated by the many strategic transactions that took place over the last year" continued Deschamps.

The Company issued 25,708,988 Units at a price of $0.15 per Unit for total gross proceeds of $3,856,348.20. Each Unit consist of one class A share of the Company (each, a "Share") and one share purchase warrant of the Company (each whole share purchase warrant, a "Warrant"). Each Warrant entitles the holder to purchase one Share of the Company (each, a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.35 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from closing (the "Closing Date"), subject to adjustment in certain events. If, at any time following the Closing Date, the daily volume weighted average trading price of the Shares on the Canadian Securities Exchange is greater than $0.50 per Share for the preceding 10 consecutive trading days, the Company shall have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants to a date that is at least 30 days following the date of such notice to holders of Warrants.

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The Company will use the net proceeds of the Offering to:

Complete development/strategic partnership agreement for leveraging the Company's proprietary platform for regenerative medicine applications, Complete enrollment for the Rotator Cuff Tear Repair U.S. phase I/II clinical trial program, Complete proof of concept work for Meniscus repair, and Leverage Polytechnique partnership and recent non-dilutive grants to drive proof of concept in additional high-potential indications.

The Common Shares and the Warrants are subject to a statutory 4-month hold period under the applicable securities laws and in such case the certificates evidencing the Shares and the Warrants will bear a legend to that effect, as applicable.

Participation of insiders of the Company in the Private Placement constitutes a "related party transaction" as defined under Regulation 61-101 respecting Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("Regulation 61-101"). The Company intends to rely on exemptions from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements provided under sections 5.5(a) and 5.7(a) of Regulation 61-101 on the basis that participation in the Private Placement by insiders will not exceed 25% of the fair market value of the Company's market capitalization and also because the Company's Common Shares trade only on the Canadian Securities Exchange. A material change report was not filed in connection with the participation of the insiders at least 21 days in advance of the closing of the Private Placement, which the Company deemed reasonable in the circumstances, in order to close the transaction as soon as practicable to enable it to use the funds.

About ChitogenX Inc.

ChitogenX Inc. is a clinical stage regenerative medicine company dedicated to the development of novel therapeutic tissue repair technologies to improve tissue healing. The Company is committed to the clinical development of its proprietary ORTHO-R technology platform, a muco-adhesive CHITOSAN based biopolymer matrix, specifically designed to deliver biologics such as platelet-rich plasma (PRP) or bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), to enhance healing in various Regenerative Medicine Applications.

Other formulations are being developed to leverage the technology's performance characteristics such as tissue adhesion, pliability, and ability to deliver biologics or therapeutics to various tissues damaged by trauma or disease. Further information about ChitogenX is available on the Company's website at www.chitogenx.com and on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements regarding the Company's expectations for future events. Such expectations are based on certain assumptions that are founded on currently available information. If these assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, amongst others, uncertainty as to the final result and other risks. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by security laws.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATIONS SERVICES PROVIDER HAVE REVIEWED OR ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

SOURCE ChitogenX Inc.

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The owner of Russia's private mercenary group Wagner on Friday threatened to withdraw troops from Bakhmut, Ukraine alleging lack of ammunition supply from the Russian military. Yevgeny Prigozhin, owner of the private mercenary group said in a statement he would withdraw troops on May 10.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a notorious millionaire with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9. That day is a major Russian holiday marking the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

But, Prigozhin said, his force hasn't received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday.

In a statement, Prigozhin said, I declare on behalf of the Wagner fighters, on behalf of the Wagner command, that on 10 May 2023, we are obliged to transfer positions in the settlement of Bakhmut to units of the defence ministry and withdraw the remains of Wagner to logistics camps to lick our wounds. The Guardian quoting the statement reported, Im pulling Wagner units out of Bakhmut because, in the absence of ammunition, theyre doomed to perish senselessly.

Hours before releasing the statement, Prigozhin's spokespeople published a video of him angrily demanding ammunition from Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

In the video, Prigozhin stands in front of around 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground. He says they are the bodies of Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone.

Prigozhin speaks in a furious tone and uses numerous expletives in the video. These are someone's fathers and someone's sons, Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies. The scum that doesn't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell, Prigozhin said.

He alleged that Russia's regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Russia's Defence Ministry did not immediately comment on the claims, and it was not possible to independently verify them.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we're advancing despite the fact that the enemy's resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhin's statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

The Wagner Group has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, which is the longest and likely bloodiest battle of the war.

The more than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives, though neither side is saying how many.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner. Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it won't be decisive in the war's outcome.

The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial centre.

It is now a devastated ghost town, but it has become an important symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Russia's invasion, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying its capitulation could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Prigozhin's statement said that Wagner will be forced to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 and have Russia's regular army take over, because without ammunition, (Wagner fighters) are doomed to a senseless death.

He accused jealous military bureaucrats of denying him ammunition. Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter, with both sides resorting to long-range bombardments.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russia's military, with which he has long been in conflict. He has already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week, if the situation with ammunition doesn't improve.

Asked by The Associated Press about Prigozhin's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen references to it in the media but refused to comment further. The Russian military did not immediately comment on the statement either.

Also Friday, an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region which borders the annexed Crimean Peninsula briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russia's state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials. The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had come under a drone attack. Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions on the border with Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week.

(With PTI inputs.)
One of the maxims of movie criticism is to never pay much attention to the publicity material. Or to the backstory of those making the film. Abiding by this maxim is certainly the nicest thing you could do for The Kerala Story and its director Sudipto Sen. After all, floating on the internet are trailers of his past efforts such as The Last Monk and Guruji: Ahead of Time, some of them put up by Sen himself, in what is clearly a case of self-sabotaging the plans of making wider audiences watch his films.

There was a point in The Kerala Storys publicity drive that gave the impression that Sen had finally got the art of promoting his movies right. The movie was gaining buzzthere is no such thing as bad buzz, reallyand it seemed that it might just become The Kashmir Files of Kerala politics. But then, around the time of the previews, Sen began to give ridiculous sound bites, insisting that he had made a coherent film based on meticulous research and at least one botched RTI query. Cleverer filmmakers would have said they had employed the broad brush of artistry to try and paint an intricate reality, but Sen would have none of it. He seemed to want the world to know that he had bitten off more than he could chew. Which is why ignoring the films pre-release clamour is an act of kindness.

But then, you also find limits to your mercy when your Friday trip to the movie theatre involves wading through angry protesters to reach the hall, claim the seat next to an elderly gentleman, and spend the next few minutes explaining to him where the Adipurush teaser ended and the IB71 trailer began. A lot of these type of movies are getting made; its difficult to keep track of which is which, he says. I nod in agreement. The director Steven McQueen once said that watching films was a communal experience. Boy, wasnt he profound!

The film starts, and you know Sen is in his element when you see the words The Kerala Story plastered across a visual of what seems to be the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan. A burkha-clad woman is being smuggled across the unforgiving desert, and we learn that she hails from a verdant Kerala village. Cue canoes, rivers, paddy fields, temples and, of course, kathakali. Nobody can accuse Sen of not doing homework.

We learn that the woman in the desert is Shalini Unnikrishnan, whom Adah Sharma plays as the epitome of the beautifulbut most importantly gullibleHindu Malayali village girl. Shalinis story unfolds in a fashionably non-linear manner. The older Shalini has become the inmate of a UN-run detention centre near the Iran-Afghan border.

She recounts to anti-terror officials how she converted to Islam, became Fatima Ba, and joined the Islamic State in Syria. The story of the younger Shalini, meanwhile, unfolds in a nursing college in Kasargod district, where sharia is the law of the land, and where she befriends two Christian girls and a scheming Muslim woman. Incidences of Fatimas travails in Syria and Afghanistan are juxtaposed with the road to hell she takes in Kerala. She and a Christian girl double-date two Muslim boysdreamboats who turn out to be dastardly deceivers.

The story, co-written by Sen, is apparently based on the story of a group of young men and women that moved to Syria to join the Islamic State between 2016 and 2018. Much of the details regarding what happened to them are in public domain, and Sen and his co-writers seem to have made good use of them.

But their intention is not to throw further light on how they were radicalised and what motivated them to undertake the journey. It is obvious that the writers have no interest in character exposition at all; instead, they mould the contours of the case into a chalice filled with anti-Muslim venom that would fill viewers with fear and loathing.

Throughout the film, there is not a single Muslim character that comes across as humane, and not one non-Muslim character who is not a victim of the Islamist conspiracy.

As propaganda, though, The Kerala Story is quite inept. Sen is no Riefenstahl or Griffith who could push the filmmaking envelope even while peddling unsavoury stuff. At best, he is perhaps Indias answer to Uwe Bolla director who wears his incompetence and total lack of subtlety as a badge of pride.

The sweep of the story is also not matched by the films production values. We see a high-security terrorist incarceration camp built with corrugated roofing sheets. Whatever money thus saved has obviously been poured into Shalinis hostel room, with its double-panelled curtains and faux decorations. Oversized mugshots of Marx, Lenin and Stalin dominate the home of the Communist father of a Christian girl who falls prey to the Islamist plot. The girl herself later blames the father for her fallhe had not been mindful about teaching her about her own religion and culture. The father weeps, and so must the viewers.

The gaze of the film is distinctly North Indian. Sens Kerala is a place where Diwali is a big festival and the beach is a fixture in everyday life. And just as one of the characters in the movie starts a diatribe against Communists, Sen brings a B.T. Ranadive memorial to the background, as if to drive home the point about the Calcutta Thesis.

Unfortunately, despite his sledgehammer sensibilities, Sen has not bothered to hire Malayali artists to dub for Sharma and others. At least a couple of proverbs and dozens of lovely expressions die gruesome deaths as Sens cardboard characters speak in Malayalam.

In his own way, Sen has made an unsparing film.
Mumbai, May 5 (PTI) The domestic equity benchmark indices fell in early trade on Friday in-line with the weak trend in the US markets and the decline in index major HDFC twins.

The 30-share BSE Sensex tanked 586.15 points to 61,163.10 in initial trade. The NSE Nifty declined 150.9 points to 18,104.90.

Among the Sensex firms, HDFC Bank, HDFC, Tata Steel, Asian Paints, Bajaj Finance, NTPC, IndusInd Bank, HCL Technologies, Infosys, Wipro, Bharti Airtel and Bajaj Finserv were the major laggards.

Larsen & Toubro, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, Nestle, State Bank of India and UltraTech Cement were among the gainers.

In Asian markets, Shanghai traded lower, while Hong Kong quoted in the green.

"The mother market US has turned weak and the S&P 500 has slipped for the fourth day on renewed fears of stress in the US banking system," said V K Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist at Geojit Financial Services.

The US markets had ended lower on Thursday.

"The risk-averse market environment in overnight trades at Wall Street is indicating a choppy session for key local benchmark indices.

"Despite the negative sentiment, several positive catalysts such as oil price crashing to USD 69 a barrel, renewed FII buying, and a possible pause by the US Fed in rate hike could aid the sentiment," Prashanth Tapse, Senior VP (Research), Mehta Equities Ltd said in his pre-market opening quote.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) were net buyers on Thursday also as they bought equities worth Rs 1,414.73 crore, according to exchange data.

Meanwhile, global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.66 per cent to USD 72.98 per barrel.

The BSE benchmark had climbed 555.95 points or 0.91 per cent to settle at 61,749.25 on Thursday. The Nifty had advanced 165.95 points or 0.92 per cent to end at 18,255.80.
Jerusalem, May 5 (PTI) India and Israel are expected to sign several MoUs next week to boost bilateral trade with a focus on agritech, energy, tourism and healthcare during Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's visit to New Delhi, a top Israeli trade body official has said.

Cohen, who will be on a three-day visit to India from May 9 to 11, will also inaugurate a "Jewish trail" in Mumbai.

A business delegation of 25 multi-sectoral companies will be accompanying the Israeli foreign minister during his trip to explore opportunities, along with members of leading economic organisations who will be signing MoUs with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Anat Bernstein-Reich, President of the Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce, told PTI.

Israel-Asia Chamber of Commerce, The Israeli Manufacturers Association (IMA) and the Israeli Export Institute will all be signing MoUs with CII.

"The growing trade relations between Israel and India require a stronger collaboration between the economic organisations of the two sides. CII has been a close friend of our Chamber and we are planning to host several of their delegations in the near future. As part of the I2U2 programme, we hosted in Israel a delegation of CII from UAE and India. We are planning an I2U2 event in India soon", Bernstein-Reich said.

From a humble beginning of USD 200 million in bilateral trade (primarily in diamonds) in 1992 when full diplomatic relations were established between the two countries, merchandise trade has diversified and reached USD 7.86 billion (excluding defence) during the period 20212022.

In addition, bilateral trade in services in 2021 was USD 1.1 billion and in FY 2022-23 bilateral merchandise trade from April to December 2022 stood at USD 8.09 billion (excluding defence).

I2U2, a quad comprising India, Israel, UAE and the United States was unveiled during External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to Israel in October 2021 and since then it has held several meetings, including one in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated along with the top leaders of the other three countries involved.

The quad has indicated a firm commitment to enhancing the economic interests of the involved nations by putting in place projects related to ensuring food security and strengthening the renewable energy sector.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs earlier this week conducted the India Forum with the participation of several ministries with the aim of enhancing governmental coordination leading to a larger trade, innovation, tourism and cultural collaboration, Bernstein-Reich said.

She also pointed out that the Israeli Foreign Minister will inaugurate in Mumbai the 'Jewish Trail'.

Under this initiative, important Jewish monuments in Mumbai and Maharashtra have been identified and will be opened to tourists around the world.

Jewish people have been living in Maharashtra for more than two thousand years and have always taken pride in the lack of anti-semitism in India.

Some 3,000 Jews still live in Maharashtra even though the majority of them have immigrated to Israel. Known as Bene Israel, the Jews from the Maharashtra region are the largest Indian Jewish community in Israel.

There are about 90,000 Indian Jews living in Israel drawn from four communities - Bene Israel, Cochinis, Baghdadis and Bnei Menashe (from Manipur and Mizoram).

Many Israelis and Jews around the world visit Mumbai for work and tourism and have shown interest in visiting their ancestral places.

In view of the interest, the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai have been collaborating on a project that can boost tourism in the state.

The idea of the project is based on the research work conducted by Prof. Saul Sapir of the Hebrew University who published a book, "Bombay: Exploring the Jewish Urban Heritage".

The Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai with the help of the local Jewish community has been installing plaques at the Jewish monuments giving information about their history and significance.

As per an MoU, MTDC will be preparing multiple travel itineraries, ranging from one to three days, and offer it as packages with tour guides and hotels etc. to tourists.

The embassy of India in Israel has also been actively putting in place an "India trail" which prominently displays India's presence in the region and especially the display of valour by Indian soldiers that has somewhat helped shape the history of the region.

The liberation of Haifa by Indian soldiers from the Ottomans during World War I has been included in the curriculum of local schools and the tales of the valour displayed by them have become a part of the local legend.

It is the third high-level visit by senior Israeli officials in less than three months, coming in quick succession after Knesset (Israeli parliament) speaker Amir Ohana's visit at the end of March-early April and also Economy Minister Nir Barkat's visit to India last month.

The Israeli Foreign Minister will also be advancing a consular agreement being worked out to bring Indian workers to Israel to work in construction.

The high-level visits are being seen as a prelude to the much-anticipated visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to India later this year.
Colombo, May 5 (PTI) President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Friday called on Sri Lankans facing "troubled times" due to the unprecedented economic crisis to unite to rebuild an affluent nation.

In his message on the occasion of Vesak Poya Day, Wickremesinghe, also the cash-strapped country's finance minister, said the timeless philosophy of the Buddha becomes a source of solace.

Vesak Poya Day commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and death of Lord Buddha. The three events in his life are said to have happened on the same date.

The president, in his message, urged the people to rise above all differences and unite in these "troubled times".

At this juncture of the countrys unprecedented economic crisis, the timeless philosophy of the Buddha becomes a source of solace," he said.

"Therefore, during these troubled times, it is imperative to rise above all differences and join together in unity and service as espoused by the Buddha, to overcome the dangers in pursuing a life of normality," Wickremesinghe said.

Wickremesinghe also granted presidential pardons to 988 inmates serving time for minor offences in the islands jails on the occasion, the NewsFirst news portal reported on Friday.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo organised a special exhibition on Indias rich Buddhist Heritage as a part of the festivities in Colombo, the state-run Daily News newspaper reported.

Wickremesinghe, accompanied by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, senior ministers and other dignitaries, visited the exhibition at the soft opening of the Vesak Festival, jointly organised by the Presidents Secretariat, Prime Ministers Office and Gangaramaya Temple on Wednesday.

The exhibition displays digital recreations of the fresco paintings from the world-famous UNESCO Heritage Site  the Ajanta caves of India, depicting significant episodes from Lord Buddhas life and the Jataka tales, the report said.

"As the streets are lit up with lanterns on the sacred #Vesak, we join the festivities in #colombo with a unique exhibit at Seemamalakaya, Gangaramaya Temple. Jataka tales from the world-famous Ajanta caves come to life in these digital paintings. Open for public from today!!" the Indian High Commission here tweeted.

The exhibition, which was also displayed at the first Global Buddhist Summit held in New Delhi from April 20 and 21, is open for public viewing from May 5 to 7, the report said.
Melbourne, May 5 (PTI) A prominent Hindu temple in Sydney was defaced by "anti-social elements" on Friday with anti-India graffiti at the walls, in the latest incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in Australia ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country later this month.

The incident took place at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney. However, the time is not yet known.

Temple authorities also found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate, and reported the matter to New South Wales (NSW) police, the Australia Today newspaper reported.

"We are deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti on the walls of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney by anti-social elements," the temple said in a statement.

"We are further disheartened that BAPS temples in Australia have been targeted. For the last 23 years, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir has been a cornerstone of the local community and a prominent Hindu Temple which, like all BAPS temples worldwide, is an abode of peace and harmony, equality, selfless service and universal Hindu values," it said.

Member of Parliament for Parramatta Andrew Charlton reached the BAPS Temple as soon as he was informed of the Hindu Hate incident, the Australia Today newspaper reported.

Charlton along with Temple authorities helped to repaint the wall.

This morning, the BAPS temple in my electorate of Parramatta was vandalised by religious extremists. I am deeply shocked and saddened by this act of mindless vandalism. Everyone in Australia has the right to practice their faith in peace, he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

"At this time, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha prays for peace and unity and has appealed to all devotees and well-wishers in the community to maintain peace.

We are thankful to the local police command, the Department of Home Affairs, State and Federal Members of Parliament, the Indian High Commission and the Consul General of Sydney for their continued support," the temple said.

"BAPS temples across Australia are symbols of a thriving multicultural society that nurture Australian values of respect, mateship and tolerance. We request everyone to join in worldwide prayers that God blesses and guides us all to continue to do good and think good of all," it said.

Officers from Cumberland Police Area Command have commenced an investigation following reports of malicious damage to a religious site in Rosehill," NSW Police spokesperson said in a statement.

Police are conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident." Earlier this year three Hindu Temples in Melbourne and two Hindu Temples in Brisbane were vandalised by Khalistan supporters.

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Sydney for the QUAD summit on May 24.

In March, During Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to India, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of frequent attacks on Hindu Temples with him and conveyed his concerns.

On this, Albanese assured Modi that Australia will not tolerate attacks on religious places and that anyone responsible for such activities will face the "full force of the law".
Tokyo, May 5 (AP) Authorities were looking into possible casualties and damage after a strong earthquake hit Friday afternoon near central Japan, but there were no reports of a tsunami threat.

Government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters that authorities were checking into possible casualties, putting human life first. There was a report of buildings being damaged, but details were still being confirmed, he said.

The 6.2 quake struck Ishikawa prefecture at 2:42 p.m. near the central west coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, according to the US Geological Survey's earthquake information centre. The Japan Meteorological Agency put the preliminary magnitude at 6.3, but later raised it to 6.5. They measured the depth at about 12 kilometres (7.5 miles).

The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said two people were reported hurt in Ishikawa's Suzu City, on the northern tip of the Noto Peninsula: One person was found without vital signs after falling from a ladder, and another was injured when a cabinet fell on top of them. Other details were not immediately available.

There were no reports of any problems at the two major nuclear facilities in the area, according to Matsuno.

Japan is one of the world's most earthquake-prone nations. A massive 2011 quake in the country's northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown that still reverberates today. (AP)



GRS
London, May 5 (PTI) Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar was accorded a warm welcome as he arrived here on Friday to attend the majestic Coronation ceremony of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey on Saturday.

Dhankhar, accompanied by his wife Dr Sudesh Dhankhar, will join an estimated 100 Heads of State and government from around the world invited to the historic crowning of Britains new monarch.

Honble Vice President, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar & Dr Sudesh Dhankhar arrived to a warm welcome in London to attend the Coronation Ceremony of H.M. King Charles III, the Vice President's Office tweeted.

Soon after his arrival, the vice-president is expected to join other Commonwealth leaders for discussions hosted by Commonwealth General Secretary Baroness Patricia Scotland at Marlborough House in London.

This would be the first opportunity for Dhankhar to meet the 74-year-old monarch ahead of the ceremony at the Abbey.

He is also invited to Buckingham Palace for a reception hosted by King Charles for the Heads of State, world leaders and other official guests on Friday evening.

Later on Friday evening, Dhankhar will interact with members of the Indian diaspora at a community reception organised by the Indian High Commission in London.

India and UK have a historic relationship and share values of democracy, rule of law and many complementarities and convergences.

"The relationship was elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2021 with the adoption of Roadmap 2030 for Future Relations, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said with reference to the two-day Vice-Presidential visit to the UK.

The last visit of the Indian Head of State to the UK was that of President Droupadi Murmu, who visited the country in September last year to attend the State Funeral of the late Queen Elizabeth II and offer condolences on behalf of India.

Buckingham Palace has said that the Coronation Service of King Charles and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey will be attended by a congregation of more than 2,200 people.

Besides 100 Heads of State, guests attending will include members of the royal family, as well as international representatives from 203 countries alongside community and charity champions.

The majestic ceremony, complete with gilded carriages and regalia last witnessed 70 years ago when Charles late mother was crowned Queen Elizbeth II in June 1953, will also have representation from a number of Indian-origin professionals.
Nairobi, May 5 (AP) German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on a visit to Kenya, has offered support to African countries seeking a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

Scholz told his host, President William Ruto, that he believes in African-led solutions to African issues such as the ongoing conflict in Sudan.

Germany therefore supports the efforts for permanent African seats on the UN Security Council and we also support a formal seat for the African Union within the G-20, he said on Friday after bilateral talks with Ruto.

Currently, three African states, Gabon, Ghana and Mozambique, are non-permanent members of the council.

Calls in the past for African states to get at least one permanent seat in the council have been supported by various leaders including the UN secretary general.

Scholz expressed concern over the conflict in Sudan that has led to hundreds of deaths, and lauded Ruto's mediation efforts.

He said the two warring generals must end the fighting for the sake of civilians.

The army and the RSF must end their military struggle for power, which is detrimental to the people of the country, he said.

He reiterated that the African continent must lead in finding solutions for such conflicts.

I am deeply convinced that initiatives for peace and stability in Africa that are led by African states themselves are particularly important, he said.

Scholz was in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, before arriving in Kenya, and had had met African Union officials there. He offered his support for a permanent AU seat in the Group of 20 leading industrialized and emerging economies.

Philanthropy group ONE's Germany director, Stephan Exo-Kreischer, said after Scholz's statement in Ethiopia that Africa needs better representation internationally.

A seat at the G-20 table is an important step towards a louder African voice on the world stage, he said in a statement. (AP) RUP

RUP
Islamabad, May 5 (PTI) The foreign ministers of Pakistan, China and Afghanistan will meet here for a trilateral meeting on Saturday that aims to forge cooperation on the vexed Afghan issue and also have bilateral interactions with top Pakistani leaders.

Pakistan's Foreign Office in two separate statements confirmed the visit of Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang and acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to attend the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue, of which Pakistan is a member.

"Chinas State Councillor and Foreign Minister H.E. Qin Gang would pay an official visit to Pakistan on May 5 and 6, 2023. This would be his first official visit to Pakistan since assuming office," FO said in a statement.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and State Councillor Qin will co-chair the 4th round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue, which is a structured mechanism that reviews bilateral cooperation in key areas.

The two sides will reaffirm the abiding vitality of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; develop a roadmap for multidimensional cooperation between Pakistan and China; and discuss the evolving regional and global landscape.

The 3rd round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue took place in July 2021 in Chengdu, China.

Separately, FO said that Muttaqi will lead a high-level delegation, including Acting Afghan Minister for Commerce and Industry Haji Nooruddin Azizi, and senior officials

from the Afghan ministries of foreign affairs, transport, and trade.

"The visit of the Acting Afghan Foreign Minister is a continuation of Pakistans political engagement process with Afghanistan, FO said.

During the four-day stay in Pakistan, the Afghan leader would also have bilateral meetings with Pakistan leaders and the two sides would also review the entire spectrum of bilateral relations in the political, economic, trade, connectivity, peace and security, and education domains.

The FMS of three nations will attend the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers Dialogue which will be held on May 6.

The 4th edition of the dialogue was held in China in June 2021 just weeks before the Taliban seized power in Kabul and the three neighbours had agreed to enhance cooperation in multiple fields. The dialogue was launched in 2017.
Citadel Income Fund

TORONTO, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Citadel Income Fund (TSX  CTF.UN) (the Fund) announced today that the trustee of the Fund, Artemis Investment Management Limited (Artemis), has called a meeting of unitholders (the Meeting), to be held on September 11, 2023, in response to a third unitholder requisition (the Requisition) submitted by Saba Capital Management, L.P. (Saba). Saba had previously submitted two requisitions, each of which the Fund determined were invalid as they failed to comply with the Funds declaration of trust (the Declaration of Trust) and applicable law.



In connection with the Requisition, Saba has also requested that Artemis unilaterally waive the provisions in the Declaration of Trust that prohibited Saba and its Connected Parties (as defined in the Declaration of Trust) from voting on the matters of business to be considered at the Meeting. However, those provisions were approved by Unitholders at a meeting of Unitholders held on August 7, 2012, prior to Artemis serving as trustee and manager of the Fund, for the purpose of protecting minority Unitholders.

The Fund will provide further information on the Meeting in due course and Unitholders are not required to take any action at this time.

Despite the unnecessary time and money that Sabas action will require, the Fund remains committed to acting in the best interest of all Unitholders and continues to welcome constructive recommendations for strategies that have the potential to create value.

For further information, please contact your financial advisor, call Artemis Investment Managements investor relations line at (416) 9347455 or visit our website at www.artemisfunds.ca.

Advisors

The Fund has retained Kingsdale Advisors as its strategic Unitholder and communications advisor and Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP as its legal advisors.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws, including but not limited to statements about the Requisition, Saba, the Meeting, and matters relating thereto. Forwardlooking statements are generally, but not always, identified by the words expects, plans, anticipates, in the event, if, believes, asserts, position, intends, envisages, assumes, recommends, estimates, approximate, projects, potential, indicate and similar expressions, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could or should occur. Forwardlooking statements are necessarily based upon the current belief, opinions and expectations of the Fund that, while considered reasonable by the Fund, are inherently subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause the outcome to differ materially from current expectations. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, litigation, business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties and other contingencies. Many factors could cause the Fund's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forwardlooking statements. These factors include, among others, uncertainties related to the Requisition and the calling of the Meeting, as well as other risk factors set out under the heading Risk in the Funds Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2022, which is available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Investors are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forwardlooking statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein.




Kyiv, May 5 (AP) The owner of Russia's Wagner military contractor threatened on Friday to withdraw his troops next week from the protracted battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, accusing Moscow's military command of starving his forces of ammunition and causing them heavy losses.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a wealthy entrepreneur with longtime links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that Wagner had planned to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Russia's major Victory Day holiday celebrating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

It is not the first time Prigozhin has raged about ammunition shortages and blamed Russia's military, with which he has long been in conflict.

Known for his bluster, he has previously made unverifiable claims and threats he hasn't carried out.

Prigozhin's spokespeople also published a video of him Friday standing in front of about 30 uniformed bodies lying on the ground and saying they are Wagner fighters who died on Thursday alone.

He angrily demands ammunition from Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and General Staff Chief Valery Gerasimov.

These are someone's fathers and someone's sons, Prigozhin says, pointing at the bodies and swearing. The scum that doesn't give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.

Wagner has spearheaded the struggle for control of Bakhmut, the longest  and likely bloodiest  battle of the war. More than eight months of fighting there is believed to have cost thousands of lives.

A pullout by Wagner would be a huge blow to the Russian campaign.

For the Ukrainian side, Bakhmut has become an important symbol of resistance to Russia's invasion. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says its loss could begin building international support for a deal that could require Ukraine to make unacceptable compromises.

Prigozhin's spat with the Russian military leadership dates back to Wagner's creation less than 10 years ago. During the war in Ukraine, he has chastised Russia's top military officials, publicly accusing them of incompetence  behaviour that is highly unusual in Russia's tightly controlled political system.

One general Prigozhin actively criticized was fired, but other top officials he has lashed out at appear to have retained the Kremlin's trust.

In January, Putin put Gerasimov in charge of the Russian forces in Ukraine, a move some observers also interpreted as an attempt to cut Prigozhin down to size.

Prigozhin alleged on Friday that Russia's regular army was supposed to protect the flanks as Wagner troops pushed forward but is barely holding on to them, deploying tens and rarely hundreds of troops.

Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claims, and it was not possible to independently verify them.

Wagner ran out of resources to advance in early April, but we're advancing despite the fact that the enemy's resources outnumber ours fivefold, Prigozhin's statement said. Because of the lack of ammunition, our losses are growing exponentially every day.

Ukrainian officials were skeptical about Prigozhin's claims of ammunition shortages.

Ukraine's military intelligence representative, Andrii Cherniak, told The Associated Press that Wagner's forces had clearly failed in their goal of taking Bakhmut by May 9 and Prigozhin had made the statement to justify their unsuccessful actions.

Prigozhin has toured Russian prisons to recruit fighters, promising inmates pardons if they survive a half-year tour of front-line duty with Wagner.

Western countries and United Nations experts have accused Wagner mercenaries of committing numerous human rights abuses throughout Africa, including in the Central African Republic, Libya and Mali.

Bakhmut, located about 55 kilometres (34 miles) north of the Russian-held regional capital of Donetsk, has tactical military value for Moscow, though analysts say it won't be decisive in the war's outcome.

The city had a prewar population of 80,000 and was an important industrial center. It is now a devastated ghost town.

Prigozhin's statement said Wagner will be forced to pull out of Bakhmut on May 10 and have Russia's regular army take over.

He said his force hasn't received enough artillery ammunition supplies from the Russian military since Monday, and blamed jealous military bureaucrats.

Western officials and analysts believe Russia has run low on ammunition as the 14-month conflict became bogged down in a war of attrition over the winter, with both sides resorting to long-range bombardments.

Prigozhin has already threatened to withdraw from Bakhmut once, in an interview with a Russian military blogger last week, if the situation with ammunition doesn't improve.

Asked by The AP about Prigozhin's statement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said during his daily conference call with reporters that he had seen references to it in the media but refused to comment further.

Also Friday, an oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region which borders the annexed Crimean Peninsula briefly caught fire after it was attacked by a drone, Russia's state news agency Tass reported, citing emergency officials.

The fire was small and was quickly put out, the report said.

It was the second straight day that the Ilyinsky refinery had came under a drone attack.

Drone attacks on oil facilities in Russian regions on the border with Ukraine have been reported almost daily over the past week. (AP) FZH
Kathmandu, May 5 (PTI) Nepal Prime Minister Pushpakamal Dahal Prachanda on Friday said he was inspired by Lord Buddha to abandon the path of violence after conquering many smaller states and adopt a peaceful path shown by him.

Addressing a special function on the occasion of Buddha Purnima organised at Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha, Prachanda compared himself with Maurya King Ashoka, who renounced violence after coming into the fold of Buddhism.

Recalling the historic incident of Maurya emperor Ashok transforming himself by shunning the path of war and adopting a peaceful way of life by following the teachings of Buddha, Prachanda said the same is true with the Nepalese Maoists, who renounced armed struggle and adopted peaceful politics through signing Comprehensive Peace Agreement (in 2006).

It is estimated that the 10-year-long conflict (1996-2006) resulted in the death of over 17,000 people. The Maoist rebels started an armed agitation in 1996 to overthrow the monarchy in Nepal and establish a peoples system.

Prachanda said his party had abandoned the path of violence by signing the peace process as they are inspired by the teachings of Buddha.

This has also proven that peace and revolution are complementary to each other," he remarked.

Nepal on Friday celebrated the 2567th Buddha Jayanti by organising various programmes.

The special programme organised at Lumbini saw Prachanda as the chief guest. Speaking at the programme the Prime Minister further said that the government is committed to resolving the instability and adverse economic situation that has currently surfaced in the country.

Buddha has inspired millions of people to move on the path of solidarity and communal harmony, he pointed out. On the occasion, Prachanda said that the government is committed to developing Lumbini as per the master plan envisioned four years ago as per the concept of the Buddhist circuit, and promoting all the religious sites linked to the life of Buddha including Ramgram.

Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel in a message said that it is a matter of pride for the people of Nepal that the birthplace of Gautam Buddha is here.

The message of non-violence and peace propounded by Gautam Buddha- the apostle of global peace would inspire individuals, families, societies, countries and the world for all-round welfare and progress, Paudel pointed out.

In Kathmandu, thousands of people gathered at Swoyambhunath and Bouddhanath stupas since early in the morning to pay homage to Lord Buddha.

They lit oil lamps, garlanded the Buddhas idol, offered prayer and took around the Buddha stupa.

People also chanted devotional songs and played traditional musical instruments at different monasteries and bihars in and around Kathmandu on the occasion.

Various Buddhist organisations and voluntary groups organised health camps, and distributed drinking water, soft drinks and also kheer- a special kind of meal prepared by mixing rice, milk, sugar and dry fruits to the devotees on the occasion.

The prime minister on the occasion also observed the Asthu Dhatu, remains of Buddha gifted by Sri Lanka recently, which will be open for the general public in Lumbini from now onward.
Ahmedabad, May 5 (PTI) The Gujarat government will organise its 10th 'chintan shibir' from May 19 to 21 to discuss future development of the state, an official said on Friday.

As per a release issued by the state government, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, all ministers, top officers and junior officers, including 230 staffers, will participate in the three-day exercise, which will be held at Kevadia.

The dates and schedule of the chintan shibir were finalised in a meeting chaired by the chief minister during the day, it stated.

Officials and ministers will be divided into groups of 45, and five such groups will brainstorm thoroughly the issues allocated to them and will submit their recommendations, the release said.

Advisors to the government, secretaries to district collectors and district development officers will also participate in the brainstorming sessions, it said.

Chintan shibirs were first started by Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister in 2003. Nine such meetings have been held so far.
Rajgarh, May 5 (PTI) At least 12 persons were injured when a bus overturned near a village in Madhya Pradesh's Rajgarh district on Friday, police said.

The bus with 50 passengers on board overturned near Madhopura village under Karanwas police station area around 5.30 am, a police official said.

The bus driver dozed off at wheel, causing the vehicle to overturn, Karanwas police station in-charge Ajay Singh Yadav said.

At least 12 passengers were injured in the accident and have been admitted to Biora civil hospital, he said.

The bus was heading to Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) from Surat (Gujarat), he said, adding that further investigations are underway.
Indore, May 5 (PTI) The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) in Madhya Pradesh's Indore on Friday "rescued" a two-year-old boy by separating him from his mother, who is allegedly mentally ill and handed him over to his father for proper care, an official said.

CWC chairperson Pallavi Porwal said the child's father had approached the committee with a complaint alleging that his 31-year-old wife was mentally ill and there was a "threat to the child's life" if he lived with her.

The woman had been living separately with her son, she said.

Following a detailed inquiry into the complaint, the CWC "rescued" the child under provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and handed him over to his father temporarily for proper protection and care, Porwal said.

The police and NGO Childline were also involved in the operation to rescue the toddler, she said.

"When we rescued the child, he had a plaster on one of his hands. When asked about this, the woman told us that he had suffered the injury after falling from the kitchen platform, the official said.

Porwal further said that the woman had misbehaved with the CWC team, which had visited her house on May 1 as part of an investigation into the complaint.

The CWC had called the child's mother six months ago to convince her to take proper care of her child and stay with her parents instead of living alone to ensure proper care, she added.
Dewas (MP), May 5 (PTI) Two labourers died of asphyxia and two others sustained burn injuries after a fire broke out at a factory in Dewas district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, police said.

A total of four persons were rushed to hospital after they were rescued from Aaradhya Disposal Factory located on Indore Road in the morning.

Sonu Chowdhary (25) and Pappu Parmar (30) were declared dead at the hospital, said inspector Ajay Channa of Industrial Area police station.

Mahesh Verma and Bahadur Chowdhary, both in their 20s, were undergoing treatment, he said.

Several fire tenders have been pressed into service to douse the blaze which has been mostly put out, officials said.

The victims, who hailed from Ujjain district, had slept in the factory after a night shift when the fire broke out.

Police got information about it around 8 am. As per some reports the fire started with a short circuit but it was yet to be ascertained, said inspector Channa.
Jabalpur, May 5 (PTI) Police have arrested 10 persons, including a Bajrang Dal member, for allegedly vandalising the Congress office in Jabalpur city of Madhya Pradesh during a protest against the partys poll promise in Karnataka to act against the right-wing outfit, an official said on Friday.

Of the 10 arrested so far, Sumit Singh Thakur has been identified as the main accused, Additional Superintendent of Police Priyanka Shukla told PTI.

The official said that 25 people have been booked so far on the basis of video footage and a complaint for rampaging through the Congress city office in the Baldeo Bagh area. A case has been registered under sections 452 (trespass with intention of assaulting a person) and 147 (rioting) and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, said police.

Thakur is a functionary, vibhag prachar pramukh, of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in Jabalpur, according to Umesh Mishra, who holds the position of Mahakoshal Pranth Mantri in the organisation. He said Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of VHP.

A local Sangh Parivar leader said Thakur has been assigned to work with the Bajrang Dal.

The Congress in its manifesto for the next week's Karnataka polls, released on Tuesday, promised to take action as per law, including imposing a ban, on organisations like the Bajrang Dal and PFI which spread hatred.

The Jabalpur unit of the Bajrang Dal had said on Wednesday that it would stage a protest.

Before his arrest, Thakur on Thursday said they protested as the Congress equated a Hindu organisation that works for welfare, security and culture promotion with PFI, a jehadi organisation.

He also denied that Bajrang Dal activists resorted to vandalism. They were Congress workers....They entered our group and after covering their faces indulged in vandalism, he claimed.

A group of people barged into their office and ransacked it, Congress leaders alleged on Thursday.

Meanwhile, videos showing men wearing saffron stoles and waving saffron flags barging into the Congress office went viral on social media.
Morena, May 5 (PTI) Six members of a family including three women were shot dead on Friday after they returned to their village in Madhya Pradesh's Morena district after a decade, police said.

The assailants, who apparently blamed the victims' relations for the murder of some people in their family in the past, were waiting for them, a woman who survived the bloodbath told reporters.

The killings took place around 10 am at Lepa village, about 60 km from the district headquarters. The village adjoins Bhidosa, the birthplace of athlete-turned-dacoit Paan Singh Tomar.

Three of the victims died on the spot while others succumbed while being rushed to the district hospital, Inspector General of Police (Chambal Zone) S Saxena told PTI over phone.

Three others were injured and are undergoing treatment, he added.

Additional Superintendent of Police Rai Singh Narwariya identified the deceased as Gajendra Singh (55), Sanju (40), Satyaprakash (35), Les Kumari (46), Babli Tomar (age not known), and Madhu Kumari (36).

IGP Saxena said that police have identified eight persons allegedly involved in the murder and a case has been registered against them.



Kusuma Tomar, who lost her husband, two sons and three daughters-in-law in the attack, told reporters that their family had had a dispute with the accused in 2013 over a piece of government land.

"Two members of their family were killed back then. We had nothing to do with the killings, but the names of our family members were dragged in the case," she said.

"Later a compromise deal was struck between them and our family in jail. We gave them Rs 6 lakh as compensation and transferred our land in their name," she added.

On Friday morning, when Kusuma and others returned to the village from Ahmedabad after ten years, the killers were waiting for them, she said.

"The police arrived on the scene after two hours," she claimed.

Notably, in the case of Paan Singh Tomar, whose story became the subject of an acclaimed Bollywood film starring Irrfan Khan, a land dispute was what apparently triggered his tragic descent into the world of crime.
Samsherganj (WB), May 5 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took potshots at the BJP, saying that central agencies such as CBI and ED will not help the saffron party get votes in next year's general elections.

The Trinamool Congress supremo called upon all opposition parties in the country to unite and fight the BJP together in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

"I urge all opposition parties to unitedly fight the BJP in the 2024 elections. The BJP is using the ED and the CBI to harass opposition leaders, but agencies will not help it get votes," Banerjee said while speaking at a government programme where she handed over land deeds to those who have lost their lands to river erosion at Samsherganj in Murshidabad district.

She alleged that despite several requests to the BJP-led Union government, the state administration has not received any help in arresting Ganga erosion, which is a major issue in Murshidabad and Malda districts.

Banerjee claimed that the state did not get its share of Rs 700 crore for the development of the local people from India's water sharing treaty with Bangladesh.

"Erosion is a central subject. Despite several requests, the Union government has not helped us in any way. Moreover, they did not give us our share of Rs 700 crore for the development of the local people from the Ganga Water Sharing Treaty signed with Bangladesh in 1996. It's more than 20 years," she said.

"The BJP-led Union government is busy doing politics, committing atrocities, and spreading canards rather than working for the people. Had they used their intelligence in the right direction towards development, we could have fought river erosion well... but they haven't," she said.

A bilateral treaty was signed between the then Indian prime minister H D Deve Gowda and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina in December 1996 in New Delhi.

It ratified a 30-year water-sharing arrangement and recognised Bangladesh's rights as a lower-level riparian.

"Ganga erosion is a big problem. I have also talked to Niti Aayog about this," she said, urging locals to build houses at least 4-5 km from the river.

Banerjee announced that the state irrigation department would spend Rs 100 crore to address the erosion issue.

"We do not have much funds, but despite that I am today announcing a Rs 100 crore package to address the issue of erosion. Of this, some amount will be used to help those displaced by river erosion," she said.

Before attending the programme, the West Bengal CM went to some places in Samsherganj to witness riverbank erosion.

Incidentally, Banerjee had raised the erosion issue during the National Ganga Council meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi held in Kolkata last year.

She had on Thursday directed Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi to appeal to the World Bank and Asian Development Bank for some funds on humanitarian grounds to address the erosion issue.
Shillong, May 5 (PTI) At least 16 people were arrested over a brawl between students from Kuki and Meitei communities in the Meghalaya capital, police said on Friday.

They study in colleges and universities in Shillong.

"A group fight took place in Nongrim Hills area of Shillong between students belonging to Kuki and Meitei communities from Manipur on Thursday night," East Khasi Hills district Superintendent of Police Sylvester Nongtnger told PTI.

Two people received minor injuries in the brawl, he said.

Police quelled the fight and took 16 people in custody, the SP added, while warning people against vitiating peace in the state capital.

Violence between Meiteis and tribals took place in various parts of Manipur after a rally protesting the Meitei demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) tag turned violent, leading to retaliation, thus aggravating the situation.
(Bloomberg) -- Coal will remain Indias largest source of electricity generation by 2030 and additional new plants will be required, even as the nation adds record clean energy installations to hit climate targets.

Most Read from Bloomberg

India, the worlds third-largest emitter, is seeking to meet surging electricity demand driven by rising per-capita energy consumption and a post-pandemic industrial rebound at the same time it takes action to decarbonize its power sector, according to the power ministrys Central Electricity Authority.

Availability of affordable and reliable electricity is a key factor in sustainable growth of the country, Ghanshyam Prasad, the authoritys chairperson, said in a report.

Coal will account for about 54% of electricity generation in 2030 and as much as 46 gigawatts of additional capacity will be required alongside new renewables, the authority said in the report published Thursday. The fossil fuel currently accounts for almost three-quarters of generation and mines are striving to dig out material at a record pace to avoid shortages that caused blackouts in recent summers.

Read more: India Power Giant to Add More Coal Plants to Meet Soaring Demand

Installations of solar, wind, hydro, biomass and nuclear plants will reach more than 500 gigawatts by 2030, an almost tripling of current levels, and account for 64% of the countrys generation capacity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis government scaled up its climate ambitions last year, setting higher targets for clean energy capacity and to reduce the emissions intensity of the economy. India is offering incentives to add more solar or wind power, and aims to become a global hub for production of green hydrogen and green ammonia.

Story continues

Still, Modis administration has previously opposed international efforts to set firm deadlines to phase out the use of coal and envisages a key role for the fuel for decades to come. About 2 gigawatts of coal-burning plants will be phased out through 2030, the report said, a fraction of an earlier plan to shutter down 25 gigawatts of old plants.

The country has 26.9 gigawatts of coal power plants in construction and new projects totalling as much as 19.1 gigawatts may need to be built, according to the authoritys report.

Emissions from Indias power sector are forecast to rise about 11% on current levels by the end of the decade to 1,114 million tons of carbon dioxide, according to the authority. Globally, pollution linked to electricity generation may have peaked last year and in 2022 and will begin to fall this year, climate think-tank Ember said last month.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Ranchi, May 5 (PTI) Eleven girls trafficked from Jharkhand have been rescued in Bengaluru, an official said.

The minors belonged to the Paharia tribe which is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG).

"Eleven girls of Paharia tribe have been rescued. They will be brought to Ranchi from Bengaluru," the official said, adding the girls are residents of Sahibganj and Pakur districts.

Meanwhile, a statement issued by the government said: "Many cases of human traffickers selling children of poor families in big cities on the pretext of jobs have come to the fore. In this connection, the Anti Human Trafficking Unit constituted by the state government is continuously taking action against traffickers to rescue the children."

Arrangements have also been made for the rehabilitation of the rescued children, the statement said.

Recently, 13 minors, including a pregnant 14-year-old girl, trafficked from Jharkhand were rescued from Delhi.
Bhubaneswar, May 5 (PTI) Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday announced a Rs 111-crore financial package for 8 lakh kendu leaf puckers and people associated with trade of the forest produce.

This is the second phase of financial assistance to be given to the people engaged in kendu leaf trade in 2022.

In the first phase, Rs 83 crore was sanctioned for the benefit of Kendu leaf pluckers.

Together, the financial assistance for kendu leaf pluckers and people associated with the trade has now become Rs 194 crore for 2022, which is the "highest ever" financial aid in any crop season, a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office said.

More than 8 lakh people will get the benefits, it said, adding that the assistance will be given to beneficiaries of Jharsuguda district after the May 10 by-poll there.

Kendu leaf is a non-wood forest produce and such leaves are used for rolling 'bidis'.

Every Kendu leaf plucker and each of those associated with the trade will get financial assistance of Rs 1,000 along with Rs 200 and Rs 160 for water bottles and sandals respectively, the CMO said.

Similarly, Rs 1,500 will be given as financial assistance to each regular and seasonal worker.

The state government has been demanding the withdrawal of Goods and Services Tax on the collection of kendu leaf.

Incidentally, Odisha is the third largest producer of Kendu leaf, contributing 20 per cent of the annual production in the country.

At least 18 districts, including Bargarh, Balangir, Sundargarh, Angul, Deogarh, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Malkanagri, Nabarangpur, Koraput and Sambalpur, have the maximum kendu leaf growing areas.
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah is closely monitoring the situation in Manipur and is in constant touch with top functionaries of the state and central governments, sources said on Friday.

Shah, who is staying put in the national capital, is also taking regular inputs from security and intelligence agencies about the Manipur situation, which remained peaceful but tense on Friday.

The home minister is closely monitoring the Manipur situation and taking updates regularly from top functionaries of the state and central governments, sources said.

On Thursday, Shah held two video conferences attended by the Manipur chief minister, the state's chief secretary, the police chief, the Union home secretary and other top officials of the central government.

He also held telephonic conversations with chief ministers Neiphiu Rio of Nagaland, Zoramthanga of Mizoram and Himanta Biswa Sarma of Assam in view of the situation in Manipur on Thursday.

Meanwhile, at least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP-rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked with coordinating the deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, sources said.

The Centre has also rushed in about 20 fresh companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF and the BSF to the trouble-torn state. Induction of the CAPF units apart from that of the Army columns and the Assam Rifles is going on.

Some of these senior officers are being rushed in from Delhi and Ranchi, a source said.

Clashes broke out in Manipur on Wednesday and intensified overnight with counter-attacks being mounted by rival communities in retaliation to earlier attacks after Naga and Kuki tribals organised a 'Tribal Solidarity March' to protest moves to give scheduled tribe status to the Metei community.

The state government on Thursday issued a shoot-at-sight order in "extreme cases" to contain the spiralling violence which has displaced over 9,000 people from their villages.
Benaulim (Goa), May 5 (PTI) Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday called for a collective approach by the SCO to combat terrorism and not get caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring".

His remarks at the India-hosted conclave of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa came shortly after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said terrorism in all its forms, including cross-border terrorism, must be stopped.

"... We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism," Jaishankar said, in an apparent reference to Pakistan's support to terrorist activities against India.

Bhutto-Zardari in his address said terrorism continues to threaten global security and that collective security of our peoples is our joint responsibility.

"Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said, in comments seen as a veiled dig at India.

He also talked about the need for ensuring respect for universally recognised principles such as peace, cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities within the SCO.

"Unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives. We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution." he said.

Though Bhutto-Zardari did not make any specific references or clarified the context, his remarks are seen as an indirect reference to India's policy on Kashmir.

The text of his speech was released by the Pakistan foreign ministry.

Ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

On combating terrorism, the Pakistan foreign minister said a collective approach is required to deal with the challenge.

"When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," he said.

"I feel the pain of this loss, empathise with victims across the world a way most can't. I and my country are firmly committed to be part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach," he added.

"It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he said.

The Pakistan foreign minister said "practical and pragmatic solutions exist for us to put an end to this chapter once and for all."

"We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors," he noted.

India has been attempting to drum up global support to put pressure on Islamabad to dismantle the terror infrastructure with the country as a number of Pakistan-based terror groups carried out a series of attacks in India in the last several years, including the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008.

Talking about various challenges facing the region, Bhutto-Zardari said the solution to the collective challenges should be collective action, and not a divided reaction.

"While our problems may seem immense, I believe as a united human race we have the capacity to not only deal with the challenges but to learn lessons for our collective good, and build in the resilience that will equip us to address future challenges," he said.

"We must isolate these issues from hyper-partisan geopolitics if we are to succeed. Our excuse cannot be we were too divided to put up a fight," Bhutto-Zardari added.

Highlighting the need for poverty alleviation in the region, he said it can be addressed through common efforts and by learning from each other's experiences.

Referring to the importance of connectivity, he said the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) can be a force multiplier for regional connectivity.

India has been strongly critical of the CPEC as it goes through Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) The CBI on Friday conducted searches at seven locations including the premises of Jet Airways and its founder Naresh Goyal in Mumbai in connection with an alleged Rs 538-crore fraud case in Canara Bank, officials said.

The CBI searches across Mumbai also covered the residences and offices of Goyal's wife Anita, and former airline director Gaurang Ananda Shetty.

The agency has registered a new case against Goyal, Anita, Shetty and Jet Airways (India) Ltd (JIL) on a complaint by Canara Bank which alleged a fraud of Rs 538 crore , the officials said, adding the allegations pertain to alleged diversion of funds among other irregularities.

The agency initiated the action on the bank's complaint which alleged that it sanctioned credit limits and loans to Jet Airways (India) Ltd (JIL) to the tune of Rs 848.86 crore of which Rs 538.62 crore is outstanding.

It said the account was declared "fraud" on July 29, 2021.

The bank alleged that the forensic audit of JIL showed that it paid "related companies" Rs 1,410.41 crore out of a total commission expenses, thus siphoning off funds from JIL.

"As per sample Agreement of Jet Airways (India) Ltd (JlL), it was noted that the expenses of General Selling Agents (GSA) was to be borne by GSA itself and nor by JIL. However, it was observed that JIL has paid various expenses amounting to Rs. 403.27 crore which is not in tune with the GSA," the complaint now part of the FIR alleged.

It said personal expenses such as salaries of staff, phone bills and vehicle expenses among others of Goyal family were paid paid by JIL.

Among other allegations, it surfaced during the forensic audit that funds were also siphoned off through Jet Lite (India) Ltd ( JLL) by way of making advance and investing and subsequently writing off of the same by making provision.

The JIL diverted the funds for the subsidiary JLL in the form of loans and advances and investments extended.

"It is observed that during 2011-18, Rs. 14,552.44 crores was given as loan to JLL and in return Rs 13529.62 crores was received from JLL. Provision was created for the loans given to JLL for year on year basis where the closing balance of loan amount was Rs 1282.39 crore in FY 2011-12 and by FY 2019-20 it was Rs. 2547.83 crores which includes the principal amount along with interest charged by JIL to JLL," the complaint alleged.

It said no funds have been received by JIL from JLL post provision being made in their financials for the FY 2017-18 for loans and advances amounting to Rs. 2547.83 crores granted to JLL.

"The provisions were made by JIL mainly due to continued losses by JLL and JLL's inability to turnaround with its business operation," it alleged.

The stated reason in the agreement with JLL for extending the loan was to run day to day operations of JLL smoothly without mentioning any specific purpose, it alleged.

"This transaction delineates that the JIL was transferring borrowed funds to subsidiary/Group companies by whatever modalities and not utilizing funds for the intended purpose," the bank has alleged.

It alleged that the company also siphoned off funds through payments made to professional and consultancy expenses.

The bank cited these transactions to allege that they were made "towards cheating and misappropriation ol funds" by the borrower by "misappropriation and siphoning off funds" borrowed from banks "being utilized for purposes unrelated to the operations of borrower, to the detriment of the financial health of the entity and/or the lender".

The airline was in the process of revival after Jalan Kalrock Consortium won the bid for Jet Airways under the insolvency resolution process at National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT).
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday alleged that at a time when the country's soldiers are getting killed, the government is extending "hospitality" to Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Goa.

Five army personnel were killed and a major injured in an explosion triggered by terrorists in the thickly forested Kandi area in Jammu and Kashmir's Rajouri district where an operation is underway to flush out the ultras, according to officials.

The Pakistani foreign minister is in India to attend the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) meeting in Goa. There was no bilateral meeting between Bhutto Zardari and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.

Asked at a press conference whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating terrorism, Jaishankar said, "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism."

In a tweet in Hindi, Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party national convener Kejriwal said," At a time when our soldiers are getting martyred, people of the country are extremely pained and angry with the central government extending hospitality to the Pakistani foreign minister."

"Tributes to the brave martyrs," he said.

In a hard-hitting attack on Bhutto Zardari, Jaishankar also said as a "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson" of the terrorism industry, his position on the menace was called out at the SCO meeting on Friday.

He said Pakistan's credibility in dealing with is depleting even faster than their Forex reserves.

Paying tributes to the army personnel killed in the incident, AAP MP Sanjay Singh in a tweet in Hindi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying a tour of Goa had been organised for Bhutto Zaradari on a day when the soldiers made the supreme sacrifice while fighting terrorists.

"Modi followers are in shock," he said, adding, "Salute and tribute to the brave martyrs."

Besides Bhutto Zardari, the meeting at a luxury hotel in this beach resort was attended by Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang, Russia's Sergey Lavrov and their counterparts from other SCO member nations.
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) Two men alleged to be members of Gogi gang were arrested with a cache of illicit weapons in north Delhi's Timarpur area, police said on Friday.

The two gangsters were Abhishek alias Amit alias Mitta, 24, and Naveen alias Shanichar, 38, both residents of Sonipat district in Haryana.

Twelve pistols and 30 live cartridges were found on them at the time of the arrest, police said.

Abhishek was involved in an attempt to help escape jailed gangster Karambir from a hospital last year, they said.

On April 27, police got a tip-off that two members of Gogi gang have recently purchased illicit weapons from some suppliers in Madhya Pradesh and would come to Gandhi Vihar area of Timarpur.

A trap was laid on the same day and the two men were caught, Special Commissioner of Police (Special Cell) HGS Dhaliwal said.

Both of them admitted to have been part of the Gogi gang during questioningm he said.

The two have been purchasing illicit weapons for over a year from Bihar's Munger and Madhya Pradesh's Burhanpur to carry out extortion and contract killings in Delhi, Haryana, and other states, police said.

Abhishek also revealed that he was in contact with most of the jailed gangsters of Gogi gang, including Karambir alias Kaju, and used to meet them in jail and during court appearances in Delhi and other states, they said.

Last year, Abhishek, along with his associates Shivam, Manjeet, and a few others, had planned Karambir's escape from Delhi Police custody when he was taken to Rohini's Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital but their attempt was foiled due to a technical issue at the hospital, police said.

They were planning to free Karambir again this year during his court appearances and hospital visits, they said.
Jaipur, May 5 (PTI) All India Sajjadanashin Council Chairman Naseeruddin Chishti on Friday asked Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to comment on the recent killings of minorities in Pakistan, in the latest incident of which eight teachers were shot dead.

Bhutto-Zardari is in Goa to attend the foreign ministers meeting at a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation conclave.

Chishti condemned atrocities against minorities in the neighbouring nation and said the Pakistan minister should set his house in order before asking others to do so.

Bhutto-Zardari has been critical of minority violence in India, blaming Hindutva ideology of the present government for it.

"Don't teach others what you can't do yourself. This goes for foreign affairs Minister of Pakistan Bilawal Bhutto. He should first answer on the recent killings of minorities in Pak. We strongly condemn the atrocities committed against minorities," Chishti said.

Eight school teachers were killed on Thursday in two separate incidents of targeted shootings in Pakistan's restive northwestern tribal district, bordering Afghanistan, in a possible case of sectarian violence.

"We often read news about Hindus being forcibly asked to convert religion. I am not alone in asking the Pakistan government to ensure the safety and security of minorities and destroy terrorism flourishing on its soil, this is the demand of the entire world," said the successor of Ajmer Dargah Dewan.
Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for "restoring our dignity" and correcting a "historic wrong" by deciding to give land ownership rights to those who have been living in the UT for the past 76 years.

Thanking the lieutenant governor, they said the decision has brought cheers on their faces.

"What the LG has done is good (for us). We are happy. For 70 years, we were living here and we could not own lands and houses," the 25-year-old Sonu Kumar told PTI here.

Sonu said his grandparents came to India 70 years ago.

"My father and I were born here. But people used to call us Pakistanis. We used to get angry. We are Hindustani, India is our country. We are Hindus. We thank Sinha sahib from the core of our heart," he added.

In a major decision, LG Sinha announced on May 1 that the administration will grant ownership rights to the refugees for land allotted to them on their migration to India from Pakistan in 1947.

Some of the refugees said Articles 370 and 35A had denied political rights and other benefits to them and hindered their prosperity and upward mobility. Abrogation of these special provisions made them citizens of India, they added.

Soom Lal Saini, 70, whose family came from Beri Pind in Pakistan in 1947, said he had been living with 11 members of his family in a one-room house for several years. He said they sustained their lives by working as labourers for generations.

"It is the biggest gift of my life. Now I will get ownership of the house. It will restore our dignity," Saini said, adding it corrected a historic wrong.

"We are very happy that the LG sahib gave us the rights. We thank him, it is a matter of happiness," he said, adding that now his children will get government jobs too.

Rani Devi too thanked LG Sinha for "thinking about our children".

"Neither we have our own place to live nor any land for farming. It was an insult to us. Our children could not get jobs. But he (LG) has done so much to help us. We are happy now," she added.

After these refugees came to India in 1947, they were given voting rights.

But Article 370 barred them from applying for government jobs, owning lands, avail scholarships and get admission to colleges. The abrogation of the article on August 5, 2019, paved the way for them to get the domicile status. And now, they will get land ownership rights.

"As per official records, 5,764 families who migrated from Pakistan to the border areas of Jammu having lands of 46,666 kanals with them. But today families have extended and as per our records there are 21,160 families in the community now. Grant of ownership of land and houses should be given as per our figure," West Pakistan Refugee Action Committee President Labha Ram Gandhi said.

"May 1, when the LG came to Chakroi to announce this decision, was a red-letter day for all of us. There is no end to our happiness. We thank him from the bottom of our hearts. First foremost we should thank the central government, particularly the prime minister and the home minister," he said.

Some refugees said they were behind others in terms of development and education but the decision by the Jammu and Kashmir administration will give our children a "new future".
New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) The launch of the Vande Bharat Express train from Nizamuddin in Delhi to Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh on April 2 this year has brought two railway divisions -- Delhi and Agra -- on a collision course on the question of deployment of the crew.

Every day, both divisions deploy their guards to supervise the train -- the one deputed by the Agra travels daily from Agra to Nizamuddin to do his job but returns as a passenger with the same train and is not allowed to enter the guards cabin.

"Every morning at 1.30 am, as per the work roaster prepared by the senior officers, a guard takes the Southern Express train in Agra and reaches Nizamuddin railway station. He takes a rest in the retiring room and gets ready to supervise the Vande Bharat, which starts from Nizamuddin at 2.40," Arun Kumar, Joint Secretary, All India Guards Council (AIGC), told PTI.

He added, "But he is not allowed to enter the guards cabin so he returns in the same train as a passenger," he added.

In its 710 kilometres of the total journey, the train, starting from Nizamuddin, covers four railway divisions in three railway zones -- Delhi division in Northern Railways (NR), Agra and Jhansi in North Central Railway (NCR) and Bhopal in West Central Zone (WCR) -- to reach Rani Kamlapati railway station in Bhopal at 10.10 at night.

Departmental communications within NR and NCR suggest that the problem between Delhi and Agra had started a day before Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the train from Bhopal's Rani Kamlapati Railway Station on April 1, 2023.

On March 31 at 7.08 pm, the Time Table Control (TTC) department of the NR issued a communication to all senior officers and informed them that the train will have NR guards from Nizamuddin to Jhansi and vice versa.

Just eight minutes later at 7.16 pm on the same day, Chief Passenger Transportation Manager (CPTM) from the NCR issued another communication to his senior officers, saying the train will have both guards and drivers from the NCR.

The Delhi division has permitted Agra divisions driver to run the train but they are not allowing Agras guard. Instead, they have forcibly taken control of the train, Kumar alleged.

When contacted, Anand Swaroop, Divisional Railway Manager, Agra, refused to comment. However, Chief Public Relations officer (CPRO) of the NR, Deepak Kumar, said, I have asked DRM, Delhi, to look into the matter and sort it out with Agra.

The rule is very clear that the crew of the division from where the train originates will operate it. So, I dont think there should be confusion about it, Kumar added.

Sanjay Pandhi, working president of Indian Railway Loco Runningmen Organisation (IRLRO), an association of train drivers, seconded with Kumar and said despite having clear norms, association of drivers and guards put pressure on their respective division heads to get control over newly introduced trains.

This is unfortunate as it amounts to wastage of manpower in the Railways. I think the Railway Board should intervene and get it sorted out, Pandhi added.

The NRC wing of All India Guards Council wrote to their senior officials on April 26 and staked their claim on the train, saying the distance between Nizamuddin and Jhansi is 405 km, out of which only 45 km distance falls in the Delhi division. The remaining 360 km comes under Agra and Jhansi division of NCR, hence they should get the rights over the train.

Northern Railway has all premium trains such as Rajdhani and Shatabdi under its control. They get more working hours on the train hence get early promotion. On the other hand, guards of NCR feel neglected, Kumar said, adding that there should be a level playing field for all the guards and drivers of the Indian Railways.
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Ideally, a business will show two trends; firstly a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an increasing amount of capital employed. Put simply, these types of businesses are compounding machines, meaning they are continually reinvesting their earnings at ever-higher rates of return. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

Understanding Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Coca-Cola:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.17 = US$12b  (US$97b - US$23b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to March 2023).

Therefore, Coca-Cola has an ROCE of 17%. In absolute terms, that's a pretty normal return, and it's somewhat close to the Beverage industry average of 15%.

See our latest analysis for Coca-Cola

roce

In the above chart we have measured Coca-Cola's prior ROCE against its prior performance, but the future is arguably more important. If you're interested, you can view the analysts predictions in our free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

The Trend Of ROCE

Things have been pretty stable at Coca-Cola, with its capital employed and returns on that capital staying somewhat the same for the last five years. This tells us the company isn't reinvesting in itself, so it's plausible that it's past the growth phase. With that in mind, unless investment picks up again in the future, we wouldn't expect Coca-Cola to be a multi-bagger going forward. That being the case, it makes sense that Coca-Cola has been paying out 67% of its earnings to its shareholders. These mature businesses typically have reliable earnings and not many places to reinvest them, so the next best option is to put the earnings into shareholders pockets.

Story continues

Our Take On Coca-Cola's ROCE

In summary, Coca-Cola isn't compounding its earnings but is generating stable returns on the same amount of capital employed. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 77% over the last five years. But if the trajectory of these underlying trends continue, we think the likelihood of it being a multi-bagger from here isn't high.

One more thing, we've spotted 2 warning signs facing Coca-Cola that you might find interesting.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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New Delhi, May 4 (PTI) The faculty associations of the AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh on Thursday said they will organise protests in case of any further delay in the implementation of the rotatory headship.

They expressed their deep anguish over the delay in the submission of a report regarding the rotatory headship and said a committee under the chairmanship of Dr Vinod Kumar Paul (Member, NITI Aayog) was constituted on August 18, 2022 by the Union health ministry.

The committee was to submit its report to the government on the implementation of rotatory headship and other related issues.

But even after the lapse of more than six months, this committee has failed to submit its report to the government, they said in a joint statement.

"To the best of our knowledge, all the members of the committee have appraised their opinion to the chairman, Professor Vinod Paul, and this report is inexplicably pending release for several days/weeks," the statement said.

The faculty associations of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) have been demanding rotatory headship for more than a decade now.

Countless committees have been formed by the Centre in this regard in the past and almost every panel has recommended its implementation in principle.

Of the many committees so far on this issue, one was formed under the chairmanship of Professor V K Behl, former dean of the AIIMS, to give suggestions on how to implement it. The committee has submitted its report after due consideration and consultation, the statement said.

The implementation and modalities of this administrative reform have been discussed deeply and for long and now, it is only left to be implemented.

"The surprising thing is that no one doubts the importance of this administrative reform and its positive effect in the interest of the country, yet due to the personal biases of certain individuals and the failure to take an administrative decision by the authority entrusted with this task, this administrative reform of great importance is delayed time and again," the statement said.

Stating that several reforms and tough decisions have been taken under the

leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the statement said, "We believe that rotatory headship is another one of such administrative reforms, which will have impactful progress and transparency in the administration of AIIMS, New Delhi and PGIMER, Chandigarh."

It is pertinent to note that at present, a similar system is in place in many other top medical institutes like IMS, BHU-Varanasi, NIMHANS-Bengaluru, JIPMER-Puducherry and CMC-Vellore, and the faculties of these institutes have expressed their satisfaction with this administrative system, which is a valid endorsement of this vital reform, the statement said.

At a meeting with the faculty association of the AIIMS, New Delhi on january 31, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya also expressed his confidence in this administrative reform and the desire to implement it soon, the statement said.

"We fail to understand why Dr Vinod K Paul has been delaying in the submission of this report. He might be under the influence of a few who want to derail this reform," it said.

"The faculty associations of both institutes are considering a series of protests and alternative actions in case of further unaccountable delays in implementing the report. We strongly urge Union minister Mansukh Mandaviyaji to demand the report from Dr Vinod K Paul so that the implementation of rotatory headship at both the institutes can be expedited," the statement added.
Ahmedabad, May 5 (PTI) The Gujarat High Court on Friday suspended the life sentence of two retired and one serving Indian Air Force personnel who were convicted by a special court last year in a 28-year-old custodial death case.

A division bench comprising Justice SH Vora and Justice SV Pinto suspended the life sentence of retired Squadron Leader Anoop Sood, retired Sergeant Anil K N and serving Sergeant Mahender Singh Sheravat till the pendency of their appeal.

Since the accused are behind bars after they were convicted last year, the bench also granted them bail on a condition that they will not leave the country and will remain present during the hearing of their appeal against the conviction.

A special CBI court in May last year had convicted the trio and sentenced them to life imprisonment in a custodial death case, which took place at Jamnagar Air Force Station in Gujarat in 1995.

The trio was found guilty of killing Girja Rawat, who worked as a cook at Air Force-I, Jamnagar. Of the seven accused in the case, these three were convicted, one died during the course of the trial, while three others were acquitted by the CBI court.

The high court granted relief saying, "The applicants stand a fair chance of acquittal and the conviction recorded under sections 302, 348, 177 read with section 120-B of IPC is apparently erroneous and the conviction may not be sustainable and therefore, we deem it fit to allow the present applications."

The accused had approached the high court for suspension of the sentence till the pendency of their appeal on the ground that the findings of the CBI court were "absolutely erroneous and illegal and there is no direct, indirect or circumstantial evidence brought by the prosecution agency to convict them".

As per the case details, Rawat was a cook in the DSC Mess of Air Force-I, Jamnagar. On November 13, 1995, around 10 to 12 Air Force police officials, including Sood, conducted searches at his residence and forcibly took him with them, as they suspected him of stealing liquor from the Air Force canteen.

It was alleged that the accused tortured Rawat to make him confess about the theft. In the evening, his wife visited the Guard Room and requested the officials to release her husband and was told that he would be released soon.

The accused allegedly tortured him, which led to his death the next day, the release stated.

In 2012, the Gujarat High Court handed over the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), as pleaded by Rawat's wife. After a thorough investigation, the CBI had filed a chargesheet in July 2013 against the accused.

The high court bench in its order on Friday noted that there was no evidence to show the presence of the applicants at the Main Guard Room and no witness who deposed that they have seen the applicants near the Main Guard Room trying to exhort confession from Girija Rawat.

"We find that the order of conviction and sentence recorded on the basis of assumption and presumptions is inconsistent with the evidence on record seems prima facie erroneous and warrants an order of suspension of sentence and grant of bail to the applicants," the order said.
An attorney who used his personal wealth to bankroll two unsuccessful runs for governor has pleaded guilty to possession of thousands of images of child sexual abuse
A Greek shipping company has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay $2.25 million for violations of environmental laws that were carried out by the captain and chief engineer of one of its oil tankers




Britains competition watchdog said Thursday that its opening a review of the artificial intelligence market, focusing on the technology underpinning chatbots like ChatGPT.

The Competition Markets Authority said it will look into the opportunities and risks of AI as well as the competition rules and consumer protections that may be needed.

AIs ability to mimic human behavior has dazzled users but also drawn attention from regulators and experts around the world concerned about its dangers as its use mushrooms  affecting jobs, copyright, education, privacy and many other parts of life.

The CEOs of Google, Microsoft and ChatGPT-maker OpenAI will meet Thursday with U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris for talks on how to ease the risks of their technology. And European Union negotiators are putting the finishing touches on sweeping new AI rules.

The U.K. watchdog said the goal of the review is to help guide the development of AI to ensure open and competitive markets that dont end up being unfairly dominated by a few big players.

Artificial intelligence has the potential to transform the way businesses compete as well as drive substantial economic growth, CMA Chief Executive Sarah Cardell said. Its crucial that the potential benefits of this transformative technology are readily accessible to U.K. businesses and consumers while people remain protected from issues like false or misleading information.

The authority will examine competition and barriers to entry in the development of foundation models. Also known as large language models, theyre a sub-category of general purpose AI that includes systems like ChatGPT.

The algorithms these models use are trained on vast pools of online information like blog posts and digital books to generate text and images that resemble human work, but they still face limitations including a tendency to fabricate information.

(AP)




As he pushes forward in his bid to nab the GOP nomination for president in 2024, former President Donald Trump has aimed much of his ire at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to be his most potent challenger.

Primary among Trumps attacks is that DeSantis is an establishment Republican  the type that Trump claims he tried rid the party of.

But Jenna Ellis, a key Trump lawyer in his attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, suggested that it is Trump, not DeSantis, who is, and is surrounded by, establishment types. And she came with receipts.

I respect President Trump, but Im tired of his campaign hypocritically accusing Ron DeSantis of doing things THEY do, Ellis wrote on Twitter.

Since they insist on lying about DeSantis, I have created a running list of Team Trumps ties to Jeb, The Swamp, and Woke corporations.

Trumps 2024 campaign is led by former Bush and Swamp operatives with close ties to woke corporations, Ellis wrote.

Lets start with Trumps pollster, McLaughlin & Associates. McLaughlin was Jeb Bushs pollster and he has been paid $3.8 million by Trump since 2016.

In addition to Jeb Bush, Trumps pollster has worked with: Anheuser-Busch, Pfizer,Amazon / Bezos, NY Post / Murdoch, Eric Cantor, Gates Foundation / Bill Gates

Imagine what Trump would say about DeSantis if his top advisor worked with ANY of them!

She continued: Donald Trumps strategist, Susie Wiles, worked for: George H.W. Bush, Democrat Charlie Crist, Obamas Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman.

Donald Trumps campaign manager, Chris LaCivita, worked for: The Bush family, Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, Democrat Charlie Crist, Pro-Trump impeachment Congressman Anthony Gonzalez.

Donald Trumps New Hampshire State Director Trevor Naglieri worked for Jeb Bush; Donald Trumps campaign co-chair in South Carolina is Lindsey Graham, who endorsed Jeb Bush in 2016.

Donald Trumps rallies are organized by Event Strategies, Inc. Trump has paid them $377,780 so far in 2023. Their clients include: Disney, Bloomberg, Romney, McCain, Bill and Melinda Gates, HBO, Microsoft.

All this of course raises the question: Is Donald Trump part of the Swamp?

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant informed his Greek counterpart, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, that Iran can build five nuclear bombs with the enriched uranium they already have. The comment came during a meeting between the two defense officials in Athens, Greece, on Thursday.

Make no mistake  Iran will not be satisfied by a single nuclear bomb. So far, Iran has gained material enriched to 20% and 60% for five nuclear bombs, Gallant said. Iranian progress, and enrichment to 90%, would be a grave mistake on Irans part, and could ignite the region.

Gallant didnt say what Israel will do about it, but security officials have made it crystal clear that they will do what they must to ensure Iran never gets its blood-stained hands on a functioning nuclear weapon.

Gallant added that Israel wont allow Iran to continue building up its stronghold in Syria.

Over the past six months, Iran has sent aircraft to Syria on a weekly basis, delivering weapons to be used for terrorism, he said. The Syrian regime should be aware that the IDF will respond forcefully to any attacks launched from its territory. We will not allow Iran to establish military power in Syria, or to build a highway for the delivery of advanced weapons to Lebanon.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)




Maryland Rep. David Trone announced Thursday he will run for the U.S. Senate seat that will be opening with the retirement of Sen. Ben Cardin.

Trone, a Democrat, has focused on issues including opioid addiction, mental health, medical research and criminal justice reform while in office. The congressman said he would continue advocating for those issues in the Senate.

Ben Cardin was a great U.S. senator, and were looking forward to following in his huge shoes, Trone said in an interview with The Associated Press. But weve got a lot of challenges that are facing Maryland, and weve got to focus on those challenges, and first and foremost, its the addiction crisis.

Trone, who is the wealthy founder of Total Wine & More liquor stores, spent more than $12 million of his own money on his House race last year. He said its too soon to say how much he would spend on a Senate race, but he said using his own fortune means he doesnt take money from political action committees, corporations or lobbyists.

And the whole key in that is you make your own decisions, Trone said. You can do whats right for the people of Maryland and not be influenced by anybody.

Trone is the third candidate to announce a Senate campaign since Cardin said Monday that he would not seek reelection.

On Tuesday, Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando, a Democrat, announced his campaign for the seat. Jawando served in former President Barack Obamas administration as associate director of public engagement and as an adviser to Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Activist Jerome Segal announced earlier this week he is running.

Trone won a third term to Marylands 6th Congressional District in November in a rematch with Republican Neil Parrott, whom he also beat two years earlier. The western Maryland district was redrawn with fewer Democrats after a successful court challenge by the GOP to the states congressional map.

Trone said he worked hard to represent the entire district and ended up winning with nearly 55% of the vote in the states most competitive House district.

Im confident there will be another Democrat that steps up to bring that same willingness to be present, show up everywhere, never leave western Maryland behind  and keep the seat, Trone said.

Other potential candidates for Cardins Senate seat include Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat, and Prince Georges County Executive Angela Alsobrooks, a Democrat.

The winner of the Democratic primary will be a heavy favorite to win the seat in a state where Democrats outnumber Republicans 2-1. Maryland has not elected a Republican to the U.S. Senate since 1980. The states eight-member House delegation has only one Republican.

Last year, GOP leadership aggressively tried to recruit then-Gov. Larry Hogan to run against Sen. Chris Van Hollen, but Hogan declined, saying he didnt aspire to be a U.S. senator. Hogan, who recently wrapped up his second and final term as governor, said in March that he would not seek the 2024 Republican nomination for president.

Cardin, 79, has been a longtime fixture in Maryland politics. His retirement will open up his seat for the first time since 2006, when he was elected to the Senate after spending 20 years in the U.S. House representing a large part of Baltimore and several nearby suburbs.

Cardin is the third Democratic senator to decide not to run for reelection next year, following Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan. On the Republican side, Sen. Mike Braun of Indiana is eschewing a second term and will run for governor instead.

(AP)




A man who had been shouting at people aboard a New York City subway train died after fellow riders tackled him and one put him in a chokehold that lasted until his body went limp. And now the incident has led to Democrats being at each others necks, too.

Video of the altercation posted online by a freelance journalist showed the man lying beneath Neely, holding him in a headlock position for several minutes as Neely tried and failed to break free. A second passenger pinned Neelys arms while a third person held down his shoulder.

Jordan Neely was murdered, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. Jordan was houseless and crying for food in a time when the city is raising rents and stripping services to militarize itself while many in power demonize the poor, the murderer gets protected w/ passive headlines + no charges. Its disgusting.

Black men seem to always be choked to death, Ocasio-Cortezs ideological brother Rep. Jamaal Bowman said. Jordan Neely did not have to die. Its as simple as that. Yet we have another Black man publicly executed.

A pile of other Democrats jumped on the Marine-bashing bandwagon. But not all saw the incident the same way.

People who are homeless in our subways, many of them in the throes of mental health episodes, and thats what I believe some of the factors involved here, Governor Kathy Hochul said. Theres consequences for behavior.

Meanwhile NYC Mayor Eric Adams said, Theres a lot we dont know about what happened here, so Im going to refrain from commenting further.

This prompted a back-and-forth exchange of fire between the two camps.

NYCs 2nd Black Mayor just All Lives Mattered the murder of a mentally ill Black man who was killed by a blood thirsty vigilante. Representation though, right? New York City Councilman Chi Osse wrote on Twitter.

Consequences for whom? NYC Councilwoman Tiffany Caban wrote about Hochuls comment. Executive leadership that time & time again pump more $ into policing & incarceration systems, champion policies that criminalize and cage more people? Who opt for that instead of funding a robust public health infrastructure & continuum of care?

But Adams wouldnt take the progressive Democrats arguments sitting down.

I dont think thats very responsible at the time where we are still investigating the situation, Adams said in response to their hand wringing. Lets let the DA conduct his investigation with the law enforcement officials. To really interfere with that is not the right thing to do, he said. Im going to be responsible and allow them to do their job and allow them to determine exactly what happened here.

We dont know exactly what happened here, Adams said, adding that we cannot just blatantly say what a passenger should or should not do in a situation like that, and we should allow the investigation to take its course.

The 24-year-old Marine veteran involved in the struggle, who appeared to be white, was taken into custody and released without charges. His name has not been released publicly.

The medical examiners office classified Neelys death as a homicide and the manner as a chokehold, but noted that any determination about criminal culpability would be left to the legal system.

The Manhattan district attorneys office said it is investigating.

As part of our rigorous ongoing investigation, we will review the Medical Examiners report, assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records, read a statement from a spokesperson for the DA.

Neelys death comes amid a period of heightened public attention to both homelessness and mental illness on New York Citys streets and subways. Following several high-profile incidents, including a shooting on a subway train that left 10 people wounded last year, Mayor Eric Adams promised to deploy additional police officers and mental health workers throughout the transit system.

The freelance journalist who recorded the incident, Juan Alberto Vazquez, told the New York Post that Neely was screaming in an aggressive manner, and complaining of hunger and thirst. Neely did not physically attack anyone, Vazquez said, adding that the Marine veteran approached the man after he threw his jacket to the ground.

The video starts with Neely already on the subway cars floor, with the mans left arm around Neelys neck, locked into his other arm positioned against the mans head. A second man holds Neelys outstretched arm while pinning the other hand against his body. Neely is mostly still, but half a minute later tries to struggle out of the headlock. Eventually, he goes limp.

(AP/YWN)
Transparency Market Research

Various forms of copper, such as copper rod, copper metal sheet, and copper cables, are used in automotive components because it improves the functionality, comfort, efficiency, and safety of a vehicle

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, May 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc.  The Global Copper Market was valued at US$ 175.5 Bn in 2021 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 4.6% during the forecast period from 2022 to 2031.



Copper exhibits an array of superior physical, mechanical, and structural properties, which accounts for its extensive commercial usage across sectors. Copper has anti-bacterial properties, and thus is suitable for medical applications. It is a sustainable material, as it can be recycled and reused numerous times.

Copper is critical in the manufacture of electronic systems used across diverse industries. This is due to its outstanding thermal and electrical conductivity and adaptability. Approximately 75% of copper used worldwide is in computers, smart gadgets, and wiring or cables.

Demand for copper is high in electric vehicles, which is nearly four times that of hybrid vehicles or IC engine vehicles. This offers substantial opportunities for players to increase their share in the copper market.

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Key Findings of Study

Surge in Demand from Electronics and Electric Vehicles Sector  Copper is widely used in the electronics industry, which is one of the most economically profitable industries. Out of 75% of copper industry and copper alloy demand, electrical devices account for the third-largest usage of copper. Computer chips, electronic connectors, semiconductors, circuit wiring, and printed circuit boards are few examples of electrical goods that use copper. Therefore, growth of the electronics industry is likely to bolster market demand in the next few years.



Copper sheet metal, copper cables, and copper rods are widely used in automotive components, as it increases the functionality, efficiency, safety, and comfort of a vehicle. Wire harness, alternator, starter motor, electric vehicle batteries, radiator, and brake tubes are automotive components that use copper.



Economic policies of governments to phase out fossil fuel vehicles in order to promote battery-powered vehicles is anticipated to propel global copper market development in the next few years. For instance, the U.K. Government plans to stop the sale of new gasoline and diesel automobiles by 2030. China and Israel have announced plans to phase out gasoline and diesel vehicles by 2030.



According to the International Copper Association, in 2040, weight of copper in battery electric vehicles would be about 161 lbs versus current usage in conventional internal combustion engine cars, which is 66 lbs. In 2040, the three major vehicle components that are anticipated to use copper are low voltage wire harness, electric traction motor, and power electronics, and Li-ion batteries. Cameras, LiDARs, radars, and driving control units (ADCU) account for around 6% of copper used in vehicles.

Story continues

Substantial Increase in Utilization of Copper in Construction Industry  Copper is a traditionally used metal in the building & construction sector. Copper roof is widely accepted as a long-lasting substitute for other materials ascribed to its strength. Copper is resistant to fire, hail, and mildew, and can last for up to several decades with proper care. Low weight of copper offers cost advantages, in terms of supporting materials and structures, in construction undertakings.



Copper tubing is perfect for distribution of water and gas. High-strength copper pipes can withstand alternating freeze-unfreeze cycles as well as enormous pressures of above 1,000 pounds per square inch. It has anti-bacterial properties, and thus helps prevent the growth of harmful germs by preventing contaminants from entering pipes.



A copper plumbing system is less expensive than those made of other metals due to its attributes of easy handling, shaping, and joining. This reduces the amount of material required, installation time, and overall cost. Copper also requires less maintenance in comparison to other plumbing systems over time.

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High Demand for Oxygen-free Copper  Based on grade, the copper market has been segmented into pure copper, electrolytic copper, oxygen-free copper, and free-machining copper. The oxygen-free copper segment accounts for the leading share of the global market due to extensive demand in the electronics industry. Copper wiring manufactured from C101 oxygen-free copper is used for high-tech audio/visual applications where quality is of paramount importance.

Growth Drivers

Increase in demand for copper in the electronics industry due to its excellent physical properties and adaptability

Significant utilization of copper in electric vehicles, which is nearly four times the use in IC engine vehicles and hybrid vehicles

Regional Landscape

Asia Pacific is anticipated to account for dominant share of the global copper market during the forecast period. This is ascribed to focus of the Government of China on development of building and power generating industries and continued investment in the country for improvements in the telecommunications and electronics industries. Therefore, China accounts for significantly high demand for copper in the region.



Surge in demand for residential communities in China is anticipated to fuel construction in both private and public sectors, which, in turn, is likely to fuel the copper market expansion.



Key Players

Prominent players operating in the copper market include

HP Bilition,

Freeport

McMoRan Inc.,

Jiangxi Copper Corporation, and Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd.

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The global copper market has been segmented as follows:

Copper Market, by Grade

Pure Copper

Oxygen-free Copper

Electrolytic Copper

Free-machining Copper

Copper Market, by Form

Wire Rods

Plates

Sheets and Strips

Tubes

Bars and Sections

Others

Copper Market, by Application

Electric Vehicles

Wiring

Motor Parts

Industrial Machinery

Roofing

Pipes

Solar Panels

Optical Fibers

Others



Copper Market, by End-use

Construction

Automotive

Electrical & Electronics

Power

Telecommunication

Others

Copper Market, by Region

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Latin America

Middle East & Africa



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyses information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Contact:

Nikhil Sawlani

Transparency Market Research Inc.

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Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman responded to the Chareidi boycott of Angel Bakery by showing support for the bakery.

Lieberman published two photos of himself purchasing challah in Angel on Thursday evening, writing: On the way home, I stopped to buy challos for Shabbat in Angel Bakery. As far as I know, the State of Israel is still defined as a democracy and people are allowed to express their opinions. We wont allow Chareidi askanim to harm the livelihood of Israeli citizens.

Meanwhile more and more yeshivos ended their contracts with Angel, including Wolfson Yeshivah, which has over 1,000 bochurim, and many other large Chareidi and Dati Leumi yeshivos, Talmudei Torah and other institutions.

Yeshivas Mir of Yerushalayim had a preexisting contract with Berman Bakery, as a sign posted on the main door of the yeshivah on Thursday attests:

There were numerous photos of untouched Angel products on social media on Friday morning. Many people also posted photos of themselves buying other brands for Shabbos, including Simcha Rothman of the Religious Zionist Party, one of the architects of the governments judicial reform plan and chairman of the Knessets Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.

Deputy Finance Minister Michal Woldiger of the Religious Zionist Party wrote: I understand the Chareidi sector. Now that Omer Bar-Lev is the chairman of a private bakery, he comes and pokes his finger and belittles talmidei chachamim. I dont feel comfortable buying at Angel either.

(YWN Israel Desk  Jerusalem)
Demand for electric cars is being held back by charge-point anxiety as drivers fret about the cost and convenience of going green, say industry experts.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said it expects plug-in battery electric vehicles (EVs) to account for 18.4 per cent of new sales this year and 22.6 per cent next year, down from previous forecasts of 19.7 per cent and 23.3 per cent.

The update will fuel fears that the Governments plans to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel models in 2030 are unworkable.

Charging ahead: The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said it expects plug-in battery electric vehicles to account for 18.4% of new sales this year

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the SMMT, said: The new car market is increasingly bullish, as easing supply chain pressures provide a much-needed boost.

The broader economic conditions and charge-point anxiety are beginning to cast a cloud over the markets eagerness to adopt zero-emission mobility at the scale and pace needed.

To ensure all drivers can benefit from EVs, we need everyone  Government, local authorities, energy companies and charging providers  to accelerate investment in the transition and bolster consumer confidence in making the switch.

Options for recharging on motorways and A roads are limited and a charging point at home is not always an option.

At the start of April, there were 40,150 public charging points across the UK. But they are not evenly distributed and only 7,647 are rapid devices.

Westminster has 2,196  more than the 1,593 available across Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham combined.

Campaigners say only a few are at en-route locations, such as motorway service stations, making planning journeys particularly hard.

The main focus should be ensuring we have the right speed charger in the right location and we avoid any blackspots, said Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA.
Vodafone and the owner of Three UK are closing in on a 15billion merger to create the countrys biggest mobile phone operator.

Insiders suggest a deal could be made between Vodafone and Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison this month, putting roughly 28m customers in Britain on its combined books.

However, analysts warn that regulators could be concerned about a lack of competition.

The telecom giants have reportedly been in talks for nearly a year as both face pressure to drive down costs and streamline.

Phone deal: Insiders suggest a deal could be made between Vodafone and Hong Kong-based CK Hutchinson by the end of this month

The agreement is set to value the combined group at around 15billion, according to the Financial Times.

It comes just a week after Vodafone said that temporary chief executive Margherita Della Valle will now fill the role permanently.

She was the chief financial officer but became interim boss after Nick Read was ousted last year.

The search for a replacement dragged on for nearly five months, sparking uncertainty about whether anyone was willing to take the role on.

Karen Egan, telecoms expert at Enders Analysis, said the combination of Three and Vodafone could transform the fortunes of struggling operators, with Three UK on a downward spiral as the countrys smallest player behind BT-owned EE, Virgin Media O2 and Vodafone.

Analysts have criticised Britains overcrowded telecoms market, calling for consolidation to cut costs and boost investment in technology.

But some are concerned about regulatory pushback, which prevented Threes takeover of O2 in 2016.

Paolo Pescatore, analyst at PP Foresight, said the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which blocked the takeover of Call of Duty owner Activision Blizzard by Microsoft, could pose a threat.

The only chance it has of getting over the line is whether both parties can demonstrate that this is in the genuine interests of UK plc, he said.

Analysts at Enders suggest that the CMA is not demonstrating the pro-business approach needed for the deal to go through. Vodafone shares fell 1.7 per cent, or 1.64p, to 94.52p.

Vodafone and CK Hutchison declined to comment.
The elevated global threat environment is boosting defence giant BAE Systems, its boss says.

Chief executive Charles Woodburn said trading was strong as the war in Ukraine continues.

Demand for weapons, ammunition and equipment has soared as Britain, the US and other allies support Ukraine following the invasion by Russia and look to shore up their own stocks.

Fortunes of war: BAE expects sales for the year to grow up to 5% from last years 23bn, with profits forecast to jump by up to 6%

Mounting fears over Chinese aggression in the Asia-Pacific region is also driving higher spending in the West.

Woodburn also said the Aukus deal between the US, Britain and Australia to provide Australia with nuclear-powered submarines would be significant.

BAE expects sales for the year to grow up to 5 per cent from last years 23billion, with profits forecast to jump by up to 6 per cent.

The update came as BAE held its annual meeting with shareholders in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Chairman Sir Roger Carr has stepped down to be succeeded Cressida Hogg. Shares, up more than 80 per cent since the start of 2022, fell 2.6 per cent, or 26.3p, to 993.2p.
Intercontinental Hotels Group has announced that its chief executive will step down at the end of June after 30 years at the company.

The departure of Keith Barr, 52, who took up the top job in 2017, was revealed alongside a set of bumper quarterly results at the hotel chain.

The owner of Holiday Inn and Crowne Plaza said it benefited from the lifting of pandemic restrictions in China and was able to bump up room prices by more than 10 per cent.

Pricier rooms: IHG said its average daily room rate rose 11% in the first quarter versus last year

Revenue per available room, which is calculated by multiplying average daily room rates by occupancy rates, surged 33 per cent in the first three months of 2023 compared to the same quarter last year and was up 7 per cent versus 2019.

IHG's hotels in China did particularly well, with revenue per room jumping 75 per cent compared to last year thanks to Beijing's removal of its anti-Covid lockdown measures - though it still remains down 9 per cent compared to 2019.

In the UK, revenue per room rose 12 per cent. It was up 18 per cent in the Americas, but Japan saw a 9 per cent fall.

The group, which has more than 6,100 hotels across the world, said its average daily room rate rose 11 per cent, with occupancy levels up 10 per cent and close to what they were before the pandemic.

Departing boss Mr Barr said: 'We've seen a good start to the year, with continued strong trading in both the Americas and EMEAA, and an excellent rebound in demand in Greater China since the lifting of travel restrictions.

'Leisure demand has remained buoyant, and there has been further return of business and group travel as expected.

Departing: IHG chief executive, Keith Barr

'The guest appeal of our brands has continued to support pricing, with rate up 10 per cent versus 2019 and occupancy now almost back to pre-Covid levels.'

However, he also flagged 'ongoing economic uncertainties' and said that 'financing challenges' for the wider commercial real estate industry were holding back new hotel developments.

IHG shares fell 3 per cent to 53.56 in morning trade on Friday, reflecting the boss' departure, though they have enjoyed a strong performance since the start of the year, rising by around 11 per cent.

Mr Barr, who recently claimed London is 'not a very attractive place' for firms to list shares, will be replaced by IHG's Americas chief executive, Elie Maalouf, on 1 July, though he will remain available to support and advise the business until the end of the year.

IHG shares have surged 25 per cent since he took over as chief executive in July 2017.

Over his tenure, Barr oversaw the expansion of the hotel chain, 'broadening the portfolio with the addition of seven brands in six years' and 'significantly investing in IHG's digital capabilities and loyalty offer'.

Incoming new boss Mr Maalouf, who has been running the Americas division for the past eight years, 'led the delivery of record profits' and 'oversaw the launch of new brands and formats', IHG said.

Chair Deanna Oppenheimer, added: 'His significant industry experience and deep understanding of our business makes him extremely well placed to take on the role of CEO and ensure we continue to progress and execute against our successful strategy.'
Nik Storonsky: Obtaining a licence is a 'long and tiring process'

The boss of Revolut has slammed regulators for failing to hand it a UK banking licence  just months after the payment app said that it was expecting a green light 'imminently'.

Revolut has been trying for more than two years to win approval from regulators, which would allow it to expand its services in Britain into taking deposits and giving loans.

In early March the company said a licence from the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) would be granted 'imminently'  possibly within days.

But following a warning from its auditor that parts of its accounts were 'materially mis-stated', it is still waiting.

Smaller rivals such as Monzo and Starling already have UK banking licences, while Estonia's LHV bank was granted one this week.

In an outburst yesterday  labelled 'sour grapes' by one City observer  Revolut co-founder and chief executive Nik Storonsky said winning approval has been a 'long and tiring process' and warned Britain was an undesirable place to do business.

'You wait for emails or letters for months. This is not the business environment to operate in the modern world,' he told The Times, adding that there was a 'slowing down' in British tech despite political ambitions to become the next Silicon Valley. 'In the past a lot of people would come to London; it was the place to be. That has now changed.'

Storonksy's comments come as his business faces increasing scrutiny. London-based Revolut raised eyebrows after its latest accounts were five months overdue, with its auditor BDO stating that some parts were 'materially mis-stated'.

This included three-quarters of its 636m revenue in 2021, which BDO said it could not independently verify. Revolut was also criticised by the FCA in March and ordered to change or remove an advert within 48 hours.

The watchdog declined to give details but its rules state: 'All adverts and promotions for financial services must be fair, clear and not misleading.'

The firm also suffered a setback last month when Schroders valued it at 14billion, a far cry from the 27billion price tag it boasted in its last funding round in 2021.

Danni Hewson, financial analyst at AJ Bell, said there was an element of 'sour grapes' in Storonsky's comments. 'I think Britain has become a bit of a punchbag for people who don't get their way in business,' she said.

Revolut was set up in 2015 by Storonsky and Vlad Yatsenko. It has 28m customers and operates in more than 200 countries.

Storonsky told The Times that he would choose New York over London if he was ever going to list the company.
Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 9,394 shares of the financial services providers stock, valued at approximately $388,000.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meyer Handelman Co. lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 254,542 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $10,510,000 after acquiring an additional 1,108 shares in the last quarter. Tevis Investment Management lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Tevis Investment Management now owns 2,641 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $106,000 after acquiring an additional 430 shares in the last quarter. Ulysses Management LLC lifted its position in Wells Fargo & Company by 25.0% in the 3rd quarter. Ulysses Management LLC now owns 50,000 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $2,011,000 after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares in the last quarter. Hartline Investment Corp bought a new position in Wells Fargo & Company in the 3rd quarter valued at about $355,000. Finally, Calton & Associates Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wells Fargo & Company by 23.2% in the 4th quarter. Calton & Associates Inc. now owns 6,216 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $257,000 after buying an additional 1,170 shares during the last quarter. 72.24% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kleber Santos sold 34,698 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $46.27, for a total value of $1,605,476.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,590 shares in the company, valued at $906,429.30. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.07% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Wells Fargo & Company Trading Down 4.2 %

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WFC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods boosted their target price on Wells Fargo & Company from $44.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Barclays dropped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $64.00 to $54.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Wells Fargo & Company in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $52.00 to $50.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price objective on Wells Fargo & Company from $45.00 to $42.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wells Fargo & Company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $49.45.

Wells Fargo & Company stock opened at $36.72 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $137.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.52, a PEG ratio of 0.79 and a beta of 1.12. Wells Fargo & Company has a fifty-two week low of $35.25 and a fifty-two week high of $48.84. The firms fifty day moving average price is $40.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $43.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.06, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE:WFC  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 14th. The financial services provider reported $1.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.15 by $0.08. The firm had revenue of $20.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $20.06 billion. Wells Fargo & Company had a net margin of 15.93% and a return on equity of 10.07%. The businesss quarterly revenue was up 16.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.88 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Wells Fargo & Company will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wells Fargo & Company Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Investors of record on Friday, May 5th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.27%. Wells Fargo & Companys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.38%.

Wells Fargo & Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Wells Fargo & Co is a diversified, community-based financial services company. It is engaged in the provision of banking, insurance, investments, mortgage products and services, and consumer and commercial finance. It operates through the following segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management.

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Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in shares of Arconic Co. (NYSE:ARNC  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 14,696 shares of the basic materials companys stock, valued at approximately $311,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in ARNC. Hedges Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Arconic by 69.3% during the 4th quarter. Hedges Asset Management LLC now owns 32,500 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 13,300 shares during the period. Fiducient Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Arconic during the 4th quarter worth $240,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its position in Arconic by 9.0% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 17,930 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 1,474 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC boosted its position in Arconic by 13.5% during the 4th quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 16,021 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $339,000 after purchasing an additional 1,904 shares during the period. Finally, State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its position in Arconic by 15.0% during the 4th quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 102,658 shares of the basic materials companys stock worth $2,172,000 after purchasing an additional 13,410 shares during the period. 93.90% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on ARNC. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on shares of Arconic from $23.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Arconic from a neutral rating to a sell rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Tuesday, February 28th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Arconic in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research cut shares of Arconic from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $22.67.

Arconic Stock Performance

Shares of Arconic stock opened at $28.93 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $2.88 billion, a PE ratio of -15.31 and a beta of 1.91. The firms 50-day simple moving average is $25.78 and its 200-day simple moving average is $23.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 1.52. Arconic Co. has a 1 year low of $16.33 and a 1 year high of $31.24.

Arconic (NYSE:ARNC  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 4th. The basic materials company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.30 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $1.93 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.85 billion. Arconic had a negative net margin of 2.03% and a positive return on equity of 9.06%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was down 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.39 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Arconic Co. will post 1.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Arconic

(Get Rating)

Arconic Corporation manufactures and sells aluminum sheets, plates, extrusions, and architectural products in the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Russia, the United Kingdom, and internationally. It operates through three segments: Rolled Products, Building and Construction Systems, and Extrusions.

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Toronto Dominion Bank boosted its holdings in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. (NYSE:AJG  Get Rating) by 18.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 113,992 shares of the financial services providers stock after purchasing an additional 17,651 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned about 0.05% of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. worth $21,482,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of AJG. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 25,783,678 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $4,414,680,000 after buying an additional 266,711 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,534,252 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $947,576,000 after purchasing an additional 300,053 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 5.6% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,688,886 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $506,963,000 after purchasing an additional 141,783 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,876,042 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $321,216,000 after purchasing an additional 66,267 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Asset Management Americas Inc. now owns 1,546,085 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $264,721,000 after purchasing an additional 9,285 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 82.07% of the companys stock.

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Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:AJG opened at $210.83 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.61. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $193.94 and a 200 day simple moving average of $191.76. The firm has a market cap of $45.05 billion, a PE ratio of 39.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.69. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has a 12-month low of $148.24 and a 12-month high of $212.60.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Announces Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.55 per share. This represents a $2.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 40.82%.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on AJG shares. Argus raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $228.00 to $232.00 in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $215.00 to $233.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Raymond James raised their target price on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $215.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets assumed coverage on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. in a report on Thursday, January 19th. They issued an outperform rating and a $211.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. from $220.00 to $230.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $217.71.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kay W. Mccurdy sold 182 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $196.59, for a total transaction of $35,779.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,091 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,112,179.69. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, Director David S. Johnson sold 1,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $189.62, for a total value of $189,620.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 46,508 shares of the companys stock, valued at $8,818,846.96. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kay W. Mccurdy sold 182 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $196.59, for a total value of $35,779.38. Following the sale, the director now owns 31,091 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,112,179.69. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 27,783 shares of company stock valued at $5,262,891. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. Profile

(Get Rating)

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co engages in the provision of insurance brokerage, consulting, and third-party claims settlement and administration services. It operates through the following business segments: Brokerage, Risk Management, and Corporate. The Brokerage segment consists of retail and wholesale insurance brokerage operations.

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We're definitely into long term investing, but some companies are simply bad investments over any time frame. We really hate to see fellow investors lose their hard-earned money. Spare a thought for those who held Core Laboratories Inc. (NYSE:CLB) for five whole years - as the share price tanked 83%. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 18% in the last 90 days. We note that the company has reported results fairly recently; and the market is hardly delighted. You can check out the latest numbers in our company report. We really feel for shareholders in this scenario. It's a good reminder of the importance of diversification, and it's worth keeping in mind there's more to life than money, anyway.

If the past week is anything to go by, investor sentiment for Core Laboratories isn't positive, so let's see if there's a mismatch between fundamentals and the share price.

Check out our latest analysis for Core Laboratories

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During five years of share price growth, Core Laboratories moved from a loss to profitability. That would generally be considered a positive, so we are surprised to see the share price is down. Other metrics might give us a better handle on how its value is changing over time.

We don't think that the 0.2% is big factor in the share price, since it's quite small, as dividends go. Arguably, the revenue drop of 10% a year for half a decade suggests that the company can't grow in the long term. That could explain the weak share price.

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Core Laboratories has improved its bottom line over the last three years, but what does the future have in store? You can see how its balance sheet has strengthened (or weakened) over time in this free interactive graphic.

Story continues

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 2.5% in the twelve months, Core Laboratories shareholders did even worse, losing 17% (even including dividends). However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Unfortunately, longer term shareholders are suffering worse, given the loss of 13% doled out over the last five years. We'd need to see some sustained improvements in the key metrics before we could muster much enthusiasm. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Core Laboratories that you should be aware of before investing here.

Of course Core Laboratories may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this free collection of growth stocks.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV increased its position in shares of The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI  Get Rating) by 14.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,989 shares of the health services providers stock after acquiring an additional 246 shares during the period. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADVs holdings in The Cigna Group were worth $659,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Summit X LLC boosted its stake in The Cigna Group by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 2,241 shares of the health services providers stock worth $617,000 after purchasing an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 642 shares of the health services providers stock worth $213,000 after acquiring an additional 35 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 4,762 shares of the health services providers stock worth $1,578,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares during the period. Monument Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Monument Capital Management now owns 1,571 shares of the health services providers stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Eads & Heald Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of The Cigna Group by 3.0% during the 4th quarter. Eads & Heald Wealth Management now owns 1,292 shares of the health services providers stock worth $428,000 after acquiring an additional 38 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.61% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at The Cigna Group

In other The Cigna Group news, CEO David Cordani sold 20,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.06, for a total transaction of $5,924,720.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 120,496 shares of the companys stock, valued at $35,433,053.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, Director Donna F. Zarcone sold 2,088 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $271.67, for a total value of $567,246.96. Following the sale, the director now owns 25,550 shares in the company, valued at $6,941,168.50. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO David Cordani sold 20,148 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $294.06, for a total value of $5,924,720.88. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 120,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $35,433,053.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 28,509 shares of company stock valued at $8,200,219. Company insiders own 0.60% of the companys stock.

The Cigna Group Price Performance

Shares of NYSE CI opened at $243.69 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $72.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.88 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.70, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The Cigna Group has a 1-year low of $240.11 and a 1-year high of $340.11. The businesss 50 day moving average is $265.76 and its 200-day moving average is $297.60.

The Cigna Group (NYSE:CI  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 3rd. The health services provider reported $4.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $4.84 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $45.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.79 billion. The Cigna Group had a return on equity of 16.01% and a net margin of 3.69%. The companys revenue was up .1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $4.77 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that The Cigna Group will post 24.79 earnings per share for the current year.

The Cigna Group Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, June 7th will be issued a $1.23 dividend. This represents a $4.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, June 6th. The Cigna Groups dividend payout ratio is presently 23.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on CI shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reduced their price objective on shares of The Cigna Group from $359.00 to $348.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 8th. SVB Securities cut their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $335.00 to $309.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their price target on shares of The Cigna Group from $367.00 to $293.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Mizuho reiterated a buy rating and set a $360.00 price target on shares of The Cigna Group in a research note on Thursday, March 30th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on The Cigna Group from $378.00 to $370.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $336.42.

The Cigna Group Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The Cigna Group is engaged in the provision of global health services. It operates through the following segments: Evernorth, U.S. Medical, International Markets, and Group Disability and Other. The Evernorth segment includes a broad range of coordinated and point solution health services, including pharmacy solutions, benefits management solutions, care solutions and intelligence solutions.

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Highland Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 9,040 shares of the oilfield services companys stock, valued at approximately $356,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Halliburton by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 59,383,523 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $1,462,022,000 after buying an additional 1,241,290 shares in the last quarter. Sanders Capital LLC grew its holdings in Halliburton by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 21,366,658 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $526,047,000 after buying an additional 622,878 shares in the last quarter. Boston Partners grew its holdings in Halliburton by 11.1% during the 3rd quarter. Boston Partners now owns 9,951,333 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $245,269,000 after buying an additional 998,022 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Halliburton by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 9,700,760 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $238,833,000 after buying an additional 81,880 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC grew its holdings in Halliburton by 60.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barrow Hanley Mewhinney & Strauss LLC now owns 8,746,026 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $215,328,000 after buying an additional 3,294,360 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.56% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on HAL. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Halliburton from $40.00 to $46.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Benchmark reissued a buy rating and set a $50.00 price objective on shares of Halliburton in a report on Monday, April 3rd. Barclays boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $54.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Finally, HSBC boosted their price objective on Halliburton from $43.90 to $57.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Fourteen research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Buy and an average price target of $48.24.

Halliburton Trading Down 0.4 %

NYSE HAL opened at $29.02 on Friday. Halliburton has a 12 month low of $23.30 and a 12 month high of $43.99. The stock has a market cap of $26.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 2.11. The stocks fifty day moving average price is $33.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $36.21. The company has a current ratio of 2.14, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94.

Halliburton (NYSE:HAL  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The oilfield services company reported $0.72 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Halliburton had a return on equity of 29.38% and a net margin of 9.04%. The firm had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $5.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.35 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 32.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Halliburton will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Halliburton

In other news, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,769 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.79, for a total value of $107,409.51. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,856 shares of the companys stock, valued at $459,894.24. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.57% of the companys stock.

Halliburton Profile

(Get Rating)

Halliburton Co engages in the provision of services and products to the energy industry related to the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It operates through the Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation segments. The Completion and Production segment delivers cementing, stimulation, intervention, pressure control, specialty chemicals, artificial lift, and completion services.

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Toronto Dominion Bank grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:A  Get Rating) by 16.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 152,815 shares of the medical research companys stock after buying an additional 22,043 shares during the quarter. Toronto Dominion Bank owned 0.05% of Agilent Technologies worth $22,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. BlueSpruce Investments LP purchased a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $223,829,000. Liontrust Investment Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $127,895,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 67.6% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 2,336,607 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $309,203,000 after buying an additional 942,651 shares during the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC grew its stake in shares of Agilent Technologies by 196.4% in the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 1,242,600 shares of the medical research companys stock worth $164,433,000 after buying an additional 823,300 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CCLA Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of Agilent Technologies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $83,857,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.51% of the companys stock.

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Agilent Technologies Price Performance

Shares of A opened at $133.88 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.59 billion, a PE ratio of 30.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 2.11 and a quick ratio of 1.53. Agilent Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $112.52 and a 1-year high of $160.26. The companys fifty day moving average price is $137.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.62.

Agilent Technologies ( NYSE:A Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The medical research company reported $1.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.31 by $0.06. Agilent Technologies had a net margin of 19.09% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company had revenue of $1.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.70 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.21 earnings per share. The firms revenue was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Agilent Technologies, Inc. will post 5.68 EPS for the current year.

Agilent Technologies announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Monday, January 9th that allows the company to repurchase $2.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the medical research company to repurchase up to 4.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually an indication that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Agilent Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 26th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 4th were issued a $0.225 dividend. This represents a $0.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.67%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, April 3rd. Agilent Technologiess payout ratio is 20.32%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Agilent Technologies from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and raised their price target for the stock from $150.00 to $170.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Agilent Technologies from $170.00 to $174.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. SVB Leerink upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, January 6th. Credit Suisse Group upped their price target on Agilent Technologies from $165.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Agilent Technologies from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $163.31.

About Agilent Technologies

(Get Rating)

Agilent Technologies, Inc engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets, Diagnostics and Genomics, and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level.

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State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System cut its holdings in Trane Technologies plc (NYSE:TT  Get Rating) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 283,376 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,150 shares during the period. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System owned about 0.12% of Trane Technologies worth $47,633,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Acadian Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Trane Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $178,000. Blair William & Co. IL raised its position in shares of Trane Technologies by 3.0% in the first quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 16,727 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,554,000 after purchasing an additional 495 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Trane Technologies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $219,000. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Trane Technologies by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 18,133,851 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,769,040,000 after buying an additional 77,924 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp lifted its position in shares of Trane Technologies by 3.8% during the first quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 956,177 shares of the companys stock worth $146,008,000 after acquiring an additional 34,591 shares in the last quarter. 81.47% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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Trane Technologies Trading Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE TT opened at $176.00 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $40.14 billion, a PE ratio of 23.50, a P/E/G ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 1.26. The firms 50 day moving average price is $181.22 and its 200-day moving average price is $175.75. Trane Technologies plc has a 52-week low of $120.64 and a 52-week high of $196.22.

Trane Technologies Announces Dividend

Trane Technologies ( NYSE:TT Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The company reported $1.41 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.08. Trane Technologies had a return on equity of 30.11% and a net margin of 11.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.67 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $3.64 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.12 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Trane Technologies plc will post 8.41 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 2nd will be paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 1st. This represents a $3.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.70%. Trane Technologiess dividend payout ratio is presently 40.05%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

TT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stephens lifted their price target on Trane Technologies from $170.00 to $185.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research report on Monday, February 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Trane Technologies from $203.00 to $178.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 14th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Trane Technologies from $164.00 to $177.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Friday, February 3rd. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Trane Technologies from $200.00 to $224.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, March 7th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their price target on Trane Technologies from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, February 3rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Hold and an average target price of $182.58.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Keith A. Sultana sold 3,521 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.07, for a total transaction of $651,631.47. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,616 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $6,406,383.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Keith A. Sultana sold 279 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.02, for a total transaction of $50,783.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,864 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,345,945.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Keith A. Sultana sold 3,521 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $185.07, for a total transaction of $651,631.47. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 34,616 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,406,383.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,071 shares of company stock valued at $2,841,093 over the last three months. Insiders own 0.74% of the companys stock.

Trane Technologies Profile

(Get Rating)

Trane Technologies Plc engages in providing solutions to buildings, homes, and transportation. It operates through the following business segments: Americas, EMEA, and Asia Pacific. The Americas segment encompasses commercial heating and cooling systems, building controls, and energy services and solutions, residential heating and cooling, and transport refrigeration systems, and solutions in North America and Latin America regions.

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Texas Permanent School Fund grew its position in Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Get Rating) by 0.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 561,166 shares of the auto manufacturers stock after buying an additional 2,353 shares during the period. Texas Permanent School Funds holdings in Ford Motor were worth $6,526,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors lifted its position in Ford Motor by 6.7% in the 4th quarter. Bay Colony Advisory Group Inc d b a Bay Colony Advisors now owns 11,817 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $137,000 after acquiring an additional 737 shares in the last quarter. First National Trust Co lifted its position in Ford Motor by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. First National Trust Co now owns 25,656 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 751 shares in the last quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors lifted its position in Ford Motor by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Abundance Wealth Counselors now owns 65,610 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $735,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Ford Motor by 4.3% in the 3rd quarter. Blackston Financial Advisory Group LLC now owns 19,590 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $262,000 after acquiring an additional 815 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AJ Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its position in Ford Motor by 2.7% in the 1st quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 31,374 shares of the auto manufacturers stock valued at $531,000 after acquiring an additional 820 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 49.68% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have commented on the stock. TheStreet raised shares of Ford Motor from a c+ rating to a b rating in a research report on Tuesday. Tudor Pickering cut shares of Ford Motor from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 15th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on shares of Ford Motor from $15.00 to $14.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 6th. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Ford Motor in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. cut shares of Ford Motor from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Ford Motor has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $15.30.

Ford Motor Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:F opened at $11.56 on Friday. The companys 50 day moving average price is $12.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $12.66. Ford Motor has a 12-month low of $10.61 and a 12-month high of $16.68. The firm has a market cap of $46.08 billion, a PE ratio of 16.28, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.54. The company has a quick ratio of 1.06, a current ratio of 1.20 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.16.

Ford Motor (NYSE:F  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The auto manufacturer reported $0.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.36 by $0.27. Ford Motor had a net margin of 1.75% and a return on equity of 19.99%. The firm had revenue of $39.09 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.42 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.38 EPS. The businesss revenue was up 21.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Ford Motor will post 1.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Ford Motor Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 26th will be given a dividend of $0.15 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 25th. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.19%. Ford Motors payout ratio is presently 84.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO James D. Farley, Jr. sold 79,921 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.86, for a total transaction of $1,027,784.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,638,667 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,073,257.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO James D. Farley, Jr. sold 79,921 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.86, for a total transaction of $1,027,784.06. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1,638,667 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $21,073,257.62. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO John T. Lawler sold 29,821 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $13.07, for a total transaction of $389,760.47. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 443,683 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,798,936.81. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 134,592 shares of company stock worth $1,740,843 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.80% of the companys stock.

Ford Motor Profile

(Get Rating)

Ford Motor Co engages in the manufacture, distribution, and sale of automobiles. It operates through the following segments: Ford Blue, Ford Model E, and Ford Pro, Ford Next, and Ford Credit. The Ford Blue, Ford Model E, and Ford Pro segment includes the sale of Ford and Lincoln vehicles, service parts, and accessories, together with the associated costs to develop, manufacture, distribute, and service the vehicles, parts, and accessories.

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Highland Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Northrop Grumman Co. (NYSE:NOC  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 605 shares of the aerospace companys stock, valued at approximately $330,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NOC. EWG Elevate Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Capital Directions Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Concord Wealth Partners bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. MADDEN SECURITIES Corp bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Baldwin Brothers LLC MA bought a new stake in shares of Northrop Grumman in the 4th quarter valued at $38,000. Institutional investors own 84.32% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on NOC. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from a neutral rating to a sell rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $440.00 to $375.00 in a research note on Friday, January 13th. Cowen lowered shares of Northrop Grumman from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $478.00 price target for the company. in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Northrop Grumman from $544.00 to $488.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 27th. 22nd Century Group restated a maintains rating on shares of Northrop Grumman in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group reduced their target price on shares of Northrop Grumman from $500.00 to $490.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $512.00.

Insider Activity at Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Price Performance

In other Northrop Grumman news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 1,178 shares of Northrop Grumman stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.81, for a total transaction of $551,080.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 2,737 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,280,395.97. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . In other news, CAO Michael A. Hardesty sold 1,178 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $467.81, for a total value of $551,080.18. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 2,737 shares in the company, valued at $1,280,395.97. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, VP Mark A. Caylor sold 2,810 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $467.58, for a total transaction of $1,313,899.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 16,240 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,593,499.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders have sold 10,534 shares of company stock valued at $4,934,622 over the last three months. 0.26% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of NYSE:NOC opened at $442.23 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.22 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.31, a P/E/G ratio of 5.17 and a beta of 0.50. Northrop Grumman Co. has a twelve month low of $430.93 and a twelve month high of $556.27. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $462.41 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $489.25.

Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC  Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, April 27th. The aerospace company reported $5.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $5.16 by $0.34. Northrop Grumman had a net margin of 12.89% and a return on equity of 26.61%. The firm had revenue of $9.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $6.10 earnings per share. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Northrop Grumman Co. will post 22.6 EPS for the current year.

Northrop Grumman Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, February 27th were issued a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.56%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 24th. Northrop Grummans payout ratio is 22.39%.

Northrop Grumman Profile

(Get Rating)

Northrop Grumman Corp. engages in the provision of advanced aircraft systems. It operates through the following segments: Aeronautics Systems, Defense Systems, Mission Systems, and Space Systems. The Aeronautics Systems segment is involved in the design, development, production, integration, sustainment, and modernization of advanced aircraft systems for the U.S.

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State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System cut its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial, Inc. (NYSE:PRU  Get Rating) by 0.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 427,675 shares of the financial services providers stock after selling 3,010 shares during the quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement Systems holdings in Prudential Financial were worth $42,537,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cowa LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 9,930.2% in the 1st quarter. Cowa LLC now owns 771,824 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $912,000 after purchasing an additional 764,129 shares during the last quarter. Mariner LLC grew its position in Prudential Financial by 2,197.4% during the first quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 690,184 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $81,560,000 after acquiring an additional 660,142 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,353,887 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $750,839,000 after purchasing an additional 356,957 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Prudential Financial by 102.9% in the 3rd quarter. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd now owns 496,298 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $42,572,000 after purchasing an additional 251,751 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Prudential Financial by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 31,654,749 shares of the financial services providers stock worth $2,715,345,000 after purchasing an additional 168,175 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 56.33% of the companys stock.

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Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Piper Sandler reaffirmed a neutral rating and set a $106.00 price target on shares of Prudential Financial in a research report on Wednesday, February 8th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Prudential Financial in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Prudential Financial from a neutral rating to a sell rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $98.00 to $96.00 in a research report on Monday, January 9th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Prudential Financial from $104.00 to $88.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Prudential Financial from $97.00 to $100.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research report on Monday, February 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Prudential Financial presently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $99.83.

Insider Buying and Selling

Prudential Financial Stock Performance

In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 11,405 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.95, for a total value of $1,151,334.75. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 12,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,685. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink . In other Prudential Financial news, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 11,405 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $100.95, for a total transaction of $1,151,334.75. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,300 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,241,685. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . Also, EVP Andrew F. Sullivan sold 4,126 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $99.20, for a total transaction of $409,299.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 12,241 shares in the company, valued at $1,214,307.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of NYSE PRU opened at $79.11 on Friday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $86.00 and a 200 day simple moving average of $96.62. Prudential Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $75.37 and a one year high of $110.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 879.00, a PEG ratio of 0.67 and a beta of 1.38. The company has a current ratio of 0.07, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63.

Prudential Financial (NYSE:PRU  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 2nd. The financial services provider reported $2.66 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $3.02 by ($0.36). Prudential Financial had a net margin of 0.09% and a return on equity of 14.05%. The company had revenue of $15.10 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $13.29 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $3.17 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Prudential Financial, Inc. will post 12.07 EPS for the current year.

Prudential Financial Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 21st were issued a $1.25 dividend. This represents a $5.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.32%. This is a boost from Prudential Financials previous quarterly dividend of $1.20. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 17th. Prudential Financials payout ratio is currently 5,555.56%.

Prudential Financial declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Tuesday, February 7th that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the financial services provider to repurchase up to 2.6% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the companys board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Prudential Financial Profile

(Get Rating)

Prudential Financial, Inc engages in the provision of insurance, investment management, and other financial products and services to both individual and institutional customers. It operates through the following segments: PGIM, U.S. Businesses, International Businesses, Closed Block, and Corporate and Others.

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Professor Vishal Gaur, who became professor of operations at the Johnson School in 2006, will take over the role of the Anne and Elmer Lindseth dean on July 1. Courtesy photo

Vishal Gaur, a professor of operations at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, has been named the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean, effective July 1.

Gaur takes the reins from Mark Nelson who has served as dean since 2016. Nelson, who has been at Cornell for more than a quarter century, will return full time to his position as professor of accounting.

Vishal has demonstrated his outstanding commitment to the Johnson School time and again, as a distinguished scholar, as an award-winning educator and especially as an effective leader, Andrew Karolyi, dean of Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, announced in a release today (May 5). I couldnt be more pleased that hell lead the school into its next phase.

A DISTINGUISHED CORNELL CAREER

Gaur is currently Cornell Johnsons Emerson Professor of Manufacturing Management and professor of operations, technology and information management. He is program director of the schools MS in Business Analytics and served as the associate dean for MBA programs from 2014-19.

Gaur introduced two innovative programs to equip students with cutting-edge skills in the field of data analytics. The first, Digital Technology Immersion, is designed for MBA and Master of Professional Studies students who want to develop coding, databases, and advanced analytics skills.

The second, Master of Science in Business Analytics, targets working professionals who want to enhance their expertise in data analytics tools to optimize business decisions. It is offered through eCornell, the universitys online education platform offering professional development and certificate programs.

The creation of these programs represents Vishals forward-thinking leadership, which will continue to serve students well into the future, Karolyi says.

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Gaur led Cornells MBA program through a curriculum review and revitalization process as associate dean. The revamped program, rolled out in 2016, placed greater emphasis on collaboration, leadership, and analytical skills to better prepare students for a technology-driven global business environment.

Gaurs research focuses on using data to analyze supply chain, retailing, e-commerce, and marketplace operations. He received the Wickham Skinner Early Career Research Accomplishments Award in 2006 for his work in this area. He also developed an inventory turnover benchmarking method and is currently working on reducing food waste and supply chain risk.

In the classroom, Gaur has earned multiple teaching awards including the Class of 1992 Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2022, the Stephen Russell Distinguished Teaching Award in 2020, and the Johnson Schools Core Faculty Award three times.

Gaur earned his Ph.D. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad.

The Johnson School is a leader in graduate business education and scholarship. Im really excited to work towards the mission of the school, says Gaur, who joined the Cornell faculty in 2007, and will serve as a member of Karolyis College Leadership Team.

Our degree programs focus on skills relevant to society and draw on our interdisciplinary academic scholarship. The support of our alumni and the investments they make in our school are incredible. Since the Johnson School joined the SC Johnson College, new opportunities have emerged for faculty research, teaching and collaboration.

NELSON DEEPENED ALUMNI AND PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS

The Johnson School, founded in 1946, enrolls nearly 1,600 students in MBA, executive MBA and advanced degree programs in management, accounting, business analytics and more. Beyond its main campus in Ithaca, New York, the school offers programs in Beijing and more than 20 additional cities across North and South America.

Nelson joined the Cornell faculty in 1990, and became dean of the Johnson School in 2016. He was appointed to a second five-year term that began in July 2021, but wants to return to his professorship full time.

Nelson, credited with leading several initiatives that advanced the business school including opening of the Tata Innovation Center at the Cornell Tech campus, which has significantly increased the colleges footprint.

Under Nelsons leadership, the SC Johnson College of Business has also opened the Breazzano Family Center for Business Education in Ithaca, NY. This expansion has enabled the college to deepen its engagement with students and alumni, as well as broaden its fundraising efforts.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Nelson was proactive in managing faculty, staff, and student initiatives, ensuring that the college continued to provide high-quality education and support to its community. He has also stewarded the development of new and strengthened degree programs, immersions, and fellowship opportunities for students.

Mark has been a phenomenal leader, Karolyi said. He shepherded the Johnson School through the pandemic, supervised the opening of the Breazzano Center and the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech and created a positive environment for the entire community. Were grateful for the impact hes made on the Johnson School.

In August, Cornell released an MBA Class of 2024 profile that bucked a national trend of declining domestic MBA applications. Cornell saw a 21% increase in applications while similarly-ranked UCLA Anderson School of Business and most other programs reported significant decreases.

DONT MISS: VILLANOVA SCHOOL OF BUSINESS NAMES NEW DEAN and KELLOGG ABROAD: HOW MBAS LEARN REAL-WORLD IMPACT THROUGH TRAVEL

The post Cornell Johnson Names Its Next Dean: Long-Time Operations Prof Vishal Gaur appeared first on Poets&Quants.
This Press Release Replaces the Previously Issued Release as there is an Update to the CEO Quote

AUSTIN, TX / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Security Credit Union recently selected Sync1 Systems' LOS (loan origination system) solution to improve its efficiency in its lending operations and create a better overall member experience. Security Credit Union was looking for a partner to grow with over the next several years that felt like they understood not only the credit union culture but how they care for their members.

"Sync1 Systems was very responsive through the due diligence process and very accommodating to any requests. Our employees are also very excited about using the product, and we are very comfortable it will be an overall better experience getting a loan at our credit union for all individuals involved," expressed Christopher Estes, President & CEO of Security Credit Union, when asked about their relationship with Sync1 Systems.

As Sync1 Systems' financial technology is incorporated into the loan application process, it allows credit unions to spin up new lending products quickly and easily. Because Sync1 Systems' LOS enables customization for individual loan application processes, it saves credit unions time while providing a seamless and convenient experience for members.

"While Sync1 Systems is somewhat younger than the others on paper, it gives us the distinct advantage of being on the latest technologies making us more nimble for our credit union partners and their members. Our employees include very experienced individuals, not only in the loan origination space but also in the credit union industry. We are very excited to add Security Credit Union to our family and look forward to helping improve their member experience," added Steve Maloney, CEO of Sync1 Systems.

Sync1 Systems, Thursday, May 4, 2023, Press release picture

ABOUT SECURITY CREDIT UNION

Headquartered in Grand Blanc, Mich., Security Credit Union has been committed to providing secure and convenient service since 1949. With more than 50,000 members and 13 locations, SCU attends the financial needs of members across the state of Michigan and northwestern Ohio. SCU members receive quality service and exceptional value when choosing SCU as their trusted financial partner. For more information, visit www.securitycu.org, or call (800) 373-2333.

Story continues

Sync1 Systems, Thursday, May 4, 2023, Press release picture

ABOUT SYNC1 SYSTEMS

Sync1 Systems is an Austin-based loan origination software focused on lending and digital experience.

We use the most effortless and smooth technology to transform the user experience and bring power to our partners for today's ever-changing digital landscape. Founded by a team of innovative experts, we understand the unique needs of our partners. Sync1 Systems exists to serve the needs of our partners, and lending is our core foundation, bringing a turnkey solution to the financial services industry. Visit us on the web to learn more: https://www.sync1systems.com.

CONTACT:

Steve Maloney

CEO Sync1 Systems

Steve.Maloney@sync1systems.com

(512) 354-2784

SOURCE: Sync1 Systems





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/752977/CORRECTION-FROM-SOURCE-Why-Security-Credit-Union-Selected-Sync1-Systems-Loan-Origination-System




US President Joe Biden. Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

The insurance cost against a US default hit a fresh high Thursday as lawmakers wrangle over raising the debt ceiling.

One-year US government credit default swaps traded at 152 basis points.

President Joe Biden has called leaders in the Republican and Democratic parties to a May 9 meeting.

The political standoff in Washington over raising the country's $31 trillion debt ceiling drove the cost of insuring against a potential default to new heights Thursday.

One-year US government credit default swaps traded at 152 basis points, surpassing trades above 134 in late April when those derivatives were the costliest since the 2008 global financial crisis.

Buyers of credit default swaps, or CDS, seek insurance against a borrower that may not meet its debt-payment obligations.

The US has never defaulted on its debt, but investors appear to be growing more nervous about that possibility with no deal yet emerging from lawmakers. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned the US could run out of money to pay its bills as soon as June 1, triggering an unprecedented economic crisis.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week passed a bill from House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. The bill offered to lift the debt ceiling in exchange for government spending cuts of roughly 8% in 2024, among other terms.

But the proposal is unlikely to pass the Democrat-controlled Senate or be signed by President Joe Biden. Democrats are calling for a "clean" bill that raises the debt ceiling without conditions.

Biden has invited congressional leaders McCarthy, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell to a meeting on May 9 to work on an agreement, according to Roll Call.

Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday the Republican debt-limit proposal could push the unemployment rate closer to 5% from the current 3.5% reading and raise the likelihood of a recession.

A chart of one-year US government credit default swaps Investing.com/TradingView

Read the original article on Business Insider
Times Union columnist Fred LeBrun wrote this 2005 remembrance of his experience on the press junket for Star Wars, which was released 40 years ago this month. May the Fourth Be With You to all who celebrate.

My first encounter with Star Wars was a doozie.

It was a Friday morning in early June 1977, and I was running late as usual. There was still work to be done on the Sunday arts section of the paper, which was my responsibility, and a plane to catch to the best coast for a late-afternoon screening of some idiotic movie or other to satisfy one of my other hats at the paper, as the film reviewer.

In that era, movie studios routinely picked up the tab for critics on junkets, just tacking the expenses onto the cost of making and marketing the picture. Consequently, I saw a lot of California back then, or at least small slivers of it over and over. I came to detest in a serious way everything about Los Angeles, I must confess, because of being subjected to the same phony baloney repeatedly.

Which was the reason I tried to pick the very latest flight I could out of Albany, and at the other end of the weekend usually caught the quickest flight back. On this particular Friday I remember careening into the Albany airport at the last second for an American Airlines departure. Predictably, we were late out of OHare as well. That resulted in landing at LAX about 40 minutes before the screening was set to begin in a segment of Los Angeles called Westwood.

So luggage in hand, I ran into the screening room panting and sat down just as the screen was coming alive with the opening scenes of Star Wars.

Arguably this was not the most positive frame of mind a reviewer could have for seeing something we had been told practically nothing about in advance except it was going to be revolutionary and over-the-top wonderful. Then again, we were told that all the time. How could we know that this time it would be true beyond anything any of us could imagine?

After the first 15 minutes, my reaction  mumbled out loud  was: What is this (expletive)?

By the end of the movie, though, I got it. That night, I dreamt Star Wars. I guess I really got it.

While nearly 30 years later it seems absurd not to have gotten it right away, now that we take for granted the stratospheric success of George Lucas Star Wars films, let me suggest that at the time there wasnt huge optimism by the studio, or the main players, that America would be bowled over by this film. Quite the opposite.

A good example of that was Mark Hamill, who was about as much a gee-whiz young pretend actor as Id ever interviewed, eager to talk to the press about what a thrill it was to be in motion pictures. It was pretty clear from our conversation, though, that he was not banking on a sequel  either the existence of one, or his involvement in it. Confidence in his abilities was not his strong suit.

Bear in mind, when Star Wars came out, Hamill was a nobody, and he wasnt alone among the cast. The best-known actors were Alec Guinness, who was quite ill, and the disembodied voice of James Earl Jones. Neither was present for the initial promotion. Carrie Fisher had enjoyed a little celebrity two years earlier after her small role in Shampoo, but only a little.

Harrison Ford was most uncomfortable with the media, even one-on-one. Sour and scowling. It was clearly work for him. He shrugged his shoulders a lot when asked if he liked the movie. If you try to analyze Star Wars,  he finally offered, it falls apart. You either take it whole, or leave it alone. As far as how the public will respond? I havent the faintest idea.

At that point in his career, Ford was spending as much time framing out houses as a carpenter as he was acting. By the time I spoke to him again six years later when the third chapter, Return of the Jedi, was being touted, he had already ascended into hyperspace as a superstar, and he has stayed there. No more one-on-one interviews. Only a brief classroom appearance for perfunctory questions, and no mention of hammering nails. Only of turning down scripts.

By far the most illuminating in terms of uttering their candid frustration was the trio of Brit actors who went entirely unseen in Star Wars.

David Prowse, a charming but huge 6-foot-7 weightlifting champion, was the body of Darth Vader. His scenes were shot in a London studio without his having even the faintest idea what words James Earl Jones would later dub in, or what the storyline was. Lucas was obsessed with keeping his project under cover.

Even bigger than Prowse was the shy and reclusive Peter Mayhew, a 7-foot-2 English hospital orderly who was talked into becoming the Wookiee Chewbacca. Of the three, only classically trained Anthony Daniels, the voice and body of C-3PO, could rightly be called an actor. He was in a West End production of Tom Stoppards Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead when Lucas interviewed him for the tin man job. (In a tidy bit of closure, Stoppard is widely rumored to have tuned up Lucas script for the final Star Wars chapter, Revenge of the Sith, which opens today.)

To a person, this trio didnt expect much in terms of public recognition, or a film future. And theyve been proved half-right. Their names and faces are known only to rabid fans. But their characters? They are embedded in our culture. Who would have guessed? Certainly not the people who made Star Wars at the time.

And most assuredly not an always-late, luggage-toting reviewer who expected the same-old, same-old. Although in my own defense, I will say this: More than half my fellow reviewers on that first junket didnt think Lucas was going anywhere with this concept.

But by the time I was in the air coming back home, I was already a true believer in The Force. And I have been ever since.
HUDSON  A Hudson police officer was found by his department to have lied in an incident report, driven with a suspended registration, and repeatedly left his post as a school resource officer at the Hudson Junior-Senior High School to drive to another county to meet a woman with whom he had an intimate relationship, according to internal affairs documents obtained by the Times Union.

In perhaps the most egregious of the incidents, Officer Jacob Hoffman was also found to have stashed four personal guns  including a loaded semi-automatic handgun and an unregistered pistol  in a locker that was found unlocked in the vacant, former Hudson police station.

Despite being disciplined multiple times in just a few years, Hoffman still serves as a Hudson police officer, though he is not on active duty because of an injury. He is currently subject to a settlement agreement negotiated between the department and his police union under which he can be terminated immediately if he violates departmental policy; that probation extends to 2024.

The Times Unions efforts to contact Hoffman were unsuccessful.

Roger Hannigan Gilson

Hoffmans misconduct was revealed in documents obtained by the Times Union through the states Freedom of Information Law (FOIL). Internal disciplinary records of police officers became subject to public disclosure three years ago after the state Legislature expanded FOILs provisions and repealed a section of state Civil Rights Law that had blocked the release of those files for more than 40 years.

The files now being released by many police agencies confirm instances in which officers who have engaged in multiple episodes of misconduct have remained in their jobs. The disclosures also have revealed wide disparities in how agencies discipline officers.

The first incident involving Hoffman began in June 2018, when Hudson Police Chief Ed Moore received a call from a Greene County man saying Hoffman was with his wife at their home when the officer was supposed to be on duty at Hudson Junior-Senior High School.

The next day, Hudson Detective Sgt. Jason Finn interviewed the visibly upset man, who told him he had arrived home to find his wife backing out of their driveway with Hoffman, whom he recognized, in the passenger seat wearing a Hudson Police polo shirt, according to the files.

When interviewed as part of the investigation, Hoffman admitted to leaving the school in his DARE car, parking it at his residence, then driving his personal car to meet the woman, with whom he was having a relationship.

It was not the first time he had absconded while on duty: Hoffman stated that he has been doing this once a week for a couple months, with some weeks going twice, according to the internal investigation.

News of the incident spread through the community over the next few months. In an anonymous letter sent to then-Hudson City School District Superintendent Maria Suttmeier that was included in the internal police records, a group of parents expressed dismay and anxiety at disturbing rumors they stated they had verified as the truth.

The letter cited concerns that Hoffman would not have been present to respond to any school emergencies and that the officer should be focused on students needs and not his romantic liaisons.

As taxpayers, we are upset we are funding his  activities, it said.

Roger Hannigan Gilson

The letter was received by the superintendents office on Aug. 3, two months after the husband encountered Hoffman in his driveway. Moore, the police chief, said Hoffman was removed as the school resource officer in September 2018 and returned to regular duty, but that the removal was not due to that internal investigation.

Hoffman had to forfeit five vacation days as a result of the incident, according to the investigative records.

Guns in a locker

The same month Hoffman was removed as the school resource officer, another incident came to light.

Hoffman had stashed two handguns and two rifles from his personal collection in an unlocked locker at the former Hudson police station, which had been vacant for nearly 18 months after the department had moved to a new building, according to the internal affairs report. One of the pistols was loaded; the locker also held four boxes of .40-caliber ammunition that did not match any of the four weapons found.

Upon reviewing Hoffmans pistol permit, which must list all handguns he possesses, the investigating officer found one of the handguns  a .357 Magnum revolver  was unregistered. The police contacted the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which traced the gun and found it had never been registered in New York, and that the last time it had been sold was in 1989 in Adams, Mass.

When interviewed, Hoffman said that about six years earlier, a woman he had once worked with at an Ames department store had given him the pistol after its owner, her father, had died. Hoffman told Finn, the detective sergeant investigating the matter, that he didnt know what to do without getting in trouble, according to Finns write-up of the interview.

Peter Howard Tilem, a White Plains defense attorney specializing in gun crime, said he was not convinced it was illegal to own a gun that was not listed on ones pistol permit. Tilem, who is not involved in Hoffmans case, litigated a similar issue when he represented a former police officer who was charged for not listing handguns he owned on his permit.

Having said that, I think the prosecutor would take the position that if you had an unregistered handgun in the state of New York, that that possession was illegal, Tilem said, echoing the argument made by the prosecutor in the ex-officers case.

However, Tilem cited state Penal Law and said police officers are protected from weapons possession charges, adding that the ex-police officers case he handled had been dismissed on those grounds.

During Hoffmans interview with internal affairs, he asserted the locker  which was found unlocked  had been secured with a lock the last time he had been there in July 2018, about two months before the guns were discovered by other Hudson officers during an unrelated visit to the former station.

When asked what the other officers found in his locker, Hoffman responded, Couple guns, according to a write-up of the interview. When asked how many, he responded there were three, listing the two handguns and one of the rifles.

When an investigator pointed out that there were two rifles in the locker, Hoffman admitted the second was also his, but added, I dont know where I got that from.

When Hudsons police chief was asked by the Times Union whether he believed Hoffman could not remember where he had obtained the rifle, he said it was a tough question.

You have to separate your personal beliefs from what you can prove, Moore said, declining further comment.

Moore also said he did not know how the lockers lock was removed, only that it was not there when he found the guns.

At the conclusion of the investigation, Hoffman was suspended without pay for 14 days for violating 10 departmental policies. He also received a letter of reprimand from Moore.

A common gun owner of average intelligence could understand the significance of haphazardly leaving a loaded weapon inside an abandoned building within our city, the letter said. It is incomprehensible that a sworn police officer would fail to do the same.

I just cant do it

The third investigation, launched in October 2020, concluded that Hoffman had lied on a police incident report about a pair of sunglasses someone had found by the Hudson waterfront and turned in at the police station. Hoffman threw out the intact sunglasses, then claimed on the incident report they had been broken beyond repair.

A week later, a fourth internal investigation was launched against Hoffman related to his personal car. Hudson officer Jennifer Keyser was using a license plate reader in the city when she discovered a Jeep parked on a city street with a suspended registration and recognized it as Hoffmans. Keyser also discovered Hoffmans license had expired.

She texted Hoffman, asking him why he just didnt comply with the motor vehicle requirements.

Seriously, its the three-hour wait just to renew my license I just cant do, he responded, according to the text of the message, which was included in the internal report. And god knows if I did Id be stuck in line next to whatever biggest local scumbag possible.

Further investigation found Hoffmans registration had been suspended months before due to a lapse in his insurance.

The police department sought to file disciplinary charges against Hoffman for lying on the incident report concerning the sunglasses, and Hoffman contemplated pursuing a grievance. It led to a settlement between the city and the police union in March 2021, when Hoffman was suspended for 30 days  though he was able to use 48 hours of vacation time to shorten the suspension, according to the personnel records. Any further violation of departmental policy would result in his termination, according to the agreement.

Moore described that as a progression of punishment as Hoffmans violations piled up.

The settlement for the incident report was reached after Hoffmans Jeep was discovered to have a suspended registration. According to the internal investigation, that investigation was still pending as of May 2021.

Hudson Police Commissioner Shane Bower said the registration was handled internally, because (Hoffman) took care of it as soon as he found out about it, though Hoffman appeared to be aware the registration had been suspended when Keyser texted him about it.

Bower pointed to the fact that the registration investigation was initiated internally by other Hudson officers as opposed to a civilian complaint. That was also the case with both the guns and the sunglasses investigation, according to the reports on those episodes.

Hudson Mayor Kamal Johnson was not in office during the first two internal investigations and declined comment on the vehicle registration investigation because he said he did not remember it. The citys attorney, Andy Howard, did not return calls or respond to emails seeking comment.

The injury that has kept Hoffman on inactive duty occurred while he was working. He has not been on active duty for about two years.

Moore, the police chief, said he could not discuss specifics of the officers injury because of medical privacy laws.
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ALBANY  The Albany NanoTech Complex has recently recovered from a cyberattack that prompted the shutdown of emails for part of this past winter and spring.

Last month, those who work at the facility on Fuller Road received paper letters informing them of the attack and advising them that they can get credit monitoring services if they are worried about identity theft. The campus comprises SUNY Polytechnic Institutes College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, and the state-run microchip research center.

Unusual activity was discovered in the network at Fuller Road that caused certain systems to become unavailable. Actions were immediately taken to contain the incident and begin an investigation. A cybersecurity firm that has assisted other organizations in similar situations was engaged, SUNY Poly spokesman Steve Ference said in a prepared statement following an inquiry by the Times Union.

Law enforcement was notified, and information was provided to support its investigation. Industry partners continued their operations at Fuller Road without interruption throughout this time.

He added that The forensic investigation was completed, and letters were mailed to individuals regarding the incident. The letters explained what happened, what information may have been involved, and what steps the individuals may take in response, which includes a credit monitoring product that is being offered to them. Enhanced security tools were implemented at Fuller Road, and steps were taken to further strengthen the security of the Fuller Road network.

SUNY Poly officials didnt specify how long the attack lasted but sources with knowledge of the matter said some emails were down for at least several weeks starting in late winter running into March.

People were unable to use the email system for routine tasks such as scheduling meetings or communicating with one another.

While the attack technology was described as ransomware, no ransom was paid in the incident, officials stressed.

They also said no proprietary information was believed to be taken.

In addition to serving as home to one of the states two SUNY Poly schools, the complex also houses labs where private technology firms such as IBM conduct experiments on how to produce ever-advancing computer chips.

Cyberattacks have hit a variety of businesses and government operations over the past few years and the Capital Region is no exception.

Albany City School District employees had to stay off the internet for several days in November following a cyberattack and city officials in 2019 spent $300,000 to increase security after their computers were hacked.

The states main ethics agency, the Commission for Public Ethics was hit with a deliberate malicious cyberattack in which a web server containing lobbying and financial disclosure data had to be taken offline in February 2022.

The BST accounting firm in 2019 was one of 23 victims in another attack. That incident may have also exposed information for patients of the Community Care Physicians medical practice.

Albany International Airport in January 2020 paid a ransom that was under six figures, after its computer management system was hacked on Christmas Day 2019.

The NanoTech Complex on Fuller Road at the west edge of the University at Albany campus is a well-secured physical location, with guards and swipe cards required for entry.

One might wonder how they were hit with a ransomware attack, given the high-tech research that takes place there.

But computer network experts said the facility focuses on the hardware  microchips  rather than email networks. Those are often standard back office email setups common to lots of companies said Lauren Groff, president of Groff Networks, a Troy-based IT company.Their core competency is cutting edge chip technology, not email systems, he said.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
ALBANY  For decades, hospitals in the Capital Region have called for more federal funding to reimburse them for certain patient care and improve their financial footing. They may soon get their wish.

Under a new federal proposal, local hospitals in the region would receive the second biggest funding boost of any metropolitan area in the nation, according to a Times Union analysis.

The change would result in $193 million annually in increased federal funding for Capital Region hospitals, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Thursday. That money stems from a 43 percent bump in one aspect of Medicare reimbursement.

Its estimated that Albany Medical Center Hospital would see an $85 million increase in funding each year, a boost of $61 million for St. Peters Hospital and $31 million more for Ellis Medicine, according to Schumer. Columbia Memorial Hospital, Glens Falls Hospital, Samaritan Hospital and Saratoga Hospital would each receive a few million more dollars annually in reimbursements. Its estimated Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital would get about a quarter-million dollars more annually.

Will Waldron/Times Union

Schumer said he will use his clout as majority leader to ensure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) implements the proposal.

For decades, Capital Region hospitals have been denied hundreds of millions in Medicare payments that they rightly deserved, and now we have an opportunity to right this wrong, Schumer said. These low reimbursements left hospitals struggling to compete to bring the best doctors and nurses to the region, but this new CMS proposal can help finally rectify the unfair payment system, and get our hospitals the support they have long needed.

Steven Hanks, president and CEO of St. Peters Health Partners, which operates St. Peters Hospital, Samaritan Hospital and Sunnyview Rehabilitation Hospital, said the proposed changes will help ensure local hospitals are paid fairly for their services.

While there is still much work to be done, this proposal acknowledges the fact that Albany region hospitals have been systematically underpaid by the federal government for decades and is a sign of hope for the future of our health care systems, Hanks said.

If the new rule is finalized this summer, local hospitals will see their Medicare funding increase than more than nearly all other hospitals in the country.

The hospitals that would see the nations largest increase are located in rural areas of Pennsylvania and would get a 45 percent increase their wage indexed reimbursement under the proposed formula, the Times Union found.

The next highest increase would be for Capital Region hospitals. Hospitals in rural New York, in the Glens Falls area and in the Binghamton area would see the same 43 percent increase as Albany-area hospitals.

The big boost for some New York hospitals would result from a new definition of a rural hospital used in the funding calculations. The federal agency made the change after past litigation.

The expected funding increase for local hospitals stems from changes to the Medicare Wage Index, which sets the reimbursement rate for the care of low-income patients on Medicare based on an areas average wages relative to the national average. Hospitals are paid predetermined amounts for the care of Medicare patients based on their diagnoses and treatments; those predetermined amounts are then adjusted based on the areas Medicare Wage Index. Most areas of the U.S would see funding increases under the new proposal.

Since the 1980s, Albany, Schenectady and Troy hospitals have received about 85 cents in federal reimbursement for every dollar of eligible Medicare payments; with the proposed change theyll receive $1.22 for every dollar. Albany, Schenectady and Troy hospitals have generally had the lowest reimbursement rate of any urban hospitals in New York, federal data shows.

The Healthcare Association of New York State supports the proposed changes to help address our hospitals' dire fiscal conditions, HANYS President Bea Grause said.

Medicare and Medicaid have long reimbursed at far below the cost of delivering care, greatly weakening hospitals fiscal stability, Grause said. CMS proposal to change how it calculates rural wage indexes would significantly improve Medicare reimbursement for hospitals in many regions of New York. As New York hospitals face escalating labor, drug, supply and other expenses, this proposal is very welcome news.

The proposed change means Capital Region hospitals would finally have a similar reimbursement rate for patient care to Massachusetts hospitals, including those nearby in Springfield and Worcester, against whom local hospitals have competed for employees.

The Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association is reviewing the proposed changes with local hospitals, who are slated to see reduced Medicare reimbursement under the new rules. Michael Sroczynski, senior vice president and general counsel for the association, called the index a complex and critical factor for Massachusetts hospitals reimbursement and overall financial picture.

The Medicare Wage Index is one of a handful of key components of federal hospital funding, according to Gerard Anderson, professor of Health Policy and Management at the John Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. Anderson, who helped establish the funding model, said its flown under the radar for years and largely operated on auto-pilot.

Many hospitals in the Southern U.S. and Puerto Rico have had even lower reimbursement rates than Capital Region hospitals. Some California hospitals receive the best reimbursement rates due to their higher-than-average wages.
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ALBANY  Jordan Young, the city man shot by a police officer as he ran toward the officer with a knife, pleaded guilty to felony menacing a police officer Friday in a deal that will require him to serve two years in prison.

But Young, who has undergone 24 surgeries since the Jan. 24, 2022 shooting, will remain free for an extended period of time as he continues to receive medical care, including reconstructive surgery, as part of the plea deal.

Young spoke softly, offering one-word answers in response to Albany County Judge William T. Littles questions during an appearance in Albany County Court. Behind him sat several rows of supporters as well as more than a dozen former and current Albany police officers.

Youngs attorney had pressed prosecutors for months to drop the charges against the 33-year-old with a history of mental illness.

Police found Young around 1 a.m. near the intersection of Madison and New Scotland avenues. When officers got out of their car, Young crouched next to his dog with a blade in his hand. Police said Young began moving toward the officers, Daniel Madsen and his partner Francis Fogarty, as they ordered him to drop the knife. Madsen then fired multiple times as he retreated from Young. Police had previously identified the officer as James Madsen.

Churchill: What's the point of sending Jordan Young to prison?

Much of the interaction was recorded by police body cameras and Chief Eric Hawkins said the shooting was justified. After his arrest, Young pleaded not guilty to a felony count of menacing a police officer, which carried a possible sentence of up to seven years in prison, as well as a misdemeanor charge of weapon possession for the knife.

Youngs lawyer, Assistant Public Defender Rebekah Sokol, his family, and civil rights activist Alice Green for months had tried to persuade District Attorney David Soares' office that incarcerating Young, who was hospitalized and bed-bound for weeks after the shooting, would ultimately be a death sentence for him given his medical needs.

Young did not speak to the media after the hearing. Green said Youngs decision to accept a plea deal was difficult for him.

He had to make a choice between life, his health and freedom. And he made a decision that he thought was best for him, she said.

Madsens attorney, Andrew Safranko, and the police PBA wrote letters to Little opposing the deal.

Safranko wrote that Madsen was empathetic towards Youngs mental illness and was grateful he had survived the shooting. But he believed the deal was too lenient and would give Young, carte blanche to continue his violent tendencies.

The plea proposed here goes far beyond  it is an attempt to satiate a public opinion that officers overreact and are quick to violence when this case represents anything but that, Safranko wrote. Quite simply, it states that you can attack a police officer without significant consequences.

A special prosecutor deemed Madsens actions justified. He has not returned to active duty since the shooting, according to Safrankos letter.

Officer Michael Delano, president of the PBA, wrote that he believed the deal was the result of public pressure that did not align with the facts of the case.

This proposed resolution is a slap on the wrist and sends the entirely wrong message to the public and police officers who proudly serve it, he wrote.

In the 15 months since the shooting, Youngs physical condition has been part of the reason his case has taken so long to wind through the court system. He awaits another surgery on his abdomen.

The trial was expected to start Monday. Green and others planned a 72-hour vigil at the courthouse to protest the prosecutions handling of the case.

Sokol said prosecutors recently received more than 9,000 pages of Youngs medical records, illustrating his need for continued medical care. She called the plea deal a fair resolution to his case.

Its something that allows him to continue on his path to recovery, whatever that may look like, however long that may take, and keep him with his doctors, and not put him at an increased risk of physical harm by going to prison before hes physically ready, she said before the sentencing.

Sokol said Young still has trouble absorbing nutrition and his abdomen contained so much scar tissue it required medical intervention.

Young rejected a plea deal in August that would have required him to plead guilty to the charge he pleaded guilty to on Friday. At the time, the negotiations called for a sentence of between three and five years in prison.

Young is bipolar and has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. His behavior in the months leading up to the shooting was increasingly erratic, and he was arrested several times.

The incident began after a man called police, who prosecutors later said was Young, and told dispatchers a group of men was in his apartment and someone was holding a gun to his head.

Officers later reported seeing a man on the buildings rooftop and police were told to be on the lookout for a man wearing a navy lettermans jacket and brown pants.

Roughly 30 minutes later, two officers encountered Young, who did not match that description. Other officers, including Madsen, arrived at the scene and the shooting occurred soon after.

Young will remain free at least until his sentencing on Aug. 18, which may be delayed as he undergoes further medical care. He is required to periodically update Little on the medical and mental health treatment he is receiving.

Obviously we dont want this hanging over his head forever, but at the same time, he needs to be physically able to actually do this sentence, Sokol said.
Suffering, terminally ill people deserve peace of mind and comfort during their end of life. That's why state legislatures across the country have filed legislation that would legalize the trusted practice of medical aid in dying.

As legislators and co-sponsors of our states respective bills, we know that the legislation will improve quality of life for thousands of residents facing terminal illness and uncontrollable physical pain at the end of their life. Our constituents deserve a better quality of life  and if were not meeting those needs, were not doing our jobs.

Since the introduction of the first medical aid in dying legislation in Oregon 30 years ago, nine other states, as well as Washington, D.C., have passed similar legislation. We have a chance to do the same in New York and Massachusetts.

In Massachusetts, 77 percent of voters support medical aid in dying, and in New York, over two-thirds of doctors support medical aid in dying. Why? Because a majority of people understand that this is a quality-of-life issue, not a political issue. But some have decried our efforts, warning of the slippery slope of passing this legislation and projecting a dystopia where medical aid in dying is imposed on people at will.

That could not be further from the truth. The medical aid in dying bills currently working their way through Beacon Hill and Albany are modeled after the original Oregon legislation, which requires patients seeking to exercise medical aid in dying to be over 18 with a prognosis of six months or less to live, mentally capable of making their own health care decisions, and able to self-ingest the medication. These eligibility requirements are in addition to almost 20 other safeguards, including multiple waiting periods and sign-off from multiple medical professionals. Unlike the Canadian model, people without terminal illness or critically ill patients with existing treatment options available do not qualify for medical aid in dying.

Removing these criteria and safeguards is not part of any conversations about medical aid in dying  30 years and 11 jurisdictions worth of history prove it. There is not a single documented case of misuse since Oregon first legalized medical aid in dying, and history demonstrates that the decision to exercise this practice falls strictly within the purview of a patient and their doctor  exactly where it should be.

Sign up for the Observation Deck newsletter Read the latest Times Union opinion, perspective and letters to the editor on Mondays by signing up for our Observation Deck newsletter.

It is unacceptable that New York and Massachusetts, two states that are progressive on health care issues, do not provide people with choices and dignity at the end of their lives. This practice has strong support. Therefore, as legislators, it is our duty to uphold the will of the people and become the 11th and 12th states to codify medical aid in dying into law.

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Rep. Jim ODay is a Massachusetts state representative and the fourth division leader of the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
ALBANY  State Attorney General Letitia James is pressing the Legislature to adopt what she contends would be nation-leading regulations governing the cryptocurrency industry, which are intended to increase transparency and protect investors.

Rampant fraud and dysfunction have become the hallmarks of cryptocurrency and it is time to bring law and order to the multi-billion-dollar industry, James said in a statement. New York investors should have the peace of mind that there are safeguards in place to protect them and their money.

James is set to release proposed legislation for the consideration of state lawmakers before the end of their legislative session next month. It is the latest pitch to the Legislature in a series of regulatory goals by the Brooklyn Democrat, who was reelected to a four-year term in November.

The legislation is intended to reduce potential conflicts of interest, require public reporting of financial statements and improve protections for investors in the crypto industry, according to James' office.

James cryptocurrency legislation sets the standard for all U.S. states and territories on how to regulate the fledgling cryptocurrency industry, said John Stark, a consultant who was the former chief of the federal Securities and Exchanges Commissions Office of Internet Enforcement.

The proposal would allow for both the attorney generals office and the states Department of Financial Services to have broader authority in regulation of the crypto field. It could include granting the attorney general the ability to issue subpoenas, issue civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation by individual or $100,000 by firm.

As recent events demonstrate, unregulated actors will exploit consumers and investors in their quest for outsized profits, damaging the market for those who seek to comply with the rules, said Maria T. Vullo, former Superintendent of the state Department of Financial Services and former executive deputy attorney general for economic justice.

The CRPTO Act, which seeks regulation, protection, transparency and oversight, is looking to ensure the crypto business provides similar information that those in the rest of the financial marketplace are required to provide. It could also prohibit brokers from borrowing or lending customer assets.

It would also seek to require crypto companies to public audited financial statements and provide investors with disclosures on potential conflicts of interest. It also would prevent companies from using stablecoin to describe their assets unless it is evenly backed by U.S. currency or other high-quality liquid assets.

The crypto industry has been in the crosshairs of state policy in recent years. The fights typically pit crypto companies against environmental advocates. James has also recently found her office at odds with the industry and has filed multiple lawsuits against crypto companies.
(Bloomberg) -- SF Holding Co., Chinas largest express delivery company, has started preparations with banks for its Hong Kong second listing, which could raise $2 billion to $3 billion, according to people familiar with the matter.

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The Shenzhen-listed company, also known as SF Express, is working with Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Huatai Securities Co. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. on the potential share sale, the people said. A listing in the financial hub could happen as soon as this year, the people said, asking not to be identified as the information is private.

SF Express had considered a second listing in Hong Kong and held initial discussions with potential advisers three years ago, Bloomberg News reported at the time. The company now has a market value of about $39 billion, making it the worlds fourth-largest listed delivery services firm behind United Parcel Service Inc., Deutsche Post AG and FedEx Corp., according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Shares of SF Express have slipped about 5% so far this year.

Deliberations are ongoing and details of the listing such as the fundraising amount and timing could still change, the people said. Representatives for Goldman, Huatai and JPMorgan declined to comment, while a representative for SF Express didnt immediately respond to requests for comment.

SF Express is gearing up for a Hong Kong listing as the global market of initial public offering shows signs of life. Johnson & Johnsons consumer health business Kenvue Inc. this week raised $3.8 billion in an upsized US IPO thats the worlds biggest this year. Some of SF Holdings rivals  J&T Express and Cainiao Network Technology Co., the logistics unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.  are also looking to raise funds through IPOs in Hong Kong.

Story continues

Billionaire Owner

Founded in Shunde of Guangdong province in 1993, SF Express covers almost all of China, while its international express business covers 98 countries, according to its latest annual report. It owns 77 all-cargo aircraft. SF Expresss 2022 net income rose 45% from a year earlier to 6.17 billion yuan ($893 million), while its revenue climbed 29% to around 267.5 billion yuan.

The company, whose founder Wang Wei grew up in Hong Kong, went public in Shenzhen through a so-called backdoor listing in 2017. The debut propelled Wang to become the third-richest person in China at the time. He is still the countrys 15th wealthiest person with a net worth of about $14.2 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

A second listing would also mark another dealmaking milestone for SF Express, which in 2021 acquired about 52% stake in Hong Kong-listed Kerry Logistics Network Ltd. for about HK$30 billion ($3.8 billion). It was the companys biggest ever purchase. In the same year, its units SF Real Estate Investment Trust and Hangzhou SF Intra-City Industrial Co. raised about HK$2.6 billion and HK$2.2 billion in Hong Kong IPOs respectively.

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Almost all of the time when I write about new restaurants, sorting out those involved is easy. People are happy to tell me, for example, Were the owners, that woman over there in the white coat is our chef, and our nephew behind the bar, freshly back from five years as a mixologist in Las Vegas, is our beverage director.

And sometimes its not so easy. Follow along for a tale that  spoiler alert  will leave you with more questions than answers.

Short version: A restaurant in Hudson seems to have imploded quickly. Beyond that? I dont know for sure. But an interior designer who lives 100 miles away seems to have applied for its liquor license.

Status unclear

Merchants Social, under development for 16 months starting in spring 2021 with a big-name New York City chef attached, shuttered with two days notice in late January, after five months in business. This ostensibly was for a few weeks winter break, but it has never reopened.

Its status remains unclear. Employees told me they were laid off abruptly during the week of Jan. 23. That is also the date on a letter to the State Liquor Authority withdrawing Merchants Socials application for a license to serve beer and wine, according to an agency spokesman. Since opening in August, the restaurant had been operating with a temporary beer-and-wine license. Its application for a full license that includes hard liquor was denied because the building, at 333 Warren St., is within 200 feet of a church, grounds for automatic denial under state law. (Beer-and-wine licenses are exempt from the 200-foot rule.)

An invisible owner

The owner of Merchants Social, John Malabre, who appears to have connections to multiple construction, construction-management and real-estate-development firms in the metro-New York area but no prior restaurant ownership, has worked hard to stay largely anonymous. The pre- and post-opening attention for Merchants Social was consistently redirected toward John DeLucie, a chef and restaurateur who built and rebuilt a top New York City culinary career over nearly 20 years that included the likes of The Waverly Inn and King Cole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel. DeLucie was described in early promotion as a minority owner and managing partner in Merchants Social.

When the restaurant was announced last year, a press representative for Merchants Social described the principal owner to me only as a Hudson local who built many restaurant spaces for Chef John in the past. A long feature in the Hudson Valley magazine Chronogram in April 2022 focused on DeLucie, mentioning vaguely that a a partner and contractor on several previous hospitality projects brought DeLucie aboard for Merchants Social. A short item in The New York Times the following month called Merchants Social John DeLucies new Hudson Valley venture. Former staff said Malabre told them he wanted to stay as invisible as possible.

However, Malabre is mentioned by name by DeLucie in a March 2022 video interview done for a pre-opening Merchants Social pop-up at the Soho House, a membership club in Manhattan. And seven people with business dealings with Merchants Social told me that Malabre represented himself as  and was understood by staff and outsiders to be  at least the majority owner and perhaps the sole owner.

Mystery deepens with liquor license

Further confusion arises with the matter of the restaurants application for a liquor license. The applicant was listed as Lara Lee, with a mailing address on a letter from the SLA matching the address for a Westchester County interior designer named Lara Lee. A letter from the SLA to Lee and the attorney representing the restaurant during the licensing process says that the application lists Lee as sole LLC member owning 100% of Merchants Social. Former employees said they had never heard of Lee, much less that she was the official applicant for its liquor license.

Lee appears to be the wife of one of Malabres business associates. Lees biography page for her design firm says she lives in the Westchester County town of Rye and Clearwater Beach, Fla., with my husband of 25 years, Tom. A Thomas Lee is listed as the principal of JCT Development, a real estate and construction firm with offices in Westchester County and Clearwater. Malabres profile page on the LinkedIn professional-networking site describes him as a project manager for JCT Development, and multiple other online listings including on government pages show him connected with JCT projects in the New York City area.

Malabre, DeLucie and Lara Lee did not reply to requests for comment on their respective roles with Merchants Social.

Jaime Donato, who was hired to be the opening general manager of Merchants Social in April 2021, confirmed that she received an email from Malabre on Jan. 22 of this year asking that she announce, with window signs and via online channels, that the restaurant was closed, with an intended reopening of March 5. The following day, the SLA application was withdrawn. Two months later, the signs remain on its website and Instagram page.

Donato said she and her life partner, the chef Kevin Rubis, who opened Merchants Social with her and DeLucie and ran its kitchen on a daily basis because DeLucie spent nearly all of his time in New York City, both were told they were out of jobs a few days after Malabres email. Donato said this week that she has had no substantive conversation with Malabre since.

This column originated in the weekly Table Hopping newsletter, delivered free via email on Thursday afternoons. Sign up to subscribe
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

South central Hamilton County in central Texas...

Southwestern Coryell County in central Texas...

Northeastern Lampasas County in central Texas...

* Until 1015 PM CDT.

* At 923 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles southwest

of Evant, or 22 miles southwest of Hamilton, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Ping pong ball size hail and 60 mph wind gusts.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...People and animals outdoors will be injured. Expect hail

damage to roofs, siding, windows, and vehicles. Expect

wind damage to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Evant, Arnett, Pearl, Moline, South Purmela, Bee House, King,

Izoro, Purmela, Adamsville and Pidcoke.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from

windows.

...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL EARLY SATURDAY AFTERNOON...

* WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast.

* WHERE...Neches River Near Diboll.

* WHEN...Until early Saturday afternoon.

* IMPACTS...At 12.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding occurs. Expect

flooded boat ramps and trails.

* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...

- At 8:15 PM CDT Thursday, the stage was 12.5 feet.

- Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours

ending at 8:15 PM CDT Thursday was 12.6 feet.

- Forecast...The river is expected to continue a slow fall

through the upcoming weekend, falling below the 12 foot flood

stage by early Saturday morning.

- Flood stage is 12.0 feet.

- Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of

12.6 feet on 03/24/1970.

- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood

Northwestern McLennan County in central Texas...

Northeastern Coryell County in central Texas...

Southeastern Bosque County in central Texas...

* Until 1030 PM CDT.

* At 925 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 12 miles north of

Gatesville, moving east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

Waco, McGregor, Valley Mills, Crawford, Lake Waco, China Spring,

Gholson, Osage, Hurst Springs, Coryell City, Willow Grove, Mosheim,

Turnersville, Pancake and Rock Creek.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023

_____

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING

The National Weather Service in Norman has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...

Southern Foard County in northern Texas...

Northern Knox County in northern Texas...

* Until 500 PM CDT.

* At 407 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 8 miles northwest

of Truscott, moving northeast at 25 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage

to roofs, siding, and trees.

* Locations impacted include...

Crowell and Truscott.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

For your protection move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a

building.

A Tornado Watch remains in effect for the warned area.

_____

Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
Ireland could see a cooling of temperatures due to the weakening of the Gulf Stream, a report published by the Marine Institute has found.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue TD has today officially launched the Marine Institutes Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem Status Report 2023. The 2023 report provides important and timely updates on national observations and recommendations previously presented by the Marine Institute.

The report notes the following key findings;

Sea-level rises of between 2-3 mm per annum since the 1990s,

A rise of ~0.5C in sea surface temperatures on Irelands north coast over the past ten years.

Identification of surface water acidification and year-round presence of harmful algal species

Speaking at a special briefing today as part of todays launch in Buswells Hotel, Dublin, Minister McConalogue said: "I am delighted to launch this timely report on the Irish Ocean Climate and Ecosystem and would like to sincerely thank the Marine Institute and their collaborators for their work on this vital area of research. It is critical that both scientists and policy makers are equipped with pertinent, high-quality evidence in relation to the changing state of our seas.

"This begins with the collection and observation of essential ocean variables in our territorial seas and beyond, measuring ocean temperature, salinity, sea level, ocean carbon, plankton and fish species. This information enables marine scientists to analyse the data to gain insights into the nature of some of the changes we are observing. We also need to predict or project what will happen to our oceans in the future using climate models. Based on this evidence, we have set out ambitious climate action targets that include an annual reduction in greenhouse gas emissions..

Minister McConalogue added: Tackling emissions will help Ireland address rising sea levels, ocean warming and acidification, along with coastal inundation. Irelands climate is dominated by the influence of the Atlantic Ocean. As this report outlines, and as most of us are already aware, the ocean and the atmosphere are a tightly coupled system, with heat, momentum and mass continuously exchanged between the two. Heat transfer from the ocean to the atmosphere provides one of the main energy sources for atmospheric motion.

Paul Connolly, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, said: Scientific evidence is critical to informing marine climate adaptation in Ireland: Local authorities require evidence to formulate action plans in line with national legislation. Changes in the ocean affect seafood, transport and biodiversity. Excess nutrients primarily from land-based activities, can lead to eutrophication and adversely impact marine life. The oceans provide 50 per cent of the oxygen we breathe. They are a critical element of the global climate system in their role to regulate atmospheric processes and for distributing heat, salt, and organisms. This research shows the impact of climate change is already evident in Irish marine waters with patterns of harmful algal blooms changing. The ocean off the southwest coast will likely become warmer and less salty by the year 2035, he warns.

The report mainly focuses on Irish waters with findings put into context with wider international climate change efforts such as the International Panel on Climate Changes 6th assessment report. In thematic layout it summarises key changes in marine conditions, and examines changing atmospheric conditions (ocean circulation, chemistry, plankton, fisheries and seabirds), and examines the link between freshwater catchments and the ocean. Model predictions and marine infrastructures critical to understanding Irelands changing marine climate are also considered.

The report represents a collaboration between marine researchers within the Marine Institute and others based in Irelands higher education institutes and public bodies. It includes authors from Met Eireann, Maynooth University, the University of Galway, the Atlantic Technological University, National Parks and Wildlife, Birdwatch Ireland, Trinity College Dublin, University College Dublin, Inland Fisheries Ireland, The National Water Forum, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Dundalk Institute of Technology.
The Women of Honour group, which represents female members of Irelands military, has called for Government appointees to an independent oversight board for the Defence Forces to be vetted by an Oireachtas committee.

In a statement, the group said it had not received satisfactory answers about the oversight board from Tanaiste and Defence Minister Micheal Martin .

The proposed board follows a recommendation in a report by the independent review group (IRG) into the Defence Forces, which the Women of Honour said did not include an assessment of the Department of Defence.

The report recommended that the membership of the external oversight body of the Defence Forces should include the secretary general of the Department of Defence, a suggestion criticised by Women of Honour.

Surely for the sake of transparency and to engender confidence, alternatives outside of the Department of Defence would be more appropriate, Women of Honour said in a statement.

We remain of a view that the secretary general of the Department of Defence should not be a member of the oversight board as it is a potential and serious conflict that needs to be vetted.

The statement added: Such vetting would normally be done by the Public Appointments Service but no such scrutiny or transparency has been allowed by the Tanaiste.

The group said it was concerned Mr Martin could not separate himself from the role of Minister for Defence.

We will be raising this with the Taoiseach when we see him shortly following contact from his office.

It added: We will be raising this with the Taoiseach and asking him to take the Department of Defence out of the liaison with victims, out of the establishment of the tribunal and out of the oversight board.

It is not appropriate, insensitive, and like having the fox in the chicken coop.

We dont think the Taoiseach would have tolerated the Bishops Conference being the secretariat to investigations into the church.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Defence said the Government agreed to prioritise the IRGs recommendations.

The department said this included the setting up of an external oversight body, on a non-statutory basis initially, to increase transparency and accountability; and to drive necessary culture change throughout the Defence Forces.

The calibre and combined skills and experience of the members of the body, under the chair of Professor Brian MacCraith, is exceptional and both the Government and Tanaiste are confident in their ability to carry out their important role effectively.

Mr Martin intends to make further appointments to the body in the near future.

The first task of the body is to develop detailed terms of reference for the approval of the Tanaiste.
[May 04, 2023] HINEN, from Battery Cell to Storage System Whole-chain Company Appears Publicly in Smart Energy 2023

SYDNEY, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- HINEN, the whole-chain company, from battery cell to storage system, announced its successful participation in the Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition 2023, which was held in Sydney, Australia on 3-4 May. During the exhibition, HINEN demonstrated its latest products, including LiFePO4 battery cells production and recycle Small storage system Home battery system and hybrid inverters C&I storage system HINEN presented its complete and future-proof solutions for residential power usage, featuring its advnced Hybrid Solar Inverters, powerful 5kW Energy Storage Systems, and High-voltage Stacked Batteries. The HINEN Hybrid Solar Inverter combines the functions of a solar inverter and a battery charger, maximizing the utilization of solar energy and reducing dependence on grid power. Meanwhile, the Energy Storage System is an expandable high-capacity battery that stores excess solar energy for later use, providing reliable back-up power during blackouts or grid failures. These products are designed to seamlessly and intelligently connect with each other, giving users full control of their electricity usage and reducing their reliance on the grid, while also contributing to a more sustainable future.



HINEN Portable Power Station PS3000 is equipped with UL1973 certified square-shaped aluminum-shell LFP battery cells, which have a cycle life of over 3600 cycles (at 95% DOD). With HINEN's industry-leading bi-directional inverter technology, it can easily be charged by foldable solar panels, wall sockets or car chargers, and can be fully charged in 1.2 hours. PS3000 features lightweight, portable, and intelligent controls that can meet most home + outdoor + medical and other application use-cases. "We are thrilled to have participated in the Smart Energy Expo 2023 and showcase our innovative products to industry professionals," said Billy Li, Vice President of HINEN. "Our solar hybrid inverters and battery storage systems offer reliable and sustainable energy solutions for homes and businesses, and we are proud to have received such positive feedback and interest from attendees."

Just as HINEN's slogan goes, "A better world, powered by you." HINEN is committed to propel the energy storage sector forward and pave the way for a brighter, more secure tomorrow. For more information about HINEN and its products, please visit www.HINEN.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/hinen-from-battery-cell-to-storage-system-whole-chain-company-appears-publicly-in-smart-energy-2023-301816781.html SOURCE HINEN

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Images/Shutterstock (13897806c) Front L-R: League Against Cruel Sports CEO Andy Knott, TV presenter Megan McCubbin, writer Benjamin Zephaniah and naturalist Chris Packham join the protesters. Protesters gathered outside the Royal Courts Of Justice as animal charity The Humane League UK takes legal action against the government over 'Frankenchickens', chickens which are bred to grow at abnormal rates to abnormal size, which campaigners say causes great suffering and breaches the Welfare of Farmed Animals regulations. Justice for chickens protest outside High Court, London, UK - 03 May 2023 - Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

High court judges are this week being asked to decide whether to ban so-called frankenchickens, birds farmed for supermarkets that have been selectively bred to grow faster and larger.

A case brought by campaign group The Humane League has reached Britains most senior court, arguing that the farming practice should be outlawed for the welfare of chickens.

Frankenchickens, as campaigners have dubbed them, reach maturity 12 weeks quicker and can be up to twice the size of a typical farmed bird 50 years ago. They can go from egg to slaughter in just 35 days.

The selective breeding has helped ensure Britain has plentiful cheap chicken to furnish dinner tables across the country.

Yet campaigners, who include TV presenter and environmentalist Chris Packham, argue the breeding practice is unnatural and leads to severe health issues for the animals. What's more, they claim all this has been done purely for profit.

A lot of these industries are not driven by simply feeding people and making a bit of a profit on top, poet Benjamin Zephaniah, who is supporting the legal challenge, told the Independent outside the High Court this week. Its making maximum profit. And I cant really think of another word but greed.

It is a characterisation that chicken farmers would scoff at.

Far from greedy profiteering, many farmers say they are struggling to make ends meet. In fact, the industry is now warning of potential chicken shortages as soaring costs push many to give up altogether.

DGHK97 Chicken farming, heavy cockerels drinking from drinkers in rearing shed, Cumbria, England, July - FLPA / Alamy Stock Photo

The British Poultry Council said this week the industry had hit breaking point. Many producers say they are losing money on each bird that they rear.

Chief executive Richard Griffiths said this week: The drive to keep food affordable under exceptional market conditions, where the cost of production is not being returned through the marketplace, is rendering poultry meat businesses unviable.

Whatever the outcome of the High Court case, supermarket chicken faces a difficult future. A traditional Sunday Roast bird will become even dearer and may even be harder to get hold off.

Story continues

Farmers are thought to have cut back the size of their flocks by around 10pc since the middle of March.

We cant afford to produce the numbers and not be getting the returns, Griffiths explains.

Smaller flocks mean fewer chickens on shelves and higher prices. Shortages cannot be ruled out, just as eggs were difficult to get hold of in recent months.

Id say were now in the same position where tomato producers were and where egg producers were, in that the costs of production are just going up so rapidly, Griffiths says.

Jo Hilditch, who owns Whittern Farms on the Herefordshire Welsh Borders and who has been in the sector for 30 years, says: I've never felt as depressed as I do right now about this industry.

There are no frankenchickens here. At her farms, welfare is front and centre.

"My managers are primarily stockmen who are passionate about looking after the chickens albeit for a relatively short life."

Yet the economics of caring for poultry currently dont add up. Hilditch is not making any money from the work.

Supermarkets say that they work in partnership with their suppliers but theyre just not, Hilditch says.

Major grocers have been battling to limit increases in the cost of a chicken, gambling that even selling the birds at a small loss will help get customers through the door where they can spend more.

Fresh chicken prices have risen by less than 14pc since last May, according to figures from Assosia, while the typical grocery basket as a whole has risen by 17pc.

At Hilditch's farm, costs have risen by 40pc on average over the last year. Electricity bills are up, fuel for farm equipment has jumped and feed costs too. Even the cost of cleaning out pens and farm houses has soared, leaping a huge 60pc.

Hilditch says many farmers won't survive unless supermarkets yield and start paying higher prices.

And, of course, the Government isn't keen on pushing because they want food prices to be cheaper, given the cost-of-living crisis going on. We understand that too, but a lot of farmers will be in trouble if things dont change.

Currently, around two thirds of chicken meat eaten in Britain is reared in this country.

However, Griffiths, of the British Poultry Council, says more chickens are now being imported from Spain, undercutting British farmers on price.

Its a false economy to rely on imported food, because we'll be at the whim of whoever is sending it to us," he says.

If we reduce our domestic production, then of course those imports are going to get more expensive, because there's no competition."

The British Poultry Council wants the Government to use its buying power to boost industry, committing to only serving homegrown meat across public services such as the NHS. Between 5pc and 10pc of food production goes through public procurement.

It really could be an opportunity for the Government to show that it is backing British, says Griffiths. It's not about handouts or subsidies or grants. It's about a fair price.

Animal welfare supporters outside the High Court in London, where animal welfare charity The Humane League has taken the Government to court in an effort to end the practice of breeding "Frankenchickens". Up to 90% of chickens sold in the UK are reared through intensive selective breeding to favour faster-growing poultry that can be brought to market sooner. Picture date: Wednesday May 3, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story COURTS Frankenchicken. Photo credit should read: Danny Halpin/PA Wire - Danny Halpin/PA Wire

For now, Westminster's attention is focused on the high-profile Frankenchicken battle.

This week lawyers for Environment Secretary Therese Coffey argued that there was no scientific consensus that fast-growing meat chickens have a genetic make-up which means they cannot be kept without detriment to their welfare.

They added that the government had no policy of permitting any particular breed of chicken to be kept.

Farmers will be watching the case closely. Forcing the Government to change how it views the practice would guarantee major changes in the industry.

Yet many argue that there is a simpler way to improve the welfare for birds: pay more for chickens.

One poultry farmer says: If the economics dont add up, you will get more people cutting corners and not behaving ethically.

Hilditch says: What it comes down to is that the consumer has simply got to pay more for chicken, because the costs that were seeing are just terrible.

With campaigners battling it out in the High Court and farmers struggling to make ends meet, the future of the Sunday Roast chicken is up in the air.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
[May 04, 2023]

2023 Presidential Hackathon International Track kicks off

TAIPEI, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2023 Presidential Hackathon International Track kicked off April 19 as part of government efforts promoting co-created solutions to common challenges while sharing the Taiwan Model of digital democracy with the world.

Themed Free the Future: Open, Digital and Green, the fifth edition of the competition is accepting entries until May 31 via the official website (https://presidential-hackathon.tca.org.tw/Registration/). It is overseen and implemented by Taiwan Ministry of Digital Affairs and executed by Taipei Computer Association.

According to the moda, the theme is in sync with the U.N.'s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Free and open societies mut draw upon signature strengths of adaptability, innovation and transparency in developing viable, interdisciplinary approaches to realizing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the moda said.







It is anticipated the competition will further spotlight the growing importance of borderless cooperation, open data, participatory policymaking, people-public-private partnerships and technology in delivering good governance and improving societal well-being, the moda added.

Launched in 2019, the Presidential Hackathon International Track features the creative contributions of 147 teams from 34 countries to date. It is a central plank in the government's Taiwan Can Help platform of engagement, and another example of how the moda is galvanizing global action in striving to Free the Future.

For more information, please visit the official website (https://presidential-hackathon.tca.org.tw/Registration/ )

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/2023-presidential-hackathon-international-track-kicks-off-301816370.html

SOURCE Taiwan Ministry of Digital Affairs
[May 04, 2023] Accenture Announces Leadership Appointments in India

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) has announced new appointments to its leadership team in India. Ajay Vij has been appointed to the newly created role of Country Managing Director, and Sandeep Dutta takes over as the lead for its India Market Unit. The company also announced that Rekha M. Menon, Senior Managing Director and Chairperson for Accenture in India, will retire as of June 30. The primary responsibilities of the Chairperson will now be undertaken by the new appointees. As country managing director, Ajay Vij will expand his current responsibilities as the Corporate Services & Sustainability lead for India to provide overall leadership and drive coordinated decision-making for key company priorities. Sandeep Dutta, the India Sales Lead will now lead Accenture's India Market Unit, serving as our India business lead responsible for driving business and operations in the domestic market, focusing on growth, market differentiation, and clients. In an expansion of this role, Dutta will now also be responsible for working with the local business communities and representing Accenture with local industry and trade bodies. During her 20-year career at Accenture Rekha M. Menon has held various roles across Accenture's growth markets. As Chairperson, she played an active role in growing Accenture's business, strengthening the company's presence in its communities and building relationships with key stakeholders includng industry, government, and clients. She pioneered the India corporate citizenship strategy and championed the company's inclusion and diversity agenda.



"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Rekha for her more than two decades of extraordinary leadership. She helped build a strong foundation for Accenture in India across many aspects of our business and leaves behind an outstanding legacy of accomplishments and impact for our clients, our people and our communities," said Leonardo Framil, Accenture's Chief Executive Officer for Growth Markets. "I would also like to congratulate Ajay and Sandeep on their well-earned appointments and new responsibilities. I and our entire Global Management Committee look forward to working closely with them to create significant value for our clients, people and communities in India and those clients we serve around the world." About Accenture

Accenture is a leading global professional services company that helps the world's leading businesses, governments and other organizations build their digital core, optimize their operations, accelerate revenue growth and enhance citizen services-creating tangible value at speed and scale. We are a talent and innovation led company with 738,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Technology is at the core of change today, and we are one of the world's leaders in helping drive that change, with strong ecosystem relationships. We combine our strength in technology with unmatched industry experience, functional expertise and global delivery capability. We are uniquely able to deliver tangible outcomes because of our broad range of services, solutions and assets across Strategy & Consulting, Technology, Operations, Industry X and Accenture Song. These capabilities, together with our culture of shared success and commitment to creating 360 value, enable us to help our clients succeed and build trusted, lasting relationships. We measure our success by the 360 value we create for our clients, each other, our shareholders, partners and communities. Visit us at www.accenture.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230504006136/en/

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[May 04, 2023] Innoviti Adds Top Brands - HP, Bosch, Siemens, Voltas, & Blue Star - to Strengthen its Collaborative Commerce Platform

These acquisitions along with other portfolio brands give Innoviti access to 70% of the Consumer Durable & Information Technology [CDIT] market BENGALURU, India, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Innoviti Technologies [formerly Innoviti Payment Solutions] expands its affordability portfolio through the strategic acquisition of key CDIT brands. High-valued brands like HP, BSH Home Appliances, Voltas and BlueStar will further enable the company in its intent to strengthen the merchants to offer more rewarding brand EMI to their end customers. Through a collaboration with Innoviti, high-performing brands benefit from an opportunity to better their brand performance while merchants gain from getting brand offers for their consumers. Innoviti is a forerunner in launching new digital technologies to revolutionize the digital payment industry. Earlier this year through its collaboration with two banks - ICICI and Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Reliance Retail, Innoviti launched India's first acceptance of digital currency at an organised retail point of sale. Its collaborative commerce platform uniquely benefits all partners. While banks can expand their customer base, merchants and brands are able to attract the right consumers, and the end consumers can purchase premium products on easy EMIs. These brand acquisitions for Innoviti underscore the company's commitment to delivering innovative and affordable solutions to its consumers while raising the value proposition for all. Inexperienced technology partners often lack the skill of providing data insights or technology tools that help assess growth opportunities for big brands. This challenge often leads brands to spend more on gaining insights, negatively impacting their profit margins. The Innoviti platform and its intelligent software not only help capture valuable purchae data but through its smart analytical capabilities it can produce razor-sharp consumer insights. These help brands to create better brand offers for consumers and in turn, help them partner more effectively with merchants and banks to build a win-win proposition for all. This uniquely positions Innoviti as a true growth partner for brands like HP, Bosch, Siemens, Voltas and Blue Star.



Speaking on the acquisition, Murali Gopalakrishna Rao, Vice President, Partners and Alliance - Innoviti Technologies said, "We are the preferred technology partner for growth-oriented businesses looking to increase their sales rapidly. Conventional payment aggregators lack the capabilities to provide an agile software platform that widens the growth opportunity for merchants, banks, and brands. Innoviti's growth tool has cross-functional and cross-purpose utility and will be particularly useful for brands that seek consumer insights to deploy better offers to improve their ROI. I am excited that Innoviti's unique 'Discoverability tool' and 'Purchase tool' will provide these brands with better insights into the consumer journey, enabling them to create better offers while we help them increase their sales at one-third of the cost." Innovation has led Innoviti to emerge as a leader in the consumer finance industry, and the acquisition of these brands is a significant step towards furthering that status. The brand EMIs offered through the Innoviti platform will empower merchants to make it easier for consumers to buy their aspirational brand products. Consumers across India can buy their desired brands on easy EMI by simply swiping their credit or debit cards on an Innoviti platform at stores across India. No-cost EMIs not only allow consumers to access easy loans but also boost their credit scores and induce financial discipline.

The agile and simple Innoviti platform effectually processes digital payments, while enabling businesses to grow better profit margins through the use of its growth tools. These futuristic tools remain way ahead of the conventional solutions available in the market today. About Innoviti Technologies Pvt. Ltd., Bangalore, India. https://www.innoviti.com Innoviti Technologies (formerly, Innoviti Payment Solutions) is India's largest provider of collaborative commerce solutions to Enterprise merchants with a 79% market share of all purchases being paid for digitally in this segment. Innoviti vision is to help people make better purchase decisions by providing better purchase options. The company processes over 10B$ of purchases from over 2000+ cities with a volume throughput per installation that is 2X of the country's average. Bessemer Venture Partners, USA, FMO, Netherlands, Panthera Growth Partners, Singapore, Alumni Ventures, USA, Catamaran Ventures, and Patni Advisors are investors in the company. The company has 7 patents awarded with 20 more filed. Innoviti is the winner of Mastercard's Innovation Wizards Award, Reliance's Most Promising Growth Consumer Finance Award and Deloitte Fastest Growing Companies in Asia award in 2020. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1912823/Innoviti_GPTW_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/innoviti-adds-top-brands---hp-bosch-siemens-voltas--blue-star--to-strengthen-its-collaborative-commerce-platform-301816086.html

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[May 05, 2023] Q&I Celebrates Success of Kaushik Das and Hasikaa S.V in JEE Main Exam

NEW DELHI, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomson Digital's innovative Edtech platform, Q&I (QandItoday.com), is proud to celebrate the success of its students, Kaushik Das and Hasikaa S.V in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Main 2023. Both students utilized Q&I's personalised learning resources and tools, which helped them to prepare effectively for the challenging exam. The JEE Main exam is considered one of the toughest entrance exams in India for admission to prestigious engineering colleges, and attaining success is a remarkable achievement. Q&I's personalzed and assessment based learning approach provided Kaushik and Hasikaa with access to a wide range of mock tests, practice papers, and self-driven roadmaps, which helped them to prepare with confidence.



Vinay Singh, CEO and Executive Director of Q&I and Thomson Digital, expressed his pride in the students' success, saying, "We are thrilled to see our students achieve such outstanding results in the JEE Main exam. Our mission at Q&I is to offer the best possible learning experience to all its students, and this achievement is a clear reflection of the effectiveness of its personalized and innovative approach. We are proud to be a part of Kaushik and Hasikaa's academic journey and look forward to empowering more students to achieve their academic goals through Q&I (QandItoday.com)." About Thomson Digital

Thomson Digital is a leading digital publishing solutions provider focused on empowering publishers by delivering smart solutions. With five decades of experience, the Group has partnered with customers to provide them with transformative workflow and technology solutions, e-learning, content development, processing, and rich media development to meet their business objectives. Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2069706/Hasikaa_Kaushik_QI_JEE.jpg View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/qi-celebrates-success-of-kaushik-das-and-hasikaa-sv-in-jee-main-exam-301816278.html

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[May 05, 2023] FlowerAura Introduces a Secure and User-Friendly Way to Send Video Messages with Gifts

GURUGRAM, India, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- FlowerAura, India's online gifting giant, has introduced Hippo Video, a new feature allowing users to send personalized video messages and gifts. Hippo Video offers a simple and user-friendly interface that makes recording and sending video messages easy. Users can record their messages on the payment confirmation page, track order page, or my order page, adding an extra touch of emotion and personality to their gifts. In a media conversation, Mr Shrey Sehgal, Co-founder of FlowerAura said,"We're excited to bring this innovative feature to our users, and we hope it helps them connect with their loved ones in new and meaningful ways. The joy of receiving a gift increases to many fold when there are special video messages from the sender. The excitement of knowing what the gifter has to say is what makes this feature a top-notch in uplifting the whole experience. As an online gift portal , we are en-route to the highest customer satisfaction and unforgettable experience; this newly launched feature is part of that journey."



But that's not all. Hippo Video is also secure and private. It uses end-to-end encryption and OTP verification to ensure that only the intended recipient can view the video message. A QR code is printed on the message card that the recipient can scan to access the video, and they will need to enter their details and receive an OTP on their mobile number before they can view it. Recipients will also receive video links on SMS and WhatsApp. With its user-friendly interface and integration, Hippo Video makes sending video messages with gifts easy and convenient. Hippo Video is an innovative and personalized way to convey your emotions to the fullest and send them along with gifts. FlowerAura is quite positive about the upcoming response from the customers and firmly believes that this feature will give more to both the gifter and the receiver.

About FA Gifts Pvt. Ltd. FA Gifts Pvt. Ltd. (FlowerAura), a pioneer of the gift industry, has flourished in the Indian & International market with its gift range (flowers, cakes, indoor plants, decor items, personalized gifts, combos) for the special moments that can't be put into words. Starting in 2010, under the entrepreneurship of Mr Himanshu Chawla and Mr Shrey Sehgal, the company launched its first FlowerAura store in the city of Gurgaon. Today, we lead the gifting market in more than 600+ cities to deliver a delightful experience for every customer out there. Video: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/AK2D2chaCk8

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[May 05, 2023] On-us's voucher solution boosts spending at Pet Show 2023, key findings highlight benefits of consumption voucher schemes

Results show On-us's digital voucher solution raised customer awareness by 3.7 times, boosting total spend by 4 times. HONG KONG, TAIPEI and SINGAPORE, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- On-us Company Limited ("On-us" or the "Company"), a leading B2B digital voucher solution provider based in Hong Kong, has successfully implemented its event engagement voucher solution at the Pet show 2023 held from 2 Feb 2023 to 5 Feb 2023 by Exhibition Group Limited, driving spending and engagement among 200 exhibitors and over 500 stalls. The show attracted an unprecedented number of over 300,000 participants and an average spending of HKD 1,300. On-us announced the key voucher data findings and analysis of the '2023 Pet Show Consumption Survey'. Analysis shows that On-us's digital voucher solution raised customer awareness by 3.7 times, boosting consumption spending by 4 times. In light of the recent disbursement of the first instalment of the Hong Kong consumption voucher scheme, On-us has analyzed key voucher behavioral data and data from '2023 Pet Show Consumption Survey' to study the effectiveness of consumption voucher schemes in driving consumer spending and boosting the local economy. The survey conducted by CS Marketing interviewed more than 4,700 Pet Show visitors onsite in Feb 2023. Below are some key data insights that On-us drew from the survey and voucher behavioral data. Redemed vouchers help boost spending by 4 times



Transaction records shows that the total amount spent by visitors at exhibiting booths is 4 times than that of the redeemed amount, demonstrating the high ROI of vouchers. In other words, if a consumer redeemed an $1,000 voucher, the total spending would amount to $4,000. Participating merchants experienced a significant return on investment and a boost to their bottom line. Digital Vouchers Raise Customer Awareness by 3.7 times

The use of digital vouchers was instrumental in engaging visitors at the Pet Show, raising customers' awareness of participating merchants. On average, each voucher was viewed 3.7 times before being redeemed, resulting in a significant increase in participating merchants' brand exposure. This increased airtime and views have contributed to enhancing brand awareness, thus providing valuable opportunities for participating merchants to connect with their target audience. Our digital vouchers offer a quick, easy-to-use solution for participating merchants to engage with customers and build relationships, while driving traffic to their stores. Free Gifts Drive Traffic with 70% redemption rate It is shown that free gift vouchers are particularly essential in driving traffic to exhibitor stalls, given their high redemption rate of 70%. Participating merchants which offered free gifts with purchase experienced a significant increase in traffic, resulting in increased sales and revenue. Higher Voucher Amounts Result in Higher Spending, while small-value voucher still drive 20% redemption The use of small-value vouchers ($10 and $20) is still effective in driving approximately 20% of redemption. Hence, merchants should still consider offering small-value vouchers despite limited budget, since it is a cost-effective way to engage customers and drive traffic to their stalls. It is also found that the higher the redeemed amount, the more likely consumers are to spend significantly more. Participating merchants which offered higher-value vouchers reported an increase in customer spending, resulting in increased revenue. By offering digital vouchers and free product redemption vouchers, exhibiting merchants successfully increased customer engagement and drove sales, resulting in increased revenue and a more engaged participation. On-us's event engagement voucher solution is an effective way for exhibitors to engage with visitors, drive traffic to their stores, and boost consumer's spending power. About On-us Company Limited On-us Company Limited (On-us) is a consumer-minded B2B digital voucher solution provider. Equipped with application programming interfaces (APIs) for omni-channel distribution, On-us is an incentives ecosystem focused on delivering value and deepening customer relationships through customized messages and analysis of consumer behavioral data. Clients include marketers of global financial services providers, people management teams, blue chip property developers, non-profit organizations, and SMEs. For more information, please visit www.on-us.com. View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/on-uss-voucher-solution-boosts-spending-at-pet-show-2023-key-findings-highlight-benefits-of-consumption-voucher-schemes-301816858.html SOURCE On-us Company Limited

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[May 05, 2023] (ISC) Calls for Global Cybersecurity Standards based on New Research

Newly published research examines global approaches to cyber legislation and regulation across six jurisdictions, including Singapore, shedding light on the challenges created by rapidly evolving policy landscapes SINGAPORE, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- (ISC)  the world's largest nonprofit association of certified cybersecurity professionals, and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), the world's oldest independent think tank on international defense and security, today released a new research report titled "Global Approaches to Cyber Policy, Legislation and Regulation." Findings from the report underscore the growing necessity for greater standardization and collaboration to ensure stronger and more resilient frameworks that support shared learning and best practices, amidst rapidly evolving cybersecurity policies and regulations around the world. The report reviews cybersecurity legislation and regulation within Canada, the European Union, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States, identifying various challenges shaping cyber policy. These issues include the shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals, the complexities of the critical national infrastructure (CNI) and international cooperation on norm development for cyberspace. By bringing together insights from different jurisdictions and stakeholders, the report shows the importance of cooperation between private and public stakeholders and that policy makers increasingly seek harmonization of cyber policy. This is particularly critical for Singapore as its digital economy and the corresponding cyber ecosystem continues to expand rapidly. While the country is recognized for its advanced cybersecurity regulation and policies, Singapore has experienced a high number of cyberattacks in recent years. For example, the country saw an influx of SMS-phishing scams targeted at bank customers in 2022. The Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA) saw a 54% year-on-year increase in the number of ransomware cases being reported to them in 2021. "While the report identifies a number of trends in the cyber policy landscape, the increasing reliance on binding cybersecurity obligations for the critical national infrastructure sectors and beyond stand out, but the obligations different jurisdictions impose to increase cyber resilience vary," said Pia Husch, Research Analyst for Cyber, Technology and National Security at RUSI. "The report therefore draws crucial attention to the need to better understand which policies are effective in increasing yber resilience and how they impact businesses and the cyber workforce implementing them."



"Policymakers must take a proactive, rather than reactive, approach toward cybersecurity policy and collaborate across borders, industries and sectors to establish common standards, protocols and best practices," said Clar Rosso, CEO of (ISC). "Findings from this report provide valuable insight into top legislative and regulatory priorities, which emphasizes the need for greater harmonization between policymakers, cybersecurity professionals and other stakeholders to improve cyber resilience and address pressing cybersecurity challenges in 2023 and beyond. To protect our national security, economies, critical infrastructure, and the data and privacy of our citizens, we need consistent, strong, forward-looking and joined up policies that enable cybersecurity professionals around the world to stay laser-focused on the most critical aspects of their jobs." The report delves into several other key headlines, including:

More regulations are coming; organizations must prepare now  not later.





No country or government is immune to the cybersecurity skills and workforce gap.

While Singapore's shortage in the cyber workforce has decreased significantly in 2022, the citystate has been investing in cyber workforce development and has issued a number of measures to attract highly skilled workers such as through visa programmes like TechPass.





shortage in the cyber workforce has decreased significantly in 2022, the citystate has been investing in cyber workforce development and has issued a number of measures to attract highly skilled workers such as through visa programmes like TechPass. Global standardization is critical, and full international cooperation is needed, to protect and uphold ethical principles and standards.

On this front, Singapore is actively engaging with a wide range of actors in the field, including the UN working groups. It has established the ASEAN Singapore Cybersecurity Centre and hosts the annual Singapore International Cyber Week.





is actively engaging with a wide range of actors in the field, including the UN working groups. It has established the ASEAN Singapore Cybersecurity Centre and hosts the annual Singapore International Cyber Week. Fortifying critical infrastructure is a top priority for all jurisdictions  especially with more interconnectedness and "state lines" blurring.

To ensure further resilience of its Critical Information Structure and supply chains, Singapore continues to advance regulation, e.g. in the form of the Complimentary Code of Practice (CCoP 2.0) providing measures and standards implemented by businesses that are part of the critical information infrastructure.





continues to advance regulation, e.g. in the form of the Complimentary Code of Practice (CCoP 2.0) providing measures and standards implemented by businesses that are part of the critical information infrastructure. Collective defense is needed between the public and private sectors and across jurisdictions to support norm development. For more information on the "Global Approaches to Cyber Policy, Legislation and Regulation" report, please visit: https://www.isc2.org/Research/rusi-report Study Methodology Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) conducted this research from December 2022 to March 2023. The six jurisdictions studied  the U.K., the E.U., the U.S., Canada, Japan and Singapore  were chosen because they drive policymaking in cybersecurity and are leaders in the field, either as norm developers or because of their technology sectors. The research focused primarily on policies enacted or proposed between 2019 and 2023. The research underlying this publication was primarily based on a review of existing literature. About RUSI The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) is the world's oldest and the UK's leading defence and security think tank. Its mission is to inform, influence and enhance public debate on a safer and more stable world. RUSI is a research-led institute, producing independent, practical and innovative analysis to address today's complex challenges. Since its foundation in 1831, RUSI has relied on its members to support its activities. Learn more at www.rusi.org. About (ISC) (ISC) is an international nonprofit membership association focused on inspiring a safe and secure cyber world. Best known for the acclaimed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) certification, (ISC) offers a portfolio of credentials that are part of a holistic, pragmatic approach to security. Our association of candidates, associates and members, more than 365,000 strong, is made up of certified cyber, information, software and infrastructure security professionals who are making a difference and helping to advance the industry. Our vision is supported by our commitment to educate and reach the general public through our charitable foundation  The Center for Cyber Safety and Education. For more information on (ISC), visit www.isc2.org, follow us on Twitter or connect with us on Facebook and LinkedIn.  2023 (ISC) Inc., (ISC), CISSP, SSCP, CCSP, CGRC, CSSLP, HCISPP, CISSP-ISSAP, CISSP-ISSEP, CISSP-ISSMP and CBK are registered marks of (ISC), Inc. Also, Certified in Cybersecurity is a service mark of (ISC). View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/isc-calls-for-global-cybersecurity-standards-based-on-new-research-301816869.html SOURCE (ISC)

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[May 05, 2023] InvestmentPitch Media Video Discusses Nextech3D.AI's Launch of Breakthrough Generative AI Technology that Facilitates the Generation of 3D Materials from Text Prompts

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nextech3D.AI, formerly Nextech AR Solutions Corp. (OTCQX:NEXCF) (CSE:NTAR) (FSE:EP2), a Generative AI-Powered 3D model supplier to major e-commerce retailers, has launched breakthrough generative AI technology that facilitates the generation of 3D materials from text prompts. This breakthrough in text to 3D material creation is key in driving the company forward in its quest to be the dominant 3D model supplier for the eCommerce industry, where it already includes Amazon, Procter & Gamble, and Kohls among its clients.

A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on the image or link below: For more information, please view the InvestmentPitch Media video which provides additional information about this news and the company along with video comments from Nextech ARs CEO, Evan Gappelberg. The video is available for viewing on  InvestmentPitch  and on  YouTube . If these links are not enabled, please visit www.InvestmentPitch.com and enter Nextech in the search box.



As Amazon CTO Werner Vogel recently stated, 3D will soon be as pervasive as video. In the text-to-3D Material Pipeline, users can input a text prompt into the AI generator, and the system creates multiple image variations of that prompt, which are layered with texture maps to create a 3D material. Users also have the power to edit the image by further providing descriptive words to the AI generator, providing a high degree of customization, thereby allowing users to create unique and tailored textures for their 3D models.

The company recently announced that it has received conditional listing approval from the Canadian Securities Exchange for Toggle3D.ai., the companys AR enhanced standalone web application which enables product designers, 3D artists, marketing professionals and eCommerce site owners to create, customize and publish high-quality 3D models and experiences without any technical or 3D design knowledge required. The company has a proven track record of developing or acquiring what it believes are disruptive technologies and once commercialized, spinning them out as stand-alone public companies, retaining a significant number of shares, while distributing a percentage of the company to existing shareholders. Nextech has been a favorite with investors, particularly following the highly successful spinoff of ARway in late October. With ARway currently trading at $0.79, Nextechs holdings of 13 million shares are contributing about $10.3 million to Nextechs market capitalization. The shares are trading at $0.58. For more information, please visit the companys website at www.NextechAR.com . Investor Relations is handled by Lindsay Betts, who can be reached at 866-274-8493 Ext 7201 or by email at [email protected] . About InvestmentPitch Media InvestmentPitch Media leverages the power of video, which together with its extensive distribution, positions a companys story ahead of the 1,000's of companies seeking awareness and funding from the financial community. The company specializes in producing short videos based on significant news releases, research reports and other content of interest to investors. Disclaimer The information in this Investmentpitch Media Ltd video is for the viewers information only. Nextech AR Solutions has paid a fee not exceeding $2,000 in cash to have its current news release produced in video format. The corporate information is based on information that is publicly available. Any information provided by Investmentpitch Media Ltd., through its media services is not to be construed as a recommendation or suggestion or offer to buy or sell securities but is provided solely as an informational media service. Investmentpitch Media Ltd makes no warranties or undertakings as to the accuracy or completeness of this information. All due diligence should be done by the viewer or their financial advisor. Investing in securities is speculative and carries risk. CONTACT:

InvestmentPitch Media

Barry Morgan, CFO

[email protected]





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[May 05, 2023]

The Week in Canadian Press Releases: 10 Stories You Need to See

A roundup of the most newsworthy press releases from Cision Distribution this week

TORONTO, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on Cision. To help journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

Read more of the latest releases from Cision, see our resources for journalists, and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @cnwnews.

About Cision Canada

Cision is a comprehensive communications platform enabling more than 100,000 public relations and marketing professionals around the world to understand, influence and amplify their stories. As the market leader, Cision enables the next generation of communication professionals to strategically operate in the modern media landscape where company success is directly impacted by public opinion. Cision has offices in 24 countries through the Americas, EMEA and APAC, and offers a suite of best-in-class solutions, including Newswire, Brandwatch, Cision Communications Cloud and Cision Insights. To learn more, visit www.cision.ca and follow @CisionCA on Twitter.

SOURCE Cision Canada
[May 05, 2023] Amolyt Pharma Announces Abstracts Accepted for Presentation at ECE and ENDO

LYON, France and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Amolyt Pharma, a global company specialized in developing therapeutic peptides for rare endocrine and related diseases, today announced that the company has had multiple abstracts accepted for presentation at the 25th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE), which is being held May 13-16 in Istanbul, Turkey, and at the 2023 Endocrine Society Meeting (ENDO), which is being held June 15-18 in Chicago, Illinois. These presentations cover both of Amolyts development programs, eneboparatide entering Phase 3 for hypoparathyroidism and AZP-3813 entering Phase 1 for acromegaly.

Details of the presentations are as follows: 25th European Congress of Endocrinology (ECE)  May 13-16, Istanbul, Turkey Title: Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH-1 Receptor Agonist, Has No Impact on Bone Parameters Following Chronic Treatment of Non-Human Primates

Format: Oral Presentation

Session: Oral Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 2:00-3:00 p.m. CEST Title: Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH-1 Receptor Agonist, Induces Rapid Reduction and Normalization of Urinary Calcium in Chronic Hypoparathyroid Patients

Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14  3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16 Title: Treatment of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism by Eneboparatide, a Novel PTH Receptor-1 Agonist: Results from a Phase 2a Study

Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communications 8: Calcium and Bone

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14  3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16 Title: AZP-3813, a Bicyclic, 16-Amino Acid Peptide Antagonist of the Human Growth Hormone Reeptor, Effectively Suppresses IGF1 in Beagle Dogs





Format: Poster / Rapid Oral Presentation

Session: Rapid Communication 7: Pituitary and Neuroendocrinology 2

Date: Monday, May 15, 2023

Time: 3:05-3:40 p.m. CEST

Poster Display: 9:40 a.m. CEST on Sunday, May 14  3:30 p.m. CEST on Tuesday, May 16 2023 Endocrine Society Meeting (ENDO)  June 15-18, Chicago, Illinois

Title: Repeated Treatment with AZP-3813, a Bicyclic, 16-Amino Acid Peptide Antagonist of the Human Growth Hormone Receptor, Induces Enhanced Suppression of IGF1 in Beagle Dogs

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Neuroendocrinology: Neuroendocrinology and Pituitary: Growth Hormone and Acromegaly - Basic and Translational

Date: Thursday, June 15, 2023

Time: 12:30-1:30 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m.  3:00 p.m. CST on Thursday, June 15 Title: Treatment of Chronic Hypoparathyroidism with Eneboparatide (AZP-3601), a Novel PTH 1 Receptor Agonist: Results from a Phase 2 Trial

Format: Oral Presentation

Session: Bone 2 - PTH-Relevant Biology, Pathophysiology, and Therapeutics

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 9:45-11:15 a.m. CST Title: Variations in Clinical Practice Patterns for Hypoparathyroidism

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Bone and Mineral Metabolism: Hypoparathyroidism

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m.  3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 17 Title: AZP-3601, a Novel PTH 1 Receptor Agonist, Induces Rapid Reduction and Normalization of Urinary Calcium in Chronic Hypoparathyroid Patients

Format: Poster Presentation

Session: Bone and Mineral Metabolism: Hypoparathyroidism

Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Time: 1:00-2:00 p.m. CST

Poster Display: 9:00 a.m.  3:00 p.m. CST on Saturday, June 17 About Amolyt Pharma Amolyt Pharma, a clinical stage biotechnology company, is building on its teams established expertise to deliver life-changing treatments to patients suffering from rare endocrine and related diseases. Its development portfolio includes eneboparatide (AZP-3601), a long-acting PTH1 receptor agonist as a potential treatment for hypoparathyroidism, and AZP-3813, a peptide growth hormone receptor antagonist for the potential treatment of acromegaly. Amolyt Pharma aims to further expand and develop its portfolio by leveraging its global network in the field of endocrinology and with support from a strong syndicate of international investors. To learn more, visit https://amolytpharma.com/ or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn. Media Inquiries:

Jordyn Temperato

LifeSci Communications

[email protected] Investors Inquiries:

Ashley Robinson

LifeSci Advisors, LLC

[email protected]

+1.617.430.7577



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(Bloomberg) -- The Swiss banking watchdogs decision to wipe out about $18 billion worth of high-risk bonds as part of the deal to rescue Credit Suisse Group AG was a possibility investors should have been aware of, Swiss National Bank President Thomas Jordan said.

Most Read from Bloomberg

In the AT1 issue the legal setup was very clear, he said on Friday in St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland. It is not something where investors can say it was not foreseen to be used under those circumstances.

Created after the 2008 financial crisis, AT1s are the lowest rung of bank debt, producing juicy returns in good times but taking the first hit when a bank runs into trouble. The risk of a writedown to zero was included in the fine print of the Credit Suisse AT1 brochure.

Angry bondholders say the Swiss governments decision to enact emergency legislation on March 19 that Finma then invoked hours later was an unfair and disproportionate move. At least 120 claims have been filed against the decision.

Lawyers for the claimants argue that putting shareholders before bondholders runs contrary to the conventions of insolvency proceedings.

--With assistance from Hugo Miller.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Generational Wins Multiple Global M&A Network Awards

Generational Group, a leading full-service business advisory firm for middle market, privately held businesses is pleased to announce that it has won several honors at the 2023 5th Annual USA Middle Market M&A Atlas Awards.

Generational was presented with the following awards:

Investment Banker of the Year: David Fergusson

David Fergusson Growth Equity Deal of the Year: Michael Goss and Lance Thomasson for IcyBreeze Cooling's sale of minority equity stake to Corbel Capital Partners

Michael Goss and Lance Thomasson for IcyBreeze Cooling's sale of minority equity stake to Corbel Capital Partners Aerospace & Services Deal of the Year: Ahmad Behjati and Tristan Keeffe for Integral Industries acquisition by Enjet Aero

All winners were recognized at the 5th Annual USA M&A Atlas Awards on April 27th, 2023, in Washington, D.C. at The Mayflower Hotel, hosted by the Global M&A Network.

The Global M&A Network (GM&AN) is a diversified media company and the exclusive publisher of the popular "Top Dealmakers" lists. GM&AN also hosts the "Atlas Awards", the world's most prestigious awards for alternative investing, private equity, M&A, restructuring, transactional and business communities worldwide.

"It is wonderful to see so many of our M&A professionals recognized-and special congratulations to David Fergusson for being named Investment Banker of the Year. This is a recognition that he richly deserves for the leadership he provides to our team," said Brenen Hofstadter, Generational's Chief M&A Officer.

Ryan Binkley, President and CEO of Generational, stated, "I am pleasedthat so many of our associates were recognized by The Global M&A Network. It is a real honor to serve our clients, and I am proud of the way our team of skilled professionals strive for excellence each and every day."







About Generational Group

Generational Equity, Generational Capital Markets (member FINRA/SIPC), Generational Wealth Advisors, Generational Consulting Group and DealForce are part of Generational Group, which is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.

With more than 350 professionals located throughout 16 offices in North America, the companies help business owners release the wealth of their business by providing growth consulting, merger, acquisition, and wealth management services. The Generational suite of advisory services includes strategic growth consulting, exit planning education, business valuation, value enhancement strategies, M&A services, and wealth management.

The M&A Advisor named Generational Equity Investment Banking Firm of the Year three years in a row, Valuation Firm of the Year in 2020, and North American Investment Bank of the Year in 2022 as well as Consulting Firm of the Year. For more information, visit https://www.genequityco.com/ or the Generational Equity press room.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005089/en/
[May 05, 2023] Finvi Awarded BuyBoard Purchasing Contract

BuyBoard listing makes it easier for member agencies in Texas to purchase Finvi's government solutions BURLINGTON, Mass., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Finvi, a leading provider of enterprise workflow automation software built to accelerate revenue recovery and simplify the payment process, announced that it has been awarded a local purchasing contract from the Texas Purchasing Cooperative and will be listed on its BuyBoard. The BuyBoard is a free purchasing cooperative that serves municipalities, counties, school districts, and government entities. Because BuyBoard has already vetted vendors and completed the competitive procurement process, members save time and resources that would have been spent preparing and conducting a formal RFP. "In our more than 40 years of serving state and local government agencies, we've seen firsthand just how long the approval process can take," said Raj Sethuraman, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Finvi. "This contract opens the door for a multitude of government agencies throughout Texas to work with Finvi to improve their operational efficiency and boost their revenue recovery. And it can be done in a much shorter timeframe, helping these agencies achieve their goals in a timely manner." Finvi will be listed on the BuyBoard as a vendor for Software as a Service (SaaS) Products, Cybersecurity Assessments and Relaed Services, and can work with all participating agencies throughout Texas.



Contracts and vendors awarded through BuyBoard have been competitively procured to assist members with compliance with Texas local and state procurement requirements, and to provide a documented audit trail. Finvi's government software solutions improve account compliance, stewardship and public service with an end-to-end solution that provides enhanced constituent engagement, flexible payment options, improved productivity and a fully automated communication lifecycle.

Finvi's unique and configurable solutions provide clients with the technology to: Communicate more effectively with constituents via email, text, letter, and more.

Enhance productivity by automating workflows.

Increase revenue recovery by offering constituents a variety of payment options, including online self-service.

Eliminate many reporting headaches with actionable data and dashboards. To learn more about Finvi, visit?finvi.com. About Finvi For more than 40 years, Finvi has been the premier provider of enterprise technologies that streamline and accelerate revenue recovery for clients across healthcare, government, accounts receivable management, and financial institutions. Our innovative solutions are built on a distinctly human-centric approach to innovation and service. Through process automation and modern, compliance-minded communication and payment tools, Finvi enables thousands of clients to generate more revenue at reduced costs and fulfill their business goals by effectively engaging those who pay. About the Texas Purchasing Cooperative The Local Government Purchasing Cooperative was created to increase the purchasing power of government entities and to simplify their purchasing by using a customized online purchasing system, called the BuyBoard. Combining the purchase power of local governments provides membersbig and smallthe leverage to achieve better pricing on products, equipment, and services they use every day. There is power in numbers, and BuyBoard has delivered the vast economies of scale in purchasing products and services to members since 1998. PRESS CONTACT

Kristi Wallpe

Manager, Marketing Content

317-340-5997

[email protected] View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/finvi-awarded-buyboard-purchasing-contract-301816742.html SOURCE Finvi

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[May 05, 2023] Minister Wilkinson Launches Canada Electricity Advisory Council to Help Build Canada's Clean Electricity Future

OTTAWA, ON, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - A clean, reliable and affordable electricity grid is key to building a strong, clean economy and a competitive advantage that makes Canada an attractive place for businesses from around the world to invest. The federal government is building on Canada's advantages to deliver affordable power to Canadians, grow our economy and fight climate change. Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Natural Resources, launched the Canada Electricity Advisory Council, an independent body of 19 experts who will provide the Government of Canada with advice on actions needed to achieve our 2035 and 2050 net-zero emissions goals as they pertain to electricity. The Electricity Council will provide advice to the Minister of Natural Resources that could help shape the significant electricity sector investments announced in Budget 2023. These investments include a 15 percent tax credit for non-emitting electricity generation, $20 billion in low-cost financing from the Canada Infrastructure Bank and targeted funding where needed, including via NRCan's Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways program. The Electricity Council will provide advice to the Minister of Natural Resources to accelerate investment, and promote sustainable, affordable and reliable electricity systems. The Council's work will cover both the reduction of emissions in the electricity sector needed to achieve net-zero by 2035 and the rapid growth of electricity generation needed to power a net-zero-emissions economy in 2050. The Council will work in conjunction with other bodies advising the Government of Canada on climate and energy-related matters, such as the Net-Zero Advisory Body. The Electricity Council members represent a diverse range of commercial, policy, technical and governance experience and expertise, and will be chaired by Philippe Dunsky. Recognizing the jurisdictional role of provinces and territories in decision-making for the electricity sector, the Electricity Council will draw on work done at the provincial and territorial level, as well as by utilities and Indigenous partners. At the conclusion of its one-year term, the Electricity Council will prepare and deliver a report outlining its analysis and recommendations to the Minister. Quotes "Canada's clean grid is already a competitive advantage  t helped us land the Volkswagen deal. And to ensure that we can continue to attract investment and create more good, middle-class jobs, we need to keep increasing the supply of reliable, clean and affordable power right across Canada. The Electricity Council will help us build the grid we need by providing independent, expert advice on how to both grow and decarbonize Canada's electricity systems  in collaboration with the provinces and territories and with Indigenous partners."



The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson

Minister of Natural Resources "Clean electricity is set to play the central role in Canada's  and indeed the world's  transition to a clean energy future. It can be produced without emissions, consumed efficiently, priced fairly and used to enhance our competitiveness. I look forward to working with Council members to define the big moves needed to ensure that necessary infrastructure can be built in ways that are timely, affordable and sustainable. This will not be an easy lift, yet it's a generational challenge  and opportunity  I'm convinced we must seize."

Philippe Dunsky

President of Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors Quick Facts Philippe Dunsky , President of Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, brings over 30 years of experience advising business, government, utilities and non-profits across North America on clean energy. He serves on several boards, including as Co-Chair of Efficiency Canada and a Director of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund. He previously chaired the Government of Quebec's Electrification Working Group and was a member of Natural Resources Canada's Generation Energy Council. Mr. Dunsky also brings knowledge of regional realities and sensitivities to the position. Other members are:

, President of Dunsky Energy + Climate Advisors, brings over 30 years of experience advising business, government, utilities and non-profits across on clean energy. He serves on several boards, including as Co-Chair of Efficiency Canada and a Director of the Greater Montreal Climate Fund. He previously chaired the Government of Electrification Working Group and was a member of Natural Resources Canada's Generation Energy Council. Mr. Dunsky also brings knowledge of regional realities and sensitivities to the position. Other members are: Lesley Gallinger , President and CEO, IESO

, President and CEO, IESO

Darlene Whalen , Former Chair and CEO, NL Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities

, Former Chair and CEO, NL Board of Commissioners of Public Utilities

Wendy Franks , Executive VP, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Hydrogen BU, Northland Power

, Executive VP, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Hydrogen BU, Northland Power

Bruce Lourie , President, Ivey Foundation

, President,

Jason Dion , Senior Research Director, Canadian Climate Institute

, Senior Research Director, Canadian Climate Institute

John Gaudet , Former CEO, Maritime Electric

, Former CEO, Maritime Electric

Gerry Forrest , Principal at Forkast Energy and Regulatory Consulting, former Chair of MB Public Utilities Commission

, Principal at Forkast Energy and Regulatory Consulting, former Chair of MB Public Utilities Commission

Greg Robart , CEO, Smart Grid Innovation Network

, CEO, Smart Grid Innovation Network

Tim Eckel , VP, Energy Transition and Asset Management, SaskPower

, VP, Energy Transition and Asset Management, SaskPower

Grant Sullivan , President, Nihtat Energy Ltd.

, President, Nihtat Energy Ltd.

Stephen MacDonald , CEO, EfficiencyOne

, CEO, EfficiencyOne

Emily Whetung MacInnes , Chief Emeritus, Curve Lake First Nation

, Chief Emeritus, Curve Lake First Nation

Bob Elton , Former President and CEO of BC Hydro

, Former President and CEO of BC Hydro

Kerry O'Reilly Wilks , Executive VP, Legal, Commercial and External Affairs, TransAlta

, Executive VP, Legal, Commercial and External Affairs, TransAlta

Chief Sharleen Gale , Chief Councillor Fort Nelson First Nation and Chair of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition

, Chief Councillor Fort Nelson First Nation and Chair of the First Nations Major Projects Coalition

Pete Bothwell , VP, Customer Experience and Initiatives, ATCO

, VP, Customer Experience and Initiatives, ATCO

Judith Ferguson , Executive VP, Regulatory, Legal and Government Relations, Nova Scotia Power

, Executive VP, Regulatory, Legal and Government Relations, Nova Scotia Power

Stephanie Trudeau, Executive Vice President Quebec at Energir

The Government of Canada has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in the electricity sector by 2035.

has committed to achieving net-zero emissions in the electricity sector by 2035. The work of the Electricity Council will complement the work of existing entities that advise the Government of Canada on matters related to climate change and energy, such as the Net-Zero Advisory Body.

on matters related to climate change and energy, such as the Net-Zero Advisory Body. The creation of the Electricity Council fulfils Minister Wilkinson's mandate commitment to "establish a Pan-Canadian Grid Council  in support of Canada's efforts to achieve a 100-percent net-zero electricity system by 2035." Quick Links 2030 Emissions Reduction Plan: Clean Air, Strong Economy

Smart Grid Program

Clean Energy for Rural and Remote Communities Program

Smart Renewables and Electrification Pathways Program

World Energy Outlook 2022  Analysis - IEA Follow us on Twitter: @NRCan ( http://twitter.com/nrcan ) SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

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[May 05, 2023] IIIT Hyderabad and Silicon Labs Launch Campus-wide Wi-SUN FAN 1.1 Network for Smart City Applications

HYDERABAD, India, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- IIITH Smart City Living Lab in partnership with Silicon Labs, a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technologies, today launched a campus-wide Wi-SUN backbone Mesh network at IIITH Living Lab supporting Field Area Network (FAN) 1.1 Specification as a continuation to Phase 1 launch supporting FAN 1.0 back in Sept 2022, to establish a reliable, reachable communication network to enable research and solutions for the Internet of Things (IoT) and smart cities easier. Wi-SUN is an open-standard protocol enabling interoperable solutions through open-source software with multi-layer security. Wi-SUN will enable utilities, municipalities, and other enterprises to deploy long-range, low-power wireless mesh networks connecting thousands of IoT nodes. The Wi-SUN network uses the unlicensed band with no additional network infra adds to the existing modes of sensor communications including Wi-Fi and LORA which allows sensors to connect easily to the cloud. In Phase 2, 30 more Wi-SUN router nodes have been deployed in the campus with nodes containing Silicon Labs' radio - EFR32FG25 modules. All these nodes are interconnected through a self-healing mesh network and connected to a Border Router (BR) for backhauling the data to cloud. These nodes support Wi-SUN FAN1.1 specification (both OFDM & FSK modulation) that includes support of battery powered Limited Function Nodes (LFN) and backward compatibility to previously deployed FAN 1.0 nodes. OFDM support enhances robust connectivity as well as higher bit rates. With the present deployment, more than 100 streetlights on campus are being controlled and a dense and steady Wi-SUN network is built covering more than 80% of the campus. The FAN 1.1 extension to the Wi-SUN network at IIITH provides the ideal infrastructure to build an validate a multitude of Smart City solutions including water management, air quality monitoring, smart lighting, traffic management, energy management, waste management and many others. The launch of Phase 2 of the network is a significant step in enabling innovators to address the key issues in sustainable urbanization. Mr.V.L.Praveen Kumar, Director, Hyderabad Metro Water Supply Board (HMWSSB) also mentioned that the HMWSSB would be interested to try the feasibility of the Wi-SUN network deployment for water utilities in Hyderabad.



"The phase two launch of India's first campus-wide Wi-SUN network at the IIITH Smart City Living Lab is a crucial milestone towards enabling the development of an array of smart city solutions. This innovative street-lighting application, with thirty built-in FAN 1.1 network nodes connecting the campus street lamps for remote monitoring and control along with the thirty FAN 1.0 nodes deployed earlier in the last year, establishes a Wi-SUN backbone mesh network for future smart city applications. This demonstrates Silicon Labs' commitment to contributing to the technology ecosystem in India and industry-academia partnerships. These smart city solutions hold the potential to contribute to the Indian government's Smart City Mission," said Daniel Cooley, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and Senior Vice President, Technology and Product Development at Silicon Labs. The success in this implementation becomes a boon to many utility companies to try for extensive deployment with reliable and efficient connectivity using Wi-SUN, academia for future research study into the Wi-SUN network and startups and government to use this as a testbed to build and validate solutions for smart cities using the Wi-SUN network.

IIITH Smart City Living Lab is setup as an initiative of MeitY (Ministry of Electronics & IT), National Cities Mission, and Gov of Telangana, with knowledge support from EBTC (European Business Technology Council). Silicon Labs, Intel, and Saint Gobain are the other three founding corporate partners who joined hands with IIITH in building up smart city solutions. About IIIT-Hyderabad: The International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) is an autonomous research university founded in 1998 that focuses on the core areas of Information Technology, such as Computer Science, Electronics and Communications, and their applications in other domains through inter-disciplinary research that has a greater social impact. Some of its research domains include Visual Information Technologies, Human Language Technologies, Data Engineering, VLSI and Embedded Systems, Computer Architecture, Wireless Communications, Algorithms and Information Security, Robotics, Building Science, Earthquake Engineering, Cognitive Science, Computational Natural Sciences and Bioinformatics, Education Technologies, Power Systems, IT in Agriculture and e-Governance. Website: www.iiit.ac.in About Silicon Labs: Silicon Labs is a leader in secure, intelligent wireless technology for a more connected world. Their integrated hardware and software platform, intuitive development tools, thriving ecosystem, and robust support make them an ideal long-term partner in building advanced industrial, commercial, home, and life applications. Silicon Labs makes it easy for developers to solve complex wireless challenges throughout the product lifecycle and get to market quickly with innovative solutions that transform industries, grow economies, and improve lives. Silicon Labs is headquartered in Austin, Texas with its largest wireless development centre in Hyderabad, India. Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1900509/IIITH_Logo.jpg View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/iiit-hyderabad-and-silicon-labs-launch-campus-wide-wi-sun-fan-1-1-network-for-smart-city-applications-301817132.html

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[May 05, 2023] Kathleen D. Wilkinson, Esquire to Receive the 2023 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Third Circuit

Kathleen Wilkinson has been selected to receive the prestigious 2023 American Inns of Court Professionalism Award for the Third Circuit. (Her husband, Thomas G. Wilkinson Jr. will receive the same award.) Chief Judge Michael A. Chagares will present the awards in Philadelphia on May 10. Wilkinson is a partner at the Philadelphia firm Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman and Dicker LLP and specializes in complex civil litigation. "With 40 years of litigation experience, she is regularly entrusted by clients with their most difficult matters, frequently involving death and severe injury," writes Dale G.Larrimore, Esquire, past president of the Villanova Law J. Willard O'Brien American Inn of Court. "But it is not for her litigation skills that our Inn is nominating Kathleen for this award. What is special is that in achieving successful results for her clients, she has done it the right way-with unquestioned integrity and dedication to upholding the rules of ethics, while at the same time giving back to the bar and community."



Throughout her career, Wilkinson has been an active member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. She served as the association's president in 2021 and 2022 and led the association's House of Delegates to adopt the American Bar Association's Seven Point Wellness Pledge. She is also a member of the American Bar Association's House of Delegates. In 2013, Wilkinson served as chancellor of the 13,000-member Philadelphia Bar Association, the country's oldest metropolitan bar association. In that role, she created the Chancellor's Leadership Institute, which features programs on mentorship and leadership training for young and diverse attorneys. In 2019, the Philadelphia Bar Association gave her the Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Award in recognition of her leadership within the legal community and her mentoring of other women attorneys.

Wilkinson is a founding member of the O'Brien Inn and was its first woman president from 2004 to 2006. In 2022, she received the Legal Excellence and Professionalism Award from the Herbert B. Cohen American Inn of Court. Wilkinson earned a summa cum laude undergraduate degree from Kean College in Union, New Jersey, and a law degree from Villanova University School of Law, where she was a member of the Villanova Law Review. In 2013, she received the Villanova Law Alumni Association Gerald Abraham Award for Service. The American Inns of Court, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, inspires the legal community to advance the rule of law by achieving the highest level of professionalism through example, education, and mentoring. The organization's membership includes nearly 30,000 federal, state, and local judges; lawyers; law professors; and law students in more than 360 chapters nationwide. More information is available at www.innsofcourt.org. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005048/en/

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Broken Arrow Sisters Sweep School Spelling Bee

Two sisters from Broken Arrow advanced to a semi-regional competition after demonstrating exceptional spelling skills in their recent school spelling bees. Kesinu Ehimika, a fifth grader, claimed the top prize in the elementary school division, while older sister Ayiba Ehimika, an eighth grader, won the middle school division.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005046/en/

Sisters Kesinu (pictured) and Ayiba Ehimika took first place in their grade level spelling bees. (Photo: Business Wire)

The siblings attend Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy (OVCA), one of the longest operating virtual charter schools.







Kesinu said she enjoyed competing in the Spelling Bee with other fifth graders.

"It was exciting getting to spell different words and make new friends," she said.

Repetition was crucial to Ayiba's success, "I learned that practicing your words daily can help you win a spelling bee."

Ayiba moved on to regionals. The Spelling Bees were held online.

Photos are available here.

About Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy

Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy (OVCA) is a full-time public charter school authorized by the Statewide Virtual Charter School Board serving Oklahoma students in kindergarten through 12th grade. As part of the Oklahoma public school system, OVCA is tuition-free and gives parents and families the choice to access the curriculum and tools provided by K12, a Stride company (NYSE: LRN). Stride offers learners of all ages a more effective way to learn and build their skills for the future. For more information about OVCA, visit ovca.k12.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005046/en/
[May 05, 2023] ABRF 2023 ANNUAL MEETING, MAY 7-10, BOSTON

Driving Collaborative Science: The Importance of Core Facilities Highlighted at 2023 ABRF Annual Meeting LEXINGTON, Ky., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF) 2023 Annual Meeting will be held May 7-10 at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. This year's meeting focuses on Driving Collaborative Science, and features dozens of sessions on timely topics on the latest technology and strategies for shared research resources. With close to 1000 attendees from more than 200 leading academic research institutions and commercial manufacturers attending, the ABRF 2023 Annual Meeting will be the largest event for shared research resources, or Core, facilities. Among the notable sessions at the 2023 ABRF Annual Meeting are: ABRF Award for Outstanding Contributions to Biomolecular Technologies - presented to Dr. Chris Enke and Richard Yost for the development of the triple quadrupole mass spectrometer and the tremendous impact triple quads have made for a wide range of biomedical research applications. ABRF Diversity Equity and Inclusion Award - presented to Dr. Tshaka Cunningham with Polari Genomics and Future Kings, a regional nonprofit which serves boys and girls of color from economically challenged communities through a unique, year-long afterschool educational program that guides young men and women in grades 6-12 from underserved communities to explore exciting career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Their targeted focus is on cybersecurity, computer game design, biomedical sciences, and engineering.



Keynote speakers: Beth Cimini, Ph.D., Senior Group Leader, Broad Institute will present Making More from Your Microscopy: Advances in High-Content Image Analysis Ed Boyden, Ph.D., HHMI and MIT, will close the meeting with an engaging presentation on Optical Tools for Analyzing and Controlling Biological Systems.

Along with these key sessions, the ABRF Annual Meeting will include dozens of workshops on current developments in specific technology areas, including Genomics, Imaging, Mass Spectrometry, Flow Cytometry, and Proteomics, as well as best practices for Core Facilities Management and Leadership. Attendees will also engage with over 70 biotechnology manufacturers and systems developers to view the latest advances in research instrumentation and tools to support their ground-breaking work. Visit the meeting web site for the latest information or contact ABRF to learn more. This news release was issued on behalf of Newswise. For more information, visit http://www.newswise.com. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/abrf-2023-annual-meeting-may-7-10-boston-301811893.html SOURCE Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF)

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[May 05, 2023] New York-based Horatio CX announces it will expand office footprint to Bogota, Colombia by Summer 2023

The customer service company behind viral e-commerce and rapidly-growing tech companies continues to extend their reach in the growing Latin American market NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Horatio, the customer service revolutionizing CX and BPOs, announced this week they will be expanding to Colombia by the Summer of 2023, with the opening of the first site in the country in the capital city of Bogota. "This move comes as part of our strategic plan to further grow and develop our services, and we are excited to be further extending our reach in the Latin American region," said Jose Herrera, Horatio's CEO and co-founder. With the expansion of the Colombian market, Horatio plans to continue to extend the range of services they offer clientele beyond bespoke CX support. This week CEO Jose Herrera, COO Alex Ross and CFO Jared Karson specifically unveiled plans for further investments in Horatio's Trust & Safety and Content Moderation divisions. "These investments and additional, expanded divisions will enable us to continue to provide high-quality services to our clients," noted Jard Karson, Horatio's CFO and co-founder.



Founded in 2018, Horatio is a pioneer in the CX field that maintains a human connection in how they operate, a basic essential that's been lost upon a well-rounded CX experience. In April 2023, Horatio unveiled their expanded Santo Domingo office in the Dominican Republic with a state of the art 92,000 sq feet facility. The Horatio headquarters are in New York City, and they currently serve 100+ US clients with a growing employee base of 1,400 bilingual agents. Horatio ranked number eight on Inc. Magazine's fastest growing companies list for the Northeast Region in 2023. For more information please visit www.hirehoratio.com or follow @HireHoratio @HireHoratiord.

About Horatio: Horatio is the trusted partner for some of the fastest-growing startups and enterprises in the world. Their on-brand customer support teams help them leverage CX as a revenue generator through personalized customer experience support. Launched in 2020, Horatio's 1,400 employees now serve +100 clients nationwide. As seen on INC, Forbes, and Bloomberg. In 2022 they were the recipient of the Customer Contact Week Next Generation Leaders Award. Horatio is headquartered in New York City with its main offshore offices located in Santo Domingo and Santiago, Dominican Republic. Contact

Carly Wienner

[email protected] View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/new-york-based-horatio-cx-announces-it-will-expand-office-footprint-to-bogota-colombia-by-summer-2023-301817222.html SOURCE Horatio

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[May 05, 2023] KBRA Releases Research - Regional Banks: Where Is the Firebreak?

KBRA examines the issues confronting regional banks as they seek to regain stakeholder confidence in the wake of high-profile failures of certain midsize banks. The demise of Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and First Republic Bank were highly idiosyncratic. Yet, regional bank stocks, to varying degrees, continue to come under sharp selling pressure. Banking regulatory oversight, a critical element underpinning the U.S.'s commitment to decentralized banking, as well as the industry's creditworthiness, is challenged to update its efforts to address the technological disruption introduced by mobile banking and social media. The regulatory uncertainty is causing confidence in otherwise fundamentally sound institutions to come under pressure from opportunistic short-term trading strategies; Investors in bank bonds are well advised to take stock of risk elements that expose issuers to these forces. Click here to view the report.



Related Publications Van Hesser's 3 Things in Credit Podcast

The Community and Regional Bank Model Still Works About KBRA Analytics

KBRA Analytics, LLC (KBRA Analytics) is our premier product platform for high quality data and advanced analytics. Our seasoned teams of industry specialists across each product provide unparalleled insight creating a foundation of deeper analysis and rapid discovery for users. KBRA Analytics is an affiliate of Kroll Bond Rating Agency, LLC (KBRA). KBRA is a full-service credit rating agency registered in the U.S., designated to provide structured finance ratings in Canada, and with credit rating affiliates registered in the EU and UK. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005462/en/

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[May 05, 2023] University of Southern California launches $1B-plus initiative for computing including AI, advanced computation and quantum computing

With an aggressive recruitment and fundraising effort, USC President Carol L. Folt launches the single largest comprehensive academic initiative in the university's history: Frontiers of Computing. The initiative integrates computing throughout education and research to enhance digital literacy for all students as the university aims to hold its lead as a top provider of tech professionals. LOS ANGELES, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USC President Carol L. Folt on Thursday announced a $1 billion-plus initiative for computing research and education across disciplines, with a focus on AI, machine learning and data science, augmented and virtual reality, robotics, gaming and block chain. The initiative integrates computing throughout education and research. "I want every student who comes through our programs, whether they are in science, business, the humanities or the arts, to have a solid grounding in technology and the ethics of the work that they do," Folt said. "We will integrate digital literacy across disciplines to create responsible leaders for the workforce of the future." Seeded with a $260 million gift from the Lord Foundation of California, USC Frontiers of Computing encompasses a multipronged effort to push the boundaries of computing into a new era: A new school : The USC School of Advanced Computing headquartered in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility, the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The building, now under construction, will formally open in fall 2024.

: The School of Advanced Computing headquartered in a seven-story, 116,000 square-foot facility, the Dr. Allen and Charlotte Ginsburg Human-Centered Computation Hall. The building, now under construction, will formally open in fall 2024. Recruitment: Hiring 30 new faculty in the first three years who are leaders in computer science and computing-based research, with 60 additional hires by 2030. The new faculty members will hold appointments in multiple schools at USC in recognition that computational methods, particularly AI, are transforming the way people live and work.

Economic impact : USC Frontiers of Computing will bolster the university's influence on technology across various industries and expand its footprint in Silicon Beach on L.A.'s West side, which already is home to two of USC's tech incubators, the Information Sciences Institute and Institute for Creative Technologies. USC currently has a $9 billion economic footprint in the L.A. area, according to a study in 2017, and its impact is expanding to the East Coast, with the new USC Capital Campus in Washington, D.C.

: Frontiers of Computing will bolster the university's influence on technology across various industries and expand its footprint in Silicon Beach on L.A.'s West side, which already is home to two of tech incubators, the Information Sciences Institute and Institute for Creative Technologies. currently has a economic footprint in the L.A. area, according to a study in 2017, and its impact is expanding to the East Coast, with the new Capital Campus in Education: The initiative will broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs. USC aims to prepare students for a more tech-intensive world of work, spark new technological advances and shape responsible policy through new programs and course offerings, as well as through experiential education.

The initiative will broadly integrate computing across multiple disciplines and academic programs. aims to prepare students for a more tech-intensive world of work, spark new technological advances and shape responsible policy through new programs and course offerings, as well as through experiential education. Ethics: USC is instilling a culture of responsibility and conscience among students, faculty and its broader community across academic programs and research that will influence application, development, policy and research, says Ishwar K. Puri , senior vice president for research and innovation. The new Center for Generative A.I. and Society is prominent within the initiative's ethics endeavor. The recently opened center draws together experts from across the university to navigate difficult discussions about ethics and responsibility and generative A.I.



USC leaders began developing Frontiers of Computing three years ago, before the recent rise of artificial intelligence and generative A.I. USC already is the leading provider of tech talent for the nation. More than 1,300 students per year graduate with bachelor's, master's and PhDs in computer science.

"We all know the world is changing very fast right now," Folt said. "We need to take that momentum of change  and couple it with USC's history of innovation  to create what has never been done before. And we're going to do it." Learn more online and see this video.http://computing.usc.edu/ In addition to President Carol L. Folt, other USC leaders are available for interviews about the USC Frontiers of Computing: "This endeavor is a tremendous opportunity to apply new computing tools to accelerate and expand the impact of scientific discovery. It is not only the ability to solve problems that sets this apart, but the speed with which it can be done." Ishwar K. Puri, USC Senior Vice President for Research and Innovation "With an entire academic department dedicated to data science, and with technically skilled faculty placed throughout all our business programs, we are well-placed not only to focus on the cutting-edge business applications of technologies like AI and blockchain, but also to understand and shape their consequences for society." Geoff Garrett, Dean, USC Marshall School of Business "The potential is tremendous not only for great progress in applications such as cryptography and seismic simulations, but also for foundational breakthroughs in research areas like black holes, computational biology and quantum materials." Amber D. Miller, Dean, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts & Sciences "The world needs engineers and computer scientists to solve the grand challenges we face. The new School of Advanced Computing will tackle this goal by developing reimagined engineering curricula, that also emphasize the ethics of technology, in our fast-changing world." Yannis C. Yortsos, Dean, USC Viterbi School of Engineering Contact: Emily Gersema, [email protected] or (213) 712-3168 or Paul McQuiston, [email protected] or (323) 527-7770 View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/university-of-southern-california-launches-1b-plus-initiative-for-computing-including-ai-advanced-computation-and-quantum-computing-301817390.html SOURCE University of Southern California

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Precedence Research

The data integration market revenue was estimated at USD 12,54 billion in 2022, and it is anticipated to increase at a CAGR of 12.06% from 2023 to 2032.

Ottawa, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to Precedence Research, the data integration market revenue is expected to surpass around USD 39.16 billion by 2032. North America has captured revenue share of around 40% in 2022.



The process of combining or merging data from different sources and displaying it in a singular perspective, as well as giving responses to questions based on the combined data, is known as data integration. It guides and streamlines the business's operations. It is crucial for controlling, planning, and analysing the organization's processes. With a practical framework that can be used online or practically, it offers improved capabilities, increased openness, and simpler data aggregation. Data integration is the process of combining information from various sources into a singular, coherent viewpoint. The integration procedure begins with ingestion and moves on to cleaning, ETL mapping, and transformation.

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Ultimately, data merging enables analytics tools to deliver practical, usable business information. There is no one-size-fits-all approach for data merging. On the other hand, data integration systems typically include a network of data sources, a master server, and clients that retrieve the data on the master server. Data integration has many advantages that businesses can use to succeed. It enhances system collaboration and cooperation. Access to the company's data is becoming more and more necessary for both group projects and solitary work by employees from every area and frequently from around the world. IT requires a safe method of distributing data to all business units through self-service access. Practically every department's workers also produce and enhance the data needed by the rest of the business.

Story continues

Data integration needs to be collaborative and unified to increase collaboration and unification throughout the company. Time is saved, and output is raised. The amount of time needed to prepare and analyse data is significantly decreased when a company takes measures to successfully integrate its data. Because unified views are automated and the need for manually gathering data is removed, employees no longer need to create connections from scratch in order to run reports or build applications. Additionally, by using the appropriate tools, the tech team saves even more time (and resources) compared to hand-coding the interface. The time conserved on these tasks could all be better utilized, with more time set aside for research and implementation to increase a company's productivity and competitiveness.

Regional Snapshots

When compared to hand-coding the UI, the tech staff uses the right tools to save even more time (and resources). The time saved on these duties could all be used more effectively, with more time set aside for study and execution to boost a company's productivity and competitiveness. When compared to hand-coding the UI, the tech staff uses the right tools to save even more time (and resources). The time saved on these duties could all be used more effectively, with more time set aside for study and execution to boost a company's productivity and competitiveness.

Report highlights

The tools industry dominated the data integration market in 2022, accounting for more than 71% of global income. The high percentage can be attributed to software tools because they assist in implementing solutions across various industries to rapidly gather, process, and integrate data.

The on-premises category had the greatest sales percentage in 2022, exceeding 67%. On-premises data integration software's capacity to merge data from numerous on-premises sources using internal software, irrespective of their structure, style, or quantity, can be credited with the large proportion.

The marketing segment dominated the business in 2022, accounting for over 26% of total revenue. Numerous factors, such as consumer behavior research, a knowledge of consumer tastes, and customizing customer interactions, can be credited for the market's expansion.

The IT & telecom industry was dominant in 2022 with a revenue share of more than 21%. The IT and telecom sectors were able to quickly merge data from internal databases, customer records, and external systems thanks to data integration.

The large company sector accounted for the largest revenue share of over 69% in 2022 as a result of large companies' high utilization of data integration software to meet new demands, grow their infrastructure, and maintain support for their products and services.





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Scope of the report

Coverage Details Market Revenue USD 39.16 Billion By 2032 CAGR 12.06% from 2023 to 2032 North America Revenue Share 40% in 2022 IT & Telecom Industry Revenue Share 21% in 2022 Key Players Informatica Inc., International Business Machines Corporation, Oracle, Talend, SAS Institute Inc., TIBCO Software Inc., Denodo Technologies, Microsoft, SAP, QlikTech International Abs and others

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Data integration is increasingly being acknowledged as a useful instrument in industries, businesses, and groups. Data integration is allowing new insights and accelerating the creation of useful business information, which is altering the nature of trade. High-regulated industries like banking, finance, and insurance, as well as communications and healthcare, are among the market's key end-users. As business leaders place a higher priority on client satisfaction, efficient processes, and observable results, data merging is becoming more and more crucial. The usage rate is rising as a result of the rise in new enterprises, the growth of long-standing companies, and the transformation of the business environment. New start-ups are increasingly using cloud-based services as a sophisticated distribution technique.

The industry is anticipated to face new difficulties as a result of substantial advancements in AI, learning algorithms, and software development. The global nature of corporate operations has changed as a result of COVID-19. Although the COVID-19 outbreak revealed flaws in business models across industries, it also gave companies the chance to digitally transform and expand beyond national borders as the use and integration of technologies like blockchain, cloud, AI, analytics, and IoT increased during the lockdown period. The retail and industrial sectors experienced a substantial reduction in company success during the first and second quarters of 2020. However, these sectors are anticipated to see higher investment during the projection period as data integration solutions gain momentum across a variety of business operations and medicines become more broadly accessible and the epidemic is managed more effectively.

Restraints

Lack of business standards, knowledge, and management strategy are limiting the market's growth, and it is challenging to merge data dispersed across numerous systems, sources, and divisions. Because it allows companies to gather data from various sources, such as linked remote devices, dispersed servers, and the web, and derive crucial business insights from it, cloud computing technology is gaining importance. To capture and combine this enormous amount of data gathered from various internal and external sources, as well as to link information silos, organizations need reliable big data integration solutions.

Opportunities

A major trend that is becoming increasingly popular in the data integration industry is technological development. Next-generation technologies, including data storage, data virtualization, artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and others, are being applied to data integration in the market. The process is even more effective thanks to the sophisticated data integration tools, which also allow enhanced automation, usability, and flexibility while improving a variety of use cases. To improve their marketplace, major players in the data integration space are concentrating on offering cutting-edge data integration products and services. For instance, the innovative TIBCO Data Virtualization and TIBCO EBX technologies in the Unify data management portfolio were introduced by the US-based software firm TIBCO Software Inc. in May 2021.

Challenge

Data integration in relation to software should make sure that a device equipped with various integration software can detect suspect activities related to transmitting viruses involving data, scams, and financing for terrorism and reporting to the proper authorities. A data integration software option needs to concentrate on detection skills as well as the efficiency of internal systems. Data mitigation, business application integration, master data management, and data consolidation are the main elements of data integration systems. Designing data integration systems can be difficult because there is a lot of intricacy in creating numerous components.

Related Reports

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Recent developments

The Oracle platform for corporate connectedness and automation, which quickly modernizes APIs, apps, data, and business processes, revealed a collaboration with Informatica Inc. in May 2022. Informatica Inc. is a supplier of data integration software and services for a variety of businesses. The partnership aims to provide corporate analytics, data centers, and data science with cloud data integration and control solutions. By moving on-premises tasks to a cloud-based infrastructure, customers of both companies would automate their data. Additionally, they might make use of their current abilities and assets while getting information from reliable data at scale.

Market Segmentation

By Component

Tools

Services

By Deployment

On-Premises

Cloud

By Organization Size

Large Enterprises

Small & Mid-Size Enterprises

By Business Application

Marketing

Sales

Operations & Supply Chain

Finance

HR





By End-user

IT & Telecom

BFSI

Healthcare

Manufacturing

Retail & E-commerce

Government & Defense

Others





By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

Latin America

Middle East and Africa





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[May 05, 2023] Zoom and NUSO Team Up to Redefine Hybrid Work

TMCnet News Enterprises have been choosing Zoom for its simplicity and scalability, coupled with robust security and privacy features. Zoom has been at the forefront of redefining the future of hybrid work and emerging business models. Zoom Video Communications Inc. has added NUSO as a Cloud Peering Partner for Zoom Phone (News - Alert). With this partnership, Zoom users can now access Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) through NUSO's carrier phone network.



Zoom Phone is a feature-rich cloud phone solution that is easy to deploy and use on mobile devices, desktops, or desk phones. The partnership between Zoom and NUSO is set to provide businesses of all sizes with a seamless and secure communication experience. The integration of NUSO calling into the Zoom Phone application allows Zoom customers to enjoy the benefits of NUSO's carrier network and NUSOflex, enabling them to stay connected and productive at all times. NUSO, a multi-national communications focused Software as a Service (SaaS (News - Alert)) provider, delivers full stack solutions through authorized channel partners and regulated carriers. The company's real-time service provisioning enables expedited and reliable customer experiences. Voice, messaging (SMS), complex communication, and collaboration integrations are made possible using an "as a service" infrastructure.

Briana Sullivan, VP of Marketing at NUSO, expressed her excitement about the partnership. "We are thrilled to announce our Cloud Peering Partnership with Zoom for Zoom Phone users," said Sullivan. "Integrating NUSO calling into the Zoom Phone application is incredibly exciting for our collective teams. We look forward to growing the NUSO and Zoom partnership through shared and successful mutual customers." Jason Gilligan, Global Head of Business Development for Zoom Phone, believes that the partnership makes sense. "The Zoom and NUSO partnership makes a lot of sense; we're able to pair Zoom's cutting-edge Cloud Phone System with NUSO's unparalleled customer support and security to create a seamless and secure communication experience, empowering businesses to focus on growth and success without worrying about infrastructure and support," said Gilligan. NUSOflex extends the concept of cloud computing infrastructure to the PSTN environment and routes around local, inbound voice impairments in minutes, ensuring that end-users are always connected. The partnership between Zoom and NUSO is set to offer a reliable and flexible communication solution that will enable enterprises to focus on their core business without worrying about infrastructure and support. NUSO is a privately held company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The company has offices in the U.S., Canada, and Europe. NUSO's carrier-grade network provides voice, messaging, and collaboration services that enable businesses to communicate and collaborate with ease. Zoom, on the other hand, was founded in 2011. The company's video conferencing platform has been widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, enabling remote work and virtual events to continue. The partnership between Zoom and NUSO is expected to provide a reliable and flexible communication solution that will empower businesses to focus on growth and success without worrying about infrastructure and support. With NUSO's carrier network and NUSOflex, Zoom Phone users can now enjoy a seamless and secure communication experience that will help them stay connected and productive at all times.





Edited by Greg Tavarez



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[May 05, 2023] CREDIT SUISSE 72 HOUR DEADLINE ALERT: Former Louisiana Attorney General and Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC Remind Investors With Losses in Excess of $1,000,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuits Against Credit Suisse Group AG - CS

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") and KSF partner, the former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., remind investors that they have until May 8, 2023 to file lead plaintiff applications in securities class action lawsuits against Credit Suisse Group AG (NYSE: CS), if they purchased the Company's securities between February 18, 2021 and March 20, 2023, inclusive (the "Class Period"). These actions are pending in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey. What You May Do If you purchased securities of Credit Suisse as above and would like to discuss your legal rights and how this case might affect you and your right to recover for your economic loss, you may, without obligation or cost to you, contact KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or via email ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-cs/ to learn more. If you wish to serve as a lead plaintiff in this class action by overseeing lead counsel with the goal of obtining a fair and just resolution, you must request this position by application to the Court by May 8, 2023.



About the Lawsuits Credit Suisse and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On February 9, 2023, the Company disclosed that, contrary to its prior statements, it had continued to experience large customer outflows through yearend 2022, specifically, outflows of 110.5 billion Swiss francs in the final three months of 2022, a figure which far exceeded market expectations. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell $0.56 per ADS, or 15.64%, to close at $3.02 on February 9, 2023. Then, on March 15, 2023, news media sources revealed that the Company's "biggest backer," Saudi National Bank, would not buy any more of the Company's shares due to regulatory grounds. On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell 13.94% to close at $2.16 per ADS. Finally, on March 20, 2023, the Company announced a merger agreement with UBS, stating that it "represents the best available outcomewe are forced to reach a solution today that provides a durable outcome." On this news, shares of Credit Suisse fell 52.99% to close at $0.9450 per ADS on March 20. The first-filed case is Calhoun v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-01297. A subsequently-filed case, Turner v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-01476, expanded the class period. A third case filed, Linhares v. Credit Suisse Group AG, et al., 23-cv-02246, further expanded the class period. About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC KSF, whose partners include former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is one of the nation's premier boutique securities litigation law firms. KSF serves a variety of clients - including public institutional investors, hedge funds, money managers and retail investors - in seeking recoveries for investment losses emanating from corporate fraud or malfeasance by publicly traded companies. KSF has offices in New York, California, Louisiana and New Jersey. To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005481/en/

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Clay's clearly getting a bit frustrated with Kansas City politics that has grown even more inaccessible over the years.

His latest presser is worth reading if only because his outrage about fading local democracy is palpable.

Check-it . . .



Mayoral Candidate Clay Chastain press release: With only 6-weeks to go before voters decide... who will be Mayor of Kansas City, who will lead a large American City, who will lead the Kansas City metro area...where have the all the media gone? Gone into hiding, along with (No debate)Lucas, everyone.



Cleaver debated, Barnes debated, Funkhouser debated, James debated, but not Lucas. And not one single media outlet in Kansas City has called Lucas out as to why he won't debate his sole opponent, Clay Chastain, before the people of Kansas City. The chicken shit-position of both the media and Lucas, shames American Democracy. It only adds to the people's distrust of the media and should disqualify Lucas in the minds of voters.



The following KC media outlets (and organizations) have not only refused to call out Lucas on this outrage (and have violated their journalistic ethics), but also none of them have even proposed a Mayoral General Election debate between myself and Lucas: The Star, KCUR, KC Chamber, Northland Chamber, Channel 4, 41, 5 or 9, Women's League of Voters, the Call, the Pitch, Dos Mundos, KCBJ, the Northeast news, Freedom Inc., KC Tenants, the Beacon, et al. You get the picture? They are either... in collusion with the far-left Lucas Administration, afraid to open up the political process in Democrat-controlled Kansas City, unprofessional or just plain lazy. None are complimentary. That also sets a terrible precedent (never before seen in the history of Kansas City) where there was never a public debate held between the final two candidates for Mayor. But the media and Lucas had no problem emerging from their hiding places to exploit the Ralph Karl incident.



One KC newsman has a motto..."Where there is no vision, the people perish". I might add to that: Where voters are kept in the dark, the people perish!



Therefore, it's time for the media to renew trust with the voters, demonstrate ethics and call for a Mayoral debate on behalf of the voters of Kansas City. ps: we know where you live. Hah ha



Clay Chastain...Engineering a New Way Forward for Kansas City

#############



Developing . . .


We respect the concerns about fair labor . . .

However . . .

From an outsiders perspective . . .

THE OUTRIGHT WAR AGAINST EVERY MERCHANT ON THE PLAZA PERSISTS AND THREATENS TO DESTROY ONE OF THE NICEST PLACES IN KANSAS CITY!!!

Again . . . We're torn on this issue because fair labor and the right to organize is important.

However . . .

It's disheartening to see the war on Kansas City's Country Club Plaza persist . . .



U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, D-Mo., and Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas, asked the National Labor Relations Board to investigate the stores over claims of unfair labor practices.



In a letter to the board, the lawmakers say the Apple Store on the Country Club Plaza fired five workers. The Communications Workers of America claims Apple illegally intimidated the workers before firing them because they were involved in contract negotiations.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
There's a lot to catch up on in this post . . . Still, all of this local news is worth a look as we take a look police action, court cases and recent ALLEGED misdeeds.

Check TKC news gathering . . .

Bicyclist dies after running stop sign, colliding with truck in Kansas City KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A bicyclist succumbed to his injuries after failing to stop at a stop sign on Kensington Avenue and colliding with a Freightliner truck on Truman Road on April 13. The bicyclist was traveling northbound on Kensington Avenue and was holding a "very large" cauldron pot prior to the incident.

How is a traffic stop is supposed to go in Kansas? Know your rights if pulled over Being pulled over by police is something many have experienced - but the outcome of a routine traffic stop can vary widely. In the best cases, drivers are let go with a verbal warning about road safety or the state of their vehicle.

Missouri Gov. Parson plays key role in bill seeking control of policing, prosecution Missouri's governor would play a major role in St. Louis policing and prosecution under a bill praised by Republicans as a way to fight crime and criticized by Democrats as an attempt to take away local control from the Black-led city.

Clay County woman loses $200K in elaborate internet scam LIBERTY, Mo. - A Clay County woman lost $200,00 to an elaborate scam. Now deputies hope to find the person responsible. According to investigators, the scammer called the victim and claimed the security program on her computer expired. The victim said the call looked like it came from the cyber security company she actually used and the caller knew her account information.

2 rescued, 22 arrested in Independence human trafficking operation led by Homeland Security Investigations KC KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Twenty-two individuals were arrested after a human trafficking operation in Independence from April 25-26. Initiated by Homeland Security Investigations Kansas City, the operation "focused on identifying and rescuing victims who were being trafficked for sexual exploitation," per the Independence Police Department.

Experts in child advocacy, healthcare discuss lasting trauma from youth violence KANSAS CITY, Mo - Experts in child advocacy and healthcare both say trauma can take moments to form, but take years to recover. It is important to address the negative effects early on because they are seeing more and more episodes of violence being generational and cyclical - children witnessing crime and modeling those behaviors during conflict resolution.

Kansas City needs to pay more to recruit new police officers. Here's how to do it | Opinion The Kansas City Police Department has 1,400 authorized patrol officer positions, and 269 are vacant. The department for years has been consistently unable to attract enough candidates to fill authorized positions. A new officer employed today starts with an annual wage of $47,844.

Group prays for end to violence in Kansas City on National Prayer Day KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Faith leaders from across the metro focused on praying for an end to Kansas City's homicides Friday morning. Dozens of people gathered at a fountain in Mill Creek Park on the Country Club Plaza to participate in the National Day of Prayer. "How many more is going to happen?"

Developing . . .
Given today's showdown at 12th & Oak, it's clear that the META Northland controversy is bigger than most Kansas City voters might understand.

A few things to consider . . .

Minority contracting goals are key to providing a major source of income to urban communities. A lack of commitment to these funds is unthinkable from any inner-city leader.

The demonstration puts Mayor Q and the city manager against some of the biggest names in local advocacy.

Most importantly . . .

ONCE AGAIN MAYOR Q HAS A CHOICE . . . STAND WITH URBAN LEADERS & A COALITION OR SUPPORT HIS TEAM THAT HAS BEEN OPENLY DENOUNCED AS RACIST!!!

From our vantage . . .

This is one of those "live & die by the sword" situations . . . Mayor Q is quick to tag his opponents and random old-ass dudes as racist or use racially charged rhetoric to his political advantage . . . Now, that same tactic confronts his office.

Here's more detail . . .



Leaders point to the surveillance of Andrea Dorch, the former head of the civil rights department, and her subsequent resignation as evidence of a City Hall administration that "oppresses Black people."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Civil rights leaders demand Kansas City Manager Brian Platt resign over 'culture of racism' A coalition of civil rights leaders and organizations in Kansas City are calling for City Manager Brian Platt to resign, and calling out Mayor Quinton Lucas for being complicit in creating w hat they say is a culture of racism inside City Hall.

Civil rights organizations issue 'no confidence' vote for city manager Brian Platt KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - "In the two years since Brian Platt assumed his role as City Manager, the city has settled 27 lawsuits for various civil rights violations totaling $9,657,532," the Urban League of Kansas City declared Thursday afternoon.

Civil rights organizations condemn KC mayor, issue vote of no confidence in city manager KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A coalition of major civil rights organizations in Kansas City, including the NAACP-Missouri, National Black United Front-KC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference-KC, Urban League of Greater Kansas City, and Urban Summit issued a vote of no confidence in Kansas City's city manager Thursday.

Developing . . .
An interesting conversation with locals about political worries, regulatory language and culture war talking points from many sides of the debate . . . Check-it:



It was hard to get anyone from any Kansas City-area hospital on camera to talk about their programs, because they're so fearful of potential attacks that would put their patients in danger.



We were able speak to a physician on the phone who specializes in gender-affirming care for adults and has extensive knowledge on care for minors.



This doctor has worked in internal medicine for 20 years. We are not naming the doctor or the institution because theyre worried about being targeted.



The doctor said no child is getting medication before puberty and no child under 18 is getting surgery; its just not something doctors are doing here.





Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
A story that should give us all a moment of pause and points to the horrific consequences of confronting our communities if we don't get local violence under control.

Here's the word . . .

The youngster was fatally shot while playing on front of a home in the 3100 block of Greeley Ave. on Wednesday night. He was outside riding on his bike when he was hit by gunfire.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Family says 6-year-old boy killed while playing in Kansas City, Kan. was a loving boy Friends and family are mourning the loss of a six-year-old boy in Kansas City, Kan. Family members identified Wednesday night's shooting victim as Sir-Antonio Brown. Brown was fatally shot while playing on front of a home in the 3100 block of Greeley Ave. on Wednesday night.

KCKPD: 6-year-old's shooting death 'isn't tragedy, this is intentional act' KANSAS CITY, Kan. - Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are continuing to search for multiple suspects who fired at least 37 rounds and killed a 6-year-old boy in the street in broad daylight Wednesday night. Sir-Antonio A. Brown, a student at West Park Elementary School, was gunned down in what police have described as a "targeted attack" around 6:15 p.m.

Family says 6-year-old boy fatally shot in Kansas City, Kansas, was a 'protector' Sir'Antonio Brown, just six years old, was shot and killed Wednesday night in Kansas City, Kansas. Gun violence has surpassed car accidents as the leading cause of death for American children, according to a December report in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

KCK family, teacher remember Sir-Antonio Brown, 6-year-old killed in shooting, as 'loving, energetic' KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A family and school as well as the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department and community are reeling after the loss of a bright, friendly and fiercely protective 6-year-old boy. Sir-Antonio Brown was shot and killed around 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the 3100 block of Greeley Avenue in KCK.

Family identify young boy shot, killed in front yard of KCK home KANSAS CITY, Kan. - A 6-year-old was shot dead Kansas City, Kansas, on Wednesday. Police have located a vehicle they believe was involved and are now on the trail of multiple suspects, but they're asking for the public's help. KCK police say around 6:15 p.m.

Developing . . .
Allow us a schmaltzy movie reference . . .

This GOP crusader is not the hero we deserve, but the one we need right now . . .



Sen. Rick Brattin, R-Harrisonville, held the Senate floor for more than four hours Thursday, preventing the chamber from taking procedural votes to begin the days work. He threatened to continue his filibuster until the Senate approves legislation he said was essential to protect his constituents property rights.



Youve got the wrong person, Brattin said. You messed with the wrong Marine. Ill do whatever it takes.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com links . . .

Filibuster over KC landfill bill ends, Missouri Senate puts spending bills on deck for debate * Missouri Independent A filibuster consumed about nine hours of the Missouri Senate's time as the Friday deadline to pass the $50 billion state budget loomed, putting a dispute over a bill designed to kill a proposed landfill in south Kansas City into the spotlight. Sen.

Filibuster stalls passage of bill that could kill proposed Kansas City landfill A filibuster in the Missouri Senate prevented the passage of House Bill 909, a bill that could kill a south Kansas City landfill proposal.
A Missouri conservative pressed forward by a lawsuit from the Missouri AG about about 3 years of widespread GOP outrage that goes back to her charges against a former disgraced Guv Eric Greitens, even if nobody really liked the old school Guv. . . Here are the deets and links more info . . .



In a letter to Republican Gov. Mike Parson released by Gardners office, she said she will step aside effective June 1. Parson in a statement said he will immediately begin looking for a replacement and that he is committed to finding a candidate who represents the community, values public safety, and can help restore faith in the Citys criminal justice system.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner to resign June 1 after weeks of resistance ST. LOUIS - St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly M. Gardner announced Thursday that, after weeks of blistering pressure from Missouri lawmakers, she would indeed resign, effective June 1. The news sent shockwaves through the halls of the two courthouses in downtown St.

Soros-backed prosecutor mired in scandal resigns from office An embattled George Soros-bankrolled prosecutor in St. Louis resigned Thursday amid a legal effort by Missouri's attorney general to fire her for allegedly neglecting her duties. St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kimberly Gardner, the city's top prosecutor, is stepping down following repeated, bipartisan calls for her resignation from officials across Missouri.

Developing . . .
Double Chicken Please , New York City, is crowned No.1 at the second annual North America's 50 Best Bars

This year's list features 28 U.S. bars, 14 from Mexico, 7 from Canada and 1 based in the Caribbean

Handshake Speakeasy , Mexico City, at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Mexico

Civil Liberties , Toronto, at No.12, earns The Best Bar in Canada

La Factoria, Puerto Rico, at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Caribbean

Cuban drinks legend Julio Cabrera from Miami wins the Roku Industry Icon

Manhatta , New York City, is awarded Campari One To Watch

Rayo , Mexico City, earns the London Essence Best New Opening

Yacht Club , Denver, wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award

Allegory, Washington, D.C., wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

Overstory , New York City, is the Nikka Highest Climber

Bar Pompette, Toronto, wins Disaronno Highest New Entry

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The list of North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at a live awards ceremony on May 4, 2023 at Hacienda Los Picachos in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The annual ranking features bars from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. New York City's Double Chicken Please is crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North America and The Best Bar in Northeast USA, sponsored by Perrier, with Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy ranking No.2 and named The Best Bar in Mexico, followed by New York City's Katana Kitten at No.3.

Double Chicken Please in New York City, USA, takes the No.1 spot at the second annual North Americas 50 Best Bars awards 2023, sponsored by Perrier. (PRNewsfoto/50 Best)

Toronto's Civil Liberties (No.12) wins The Best Bar in Canada for the second year in a row, while Puerto Rico's La Factoria, at No.24, retains The Best Bar in the Caribbean. Overall, the USA leads the list with 28 bars, with Mexico fielding 14, Canada boasting seven and the Caribbean celebrating one top bar. The full list can be viewed here.

Mark Sansom, Content Director for 50 Best, says: "We commend Double Chicken Please and its visionary founders, GN Chan and Faye Chen, for reaching the peak of cocktail excellence on the North American continent. We congratulate the team for this deserved accolade, as well as all the other fantastic bars on this year's list."

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SOURCE 50 Best
The anniversary of the restoration of democratic rule in Greece on July 24, 2024, will be an opportunity for "an unencumbered gift of the marbles" to the people of Greece, the article proposes, noting that the UK has over a year to make perfect

Britain should follow the example of Pope Francis, who recently returned fragments of the Parthenon Marbles held in the Vatican to Greece, thus helping to "foster some much-needed friendship for the UK in Europe," according to an article by Rachel Sanderson in "Bloomberg" entitled "Greece's Elgin Marbles Are Not Britain's to Keep", ANA reports.

Quoting a Vatican statement that the decision was prompted by a  sincere desire to follow in the ecumenical path of truth, the author pointed out that the 50th anniversary of the return of democratic rule to Greece in 2024 will be an "ideal opportunity" for such a gesture.

The article presents the Greek arguments in favor of the sculptures' return and the efforts of the Parthenon Project, which is working with both the British Museum and the Acropolis Museum to find a solution while noting the UK government's refusal to change a 1963 law that forbids the museum "from disposing of its holdings".

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons License: CC-BY-SA Copyright: Solipsist~commonswiki
The event, which was organized by the chapters members, brought together people from throughout the community in a celebration of Greek culture and heritage

The Riverdale Banquet Hall in Endwell, NY, came alive with the joyous celebration of the Leonidas AHEPA Chapter 77 Greek Night on April 22.

The event, which was organized by the chapters members, brought together people from throughout the community in a celebration of Greek culture and heritage that was also a great opportunity for members of the local Greek community to come together and enjoy traditional food, music, and dancing. Attendees from different walks of life experienced the rich culture and heritage of Greece as they enjoyed live music by the Aegean Duo.

The event was a huge success, thanks in large part to the hard work and dedication of the Leonidas AHEPA Chapter 77 members and the generous support of the event sponsors.

Read more at thenationalherald.com

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations, Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report
The exhibit The Last Day of Work can be viewed on the exterior of the Mount Dennis Library for the month of May. Alderson says that this is the first step to bring photography back home to Kodak building.
The list of North America's 50 Best Bars 2023 was announced at a live awards ceremony in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Double Chicken Please , New York City, is crowned No.1 at the second annual North America's 50 Best Bars

This year's list features 28 U.S. bars, 14 from Mexico, 7 hailing from Canada and 1 based in the Caribbean

Handshake Speakeasy , at No.2, wins The Best Bar in Mexico

Civil Liberties , Toronto, at No.12, earns The Best Bar in Canada

La Factoria, Puerto Rico, at No.24, is named The Best Bar in the Caribbean

Cuban drinks legend Julio Cabrera from Miami wins the Roku Industry Icon

Manhatta , New York City, is awarded Campari One To Watch

Rayo , Mexico City, earns the London Essence Best New Opening

Yacht Club , Denver, wins the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award

Allegory, Washington, D.C., wins the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

Overstory , New York City, is the Nikka Highest Climber

Bar Pompette, Toronto, wins Disaronno Highest New Entry

SAN MIGUEL DE ALLENDE, Mexico, May 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The list of North America's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, was announced at a live awards ceremony on May 4, 2023 at Hacienda Los Picachos in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. This represents the first time the awards ceremony was staged in Mexico and salutes its presence on the global cocktail scene. The annual ranking features bars from across the North American continent, including the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. New York City's Double Chicken Please is crowned No.1 as The Best Bar in North America and The Best Bar in Northeast USA, sponsored by Perrier, with Mexico City's Handshake Speakeasy ranking No.2 and claiming the title of The Best Bar in Mexico, followed by New York City's Katana Kitten at No.3.

Double Chicken Please in New York City, USA, takes the No.1 spot at the second annual North Americas 50 Best Bars awards 2023, sponsored by Perrier.

Toronto's Civil Liberties (No.12) wins the title of The Best Bar in Canada for the second year in a row, while Puerto Rico's La Factoria, at No.24, retains its title of The Best Bar in the Caribbean. Overall, the USA leads the list with 28 bars, with Mexico fielding 14, Canada boasting seven and the Caribbean celebrating one top bar.

Story continues

The full list of North America's 50 Best Bars 2023 is at the bottom of this press release.

The brainchild of GN Chan and Faye Chen, Double Chicken Please is a groundbreaking New York City bar with an ingenious cocktail program based on the concept of "hacking design." Here, cocktails are deconstructed then reassembled in new, playful and creative ways. At Double Chicken Please, drinks are inspired by food and food is inspired by drinks, creating surprising, delightful and unexpected sensory experiences. Their mind-boggling cocktails, like the Key Lime Pie and Cold Pizza, leave their guests delighted and utterly perplexed as to how these unique flavors are so accurately transmogrified into liquid works of art. Last year, the bar burst on the global stage at The World's 50 Best Bars, coming in at No.6 and earning the Disaronno Highest New Entry Award, as well as placing at No.17 on the inaugural list of North America's 50 Best Bars.

Mark Sansom, Content Director for 50 Best, says: "We commend Double Chicken Please and its visionary founders, GN Chan and Faye Chen, for reaching the peak of cocktail excellence on the North American continent. Double Chicken Please is truly pushing the boundaries of flavor in cocktails and doing so with staggering creativity and precision, not to mention a wonderful sense of humor, humility and always flawless hospitality. This remarkable achievement did not come overnight. The duo persevered through the very challenging days of the pandemic, never once compromising their original vision for cocktails inspired by food dishes, even though their dream bar's very viability was at risk. They not only survived but thrived, sending joyful shockwaves through the New York City drinks community that have reverberated across North America and globally. We congratulate GN, Faye and the team at Double Chicken Please for this deserved accolade, as well as all the other fantastic bars on this year's list."

Elisa Gregori, Perrier Global Business Unit Director, says: "Since its presence on the tables of the best bars and hotels in the 1800's, Perrier has always had deep historic roots with the North American continent. Today, Perrier is proud to be the leading partner of North America's 50 Best Bars and excited to be able to return for a second edition in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. It's our honor to recognize the hard work, creativity and innovation of the talented bartenders, mixologists and professionals who continue to elevate the international bar scene daily. Having our roots in the French cafe society, we're proud to commemorate and shine a spotlight on the exceptional talents behind the awarded North America's 50 Best Bars. The entire Perrier team is grateful to the bar community for the hard work and dedication that goes into creating unforgettable experiences for all who enter your doors. We raise our glass to you, congratulations!"

USA: The Big Apple Accounts for a Lion's Share of Top U.S. Bars

A stalwart of the craft cocktail movement, New York City continues to field a lion's share, 12 of the 28 U.S. drinks listees, including the continent's highest achievers. They include Double Chicken Please (No.1), Katana Kitten (No.3), Dante (No.6) and Overstory, winner of the Nikka Highest Climber that jumped 27 spots to No.7. These notable watering holes are joined by last year's No.1 winner, Attaboy, now at No.13, Employees Only (No.14), Mace (No.18), new to the list Martiny's (No.29) and Maison Premiere (No.39), The Dead Rabbit (No.44), Clover Club (No.46) and new listee Milady's (No.50).

Other mixological hotbeds across the U.S. include New Orleans' Jewel of the South, which bounced up 24 spots from last year to rank No.5 and earn The Best Bar in South USA, with Cure ranking No.36. In the Windy City, Chicago's Kumiko (No.8) was named The Best Bar in Midwest USA, with new entry Milk Room ensconced at No.38.

Los Angeles' Thunderbolt lands at No.10 and again wins the title of The Best Bar in West USA. Also representing the West are Las Vegas' Herbs & Rye at No.27, San Francisco's new listee Pacific Cocktail Haven at No.28, Los Angeles' Death & Co at No.30, Phoenix's new-to-the-list Platform 18 at No.48 and San Diego's new entry, Youngblood, at No.49.

In Washington, D.C., Service Bar (No.33) is joined by Allegory (No.45), a new entry that garnered the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu title. Other U.S. bars on the list include Miami's Sweet Liberty (No.34), Honolulu's Bar Leather Apron (No.41), as well as Denver's Yacht Club (No.42), a new listee that also earned the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award.

Mexico: Mexico City Continues Its Leadership, Fielding 8 Bars of Mexico's 14

Now firmly established as a global cocktail destination, Mexico City accounted for more than half of the best bars in Mexico. Handshake Speakeasy (No.2) retains its position and is again named The Best Bar in Mexico, with Licoreria Limantour at No.4. They are joined by Baltra Bar (No.16), list newcomer Rayo (No.17), Hanky Panky (No.20), Cafe de Nadie (No.25), Kaito del Valle (No.26) and new listee Brujas (No.47).

That being said, cocktail excellence is rippling through the bar scene across the formidable Latin American nation. Playa del Carmen's Zapote Bar places No.11, Guadalajara's El Gallo Altanero comes in at No.21, Oaxaca's Sabina Sabe secures No.22, Tulum's Arca finishes at No.23, Oaxaca's Selva ranks No.31 and Tijuana's new listee, Aruba Day Drink, arrives at No.40.

Canada: The Most Northerly Nation on the Continent Boasts 7 Bars, Including 3 Newcomers

Toronto's Civil Liberties (No.12) earns The Best Bar in Canada for the second year in a row. It is followed by list newcomers Bar Pompette (No.15), also in Toronto, Botanist Bar (No.19) in Vancouver, B.C. and Atwater Cocktail Club (No.32) in Montreal. These bars surged ahead of list veterans Cloakroom (No.35) in Montreal, as well as Toronto's Mother (No.37) and Bar Mordecai (No.43).

The Caribbean: All Eyes on Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico's La Factoria (No.24) is once again crowned The Best Bar in the Caribbean as the sprawling complex of six drinking dens celebrates its 10th anniversary.

Special Awards

Among the glamorous evening's highlights, New York City's Manhatta was presented the Campari One To Watch, an accolade given to a bar outside the main list that the 50 Best team believes has the ability to break into the ranking in future editions.

Allegory (No.45) in Washington, D.C., earns the Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award. The pioneering menu allegorically tells the story of Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges as seen through the lens of Alice in Wonderland. Any bar on the North American continent was eligible to enter this award, which is graded by a panel of Academy Chairs. The Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu Award was introduced in 2021 and rewards innovation, design, drinks craft and idea communication.

Julio Cabrera of Miami's Cafe La Trova (No.9) receives the laurels as Roku Industry Icon. For this award, all 260 members of the voting Academy are asked to name the person who has done more for the progress of the bar industry than any other individual. The Cuban-born bartending legend is credited with transplanting the island nation's proud cantinero-style to the U.S., where it has taken root and flourishes at Cafe La Trova in a high energy, modern guise.

Mexico City's Rayo earns the London Essence Best New Opening title at No.17, as the bar that enters the list in the highest position of any that have opened during the voting period. Rayo celebrates Mexican and global spirits in cocktails that tell stories. Its name is inspired by the legend of the goddess Mayahuel, who took the form of an agave plant. When struck by a lightning bolt (rayo), it released a liquid that, when fermented, became pulque.

Denver's Yacht Club, owned by Mary Allison Wright and McLain Hedges, nabs the Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award, which is bestowed on a bar that demonstrates the strongest commitment to sustainability. The Ketel One Sustainable Bar Award is independently adjudicated by 50 Best's audit partner, the Sustainable Restaurant Association.

Additional special award winners announced in the run-up to the May 4 event included Vancouver's Botanist Bar, which was feted with the Michter's Art of Hospitality Award and Christine Wiseman of Bar Lab Hospitality in New York, Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles, was celebrated as the winner of the Altos Bartenders' Bartender Award.

EDITOR'S NOTES:

1-50 LIST

Position Bar Town 1 Double Chicken Please New York City 2 Handshake Speakeasy Mexico City 3 Katana Kitten New York City 4 Licoreria Limantour Mexico City 5 Jewel of the South New Orleans 6 Dante New York City 7 Overstory New York City 8 Kumiko Chicago 9 Cafe La Trova Miami 10 Thunderbolt Los Angeles 11 Zapote Bar Playa del Carmen 12 Civil Liberties Toronto 13 Attaboy New York City 14 Employees Only New York City 15 Bar Pompette Toronto 16 Baltra Bar Mexico City 17 Rayo Mexico City 18 Mace New York City 19 Botanist Bar Vancouver 20 Hanky Panky Mexico City 21 El Gallo Altanero Guadalajara 22 Sabina Sabe Oaxaca 23 Arca Tulum 24 La Factoria San Juan 25 Cafe de Nadie Mexico City 26 Kaito del Valle Mexico City 27 Herbs & Rye Las Vegas 28 Pacific Cocktail Haven San Francisco 29 Martiny's New York City 30 Death & Co (Los Angeles) Los Angeles 31 Selva Oaxaca 32 Atwater Cocktail Club Montreal 33 Service Bar Washington, D.C. 34 Sweet Liberty Miami 35 Cloakroom Montreal 36 Cure New Orleans 37 Mother Toronto 38 Milk Room Chicago 39 Maison Premiere New York City 40 Aruba Day Drink Tijuana 41 Bar Leather Apron Honolulu 42 Yacht Club Denver 43 Bar Mordecai Toronto 44 The Dead Rabbit New York City 45 Allegory Washington, D.C. 46 Clover Club New York City 47 Brujas Mexico City 48 Platform 18 Phoenix 49 Youngblood San Diego 50 Milady's New York City

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About North America's 50 Best Bars

Following the success of The World's 50 Best Bars, sponsored by Perrier, and the establishment of Asia's 50 Best Bars in 2016, 50 Best launched North America's 50 Best Bars, with the first edition of the awards held in New York, N.Y. on June 7, 2022. It shines a much-deserved spotlight on the region as a world-class drinks' destination and acts as a mouthpiece for the outstanding talent coming through. The inaugural North America's 50 Best Bars awards ceremony and unveiling of the list provided a unique opportunity to unite bartenders, bar owners, cocktail aficionados and drinks media from all over the region at a captivating celebration of drinks, hospitality, passion and talent. North America's 50 Best Bars includes voting for bars from Canada, the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. William Reed, which owns the 50 Best brand, is entirely responsible for the organization of the awards, the voting system and the respective lists.

How the Voting Works

The ranking for North America's 50 Best Bars reflects the best bar experiences based on the votes of the Academy members, who comprise anonymous North American bar industry experts (including bartenders, bar owners, drinks media and well-traveled cocktail connoisseurs) from the USA, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2023, the Academy was expanded to 260 members. This change was implemented to obtain a wider snapshot and ensure a greater number of diverse voices voting for the awards. Moreover, as per all 50 Best lists for restaurants, bars and hotels, 25% of Academy members are refreshed annually to keep the perspectives dynamic and relevant. Members of the 50 Best organization do not vote and do not control the composition of the list; that is the collective role of the voting Academy. This means that bars cannot apply to be on the list and no sponsors have any influence on the list.

The Academy is divided into 8 regions: USA Northeast; USA Midwest; USA West; USA South; Canada East; Canada West; Mexico; and the Caribbean. Each region has its own panel of members including a chairperson, called the Academy Chair. The Chairs each then select a voting panel, ensuring a balanced selection. Each North America Academy member will vote for 7 bars, with a maximum of 5 in the home country (or state in the U.S.) where they are based. Voters also have the option to vote for a further 2 (or more) bars located outside of their home country (or U.S. state) up to a maximum of 7.

Voting is carried out individually and strictly confidentially on a secure site and remains confidential before the list announcement. Academy Chairs are not privy to, and have no knowledge of, the votes cast by the voters in their respective regions. They are neither spokespeople for the 50 Best brand.

The list is the result of a poll of more than 260 experts (all within the North American continent), who each cast votes for the bars where they have had their 'best experience' during the last 18 months before the voting deadline. The list is a simple computation of votes by North American voters for bars in North America. Further information on the Academy Chairs and how the voting works is available on the FAQs page here.

About the main sponsor: Perrier

For more than a century, Perrier has collaborated with some of the world's most influential major artists, including Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Bernard Villemot, and Jean-Gabriel Domergue, each of whom in their own way have demonstrated a certain artistic irreverence. With a history that began in 1863 in Vergeze, in the Gard region of France, the Perrier brand is now recognized worldwide thanks to its iconic green bottle. Appreciated in more than 140 countries, the brand is acclaimed for its natural mineral water combined with the power of its bubbles.

Our Partners:

San Miguel de Allende  Official Host Destination Partner

Perrier  Official Water Partner; sponsor of The Best Bar in North America

Michter's  Official American Whiskey Partner; sponsor of Michter's Art of Hospitality

Nikka Whisky  Official Whisky of the World Partner; sponsor of Nikka Highest Climber

Ketel One  Official Vodka Partner; sponsor of Ketel One Sustainable Bar

Siete Misterios  Official Mezcal Partner; sponsor of Siete Misterios Best Cocktail Menu

The London Essence Co.  Official Mixers Partner; sponsor of London Essence Best New Opening

Disaronno  Official Italian Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Disaronno Highest New Entry

Roku Gin  Official Gin Partner; sponsor of Roku Industry Icon

Altos Tequila  Official Tequila Partner; sponsor of Altos Bartenders' Bartender

Matusalem  Official Rum Partner; sponsor of ceremonial scarves

Naked Malt  Official Scotch Whisky Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Remy Martin  Official Cognac Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Campari  Official Bitters Partner; sponsor of Campari One To Watch

Tia Maria  Official Coffee Liqueur Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Torres Brandy  Official Brandy Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Scrappy's Bitters  Official Cocktail Bitters Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Bareksten  Official Aquavit Partner; sponsor of Best in Destination Award

Live Aqua  Official Hotel Partner

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(Bloomberg) -- Ecuadors National Assembly should not impeach President Guillermo Lasso, according to a draft report summarizing testimony from initial hearings before the congressional oversight committee.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The draft, which follows 10 days of testimony, found the evidence failed to meet the constitutional criteria of political responsibility for alleged embezzlement needed to impeach Lasso, one of Latin Americas few remaining market-friendly presidents.

It has not been proved that President Lasso benefited from or has benefited third parties by abusing public funds, according to the 298-page draft report, which sided with Lassos defense.

The obligatory review by the oversight committee is part of the lengthy impeachment process set in Ecuadors 2008 constitution, which includes proof of embezzlement as one of a few crimes that allow congress to remove a sitting president.

The impeachments backers in the opposition-led congress allege Lasso committed embezzlement by failing to cancel a single oil shipping contract involving state company FLOPEC, the lone accusation that Ecuadors Constitutional Court allowed to be discussed at the impeachment trial, dismissing other allegations.

Fernando Villavicencio, the committee chair, will submit the report to the full nine-member panel for a vote before it goes to congress President Virgilio Saquicela for the trial to continue, Villavicencio said in a text message.

Approval of the non-binding report will hinge on the position of independent lawmaker Bruno Segovia, close to Yaku Perez, a center-left candidate who placed third in the 2021 presidential first-round vote behind Lasso and socialist economist Andres Arauz.

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When it reaches the plenary floor, it could give cover to those lawmakers who are inclined to vote against Lassos impeachment, but it may still be rejected in both the committee and plenary, so Lasso is not yet in the clear, said Eurasia Latin America Director Risa Grais-Targow via text message.

Down to the Wire

An impeachment vote before the opposition-held plenary could go ahead May 16, with 92 of 137 votes necessary to remove the president from office. In June 2022, a year after being sworn in, Lasso survived a first impeachment effort as the opposition obtained only 80 votes.

The vote will likely follow a midterm reshuffle of congressional leadership, in which Lassos allies can offer votes to support other parties in exchange for his political survival.

It will still come down to the wire and a lot can happen in 11 days, said Grais-Targow. Lasso also still has the right to dissolve the National Assembly, putting lawmakers jobs on the line.

Infighting over impeachment has hit the conservative Social Christian Party, which has lost three of its 16 lawmakers this week.

The question of support for Lasso has also divided Indigenous party Pachakutik, the second-largest party in the legislature.

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Kenya's Pastor Ezekiel Odero freed on Sh30 million cash bail

By Nation. Africa

A court on Thursday released pastor Ezekiel Odero from police custody, saying the State failed to give sufficient reason to extend his stay there.

Shanzu Senior Principal Magistrate Joe Omido released the televangelist on a KSh3 million bond or KSh1.5million cash bail.

He is to report the police once a week and has been barred from commenting on the Shakahola massacre.The terms of his release will last until investigations are completed or he is formally charged in court.

Pastor Odero and fellow televangelist Paul Mackenzie are under investigation for the Shakaloha tragedy in Kilifi County, that has seen more than a hundred people die from starvation, under Mackenzie's instructions.

Mr Odero is being investigated for murder, aiding suicide, abduction, radicalisation, genocide, crimes against humanity, child cruelty, fraud, money laundering and being an accessory to crimes.The government wanted to detain the televangelist for 30 more days as investigations continued.

Prosecutors told the Mombasa court that they have new information on the Shakahola cult deaths, over which purported pastor Mackenzie is being investigated.

The prosecutor said post-mortems on some bodies exhumed in Shakahola reveal that some victims, mostly children, died due to strangulation.

The State termed this new information and said it amounteThe State also admitted that the deaths that occurred at Mr Odero's church were reported to the police, but explained that at the time of this reporting, there was no reason to suspect criminal activity.

The pastor, through his lawyers, earlier admitted that 15 people have died while seeking spiritual interventions in his New Life Prayer Centre and Church, in the one year and a month it has been operational.

Through his advocates Cliff Ombeta , Danstan Omari and Shadrack Wamboi, Mr Odero said the 15 sought his help while in critical conditions.

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The widow of freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi is died.

Her daughter Nyawira Kimathi, who lived with her mother at their Komarok home in Nairobi, said Mukami developed breathing problems and was rushed to the hospital on Thursday night where she died shortly after.

"On arrival at the hospital, she was received by the doctors but after several tests, they informed us that she wouldn't make it, she died a few minutes later and we took her body to Lee Funeral Home," said Ms Nyawira.





Following her death, several leaders paid tribute to her. Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said she has been an inspiring figure. "This is a great loss. She was a symbol of our resilience and our struggle," Mr Gachagua siad.





The DP assured Mukami's family of government support as they prepare for her burial. Mau Mau fighters in Nyandarua said they were saddened by the death of their leader.





"She had two homes, one in Nairobi and the other in Njabini, Kinangop a land given to her by the late President Jomo Kenyatta. It's still early, let's wait to hear from the family, but we are deeply saddened by her death," said Mr Njoroge, a Mau Mau fighter.





He says they will remember Mukami for fighting for the welfare of Mau Mau fighters. "She was a great fighter for the rights of the Mau Mau. We are saddened that she died before she could get the remains of her husband, Dedan Kimathi, removed from Kamiti prison, which was her wish," said Daniel Mwangi Njoroge, secretary of the Mau Mau Association Nyandarua.





In his condolence message, Governor Badilisha Kiarie said Ms Kimathi deserved a state burial for her role in fighting for Kenya's independence and the rights of Mau Mau fighters and Kenyans in general.





"It is a sad day for Nyandarua and Kenyans, we have lost our mother, a role model, a person whose advice we relied on even in her old age, she was a mother to the nation. It is early days but we are talking to the family about the way forward. I assure them that the county and national government and all Kenyans will stand with them in this hour of grief."

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The University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences welcomes renowned scholar T. Vijayalakshmi as visiting professor of Tamil studies and the first Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) Chair of Indian Studies at UH. Dedicated to research and academic success, her arrival represents the ever-expanding educational outreach of the University of Houston and the impressive formation of cultural bridges between India and the U.S.

UH is honored to host this ICCR Chair, said Michael Pelletier, executive director for the UH Institute for Global Engagement. It is a significant achievement that highlights the importance of promoting Indian culture and language worldwide. It exemplifies our deep commitment to our partnerships with India and our commitment to global engagement.

UH President Renu Khator is the first Indian immigrant to head a premier research university in the U.S. since 2008. Signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) March 29 with Consul General of India Aseem Mahajan, the University of Houston has created the ICCR Chair of Indian Studies. Khator noted that the agreement was destined to strengthen the cultural ties between both India and the United States.

The ceremony was attended by multiple dignitaries, including the Consul General Mahajan, and Vijayalakshmis appointment as chair is a significant step towards promoting cultural exchange and encouraging scholarly research in the field of Tamil studies.

India is a global hub of business and culture as well as an ancient civilization thats rich in history, literature and architecture going back millennia, CLASS Dean Dan OConnor said. Its important to support these kinds of international partnerships for educating tomorrows leaders, many of whom are students right now at UH.

UH will become one of only three academic institutions in the U.S. with such a chair. The university has a commitment for a $2 million gift from the nonprofit Houston Tamil Studies Chair, Inc. to establish a permanent chair of Tamil Studies in the future.

In this accomplishment, the Tamil saying, yadhum oorey yavarum kelir or all countries are one family, is fitting, Pelletier, who formerly served as a U.S. Ambassador, noted. UH recognizes that by learning globally, we are all better prepared to work together to solve the challenges that face our human family.

As a visiting professor, Vijayalakshmi will play a dominant role in promoting cultural understanding and inspiring future generations to delve deeper into different aspects of Tamil culture. Through this appointment, Vijayalakshmi will share her expertise on what is considered by some to be the oldest language in the world for one semester at UH. She will advocate for Tamil arts, literature and language by researching with faculty, teaching students and giving presentations.

Dr. Vijayalakshmi is a leading scholar of Tamil studies, and we are honored she will be teaching for the department of modern classical languages, Emran El-Badawi, department of modern and classical languages chair, said. The course will educate students about the classical as well as modern aspects of Tamil language, literature and cultural issues. This speaks directly to the mission of our department and bodes well for the universitys global vision.

She will teach a special topics section of World Cultures and Literatures (WCL), offering an overview of Tamil history and contemporary issues in conjunction with the evolution of literature and language in WCL 3397.

"Learning the Tamil language is not only about the cultural heritage of Tamil people but also the global human being, Vijayalakshmi said. Teaching Tamil to people in America can foster a greater understanding and appreciation of the history, culture and traditions of the east. I strongly believe that my appointment to this chair may improve the relationship between the west and east by promoting cross-cultural understanding and appreciation."

Vijayalakshmi has been recognized through many awards and honors from international organisations and Indian organisations for her contributions to Tamil culture and language. Active in several non-profit organizations in India, Vijayalakshmi promotes womens literacy and empowerment as well.
The situation in the Bakhmut sector remains one of the most difficult on the frontline. The enemy fired 399 times at the positions of Ukrainian defenders over the last day. Ukrainian defense forces killed 105 occupants and wounded 104 others.

Serhiy Cherevaty, Spokesperson for the Eastern Group of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this on the air of the United News telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The situation there, in the Bakhmut sector, is complicated, probably the most difficult in all areas of the frontline today, but it is under control. The enemy strikes, 399 times they fired at our positions from various systems and calibers. 11 firefights took place, 105 occupants were killed, 104 were wounded, a Buk surface-to-air missile system, three cannons, one Gvozdika self-propelled artillery system and two field ammunition depots were destroyed," the spokesperson said.

Answering the question whether the enemy will be able to capture Bakhmut by May 9, Cherevaty said he had big doubts about it.

"Well, they are the world champions and probably the Guinness World Records for setting deadlines, they set the first deadline back in July. There is a positional war going on, very heavy fighting, but I would cast a very big doubt. They will not be able to make it to May 1, and it is unlikely that they will succeed beyond that. I believe in the Defense Forces and it will most likely be unrealistic for them," the spokesperson said.

Commenting on the massive enemy shelling of civilian targets in recent days, the spokesperson emphasized that he believes it is a manifestation of the enemy's desperation.

"When the enemy can't achieve anything on the battlefield, they strike at our peaceful cities. And this is a sign of despair and revenge, because they have not really shown any military training, any achievements and have not shown themselves as a worthy enemy," Cherevaty emphasized.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, the enemy's losses, which unsuccessfully tried to attack the positions of the Defense Forces at the Avdiivka and Maryinka directions 18 times over the last day, amounted to almost two companies killed and wounded.
Ukrainian aviation industry to start producing aircraft for military purposes in cooperation with Czech colleagues

During his visit to Kyiv on April 28, 2023, President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel announced his intention to develop cooperation with Ukraine in the defense sector in six areas. The President noted that this cooperation could include partial or complete transfer of technologies and production to Ukraine, as well as an appropriate level of localization.

"We have prepared six key joint production projects based on both Ukrainian and Czech firms," Pavel said.

One of these projects is the production of brand-new F/A-259 combat trainer aircraft (also known as L-259).

The proposal for joint production is a very good option for several reasons. First, if such an agreement is concluded, the Ukrainian military will receive modern training aircraft with which pilots will be able to master almost all models of modern Western combat aircraft. It should be noted that the Czech Republic is the birthplace of combat training aircraft. Almost all military fighter pilots of the Soviet Union, and later of independent countries, began their journey in the sky on Czech L-29 and L-39.

Ukraine needs both combat and training fighter jets, as the existing fleet was outdated before the Russian aggression of 2014. To ensure a high level of security in the airspace, it is necessary to have modern equipment and trained pilots who are ready to pilot newer types of fighters. For example, the American F-16. This also requires the latest training machines. During all the years of independence, our Air Force has not received a single used tactical aircraft. Probably, Ukraine would have already received Western fighters if it had trained and certified pilots and technicians for these types of aircraft.

The signing of a Czech-Ukrainian agreement on cooperation in defense and military equipment production could significantly strengthen Ukraine's defense capabilities, particularly those of its air force. The new F/A-259 training fighters will provide effective training for Ukrainian pilots to operate modern NATO combat aircraft such as the F-16, F/A-18, Eurofighter Typhoon, Dassault Rafale and others. This training aircraft can kick-start the future rearmament of our military fleet and the transition to purely Western models. It's no secret that Ukraine has long been in need of brand new aircraft, as the youngest tactical aircraft in our service have been in operation for 30 years.

If the agreement is signed, the Ukrainian Air Force will become universal: it will be able to continue using Soviet equipment, but will also learn to operate and maintain Western equipment.

Since Ukraine already has considerable experience in aircraft construction (in Kyiv and Kharkiv), it will not be a problem for us to quickly establish production. And the involvement of foreign partners will allow Ukraine to gain access to the latest technologies and knowledge.

Finally, joint production will have a positive impact on political relations between the partner countries and strengthen further cooperation in the defense sector. Mutual trust and cooperation in the production of military equipment will lay the foundation for future projects in various fields.

So far, the F/A-259 from the Czech company Aero Vodochody has been realized only on paper. However, according to the plan, the F/A-259 is to become a modernized successor to the existing production model Aero L-159 ALCA. The F/A-259 was first unveiled in 2018 at the Farnborough Airshow in the UK. Both aircraft have an identical design and technical characteristics, with the only differences being in electronics.

The F/A-259 has several basic features, including a fully digitalized cockpit with two multifunctional displays that show all the necessary information. In addition, the "open architecture" of the onboard equipment allows the customer to make any upgrades at will. But the most important is the option of installing an onboard radar with a phased array and a helmet display, which will allow the pilot to search for air targets independently.

The manufacturers claim that the F/A-259 is the most versatile training aircraft for the military. On the one hand, the aircraft is capable of taking off and landing even at "field" airfields with unpaved runways. It is also possible to install a refueling boom during the flight, which increases the combat radius of the machine and allows it to perform more complex missions.

Realizing that the F/A-259 is the successor to the L-159, it is worth noting that the L-159 itself has certain technical characteristics: a fuselage 12.7 meters long and a wingspan of 8.7 meters, a maximum takeoff weight of up to 8 tons and a maximum payload of up to 2.3 tons, a maximum speed of 936 km/h, and a combat range of 790 km. L-159 aircraft are in service in the Czech Republic and Iraq.

The aircraft is a combat trainer, which means it can be armed with anti-aircraft and unguided missiles for use against ground targets, as well as guided and free-fall bombs.

The joint production of F/A-259 aircraft could be an important step in the development of the Ukrainian aviation industry and strengthening the country's defense capabilities.

Bohdan Tuzov, Kyiv

Infographic by Oleksandr Shyngur
Ukraine's defense forces killed about 193,210 Russian invaders between February 24, 2022 and May 5, 2023, including 620 in the past day alone.

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said this in a Facebook post, Ukrinform reports. Moreover, Ukrainian defenders destroyed 3,710 (+3) enemy tanks, 7,224 (+8) armored fighting vehicles, 2,978 (+16) artillery systems, 550 (+3) multiple launch rocket systems, 304 (+0) air defense systems, 308 (+0) warplanes, 294 (+0) helicopters, 2,540 (+17) operational and tactical unmanned aerial vehicles, 947 (+0) cruise missiles, 18 (+0) warships/boats, 5,916 (+30) trucks and fuel tankers, and 373 (+3) units of specialized equipment.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov has called on German partners to join the creation of a "naval coalition" in support of Ukraine, which would become a permanent guarantee of ensuring the safety of navigation in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Reznikov met with Inspector General of the Bundeswehr General Carsten Breuer, as part of his visit to Ukraine.

The Ukrainian defense minister emphasized that Western, in particular, German weapons are one of the important components that help protect Ukrainians and repel Russia.

"The arms and equipment we receive from our German partners help save the lives of our soldiers on the frontlines, peaceful Ukrainians, and protect the infrastructure from destruction. The quality of German equipment is checked by me personally. And I thank Minister of Defense of Germany Boris Pistorius and the entire German people for the assistance we are receiving in this difficult time for Ukraine, said Reznikov.

Reznikov told about the experience in combating enemy unmanned aerial vehicles and invited the German side to cooperate in this direction.

Reznikov also called on German partners to join the creation of a "naval coalition" in support of Ukraine.

"We already have a tank coalition, Ramstein is also a coalition. They all work for a single goal - the victory of Ukraine. Our common task is to build a strong system of international security architecture, and the security of navigation in the Black and Azov Seas is an important element in this system. Some of our European partners are already part of this coalition. And I would very much like Germany to become a part of it too," Reznikov stressed.

The parties also considered a number of practical steps to strengthen Ukraines defense capabilities with the support of Germany. In particular, the possibility of expanding training programs for the Ukrainian military in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Breuer expressed support for Ukraine and emphasized that the experience gained by Ukrainian defenders is also important for the German Armed Forces.

The parties emphasized the need for further enhancing cooperation to ensure the urgent needs of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

As reported by Ukrinform, the German government in April handed over another package of military aid to Ukraine, in particular, antennas, drones and ammunition.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine expressed surprise that the Qatari foreign ministry reacted to the drone attack on the Kremlin and "did not notice" the Russian missile strikes on Kherson.

Oleh Nikolenko, spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, tweeted this in response to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry that the drone explosion over the Kremlin could lead to further escalation of violence, Ukrinform reports.

"I wonder if anyone can find the statement of the Qatari Foreign Ministry condemning the latest Russian missile attack on Kherson, which killed 21 civilians and injured 48 others. Does this act of state terrorism have a less dangerous impact on efforts to resolve the "crisis" peacefully?" the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

As reported earlier, on May 4, the Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling for a solution to the Russian-Ukrainian "crisis" through dialogue, and noted that actions such as the drone explosion over the Kremlin could lead to further escalation of violence and prolongation of the global crisis.
The Kingdom of Bahrain believes that the ideas of Pope Francis, the peace plan of President Volodymyr Zelensky and China's proposals can be used as a basis for negotiations to reach a settlement of the Russian-Ukrainian war, and is ready to play its mediation role in them

Al Zayani, Bahrain's foreign minister, said this during a joint press statement with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"During the talks, we discussed international efforts to end the war, in particular the efforts of His Holiness the Pope, the recent proposals of President Zelensky of Ukraine and the proposals made by the People's Republic of China. We believe that all these efforts deserve attention and can serve as a basis for negotiations to reach a settlement that respects the rights and interests of all parties and restores security and stability in Europe. Bahrain is ready to play a role in this area," said Al Zayani.

Read also: Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain is on first visit to Ukraine

He added that he reaffirmed the importance of continuing efforts to support humanitarian operations related to refugees and the protection of civilians, as well as the importance of expanding and extending the agreement on grain exports "from Russia and Ukraine," which is important for global food security.

According to the Bahraini Foreign Minister, during the talks with the head of Ukrainian diplomacy, they also discussed the development of the global political and security situation, ongoing wars and conflicts and their devastating economic, social and humanitarian consequences, especially in the Middle East.

In this context, he emphasized the importance of concerted international efforts to promote peace and security in the region.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky received Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who arrived on a visit to Ukraine.

This is the first visit of the Bahraini foreign minister to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in July 1992.
eMagin Corporation

HOPEWELL JUNCTION, N.Y., May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- eMagin Corporation or the Company, (NYSE American: EMAN), a leader in the development, design, and manufacture of high-resolution micro-OLED displays for virtual and augmented reality solutions, today announced it will release its first-quarter results on Thursday, May 11, 2023.





Earnings Conference Call and Webcast

Management will host a conference call and simultaneous webcast at 9:00 a.m. ET on May 11, 2023, to discuss quarterly results, business highlights and outlook. The live, listen-only webcast will be accessible on the Companys Investor Relations website via https://www.emagin.com/investors/event-webcast. A replay of the event will be available shortly after the live event. To join the conference call participants will need to register with this link. Participants will receive an individualized dial-in number and PIN after registering for the call.

About eMagin Corporation

eMagin is the leader in OLED microdisplay technology, enabling the visualization of digital information and imagery for world-class customers in the military, consumer, medical and industrial markets. The Company invents, engineers and manufactures display technologies of the future and is the only manufacturer of OLED displays in the United States. eMagin's Direct Patterning Technology (dPd) will transform the way the world consumes information. Since 2001, eMagin's microdisplays have been used in AR/VR, aircraft helmets, heads-up display systems, thermal scopes, night vision goggles, future weapon systems and a variety of other applications. For more information, please visit www.emagin.com.

Contact:

eMagin Corporation

Mark Koch, Chief Financial Officer

845-838-7900

investorrelations@emagin.com

Sharon Merrill Advisors, Inc.

Nicholas Manganaro

617-542-5300

eman@investorrelations.com




In Great Britain, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal visited the training site for another group of Ukrainian soldiers.

According to Ukrinform, Shmyhal wrote about this on Telegram.

"Almost 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers have already undergone training in Great Britain. Today, together with Defense Minister of the United Kingdom Ben Wallace and First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, we saw the process of training of another group of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Shmyhal said.

He also discussed with Wallace the steps necessary for a counteroffensive and strengthening Ukraine's defense capabilities.

"We are systematically moving in this direction. The Ukrainian army masters NATO standards in practice. At the training site from experienced mentors, as well as on the battlefield during the fight against the enemy," Shmyhal said.

The Prime Minister also thanked Great Britain for launching the INTERFLEX operation to train the Ukrainian military with the participation of nine partner countries.

As reported by Ukrinform, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, who is currently in the United Kingdom together with First Lady Olena Zelenska, is planning to hold a number of important meetings in London.
More than 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers (including 21 women) have already undergone training in Great Britain, and more than 2,000 are trained now.

"You've probably already seen the moving video in which foreign military personnel line up to say goodbye to Ukrainian soldiers who return home from training in Great Britain. More than 14,000 Ukrainian soldiers (including 21 women) have already completed training in the United Kingdom, and more than 2,000 are currently being trained," Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska posted on Telegram.

She noted that Great Britain launched Operation Interflex to train members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in June 2022 with the participation of instructors from nine other partner countries: Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Lithuania, Canada, and the Netherlands.

"The training camp in Salisbury is one of four where our fighters learn the most necessary skills  from tactical medicine to firing. I and Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal together with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, who met us at the camp, got acquainted with the progress of the exercises," Zelenska wrote.

She emphasized that "our defenders need all possible world experience because every additional knowledge, every skill is their preserved life and health. And, therefore, our victory."

As reported, Ukraines First Lady Olena Zelenska arrived on a visit to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland the day before.
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Mykola Solskyi met Minister of Agriculture of Bulgaria Yavor Gechev in Sofia.

As the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reports, the ministers discussed the issue of transit and export of Ukrainian agricultural products to/through the territory of Bulgaria in view of the implementation of the decision adopted by the European Commission to ban the export of certain types of Ukrainian agricultural products to five EU countries.

Bulgaria confirmed its readiness to import all agricultural products from Ukraine, except for the four crops mentioned in the decision of the European Commission, namely: sunflower, rapeseed, corn, and wheat.

As reported, on May 2, 2023, the European Commission officially announced the imposition of "exceptional and temporary" precautionary measures against imports from Ukraine which limit the deliveries of agricultural goods produced in Ukraine to Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

The restrictions will apply to four agricultural products: wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seeds originating in Ukraine and will remain in effect until June 5, 2023.
Temporary border control has been introduced between Belarus and Russia, checkpoints have been set up.

That's according to the Belarus newspaper Zerkalo with reference to the State Border Committee, Ukrinform reports.

The Belarusian border guards' hotline explained that the measures are part of the implementation of the agreement on mutual recognition of visas with Russia. The control is carried out in six main areas - only for entry. The measures were introduced temporarily, but how long they will last is unknown. "Until a special order is issued," the agency said.

Various Telegram channels report that there are queues at the border, especially on the M-1 highway. Russians are being checked most thoroughly - "everyone is being kicked out of their cars, searched, and their documents are being recorded."

As Ukrinform reported, on May 2, self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held a meeting on "topical issues of security and measures to protect the state border," citing alleged provocations at the border and infiltration by "saboteurs."
Ukraine no longer sends any messages to Russia or Putin, either with its actions or through meetings with the representatives of the civilized world. Ukrainians are fighting for their state and on their land only.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a joint press conference with the Presidents and participants in the Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Finlands Helsinki, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

When asked whether this meeting is some kind of message to Russia, the President of Ukraine said: We no longer send any messages to Russia and President Putin. We are fighting for our state and on our land only. We do not care for what is happening in Russia and to Russian citizens. We do care for what is happening to Ukraine, on whose territory Russian aggression has come.

In his words, Ukraines only message to the entire world is to unite for the sake of peace.

I have a message only for the whole world that has not been involved in the occupation of our independent territory. This message is to unite in order to oust the Russian Federation from our independent, sovereign territory, so that the war ends. I believe that all states that really want peace on the European continent, in the whole world, should unite in order to end this war, Zelensky stressed.

A reminder that, on May 3, 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was paying a visit to Finland and took part in the Nordic-Ukrainian Summit in Helsinki.

Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky had a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani who is on a visit to Ukraine.

The Head of State noted that it is the first visit of the Foreign Minister of Bahrain to Ukraine since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the countries in July 1992, the Presidents Office informs.

"This is an important signal of cooperation and support between our countries," the President said.

He thanked the Kingdom of Bahrain for its unwavering support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine amid countering full-scale Russian aggression, which was repeatedly demonstrated in the course of voting for the relevant resolutions of the UN General Assembly.

The Head of State noted that humanitarian aid from Bahrain is also very important for the Ukrainians.

"Because our struggle is not only on the frontline  our people, our society are also on the battlefield. Their work helps our army to de-occupy our territory," Zelensky stressed.

The President also added that Ukraine will definitely win as it is fighting against aggression and defending its homes and families.

The Head of State emphasized that Ukraine strives for peace, and that is why he offered the international community the Ukrainian Peace Formula. "And we will be grateful to all the states that really want to help Ukraine achieve peace," the President noted.

Zelensky invited Bahrain to take part in the relevant diplomatic process, in particular, to join the implementation of certain points of the formula and participate in the upcoming Peace Summit.

The President drew special attention to the problem of the deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia and the search for ways to return them to their homeland and their families.

During the meeting, the parties exchanged views on the participation of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as on joining promising projects of cooperation in the humanitarian and economic spheres.

Zelensky also raised the issue of demining large areas of Ukrainian territory contaminated by mines as a result of hostilities and the practical need for the necessary equipment.

Photos, video: Presidents Office
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has met in Kyiv with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, who visited Ukraine for the first time in the history of bilateral relations.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said this in a statement posted on its website on Friday, May 5, according to Ukrinform.

According to the statement, both parties discussed food security and Bahrain's participation in the rebuilding of Ukraine. Kuleba invited Bahrain to participate in the international Ukraine Recovery Conference that will be held in London this June.

"We had a very deep, thorough and frank conversation, for the first time in the history of our relationship. We agreed not only to intensify bilateral relations, but also relations between Ukraine and the Gulf countries, particularly in the format of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf," Kuleba said.

He said Ukraine and Bahrain were working to intensify business contacts.

Ukraine's foreign minister informed his Bahraini counterpart about the situation at the front and familiarized him in detail with President Volodymyr Zelensky's Peace Formula. The minister invited Bahrain to take an active part in its implementation, the ministry said.
Ukrainian Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk has met with Bahraini Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani in Kyiv.

Stefanchuk announced this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.

"I had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani. Russia continues to attack Ukraine, destroying infrastructure and killing peaceful Ukrainians. There are no such crimes that Russia has not committed in Ukraine. Therefore, the first thing I focused on was the threat of Russian-Iranian military and political rapprochement. Concerted action is needed to curb this 'axis of evil'," he said.

Stefanchuk thanked Bahrain for supporting Ukraine in the humanitarian sphere. He added that Ukraine needs financial and defense support.

Ukraine's parliament speaker also called on Bahrain to join the current regime of sanctions against Russia. "This will testify to the joint desire to restore peace and security in the world," Stefanchuk said.

He also said that a peace formula proposed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had been discussed at the meeting with Bahrain's foreign minister. Stefanchuk said that Ukraine would like to see Bahrain among the countries joining the implementation of this initiative.

Bahrain's foreign minister visited Ukraine for the first time since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in July 1992.
The conclusions of the OSCE report on the forcible transfer and/or deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation can be used within national and international mechanisms to bring the perpetrators of recorded war crimes to justice.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said this in a statement regarding the "Report on Violations and Abuses of International Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity, Related to the Forcible Transfer and/or Deportation of Ukrainian Children to the Russian Federation," according to Ukrinform.

The ministry said that the report prepared by an independent mission of experts of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism is the first separate international report devoted to the problem of Russia's illegal transfer of Ukrainian children. At the same time, Russia refused to cooperate with the mission.

Among the key conclusions of the report, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry mentioned the following ones:

the forcible transfer of children by Russia may amount to a crime against humanity of "deportation or forcible transfer of population";

non-consensual evacuation is a violation of international humanitarian law;

deported children find themselves exposed to a pro-Russian information campaign;

changing the citizenship of Ukrainian children and their illegal adoption is a violation of the IV Geneva Convention;

the Russian Federation creates various obstacles for families seeking to get their children back.

According to the ministry, the report also recorded numerous and repeated violations of the interests and rights of children stipulated by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the cumulative effects of multiple violations give rise to very serious concerns about the violation of the right of displaced Ukrainian children to be free from torture and ill-treatment and other inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

"Ukraine emphasizes that the forcible transfer or deportation of Ukrainian children to the Russian Federation may amount to genocide in accordance with Article II of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The conclusions of the report can be used within national and international mechanisms for bringing to justice the perpetrators of the crimes recorded in the report," the ministry said.
U.S. Congress delegation, which included members of the Helsinki Commission, visited Bucha, Kyiv region.

As an Ukrinform correspondent reports, head of the delegation and Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission Joe Wilson, Commission member Steven Cohen, and U.S. Ambassador to the OSCE Michael Carpenter honored the memory of those killed in Bucha by laying flowers and observing a moment of silence.

They also looked at photos taken in the town immediately after its liberation and talked to families who were victims of Russian crimes.

"It is important for Americans to know about the horrors that happened here and to receive encouragement from the people of Ukraine in the confrontation, in the bipartisan work of Republicans and Democrats in Congress who support the victory of the people of Ukraine, that is, the restoration of territorial integrity," said Joe Wilson.

In turn, Michael Carpenter emphasized that it is necessary to talk about the human dimension of the tragedy: "So that our colleagues from all over the world understand what is at stake. It is about freedom  not just about principles. It is about dignity, about what is right in this world. What weve seen today is very emotional."

He also said that the United States will help Ukraine ensure accountability for every child deported by the Russians and work with Kyiv to reunite families and help victims.

He noted that the report published within the framework of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism shows that the situation with Ukrainian children who are forcibly deported to the territory controlled by Russia or the territory of the Russian Federation is a serious violation of the Geneva Convention, a war crime and, probably, a crime against humanity

"We must ensure accountability for each of these crimes. We will work with the Government of Ukraine, and we will follow their lead and assist them as they see fit to help reunite families and provide psychological support to affected children and families," Carpenter said.

The U.S. ambassador emphasized that the Russians involved in these practices must know that there will be accountability for every child taken from their home and family, and the United States will work to achieve this.
By Kane Wu

HONG KONG (Reuters) - U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital is nearing the final close of its fifth and biggest Asia-focused fund after having raised around $6 billion from global investors, said two people with knowledge of the situation.

The committed capital to the fund has exceeded the firm's initial target of $5 billion, said one of the two people and a third source with knowledge of the fundraising.

Bain Capital, which started fundraising in the second half of last year, aims to complete the exercise in the coming weeks, said the three people, who all declined to be identified as the information is confidential.

Bain Capital declined to comment.

Bain Capital's latest fundraising comes as investors globally are battling geopolitical uncertainties, a higher interest environment, market volatility, and macroeconomic headwinds in many markets.

In Asia, investors have been cautious about deploying capital in China due to an economic slowdown, regulatory crackdown and Sino-U.S. tensions - all of which cast a shadow over Asia funds with a heavier allocation to the country.

About $131.6 billion in total was raised in 2022 for Asia-focused funds, about half of 2021's $251.2 billion, Preqin data showed. Fundraising so far this year has totalled just $15.5 billion, the data showed.

Private equity-backed deals across Asia Pacific, including Japan, have slumped 41% to $41 billion so far this year from the same period last year, the lowest level since 2020, Refinitiv data showed.

Similarly, in China, private equity-backed deals so far this year have dropped 39% year on year to $9.7 billion after having plunged to a six-year low last year, the Refinitiv data showed.

NEW FUNDRAISING

Bain Capital's new Asia fund will focus heavily on Japan, where it has landed marquee deals such as the $18 billion buyout of Toshiba Corp's memory chip business, said two of the three people.

The firm invests across multiple asset classes, including credit, public equity, venture capital, and real estate, managing approximately $160 billion in total assets globally.

Story continues

It most recently agreed to take joint ownership of Japanese human-resources software provider Works Human Intelligence with Singapore's GIC for an undisclosed amount.

Last year, Bain Capital closed a $2 billion "special situations fund" for Asia Pacific to cover a range of asset types but with a focus on real estate.

Bain Capital's U.S. rival Carlyle Group is still in the market seeking to raise $8.5 billion for its new Asia-focused fund, separate sources with knowledge of Carlyle's fundraising said.

Hong Kong-based PAG, which started fundraising more than a year ago, has cut its fund size target to $6 billion from $9 billion, according to media reports and people with knowledge of its plans.

Carlyle and PAG both declined to comment.

(Reporting by Kane Wu; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Sonali Paul)
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky met with a bipartisan delegation of the House of Representatives of the United States. The situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP and the grain corridor were discussed.

As the Presidents Office informs, the Head of State said that such visits to Ukraine are a powerful signal of support from the United States for our country, the entire Ukrainian people, which is especially important at a time when the aggressor state has resumed heavy missile terror against Ukrainian cities.

"You see that the war is going on not only on the battlefield but also here in the capital. So I thank you very much for this meeting and for this dialogue, for supporting Ukraine," Zelensky said.

Read also: Zelensky meets with United24 ambassadors

The President thanked the representatives of the Congress for the powerful bicameral and bipartisan support for our state and the comprehensive assistance provided by the United States to Ukraine in our struggle for our own future and the future of our common values  freedom and democracy.

"We are grateful for your help, leadership not only on the battlefield but also for financial support," he said.

The Head of State said that continued assistance is a guarantee of Ukraine's success in the fight against Russian aggression.

Zelensky briefed the U.S. delegation on the situation on the front line. At the meeting, the key areas of further U.S. assistance in the field of security and defense were discussed in detail. The President spoke separately about the priority needs of Ukraine's defense forces.

The issue of extending the grain corridor, the situation at the Zaporizhzhia NPP, and other important topics on the bilateral agenda were also raised at the meeting.
The Norwegian government will increase the amount of funds available for Ukrainian refugees in the revised budget for 2023.

According to The Local, the revised budget for 2023 will be fully unveiled later in May.

We have issued a request to the municipalities to settle a total of 35,000 refugees in 2023. But the latest forecasts we have seen show that there may be even more. That is why we need to resettle more refugees, Minister for Labour and Inclusion Marte Mjs Persen said.

According to a new forecast, Norway could instead be required to settle up to 43,000 refugees. Therefore the government is proposing increased funding in a number of areas.

Firstly, it will grant municipalities an extra 50,000 kroner (about EUR 4,200  ed.) for every refugee it settles. This policy is expected to cost up to 200 million kroner (up to EUR 17 million  ed.) by the end of 2024. The money is on top of existing grants local authorities receive for settling asylum seekers, the report says.

In addition, 459 million kroner (over EUR 38 million) will be set aside for Norwegian language training of refugees by the end of 2024.
(Bloomberg) -- The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. is considering whether to offer loss-sharing agreements to private equity firms and other nonbanks that acquire parts of failed lenders, after the regulator was left holding a large portfolio of Signature Bank loans following its collapse.

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The move, described by FDIC officials, could entice such firms to buy loans and assets from collapsed institutions if interest-rate hikes topple more regional lenders. Potentially, the FDIC could get higher bids from a wider range of firms by offering to share the risks involved with buying such assets.

Since March, Apollo Global Management Inc., Blackstone Inc. and other nonbanks havent been able to easily scoop up discounted assets from the regional US lenders that failed. These firms come to auctions at a disadvantage because they dont have bank charters and therefore cant bid for an entire lender.

Meanwhile, the FDIC doesnt regulate nonbank institutions  potentially complicating any oversight of loss-sharing agreements.

More participation by private equity firms could ease some of the stress on the FDICs insurance fund by garnering higher bids on the assets its selling, and deflect criticism that the agency isnt getting fairly compensated. The agency benefited after two recent failures from equity-sharing arrangements with banks that acquired the defunct lenders, but shares of the new owners soared beyond the point where the FDICs stake was capped  raising questions about whether the FDIC could have gotten better terms.

The regulators decision to consider loss-sharing with nonbanks was driven by the outcome of the sale of New Yorks Signature Bank, according to the FDIC officials, who spoke on the condition they not be identified. That deal saddled the FDIC with a $60 billion loan portfolio, including $11 billion in loans in New York City apartments whose values have fallen in recent years.

Story continues

Past Deals

In the most recent bank turmoil, the FDIC has entered into loss-share agreements only with bank bidders. First Citizens BancShares Inc., which bought Silicon Valley Bank, will only be responsible for half the losses exceeding $5 billion on commercial loans for the next five years. The largest bank in the US by assets, JPMorgan Chase & Co., also got a loss-share provision on certain loans when it bought First Republic Bank this week.

While nonbanks havent been offered loss-sharing agreements during this recent banking turmoil, private equity firms have scored such deals in the past  particularly during the last financial crisis.

In 2009, the FDIC agreed to share losses with a group of private equity firms that bought BankUnited FSB, agreeing to reimburse 80% of their first $4 billion in losses and 95% of any additional losses. The FDIC also paid the firms $2.2 billion upfront, marking one of the Great Recessions major windfalls.

Private equity has benefited the FDIC, too.

The regulator released a paper in 2021 examining the role of private equity in rescuing banks after the financial crisis. The researchers found private equity made substantial investments in underperforming and riskier failed banks and calculated that 5.5% more failed banks would have been liquidated if private equity hadnt stepped in.

--With assistance from Ben Bain.

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Press Release

Federal Steering Committee of the European Union supported Deliver Justice Project holds its Second Annual Meeting

Islamabad, Thursday, 04 May 2023: The Federal Steering Committee (FSC) meeting of the Deliver Justice project was held at the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Economic Affairs Division (EAD) today for the second consecutive year.

The Deliver Justice project supports reforms to ensure delivery of people-centered justice, access to justice for all, particularly women and less privileged groups; and improve service delivery of the security sector in line with the constitutional safeguards and international standards. Implemented in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Merged Districts, the project is funded by the European Union (EU) and is jointly implemented by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The meeting was chaired by the Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, EAD, Mr Muhammad Humair Karim, and was attended by senior officials from the EU, the Governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, the Federal Government, UNDP, UN Women and UNODC.

The FSC meets every year to discuss the projects progress and presents its work plans for the year ahead. The meeting chair, Mr Muhammad Humair Karim, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Economic Affairs, EAD, reiterated the Pakistan Governments commitment and support to the successful implementation of the project. He also highlighted the importance of ensuring accountability and transparency in all aspects of the project. He added, The Deliver Justice project has proven to be a crucial initiative in supporting government efforts to strengthen justice and security sector governance in Pakistan. We look forward to our continued partnership with the EU, UNDP, UNODC and UN Women.

In the meeting, it was shared that together with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan Rule of Law institutions and partners, in 2022, UNDP, UNODC and UN Women:

Developed 16 key policy or legislative instruments to strengthen security and justice sector governance in Pakistan

Sensitized 1,700 people on laws, rights and gender

Developed capacity of over 2,500 justice and security actors across both provinces (including on gender mainstreaming and responsiveness).

Created 11 gender-responsive environments for women duty bearers and rights holders.

Strengthened provincial rule of law coordination mechanisms in KP and Balochistan.

In his welcome remarks, the Head of Cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Pakistan, Ovidiu Mic, said, "The EU regards rule of law as a cornerstone for inclusive development, peace and security for the Pakistani people, particularly for its women and girls. Two years into implementation, the Deliver Justice project has now come to an important juncture, calling for an acceleration in the pace of change. The new generation of the Rule of Law Roadmap for 2023-2027 will set the tone for the continuity of essential reforms. We encourage the governments of Balochistan and KP to revise and endorse these roadmaps in a timely manner and allocate enough resources for their implementation.

During the meeting, the FSC emphasized the need for effective oversight and monitoring to ensure time-efficient implementation of the project. The committee also discussed the importance of engaging with civil society organizations, and the media to increase public awareness of the project.

On the occasion, the UNDP Pakistan Resident Representative, Knut Ostby thanked Mr Muhammad Humair Karim for his leadership and chairing the FSC. He extended his gratitude to the Federal and Provincial Government stakeholders for their valuable support and partnership in implementing the project. He reaffirmed that, As part of our broader efforts to strengthen justice and security sector governance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, under the Deliver Justice Project, in addition to the capacity development of relevant staff, UNDPs Rule of Law Programme is also working towards major legislative reforms which include revision of Khyber Pakhtunkhwas Rule of Law Roadmap and drafting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Prisons and Correctional Services Act. We are thankful to the EU for supporting us in this shared objective to ensure affordable, accessible and speedy justice for all, particularly for women and other marginalized communities in Pakistan.

UN Women Pakistan Deputy Country Representative, Ms Jacqui Ketunuti in her remarks said "Evidence has shown that enhancing gender parity and diversity in justice sector institutions increases their productivity and efficiency and ensures the delivery of gender responsive services. Through recruitment drive of police department under this project we are encouraging young women to become law enforcement agencies that ultimate facilitate women and girls access to justice."

UNODC Officer-In-Charge, Shinji Roberto Nagasawa, added in his remarks, This Second Federal Steering Committee meeting marks yet another milestone for this programme. The Rule of Law Programme provides a unique advantage to build on its existing engagements and collaborative networks that allow us a smooth transition to bolster the existing reforms at the provincial and federal level. He also emphasized on UNODCs commitment to continue working as a strategic partner to the Government of Balochistan and looks forward to working jointly with UNDP and UN Women to support inclusive, just and citizen-friendly rule of law to deliver a free and fair access to justice for all, including women, vulnerable, and marginalized groups.

For additional information, please reach out:

Ayesha Babar, Communications Analyst, and Head of Communications Unit, UNDP Pakistan | ayesha.babar@undp.org or +92 (51) 835 5650

Rizwana Rahool, Communications Officer, UNODC | rizwana.rahool@un.org or 03018564255,

Erum Fareed, Communications Officer, UN Women | erum.fareed@unwomen.org or 0346 8502146

About UNDP:

UNDP is the leading United Nations organization fighting to end the injustice of poverty, inequality, and climate change. Working with our broad network of experts and partners in 170 countries, we help nations to build integrated, lasting solutions for people and planet. Learn more at undp.org or follow at @UNDP

About UNODC:

UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime. UNODC operates in all regions of the world through an extensive network of field offices. Learn more at unodc.org or follow at @UNODC

About UN Women:

UN Women is the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress in meeting their needs worldwide. Learn more at unwomen.org or follow @UNWomen
DENVER, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Gates Industrial Corporation plc (NYSE:GTES), a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions, today announced that the Company will participate in the 2023 Goldman Sachs Industrials & Materials Conference in New York, NY, on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Tom Pitstick, Chief Strategy Officer, will present at 10:15 a.m. Eastern time.

Gates Industrial Corporation

To access a webcast of this presentation, please visit the Events & Presentations section of the Gates Investor Relations website at investors.gates.com, and click on the event webcast link.

About Gates Industrial Corporation plc

Gates Industrial Corporation plc is a global manufacturer of innovative, highly engineered power transmission and fluid power solutions. Gates offers a broad portfolio of products to diverse replacement channel customers, and to original equipment ("first-fit") manufacturers as specified components. Gates participates in many sectors of the industrial and consumer markets. Our products play essential roles in a diverse range of applications across a wide variety of end markets ranging from harsh and hazardous industries to everyday consumer applications including virtually every form of transportation. Our products are sold in over 130 countries across our four commercial regions: the Americas; Europe, Middle East & Africa; Greater China; and East Asia & India.

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View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gates-industrial-to-participate-in-the-2023-goldman-sachs-industrials--materials-conference-301816796.html

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May 5 2023

The regeneration of Paisleys Ferguslie Park has taken a step forward with the delivery of 101 houses by AS Homes and EMA Architecture and Design.

Renfrewshire Council has been leading the regeneration of the area, repurposing the site of the former St Fergus Primary, providing replacement accommodation for tenants rehoused from the nearby Tannahill estate.

Cllr Marie McGurk said: Its an area with a tight-knit sense of community  and with many residents moving into the new-builds from the old Tannahill estate, we hope that community spirit will stay intact.

The majority of homes are council-owned with housing officers inviting tenants to influence the design of their homes. Full completion of the development is expected in July.
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A delegation comprising representatives of world-renowned investment companies led by Imran Zaidi of JP Morgan Dubai on Friday met Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :A delegation comprising representatives of world-renowned investment companies led by Imran Zaidi of JP Morgan Dubai on Friday met Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Finance Tariq Bajwa, SAPM on Revenue Tariq Pasha, Secretary Finance, and senior officers from the Finance Division attended the meeting, said a press release.

The two sides had a comprehensive discussion on Pakistan's economic situation, the International Monetary Fund programme, market perception and outlook, as well as external account situations.

The finance minister shared the country's economic outlook and said despite the challenging economic situation, the government was steering the economy towards stability and growth.

He said Pakistan was slowly but surely moving toward economic stability and it was high time to invest in the country.

Ishaq Dar said as finance minister he had successfully completed the IMF programme in the past and that the present government was committed to completing the present programme and fulfilling all international obligations.

Imran Zaidi of J P Morgan briefed the finance minister on the company's profile and the financial services it had provided to various countries.

The delegation appreciated the policy steps taken by the government for sustaining and boosting fiscal and monetary stability and expressed confidence in achieving sustainable economic development.

Ishaq Dar appreciated the delegation's positive intentions for the economic prosperity of Pakistan.
Washington, May 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :Four members of the far-right Proud Boys were convicted of seditious conspiracy on Thursday for their roles in the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol by supporters of former president Donald Trump.

Enrique Tarrio, 39, the former "national chairman" of the neofascist organization, was among those found guilty by a jury after a more than three-month trial in the nation's capital.

Three of Tarrio's lieutenants -- Joseph Biggs, 39, Ethan Nordean, 32, and Zachary Rehl, 37 -- were also convicted of seditious conspiracy, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, while a fourth Proud Boy, Dominic Pezzola, was found not guilty.

"After January 6, I promised that the Justice Department would do everything in its power to hold accountable those responsible for the heinous attack that sought to disrupt a cornerstone of our democracy -- the peaceful transfer of power to a newly elected government," Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters.

"Today's verdict makes clear that the Justice Department will do everything in its power to defend the American people and American democracy," Garland said.

Tarrio was not in Washington on January 6 but was accused of directing the storming of the Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification by Congress of Democrat Joe Biden's election victory over Trump.

All five Proud Boy defendants were also convicted of several lesser charges, including obstruction of the proceedings of Congress, impeding law enforcement and destruction of government property.

The 45-year-old Pezzola was also found guilty of robbery of US property. In widely viewed video footage from January 6, Pezzola can be seen using a stolen police riot shield to break a window at the Capitol.

The success of Federal prosecutors in obtaining convictions for sedition among the January 6 rioters could raise the stakes for Trump and his aides in the probe by a special counsel into whether they plotted or fomented the Capitol attack.

More than 1,000 people have been arrested in connection with the storming of Congress by Trump supporters -- and more than 600 convicted -- but only about a dozen have faced the rarely used charge of sedition.
LONDON, May 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :Initial outcomes from the local elections in England on Friday indicated that the Labour Party has made gains in key council seats, while the Conservatives have suffered losses.

On Thursday, voters went to the polls for more than 8,000 council seats on 230 councils, alongside four mayoral elections, across England.

Among their top target councils, Labour has secured control of Plymouth, Stoke-on-Trent, and Medway.

On the other hand, the Conservatives have lost control of Tamworth, Brentwood, Hertsmere, and NW Leicestershire councils, among others.

The vote was the first significant test of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's electoral popularity since taking office.

Labour Party is feeling confident about achieving its best local election results since 1997, believing it is on the right path to securing a victory in the next general election.

Based on these results, Labour Party campaign coordinator, Shabana Mahmood, expressed that these outcomes demonstrate that they are headed for a majority Labour government.

The majority of results, however, will not be confirmed until later on Friday.

Further results, including three mayoral contests in Bedford, Leicester, and Mansfield, will be announced throughout Friday.
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Mr. Qin Gang has been received by high officials of Pakistan's Foreign Office upon his arrival at Nur Khan Airbase.

ISLAMABAD: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 5th, 2023) Foreign Minister of China Qin Gang has arrived in Islamabad to participate in 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue.

Upon his arrival at Nur Khan Airbase, he was received by high officials of Pakistan's Foreign Office.

Acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaqi is also due to arrive in Islamabad for the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue today. As per the latest reports, the Afghan delegation will consist of senior officials from various ministries, including commerce and industry, transport, and trade.

The purpose of this visit, as stated by the Pakistani Foreign Office, is to continue Pakistan's political engagement process with Afghanistan and its commitment to practical engagement with the Afghan government. The dialogue will cover a wide range of bilateral issues, including politics, the economy, trade, connectivity, peace, security, and education.

The Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue is scheduled for May 6th, and foreign ministers from all three countries - Pakistan, Afghanistan, and China - are expected to participate.

Foreign Minister Qin will also hold meetings with Pakistani leaders and co-chair the fourth strategic dialogue between the foreign ministers of China and Pakistan with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during his visit.

The trilateral meeting will be an essential platform to discuss and develop a comprehensive plan to promote regional peace and stability. The talks will likely focus on the worsening security situation in Afghanistan and Pakistan, cross-border terrorism, regional economic integration, the Belt and Road Initiative, and enhancing people-to-people exchanges.

Pakistan and China have been instrumental in the Afghan peace process and have reiterated their support for the reconstruction and development of Afghanistan. Both countries are also members of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) for promoting peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has been a vital partner of Afghanistan, and both countries share a long history of close relations. The trilateral meeting is another significant step towards further strengthening the already existing ties and promoting regional cooperation.
China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday arrived here on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :China's State Councillor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Friday arrived here on a two-day official visit, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.

This is his first official visit to Pakistan since assuming office.

Besides the bilateral meetings, the Chinese foreign minister will participate in the 5th China-Pakistan-Afghanistan Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Dialogue on Saturday.

Both Foreign Minister Bilawal and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang will co-chair the 4th round of the Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue.

The Strategic Dialogue is a structured mechanism that reviews bilateral cooperation in key areas. The two sides will reaffirm the abiding vitality of the All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership; develop a roadmap for multidimensional cooperation between Pakistan and China; and discuss the evolving regional and global landscape.
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The meeting of the CFM was scheduled to begin in the morning and by noon, the "decision document" will be signed, which will be followed by a working lunch.

GOA: (UrduPoint/UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News-May 5th, 2023) Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar welcomed Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Friday as the latter arrived at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) in Goa.

The meeting of the CFM was scheduled to begin in the morning and by noon, the "decision document" will be signed, which will be followed by a working lunch.

FM Bilawal  who is leading the country's delegation  arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend the the two-day meeting of the SCO CFM.

This is a significant event as it provides an opportunity to discuss key issues with his counterparts from other countries. Jaishankar stated that he was pleased to note that the discussion on issues of reform and modernisation of the SCO had already commenced. Bilawal expressed hope that the SCO would emerge as a successful forum towards its objectives.

Relations between Pakistan and India have been fraught for decades, and they have fought three wars, two of them over the Kashmir issue.

Bilateral ties have remained tense in recent years, with India suspending trade and downgrading diplomatic ties with Pakistan in the wake of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack.

However, the SCO meeting presents an opportunity for both countries to engage in constructive discussions and work towards improving their relationship.

Earlier, Bilawal held a meeting with his Tajik counterpart, Sirodjiddin Mukhriddin, on the sidelines of the meeting in Benaulim in Goa. The two discussed a broad spectrum of bilateral relations and agreed to further strengthen economic ties and early completion of connectivity projects, particularly CASA-1000.

Pakistan's participation in the meeting reflects the country's commitment to the region in its foreign policy priorities, according to the Foreign Office spokesperson. Bilawal's visit to India marks the first time a senior Pakistani leader has visited India in nearly 12 years.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation is a Eurasian political, economic, international security, and defence organisation formed by Russia in 2001. It is the world's largest regional organisation in terms of geographic scope and population, covering approximately 60% of the area of Eurasia and 40% of the world's population.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Friday interacted with King Charles III and Prime Minister of Britain Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the meeting of leaders of Commonwealth countries

LONDON, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif Friday interacted with King Charles III and Prime Minister of Britain Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the meeting of leaders of Commonwealth countries.

The prime minister felicitated both the British dignitaries for the excellent arrangements made for the elaborate two-day ceremonies being held to celebrate the coronation of the new king.

He also expressed deep appreciation for the generous assistance of the United Kingdom in the wake of the disastrous floods that struck Pakistan last year.

The prime minister suggested that both countries needed to enhance bilateral relations in various fields. In this regard, he proposed the establishment of a joint commission that would be headed by the leaders of the two countries.

King Charles III and the British PM Rishi Sunak also showed their interest in further strengthening the bilateral relations between the two countries and praised the Pakistani community, based in the United Kingdom, for its role in the development of the UK.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ) :The Senate passed the Supreme Court Review of Judgments and Orders Bill 2023 with a majority vote which aims to provide support and reinforce the powers of the Supreme Court in reviewing its judgments and orders, enabling the Supreme Court to exercise its powers more effectively and efficiently.

Senator Irfan-ul-Haque Siddiqui presented the bill to the Senate while the opposition demanded a vote count on the bill, which was ordered by the Senate chairman.

During the vote, 32 members of the Senate supported the bill, while 21 opposed it. As a result, the Supreme Court Review of Judgments and Orders Bill 2023 was passed by the Senate with a majority vote.

Article 188 of the Constitution empowers the Supreme Court, subject to the provision of any Act of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) and any rules made by the Supreme Court, to review any judgment pronounced or any order made by it.

According to the statement of the objects and reasons of the bill, it is necessary to ensure that fundamental rights to justice by providing for meaningful review of judgments and orders passed by the Supreme Court in exercise of its original jurisdiction under Article 184.

The bill states that in case of judgment and orders of the supreme court in exercise of its original jurisdiction under Article 184 of the Constitution, the scope of review on both facts and law, shall be the same as an appeal under Article 185 of the Constitution.

It proposes that a review petition shall be heard by a bench larger than the bench which passed the original judgment in order. It suggests that the review petitioner shall have the right to appoint any advocate of the supreme court of his choice for the review petition.

The bill states that the right to file a review petition shall also be available to an aggrieved person against whom an order has been made under clause (3) of the Article 184 of the Constitution, prior to the recommendation of this legislation. It suggests the petition shall be filed within sixty days of the commencement of this legislative piece.

It asks that a review petition may be filed within sixty days of the passing of the original orders. It states that this legislation shall have effect notwithstanding anything contained in any other law, rules or regulations for the time being in force of the judgment of any court including the supreme court and a high court.

Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar stated that parliament's authority is to make laws and it has never interfered with the affairs of other institutions. He further added that the Supreme Court Review of Judgments and Orders Bill 2023 will not only benefit the litigants but will also reinforce the judiciary's powers.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday in Prague announced his plans to visit Moscow next week, the press office of the Armenian government said

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday in Prague announced his plans to visit Moscow next week, the press office of the Armenian government said.

Pashinyan is in Prague for a two-day official visit to the Czech Republic to meet with the country's top officials. The Armenian prime minister also attended the Prague Centre for Transatlantic Relations, a research center, where he announced his plans during the discussion on the topic of "Armenia's democracy in the troubled region: Security and stability needs.

"

"The prime minister has just announced that he will visit Moscow next week," the press office said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Pashinyan discussed the situation in the conflict-torn Nagorno-Karabakh region during a phone conversation in late April. Then, the leaders confirmed the importance of strict compliance with the agreements of the leaders of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh and agreed to continue contacts.
Geely's London black cab unit unveils new large EV platform FILE PHOTO: A worker places a taxi sign onto the roof panel of a TX electric taxi inside the LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company) factory in Coventry

By Nick Carey

ANSTY, England (Reuters) - Geely unit London Electric Vehicle Company (LEVC) on Friday unveiled a new, large electric-vehicle (EV) platform for vehicles ranging from people-movers to commercial vans that it said could also be used by other units of the Chinese carmaker.

LEVC said the platform, dubbed Space Oriented Architecture (SOA), had been jointly developed over the last two-and-a-half years in China, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Germany, would provide EVs with longer range, fast-charging capabilities and advanced driver-assistance features.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday at LEVC headquarters in Ansty, England, executives said the flexible platform could be used for a wide range of EVs, including pickup trucks, large SUVs or even mobile homes.

But executives said they could not provide details of which EVs LEVC would focus on first, when the new EVs might roll off the production line or where they will be made.

Earlier this year, LEVC said Geely was planning a big investment to turn the maker of London's famous black taxis into a high-volume, all-electric brand with a range of commercial and passenger vehicles.

The company said it could not yet provide an update on those plans.

Geely owns multiple brands including British sportscar maker Lotus, Zeekr, Volvo and - via a joint venture with Volvo - Polestar.

As such, Geely faces complexities that larger EV makers BYD and Tesla Inc have avoided. The Chinese carmaker also already has its own commercial van brand, Farizon.

LEVC Managing Director Chris Allen told Reuters that the brand was positioning itself within the Geely group to provide larger EVs that "give more space, more opportunities, more flexibility with a larger vehicle size."

(Reporting by Nick Carey in Ansty, England; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
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MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) At least eight people have been killed, and 13 people have suffered bullet wounds in a shooting in the Serbian villages of Dubona and Sepsin, Serbian newspaper Blic reported on Friday.

According to the report, the shooter was identified as Uros B., 21, who opened fire in Dubona, fled the crime scene, and is still on the run.

The shooter had an argument with a police officer of his age in a schoolyard, took a firearm from home, and shot his "offender" and his sister, as well as another person, the report said.

The fugitive continued shooting in the neighboring village of Sepsin. He is suspected of hiding in the village. the report said. Serbia's law enforcement has launched a special operation to capture the shooter, and helicopters are flying over the villages, the newspaper reported.

At least seven victims require surgery, according to the report.

On Wednesday, a shooting took place in a school in the Vrachar municipality in the center of the Serbian capital. Eight children and a guard were killed, while another six children and a teacher were wounded and transferred to an ambulance center and a children's hospital.

Later, the Serbian police said that they had detained the 14-year-old teenager on suspicion of shooting at a school. The seventh-grader who had used his father's gun to commit the crime is thought to have been under the influence of drugs. He reportedly planned the attack a month in advance. The police said he had a plan of the school building and a list of students he intended to kill.

Later in the day, the Serbian government declared a nationwide three-day mourning period starting May 5 for the victims of the school shooting, with Serbian education Minister Branko Ruzic calling the shooting "the greatest tragedy that has ever happened in Serbia and in our educational system in recent history."

On Thursday, the Serbian government agreed with President Aleksandar Vucic's proposition to lower the age limit of criminal responsibility for minors from 14 to 12 years and introduce several new measures after the school shooting.
The Council of the European Union on Friday adopted an assistance measure for Ukraine worth 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for joint procurement of missiles and ammunition

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) The Council of the European Union on Friday adopted an assistance measure for Ukraine worth 1 billion Euros ($1.1 billion) for joint procurement of missiles and ammunition.

"The Council today adopted an assistance measure worth 1 billion under the European Peace Facility (EPF) that will further contribute to strengthening the capabilities and resilience of Ukraine .

.. The assistance measure will finance the provision to the Ukrainian Armed Forces of 155-mm-calibre artillery rounds and, if requested, missiles which will be jointly procured by EU member states from the European defence industry," the council said in a statement.
Industrial orders at German factories saw their biggest fall in March since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, data showed Friday, the latest sign that Europe's biggest economy is facing a steep downturn

Frankfurt, Germany, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th May, 2023 ):Industrial orders at German factories saw their biggest fall in March since the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, data showed Friday, the latest sign that Europe's biggest economy is facing a steep downturn.

New orders, which give a foretaste of industrial output, dropped a surprise 10.7 percent from the previous month, according to provisional figures from federal statistics authority Destatis.

It was the biggest decline since April 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic snarled the global economy amid lockdowns and border closures.

The fall was far steeper than the 2.8 percent decline forecast by analysts surveyed by the financial data firm FactSet.

But the latest data rang alarm bells anew about the state of the economy, with LBBW bank economist Jens-Oliver Niklasch calling the plunge a warning for investors.

"This figure destroys what had been a good start to the year for German industry, and is a real recession signal," he said in a research note.

The decline was reported across most areas of the manufacturing sector, Destatis said, with foreign orders dropping by 13.3 percent and domestic orders by 6.8 percent.
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BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) More than 600 Serbian police officers and the country's special anti-terrorist unit are searching for a suspect in a deadly shooting that has taken place in the villages of Dubona and Sepsin in the Serbian municipality of Mladenovac near Belgrade, media reported on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Serbian media reported that at least eight people had been killed and 13 others had suffered gunshot wounds as a result of shooting in Dubona and Sepsin. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Uros B. The man reportedly had an argument with a police officer of his age at a schoolyard, after which he took a firearm from his house, shot the officer, his sister, and one more person, and fled the scene. After that, the suspect continued shooting in the neighboring village.

Police officers are using helicopters and night vision cameras in search of the suspect, Radio Television of Serbia reported, adding that Serbian Health Minister Danica Grujicic and Security Intelligence Agency Director Aleksandar Vulin had arrived at the country's emergency center overnight.

Law enforcement officers consider the attack to be an act of terrorism, Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic was quoted as saying by local media.

On Wednesday, another shooting took place in a school in the Vrachar municipality in the center of the Serbian capital. Eight children and a guard were killed, while another six children and a teacher were wounded. The Serbian government declared a nationwide three-day mourning period starting May 5, with Serbian education Minister Branko Ruzic calling the shooting "the greatest tragedy that has ever happened in Serbia and in our educational system in recent history."
(@ChaudhryMAli88)

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) A Moscow district court told Sputnik on Friday that it received a petition from the investigators to arrest director Evgenia Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk for justifying terrorism.

"The petitions of the investigation for the election of a preventive measure in the form of detention have been submitted to the court," the court representative said.

On Thursday, a law enforcement source told Sputnik that a criminal case was opened against Berkovich in Moscow over the justification of terrorism. The director's mother said that her apartment in St. Petersburg was searched as part of a case initiated against her daughter because of the play "Finist, the brave Falcon," which was written by Petriychuk and statged by Berkovich in Moscow. The play tells a story about women who decided to virtually marry representatives of radical islam and go to live with them in Syria.
BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) Serbian police have managed to detain a suspect wanted for a deadly shooting that took place in the villages of Dubona and Sepsin in the Serbian municipality of Mladenovac near Belgrade, the Serbian Interior Ministry said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Serbian media reported that at least eight people had been killed and 14 others had suffered gunshot wounds as a result of shooting in Dubona and Sepsin. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old Uros B. The man reportedly had an argument with a police officer at a schoolyard, after which he took a firearm from his house, shot the officer, his sister, and one more person, and fled the scene. The suspect continued shooting in the neighboring village.

"After a thorough search, officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs detained U.B., born in 2002, near the city of Kragujevac. He is suspected of having killed eight and wounded 14 people with firearm," the Serbian Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Local residents in the village of Dubona, where the suspect comes from, describe him as a "problem young man," the Radio Television of Serbia broadcaster reported.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called the attack an act of terrorism. More than 600 Serbian law enforcement officers, using helicopters and night vision cameras, were reportedly searching for the suspect.

On Wednesday, another shooting took place in a school in the Vrachar municipality in the center of the Serbian capital. Eight children and a guard were killed, while another six children and a teacher were wounded. The Serbian government declared a nationwide three-day mourning period starting May 5, with Serbian education Minister Branko Ruzic calling the shooting "the greatest tragedy that has ever happened in Serbia and in our educational system in recent history."
A meeting between the delegations of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to discuss the grain deal will take place Friday, according to the Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) A meeting between the delegations of Turkey, Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to discuss the grain deal will take place Friday, according to the Turkish Minister of Defense Hulusi Akar.

The transportation of Russian ammonia through Ukrainian ports and mediation of a Turkish bank to pay for Russian agricultural products will be among the topics on the agenda of the meeting, a source familiar with the situation told Sputnik.

The grain deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey between Russia and Ukraine in July 2022 to facilitate exports of agricultural products from Black Sea ports during conflict.

The package agreement also includes a memorandum of understanding between Russia and the UN to unblock Russian grain and fertilizer exports via the Black Sea, which, according to Moscow, has not been implemented due to Western sanctions. The deal has since been extended twice, the latest time in March and is due to expire on May 18.
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday that he had discussed with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng issues causing "deep disagreement" between the two nations, including Hong Kong, the Xinjiang region, and Taiwan

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Friday that he had discussed with Chinese Vice President Han Zheng issues causing "deep disagreement" between the two nations, including Hong Kong, the Xinjiang region, and Taiwan.

"Engagement with China means discussing areas of deep disagreement & vital co-operation. Today with VP Han Zheng, I made plain the UK's views on Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan," Cleverly said on Twitter.

Cleverly added that both sides also discussed cooperation in combating climate change, as well as economic ties.

Relations between the United Kingdom and China have deteriorated significantly over the past few years. London accuses Beijing of violating the democratic rights and freedoms of people in Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as keeping "re-education camps" for ethnic Uyghurs in Xinjiang.

In late April, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the UK had no rights to Hong Kong, its former colony, and Xinjiang and Taiwan issues were China's internal affairs.

Hong Kong was returned to China by the UK in 1997 and has since been enjoying wider autonomy than the rest of the Chinese regions. China's central government adheres to the principle of "one country, two systems" in governing Hong Kong. According to a joint declaration by China and the UK, Hong Kong will retain broad autonomy until 2047.
BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) The gun attack reported overnight in the Serbian municipality of Mladenovac, near Belgrade, the second such shooting in just two days, was an attack on the whole of Serbia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday.

Serbian media reported that at least eight people were killed and 14 others suffered gunshot wounds in a shooting on Thursday night. The suspect, 21-year-old Uros Blazic, reportedly had an argument with a police officer at a schoolyard, after which he took a firearm from his house, shot the officer, his sister and another person in the village of Dubona. He fled the scene and went on a rampage in the neighboring village of Sepsin.

"A repeated mass criminal attack, after a shooting aimed at our children, at everyone who happened to be there by accident... this is an attack on the whole country," Vucic said in an address to the nation.

The perpetrator was detained and "will never leave prison," the president added.

Vucic called the shooting an act of terrorism. He said he suggested to Prime Minister Ana Brnabic on Friday bringing back capital punishment but the government rejected the proposal, citing human rights conventions.

The shooting spree came a day after the Balkan nation was left reeling by a fatal shooting at Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School. A 13-year-old student opened fire on his classmates, killing eight as well as a security guard. A further six children and a teacher were wounded. Serbia declared a three-day national mourning starting Friday.

Vucic promised that the national police would step up training, taking on 1,200 new officers so that a police presence could be guaranteed in every school within a year. Serbia estimates that there are some 765,000 civilian-held firearms in a country with a population of 6.5 million.
The US Department of Energy has become the main organizer of work in the field of military biology in different regions around the world, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces, said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th May, 2023) The US Department of Energy has become the main organizer of work in the field of military biology in different regions around the world, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian armed forces, said on Friday.

"I would like to note the close cooperation between the Department of Energy and the US Department of Defense. Thus, the Pacific Laboratory of the Department of Energy is headed by Stephen Ashby, who also holds the position of vice president of Battelle, the Pentagon's main contractor," Kirillov told a briefing.

The Ukrainian Science and Technology Center acted as an intermediary between the US Department of Energy and Ukrainian research organizations, the military official added. According to Kirillov, the organization of the research activities of this department in Ukraine is handled by the energy attache of the US Embassy, Shawn Anderson.

"Thus, along with the Pentagon, the Department of Energy is a key organizer and customer of military biological research in Ukraine and other regions of the world," Kirillov said.

The Russian military official also said that the US Department of Energy is able to finance military biological programs without approval of the Congress.

"The non-transparent nature of the activities of the Department of Energy is emphasized by the fact that it enjoys the exclusive right not to return to the US Treasury the funds that have not been spent for the financial year and direct them to future expenses not declared in the budget. This fact is confirmed by the report of the US Accounts Chamber dated July 25, 2022. This approach does not require additional requests to the US Congress and allows you to freely finance US military biological programs," Kirillov said.
BERLIN (Reuters) -The German finance ministry pushed back on Friday against the economy ministry's plan to introduce a subsidised industrial power price, with a spokesperson saying that the budget did not allow for it and existing funds could not be redirected.

"There are no funds available for this project," the finance ministry spokesperson said during a regular news conference, shortly after the economy ministry released its plan for a subsidised price of 6 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) until 2030.

The use of funds from coffers initially created to boost post-pandemic economic recovery - as foreseen by the economy ministry - was "not constitutionally possible", the finance ministry spokesperson said.

The proposed subsidy would be in place until 2030 and would cost between 25 billion euros ($27.56 billion) and 30 billion euros based on current market prices, according to the plan.

The economy ministry is led by Robert Habeck of the Greens.

Finance Minister Christian Lindner of the pro-business FDP wrote in a guest article for business daily Handelsblatt on Tuesday that such a subsidy would be "economically unwise", and it would contradict market principles to rely on direct state aid as a means to achieve industrial transformation.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz had also pushed back on the initiative, saying that long-term subsidies were not beneficial for the economy, and a government spokesperson said on Friday that this stance had not changed.

Last year, Berlin introduced electricity and gas price caps to shield industry and households from rising energy prices, but companies in Germany say electricity prices are still too high compared with other countries.

"This would be a clear game changer for our international competitiveness," the VCI chemical association said of the proposal.

"The industrial electricity price helps us to secure production and industrial value creation and to master the transformation to climate neutrality even better," it said in a statement.

($1 = 0.9071 euros)

(Reporting by Markus Wacket and Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel More and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
USMs Hardy Earns Recognition from Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.; Hattiesburg Alumni Chapter Honored by Fraternity at Council Event

Fri, 05/05/2023 - 11:57am | By: David Tisdale

Members of the Hattiesburg Alumni and Kappa Iota chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) attended the 87th Southwestern Province (SWP) Council in Little Rock, Arkansas April 13-15 and were recognized with individual and group honors.

USM student Jonathan Hardy, a fall 2021 initiate of Kappa Iota, was recognized for his achievement and outstanding service as Undergraduate Board Member of the SWP Board of Directors.

As NPHC (National Pan-Hellenic Council) advisor, it has been a pleasure working with the Kappa Iota chapter, said Valencia Walls, associate director for USMs Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Jonathan has made valuable contributions to our NPHC community including serving on the NPHC executive board. We are proud of all he has accomplished as he consistently represents the fraternity's tenet of achievement.

Hardy was also granted SWP Life Membership by the 27th Southwestern Province Polemarch, William A. Puder, and was also awarded the Southwestern Education and Leadership Training Scholarship.

"The fundamental purpose of Kappa Alpha Psi is achievement, and we are committed to striving for honorable achievement in every field of human endeavor, said USM Kappa Iota chapter alum Bernard Greene, a member of the USM Alumni Association Hall of Fame who serves on the Universitys Fraternity and Sorority Life Alumni Committee. We are very proud of Jonathan and the entire Kappa Iota family."

Under Greens leadership as Alumni Polemarch, the Hattiesburg Alumni Chapter was named the Southwestern Province Alumni Chapter of the Year during SWP Council event. A spring 1993 initiate of the Kappa Iota Chapter at USM, Green said many members of the fraternity transition to the alumni chapter after graduation to remain actively engaged with Kappa Alpha Psi.

The members of the Kappa Iota chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. continue to thrive in the local community and on the national stage. Were so proud of all their work and involvement in the community, said Laura Laughlin, director of Student Connections at USM. The engagement and active participation from their local alumni make a significant impact in the continued success of the undergraduate members. We always recognize the difference it makes when our alumni continue to give back and improve the experience for undergraduate members.

For more information about Kappa Alpha Psis Kappa Iota Chapter at USM, visit https://www.usm.edu/fraternity-sorority-life/our-chapters.php.
Jaclyn Shaw, associate vice president for Strategic Research Initiatives and interim vice president for Research and Economic Development, has accepted a new role at Tufts University.

Editors note: The following message was sent today via email from President Taylor Eighmy, Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Kimberly Andrews Espy, and Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President for Business Affairs Veronica Salazar to all faculty and staff:

We are writing to update you on several leadership changes in our Research, Economic Development, and Knowledge Enterprise (REDKE).

First, wed like to share Jaclyn Shaw, associate vice president for Strategic Research Initiatives and interim vice president for Research and Economic Development, has accepted a new role at Tufts University in Boston Massachusetts as senior associate vice provost of research strategy and operations. Her last day at UTSA will be May 31. We are so grateful for all she has done for REDKE over the last decade, especially in her most recent role as interim vice president. Her leadership and support of our research partners, colleges, faculty, staff, and graduate and undergraduate students involved in research has been invaluable. She will be greatly missed as she embarks on this exciting new chapter, and we know her impact on UTSAs knowledge enterprise and the entire Roadrunner community will be felt for decades to come.

Effective June 1, 2023, JoAnn Browning will take on a new role to serve as the interim vice president for Research and Economic Development. We are grateful for her near decade of leadership as dean of the Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design (KCEID) and look forward to working with her in leading our research enterprise during this transition period through the time of a new, permanent hire. Provost Espy will work closely with KCEID faculty, staff and leadership in soliciting input to name an interim Dean for the college.

Additionally, as we previously announced, Melinda Cotten, a national leader in research administration, remains steadfast in leading REDKEs compliance division as well as working with us in spearheading a national search for a new associate vice president of research integrity, which is nearing completion.

Second, we share the announcement of Guy Walsh, founding executive director of the National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC), accepting a new role as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for the National Defense Industrial Association in Arlington, Virginia. His last day at UTSA will be May 31. As founding executive director, Guy established an impressive foundation for us to further build and develop. We are deeply grateful for his leadership of the NSCC and wish him well in his new role.

Effective June 1, 2023, John Huggins will serve as the acting executive director of the NSCC, working closely with Interim Vice President Browning during this transition. A national search with an external search firm has already begun to fill the position as soon as reasonably possible. We are grateful for John stepping into this role.

Lastly, REDKEs Grant and Contract Financial Services unit has been moved into Business Affairs under the Financial Affairs team led by Sheri Hardison, senior associate vice president, and reporting directly to Greg Yturralde, assistant vice president and controller. This move will support the needs of faculty for post-award grant and contract budget status, finances, billing and closeouts as well as provide expanded resources and additional finance and accounting support for our research infrastructure.

As we strengthen our research division, we will continue to navigate these transitions, the state budget process implications for research, and our growing role as a discovery enterprise. Although our plans to launch a search for the Senior Vice President for Research next year remain the same, we are currently exploring interim steps to further improve REDKE, including hiring additional assistance from national leaders in research administration and bridging gaps in temporary reporting relationships.

As always, we welcome your feedback and look forward to sharing more updates on REDKE leadership transitions as new details emerge. Thank you for your ongoing support and for all that you do for UTSA.
UW College of Health Sciences Hosts Annual College Research Day

UW College of Health Sciences Dean Jacob Warren, left, poses with college research award winners, from left: Assistant Professor Michelle Blakely, School of Pharmacy; Assistant Professor Nervana Elkhadragy, School of Pharmacy; Evy Loomis-Goltl, Division of Communication Disorders; Celina Espinoza Lantis, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Aimee Gray, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Assistant Professor Katelyn Kotlarek, Division of Communication Disorders; Yu Song, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Desiree Bishop, School of Nursing; Kimberly Denningmann, School of Nursing; Ling Li, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Alisa Therkildsen, Division of Communication Disorders; Boyi Dai, research committee chair and professor, Division of Kinesiology and Health; Anne Chenchar, School of Pharmacy; and Vitoria Mattos Pereira, School of Pharmacy. (UW Photo)

The University of Wyoming College of Health Sciences hosted its annual research day April 27 in the Wyoming Union Family Room.

The event, which showcases student and faculty research projects from divisions and schools throughout the college, includes both oral and poster presentations. It culminates with winners being chosen to receive grant awards for research and education-related travel.

Topics covered included research into the effects of electronic cigarette vaping; the use of artificial intelligence for assessing reading comprehension; the impacts to mental health in older adults during the COVID pandemic; and the implications of heart disease in animals and humans.

Boyi Dai, the colleges research day committee chair and professor in the Division of Kinesiology and Health, says there were over 50 submissions of faculty and student presentations and grant applications in this years event -- the first in-person research day in several years.

Research day provided a valuable platform for College of Health Sciences faculty and students to present their research and communicate with other researchers for potential interdisciplinary collaboration, Dai says. I was excited that there was a great representation of research and award winners from most college units, and really appreciated the time and efforts committed by all committee members.

The event, which featured morning and afternoon presentations, included a midday poster viewing of research projects from 21 students as well as faculty members from throughout the College of Health Sciences.

It is always inspiring to have the chance to showcase the outstanding research and scholarship our faculty and students are engaging in, Dean Jacob Warren says. These research projects and awardees are all working to advance knowledge in ways that change peoples lives, and I congratulate them all.

This years award recipients, listed by award rank, name, hometown and division/school, are:

Top Student Podium Presentation Award

First -- Alisa Therkildsen, Laramie, Division of Communication Disorders.

Second -- Vitoria Mattos Pereira, Campinas, Brazil, School of Pharmacy.

Third -- Ling Li, Hefei, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Fourth -- Evy Loomis-Goltl, Bridgeport, Neb., Division of Communication Disorders.

Fifth -- Desiree Bishop, Cheyenne, and Kimberly Denningmann, Laramie, School of Nursing.

Sixth -- Kevin Miller, Boise, Idaho, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Faculty Research Grant

First -- Katelyn Kotlarek, assistant professor, Division of Communication Disorders.

Second -- Nervana Elkhadragy, assistant professor, School of Pharmacy.

Faculty Travel Grant

First -- Michelle Blakely, assistant professor, School of Pharmacy.

Student Research Grant

First -- Anne Chenchar, Cheyenne, School of Pharmacy.

Second -- Vitoria Mattos Pereira, Campinas, Brazil, School of Pharmacy.

Third -- Celina Espinoza Lantis, Burlington, Wash., Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Student Travel Grant

First -- Yu Song, Xian, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Second -- Ling Li, Hefei, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Third -- Katelan Rogers, Morrill, Neb., Division of Communication Disorders.

Fourth -- Kyle Moore, Laramie, Division of Communication Disorders.

Top Student Poster Presentation Award

First -- Aimee Gray, Pinedale, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Second -- Yu Song, Xian, China, Division of Kinesiology and Health.

Third -- Mikayla Smith, Aurora, Colo., Division of Communication Disorders.

Committee members include Dai; Professor Tristan Wallhead and student Ling Li, of the Division of Kinesiology and Health; Assistant Professor Katelyn Kotlarek and student Isabella Mijares, of the Division of Communication Disorders; Associate Professor Rebecca Carron and student Kimberly Lindeman, of the Fay W. Whitney School of Nursing; Assistant Professor Michelle Blakely and student member Payge Hoffman, of the School of Pharmacy; Assistant Professor Sukyung Yoon and student Rhitamvara Pokharel, of the Division of Social Work; Associate Lecturer Teresa Wofford and student Haley Sturges, of the Wyoming Institute for Disabilities; and Ana Clara Bobadilla, block leader with the WWAMI Medical Education Program.

About the UW College of Health Sciences

UWs College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, communication disorders, social work, kinesiology, community and public health, and disability studies.

The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and Cheyenne, as well as operating primary care and speech/hearing clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.

With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and frontier populations.
UW Students Participate in Wyoming Pi Days to Solve Challenging Math Problems

Applying basic algebra skills and a healthy dose of logic, some University of Wyoming students recently took a crack at solving some challenging math problems.

Twenty-eight UW students participated in Wyoming Pi Days, a series of three Pizza and Problem Solving evenings in which students got together, ate pizza and worked on a series of mathematics/logic problems.

These evenings -- March 23 and 30, and April 6 -- culminated in an examination called Pi Day Competition: a three-hour exam consisting of eight problems of varying difficulty that took place April 8. The problems in the exam are similar in complexity to those tackled during the Pizza and Problem Solving evenings. Fifteen of the 28 students took the exam.

The main goal of Wyoming Pi Days is to strengthen the mathematics culture provided to undergraduates in the university. We hope that the Pizza and Problem Solving evenings will expose students to interesting mathematics problems and clever ways of approaching them, and motivate them to learn new mathematics, says Jorge Flores, an assistant lecturer of mathematics and statistics, and one of the coordinators of the Pi Day Competition. As they work in groups, we aim to create and nurture a sense of community between the participants. The exam serves as a way for participants to apply what they have learned, with the added incentive of receiving a grand prize for an exemplary performance.

Wyoming Pi Days was hosted and sponsored by the UW Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The event, for UW undergraduate students of all majors interested in mathematics, is an homage to the number pi, which is approximately 3.14.

Other event coordinators from the department were Tyrrell McAllister, an associate professor, and Christina Knox, an assistant lecturer.

The coordinators of the event discussed outstanding submissions for the Pi Day Competition and recognized the following participants, listed by hometown:

Cheyenne -- Connor Gililland, a senior majoring in chemical engineering and statistics, with a minor in mathematics.

Fredericktown, Ohio -- Carissa Van Slyke, a junior majoring in mathematics and mathematics education, with a minor in honors.

Rock Springs -- Alison Jensen, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, with a minor in mathematics.

The competition winners each were given a certificate and a grand prize, which was an oloid structure. An oloid is a geometric object created by taking the convex hull of two congruent circles intersecting in perpendicular planes. Oloids have interesting properties. For example, when rolling, every point on the surface of the oloid touches the ground.

Since the main goal of the exam is for students to test how their problem-solving skills have improved, we emphasize that it shouldnt be a stressful event, Flores says. Whether a participant answered none or all problems, what matters is that they learned from the experience.

All registered participants who took the Pi Day Competition exam received participation prizes. The participation prizes were a math/problem-solving book and a T-shirt commemorating the event.

Eric Moorhouse, a UW professor of mathematics and statistics, created the T-shirt design. Jason Williford, department head and a UW professor of mathematics and statistics, provided financial and moral support.

For questions or more information about Wyoming Pi Days, email Flores at jfloresm@uwyo.edu.
FILE PHOTO: A logo of Thyssenkrupp AG is pictured at the company's headquarters in Essen

By Christoph Steitz and Tom Kackenhoff

FRANKFURT/DUESSELDORF (Reuters) -Influential labour representatives are open to private equity players taking a stake in Thyssenkrupp's warship division Marine Systems (TKMS) and will set up a committee in the coming days to join the negotiation process.

"We are not generally opposing private equity taking a stake in TKMS," said Daniel Friedrich, who leads the division at IG Metall, Germany's most powerful union, that represents workers in coastal areas.

Thyssenkrupp is reviewing strategic options for the unit, which builds submarines and frigates, and held early talks with private equity firms KKR, Carlyle and CVC, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Thyssenkrupp shares rose as much as 3% to a session high following the comments.

Apart from a minority stake sale, TKMS could also be spun off, its chief executive and Thyssenkrupp board member Oliver Burkhard said last month.

This is the first time the union has publicly backed private equity becoming a shareholder in TKMS. Labour support is vital to any major transaction at Thyssenkrupp, where IG Metall has traditionally wielded substantial influence.

"There have been positive experiences with PE players," Friedrich told Reuters, singling out KKR and the investor's past engagements at forklift truck maker Kion and defence firm Hensoldt.

At 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion), TKMS, Germany's biggest warship builder, accounted for 4.5% of Thyssenkrupp's group sales in the last fiscal year. It employs around 7,200 staff, roughly 7% of Thyssenkrupp's total.

PRESERVING INFLUENCE

Friedrich said that IG Metall was open to private equity as long as it was clear how jobs and workers' influence over strategic decision-making were protected in the event of a subsequent exit.

Either Thyssenkrupp or the German government should remain an anchor investor in TKMS with at least 25.1% were the business to be sold, he added.

Story continues

Germany holds such a blocking minority in Hensoldt.

"We are closely coordinating with the company. In the coming days, we will put together a so-called monitoring commission consisting of the works councils and IG Metall in order to enter into the negotiation process and conclude a best owner agreement with potential investors," Friedrich said.

Such a best owner agreement was also struck before a private equity consortium led by Advent and Cinven acquired Thyssenkrupp's elevator division in 2020.

"There is pressure on the talks. Now it is a matter of becoming more concrete and moving from 'let's talk' to hard negotiations," Friedrich said.

While there are plans to prepare TKMS for a standalone future, the group's fairly low profit level could make an investment by private equity difficult, the people familiar with the matter said, adding CVC had no interest in the asset after looking at it.

A Thyssenkrupp spokesperson referred to comments by outgoing Chief Executive Martina Merz in February, saying Thyssenkrupp was targeting a standalone set-up for TKMS.

KKR, Carlyle and CVC all declined to comment.

Thyssenkrupp will get a new CEO from June after Merz requested a termination of her contract last month, raising concerns that the company could lose valuable time in turnaround efforts, a view Friedrich does not share.

"We assume that the process with regard to TKMS should be viewed separately from the CEO change at Thyssenkrupp."

($1 = 0.9072 euros)

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Tom Kaeckenhoff; Additional reporting by Emma-Victoria Farr; editing by Matthias Williams and Keith Weir)
Progress Report: Vietnams Response to the Global Minimum Tax

The global minimum tax (GMT) has put many emerging markets in a spin. Whereas tax incentives were once one of their greatest assets, the GMT looks set to limit how effective these can be moving forward. Heres how Vietnam is approaching this new paradigm.

In terms of its economic development, Vietnam wasnt much when the Republic of Koreas Samsung set up shop in the countrys north in 2009. Its gross domestic product was just US$99 billion, which isnt even a third of the US$360 billion or so that it is now.

Thai Nguyen and Bac Giang, which are now the backbone of Samsungs global manufacturing operations, were little more than sleepy backwaters that relied on farming and agriculture to support their relatively small populations.

Fast forward 15 years and northern Vietnam is a hive of manufacturing activity.

Since its first project was approved, Samsung has invested US$18 billion in building its manufacturing supply chain in the region and has become incredibly important to the booming Southeast Asian nation  it now accounts for nearly 20 percent of Vietnams exports and employs over 100,000 people.

Undoubtedly, in terms of Vietnams economic development, Samsung has been pivotal.

But it has not been a one-way street. Vietnam has provided for Samsung too. Its low-cost and abundant labor, proximity to China, and its sheer will and determination to develop have been integral to Samsungs growth into a world leader in electronics products.

That said, there is one other crucial element that has driven Samsungs investment in Vietnam: tax incentives.

For some time, Vietnam has offered foreign investors very generous tax breaks to encourage them to open factories and plants around the country. This, in turn, has helped Vietnam to cement its place as an important block in global supply chains and a major global manufacturing hub.

But what has worked in the past may not be possible in the future. The tax incentives that have drawn businesses like Samsung or Nike or Apple to Vietnam are now under threat from the global minimum tax (GMT).

Spearheaded by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the GMT will see multinationals with revenue over EUR 750 million (US$80 million) pay tax of at least 15 percent, regardless of where their operations are. This means that if Vietnam taxes multinationals like Samsung less than 15 percent, the difference will be collected in the multinationals home country. In Samsungs case, that would be South Korea.

This isnt necessarily a bad thing. If tax breaks are replaced with increased infrastructure spending or even other alternative investment incentives, foreign investors could stand to benefit more broadly.

At this stage, however, Vietnam has still not set anything in stone, and it is coming down to the crunch. For the EU and South Korea, the GMT will apply from the beginning of 2024 giving Vietnam just a little over six months to define exactly how this challenge will be met.

See also: The Global Minimum Tax and Potential Implications for Vietnam

The tax breaks that powered Vietnams development

It would be difficult to deny that tax incentives have been instrumental in attracting large tranches of foreign direct investment to Vietnam. This is particularly true of companies investing in priority sectors like science and technology or software production.

Mostly, these tax incentives follow a fairly standard timeline  four years of not paying tax at all, and then nine years of paying tax at half the standard rate. The standard tax rate is currently 20 percent.

Individual provinces, however, can also provide their own tax breaks. In the case of Samsung, Thai Nguyen gave the conglomerate an extra three years at half the standard rate.

Under these conditions, Samsung didnt pay any tax until 2013, at which point it started paying tax at half the standard rate (10 percent), which it will continue to do until 2025. Only then will it shift to paying the full corporate income tax rate of 20 percent.

This will change, however, when the GMT comes into force with the 5 percent difference being collected by the Republic of Korea next year if there are no changes made to tax law domestically.

Samsung will not be the only big-name impacted either.

Its estimated that 335 foreign-invested enterprises, mostly in manufacturing and processing, are paying less than 15 percent tax. Among them are leading brands like Intel, LG, Bosch, Sharp, and Foxconn.

Shifting gears away from tax incentives in Vietnam

FIND BUSINESS SUPPORT In Vietnam, companies face a number of tax challenges but we can help. Learn more 

Tax offsets and cash support have been floated as one possible way to make Vietnam a more attractive investment destination, though it may take some work to ensure these incentives comply with OECD rules and regulations.

It has also been suggested, however, that the costs of the GMT could also be offset by simply improving the ease of doing business in Vietnam.

Infrastructure, administrative hurdles, regulatory barriers, and human resources in terms of both quantity and quality are all key areas that foreign firms look at when investing in the country. With tax incentives limited, these will likely play an even more central role in the decision-making process.

Therefore, designed to cut short the race to the bottom, the global minimum tax could, in fact, steer Southeast Asian economies into a race to reform. This could pay dividends not just for big multinationals but for small and medium enterprises as well.

Indeed, in many ways Vietnam could benefit over the long term, however, that is only if the extra tax revenue generated stays in the country.

Legal and regulatory reform needed

With respect to the GMT in Vietnam, companies like Samsung have been both very active and very vocal about their support of a Qualifying Domestic-Minimum Top-Up Tax (QDMTT). This initiative laid out by the OECD, would ensure that the increased tax due to be paid by foreign firms to bring them up to 15 percent would remain in Vietnam as opposed to being collected in a multinationals home country.

But as it stands, little progress has been made toward implementing the QDMTT and if it is not in place by the end of the year, then Vietnam will miss out on millions of dollars in tax revenue.

The QDMTT is not the only change that needs to be made, either.

International Trade Specialist, Tran Thanh Hai, noted in an opinion piece in VN Express earlier this year that implementing the GMT would mean modifying the Law on Investment, the Law on Enterprises, and the Law on Corporate Income Tax as well as a slew of other smaller Decrees and Circulars.

This is a big challenge in the context that the process of building and amending legal documents in our country takes a long time, he wrote.

But time is running out. Amendments to these laws need to be before the National Assembly by October 2023 if they are to be implemented in January 2024. This leaves lawmakers about five months to get their house in order or risk losing both the ability to drive investment through tax incentives and the additional revenue the GMT is set to create.

The current state of the GMT in Vietnam

On April 22 of this year, Vietnams Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh told a conference of foreign investors that Vietnam would come up with alternative investment incentives for foreign firms beyond tax breaks. He did not, however, elucidate on exactly what those incentives would be.

A solution to this challenge, which state media aptly dubbed a head-scratcher back in March, still appears to be alluding policymakers. But regardless, the deadline is drawing closer.

As it stands, it has been reported that the tax authorities have said the GMT will be in force in Vietnam by January 1st, however, there does not seem to be a clear roadmap in place nor a timeline for implementation as yet. In this light, foreign firms, for now, will need to sit tight and wait patiently as the decision-making machine continues to move through the motions.

They can, however, prepare for any eventuality with support from the tax professionals at Dezan Shira and Associates.
Ukraines president visits the International Criminal Court in The Hague, which recently issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Heavy fighting continued Thursday in Sudans capital, despite the latest cease-fire declarations. As Britain prepares to coronate King Charles III, turns out his heir to the throne has ties to the Revolutionary War.
Canada's foreign minister said Thursday the country is considering the expulsion of Chinese diplomats over an intelligence agency report saying one of them plotted to intimidate the Hong Kong relatives of a Canadian lawmaker.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said her department was summoning China's ambassador to a meeting to underline that Canada won't tolerate such interference. She said the intelligence agency report indicated that opposition Conservative lawmaker Michael Chong and his Hong Kong relatives were targeted after Chong criticized Beijing's human rights record.

"We're assessing different options including the expulsion of diplomats," Joly said before a Parliament committee.

Canada's spy agency has not released details publicly. Chong has said the report identifies a Toronto-based diplomat as being part of the plot. Chong has been critical of Beijing's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province.

"I cannot imagine the shock and concern of learning that your loved ones have been targeted in this way," Joly said to Chong at the committee hearing. "There will be consequences."

Chong said the diplomat should be on the first plane out of Canada.

"It is inexplicable that this diplomat hasn't been told to leave the country already," he said.

"If we do not take this course of action, we are basically putting up a giant billboard for all authoritarian states around world that says we are open to foreign interference targeting Canadian citizens. That's why this individual needs to be sent packing."

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday that he had only learned of the spy agency report after a Globe and Mail article Monday, citing top-secret documents, said the spy agency had the intelligence. Trudeau has ordered Canada's intelligence agencies to immediately inform lawmakers of any threats against them, regardless of whether those threats are considered credible.

Canada's spy agency didn't tell Chong about the targeting of his family until this week.

Many governments, the United Nations, and human rights groups accuse China of sweeping a million or more people from its Uyghur community and other predominantly Muslim ethnic minority groups into detention camps, where many have said they were tortured, sexually assaulted, and forced to abandon their language and religion. China denies the accusations, which are based on evidence including interviews with survivors and photos and satellite images from Uyghur's home province of Xinjiang, a major hub for factories and farms in far western China.

Earlier Thursday in Beijing, China's Foreign Ministry played down allegations of China trying to intimidate Chong and his relatives.

"China is opposed to any interference in a country's internal affairs. We never interfere in Canada's internal affairs and have no interest whatsoever in doing so," spokesperson Mao Ning told reporters, according to an official English transcription.

"We are resolute in defending our sovereignty, security and development interests and opposing actions that interfere in China's internal affairs and harm China's interests."

China's embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.

Last month, Trudeau named a former governor general as a special investigator to look into allegations of Chinese interference in Canada's last two elections. David Johnston will decide if a public inquiry is needed and Trudeau has said he will abide by recommendations.

The Globe and Mail, citing unidentified intelligence sources, has reported that China preferred to see Trudeau's Liberals reelected in the 2021 election and worked to defeat Conservative politicians considered unfriendly to Beijing.
Company Logo

Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Global Application Server Market Report Size, Trends & Growth Opportunity, by Type, by Deployment Mode, by Service, by End-Use and by Region and Forecast to 2030" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The Global Application Server Market is anticipated to grow from an estimated value of USD 14.25 billion in 2022 to USD 32.25 million by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 8.73 % from 2023 to 2030.

Companies Mentioned

Capgemini

Accenture

IBM

Infosys

Jitterbit

Magic Software Enterprises

HCL Technologies

Wipro

Johnson Controls

Cognizant

An application server is a server programme running on a computer connected to a distributed network and helps application programmes by supplying business logic.

It offers services like centralised data access, state management, and data integrity permanence and is housed in the middle layer of a server-centric architecture. In order to install, run, and host applications and related services for end users, information technology (IT) services, and numerous organisations, an application server is a framework.



Market Drivers



Application servers provide middleware services for network data access, security, and maintenance as well as tools for creating web applications. Because IT systems make it possible to manage databases and backend procedures effectively and efficiently, organisations are growing more and more dependent on them.

It is anticipated that during the forecast period, organisations' growing reliance on IT infrastructure will propel market expansion. The expansion of online distribution channels, the increased demand for software that can support sales, and remote access to sales data are other factors anticipated to have an impact on market growth.



Key manufacturers are looking for potential to enhance operational processes by implementing contemporary technology like collaborative robotics, big data analytics, and industrial wireless cameras as manufacturing plants transition to data-driven, smart flexible operations.

Story continues

In the upcoming years, 5G integration is anticipated to be fueled by the deployment of the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) and growing need for unified connectivity.

The rising popularity of Network Function Visualisation (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN) is one of the key drivers impacting market growth. Smart network design provided by SDN eases restrictions on a company's physical space. On the other hand, NVF makes it possible for companies to set up virtual computers and firewalls. SDN and NVF technologies should be quickly adopted to lower overall network infrastructure expenses.



Market Restraints



However, among the key factors hindering market growth and posing new challenges to the application server market throughout the projection period are high application server maintenance costs and the growing complexity of massive application integration.



Market Segmentation



Type

Microsoft Windows Based

Java Based

Open-Source Technologies

Deployment Mode

On-Premises

Cloud

Platform as a Service (PaaS)

Service

Deployment and Integration

Support and Maintenance

Managed Services

End-Use

BFSI

Government

Healthcare

IT & Telecom

Manufacturing

Retail

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/olwdfs

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.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Mali's military government has lashed out at the Economic Community of West African States chairman for calling an April massacre in neighboring Burkina Faso part of a genocide.

Burkina Fasos military leader has said militants who stole military equipment could be responsible.

In a statement Thursday on Malis state TV, ORTM, the government rejected the West African blocs chairmans calling civilian killings genocide.

Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who is also president of Guinea Bissau, used the term in a tweet April 27 in which he condemned the April 20 mass killing of more than 100 civilians, allegedly by Burkina Fasos army.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) released a statement the same day stating that targeting civilians can be characterized as genocide by the International Criminal Court.

An ORTM presenter read the Malian military governments response. The statement said the ECOWAS chairmans statements qualified the incident as genocide without any proof and that Embalo had imposed his will on the commission.

The governments statement went on to say the accusations against Burkina Fasos army reminded it of what it called, desperate attempts to exploit human rights in order to accuse the authorities in Mali.

More than 100 civilians were killed in the massacre in Karma, Burkina Faso, with survivors in an April 29 televised briefing blaming the army for the attack.

Human Rights Watch said 156 people were killed in the massacre.

Burkina Fasos military leader Captain Ibrahim Traore pointed the finger Thursday at the Islamist militants theyve been fighting. He told state television RTB militants had seized military equipment and carried out attacks.

In the televised report, Traore said the defense and security forces should not be immediately accused and that waiting on the results of an investigation was necessary.

Traore questioned the motive of accusations against the defense and security forces, and said it might be an effort to damage their morale.

Traore complained that many countries refuse to sell Burkina Faso weapons to fight the militants, so the country has had to turn to countries like Russia.

But, he said, his country has many allies. He included France, which has an embassy there though its army had left the country. Burkina Faso also has strategic allies, Traore said, and described Russia as one.

Rights groups have accused Malis army of killing civilians, including working with Russias Wagner Group mercenaries.

In April 2022, several media outlets as well as Human Rights Watch reported a massacre of 300 civilians in central Mali, allegedly by Wagner and Malian troops.

Malis military denied the allegation, and said it works with Russian instructors, and that it killed more than 200 terrorists in the incident.

Critics have raised concerns that Burkina Faso may also turn to the Wagner Group, which has been accused of rights abuses in other countries, including the Central African Republic and Russias war in Ukraine.

Malis military has ruled since a 2020 coup. Burkina Fasos military seized control of the government in 2022.

Burkina Fasos prime minister, in a visit to Mali in February, suggested the two countries form a federation to boost their economic power.

Tensions between ECOWAS, Burkina Faso and Mali rose sharply due to the regional blocs sanctions over the coups and their delaying a return to elections.

Some sanctions were lifted after military leaders agreed to a transition period and timeline for elections.

But individual sanctions remain against members of the military. Both Burkina Faso and Mali, along with Guinea, which had a coup in 2021, are suspended from ECOWAS and the African Union until the return of constitutional rule.

Malis military government announced Friday it would hold a referendum on a new constitution June 18, one of the steps toward elections next year.



This report includes information from Agence France-Presse.
A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade late Thursday, the second such mass killing in Serbia in two days, state television reported.

The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers south of the capital, the RTS report said early Friday. Police were looking for a 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, the report said.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

School shooting

On Wednesday in Belgrade, a 13-year-old boy allegedly used his father's guns in a school shooting rampage that killed eight of his schoolmates and a school guard. The bloodshed sent shockwaves through the Balkan nation unused to such mass shootings.

Dozens of Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, paid silent homage Thursday to peers killed a day earlier.

The students filled the streets around the school in central Belgrade as they streamed in from all over the city. Earlier, thousands had lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the eight children and a school guard who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The Balkan nation is struggling to come to terms with the school shooting. Though awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings still have been extremely rare  and this is the first school shooting in Serbia's modern history.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them safe, away from children.

"The Ministry of Interior is appealing to all gun owners to store their guns with care, locked up in safes or closets so they are out of reach of others, particularly children," police said in a statement that also announced tightened controls on gun owners in the future.

The shooting Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people hospitalized  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in a life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

Serbians mourn, donate blood

To help people deal with the tragedy, authorities announced they were setting up a helpline. Hundreds answered a call to donate blood for the wounded victims. A three-day mourning period will begin Friday morning.

Serbian teachers' unions announced protests and strikes to demand changes and warn about a crisis in the school system. Authorities shrugged off responsibility, with some officials blaming Western influence rather than a deep social crisis in the country.

The alleged shooter, whom the police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, has not given any motive for his actions.

Authorities have said that Kecmanovic is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son allegedly got hold of the guns.

'Too much violence'

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region is among the top in Europe in the number of guns per capita. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identity. Still, the last mass shooting was in 2013 when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in a highly divided country like Serbia, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished. They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s as well as ongoing economic hardship could trigger such outbursts.

"We have had too much violence for too long," psychologist Zarko Trebjesanin told N1 television. "Children copy models. We need to eliminate negative models ... and create a different system of values."
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Friday he is frustrated that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange remains in a British prison fighting extradition to the United States. Albanese also said a historic free trade agreement with Britian will come into force within weeks.

Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. in London Friday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese declared enough is enough over the continued imprisonment of Julian Assange. He said the issue could be resolved before U.S. President Joe Bidens visit to Australia later this month for the 2023 Quad Leaders Summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Japanese leader Kishida Fumio.

Speaking in London, where he is for the coronation of British King Charles III, Albanese said he is frustrated a diplomatic solution to Assanges case had not been reached.

The Australian-born journalist and publisher is wanted by United States authorities over military records and diplomatic cables leaked in 2010 and 2011, which the U.S. says broke the law and endangered lives.

Assange is fighting extradition from Britain and is being held in a high security prison in London. He co-founded WikiLeaks, a website that publishes sensitive and classified information provided by anonymous sources.

Assange is wanted by the United States on 18 counts, including an allegation of espionage. His lawyers have said he faces up to 175 years in jail. However, U.S. authorities have said the sentence is more likely to be between four and six years.

Assange's wife, Stella, has previously insisted that her husband was innocent and had committed no crime.

The U.S. Embassy in Canberra did not return a call asking for a comment on Albanese remarks

Albanese also said Friday that an Australia-United Kingdom free trade agreement would come into force by the end of this month, after years of negotiations.

He said the agreement would benefit business and individuals.

What it will mean, put simply, is more access to the market here for our goods and services," Albanese said. "So, for beef, for sheep products, for our seafood. But it will also have changes to the labor market  increased periods in which Australians can work here and vice versa.

A former British colony, Australia has strong cultural and historic ties with the United Kingdom.

Australia is an international trading nation and has a long list of free trade agreements dating back to January 1983 and an agreement with New Zealand. It also has accords with China, its biggest trading partner, and the United States, its most important military ally.

Australia, the United States and Britain have signed the AUKUS security pact that will eventually deliver nuclear-powered submarines to the Australian navy.

However, in Beijing a foreign ministry spokesperson said the trilateral accord undermines peace and stability.
China's Foreign Ministry on Friday angrily protested a Canadian intelligence report that asserted Chinese diplomats tried to intimidate a Canadian member of parliament for his criticism of Bejing.

China's strong comments come after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Thursday summoned China's ambassador to Canada, Cong Peiwu, and said she was considering expelling the diplomat.

The 2021 report by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, or CSIS, first surfaced in an article this week in Toronto's Globe and Mail newspaper. The article said that according to the intelligence agency, opposition lawmaker Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong were targeted after Chong criticized China's treatment of its Uyghur minorities.

The report identified a Toronto-based Chinese diplomat allegedly responsible for the intimidation.

The intelligence agency also said Beijing had tried to influence the outcome of Canada's federal elections in 2019.

Speaking Thursday in Parliament, Joly said such interference cannot be tolerated, and she assured lawmakers there would be actions, including the possibility of expulsion of diplomats.

During a regular briefing Friday in Beijing, Foreign Affairs Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning called the allegations in the intelligence report "totally nonsense," "groundless slander" and "smears." She said the Chinese ambassador, when summoned to the Canadian Foreign Ministry, lodged a strong protest.

The report also has been controversial within Canadian political circles. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Wednesday he first heard about the threats against Chong and his family from the Globe and Mail report.

He said when he inquired with the CSIS, the intelligence agency said the information did not meet a threshold to pass along to him.

The agency did give Chong a briefing in 2021, but the lawmaker said he was not told of the threats to him or his family, saying he learned the details from the Globe and Mail report.

The issue became a point of debate Thursday in Parliament as members of Trudeau's Liberal Party insisted that Chong, a member of the opposition Conservative Party, had in fact known the details of the report all along.

On Wednesday, Trudeau insisted that going forward, any intelligence report that specifically mentions a threat to a member of Parliament or their family must be elevated, and those parties need to be informed.

Relations between Canada and China have been tense in recent years. In 2021, China released two Canadians  former diplomat Michael Kovrig and businessman Michael Spavor  who had been detained by China for nearly three years.

Their arrest on espionage charges came in late 2018, less than two weeks after Canadian officials arrested Chinese businesswoman and Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on a U.S. warrant related to the company's business dealings in Iran.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
A declaration of intent by Washington and Seoul, South Korea, to boost nuclear deterrence against North Korea has prompted Beijing to lodge criticism that shows China views a stronger alliance as a threat to its sphere of influence, experts say.

We noted the relevant content of the Washington Declaration, Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told VOAs Korean Service on Tuesday.

The U.S. behavior is a result of its Cold War mentality. What the U.S. has done stokes bloc confrontation, undermines the nuclear nonproliferation system and hurts the strategic interest of other countries, he said.

In the Washington Declaration that U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued April 26, the allies agreed to widen Seouls say in U.S. nuclear planning through a newly created body called the Nuclear Consultative Group and to deploy a U.S. nuclear ballistic missile submarine regularly to South Korea.

The measures were issued in response to unprecedented and growing threats from North Korea, Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, said at a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

North Koreas leader, Kim Jong Un, has repeatedly threatened to attack South Korea and the U.S., which Pyongyang considers its enemies. His words were emphasized by a record number of missile launches last year, at a pace that continues. Since last year, activities at North Koreas Punggye-ri nuclear test site show it is ready to conduct a nuclear test at any time.

Beijing is predisposed to see any steps to strengthen U.S. and allied defense posture as secretly aimed against China, said Daniel Russel, who was the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs in the Obama administration.

Beijing chooses to ignore the massive expansion of North Koreas nuclear and missile arsenal or its increasingly threatening language and instead interpreted the strengthening of extended deterrence as an anti-China move, said Russel, now vice president for international security and diplomacy at the Asia Society Policy Institute.

In an article citing Chinese experts published on April 29, Chinas state-run Global Times said the joint declaration reflected Yoons overwhelming pro-U.S. policy that has lost balance and appear[s] more hostile to its three important neighbors, including North Korea and Russia.

State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said at a press briefing on Monday that China should not overreact to the joint agreement.

Opposition to alliance

Patricia Kim, a fellow at the Brookings Institutions Center for East Asia Policy Studies, said, Beijings critical response to the measures announced during President Yoons visit to the United States is rooted in Chinas tendency to see any strengthening of the U.S.-ROK alliance as directed toward itself, when in reality, they are intended to address South Koreas fundamental growing threat posed by North Korea.

After his state visit to Washington, Yoon rejected Chinese criticisms. He told a group of more than 150 reporters at a press luncheon in the Yongsan presidential compound in Seoul that the Chinese should help reduce threats from North Korea by enforcing sanctions.

If they want to take issue with us and criticize us for adopting the Washington Declaration and upgrading our security cooperation to one that is nuclear based, they should reduce the nuclear threat of North Korea, or at least abide by international law and stick to U.N. Security Council sanctions, Yoon said on Tuesday.

Although China helped to pass sanctions in response to Pyongyangs nuclear and missile tests in 2016 and 2017 as a permanent member of the Security Council, it has blocked the international body from passing new resolutions condemning recent launches.

Dennis Wilder, senior director for East Asia affairs at the White Houses National Security Council during the administration of George W. Bush, said the Washington Declaration merely confirmed for Beijing that President Yoon is going to take a tough stance toward North Korea and a tough stance toward China.

Taiwan

Wilder said South Korean leaders "have always been careful to avoid entanglement in U.S. policy on Taiwan, but President Yoon is the first South Korean president to have involved himself directly on the Taiwan issue, and from the Chinese point of view, that is totally unacceptable.

Before Yoons trip to Washington, he said in an interview with Reuters released on April 19 that tensions surrounding Taiwan resulted from attempts to change the status quo by force, and the matter is not simply an issue between China and Taiwan but a global one.

In the joint statement that Biden and Yoon issued following their summit, they stressed the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait and strongly opposed any unilateral attempts to change the status quo in the Indo-Pacific.

Beijing views the self-governing island of Taiwan as its own territory that must be reunited with mainland China.

"This is a broader geopolitical issue for Beijing that [its] watching as a bunch of countries on Chinas periphery align more closely with the United States, said Zack Cooper, former special assistant to the principal deputy undersecretary of defense for policy at the U.S. Defense Department.

Its South Korea [and] Japan. Its India, Taiwan and the Philippines. As these Chinese neighbors are pushing back against Beijing, the Chinese leadership is feeling more isolated. Thats creating this frustration in China and causing it to lash out in very critical ways, said Cooper, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.

Chinas increasing military aggression in the Indo-Pacific has led the U.S. and its allies and partners to strengthen their ways to defend Taiwan and to maintain freedom of navigation in the region.

From Chinas point of view, President Yoon is expanding South Koreas military reach  or seems to be  into the Taiwan Strait situation, Wilder said.

Jiha Ham contributed to this report.
The U.S. denies any involvement in alleged drone attack on the Kremlin. Head of Wagner Group threatens to pull his troops out of Bakhmut. A new poll reveals a change in American opinion toward supporting Ukraine. Plus a Canadian man tries to raise only a few hundred dollars to help Ukraine.
The head of the International Monetary Fund is urging African countries to implement the Africa Continental Free Trade Area.

Speaking Friday in Nairobi, Kristalina Georgieva said intracontinental trade could grow by 53% if steps are taken to remove trade barriers and improve logistics and transportation.

Georgieva said there are many benefits to be gained from the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, or AfCFTA. But first, she said, reforms are needed to capture the full advantages, including what the IMF sees as the number one priority  reducing trade barriers, such as tariffs.

If Africa decides to follow our science for example and bring trade barriers from 6% down to 1%, that would be a major step, she said.

She also wants to see countries use fewer non-trade barriers, like quotas and embargoes, attempt to integrate into global supply chains and diversify their economies.

Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, head of the World Trade Organization, praised the agreement, but said that to make it work, its imperative to reduce the cost of trading within and outside Africa.

Trading with the outside, that cost is equivalent to a tariff of 350%, which is 1.5 times larger than what you find in developed countries, Iweala said.

But, Iweala said, trading within Africa is even worse.

The barriers  are equivalent to 435% tariffs, Iweala said. So, unless we can deal with these costs and bringing them down, it will be very difficult for us to actualize a good implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area.

But with many countries just recovering from the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, reducing tariffs comes with its own problems.

For some countries in the continent, they actually depend on those tariffs and customs duties for the bulk of their revenue, so its going to be a real challenge, Iweala said. That is why for the least developed countries for example, the agreement is that they have a longer period of time to implement because of the recognition that it is difficult, that it is not going to happen overnight.

The agreement establishing the AfCFTA was signed in 2018.

The AFCFTA is the worlds largest free trade area, according to the bloc, bringing together the more than 50 countries of the African Union and eight regional economic communities, such as ECOWAS and the East African Community.

So, said the IMF chief, it might take some time to realize its full potential.

We are not talking about moving from today to tomorrow, we are talking about the process, Georgieva said. We just have to have the ambition to pursue reduction of tariffs.  There is still quite a lot that could be done to bring tax revenues up by improving tax collections and tapping into higher income in a fairer and more prudent way.

Last year, Kenya shipped its first batches of locally made car batteries and tea to Ghana.

Njuguna Ndungu, the cabinet secretary at the Kenyan National Treasury, celebrated but noted that the batteries took eight weeks to be transported from Nairobi to Accra.

Why did it take eight weeks? Its because of the infrastructure problem we have, the connectivity is a problem, Ndungu said. Because you have an opportunity to trade, you look for opportunities in terms of how to solve the problems in the process and do you make that solution sustainable? Right now, I wouldnt say taking eight weeks is sustainable but its worth the try.

In the meantime, he said, We are going to look into how to improve connectivity.
A group of Chinese international students studying in Washington has established an independent student union, hoping to provide a safe space and platform for other Chinese students and scholars at their university to express political dissent without harassment by pro-Beijing students and organizations.

Students from George Washington University (GWU) call the organization Torch on the Potomac.

A statement by the organization on April 25 said, "We want to provide Chinese students and scholars at George Washington University, as well as their peers in the diaspora, with a platform, social support and community independent from the Chinese Communist Party and its puppets. In addition, we welcome students from all backgrounds interested in Chinese culture, politics and identity."

The organization has more than 12 members. All have chosen to remain anonymous for security reasons, according to Luo Qiu, one of the organizers who uses a pseudonym.

"Before this organization was established, we were sporadic, said Thomas, who also uses a pseudonym. Many of our Chinese students had engaged in some resistance activities, including putting up posters or organizing candlelight vigils. But because there is still this kind of fear on campus - that is, fear of C.S.S.A. and of people who are pro-Chinese Communist Party who may report us."

The Chinese Students and Scholars Association has long been linked to the Chinese government.

"[We want to] let the school, including people outside, know that C.S.S.A. is not the only representative of our Chinese students, Thomas said. We also have many Chinese students who oppose the CCP and support democracy. They should also have their own voices.

The members expressed their disappointment with GWU in their statement, believing that the university has not done enough to protect the freedom of speech of international students who criticize the Chinese government.

The statement reads, "As Chinese students and scholars by the Potomac River, by the Lincoln Memorial, and at the foot of Capitol Hill, we are thousands of miles away from the People's Republic of China but still under the shadow of fear: we find ourselves facing systemic repression. We and our families have faced intimidation, surveillance, harassment, blackmail, and other forms of coercion. We are denied true academic freedom and civil rights despite studying at a university that claims to promote and defend rights."

VOA contacted GWU for comment but did not receive a response by the time of publication.

GWU reaction

Axios reported that during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, some Chinese students put up multiple posters on the school campus criticizing China's human rights issues. Other Chinese students ripped them down, and some Chinese student organizations who are pro-Chinese-government took the matter to the president of the university, Mark Wrighton, claiming that the posters were racially discriminatory, Axios reported.

At first, Wrighton expressed support in an email for the position of the pro-government Chinese student organizations and promised to investigate the matter, according to Axios.

But after discussing with faculty and staff familiar with human rights issues in China, he pivoted to express his support for the students who put up the posters and promised to protect their freedom of speech, Axios said.

In October, some Chinese students at the university also put up posters on campus opposing Chinese leader Xi Jinping's re-election. But those posters were also torn up.

Torch on the Potomac said in its statement that not long ago, the "Democracy Wall" on campus, which includes posters put up by students from China, Iran, Russia, Taiwan and Ukraine, was vandalized. The wall is in a hallway on the outside of a school building.

Luo said, "We tried to get the school involved in the investigation before, but the response from the school police and the dean is almost nothing."

In a screenshot of an email obtained by VOA Mandarin, police told the students who had called them, Unfortunately, [when] you post a poster you relinquish ownership to the poster and as long as there is zero damage to the building it will not be a destruction of property.

VOA Mandarin contacted GWU police for specific information on the damage but did not receive a response.

'Silencing' of students

Rory O'Connor, president of the U.S. student organization Athenai Institute, told VOA Mandarin the vandalism of the Democracy Wall "amounts to the silencing of students who have few other means to safely speak out."

The Athenai Institute website says the organization is a non-partisan, student-founded nonprofit devoted to educating American students, scholars and the public about the dangers posed by the genocidal, anti-democratic Chinese Communist Partys influence on our college campuses, and about the tools universities can use to financially disentangle themselves from the CCP and its human rights abuses.

The Athenai Institute supported the establishment of Torch on the Potomac, according to the organizers statement.

O'Connor said, I can think of few, if any, better uses of our time and resources than supporting pro-democracy Chinese students who, simply by trying to authentically express themselves, are now facing down the proxies of a fascist party-state.

Other student organizations at GWU have also supported Torch on the Potomac, including the campus organizations for the Democratic and Republican parties, GW Chinese Feminists, GW Uyghur Human Rights Initiative and GW Russian Speaking Association, according to the Torch on the Potomac statement.

Sarah McLaughlin, scholar at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, told VOA Mandarin, Universities can do more, too. They can make an effort to educate international students about their rights in the U.S. and on campus, and what they can do if theyre facing threats to their ability to speak freely on campus.

Torch on the Potomac said that the school's C.S.S.A. is behind the suppression of its political demands, and "our top priority remains to protect George Washington University students from being influenced by the C.S.S.A. at the school and the Chinese Communist Party.  For a long time, the C.S.S.A. and similar organizations have maintained a monopoly on Chinese students' cultural and political representation."

A report by Foreign Policy in 2018 said that C.S.S.A. organizations across the U.S. had organized international students to welcome visiting Chinese leaders and paid them a fee for being among the gathering of greeters.

The close relationship the C.S.S.A. maintains with the Chinese government is no secret. In 2017, Liu Chen, president of the C.S.S.A. at George Washington University, said in a video that the C.S.S.A. was "the only official Chinese student union. It is directed by the Chinese Embassy and operates in every international university."

Domination of C.S.S.A.

William, who belongs to Torch on the Potomac and uses a pseudonym, said, "There was no organization like this before. In the past, C.S.S.A. dominated the public domain of Chinese international students."

Another Torch of the Potomac member, Sally, said, "I think the goal of the organization is to show there are alternative forms of representation and that not all Chinese students are monolith.

"Because right now we see a lot of anti-Chinese sentiment and a lot of people who are talking about how they are spies in U.S. campuses," she said. "And we realize these discussions are real, and we want to show that most Chinese students are not supporting the government, and most Chinese students are not here to be Chinese spies. But we dont have an outlet for our voice to be heard, so we were trying to ... provide those students with support so that they do not feel alone, and they dont feel alienated and isolated."

Adrianna Zhang contributed to this report.
Iran has revoked the visas of four Azerbaijani diplomats, adding to tensions between the neighboring countries a month after Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats from Baku.

"The Iranian side, without any reason and citing the principle of reciprocity as an excuse, declared two employees of the embassy of our country in Iran, who were evacuated in January, as well as two employees of the consulate general, persona non grata," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told VOA.

The move comes after Azerbaijan declared four employees of the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan persona non grata in early April "for activities inconsistent with diplomatic status and the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."

The Iranian government has not issued an official statement on the matter, while the Iranian Embassy in Azerbaijan responded to VOA's request saying that Iranian officials and institutions do not give interviews to VOA.

Tensions have been on the rise between Azerbaijan and Iran in the past year. In January, there was an armed attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy in Tehran. The head of the embassy's security service was killed, and two other employees were injured. As a result, Azerbaijan suspended its diplomatic activities in the embassy.

Azerbaijan's former ambassador to Iran, Sadraddin Soltan, said there was hope that after Azerbaijan expelled four Iranian diplomats, the Iranian side would take a few goodwill steps regarding the attack on the Azerbaijani Embassy and its attitude toward Azerbaijan.

"On the contrary, they aggravated the situation," he told VOA. "Declaring four Azerbaijani diplomats persona non grata is a step taken by the Tehran authorities in the direction of straining relations between the countries, including relations in the diplomatic field."

Relations became further strained after Azerbaijan opened an embassy in Israel March 29. Iran's parliament issued a statement denouncing the move.

"This step of the Azerbaijani government will lead to many negative political consequences, and the Muslims of the world will see them as partners of the Zionist regime, which is killing and [causing the] suffering [of] the Palestinians. The Iranian parliament has called on the governments of Arab and Islamic countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to condemn this step of Azerbaijan."

Tehran fears that Israel can use Azerbaijani territory for a possible offensive against Iran, according to Paul Goble, a specialist on ethnic and religious questions in Eurasia and a former special adviser to the U.S. Secretary of State.

"They've also been very clear that, in their view, Azerbaijan's pro-Israel position is part of the general threat to Iran, that if Israel ever were going to attack Iran, Iranian targets, it would use Azerbaijan's territory to launch drones and even planes against Iranian targets," he said.

Although several rounds of negotiations have been held between the foreign ministers of the two countries in the direction of normalizing relations, the parties have not made any statements regarding the progress.

Dilshad Aliyarli contributed to this report.
Even as the United States and its European allies grapple with Russia's invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions with China, the smoldering crisis over Iran's nuclear program threatens to reignite.

In a sign of European concern, Britain, France and Germany have warned Iran they would trigger a return of U.N. sanctions against Tehran if it enriched uranium to the optimal level for a nuclear weapon, three European officials said.

The threat, made last year in a previously unreported letter sent by the countries' foreign ministers, underscores Western fears that Iran could produce bomb-grade uranium of 90% purity.

Those concerns intensified in February after U.N. inspectors revealed their discovery of uranium particles of 83.7% purity at an Iran nuclear facility built deep underground to protect it from airstrikes.

"Worrisome possibilities include that Iran tested a way to produce near-weapon-grade uranium without  detection," said a report by the Institute for Science and International Security, a Washington think tank that closely tracks Tehrans nuclear program.

Iran denies it is seeking nuclear weapons.

A renewed crisis over Iran would come at a bad time for U.S. President Joe Biden, who is focused on maintaining allies' support for the war in Ukraine and on rallying Western countries to push back on China's military and diplomatic ambitions.

But while some White House aides may prefer to keep Iran off the president's desk, officials and analysts suggested they may not have that luxury.

"They are busy with Ukraine, Russia and they don't want, for the time being, to open another front," said a Western diplomat on condition of anonymity. "Therefore, they want to do everything in their power to prevent this [90% enrichment] from happening."

Western officials fear a nuclear-armed Iran could threaten Israel and Gulf Arab oil producers, as well as spark a regional arms race.

Snapback of UN sanctions

U.S. and European officials have been searching for ways to curb Tehran's program since the breakdown of indirect U.S.-Iranian talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.

The accord, aimed at keeping Iran from developing a nuclear weapon, required Tehran to accept restrictions on its nuclear program and more extensive U.N. inspections, in exchange for an end to U.N., U.S. and European Union sanctions.

The deal, which had capped Iran's uranium enrichment at 3.67%, was abandoned in 2018 by then-U.S. President Donald Trump, who argued it was too generous to Tehran.

Trump reimposed broad U.S. sanctions, many of which have the secondary effect of forcing non-U.S. firms to stop dealing with Iran or risk losing access to the U.S. market. U.N. sanctions, however, were not reactivated.

The 2015 nuclear deal had set out a procedure for the veto-proof "snapback" of the U.N. sanctions on Iran  including an oil embargo and banking restrictions  in response to Iranian violations. Any of the states who signed on to the original deal can trigger the snapback.

U.S. sanctions  even with their secondary effects  have failed to keep Iran from producing ever-purer levels of uranium, and China has flouted those sanctions by buying Iranian oil, making it unclear if the U.N. measures would be any more effective.

But Iran might refrain from enriching to 90% to avoid the public rebuke implicit in the return of U.N. sanctions.

A senior Iranian nuclear official said Tehran would not take the revival of U.N. sanctions lying down.

"If the other parties under any pretext trigger it, they will be responsible for all the consequences," he told Reuters. "Iran's reaction could range from leaving the NPT (Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty) to accelerating our nuclear work."

Leaving the NPT would free Iran to develop nuclear arms.

The Iranian official's threat was more explicit than comments by an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman, who on Monday said only that Iran had told Western powers how it would react.

It remains unclear if the uranium particles of 83.7% purity were created deliberately. But Western officials and analysts say that Iran's production of 90% uranium would demand a significant response.

A U.S. State Department spokesman said Biden "is absolutely committed" to making sure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

"We believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve that goal, but President Biden has also been clear that we have not removed any option from the table," the spokesperson added, hinting at the possibility of military action.

Face a crisis at some point

While Western officials want to leave the door open for diplomacy, tensions with Russia and China make that harder.

Divisions over the Ukraine war  which has seen Iran provide military aid to Russia  and rising Sino-U.S. tensions further reduce the odds of resurrecting the deal because it is unclear how hard Moscow or Beijing might push for its revival.

If the deal is dead, the West has three broad options: deterrence, military action or a new negotiated arrangement.

Deterrence has a downside: It could give Tehran time to creep toward a nuclear weapons capability.

Dennis Ross, a veteran U.S. diplomat now at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank, suggested Biden may have to do more to make Iran fear the consequences of enriching to higher levels.

"If you don't do enough to persuade the Iranians of the risks they are running, you will face a crisis at some point because they will go to 90%" or move toward weaponization, he said. "What you are seeing is an effort to walk that tightrope."
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Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Commercial Cleaning Products Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Competition, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028FSegmented By Product, By End Use, By Distribution Channel, By Region" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.



The global commercial cleaning products market is driven by consumer awareness of natural products, increasing hygiene awareness, especially after COVID-19, and the rapid increase of construction of commercial buildings.



Cleaning supplies are required to keep a place in aesthetically pleasing and healthy conditions. Cleaning has obvious additional advantages, but it's also important for keeping a healthy indoor environment since it gets rid of allergens, infectious agents, and dust.

However, it's crucial to keep in mind that cleaning products can raise a number of health and environmental issues. They might have substances in them that can irritate the eyes, skin, or respiratory system, among other things.

Additionally, some commercial cleaning products' concentrated forms are labeled as hazardous, which could pose handling, storage, and disposal problems for users. Using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies helps lessen the risks to human health and the environment that come with cleaning.



The commercial cleaning products market is also driven by a rising number of hotels with the growing demand for travel around the world. For instance, there are over 16.4 million hotel rooms and over 700,000 hotels and resorts globally. With 4,169 hotels, Beijing, China, has the most hotels worldwide. With more than 150,000 rooms, Las Vegas has the most hotel rooms in the US, followed by New York, with more than 115,000. In the US, New York also has the cleanest hotel rooms.

The market is also driven by a rising number of restaurants in the world. For instance, the Census Bureau estimates that there are 78 full-service restaurants per 100,000 Americans, with average yearly sales of USD704.18. Going out to eat is particularly prevalent in some affluent, tourist-heavy towns, where there are more restaurants per capita and more people spending more money at fine dining facilities.



Every industry around the world has been impacted by the widespread COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic had a negative impact on the market for commercial cleaning products as a result of the disruption of supply chains and reduced production due to the scarcity of raw materials. China is one of the world's top producers of industrial cleaning supplies.

Story continues

The strong import/export controls and the nationwide lockdown had an impact on China's industrial operations. The first and second quarters of 2020 had the most demand decline for commercial cleaning products.



In terms of region, the Latin America region is experiencing growth because of the increase in consumption of cleaning products. For instance, Brazil is the largest consumer of cleaning products in Latin America. The consumption of cleaning products has surged by more than 50% in recent years, according to the Brazilian Association of Cleaning Products and Related Industries.

The majority of these goods are consumed in the Central West. In Brazil, all cleaning products must be registered with the National Health Surveillance Agency and the Ministry of Health, which are in charge of regulating and overseeing these items. Less than 5% of Brazil's cleaning product market is dependent on exports, with domestic demand dominating.

Cleaning supplies were mostly imported from the United States, Germany, China, Uruguay, and India and were principally sold to Argentina, Paraguay, the United States, Belgium, and Colombia.



In 2019 and 2020, the fastest-growing markets for cleaning product imports into Brazil were China, Germany, and Chile. Procter & Gamble do Brazil SA, the largest company in Brazil, contributed 2.3% of the industry's total production value in 2021. Following COVID, Brazilians' buying preferences have substantially changed. They now want more cleaning supplies and larger, longer-lasting packaging, which is driving the industry.

Additionally, customers are turning to more practical solutions like degreasers and stain removers as maid services grow more expensive as a result of women entering the workforce, which is increasing the usage of cleaning products. Additionally, sales of uncommon products like bleach and cleaning concentrates have increased.



Increasing Awareness of Hygiene Post COVID-19 is Fueling the Market Growth



The primary motivator in the cleaning goods sector is public concern for health. Furthermore, a rise in COVID-19 cases has caused a global increase in hygiene awareness. As a result, demand for products including disinfectants, hand sanitizers, bathroom cleansers, detergents, washing powders, and floor and toilet cleaners increased massively.

People are becoming more aware of fundamental hygiene as a result of the rise in infectious diseases, which has greatly raised the demand for surface cleaning solutions. Disinfection products were unnecessary before the COVID-19 pandemic, but after that time, people have grown more aware of the advantages of maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness in the home.



Growing Use of Natural Products is Driving the Market Growth



Some of the chemicals used in cleaning products are causing consumers to become more health-conscious and cautious. They choose products made with natural ingredients that produce fewer carbon emissions during production and are, therefore, sustainable for the environment. In developed economies like the UK, USA, Canada, and Japan, eco-friendly cleaning solutions are therefore in demand.

The sector has seen a substantial change as a result of the increased interest in natural and organic products among consumers who want to protect the environment. The market is expected to grow due to the predicted drop in the use of abrasive chemicals.



High Prices Hindering the Market Growth



Cleaning products demand on the market is mostly influenced by price, particularly in less developed nations. The price of cleaning supplies is high because they are made using expensive chemicals. Additionally, the manufacturers have no choice but to spend more money on specific chemicals due to the severe government limitations placed on their use, which drives up the price of the final product.

Competitive Landscape



Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Commercial Cleaning Products market.

Diversey, Inc.

Ecolab Inc.

3M Company

The Clorox Company

S. C. Johnson & Son, Inc.

Medline Industries, Inc.

The Procter & Gamble Company

Unilever Plc

Betco Corporation

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Increasing Demand for natural products

Rise in Disinfectant products

Increase Awareness of Hygiene

Challenges

High Cost

Usage of Hazardous Chemicals

Market Trends & Developments

Increased Demand for Healthier Option

Increase in investment in Research & Development

Growing Product Advancement

Rapid Urbanization Leading to Changing Lifestyle

Increasing usage in Hospitality Industry

Impact of COVID-19 on Global Commercial Cleaning Products Market

Key Segments Impacted

Key Regions Impacted

Key Countries Impacted

Key Distribution Channel Impacted

Report Scope:



Commercial Cleaning Products Market, By Product:

Laundry Cleaners

Floor Cleaners

General Cleaners

Toilet Cleaners

Glass Cleaners

Dishwashing & Kitchen Cleaners

Others

Commercial Cleaning Products Market, By End Use:

Healthcare

Education

Hotels/Lodging

Offices/Property Management

Others

Commercial Cleaning Products Market, By Distribution Channel:

Distributor/Channel Sales

Direct/Institutional Sales

Online Retail

Cash & Carry Stores

Other Offline Retail Sales

Commercial Cleaning Products Market, By Region:

North America

The United States

Canada

Mexico

Europe

France

Germany

United Kingdom

Italy

Spain

Netherlands

Switzerland

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

New Zealand

Thailand

Middle East & Africa

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

UAE

Qatar

Kuwait

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/5hrqpg

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.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Iran and Syria agreed to boost ties and develop economic relations, with a focus on reconstruction, as the Islamic Republic's President Ebrahim Raisi on Friday concluded a landmark visit to Damascus.

Tehran has been a key ally to Damascus throughout Syria's long-running civil war, offering vital economic and military assistance that has helped the Syrian government claw back most of the territory it lost at the start of the conflict.

During late-night talks Thursday, Raisi and his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, discussed "ways to develop and strengthen bilateral relations" and "emphasized existing cooperation in the field of reconstruction," according to a joint statement released Friday.

Raisi concluded his two-day trip early Friday and had described the visit, the first by an Iranian president to Syria since 2010, as a "turning point" in bilateral relations.

The visit positions Tehran in a leading role in Syria's reconstruction  with Assad seeking to focus on reviving his country's devastated economy and infrastructure  in the face of Western sanctions on both countries.

The pair also expressed a "willingness to take any action to develop commercial-economic relations."

On Thursday, Raisi said Iran and Syria had signed 15 "cooperation documents" that would allow "both countries to open a new chapter in economic relations."

He also praised Syria for "achieving victory" in the country's war and invited Assad to officially visit Tehran.

The Syrian conflict was sparked by the repression of peaceful protesters in 2011 and has killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.

Large parts of northern Syria remain outside government control.

Diplomatic shakeup

Raisi's visit came weeks after Iran and archrival Saudi Arabia agreed to restore ties, prompting regional capitals to re-engage with the internationally isolated Damascus and Tehran governments.

"Iran and Saudi Arabia are two great nations," Raisi said during an interview broadcast on Syrian television on Friday evening, according to an official Arabic translation provided by state news agency SANA.

The restoration of ties between the countries would change and "bring order" to the region, Raisi said. "We refuse to consider Saudi Arabia as an enemy or be hostile to it."

On Sunday, Arab League foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting to discuss the conflict in Sudan and Syria's readmission to the bloc, after it was suspended in 2011 for its brutal crackdown on protesters.

Raisi also said during his interview that Iran was playing a mediating role in Russian-facilitated talks aiming to normalize ties between Syria and Turkey.

Moscow has encouraged renewed diplomatic relations between its Syrian ally and Ankara, which has supported rebels and Syrias opposition in a bid to remove Assad from power.

A meeting of Syrian, Iranian, Russian and Turkish foreign ministers is scheduled in the next few days in Moscow.
Iranian security forces reportedly arrested freelance investigative reporter Hasan Abbasi this week in response to a complaint filed by a provincial governor about his reporting, according to news reports and press freedom groups.

Abbasi covers news in the southern city of Bandar Abbas, in Hormozgan province. Security forces arrested him Sunday. The specific charges against him were unknown.

The complaint against the reporter was reportedly filed in response to his coverage of retired sailors who had allegedly failed to receive their government pensions, according to HRANA, a U.S.-based human rights monitor.

The Committee to Protect Journalists was unable to determine where he was being held or whether he had been formally charged.

Iranian authorities must free journalist Hasan Abbasi immediately and unconditionally and cease the practice of arbitrarily locking up members of the press for doing their jobs, said CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna. Authorities must ensure that all journalists are able to cover newsworthy issues without fear that they will be arrested.

On April 26, Abbasi posted a video on his personal Twitter account saying that he was also facing a separate complaint filed by the local office of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade accusing him of spreading fake news in his reporting on the ministry.

Journalists are paying the price for the malfeasance of government officials, he said in Persian in the video.

Iran is among the worlds worst jailers of journalists, according to Reporters Without Borders, with at least 25 journalists currently jailed.
New developments:

The head of the Russian mercenary group fighting in Ukraine unleashed a tirade against Moscow, accusing it of incompetence, among other things.

A fired Russian general known as the "Butcher of Mariupol" has a new job. He's joining forces with the Wagner mercenary group.

The Kremlin said Russia's May 9 Victory Day parade, celebrating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and the end of World War II, would go on despite security concerns. Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the preparations Friday in a meeting with his Security Council.

Drones that Russia says it disabled over the Kremlin earlier this week were likely launched from inside Russia, U.S.-based drones experts said. Ukraine denies any involvement in the attack.

In his daily address, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that on Friday and in recent days, he has held meetings with international leaders, including one Friday with a U.S. congressional delegation. The Ukrainian leader said that when countries help Ukraine, they also help themselves.

We are doing everything to make the world hear Ukraine, understand Ukraine, and help Ukraine. Because by helping us, the world protects itself, Zelenskyy said in his address.

Meanwhile, Russia wants a victory in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 9, but the chief of the Russian Wagner mercenary force fighting there has threatened to retreat from the city by May 10 if he does not receive critically needed ammunition and other supplies from Moscow.

In a video posted on his Telegram channel Friday, Yevgeny Prigozhin unleashed a tirade directed at Russia's top brass, accusing them of negligence and incompetence. Pointing toward a field covered with dead soldiers, he screamed at the camera, "These are  someone's fathers and someone's sons" he said. "We have a 70% shortage of ammunition!"

"If you give [us] the normal amount of ammunition, there will be five times fewer [dead soldiers]," he said.

Fired Russian Deputy Defense Minister Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, known as the "Butcher of Mariupol," has joined the Wagner Group as a deputy commander, according to Russian pro-war social media channels.

In two videos posted by war correspondent Alexander Simonov on Telegram, Mizintsev dressed in Wagner-branded combat gear  was shown visiting a training camp and touring Russian positions in the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut.

The footage coincided with the release of Prigozhin's videotaped tirade, in which the Wagner chief accused Moscow of depriving his forces of ammunition because of jealousy over their success, Reuters reported.

In other developments, Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said Friday that Moscow is sending reinforcements to Bakhmut. She said the Kremlin is pulling Wagner mercenary fighters from other parts of the front line to redeploy them there.

Wagner boss Prigozhin said Friday his mercenary army had planned to capture Bakhmut May 9, or Victory Day, the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in WWII, for which Moscow is organizing a large parade. President Vladimir Putin discussed the parade preparations in a meeting Friday with his Security Council, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Putin will preside over the annual military parade at Red Square despite the Kremlin's assertions that Ukraine tried to kill him in a drone attack Wednesday. Kyiv has denied any involvement in the incident.

U.S.-based drone experts said the drones disabled over the Kremlin earlier this week had likely evaded an extensive number of defenses in and around Moscow, suggesting they might have been launched from inside Russia.

Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of drone maker BRINC, said such smaller drones would not be able to fly the more than 400-kilometer distance from Ukraine to Moscow. Resnick said it could indicate the drones were launched from inside Russia, Reuters reported.

Putin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov accused the United States on Thursday of being behind the alleged attack. He said Russia was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington."

"And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

In Washington, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby rejected the Russian accusation, telling MSNBC, "I can assure you that there was no involvement by the United States.  We had nothing to do with this, so Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple."

Putin  International Criminal Court

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Thursday he was convinced Putin would eventually face an international war crimes trial for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In a speech at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, Zelenskyy said, "Only one Russian crime led to all of these crimes: This is the crime of aggression, the start of evil, the primary crime. There should be responsibility for this crime."

The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin on a war crimes charge involving the alleged deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Zelenskyy said Putin "deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law."

The ICC cannot prosecute the crime of war aggression itself. But Zelenskyy appealed for a full-fledged tribunal to prosecute that overarching crime.

"If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions that will correct  shortcomings that unfortunately exist in international law," he said.

The chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court does not have a police force to execute its warrants, and the Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICC's 123 member states that are under an obligation to arrest him if they can. Neither the U.S. nor Russia recognizes the authority of the court.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Jonathan Schmidt arrived at Federal Police headquarters in the center of Rio de Janeiro with a travel bag carrying a golden pistol and seven rifles, one peeking out of the zipper.

"I'm in love with guns," said Schmidt. "I'd have over 2,000 if the government allowed."

Schmidt already has his firearms registered with the army, as required by law for sport shooters like him, but experts have cast doubt on the reliability of its database and said lax oversight has allowed such guns to fall into criminal hands. Schmidt was adding his guns to the police registry on Wednesday to comply with a push by Brazil's new left-wing president.

Over four years in office, former President Jair Bolsonaro tried to convert a country with few weapons into one where firearm ownership and lack of regulation meant personal freedom. Now, his successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has been moving to undo Bolsonaro's pro-gun policies, and that starts with requiring gun owners to register their weapons with police. After initial resistance, he started seeing some success.

In Brazil's last gun-control campaign in 2003, Brazilians were invited to turn in their guns and receive a symbolic payment from the state. It boasted a high level of participation.

In the eyes of right-wing Bolsonaro, however, the disarmament statute was a historic blunder. Echoing aspects of American conservativism, he was the first Brazilian presidential candidate to campaign on a pro-gun platform, saying "good citizens" are entitled to firearms to protect their families and assets. He altered the rules for how much ammunition one can possess and access to restricted-caliber guns, such as submachine guns. He repeatedly claimed that "an armed populace will never be enslaved."

Instituto Sou da Paz, a nonprofit that monitors public security, estimates that the number of guns in civilian hands nearly tripled  to 2.2 million in a country of 214 million people  under Bolsonaro. It remains far lower than in the United States, and Brazil has no constitutional right to bear arms.

"We had sharp growth in firearm access, including restricted-use weapons," Michele dos Ramos, who is leading the work group in charge of gun policy within the Justice Ministry, told The Associated Press by phone. "In order to write any guidelines to restructure gun and ammunition policies and regulations, it is important we have a diagnosis of the situation of these weapons."

Lula requires registration

On his first day in office, Lula issued a decree requiring gun owners to register their weapons with the Federal Police; the original deadline was delayed until May 3. At Rio's Federal Police headquarters, officers have registered guns belonging to as many as 50 people per day. But they were wary.

"There was a lot of concern primarily at the beginning when they arrived here. They believed we were going to confiscate their guns," Marcelo Daemon, head of the Rio police department overseeing arms control, said in an interview in his office. "A lot of fake news circulated on social media, and people came here with fear."

Some politicians contributed to general reluctance. On March 17, federal lawmaker Julia Zanatta shared a picture of herself holding a machine gun and wearing a T-shirt bearing the words "COME AND TAKE IT" and an image of Lula's hand pierced by three bullet holes. Paulo Bilynskyj, a lawmaker and former police chief from Sao Paulo, shared instructions to follow in case one's weapons were seized.

"We have a more armed country, a stronger gun culture, more representatives focused on the pro-gun agenda," said Carolina Ricardo, executive-director of Instituto Sou da Paz, adding that Congress will be the "thorn in the side" of groups pushing for stricter gun control. The so-called "bullet caucus" of pro-gun lawmakers gained dozens of new seats in last year's election.

Before the registration initiated by Lula's government, the army gathered and retained data on gun ownership for sport shooters, collectors and hunters, known as CACs. Bolsonaro scrapped the requirement for such registrants to undergo the arduous process of submitting documentation, justification and psychological exams to the Federal Police, which for its part registers guns owned for self-defense, and so limited the force's visibility on the total number of guns in circulation.

Army data indicates 762,365 firearms were purchased by CACs since May 7, 2019, when Bolsonaro made major changes to firearm and ammunition access. But Instituto Sou da Paz and the Igarape Institute, another security-focused nonprofit, estimate the figure fails to reflect roughly 100,000 additional guns, based on data collected via freedom of information requests.

By requiring in-person registration, the government hopes to determine precisely how many guns and what types are no longer with their original owners and potentially in the hands of criminal groups.

Next steps unclear

Gun advocates have mostly come around, though some have encouraged their followers to do so only begrudgingly. Marcos Pollon, a federal lawmaker who leads a pro-gun group often compared to the National Rifle Association, in mid-March called the government effort "absolutely illegal and unconstitutional." A week later, he published a video on YouTube, where he has over 150,000 subscribers, saying he registered his gun and that those who don't will face the consequences.

The government's next steps remain unclear, however. The group led by Ramos had been scheduled to deliver a series of recommendations to the government by the May 3 deadline.

Ricardo said future government actions could include new rules further limiting the ammunition and guns each person can possess, and integrating the army and Federal Police databases.

Lula's January 1 decree established that guns not registered by the deadline can be seized. That means those who failed to bring their guns to the Federal Police could find themselves in legal jeopardy, even if they are just pulled over on their way to the shooting range.

Schmidt, the gun owner in Rio, had viewed the government's effort as an embarrassment. But now, he says, he recognizes it is important for the Federal Police to know of all weapons owned by civilians.

"This way, we remain legal," he said.
Philippines authorities say they rescued more than 1,000 human trafficking victims from across Asia during a raid Thursday night and Friday.

Police say the victims were forced to work up to 18 hours a day perpetrating cryptocurrency scams. It allegedly happened in a compound in Mabalacat, about a two-hour drive from the country's capital, Manila.

"They met the people they scammed on Facebook and dating apps," Captain Michelle Sabino of the Philippine National Police Anti-Cybercrime Group told VOA. "They would pretend to fall in love with them and get their money."

Police say the trafficking victims came from Vietnam, China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Nepal, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand and Taiwan.

"They were lured by social media posts promising good-paying jobs only to get trapped in these compounds that had armed guards to keep them from leaving," Sabino said, adding that the criminals who ran the scam center are from China.

Philippines authorities were tipped off about the compound by officials in Indonesia, who received desperate messages for help from Indonesians trapped inside.

Illicit operations like this are called online "fraud factories" and have been traced to several countries in Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia. Experts say this is a multibillion-dollar industry with tens of thousands of human trafficking victims.

The victims often are university educated, white-collar workers with social media skills. Some lost their jobs during the pandemic and are desperate for work. There's huge demand for scammers who can speak English and/or Chinese because those are two widely spoken languages, the Global Anti-Scam Organization told VOA.

While the fraud factories are often in remote areas, a recent senate hearing in the Philippines revealed that some are in major urban centers.

VOA's prior reporting on this issue showed how in some fraud factories, poor performers are beaten and even killed  although Sabino told VOA at this stage there's no evidence that this type of violence took place at the compound in Mabalacat.

Victims can often buy their way out of the scam centers but that typically costs tens of thousands of dollars, which is far more than most families in Southeast Asia can afford.
A group of 130 Nigerians evacuated from Sudan arrived in the Nigerian capital of Abuja on Friday, about 36 hours after another group of nearly 400, mostly students, had landed.

The arrivals  128 females and two males  were evacuated from Port Sudan on the Red Sea and received by Nigerian officials. More evacuations are expected in coming days.

Nasir Sani Gwarzo, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, told a crowd that Nigerians who fled Sudan to Egypt also will be brought home.

"We're getting good cooperation from the Nigerian communities that are living in that port," said Gwarzo. "In the next few hours, we shall have no Nigerian stranded in the Egyptian side."

Nigeria's National Emergency Management Agency estimates some 5,000 Nigerians were in Sudan when fighting broke out on April 15 between Sudan's military and the paramilitary group known as the Rapid Support Forces.

On Wednesday, Nigeria evacuated 376 Nigerians from Sudan. Gwarzo said hundreds more will be evacuated soon.

Ismail Aliyu, chairman of the nonprofit Center for Peace and Literacy Propagation, said students sponsored by the nonprofit to study in Sudan have yet to be evacuated.

"As I speak right now, none of my students is back from Sudan, they're still in Port Sudan," Aliyu said. "The most important thing is that most of the students have left the war zone."

Authorities said the evacuation was delayed by logistics and bottlenecks at the Sudanese-Egyptian border.

"Some Nigerians were claimed to have entered the bus without permission which caused the Egyptian side to delay the flight until that was sorted," said Gwarzo. "The Nigerians have now been moved into the Egyptian side of the border and we have two planes that can carry all of them at the same time."

NEMA said authorities have expanded partnerships with more airlines to evacuate the remaining nationals as soon as possible.
During the first visit of Pakistans top diplomat to archrival India in almost a decade, each side took veiled swipes at the other on bilateral issues but presented a united front on a key regional issue - Afghanistan.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was in Goa, India, Thursday and Friday for the Foreign Ministers Council Meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He was Pakistans first high-ranking official to visit the neighbor since 2014.

India is current president of the eight-member organization.

In his speech to the forum, Indian Minister for External Affairs S. Jaishankar said there was no justification for terrorism.

And it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations, including cross-border terrorism, Jaishankar said.

In his remarks provided by the Foreign Office, Bhutto Zardari said fighting terrorism was a joint responsibility but cautioned to not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring.

He asked the forum to condemn all forms of terrorism, including state-sponsored terrorism. Pakistan accuses India of supporting militants in its restive southern province of Balochistan, which New Delhi denies.

In an apparent reference to Indias 2019 decision to take away the special autonomous status of Indian-controlled Kashmir and bring its part of the disputed Himalayan territory under New Delhis direct control, Bhutto Zardari said, Unilateral and illegal measures by states in violation of international law and [United Nations] Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives.

Later, when Pakistani journalists asked whether he was referring to Indias action in Kashmir or to Russias annexation of Ukrainian territory, Bhutto Zardari laughed but did not specify.

Pakistans foreign minister asked SCO participants to resolutely resist the temptation to stoke prejudice and discrimination to derive our identity, to condemn incitement to hate, especially on religious grounds, and to fight historical revisionism that is leading to violent ultranationalism anywhere in the world.

Treatment of religious minorities

While Pakistans top diplomat did not name India, global human rights watchdogs routinely call out Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modis right-wing government for not sufficiently protecting religious minorities. Incidents of mob violence against Muslims have risen in recent years, some cities named after or by Muslim rulers have been renamed, and lately, chapters on Muslim rulers have been removed from textbooks.

Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Washington-based Wilson Center, told VOA there was no other member of the SCO that Pakistan would criticize except its archrival.

So we could assume that if he's taking a subtle swipe at someone within the SCO, it would have to be India, Kugelman said.

However, in what he called a silver lining of the Pakistani foreign ministers visit, the nuclear-armed rivals presented a similar stance on Afghanistan.

Pakistan is facing near daily attacks from Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan militants, also known as TTP. Islamabad contends TTP leadership is operating from Afghan soil, a charge Kabul denies.

Bhutto Zardari called on the de facto rulers to uphold their commitments on not allowing the use of Afghan soil for terrorism.

The Pakistani foreign minister also said the international community should continue to urge Afghan authorities to adopt universally accepted principles of political inclusivity, and respecting the rights of all Afghans, including girls right to education.

In his remarks earlier, Jaishankar said that ensuring a truly inclusive and representative government  combating terrorism ... and preserving the rights of women, children and minorities were his governments priorities in Afghanistan.

If you're looking for an example where Pakistan and India would see eye to eye within SCO, it would be the Afghanistan issue and the terrorism risks emanating from there, and concerns about the Taliban not having the ability - or more importantly, the desire - to combat these threats that are so concerning for both India and Pakistan, said Kugelman.

Reconciliation? No

Indian and Pakistani media closely covered Bhutto Zardaris visit to India. Kugelman said that while it was in Pakistan's interest to attend a conference in India where its ally, China, played a major role, we should not think his [Bhutto Zardari's] visit to India will be the first salvo of an attempt to forge reconciliation.

That became apparent quickly once the conference ended.

At a press briefing with Pakistani journalists in Goa, after the foreign ministers conference, Bhutto Zardari blamed the lack of formal diplomacy with India on New Dehlis revocation of Kashmirs autonomy. He put the onus of creating a conducive environment for engagement on New Delhi.

Speaking to local journalists, Jaishankar expressed outrage at Bhutto Zardaris remarks on terrorism, calling him a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry.

Despite the tensions, Bhutto Zardari praised Jaishankar as a host, telling Pakistani media covering the event, At no point did he [Jaishankar] make me feel that our bilateral disagreements have any impact on this conference.
Senior officials from China, Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban will hold two days of talks starting Friday in Islamabad, where observers expect to learn more about Beijings priorities in the region.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will meet with Pakistani officials. The international community has ostracized the Taliban over hard-line policies targeting Afghan women and others.

Not only has Beijing encouraged the international community to continue to talk to the Taliban, but it also has said it supports encouraging the Taliban to build an inclusive government, exercise moderate governance, develop friendly relations with its neighbors and firmly fight terrorism.

Besides participating in the trilateral talks, Qin and Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari will co-chair the fourth round of the China-Pakistan Foreign Ministers' Strategic Dialogue. The Chinese Foreign Ministry described the two countries as all-weather strategic cooperative partners and ironclad friends.

Chinas Afghan priorities

Beijings priorities in Afghanistan are mitigating security threats and looking for economic opportunities, said Zafar Iqbal Yousafzai, author and researcher at the Jamestown Foundation, a Washington think tank.

Last month, China said its development plans for the country would depend on improvement in the security situation.

Security is the foundation and prerequisite of development, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in an 11-point policy paper published last month titled China's Position on the Afghan Issue.

A more pressing issue is whether China can pressure the Taliban to form a more inclusive government. In its Afghan policy paper, Beijing said: We hope the Afghan Interim Government will protect the basic rights and interests of all Afghan people, including women, children and all ethnic groups.

Yousafzai said there is now substantial international consensus on what should happen in Afghanistan. The interest of China converges with that of the U.S. and other countries, he said.

Indeed, China and Russia have joined the international community in pressuring the Taliban.

On April 13, a day after China released its Afghanistan policy, the foreign ministers of China, Russia and five of Afghanistans neighbors met in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, and demanded that the Taliban form an inclusive government and respect womens and minorities' rights.

Yousafzai said China wants an inclusive government because stability is very far-fetched without such a government in Afghanistan.

"Not in terms of the West to be a stable democracy, but they want Afghanistan to be stable in their own terms, Yousafzai said.

Development projects

China wants stability in Afghanistan, Yousafzai said, because the country is crucial for Beijings Belt and Road Initiative and because of fears it could become a hotbed for terrorists.

Chinas BRI is a global land and sea infrastructure project that was launched in 2013.

During a meeting in July between China and Afghanistan, Beijing said it hoped to support the extension of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor to Afghanistan.

Beyond communication and transportation links, Beijing is also interested in Afghanistans mineral and oil reserves.

In January, the Taliban and a Chinese petroleum company signed an agreement to extract and develop oil reserves in northern Afghanistan.

The Talibans minister for mines and petroleum, Shahabuddin Delawar, said last month that a Chinese company, Gochin, was interested in investing $10 billion in Afghanistans lithium mines.

The main holdup for such development projects appears to be the security situation. In December, China urged citizens to leave Afghanistan after a hotel in Kabul frequented by Chinese nationals was attacked. Beijing is also concerned about the potential spillover of militants from Afghanistan into Chinas western Xinjiang region.

Grateful to China

The Taliban remain warm toward Beijing at a time when China is increasingly seen as a possible economic lifeline for Afghanistan. In an April 14 interview with Chinese state-run news outlet CGTN, Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that the Taliban were "grateful" to China.

He said that since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan in 2021, China has kept its embassy open and [remained] active diplomatically. It also stays true to its economic projects in Afghanistan and renewed contracts repeatedly.

He added that China's interest in investment in Afghanistan was "commendable."

Hamidullah Farooqi, a former Afghan minister of transport and civil aviation, told VOA that the Taliban and China mutually benefit from having good relations.

It is good for propaganda purposes," he said. "The Taliban use this by telling people that things will change as China is going to invest. China also benefits from it, showing that it has a presence in the region and is interested in economic development.

No recognition

Beijing, however, has not yet recognized the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan.

Shinkai Karokhail, a former member of the Wolesi Jirga, the lower house of Afghanistans parliament, told VOA that by not recognizing the Taliban, China wants to show that they share the international communitys concerns.

China wants to make sure that the Afghan government is cooperating in fighting extremism, she said. Right now, the presence of extremist groups in Afghanistan is the main concern.

The only way to fight extremist groups is to have an inclusive government, Karokhail said.

Analysts will be watching the talks in Pakistan for signs that Beijing is willing to use its economic influence in Afghanistan to encourage the Taliban to adopt reforms broadly backed by the international community.

This report originated in VOAs Afghan Service.
Ethiopia's Human Rights Commission has denounced security measures against protesters in the Amhara region this week that it said led to the deaths of civilians.

The government-established commission, which is monitoring operations in the region, reported civilian deaths, though it did not specify how many people were killed.

The regional director for monitoring and investigation, Alemu Meheretu, said the commission has received reports of shelling in the Amhara regions North Shewa Zone.

There have been attacks with heavy weapons. People have died because of this, and we have also been informed about the destruction of houses as well, Meheretu said. Roadblocks and tensions are also being reported.

Meheretu added that the commission will issue a report and work on interventions when it has full information.

The clashes are between the Ethiopian military and the Amhara region militia, which has set up roadblocks on major routes to the capital.

Protests in Amhara started in early April, following government calls to integrate regional forces into the military or the police.

Regional Amhara forces fought alongside the Ethiopian government during the two-year war in the neighboring Tigray region.

The governments law enforcement operations have also targeted opposition members accused of inciting protesters, according to the Human Rights Commission.

Attempts to reach the regions communications director went unanswered.
Serbian police said Friday they had arrested a suspect in the second mass shooting case in two days in Serbia.

The man arrested Friday is a suspect in Thursdays shootings that ended with the death of eight people and the wounding of 14 in a village near Belgrade.

Thursdays shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy allegedly opened fire in a school in Belgrade, killing nine and wounding 7.

The arrest Friday of a suspect in Thursdays shooting came after hundreds of police officers searched all night for the gunman who shot randomly in three villages near Mladenovac. He was arrested near the city of Kragujevac

On Wednesday, the 13-year-old boy turned himself after allegedly using his fathers gun to kill eight of his fellow students and a security guard at his school in Belgrade.

Officials say the teenager is too young to charge. The Associated Press reports that the boy has been placed in a mental institution.

The boys father, however, has been detained in the case, on suspicion that he endangered public safety because his son was able to get hold of the weapons, officials said.

After the school shootings, the government introduced new gun control measures, including a two-year ban on issuing new gun permits.

Wednesdays shooting was Serbias first mass shooting in 10 years.

After Wednesday's shootings, Serbia announced three days of national mourning to begin Friday.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press.
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Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "High Acuity Information Systems Market- Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2018-2028F Segmented By Type, By End-use, By Region and By Competition" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

Global High Acuity Information System Market is expected to witness robust growth during the forecast period on account of the flourishing healthcare IT industry. Additionally, growing investments by various governments and companies across the globe to strengthen and improve the healthcare IT infrastructure is expected to support the market growth through 2028.



An information system is a device that can precisely store vast amounts of data produced by numerous end users, including hospitals. The necessity of upholding higher standards of care, increasing efficiency, and lowering human error rates has increased noticeably over the past few years. The market for high-acuity information systems products is seeing more widespread adoption as a direct result of this factor.



Some of the key factors propelling the growth of the high-acuity information systems market are the rise in the adoption of technologically advanced tools in the global healthcare sector, the increase in the number of hospitals and beds, and the rise in the demand for dedicated administration by multifaceted outpatient products.

Additionally, the necessity for extraordinary vigilance in monitoring across the global healthcare business is also fueling the market for high-acuity information systems.

Increase in the Number of Hospitals

The expansion of the market is boosted by the rising number of hospitals globally, pertaining to the growing concerns about the development of healthcare infrastructure, the rise in chronic disease, and rising investment in healthcare by consumers. As of 2020, Colombia had a total number of 10,899 hospitals, followed by Japan and the United States, with 8,238 and 6,090 hospitals, respectively.

Story continues

In high acuity units like operating rooms, intensive care units (ICUs), critical care units (CCUs), and emergency departments, these systems enable healthcare providers to enhance the overall quality of care, lower the risks of errors or complications, optimize workflow management along with lower costs, and better time management.

High-acuity information systems improve treatment standardization, documentation, and resource planning, giving medical staff all the data they need to care for and evaluate patients. These factors decrease time consumption and lower the overall expenditure on procedures.

Moreover, these systems are created with the intent of meeting the most pressing patient requirements and enhancing healthcare facilities. Hence, the rise in the number of hospitals is fueling the demand for a high-acuity information system to increase workflow ease.

Government Initiatives in Healthcare IT

Government initiatives play an important role in the healthcare system to educate consumers in terms of digital technologies, advanced healthcare facilities, and other. Government initiatives, such as awareness and educational programs among individuals in healthcare IT, are expected to boom the growth of the high-acuity information system market.

The purpose of this government strategy is to strengthen the healthcare system through digital health technologies for consumers and healthcare professionals. Moreover, the global digital strategy places a strong importance on the categorization of health data as sensitive personal data or personally identifiable information, requiring a high level of safety and security.

Therefore, such initiative programs enhance precise documentation and resource planning and increase care standardization in hospitals. As a result, these factors drive the demand for the high-acuity information system market.

Limited Medical Workforce

Though the most significant resource in the healthcare industry is the healthcare worker, the industry confronts various difficulties. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicted an 18-million-person shortage of health workers by 2030, primarily in low- and lower-middle-income areas, prior to COVID-19.

The WHO also reports that, in addition to this shortage, socioeconomic development in the healthcare sector also faced challenges in terms of the deployment, hiring, training, and performance of their healthcare workforces. Hence, a shortage in the medical workforce is expected to hamper the growth of the global high-acuity information system market.

Recent Developments

Siemens Healthineers AG announced in August 2020 that the company is expected to buy Varian Medical Systems Inc. The acquisition is anticipated to assist Siemens Healthineers in diversifying its cancer treatment offering.

Market Dynamics

Drivers

Rise in number of hospitals and elderly population.

Demand for extraordinary vigilance in monitoring globally

Rise in the adoption of technologically advanced tool in the healthcare industry

Challenges

Lack of skilled labor

Limited medical workforce

Unpredictable and unforeseeable activities

Market Trends & Developments

Product Launches

Mergers & Acquisitions

Technological Advancements

Competitive landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in Global High Acuity Information Systems market.

Cerner Corporation

McKesson Corporation

Picis Clinical Solutions, Inc.

iSOFT Group Limited

AllScripts Healthcare Solutions, Inc.

CompuGroup Medical SE & Co. KGaA

Optum, Inc.

Siemens Healthineers AG

Epic Systems Corporation

Dragerwerk AG

Report Scope:

High Acuity Information Systems Market, By Type:

Intensive Care Units (ICU)

Emergency Departments (ED)

Operating Rooms (OR)

Surgical Information Systems (SIS)

Perinatal Information Systems (PIS)

Critical Care Information Systems (CCIS)

High Acuity Information Systems Market, By End-use:

Ambulatory Surgical Centers

Hospitals

Nursing Care

Others

High Acuity Information Systems Market, By Region:

Europe

France

United Kingdom

Italy

Germany

Spain

North America

United States

Canada

Mexico

Asia-Pacific

China

India

Japan

South Korea

Australia

South America

Brazil

Argentina

Colombia

Middle East & Africa

South Africa

Saudi Arabia

UAE

Turkey

Egypt

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/qbgqqc

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.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




Supporters of a Spanish journalist accused of spying for Moscow have condemned a Russian media outlet for publishing what it said were leaked allegations of espionage in the case against the reporter.

Pablo Gonzalez has been held in pre-trial custody in Poland since February last year when Russia invaded Ukraine, while authorities investigate allegations that he was spying for Moscow  accusations the journalist has denied.

Polands secret service says Gonzalez used his role as a journalist as a cover for espionage, but officials have not disclosed any supporting evidence.

Agentstvo, an independent Russian online media outlet, published a report Tuesday saying Gonzalez was a Russian military secret service agent who infiltrated dissident circles.

The website said it based its report on records from Gonzalezs mobile phone and dissident contacts.

In response, the Free Pablo Gonzalez Association, which campaigns on behalf of the journalist, tweeted: We are not going to go into these leaks [from the investigation] but we are surprised that this has happened when the lawyers have not had access to the telephone records of Pablo.

In this way they have created accusations [against Gonzalez] without respecting the presumption of innocence, without proof of someone who has spent 14 months in prison and without respecting his rights as a European citizen.

The association added: If Pablo is guilty or not, the only ones who can decide that is the justice system. The only thing we would ask is a rapid and fair trial.

Agentstvo said in its report that Gonzalez was an agent from the GRU, Russias military intelligence service.

Nemtsov's daughter

According to the report, Gonzalez came to know Zhanna Nemtsova, the daughter of Boris Nemtsov, the Russian physicist and opponent of Russian President Vladimir Putin who was assassinated in 2015.

The two met in Brussels in 2016, the report said, quoting a source from the Boris Nemtsov Foundation who is an acquaintance of Nemtsova.

Agentstvo reported that Gonzalez socialized with employees of the foundation.

When Gonzalez was detained in Poland in February 2022, reports on the activities of Nemtsova and people from her circle were found on his digital media, the website reported.

Gonzalez was allegedly interested in students of the Summer School of Journalism of the Nemtsov Foundation from Ukraine and the U.S.

Boris Nemtsovs letters were allegedly found on the journalists digital media, which Agentstvo said could have come from Nemtsovas laptop.

Zhanna Nemtsova declined to comment, citing a nondisclosure agreement that she has signed with the Polish authorities.

Olga Shorina, co-founder of the foundation, told Agentstvo that Gonzalez had taken part in the organizations events but did not have access to confidential information.

VOA has attempted to verify the Agentstvo report with the Polish judicial services, but they declined to comment. Lawyers for the Spanish journalist said Polish authorities have not released details of the case against him.

The journalists family has links to Russia because his father moved there as a child after the Spanish Civil War. But Gonzalez is not part of the Russian intelligence service, his Spanish lawyer Gonzalo Boye has said.

Ukraine, Syria coverage

Gonzalez has covered conflicts in Ukraine and Syria for various outlets, including the left-wing Spanish newspaper Public, and Gara, a Basque nationalist newspaper. He also provided some camera work for VOA in 2020 and 2021.

He was arrested February 28, 2022, when crossing from Poland to Ukraine, where he had been reporting on the start of the Russian invasion.

Ukrainian secret service officials had earlier detained him and accused him of spying for Russia, which he denied.

He returned to Spain for a few days before leaving for Poland.

International rights organizations and press freedom commentators have criticized how Poland, a European Union nation, handled the case and demanded that Gonzalez be afforded due process and civil rights.

He is taking a case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, seeking to secure his release on the ground that the terms of his imprisonment contravene his constitutional rights.

Jim Fry, a spokesman for VOA, said: Because of the nature of the allegations against Mr. Gonzalez, the reports he contributed to VOA remain offline and under review. We continue to monitor the situation but have nothing to add at this time.
Japanese media report one man was killed and buildings collapsed after a strong earthquake struck near the countrys west central coast early Friday.

The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck at 2:42 pm Japan time about 50 kilometers off the coast of Anamizu in Ishikawa province, at a depth of 8.7 kilometers.

A report from Japans Meteorological Agency - which monitors earthquakes in the region  differs slightly, saying the epicenter of the quake was on land near Noto in Ishikawa province, and recorded the quake at a 6.3 magnitude with a depth of 10 kilometers.

Japanese media, citing local police, say one man died in the city of Suzu, near the reported epicenter, when he fell off a ladder as the quake struck. The Japan Times, quoting local fire officials, reported three houses collapsed and at least one person was trapped in the wreckage.

At a news conference Friday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said there was no tsunami warning issued and there were no abnormalities reported at the Shika Nuclear Power Plant near the epicenter or at other nuclear power plants.

Japans Meteorological Agency reported several smaller earthquakes after the initial quake and said other, larger quakes approaching magnitude 6 could be possible in the coming week.

Earthquakes are very common in Japan. In 2011, a massive quake in the countrys northeast caused a devastating tsunami and nuclear plant meltdown.

Some information for this report was provided by the Associated Press, Reuters and the French news agency Agence France Presse.
The United States and the Philippines this week added new guidelines to a 1951 defense treaty that detail how the U.S. will respond to an attack on the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Following a visit by Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos to the White House, the U.S. issued the guidelines saying its commitment to defend Manila will apply to the maritime region, where Manila has complained for years about territorial incursions by Chinese ships.

Any attack in the South China Sea on Philippine public vessels, aircraft or armed forces  which includes the coast guard  will invoke mutual defense commitments.

The guidelines also say the two countries will "coordinate closely on the Philippines' defense modernization, including a review to determine what equipment the country needs that will bolster combined deterrence and capacity to resist coercion."

The guidelines recognize that threats may arise in several domains and take the form of asymmetric, hybrid and irregular warfare and gray-zone tactics like using non-naval vessels such as fishing boats as an informal maritime militia.

China was not named in the guidelines, but it has been long criticized for using gray-zone tactics to claim sovereignty in the South China Sea.

Beijings Foreign Ministry responded by saying China firmly opposes any country's move to interfere in the South China Sea issue to harm China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests.

"The South China Sea is home to all regional countries and should not be a hunting ground for external forces," ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.

US-Philippine state visit

U.S. President Joe Biden told Marcos on Monday, "The United States remains ironclad in our commitment to the defense of the Philippines, including the South China Sea."

Brian Harding, a senior expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace, told VOA in an email, "It's significant that Biden is using such clear language. The fact that the two leaders are clearly in sync makes the commitments far more concrete than during [Rodrigo] Duterte's presidency."

Duterte made a point of shifting his countrys foreign policy away from Washington when he took office in 2016, but his efforts to move closer to Beijing did little to stop Chinas maritime territorial incursions. Duterte later moved to shore up security ties with Washington before the end of his term.

Gregory B. Poling, director of the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told VOA the new guidelines provide more clarity about U.S. responses in the region.

"It doesn't mean that if there's a run-in between a Chinese coast guard [vessel] and the Philippine coast guard vessel, we automatically start World War III. But if the Philippines calls on American aid under the Mutual Defense Treaty, the United States will answer."

Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea on the basis of historic Chinese maps, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.

The most recent faceoff occurred on April 23, when a Philippine coast guard vessel patrolling near Second Thomas Shoal nearly collided with a Chinese coast guard vessel at a close range of only about 45 meters.
Foreign citizens and companies would need U.S. government approval to buy property within 160 kilometers of eight military bases, under a proposed rule change that follows a Chinese firm's attempt to build a plant near an Air Force base in the U.S. state of North Dakota.

The Treasury Department's Office of Investment Security published its proposed rule Friday in the U.S. Federal Register. The rule would give expanded powers to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which screens business deals between U.S. firms and foreign investors and can block sales or force the parties to change the terms of an agreement to protect national security.

Controversy arose over plans by the Fufeng Group to build a $700 million wet corn milling plant about 19 kilometers from the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which houses air and space operations.

As opposition to the project grew, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum and U.S. Senators John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer, all Republicans, raised questions about the security risks and asked the federal government last July for an expedited review.

CFIUS told Fufeng in September that it was reviewing the proposal and eventually concluded that it did not have jurisdiction to stop the investment.

The plans were eventually dropped after the Air Force said the plant would pose a significant threat to national security.

The new rule would affect Grand Forks and seven other bases, including three that are tied to the B-21 Raider, the nation's future stealth bomber. The Pentagon has taken great pains to protect its new, most-advanced bomber from spying by China. The bomber will carry nuclear weapons and be able to fly manned and unmanned missions.

Six bombers are in various stages of production at Air Force Plant 42, located in Palmdale, California, while the two other bases will serve as future homes for the 100-aircraft stealth bomber fleet: Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota and Dyess Air Force Base in Texas.

Also on the list are Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio and Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas, both training bases. The others selected for greater protection are the Iowa National Guard Joint Force Headquarters in Des Moines, Iowa, and Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Arizona.

The locations were selected for a variety of reasons, including the sensitivity of either current or future missions that would be based there, if they were near special use airspace, where military operations would be conducted or whether they were near military training routes, said a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

CFIUS, a committee whose members come from the State, Justice, Energy and Commerce departments among others, already had the power to block property sales within 160 kilometers of other military bases under a 2018 law.

Hoeven said the CFIUS process for reviewing proposed projects needed to be updated.

"Accordingly, China's investments in the U.S. need to be carefully scrutinized, particularly for facilities like the Grand Forks Air Force Base, which is a key national security asset that serves as the lead for all Air Force Global Hawk intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations and has a growing role in U.S. space operations," he said.

In February, Andrew Hunter, an assistant secretary of the Air Force, said in a letter to North Dakota officials that the military considered the project a security risk but did not elaborate on the kinds of risks Fufeng's project would pose.

The letter prompted Grand Forks officials, who had initially welcomed the milling plant as an economic boon for the region, to withdraw support by denying building permits and refusing to connect the 150-hectare site to public infrastructure.

Fufeng makes products for animal nutrition, the food and beverage industry, pharmaceuticals, health and wellness, oil and gas, and other industries. It's a leading producer of xanthan gum. It denied that the plant would be used for espionage.

Lawmakers have also called for a review of foreign investments in agricultural lands. Earlier this year, Senators Jon Tester, a Democrat from Montana, and Mike Rounds, a Republican from South Dakota, introduced legislation aimed at preventing China, Russia, Iran and North Korea from acquiring U.S. farmland.

"Countries like China who want to undermine America's status as the world's leading economic superpower have no business owning property on our own soil  especially near our military bases," Tester said in a statement Thursday.
Editor's note: Here is a look at immigration-related news around the U.S. this week. Questions? Tips? Comments? Email the VOA immigration team: ImmigrationUnit@voanews.com.

Explainer: Why Biden Is Sending Troops to US-Mexico Border

The Biden administration is sending 1,500 active-duty military personnel to the U.S.-Mexico border, as it expects an increase in migrant arrivals after May 11 when coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions, known as Title 42, end. Immigration reporter Aline Barros has the story.

US Homeland Security Chief Pledges Faster Processing of Immigration Cases

The U.S. Homeland Security chief on Sunday pledged to use existing U.S. immigration laws to process thousands of migrants expected to try to cross its southwestern border with Mexico starting May 12. That is one day after President Joe Biden's administration ends its use of a law linked to the coronavirus pandemic to quickly expel undocumented arrivals for health reasons. VOA's Ken Bredemeier has the story.

Biden Sends 1,500 Troops to Southern Border, Expects Migrant Surge

The Biden administration will send 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border ahead of an expected migrant surge following the end of coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions, Pentagon press secretary Brigadier General Pat Ryder said in a statement Tuesday. The Associated Press reports.

Colorado Restaurant Serves Taste of Ukraine

The Molotov Kitschen + Cocktails, one of the first Ukrainian restaurants in Denver, Colorado, opened its doors in January. The venue's owner is the grandson of Ukrainian immigrants, and every dish is a tribute to his family. Svitlana Prystynska has the story.

VOA60 Africa: UN Says Over 330,000 People Internally Displaced in Sudan

More than 100,000 refugees have crossed from Sudan to neighboring countries to escape fighting between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, U.N. officials said Tuesday. Additionally, 334,053 people have so far been displaced within the country since April 15.

Around the world

China's Foreign Minister Makes Rare Visit to Myanmar Border

China's foreign minister called for stability and a crackdown on cross-border criminal activity along the country's border with Myanmar, during an unusual visit to the volatile region on Tuesday. The Associated Press reports.

More Than 800,000 Sudanese Refugees Expected to Flee to Neighboring Countries

Aid agencies are gearing up for what is expected to be a massive exodus of more than 800,000 refugees and returnees fleeing for safety from war-torn Sudan to neighboring countries at a time when U.N. humanitarian agencies and partners are facing a severe funding shortage. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.

Italian Conductor Muti to Visit Syrian Refugee Camp

Italian conductor Riccardo Muti plans to visit Syrian musicians living in the vast Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on the sidelines of his annual Roads of Friendship concert series that aims to use music to build bridges and help those affected by war. The Associated Press reports.

Goodbye, Bakhmut: Svetlana's Tale of Escape From City She Loves

It took Svetlana and her husband, Misha, 19 years to get their own apartment. It was on the seventh floor of a 10-story building, the highest in the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. This was in 1995, a few years after she exchanged her Soviet Union passport for a Ukrainian one at the local police station.

Their beloved apartment is now in the epicenter of the most violent battle of Russia's war in Ukraine to date. VOA's Middle East correspondent Heather Murdock reports.

UN Chief: Sudan Facing 'Humanitarian Catastrophe'

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed Wednesday for an end to the fighting in Sudan and called for international support for the Sudanese people, who he said are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Margaret Besheer, VOA's United Nations correspondent, has the story.

In brief

 The United States, Spain and Canada announced in a statement a joint commitment to Latin America, pledging to "promote safe, orderly, humane, and regular migration, and create economic and social opportunities and strengthen development options for the people of the region."
The World Food Program says it is struggling to get aid to Sudan's capital, Khartoum, and other areas seeing intense fighting and multiple failed cease-fires.

World Food Program spokeswoman for Sudan Leni Kinzli said Thursday the agency has started distributing food aid to people who have fled the fighting in what she described as peaceful locations.

Kinzli told VOA by messaging app from Germany the WFP plans to provide food aid to 384,000 people.

She said the aid would go to Sudans eastern Kasala and Gedaref states as well as White Nile state, south of Khartoum.

This includes newly displaced persons, host communities that are extremely vulnerable as well as pre-existing refugees that were sheltering in some of these states, said Kinzli.

Kinzli said intense fighting in and around Khartoum has prevented safe access the area, where millions of people are struggling to survive.

The Associated Press reports heavy shelling in the Sudanese capital Thursday disrupted efforts to deliver badly needed aid to civilians trapped by the warring generals.

Sudans military and its rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, have agreed to a few cease-fires, but none have taken hold.

Kinzli urged both sides to guarantee the safety of aid agencies to deliver assistance.

It makes it very difficult for us to provide assistance safely, so we continue to call on both parties to the conflict to adhere to the cease-fire and to all obligations under international humanitarian law, to protect humanitarian staff, humanitarian assistance and all assets and premises that are belonging to humanitarian organizations," said Kinzli.

The fighting since April 15 has killed hundreds of people and sent hundreds of thousands fleeing for safety.

The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said Thursday more than 128,000 people have already left Sudan and close to 900,000 are expected to flee to neighboring countries in the coming weeks.

Kinzli said WFP has already provided food aid to more than one-third of the 30,000 Sudanese who fled to Chad.

The UNHCR said similar numbers have fled to South Sudan, 47,000 to Egypt, and about 10,000 to the Central African Republic.
The World Health Organization has declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be over as a global health emergency.



However, that does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, said Friday. This virus is here to stay. It is killing, and it is still changing. The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths.



The first known outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in November 2019 in Wuhan, China. When the WHO declared COVID a public health emergency of international concern on January 30, 2020, there were fewer than 100 reported cases, and no reported deaths outside China.



In the three years since then, the number of global COVID deaths reported to WHO has risen to nearly 7 million, though the true death toll, according to Tedros, is several times higher, reaching at least 20 million.



COVID-19 has turned our world upside down, he said, severely disrupting health systems, causing severe economic and social upheaval, and plunging millions into poverty.



But for more than a year now, he said, the pandemic has been on a downward trend, with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection, mortality decreasing, and the pressure on health systems easing.



He noted these were among the many reasons he decided to take the advice of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee to lower the level of alarm and declare an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency of international concern.



Didier Houssin, chair of the IHR committee, said only two or three people on the 18-member committee displayed any hesitation about declaring an end to the pandemic as a global threat.



He acknowledged that many uncertainties remained, particularly regarding the evolution of the virus, which he said continued to circulate in every country as the pandemic continued.



Houssin said the committee also expressed concern about the big gaps in surveillance, reporting and health care, particularly in the most vulnerable countries.



However, the situation has markedly improved, with less mortality and an increased immunity against the virus, an immunity which is vaccine-induced or naturally induced, and a better access to diagnosis, vaccines and treatment, he said.



Houssin emphasized that after more than three years, it was time to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused so much suffering, with new tools and new ambitions, underscoring the need to prepare for future pandemics.

The battle is not over

Mike Ryan, executive director of WHOs health emergencies program, said this virus would continue to persist and threaten, but at a much lower levels of impact, tragedy, hospitalization and death.



We have got control over the virus by applying the science, and by applying the hard-won lessons we have learned from this pandemic, Ryan said.



We now need to move on to the next phase. The battle is not over. We still have weaknesses, and those weaknesses that we still have in our system will be exposed by this virus or another virus, and it needs to be fixed, he said.



While the public health emergency might be over, he observed that in most cases, pandemics truly end when the next pandemic begins, which means that the world must prepare for what is to come.



His colleague, Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical lead on COVID-19, picked up on this theme, warning that the virus was evolving. While we are not in a crisis mode, we cannot let our guard down. Epidemiologically, this virus will continue to cause waves, she said.



What we are hopeful of is that we have the tools in place to ensure that the future waves do not result in more severe disease, do not result in waves of death, and we can do that with the tools we have at hand, she said. We just have to make sure that we are tracking the virus, because it will continue to evolve.



WHO chief Tedros said, The virus is here to stay and  it is time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing COVID-19 alongside other infectious diseases.



He said the world must prepare for the next pandemic that surely will come and move forward with a shared commitment to meet shared threats with a shared response.
When it comes to his countrys ties with Japan, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol wants to look to the future. But if South Korean public reaction is any indication, that may be difficult without further moves by Japan to address the past.



Yoon in March took unilateral steps to improve relations between South Korea and Japan, which had sunk to their lowest point in decades over a dispute related to Japans use of forced labor during its brutal 1910-1945 occupation of the Korean Peninsula.



Under a proposal unveiled by Yoon, Korean forced labor victims will receive compensation via a private foundation. Crucially, the foundation will be funded by South Korean companies, rather than Japanese businesses, as mandated by a 2018 ruling by South Koreas Supreme Court.



Japan welcomed the move; so did the United States, which has long urged the two countries to resolve their differences and work together on shared challenges, such as North Korea and China. But the reaction was much harsher in Seoul.



About 60% of South Koreans oppose Yoons Japan approach, opinion polls suggest. Many forced labor victims and their families, as well as the countrys liberal opposition, accuse Yoon of diplomatic surrender, saying he should instead demand reparations and an apology from Japan.

Such touchy historical issues are likely to come up during Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas two-day visit to Seoul, which begins Sunday. But Tokyo has given no indication it will make any concessions on the forced labor issue, raising questions about whether Yoons outreach will outlast his presidency.



Im very doubtful, said Moon Chung-in, a Seoul-based international relations scholar and former adviser to multiple left-leaning South Korean governments. Because President Yoon has not really built up the national consensus to conduct this diplomatic initiative toward Japan.



Closely watched visit



Kishidas stop in Seoul  the first by a Japanese prime minister in five years  follows Yoon's visit to Tokyo in March.



During that visit, the two leaders announced a series of measures aimed at improving cooperation on trade, security, and diplomacy. Similar steps may be announced during Kishidas visit.



But without progress on sensitive historical issues, many analysts warn it may be impossible to place Yoons outreach on a more stable footing at home.



What is somewhat frustrating  is actually how little Kishida would have to do to put a solid floor under these attempts to improve relations, said Daniel Sneider, lecturer of international policy at Stanford University. That starts with whatever language he uses when hes in Seoul to talk about the past.



South Korean desires



During Yoons visit to Tokyo, Kishida did not offer a new apology for Japans wartime history. Instead, he reaffirmed that Tokyo upholds the position of previous governments, including a 1998 declaration that included an apology.



That was not nearly enough for many South Koreans  including even some of Yoons conservative allies, who had urged Kishida to express his own heartfelt remorse.



To use his own words  to speak with some degree of individual sincerity and responsibility about the past  I think that can make a big difference, Sneider said.



Many South Koreans hope Kishida will also encourage, or at least speak positively about, the idea of Japanese companies contributing to the South Korean forced labor fund.



Japans position



But none of that is likely, says Tetsuo Kotani, senior fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs.

Prime Minister Kishida repeated our past statements on history, and this is the maximum that a current Japanese political leader can do, Kotani said. If any Japanese prime minister says something beyond that, then Japanese conservative politicians could make a lot of noise.



Many Japanese conservatives doubt Yoon can deliver on his promise to improve relations. In the past, conservative South Korean presidents have attempted to strengthen ties, only to criticize Japan once their approval ratings sank, said Kotani.



Just one year into his single, five-year presidential term, Yoons approval rating is already very low and South Koreas liberal opposition dominates the countrys legislature. If his political fate worsens, Japanese conservatives fear Yoon will "play the Japan card and try to exploit historical grievances, Kotani said.



Japan insists the forced labor and all other compensation issues were resolved by a 1965 treaty that established bilateral relations and offered South Korea economic help. Additionally, multiple Japanese governments have issued apologies.



The extent of Japans colonial abuses, however, was only discovered decades later in some cases, leading to a wave of South Korean demands for individual compensation.



Additionally, many South Koreans say that Japans apologies were insincere, given later attempts by prominent Japanese conservatives to deny or downplay colonial-era atrocities.



Forward looking



Though Yoon faces enormous political pressure to take a tougher stance on Japan, so far there are no signs he will give in.



During his Tokyo summit, Yoon said he has no plans to seek reimbursement from Japan after compensating forced labor victims.



In an interview with The Washington Post last month, Yoon said he cannot accept the notion that Japan "must kneel [for forgiveness] because of our history 100 years ago."



Instead, Yoon has argued, future-oriented cooperation with Japan is necessary to preserve freedom, peace and prosperity in northeast Asia.



But even if Koreans agree with Yoon on the need for a closer strategic relationship with Japan, they are not ready to just throw the past aside, according to Sneider, who urges Kishida to use the upcoming visit to take a conciliatory approach to historical issues.



This is not hard to do. Not hard. And its the right thing to do, Sneider said. Its the morally, politically, geo-strategically right thing to do.
HARARE (Reuters) - Inside a grimy, poorly lit room in Mbare, one of Zimbabwe's most populous townships, a 45-year-old man sits on a makeshift stool as he pours a brownish liquid into small bottles.

An alcoholic stench fills the room.

The Mbare resident is one of Zimbabwe "backyard brewers" who are making fake whiskies, brandy, vodka and other spirits to make ends meet amid fading hopes for economic prosperity.

"My life changed when I got into this business," said the brewer, a former heavy machinery mechanic who did not want to be identified by name. "I left the (mechanics) industry because it was not paying much anymore."

Made from ethanol concentrate and diluted with large amounts of water and then mixed with a brown colouring mainly from baking products, the home-made brew has become popular among young people looking for cheap alcohol in bars in the townships.

A 250 ml bottle of the brew, which imitates brands like Two Keys, Jack Daniels, King Stallion Brandy, retails at $0.50.

"We always check to see which label has more demand at any given time and make that," said the brewer who ventured into business in 2011 in what he said now was a crowded market.

"We make the same (alcohol) but put different labels," he added, chuckling.

Authorities have warned the practice is putting lives as risk, because the home brewers have no mechanism to test the alcohol content accurately.

Police are now frequently conducting raids to clamp down on the brewing businesses.

"Wherever we find substances like illicit alcohol, we act," police spokesperson Paul Nyathi told Reuters, adding those arrested are charged with possession of dangerous drugs.

Since January of this year, police have arrested 4,000 suspects countrywide, said Nyathi.

"The police raid us every day ... business is not the same," said the brewer. "It is now dangerous to display our products."

Civil society groups say alcohol and drug abuse in Zimbabwe is on the rise amid economic hardships, with the fake alcohol contributing to the scourge.

But there is no official data as to the number of people suffering from substance addiction in the country. Zimbabwe does not have publicly run substance abuse rehabilitation centres.

"The evidence on the ground points to a lot of illicit alcohol use," said Knowledge Mupembe, a program officer at Zimbabwe Civil Liberties and Drug Network. "We advocate for the establishment of public and affordable rehabilitation centres."

Reporting by Nyasha Chingono; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Alison Williams
New developments:

Russia highly likely unable to protect its vast rail system from sabotage uptick, according to British Defense Ministry.

Ukraine shoots down its own malfunctioning drone over Kyiv.

Kyiv, Odesa targeted by Russian missiles and drones.

The Wagner Group chief said Friday he is withdrawing his fighters from the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut on May 10 because they do not have enough ammunition.

Yevgeny Prigozhin said that without ammunition his private military units are doomed to a senseless death.

Prigozhin has complained for some time that his mercenaries in Ukraine have not received enough support from Russia.

Meanwhile, video has emerged for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation assembly in Ankara of a Russian and a Ukrainian delegate scuffling, after the Ukrainian flag was grabbed from the Ukrainian delegate, to prevent the flag from being in the background while a Russian official was being interviewed.

The British Defense Ministry attributed a recent uptick in Russian rail accidents in areas bordering Ukraine to sabotage committed by unknown actors.

In the report posted on Twitter on Friday, the ministry said the attacks have almost certainly resulted in short-term localized disruption of Russia military rail movements.

Russias Railway Troop Brigades can quickly restore the lines, the ministry said. However, Russias internal security forces will be subjected to increasing pressure and will highly likely remain unable to fully protect Russias vast and vulnerable rail networks from attack.

Meanwhile, Ukraine shot down one of its own drones that was malfunctioning over central Kyiv on Thursday evening.

nitial reports from government officials said the Bayraktar TB2 unmanned aerial vehicle was an enemy drone, but later the air force said that the vehicle was Ukrainian.

The air force said in a statement that the uncontrolled presence of the drone in the sky could have led to undesirable consequences.

There were no reports of any injuries when the drone was shot down.

Earlier Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he is convinced Russian President Vladimir Putin would eventually face an international war crimes trial for Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

In a speech at the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Zelenskyy said, "Only one Russian crime led to all of these crimes: this is the crime of aggression, the start of evil, the primary crime. There should be responsibility for this crime."

The ICC in March issued an arrest warrant for Putin on a war crimes charge involving the alleged deportation and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia. Zelenskyy said Putin "deserves to be sentenced for these criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law."

"And I'm sure we will see that happen when we win. And we will win," he said.

The ICC cannot prosecute the crime of war aggression itself. But Zelenskyy appealed for a full-fledged tribunal to prosecute that overarching crime.

"If we want true justice, we should not look for excuses and should not refer to the shortcomings of the current international law but make bold decisions that will correct  shortcomings that unfortunately exist in international law," he said.

Zelenskyy was welcomed outside the ICC building by the court's president, Poland's Piotr Hofmanski. The court staff crowded at windows to watch Zelenskyy's arrival and raised a Ukrainian flag next to the court's own flag outside the building.

The ICC said in a March 18 statement that Putin "is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of [children] and that of unlawful transfer of [children] from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation."

But the chances of Putin standing trial in The Hague are remote. The court does not have a police force to execute its warrants, and the Russian leader is unlikely to travel to any of the ICC's 123 member states that are under an obligation to arrest him if they can. Neither the U.S. nor Russia recognizes the authority of the court.

Zelenskyy's speech came a day after he denied that Ukrainian forces were responsible for what the Russian government alleged was an attempt to assassinate Putin in a drone attack on the Kremlin. Moscow promised retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act.

Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday accused the United States of being behind the alleged attack. He said Russia was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington."

"And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

In Washington, U.S. national security spokesman John Kirby rejected the Russian accusation, telling MSNBC, "I can assure you that there was no involvement by the United States.  We had nothing to do with this, so Peskov is just lying there, pure and simple."

U.S. officials also have voiced skepticism about the attack itself, including whether it was possibly staged by Moscow. "I would take anything coming out of the Kremlin with a very large shaker of salt," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

On the battlefront, Ukraine's military claimed three Russian drones that hit the southern city of Odesa early Thursday had "for Moscow" and "for the Kremlin" written on them, seemingly signaling the drone attacks were specifically retaliatory. Also, Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, was the target of an air attack for the third time in four days.

Ukraine's Air Force said it intercepted 18 of the 24 Iranian-made drones launched by Russian forces in various regions. No casualties were reported.

Fuel depot fires

A product storage area at a refinery in southern Russia caught fire after a drone attack Thursday. However, the Russian Tass news agency said the fire at the Ilsky refinery, near the Black Sea port of Novorossiisk in the Krasnodar region was put out after two hours and the facility was now working normally.

Wednesday, Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russias southwestern Krasnodar region, said on the messaging app Telegram that a fuel depot in the village of Volna was targeted by a drone. He said there were no reports of casualties from the fire.

Volna is near the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait that separates mainland Russia from the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The bridge, which is a vital link for Russias military to transport supplies to its soldiers in Ukraine, was partially destroyed by a truck bomb last October that Moscow blamed on Kyiv.

Wednesdays fuel depot fire comes after a suspected drone attack last Saturday on an oil depot in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol.

The British Defense ministry in its daily intelligence update posted on Twitter said the attacks on Russian fuel depots in occupied Ukraine and the Russia Ukraine border area will likely force adjustments to Russias military refueling operations to mitigate targeting.

Some material in this report came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
LONDON, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Key Takeaways-

BEMR_Logo

This powder coatings market is anticipated to amplify with a CAGR of +7% over the assessment timeline.

The market will be influenced by two major factors - the imposition of stringent regulations aimed at reducing VOC emissions and the encouragement of the use of powder coatings through government initiatives.

Asia Pacific and North America to dominate the market in terms of revenue share.

Lower VOC emissions compared to liquid paints offer a strong business opportunity for market players, as they can comply easily as well as economically with the regulations of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Get Sample of Report@ https://brandessenceresearch.com/downloadSample/PostId/2390

Competitive Hierarchy

The powder coatings market is dominated by a limited number of international players holding a significant share and numerous local players operating in individual countries. The major players in this market include Axalta Coating Systems LLC, Akzo Nobel NV, PPG Industries Inc., Jotun, and The Sherwin-Williams Company.

Segmental Outlook

The powder coatings market is divided into various segments based on resin type, end-user industry, and geography.

The market is categorized by resin type into epoxy, acrylic, polyurethane, polyester, epoxy-polyester, and other resin types.

Based on the end-user industry, the market is segmented into automotive, architecture and decorative, industrial, and other industries.

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Region-Wise Outlook

Asia Pacific

The Asia Pacific region held the largest revenue share of the powder coatings market. The growth in infrastructure development in countries like China and India is anticipated to drive the demand for powder coating in architectural applications, such as aluminum extrusions utilized in kitchen windows, building facades, and doorframes. Nevertheless, the preference towards anodized aluminum extrusion is likely to hamper the overall powder coating's demand in architectural applications particularly in the Asia Pacific region in the near future.

Story continues

North America

The North American market is expected to experience an increase in demand for powder coatings, mainly due to the growing automotive industry and rising concerns over VOC emissions released from coatings used in automobile production.

Elaborating The Key Trends and Dynamics of This Industry

Coatings serve a dual purpose of providing color and texture while also protecting and extending the shelf life of various objects. Powder coatings, in particular, offer several advantages over other types of coatings, including lower operating costs, immediate availability, minimal VOC emissions, consistent appearance, and even thickness. Additionally, they are easy to apply in thick layers, resulting in a smooth and uniform finish.

Major Growth Drivers

The architectural and building market is experiencing rapid growth in the use of powder coatings, largely due to their durability. This growth is further propelled by the expansion of polyester resin technology, particularly in the form of stable, low-gloss formulas, which has created opportunities for powder coating in the architectural market. With a wide range of colors and finishes available, many construction companies are now turning to powder coatings to provide long-lasting exterior finishes for outdoor venues and public works projects.

Challenges

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the production of raw materials used in the manufacturing of coatings and paints. Several major economies in the Asia Pacific region, including Japan, India, China, Thailand, and Singapore, are centers for the paints and coatings manufacturing industry. The pandemic has greatly impacted the supply of these raw materials negatively.

Opportunities

The rising population and increased disposable income of consumers have led to a surge in demand for various products such as furniture, automobiles, industrial and household appliances, electronics, and agricultural equipment. Powder coatings are being widely used to coat surfaces of these products, such as pipes, engine parts, metal parts used in household appliances, and others. Therefore, the growing demand for finished goods has resulted in an increasing demand for powder coatings in these countries.

Restraints

Faraday's cage effect: The application of powder coatings in certain areas, such as inside corners, can be challenging as it may impair the leveling and film flow. In addition, the "Faraday's cage effect" can occur, resulting in a low film thickness in these areas. This effect happens when electrically charged particles are attracted to the nearest point on the surface, causing fewer lines of powder to reach the deeper areas of the surface. As a result, thinner layers are formed in these areas, leading to potential coating defects. To overcome this limitation, solvent coatings such as paints are used to coat the substrate edges where powder coatings cannot be applied. However, this has restricted the growth of the powder coatings market, adversely affecting its growth.

On Special Requirement Powder Coatings Market Report is also available for below region:

North America

U.S, Canada

Europe

Germany, France, U.K., Italy, Spain, Sweden, Netherland, Turkey, Switzerland, Belgium, Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific

South Korea, Japan, China, India, Australia, Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Rest Of APAC

Latin America

Mexico, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Rest of Latin America

Middle East and Africa

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt, South Africa, Rest Of MEA

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Major Developments

Launches

In August 2022, PPG announced its plan to invest USD 11 million in doubling the manufacturing capacity of its powder coatings factory located in San Juan del Rio, Mexico. With the expansion project expected to be completed by mid-2023, the factory will be capable of meeting Mexico's projected demand for powder coatings.

In May 2022, AkzoNobel Powder Coatings unveiled a new range of ready-to-ship (RTS) powder coatings, primarily targeted towards the North American market. This range incorporates AkzoNobel's well-known powder coating brands, Resicoat and Interpon, and is specifically designed to cater to time-sensitive coating projects.

Acquisitions

In April 2022, PPG Industries acquired the powder coatings division of Arsonsisi, an industrial coatings company headquartered in Milan, Italy. Through this acquisition, PPG gains access to a state-of-the-art, highly automated powder production facility in Italy that is capable of producing both small and large batches of powder coatings.

Partnerships

In April 2021, a subsidiary of the Jababeka Group, PT Jababeka Morotai, partnered with the OISCA International College Foundation (OISCA International) to develop the Morotai Special Economic Zone (KEK) in the North Maluku Province of Indonesia. As part of this collaboration, a World War II monument and supporting facilities will be constructed within the KEK.

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SOURCE Brandessence Market Research and Consulting Private Limited
Tri-County Health Care will host a Community Mask Distribution on Wednesday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Wesley parking lot.
Carrie Fisher and Billie Lourd. Photo: Matt Baron/Shutterstock

The Hollywood Walk of Fame will honor the late Star Wars legend Carrie Fisher on the franchises holiday, May the Fourth, though the air will not be clear (for reasons other than L.A. smog).

Billie Lourd, Fishers daughter, confirmed that she did not invite the actors siblings to the event over their decision to capitalize on her death. They know why, she wrote in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter after rumors about invites began circulating earlier this week. Days after my mom died, her brother and her sister chose to process their grief publicly and capitalize on my mothers death, by doing multiple interviews and selling individual books for a lot of money, with my mom and my grandmothers deaths as the subject, Lourd added, noting that she only found out about her aunt and uncles activities through the press. Though I recognize they have every right to do whatever they choose, their actions were very hurtful to me at the most difficult time in my life. I chose to and still choose to deal with her loss in a much different way. Lourd apologized to those who felt the need to defend her decision and chose to write a statement only after her family had publicly attacked her, she said.

Fishers brother, Todd Fisher, responded to Lourds accusations with a statement defending his actions. We made every attempt to speak with Billies team regarding the invitation prior to making any public comments, he wrote, saying his goal was to keep the focus on Fisher. I never capitalized on either Carrie or my mother Debbies deaths, and in no way meant to hurt Billie  and that is the truth. Billies father was well aware months in advance of my book.

It appears a detente is not on the horizon anytime soon.
Hayley Kiyoko. Photo: Kristy Sparow/Getty Images

Hayley Kiyoko is no stranger to performing with drag queens, but her Nashville show on May 3 was different. There, Kiyoko brought out two local drag queens, despite a warning from police over Tennessees drag ban during rehearsals. The lesbian pop musician chronicled the performance on Instagram, beginning with attending a drag show on a day off in Nashville, being brought onstage, and planning to return the favor at her show for Lady LiberTea and Ivy St. James. But during rehearsals, she said, an undercover cop at the venue told her performing with the queens could result in legal action, since her show was all ages. (The drag ban was temporarily blocked by a judge last month; a police spokesperson disputed Kiyokos account to CBS News, citing the judgment.) In videos recorded at the time, a tearful Kiyoko said, Im just devastated. This is not right, not okay.

Before the show, Kiyoko said she told the drag queens about the warning. They showed no fear and said they wanted to continue with the show and come out on stage, she wrote. So they did. She went on to thank them for performing, writing, You looked radiant and truly inspire me.
Photo-Illustration: Vulture. Photos: Photos: ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images, Steve Granitz/FilmMagic,

Movie theaters arent the only place Nicole Kidman comes to for magic. As Variety first reported in January, the face of the culture-shifting AMC Theatres ad has joined the cast of a new TV project. This week, Vanity Fair finally shared our first look at Special Ops: Lioness, a spy drama from Yellowstone co-creator Taylor Sheridan that follows different levels of a team that sends women around the world as undercover operatives. Set to air on Paramount+, the show is based on a real-life CIA program  one might even say its so true. Kidman plays Kaitlyn Meade, a CIA senior supervisor who manages high-ranking government officials played by the likes of Morgan Freeman and Michael Kelly. Zoe Saldana stars as Joe, the station chief who is in charge of training the Lioness programs young recruits for on-the-ground missions. The new generation of oper includes a passionate Marine named Cruz Manuelo (Locke & Keys Laysla De Oliveira), who hopes to take down a terrorist organization by befriending the daughter (1883s Stephanie Nur) of a billionaire thought to be funding the terrorists.

#Lioness is the newest saga in the Sheridan-verse: a drama focused on women who commit themselves to the protection of othersbut can also be ferociously deadly.



Theres power in having a female identity, Nicole Kidman tells VF.



: https://t.co/lajHYSi5RT pic.twitter.com/DVgwV3wM8j  VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) May 4, 2023

According to Variety, the full Lioness cast also includes Jill Wagner, Dave Annable, LaMonica Garrett, James Jordan, Austin Hebert, Hannah Love Lanier, and Jonah Wharton. Sheridan, who created the series, will executive produce alongside cast members Kidman, Saldana, and Wagner. Although no official release date has been shared yet, the show is expected to debut at some point during summer 2023. Saldana let slip to Vanity Fair that she was worried about signing onto a multi-seasonal show when Sheridan approached her about Lioness. Were just glad that Kidmans next AMC commercial doesnt seem to have caused any filming delays.

This post has been updated.
DUBLIN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The "Precision Irrigation Market - A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Product, Application, and Country Analysis - Analysis and Forecast, 2022-2027" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

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The global precision irrigation market was valued at $2,238.7 million in 2022 and is forecast to reach $4,471.2 million by 2027 at a CAGR of 14.84%.

Owing to the growing demand for food and grains, the growth in the precision irrigation market is expected to be driven by the increasing adoption of digital and smart agriculture equipment and technologies.

Some of the primary benefits related to precision irrigation market in the agricultural field include yield monitoring and field mapping, crop scouting, weather tracking and forecasting, irrigation management, and farm economics.

The precision irrigation market is in a growth phase. Since 2010, the adoption of precision irrigation has increased, especially by medium and large-scale farmers. Increased awareness regarding the benefits of precision irrigation market has increased the adoption rate of these solutions. High technological advancement in some regions of the world is another driver toward the adoption of precision irrigation by farmers.

In precision irrigation, by delivering water and nutrients directly to the roots of plants, farmers can cultivate healthier crops and get bigger yields, which helps them to meet the growing demand for food without using up limited resources. This enhances the wide acceptance of precision irrigation among farmers.

Precision irrigation enables farmers to increase profitability by achieving higher yields per hectare, better-quality crops, while using less water, fertilizer, and energy. It helps farmers save water and reduce their water bills by avoiding over-watering their crops, which can lead to water waste and increased costs.

Market Segmentation

Precision irrigation is used in several applications, such as on-field and controlled environment agriculture, including greenhouse and indoor farming. The demand for precision irrigation for on-field was the largest in 2021 and is expected to remain a major application segment during the forecast period.

Story continues

The two major methods of precision irrigation are drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation. In 2021, drip irrigation was the largest method and is projected to remain so until 2027.

The market share is dominated by hardware solutions. Automation and control systems, sensing and imaging systems, and others make up the bulk of the hardware systems for precision irrigation solutions.

Asia-Pacific generated the highest revenue of $584.0 million in 2021, which is attributed to the large-scale adoption of advanced technologies and an increasing number of precision irrigation startups backed by the government, institutional, and corporate funding in the region.

Key Market Players and Competition Synopsis

The companies that are profiled have been selected based on inputs gathered from primary experts and analyzing the company's coverage, product portfolio, and market penetration.

Recent Developments in Global Precision Irrigation Market

In June 2022, Rivulis and Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.'s subsidiary Jain International Trading merged with an aim to have definitive transaction agreements.

In February 2022, CALSENSE introduced irrigation management as a service or IMaaS. IMaaS consists of a unique and valuable way of irrigation management, which removes the need for customers to secure funds for purchasing smart irrigation controllers, sensors, and software.

In May 2022, HUNTER INDUSTRIES launched a 12"" eco-indicator that offers greater visibility from a distance. Eco-Indicator makes it quicker and easier to verify system operation from afar. The rugged 12"" device also provides a convenient visual signal when the system is pressurized also running. Its further elevated height offers a clear line of sight over tall shrubs, flowers, as well as grasses.

In March 2022, HydroPoint and Aliaxis partnered for smart water management. Through this partnership, Aliaxis and HydroPoint joined forces in the field of smart irrigation systems along with leak and flow monitoring services for the building industry. The new partnership would further allow both companies to build upon each other's strengths.

Industry Outlook

Market Strategies and Developments

Business Strategies

Product Developments and Innovations

Market Developments

Corporate Strategies

Mergers and Acquisitions

Partnerships, Collaborations, and Joint Ventures

Snapshot of Corporate Strategies Adopted by the Key Players in Global Precision Irrigation Market

Ongoing Trends

Growing Popularity of Precision Irrigation as a Service

Precision Irrigation as a Tool for Sustainable Agriculture

Ecosystem/Ongoing Programs

Consortiums and Associations

Government Initiatives Landscape

Business Opportunities

Focus on Low-Cost Precision Irrigation Solutions to Enter Untapped Markets

Rise in Adoption of Robots and Drones in Precision Irrigation

Business Drivers

Need for Optimal Water Usage in Agriculture

Decreasing Labor Force in Agriculture

Increasing Adoption of Fertigation and Chemigation

Business Challenges

High Initial Investment

Lack of Technological Infrastructure

Competitive Benchmarking & Company Profiles

Rivulis

CALSENSE

Galcon

Holman Industries

HUNTER INDUSTRIES

HydroPoint

Jain Irrigation Systems Ltd.

K-Rain

Lindsay Corporation

Nelson Irrigation

NETAFIM

Rachio inc.

Rain Bird Corporation

The Toro Company

Valmont Industries, Inc.

Trimble Inc.

Prospera Technologies

CropX Inc.

Pycno

Arable

Acuity Agriculture

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/yggufy

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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.

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SOURCE Research and Markets
Photo: Comedy Central

We didnt know what we had when we had it, did we, folks? With the WGA strike in full effect, the majority of late night has ground to a halt. WWHL is still going, for those who need to know what Kristen Doute thinks, but the network shows have gone dark and will probably stay that way for a long time. Gone are the chances for stars to plug Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (I bet Guillermo would have made Zoe Saldana drink tequila from a Groot-head shot glass). Molly Shannon cant visit an old SNL castmate to promote The Other Two. And a whole avenue to see stand-up comedy is shuttered for the foreseeable future. The Late Late Show made its exit just before the strike was set to start, going out by destroying James Cordens desk and doing one last prime-time special.

Last time there was a writers strike, in November 2007, late-night TV halted for two months, then hosts returned without writers at the start of the New Year. Conan OBrien wasted everyones time by twirling his wedding ring, and everyone grew beards. David Lettermans Worldwide Pants was instrumental in ending the strike by making its own deal with the WGA against the wishes of the AMPTP. Other production companies followed suit, helping end the strike 46 days later.

Late night is the front line of the WGA strike in a few different ways. It was the first format affected by the lack of writers, as those motherfuckers have to write new jokes for every awful thing that happens in our late-stage capitalist nightmare. Late night is also often the first gig a newbie comedy writer gets  and its a very tough first job. Brilliant minds turn out wild shit for us to fall asleep to every day, and Monday was the last time theyd get the chance to do it for a minute. Heres the best segment from every shows last episode.

The Daily Show

Its a shame the strike kicked off during Dulce Sloans week hosting The Daily Show, because she seemed immediately at home at the desk. Her one and only chance doing Headlines was polished, poised, and somehow also raunchy as hell. She knocked it out of the park. Roy Wood Jr. came in for a supporting slot, and their chemistry was wonderful. If Comedy Central hasnt picked a new permanent host by the time the strike ends, I hope Sloan gets to finish out her curtailed week.

Late Night With Seth Meyers

Seth Meyers is a delightful interviewer, because he does not fight people to stay on topic. He is along for the ride, and Parker Posey is always going to take people on a ride. They discussed attending Chris Kattans shockingly star-studded wedding and how New York restaurants dont let you sneak in wine anymore. Poseys current project, Beau Is Afraid? Touched on, but not devoted to.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert

Like Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert acknowledged the likely strike Monday night, thanking his writers and standing with his Guild. He also read some jokes about things that are likely to happen in the future, including a Barbie movie sex scene, ChatGPT, and more beef between Disney and Ron DeSantis. That shitshow writes itself.

Jimmy Kimmel Live!

We rarely talk about the music of late night in this column, but when Bebe Rexha dresses up as a bedazzled pot leaf, you have to acknowledge it. The writers strike is also getting in the way of audacious musical performances like this one from the last Jimmy Kimmel Live! This is exactly the sort of thing you want to see on your TV at one in the morning. Thank you, production staff of Kimmel, for your service.

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon

The Tonight Show went out with a bang, bringing on BTSs Suga. The audience girlies were loud. Jimmy Fallon played a game with Suga where both had to eat food and pretend it was yummy. But Suga wasnt entirely onboard, refusing to eat a spoonful of salt. Fallon took it in stride, and Sugas boundaries actually made the whole segment more fun. Thats the kind of self-respect we want to see on the picket line in the weeks to come!
Its true, its all true! Well, sort of. Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

Queen Charlotte opens by telling us, It is not a history lesson. It is fiction inspired by fact, a fair warning for history purists, who are encouraged to think of this Bridgerton spinoff as history adjacent. While the reality of King George III and Queen Charlotte does not exactly match the show, recorded history does tell us that they were two people who loved each other very much, had 15 children together, and even slept in the same bed when that was quite outside the norm for their class. The facts of their relationship may not include a societal shift regarding race (unfortunately), but 18th-century England was a gossipy, funny, inventive place, and the more you read about it, the more Queen Charlottes world will feel familiar. Heres what history tells us about the points in the series where fact and fiction meet.

A Black Queen and the Great Experiment

What we see: Charlottes very brown skin comes as a surprise to Georges mother despite being told the queen-to-be has Moor blood. (Charlotte and her brother, the ruler of Mecklenburg-Strelitz in Northern Germany, are played by actors who identify as Scottish Nigerian and mixed-race.) So Princess Augusta scrambles to bring some other Black people to court, kicking off the series Great Experiment and introducing us to our beloved Lady Danbury and her husband, originally from Sierra Leone.

What history tells us: There is no real evidence that Charlotte or her family were Black or had any even semi-recent ancestors who were (although if youd like to read about the shaky theory behind this, here you are). While Lady Danbury and the Great Experiment are fictional, England did have a relationship with Lord and Lady Danburys home country  its just an extremely bad one. In the 18th century, more than 400,000 people were abducted from Sierra Leone and sold by enslavers, many of them to British colonists. When the British did not want to deal with Black refugees from the American Revolution, they sent many of them to Sierra Leone, despite a large number having been born in America.

Bridgertons alternate reality has danced around the existence of the British transatlantic slave trade  which wasnt abolished until 1807, and colonial enslavement wasnt banned until 1833  but its worth noting that England and Europe have always had Black residents of varying social status. During George IIIs reign, Dido Elizabeth Belle, the daughter of a rear admiral in the British navy and an enslaved African woman, came to live in London. Her cousin was a British aristocrat, but Dido herself was not out in society. Other known Londoners of the time included writers and abolitionists Olaudah Equiano and Ottobah Cuguano, as well as composer Ignatius Sancho. To read more about the presence of Black people in Europe, check out Black and British by David Olusoga, Black Tudors by Miranda Kaufmann, and African Europeans by Olivette Otele.

An Unexpected Royal Marriage

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: George and Charlotte are made to marry, courtesy of Augusta and Charlottes brother, and Charlotte has no idea why the king of England wants to marry her, a princess from a tiny province in Germany. He could marry anyone, she says! Her brother tells her there is no good reason, although we learn its part of the Great Experiment.

What history tells us: Regarding Charlottes befuddlement, I SPUTTERED during this show revelation. Doesnt know why?? I exclaimed. (1) George chose Charlotte from a list. Was she initially his last choice on that list? Sure, but he decided correctly in the end, and no one made him. (2) George had to marry a princess, which means no one from England, and a Protestant, so that basically left Germany (and Scandinavia, but were not getting into that). George is part of the Hanover dynasty, which is when Queen Anne of The Favourite fame died and left no heirs, despite going through 17 pregnancies (can you imagine), so her second cousin from now-Germany came over and became king. That was George I. His son George II also grew up in Germany, and when George II died, here we have George III. So in brief, no, marrying a German princess was not a surprise.

George IIIs Mother and That Man Whos Always Hanging Around

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: In the show, Lord Bute is constantly there, hovering around Augusta and dictating the terms of the Great Experiment. His relationship with Augusta is never clearly defined.

What history tells us: Georges mother Augusta, a.k.a. Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha (Im telling you, the German connection is strong!) married Frederick, the Prince of Wales, who died when George was 13. John Stuart, Third Earl of Bute, was a Scottish peer who was close friends with Frederick and who became Georges tutor, exposing him to natural philosophy, architecture, botany, and culture. Bute became prime minister for one year soon after George became king, and while weve established the Great Experiment was sadly not real, he did help end the Seven Years War. So thats something! As for his relationship with Princess Augusta, there were lots of rumors at the time, but accounts point to him being happily married with 11 children. Maybe he just liked power. And maybe Augusta was fun to hang out with, who knows.

Shirtless Farmer George

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: George spends a good amount of time shirtlessly farming and calls himself Farmer George. The implication is he would rather live a quiet life as a farmer instead of leading an empire. Makes sense.

What history tells us: George III did love farming! He, along with many English landowners, took part in an agricultural revolution, and his interest lasted at least until his mental health severely deteriorated. (More on that in a moment.) He also did have the nickname Farmer George, but this was maybe meant as an insult to his royal dignity. (Im not sure he would have taken it as one.) As one source notes, while Marie Antoinette and her court were pretending to be shepherdesses at Versailles, George was writing about cabbages, crop rotation, and manure, introducing new strains of sheep into England and pioneering modern practices. George took his duties as king very seriously, but they tended toward the paternal, hence his viewing of the United States as wayward children who needed to be brought back in line (which didnt work out so well for him).

I dunno about the shirtless part.

Charlottes Love of Pomeranians

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: After George gifts her a Pomeranian, Charlotte calls it a deformed bunny and only comes to love it when she realizes its significance. In later years, we see her constantly with a Pomeranian, similar to the late Elizabeth II and her corgis.

What history tells us: When Charlotte initially came to England, she brought Pomeranians with her. Pomerania bordered the duchy she came from (its now Poland and Western Germany), and the dogs were bred there. Fun fact: They are basically miniature sled dogs! Also, they are sometimes known as Zwergspitz, which is very fun to say with a pronounced German accent.

George and Charlottes 13 Useless Children

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: When the series present-day timeline kicks off, 13 of Charlotte and Georges 15 children have made it to adulthood, managing to produce one legitimate heir between all of them. When that heir dies, Charlotte orders them to shape up, get married, and start reproducing. As the series ends, Charlottes fourth son Edward and his wife Victoria announce theyre having a baby (spoiler: Its eventual country-grabber Queen Victoria).

What history tells us: Charlotte and George had nine sons and six daughters, but their two youngest sons died at ages 1 and 4. (When Georges mental-health condition took hold in force in later years, he would have conversations with these children.) As for the surviving children, one was in a 20-year relationship with an actress and had ten children with her, but none with his legal wife; one became queen of Wurttemberg; one was king of Hanover when Victoria became queen; one seems like he just kind of noodled around but had some positive social views; and one ended up having three children while married to a German (of course) princess, but they were born after Victoria, so no dice, Prince Adolphus. Of the six princesses, two never married, which is generally attributed to George wanting to keep them at home. Check out Princesses: The Six Daughters of George III by Flora Fraser to learn more about them.

Its true that only the prince regent had a legitimate heir, who then died. Princess Charlotte was the only child of the prince regent and his hated (by him) wife, Caroline of Brunswick. Her death did indeed spark a panic, as there were no other direct legitimate Hanoverian grandchildren until Victoria was born. (Side note: Charlotte died in childbirth; reproductive health is important!) The eventual Queen Victoria was born two years after Princess Charlotte passed and was her parents only child together, as her father died the year after she was born (her mother had two children from a previous marriage). Its also worth noting that Victorias father, Prince Edward, was 51 at the time of her birth, and not the callow youth with poet hair he appears as in the show.

The Madness of King George

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What we see: George is exhibiting symptoms of a mental-health condition well before his wedding in 1761, when he is at most 23 years old. This illness recurs with such frequency that he cannot be seen in public, avoids his new wife, and suffers physical torture from Dr. John Monro in an attempt to be cured. Charlotte is determined to find out whats going on and responds to George with care and compassion when she does.

What history tells us: Doctors and mental-health professionals try to be careful now when diagnosing someone directly in front of them, so its certainly difficult to armchair-diagnose a king who has been dead for over 200 years, but George III definitely lived with something that resulted in acute mania. The people of his time tried to do their best (after all, he was the king), but they were limited in their knowledge of how to treat him. For a long time, people thought that condition was porphyria, but that has recently been disputed to the point of dismissal. Now it is thought that his symptoms more closely align with bipolar I disorder. His acknowledged manic episodes took place starting when he was 50, and again at ages 63 and 66, with the final episode that triggered the Regency occurring in 1810 when George was 72. However! There was a suspected episode just five years after his coronation. Very little is known about it, but it seems to have been more on the depressive side of manic-depression. Theres nothing to indicate, though, that he had any other major episodes until he was in his 50s.

While its unclear how Charlotte reacted to Georges potential first episode early in their marriage, Georges first truly manic episode in 1788 terrified Charlotte, who refused to sleep in the same bed with him for the first time in their marriage and had him locked out of their room. The doctors blistered his scalp and legs and bled him with leeches, but it wasnt until Francis Willis started treating him that he showed signs of improvement (these two events are not necessarily linked). Willis, like Monro in the series, kept George from Charlotte and demanded total control of his treatment. It does not appear, however, that it was anywhere close to as bad as what the series shows  thats closer to what previous doctors had done. Willis did use gags and straitjackets at times (now tranquilizers would likely be used instead), but he promoted calm and stopped the emetics and purgatives, as well as the leeches. George was also encouraged to study Latin and do things like take apart and then reassemble watches, which he found helpful. George died of pneumonia in 1820, suffering from dementia, cataracts, and the condition he dealt with in the last decades of his life.

As for Dr. John Monro of Bethlem Hospital, that person did indeed exist! He and his son were asked in later decades to advise on the kings condition, but there is no evidence they privately treated him. Bethlem is more infamously known as Bedlam and acquired its dubious reputation during Monros leadership, where he continued the wisdom of the time, which included bleeding, purging, and vomiting treatments, as well as cold baths (which we do see in the series). This is a time when people were committed for being Methodists. So. Yknow. Not great.

A Royal Love Story

Photo: Nick Wall/Netflix

What we see: George and Charlotte meet, immediately marry (at the Royal Chapel in St. Jamess Palace), and soon fall in love, remaining as devoted to each other as they can for the rest of their lives.

What history tells us: Excuse me as I weep into my handkerchief, because its TRUE, ITS ALL TRUE. Okay. Well. The basic facts are: George was the first in his family to never take a mistress, and barring some aberrations that were a result of his mental health, from the time of his marriage he exhibited no interest in any other woman besides Charlotte. Early on in his first collapse, he told one of the queens ladies that The queen is my physician, and no man can have a better; she is my friend, and no man can have a better. They both loved music, books, and theater, and while Charlotte loved botany, George loved astronomy. The only thing he is said to not love about her was her addiction to snuff. More than 20 years into their marriage, George was seen frequently kissing Charlotte on the cheek, and as noted before, even though they had separate apartments, they slept in the same bed for decades. This stopped at the start of the 19th century when Georges symptoms became more permanent and acute. Charlotte was named his guardian and remained so even during the Regency, up until her death in 1818. George died 14 months later.

Bonus Questions

Photo: Liam Daniel/Netflix

What was the background music during the royal wedding?

Great question! It is Quartet No IV in G Major, by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges. Saint-Georges was a Creole man of color born in Guadeloupe who moved to France and became a champion fencer and officer of the kings bodyguard for Louis XVI. This music was an excellent Easter egg, and I was delighted by it.

Did Mozart play for Queen Charlotte?

Eight-year-old Mozart gave his first performance in England at Buckingham House in 1764 when Charlotte was 20. She commissioned six sonatas from him.

Did Queen Charlotte bring the Christmas tree to England?

She did! Her granddaughter Queen Victorias husband Prince Albert is typically credited for popularizing the whole bringing a tree inside the house thing as a Christmas tradition in England, but Charlotte is the first English royal we know of who had one. Both Charlotte and Albert, of course, came from German duchies, and Christmas trees were seen in Germany starting around the 18th century.

When did we learn the distance from the Earth to the sun?

In one of Georges many looks through the telescope, he tells us that an astronomical event is occurring that will allow the English to calculate the distance from the Earth to the sun. This actually occurred in 1653 by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens (who also invented the pendulum clock!). But he guessed for some of the answer, so history credits Giovanni Cassini in 1672, still well before Georges lifetime. Great job on the pendulum clock, though, Huygens.
Photo: Matthew Klein

Editors note: New Yorks issue of September 8, 1975 included a cover story about two gynecologist twin brothers who had died under strange circumstances on the Upper East Side. The brothers story eventually inspired a novel, Twins, by Bari Wood and Jack Geasland, and a film adaptation, Dead Ringers, directed by David Cronenberg and starring Jeremy Irons in both roles. In April 2023, Dead Ringers was remade as a Prime Video TV series, this time with Rachel Weisz as the doctors.

Like so many other people I spoke with this summer, I found myself uncharacteristically haunted by the deaths of Stewart and Cyril Marcus, the twin gynecologists found gaunt and already partially decayed in their East 63rd Street apartment amidst a litter of garbage and pharmaceuticals. The story of their deaths had, for me, even in its barest bones, that element of stupefying reality that Philip Roth calls an embarrassment to the writers imagination; here was a reality that could make the capabilities of even the most imaginative writer seem meager.

Several aspects of the deaths contributed to my stupefaction. One was the very fact of the mens twinship, the doubleness which had given them a mutual birth date and now a mutual death date as well. Another was the mens prominence. When beggars die in a state of bizarre deterioration in New York, there are no comets seen; when two doctors still on the staff of a mighty New York hospital die in a state of bizarre deterioration, the heavens themselves blaze forth questions of responsibility. Had these men actually been seeing patients  perhaps even performing operations  while already on their route to disintegration? (Such was the case, as it turned out.)

Had none of their learned colleagues noticed, if not a mental alteration then at least the clear signs of physical change that had come over them? (They had, and, in fact, New York Hospital decided to dismiss the Marcuses  but only weeks before their deaths.).

On the Cover On the Cover: The Strange Death of the Twin Gynecologists

But I had a special personal reason for curiosity about the deaths of the Marcuses, for I had once been a patient of Stewarts. At least, it was Stewart whom I called for appointments and whose name appeared on the bills I received, although the friend who had recommended him to me told me she sometimes had her doubts about which twin she was actually getting. Yes, they were that much alike. She was convinced that from time to time they had played classic twin jokes, one substituting for the other. Another woman with whom I spoke had had the same impression recently, and said, Of course, they never told the patients they were doing this. But I got so I could tell which was which. Stewarts neck was thicker. Other patients could tell which twin was which because they detected a difference not in anatomy but in personality. Their doctor, kindly on one visit, would be strangely inaccessible on the next. Thus, the story grew that one was a good twin, the other a bad twin. But there was widespread disagreement as to which was the good one, which the bad. And it was never quite clear whether the personality change was a result of the twins pinch-hitting for each other, or whether because within each twin there was a split and ranging personality. I tended toward the latter belief, and was convinced I always saw the same doctor, but that he had dark and darker moods.

Eventually I left off seeing him. This was about eight years ago. I had found him/them distant, remote, incapable of or unwilling to engage in discussion or explanation. Hardly what one wants in a doctor. His/their reputations were good. They were among the few surgeons to have perfected the purse string, an operation that helped women who had difficulty carrying a fetus to full term. They were said, also, to be the best gynecologists in town  in those days  at inserting with a minimum of pain the then still new IUDs  intrauterine devices. But communication with him/them was so often difficult that I finally realized that reputation was, for me, less important than responsiveness.

Perhaps because of having felt so strongly my Dr. Marcuss distance from life, I wasnt really surprised when I read of his and his brothers deaths. The initial police reaction was that they were victims of a suicide pact. There were no signs of anyones having forced entry into their apartment; no signs of external violence to either body. Stewart was found face up on the floor, nude except for his socks; Cyril was found dressed in his shorts and face down on a big double bed. Stewart had died several days before Cyril. There was no note  the usual accompaniment to suicide  although according to Bill Terrell, the building repairman who called the police and, with them, was the first to enter the apartment, there was a piece of paper in a typewriter with the name and address of the woman whom Cyril had married and divorced.

More mysterious than the question of whether their deaths had been intentional or accidental was the fact that the cause of death remained unknown for days. Despite the fact that Cyril, a man close to six feet tall, had weighed just over 100 pounds at the time of his death, and Stewart had been gaunt as well, no sign of serious physical illness was found in either man. No cancer: no heart condition.

Ultimately, extensive tests conducted by the Medical Examiner revealed that drugs  barbiturates  had caused their deaths, but not because they had suddenly taken a large quantity. Rather, they had been taking large quantities for a long period of time, and it was when they stopped  and had the fatal convulsions typical of barbiturate withdrawal  that they had died.

Photo: Matthew Klein

It is not easy to portray the Marcuses. The relatives are loath to talk about them, for obvious reasons. The wife from whom Cyril was divorced has children whom he sired. She feels an enormous, brooding compassion for her ex-husband. Colleagues of the Marcuses and those in an administrative capacity at New York Hospital were even less willing to talk, although three weeks after all my attempts at interviewing them had been defensively rejected, the Times was able to shame them into finally addressing the press. Because of these difficulties, I had to follow another direction and it took me closer to a resolution of the personal questions troubling me.

I went first to the building in which the Marcuses had been found dead. Cyril had lived there  in apartment 10H at 1161 York Avenue  for some five years, apparently since the time he had separated from his wife and children; Stewart had moved in with him sometime in the last few months. To the doormen and building employees, the two doctors were always distant, remote, too arrogant for a Good morning or even a Hot weather, isnt it?

Because the two doctors eschewed small talk. no one talked to them much after a while. Thus it was that on a Tuesday, the Tuesday on which, presumably, the second twin was to die, his brother having done so several days earlier, doorman George Sich  who had worked in the building for 25 years  saw one of the twins leave the building sick and depleted and yet was unsure about how far to carry an offer of help. The twin  we now know it was Cyril  neared a table in the lobby on which packages were occasionally placed and began to stagger a bit. I thought he looked ill, says the doorman: I thought he was going to faint, and I hurried over to help him. But when Sich reached his side, the twin recovered his balance and said in an icy tone. Im all right.

Inside the apartment that day, the other brother  Stewart  already lay dead. He had become just another part of the debris and decaying organic matter that had been collecting around the twins for a lengthy period of time. The newspapers described the apartment in which the bodies were found as messy. Stronger words were used by building employees and policemen who went into the rooms. In the room in which Cyril died there was no inch of floor space that was not covered with litter and garbage, not just in a single layer, but almost a foot and a half high. Bits of unfinished TV dinners and chicken bones, paper bags and sandwich wrappers from Gristedes were heaped around the bed, a collection of plastic wraps from the dry cleaners entirely filled one closet, and human feces rotted in a handsome leather armchair of the type so many doctors favor.

Bill Terrell, the building repairman, says that he knew from the first that there was a dead body within. Neighbors had been complaining for two days that there was a smell emanating from 10H. Terrell says, I knew what the smell meant. I was in combat, you see. The real conflict.

But Terrell had reasons beyond the nose on his face to suspect that there was a dead man  or two dead men  in the apartment. Once before he had been called upon to break open the door to 10H. It is his story of this event that makes the death of the Marcuses seem not just a sudden inexplicable tragedy but a tragedy with long, concealed roots. That other time, about three years ago, Terrell had been passing by 10H on his way from a repair job in a nearby apartment when he heard a buzzing sound within. It sounded like a phone off the hook. He thought nothing of it until, several hours later, he had cause to be on the tenth floor once again, passed 10H, and once again heard the buzzing. This time he rang the doorbell and began to pound loudly on the door. When no one answered his noises, Terrell says, he got the phone number of Cyrils brother Stewart and telephoned him at his office. Terrell said to Stewart, Theres something not quite kosher at your brothers place. I think your brother needs help.

What happened next amazed and intrigued Terrell. There was, he says, a long silence. He got the feeling that Stewart was somehow consulting the air waves, communing with his brother, because he said nothing for a long, long time and then, quite abruptly, said, Yes, Youre right. He does need help. Ill be right over. In Stewarts presence, Terrell took apart the door lock. When they entered the apartment, they saw Cyril lying unconscious in the foyer. Stewart turned pale. Terrell said, Give him artificial respiration. I cant touch my brother. You do it. I cant, said Terrell. Youre the doctor. You do it.

But in the end, neither of them did it. Stewart was too shaken and Terrell went to call help and an ambulance. It arrived within minutes, and one of the doctors who came rushing in saw Cyril and said, Boy! Hes just about had it.

There is still, I think, some primitive terror of twins that lurks in us. It is so strong that, although we have come eons away from the kinds of superstitions that drove the Aborigines of Australia to murder one or even both of a twin set at birth, or some West African tribes to kill not just twin infants but the woman who had given birth to them, we are nevertheless mysteriously stirred and frightened when twins, born on the same day, die  or worse yet choose to die  at the same shared time. It arouses in us an almost primordial anxiety. How can it happen? It cant, and yet it does. It happened here in 1952 when two ancient twin sisters were found withered from malnutrition in a Greenwich Village apartment, only to expire within hours of each other and their discovery. It happened in a North Carolina mental institution in 1962 when twin brothers, hospitalized for schizophrenia, were found dead within minutes of each other in separate ends of the hospital. The simultaneous or nearly simultaneous death of twins happens rarely, but when it does, it seems like some mysterious arithmetical proposition far beyond the ordinary computation involved in life and death.

And yet sometimes there was humor connected with the Marcuses twinship. Once, when they were interns at Mount Sinai, they had participated in a hospital show, one twin exiting stage left just as his brother entered stage right, dressed alike, moving alike, trick photography in the flesh; it brought the house down. But for the most part, the stories that have accrued around the Marcus brothers are neither humorous nor focused on their attractive looks, nor even on the outstanding gynecological textbook they wrote in 1966.

The words used to describe the Marcuses by even the most psychologically unsophisticated  words like remote, distant, icy  are the classical language used in psychiatric textbooks to describe schizoid personalities. Although some years ago Cyril, when married, displayed photographs of his children in his office, and Stewart was known to talk admiringly of their doctor-father, in the last few years of their life they seem to have felt connected to no one, except, perhaps, to each other. They had always been extraordinarily close and had shared, in their adolescence in Bayonne, New Jersey, and their college days at Syracuse University, the same aspirations, achievements, and goals. Sometimes this caused distress in people around them.

The Marcuses seem to have found in their twinship a proof of specialness, of their unique importance in a world of singletons.

One woman  a physician  recalls the Marcuses well because they were gynecological residents in the hospital where she delivered her first child 20 years ago. She remarked to me: Having the Marcuses was a horrible experience; one would check with his fingers to see how far I was dilated  standard procedure, but never very pleasant  then he would call his brother, and have him check too. They did this twice. It was painful enough to have two people do it. And unnecessary. I finally had to have my husband demand that they stop this. It was as if one couldnt have an experience without sharing it with his brother.

At the same time, the brothers seem to have feared alienating each other. Or at least Stewart feared alienating Cyril. A woman who was Cyrils patient and grew to dislike his personality nevertheless felt that the Marcus twins had an expertise with women who had previously miscarried and now wanted to give birth. On one occasion she recommended such a friend to Stewart, explaining to her friend that she was sure she would not be able to bear Cyrils icy mannerisms. The friend called Stewart and said she had been recommended to him by a patient of Cyrils. Stewart refused to see her. I cant take patients away from my brother, he explained. The woman argued with him. I am not Cyrils patient; my friend was Cyrils patient and she has recommended you. Stewart, this woman recalled, grew apoplectic and he said he would never see my friend or me.

The Marcuses seem to have found in their twinship a proof of specialness, of their unique importance in a world of singletons. Sometimes that feeling was expressed in harsh, cruel ways. I know this because of a conversation I happen  eerily  to have had two weeks before the announcement of their deaths, with a woman who was explaining to me how it had felt to have twins. In retrospect, it seems amazing to me and to Arlene Gross that she and I had been talking about the Marcuses on a rainy Sunday as one of them already lay dying. Mrs. Gross had said to me that afternoon, I didnt know I was going to have twins. Still, I suspected it. There are twins in both my husbands and my own families. But no one believed me. The obstetrician  a Dr. Marcus  certainly didnt. On one of my visits I told him I thought maybe I was carrying twins, and he got peculiar, hateful and cold. Ill never forget it. He stared at me and he said, You pregnant women are all alike. Just because you overeat and get fat, you think you are going to have twins. He spoke to me with such contempt. It was as if Id said I thought I was going to have the Messiah, as if giving birth to twins was something too special for the likes of me. Which was funny, since he was a twin.

There is one essential of personality that emerges in all these accounts, whether they deal with the twins closeness, their feelings about their twinship, or their awe of each other. It is that they were frequently hostile, even hurtful, to their women patients. Curiously, in view of their ultimate gaunt condition, they often seemed to insult women about their weight. The woman who gave birth to twins had been told she was fat; still, she was heavy at the time and she felt that the insult had been just, if cruel. But another woman who was five feet, eight inches tall and weighed, toward the end of her pregnancy, 155 pounds  a gain of only 20 pounds over her normal weight  was told by Cyril, Youre disgustingly obese.

And there is another common thread in the accounts patients give of the Marcuses. It is that they could not abide disagreement. They seem to have grown paranoid and angry whenever they were questioned. One woman I spoke with tells an anguished story of being scheduled by Cyril for an operation three years ago, only to have had him fail to keep the appointment. She was in the hospital and already being prepped for the operation when she received a phone call from him. He explained to her in ordinary tones that the operation would have to be delayed till the afternoon because the doctor who was using the operating room at present was running late. The woman accepted the explanation. Afternoon came and once again the nurses started prepping her and once again there came a telephone call from Dr. Cyril Marcus. Again, still reasonable, he explained with some solicitude that he could not perform the operation. He would do it the next morning. When he called her the third time  the next morning  he suddenly announced that he had decided to postpone the operation and do a biopsy. And this was the odd part, said the woman. I had always before found him pleasant, nice. When he told me  and later my husband  that now he had decided to do something different with me instead of operating, we felt it was certainly our right to know why he had changed his mind. But once we began questioning him he flew off the handle, became overwrought. He couldnt brook being questioned. And he spoke so strangely that my husband decided I should just leave the hospital and seek another gynecologist. I did. I had the operation. It was fine. And I never went back to Cyril.

Once, in a hospital show, one twin exited stage left as his brother entered stage right, trick photography in the flesh.

Jean Baer, writer and author with her psychologist husband, Dr. Herbert Fensterheim, of the recent book on assertiveness training Dont Say Yes When You Want to Say No, was a patient of Stewarts until just a year ago. Most of the time I saw him, I was working full time as well as writing. My time was very important to me. Id developed the habit  when it came to doctors and dentists  of always calling their offices prior to setting out from my home for appointments, just to be certain they werent running late. Several times when Id call before an appointment with Marcus, the secretary there would tell me, Yes, he will be free in 15 minutes, and so Id leave my office and get up there, but when Id arrive, hed be nowhere to be seen. And it wasnt as if the secretary had made a mistake. I could see she was embarrassed. She had no idea where he was. Shed just been told to answer calls that way. Id have to wait and eventually hed show up. But worse, once I needed him in an emergency and the secretary told me he never left a number where he could be reached.

Despite these provocations, Ms. Baer continued seeing Stewart Marcus. She even continued seeing him after a time when, just before she was to leave on a vacation, Stewart failed to keep his promise to see her, and Cyril  telephoned for advice  lashed out at her over the wires.

All I wanted was to know whether Stewart was going to be able to see me before I left and, if not, what to do about a certain problem I had. Cyril started screaming. I mean screaming. No one has ever spoken to me that way in my life.

In my own experience, I can think of almost no other occupation but medicine in which explosive, paranoid, peculiar behavior is so long tolerated. In an office, in a shop, even in political life, there are checks and balances and interactions which eventually serve to inform and protect and dissuade the public. This is not true in medicine with its private-practice secrecy and the unwillingness of doctors to criticize their peers. Patients can, of course, leave doctors. But there IS almost no way they can communicate to other, less-wary patients what their own experiences may have unveiled.

Nor had the kind of excitable, angry behavior which Ms. Baer describes arisen in the twins only recently. One quite medically sophisticated woman who had used Cyril as her obstetrician ten years ago reported to me that he had grown violently angry with her when she had told him that, because she was an older woman and feared she might give birth to a mentally retarded child, she wanted him to arrange with the hospital pediatrician to administer to her newborn a PKU test  a test for mental retardation now required by law and automatically given to all infants born in New York State. The test was not yet law at the time, however, and Cyril Marcus was enraged at the request. He told the woman the idea was ridiculous, that he had not even had the test for his own children, and that she was being grossly demanding. Shortly before she gave birth, the test did become standard procedure, but, if anything, this made Cyril even more angry and hostile to her.

What of their colleagues? While they speak less freely than do the patients, they too reveal a dark side of the doctors. Dr. Myron Buchman, a prominent New York Hospital gynecologist and longtime colleague of the Marcuses, says, No one really knew them well. Another doctor at New York Hospital with whom I spoke said, No one was shocked at their deaths. They were isolates and had always kept to themselves. A third gynecologist, Dr. Stanley Birnbaum, said, There was no one they were really friendly with at the hospital, and explained, everybody felt they were sick, somehow, but just what was the nature of their illness, if any, I have no idea.

In general, the picture that emerges of the Marcuses is of two men who shared a psychological disturbance that antedated their extreme barbiturate addiction and eventual death. It is common for identical twins to share psychological traits and capabilities as well as physical similarities. Thus we have had many sets of twins who enter the same professional field as one another and achieve almost equal prominence  the playwrights Anthony and Peter Shaffer, the painters Raphael and Moses Soyer, the doctors Alan and Manfred Guttmacher. Identical twins tend to resemble each other  even when reared in different households and economic settings  in such things as IQ, mathematical ability, musical talent, degree of self-confidence, and even in mental disease and the rate at which it develops. They do not show a greater incidence of such disease than do other members of the population, but when one twin develops a mental illness, the risk of its development in the other is very high. Illustrations of this are so dramatic and convincing that twin research has become the backbone of the growing psychiatric conviction that such mental illnesses as schizophrenia and manic-depressive disease are genetically transmitted.

It is therefore not unlikely to assume that both the Marcuses deteriorated from the same mental illness at the same rate. Nor is it necessary  or even sensible  to ask, What made them die? if the implication of the question is, Who did it? What woman or man? What disappointment? For many years the brothers had been withdrawn, isolated, suspicious. At some point they intensified their isolation by seeking the increased withdrawal and somnambulism that barbiturates offer, and in the end they opted for  or simply grew too weak on drugs to consume any more and thus ward off  the ultimate somnambulism of the grave. Theirs is a story of a slow groping toward death on the part of two men who already had but a tenuous connection with people  and that connection, after all, is life.

Thus, in the operating room one day last year, one of the Marcuses pulled the anesthesia mask off a patient and placed it over his own face, longing for unconsciousness and extinction. It was for this  and other similar reasons  that so many of those who knew the Marcuses said they were not surprised by the brothers death, and seemed even to have anticipated it. But why hadnt they shared their suspicions, blazoned them about town? And why had New York Hospital waited so long to initiate the twins dismissal, when years ago the brothers were already showing signs to patients of dangerous mood shifts and impersonality?

These days, I find I am disillusioned with all the colleagues of the Marcuses who knew how sick and unreliable the twins were, but who felt it necessary, out of medical solidarity and a self-serving sympathy for troubled peers, to keep silent  up to and even after the bitter end. I find I keep asking myself, Who was that woman whose anesthesia mask was removed? It might have been me or you.
By Blake Brittain

(Reuters) - Sonos Inc and Alphabet's Google LLC will face off in a San Francisco federal trial on Monday over claims that Google copied Sonos' patented smart-speaker technology in wireless audio devices like Google Home and Chromecast Audio.

The case is part of a sprawling intellectual property dispute between the former business partners that includes other lawsuits in the U.S., Canada, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Sonos has asked the court for $90 million in damages from Google in the San Francisco case, down from $3 billion after U.S. District Judge William Alsup narrowed the case, according to a Google court filing. Sonos alleges Google infringed two of its patents related to multi-room wireless audio.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said the case relates to "some very specific features that are not commonly used," and that Sonos "mischaracterized our partnership and technology."

Sonos declined to comment on the dispute.

The companies previously worked together to integrate Google's streaming music service into Sonos products. Sonos first sued Google for patent infringement in Los Angeles and at the U.S. International Trade Commission in 2020, accusing the tech giant of copying its technology during their collaboration.

Sonos won a limited import ban on some Google devices from the ITC last year, which Google has appealed. Google has countered with its own patent lawsuits in California and at the ITC.

Alsup has had sharp words for both companies. Last month, he called their attacks on one another's expert testimony "emblematic of the worst of patent litigation" with "much ink spilled for little purpose."

In a 2020 order, he cited the "enormous" resources already expended on the dispute.

"By the end, our parties' legal bills will likely have been able to build dozens of schools, pay all the teachers, and provide hot lunches to the children," the judge wrote.

(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David Bario and Josie Kao)
The Boss to play three concerts in Italy in 2023.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band return to Italy with three concerts on a 19-date tour of Europe.

In between concerts in Ferrara on 18 May and Monza on 25 July, The Boss will return to the stage at the Circus Maximus in Rome for a sold-out show on 21 May.

The American rock star, 72, played to a capacity crowd in the prestigious Roman venue in 2016 and the upcoming concert will be his tenth in the Italian capital.

The European tour is the first time that Springsteen and the E Street Band have hit the road together since 2017, with the first stop in Barcelona on 28 April and the last concert in Monza.

Following news that #BruceSpringsteen is to perform at the Circus Maximus in #Rome on 21 May 2023, we look back to the last time he played in the historic venue, in 2016. pic.twitter.com/NRv51sVFL8  Wanted in Rome (@wantedinrome) May 25, 2022

"After six years, I'm looking forward to seeing our great and loyal fans next year" - Springsteen said in a statement - "And I'm looking forward to once again sharing the stage with the legendary E Street Band. See you out there, next year - and beyond."

In Ferrara The Boss will perform at the Giorgio Bassani Urban Park and the Monza venue will be the Prato della Gerascia at the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza.

In addition to the Springsteen concert in 2016, the Circus Maximus hosted The Rolling Stones in 2014 and last summer the venue staged sold-out shows by Vasco Rossi and Maneskin.
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There are excellent reasons to admit Ukraine into NATO. But there are better reasons not to. So when the 31 transatlantic allies meet in July at their summit in Lithuania, they should embrace Ukraine in every way but one. They should not promise to make it a full member with protection under the alliances Article 5. Thats the one that says an attack against one ally is an attack against all.

This assessment is not about whether Ukraine properly belongs to the West. It most definitely does, and should therefore join the European Union as soon as possible.

Nor is the membership question a choice about whether the Western allies should keep supporting the Ukrainians in their heroic struggle against the Russian invaders. They absolutely must  with weapons, money, intelligence and everything else, short of boots on the ground.

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Omitting a formal invitation now to enter the alliance, moreover, need not prevent Ukraine  which in 2019 enshrined the aspiration to join NATO in its constitution  from acceding at some point in the future, after it has successfully defended itself, with Western help, against the genocidal aggression of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In fact, Im hoping that Ukraines imminent spring offensive will lead to that eventual victory.

But the security guarantee of membership expressed in Article 5 cannot be given in the present circumstances. No alliance  and NATO is the most successful in all of history  should admit a country while that nation is already at war against the alliances ostensible enemy, a foe that happens to have nukes. This stance bows to realism. Its a conclusion that comes from the head  not the heart, which beats for Kyiv.

Anything short of full accession will of course disappoint Ukrainians. The countrys foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, has pleaded that its time for NATO  which promised Ukraine membership in 2008 but didnt add a timetable  to stop making excuses and offer a written commitment at the summit in Vilnius.

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After all, Kuleba thinks, it seems unfair for NATO to admit Finland, also a direct neighbor of Russia  and probably Sweden soon  but not Ukraine. Ukrainians, after all, are the ones now defending what remains of Europes peace order at the cost of their own blood. And theyre becoming battle-hardened warriors in the process. Surely NATO should be grateful and eager to enlist this fighting force in its own ranks.

I agree. But thats the heart speaking, not the head. If membership went only to countries deserving of it, it would indeed go to Ukraine  and might even be taken away from Hungary or Turkey. NATO accession cannot be solely about whats fair, however.

Kuleba also takes aim at another argument offered in the past against Ukrainian membership. It says that admitting more countries that used to be in the Soviet Union or the Tsarist Empire unnecessarily provokes Moscow. This was always wrong, says Kuleba, and is now laughable. After all, Putin occupied Crimea in 2014, when Ukraine had dropped its ambition to join NATO, and then invaded last year, when membership was no longer being discussed.

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Again, I agree. Putin is a bully and an aggressor, and needs no provocation to menace or attack. He only understands deterrence, expressed in the language of power and martial prowess. That, as it happens, is why NATO exists.

The proper argument against admitting Ukraine is different. Its that you cant promise to defend a new member already under attack without simultaneously and directly entering that same war. As long as Putins troops are shooting at Ukrainians, all the other allies would be obliged to help  that is, to return fire. The escalation scenarios are impossible to predict. But they include a slide into World War III.

In that sense, the mutual-defense clause of Article 5 implies an automaticity not unlike that of the more complex alliance configurations leading up to World War I. Back then, in ways Europes leaders didnt fully understand, a cascade of treaty obligations turned a dispute between Austria-Hungary and Serbia into a continental, and then almost global, inferno.

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There is no plausible way, moreover, to define Ukrainian membership in a way that forstalls such risks. NATO cannot, for example, extend Article 5 just over those territories currently held by the Ukrainians. First, that exclusion would already amount to exactly the concessions the Ukrainians rightly refuse to make, in effect ceding much of Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk and Crimea. Second, such technicalities wouldnt reflect the actual frontline, which is fluid. Ukrainians and Russians will keep shooting at each other throughout the nation. Except that the Russians would then be gunning at Ukrainian NATO soldiers.

As soon as the alliance becomes a war party in this hypothetical situation, the allies would therefore have a legitimate stake in Kyivs strategy. Their primary goal would necessarily be to keep the war from spreading to the Baltic, the Arctic, outer space and nuclear silos  from becoming World War III. In effect, Brussels, Washington, London, Berlin and others would have to dictate to Kyiv where and how to attack the Russians, and where and how not to. This isnt in Ukrainians interests as long as theyre trying to liberate their own, whole country.

This conundrum didnt exist yet in 2004, when three other former Soviet republics  Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania  were among the seven nations that joined NATO that year. Although the Baltics felt threatened by Moscow, they were officially at peace. And since then, the same automaticity inherent in Article 5 has been what deters Putin from attacking them.

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Ukraines problem is also different from Cyprus situation in 2004, when it joined the EU (but not NATO). That island, too, was and is torn by an open-ended conflict, between the ethnic Turks in the north and the ethnic Greeks in most of the rest. The EU also has a mutual-defense clause. So in theory it could be drawn into a conflict between the Cypriot Greeks and Turks, including the latters supporters in mainland Turkey  which, at least on paper, is also eligible to join the EU.

But the European mutual-defense clause is so wishy-washy that it doesnt deliver automaticity. EU membership is instead a promise of joining a commercial and civilizational realm  in effect, a peace and democracy project. Thats why Ukrainians cant wait to join.

A geopolitical realist would therefore conclude that the West should help Ukraine by fast-tracking its EU membership and by arming it from the arsenals and factories of NATO allies. It should not, however, enter the war on Kyivs side. And thats what NATO membership would entail.

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Western security guarantees after the war are another matter. Indeed, theyll necessarily become one of the main points of peace talks among Kyiv, Moscow and their mediators. Lets hope that Ukraine defeats the Russians as soon as possible, so it can take its seat at that negotiating table proud and strong.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:



Two Reasons Why Europe Will Never Solve Its Migration Problem: Andreas Kluth



How the American War Machine Ran Out of Gas: Hal Brands



Ukraine Is Running Out of Ammo. So Is the US.: James Stavridis

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Andreas Kluth is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering European politics. A former editor in chief of Handelsblatt Global and a writer for the Economist, he is author of Hannibal and Me.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2023 Bloomberg L.P.

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PANAJI, India  Foreign ministers from a group of nations led by China and Russia criticized on Friday the ability of world institutions to resolve geopolitical problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, and said their organization should do more to address such challenges. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Indian Foreign Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar said in remarks at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that the crises have disrupted global supply chains and have hit developing nations the hardest.

They have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner, he said, adding that alternative organizations like the SCO can help address such challenges.

With more than 40% of the worlds population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact, he said.

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Russia and China founded the SCO in 2001 as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which Russia considers its backyard. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members, and Iran and Belarus are set to join later this year.

Russia and China have sought to reduce the dominance of what they see as U.S. and Western-led global institutions and alliances, and China accuses Washington of attempting to contain its economic and military rise.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the foreign ministers that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency reported.

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SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues, he said.

At a briefing after the meeting, Jaishankar dismissed questions about whether the SCO is anti-Western, saying, how people perceive it is something I cannot answer for. Instead, he stressed Indias multidirectional foreign policy and said its not always possible that all our partners get along with other partners.

India enjoys strong ties with Cold War ally Russia, while its relations with the United States have warmed in recent years and its ties with China have cooled over a border dispute. It is increasingly seen by the West as a counterweight to Chinas growing global ambitions.

Jaishankar did not mention Russias war in Ukraine, and analysts said Moscow was unlikely to face a backlash over its invasion from the SCO and would instead use the meeting to flex its influence in the region. For Russia, the SCO remains one of the few international groups where it can still comfortably engage with members and further ties.

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The visit by Pakistans foreign minister to archrival India to attend the meeting was the first by a high-ranking Pakistani official in nearly a decade. Jaishankar stressed the need to stop cross-border terrorism in his remarks, a dig at Pakistan, which India accuses of arming and training rebels fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Lets not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his opening remarks.

Despite speculation, India and Pakistan did not hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting. Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism, Jaishankar said at the briefing.

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Jaishankar held separate talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on Thursday.

The meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin came amid continued tensions along their disputed border, where a three-year standoff involves thousands of soldiers stationed in the eastern Ladakh region.

Qin earlier said the border situation was stable overall and that both sides should abide by existing agreements to promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area, according to Chinas Foreign Ministry.

India did not release a statement after the meeting, but Jaishankar said relations between the two countries were not normal and cannot be if peace and tranquility in border areas is disturbed.

Qin also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

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Beijing is also trying to present itself as a global diplomatic force and has said it is willing to serve as a mediator in the war.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement.

China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russia and refused to criticize Moscows actions. However, it has refrained from issuing a full-throated endorsement of the invasion and is not known to have provided arms or other material assistance to the Russian military effort.

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Vantage Market Research, The North Star for the Working World

WASHINGTON, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Global Green Steel Market is valued at USD 182.7 Million in 2022 and is projected to reach a value of USD 120004.8 Million by 2030 at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 125.1% over the forecast period 2023-2030.



Market Overview

The rise of the Green Steel industry is being driven by rising awareness for environmentally friendly steel manufacturing in well-known industries. The market is also driven by market players' growing investments in greenfield initiatives, collaborations, and strategic alliances to turn their operations into Green Steel.

We forecast that the automotive category in Green Steel market sales will account for more than 47% of the market share by 2030 because there is a greater focus on Green Steel applications and a greater awareness among automakers of their greenhouse gas emissions.

Get Access to Free Sample Research Report with Latest Industry Insights @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/green-steel-market-2108/request-sample

Market Dynamics

Rising Emission of CO2 will Support Market Expansion

Over the past ten years, the total carbon dioxide emissions from the steel and iron industry have increased, mostly due to increases in steel consumption and the energy needed for manufacturing. Significant reductions in CO2 emissions are required to reach the Net Zero Scenario. The two main ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the short term are to boost energy efficiency and scrap collection, enabling more production based on scrap. It will be necessary to adopt new technologies like electricity-based production, hydrogen utilization, and CCUS to reduce emissions intensity significantly. Initiatives to promote Green Steel are expected to lower carbon dioxide emissions.

Growing Government Initiatives to Boost Market Expansion

It is anticipated that Green Steel would be crucial in helping countries all over the world achieve their goals for sustainable development and lower their carbon footprints. Green Steel is essential to reduce countries' reliance on energy imports, safeguard the environment, and supply the world's expanding energy demands. Additionally, a sizable amount of carbon dioxide is produced during steel manufacturing. Governments worldwide are implementing more decarbonization plans and encouraging Green Steel, especially in industries like automotive and construction.

Top Players in the Global Green Steel Market

H2 Green Steel (Sweden),

Tata Steel Ltd. (India),

Tenaris (Luxembourg),

ThyssenKrupp (Germany),

Emirates Steel (UAE),

Green Steel Group (Italy),

Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Services (Germany),

Arcelor Mittal (Luxembourg),

Jindal Steel and Power (India),

United States Steel Corp (USSC) (U.S.)

Story continues

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Top Trends in Global Green Steel Market

One trend that Vantage Market Research (VMR) expects to see in the Green Steel industry is the rise in demand for eco-friendly products and the requirement to cut carbon emissions. Traditional steel production is a large contributor to the world's carbon emissions and a major source of greenhouse gas emissions. Pressure on industries to minimize their carbon footprints and switch to more sustainable methods is growing as public awareness of climate change, and its environmental effects rise.

Another trend that VMR predicts will continue in the Green Steel industry is the growing demand for electric vehicles. Due to rising public awareness of the negative environmental effects of ICE vehicles and government initiatives to encourage the use of sustainable transportation, the manufacturing of EVs is expanding quickly. Many nations have established goals for the phase-out of internal combustion engines in the upcoming years and are providing incentives to entice users to switch to electric vehicles. Green Steel is an appealing alternative for EV makers since it may greatly lower the carbon emissions linked to the production of these parts and structures.

Top Report Findings

The Hydrogen category controls most of the Green Steel market's revenue based on the energy source. A technique known as hydrogen reduction can employ hydrogen, a flexible energy source, to power steel manufacturing. Using hydrogen, iron ore is reduced into metallic iron in this process, which may then be utilized to make steel. It is a sustainable solution for producing Green Steel since renewable energy sources like solar and wind may fuel hydrogen generation.

Based on the Type, most of the Green Steel market's revenue is controlled by the Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) category. To develop new steel products, this kind of Green Steel is melted using an electric arc furnace, which also melts other materials. Compared to conventional steel manufacturing utilizing a blast furnace, EAF steel production generates much fewer emissions.

Based on End User, most of the Green Steel market's revenue is controlled by Automotive categories. It is primarily attributable to manufacturers' rising awareness of their recently dramatically expanded carbon footprints, which has increased their propensity to use sustainable products, such as Green Steel, in producing cars and spare parts.



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Recent Developments in the Global Green Steel Market

April 2023: POSCO encourages proactive procurement of low-carbon steel raw materials in Australia. The company is working hard to secure low-carbon steel raw materials in Australia to become carbon neutral by 2050.

March 2023: Thyssenkrupp Steel has planned to build the first hydrogen-powered direct reduction plant with the help of the SMS group, Dusseldorf. This marks the beginning of one of the largest industrial decarbonization initiatives ever undertaken, which will immediately prevent more than 3.5 million metric tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere every year.

March 2023: Aperam South America obtained certification against the ResponsibleSteel Standard Version 1.1 following a demanding audit process by AFNOR that lasted roughly 12 months. The site decided to pursue certification against the ResponsibleSteel Standard, according to Frederico Ayres Lima, CEO of Aperam South America, to further solidify its commitment to sustainability and, strategically, to promote and increase awareness of corporate responsibility.

January 2023: ArcelorMittal invested $36 million in Boston Metal, a Green Steel technology business, which raised $120 million.

January 2023: To hasten the decarbonization of the steel industry, ArcelorMittal wants to invest $100 million yearly on Green Steel technologies. For its Green Steel facility in Hamburg, the business receives 131 million euros in governmental assistance from Germany.



Automotive Category of the Global Green Steel Market Projected to Generate a Considerable Proportion of the End User Segment Revenue

For better understanding, based on the End User, the Green Steel market is divided into Construction, Automotive, Electronics and other End Users.

It is expected that the Automotive segment will dominate market for Green Steel. In recent years, the preference for employing sustainable materials, including Green Steel, in producing automobiles and replacement parts has been largely driven by the manufacturers' raising awareness of their significantly larger carbon footprints. Several businesses, such as Volvo AB, Mercedes-Benz AG, and Daimler AG, are increasingly interested in using Green Steel in various applications. The market is expected to expand throughout the forecast period as a result of changes in how automakers purchase raw materials.

On the other hand, it is anticipated that the Construction category will be the fastest growing category in the Green Steel market. The Green Steel building is a prefabricated building that dramatically lowers pollution conserves resources and protects the environment throughout its life cycle. Making use of space in a useful, efficient, and healthful way enables people to coexist with nature. Construction waste has risen yearly due to neighborhood renovations, home demolitions, road development, building expansion, and other activities.

Asia Pacific Region Forecast to Generate a Good Chunk of Revenue in Global Green Steel Market in Terms of Region

In 2022, the Asia Pacific dominated the market and is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate over the forecast period. The market is expanding primarily due to growing investments in environmentally friendly construction materials and Green Steel manufacturing. The market is also being driven by increased investment in the production of Green Steel. For instance, the South Korean steel manufacturer Posco and the Indian Adani Group announced a USD 5 billion commitment to construct a green, ecologically friendly integrated steel factory in Mundra, Gujarat, India, in January 2022.

Furthermore, in the Asia Pacific area, some nations are making efforts to encourage the usage of Green Steel. For instance, China, the world's greatest producer and user of steel, has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2060, which will necessitate a considerable reduction in carbon emissions from the country's steel industry. Another significant producer of steel in the region, Japan, has stated that it intends to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2050 and is funding the creation of Green Steel technology. South Korea, India, and Australia are just a few of the nations in the Asia Pacific area making investments in the creation of Green Steel technology and encouraging the use of environmentally friendly materials.

Browse market data Tables and Figures spread through 148 Pages and in-depth TOC on Green Steel Market Forecast Report (2023-2030).

Global Green Steel Market Segmentation

By Energy Source

Hydrogen

Coal Gasification

Electricity



By Type

Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)

Molten Oxide Electrolysis (MOE)

By End User

Construction

Automotive

Electronics

Other End Users

By Region

North America United States Canada Mexico

Europe Germany UK France Italy Spain Rest of Europe

Asia Pacific China Japan India South Korea South-East Asia Rest of Asia Pacific

Latin America Brazil Argentina Rest of Latin America

Middle East & Africa GCC Countries South Africa Rest of MEA



Read Full Report with TOC @ https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/industry-report/green-steel-market-2108

Scope of the Report:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 USD 182.7 Million Revenue Forecast by 2030 USD 120004.8 Million CAGR 125.1% from 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Year 2023 to 2030 Key Players H2 Green Steel, Tata Steel Ltd., Tenaris, ThyssenKrupp, Emirates Steel, Green Steel Group, Deutsche Edelstahlwerke Services, Arcelor Mittal, Jindal Steel and Power, United States Steel Corp (USSC) Customization Options Customized purchase options are available to meet any research needs. Explore customized purchase options https://www.vantagemarketresearch.com/green-steel-market-2108/request-sample

Key Questions Answered in the Green Steel Market Report are:

Who are the major players in the green steel industry?

What are the challenges facing the green steel industry?

What is the future outlook of the green steel market?



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New York: Ed Sheeran has won a lawsuit that accused him of plagiarising Marvin Gayes classic song Lets Get It On for his Grammy Award-winning single Thinking Out Loud.

After three hours of deliberations, a jury on Thursday (US time) found in favour of Sheeran, who had hinted in court earlier this week that he might quit music if he was found guilty of ripping off parts of Gayes song.

Ed Sheeran arrives at New York Federal Court on Thursday. Credit: AP

I am obviously happy with the outcome of this case, and it looks like Im not going to have to retire from my day job after all - but at the same time, Im unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all, Sheeran said outside the Manhattan federal court after the verdict.

If the jury had decided in this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters. We need to be able to write our original music and engage in independent creation without worrying at every step of the way that such creativity will be wrongly called into question.
King Charles III has often referred to those six months in Australia as by far the best part of his education. Most of the future kings youth was in British boarding schools, but rural Victoria offered a very different type of schooling, where, as Sally Bedell Smith wrote in The Lonely Heir, he undertook cross-country expeditions in blistering heat, logging 70 miles (113 kilometres) in three days  climbing five peaks along the way and spending nights freezing in a sleeping bag. King Charles III is enjoying an unexpected rise in popularity. Credit: Getty Images He encountered leeches, snakes, bull ants and funnel-web spiders, and joined the other students in chopping and splitting wood, feeding pigs, and cleaning out fly traps. They were formative times for a young man whose destiny would appear to torment him for the next six decades. Some of his classmates became friends for life, having been largely more accepting than their English counterparts. They treated him, mostly, like any other boy. While I was here I had the Pommy bits bashed off me, Charles said years later during a return visit to Australia.

He described those hikes in a blood-stained shirt as hell, and he looked back with great affection on his short spell here, saying it was good for the character. Loading At 74, Charles becomes the oldest British monarch to ever be crowned. As Prince of Wales  a title which defined his life for so long  he was restless, driven and capable of summoning up great force in prosecuting his own beliefs on the environment, architecture and farming. He is no stranger to the corridors of power. Hes met with Australian prime ministers since the 1960s and met every American president since Jimmy Carter. Some of us have chosen public life  I think its a very honourable profession, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, in London for Saturdays historic coronation service, said in an off-the-cuff speech on Thursday evening.

But for the royal family, theyre born into it. And they serve as their duty. Albanese, a devout republican, sees this service and the crowning of a new king as about the future and going forward. Prince Charles takes a fall at Warwick Farm in 1983 in front of a crowd of 10,000 Australians. He was unhurt and later joked about the incident. Credit: AP One of the things that I certainly admire about King Charles  and the Prince of Wales [William], who is continuing that tradition  is their concern about the future, he said. Their concern and outspoken views about climate change, about the need to protect our planet, about the urban environment, about a whole range of issues, including respect for Indigenous Australians. Veteran Evening Standard royal correspondent Robert Jobson says Charles III is a deep-thinking, spiritual man. Jobson says he is not only a worthy recipient of the crown, but an anchored monarch Britain is blessed to have in uncertain times.

He is not cynical but intuitive, instinctive, and perhaps a little sentimental and overemotional at times, Jobson says. Loading He may have been born into a family with huge wealth and privilege, but he has always tried his best to justify that good fortune by working tirelessly to improve the lot of others less fortunate than himself. He says Charles would be the first to admit he is not perfect. He can be obsessive, a little eccentric, and he does have a short fuse, but his temper is invariably short-lived, said Jobson, who has written a new book Our King: Charles III: The Man and the Monarch Revealed.

His younger son, Prince Harry, wrote in his controversial memoir Spare that when his father watched the BBC news on television, he would often end up throwing the remote control at the screen out of frustration. Charles biggest challenge of late has not only appeared to be holding his family together but remaking an institution that has become more and more irrelevant to many of its 14 overseas realms. A new poll this week found a significant minority of people in the British realms  including Canada and Australia  would vote in favour of a republic if a referendum was held tomorrow. The research by former Conservative deputy chairman Lord Ashcroft reveals a blunt assessment of the scale of the challenge the monarchy faces abroad. Of the 14 overseas countries where Charles is head of state, two  The Bahamas and the Solomon Islands  would vote to ditch the monarchy. Another nine, including Australia, hang in the balance.

Ashcroft said at first glance, it suggested a division of varying magnitude as to what people think about the royal family, or how they see the institution of the monarchy. In fact, it has more to do with how they see themselves, and what, if anything, they think they gain from their relationship with Britain and having the King at the apex of their political system, he said. For republicans, the objection to the Crown is not that it stops them doing what they want, but that it feels irrelevant to their country and their allegiance to it seems an anachronism. He said that was especially true in Canada and Australia, where people felt the monarchy was incompatible with what they considered their inclusive and egalitarian national character. Elsewhere, the monarchys association with the history of slavery and colonialism was another inescapable factor, especially in the Caribbean.

On the eve of Charles official crowning, Johnny Briceno, the prime minister of Belize, said it was quite likely that his nation would be the next to become a republic, while Jamaica said it could hold a referendum on the move as early as next year. Loading Charles is also facing calls to apologise for Britains role in the slave trade, with 12 indigenous leaders demanding that he apologise for centuries of genocide and colonisation. This country has a new King, Australian independent Indigenous senator Lidia Thorpe, a signatory to the letter, said. Australia must move towards cutting ties with the Crown and becoming a republic, but we have unfinished business to settle before this can happen.

The backlash in the former empire is one reason why Charles is desperate to show at the weekend that he wants to be a monarch for all his subjects, irrespective of race or religion. Hands-on in the planning, its been reported he is determined to deliver a coronation fit for the people he serves. He also hopes the long weekend  theres a coronation concert on Sunday and a charity volunteering drive on Monday  will be both uplifting and historic. Royal fan Mandy Ellis is camping out on The Mall in London ahead of the May 6 coronation. Credit: Carl Court/Getty Images Last month the King hailed the extraordinary potential of the Commonwealth and spoke of the imperative to act on its ideals to improve the lives of its 2.6 billion people. Delivered from the great pulpit at Westminster Abbey, Charles recalled his mothers particular pride in Commonwealth Day, and said: The Commonwealth has been a constant in my own life, and yet its diversity continues to amaze and inspire me.

He told the 2000-strong congregation of senior royals, politicians and dignitaries: Its near boundless potential as a force for good in the world demands our highest ambition; its sheer scale challenges us to unite and be bold. In Britain, any doubts over whether the King will be good for the monarchy have faded and his popularity has risen since the death of his mother in September. Polling released this week found the Kings positive ratings were rising, with 62 per cent believing that Charles will be good for the monarchy. The results are in stark contrast to a poll in March last year, when 39 per cent of people predicted he would be a good king. Thirty-one per cent believed he would be a bad king, compared with 20 per cent in the latest poll. Graeme Burnham, a 72-year-old Victorian cattle farmer, is one of those Geelong Grammar students who fondly recalls his school days with a young prince. He is also convinced Charles will be a good king. There was absolutely no pomp and ceremony. There was no bullshit, he said recently.
Dubona: Serbian police said they have arrested a suspect in a drive-by shooting that killed at least eight and wounded 14, the nations second mass shooting in two days.

In a statement, police said that the man, identified by initials US, was arrested early on Friday near the central Serbian town of Kragujevac, about 100 kilometres south of Belgrade.

The arrest followed an all-night search by hundreds of police, who sealed off an area 42km south of Belgrade where the shooting took place late on Thursday.

According to local media, after an argument near a school in Mladenovac, the suspect came back with an assault rifle, opened fire and continued to shoot at people at random from a moving car.
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V.

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: PAC; BMV: GAP) (the Company or GAP) announces that in accordance with the resolution approved in the Annual General Ordinary Shareholders Meeting held on April 13th, 2023, regarding the dividend payment of Ps.14.84 (FOURTEEN PESOS 84/100 M.N.) per each outstanding share, the Company decided the payment in various installments.



The first installment of the dividend payment will be equivalent to Ps. 3.71 (THREE PESOS 71/100 M.N.) per each outstanding share and will be paid on May 18, 2023.

***

COMPANY DESCRIPTION

Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico, S.A.B. de C.V. (GAP) operates 12 airports throughout Mexicos Pacific region, including the major cities of Guadalajara and Tijuana, the four tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta, Los Cabos, La Paz, and Manzanillo, and six other mid-sized cities: Hermosillo, Guanajuato, Morelia, Aguascalientes, Mexicali and Los Mochis. In February 2006, GAPs shares were listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PAC and on the Mexican Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol GAP. In April 2015, GAP acquired 100% of Desarrollo de Concessioner Aeroportuarias, S.L., which owns a majority stake in MBJ Airports Limited, a company operating Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica. In October 2018, GAP entered into a concession agreement for the Norman Manley International Airport operation in Kingston, Jamaica, and took control of the operation in October 2019.



This press release may contain forward-looking statements. These statements are statements that are not historical facts and are based on managements current view and estimates of future economic circumstances, industry conditions, company performance, and financial results. The words anticipates, believes, estimates, expects, plans and similar expressions, as they relate to the company, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Statements regarding the declaration or payment of dividends, the implementation of principal operating and financing strategies and capital expenditure plans, the direction of future operations, and the factors or trends affecting financial condition, liquidity, or results of operations are examples of forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect the current views of management and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties. There is no guarantee that the expected events, trends, or results will actually occur. The statements are based on many assumptions and factors, including general economic and market conditions, industry conditions, and operating factors. Any changes in such assumptions or factors could cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.

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In accordance with Section 806 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 and Article 42 of the Ley del Mercado de Valores, GAP has implemented a whistleblower program, which allows complainants to anonymously and confidentially report suspected activities that involve criminal conduct or violations. The telephone number in Mexico, facilitated by a third party responsible for collecting these complaints, is 01 800 563 00 47. The website is www.lineadedenuncia.com/gap. GAPs Audit Committee will be notified of all complaints for immediate investigation.

Alejandra Soto, Investor Relations and Social Responsibility Officer asoto@aeropuertosgap.com.mx Gisela Murillo, Investor Relations gmurillo@aeropuertosgap.com.mx/+52 33 3880 1100 ext. 20294




For beginners, it can seem like a good idea (and an exciting prospect) to buy a company that tells a good story to investors, even if it currently lacks a track record of revenue and profit. Unfortunately, these high risk investments often have little probability of ever paying off, and many investors pay a price to learn their lesson. A loss-making company is yet to prove itself with profit, and eventually the inflow of external capital may dry up.

In contrast to all that, many investors prefer to focus on companies like Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY), which has not only revenues, but also profits. Even if this company is fairly valued by the market, investors would agree that generating consistent profits will continue to provide Bristol-Myers Squibb with the means to add long-term value to shareholders.

Check out our latest analysis for Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb's Improving Profits

Over the last three years, Bristol-Myers Squibb has grown earnings per share (EPS) at as impressive rate from a relatively low point, resulting in a three year percentage growth rate that isn't particularly indicative of expected future performance. Thus, it makes sense to focus on more recent growth rates, instead. Bristol-Myers Squibb's EPS has risen over the last 12 months, growing from US$2.84 to US$3.48. This amounts to a 22% gain; a figure that shareholders will be pleased to see.

One way to double-check a company's growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. Bristol-Myers Squibb's EBIT margins are flat but, worryingly, its revenue is actually down. Suffice it to say that is not a great sign of growth.

The chart below shows how the company's bottom and top lines have progressed over time. Click on the chart to see the exact numbers.

You don't drive with your eyes on the rear-view mirror, so you might be more interested in this free report showing analyst forecasts for Bristol-Myers Squibb's future profits.

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Are Bristol-Myers Squibb Insiders Aligned With All Shareholders?

Owing to the size of Bristol-Myers Squibb, we wouldn't expect insiders to hold a significant proportion of the company. But thanks to their investment in the company, it's pleasing to see that there are still incentives to align their actions with the shareholders. Holding US$93m worth of stock in the company is no laughing matter and insiders will be committed in delivering the best outcomes for shareholders. That's certainly enough to let shareholders know that management will be very focussed on long term growth.

Is Bristol-Myers Squibb Worth Keeping An Eye On?

One important encouraging feature of Bristol-Myers Squibb is that it is growing profits. For those who are looking for a little more than this, the high level of insider ownership enhances our enthusiasm for this growth. That combination is very appealing. So yes, we do think the stock is worth keeping an eye on. You still need to take note of risks, for example - Bristol-Myers Squibb has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Although Bristol-Myers Squibb certainly looks good, it may appeal to more investors if insiders were buying up shares. If you like to see insider buying, then this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying, could be exactly what you're looking for.

Please note the insider transactions discussed in this article refer to reportable transactions in the relevant jurisdiction.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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There is a growing likelihood that Ottawa will block the foreign takeover of Teck Resources Ltd., a diversified mining company based in Vancouver.

But that would achieve nothing for Canada in our goal to increase production of critical minerals to decarbonize economies in the fight against climate change.

What is required of Canada is that we extract more critical minerals from the ground.

And that we build more processing facilities  refineries, smelters, and the like  to turn those minerals into the refined components that go into smartphones, electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, solar panels, and upgraded electricity grids.

The Teck takeover attempt is simply part of global minings latest consolidation drive.

The $65 billion (U.S.) spent this year on global mining takeovers, about double the amount spent by this point last year, is an exercise in asset shuffling. It will not increase minerals production.

The stakes are high.

The Paris-based International Energy Agency (IEA) expects demand for copper, cobalt, nickel, lithium, graphite, and other critical minerals to at least double by 2040.

Consultant McKinsey & Co. forecasts a massive shortfall in copper as early as 2030, when annual demand will hit 36.6 million tonnes, against supply of just 30.1 million tonnes.

Yet in a rare instance of nonpartisanship, leaders in three major Canadian political parties have taken their focus off the goal of increased minerals production in objecting to a $23 billion (U.S.) hostile takeover of Teck by Switzerlands Glencore PLC.

Francois-Philippe Champagne, the Liberal federal industry minister, said last week that We like Teck as a Canadian company.

The NDP premier of B.C., David Eby, wants the takeover blocked.

And Pierre Poilievre, the Conservative party leader, declared last week that Glencores attempted hostile takeover will ship thousands of jobs out of the country.

Actually, the foreigners who bought most of Canadas major mining companies in the previous wave of industry consolidation in the first decade of the century have been passably good stewards of the Canadian assets they bought.

Theyve had to be. The assets of the former Inco, Noranda, Alcan, and Falconbridge have stayed put in Canada, and their Canadian workforces the same.

The distracting politicization of a potential Teck takeover overstates Tecks importance.

Teck is a second-tier player, with revenues of just $17 billion, in a global mining sector dominated by governments led by China and a few private sector mega miners.

They include Glencore (2022 revenues of $353 billion), the London-based BHP Group Ltd. ($88.1 billion) and Rio Tinto PLC ($76 billion), and Brazils Vale S.A. ($62 billion).

To be sure, Teck has some attractive critical minerals operations across the Americas, including its crown jewel, a copper mine nearing completion in Chile.

But Teck derives much of its revenue from its B.C. coal mines. The world is moving away from coal.

And Teck already has significant foreign ownership. One of its biggest shareholders is Chinas sovereign wealth fund, which holds about 10 per cent of Tecks non-voting shares.

A Glencore takeover might pass the test of providing net benefit to Canada, the rule by which the feds assess the impact of foreign acquisitions.

Teck has repeatedly raised the estimated cost of its key Chilean mining complex, most recently last week.

Teck now says completion of that project will cost as much as $8.2 billion (U.S.), up from a previous estimate of $7.75 billion.

The deep-pocketed Glencore can cover those cost overruns and bankroll other projects Teck has in mind.

Canada accounts for roughly a third of worlds potash production.

Otherwise, though, Canada is inconsequential as a producer of critical minerals. And it similarly lags in minerals processing, about 60 per cent of which is controlled by China.

Canada can claim a mere three per cent of the worlds minable reserves of copper and cobalt, and just 2.5 per cent of lithium.

In its assertion that Canada is a minerals treasure house, Ottawa is talking about untapped potential reserves in remote locations, with uneconomic production costs, lengthy environmental and Indigenous approvals processes, and often low-quality ore bodies.

There is a useful role for government in the Teck case.

Champagne likely has the last word on approving a takeover of Teck.

He is fresh from imposing a string of conditions on his approval of the merger of Rogers Communications Inc. and Shaw Communications Inc.

Champagne could demand that a combined Glencore-Teck commit to an ambitious Canadian exploration program and to building more Canadian mineral processing centres.

For that matter, Ottawa could impose those same requirements on the Canadian operations of the former Inco (now Vale), Noranda and Falconbridge (Glencore) and Alcan (Rio Tinto).

In the absence of such bold actions, the furor around Teck looks like so much political grandstanding, sound and fury signifying nothing.

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Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia--(Newsfile Corp. - May 4, 2023) - HEXBIO MCP bagged the Diamond Brand Award 2022 after emerging as the top brand in Natural Health &  Readers' Choice Awards for 4 years in a row from 2019 to 2022. This award recognises the brand's efforts towards improving gut health, and boosting immunity as evidently endorsed by many women across Malaysia.





B-Crobes HEXBIO MCP team at the Natural Health Readers' Choice awards presentation event

To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit:

https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/8814/164814_509641af84b27a9b_001full.jpg

Since 2011, Natural Health &  Readers' Choice Awards has been a reputable accolade in showcasing sought-after health and beauty brands within the Malaysian market. With this award, the decision was placed in the hands of the consumers, who are consistently evolving to be more conscientious about quality and reputation.

Organised by Natural Health Magazine and reaching more than 200,000 consumers, this award honours the best beauty, health & wellness brands in the market. Like previous years, winners are chosen by more than 3,000 readers and shoppers. Hence, winning the Natural Health & Good Health <> Readers' Choice Award is a unique and trusted testimonial as it represents the collective votes of discerning consumers.

Winners of Natural Health's Diamond Brand Awards were announced last Wednesday, during an awards ceremony held to recognise their efforts and achievement. Established in 2006, HEXBIO MCP is the brainchild of B-Crobes founder Mr. Lee Heng Yee, who wanted to provide good healthcare for his family. Today, the brand is an award-winning go-to brand for health-enhancing products, specifically probiotics for the gut.

Thanks to the readers of Natural Health, this award recognises the company's efforts in providing quality products to their customers with their health and well-being in mind. Prioritising safety, the innovation of HEXBIO MCP is grounded in science and clinically tested on the finished product instead of individual strains. Continuous research and development and extensive clinical studies of HEXBIO MCP have also been done within the local Malaysian population.

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"I'm pleased to receive this award since it proves that we are on the right track and we have a loyal and supportive customer base," said Mr Lee. For the past 4 years, HEXBIO MCP was also awarded Natural Health &  Readers' Choice Awards in the 'Gut Health Supplement' category.

The inspiration behind the company is simple; Mr. Lee's aim was to uncover a simple remedy to help with common and acute health problems, especially those related to gut health, as faced by many Malaysians. With a greater aim to raise awareness and increase understanding of healthy gut bacteria and how it helps in maintaining good health.

About B-Crobes

Established as a trusted probiotic choice of families worldwide, HEXBIO MCP is a unique formulation that has been clinically-proven to be safe and efficient in supporting digestive health, boosting immunity and improving overall wellbeing. Today HEXBIO MCP has been used over generations for more than 16 years and exported to more than 15 countries.

To learn more about B-Crobes and HEXBIO MCP, please visit: https://bcrobes.com/

About Natural Health Magazine

Natural Health Magazine is one of the leading health magazines dedicated to guiding Malaysian women in taking action towards a healthier and better life. It offers readers fresh and informative contents on a diverse range of natural health alternatives from traditional to complementary so that they can make educated decisions for themselves and their families.

To view the complete list of winners of Natural Health &  Readers' Choice Awards 2022, please visit: https://naturalhealth.my/naturalhealth2022awards/

Contact Info:

Name: Brandon Loh

Email: contactus@bcrobes.com

Organization: B-Crobes Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd

Address: 31B, Jalan USJ 10/1E, USJ10, 47620 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia

Phone: +603 5636 1708

Website: https://bcrobes.com/

Video URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXh3NlGYm-U

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/164814
The question is both a royal tongue twister and an enigma fit for King Charles III.

On May 6, the former Prince of Wales will parade through the streets of London from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey to accept his birthright, the crown.

The ceremony brings a formal conclusion to his 74-year wait  decades that have revealed Charles to be, at his blue-blooded core, a front-line activist, a backroom meddler and, perhaps most of all, a clinger to the ancient, the sacred, the traditional.

The King  our King  is a man who speaks almost wistfully of the past, who has warned about the avant garde overtaking the establishment, whose speeches make reverential references to Nature with a capital N, shrugging off modernizations of English grammar rules in existence since the 18th century.

Yet the past cant be his first concern now; his task is to shape an unwieldy institution so that it survives for a generation, or generations, to come.

So say it three times, fast, and contemplate the puzzle facing the Royal Family, the United Kingdom, Canada and the realms: how might an antimodern monarch modernize the monarchy?

Royal correspondents are abuzz with the immediate and practical changes that King Charles is said to have planned.

He wants to review the regal bloodline and cut funding for untold number of distant family members who dont fit under the umbrella of working royals. The public got a sneak preview of this when Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were evicted earlier this year from Frogmore Cottage, their home on the grounds of Windsor Castle.

The King is also reportedly keen on reducing and improving the quality of those in his employ while Prince William, his son and heir, is leading a diversity drive to ensure that even if the Royal Family doesnt much resemble modern Britain, those working for it on a daily basis will.

All this work is being done on a fairly tight deadline, said John Fraser, a former journalist and author who is acting president of Canadas Institute for the Study of the Crown.

Hes got a short time on the throne  if hes lucky, 15 years, he said of King Charles. I think he wants to make sure theres something to hand on to his son.

Beyond the administrative challenges of running an organization with an estimated fortune of more than $28 billion, with annual revenues of $523 million, Charles biggest difficulty may involve recognizing and learning to live within the boundaries of his position, which Fraser likened to a constitutional straitjacket.

As prince, Charles was free to hold and espouse opinions and took full advantage, often acting as something like a royal lobbyist in promotion of the causes and concerns nearest to his heart.

He is quite rightly seen as an early enthusiast of what we recognize today as environmentalism.

In 1970, as a 21-year-old, Charles launched an award to encourage conservation efforts in Wales, noting that he was personally fascinated by the problems of conservation at a time when the whole idea has become immensely fashionable.

Modern society and public policies have eventually come around to his way of thinking. But his many other strongly held positions  and the ways in which he has acted upon them  have sparked pointed reactions.

Charles infamously objected in 2009 to a former military barracks in London being redeveloped into luxury residences, writing in a letter to the owner  the Emir of Qatar  that my heart sank upon seeking the architects modern conception for the project. He took it upon himself to offer alternative drawings and the assistance of the Foundation for the Built Environment, one of Charles various personal charities.

The move was publicly denounced as outrageous and completely unacceptable. But it was ultimately successful in halting and redirecting the project.

Charles staff later defended his right to express his personal opinion in what they described as a private letter from one royal to another.

In retrospect, though, the incident highlights a kind of inconsistency as he takes the crown, said Hector Mackenzie, a retired senior departmental historian for Global Affairs Canada.

Modern architecture could also be seen as simplifying and getting rid of clutter and  extraneous things, and of course, some of his rhetoric suggests that thats his approach to the royal family  to focus on those royals who do perform public duty.

The barracks issue raises doubts that a man who has shown himself so unwilling throughout his life to stay out of matters of public interest will, at the three-quarters-of-a-century mark, suddenly be able to hold his tongue and walk the thin, non-partisan line his mother, Elizabeth, is credited for so carefully and consistently tracing.

Charles interventionism was revealed in the so-called black spider letters  correspondence from him to government ministers often augmented with notes in black fountain pen  providing advice on matters of the day, most often related to the environment or agriculture.

Politically mundane by British tabloid standards, the letters nonetheless revealed  thanks to a handwriting expert consulted by the Guardian newspaper  that Charles was very much a man who likes to do things his own way.

Further proof of this came with a Guardian investigation into the use of a constitutional clause known under Elizabeth as Queens Consent, which obliges the government to seek special permission before passing laws that could affect royal revenues, personal property or other private interests.

The Queen used the arcane powers to review 1,000 British laws over the course of her reign. And Charles, though just a prince, used these powers to seek exemptions from a law that prevent tenants living on his Duchy of Cornwall estate from purchasing their homes.

The Queens Consent is now the Kings Consent, and while there is no reason to believe he wont invoke the powers when necessary, he did acknowledge in a BBC documentary to mark his 70the birthday that he will abide by the constitutional parameters of the position he now holds.

The idea that Im going to go on in exactly the same way, if I have to succeed, is completely nonsense, Charles said.

The first taste of the Kings curtailed freedoms came less than a month after he became the sovereign and was advised by then-British prime minister Liz Truss against attending the United Nations climate change conference in Egypt, where Charles had hoped to deliver what would have been one of his first major speeches as King.

Silenced, he instead hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace ahead of the event  a sign of his determination to be a party to the climate discussions, even away from the main event.

There are ways around such barriers, of course.

Fraser recalled how Elizabeth called on a former Canadian prime minister for an invitation to a 1973 meeting of the Commonwealth leaders, after the British prime minister Edward Heath advised her not to attend personally, amid a diplomatic dispute with Idi Amin, the president of Uganda.

Fraser predicts that Charles will be keen to test how far he can go in these and other matters post-coronation.

Its a tricky role hes got to play, but I dont think hes going to be content just to sit at home and do Christmas broadcasts, he said.

If he does carve out a role as an activist monarch, one keen to make a mark rather than simply cut ribbons and shake hands, this is where Canadians might most notice the impact of Charles reign, said Nathan Tidridge, a history teacher, author and adviser to Princes Charities Canada, a foundation Charles established.

After the Kings first meetings with Commonwealth representatives following his mothers passing, Ralph Goodale, Canadas High Commissioner to the U.K., said that Charles was keen to play a part in Indigenous reconciliation. Another indication of his intent came from Australian PM Anthony Albanese, who revealed that Buckingham Palace had made a specific request for significant representation from Indigenous Australians as part of the coronation.

When it comes to improving relationships, he has ways of doing that and in who he meets with, who he talks with, who he convenes together, Tidridge said.

He can create spaces of conversation like no one else  especially in these highly politicized times. People will not talk to the prime minister because hes a Liberal or a Conservative. The King kind of rises above politics  He has tremendous soft power in that respect.

The monarchys actual concrete powers to act are, however, granted or denied by governments. Rather that a straitjacket, MacKenzie sees this as the venerable institutions superpower.

Fundamentally one of its assets is that its above politics. If they ever descended into the political fray, it would be the death of the monarchy, he said. They are totally unequipped for the kind of rough-and-tumble that would be involved in a more activist monarchy trying to defend its role.

Even when King Charles has tried to display sympathies for the plight of commoners, he has only ended up highlighting the vast distance that exists between his reality and the real world he is supposed to represent.

As a New Years gift to Brits struggling through a cost-of living crisis, he took the unexpected windfall from Crown wind farms totalling a billion pounds ($1.7 billion) and offered it up for the public good rather than stuffing it away into royal coffers.

But that elusive, unreal, larger-than-life quality that Charles will step into when he dons cape and crown and sceptre, when he swears an ancient oath and is anointed with holy oil has also been the key to its longevity, said MacKenzie.

To some extent, the British monarchy has succeeded by not being a popular monarchy, he said. The fact that its a monarchy apart from the population is both part of its mystique and therefore, if you like, its tourist draw.

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PANAJI, India (AP)  Foreign ministers from a group of nations led by China and Russia criticized on Friday the ability of world institutions to resolve geopolitical problems, including the coronavirus pandemic, and said their organization should do more to address such challenges.

Indian Foreign Minister Subhramanyam Jaishankar said in remarks at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization that the crises have disrupted global supply chains and have hit developing nations the hardest.

They have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner, he said, adding that alternative organizations like the SCO can help address such challenges.

With more than 40% of the worlds population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact, he said.

Russia and China founded the SCO in 2001 as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which Russia considers its backyard. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members, and Iran and Belarus are set to join later this year.

Russia and China have sought to reduce the dominance of what they see as U.S. and Western-led global institutions and alliances, and China accuses Washington of attempting to contain its economic and military rise.

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang told the foreign ministers that the world is faced with multiple crises and challenges featuring a resurgence of the Cold War mentality, headwinds of unilateral protectionism, as well as rising hegemonism and power politics, Chinas official Xinhua News Agency reported.

SCO members should support each other in safeguarding sovereignty, security and development interests, and oppose external forces interfering in regional issues, he said.

At a briefing after the meeting, Jaishankar dismissed questions about whether the SCO is anti-Western, saying, how people perceive it is something I cannot answer for. Instead, he stressed Indias multidirectional foreign policy and said its not always possible that all our partners get along with other partners.

India enjoys strong ties with Cold War ally Russia, while its relations with the United States have warmed in recent years and its ties with China have cooled over a border dispute. It is increasingly seen by the West as a counterweight to Chinas growing global ambitions.

Jaishankar did not mention Russias war in Ukraine, and analysts said Moscow was unlikely to face a backlash over its invasion from the SCO and would instead use the meeting to flex its influence in the region. For Russia, the SCO remains one of the few international groups where it can still comfortably engage with members and further ties.

The visit by Pakistans foreign minister to archrival India to attend the meeting was the first by a high-ranking Pakistani official in nearly a decade. Jaishankar stressed the need to stop cross-border terrorism in his remarks, a dig at Pakistan, which India accuses of arming and training rebels fighting for the independence of Indian-controlled Kashmir or its integration into Pakistan, a charge Islamabad denies.

Lets not get caught up in weaponizing terrorism for diplomatic point scoring, Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said in his opening remarks.

Despite speculation, India and Pakistan did not hold bilateral talks on the sidelines of the meeting. Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism, Jaishankar said at the briefing.

Jaishankar held separate talks with his Chinese and Russian counterparts on Thursday.

The meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin came amid continued tensions along their disputed border, where a three-year standoff involves thousands of soldiers stationed in the eastern Ladakh region.

Qin earlier said the border situation was stable overall and that both sides should abide by existing agreements to promote the further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquility in the border area, according to Chinas Foreign Ministry.

India did not release a statement after the meeting, but Jaishankar said relations between the two countries were not normal and cannot be if peace and tranquility in border areas is disturbed.

Qin also met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday. China is the biggest buyer of Russian oil and gas exports, pumping billions of dollars into the Russian treasury and helping the Kremlin resist Western sanctions over its invasion of Ukraine.

Beijing is also trying to present itself as a global diplomatic force and has said it is willing to serve as a mediator in the war.

Last month, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said Beijing will send an envoy to Ukraine to discuss a possible political settlement.

China has blamed the U.S. and NATO for provoking Russia and refused to criticize Moscows actions. However, it has refrained from issuing a full-throated endorsement of the invasion and is not known to have provided arms or other material assistance to the Russian military effort.

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NEW YORK (AP)  The potential criminal charges against a U.S. Marine veteran who put Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold aboard a New York City subway train might depend on whether a reasonable New Yorker would have acted similarly.

Neely, a locally-known Michael Jackson impersonator who friends say suffered from worsening mental health, died Monday when a fellow rider pulled him to the floor and pinned him with a hold taught in combat training.

Neely had been screaming at other passengers but hadnt attacked anyone, according to a freelance journalist who recorded video of his final minutes.

The man who administered the chokehold, Daniel Penny, said through his lawyers Friday that he was only protecting himself after Neely threatened him and other passengers.

Daniel never intended to harm Mr. Neely and could not have foreseen his untimely death, said his lawyers, Thomas Kenniff and Steven Raiser.

The Manhattan District Attorneys Office is investigating the incident and no charges have been announced.

If a case does go forward, an argument of self-defense would likely brush up against a tricky legal requirement, according to Mark Bederow, a former assistant district attorney in Manhattan.

Under New Yorks penal code, a person who uses deadly force must not only prove that they feared for their own life or someone elses, but that any reasonable person would have felt the same way.

Suppose the Marine says, I honest to God thought I had no choice but to save someone, the question would be whether an objectively reasonable person in his circumstances would have felt the same, Bederow said.

The interpretation of that statute was last clarified by the states highest court in 1986, in response to Bernhard Goetzs shooting of four teenagers aboard a subway, an infamous case that has drawn comparisons to Neelys death.

In 1984, Geotz, who was white, shot four young Black men after one of them asked him for $5. Goetz said he thought he was being robbed. A jury ultimately acquitted Goetz of attempted murder but convicted him of carrying an unlicensed handgun.

Neelys killing has set off an emotionally-charged debate in New York about compassion and mental illness.

Most people who ride the subway system have had occasional uncomfortable encounters with people who shout or behave in unsettling ways, but pose no danger to anyone. The most common response is to simply ignore it or move to a different car. It is unclear why either Penny, or two other men who can be seen on the video helping to restrain Neely, decided to act.

In a statement Friday, Pennys lawyers didnt offer details of what happened, other than to say that when Mr. Neely began aggressively threatening Daniel Penny and the other passengers, Daniel, with the help of others, acted to protect themselves, until help arrived.

No arrests were made by police, prompting outrage from some who demanded criminal charges in the death.

Others, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, have urged caution, highlighting the rights of riders to defend themselves in certain situations as well as the perils of a transit system that often serves as a shelter for the citys neediest residents.

Bederow predicted Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg may choose to bring the case before a grand jury, a process sometimes used in controversial or complex cases. A charge of second degree manslaughter or criminally negligent homicide was most likely, he said.

Walter Signorelli, a former NYPD inspector and professor at John Jay College, said he was uncertain charges would be filed, given the apparent fear among riders in response to Neelys behavior. If the case went to trial, he said a jury could empathize with the defendant.

Its not like hes a villain, Signorelli said. He did what he thought was right and what seemed reasonable to him. Hes stepping up where most people turn away.

The defense could also highlight Neelys criminal record, which includes dozens of arrests, ranging from disorderly conduct to assault. Most recently, in 2021, he was charged with assaulting a 67-year-old woman leaving a subway station. After pleading guilty, he missed a court date, leading to a warrant for his arrest that was still active at the time of his death.

At the same time, legal experts said Neelys record would have been unknown to people inside the subway car.

The fact that Penny served in the U.S. Marines could also count against him, if prosecutors argued that he had the training to know better than to use a dangerous chokehold. Military records show he served in the corps from 2017 to 2021, rising to the rank of sergeant. His lawyers said hes now a college student.

Video of the incident shows Penny placing Neely in a chokehold for several minutes. He maintained the grip even after Neely stopped struggling.

Even if you found him initially justified, the question then becomes how much is too much? Bederow said. If you look at that video, I dont think anyone would say that guy is a threat at that point in time.

As Neely lay face down on the subway cars floor, still wrapped in the chokehold, at least one bystander can be heard on the video urging restraint, warning that they might be killing him.

Youve got to let him go, the man says.

Another witness, Johnny Grima, then tells Penny and the other riders that the unconscious Neely could choke on his spit if they arent careful.

Grima arrived inside the subway car as the chokehold was in progress, and said he was deeply disturbed by the scene. He said the men assured him that Neely was still breathing.

But when they let him go he just fell limp, staring off into space, Grima said. His eyes were open, but there was no light.

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OTTAWA - The International Criminal Courts chief prosecutor says he has every confidence that South Africa will arrest Vladimir Putin when the Russian president is expected to attend an international summit there in August.

Karim Khan defended his decision to issue the arrest warrant at a news conference in Ottawa Friday, saying it is a litmus test for whether the international community will take collective action against Putin for Russias assault against Ukraine.

The court is trying to hold Putin personally responsible for war crimes including the abduction of Ukrainian children.

He is expected to attend the BRICS summit as Russias representative, alongside the leaders of Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

Weve got to do our job, and the international community should do theirs, Khan said. Are we all talk? Or is there collective action, that in 2023 we want to render these crimes of international concern extinct.

South Africas ambassador to Canada recently told The Canadian Press that the country prefers the idea of peace talks to the Wests approach of trying to punish the Russian aggressors.

The arrest warrant was the first the global court has issued against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

South Africa would be Putins first trip to an ICC member state since the arrest warrant was issued in March.

Khan said he thinks the country will want to act on the law for their own people and for the world they want to bequeath to their children.

While a special government commission determined South Africa would have no choice but to arrest Putin on its soil, high-ranking officials in the country, including President Cyril Ramaphosa, have cast doubt on whether that will happen in part because of strong ties to Russia.

Former Canadian diplomat and politician Allan Rock, who was in Ottawa with Khan, said the international community knows where Canada stands in terms of the rule of law, the authority of the ICC and accountability for alleged crimes.

Canada has excellent relations with South Africa. But I respectfully share the view expressed by prosecutors that we can count on South Africa to do the right thing because of their commitment to the rule of law and because they share the same values that we do along the way, he said.

On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed confidence Putin would be convicted of war crimes.

He said in The Hague that the Russian leader deserves to be sentenced for (his) criminal actions right here in the capital of the international law.

The ICC counts on member states to execute its warrants. Ukraine is not a member of the court but is granting it jurisdiction over its territory and Khan has visited several times.

Russia doesnt recognize the court at all and Moscow dismissed the accusation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia considers the ICC decisions legally void and called the courts move outrageous and unacceptable.

Peskov refused to comment when asked if Putin would avoid making trips to countries where he could be arrested, and has been noncommittal about whether Putin will actually attend the summit.

The U.S. also doesnt recognize the court, but President Joe Biden said it makes a very strong point to call out Putins actions.

Not being able to attend international summits could further stain Putins global reputation, as this was slated to be his first major foreign trip  and opportunity to play nice with a group of global leaders  since invading Ukraine last year.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 5, 2023.

 With files from The Associated Press.

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People walk in and out of the Oregon State Capitol in Salem, Ore., Thursday, May 4, 2023. Republican members of the Oregon Senate on Thursday extended their boycott of Senate proceedings into a second day, delaying action by the majority Democrats on bills on gun safety, abortion rights and gender-affirming health care.
Senior officials from dozens of nations meeting in Berlin remain divided on how to meet international climate goals. Some countries are pushing for a phase-out of fossil fuels while others insist that oil and gas can continue to play a role in future, provided their emissions are somehow contained. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock made clear that proposals for ramping up renewables should not detract from the need to drastically cut fossil fuel use. The United Arab Emirates will host the U.N. talks in Dubai. The UAE backed the idea of significantly boosting wind and solar power, but made clear it wants to keep fossil fuels an option for the foreseeable future.
High Arctic Energy Services Inc.

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES. ANY FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH THIS RESTRICTION MAY CONSTITUTE A VIOLATION OF U.S. SECURITIES LAW

CALGARY, Alberta, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- High Arctic Energy Services Inc. (TSX: HWO) "High Arctic" or the "Corporation intends to release its 2023 first quarter results on Thursday, May 11, 2023 after markets close and has scheduled a conference call to begin at 2:00 pm MT (4:00 pm ET) on Friday, May 12, 2023.

The conference call dial in numbers are 1-800-952-5114 or 416-641-6104 and the participant passcode is 6292679#. Participants joining from outside North America can find International dial-in numbers at: https://www.confsolutions.ca/ILT?oss=7P1R8009525114

An archived recording of the conference call will be available approximately two hours after the call ends by dialing 1-800-408-3053 and will remain available until June 30, 2023. An audio recording of the conference call will also be available within 24 hours on High Arctics website.

The Corporations First Quarter Financial Statements and Managements Discussion & Analysis will be posted to High Arctics website and SEDAR after the results are released.

The Corporations Annual General Meeting will be held in the Neilson 1 Room at the Hyatt Regency Calgary, 700 Centre Street SE, Calgary, AB, T2G 5P6 on Thursday, May 11, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. MT. All shareholders, business analysts and other interest parties are encouraged to listen to the meeting via teleconference at toll-free 1-800-952-5114 (Canada and U.S.) or via the internet at: https://www.confsolutions.ca/ILT?oss=7P1R8009525114 (International), Conference ID: 9758331#.

About High Arctic

High Arctic is an energy services provider. High Arctic is a market leader in Papua New Guinea providing drilling and specialized well completion services and supplies rental equipment including rig matting, camps, material handling and drilling support equipment. In western Canada High Arctic provides nitrogen services and pressure control equipment on a rental basis to exploration and production companies.

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For further information, please contact:

Lance Mierendorf

Chief Financial Officer

1.587.318.2218

1.800.668.7143

High Arctic Energy Services Inc.

Suite 2350, 3305th Avenue SW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2P 0L4

website: www.haes.ca

Email: info@haes.ca




CATASAUQUA, Pa. - Retired U.S. Army Staff Sergeant, Daniel Wright, needed an outlet after serving more than a decade in the Marine Corp and Army, and he found that outlet in tattooing.

The Purple Heart Recipient was wounded in Iraq.

"I was inpatient for PTSD and art therapy helped me," Wright said. "I always knew I could draw. I was always an artist for as long I could walk."

The Catasauqua resident decided to turn that outlet into The MarzMade Mobile Tattoo Studio, a fully equipped, traveling tattoo van.

"I've went all the way as far as Canada and as low as Mexico," Wright said. He also uses the business to give back, donating free tattoos to veterans.

"When you're getting a tattoo that adrenaline rushes again," Wright said. "So while that her adrenaline is rushing, I'm talking down the things you've seen, because I've seen them."

"Some people want their scars covered up," Wirght said. "I have scars and I know sometimes you look at them and you're proud of them and other times you hate them."

His work got the attention of Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, which donated a new car for his family as part of the Transportation4Heroes program. That allowed him to upgrade the tattoo van.

"We want to just make sure that our veterans, when they come home, they have support." said Paralee Knight, Vice President for Philanthropy and Community Impact at Wells Fargo. "It's vital to our communities to support small businesses because we know when we're supporting a small business, we're supporting a family, we're supporting future entrepreneur."

Daniel and his family were also recently awarded the President's Volunteer Service Award for their work in the community

"We didn't have a lot, you know, so we were able to have when were able to have, I want to share with everybody else." Wright said.

He hopes to keep sharing for as long as he can: "I want to give back when I can, maybe franchise a couple vans here and there for other artists to be able to do what I do."
HAZLETON, Pa. - Hazleton officials announced Thursday the city is no longer a "financially distressed municipality."

Hazleton asked for Pennsylvania's help six years ago.

The city can now stand on its own two feet financially.

Hazleton is Pennsylvania's 17th largest city, with a population of about 30,000 people.
Pennsylvania State Trooper Thomas Rehberg and several other Monroe County law enforcement members received commendations for their role in apprehending and prosecuting 34-year-old Martin Baboolal.

Rehberg was one of two troopers injured during a September 2021 high speed chase where Baboolal drove over 100 miles per hour through East Stroudsburg and Route 611, hitting numerous police.

"The public just doesn't want to tolerate behavior like this. And he has to answer for it," said Trooper Jonathan Baily, who also received a commendation.

In December a jury convicted the 34-year-old Baboolal of more than 40 counts.

A judge sentenced him to 28 and a half to 60 years in prison, on top of a 4.5-9-year sentence for a similar incident in 2020.

"I think it was warranted in this case. I mean, this individual risks a lot of people's lives. We had two troopers that were injured in the last car pursuit," said Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Christy Schlottman.

At the time of the September chase, Baboolal, who now has 4 DUI's, was on bail for the 2020 case, had a suspended license, several warrants for his arrests, and had also fled from police the day before in Northampton County.

In court Baboolal admitted he's an addict but not a violent person. The judge called Baboolal a menace and drain to society who'd been arrested 18 times with 15 convictions. He said he wanted to make an example of him with his sentence, which also included denying him drug rehabilitation programs in prison.

"Put the public at risk, or law enforcement at risk, and ultimately yourself so you have to answer for the actions that you ultimately decide to do," said Baily.

Baboolal, who also has to pay $61,000 in damages for the damaged police cars, has several more cases coming to trial, including a case involving a drug delivery resulting in death.
NEW YORK (AP)  Donald Trump 's lawyers have asked a federal court to take control of his New York City criminal case. They argued Thursday that the former president cant be tried in the state court where his historic indictment was brought because the alleged conduct occurred while he was in office.

In court papers, Trump's lawyers said the criminal case involves important federal questions, including alleged violations of federal election law. Federal officers, including former presidents, have the right to be tried in federal court for charges arising from conduct performed while in office," the lawyers argued.

Echoing Trump's claims that his indictment is politically motivated, lawyer Susan Necheles urged the federal court to exert its protective jurisdiction and seize the case from the state courts where Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg routinely practices.

Such requests are rarely granted in criminal cases, although Trump's request is unprecedented because hes the first former president ever charged with a crime.

This effort is extremely unlikely to succeed, said Rebecca Roiphe, a professor at New York Law School. Its not even clear that this would be a particularly effective delay tactic.

Moving the case could give Trump some advantages, such as a broader, more politically diverse jury pool  but the fundamentals of the case would remain largely intact.

The Manhattan district attorney's office would still prosecute him and state law would still apply, but with the oversight of a federal judge, said University of Iowa law professor Derek Muller.

Its essentially just a change in courthouses, Muller said.

Trumps attorney, Todd Blanche, first raised the prospect of moving the case to federal court during a state court hearing Thursday where a judge indicated he'd put limits on Trump's access to certain evidence, as prosecutors requested.

But Judge Juan Manuel Merchan said he wouldn't issue a gag order or bar Trump from speaking publicly about the case.

Trumps lawyers faced a Thursday deadline to file paperwork seeking to move the case  30 days after the April 4 state court arraignment where he pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.

A federal judge will now weigh whether to grant the request. While that plays out, the case will proceed in state court and all pretrial deadlines will remain in effect.

It is possible to remove a state prosecution to federal court but the reasons for doing so are narrow and none seem to apply in this case, Roiphe, a former Manhattan prosecutor, said.

Prosecutors didn't address the request during Thursday's hearing. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Braggs office issued a statement saying it was reviewing the request to transfer the case and would file an appropriate response with the court.

The criminal charges are related to payments Trump's company made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Prosecutors say those payments, most of which took place in 2017, while Trump was president, were intended to reimburse and compensate Cohen for orchestrating hush money payments during the 2016 campaign to bury allegations of extramarital sexual encounters.

Federal prosecutors in Manhattan previously investigated and only charged one person: Cohen, who pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the hush money payments. Cohen is a key witness in the state case against Trump.

Trump, a Republican, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

Earlier in the hearing Thursday, the judge sought to broker a compromise between Trumps lawyers and prosecutors, who raised concerns that he would use evidence obtained in the pretrial discovery process to attack witnesses and other people involved in the case, as he has in the past.

Merchan, a target of Trump's social media ire in the wake of his indictment, did not rule on the prosecution's request for what's known as a protective order. But he suggested he wants to balance the sanctity of the case, the safety of people involved, and Trump's free speech rights.

The judge said Trump's fame and megaphone make him different from other criminal defendants, but with that comes responsibility that his words, especially when used in the form of rhetoric, can have consequences."

Blanche said Trump wasn't seeking to put evidence on social media nor was he objecting to a prosecution request, based in part on safety concerns, to keep identifying information about district attorney's office employees secret until the trial starts.

Once he rules, Merchan said, he will hold a hybrid conference  lawyers in court, Trump appearing by video  where he will apprise him of the dos and don'ts of his impending order.

Merchan asked the defense and prosecution to agree on a trial date in February or March 2024. Barring removal to federal court, that could land Trump, whos making a comeback run for the White House, in court during next years primaries.

William Dow III, a Connecticut attorney for more than 50 years, said hed never heard of a state criminal case being removed to federal court. He said such moves are a delaying ploy.

Sometimes people who want to run away from their problems take any avenue thats available, whether its accurate or not. I think this (Trumps case) is subject to that interpretation, said Dow, whose clients have included former Connecticut Gov. John Rowland in a political corruption case that forced him to resign in 2004.

Associated Press reporter Dave Collins in Hartford, Connecticut, contributed to this report.

Follow Michael Sisak on Twitter at twitter.com/mikesisak and send confidential tips by visiting https://www.ap.org/tips/
Questions mounted Thursday about why an Oklahoma sex offender who authorities say shot to death his wife, her three children and their two friends and then killed himself was freed from prison early, despite facing new sex charges in a separate case.

Those questions include how he was released on good behavior when the new charges were for solicited nude images from a teen while he was imprisoned, why was he released on $25,000 bond, and how was a man convicted of raping a teenager able to live with teenage girls?

If things had gone differently in the Oklahoma criminal justice system, family members of the victims said, maybe their loved ones would still be alive.

Jesse McFadden, a 39-year-old convicted rapist, was scheduled to be in court on Monday for the start of a jury trial on charges that while in prison for rape he used a contraband cell phone to solicit a 16-year-old girl and exchanged nude photographs with her.

Those new felony charges were filed in 2017, more than three years before McFadden was released from prison in 2020.

That's plenty of time to prosecute any criminal case on the face of the earth, said Brett Chapman, a former Tulsa County prosecutor who now works as a defense attorney who reviewed McFadden's case. What happened here? That should have kept him in.

Chapman also said the $25,000 bond McFadden was released on was too low.

Muskogee County District Attorney Larry Edwards, whose office was prosecuting the 2017 charges against McFadden, has not returned multiple telephone messages seeking comment. But McFadden's defense attorney, Rex Earl Starr, said the death of McFadden's first attorney and the COVID-19 pandemic led to long delays in the prosecution.

Still, Starr said he spoke to McFadden on Sunday, the day before he and the six victims were found dead on his rural property east of Henryetta, a town of about 6,000 about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Oklahoma City, and didn't suspect anything was wrong.

There was no indication whatsoever we wouldnt be ready to select a jury at noon, Starr said.

But, in a series of ominous messages with the teenager whom he had allegedly been texting while behind bars, McFadden vowed not to return to prison. According to screen grabs of the messages, forwarded to KOKI in Tulsa, McFadden said his great life was crumbling and blamed the teenager for the latest set of charges against him that could put him back in prison for decades.

A solicitation conviction can mean a 10-year sentence; the pornography charge could mean 20 years behind bars.

Now its all gone, he texted. I told you I wouldnt go back.

This is all on you for continuing this, he said.

A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Corrections said in a statement McFadden was able to earn credits for things like good behavior and completing program and education assignments that were then applied after he served 85% of his sentence.

Spokeswoman Kay Thompson added that registered sex offenders are allowed to live with their own children and stepchildren as long as they are not a victim of the offender. McFadden was not given probation or parole upon his release, but he did have to register as a sex offender and check in every 90 days with the sheriffs office, which Okmulgee County Police Chief Joe Prentice said McFadden had done.

McFaddens prison record shows he had at least 10 misconduct offenses during his 17 years in prison, including consensual sexual activity with other offenders, positive drug tests and possession of tobacco.

The DOC did not address why McFadden was released despite facing new felony charges, but his attorney, Starr, said there was no legal mechanism to keep him incarcerated when he had finished serving his sentence.

The simple answer is that he is innocent until proven guilty, its a basic constitutional provision, Starr said.

After McFadden was released from prison, he was arraigned in Muskogee County on the new charges of soliciting a minor and possessing images of child sexual abuse, but was released on $25,000 bond.

Relatives of the victims were in disbelief by McFadden's early release, especially in light of the seriousness of the new charges against him.

And they rushed him out of prison. How?" asked Janette Mayo of Westville, whose daughter, Holly Guess, 35, and her grandchildren, Rylee Elizabeth Allen, 17; Michael James Mayo, 15; and Tiffany Dore Guess, 13, were among those killed.

Oklahoma failed to protect families. And because of that my children - my daughter and my grandchildren - are all gone, Mayo said.

The other victims were 14-year-old Ivy Webster and 16-year-old Brittany Brewer. Justin Webster, who said he allowed Ivy to join a sleepover at the McFadden home not knowing anything about the man's past, raised similar concerns.

"There needs to be repercussions and somebody needs to be held accountable. They let a monster out, Webster said.

Prosecutors in his original rape case objected to any early release from prison, noting that McFadden had tied a 17-year-olds hands and feet to bedposts, cut her shirt off and raped her at knifepoint. At one point, he threatened to use the knife on her if she "did not shut up, court records show.

McFadden married Holly Guess in May 2022; what she knew of his record isn't clear. Mayo said the family didnt learn about her son-in-law's criminal history until a few months ago.

He lied to my daughter," Mayo said. "He convinced her it was all just a huge mistake.

Shawna Cleary, who teaches several courses on criminal justice at the University of Central Oklahoma and who wrote a book titled Sex Offenders and Self-Control: Explaining Sexual Violence, said it's common for sex offenders like McFadden to charm and manipulate those around him.

Either she was unaware of what he did or she believed what he was selling ... and she was willing to marry him, Cleary said.

Cleary said there is a need in Oklahoma for closer supervision and treatment for people convicted of crimes  particularly sex offenses  after their release from prison, although she acknowledged there often isn't treatment available in much of the state.

It's not available in all 77 counties, and very few people want to do that kind of work, Cleary said.

Follow Sean Murphy on Twitter: @apseanmurphy
UPPER MACUNGIE TWP., Pa. - Do-it-yourselfers looking to spruce up their deck, living room or another part of their home with a fresh coat of paint have a new store to check out in the Lehigh Valley.

Sherwin-Williams, a global company that manufactures, develops, distributes and sells paint, coatings and related products, is holding a grand opening sale on Saturday, May 6, at the business' newest regional store at 7720 Main St. in the Fogelsville section of Upper Macungie Township.

The renovated building previously housed a Steak 'n Shake restaurant and before that, it was home to a Bank of America branch.

The new Sherwin-Williams store, which held a soft opening a few months ago, carries hundreds of paint colors, along with primers, spray paint, interior and exterior stains and supplies such as drop cloths, masking tape, paint brushes and rollers, roller trays and ladders.

"Our grand opening sale will include 40% off paints and stains and 30% off supplies," assistant manager Tara Garger said. "We have a really nice paint selection, with a variety of finishes available - including flat, matte, satin, semi-gloss and gloss."

Founded in 1866, The Sherwin-Williams Company is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio and manufactures products under well-known brands such as Sherwin-Williams, Valspar, HGTV HOME by Sherwin-Williams, Dutch Boy, Krylon, Minwax, Thompson's WaterSeal and Cabot.

Sherwin-Williams branded products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 5,000 company-operated stores and facilities, while the company's other brands are sold through leading mass merchandisers, home centers, independent paint dealers, hardware stores, automotive retailers, and industrial distributors across North America and in parts of Europe, China, Australia and New Zealand.

The Sherwin-Williams Performance Coatings Group supplies a broad range of highly engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world.

The Fogelsville store, supplementing more than a dozen other regional locations, is open 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. Info: 484-273-7214.
In 1994, Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Bill Clinton.

1925: John T. Scopes 1961: Alan B. Shepard Jr. 1973: Secretariat 1994: Michael Fay 2012: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed 2016: Lonnie Franklin Jr. 2020: Facebook 2020: Tyson Foods APTOPIX Biden
David Tennant (Good, Good Omens, Doctor Who) will star in a new staging of Macbeth at the Donmar Warehouse this winter.

The central London venue's season is also set feature the European premiere of Clyde's, Lynn Nottage's follow-up to her Pulitzer-winning piece Sweat. The play is set in a Pennsylvania truck stop, where the formerly incarcerated staff aspire to create the perfect sandwich.

Running from 13 October to 2 December, Nottage's play will be directed by Lynette Linton (who also directed Sweat at the venue in 2018), while the creative team also includes designer Frankie Bradshaw, lighting designer Oliver Fenwick, sound designer George Dennis, movement director Kane Husbands and composer Duramaney Kamara.

The venue's associate director Max Webster (Life of Pi, Henry V) will then direct Tennant in the Scottish Play, with further casting for the show to be revealed in due course.

Playing from 8 December to 10 February 2024, the show has sound design by Gareth Fry and movement direction by Shelley Maxwell. The production marks Tennant's first time at the Donmar since he appeared in Lobby Hero over 20 years ago.

The venue will also tour a production of Henry V, inspired by Webster's staging of the show seen last year, to schools for four weeks in June and July, with performances offered free of charge reaching up to 3000 young people in Camden and Westminster.

Artistic director Michael Longhurst said today: "For my penultimate season announcement I am thrilled to share two more productions to round off our 30th birthday year. First, we have the European premiere of Lynn Nottage's hilarious and uplifting Clyde's directed by Lynette Linton, fresh from her Critics' Circle Best Director win. Clyde's follows their astonishing production of Sweat staged at the Donmar, and the West End, in 2018 and 2019. And I am so excited to witness David Tennant's portrayal of Macbeth, in what will be an unmissable production directed by Max Webster.

"We are also proud to share an adapted version of our last Shakespeare production Henry V with young people in Camden and Westminster in our next Schools' tour, created by artists from our training programme. With the continued cuts to schools' arts provision, touring productions like this are essential, to help nurture the next generation of audiences and theatre makers. Finally I am delighted to have Mufaro Makubiko and Hannah Shury-Smith under commission, thanks to our Theatre Royal Haymarket Writers Award."

Longhurst's final season of shows before he steps down as artistic director next year will be announced in the autumn.
Snow, torrential rains, massive floods. Extreme weather has battered the U.S. this year, and shoppers likely will feel the lingering effects at the grocery store heading into summer.

Good weather, especially in the spring when planting season starts, is vital to growing a bountiful crop of fruits, nuts and vegetables. But the extreme swings this year have left many growers behind schedule, especially in California, which produces nearly half of U.S. fruits, nuts and "salad bowl" vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, spinach and kale, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Although farmers are optimistic they can recover from delayed planting timelines, it may take a few months. In the meantime, consumers may see smaller selections, lower supplies and higher prices, experts say.

This year is extreme, said Brad Rubin, sector manager for specialty crops within Wells Fargos Agri-Food Institute. The amount of wet weather and a cold spring delayed plantings in major areas of California.

Flooded with problems: California's vast farms are soaked. There's nowhere to plant tomatoes, and that's just one problem.

Chicken pot pie costs what?: You think food price inflation is easing? Try baking this chicken pot pie recipe.

What crops couldnt be planted?

Berries, lettuce and other green leafy vegetables and tomatoes are among the major crops that will suffer from the flooding in California.

Intense rainfall breached a levee and flooded the central California communities of Watsonville and Salinas, which produce about one-third of the states strawberries. The overflow left about one-fifth of the fields underwater.

Floods in the Salinas Valley, the nation's salad bowl that grows more than 60% of its lettuce, also hampered planting. Not only did farmers have to wait for the water to subside, but they also had to make sure the soil wasnt contaminated with bacteria that could cause foodborne illness.

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In late February, the Monterey County agricultural commissioners office in California estimated the value of crops lost and projected future losses at $324.1 million. Salinas and Salinas Valley are part of Monterey County, and Watsonville is part of Santa Cruz County.

Crops hit the hardest included romaine lettuce, strawberries, wine grapes, celery, carrots, broccoli and garlic, it said.

What we have seen at local farmers markets is an increase in price, Wells Fargos Rubin said. At retail stores, some supply imported from Mexico has helped keep prices down, but the organic and locally grown has been more expensive.

Climate hits our food: Weird weather hit cattle ranchers and citrus growers in 2022. Why it likely will get worse.

Lost grains: Global rice shortage possible in 2023, prices are expected to remain high, analysts say

Water gushing from a pipe to flood the fields of California farmer Don Cameron on March 14, 2023. As the massive snows of the winter of 2022-2023 begin to melt, the north fork of the Kings river that runs alongside his farm is brimming. He is pumping 70,000 gallons of water a minute into his fields to flood them, allowing the water to soak deep into the earth and recharge the underground aquifers he relies on to irrigate in dry years.

Its not just the soil, but the bees

The extreme cold, windy and wet weather across the country has prevented bees from pollinating as usual.

Bees do not fly in hard rain or high winds, said Charlotte Anderson, South Carolinas first female master beekeeper, in her blog. Hard rain could break their wings, and in windy weather, the effort often outweighs the rewards.

As a result, crops that depend on pollination could feel the effects of bee disruption.

No one will know until May or June, but everyone is speculating almonds will be light this year based on the lack of bee flight during pollinations, Rubin said.

Bees are moved around the country to help pollinate crops, especially California almonds between February and March each year.

Without bees, there would be no almonds, the Almond Board of California says. Almonds are the seventh-most valuable crop in the United States, and are all grown in California, which also supplies 80% of the worlds production. It also represents the largest pollination service market for honeybees.

After almonds service, beekeepers bring their honeybees to different locations across the United States, pollinating more than 90 other crops and making honey.

Almond prices are already reflecting expectations of a smaller crop. In March, prices soared 33% from February, marking the largest monthly increase since November 2014, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said.

On an annual basis, almond prices jumped nearly 58% in March to post the biggest increase since 1995, it said.

Saving bees: 'Fully vaccinated queens': First vaccine for honeybees approved in US

No need to milk the cow: Which plant-based milk is best? Oat? Nut?

Were there any upsides to the extreme weather?

Yes.

After several years of drought in California, reservoirs are full, helping eliminate water restrictions from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, Rubin said. The act was passed in 2014 to help protect groundwater resources over the long term.

With reservoirs full, farmers didnt have to irrigate and wont have to pay additional fees for water to the Sustainable Groundwater Management board, he said.

The biggest winners? Wineries. Everyones predicting a good wine crop, Rubin said.

Because the rain came early while the vines were dormant, or not yet primed for growth, vines werent damaged, and the soil got refreshed. The water also washed away any toxic salt deposits from previous years.

Weather effects: Climate change is coming for your wine. What the world's wineries are doing to save grapes

Berry good for you: What is the healthiest fruit? This one is high in antioxidants and has cognitive and cardiovascular benefits.

But is 2023 an El Nino year? How would El Nino affect food prices?

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said last month that an El Nino event was 62% likely from May through July and more than 80% probable by fall. An El Nino is a warming of sea surface temperature in the eastern Pacific Ocean that can affect global weather and increase the risk of natural disasters, such as floods in some areas and droughts in others.

How strong a possible El Nino could be remains unclear, NOAA said.

The main implication could be higher food prices and stresses in emerging market countries vulnerable to such a shock, said Deutsche Bank economist Jim Reid.

Medora Lee is a money, markets, and personal finance reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mjlee@usatoday.com and subscribe to our free Daily Money newsletter for personal finance tips and business news every Monday through Friday morning.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Extreme 2023 weather will affect food prices and selection. Here's how
The Windrush scandal had a devastating impact on so many people. Theresa May's so-called hostile environment' policy saw lives turned upside down with others being utterly ruined despite having happily lived as part of British society for decades. The unfeelingly cruel and shambolic way that the Government destroyed a swathe of family lives was unforgivable.

Campaigner, actor, comedian and knight of the realm Lenny Henry has written this monologue to illustrate the inhumanity of what happened and to highlight the impact it has had on the very ordinary lives of those of West Indian heritage that were so horribly blindsided by the whole scandal.

It is also Henry that takes the performance reins as August Henderson, the son of Jamaican parents that moved from Jamaica to Peckham in the '60s. Jamaica was an English colony at that time and part of the British Empire. Free movement within the Empire meant that this was a perfectly acceptable move and indeed was often actively encouraged by the British Government. August was just eight when he arrived on our chilly shores. With Peckham proving to be too rough, it was the Midlands that beckoned, and the West Indies become West Bromwich  familiar territory for Henry.

August retells his whole life story, moving around his comfortable front room, referring to the family pictures on the wall as he talks about his parents, romances and the raising of his children. He ponders on grief as the machinations of life lead him into periods of depression and loss as well as happiness and success.

Henry's comedy roots are obvious to see as he laughs and jokes his way through the storytelling. He casually interacts with the crowd and happily acknowledges the ample support being verbalised by the engaged audience. It often feels a little too much like a stand-up routine, however, and the dramatic takes a back seat far too often. The vast majority of the 90 minutes (no interval) is spent looking back at August's life. It paints a vivid picture of the man, kind-hearted but flawed, aspirational yet content. But it leaves little time to fully examine the effects of the trauma that unfolds following the arrival of a letter threatening deportation.

There is only a nod given to the social context: August refers to his upbringing and his education, and there is brief mention of the bad old days of the 70s and the presence of the National Front and Keep Britain White groups. But otherwise, Henry stays surprisingly clear of too much political or social commentary and prefers to keep things pretty domestic instead.





Lenny Henry in August in England

 Tristram Kenton

In the final scene, a brutal jolt takes us from the comfort of August's front room setting to a cold and austere detention centre. It evokes the chill and brutality of the situation adeptly. CCTV cameras that project live images onto the back wall give a dystopian feel to the inhumane process that is occurring.

It's a story that needs to be told and its impact understood much more widely. At the end, a collection of projected interviews with real people that have been affected is a stark reminder of the damage done. Whilst Henry's words may at times lack subtlety and may not always reach the emotional depths necessary, the testimonies from the real victims speak volumes, even if it does come as another jolting change of pace.
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HSBC branch in London

HSBC shareholders have overwhelmingly rejected an investor proposal to break up the global lender, marking a victory for its management team.

A resolution to spin off HSBCs lucrative Asia business was only backed by 20pc of investors who voted at Fridays annual meeting, despite it being supported by the banks largest shareholder Ping An, which has an 8pc stake.

Ken Lui, a disgruntled Hong Kong-based retail investor, proposed two special resolutions recommending that HSBC review its current global structure and boost dividends. Both proposals were defeated.

Mark Tucker, HSBCs chairman, said the results draw a line under the debate about whether the bank should break itself up, adding that apart from Ping An, none of the bank's 50 largest shareholders voted against the board.

Earlier at the meeting in Birmingham, Mr Tucker warned that if passed, the proposals would materially destroy value and put dividends at risk.

He added: Being global is how we generate a significant portion of our revenues and is central to our whole strategy.

A restructuring or spin-off would mean that we lose this revenue as our bank would no longer have the connectivity Our clients, employees and shareholders would all be negatively impacted and distracted and there would also be significant costs over a number of years as well as execution risks.

Ping An has been piling pressure on the banks management to separate the banks booming Asian business from its less successful Western operations.

The Chinese insurance giant has argued that HSBC can no longer effectively operate in both the East and West as political tensions between US and China rise.

It previously said that splitting up the company - founded as the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation in 1865  would allow investors to choose which parts they wanted to own and give the Asian arm more autonomy.

Ping An was said to be particularly unhappy that pressure from British regulators, 6,000 miles away from Hong Kong, led to the cancellation of the banks dividend in 2020 for the first time in 75 years.

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Earlier this year, HSBC handed out its biggest shareholder payout in four years in an effort to fend off Ping Ans demands and extend an olive branch to other shareholders.

A HSBC spokesman said that a strong majority of retail shareholders also backed the lender.

They added: The overwhelming majority of shareholders, excluding Ping An, have voted to draw a line under the debate on the structure of the bank.

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IMCD N.V.

main visual

Photographed, left to right:Olivier Champault, Member of IMCD Group Executive Committee and Business Group Director IMCD Advanced Materials Erez Harpaz, Chairman of KOI Products and SolutionsDanny Kaplan, CEO of KOI Products and SolutionsFenna van Zanten, Global Director M&A IMCD GroupLior Ashkenazi, CFO of KOI Products and Solutions

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands (5 May 2023)  IMCD N.V. (IMCD or Company), a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and ingredients, today announces that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of KOI Products Solutions and Engineering Ltd (KOI Products Solutions).

Founded in 1986, KOI Products Solutions has developed long-standing partnerships with some of the worlds leading suppliers of specialty products and predominantly serves the composite, paint, cosmetics, coatings, and ink markets. The company, based in Petach Tikva, Israel, generated a revenue of above EUR 8 million in financial year 2022 and adds 13 employees to the IMCD Israel team.

The acquisition of KOI Products Solutions represents another important step into the expansion of our industrial business in Israel. KOIs Products Solutions established supplier and customer base in Advanced Composites and Coatings, their deep understanding of the local market and strong team, make them an excellent fit for IMCD. We are very glad to welcome KOI Products Solutions to our company and look forward to working together to deliver even greater value to our customers, commented Frank Schneider, Member of IMCD Group Executive Committee and Business Group Director IMCD Coatings & Construction.

KOI Products Solutions is honored to become part of IMCD in Israel. We are confident that by combining IMCDs experience, know-how, line of products and approach with KOI Products Solutions strong and faithful suppliers, customers, and employees, it will position IMCD & KOI Product Solutions as one of the leaders in our unique market. We are very excited and fully committed to fulfilling our joint vision by delivering a better value to our partners, said Erez Harpaz, Chairman of KOI Products Solutions and Danny Kaplan, CEO of KOI Products Solutions.

The closing of the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to take place in June 2023.

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Attached, the full press release in pdf format, the main visual and the photo caption.

Attachments




Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital (NYSE:HASI  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2024 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $2.40-$2.40 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.43. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on HASI shares. TheStreet cut Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital from a b- rating to a c rating in a research note on Thursday, February 16th. Oppenheimer reduced their price objective on shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital from $50.00 to $48.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital from $56.00 to $52.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital from $58.00 to $37.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Finally, Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital from $44.00 to $41.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $43.71.

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Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Stock Performance

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital stock traded down $1.02 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $24.91. 878,807 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 670,800. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.79, a quick ratio of 18.57 and a current ratio of 18.57. The stock has a market cap of $2.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 56.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.68. Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital has a 12-month low of $21.56 and a 12-month high of $46.24. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $28.07 and its 200 day simple moving average is $30.19.

Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital Increases Dividend

Insider Activity at Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 10th. Investors of record on Monday, April 3rd were given a $0.395 dividend. This represents a $1.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.34%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 31st. This is a boost from Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capitals previous quarterly dividend of $0.38. Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capitals payout ratio is 343.49%.

In related news, insider Jeffrey Eckel purchased 2,087 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $23.92 per share, for a total transaction of $49,921.04. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 549,894 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $13,153,464.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital news, EVP Susan D. Nickey bought 2,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were bought at an average price of $23.91 per share, for a total transaction of $47,820.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 58,245 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,392,637.95. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Jeffrey Eckel bought 2,087 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 16th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $23.92 per share, for a total transaction of $49,921.04. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 549,894 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,153,464.48. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 7,087 shares of company stock worth $170,101 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.40% of the companys stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,075,956 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $241,714,000 after acquiring an additional 43,499 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital by 14.8% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,856,866 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $111,772,000 after purchasing an additional 498,044 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its stake in shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital by 58.8% during the 4th quarter. Amundi now owns 2,898,675 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $85,859,000 after purchasing an additional 1,073,727 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,759,677 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $52,667,000 after purchasing an additional 40,647 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,653,220 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $78,413,000 after buying an additional 69,148 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 82.81% of the companys stock.

About Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital

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Hannon Armstrong Sustainable Infrastructure Capital, Inc engages in the business of investing in climate solutions and the provision of capital to assets developed by companies in energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other sustainable infrastructure markets. It focuses on generating attractive returns from a diversified portfolio of project company investments with long-term, predictable cash flows from proven technologies that reduce carbon emissions or increase resilience to climate change.

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Premier Oil plc (OTCMKTS:PMOIY  Get Rating)s stock price reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $2.97 and last traded at $2.97, with a volume of 522 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $2.99.

Premier Oil Stock Down 0.4 %

The company has a 50 day moving average of $3.33 and a 200 day moving average of $3.79. The firm has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.41 and a beta of 2.77.

Premier Oil Company Profile

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Premier Oil plc, an oil and gas company, engages in the exploration, production, and development of oil and gas properties in the Falkland Islands, Indonesia, Vietnam, the United Kingdom, and internationally. As of December 31, 2019, its proved and probable reserves (2P) were 175 million barrels of oil equivalent (mmboe); and 2P and estimated contingent resources were 847 mmboe.

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United National Bank (OTCMKTS:UNBK  Get Rating) traded down 6.3% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as low as $37.50 and last traded at $37.50. 100 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the average session volume of 150 shares. The stock had previously closed at $40.00.

United National Bank Price Performance

The companys fifty day simple moving average is $40.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $37.65.

United National Bank Company Profile

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United National Bank offers various banking products and services in the Grady County. The company offers checking and savings accounts; credit cards; individual retirement accounts and certificates of deposits; business and merchant accounts; mortgage loans; direct deposit and SMS guardian services; and safe deposit boxes.

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AES (NYSE:AES  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of $1.65-$1.75 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.72. The company issued revenue guidance of -.

AES Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE AES traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $22.48. 9,556,469 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,527,875. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 5.93, a current ratio of 1.18 and a quick ratio of 1.01. The company has a market cap of $15.04 billion, a PE ratio of -25.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 0.94. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $23.82 and its 200-day simple moving average is $26.00. AES has a 52 week low of $18.62 and a 52 week high of $29.89.

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AES (NYSE:AES  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.58 billion. AES had a positive return on equity of 37.94% and a negative net margin of 3.99%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that AES will post 1.72 earnings per share for the current year.

AES Announces Dividend

Analyst Ratings Changes

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.1659 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 28th. This represents a $0.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.95%. AESs dividend payout ratio is presently -75.86%.

Several brokerages have recently commented on AES. StockNews.com lowered AES from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. TheStreet lowered AES from a b- rating to a c rating in a report on Monday, February 27th. Wolfe Research lowered AES from an outperform rating to a peer perform rating in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $32.00 target price on shares of AES in a research note on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on AES from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $30.90.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On AES

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Money Concepts Capital Corp grew its position in shares of AES by 8.6% during the 4th quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 12,679 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $365,000 after acquiring an additional 1,001 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AES during the 4th quarter valued at about $329,000. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AES during the 3rd quarter valued at about $246,000. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of AES during the 1st quarter valued at about $225,000. Finally, Cetera Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of AES during the 4th quarter valued at about $203,000. 95.46% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AES Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The AES Corp. engages in the provision of power generation and utility services through its renewable and thermal generation facilities and distribution businesses. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Utilities Strategic Business Unit (SBU), South America SBU, MCAC SBU, Eurasia SBU. The U.S.

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Allegheny Financial Group LTD boosted its holdings in shares of The Bank of New York Mellon Co. (NYSE:BK  Get Rating) by 5.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,143 shares of the banks stock after acquiring an additional 528 shares during the period. Allegheny Financial Group LTDs holdings in Bank of New York Mellon were worth $462,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Bank of New York Mellon by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,626,336 shares of the banks stock worth $2,604,967,000 after acquiring an additional 1,183,130 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. grew its holdings in Bank of New York Mellon by 13.8% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 9,278,963 shares of the banks stock worth $357,425,000 after acquiring an additional 1,127,786 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 1.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 5,988,952 shares of the banks stock valued at $230,730,000 after buying an additional 110,488 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 0.8% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,981,439 shares of the banks stock valued at $197,599,000 after buying an additional 31,025 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Yacktman Asset Management LP boosted its holdings in shares of Bank of New York Mellon by 0.4% in the 3rd quarter. Yacktman Asset Management LP now owns 3,802,772 shares of the banks stock valued at $146,483,000 after buying an additional 14,545 shares in the last quarter. 82.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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Bank of New York Mellon Stock Performance

BK traded up $0.97 during trading on Friday, reaching $41.05. 631,033 shares of the companys stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,908,213. The Bank of New York Mellon Co. has a 1 year low of $36.22 and a 1 year high of $52.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.69 and a quick ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $32.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.07 and a beta of 1.07. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $45.33 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.86.

Bank of New York Mellon Announces Dividend

Bank of New York Mellon ( NYSE:BK Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The bank reported $1.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $4.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.40 billion. Bank of New York Mellon had a net margin of 11.98% and a return on equity of 11.45%. Bank of New York Mellons revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that The Bank of New York Mellon Co. will post 4.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 11th. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 28th will be issued a dividend of $0.37 per share. This represents a $1.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 27th. Bank of New York Mellons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 46.84%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

BK has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $46.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $52.00 to $51.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a sector perform rating in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Bank of New York Mellon from $64.00 to $62.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Bank of New York Mellon in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $51.61.

Bank of New York Mellon Company Profile

(Get Rating)

The Bank of New York Mellon Corp. is a bank holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following segments: Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segment. The Securities Services segment includes Asset Servicing business, which provides global custody, fund accounting, integrated middle-office solutions, transfer agency and data and analytics solutions.

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AlphaStar Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Dominion Energy, Inc. (NYSE:D  Get Rating) by 13.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 65,430 shares of the utilities providers stock after selling 10,133 shares during the period. AlphaStar Capital Management LLCs holdings in Dominion Energy were worth $3,999,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in D. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV grew its position in Dominion Energy by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 10,630 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $903,000 after purchasing an additional 128 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners lifted its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 7,635 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $649,000 after acquiring an additional 129 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 49.8% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 394 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 131 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 40,479 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $3,440,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the period. Finally, Ergoteles LLC lifted its stake in shares of Dominion Energy by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Ergoteles LLC now owns 4,719 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $401,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 70.30% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

D has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Dominion Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Dominion Energy from $69.00 to $63.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 28th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Dominion Energy from $62.00 to $58.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Dominion Energy from $64.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an equal weight rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Dominion Energy from $60.00 to $57.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Dominion Energy has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $64.18.

Dominion Energy Trading Down 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE:D traded down $0.88 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $55.69. The stock had a trading volume of 1,861,352 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,532,056. The company has a market cap of $46.51 billion, a PE ratio of 51.12, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.49, a quick ratio of 0.60 and a current ratio of 0.73. The companys 50 day moving average is $56.06 and its 200-day moving average is $59.73. Dominion Energy, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.03 and a 12-month high of $86.28.

Dominion Energy (NYSE:D  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.11 by ($0.12). The company had revenue of $5.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.46 billion. Dominion Energy had a net margin of 5.79% and a return on equity of 13.35%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.18 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Dominion Energy, Inc. will post 3.89 EPS for the current year.

Dominion Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 3rd were paid a $0.6675 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a $2.67 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.79%. Dominion Energys dividend payout ratio is presently 244.95%.

Dominion Energy Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Dominion Energy, Inc engages in the production and distribution of energy. It operates through following business segments: Dominion Energy Virginia, Gas Distribution, Dominion Energy South Carolina, Contracted Assets, and Corporate and Other. The Corporate and Other segment focuses on corporate, service company, non-controlling interest in Dominion privatization, and non-regulated retail energy marketing operations.

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Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd. lowered its position in Centene Co. (NYSE:CNC  Get Rating) by 17.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 11,635 shares of the companys stock after selling 2,400 shares during the period. Analyst IMS Investment Management Services Ltd.s holdings in Centene were worth $951,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CNC. Nordea Investment Management AB raised its position in shares of Centene by 1,837.3% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 3,056,561 shares of the companys stock worth $249,935,000 after acquiring an additional 2,898,790 shares in the last quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC increased its position in Centene by 864.1% during the 3rd quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 2,017,665 shares of the companys stock valued at $156,995,000 after buying an additional 1,808,394 shares in the last quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in Centene during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $118,792,000. Prudential Financial Inc. increased its position in Centene by 132.7% during the 1st quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 1,552,890 shares of the companys stock valued at $130,738,000 after buying an additional 885,683 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Centene by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 31,270,675 shares of the companys stock valued at $2,433,266,000 after buying an additional 855,690 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.28% of the companys stock.

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Insider Buying and Selling at Centene

In related news, Director Lori Jean Robinson sold 1,400 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.59, for a total transaction of $93,226.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,508 shares in the company, valued at $566,547.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, Director Lori Jean Robinson sold 1,400 shares of Centene stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.59, for a total value of $93,226.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 8,508 shares of the companys stock, valued at $566,547.72. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Sarah London purchased 30,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, March 17th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $62.60 per share, with a total value of $1,878,000.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer now directly owns 313,953 shares in the company, valued at $19,653,457.80. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased a total of 46,750 shares of company stock valued at $3,091,605 in the last three months. 0.33% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Centene Stock Performance

CNC has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Credit Suisse Group reduced their price objective on Centene from $94.00 to $87.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered Centene from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $94.00 to $90.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 23rd. Cantor Fitzgerald began coverage on Centene in a report on Thursday, April 20th. They issued an overweight rating and a $80.00 target price for the company. TheStreet cut Centene from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Centene from $90.00 to $86.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twelve have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $92.00.

NYSE CNC traded up $1.53 on Friday, reaching $68.75. 193,526 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,863,981. The company has a current ratio of 1.07, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72. Centene Co. has a one year low of $61.71 and a one year high of $98.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.73 billion, a PE ratio of 25.46, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.56. The companys 50-day simple moving average is $66.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $74.94.

Centene (NYSE:CNC  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by ($0.12). Centene had a net margin of 1.01% and a return on equity of 13.61%. The firm had revenue of $38.89 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $36.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.83 EPS. The firms quarterly revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that Centene Co. will post 6.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

About Centene

(Get Rating)

Centene Corp. operates as a healthcare enterprise, which engages in the provision of programs and services to government sponsored healthcare programs. It operates through the following segments: Medicaid, Medicare, Commercial, and Other. The company was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

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ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Halliburton (NYSE:HAL  Get Rating) in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm purchased 2,516,888 shares of the oilfield services companys stock, valued at approximately $99,039,000. Halliburton makes up approximately 3.6% of ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltds holdings, making the stock its 9th biggest position.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Consolidated Planning Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Halliburton by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Consolidated Planning Corp now owns 51,755 shares of the oilfield services companys stock worth $1,274,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Little House Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Halliburton by 2.2% during the third quarter. Little House Capital LLC now owns 12,591 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $310,000 after acquiring an additional 271 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Halliburton by 20.3% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,666 shares of the oilfield services companys stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 281 shares during the last quarter. Titleist Asset Management LTD. increased its stake in shares of Halliburton by 1.1% in the third quarter. Titleist Asset Management LTD. now owns 26,175 shares of the oilfield services companys stock worth $644,000 after purchasing an additional 283 shares during the period. Finally, Kentucky Retirement Systems lifted its position in shares of Halliburton by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 71,305 shares of the oilfield services companys stock worth $2,806,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.56% of the companys stock.

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Halliburton Trading Up 3.2 %

Shares of HAL stock traded up $0.93 on Friday, reaching $29.95. 3,956,766 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,419,307. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $33.25 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.21. The stock has a market cap of $27.02 billion, a PE ratio of 13.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.37 and a beta of 2.11. Halliburton has a one year low of $23.30 and a one year high of $43.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.94, a current ratio of 2.14 and a quick ratio of 1.54.

Insider Transactions at Halliburton

Halliburton ( NYSE:HAL Get Rating ) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The oilfield services company reported $0.72 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.67 by $0.05. Halliburton had a net margin of 9.04% and a return on equity of 29.38%. The company had revenue of $5.68 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.49 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.35 EPS. The companys revenue was up 32.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Halliburton will post 3.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

In related news, Director Margaret Katherine Banks sold 2,769 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.79, for a total value of $107,409.51. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 11,856 shares in the company, valued at approximately $459,894.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.57% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. Wolfe Research raised Halliburton from an underperform rating to an outperform rating and set a $51.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. HSBC increased their price target on shares of Halliburton from $43.90 to $57.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Monday, January 30th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Halliburton from $47.00 to $44.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Halliburton from $52.00 to $54.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, January 25th. Finally, UBS Group initiated coverage on Halliburton in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued a buy rating and a $49.00 price target for the company. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Halliburton presently has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus price target of $48.24.

Halliburton Company Profile

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Halliburton Co engages in the provision of services and products to the energy industry related to the exploration, development, and production of oil and natural gas. It operates through the Completion and Production, and Drilling and Evaluation segments. The Completion and Production segment delivers cementing, stimulation, intervention, pressure control, specialty chemicals, artificial lift, and completion services.

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Company (NYSE:ADM  Get Rating) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 4th, RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th will be paid a dividend of 0.45 per share on Wednesday, June 7th. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.43%.

Archer-Daniels-Midland has raised its dividend payment by an average of 4.6% annually over the last three years and has increased its dividend every year for the last 51 years. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a dividend payout ratio of 26.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Archer-Daniels-Midland to earn $6.35 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.80 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 28.3%.

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE ADM opened at $74.22 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 0.86 and a current ratio of 1.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.31, a PEG ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 0.80. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $78.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.97. Archer-Daniels-Midland has a 52-week low of $70.02 and a 52-week high of $98.28.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Archer-Daniels-Midland

Archer-Daniels-Midland ( NYSE:ADM Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 25th. The company reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.71 by $0.38. The firm had revenue of $24.07 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $24.09 billion. Archer-Daniels-Midland had a return on equity of 18.39% and a net margin of 4.36%. Archer-Daniels-Midlands quarterly revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.90 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Archer-Daniels-Midland will post 6.8 earnings per share for the current year.

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in ADM. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Archer-Daniels-Midland by 71.9% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 18,699 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,688,000 after acquiring an additional 7,821 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 1st quarter worth about $277,000. Brighton Jones LLC acquired a new stake in Archer-Daniels-Midland during the 1st quarter worth about $226,000. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. grew its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Candriam Luxembourg S.C.A. now owns 31,004 shares of the companys stock worth $2,798,000 after purchasing an additional 5,586 shares during the period. Finally, Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its position in Archer-Daniels-Midland by 2.1% during the 1st quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 459,907 shares of the companys stock worth $41,512,000 after purchasing an additional 9,327 shares during the period. 78.23% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

ADM has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered Archer-Daniels-Midland from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Barclays lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $105.00 to $99.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Archer-Daniels-Midland in a report on Thursday, April 13th. They set an outperform rating and a $100.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 12th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Archer-Daniels-Midland from $98.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $100.78.

Archer-Daniels-Midland Company Profile

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Archer-Daniels-Midland Co engages in the production of oilseeds, corn, wheat, cocoa, and other agricultural commodities. It operates through the following segments: Ag Services and Oilseeds, Carbohydrate Solutions, Nutrition, and Other. The Ag Services and Oilseeds segment includes activities related to the origination, merchandising, transportation, and storage of agricultural raw materials, and the crushing and further processing of oilseeds such as soybeans and soft seeds cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and flaxseed into vegetable oils and protein meals.

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Arista Networks (NYSE:ANET  Get Rating) had its target price lifted by Barclays from $177.00 to $179.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning, The Fly reports.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Arista Networks from $170.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 22nd. StockNews.com started coverage on Arista Networks in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating for the company. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Arista Networks from $164.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. Rosenblatt Securities restated a buy rating and issued a $175.00 target price on shares of Arista Networks in a research note on Wednesday, April 5th. Finally, Cowen raised their target price on Arista Networks from $212.00 to $225.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fifteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $173.85.

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Arista Networks Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of Arista Networks stock opened at $135.34 on Tuesday. Arista Networks has a 12-month low of $89.11 and a 12-month high of $171.44. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.20, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.26. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $155.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $135.86.

Insider Transactions at Arista Networks

Arista Networks ( NYSE:ANET Get Rating ) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 1st. The technology company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.35 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.31 billion. Arista Networks had a return on equity of 30.00% and a net margin of 30.87%. Arista Networkss revenue was up 54.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.78 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Arista Networks will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current year.

In other news, insider John F. Mccool sold 1,008 shares of Arista Networks stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.52, for a total transaction of $130,556.16. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, SVP Kenneth Duda sold 20,000 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Friday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.58, for a total value of $2,671,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 3,244 shares in the company, valued at approximately $433,333.52. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider John F. Mccool sold 1,008 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.52, for a total value of $130,556.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 358,941 shares of company stock worth $54,096,115. 19.59% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Arista Networks

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 2.6% during the 1st quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,801 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $470,000 after acquiring an additional 71 shares during the period. ETF Managers Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Arista Networks by 1.5% during the 1st quarter. ETF Managers Group LLC now owns 5,193 shares of the technology companys stock valued at $872,000 after acquiring an additional 77 shares during the period. Kentucky Retirement Systems raised its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems now owns 19,378 shares of the technology companys stock worth $2,352,000 after buying an additional 85 shares in the last quarter. Argent Trust Co raised its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Argent Trust Co now owns 1,970 shares of the technology companys stock worth $239,000 after buying an additional 87 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clarius Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Arista Networks by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 1,979 shares of the technology companys stock worth $240,000 after buying an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. 64.30% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Arista Networks Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Arista Networks, Inc engages in the business of developing, marketing, and selling cloud networking solutions. The firm is also involved in switching and routing platforms and related network applications. The company was founded by Andreas Bechtolsheim, David Cheriton, and Kenneth Duda in November 2004 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA.

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(Bloomberg) -- The International Monetary Funds chief capped a visit to Kenya with an enthusiastic endorsement of its economic management and expressed confidence that the cash-strapped nation would keep servicing its debts.

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Kristalina Georgieva said that in the IMFs assessment, Kenyas debt is sustainable and the administration of President William Ruto is moving swiftly to improve its fiscal position. The remarks come at a sensitive time for the East African nation, with some investors dumping its bonds and questioning its ability to make a $2 billion payment next year.

Kenya is one of several African countries facing growing investor concern about debt and access to funding, with Ghana and Zambia already declaring default and entering into restructuring talks. As of Friday, the African continent as a whole was trading as a distressed credit, according to a JPMorgan index, with an average yield of more than 1,000 basis points above the US benchmark.

Countries that are at the point of needing debt restructuring are still a relatively small group. Kenya is definitely not among them, Georgieva said in a briefing with reporters on Wednesday in Nairobi. We think Kenya is a case of innocent bystander. It has been hit by external shocks.

Eurobond Payment

With a $2 billion eurobond due in June next year, Ruto is looking to reassure investors that hes up to the task of boosting Eastern Africas second-largest economy, which is suffering from a liquidity crunch and dwindling foreign-exchange reserves. At the same time, the president is facing challenges to his victory in last years elections and opposition protests against a rising cost of living.

Story continues

We do not see Kenya facing difficulties to serve the $2 billion next year, Georgieva said, adding that the the nations reserves are still quite sound and the government can raise money from sources including syndicated loans and the IMF. She said she didnt see a systemic debt crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa, either.

Still, no Sub-Saharan African country has been able to borrow on international markets for more than a year. In Kenya, domestic longer-tenure debt has recently been under pressure too, with some offers under-subscribed and at least one cancelled. The IMF said its been in talks with the Central Bank of Kenya on making the domestic market more vibrant, including consideration of more attractive rewards on shilling-denominated bonds.

Georgievas visit caps a significant week for Ruto, who has hosted other dignitaries including Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss everything from regional stability to trade. On the domestic front, the opposition led by Raila Odinga, who narrowly lost the presidential race, suspended protests that were disrupting business to give negotiations a chance.

The IMF chiefs remarks come as Ruto pledges to stay the course of fiscal consolidation. His administration projects itll be able to narrow the budget deficit to 4.1% of gross domestic product in the fiscal year starting in July from an estimated 5.7%, partly by ramping up tax collections.

One very simple lesson we learnt from the pandemic is that economies with strong fundamentals withstood the economic shock of the pandemic better, Georgieva said. President Ruto seems to have learnt this lesson well.

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Azarga Metals Corp. (CVE:AZR  Get Rating)s stock price reached a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Friday . The company traded as low as C$0.01 and last traded at C$0.01, with a volume of 5000 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at C$0.02.

Azarga Metals Stock Down 33.3 %

The company has a quick ratio of 0.15, a current ratio of 0.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 208.67. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of C$0.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$0.02. The firm has a market capitalization of C$2.08 million, a PE ratio of -0.21 and a beta of 1.20.

Azarga Metals Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Azarga Metals Corp. engages in the exploration and development of mineral properties in Russia. It owns a 100% interest in the Unkur copper-silver project located in the Zabaikalsky administrative region in eastern Russia. The company was formerly known as European Uranium Resources Ltd. and changed its name to Azarga Metals Corp.

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WNS (NYSE:WNS  Get Rating) had its price objective boosted by Barrington Research from $97.00 to $108.00 in a report published on Monday, The Fly reports. Barrington Research also issued estimates for WNSs Q1 2024 earnings at $0.68 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $0.83 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.92 EPS, Q4 2024 earnings at $1.01 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $3.44 EPS and FY2025 earnings at $3.90 EPS.

WNS has been the subject of a number of other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on WNS from $97.00 to $109.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on WNS from $88.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Friday, January 20th. TD Securities boosted their target price on WNS from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Monday, March 27th. Wedbush boosted their target price on WNS from $95.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 8th. Finally, StockNews.com started coverage on WNS in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a buy rating on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $102.78.

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WNS Trading Down 5.0 %

Shares of WNS stock opened at $84.14 on Monday. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $90.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $85.78. The company has a market cap of $4.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.85, a PEG ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 1.18. The company has a current ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. WNS has a 1 year low of $67.07 and a 1 year high of $94.96.

Institutional Trading of WNS

About WNS

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of WNS by 46.2% during the 1st quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 522 shares of the business services providers stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the last quarter. Henry James International Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of WNS by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Henry James International Management Inc. now owns 8,320 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $666,000 after buying an additional 175 shares during the period. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of WNS by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,523 shares of the business services providers stock worth $534,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of WNS by 10.5% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 2,061 shares of the business services providers stock valued at $192,000 after acquiring an additional 196 shares during the period. Finally, Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec grew its position in WNS by 4.1% in the third quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 5,100 shares of the business services providers stock worth $417,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 97.03% of the companys stock.

(Get Rating)

WNS (Holdings) Ltd. engages in the provision of business process management solutions. Its services include industry-specific offerings, customer interaction, finance and accounting, human resources, procurement, and research and analytics. It operates through the WNS Global BPM and WNS Auto Claims BPM segments.

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Brinker International (NYSE:EAT  Get Rating) had its price objective hoisted by Bank of America from $29.00 to $33.00 in a research report report published on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on EAT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $37.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $43.00 to $45.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Thursday, February 2nd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Brinker International from $34.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 24th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Brinker International in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating for the company. Finally, Wedbush upped their price objective on shares of Brinker International from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Brinker International currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average target price of $37.94.

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Brinker International Trading Up 0.6 %

Brinker International stock opened at $39.00 on Tuesday. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $37.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $35.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.72 billion, a PE ratio of 23.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 2.36. Brinker International has a 1-year low of $21.47 and a 1-year high of $42.12.

Insider Buying and Selling at Brinker International

Brinker International ( NYSE:EAT Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, May 3rd. The restaurant operator reported $1.23 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.17 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.07 billion. Brinker International had a net margin of 1.87% and a negative return on equity of 35.47%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 10.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Brinker International will post 2.73 earnings per share for the current year.

In other Brinker International news, SVP Wade Allen sold 12,139 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.42, for a total transaction of $490,658.38. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 28,647 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $1,157,911.74. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 12,986 shares of company stock valued at $525,047 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 2.37% of the companys stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Brinker International

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of EAT. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 30.1% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,069,331 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $129,852,000 after purchasing an additional 940,888 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its position in shares of Brinker International by 2,694.9% in the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 761,011 shares of the restaurant operators stock worth $29,040,000 after purchasing an additional 733,782 shares during the period. Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth about $18,025,000. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Brinker International in the 4th quarter worth about $12,182,000. Finally, Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Brinker International in the 3rd quarter worth about $9,113,000.

About Brinker International

(Get Rating)

Brinker International, Inc engages in owning, developing, and franchising Chilis Grill and Bar and Maggianos Little Italy restaurant brands. It operates through the following segments: Chilis, and Maggianos. The Chilis segment includes the results of company-owned Chilis restaurants in the U.S.

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Caledonia Mining Co. Plc (CAL.TO) (TSE:CAL  Get Rating)s stock price passed below its 50 day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a 50 day moving average of C$22.87 and traded as low as C$22.51. Caledonia Mining Co. Plc (CAL.TO) shares last traded at C$22.87, with a volume of 20,380 shares.

Caledonia Mining Co. Plc (CAL.TO) Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 2.98, a quick ratio of 1.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.20. The stock has a fifty day moving average of C$22.87. The stock has a market capitalization of C$263.49 million and a P/E ratio of 6.29.

Caledonia Mining Co. Plc (CAL.TO) Company Profile

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Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc primarily engages in the exploration and development of gold properties. The company also explores for precious metals. It primarily holds a 49% interest in the Blanket Mine, a gold mine located in Zimbabwe. The company was formerly known as Caledonia Mining Corporation and changed its name to Caledonia Mining Corporation Plc in March 2016.

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Consolidated Edison (NYSE:ED  Get Rating) announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $1.83 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.62 by $0.21, Briefing.com reports. The firm had revenue of $4.40 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. Consolidated Edison had a return on equity of 7.79% and a net margin of 10.59%. The businesss revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.47 EPS. Consolidated Edison updated its FY 2023 guidance to $4.75-$4.95 EPS and its FY23 guidance to $4.75-4.95 EPS.

Consolidated Edison Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE ED traded up $0.89 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $99.41. 1,610,272 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,782,290. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.14. The stock has a market cap of $34.44 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 10.11 and a beta of 0.37. The companys fifty day moving average is $95.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $94.04. Consolidated Edison has a fifty-two week low of $78.10 and a fifty-two week high of $102.21.

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Consolidated Edison Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.81 per share. This represents a $3.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 16th. Consolidated Edisons dividend payout ratio is 69.38%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Retirement Group LLC grew its holdings in Consolidated Edison by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Retirement Group LLC now owns 271 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC grew its holdings in Consolidated Edison by 261.0% in the 4th quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 361 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 261 shares during the last quarter. Almanack Investment Partners LLC. acquired a new stake in Consolidated Edison in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Ancora Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Consolidated Edison by 53.5% in the 1st quarter. Ancora Advisors LLC now owns 1,411 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $106,000 after buying an additional 492 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its holdings in Consolidated Edison by 74.3% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 2,053 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $194,000 after buying an additional 875 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 64.95% of the companys stock.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on ED. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Credit Suisse Group reduced their price objective on Consolidated Edison from $95.00 to $91.00 and set a neutral rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 17th. Guggenheim cut their price target on Consolidated Edison from $97.00 to $86.00 in a research note on Friday, February 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Consolidated Edison from $88.00 to $87.00 and set an underweight rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Consolidated Edison from $94.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $91.08.

About Consolidated Edison

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Consolidated Edison, Inc is a holding company, which engages in the business of regulated electric, gas, and steam delivery. It operates through the following segments: Consolidated Edison Company of New York (CECONY), Orange and Rockland Utilities(O&R), Con Edison Clean Energy Businesses and Con Edison Transmission.

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Credit Suisse Group (NYSE:CS  Get Rating) and GAMCO Investors (NYSE:GAMI  Get Rating) are both finance companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their dividends, institutional ownership, profitability, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk and earnings.

Risk and Volatility

Credit Suisse Group has a beta of 1.27, indicating that its share price is 27% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, GAMCO Investors has a beta of 1.25, indicating that its share price is 25% more volatile than the S&P 500.

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Institutional and Insider Ownership

11.2% of Credit Suisse Group shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 30.5% of GAMCO Investors shares are owned by institutional investors. 81.2% of GAMCO Investors shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

Analyst Recommendations

Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Credit Suisse Group 5 6 2 0 1.77 GAMCO Investors 0 0 0 0 N/A

This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Credit Suisse Group and GAMCO Investors, as provided by MarketBeat.com.

Credit Suisse Group presently has a consensus price target of $5.14, indicating a potential upside of 518.90%. Given Credit Suisse Groups higher probable upside, equities analysts plainly believe Credit Suisse Group is more favorable than GAMCO Investors.

Profitability

This table compares Credit Suisse Group and GAMCO Investors net margins, return on equity and return on assets.

Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Credit Suisse Group 15.12% 23.83% 1.81% GAMCO Investors 25.34% 57.64% 28.82%

Dividends

Credit Suisse Group pays an annual dividend of $0.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 4.8%. GAMCO Investors pays an annual dividend of $0.16 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.9%. Credit Suisse Group pays out 6.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. GAMCO Investors pays out 6.4% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Credit Suisse Group is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Valuation and Earnings

This table compares Credit Suisse Group and GAMCO Investors top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.

Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Credit Suisse Group $13.76 billion 0.19 -$7.64 billion $0.65 1.28 GAMCO Investors $258.75 million 1.82 $65.56 million $2.51 7.36

GAMCO Investors has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Credit Suisse Group. Credit Suisse Group is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than GAMCO Investors, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Summary

GAMCO Investors beats Credit Suisse Group on 9 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.

About Credit Suisse Group

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Credit Suisse Group AG is a holding company, which engages in the provision of financial services. It operates through the following four divisions: Wealth Management, Investment Bank, Swiss Bank and Asset Management and four geographic regions: Switzerland, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), Asia Pacific, and Americas. The Wealth Management division offers comprehensive wealth management and investment solutions, tailored financing, and advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) and high net-worth (HNW) individuals and external asset managers. The Investment Bank division offers a broad range of financial products and services focused on client-driven businesses and also supports Credit Suisses Wealth Management division and its clients. The Swiss Bank division offers comprehensive advice and a wide range of financial solutions to private, corporate, and institutional clients in Switzerland. The Asset Management division offers investment solutions and services globally to a broad range of clients, including pension funds, governments, foundations and endowments, corporations, and individuals. The company was founded by Alfred Escher on July 5, 1856 and is headqua

About GAMCO Investors

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GAMCO Investors, Inc. operates as a holding company, which engages in the provision of investment advisory and asset management services. It offers investment advisory principally through Gabelli Funds and GAMCO Asset, which manages separate accounts for high net worth individuals, institutions, and qualified pension plans, and through its role as advisor to a family of mutual funds. The company was founded by Mario J. Gabelli in 1976 and is headquartered in Rye, NY.

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Fair Isaac Co. (NYSE:FICO  Get Rating) EVP Stephanie Covert sold 1,335 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $740.34, for a total transaction of $988,353.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,067 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $5,972,322.78. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Stephanie Covert also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, February 14th, Stephanie Covert sold 1,177 shares of Fair Isaac stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $700.00, for a total transaction of $823,900.00.

Fair Isaac Trading Down 2.1 %

FICO stock traded down $15.74 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $736.65. The companys stock had a trading volume of 207,894 shares, compared to its average volume of 265,070. The stock has a market cap of $18.53 billion, a PE ratio of 50.16 and a beta of 1.27. Fair Isaac Co. has a fifty-two week low of $340.48 and a fifty-two week high of $760.15. The companys 50 day moving average is $694.41 and its two-hundred day moving average is $626.18.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Institutional Trading of Fair Isaac

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Fair Isaac from $463.00 to $685.00 and gave the stock a sector perform rating in a research report on Friday, January 27th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Fair Isaac from $743.00 to $759.00 in a research report on Friday, April 28th. Needham & Company LLC restated a buy rating and set a $780.00 price target on shares of Fair Isaac in a research report on Monday, February 13th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Fair Isaac in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Fair Isaac from $709.00 to $807.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $778.71.

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lindsell Train Ltd increased its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Lindsell Train Ltd now owns 931,762 shares of the technology companys stock worth $556,844,000 after buying an additional 14,857 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 929,015 shares of the technology companys stock worth $556,090,000 after buying an additional 5,225 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 811,426 shares of the technology companys stock worth $334,316,000 after buying an additional 6,324 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 25.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 449,919 shares of the technology companys stock worth $269,313,000 after buying an additional 89,888 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Fair Isaac by 3.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 387,678 shares of the technology companys stock worth $232,139,000 after buying an additional 13,919 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 87.75% of the companys stock.

Fair Isaac Company Profile

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Fair Isaac Corp. engages in the provision of decision management solutions. It operates through the following segments: Applications, Scores, and Decision Management Software. The Applications segment includes decision management applications designed for a type of business problem or process such as marketing, account origination, customer management, fraud, collections, and insurance claims management.

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Fidelity European Trust PLC (LON:FEV  Get Rating)s share price reached a new 52-week low on Friday . The company traded as low as GBX 255.50 ($3.19) and last traded at GBX 355.50 ($4.44), with a volume of 1156394 shares. The stock had previously closed at GBX 354.50 ($4.43).

Fidelity European Trust Stock Up 0.3 %

The stocks fifty day moving average price is GBX 341.10 and its two-hundred day moving average price is GBX 328.17. The company has a market capitalization of 1.45 billion, a PE ratio of -2,532.14 and a beta of 0.78.

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Fidelity European Trust Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 16th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 30th will be issued a dividend of GBX 4.62 ($0.06) per share. This is a positive change from Fidelity European Trusts previous dividend of $3.08. This represents a dividend yield of 1.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 30th. Fidelity European Trusts dividend payout ratio is currently -5,714.29%.

About Fidelity European Trust

Fidelity European Trust PLC is an open-ended equity fund launched and managed by FIL Investment Services (UK) Limited. It is co-managed by FIL Investments International Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of Continental Europe. It makes its investments in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors.

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Shares of First Horizon Co. (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating) saw an uptick in trading volume on Friday following insider buying activity. 5,731,548 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 33% from the previous sessions volume of 8,509,082 shares.The stock last traded at $10.52 and had previously closed at $10.06.

Specifically, CEO D Bryan Jordan sold 93,157 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $24.80, for a total value of $2,310,293.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,396,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $34,627,223.20. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other First Horizon news, Director Colin V. Reed acquired 25,138 shares of First Horizon stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $9.96 per share, for a total transaction of $250,374.48. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 187,027 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,862,788.92. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO D Bryan Jordan sold 93,157 shares of the companys stock in a transaction on Friday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.80, for a total value of $2,310,293.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,396,259 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $34,627,223.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 1.55% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on FHN. Royal Bank of Canada reissued a sector perform rating and issued a $25.00 price objective on shares of First Horizon in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. StockNews.com began coverage on First Horizon in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a sell rating for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised First Horizon from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and set a $25.00 price objective for the company in a report on Friday, March 24th.

First Horizon Stock Up 5.1 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.93 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.20. The firm has a market cap of $5.68 billion, a PE ratio of 6.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $18.16 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $22.31.

First Horizon (NYSE:FHN  Get Rating) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 18th. The financial services provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $863.00 million for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $871.36 million. First Horizon had a net margin of 24.76% and a return on equity of 13.53%. The firms quarterly revenue was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.38 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that First Horizon Co. will post 1.94 EPS for the current fiscal year.

First Horizon Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 3rd. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 16th will be issued a dividend of $0.15 per share. This represents a $0.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.68%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 15th. First Horizons payout ratio is presently 37.04%.

Institutional Trading of First Horizon

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of First Horizon by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 8,085 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $198,000 after acquiring an additional 416 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC boosted its position in shares of First Horizon by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 5,320 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $130,000 after acquiring an additional 470 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers boosted its position in shares of First Horizon by 3.2% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 15,738 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $370,000 after acquiring an additional 491 shares during the last quarter. Balentine LLC boosted its position in shares of First Horizon by 3.5% during the 4th quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 16,012 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $392,000 after acquiring an additional 536 shares during the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of First Horizon by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,210 shares of the financial services providers stock valued at $324,000 after acquiring an additional 552 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 77.41% of the companys stock.

About First Horizon

(Get Rating)

First Horizon Corp. (Tennessee) operates as a financial holding company, which engages in the provision of checking accounts, savings products, mortgage banking, lending, and financing to individuals and businesses. It operates the business through three segments: Regional Banking, Specialty Banking, and Corporate.

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Glenview Trust Co raised its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) by 0.5% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 84,449 shares of the healthcare product makers stock after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the period. Glenview Trust Cos holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $9,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.3% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 154,563,421 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $14,955,557,000 after acquiring an additional 2,011,683 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 74,138,862 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $7,173,676,000 after acquiring an additional 351,136 shares in the last quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.1% during the 3rd quarter. Polen Capital Management LLC now owns 15,689,512 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $1,518,117,000 after acquiring an additional 316,416 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 11,523,473 shares of the healthcare product makers stock valued at $1,363,917,000 after buying an additional 218,683 shares during the period. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 8.6% in the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 10,226,688 shares of the healthcare product makers stock worth $989,536,000 after acquiring an additional 813,894 shares in the last quarter. 72.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total value of $103,922.40. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 52,203 shares of the companys stock, valued at $5,256,842.10. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Daniel J. Starks sold 50,000 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $111.02, for a total transaction of $5,551,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 6,825,316 shares in the company, valued at approximately $757,746,582.32. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Randel William Woodgrift sold 1,032 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $100.70, for a total value of $103,922.40. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 52,203 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,256,842.10. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 60,197 shares of company stock worth $6,659,607 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.10% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 0.4 %

ABT has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $118.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Raymond James increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $123.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 20th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, April 20th. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $125.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Thursday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $136.00 and set an overweight rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $122.37.

Abbott Laboratories stock traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $111.30. The companys stock had a trading volume of 1,207,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,252,524. Abbott Laboratories has a 52-week low of $93.25 and a 52-week high of $118.23. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.70, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 1.63 and a quick ratio of 1.23. The stocks 50-day simple moving average is $103.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $105.35.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 19th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.03 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.05. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 13.98% and a return on equity of 22.48%. The company had revenue of $9.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $9.64 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.73 EPS. Abbott Laboratoriess revenue for the quarter was down 18.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.38 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, April 13th. Abbott Laboratoriess payout ratio is 62.01%.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Abbott Laboratories engages in the discovery, development, manufacture, and sale of a broad and diversified line of health care products. It operates through the following business segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The Established Pharmaceutical Products segment refers to the international sales of a line of branded generic pharmaceutical products.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ABT? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT  Get Rating).

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A Go First airline, formerly known as GoAir, passenger aircraft is parked at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai,

(Reuters) - Indian airline Go First said on Friday it is cancelling its flights until May 12, days after the cash-strapped company filed for bankruptcy.

Earlier on Tuesday, the airline blamed "faulty" Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the grounding of about half its fleet leading to the bankruptcy filing.

The owner of Go Airlines has no plans to exit the budget carrier, the airline's CEO told Reuters on Wednesday.

Go First, formerly known as GoAir, had abruptly cancelled its flights since the bankruptcy filing, earlier cancelling flights scheduled from May 3 to May 5, before announcing on Thursday that flights had been suspended until May 9.

(Reporting by Rahat Sandhu and Nilutpal Timsina in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)
Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) issued an update on its FY 2023 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of $9.45-$9.85 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of $9.59. The company issued revenue guidance of $16.25 billion-$16.57 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $16.33 billion.

Illinois Tool Works Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:ITW traded down $5.01 during trading on Thursday, reaching $227.19. The stock had a trading volume of 1,321,696 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,101,972. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.00, a quick ratio of 0.95 and a current ratio of 1.41. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $234.12 and a 200-day moving average price of $227.51. The stock has a market cap of $69.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.23, a PEG ratio of 3.68 and a beta of 1.10. Illinois Tool Works has a 1-year low of $173.52 and a 1-year high of $253.37.

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Illinois Tool Works (NYSE:ITW  Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 2nd. The industrial products company reported $2.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.23 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $4.02 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.98 billion. Illinois Tool Works had a return on equity of 87.15% and a net margin of 19.04%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 2.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.11 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Illinois Tool Works will post 9.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Illinois Tool Works Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, April 13th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 31st were given a $1.31 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 30th. This represents a $5.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.31%. Illinois Tool Workss dividend payout ratio is currently 53.58%.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Barclays reduced their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $205.00 to $203.00 in a research report on Wednesday. Citigroup lifted their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $232.00 to $255.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, February 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Illinois Tool Works from $213.00 to $245.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Thursday, February 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $250.00 to $227.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their target price on Illinois Tool Works from $183.00 to $181.00 and set a sell rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $228.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Vice Chairman Christopher A. Oherlihy sold 60,137 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.26, for a total transaction of $14,809,337.62. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 40,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,868,130.72. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Illinois Tool Works news, Vice Chairman Christopher A. Oherlihy sold 60,137 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.26, for a total value of $14,809,337.62. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 40,072 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,868,130.72. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Ernest Scott Santi sold 235,656 shares of Illinois Tool Works stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.29, for a total value of $58,039,716.24. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 213,538 shares in the company, valued at $52,592,274.02. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.88% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 9,666 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $2,024,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the period. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 4.2% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 9,070 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $1,899,000 after buying an additional 368 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 54.7% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,859 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $599,000 after buying an additional 1,011 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A. lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 9.9% in the 1st quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 2,407 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $504,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Illinois Tool Works by 70.7% in the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 746 shares of the industrial products companys stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 309 shares during the period. 79.83% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Illinois Tool Works

(Get Rating)

Illinois Tool Works, Inc engages in the manufacture of industrial products and equipment. It operates through the following segments: Automotive OEM, Test and Measurement and Electronics, Food Equipment, Polymers and Fluids, Welding, Construction Products, and Specialty Products. The Automotive OEM segment produces components and fasteners for automotive-related applications.

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Stock analysts at StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Industrias Bachoco (NYSE:IBA  Get Rating) in a report released on Wednesday. The firm set a buy rating on the stock.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Industrias Bachoco from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and set a $56.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd.

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Industrias Bachoco Stock Performance

Shares of Industrias Bachoco stock opened at $53.00 on Wednesday. Industrias Bachoco has a fifty-two week low of $38.04 and a fifty-two week high of $66.25. The firm has a market cap of $2.65 billion, a PE ratio of 8.62 and a beta of 0.73. The businesss fifty day moving average is $57.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.31. The company has a quick ratio of 2.68, a current ratio of 3.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.06.

Institutional Trading of Industrias Bachoco

Industrias Bachoco ( NYSE:IBA Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The company reported $0.08 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.35 by ($0.27). Industrias Bachoco had a return on equity of 11.59% and a net margin of 6.11%. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $1.21 billion. Analysts anticipate that Industrias Bachoco will post 6.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in IBA. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in Industrias Bachoco by 64.4% in the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 25,401 shares of the companys stock valued at $1,169,000 after purchasing an additional 9,951 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Industrias Bachoco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $205,000. Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new position in Industrias Bachoco in the 3rd quarter valued at about $201,000. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its position in Industrias Bachoco by 881.5% in the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,201 shares of the companys stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 3,773 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Citadel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Industrias Bachoco by 62.5% in the 2nd quarter. Citadel Advisors LLC now owns 9,455 shares of the companys stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 3,636 shares during the last quarter. 3.08% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Industrias Bachoco

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Industrias Bachoco SAB de CV is a holding company, which engages breeding, processing, marketing poultry, such as chicken, eggs, balanced feed, swine, and other products. It operates through Poultry and Other segments. The Poultry segment includes chicken and egg operations. The Other segment consists of operations of swine, balanced feed for animal consumption and other by-products.

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American Well Co. (NYSE:AMWL  Get Rating) CEO Ido Schoenberg sold 10,265 shares of the firms stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $2.17, for a total transaction of $22,275.05. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,316,909 shares in the company, valued at $2,857,692.53. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Ido Schoenberg also recently made the following trade(s):

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On Tuesday, March 21st, Ido Schoenberg sold 136,208 shares of American Well stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $2.40, for a total transaction of $326,899.20.

On Wednesday, February 1st, Ido Schoenberg sold 10,645 shares of American Well stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.88, for a total transaction of $41,302.60.

American Well Trading Down 6.1 %

NYSE AMWL opened at $1.99 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $552.41 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -2.03 and a beta of 0.76. The firms 50 day simple moving average is $2.34 and its 200 day simple moving average is $3.17. American Well Co. has a 1 year low of $1.95 and a 1 year high of $5.43.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

American Well ( NYSE:AMWL Get Rating ) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 22nd. The company reported ($0.22) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.25) by $0.03. The business had revenue of $79.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $78.05 million. American Well had a negative net margin of 97.73% and a negative return on equity of 23.77%. The firms revenue for the quarter was up 8.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.18) EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that American Well Co. will post -0.78 earnings per share for the current year.

Several brokerages have issued reports on AMWL. Credit Suisse Group lowered their price target on shares of American Well from $5.00 to $4.00 and set a neutral rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, February 23rd. TD Cowen lowered shares of American Well from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $5.00 to $2.50 in a research note on Thursday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of American Well from $6.00 to $5.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 13th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of American Well from an overweight rating to a neutral rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $5.00 to $3.50 in a research note on Monday, February 27th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a buy rating and set a $5.00 price objective on shares of American Well in a research note on Wednesday, March 15th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, American Well currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $4.28.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On American Well

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Point72 Middle East FZE bought a new position in American Well in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd lifted its stake in American Well by 175.1% in the 1st quarter. Point72 Hong Kong Ltd now owns 8,087 shares of the companys stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 5,147 shares during the last quarter. MQS Management LLC bought a new position in American Well in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Mackenzie Financial Corp bought a new position in American Well in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $43,000. Finally, Delphia USA Inc. bought a new position in American Well in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $50,000. Institutional investors own 46.30% of the companys stock.

American Well Company Profile

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American Well Corporation operates digital care delivery enablement platform in the United States and internationally. Its platform connects and enables providers, insurers, patients, and innovators to deliver access to care. The company products offer urgent care; scheduled visits; acute behavioral health; telestroke; pediatrics; retail health, school health, and home settings.

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Visa Inc. (NYSE:V  Get Rating) insider Tullier Kelly Mahon sold 54,146 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $232.55, for a total value of $12,591,652.30. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 26,674 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,203,038.70. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Visa Trading Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE V opened at $225.60 on Friday. The stocks 50 day moving average price is $224.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $217.11. Visa Inc. has a 52-week low of $174.60 and a 52-week high of $235.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $424.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.16, a PEG ratio of 1.76 and a beta of 0.96. The company has a quick ratio of 1.44, a current ratio of 1.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.56.

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Visa (NYSE:V  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The credit-card processor reported $2.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.97 by $0.12. Visa had a return on equity of 50.21% and a net margin of 50.95%. The firm had revenue of $7.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $7.79 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.79 earnings per share. Visas revenue for the quarter was up 11.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Visa Inc. will post 8.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Visa Announces Dividend

Institutional Trading of Visa

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.45 per share. This represents a $1.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 11th. Visas payout ratio is currently 24.06%.

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Visa by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 799,904 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $166,188,000 after buying an additional 9,534 shares in the last quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in Visa by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Occidental Asset Management LLC now owns 11,195 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $2,326,000 after buying an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in Visa by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 8,208 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $1,705,000 after buying an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Foster Group Inc. bought a new position in Visa in the 4th quarter worth approximately $210,000. Finally, Forsta AP Fonden grew its holdings in Visa by 25.8% in the 4th quarter. Forsta AP Fonden now owns 476,286 shares of the credit-card processors stock worth $98,953,000 after buying an additional 97,600 shares in the last quarter. 81.87% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Visa from $250.00 to $265.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Visa from $253.00 to $263.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Visa from $220.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research note on Monday, January 30th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Visa from $262.00 to $265.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Visa from $243.00 to $265.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research note on Friday, January 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and eighteen have given a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $260.96.

Visa Company Profile

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Visa, Inc engages in the provision of digital payment services. It also facilitates global commerce through the transfer of value and information among a global network of consumers, merchants, financial institutions, businesses, strategic partners, and government entities. It offers debit cards, credit cards, prepaid products, commercial payment solutions, and global automated teller machines (ATMs).

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Suncor Energy Inc. (NYSE:SU  Get Rating) (TSE:SU) was the recipient of unusually large options trading on Wednesday. Investors purchased 28,315 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 2,998% compared to the typical volume of 914 put options.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently weighed in on SU. Wells Fargo & Company downgraded Suncor Energy from an overweight rating to an equal weight rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 10th. Scotiabank downgraded Suncor Energy from a sector outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 21st. TD Securities upped their price target on Suncor Energy from C$52.00 to C$53.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 15th. National Bank Financial upgraded Suncor Energy from a sector perform rating to an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, April 28th. Finally, StockNews.com began coverage on Suncor Energy in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Suncor Energy currently has a consensus rating of Hold and an average price target of $53.13.

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Hedge Funds Weigh In On Suncor Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Toth Financial Advisory Corp boosted its stake in shares of Suncor Energy by 42.9% in the 4th quarter. Toth Financial Advisory Corp now owns 1,000 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Suncor Energy by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,877 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Suncor Energy by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,716 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $696,000 after purchasing an additional 327 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its holdings in Suncor Energy by 5.1% in the 3rd quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 7,106 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $200,000 after purchasing an additional 345 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Suncor Energy by 32.5% in the 1st quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 1,443 shares of the oil and gas producers stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 354 shares during the period. 58.04% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Suncor Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SU opened at $28.51 on Friday. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $31.52 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $32.50. The company has a current ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. Suncor Energy has a 12 month low of $26.42 and a 12 month high of $42.72. The company has a market cap of $37.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 5.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.63 and a beta of 1.28.

Suncor Energy (NYSE:SU  Get Rating) (TSE:SU) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 14th. The oil and gas producer reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.26 by $0.07. Suncor Energy had a return on equity of 29.52% and a net margin of 15.55%. The business had revenue of $10.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $9.65 billion. Research analysts anticipate that Suncor Energy will post 3.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Suncor Energy Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 3rd were paid a $0.391 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 2nd. This represents a $1.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.49%. Suncor Energys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 30.34%.

About Suncor Energy

(Get Rating)

Suncor Energy, Inc is an integrated energy company, which engages in the development of petroleum resource basins. It operates through the following segments: Oil Sands, Exploration and Production, Refining and Marketing, and Corporate and Eliminations. The Oil Sands segment operates assets in the Athabasca oil sands of northeast Alberta.

Further Reading

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Shares of iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF (TSE:XEU  Get Rating) fell 0.9% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as low as C$27.83 and last traded at C$27.85. 1,367 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 3,470 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$28.11.

iShares MSCI Europe IMI Index ETF Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of C$27.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of C$25.72.

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Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S. grew its position in Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Get Rating) by 2.1% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 455,543 shares of the information technology services providers stock after purchasing an additional 9,388 shares during the period. Accenture accounts for 4.3% of Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.s investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Lazard Freres Gestion S.A.S.s holdings in Accenture were worth $118,997,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in ACN. United Bank increased its stake in Accenture by 6.3% in the first quarter. United Bank now owns 2,969 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $1,001,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 1.3% in the first quarter. Weitz Investment Management Inc. now owns 89,400 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $30,148,000 after purchasing an additional 1,168 shares in the last quarter. Fund Management at Engine No. 1 LLC bought a new stake in Accenture in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,805,000. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. increased its stake in Accenture by 0.6% in the first quarter. Guardian Wealth Management Inc. now owns 7,292 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $2,459,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Clearbridge Investments LLC increased its stake in Accenture by 104.8% in the first quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 441,451 shares of the information technology services providers stock valued at $148,871,000 after purchasing an additional 225,943 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.97% of the companys stock.

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Accenture Price Performance

Shares of ACN stock traded up $1.08 on Friday, reaching $267.58. 835,757 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,341,332. The company has a 50-day moving average of $271.22 and a 200-day moving average of $276.38. The company has a market cap of $169.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.54, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.25. Accenture plc has a one year low of $242.80 and a one year high of $322.88.

Accenture Announces Dividend

Accenture ( NYSE:ACN Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 23rd. The information technology services provider reported $2.69 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.49 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $15.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.59 billion. Accenture had a return on equity of 30.73% and a net margin of 11.00%. The companys quarterly revenue was up 5.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.54 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Accenture plc will post 11.57 EPS for the current year.

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.12 per share. This represents a $4.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.67%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 12th. Accentures dividend payout ratio is currently 41.25%.

Insider Transactions at Accenture

In other Accenture news, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $275.90, for a total transaction of $1,448,475.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 26,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,423,917.20. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Julie Spellman Sweet sold 2,954 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $280.05, for a total transaction of $827,267.70. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 24,459 shares of the companys stock, valued at $6,849,742.95. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Ellyn Shook sold 5,250 shares of Accenture stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $275.90, for a total value of $1,448,475.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 26,908 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,423,917.20. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 15,010 shares of company stock valued at $4,180,030 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ACN shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Accenture from $300.00 to $310.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Friday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Accenture from $310.00 to $327.00 in a research note on Friday, March 24th. Wedbush reiterated an outperform rating and issued a $300.00 price objective on shares of Accenture in a report on Monday, March 13th. William Blair reissued an outperform rating on shares of Accenture in a research report on Monday, March 20th. Finally, Piper Jaffray Companies upped their target price on Accenture from $245.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an underweight rating in a report on Monday, March 27th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Accenture currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $314.00.

Accenture Profile

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Accenture Plc engages in the provision of management consulting, technology, and outsourcing services. It operates through the following geographical segments: North America, Europe and Growth Markets. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland.

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Want to see what other hedge funds are holding ACN? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Accenture plc (NYSE:ACN  Get Rating).

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Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Lenovo Group (OTCMKTS:LNVGY  Get Rating) from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating in a research note released on Tuesday, The Fly reports.

Separately, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Lenovo Group from a neutral rating to an overweight rating in a research report on Friday, March 24th.

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Lenovo Group Stock Performance

Shares of LNVGY stock opened at $21.07 on Tuesday. Lenovo Group has a 1-year low of $13.51 and a 1-year high of $22.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The company has a market capitalization of $12.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.07 and a beta of 0.98. The stocks fifty day simple moving average is $20.27 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.65.

About Lenovo Group

Lenovo Group ( OTCMKTS:LNVGY Get Rating ) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 16th. The technology company reported $0.69 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.75 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $15.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts expectations of $16.96 billion. Lenovo Group had a net margin of 2.89% and a return on equity of 34.03%. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Lenovo Group will post 2.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Lenovo Group Limited, an investment holding company, develops, manufactures, and markets technology products and services. It operates through Intelligent Devices Group, Infrastructure Solutions Group, and Solutions and Services Group segments. The company offers commercial and consumer personal computers, as well as servers and workstations; and a family of mobile Internet devices, including tablets and smartphones.

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National Australia Bank Limited (ASX:NAB  Get Rating) announced a interim dividend on Friday, May 5th, MarketIndexAU reports. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 4th will be paid a dividend of 0.83 per share on Tuesday, July 4th. This represents a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 9th. This is a boost from National Australia Banks previous interim dividend of $0.60.

National Australia Bank Price Performance

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Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Ross McEwan 159,309 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 23rd. 0.81% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About National Australia Bank

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Further Reading

National Australia Bank Limited provides financial services to individuals and businesses in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally. It operates through Business and Private Banking; Personal Banking; Corporate and Institutional Banking; New Zealand Banking; and Corporate Functions and Other segments.

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Copper Mountain Mining (TSE:CMMC  Get Rating) had its price target cut by National Bankshares from C$2.65 to C$2.60 in a research report report published on Monday morning, BayStreet.CA reports. They currently have a tender rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on CMMC. TD Securities cut Copper Mountain Mining from a buy rating to a tender rating and upped their price objective for the stock from C$2.50 to C$2.75 in a research note on Monday, April 17th. Scotiabank lowered Copper Mountain Mining from an outperform rating to a sector perform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Haywood Securities raised their price objective on Copper Mountain Mining from C$2.00 to C$3.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Copper Mountain Mining from C$2.20 to C$2.60 in a research report on Friday, April 14th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Copper Mountain Mining from C$3.00 to C$2.75 in a research report on Monday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Copper Mountain Mining presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of C$2.60.

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Copper Mountain Mining Price Performance

Shares of CMMC opened at C$2.50 on Monday. Copper Mountain Mining has a 52-week low of C$1.23 and a 52-week high of C$3.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 74.70, a quick ratio of 0.38 and a current ratio of 1.10. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of C$2.24 and a 200 day simple moving average of C$2.02. The firm has a market capitalization of C$534.60 million, a PE ratio of -11.36, a P/E/G ratio of 0.28 and a beta of 2.71.

Insider Activity

Copper Mountain Mining Company Profile

In related news, insider Zeta Resources Limited sold 127,800 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of C$2.63, for a total value of C$336,650.76. Insiders own 3.34% of the companys stock.

(Get Rating)

Copper Mountain Mining Corporation operates as a mining company in Canada. The company explores for copper, gold, and silver deposits. Its flagship asset is the Copper Mountain mine that comprise 138 crown granted mineral claims, 149 located mineral claims, 14 mining leases, and 12 fee simple properties covering an area of 6,702 hectares located to the south of Princeton, British Columbia.

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LAKE MARY, Fla., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Florida-based insurance industry veterans are meeting the needs of Florida homeowners by providing another option that can also lower their premiums. OpenHouse Home Insurance offers home insurance during a critical time when Floridians are searching for an alternative option.

OpenHouse Home Insurance

"Floridians are facing decreasing options and increasing premiums causing serious challenges to finding affordable home insurance," says West McCall, COO of OpenHouse Home Insurance. "We knew the time was right to develop an innovative product that gives people more choice and helps make it affordable to own a home by offering lower insurance premiums."

OpenHouse's insurtech product provides an experience where homeowners can get a policy online  not just a quote. The product's AI technology assesses characteristics of each home to create truly customized policies. It also provides lower premiums by rewarding homeowners for their smart life choices, including having a gym membership, owning smart home devices and being a blood donor or pet owner, among others. To learn more about how people can afford home insurance without sacrificing quality or coverage, visit www.openhouseinsurance.com.

"This is more than insurtech and fancy buzzwords," says McCall. "OpenHouse provides real, usable and, most importantly, needed tech-enabled solutions to Florida homeowners."

About OpenHouse Home Insurance

OpenHouse Home Insurance provides an online-first experience for homeowners to get a policy in minutes. OpenHouse's AI technology assesses characteristics of homes and smart life choices of homeowners to create customized policies for substantial savings. OpenHouse is an insurtech product launched by insurance industry veterans who knew innovation was necessary in home insurance. OpenHouse is backed by the strength of First Protective Insurance Company with headquarters in Lake Mary, Fla., serving homeowners for 25 years, protecting more than 300,000 homes and having paid more than $4 billion in claims. To learn more, visit www.openhouseinsurance.com.

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Nwam LLC decreased its holdings in shares of iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (NYSEARCA:IHI  Get Rating) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 28,025 shares of the companys stock after selling 847 shares during the quarter. Nwam LLCs holdings in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF were worth $1,473,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Castleview Partners LLC acquired a new stake in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. WFA of San Diego LLC bought a new position in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Guardian Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Signature Securities Group Corporation bought a new position in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, EPG Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF during the 3rd quarter worth $41,000.

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iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF Price Performance

IHI stock opened at $55.81 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.50 and a beta of 0.85. The businesss fifty day moving average price is $53.77 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.83. iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF has a fifty-two week low of $46.21 and a fifty-two week high of $57.24.

iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF Profile

The iShares U.S. Medical Devices ETF (IHI) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the DJ US Select \u002F Medical Equipment index, a market-cap-weighted index of manufacturers and distributors of medical devices in the US. IHI was launched on May 1, 2006 and is managed by BlackRock.

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Phoenix Group Holdings plc (OTCMKTS:PNXGF  Get Rating) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of Hold from the ten analysts that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $739.00.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Berenberg Bank increased their target price on shares of Phoenix Group from GBX 815 ($10.18) to GBX 820 ($10.24) in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Phoenix Group from GBX 665 ($8.31) to GBX 655 ($8.18) in a report on Tuesday, March 14th. Peel Hunt upgraded shares of Phoenix Group to a hold rating in a report on Tuesday, January 31st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on shares of Phoenix Group from GBX 680 ($8.50) to GBX 720 ($9.00) in a report on Tuesday, January 10th.

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Phoenix Group Stock Performance

Shares of PNXGF stock opened at $7.65 on Friday. The firms 50 day moving average price is $7.72 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.30. Phoenix Group has a one year low of $6.00 and a one year high of $8.28.

About Phoenix Group

Phoenix Group Holdings Plc operates as a life and pensions consolidator. The firm specializes in the acquisition and management of closed life insurance and pension funds. It operates through the following segments: UK Heritage, UK Open, Europe, Management Services, and Unallocated Group. The UK Heritage contains United Kingdom businesses which no longer actively sell products to policyholders and which therefore run-off gradually over time.

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Planning Directions Inc. decreased its holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (BATS:USMV  Get Rating) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 24,360 shares of the companys stock after selling 715 shares during the quarter. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF accounts for about 1.3% of Planning Directions Inc.s holdings, making the stock its 16th biggest holding. Planning Directions Inc.s holdings in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF were worth $1,756,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Bank of Montreal Can raised its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 8,253 shares of the companys stock worth $646,000 after acquiring an additional 594 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 95,612 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,417,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the last quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC boosted its position in shares of iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 4.4% in the 1st quarter. AJ Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 1,348,690 shares of the companys stock valued at $104,618,000 after purchasing an additional 57,434 shares during the period. Founders Financial Securities LLC grew its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 27.0% during the 1st quarter. Founders Financial Securities LLC now owns 88,779 shares of the companys stock worth $6,887,000 after buying an additional 18,853 shares during the last quarter. Finally, West Michigan Advisors LLC lifted its stake in iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF by 6.1% in the first quarter. West Michigan Advisors LLC now owns 12,575 shares of the companys stock valued at $975,000 after buying an additional 719 shares during the last quarter.

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iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Price Performance

Shares of USMV traded down $0.40 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $72.75. 3,275,652 shares of the companys stock were exchanged. iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF has a 52-week low of $47.44 and a 52-week high of $55.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.88 billion, a PE ratio of 20.17 and a beta of 0.75. The businesss fifty day simple moving average is $72.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $72.20.

iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF Company Profile

The iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the MSCI USA Minimum Volatility (USD) index. The fund tracks an index of US-listed firms selected and weighted to create a low-volatility portfolio subject to various constraints. USMV was launched on Oct 18, 2011 and is managed by BlackRock.

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PPL (NYSE:PPL  Get Rating) posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday. The utilities provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts consensus estimates of $0.44 by $0.04, Briefing.com reports. PPL had a net margin of 9.57% and a return on equity of 7.50%. The company had revenue of $2.42 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.41 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was up 35.5% on a year-over-year basis. PPL updated its FY23 guidance to $1.50-1.65 EPS.

PPL Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of PPL stock traded down $0.10 on Friday, hitting $28.60. The stock had a trading volume of 2,729,228 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,403,562. The business has a 50 day moving average of $27.75 and a 200 day moving average of $28.25. The stock has a market cap of $21.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.75 and a quick ratio of 0.63. PPL has a 12-month low of $23.47 and a 12-month high of $31.74.

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PPL Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 3rd. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 10th were issued a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 9th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. This is an increase from PPLs previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. PPLs dividend payout ratio is currently 93.20%.

Insider Activity

Hedge Funds Weigh In On PPL

In other news, insider John R. Crockett III sold 5,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $154,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 9,161 shares in the company, valued at $256,508. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website . 0.17% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in PPL. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can grew its position in PPL by 3.7% during the first quarter. Great West Life Assurance Co. Can now owns 350,807 shares of the utilities providers stock valued at $10,501,000 after buying an additional 12,428 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in PPL by 2.3% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,292,612 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $65,480,000 after purchasing an additional 50,658 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in PPL by 9.4% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 341,996 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $9,779,000 after purchasing an additional 29,496 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH boosted its position in PPL by 1.2% during the first quarter. Allianz Asset Management GmbH now owns 409,552 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $11,697,000 after purchasing an additional 4,998 shares during the period. Finally, Mather Group LLC. boosted its position in PPL by 7.7% during the first quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 10,764 shares of the utilities providers stock worth $307,000 after purchasing an additional 766 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 70.02% of the companys stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of PPL from $32.00 to $28.00 in a research report on Monday, March 20th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. TheStreet downgraded shares of PPL from a b rating to a c+ rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 21st. Barclays began coverage on shares of PPL in a research report on Wednesday, January 18th. They set an equal weight rating on the stock. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of PPL from $29.00 to $32.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $31.00.

About PPL

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PPL Corp. engages in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. It operates through the two reportable segments: Kentucky Regulated & Pennsylvania Regulated. The Kentucky Regulated segment consists of LKEs regulated electricity generation, transmission and distribution operations of Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company as well as regulated distribution and sale of natural gas of Louisville Gas and Electric Company.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Redwood Trust (NYSE:RWT  Get Rating) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Credit Suisse Group restated an outperform rating and issued a $9.00 price objective on shares of Redwood Trust in a research note on Thursday, March 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Redwood Trust from $8.00 to $7.50 in a research note on Monday, April 24th. JMP Securities upped their price objective on Redwood Trust from $9.00 to $9.50 and gave the company a market outperform rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 7th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on Redwood Trust from $9.00 to $8.50 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 14th. Finally, Raymond James dropped their price objective on Redwood Trust from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a strong-buy rating on the stock in a research note on Sunday, March 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $8.83.

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Redwood Trust Stock Performance

RWT opened at $5.55 on Tuesday. Redwood Trust has a 52-week low of $5.47 and a 52-week high of $10.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $631.15 million, a PE ratio of -3.32 and a beta of 1.36. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 8.97, a quick ratio of 5.29 and a current ratio of 5.29. The businesss 50-day simple moving average is $6.81 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.22.

Redwood Trust Announces Dividend

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Redwood Trust

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 24th were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 16.58%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 23rd. Redwood Trusts payout ratio is -55.09%.

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in RWT. Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in shares of Redwood Trust by 8.6% in the first quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 34,331 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $371,000 after purchasing an additional 2,715 shares during the last quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its position in Redwood Trust by 51.5% during the first quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 59,710 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $629,000 after buying an additional 20,294 shares in the last quarter. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Redwood Trust by 2.6% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 308,263 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $3,246,000 after buying an additional 7,950 shares in the last quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in Redwood Trust by 14.1% during the first quarter. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS now owns 98,861 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,041,000 after buying an additional 12,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Redwood Trust by 1.2% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 12,245,804 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $128,948,000 after buying an additional 150,771 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 71.73% of the companys stock.

Redwood Trust Company Profile

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Redwood Trust, Inc is a financial company, which focuses on several distinct areas of housing credit. It operates through the following segments: Residential Mortgage Banking, Business Purpose Mortgage Banking, and Investment Portfolio. The Residential Mortgage Banking segment consists of a mortgage loan conduit that acquires residential loans from third-party originators for subsequent sale, securitization, or transfer into the investment portfolio.

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Resources Management Corp CT ADV grew its stake in Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. (NYSE:SRC  Get Rating) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 50,784 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after buying an additional 5,570 shares during the period. Resources Management Corp CT ADVs holdings in Spirit Realty Capital were worth $2,028,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SRC. Raymond James & Associates grew its position in Spirit Realty Capital by 12.4% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 8,081 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $372,000 after purchasing an additional 893 shares during the last quarter. US Bancorp DE grew its position in Spirit Realty Capital by 22.8% in the 1st quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 11,549 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $530,000 after purchasing an additional 2,143 shares during the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. grew its position in Spirit Realty Capital by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 19,492 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,234 shares during the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired a new stake in Spirit Realty Capital in the 1st quarter worth $1,002,000. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Spirit Realty Capital by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 346,622 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $15,952,000 after purchasing an additional 1,256 shares during the last quarter. 93.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JMP Securities decreased their target price on shares of Spirit Realty Capital from $49.00 to $45.00 and set a market outperform rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Oppenheimer reiterated a market perform rating and set a $38.00 target price on shares of Spirit Realty Capital in a research report on Tuesday, March 7th. Raymond James lowered shares of Spirit Realty Capital from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research report on Monday, January 9th. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of Spirit Realty Capital in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Spirit Realty Capital from $48.00 to $45.50 in a research report on Thursday. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $43.15.

Spirit Realty Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SRC traded up $0.20 during trading on Friday, reaching $38.93. The company had a trading volume of 119,267 shares, compared to its average volume of 813,693. Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. has a 52 week low of $34.31 and a 52 week high of $44.93. The stock has a market cap of $5.50 billion, a PE ratio of 18.99, a PEG ratio of 5.70 and a beta of 1.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.15 and a current ratio of 0.15. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $39.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $40.22.

Spirit Realty Capital (NYSE:SRC  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.86 by ($0.38). The business had revenue of $183.39 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $184.95 million. Spirit Realty Capital had a return on equity of 7.45% and a net margin of 44.28%. Analysts expect that Spirit Realty Capital, Inc. will post 3.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Spirit Realty Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 14th. Investors of record on Friday, June 30th will be issued a dividend of $0.663 per share. This represents a $2.65 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 29th. Spirit Realty Capitals dividend payout ratio is currently 129.90%.

Spirit Realty Capital Company Profile

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Spirit Realty Capital, Inc operates as a holding company, which engages in investments in real estate. Its in-house capabilities include acquisition, portfolio management, asset management, credit research, real estate research, legal, finance, accounting, and capital markets. The company was founded on August 14, 2003, and is headquartered in Dallas, TX.

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Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. (NYSE:REXR  Get Rating) CEO Howard Schwimmer sold 35,505 shares of Rexford Industrial Realty stock in a transaction on Friday, April 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.94, for a total transaction of $1,986,149.70. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 50,862 shares of the companys stock, valued at $2,845,220.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Rexford Industrial Realty Stock Performance

Rexford Industrial Realty stock opened at $55.33 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30. The company has a market capitalization of $11.12 billion, a PE ratio of 58.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.84. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $57.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $57.07. Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc. has a twelve month low of $48.74 and a twelve month high of $77.08.

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Rexford Industrial Realty Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 17th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 30th will be paid a dividend of $0.38 per share. This represents a $1.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.75%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 29th. Rexford Industrial Realtys dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 160.00%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Rexford Industrial Realty

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund increased its position in shares of Rexford Industrial Realty by 4.9% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 55,412 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $3,305,000 after buying an additional 2,595 shares during the period. Ellevest Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Rexford Industrial Realty by 35.9% in the first quarter. Ellevest Inc. now owns 1,583 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $94,000 after buying an additional 418 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its stake in shares of Rexford Industrial Realty by 7.2% in the first quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 85,483 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $5,099,000 after buying an additional 5,760 shares in the last quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Rexford Industrial Realty by 0.9% during the first quarter. Mutual of America Capital Management LLC now owns 151,834 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock valued at $9,057,000 after purchasing an additional 1,350 shares during the period. Finally, Cypress Capital Group bought a new position in Rexford Industrial Realty during the first quarter valued at approximately $220,000. 98.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

REXR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Rexford Industrial Realty in a report on Monday, February 6th. They set an outperform rating and a $77.00 price objective for the company. StockNews.com raised shares of Rexford Industrial Realty from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report on Wednesday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $69.33.

Rexford Industrial Realty Company Profile

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Rexford Industrial Realty, Inc is a self-administered and self-managed real estate investment trust. It engages in owning and operating industrial properties in infill markets. The company was founded by Richard S. Ziman on January 18, 2013 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

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Andlauer Healthcare Group (TSE:AND  Get Rating) had its target price lowered by equities research analysts at Royal Bank of Canada from C$53.00 to C$51.00 in a report released on Friday, BayStreet.CA reports. The brokerage currently has a sector perform rating on the stock. Royal Bank of Canadas target price suggests a potential upside of 9.80% from the stocks current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Eight Capital set a C$62.00 price target on shares of Andlauer Healthcare Group and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 17th. TD Securities upped their target price on shares of Andlauer Healthcare Group from C$57.00 to C$58.00 and gave the stock a hold rating in a research note on Monday, March 6th. CIBC cut their price objective on Andlauer Healthcare Group from C$54.00 to C$50.00 in a research report on Friday. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on Andlauer Healthcare Group from C$53.00 to C$55.00 in a report on Monday, January 23rd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Andlauer Healthcare Group presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of C$57.11.

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Andlauer Healthcare Group Price Performance

Shares of Andlauer Healthcare Group stock traded down C$0.66 on Friday, hitting C$46.45. 14,098 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 20,208. The stock has a market capitalization of C$932.25 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.95 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average price of C$49.04 and a 200 day moving average price of C$49.02. Andlauer Healthcare Group has a 1-year low of C$37.57 and a 1-year high of C$55.97. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 2.01 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 37.03.

About Andlauer Healthcare Group

Andlauer Healthcare Group ( TSE:AND Get Rating ) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported C$0.46 EPS for the quarter. The firm had revenue of C$165.77 million for the quarter. Andlauer Healthcare Group had a net margin of 11.76% and a return on equity of 19.23%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Andlauer Healthcare Group will post 1.7925664 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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Andlauer Healthcare Group Inc, a supply chain management company, provides a platform of customized third-party logistics (3PL) and specialized transportation solutions for the healthcare sector in Canada and the United States. The company operates in two segments, Specialized Transportation and Healthcare Logistics.

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Saga Communications (NYSE:SGA  Get Rating) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note issued on Wednesday.

Saga Communications Price Performance

SGA opened at $22.45 on Wednesday. Saga Communications has a fifty-two week low of $21.70 and a fifty-two week high of $29.75.

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About Saga Communications

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Further Reading

Saga Communications, Inc operates as a broadcasting company, which engages in the acquisition, development, and operation of broadcast properties. The company was founded by Edward K. Christian in 1986 and is headquartered in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI.

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Sanchez Wealth Management Group trimmed its holdings in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (NYSEARCA:JHML  Get Rating) by 0.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 472,381 shares of the companys stock after selling 1,093 shares during the period. John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF makes up about 11.4% of Sanchez Wealth Management Groups holdings, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Sanchez Wealth Management Group owned approximately 3.17% of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF worth $23,265,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF by 340.4% during the 4th quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC now owns 145,022 shares of the companys stock valued at $7,142,000 after purchasing an additional 112,093 shares during the period. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 254,464 shares of the companys stock worth $12,532,000 after acquiring an additional 43,913 shares during the period. Columbia Advisory Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF by 11.8% during the 4th quarter. Columbia Advisory Partners LLC now owns 253,871 shares of the companys stock worth $12,503,000 after buying an additional 26,803 shares during the period. UBS Group AG lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 213,498 shares of the companys stock worth $9,699,000 after buying an additional 24,469 shares during the period. Finally, Avantax Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF by 19.3% during the 3rd quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 136,383 shares of the companys stock worth $6,196,000 after buying an additional 22,056 shares during the period.

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John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF Stock Up 1.5 %

JHML stock traded up $0.76 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $51.59. 10,043 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 51,847. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $51.04 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $50.73. John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF has a 1-year low of $44.55 and a 1-year high of $54.38. The company has a market cap of $719.68 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.58 and a beta of 1.01.

John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF Company Profile

The John Hancock Multifactor Large Cap ETF (JHML) is an exchange-traded fund that is based on the John Hancock Dimensional Large Cap index. The fund tracks an index of largest 800 US firms, weighted by multiple factors relative to their sector peers. JHML was launched on Sep 28, 2015 and is managed by John Hancock.

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Market Research Future

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Trends and Insights By Drug Class (TNF Inhibitors, Amino salicylates, Immunomodulators and Corticosteroids), Disease Indication (Ulcerative Colitis, Crohns Disease) Distribution Channel (Hospital Pharmacy, Retail pharmacy, online pharmacy), End-User (Hospitals & Clinics and others), and By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World), Competitive Market Growth, Size, Share and Forecast to 2030

New York, USA, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Overview

According to a Comprehensive Research Report by Market Research Future (MRFR),  Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Information By Drug Class, Disease Indication, Distribution Channel, End-User, And Region - Forecast till 2030", the market was valued at USD 13.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to grow from USD 14.66 Billion in 2023 to USD 20.22 billion by 2030, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.12% during the forecast period (2023 - 2030)

Market Scope

Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are becoming more common, and Government funding for Inflammatory Bowel Disease treatment therapy research and medical technology advancements. These are just a few of the market drivers that are driving the market. An ongoing digestive system infection results from a disorder known as "inflammatory bowel disease". Two different kinds are involved, including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Crohn's disease causes swelling and pain in the gastrointestinal tract. Usually, the small and upper large intestines are impacted.

Furthermore, ulcerative colitis causes swelling and sores in the large intestine. An ongoing sign of ulcerative colitis is mucosal inflammation, which results in edema, bleeding ulcers, and electrolyte losses. The focus of current therapies is on reducing inflammation, the risk of complications, and long-term remission. Hospitals and other healthcare organizations work closely with pharmaceutical companies to conduct clinical trials and ensure patient safety. Such initiatives are anticipated to boost research efforts to develop a new IBD treatment.

Story continues

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Healthcare professionals are benefiting from technological advancements like the use of single-cell RNA sequencing in the treatment of intestinal inflammation. The intestinal specimens obtained from Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis patients have been subjected to high-dimensional technologies like single-cell RNA sequencing and mass cytometry. The development of novel therapeutic strategies, the optimization of individual medications, and the prevention of the disease are some advantages of the single-cell RNA sequencing evaluation used to comprehend the molecular basis of the disease. These specific forms of inflammatory bowel disease affect people with an unsuitable immune reaction to the intestinal flora. The gastrointestinal tract is damaged due to the chronic inflammation caused by these diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease is genetically predisposed, and those with it are more likely to develop cancer than those without it.

Report Scope:

Report Attribute Details Market Size in 2030 USD 20.22 Billion CAGR 5.12% Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2021 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Drug Class, Disease Indication, Distribution Channel and End-User Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World (RoW) Key Market Drivers Rising Disease Prevalence and Strong Focus on R&D for Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment will boost market growth Increasing illness detection rates in emerging nations.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Competitive Landscape:

The valuable contenders in the inflammatory bowel disease treatment market are:

Abbott Laboratories

AbbVie, Inc.

UCB Inc

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Valeant Pharmaceuticals International

Novartis AG

Janssen Biotech, Inc.

Alkem Laboratories Limited

Biogen Inc.

Pfizer Inc.

Allergan plc

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Trends:



Market Drivers:

In the coming years, market growth is anticipated to be fueled by the increasing incidence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease worldwide. Government initiatives to enhance healthcare for IBD patients have increased, as these patients are more prone to contracting infections due to immunosuppressive therapies. The market for inflammatory bowel disease treatments is expected to expand due to a growing incidence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Additionally, the market for IBD treatments is gaining traction thanks to technological advancements. For instance, the top players in the IBD treatment market strongly emphasize adopting cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) for drug discovery and providing novel treatments for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Additionally, a higher disease diagnosis rate and sufficient reimbursement policies in advanced nations support the market's growth, given the growing emphasis on early disease diagnosis. This increased the market need for inflammatory bowel disease treatment medications like IL inhibitors, JAK inhibitors, and TNF inhibitors and the number of patients receiving treatment for IBD. Inflammatory bowel disease treatments are being used more frequently across the globe due to rising public awareness of the advantages of medications like biologics, corticosteroids, and others.

Browse In-depth Market Research Report (100 Pages) on Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com/reports/inflammatory-bowel-disease-treatment-market-6266

Market Restraints:

Inflammatory bowel diseases will face obstacles due to a lack of medical infrastructure in developing nations and strict regulatory conditions. Additionally, poor reimbursement policies and public awareness will limit and impede the market's growth rate over the forecast period.

COVID 19 Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic has been unprecedented in scale, and demand for treatments for inflammatory bowel disease has been lower than expected in all regions compared to pre-pandemic levels. The incidence of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease is rising globally due to various factors, including societal and environmental changes in lifestyle. The market for treating inflammatory bowel disease grew more slowly during the forecast period due to COVID-19's effects. The closure of diagnostic facilities, limitations on travel, and lockdowns in numerous nations worldwide are a few factors contributing to the disease's slower rate of treatment. However, the government's restrictions were relaxed in 2021, increasing hospital and diagnostic center visits.

As a result, the rising disease diagnosis rate led to increased drug demand in 2021. The top pharmaceutical businesses in the market saw increased drug revenue in 2021. The worldwide inflammatory bowel disease drug market is expected to grow favorably due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Higher adoption of medications approved for IBD was caused by increased government efforts to protect those suffering from the condition, as these patients were more likely to contract an infection because of their immunosuppressive treatments.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Segmentation

By disease indication, the market includes ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. The market includes TNF Inhibitors, aminosalicylates, immunomodulators, and corticosteroids by drug class. By distribution channel, the market includes hospital pharmacies, retail pharmacies, and online pharmacies. By end-user, the market includes hospitals & clinics.

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Inflammatory Bowel Disease Treatment Market Regional Insights

North America dominated the global market for treating inflammatory bowel disease due to the presence of numerous powerful market players and the numerous strategic initiatives they carried out there. Additionally, the region's improved reimbursement practices, high treatment rates, and rising prescription of novel drugs contribute to regional expansion. The region's growth is also anticipated to be fueled by ongoing efforts to create novel therapeutics and supportive governmental initiatives. Over the forecast period, Asia-Pacific is expected to experience the fastest growth. Some key factors driving market growth in the upcoming years include an elevated likelihood of developing inflammatory diseases, an increase in the incidence of inflammatory bowel disorders, an aging population, and better healthcare policies. Additionally, it is anticipated that rising investments by influential regional players and the growing use of biosimilars and biologics will accelerate market growth shortly.

Discover more research Reports on Healthcare Industry by Market Research Future:

Crohns Disease Market Research Report Information by Type (Ileocolitis, Ileitis, Granulomatous colitis, Gastroduodenal Crohns Disease, Jejunoileitis, and Perianal Crohns Disease), Treatment (Non-Surgical and Surgical), End User (Hospitals and Clinics, Research Institutes, and Others), and Region (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa)Forecast till 2030

Ulcerative Colitis Market Research Report Information By Type (Ulcerative Proctitis, Proctosigmoiditis, Left-Sided Colitis, Pancolitis or Universal Colitis, and Fulminant Colitis), By Medication (5-Aminosalicylates, Steroids, Purine Analogs, Immunomodulators, and Biologics), And By Region (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, And Rest Of The World)  Market Forecast Till 2030

Topical Corticosteroids Market Information By Type of Formulation (Ointments, Creams, and others), By Type of Potency Class (Ultra High, High, Moderate, and Low), By Treatment (Contact Dermatitis, Insect Stings, Psoriasis, Eczema, and others), By End Users (Hospitals, Dermatology Clinics, Pharmacies, and others) - Forecast till 2030

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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CONTACT: Market Research Future (Part of Wantstats Research and Media Private Limited) 99 Hudson Street, 5Th Floor New York, NY 10013 United States of America +1 628 258 0071 (US) +44 2035 002 764 (UK) Email: sales@marketresearchfuture.com Website: https://www.marketresearchfuture.com




Premium Brands (OTCMKTS:PRBZF  Get Rating) had its price target lifted by Scotiabank from C$114.00 to C$121.00 in a research report sent to investors on Monday, The Fly reports.

PRBZF has been the subject of several other research reports. TD Securities boosted their price objective on Premium Brands from C$115.00 to C$120.00 in a research report on Monday, February 13th. CIBC dropped their price target on shares of Premium Brands from C$99.00 to C$98.00 in a research report on Friday, March 17th. National Bank Financial boosted their price objective on shares of Premium Brands from C$122.00 to C$124.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 9th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Premium Brands from C$105.00 to C$111.00 in a report on Friday, March 17th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Premium Brands from C$107.00 to C$104.00 in a report on Friday, March 17th.

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Premium Brands Price Performance

Shares of OTCMKTS:PRBZF opened at $74.42 on Monday. The stocks 50-day moving average price is $72.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $66.54. Premium Brands has a 12-month low of $57.35 and a 12-month high of $81.80.

About Premium Brands

Premium Brands Holdings Corp. engages in the manufacture and distribution of a variety of specialty food products. It operates through the Specialty Foods and Premium Food Distribution segments. The Specialty Foods segment includes the specialty food manufacturing businesses. The Premium Food Distribution segment is comprised of the differentiated distribution and wholesale businesses, and certain seafood processing businesses.

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StockNews.com upgraded shares of Southern Copper (NYSE:SCCO  Get Rating) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Monday.

Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Wolfe Research raised shares of Southern Copper from an underperform rating to a peer perform rating in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $40.00 to $60.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 11th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $53.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an equal weight rating in a report on Friday, April 21st. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Southern Copper from $48.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a sell rating in a report on Thursday, February 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on shares of Southern Copper from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Tuesday, January 10th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the companys stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southern Copper presently has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $62.14.

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Southern Copper Stock Down 1.5 %

NYSE:SCCO opened at $74.95 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $57.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.92, a P/E/G ratio of 16.01 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 3.38 and a current ratio of 4.20. Southern Copper has a fifty-two week low of $42.42 and a fifty-two week high of $82.05. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $75.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.51.

Southern Copper Cuts Dividend

Southern Copper ( NYSE:SCCO Get Rating ) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 3rd. The basic materials company reported $1.17 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $0.80 by $0.37. Southern Copper had a net margin of 26.26% and a return on equity of 33.31%. The firm had revenue of $2.82 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.50 billion. Analysts predict that Southern Copper will post 3.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 23rd. Investors of record on Tuesday, May 9th will be given a $0.95 dividend. This represents a $3.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.07%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 8th. Southern Coppers dividend payout ratio is presently 116.96%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southern Copper

In other Southern Copper news, Director Andreve Vicente Ariztegui sold 1,500 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.11, for a total transaction of $114,165.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 4,400 shares in the company, valued at $334,884. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.08% of the companys stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of SCCO. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in Southern Copper by 1.3% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 283,570 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $21,523,000 after acquiring an additional 3,611 shares during the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 48.3% during the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 11,974 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $909,000 after purchasing an additional 3,901 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southern Copper during the first quarter valued at $388,000. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 121.4% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 173,100 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $13,138,000 after purchasing an additional 94,910 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Southern Copper by 10.7% during the first quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 7,022,108 shares of the basic materials companys stock valued at $532,978,000 after purchasing an additional 680,165 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 7.03% of the companys stock.

Southern Copper Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Southern Copper Corp. engages in the development, production, and exploration of copper, molybdenum, zinc, and silver. It operates through the following segments: Peruvian Operations, Mexican Open-Pit Operations, and Mexican Underground Mining Operations. The Peruvian Operations segment focuses on the Toquepala and Cuajone mine complexes and the smelting and refining plants, industrial railroad, and port facilities that service both mines.

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Gulf International Bank UK Ltd lifted its stake in S&P Global Inc. (NYSE:SPGI  Get Rating) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 56,680 shares of the business services providers stock after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltds holdings in S&P Global were worth $18,984,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Accurate Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Capital Directions Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in S&P Global during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 35.6% during the 4th quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 141 shares of the business services providers stock worth $47,000 after buying an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. Earnest Partners LLC lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 51.6% during the 1st quarter. Earnest Partners LLC now owns 141 shares of the business services providers stock worth $58,000 after buying an additional 48 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. lifted its holdings in S&P Global by 23.9% during the 3rd quarter. Farmers & Merchants Investments Inc. now owns 228 shares of the business services providers stock worth $70,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. 87.27% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of S&P Global from $388.00 to $403.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Monday, February 6th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of S&P Global in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They issued a hold rating on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $393.00 to $401.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 10th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an outperform rating and issued a $434.00 price objective on shares of S&P Global in a report on Monday, March 6th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of S&P Global from $403.00 to $405.00 and gave the company an outperform rating in a report on Tuesday, April 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and sixteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $394.50.

S&P Global Stock Up 2.2 %

Shares of NYSE SPGI traded up $7.60 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $355.11. The company had a trading volume of 205,681 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,325,076. S&P Global Inc. has a 52-week low of $279.32 and a 52-week high of $395.80. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.29. The stock has a market cap of $114.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.88, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.12. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $342.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $344.86.

S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 27th. The business services provider reported $3.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.92 by $0.23. S&P Global had a net margin of 23.50% and a return on equity of 10.06%. The company had revenue of $3.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.06 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.89 EPS. S&P Globals revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that S&P Global Inc. will post 12.5 earnings per share for the current year.

S&P Global Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 26th will be given a dividend of $0.90 per share. This represents a $3.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 25th. S&P Globals payout ratio is currently 42.35%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other S&P Global news, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 7,500 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.52, for a total transaction of $2,703,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 160,816 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $57,977,384.32. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, EVP Sally Moore sold 3,499 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $367.30, for a total value of $1,285,182.70. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 4,957 shares of the companys stock, valued at $1,820,706.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Douglas L. Peterson sold 7,500 shares of S&P Global stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $360.52, for a total transaction of $2,703,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 160,816 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,977,384.32. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 18,269 shares of company stock valued at $6,587,360. Insiders own 0.10% of the companys stock.

S&P Global Company Profile

(Get Rating)

S&P Global, Inc engages in the provision of transparent and independent ratings, benchmarks, analytics, and data to the capital and commodity markets worldwide. It operates through the following segments: Market Intelligence, Ratings, Commodity Insights, Mobility, Indices, and Engineering Solutions. The Market Intelligence segment provides multi-asset-class data and analytics integrated with purpose-built workflow solutions.

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Swiss National Bank cut its position in shares of American Tower Co. (NYSE:AMT  Get Rating) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,892,300 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock after selling 85,059 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.41% of American Tower worth $400,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 60,720,664 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $13,036,726,000 after buying an additional 406,906 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 6,223,809 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,336,250,000 after buying an additional 91,188 shares during the period. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,191,334 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,115,635,000 after buying an additional 89,868 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 5,073,686 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,089,321,000 after buying an additional 408,300 shares during the period. Finally, Nuveen Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of American Tower by 19.5% during the 3rd quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC now owns 4,658,127 shares of the real estate investment trusts stock worth $1,000,100,000 after buying an additional 760,958 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the companys stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently commented on AMT. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their target price on shares of American Tower from $240.00 to $230.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of American Tower from $224.00 to $215.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 18th. Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of American Tower from $325.00 to $275.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 13th. Credit Suisse Group cut their price objective on shares of American Tower from $251.00 to $244.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 24th. Finally, Moffett Nathanson raised shares of American Tower from a market perform rating to an outperform rating and cut their price objective for the company from $244.00 to $234.00 in a report on Thursday, March 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, American Tower currently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $258.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

American Tower Stock Performance

In related news, Director Samme L. Thompson sold 1,739 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $218.59, for a total transaction of $380,128.01. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 22,099 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,830,620.41. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website . 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Shares of American Tower stock opened at $195.17 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $200.69 and a 200-day moving average of $209.18. American Tower Co. has a 1-year low of $178.17 and a 1-year high of $282.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.61, a quick ratio of 0.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.83. The company has a market cap of $90.88 billion, a PE ratio of 64.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.23 and a beta of 0.57.

American Tower (NYSE:AMT  Get Rating) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 26th. The real estate investment trust reported $0.72 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $2.28 by ($1.56). The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.74 billion. American Tower had a return on equity of 11.65% and a net margin of 12.85%. The businesss revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.55 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that American Tower Co. will post 9.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

American Tower Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, April 28th. Investors of record on Friday, April 14th were given a dividend of $1.56 per share. This represents a $6.24 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, April 13th. American Towers dividend payout ratio is 208.00%.

American Tower Company Profile

(Get Rating)

American Tower Corp. provides real estate investment services, and owns, operates, and develops multi-tenant real estate properties. It offers leasing of space on communications sites to wireless service providers, radio and television broadcast companies. It operates through the following segments: U.S.

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Swiss National Bank lessened its stake in United Parcel Service, Inc. (NYSE:UPS  Get Rating) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,974,400 shares of the transportation companys stock after selling 208,418 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.34% of United Parcel Service worth $517,070,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Parcel Service by 0.9% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 67,099,021 shares of the transportation companys stock valued at $10,839,176,000 after acquiring an additional 601,166 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp increased its position in United Parcel Service by 0.6% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 9,273,417 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $1,988,777,000 after purchasing an additional 54,401 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.3% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,163,287 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $892,858,000 after purchasing an additional 93,463 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its position in United Parcel Service by 2.7% in the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,103,236 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $501,354,000 after purchasing an additional 82,716 shares during the period. Finally, California Public Employees Retirement System increased its position in United Parcel Service by 7.2% in the third quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 2,653,108 shares of the transportation companys stock worth $428,583,000 after purchasing an additional 179,296 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 58.92% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity

In other news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 20,724 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $182.26, for a total value of $3,777,156.24. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, insider Norman M. Brothers, Jr. sold 20,724 shares of the firms stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $182.26, for a total value of $3,777,156.24. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Laura J. Lane sold 14,617 shares of the firms stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $178.16, for a total value of $2,604,164.72. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 54,341 shares of company stock valued at $9,848,061. 0.12% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Parcel Service Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:UPS opened at $174.53 on Friday. United Parcel Service, Inc. has a twelve month low of $154.87 and a twelve month high of $209.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 1.34 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $186.29 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $180.84. The company has a market cap of $149.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.09.

United Parcel Service (NYSE:UPS  Get Rating) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 25th. The transportation company reported $2.20 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.01. United Parcel Service had a net margin of 10.90% and a return on equity of 57.68%. The company had revenue of $22.93 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $22.98 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.05 EPS. The companys quarterly revenue was down 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that United Parcel Service, Inc. will post 10.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Parcel Service announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Tuesday, January 31st that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the transportation company to buy up to 3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the companys leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Parcel Service Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, May 15th will be issued a $1.62 dividend. This represents a $6.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 12th. United Parcel Services payout ratio is presently 52.43%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. KeyCorp lifted their target price on shares of United Parcel Service from $200.00 to $215.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a report on Wednesday, February 1st. Melius assumed coverage on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Monday, March 27th. They set an overweight rating and a $225.00 target price for the company. Credit Suisse Group set a $203.00 target price on shares of United Parcel Service in a report on Thursday, March 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Parcel Service from $196.00 to $198.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on United Parcel Service from $221.00 to $205.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating, fourteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the companys stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $193.58.

United Parcel Service Profile

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United Parcel Service, Inc is a package delivery company, which engages in the provision of global supply chain management solutions. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Domestic Package, International Package, and Supply Chain Solutions. The U.S. Domestic Package segment includes time-definite delivery of letters, documents, and packages.

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Swiss National Bank lessened its holdings in shares of Chevron Co. (NYSE:CVX  Get Rating) by 6.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,557,690 shares of the oil and gas companys stock after selling 531,642 shares during the period. Chevron makes up about 1.0% of Swiss National Banks portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Swiss National Banks holdings in Chevron were worth $1,356,530,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in CVX. Worth Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Red Tortoise LLC acquired a new stake in Chevron during the 4th quarter worth about $37,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at about $37,000. JDM Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at about $42,000. Finally, Luken Investment Analytics LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Chevron during the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 69.37% of the companys stock.

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Insider Activity at Chevron

In related news, VP Rhonda J. Morris sold 19,666 shares of Chevron stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $170.00, for a total value of $3,343,220.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,967 shares in the company, valued at approximately $674,390. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.18% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Chevron Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of NYSE CVX opened at $159.36 on Friday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $163.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $171.62. The company has a market capitalization of $301.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 1.16. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.13, a current ratio of 1.47 and a quick ratio of 1.23. Chevron Co. has a 1 year low of $132.54 and a 1 year high of $189.68.

Chevron (NYSE:CVX  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, April 28th. The oil and gas company reported $3.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $3.41 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $50.79 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $49.49 billion. Chevron had a net margin of 14.74% and a return on equity of 23.24%. The businesss revenue was down 6.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $3.36 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Chevron Co. will post 14.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Chevron announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 25th that authorizes the company to repurchase $75.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the oil and gas company to buy up to 21.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the companys board believes its shares are undervalued.

Chevron Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 19th will be issued a $1.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 18th. This represents a $6.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.79%. Chevrons dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.61%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CVX has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their target price on Chevron from $193.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Monday. StockNews.com initiated coverage on Chevron in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a hold rating on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Chevron from $204.00 to $199.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 2nd. Scotiabank upgraded Chevron from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating and raised their target price for the company from $195.00 to $200.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 13th. Finally, UBS Group assumed coverage on shares of Chevron in a research note on Wednesday, April 19th. They issued a buy rating and a $212.00 price target on the stock. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the companys stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus price target of $193.33.

Chevron Company Profile

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Chevron Corp. engages in the provision of administrative, financial management, and technology support for energy and chemical operations. It operates through the Upstream and Downstream segments. The Upstream segment consists of the exploration, development, and production of crude oil and natural gas, the liquefaction, transportation, and regasification associated with liquefied natural gas, the transporting of crude oil by major international oil export pipelines, the processing, transporting, storage, and marketing of natural gas, and a gas-to-liquids plant.

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TELUS Co. (NYSE:TU  Get Rating) (TSE:T) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 4th, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 9th will be paid a dividend of 0.268 per share by the Wireless communications provider on Tuesday, July 4th. This represents a $1.07 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.14%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 8th. This is a boost from TELUSs previous quarterly dividend of $0.26.

TELUS has raised its dividend by an average of 7.2% annually over the last three years. TELUS has a dividend payout ratio of 109.6% indicating that the company cannot currently cover its dividend with earnings alone and is relying on its balance sheet to cover its dividend payments. Research analysts expect TELUS to earn $0.99 per share next year, which means the company may not be able to cover its $1.03 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 104.0%.

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TELUS Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of TELUS stock opened at $20.85 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.74, a quick ratio of 0.67 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.27. The companys fifty day simple moving average is $20.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $20.60. The company has a market cap of $29.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.17, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.74. TELUS has a 12-month low of $18.85 and a 12-month high of $25.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

TELUS ( NYSE:TU Get Rating ) (TSE:T) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 9th. The Wireless communications provider reported $0.17 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts consensus estimates of $0.21 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.68 billion. TELUS had a net margin of 8.82% and a return on equity of 9.49%. Research analysts anticipate that TELUS will post 0.86 EPS for the current year.

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Captrust Financial Advisors increased its holdings in TELUS by 18.1% during the second quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 4,669 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $104,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in TELUS by 59.3% during the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 5,666 shares of the Wireless communications providers stock valued at $148,000 after buying an additional 2,109 shares during the last quarter. Power Corp of Canada purchased a new stake in TELUS during the first quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Cetera Investment Advisers purchased a new stake in shares of TELUS in the first quarter worth $206,000. Finally, Eqis Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of TELUS during the 1st quarter valued at $263,000. Institutional investors own 51.42% of the companys stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

TU has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of TELUS in a research note on Thursday, March 16th. They set a sell rating for the company. CIBC raised TELUS from a neutral rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, January 12th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on TELUS from C$36.00 to C$33.00 in a report on Monday, February 13th. TD Securities lowered their target price on shares of TELUS from C$32.00 to C$31.00 in a research note on Friday, February 10th. Finally, Desjardins lowered their price objective on shares of TELUS from C$33.00 to C$32.00 in a research report on Friday, February 10th.

TELUS Company Profile

(Get Rating)

TELUS Corp. is a telecommunications company, which engages in the provision of telecommunication services and products primarily for wireless and wireline voice and data. It operates through the following segments: TELUS Technology Solutions (TTech) and Digitally-led Customer ExperiencesTELUS International (DLCX).

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Utz Brands, Inc. (NYSE:UTZ  Get Rating) Director Roger K. Deromedi sold 2,887 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.01, for a total transaction of $54,881.87. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 3,372,094 shares in the company, valued at approximately $64,103,506.94. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Utz Brands Stock Performance

UTZ stock traded up $0.03 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.11. 377,037 shares of the companys stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 447,406. The company has a current ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.63. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $17.30 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.91. Utz Brands, Inc. has a 1-year low of $12.06 and a 1-year high of $19.98.

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Utz Brands (NYSE:UTZ  Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 2nd. The company reported $0.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.03. Utz Brands had a negative net margin of 0.03% and a positive return on equity of 5.37%. The company had revenue of $354.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $336.71 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.11 earnings per share. The companys revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Utz Brands, Inc. will post 0.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Utz Brands Announces Dividend

Analysts Set New Price Targets

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 4th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 17th were issued a dividend of $0.057 per share. This represents a $0.23 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.26%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 14th. Utz Brandss dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -2,300.00%.

Several research firms have issued reports on UTZ. Credit Suisse Group reiterated a neutral rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Utz Brands in a research report on Thursday, March 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Utz Brands from $18.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Friday, March 3rd.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Utz Brands

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in UTZ. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in Utz Brands by 1.3% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,848,662 shares of the companys stock valued at $103,414,000 after buying an additional 87,687 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. grew its stake in Utz Brands by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 4,110,437 shares of the companys stock valued at $62,066,000 after acquiring an additional 60,859 shares in the last quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Utz Brands by 10.8% in the 1st quarter. Copeland Capital Management LLC now owns 2,367,998 shares of the companys stock valued at $39,001,000 after buying an additional 231,461 shares during the period. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Utz Brands by 5.8% during the first quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,806,503 shares of the companys stock worth $29,753,000 after buying an additional 98,622 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp raised its holdings in shares of Utz Brands by 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 1,257,269 shares of the companys stock valued at $19,052,000 after buying an additional 42,387 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 46.66% of the companys stock.

About Utz Brands

(Get Rating)

UTZ Brands, Inc manufactures, markets, and distributes branded snacking products. It offers a broad range of salty snacks, including potato chips, pretzels, cheese, veggie, other snacks and pork skins. The firms brands include Utz, Zapps, Golden Flake, Good Health, Boulder Canyon and Hawaiian. The company was founded in 1921 and is headquartered in Hanover, PA.

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Gulf International Bank UK Ltd raised its position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT  Get Rating) by 0.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255,787 shares of the retailers stock after purchasing an additional 325 shares during the quarter. Walmart comprises approximately 0.6% of Gulf International Bank UK Ltds investment portfolio, making the stock its 28th biggest holding. Gulf International Bank UK Ltds holdings in Walmart were worth $36,268,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in WMT. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 130,176,496 shares of the retailers stock valued at $16,883,890,000 after acquiring an additional 1,832,388 shares during the period. BlackRock Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the third quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 96,570,711 shares of the retailers stock valued at $12,525,224,000 after acquiring an additional 2,712,886 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.2% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 60,659,193 shares of the retailers stock valued at $7,867,497,000 after acquiring an additional 701,415 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.3% during the third quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 11,685,848 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,515,655,000 after acquiring an additional 33,452 shares during the period. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 2.9% during the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 10,904,858 shares of the retailers stock valued at $1,623,951,000 after acquiring an additional 303,726 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 31.27% of the companys stock.

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Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on WMT shares. KeyCorp raised their price objective on shares of Walmart from $170.00 to $175.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. set a $155.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Tuesday, February 21st. Cowen raised their target price on shares of Walmart from $175.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Wednesday, February 15th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Walmart from an accumulate rating to a buy rating and raised their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $165.00 in a report on Wednesday, April 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an outperform rating and set a $160.00 target price on shares of Walmart in a report on Thursday, April 6th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, twenty-five have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Walmart presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $165.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

Walmart Price Performance

In related news, Director S Robson Walton sold 706,197 shares of the businesss stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.07, for a total transaction of $100,329,407.79. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 266,135,223 shares of the companys stock, valued at $37,809,831,131.61. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link . In other Walmart news, Director S Robson Walton sold 706,197 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $142.07, for a total value of $100,329,407.79. Following the completion of the sale, the director now owns 266,135,223 shares of the companys stock, valued at $37,809,831,131.61. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website . Also, major shareholder Alice L. Walton sold 1,957,377 shares of the companys stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.72, for a total transaction of $275,442,091.44. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 255,973,516 shares of the companys stock, valued at approximately $36,020,593,171.52. The disclosure for this sale can be found here . Insiders sold a total of 21,044,002 shares of company stock valued at $2,981,168,308 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 47.06% of the companys stock.

Shares of NYSE WMT traded up $1.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $151.80. The company had a trading volume of 1,042,551 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,088,542. Walmart Inc. has a 52 week low of $117.27 and a 52 week high of $154.64. The stock has a market cap of $409.46 billion, a PE ratio of 35.16, a PEG ratio of 4.52 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47, a quick ratio of 0.21 and a current ratio of 0.82. The businesss 50 day moving average price is $145.39 and its 200-day moving average price is $144.62.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT  Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 21st. The retailer reported $1.71 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts consensus estimates of $1.51 by $0.20. Walmart had a net margin of 1.91% and a return on equity of 20.45%. The company had revenue of $164.05 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $158.67 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.53 earnings per share. The companys revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Walmart Inc. will post 6.06 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, January 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.57 per share. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. Walmarts dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 53.27%.

About Walmart

(Get Rating)

Walmart, Inc engages in retail and wholesale business. The company offers an assortment of merchandise and services at everyday low prices. It operates through the following business segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sams Club. The Walmart U.S. segment operates as a merchandiser of consumer products, operating under the Walmart, Wal-Mart, and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands, as well as walmart.com and other eCommerce brands.

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Water Intelligence plc (LON:WATR  Get Rating)s stock price crossed below its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of GBX 563.23 ($7.04) and traded as low as GBX 420 ($5.25). Water Intelligence shares last traded at GBX 430 ($5.37), with a volume of 17,689 shares.

Water Intelligence Price Performance

The stock has a market capitalization of 83.11 million, a P/E ratio of 2,671.88, a PEG ratio of -1.23 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 38.35, a current ratio of 2.21 and a quick ratio of 2.17. The stocks fifty day moving average is GBX 447.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is GBX 561.35.

Water Intelligence Company Profile

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Water Intelligence plc provides leak detection and remediation services for potable and non-potable water in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and internationally. The company operates through Franchise Royalty Income, Franchise-Related Activities, US Corporate Operated Locations, and International Corporate Operated Locations segments.

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Saudi Capital Market Authority CMA

Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities

CMA approves the Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities with the Aim of Investigating Foreign Investment and Raising Attractiveness and Competitiveness of Capital Market

Announcement (Link)



RIYADH, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Capital Market Authority ("CMA") approved the Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities (the Rules"), Amendments to the Investment Accounts Instructions, Amendments to the Implementing Regulation of the Companies Law for Listed Joint Stock Companies and Amendments to the Glossary of Defined Terms Used in the Regulations and Rules of the Capital Market Authority, which shall be effective as of the date of their publications.

The approval of the Rules, Instructions and Glossary aim to develop the provisions regulating foreign investment in securities, facilitate access to the regulatory frames regulating foreign investment in securities by collecting the regulating provisions in a single regulatory document, as well as facilitating qualified foreign investors' (QFIs') entry procedures to invest in the Saudi capital market.

The last Amendments comprised considering facilitating the QFIs' requirements, facilitating disclosure requirements and continuous obligations to ease Saudi capital market entry with the aim of minimizing the differences between QFIs and other investor categories in the Saudi market.

The Amendments also comprised developing the qualification conditions that must be met by the QFI to invest in the shares listed in the Main Market and removing the requirements on application for qualification and QFI's assessment agreement. The approved Rules only requiring the QFI to open an investment account in accordance with the Investment Accounts Instructions issued by CMA. This is to ensure the obligation of the capital market institution to make sure that the QFI is meeting all relevant qualification conditions.

Furthermore, the amendments included developing conditions on the investment of the non-resident foreign investors in listed securities through Swap Agreements, including removing the requirement on the duration of such swap agreements, as well as removing the requirement to notify the CMA prior to entering into a Swap Agreement.

Story continues

The Amendments also included adding a new channel for foreign investment in securities listed on the main market by enabling all foreign natural and legal persons to invest in securities listed on the main market through discretionary portfolios management by Capital Market Institutions.

As of its effective date, the Rules shall replace the Rules for Qualified Foreign Financial Institutions Investment in Listed Securities, Instructions for the Foreign Strategic Investors' Ownership in Listed Companies and the Guidance Note for the Investment of Non-Resident Foreigners in the Parallel Market.

The approval of these rules is expected to have a positive impact on boosting liquidity in the Saudi market, deepening and raising its attractiveness, and enhancing its global status. The rules will also contribute to the transformation of knowledge and experiences in local capital institutions and investors, thereby enhancing the role played by institutional investors in the Saudi capital market.

It is worth noting that the CMA issued the updated edition of the Rules in 2018, which resulted in a 179% increase in the number of QFIs from 2018 to 2022 . In addition, the foreign investors' ownership ratio of the free float total market value increased from 3.77% in 2018 to 14.21% by the end of 2022.

The approval of the Rules came after CMA has published the Draft Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities on the Unified Electronic Platform for Consulting the Public and Government Entities (Public Consultation Platform) affiliated with the National Competitiveness Center (NCC), and the CMA's website for public consultation for a period of (30) calendar days.

Within its Vision 2030, the Kingdom aims to be an attractive and instigating investment destination to continue expanding, as it has developed structural reforms in the financial and economic aspects that have contributed to raising economic growth rates and maintaining financial stability and sustainability, which in turn, helps in attracting foreign investments.

Through its strategic plan; the CMA seeks to position the Saudi capital market as main market in the Middle East and one of the leaders financial markets in the world, and to be an advanced market and attractive to domestic and foreign investment, enabling it to play a pivotal role in developing the economy and diversifying its sources of income in line of the Kingdom's Vision 2030.

The Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities, the Amended Investment Accounts Instructions, the Amended Implementing Regulation of the Companies Law for Listed Joint Stock Companies and the Amended Glossary of Defined Terms Used in the Regulations and Rules of the Capital Market Authority can be viewed via the following links:

The Rules for Foreign Investment in Securities

The Amended Investment Accounts Instructions

The Amended Implementing Regulation of the Companies Law for Listed Joint Stock Companies

The Amended Glossary of Defined Terms Used in the Regulations and Rules of the Capital Market Authority

Contact:

Capital Market Authority

Communication & Investor Protection Division

+966114906009

+966557666932

Media@cma.org.sa

www.cma.org.sa

About CMA:

The Capital Market Authority (CMA) in Saudi Arabia unofficially started in the early fifties, and continued to operate successfully, until the government set its basic regulations in the eighties. The current Capital Market Law is promulgated and pursuant to Royal Decree No. (M/30) dated 2/6/1424H, which formally brought it into existence. The CMA is a government organization applying full financial, legal, and administrative independence, and has direct links with the Prime Minister.

For more information about CMA, please visit the official website: www.cma.org.sa

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at:

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/fa8014a9-7c79-458e-87eb-2da58d688e6c




The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited (CVE:WI  Get Rating) rose 3.2% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as C$0.33 and last traded at C$0.33. Approximately 2,500 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 91% from the average daily volume of 28,907 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.32.

Western Investment Company of Canada Stock Down 4.5 %

The company has a current ratio of 0.08, a quick ratio of 0.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 41.76. The company has a market cap of C$9.54 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -16.50 and a beta of 1.08. The firms fifty day simple moving average is C$0.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is C$0.37.

Get Western Investment Company of Canada alerts:

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott Tannas sold 75,000 shares of the companys stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of C$0.38, for a total value of C$28,500.00. 11.26% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About Western Investment Company of Canada

The Western Investment Company of Canada Limited, is a private equity firm specializing in buyout and middle market investments. It seeks investments in retail and distribution, human services, agriculture and related services and special situations. The firm prefers to invest in USA and Canada with a focus in companies which are headquartered in Western Canada like Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

Further Reading

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Yorkton Equity Group Inc. (CVE:YEG  Get Rating)s stock price was down 15.8% on Thursday . The company traded as low as C$0.16 and last traded at C$0.16. Approximately 42,370 shares changed hands during trading, an increase of 602% from the average daily volume of 6,036 shares. The stock had previously closed at C$0.19.

Yorkton Equity Group Stock Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of C$18.03 million, a P/E ratio of -13.08 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 169.24. The businesss 50 day simple moving average is C$0.16 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is C$0.16.

Yorkton Equity Group Company Profile

(Get Rating)

Yorkton Equity Group Inc operates as a real estate development company in Canada. It owns a portfolio of multi-family residential rental investment properties and commercial units in British Columbia and Alberta. The company is based in Edmonton, Canada.

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Key Insights

Institutions' substantial holdings in Verizon Communications implies that they have significant influence over the company's share price

The top 25 shareholders own 39% of the company

Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business

Every investor in Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 64% to be precise, is institutions. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

And institutional investors saw their holdings value drop by 3.7% last week. The recent loss, which adds to a one-year loss of 17% for stockholders, may not sit well with this group of investors. Also referred to as "smart money", institutions have a lot of sway over how a stock's price moves. As a result, if the decline continues, institutional investors may be pressured to sell Verizon Communications which might hurt individual investors.

Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about Verizon Communications.

View our latest analysis for Verizon Communications

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Verizon Communications?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

Verizon Communications already has institutions on the share registry. Indeed, they own a respectable stake in the company. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. If multiple institutions change their view on a stock at the same time, you could see the share price drop fast. It's therefore worth looking at Verizon Communications' earnings history below. Of course, the future is what really matters.

Story continues

Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Verizon Communications is not owned by hedge funds. Our data shows that The Vanguard Group, Inc. is the largest shareholder with 8.4% of shares outstanding. For context, the second largest shareholder holds about 7.9% of the shares outstanding, followed by an ownership of 4.2% by the third-largest shareholder.

A deeper look at our ownership data shows that the top 25 shareholders collectively hold less than half of the register, suggesting a large group of small holders where no single shareholder has a majority.

Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too.

Insider Ownership Of Verizon Communications

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Verizon Communications Inc.. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own US$41m of stock. Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 36% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. This size of ownership, while considerable, may not be enough to change company policy if the decision is not in sync with other large shareholders.

Next Steps:

I find it very interesting to look at who exactly owns a company. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider risks, for instance. Every company has them, and we've spotted 1 warning sign for Verizon Communications you should know about.

But ultimately it is the future, not the past, that will determine how well the owners of this business will do. Therefore we think it advisable to take a look at this free report showing whether analysts are predicting a brighter future.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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An actor performs art of face-changing during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

BRUSSELS, May 4 (Xinhua)  A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels.

Prestigious guests attending the ceremony were invited to delve into Chinese culture through tea ceremonies, elegant dances, exhibitions and music.

Open until June 9, the event known as Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" will acquaint guests with different tea varieties from 15 Chinese provinces, including green, black, white, dark and yellow tea. The tea ceremonies are accompanied by an exhibition on the history of Chinese tea and the role it plays in people's lives today.

Yaji, which means "gathering all that is elegant" in Chinese, was a common way for ancient Chinese scholars to collectively enjoy their cultural heritage. The event aims to celebrate the inclusion of "traditional Chinese tea processing techniques and associated social practice in China" on the Representative List of the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in November 2022.

It will also mark the "International Tea Day," which is due on May 21.

But above all, it is "a reflection of Chinese culture which attaches great importance to peace, elegance and harmony between man and nature," Cao Zhongming, Chinese ambassador to Belgium, told the event at the ceremony.

Chinese tea has been traded all over the world for 2000 years, first via the ancient Silk Road stretching from Chang'an (the ancient capital of China) to Rome, Italy. The cargoes travelled a long way through the countries of Central Asia.

"The ancient Silk Road promoted communication and trade, but also cultural exchange between China and other countries. Chinese tea was one of the most important products traded along the Silk Road," Cao said.

"Cultural and economic cooperation between states is the basis for peace, for Europe and for the whole world. I think this exhibition showcases for the people of Europe and around the world how to live together," Miroslav Radacovsky, a member of the European Parliament, told Xinhua at the opening event.

Delegates cut the ribbon during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People watch Chinese calligraphy demonstration during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People watch an exhibition related to tea culture during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

A visitor prepares to taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People watch tea art performance during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People taste tea during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

People watch a performance during an opening ceremony of Yaji Cultural Salon "Tea for Harmony" at China Cultural Center in Brussels, Belgium, on May 4, 2023. A cultural salon focusing on traditional Chinese tea making techniques and social practices will open to the public on Friday after an opening ceremony held Thursday at the China Cultural Center in Brussels. [Xinhua/Zheng Huansong]

(Source: Xinhua)
A trendsetting family of farmers lives in Huaxin, a village in Xinzhuang Town, in Changshu, a city in East China's Jiangsu Province. Su Jianping, the head of the family, grasps well traditional agricultural techniques. His wife, Wu Baoying, takes charge of both the field work and the administration of the casual workers on the family's farm. The couple's daughter, Su Jie, and her husband, Su Qi, are both college graduates. Both were born after 1985. Su Jie and Su Qi returned to Su Jie's hometown in 2014, and they became "professional" farmers. Now, the Sus operate a green farm, on which they mainly grow wheat and paddy rice.

When she discusses her understanding of agricultural work and rural revitalization, Su Jie says, "My father has devoted his life to agriculture, and to work on the farmland. Influenced by my parents, since I was a child, I am familiar with agricultural production. Farm work can be exhausting. Farmers have to take the risk of relying on good weather to get a rich harvest. Many people may have imagined that life on a farm should be tranquil and peaceful. But the fact is not so. The majority of farmers, who still work on a farm, are people of former generations. I think every profession is in need of a fresh work force. As a member of the Communist Party of China (CPC), I believe it is my duty to take part in agricultural production, and to make my contribution to help advance rural revitalization."

Good-Quality Products

Su Jie's parents, who work diligently and with fortitude, have had a positive influence on her. Su Jie recalls, when she was a girl, how her father would often leave home early, and return from the farm very late. During the busy season, her mother would also go to the field, to help her husband complete the farm work. Given her parents' diligence, Su Jie says her family has been able to live a better life.

Following the good example set by her father and mother, Su Jie, and her husband, also work hard. During the hottest days in the summer, Su Jie and Su Qi wake up at 4 a.m., to start the day's work. Around 8 a.m., generally, the temperature rises to 38 C (or 100.4 F). Su Jie's face turns red, due to the rising temperature. She sweats much, and she holds a bottle of iced water in her arms to cool her body temperature. The young couple's efforts pay off when they have a good harvest. But, sometimes, they encounter difficulties.

"It rained a lot during one harvest season," Su Jie recalls. "My family harvested 15,000 kilograms of wheat, but we failed to find a dry room to dry the wheat timely. The wheat eventually became mildewed. I asked other families to apply, together, to establish a dry room in our village. We were supported by our village committee, and we built a dry room to better cope with the risks caused by bad weather."

In addition to learning good crop-planting practices from their parents' generation, Su Jie and Su Qi have attended training sessions to improve their agricultural-production knowledge and skills. They registered a brand, Qing Yu, in 2016. Since then, they have produced safe and good-quality agricultural products  wrapped in packaging with their specially made logo  under their farm's brand. They have used organic pesticides and fertilizers, in strict accordance with green-food-production standards. In 2021, they received "green food" certificates for two types of rice produced on their farm.

Growing good-quality agricultural products is not the couple's final goal; in fact, they are always thinking of new and creative ways to market their products. "We have realized that many ordinary families like to purchase agricultural products from our hometown. We not only sell our farm's products, we also help fellow villagers sell their products, such as pears, strawberries, mulberries, chickens, ducks, fish and crabs. They help us as well," Su Qi says.

Su Jie and Su Qi have established WeChat groups to help the farmers communicate with their customers. They collect various products  including fruits, crops and poultry  and receive orders from the customers. The quality of their products earns the growers a good reputation, and the trust of their customers. Some enterprises have ordered products grown by farmers in the couple's hometown.

From a Grain of Rice

Su Jie and her family believe it is important to shoulder their social responsibilities. Since 2021, the family's farm has operated a special "class" for primary and middle school students, and also for younger people. Participants visit the family's farm, and they can work in the field and study basic agricultural knowledge. Su Jie and Su Qi help guide the students as they review the development of agricultural production, which, over the years, has evolved from manual labor to mechanized production. The couple has called on young people to work in the countryside, and to make contributions to rural revitalization.

Su Jie says she and her husband have learned from her parents the virtues of working diligently, living a thrifty life, bearing hardships, and working hard. She says those virtues are deeply embedded in her heart. She hopes to pass those virtues to her offspring. "We want to set a good example for our children, who will inherit our family's virtues of being honest, kindhearted, and working diligently to create wealth.' Meanwhile, we hope to help others and bring them warmth," Su Jie adds.

The family's farm has been designated a "model family's farm," at both the city and provincial level. The farm has also been designated a women's model base of modern agricultural production in Changshu. Su Jie has been named a Jiangsu Provincial March 8th Red-Banner Holder. In May 2022, her family was named a National Most Beautiful Family.

Photos Supplied by Interviewees

(Source: The Department of Family and Children's Affairs of the All-China Women's Federation/Women of China English Monthly April 2023 issue)
A pedestrian walks past the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, April 14, 2020. [Xinhua/Nie Xiaoyang]

A cultural exchange event was held at the Palais des Nations to offer a taste of Chinese traditional culture, promoting exchanges and understanding between countries.

GENEVA, May 3 (Xinhua)  Looking at the beautiful exhibition from China "allows us to better appreciate and better understand each other," Madhu Seth, president of the Asian Ambassador's Wives Association Geneva, has said.

Seth made the remarks while participating in a cultural exchange event which was held here Tuesday at the Palais des Nations.

The event, "Appreciating Masterpieces of Calligraphy and Painting and Sharing the Beautiful Future," included exhibitions of Chinese traditional paintings and calligraphy works, and also offered guests the chance to watch a traditional tea ceremony and taste Chinese gourmet snacks.

Li Wenci, wife of Ambassador Chen Xu, Permanent Representative of China to the UN Office at Geneva and one of the two organizers of the event, said Chinese culture advocates harmony and beauty, adding that she hoped mutual learning and exchanges will be promoted between different countries.

Participants visit an exhibition of paintings of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) in Geneva, Switzerland, on April 20, 2023. [Xinhua/Lian Yi]

Li Bing, wife of China's Ambassador to the World Trade Organization (WTO) Li Chenggang and the other organizer of the event, displayed her calligraphy works to guests, which illustrate her vision of a "peaceful and prosperous life."

Claire Bostock Tang, wife of World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Director General Daren Tang, wrote a Chinese character on rice paper, explaining that "The character means 'togetherness', 'harmony' and 'interconnectedness'." She said she likes this Chinese character very much.

Mette Hartmeyer, wife of Permanent Ambassador of Pakistan to WTO, told Xinhua that she really appreciated these initiatives "where we get exposed to each other's cultural heritage and history."

"It is a great initiative ... to bring these beautiful cultural things" to the people in Geneva and the international community, Sushma Pandey, wife of the Permanent Ambassador of India to the UN Office at Geneva, told Xinhua.

A tea master performs tea ceremony to tourists in Zigui County, central China's Hubei Province, March 12, 2019. [Xinhua/Zheng Jiayu]

Around 60 people, mainly wives of ambassadors from more than 40 countries to the UN Office in Geneva, as well as women leaders of several international organizations, attended the event.

(Source: Xinhua)
Liu Xianglan, a national-level practitioner of the spinning, dyeing and embroidery traditions of the Li people, displays Li brocade weaving techniques during Milan Design Week in Milan, Italy, on April 17, 2023. [Xinhua]

HAIKOU, May 2 (Xinhua)  What wonder can be created when millennia-old Li brocade traditions from China's Hainan island meet the global fashion hub of Milan, Italy?

Donning a traditional Li ethnic group costume, 54-year-old Liu Xianglan sits on the ground and weaves colorful yarn into delicate brocade, using a waist loom she brought to Milan from her home in the city of Wuzhishan.

Liu is a national-level practitioner of the spinning, dyeing and embroidery traditions of the Li people. This ancient craft was put on display during Milan Design Week, which ran from April 18 to 23.

"It was quite a spectacle. Many curious foreigners came to take a look at my weaving of the Li brocade," Liu said, still excited.

With a history of over 3,000 years, Li brocade weaving techniques have been passed down through women alone.

Liu has been learning the craft from her mother since she was little. Today, she trains local villagers in the techniques of Li brocade and teaches in local schools, hoping to "help the traditional skills survive time."

More young talent is now joining Liu's cause and helping to promote the ancient brocade on the international stage.

During Milan Design Week, nearly 100 Li brocade works were created through a design platform led by the Academy of Fine Arts at Hainan Normal University.

Zhang Yin, dean of the academy, said that designers are innovating to make Li brocade more fashionable and attractive to young people.

The traditional brocade is embracing modern techniques, new materials and clothing styles favored by young people, he said. It is also being made into home decorations and other creative products.

The exhibition of the Li culture at Milan Design Week showcased Li brocade costumes and weaving skills, and also featured performances of Li folk songs and musical instruments.

The show was the largest of its kind where the Li culture stepped onto the international stage, said Rao Qiongjuan, director of the office for intangible cultural heritage protection under Hainan's department of tourism, culture, radio, television and sports.

Rao said she believes the occasion was of special significance to Hainan's ethnic cultures. "It was a kind of exchange and mutual learning between cultures," she said.

In Milan, the Hainan delegation also met with various Italian brands. Rao said she expects commercial cooperation with local brands to help integrate Li brocade patterns into fashion design.

"The exhibition brought home the bright prospects of innovation in Li brocade," Zhang said. "The internationalization of the brocade has just begun."

A model presents a Li brocade creation during Milan Design Week in Milan, Italy, on April 17, 2023. [Xinhua]

A model presents a Li brocade creation during Milan Design Week in Milan, Italy, on April 17, 2023. [Xinhua]

(Source: Xinhua)
Atlanta mass shooting led to a military vet in jail, an apology from his mother and trauma among hospital patients and staff
PADUCAH  Officers say a fourth person has been arrested in connection to the April 30 shooting at the W.C. Young Community Center that left four young people injured.

According to a Friday release from the Paducah Police Department, 21-year-old Dylan Hammond of Hickman, Kentucky is charged with four counts of first-degree assault and 12 counts of first-degree wanton endangerment in connection to the incident.

Officers say detectives learned, through evidence and witness statements, that Hammond was responsible for firing a handgun multiple times during the incident.

Hammond was arrested around noon on May 4, with assistance from the Fulton County Sheriff's Department, the release explains.

Officers say detectives are continuing to investigate the shooting.

Three other suspects have been arrested in connection to the shooting: 20-year-old Omariyon Harper of Union City, Tennessee; a 17-year-old juvenile, and a 16-year-old juvenile. All three turned themselves in.
Sheriff: 14 people arrested in organized crime and drug trafficking case, including two on manslaughter charges; 2 suspects at large
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On Saturday, Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) investors will gather in Omaha to hear from CEO Warren Buffett and Berkshire's vice chair, Charlie Munger.

The duo's views on the latest turmoil rocking regional banks will no doubt be at the top of the agenda.

In April, Buffett was asked in an interview with CNBC about what he thought the crisis, to that point, might amount to.

Buffett said this turmoil was largely about the "dumb things" banks did becoming uncovered. In the case of the balance sheets mismatches that befell Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank earlier this year, that meant sitting on tens of billion of dollars in unrealized losses. Some of which were forced to become realized.

"Accounting procedures have driven some bankers to do some things that may have helped their current earnings a little bit," Buffett said. "And it's ended in a result you could predict."

Last weekend, First Republic (FRC) was added to the list of 2023's bank failures.

"You can predict when it would happen, and then once [investors] start looking at one that does it then they start looking at others," Buffett added. "And pretty soon, you know, that everybody is in a position of looking at a number that nobody looked at when it was, when it was presented to them a year ago."

As this crisis has rolled along, many investors have waited to see if  or when  Buffett might be forced to reprise his role from the 2008 crisis. A role that saw Berkshire make a $5 billion investment in Goldman Sachs (GS) and Buffett write an op-ed in The New York Times which sought to assure the public a collapsing US economy still remained a friendly place for investors.

Story continues

The obvious retort, of course, is that this current moment of stress is not a redux of 2008.

As JPMorgan (JPM) CEO Jamie Dimon said on a call with investors earlier this week following his bank's deal to acquire First Republic: "This part of the crisis is over." Speaking at the Milken Conference in Los Angeles earlier this week, Citi (C) CEO Jane Fraser said First Republic's fate "was the last remaining main uncertainty" among banks that faced similar stresses.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jay Powell said JPMorgan's deal for First Republic "is an important step toward drawing a line under that period of severe stress."

Action in regional bank stocks since these comments suggests perhaps a coda remains in this crisis.

And in a climate where reports of potential sales send bank stocks down more than 40% and CEOs feel compelled to come out and call these reports "categorically false," few in the US business community are better positioned to bring something like calm to these choppy waters than Buffett.

Buffett's role in the Salomon Brothers scandal of the early '90s, his investments during the 2008 financial crisis, and his assurances during the COVID pandemic that "nothing can stop America" are just a few examples of Buffett serving as a port in the various financial storms that have shaken the US economy over the last several decades.

How Buffett responds to, and passes judgement on, this current moment of upheaval could go a long way towards turning down the anxiety in some pockets of the market.

Or perhaps Buffett will fuel the flames of fear roiling small banks, noting these remain relatively small problems for relatively small lenders. Lenders looking to someone, anyone  be they an investor, a regulator, or otherwise  to offer something like an answer to the question: Are we alone?

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For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers So we wouldn't blame long term PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad (KLSE:PETDAG) shareholders for doubting their decision to hold, with the stock down 15% over a half decade.

It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.

Check out our latest analysis for PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time.

During the five years over which the share price declined, PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad's earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 6.4% each year. This fall in the EPS is worse than the 3% compound annual share price fall. So the market may previously have expected a drop, or else it expects the situation will improve.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

It's probably worth noting that the CEO is paid less than the median at similar sized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

What About Dividends?

When looking at investment returns, it is important to consider the difference between total shareholder return (TSR) and share price return. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. We note that for PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad the TSR over the last 5 years was -1.1%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. And there's no prize for guessing that the dividend payments largely explain the divergence!

Story continues

A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 7.3% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. Notably the five-year annualised TSR loss of 0.2% per year compares very unfavourably with the recent share price performance. The long term loss makes us cautious, but the short term TSR gain certainly hints at a brighter future. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad that you should be aware of before investing here.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Malaysian exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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This is the report delivered by Christoph Vandreier, the National Secretary of the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Germany), to the 2023 International May Day Online Rally held on April 30. To see all rally speeches, visit wsws.org/mayday.

I am very pleased to be able to speak at todays May Day and to extend revolutionary greetings from the Sozialistische Gleichheitspartei (Socialist Equality Party) in Germany.

This May Day holds significant political importance. While NATO further escalates its proxy war against Russia, the United States and its allies are preparing a war against China. While the imperialist powers are sharpening their knives against each other, we are embodying the perspective of unity of the international working class against this madness: The perspective of international socialism.

This is especially significant here in Germany. In this country, the most heinous crimes in the history of mankind were committed. Now, tanks are once again rolling from here towards Russia. In March, the government decided, behind the backs of the population, to quintuple German military aid to Ukraine. Previously, it had already promised the delivery of more than 100 main battle tanks.

These weapons will further increase the suffering of the people in Ukraine and plunge the country deeper into an inferno. All talk of peace and freedom being defended in Ukraine is sheer hypocrisy. As in the brutal wars against Iraq, Syria, Libya and Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine is about geopolitical and imperialist interests. Once again Germany wants to annex Russian and Ukrainian mineral resources and subjugate both countries.

The ruling class is prepared to once again reduce the continent to rubble and ash. They do not even shy away from nuclear annihilation. With the tripling of the defense budget and the stated goal of building the most powerful army on the continent, it hearkens back to Hitlers megalomania.

The costs are to be borne by the working class. The government has already implemented a two-thirds slashing of health care spending and other massive budget cuts. Now, Finance Minister Christian Lindner demands further cuts of 20 billion in the social budget. The horrendous price increases for energy and food are also decimating workers incomes. Hundreds of thousands are being thrown onto the streets.

This policy is supported by all parties in the German Bundestag.

The SPD has become the leading party of German militarism and advances rearmament with technocratic cold-bloodedness.

The Greens, who started out as pacifists, have turned into the worst warmongers. Foreign Minister Baerbock openly declared that Germany is at war with Russia and is now promoting war against China.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock speaks during an informal meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Foreign Ministers' session in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, May 15, 2022. [AP Photo/Michael Sohn]

The Left Party is also part of this war conspiracy. Their leading candidate at the Berlin election, Klaus Lederer, explicitly supports the delivery of weapons to Ukraine. He accuses opponents of open complicity with Putin.

This is the old charge by militarists against antiwar protesters. Even Karl Liebknecht was accused during World War I of collaborating with the Russian tsar, who had to be fought in the name of European progress.

Just as Liebknecht did then, we counter today: The main enemy is at home! German imperialism, the German war parties, German secret diplomacy. The war can only be stopped when workers around the world fight together against the warmongers in their own country.

Such an international movement is developing quite objectively. That is shown very impressively by this May Day rally. Anger is also growing in Germany. In the public sector, at the railroads and at the post offices, millions of workers want to strike against wage cuts. A movement is growing in the European and international working class, that, just as in France, is in conflict with the government, the state and the entire capitalist system.

Capitalism offers workers nothing but war, disease and impoverishment. That is why the ruling classes everywhere react with extreme aggression to any sign of resistance. No one should underestimate just what they are capable of, especially here in Germany!

Ninety years ago, the ruling class brought Hitler to power to smash the workers organizations and thereby prepare for a new world war. The war of extermination and the Holocaust were not simply the result of Hitlers personal megalomania. Hitler embodied the German elites quest for world power.

On 21 March 1933, Potsdam Day, President Paul von Hindenburg (right) accepts the appointment of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler as German chancellor. [Photo by Theo Eisenhart/Bundesarchiv, Bild 183-S38324 / CC BY-NC-SA 3.0

The Nazis received only 33 percent of the vote in the last free election. But influential circles in the army, among German capitalists and the media made Hitler Chancellor of the Reich. Eight weeks later, all bourgeois parties voted for the Enabling Act and provided Hitler with dictatorial powers.

The working class, on the other hand, rejected the Nazis almost unanimously. Even when the reign of terror had already begun to unfold and the first concentration camps were established, the Nazis obtained only 12 percent in the works council elections in April 1933, prompting them to cancel the elections.

But the workers were prevented by their own leaders from taking up the fight against Hitler. The Stalinized KPD refused the united front against the fascists and stunned the workers with the passive slogan: After Hitler, us.

Even after Hitler came to power, the SPD called on its members to remain on the ground of legality. The Social Democratic Federation of Trade Unions assured Hitler that they would integrate into the Nazi state. The unions were in the course of their history for natural reasons more and more fused with the state itself, according to a March 1933 statement by the General Confederation of German Trade Unions.

On May 1, 1933, exactly 90 years ago, the union leaders called on the workers to march together with the Nazis under the swastika flag. The following day the union halls were occupied and their leaders locked up in concentration camps. Social Democracy and the trade unions sought to close ranks with the bourgeois state to the point of complete self-sacrifice.

Only the Trotskyist movement fought for the perspective of the united front of the working class, which would have made it possible to stop the Nazis and prevent the catastrophe of World War II and the Holocaust.

Now the same questions are coming to a head again under changed conditions. Today, the SPD is a purely bourgeois party, which is at the forefront of implementing policies of war and austerity. The trade unions are also no longer workers organizations, but police forces to prevent strikes, more comparable to the Nazis German Labor Front.

The bourgeoisie does not have a mass fascist movement today, but it displays the same ruthlessness as in the 1930s.

The central task remains the independent mobilization of the working class on the basis of a socialist program. This perspective is embodied in the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI). Workers must break out of the straitjacket of unions and unite worldwide in the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees (IWA-RFC). Workers must resist the madness of war and capitalism through the unity of the international working class and build the ICFI as the World Party of Socialist Revolution.
The Guardian has long cultivated its position as the voice of the British liberal bourgeoisie and middle class. Its recent handwringing over its own past has laid bare the realities of its progressive reputationnot just historically, but very much in the present.

Its Cotton Capital series began last month with great fanfare, followed by a slew of high-profile articles. The Guardian has been investigating the trade and commercial links of its founder, John Edward Taylor (1791-1844) and his 11 financial backers.

John Edward Taylor [Photo: University of Manchester]

The paper now boasts of unearthing evidence of their links to the transatlantic slave trade and slave labour in the cotton industry.

The surprise is entirely manufactured: these links will have been well-known to all but the most ignorant of the papers editorial staff. Taylor and his backers represented a layer of cotton merchants in its trade centre, Manchester. They founded the Manchester Guardian in 1821 (it shortened the name in 1959) to advance their class interests that were intimately connected to British capitalisms dependence on slave labour, at first directly for the primitive accumulation of capital, in the Triangular Trade, and then indirectly, in accruing raw materials produced by slaves.

When slavery became uneconomic and limiting for Britains imperialist bourgeoisie, because it cost more to keep a slave than to employ a proletarian wage slave, they had no qualms about enjoying the benefits of the continued reliance of other capitalists on it.

In the cotton industry, particularly, British capitalism remained dependent on materials produced by slave labour, predominantly in America. Cotton was the industry that prompted Marxs observation, Capital comes dripping from head to foot, from every pore, with blood and dirt.

Marx explained the relationship between slavery and capitalist exploitation: Whilst the cotton industry introduced child-slavery in England, it gave in the United States a stimulus to the transformation of the earlier, more or less patriarchal slavery, into a system of commercial exploitation. In fact, the veiled slavery of the wage workers in Europe needed, for its pedestal, slavery pure and simple in the new world.

The abolitionist ex-slave Frederick Douglassa frequent speaker in Manchesterspoke plainly: The price of human flesh on the Mississippi was regulated by the price of cotton in Manchester.

Why then the professions of shock at the discovery of supposedly unknown connections? The Guardians research was commissioned in 2020, in the aftermath of the US police murder of George Floyd. This triggered multi-racial global protests in response to systemic inequality and class repression.

Legacies of slavery, like the statue of slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol, became a focus of the protest. But they also provided a section of the middle class with an opportunity to derail and divert this nascent working-class protest into the dead-end of identity politics, portraying police repression solely in terms of race and advocating various reformist palliatives such as changes to the school curriculum and measures to encourage black community oversight of the police, employment quotas and the like.

The Guardian editorial board and management were entirely supportive of such efforts to conceal and divert from the class issues raised by the George Floyd protests, having led the way in promoting identity politics against class politics. However, they knew that their efforts could easily backfire, given the newspapers history.

Pre-emptive measures had to be taken, to prevent any potentially embarrassing backlash. One month after Colstons statue was toppled into Bristol Harbour, cheered on by a crowd of 10,000, the Guardians owners, the Scott Trust, launched an investigation into the papers founders and their wider personal, familial and commercial networks in the context of the slave economy, the wider cotton trade in Manchester generally in the 19th century, and the global networks that facilitated its growth.

The Cotton Capital series

The commentary resulting from such motivations of damage control is at best obtuse and at worst misleading and self-serving.

The front page of the Guardian's Cotton Capital series [Photo: Guardian]

Natalie Morris, for example, writes of school trips to the International Slavery Museum in Liverpoolthe key port for both the slave trade on which, Marx wrote, it waxed fatand the products of slave labour. Like the slave trade in the past century, Marx noted, so in this century trade in cotton, produced by slaves, has formed the material basis of Liverpools greatness.

Morris writes that she was taught about Liverpools slavery past, not Manchestersthat has to change. The cities are in fact barely an hour apart by road, yet recognition of the economic effects of slavery for Morris seems to vanish somewhere along the M62.

The political impulse at work is to rescue the Guardians progressive reputation while acknowledging the stain of slavery. The method is to present this history as a tale of liberalism that wandered off course; in Editor-in-Chief Katharine Viners words, which allowed itself to get too close to the Manchester cotton merchants and fall into complacency. The implicit argument of the Cotton Capital articles is that it was previously so hard to conceive of liberalisms relationship with slavery because of its otherwise unambiguously progressive heritage.

The historian David Olusoga joined the Scott Trust board in 2018. When signing up to the board, he writes in the form of a mea culpa, I completely failed to recognise the crucial and obvious connections between the founders of the Guardian and the history of slavery. Because when approached about joining the Scott Trust my mind turnedsubconsciously and exclusivelyto one form of British history: the history of class, 19th-century liberalism and reform, out of which the newspaper emerged. An arena of domestic British history thatfrom when it was first taught to me at schoolwas presented as having no connections to histories that took place beyond Britains shores.

Subconsciously? Two years earlier, Olusoga had written succinctly of Manchesters role as The shop window for the cotton industry, supplied with slave-produced materials via Liverpool. That he later chose to overlook the possibility of a Manchester cotton merchant directly benefiting from this points to self-interest overcoming historical scruples. He now somewhat belatedly argues that the histories of colonial slavery and capitalism have been separated and that this conceals the history of slavery and the slave trade behind a distorted and exaggerated memorialisation of abolition and a select number of the leading male [sic] abolitionists.

Olusogas article for the series, The Ties That Bind US, shows how the falsification of liberalisms history requires an effacement of the socialist tradition in the working class, which showed liberalism and the Guardian up for what they were (and are): institutions and ideologies of the capitalist class which enjoyed the proceeds of slavery in America as part and parcel of its exploitation of the working class at home.

This is most obvious with columnist Gary Younge, who writes of How Britain Buried Its History of Slavery. He notes that during the American Civil War (April 12, 1861-May 9, 1865), Manchesters cotton workers had starved on the streets rather than handling slave-produced Southern cotton. Abraham Lincoln applauded this act of heroism, which has not been surpassed in any age or in any country.

Younge claims that the workers support for the blockade showcased Manchesters much-lauded liberal tradition, while supposedly laying bare an essential feature of the citys history that is rarely acknowledged: its economic dependence on the proceeds of slavery.

The supposed paradox invoked by Younge is untangled by decoupling the struggles of the working class and Manchesters much-lauded liberal tradition. Manchesters ties with slavery and the popular opposition which developed during the American Civil War were the product of two opposed class interests and political traditions.

The Guardian is very coy about the influential members of Manchester society, involved in key networks of the economy which founded the paper. Why so shy? They were local capitalists. Some were prominent, like George William Wood, MP, twice president of Manchesters Chamber of Commerce. All were intimately involved in the cotton trade, and thus implicated to a greater or lesser extent in slavery. Cotton Capital reports that nine of the 11 backers were linked to transatlantic slavery, but only because they were not able to establish details of the other two in the available time.

The most heavily involved was Sir George Philips, partner in a firm which owned a slave estate in Jamaica. Philips became a partner in 1805, before the 1807 Slave Trade Act prohibited the trade in the British Empire, but not slavery itself. After the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act (which worked towards a gradualist prohibition more generally across the Empireterritories owned by the East India Company were excluded from its provision, for example), Philips claimed compensation for 108 freed slaves on the Jamaican estate. He was unsuccessful, although one of his partners was compensated for them.

Taylor himself was a partner in a manufacturing company which almost certainly sourced its materials from slave-owning locations. He was also a partner in a cotton merchant company, which imported raw cotton produced by enslaved Africans in the West Indies, Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and the southern states of the US. The company may also have been exporting finished goods back to slave-owning regions.

These cotton merchants and mill owners were the social base for the Guardians support for the South in the American Civil War and its call for workers blockading Southern cotton to be forced back into the mills.

The Guardian and the Peterloo Massacre

Cotton Capital emphasises its shock at the Guardians connections with slavery by largely ignoring the hostile attitude of these supremely wealthy individuals and their paper to the working class. This rests on emphasising the professed progressive stance taken by the paper in the aftermath of the Peterloo Massacre.

The Peterloo Massacre by Richard Carlile, 1819 [Photo: Manchester Libraries]

The August 16, 1819 Manchester rally calling for universal male suffrage and the massacre which ensued were a pivotal moment in British working class history. The working class, as it emerged and formed itself as a class, had looked to sections of radical and liberal bourgeoisie for leadership and political expression, but was now beginning to respond for itself.

The rally was held to hear landowner Henry Hunt call for reform of parliamentary representation, but disenfranchised workers were also mobilising against the social catastrophe and brutal exploitation necessitated by the economic slump that followed the Napoleonic Wars.

In the immediate aftermath of Peterloo, the Jamaican-born London radical orator Robert Wedderburn announced at his weekly Unitarian service that the Revolution had already started in blood there and it must now also end in blood here. His audience agreed with the proposition that Peterloo was nothing less than murder, just as a week earlier, Wedderburn had won majority support on the question, Has a slave an inherent right to slay his Master, who refuses him his liberty?

Taylor witnessed the massacre first-hand, but he was no enthusiastic supporter of the rally. He wrote that the speakers appealed not to the reason but to the passions and the suffering of their abused and credulous fellow-countrymen, from whose ill-requited industry they extort for themselves the means of a plentiful and comfortable existence.

Taylor had apprenticed to a cotton manufacturer and became a successful merchant. This was the basis of his personal wealth, which was thus dependent on slave-produced raw cotton and his antipathy to the radical demands made at St. Peters Field.

He played an important role in circulating news of the massacre. Seeing the Timess correspondent arrested, he rushed a report to the London paper to ensure publication and subsequently conducted extensive research among the survivors. The experiences pushed him towards advocating parliamentary reform, but in the interests of the mercantile bourgeoisie. He felt no impulse to extend the franchise to workers, arguing that the qualification to vote ought to be not so low as to give anything like a preponderating influence to the mere populace.

Some sections of the radical bourgeoisie were forced into conflict with their own class on questions like suffrage and slavery, whether from moral conviction, like the abolitionist William Wilberforce, or from growing acknowledgement of the social and economic realities, like Hunt. That was not the case with Taylor and his cohort. Their own liberalism was characterised by determined resistance to radicalism.

The governments response to Peterloo and the fury that followed was the infamous Six Acts, aimed at suppressing protest and dissent, including shutting down the radical press. In 1821, the liberal, politically radical Manchester Observer, which had supported the demands of the Peterloo protestersand whose editor James Wroe coined the term Peterloowas forced to close due to government persecution. Taylor and a group of like-minded local businessmen took advantage of the gap to produce a paper expressing their interests. Far from representing the radical press, the Guardian was a beneficiary of its suppression. Taylor editorialised that the Manchester Guardian would warmly advocate the cause of Reform [and] endeavour to assist in the diffusion of just principles of Political Economy.

To be continued
Last week, American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten testified before the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, whose Republican leadership has made school closures a focus of right-wing attacks on even the most minimal public health measures to fight the deadly virus. They absurdly accuse Weingarten, a member of the Democratic National Committee, of enforcing school closures.

Weingarten used the hearing to tout her role in overriding opposition from educators and parents to unsafe conditions and reopening schools at the height of the pandemic. That she backs the Biden administrations profits-before lives COVID policy and its false claim that the pandemic is over was shown by her maskless appearance at a hearing where none of the panel members or members of the audience wore a mask.

Michigan Democrat Debbie Dingell made a virtue of this criminal negligence, declaring, Weve entered a new phase of the pandemic. Look around. Were not wearing masks.

On May 11, Biden will officially end the COVID national emergency, setting the stage for ending free or subsidized vaccination and testing, and further gutting efforts to track the disease and its impact on public health.

Weingartens statements at the hearing underscored her record as an agent of the ruling class and its drive to force open schools in the interests of American capitalism.

Despite tactical differences between the Republicans and the Democrats, all participants in the hearing have collaborated in the systematic effort to cover up the ongoing pandemic, undermine basic public health measures, and subordinate the lives and health of millions of children and educators to private profit. The subcommittee is unified across party lines in promoting the Wuhan lab leak conspiracy theory to justify Washingtons war drive against China.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, talks during a news conference in front of the Richard R. Green High School of Teaching, Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

While the most reactionary layers within the Republican Party, such as Marjorie Taylor-Greene, no doubt see Weingarten, who is Jewish and gay, as grist for their fascistic propaganda mill, the fact is that Weingarten agrees with them that schools must be kept open no matter the cost to human life.

In the course of the nearly three-hour hearing, Weingarten defended her record of intervening across the country to ensure that schools shut by strikes were reopened and the opposition of rank-and-file AFT members to exposing themselves, their students and their families to needless infection was overcome.

Throughout the hearing, both parties blamed remote learning for the mental health crisis among youth and for declining standardized test scores, and agreed that schools must stay open in the event of future pandemics.

As Weingarten and the Democrats were eager to boast, the school reopening campaign initiated by Donald Trump in the summer of 2020 was accelerated under Bidens administration, which had as its first domestic priority the full reopening of all schools. When Biden was inaugurated, approximately 46 percent of schools were operating in-person. By May 2021, 96 percent were open. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) played an essential role in this campaign, issuing unscientific guidance in February 2021 that justified the campaign to reopen all schools no matter the level of transmission.

At the hearing, Weingarten criticized Trump for keeping schools closed too long. She stated that as early as February 2020 she spent every day ... trying to get schools open, with no assistance from Trump or his billionaire Education Secretary Betsy DeVos.

She touted the fact that in April 2020, when workers across the US and around the world were protesting against the premature push to reopen schools and workplaces, the AFT produced its own school reopening plan, demonstrating the organization's readiness to collaborate with the Trump administration.

Democrat Jamie Raskin accused Trump of being too busy defending his friends in the Chinese Communist Party to work with the union bureaucracies to reopen the schools.

Throughout the hearing, Republicans repeated the lies that COVID-19 transmission among children is rare and that transmission inside schools is low. They referenced studies from the summer of 2020, before students were herded en masse into poorly ventilated classrooms, to claim that the risk to children was minimal, ignoring the three years of data and experience since then that prove the opposite.

Not once did Weingarten or any other Democrat seriously challenge these lies by detailing the nearly universal infection of American children. To do so would have meant acknowledging the criminal role of the Biden administration, which kept schools open during the Delta and Omicron waves, leading to record infections, hospitalizations and deaths among children. Biden himself repeated these lies early in his presidency when he told a second grader at a televised town hall meeting that kids dont get COVID very often.

Even as early as the summer of 2020, it was clear that COVID-19 posed a serious risk to children. By July, the CDC had recorded 121 deaths among people 21 or younger. By September, over 277,000 infections had been documented in children.

Today, sero-prevalence studies show that more than 65 million children (over 96 percent) in the US have been infected at least once. Over 190,000 have been hospitalized and at least 2,200 have died from COVID-19, according to CDC data, with the disease now a leading cause of death in children.

Neither Weingarten nor anyone else at the hearing mentioned the unknown long-term consequences of repeated infections. The term Long COVID was never uttered, despite the well documented, far-ranging risks this debilitating condition poses to both adults and children, including life-threatening problems involving the lungs, heart, veins and kidneys.

The fact that millions of children and educators have suffered repeated waves of illness, requiring schools to close due to widespread staff and student absences, was not once cited as a contributing factor in learning loss. Likewise, the politicians and Weingarten, in their effort to blame negative learning impacts from the pandemic on temporary school closures, downplayed the devastating impact of the loss of parents, family members, friends and classmates who were needlessly infected with COVID-19 as a result of the unsafe reopening of schools.

The other great unmentionable for Weingarten and every committee member was the international wave of educator, student and parent struggles against the bipartisan policy of mass infection and death. These struggles took the form of walkouts and wildcat sickouts and strikes from 2020 through the Omicron surge in 2022, in which the rank and file demanded remote education to stop transmission.

Weingartens role throughout this period, with the full power of the AFT bureaucracy in coordination with the National Education Association (NEA) bureaucracy, was to isolate and sabotage educators strikes and work closely with the Biden administration to convince educators that the schools were safe.

At the hearing, Weingarten referred to the AFTs tireless work to get teachers back to work, including hosting town halls, overseeing a $5 million campaign to get people back to school, conducting door to door visits, radio ads, etc. One such town hall was a collaborative effort with the right-wing parents group Open Schools USA, which featured anti-mask pseudo-scientists such as Jay Bhattacharya, an author of the The Great Barrington Declaration.

Weingarten responded to pressure by Republican Representative Rich McCormick to admit her mistakes by stating that she regrets the fear that was there. She thereby slandered the determined fight by educators to defend themselves and their students against needless infection and death, attributing it to misplaced fear, and lining up with the most vicious enemies of the working class.

This is a slap in the face to the 268,000 US children who have been orphaned from COVID-19 and to the memory of over 8,000 educators in the US who have died.

The past three years have proven that far from representing the interests of teachers, the entire AFT bureaucracy is a political prop for the Democratic Party and for American capitalism more generally. While paying out over $20 million in 2022 to Democratic Party campaigns, not a cent in strike pay has been given to the thousands of academic workers affiliated with the AFT who have struck this year.

Randi Weingarten, a multi-millionaire bureaucrat who makes nearly $500,000 per year taken from workers dues money, has played a particularly filthy role in serving the interests of American imperialism both in the United States and abroad. In addition to coercing teachers and students back into COVID-infested classrooms, she has aggressively supported the US-NATO war against Russia in Ukraine, which is bringing the world to the brink of nuclear war. Last year, she visited Ukraine to promote Washington's war effort, during which she met with ultra-nationalists while covering up the role of Ukrainian fascism in the Holocaust.

Educators must take stock of this record and draw the necessary conclusions in order to prepare for the struggles ahead. The Democrats and Republicans are colluding to slash social spending in order to divert all resources to war against Russia and preparations for war against China. This is already translating into massive cuts to education budgets in districts across the US, a process that is driving teachers into increasingly sharp conflict not only with their districts, but with the trade union bureaucracies and the Democratic Party.

Regarding COVID-19, only the World Socialist Web Site and the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) have fought and continue to fight for a global elimination strategy to end the pandemic and uphold the principles of public health. This program, when it is clearly explained, receives a warm response from the working class and youth.

At the same time, the ICFI is assisting workers in building the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees to smash the stranglehold of the union bureaucracies, bring together the struggles of educators and all workers on a world scale, and unite the international working class in a revolutionary struggle against capitalism. Join today.
UK higher education (HE) institutions are stepping up their offensive against tens of thousands of staff participating in a marking and assessment boycott (Mab).

On April 19, the University and College Union (UCU) announced the boycott would start the next day at 145 universities. The boycott covers all duties relating to marking and assessment, including exam invigilation.

The UCU sanctioned the boycott after members voted to reject employers proposals on pay and conditions.

Senior management teams at a number of universities responded by threatening to dock the pay of workers involved. An April 20 tweet by Dr. Kait Clark, a cognitive neuroscientist and senior lecturer, confirmed that fully 22 institutions said they would dock 100 percent of staff pay. Another 24 universities threated to slash between 20 and 80 percent of pay.

According to Tribune magazine, At the University of Essex, staff have been told that if they declare they are boycotting within the next weeksomething they are not legally required to dotheyll have 50 percent of their wages deducted. If they dont declare, 80 percent of their wages will be deducted.

The union sanctioned the boycott as a means of demobilizing national industrial action involving 70 university employees which began last November in connection with the long-running disputes over pay, working conditions and pension cuts. The union bureaucracy is intent on ending the dispute with a sellout deal.

The UCU called for a series of one-day strikes to be held in late February and March, before suddenly cancelling almost half of them after announcing real progress in talks with employers. That progress was a rotten pay deal concocted with management behind the backs of its members. It included wage rises of between 5 and 8 percent, a 15 percent real terms pay cut.

The last national strikes were held over six days from March 15-22. This despite workers voting overwhelmingly to renew their six-month strike mandate, as required by law, in early April.

The prostration of the union before the employers was underscored by union General Secretary Jo Gradys declaration that we do not want this boycott to go on any longer than it needs to, but the status quo cannot continue. In the meantime, workers were advised only to Please contact your vice chancellor and tell them to get back around the table with a fair offer.

Jo Grady speaking at a demonstration in London, October 2022 [Photo: WSWS]

Grady posted a video April 19 on her Twitter account adopting a more militant posture in an attempt to restore some credibility, claiming that the boycott will be escalated to a strike at the universities that cut members pay.

In the April 5 ballot to renew the strike mandate, the vote over the pay and working conditions element of the dispute saw a Yes vote for strike action of 85.6 percent on a 56.4 percent turnout. In the pensions ballot, the Yes vote was even larger (89 percent on a 58.4 percent turnout), showing the determination of thousands of staff to defend their pensions.

On April 17, the UCU announced that its members had voted by 85 percent to note the pensions agreement reached by the union with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). This result was achieved by the UCU using a misleading formulation in an electronic consultation, asking its members to either note or reject the progress made by the union in negotiations with the employers on pensions. The union interpreted and then presented the result as though workers had voted to accept a deal it claimed was a historic victory that will win back a stolen pension and pave the way for the restoration of benefits.

As the WSWS noted, those statements cannot be accepted at face value. What the employers committed to is reversing cuts if this can be done in a demonstrably sustainable manner, following an upcoming valuation in September. There is little doubt that they will seize on the tiniest pretext to formalise the 35 percent cut in pension benefits, or something similar.

Many workers were critical of the union on social media, asking why the question on the pensions talks was posed in that way and refusing to accept the unions claims of a stupendous victory. Among their comments were, Still claiming a victory on USS [Universities Superannuation Scheme] I see. Its not won until that money is back in members pension pots & contributions resetprogress has been made but calling it a victory continues the overly optimistic & misleading language and We have not won anything yet.

In their efforts to hoodwink workers, the union bureaucracy relies on the help of the pseudo-left. In article published as the boycott began, the Socialist Workers Party presented the marking boycott as a rank-and-file demand against Jo Grady and the bureaucracy. It reported a higher education special sector conference that took place on April 19, where delegates voted to go ahead with the boycott and against a motion delaying it.

Of course, in this union bureaucracy-curated arena, workers never had the option of voting for anything more than a marking boycott. The conference also voted for a resolution saying that any UCU branch hit by pay deductions should be able to strike. Many universities have since said they will impose deductions, but not a single strike has been called in opposition.

The Socialist Worker promotes UCU Solidarity, a grouping within the union whose role it is to use left-sounding rhetoric to capture rank-and-file opposition and redirect it into the safe channels of the unions structures. UCU Solidarity works in concert with the UCU Left, a faction of the bureaucracy politically led by the SWP.

UCU Solidarity and UCU Left previously made an occasional show of criticising Grady and her faction, warning that the dispute could end in sellout and defeat in her hands. But any such criticisms have been largely dropped, with the SWP declaring on April 20, without mentioning Grady, The battle over who controls this dispute continuesbut many workers have shown they are determined to ensure its them, not union officials. They advise, Workers must fight to keep the Mab going and couple it with strikes. And every branch that is facing pay deductions should push to strike as soon as possible.

But organising a genuine struggle will require the formation of rank-and-file committees which take the power to circumscribe and cancel strikes out of the hands of the UCU bureaucracy. For all their rhetoric about calling strikes alongside the Mab, in its latest update on the dispute, UCU Left states only that workers involved in the marking boycott should try to meet in branches perhaps two or three times a week, as the means to overcome isolation from each other!

The pseudo-left bear major responsibility for the elevation of Grady. During the last union leadership election in 2019, the SWP and UCU Left supported her candidacy once it was a fait accomplihailing her as a shift towards the left and a boost for workers who want their union to put up more of a fight to defend workers rights and education. In their cover-up operation for Grady, the UCU Left, with many members within the union leadership, at both the local and national levels, is playing a critical role in the UCUs sell-out.

The struggle of university workers in the UK is part of a global resurgence of the class struggle nationally and globally. Millions of workers have taken part in strikes in Britain and internationally during the past year, including many educators. These are the allies that HE workers must turn to in order to expand and take forward their fight for better pay and benefits, as well as pensions.

HE workers must take the dispute out of the hands of Gradys faction, but also fight independently of all factions of the UCU. The Educators Rank-and-File Committee, part of the International Workers Alliance of Rank-and-File Committees, was formed in 2020 to organise education workers opposed to the unions sellouts of their health, jobs, wages, and conditions. Contact the Committee today to discuss the way forward.
Five leaders of the Proud Boys militia group were convicted Thursday of most of the charges against them, stemming from the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol instigated by Donald Trump in an effort to remain in power.

Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio rallies in Portland, Oregon, Aug. 17, 2019 [AP Photo/Noah Berger]

Four of the fiveHenry Enrique Tarrio, the groups former leader, Joe Biggs, Ethan Nordean and Zachary Rehlwere convicted of the most serious charge, seditious conspiracy, for conspiring to overthrow US democracy by blocking the transfer of power from Trump to his elected successor, Joe Biden.

These four were also convicted on the charge of conspiracy to block Congress in the performance of its duty, the certification of the Electoral College vote in which Biden defeated Trump 306-232. Both conspiracy charges carry a legal maximum of 20 years in prison.

Dominic Pezzola, who joined the group just before January 6 and played a major role in the events of that day, but not in the planning, was acquitted on the conspiracy charges but convicted of a half dozen other felonies, many of them involving violent assaults on the Capitol Police. He played a lead role in the physical violence, as he seized a policemans shield and used it to smash a window and open the first breach in the Capitol, allowing the mob to pour through to the inside of the building.

The jury initially declared itself deadlocked on the seditious conspiracy charge against Pezzola, but returned to deliberation on the judges instruction. Two hours later, they acquitted Pezzola on seditious conspiracy and were deadlocked on conspiracy to obstruct Congress, but had convicted him on nine other counts of the indictment.

The jury deliberated for 30 hours over seven days, not that long for a case with five defendants, facing as many as ten separate charges (and 11 charges in the case of Pezzola). In the end, the jury found the defendants guilty on dozens of charges, acquitted on one, and were deadlocked on 10, on which the judge declared a mistrial.

The most significant conviction, from a legal standpoint, was that of Tarrio, since he was not actually present at the Capitol, although he had participated in meetings to plan the attack and remained in contact with the Proud Boys throughout. He had been banned from the District of Columbia by a judge in relation to another case of right-wing violence, when Tarrio attacked anti-Trump counterprotesters during a December 12, 2020 demonstration against the results of the 2020 election, one of the precursors of the mob assault on January 6.

From an evidentiary standpoint, the trial provided a mass of material showing Trumps role in the attack on American democracy. The prosecutors repeatedly charged that the Proud Boys saw themselves as Trumps army and were inspired by his directive to stand by during a September 2020 presidential debate, and went into action on January 6 in response to his summons.

This was not even contested by the defense attorneys, who themselves sought to pin the blame for January 6 on Trump, saying their clients were being made scapegoats for an attack they did not plan but that Trump had incited.

Hundreds of social media messages, many encrypted, were introduced as evidence both of the deliberate planning of the events of January 6 and the general intention to use violence to keep Trump in office. Meetings and phone and text contact between Tarrio, Nordean and Biggs took place daily before the attack, as well as contacts with Oath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes and Ali Alexander, an organizer of the Stop the Steal rallies.

Attorney General Merrick Garland gave a brief statement to the press hailing the verdicts. He praised the work of Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutors and FBI agents who reviewed tens of thousands of photos and videos and millions of pages of testimony to carry out prosecutions that have resulted in more than 600 convictions of those who participated in the January 6 attack.

He made the statement flanked by FBI Director Christopher Wray and four other top Department of Justice officials, a display that seemed calculated to underscore the significance of the Proud Boys verdict. He then left without taking any questions from the press. This avoided any discussion either of possible charges against Trump, or of Tarrios connections to the FBI, where he was a frequent informant.

There was a celebratory tone to the media coverage of the verdict in the cable television networks and on the websites of the major newspapers, which was deliberately misleading. It suggested that with the successful prosecution of leaders of the Proud Boys, following the conviction of leaders of another fascist group, the Oath Keepers, the cases arising from January 6 had reached their pinnacle.

The reality is that Tarrio & Co. represent only the foothills of the conspiracy. Not a single Republican politician, nor Trump nor anyone from his inner circle have been indicted, let alone prosecuted or convicted. The Proud Boys and Oath Keepers have been convicted of a seditious conspiracy in which they were nothing more than the instruments of violence. The leaders of the conspiracy, who planned, set the date and gave the green light for the January 6 attack have so far gone scot-free.

January 6 was the culmination of a coordinated inside-outside strategy. On the one hand, Trump was whipping up the fascist thugs to whom he had said, during a presidential debate, Stand back and stand by. He gave the signal for the final mobilization with a December tweet urging his supporters to come to Washington on January 6, promising them it will be wild.

On the other, Republicans in both the House and Senate delayed recognizing the obvious results of the election, legitimized Trumps bogus legal challenges and refusal to concede, and, even after the mob had been cleared from the Capitol on the night of January 6, voted in the majority not to certify Bidens election as president.

The two operations were connected through Trump and his entourage, who discussed legal stratagems for overturning the results of the vote in various states, actions like seizing ballot boxes and voting machines to carry out spurious recounts, and maintained regular contact with the fascist goon squads.

Republican congressmen spoke at the November and December Stop the Steal rallies in Washington, where Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, III Percenters and other fascist groups played prominent roles. Trump crony Roger Stone was a key link, as he talked to Trump regularly, while using Proud Boys for his personal security.

They all came together at the final Stop the Steal rally on January 6 outside the White House, where Trump told his supporters to fight like hell or you wont have a country, while telling the Secret Service to stop using magnetometers that would deter them from carrying firearms as they marched on the Capitol.

Trump planned to go to the Capitol and personally lead the rioters into the building to confront the members of Congress and block certification of his election defeat, and was only blocked when his own guards refused to take him into what was becoming a battle zone.
New Zealands Labour-Greens government has again increased its support for the US-NATO war against Russia over Ukraine.

Britain's King Charles III receives the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Chris Hipkins (right), at Buckingham Palace, London, Wednesday May 3, 2023. [AP Photo/Stefan Rousseau]

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced an additional $5.3 million, bringing New Zealands total military and non-military support for the Kiev regime to $78 million. This includes funding for weapons and ammunition, and funding for the International Criminal Court to pursue charges against Russian leaders.

Hipkins, who is in Britain for the coronation of King Charles III, visited the Salisbury Plain Army Training Area on Wednesday to announce a further one-year extension of the deployment of 95 New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel who are training Ukrainian conscripts and volunteers.

So far, Defence Minister Andrew Little said, 440 NZDF personnel have been deployed to support Ukraine, with 279 directly involved in the artillery and infantry training delivered in the UK. They have trained more than 1,000 Ukrainians.

Little told Stuff: As the conflict goes on, we will continue to review the support we will provide Ukraine. So this is unlikely to be the last of these sorts of announcements.

Last month, Minister Little attended a meeting of the US-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group in Germany, where the imperialist powers discussed plans to escalate the war, including the delivery of battle tanks and other advanced weapons systems.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg declared before the meeting that Ukraine should join NATO, a move which could trigger Article 5 of the alliance treaty to demand that all NATO member states declare war on Russia.

Russias disastrous and reactionary invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, which the New Zealand government and media falsely described as unprovoked, was a response to years of military encirclement and provocations by NATO and the United States. There is an increasingly imminent danger that the war, which has killed at least 200,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers, will expand into a direct conflict between nuclear-armed powers.

This was underscored on Wednesday by the criminally reckless drone attack on the Kremlin in Moscowan apparent attempt to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made clear that the Biden administration supported the attack, which was clearly designed to provoke Russian retaliation and justify a further escalation of the war.

For the US and its allies, the goal is not the defence of Ukraine but the military defeat and break-up of Russia, to plunder its resources. At the same time, preparations are far advanced for war against China, which Washington sees as the main obstacle to its global supremacy.

As was the case in 1914 and the 1930s, the historic crisis of capitalism is driving the imperialist powers towards world war to redivide the globe.

New Zealand is deeply involved as a minor imperialist power allied with the US, and a member of the US-led Five Eyes intelligence sharing network. In defiance of widespread anti-war sentiment, the Labour governmentwith the bipartisan support of the opposition National Partyhas committed the country to an open-ended war that could end in nuclear armageddon.

Significantly, in addition to training Ukrainian troops in Britain, Defence Minister Little stated that the NZDF has been invited by the United States to support training of Ukrainian personnel in western-led space operations and increase their interoperability with like-minded partners. This work may also include the training of Polish Armed Forces personnel. Two NZDF personnel have been deployed to Poland.

Meanwhile, the New Zealand military is increasing its cooperation with Australia and the government is being urged to join the AUKUS (Australia-UK-US) pact. AUKUS includes a deal to supply Australia with nuclear-powered attack submarines, and other measures to integrate Australia into the US plans for war against China.

On Anzac Daythe April 25 national holiday that marks New Zealand and Australias entry into the First World WarNew Zealand Navy chief Rear Admiral David Proctor delivered a belligerent speech urging a more open and explicit anti-China position.

Speaking during a visit to Hawaii, he told an audience largely made up of US military personnel: When you look at what China is doing and their hugely significant additional spend on their military capability, particularly maritime capability, we in New Zealand cant stand aside and say nothing to see herewe will just carry on with what were what were doing.

This was a barely disguised rebuke of both the government and opposition politicians, as well as sections of the corporate media, which have been reluctant to antagonise China, New Zealands most important trading partnereven as they support stronger ties with US imperialism.

Proctor denounced China as a coercive state that poses an unwelcome challenge for freedom, prosperity and peace in our region, and said New Zealand remains as committed as ever to having a credible military capability ready to respond to those who challenge freedom, peace and the international rules-based order.

Proctors statements turn reality on its head. The US leads the world, by far, in terms of military spending, and has turned the Indo-Pacific region into a powder-keg. It has carried out provocative naval exercises in Chinese-claimed waters, stationed troops in South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, Australia and Taiwan, and expanded military bases in Guam and the Marianas. The aim is to goad China into an attack on Taiwan, which would provide a pretext for war.

Interviewing Prime Minister Hipkins on April 26, Radio NZs Corin Dann pointed to the far more aggressive approach outlined in Australias Defence Strategic Review. Theyre saying they can no longer rely on their distance, they have to have missiles and attack submarines. Are we comfortable with that? he asked.

Hipkins replied that he had no objection to the Australian war plans. He pointed out that his Labour government had also decided to upgrade our air force fleet quite significantly, [with] very, very big investments in that in recent years. He said similar decisions would have to be made to boost the capability of the rest of New Zealands armed forces in light of the more heated geostrategic environment, including the war in Ukraine.

These statements must be taken as a warning that the government is preparing a further significant increase in military spending in the May 18 budget, to be paid for with cuts to spending on basic services such as healthcare and education.

The urgent task facing the working class and young people in every country is the construction of an anti-war movement to stop the insane drive to World War III. The recent International Online May Day Rally, hosted by the International Committee of the Fourth International, explained the socialist strategy that the fight against war must be based on. We urge readers to watch and share the speeches delivered at this important event, and to contact us today to join this movement.
The drone attack on the Kremlin

Following Wednesdays drone attack on the official residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the US media sprang into action to promote the ridiculous claim that Russia staged the attacks.

Among the headlines that appeared Thursday were:

Alleged Putin assassination is false flag orchestrated to bolster Russias war effort, experts claimFox News

Kremlin Drone Attack Likely Russia False Flag: US Think TankInsider

False flag? Analysts say Russia likely staged Kremlin drone attack it blamed on Ukraine and the WestCNBC

These articles appeared to be an effort on the part of the US media to walk back statements made by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre Wednesday, both of whom refused to distance themselves from the assassination attempt or even declare that the assassination of Putin would be illegitimate.

Asked what the position of the US was on such attacks on leadership, Blinken replied, These are decisions for Ukraine to make about how its going to defend itself.

The entire US media simply ignored these statements, rather promoting the claim that the attacks were not an assassination attempt, that Russia staged them, or both.

Many of the articles citing the claim of a false flag were based on declarations by the pro-war US think-tank the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which wrote Thursday that Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilization.

As evidence, the ISW cited the claim that Russia quickly asserted that drones carrying explosives over the residence of the Russian president were an assassination attempt, and that Russian air defenses would not have allowed the drones to fly so near the Kremlin.

It concluded, The rapid and coherent presentation of an official Russian narrative around the strike suggests that Russia staged this incident in close proximity to the May 9th Victory Day holiday in order to frame the war as existential to its domestic audience.

This amounts to the entire argument for the claim that Russia staged the attack.

By contrast, the reality that the attack on the Kremlin was carried out by Ukraine was bolstered by the fact that the Ukrainian Post Office issued a stamp depicting the burning Kremlin within hours after the operation.

Colonel Alexander Vindman, a leading figure in the run-up to the war, hailed the attack, declaring that it demonstrates how vulnerable Russia really is. He continued, The most important thing about drone strikes on the Kremlin is the shear [sic] embarrassment for Putin. He looks terribly week [sic].

The declarations that Russia was responsible for the attack on the Kremlin follow the pattern set after the September 26, 2022, bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines, after which the US media declared that Russia was responsible for an attack on its own pipelines.

Following the October 8, 2022, attack on the Kerch Bridge, the August 20, 2022, assassination of Darya Dugina and multiple bombings inside Russia, Ukrainian officials denied they were responsible, before accounts in the US press attributed responsibility to the Ukrainian secret service.

US officials were at pains Thursday to distance themselves from the attack on the Kremlin. Speaking to Morning Joe, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said: There was no involvement by the United States in [the Kremlin attack]. Whatever it was did not involve us We had nothing to do with this.

Kirbys claim that the United States had no involvement in the planning of the attack is undermined by the content of leaked Pentagon documents made public earlier this year, showing that the United States possesses both advanced knowledge of and veto power over Ukrainian attacks inside Russia.

In an article published April 24, titled At U.S. behest, Ukraine held off anniversary attacks on Russia, the Washington Post wrote, In February, with the first anniversary of Russias invasion of Ukraine days away, officials in Kyiv were busy making plans to attack Moscow.

The article continued, On Feb. 22, two days before the anniversary, the CIA circulated a new classified report: The HUR [Ukrainian intelligence directorate] had agreed, at Washingtons request, to postpone strikes on Moscow.

On Thursday, Russian officials made increasingly categorical declarations that the attack was directed by the United States.

Attempts to disown this, both in Kyiv and in Washington, are, of course, absolutely ridiculous, said Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov. We know very well that decisions about such actions, about such terrorist attacks, are made not in Kyiv but in Washington.

Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov added, How would Americans react if a drone hit the White House, the Capitol or the Pentagon. The answer is obvious to every politician, as well as to the average citizen: the punishment will be harsh and inevitable.

Ukrainan President Zelensky continued to travel in NATO territory on Thursday, meeting with officials from the Baltic countries. Zelensky also visited the International Court of Justice in The Hague, in the Netherlands, after which he gave a speech denouncing Putin.

Finland joined NATO last month, doubling the military alliances border with Russia overnight. NATO is surging troops to Russias borders alongside the escalation of the Ukraine war. Critically, the leaked Pentagon documents released earlier this year showed that NATO sees its operations both inside Ukraine and in NATO members states as interoperable, and there are over 150 NATO troops deployed inside Ukraine.
The pollution of key riverways and broader environmental degradation has again come into focus. In March, the largest in a series of mass fish kill incidents to date took place on the Darling River near the far western New South Wales (NSW) town of Menindee. The region is arid, making the Darling the lifeblood of the area.

Tens of thousands of dead fish in Darling River in Menindee, NSW. [Photo: Facebook Graeme McCrabb ]

The Darling River is Australias third longest, flowing from northern NSW to Wentworth, where it joins the Murray River near the Victorian and South Australian borders. Menindee, located 240 kilometres north of Wentworth, has a population of approximately 500, a third of them Aboriginal people.

On March 17 the Menindee population was confronted with the sight and smell of over a million dead fish floating down the Darling. Estimates of the total are as high as 20 million fish.

The fish were mostly European carp and native species, such as Murray Cod, Silver Perch, Golden Perch and Boney Perch. Of particular concern was the Murray Cod, an endangered species, known to live for a hundred years and growing to over a metre.

Menindee resident Graeme McCrabb told the Guardian that Its horrendous here today. The river is just white. Im looking at probably a kilometre or a kilometre-and-a-half of fish and theyre all dead. Its unfathomable. Residents reported a horrendous smell for days.

The towns people have been treated with contempt. NSW Health initially declared drinking water safe to drink even though it reeked from the rotting fish carcasses. At a meeting to discuss the crisis, angry residents challenged the authorities to drink the water. Although the towns water is treated, people who live out of town draw water straight from the river.

Some residents have reported getting skin rashes after washing with the river water.

At the town meeting on March 22, residents were assured by NSW deputy emergency management commissioner Peter Thurtell that the clean-up would start that afternoon, but it was delayed for several days as essential equipment had to be transported from Sydney.

Menindee local David Baker told the Guardian that This happened in 2019 and they [the state government] havent learned from that. Due to the delays, he continued They are going to get not even 1 percent of what died in the river, its really a waste of time. Its a political stunt to say they are doing something about it.

Thurtell dismissed the residents concerns, saying government authorities will begin removing dead fish. He said there was no need for community concern about water quality as there were multiple viable solutions to maintain water supply.

Rotting fish sank to the bottom of the river, making them impossible to collect.

River ecologist and conservation biologist at University of NSW Professor Richard Kingsford told the Guardian that the sinking fish carcasses would contribute to increasing nitrogen, carbon and phosphorus in the water as the main nutrients which can also increase blue-green algal blooms.

Blue-green algal blooms are caused by highly elevated nutrient levels rendering the river water toxic. When the algal bloom dies it draws oxygen out of the water rendering it unviable for aquatic life.

The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on April 19 released the results of a toxicological analysis of river water samples collected just after the fish kill event. They found that there were no pesticides in the water. The EPA analysis drew heavy criticism.

Ian Wright, professor of environmental science at Western Sydney University, told the Guardian that he had multiple concerns with the EPAs methodology. This included that water samples were taken five days after the fish kill started. Only one sample was taken at each of six locations. Tests werent carried out to monitor bacteria levels.

Wright reported that one of the samples collected on the Darling upstream of Menindee creek showed 50 times the Australian standard for fresh and marine water quality. Wright told the Guardian that in his opinion that amounts to severe pollution, yet the EPA didnt describe it as a pollution event.

At the same site, dissolved oxygen was 0.41mg/L. Anything below 1mg/L is considered deadly for aquatic animals.

The EPA declaration was completely untenable in the face of such criticism, forcing the New South Wales Labor government on April 19 to reverse the decision and to declare the fish kill a pollution incident. This gives the EPA the authority to investigate and prosecute polluters.

That this is a worthless exercise was shown by the fact that the EPA already had sufficient evidence to ascertain the toxicity of the river water, information they ignored.

Fish kills in the region have occurred consistently over several years. In the largest previous incident to date approximately one million fish were estimated to have died in 2019. Several smaller fish kill incidents have occurred in the subsequent four years.

Although global warming was not the immediate cause of the fish kill events, it has made environmental conditions extremely unstable, exacerbating heatwaves, droughts and flooding.

Low levels of dissolved oxygen were the cause of the fish kill incidents in 2019 and in March 2023, but the 2019 fish kill occurred during a severe drought with extremely low river levels. Ironically the current event occurred after a major flood.

In a comment on the Conversation, Kingsford stated that its likely to be factors like the heatwave days earlier, receding floodwaters, bacteria pulling oxygen from the waterand no escape (for the fish).

In natural river systems, fish can escape areas with low oxygen levels by accessing other parts of the river, but this is prevented in the Darling by a series of weirs and dams.

Kingsford pointed to the role of agribusinesses taking water from the upper Darling.

Yes, fish kills have always occurred but not at this scale, he explained. The fundamental reason the fish of the Darling keep dying is because there is not enough water allowed to flow. Since the 1980s, the Darlings tributaries have steadily shrunk... Much of their water is captured in large dams or intercepted by floodplain harvesting

Floodplain harvesting occurs in the upper Darling, where agribusinesses build extensive levy systems and dams designed to capture river water during a flood, thus preventing water flowing downstream for the good of communities and the environment. This leads to a situation where large dams in the upper Darling hold billions of litres of water while the lower Darling completely runs dry or is reduced to a series of disconnected waterholes.

One of the biggest users of the upper Darling water is the cotton industry that relies on inundation to produce their crop.

Irrigation extracts 70 percent of all surface water from the Murray-Darling river basin. In 201718, cotton irrigators extracted some 2,500 billion litres or approximately 35 percent of all the water extracted for irrigation. Most of this occurs in the upper Darling.

The needs of river communities and the environment have been completely subordinated to the profits of the giant agribusinesses, causing an environmental disaster.

Labors federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, sought to obscure this reality, responding to the latest event by stating: Its tragic to see mass death of fish, known as fish kills, at this scale for the second time in four years. We believe the fish kills have been caused by flooding combined with high temperatures which has created low oxygen blackwater.

While it was a natural disaster, the devastating conditions have been considerably exacerbated by the rapacious needs of agribusiness.

Governments that regulate the Murray-Darling Basin are covered by an agreement signed in 2012 by the NSW, Victorian, Australian Capital Territory and South Australian governments. As part of their plan to restore environmental flows to the river system, they committed to buy back water that would be released in the rivers for the benefit of downstream river communities. The plan was to release 3,200 gigalitres of water to the environment each year. This scheme paid the agribusinesses for hoarding flood water in the upper Darling.

Due to pressure from irrigators, in 2016 the plan was amended to release less water to the environment. The buyback system was moribund from 2018 to 2022.

The new Labor premier and head of the minority NSW government Chris Minns visited Menindee on his first day in office on March 29. He offered nothing except empty platitudes and announced he would set up yet another inquiry. This is simply to buy timethe issues are well known and researched by reputable scientists.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, Packaging Corporation of America fair value estimate is US$196

Packaging Corporation of America is estimated to be 32% undervalued based on current share price of US$133

The US$130 analyst price target for PKG is 33% less than our estimate of fair value

In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of Packaging Corporation of America (NYSE:PKG) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to today's value. We will take advantage of the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model for this purpose. Believe it or not, it's not too difficult to follow, as you'll see from our example!

We would caution that there are many ways of valuing a company and, like the DCF, each technique has advantages and disadvantages in certain scenarios. If you want to learn more about discounted cash flow, the rationale behind this calculation can be read in detail in the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Packaging Corporation of America

Is Packaging Corporation of America Fairly Valued?

We use what is known as a 2-stage model, which simply means we have two different periods of growth rates for the company's cash flows. Generally the first stage is higher growth, and the second stage is a lower growth phase. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

Story continues

10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF ($, Millions) US$815.7m US$787.6m US$776.3m US$857.0m US$900.0m US$934.1m US$964.8m US$993.0m US$1.02b US$1.05b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x4 Analyst x5 Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 3.79% Est @ 3.28% Est @ 2.93% Est @ 2.69% Est @ 2.51% Present Value ($, Millions) Discounted @ 7.0% US$763 US$688 US$634 US$654 US$642 US$623 US$602 US$579 US$556 US$533

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = US$6.3b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.1%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 7.0%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = US$1.0b (1 + 2.1%)  (7.0% 2.1%) = US$22b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= US$22b ( 1 + 7.0%)10= US$11b

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is US$17b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of US$133, the company appears quite undervalued at a 32% discount to where the stock price trades currently. The assumptions in any calculation have a big impact on the valuation, so it is better to view this as a rough estimate, not precise down to the last cent.

dcf

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Packaging Corporation of America as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 7.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.819. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Packaging Corporation of America

Strength

Debt is well covered by earnings and cashflows.

Dividends are covered by earnings and cash flows.

Weakness

Earnings growth over the past year underperformed the Packaging industry.

Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Packaging market.

Opportunity

Annual earnings are forecast to grow for the next 3 years.

Good value based on P/E ratio and estimated fair value.

Threat

Annual earnings are forecast to grow slower than the American market.

Next Steps:

Whilst important, the DCF calculation is only one of many factors that you need to assess for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Instead the best use for a DCF model is to test certain assumptions and theories to see if they would lead to the company being undervalued or overvalued. For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. Can we work out why the company is trading at a discount to intrinsic value? For Packaging Corporation of America, there are three relevant items you should further examine:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Packaging Corporation of America that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does PKG's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered!

PS. The Simply Wall St app conducts a discounted cash flow valuation for every stock on the NYSE every day. If you want to find the calculation for other stocks just search here.

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This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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This article was submitted to the WSWS by Maxim Goldarb, the head of the Union of Left Forces (For a New Socialism) party, which has been banned by the Zelensky government. The World Socialist Web Site unequivocally opposes and denounces the persecution of left-wing and oppositional tendencies in Ukraine by the NATO-backed Zelensky regime. We call on our readers to distribute the information about the state-backed repression of anti-war opposition in Ukraine as widely as possible.

Ukraine has long been proclaimed the freest country in the post-Soviet space. In the pro-NATO media, the country is even portrayed as a bulwark of democracy. But this is a lie. The right-wing oligarchic regime that came to power in the Western-backed coup in February 2014 has severely persecuted its opponents, using terrorist methods.

The most tragic example of not just persecution, but murder by the ruling regime in Kiev of its ideological opponents took place in Odessa on May 2, 2014, when far-right nationalists, with the full connivance of and open assistance from the authorities, blocked anti-fascist activists in the building of the House of Trade Unions and set fire to the building. To escape the burning building, many jumped out of windows to their death. Even on the ground, some of those who had survived were then murdered by neo-Nazis. In total, more than 40 people died, among whom were Vadim Papura, a member of the Komsomol (Communist youth union), as well as Andrei Brazhevsky, a member of the left-wing Borotba organization.

The Trade Union house in Odessa after the fire and massacre in 2014. [Photo by Lsimon / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

For this crime, no one was ever punished, even though those responsible were recorded in many photos and videos. One of the organizers of this massacre subsequently became the speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, another one became a member of parliament on the lists of the party of former President Petro Poroshenko.

In the same way, the killers of a number of well-known opposition politicians and journalists who have died since 2014 have not been punished. This includes the ex-deputy of the Socialist Party of Ukraine, Valentina Semenyuk-Samsonenko (her murder on August 27, 2014 was disguised as suicide); the ex-deputy and organizer of opposition actions Oleg Kalashnikov (he was killed on April 15, 2015); the popular writer and anti-fascist publicist Oles Buzina (killed on April 16, 2015), and many others.

The Communist Party of Ukraine, one of the largest parties in the country, was banned in 2015.

In addition, opposition-minded politicians, journalists and activists, many of whom are left-leaning, have been beaten, arrested and imprisoned in recent years on trumped-up charges of high treason and other overtly political charges. This happened, in particular, with journalists Vasily Muravitsky, Dmitry Vasilets and Pavel Volkov, as well as human rights activist Ruslan Kotsaba and others. It is telling that even in the courts, which are under heavy pressure from the authorities, the accusations of high treason as a rule fell apart and turned out to be completely untenable.

The situation has become more and more aggravated with each passing year, especially after Volodymyr Zelensky became the president of Ukraine. The formal reason for the complete elimination of the remnants of civil liberties and the start of open political repression was the military conflict in Ukraine that began in February 2022.

All opposition parties in Ukraine, most of which are left-wing parties, including the Union of Left Forces (For New Socialism) party, which I lead, were banned on fabricated, carbon-copy accusations of being pro-Russian.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has also detained a number of opinion leaders and journalists who spoke to the media before the war, criticizing the government. All of them were accused of promoting a pro-Russian position, high treason, espionage, propaganda, etc.

In February-March 2022, a number of well-known bloggers and journalists were detained on charges of high treason and placed in pre-trial detention centers (SIZOs). Among them were Dmitry Dzhangirov (a supporter of leftist views, who worked with our party), Yan Taksyur (a supporter of leftist views), Dmitry Marunich, Mikhail Pogrebinsky, Yuri Tkachev, and others. The reason for their detention was not ephemeral treason at all, but the authorities fear of their public political position, which did not coincide with the official line of the government.

In March 2022, the historian Alexander Karevin, known for his political activities, disappeared without a trace after SBU officers visited his house. Karevin has repeatedly sharply criticized the actions of the Ukrainian authorities in the field of the humanities, language policy and the politics of historical memory.

In March 2022 in Kiev, Olena Berezhnaya, a lawyer and human rights activist, well known for her anti-fascist positions, was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center under suspicion under Article 111 of the Criminal Code, i.e., for treason. Just a few months prior, in December 2021, she had spoken at the UN Security Council about the lawlessness in Ukraine.

On March 3, 2022, the SBU detained the left-wing activists and anti-fascist brothers Alexander and Mikhail Kononovich in Kiev on charges of violating Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (actions aimed at forcibly changing the constitutional order or seizing state power). They were placed in a pre-trial detention center until the end of 2022, where they were beaten and tortured, and denied timely medical assistance.

In May 2022, in Dnipro, the SBU detained the brother of the former presidential candidate Oleg Tsarev, citizen of Ukraine Mikhail Tsarev, on charges of destabilizing the socio-political situation in the region. As a result, in December 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison on charges of terrorism.

On March 7, 2022, six activists of the opposition organization Patriots for Life disappeared without a trace in Severodonetsk. In May 2022, one of the leaders of the neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, Maxim Zhorin, posted a photo of their dead bodies on the Internet, claiming that they were executed, and that their murder was connected to their political views and carried out by paramilitary structures.

On January 12, 2023, Sergei Titov, a resident of Belaya Tserkov, a half-blind and disabled person with a mental illness, was detained and placed in a pre-trial detention center. He was declared a 'saboteur.' On March 2, 2023, it was reported that he had died in the pre-trial detention center.

In February 2023, Dmitry Skvortsov, an Orthodox publicist and blogger, was detained in a monastery near Kiev and placed in a pre-trial detention center.

Since November 2022, Dmitry Shymko from Khmelnytsky has been in the dungeons for his political beliefs.

Hundreds of ordinary people have already been prosecuted in todays Ukraine for distributing political content on the Internet that the authorities considered prohibited.

Brothers Mikhail and Alexander Kononovich

The authorities have taken under tight control the information space of Ukraine, including the Internet. Any personal publication of citizens about mistakes at the front, about corruption among the authorities and the military, and about the lies of officials are declared to be crimes. Such individuals, as well as bloggers and administrators of TG channels, are subject to harassment by the police and the Security Service.

By the spring of this year, according to the SBU, 26 Telegram channels were blockedchannels on which people had informed each other about the locations where military summons were being handed out. Six Telegram channel administrators were searched and charged with crimes. Thus, public pages were blocked in the Ivano-Frankivsk, Cherkasy, Vinnitsa, Chernivtsi, Kiev, Lviv and Odessa regions. These pages had more than 400,000 subscribers. The public administrators of these channels face 10 years in prison.

In March 2022, Article 436-2 (Justification, recognition as lawful, denial of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, glorification of its participants) was introduced into the Criminal Code of Ukraine. In reality, it is directed against any citizens of Ukraine who have views that differ from the official government line.

This new law is formulated in such a way that, in essence, it provides for punishment for thought crimeswords or phrases spoken not only publicly, but also in a private conversation, written in a private messenger or SMS message, or said over the phone. In fact, we are talking about an invasion of the privacy of citizens and of their thoughts. This, in fact, has been confirmed by the practice of law enforcementconviction for likes, private phone calls, and so on. For simple conversations on the street and likes on the Internet under posts, as of March 2023 there have been 380 sentences, based on court records, including those sentenced to prison.

Thus, in June 2022, in Dnipro, a resident of Mariupol was sentenced to five years in prison, with a trial period of two years. In March 2022, the individual had claimed that shelling of the civilian population and civilian infrastructure in Mariupol was carried out by servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Another sentence, based on a telephone conversation in March 2023, was handed down against a resident of Odessa. That person was sentenced to two years on probation for unpatriotic and anti-state conversations on a mobile phone.

A resident of the village of Maly Bobrik in the Sumy region was convicted under Part 1 of Art. 436-2 of the Criminal Code in June 2022 and sentenced to a term of six months in prison because she had, in April 2022, near her yard and in the presence of three persons, expressed approval of the actions of the Russian authorities in relation to Ukraine, and later refused to admit her guilt.

At least 25 Ukrainians have been convicted of anti-Ukrainian activities on social media. Nineteen people were found by law enforcement officers in Odnoklassniki and held in the country. According to the investigation, these residents of Ukraine distributed Z symbols and Russian flags on their pages and called the invasion liberation.

Sentences were also handed down against those who did not distribute such publications, but only liked them (i.e., expressed a form of approval on social media). The texts of at least two sentences say that the so-called likes had the goal of bringing the idea to a wide range of people of changing the borders of the territory of Ukraine, and justifying the armed aggression of the Russian Federation. The investigators justified the prosecutions on the grounds that personal pages have open access, and liked publications can be seen by many people.

For instance, in May 2022, in Uman, a pensioner was sentenced to two years in prison with a probationary period of a year for rejection of the current Ukrainian authorities... on the Odnoklassniki Internet network, having put down likes... to a number of publications that justify the armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine.

A woman looks as Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) agents enter a building during an operation to arrest suspected Russian "collaborators" in Kharkiv, Ukraine, Thursday, April 14, 2022. [AP Photo/Felipe Dana]

In Kremenchug in May 2022, a citizen of Ukraine was convicted under article 436-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Using a pseudonym, this individual had spoken on the social media platform Odnoklassniki about the Nazis in Ukraine and the development of biological weapons funded by the Pentagon.

The repressive actions carried out by the current government to fight against those who disagree with it have turned Ukraine into the most repressive state in Europe, a state where any person who dares to oppose the authorities, the oligarchy, nationalism and neo-Nazism risks freedom and often even their life.

We ask you to disseminate this information as widely as possible, since in the current situation only wide international publicity about the facts presented in this article can help save thousands of people whose freedom and life are now under serious threat in Ukraine.
Pickets at Fremont High in Oakland, California [Photo: WSWS]

A strike of roughly 3,000 teachers in Oakland, California, began on Thursday, May 4, mostly shuttering the 34,000-student Oakland Unified School District (OUSD). Oakland teachers are fighting against the impact of decades of budget cuts by the Democratic Party which have left schools woefully understaffed, with decaying buildings, grossly insufficient salaries, as well as the perpetual circulation of COVID-19 in schools.

The Alameda County superintendent, Alysse Castro (who was endorsed by the Oakland Education Association teachers unions interim President Ismael Armendariz), is calling for $110 million in cuts under threat of state receivership. In addition, OUSD may lose another $10 million due to California Assembly Bill 1840, backed by Armendariz-endorsed Tony Thurmond, the Democratic state superintendent of public education, which ties funding to school closures. These factors have led OUSD school board President Mike Hutchinson, also Armendariz-endorsed, to reverse his previous opposition to school closures in the name of a balanced budget.

Under these government-dictated rules, any gains by teachers in this contract will be funded through cuts in other areas, as is already being done at the University of California system following last years graduate student strike. Despite OEAs calls to chop from the top, cutting administrative staff can only go so far. It is clear that meeting the basic needs of OUSDs teachers and students will require allocating additional resources to the district.

Pickets at Fremont High in Oakland, California [Photo: WSWS]

Despite these dire conditions, the Oakland Education Association (OEA) union is attempting to keep the strike within the straitjacket of an unfair labor practices (ULP) action, in which teachers are not allowed to raise demands for increased wages, staffing or improved working conditions. In a ULP, the only demand a union and its members can make is that the district bargain in good faith. As a result, the OEA is nominally on strike only because the districts latest proposal was supposedly confusing and incomplete.

OUSD and the school board have seized on OEAs weak and convoluted ULP justification, sending a series of emails to parents and communications to the press showcasing self-serving talking points from their latest proposal, delivered Wednesday, the night before the strike.

Michael, a seventh-grade humanities teacher at United for Success Academy (UFSA), described the reality of the social crisis facing many students in the deeply impoverished East Oakland. I have an average of a third-grade reading level for my seventh-grade students. Were here for these students. Were standing here, doing what were doing, fighting for the kids. Were trying to get them on par with the rest of the country, with the rest of Oakland, and its not happening.

Michael [Photo: WSWS]

Michael also noted that UFSA suffered a months-long rat infestation, which the district only recently attempted to resolve. Educators at Fremont High School noted that the air conditioning system was out for as long as twelve days during the fall heat wave of 2022. One teacher described bringing a carbon dioxide monitor into their poorly-ventilated classroom after noting unusual drowsiness and other symptoms of high carbon dioxide levels.

A striking physical education teacher at Fremont High School described the enormous class sizes educators are expected to teach. I have a class of 62. The insane part is they allow 50 students. I teach newcomers, so 50 of my students dont speak English. I do a lot of scaffolding. She expressed concern over the unions current demands, They [OEA] are not asking for lower PE class sizes this year.

Michael continued: In our low-income communities, this is the type of student that we have. I have about half my students with IEPs (individualized education plans), and this honestly is just not fair. We need services to make things better and to do whats right by these students. Its our responsibility to make sure the district is held accountable for providing these students what they need.

Michael described the extreme workloads facing staff such as psychologists, who are critical for ensuring students with individualized needs get the right support. When you look at the numbers of what each psychologist is asked to handle, case workers, were talking about case loads of 25 to 1 per day. The numbers are ridiculous.

Most of our school population is Latino, Michael continued, and theres a lot of interpretation that has to go on, a lot of translation. Theres a big number of newcomers [immigrants] coming in, and they get lost in the system. I have one student in particular whos been a newcomer student for four years now, and we just learned he doesnt know how to read or write. And now hes going to get thrown out of that system because its only four years that you can be in there and he has nowhere to go. These are the kinds of services were talking about, reading specialists. That kid actually speaks Mam [a Guatemalan indigenous language]. He doesnt speak Spanish, so we have bigger hurdles to go through.

Despite the clear need for an expansion of individualized educational services, the district recently eliminated the special day class for high-needs students at UFSA. They cut the class by emailing the parents saying they needed to find a new school. We found out when the parents came here crying, asking, Why is my kid being moved from this school? after they found a home, a place where they feel comfortable to come in every day. The district did send a person to help relocate the students, but he had no answers to their questions.

We also had cuts at our ELD [English language development] program, where the teachers were notified the day before spring break at 10 p.m. at night so there would be nobody to complain to.

Asked how teachers survive on their current salaries, Michael explained, Most teachers have side gigs. A lot of new teachers tend to live in shared apartments where they rent the room because they cant afford the rent. Its unlivable conditions. This is what were talking about, humanizing the actual process. You have to treat us like humans. We are one of the most expensive districts to live in in the Bay, but our teachers are the least paid.

Median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment in Oakland is $2,150 per month, or $25,800 per year, roughly half a new OUSD teachers starting salary of $52,905. The current district proposal would increase this to $63,604 per year by the end of the contract, still leaving starting teachers heavily rent-burdened. This pay increase is only a few percentage points off from the OEAs own proposal.

Teachers are leaving because they cant afford to stay here. And we need quality teachers to stay. These kids deserve to see the same faces every year, not come back and wonder whos next, or the teacher name on their record says vacancy. This is what the students see. This is not what we want to do.

Speaking of conditions facing paraeducators, who support teachers while making less than fast food employees, I really dont know how they do it. Their salary is horrible. I have much respect for them. A lot of them are single moms. Ive seen them when we have them here. And theyre smiling all the time. They come in and provide the individual support that teachers cant because were teaching. And then to go home to God knows what conditions.

Definitely we dont have enough [paraeducators]. I see a paraeducator in my class maybe two times a week. But I see the students with IEPs five times a week.

Resources clearly exist to fix crumbling classrooms, lower class sizes, hire enough teachers and other needed support staff and pay educators a dignified wage. At the drop of a hat, the Biden administration found tens of billions of dollars to fund its war against Russia in Ukraine and bail out faltering banks, and both parties have funneled trillions of dollars into Wall Street.

But a real fight to win needed funding for public education is incompatible with the bankrupt approach of the OEA bureaucracy, which is to limit and isolate teachers and to appeal for support from the same Democrats who, no less than Republicans, are attacking public education all over the country.

The way forward is for rank-and-file teachers to organize themselves independently of the bureaucracy and fight for rank-and-file control against the district, the union apparatus and the two-party system. There is clearly pent-up anger and frustration among Oakland teachers, many of whom carried out wildcat sickouts last month which shut down several schools. This opposition must be deepened and organized into a rank-and-file strike committee which does not accept the limited ULP framework and organizes teachers around clear demands based on what workers need, not what the district and the government say they can afford.

Most importantly, these committees must develop lines of communication with other teachers and workers, particularly educators in Los Angeles Unified School District, who are currently voting on a poverty contract. In addition, in the Bay Area, educators will find ready allies among health care workers, who continue to face crippling and traumatic workloads amid an ongoing pandemic, and 22,000 dockworkers, including those at the ports of Oakland and San Francisco, who have been without a contract for nearly a year.
Hundreds of troops have been deployed along both sides of the Chilean-Peruvian border to harass migrant families trapped in one of the driest and most inhospitable places on Earth. The migrant crisis led to clashes between migrants and Peruvian anti-riot police over the weekend.

The migrants are mostly Venezuelans trying to enter Peru and return to Venezuela, escaping the rising cost of living in Chile and a wave of anti-immigrant propaganda and policies promoted by the pseudo-left government of President Gabriel Boric. Numerous migrants, including Venezuelans and Peruvians, are also stuck in Tacna on the Peruvian side, trying to return to their jobs and families in Chile.

Hundreds of Peruvian soldiers kneeling at the border with Chile in Tacna, April 28, 2023. [Photo: @EjercitoPeru]

Since 2013, in one of the largest migrations in modern history, over 7 million Venezuelans left the country amid an economic crisis greatly exacerbated by US sanctions. The migrants trapped in Arica, on the Chilean side, also include workers from Haiti, Colombia, Ecuador and other countries.

In late February, Boric bowed to pressures from Chiles fascistic right and the media demanding the deployment of troops against migrants in the north and declared a 90-day state of emergency along the countrys borders with Peru and Bolivia. He also approved the pretrial detention of all undocumented migrants who were arrested, while the emboldened Chilean Congress is now discussing a bill that would turn irregular migration into a felony, with jail terms of up to 541 days.

Migrants are also facing a xenophobic crusade led by the Dina Boluarte regime in Peru, which came to power in a US-backed coup last December. On April 26, Boluarte decreed a state of emergency in all of Perus border regions and deployed the military to prevent migrants from entering, declaring it a matter of national defense.

Those carrying out assaults, robberies and other criminal acts are foreigners, she ranted during the announcement. Her regime is also expanding police deployments in the capital, Lima, and plans to change the Constitution to make military patrols along the borders permanent. A bill was also introduced in Congress that includes 10-year prison sentences for undocumented immigrants.

The migrant crisis is reigniting nationalist tensions along the contested border. The Chilean Foreign Ministry felt compelled to declare that there is an open dialogue with Peru to avoid a conflict. Only highlighting the danger, Chilean Senator Jose Miguel Insulza, who belongs to the ruling coalition, declared that this is not a military conflict.

Hours after these reassurances last week, the Chilean Foreign Ministry summoned the Peruvian ambassador to issue a diplomatic protest after the mayor of the Peruvian border city Tacna, Pascual Guisa, a right-wing former cop, attacked Boric on CNN as an unspeakable and irresponsible person.

Peruvian Prime Minister Alberto Otarola only added to the tensions later that day by saying: What we are asking President Boric and the other presidents is that they solve their problems and dont dump them in our country.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called upon the Chilean and Peruvian governments to resolve the crisis through dialogue. She said that some migrants have been stranded for three months, in many cases without food, water, shelter or medical care. Exacerbating an already perilous journey, these migrant families are largely living in tent camps along the border, exposed to the harsh heat during the day and freezing cold during the night.

The show of military force ostensibly against groups of unarmed families without enough money to bribe the policereportedly the Peruvian police are demanding $100 per person clearly has nothing to do with the migrants themselves but derives from the irresolvable crises faced by both regimes.

The main export of both countries is copper, and their main trading partner is China, while both are betting heavily on finding and exploiting lithium deposits. Control over these and other mineralskey for modern technology and peppered across this entire region has become a geopolitical imperative. Meanwhile, US imperialism is increasing its pressure on Latin America, which it considers its backyard, in an attempt to counter Chinas rising economic influence.

Rising US-China tensions, the war in Ukraine, the continuing pandemic, the reshuffling of supply chains for geopolitical and technological reasons and the effects of climate change paired with El Nino this year are all existential threats that expose the reactionary role of national borders.

As they have done for 50 years, the oligarchs in both countries are hammering on the same nail of privatizations, social cuts and deregulation to compete for foreign investments and loans while they point their fingers at and provoke tensions with their old national rivals.

The Chilean-Peruvian border was the scene of the War of the Pacific, fought in large measure over control of massive deposits of guano, or bird excrement, then highly valued as a fertilizer and for its use in the making of gunpowder. Chile won and took Arica and Tarapaca from Peru as well as Bolivias exit to the sea, along with the Atacama Desert.

While the direct involvement of Britain, the main colonial power at the time, is debated, British companies were heavily financing both governments with credits and had major stakes in the minerals. Meanwhile, the rising power of the United States had sought to stoke tensions and animosity against the British, with Secretary of State James G. Blaine promoting the one-sided narrative during the war that Chile was merely acting as an instrument for English capital.

Today, the conflicts between the US, the European powers, China and regional powers like Brazil are undoubtedly helping to fan the nationalist flames in what is already a new capitalist redivision of the globe.

There is no progressive justification for the existence of these separate nation-states. After the South American wars of independence against Spain (1810-1826), the local criollo landowning elites scuttled all attempts at forming regional federations, including wars against attempted confederations, in order to establish their own ties to European trade and credits.

Bolivia, formerly Alto Peru, and Chile were established to undermine the power of the leading post-colonial aristocracy in Peru. The rabid competition between these elites was illustrated by the fact that Bolivia shrank to about 40 percent of its original size from wars and pressures. Meanwhile, Diego Portales, one of Chiles founding fathers who led the war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, insisted on maintaining a dominant presence along the Pacific chiefly to subordinate Peru.

Such petty and reactionary calculationstoday founded upon selling minerals or managing cheap labor for transnational corporationsare still the basis for all nationalism in the region and are completely at odds with the interests of the Latin American working class.

The attacks against migrants and the border tensions today serve essentially four political needs of the capitalist ruling elites, as Boric and Boluarte follow similar right-wing agendas:

Firstly, national chauvinism aims at pitting workers against their most powerful allies, their class brothers and sisters who come from or live in other countries. Having formed connections with various countries and cultures, migrant workers and their families are a critical contingent for the indispensable coordination of all future struggles across borders.

The national isolation of the recent mass struggles in Chile and Peru against social inequality and militarized repressionan isolation enforced by workers real enemies among the nationalist union bureaucrats, politicians and their pseudo-left apologistswas the main cause for their failure to win any improvements for workers.

Secondly, migrants and neighboring countries are being scapegoated to divert responsibility for the deepening social crisis away from the corrupt and dependent ruling elites at home.

Thirdly, these attacks serve to mobilize a political constituency among fascistic and politically disoriented sections of the middle class and within the state apparatus itself. Boric, whose approval rating fell below 30 percent, and Boluarte with 15 percent approval are both deeply hated and find it necessary to rely on such reactionary social layers for their ongoing attacks against the working class.

And lastly, the xenophobia serves to justify autocratic rule in the form of states of emergency that have suspended democratic rights and seen troop deployments since at least 2019, when they were used against a massive wave of strikes and demonstrations in Chile, as well as against roadblocks mounted by indigenous communities against mining transnationals in Peru.

While letting the virus run rampant, the COVID-19 pandemic was used as a cover to rule by decree and maintain threatening deployments of police and soldiers. Then, quickly dispensing with any democratic pretensions, the pseudo-left presidents Pedro Castillo in Peru and Gabriel Boric in Chile responded to renewed protests and strikes against the rising cost of living last year by deploying soldiers and riot police, with Castillo declaring a state of emergency in the capital Lima. Boric also continued an ongoing state of emergency and troop deployment to terrorize indigenous communities that have seized lands in southern Chile.

After Castillo was overthrown in a parliamentary coup backed by the United States last December, the Boluarte regime employed states of emergency to crush the nationwide protests against the coup. The state of emergency in the Puno region next to the Bolivian border had not ended before it was renewed by Boluarte last week.

Only a few weeks before confronting migrants on the border, the same troops and police had used live ammunition to massacre young workers and peasants protesting the coup.

It is worth recalling that, while seeking to pit workers against each other, the ruling elites have long collaborated in suppressing the workers movement. In 1978, Peru joined the Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and other South America regimes in Operation Condor, which at the time was being run out of the American military base in Panama. The security forces in all countries collaborated closely to kidnap and kill left-wing workers, youth and intellectuals.

In the most infamous episode involving Peru, the government collaborated with Argentinas Battalion 601 death squad in June 1980 in capturing and torturing a group of Montoneros at a Peruvian military base. A 601 member explained to the US Embassy in Buenos Aires, Once in Argentina they will be interrogated and then permanently disappeared. The story leaked to the media, which led to a change of plans. The body of one of the abductees, Noemi Gianotti de Molfia founder of the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo was found in an apartment in Madrid, while the other bodies were never found.
We encourage educators, students, and parents in the Detroit area who have stories, experiences or information they wish to share on this outbreak or other school conditions to contact the WSWS Educators Newsletter and get involved in the fight to save lives!

The Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) announced on Wednesday the emergency closure of Marcus Garvey Academy after a Kindergarten student tragically died from an unknown illness. Focus: HOPE Center for Children, a second unrelated daycare facility, also was forced to close, as sickness spread to at least 25 children.

At least two other elementary school children have been hospitalized in the past week and dozens more have been reported sick. School officials are reporting that the medical examiner has not yet determined the cause of death of the kindergartener from Garvey Academy. There is currently scant information on the child who died, though some reports say the death occurred last week, prompting the obvious question of why it has taken so long for the schools to be closed.

The DPSCD has done little to inform parents of the details of the crisis, let alone provide an adequate response to keep students and staff safe in the infected schools and the district at large.

What is known about the current cluster of infections, or at least what is being made known to the public, is minimal: the illness seems to currently be limited to young children, 47 years old specifically. Those who have experienced more severe illness reported feeling lethargic and had high fever and/or headaches. Other children vomited, felt nausea and had abdominal pain, according to local reports.

On Thursday morning Focus: HOPE reported that 17 cases at their day care have been identified as hand, foot and mouth disease, a common childrens virus causing sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. However, at this point nothing has been issued from the Detroit Health Department confirming this report.

The department was made aware of the eruption of illness in the first school on Monday of this week, and the second school on Tuesday. However, officials with the Detroit Health Department have reported that the group of infections first spread through multiple classrooms at an elementary school in mid-April.

Neither the Detroit Health Department nor the school district mentions COVID-19 at all in their initial messages to parents. The official district communication states that they are examining an unusually high rate of flu symptoms among students, specifically in early-grade-level students. The health department merely refers to an increase in illness.

Whether or not this cluster of illness turns out to be COVID-19if such information is even ever disclosedthe cowardice and duplicity of DPSCD regarding the lives of children and the school staff are on full display in this crisis.

The school district, which was fully complicit in the forced reopening of schools at the height of the pandemic, is once again pandering to the needs of the political establishment and not the children it claims to protect. It is no coincidence that they are attributing the crisis to a mysterious flu-like illness just one week before President Joe Biden revokes the public health emergency which has been in place since the start of the pandemic.

As for the union, there has been virtually no communication on the matter. In fact, teachers posting on social media report that they discovered the news of the kindergarten death, along with the school closures, from the news media.

Venessa Dawson, admin for DPS Warriors Fight Back, expressed the sentiments of most teachers in a recent post:

What in the hexxxxx is going on? A Kindergartener from Garvey has died with some type of infection. A second school is said to have closed as well!What is it and apparently its spreading. No email or warning from Vittinothing. We have to find out from the news. We are seeing a ton of students sick and the district is not supplying any more PPE. My poor babies are asking for masks. When a child coughs or sneezes, everyone is uncomfortable. I AM SICK OF THIS NEGLECT!

Outrage is quickly spreading among educators, parents and community members throughout the district who are once again gravely concerned about the well-being of their students, children and the broader community. Many parents have raised the obvious concern that children with siblings who attend other schools, which are not closing, are at high risk of spreading the illness to those schools and rapidly escalating the scale of the crisis.

One tweet on the crisis has received tens of thousands of views and hundreds of retweets and likes. One user commented, What has happened to our CDC? Covid is still novel with very little confirmed information on the long-term health effects or why random people die from it. Kids, elderly, obese, immune compromised, developmentally delayed. Every demographic is affected with no common denominator.

Another wrote: What kind of society doesnt do everything in its power to protect young and innocent children from danger? So disheartening.

Commenting on the entirety of the COVID response in schools, another wrote: Since when was May considered flu season?? Honestly its just beyond disgusting at this point. Our kids have been failed for the last 3 years and it looks set to continue.

One concerned teacher from Cass Technical High School spoke to the WSWS on the issue, saying, Children are dying because almost nothing is being done. When asked about Biden planning to end all mitigation measures in one week because the government maintains the pandemic is over, she said, I didnt get the memo on the pandemic. The pandemic is not over. People are still getting sick.

She continued: I personally [believe] people should be wearing a mask at the end of the day its all about the money. They want us to be in the classrooms so that parents can be at work.

Referring to the political system, she added, Regardless of which party both parties do not care if it is not going to benefit them.

DPSCD has reported that the two closed schools are undergoing a deep clean using industrial strength cleaning solutions and are scheduled to reopen Monday, May 8. However, a deep cleaning will do nothing to guard against the spread of diseases such as COVID-19, which spread through the air, a process referred to as aerosolization. The deep cleaning, while no doubt necessary in the underfunded Detroit school system, is primarily a measure taken to justify getting kids back in classrooms.

Moreover the ongoing layoffs of Detroit teachers and support staff will mean even more children packed in together as class sizes increase.

Workers, and in particular school workers and parents, have been through an enormous experience over the course of the pandemic. The forced reopening of schools during the height of COVID was a central pillar of the broader campaign, backed by both political parties and the teachers unions, to place profit over lives and reopen the economy, no matter the costs.

The devastating and deadly impact that these decisions have had on society are still being unearthed.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) earlier this year shows that COVID-19 is in fact still a leading cause of death among children ages 019 in the United States.

This study analyzed death certificates of children and young people in the United States between August 1, 2021, and July 31, 2022. Researchers found that COVID-19 ranked eighth among all causes of death, fifth in disease-related causes of death (excluding unintentional injuries, suicide and assault), and first in deaths caused by infectious or respiratory disease.

The findings explode the myth, once again, that COVID-19 is mild in children and that it is nothing more than the flu. Moreover these deaths are continuing today. According to Data Tracker, 2,032 children ages 017 have died from COVID-19, 57 of whom were added in January 2023 alone.

Given that school districts across the country are under immense pressure to not report or properly investigate possible COVID-19 outbreak, such as in the circumstances unfolding in Detroit, there is no doubt that the death toll is even higher than the official figures reveal.

The fact of the matter is that we are only just beginning to understand the full impact of COVID-19 on children.

Among children, the CDC has found that those previously infected with COVID-19 were at higher risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions affecting the lungs, heart, veins and kidneys. Additionally, over 9,300 children have been afflicted with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), a serious condition associated with COVID-19.

What the unfolding events in Detroit reveal is that all the underlying motives which drove the disastrous response to the COVID-19 pandemic on a world scale persist today. The response of DPSCD, the Detroit Health Department and the trade union apparatus is criminal and insufficient. The schools must be closed until the mystery illness is understood and eradicated!

If the lives of educators, students and the broader community are to be protected, there must be a fight organized independently of the trade unions and both political parties.

This fight is already well underway in the Detroit area. We urge all those who wish to get involved to contact the WSWS Educators Newsletter and get involved in the fight to save lives!
The 1619 Project, launched in 2019 by the New York Times, sought to rewrite American history in the service of contemporary domestic identity politics. While it was promoted as a supposedly anti-racist endeavor and part of a national reckoning with race, it was subjected to rigorous criticism on the World Socialist Web Site in collaboration with leading historians of American history, both in terms of the projects factual inaccuracies as well as its racialist method. As the controversy attracted national attention, project author Nikole Hannah-Jones responded on social media by implying that these criticisms were motivated by anti-black racism.

It is worth revisiting this controversy in light of the New York Times subsequent coverage of the war in Ukraine. This coverage has been marked by repeated efforts to legitimize the racialist ideology of the US-backed Ukrainian nationalists, who are playing a central role in the escalating proxy war that is now well into its second year.

Last month, the Times reached a new low with the publication of an article that can only be described as the opposite of anti-racist. The April 18 article by London-based reporter Emma Bubola, When Freezing Sperm Makes a Patriotic Statement, celebrates Ukrainian men who are preserving Ukrainian bloodlines by freezing their sperm, which the Times hails as patriotic and an act of defiance against Russia.

For many Ukrainians, Bubola writes, the idea of saving soldiers sperm is at once personal and patriotic  It leaves open the possibility, at least, of preserving Ukrainian bloodlines even as the Kremlin insists that Ukrainian statehoodand by extension Ukrainians as a separate peopleis a fiction.

The phrase preserving Ukrainian bloodlines appears in the article without irony, qualification or quotation marks. Indeed, the whole thrust of the passage in context is that Ukrainians, in fact, are a separate people, contrary to the claims of the Kremlin.

Behind this talk of Ukrainian bloodlines and Ukrainians as a separate people is an utterly toxic racialist ideology that was developed by the Ukrainian fascists parallel to German and other European fascist movements in the period leading up to the Second World War. The idea, which the Times does not dare to say out loud, is that pure Ukrainian blood will be corrupted if it is mixed with the blood of impure or subhuman people, including Russians, Jews or Roma people who are not part of the Ukrainian national identity being extolled by the Times.

The editors of the Times know very well that the government-backed bloodline-preserving endeavor they are celebrating is tainted by precisely that brand of poison. In the service of war propaganda, the Times not only conceals the hateful subtext but actively glorifies these conceptions, which have their American counterpart in the racist great replacement theory promoted by figures such as former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson. The Times passes this filth on to American readers with an approving quote from a Ukrainian politician who claims that it represents a continuation of our gene pool.

The Times glorification of efforts at preserving Ukrainian bloodlines is not an isolated incident. Throughout its propaganda campaign in support of the escalating US intervention in the war, the Times has relentlessly promoted the efforts of far-right forces in control of Ukraines government to codify anti-Russian xenophobia into law. This includes a massive ongoing effort to erase Russian words and names from cities, streets and schoolsan effort on such a scale that, if it had been undertaken by a US adversary like China, the Times would not have hesitated to label it as genocide.

On April 22, for example, the Times reported with approval the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had signed two laws that strictly reinforce his countrys national identity, banning Russian place names and making knowledge of Ukrainian language and history a requirement for citizenship.

In the course of the article, the Times reported the renaming of Leo Tolstoy street in Kiev. The Ukrainian authorities renamed the street in March to Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi Street, after a reactionary tsarist general who seized power in Ukraine in 1918 with the assistance of German imperialism.

Born in the Russian Empire (of which Ukraine was then a part) in 1828, Tolstoy was a pacifist, humanist and sharp critic of tsarist society who was excommunicated by the Russian Orthodox Church. He is known as the author of one of the masterpieces of Russian and world literature, the novel War and Peace.

Skoropadskyi, an anti-Bolshevik aristocrat, was a pathological anti-Semite. He publicly denounced the parasitical tendencies of Jewry, and his regime, backed by German imperialism, encouraged the distribution of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. He later fled to Germany, where he lived comfortably throughout the Nazi era before being killed in an Allied air strike in 1945.

Reporting that Tolstoy street had been renamed to Skoropadskyi street, the Times deliberately concealed from its readers the fact that Tolstoys replacement was a vicious racist. Instead, the newspaper dishonestly attempted to sidestep this history by presenting Skoropadskyi parenthetically as a Ukrainian leader from the early 20th century.

Imagine if the US government passed a law requiring all streets, cities and institutions in America with Spanish names to be renamed, beginning with the cities of El Paso and Los Angelesand they were renamed instead after racist Confederate generals. In Ukraine, no less reactionary policies have the full-throated support of the New York Times.

This conscious effort to normalize the Ukrainian far-right has characterized all of the Times coverage of the conflict. The Times has repeatedly hailed Ukraines Azov Battalion as heroes at the forefront of Ukraines war effort, frequently featuring Azov soldiers in photos on its front pages. The Times conceals the battalions fascist origins from readers. (The founder of the battalion, Andriy Biletsky, for example, claimed in 2010 that the Ukrainian nations mission is to lead the white races of the world in a final crusade  against Semite-led Untermenschen [subhumans].)

In the same vein, the Times has repeatedly quoted without criticism or qualification the use of the slur orcs by Ukrainian military figures. This slur is an overt invocation of the Nazi trope of Russians as subhuman, but the Times attempts to normalize it, embracing it in August of last year as a derogatory term many Ukrainians reserve for Russian soldiers.

The linguistic style employed by the Times is fundamentally dishonest, designed to convey a false sense of lofty journalistic neutrality. If El Paso was renamed after Jefferson Davis, would the Times describe the president of the Confederate States of America in parentheses as an American leader from the 19th century? Would the Times describe a racial slur used by a government official in the US as merely a derogatory term many Americans reserve for minorities?

It should be recalled that the 1619 Project provided the ideological justification for a wave of lynch-mob style attacks on monuments to progressive American historical figures such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. In the wake of the publication of the 1619 Project, statues were vandalized and in many cases removed by local authorities.

American revolutionaries and abolitionists had to be canceled as the Times fanned the flames of historical ignorance and racial resentment, seeking to create favorable conditions for the Democratic Party to make an appeal based on identity politics. One memorable column in July 2020 by the Times Charles Blow shouted that statues to George Washington should abso-fricking-lutely come down.

But on the subject of canceling historical figures, the Times raised no objection to renaming Tolstoy street to Skoropadskyi street, and has likewise raised no objection to the construction of public statues in Ukraine to Stepan Bandera, a Nazi collaborator, war criminal and Holocaust perpetrator.

Members of various nationalist parties carry torches and a portrait of Stepan Bandera during a rally in Kiev, Ukraine, Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022. [AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky]

A large statue to Bandera currently stands in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, for example, where one of the prominent streets has also been renamed in his honor. The Times is evidently in no hurry for that statue to come down, or for Ukraine to have any kind of national reckoning with that history.

If one puts the Times 1619 Project of 2019 side-by-side with its Ukraine Project of 2022-2023, one is confronted with: Down with statues of Jefferson and Lincolnand up with statues of Skoropadskyi and Bandera! Down with monuments to revolutionaries and abolitionists! Up with monuments to Nazi collaborators and anti-Semites!

So much for the anti-racism of the New York Times! After all of the fanfare and self-congratulation around the 1619 Project, the Times anti-racism turns out to be upside-down, superficial and arbitraryto be turned on or off like a faucet, and to be invoked or ignored when it is politically expedient.

Lincoln was portrayed by the 1619 Project as a hopeless bigot, regardless of the fact that he signed the Emancipation Proclamation that freed four million people from slavery and transformed the Civil War into a social revolution. Jefferson, too, was canceled, notwithstanding his famous universal declaration of human equalitythat all men are created equal. But when the Times turns its attention to Ukraine, fascists and racists like Skoropadskyi and Bandera are given a free pass.

Stepan Bandera Monument in Lviv [AP Photo/Bernat Armangue]

Despite all of the contradictions on the surface, at a more profound level there is more to these positions than mere hypocrisy. The ease with which the Times has aligned itself with the Ukrainian far-right is a reflection of deeper issues involved in the controversy over the 1619 Projectand confirms the assessment of the project made by the World Socialist Web Site.

Notwithstanding the left pretensions of many who endorsed the 1619 Project within and around the Democratic Party, the World Socialist Web Site insisted throughout the controversy that the politics of racial division are inevitably right-wing, inherently anti-democratic and inescapably serve reactionary ends.

The very first essay published by the World Socialist Web Site regarding the 1619 Project by David North, Niles Niemuth and Tom Mackaman took up the claim by Hannah-Jones in the series introduction that all of American history is rooted in uncontrollable race hatred of black people by white people. Specifically, according to Hannah-Jones, anti-black racism runs in the very DNA of this country.

This is a false and dangerous conception, the essay explained. Not only is the analogy to biology inappropriate in this context, it amounts to an idealist and irrationalist approach to history, deriving a historical narrative from the existence of a supra-historical emotional impulse, namely intrinsic racial hatred.

The essay continued, This irrational and scientifically absurd claim serves to legitimize the reactionary viewentirely compatible with the political perspective of fascismthat blacks and whites are hostile and incompatible species (emphasis added).

In his lecture to the 2021 Socialist Equality Party Summer School regarding the 1619 Project controversy, Tom Mackaman insisted that the position that human beings are pitted in never-ending struggle based on the mythological category of race has, in the past century, provided the ideological justification for the murder of tens of millions all over the world.

Indeed, when Hannah-Jones turned her attention to historical events that took place outside the US, the results of the application of her racialist method were highly offensive and downright horrific.

At a lecture at New York University following the publication of the 1619 Project, Hannah-Jones claimed that because substantially all of the Jews in Germany perished in the Holocaust, it eliminated the source of the underlying racial conflict. As a result, she asserted, anti-Semitism has allegedly disappeared in Germany. Hannah-Jones contrasted Germany with the United States, where, she implied, racial resentment still exists because white people and black people still have to interact with each other.

It goes without saying that these are sentiments with which the foulest Ukrainian neo-Nazi would enthusiastically agree. In this sense, it is no accident that the newspaper that attempted to place race at the very center of our national narrative in 2019 would go on in the next breath to align itself with Ukrainian nationalists who valorize the Nazi SS.

Last year, the Times published findings that Tucker Carlson had invoked the racist great replacement theory in more than 400 episodes of his Fox News show. The Times would do well to count the number of times that attempts to normalize the Ukrainian far-right have appeared in its own pages.

The alignment between the New York Times and the Ukrainian far-right is a confirmation of everything the World Socialist Web Site has published on the subject of the 1619 Project. These criticisms involved more than just pointing out factual errors in the projectalthough there were certainly many. On a more fundamental level, the racialist historical revisionism of the Times and the racialist ideology of the Ukrainian neo-Nazis share a common premise: the mythological reimagining of history as a struggle of the nation and the race. It was this essentially reactionary historical and political content of the 1619 Project to which the World Socialist Web Site correctly objected in 2019.

A categorical break from that reactionary premise is necessary for any genuine struggle to confront and eliminate racismas well as for the defense of historical truth, and for building a united global movement to reverse the descent towards another world war.


The provocative and criminal actions of the security forces are bringing the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to fever pitch, with analysts predicting a new Palestinian intifada, or uprising.

In the last days, security forces have killed at least four Palestinians they allege have killed Israeli citizens, without even attempting to arrest, formally charge them and bring them before the courts.

A Palestinian walks by a building hit by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Since the fighting began last week, the Israeli military has launched hundreds of airstrikes it says are targeting Hamas' militant infrastructure, while Palestinian militants have fired thousands of rockets into Israel. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

These now routine executions carried out during mass raid operations that terrorise the local population dispense with all the norms of bourgeois justice, including innocent till proven guilty. They are upheld by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahus far-right coalition, all factions of the Zionist political elitesecular and religiousand Israels judicial system, including the Supreme Court.

On Thursday morning, 200 soldiers, including undercover units, raided the old city of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, shooting and killing Muath Masri, Ibrahim Jabr and Hasan Qatnani and wounding four others. The three men were members of the Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated group that controls the besieged enclave of Gaza. It was just one of Israels near-daily assassination raids in the West Bank.

A military spokesperson claimed that two of the men had carried out the shooting attack in the Jordan Valley on April 7 that killed an Israeli-British woman and two of her daughters who lived in a nearby settlementone of around 200 settlements built on Palestinian land illegal under international lawsbut were silent about the third and the two that were wounded. The Qassam Brigades said that the shooting of the three women was in retaliation for Israeli assaults on worshippers at the al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem during Ramadan.

According to the Palestine Red Crescent Society, some 166 people were injured during Wednesdays raid, mostly from tear gas inhalation, while four people were hit by live fire. The intensity of the raid and the fierce clashes with Palestinian fighters forced schools to suspend classes.

Also on Wednesday, Israel fired missiles on Gaza, killing 58-year-old Hashil Mubarak and injuring five others in Gaza City, belying Tel Avivs claim that the 16 targets were militia military sites. The Israeli attack followed rocket fire from Gaza that injured three foreign nationals in the southern town of Sderot. Gazas rockets came in response to the death Tuesday of 44-year-old Palestinian prisoner Khader Adnan, who had been on hunger strike for 86 days in protest against his detention in an Israeli jail.

People passing by a Khader Adnan stencil on a wall by Manara square, Ramallah, 23 Feb. 2012

Adnan, from the West Bank village of Arraba near Jenin, was well-known for his defiance of the Israeli authorities, having spent about eight years in detention, mostly without charge or trial. He had gone on hunger strikes on six occasions25 days in 2004, 66 days in 2011 and 2012, 55 days in 2015, 58 days in 2018 and 25 days in 2021to obtain his release.

Such orders for detention without charge or trial, typically issued for six-month periods, can be renewed indefinitely, while attorneys are not allowed to see the evidence against them. The number of Palestinians now being held without charge or trial has soared to more than 1,000, the highest since the second intifada, according to the Israeli advocacy group HaMoked.

This time, an Israeli military court charged Adnan with terror-related offences, accusing him of being a senior member of a proscribed organization, Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Despite a near 100 percent conviction rate for Palestinians in Israels military courts, Adnan had had no trial.

He died after being denied medical treatment or visits from his family, while a military appeals court refused his release just days before his death. The prison authorities lyingly claimed he had refused medical treatment.

Adnans death prompted widespread anger in the West Bank, with several towns and cities declaring general strikes. He is the first Palestinian to die during a hunger strike in almost 40 years, bringing to 237 the number of Palestinian prisoners who have died in Israeli custody since 1967.

Israel has thus far refused to hand over his body to his family for burialalong with the bodies of hundreds of Palestinians who either died in prison or were killed during security incidents, a policy nodded through by the Supreme Court in 2019.

Last month, Al-Haq and Addameer, two leading Palestinian human rights organizations, provided evidence to the UN Human Rights Councils Special Rapporteur about Israels torturous, cruel and degrading treatment of Palestinian prisoners and efforts to hide these crimes. They said that medical staff in Israeli prisons give the go ahead to interrogate Palestinian detainees, ignoring the evidence of torture on their bodies. They highlighted the Israeli governments limitations on medical treatment that had caused the deaths of prisoners over the years.

Israels fascistic minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvir, has stepped up the brutal treatment of Palestinian prisoners, limiting the time they can use the showers; serving them stale and frozen bread; conducting frequent raids and searches of cells and increasing the use of solitary confinement. A Bill is currently going through parliament that would allow the execution of Palestinians who kill Israelis.

On Thursday, in a separate incident, soldiers shot and killed a young woman, 26-year-old Iman Ziyad Odeh, claiming she had stabbed a soldier, who was slightly wounded in the incident, in the town of Huwara, near Nablus. In February, Huwara was the scene of a pogrom-like rampage by hundreds of Israeli settlers after two Israelis were shot dead as they drove through the town.

It is not just the armed forces and police that act as judges and executioners. Israeli civilians living in the settlements in the occupied West Bank do tooand with impunity. The UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recorded at least 2,955 settler attacks, in which at least 22 Palestinians were killed, and at least 1,258 others injured, between 2010 and 2019, with just seven percent of settler attacks leading to criminal charges and only 3 percent of investigations leading to a conviction, according to Yesh Din, an Israeli human rights organisation.

In the four months of this year, the Israeli army has killed at least 102 Palestinians, 20 of them children, while settlers have killed five Palestinians. At least 19 Israelis, one Ukrainian and one Italian have been killed over the same period.

None of this is enough for Israel fascistic leaders. The Jewish Power leader Ben Gvir branded the militarys response feeble and ordered his far-right Otzma Yehudit faction to boycott the Knesset votes on Wednesday in protest at the weak response in Gaza. Other right-wing leaders criticized the government saying, We will pay for weak policy.

Netanyahu echoed these sentiments, praising the military for settling the score in Nablus, making clear that the aim was to not to arrest the Palestinians but kill them. Our message to those who harm us and those trying to harm us is that it may take a day, a week or a month, but be sure that well settle the score with you, he said. It doesnt matter where you try to hide, well find you. Whoever harms us forfeits his life.

Opposition National Unity party leader Benny Gantz denounced Netanyahu for his weak leadership, while boasting about the previous government of change when he headed the defence ministry in relation to the Palestinians and Gaza. His remarks underscore that the self-proclaimed leaders of the social protests opposing Netanyahus judicial coup have no essential differences with Israels far right government.

The Palestinians in Israel and the occupied territories remain under savage military repression and brazen vigilante and settler violenceall upheld by Israels Supreme Court. It is impossible to defend democratic rights for Jewish Israelis at the same time as defending military dictatorship in the West Bank and Gaza.

The main task is to overcome the reactionary Zionist leadership of the protest movement and fight to unite Arab and Jewish workers in a common struggle to defend jobs, living standards and democratic rights, including the national rights of the Palestinian people. This can only be done based on the programme and perspective of international socialism.
Apparently the 2023 Annual Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Conference that was hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from April 24 to 27 in its hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, with more than 2,000 in attendance, has turned into a COVID superspreader event. The four-day event held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, free and open to the public, was billed as a showcase for recent groundbreaking investigations and innovative analyses conducted by EIS officers [during the COVID pandemic].

Begrudgingly, the CDC reported to the Georgia Department of Health, which has jurisdiction over the state, including the premises where the conference was held, that at least 35 cases of coronavirus infections among attendees had been documented so far. Given the lack of systematic monitoring and the brief time that has passed since the event, this figure must represent only a minute fraction of those infected.

The cover of the EIS 2023 program. [Photo: CDC]

The very same CDC intelligence officers whose work was being highlighted at the conference, known colloquially as disease detectives, have initiated an internal investigation into the outbreak.

According to the attendees, many, presumably a significant majority, were not masking or maintaining social distance nor adhering to any of the precautions that the CDC had previously recommended. Given that infections with coronavirus can result in severe health issues if not death, the result is worse than hypocritical or embarrassing. It is tantamount to ineptitude and professional negligence on the part of the CDC for the well-being of the attendees and the public.

And it raises a further question: If the top officials of the CDC are so casual and indifferent to the health of their own employees and close associates, what is their real attitude to the health and well-being of the American people as a whole?

On word of infections among attendees just a few days prior to the official announcement of the outbreak, CDC public affairs specialist, Kristen Nordlund, had contemptuously dismissed the suggestion of a superspreader event when she told the Washington Post, These cases are reflective of general spread in the community. Its not news that public health employees can get COVID-19.

Taking on a more cautious tone on Tuesday, Nordlund in an email to the Post, wrote, The CDC is working with the Georgia Department of Health to conduct a rapid epidemiologic assessment of confirmed COVID-19 cases that appear to be connected to the 2023 EIS Conference to determine transmission patterns.

Speaking with The Hill, she downplayed the event and covered for the agency, noting, Whenever there are large gatherings, especially indoors, such as at a conference, there is the possibility of COVID-19 spread, even in periods of low community spread.

These statements and actions by the elite public health agency raise important questions and considerations.

Foremost, if there arent any real-time trackings taking place, how do they know what the level of community spread really is in Atlanta, or anywhere else in the country for that matter? Why werent strict infectious disease protocols in place and participants made to adhere to them? Were high-quality masks even made available to everyone and potential risks enumerated to encourage their use? What of HEPA filters and UV lights?

Additionally, if the CDC is opening an investigation into the outbreak at their own conference, will they recommend similar investigations at other events, part of the standard track-and-trace process conducted by epidemiologists in similar outbreaks?

At the recent Drake Relays in Iowa, with over 5,000 high school, college and elite-level competitors and 40,000 fans in attendance, some 76 Drake students have now tested positive. What guidance should the university be given as students are preparing to take their finals before the summer break begins?

In Detroit, a kindergarten student at Garvey Academy recently died of an unspecified flu-like illness, leading to the schools closure. Health Department officials are investigating an unusually high rate of flu symptoms among younger students. Although there was no public mention of COVID-19, the CDC should be seeking the pathogen involved in this outbreak.

The CDC investigation into the superspreader event in Atlanta is simply an effort at damage control. Despite more than 250 people dying each day from COVID-19, which remains one of the top killers of Americans, with the deadline for the ending of the public health emergency on May 11 fast approaching, news media after news media are confirming that the CDC will scale back COVID-19 reporting requirements.

Specifically, the agency will make optional the listed data fields that hospitals must report, including: (1) hospitalized pediatric cases with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, (2) hospitalized and ventilated COVID-19 patients, (3) total ICU adults suspected or confirmed with COVID-19, (4) hospital-onset COVID-19 cases, and (5) previous days total emergency room visits and COVID-related visits. Additionally, the reporting requirements will shift to once a week, and the enforcement period of compliance will change from 14 days to 28 days.

The CDC and the entire public health apparatus are abiding by the wishes of the financial institutions that have given the White House their marching orders. That is the determinant of policy, not the CDCs professed obligation as an institution for developing and applying disease prevention and control.

Despite emerging data of the infective and severe nature of the latest Omicron XBB.1.16 now spreading through South Asia and India, in particular, it is doing everything in its power to shut down all surveillance trackers on the pandemic leaving the public to fend for itself.

As infectious disease specialist and population health professor at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Jay Varma, recently noted, This is, unfortunately the new normal. While it is unsettling to see widespread COVID-19 transmission at CDCs premier public health conference, its probably the clearest example of the global situation.

The Biden administration plans to end COVID-19 vaccine requirements for federal workers, federal contractors and international air travelers. In conjunction with moves, the White House announced that HHS (Health and Human Services) and DHS (Department of Homeland Security) will start the process to end their vaccination requirements for Head Start educators, CMS-certified healthcare facilities, and certain noncitizens at the land border.

In the statement, the White House concluded: While vaccination remains one of the most important tools in advancing the health and safety of employees and promoting the efficiency of workplaces, we are now in a different phase of our response when these measures are no longer necessary.

The question emerging from these developments moving forward is what does this mean for the working class, considering the continuously spawning of newer subvariants that are both more contagious and remain extremely immune-evading, even as governments around the world have abdicated any responsibility for fighting the pandemic?

In a critical modeling study conducted by Arijit Chakravarty and colleagues at Fractal Therapeutics titled The Gray Swan: model-based assessment of the risk of sudden failure of hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2, the authors attempt to offer an answer to this question. For clarification, hybrid immunity promoted by the CDC and the White House means the combination of infection-induced and vaccine-induced immunity as though it affords greater protection than either alone. It has been part of the evolving approach by the ruling elites to force the public to accept high levels of infections despite prior vaccinations.

Arijit Chakravarty [Photo: Arijit Chakravarty]

However, with the end of vaccine mandates and removal of nonpharmaceutical interventions like masking, social distancing, quarantining and isolation, and the continuing rapid evolution of the viral spike proteins that evade neutralizing antibodies, the number of annual infections in the hundreds of millions could undermine the notion of hybrid immunity.

The continuing evolution of immune evasion will mean a higher infection mortality ratio. If immune evasion did not develop through mutation and thus undermine a robust hybrid immunity, there would still over 80,000 deaths annually. Because mutation leads to newer subvariants and increased immune evasion, even if disease severity is not increased, this could lead to the tripling of infections, which would translate to almost a quarter million deaths annually.

The study authors modeled COVID-19 outcomes under conditions of variant emergence. They continued, We evaluated the impact of sudden shifts in neutralizing antibody potency driven by viral evolution accompanied by possible changes in the viral reproduction number. They noted, [i]mmune evasion can significantly increase the apparent fatality rate of reinfections.

It is precisely here that vaccine compliance could blunt rates of infection and severity of disease. However, without the means to track virus evolution and the number of infections or to mitigate, let alone, eliminate the virus, such dangers are inevitable.

The authors concluded, The findings presented here are broadly consistent with previously published work by us, where we showed that even small changes in the infection fatality ratio under endemic conditions could lead to large death tolls. Here, we have extended that work by demonstrating behavior under excursions from endemicity. We have examined a specific mechanism (antigenic shift leading to large evolutionary decrease in neutralizing antibody binding potency) and found it leads to increased mortality via a transient change in the infection fatality ratio or via a spike in the total number of cases.

A preprint study from India on the clinical presentation of XBB.1.16 infections among 386 such cases showed a high rate of symptomatic infections (92 percent). Close to 92 percent had previously received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines. A quarter required hospitalizations, with a third of these cases requiring oxygen therapy. There were seven deaths among this group (2.5 percent), who were all 60 years or older. Although the number of infections in the period of study is not known, it offers a first glimpse into the nature of these newer subvariants.

The precautionary principleavoiding any new initiative whose negative consequences are unknowncontinues to apply, regardless of the decisions emanating from the CDC and the White House. The virus continues to remain a dangerous public health pathogen. The ending of the public health emergency will only offer more leeway in SARS-CoV-2s evolutionary drive to grow stronger and more vaccine-resistant and wreak havoc on the populations health.
Florida executed Darryl B. Barwick on Wednesday at the state prison in Bradford County. Barwick, 56, was convicted and sentenced to death for the March 1986 murder of Rebecca Wendt, 24, in Panama City.

Barwicks execution follows those of Florida death row inmates Donald Dillbeck, 56, on February 23, and Louis Gaskin, 56, on April 12. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the three mens execution warrants, ending a more than three-year hiatus on state-sanctioned killings in the state. The US Supreme Court denied the appeals of all three men, allowing their executions to go forward.

Darryl B. Barwick [Photo: Florida Department of Corrections]

The rush to carry out executions by DeSantis, who is positioning himself as the prime challenger to Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, is in keeping with legislation he has signed recently to prohibit abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy and a constitutional carry measure that eliminates the need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

The Associated Press (AP) reports that after being brought into the death chamber on Wednesday, Barwick stated, I cant explain why I did what I did. Its time to apologize to the family ... Im sorry. The AP reports that Barwick said that the state needs to show more compassion and kindness for people, criticizing Floridas sentencing of teenagers to life in prison. Barwick was 19 when he murdered Wendt.

Barwick died by lethal injection on Wednesday. He received a sedative at 6:02 p.m. and closed his eyes several minutes later, according to AP. He was pronounced dead at 6:14 p.m. after receiving the last of three chemicals used in the lethal injection protocol. Since January 2000, Florida has allowed a choice for condemned prisoners between the electric chair and lethal injection.

Barwick had confessed to killing Wendt, having followed her back to her apartment after watching her sunbathe. Barwick had been released less than three months earlier from prison for raping a 21-year-old woman. He was linked to the murder by DNA and footprints at the scene as well as by a witness who saw him heading toward and then leaving the womans apartment.

Barwick was convicted in November 1986 of first-degree murder, armed burglary, attempted sexual battery and armed robbery and sentenced to death two months later, on the 9-3 recommendation of the jury. His conviction was thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court due to prosecutorial misconduct. Barwick was convicted again at his 1992 retrial and that jury unanimously recommended a death sentence.

Until 2016, only a simple 7-5 majority of the jury was required to impose the ultimate sentence of death in Florida. However, the US Supreme Court struck down parts of the Florida statute as unconstitutional in Hurst v. Florida in 2016, with the concurring justices finding that state law did not give juries a big enough role in imposing a death sentence.

The Florida Supreme Courts interpretation of the high courts ruling meant that a unanimous jury vote was required to send a convicted defendant to his or her death, writing that all the critical findings necessary before the trial court may consider imposing a sentence of death must be found unanimously by the jury. The jury was also required to determine whether there was at least one aggravating factor, e.g., the murder of a police officer, and weigh that determination against mitigating circumstances of the defendant, such as age or mental condition.

DeSantis has now signed a bill in defiance of the 2016 Supreme Court ruling, allowing an 8-4 vote of the jury to sentence a person to death. Once a defendant in a capital case is found guilty by a unanimous jury, one juror should not be able to veto a capital sentence, the governor proclaimed on signing the bill April 20. But it is precisely such a juror veto that guards against conviction in a case where there is reasonable doubt, and a sentence of death and execution that cannot be undone. Alabama is the only other state that currently allows execution of a person sentenced to death by a nonunanimous jury.

DeSantis says he pushed for the nonunanimous jury death sentencing after the jury in the case of Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school in 2017, failed to come to unanimous decision to sentence Cruz to death, resulting in a life sentence. The governor invited parents of the victims of the school shooting tragedy to the signing, exploiting their grief in an effort to channel it behind the reactionary measure.

Im proud to sign legislation that will prevent families from having to endure what the Parkland families have and ensure proper justice will be served in the state of Florida. As the continual rash of mass shootings has shown, retribution and law-and-order measures will not stem the tide of these tragedies, which find their roots not in the evil minds of the shooters but in the decay wracking American society.

Both the US Constitution and its Sixth Amendment make clear that a defendants right to a jury does extend to sentencing, a precept that is rooted in common law and historical practices. However, in recent Sixth Amendment capital sentencing cases the US Supreme Court has not explicitly recognized such a right.

Louis Gaskin, who was executed April 12, was sentenced to death in 1990 by an 8-4 jury vote. Both the Florida and US Supreme Courts rejected his appeals, despite the fact that at the time of his execution a unanimous jury vote was required for a death sentence, refusing to apply the state law retroactively.

This is in keeping with rulings by the Supreme Court, which have banned the death penalty for the mentally impaired and for crimes committed as juveniles, but have consistently upheld capital punishment itself, rejecting arguments that state killing is cruel and unusual punishment, which is banned by the Eighth Amendment. The death penalty has been banned by a large majority of industrialized nations, and both the UN Human Rights Office and European Union advocate for its universal abolition.

DeSantis has signed another death penalty measure that could set up a future US Supreme Court case. In a 5-4 decision in 2008, the high court struck down a Louisiana law that allowed child rapists to be sentenced to death, barring states from executing child sex offenders unless they also murdered their victims.

On May 1, the governor signed a law that makes it a capital crime for an adult to rape a child under the age of 12, vowing that Florida stands for the protection of children. The measure had overwhelmingly passed the Florida legislature with bipartisan support.

Since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty in 1976 after a brief pause, Florida has carried out 102 executions, following behind only Texas, with 583 executions, Oklahoma, with 120, and Virginia, with 113. According to the Death Penalty Information Center, as of April 1, 2022, Florida had the second largest death row population in the US, with 323 inmates, second only to California, which has had an official moratorium on capital punishment since 2019.
By Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte

ROME (Reuters) -Italy's Treasury is ready to back a joint purchase proposal for Telecom Italia's (TIM) grid by KKR and state lender CDP in a bid to end a stalemate over the sale process of the phone group's prized asset, sources told Reuters.

TIM directors on Thursday set a final deadline of June 9 for potential improved offers by the U.S. private equity firm and a rival consortium comprising CDP and Australian fund Macquarie, worth 21 billion euros ($23.1 billion) and 19.3 billion euros respectively.

In recent talks with involved parties, the Treasury said it would welcome a joint bid for TIM's grid, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Friday.

One of the sources said government officials were pushing for CDP to join KKR's bid, dropping its separate proposal.

The ministry would also be open to involving infrastructure fund F2i in the process, should talks over a joint bid prove feasible.

All interested parties declined to comment.

After the board meeting, TIM said the two bids were "not yet adequate", adding at least one of the bidders had expressed its readiness to improve its non-binding offer.

Separate sources with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday KKR had expressed its willingness to work further on its bid, which is seen as the stronger alternative by TIM CEO Pietro Labriola.

Buoyed since early trade, Telecom Italia shares rose further after Reuters reported the developments, gaining as much as 6%.

The sale of the network is a key plank in Labriola's plan to turnaround the struggling former phone monopoly by slashing its 25 billion euro debt pile.

Labriola's strategy has been challenged by the company's top investor Vivendi, which is seeking a valuation of 31 billion euros for the phone group's main asset.

KKR, which has already invested 1.8 billion euros in TIM's grid, has bid for a controlling stake in a unit comprising TIM's entire domestic fixed access network and submarine cable business Sparkle.

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CDP and Macquarie are co-investors in fiber optic company Open Fiber and have made a rival offer for Telecom Italia's landline grid as part of a plan to create a unified national network operator.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's administration can use its so-called "golden powers" to set conditions or block bids for strategic assets including TIM's network.

KKR left the door open for the government to have a minority stake directly or through state-backed entities, although people briefed about the matter previously said the fund had concerns to team up with CDP due to antitrust issues.

($1 = 0.9081 euros)

(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Elvira Pollina in Milan; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Kirsten Donovan)
K92 Mining Inc.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- K92 Mining Inc. (K92 or the Company) (TSX: KNT; OTCQX: KNTNF) deeply regrets to report that two individuals have been fatally injured following a vehicular accident on May 2. The accident occurred offsite from the mining lease area, on a country road. Mining operations were not impacted.



K92 Minings Emergency Services responded to the incident, the appropriate authorities have been notified and an investigation is underway. K92 is also working with its employees, contractors and the families of the deceased to provide the required support and counselling needed during this challenging and difficult time. K92 places an utmost focus on safety and industry best practices.

K92 Minings CEO and Director John Lewins stated, On behalf of K92 Mining, to the family, friends and co-workers of our two colleagues we offer our sincerest condolences, and heartfelt prayers during this very difficult time.

About K92

K92 Mining Inc. is engaged in the production of gold, copper and silver at the Kainantu Gold Mine in the Eastern Highlands province of Papua New Guinea, as well as exploration and development of mineral deposits in the immediate vicinity of the mine. The Company declared commercial production from Kainantu in February 2018 and is in a strong financial position. A maiden resource estimate on the Blue Lake porphyry project was completed in August 2022. K92 is operated by a team of mining company professionals with extensive international mine-building and operational experience.

On Behalf of the Company,

John Lewins, Chief Executive Officer and Director

For further information, please contact David Medilek, P.Eng., CFA, President at +1-604-416-4445

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION: This news release includes certain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation (forward-looking statements), including, but not limited to, the impact of global supply chain and financial market disruptions; projections of future financial and operational performance; statements with respect to future events or future performance; production estimates; anticipated operating and production costs and revenue; estimates of capital expenditures; future demand for and prices of commodities and currencies; estimated mine life of our mine; estimated closure and reclamation costs and statements regarding anticipated exploration, development, construction, production, permitting and other activities on the Companys properties, including: expected gold, silver and copper production and the Stage 3 Expansion and Stage 4 Expansion. Estimates of mineral reserves and mineral resources are also forward-looking statements because they constitute projections, based on certain estimates and assumptions, regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future and/or the anticipated economics of production. All statements in this Annual Information Form that address events or developments that we expect to occur in the future are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally, although not always, identified by words such as expect, plan, anticipate, project, target, potential, schedule, forecast, budget, estimate, intend or believe and similar expressions or their negative connotations, or that events or conditions will, would, may, could, should or might occur. All such forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and estimates of management as of the date such statements are made.

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Forward-looking statements are necessarily based on estimates and assumptions that are inherently subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond our ability to control, that may cause our actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors include, without limitation, Public Health Crises, including the COVID-19 Pandemic; changes in the price of gold, silver, copper and other metals in the world markets; fluctuations in the price and availability of infrastructure and energy and other commodities; fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; volatility in price of our common shares; inherent risks associated with the mining industry, including problems related to weather and climate in remote areas in which certain of the Companys operations are located; failure to achieve production, cost and other estimates; risks and uncertainties associated with exploration and development; uncertainties relating to estimates of mineral resources including uncertainty that mineral resources may never be converted into mineral reserves; the Companys ability to carry on current and future operations, including development and exploration activities; the timing, extent, duration and economic viability of such operations, including any mineral resources or reserves identified thereby; the accuracy and reliability of estimates, projections, forecasts, studies and assessments; the Companys ability to meet or achieve estimates, projections and forecasts; the availability and cost of inputs; the availability and costs of achieving the Stage 3 Expansion or the Stage 4 Expansion; the ability of the Company to achieve the inputs the price and market for outputs, including gold, silver and copper; inability of the Company to identify appropriate acquisition targets or complete desirable acquisitions; failures of information systems or information security threats; political, economic and other risks associated with the Companys foreign operations; geopolitical events and other uncertainties, such as the conflict in Ukraine; compliance with various laws and regulatory requirements to which the Company is subject to, including taxation; the ability to obtain timely financing on reasonable terms when required; the current and future social, economic and political conditions, including relationship with the communities in Papua New Guinea and other jurisdictions it operates; other assumptions and factors generally associated with the mining industry; and the risks, uncertainties and other factors referred to in the Companys Annual Information Form under the heading Risk Factors.

Estimates of mineral resources are also forward-looking statements because they constitute projections, based on certain estimates and assumptions, regarding the amount of minerals that may be encountered in the future and/or the anticipated economics of production. The estimation of mineral resources and mineral reserves is inherently uncertain and involves subjective judgments about many relevant factors. Mineral resources that are not mineral reserves do not have demonstrated economic viability. The accuracy of any such estimates is a function of the quantity and quality of available data, and of the assumptions made and judgments used in engineering and geological interpretation, Forward-looking statements are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results and future events could materially differ from those anticipated in such statements. Although we have attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause actual results to differ materially from those that are 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. The Company 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 required by law.




Kimora Lee Says $93 Million US Wants From Tim Leissner Is Hers

(Bloomberg) -- Kimora Lee, the former model and ex-wife of former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. banker Tim Leissner, claims that shares worth about $93 million that he was ordered to forfeit as part of his 1MDB guilty plea actually belong to her.

Lee asked a federal judge in Brooklyn, New York, on Friday to hold a hearing where she intends to establish she rightfully owns 892,732 shares in Celsius Holdings Inc., a fitness drink maker. She claims she purchased the shares with money she earned from her modeling career and her Baby Phat clothing line.

The shares were wrongly included in a March federal order requiring Leissner to surrender more than 3.3 million Celsius shares as proceeds of his crimes, Lee claims.

Leissner, Goldman Sachs former Southeast Asia head, pleaded guilty in 2018 to conspiring with financier Jho Low, the alleged mastermind of the sprawling fraud scheme, to bribe officials in Malaysia and Abu Dhabi to facilitate bond deals. Low, who remains a fugitive, pocketed $1.42 billion from the fraud, the US has said.

Lee has established that she is a bona fide purchaser for value of the Celsius shares, she said in the filing. Leissner did not contribute any funds to the purchase of the Celsius shares and did not own the Celsius shares. The fact that the Celsius shares were used as collateral for Leissners bond does not mean that there is a connection between Leissners offenses and those shares which were seized.

Shares in the company traded at $104.26 Friday in New York, making the 3.3 million shares worth more than $344 million.

Leissner, who was the governments star witness at a trial of his former subordinate, Roger Ng, was also ordered in March to surrender $43.7 million in cash in addition to the shares.

Lee isnt the only one eyeing the Celsius money. Ng sued Leissner in New York state court in November, alleging his ex-boss cheated him out of his investment in Celsius that is now worth at least $130 million as well as stock in another company. According to the suit, Leissner engaged in a concerted effort to steal and pocketed Ngs original $1.25 million investment in Celsius, which has since grown in value enormously.

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Late Friday, Ng also filed a motion with Brodie, arguing hes the rightful owner of more than 1.45 million Celsius shares which Leissner forfeited to the US as proceeds of his fraud.

Ng, the only Goldman employee to go to trial over the sprawling global fraud, was convicted last year for his role in the 1MDB scandal. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and is scheduled to begin his prison term in August.

After Ng left banking he joined Celsius as managing director for Asia at the energy-drink company.

Lee and Leissner were married in 2014 but were already estranged when he testified against Ng. On the witness stand, Leissner admitted that he was a double bigamist, and was married to his ex-wife when he and Lee tied the knot.

(Adds ex-Goldman banker Ng claiming stake in eighth paragraph.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

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As Britain prepares to officially crown its first monarch over 70 years in a lavish ceremony Saturday, some citizens in its former and current territories are calling on King Charles III to publicly acknowledge the United Kingdoms role in the atrocities against enslaved Africans and its oppression of indigenous people.

The push for what has been called reparative justice, including an apology for slavery, comes as several British descendants of slaveowners, including a cousin of the monarch, also call on the U.K. to atone over its involvement in the slave trade and as yet another former colony, Belize, signals its intentions to sever ties with the royal family.

In 2021 Barbados dropped Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state, and shortly after Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced plans to cut ties and become a republic. In March, Holness, who wont be attending Saturdays coronation at Westminster Abbey, unveiled a 14-member Constitutional Reform Committee that will be guiding the Caribbean nation through its transition.

Marlene Malahoo Forte, the minister of Legal and Constitutional Affairs who is co-chair of the committee, said on radio this week that the move from a constitutional monarchy to a republic is to make sure that whoever ultimately exercises the highest authority in Jamaica is a Jamaican person, loyal to no other country but Jamaica.

Now as Charles prepares to preside  even if only in ceremonial fashion  over a small number of realms than his late mother did, he is facing increased calls to repair relations and acknowledge the past.

There is no honor in this crown. It is tainted with the blood of indigenous nations on which he now sits upon, Rawiri Waititi, co-leader of the Te Pati Maori (Maori Party) in New Zealand said. The harm caused by the crown is now inter-generational and irreparable.

Waititi, speaking at a press conference by Zoom on Thursday, is among several activists representing a dozen countries where the British monarch is head of state. They came together ahead of Saturdays coronation to express their dismay over Britains refusal to apologize for slavery and compensate its former colonies.

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Britain abolished slavery in 1833, freeing more than 800,000 enslaved Africans in its colonies in Africa and the Caribbean. But under the Slavery Compensation Act of 1837, the formerly enslaved themselves received nothing. Former slave owners, however, were compensated for their loss of human property.

The advocates on Thursdays call, hailed from Antigua and Barbuda, New Zealand, Australia, The Bahamas, Belize, Canada, Grenada, Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

They have begun a Change.org petition demanding that King Charles III formally apologize for acts of genocide and colonization by the royal family. By late Friday afternoon, the petition had already amassed more than 2,000 of the 2,500 signatures it seeks. The petition also asks for the return of cultural treasure and artifacts that were stolen and are currently housed in European museums and institutions.

King Charles III (centre) poses with commonwealth leaders attending his coronation during a reception at Marlborough House, London. Picture date: Friday May 5, 2023.

Terry Teegee of Canada, who was on the call, said the coronation presents a historical opportunity for King Charles to reset the relationships with the indigenous people within the commonwealth and acknowledge this long terrible history of genocide, genocide that weve all experienced within many of our respective countries.

Teegee said he and others want to compel the king to state that he wants to be on the right side of history; to repatriate our ancient artifacts, to repatriate our people, to denounce the old doctrines and  perhaps repatriations to our indigenous people in our respective countries.

Niambi Hall Campbell-Dean, chair of the Bahamas National Reparations Committee, said the horrors began with the transAtlantic slave trade and continued with the underdevelopment of colonization.

And although we will celebrate our 50th year of independence in July, the vestiges of this history continue to display its dire consequences, she said.

Invoking the words of the late Bahamian musician and playwright Tony Exuma McKay, she said: We demand that King Charles, now, pay me for my blood in the water; pay me for my son and my daughter; pay me for my brothers and sisters; pay me for all of my dead; pay me for the blood that you shed; pay me what you owe me. I come to collect everything that you owe me. Reparations now.

Rosalea Hamilton, who is co-chair of the Jamaica-based Advocates Network and helped organized the conference, said that the groups work, which focuses on governance and human rights, is steeped in the institutional legacies of slavery and colonization.

We grapple today with gender-base violence and child abuse. Legacies of decades of inhumane treatment, of our people. We inherited an unequal education system... poverty, landlessness, 20% of our population living in squatting communities. We still struggle today with rights to our beach because of colonial laws.

A number of issues are coming to a head as we move toward a republic, added Hamilton, a huge advocate for cutting ties with the monarch and one of the organizers of the press conference.

Hamilton noted that the people of the Caribbean, as well as those in indigenous communities across the globe, have a shared experience of exploitation and crimes against humanity.

Last month, British Labour Party politicians Clive Lewis and Dawn Butler called on the U.K. to enter meaningful negotiations with the realms former Caribbean colonies and pay reparations to mitigate the impact of slavery.

However, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has dismissed the calls for an apology. He addressed the issue last week after he was challenged by Labour Party lawmaker Bell Ribeiro-Addy. Ribeiro-Addy, whose parents are from Ghana, said that it had been 23 years since the late British politician Bernie Grant asked for an apology over slavery. Since then, she said, former prime ministers and heads of state had only ever expressed sorrow or deep regret.

There has been no acknowledgment of the wealth that has been amassed or the fact that our country took out the largest loan it ever has, to pay off the slave owners, and not the enslaved, Ribeiro-Addy said.

Sunak, whose parents are from India, another former British colony, responded that trying to unpick our history is not the right way forward.

Following Sunaks declaration, Belize Prime Minister Johnny Briceno announced that his Central American nation, which is part of the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc known as CARICOM, will quite likely cut ties to the United Kingdom and become a republic. Briceno has a constitutional commission which is providing feedback on a number of reforms, including becoming a republic.

In an interview with The Guardian, Briceno said the British government has a moral responsibility to apologize for slavery and that Sunak has should have a better appreciation for the need to do so given his ancestry.

When you read and hear about the plundering that took place in the land of his ancestors, Briceno said, I do believe that he should have offered an apology.
Warren Buffett conceded in 2019 that he "overpaid" for Kraft Heinz (KHZ) when he orchestrated the tie-up between the two packaged food titans in 2015.

But just because the "Oracle of Omaha" may have overpaid back then doesn't mean investors today would be running the same risk if they were to buy Kraft Heinz stock.

That's in large part because of the turnaround work done by Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio, who has led the mac and cheese and Lunchables maker for almost four years.

"We had derailed, and the mandate from the board was to put the train back on track," Patricio said on Yahoo Finance Live (video above) about his early days as CEO. "So we built a team, and we brought in great talent, and we started working on the culture. The first six months I was more of an evangelist than a CEO  I was talking to people, trying to make them believe, and redefining the values of the company."

Warren Buffett remains a keen observer of Kraft Heinz. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

Patricio has had to climb a tall mountain to achieve the promising results now taking form.

For years, Kraft Heinz slashed investments in key brands in order to meet aggressive operating profit targets put in place at the time of its merger. Top talent left the company.

One of the final black eyes came in February 2019, when Kraft Heinz took a $15.4 billion write-down on its Oscar Mayer cold cuts, natural cheese, and Canadian retail businesses. Shares crashed, going on to hit a low of $20.04 in March 2020.

But Patricio, who entered as CEO in July 2019, was hard at work stabilizing the ship.

In September 2020, Patricio sold part of the company's cheese business for $3.2 billion to France's Groupe Lactalis. That sale was unveiled at an investor day, where the company outlined a more focused set of product priorities.

He promised to boost marketing by 30% in top brands such as Mac & Cheese, Lunchables, and Philadelphia cream cheese while also cutting $2 billion in costs through 2024.

In mid-February 2021, Patricio then unloaded the Planters nut business to Hormel (HRL) for $3.35 billion.

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All of this turnaround work came alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, which upended supply chains and triggered a boom in eating at home.

Packages of Easy Mac Macaroni & Cheese Cups move along the production line on March 27, 2020, at the Kraft Heinz manufacturing plant in Champaign, Ill. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Today, Kraft appears to be a different company.

For one, Patricio is fresh off a first quarter earnings call where he promised $2.5 billion in cost savings by 2027  up from the aforementioned $2 billion. Net sales rose 7.3% from a year ago to $6.5 billion, powered by demand for Lunchables and higher prices. Adjusted operating profits improved 10.3% year over year to $1.5 billion.

The company lifted its full-year adjusted earnings per share target to $2.83-$2.91 from $2.65-$2.75.

Long-term debt has also continued to trend lower.

"We have to earn it [the Street's confidence]," Patricio said. "Reputation  you build with time. It's not from one day to another. We've been proving that we know what are we doing."

Shares have rallied from those early 2020 lows to more than $40.

"Kraft Heinz benefited significantly during the unique environment of the pandemic and lockdown, allowing the company to execute its new enterprise-wide strategy, reinvesting more heavily into the business, and doing this while growing sales and EBITDA [earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization]," Stifel analyst Matthew Smith said. "We believe this environment has accelerated the company's transformation, setting the stage for achieving a stronger growth profile more quickly in future years."

Smith rates Kraft Heinz stock a Buy.

Meanwhile, Kraft Heinz is back to doing what a packaged food company does best  creating new products that gain new shoppers. Patricio told Yahoo Finance Live that the company will soon launch frozen Mac & Cheese while also expanding into frozen dinners.

The company has also since expanded Lunchables into schools.

Patricio sounds like a CEO that amidst the budding turnaround, has fallen back in the good graces of its largest shareholder Buffett and his Berkshire disciples (Berkshire owns 26.5% of Kraft Heinz).

Currently, Buffett's likely successor Greg Abel sits on the Kraft Heinz board alongside fellow Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A, BRK-B) executives Tim Kenesey and Alicia Knapp.

"Greg is one of our most important board members," Patricio said. "They are really focused on the long-term. And that's also our belief. So the relationship has been very good."

Brian Sozzi is Yahoo Finance's Executive Editor. Follow Sozzi on Twitter @BrianSozzi and on LinkedIn. Tips on deals, mergers, activist situations or anything else? Email brian.sozzi@yahoofinance.com

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The woman said she has found at least ten snakes at her home since moving in

Getty

A homebuyer in Colorado has found herself in a nightmare of a situation.

Amber Hall told ABC affiliate KMGH-TV that she was excited to move into her newly purchased Centennial home until she made a startling discovery: there were "shockingly big" snakes in the garage walls.

As she was unpacking one day, she noticed her dog "started walking" very slowly.

"I came over to see what he was looking at, thinking it was like a spider or something, and there were two little holes right here and I saw snakes slither up the wall," she told the outlet.

Related:Woman Finds Deadly 6-Foot Snake While Changing Her Sheets: 'Check the Bed Carefully Tonight!'

Unfortunately, since first finding the first snake about two weeks ago, she's found ten more slithering around, per the outlet.

"Everybody's saying they're some form of garter snake. But they're also giving the caveat that nobody's ever seen their garter snake that big," she said.

Never miss a story  sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Hall, told the outlet she's spent abut $1,000 trying to remove the reptiles said that a snake wrangler believed they'd been there for at least two years. (Although the company that sold the house said they'd never heard of a snake problem there, per the outlet).

RELATED VIDEO: Alabama Father Paralyzed After Venomous Coral Snake Bite: He 'Thought It Was Just a Kingsnake'

Another theory? Joe Sheftel, president of Denver-based Blue Tick Pest and Wildlife Control, told the outlet it's possible there could be a snake den below the garage.

Related:Cops Find Dead Body, 3-Year-Old and Over 200 Reptiles  Including 60 Venomous Snakes  in Pa. Home

As for Hall, she said she is unsure if she will ever feel safe in the home until the problem is fully resolved.

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"I can't unpack any of my stuff because I'm definitely afraid that there's snakes in the boxes or under the boxes," Hall told the news station. "It's like you crawl into bed, and if the sheet brushes your foot or something, you immediately rip the covers off or jump out of bed to make sure nothing's in there."

"It's rough," she added. "I'm 42 years old, and this is my first home. I've worked my whole life for it, and I can't enjoy it. My kids can enjoy it. I'm scared to death."

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Former Catholic Diocese of Wilmington Bishop W. Francis Malooly was one of several past high-ranking Archdiocese of Baltimore officials identified as those who helped cover up sexual abuse, according to a Baltimore Sun exclusive article published online late Thursday.

Malooly  along with the Most Revs. Richard Rick Woy, G. Michael Schleupner, J. Bruce Jarboe and George B. Moeller  helped abusive priests get away with their crimes, either concealing the extent of a priests misdeeds or striking deals with prosecutors to avoid a criminal charge, according to the Sun's article.

The five were among the most powerful, high-ranking and visible officials in the archdiocese, which comprises Baltimore and nine of Marylands 23 counties in the central and western portions of the state. Its annual directories show some served as chancellor, effectively the right hand of the late Cardinal William Keeler or the late Archbishop William Borders. Others were directors of clergy personnel, akin to a human resources manager. Other times, they were in charge of archdiocesan finances.

The Most Reverend W. Francis Malooly, D.D. delivers the invocation at Archmere Academy's graduation in Claymont on Sunday, June 6, 2021.

Malooly, who was reached at his house in Brandywine Hundred on Friday afternoon, referred comment to Christian Kendzierski, a spokesman with the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Kendzierski did not have much to say.

"Considering this topic is possibly centered around a court ordered process, I don't have anything to offer in response," he told Delaware Online/The News Journal.

The Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, where Malooly most recently served until 2021, could not be reached for comment by Delaware Online/The News Journal on Thursday night.

How is Bishop Malooly involved?

The incidents described by the Sun occurred before Malooly became bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington in 2008. The following year, the Wilmington diocese sought Chapter 11 protection after a flood of civil lawsuits were filed by survivors of clergy sexual abuse under provisions of Delaware's 2007 Child Victims Act.

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The 2007 law opened a two-year window for child sexual abuse cases that would otherwise have been barred by the statute of limitations.

Our hope is that the Chapter 11 proceedings will enable us to fairly compensate all victims through a single process, Malooly said in 2009.

He later noted that this move would allow all victims to see compensation.

BACKGROUND: Wilmington Catholic Diocese files for bankruptcy protection

We have a finite amount of resources and it became clear we would never get through 142 complainants in any fair or equitable way, Malooly said.

The Rev. Francis Malooly, then bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, retired in 2021.

The diocese emerged from bankruptcy in 2011, paying $77.4 million into a trust fund to resolve all claims by abuse survivors and another $10 million into a pension fund for lay employees that was found to be underfunded during financial disclosures.

"The corruption in the Church over the last 60 years is beyond belief," attorney Thomas S. Neuberger said to Delaware Online/The News Journal on Thursday night after the Sun story was published. Neuberger's firm represented an overwhelming majority of victims who sued the Wilmington diocese.

"The use of Bishop Malooly is further proof that all it seeks is to protect its wealth and power," he said. "Claims that it now has procedures in place to protect children are mere window dressing. Parents are not fooled by all that and the proof is the continuing declining enrollment in church schools."

Malooly's role in the Baltimore Sun's reporting

According to the Sun's article, its reporters reviewed thousands of pages of court records, decades of archdiocese directories, and dozens of contemporary newspaper articles to piece together details that helped reveal the men's identities. People with knowledge of their conduct at the time or who are familiar with the report confirmed The Sun's reporting.

One specific case reported by the Sun involves Malooly, then the director of the clergy personnel division, contacting the office of the Maryland states attorney in Baltimore and describing an accusation against a clergy member without naming him.

The Sun's reporting claims Malooly never reported the accusation, citing a Maryland attorney general's report.

Reverend W. Francis Malooly addresses faculty, family and graduates at Padua Academy's 60th annual commencement exercise Thursday, June 1, 2017, at St. Anthony's Roman Catholic Church in Wilmington.

Is this the first time Malooly has come under question?

No. Malooly, who was assigned to the Archdiocese of Baltimore before he became Wilmington's bishop in 2008, was named in a 2017 Netflix docuseries that claimed he tried to cover up sexual abuse by a Baltimore priest decades ago.

Malooly was mentioned only in the final episode of the series and posted to the Diocese of Wilmington's website a lengthy statement challenging the accusations after the show ran.

BACKGROUND: Bishop Malooly denies Netflix series 'The Keepers' allegations

In 2018, after a Pennsylvania grand jury released a report detailing sexual abuse claims in six Pennsylvania dioceses by hundreds of priests, Malooly  then-bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington  released a statement as church leaders in neighboring states came under question.

Here in the Diocese of Wilmington, we have demonstrated a continuing commitment to preventing sexual abuse, Malooly said. We are grateful that the Diocese of Wilmington has not had a reported instance of the sexual abuse of a child by anyone in diocesan or parish ministry in over 25 years. Our policies, procedures, training, and continuing commitment makes our churches and schools safe places for children.

MORE TO READ: Bishop Malooly responds to questions regarding the Pennsylvania grand jury report

Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299 or eparra@delawareonline.com.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Former Delaware bishop covered up Baltimore clergy sex abuse: Report
Seven former Pentagon chiefs sent a letter to the Senate Thursday urging lawmakers to end one GOP senators hold on 184 general and flag officer nominations and approve the promotions, warning the block is harming military readiness and risks damaging U.S. national security.

The current hold that has been in place now for several weeks is preventing key leaders from

assuming important, senior command and staff positions around the world, the letter reads.

Some are unable to take important command positions, such as leading the 5th Fleet in Bahrain and the 7th Fleet in the Pacific, which are critical to checking Iranian and Chinese aggression, the former Pentagon chiefs said. Leaving these and many other senior positions in doubt at a time of enormous geopolitical uncertainty sends the wrong message to our adversaries and could weaken our deterrence.

The letter was addressed to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

It was signed by former Defense Department heads who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, including Mark Esper and James Mattis, who worked under former President Trump.

The other signatories served under the Obama, Bush and Clinton administrations: William Perry, William Cohen, Robert Gates, Leon Panetta and Chuck Hagel.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also warned of powerful effects on the nations military readiness the longer the holdup continues.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) began holding up the nominees in February to protest a Defense Department policy that provides paid leave and reimburses service members who travel for an abortion.

Late last month, Tuberville blocked an attempt from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) to advance the nominees by refusing to join a unanimous confirmation vote.

While some Republican senators are supporting the holdup, including Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), many in the GOP are growing weary of the blockade.

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The former Pentagon heads said in Thursdays letter that nominations are procedural in the Senate and previous holdups have traditionally been tied to concerns about an individual nominee.

They stressed that concerned senators should use other means available to address Pentagon policies, such as legislation or oversight hearings, rather than turn military officers into political pawns.

If this blanket hold is not lifted, nearly 80 three- and four-star commanders who are

ending their terms in the coming months will not be able to be replaced, they said. Worse, this will impact certain members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, including the Chairman of the JCS.

There are also real-world impacts on the families of these senior officers. Most cannot move and resettle their families; their children cannot enroll at their next schools on time; and spouses

cannot start new jobs at the next duty station, they continued. We can think of few things as irresponsible and uncaring as harming the families of those who serve our nation in uniform.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
'The Big Climate Thing' Benefit Concert Postponed to 2023

Tracks from Danielle Haim and Kamasi Washington are the first to emerge from the soundtrack to the National Geographic series A Small Light, which will be released on May 23. The album was steered by executive music producer Este Haim, so its no surprise her sister Danielle appears here covering Doris Days Till We Meet Again.

Also out today is Washingtons version of Charlie Parkers Cheryl. The soundtrack further includes Sharon Van Etten and Michael Imperiolis I Dont Want To Set the World on Fire (the Ink Spots), Angel Olsens My Reverie (Larry Clinton & His Orchestra), Weyes Bloods When Youre Smiling (Ella Fitzgerald), Remi Wolfs Autumn Leaves (Nat King Cole), King Princess and Orville Pecks Im Making Believe (Bing Crosby), and Moses Sumneys Ill Be Seeing You (Billie Holiday).

More from Spin:

I cant begin to express what an honor and a privilege it is to be a part of this series, especially as my first role as an EMP, Este Haim says of A Small Light, which illuminates how the Austrian-born, Dutch-raised Miep Gies helped hide the family of Anne Frank in an Amsterdam office building during World War II. Gies also guarded Franks historic diary after the family was captured by Nazis in 1944, leading to its eventual publishing three years later.

Mieps story is one of a modern woman standing up for what is right, and that should continue to inspire all of us, Haim continues. I am so thrilled to be able to help bring this to life through the power of music.

Haim has a handful of shows on tap around the world this summer, including several opening for Taylor Swift at Los Angeles SoFi Stadium in August.

To see our running list of the top 100 greatest rock stars of all time, click here.

The post The Big Climate Thing Benefit Concert Postponed to 2023 appeared first on SPIN.
Transparency Market Research

The use of paper bags, notably 3-ply and higher, is increasing due to expansion in the building and construction sectors. This is projected to increase the market size.

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, May 06, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc.  The Global Kraft Paper Market size stood at US$ 17.3 Bn in 2021. The global industry is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 3.7% between 2022 and 2026 and reach US$ 20.8 Bn by 2026.



Demand for kraft paper packaging solutions that are reusable, lightweight, affordable, and environmentally friendly is increasing across the globe. This is anticipated to drive market development in the near future. Kraft paper packaging solutions are strong, practical, and biodegradable. This is expected to boost the market demand during the forecast period. Demand for kraft paper is rising continuously in end-use sectors such as building & construction, electronics & electrical, food & beverage, and medicines.

Usage of kraft papers is also increasing, as frustration-free packaging is adopted. Customized products are offered by manufacturers in the global market in an effort to increase sales. Rise in usage of e-commerce platforms is anticipated to drive industry growth.

Kraft paper is a robust and long-lasting packaging material that can be shaped into a variety of sizes and forms. Manufacturers are analyzing market trends in the global kraft paper industry in order to leverage growth prospects. Increase in usage of packaging and wrapping materials with anti-slip properties among premium brands is likely to open up attractive market prospects. Increase in usage of boxes and cartons is estimated to drive industry growth in the next few years.

To Remain Ahead of Your Competitors, Request for a Sample:

https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/sample/sample.php?flag=S&rep_id=51375

Market Scope:

Market Revenue USD 17.3 Bn Estimated Value USD 20.8 Bn Growth Rate - CAGR 3.7% Forecast Period 2022 - 2026 No. of Pages 312 Pages Market Segmentation By Product Type, Basis Weight, Grade Type, Finish Type, Application, End-use Industry Regions Covered North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa

Key Findings of Market Report

Boxes and cartons can be utilized for packaging, as they are reusable and environmentally friendly. The fluting material, which is used to manufacture boards for boxes and cartons, also acts as a shock absorber, thereby protecting wrapped products from external impact. Market participants are focusing on developing cutting-edge premium boxes and cartons to meet changing consumer demands. Growth in demand for boxes and cartons in various end-use industries is expected to boost the global market.

Kraft paper is eco-friendly. It is becoming increasingly popular among consumers due to its texture and appearance. Kraft paper has grown in popularity among companies that create premium packaging. On kraft boxes, companies can print their logos, information about their products, and even artwork that includes marketing materials and contact details. Thus, kraft paper can be utilized as a branding strategy in various businesses. This is anticipated to boost the market value.

Kraft paper is used in the food processing industry for packaging due to its affordability, robustness, printability, processability, and heat sealability. Kraft paper packaging is becoming popular among food producers owing to the rise in ban on single-use plastic by various governments across the world and growth in public awareness about such packaging options.

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Global Kraft Paper Market: Regional Landscape

According to the market report, Asia Pacific is anticipated to dominate the global industry during the forecast period. The number of real estate and infrastructure development projects has increased significantly in Asia Pacific over the last few decades. The building & construction industry uses kraft paper considerably in heavy-duty applications. Profitable existence of packaging manufacturers, rapid industrialization and urbanization, and abundant supply of raw materials are expected to boost market expansion in Asia Pacific. The usage of kraft paper is projected to increase in the near future owing to government initiatives to ban plastic packaging in several countries in Asia.

Share Your Precise Requirements for Customized Sample:

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Global Kraft Paper Market: Growth Drivers

The trend of buying more products online has raised market demand for kraft packaging. Packaging industry uses kraft paper as a raw material due to its distinctive qualities, which include high compression performance, exceptional folding resistance, superior tear resistance, and toughness. Growth in e-commerce is driving the sales of paper and paperboard packaging items including cartons, boxes, envelopes, and bags. Thus, expansion in the e-commerce business is projected to drive industry growth in the next few years.

Key players are concentrating on developing unique, recyclable packaging solutions. Globally, end-customers are becoming increasingly interested in packaging made of recyclable materials. The global Kraft Paper Market is anticipated to be driven by the rise in trend of using recyclable materials for packaging.

Global Kraft Paper Market: Key Players

Some of the key market players are

Nippon Paper Industries Co. Ltd.

Smurfit Kappa Group plc

Potsdam Specialty Paper Inc.

Natron-Hayat d.o.o.

Georgia Pacific LLC

Nordic Paper AS

Browse the Full Report with Facts and Figures of the Modular Kraft Paper Market:

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Global Kraft Paper Market: Segmentation

Basis Weight

<30 GSM

30-90 GSM

91-120 GSM

121-200 GSM

>200 GSM



Product Type

Specialty Kraft Paper

Sack Kraft Paper

Grade Type

Bleached

Unbleached

Finish Type

Glazed

Finished

Application

Bags & Pouches

Sacks

Envelopes

Corrugated Sheets

Composite Cans

Boxes & Cartons

End-use Industry

Food & Beverages

Pharmaceuticals

Building & Construction

Cosmetics & Personal Care

Electronics & Electricals

Other Consumer Goods

Regions

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

South America



About Transparency Market Research

Transparency Market Research, a global market research company registered at Wilmington, Delaware, United States, provides custom research and consulting services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insights for thousands of decision makers. Our experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools & techniques to gather and analyses information.

Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

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Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) announced he would run for reelection Thursday, after cruising to victory in 2018, as the Democrats will seek to hold on to a slim Senate majority.

Im running for the Senate again, because we still have more work to do, Heinrich said in a campaign launch video. We need to diversify New Mexicos economy. We have to continue the transition to clean energy.

Heinrich, a two-term senator, served another two terms in the House before being elected to the upper chamber in 2012.

In his reelection launch video, he homed in on Democratic efforts to boost child care aid, pass gun safety legislation and expand veterans health care benefits.

Heinrich serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Appropriations Committee, and the Intelligence Committee.

Heinrich, a former city council member in Albuquerque, defeated Republican Mike Rich in 2018 by more than 24 points and did not face a primary challenger.

Heinrichs announcement that he will seek reelection comes as Democrats in the chamber face a difficult election map in 2024, having to guard a number of vulnerable lawmakers in traditionally Republican states.

That list includes Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who has said he is running for reelection, and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), who has not yet revealed his plans. Sen. Debbie Stabenows (D) retirement will also leave a vacancy in Michigan.

But Heinrichs reelection bid takes a safe Democratic seat off the board for lawmakers in the state after Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) announced this week he would not seek reelection, opening up a competitive and deep primary in the state.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.
Fox News is still holding tryouts for the 8 p.m. time slot left vacant when it fired Tucker Carlson last month. And the latest conservative media star to get a shot at what used to be the networks most valuable primetime real estate is former Trump press secretary, and current Fox News host, Kayleigh McEnany.

McEnany will anchor the 8-9 p.m. hour for at least a week, starting Monday, May 8. It could go longer, as shes slated to host the time slot for at least a week, TheWrap has confirmed.

Shortly after the news became public, McEnany tweeted, I am honored to share that I will be hosting Fox News Tonight on @FoxNews at 8pm ET all next week (5/8-5/12)! Set your DVR. Please join me next week as we dig into the state of politics, media, culture, and faith in America!

Also Read:

Tucker Carlsons Racist Texts, Creepy Comments and Trash-Talk Videos: Somebodys Got the Knives Out, But Who?

McEnany is the third Fox News personality to fill in as a temporary replacement for Carlson, who was fired on April 24. First it was Brian Kilmeade, who stepped in the day Carlson got the axe. He lasted until April 28, a week largely defined by a 50% drop in viewership in the time slot.

This week, Fox contributor Lawrence Jones took over, and while ratings havent yet come out, presumably it was more of the same.

There may be some continuity between McEnany and Carlson, however. He was fired for numerous reasons but they all tie back to the Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit. Dominion sued Fox for repeatedly broadcasting lies that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump, particularly from some of its top rated hosts.

Since joining Fox News as a full time co-host of Outnumbered in March 2021, McEnany hasnt personally repeated those false claims, but in 2020, when she was still working for Donald Trump, she did so repeatedly.

Whoever ends up as the permanent host of Fox News 8 p.m. time slot will have big shoes to fill. Tucker Carlson Tonight not only routinely saw ratings of more than 3 million viewers, it also had the dubious distinction, as the New York Times put it, of being the most racist show in the history of cable news.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  Practical Move wont run in the Kentucky Derby because of an elevated temperature. Japanese horse Continuar also is out.

Practical Move, the Santa Anita Derby winner, galloped in the morning and practiced standing in the starting gate.

Trainer Tim Yakteen told The Associated Press via text message that Practical Moves temperature began to rise around 11 a.m.

The colt was the early co-fourth choice at 10-1 odds.

The scratch moves Cyclone Mischief into the 20-horse field. He finished third in the Florida Derby and was second in the Fountain of Youth. He has two wins in seven career starts for trainer Dale Romans.

Continuar was scratched because he has not been able to reach the peak fitness required to take on a race as tough as the Kentucky Derby, trainer Yoshito Yahagi said.

As a result, King Russell moves into the field and will break from the far outside post.

Yakteen still has Reincarnate in the Derby. He took over that colts training from Bob Baffert, who is serving a two-year ban by Churchill Downs Inc. for a failed postrace doping test by Medina Spirit, the 2021 winner who was later disqualified.

Practical Move out of Kentucky Derby with high temperature originally appeared on NBCSports.com
A creeping black spot on a darkening globe suffers some degree of illumination  not voluntarily, of course  in The Rise of Wagner. Benoit Bringers documentary about the Russian private army of mercenaries relies on a mix of news reports, human rights experts and sometimes anonymous witnesses to expose Wagner Groups shadowy involvement in various conflicts over the last decade. Its a damning if necessarily rather fragmented view, since the organization remains cloaked in secrecy, its own government continuing to deny affiliation. Offering global political insights as well as lurid true-crime-type content, this Hot Docs premiere is well-suited to broadcast slots for serious-minded nonfiction.

The Kremlins smokescreen on this subject  several times we see Putin blandly batting away related press questions, though hes photographed with top Wagner personnel often enough  simply extends the companys internal policies from the start. Until just a few months ago, former Soviet convict turned food-service entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin furiously disavowed connection to the shadow army. When evidence that he founded and still controls it became undeniable, he dropped that pretense, and now appears to be pursuing a role of more overt political influence in Russia  one often openly critical of its official Army and their leadership.

More from Variety

Wagner Group first surfaced in 2014, when a popular Ukrainian movement to more closely align with the EU angered Russia, resulting in a sudden civil war that seemed largely driven by Russian Federation aggression. Footage of obviously well-funded and supplied military without national identification began surfacing online, providing tanks, air defense, artillery etc. that Eastern Ukraine Russophiles could hardly have conjured on their own. Soon such forces, apparently comprised largely of Russian ex-military, paramilitaries, ex-convicts and so forth, were being employed on fronts as diverse as Libya, Syria, Central African Republic, Mali and (with the early 2022 invasion) Ukraine again.

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Despite their relatively small number, they have an outsized impact, with one UN advisor here saying that whenever theyre detected, human rights abuses follow. Those run a gamut from torture and rape to civilian massacres and political assassinations, with Ukraine President Zelenskyy purportedly targeted several times. While recruits attracted by high pay are often told theyre defending against terrorists, in fact theyre often propping up dictators, and/or providing security for lucrative industries (oil wells, diamond mines) in which Russia hopes to gain a stake, particularly within African territories.

All this goes on in large part because it is unacknowledged. The very existence of Wagner Group was denied for some time, even by its own leaders. The Kremlin continues to insist it cannot possibly have any ties, because such private military organizations are officially against the law in Russia. But it is clear to many that theyve become indispensable to actual Russian policy, doing dirty work that the real Army is best kept out of.

A larger driving force is a desire to rebuild an empire lost since the Soviet Unions collapse. Unsurprisingly, that cause attracts ideological extremists  the companys name evidently sprang from, yes, a key players fondness for Hitlers favorite composer. It would be interesting to compare that and other characteristics to similar mercenary corporations around the globe, such as the American one formerly known as Blackwater. But Rise of Wagner already has too much on its plate to widen the scope further.

To provide some narrowed human-interest focus, Bringer emphasizes a handful of cases where sufficient hard evidence has surfaced to pursue criminal charges in one forum or another. Mohammed Taha al-Ismail was a Syrian father of four led by poverty to seek work abroad; when he returned, he was dubiously accused of treason and forced into military service. Somehow this led to his death  beaten, tortured, decapitated, his corpse then crucified and burnt  in a notorious video disseminated as an apparent warning to deserters. One version showed an identifiable Wagner employee amongst masked, cackling fellow abusers, though conveniently that man was dead under mysterious circumstances by the time international investigators sought his whereabouts.

In another case, three independent Russian journalists went to investigate suspected Wagner activities in Central African Republic, and were soon killed execution-style. A communication later leads straight from their leaked itinerary to Wagner staff, suggesting a carefully orchestrated operation. Theres also the testimony of Maral Gabidullin, a seemingly lone former Wagner operative willing to turn public whistleblower.

One gets the sense these stories are just the tip of an iceberg. There is scant hope for justice within Russia: Confronted with Mohammads grisly demise, authorities there claimed that extremely graphic video (only selectively excerpted here) somehow did not constitute proof of death. International courts are beginning to make headway. But they are hidebound by the fact that there is so little law regulating private military and security forces, a dangerous growth industry as yet barely acknowledged by governmental bodies.

The bravery of UN-affiliated investigators and, especially, Russian reporters not supporting the official state line is on ample display here. Truly independent news outlets are so imperiled in that nation that newspaper Novaya Gazeta (whose editor-in-chief won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021) is first mentioned as the one with the most murdered journalists. Postscripts note that publication, and many of the documentarys Fourth Estate participants, have since been shut down or had to flee the country. Meanwhile, theres footage of Wagner Groups luxurious new St. Petersburg HQ, which opened last November amidst the kind of fanfare that company had previously avoided like the plague.

Its a dense, sometimes unwieldy but compelling overview that Bringer organizes in somewhat erratic, episodic fashion  creating an occasionally confusing big picture, but one always potent in the moment, with no lack of shocking declarations and inferences. That an organization like Wagners violence is visited on mostly poorer nations and disposable populations from very high in the international power structure gets underlined by impressive frequent aerial views of glittering cityscapes, plus the occasional dramatic rural terrain. Though its urgency is apt, theres something of a forced, stock procedural-TV thriller tenor to Clement Terys original score.

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Michigan could see the A-F grading system to rank public schools eliminated under a bill approved by Senate Democrats and headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

House Bill 4166 would repeal the current grading system while preserving the current index system that measures school performance. While it passed with a party-line vote in the state Senate, it received bipartisan support in the state House.

Bill sponsor and former teacher state Rep. Matt Koleszar described the A-F system as placing a "punitive label" on schools that is redundant with the statewide index in a floor speech before the bill passed the state House.

Republican opponents, including Sen. Joe Bellino Jr., R-Monroe, said that the bill headed to Whitmer will take away from parents an easy-to-understand tool to evaluate school performance.

Bellino

An effective education is critical to a childs future success, yet this bill does nothing to help kids learn, address learning loss due to the pandemic or improve student performance, Bellino said in a news release after voting against the bill. Rather than helping empower parents to make informed decisions about their childrens education, the Democrats are trying to repeal a transparent and easy-to-use system that allows parents to see how well their local schools are doing.

Representatives from the Michigan Department of Education testified in support of the bill during a recent Senate Education Committee hearing. Teachers and school officials also indicated support for the bill with the Michigan Association of School Boards, Michigan Education Association and the Michigan Association of Superintendents and Administrators expressing approval to the committee, according to meeting minutes.

In 2018, former Gov. Rick Snyder, a Republican, approved the A-F system passed by Republican lawmakers during a lame-duck legislative session.

"The rammed through at lame duck in the wee hours of the night A-F law created a duplicative, confusing system that received bipartisan opposition and passed the House by the narrowest of margins," Koleszar said in a floor speech.

Story continues

More: Michigan House passes bill to permanently allow to-go cocktails

More: Michigan's texting and driving ban would expand under House-passed bills

Michigan's school index system  which would remain intact if the A-F system is repealed  is designed to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act requiring every state to have an accountability system for public schools. It includes data about each school and assigns points based on factors such as chronic absenteeism, graduation rate and English learner progress.

The school index system provides sufficient information about schools' performance, said state Sen. Dayna Polehanki, D-Livonia, in a floor speech Wednesday.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Bellino votes against bill to change Michigan school grading system
Kentucky Oaks contender Flying Connection trains Monday morning with exercise rider Oscar Rojero at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. April 24, 2023. The filly is trained by Todd Fincher. She won the Sunland Park Oaks in March 2023.

Longtime New Mexico-based horse trainer Todd Fincher has long held optimism that his 3-year-old Kentucky-bred filly, Flying Connection, would have a chance to do great things in her career.

So far the horse has lived up to that optimism, qualifying for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday at Churchill Downs in Louisville. The race, a Grade I with a $1,250,000 purse, is for fillies only and leads into Saturday's Kentucky Derby for 3-year-old's. The race will be contested at a 1 1/8th miles.

"She worked well after the win at Sunland Park and she's gone to Kentucky and worked well at Churchill," Fincher said. "Flying Connection has the ability to win the race. I'm excited to see how she performs in this race. I'm happy for the owners that they are getting this chance in such a special race."

Flying Connection earned her way to Churchill Downs by winning the March 26 Sunland Oaks at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino in a time of 1 minute, 43.90 seconds over the 1 1/16th miles distance.

Flying Connection had a strong winter at Sunland Park, earning a third in the Borderplex Stakes and a 9 1/4 length romp in the Island Fashion Stakes. In the Borderplex Stakes, she had a troubled start but managed to hit the board.

In the Sunland Oaks win, Flying Connection's ample early speed allowed her to go wire to wire and one has to figure she'll be a pace setter in the Kentucky Oaks. Flying Connection, who was purchased for $250,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale, has won four of her last five starts.

Flying Connection's ownership group consists of Brad King, Randy Andrews, Chris Coleman, Jim Cone, Suzanne Kirby and Lee Lewis. All but Coleman are from Lubbock and Coleman hails from Farmington, N.M. and recently joined the ownership group.

"It's an amazing feeling to see this horse get to the Kentucky Oaks and be a part of something so special," Coleman said. "We appreciate everything Flying Connection has given us to get to this point and go up against the best fillies in the world. It's so hard to get to this type of race and I'm in awe of the whole size of the event."

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Flying Connection will face 13 rivals in Friday's race, which is slated to start at 3:51 p.m. El Paso Time and which is race No. 11. Flying Connection drew the No. 10 post and was given morning-line odds of 15-1. Florent Geroux is the jockey and the race will be televised by USA Network. The morning-line favorite is Wet Paint at odds of 5-2.

Jockey Alfredo J. Juarez, Jr. celebrates after riding Flying Connection (1) in the win in the Sunland Oaks during the 18th running of the Sunland Derby at Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino in Sunland Park , New Mexico , Sunday, March 26, 2023. The trainer is Todd Fincher.

"We're taking it all in and enjoying the moment," said King, a longtime friend of Fincher. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. We've gotten so many well wishers, we feel like the whole Southwest of the racing world is behind us. All of us owners have put in time and energy over the years, it's nice that it's paying off. Seeing the draw for the Kentucky Oaks was pretty good, but it was nerve wracking. But we feel good about where Flying Connection will start from. She's really been working great since the Sunland Oaks and Todd is excited and optimistic. We just want a good, clean trip."

The last Sunland Oaks winner to win the Kentucky Oaks was Plum Pretty in 2011.

The same connections will also send Olivia Twist to post in Grade II, seven furlong Eight Belles stakes race, which is worth $500,000 for 3-year-old fillies. Olivia Twist has won three of six career starts and is coming off a third-place performance in the Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas.

"There are so many ups and downs in the sport and it can be tough," Coleman said. "But we're hopeful for a great weekend and we're grateful for every day for the great moments these horses give us and for the team that we have."

More: Wild On Ice wins Sunland Derby Longshot Wild On Ice wins Sunland Derby at odds of 35-1

Felix F. Chavez can be reached at fchavez@elpasotimes.com; @Fchavezeptimes on Twitter

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Sunland Oaks winner Flying Connection seeks win in Kentucky Oaks
Two churches in Abilene and one in Merkel have made financial contributions to a pastor running for a hotly contested seat on the Abilene City Council, a clear violation of federal rules prohibiting nonprofits and churches from endorsing candidates, financial disclosure records show.

A Scott Beard billboard on South 14th Street in Abilene. Beard is seeking Place 4 on the Abilene City Council.

Fountaingate Merkel Church, Remnant Church and Hope Chapel Foursquare Church donated a combined $800 to the campaign of Scott Beard, senior pastor at Fountaingate Fellowship church, who is running for a seat on the seven-member City Council in Saturdays election.

The donations represent a new level of brazenness as some churches across Texas and the United States become more active in political campaigns, a prominent expert said. Rules posted on the IRS website say campaign contributions from churches and other nonprofits clearly violate the prohibition against political campaign activity.

This is absolutely something every church should know  and probably does know  that theyre not allowed to do, said Sam Brunson, a law professor specializing in religion and tax exemption at Loyola University Chicago.

ProPublica and The Texas Tribune reported last year that church leaders in Texas and across the country endorsed candidates from the pulpit at least 20 times in apparent violation of the Johnson Amendment, a law passed by Congress in 1954. Three experts on nonprofit law, including Brunson, reviewed the sermons and said they crossed a line.

The IRS can strip violators of their tax-exempt status, but theres only one publicly known example of it doing so, nearly 30 years ago. Brunson said this lack of enforcement has emboldened bad actors, and he called on Congress to explicitly tell the IRS it can also fine violators.

Beard told ProPublica and the Tribune in a phone interview Thursday that the churches did not know they werent allowed to donate to him and that he has sent the checks back.

Campaign signs for Ryan Goodwin, James Sargent and Scott Beard are affixed to a fence at a home in southwest Abilene

Look, weve made mistakes, he said. Every campaign makes them. Im just kind of under the microscope because of me being a pastor, honestly.

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Dewey Hall, the pastor of Fountaingate Merkel Church, which is nearly 18 miles west of Abilene and not affiliated with Beards church, said Beard told him on Wednesday that his churchs $200 donation was illegal, but he thought Beard would be a good councilman, and we need to have Christians in politics nowadays.

A representative of Remnant Church, which Beard reported gave him $400, responded to a question via Facebook Messenger to say that its donation was intended for Fountaingate Fellowship Church, not Beards campaign.

They must have a mistake, wrote the representative, who did not identify themselves when asked. We will look into it.

Beard told ProPublica and the Tribune on Friday that he thought Remnant Churchs check was written to his campaign, but that he would review his records and talk to the pastor of Remnant Church.

Hope Chapel Foursquare Church, which gave $200, did not respond to a voicemail and email seeking comment.

The IRS declined to confirm whether it had received any complaints or was investigating.

A sign for Scott Beard is displayed in a vacant lot with Beards church, FountainGate Fellowship, in the lot beside this one March 16. Beard is the pastor.

Though the donations made by the churches are small, local races are typically lower-dollar affairs than legislative elections or statewide offices. The donations may also violate Texas election law, which prohibits both nonprofit and for-profit corporations from making political contributions to candidates or political committees. Violations are considered third-degree felonies.

The Texas Ethics Commission is charged with investigating such violations and can assess a civil penalty of up to $5,000 or triple the amount at issue, whichever is greater, said J.R. Johnson, the commissions executive director. Agency commissioners also have the authority to refer violations to local district attorneys for criminal prosecution, he said.

In February, the commission issued a $12,400 civil penalty against a for-profit corporation that it found had made two prohibited donations worth a combined $3,700 to the campaign of a county clerk candidate in South Texas. The company didnt respond to the commission, which issued a default judgment. A message left for the company was not returned; the presidents voicemail inbox was full.

According to the Texas secretary of state, Fountaingate Merkel Church formed as a nonprofit corporation in 2017 and Remnant did so in 2021. Hope Chapel is part of the California-based International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, which is formed as a nonprofit corporation. (The IRS automatically considers churches to be tax-exempt even if they dont apply for that status directly.)

The Abilene City Council race has been marked by allegations of Johnson Amendment violations for months. At least five churches have displayed campaign signs for three conservative Christian candidates who have all vowed to protect children by removing what they deemed to be obscene books from the public library and banning family-friendly drag shows from the city.

Two of the candidates are pastors: Beard and Ryan Goodwin, a mayoral candidate, who is both a real estate agent and an associate pastor at Mosaic Church. The third candidate, James Sargent, who is running for a City Council seat, is an Air Force veteran and an auto mechanic who has made his identity as a Christian central to his campaign. Sargents campaign motto is biblically founded | constitutionally grounded.

All three organized to outlaw abortion in Abilene before the Supreme Court ruling that said it was not a constitutional right and prior to Texas enacting a near-total ban on the procedure.

In interviews with ProPublica and the Tribune, Sargent said the churches he asked to display his campaign signs said yes because they were willing to display all candidates campaign signs if asked, which Brunson said was not a defense to a potential Johnson Amendment violation. Goodwin said some churches asked him for his campaign sign, and hes not concerned theyll face IRS enforcement.

What I think were seeing is a fiction of the law, Goodwin said. If the issue were to ever reach the U.S. Supreme Court, he said, churches would have a voice and wouldnt have to worry about anything like this.

Beard said the Texas Ethics Commission has so far notified him of three complaints about his campaign this election.

One complaint stemmed from Beard telling his congregation at the end of a service to pick up his campaign signs in the church foyer.

Michael Bob Starr, the former commander of Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene, filed the most recent ethics complaint about Beards campaign, alleging that Beard had not reported the in-kind donations his church had made to his campaign, specifically his church allowing him to use its property for his campaign activities. Starr told ProPublica and the Tribune on Thursday that he will submit another complaint to the commission about Beard accepting donations from the three churches even though Beard sent the checks back.

Starr, who ran unsuccessfully in the Republican primary for Congress in 2016, cant vote in the City Council election because he doesnt live within city limits, and hes upfront about his friendship with Beards opponent, Brian Yates. During their time in the Air Force, Starr said, he and Yates traveled to countries run by those who believed they had a mandate from God and those who tried to impose their religion on others. He said thats why hes speaking up.

Beard told ProPublica and Tribune on Thursday that he is cooperating with the Texas Ethics Commission regarding Starrs first complaint.

Beard stands by his belief that the nation was founded as a Christian nation and if it doesnt turn back to God, it will fall like the Roman Empire and other great civilizations have throughout history.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: Trio of churches donate to Beard campaign, violating IRS rules
Young Sheldon better brush up on his German!

Thursdays episode of the Big Bang Theory prequel series set the stage for Sheldons predestined stint in Central Europe. After the college junior learned that hed need to beef up his resume before he applies to future alma mater Caltech, Dr. Sturgis put in a good word with a colleague overseeing a summer research program at the University of Heidelberg.

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As previously reported, the May 18 Season 6 finale will see Shelly and Mary fly off to Germany, just as a tornado comes barreling toward Medford. If that sounds familiar, thats because Big Bang (sort of) alluded to these events in a 2008 episode: In Season 1s The Pancake Batter Anomaly, Sheldon told Penny that Mary accompanied him while he was a visiting professor at the Heidelberg Institute  only then, Sheldon said he was 15, not 13.

My mom had to fly back to Texas to help my dad because the house slipped off cinderblocks again, he said at the time. It was tornado season, and it was an aluminum house.

That piece of dialogue predated the establishment of several major life events now considered canon, including the 1994 death of George Sr. and Sheldons start at Caltech, both of which occur when the science prodigy is 14. Moving up his time abroad seems to suggest that the spinoff is still writing towards Georges demise and Sheldons move.

What did you think of Young Sheldon Season 6, Episode 19: A New Weather Girl and a Stay-at-Home Coddler? Sound off in Comments.

Launch Gallery: <I>Young Sheldon</I>: Every <I>Big Bang Theory</I> Cameo, Easter Egg and Future Reveal

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Alicia Keys brought her top-tier fashion to Brazil with her this week, and she's got the photo evidence to prove it.

The "Girl on Fire" songstress has been soaking up the sun in Rio de Janeiro as of late, and now she's giving her social media followers a glimpse at some of the stylish looks she's been sporting during her trip.

In her latest set of Instagram photos, the Grammy-winner could be seen rocking a trendy long-sleeve romper covered in a colorful floral pattern. She complimented the garment's plunging neckline with a large gold pendant necklace while topping the look off with matching hoop earrings and a royal purple head scarf.

Wearing her usual no-makeup natural look, Keys, 42, looked glowy and peaceful, posing in front of a picturesque background, which featured a strip of shoreline and mountains in the distance.

"Rio, I love you!! Sao Paulo, Im ready for you." she captioned the post, shared to Instagram on Thursday, May 4.

Keysoriginally born with the name Alicia Augello Cookhas been in Brazil as part of the Latin American leg of her "Alicia + Keys World Tour."

The post, which received over 300K likes, also garnered a reply from Brazilian music artist Iza, who left some adoring emojis, "," in the comments of Keys' post.

The powerhouse vocalist announced earlier this year that she would be visiting a handful of Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Columbia and Mexico.

View the original article to see embedded media.

"Latin America Fam!! This is finally happening!!!!!!!!!! ," she wrote while announcing the tour leg back in March. "Ive been dreaming about this and youve been asking me about this!! We had to make it happen!!! "

Her show in Rio de Janeiro took place on Wednesday, May 3, and she is now headed to Sao Paulo next for her concert on Friday, May 5.
A Fayette Circuit Judge has ruled that GOP gubernatorial candidate Eric Deters challenge against fellow candidate Kelly Crafts Kentucky residency has no legal merit.

And according to the order, Deters agreed.

The candidates were scheduled to appear in Fayette Circuit Court Thursday afternoon for a hearing to determine whether Craft is a legal resident of Kentucky, and therefore eligible to run for governor of the commonwealth.

Hours before they were scheduled to appear, Fayette Circuit Judge Lucy VanMeter issued a ruling which dismissed Deters complaint with prejudice and said Craft has been a resident of Kentucky for the past six years.

Deters, a suspended attorney from Northern Kentucky, filed a civil suit against the former ambassador Monday, challenging her residency and ultimately her ability to run for the states highest office.

In his complaint, Deters argued Craft is not a resident of Kentucky, but of Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her husband, Joe Craft, is CEO of Alliance Resource Partners.

Craft has vehemently denied Deters allegations, saying she has been a Kentucky resident all of her life.

However, in the agreed order it states Deters agrees that under legal standards, Craft has been a resident of Kentucky for the past six years.

Accordingly, plaintiffs request for declaratory and injunctive relief is denied, and plaintiffs complaint is dismissed with prejudice, the order reads.

Craft was born in Lexington, and raised in Glasgow where she attended Glasgow High School. She attended the University of Kentucky and currently resides at a home in Lexington she purchased in 2000, according to an affidavit.

She claims in court documents she has been registered to vote in Fayette County since 1991, only held a Kentucky drivers license, paid her taxes in Kentucky, and her vehicle is registered in the state. The Herald-Leader independently verified Crafts voter registration with the county clerk; Craft first registered as a Democrat in 1991, then as a Republican in 1995.

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According to her affidavit, Craft said when she served as a United States ambassador she stayed in U.S. government owned housing in Canada and New York, but maintained her home in Lexington where she immediately returned there when her tenure was completed.

Craft recognizes her husband does own a home in Tulsa, where his business is headquartered. However, over the past six years that she and her husband have been married, Craft claims she has visited Tulsa only occasionally and spent the overwhelming majority of her time at her home in Lexington.

Though Deters tried to draw some parallels to former lt. gov. candidate Hunter Bates, who left the ticket of former GOP governor Ernie Fletcher after having his residency challenged, Crafts counsel argued that the situations were not comparable.

(The court) found Hunter Bates was not a resident of Kentucky for the prior six years because he continuously and exclusively resided in Virginia from 1996-2002; he held a Virginia drivers license throughout the period; his vehicles were registered solely in Virginia; and he filed taxes as a Virginia resident though 2001, the response to Deters complaint read.

None of those circumstances applied to Craft, they said.

The facts show that Ambassador Craft has only occasionally visited her husbands Tulsa, Oklahoma property, and has instead spent the overwhelming majority of her time at her Lexington residence. She has never had an intention or taken any steps... to make Oklahoma her permanent residence. She remains, as ever, a Kentucky resident, Crafts attorney stated.

Deters argued Craft has been living in Tulsa with her husband.

Its my opinion, based upon the public record, that Kelly Craft has not lived in the state of Kentucky for a consecutive time, a period of six years, under the state constitution. She may or may not have created a legal domicile, but that is not it, Deters said during the Kentucky Educational Television GOP debate Monday.

Deters said he wanted a circuit judge to say Craft is not qualified by residency to run for the governor of Kentucky.

According to the Kentucky Bar Association, Deters has been suspended from practicing law in Kentucky for disciplinary reasons since 2020.

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Kentucky Bar Association to not reinstate Deters law license in June 2021 when the court published an opinion which said, Deters practice of law is not governed by Constitution, rule of law or procedure. It is anarchy.

The initial judge assigned, Circuit Judge Thomas Travis, recused himself.

In his recusal form, he wrote, I am acquainted with the defendant Kelly Craft. She and I are both natives of Glasgow, KY, and were in the same high school/graduating class. From time to time we have had some communication over the years.

Weston Loyd, a spokesperson for Crafts campaign, said the residency mini-saga would not distract Craft, and suggested that a PAC supporting Cameron and the Cameron campaign were shopping the claims leading up to the suit.

The Agreed Order entered today by Judge VanMeter dismissing this frivolous lawsuit reaffirms what everyone already knew: Kelly Craft is a Kentucky resident. Its a shame that Eric Deters, Desperate Daniel and his super PAC have been shopping around these bogus claims for months, and that some people sadly took the bait. They could have been talking about Kentuckys future, Loyd said.
It's loved for its long, easy-to-crack legs, sweet flavor, and succulent meat.

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, ASMI

With its mild flavor and snowy, succulent meat, bairdi crab might be the sweetest shellfish you've never heard of. This Alaskan shellfish is certainly not as high-profile as the ever-popular king crab, but it deserves its own spotlight: It's one of the most sustainable and ethically responsible crabs you can purchase right now.

It's also a delicious option to add to your summer (or year round) seafood repertoire. "The subtle flavor is a huge crowd pleaser and seems to capture the sea spray, clean air, and beauty of Alaska all in one bite," says Chris Shepherd, a James Beard Award-winning chef and the founder of Southern Smoke Foundation.

With their long legs, bairdi crabs look a little intimidating, but they're actually easy to cook at home. Here's everything you need to know about this Alaskan specialty.

Related:14 Crab Recipes You'll Want to Add to Your Warm-Weather Repertoire

What Are Bairdi Crabs?

Biardi is one of two species of snow crab; opilio crab, the type actually marketed as snow crab, is the more popular of the two. In contrast, bairdi crab is bigger (it grows to be 3 to 5 pounds, while opilio tops out at about 2 1/2 pounds) with sweeter-tasting meat. Both are found in the Northern Pacific Ocean.

In stores, you'll find Alaska bairdi crab listed as snow, bairdi, or tanner crab, says Theresa Peterson, an active fisherman, resident of Kodiak, Alaska, and the Alaska fisherman and fisheries policy director at Alaska Marine Conservation Council.

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, ASMI

When Bairdi Crab Is in Season

The Alaskan bairdi snow crab fishery opens in January and typically runs through March or April, depending on the year's quota size, but Biardi crab is available frozen year round. Only adult male crabs are retained to be sold.

While the Alaska Department of Fish and Game canceled the 2022-2023 snow crab season, that applied to opilio crabnot bairdi crab. The department also canceled the red king crab season, since both of those crab populations have seen drastic declines in numbers. While it's not known exactly what has caused the collapse of those fisheries, it's believed that climate change is among the likely factors. So far, the bairdi snow crab population has remained relatively steady, making it the more sustainable and ethical option to buy and consume right now.

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Nutrition and Health Benefits of Bairdi Crab

Like other shellfish, bairdi crab is a source of lean protein and high in nutrients, including amino acids, iron, omega-3s, and vitamins A, B12, C, and D.

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, ASMI

Where and How to Buy Bairdi Crab

You may find bairdi crab in your local grocery store's seafood or frozen sections. It's also available to order online through retailers, including Pike Place Fish Market via Goldbelly and Whidbey Island Seafood Company.

Petersen says to look for bairdi, snow, or tanner crabs at the grocery store and to make sure that the crab comes from Alaska. "Checking the origin of your crab, and all seafood, and ensuring it comes from Alaska guarantees it is wild and sustainable," she says.

Since bairdi crab is so big, you likely won't find a whole crab for sale. It's usually sold as either crabmeat or in a cluster, which typically includes four crab legs and one claw.

Best Ways to Cook Bairdi Crab

If you're buying a cluster of bairdi crab, it'll already be cooked, but you'll need to steam it again. "Steaming is important," says Shepherd. "Yes, the crab is fully cooked and could be eaten as is, but to reach its full potential it is best to lightly re-steam the crab for seven to 10 minutes."

What that does, according to Shepherd, is pull out any excess water that was trapped in the meat from the freezing process, bringing back the firm texture and sweetness of the bairdi crabmeat. "This process makes bairdi the star of the show, but also makes it absolutely perfect in a fish boil," says Shepherd.

Related:How to Cook, Clean, and Eat a Crab the Right Way, According to Experts

Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute, ASMI

How to Eat Bairdi Crab

Bairdi crab is versatile: The size and availability of the species make it not only manageable for cooking at home, but enjoyable as either the star dish served with a garlic butter dipping sauce or an ingredient in sandwiches, salads, or omelets. "The great thing about bairdi is it's plentiful with good yields, which means after you use it for dinner, you can pick it and use it in an omelet for breakfast the next day or even a salad at lunch," says Shepherd.


Per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of human-made chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings that resist heat, oil, stains, grease, and water. Fluoropolymer coatings have been in use for decades, and are commonly found in commercial, industry, and consumer products such as clothing, furniture, adhesives, food packaging, heat-resistant non-stick cooking surfaces, and electrical wire insulation. From an environmental perspective, PFAS are known as forever chemicals because they do not readily break down, and, as a result of their use, are found in soil, water, and air across the United States.

With studies suggesting that PFAS exposure may result in adverse health effects in humans and animals, both federal and state regulators have taken steps to control PFASincluding how clothing companies manufacture, use, and label products containing these chemicals.

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Federal liability

At the federal level, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken steps to designate two of the most commonly used PFAS chemicalsperfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA)as hazardous substances under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). As a result, clothing companies using PFAS may become subject to regulation under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which specifies how such chemicals must be managed, used, treated, transported, stored, and disposed of. CERCLA liability, on the other hand, can attach to clothing manufacturers which have released or disposed of PFAS into the environmentoften resulting in multi-million dollar cleanup costs.

State liability

On the state level, clothing companies selling products to California consumers have the obligation to warn California consumers before exposing them to products containing PFOS and PFOA under Californias Proposition 65 (Prop 65). These two chemicals are included on the Prop 65 list because exposure to such chemicals may cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm. Pursuant to Prop 65, businesses with 10 or more employees must provide a clear and reasonable warning before exposing Californians to PFOS and PFOA, or face potential penalties of up to $2,500 per violation in addition to enforcer attorneys fees.

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Both PFOS and PFOA are the subjects of recent Prop 65 Notices of Violation. In the past six months, at least five such notices have been issued to jacket manufacturerslikely due to the use of PFAS in creating water-resistant materials. Other recently targeted products include coverall bibs, umbrellas, shower liners, and crib mattress pads, which are likewise made using water-resistant materials.

Manufacturers and retailers using PFAS should invest in a structured Prop 65 compliance plan, as a Prop 65 Notice of Violation can be both costly and difficult to resolve. Notices of Violation based on exposure to PFAS may be particularly challenging to resolve given the absence of established safe-harbor limits (i.e., a level of exposure to a listed chemical that does not require a Prop 65 warning), which normally provide a key line of defense to Prop 65 targets.

Relatedly, California Governor Newsom recently signed the Safer Clothes and Textiles Act into law, which bans certain quantities of PFAS in textiles. Starting in 2025, the manufacture, sale, or distribution in California of textiles containing more than 100 parts per million (ppm) of PFAS will be prohibited. This threshold will reduce to 50 ppm in 2027. Although the law does not apply to outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions until Jan. 1, 2028, after Jan. 1, 2025, new outdoor apparel for severe wet conditions that contain regulated PFAS must have a legible and easily discernible disclosure with the statement Made with PFAS chemicals, including for online listings of products for sale. This is in addition to the Prop 65 warning requirements. Textile manufacturers should start investing in research and development to ensure that they can satisfy these thresholds.

Although Prop 65 and the Safer Clothes and Textiles Act are California laws, their impact on clothing companies is far-reaching. These laws apply to out-of-state clothing companies selling clothes to California consumers. Given that California is the worlds fifth-largest economy, decisions to cease selling into California are infrequent. Moreover, other states have also enacted or are in the process of enacting laws targeting the use of PFAS in consumer products, including clothing.

Looking ahead

Recent regulation of PFAS signals that these chemicals will continue to be a hot topic in the environmental compliance and litigation realm. Clothing companies using PFAS should be mindful of these issues and ensure compliance to avoid costly liability.

****

Sherry Jackman is an environmental litigator and compliance counselor at Greenberg Glusker representing entities facing challenging and complex environmental issues. A significant portion of her practice centers upon consumer products lawincluding labeling, advertising, and product regulation.

Sedina L. Banks is a partner in Greenberg Gluskers Environmental Group specializing in environmental compliance and litigation. She counsels and represents companies in a wide range of environmental matters related to regulatory compliance, leveraging her nearly two decades of experience to craft creative solutions to complex environmental problems.

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It shouldnt be that difficult to tell the difference between a $10,000 purse and its $100 knockoff, but youd be surprised.

The last few years have seen the meteoric rise of superfake handbags, reports the New York Times, where a wave of Chinese counterfeiters have become very adept at copying bags by Chanel, Gucci, Hermes, Louis Vuitton, and more. Their expert handiworkthe use of better materials and more sophisticated manufacturing technologyhas made it increasingly difficult for even a well trained eye to tell the difference between the real and the knockoff.

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One anonymous authenticator admitted to the Times, that the knockoffs are getting so good, to the point that it comes down to inside etchings, or nine stitches instead of eight, he said. Sometimes you really have no idea, and it becomes a time-consuming egg hunt, comparing photos on other websites and saying, Does this hardware look like this one?

And the counterfeit bag makers are fast now too. Its gotten to the point that you can see something in season replicated within that season, Hunter Thompson, an authenticator for the RealReal consignment site told the Times.

This all comes to the chagrin of the fashion houses that are spending billions to fight counterfeit merchandise. While the U.S. has tried to aid them, confiscating 300,000 knockoff bags and wallets in 2022, the designerss plight is only further complicated by Chinese authorities who dont have much incentive to help crack down on superfake manufacturers.

Even if those authorities decided to police this black market more closely, theyd find it quite difficult to disrupt the supply chain of counterfeit bag makers. Thats because these arent large top-down operations, but a series of interconnected nodesmarketing, financing, design, and manufacturingwhere if you take down one node the others remain and they just quickly replace the one they lost.

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For those who want a knockoff bag for a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand, at least they know what theyre getting themselves into. But for the people who want to buy real bags and are instead sold a fake, its getting harder for them to make sure theyre getting the genuine article. Thats why the fashion houses, of course, would prefer it if you just bought directly from them.

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Google is set to debut its first foldable phone during its Google I/O 2023 event next week.

The tech behemoth hasnt revealed a lot of information about the devicecalled the Pixel Foldbut it did post a video on social media with plenty of slick glamour shots. It opens similarly to Samsungs Galaxy Z Fold devices. May The Fold Be With You, the company tweeted, a play on the popular May the 4th Be With You meme on social media for Star Wars Day.

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In April, CNBC reported that the Pixel Fold will also be water-resistant and pocket-sized. The outlet reviewed photos that revealed it had a 7.6-inch screen and weighed 10 oz, which is heavier than the Galaxy Z Fold. However, Googles device has a larger battery that can last for 24 hours, or up to 72 hours if set to low power mode. Expected to have a price of up to $1,700, the phone would be the most expensive in the Google Pixel family.

According to CNBC, the company claims that it will have the most durable hinge on a foldable phone and it will offer a phone trade-in option. The Google store currently has a signup page for people interested in being the first to know more about the device.

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Googles introduction of the device will surely raise more questions about its relationship with Samsung. The latter company has reportedly debated dropping Google as the default search engine on its devices. However, other outlets have claimed that Samsung couldnt make such a moveat least in the United Stateswithout phones losing access to other popular Google properties. CNET reported that Apple is rumored to be developing its own foldable iPhone but it may not be available to consumers until 2025.

Google may be the company thats able to make foldable phones more mainstream, CNET has suggested. The outlet explains that many apps and games often dont run properly on foldables currently on the market. The companys offering may make much-needed improvements like apps that automatically resize.

Google is also expected to shed more light on its investments into artificial intelligence at its May 10 event.

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Here's Why King Charles Will Sit on an Ancient Rock (Yes, Really) at His Coronation



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Diamonds, sapphires, emeralds, and rubies are sure to make dazzling appearances at the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, but a far more precious rock will also play an important, if subtle, role.

Enter the legendary Stone of Destiny, also known as the Stone of Scone. This 336-pound sandstone slab has journeyed all the way from Edinburgh to London for King Charles's big day. At Westminster Abbey, it will be fitted underneath the over 700-year-old wooden Coronation Chair, which the monarch will sit upon as he is crowned.

So, what's the big deal about the boulder? Read ahead for six major facts about the ancient relic.

Legend says its origins are biblicalbut, scientists say otherwise.

According to a Celtic myth, biblical patriarch Jacob used the stone as a pillow over 3,000 years ago; it was the pillow he allegedly rested on when he received visions from angels. The stone thus traveled from Palestine through Egypt, Sicily, Spain, and Ireland, where, at last, Celtic Scots took the coveted rock slab to the village of Scone.

Archaeologists, however, dispute this story. National Geographic notes that it is not possible for the stone to have once belonged to Jacob, since it is made of sandstone instead of limestone, the latter of which forms the bedrock of the Holy Land. It is more likely that the Stone of Destiny was quarried in Scotland.

It has been used in coronations for centuries.

At about 700 BCE, the stone was allegedly set upon Ireland's hill of Tara and used for the crownings of ancient Irish kings. When Celtic Scots seized the stone, it was transported to the Scottish village of Scone (hence the name, Stone of Scone) where it was then encased in a coronation chair for Scottish kings. John de Balliol was the last Scottish king to use the stone for a coronation before England's King Edward I invaded the country and moved it to London.

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England stole the stone from Scotland.

Edward I removed the stone from Scotland after conquering the country in 1296. It lied in Westminster Abbey, where he had it fitted into the bottom of a special wooden throne, known as the Coronation Chair. Henceforth, the inclusion of the rock in English coronations was meant to symbolize Scotland's inclusion under the English crown.

Susannah Ireland - PA Images - Getty Images

The sandstone rock continues to play an important role in the inductions of British sovereigns today. It was last used in a coronation during the 1953 crowning of Queen Elizabeth II.

Fox Photos - Getty Images

Supposedly, a prophecy was once attached to the stone.

According to legend, a prophecy was once written on a piece of metal attached to the stone. There are differing translations to the supposed prophecy. One such translation by Sir Walter Scott reads:

Unless the fates be faulty grown

And prophets voice be vain

Whereer is found this sacred stone

The Scottish race shall reign.

Another declares:

If Fates go right, where'er this stone is found

The Scots shall monarchs of that realm be crowned.

The inscription seems to foretell the return of a Scottish ruler. Some Scots thought the prophecy was fulfilled when James VI became king in 1603 after the death of his cousin, Elizabeth I.

Scottish students stole it back in 1950.

On Christmas morning of 1950, four Glasgow studentsGavin Vernon, Kay Matheson, Alan Stuart, and Ian Hamiltonbroke into Westminster Abbey, dragged the stone across the floor and into their getaway car, and drove away. The Stone of Destiny would turn up three months later at Scotland's Arbroath Abbey, where the Declaration of Scottish Independence was famously signed.

The incident occurred during a contentious period of Scottish nationalism, in which many Scots expressed their desire for self-government.

PA Images - Getty Images

It officially returned home to Scotland in 1996.

Prime Minister John Major returned the stone to Scotland in 1996. It is now currently housed in Edinburgh Castle, and has been transported from Edinburgh to London for King Charles's May 6 coronation.

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A house that was once a bank has landed on the real estate market in Charlotte, Iowa, for $119,900  and it comes with a few perks from its former life.

That includes a massive safe.

What used to be the Charlotte Savings Bank is now a 2 bedroom, one bathroom, one VAULT, single-family home  zoned residential, the listing on Zillow.com says.

This property absolutely oozes charm! Much of the original bank has been preserved - items like solid marble walls, marble baseboard trim, lion statues flanking the front steps, cashiers window, globular chandeliers, solid hardwood in the primary bedroom, intricate mosaic tile floor, and YES even the bank vault. This unique property is a perfect blend of modern amenities and eclectic charm.

Amenities include:

Large kitchen

Storage space

Bar seating

Open concept living area

Bathroom/laundry combo

The 2,348-square-foot residence was featured on Friday Night Zillow, a Twitter segment created by Bloomberg reporter Steven Dennis, and people had some words to share  especially about the cool-looking vault.

One of my favorite #CheapZillow finds is back on the market, Dennis tweeted. $119K gets you an Iowa Bank thats been converted to a beautiful home. Still has the VAULT! Sold last year for $85K.

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I do not understand how this can be so cheap, one person said.

For all the doomsday preppers, you have your own safe room - literally a safe room, another joked.

The ultimate safe room! someone tweeted.

Built in storm shelter! one person said.

Charlotte is about 75 miles east of Cedar Rapids.

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She is one of the most stylish royals in the world, but it would seem even Kate Middleton turns to the women in her life for fashion inspiration. For her debut engagement on King Charless coronation weekenda lunch for world leaders at Buckingham Palacethe Princess of Wales stepped out in a pair of shoes favored by her equally elegant sister-in-law, Meghan Markle.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Australia - Day 8 Pool/Samir Hussein

BRITAIN-ROYALS-CORONATION TOBY MELVILLE/Getty Images

Aquazzura Bow Tie Pump

$850.00, Shopbop

Kate, 41, cut a chic figure in towering black suede Aquazzura slingback pumpsthe signature Bow Tie 105 style, to be precise. Crafted at the labels Italian atelier, the heels are shaped in a classic feminine pointed style that is cut out at the sides of the heel. The finishing touch is the sweet bow at the back. The stilettos proved the perfect accessory for her sleek monochrome outfit, which consisted of a custom black-and-white Jenny Packham dress and a simple black clutch.

The Duchess of Sussex Opens 'Oceania' At The Royal Academy Of Arts Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

She is far from the first royal woman to showcase the Aquazzura design, however. The Duchess of Sussex first wore the shoes for a royal engagement in June 2018, just a month after her wedding, and they quickly became a staple of her royal wardrobe. A particularly spectacular moment came in October that year when she paired the signature stilettos with an unforgettable Oscar de la Renta gown for a reception on the royal tour of Australia.

Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales (C) and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese (L) attend a Realm Governors General and Prime Ministers Lunch, at Buckingham Palace in London on May 5, 2023, ahead of the coronation weekend. (Photo by TOBY MELVILLE / POOL / AFP) (Photo by TOBY MELVILLE/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Royals

Kate Middleton Kicked Off Coronation Weekend in a Custom Jenny Packham Dress

The princess accessorized with Queen Elizabeth II's pearl earrings.

Aquazzura is a brand loved by royals across Europe. Princess Beatrice wore the Forever 105 black suede pumps on Easter Sunday, while Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (among the foreign royals attending King Charless coronation) recently donned the designer while hosting President and Mrs. Macron. The Princess of Wales has several styles in her wardrobe, including the pointed pair she dazzled in on the BAFTA red carpet.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Attend A Commonwealth Day Youth Event At Canada House Karwai Tang

It marks the start of a whirlwind three days of engagements for the Prince and Princess of Wales and other senior royals. Tonight, William and Kate are expecting to support King Charles and Queen Camilla in hosting a reception for foreign royals at Buckingham Palace. It echoes a similar engagement held on the eve of Queen Elizabeth IIs funeral, although, of course, this is a far more celebratory occasion.

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Tomorrow the Prince and Princess of Wales will be front and center at the Coronation of King Charles. The couple will be joined by their three children, Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, eight, and Prince Louis, five. Prince George has been given an important role as one of the eight Pages of Honour. Kate Middleton was seen arriving with her children at Westminster Abbey this weeksuggesting the young Wales children will be well-versed in what to expect.

The Duke And Duchess Of Sussex Visit Ireland WPA Pool/Getty Images

This article first appeared on Tatler.

Originally Appeared on Glamour
[Source]

Yong Hye-in, a member of South Koreas Basic Income Party, held a press conference on the eve of Childrens Day with her 2-year-old son in her arms to denounce "no kids" policies in the country.

During her speech at the National Assembly in Seoul, Yong commented on the need for a society where children and parents do not feel alienated in public facilities.

Everyday life with children is not easy, she confessed. Even so, our society must be reborn into one where children are included.

What a photo. In S.Korea, a growing number of venues like cafes, casual bistros, or even public libraries ban children under the "no kids" banner, supposedly not to inconvenience other patrons. One MP criticized the "exclusionary" practice in a presser, with her toddler in tow. pic.twitter.com/NB0Ate088Y More from NextShark: 28-year-old surgeon to be the third Japanese woman to go to space  Hawon Jung (@allyjung) May 4, 2023

Around a decade ago in South Korea, banners and signs bearing the message No Kids began to appear in various public places, such as restaurants, cafes and libraries.

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This was reportedly in response to complaints posted in online forums regarding noisy and disruptive children.

According to The National Library of Koreas official website, visitors under the age of 16 are not allowed to enter the premises unless they have obtained permission through an application. This rule was reportedly implemented to protect materials from damage or theft.

In response to such measures, Yong explained, All of us were children at one point, and in the first moments of our lives, we were slow and clumsy. Lets create a society where the slow, clumsy, and immature are accepted.

Story continues

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Prior to having a child, Yong explained she was not able to recognize the prevalence of the no kids zones. However, once she became a mother, she realized that all of the cafes and restaurants she wanted to go to were off-limits to her and her son, she said.

Yong also mentioned Japans fast-track policy, which gives priority to children and parents for entry into public museums, galleries and parks.

Unlike Korea, Japan has implemented measures to make it easier for families with children to access places of learning.

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We need to make 'No Kids Korea' into 'First Kids Korea', she asserted.

During the press conference, Yongs son often moved around and pulled the camera and microphone, causing some delays in the event.

Although I have been to numerous press conferences, today I was more nervous than ever, Yong shared on Facebook after the event. Because being accompanied by a child always requires a lot of courage.

She also added, I hope that todays somewhat uncomfortable and noisy press conference can help us recognize that we can live a life where children can be included.
SAY IT WITH FLOWERS: Kylie Jenner describes herself as a JPG girl these days.

After donning a fiery red gown by Jean Paul Gaultiers spring guest couturier Haider Ackermann for the recent Met Gala, and a black-and-white one for the after parties, the TV personality and beauty entrepreneur is back fronting a campaign for the fashion houses latest ready-to-wear drop.

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Although the collection is dubbed Flowers, Jenner donned a blush-colored, lingerie-style slip with pointy cups and posed for photographer Elizaveta Podorina.

According to Florence Tetier, creative director of Jean Paul Gaultier fashion, Jenner matched the representation of a modern mermaid that I was looking for and her idea for the collection of augmented nature with the floral references taken from the maisons archives.

At a launch event at The Webster in New York on Tuesday night, Jenner donned a clingy, transparent dress bearing a liquid print of flowers done in collaboration with French artist Jean-Vincent Simonet.

A look from the Jean Paul Gaultier Flowers collection.

According to the house, Jean Paul Gaultiers collections were strewn with flowers throughout the early 2000s. The spring 2023 offering includes a silk twill twinset and skirts, tops and bathrobes make of stretch tulle.

Occasionally, only floral buttons express the theme.

The Jenner campaign broke on a billboard on Grand Street in New York City, as well as on the social channels of the Jean Paul Gaultier house and those of Jenner, who counts 388 million followers on Instagram and whose last eight posts were dedicated to the brand.

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Click here to read the full article.
TORONTO, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - From May 8 through to May 14, 68,000 members of the Ontario Nurses' Association (ONA) are celebrating the nursing profession and focusing on forging their future during Nursing Week 2023.

Ontario Nurses' Association Logo (CNW Group/Ontario Nurses' Association)

"This is a pivotal year in Ontario health care," says ONA President Erin Ariss, RN. "ONA members are rising to the occasion, fighting for quality health care for all our patients, residents and clients, and also seeing a return to the roots of our union as we mark ONA's 50th anniversary this fall."

For Nursing Week 2023, ONA has chosen the theme Lasting Impact, Forging Our Future (Creer un impact durable, batir notre avenir). Ariss says that in many ways, the issues facing nurses today bear a marked resemblance to those of 50 years ago.

"ONA members and leaders today stand on the shoulders of those who came before us to found our union and fight for better working conditions and patient care. Clearly, nurses will always be called on to fight for respect for our profession, for high-quality patient care, and we will have to be as loud and outspoken as the founders of ONA were 50 years ago," she says.

Citing a series of public actions that ONA nurses are undertaking, Ariss notes that, "Nurses do not give up. As we fight for the best care for others, we are counting on Ontarians to celebrate  and support  nurses in every Ontario community."

This year, nurses will be celebrating with events across Ontario. While nurses continue to face a myriad of challenges  including the Ford government's determination to privatize the public health-care system and harm patient care  nurses are honouring the profession they are so passionate about.

"For 50 years, ONA nurses have proven we are unrelenting in advocating for better patient care," says Ariss. "We will continue to hold protests, rallies and more to call out policies that harm patients and the nursing profession. This government should know that we will not back down. We are steadfast in our commitment to fight for the future of our profession, and for the public health care we all rely on."

Story continues

ONA is the union representing 68,000 registered nurses and health-care professionals as well as 18,000 nursing student affiliates, providing care in hospitals, long-term care, public health, the community, clinics and industry.

SOURCE Ontario Nurses' Association

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2023/05/c4355.html
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The remote village of Buscalan, home of the famed last mambabatok of her generation, has never been this accessible. Sure, you still need to endure the 12 hour-body-numbing drive from Manila with its city gridlock to the winding mountain roads of the Cordilleras, swerving around landslide debris and oncoming trucks in dangerously foggy conditions. But the dirt path from the turnoff in the municipality of Tinglayan, Kalingaclearly marked by a sign that proclaims Welcome! Whang-Od Buscalan Tattoo Villageis now paved over, reducing hike time by over an hour. Whats left is a strenuous climb through the rice terraces that most can conquer in 40 minutes.

Modern conveniences havent completely transformed Buscalan, yet. There is still no cell signal, and only a scant number of residents have WiFi. But steel has long replaced the traditional cogon roofing of the homes, and wooden huts have made way for crowded, concrete structures.

The woman who has been around to witness all these changes is also the one largely responsible for them. Apo Whang-Od, the sprightly centenarian also known as Maria Oggay, has been hand-tapping tattoos on skin since she was a teenager. It was only within the last 15 years or so that her clienteleand her renownexploded beyond the Cordillera region, with thousands of visitors coming from all over the world, all seeking the exquisite pain of the soot-stained thorn.

Artu Nepomuceno

According to lore and to interviews conducted by tattoo anthropologist Dr. Lars Krutak, Whang- Od was 16 when she began her career as a tattooist under her fathers mentorship. The first and only female mambabatok of her time, Whang-Od would travel to far and neighboring villages, summoned by host communities to imprint the sacred symbols of their ancestors on individuals who had crossed or were about to cross a threshold in their lives.

For men, this meant being minted as a headhunting warrior. A bikking, a chest tattoo with patterns that crawled up the shoulders and down the arms, could take days to finish and would cost a large pig or several kilos of rice. Women were tattooed for different reasons, primarily for fertility and beautification. The tattooed elder women of Kalinga often say that when they die, they cant take their beads and gold with them to the afterlife. They only have the markings on their body.

Whang-Od has tattooed more women than warriors, as headhunting was banned by the Americans in the early 1900s. The image of the Kalingas as bloodthirsty savages was perpetrated by the colonial ethnologic photographer Dean Worcester, who in 1912 published photographs of Cordilleran tribes in National Geographic, describing them as both exotic and terrifying in an attempt to justify American control of Northern Luzon, or what he called No Mans Land. But reality was more nuanced. Headhunting, as practiced, was a part of ritual warfare that had spiritual implications. Cultural tattoo practitioner Lane Wilcken explains in the book Filipino Tattoos: Ancient to Modern (2010) that headhunting functioned to restore the balance and justice between communities in conflict. The marking of the warrior was thus a ceremonial and sacred activity, done in several stages over almost two years.

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In those days, unmarked women were considered imperfect, undesirable. One of the most enduring ullalim, a form of epic poetry that is chanted by the village bard, is the story of the warrior hero Banna who falls in love with the beautiful Lagunnawa. In the pre-colonial tale, their tattooed bodies are celebrated as badges of honor, wealth, beauty, and bravery.

When the American Catholic missionaries came and built schools in Kalinga, village girls were made to cover their arms with long sleeves. Being tattooed became a point of shame when women ventured to the city, and eventually fewer girls from the succeeding generation continued the tradition as Western concepts of beauty and respectability began to permeate the culture.

Traditional tattooing is seen as archaic and painful by the younger generations of the tribe, wrote Kalinga elder and former NCIP official Natividad Sugguiyao in the intro to photographer Jake Verzosas The Last Tattooed Women of Kalinga (2014). Though the practice has completely ceased, it remains vital that it should never be forgotten.

The practice may have died out among the Kalinga, but outside forces have again exerted their influence, this time in helping revive the practice of batok and transforming it into something of a hybrid artform. In 2007, Dr. Lars Krutak spent two weeks in Buscalan filming the Philippine segment of his Discovery Channel series Tattoo Hunter. There he met Whang-Od, who was nearly 90 at the time and still working the rice fields every day.

Mambabatok can only pass on their craft within their bloodlines, and Whang-Od never had any children of her own. Grace Palicas, her 10-year-old grandniece, was chosen to be her apprentice, though initially a reluctant one.

I was the first child to learn how to tattoo. I just observed what she did, Grace, now 26, tells us. When I left for college in 2015, Elyang was next to learn so that she could help Apo when so many tourists were coming.

Artu Nepomuceno

We are at Graces house, where she and her 23-year-old cousin Elyang Wigan have been tapping ink into the limbs of a handful of visitors who arrived in Buscalan that morning. Afterward, the newly inked will walk a few houses down to where Whang-Od holds court to get her signature three-dot signoff, the only tattoo she does nowadays. Getting the dots, which takes all of five minutes to complete, has been described as more painful than the larger pieces done by the lighter hands of Whang-Ods proteges. But what is pain, or the risk of a small infection, when youve made it all the way here to see the living legend in the flesh?

We find Whang-Od by her house, sitting on a low footstool on the dirt floor, preparing her tools to dot a client on his arm. She is dressed in her usual accidental hipster grandma style, wearing a puffy bomber over track pants and a paisley bandana around her forehead. The outer walls of Oggays home are covered with tour group-sponsored tarps of her likeness, a reminder of the transactional, touristy nature of this exchange. We are, after all, neither warriors nor Butbut maidens ready for marriage. It is an honor for outsiders like us to be given these sacred markings, one we do not deserve.

When she finishes with the client, it is the Vogue teams turn to get tatted. First is Sela Gonzales, the photographers assistant and the only one of us who could communicate with her in Ilocano (Whang-Od doesnt speak Tagalog or English). An aide procures an unused gisi, a bamboo stick with a thorn attached to one end, while Whang-Od traces the pattern on Selas arm using a length of grass dipped in the soot and charcoal mixture. Holding the inked gisi in her left hand, she uses a larger stick to whack it with her right hand, driving it over a hundred times per minute into the flesh until the three dots are filled and oozing with blood and ink. She dabs at them with a wet wipe before deciding to go over the freshly wounded spots again for good measure. Aray.

When visitors come from far away, Whang Od says in the Butbut language, I will give them the tatak Buscalan, tatak Kalinga for as long as my eyes can see.

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In the fall of 2022, Grace spent several weeks in France, where her husband is from, and where she was invited as a guest tattoo artist at a few different tattoo studios. Grace is the first Buscalan person to bring batok to the West. Her clean, symmetrical black lines are impressive; patterns of scorpions, centipedes, snakes, and rice bundles come together to form a large tapestry running down the length of an arm or leg. One of her clients, a hand poke tattoo artist from Brooklyn, commented on Instagram that it was truly her most meaningful tattoo experience. A Philippine Indigenous practice that was on the verge of being lost to history is being inscribed on new skin. The stories of the Butbut people and their beliefs will continue to be passed along through the vector of a thorn, plucked from a tree grown in Kalinga soil.

Traditionally, ceremonial rituals accompanied the tattooing, and they ranged from the chanting of an ullalim or the sacrificing of a chicken. These days, the performance of rituals is altogether left out of the tattoo session, although Grace says that they can be done if requested, especially upon the completion of a large, multi-day tattoo. For non-natives, the tattoos are pretty much divorced from their ancestral context, chosen from the same limited menu of designs offered to everyone. In the end, we assign our own meanings to them, reading the symbols through the lens of an individual and not the community.

I was relatively uninformed when I got my first Kalinga tattoo a year before. If you asked one of the mambabatok there what a particular design meant, youd get a vague answer that was some combination of guidance, strength, and protection. I had chosen the crab/traveler partly because I associated it with my family and partly because I had read somewhere that it was one of the original Kalinga patterns, compared to the sun/moon motifs, which were new-generation designs by Whang-Od and Grace. Later I learned that the crab design with its pincers/fishhooks is associated with the Filipino deity Lumauig. A few scholars have noted that Lumauig bears a striking resemblance to the Polynesian trickster Maui. As you probably know, Maui possesses a magical fishhook. I regarded my tattoo with a new appreciation of the deep intertextual history behind its simple lines.

Emily Oggay, a relative of Apo, tattooed the crab on my thigh. It was virtually painless. She joked that her taps are like tik-tik-tik while Apos taps are TOK-TOK-TOK, miming a heavy hammer. Like Grace and Elyang, she is part of the new generation of mambabatokand there are surprisingly many, mostly girls and women. I counted at least 18 Gen-Zers who had picked up the craft through observation and practicing on themselves and each other. Many of them started in 2018 after seeing the tourism boom and the long lines of travelers waiting all day for a session with Apo. At its peak, Buscalan hosted over 400 visitors a day. Tour groups by the van loads were hauled to the mountain, some guaranteeing a meeting with Whang-Od, like she was a whale shark to be sighted. Homestays were crammed to the brim, with strangers sleeping shoulder-to-shoulder on the floor. Even if Whang-Od were to perform the full ritual for all her visitors, there wouldnt be enough chickens to sacrifice.

Before, farming was our livelihood. We would only eat kamote. You can see how tourism changed Buscalan when visitors started coming, Grace says, translating what Apo was saying. She describes how they started to eat a variety of food, and how locals took new jobs as tour guides and homestay operators. We also learned how to speak English and Tagalog because of the visitors.

This all came to a grinding halt during the pandemic when Buscalan was completely closed to visitors for two years. Villagers had no choice but to return to farming. Grace adds that it was also good because we were able to rest a bit. But when I first went up in July 2021, Whang-Od was not at home resting. She had absconded to the village in the neighboring mountain where restrictions were laxer. She wanted to keep tattooing.

I had found Whang-Od, gangster as ever, hanging out by a giant golden statue of herself, under whose outstretched arms and bare breasts I received my three dots.

Artu Nepomuceno

Jake Verzosa recalls the time he first got a tattoo from Whang-Od. The year was 2009, and he paid for his markings in brown sugar and posporo. When Whang-Od started getting tired after tattooing for a few hours, Grace would take over, he tells me. Indeed, the cuff on his arm starts off a bit crooked. Grace would have been 13 at the time, but her lines were very clean. Growing up in Tuguegarao, Jake would see the tattooed elders near his school and would often hear stories about Buscalan. It was not an easy trek to make, and at the time it was mostly foreigners who happened upon the village. Jake would spend three years completing his portrait series of the women elders of Kalinga. His iconic black-and white image of Whang-Od, which has been exhibited all over the world, can be found in various permutations all over Buscalan.

Whang-Ods face is also plastered on all kinds of merch from t-shirts to coffee packaging, and thats just in Buscalan. I dont know if its because of her guilelessness and genuine desire to share her culture, but she has been at the center of several incidents that have been called out as exploitative, with a few requiring the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples to step in as the gatekeepers of Indigenous intellectual property rights.

At a webinar that discussed these issues, social anthropologist Dr. Analyn Salvador-Amores noted that what was once a place-based ritual has been transformed into a commercialized practice. Culture is an increasingly prized commodity, aggressively appropriated by other entities, she said. Instead of asking who owns culture, we should ask how we can promote respectful treatment of native culture and Indigenous forms of self-expression within mass societies.

Whang-Od, who turned 106 in February, is the oldest living mambabatok but certainly not the last. The three dots representing Apo, Grace, and Elyang are also ellipses, signifying an open-endedness and a continuation that extends beyond its origins. In the US, practitioners like Lane Wilcken and Natalia Roxas advocate for the ceremonial tradition of batok, and they have helped and healed many Filipino Americans seeking to connect with their heritage by wearing the symbols of their ancestors. Elsewhere in the Philippines, Bukidnon tattoo practitioner Piper Abas is reviving the art of traditional Visayan and Mindanao tattooing, or patik. More Filipinos choosing to get an Indigenous tattoo, one that carries with it a long history, can be seen as a step toward decolonizing aesthetics, reclaiming our bodies, and reconnecting with our roots, our selves.

Culture survives through representation, not appropriation. The crab on my leg, like the freshly pricked trifecta of tattoos by the OG and her two main disciples on photographer Artu Nepomucenos arm, may not be the inheritance from our own blood ancestors. But we are now indelibly inked and linked to the last Philippine tribe that has managed to hold on to its tattooing heritage amid colonial erasure in the rest of the archipelago. And we carry these markings with us forward into the world, allowing ourselves the gifts of guidance, strength, and protection that we didnt realize we needed.

Producer: Anz Hizon. Production Assistants: Jojo Abrigo, Marga Magalong, Renee De Guzman. Photographers Assistants: Aaron Carlos, Choi Narciso, Sela Gonzales. Special thanks to the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.

This article originally appeared in Vogue Philippines.

Originally Appeared on Conde Nast Traveler
British resortwear and lifestyle brand Orlebar Brown has California dreamin on its mind.

Ever since it was acquired by Chanel five years ago for an undisclosed amount, the luxury label, known for its well-tailored swim shorts, has been scouting for new retail opportunities.

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Later this year, two new boutiques will open in Southern California with a third debuting next year in the Brentwood neighborhood. And if you are going to establish retail outposts in California, you might as well explore nearby Las Vegas, where another venue will open this year at a soon-to-be-named hotel.

California feels like one of the perfect places for Orlebar Brown, said Trevor Hardy, the brands chief marketing officer, who was in Los Angeles recently showing the labels high summer 2023 collection. The United States is our biggest market, about 60 percent of sales, and at least one third of our U.S. customers are in California. We have a large customer base here.

Orlebar Brown likes to have stores in areas where the mood, weather and lifestyle fits in with the casual elegance of its collections. California is intrinsically similar to the feeling of Orlebar Brown, Hardy explained. Were all about traveling holidays and good times. That is California and a few other places in the world.

Orlebar Browns new California outposts will be in the affluent communities of Newport Beach and Montecito. These stores will complement Orlebar Browns established location in Beverly Hills, opened more than two years ago.

Currently, Orlebar Brown has 47 stores throughout the world in places like Paris; the south of France; the islands of Ibiza and Palma de Mallorca in Spain; Mykonos, Greece; three locations in Dubai; five stores in Australia and six stores in London. In the United States, there are three stores in New York and five in Florida.

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Continuing with the California theme, Orlebar Brown is incorporating an Old Hollywood feel into the latest iteration of its Bulldog swim short. The Bulldog, the first item launched by Orlebar Brown, is known for its tailored styling with side adjusters, a rounded waist band, darts in the back and 60 elements that go into it. It is designed to be made in the exact same way that a pair of bespoke Savile Row trousers are made, Hardy explained.

The swim short is meant to look good in the pool but dry in 10 minutes, when it turns into a stylish short that could make it into a poolside restaurant without causing a commotion.

This recently introduced Bulldog look has an iconic photo of The Beverly Hills Hotel imprinted in the nylon fabric made with recycled plastic bottles. The OB Beverly Hills Hotel swim short, with a $395 price tag, will be sold at Orlebar stores as well as at a shop inside The Beverly Hills Hotel.

Photographer Adam Brown launched Orlebar Brown in London in 2007 because he thought mens swim trunks were too baggy and needed some tailoring. He made waves by implementing bold colors and graphic patterns, attracting a celebrity clientele including Leonardo DiCaprio, Jay-Z and Daniel Craig, who wore Orlebar Brown trunks as James Bond in 2017s Skyfall. The label later became a resort and casual lifestyle brand with a bigger selection that includes cashmere polos, crochet tops, striped hoodies and cotton and linen pants.

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Trying to fly aboard a commercial airline with your pet can be a pain. To avoid the hassle altogether, more and more people are opting for private jets when traveling with their cats or dogs.

The trend, which started gaining serious momentum in 2020, has sparked an influx of new companies and services designed to streamline jet-setting with furry friends. Industry newcomer K9 Jets, for instance, flew its first pet-packed plane on Friday, as reported by The New York Times.

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We feel really good because the dogs will be by our sides, Dee McLaughlin, who flew on K9 Jets inaugural flight with her partner and their two golden retrievers, told the Times. She had absolutely dreaded the idea of putting Bentley and Murphy in cargo.

When flying commercial, you have a few options for what to do with your pets depending on the airline. Most animals face size restrictions for being allowed on board in a carrier, while some companies wont fly particular breeds. If placing a dog in cargo, owners often worry about issues such as the temperature, the ventilation, and how employees handle the animal.

Thats where charter companies like K9 Jets come in. The private airline currently offers flights between New York and Paris, Lisbon, and London. (A seat on a K9 Jets flight will set you back about $9,000. You can buy a separate seat for Fido, or your pet can sit on the floor for no added charge.) From May to September, it has 17 listed flights, and eight are already sold out. Adam Golder, the founder of K9 Jets, told the Times that the company is planning to add more flights this summer thanks to demand, and in the fall it might expand to cities like Dubai.

There are hundreds of people that are waiting for a flight, Golder said. I think people dont want to put [their pets] in a crate and wave goodbye to them.

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To get from Los Angeles to New Jersey to board the K9 Jets plane, McLaughlin and her partner had already taken four flights with their dogs. To get to Ireland, their final destination, they would rent another private jet from London. In total, theyre spending more than $35,000 for the privilege of flying side by side with Bentley and Murphy, two very lucky pups.

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A Thai woman who was arrested last week on suspicion of killing her friend with cyanide has now been charged with at least 14 counts of premeditated murder.

Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn, who is four months pregnant, is accused of defrauding her victims of thousands of dollars before killing them via cyanide poisoning.

Her husband, a high-ranking police officer named Vitoon Rangsiwuthaporn, has been linked to the alleged murders. He has since been arrested and charged with fraud and embezzlement.

Vitoon was linked to the case after investigators noted that he picked up his wife after she allegedly killed an ex-boyfriend.

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Sararat and Vitoon have recently been divorced but had still been living together during the alleged crimes. They have both denied the allegations.

Deputy national police chief Surachate Hakparn told local media outlets that Sararat asked her friends and acquaintances for money to settle her credit card debts.

She reportedly resorted to killing them after they asked for their money back. She was allegedly able to dupe 15 people into taking "herb capsules" laced with poisonous cyanide but one of the victims survived.

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Hakparn, who had previously indicated that Sararats alleged swindling in each case involved hundreds of thousands of baht (thousands in U.S. dollars), said that they are now investigating the total amount she got from her victims.

Sararat is now facing 14 charges of premeditated murder and one count of attempted murder.

The police have expanded their investigation to five provinces and are also looking into up to three other potentially linked cases.

More from NextShark: GoFundMe created for gay Asian man in coma after being brutally assaulted in Atlanta

Sararat was initially investigated for murdering her friend in Ratchaburi province in mid-April. After she was questioned in the case, investigators linked her to other cyanide poisoning cases.

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Content Warning: Discussion of sexual violence including rape and sexual assault.

In the summer of 2017, I read a news story about a young Native American woman named Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind. A citizen of the Spirit Lake Tribe of North Dakota, Savanna lived with her parents and siblings in a tidy, working-class neighborhood in Fargo. After entering their apartment building one afternoon, she had vanished. She was 22 and eight months pregnant.

From my home in Los Angeles nearly 2,000 miles away, I followed Savannas story. Early on, her family had created an official Facebook page to update the public and solicit help in finding her. Savannas page had drawn thousands of followers, many from tribal nations, but also thousands of strangers who had never met the young aspiring nurse. About a week after she went missing, Fargo police arrested the white couple who lived upstairs. On a sultry August night, as Savannas relatives and friends gathered anxiously in the front yard, police emerged from the building carrying Savannas infant. Yet, Savanna was nowhere to be found.

A few days later, her body was pulled from the Red River.

Savannas heartbreaking murder did something extraordinary. It starkly illuminated the horrific levels of sexual and physical violence Native American women and girls had endured since colonization. In 2016, a report from the National Institute of Justice found that Native women were more than twice as likely to been raped or sexually assaulted as any other group of females in the country. Other numbers were equally staggering: in 2018, an Urban Indian Health Institute survey found that out of the 5,712 Alaska Native and American Indian women and girls known to be missing, only 116 were logged into the Department of Justices federal missing persons database. Because the government didnt systematically track murdered and missing Indigenous women (MMIW) cases, there were undoubtedly countless more. Because of a confusing matrix of jurisdictional laws, perpetrators of this ongoing violence went largely unpunished. Families seeking justice for their loved ones were routinely dismissed or ignored.

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I wrote Searching for Savanna: The Murder of One Native American Woman and the Violence Against the Many to honor the remarkable young woman Savanna was. But I also wrote this book because I was stunned by how little media coverage this crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women had received, and how few people I spoke with were even aware of it. I hoped to illuminate this unseen violence, its historic, cultural and political underpinnings. But I also wanted to highlight another little-known story: the decades-long movement by Native American advocates and organizations to end this violence.

On a cloudy afternoon on February 15, 2017, a handful of Native women advocates gathered in Washington, DC. They had come to this small airless room in the Senates Hart Building to brief Congress on the issue of missing and murdered Native women and girls. Some of the advocates had been venturing to such rooms for decades, to present their case, educate political leaders, and fight for legislation to protect Indigenous women. There had been progress, but not nearly enough.

Today, they were there to promote a benign resolution: a one-page document calling for a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. The day would fall on May 5, 2017, in memory of Hanna Harris, who would have turned twenty-five had she lived. Nearly two hundred tribal organizations had signed on in support.

Harris, a member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was twenty-one when she disappeared on July 4, 2013, in Lame Deer, Montana. The previous night she had gone to meet some friends. Like many Native women who vanish inexplicably, Harris was a mother, the devoted single parent of a ten-month-old son. Yet police didnt feel the need to look for her, because she was an adult. When I reported my daughter missing, Melinda Harris Limberhand said later, I was told by the police chief, Shes probably scared to come home. She was told she could search for her daughter herself.

Five days after she was last seen, Hannas decomposed body was found near the Lame Deer rodeo grounds on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Her pants were yanked down, her shirt and bra shoved up. Her remains were in such poor condition that officials couldnt determine a cause of death. A man named Garrett Sidney Wadda and his girlfriend, Eugenia Rowland, eventually were charged.

The crime was gut-wrenching. Wadda had sexually assaulted Hanna in his aunts mobile home, as his girlfriend lay blackout drunk nearby. When she awoke, it was to Hanna screaming that she was being raped. Enraged, Rowland beat her until she was unconscious. According to Rowland, Wadda struck Hanna, too, then dumped her body. Incredibly, he then joined Hannas family in the long days they looked for her.

After testifying against his former girlfriend, Wadda got ten years in prison for rape and being an accomplice. Rowland, who was convicted of murder, was sentenced to twenty-two years. Her daughters killing galvanized Melinda Harris Limberhand. She became a leader in the MMIW movement, one of Montanas fiercest advocates.

At the Senate hearing, advocates and survivors from Indian Countrys most respected womens organizations waited to speak. They had come in guarded hope. Among them were Jana L. Walker, a senior attorney at the Indian Law Resource Center and director of its Safe Women, Strong Nations Project; Tami Truett Jerue, director of the Alaska Native Womens Resource Center, a cosponsor of the briefing; and Cherrah Giles, chairwoman of the National Indigenous Womens Resource Center board of directors, another cosponsor.

Republican senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, who supported the resolution to designate May 5 a national day of awareness to honor missing and murdered women and girls, would say a few words. Montana senators Steve Daines and Jon Tester would also urge their colleagues to pass the resolution. It was 1:30 p.m. They had an hour to make their case.

One by one, advocates on the panel told stories, recited numbers. They raised the imprint of colonization on the brutal violence against Native women today. These are not new crimes, but a pattern of crimes that has existed for decades upon decades, said Terri Henry, cochair of the NCAI Task Force on Violence Against Women, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

No corner of tribal lands was untouched. Truett Jerue spoke about Alaska. Her group, in just a few meetings, had compiled a list of fifty Native women whod been kidnapped or killed in the thinly populated state. Its appalling, she said.

Another speaker was Amanda Takes War Bonnet, public education specialist for the Native Womens Society of the Great Plains, a grassroots organization focusing on sexual assault, dating violence, and sex trafficking. On the plane to Washington, DC, the Oglala Sioux tribal member had tucked in her bag a miniature traditional dress, a symbol of Native womens identity. It was one of dozens her group had made with families to honor their vanished loved ones, keep them from being forgotten. Now, the ivory buckskin dress was displayed on a table in the Senate room. Long red fringes dangling from the royal blue sleeves, another curtain of red fringe from the hem to the floor. Seven embroidered stars were scattered across the chest and sleeves, to remind lawmakers of Emily Blue Bird, whose Lakota name was Wichapi Sakowin Win. Steven Stars Woman.

Like most Native women her age, Amanda Takes War Bonnet carried a story, embedded in memory. I had an aunt who went missing years ago when I was a child, she recalled in a phone interview. I saw the trauma my mother went through. They couldnt find her body for so long. Her husband killed her. That was part of my testimony, seeing the frustration of families when they have somebody go missing. Theres such a lack of response from tribal law enforcement.

She mentioned Emily Blue Bird, a twenty-four-year-old mother of two. She vanished from Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. It was almost three weeks before she was unearthed in January 2016, strangled. The police couldnt find her. The local law enforcement couldnt find her. Her family found her partially buried near a creek. Emilys family pressed authorities hard to solve her killing. In July 2018, Elizabeth Ann LeBeau was sentenced to twenty-five years in prison for second-degree murder. Fred Quiver, an accessory to the murder, pleaded guilty and got fifteen years.

She mentioned Larissa Lone Hill, a twenty-one-year-old Lakota woman. She was petite, with brown eyes and long brown hair, and mother of a two-year-old daughter. She was last seen in Rapid City, South Dakota, on October 3, 2016. When Larissa went missing, it was between reservation land and state land. She went into Rapid City, then she went missing. We have no idea where she could be.

In spring of 2020, they still didnt. By then the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women was enshrined in federal law. On May 5, the day of awareness, Larissas mother, Lisa, posted a photo on the Facebook page Searching for Larissa Lone-Hill. It showed the Lakota mother, a sweet smile on her weathered face, holding a baby quilt splashed with images of her lost daughter. She wore a red T-shirt. To many tribes in North America, red has a potent meaning, and is known as the only color spirits see. Wearing red is believed to summon the missing spirits of women and children so they can be laid to rest. That is why it is the color of the MMIW movement, to call attention to the missing and murdered.

That day, families, movement leaders, and MMIW groups across the country couldnt gather as they usually did, to march, hold prayer circles, take part in walks. The coronavirus was raging, particularly across rural Native communities. But thousands of virtual tributes and discussions occurred. The internet was filled with images of missing and murdered loved ones.

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Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue

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The Royal Family sought to avoid controversy by removing the Kohinoor diamond from the coronation proceedings.

However, the choice of replacement jewels are no less controversial.

The Cullinan diamond's colonial origins has some South Africans asking for the jewel back

It's easy for many to see the May 6 coronation of King Charles III as little more than a fun bit of pomp and circumstance, to write the Royal Family off as figureheads of a bygone, almost-fairytale time. But we're not very far removed from a time where the British Empire was a real, robust, dominating, and inarguably destructive force throughout the world, and those whose ancestry have felt the effects of that Empire don't need to look very far to see the remnants of that colonial cruelty amidst this "kinder, gentler" monarchy. In fact, some of those remnants are going to factor into the forthcoming coronation.

"When Buckingham Palace announced in February that Camilla, Queen Consort, would not be crowned with the controversially-= sourced Kohinoor diamond during King Charles IIIs coronation on May 6, some lauded this as a diplomatic gesture," TIME begins its report about the latest controversy to rock King Charles's coronation. That's because the Kohinoor diamond was obtained "via coercion of the 11-year-old emperor of the Sikhs, Maharaja Duleep Singh, in the 19th century."

However, the palace chose to replace the Kohinoor diamond with the Cullinan III, IV, and V, which are cut from the equally controversially sourced Cullinan diamond of South African origin.



DiamondGalaxy - Getty Images

Of the Cullinan, TIME notes that:

"The Cullinan, originally 3,100 carats, was mined near the capital city of Pretoria. The gemstone was cut into nine large stones and around 100 smaller ones. The Cullinan I, the largest cut, is a 530-carat diamond known as the Star of Africa, which will be set in the royal scepter that King Charles III will hold at his coronation on Saturday. The Cullinan II, a smaller diamond, is also set in the Imperial State Crown, while the rest of the gems remain part of the crown jewels displayed in the Tower of London."

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As for how it found its way into the possession of the Royal Family to begin with, the origins are murky. The diamond was discovered in 1905, when South Africa was still under the brutal colonial rule of the British Empire, "leading some historians to argue that those who gifted the gemstone to King Edward VII in 1907 were never its rightful owners."

It was offered up to King Edward VII in the wake of the Second Boer War and the annexation of the Transvaal Republic, likely as a means by which to smooth over relations between the local colonial rulers and the monarchy.

Sepia Times - Getty Images

In the wake of this renewed attention on the origins of some of the Crown Jewels, some South Africans have decided to speak out.

Speaking to Reuters, Mothusi Kamanga, a lawyer and activist in Johannesburg, said that "The diamond needs to come to South Africa. It needs to be a sign of our pride, our heritage and our culture." Kamanga has launched a petition calling for the return of the stone, which has received 8,000 signatures and growing, and says, "I think generally the African people are starting to realise that to decolonise is not just to let people have certain freedoms, but it's also to take back what has been expropriated from us."

With mounting public pressure, and the desperate need the royal have for a new PR strategy, perhaps the way forward is to only conduct official royal ceremonies with items they own which were not obtained via coercion, murder, or the cruel hand of colonialism.

In other words, King Charles might want to see if he can still get that Burger King crown he was offered.

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Zoriana Bakalets at the Civic Education Workshop in Washington, DC.

Eliana Brownell is a student at Whetstone High School. This piece was written for Columbus Journalists in Training, a program sponsored by the Columbus Dispatch and Society of Professional Journalists Central Ohio Pro-Chapter for Columbus City Schools students. Eliana was a member of team EOAB-TV.

It's been over a year since Russia first invaded Ukraine. For many, news headlines have moved on to the next big topic, but for Ukrainians like Zoriana Bakalets, the war is still critically relevant.

Bakalets came to Ohio in August as a Future Leaders Exchange Program student, an exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. She applied to be an exchange student before the invasion, and by the time she left, her country had an entirely different landscape.

Bakalets lived in Western Ukraine when Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022.

She recounted what it was like that first day.

More student journalist projects: Training the next generation of Columbus journalists

"It was just [the] beginning of the day. I woke up to go to school and my mother came to my room," she said. "She was crying [and] I asked her what happened, and she told me the war started. I just said, 'What war?'  I was just in shock because I didn't know what to do. Like, do I need to go to school?"

More: Hope and new beginnings: How refugees from Ukraine, other countries celebrated Easter

Ukrainian exchange student recounts preparing for war

About 75 people attended a rally in support of Ukraine held Saturday outside the Arnold Sports Festival at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, the latest in a series of efforts in central Ohio to show support for the war-besieged country.

Bakalets' city, like much of Ukraine, wasn't prepared for a modern war. When her godfather called her from Kyiv, advising her family to seek shelter, she said the bomb shelters hadn't been touched since World War II and werent ready.

She described life in the bomb shelters as chaotic. People were full of emotion and confusion. They didnt know what was next for them. Bakalets lived in the bomb shelter for several weeks before returning to the outside world, but things didn't improve. She said that her city lacked hot water and electricity; that the Russians had destroyed everything. There was the constant ringing of the air alarms and sirens. Everything had been ravaged.

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"(Russia's) killing us. And I can't understand why," said Bakalets. "They're coming to our homes; they're destroying our buildings; they're destroying all the monuments; and what is the purpose of all of this?"

More: A year after Russian invasion Ukraine still want what Americans have

Soon, Bakalets and her family moved to Poland, which was close to their city. Bakalets and her mother worked at the border, helping other refugees enter the country.

"Ukrainian women with young kids [crossing the border] were just suffering," Bakalets said. "They were moving to another country without anything; without homes, without any connections, or relations to this country. It was very hard."

Bakalets spent the next year teetering back and forth between Ukraine and Poland. Her school had been meeting virtually during the war but required some in-person exams to wrap up the year, so Bakalets moved back to Ukraine. Then, because many of the government offices were in disarray, she returned to Poland once more to get her American documents for her exchange.

Student determined to educate Americans about Ukraine invasion

When asked about what life in Ukraine is like today, Bakalets said that the citizens have all settled into their roles. Those able to help in combat are doing so pridefully, those able to treat injured citizens have done so, and many citizens donate each month to help with the war efforts. The citizens of Ukraine have created routine and order in otherwise lawless circumstances.

Bakalets found her part too. In her time in the Columbus area, she has worked to spread awareness of the war in Ukraine.

More: A year after Russia invaded, Ukranians are still picking up the pieces in Columbus area

In February, Bakalets and another exchange student organized a fundraiser for her country, raising $2,547. She talked with Ohio members of Congress and participated in the Civic Education Workshop in Washington, DC. Most recently, she prepared a speech discussing the war for the Rotary 4-Way Speech contest.

Journalists in Training

"I have passion and a strong desire to develop and rebuild Ukraine," she said in the speech. "I want to be an ambassador of Ukraine and represent Ukrainians as an invisible nation  My main purpose in the U.S. is to educate American society about Ukraine, to create mutual and peaceful connections between both nations."

In one month, Bakalets flies back to Ukraine. The routines and comfort she has found within the U.S. will be uprooted, and she will return to a country still sickened with war.

Eliana Brownell is a student at Whetstone High School. This piece was written for Columbus Journalists in Training, a program sponsored by the Columbus Dispatch and Society of Professional Journalists Central Ohio Pro-Chapter for Columbus City Schools students. Eliana was a member of team EOAB-TV.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Student project: The war in Ukraine and one student's fight to raise awareness
At midnight Friday, the University of Memphis struck access to the widely popular social media app TikTok in a move to fall in compliance with a new Tennessee law that bans colleges and universities from allowing users to access the app through campus Wi-Fi.

"This means students, faculty, staff and members of the general public will be blocked from accessing all other social media platforms operated or hosted by a company based in China while using the University of Memphis IT network," the university said in a statement.

The University of Tennessee network banned the app in late February.

Students, faculty, and staff will still be able to use their personal devices to access TikTok. But, the app's functions largely rely on Wi-FI strength.

The bill was signed by Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee Thursday. While the language of the bill bars campus access to any Chinese-owned or -operated social media network, TikTok is the only such social media app that is ubiquitous in the U.S.

The move is aligned with 30 other states that have bans of varying degrees. Congress has already banned the app from government-owned devices. The U.S. armed forces have also banned TikTok on devices from the military.

At the core of the bans is concern the company that owns TikTok, Chinese-owned ByteDance, could gain access to information through the app or use it to spread misinformation.

Banning TikTok? Restrictions on the popular video app are spreading across the US

In March, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew defended the app in Congressional hearings against accusations from lawmakers that the company was gathering private user data for nefarious purposes. But lawmakers struck and maintained an adversarial tone that indicated Chew was not changing any hearts.

The reaction on the social media site largely was disbelief and outrage among users who rely on the app for information, small business promotion, community, and in some cases  payouts to content creators who maintain large audiences on the app.

Micaela Watts is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to education, access, and equity. She can be reached at micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: TikTok access banned on Tennessee college campuses under new state law
Kent Casson

Spring is suddenly upon us.

The birds are singing, temperatures have warmed, thunderstorms are brewing across the Midwest and winds are howling every day. This means planting season is very close in Central Illinois.

It almost seems we have no in-between anymore as we go from winter to summer within a day or two. Soil temperatures are on the rise, which means area farmers are considering heading out to the field to put corn and soybeans in the ground. The calendar says it is almost time.

Though we are tempted to go right out there on the first warm and sunny day, farmers must use patience as we need just the right soil conditions or we could jeopardize yields in the fall. Planting into wet conditions can be a disaster later on, especially for corn. Soybeans appear to be more forgiving, which is why many agronomists encourage bean planting before corn even.

We still need to make a few adjustments to equipment before we are ready to venture out to the field. This is the month where I crawl across the ground to check tires and make planter adjustments to make sure everything is in working order before venturing out. My 40-year-old back usually feels this a day or two later. Software updates are underway in the tractor cab as we get the monitors prepped before plugging in the iPads and other forms of technology.

I need to think of good sack lunch ideas for the coming weeks. Do I stick with a ham and cheese sandwich or go with a hot entree? My wife got me a container for my birthday that keeps things warm if you plug it in to the outlet in the tractor cab. This could be my chance to enjoy casseroles and other hot dishes during the day.

I have stocked up on caffeine as I run on that each spring and fall. The coffee can is full and our pop supply is good as Pepsi will be my go-to drink for a while. You cant go wrong with leftover Easter candy, either. An afternoon sugar fix is the best!

The kids seem to be excited about another farming season. They just realized the other day that April is here and that means Dad will be in the field soon. I see plenty of after school and weekend tractor rides in our future. My little farm helpers arent so little anymore as they will be helping on the farm in no time.

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Lets all stay safe out there for planting time and the entire year. Watch out for big equipment on roads and farmers should be mindful of motorists as well. Coming soon in a future article  my annual farm safety rant.

For the latest spring planting updates, market reports and ag blogs, visit www.centralillinoisfarmnetwork.com and follow the Central Illinois Farm Network on social media.

This article originally appeared on Pontiac Daily Leader: A View from the Cab: Time to begin prep work as planting season nears
(Bloomberg) -- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.s international online shopping unit is exploring a US initial public offering as it weighs options to spur growth for the business that includes major e-commerce brands Lazada and AliExpress.

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The firm is in the early stages of consideration and the IPOs size has yet to be determined, according to people familiar with the matter. The business group is in talks with banks that could potentially help prepare for the IPO next year, said one of the people, who asked not to be named as the matter is private. Alibabas US-listed shares rose 1.2% in New York trading.

The unit, which competes with rivals such as Amazon.com Inc. in markets outside China, is one of six parts that Alibaba is splitting into. Valuations for the international business units vary: Morgan Stanley in March priced international retail units including Lazada and Trendyol at roughly $29 billion, while a CICC analyst report from the same month valued the firms international division at about $39 billion.

In recent quarters however, growth has been volatile in the face of global recessionary fears. Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Catherine Lim and Trini Tan estimated the unit could be worth at least $19 billion provided it cut costs.

If it goes ahead, the Alibaba unit would join a number of high-profile Chinese firms including fast-fashion leader Shein seeking to tap American capital even as tensions rise between the worlds two largest economies. A listing in the US could help the business   formally Alibaba International Digital Commerce Group, or IDCG  attract global investors wary of putting money directly into China.

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Alibaba in March unveiled plans to break up its empire into units such as e-commerce, logistics and the cloud, with each business potentially exploring fundraising and an IPO at an appropriate time. The company will consider gradually giving up control of some of the businesses, Chief Executive Officer Daniel Zhang said at the time, but declined to specify a timeline for any IPOs.

IDCG includes Southeast Asian online mall Lazada; AliExpress, popular in Russia, Latin America and parts of Europe; Trendyol in Turkey; Daraz in South Asia and business-to-business marketplace Alibaba.com. In the final three months of 2022, the combined orders of Lazada, AliExpress, Trendyol and Daraz grew 3% from a year earlier, led by Trendyol. The international unit accounted for roughly $9.5 billion or 7% of Alibabas revenue in the last fiscal year and is headed by Jiang Fan, the former president of Alibabas domestic online retail businesses Taobao and Tmall.

Other parts of Alibabas empire have already begun moving ahead with spinoffs. Cainiao Network Technology Co., the logistics arm of Alibaba, as well as Freshippo, its grocery chain, have started preparations with banks for IPOs in Hong Kong.

Deliberations around an IPO are very preliminary and the situation may change, the people said. IDCG said in response to queries from Bloomberg that currently, there is no IPO plan.

Alibaba has in the past explored splitting off Lazada. The unit, bought in stages from Rocket Internet SE, is considered one of the Chinese firms most high-profile international brands. It competes with Amazon and Sea Ltd.s Shopee in Southeast Asian markets such as Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.

In 2022, Alibaba discussed raising at least $1 billion for Lazada before calling off negotiations with potential investors when talks bogged down over its valuation. It had aimed to secure the funding as a precursor to a spinoff. Alibaba has since mothballed the fundraising and injected additional funds into the company instead.

--With assistance from Olivia Poh, Adrian Leung, Sarah Zheng, Jane Zhang and Edwin Chan.

(Updates with Bloomberg Intelligence valuation estimate in fourth paragraph)

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2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Generally speaking the aim of active stock picking is to find companies that provide returns that are superior to the market average. And in our experience, buying the right stocks can give your wealth a significant boost. For example, the Logitech International S.A. (VTX:LOGN) share price is up 40% in the last 5 years, clearly besting the market return of around 13% (ignoring dividends).

Since it's been a strong week for Logitech International shareholders, let's have a look at trend of the longer term fundamentals.

Check out our latest analysis for Logitech International

While markets are a powerful pricing mechanism, share prices reflect investor sentiment, not just underlying business performance. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Over half a decade, Logitech International managed to grow its earnings per share at 12% a year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 7% over the same period. Therefore, it seems the market has become relatively pessimistic about the company.

You can see how EPS has changed over time in the image below (click on the chart to see the exact values).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

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. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Logitech International, it has a TSR of 51% for the last 5 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

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A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Logitech International shareholders are down 7.1% for the year (even including dividends). Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 0.9%. Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Longer term investors wouldn't be so upset, since they would have made 9%, each year, over five years. It could be that the recent sell-off is an opportunity, so it may be worth checking the fundamental data for signs of a long term growth trend. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. To that end, you should be aware of the 1 warning sign we've spotted with Logitech International .

If you would prefer to check out another company -- one with potentially superior financials -- then do not miss this free list of companies that have proven they can grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Swiss exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Israel officials found a strangely sweet surprise in an American tourists suitcase this week.

Security at the Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv unzipped an American couples suitcases that were bursting with 375 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups on May 2, a video shared by Mako, an Israeli news outlet, shows.

It wasnt the first time Americans have been caught sneaking cavity-inducing amounts of Fruit Roll-Ups into Israel this week. In fact, it wasnt even the first time in the same week, the Times of Israel reported. About 661 pounds of fruit-rolls ups were confiscated within one week at the airport, according to the outlet.

Times of Israel reporter Amy Spiro shared the video of security uncovering heaps of Fruit Roll-Ups in travelers suitcases on Twitter.

An American couple was caught trying to smuggle 375 POUNDS of Fruit Roll Ups into the State of Israel after prices skyrocketed once the snack became part of a viral TikTok trend.



Did you pack your bags yourselves and also are they full of exclusively candy? pic.twitter.com/GtGh76Z9n9  Amy Spiro (@AmySpiro) May 1, 2023

A total of 661 pounds of Fruit Roll-Ups have been seized by the airport authorities in the past week, Times of Israel reported.

According to the Israeli customs and import guidelines, visitors can bring up to 15 kilograms of food products in a shipment, but no more than 5 kilograms of a specific product.

Additionally, visitors may only bring in items that total less than $200 to Israel, USA Today Travel Tips reports.

Whats causing the fruit roll-up craze? Israeli authorities blame TikTok.

Who hasnt heard about this candy and seen viral videos of him wrapping ice cream, burning and flooding the social networks, the Israeli Ministry of Health wrote on its Facebook page on May 3, referencing TikToks latest Fruit Roll-up viral snack-hack that has millions in a chokehold.

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Droves of TikTok creators shared videos of them trying out the latest snack innovation  ice cream inside a fruit roll-up in a type of dumpling shape. According to testers, the cold ice cream hardens the fruit roll-up, making for a delicious treat.

Videos of the hack have gotten two, five, ten and 14 million views on dozens of accounts and has surged in popularity in Israel.

Tooth decay speedrun, one person joked on a viral video.

They arent entirely wrong, though  and thats one of the Israel Ministry of Healths concerns. It shared the risks of eating high-sugar treats like this one on Facebook in the hopes of warding off more Israelis from indulging too much on it.

Remember: Just because it is photographed well, raises buzz and chatted online  doesnt mean its healthy for you and your children, the Israeli Ministry of Health said on Facebook.

The high sugar hasnt deterred Israelis yet, and one mother even told Mako that the treat was so scarce in the country that she realized it is sold like in drug deals.

The popularity of the fruit roll-up hack has also caused the prices to skyrocket, according to the Israel Ministry of Health.

My children were addicted, another Israeli told Mako. We went to the grocery store to buy and they wanted to sell us 10 units for 35 (Israeli Shekel), its crazy.

For reference, 35 Israeli Shekel is equivalent to about 10 U.S. dollars. A box of 10 Fruit Roll-Ups cost $2.99 online at Target in the U.S.

The Israeli government is encouraging citizens to save their money on inflated fruit roll ups and try a healthier cucumber option instead.

Some information included in this article was translated using Google Translate.

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(Bloomberg) -- Apple Inc. rallied Friday after an iPhone rebound helped quarterly earnings beat estimates, even as overall sales at the worlds most valuable company remain in decline.

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The results suggest that Apple is beginning to recover from a slump thats plagued both the computer and smartphone industries. It was a particular relief for investors after Qualcomm Inc., a key supplier, raised fresh concerns about phone demand earlier this week. Apples sales in China  a weak spot for other tech companies  also came in a bit better than feared.

As expected, Apple announced plans for $90 billion in stock repurchases  the same as last years plan. The company also raised its quarterly dividend 4% to 24 cents a share.

The shares jumped 4.7% to $173.57, the biggest single-day increase since Nov. 30. That added $107 billion to Apples market value and brings its year-to-date gain to 34%.

Overall revenue amounted to $94.8 billion in the fiscal second quarter, exceeding the $92.6 billion analysts predicted. Though the sales fell 2.5% in the period, the company had warned investors to expect a drop of roughly twice that.

Though the performance was better than expected, it marked two straight quarters of sales declines  a first for Apple since the pandemic began. Earnings, meanwhile, were unchanged from a year earlier, at $1.52 a share. That compared with an average estimate of $1.43 a share.

On a conference call with analysts, Apple said that revenue in the current period would drop by a similar amount as in the past quarter, which ended April 1. That suggests a dip of about 3%. The company also said it would continue to see a negative impact from foreign exchange rates.

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The prospect of Apple suffering a third consecutive sales drop raises questions about its growth prospects.

I think growth has to be on the mind of Apple investors today, Scott Kessler, an analyst at Third Bridge, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television. People have to wonder about whether or not this is a double-digit grower in revenues in the foreseeable future or at any point in the future.

Apple generated $51.3 billion in sales from the iPhone  its flagship product  in the second quarter, topping analyst predictions of $49 billion. Thats just a 1.5% rise from a year ago but marked a record performance for a March quarter, Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said. The increase came despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, he said in the statement.

Like many tech CEOs delivering earnings reports, Cook also discussed artificial intelligence. He said it had enormous potential and that Apple would continue weaving it into products in a very thoughtful way.

Read More: Apples Tim Cook Says AI Concerns Still Need to Be Sorted Out

From a supply perspective, the second quarter was an opportunity for the iPhone 14 to rebound. The device had suffered from constraints during the previous period due to Covid policies in China.

The iPad saw revenue fall 13% to $6.67 billion, roughly in line with estimates of $6.7 billion. New models, which included a revamped entry-level version and Pro models with M2 chips, didnt do much to spur purchases in the quarter.

Likewise, revenue in the Mac division dropped 31% to $7.17 billion. That trailed forecasts of $7.7 billion. Research firms already warned that it was a bleak quarter for the lineup, with IDC estimating that Mac shipments fell about 40% in the quarter. Apple had updated the MacBook Pro and Mac mini, adding faster processors, but they failed to reignite the units sales.

The home, wearables and accessories division, which includes AirPods, the Apple Watch and the TV set-top box  fell less than 1% to $8.76 billion. That beat estimates of $8.5 billion. The company added a faster processor to the Apple TV during the holiday quarter and updated its HomePod speaker during the March quarter.

The services business, which includes iCloud, Apple Music, the App Store and the TV+ streaming service, brought in $20.91 billion, missing estimates of $21.1 billion. Still, it was a 5.5% gain from a year earlier. Last quarter, Apple promised that services revenue  alongside the iPhone  would accelerate.

The company did particularly well in emerging markets, Cook said, pointing to record quarterly sales in Mexico, Indonesia, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. He also called out growth in India, where Apple recently opened its first retail outlets.

Read More: Apple CEO Sees India at Tipping Point as China Pivot Quickens

The companys overall sales would have been up last quarter if you held currencies constant, Cook said. For Apple and other US companies with a global footprint, a strong dollar has decreased the value of revenue generated in other parts of the world.

Despite these challenges, we continue to manage for the long term, Cook said.

--With assistance from Ed Ludlow and Caroline Hyde.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
A driver was killed and an officer was hurt in a hit-and-run crash turned police chase on a Georgia highway, state investigators say.

The incident occurred May 4 after an officer with the states Motor Carrier Compliance Division saw a hit-and-run near Interstate 16 in Bryan County, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

The officer followed the driver, 29-year-old Walter Kye Herman, and stopped him after a brief chase, investigators said.

After speaking with Herman, the officer tried to put him in handcuffs, the GBI said. Thats when Herman floored it, dragging the officer one-tenth of a mile as he clung to the inside of the car, according to a news release.

The car struck a street sign and veered off the road down a steep hill, investigators said. The officer opened fire, causing him and Herman to be thrown from the car, according to the release.

Herman was shot and died from his injuries, the GBI said. The officer, who wasnt named, was taken to a hospital.

Authorities said the shooting is under investigation.

Bryan County is about 230 miles southeast of Atlanta.

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Republican lawmakers have voted to require caucusing to take place in person, moving forward with a plan that they believe will preserve Iowa's first-in-the-nation status but that has outraged Democrats.

The Senate passed House File 716 Thursday on a 33-16 party-line vote, with every Republican in favor and every Democrat opposed. The House passed the legislation Monday, so the Senate vote sends the bill to Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is expected to sign it.

The legislation is the latest development to raise questions about how the 2024 presidential nominating calendar will play out for both Democrats and Republicans.

Iowa Democrats on Wednesday released a draft plan indicating that the party intends to hold its 2024 caucuses on the same day as Iowa Republicans  in keeping with Iowa law but in potential defiance of the Democratic National Committee's decision to remove Iowa from its first-in-the-nation spot.

More: Iowa Democrats say they will hold 2024 caucuses on the same day as Republicans

At the caucuses, Iowa Democrats would conduct party business and select unbound delegates to county conventions.

But Democrats also intend to run a separate caucus-by-mail process where Democrats would cast presidential preferences. And the results of that process may or may not be announced on Caucus Day.

The Iowa Democratic Party will submit the delegate selection plan to the Democratic National Committee after a 30-day comment period.

Iowa Republicans, meanwhile, have accused Iowa Democrats of replacing the traditional caucus process with a "primary-in-all-but-name." They've said the in-person requirement is needed to preserve the caucuses from the threat of New Hampshire moving its primary ahead of Iowa if Iowa's caucuses too closely resemble a primary election.

Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls, D-Coralville, called the bill "petty, partisan, unconstitutional and unnecessary."

"The attempts to use state government to dictate to major political parties in this state how they are supposed to select delegates using their caucus processes is I think flagrantly unconstitutional and certainly not the direction our state should be going," Wahls said.

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The bill's floor manager, Sen. Jason Schultz, R-Schleswig, did not speak about the bill other than to describe what it does. But Sen. Jeff Taylor, R-Sioux Center, said there's value in having a caucus rather than a primary.

"The whole idea of a caucus is that you meet in person, face to face," he said. "You get together with your neighbors.  To me, thats a tradition thats worth protecting."

More: Iowa Democrats say they will hold 2024 caucuses on the same day as Republicans

How does the in-person caucus legislation work?

The bill says that if an Iowa political party chooses to select its delegates as part of the presidential nominating process at political party precinct caucuses and goes first, then the caucuses need to be held in person.

The bill would also allow political parties to set their own deadlines for when Iowans have to be registered members of the party to participate in the caucuses. That would allow Republicans, for instance, to require Iowans to be registered as Republican voters in advance before they can caucus.

Currently, Iowans can register with a political party at the time they go to caucus and still participate.

The original version of the bill would have required anyone wishing to caucus to register with their chosen party at least 70 days ahead.

The bill would not affect Iowa's existing same-day voter registration for voters participating in federal, state and local elections.

The bill also changes the mechanism for choosing a political party's nominee in the case of a primary election tie for state representative or state senator.

The bill would change the process so that party committee members from the precincts within the legislative district would meet to choose between the tied candidates.

More: Why Iowa is leaving a multi-state voter data group intended to ensure election integrity

And it allows Iowa to leave the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, a multistate group formed in 2012 as a way for states to share voter data and more easily remove ineligible voters from voter rolls.

More than half a dozen Republican-led states have left the group over the past year and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announced in March that he was pulling Iowa out.

Sen. Pam Jochum, D-Dubuque, said ERIC protects voter integrity by identifying voters who have moved or died, allowing states to remove them from the voter rolls.

"I never want to hear the two words 'voter integrity' again out of the other side of this chamber because what you are doing today in this bill is just the opposite of voter integrity," she said.

Stephen Gruber-Miller covers the Iowa Statehouse and politics for the Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com or by phone at 515-284-8169. Follow him on Twitter at @sgrubermiller.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa GOP lawmakers pass in-person caucus requirement as Democrats object
Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Attorney General Kris Kobach were defendants in a lawsuit against a Kansas election law that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional on Thursday.

A federal judge struck down portions of a controversial Kansas election law on Thursday, ruling them unconstitutional.

U.S. District Court Judge Kathryn Vratil struck down provisions in statute KSA 25-1122 banning out-of-state entities from mailing advance ballot applications and prohibiting the applications from containing any pre-filled information.

Both provisions had previously been temporarily blocked, and Vratil last year permanently enjoined the state from enforcing the out-of-state mail provisions.

More: Kansas agrees not to enforce key section of controversial election law as part of court deal

That left only the personalized application ban remaining to address in Thursday's ruling from the federal courthouse in Kansas City, Kan.

"Defendants have not established that the Personalized Application Prohibition is narrowly tailored to achieve the state's alleged interests in the enhancement of public confidence in the integrity of the electoral process and avoiding fraud, the avoidance of voter confusion or the facilitation of orderly and efficient election administration," Vratil wrote. "The Personalized Application Prohibition cannot withstand strict scrutiny and is therefore an unconstitutional infringement on plaintiffs First Amendment rights to speech and association."

Such rationales weren't supported by the legislative record for HB 2332, Vratil wrote.

The law also violates the Fourteenth Amendment, she ruled.

The plaintiffs were VoteAmerica and Voter Participation Center.

Tom Lopach, president and CEO of the nonprofit and nonpartisan Voter Participation Center, said the organization sued because the "dangerous law" would have made voting by mail more difficult, calling it an "assault on our democracy."

The law was enacted in 2021 through House Bill 2332 as Republican supermajorities overrode a veto by Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The governor said in her veto message that the law was "designed to disenfranchise Kansans ... not to stop voter fraud."

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"Kansas's law was one in a nationwide trend by state legislatures moving to restrict the freedom to vote," said Paul Smith, vice president for litigation and strategy at the Campaign Legal Center, in a statement. "Beyond just targeting voters, however, laws like HB 2332 specifically take aim at the ability of nonpartisan, public interest organizations to help people navigate confusing systems and encourage them to exercise their ability to vote by mail."

More: Kansas court reinstates challenge to ballot collection restrictions, says law impairs voters

The Voter Participation Center and a sister organization sent advance mail ballot application packets to about 500,000 Kansas voters in 2020. About 112,000 voters used the provided pre-paid and pre-addressed envelope to mail an advance ballot application to their county election office, with about 69,000 of those using the application provided by the group.

Republican Secretary of State Scott Schwab and Attorney General Kris Kobach were defendants in the case, as was Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe.

"We believe that the ruling is incorrect and we intend to appeal," Kobach said in a statement.

Schwab's office declined to comment.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Federal judge strikes down Kansas election law as unconstitutional
Key Insights

The projected fair value for Boustead Plantations Berhad is RM0.86 based on 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity

With RM0.72 share price, Boustead Plantations Berhad appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

The RM0.68 analyst price target for BPLANT is 20% less than our estimate of fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of Boustead Plantations Berhad (KLSE:BPLANT) by taking the expected future cash flows and discounting them to their present value. The Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model is the tool we will apply to do this. Models like these may appear beyond the comprehension of a lay person, but they're fairly easy to follow.

Remember though, that there are many ways to estimate a company's value, and a DCF is just one method. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for Boustead Plantations Berhad

Crunching The Numbers

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To start off with, we need to estimate the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

A DCF is all about the idea that a dollar in the future is less valuable than a dollar today, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (MYR, Millions) RM223.2m RM143.9m RM139.2m RM137.7m RM138.2m RM139.9m RM142.7m RM146.2m RM150.3m RM154.9m Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ -1.07% Est @ 0.32% Est @ 1.30% Est @ 1.98% Est @ 2.46% Est @ 2.79% Est @ 3.02% Present Value (MYR, Millions) Discounted @ 10.0% RM203 RM119 RM105 RM94.1 RM85.9 RM79.1 RM73.3 RM68.3 RM63.9 RM59.8

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = RM951m

The second stage is also known as Terminal Value, this is the business's cash flow after the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 3.6%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 10.0%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = RM155m (1 + 3.6%)  (10.0% 3.6%) = RM2.5b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= RM2.5b ( 1 + 10.0%)10= RM967m

The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is RM1.9b. The last step is to then divide the equity value by the number of shares outstanding. Relative to the current share price of RM0.7, the company appears about fair value at a 16% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

Important Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. You don't have to agree with these inputs, I recommend redoing the calculations yourself and playing with them. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at Boustead Plantations Berhad as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 10.0%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for Boustead Plantations Berhad

Strength

Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry.

Debt is not viewed as a risk.

Dividend is in the top 25% of dividend payers in the market.

Weakness

No major weaknesses identified for BPLANT.

Opportunity

Current share price is below our estimate of fair value.

Threat

Dividends are not covered by cash flow.

Annual earnings are forecast to decline for the next 3 years.

Moving On:

Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. DCF models are not the be-all and end-all of investment valuation. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For Boustead Plantations Berhad, there are three additional items you should assess:

Risks: For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Boustead Plantations Berhad (1 is concerning!) that you should be aware of before investing here. Future Earnings: How does BPLANT's growth rate compare to its peers and the wider market? Dig deeper into the analyst consensus number for the upcoming years by interacting with our free analyst growth expectation chart. Other High Quality Alternatives: Do you like a good all-rounder? Explore our interactive list of high quality stocks to get an idea of what else is out there you may be missing!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every Malaysian stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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The winning design for a memorial to the victims of the Chinese Massacre of 1871 in Los Angeles has been unveiled.

Artist Sze Tsung Nicolas Leong and writer Judy Chui-Hua Chung, both L.A. locals, were selected to design the memorial following a competition that attracted almost 170 entries from around the world. The pair spent several months researching the locations across downtown L.A. where the massacre took place.

Leong, who is of Toisanese, Cantonese and Hokkein ancestry, and Chung, a Taiwanese American, expressed their appreciation for being selected as designers for the memorial.

We are humbled by the historic significance of this memorial and honored that our proposal was chosen from a group of such talented finalists. While we are memorializing a massacre that reveals the long history of anti-Asian violence, we are also acknowledging that Asian Americans have been deeply rooted here since the beginnings of this city, state, and country. We are committed to commemorating the tragedy by honoring the victims and the diversity of this city they helped grow. More from NextShark: Pro-Democracy Activists in HK, Taiwan and Thailand Boycott 'Mulan' in a 'Milk Tea Alliance'

The massacre, which occurred on Oct. 24, 1871, was a violent attack on Chinese immigrants by a mob of about 500 white and Latino men in the area.

Chinese residents were subjected to lynchings that resulted in the deaths of at least 18 people, which was approximately 10% of the citys Chinese population.

More from NextShark: Leading global investment company requires bosses to seek permission when hiring white men

While the incident was marked as the deadliest racial violence in the city at the time, it remains unknown to many, even among Angelenos. The only marker currently acknowledging the event is a sidewalk plaque. According to Felicia Filer of the citys Department of Cultural Affairs, the new memorial's design aims to educate the public in a way that is both moving and beautiful.

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The idea for the memorial was proposed in 2021, right after then-Mayor Eric Garcetti marked the 150th anniversary of the massacre by apologizing for atrocities committed against L.A.'s Chinese residents.

The memorial, which will be situated primarily on Los Angeles Street, will feature a grove of tree sculptures that take inspiration from banyan trees that protected villages in a southeast region of China, where many of the victims originated.

More from NextShark: Organ donation in Vietnam becoming more accepted despite cultural taboo

The victims will be represented by 18 tree sculptures made of a stone-like material that will be placed along the sidewalk. A fallen branch will also be placed to represent the dead who were never identified. A sculpture of a full tree made of a silvery, metal-like material will also be constructed as part of the design.

The designers plan to incorporate several design elements throughout downtown, such as small sculptures on Broadway & 7th, where a judge named William H. Gray hid several men and women in the cellar of his vineyard.

More from NextShark: Taiwanese Military to Highlight Same-Sex Marriages at Annual Mass Wedding

A corner of Grand Park will have two sculptural benches to mark the old city jail where 20 survivors fled after being chased by the violent mob. It was the same jail where the bodies of 17 men had been lined up in two rows outside after the massacre. They will also place a pair of benches in Chinatown to connect the memorial site to a neighborhood that was displaced due to gentrification and rising rents.

The memorial, which is set to be in place by the summer of 2026, has a proposed budget of $3.6 million.

The city plans to finance the project via contributions from foundations and a fundraising campaign launched during the design selection. Mayor Karen Bass has proposed that the city contribute $250,000 to the project.
Republican Presidential hopeful Nikki Haley knows she's trailing in the 2024 presidential polls.

But she indicated that the numbers did not deter her during a rally Thursday night at downtown Greer's Cannon Centre.

"I will tell you fact the polls you see today are not going to be the polls you see tomorrow or next year," Haley said near the end of her one-hour speech. The former SC Gov. and UN Ambassador spoke to a crowd of 600 attendees.

Much like her other campaign speeches, Haley recounted her run for the SC House of Representatives two decades ago and how she has always been an underdog. She said she polled at 3% when she ran to unseat longtime incumbent Larry Koon in 2004.

Once elected, Haley pushed for major legislation related to making voting records public. She was a freshman leader in her first year, a Majority Whip and a member of influential committees in the following years.

Then in 2017, she was appointed the U.N. Ambassador by the Trump administration. She led efforts to impose sanctions on North Korea and move Israels capital to Jerusalem.

We took the kick me sign off our backs and we made them respect (America) again, Haley said.

SC operatives: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott could be formidable. Will they get a big boost at home?

Haley continues to talk term limits, competency tests for politicians

Haley reiterated the need for term limits and competency tests for politicians over the age of 75 as a veiled jab towards President Joe Biden, who would be the oldest U.S. President if he were to win his 2024 run.

But she maintained the ask for term limits was not a partisan issue. Though she did not directly challenge Trump, she said the Republican Party needed to evolve with a new generation of leaders.

"When we send people to D.C., we need them to be on the top of their game, Haley said. "We've got a country to save and we can't afford to not be the strongest we could possibly be."

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S.C. Rep. Nathan Ballentine, R-Richland, who grew up in the Upstate, spoke in support of Haley Thursday. Ballentine and Haley joined the Statehouse together two decades ago. He credited Haley for making the state a manufacturing hub that gave her the moniker beast of the southeast.

A new face in politics, Ballentine said. Shes what the Republican Party needed.

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley held a 'RALLY WITH NIKKI HALEY' campaign event at the Cannon Centre in Greer on May 4, 2023. The public waits for Haley to arrive.

Ted and Teresa Sillstrop, a couple attending the event, said Haley was an admirable governor and ambassador.

She would be very good for our nation, Teresa Sillstrop said.

The couple said Haley's experience sets her apart from other GOP candidates.

Shes very decisive, she's tough and shes got a lot of energy, the Sillstrops said. Shes got backbone

Other than Haley, Sillstrop said he was excited to see U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. They were out of town when Ramaswamy was in the Upstate.

Sillstrop said it was important to get a Republican back in the White House because the Biden administration was accelerating spending. We would have more respect in the world, he said.

But the current poll numbers, where Haley trailed behind Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis did not bode well for Haley.

Shes way behind, Ted Sillstrop said.

SC Republicans, analysts: It's still Donald Trump's GOP but Nikki Haley could be formidable

Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley held a 'RALLY WITH NIKKI HALEY' campaign event at the Cannon Centre in Greer on May 4, 2023.

Haley steered clear of abortion debate but called transgender issues the most important woman's rights issue right now

Haley said culture war issues, such as critical race theory and transgender rights, dominate the national conversation. She took a shot at transgender social media personality, Dylan Mulvaney, who drew the ire of anti-transgender consumers after Anheuser-Busch-owned Bud Light partnered with Mulvaney during March Madness.

"Make no mistake that is a guy," Haley said denying Mulvaneys identity as a woman.

"This is the women's rights issue of our time," she continued.

Haley joins a host of current or probable Republican candidates such as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis who have platformed anti-transgender rhetoric. But unlike last week, she steered clear from the debate surrounding abortion issues.

Haley, who was governor in 2016 when she signed a 20-week abortion ban, said in an April 25, 2023, Susan B. Anthony List event that she intended to be a "consensus" builder on the issue.

She brought up Charleston's 2015 Mother Emanuel Church massacre, where nine Black churchgoers, including late S.C. Sen. Clementa Pinckney, were murdered by a white supremacist. She said that the ensuing push to remove the Confederate flag from the Statehouse grounds was polarizing.

"We found consensus on a very tough issue, Haley said in an April 25, 2023 event. What was true then with the flag can be true now with abortion. This shouldnt be about one movement winning and another one losing. Its about saving babies and supporting moms. Im fighting for all of them, and I will work with anyone to do that.

Though Haley has not explicitly outlined a plan to resolve the debate, she said the federal government will play an influential role. But the Hill reported Haley assured the anti-abortion group, Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, she would set national consensus at 15 weeks.

Haley: Fire 87,000 IRS agents and hire 25,000 border patrol agents

Haley focused heavily on foreign and immigration policy. Referencing her tour to the border, Haley drew comparison between her and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is also of Indian origin.

"I can tell you I didn't pull a Kamala and go there and come back," Haley said. "I went 400 miles of that border."

She rebuked the Biden administration's policies, which she said left the U.S. in a place where its allies didnt trust it and its enemies didnt fear it. "We will fire the 87,000 IRS agents and hire 25,000 border patrol agents," she said. Instead of U.S. policy catch and release, she said, agents would "catch and deport."

She said the U.S. needed to be aggressive about who supported in its foreign policy decisions and military aid.

One attendee from the crowd hollered. "We dont want World War III though.

SC Democrats say Nikki Haley 'scrambling' to compete in GOP race for White House

South Carolina Democratic Party spokesperson Alyssa Bradley said Thursday that Haley was scrambling to compete with the growing GOP field on who can propose the most MAGA agenda.

"Since her last visit to the Palmetto State, Nikki Haleys desperation for the MAGA base reached new lows as she tripled down on her anti-abortion record  endorsing a national abortion ban and outright bragging about signing an abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest."

According to a recent Winthrop Poll, Trump leads the current GOP field with 41% support, followed by DeSantis and Haley with 20% and 18% respectively.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, who is likely to announce his presidential run on May 22, is another candidate from the state competing for attention.

Political experts in the Upstate have said Haley or Scott would make excellent vice president choices if they are unable to overcome their GOP competitors in the primaries. They have also maintained that Haley continues to be underestimated.

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Nikki Haley said low polling numbers will change as 2024 race goes on
Its official: South Dakota has a new set of social studies standards that educators will start teaching to students in the fall of 2025.

Thats after the South Dakota Board of Education Standards passed that set Monday in Pierre, despite hearing from a majority of educators and the states nine tribes who all stood in solidarity opposing the standards.

A two-year implementation period for the standards will start in June at the South Dakota Department of Education office, along with the South Dakota Historical Society and the Office of Indian Education to help current teachers learn how to put the standards into practice, according to a press release from Gov. Kristi Noems office.

The Board of Education Standards listens to testimony on the proposed social studies standards during a meeting in Pierre on April 17, 2023.

All in all, the standards take students from kindergarten through 12th grade and include content in the form of stories, historical figures, maps, research, images and historical documents, according to the introduction to the standards written by the DOE and workgroup.

There is no statewide assessment for social studies.

More: South Dakota social studies standards pass, despite opposition from educators, tribes

Here are some grade-by-grade highlights from the new standards, which have a spiral sequence that teaches students concepts from history in a chronological order, with students studying world history four times and American history and/or civics five times.

To see the full 179-page set of social studies standards, you will need to find the recent Board of Education Standards agenda online and look at item 6.N.

Elementary school: From before 60 B.C. to 1908

In the earliest elementary grades, kindergarteners content will consist of an Introduction to America, followed by world history to 315 and America from 1492-1787 in first grade, and world history from 315-1492 and American history from 1787-1908 in second grade.

Kindergarteners must be able to tell stories about a list of 64 historical figures ranging from Christopher Columbus to Barack Obama; learn 32 different symbols of the U.S. including the flag, seal, various monuments and holidays; and, give examples of virtues and actions related to hard work, personal potential and individual independence, among other standards.

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First graders must be able to recite the preamble to the U.S. Constitution from memory and a line from the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

They must also demonstrate knowledge of several ancient civilizations across the globe and of European exploration and settlement of what would become the United States, among other standards.

More: New social studies standards should be 'free from political agendas and activism,' DOE draft states

Second graders must understand citizenship, the importance of a knowledgeable, good and hard-working citizenry, the fall of Rome, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance, including knowledge of Muslims, Christians, Confucianism, Japanese Buddhism and much more.

Third graders content spans world history to 60 B.C.E. and American history from 1492-1763, followed by world history from 60 B.C.E. to 1300 C.E. and American history from 1763-1820 in fourth grade, then world history from 1300-1648 and American history from 1820-1908 in fifth grade.

In third grade, theres an added section to demonstrate knowledge of colonial America, slavery and how the American colonist was generally defined by certain traits, including being hard-working, determined, religious, skeptical of authority, and self-governing.

Fourth graders must also demonstrate knowledge of events leading up to the American Revolution, the War of Independence and U.S. history from George Washingtons presidency to the War of 1812.

By fifth grade, students must be able to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory as well as know more about westward expansions effects on relationships with Native Americans and the electoral divide over slavery. They will also cover womens suffrage, the Reformation, the Gilded Age and more.

Middle school: U.S. history from 1492 to 2008

In sixth grade, students content falls under Influential Ideas in History and Civics: to 1815.

Sixth grade includes a large focus on world geography, spanning the globe from all major continents except for Australia and Antarctica; a return to understanding influential ideas from time periods covered in earlier grades; and, ideas from the Scientific Revolution, Enlightenment and the French Revolution.

In seventh grade, students content looks at America from 1492 to 1877.

More: What are the biggest changes between current and proposed social studies curriculum?

Seventh graders must give examples of patriotism; cover the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, memorizing paragraphs from the latter; explain traits of colonists; learn more about Washingtons presidency, the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the sectional divide in the U.S. over slavery.

In eighth grade, students will examine America from 1877 to 2008.

Eighth graders will cover the Gilded Age, time after the Civil War, suffrage in South Dakota, boarding schools, World War I, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, World War II, the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, cultural revolution, and the turn of the 21st Century up to the 2008 election, to name a few highlights.

High school: A little bit of everything, and more

High school standards include ancient to modern world history, world geography, U.S. history from 1492-2008, U.S. government and American civics, economics, and South Dakota and Native American history and civics.

These standards are broken down by subject, not by grade level, as the standards adopted in 2015 were.

World history and world geography standards cover much of what is covered in earlier grades, as well as identifying elements that make up a persons culture, including political culture.

More: How South Dakota's social studies standards became so controversial

Economics standards include mentions of Karl Marx, Adam Smith, the free market, capitalism, agricultural economics, economic decisions, the principles of supply and demand, economic systems, major market structures, the business cycle and macroeconomic measurements, money and financial institutions, trade and commerce, and much more.

U.S. history standards include demonstrating knowledge of American and South Dakotan geography, comparing modern ways of life to prior eras in history, understanding of Native American people before the arrival of Europeans and Africans, settlement, colonial America, the American Revolution, founders arguments and some repeats from earlier grades.

U.S. government and American civics standards cover modern ways of life compared to prior eras, principles and examples from world history that influenced Americas founding, the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Americas principles, the institution of slavery, the Civil War, civil rights, 20th Century Progressivism, domestic policy, foreign policy, citizenship, politics, South Dakota and Native American government and politics, and finally, the American experiment in self-government compared to other historical and present-day regimes.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: South Dakota's new social studies standards broken down by grade
I once witnessed the state of Florida execute a child rapist.

I was not sad about it despite my personal reservations about the death penalty. Mark Dean Schwab was already a convicted child rapist by the time he kidnapped, raped and murdered 11-year-old Junny Rios-Martinez in 1991. He was executed for murder and if anyone deserved to be executed it was him.

But this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new law expanding the death penalty to include non-murdering child rapists. The bill, which takes effect Oct. 1, now makes sexual battery of a child under 12 a capital crime. This goes against the Constitution. The Eighth Amendment prohibits cruel and unusual punishment and to execute someone who did not take a life would certainly fall into the cruel and unusual category.

JUNNY ----2/9/2007---Junny Rios-Martinez, 11 was killed 16 years ago by Mark Dean Schwab. This school photo was taken a few weeks before Junny was killed. Photo by: Michael R. Brown

But that's not even the main reason the new law is a huge mistake.

Before you start labeling me as the protector of the child rapists, hear me out. The first thought I had when I heard this news was that more children, many more children, were going to die. Why? What would turn a child rapist into a murderer? What about getting rid of the only witness who can send them to death row?

I believe Schwab killed Junny because another conviction would have netted him a life sentence. He was trying to get rid of the witness/victim. Schwab should never have been free in the first place. He served less than 50 percent of his eight year sentence for a previous rape because of a since-changed law regarding how time an inmate had to serve.

What motivation is there now for a child rapist to release their victim? If you're going to face the death penalty anyway then why not get rid of the person who can send you to death row?

"Offenders acting on sexual impulse rarely think of legal consequences, but if they do and realize that they are facing the same punishment as killing the child, the law will have a horrible, horrible, unintended consequences," agreed Melbourne attorney Jessica Travis. "The governors tough on crime stance may backfire, and our children will be the fall out."

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But that's not the only reason DeSantis' bill is ill-advised.

Last month DeSantis signed legislation no longer requiring juries to vote 12-0 in favor of the death penalty during the punishment phase of trials after a conviction. In fact, Florida can now boast being the state with the lowest death penalty threshold in the country. The law makes it so only eight of 12 jury members are needed to recommend a death sentence.

This will likely result in legal challenges that will need to be decided by the highest court in the land.

"The law contains at least two separate, significant constitutional issues," said Melbourne attorney Scott Robinson. "First is the death penalty for sexual battery which the United States Supreme Court has previously said was unconstitutional. The second is removing the requirement for a unanimous decision by the jury for death which United State Supreme Court has also said was unconstitutional. This means that there will be at least two federal questions baked into every case."

Melbourne attorney Scott Robinson

That means cases will be tied up for years.

Because of the built-in appeals to the death penalty cases, families of victims already wait for years and years. The family of Junny Rios-Martinez waited 17 years to see Schwab receive his lethal injection. This meant nearly two decades of reliving their horror and anguish at every court filing, appeal, hearing etc.

I often wondered if Junny's family would have gotten more peace had Schwab simply been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. In Florida, that does happen since the state abolished parole for cases that happened after the mid-1990s. Life means just that, life.

"You finish your life sentence in Florida being carried out in a pine box," said Melbourne attorney Kepler Funk. "Prison is where child rapists belong, forever separated from law abiding citizens, but I do not believe that government should be in the business of killing its citizens, ever.

More John A. Torres: Torres: Denied Crosley Green's death, Florida will now get its pound of flesh | Opinion

Torres: Lawsuits, book bans, another superintendent out ... school board is a mess

Back to the death penalty for child rape.

Judges and juries in death penalty cases are tasked with considering aggravating and mitigating factors before imposing a sentence of death. In many sexual assault cases involving children, the perpetrator was once too victimized.

"This does not excuse a sex offender," attorney Travis said. "They should still be punished. But some offenders are treatable, and Ive seen offenders who commit lesser crimes  touching on the outside of clothing  get the same punishment as those who commit the worst crimes. The witch hunt against sex offenders ignores the different degrees of criminal conduct and throws away those who can be rehabilitated. In addition to being unconstitutional, the new death penalty law perpetuates the witch hunt because it does nothing to solve the real problem  the cycle of abuse."

Melbourne attorney Jessica Travis

Even if you don't believe in treatment or that sex offenders can be rehabilitated, what about the very real possibility of executing an innocent person? It's not a very good idea to send non-murderers to death row. Of course, this leads to the broader discussion of whether we should even have the death penalty.

"The Governor wishes us to trust that the criminal justice system is always just," attorney Funk said. "That in the most important matter, life and death, we should trust the government. I disagree that government is flawless when it comes to the criminal justice system and therefore the death penalty. We know that the criminal system is run by humans and therefore it is flawed. We know that Florida has held people on death row for years until new science and technology clearly exonerated them. People were actually innocent as they languished on death row. These facts, lead to the inescapable conclusion that we should not trust the government to always get it right, because it doesnt."

Then there is the cost. It's strange that DeSantis is looking to send even more people to death row while other states are looking to abolish it due to financial considerations. For example, the state of Louisiana spent $7.7 million on death penalty defense even though it hasn't executed a single prisoner in 13 years.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was in Titusville Monday afternoon with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody at the American Police Hall of Fame and Museum to sign three bills, including one that made sexual assault of a child punishable by death.

Republican Senator Carolyn McGinn of Kansas recently called for the end of the death penalty after learning death penalty cases cost roughly 70 percent more than non death penalty cases.

"I think in many cases life without parole is more punishing than the death penalty, and is perhaps less expensive in the long run," said local attorney Steve Casanova. "In addition, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the death penalty only applies if a life was taken in a heinous criminal act."

There are some prosecutors who would like to see the death penalty go away altogether as well.

In 2022, 56 elected prosecutors issued a joint statement urging an end to the death penalty citing a "broken system."

Incredibly there hasn't been a death penalty cost study in Florida since 2000 but many experts say it costs the state 10 times more to keep a prisoner on death row than it does a prisoner sentenced to life.

Well, DeSantis is always boasting about Florida's financial reserve.

Contact Torres at jtorres@floridatoday.com. You can follow him on Twitter @johnalbertorres or on Facebook at facebook.com/FTjohntorres.

Support local journalism and become a subscriber. Visit floridatoday.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Florida death penalty cases will be mired in courts for years to come
A Richland man has been sentenced to over 12 years in federal prison for his role in a large drug trafficking organization that used a Kennewick landscaping business to hide its illegal activities.

Jose Mendoza-Ruelas, 38, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to distribute substantial quantities of methamphetamine, fentanyl and cocaine.

He and the drug trafficking organization were bringing in tens of thousands of deadly pills to sell in the Tri-Cities and other communities, according to court documents.

The investigation started in November 2019 when the Drug Enforcement Administration out of Seattle observed a man who had traveled to the Tri-Cities from Seattle accept a shopping bag retrieved from inside an Affordable Landscaping truck.

The case moved forward in early 2021 when a person, prompted by a news report about fentanyl overdoses, came to the Benton County Sheriffs Office.

They reported suspicious activity they had learned of from a relative of a member of the drug trafficking organization linked to Affordable Landscaping, according to court documents.

Law enforcement was told that drugs were picked up in Tucson, Ariz., and then distributed in the Tri-Cities, Moses Lake, Yakima and other parts of Eastern Washington.

The Drug Enforcement Administration began working with a confidential source, who arranged multiple meetings with Mendoza-Ruelas to purchase drugs.

Mendoza-Ruelas told the source that the organization would give him 50,000 to 60,000 fentanyl-laced pills in addition to large quantities of methamphetamine, according to court documents.

Mendoza-Ruelas also said he was negotiating a 30-pound meth delivery at the time he was taken into custody, according to the prosecution.

In July 2021 search warrants were served on several homes, including two linked to Mendoza-Ruelas.

Nothing suspicious was found at his girlfriends house in Benton City, where he sometimes stayed, but a search of a house in the 1000 block of Smith Avenue in Richland where he and others lived turned up a pistol and a digital scale.

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Although there were no narcotics or large amounts of money at either home, a search of several houses used by the drug trafficking organization and the landscaping business on the 3800 block of West Kennewick Avenue found loaded assault rifles hanging on the wall, more than $165,000, much of it hidden within a wall, a digital money counter and a 45-caliber pistol and materials often used for street level drug packaging.

The narcotics that Mendoza-Ruelas sold were delivered to the Affordable Landscaping compound, and he was often there and knew that was where the drug shipments were processed, according to court documents.

Amount of drugs staggering

The Eastern Washington U.S. Attorneys Office asked Judge Mary Dimke to sentence Mendoza-Ruelas, one of eight defendants in the case, to 15 years in prison.

Mendoaz-Ruelas attorney, Alex Hernandez III of Yakima, said a 10-year sentence would be sufficient, arguing that his client was not among the members of the drug trafficking organization who lived at the West Kennewick Avenue compound where money and assault weapons were found.

The defense attorney argued that the prosecution was overstating Mendoza-Ruelas role in the drug trafficking organization and that Mendoza-Ruelas was the victim of poverty in Mexico and cannot read or write.

His mother wrote a letter to the court saying that without her sons help from the Tri-Cities she would not be able to pay for her kidney dialysis in Mexico.

But Assistant U.S. Attorney Stepahnie Van Marter said in a court document that the amount of narcotics in the case are staggering and that evidence from cellphones, a cooperating defendant and Mendoza-Ruelas comments recorded by a confidential source showed his strong role in a sophisticated drug trafficking organization.

In addition to sentencing Mendoza-Reulas to 12 years and 6 months in prison, Dimke also sentenced him to five years probation after his release.

Drug distribution continues to be a scourge in the Tri-Cities and elsewhere, said U.S. Attorney Vanessa Waldref. I commend the collaborative efforts of state, local, and federal law enforcement to identify Mr. Mendoza-Ruelass drug trafficking activities and to prevent him from further distributing this poison in our communities.

The case was investigated by the DEA Tri-Cities, Border Patrol, the Tri-Cities Metro Drug Task Force, Richland Police Department, Kennewick Police Department, Pasco Police Department and West Richland Police Department.

Other defendants in the case are Oscar Chavez-Garcia, Joel Chavez-Duran, Franchesca Llanos-Delgado, Osvaldo Moreno, Leticia Rodriguez, Carlos Ruelas-Valdovins and Ignacio Garay Ornelas.

Chavez-Garcia and Chavez-Duran have pleaded guilty but have not been sentenced.
Ukraine's military has confirmed shooting down one of the country's own Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drones flying over Kyiv earlier today. Individuals on the ground had captured dramatic pictures and video of the incident. The Ukrainian Air Force claims that control of the drone was lost and the decision to destroy it was made in order to avoid "unwanted consequences." This has come as Russia has been launching strikes on Ukraine's capital in retaliation for still murky drone attacks on the Kremlin yesterday.

The TB2 was on a "planned flight" when control was lost, according to a statement from the Ukrainian Air Force. It added that the exact circumstances of the incident are still being investigated, but that a "technical malfunction" of some kind may have been to blame. The statement makes no reference of any kind to possible hostile action.

Ukrainian Air Force reports destroying Ukrainian Bayraktar that lost control over Kyiv



The drone shot down over Kyiv was Bayraktar TB2, used by Ukrainian forces, that had lost control "during a scheduled flight," Ukraine's Air Force reported.



"Unfortunately, but it's a pic.twitter.com/RN1RYNEfVG  NEXTA (@nexta_tv) May 4, 2023

The official explanation is absolutely plausible and deliberately shooting down wayward friendly drones that have lost control is a standard practice. At the same time, air defenders in and around Kyiv have had cause to be on extreme alert recently and it wouldn't be surprising if an incident like this was the result of friendly fire. The somewhat similar flight profile of the TB2 and certain Russian drones also makes identifying friend versus foe that much tougher.

The official explanation is absolutely plausible and deliberately shooting down wayward friendly drones, or even crewed aircraft after everyone has bailed out, is hardly underheard of. At the same time, air defenders in and around Kyiv have had cause to be on heightened alert recently and there still remains a possibility that this incident may have actually been a case of accidental friendly fire.

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Why the TB2 was flying in the area at all on this scheduled flight is unclear. It's unknown exactly how many of these drones Ukraine has, but it reportedly received dozens from Turkey after Russia's all-out invasion and has been receiving small numbers from other sources. In addition, there have been reports in the past that the use of these drones, which was very pronounced in the opening phases of the current conflict, has since been significantly curtailed overall due to the fortification of Russia's anti-air umbrella over and beyond the front lines.

These drones can be armed with various small precision-guided munitions or used for purely reconnaissance and surveillance missions. The drone flying over Kyiv did not appear to be carrying any weapons, but was fitted with a sensor turret under the fuselage, which is customary for the type.

A stock image of a Ukrainian TB2, in this case seen armed with MAM-series precision-guided munitions under its right wing. Ukrainian MoD

The exact weapon that was used to bring the drone down is unknown. However, pictures and videos from Kyiv clearly show it being hit by a missile of some kind, after which it explodes in a ball of fire and falls to the ground. The extent of any damage from the debris falling in the middle of the Ukrainian capital is unclear, but the country's Air Force says that no one was injured or killed as a result.

#Ukraine: A Ukrainian Bayraktar TB2 UCAV was shot down by a Ukrainian surface-to-air missile over Kyiv in an example of friendly fire. pic.twitter.com/r9m11PfXND   Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) May 4, 2023

Pictures have since emerged showing at least some of the wreckage in what looks to be a wooded area with first responders covering it in fire-fighting foam.

Firefighters spray foam on the downed TB2. AP Photo/Alex Babenko A part of the wing of the shot-down TB2 with its Ukrainian Air Force roundel plainly visible. AP Photo/Alex Babenko A view of another part of the TB2 wreckage showing what looks to be its sensor turret. AP Photo/Alex Babenko

In addition, there appears to still be some confusion about whether or not the downing of the TB2 was an isolated incident or if it came amid fresh Russian strikes on Kyiv. Air raid alerts had been issued at around the same time, but may have just been in regard to the stray TB2. A fire at a four-story shopping center building in the Ukrainian capital was subsequently reported and said to have been caused by unspecified falling drone debris. Other falling debris was reported elsewhere in the city, too.

https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1654174743770038285?s=20 https://twitter.com/ChristopherJM/status/1654183475753234434?s=20

The blaze at the shopping center, which appears to be miles from where the TB2 looked to have been shot down, appeared to be relatively quickly extinguished and there were no reported casualties. The Kyiv City Military Administration, also known by its Ukrainian acronym, KMVA, later said in a statement that details about the situation were still being "clarified."

On the night of May 3-4, at least, Russia's forces had launched a number of Iranian-made Kamikaze drones at the Ukrainian capital, as well as the port city of Odesa. Officials in Ukraine subsequently claimed they had shot down 18 of 24 total incoming drones. Kyiv has not experienced such intensity of strikes since the beginning of this year," KMVA head Serhiy Popko said earlier today in a post on the Telegram social network.

The Russian strikes were, as already noted, in retaliation for drone attacks on the Kremlin yesterday. The Russian government has blamed the Ukrainians for that and asserts, without evidence, they were directly assisted in some fashion by the United States. Officials in Ukraine, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have denied responsibility. U.S. authorities have also denied any involvement. You can read more about what is known about that incident here.

Whatever the exact circumstances behind the downing of the TB2 might be, it certainly underscores that the skies above Kyiv remain tense more than a year after Russia launched its all-out invasion in Febraury 2022.

Contact the author: joe@thedrive.com
People leave Waterman Dock after watching the USS Ronald Reagan pass by on its way to a year-long overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in January 2012. The Reagan will come to Bremerton in 2024 twelve years after the carrier's last visit to the Sinclair Inlet.

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) will come to Bremerton from Japan next year after nearly 10 years of service in the Western Pacific, according to the Navy.

On April 28 Naval Air Forces announced that Nimitz-class carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) will return to the 7th Fleet and replace USS Ronald Reagan as the forward-deployed aircraft carrier in Yokosuka, Japan, in 2024.

Before George Washington heads back to Japan next year, Ronald Reagan will leave Yokosuka and relocate to Bremerton to conduct a scheduled docking and planned incremental availability period at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, according to the Navy's statement.

The Navy declined to confirm a specific timeline of when the Reagan will arrive in Bremerton.

USS George Washington is currently going through its mid-life refueling and complex overhaul (RCOH) at the Huntington Ingalls Industries Newport News Shipbuilding shipyard in Virginia, the Navy said.

This will not be the first time USS Ronald Reagan has docked in Bremerton. Commissioned in 2003, the Reagan has participated in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and has been deployed to the Middle East and Western Pacific area, the U.S. 5th Fleet and 7th Fleet's areas of operations throughout its career.

The carrier departed San Diego for Washington state in 2012 to conduct a planned docking incremental availability, a 12-month repair and maintenance worth $210 million, at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The ship completed the maintenance and returned to San Diego in 2013.

In 2015, Ronald Reagan's homeport was shifted from San Diego to Yokosuka, Japan, and the carrier has served as the U.S.'s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier since then, according to the Navy.

Before Ronald Reagan's move to Japan in 2015, USS George Washington was the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be forward-deployed in Japan, from 2008 to 2015.

Bremerton is now the homeport of the 1975-commissioned USS Nimitz (CVN 68), the lead ship of the Nimitz-class carriers and the oldest active U.S. aircraft carrier. Nimitz left Bremerton in November last year for a global deployment and is scheduled to return to Bremerton this summer.

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Read more: USS Theodore Roosevelt departs Bremerton for San Diego after 18-month overhaul

Reporter Peiyu Lin covers the military for the Kitsap Sun. She can be reached at pei-yu.lin@kitsapsun.com or on Twitter @peiyulintw.

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: USS Ronald Reagan to relocate to Bremerton from Japan in 2024
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers has ordered the U.S and Wisconsin state flags to be flown at half-staff Saturday as a "mark of respect" for Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Roy Coulson Harms, who died in World War II and whose remains were identified decades later, according to the governor's office.

Harms, a Grafton native, was a B-24 bomber pilot in World War II. He was killed by enemy anti-aircraft fire Aug. 1, 1943 near Ploesti, Romania while his unit was on a mission to destroy oil refineries supplying the Axis powers.

His remains were not identified after his death, and initially he was buried in Ploesti. Later, he was reinterred at Ardennes American Cemetery in Belgium.

Decades later in 2017, Harms' remains were exhumed, then finally positively identified as his by the POW / MIA Accounting Agency. Harms was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Purple Heart. He will be buried with full military honors Saturday in Grafton.

We are glad to be able to welcome First Lieutenant Roy Coulson Harms home and that he can finally be laid to rest in his home state, said Evers in a news release. First Lieutenant Harms gave his life fighting for the values and freedoms we hold dear, and the state will forever remember his courageous service and sacrifice.

When are flags at half-staff in Wisconsin?

Under the U.S Flag Code, the U.S. and respective state flag fly at half-staff when the country or state is in mourning. The president may issue a national decree, or the state governor through an executive order, to have the flags lowered at half-staff.

The decree is usually to mark the death of a government official, military member or first responder; in honor of Memorial Day or other national days of remembrance; or following a national tragedy.

In Wisconsin, all state-owned and operated facilities must display their flags at half-staff. Municipal and county governments, public and private schools, private businesses, and individuals should also lower their flags to half-staff under the governor's executive order.

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What time are flags displayed at half-staff?

Executive orders will call for the flags to be lowered immediately or at sunrise on the day of remembrance until sunset, or for the entire period of mourning.

Holidays where the flag is at half-staff around the country

May 15, Peace Officers Memorial Day (half-staff all day)

Memorial Day, last Monday of May (half-staff from sunrise until noon only)

Sept. 11, Patriot Day (half-staff all day)

First Sunday in October, Fallen Firefighters (half-staff all day)

Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day (half-staff all day)

What is the difference between half-staff and half-mast?

Half-mast refers to flags lowered on a ship while half-staff refers to a pole in the ground, according to the Naval History and Heritage Commands blog. Half-staff is the preferred form of reference in presidential decrees while half-mast is used outside of the U.S.

This article originally appeared on Appleton Post-Crescent: Flags in Wisconsin flying half-staff in honor of Army Air Forces First Lieutenant Roy Coulson Harms
Crime and Courts Reporter

Donald W. Meyers is a multimedia journalist at the Yakima Herald-Republic covering crime and courts. He is also the writer behind It Happened Here, a weekly history column. Before coming to Yakima, Meyers covered a wide variety of beats at The Salt Lake Tribune, Daily Herald, and daily and weekly newspapers across New Jersey. He is also a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, serving as a regional officer in the organization as well as on the national Freedom of Information Committee.
Key Insights

Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, CPI Property Group fair value estimate is 0.85

With 0.92 share price, CPI Property Group appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value

Industry average of 100% suggests CPI Property Group's peers are currently trading at a higher premium to fair value

Today we will run through one way of estimating the intrinsic value of CPI Property Group (ETR:O5G) by projecting its future cash flows and then discounting them to today's value. This will be done using the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine.

Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model.

See our latest analysis for CPI Property Group

Crunching The Numbers

We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Seeing as no analyst estimates of free cash flow are available to us, we have extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the company's last reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years.

Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we discount the value of these future cash flows to their estimated value in today's dollars:

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10-year free cash flow (FCF) estimate

2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 Levered FCF (, Millions) 595.2m 660.0m 710.8m 749.7m 778.9m 800.7m 817.0m 829.2m 838.4m 845.6m Growth Rate Estimate Source Est @ 15.47% Est @ 10.90% Est @ 7.70% Est @ 5.46% Est @ 3.90% Est @ 2.80% Est @ 2.03% Est @ 1.49% Est @ 1.12% Est @ 0.85% Present Value (, Millions) Discounted @ 11% 538 538 524 499 468 435 400 367 335 305

("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St)

Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = 4.4b

We now need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all the future cash flows after this ten year period. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 0.2%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 11%.

Terminal Value (TV)= FCF 2032  (1 + g)  (r  g) = 846m (1 + 0.2%)  (11% 0.2%) = 8.1b

Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= 8.1b ( 1 + 11%)10= 2.9b

The total value, or equity value, is then the sum of the present value of the future cash flows, which in this case is 7.3b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of 0.9, the company appears around fair value at the time of writing. Valuations are imprecise instruments though, rather like a telescope - move a few degrees and end up in a different galaxy. Do keep this in mind.

dcf

The Assumptions

We would point out that the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate and of course the actual cash flows. Part of investing is coming up with your own evaluation of a company's future performance, so try the calculation yourself and check your own assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at CPI Property Group as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 11%, which is based on a levered beta of 1.764. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business.

SWOT Analysis for CPI Property Group

Strength

Debt is well covered by earnings.

Weakness

Earnings declined over the past year.

Current share price is above our estimate of fair value.

Opportunity

O5G's financial characteristics indicate limited near-term opportunities for shareholders.

Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine O5G's earnings prospects.

Threat

Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow.

Next Steps:

Although the valuation of a company is important, it shouldn't be the only metric you look at when researching a company. The DCF model is not a perfect stock valuation tool. Rather it should be seen as a guide to "what assumptions need to be true for this stock to be under/overvalued?" For example, changes in the company's cost of equity or the risk free rate can significantly impact the valuation. For CPI Property Group, we've put together three pertinent factors you should consider:

Risks: We feel that you should assess the 3 warning signs for CPI Property Group (1 can't be ignored!) we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Environmentally-Friendly Companies: Concerned about the environment and think consumers will buy eco-friendly products more and more? Browse through our interactive list of companies that are thinking about a greener future to discover some stocks you may not have thought of!

PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every German stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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RFA/Health Care Access Reporter

Santiago Ochoa is a bilingual journalist covering health care access at the Yakima Herald-Republic in Yakima, Washington. Before joining the Herald, Ochoa reported for Flint Beat in Flint, Michigan, covering the citys Latino populationhealth care, education, community building and more, and winning top honors in the Michigan Press Associations feature category. He served as photographer and later editor for his college newspaper, The Michigan Times. When hes not working, Ochoa enjoys cross-country trips on his motorcycle, going to the movies, reading and skiing.
Business Reporter

Joel Donofrio is the business reporter for the Yakima Herald. He was born and raised in the Chicago area, but he and his wife, Cathy, fell in love with the beauty (and low humidity) of the West and moved here in 2009, eventually relocating to Yakima in September 2021. They have two young adult children, Anthony and Joanna, and a dog, Molly. When he is not taking photos of construction sites, tracking down new and relocating businesses or catching up on agricultural trends, Joel enjoys playing guitar, singing, listening to music and playing and watching sports.
RFA/Latino Community and Lower Valley Reporter

Heyo, Im Jasper. Nice to meet you. I cover a wide variety of news, but I try to focus on the Latino community and the Lower Yakima Valley. I want to sharestories and perspectives from the Yakima Valley. Im interested in economics, labor, geography and the environment, but the most important issues will always be the ones the community cares about. If you have something worth saying, Ill listen and try to write it down. Im a gosei from Northeast Los Angeles and I got my start as a student journalist and editor covering sports in the Bay Area. Im a massive soccer fan and I still love to play. I also love water in all its forms, the word copacetic and trying new things. I want to read more, and I like to cook, but Im not great at either. Have fun out there!
Shutterstock.com

Working a side gig is often positioned as an opportunity. It provides a boost to income streams and gives people the chance to focus on areas where theyre most passionate, like photography or writing. However, for an increasing number of Americans, side gigs have become necessary financial lifelines.

See: 22 Side Gigs That Can Make You Richer Than a Full-Time Job

And More: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

In 2023, statistics from Side Hustle Nation revealed 45% of overall working Americans have a side gig. This amounts to roughly 70 million people in the United States. The percentage also rose across certain generations with 50% of millennials and 46% of Gen Z surveyed stating they have a side hustle.

A separate poll conducted by the Side Hustle Nation community revealed that while 38% of side hustlers start working a side gig for personal freedom, 27% said they needed extra income to spend and save. Eleven percent surveyed said they put the extra earnings toward making ends meet. By the year 2027, projections from the Statista research department show that 86.5 million people in the United States will be actively freelancing.

GOBankingRates spoke with two women working multiple side gigs to hear their stories about why they need to work side gigs. Heres why those working multiple side gigs need the extra income just to get by.

I want to finish paying off my credit card debt and rebuild my emergency fund.

A few months ago, freelance copywriter Delia Pena-Gay was laid off from her job. She started working side gigs including driving for DoorDash, acting as a user tester for UserTesting and Intelli Panel testing out apps and websites and providing blogging and copywriting services.

On average, Pena-Gay said she makes $60 to $65 in about three hours of active Dash time on DoorDash totaling $125 per week. In the user testing role, depending on how many user tests she qualifies for, she makes about $60 to $120 per week. Per blog post and depending on word count, she makes about $50 to $75 with her copywriting skills. If shes working on a website copy project, Pena-Gay said she could make $350 depending on the number of pages. Because DoorDash allows her to schedule the times she does deliveries, she balances working these side gigs through careful scheduling.

Story continues

Pena-Gay, who is married, said she works these side hustles to reach her short- and long-term financial goals. In the short term, she plans to finish paying off her credit card debt and rebuild her emergency fund. In GOBankingRates 2023 women and finances survey polling 1,016 American women, 19% surveyed said their primary financial goal is to pay off credit card debt. Fifteen percent of women said they had under $500 in credit card debt while 16% carry between $501 to $2,000.

My long-term goals are to turn my blog into a business and have it fund my lifestyle, Pena-Gay said. My blog will land me sponsorships and partnerships with other brands. Right now, Pena-Gay said she is able to fund some of the fees to maintain her website through earnings from her side hustles.

Take Our Poll: Do You Think AI Will Replace Your Job?

Im basically paying for day care.

Taylor Beal describes herself as working a thousand side gigs. Or at least it feels like it.

Beal works full-time as a teacher and reading specialist. She also runs a property management company, is a travel blogger and writer for her website Traverse With Taylor, reviews ELA curriculums on a contract basis and writes freelance. She typically spends at least 15 to 20 hours weekly on her side gigs and said she brings in about $2,000 monthly. This amount is higher when shes on a curriculum contract.

Beal is a mom to two sons who are both in day care. Day care, Beal said, drains a significant amount of household income.

Its literally double our mortgage and more than 60% of my take-home pay each week. I basically work side jobs to afford day care  or afford working my regular job, Beal said.

Her long-term goal is to grow her travel blogging business to be a consistent source of income so she can stay home with her children. Right now, Beal describes her blog as growing but also a whatever I put in, I get out situation.

In the short term, Beal works several side gigs to create enough income to provide for her family and save up for a larger home. I try to balance it as best I can. I prioritize what needs to get done.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Im Working Multiple Side Gigs: Heres Why I Need the Extra Income Just To Get By
Today

Sunny skies. High 92F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tonight

Clear. Becoming windy late. Low around 60F. Winds WNW at 20 to 30 mph. Winds could occasionally gust over 40 mph.

Tomorrow

Mainly sunny. High 83F. Winds W at 15 to 25 mph. Higher wind gusts possible.
Our directory features more than 18 million business listings from across the entire US. However, if we're missing your business, add your business by clicking on Add Your Business.
Guvernul se grabeste cu reducerea cheltuielilor (surse)

O sedinta extraordinara de Guvern pentru adoptarea OUG de reducere a cheltuielilor bugetare ar putea fi convocata pentru vineri, spun surse din coalitie.Executivul se reuneste miercuri in sedinta, dar proiectul menit sa aduca economii la bugetul de stat nu a intrat in sedinta pregatitoare [citeste mai departe]
 TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) is the only FDA approved treatment for adults with HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function1 

DUBLIN, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE American: MNK), a global specialty pharmaceutical company, is pleased to announce it has received an award from the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD), recognizing it as an "Industry Innovator" for the creation of a treatment "to improve the lives of rare disease patients." Mallinckrodt is being recognized for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) for injection for the treatment of adults with HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function.1

Mallinckrodt logo

TERLIVAZ, the first and only FDA-approved product indicated for the treatment of adults with Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS) involving rapid reduction in kidney function,1 an acute and life-threatening condition requiring hospitalization,2 was approved for use on September 14, 2022.

Please see Limitation of Use and Important Safety Information, including Boxed Warning, below.

Peter Richardson, MRCP (UK), Executive Vice President & Chief Scientific Officer at Mallinckrodt, said, "We are honored to receive this award from NORD. TERLIVAZ is an important treatment option for patients faced with this life-threatening condition and for their U.S. physicians who historically have had limited treatment options.3 We are grateful to the patients who participated in our clinical trials, their caregivers and healthcare providers, and the team at Mallinckrodt who worked tirelessly to advance TERLIVAZ."

The presentation of awards took place the evening of May 4th, during NORD's 2023 Rare Impact Awards in Washington, D.C. Find more information on the Rare Impact Awards website, and see the full list of Industry Innovators in the recent press release.

About the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)

With a 40-year history of advancing care, treatments and policy, the National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD) is the leading and longest-standing patient advocacy group for the more than 25 million Americans living with a rare disease. NORD, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is dedicated to individuals with rare diseases and the organizations that serve them. NORD, along with its more than 330 patient organization members, is committed to improving the health and well-being of people with rare diseases by driving advances in care, research and policy. For more information, please visit https://rarediseases.org/.

Story continues

About Hepatorenal Syndrome (HRS)

Hepatorenal syndrome (HRS) involving rapid reduction in kidney function1 is an acute and life-threatening condition that occurs in people with advanced liver disease.2 HRS is classified into two distinct types  a rapidly progressive type that leads to acute renal failure where patients are typically hospitalized for their care and a more chronic type that progresses over weeks to months.2 HRS involving rapid reduction in kidney function1 is estimated to affect between 30,000 and 40,000 Americans annually.4, 5 If left untreated, HRS with rapid reduction in kidney function1 has a median survival time of approximately two weeks and greater than 80 percent mortality within three months.6

INDICATION AND LIMITATION OF USE

TERLIVAZ is indicated to improve kidney function in adults with hepatorenal syndrome with rapid reduction in kidney function.

Patients with a serum creatinine >5 mg/dL are unlikely to experience benefit.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

WARNING: SERIOUS OR FATAL RESPIRATORY FAILURE

TERLIVAZ may cause serious or fatal respiratory failure. Patients with volume overload or with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) Grade 3 are at increased risk. Assess oxygenation saturation (e.g., SpO 2 ) before initiating TERLIVAZ.

Do not initiate TERLIVAZ in patients experiencing hypoxia (e.g., SpO 2 <90%) until oxygenation levels improve. Monitor patients for hypoxia using continuous pulse oximetry during treatment and discontinue TERLIVAZ if SpO 2 decreases below 90%.

Contraindications

TERLIVAZ is contraindicated:

In patients experiencing hypoxia or worsening respiratory symptoms.

In patients with ongoing coronary, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia.

Warnings and Precautions

Serious or Fatal Respiratory Failure: Obtain baseline oxygen saturation and do not initiate TERLIVAZ in hypoxic patients. Monitor patients for changes in respiratory status using continuous pulse oximetry and regular clinical assessments. Discontinue TERLIVAZ in patients experiencing hypoxia or increased respiratory symptoms.



Manage intravascular volume overload by reducing or discontinuing the administration of albumin and/or other fluids and through judicious use of diuretics. Temporarily interrupt, reduce, or discontinue TERLIVAZ treatment until patient volume status improves. Avoid use in patients with ACLF Grade 3 because they are at significant risk for respiratory failure.

Ineligibility for Liver Transplant: TERLIVAZ-related adverse reactions (respiratory failure, ischemia) may make a patient ineligible for liver transplantation, if listed. For patients with high prioritization for liver transplantation (e.g., MELD 35), the benefits of TERLIVAZ may not outweigh its risks.

Ischemic Events: TERLIVAZ may cause cardiac, cerebrovascular, peripheral, or mesenteric ischemia. Avoid use of TERLIVAZ in patients with a history of severe cardiovascular conditions or cerebrovascular or ischemic disease. Discontinue TERLIVAZ in patients who experience signs or symptoms suggestive of ischemic adverse reactions.

Embryo-Fetal Toxicity: TERLIVAZ may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. If TERLIVAZ is used during pregnancy, the patient should be informed of the potential risk to the fetus.

Adverse Reactions

The most common adverse reactions (10%) include abdominal pain, nausea, respiratory failure, diarrhea, and dyspnea.

Please click here to see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.

ABOUT MALLINCKRODT

Mallinckrodt is a global business consisting of multiple wholly owned subsidiaries that develop, manufacture, market and distribute specialty pharmaceutical products and therapies. The company's Specialty Brands reportable segment's areas of focus include autoimmune and rare diseases in specialty areas like neurology, rheumatology, hepatology, nephrology, pulmonology, ophthalmology, and oncology; immunotherapy and neonatal respiratory critical care therapies; analgesics; cultured skin substitutes and gastrointestinal products. Its Specialty Generics reportable segment includes specialty generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients. To learn more about Mallinckrodt, visit www.mallinckrodt.com.

Mallinckrodt uses its website as a channel of distribution of important company information, such as press releases, investor presentations and other financial information. It also uses its website to expedite public access to time-critical information regarding the company in advance of or in lieu of distributing a press release or a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosing the same information. Therefore, investors should look to the Investor Relations page of the website for important and time-critical information. Visitors to the website can also register to receive automatic e-mail and other notifications alerting them when new information is made available on the Investor Relations page of the website.

CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS RELATED TO FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This release contains forward-looking statements, including with regard to TERLIVAZ and its potential impact on patients. The statements are based on assumptions about many important factors, including the following, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements: satisfaction of regulatory and other requirements; actions of regulatory bodies and other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; issues with product quality, manufacturing or supply, or patient safety issues; and other risks identified and described in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of Mallinckrodt's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and other filings with the SEC, all of which are available on its website. The forward-looking statements made herein speak only as of the date hereof and Mallinckrodt does not assume any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events and developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

CONTACT

Media Inquiries

Heather Guzzi

Senior Vice President, Green Room Communications

973-524-4112

hguzzi@grcomms.com

Investor Relations

Daniel J. Speciale

Global Corporate Controller & Chief Investor Relations Officer

314-654-3638

daniel.speciale@mnk.com

Derek Belz

Vice President, Investor Relations

314-654-3950

derek.belz@mnk.com

Mallinckrodt, the "M" brand mark and the Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals logo are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company. Other brands are trademarks of a Mallinckrodt company or their respective owners.

2023 Mallinckrodt. US-2300255 5/23

References

1 TERLIVAZ (terlipressin) for injection. [Prescribing Information]. Mallinckrodt Hospital Products Inc.

2 National Organization for Rare Disorders. Hepatorenal Syndrome. Available at: https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/hepatorenal-syndrome/. Accessed April 27, 2023.

3 Belcher, et al. Terlipressin and the Treatment of Hepatorenal Syndrome: How the CONFIRM Trial Moves the Story Forward. Am J Kidney Dis. 2022;79(5):737-745. doi:10.1053/j.ajkd.2021.08.016.

4 C Pant, B S Jani, M Desai, A Deshpande, Prashant Pandya, Ryan Taylor, R Gilroy, M OIyaee. Heptorenal syndrome in hospitalized patients with chronic liver disease: results from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample 2002-2012. J of Investig Med. 2016; 64:33-38.

5 United States Census Bureau: Quick Facts. Available at: https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045218. Accessed April 27, 2023.

6 Flamm SL, Brown K, Wadei HM., et al. The Current Management of Hepatorenal SyndromeAcute Kidney Injury in the United States and the Potential of Terlipressin. Liver Transpl. 2021;27:1191-1202. https://doi.org/10.1002/lt.26072.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mallinckrodt-recognized-as-industry-innovator-at-national-organization-for-rare-disorders-nord-2023-rare-impact-awards-301816829.html

SOURCE Mallinckrodt plc
Stiri pe aceeasi tema

- National leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday in Piatra Neamt, Neamt County, that PSD has the best specialists and has managed to bring value and coherence to governance, while also redirecting public policies towards the people."Together, in a team, we have managed

- Social Democratic Party (PSD) president Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday, in a press conference, that he hopes "with all his heart" that the milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) on special pensions be fulfilled in a timely manner.He was asked if it is true that the representatives

- Fitch Ratings has upgraded Romania's country outlook and affirmed its rating, which means that investors will look at our country with even greater confidence, Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Saturday."From negative to stable! Fitch Ratings improved Romania's

- REPER MEP Dacian Ciolos requested, on Friday, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) chairman, Marcel Ciolacu, to urgently remove the minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea, "for the disastrous way in which he negotiated the compensations from the European Commission"."Romanian farmers are wronged because

- National chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday that the Financial Oversight Authority (ASF) and the government "will make the best decision" regarding RCA third-party car insurance policies, adding that the deputy chairman of ASF asked to meet him on this

- Increasing the depth of the Bystroye Canal by Ukraine, for navigation with a draft of 7 meters, is not allowed by international agreements, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu stated on Monday, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu

- Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu deemed on Monday as a false topic the possibility that the head of state may not appoint him prime minister at the government rotation, adding that the protocol concluded by the current coalition will be respected, told Agerpres. Fii

- Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Marcel Ciolacu stated on Sunday evening that mistakes were made regarding Romania's accession to Schengen, told Agerpres. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro  Help your
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- The Alliance for the Union of Romania (AUR) calls for the depoliticization of the National Energy Regulatory Authority (ANRE) and the return to a regulated market, as it was before liberalization, AUR deputy Dan Tanasa said on Wednesday."ANRE's management will continue to be politically subservient,

- President Klaus Iohannis decided to grant High Patronage to the Ciprian Porumbescu Anniversary Program, an event that will take place between May and October 2023 in Chisinau, in the Republic of Moldova, the Presidential Administration informed on Wednesday.According to a press release sent to Agerpres,

- Social Democratic Party (PSD) president Marcel Ciolacu said on Friday, in a press conference, that he hopes "with all his heart" that the milestone in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) on special pensions be fulfilled in a timely manner.He was asked if it is true that the representatives

- Romania will be "where duty and the voice of blood call it" and will continue to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies and PSD (Social Democratic Party) leader Marcel Ciolacu stated on Monday.Marcel Ciolacu is currently visiting

- Prime minister Nicolae Ciuca announced that on Thursday he will make an official visit to the Republic of Moldova, together with a governmental team, where he will have meetings with president Maia Sandu, prime minister Dorin Recean and the head of the Chisinau Parliament, Igor Grosu."It is a visit

- The leader of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) group in the Senate, Radu Oprea, stated on Tuesday that the bill to grant holiday vouchers to the 4.2 million employees in the private sector would have a budgetary impact of approximately 6 billion RON, respectively 0.42% of GDP, the Liberal parliamentarian

- The meeting of the regional customs coordination group between Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, which took place last week at the headquarters of the Giurgiulesti Border Customs Office, was aimed at streamlining the flow of cargo traffic and improving the reaction to possible emergency

- Romania is concerned about Russia's plan to destabilize the Republic of Moldova, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, said on Friday in his speech at the United Nations. Fii la curent cu cele mai noi stiri. Urmareste stiripesurse.ro pe Facebook stiripesurse.ro 
There were 136,000 residential properties for sale on the real estate market at the end of April, 35% more than a year earlier, ingtlan.com reports, based on its own data.

Meanwhile, demand was a third lower in April than a year earlier.

The real estate website highlighted that the demand, as indicated by the number of inquiries, has decreased on an annual basis, but in the first four months, it was 20% higher than in the last four months of last year.

In addition to the usual seasonality, that is explained by the fact that customers' fear of utilities has eased in the real estate market.
The fresh newsletter for the International Community in Hungary - described by readers as a "Great read each week" - is now available for your interest and use via the link below.

You can see the new edition of the Xpat E-Magazine here:

https://xpatloop.com/newsletters/2023/4-may.html



1. Here's a quick update with feedback sent in about this expat community party:

See What Happened @ St. George's Day Bash - Bowie, Charity & Partying for England



* HM Ambassador Paul Fox: "It was a pleasure again to attend this St. George's Day celebration,

I was proud to be a part of the event, which is becoming a fixture in Budapests social calendar."

* Neil McGarry, Principal, Britannica International School: "It was fantastic to be one of the sponsors,

the atmosphere was electric and I really enjoyed talking to such a wide range of international guests."

* Arne Klehn, GM, Budapest Marriott Hotel: "Fabulous event! Looking forward to many more to come."



2. You can see example events happening these days listed below and in your Xpat Calendar:

E.g. Food Truck Show at Races, Mozart Concert, Risque English-Friendly Contemporary Theatre.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban held talks with Irakli Garibashvili, his Georgian counterpart, during a working lunch in the Prime Ministers Office complex on Thursday, the PMs press chief said.

The talks focused on the Hungarian-Georgian joint cabinet meeting planned for the autumn, the progress in Georgias European Union integration, as well as topical geopolitical issues such as the war in Ukraine, Bertalan Havasi told MTI.



Orban and Garibashvili both addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Budapest earlier in the day.



Orban also met former Slovenian counterpart and head of the Slovenian Democratic Party (SDS), Janez Jansa before meeting former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis.
US Ambassador David Pressman paid a visit to Hungarys northeast border region with Ukraine as part of a two-day security-focused trip across the country, the US embassy said in a statement.

The ambassador met Ukrainian refugees currently housed in a shelter in Mariapocs. Speaking to reporters after private conversations with the residents of the shelter, Pressman said Russias continued attacks were appalling but not surprising.



Russia continues to intentionally target and kill civilians, he said. The United States wants peace in Ukraine. The United States wants this war to end. The man who can end this war today is Vladimir Putin. Pressman vowed that the US would continue to stand resolutely and unequivocally with the victims of Putins war.



The ambassador later travelled to Mateszalka and then Beregsurany, where he met the villages mayor, Istvan Herka, before visiting the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta to get an understanding of the efforts being made for refugees fleeing Ukraine.



It is inspiring to see the work of civil society organisations supporting their neighbours fleeing the devastation in Ukraine, he said. Pressman also paid a visit to the Hungary-Ukraine border crossing at Beregsurany where he met border officials to get an understanding of their experiences with refugees.



As a frontline of NATO and the European Union, Hungarys facilitation of safe, humane travel for refugees escaping the tragedies and injustices brought about by the Kremlin is essential to the security of our European Allies, the ambassador said.



The statement quoted Pressman as saying that while others may try to distract from the very real threats to our shared security caused by Russias war, the United States will continue to support Ukraines ability to defend its people, its sovereignty, and its independence.



The United States and our Allies enduring and unequivocal support remains key to securing that just and lasting peace, he said.



Full statement available here
Hungary should focus on the war in Ukraine and not "fake" issues, the US ambassador told AFP, as American and European conservatives on Thursday denounced "the virus of wokeism" at a meeting in Budapest.

Budapest is hosting the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) for a second straight year which is being attended mostly by US and European conservatives.



Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban lashed out against the "virus of wokeism" propagated by "Western liberals" at the gathering, boasting he had "the antidote".



Orban also called for the return of Donald Trump to the White House.



"There's an unfortunate eagerness to talk about a fake culture war in Hungary," US ambassador David Pressman told AFP in an interview.



"At the same time there is a real war next door where thousands are dying in Vladimir Putin's war of aggression," the diplomat said Wednesday, during a visit to meet aid workers and refugees near the Ukrainian border.



"This is not about wokeism. This is about Russia," he said.



"I'm squarely focused on the real war, and the relationship that's deepening and expanding - instead of constricting - between Hungary and Russia," said Pressman.



The 46-year-old envoy pointed to five visits by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto to Russia to discuss energy deals since the Ukraine war began in February last year.



According to Pressman, Szijjarto "has not spoken once" to his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba during the same time.



"Where other countries are making choices to diversify off of Russian energy, Hungary is doubling down on its relationship with Gazprom," said Pressman, referring to the Russian energy giant.



'Kremlin disinformation'

Pressman also voiced concern about pro-Russian propaganda in EU and NATO member Hungary.



Budapest has slammed the EU's sanctions on Russia and calls for an immediate ceasefire. Pro-Orban media meanwhile regularly broadcast anti-Ukrainian narratives.



"One of the challenges we're confronting in Hungary is... propagation of Kremlin disinformation," said Pressman.



Last month, the US levied sanctions against the Russian-led International Investment Bank, an institution Pressman called a "Kremlin platform inside of NATO hosted in Budapest".



A day later, Hungary withdrew from the entity, a step swiftly followed by the bank announcing that it is quitting Budapest to return to Moscow four years after moving its headquarter to Hungary.



Pressman said he welcomed Hungary's "albeit late" decision to leave the bank, a Soviet-era invention called a "spy-bank" by critics.



"It's unfortunate that... it required this level of engagement from the United States in order for there to be responsiveness," he said.



'Foreign-controlled agent'

In office since last September, the openly gay Pressman and his confrontational style have seen him on the receiving end of attacks in pro-Orban media from day one, when he posted photos of his husband and their children on Twitter.



Budapest has been at odds with Brussels over its tightening of legislation seen to be targeting LGBTQ people.



Breaking with diplomatic discretion, Pressman regularly challenges government officials and narratives on social networks.



The speaker of parliament, a close ally of Orban, called him "one of the least classy ambassadors ever to set foot on Hungarian soil".



Pressman said the US "is focused on and will remain focused on (ensuring) space for independent institutions and voices in Hungary to exist and thrive".



"If you raise an issue that is from a perspective that is not shared by... the government, you are identified as (a) somehow foreign-controlled, -influenced, or -funded agent."



"Sometimes (those) entities are... just independent," he said. "But independence is not the same as opposition," he said.



By Peter Murphy - Republished with permission
Student organisations held a demonstration in Budapest on Wednesday evening, in protest against planned legislation changing teachers employment status.

Participants of the protest organised by the United Students Front gathered at St. Stephens Basilica and marched down Alkotmany Street to the square in front of Parliament with Hungarian flags and posters depicting chequered shirts, a symbol of teachers demonstrations.



They also carried banners reading Change!, General strike!, Down with the status law!, and banners of teachers union PDSZ.



The crowd chanted slogans such as No teachers, no future!, Free country, free education! and Strike is a fundamental right!
MediaGo was recognized for its deep-learning technology

SAN FRANCISCO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- MediaGo, a leading global AI-integrated marketing platform from Baidu's Global Business Unit, was named the winner of a Gold Stevie Award in the Advertising or Campaign Management Platform category in the 21st Annual American Business Awards.

MediaGo Honored as Gold Stevie Award Winner in 2023 American Business Awards

MediaGo was recognized for its deep learning technology, which uses discriminative and generative AI in ad placement scenarios to provide a deep understanding of traffic, users, and ads. This allows for continuous and automatic optimization, adjusted delivery mode, and algorithm optimization based on different ad delivery scenarios

"We've seen complex traffic composition, erratic delivery results, increased competition and data privacy regulation difficulties challenge the open data marketplace," said Elaine Hu, Head of U.S. Strategy and Partnership at Baidu's Global Business Unit. "We're thrilled to offer a meaningful answer to these problems and to have the American Business Awards recognize our deep learning technology as a solution to help advertisers achieve better results."

When commenting on MediaGo's entry, an American Business Awards judge said that MediaGo was "a very functional platform that enhances advertiser capability to target the right audience across media."

In 2022, MediaGo partnered with MVF , a leading global customer generation platform, to deploy its AI-integrated native ad platform to increase the scale and ROI of its programmatic ads. This partnership resulted in conversions at a 35% lower cost per action (CPA) than MVF's average. `

"MediaGo's global inventory, spanning eleven countries in total, meant that MVF could capitalize on top-tier MSN traffic in key territories and reach new customers, helping to drive rapid scale and impressive results for its clients," said Calum McAuley, Native Advertising Manager at MVF.

Story continues

The American Business Awards are the U.S.A.'s premier business awards program. All organizations operating in the U.S.A. are eligible to submit nominations  public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small.

Nicknamed the Stevie for the Greek word meaning "crowned," the awards will be presented to winners at a gala ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on Tuesday, June 13. Tickets are now on sale.

More than 3,700 nominations from organizations of all sizes and in virtually every industry were submitted this year for consideration in a wide range of categories, and more than 230 professionals worldwide participated in the judging process to select this year's Stevie Award winners.

Details about The American Business Awards and the list of 2023 Stevie winners are available at www.StevieAwards.com/ABA.

About MediaGo

MediaGo is a global AI-integrated marketing platform under the Baidu Global brand that helps clients to rapidly expand into the global market and enhance international influence. Available to customers in North America, Europe, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. MediaGo provides cross-media integrated marketing solutions, including programmatic advertising, advertising reselling and AI-backed recommendations to more than 10,000 companies. MediaGo is committed to building an AI advertising engine that leverages media context to achieve precision marketing in the modern era. Learn more about MediaGo, please visit: https://www.mediago.io/.

Sponsors of The 2023 American Business Awards include HCL America, Melissa Sones Consulting, and SoftPro.

Cision

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SOURCE MediaGo
Gov. Jim Pillen on Thursday designated May as Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska during a proclamation ceremony at the State Capitol.

Renewable Fuels Month celebrates the "crucial role" that renewable fuels play in the state's economy, environment and energy security, the Nebraska Soybean Board said.

Pillen's proclamation recognized the "essential" contributions that renewable fuels make to the state's economy and environment, the board said The governor was joined by representatives from E Energy Adams, Renewable Fuels Nebraska, the Nebraska Soybean, Corn and Ethanol Boards along with their respective grower associations.

"Renewable fuels are an integral part of our states energy mix, providing value to farmers and all Nebraskans," said Andy Chvatal, executive director of the Nebraska Soybean Board. "We are happy to promote May as Renewable Fuels Month in Nebraska and encourage all Nebraskans choose renewable fuels at the pump and celebrate the contributions of this vital industry to our state."

There are 24 ethanol plants in Nebraska, including Green Plains in York, according to the state ethanol office in Lincoln. The plants use more than 700 million bushels of corn per year and produce 5.2 million tons of distillers grains, a high protein feed ingredient used for cattle. The plants represent a $4.5 billion economic impact in the state and provide direct full-time employment for more than 1,400 Nebraskans, the agency said.

"By designating May as Renewable Fuels Month, Governor Pillen underscores Nebraska's commitment to renewable fuels and its ongoing efforts to promote a more sustainable future for generations to come," the soybean board said in a release.
So the other day I both defined Tcl procedures all by myself and used them interactively, and I liked it, to the point where it felt like some kind of local optimum. This entry is an attempt to cope with the trauma of liking Tcl, by means of rationalizing it. I'll first tell the story of my fascinating adventures, and then I'll do the rationalizing (to skip the oh-so-personal first part, go straight for the bullet points).

Here's what I was doing. I have this board. The board has a chip on it. The chip has several processors in it. There's a processor in there that is a memory-mapped device, and I talk to it using CPU load/store commands. The CPU is itself a JTAG target, and I talk to it via a probe, issuing those load/store commands. To the probe I talk via USB using an ugly console that can't even handle the clipboard properly. The console speaks Tcl.

Net result: in order to talk to the memory-mapped processor, I have to speak Tcl. Or I can use a memory view window in a graphical debugger. Except some addresses will change the processor state when read (pop an item from a LIFO, that sort of thing). So no, memory view windows aren't a good idea  you have to aim for the specific address, not shoot at whole address ranges. Damn, just who thought of defining the hardware in such a stupid way? Why, it was me. Little did I know that I was thereby inflicting Tcl on myself.

Anyway, there's this bug I have to debug now, and as far as I know it could be in at least three different pieces of software or in two different pieces of hardware, and I don't like any of the 5 options very much, and I want to find out what it is already. So at the ugly probe console I type things like word 0x1f8cc000 (reads the processor status), word 0x1f8cc008 2 (halts the execution), word 0x1f8cc020 0x875 (places a breakpoint). I get sick and tired of this in about 2 minutes, when the command history is large enough to make the probability of hitting Enter at the wrong auto-completed command annoying. It's annoying to run the wrong command because if I ruin the processor state, it will take me minutes to reproduce that state, because the program reads input via JTAG, which is as slow as it gets.

So I figure this isn't the last bug I'm gonna deal with this way, and it's therefore time for Extending my Environment, equipping myself with the Right Tools for the Job, Tailored to my needs, utilizing the Scripting capabilities of the system. I hate that, I really do. Is there something more distressing than the development of development tools for the mass market of a single developer? Can a programmer have a weakness more pathetic than the tendency to solve easy generic meta-problems when the real, specific problems are too hard? Is there software more disgusting in nature than plug-ins and extensions for a butt-ugly base system? But you know what, I really fail to remember 0x1f8cwhat the breakpoint address is. This story has one hexadecimal value too much for my brain. OK, then. Tcl.

I decided to have one entry point procedure, pmem , that would get a memory-mapped processor id, 'cause there are many of them, and then call one of several functions with the right base address, so that pmem 0 pc would do the same as pmem_pc 0x1f8c0000 . Well, in Tcl that's as simple as it gets. Tcl likes to generate and evaluate command strings. More generally, Tcl likes strings. In fact, it likes them more than anything else. In normal programming languages, things are variables and expressions by default. In Tcl, they are strings. abc isn't a variable reference  it's a string. $abc is the variable reference. a+b/c isn't an expression  it's a string. [expr $a+$b/$c] is the expression. Could you believe that? [expr $a+$b/$c] . Isn't that ridiculous?

In fact, that was one of my main applications for Tcl: ridiculing it. I remember reading the huge Tcl/Tk book by Brent Welch with my friend once. There was a power outage and it was past the time when the last UPS squeaked its last squeak. And the book was there 'cause the hardware guys use it for scripting their lovecraftian toolchain. We really did have fun. Tears went down my cheeks from laughter. Even people with the usual frightened/mean comments about those geeks who laugh their brains out over a Tcl book didn't spoil it. So, ridiculing Tcl, my #1 use for it. The other use is the occasional scripting of the hardware hackers' lovecraftian toolchain. Overall, I don't use Tcl very much.

The nice thing about Tcl is that it's still a dynamic language, and reasonably laconic at that, modulo quoting and escaping. So I enter the usual addictive edit/test cycle using tclsh < script . N minutes down the road (I really don't know what N was), I've finished my 2 screenfuls of Tcl and the fun starts. I actually start debugging the goddamn thing.



$ pmem 0 stat

IDLE

$ pmem 0 bkpt 0 0xbff

$ pmem 0 bkpt 1 0xa57

$ pmem 0 cmd run

$ pmem 0 stat

DEBUG

$ pmem 0 pc

0xbff

$ pmem 0 rstack

3 return addresses

addr 0: 0x0005

addr 1: 0x05a8

addr 2: 0x0766

$ pmem 0 cmd stp

$ pmem 0 pc

0xc00



Weeee! HAPPY, HAPPY, JOY, JOY!

You have no idea just how happy this made me. Yeah, I know, I'm overreacting. I'll tell you what: debug various kinds of hardware malfunction for several months, and you'll be able to identify with the warped notion of value one gains through such process. On second thought, I don't know if I'd really recommend it. Remember how I told low-level programming was easy? It is, fundamentally, but there's this other angle from which it's quite a filthy endeavor. I promise to blog about it. I owe it to the people who keep telling me "so low-level is easy?" each time they listen to me swear heartily at a degenerate hardware setup where nothing works no matter what you try. I owe it to myself  me wants to reach a closure here. Why should I tolerate being regularly misquoted at the moments of my deepest professional catharsis?

Aaaanyway, in just N minutes, I bootstrapped myself something not unlike a retarded version of gdb, the way it would work if the symbol table of my program was stripped. But no matter  I have addr2line for that. And the nice thing about my retarded debugger front-end is that it looks like shell commands: blah blah blah . As opposed to blah("blah","blah") . And this, folks, is what I think Tcl, being a tool command language, gets right.

I come from the world of pop infix languages (C/Java/Python/Ruby/you name it). Tcl basically freaks me out with its two fundamental choices:

Tcl likes literals, not variables. Tcl: string, $var. Pop infix: "string", var .

Tcl: Pop infix: . Tcl likes commands, not expressions. Tcl: doit this that, [expr $this+$that] . Pop infix: doit("this","that"), this+that .

So basically, pop infix languages (and I use the term in the most non-judgmental, factual way), pop infix languages are optimized for programming (duh, they are programming languages). Programming is definitions. Define a variable and it will be easy to use it, and computing hairy expressions from variables is also easy. Tcl is optimized for usage. Most of the time, users give simple commands. Command names and literal parameters are easy. If you are a sophisticated user, and you want to do pmem 0 bkpt [expr [pmem 0 pc] + 1] , go ahead and do it. A bit ugly, but on the other hand, simple commands are really, really simple.

And eventually, simple commands become all that matters for the user, because the sophisticated user grows personal shortcuts, which abstract away variables and expressions, so you end up with pmem 0 bkpt nextpc or something. Apparently, flat function calls with literal arguments is what interactive program usage is all about.

I'm not saying that I'm going to use Tcl as the extension language of my next self-made lovecraftian toolchain (I was thinking more along the lines of doing that one in D and using D as my scripting language, 'cause it compiles fast enough and it's apparently high-level enough). I haven't thought enough about this, but the grotesque escaping/quoting in Tcl still freaks me out; I don't want to program like that. All I'm saying is that I like the interactive part. Specifically:

Short code matters a lot; short interactive commands matter much more.

more. An interactive command language must be a real language (loops, functions and all).

Tcl allows for the shortest commands and it's a real language. I'm fascinated.

Allow me to elaborate.

Short code vs short commands

Lots of people have noticed that keeping your code short is extremely important. More surprisingly, many people fail to notice this, probably because "1 line is better than 5" doesn't sound that convincing. OK, think about 100K lines vs 500K and you'll get the idea. Oh, there are also those dirty Perl/shell one-liners that make one doubt about this. I've known a Bastard Programmer that used 2K bash one-liners as his weapon of choice. OK then, so the actual rule must be "short code is good unless it's written by a bastard". But it's the same core idea.

So we have the Architect type, who loves lots of classes which delegate work to each other, and we have the Enlightened type, who wants to write and read less. And the Enlightened type can rant and rave all day how Python, or Ruby, or Lisp make it oh-so-easy to define data structure literals, or to factor out stuff using meta-programming, or some other thing an Architect just never gets. And I'm all with it.

And then we have interactive shells. And in Python it's doit("xx","yy") . And in Lisp it's (doit "xx" "yy") , or (doit :xx :yy) , or (doit xx yy) if you make it a macro. And in Ruby it's doit :xx :yy , if you use symbols and omit parens. And that's about as good as you can get without using your own parser as in doit "xx yy" , which can suck in the (more rare) case when you do need to evaluate expressions before passing parameters, and doesn't completely remove overhead. Also note how all these languages use (), which makes you press Shift, instead of [] which doesn't. Ruby and Perl let you omit (), but it costs in readability. And [] is unanimously reserved for less important stuff than function calls.

The whole point of short code is saving human bandwidth, which is the single thing in a computing environment that doesn't obey Moore's law and doesn't double once in 18 months. Now, which kind of bandwidth is the most valuable? I'll tell you which. It's the interactive command bandwidth. That's because (1) you interact a lot with your tools and (2) this interaction isn't what you're trying to do, it's how you're trying to do it, so when it isn't extremely easy it's distracting and extremely frustrating.

This is why an editor that doesn't have short keyboard shortcuts for frequently used commands is a stupid fucking piece of junk and should go down the toilet right now. This is why a Matlab vector  [1 2 3]  is much better than a Python list  [1,2,3] (ever noticed how the space bar is much easier to hit than a comma, you enlightened dynamic language devotee? Size does matter). And don't get me started about further wrapping the vector literal for Numeric Python.

The small overhead is tolerable, though sucky, when you program, because you write the piece of code once and while you're doing it, you're concentrating on the task and its specifics, like the language syntax. When you're interacting with a command shell though, it's a big deal. You're not writing a program  you're looking at files, or solving equations, or single-stepping a processor. I have a bug, I'm frigging anxious, I gotta GO GO GO as fast as I can to find out what it is already, and you think now is the time to type parens, commas and quotation marks?! Fuck you! By which I mean to say, short code is important, short commands are a must.

Which is why I never got to like IPython or IDLE. Perhaps Ruby could be better, because of omitting parens and all. Ruby seems to be less inflicted with the language lawyer pseudo-right-thing mindset. But the basic plain vanilla function-call-with-literal-args syntax still doesn't reach the purity of *sh or Tcl. Well, the shell is an insanely defective programming language, so it's not even an option for anything non-interactive. But Tcl gets way closer to a programming language. Which brings us to the next issue:

Ad-hoc scripting languages  the sub-Turing tar pit

Many debuggers have scripting languages. gdb has one, and Green Hills MULTI has one. Ad hoc command languages usually get the command-syntax-should-be-easy part right  it's command arg arg arg They then get everything else wrong. That is, you usually don't have any or some of: data structures, loops, conditionals and user-defined functions, option for expression evaluation in all contexts, interface to the host OS, and all the stuff which basically would make the thing a programming language. Or you get all those things in a peculiar, defective form which you haven't seen anywhere else.

I wish people stopped doing that. I understand why many people do that very well  they don't know any language which isn't a 3rd generation one (presumably C++ or Java). They don't know how scripting works except on a theoretical level. They know how to build a big software system, with objects and relationships between objects and factories of objects and stuff. At the system/outside world boundary they're helpless though. Outside of the system our objects are gone. There's this cold, windy, cruel world with users and files and stuff. Gotta have an AbstractInputParser to guard the gates into our nice, warm, little system, um, actually it's "big", no, make it "huge" system.

These are the Architects who get mocked by the Enlightened dynamic language lovers. They normally dismiss scripting languages as "not serious", therefore, when faced with the need to create a command language for their system, they start out with a plan to create a non-serious (a.k.a crippled) language. Even if they wanted to make it a good one, they never thought about the considerations that go into making a good scripting language, nor do they realize how easy/beneficial it is to embed an existing one.

So basically we have 3GL people, who realize that commands should be short ("it's a simple thing we're doing here"), but they don't see that you need a real Turing-complete programming language for the complicated cases. And we have 4GL people, who optimize for the complicated case of programming ("what's a scripting language  it's a programming language, dammit!"), and they don't care about an extra paren or quotation mark.

And then we have Tcl, which makes easy things really easy and scales to handle complicated cases (well, almost, or so I think). And not only does it make plain funcalls easy  it reserves [] for nested funcalls, in the Lispy prefix form of outercall arg [innercall arg arg] arg... [] is better than (). Pressing Shift sucks. And custom keyboard mapping which makes it possible to type parens without pressing Shift is complete idiocy, because you won't be able to work with anyone's machine. This shit matters, if you program all day long it does.

Now what?

I don't know if I'd use Tcl. It's less of a programming language than your typical pop infix 4GL. For starters, [expr] is a bitch. And then there are "advanced" features, like closures, that I think Tcl lacks. It has its interesting side from a "linguistic" perspective though. It has really few core syntax, making it closer to Lisp and Forth than the above-mentioned pop infix ilk. So you can use Tcl and claim for aristocracy. Of course you'll only manage to annoy the best programmers this way; the mediocre won't know what you're talking about, seeing only that Tcl doesn't look enough like C to be worth the name of a language.

I'd think a lot before embedding Tcl as a scripting language for my tools, because of linguistic issues and marketing issues (you ought to give them something close enough to C, whether they're a customer or a roommate). So the practical takeaways for me are modest:
A Kathmandu-bound flight of Biman Bangladesh with 77 passengers onboard was diverted to Patna airport due to a technical problem on Friday. A senior official with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed that all passengers in the aircraft are safe. It was informed that pilots observed some technical problem in the aircraft and diverted it to Patna airport, where it landed safely. The technical problem which necessitated an urgent landing was not immediately known. "

Biman Bangladesh Flight-371 from Dhaka To Kathmandu was diverted to Patna due to a technical problem. It landed in Patna safely at 12:00 IST. All onboard passengers are safe," added the official. The official added that teams are looking into the incident.

More Details Awaited
Buddha Purnima, also known as Vesak or Buddha Jayanti, is a significant day for Buddhists all over the world. It is celebrated to mark the birth anniversary of Lord Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. The day falls on the full moon day of the Hindu month of Vaishakha, which usually falls in April or May. This time, Buddha Purnima is being celebrated on May 5 and it coincides with the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse. Astrologer, Pandit Jagannath Guruji shares, The impact of Buddha Purnima on all the zodiac signs is believed to be significant, and it can affect people's lives in different ways. In fact, it can be analyzed based on the planetary positions and their influence on each sign.

The planetary positions during Buddha Purnima are believed to have a significant impact on the lives of individuals, and it is essential to understand how each zodiac sign will be affected. Let's find out how the 12 zodiac signs - Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces - will be impacted.

Aries (Mar 21-Apr 19) Horoscope

The Buddha Purnima is an excellent day for Aries natives. They are likely to experience a sense of peace and tranquility on this day. The planetary positions indicate that Aries people will be able to overcome any obstacles in their path and achieve their goals.

Taurus (Apr 20-May 20) Horoscope

Taureans may feel a sense of restlessness on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that they may face some challenges in their personal and professional lives. It is essential for Taurus natives to stay calm and patient and to avoid taking any impulsive decisions.

Gemini (May 21-Jun 20) Horoscope

Buddha Purnima is an auspicious day for Gemini natives. The planetary positions indicate that they will have a successful day at work and may receive some good news. It is a good time for them to start new ventures or projects.

Cancer (Jun 21-Jul 22) Horoscope

Cancer natives may experience some emotional upheaval on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that they may have to face some challenges in their personal lives. It is essential for them to stay calm and grounded and to avoid any arguments or conflicts.

Leo (Jul 23-Aug 22) Horoscope

Buddha Purnima is a day of reflection for Leo natives. The planetary positions indicate that they will be able to introspect and evaluate their goals and ambitions. It is a good time for them to set new goals and make plans for the future.

Virgo (Aug 23-Sep 22) Horoscope

Virgo natives may feel a sense of restlessness on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that they may have to face some challenges in their personal and professional lives. It is important for them to stay calm and focused and to avoid any impulsive decisions.

Libra (Sep 23-Oct 22) Horoscope

Buddha Purnima is an excellent day for Libra natives. The planetary positions indicate that they will have a successful day at work and may receive some good news. It is a good time for them to start new ventures or projects.

Scorpio (Oct 23-Nov 21) Horoscope

Scorpio natives may experience some emotional upheaval on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that they may have to face some challenges in their personal lives. It is important for them to stay calm and grounded and to avoid any arguments or conflicts.

Sagittarius (Nov 22-Dec 21) Horoscope

Buddha Purnima is a day of reflection for Sagittarius natives. The planetary positions indicate that they will be able to introspect and evaluate their goals and ambitions. It is a good time for them to set new goals and make plans for the future.

Capricorn (Dec 22-Jan 19) Horoscope

Capricorn natives may feel a sense of restlessness on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that some challenges in their personal and professional lives might crop up. Stay calm and focused and avoid any impulsive decisions.

Aquarius (Jan 20-Feb 18) Horoscope

Buddha Purnima is an excellent day for Aquarius natives. The planetary positions indicate that they will have a successful day at work and may receive some good news. It is a good time for them to start new ventures or projects.

Pisces (Feb 19-Mar 20) Horoscope

Pisces natives may experience some emotional upheaval on Buddha Purnima. The planetary positions indicate that they may have to face some challenges in their personal lives. It is important for them to stay calm and grounded and to avoid any arguments or conflicts.

Buddha Purnima is a day of great significance for Buddhists all over the world, and its impact can be felt by people from all walks of life. The planetary positions on this day can affect people differently, depending on their zodiac sign, adds Guruji.
New Delhi: Days after Tillu Tajpuriya was killed by his rival gang members inside Tihar Jail, another CCTV chilling visual showing the gangster being stabbed in the presence of the Tihar Central Jail officials has surfaced on Friday. This is the second CCTV visual of the macabre murder, which showed that fellow inmates continued to stab Tajpuriya  a prime accused of the Rohini Court shootout in front of uniformed personnel, who did not intervene.

The CCTV video, which is from 6:15 AM on May 2 and obtained from Tihar Jail's Central Gallery, shows some people bringing gangster Tillu Tajpuriya's body out. The visuals later show two other people stabbing the body and hitting it in the presence of Police personnel.

#WATCH | Delhi | A second CCTV video emerges from Tihar Jail's Central Gallery wherein a few people can be seen bringing gangster Tillu Tajpuriya's body out. The visuals later show two other people stabbing the body and hitting it in the presence of Police personnel. pic.twitter.com/FyE09M95C7  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

In the footage, the police personnel could be seen standing near Tillu Tajpuriya, lying on the floor, and watching three men stabbing the gangster with weapons, fashioned out of lockup grills.

First CCTV Footage Shows Tajpuriya Being Brutally Stabbed

On Thursday, the first set of CCTV footage showing the gruesome murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya allegedly by the members of the rival Jitender Gogi gang inside the high-security Tihar jail emerged.

The 2.36-minute-long video shows the attackers forcefully entering a separate area inside the prison and viciously stabbing, kicking, and punching Tajpuriya in a brutal attack aimed at ensuring his death.

The disturbing footage has sparked significant concerns about the level of security within Tihar and the apparent lack of action on the part of officials to quell the violence. As per reports, Tajpuriya was stabbed more than 50 times by the assailants.

Who Is Behind Tillu Tajpuriya's Murder?

Tajpuriya (33), a resident of Tajpur Kalan on the outskirts of Delhi, was lodged in Tihar Jail under tight security measures. Gangster Satinder Singh Brar, also known as Goldy Brar who is believed to be in hiding in Canada, has claimed responsibility for the attack on Tajpuriya, citing revenge, according to an unverified social media post.

During the inquiry, it emerged that the members of the rival gang namely Deepak Teeter, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh and Riyaz Khan had around 6:15 am cut open the iron grill installed on the first floor of the ward using an improvised saw. Another undertrial prisoner, Rohit, was also injured in the attack.

"The prison staff revealed that Deepak a.k.a. Titar (31), Yogesh a.k.a. Gainda (30), Rajesh a.k.a. Tunda (42), and Riyaz Khan (39) had attacked Tajpuriya with improvised knives. When Rohit tried to intervene, he was also attacked and injured," Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (West), Akshat Kaushal said.

According to the prison officials, Tillu Tajpuriya was immediately taken to Delhi's Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Case Transferred To Special Cell

Meanwhile, the case has now been transferred to a special cell for investigation. The case was registered in Hari Nagar police station under sections 302 and 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). According to a prison official, the accused were lodged on the first floor of the same ward and they used an iron rod to attack Tajpuriya.

Rohini Court Shootout

Sunil Balyan alias Tillu Tajpuriya, a resident of Delhi who headed the infamous Tillu gang, was arrested in 2016 for multiple crimes and had been in jail ever since. Tajpuriya was the main accused in the Rohini court shootout case in September 2021 which left his friend-turned-rival gangster Jitender Maan alias Gogi dead.

The shooters, alleged associates of Tajpuriya had come dressed in lawyer's clothes and gunned Gogoi dead inside a courtroom in Rohini court. The two gunmen were immediately shot dead by the police team.

Tajpuriya and his gang's rivalry with another gang led by notorious gangster, Jitender Gogi dates back to 2009 when the pair were friends but supported different candidates in elections in Swami Shraddhanand College in Outer Delhi.
MG Comet EV was launched in India on April 26, 2023, with an introductory price of Rs 7.98 lakh (ex-showroom). However, the company did not reveal the variants of the car and their prices for the Indian market. Changing that, MG Motors India has announced that MG Comet EV will have 3 variants, with the bookings for the car beginning from May 15 in a phased manner.

MG Comet EV Variant-Wise Price

MG Comet EV will be sold in India in 3 variants, namely Pace, Play, and Plush. Among these, Pace is the most affordable variant with a price of Rs Rs 7.98 lakh, whereas Play comes at Rs 9.28 lakh and Plush at Rs 9.98 lakh. (all prices ex-showroom)

Also read: Ola Electric To Refund EV Charger's Cost To Customers, Here's Why

MG Comet EV Design

The three-door electric car comes with a compact size and has been designed for urban mobility. Furthermore, the car comes with a boxy design with a hint of modern design elements. For instance, the car gets elements like an LED light bar and a strip connecting both mirrors. Adding to it, the car gets a charging port in the front end, highlighted with an MG monogram under the light bar.

Similarly, the car's rear end also gets a LED light bar along with the tail lamps and the Comet moniker paired with the MG badge. All of this is complemented by five colour options and multiple graphics packs available with the car. MG divides the graphics into two categories called sticker styles and lit packs. Paired with the small size of the electric car are 12-inch alloy wheels, which are currently the smallest wheels available on any vehicle in India.

MG Comet EV Interiors

Coming to interiors, MG Comet comes with a grey and white theme around the cabin. The dashboard further boasts two 10-25-inch screens. These screens play their role as an infotainment system and a digital instrument cluster. Furthermore, the seats come with a one-touch tumble and fold feature to make the rear seat accessible for passengers.

MG Comet EV Features

The Comet EV offers three USB ports, over 55 linked features, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, manual AC settings, keyless entry, controls positioned on the steering wheel, and keyless entry. The Comet EV has dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a reverse camera, and sensors.

The feature list on the MG Comet EV includes things like three USB ports, over 55 linked features, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, manual AC settings, keyless entry, controls positioned on the steering wheel and keyless entry. For passengers' safety, the electric car gets dual front airbags, ABS, EBD, a tyre pressure monitoring system (TPMS), a reverse camera, and sensors.

MG Comet EV Range

MG has given the Comet EV a 17.3kWh battery that has an ARAI-certified range of 230km and is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance. The 3.3kW onboard charger provided by MG requires seven hours to charge the battery fully. A single electric engine with 42 horsepower and 110 Nm of torque powers the vehicle's rear wheels through an automated gearbox.
Mumbai: In a dramatic turn of events, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar on Friday revoked his decision to quit as party chief while respecting the sentiments of his party workers. Addressing a gathering of NCP leaders and workers outside his residence, the veteran politician said that he could not disrespect the sentiments of his colleagues and party workers who insisted that he withdraw his decision.

I cannot disrespect their feelings. I am overwhelmed by the love, trust and faith showered on me. Considering the appeals made by all of you, and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party, I am withdrawing my decision to retire, Pawar said. Pawar, however, stressed that there has to be a "succession plan" for any post or responsibility in an organization.

The Maratha strongman said that he will focus on making organizational changes in the party, assigning new responsibilities and creating new leadership, Pawar said. "I will also work vigorously for the growth of the organisation and take our ideology and goals of the party to the people," he said.

Pawar Skips Question On Nephew Ajit

When questioned about his nephew Ajit Pawars absence during his press conference, Pawar said that it does not matter who was present and who was not.

Everyone can't be present in one press conference. Some of the people are here and some others are not. But this morning, senior leaders of the party, took a decision unanimously and made me aware of it. Everyone expressed their sentiments through that decision. So, raising a question as to who is present here and who isn't or looking for meaning into this, is not correct, Sharad Pawar said.

Everyone can't be present in one press conference. Some of the people are here and some others are not. But this morning, senior leaders of the party, took a decision unanimously and made me aware of it. Everyone expressed their sentiments through that decision. So, raising a pic.twitter.com/gAebEr57Ux  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

He added, Others are here. Committee took this decision and after their decision, I took my decision back. All are united and discussed this. Senior leaders are there in the committee.

Need More Time: Pawar

Earlier this morning, Pawar said he needed more time to reconsider his decision to step down as party chief even as the panel formed by him to elect a new leader unanimously rejected his resignation.

Sharing more details, NCP leader Praful Patel said on Friday that senior party leaders met Sharad Pawar at his Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai after a committee formed to choose his successor rejected his decision to step down as NCP chief.

We requested (Sharad) Pawar Saheb to consider the NCP committee's resolution (which rejected his decision of stepping down as party chief). He (Pawar) has asked for more time and will convey his decision, Patel said.

NCP Panel Rejects Pawars Resignation

Earlier, the committee set up to choose the new Nationalist Congress Party chief rejected Pawar's decision to step down. The committee has unanimously passed a resolution. It unanimously rejects his decision to step down and urges him to continue as party president, Patel said after a meeting of the committee.

Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, after he announced on May 2 that he would be resigning as NCP chief.

Pawar Saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored, Patel said.

As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message  I am with Saheb demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision.

Pawar Announces Resignation

Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course. The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party.

Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition, said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.

The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.
Imphal, May 5 (PTI) The Imphal Valley in Manipur which remained peaceful for most of Friday witnessed sporadic clashes later in the day as more security forces were rushed in from other states by road and air to calm down a state which had witnessed bloody ethnic rioting over the last 48 hours. A Defence spokesperson said a total of 13,000 people were rescued and shifted to safe shelters, some in army camps as the army brought Churachandpur, Moreh, Kakching and Kangpokpi districts under its 'firm control'. Intermittent gunfights between militant groups and security forces were also reported in the morning hours from various hill districts surrounding the valley, but a wary peace seems to be reigning there since.

"In the past 12 hours, Imphal East and West districts witnessed sporadic incidents of arson and attempts by inimical elements to establish blockades. However, the situation was controlled by a firm and synergised response," the Defence official said on Friday night. Details of the incidents, however, were not available.

The exchanges of fire between militant groups, who have involved themselves in the ethnic clashes in the state, and security forces were reported at Kangvai in Churachandpur district, western hill range of Phougakchao in adjoining Bishnupur district and Dolaithabi and Pukhao in Imphal East district, a senior police officer said. However, it was not immediately known whether there was any casualty on either side.

Also Read: Manipur Violence: Himanta Biswa Sarma Assures Full Support To Families Seeking Refuge In Assam

"Prompt response by Security Forces led to rescuing of civilians of all communities from various minority pockets of areas affected by violence. As a result, Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, Moreh and Kakching are now under firm control with no major violence reported since yesterday night," the PRO said.

Nearly 10,000 soldiers from the Army and the Assam Rifles have been deployed in the state which was rocked by clashes since Wednesday between the Meitei community, which mainly live in Imphal Valley, and Naga and Kuki tribals who are inhabitants of the hill districts.

"Total of approximately 13,000 civilians have been rescued and are currently staying in various ad-hoc boarding facilities specifically created for the purpose within Company Operating Bases & Military Garrisons," the defence official said.

Also Read: Key Reasons Why Manipur Is Burning?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed the situation in Manipur with Chief Minister N Biren Singh and top officials, even as the Centre dispatched additional security forces and anti-riot vehicles to maintain peace there. Around 1,000 more central paramilitary personnel with anti-riot vehicles reached Manipur on Friday, sources said.

At least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendents of police (SSP) and SP rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate the deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, official sources said in New Delhi.

Multiple sources said the fighting between communities had left several scores of people dead and nearly a hundred injured. However, the police were unwilling to confirm this.

Trains to Manipur have been cancelled with immediate effect on Friday due to the prevailing in the state, a Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) spokesperson said.

The Defence PRO, in a statement, earlier said, "The Indian Air Force (IAF) undertook continuous sorties from two airfields in Assam employing C17 Globemaster and AN 32 aircraft."

"Induction commenced on the night of May 4 and additional columns commenced domination with effect from the wee hours of May 5. Domination & evacuation of civilians of all communities from affected areas continued throughout the night. Flag march in Churachandpur and other sensitive areas are underway," it added.

Violence first erupted in Torbung area in Churachandpur district during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to protest the demand of Meiteis for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The march was organised by tribals -- including Nagas and Kukis -- after the Manipur High Court asked the state government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Metei community.

During the march in Torbung, an armed mob allegedly attacked people of the Meitei community, leading to retaliatory attacks in the valley districts, which escalated the violence throughout the state, police said. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of the population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals, who include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and live mostly in the hill districts which surround the Valley.

Two shopping malls in New Checkon and Chingmeirong areas of Imphal city were vandalised and torched by an angry mob on Thursday evening.

People were not seen gathering in large numbers or venturing out of their houses in Imphal and other areas on Thursday night as patrolling was intensified on the streets, he said.

A tribal MLA, Vunzagin Valte, of Thanlon constituency was critically injured and was undergoing treatment at a hospital after he was assaulted by a mob on Thursday, the officer said. The violence between the majority Meiteis and tribals over the demand of the former for ST status has displaced over 13,000 people from both communities.

People in various parts of the country protested against the violence in Manipur. The Manipur government has given "shoot at sight" orders to contain the violence and Chief Minister N Biren Singh has said the violence was a result of "misunderstanding" in the society and that his administration was taking all measures to bring the situation under control.
Kochi: Hailing the stand taken by the Union Government in the Supreme Court against same-sex marriages, the Syro-Malabar Church, an influential Catholic church in Kerala, has said giving legal validation for such relationships is unnatural and an injustice to the family system that exists in the country. The Church opined that same-sex marriage is also a violation of the rights of children to be born and grow in a natural relationship between man and woman.

Giving it legal validation may even trigger demands to legalise sexual disorders like physical attraction to children, animals and so on, the Public Affairs Commission of the Syro-Malabar Church said. The church said it has officially submitted its views on the matter to the President of India.

The Church placed its view before the President in response to the opinion sought by the Centre from the civil society on the same-sex marriage issue, as the apex court had asked the same from them, said the statement issued by the Public Affairs Commission.

The church appreciated the central government for filing a counter-affidavit in the Supreme Court against providing legal validation to same-sex marriages.

It opined that the Centre's stand was taken as per Indian culture, where marriage is a relationship between two persons of the opposite sex and a family comprises a biological man and biological woman and their children.

The Church said it also strongly opposes the bid to give legal validation to such relations as it is against its scriptures, traditions, and teachings.

"Same-sex marriage is a negation of the natural order of relationships between a man and a woman. It is also an injustice to the family concept and civil society," it said.

In the statement, the church also made it clear that, though it has a sympathetic attitude towards sexual minorities, its strong stand is that marriage is the relationship between men and women.

A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud is hearing arguments on a batch of pleas seeking legal sanction for same-sex marriage.

While urging it to dismiss the petitions seeking legal validation for same-sex marriage, the Centre on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the right to choose a partner does not necessarily imply the right to marry such a person over and above the procedure established by law.

In his written submissions, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said there cannot be a presumption that the State is obliged to recognise all human relationships, rather, the presumption has to be that the state has no business to recognise any personal relationships, unless it has a legitimate state interest in regulating the same.

The hearing in the matter would continue on May 9.
Benaulim (Goa): India and Pakistan on Friday took a veiled swipe at each other at a SCO meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar demanding tough action against cross-border terrorism and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calling for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point-scoring". In his address at the meeting of the foreign ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, Jaishankar said the channel of finances for terror activities must be blocked without any distinction even as Bhutto Zardari raised the issue of "violation of international law" which was seen as an apparent reference to Kashmir.

The SCO norms do not allow raking up bilateral issues and the two foreign ministers did not name any country and made the comments indirectly.

Chairing the conclave, Jaishankar said taking the "eyes off terrorism" would be detrimental to the security interests of the grouping and that when the world was engaged in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and its consequences, the menace of terrorism continued unabated, in another veiled reference to Pakistan.

Also Read: SCO Summit: S Jaishankar Welcomes Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto With A Namaskar- Watch

"We must not allow anybody -- individual or State -- to hide behind non-State actors," Jaishankar said in the presence of Bhutto Zardari and his counterparts from China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

"Taking our eyes off the menace would be detrimental to our security interests. We firmly believe that there can be no justification for terrorism and it must be stopped in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism," he added. In his address, the Pakistan foreign minister talked about the need for ensuring respect for universally recognised principles and said,"unilateral and illegal measures by States in violation of international law and Security Council resolutions run counter to the SCO objectives."

"We need to be unambiguous in keeping our commitments and charting out a new future for our people. One that is not based on conflict preservation but on conflict resolution," he said.

Though Bhutto Zardari did not make any specific references or elaborated on the context, his remarks were largely seen as an indirect reference to India's policy on Kashmir.

The ties between India and Pakistan came under severe strain after India announced withdrawing special powers of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcation of the state into two union territories in August 2019.

While expressing Pakistan's commitment to fighting terrorism, Bhutto Zardari also appeared to take a swipe at India as he called for not getting caught up in "weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring".

"We must stop conflating non-state actors with state actors," he noted. The Pakistan foreign minister also pitched for collective security and said it was a joint responsibility of the member nations. "Terrorism continues to threaten global security. Let's not get caught up in weaponising terrorism for diplomatic point scoring," he said. The Pakistan foreign minister also remembered his mother and former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's assassination at the hands of terrorists.

"When I speak on this topic, I do so not only as the Foreign Minister of Pakistan whose people have suffered the most in terms of number of attacks and number of casualties. I also speak as the son whose mother was assassinated at the hands of terrorists," Bhutto Zardari said.

"I feel the pain of this loss, empathize with victims across the world in a way most can't. I and my country are firmly committed to being part of regional and global efforts for eradicating this menace. This requires not only a comprehensive approach but also a collective approach," he added.

"It requires that we let this challenge unite us to fight it rather than divide us to become its victim. Our success requires us to isolate this issue from geo-political partisanship," he said.

Bhutto Zardari also made a special mention of China for its role in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

"I want to make a special mention of the commendable role China has recently played in bridging differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran-- two countries that are also associated with the SCO. When great powers play the role of peacemaker, we can unlock the potential of peace while paving the way for greater cooperation, regional integration and economic opportunities for our peoples," he said.

In his address, Jaishankar noted that current crises facing the world have exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and effective manner. He said reform and modernisation of the SCO will aid a more contemporary outlook which India will actively support.

Also Read: In Goa For SCO Meet, Chinese FM Puts Emphasis On Peaceful Coexistence With India

"As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical upheavals, the world is today facing a multitude of challenges. These events have disrupted global supply chains, leading to serious impact on the supply of energy, food and fertilizers and cascading effects on developing nations," he said. "These crises have also exposed a credibility and trust deficit in the ability of global institutions to manage challenges in a timely and efficient manner," he noted.

"These challenges, however, are also an opportunity for Member States of the SCO to collaborate and address them collectively. With more than 40% of the world's population within the SCO, our collective decisions will surely have a global impact," Jaishankar said.

Bhutto Zardari landed in Goa on Thursday, becoming the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in almost 12 years. In 2011, Pakistan's then foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar visited India and held talks with her counterpart SM Krishna.

India hosted the SCO foreign ministers' conclave in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping. The SCO is an influential economic and security bloc and has emerged as one of the largest transregional international organisations. The SCO was founded at a summit in Shanghai in 2001 by the presidents of Russia, China, the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

India and Pakistan became its permanent members in 2017. India was made an observer at the SCO in 2005 and has generally participated in the ministerial-level meetings of the grouping, which focus mainly on security and economic cooperation in the Eurasian region. India has shown a keen interest in deepening its security-related cooperation with the SCO and its Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure (RATS), which specifically deals with issues relating to security and defence.
FILE - Microsoft President Brad Smith addresses a media conference regarding Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard and the future of gaming in Brussels, Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. Microsoft's charm offensive with the world's governments is starting to lose some of its charm as the software giant is confronting some of its toughest antitrust scrutiny since co-founder Bill Gates was in charge. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo, File) - Virginia Mayo/AP

Microsoft has hired a lawyer who has repeatedly defeated the EU as it seeks to overturn a decision by Britains competition regulator to block its 55bn gaming takeover.

The US tech giant has enlisted Daniel Beard KC as it prepares to lodge an appeal at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in the coming days.

The company hopes a legal challenge will rescue its $69bn (55bn) takeover of Activision, the gaming company behind Call of Duty, after the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the deal last month.

Mr Beard of Monckton Chambers is seen as a leading competition barrister and has overturned multi-billion dollar penalties levied on Apple and Intel by the EU in recent years.

He represented Apple in an appeal against a 13bn (11.4bn) EU tax demand after Margrethe Vestager, the bloc's competition chief, declared Ireland had offered it illegal state aid. Apple won the appeal, though Ms Vestager is now seeking to reinstate the order.

Last year, Mr Beard overturned a 1.1bn fine handed to Intel more than a decade ago after the European Commission had claimed the company had abused its dominance of the microchip market. The case was seen as a landmark blow for Brussels attempts to rein in Big Tech.

Mr Beard had represented Microsoft in the late stages of hearings with the CMA, before the regulator blocked the takeover in April.

The CMAs decision, the first major acquisition it has rejected since assuming new merger powers after Brexit, led to accusations from Activision that Britain was closed for business. Microsoft said the decision meant that the EU was a better place to set up a company than the UK.

Robert "Bobby" Kotick, president and chief executive officer of Activision Blizzard Inc., arrives for the Allen & Co. Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho, U.S., on Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Billionaires, chief executive officers, and leaders from the technology, media, and finance industries will gather this week at the Idaho mountain resort conference hosted by investment banking firm Allen & Co. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** Bobby Kotick - David Paul Morris/Bloomberg

The row is expected to be reopened in the coming days, with the European Commission expected to break from the CMA and approve the takeover. Sources close to the investigation said they believed Brussels would allow the deal to go through as long as Microsoft committed to certain promises to keep games such as Call of Duty available on other consoles. The EU is expected to make its decision in the next two weeks.

Story continues

An appeal at the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) is likely to take several months, beyond the July 18 deadline for the two companies to complete the deal. The timeline is already likely to be extended because US regulators have launched a legal challenge to the deal.

If Microsoft successfully appeals the CMAs ruling, the case can be sent back to the regulator to reconsider its decision. If the CAT refuses the case, the company can then take the case to the Court of Appeal.

In addition to representing Apple and Intel, Mr Beard represented Sky in seeking to overturn a 2007 Government decision that the broadcaster must sell down its stake in ITV, which it eventually lost. He also argued for Tesco in 2009 as the supermarket overturned a Competition Commission ruling that planning permission for new stores should require a competition test.

Microsoft has said it remains fully committed to the deal despite the CMA block. Activisions chief executive Bobby Kotick has said the company will support Microsofts appeal.

He said when the deal was blocked: Were confident in our case because the facts are on our side: this deal is good for competition.

Mr Kotick has said that over regulation will mean the company reassessing its growth plans in the UK.

The Government plans to grant the CMA new powers to issue hefty fines to tech companies that are seen as abusing their position.

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New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar greeted Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari with a "Namastey" at a Shangai Cooperation Organisation conference in Goa on Friday. Zardari is in India for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM). He is also the first Pakistani foreign minister to visit India in nearly a decade. On Thursday, the two-day conference of SCO member states began here. The video shows Jaishankar welcoming Zardari in Indian tradition with a "Namastey," rather than a handshake.

Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Goa on Thursday to attend a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference, the country's first such high-level visit to India since 2011.

Earlier, Bhutto informed about his visit to India on Twitter. In a tweet, he said, "On my way to Goa, India. Will be leading the Pakistan delegation at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization CFM. My decision to attend this meeting illustrates Pakistan's strong commitment to the charter of the SCO." "During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries," he said.

S Jaishankar holds a meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang

Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who is currently in Goa attending the SCO Foreign Ministers' meeting, said on Thursday that India and China should explore a road to peaceful and friendly coexistence and mutually beneficial cooperation. Qin, who held a bilateral meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Foreign Ministers' meeting in Goa, also met relatives of Dr. Dwarkanath Kotnis, the Indian doctor who served in China during the Chinese Communist revolution headed by Mao Zedong and the World War II.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov folded his hands and greeted his Indian counterpart, Jaishankar when he arrived for the SCO summit. Yesterday, Jaishankar and Lavrov conducted bilateral talks. The External Affairs Minister also received Foreign Ministers from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan in Goa. Prior to the main meeting on Friday, India hosted a cultural event on Thursday evening.' Secure-SCO' is the topic for India's presidency of the SCO in 2023. The Shanghai Cooperation Entity (SCO) is a 2001 intergovernmental entity. India, Russia, China, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are members of the SCO. At the SCO summit in Samarkand in 2022, India assumed the rotating presidency.
Manipur Riots: Prem Singh Golay, the Chief Minister of Sikkim, called N Biren Singh, his counterpart in Manipur, on Friday and urged him to look after the Sikkimese residents and students studying in the state. The Sikkim Chief Minister said on social media that Singh gave Tamang the assurance that the Manipur government would offer all assistance feasible to the Sikkimese students and residents in Manipur.

The Sikkimese people should take care of their safety and well-being and remain indoors or in a safe location, Golay said. "I urge all Sikkimese citizens in Manipur to remain calm and carry an identification card with them at all times," he said. Tamang urged the parents, guardians, and family members not to become alarmed and said he was constantly monitoring the situation in Manipur and would take all reasonable measures to protect the safety of Sikkimese students and inhabitants.

Emergency Numbers

Rameshwar Singh, a Manipur MLA, and RM Pradhan, the chief minister's office's PRO, are coordinating and keeping an eye on the situation, according to Golay. The following telephone numbers can be used to reach them: Rameshwar Singh: 7085436983/ 8730965059, PRO, Government of Sikkim, RM Pradhan, 97351 23333. Sikkim Chief Secretary V. B. Pathak conducted an emergency meeting in the meantime to discuss the health, safety, and security of Sikkim students who are enrolled in professional programmes in Imphal. Pathak told the senior officials present in the meeting that the state government was acting under the direction of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang to provide the required protection for the safety and security of the Sikkim students studying in Manipur. According to the chief secretary of Sikkim, sufficient force has been stationed in the colleges and dorms where Sikkim students are enrolled and living in Manipur.

Helpline Number Gangtok

A helpline number, 03592 299959 (8 am8 pm), has been established up at the Tashiling Secretariat in Gangtok for the benefit of Sikkim students in Manipur in case of an emergency, per the chief secretary's order. To keep track of the current situation in Manipur and to guarantee essential support in case of an emergency, Pathak stated that the Sikkim administration would maintain frequent contact with the Manipur government. A K Singh, the director general of police, Additional Chief Secretary for the Home, Namrata Thapa, the IPR Secretary, and other officials were present at the meeting.

Manipur Burning

Occasional gunfights between terrorist groups and security personnel were reported from the hill areas surrounding the valley. The Imphal Valley in Manipur was calm but tense on Friday.

During the "Tribal Solidarity March" held by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday to denounce the Meiteis' demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, violence initially broke out in the Torbung area of Manipur's Churachandpur district.

An armed mob allegedly attacked members of the Meitei community during the march in Torbung, which sparked reprisals in the valley regions and increased the level of violence across the state, according to the police. Meiteis make up around 53% of Manipur's population and are primarily found in the Imphal Valley. Another 40% of the population is made up of tribes, primarily in the hill districts that round the Valley and include the Nagas and Kukis.
Melbourne: A prominent Hindu temple in Sydney was defaced by "anti-social elements" on Friday with anti-India graffiti on the walls, in the latest incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in Australia ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the country later this month. The incident took place at the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney. However, the time is not yet known.

Temple authorities also found a Khalistani flag hanging on the gate, and reported the matter to New South Wales (NSW) police, the Australia Today newspaper reported. "We are deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti on the walls of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Rosehill, Sydney by anti-social elements," the temple said in a statement.

"We are further disheartened that BAPS temples in Australia have been targeted. For the last 23 years, the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir has been a cornerstone of the local community and a prominent Hindu Temple which, like all BAPS temples worldwide, is an abode of peace and harmony, equality, selfless service and universal Hindu values," it said.

Member of Parliament for Parramatta Andrew Charlton reached the BAPS Temple as soon as he was informed of the Hindu Hate incident, the Australia Today newspaper reported. Charlton along with Temple authorities helped to repaint the wall.

"This morning, the BAPS temple in my electorate of Parramatta was vandalised by religious extremists. I am deeply shocked and saddened by this act of mindless vandalism. Everyone in Australia has the right to practice their faith in peace," he was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

#BAPS #Swaminarayan #Temple fights back with support from #Paramatta MP @Charlton_AB who came to help clean up after #Khalistani anti-Hindu vandalism.

Mr Charlton said, "This morning, a temple in my electorate of Parramatta was vandalised by religious

extremists."

"I am deeply pic.twitter.com/f5pB9SCZjl  The Australia Today (@TheAusToday) May 5, 2023

"At this time, the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha prays for peace and unity and has appealed to all devotees and well-wishers in the community to maintain peace. We are thankful to the local police command, the Department of Home Affairs, State and Federal Members of Parliament, the Indian High Commission and the Consul General of Sydney for their continued support," the temple said.

"BAPS temples across Australia are symbols of a thriving multicultural society that nurture Australian values of respect, mateship and tolerance. We request everyone to join in worldwide prayers that God blesses and guides us all to continue to do good and think good of all," it said.

"Officers from Cumberland Police Area Command have commenced an investigation following reports of malicious damage to a religious site in Rosehill," NSW Police spokesperson said in a statement.

"Police are conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident." Earlier this year three Hindu Temples in Melbourne and two Hindu Temples in Brisbane were vandalised by Khalistan supporters. Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit Sydney for the QUAD summit on May 24.

In March, During Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to India, Prime Minister Modi raised the issue of frequent attacks on Hindu Temples with him and conveyed his concerns.On this, Albanese assured Modi that Australia will not tolerate attacks on religious places and that anyone responsible for such activities will face the "full force of the law".






New Delhi: The Delhi Prisons Department on Friday suspended eight staff members of Tihar Jail in connection with the fatal stabbing of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya inside the premises of the high-security prison. Gangster Tajpuriya was killed on Tuesday morning allegedly by four members of the rival Gogi gang - Deepak alias Titar, Yogesh alias Tunda, Rajesh, and Riyaz Khan - who stabbed him "92 times".

A senior prisons official said they conducted a departmental inquiry into the incident. "The report was received on Friday and lapses were found on the part of nine staff members. Out of them, seven - three assistant superintendents and four warders -- have been suspended. We had a meeting with Tamil Nadu Special Police Force officials and they have also agreed to take department action against their personnel," the officer said earlier.

#UPDATE | Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya murder | A total of 7 personnel of Tihar jail - including 3 Assistant Superintendents and 4 wardens - suspended and departmental inquiry initiated against 2 others. DG has spoken to the Commandant of the jawans of Tamil Nadu Special Police  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

One more Tihar official was suspended by the authorities in connection with the murder, reported news agency ANI.

#UPDATE | Gangster Tillu Tajpuriya murder | A total of 8 Tihar Jail personnel suspended now #Delhi  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

The Tamil Nadu Special Police provides security on the jail premises.

Another Chilling Video Of Tajpuriya Murder Surfaces

Days after Tillu Tajpuriya was killed by his rival gang members inside Tihar Jail, another CCTV chilling visual showing the gangster being stabbed in the presence of the Tihar Central Jail officials surfaced on Friday. This is the second CCTV visual of the macabre murder, which showed that fellow inmates continued to stab Tajpuriya  a prime accused of the Rohini Court shootout in front of uniformed personnel, who did not intervene.

The CCTV video, which is from 6:15 AM on May 2 and obtained from Tihar Jail's Central Gallery, shows some people bringing gangster Tillu Tajpuriya's body out. The visuals later show two other people stabbing the body and hitting it in the presence of Police personnel.

In the footage, the police personnel could be seen standing near Tillu Tajpuriya, lying on the floor, and watching as three men stabbed the gangster with weapons, fashioned out of lockup grills.

First CCTV Footage Shows Tajpuriya Being Stabbed

On Thursday, the first set of CCTV footage showing the gruesome murder of gangster Tillu Tajpuriya allegedly by the members of the rival Jitender Gogi gang inside the high-security Tihar jail emerged.

The 2.36-minute-long video shows the attackers forcefully entering a separate area inside the prison and viciously stabbing, kicking, and punching Tajpuriya in a brutal attack aimed at ensuring his death.

The disturbing footage has sparked significant concerns about the level of security within Tihar and the apparent lack of action on the part of officials to quell the violence. As per reports, Tajpuriya was stabbed more than 50 times by the assailants.
New Delhi: Global star Priyanka Chopra is receiving all the love for her recent release 'Citadel' as well as her appearance at Met Gala 2023. She will now be seen in 'Love Again' alongside Sam Heughan and fans are super excited. Also, her husband Nick Jonas will appear in the film in a cameo role. The actress has been grabbing headlines for doing a 'steamy' kissing scene with Nick and she has recently opened up about it.

During a recent interaction with People at a screening of 'Love Again' in NYC, Priyanka shared an interesting lesser-known story behind Nick's cameo in the film. She said Jonas 'really took one for the team,' the actress also revealed that she was initially supposed to shoot a 'steamy make-out scene for the movie with a random actor.'

She said, "During Covid, having someone just lick my face, I was not about it. So I was like, 'Please, Nick, could you do it?' And he was such a sport. He came on set and it was so funny. I was completely unprofessional that day because he was really taking the douchebag thing really seriously and practicing for it."

"And I just was in rips. I was a puddle; I was laughing. Everyone was laughing. At one point, the crew laughed so loudly during a take that we had to retake it because it was just so funny," she added.

Recently, Priyanka Chopra Jonas rocked the Met Gala red carpet wearing a sexy black gown with a thigh-high slit from ace designer Valentino. She was joined by her husband, American pop star Nick Jonas.

On the work front, Priyanka has been currently promoting her OTT streaming show 'Citadel'. She recently announced her next film 'Heads Of State', co-starring John Cena and Idris Elba. Priyanka shared screenshots of a report by Deadline on her Instagram handle and captioned it as 'On to the next'. She tagged actors Idris Elba and John Cena, director Ilya Naishuller and producer Amazon Studios and wrote, "Let's gooo!!". As per a Deadline report, the film will go on floors in May 2023.

She also has Farhan Akhtar's ambitious project 'Jee Le Zara', also featuring Alia Bhatt and Katrina Kaif, and Mindy Kaling's upcoming comedy film based on Indian weddings. She also has a rom-com 'Love Again' starring Celine Dion and Sam Heughan. The film is slated for release on May 12.
Washington: Fang Bin, who documented the initial Covid outbreak in the Chinese city of Wuhan, has been finally released from jail after being there for more than three years, CNN reported citing a family member. After sharing the videos of the on-ground situation in Wuhan city, the epicentre of the original outbreak, Bin suddenly disappeared, as the authorities were trying to suppress the true extent of the unfolding global emergency.

On Sunday, he was released from jail and was in Wuhan, according to the family member and added that his health had suffered a lot while spending years in jail. His videos posted to social media in early 2020 laid bare the realities of the virus` deadly spread, contradicting the official narrative presented on China`s tightly controlled state media, reported CNN.

Authorities locked down the city of Wuhan on January 23 of that year, but there had been a period of roughly three weeks between when health officials announced a mysterious illness and confirmed it was spreading between people. In one of the videos, Bin was showing hospital corridors crowded with patients and their desperate relatives.

During one segment, he counts body bags piled in a van - images that garnered significant attention in China, where the public was desperate to understand what was happening in the epicentre city. In his final videos, Fang recorded people coming to his door to ask questions and said his home was surrounded by plainclothes policemen, CNN reported.

In his last video, Fang can be heard saying, "Let`s revolt - bring the power back to the people." Then, he disappeared. The relative of Fang told CNN he had been charged with "picking quarrels and provoking trouble" and was sentenced to three years.

The charge is commonly used to silence activists and government critics.CNN was not able to independently confirm the details of Fang`s case, including whether he was formally charged or the circumstances of his release. The Wuhan public security bureau did not answer repeated phone calls from CNN. The Ministry of Justice in Beijing did not immediately respond to a faxed request for comment.
Authorities arrested a "disgruntled" passenger in the US who claimed that there was a bomb in his luggage. The angry passenger made a claim after he missed a flight from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. New York Post's report suggests that the unruly passenger made the threat at Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport, alerting the police officers on site. As per the reports, he said that there may be explosives in his bags on the Los Angeles-bound Jetblue flight.

Fox5 quotes a captain with traffic services saying, "At approximately 2 pm today, May 4th, a disgruntled passenger who missed his flight made a statement indicating that his luggage contained a possible bomb on the JetBlue flight number 879 from Las Vegas."

Also read: IndiGo Gets DGCA Approval To Remove Technical Paper Manual For Lighter Aircraft

Upon discovering the threat, the police department swung into action, arresting the passenger. Taking precautions for the threat, the police also informed their counterpart in Los Angeles of the possible threat on the plane. However, the threat was later found to be a hoax. The details of further action against the unruly passenger are not known yet.

Based on the data shared on the flight tracking website, Flightradar24, the flight was delayed because of the incident. The plane landed in Los Angeles around 37 minutes late, owing to the delayed take-off.
New Delhi: The much-in-news controversial movie 'The Kerala Story' opened in cinemas today and much like the buzz around it, viewers have shared somewhat polarised and divided reviews after watching the first-day first show of the movie. Directed by Sudipto Sen under the banner Sunshine Pictures Pvt Ltd., The Kerala Story is produced by Vipul Shah. The film stars Adah Sharma, Yogita Bihani, Siddhi Idnani, Pranay Pachuri and Chandra Shekhar Dutta in lead roles.

THE KERALA STORY TWITTER REVIEW:

The movie's plot is about a group of women from Kerala who are converted to Islam and join the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The Kerala Story is out in theatres and here are some early tweet reviews by fans:

#TheKeralaStoryReview



This movie is full of lies and manipulative. Not a single thing told in the movie is closer to the truth. It's a propaganda movie made to disturb religious harmony.



Every actor must be ashamed of being part of this movie. @adah_sharma DOESN'T know acting. pic.twitter.com/3f6ZmYznDa  Lets OTT (@LetsOTTOff) May 5, 2023

"The Kerala Story" is a film about the dangers of religious indoctrination devotes every one of its scenes to brainwashing its audience.



Sudipto Sens film speaks to the Whatsapp University crowd!https://t.co/SZaPIJG8pk  James Wilson (@jamewils) May 5, 2023

#TheKeralaStoryReview



Super

Go watch this film



This film is not your typical Lala land film. Its telling truth



No hate , just exposing mindset of some people.



Director had done brilliant study for film

Alway delight to watch #adahsharma pic.twitter.com/3cfuMgRFUh  VampA (@Newlevi4) May 5, 2023

THE KERALA STORY CONTROVERSY:

The film has courted trouble over its claim of religious conversion in the state. Several political leaders have criticised the movie alleging that it is promoting propaganda. Earlier on May 2, the Supreme Court refused to entertain a plea seeking a stay on the release of the movie 'The Kerala Story' on grounds that it's a 'worst kind of hate speech' and an 'audio-visual propaganda', as per PTI.

A bench of Justices KM Joseph a BV Nagarathna was told by senior advocate Kapil Sibal and advocate Nizam Pasha that the trailer of the movie, which is scheduled to be released on Friday, has garnered 16 million views. Pasha said, "This movie is the worst kind of hate speech. It is completely audio-visual propaganda".

The bench said, "There are varieties of hate speeches. This film has got certification and has been cleared by the board. It's not like a person getting on the podium and starts giving an uncontrolled speech. If you want to challenge the release of the movie, you should challenge the certification through an appropriate forum." Sibal then said that he will do whatever was necessary.

Justice Nagarathna said the petitioner should first approach the high court. Pasha said there was no time left as the movie is scheduled to release on Friday.
New Delhi: This year, Buddha Purnima  commemorating the birth of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, later Gautama Buddha  founder of Buddhism is celebrated on May 5. Traditionally, it's a holiday in Mahayana Buddhism and is widely celebrated across the globe. Devotees swing into preparations for the special festival, days in advance.

SIGNIFICANCE OF CHANTING BUDDHIST MANTRAS

'Namu Myoho Renge Kyo' is chanted across all forms of Nichiren Buddhism as well as Tendai Buddhism. It is the Lotus Sutra that helps in attaining mental peace and people believe it cures them of all problems. In Buddhism, the chanting of mantras sets the mind in the state of meditation. The common Theravada chants are usually based on Pali Canon, Mahayana and Vajrayana chants.

There are various chanting mantras in Buddhism, the most common happens to be from Nichiren Buddhism which is chanting of the five characters of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, meaning a tribute to the true dharma of the Lotus Sutra. This comes under the Mahayana Sutra chants.

Mahayana Sutra unfolds Shakyamuni's real self as a Buddha who attained enlightenment years back.

LORD BUDDHA'S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY ON PATH OF ENLIGHTENMENT - LEGEND

Before denouncing worldly pleasures, Buddha was known as Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who later transformed into Gautama Buddha and founded Buddhism as a path leading to the spiritual enlightenment of the soul. As per Theravada Tripitaka scriptures, Prince Gautama was born in Lumbini which is now known as modern-day Nepal, around 563 BCE. He was later raised in Kapilavastu.

The legend has it that when Prince Siddhartha Gautama was born into a royal lineage, an astrologer named Asita predicted that either he will set to become a great king or else he would denounce everything, leaving the comforts of all things material.

Naturally, the prince's father King Suddhodana wanted his son to reign as the powerful and greatest of kings, therefore he did not let him go out of the palace walls. However, as destiny would have itthe prince at the young age of 29, went out of the palatial comforts and saw how people suffer, and how difficult it is for an ordinary man to survive.

According to Buddhist literature, it is believed that what the prince witnessed during this time is known as the four sights. He got to understand the suffering of a common man, saw an old man, a sick person, a dead body and finally an ascetic holy man, who was content in life.

It is believed that these experiences were vital enough and compelled the prince to leave his comfortable royal life behind and move ahead to embrace divinity by walking on the spiritual path, leading to the enlightenment of the soul.
The auspicious day of Buddha Purnima is here and it is being celebrated today, on May 5, 2023. Buddha Purnima is celebrated by the Hindu and the Buddhist community across the world to commemorate the birth anniversary of Gautam Buddha. Gautama Buddha, whose birth name was Siddhartha Gautama, was a spiritual teacher on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. Born as Prince Siddhartha, Gautam Buddha left his home and the materialistic world at the young age of 29. His mission was to seek answers to the truths about life and its suffering. It is believed that once on a royal ride, he came across a corpse and an ailing old man, which instigated him to seek answers to life's mysteries. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lumbini, in what is now Nepal, to royal parents of the Shakya clan, before he renounced the material world.

After leading an austere life which included begging, asceticism, and meditation, Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya under the Bodhi tree. Buddha travelled across the region, preaching to people about non-violence, the discipline of mind, and kindness. In fact, it was a couple of centuries after his death that he came to be known by the title Buddha, which means "Awakened One" or "Enlightened One." On this auspicious day of Buddha Purnima, here are some warm wishes that you can share with your loved ones and 7 inspiring quotes of Buddha.

Buddha Purnima 2023: Wishes And Greeting To Share Today

1. May the full moon of Buddha Purnima bring you blessings of inner peace, enlightenment, and spiritual awakening. Happy Buddha Purnima 2023!

2. May the teachings of Buddha inspire you to live a life of mindfulness, kindness, and love. Wishing you a happy Buddha Purnima!

3. Let us celebrate the life and teachings of Gautama Buddha on this auspicious day of Buddha Purnima and strive to follow his path of enlightenment and liberation.

4. Let us remember Buddha's noble teachings on this auspicious day of Buddha Purnima and strive to bring peace and love into the world. Wishing you a joyous and blessed Buddha Purnima!

5. Let us celebrate the birth of the enlightened one, Gautama Buddha, on this auspicious day of Buddha Purnima. Happy Buddha Purnima!

6. May you achieve great success in life, and be blessed by Lord Buddha. Happy Buddha Purnima.

7. May the teachings of Buddha inspire you to become a better version of yourself and contribute towards a better world. Happy Buddha Purnima!

8. May we all be guided from darkness to light by Lord Buddha's teachings. Happy Buddha Purnima 2023!

9. May Lord Buddhas knowledge and compassion fill our hearts with lots of joy and contentment. Have a blessed

Buddha Purnima 2023!

10. Wishing you a blessed Buddha Purnima! May the full moon of this day bring you prosperity, happiness, and spiritual growth.

11. On this important day, let us get together and celebrate Lord Buddha's birth and enlightenment with lots of love, blissful peace, and loving harmony. Wishing you a joyous Buddha Purnima.

12. May the teachings of Buddha inspire you to let go of the past and embrace a future filled with love, joy, and inner peace. Happy Buddha Purnima 2023.

13. There will be no darkness in your life when there is a ray of light of your blessings and teachings. Wishing you a joyous Buddha Purnima.

14. Budhha Purnima wishes and heartfelt greetings to you and your family.

15. On this auspicious day, lets pray for peace and harmony for all of humanity. Buddha Jayanti greetings.

Buddha Purnima 2023: 7 Inspiring Quotes Of Lord Buddha

1. "A disciplined mind brings happiness."

2. "Conquer anger with non-anger. Conquer badness with goodness. Conquer meanness with generosity. Conquer dishonesty with truth."

3. "The world is afflicted by death and decay. But the wise do not grieve, having realized the nature of the world."

4. Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

5. Nothing can harm you as much as your own thoughts unguarded."

6. Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.

7. "Let none find fault with others; let none see the omissions and commissions of others. But let one see ones own acts, done and undone."

(This article is intended for your general information only. Zee News does not vouch for its accuracy or reliability.)
MarketsandMarkets Research Pvt. Ltd.

Chicago, May 04, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global Mirror Coatings Market is projected to grow from USD 642 Million in 2021 to USD 829 Million by 2026 , at a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period, as per the recent study by MarketsandMarkets. The driving factor for the Mirror coatings market are high growth in architectural and solar power industries. APAC, South America, and the Middle East & Africa are the fastest-growing segments of the mirror coatings market for architectural applications. This is due to ongoing investments in infrastructural development, increasing urbanization, and rising standards of living in these regions.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=191664369

Browse in-depth TOC on Mirror Coatings Market.

217 - Market Data Tables

33  Figures

208 - Pages

List of Key Players in Mirror Coatings Market:

FENZI Group (Italy) The Sherwin Williams Company (US) Ferro Corporation (US)

Drivers, Restraints, Opportunities and Challenges in Mirror Coatings Market:

Driver: Rising demand for mirror coatings in the construction and automotive industries Restraint: Drawbacks of water-based coatings Opportunity: Rising demand for low-VOC, green, and sustainable mirror coatings Challenge: Stringent regulatory policies and environmental challenges

Key Findings of the Study:

Polyurethane resin type accounted for the largest share of the Mirror Coatings market. Automotive & Transportation is the second-largest end-use industry of Mirror Coatings market in 2021. APAC is the largest mirror coatings market in the forecast period.

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The FENZI Group is the global leader in chemicals for the glass processing industry. The Group was founded in Milan in 1941, where it still has its headquarters, and now has twelve factories in strategic markets across the continents. The company has four business units, which target different segments, such as mirror backing paints, sealants for IG units, decorative paints, and coatings for solar mirrors. FENZI group provides its mirror coating products with brand Duralux and Luxver. Both offer a unique set of products to cover the entire mirror production cycle. The company has its presence in North America, South America, Europe, and APAC. The company has regularly made strategic decisions help its firm to grow. It has undertaken necessary partnerships and acquisitions to have a hold in the market and become a global leader.

Story continues

The Sherwin-Williams Company is a global leader in the development, manufacturing, distribution, and sale of paints, coatings, and related products to industrial, professional, retail customers, and commercial. The American Group, Consumer Brand Group, and Performance Coating Group are the business divisions of the firm among which American Group contributes maximum revenue with 57%. The Sherwin-Williams Company has a strong focus on R&D and introducing cutting-edge products for its customers.

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The companys products are sold exclusively through a chain of more than 4,438 company-operated stores and facilities in the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It is providing a broad range of highly engineered solutions for the construction, industrial, packaging, and transportation markets in more than 120 countries around the world. Covering different industries and providing the best products according to the customer needs are making them one of the top players in the market.

Browse Adjacent Markets Coatings Adhesives Sealants and Elastomers Market Research Reports & Consulting

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CONTACT: 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




The Goa Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education (GBHSE) will declare the result for the Higher Secondary School Certificate(HSSC) Public Examination tomorrow, May 6, 2023, at 4:30 PM. The Goa HSSC Result 2023 will be declared at the Conference Hall, Ground Floor, Directorate of Education, Porvorim Goa. All those students who have appeared for the board examination will be able to download the Goa HSSC result by visiting the official website at gbshse.in.

Goa 12th Result 2023: Steps To Download Scorecard

- Go to the official website at gbshse.gov.in.

- On the homepage, click on the recent announcements section

- Then click on the 'Goa Board 12th Result 2023' link.

- Fill out the captcha and enter the seat number or roll number

- Post submitting the details, Goa Board SSC result 2023 will be displayed on the screen

- Go through the details and download it

- Take its printout for future reference

Goa Board HSSC Result 2023: Exam Date

The Class 12 or HSSC exam was conducted by the Board in two terms- term 1 was conducted from November 10 to November 25, 2022 and term 2 was conducted from March 15 to March 31, 2023. This year a total of 19802 candidates have appeared for the exam out of which 9930 are boys and 9872 are girls.

Goa Board HSSC Result 2023: Last Year's Pass Percentage

In 2022, the HSSC results was announced on May 21. The Goa HSSC examination was taken by 18,201 students out of which 8,925 male candidates and 9,276 female candidates. The overall pass percentage was 92.66%.
Odisha Board Result 2023: Council of Higher Secondary Education, CHSE Odisha Result 2023 will be announced soon on the official website. Students will be able to check the official website - orissaresults.nic.in - after the results are released. The Odisha Board will publish the Odisha CHSE Result 2023 for Arts, Science, and Commerce streams online at www.chseodisha.nic.in. The CHSE Odisha Class 12 Arts, Science, and Commerce Result 2023 will be available on the official website in May 2023. All students must pass the CHSE Odisha 12th Result 2023 in order to continue with their further education programs.

According to reports, the Odisha Education Minister indicated that Phase 1 of the review of Class 12th Answer scripts will conclude on April 23, 2023. Phase 2 is scheduled to end on May 7, 2023.

Odisha Result 2023: Here's how to check result

Visit the official website of BSE Odisha: www.bseodisha.nic.in

Look for the link to the 10th Result 2023 on the homepage.

Click on the link and you will be redirected to a new page where you need to enter your Roll Number or Name.

After entering the required details, click on the Submit button.

The Odisha 10th Result 2023 will be displayed on the screen.

Download and take a printout of the result for future reference

CHSE Odisha Exams 2023 were held throughout the state from March 1 to April 4, 2023. Results are expected before the end of this month
New Delhi, Apr 6 (PTI) The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed the bail plea of former Delhi minister Satyendar Jain in a money laundering case being probed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), noting the witnesses' claim that he was the conceptualiser, initiator and fund provider in the alleged crime. The high court said the senior AAP leader was an influential person having the potential to tamper with evidence. It 'out-rightly' rejected Jain's submission that he was not found in physical possession of any property, saying for the offence of money laundering physical possession of the proceeds of crime is not necessary. Satyendar Jain, who was arrested on May 30 last year by the ED, is accused of having laundered money through four companies allegedly linked to him.

Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma also rejected the bail pleas of Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain, the co-accused in the case. "The petitioner Satyendar Kumar Jain is an influential person and has a potential to tamper with the evidence as indicated by his conduct during the custody," the judge said. The high court said it has examined the entire facts objectively in accordance with the law without being influenced by the stature of Jain.

Also Read: 'Efforts To Defame Kejriwal': AAP On ED's Apology Over Sanjay Singh's Name In Liquor Case

It upheld the trial court's order dismissing the bail pleas of the three accused, saying there is no illegality or perversity in the decision and the order was well-reasoned based on material on record. "The court has taken note of the fact that Satyendar Kumar Jain has resigned as a minister.... Petitioners have failed to meet the twin conditions as provided under Section 45 PMLA as well as the conditions as laid down under Section 439 CrPC and are thus not entitled for bail. Hence, the bail applications are rejected," Justice Sharma said.

The three accused had challenged the trial court's November 17 last year order by which their bail pleas were dismissed. Satyendar Jain had submitted no case was made out against him and that he fully cooperated in the investigation. He said there was no requirement for him to remain in jail after filing of the charge sheet. The trial court had said Satyendar Jain was prima facie involved in concealing the proceeds of crime.

The bail pleas of all the three accused were opposed by the ED which argued the AAP leader was "in the thick of things". The agency asserted the modus operandi in the present case involved "transferring cash from Delhi to Kolkata through Hawala operators and in lieu of cash, accommodation entries were layered and received from Kolkata-based shell companies into companies owned by applicant (Satyendar Jain) and agricultural lands were purchased from these funds. Applicant has denied having any role in taking accommodation entries in his companies".

Also Read: Liquor Scam: Manish Sisodia Resigns As Delhi Deputy CM, Satyendar Jain Too Quits As Health Minister

The high court, in its 46-page order, said the shareholding pattern of the three companies under scanner also shows "Satyendar Jain or his family is controlling these companies directly or indirectly".

It said the share pattern is quite intricate and needs to be examined thoroughly. The court took note of the testimonies of the witnesses which showed the AAP leader was "the conceptualiser, visualiser and executor of the entire operation and is being aided and abetted by Vaibhav Jain and Ankush Jain".

The investments were also being made by people at the instance of Satyendar Jain as reflected from the statements of the witnesses, the high court said, adding in such cases it is not essential whether the witnesses have personally met the accused or not.

It noted one of the witnesses has stated that though he was appointed as a director of a company but the firm was "controlled by Satyendar Jain and Poonam Jain (his wife)" and all the decisions were taken by the couple.

It said the constantly changing pattern of shareholding in the companies clearly indicates Satyendar Jain was indirectly controlling their affairs.

The high court said the CBI has filed a disproportionate assets case against Satyendar Jain, a public servant, and other persons, including the other two petitioners, and cognisance has already been taken.

?Thus, the competent court is seized of the matter regarding the disproportionate assets and the present court cannot go into the question of validity of institution of such proceedings. It is also not disputed that during this period certain entries have come into the company against the payment of the cash through Kolkata based entry operators.

"The two facts are placed on record to show that during the check period certain disproportionate assets were amassed and those were round-tripped into the company through entry operators. There is a long association amongst the petitioners evidencing the trend of getting entries through the same operators," it said.

The court said the entire amount of over Rs 4 crore has rightly been attributed to the petitioners and the contradictions in statements under Section 50 of PMLA cannot be examined at this stage and is a matter of trial.

It said the proceeds of crime, as defined under Section 3 (offence of money laundering) of PMLA, makes it clear that it includes any person who is directly or indirectly involved in any process or activity connected with the proceeds of crime.

"The intention of the legislature in enacting the PMLA is that money laundering poses a serious threat not only to the financial systems of countries but also to their integrity and sovereignty and, therefore, the legislature thought it fit to provide a comprehensive legislation for this purpose. Thus the courts while dealing with matters under PMLA have to take into account the object and purpose of legislation," it said.

The ED had arrested Satyendar Jain in the money laundering case based on a CBI FIR registered against him in 2017 under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

He was granted regular bail by a trial court on September 6, 2019, in the case registered by the CBI.

In 2022, the trial court had taken cognisance of the prosecution complaint (charge sheet) filed by the ED against Satyendar Jain, his wife and eight others, including the four firms, in connection with the money laundering case.
New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Friday said that the relations between India and China were not normal and warned that the ties could not be normal as long as peace and tranquillity are disrupted in the disputed border areas between the two nuclear-powered countries. India-China relations are not normal and cannot be normal if peace and tranquillity in border areas are disturbed, Jaishankar said after a meeting of foreign ministers of the member nations of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Goa.

Replying to a question about the outcome of his bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, Jaishankar said, "...issue is that there is an abnormal position in the border areas, along the boundary. We had a very frank discussion about it...We have to take the disengagement process forward. I have made it very clear, openly as well, that India-China relations are not normal.

#WATCH | On his bilateral meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, EAM Dr S Jaishankar says, "...issue is that there is an abnormal position in the border areas, along the boundary. We had a very frank discussion about it...We have to take the disengagement process pic.twitter.com/AX5NKvgNOa  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

EAM Jaishankar met Qin at Benaulim in Goa on the sidelines of the SCO Foreign Ministers meeting on Thursday. During their meeting, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang reiterated that the situation at the India-China border is generally stable and both sides should consolidate the present achievements and strictly abide by the relevant agreements while pushing for further cooling and easing of the conditions for sustainable peace and tranquillity at the frontier.

Qin further stressed the two sides should continue to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries, consolidate the existing achievements, strictly abide by relevant agreements, push for further cooling and easing of the border situation and maintain sustainable peace and tranquillity in the border areas.

Qin Gang said China supports India in hosting a successful SCO summit and hopes that India, as the rotating chair, will play a positive role for the success of the summit in the spirit of unity and coordination.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern, a joint press release said.

In a tweet after the talks, Jaishankar said the focus remained on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas. "A detailed discussion with State Councillor and FM Qin Gang of China on our bilateral relationship. The focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquillity in the border areas," he said.

Last week, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart Li Shangfu at a meeting that China's violation of existing border agreements "eroded" the entire basis of ties between the two countries and that all issues relating to the frontier must be resolved in accordance with the existing pacts.

Bilawal Bhutto Promoter Of Terrorism: EAM

Addressing a press conference, Jaishankar also targeted his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and referred to him as a "promoter, justifier and a spokesperson" of the terrorism industry.

On Bhutto Zardari's comments on tackling terrorism, Jaishankar said Pakistan's credibility in dealing with it is depleting even faster than their forex reserves.

Asked whether there could be talks between India and Pakistan on combating the menace, the external affairs minister said, "Victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism.

Jaishankar also asserted that Jammu and Kashmir "was, is and will" always be part of India. The External Affairs Minister said Bhutto Zardari came to India as foreign minister of an SCO member state and it is part of multilateral diplomacy. "Do not see it as anything more than that," he added.

On the so-called China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said it was made very clear that connectivity is good for progress, but it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states. He said as a foreign minister of an SCO member state, Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly.
NEW DELHI: At least five Deputy Inspector General (DIG) rank officers and seven senior superintendent of police (SSP) and SP rank officers of the CRPF have been tasked to coordinate deployment of various security forces in violence-hit Manipur, official sources said. The Centre has rushed in about 20 fresh companies of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), including the CRPF and the BSF, in the wake of the spiralling violence between tribals and the majority Meitei community leading to displacement of more than 9,000 people from their villages.

The induction of the CAPF units apart from that of the Army columns and the Assam Rifles is going on. For this task, a total of five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) DIG rank officers and seven other commanders in the rank of Commandant (SSP rank) and second-in-command (SP rank) have been placed at the disposal of the Additional Director General (ADG) of the north east zone of the CRPF based in Guwahati and the Inspector General of the Manipur and Nagaland located in Imphal, a senior officer told PTI.

Some of these senior officers are being rushed in from Delhi and Ranchi, he said. A DIG of the Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the communication wing of the CRPF have also been sent to Manipur to specifically oversee the deployment of the anti-riot units, the officer said. The deputy inspectors general (DIG) will be functioning at the existing CRPF stations in Manipur at Churachandpur, Imphal East and Imphal West while the Commandants will be based at Bishnupur, Kangpokpi and Tamenglong.

They will coordinate and work in tandem with the state police, administration authorities and the newly-appointed security advisor Kuldiep Singh, who retired as the director general of the CRPF and NIA. Singh is a 1986-batch IPS officer from the West Bengal cadre. Fifteen fresh CAPF companies have been airlifted through IAF planes to Imphal while few more have been asked to be in readiness, an another officer said.

Gunfights have been reported between security forces and hill-based militants in various parts of the state, they said. An official said members of the Kuki community have appealed to the state government machinery to ensure that CAPF and Army units are immediately sent to villages as many locals have taken shelter in nearby jungles after their houses were burnt. The violence between majority Meiteis and tribals over demand of the former for ST status has displaced over 9,000 people from both communities.
Kolkata: Expressing concern over violence-hit Manipur, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to restore peace there. "I am deeply concerned about the situation in Manipur. It is not the time for politics. Politics and elections can wait but our beautiful state Manipur has to be protected first. Thus I urge the Prime Minister and Home Minister to first take care of Manipur, and restore peace there. I also urge our brothers and sisters of Manipur to stay calm, uphold peace and harmony.

If we burn humanity today then we will seize to be a human tomorrow," tweeted Mamata Banerjee. Violence broke out on May 3 during the `Tribal Solidarity March` called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) in the Torbung area of Churachandpur district to protest the demand by Meiteis, who dominate the Imphal Valley, for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Earlier on Thursday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah held two meetings over video-conferencing and spoke with the Chief ministers of Manipur and neighboring states over violence in the northeastern state.

Manipur government has issued shoot-at-sight orders in "extreme cases" to deal with the law and order situation. Internet services continue to remain suspended in the wake of the violence that broke out during the `Tribal Solidarity March` called by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM) on Wednesday. To tackle the worsening law and order situation after tribal groups took out rallies in several districts of Manipur, the State government has suspended mobile internet in the state for five days.

Along with a ban on large gatherings, a night curfew too has been imposed in several districts of the State. In view of the situation, a curfew has been imposed in non-tribal-dominated Imphal West, Kakching, Thoubal, Jiribam, and Bishnupur districts, and tribal-dominated Churachandpur, Kangpokpi, and Tengnoupal districts.

Following the incident, additional state forces were deployed to maintain law and order in the district. Sources said steps have been taken up to identify the illegal immigrants in the state to counter anti-national elements.

A sub-committee has been formed to carry out identification drives of illegal migrants in the various districts, the sources said, adding that Manipur Population Commission has been constituted to gather data and ground reports. The state government is also setting up temporary shelters for Myanmar nationals who have entered the state.
Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar has sought more time to reconsider his decision to step down as party chief even as the panel formed by him to elect a new leader unanimously rejected his resignation. Sharing more details, NCP leader Praful Patel said on Friday that senior party leaders met Sharad Pawar at his Silver Oak residence in south Mumbai after a committee formed to choose his successor rejected his decision to step down as NCP chief.

We requested (Sharad) Pawar Saheb to consider the NCP committee's resolution (which rejected his decision of stepping down as party chief). He (Pawar) has asked for more time and will convey his decision, Patel said.

NCP Panel Rejects Pawars Resignation

Earlier in the day, the committee set up to choose the new Nationalist Congress Party chief rejected Pawar's decision to step down. The committee has unanimously passed a resolution. It unanimously rejects his decision to step down and urges him to continue as party president, Patel said after a meeting of the committee.

Pawar himself had set up the committee, including Ajit Pawar, Supriya Sule, Patel and Chhagan Bhujbal, after he announced on May 2 that he would be resigning as NCP chief.

We will meet Pawar Saheb with this resolution and request him to reconsider his decision, Patel, who is also the vice president and convenor of the committee, told the media after the meeting. Patel said the party and the country need a leader like Pawar.

The committee which Sharad Pawar had formed after his resignation has decided univocally that Sharad Pawar will remain the president of NCP. We have requested him (Sharad Pawar) to take this decision positively.NCP leaders Chhagan Bhujbal pic.twitter.com/H4fcFxYTMU  ANI (@ANI) May 5, 2023

Pawar Saheb is a respected leader in the country. There was a strong response against Pawar's decision. The emotions cannot be ignored, Patel said. As the meeting was underway, several NCP workers wearing caps with the message  I am with Saheb demanded that Pawar reconsider his decision.

Pawar Springs Surprise, Announces Resignation

Pawar on Tuesday sprang a surprise by announcing his decision to quit as president of the party he founded and headed since 1999 when he left the Congress to chart his own political course.

The announcement, made at an event, stumped leaders and workers of the 24-year-old party. Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP and one of the stalwarts of the Opposition had said he was stepping down as NCP chief but was not retiring from public life.

The announcement came amid speculation that Ajit Pawar and some MLAs may join hands with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, though the former deputy chief minister has refuted such talk by claiming he will be with the NCP till he is alive.

According to party sources, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin of the DMK spoke to Sule over phone to enquire about developments in the NCP following Tuesday's announcement.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Congress have maintained the developments in the NCP will not affect the Maha Vikas Aghadi, which comprises the three parties, political observers said a lot would depend on what Ajit Pawar does after the Supreme Court verdict, likely in a couple of days, on petitions related to the toppling of the Thackeray government in June last year.
A video of visibly miffed External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar while greeting Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto at SCO Summit in Goa went viral on social media earlier today. India and Pakistan took a veiled dig at each other during the summit in the day and in the evening, Dr Jaishankar laucnhed a no-holds-barred attack against Pakistan while addressing a press conference. Jaishankar fired shots after shots while expressing his views on Pakistan's participation in the SCO summit.

"As a Foreign Minister of an SCO member state, Mr Bhutto Zardari was treated accordingly. As a promoter, justifier and spokesperson of a terrorism industry which is the mainstay of Pakistan, his positions were called out and they were countered including at the SCO meeting itself," said EAM Dr S Jaishankar.

Speaking on Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's arrival in India, Jaishankar said that he visited India as the Foreign Minister of an SCO Member State and that is part of multilateral diplomacy. "Please, don't see it as anything more than that. I think that nothing from what he said or what I heard he said deserves to be treated more than that," said Jaishankar.

Responding to the question of India-Pakistan ties, Jaishankar said that victims of terrorism do not sit together with perpetrators of terrorism to discuss terrorism. "Victims of terrorism defend themselves, counter acts of terrorism, they call it out, they legitimise it and that is exactly what is happening. To come here & preach these hypocritical words as though we are on the same boat," said Jaishankar.

Jaishankar said that Pakistan's credibility on the matter of terrorism is depleting fast. "They are committing acts of terrorism. I don't want to jump the gun on what happened today but we are all feeling equally outraged. On this matter, the terrorism matter, I would say that Pakistan's credibility is depleting faster than even its Forex reserves," he said.

Speaking about China Pakistan Economic Corridor, Jaishankar said that it was made clear twice during the SCO meeting that while connectivity is good for the region, it cannot violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of a nation. "This has been the long-standing position of India. Nobody should have any doubt about it and I assure you those who were in the room today had no doubt about it. I made sure of that.," said Jaishankar.

Responding to a question about Pakistan's objection to the G20 meeting in Kashmir, Jaishankar said that there is nothing to discuss about it and certainly not with a country which has nothing to do with the G20.
Market Research Future

New York, USA, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Market Research Future (MRFR) Published White Paper on Data Safeguard. Restrictions on data privacy have become more significant during the previous four years. Using and disclosing personal data is causing consumers more and more concern, and trust is a key element. A Salesforce survey found that 48% of respondents said the epidemic's misuse of personal data had made them lose faith in companies. Data privacy laws are fast emerging worldwide to safeguard consumers as society becomes more technologically dependent and people worry more about personal privacy.

Data Privacy in 2023- The Need of the Hour

This year, the regulatory emphasis on data, which peaked in 2022, is anticipated to intensify. Recently, the Chinese Cyberspace Administration released privacy certification standards, and most recently, the Indian government released a draught of its data protection law, which is expected to be voted on in 2023. We might expect more from these nations and data rules from other nations like Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, and Japan.

Companies are learning novel methods to apply the data they amass to function more efficiently, manage risks, enhance customer services, develop and support new business models, and other purposes, in part thanks to advances in artificial intelligence analytics. Security of data is more crucial than ever. The average data breach cost across ASEAN nations is approximately USD 2.87 million, according to a recent IBM analysis. In addition to technical costs, the researchers also took into account legal and regulatory expenses, customer attrition, brand equity loss, and a drag on employee productivity. Priority must be given to the irreparable harm to the organization's brand, deteriorating stakeholder confidence, & jeopardizing data privacy. A growing number of companies are discovering that building privacy into their goods and services from the beginning is not only the right thing to do, yet it can be very profitable too.

Story continues

Privacy-Focused Solutions to Soon Witness a Boom

The development of privacy-conscious technology will follow. There will be a surge in need for privacy-focused products as consumers' worries about their online privacy grow. Examples include private networks (VPNs), encrypted email services, and secure chat software and browsers. It is critical to consider that while these technologies may aid businesses in protecting their data, they are not a cure-all. To protect their data, businesses must be vigilant and take appropriate measures. Additionally, laws are getting stricter. Governments all across the world are starting to act in response to the growing concern over data privacy.

Transparency is Key

More transparency again is also necessary. The trend towards more transparency in data privacy is being driven by the increasing consciousness of the need to safeguard personal information and the requirement for businesses to be more accountable for their data collection and usage practices. In 2023, organizations will become more transparent about their data practices by giving people more control over their data. People should be able to view, edit, or delete the personal information and choose not to participate in certain data collection practices. Customers and businesses benefit equally from this since it fosters trust and a sense of transparency and responsibility.

Data Breaches becoming Increasingly Regular

For businesses, data breaches have substantial and expanding consequences. This is mostly a result of the growing regulatory burden connected with informing people whose data has been compromised. Different jurisdictions both inside & outside of Canada and the US have different notification policies and penalties for businesses that experience a data breach. When a data breach affects one of their customers, businesses must ascertain where the affected customers reside and which regulatory body has jurisdiction.

While specific definitions differ from state to state, breaches of personal, financial, & health data are frequently subject to notification requirements. Businesses that engage in international commerce might have clients in other countries and are required to adhere to a number of criteria. Some businesses would not be able to afford the costs of this procedure, which could include fines from the law, potential compensation for damages, and any associated litigation. Different types of data breaches can significantly harm a company's reputation & financial standing. In addition to legal obligations, a data leak could jeopardize a company's intended sale, as Verizon's recent acquisition of Yahoo demonstrated.

Everyday occurrences in both our professional and personal lives involve data breaches. There is a bidder waiting to profit from any aspect of your identity that has been taken in those unindexed areas of the Internet. To avoid breach fatigue, it is important to know what information to check when breaches happen. However, not every breach in the news is a cause for concern.

Emerging Threat of Synthetic Identity Fraud

A synthetic identity fraud (SIF) profile is essentially a false persona made up of elements of identification, like name, social security number, & address, which are typically derived from real people. In April 2021, the Federal Reserve created the following definition to help banks standardize SIF reporting. Although the definition is straightforward, the process for creating SIF profiles is extremely complicated and calls for automation & machine learning.

Although SIF has some similarities to "conventional" identity theft, this differs fundamentally from earlier forms of financial crime in terms of its history, behavior, and effects. According to our calculations, synthetic ID fraud accounts for 10-15 percent of charge-offs in the distinctive unsecured loan portfolio, making it the fastest-growing type of financial crime in the United States. Recently, fake ID fraud has been reported in other nations as well. In synthetic identity fraud, real information is mixed with fake information to create an identity. The resulting synthetic identity can be used to open false accounts, make fraudulent transactions, and defraud businesses, governments, and financial institutions since it has adequate verifiable information to show authentic.

Increasing SIF Losses

Data breaches can significantly affect a company's productivity and earnings. Employees who have to go through the difficult process to mend a stolen identity or who need to validate the accuracy of their identification should expect to miss six months and 100 to 200 hours of work. This has a significant negative effect on employees' mental health and can cause issues including high levels of personal stress, ongoing anxiety, and unhappiness. Employees can be anxious and cautious about how well they secure the personal information, which would negatively impact the business outcomes for your clients.

Besides, there are several challenges when it comes to measuring SIF.

SIF only works when it is undetected, unlike ransomware, which demands the targeted company's attention.

SIF is a comparatively new infraction, hence there is no official database to record each occurrence.

Criminals have over time used AI and machine learning to make SIF programs harder to detect.

How to Identify Synthetic Fraud?

Compliance professionals should make use of the power they offer to delve deeper, deliver current data, and screen out irrelevant discoveries as artificial intelligence technology & tools improve in completing the identity verification & know your customer checks.

Now the question is, can AI solve this issue?

Massive amounts of data have been used to generate identity profiles using ML and AI, which are then used to identify both anomalous and malicious behavior. AI is being used to regulate the configuration of nearby and damaged systems in order to lessen the propagation and severity of breaches.

Data Safeguard- The Ultimate Savior

An artificial intelligence company called Data Safeguard offers solutions for synthetic fraud and data privacy. Its solutions are enterprise-class, component-modeled, and structurally scaled to satisfy federal, state, and international compliance needs and avert large monetary losses brought on by Frankenstein identities. Their team has worldwide expertise in data privacy, governance, compliance, protection, and confidentiality. They are confident that they can address the Data Privacy and Synthetic Fraud challenges because of their extensive industry experience working for some of the best companies in healthcare, financial services, retail, and technology sectors. They also have expertise in risk management, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and synthetic fraud.

Sudhir Sahu, the CEO and creator of Data Safeguard, is a serial entrepreneur with an IT Engineering & MBA background. He established the business in June 2021. Elliott Lowen, Keertana Suresh, Lee Nocon, Praful Parekh, and Swarnam Dash were Sudhir's co-founders. During the pandemic, when businesses were closing and the economy was not supporting business growth, they started a path that appeared challenging at every turn.

Data Safeguard was created to help large and small businesses alike comply with data privacy laws, avoid costly fines, and stop hackers from collecting PII data pieces and upsetting people's lives. Global fines have reached over $10 billion and are still rising; Data Safeguard is the global response to this global problem.

To shield financial institutions from large losses brought on by fake identities, Sudhir is particularly interested in synthetic fraud solutions. Global damages from synthetic fraud now exceed $1 trillion, and Data Safeguard is the worldwide response to this global problem.

About Market Research Future:

Market Research Future (MRFR) is a global market research company that takes pride in its services, offering a complete and accurate analysis with regard to diverse markets and consumers worldwide. Market Research Future has the distinguished objective of providing the optimal quality research and granular research to clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help answer your most important questions.

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Chanadipur (WB), May 5 (PTI) The TMC on Friday staged a protest rally in West Bengal's Purba Medinipur district over the death of a person after being hit allegedly by one of the cars in the convoy of Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP. The police are yet to confirm whether the vehicle was a part of the Nandigram MLA's convoy. Adhikari who gets Z+ category security cover denied the charge, asserting that his convoy had passed the area long before the incident occurred on Thursday night.

People of Chandipur area in the district put up a road blockade for over an hour alleging that a man of the locality was hit by one of the vehicles of a VIP convoy which was passing by the area. The victim was crossing the road when the accident occurred. TMC workers led by senior leader Dola Sen rushed to the spot to organise a protest rally in the area demanding Adhikari's arrest.

Also Read: 'I Feel Disrespected': TMC MLA Reacts After Abhishek Banerjee Skips A Visit To His House

"How a person can be so inhuman that even after the man was hit by a car in his convoy, he did not bother to attend to him? The injured person could have been taken to a hospital. Security personnel accompanying Suvendu Adhikari could have helped him,? Sen told reporters. The BJP leader should be arrested and questioned to send out a message against VIP culture, she said. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh too demanded that Adhikari be arrested.

Adhikari, however, described the allegation as baseless. "My convoy had crossed the area much before the incident happened. A proper investigation will bring out the truth," he said. Dubbing the allegations an attempt to "politicize the matter", state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar questioned how someone could breach the security ring as Adhikari gets a Z+ security cover.

Also Read: 'Don't Move An Inch...': Mamata Asks Ministers To Stage Protest Outside Amartya Sen's House

"The allegations are an attempt to malign the BJP and Suvendu Adhikari. We condemn it. But the state police is authorised to sanitise the road for a Z+ protectee. They should answer about this breach in his security," he said.
Lucknow, May 5 (PTI) Amid the ongoing controversy over the movie "The Kerala Story", an Uttar Pradesh BJP leader on Friday said he will show the film to 100 girls and urged others to do the same to save girls from 'love jihad'. 'Love jihad' is a term often used by right-wing activists to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage. "Show #Kerla_files to save girls from Love Zehad (sic)," UP BJP secretary Abhijat Mishra said in a tweet in Hindi, in an apparent reference to "The Kerala Story", which was released in cinemas on Friday.

"I will make arrangements to show the movie to 100 girls, you should do the same. Be alert, be safe," he added. "The Kerala Story", starring Adah Sharma, is written and directed by Sudipto Sen.

The movie is portrayed as "unearthing" the events behind "approximately 32,000 women" allegedly going missing from Kerala. The plot follows the story of a group of women from Kerala who are converted to Islam and later forced to join terror group ISIS. The filmmakers claim that the movie is a compilation of true stories of three young girls from different parts of Kerala.

Also Read: Karnataka: PM Narendra Modi Backs 'The Kerala Story' In Bellari Speech, Attacks Congress

When asked why he feels that the movie should be shown to girls, Mishra told PTI, "Firstly, love jihad is an insult to love. Secondly, they are making our children anti-national." Everyone is free to practice their religion but it is unacceptable to subject others to physical exploitation and push them onto the wrong path, the BJP leader said.

Extremists among Muslims fund such acts and the movie needs to be shown to girls to raise awareness about the issue, he said. "We have to save our daughters from this," said Mishra, a former national general secretary of the BJP Yuva Morcha. Many petitions have been filed seeking a ban on the screening of the movie. The Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court have dismissed all such pleas so far.
Bengaluru: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal members recited `Hanuman Chalisa` in Bengaluru, amid row over Congress` promise to ban Bajrang Dal in its manifesto for Karnataka elections. In its Karnataka election manifesto, released last week, the Congress said it will take "decisive action" as per law, including banning organizations like Bajrang Dal. Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje along with party leaders and workers recited `Hanuman Chalisa` in Malleshwaram.

"We made a request to all Hindus today. We will read Hanuman Chalisa in every household..," said Shobha Karandlaje. Hitting out at the grand old party, she said that during its rule in Karnataka did not build any temple and called it a political drama. "Congress ruled Karnataka for 60 years. How many temples did they build? We fought for Ram Temple. Their leader Kapil Sibal opposed it...They are not going to do anything in Karnataka. This is just a political drama..," she said.

The Minister`s remarks came in the wake of Congress` manifesto for the May 10 Assembly elections in Karnataka, wherein the party bracketed outlawed Popular Front of India (PFI) and Bajrang Dal together and stated it would ban the organizations once it is voted to power."The Congress party is committed to taking firm and decisive action against individuals and organizations spreading hatred against communities on the grounds of caste and religion," read the Congress manifesto.

"We believe that law and Constitution are sacrosanct and cannot be violated by individuals and Organisations like Bajrang Dal, PFI, or others promoting enmity or hatred, whether among majority or minority communities," it added. Notably, this has triggered outrage against the party, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who on Tuesday said that this "decisive" decision by the party was an attempt to lock up those who worship Lord Hanuman. Karnataka will go to Assembly polls on May 10 and the counting of votes will take place on May 13.
Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: If you are following Karnataka elections, you must be hearing about a particular community again and again - Lingayats  people of a particular faith who are touted as the deciders of politics in the crucial Dravidian state. Every party, be it BJP or the Congress, is trying their best to woo the community. The Lingayats, that form almost 17 per cent of Karnataka's population, are said to be the 'people in powerful positions'. The dominance of the community can be evaluated from the fact that out of

How are they connected to Hinduism?

Lingayats follow Basava, a 12th-century poet who challenged temple worship and caste discrimination. He wanted a religion of equality for all genders and faiths. Many backward caste people became Lingayats to escape the rigid Hindu caste system.



Are Lingayats And Veerashaivayas Same?

No. Lingayats claim 'they are not Hindus because they treat everyone equally, regardless of gender or caste.' They dont follow Hindu rituals or texts like the Vedas. They worship Shiva as a formless spirit (ishta linga), not as an idol with a snake.



Lingayats: A look at Numbers, Seats They Influence

Lingayats are almost, everywhere in Karnataka. They are heavily influential in North, and powerful in the South too. They have 54 MLAs from different parties, mostly BJP. Out of 23 CMs since 1952, 10 were Lingayats. Lingayats make up 17 per cent of the population. Vokkaligas constitute 15 per cent, OBCs 35 per cent, SC/STs 18 per cent, Muslims about 12.92 per cent, and Brahmins about three per cent.

Is BJP Trying To Recover A Lost Ground With Lingayats?

Yediyurappa Hurdle

Despite being removed as the Chief Minister, Yediyurappa stays at the biggest Lingayat leader in the state. BJP still doesnt have a mass leader like him in the state. Lingayats were upset when BJP removed him as Chief Minister. BJP gave him a big role in Delhi and then asked Yediyurappa to appeal to Lingayats to forgive BJP for his removal.

In order to get into a damage control, BJP took away 4 per cent OBC quota from Muslims and alloted 2 per cent each to Lingayats and Vokkaligas. The BJP government shifted Muslims to the 10 per cent Economic Weaker Section group. The Congress, on the other hand, has said that it will restore quota for Muslims if it comes to power.



Congress' Gameplan To Woo Lingayats

Lingayats have largely remained loyal to the BJP. But Congress wants to change the status quo. Recently, two big Lingayat leaders - Laxman Savadi and Jagdish Shettar joined Congress, from the BJP. Congress has been attacking the BJP on top Lingayat leaders exit from the party. aid their exit hurts the community. Rahul Gandhi, in almost all his election speeches, has said that RSS and BJP are against the beliefs of Basavanna, the Lingayat guru.
SRINAGAR: Five Army soldiers were killed while several others, including an officer, were injured after terrorists triggered an explosive during the ongoing encounter in the Kandi area of Rajouri district in Jammu and Kashmir on Friday. While two Army jawans died during the operation, three others, who were seriously injured, succumbed to their injuries during treatment later. The Army said that an anti-terror operation is in progress at the moment and the entire area is being searched.

J&K DGP Dilbagh Singh and ADGP Jammu Mukesh Singh have also reached the Kandi area of Rajouri where the encounter is still going on.

The Defence spokesperson, sharing more details, said that during the operation, "terrorists triggered explosives in retaliation. While two soldiers died on the spot, four others were injured and evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur. Of them, three have died due to their injuries.''

On specific information about the presence of terrorists in the Kandi Forest in the Rajouri Sector, a joint operation was launched on 03 May 2023, the Army said in a statement.

"At about 0730 hours today, a search team established contact with a group of terrorists well entrenched in a cave. The area is thickly vegetated with rocky and steep cliffs," it said.

Army further stated that the terrorists triggered an explosive device in retaliation. "The Army team suffered two fatal casualties with injuries to four more soldiers including an officer," the statement said initially.

Additional teams from the vicinity were immediately rushed to the site of the encounter. "The injured personnel have been evacuated to Command Hospital, Udhampur," it informed earlier.

The Army, in the beginning, informed that a group of terrorists were trapped in the area. "There is a likelihood of casualties on the terrorist side," Army said, adding that the operation is in progress and further details are being ascertained.

Jammu and Kashmir is on high alert in view of the G20 meeting in Kashmir starting on the 22nd of May. After the Poonch attack in which five soldiers were martyred, for the borders  the Line of Control and the international border - a red alert has been sounded. Its also believed that the terrorists who carried out the Poonch attack had recently infiltrated into the Indian side.

The patrolling at the Line of Control and international borders has been intensified and the day-night patrolling is done to ensure that no terrorists can infiltrate or terrorists across the border cant push any kind of arms and ammunition this side.

Meanwhile, the mobile internet facilities in the Rajouri area have been suspended, the officials said.
New Delhi: Samantha Ruth Prabhu is currently busy shooting for her new project Citadel based on the American spy-thriller of the same name. The actress celebrated her birthday on April 28, however, a week later, the actress shared snippets from the celebration from the sets of Citadel.

In the caption, Samantha mentioned that she wanted a low-key birthday without any surprises, cakes or balloons, however, what happened was completely contrary to her expectations. The rules were simple.. no surprises, no cake, certainly no f**in balloons I clearly get what I want The week that was, she wrote. In the pictures, however, the creators of the show Raj & DK could be seen giving her a surprise party.

Fans were very excited to see Samanthas pictures from the impromptu birthday party and shared their love for her in the comments section. you deserve this much love all over world and THANKYOU for EXISTING Sammy, a user commented. Queens birthday was there and she was saying not to celebrateThis is not done @samantharuthprabhuoffl We have the right to celebrate our queen and The Samantha Ruth Prabhu s birthdayLove u back to the moon, another user commented.

See the pics shared by Samantha

Samantha was last seen in Telugu mythological film Shaakuntalam which received positive response from the critics, however, the film failed to impress audiences at the box office. She will be next seen in an upcoming romantic film `Khusi` opposite Vijay Deverakonda apart from Citadel.
New Delhi: We all remember how Mr Perfectionist's massive hit film Lagaan won a million hearts. The movie by Ashutosh Gowariker not only earned critics and audiences's appreciation but also etched a strong place in our memory, especially its characters. Actress Gracy Singh, who played the lead role opposite Aamir made her sensational debut in Bollywood with the movie which went on to become a historic outing in Indian cinema.

WHO IS GRACY SINGH?

Gracy was a familiar face on television much before Lagaan happened. She started her acting career in 1997 popular daily soap called Amanat. Before that Gracy Singh had been touring with the dance group called 'The Planets'. Two years later, in 1999 she made an appearance in a Bengali movie titled Sundori Bou. But it was Lagaan which gave her the big break. She won the Screen Award for Most Promising Newcomer  Female and earned many nominations that year.

Gracy Singh went on to star in several movies post-Lagaan, including Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. Armaan, Gangaajal, Muskaan and Santhosham among others. She featured in Punjabi films such as Lakh Pardesi Hoye and a Malayalam film titled Loudspeaker directed by Jayaraj.

Her last full-fledged movie role was in a 2015 Punjabi movie titled Chooriyan.

WHERE IS GRACY SINGH NOW?

Gracy successfully moved back to television soon after with the mythological show Santoshi Maa. She played the titular role of the goddess in the show for many years. The show ran from 2015-2017 and later from 2020-2021 respectively.

She is also a member of the Braham Kumaris and has been spotted at many events. In her 2015 interview with Hindustan Times, she said, "For several years, I have been associated with the Brahma Kumaris. This is similar to my role. Also, Im a trained classical dancer running my own dance troupe since 2006."

Gracy Singh's fans are waiting to watch her again on the big screens.
New Delhi: Among the major tech businesses, AI has recently become a hot topic as the field of artificial intelligence grows more and more. As a result, attractive and talented AI specialists are in great demand. The recent incident is big enough to showcase the demands. What happened is three engineers, two of whom are from the IIT, are in high demand among IT giants in the United States.

What Is The Matter?

The Information reported that Google and Apple were at odds over these two IIT engineers who would help them expand their AI offerings. According to the report, Google and Apple were engaged in a battle to hire three crucial engineers, Srinivasan Venkatachary, Steven Baker, and Anand Shukla. (Also Read: Apple Store India Employee Salaries, Educational Qualifications, And Other Details)

These three developers were crucial in modernising Apple's search technology and had previously worked for Apple. They joined Google last year to work on large-language models (LLMs), the core technology behind chatbots like the Microsoft-funded ChatGPT.

According to the story, which quotes two persons who spoke with Venkatachary, Google CEO Sundar Pichai "personally wooed" the trio to work for his business, while Apple CEO Tim Cook "tried to persuade them to stay."

Know All About 2 IIT Engineers Google And Apple CEOs Competed To Hire

Shukla graduated with a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT-Kanpur in 2001 and then attended the University of Illinois for his master's programme. He co-founded Laserlike Inc. with Venkatachary and Baker after spending more than 12 years working there.

Laserlike Inc. was later purchased by Apple. He joined Apple in 2018 and stayed there for a little over four years before switching back to Google in November of the previous year.

Venkatachary graduated from IIT-Madras in 1996 with a degree in computer science. He attended Washington University in St. Louis to obtain his master's in computer science. Similar to Shukla, Venkatachary spent six years at Google before moving on to Apple for four years. He then returned to Google as vice president of engineering in October.

Along with Venkatachary and Shukla, Baker had also quit Apple and joined Google. Their decision to return to Google dealt a severe blow to Apple, which was developing its search features to rival Google, according to The Information.
New Delhi: As Apple doubles down on local manufacturing in India, Taiwan-based iPhone manufacturer Wistron is reportedly winding up its operations in the country and Tata Electronics is set to take over Wistron's Karnataka factory and manufacture new Apple products.

The move will only give a fillip to the government's local manufacturing dream, at a time when iPhone exports from the country surged to cross $5 billion (over Rs 40,000 crore) in FY23.

Wistron's factory in Karnataka, that employs about 12,000 people, constitutes a major chunk of its business in the country.

According to a report in Hindu Business Line, Wistron will be winding down its operations and is "likely to approach the National Company Law Tribunal and the Registrar of Companies to dissolve its India operations within the next year."

The 150-year-old Tata Group has taken several measures to step up its business with Apple in the recent past.

Prabhu Ram, Head, Industry Intelligence Group, CMR, told IANS that the 'Make in India' initiative is set to gain even more momentum with the emergence of homegrown majors, such as Tata Electronics, "and the possibility of concurrent production of the Apple iPhone 15 and beyond."

"As we progress, these initial steps will undoubtedly bolster India's semiconductor ecosystem and strengthen its position in the global electronics value chains," Ram added.

According to the report, Wistron is also waiting for some subsidy payments under the smartphone production-linked (PLI) scheme, before it winds down its India operations.

In FY23, Apple shipped more than 7 million iPhones and half a million iPads in the country, registering a 28 per cent growth for iPhone shipments, according to initial estimates provided by market intelligence firm CMR.

As Apple doubles down on domestic manufacturing in India, the tech giant is likely to garner 6 per cent market share in FY23-34, with selling more than 8 million iPhones in the country in the period.

In such a scenario, Tata Group is hopeful of India becoming an electronics manufacturing hub after the conglomerate succeeded in its efforts to take over Wistron's iPhone assembly plant, according to earlier reports.
66% of nurses in the "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" survey said they are dissatisfied with their influence in workplace decisions

79% of nurses surveyed statewide said approaching management as a united group would be better than as individuals

Most non-union Massachusetts nurses say they would vote yes to form a union; 52% in favor and only 22% against

CANTON, Mass., May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Joining a union and having a united voice is a widely supported solution to the challenges nurses face caring for patients in a broken healthcare system, according to new results from the 2023 "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" survey revealed for National Nurses Week, May 6 to 12. The power of a union voice is also being highlighted as part of a #WhatNursesReallyWant social media campaign, along with safe patient limits, workplace violence prevention and essential services protections.

The annual "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" survey of mostly non-union RNs  initially released this year in March to coincide with the Health Policy Commission's hearing on "Building a Robust Health Care Workforce in Massachusetts"  documents the increasingly harmful impact of the hospital industry focus on profits, expansion, and executive pay rather than investment in the permanent nursing workforce. The 2023 results and historical survey data show increasing numbers of nurses say hospital care quality is getting worse, and that they do not have enough time to provide the safe and effective care their patients deserve.

"MNA nurses and healthcare professionals can use their united voice to address problems impacting patient care conditions, and we are glad to see that many non-union nurses feel the same way and would join a union if given the chance," said Katie Murphy, ICU RN and MNA President. "There is no better time than National Nurses Week to highlight the power nurses and other healthcare workers have when working together toward a common goal."

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In the newly released "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" results, nurses shared that they do not trust their workplace to fix problems, as well as their belief that working together and having a union voice can help them address key issues.

Most RNs are dissatisfied with the influence they have in their workplace's decisions (66% dissatisfied) and do not trust their workplace to keep promises (69% don't trust).

79% of nurses agree that it would be more effective to approach management as a united group.

62% agree that they would feel more comfortable raising workplace problems with management through a union rather than on their own.

If given a chance to vote, a majority (52%) of RNs not currently in a union would vote for union representation, less than a quarter would vote against a union (22%), and the remainder are not sure how they would vote (26%).

Click on the links below to see the full results of the 2023 "State of Nursing in Massachusetts."

Survey Executive Summary: www.massnurses.org/StateofNursingSummary.

Survey Charts: www.massnurses.org/StateofNursingCharts.

#WhatNursesReallyWant During National Nurses Week

Having union voice is one of the themes nurses and supporters are highlighting as part of a #WhatNursesReallyWant social media campaign during National Nurses Week. During this annual celebration  starting May 6 and ending May 12 to coincide with Florence Nightingale's birthday  nurses are often applauded in the media and given superficial thank you gifts by healthcare employers, such as flowers, pizza, and cookies.

What nurses really want are concrete and lasting solutions that address problems in the healthcare system that negatively impact patients and healthcare workers. For example, in the 2023 "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" results, nurses overwhelmingly supported Safe Patient Limits, a legislative solution pending on Beacon Hill that would develop a statewide maximum limit on the number of patients a registered nurse at Massachusetts hospitals can be assigned at one time.

Seventy-six percent of all nurses said they strongly support the current safe patient limits bill, and 12% somewhat support it.

Nearly every nurse (97%) surveyed with 0-5 years of experience said they "strongly support" the legislation.

Nurses and supporters are also highlighting solutions to workplace violence and the closure of essential services  top legislative issues for MNA nurses and healthcare professionals. The campaign will include video and photo content featuring the #WhatNursesReallyWant hashtag across social media platforms.

"During National Nurses Week, what nurses and healthcare workers really want is executives and government leaders to truly hear their concerns and implement solutions like safe patient limits, workplace violence prevention, and essential services protection," said MNA President Katie Murphy. "Nurses are inspired during National Nurses Week to fight for what is best for their patients and their profession."

The "State of Nursing in Massachusetts" is a randomized poll of Massachusetts RNs conducted this year from February 28 to March 5 by Boston-based Beacon Research. The survey included 531 registered nurses, drawn from a file of the 150,000 nurses registered with the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. Most respondents (59%) were non-union nurses, 36% worked at a teaching hospital, and 19% worked at a community hospital. Forty-three percent worked either in direct care outside a hospital or not in direct care.

MassNurses.org  Facebook.com/MassNurses  Twitter.com/MassNurses  Instagram.com/MassNurses

Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 25,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

Massachusetts Nurse Association (PRNewsFoto/Massachusetts Nurses Association) (PRNewsfoto/Massachusetts Nurses Association)

Cision

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SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 05, 2023--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Found Gold Corp. ("New Found" or the "Company") (TSX-V: NFG, NYSE-A: NFGC) announces that Newfoundland & Labrador has been ranked the 4th most attractive jurisdiction in the world in terms of mining investment according to the Fraser Institutes 2022 Annual Survey of Mining Companies (the "Report") released this week.

The Report ranks 62 jurisdictions worldwide based on their geologic attractiveness and government policies affecting exploration investment. The jurisdiction of Newfoundland & Labrador has moved up from 21st place in the Fraser Institutes annual report for 2021.

Ron Hampton, Chief Development Officer of New Found, commented: "We are pleased that the Fraser Institute recognizes what New Found has known all along, that Newfoundland and Labrador is a world leading jurisdiction for exploration and mine development. New Founds Queensway project not only benefits from this world class jurisdiction, but also benefits from excellent logistics being next to the Trans-Canada highway, with access to renewable hydro power on site, and an available local workforce along with community and government support. With all these positives, the Queensway project is a developers dream situation."

About New Found Gold Corp.

New Found holds a 100% interest in the Queensway Project, located 15km west of Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador, and just 18km from Gander International Airport. The project is intersected by the Trans-Canada Highway and has logging roads crosscutting the project, high voltage electric power lines running through the project area, and easy access to a highly skilled workforce. The Company is currently undertaking a 500,000m drill program at Queensway and is well funded for this program with cash and marketable securities of approximately $60-million as of May 2023.

Please see the Companys website at www.newfoundgold.ca and the Companys SEDAR profile at www.sedar.com.

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Contact

To contact the Company, please visit the Companys website, www.newfoundgold.ca and make your request through our investor inquiry form. Our management has a pledge to respond to investor inquiries within 24 hours.

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 Cautions

This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation relating to the merits of the Companys Queensway gold project in Newfoundland and Labrador; the favourable jurisdiction and logistics of the Queensway project; exploration and drilling on the Queensway project; the Companys plans and expectations related to the Queensway project; and funding of the drilling program. Although the Company believes that such statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts; they are generally, but not always, identified by the words "expects", "plans", "anticipates", "believes", "interpreted", "intends", "estimates", "projects", "aims", "suggests", "indicate", "often", "target", "future", "likely", "pending", "potential", "goal", "objective", "prospective", "possibly", "preliminary", and similar expressions, or that events or conditions "will", "would", "may", "can", "could" or "should" occur, or are those statements, which, by their nature, refer to future events. The Company cautions that forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, estimates and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made, and they involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Consequently, there can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Except to the extent required by applicable securities laws and the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements if management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors, should change. Factors that could cause future results to differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements include risks associated with possible accidents and other risks associated with mineral exploration operations, the risk that the Company will encounter unanticipated geological factors, risks associated with the interpretation of assay results and the drilling program, the possibility that the Company may not be able to secure permitting and other governmental clearances necessary to carry out the Company's exploration plans, the risk that the Company will not be able to raise sufficient funds to carry out its business plans, and the risk of political uncertainties and regulatory or legal changes that might interfere with the Company's business and prospects. The reader is urged to refer to the Company's Annual Information Form and Managements discussion and Analysis, publicly available through the Canadian Securities Administrators' System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) at www.sedar.com for a more complete discussion of such risk factors and their potential effects.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230505005094/en/

Contacts

New Found Gold Corp.

Per: "Collin Kettell"

Collin Kettell, Chief Executive Officer

Email: ckettell@newfoundgold.ca

Phone: +1 (845) 535-1486
NORBIT ASA

Trondheim, 5 May 2023: From 5 May 2023, the shares of NORBIT ASA will be traded ex dividend of NOK 0.70 per share.

Record date is 8 May 2023 and payment is expected on or about 16 May 2023.

For more information, please contact:

Per Jrgen Weisethaunet, CEO, +47 959 62 915

Per Kristian Reppe, CFO, +47 900 33 203

About NORBIT ASA

NORBIT is a global provider of tailored technology to selected applications, solving challenges and promoting sustainability through innovative solutions, in line with its mission to Explore More. The company is structured in three business segments to address its key markets: Oceans, Connectivity and Product Innovation & Realization. The Oceans segment delivers tailored technology solutions to global maritime markets. The Connectivity segment provides wireless solutions for identification, monitoring and tracking. The Product Innovation & Realization segment offers R&D services, proprietary products, and contract manufacturing to key customers. NORBIT is headquartered in Trondheim with manufacturing in Europe, has around 450 employees, and a worldwide sales and distribution platform.

For more information: www.norbit.com

This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.




Company Logo

Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "North America (NAFTA) Hotels and Motels Market Summary, Competitive Analysis and Forecast, 2017-2026" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a trade agreement between the countries in North America: the US, Canada and Mexico. The hotels & motels industry within the NAFTA countries had a total market value of $198,226.0 million in 2021.The US was the fastest growing country, with a CAGR of -4.4% over the 2017-21 period.

The NAFTA Hotels & Motels industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: industry size (value and volume 2017-21, and forecast to 2026). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the industry.

Key Highlights

Within the hotels & motels industry, the US is the leading country among the NAFTA bloc, with market revenues of $172,551.3 million in 2021. This was followed by Mexico and Canada, with a value of $13,148.7 and $12,526.1 million, respectively.

The US is expected to lead the hotels & motels industry in the NAFTA bloc, with a value of $300,047.8 million in 2026, followed by Canada and Mexico with expected values of $32,433.0 and $28,358.7 million, respectively.

Scope

Save time carrying out entry-level research by identifying the size, growth, major segments, and leading players in the NAFTA hotels & motels industry

Use the Five Forces analysis to determine the competitive intensity and therefore attractiveness of the NAFTA hotels & motels industry

Leading company profiles reveal details of key hotels & motels industry players' NAFTA operations and financial performance

Add weight to presentations and pitches by understanding the future growth prospects of the NAFTA hotels & motels industry with five year forecasts by both value and volume

Compares data from the US, Canada and Mexico, alongside individual chapters on each country

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Reasons to Buy

What was the size of the NAFTA hotels & motels industry by value in 2021?

What will be the size of the NAFTA hotels & motels industry in 2026?

What factors are affecting the strength of competition in the NAFTA hotels & motels industry?

How has the industry performed over the last five years?

What are the main segments that make up the NAFTA hotels & motels industry?

Key Topics Covered:

1 Introduction

1.1. What is this report about?

1.2. Who is the target reader?

1.3. How to use this report

1.4. Definitions



2 NAFTA Hotels & Motels

2.1. Industry Outlook



3 Hotels & Motels in Canada

3.1. Market Overview

3.2. Market Data

3.3. Market Segmentation

3.4. Market outlook

3.5. Five forces analysis



4 Macroeconomic Indicators

4.1. Country data



5 Hotels & Motels in Mexico

5.1. Market Overview

5.2. Market Data

5.3. Market Segmentation

5.4. Market outlook

5.5. Five forces analysis



6 Macroeconomic Indicators

6.1. Country data



7 Hotels & Motels in The United States

7.1. Market Overview

7.2. Market Data

7.3. Market Segmentation

7.4. Market outlook

7.5. Five forces analysis



8 Macroeconomic Indicators

8.1. Country data



9 Company Profiles

9.1. Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Inc

9.2. Best Western International Inc

9.3. Grupo Posadas SAB de CV

9.4. Barcelo Hotels and Resorts

9.5. Choice Hotels International Inc

9.6. Marriott International Inc

9.7. Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/9std2s

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.

CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




SINGAPORE, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanyang Technological University, Singapore's (NTU Singapore) Nanyang Business School (NBS) has launched a new centre to promote academic research into sustainable finance and financial innovation, as climate change and the rapid pace of technology bring about new challenges for businesses and financial institutions.

From left : Associate Professor Cindy Xin Deng(NTU), Mr David Day(LSEG), Professor Simba Xing Chang (NTU), Mr Tan Chuan-Jin(Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore), and Professor Christina Soh (NTU)

The Centre for Sustainable Finance Innovation (CSFI) will conduct academic and research activities to develop solutions to real-world problems in sustainability and technology, the two fundamental driving forces shaping the future of financial services. As such, the Centre aims to lead cutting-edge research in these twin drivers of the future to build a robust talent pool in support of developing sustainable finance and Fintech in Singapore.

The centre will examine how climate change and environmental challenges have led companies to transition to sustainable growth, and the changing capital and investment that come with these fundamental changes to the industry.

It will also explore how the financial innovation created by technological development can be done in a prudent and sustainable manner, as new financial products, services, or technologies that raise the productivity of the financial sector might also test a financial system's vulnerabilities and resilience.

The CSFI was launched at the NBS Knowledge Lab Dean's Distinguished Speaker Series, which featured guest speaker Mr Tan Chuan-Jin, Speaker of the Parliament of Singapore. In a session moderated by NBS Dean, Professor Christina Soh, Mr Tan discussed how stewardship, strategic planning, and sustainability are critical to both an organisation's and country's long-term success.

Professor Soh, who is also NTU Vice President (Strategy & Leadership Development), said: "Singapore has always been at the forefront of innovation, and the launch of the Centre for Sustainable Finance Innovation signifies NTU's commitment to shaping the future of finance. At Nanyang Business School, we believe that sustainable innovation is not only the key to addressing global challenges but also an important driver of economic growth and development. Through CSFI, we aim to leverage our expertise in finance, innovation, and sustainability to drive positive change, and create a better world."

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Research projects currently underway at CSFI include an analysis of carbon tax and emissions trading system; studying how countries with advanced Fintech development faced a faster rebound in GDP growth rate and more robust employment recovery during the pandemic; and investigating the causal effect of credit access on firm volatility.

Cision

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SOURCE Nanyang Technological University
CHICAGO, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The nuclear medicine industry is poised for significant growth in the near future, driven by the increasing incidence of cancer and chronic diseases that require advanced diagnostic and treatment options. Advancements in imaging technology, such as hybrid imaging and PET-CT scans, are also fueling demand for nuclear medicine. Additionally, there is a focus on developing radiopharmaceuticals and theragnostic that can target specific diseases and deliver treatments directly to affected areas. Despite potential challenges such as the high cost of equipment and the shortage of trained professionals, the outlook for the nuclear medicine industry is positive, and it is expected to continue to innovate and improve patient care in the coming years.

MarketsandMarkets_Logo

Nuclear Medicine Market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth $5.5 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach $9.4 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 11.3% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets. The nuclear medicine market is mainly driven by factors such as rising incidence and prevalence of target disease and need for adoption of nuclear medicine for early diagnosis of diseases. However, hospital budget cuts and high equipment prices have made it difficult for a section of end users to opt for nuclear medicine are challenging the growth of this market.

Download an Illustrative overview: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/pdfdownloadNew.asp?id=417

Browse in-depth TOC on "Nuclear Medicine Market"

449 - Tables

39 - Figures

359 - Pages

Nuclear Medicine Market Scope:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue in 2023 $5.5 billion Estimated Value by 2028 $9.4 billion Growth Rate Poised to grow at a CAGR of 11.3% Market Size Available for 2021-2028 Forecast Period 20232028 Forecast Units Value (USD Billion) Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered By Type, Application, Procedure volume, End User & Region Geographies Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, ROW Report Highlights Updated financial information / product portfolio of players Key Market Opportunities Use of radiopharmaceuticals in neurological applications Key Market Drivers Increasing incidence and prevalence of target conditions

The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is expected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.

On the basis of type, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic nuclear medicine. The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET radiopharmaceuticals, while the therapeutic nuclear medicine segment is further divided into beta emitters, alpha emitters, and brachytherapy isotopes. The diagnostic nuclear medicine segment is expected to holds the largest share of the nuclear medicine market during forecast period. The rising prevalence of cancer and cardiovascular diseases, and advancements in radiotracers are some of the key factors driving the growth of this segment.

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The diagnostic procedure segment is projected to hold the largest market share during the forecast period.

On the basis of procedural volume, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The diagnostic procedure segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET procedures. The diagnostic procedures accounted for the largest share, in the nuclear medicine market. The large share of this segment can be attributed to the diagnostic radioisotopes finding wider demand and use as compared to therapeutic radioisotopes.

The diagnostic application segment is expected to account for the largest share of the nuclear medicine application market in 2022.

On the basis of application, the nuclear medicine market is segmented into diagnostic and therapeutic applications. The diagnostic application segment is further categorized as SPECT and PET applications, while the therapeutic nuclear medicine segment is further divided into endocrine tumors, thyroid indications, bone metastasis, lymphoma, other therapeutic applications. The diagnostic application segment is expected to account for the largest share of the nuclear medicine market. The increasing demand for SPECT diagnosis owing to the rising demand for minimally invasive surgeries and targeted radiotherapy is the major factor driving the adoption of the diagnostic application using nuclear medicine.

North America accounted for the largest share for players operating in the nuclear medicine market in 2022

On the basis of region, the nuclear medicine market is bifurcated into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Rest of the World (RoW). North America holds the largest share of the nuclear medicine market in 2022. This can be attributed to the rising surge of geriatric population, growing requirement of nuclear medicine in the early diagnosis of diseases, technology advancement for radioisotope production, government funding, and key players in this region are also impelling the nuclear medicine market in the region.

Inquiry Before Buying: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_BuyingNew.asp?id=417

Nuclear Medicine Market Dynamics:

Drivers:

Increasing incidence and prevalence of target conditions Development of alpha-radioimmunotherapy-based targeted cancer treatments Initiatives to reduce demand and supply gap of Mo-99

Restraints:

Short half-life of radiopharmaceuticals

Opportunities:

Use of radiopharmaceuticals in neurological applications Growth opportunities in emerging economies

Challenges:

Hospital budget cuts and high equipment costs

Key Market Players:

The nuclear medicine market is highly consolidated. Some of the major players operating in this market include GE HealthCare (US), Cardinal Health (US), Curium (France),Bayer AG (Germany), Lantheus Holdings, Inc.(US), Bracco Imaging S.p.A. (Italy), PharmaLogic Holdings Corp. (US), Eczacibasi-Monrol Nuclear Products (Turkey), NTP Radioisotopes SOC Ltd (South Africa), Nordion Inc.(Canada), Advanced Accelerator Applications (France), NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (US), Eckert & Ziegler (Germany), Isotope JSC (Russia), Siemens Healthineers (Germany), Jubilant DraxImage,Inc. (Canada).

Get 10% Free Customization on this Report: https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/requestCustomizationNew.asp?id=417

Recent Developments:

In January 2023, NorthStar Medical Radioisotopes (US) achieved a major milestone in advancing its new technology for non-uranium-based production of the critical medical radioisotope, molybdenum-99 (Mo-99).

In November 2022, Curium (France) announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved DaTscan (Ioflupane I 123 Injection) to assist in evaluating adult patients with suspected Parkinsonian Syndromes.

In October 2022, Blue Earth Diagnostics (UK) signed a data-sharing agreement with Siemens Healthineers (Germany) and the University Hospital of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) for 18F-rhPSMA-7.3, an investigational PET imaging agent, to support AI-based algorithms development.

In January 2021, Advanced Accelerator Applications (France) signed a multi-year exclusive supply agreement for lutetium-177 with the University of Missouri Research Reactor (MURR). Through this agreement, MURR will supply AAA with GMP-quality lutetium-177 chloride, the precursor for developing Lutathera and other Lu-177-based therapeutics.

Nuclear Medicine Market Advantages:

Accurate diagnosis: nuclear medicine allows for highly accurate diagnosis of various diseases and conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and neurological disorders. This is because it enables imaging and functional assessment at a molecular level, providing more precise information about the disease.

Personalized treatment: Radiopharmaceuticals used in nuclear medicine can be customized to target specific tissues or cells, enabling personalized treatment for patients. This approach can improve treatment outcomes and reduce side effects.

Minimally invasive: nuclear medicine procedures are minimally invasive and require only small amounts of radioactive materials. This means that they are generally safer and less invasive than surgical procedures.

Early detection: nuclear medicine can detect diseases and conditions at an early stage, before symptoms appear. This can lead to earlier treatment and better outcomes.

Non-invasive: Nuclear medicine procedures are generally non-invasive, which means they do not require incisions or other invasive techniques. This can lead to faster recovery times and lower risk of complications.

Nuclear Medicine Market - Report Highlights:

The updated version of the report covers the historical market for the nuclear medicine market for the years 2021 and 2022, the estimated market for 2023, and the forecast for 2028, along with CAGR from 2023 to 2028.

UPDATED MARKET OVERVIEW:

The current edition of the report covers regulatory bodies, government agencies, and other organizations, industry trends, pricing analysis, key conferences & events, pipeline analysis, and key stakeholders & buying criteria in the market overview chapter.

ADDITION OF END USER:

The current edition of the report includes the end user chapter.

UPDATED COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE CHAPTER:

The competitive landscape chapter has been updated with the company evaluation quadrant (DIVE Matrix), company evaluation quadrant for start-ups, footprint of nuclear medicine/radiopharmaceuticals market by type, and geographical assessment of the top market players.

The competitive landscape also includes the updated strategies adopted by key players, a revenue share analysis of the top market players, as well as competitive situations and trends section.

COMPANY PROFILES:

Company profiles give a glimpse of the key players in the market with respect to business overviews, financials, product offerings, and recent developments. One additional company profile has been added (a total of 25 companies profiled).

UPDATED FINANCIAL INFORMATION/PRODUCT PORTFOLIOS OF PLAYERS:

The new edition of the report provides updated financial information in the context of the nuclear medicine market until 2022 for each listed company in a graphical representation in a single diagram (instead of multiple tables). This will easily help analyze the present status of profiled companies in terms of their financial strength, key revenue-generating country/region, business segment focus in terms of the highest revenue-generating segment, and investments in R&D activities.

UPDATED MARKET DEVELOPMENTS OF PROFILED PLAYERS:

Recent developments are important to understand the market trend and growth strategies adopted by players in the global nuclear medicine market space. The current edition of this report provides updated developments of profiled players from January 2019 to March 2023, indicating a continuation of the previous version. Partnerships, collaborations, agreements, product approval & enhancements, expansions, and acquisitions have been the principal growth strategies adopted by the market players in this period.

ADDITION OF RECESSION IMPACT:

The current edition of the report consists of the impact of the recession on the nuclear medicine/radiopharmaceuticals market.

A section on the impact of the recession on all regional markets, such as North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, and Rest of the World have been included.

Related Reports:

Radiation Detection Monitoring Safety Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Surgical Robots Market - Global Forecasts to 2027

Electroceuticals Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Diagnostic Imaging Market - Global Forecasts to 2026

Nuclear Imaging Equipment Market - Global Forecasts to 2025

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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.

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Ohio's highest court decided this week that stealing a leaf blower while the owner does yardwork isn't burglary.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered this week at the Ohio Statehouse to protest a Republican plan to make it harder to amend Ohio's constitution. The state Supreme Court explained its definition of burglary, and we checked on what Ohio's election integrity unit has been up to.

We break down what it all means In this week's episode of Ohio Politics Explained. A podcast created by the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau to catch you up on the state's political news in 15 minutes or less.

This week, host Anna Staver was joined by reporter Laura Bischoff.

Theft vs burglary

Ohio's highest court decided this week that stealing a leaf blower while the owner does yardwork isn't burglary.

In September 2020, Donald Bertram parked in front of Timothy Huff's house, walked into his open garage, grabbed a $500 leaf blower and drove away. Huff told a jury that Bertram smiled the whole time, even when he asked him to put the blower down.

Scioto County Common Pleas Court sentenced Bertram to eight to 12 years for the burglary, but the Ohio Supreme Court tossed that conviction.

Bertram did not commit burglary under Ohio law, because he did not gain access to Huffs garage by force, stealth, or deception," according to the unanimous decision.

The court recommended charging Bertram with criminal trespassing.

No session, no problem?

Demonstrators wait to enter the Ohio Statehouse on Wednesday to protest HJR 1/SJR 2, which would require a 60% vote instead of a majority to approve any constitutional amendment.

Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens, R-Kitts Hill, canceled session this week, raising questions about whether a Republican plan to make it harder to amend the state constitution will make it before voters this August.

The resolution, which would need voter approval, would raise the bar for changes from 50% plus one vote to 60%.

Ohio eliminated August elections last year, but a vote on this issue in November 2023 could coincide with another constitutional amendment to protect abortion access.

Basically, those who oppose abortion like Ohio Right to Life, want this amendment voted on first to potentially make it harder for abortion rights supporters. But not every Republican thinks that's a good idea.

Story continues

"I suggest that we hold the vote on the constitutional amendment in March of 2024 to maximize turnout," Rep. Jon Cross, R-Kenton, said. "I am 100% pro-life, and I am working on a winnable solution with a path to victory."

Outlawing nonconsensual tracking

Its not a crime in Ohio to hide a Bluetooth tracking device like the Apple AirTag in someone's car, but one state lawmaker thinks it should be.

"Technology is wonderful, and I embrace it," Rep. Tom Patton, R-Strongsville, said. "But using these devices in a criminal fashion should be a criminal act."

House Bill 91 would criminalize knowingly "installing a tracking device or application on another person's property without the person's consent" as a first-degree misdemeanor.

What does the election integrity division do?

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose created the public integrity division last year to tackle a "crisis of confidence" in our elections.

The new unit was touted as being dedicated to investigating voter fraud, helping local prosecutors and educating voters. And that's largely what it's been up to.

For example, the division helped ferret out bad actors gathering signatures for the NoLabels party  which is seeking third-party status in Ohio  for signing up dead or unregistered voters.

Listen to "Ohio Politics Explained" on Spotify, Apple, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio. The episode is also available by clicking the link in this article.

The USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau serves The Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio politics podcast: Why the supreme court debated a stolen blower
(Bloomberg) -- Oil fell for the third straight week as concerns about softening demand were exacerbated by low trading volumes.

Most Read from Bloomberg

West Texas Intermediate settled above $71 a barrel on Friday after trading in a $13 range this week amid renewed instability among regional US lenders and fears the economy is headed into a recession. The string of weekly declines is the longest this year.

Signs of strength in the physical oil market suggest the selloff  which included a brief, dramatic plunge to the lowest intraday level since 2021  may have been excessive. Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Wael Sawan said on Thursday that the market was actually pretty tight.

There is good reason to be bullish  the trouble is that oil traders are a fickle bunch, said Stephen Brennock, an analyst at PVM Oil Associates Ltd. It will only be a matter of time before OPEC production cuts, lackluster supply from non-OPEC+ and the constructive demand picture in China take center stage once more.

Oil prices have dropped about 11% this year, showing that a plan by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies to regain control of the market by cutting output starting this month isnt yet working. The losses have been driven by concerns that global growth is slowing, potentially hurting energy demand.

In the Middle East, Iraq said it has yet to strike a deal with Turkey that would allow for the resumption of almost half a million barrels a day of Iraqi oil exports through the country. The standoff between Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government has halted shipments from the port of Ceyhan since late March.

Story continues

Energy Daily, Bloombergs daily energy and commodities newsletter, is now available. Sign up here.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Capita updated logo and branding 2022- do not use older versions

One of Britains biggest outsourcers has admitted that pensions data was likely stolen in a Russia-linked cyber attack earlier this year.

Capita, which works with providers including Aviva and Phoenix, has written to City clients saying that pensions data was likely exfiltrated by Russian-speaking ransomware gang Black Basta during a serious cyber attack in late March, the Financial Times reported.

In a message sent to clients on Thursday, Capita said: To be clear, this does not necessarily mean that your data has been identified as exfiltrated, it means that your data was on [Capita] servers from which some data is likely to have been exfiltrated.

The realisation follows Capitas internal investigation, which involved searching servers impacted by the hack to understand what data has been lost.

Capita provides administration services to around 450 organisations, including Royal Mail, Axa and PwC.

The company is one of the biggest government contractors. Capita holds a 456m contract to collect and enforce the BBC TV licence fee, runs the Ministry of Defence's military recruitment process, and handles substantial parts of the NHSs IT services.

Hundreds of pension schemes that use Capita as an administrator were recently told by the watchdog to check whether their pensioners personal data was at risk. The Pensions Regulator urged schemes to seek assurances from Capita.

Meanwhile, pension funds have urged savers to stay vigilant following the cyber attack, warning them to watch out for hackers who might try to exploit any stolen data.

Last week, the Marks & Spencer Pension Scheme notified pension holders that it was in contact with Capita over the attack.

Capita provides a range of outsourced services to thousands of clients across several industries and we do not yet know whether the Scheme's data is impacted, it said in an update to savers.

The scheme said it was working closely with Capita and receiving regular updates on the attack and urged savers to watch out for phishing emails that might be trying to take advantage of the hack. The pension fund added: Due to the public nature of the cyber incident, it's important for members to stay vigilant.

Story continues

It added members should double check any emails they receive which claim to be from Capita or from the scheme itself.

Other funds including the Mineworkers' Pension Scheme, Royal Mail's Statutory Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme also warned savers attempting to log into their pension schemes that Capita was still assessing whether members' data had been compromised.

The Environment Agency Pension Scheme issued a similar warning to savers on Tuesday.

Pension fund manager Aviva told the Financial Times earlier this week there was no evidence that any data had been accessed, while Phoenix was reported to have had confirmation its customers were not impacted.

Capita initially suggested that no data at all was stolen during the cyber attack but was later forced to backtrack after sensitive information  including primary school vetting documents  appeared on the dark web.

The outsourcer told clients on Thursday that there is no evidence pensions data is available on the dark web and has recruited a third-party specialist to monitor the situation.

Capita also said it has rebuilt its server systems to reduce the risk of another cyberattack. Its investigation is expected to conclude by the end of next week.

A Capita spokesman said: Capita is working closely with specialist advisers and forensic experts in investigating the incident to provide assurance around any potential customer, supplier or colleague data exfiltration.

Capita continues to work through its forensic investigations and inform any customers, suppliers or colleagues that are impacted in a timely manner.

Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month, then enjoy 1 year for just $9 with our US-exclusive offer.
Future Market Insights Global and Consulting Pvt. Ltd.

To reduce the possibility of product contamination, pharmaceutical sterility testing is done at every stage of the production of pharmaceutical and biological goods. The frequency of sterility testing in industries is rising, along with the demand for pharmaceutical and medical products for various health issues.

NEWARK, Del, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The pharmaceutical sterility testing market is predicted to be worth US$ 1,250.7 Million in 2023 and rise to US$ 3,815.6 Million by 2033. The global industry was expanding at a CAGR of 9.8% from 2018 to 2022.



The demand for effective medications is predicted to rise as the prevalence of chronic diseases rises. This drives the requirement for sterility testing of products before their release onto the market and supports global market expansion.

To reduce the possibility of product contamination, pharmaceutical sterility testing is done at every stage of the production of pharmaceutical and biological goods. The frequency of sterility testing in industries is rising, along with the demand for pharmaceutical and medical products for various health issues.

Potential Market Opportunity:

An increase in research and development expenditures in the biopharmaceutical industry contributed to the market's expansion. For instance, in December 2021, the pharmaceutical industry's annual research and development spending was 7.3 times higher than that of the aerospace and defense industries. Moreover, it was 6.5 times higher than that of the chemicals industry and 1.5 times higher than that of the software industry.

Key Drivers and Challenges Have an Impact on Market Dynamics, which can Impact Businesses. Find more analysis in our Sample Report: https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-gb-17145

Key Takeaways:

By 2033, the pharmaceutical sterility testing market in the United Kingdom is likely to expand at a CAGR of 9.5%.

In 2022, the United States dominated the pharmaceutical sterility testing sector, with a share of 41.5%.

The pharmaceutical sterility testing market was significantly expanding, with a size of US$ 1,124.7 Million in 2022.

By 2033, the pharmaceutical sterility testing industry in China is likely to expand, with a CAGR of 12.1%.

By 2033, Australia is projected to expand in the pharmaceutical sterility testing business, with an expected CAGR of 10.4%.

The market is expected to grow to US$ 1,747.7 Million valuations by 2026, with rising automated techniques.

By 2033, India is projected to expand significantly in the pharmaceutical sterility testing sector, with a share of 12.8%.

Japan's pharmaceutical sterility testing market share expanded significantly, with a 5.1% share in 2022.

In 2022, the outsourced segment dominated the market with a share of 54.1%. It is anticipated to control the market by 2033 in terms of services.

Based on product type, kits, and reagents dominated the market with a share of 39.7% in 2022.

Story continues

Effective Approaches by Key Players:

Prominent players in the pharmaceutical sterility testing sector, as well as several smaller businesses providing specialized services or goods. This includes businesses that specialize in testing for particular sorts of products, including biologics or gene therapies. As well as those that concentrate on specific testing methodologies and technology.

Are you looking for more details about the latest trends, drivers, and challenges? Speak to Our Analysts @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/ask-question/rep-gb-17145

Recent Developments:

In June 2022 For its GMP batches, Berkshire Sterile Manufacturing opened a sterility testing isolator and conducted sterility testing. It provides sterile filling of injectable medications, the bulk of which are undergoing clinical trials or have little commercial need. STEMart has started conducting thorough sterility and microbial tests for sterile, non-pyrogenic medical equipment.



Thermo Fisher Scientific announced plans to build two new sterile filling lines in Singapore in October 2020. To increase capacity for producing and developing vaccines and treatments in the APAC region.

Key Players:

Merck KGaA

bioMerieux SA

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.

Charles River Laboratories International Inc.

Others



Key Segments

By Product:

Kits and Reagents

Instruments

By Application:

Sterile Drugs

Biologics and Therapeutics

Medical Devices





By Test Type:

Sterility Testing Membrane Filtration Direct Inoculation

Bacterial Endotoxin Testing

Rapid Micro Test

Container Closure Integrity Testing

Electrical Resistance

Bioburden Testing

ATP Bioluminescence

Fluorescent Labeling

Others



By Services:

In-House

Outsourced

By End Use:

Compounding Pharmacies

Medical Devices Companies

Pharmaceutical Companies



Buy Now and Gain Access to Identify Key Trends, Drivers, and Challenges in the Market @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/checkout/17145

Table of Content (ToC):

1. Executive Summary | Pharmaceutical Sterility Testing Market

1.1. Global Market Outlook

1.2. Demand-side Trends

1.3. Supply-side Trends

1.4. Technology Roadmap Analysis

1.5. Analysis and Recommendations

2. Market Overview

2.1. Market Coverage / Taxonomy

2.2. Market Definition / Scope / Limitations

3. Market Background

3.1. Market Dynamics

3.1.1. Drivers

3.1.2. Restraints

3.1.3. Opportunity

3.1.4. Trends

3.2. Scenario Forecast

3.2.1. Demand in Optimistic Scenario

3.2.2. Demand in Likely Scenario

3.2.3. Demand in Conservative Scenario

4. Global Market Analysis 2018 to 2022 and Forecast, 2023 to 2033

4.1. Historical Market Size Value (US$ Million) & Volume (Units) Analysis, 2018 to 2022

4.2. Current and Future Market Size Value (US$ Million) & Volume (Units) Projections, 2023 to 2033

4.2.1. Y-o-Y Growth Trend Analysis

4.2.2. Absolute $ Opportunity Analysis

5. Global Market Analysis 2018 to 2022 and Forecast 2023 to 2033, By Product

5.1. Introduction / Key Findings

5.2. Historical Market Size Value (US Million) & Volume (Units) Analysis By Product, 2018 to 2022

5.3. Current and Future Market Size Value (US$ Million) & Volume (Units) Analysis and Forecast By Product, 2023 to 2033

5.3.1. Kits and Reagents

5.3.2. Instruments

5.3.3. Services

5.4. Y-o-Y Growth Trend Analysis By Product, 2018 to 2022

5.5. Absolute $ Opportunity Analysis By Product, 2023 to 2033



Have a Look at Related Research Reports in the Healthcare Domain:

Calprotectin Testing Market Size: The calprotectin testing market is capturing a valuation of US$ 201.1 Billion in 2023 and is predicted to reach US$ 360.2 Billion by 2033. The market is registering a CAGR of 6% during the forecast period.

Bacteriophage Market Share: The bacteriophage market is capturing a valuation of US$ 45.07 Million in 2023 and is predicted to reach US$ 68 Million by 2033. The market is likely to register a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period.

Pharmaceutical Lipids Market Growth: The pharmaceutical lipids market is anticipated to expand its roots at an average CAGR of 5.0% during the forecast period. The market is likely to hold a revenue of US$ 4.93 Billion in 2023 while it is anticipated to cross a value of US$ 8.04 Billion by 2033.

Fecal Pancreatic Elastase Testing Market Demand: The fecal pancreatic elastase testing market is expected to increase from US$ 15,306.7 Million in 2023 to US$ 31,842.3 Million by 2033. The market is likely to capture a 7.6% CAGR from 2023 to 2033.

Nasal Allergy Treatment Market Trend: The global nasal allergy treatment market enjoys a valuation of US$ 6.6 Billion in 2022, and it is further projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.7% over the forecasted years.

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Venous Stents Market Analysis: The global venous stents market held a valuation of US$ 921.4 Million in 2022, and it is anticipated to expand at a CAGR of 8.4% over the forecasted years.

Brazil Aesthetic Equipment Market Outlook: The Brazil aesthetic equipment market enjoys a valuation of US$ 1.8 Billion in 2022 and it is further projected to expand at a CAGR of 15.5% over the forecast years.

Alzheimers Therapeutics Market Volume: The global Alzheimers therapeutics market is set to witness a valuation of US$ 3,052.3 Million in 2023. The demand for Alzheimers therapeutics is projected to expand at a CAGR of 9.2% to reach US$ 7,359.7 Million by 2033.

General Surgery Devices Market Application: The global general surgery devices market valuation stands at US$ 12.0 Billion in 2022, and it is further projected to expand at a CAGR of 6.4% over the forecasted years.

About Future Market Insights (FMI):

Future Market Insights, Inc. (ESOMAR certified, Stevie Award - recipient market research organization, and a member of Greater New York Chamber of Commerce) provides in-depth insights into governing factors elevating the demand in the market. It discloses opportunities that will favor the market growth in various segments on the basis of Source, Application, Sales Channel, and End Use over the next 10 years.

Contact Us:

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TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 5, 2023 / Power Nickel Inc. (the "Company" or "Power Nickel") (TSXV:PNPN)(OTCQB:PNPNF)(Frankfurt:IVVI) is pleased to announce it has closed the final tranche of the private placement previously announced on March 13, 2023 (the "Offering") for 1,032,000 flow-through units (each, an "FT Unit") of the Company, at a price of $0.50 per FT Unit, for gross proceeds of CAD $516,000. The Company has received conditional TSX Venture Exchange ("TSXV") approval for the Private Placement.

"We are pleased to close the final tranche of our previously announced Private Placement. It ended up at $4,810,000. We could have hung around for another week and closed more, but we just wanted to get this closed and focus on getting more great results out on our drilling and exploration program at Nisk," said Power Nickel CEO Terry Lynch. "At the risk of being repetitive, we have benefited greatly by having our project in Quebec, where very favorable incentives exist for Critical Mineral projects like our NISK Nickel Sulfide project at Nemaska."

Lynch commented further, "Quebec, Canada is, in our opinion, the World's leading jurisdiction for exploration for Critical Minerals. This was further cemented by the recent Quebec and Canadian budgets, which provide substantial incentives to explore Critical Minerals and build mines. In our case, this financing is focused on exploration, and we were able to raise twice as much money with half the dilution. Going forward, the new, unappreciated by the market incentives, could, for example, advance as much as $200 Million USD to building a $400 Million Nickel Mine. While significant steps remain before determining if a mine would be viable and the budgets are not yet law, these are substantial incentives that de-risk projects for investors and enable governments to inspire investment and development in the critical mineral sector. We look forward to utilizing these incentives on our quest to build the world's first Carbon Neutral Nickel Mine."

Story continues

The Company expects to have additional assays available for release next week and believes the next two months could be among the busiest and best for Power Nickel.

"We are planning to have multiple material releases coming on additional assay results, the results of the Airborne EM, the release of the results of the metallurgical study, The commencement of the Fleet Ambient Noise Tomography program, and some potential major surprises. Nisk is delivering the goods, and we will be working hard to get the word out via our appearances at multiple conferences and a heavy Podcast schedule," commented CEO Terry Lynch.

Each FT Unit is composed of one common share of the Company that qualifies as a "flow-through share" (each, an "FT Share") for purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) (the "ITA"), and one-half of one transferable non-flow-through common share purchase warrant (each whole, being a "Warrant"). Each Warrant is exercisable into one non-flow-through common share (each a "Warrant Share") at an exercise price of $0.50 per Warrant Share for five years from the date of issuance. All securities issued under the Private Placement, including the broker warrants (described below), are subject to a four-month and one-day statutory hold period. The Warrants are subject to an acceleration clause that entitles the Company to provide notice (the "Acceleration Notice") to holders that the Warrants will expire 30 days from the date the Company provides the Acceleration Notice. The Company can only provide the Acceleration Notice if the closing price of the Company's Common Shares on the TSXV is equal to or greater than $1.00 for ten consecutive trading days. The Acceleration Notice can be provided at any time after the statutory hold period and before the expiry date of the Warrants.

The Company intends to use the gross proceeds from the sale of the FT Shares for exploration activities on the Company's NISK property located in Quebec and to incur eligible Canadian exploration expenses, within the meaning of the ITA, that will qualify for the federal 30% Critical Mineral Exploration Tax Credit.

The Company paid finder's fees of $30,960 in connection with the closing of the second tranche of the Offering. It issued 61,920 broker warrants enabling the broker to purchase common shares for $0.50 until November 4, 2024.

About Power Nickel Inc.

Power Nickel is a Canadian junior exploration company focusing on high-potential copper, gold, and battery metal prospects in Canada and Chile. On February 1, 2021, Power Nickel (then called Chilean Metals) completed the acquisition of its option to acquire up to 80% of the Nisk project from Critical Elements Lithium Corp. (CRE: TSXV). The NISK property comprises a large land position (20 kilometers of strike length) with numerous high-grade intercepts. Power Nickel is focused on expanding its current high-grade nickel-copper PGE mineralization Ni 43- 101 resource with a series of drill programs designed to test the initial Nisk discovery zone and to explore the land package for adjacent potential Nickel deposits.

Highlights

Recent assay results from the current drill program at the Nisk deposit continue to return high-grade Ni-Cu- Co sulfide and PGE mineralization.

Significant results from this batch of assays include:

40.3m @ 0.88% Ni, 0.56% Cu, 0.06% Co, 1.64 ppm Pd and 0.15 ppm Pt (PN-22-009)

Including:

25.86m @ 1.17% Ni, 0.80% Cu, 0.08% Co, 1.46 ppm Pd and 0.23 ppm Pt

Power Nickel announced on June 8th, 2021, that an agreement had been made to complete the 100% acquisition of its Golden Ivan project in the heart of the Golden Triangle. The Golden Triangle has reported mineral resources (past production and current resources) in a total of 130 million ounces of gold, 800 million ounces of silver, and 40 billion pounds of copper. (Resource World) This property hosts two known mineral showings (Gold ore and Magee), and a portion of the past-producing Silverado mine, which was reportedly exploited between 1921 and 1939. These mineral showings are described to be Polymetallic veins that contain quantities of silver, lead, zinc, plus/minus gold, and plus/minus copper.

Power Nickel is also 100 percent owner of five properties comprising over 50,000 acres strategically located in the prolific iron-oxide-copper-gold belt of northern Chile. It also owns a 3-per-cent NSR royalty interest on any future production from the Copaquire copper-molybdenum deposit, which was sold to a subsidiary of Teck Resources Inc. Under the terms of the sale agreement, Teck has the right to acquire one-third of the 3-per-cent NSR for $ 3 million at any time. The Copaquire property borders Teck's producing Quebrada Blanca copper mine in Chile's first region.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Terry Lynch, CEO

647-448-8044, terry@powernickel.com

Power Nickel Inc.

The Canadian Venture Building

82 Richmond St East, Suite 202

Toronto, ON

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 news release contains certain statements that may be deemed "forward-looking statements" with respect to the Company within the meaning of applicable securities laws. 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", "indicates", "opportunity", "possible" 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, are subject to risks and uncertainties, and actual results or realities may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Such material risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to raise sufficient capital to fund its planned activities at the NISK Property and for general working capital purposes; the timing for proposed closing of the Private Placement; the timing and costs of future activities on the Company's properties, including preparing the Amended Technical Report; maintaining its mineral tenures and concessions in good standing; changes in economic conditions or financial markets; the inherent hazards associates with mineral exploration and mining operations; future prices of metals; changes in general economic conditions; accuracy of mineral resource and reserve estimates; the potential for new discoveries; the ability of the Company to obtain the necessary permits and consents required to explore, drill and develop the projects and if obtained, to obtain such permits and consents in a timely fashion relative to the Company's plans and business objectives for the projects; the general ability of the Company to monetize its mineral resources; and changes in environmental and other laws or regulations that could have an impact on the Company's operations, compliance with environmental laws and regulations, dependence on key management personnel and general competition in the mining industry. Forward-looking statements are based on the reasonable beliefs, estimates, and opinions of the Company's management on the date the statements are made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update these forward-looking statements in the event that management's beliefs, estimates or opinions, or other factors should change.

SOURCE: Power Nickel Inc.





View source version on accesswire.com:

https://www.accesswire.com/753106/Power-Nickel-Closes-Final-Tranche-of-Financing




For many, the main point of investing is to generate higher returns than the overall market. But the main game is to find enough winners to more than offset the losers So we wouldn't blame long term QANTM Intellectual Property Limited (ASX:QIP) shareholders for doubting their decision to hold, with the stock down 27% over a half decade. Shareholders have had an even rougher run lately, with the share price down 11% in the last 90 days. But this could be related to the weak market, which is down 4.4% in the same period.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

Check out our latest analysis for QANTM Intellectual Property

There is no denying that markets are sometimes efficient, but prices do not always reflect underlying business performance. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the five years over which the share price declined, QANTM Intellectual Property's earnings per share (EPS) dropped by 8.2% each year. The share price decline of 6% per year isn't as bad as the EPS decline. So investors might expect EPS to bounce back -- or they may have previously foreseen the EPS decline.

The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). 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. As it happens, QANTM Intellectual Property's TSR for the last 5 years was -1.2%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

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A Different Perspective

While the broader market gained around 1.1% in the last year, QANTM Intellectual Property shareholders lost 17% (even including dividends). Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 0.2% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Take risks, for example - QANTM Intellectual Property has 3 warning signs (and 1 which is a bit unpleasant) we think you should know about.

For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Australian exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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House Speaker Kevin McCarthy AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File

A Republican proposal to lift the debt ceiling would make a recession more likely, said Moody's chief economist Mark Zandi.

Under the GOP bill, economic growth would slow to 1.61% by the end of 2024, he told lawmakers.

"We need to end this drama as quickly as possible. If we don't, we'll go into a recession and our fiscal problems will be made even worse."

A Republican proposal to lift the debt ceiling would slow the economy and increase the likelihood of a recession, Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi said.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has offered a bill to lift the debt ceiling in exchange for cuts to government spending of about 8% next year, and a cap on its growth of 1% each year after that.

Speaking to the Senate Budget Committee on Thursday, Zandi warned that the proposed reductions could reduce employment by the end of 2024 by about 800,000 jobs and lift the jobless rate closer to 5% from 3.5% now.

Also by 2024, economic growth would slow to 1.61% under the Republican bill, compared to current forecasts of 2.23%, he said, adding that the GOP deal would "meaningfully increase" the likelihood of a recession.

He also estimated that the Treasury is most likely to run out of cash by June 8  though anytime between June 1 and August 8 is possible.

"We need to end this drama as quickly as possible," Zandi said. "If we don't, we'll go into a recession and our fiscal problems will be made even worse."

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has said the government could run out of money and trigger an economic crisis as soon as June 1.

The GOP bill is unlikely to pass in the Democrat-controlled Senate, extending a partisan deadlock that began when the $31.4 trillion debt was reached in January.

The White House has said it will not accept spending cuts as a condition for raising the debt ceiling and is pushing for a "clean" bill instead.

But President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with McCarthy and other top lawmakers at the White House on Tuesday.

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Zandi has previously warned that allowing a US default to happen would create a financial crisis similar to that of 2008. He has also thrown doubt on work-arounds in case the debt limit isn't lifted, such as minting a $1 trillion dollar coin or invoking the 14th Amendment.

Failure to lift the debt ceiling would devastate stocks and bonds, even if the US government prioritized payments to stave off an immediate default, former New York Fed President Bill Dudley wrote in a Bloomberg column this week.

"I have one message for those observing or involved in the standoff over raising the US federal debt limit: Be afraid, be very afraid," he said. "At this point in the financial and economic cycle, the consequences of failing to reach a deal would be particularly dire."

Read the original article on Business Insider
There are a few key trends to look for if we want to identify the next multi-bagger. Amongst other things, we'll want to see two things; firstly, a growing return on capital employed (ROCE) and secondly, an expansion in the company's amount of capital employed. Basically this means that a company has profitable initiatives that it can continue to reinvest in, which is a trait of a compounding machine. However, after briefly looking over the numbers, we don't think Luceco (LON:LUCE) has the makings of a multi-bagger going forward, but let's have a look at why that may be.

What Is Return On Capital Employed (ROCE)?

If you haven't worked with ROCE before, it measures the 'return' (pre-tax profit) a company generates from capital employed in its business. The formula for this calculation on Luceco is:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.15 = UK19m  (UK178m - UK54m) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

Therefore, Luceco has an ROCE of 15%. That's a relatively normal return on capital, and it's around the 13% generated by the Electrical industry.

See our latest analysis for Luceco

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Luceco compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like to see what analysts are forecasting going forward, you should check out our free report for Luceco.

So How Is Luceco's ROCE Trending?

On the surface, the trend of ROCE at Luceco doesn't inspire confidence. Over the last five years, returns on capital have decreased to 15% from 35% five years ago. On the other hand, the company has been employing more capital without a corresponding improvement in sales in the last year, which could suggest these investments are longer term plays. It may take some time before the company starts to see any change in earnings from these investments.

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On a related note, Luceco has decreased its current liabilities to 30% of total assets. So we could link some of this to the decrease in ROCE. What's more, this can reduce some aspects of risk to the business because now the company's suppliers or short-term creditors are funding less of its operations. Since the business is basically funding more of its operations with it's own money, you could argue this has made the business less efficient at generating ROCE.

What We Can Learn From Luceco's ROCE

To conclude, we've found that Luceco is reinvesting in the business, but returns have been falling. Although the market must be expecting these trends to improve because the stock has gained 94% over the last five years. Ultimately, if the underlying trends persist, we wouldn't hold our breath on it being a multi-bagger going forward.

Luceco does have some risks though, and we've spotted 3 warning signs for Luceco that you might be interested in.

For those who like to invest in solid companies, check out this free list of companies with solid balance sheets and high returns on equity.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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If we want to find a stock that could multiply over the long term, what are the underlying trends we should look for? Firstly, we'll want to see a proven return on capital employed (ROCE) that is increasing, and secondly, an expanding base of capital employed. If you see this, it typically means it's a company with a great business model and plenty of profitable reinvestment opportunities. So when we looked at Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (KLSE:MRCB) and its trend of ROCE, we really liked what we saw.

Return On Capital Employed (ROCE): What Is It?

For those who don't know, ROCE is a measure of a company's yearly pre-tax profit (its return), relative to the capital employed in the business. Analysts use this formula to calculate it for Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad:

Return on Capital Employed = Earnings Before Interest and Tax (EBIT)  (Total Assets - Current Liabilities)

0.029 = RM192m  (RM9.2b - RM2.7b) (Based on the trailing twelve months to December 2022).

So, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad has an ROCE of 2.9%. Ultimately, that's a low return and it under-performs the Construction industry average of 4.9%.

Check out our latest analysis for Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad

roce

Above you can see how the current ROCE for Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad compares to its prior returns on capital, but there's only so much you can tell from the past. If you'd like, you can check out the forecasts from the analysts covering Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad here for free.

What The Trend Of ROCE Can Tell Us

While there are companies with higher returns on capital out there, we still find the trend at Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad promising. More specifically, while the company has kept capital employed relatively flat over the last five years, the ROCE has climbed 28% in that same time. So our take on this is that the business has increased efficiencies to generate these higher returns, all the while not needing to make any additional investments. On that front, things are looking good so it's worth exploring what management has said about growth plans going forward.

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What We Can Learn From Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad's ROCE

As discussed above, Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad appears to be getting more proficient at generating returns since capital employed has remained flat but earnings (before interest and tax) are up. Given the stock has declined 65% in the last five years, this could be a good investment if the valuation and other metrics are also appealing. That being the case, research into the company's current valuation metrics and future prospects seems fitting.

One more thing, we've spotted 1 warning sign facing Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad that you might find interesting.

While Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad isn't earning the highest return, check out this free list of companies that are earning high returns on equity with solid balance sheets.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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(Bloomberg) -- Lithiums dramatic price slump has mining heavyweights chasing takeovers of companies with early stage or pre-production projects. But one giant is warning that offering high premiums for smaller miners comes with risks.

Most Read from Bloomberg

Rio Tinto Group Chief Executive Officer Jakob Stausholm said hes cautious about acquisitions at current valuations, despite the worlds second-biggest miner wanting to grow its nascent lithium business.

Its very difficult to justify to go in and buy at these high prices, unless you already know you can sell the lithium at a high price, he told reporters in Perth on Thursday. We have to make sure that its also in the interest of our shareholders and not just the selling shareholders.

Prices of lithium carbonate, used in EV batteries, have plunged 70% from a peak in November. While thats had a negative impact on the share valuations of some smaller players, companies are increasingly prepared to offer chunky premiums to grab a slice of the market for what promises to be one of the worlds hottest commodities.

From US miner Albemarle Corp.s three unsuccessful bids for junior Australian prospect Liontown Resources Ltd., to Chinese producer Tianqi Lithium Corp.s failed attempt to buy Essential Metals Ltd., M&A momentum is building. Iron ore giant Fortescue Metals Group Ltd. is also getting in on the action with a surprise declaration it was looking for lithium assets in South America.

Tianqi offered a 45% premium for Australian explorer Essential Metals  and still fell short after failing to secure enough support from the targets shareholders.

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Albemarles latest A$5.5 billion ($3.7 billion) bid for Liontown represented an eye-watering 64% premium on the smaller companys previous share price. The Perth-based miner has proved among the most attractive target for potential suiters, though Liontown this week denied media reports it had received a counter offer.

Theres clearly a premium being paid compared to where the market thought fundamental value sat prior to the offer, said Max Vickerson, an analyst at Morgans Financials Ltd. It sounds like a strong premium will be needed to buy Liontown, he said, while adding that showed the importance of the industry in the long run.

As well as betting that lithium prices will rebound despite a wave of new projects coming online in the next few years, would-be buyers are also wagering those mines will live up to their full output potential  no sure thing in an industry often beset by project delays, poorer-than-expected mineral grades and cost over-runs.

And despite the drop in prices this year, the refined EV-battery ingredient is still three times more expensive than in the middle of 2020.

The plunge in lithium prices and some company valuations falling to less ridiculous levels were opening up the opportunity for more takeovers, said Saul Kavonic, head of integrated energy and resources at Credit Suisse Group AG. That said, its still early days in a very volatile market  thats why there is still going to be quite a challenging path to get deals done.

See also: Lithiums Next Big Risk Is Grand Supply Plans Falling Short

The offers are set to continue as most market-watchers remain optimistic about the long-term demand outlook. Governments around the world are trying to encourage a faster transition to cleaner energy sources, and BloombergNEF forecasts consumption will jump ninefold by 2050.

The race for lithium has also garnered interest from battery manufacturers and even automakers. Tesla Inc. has been weighing a takeover of Toronto-listed Sigma Lithium Corp., which is developing a large lithium rock deposit in Brazil.

Fortescue Chief Executive Officer Fiona Hick said Wednesday that Brazil, Chile and Argentina were the most promising countries for both deals and exploration for lithium, copper and rare earths. Mid-sized or smaller lithium producers, like Pilbara Minerals Ltd., are also seeing opportunities to bet big.

Its an incredible market and Pilbara always looks to capitalize on that, Managing Director Dale Henderson said. Were not holding back on our investment, although the miner is in no hurry to pursue inorganic growth, he said. As the market continues to go well, obviously the coffers will continue to fill, there will be the obvious questions around returns to shareholders, Henderson said.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
With less than 24 hours until the polls closed, the ENS Foundations directorship is quite literally a neck-and-neck race.

The only two candidates up for the role are Alex Van De Sande (also known as avsa.eth) and Sean Murray (also known as 3531.eth).

Alex Van de Sande helped launch Ethereum, co-founded ENS, and was previously an advisor for the Ethereum Foundation. Currently, he is the Public Goods Steward for ENS.

"I believe the role is mostly symbolic, as the goal of the foundation is to give a real-world presence to the DAO, but ultimately it must, by its own bylaws, follow the directives set by the ENS DAO token holder's votes," Van de Sande told Decrypt via email.

The Ethereum Naming Service (ENS) allows users to convert complicated crypto wallet addresses from a long string of numbers and letters to a readable URL, such as Decrypt.eth. The ENS Foundation exists to represent the ENS DAO when legal matters arise.

Ethereum Name Creation Doubles In Four Months to 2 Million

Brantly Millegan resigned from the position of director at the ENS Foundation in March 2023. Healongside Nick Johnson and Kevin Gasparwas a founding director but his position was thrown into uncertainty in February 2022 after controversial tweets resurfaced.

Besides bringing lines of code to the real world, the roles objective will also clarify and distinguish between the ENS DAO, its foundation, and the developer team behind the project, said Van de Sande.

As for, Sean Murray, hes the president and chief editor at deBanked, the creator of eth.photos, and an active member of the ENS community, among other titles.

"Twitter popularity can be deceiving when it comes to the ENS inner circle, of which I admit I am not part. I am essentially an outsider," Murray told Decrypt. "In that regard, however, that is part of why I am nominating myself. I would hope to effectively be 'the people's candidate' even though serving as a director of this particular legal entity would be a bit of a dull role bereft of any real power."

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In Murray's application, he provided two conditions that would need to be fulfilled if he were to win the election: the DAO would authorize the foundation to "set up directors and officers insurance" as well as "the foundation to compensate directors."

Ethereum Name Service Creator Sues GoDaddy Over Expired Domain

Though the role is important, theres currently no compensation for directors. "Being a director has been a small unpaid position that so far has done little," Millegan told Decrypt. "This is also the position for which there was a vote a year ago to remove me and which I won to stay."

He said that his resignation is not related to his previous controversy either, adding that he's "still bullish on ENS" and "on a practical level my resignation doesn't mean that much."

At the time of writing, Van de Sande is running away with the election with over 88% of the votes. Roughly 12% have abstained and only 0.15% voted for Murray.

Supporters of Van de Sande include Nick Johnson (the founder of ENS), Simona Pop, and Superphizall of which are in the top 15 for voting power in the ENS DAO.

His top supporter is Brantly Millegan (also known as Brantly.eth) who holds the highest voting power outside of ENS and Coinbase.

Voting is due to close tomorrow at 9 am UTC.

Only two candidates for ENS role?

Anyone who was over 18 could nominate themselves for the role but only two people did. Why? Besides the job coming without pay, it also comes with a heft of legal duties.

"The legal responsibility of a director of the ENS Foundation as stated in its Articles of Association is to manage the business and affairs of the Foundation as a member of the board," Patrick Daugherty, former SEC lawyer, Cornell School of Law Crypto Assets & Web3 professor, and Foley & Lardner LLP partner, told Decrypt via email. "Directors and the board must be mindful of securities, commodities and banking laws, rules and regulations to the extent that they apply to the Foundation, its business, and themselves."

Becoming a director of the foundation can thus expose you to legal risk and some may be put off by that.

Ethereum Name Service Touts Third-Highest Monthly Revenue as Merge Approaches

"It is always reasonable to ponder carefully the possible impact of regulators views on ones position and duties in business," Daugherty continued. "Regulators have armies of enforcement lawyers that they can and do deploy. So, it is especially important to obtain expert legal advice in this case."

The ENS Foundation is located in the Cayman Islands and therefore outside the jurisdiction of the SEC. That said, this doesn't mean that the governing body can't investigate the foundation.

"Saying a person or business is off-shore or decentralized does not make that person or business off-shore or decentralized. These are legal questions requiring extensive research and analysis," Daugherty said. "Variations of this structure are common for crypto projects. Without implying that theres anything wrong with this one, some structures are designed and executed better than others."

All things considered, the ENS Foundation is yet to be called upon to resolve legal matters since its creation in October 2021.
Enterprising, confident, down-to-earth -- Meet China's rising generation

Xinhua) 08:16, May 05, 2023

BEIJING, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Yang Chentao, 19, has made up his mind to pursue a career in the domestic services sector.

The choice might not be one that people would expect from a college student. But for Yang, a home economics major, it is an ideal career that he finds promising in China's increasingly diverse job market.

Like Yang, more and more young Chinese are adjusting themselves to the changing job market, embracing both the challenges and opportunities with a more confident, open, and enterprising mindset.

This photo taken on March 18, 2023 shows a view of a job fair in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Jianwei)

EMERGING DOMAINS

After taking the college entrance examination in 2021, Yang was admitted into Zhejiang Shuren University in east China's Zhejiang Province, the first university to set up a major in home economics for undergraduate programs in the province.

The major was established following a national plan in 2019 to improve the quality and expand the scale of domestic services. The country's education ministry then required each province to have at least one university offering majors related to domestic services for undergraduates.

Out of curiosity about this fresh major and his confidence in the prospect of the household management sector in China, Yang chose home economics.

"Many people hold the stereotype that home economics students will become cleaners or babysitters," said Peng Wei, a home economics lecturer and researcher at the university. "Actually, today's domestic services are paying more attention to people's multifaceted needs, especially psychological needs."

Apart from home services, industries such as nursing, preschool education, and health services are also in demand of professional talents.

To bridge the skills gap between the job market and university graduates, new majors were added to undergraduate programs, and universities giving relevant courses were asked to arrange both theoretical curriculums and social practice.

For Yang, on top of courses like psychology, gerontology, cooking, flower arranging, and others, he also had an internship at a residential community. The experience gave him a better understanding of people's growing needs for a better life at the grassroots level.

All these gains on and off campus have strengthened his determination to pursue a career in the domestic services sector, especially elderly care services.

"I hope to run a business of my own to provide better services for senior residents in the future," said Yang.

TRUE CALLING

For Mewlan Turaq, 29, it is a blessing to be able to fulfill his passion while developing a career.

In 2018, after studying traditional Chinese medicine at a university in east China's Jiangxi Province for six years, Mewlan decided to go back to his hometown in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and open a shop selling traditional artwork, ornaments, and souvenirs.

Mewlan Turaq hangs a hat at his shop in the ancient city of Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 13, 2019. (Xinhua/Ma Kai)

Born and raised in the ancient city of Kashgar, Mewlan has an immense interest in the traditional culture of the Uygur people, especially clothing and accessories.

It was a rebellious decision, as his family considered it more promising to be a doctor. "My mom even cried for that," he recalled. "But I believe in the charm of traditional culture. Just as the way I'm enchanted, so will others."

What impressed his family was his passion and a clear blueprint for his career. Mewlan has buried himself in books, old photos, and movies to study traditional clothing and aspired to replicate them. The shutterbug then conjured up the idea of a costume rental and photography business.

Over the years, with more exquisite and flamboyant costumes added to his collection piece by piece, a growing number of tourists are attracted to his shop.

In recent years, Mewlan is getting more and more busy as Xinjiang has become a hot tourist destination. Days before the just-concluded May Day holiday, all slots for photography had been fully booked.

Now, there are close to 200 shops providing photography services in the ancient city, most of which were opened by art-loving young people.

Just like Mewlan, more young Chinese are taking their interests into consideration while choosing a career, giving rise to a growing number of freelancers. Changes in policies are made to better protect their rights and interests.

For instance, starting from May 1, people from other places that engage in flexible employment in Shanghai are eligible for endowment and medical insurance for urban workers by the same rules as Shanghai residents.

A young entrepreneur promotes products via livestreaming at Yichang film park, a popular scenic spot and a business incubation base transformed from former industrial site, in Yuzhong District, southwest China's Chongqing, Sept. 27, 2022. (Xinhua/Tang Yi)

STARTING ANEW

Tian Shuxian, 34, is a farmer in Anfeng Village, central China's Hubei Province. Starting to raise crayfish only six years ago, she is a newcomer compared with her peers.

Growing up in the countryside, she had been dreaming of owning a modern farm since high school. "Actually, I chose my major as a preparation for farming afterward," she said.

A master of fishery resources, Tian worked for an internet company in a city for two years. However, it did not take her long to realize that her dream could only be realized back home by cultivating farm products with her own hands.

Building a laboratory right next to her field, Tian would work in the field by day and do experiments by night. After years of efforts, she explored new methods of crayfish feeding and later developed a comprehensive model to raise crayfish and ducks together in rice paddies, which has also been applied by other villagers.

Apart from offering technical advice, Tian also helped other farmers develop a more standardized and modern model by establishing a specialized cooperative, which so far has 200 members. The total output value of the cooperative is expected to reach 5 million yuan (about 722,543 U.S. dollars) this year.

She also expanded sales channels through online stores and livestreaming.

Tian considers herself "lucky enough" to be able to come this far, especially with the help from her fellow villagers and the government's support in terms of logistics. "What I have to do now is to work step by step, and eventually, my ideal farm will become a reality," Tian said.

Despite the difference in occupation and age, many young Chinese resonate with Tian, believing hard work is the key.

"No matter what I do, I should keep my feet on the ground," said Yang.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)
Royal Farms

BALTIMORE, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Royal Farms, known for its World-Famous Chicken and having the Freshest Coffee is partnering with the Maryland Hospital Association to give away 250 coupons for free coffee to health care workers at 52 local hospitals for National Hospital Week May 7-13.



The Maryland Hospital Association serves nonprofit hospitals and health systems in Maryland through collective action to shape policies, practices, financing and performance to advance health care and the health of all Marylanders.

Royal Farms is honored to support this years theme #WeAreHealthcare and thank our Maryland health care workers with a free coffee. We excitedly take advantage of opportunities like National Hospital Week to recognize the remarkable people working hard to continuously support their communities, said Aliyah Atayee, Public Relations for Royal Farms.

We appreciate Royal Farms generous support. This is the second year they have provided free coffee to the teams at hospitals around the state. We are grateful for the recognition and appreciation, says Meghan McClelland, chief operating officer for the Maryland Hospital Association. During Hospital Week we invite all Marylanders to celebrate hospitals and their dedicated team members.

Since 2019, American hospitals have had to innovate to meet the changing needs of patients and fight against COVID-19. Even with its decline, our health care workers still make constant efforts to provide optimal health care for the communities they serve. Royal Farms is grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Maryland Hospital Association for a second year in supporting the hospitals who promote the public health of America.

About Royal Farms

Royal Farms is a renowned operator of fast and friendly neighborhood convenience stores with nearly 300 locations throughout the Mid-Atlantic. Royal Farms opened its first store in Baltimore, MD in 1959 under the name White Jug. Today, the chain has locations in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia. Royal Farms has been satisfying customers hunger for Real Fresh food served Real Fast. The Royal Farms Kitchen is well known for its Always Fresh, Never Frozen World-Famous Royal Farms Chicken that is lightly hand-breaded and pressure-cooked in Trans Fat Free cooking oil to golden brown perfection. Royal Farms Western Fries are hand-cut from fresh Idaho potatoes, hand-breaded, and cooked right in store. Most locations are open 24 hours, 365 days a year. For more information about Royal Farms, visit: www.royalfarms.com.

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Contact:

Aliyah Atayee

aatayee@royalfarms.com




FILE PHOTO: The logo of Santander bank is seen at a branch in Mexico City

MADRID (Reuters) - Spain's Santander has agreed to sell a portfolio of distressed loans with a gross value of 1.1 billion euros ($1.21 billion) to U.S. private equity fund Cerberus and real estate loan manager Axactor, Expansion reported on Friday.

The loan portfolio, dubbed 'Spirit project', includes personal loans, some mortgages, and loans to medium and small companies, Expansion said, citing unidentified financial sources.

Expansion did not mention the price or potential discount on the sale of the portfolio, but said the transaction was split into two tranches.

The first loan portfolio, of around 660 million euros, was sold to Gescobro, a Spanish unit of Cerberus, and the second, of around 440 million euros, to Axactor, it said.

Santander declined to comment, while Cerberus and Axactor did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Spanish banks were very active in the past in shedding real estate assets that went bad in the economic slump that followed the bursting of Spain's real estate bubble at the end of 2007.

Lenders are now selectively repackaging loans in an attempt to recover some cash that could turn sour following the economic slowdown and the pandemic.

Non-performing loans at Spanish banks were still hovering at near record lows of 3.55% in February, far below the all-time high of 13.6% in December of 2013.

($1 = 0.9056 euros)

(Reporting by Jesus Aguado; Editing by Inti Landauro and Jan Harvey)
SNS Insider pvt ltd

Based on SNS Insider analysis, the self-compacting concrete market is expected to continue growing in the coming years due to the various benefits it offers and the increasing demand for high-performance concrete in construction projects

Pune, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to SNS Insider, the Self Compacting Concrete Market had a valuation of USD 10.46 billion in 2022. The market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 7.9% between 2023 and 2030 and reach USD 19.22 billion by 2030.

Market Report Scope

Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is a type of concrete that is non-segregating, and can fill every nook and cranny of a formwork without the need for vibration or other mechanical consolidation. It is also known as self-consolidating concrete or self-leveling concrete. The key characteristic of SCC is its ability to flow into and around complex shapes under its weight, without the need for external forces.

Market Analysis

The self compacting concrete market is poised for significant growth, driven in part by the use of this innovative material in construction activities. One of the key benefits of self-compacting concrete is its low noise during construction, which is a significant advantage over traditional concrete. The use of self-compacting concrete reduces the need for heavy equipment, which can create a significant amount of noise pollution on construction sites. The noise levels associated with traditional concrete construction can be disruptive to nearby communities and can even be harmful to construction workers over time. The rapid urbanization in developing countries is driving the demand for SCC as it offers improved performance compared to conventional concrete in construction projects in densely populated areas.

Download PDF Brochure: https://www.snsinsider.com/sample-request/2467

Impact of Recession

During a recession, governments often initiate stimulus programs that focus on infrastructure development, which increases the demand for construction materials such as self-compacting concrete. Therefore, the impact of a recession on the self compacting concrete market may be less severe compared to other industries.

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Key Regional Development

The Asia-Pacific region has witnessed a significant increase in the number of high-rise buildings, bridges, and tunnels being constructed. The demand for self compacting concrete in these construction projects has risen exponentially, as it enables the construction of structures with complex designs and shapes. The strong presence of local manufacturers of self compacting concrete in this region has also contributed to its growth. Moreover, the availability of raw materials such as cement, sand, and aggregates in this region has further fueled the growth of the self compacting concrete market.

Key Takeaway from Self Compacting Concrete Market Study

The cement segment is expected to dominate the market in the coming years. Self-compacting concrete (SCC) is primarily composed of cement, fine aggregates, chemical admixtures, and water, with cement being the most critical ingredient. Thus, the growth of the cement industry directly impacts the self-compacting concrete market.

The market is expected to witness a significant surge in the demand for drilled shafts segments in the coming years. Drilled shafts are known for their reliability and load-bearing capacity, making them an ideal choice for construction projects that require a strong foundation.

Recent Developments Related to Self Compacting Concrete Market

Holcim, a leading global building materials and solutions company, has announced its acquisition of the ready-mix concrete assets of Ol-Trans, a construction materials company in Northern Poland. The acquisition is part of Holcim's strategic growth plan to strengthen its position in the European construction materials market.

Ambuja Cements, one of the leading cement manufacturers in India, has launched a new initiative called the Concrete Futures Laboratory (CFL). The CFL is a state-of-the-art research and development facility that aims to develop innovative, sustainable, and high-performance concrete solutions.

Buy Exclusive PDF Copy of Self Compacting Concrete Market Along With ME Sheet: https://www.snsinsider.com/checkout/2467

Self Compacting Concrete Market Report Scope:

Report Attributes Details Market Size in 2022 US$ 10.46 Billion Market Size by 2030 US$ 19.22 Billion CAGR CAGR of 7.9% From 2023 to 2030 Base Year 2022 Forecast Period 2023-2030 Historical Data 2020-2021 Key Segments  By Raw Material (Cement, Admixtures, Fibers, Aggregates, Additions, Others)

 By Type of Design Mix (Powder Type SCC, Viscosity Agent Type SCC, Combination Type SCC)

 By Application (Drilled Shafts, Columns, Metal Decking, Concrete Frames)

 By End-User (Infrastructure, Oil & Gas Construction, Building & Construction) Regional Analysis North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe

(Germany, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands,

Rest of Europe), Asia-Pacific (Japan, South Korea,

China, India, Australia, Rest of Asia-Pacific), The

Middle East & Africa (Israel, UAE, South Africa,

Rest of Middle East & Africa), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina, Rest of Latin America) Company Profiled Lafargeholcim Ltd., Cemex S.A.B De C.V., Sika AG, ACC Limited, Breedon Group PLC, Tarmac, BASF SE, Heidelbergcement AG, Unibeton Ready Mix, Kilsaran, Ultratech Cement Limited, Buzzi Unicem S.P.A., Firth Concrete, and other players.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2. Research Methodology

3. Market Dynamics

4. Impact Analysis

4.1 COVID-19 Impact Analysis

4.2 Impact of Ukraine- Russia war

4.3 Impact of ongoing Recession

5. Value Chain Analysis

6. Porters 5 forces model

7. PEST Analysis

8.Self Compacting Concrete Market Segment, By Raw Material

9.Self Compacting Concrete Market Segment, By Type of Design Mix

10.Self Compacting Concrete Market Segment, By Application

11.Self Compacting Concrete Market Segment, By End-User

12. Regional Analysis

13. Company Profile

14.Competitive Landscape

15. Conclusion

About SNS Insider:

At SNS Insider, we believe that businesses should have access to the best market intelligence and insights, regardless of their size or industry. That's why we offer a range of solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of each client, from startups to big corporations. With a passion for our work and an unwavering commitment to delivering value, we are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their full potential.

CONTACT: Akash Anand  Head of Business Development & Strategy Email: info@snsinsider.com




Key Insights

Given the large stake in the stock by institutions, Severn Trent's stock price might be vulnerable to their trading decisions

The top 15 shareholders own 51% of the company

Insiders have bought recently

Every investor in Severn Trent PLC (LON:SVT) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. We can see that institutions own the lion's share in the company with 81% ownership. That is, the group stands to benefit the most if the stock rises (or lose the most if there is a downturn).

Because institutional owners have a huge pool of resources and liquidity, their investing decisions tend to carry a great deal of weight, especially with individual investors. Hence, having a considerable amount of institutional money invested in a company is often regarded as a desirable trait.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Severn Trent.

Check out our latest analysis for Severn Trent

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Severn Trent?

Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing.

We can see that Severn Trent does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This can indicate that the company has a certain degree of credibility in the investment community. However, it is best to be wary of relying on the supposed validation that comes with institutional investors. They too, get it wrong sometimes. When multiple institutions own a stock, there's always a risk that they are in a 'crowded trade'. When such a trade goes wrong, multiple parties may compete to sell stock fast. This risk is higher in a company without a history of growth. You can see Severn Trent's historic earnings and revenue below, but keep in mind there's always more to the story.

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Investors should note that institutions actually own more than half the company, so they can collectively wield significant power. We note that hedge funds don't have a meaningful investment in Severn Trent. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the largest shareholder, with 9.4% of shares outstanding. In comparison, the second and third largest shareholders hold about 7.3% and 4.6% of the stock.

A closer look at our ownership figures suggests that the top 15 shareholders have a combined ownership of 51% implying that no single shareholder has a majority.

While it makes sense to study institutional ownership data for a company, it also makes sense to study analyst sentiments to know which way the wind is blowing. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Severn Trent

The definition of company insiders can be subjective and does vary between jurisdictions. Our data reflects individual insiders, capturing board members at the very least. Company management run the business, but the CEO will answer to the board, even if he or she is a member of it.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of Severn Trent PLC. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own UK18m of stock. Arguably recent buying and selling is just as important to consider. You can click here to see if insiders have been buying or selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 18% stake in Severn Trent. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks for example - Severn Trent has 2 warning signs we think you should be aware of.

Ultimately the future is most important. You can access this free report on analyst forecasts for the company.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Investors can approximate the average market return by buying an index fund. But if you buy individual stocks, you can do both better or worse than that. That downside risk was realized by Alliance Pharma plc (LON:APH) shareholders over the last year, as the share price declined 42%. That's well below the market decline of 2.0%. Longer term shareholders haven't suffered as badly, since the stock is down a comparatively less painful 12% in three years. On the other hand the share price has bounced 7.5% over the last week.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

Check out our latest analysis for Alliance Pharma

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Unhappily, Alliance Pharma had to report a 87% decline in EPS over the last year. The share price fall of 42% isn't as bad as the reduction in earnings per share. So the market may not be too worried about the EPS figure, at the moment -- or it may have expected earnings to drop faster. Indeed, with a P/E ratio of 380.79 there is obviously some real optimism that earnings will bounce back.

You can see below how EPS has changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

We're pleased to report that the CEO is remunerated more modestly than most CEOs at similarly capitalized companies. It's always worth keeping an eye on CEO pay, but a more important question is whether the company will grow earnings throughout the years. Before buying or selling a stock, we always recommend a close examination of historic growth trends, available here..

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A Different Perspective

Alliance Pharma shareholders are down 41% for the year (even including dividends), but the market itself is up 2.0%. Even the share prices of good stocks drop sometimes, but we want to see improvements in the fundamental metrics of a business, before getting too interested. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 2% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Alliance Pharma better, we need to consider many other factors. For example, we've discovered 3 warning signs for Alliance Pharma that you should be aware of before investing here.

We will like Alliance Pharma 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 British exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) Q1 2023 Earnings Call Transcript May 4, 2023

Carrie Gillard: Good morning, and thank you for joining Shopify's First Quarter 2023 Conference Call. Harley Finkelstein, Shopify's President; and Jeff Hoffmeister, our CFO, are with us today. After their prepared remarks, we will open it up for your questions. We will make forward-looking statements on our call today that are based on assumptions, and therefore, subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. We undertake no obligation to update these statements, except as required by law. You can read about these assumptions, risks and uncertainties in our press release this morning as well as in our filings with the U.S. and Canadian regulators. We'll also speak to adjusted financial measures, which are non-GAAP and not a substitute for GAAP financial measures.

Reconciliations between the 2 are in the tables at the end of our press release. And finally, we report in U.S. dollars, so all amounts discussed today are in U.S. dollars unless otherwise indicated. With that, I will turn the call over to Harley.

Harley Finkelstein: Thanks, Carrie, and good morning, everyone. Before we jump into our Q1 performance, let me first touch on the announcements that we shared earlier this morning. We are changing the shape of Shopify significantly today. The decade we're in shows the speed of change accelerating beyond what anyone has ever experienced. The pace of change can never outpace our ability to adapt. So today, we announced that we are reducing our head count and leaning into our partner model ecosystem, selling the majority of our logistics business to Flexport, who will become the preferred logistics partner for Shopify. For our team, this is an incredibly hard week. Shopify is a company that deeply values the talented builders that make it possible for Shopify to simplify operations that reduce friction and enable merchant success.

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We would not be the company we are today without the work and the passion that our team puts in every day to pursue our mission. We also realized that in order to adapt and stay at the forefront of commerce, Shopify must operate with even greater speed and efficiency. So we are making changes and refocusing the priorities that we believe will get Shopify to the size and the shape necessary to unlock the next era of growth and innovation, but that does not make this earnings call any easier. I will be doing this call and then quickly turning back to internal matters. And Tobi will not be joining us on the call today as he insisted on focusing his time and attention on our team. On logistics, building logistics infrastructure is a side effort that all e-commerce entrepreneurs are eventually pulled into.

Shopify decided to take this on, on behalf of every merchant because we're significantly larger and we can leverage our scale to build this on their behalf. Flexport has been a key partner throughout this journey. And given our long history of building direct integrations into powerful platforms, we believe that Flexport will be the best partner to carry this vision forward. And for our merchants, making it easier for them to access fast, reliable fulfillment from port to porch is a shared vision that Flexport will now take the lead on as our preferred logistics partner, led by world-class operators, CEO, Dave Clark and Founder Ryan Petersen, now with the leadership of Deliverr founder, Harish Abbott, this planned sale will enable Flexport to leverage their DNA in logistics and allow Shopify to focus on what we do best, designing and scaling a breadth of solutions and essential infrastructure that our merchants need to compete in an increasing digital world.

We know we have more work to do to achieve our goal of building a sustainable 100-year company. Our actions today should be evidence of our commitment to our mission, our merchants and our team to not just keep up, but to lead and to shape the future of commerce. With that said, I will now turn to our product and merchant developments for the quarter before Jeff discusses the financial results in more detail. This year has started off incredibly strong for Shopify and our merchants. In Q1, we continued to expand our merchant base with strong growth across all geographies and merchant sizes. We realized the incredible amount of trust our merchants have in Shopify, which is why we move quickly, so we can show up for our merchants consistently quarter after quarter, giving them the unified commerce solutions they need to run their business and focus on what matters most, their product and their customers.

Our strong Q1 performance is evidence of our ability to continuously adapt and anticipate their future needs at every turn. This is why merchants choose us. Let me start by discussing the progress and key accomplishments that we have made in our 3 core focus areas, which are centered around how we help merchants. First, expand from first sale to full scale; next, go global; and finally, build consumer relationships. Starting with how we think about expanding from first sale to full scale. On our last call, we talked about the launch of our enterprise retail solution, Commerce Components by Shopify or CCS. CCS is a modern composable stack where retailers can choose the Shopify components they want, integrate them with their existing systems and create incredible customer experiences using the same software and solutions that enabled Shopify to power over 10% of U.S. e-commerce.

Up until the release of CCS, there has been a scarcity of modern commerce solutions for enterprise retailers that can give brands the choice, flexibility and performance from a single enterprise offering. By making the best of Shopify, such as our world-class checkout and storefront available on an individual basis, CCS is kicking down the door to conversations with retailers that previously weren't aware of the power and the versatility of Shopify. There is a perception shift happening in the marketplace as enterprises begin to realize that they are now able to combine Shopify's cutting-edge commerce solutions with their existing infrastructure, all while optimizing their operating expenses. And we are seeing success with large recently signed enterprise brands like food delivery company, Daily Harvest; the iconic Canadian coffee house chain, Tim Hortons; U.K. fashion designer, Ted Baker; Japanese retailer, Yogibo, our largest outbound deal ever in Japan, a multi-brand deal with global retail brands in Australia; and American retail giant, Zulily, which is owned by QVC that actually came to Shopify from a referral from another very large enterprise merchant we have.

All of these incredible global brands are trusting Shopify to help them grow, scale and keep their business secure. A key part for our go-to-market strategy for enterprises will come from our system integrator partnerships. Early in Q1, we signed an agreement with IBM Consulting and entered agreement with Cognizant, which is over 350,000 employees generating over $19 billion in annual revenue in 2022. Of note, Cognizant did all of the Shopify-related implementation for premier consumer products customer. So we are thrilled to have them as a partner for future opportunities. We believe these partnerships will further our efforts to not only grow our merchant base, but also expand our offering with existing merchants. To truly enable first sale to full scale requires us to have infrastructure and capabilities to handle massive traffic volumes at any moment in time.

biggest companies that use shopify

Photo by Roberto Cortese on Unsplash

For Shopify, we've set a new record in Q1. We hosted the highest throughput flash sale in our company's history with Supreme's February drop, which drove orders per minute that were equivalent to our Black Friday/Cyber Monday levels, a true testament to the scale, agility and the resilience of our platform. It also highlights how the investments we have been making over the past couple of years are strengthening our commerce operating platform to power any brand on the planet. Moving on to going global. One way we are driving greater penetration internationally is by making it easy for a merchant to sell globally as they do locally. During the quarter, approximately 15% of total GMV were cross-border as our primary products that were rolled out last year, Markets and Markets Pro, continue to gain traction.

Markets makes it simple to localize the buyer experience for each region a merchant sells to by enabling local currencies, which is a key determinant for consumers, offering local payment options and collecting duties and taxes at checkout to create total cost clarity. All of this can be customized in one place in the Shopify Admin with ease. When we layer on the functionality of the translate and adapt app for our merchants who use markets, our data showed meaningful improvements to conversion rates. Shopify Markets Pro, a fully integrated merchant of record solution is built on top of Markets. Markets Pro is a great option for merchants looking to scale to new markets quickly without having to navigate international tax compliance or fraud while tapping into best-in-class international shipping options with duties prepaid.

Our team has continued to make improvements to Markets Pro and is on track to fully roll out the product in the U.S. this summer and then to the U.K. later this year. We've seen considerable interest in Markets Pro and believe there's a lot of opportunity for us with this product to further unlock our merchants' ability to reach more consumers around the world. Finally, our third core area, building consumer relationships. One of Shopify's strengths is our comprehensive suite of innovative, unified commerce solutions that enable brands to find, engage and build relationships with consumers across every surface. As commerce is increasingly showing up everywhere, advancing our full suite of commerce solutions to stay at the forefront of our merchants' needs remains paramount for their success.

Point-of-Sale, the Shop App and Audiences are 3 areas where we continued to drive meaningful product enhancements in the quarter. Our Point-of-Sale solution continued to gain traction in Q1 with offline GMV increasing 31% year-over-year. We continue to expand both the functionality of our Point-of-Sale offering and its ability to handle the needs of retailers with a large number of physical locations. During the first quarter, top-tier apparel brands like Kit and Ace, which was started by the founder of Lululemon, launched our Point-of-Sale Pro solution for all of their stores. And another consumer favorite Gap brand, Banana Republic Home, is planning an omnichannel launch later this year with our Point-of-Sale Pro offering across their initial retail locations.

These are just 2 examples of the growing number of household name brands who are coming to Shopify for not only our online offering, but also our brick-and-mortar capabilities. Even as more and more large brands choose Shopify for our unified commerce capabilities, we remain the best commerce offering for SMBs. After Intuit made their decision to sunset their QuickBooks desktop Point-of-Sale product, they chose Shopify to be the preferred partner to migrate new retailers in need of a new Point-of-Sale solution. This partnership recognizes the depth and the quality of Shopify's Point-of-Sale offering and opens up the funnel for more SMBs and mid-market retailers to join Shopify and leverage our suite of retail solutions. We're already seeing traction from this partnership with thousands of new merchants having chosen to adopt Shopify Point-of-Sale.

Our Shop App is another incredible opportunity for our merchants. Back in February, as part of our winter edition release, we announced some of the biggest product updates to Shop since launching in 2020. We're in the post-cookie mobile era of commerce, where brands are increasingly motivated to build their own mobile experiences to retain ownership of their customer relationships. But for most businesses, the technical and financial resources required to build and maintain their own mobile app just does not make sense. Today, Shop gives merchants an out-of-the-box mobile storefront, making it easy for them to leverage Shop's existing buyer audience to drive new and repeat customers to their brand. And of course, when you layer on Shop Pay, which continues to be the best converting checkout on the Internet, Shop is becoming one of merchants' most important channels.

Another example of how Shopify is staying at the cutting edge of commerce is the AI shopping assistant that Shop launched in March. Shoppers tell the assistant what they are looking for, and it serves up relevant product recommendations from Shopify merchants. It's like having your own shopping concierge powered by ChatGPT, one of the most advanced technologies that we have seen in decades. We believe that we are in the early innings of unlocking the true power of AI, not only for our merchants and their customers, but also for Shopify. Moving to Audiences. Shopify Audiences continues to be a dynamic feature for our Plus merchants, helping drive top performance in paid advertising across meta, Google and Pinterest. The machine algorithm that powers Audiences is more effective than ever before.

In the year since the product first launched, we have shipped dozens of algorithm improvements as frequently as every 2 weeks. This constant experimentation has resulted in the average return ad spend merchants see on the platform to nearly double what it was originally. We don't expect this trend to slow down. This performance is reflected in the product's adoption. More merchants are using Shopify Audiences than ever before. In fact, our data suggests that Audiences is now a key reason merchants choose to upgrade to Plus, averaging just over a week from upgrade to install the product. As the number of merchants who use the product grows, the algorithm gets smarter, the flywheel moves a little faster and performance improves further, a positive feedback loop.

Powered by our scale and the merchant trust we've earned over many years, Audiences is a unique advantage only Shopify can offer. It's an opportunity for independent merchants to join forces and help each other succeed. We could not be more excited by the trajectory of this young product. Stepping beyond are 3 core themes: I want to talk a little more about our merchants. Earlier, I shared some of the large enterprise wins. But that, of course, is just one portion of the success we are seeing. In this past quarter, Shopify welcomed numerous notable brands representing a broad spectrum of verticals within apparel and accessories, fashion forward clothing and denim manufacturer, 7 For All Mankind, footwear brand KEEN and backpack and accessory brand Herschel Supply, all launched with Shopify in Q1.

On the international front, Japanese watch brand, Seiko, Winemaker Pernod Ricard and watchmaker, Daniel Wellington, launched sites on Shopify this quarter. And earlier this week, Lululemon Studio, formerly known as Mirror, launched on Shopify. Celebrity brands continue to default Shopify to launch their businesses as well. In Q1, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's luxury fashion designer brand, The Row, John Legend's Loved01 and Kendall Jenner's award-winning 818 Tequila brand all launched on Shopify. In closing, Shopify continues to be the engine powering millions of merchants around the world. Our platform continues to expand, giving our merchants more of the solutions they need to run their businesses online, offline and everywhere in between.

We have worked hard to earn our merchants' trust as Shopify continues to solve the industry's biggest problems to make commerce better for everyone. And with that, let me turn the call over to Jeff.

Jeff Hoffmeister : Thanks, Harley. The investments we have made into building a powerful commerce operating system for merchants of all sizes have delivered strength across all elements of our business. Let's dive into our Q1 results, starting with GMV. . GMV in Q1 was $50 billion, up 15% year-over-year or 18% on a constant currency basis as merchants delivered another strong quarter of growth. We achieved this GMV strength primarily through more resilient consumer spend, with strength in Europe being particularly notable, existing merchant same-store sales growth and growth in our merchant base. Revenue for the first quarter was $1.5 billion, up 25% year-over-year or 27% in constant currency, driven by the GMV strength just discussed, growth in our Merchant Solutions business led by payments penetration and growth in Subscription Solutions.

Our Q1 revenue came in better than our outlook, largely driven by the outperformance of GMV, strong growth across our Merchant Solutions product suite and strength in Europe from both consumer spend and more favorable exchange rates than anticipated. Our total attach rate, which is defined as revenue divided by GMV, is a key performance indicator of our business and our ability to generate greater value for our merchants. In Q1, our attach rate was 3.04%, up from 2.79% in Q1 2022. Merchants continue to buy more and more solutions from us, which speaks to both attraction of new products and the trust that merchants put in us. This represents the highest attach rate in our history. Moving to our revenue streams, starting with Merchant Solutions.

Q1 Merchant Solutions revenue was $1.1 billion, increasing 31% year-over-year or 33% on a constant currency basis, driven by the increase in GMV, continued penetration of Shopify Payments and the contribution from Deliverr. $27.5 billion of GMV was processed by Shopify Payments in the first quarter, 25% higher than in the first quarter of 2022. The penetration rate of Shopify Payments as a percentage of GMV was 56% for the quarter versus 51% in Q1 of the prior year. Several factors drove the quarter's higher gross Payments volume, including the strong performance by those merchants utilizing Shopify Payments, an increasing percentage of which are Shopify Plus; new merchant adoption across the globe; greater penetration of Shop Pay; and continued growth of our integrated Point-of-Sale solution in physical retail stores.

Subscription Solutions revenue was $382 million, up 11% over Q1 of 2022, primarily due to growth in our Plus subscriptions. Moving to monthly recurring revenue, or MRR. Q1 MRR was $116 million, up 10% year-over-year. We saw strong growth across each of Plus, Standard and Point-of-Sale, with Plus being the largest contributor of growth in absolute dollars. Our Plus merchants, as a percentage of total MRR, increased to 34% from 30% in Q1 of 2022. Additionally, we are beginning to see the impact from the initial cohorts that were a part of our free and promotional trials that began to roll out broadly in October 2022. We saw these cohorts convert to full-priced Standard subscriptions starting in Q1, which contributed to the acceleration in MRR growth year-over-year and quarter-over-quarter.

The merchants comprising the initial cohorts from these trial experiments are demonstrating very positive results. The longer trial period has provided merchants a better onboarding experience, giving them additional time to experiment and familiarize themselves with our rich feature set and have more time to find the right product and market niche for their products. As a result of these trials, we are seeing higher weekly active sales and more merchants achieving their first sale on our platform, contributing to our GMV outperformance compared to the broader market. Separately, as previously announced in January, we introduced pricing changes to our standard subscription plans. The pricing changes had minimal impact on our Q1 financials as the full pricing changes did not take effect until about a week ago, but we anticipate that they will benefit our MRR growth more meaningfully in the second half of the year.

Gross profit was $717 million for the quarter, and gross margin was 47.5% in our first quarter. Compared to Q1 2022 gross margins of 53%, our gross margin this quarter was primarily affected by the dilutive impact of Deliverr. Additionally, Q1 gross margin was also impacted by Merchant Solutions being a larger percentage of our business, driven by growth in Shopify Payments. And within our Shopify Payments business, we continued to see gross margin pressure due to the greater mix of Plus and higher mix of credit cards versus debit cards compared to Q1 last year. Operating expenses were $910 million for the quarter. This represents a sequential increase of 1% over Q4 of 2022 operating expenses of approximately $903 million, when excluding the onetime charges from Q4 of $84 million.

Compared to Q1 of 2022, the primary drivers of this increase in operating expenses are related to higher compensation expense, including Deliverr. As we have demonstrated over the past 3 quarters, our operating expense dollars, excluding onetime items, continue to stabilize and grow at a much slower rate. This directly reflects our focus throughout the entire organization to drive increased productivity and efficiency across our teams. We continue to rigorously evaluate all of our cost, including greater scrutiny on our cloud infrastructure spend, return on our marketing programs and their associated payback periods, and in general, an increased internal utilization of automation and technology to replace manually driven processes. Let me share a specific example of what I mean.

In Q1, within sales and marketing, expenses declined both year-over-year and sequentially as we have been working to diversify our marketing mix over the past year. Prioritizing areas such as direct mail and audio, we've also optimized payback from established channels like digital search and display. As a result, in recent months, we have seen the payback period for our paid advertising improve by over 50%. There's a cross-functional team in place that's assessing the amount of value we can extract from different marketing channels as we continue to improve our paid advertising payback periods and realize even more value from each dollar we spend in this area. Stock-based compensation for Q1 was $135 million compared to $118 million for the same period a year ago, primarily driven by the higher headcount from Deliverr.

Adjusted operating loss for the quarter was $31 million. The decline compared to Q1 of 2022 was due to lower gross margins year-over-year and higher operating expenses, primarily driven from increased compensation expenses. Our Q1 adjusted operating loss came in better-than-expected due to stronger top line growth and lower-than-expected operating expenses. For the quarter, free cash flow was $86 million, representing 6% of revenue. You will hear us talk more frequently going forward about free cash flow, which we calculate as cash flow from operations minus CapEx. Turning quickly to our balance sheet. Our cash and marketable securities balance was $4.9 billion as of March 31. Before I get into our outlook, some additional information regarding the sale of our logistics businesses and Shopify reducing our head count.

As Harley mentioned, earlier today, we announced that we reached an agreement to sell our logistics business, including most of our SFN assets and Deliverr to our trusted partner, Flexport. In connection with the transaction, Shopify and Flexport intend to deepen their partnership with Flexport becoming our official logistics partner moving forward and providing Shopify merchants with fast and reliable logistics solutions. Shopify will continue to offer the merchant-facing SFN app, which provides merchants an integrated logistics experience through Shopify, powered by Flexport. Under the terms of the agreement, Shopify will receive stock representing a 13% equity interest in Flexport. When combined with our existing ownership, we will own a high-teens percentage in Flexport.

In connection with the closing of the sale, Shopify is entitled to name a director to Flexport's Board. Today, we also announced that we are making changes to our organization, reducing our overall workforce by approximately 20%, excluding employees and our logistics businesses, some of which will move to Flexport and some of which will be part of the reduction in force. While this decision to reduce the size of our team was incredibly difficult, we are moving quickly towards the ideal shape and size that will enable us to build on our momentum and power the future of commerce. We believe that our business remains incredibly strong and our opportunities for sustainable long-term growth are abundant. Partnering with Flexport will allow us to focus on the areas where we as a team have the highest impact and had the most value for our merchants, helping them on some of their most critical challenges, including running and managing the business, selling wherever consumers are, discovering new customers and thriving at any stage in any market.

Keeping all this in mind, let's turn to our outlook. We anticipate that the sale of our logistics businesses will happen towards the end of the second quarter, subject to certain conditions and regulatory approvals as applicable. And accordingly, that the majority of the financial impact of these transactions will not materialize until the second half of the year. Here are our expectations for the second quarter. First, on revenue. We expect our second quarter revenues to grow at a rate similar to our Q1 year-over-year growth rate. We anticipate that the pricing changes that just went into effect will be counterbalanced by the pending sale of our logistics businesses. Q2 gross margin percentage is expected to be similar to our Q1 gross margin percentage with the expected benefit from the pricing changes to be offset by the pending sale of our logistics business and the continued growth of Shopify Payments, which is a lower-margin business.

We believe that our Q2 operating expense dollars, excluding onetime items related to the pending sale of logistics and severance charges, will decrease a mid-single-digit percentage versus our Q1 operating expense dollars. Stock-based compensation is expected to be approximately $110 million. This excludes the onetime charges related to the sale of our logistics businesses. Finally, we expect free cash flow, which, as mentioned, we define as operating cash flow less CapEx, to be positive for each quarter of 2023. We, as a management team, are committed to profitability, and you will hear us talking more frequently regarding free cash flow. With the pending sale of our logistics business, obviously, our capital expenditures are going to be a lot lower going forward.

We currently expect to spend approximately $100 million for the full year of 2023, which includes 2 quarters of CapEx from logistics. Finally, specifically related to the announcements today, our current expectation is at Q2, we will incur $140 million to $150 million in severance from the workforce reduction and an impairment of $1 billion to $1.5 billion in the aggregate related to the various components of our logistics businesses. In closing, 2023 is off to a very strong start. Our financial outperformance reflects our merchants' trust in Shopify's mission-critical commerce operating system to not only run their business, but to grow it. Brands across the globe continue to turn to us for the incredibly rich feature set that we offer, which we believe continues to represent the most exceptional value in the marketplace today.

Our teams are adhering to rigorous operational discipline and cost control, while achieving greater productivity and efficiencies throughout the company. We are incredibly proud of what our team has accomplished so far this year and will continue to achieve throughout 2023. I'll now turn the call back over to Carrie for any questions.

Brian Peterson : So I'm curious on the timing of the decision to sell the logistics business. Why now? And maybe how should we be thinking about any changes that you may have in kind of the build by partner decision about future growth initiatives?

Harley Finkelstein: Brian, Harley, I'll take the question. Look, I think Shopify, unlike a lot of technology companies, we actually do partnerships really, really well. If you sort of go back, I don't know, 8 or 9 years ago, so when we first decided to go into the payments business, we deeply partnered with Stripe and was able to go to market much faster with an incredible product. And that partnership obviously continues. We've done the same thing with companies like Affirm when we felt that they were doing buy now, pay later better than anyone else globally on the cross-border commerce side of things. So I mean, Shopify, going back to what you heard today and Tobi's letter, but our main mission, our main quest versus side quest, we do something in the world better than anybody else, which is building commerce software.

And that's what we want to be able to do. We want to focus on that. We want to execute on that. So when -- as we began to build out the logistics business, which started about 4 or 5 years ago, remember at the time, there was no one else that was helping small businesses, medium-sized businesses with logistics and shipping. And so even though we knew it was going to be an incubation period for us, we felt there was no one else doing it and better for us to do it than for our merchants to do it. As things progress and we began to further and more deeply integrate with Flexport with Dave and Ryan and the team, it became clear that, that is their main quest. They are so focused on creating logistics and shipping infrastructure for small and medium-sized businesses.

And this way, we get product acceleration, and we can focus on what we do best, they can focus what they do best. But again, I think we're a company that has proven that when we can build something better than anyone else, we do it, and we've done that across a whole bunch of different areas of our business. But when there's a partner that we can deeply integrate with that can get us further faster and more efficiently, we will do that, too. And that was the case here.

See also 12 Most Profitable Gold Stocks and 16 Best Places to Live in Texas.

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It's possible to achieve returns close to the market-weighted average return by buying an index fund. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more -- or less -- than that. The Sing Holdings Limited (SGX:5IC) stock price is down 17% over five years, but the total shareholder return is -2.3% once you include the dividend. That's better than the market which declined 12% over the same time.

It's worthwhile assessing if the company's economics have been moving in lockstep with these underwhelming shareholder returns, or if there is some disparity between the two. So let's do just that.

Check out our latest analysis for Sing Holdings

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

During the unfortunate half decade during which the share price slipped, Sing Holdings actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 27% per year. Given the share price reaction, one might suspect that EPS is not a good guide to the business performance during the period (perhaps due to a one-off loss or gain). Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past.

It is unusual to see such modest share price growth in the face of sustained EPS improvements. We can look to other metrics to try to understand the situation better.

In contrast to the share price, revenue has actually increased by 3.7% a year in the five year period. A more detailed examination of the revenue and earnings may or may not explain why the share price languishes; there could be an opportunity.

The company's revenue and earnings (over time) are depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).

This free interactive report on Sing Holdings' balance sheet strength is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further.

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What About Dividends?

It is important to consider the total shareholder return, as well as the share price return, for any given stock. Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. As it happens, Sing Holdings' TSR for the last 5 years was -2.3%, which exceeds the share price return mentioned earlier. This is largely a result of its dividend payments!

A Different Perspective

While the broader market lost about 0.7% in the twelve months, Sing Holdings shareholders did even worse, losing 2.5% (even including dividends). Having said that, it's inevitable that some stocks will be oversold in a falling market. The key is to keep your eyes on the fundamental developments. Unfortunately, last year's performance may indicate unresolved challenges, given that it was worse than the annualised loss of 0.5% over the last half decade. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. I find it very interesting to look at share price over the long term as a proxy for business performance. But to truly gain insight, we need to consider other information, too. Consider for instance, the ever-present spectre of investment risk. We've identified 3 warning signs with Sing Holdings (at least 1 which is potentially serious) , and understanding them should be part of your investment process.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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Market Research Future

Smart Gas Meters Market Growth Boost by Rising Technology and Demand for Advanced Metering Infrastructure

New York, US, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to a Comprehensive Report by MRFR/Market Research Future (MRFR),  Smart Gas Meters Market Research Report Information by Product, Region, and Application - Forecast Till 2030, the global Smart Gas Meters market is predicted to bolter substantially during the review era from 2022 to 2030 at a substantial growth rate of around 5.20%. The reports further predict the market will acquire nearly USD 4.22 billion by the end of 2030. As per the documents, the Smart Gas Meters market was valued at nearly USD 2.81 billion in 2022.

Smart Gas Meters Industry Overview:

Smart gas meters repeatedly measure the basic parameters like temperature, volume, and pressure of the gas flowing in the pipeline. Installation of smart gas meters across residential, commercial, and industrial spaces is the next step toward offering access to gas for each individual. The government's policies and standards have pushed the smart gas meter market to boost-up the global GDP. Collaboration of gas exploring organizations with smart gas meter producers also contributes. No discrepancy in gas meters has guaranteed the market to drive rapidly over the assessment era. Furthermore, over the review era, the rise in safety standards and concerns has caused the global smart gas meter market to showcase substantial development. In addition, the increasing investment in smart grid projects and the requirement for efficient energy usage are also likely to influence the market's growth positively over the coming years.

Competitive Analysis

The catalog for the prominent participants across the global smart gas meters market includes companies such as:

Apator Group (Poland)

Siemens AG. (Germany)

Kamstrup A/S (Denmark)

Badger Meter Inc. (U.S.)

Schneider Electric (France)

Itron Inc. (U.S.)

Landis+Gyr (Switzerland)

Honeywell International Inc. (U.S.)

Aclara Technologies LLC (U.S.)

EDMI (Singapore)

Xylem Inc. (U.S.)

DIEHL Metering (Germany)

Zenner (Germany)

Among others.

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Smart Gas Meters Market USP Covered

Market Drivers

The global Smart Gas Meters industry has lately demonstrated immense development. The primary parameter causing a surge in the performance of the market is the rise in safety standards and concerns around the globe. Furthermore, the high development and demand for advanced metering infrastructure is also considered one of the crucial parameters supporting market development. The market has experienced several new technological advances in recent years, which are also projected to catalyze the development of the market over the assessment era. Collaboration among gas exploration firms and smart gas meter manufacturers also assists.

Market Restraints

On the contrary, some parameters may restrict the market's development. The main parameter limiting the market's development is the high costs associated.

Smart Gas Meters Market Report Scope:

Report Metrics Details Market Size 2030 2030: USD 4.22 billion CAGR during 2022-2030 5.20% CAGR Base Year 2021 Forecast 2022-2030 Report Coverage Revenue Forecast, Competitive Landscape, Growth Factors, and Trends Segments Covered Product, Application, and Region Key Market Opportunities Needs for efficient energy usage Key Market Dynamics Government roll outs Increasing investment in smart grid projects





Browse In-depth Market Research Report (111 Pages) on Smart Gas Meters Market:

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COVID-19 Impact

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on several industry areas worldwide. The Smart Gas Meters market is no different than others. The market experienced a tremendous setback during the pandemic, given the halt of several industrial operations and manufacturing activities. However, with the world recovering from the impact caused by the global health hazard, the market is anticipated to grow considerably over the coming years.

Smart Gas Meters Market Segment Analysis

Among all the products, the diaphragms segment secured the top spot across the global Smart Gas Meters market in 2021. Diaphragm meters are positive displacement natural gas flow meters like rotary gas meters. They are usually used in residential and small business deployments to measure a minimal gas flow for billing purposes.

Among all the application areas, the residential sector segment ensured the lead across the global market for Smart Gas Meters in 2021, mainly due to the rising trend of using gas instead of fossil fuels for domestic purposes.

Smart Gas Meters Market Regional Analysis

The global market for Smart Gas Meters is studied across five major parts: Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, Latin America, and Middle & Africa.

The research reports by MRFR suggest that the Asia-Pacific region held the top position across the global Smart Gas Meters industry in 2021, with the largest contribution of around USD 1.23 billion. The region has China as the leading growth contributor, given mainly to the launch of its smart electric meters. Furthermore, with the growing energy consumption and regional aims for lowering greenhouse gas emissions, the installment of smart gas meters has been boosted in the last few years.

The European regional market for Smart Gas Meters is anticipated to secure the second spot across the global market over the coming years, given mainly to renewable energy sources to meet the region's long-term and short-term green energy goals. Furthermore, the presence of major market players and ambitious gas meter rollouts is also likely to enhance the performance of the regional market over the coming years. Moreover, the region has Germany as the leading growth contributor.



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The North American Regional market for Smart Gas Meters is anticipated to showcase considerable development over the coming years. The region has the U.S. as the leading growth contributor given to the efforts to promote gas use and replace outdated infrastructure with modern technologies. On the other hand, Canada is anticipated to showcase the fastest growth over the coming years.





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Related Reports:

Smart Meters Market Research Report Information, by Type, by Technology, by Application and Region - Forecast till 2027

Smart Machines Market Research Report Information By Type, by Application, And By Region  Market Forecast Till 2030

Smart Sensors Market , By Type, By End-User - Forecast to 2030

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Key Insights

Significant control over Telkom SA SOC by state or government implies that the general public has more power to influence management and governance-related decisions

58% of the business is held by the top 2 shareholders

Institutions own 32% of Telkom SA SOC

To get a sense of who is truly in control of Telkom SA SOC Limited (JSE:TKG), it is important to understand the ownership structure of the business. The group holding the most number of shares in the company, around 42% to be precise, is state or government. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk).

Institutions, on the other hand, account for 32% of the company's stockholders. Generally speaking, as a company grows, institutions will increase their ownership. Conversely, insiders often decrease their ownership over time.

In the chart below, we zoom in on the different ownership groups of Telkom SA SOC.

View our latest analysis for Telkom SA SOC

What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About Telkom SA SOC?

Institutional investors commonly compare their own returns to the returns of a commonly followed index. So they generally do consider buying larger companies that are included in the relevant benchmark index.

As you can see, institutional investors have a fair amount of stake in Telkom SA SOC. This implies the analysts working for those institutions have looked at the stock and they like it. But just like anyone else, they could be wrong. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of Telkom SA SOC, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.

Telkom SA SOC is not owned by hedge funds. South Africa is currently the company's largest shareholder with 42% of shares outstanding. Meanwhile, the second and third largest shareholders, hold 16% and 3.9%, of the shares outstanding, respectively.

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After doing some more digging, we found that the top 2 shareholders collectively control more than half of the company's shares, implying that they have considerable power to influence the company's decisions.

While studying institutional ownership for a company can add value to your research, it is also a good practice to research analyst recommendations to get a deeper understand of a stock's expected performance. Quite a few analysts cover the stock, so you could look into forecast growth quite easily.

Insider Ownership Of Telkom SA SOC

The definition of an insider can differ slightly between different countries, but members of the board of directors always count. Management ultimately answers to the board. However, it is not uncommon for managers to be executive board members, especially if they are a founder or the CEO.

Insider ownership is positive when it signals leadership are thinking like the true owners of the company. However, high insider ownership can also give immense power to a small group within the company. This can be negative in some circumstances.

Our data suggests that insiders own under 1% of Telkom SA SOC Limited in their own names. However, it's possible that insiders might have an indirect interest through a more complex structure. It has a market capitalization of just R16b, and the board has only R1.8m worth of shares in their own names. Many tend to prefer to see a board with bigger shareholdings. A good next step might be to take a look at this free summary of insider buying and selling.

General Public Ownership

The general public-- including retail investors -- own 22% stake in the company, and hence can't easily be ignored. While this size of ownership may not be enough to sway a policy decision in their favour, they can still make a collective impact on company policies.

Next Steps:

While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important.

I like to dive deeper into how a company has performed in the past. You can find historic revenue and earnings in this detailed graph.

If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this free report on analyst forecasts.

NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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OlegAlbinsky / iStock.com

Federal stimulus checks sent out during the COVID-19 pandemic are a distant memory for most Americans. At the state level, however, payments are still being distributed for everything from disaster relief to surplus tax refunds.

Stimulus 2023: Updates To Know Now

See: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

More than 20 states have offered some kind of stimulus relief to their residents over the past couple of years. Heres an update about what to look out for in certain states regarding stimulus payments as of May 2023.

California

California stimulus payments between $200 and $1,050 are available to residents who filed state tax returns by Oct. 15, 2021, and lived in California full-time for a minimum of six months in 2020. Those who qualify should receive payments during the first half of 2023. In addition, the IRS announced tax relief for Californians affected by recent winter storms, according to the states Franchise Tax Board. Taxpayers affected by these storms qualify for an extension to May 15, 2023, to file individual and business tax returns and make certain tax payments.

Georgia

You might be eligible for the 2022 Surplus Tax Refund if you met the following criteria, according to the Georgia Department of Revenue:

Filed your Individual Income Tax Return for tax year 2021 and tax year 2022 by the April 18, 2023 deadline (or by October 16, 2023, if an extension was granted)

Had a tax liability for tax year 2021

Are a Georgia resident, part-year resident, or nonresident

The Revenue Department advised that you allow six to eight weeks for refunds to be issued if you filed by the April 18, 2023 deadline. That means some payments could be made by the end of May.

Maine

Maine residents are eligible for Winter Energy Relief Payments of $450 for individuals and $900 for married couples. A notice issued by the office of Maine Gov. Janet Mills said all payments were expected to be mailed by March 31, 2023. You can check the status of your energy relief payment here.

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New Jersey

About 2 million New Jersey households qualified for property tax rebates under the ANCHOR Tax Relief Program. Payments of up to $1,500 were scheduled to be sent out no later than May 2023. For more information check the states Division of Taxation website or call 888-238-1233.

New Mexico

New Mexico sent out two rounds of relief rebates to all taxpayers during summer 2022. First-round payments totaled $250 to $500, depending on your filing status. Second-round payments were $500 to $1,000. The state also has rebates planned for 2023. As long as you file a 2021 New Mexico state tax return by May 31, 2023, and remain unclaimed as a dependent on someone elses return, you might be eligible for the first stimulus payment. The second stimulus is part of a bill that was set to be passed at the end of March.

New York

Homeowners in New York state are eligible for up to $1,050 in property-tax rebates as part of a statewide stimulus program, while New York City households get an average of $425. To check on your rebate, visit the New York Department of Taxations Homeowner Tax Rebate Credit page.

Take Our Poll: Who Has Given You the Best Money Advice You Have Ever Received?

Explore: Why Nobody Is Buying Vacation Homes Anymore

Pennsylvania

Last year, Pennsylvanias Property Tax/Rent Rebate program issued payments ranging from $250 to $650 to residents over 65 years old, widow(er)s at least 50 years old, or those with disabilities who were at least 18 years old. If you qualified and havent received a payment yet, visit the states Wheres My Rebate? page.

Correction: Florida was removed from this article since the program is closed.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Stimulus Updates 2023: Look Out for Checks and Payments in May if You Live in These States
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) near the close of market in New York Thomson Reuters

ChatGPT created a portfolio of 38 stocks, and the bot has outperformed top competitors in the UK.

In eight weeks, the theoretical portfolio has generated 4.9% returns, versus a loss of 0.8% for the top 10 UK funds.

Meta, Microsoft, and Intel Corporation have been the three top-performing stocks in the ChatGPT fund.

A theoretical stock portfolio of 38 companies picked by ChatGPT has outperformed the 10 most popular funds in the UK over an eight week stretch, according to finance website Finder.com.

The AI-powered fund has climbed 4.93% in the eight weeks since March 6, 2023, while the group of competing funds together averaged a loss of 0.78% in the same period. The bot-picked fund has outperformed the real funds in 34 of the 39 market days the experiment has been running, the report said.

The top three performing stocks in the ChatGPT portfolio were Meta, Microsoft, and Intel Corporation, which saw increases of roughly 30%, 20%, and 18%, respectively.

Other names that rounded out the portfolio include Visa, Home Depot, Johnson & Johnson, Nvidia, and Netflix.

Finder asked the AI large language model to pick stocks using a range of investing principles taken from the leading funds, the website said, and the study bypassed ChatGPT's warning that it "cannot provide specific investment advice" by adding that it was a theoretical exercise.

"The big question is how bad of an idea using ChatGPT for investing research currently would be," Finder chief executive Jon Ostler said. "Big funds have increasingly been using AI for years, but the public using a rudimentary AI platform that openly says its data is patchy since September 2021 and lacks the intricacies of market psychology, doesn't sound like a good idea."

Some of the UK funds that were used in comparison to the ChatGPT portfolio including Fundmsith, Vanguard LifesStrategy 80% Equity, and Fidelity Index UK P Acc.

In a separate survey, Finder also noted that about 19% of UK adults said they would consider getting financial advice from ChatGPT, and a further 8% said they were already doing so.

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More than one third of Brits said they weren't sure what ChatGPT was.

Ostler pointed out that another 2021 survey found that half of British investors use social media to get investing advice. Using AI, in his view, could be a wiser choice than relying on an "unqualified TikTok star," but ideally people shouldn't rely on either for their entire investing education.

"Spending time researching via known primary sources or a qualified advisor would be the safer and recommended approach," he said, "but this may not be the case for ever."

Read the original article on Business Insider
BURNABY, BC, May 5, 2023 /CNW/ - Taiga Building Products Ltd. ("Taiga" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and 2022.

Taiga Building Products Ltd. Logo (CNW Group/Taiga Building Products Ltd.)

First Quarter Ended March 31, 2023 Earnings Results

The Company's consolidated net sales for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 were $408.5 million compared to $612.7 million over the same period last year. The decrease in sales by $204.2 million or 33% was largely due to decreased selling prices for commodity products.

Gross margin for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 decreased to $47.1 million from $108.9 million over the same period last year. The decrease in gross margin was primarily due to lower commodity prices during the quarter.

Net earnings for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 decreased to $13.5 million from $39.5 million over the same period last year primarily due to decreased gross margin.

EBITDA for the quarter ended March 31, 2023 was $22.5 million compared to $58.6 million for the same period last year.

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Earnings

For the Three Months Ended



March 31, (in thousands of Canadian dollars, except for per share amounts) 2023 2022 Sales 408,492 612,704 Gross margin 47,113 108,864 Distribution expense 8,024 7,331 Selling and administration expense 19,640 45,810 Finance expense 1,117 1,871 Subordinated debt interest expense - 219 Other income 7 (53) Earnings before income taxes 18,325 53,686 Income tax expense 4,809 14,186 Net earnings 13,516 39,500 Net earnings per share(1) 0.12 0.37 EBITDA(2) 22,521 58,528

The following is the reconciliation of net earnings to EBITDA:





March 31,

(in thousands of Canadian dollars)

2023 2022 Net earnings

13,516 39,500 Income tax expense

4,809 14,186 Finance and subordinated debt interest expense

1,117 2,090 Amortization

3,079 2,752 EBITDA

22,521 58,528

Notes:

(1) Earnings per share is calculated using the weighted average number of shares. (2) Reference is made above to EBITDA, which represents earnings before interest, taxes, and amortization. As there is no generally accepted method of calculating EBITDA, the measure as calculated by Taiga might not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other issuers. EBITDA is presented as management believes it is a useful indicator of a company's ability to meet debt service and capital expenditure requirements and because management interprets trends in EBITDA as an indicator of relative operating performance. EBITDA should not be considered by an investor as an alternative to net income or cash flows as determined in accordance with IFRS. For the disclosure of the manner in which EBITDA is calculated and reconciliation to net earnings refer to the "EBITDA" section of the Company's management's discussion and analysis which will be available shortly on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.





The foregoing selected financial information is qualified in its entirety by and should be read in conjunction with, our unaudited condensed interim consolidated financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2023 and accompanying notes and management's discussion and analysis which will be available shortly on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

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SOURCE Taiga Building Products Ltd.

Cision

View original content to download multimedia: http://www.newswire.ca/en/releases/archive/May2023/05/c9955.html
With the end of the school year approaching, teachers are being recognized with specials at retailers and restaurants across the U.S. for Teacher Appreciation Week.

Former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt began the effort to create Teacher Appreciation Week and National Teachers Day when she urged Congress in 1953 of the need for a day recognizing teachers, according to School Specialty. National Teacher Day was initially celebrated on March 7, but in 1984 was moved to May. At that time the National Parent Teacher Association began calling the entire first week of May as Teacher Appreciation Week.

"Teachers play a critical role in driving the success of our childrens education and lives," The National Parent Teacher Association says. "They are the ones who inspire and guide our kids to become future leaders, innovators and problem solvers." The organization has ideas on how to thank a teacher on its website.

When is Teacher Appreciation Week?

There's some disagreement about when Teacher Appreciation Week occurs, with the National Education Association and National Parent Teacher Association observing it May 8-May 12, while some states and school districts started celebrating it this week.

During the actual week of recognition, there's usually a National Teachers Day, which some celebrated May 2. But the National Day Calendar and Calenderpedia, places the day of observation as May 9, the first Tuesday of the first full week in May.

When can teachers get deals for Teacher Appreciation Week?

Teachers, whenever you want to celebrate, there's plenty of deals. There's also deals for National Nurses Week, May 6-12. And don't forget Cinco de Mayo, which also means plenty of food and drink deals.

Teacher Appreciation Week 2023: 20 of the best gift cards to give teachers

Recall: Family Dollar initiating recall of Advil shipped to certain stores

Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes National Teacher and National Nurses Week deals

Through May 6, teachers and nurses get a free Little Moo shake at Mooyah Burgers with any purchase (show your teacher or nurse ID when ordering).

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Through May 6, teachers and nurses get a free Little Moo shake at Mooyah Burgers with any purchase (show your teacher or nurse ID when ordering).

Office Depot and OfficeMax teacher appreciation deals

Now through July 1, Teachers with a free Office Depot and OfficeMax Rewards membership can get 30% back in bonus rewards on qualifying in-store purchases. Just present the appropriate coupon available online at officedepot.com/rewardsoffers, a valid teacher ID, and your Office Depot OfficeMax Rewards Member number at checkout.

Staples Teacher Appreciation Week deals 2023

Teachers get $30 back in Staples Rewards when they spend $100 or more in stores from May 7 to May 13. Teachers can also get $15 off signs, banners, and posters when they spend $75 or more, and $10 off document printing when spending $40 or more (both deals expires May 27).

Want to help your local school and teachers? Join Staples Classroom Rewards Program to earn 5% back on in-store purchases to give to a local teacher or school, as well as 5% back in Staples Rewards.

Crocs, Michaels, Xfinity, Sleep Number deals for teachers with SheerID

Third-party verification service SheerID, which collects information that assists in verifying eligibility, has a slew of exclusive teacher deals with partners including Asics, Crocs, Dockers, L.L. Bean, Michaels, Peloton, Vineyard Vines and Sleep Number. Find teacher deals at Sheerid.com/shoppers/teacherdeals.

Teacher deals from Samsung, Verizon, DirecTV with ID.me

Another verification service, ID.me, has partnered with brands including Adidas, DirecTV, Hotels.com, Ray-Ban, Samsung, Sam's Club, Saucony, Under Armour and Verizon Wireless to confirm eligibility for teacher discounts. See the list of businesses at Shop.id.me/teacher.

"The Teachers" book available at a bargain price

You can get critically acclaimed new book The Teachers: A Year Inside America's Most Vulnerable, Important Profession, a USA Today "Hottest New Book Release" and New York Times Spring Nonfiction pick, will be available for just $1.99 as an ebook (down from the $15.99 retail price) from May 8 to May 13.

Firehouse Subs' free sandwich deal for teachers

Firehouse Subs will give teachers nationwide any free medium sub with the purchase of any medium or large sub, chips, and drink, May 8-May 12. Any medium sub is eligible, including the limited-time Smokin Triple Stack sub.

Firehouse Subs' Smokin' Triple Stack sub.

McAlister's Deli

Teachers and nurses can get a free 32-ounce tea through May 10 by showing valid educator or medical ID at participating at McAlister's Deli locations. No purchase necessary, but limit one per person; not valid on flavored shots or other beverages. Must order in person for dine in and takeout orders only.

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery's Teacher Appreciation Week deal

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery is giving teachers 20% off meals May 8 to May 12 when they present a valid teacher ID and are members of the restaurant's E-Club rewards program (join prior to May 8; the offer can be used multiple times during the week).

Potbelly Sandwich deals for National Teacher Appreciation Week and National Nurses Week

Potbelly will give teachers and nurses a free cookie or regular-sized soft drink when they purchase an entree May 6 through May 12. Just show your work ID or badge when ordering any entree (sandwich, salad, soup, or pick your pair; in-shop orders only).

Sonic Teacher Appreciation Week free cheeseburger deal, DonorsChoose donation match

Sonic is giving all those enrolled in its Teachers Circle Rewards program a free cheeseburger with any purchase from May 9 to May 16 made online or in the Sonic App. Any teacher, faculty or staff at a K-12 school or degree-granting university can use the app to sign up for Teachers Circle and get exclusive rewards; get verified before May 9 for the free cheeseburger deal.

Also on May 9, the Sonic Foundation will match 50% of public donations  up to $1.5 million  to education non-profit group DonorsChoose. (A portion of proceeds for every drink, slush and shake sold goes to the Sonic Foundation, which has donated more than $24 million to funding U.S. classrooms since 2009.)

Those who want to donate can text GIVE to 31869 and receive a direct link to a teachers classroom in their local community. Emmy Award-winning actress Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary) is a celebrity spokesperson for the campaign. Public school teachers have dedicated their lives to inspiring Americas youth, and we must ensure they have all the tools they need as they shape the hearts and minds of our children, she said in a statement.

McDonald's teacher appreciation 2022 deals

McDonalds doesnt have a national Teacher Appreciation Week deal, but some locations have regional or local deals over the week. Check with your McDonalds to see if there is a local offer for teachers. And also check the app for other deals including free fries.

Whataburger Teacher Appreciation Week breakfast deal

Educators can get free breakfast entrees from May 8 to May 12. During the week from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., teachers get a free breakfast entree plus a Taquito with cheese, Breakfast on a Bun or Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit. They also get a 25% discount on all items in the Whatastore with code WHATATEACHER23.

More than 55 teachers who were nominated by their peers and community members, will be awarded a $1,000 grant for their schools, totaling more than $70,000 to support teachers communities within Whataburger's 14-state footprint.

Teachers can get free breakfast entrees from May 8 to May 12 at Whataburger. During the week from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m., teachers get a free breakfast entree plus a Taquito with cheese, Breakfast on a Bun or Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit.

Buffalo Wild Wings $1 boneless wings deal

Whether you are a teacher or not, any customer who orders a burger at Buffalo Wild Wings can get six boneless wings for just $1 more, through May 30.

Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @mikesnider.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: Teacher Appreciation Week 2023: Food deals, discounts for educators
Generally speaking the aim of active stock picking is to find companies that provide returns that are superior to the market average. And the truth is, you can make significant gains if you buy good quality businesses at the right price. For example, long term Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) shareholders have enjoyed a 72% share price rise over the last half decade, well in excess of the market return of around 41% (not including dividends). On the other hand, the more recent gains haven't been so impressive, with shareholders gaining just 24%.

With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies.

Check out our latest analysis for Boston Scientific

To paraphrase Benjamin Graham: Over the short term the market is a voting machine, but over the long term it's a weighing machine. One flawed but reasonable way to assess how sentiment around a company has changed is to compare the earnings per share (EPS) with the share price.

Over half a decade, Boston Scientific managed to grow its earnings per share at 48% a year. The EPS growth is more impressive than the yearly share price gain of 11% over the same period. So it seems the market isn't so enthusiastic about the stock these days. Having said that, the market is still optimistic, given the P/E ratio of 88.35.

The graphic below depicts how EPS has changed over time (unveil the exact values by clicking on the image).

We know that Boston Scientific has improved its bottom line lately, but is it going to grow revenue? You could check out this free report showing analyst revenue forecasts.

A Different Perspective

We're pleased to report that Boston Scientific shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 24% over one year. Since the one-year TSR is better than the five-year TSR (the latter coming in at 11% per year), it would seem that the stock's performance has improved in recent times. Someone with an optimistic perspective could view the recent improvement in TSR as indicating that the business itself is getting better with time. It's always interesting to track share price performance over the longer term. But to understand Boston Scientific better, we need to consider many other factors. For instance, we've identified 3 warning signs for Boston Scientific (1 is significant) that you should be aware of.

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For those who like to find winning investments this free list of growing companies with recent insider purchasing, could be just the ticket.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on American exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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It might be of some concern to shareholders to see the Lithium Chile Inc. (CVE:LITH) share price down 16% in the last month. But over three years the performance has been really wonderful. The longer term view reveals that the share price is up 407% in that period. Arguably, the recent fall is to be expected after such a strong rise. The thing to consider is whether there is still too much elation around the company's prospects.

So let's assess the underlying fundamentals over the last 3 years and see if they've moved in lock-step with shareholder returns.

Check out our latest analysis for Lithium Chile

Lithium Chile recorded just CA$2,221,301 in revenue over the last twelve months, which isn't really enough for us to consider it to have a proven product. So it seems that the investors focused more on what could be, than paying attention to the current revenues (or lack thereof). For example, investors may be hoping that Lithium Chile finds some valuable resources, before it runs out of money.

As a general rule, if a company doesn't have much revenue, and it loses money, then it is a high risk investment. You should be aware that there is always a chance that this sort of company will need to issue more shares to raise money to continue pursuing its business plan. While some such companies do very well over the long term, others become hyped up by promoters before eventually falling back down to earth, and going bankrupt (or being recapitalized). Of course, if you time it right, high risk investments like this can really pay off, as Lithium Chile investors might know.

Lithium Chile has plenty of cash in the bank, with cash in excess of all liabilities sitting at CA$37m, when it last reported (December 2022). This gives management the flexibility to drive business growth, without worrying too much about cash reserves. And with the share price up 49% per year, over 3 years , the market is focussed on that blue sky potential. The image below shows how Lithium Chile's balance sheet has changed over time; if you want to see the precise values, simply click on the image.

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Of course, the truth is that it is hard to value companies without much revenue or profit. However you can take a look at whether insiders have been buying up shares. If they are buying a significant amount of shares, that's certainly a good thing. Luckily we are in a position to provide you with this free chart of insider buying (and selling).

A Different Perspective

We regret to report that Lithium Chile shareholders are down 14% for the year. Unfortunately, that's worse than the broader market decline of 1.5%. However, it could simply be that the share price has been impacted by broader market jitters. It might be worth keeping an eye on the fundamentals, in case there's a good opportunity. Regrettably, last year's performance caps off a bad run, with the shareholders facing a total loss of 3% per year over five years. We realise that Baron Rothschild has said investors should "buy when there is blood on the streets", but we caution that investors should first be sure they are buying a high quality business. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Case in point: We've spotted 3 warning signs for Lithium Chile you should be aware of, and 1 of them doesn't sit too well with us.

Of course, you might find a fantastic investment by looking elsewhere. So take a peek at this free list of companies we expect will grow earnings.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Canadian exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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By buying an index fund, investors can approximate the average market return. But if you pick the right individual stocks, you could make more than that. For example, the Genting Singapore Limited (SGX:G13) share price is up 44% in the last three years, clearly besting the market return of around 8.5% (not including dividends).

Although Genting Singapore has shed S$483m from its market cap this week, let's take a look at its longer term fundamental trends and see if they've driven returns.

View our latest analysis for Genting Singapore

While the efficient markets hypothesis continues to be taught by some, it has been proven that markets are over-reactive dynamic systems, and investors are not always rational. One way to examine how market sentiment has changed over time is to look at the interaction between a company's share price and its earnings per share (EPS).

Over the last three years, Genting Singapore failed to grow earnings per share, which fell 21% (annualized).

So we doubt that the market is looking to EPS for its main judge of the company's value. Therefore, we think it's worth considering other metrics as well.

You can only imagine how long term shareholders feel about the declining revenue trend (slipping at 16% per year). The only thing that's clear is there is low correlation between Genting Singapore's share price and its historic fundamental data. Further research may be required!

You can see below how earnings and revenue have changed over time (discover the exact values by clicking on the image).

Genting Singapore is a well known stock, with plenty of analyst coverage, suggesting some visibility into future growth. Given we have quite a good number of analyst forecasts, it might be well worth checking out this free chart depicting consensus estimates.

What About Dividends?

As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). Whereas the share price return only reflects the change in the share price, the TSR includes the value of dividends (assuming they were reinvested) and the benefit of any discounted capital raising or spin-off. It's fair to say that the TSR gives a more complete picture for stocks that pay a dividend. In the case of Genting Singapore, it has a TSR of 57% for the last 3 years. That exceeds its share price return that we previously mentioned. The dividends paid by the company have thusly boosted the total shareholder return.

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A Different Perspective

It's nice to see that Genting Singapore shareholders have received a total shareholder return of 43% over the last year. Of course, that includes the dividend. That's better than the annualised return of 1.7% 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. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. For example, we've discovered 1 warning sign for Genting Singapore that you should be aware of before investing here.

If you are like me, then you will not want to miss this free list of growing companies that insiders are buying.

Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on Singaporean exchanges.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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By Elvira Pollina

MILAN (Reuters) -Shares in Telecom Italia (TIM) rose as much as 4% on Friday as the board of the phone group set a final deadline of June 9 for improved offers for its prized landline grid.

TIM directors met on Thursday to draw up a response to rival approaches for the grid from KKR and a consortium of state lender CDP and fund Macquarie, worth 21 billion euros ($23 billion) and 19.3 billion euros, respectively.

After the board meeting, TIM said the were bids "not yet adequate", adding at least one of the bidders had expressed its readiness to improve its non-binding offer.

Three sources with knowledge of the matter said KKR was willing to work further on its bid terms. KKR declined to comment.

TIM shares were 3.7% higher at 0930 GMT compared with a 1.2% rise in Italy's blue chip index.

In its daily note, Banca Akros said the outcome of the meeting has "positive implications as the board at least has not stopped the sale process".

The sale of the network is a key plank of TIM CEO Pietro Labriola's plan to turnaround the struggling former phone monopoly by slashing its 25 billion euro debt pile.

Under pressure for years in due to stiff price competition in its domestic market, junk-rated TIM is now grappling with higher interest rates and may need to bolster its capital if the network sale does not materialise shortly, analysts say.

Labriola's strategy has been challenged by the company's top investor Vivendi, which is seeking a valuation of 31 billion euros for the phone group's main asset.

The French media giant has been piling pressure on directors to draw a line under the network sale process, given the yawning valuation gap and concerns over the sustainability of TIM's remaining business.

Vivendi, which owns a 23.8% stake in TIM, relinquished its seats on the board and is calling for changes to how the group is run as it aims to negotiate an alternative plan with the Italian government.

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Vivendi's concerns are shared by some TIM board members, people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

($1 = 0.9071 euros)

(Reporting by Elvira PollinaEditing by Keith Weir and Mark Potter)
While Genting Berhad (KLSE:GENTING) might not be the most widely known stock at the moment, it received a lot of attention from a substantial price movement on the KLSE over the last few months, increasing to RM5.11 at one point, and dropping to the lows of RM4.44. Some share price movements can give investors a better opportunity to enter into the stock, and potentially buy at a lower price. A question to answer is whether Genting Berhad's current trading price of RM4.74 reflective of the actual value of the mid-cap? Or is it currently undervalued, providing us with the opportunity to buy? Lets take a look at Genting Berhads outlook and value based on the most recent financial data to see if there are any catalysts for a price change.

See our latest analysis for Genting Berhad

What Is Genting Berhad Worth?

According to my valuation model, Genting Berhad seems to be fairly priced at around 8.52% above my intrinsic value, which means if you buy Genting Berhad today, youd be paying a relatively reasonable price for it. And if you believe the companys true value is MYR4.37, then there isnt really any room for the share price grow beyond what its currently trading. Furthermore, Genting Berhads low beta implies that the stock is less volatile than the wider market.

Can we expect growth from Genting Berhad?

Investors looking for growth in their portfolio may want to consider the prospects of a company before buying its shares. Buying a great company with a robust outlook at a cheap price is always a good investment, so lets also take a look at the company's future expectations. With revenues expected to grow by a double-digit 29% over the next couple of years, the outlook is positive for Genting Berhad. If the level of expenses is able to be maintained, it looks like higher cash flow is on the cards for the stock, which should feed into a higher share valuation.

What This Means For You

Are you a shareholder? GENTINGs optimistic future growth appears to have been factored into the current share price, with shares trading around its fair value. However, there are also other important factors which we havent considered today, such as the financial strength of the company. Have these factors changed since the last time you looked at the stock? Will you have enough conviction to buy should the price fluctuates below the true value?

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Are you a potential investor? If youve been keeping tabs on GENTING, now may not be the most optimal time to buy, given it is trading around its fair value. However, the optimistic prospect is encouraging for the company, which means its worth diving deeper into other factors such as the strength of its balance sheet, in order to take advantage of the next price drop.

With this in mind, we wouldn't consider investing in a stock unless we had a thorough understanding of the risks. For example - Genting Berhad has 1 warning sign we think you should be aware of.

If you are no longer interested in Genting Berhad, you can use our free platform to see our list of over 50 other stocks with a high growth potential.

Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content? Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com.



This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned.

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(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Bidens national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said he would travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend, in a new sign of the administrations determination to smooth over rocky ties with the kingdom.

Most Read from Bloomberg

And Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to visit in June for a meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the Islamic State terrorist group, according to people familiar with the matter.

Sullivan, who confirmed his trip in a Thursday evening speech organized by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said that he would meet as well with representatives from India and the United Arab Emirates and discuss new areas of cooperation between New Delhi and the Gulf.

Sullivan added that he would meet with the Saudi leadership without being specific. The people, who asked not to be identified discussing the plans in advance, said that his meetings would include Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Sullivan called the administrations Middle East policy both realistic and pragmatic. He said it is clear-eyed about eschewing grand designs and unrealistic promises of transformational change but at the same time ambitious and optimistic about what can be achieved.

He listed accomplishments, including a truce in the long civil war in Yemen, which drew in regional powers and led to a humanitarian crisis.

A State Department spokesman said the department had no travel for Blinken to announce. The Saudi government didnt respond to request for comment.

Sullivans meeting marks the first of its kind among the US, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and India. Key themes will be diversifying supply chains and investments in strategic infrastructure projects, including ports, rail and minerals, one of the people said.

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The consecutive trips by high-level US officials highlight that the administration is determined to get past the frostiness that has defined relations between Washington and Riyadh. As a candidate, Biden had said he would treat Saudi Arabia as a pariah after the murder of columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

The two nations lashed out at each other last year when Saudi Arabia agreed to cut OPEC+ crude output in defiance of US wishes.

Saudi Arabia and its OPEC+ partners cut output again last month, in a move the Biden administration said was ill-advised. In another sign of increasingly tenuous US influence over Saudi Arabia, Chinese President Xi Jinping helped deliver a deal in March to resume diplomatic ties between Iran and the kingdom.

Some US officials believe that engagement with Beijing poses no threat to the US-Saudi relationship.

Im not worried about the Chinese supplanting US influence in Saudi Arabia, which goes back generations and is personally felt by the Saudi royal family, David Marlowe, the Central Intelligence Agencys deputy director of operations, told a conference at Vanderbilt University on Thursday. Its an opportunistic move on their part, but I dont worry that thats somehow going to shift power in the Middle East.

Marlowe described Chinese engagement in Saudi Arabia as 100% transactional  and said the Saudis understand that too.

Before Sullivans trip, Amos Hochstein, Bidens senior adviser for energy and investment, and Brett McGurk, National Security Council coordinator for the Middle East, met with UAE leaders last week, including Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and UAE National Security Adviser Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, according to people familiar with the meetings.

Earlier: Saudi Feud Leaves the US Asking If Relations Are Beyond Repair

Sullivan spoke to the crown prince on April 11, pointing out progress to end the war in Yemen and Saudi Arabias extraordinary efforts to pursue a road map to peace, according to a White House statement. The two sides also agreed to accelerate contact on issues including clean energy and infrastructure investment.

The US has also been working closely with Saudi Arabia in Sudan. Biden thanked Riyadh in a statement on April 22, saying the kingdom was critical to the success of our operation to extract US government personnel from Khartoum.

--With assistance from Matthew Martin and Katrina Manson.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
The analysts covering Tourmaline Oil Corp. (TSE:TOU) delivered a dose of negativity to shareholders today, by making a substantial revision to their statutory forecasts for this year. Both revenue and earnings per share (EPS) estimates were cut sharply as analysts factored in the latest outlook for the business, concluding that they were too optimistic previously.

Following the latest downgrade, the four analysts covering Tourmaline Oil provided consensus estimates of CA$6.4b revenue in 2023, which would reflect an uncomfortable 9.6% decline on its sales over the past 12 months. Statutory earnings per share are supposed to crater 60% to CA$5.23 in the same period. Before this latest update, the analysts had been forecasting revenues of CA$7.9b and earnings per share (EPS) of CA$6.30 in 2023. Indeed, we can see that the analysts are a lot more bearish about Tourmaline Oil's prospects, administering a measurable cut to revenue estimates and slashing their EPS estimates to boot.

Check out our latest analysis for Tourmaline Oil

Looking at the bigger picture now, one of the ways we can make sense of these forecasts is to see how they measure up against both past performance and industry growth estimates. These estimates imply that sales are expected to slow, with a forecast annualised revenue decline of 13% by the end of 2023. This indicates a significant reduction from annual growth of 36% over the last five years. By contrast, our data suggests that other companies (with analyst coverage) in the industry are forecast to see their revenue decline 0.03% annually for the foreseeable future. The forecasts do look bearish for Tourmaline Oil, since they're expecting it to shrink faster than the industry.

The Bottom Line

The biggest issue in the new estimates is that analysts have reduced their earnings per share estimates, suggesting business headwinds lay ahead for Tourmaline Oil. Unfortunately they also cut their revenue estimates for this year, and they expect sales to lag the wider market. That said, earnings per share are more important for creating value for shareholders. After a cut like that, investors could be forgiven for thinking analysts are a lot more bearish on Tourmaline Oil, and a few readers might choose to steer clear of the stock.

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With that said, the long-term trajectory of the company's earnings is a lot more important than next year. We have estimates - from multiple Tourmaline Oil analysts - going out to 2024, and you can see them free on our platform here.

Of course, seeing company management invest large sums of money in a stock can be just as useful as knowing whether analysts are downgrading their estimates. So you may also wish to search this free list of stocks that insiders are buying.

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

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Transparency Market Research

Demand for transformers is anticipated to increase due to depletion of sources of fossil fuels and increasing enforcement of government policies to encourage use of renewable energy sources

Wilmington, Delaware, United States, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Transparency Market Research Inc. - The global transformer market size stood at US$ 28.26 Bn in 2021 and is expected to reach value of US$ 48.11 Bn by 2031. The global industry is likely to expand at a CAGR of 5.7% between 2022 and 2031. A transformer is a mechanical device that steps up or steps down the voltage to transfer electrical power from one alternating current circuit to one or more other circuits.



Transformers are utilized in many different applications, including transmission, distribution, production, and utilization of electrical energy. They are used in a variety of domestic and commercial settings, notably for the long-distance distribution and control of electricity.

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The global transformer market size is driven by an increase in use of renewable energy sources and growing demand for a dependable and consistent power source. As the COVID-19 epidemic has subsided, market players are focusing on high-growth sectors including automotive & transportation, oil & gas, and metals & mining.

For Insights on Global, Regional, and Country-Level Parameters with Growth Opportunities by 2031 - Download a Sample Report!

Electronic transformers are likely to witness constant technical advancements, which is anticipated to drive industry growth. The market's leading companies are developing small sized, lightweight transformers with higher capacities and fewer energy losses. Companies are also making transformers that are industry-specific, such as arc furnace transformers and rectifier transformers, as a way to set their products apart from those of rivals.

While their uses vary depending on system needs, all types of transformers, including those built for electromagnetic induction, operate according to the same basic principles. These methods employ high-temperature materials to give users a range of environmental, financial, and safety advantages.

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Market Snapshot:

Report Coverage Details Market Revenue US$ 28.26 Bn Estimated Value US$ 48.11 Bn Growth Rate - CAGR 5.7% Forecast Period 2022-2031 No. of Pages 281 Pages Market Segmentation Type, Voltage Range, Cooling, Phase, Application Regions Covered North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, South America Companies Covered Eaton, GE, Hitachi Energy Ltd., HYUNDAI ELECTRIC & ENERGY SYSTEMS CO., LTD., Kirloskar Electric Company, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Schneider Electric, Siemens Energy, TDK Corporation, Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Key Findings of Market Report

Based on type, the power transformer segment accounted for almost 40% of the global industry in 2021. This is due to growing popularity of renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, as well as surge in usage of micro-grid operations. The main applications of power transformers are to increase or decrease voltage in power production as well as transmission. Power transformers are used in a variety of sectors, such as mining and oil and gas industries.





Based on cooling, the oil immersed segment held the largest market share, accounting for approximately 67%, in 2021. Electrical substations and power distribution both employ oil immersed transformers. These transformers have an extended lifespan as compared to the dry variety.



Buy this Premium Research Report | Immediate Delivery Available - https://www.transparencymarketresearch.com/checkout.php?rep_id=85122<ype=S

Global Transformer Market: Growth Drivers

Market value of transformers is anticipated to increase as a result of gradual depletion of sources of fossil fuels and increasing adoption of government policies to encourage utilization of renewable energy. The global industry is expanding due to rise in demand for electricity as well as increase in public-private investments in the field of renewable energy.





Transformers are employed in the renewable energy industry to change direct current (DC) power produced by an energy-harvesting device into alternating current (AC) electricity for use in residences, commercial buildings, and electrical grid situations.





Increase in power consumption in developing countries is majorly attributed to rapid urbanization and industrialization. Additionally, a rise in energy consumption in Asia Pacific is due to growing infrastructure spending in the region. Growing energy consumption in the developing world is driving the transformer industry at a rapid pace.



Global Transformer Market: Regional Landscape

Asia Pacific held a major share of the global transformer market in 2021 owing to rapid urbanization and industrialization in the region. Significant rise in power consumption in India, Japan, and China, is also anticipated to boost the market in Asia Pacific at a rapid pace between 2022 and 2031.





North America accounted for the second-largest market share, with close to 31% of the overall industry, in 2021. Presence of major companies and early adoption of cutting-edge technology in the power industry are attributed to the expansion of the regional market. The U.S. held a major share of the market in North America in 2021, mostly due to an increase in R&D spending on new transformers.



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Global Transformer Market: Key Players

Some of the key players in the global transformer market are as follows

Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation

Hyundai Electric & Energy Systems Co., Ltd

Rockwell Automation, Inc.

TDK Corporation

Kirloskar Electric Company

Hitachi Energy Ltd

Global Transformer Market: Segmentation

Type

Power Transformer

Distribution Transformer

Instrument Transformer

Electronic Transformer

Others



Voltage Range

Up to 500 VA

501 VA to 1 kVA

2 kVA to 5000 kVA

5001 kVA to 1000 MVA

1001 MVA to 1500 MVA

Above 1500 MVA

Cooling

Dry Type

Oil Immersed

Phase

Single Phase

Three Phase

Application

Residential

Commercial

Industrial



Regions

North America

Europe

Asia Pacific

Middle East & Africa

Latin America



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(Bloomberg) -- Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russias Wagner mercenary group, renewed a threat to pull his forces from the battlefield near Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine because of an ammunition shortage.

Most Read from Bloomberg

The target of Prigozhins ire, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, later on Friday ordered commanders to ensure supplies of weapons and munitions for the campaign during a visit to the Southern military district.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Kyiv with executives of BlackRock Inc. to discuss creation of a fund to aid in his countrys recovery.

Key Developments

Binance Faces US Probe of Possible Russian Sanctions Violations

Russia Pipeline Data Offer Scant Evidence of Oil Output Cuts

Russias Next Standoff With the West Is In the Oil-Rich Arctic

Wheat Set for First Weekly Gain in Three on Ukraine Trade Worry

Russia Says It Has Billions of Indian Rupees That It Cant Use

(All times CET)

Binance Faces Probe of Possible Sanctions Violations (4 a.m.)

The Justice Department is investigating whether Binance Holdings Ltd. was used illegally to let Russians skirt US sanctions and move money through the worlds biggest cryptocurrency exchange, according to people familiar with the matter.

The inquiry by the Justice Departments national security division is looking at whether Binance or company officials ran afoul of sanctions related to Russias invasion of Ukraine, according to five people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named discussing a confidential investigation.

Zelenskiy Meets BlackRock Executives in Kyiv (9:29 p.m.)

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelenskiy met in Kyiv with executives of BlackRock Inc. including Philipp Hildebrand, vice chairman and member of the asset management firms global executive committee.

Story continues

BlackRock Financial Market Advisory will provide services for the fund, according to an emailed statement from Zelenskiys office. The fund will seek private and public capital for projects in Ukraine after active hostilities end.

We can offer interesting projects for investments in energy, agriculture, logistics, infrastructure, IT and many other sectors, Zelenskiy said. We want global partners, who can provide us with large investments to come.

Chechen Leader Says Hed Replace Wagner Group If It Goes (6:44 p.m.)

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on Telegram that Chechen servicemen are ready to replace Wagner Group fighters in Bakhmut if Prigozhin delivers on his threat to withdraw his mercenary force.

Still, Kadyrov praised Prigozhin, calling him his older brother. Kadyrov urged Prigozhin and Russian military leaders to agree on arms supplies and not to argue in public.

UN Says No New Vessels Approved for Ukraine Grain Corridor (6:39 p.m.)

The Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Centre didnt reach agreement on Friday to authorize new vessels to participate in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the United Nations secretary-general, said.

Daily inspections work on previously authorized vessels continues, he said. Vessel traffic through the Ukraine crop-export corridor has been repeatedly disrupted in recent weeks. The current agreement expires on May 18.

Ukraine Lauds Approval of 1 Billion Tranche for Ammunition (6:01 p.m.)

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba hailed the approval of a 1 billion ($1.1 billion) European tranche for the joint procurement of ammunition for his country.

Enterprises Targeted in Strikes, Governor Says (5:35 p.m.)

Industrial enterprises in the eastern Ukrainian cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk were targeted in missile strikes, though no casualties were reported, Donetsk regional Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said on Facebook.

Buildings were damaged by S-300 missiles, but all valuable equipment had already been evacuated to safer regions of Ukraine, he said.

Raiffeisen Aims to Spin Off Russian Unit by October (3:39 p.m.)

Raiffeisen Bank International AG is hoping it can complete a spin off of its Russian subsidiary by the end of the third quarter.

The Austrian lender announced in March it plans to sell or spin off its Russian subsidiary amid growing pressure from regulators and governments. A final decision hasnt been made and either outcome could ultimately fail should the costs prove to be too high, Chief Executive Officer Johann Strobl said Friday.

Russia to Resettle Residents in Zaporizhzhia Towns Amid Fighting (3:24 p.m.)

Russian occupation authorities said they are temporarily resettling about 70,000 civilians from 18 towns and villages in the Zaporizhzhia region, including Enerhodar, which is home to a major nuclear power plant, amid rising fighting in the area, Tass said.

Evgeny Balitsky, the Russian-appointed governor, said that the order applies primarily to women, children and the elderly. He said they would be moved away from the front elsewhere in the region.

Fighting around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in Enerhodar has raised fears for months of damage to the facility. The International Atomic Energy Agency has been negotiating to establish a security zone around it but so far without success.

NATO Steps Up Submarine Monitoring (2:37 p.m.)

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is stepping up monitoring of submarines after the defense alliance warned that Moscow is mapping European Union and US critical underwater assets.

As part of an exercise, which started April 24 and ends Friday, 12 NATO nations teamed up their marine patrol aircraft, surface ships and friendly subs to search for a submarine with very little information.

The Dynamic Mongoose drill took place in the so-called Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, through which Russian vessels need to pass to access the Atlantic Ocean.

Read more: NATO Drills Sharpen Submarine-Hunt Skills in Russias Backyard

Zelenskiy Meets With Bahrain Foreign Minister (1:21 p.m.)

During a meeting with Bahrains foreign minister, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy thanked the Persian Gulf nation for its respect for his countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelenskiy presented Ukraines peace formula at the Kyiv event with Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani and invited Bahrain to take part in a peace summit thats being organized.

The issue of returning Ukrainian children home, as well as the countrys recovery needs were also discussed, according to Zelenskiys office.

Wheat Prices Set for Weekly Gain on Ukraine Trade Worries (12:17 p.m.)

Wheat futures in Chicago headed for the first weekly gain since mid-April on concerns over the outlook for Ukraines crop trade.

Tensions in the region escalated this week after Russia claimed the US was behind a drone strike on the Kremlin that it blamed on Ukraine, but it provided no evidence. The rift comes during a crucial time for negotiations over the Black Sea crop-export deal. A meeting of deputy defense ministers has been postponed to next week from Friday, according to Turkish media reports.

Russias Big Rupee Surplus With India a Problem, Lavrov Says (11 a.m.)

Russias large trade surplus in rupees has become a problem because Moscow has billions of the Indian currency it cant use, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters.

We accumulated billions of rupees on accounts in Indian banks and we need to use this money. But for now, these rupees must be transferred in another currency and this is being discussed with India, Lavrov said after talks with officials in Goa.

Russian energy exports to India have surged since the Kremlin invasion of Ukraine, but restrictions on rupee convertibility make it hard for Moscow to spend the proceeds.

Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
Nouriel Roubini. Tom Williams/Getty Images

The US and China are on a collision course that's set to worsen a "geopolitical depression," Nouriel Roubini said.

"Fragmentation and decoupling are becoming the new normal," he said, warning that prospects for US-China cooperation are fading.

Roubini previously said a geopolitical depression will have far-reaching economic and financial consequences.

US-China relations are on a slow-motion collision course  and it's set to worsen a "geopolitical depression" that threatens huge economic and financial consequences, according to "Dr. Doom" economist Nouriel Roubini.

Roubini, who is known for his doomsday economic predictions, sounded off on US-China tensions and pointed to the growing risk of conflict.

"Despite US officials' efforts to establish guardrails for strategic competition with China, and Chinese officials' insistence that they have no interest in economic decoupling, prospects for cooperation look increasingly remote," Roubini said in an op-ed for Project Syndicate on Wednesday. "Fragmentation and decoupling are becoming the new normal, the two countries remain on a collision course, and a dangerous deepening of the ongoing 'geopolitical depression' is all but inevitable."

He recalled a recent meeting with Chinese premier Li Qiang, who talked about US lawmakers' heated questioning of TikTok's CEO in March.

Roubini said Li's comments included an "implicit warning" that China could retaliate if its other companies are treated harshly by the US.

And while Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has tried to ease tensions, he said that's a difficult task given US efforts to limit Chinese investments in the US as well as US investments in China.

In a column in February, Roubini warned the world has entered a geopolitical depression that will have far-reaching economic and financial consequences.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine creates a divide between Western nations and "revisionist powers," like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, he said at the time, adding that such fragmentation could tip the global economy into a stagflationary recession.

"In particular, a hot war between major powers is now more likely within the next decade," Roubini wrote in February.

Read the original article on Business Insider
TIMOTHY A. CLARY / Getty

US and state officials are assessing whether market manipulation is driving volatility in regional bank stocks, Reuters reported.

The sharp moves are drawing attention as the industry is seeing solid fundamentals such as stable deposits.

A banking association is asking the SEC to stop short-bets on bank stocks.

Federal and state officials are assessing whether market manipulation has been driving wild swings in regional bank stocks, Reuters reported.

A jump in volatility and short-selling activity in shares of small to mid-sized banks is drawing the attention of officials and regulators as there are solid fundamentals like stable deposits and sufficient capital levels in the sector, an unnamed source told Reuters in a report published Thursday.

"State and federal regulators and officials are increasingly attentive to the possibility of market manipulation regarding banking equities," the source was quoted as saying.

The Securities and Exchange Commission calls market manipulation "intentional or willful conduct designed to deceive or defraud investors by controlling or artificially affecting the price of securities."

PacWest, Western Alliance and shares of other small to mid-sized banks have plunged recently, with that group under scrutiny after the March collapse and seizures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

PacWest this week said it "has not experienced out-of-the-ordinary deposit flows" after the seizure of troubled First Republic Bank and other industry news.

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation told Reuters it could not confirm investigations or whether it was aware of any particular market activity. But the department said it was focused on stopping and remedying any practices that violate state law.

The American Bankers Association is urging the SEC to stop short bets in regional bank stocks. Short sellers pulled in nearly $400 million on Thursday from the sell-off in regional bank stocks, according to data from financial analytics platform Ortex.

Read the original article on Business Insider
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy travel industry press releases from PR Newswire, including a new destination for Adventures by Disney and growing interest in camping and glamping.

NEW YORK, May 5, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the travel industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

PR Newswire Weekly Travel Press Release Roundup, May 1-5, 2023. Photo provided by Kampgrounds of America, Inc. https://prn.to/3oZiOVd

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

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Read more of the latest travel-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNtravel on Twitter.

Can't-Miss Earnings

In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for Royal Caribbean Group, Marriott International, Allegiant Travel Company, and MGM Resorts.

Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.

Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they're signed up, reporters, bloggers and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Create a customized newsfeed that will deliver relevant news right to your inbox. Customize the newsfeed by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.

Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include with your next story.

Subject Matter Experts: Access ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in your articles.

Related Resources: Read and subscribe to our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, for media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire and PR Newswire for Journalists

For more than 65 years, PR Newswire has been the industry leader with the largest, most comprehensive distribution network of print, radio, magazine, television stations, financial portals and trade publications. PR Newswire has an unparalleled global reach of more than 200,000 publications and 10,000 websites and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages.

PR Newswire for Journalists (PRNJ) is an exclusive community that includes over 20,000 journalists, bloggers and influencers who are logging into their PRNJ accounts specifically looking for story ideas. PR Newswire thoroughly researches and vets this community to verify their identity as a member of the press, blogger or influencer. PRNJ users cover more than 200 beats and verticals.

For questions, contact the team at media.relations@cision.com.

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Dublin, May 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Worldwide MVNO Directory 2023-2024" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering

The directory is known among industry stalwarts as the most trusted & dependable go-to resource for gaining backdoor access to influential decision-makers holding key positions within MVNO businesses all over the globe.

The 2023-2024 Edition features 4400+ Management Contacts, 880+ MVNOs from 65+ countries across the globe.

Over the last 15 years since its launch, this flagship product has successfully helped hundreds of telecom businesses establish relationships with MVNOs.

Businesses use MVNO directory for a variety of purposes; business development, sales & marketing, B2B networking, event invitations, and largely as a critical addition to (their) resource library to ascertain speedy access to the whole MVNO industry on fingertips, for example.

Audience:

Those looking to do business with MVNOs e.g. Network Enablers, Hubbing Partners, Interconnection usage providers, Roaming partners, Handset manufacturers, Infra service providers, Chipset Providers, Core Solutions, Digitalisation Experts, Consultants, 4G/5G specialists, Other telecom service providers.

The key attributes MVNO directory offers to help businesses take an informed view of an MVNO business, are as follows:

Name & About MVNO - Country wise 1-operator per page structure

MVNO Type & Technology Offerings

Group & Ownership Information

Commercial Business Information - Network portfolio, Subscribers, Penetration, market share, address, phone & fax numbers, and more.

Online presence - Web/URL

CXO/Management/Decision-makers/Operator contacts

Formats Available - PDF & Excel

For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/be5qyz

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.

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CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900




President Xi Jinping called for ties between China and Gabon to be elevated when he met the African nation's leader Ali Bongo Ondimba in Beijing on Wednesday.

"The strong and sustained growth of bilateral ties between our two countries serves our common long-term interests and has an exemplary role to play in building a community with a shared future for mankind," Xi said during the meeting at the Great Hall of the People, according to state news agency Xinhua.

Describing Bongo as "an old friend", the Chinese president called for the relationship to be upgraded to "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership" level.

Do you have questions about the biggest topics and trends from around the world? Get the answers with SCMP Knowledge, our new platform of curated content with explainers, FAQs, analyses and infographics brought to you by our award-winning team.

Observers said Bongo would focus on the economy in his meetings with Chinese officials and seek China's help to diversify the economy of his tiny country on the Central African west coast.

Gabon's leader Ali Bongo Ondimba arriving in Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day state visit to China. Photo: Twitter @BiyogueCarine alt=Gabon's leader Ali Bongo Ondimba arriving in Beijing on Tuesday for a four-day state visit to China. Photo: Twitter @BiyogueCarine>

Bongo - who arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for the four-day visit - is expected to seek funding for the "Emerging Gabon 2025" development plan that aims to reduce the country's dependence on oil and minerals.

China has been Gabon's largest trading partner for nine consecutive years, with two-way trade reaching US$4.55 billion in 2022 - up more than 50.8 per cent year on year, according to Chinese customs data.

Gabon derives more than 60 per cent of its revenues from oil and manganese ore. Along with wood, these resources make up the bulk of Gabonese exports to China, which supplies Gabon with mechanical and electrical products, steel and cement.

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But depleting oil reserves are driving a Gabonese push to replace its petroleum income by strategically positioning its forests, which cover more than 80 per cent of the country, as a sustainable alternative.

Bongo's first act on taking office in 2009 was to begin Gabon's shift from a source of cheap raw materials to a supplier of finished products, with a ban on unprocessed timber exports.

Bongo succeeded his father, the country's second president Omar Bongo Ondimba, whose 42-year rule included drastic measures to strike a balance between conservation and exploitation of Gabon's forests.

In addition to expanding the processing of wood and other minerals, Gabon is also hoping to attract tourists drawn to its spectacular forest canopy and the elephants that live beneath it.

Tim Zajontz, a research fellow with the Centre for International and Comparative Politics at Stellenbosch University, said the first Chinese investments in Gabonese biodiversity projects and eco-tourism are already under way.

"The Gabonese government is keen to see more of this to decrease the country's dependency on the export of primary commodities, such as crude oil and timber," he said.

According to Zajontz, Libreville sees China as a strategic partner in its development plan. "So, we can expect the two leaders will use the state visit to announce further cooperation agreements."

At the centre of Gabon's forest economy are a dozen Chinese companies with logging concessions and more than 30 others processing the timber into furniture and other products.

The Chinese companies operate on more than 6 million hectares, controlling about 40 per cent of concessions and accounting for more than half of Gabon's commercial logging areas.

To accelerate investment in its timber processing industries, Gabon has set up special economic zones in partnership with Arise Group, offering several tax incentives.

Gabon has also started wooing tourists to its 13 national parks, building eco-tourism villages and promising visitors encounters with forest elephants, gorillas and buffalo in an area called the "Last Eden".

The country is home to several other threatened animal species, including leopards and giant pangolins. Its fauna includes the Kevazingo tree - said to provide the world's hardest and most expensive timber - which is protected from logging and export.

Another tree species, the Okuome, is widely used in Gabon to make plywood for the export market.

Gabon is one of three African non-permanent members of the UN Security Council. Beijing is hoping to consolidate its partnership with the continent to foster a peaceful ecosystem for development in Africa.

"So, maintaining close relations seems rational for Beijing considering the geopolitics surrounding current conflicts and wars," said Zajontz, who also lectures in international relations at the Technische Universitat in Dresden.

Irrespective of Gabon's status on the Security Council, "Beijing commonly stages mutual high-level state visits with smaller states as a demonstration of China's commitment to the principle of sovereign equality", he added.

Earlier this month, Bongo met the Chinese ambassador to Gabon Li Jinjin, who hailed the "profound traditional friendship" between the two countries.

Gabon's capital Libreville is dotted with landmark buildings funded and built by China - including its Senate and National Assembly, radio and television centres and a stadium - as monuments to the China-Gabon relationship.

In an interview with the Gabonese press in January, Li said China will support Gabon's infrastructure development, with a focus on industrial cooperation in mining, forestry, agriculture and other advantageous fields for Gabon.

China has already been involved in building transport infrastructure in Gabon, including the Port Gentil-Omboue (PO) road which links the seaport with the country's main roads network.

Li said China would help Gabon to use its own resources and transform its natural advantages into developmental results and enhance its independent capabilities.

"The Chinese side is willing to support Chinese enterprises to discuss with the Gabonese side to participate in relevant cooperation through new models such as public-private partnership," he said.

"China encourages Chinese enterprises to invest in Gabon and actively participate in the construction of special economic zones and industrial parks in Gabon."

Li said China would also help Gabon to strengthen agricultural technology exchanges and achieve food self-sufficiency.

According to China's embassy in Gabon, there are about 3,000 Chinese nationals in the country, working in the petroleum and mining fields, as well as in fisheries, forestry, catering, retail and infrastructure construction.

This article originally appeared in the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the most authoritative voice reporting on China and Asia for more than a century. For more SCMP stories, please explore the SCMP app or visit the SCMP's Facebook and Twitter pages. Copyright  2023 South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.

Copyright (c) 2023. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.
(Bloomberg) -- New Yorks congestion pricing plan passed a major milestone on Friday after receiving a green light from the Federal Highway Administration.

The plan, supported by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, is designed to reduce traffic congestion in busy areas of Manhattan by charging vehicles tolls when driving through certain neighborhoods.

The Highway Administration approved the release of an environmental assessment for the proposal and issued a Draft Finding of No Significant Impact, allowing the plan to move forward to next steps, according to a Friday letter from the US Department of Transportation seen by Bloomberg.

The environmental assessment and the Department of Transportations draft will be put out for a 30-day public review before the Highway Administration makes its final determination, according to the letter.

Governor Hochul is committed to implementing congestion pricing to reduce traffic, improve air quality, and support our public transit system, according to the Governors spokesperson John Lindsay. The finding of legal sufficiency is a critical step that will allow our Environmental Assessment to be publicly available for anyone to read, and we will continue to work with our partners to move congestion pricing forward.

Congestion pricing is a generational opportunity to make it easier for people to get around in, and get to, the Central Business District, by reducing traffic and funding improvements to the public transit system, John McCarthy, the Metropolitan Transportation Authoritys chief of external relations, said in a statement Friday. We are grateful that the FHWA has acknowledged the Project Sponsors efforts to date and has found the document has met the standards for legal sufficiency.

Read more: NYC Congestion Pricing Will Bump Some Drivers Costs to $120 (1)

Congestion pricing could potentially charge some motorists as much as $23 to enter Manhattans central business district, which is south of 60th street. The MTA, a state agency that runs the citys subways, buses and commuter rails, projects the new fees to bring in $1 billion in revenue a year.

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The tolling program, a first for a US city, could begin in the second quarter of 2024. But before it can start, MTAs Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority has to adopt a final tolling structure, including rates and any crossing credits, discounts and exemptions.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy has been critical of the congestion pricing plan saying it should not burden New Jersey taxpayers.

In a statement Friday he called the decision unfair and ill-advised.

Since day one, Ive stood against the disproportionate negative impacts of congestion pricing on New Jerseyans  a greater financial burden on New Jersey commuters, double tolling, toll shopping, a lack of revenue for NJ TRANSIT, outsized environmental burdens on certain North Jersey communities, he said in an emailed statement.

Murphy says he supports congestion pricing but would like to see it be done in a fair way.

Driving into Manhattan has rebounded since the depths of the pandemic. Crossings on MTAs seven bridges and two tunnels have been near or even exceeded pre-pandemic levels for more than a year, on average.

--With assistance from Michelle Kaske.

(Updates with details throughout including statements from New York and New Jersey Governors.)

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com

2023 Bloomberg L.P.
RICHMOND  Virginia is recognizing Jewish American Heritage Month this May, and each succeeding year, after the state legislature recently passed a resolution.

Del. Eileen FillerCorn, DFairfax, sponsored House Joint Agreement 543 to note the month.

This recognition will allow Virginia Jewish citizens to celebrate their heritage, especially during a time with increased antisemitism and hate crimes against Jewish people, according to Basya Gartenstein, the director of Jewish community relations and government affairs for the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.

The measure is very exciting and encouraging, Gartenstein said.

The Jewish Community Federation of Richmond is a community and advocacy organization. It also offers a hotline to provide support to people experiencing financial stress, relationship stress, or food insecurity.

It feels like a relief for the community to be able to take a moment and celebrate something happy and something different than the difficulty and the adversity experienced in recent years, Gartenstein said.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed an executive order on his first day in office to establish a commission to combat antisemitism. The commission is part of Youngkins effort to ensure religious freedom and equality for all citizens.

The commission released its data on antisemitic hate crimes and incidents in December 2022.

The report shows that 411 antisemitic incidents occurred in Virginia in 2021, a 71% increase from 2020 to 2021. Many of these incidents occurred in areas with larger population size, such as Richmond, Northern Virginia and Hampton Roads. These incidents also involved propaganda, such as white supremacist groups passing out flyers and vandalizing buildings with antisemitic graffiti, according to the report.

Gaps in Virginia law can make it difficult to label or prosecute antisemitic crime, and why so many examples of violence against Jewish people are categorized as incidents.

State lawmakers unsuccessfully attempted to pass legislation this recent General Assembly to classify antisemitic crimes as hate crime. Lawmakers did pass a bill introduced by Del. Anne Ferrell Tata, RVirginia Beach, to adopt a working definition of antisemitism.

Antisemitic hate crimes are on the rise in the U.S., according to a study by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. Antisemitic incidents and hate crimes against Jewish institutions such as synagogues and community centers have risen 124% in the U.S. since 2019, according to the report by the Commission to Combat Antisemitism.

Just given the historical trauma that the Jewish community has experienced, those crimes really resonate on deep and profoundly scary levels, Gartenstein said.

Antisemitic hate crimes accounted for over half of all religiously-motivated hate crimes in 2021, according to FBI hate crime statistics from March. Over 800 of the 1,590 religiously-motivated incidents were directed toward Jewish Americans.

Cities throughout Virginia will host Jewish American Heritage Month events throughout May.

The Virginia Holocaust Museum, at 2000 E. Cary St. in Richmond, is wrapping up construction. The museum has reopened and returned to its weekly hours, seven days a week. The featured exhibit on display through June 9 is Halt! Remembering the Holocaust, which showcases artwork by G. Roy Levin. The museum also will host virtual tours.

On May 24, the Norfolk Public Library will host Michael Panitz, rabbi of Temple Israel, for an open dialogue that includes the Holocaust, according to the librarys website.

The new Capital Jewish Museum will not open until next month, but the museums cultural associate will host a virtual exploration of the history of Jewish settlement in Washington. The event is May 11, and for registered members of Arlingtons 55+ Pass community.

Several presidents have previously recognized Jewish Heritage Week, according to the Library of Congress. Congress issued a resolution in 2006 that urged the president to proclaim annually that state and local governments observe an American Jewish History Month. All presidents since have done so.

President Joe Biden issued the proclamation in late April, which urged Americans to learn more about the heritage and contributions of Jewish Americans and to observe this month with appropriate programs, activities, and ceremonies.
This tax season, Stafford County high school students volunteering as tax preparers obtained almost $100,000 in federal and state tax refunds for members of their community.

In a new pilot program, Colonial Forge and Mountain View high school students partnered with the IRS to offer free tax preparation clinics through the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program.

They are the first high schools in the state to participate in the VITA program.

There were no CPAs and no adult intervention at all, said Anna Killion, a business teacher at Colonial Forge High School who brought the VITA program to Stafford schools. It was 100% high school kids.

Sixteen juniors and seniors volunteered and went through extensive testing to become IRS-certified tax preparers. They held six free tax clinics for the community this spring  resulting in almost 30 face-to-face hours with clients  and prepared 53 tax returns that were accepted by the IRS and the Virginia Department of Taxation.

The IRS was going to let us have three years to get to 50 tax returns and we exceeded that in one year, Killion said. Its really a wonderful milestone for us.

Killion said she is always looking for ways to enrich what she teaches her students in the classroom. She learned about the VITA program  which offers free tax preparation for the low- to moderate-income population  and felt it would be both educational and empowering for her students.

Even adults dont understand taxes, Killion said. It just really appealed to me in the sense that it would be great for students to extend their knowledge and have that community-service experience through something that is so beneficial to our community.

Killion and Robin Althoff, a business teacher at Mountain View High School, solicited interest from students enrolled in their economics and personal finance classes.

After a series of parent meetings, an application process and a total of three tests  one of them a 4-hour-long IRS certification class  they ended up with 16 certified students.

There was a lot of prep work that went into it for them, Killion said. The cool thing is that theyre kids, so most of them havent done their taxes. It was interesting to see them learn from the very beginning and get to a point where they could actually be certified through the IRS.

Personal finance is a sensitive topic for many people. Killion said she joked with the parents that she would not only be challenging their children to talk to people they dont know, but to talk to them about subjects theyre often told not to bring up: income and family status.

One of the most exciting things for me was seeing students interact with such professionalism, Killion said. I was so proud of them. It was really wonderful to see them out in the public helping in their community.

Killion said the first tax clinic was so empowering for the volunteer students that some of them rearranged their schedules or requested time off from work so they could participate in more clinics.

We had one student who had lacrosse try-outs and came straight from those to a clinic, Killion said.

The students held afternoon and weekend tax preparation clinics at Mountain View and Colonial Forge to accommodate as many client and volunteer schedules as possible.

Killion said Stafford will host VITA tax clinics next year and that she has been contacted by other teachers across the state with questions about how they can bring VITA to their high schools.

Were excited to use our experience to help others that will be part of the program next year, she said.
A tireless advocate for Germanna Community College, Jack Rowley of Stafford County received the 17th annual Chancellors Award for Leadership in Philanthropy recently in Richmond.

More than two dozen individuals, families and organizations were honored with the 2023 Chancellors Award, according to a news release from Germanna Community College spokesman Mike Zitz.

David Dore, the new Virginia Community College System chancellor, told honorees, Were it not for your generosity, some of our students would have to put their hopes and dreams on hold, while others might have to abandon them altogether ... we are extremely grateful.

Virginia Foundation for Community College Education hosts the annual event to recognize philanthropists from each of Virginias 23 community colleges and the statewide foundation, the release stated.

Recipients are nominated for outstanding commitment to the growth and development of Virginias community colleges and their respective foundations.

This years class contributed $14 million to Virginias community colleges, Zitz said.

Jack Rowley has worked fiercely and tirelessly for Germanna as a whole, especially in Stafford, said Bruce Davis, head of the GCC Educational Foundation.

Rowley is the GCC Real Estate Foundation president and has been a Stafford Economic Development Authority member since 2001.

Jack was involved with the Stafford EDA when they helped fund Germannas first little, tiny center in Stafford in 2009, Davis said. That facility was overwhelmed with students within three months of opening. Jack was then integrally involved in Germanna moving to a much larger rental facility which has served the school well up to the present.

Rowley also led the recent effort to purchase two office buildings to increase the size of the school, Davis added.

The buildings will open in 2024. One will be for the Germanna Nursing and Health Sciences program, doubling the number of graduates by 2027, according to the release.

The other will primarily be dedicated to the Germanna cybersecurity program, allowing students to work on their degree while interning for defense and intelligence contractors based in Stafford.

The internships are expected to speed up the process of students receiving federal security clearances, the release stated.

Rowley has served on the GCC Educational Foundation board for 25 years and is the Stafford appointee on the Germanna Local College Board.
The organizer of this years downtown Fredericksburg National Day of Prayer celebration were excited that the day fell on May the Fourth, Star Wars Day.

Our theme is May the Force be with you  the force of prayer, said Charita Mariner of Zion Church of Fredericksburg, one of the main organizers of Thursdays event.

National Day of Prayer is observed across the country on the first Thursday in May. At Hurkamp Park in Fredericksburg, about 40 area churches gathered for outdoor public prayer and praise from 38 p.m.

The vision is to unite all of the churches in the Rappahannock region, Mariner said.

Throughout the afternoon, 18 Prayer Warriors  local pastors, community members and elected officials  offered public prayers on a variety of topics, from the government to first responders to survivors of domestic violence to those in the foster care system.

Mariner said the churches intentionally scheduled a diverse group of Prayer Warriors so the speakers would look like heaven.

Heaven looks like all of us, she said.

Two new initiatives this year were the in-person prayer stations offering one-on-one prayer opportunities  one led by St. Georges Episcopal Church and the other by By His Grace Ministries  and a collection box for written private prayers.

We will pray on those at the end of the program, Mariner said. We want to make sure that whatever you need, you are prayed for.

Timothy Branch, bishop at Lord of the Harvest church, said Fredericksburgs Day of Prayer event is important because it allows the community to see the churches on the move.

Whenever the churches are unified together around prayer, something great happens, he said. We want God to be in the midst of all of us.

Dario Armstrong with Agape Fellowship said the event also gives local churches, which represent diverse populations and have different theologies, a chance to connect and share what they have in common.

All of us are different and unique in our own way, but God will make up the difference, Armstrong said.
The ongoing saga of whether or not a controversial LGBTQ+ book will remain in the Keene Memorial Library will continue on Tuesday, May 9, at the Fremont City Council meeting that evening.

Two council members  Ward 1 representative Paul Von Behren and Ward 2 representative Glen Ellis  jointly placed a resolution proposal on the agenda for the May 9 meeting of the council that would overrule the librarys advisory boards April 17 decision to move This Book is Gay to the adult section and completely eliminate the popular LGBTQ+ how-to book from the city library.

In their resolution, the duo cited Nebraska state law and statutes which define terms such as minor, adult, sexual act and other phrasing that describes illegal sexually-oriented content available to minors.

Their resolution seeks the, rescinding the Library Boards decisions to retain and relocate the book entitled This Book is Gay and instead order the Library to remove the book from the Librarys onsite physical collection, as well any online access afforded to minors as required by the (Childrens Internet Protection Act).

The item was requested by local business owner, book activist and grandmother Sandra Murray, who on April 27 wrote a letter to Ellis asking him to place an item on an upcoming council agenda seeking the removal of This Book is Gay, by author Juno Dawson.

These books endanger children and teach and encourage them to do things that are unlawful, Murray wrote in her letter to Ellis. The book has graphic adult sexual pictures, gives children specific directions on how to download their pictures onto adult sex sites and encourages them to go to sauna houses to have sex with adults.

The book is one of the top 10 banned or most contested books in the nation, according to the American Library Association. It is a more than 200-page how-to manual aimed at youth age 12 and older, and includes copious descriptions of sexual acts as well as tips on how to meet other LGBTQ-identifying people for sexual encounters.

Murray and her daughter Kelley Garay both filed official forms with the library seeking full and total removal of the book in physical and online formats from the city library. Those requests were rejected by Library Director Laura England-Biggs.

Following the rejections, Murray and Garay both filed appeals of England-Biggs decision with the library advisory board. On April 17, the five members of the board voted unanimously to relocate the book from the young adult section of the library to the adult section.

Not satisfied with that decision, Murray spoke at the April 28 meeting of the Fremont City Council, demanding that the book be removed by city council action.

Whether or not the item will even be discussed by the full council will not be known until the meeting begins, after the portion of the meeting when council members vote on whether or not to approve the meetings agenda.

During that part of each council meeting, normally a routine unanimous vote to accept the agenda, any council member can make a motion to remove a certain item from the agenda.

If that motion gets a second from another council member, then a vote is taken on whether or not to remove the item from the agenda. The process played out earlier in 2023, when a resolution from Ellis to censure Council President Mark Jensen was voted off the agenda.

Since the book debate began in late December, members of the public who are seeking the removal of controversial LGBTQ+ or sexual education books from the citys library have repeatedly said that the city council is the final authority on library content.

Under the citys Municipal Code, the eight-member elected body could overrule any decision of the library director of the five-person library advisory board.

Jensen has stated in multiple interviews with the Tribune as well as in public comments during meetings that he objects to any library book appeal or issue being heard before the full council, and that hed make a motion to remove any item related to the library or books on any agenda.

I have stated that publicly and that is still my intention. If a council person puts this on the agenda, I will make a motion to remove that from the agenda. At the beginning of meetings, we vote to adopt the agenda  I will make a motion at that time to remove that from an agenda, Jensen stated in an April 28 interview with the Tribune.

The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Monday, May 9, inside the second floor council chambers of the citys Municipal Building, 400 E. Military Ave.
In 1994, Singapore caned American teenager Michael Fay for vandalism, a day after the sentence was reduced from six lashes to four in response to an appeal by President Bill Clinton.
NEW YORK (AP)  The choking death of a man at the hands of another New York subway rider was setting off powerful reactions Thursday, with some calling it a criminal, racist act even as authorities reserved judgment on the killing.

New York has become one of the nation's safest large cities, but the emotional responses recalled the metropolis of decades ago, when residents felt besieged by crime and fatal vigilantism made national headlines.

Manhattan prosecutors promised a rigorous investigation into whether to bring charges in the death of Jordan Neely, a Black man who was tackled by fellow passengers and put in the chokehold by a white Marine veteran.

The medical examiners office ruled Wednesday night that Neely, 30, died in a homicide caused by compression of the neck, but it said any determination about criminal culpability would be left to the legal system.

Regardless, many New Yorkers saw the choking as the latest in a long history of attacks on Black city residents.

Were like animals in white people's backyards. They want to get rid of us, said Diango Cici, a 53-year-old Manhattan resident.

Neely, who in the past had earned money imitating Michael Jackson, died Monday after the early-afternoon confrontation aboard a train beneath Manhattan. Neely, who had been homeless at times, according to people who knew him, was shouting at fellow passengers when another rider wrapped his arm around his neck and pinned him on the floor. Two other passengers also helped restrain Neely.

Marine recruits are routinely taught about executing and defending against chokeholds, which can render someone unconscious in as few as eight seconds, according to a military manual revised in 2020.

The lethal risks of chokeholds led New York City to ban police from using them. An officer was fired for using a chokehold on Eric Garner, a Black New Yorker whose dying words I can't breathe became a chant in protests against racial injustice.

A U.S. Department of Justice website called chokeholds inherently dangerous and said that they have too often led to tragedy.

No one has been arrested, but the Manhattan district attorneys office said late Wednesday it would review autopsy reports, as well as assess all available video and photo footage, identify and interview as many witnesses as possible, and obtain additional medical records.

Police questioned the 24-year-old whom the video showed holding Neely in a headlock for at least 3 minutes  perhaps longer  but released him without charges. His name was not released by police, but his relationship with the Marines was disclosed by a law enforcement official who wasnt authorized to make the information public and spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation was not yet complete.

It was not clear why passengers moved to restrain Neely. One witness, a freelance journalist who was on the train and recorded Neely becoming unconscious as he was restrained, said that while Neely was acting aggressively and threw his jacket, he hadn't attacked anyone.

Police asked other witnesses to come forward and sought additional photos and videos that might help investigators understand what transpired during the fatal confrontation or what triggered it.

In the absence of video showing what happened before the chokehold, many were reserving judgment.

Among them was Mayor Eric Adams, who said Thursday that there were many layers to the incident. He rejected criticism that he has not expressed enough outrage over Neely's death, unlike other officials who have called for a quick arrest.

All the other electeds, they have a role to play and I have a role to play. The police is doing their investigation and the district attorney is doing his investigation, and I respect the process, Adams said.

Governor Kathy Hochul called the video-recorded encounter wrong and horrific to view," adding that Neely's family deserves justice. But the governor said she was watching how the matter unfolds.

No one has the right to take the life of another person. And in this circumstance, I have said all along and have stood firm in our commitment to helping people with mental health challenges, Hochul told reporters after a meeting with union workers in Manhattan.

She said sometimes people are loud and emotional in public, but it was very clear that Neely was not going to harm others and the video showed a very extreme response.

Dozens of people gathered Thursday night in Brooklyn's Barclay Center for a second day of demonstrations. On Wednesday a few dozen protesters gathered at the station where Neely died to call for an arrest.

Kyle Ishmael, a 38-year-old Harlem resident, said the video left him disgusted.

I couldnt believe this was happening on my subway in my city that I grew up in, he said.

Street performers who knew Neely described him as a kind and gifted impressionist who sank into a depression as a result of his mothers 2007 death. According to news accounts at the time, Christie Neely was strangled. Neely, who was 14 when she died, testified against his mothers boyfriend at the murder trial.

Tari Tudesco, a backup dancer in the Michael Jackson tribute act Michaels Mirror, said many in the community had grown worried about Neelys absence in recent years, and had begun searching for him, unsuccessfully.

We were in shock to find now that he was living homeless, she said. We feel terrible.

Associated Press researcher Rhonda Shafner in New York and reporters Lolita Baldor in Washington and Maysoon Kahn in Albany, New York, contributed.
The Gazette editorial board crusades against needless division. Thats why we wrote, in March of 2022, that public libraries are not special interest bookstores. We need them to stand as objective archives without political agendas  left or right  forced by activists in management.

Then-Pikes Peak Library District Director John Spears had spent six years transitioning the districts 17 libraries to advocate political ideologies, namely Critical Race Theory, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and identity agendas by other names.

Spears commissioned a system-wide Organizational Audit on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

The study found too many district employees were white. It warned employees and board members to add more visibility of Latinx (their fake word, not ours), Indigenous, and trans communities  Thats right. The report flat out said to enhance visibility of minorities, which sounds exploitative.

The report urges staff to be aware of potentially sensitive holidays, such as Thanksgiving.

The identify-and-stereotype variety of anti-intellectualism homogenizes unique, autonomous individuals. By doing so, it deemphasizes the need to respect intellect, personality and character without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or creed. It is a disguised twist on the old lunacy of making genetic lineage a higher concern than any individuals unique qualities. By now, we should have moved on.

Libraries should always stand as institutions chartered to enhance and nourish human knowledge for anyone willing to read. The capacity of a human brain has no relation to the bodys visible traits.

Sadly, the library districts political agenda survived Speers departure. As reported April 6 by Gazette reporter Debbie Kelley, the district  under new Board President Aaron Salt  has a new strategic plan that outlines the institutions vision, mission, and core values through 2025.

Top priorities include promoting diversity, equity and inclusion. Though it sounds nice, these are poorly defined buzzwords for conveniently stereotyping individuals to fit group molds.

The library should promote nothing other than unobstructed access to books and media promoting limitless ideas and viewpoints. It should no more emphasize and spotlight a woke political agenda than the beliefs of Christianity or Islam.

The fixation on modern identity politics showed up in a proposed resolution, sent to council by the library district to honor National Library Week. Seven of eight councilors rejected and rewrote the districts proposed resolution.

One paragraph mentioned a list of groups libraries tolerate, including those defined by sexual orientation or gender identity. It said our libraries serve places of worship, active-duty military, small business owners, etc. No one doubted this.

Theres no mention of biker gangs, or large business owners. What about atheists, political extremists, people experiencing homelessness or pacifists? If they are specifying groups, they had best name them all. Otherwise, the statement appears politically exclusive.

The City Council wisely changed the graph to libraries serve as trusted institutions for all members of the community. Its hard to get more inclusive than that.

The council changed a passage that said libraries develop and maintain diverse and equitable programs. Their version says libraries develop and maintain programs and collections that offer high-quality, research-based materials that foster the development and improvement of the knowledge and skills needed for employment and personal fulfillment.

The Council changed libraries are inclusive to libraries promote a sense of local connection, advancing understanding, civic engagement, and shared community goals. This makes them inherently inclusive.

Identity politics lump individuals into groups, creating zones of separation. The progressive identity movement fabricates labels such as Latinx, wokesplaining to Latin Americans how they should identify with a word unknown in the Spanish language.

We should stop politicizing libraries and other public institutions with words and phrases that foment division by stereotyping individuals who merely want to read. Give thanks that our City Council gets it.
Does it take previous political experience to effectively run the mayor's office? According to Colorado Springs mayoral candidate Yemi Mobolade, not necessarily.

Mobolade, a political newcomer, has run his campaign largely on his business experience, promising to use his background as an entrepreneur, business leader and nonprofit founder to tackle some of the most pressing issues the city faces  from home affordability and housing availability to crime, public safety, homelessness, infrastructure, water availability and sustaining a thriving local economy.

Although his entrepreneurial career has not been without its challenges, business associates and employees of Mobolade said this past week the candidate's "unique" ability to bring people of varied backgrounds together to problem-solve, and his willingness to listen to their concerns over the years, make him the right man to lead the city.

"He has the ability to bring together a team of leaders from different backgrounds and areas of expertise.  That's a unique gift of his that I think would be well suited to being the mayor," said Stu Davis, the executive director of COSILoveYou, who co-founded the faith-based nonprofit with Mobolade that brings people together to do service projects. "Being the mayor isn't about being the expert in everything. It's about bringing people together and  making a decision, and that's what Yemi does really well."

Mobolade faces opponent Wayne Williams in the May 16 mayoral runoff election. Williams served most recently as a member of the Colorado Springs City Council and is a former Colorado secretary of state, El Paso County commissioner and El Paso County clerk and recorder. He has advanced his political resume and experience throughout his campaign.

Ballots for the May 16 all-mail runoff election were mailed to active registered city voters last week. Voters can return their ballots at any of the 26 secure drop-off locations throughout the city through 7 p.m. on Election Day. Postmarks will not count.

'A fresh point of view'

Heather Moake, general manager for The Wild Goose Meeting House and Good Neighbors Meeting House, eateries co-founded by Mobolade, said she believes Mobolade can bring a new perspective to the mayor's office.

"I think he has a fresh point of view that is really valuable.  Since he isn't a politician or hasn't really been in that world a lot, I feel like he has the ability to look at things from the everyday person's perspective," said Moake, who has worked for the companies nearly nine years. "The changes he could make as mayor, or even the things he takes from (outgoing Mayor John Suthers) and keeps going, he'll have the perspective of how that'll affect everyday people in the Springs. "

Throughout his campaign, Mobolade has highlighted his lack of political experience as a way to break the status quo in city leadership.

A West African immigrant, he first came to Colorado Springs in 2010 and founded a church with the Christian and Missionary Alliance. Later, he served as a ministry leader at First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs from 2015-2017, where he mainly focused on forging partnerships with local mission organizations, said Dave Steane, First Presbyterian's executive pastor.

While he was with First Presbyterian, Mobolade worked with Davis to co-found COSILoveYou and the CityServe Day movement that united more than 100 churches in service to the community.

Mobolade left the church to become the Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC's vice president of business retention, a role he held from 2017-2019. There, he promoted the growth of the city's employers, implemented the chamber's business retention and expansion program, worked with industry-specific employer groups and partnered with economic development staff on projects that would attract new businesses, Mobolade said in an email.

Tammy Fields, a real estate broker, was previously Mobolade's supervisor for about 16 months during his time at the chamber. Fields worked for the chamber in various roles, including as senior vice president of economic development, according to her LinkedIn page. . She declined to comment for this story.

While at the chamber, Mobolade said, he "saw an opportunity to mitigate the challenges that many small businesses face in trying to start and run their companies," the same challenges he faced when co-founding The Wild Goose Meeting House and Good Neighbors Meeting House.

To that end, he left the chamber to become Colorado Springs' small business development administrator from 2019-2022, where he supported small businesses and startup companies and promoted local economic development, according to his campaign website.

Colorado Springs Economic Development Manager Bob Cope, who was Mobolade's supervisor when he worked for the city, also declined through city spokeswoman Vanessa Zink to comment for this story. The city's policy and procedures manual limits information regarding employee references to dates of employment, classification history and salary information, Zink `

City records obtained by The Gazette through the Colorado Open Records Act show Cope gave Mobolade a total weighted performance evaluation score of 2.3 out of 3 in 2019 and 2020. A 2 rating means "successful" and a 2.5 rating means "exceeds expectations," according to city performance evaluations. A score of 3 means "exceptional performance."

Cope's commentary is redacted from the evaluations according to Colorado statute, city officials said.

Mobolade was not formally evaluated in 2021 and 2022 because he left the job in early March 2022, officials said.

Business challenges

Mobolade's experience as an entrepreneur and business owner has not come without challenges.

In the fall of 2020, about 19 staff members from The Wild Goose and Good Neighbors Meeting House signed onto a list of grievances they distributed to Mobolade and his then business partner Russ Ware, disputing in part the dispersal of tips among the whole staff, including servers, bartenders and the kitchen staff.

At the time, former Wild Goose bartender Michael Smith told The Gazette that before the tips were distributed many employees, including servers and kitchen staff, earned $9 an hour, which was 2 cents above Colorado's minimum wage in 2020 for tipped employees. Colorado's minimum wage in 2020 was $12 an hour for nontipped workers.

Sonia Riggs, CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, said previously that if a restaurant is sharing tips with kitchen staff it legally must pay the entire staff participating in the tip pool a base wage  $12 an hour in 2020  and must notify customers tips will be shared. Managers and supervisors can't participate in the tip pool, she previously told The Gazette.

Smith told The Gazette at the time he wanted ownership to make equitable changes. After taxes his annual pay of $19,500 in 2020, including tips, was "not enough," he previously said.

In February 2021, the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment's Division of Labor Standards and Statistics ruled against The Wild Goose Meeting House after Smith brought forth a wage complaint, finding the business failed to pay Smith earned wages as required, the Colorado Springs Independent reported.

Prior to the ruling, Mobolade and Ware in January 2021 had shifted to a "hospitality included" pay structure, a model that "eliminates tipping and builds an employee's full compensation into the pricing of the menu," Mobolade said this week.

In the summer of 2022, the companies shifted the pay structure again "to pay employees the full minimum wage in addition to tips. Employees now have the benefit of higher wages than are found in many similar service industry businesses, and the work environment is healthy and positive," he said.

Colorado's 2023 state minimum wage is $13.65 per hour for nontipped employees, or $10.63 an hour for tipped workers.

The Gazette's attempts to reach members of that group of about 19 employees who might be willing to speak on the record for this story via email were unsuccessful.

Current longtime employees like Moake and Schaeffer Ware, now a part owner of both The Wild Goose and Good Neighbors Meeting House and the son of Russ Ware, said while the transitions between pay structures weren't without their hiccups  including some employees who left because of the changes  Mobolade's focus on open communication with his staff made the shifts smoother.

"Yemi's push at the time was, 'How is this going to affect the (companies') culture?'," Schaeffer Ware said.

Moake said Mobolade prioritized hearing his staff's perspective on the changes. "There was a lot of communication and a lot of trying to hear everybody's perspective on it, which I think we really needed."

Another controversy reared its head in June 2022, when a Latin-American fusion restaurant in downtown called Epiphany closed its doors amid allegations that Russ Ware, a part owner, "misused" funds related to it and several other local restaurants, including The Wild Goose Meeting House and Good Neighbors Meeting House, a spokeswoman for the businesses said in a statement to The Gazette at the time.

Mobolade told The Gazette in an email this week his general manager discovered financial discrepancies and through his own investigation Mobolade discovered Russ Ware, who at the time served as president of The Wild Goose and Good Neighbors, moved funds from those businesses and from another restaurant called The Well to fund Epiphany's operations.

Mobolade said he had no role with nor ownership in Epiphany, and subsequently removed Russ Ware from his management positions at The Wild Goose and Good Neighbors.

The Wild Goose Meeting House and Good Neighbors Meeting House filed police reports in the matter, The Gazette previously reported.

The Colorado Springs Police Department this week declined to share those records because it is "still an open and active investigation," department spokesman Robert Tornabene said.

Reached by phone this week, Russ Ware, who no longer lives in Colorado, declined to comment on the matter, but said briefly he "speaks highly of Yemi, his work and his business."

Schaeffer Ware said the situation involving his father was difficult.

"It was hard," he said. "Through that whole process last year, I was working very closely with Yemi on a lot of that stuff. I would say, if anything, that situation brought Yemi and I a little bit closer and helped us kind of reinforce the already good bond our professional and personal relationship had."

Mobolade said this week the business challenges he faced in recent years have allowed him to learn and grow as a leader.

"Leadership is about growing, adapting and responding productively to the challenges you face. Every business leader and business owner faces challenges; it's how they respond that separates true leaders from the rest," he said. "... My leadership has been tested in many different ways and I am proud that I have overcome and succeeded through these challenges. Readers can take comfort in a leader who has been tried, tested, learned from his mistakes and challenges, and emerged even more successful."
Joshua Johnson, the man accused of killing 17-year-old co-worker Riley Whitelaw at a Colorado Springs Walgreens, has a new trial date.

At a motions hearing on Friday morning, Johnson's defense attorney Deana O'Reily requested for a continuance of Johnson's trial date, which was originally scheduled to begin on March 6.

O'Reily said there was not enough time between now and the start of the jury trial for Johnson's defense to hire an expert to review DNA evidence that was submitted to the defense one week ago.

The prosecution had no objection to a continuance, and thus, Judge Eric Bentley set May 8 as the new jury trial date.

Bentley also ruled on several different motions filed by both the prosecution and defense at the hearing.

The first motion ruled on by Bentley was a motion to allow testimony from friends and family of Whitelaw to speak about unwanted advances that Johnson allegedly made towards Whitelaw while working together at Walgreens.

Johnson, 28, allegedly killed Whitelaw in the breakroom of the store at 6820 Centennial Blvd., in June 2022. At Johnson's preliminary hearing in September Colorado Springs police detectives testified that Whitelaw told friends, family and co-workers that Johnson had a romantic interest in her that made her feel uncomfortable.

Detectives at the hearing testified that Whitelaw had made complaints to her manager at Walgreens about Johnson more than a year before her death, saying he was making advances towards her that made Whitelaw uncomfortable.

Several weeks before her death, Whitelaw had requested different hours so she would no longer have to work with Johnson, according to police. However, when Whitelaw asked for additional hours, she was told it would require her to work with Johnson.

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Bentley ruled that while the testimony wasn't intrinsic, it was admissible at trial due to being potential evidence as a motive for Johnson's alleged actions. Bentley made the same ruling in regard to the admissibility of a voicemail from Whitelaw prior to her death.

The last significant ruling made by Bentley was a denial of the request from Johnson's defense for a change of venue, with Bentley stating that despite the significant media coverage of the homicide that it did not warrant a change of venue.

A motion to suppress evidence and testimony filed by Johnson's defense that requires testimony from at least one CSPD detective will be heard at a motions hearing on a different date, according to Bentley.

During Johnson's preliminary hearing in September, CSPD detectives testified that only Johnson could be responsible for killing his teen co-worker.

At the preliminary hearing, Bentley described Johnson's story of another man potentially committing the crime as "wildly implausible," before ruling that Johnson would face a trial for allegedly killing Whitelaw.

Johnson was last in court in November when he entered a not guilty plea to the charge of first-degree murder. While Johnson is scheduled to begin his trial in May, he will return to court on March 17 for a motions hearing.

Johnson remains in custody at the El Paso County jail on a no-bond hold. If found guilty of first-degree murder Johnson will be given a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
A federal judge who recently declined to dismiss a defamation lawsuit against an Oklahoma podcaster for his alleged lies about election-rigging has now refused to pause the litigation while the defendant appeals.

On March 7, U.S. District Court Senior Judge William J. Martinez found Eric Coomer, the former director of product security and strategy for voting technology supplier Dominion Voting Systems, is likely to prevail on his defamation claim against podcaster Clayton Thomas "Clay" Clark. In the wake of the 2020 presidential election, Clark promoted an unproven rumor that Coomer had allegedly confessed to ensuring former President Donald Trump would not win reelection.

Clark subsequently appealed the ruling to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit and asked Martinez to halt the proceedings in the trial court. But on Monday, Martinez indicated he would not grant the request in Clark's interlocutory, or mid-case, appeal.

"Defendants cite to no Tenth Circuit or Supreme Court decision authorizing interlocutory appeal of the denial of their Special Motion to dismiss this action," he wrote in a May 1 order.

Following Trump's 2020 loss, Denver-based Dominion was ensnared in allegations that it was involved in a conspiracy to rig the vote. The company fought back against its accusers, with Fox News recently settling for nearly $800 million for its role in propagating unfounded claims that Dominion swung the election to President Joe Biden.

Coomer has also filed multiple lawsuits against conservative personalities over conspiracy theories implicating him.

The litigation before Martinez centers around Colorado podcaster Joe Oltmann, who appeared on Clark's "Thrivetime Show" alleging he personally heard Coomer say, on a conference call with activists, that Coomer had ensured Trump would not win reelection.

"You have these people like Eric Coomer that are attempting to overthrow what appears to be the will of the people by switching the votes," Clark responded. He added that Oltmann was "exposing the truth" and Coomer "actually said that."

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"After more than fifteen years as a respected professional at the top of his field, Dr. Coomers reputation has been irreparably tarnished," Coomer's attorneys wrote in his ensuing defamation lawsuit against Clark.

Clark filed a motion to dismiss under Colorado's "anti-SLAPP" law, which stands for "strategic lawsuits against public participation." The General Assembly enacted the law in 2019 to provide a mechanism for quickly disposing of lawsuits that are grounded in protected First Amendment activity  specifically, the rights to free speech and to petition the government.

Martinez denied the motion, finding the allegations credible that Cark and Thrivetime promoted false statements about Coomer maliciously.

Clark then appealed to the 10th Circuit and asked Martinez to halt the proceedings in the trial court. Because the anti-SLAPP law governs whether a person can be held liable for their conduct under the First Amendment, Clark argued his appeal could decide whether the lawsuit is viable to begin with.

Although the anti-SLAPP law authorizes an immediate interlocutory appeal to Colorado's state appellate court, Martinez noted he is operating according to federal rules. While some types of appeals can occur before a case reaches its conclusion, Clark's appeal did not fall into that category.

"For these reasons, the Court concludes  until the Tenth Circuit holds otherwise  that the March 7 Order is not among the 'small class' of orders for which interlocutory review is authorized," the judge wrote.

The case is Coomer v. Make Your Life Epic, LLC. et al.
Colorado Springs police on Thursday released the name of a man who was killed during a fight in the parking lot of an eastside motel.

An autopsy for 32-year-old Terrance Hutchins ruled his death a homicide. Police said they found him deceased in a parking lot at the Days Inn on Aeroplaza Drive in the early hours of Feb. 28.

Police determined Hutchins had been in an altercation in that parking lot before he died. The other man involved in the altercation was described as an unknown Black man, and no arrests have been reported in connection with Hutchins murder.

Anyone with information is asked to call Colorado Springs police at 719-444-7000, or to remain anonymous, call the Crime Stoppers tip line at 719-634-7867 or 1-800-222-8477.
A 22-year-old Colorado man has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge after admitting to setting a fire at a Loveland church.

Darion Ray Sexton admitted to throwing two Molotov cocktails at the Abiding Love Lutheran Church and said he was motived by the religious character of the church and wanted to destroy it, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Protecting religious freedom and observance is a top priority for the Department of Justice, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Departments Civil Rights Division said in the news release. We will continue to vigorously prosecute those who attack houses of worship and target religious communities.

The incident happened during the early evening hours of Jan. 19, when Sexton threw the Molotov cocktails at the front door and the basement of the church.

The firebombs charred the church's front door and caused slight damage in the basement before being extinguished by the church's sprinkler system, according to a report by The Gazette's news partners 9NEWS.

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Investigators tracked Sexton by following footprints in the snow, 9NEWS reported.

The FBI treats hate crimes as the highest priority of our civil rights program because everyone deserves to feel safe to exercise their religion without fear of violence from others, Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek of the FBI Denver Field Office said. FBI Denver is committed to protecting those rights, and we will continue to aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to bring justice to all communities that have been targeted.

Sexton faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine at his July 21 sentencing.

The FBI, ATF and Loveland Police and Fire Departments were involved in the investigation.

We all have a right to feel safe and secure in our houses of worship  no matter our religion or belief, U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado said. An act of violence in one of our sacred places is especially serious, and we will work with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute all such offenses.
Doherty High School was forced to cancel classes on Thursday after a large number of teachers simultaneously took a leave day, according to a message from District 11 Superintendent Michael Gaal.

Those teachers, according to staff gathered at the Tesla Educational Opportunity Center, called off to attend contract negotiations between the school district and their master bargaining union, Colorado Springs Education Association.

The district last week proposed what union teachers say is a concerning change to its pay schedule. The current salary schedule considers both longevity and education level in determining staff pay and pay raises. The proposed schedule, a form of pay for performance, would instead consider performance factors unrelated to experience and education, according to Carmen Moyer, a teacher at Keller Elementary School.

Among teachers concerns with the proposed pay schedule, according to Moyer, is that there would be a cap on how many teachers can receive higher-tiered pay levels.

Its a haves and have-nots among teachers, said Moyer, who stressed the situation at Doherty was not a coordinated walkout but a culmination of many individuals using their personal days for the negotiation.

Rozx Gallegos, a third-generation public school educator and an art teacher at Midland Elementary School, said she was on a fact-finding mission after hearing rumblings about the potential pay schedule change. She wanted firsthand clarification, she said.

I think were all here not as this militant thing, I mean, were teachers, come on, Gallegos said.

In the message issued by Gaal to Doherty families early Thursday, teachers were said to have taken the day off en masse in protest of various initiatives that we believe will increase student achievement, which have not been finalized.

With abnormally high and significant absence rates, we cannot properly fill enough positions at Doherty with guest staff to provide a safe and conducive instructional environment, Gaal said in the message. Yet, sadly, teachers are making conscious decisions that impact our first and most critical obligation  to be in school and provide an excellent education.

The union and the district annually engage in master negotiations of teacher contracts. The district has an idea of what its budget will look like in the 2023-2024 school year. Discussions are based on projected, not final, budget numbers.

Sixty percent of D-11 teachers are represented by the union, according to a district spokesperson. Contract details negotiated by the union will apply to all district teachers, regardless of membership status.

CSEA represents more than 1,500 public school educators in D-11, according to its website.

A Doherty teacher, who asked not to be named, said a proposed change to the teachers pay schedule being put out at the last minute was the primary impetus for the decision to take a leave day.

My fellow teachers here with me all agree that its not about the lack of notice, but the overall lack of respect for us as professionals, the teacher said.

New teachers coming into the district might leave after six or seven years as other districts begin paying more, Moyer said, leading to high turnover rates in a time already characterized by teacher shortages.

Moyer and others point elsewhere in the community, where a similar change caused upheaval they fear could manifest in D-11.

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This will bleed out the profession. We know that. Look at District 2, Gallegos said. I thought the Pikes Peak region had already been through that. Have we not learned?

Harrison School District 2 was among the first in Colorado to implement a pay-for-performance system in 2010.

At the time, the state was reforming its teacher effectiveness and evaluation methodology, and academic achievement in D-2, the most socioeconomically diverse district in the region, was so low that it had been flagged as near failing under the state's grading system and placed on probation.

Harrisons Effectiveness and Results program grew out of former Superintendent Mike Miles' intense efforts to boost student performance, under the premise that regardless of family circumstances and other life challenges, all students can succeed in school.

Many employees initially liked the idea, which replaced the traditional salary increases with a merit system that placed high expectations on teachers, administrators and students, and required frequent testing. Employees who met effectiveness benchmarks were rewarded with higher salaries.

However, by 2019, the system had not been upgraded and D-2s raises and salaries were lagging other districts in the area. The district suspended the compensation model for the 2019-2020 school year to study its effectiveness and has since eliminated the merit-based pay structure.

D-2 eliminated the pay-for-performance system because it "did not take into consideration the changing and evolving landscape of education," said spokeswoman Christine O'Brien.

Gaal said the D-11 teachers' reaction to the proposal is the kind of noise that comes with change.

Advanced Placement testing and after-school activities will still take place as scheduled, and the district expects all schools, including Doherty, to be open on Friday, according to Gaal.

An email letter was sent to Doherty families, addressed by Gaal:

"Dear Doherty Families,

We regret to inform you that we must cancel school for students today due to high levels of teachers taking a teacher leave day. With abnormally high and significant absence rates, we cannot properly fill enough positions at Doherty with guest staff to provide a safe and conducive instructional environment.

You or your student may hear from teachers why they choose to take today off related to various initiatives that we believe will increase student achievement. Currently, no decisions have been made in this process. Yet, sadly, teachers are making conscious decisions that impact our first and most critical obligation  to be in school and provide an excellent education. We value all teachers, but changes to how things have been done in the past are often brought to the table, and this is the kind of noise that comes with change.

All AP exams will take place as previously scheduled. There is no impact on this testing.

Our obligation to you as taxpayers is to provide the highest quality education for our students. The District expects all schools to be open as usual tomorrow. This is our commitment to your family. We value all of our staff in this same shared vision. We are steadfast and pressing forward to ensure every child is thriving academically.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work towards the best interests of our students.

Respectfully, Michael Gaal, Superintendent, Colorado Springs School District 11"
A Littleton man faces charges of assault in the case of a 20-year-old Colorado woman who fell to her death in New York City Tuesday.

Police arrested Tyler Griffin, 24, on suspicion of assault, reckless endangerment and acting in a manner injurious to a child under 17, a New York Police Department spokesperson said via email Friday.

While police have not released the victim's identity, she appears to be Dezirae Andersen, 20, from Colorado, according to a GoFundMe page made by Andersen's mother Cheryl Valenzuela and posts from Andersen's friends and family on Facebook.

According to Andersen's profile on Facebook and family and friends' posts, Andersen was a model from Denver, Colorado.

The fatal incident occurred at 10:27 p.m. EDT Tuesday, when New York police responded to a 911 call about an assault in progress at a Times Square hotel at 157 W. 47th St., according to the NYPD spokesperson.

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Responding officers found the victim unconscious and unresponsive on the second floor scaffolding outside the hotel, her injuries indicating that she fell from an elevated position, according to the spokesperson.

She was pronounced dead on scene.

Further investigation determined that, prior to her fatal fall, the victim had a fight with Griffin in a hotel room at the location of the incident. An 8-month-old baby girl was present, according to the spokesperson.

According to the GoFundMe page by Andersen's mother, Griffin was Andersen's boyfriend and the 8-month-old was her daughter.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the victim's cause of death and her identity will be released by officials at a later date.
A man recorded by a security camera fatally shooting his manager Thursday at a fast food restaurant in rural south Georgia is also suspected of killing his mother and grandmother at their nearby homes before taking his own life, authorities said.

Security video from a McDonald's in Moultrie showed 26-year-old Kentavious White shoot the store manager after getting her to come to the door Thursday morning, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said. The footage then showed White step inside the restaurant and shoot himself.

Police found the manager, identified as 41-year-old Amia Smith, and White both dead when they arrived, the GBI said in a news release Thursday evening. They also found two women related to White had been shot at neighboring homes less than 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away. Both women died  one after being taken to a hospital, the GBI said.

All three of the slain women appeared to have been shot multiple times, Colquitt County Coroner C. Verlyn Brock told The Associated Press.

I cant for the life of me figure out what provoked him in that way, Brock said in a phone interview.

Brock said the slain women were the gunman's 50-year-old mother and 74-year-old grandmother, who lived next door to each other. Their names were not immediately released. Brock said his office was working to contact next of kin.

Moultrie police called in the GBI take the lead in investigating the case, which often happens with major crimes in Georgia. The state law enforcement agency said its investigation is ongoing.

Jerry Goodwin lived next door to the gunman and his mother and two doors down from the grandmother. He told The Associated Press on Thursday that his wife heard shots fired before 1 a.m. Thursday, while he was asleep. Goodwin said the young man who lives next door had come outside and fired a gun one day earlier in the week while shouting something, and that Moultrie police had responded.

However, it appears police did not respond immediately on Thursday. Goodwin said police and an ambulance arrived just before 6 a.m., with the ambulance immediately taking one person away. He said the coroner later retrieved two more bodies.

Goodwin said he didn't know his neighbors well, although the man had come to his house after moving in several years ago to seek advice on installing a fence.

I had never seen him hurt anybody or try to hurt anybody before this, Goodwin said.

Moultrie Police Chief Sean Ladson did not immediately return email messages seeking comment. A person answering the phone at police headquarters said Ladson was referring all calls to the GBI.

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Moultrie resident Tanner Strickland said he knew two of the slain women.

Both them were two of the most amazing people Ive had the pleasure of being around, Strickland told WALB-TV. They both light up any room that they walk into. Both of them really have hearts of gold.

Sabrina Holweger, who works at an optometrists office next to the McDonald's, told the AP she and a coworker arrived at work before 8 a.m. to find a woman's body gunned down and lying in a doorway of the restaurant, with police swarming around.

It was really just scary not knowing if they had shot themselves, Holweger said.

She said police blocked off a main street that runs in front of the McDonalds in the city of 15,000.

Holweger said the woman who died at the restaurant was the early morning manager, and that the shooter had been an employee there. Holweger said it appeared that the man killed the woman when she unlocked the door to let him in for an early-morning shift.

George Suarez, owner and operator of the McDonald's in Moultrie, said the restaurant will remain closed until further notice.

We are devastated by the loss of our beloved restaurant manager, and our hearts go out to all the victims of this senseless act of violence," Suarez said in a statement provided by McDonald's corporate office in Chicago.

The killings in Moultrie, in rural Colquitt County about 60 miles (95 kilometers) northeast of Tallahassee, Florida, came a day after a gunman in Atlanta killed one person and wounded four others at a medical office.

Chas Cannon, Colquitt Countys government administrator, said he was driving his daughter to school on Thursday morning when he passed the McDonalds blocked off by police tape and patrol cars.

A killing is pretty rare in our neck of the woods, Cannon said. Its surprising. But this day and time, our jails at capacity, our local prisons at capacity. Theres a lot of folks breaking the law, unfortunately.
Democrats had hoped for Georgia to be one of the first contests in next year's presidential primaries, but state officials poured cold water on that proposition on Thursday.

Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced the Peach State will hold its presidential primary on March 12, 2024, nearly a month after the Democratic National Committee had hoped for.

GEORGIA BANS ELECTION OFFICES FROM ACCEPTING DONATIONS FROM NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS

The DNC had Georgia holding its presidential primary on Feb. 13, 2024, in its restructured schedule announced in February, which would have made it the fourth contest in the nominating process. Officials in Georgia were given until the middle of June to modify the primary to comply with the DNC schedule, but they elected not to do so.

The proposal would have moved Iowa and New Hampshire out of their lead spots, replacing them with South Carolina, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada holding their contests on the same day, followed by Georgia a week later. The new schedule was met with backlash by officials in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The mid-March date for the 2024 Georgia presidential primary falls roughly in line with when the Peach State has held its primary in recent elections. The primary was originally scheduled for March 24 in 2020, and in 2016 it held its presidential primary on March 1. The 2020 primary was moved back to June 9 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Georgia is expected to be a key swing state in the 2024 election. President Joe Biden narrowly won the state in 2020, after Republican candidates had won the state in every presidential election since 1996.

The primary in Georgia is expected to fall in the middle of the various primaries nationwide, on the same day as primaries in Idaho, Mississippi, and Washington. Several larger states, including Texas and California, are currently scheduled to hold their primaries a week before the Peach State's primary.

Original Location: Georgia pours cold water on DNC election plan to move voting contest

Washington Examiner Videos
An email to John Brennan has been published imploring him to sign the Hunter Biden laptop letter to help give Joe Biden a "talking point" against then-President Donald Trump, confirming Washington Examiner revelations earlier this week.

On Thursday, the Washington Examiner revealed that Mike Morell sent a recruitment email, along with a draft of the letter, to intelligence officials days ahead of the second presidential debate between Biden and Trump. In the letter, Morell admitted that one purpose of the letter was to give Biden an opportunity to rebut Trump should discussion about the "laptop from hell" come up.

GOP SENATORS ACCUSE BLINKEN OF LYING UNDER OATH ABOUT HUNTER BIDEN EMAIL DENIALS

After the Washington Examiner published its story on Thursday, Just The News revealed a separate "talking point" email that Morell, a former acting CIA director under former President Barack Obama, sent to Brennan, Obama's final CIA director, the morning of Oct. 19, hours before the letter was published that evening by Politico.

The Brennan email revealed other former top national security officials Morell was attempting to recruit, at least one of whom did sign the letter, but included others who did not publicly add their names to it.

More than 50 ex-intelligence officials subsequently signed the laptop letter, which was co-authored by Morell and former senior CIA operations officer Marc Polymeropoulos, and helped contribute to the baseless narrative that the Hunter Biden laptop was nothing more than Russian disinformation.

Morell told Brennan that he was "trying to give the campaign, particularly during the debate on Thursday, a talking point to push back on Trump on this issue." Brennan told Morell to "add my name to the list" and called it a "good initiative."

Brennan is slated to testify in front of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) on May 11.

Morell told Brennan he would "be adding" a number of other officials to the letter that day, but only one of the names he listed, former Obama CIA Director and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, was definitely a public signatory.

The other names Morell listed as signers he would be adding did not materialize as among the 51 names: Lisa Monaco, a Homeland Security adviser under Obama and now the deputy attorney general under Attorney General Merrick Garland; Sue Gordon, the principal deputy director of national intelligence under Trump until August 2019; Jeh Johnson, Obama's secretary of Homeland Security; and Mike Rogers, a retired four-star admiral of the U.S. Navy who was director of the National Security Agency from 2014 to 2018 under Obama and Trump.

Morell said he was also adding "George" to the list that day, a likely reference to former national intelligence officer Roger Zane George, who signed the letter.

Morell was "working on adding" three other Republican officials to the letter: Dan Coats, a former director of national intelligence under Trump from 2017 to 2019; Tom Bossert, a Homeland Security adviser under Trump from 2017 into 2018; and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), a former congressman who chaired the House Intelligence Committee from 2011 to 2015.

The trio is not listed as signing the letter.

The published laptop letter did say that "nine additional former IC officers who cannot be named publicly also support the arguments in this letter," but it is unclear who those anonymous supporters were.

The new revelations come on the heels of bombshell House testimony by Morell, the former Obama CIA acting director who said now-Secretary of State Antony Blinken "triggered" him to write the October 2020 laptop letter.

Morell had also sent an email the evening prior, on Oct. 18, to a number of former intelligence officials. The email, first reported by the Washington Examiner, was subsequently published in full by Breitbart. The recipients of the email, which was sent by Morell on behalf of himself and Polymeropoulos and included a draft of the laptop letter, were blind carbon copied "to protect folks' privacy."

"Marc and I drafted the attached because we believe the Russians were involved in some way in the Hunter Biden email issue and because we think Trump will attack Biden on the issue at this week's debate and we want to give the VP a talking point to use in response," Morell wrote.

Morell told the CIA officers he'd "like to find a way to highlight your Russia work" when listing their names on the letter. The email was signed "Michael and Marc."

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Morell testified to the House this year that one of the two reasons he helped put the letter together was to help Joe Biden "win the election" against Trump.

Konstantinos "Gus" Dimitrelos, a cyber forensics expert and former Secret Service agent, conducted an examination of the laptop for the Washington Examiner last year, concluding that "my analysis revealed there is a 100% certainty that Robert Hunter Biden was the only person responsible for the activity on this hard drive and all of its stored data" and that "the hard drive is authentic."

Original Location: Hunter Biden laptop letter's Joe Biden 'talking point' strategy confirmed in email to John Brennan

Washington Examiner Videos
Police have released new bodycam footage showing officers pulling over Idaho student murder suspect Bryan Kohberger one month before the killings took place, in the same car placed near the crime scene.

Kohberger, 28, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of felony burglary in the murders of four University of Idaho students: Ethan Chapin, 20, Xana Kernodle, 20, Madison Mogen, 21, and Kaylee Goncalves, 21, on Nov. 13.

IDAHO STUDENT MURDERS: SURVIVING ROOMMATE FIGHTING SUBPOENA FOR TESTIMONY AT PRELIMINARY HEARING

Bodycam footage taken on Oct. 14, one month before the murders, shows Washington State University officers pulling over Kohberger, who was a graduate student at the university, for running a red light.

The video, nearly 10 minutes long, shows Kohberger behind the wheel of a white 2015 Hyundai Elantra  a vehicle similar to one seen in footage near the victims' Moscow, Idaho, home around the time of the killings.

In the video, a female officer approaches Kohberger, who is alone in the car and has the driver's side window down.

"I think you know why I stopped you. You ran the red light," the officer tells Kohberger.

"What actually happened was I was stuck in the middle of the intersection," Kohberger replies.

"Yeah," the officer interjects. "I was behind you the whole time. Yeah. So, technically, you're not supposed to enter the intersection at all for that reason because if the light turns red, then you're stuck in the intersection, and then you run the red light."

Kohberger hands over his license and vehicle registration, asking the officer to explain Washington state's traffic laws, as he is from a "very rural area" of Pennsylvania.

"We actually don't have, like, crosswalks," Kohberger said in the video. "There's a little bit more leeway, as well."

The officer provides specific details of the state's traffic laws, to which Kohberger then apologizes for "asking too many questions.

"I'm just curious about the law," he said, adding that he's not trying to "disagree" with her.

She lets Kohberger off with a warning.

"So, I'm not running a ticket or anything like that today. I understand you're from Pennsylvania," she said. "But in the future, don't proceed through the intersection."

Bryan Kohberger, right, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students in November 2022, appears at a hearing in Latah County District Court, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023, in Moscow, Idaho. Ted S. Warren/AP

Federal, state, and local law enforcement put out calls for the white Hyundai Elantra as a key piece of evidence in the case, leading them to arrest Kohberger in his Pennsylvania home. In the probable cause affidavit, Kohberger's Oct. 14 traffic stop is cited as proof that he was the driver and sole occupant of the vehicle.

Kohberger was pulled over twice within a nine-minute time frame while driving on I-70 in Indiana on Dec. 15. Kohberger was traveling with his father at the time, and he wasn't issued a ticket for either traffic stop.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

However, at the time of the traffic stops, law enforcement did not yet have information about a possible suspect vehicle or license plate.

Kohberger is not set to have another hearing until June 30. He has not entered a plea.

Original Location: Idaho student murders: New footage released of Bryan Kohberger being pulled over at Washington State University

Washington Examiner Videos
By Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said on Thursday his agreement this year to grant the United States access to more military bases in his country was not intended for use for "offensive action" against any country.

Speaking to a U.S. think-tank in Washington, Marcos said he had made that point to Chinese officials during recent talks. He also said the U.S. had not asked the Philippines to provide troops in case of war between China and the U.S. over Taiwan.

Marcos told the Center for Strategic and International Studies that the 2014 Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) that allows access to bases in the Philippines was conceived to deal with the effects of climate change.

"The foreign minister of China just visited with me ... and I told him and I assured him that no, these are not ... intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone, any country, not China, not any country," Marcos said.

He said use of EDCA bases for "offensive action" would be outside the parameters of what Manila had discussed with the United States and added that Washington had never brought up the possibility that they would be used as "staging areas" for offensive action against any country.

Manila's ties with Washington have deepened under Marcos and he granted the U.S. military access to four more bases in February, something China said was "stoking the fire" of regional tension.

Experts say the United States sees the Philippines as a potential location for rockets, missiles and artillery systems to counter a Chinese amphibious invasion of Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said after a meeting of the defense and foreign ministers of the United States and the Philippines last month that it was "too early" to discuss what assets the United States would like to station at Philippine bases.

Marcos came to Washington for a summit with President Joe Biden seeking clarity on the extent of Washington's commitment to protect his country under a 1951 security pact, amid rising tensions in the South China Sea, where Manila has rival claims to Beijing's, as well as tensions over Taiwan and North Korea.

Biden said after their meeting on Monday the U.S. commitment to the defense of its ally was "ironclad," including in the South China Sea, and after a visit by Marcos to the Pentagon on Wednesday the two sides issued a six-page document of "bilateral defense guidelines" laying out the extent of U.S. commitments to the Philippines under their 1951 mutual defense treaty.

Marcos said relations between Washington and Manila were back on a "normal road of partnership" and needed to evolve to make them more responsive to present and emerging challenges.

Under his predecessor Rodrigo Duterte, relations with U.S. had soured as Duterte turned the Philippines sharply away from its former colonial ruler and built closer ties with Beijing.

(Reporting By David Brunnstrom, Matt Spetalnick and Eric Beech; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
Planned Parenthood is reportedly launching an initiative to put abortion access on the 2024 ballot in Florida, setting the stage for a high-profile battle with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) as he prepares a White House bid.

Abortion rights activists are set to announce the multimillion-dollar plan sometime next week, seeking to place a measure on the ballot that would roll back the state's six-week abortion ban that DeSantis signed into law last month, according to Politico. The ballot measure would keep the procedure legal until the fetus reaches viability, which is typically around 24 weeks.

DESANTIS'S BIGGEST ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

"Floridians know what is best for their own bodies and their own lives," said Sarah Standiford, national campaigns director for Planned Parenthood Action Fund. "People are ready to vote for reproductive freedom and to take back power from lawmakers who have literally gone against the will of the people."

The effort comes as abortion rights activists hope to keep the subject at the top of minds during the 2024 cycle, especially after Democrats used reproductive rights as a key message to motivate their voter base in the midterm elections. The ballot measure is likely to help Democrats to increase party turnout in the Sunshine State, which typically leans toward Republicans.

To get the initiative on the ballot, the group must gather roughly 890,000 valid signatures before Feb. 1  an effort that Planned Parenthood officials say will cost them millions of dollars in a state that has become increasingly conservative in recent years. To make things more complicated, the signatures must come from at least half of the state's congressional districts.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

If the measure is included on the ballot, it must receive support from 60% of the state's voters to be approved. Even then, the initiative could be struck down by the state legislature, which is controlled by Republicans.

The move comes as DeSantis is likely to make abortion restrictions a part of his messaging for his presidential campaign, which the Florida governor has not yet announced but is expected to in the coming weeks. Should he choose to run, he is likely to pose the greatest challenge to former President Donald Trump as he eyes a return to the Oval Office.

Original Location: Planned Parenthood planning attack on DeSantis's landmark abortion law: Report

Washington Examiner Videos
Its a well-known axiom that acknowledging you have a problem is the first step to addressing it.

When it comes to fentanyl, Colorado Springs appears to have reached that point.

Both candidates for Colorado Springs mayor agree that fentanyl presents a crisis to the community.

Now what are we going to do about it?

Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid, 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine, and up to 50 times more potent than heroin. A tiny amount of fentanyl  the amount that would fit on the tip of a pencil  can be fatal.

In 2021, accidental fentanyl-related deaths totaled 99 in El Paso County  far more than the 61 homicides in the county that year and more than double the 2020 fentanyl overdose total.

While El Paso County Coroner Dr. Leon Kelly hasnt released full 2022 data yet, he said in September that 61 people had died from fentanyl in just the first half of the year.

That put the county on track to exceed the 2021 death toll from the powerful opioid, which can be created in illegal drug labs.

A similarly tragic story is playing out statewide: At least 916 people died of fentanyl in Colorado last year, a small increase over 2021, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Some describe this as leveling off but, if its a plateau, its a tragically high one. We cant let this death toll become the new normal year after year.

Nationally, fentanyl overdoses have become the leading cause of death for Americans 18-45 years old. Locally and nationally, fentanyl overdoses claim more lives than car crashes or homicides.

As The Gazette has chronicled, fentanyls victims represent all ages and all walks of life. And each death leaves behind a trail of broken hearts. Many of the people who died from fentanyl had no idea they were ingesting it. Counterfeit prescription pills and party drugs like cocaine and MDMA are often laced with fentanyl.

This crisis deserves a serious and focused response so were grateful that both mayoral candidates, Yemi Mobolade and Wayne Williams, have offered up serious platforms to address the fentanyl crisis.

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They both responded to four specific questions we posed. Colorado Springs voters can find and compare their answers at WhatIsOurPlanCS.org.

This online resource was created by Rise Above Colorado, a statewide organization focused on preventing teen substance misuse, and co-sponsored by trusted community organizations like Boys and Girls Clubs in Colorado and the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention.

Were promoting this web resource with advertising throughout Colorado Springs. If you find it helpful, we encourage you to share it with your family and social network.

Thats because What Is Our Plan? is a question that we all should consider.

By bringing this discussion out into the open, we can destigmatize the conversation and identify positive, productive actions we all can take in our day-to-day lives.

While you are looking at the candidate information at WhatIsOurPlanCS.org, you can also learn about other ways you can constructively address the fentanyl epidemic.

Parents can simply start a conversation with their teens while locking up or properly disposing of medications in their house.

Educators can add the discussion to their lesson plans; we offer fact-based resources to support this.

Everyone with a smartphone can download the OpiRescue app so were better prepared if we see an overdose. We can all learn about naloxone (often known by the brand name Narcan) and how we can use it to save the life of someone experiencing an opioid overdose.

Naloxone is already widely available and, after U.S. FDA approval, Narcan is expected to join the shelves of over-the-counter medicines this summer. As it becomes more available, and as awareness of its value and how to use it increases, our community can reverse more overdoses.

The point is that we all have a role to play. And it starts with recognizing that we as a community have a problem we must address.

Kent MacLennan is the executive director of Rise Above Colorado.
Nearly one year ago, 17-year-old Riley Whitelaw was killed in the break room of the Colorado Springs Walgreens where she worked. The horrific details of the crime, allegedly committed by an adult co-worker who Riley had previously complained against, quickly consumed state and national news.

In a matter of days, many of Rileys relatives, friends and classmates heard about her death from the news  before Rileys family had the chance to reach out themselves.

My family and I had no time to grieve in private, said Courtenay Whitelaw, Rileys mother, while testifying to the state legislature. The children didnt deserve to find out such horrors from news or social media. ... Riley preferred to stay out of the limelight. Yet, here we are after her death. Overexposed in headline news, not for the human she is, but for the crime against her.

On Friday, Colorado lawmakers unanimously passed Senate Bill 75 in an attempt to prevent this situation from happening again.

If signed into law, the bill would remove identifying information of victims and witnesses who are minors from criminal justice records released to the public, replacing names with child victim or child witness. This would make it so that children and teenagers who are victims or witnesses of crimes cannot be identified by public records.

Lawmakers named the bill "Riley's Law" during the final vote on Friday.

"This bill is about a mom who is fighting for her daughter and her friends," said bill sponsor Rep. Brianna Titone, D-Arvada, through tears during the vote. "We thought it would be fitting that, she's worked so hard for this bill, that we name it after her daughter."

During a public hearing on the bill, Rileys family, friends and classmates from Air Academy High School said they cannot escape the gruesome details of her death even months later, still coming across articles and true crime TikToks rehashing descriptions of what happened.

The friends also spoke of their high school classmate, who was identified as a witness to Riley's murder in public records, saying she is frequently shamed by their peers for not doing something to save Riley.

Im trying to protect the safety, welfare and emotional and mental health of minors, said bill sponsor Sen. Tony Exum, D-Colorado Springs. Putting childrens privacy at risk is unacceptable. ... Tell your story, but redact the names.

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Under current law, the names of victims who are minors are only redacted in public records in the cases of certain sexual crimes. However, when minors commit crimes, their identities are not released in public records unless they are charged as adults.

Perpetrators are protected more than victims, Exum said. Thats not right. Thats not fair.

In addition to protecting mental health, proponents of the bill argued it would protect minors physical health, saying releasing the names of minors who witnessed crimes can put them in danger of retaliation.

In November 2021, a mass shooting occurred at Hinkley High School in Aurora. Mayor Mike Coffman said the names and addresses of teenage witnesses to the shooting were inadvertently released in an arrest affidavit published in the local newspaper. Coffman said this led to the witnesses being bullied at school and one being placed in protective custody after his house was shot up.

The bills other sponsor Sen. Rhonda Fields, D-Aurora, has been personally affected by this kind of witness retaliation. In 2005, Fields' son, Javad Marshall-Fields, and his fiancee, Vivian Wolfe, were murdered in Aurora the day after Marshall-Fields was threatened for being a witness in an upcoming murder trial.

Im seeking justice on behalf of kids that are involved in being a witness, Fields said during the bill's committee hearing. It puts them at risk. ... We are responsible for protecting kids.

The bill includes a good cause exception, meaning someone could petition the court to release the identity of minor victims or witnesses if there is public interest in accessing their identity. The petitioner would have to prove that the good to the public from releasing the identity would outweigh potential harm to the privacy of the minor and their family.

The House passed the bill in a 63-0 vote on Friday, following the Senate's 34-0 passage last month.

The bill will next be sent back to the Senate to approve the name change to "Riley's Law." Then, it will go to Gov. Jared Polis for final consideration.

If signed by the governor, the bill would take effect in 2024. The bill would only redact minors names and identifying information from records going forward, not retroactively applying to past criminal justice records. It would not apply to records for traffic violations.
Colorado lawmakers on Thursday decided to allow themselves to block their constituents on social media.

If signed into law, House Bill 1306 would give all elected officials in the state the power to block someone from viewing or interacting with an official's social media pages  for any reason. This would apply to their personal social media accounts, even if they use them for official business, but not accounts attached to a specific political office.

The bill cleared the Senate, 26-9, on Thursday, following the House's 43-20 approval on Monday. Now, it will go to Gov. Jared Polis.

"The bill is setting some delineations around what is state action and what is considered private," said bill sponsor Sen. Bob Gardner, R-Colorado Springs. "Since you're a state senator, is everything that you do state action? Should it be state action? ... The case law is murky."

The bill's passage comes less than two weeks after the Supreme Court announced it will hear two cases regarding whether it is unconstitutional for elected officials to block people on social media. Courts throughout the country have deliberated on the issue for years.

The bill aligns state law with the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling in Lindke v. Freed. The court last year ruled that an elected official can block individuals from their social media account if the account isn't paid for by government funds, if the official has no legal duty to have an account, and if the account remains with the official after they leave office.

However, court rulings have been inconsistent regarding whether the First Amendment restricts public officials from blocking private individuals on social media.

The 2nd Circuit found it unconstitutional for then-President Donald Trump to block people on Twitter in 2019. The U.S. Supreme Court later tossed the case as moot because Trump was no longer president. That same year, the 4th Circuit ruled against the chair of a county board of supervisors for blocking a constituent and, in 2022, the 9th Circuit ruled against school district officials for blocking parents. But in 2021, the 8th Circuit ruled in favor of a Missouri state representative who blocked a constituent.

"Courts nationwide recognize that social media is a powerful tool for social and political discourse," said Catherine Ordonez, a lawyer representing ACLU of Colorado, while testifying against HB 1306. "It affords, perhaps, the most powerful mechanisms available to a private citizen to make his or her voice heard."

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Ordonez said when an elected official uses social media as a tool for governance, such as to communicate official news or information to the public, it becomes a kind of digital town hall. Excluding constituents from participating in this town hall, she said, violates their First Amendment rights.

Ordonez said, even if the bill becomes law, it won't prevent Coloradans from being able to sue elected officials for blocking them under the First Amendment.

"It will only invite more litigation," she said.

In Colorado, these kinds of cases have largely resulted in settlements. Senate President Leroy Garcia, state Sen. Ray Scott, Lafayette Mayor Christine Berg and Thornton Council Member Jan Kulmann were all sued for blocking or limiting constituents on social media. In all four of those cases, the elected officials settled out of court and agreed not to block constituents in the future.

Bill sponsors acknowledged that the bill would not stop potential lawsuits, but said they are trying to give lawmakers "as much cover as we can."

On Wednesday, Gardner unsuccessfully tried to amend the bill to give elected officials who block people on social media qualified immunity from legal actions based on state, local and federal law. Senators voted to reject that proposed amendment.

"There still may be lawsuits," Gardner said. "My advice to people would be that, notwithstanding the bill, until the United States Supreme Court decides the case, you ought to be very careful about blocking people on your social media."

In Colorado, state lawmakers are encouraged to not use personal social media accounts for legislative matters and to "not let the public interact" through the accounts. But if they do, lawmakers are instructed to not block, ban or otherwise restrict an individual's access to the account, according to the legislature's 2022 social media guidelines presentation for new lawmakers.

The bill will be sent to the governor in the coming days. If signed, it would go into law immediately.
The bill to ban "ghost guns" on Friday won a party-line vote in the Colorado House and is headed to Gov. Jared Polis' desk.

Senate Bill 279 would ban the manufacture and possession of unserialized frames and receivers, the outer shell that holds the components for a gun.

Ghost guns can be assembled with kits that include all or part of a gun, as well as created through 3-D printers. However, the bill does not ban the sale of kits that do not include the frames or receivers, nor components that can be used to create a gun on a 3-D printer, so long as the components don't include the frame or receiver.

The bill also creates a new misdemeanor charge for possessing an unserialized firearm, which can be made with kits, or even with 3D printers.

SB 279 does provide an opportunity for owners of ghost guns to get serial numbers added onto their firearms, which can be done by any licensed dealer, but would also likely require a background check under existing state law. That window expires at the end of the year.

Rep. Andrew Boesenecker, D-Fort Collins, noted the kits are available online to anyone, including those who would be legally prohibited from possessing firearms.

Ghost guns are turning up more frequently in Denver, according to co-sponsor Rep. Junie Joseph, D-Boulder. Denver police confiscated more than 100 last year and 166 in 2021, Joseph said.

"Those guns ... are a growing threat to community safety because they are often used by violent criminals and have no serial numbers," she said.

Republicans maintained during debate Thursday and prior to Friday's final vote the bill makes criminals out of law-abiding citizens.

Rep. Ryan Armagost, R-Berthoud, said his biggest concern are the bill's unintended consequences.

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"We're using language and buzzwords, painting unserialized firearms as dangerous weapons. There's nothing inherently dangerous about an inanimate object," he said.

This would affect law-abiding citizens who collect firearms and use them at firing ranges, for example, he said.

"No matter what we do to ban anything, criminals will find a way to get firearms illegally," he said.

Joseph countered that the bill is about accountability and protecting the lives of Coloradans, a primary concern for all lawmakers.

SB 279 was backed by the Colorado District Attorneys' Council; the mayors of Aurora, Colorado Springs and Denver; and various gun control groups.

Polis advocated for legislation on ghost guns and is expected to sign it, making it the fifth major gun control measure approved in the 2023 session.

The bill is in addition to legislation raising the minimum age for purchasing firearms from 18 to 21; establishing a three-day waiting period before delivery of a firearm; allowing gun violence victims to sue firearms manufacturers and dealers in civil court; and expanding the list of those who can seek an extreme risk protection order to include district attorneys, medical and mental health professionals, K-12 teachers and higher education faculty.

The measure was one of two gun bills that got final resolution in the last 24 hours.

But while SB 279 now heads to Polis' desk, House Bill 1165 met a different fate.

That bill sought to allow counties to prevent firearms discharges in neighborhoods with 35 dwellings per square mile. Two months after it was approved by the House, the Senate Local Government and Housing Committee on Thursday killed the bill, among the rare defeats for gun control measures in the 2023 session.
In the most recent effort to tackle Colorado's affordable housing issue, Democrats in the Legislature voted to ban local housing growth caps on Thursday.

If enacted, House Bill 1255 would prohibit local laws that limit annual housing construction or residential permits, and erase those that currently exist in several cities in Colorado. The bill wouldn't force local governments to approve specific housing developments, but they could no longer reject a proposal due to a growth cap.

The Senate passed the bill, 20-15, on Thursday, following the House's 38-25 passage last month. It will next go back to the House to approve a minor change from the Senate, and then to Gov. Jared Polis for final approval.

"Colorado needs more housing," said bill sponsor Sen. Julie Gonzales, D-Denver. "Im proud to champion policy that will help communities keep up with ongoing growth, ease displacement, and help us meet our housing needs."

Sponsors of the bill said it will help increase Colorado's housing stock and lead to lower prices. Critics argued it violates local control and won't necessarily result in more affordable housing, as there is no requirement that the new housing built must be affordable.

"These are their communities and we have no right, as the state, to take that power away from them," said Rep. Rose Pugliese, R-Colorado Springs, who opposed the bill. "Youre taking away the control of local citizens to have a voice in our local government processes."

Municipalities that use growth caps said they can help preserve a community's character and stay within the limits of their infrastructure.

Only a handful of municipalities throughout the state have growth caps. For example, Boulder, Golden and Lakewood, which all only allow housing stock to expand by 1% each year.

This bill roots in four municipalities that set growth limits. That is four of 272 municipalities," said Rep. Don Wilson, R-Monument, who opposed the bill. Wilson argued that the legislation effectively means policymakers believe in making state laws that override the municipalities' ability to do what is necessary."

Colorado lawmakers seek new digs with new bill

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Sponsors of the bill argued that, while growth caps aren't widely used in Colorado, they have a broad impact on surrounding municipalities and the state at large.

Bill sponsor Rep. William Lindstedt, D-Broomfield, said the growth caps increase the cost of housing in the municipalities that use them and push residents to live in neighboring districts. He said this overwhelms enrollment in the neighboring schools and increases the use of vehicles for people who work in the growth-capped district but are forced to live elsewhere  hurting state infrastructure and increasing emissions.

"These growth caps affect housing prices, traffic, our environment, schools. There's huge negative regional consequences because of them," Lindstedt said. "When the government is going to regulate something, it should be done to protect public health, safety and welfare. These caps don't do that."

Rep. Javier Mabrey, D-Denver, said the use of growth caps near Denver have put too much pressure on the city to build more housing to accommodate for rapidly rising populations.

According to the bill declaration, Colorado needs to add more than 162,000 housing units by 2027 in order to restore its historical population-to-housing ratio from 1986 through 2008. Currently, the state is short of achieving the ratio by more than 175,000 housing units.

"In southwest Denver, we are doing what we can to allow for more building in our community, but the surrounding communities are not," said Mabrey, who supported the bill. "We need to have a statewide approach to our housing crisis."

Under the bill, municipalities could temporarily enforce growth caps for up to 24 months if there is a declared disaster emergency like a wildfire, to change land-use laws or to address insufficient public infrastructure such as wastewater treatment.

The Legislature passed the bill mostly along party lines, with all Republicans voting against it and all but nine Democrats voting in support.

Bills on wolf introduction near final push, but Polis' opposition raises veto potential
The state Senate Friday approved a measure that lawmakers hope will begin the process of getting their offices back into the state Capitol.

Senate Bill 306, the last Senate bill in the 2023 session, was introduced Wednesday evening and run through the Capital Development Committee, Senate Appropriations and second reading in the Senate Thursday. It won a 35-0 vote Friday morning.

The Capitol Annex at 1375 Sherman St. has been vacant for several years, after the Department of Revenue relocated to Lakewood.

Renovations to the Annex would take $49.3 million, according to Senate Majority Leader Dominick Moreno, D-Commerce City, one of the sponsors of SB 306. That's more than what's available through several cash funds, he told the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

Sen. Cleave Simpson, R-Alamosa, the bill's other co-sponsor, said the plan is to relocate lawmakers from 1525 Sherman, on the north side of the state Capitol, back into the state Capitol.

That would require moving out most of the staff of the Legislative Council and Legislative Legal Services, and under the bill they would go to the Annex, along with the state Auditor's office, which is also at 1525 Sherman.

Currently, 39 lawmakers, mostly those in their first year of office, are housed at 1525 Sherman, known as the State Services Building. It has held as many as 50 in previous years.

But the decision a decade ago to move lawmakers out of the state Capitol and over to State Services has not always been popular. That's due in part to safety concerns about people having to cross East Colfax Ave. to get to the building.

Sen. Larry Liston, R-Colorado Springs, has jokingly referred to State Services as the "leper colony," because no one ever wants to go over there. Other lawmakers, however, like the location for that same reason. "We don't get to see leadership," he added Friday. "Maybe that's a blessing."

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But he also said they miss out on what's going on in the Capitol, and many don't care for the snow, the sleet and dodging buses.

Senate President Steve Fenberg, D-Boulder, told Colorado Politics Friday no firm decisions have been made about who goes where. He indicated at least some of the legislative council staff would remain in their Capitol basement offices in order to be close to the legislature.

Sen. Barbara Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, joked the bill should be allowed to decide all the space in the state Capitol. That's including the first floor, which is where Gov. Jared Polis' office is housed.

But she also asked why they can't use the tunnel system to get across either Colfax or 14th Avenue and avoid the weather and safety issues. She said the line of questioning started off as a joke, but then got serious.

That prompted Fenberg to announce that Kirkmeyer's office was being relocated to the tunnel. Moreno then asked for a third reading amendment, which he said would relocate the offices on the first floor to the tunnels.

The real amendment was a technical correction, and that passed on a 34-0 vote.

Moreno said one of his long-term goals is to move all vehicles currently parking in the circle around the state Capitol to the Merrick parking garage at 14th and Lincoln, which drew some boos from his colleagues.

"Our Capitol would become the grounds that it should be for all to enjoy," he said.

If there's an intent to move all parking to Merrick, "we'll need another tunnel," Kirkmeyer quipped.

The bill now heads to the House for consideration in the session's final four days.
A lack of affordable housing has created difficulties filling some entry-level positions in Samaritan hospitals. Because of this challenge, a new training program is being launched to entice workers to be phlebotomists, a position that is often difficult to fill.

Phlebotomy job openings now are being posted with a note that no experience is needed and that all required training to become a registered phlebotomist will be paid for by Samaritan after a successful hiring process, according to a Monday, May 2 news release.

Phlebotomy involves drawing blood from the patient for testing in the medical laboratory. Testing blood is an important tool for diagnosing medical conditions.

The goal of the learn while you earn model is to get local residents to take advantage of the opportunity. Both internal and external applicants are encouraged, according to the release.

Those who are newly hired for the position will travel to Beaverton for nine hours of training over three days, followed by the registration examination. This will be done without cost to the new hires, who will be paid for their time and be reimbursed for mileage.

This training can cost anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 so this is a valuable incentive, Dallas Hull, manager of the Samaritan North Lincoln Hospital laboratory, said in a statement. Our hope is to recruit from the local population, eliminating one obstacle to hiring  newly hired employees relocating from out of the area who are then unable to find a home in their new community.

Open positions can be searched online at samhealth.org/Jobs.
In the midst of passionate school rallies, impending teacher layoffs and the politics surrounding budget cuts, one crucially important group is feeling left out of the conversation: students.

Terese Jones, a member of the Corvallis School District's school board, noticed that a bunch of adults talking and arguing wasnt making much of a difference. So, she drove six students to the Capitol building in Salem on Wednesday morning, May 3 with the hope that legislators would remember the children's faces when deciding how to fund their future.

This action is not going to reverse the situation of our budget, but it sends the message that our kids are paying attention, Jones said. Someday these kids are going to vote and theyre going to remember how (the legislators) voted and how they reacted.

The kids, ranging from third to seventh grade, brought more than 708 postcards signed by Oregon residents in support of a fully funded K-12 budget.

According to the Oregon Department of Education, the state needs to spend $10.3 billion to adequately fund education for Oregon students. Instead, Gov. Tina Kotek is proposing a $9.9 billion fund, which would prompt cuts in school districts across the state.

In Corvallis, the cuts represent the loss of 50 staffing positions, mostly behavioral and support staff. Hundreds of educators rallied Thursday, April 27 at the Benton County Courthouse to motivate community members to speak up on their behalf.

The kids heard their call to action, too, and collected hundreds of signed postcards within five days. They also wrote a letter to Rep. Dan Rayfield, D-Corvallis, that emphasized the importance of educational assistants, how they enhance learning for students who are navigating big emotions.

Mayra Valencia is the mother of two children  Zander and Brisa Garcia  who delivered the postcards in Salem. She said the experience was particularly meaningful for her family because they were able to inspire other Latino families in the district to get involved in school politics.

Its important to have Latino representation in this cause, Valencia said.

Zander Garcia, a sixth-grader at Linus Pauling Middle, said he wanted to go to Salem because he wants kids to have a better experience at school, and talking to legislators is a big part of making that happen.

There were a lot of very professional people doing their job, just trying to help, he said.

The experience seemed to inspire a future of advocacy for his third-grade sister, Brisa Garcia.

In the future we might be going there a lot to help the world and the schools, she said.

In collecting the postcards, the kids went to farmers markets, classrooms, churches and even door-to-door around their neighborhoods.

When they got to the Capitol, they happened to run into Inna Levin, chief of staff for Rep. Hoa Nguyen, D-East Porland. Nguyen serves on three education committees, including the Joint Ways and Means Committee, which will vote on the very budget the students came to talk about.

I think they really saw the value of the democratic process, coming and sharing, being part of a solution, Jones said. It was a pretty powerful experience for them.

Jones sixth-grade son, Quinlan, attended the day trip to Salem. He said the building felt like a place where he and others could really be heard.

If we keep putting money in other places, that means fewwer fun activities for kids, field trips, fun art projects that require a lot of materials, he said.

Brothers Leo and Wolfie Koenig had a fun time meeting important people in Salem and advocating for their district.

Even if it doesnt help me, itll help kids in the future have better educations, sixth-grader Wolfie Koenig said.

Seventh-grader Adine McDonald talked about how important extracurriculars are to students, and if theres not enough funding for those types of programs, students will be less motivated to go to school.

A lot of kids dont necessarily go to school because its school, she said, the others nodding in agreement. They go to school because either they have to, or just to do the fun parts of school.

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While nobody is excited about the proposed budget, Jones said, it will be the districts most vulnerable students and staff who will bear the brunt of the loss.

The loss of resources, when you can already barely get by, is going to be a crisis for them, she said. What we choose for our students will be what they live with for the rest of their academic lives.

Related stories:
CHARLOTTE  A 5-year-old boy is in critical condition in an Iowa City hospital as the result of burns he sustained after a playhouse caught fire at a Charlotte residence Tuesday.

The fire happened Tuesday afternoon at 229 First St. in Charlotte, Clinton County Sheriff Bill Greenwalt said in a press release issued Wednesday afternoon. The name of the boy hasn't yet been released as family members are being notified.

According to the press release, first-responders including the Clinton County Sheriff's Office, Charlotte Fire Department, Goose Lake Fire Department and Genesis Ambulance were called shortly after 4 p.m. for a report of a children's playhouse on fire.

While responding, emergency units were informed of a child burn victim at the scene. Upon arrival, firefighters extinguished the wooden playset in the backyard of the residence.

The victim was immediately located and provided treatment for his injuries. The victim was transported to Genesis Hospital in DeWitt and then airlifted to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics by MedForce Air Ambulance.

The victim currently remains at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he is listed in critical condition.

The Clinton County Sheriff's Office was assisted at the scene by the Charlotte Fire Department, Goose Lake Fire Department, Genesis Ambulance, MedForce Air Ambulance and the Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office.

The case remains under investigation by the Clinton County Sheriff's Office and Iowa State Fire Marshal's Office.

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Spring has many traditions.

Its when flowers bloom back to life, families gather for Easter and thoughts turn to warmer weather  especially with the cooler temperatures this week.

Its also the time when the Danville Symphony Orchestra stages its yearly seasonal concert, known as Spring Pops.

The all volunteer group  consisting of more than 50 local performers and about 25 behind-the-scenes workers  is busy getting ready for Saturdays performance scheduled at 3 p.m. at the Carrington Pavilion.

Give My Regards to Broadway, under the direction of guest conductor Paul Manz, will fill the afternoon air with popular movie and show tunes, both old and new.

Manz is conductor of the North Carolina Chamber Orchestra.

Also, Denise Lee, a vocal soloist will be featured. She moved the community from Mississippi as a church music director and also plays flute in the Danville Symphony Orchestra, according to a news release from the group.

Some of the musical selections will include overture to Die Fledermaus (The Bat) by Johann Strauss Jr; selections from Sound of Music; The Great Chaplin Orchestral Suite; selections from Porgy and Bess; The Music Man symphonic impressions; selections from The Phantom of the Opera; selections from The King & I; symphonic dances Fiddler on the Roof; and selections from Les Miserables.

With the audience protected under the pavilion shelter, the show will go on rain or shine.

Theres no charge to get in, but Gods Storehouse  a Danville-based food pantry  will collect cans of food and momentary donations.

Gates will open at 2:30 p.m.

The Danville Symphony Orchestra has a mission of providing quality live musical performances of classical and other worthy repertoire through symphony concerts and by partnering with other performers and performing arts organizations.

It also aims to be an opportunity for Dan River Region musicians to express their talents, according to the groups website.

They also seek to give an economic development benefit to the Dan River Region by improving the quality of life for our citizens and those looking to relocate to the region.
A new track-and-field facility at George Washington High Schools J.T. Christopher Stadium will officially open next week.

Danville Public Schools Superintendent Angela Hairston updated the Danville School Board on capital projects in the district at Thursday evenings meeting.

The track was one of the first endeavors at GW prior to Danville voters passing a sales tax referendum in 2021 to fund renovation  and construction  at city schools.

Youre going to be excited about what you see there and more to come, Hairston told the board.

The opening day for the new track is Wednesday.

GW and Galileo Magnet High School teams will use the eight-lane NCAA-certified track, along with runners from Averett University under a lease agreement.

I did see the lines on the track, it looks amazing, Danville School Board Chair TyQuan Graves said Thursday evening.

Hairston also noted the first district track meet will be May 17 and a regional meet is set for May 25.

This will mark the first time in nearly 20 years a track meet will be hosted in Danville.

Meanwhile, other renovations are happening at GW including work on a new gymnasium, which will take about a year and a half to complete.

Im happy to say that our construction management firm provides daily updates, Hairston said.

Construction also is proceeding on the second floor of the school with demolition underway.

Bright new classrooms will be available by August, by the time school opens, the superintendent said.

By May 23, construction should begin on a new Danville elementary school to replace the G.L.H. Johnson facility on the same property. Fencing is starting to be erected around the work area now.

Over at Langston, school leaders are about to send that project out for bid, but are awaiting the results for a $50 million capital improvement grant they applied for with the state. A decision on that should come Thursday.

We thought wed wait until after the grants were announced to see how we fared before we moved forward with the bid, the superintendent said.

Hairston said the school system hosted meetings with residents on the future vision for the Langston building.

The community really wanted us to have this named John M. Langston campus, she said. Galileo Magnet High School plans to move into the Langston facility once work is completed.

Otherwise, architectural and engineering designs for Forest Hills and Woodberry elementary schools will proceed for the 2023-24 school year.
GREENSBORO  Democratic legislators from Guilford County assailed legislation Thursday that would ban abortion in nearly all cases after the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Politicians are, again, invading private matters and trying to make decisions to control people, said state Sen. Gladys Robinson, who represents Greensboro. Its all about control and power.

The controversial legislation pushed by Republican lawmakers was announced Tuesday night by Senate leader Phil Berger, who represents parts of Guilford County and all of Rockingham County, and House Speaker Tim Moore. It includes a host of new restrictions and penalties on abortion and abortion providers in keeping with what other GOP-led assemblies have endorsed across America.

Gov. Roy Cooper says he will veto the bill, but the GOP, unlike recent years, now has enough voting power to override it.

Berger and other local Republican lawmakers did not respond to requests this week for comment on the legislation.

The 46-page Senate Bill 20 came as a conference committee report. This procedural move allows legislators to bypass the normal committee process and restrict any opportunity to amend the bill.

The public had no time to see it in advance of (Wednesdays) Rules Committee at 9 a.m., Rep. Pricey Harrison, D-Greensboro, said Thursday. Again, were voting on it 12 hours after it becomes public  a substantive change to our laws.

Rep. Ashton Wheeler Clemmons, another Democrat who represents Greensboro, said by email that the legislation will make my daughter and her friends futures more dangerous and less free than mine. She  and every single woman in North Carolina  should make her own healthcare decision with her doctor, not politicians.

Meanwhile, anti-abortion groups lauded the legislation.

This bill would protect thousands of lives a year from brutal abortions at a point when unborn babies have beating hearts, recognizable faces and unique fingerprints forming  and the capacity to suffer, Caitlin Connors, southern regional director for the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, which seeks to end abortion.

She also praised the ban on mail-order abortion pills.

It demonstrates the legislatures serious commitment to giving women and families in North Carolina the support they need to thrive, Connors said in a news release.

But Harrison said women will suffer, pointing to cases in other states with similar bans, including Ohio where a woman having a miscarriage was told to stay home until she bled a lot more.

Were seeing just in every state thats dumped into an abortion ban that has not turned out well for women, Harrison said. The doctors, as well intended as they are, wonder if theyre going to get prosecuted for performing an abortion when maybe the woman wasnt close enough to death.

Robinson suggested that the General Assembly should be paying more attention to prenatal care, especially Black women, who are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.

We are not putting in place the resources to make sure that when women are having babies, they have good prenatal care, Robinson said.

Poverty, homelessness and food insecurity are issues legislators should also be tackling, she added.

We ought to be taking care of communities and thats what the Constitution says. But yet were doing things that are not within our purview.
A Greensboro man was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to firearms charges connected to two shootings and drug trafficking, U.S. Attorney Sandra J. Hairston announced in a news release.

Lajauren Damitri Wimbush, 36, was indicted in February 2022 for two separate incidents in the Middle District of North Carolina: one involving possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one in which he was charged with three counts of illegal firearm and/or ammunition possession by a felon, officials said in the news release.

According to court records, in September 2020, Surry County Sheriffs deputies executed a search warrant on a residence in Mount Airy, where they encountered Wimbush and confiscated multiple bags of suspected methamphetamine from his vehicle. During his arrest, Wimbush claimed ownership of the contents of the bags, which were later confirmed by the State Crime Lab to contain quantities of methamphetamine.

Wimbush was also indicted in another case on three counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and/or ammunition stemming from two Greensboro shootings at the Four Seasons Mall on Dec. 21, 2021, and at Studio Motel 6 on Jan. 6, 2022. According to court documents, the Greensboro Police Department responded to reports of a shooting at the mall on the afternoon of Dec. 21 and located a victim who had been shot multiple times.

Mall security footage showed the exchange between the victim and shooter in the parking lot of the mall, and officers were able to locate additional footage tracing the shooter back to a motel room where Wimbush was staying at the time, according to the news release from the U.S. Attorneys Office.

On Jan. 6, 2022, a Greensboro police officer responded to reports of an aggravated assault at the same motel and located a victim who had been shot multiple times and beaten by Wimbush, authorities said. Surveillance footage from the motel confirmed the victims account of events and showed Wimbush shooting at and attacking the victim, officials said in the news release.

At the time of both shootings, Wimbush was a previously convicted felon and was aware that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Wimbush is facing additional charges in these cases in state court.

Wimbush pleaded guilty on Nov. 10, 2022, in a combined plea agreement to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and two counts of felon in possession of a firearm.
GREENSBORO  One person was hospitalized after a shooting overnight in the 3800 block of West Gate City Boulevard, Greensboro police said in a news release.

Officers responded just after 2 a.m. to a report of gunfire and located one victim with a gunshot wound. Police have not released any other details at this time.

Police are asking anyone with information to contact Greensboro/Guilford Crime Stoppers at 336-373-1000. Residents can download the mobile P3tips app for Apple or Android phones to submit a mobile tip, or go to P3tips.com to submit a web tip. All tips to Crime Stoppers are anonymous.
GREENSBORO  UNCG awarded 2,082 baccalaureate degrees at its undergraduate commencement ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

Those graduates each got to hear their name called as they walked across the stage  with the university dropping its prior years practice of having a keynote speaker in order to make time for the graduates names to be read. The best things come to those who dont give up, read the message atop one graduates decorated mortar board. In his remarks to the graduating class, university Chancellor Frank Gilliam said about half of UNCG students come in as the first in their families to attend college.

We provided opportunities for you, but you took them and ran with them, he said. This years Board of Governors Teaching Award went to professor Dan Yasaki of UNCGs Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The university also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to David Sprinkle. Sprinkle is a major donor to the university and former chairman of UNCGs board of trustees, as well as a donor and volunteer with other local organizations and charities. Before his retirement, he was the president and CEO of The Todd Organization and a salesman for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. He served as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army in South Vietnam, earning a bronze star. David Sprinkle, your commitment to the vibrancy and well-being of Greensboro and its people and to the excellence of this university and its students is exceptional, Gilliam said. Natalie Adams, speaker for the class, said, ... while UNCG may be an academic institution, even more so it is a thriving community.

She explained that she has a chronic illness, and as a teen was mostly unable to attend school in-person. That, she said, left her fearful about what she would encounter at the university  a fear, she said, that had melted by the end of her first semester. At UNCG, she said, she found peers who accepted and supported her. That, in turn, helped her to accept and support herself, as a student with an invisible disability. Together, they weathered the challenges of college, doing it all amid a once-in-a-century pandemic. For this, she said, all I can say, is thank you.

GREENSBORO  UNCG awarded 2,082 baccalaureate degrees at its undergraduate commencement ceremony at the Greensboro Coliseum on Friday.

Those graduates each got to hear their name called as they walked across the stage  with the university dropping its prior years practice of having a keynote speaker in order to make time for the graduates names to be read.

The best things come to those who dont give up, read the message atop one graduates decorated mortar board.

In his remarks to the graduating class, university Chancellor Frank Gilliam said about half of UNCG students come in as the first in their families to attend college.

We provided opportunities for you, but you took them and ran with them, he said.

This years Board of Governors Teaching Award went to professor Dan Yasaki of UNCGs Department of Mathematics and Statistics.

The university also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters to David Sprinkle.

Sprinkle is a major donor to the university and former chairman of UNCGs board of trustees, as well as a donor and volunteer with other local organizations and charities. Before his retirement, he was the president and CEO of The Todd Organization and a salesman for Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co. He served as a first lieutenant with the U.S. Army in South Vietnam, earning a bronze star.

David Sprinkle, your commitment to the vibrancy and well-being of Greensboro and its people and to the excellence of this university and its students is exceptional, Gilliam said.

Natalie Adams, speaker for the class, said, ... while UNCG may be an academic institution, even more so it is a thriving community.

She explained that she has a chronic illness, and as a teen was mostly unable to attend school in-person.

That, she said, left her fearful about what she would encounter at the university  a fear, she said, that had melted by the end of her first semester. At UNCG, she said, she found peers who accepted and supported her. That, in turn, helped her to accept and support herself, as a student with an invisible disability. Together, they weathered the challenges of college, doing it all amid a once-in-a-century pandemic.

For this, she said, all I can say, is thank you.
GREENSBORO  United Methodists are undertaking a historic vote today that would likely mean almost 200 churches would break away from the denomination.

Its part of a widening chasm among churches  one not just limited to Methodists  over beliefs in same-sex marriage and spiritual treatment of the LGBTQ+ community.

Because of that, 192 of the 956 Methodist churches in western North Carolina want to leave. Once gone  or, in church parlance, disaffiliated  a congregation is no longer considered part of the United Methodist Church. Some churches that have already broken away have decided to be independent. Others have aligned with spiritual groups who hold similar beliefs.

In any case, what happens today continues to underscore a fight by the LGBTQ+ community for inclusion in houses of worship. Its a fight thats shaken other denominations, ranging from Episcopal to Presbyterian.

Area churches that want to leave, including Rehobeth and Sandy Ridge in Greensboro and Trinity in Winston-Salem, represent about 15 percent of the membership of the conference, and is comparable, according to church leaders, to splits in other United Methodist conferences across the country. The list of congregations include more than 12,000 members.

As other mainline churches have struggled or are currently grappling with the issue of homosexuality, the end result has typically been the same: a split in membership.

We grieve to see any church leave, especially as we believe that we all share the core mission of bringing people into the life of Christ, his love for us and his teaching that we love one another, presiding Bishop Ken Carter said in a written statement.  Nevertheless, the issue of human sexuality has become an irreconcilable difference among us, and some are choosing to leave.

Members can obviously leave for other congregations, but their houses of worship would remain under the control of the United Methodist Church. That is, unless those churches decide to pay a severance fee of sorts  which is been a source of contention.

In 2019, during a special called session at the General Conference meeting of all congregations, the organizations Book of Discipline was refined to allow some churches a pathway to leave. The Book of Discipline outlines doctrines and United Methodist Church law, which cannot be changed without a vote of the global body.

In particular, paragraph 2553 specifies churches wanting to leave based on how their congregations feel about human sexuality can keep their property under certain guidelines.

The denominations judicial council, the groups highest court, has ruled that paragraph 2553 is the only path for churches seeking disaffiliation that would still allow them to keep their property.

Some congregations argued that some of these places of worship were built before the Civil War with members taking care of them over the years without assistance from the denomination.

In March, a judge ruled against a group of Methodist churches representing about four percent of the conference that sued to leave over broader theological differences but not through the approved processes as found in Paragraph 2553.
Continuing in my quest to find Montanans that have helped add to the story of our states culinary heritage, I reached out to friends Adam and Erika Mendez that run El Vaquero Taqueria as a true mom-and-pop Mexican restaurant in Helena.

Their restaurant is a small establishment with no inside seating offering lunch service most weekdays and sometimes take-home dinners. Its attached to a barber shop on a one-way street close to the Capitol building. Like many small commercial buildings, there have been several occupants who tried to have a successful business in the small space. No one had much luck until the Mendez couple opened El Vaquero Taqueria in 2013.

Being so small, you may think it would be hard to find. But its actually hard to miss when you see the line that forms to order  sometimes stretching to the street. Loyal customers will brave below-zero or scorching temperatures to get their hands on Mexican scratch-made favorites, including many Mexican specials of the day.

People of Spanish and Hispanic descent have been coming to what we now call Montana for over 200 years, according to Dr. Bridget Kevane at MSU. For the first century, it was the fur industry, trade posts, mining, cattle ranching and the sugar beet industry that brought folks in search of new opportunities. Today, a little over 4% of Montanans have Hispanic origins, according to the U.S. Census.

Dr. Kevane, who is currently writing a book about Latinos in Montana, explains the majority of Montanans with Hispanic ancestry are from Mexico. However, folks from Cuba, Chile and Honduras, and many other countries south of Mexico also fall within the broad category of Latino. Billings, Gallatin County, Flathead County, Butte, Helena and Great Falls have the most notable concentrations where Latino culture is established through festivals, fiestas and other cultural events.

Adam and Erika Mendez made Montana home in 2005 and have raised five children here. They met in California, both having worked in Mexican restaurants in their formative years. Erikas mother owned a restaurant in Mexico City where she learned local classics, and Adam picked up the craft at a taqueria in the Bay Area.

Many Americans (including myself) may not be able to pinpoint the regional variations in cuisine that are prevalent in Mexican cooking. Differences in Mexican dishes can be just as stark as what youll see with food from New England versus food from Louisiana. For Adam and Erika, they say many of their dishes trace their roots to Mexico City, the Guadalajara region and Chicano-style (Mexican-American).

When the Mendez family made Montana their home 17 years ago, Adam told me they developed a great deal of respect for the traditions, beliefs and culture of this great state and land. This appreciation became the inspiration behind their taquerias name, El Vaquero, which is a Spanish term for cowboy.

Leaning into their love of Montana, Adam and Erika have provided this Chile Colorado recipe  a great beef-centric Mexican dish. This is a rich and fiery dish that can be added to tacos, burritos or just served on its own along with beans, rice and a little sour cream and guacamole to cool things off.

The reference to Colorado in the recipe name has nothing to do with the state  its a Spanish adjective that means colored red and speaks to the deep color the chiles impart in the dish. Since Montana owes its own name to Spanish origins (it means mountainous), we could just as easily call this dish "Chili Montana" if you are making it in Big Sky Country with this Mendez family recipe. I hope you do so this Cinco de Mayo or any time of the year when you want to eat a tasty Mexican classic.

Mendez Chili Colorado

(Serves 6-8 people)

6 seeded and stemmed guajillo peppers

6 seeded and stemmed chile de arbol

2 pounds beef sirloin or chuck

2 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon granulated garlic

1 teaspoon onion powder

Pinch of clove

1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

2 bay leaves

4 beef bouillon cubes

2 large onions

1 chipotle pepper in adobo

Vegetable oil

Directions:

Over medium heat with a tablespoon of vegetable oil, saute seeded guajillo and chile de arbol peppers. Saute until toasty, but do not let them burn. Cover with 5 cups water, cover with lid and raise temp to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Take off the heat and let them cool.

When cooled, blend the chiles and water well with a high-speed blender. Run through a fine mesh strainer to remove chile skins, but save the liquid. To your liquid add 2 teaspoons of cumin, 1 teaspoon of granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon of Mexican oregano, 2 bay leaves, 2 chipotle peppers in adobo, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, black pepper and a pinch of ground cloves.

Dice your two large onions in small pieces and cube your meat into 3/4-inch chunks. Pat meat dry with a paper towel and season well with salt and pepper. In a few teaspoons of vegetable oil, brown your beef on medium-high heat.

Once your beef is browned, add the onions, your chile liquid, four beef bouillon cubes, and another 4-5 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then drop the temp to low with the lid on. Cook until tender  about an hour and a half. If you want to thicken the sauce, take off the lid and simmer until it reduces to your preferred consistency. Remove the bay leaves before you serve.
A Helena judge on Thursday temporarily blocked a new state law banning abortions after 24 weeks in Montana.

The temporary restraining order was issued by Helena Judge Mike Menahan on Thursday following a lawsuit filed the day after House Bill 575 was signed by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte.

The bill, from Great Falls Republican Rep. Lola Sheldon-Galloway, would set the default for viability at 24 weeks gestational age, regardless of the condition of the fetus. The bill would have also required an ultrasound before an abortion and say the procedure could only be done by a physician or physician assistant. There was an exception if the life of the mother was at risk, though the bill did not define those scenarios.

The legislation was set to take effect immediately. Earlier this week Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte signed several bills to restrict abortion access and said he'll sign several more heading his way.

That includes bills to ban the most commonly used procedure in the second trimester, legislation to require preauthorization for procedures covered by Medicaid, a bill to ban public money to be used to cover abortions except in some limited cases and an attempt to work around a state Supreme Court decision by saying in state code the Constitution does not protect abortion access. Many bills have come with notes flagging possible constitutional issues.

In 2021 Sheldon-Galloway carried a bill to ban abortions after 21 weeks; that law is also under a block by courts while a lawsuit against it plays out.

Abortion is legal in Montana because of the 1999 state Supreme Courts Armstrong decision that found the state Constitutions right to privacy ensures access to the procedure before the point of viability.

Plaintiffs have established facts, which if proven as true, establish that House Bill 575 presents a likely constitutional violation, Menahan wrote. HB 575 impermissibly infringes on Montanans constitutional right to a pre-viability abortion both by requiring all patients to undergo an ultrasound before receiving an abortion and by suggesting that advance practice registered nurses cannot perform abortions.

A hearing in the case is set for May 12. Planned Parenthood had previously filed a lawsuit seeking to block another bill that would ban the most commonly used abortion procedure in the second trimester, but a judge did not take up a request for a temporary block, saying that was premature since the bill had not yet been signed into law.

In a statement Thursday, the head of Planned Parenthood of Montana welcomed the order.

As Montana courts have reaffirmed time and time again, the rights to privacy and access to abortion are clearly protected under our state constitution. We are pleased that the court took action to block this dangerous law today and hope its ruling will send a message to anti-abortion lawmakers who continue trampling on our rights, Martha Fuller, president and CEO, wrote.

Planned Parenthood of Montana, along with All Families Healthcare and Blue Mountain Clinic, were granted a temporary restraining order previously this week in their challenge against an administrative rule from the state health department that would require preauthorization for abortions covered by Medicaid, as well change what counts as a medically necessary abortion and limit who can perform the procedure to only physicians.
Montana lawmakers have eliminated a sunset provision on the state's compensation program for people who were wrongfully convicted, but critical changes sought by advocates failed to pass muster with the governor's office.

House Bill 423, carried by Rep. Amy Regier, R-Kalispell, built on a program established by the 2021 Legislature following years of bipartisan construction.

Lawmakers and advocates involved in that process came to Helena this year with several changes in hand aimed at stakeholders' original intent, which was to avoid costly, protracted litigation cases when someone seeks legal recourse after their convictions are exonerated.

One of the major changes anticipated for this session was removing counties where the conviction occurred from the equation when doling out responsibility for paying the claims.

The only case to test the new program so far is staged in Missoula County, where Cody Marble seeks compensation for his 15 years in and out of prison on a rape conviction the county attorney's office later said "lacks integrity."

Missoula County officials, facing potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in compensation claims from Marble, have since reversed course, now arguing in court filings that Marble's conviction was sound.

Lawmakers in 2021 had passed legislation without counties, but Gov. Greg Gianforte sent the bill back, requiring they include counties or he'd veto the bill.

Lawmakers did so again this session, and Gianforte likewise sent the bill back to lawmakers with the same ultimatum.

"Historically, counties have been liable for approximately 77% of the damages paid to persons wrongfully convicted, and the state has been liable for approximately 23%," Gianforte's amendatory veto letter reads. " To ensure financial and legal responsibility rests with the part best able to keep it from happening again, and to protect Montana taxpayers," he requested lawmakers reinstate a provision that splits the county-state payout ratio to 75% and 25%, respectfully.

"That's because that the allegations have been that there was exculpatory evidence withheld by someone in local law enforcement," Rep. Bill Mercer, R-Billings, told the House floor on Tuesday as the chamber considered Gianforte's changes. "Those are the sorts of things that have led to reversals and settlements in these cases, but it's not been the state that's been responsible.

"To say that the state is going to fully fund this and the counties and municipalities would have no responsibility completely disrupts that order, the fact that we're going to try to minimize the kind of conduct that leads to these sorts of claims," he added.

Gianforte's changes also included a provision that would eliminate claims in which people seek compensation for convictions for marijuana crimes following legalization of recreational cannabis in 2020.

The House approved the changes on a 68-28 vote.

The program still provides $60,000 per year in prison and $25,000 per year under probation or parole to people who were later exonerated.

Under law, a person who has been exonerated has two options. They can file a claim under the program or attempt to seek damages in court, the latter being theoretically a riskier attempt for a higher dollar figure in financial recourse.

Marble, in the Missoula County case, abandoned his civil case against officials to seek a claim under the new state program and is now in a different form of litigation to secure the claim.

Richard Raugust, however, maintained course in his litigation and in December agreed to a $5 million settlement with Sanders County, where his homicide conviction was overturned after 18 years in prison.
As if Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks complicated system to apply for special hunting permits wasnt confusing enough, a new wrinkle was added last year without public notification.

The agency has allowed hunters to purchase bonus points for 20 years to increase their odds of drawing hard-to-get permits. The points accrue over time and are awarded after the hunter failed to draw one of their first-choice tags. In theory then, a hunter who is repeatedly denied a tag and purchases a bonus point should eventually have greater odds of drawing in a specific region.

The regs say

As noted in FWPs regulations, Bonus points essentially offer you additional drawing chances and are used for first-choice drawings only. Existing bonus points will be mathematically squared prior to the drawing. That means if you already have three base bonus points, those will be squared and youll then have nine points going into the drawing.

If youre unsuccessful, youll be awarded an additional base bonus point for next years drawing, the regulations continue.

The fee for a bonus point is $2 for residents, $20 for nonresidents when applying for a license. Hunters can also purchase bonus points for other species between July 1 and Sept. 30 at a cost of $15 for residents, $25 for nonresidents. The exception is moose, sheep and goats which cost $75 each for nonresidents.

Change

Last year, FWP began using the bonus point awarded to a hunter right away, instead of waiting a year as it had done in the past.

A review from 2021 prompted the question internally as to the definition of accumulated bonus point (term used in MCA 87-2-117), Greg Lemon, FWP spokesperson explained in an email. We concluded that a newly purchased bonus point should be considered an accumulated point. This means the purchased bonus point will apply to that years drawing, which is different than in years past. So if a hunter came into the 2023 drawing with 3 bonus points, buys a point, and participates in the drawing, that hunters 4 total bonus points will be applied to the drawing. If unsuccessful, the hunter will carry over 4 bonus points. Drawings were conducted this way for the last two hunting seasons. This change does not apply to nonresident preference points. Preference points are used to prioritize nonresident combination applications.

This concerned Tim Griffiths, a Montana hunter, who reached out to the Billings Gazette.

In an email, Griffiths wrote, After applying for my permits, I noticed on the receipt emailed to me that my bonus points listed were incorrect. For example, it read for my deer permit, Bonus point accumulated through 2022: 11. I knew that was incorrect as I had only 9 points going into the draw in 2022 and was unsuccessful. I should now have 10 bonus points for the 2023 draw. Likewise, I drew my elk permit last year and should have 0 going into the draw but my receipt indicated I had 1.

When Griffiths contacted FWP to report what he thought was an error the agency could correct before the first spring drawing, he instead found out FWP employees were aware of the issue but told him the old system was still being used, the point was just showing up early.

Following the drawing, however, Griffiths again noted a discrepancy in the draw results posted online. From the results it was evident that bonus points purchased in 2023 were in fact used to gain advantage in the 2023 draw. For 2023, the max point pool from the draw results was listed at 21, when it was only 19 for 2022.

Unknowingly adding a bonus point is unfair, Griffiths contended, using this example: Imagine if you paid $100 for a raffle ticket to win a new truck. The organizers advertised the raffle as having 300 total tickets available, and that detail was clearly printed on the tickets and embedded on their advertisements. After the drawing you learned that instead of 300, they actually sold 600 tickets and your chances were reduced nearly by half.

Lemon said thats not a fair analogy because FWPs bonus point change applied the same to everyone in the drawings.

When Griffiths contacted the agency the second time, he was told FWP was complying with the law. FWP did note the change in its frequently asked questions section on its website where people could have learned of the alteration, Griffiths was told.

Law

The law referenced was last updated in 2021. So why wasnt the change reflected in the agencys regulations and its online video tutorial, Griffiths questioned.

Its not fair, its not transparent and its unacceptable, he said. They conducted the draw but not like they publicly advertised.

This is a positive change for hunters, allowing them to use the bonus point in the year they purchased it, Lemon wrote. If they're unsuccessful, they keep it for next year. The department is taking steps to make this positive change in methodology clear for the 2024 regulations.

Hunters contacted for this story who utilize bonus points were unaware of the change. Lewistown archer Doug Krings said he noticed the extra point popping up right away, but didnt give it a second thought.

That is a screwy deal, said Thomas Baumeister, a former FWP employee and hunter who uses bonus points. I have been on the other side of that system, and there is a complexity to it, so its not surprising they get it wrong.

Lemon said many hunters were aware of the change and the department will make it clear in next year's regulations.

Montana hunter Randy Newberg, whose Fresh Tracks online show videos hunts in several states, said people on his Hunt Talk forum noticed the bonus point change late last year. Newberg reached out to FWP and was told nothing could be changed with the licensing system because it was undergoing a legislative audit.

The Legislative Audit Division conducted a study "Analyzing bonus point accuracy" from Sept. 2022 to March 2023. The results will be presented to the Legislative Audit Committee on June 8, which can be viewed on the state's website. A few days prior to the meeting an electronic version of the report will be available at https://leg.mt.gov/lad/. FWP's Lemon said such audits are routine.

Newberg said hes been pushing FWP to outsource the licensing process for years, partly because of cybersecurity risks, partly because keeping up with such a complicated computer system takes a lot of time and manpower. He said thats what Nevada has done, and its licensing system is now seen as a gold standard for hunting applicants.

Concerned

In an email to FWP, Griffiths voiced his frustration over the situation: It is unconscionable for a public agency to advertise one method of distributing a public resource and then quietly implementing another, he wrote. Especially problematic when the other method disproportionately impacts a certain class of people, in this case all but the highest point holders in each hunt code and especially those who choose not to participate in the bonus point system.

In an email from Joy Ross, acting Licensing Bureau chief, Griffiths was told, You are right, we do need to clarify the explanation of bonus points in the regulations. We are working to do so. As far as any current or past drawings, the bonus point rules were applied consistently and fairly to all individuals in those drawings.

No foolin

Although many Montana hunters may not have noticed the change, Huntin Fool did. The Utah-based company fills out permit applications for hunters for a fee, helping them navigate confusing state regulations. License application manager Shandi Martinez said she heard about the FWP change in passing but received no official notice regarding the alteration.

Montana is kind of a mess overall, she said. And they seem to change it every year.

This also isnt the first flaw when it comes to FWPs Licensing Bureau. Last year, the bureau incorrectly eliminated almost 2,500 hunters who applied for certain elk permits through the agencys lottery system. Krings, the Lewistown hunter, was one of them. After realizing the error, the bureau conducted a second drawing for the disenfranchised hunters.

I wish they could get this right, Krings said. I was rooting for them.
Jonas Langford hit a few local rummage sales to find cooking utensils and other gear.

The six-year-old is an aspiring chef and walked away from a Moweaqua sale with a small skillet.

Im going to make a little omelet, he said.

Weve got a donut maker, too, said his grandmother, Angela Langford.

Langford traveled from LaPlace to take her grandchildren to the Moweaqua sales. Everybody loves a bargain, she said. And it gives us something to do.

With spring cleaning underway, and cabin fever about to break, now is the time for sellers and customers to come together during rummage sales, garage sales and yard sales.

People Gather Together

The bargains, as well as the opportunity to make a little extra cash, are only part of the draw.

For years, Renae Trimble, 64, has participated in the Blue Mound rummage sales. Trimble said she takes the opportunity to get rid of a few things. But I also enjoy seeing the people that I sometimes only see once a year, she said. They know who I am and what Ill have.

The community rummage sales are more enticing for shopper Sheri Engle. I do it when theres a lot together, instead of running around all over, she said.

According to Blue Mound rummager Bethany Dowdy, the more sales on a weekend, the better for business. People are more apt to get out, she said. They can go right down the road to another one.

Local Rummage, Garage and Yard Sales To find Central Illinois sales, visit the Illinois Town/City Wide Garage Sales Facebook Page.

Finding clothing for young children is a draw for many shoppers, including grandparents. Especially shoes, Langford said. In three months, theyre feet were huge.

Also a grandmother, Engle shops rummage sales for childrens clothing to store at her home. If they have an accident or get sick, I can clean what they came in, she said.

Along with childrens clothing, toys and other items, another popular draw is home decor. Dowdy said she is surprised to find half-used bottles of lotion and soaps can go quickly. People snatch that up, she said.

Organization is Key

Sellers agree organization is the key to setting up a rummage sale. From pricing to arranging, its important to know the plan before the items are placed on tables or racks.

Ellen Gibson has helped organize the annual Moweaqua Rummage Sales, complete with a map of the sales. We also list what everybodys got, she said. I dont know if thats the reason why people come here, but we get a lot of compliments for that.

Gibson utilizes Facebook to correspond with customers as well as those selling. Youll see comments on there, she said. Theres a lot of sales here, and theyre nice sales.

Gibson has her own rules about the items placed in her rummage sales. If you have a rummage sale, it goes out and it doesn't come back in, she said. Its a lot of work.

Holding a rummage sale has been a springtime tradition for Renee Polston of Mattoon, her extended family and friends since at least 2000. They hold their sale every year in her detached garage, where the clothes hanging rods remain in place year round, near the busy intersection of Marshall Avenue and 14th Street. Polston said location, location, location is one of the keys to a successful sale.

Polston said they plan their rummage sale for the spring to help with closet cleaning and serve as a raffle ticket fundraiser for the annual St. Jude Mattoon to Peoria Run, set for Aug. 4-5 this year.

We price it to get rid of it, Polston said of another key. She added that they also make sure their cash drawer is fully ready for sale day. You have got to have lots of $1 bills and quarters.

Polstons daughter, Rebecca Kimball, who handles the pricing, said they see many of the same customers every year. The Polston family and friends sale starts on a Friday afternoon to cater to parents picking up their children after school and then continues to the next day to draw regular Saturday morning rummage sale fans.

April 28 and 29 were the dates of their rummage sale this year. Polston said the sale was scheduled to open at 3 p.m. that Friday, but got an early start as usual.

Within three minutes of putting our tables out, people were here. We didnt even have stuff on the tables, Polston said.

Kimball and Polston, like their regular customers, are also rummage sale fans. Polston said they apply lessons learned at other sales to their own.

You have got to have plenty of tables. You have got to spread that stuff out, Polston said of presenting merchandise in an appealing way.

Cris Burge recently helped organize a multi-family sale with six other families. Its a lot of work, but Ive gotten my use out of everything, she said.

Six families living in rural areas rented an empty retail building in Moweaqua for their sale.

To our house, its about six miles, said Terri Townsend.

So this is ideal, Burge said about the location.

The bargains found at garage sales were beneficial for Burge when she was raising her children years ago. Rummage sales is where I got all my kids clothes, and I myself clothes as well, she said. So if you can give back, give back.

The retired women of the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Decatur can be considered pros in organizing rummage sales. They will host this years annual sale May 5 and 6 in the church basement.

Its always the first Friday and Saturday of May, said Barbara Phillips. Since its the start of the rummage sale season.

The first church sales were organized in the 1980s. All of us had parents before us that did all this work, said Nancy Minks.

Through the years, the women have learned a few tricks to make the process easier.

We dont price everything now, said Diana Rinchiuso.

Now we ask for a donation, Phillips said.

The proceeds will go toward the Presbyterian Womens Association. The group will provide donations to local organizations and mission trips.

With the amount of items on display in the church, the women understand they may not know the true value of some pieces. So an appraiser views the merchandise before they open to the public. We dont want something thats $50 to go out for $2, said Susie Moore.

When it's all over

Once the fun is over, the sellers have to pack up the items that werent sold.

The leftovers are often sent to missionary groups, homeless shelters, or thrift stores, or they save it again for next year.

All the baby clothes, we thought we might donate to Northeast (Community Fund) or BabyTALK, Burge said.

Somebody could use it, Townsend said.

Springtime is a popular time for thrift stores as well.

However, the businesses and organizations ready to accept the rummage sale leftovers have stipulations.

No winter items, said Lillie Rainey, Northeast Community Funds director of housewares and clothing. We dont have the room for it.

For those donating to shelters and thrift stores, check the facilities websites or Facebook page for donations hours.

Blessingdales Thrift Store, 345 W. Eldorado St., Decatur, will take nearly all items.

If you can buy it at a store, well take it, said Carolann Carara, director of retail operations.

However, the local thrift store is not a drop off for toys, outdated electronics, mattresses nor paint.

I just have to pay to get it hauled away, Carara said.

Northeast Community Fund, located at 839 N. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Decatur, is often in need of mens, womens and childrens clothing and shoes. If you have sandals, we could always use those, Rainey said.

Infant clothing and diapers continue to be a need for the social service agency. We really dont want toys, unless they are in a box and all the pieces are together, Rainey said. Because we have small children running around.

Household items, such as ironing boards, furniture, draperies and televisions are not needed. But we can always use sheets, pots, pans, skillets, towels or those types of things, Rainey said.

For the items Northeast Community Fund are not able to distribute among the community, they pass them on to missionary organizations outside of Illinois.

None of the thrift stores and donation locations will accept soiled or destroyed items. If they are damaged or have a bad odor, we dont put them out, Rainey said.

Blessingdales has often been a dumping location during the spring season. It is a trend the staff wants to stop. I have to have extra dumpster pickups in the rummage sale season, Carara said. I cant sell someones used cottage cheese containers, or somebodys underwear.

For furniture donations, Carara suggests donors call first for information. We dont take it into this building, she said.

20 tips for hosting a successful yard sale Pick the right date for your yard sale. Shop your house for items to sell. Give yourself at least two weeks to gather and clean items. Arrange like items together. Tag your yard sale items right. Gear up. Be an attention grabber. Post signs in your neighborhood. Advertise in multiple ways. Get an extra set of hands. Make carryout easy. Stock your register. Fill a $1 basket to position near checkout. Place large eye-catching items close to the road. Group things as they are in department stores. Hang clothes. Cover tables with colorful plastic. Display jewelry nicely. Put baby clothes and toys near the back of the sale. Use vertical space.
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

Variable clouds with showers and scattered thunderstorms. High 82F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Locally heavy rainfall possible..

Tonight

Showers and scattered thunderstorms. Low 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
BRISTOL, Tenn.  Jodi Kemple deals daily with people struggling to make ends meet, but on Thursday she stopped looking through a middle class lens and stood in their shoes.

Kemple, director of development and marketing at Healing Hands Health Center, temporarily took on the role of the mother of a middle class family who brought in the lone paycheck during a poverty simulation exercise at the Bristol YWCA. Participants took on the role of someone struggling economically, then went to various agencies to try and secure support  and sometimes they were unsuccessful.

For one hour Kemple was someone else. Her fictional husband was recently laid off and seeking work. They had three children, including a fictional pregnant teenager. Afterward, she reflected on the real-life challenges faced by many.

That scenario made me so aware that middle ground is so stressful to keep things going, she said. Keeping the kids safe. Were so worried about cutting back on extras but, for them, there are no extras to cut back on. This was a very good exercise.

It also made her think about her role at Healing Hands, a health care center that provides low-cost care for the working poor in the greater Bristol region, adding, Am I going to give them that one second of relief they may need to get them through their day?

The clinic was closed Thursday morning so the entire staff could participate in the exercise

I attended this four years ago. I wanted to understand the challenges our patients are facing, said Corey Smith, director of clinic operations at Healing Hands Health Center. It takes a lot for our patients to get to their appointments. We kind of have this middle class mentality of Ill just get in my car and drive to my appointment without any issues. 

Many times people who live in poverty or who are one crisis away from financial ruin, face a gauntlet just making it to a doctors appointment, she said.

Afterward, Smith said it was important for the entire staff to go through the experience.

It was very important that the whole staff be here. I can go back and tell everybody but for them to go through it first-hand and see the person behind the patient. Weve been learning a lot about this because we have these community health workers  we have three on staff now. Were providing dental, medical and vision care for our patients, but if they need more we send them to our community health workers who help them navigate resources to get everything they need.

Recently released figures show 20% of Bristol Tennessee households were living in poverty while another 30% were income constrained. The combined figure for Bristol Virginia is 52%.

Participant Anthony Adams of Northeast State Community College was struck by the reality of the experience, noting it was useful it is to educate people whove never faced povertys challenges.

A lot of the things we went through in our simulation, Ive actually lived. I know people like that, Adams said. There have been situations in my family where we had to do things like that. I remember one time my mother had enough money for us to move, but not enough money to turn the lights on. So we had the house but I had to go stay with another friend for a week. It was very real, Adams said.

Jake Holmes, a member of the Bristol Virginia City Council and the United Way of Bristol board of directors, went through the simulation for the first time. Holmes received the identity of a 25-year-old man just released from prison and living in a homeless shelter with his girlfriend.

Every 15-minute block was a week and, for the four weeks, we never dug out. There was a death in the family, we had to pay for part of a funeral, I got fired because I couldnt get to work on time; everything started piling up, Holmes said.

I have not lived in poverty myself. Its important because its a side of life Id never seen before. Its a big part of our population and we need people to understand and advocate for, be able to work with and try to help, Holmes said.

The simulation was supported by the United Way of Bristol and is one of many it uses to raise awareness.

Were always trying to look at the gaps in the community and try to pull together resources so people have what they need and to educate our community on the needs, Executive Director Lisa Cofer said. Our community is so generous, but the needs are greater than ever before. A lot of the barriers and challenges our families face have increased  especially during COVID.

And much of the federal assistance available during the height of the pandemic has now dried up, she said.

Lynn Pannell of the Bristol Virginia Housing and Redevelopment Authority said the simulation is designed to educate.

We want to raise awareness and help to educate the community on what its like to live in poverty. The struggles our people truly face in day-to-day living  making ends meet, finding a job, getting their kids to school, Pannell said. Everything that families do with limited transportation, limited job opportunities, housing insecurities  everything that they face  and the struggles are real.

Among the many participants were employees of the housing authority.

We function in a middle class culture but not all our people live in the middle class, she said. We want people to be stable and move forward, past where they are. We want futures for our kids. We dont want kids continuing that cycle of poverty but moving forward so they have a brighter future.
An estimated $52,000 worth of copper has been stolen from the Killian Creek Waste Water Treatment Plant in Lincoln County since January, according to law enforcement.

No charges have been issued in connection to the stolen copper. The Lincoln County Sheriffs Office is asking for assistance from the public in the case, according to a news release.

Copper was reported stolen on three separate occasions, the sheriffs office said.

The first theft was reported on Jan. 25. A spool with 1,134 feet of copper wiring valued at $14,000 was stolen, the sheriffs office said.

The sheriffs office said the suspects cut a chain link fence and stole a skid steer from a nearby site on Jan. 19 to remove the copper. The skid steer was located the same day near the intersection of June Dellinger Road and Old Plank Road, the sheriffs office said.

The wastewater treatment plant is located on Old Plank Road.

The second theft was reported on Feb. 8. Company officials told police that two rolls of copper wiring valued at $30,000 were stolen using a stolen lift from a nearby property. The lift was recovered but the copper was still missing, the sheriffs office said.

The third theft of copper was reported on April 7, when $8,000 worth of copper was stolen from the site. Security cameras recorded two men placing the copper in the back of a pickup truck, the sheriffs office said.

One of the men was wearing a ski mask, but had numerous tattoos visible on his body, the sheriffs office said.

Anyone with information on the larcenies or the suspects is asked to contact the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office at 704-732-9050, the Lincoln County Communications Center at 704-735-8202 or the Lincolnton/Lincoln County Crime Stoppers at 704-736-8909.

If a Crime Stoppers tip leads to an arrest, the caller could receive a reward and will remain anonymous, the sheriffs office said.
Cyberattacks conducted by CIA disclosed

Chinadaily.com.cn) 08:25, May 05, 2023

Report reveals details of Washington's security breaches in China, other nations

The United States is capable of spying on any country anytime it wants and stealing key information as it has built an "empire of hacking" by owning the biggest cyberattack arsenal in the world and planting cyberattack weapons in almost all internet systems around the world, an investigation report said.

On Thursday, China's National Computer Virus Emergency Response Center and cybersecurity company 360 jointly released the first part of the report on the US Central Intelligence Agency's cyberattacks against other countries, including China.

Based on a large number of case studies, the report revealed key features of the CIA's cyberattack weapons, and how it carried out espionage activities and stole information. The report also disclosed the details of specific cybersecurity cases that have taken place in China and other countries.

In 2020, cybersecurity company 360 discovered a new organization of hackers specializing in stealing information about China and some nations in Southeast Asia and Europe, the report said, adding that the attacks from the new organization started as early as 2011 and are still continuing.

The organization was found to have used cyberattack weapons mentioned in leaked CIA files dubbed "Vault7". Those files from the CIA's cyber intelligence center, made public by WikiLeaks in 2017, contain the attack patterns of the CIA's network operation teams, code names of operations and technical details of hacking tools.

Bian Liang, a cybersecurity expert at the 360 Advanced Threat Research Institute, said that being different from other cyberattacks, the CIA's targets are mainly critical information systems and infrastructure, aerospace and astronautical industries, scientific research institutions, the petroleum industry, internet companies and government agencies.

"Such moves can endanger national security. For example, the CIA can target key infrastructure and steal sensitive information. Also, the leaking of commercial secrets can lead to economic losses," Bian said.

During the investigations into several cyberattacks on the information systems of Chinese entities, 360 discovered a series of cyberattack weapons that follow the CIA's development specifications disclosed in Vault7 and these are exclusively meant for CIA use.

"Only a national-level hacker organization needs to develop such specifications, which serve as the basic framework for its attack platform. To avoid being detected and intercepted, the specifications will be further regulated and specialized," Bian said.

On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning urged the US to take the matter seriously, respond to the international community's concerns and stop using cyberattack weapons to carry out espionage activities and attacks around the world.

The large number of cases in China and other countries disclosed in the report are additional proof of the global cyberattacks launched by the CIA over the years, and the international community should stay on high alert against those moves, Mao said.

Currently, the CIA's cyberattack weapons have been planted in internet and internet of things assets around the world, the report said. Such operations clearly need to be supported by abundant funding, technologies and human resources, it said, adding that the details of more cases will be revealed in other parts of the report in the future.

(Web editor: Zhong Wenxing, Liang Jun)
Dozens of students gathered in their graduation gowns for Lenoir-Rhyne Universitys annual baccalaureate service in Grace Chapel on Wednesday. Professors also attended in full regalia to celebrate a new chapter for the Class of 2023.

Dean of student life Katie Fisher said the service is not required for graduating students to attend, but it is an opportunity to be sent off with a blessing.
Editors Note: The following is an Editorial Comment from the editors of Hoards Dairyman.

In December 2021, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for consensus from the dairy industry before a federal milk marketing petition landed on his desk. While we cannot say for certain what the secretary had in mind issuing his consensus request, we would suggest that the dairy community fell well short of his stated goal.

In late March, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association (WCMA) each filed a single-request petition to amend the federal order manufacturing or make allowance values. In a good faith negotiation effort, the groups had postponed submitting a petition for a number of months to continue discussions with dairy farm leaders. After that additional dialogue, the only consensus reached was that make allowances needed to be updated. No agreement was reached pertaining to cost data collection and specific formulas. Unable to find common ground on their topic, IDFA and WCMA filed their hearing request with USDA.

While the manufacturing community has been ready to go for some time, it has taken dairy farmers, largely led by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), much longer to coalesce and finalize their proposal. Thats because there are many more players at the table with different regional issues and cooperative representation. Hence, it took over 150 meetings according to the dairy farm groups, leaving dueling proposals.

While we have deep respect for the leadership and expertise on both sides of the dairy aisle, we would have to agree with NMPF and AFBF that only looking at make allowances will leave dairy producers at an economic loss with the IDFA and WCMA petition. While no one has spelled it out in a concise statement, we believe the hang-up between the groups centers on the make allowance surveys to establish manufacturing costs.

Manufacturers would suggest that good voluntary surveys already exist. However, dairy farmers would contend new plant construction has made significant gains in manufacturing efficiency and lowering costs.

While the NMPF proposal gained a unanimous vote from its membership, the same cannot be said of IDFA. We know that because four dairy processing co-ops that are also members of IDFA wrote a letter asking the USDA secretary to not grant IDFAs hearing request.

At the moment, the process has not reached consensus. While that was not a stated reason, it's likely one of the factors why the March 30 petition was rejected in an April 28 letter from USDA. The official reason shared was, USDA requests additional information regarding specific make allowance values . . . With that decision in the rearview mirror, we urge the dairy community to work toward greater consensus so federal orders can receive updates before years end.

To comment, email your remarks to intel@hoards.com.

(c) Hoard's Dairyman Intel 2023

May 1, 2023
In the news business theres always good things, bad things, people trying to do good and fun. Todays Friday Five is a perfect example.

No. 1

A hero among us. The Concord Police Department this week recognized Officer Adam Culp who received the Life Saving Award for his heroic actions.

On March 11, Officer Culp responded to a victim who had been shot. Culp provided life saving measures to the victim. Due to Officer Culps quick actions, the victim was stabilized and transported to the hospital to recover from his injuries.

Congratulations and thank you Officer Culp.

Its great that we have such calm and well-trained emergency personnel serving our community.

I know some of you are thinking this too. He is such a young-looking man. I guess that the old man in me.

No. 2

Tax exemption status appeal for Barber-Scotia. The college has appealed the Cabarrus County Tax Assessors ruling that most of the college campus does not qualify for tax exempt status.

WSOC-TV News has a story this week about the college, but college officials declined to talk about the situation saying it would be premature.

Channel 9 reported that the appeals say that non-profits and community groups have used the properties and that the school uses them for recruiting and alumni events.

Cabarrus County Tax Assessor David Thrift said that the properties uses as of Jan. 1, 2023, are what is being evaluated.

The colleges appeals will be heard by the Cabarrus County Board of Equalization and Review in June. If Barber-Scotia loses the appeal it could appeal to the N.C. Property Tax Commission.

It appears the situation is a long way from being resolved.

No. 3

Old photo scanning. The Eastern Cabarrus Historic Society invites the public to bring their old, historic photographs to be scanned and digitized. This is a great way to preserve history.

This service will be available on designated Saturdays and Mondays and appointments are recommended. Photos should be at least 50 years old and of people, places and things relative to eastern Cabarrus County history. Preference will be given to photos in which everyone and everything is identified.

You will keep your original photo and receive a digital copy. ECHS will keep a digital copy for its archives. You should bring a new, unused flash drive or purchase one from ECHS for $5.

Due to time constraints, the ECHS asks that you bring no more than 15 photos to an appointment. There is no charge for the scanning, but donations are appropriate and welcome.

No. 4

Headliners for Harrisburg Fourth. Preparations are well under way for the annual Harrisburg Fourth Of July celebration. The town announced this week that the musical headliners will be Sister Hazel on July 3 and Generation Radio on July 4. There will be fireworks both nights.

Sister Hazel, an alternative rock group, is known for the hit All for You, which reached #11 on the Billboad charts. The group, out of Gainesville, Florida, is named for Sister Hazel Williams, a missionary who ran a homeless shelter.

Generation Radio is a new rock group, which released its debut, self-title album in December, 2022. The band is made up of former members of Rascal Flatts, Chicago and Journey.

The group is currently on tour and Harrisburg is one stop on the tour.

No. 5

A new Facebook page for Midland. The Town of Midland recently launched a new Facebook page after getting locked out of their old page. Town officials shouldnt feel bad is happens to a lot of people and Facebook is the devil to deal with and by that I mean Facebook doesnt care (thats my only mini-rant today).

The new page had a ribbon-cutting as it cover photo and that most recent post last week announced fireworks are coming back to celebrate Independence Day.

The fireworks show will be at Rob Wallace Park Saturday July 1. Fireworks will begin at 9:45 p.m. Food trucks and live music will be in the main field of the park before the fireworks begin. More details will be posted leading up to the event.

If you have a Friday Five, story suggestion or something I can rant/educate about, email mplemmons@independenttribune.com or call or text 704-786-0001.
A recent US legal decision has declared NotPetya to not be an act of war. This means that Mercks insurers will be forced to pay $1.4B compensation.

Updated with additional commentary from an ICS expert.

In February 2018, we wrote of the wide impact of NotPetya on businesses around the world, including the pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck.

Following Mercks claim against their cyber insurance policy (spread across a number of insurance companies), the consortium rejected the claim invoking the act of war clause in the policy. Of course Merck took this to court.

The Superior Court of New Jersey Appellate Divisions decision, which upheld a lower courts ruling, means that Insurers must help cover losses from the $1.4 billion cyberattack that the U.S. blamed on Russia, rejecting the insurers argument that the attack was akin to an act of war normally excluded from coverage.

The NotPetya cyberattack didnt involve military action and cant be excluded from coverage under a warlike-act exclusion, New Jersey appellate division judges said in a decision released on Monday (Tuesday, Australian time).

The exclusion of damages caused by hostile or warlike action by a government or sovereign power in times of war or peace requires the involvement of military action, the judges wrote. Coverage could only be excluded here if we stretched the meaning of hostile to its outer limit.

Merck is pleased with the decision, a spokesman for the Rahway, N.J.-based pharmaceutical company said.

Overall, the attack affected 10,000 machines in its global network and over 40,000 internal to the corporate campus. The computers were damaged after malware entered the pharmaceutical companys systems through accounting software used in their Ukraine operation.

Monica Oravcova, COO and co-founder of Naoris Protocol, said this is an incredible blow for the insurance industry and no doubt will precipitate a flurry of activity in existing insurance industry underwriting practices.

Lloyds of London have already paved the way in terms of dealing with the fallout of ambiguous policy language by requiring insurers to craft exclusionary clauses for acts of war which was the hotly debated theme of the lawsuit.

The effect of the ruling will impact not only insurers but the companies that seek cover. We can expect even tighter restrictions, exclusions and possibly another spike in premiums. Now more than ever ,we need to look to decentralised technology to prevent these attacks as the costs both in terms of productivity and economics, are becoming a trillion dollar headache for business and government.

The United States didnt say NotPetya is an act of war against the United States and were going to launch a military response, Mark Mosier, a lawyer representing Merck, said at oral arguments in February.

Insurers argued that the state-linked action should be considered a warlike act. Almost all kinds of insurance exclude coverage for war to try to protect insurers from the runaway losses that can occur in a conflict between nations.

It was a virtual cyber nuclear attack, Philip C. Silverberg, a lawyer representing several of Mercks insurers, told judges in February.

Trade groups representing a range of sectors, from manufacturers to restaurateurs, supported Mercks position, arguing that categorical exclusions in insurance policies should be read narrowly.

David Cummings, a lawyer for insurance-related non-profit organization United Policyholders commented that the courts decision was a meaningful affirmation that plain language and the core, policyholder-friendly tenets of insurance law must ultimately prevail.

Updated: Dale Peterson, of Digital Bond notes, "Dont read too much into the NJ Appellate court ruling in favor of Mercks NotPetya related insurance claim. 1) It was an all all risks property insurance policy (most are now written to exclude cyber events). 2) Insurers have and continue to update their exemption clauses in cyber insurance. Its not that they dont want to pay any one claim. Their concern is a NotPetya type event causes a systemic single event that results in a claim to a large percentage of their policyholders."
Finnish telecommunications vendor Nokia is offering a CE-certified turnkey drone-in-a-box solution to meet the growing demands of organisations including public safety agencies, smart cities, construction, energy, and defence.

Nokia said the CE-certified drone meets the safety requirements of the European Union. It connects over public and private 4G/LTE and 5G networks to enhance situational awareness for first responders and other professionals.

The solution is manufactured in Europe and comprises Nokia drones, docking station, dual gimbal camera and edge cloud processing using Nokia MX Industrial Edge (MXIE).

The Nokia Drone Networks solution can be operated remotely for search and rescue activities and to assess damage in a hazardous environment.

It can also be programmed to manage autonomous scheduled flights for applications like additional security at large events or to manage regular remote equipment inspections, Nokia said.

The docking station protects the drone and payload, such as the sensor devices or dual gimbal camera, from external hazards and harsh weather while it remotely charges the drone to prepare for the next flight.

When used in conjunction with Nokia MXIE, data from Nokia drones can be collected and processed in real time at the edge cloud.

An open API framework allows agencies and enterprises to onboard pre-integrated Nokia and third-party applications and systems and leverage a growing number of compelling public safety and Industry 4.0 use cases for drone automation, including object identification, tracking and network measurements.

Nokia and the New York Power Authority have already demonstrated the use of the Nokia Drone Networks solution, connected over private LTE, for transmission line inspection.

The drones will help us address growing market demands as a turnkey provider with a solution designed and produced in Europe. The unique feature set enabling the integration of Nokia drones with third-party applications will aid the transformation of the drones, allowing them to be used as a flying data collection platform leveraging reliable 4G and 5G edge cloud connectivity, said Nokia head of embedded wireless solutions Thomas Eder.

Depending on the deployed configuration, Nokia drones offer more than 50 minutes of flight time and cover distances of more than 30km due to the unique hardware architecture, integrated software innovations and the 4G/5G connectivity.

The solution will be featured at Nokia booth J60 during Critical Communications World in Helsinki, 23-25 May 2023.

This first appeared in the subscription newsletter CommsWire on 04 May 2023.
GUEST OPINION: While it is not mandatory in every country, having home insurance is a must. For instance, with extreme rains and floods being a major concern for 58% of Canadians , it's crucial to be well-protected in the event of a natural catastrophe.

If you've decided to invest in home insurance or renew your current policy, you've probably looked at a few different quotes at this point. You've likely noticed that even though the coverage levels supplied by each carrier are pretty much the same, the quotations differ considerably.

If you've ever gotten house insurance quotes and been surprised by the wide range of prices, you mightve wondered how the rates are calculated and if there is a way to lower yours.

This is not, thankfully, classified material. In this piece, we'll examine the variables that impact your house insurance rates and the steps you can take to reduce them without compromising coverage.

How Much You Pay for Home Insurance Depends on Four Key Indicators

Understanding the factors that affect home insurance costs might save you a bundle. Once you understand the factors that go into determining your house insurance cost, you'll be better equipped to take steps to reduce your rates.

The four major factors that influence home insurance prices include your home, the possessions in your home and on the premises, your location, and your credit history. Naturally, finding the right insurance broker and provider will influence your premiums.

There are factors that will affect the cost of your house insurance that are beyond your control. However, if you pay attention to a few important areas, you might be able to save hundreds of dollars annually.

Tips for Bringing Your Insurance Premiums Down

If youre in the market for a new home and are concerned about affording homeowners insurance, you could cut your existing rates by making a few key improvements.

In order to make sure you get the most bang for your buck, it's best to find a reputable broker that can help you out. If you're from Owen Sound, Canada, for instance, look for the best-rated home insurance Owen Sound broker that can help you get the best deal and answer all of your questions, including how to bring your insurance premiums down.

Insurance Premiums are Less Expensive for Newer Houses

You may be surprised to find that insurance costs for modern houses are often cheaper. A modern house is less likely to suffer damage to the systems covered by your insurance, such as the heating and air conditioning units, the water heater, the roof, the windows, and the fence.

Building materials have improved throughout time, and contemporary houses are no exception. If you want to lower the cost of your homeowner's insurance premiums and are in the market for a new home, look for one with brick or concrete pillars rather than wooden ones.

Better-Kept Houses Are Less Expensive to Insure

Your home's condition might have an effect on your insurance premiums as well. If your roof is older than 15 years, it may be time to consider a replacement.

Insurance savings can help offset the cost of replacing windows and doors, but they won't cover it entirely. However, these enhancements can boost your home's market value, increase its curb appeal, and make it more enjoyable to live in, overall. There are no drawbacks in keeping your home in top shape if you can afford renovations.

An HVAC, plumbing, or electrical system update is another option. The insurance company could reduce your premiums if you take these precautions because they make your house less vulnerable to disasters like fires and floods.

Water Damage Prevention Discount

Insurers respect policyholders who take precautions to reduce the likelihood of claims. Installing a sump pump, backflow valve, and leak detection system can help mitigate the risk of flooding.

Be aware that most typical homeowners insurance plans do not cover costs associated with mitigating damage caused by overland flooding or sewage backup. If you don't already have certain protections in place, talk to your insurance agent or company about adding them.

Utilize Your Good Credit Record

Your insurer might consider you to be a client with a reduced risk if you have a strong credit score and history. This is because it indicates that youre less likely to submit a claim with them. If you have an excellent credit history, you might be able to get a discount on your insurance price.

Final Thoughts

If youre familiar with the process by which insurance premiums are determined, youll have a better chance of finding a provider that can offer you competitive rates.

Find a broker that is prepared to ask the correct questions and spend time searching for the best carrier for homeowners like yourself, depending on your neighbourhood, area, risk level, credit score, and the quantity of coverage necessary.
"My children were the targets of attempted kidnap," Katie Sorensen, 31, announced in a viral two-part video on Instagram two years ago. Last week, the "mom influencer" was found guilty of falsely accusing a couple of trying to abduct her kids. She faces a fine and up to six months in jail. What happened? In December of 2020 Sorensen was at a Michaels craft store in Petaluma, California, when she began to suspect that the couple in line behind her were preparing to snatch her children, ages 1 and 4. When she told the police she felt she'd been the victim of a near-kidnapping, they investigated and found nothing. So, Sorensen took to social media to say how close a call she'd just endured. After her breathless video was viewed more than 4 million times, Sorensen did an interview on the local TV station. In these two appearances, Sorensen elaborated on the incident and said the couple had followed her to her car, tried to grab her stroller and were working with an accomplice  whereupon the police felt compelled to reopen the case. They showed Sorensen the store's security camera footage, and she identified a Hispanic couple as the perps. The cops put their photo out on social media. It spread quickly and soon one of the couple's own children saw it and said, "Is this you?"

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The couple turned themselves in, the police questioned them, and closed the case yet again. Then came three false accusation charges for Sorensen. The jury deliberated for almost a day and found her guilty of one of them.

Seeing Sorensen pay the price for her falsehoods does not fill me with glee. I wish she'd simply paused before spreading them. I have no idea if she believed them or was looking for a little "Mama Bear" glory. But either way, if she only knew how trite her story was  it's actually an urban myth  maybe she'd have seen how unlikely the danger was, too.

Strangely, I keep a file of Facebook posts by moms claiming their kids were nearly kidnapped and sex-trafficked from the store. They almost always go something like this:

1) The mom had a spidey sense someone was watching her kids from down the aisle at (name of store).

2) Usually that someone just somehow seemed suspicious (i.e., another enthnicity).

3) Darned if that suspicious person didn't show up in a DIFFERENT aisle where the mom was, just a few minutes later!

4) THEN the suspicious person stood behind the mom in line, buying only one or two things - clearly just a pretense to look like a "shopper."

5) Meanwhile: There's a van outside.

6) It has a door open.

7) It was only the mom's amazing instincts that saved the day! She called the manager, or ran to her car, or refused to leave the store until the "perps" drove away.

8) And did you know that HER TOWN IS THE NO. 2 SEX TRAFFICKING HOTSPOT in the ENTIRE UNITED STATES! (It does not matter what town the mom is writing from. It's always the second most dangerous one.)

And then a zillion commenters congratulate the mom for being so brave, and thank God she kept those babies safe!

With so many stories like that circulating, moms understandably worry that public kidnappings are rampant.

But they may also, even subconsciously, realize those stories are also a way to gain sympathy and "likes." Nothing sells like an almost sex-trafficked kid.

So, I asked David Finkelhor, head of the Crimes Against Children Research Center: How many children ARE snatched by strangers in scenarios like that?

"Nobody's abducting 1- and 4-year-old kids into sex trafficking," he replied.

That's good information to have next time somebody happens to look at your kid at the store.
Insight Lowlifes By Greg Crosby Published May 5, 2023

Many woke imbeciles seem to spend a lot of time agonizing over which pronouns to use when referring to a person. These pronoun obsessed idiots really have too much time on their hands and most probably need psychiatric assistance in a major way. I'm less interested in pronouns and more interested in adjectives. For example, what would be the proper adjectives to use to describe Joe and Hunter Biden and much of the other Biden family members? Lying? Lowlifes? Hypocritical? Phony? Crooked? Maybe all of the above. According to the dictionary, lowlife can be either a noun or an adjective. Noun when referring to a coarse or no-good person, and an adjective meaning coarse and disreputable. So in the case of Joe and Hunter Biden, both uses are correct. Adjective as in lowlife Joe, noun as in Lowlife-in-chief. In fact, lowlifes could very well be the perfect synonym for the Bidens. Although scumbags might be a close runner-up. Some of the latest reprehensive news on the lowlife Biden front this week concerns Hunter, a four-year old girl by the name of Navy Joan, and the paternity suit hearings in Batesville, Arkansas. I say "paternity suit" but that is no longer in question. A paternity test has proven that Hunter is the child's father. Hunter brought this latest suit in an attempt to cut down the monthly payments he has been making to the mother in child support. Yes, he's crying poor.

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The baby was born out of a month long affair he was having with the mother, Lunden Roberts. At first Hunter Biden denied he was the father, then when a DNA test revealed that he was indeed the child's father, he was forced to pay child support. To this day the lowlife has never met his little girl. And he is fighting to keep her from using the Biden name. Nice guy, huh? During the two-hour proceedings, Judge Holly Meyer ordered Hunter to answer written questions about his current finances  including investments, his art sales and other financial transactions. She also chastised Hunter's legal team for overly redacting filings submitted to the court so far.

"The ability to redact is somewhat being abused," Meyer told Biden's attorneys before ordering them to re-file some of those documents. Just what information the filings included was not brought out. Hunter was required to handover documents detailing his finances when he reopened the paternity case last September in a bid to reduce his child support payments. Following an in depth review of Hunter's income and financial assets in the weeks ahead, a trial will be held to determine if child support payments will be reduced or not.

Meantime, the deadbeat father continues not acknowledging his daughter, let alone seeing her in person or showing any feelings toward her whatsoever. See why I call him a lowlife? Oh, and that goes double for his lying, crooked, lowlife father, the Big Guy, the Idiot-in-Chief. Joe Biden has on recent occasions publicly mentioned how many grandchildren he has, but purposely excludes little Navy Joan. At Christmas the Bidens hung stockings on the mantle in the White House for each grandchild. All except Navy Joan.

It doesn't get any lower than this. Dehumanizing a little girl, pretending she doesn't exist. All for politics. Sending the message that she doesn't matter one bit in the life of her grandfather. Her grandfather, the president of the United States. See why I call him a lowlife?

There are lots of crooks in this world. There are plenty of self-serving politicians. It's one thing, and bad enough, to be a lying crook. But it's a whole other kind of vile human being to do this to an innocent child. To turn your back on your own daughter and grandchild. As Lunden Roberts' lawyer said outside of court on Monday, "I think it's embarrassing the president doesn't acknowledge his granddaughter  who looks just like his son."

In addition to everything else, the Biden crime family has no scruples, no compassion, and no moral base whatsoever. What an embarrassment for our country. And how absolutely horrible for that little four-year old girl, who did nothing to deserve this evil treatment from her own family. The lowlifes.

(COMMENT, BELOW)
CHARLESTON  Eastern Illinois University will hold its spring commencement on Saturday, May 6, with retiring EIU President David Glassman presiding for the final time and former President Lou Hencken being set to receive an honorary degree.

Undergraduates from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Lumpkin College of Business and Technology will graduate at the 10 a.m. ceremony, undergraduates from the Colleges of Education and Health and Human Services at 4:30 p.m., and graduate students from all four colleges at 1:30 p.m. A total of 1,093 students are eligible to graduate.

Glassman, who has served as president since 2015, will will preside over his final commencement ceremonies before retiring from this post in June and becoming a faculty member. The next president will be Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jay Gatrell.

Author, rapper and educator Dwayne Reed, a 2016 EIU alumnus, will give the commencement address at the 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ceremonies. The Chicago resident's viral music video, Welcome to the 4th Grade, garnered millions of views, and led to him appearing on ABCs Good Morning America and The Jimmy Kimmel Live Show.

Jerry Esker, the 1:30 p.m. speaker, retired from Sarah Bush Lincoln in 2022 after 35 years with this Mattoon-based health system, including the last six as president and CEO. During his tenure, SBL added a Regional Cancer Center and Surgery Center; a Heart Center; 22 additional patient rooms; and a multi-clinic building in Effingham.

The university reported that Esker also helped strengthen the hospitals relationship with EIU through the SBL Scholars program. Starting this past fall, that partnership will give six students full scholarships to EIUs new Gail and Richard Lumpkin School of Nursing through 2029.

Biological Sciences professor Robert Columbo will be recognized during the 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. ceremonies. The Faculty Senate presents this award annually to a full-time faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching, professional research/creative activity and service.

The university reported that Hencken, 10th president and "perpetual EIU advocate," will be awarded an honorary degree during the 4:30 p.m. ceremony. Hencken has been affiliated with EIU since his time as a student in the 1960s.

His 41 years of consecutive employment at EIU began in 1966 as a graduate assistant hall counselor. He worked his way up through various administrative posts before serving as president from 2001 to 2007. EIU reported that Hencken, a Charleston resident, has continued to offer the university his assistance in several capacities throughout his retirement.

The EIU Police Department will help coordinate traffic outside Lantz Arena throughout the day. The university askss community residents to be aware of the increased traffic around campus and to consider alternate routes when possible.

Close Eastern Illinois University studio art master's students Lilly Lee of Toledo and Peyton Morrow of Mattoon stand on the "Art 13" exhibit floor Monday morning in the Lone Elm Room at the Mattoon train depot. The exhibit features the work of Lee, Morrow and 11 of their classmates in the studio art program. Lake Land College President Josh Bullock, at left, and Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman sign an agreement on Thursday to help students who have paused their education complete degrees. EIU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jay Gatrell, who will become the university's next president this summer after Glassman's retirement, sits to the right watching the signing in the Foundation and Alumni Center at Lake Land's campus in Mattoon. English professor Jeannie Ludlow greets her students at the start of a Spanish literature class Friday afternoon in Coleman Hall as Eastern Illinois University's classes resumed after the faculty and academic support professionals union suspended its strike that morning. Economic professor Teshome Abebe, at left, elementary education major Joshua Doty, and mathematics and computer science professor Bogdan Petrenko get pizza as striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic support professionals, along with student supporters, shared a meal Wednesday afternoon at Morton Park in Charleston. Teaching, learning and foundations instructor Denise Reid serves as a pivot point in the picket line as striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic supporter professionals, along with student supporters, march Wednesday afternoon in front of EIU's Old Main in Charleston. Union members hold signs of support for striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic support professionals on Thursday in Charleston. Rocco, 14, is bundled up by his owner, Eastern Illinois University student Bella Manrique of Champaign, during the Charleston Parks and Recreation Department's Easter egg hunt for dogs Saturday morning at Morton Park. Eastern's chapter of University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), also held informational informational pickets Thursday morning and late afternoon in front of Old Main and its administrative offices. Eastern Illinois University professor of Spanish Carlos Amaya, left, prepares to cast a ballot Wednesday in Booth Library in the EIU University Professionals of Illinois' strike authorization vote. Eastern Illinois University beach volleyball player Emily Wilcox of Fort Wayne, Indiana, leaps for the ball alongside Panther teammate Ella Collins of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, during a match with Missouri Baptist on Monday afternoon at Sister City Park in Charleston. Eastern Illinois University students D'Ajanae Jackson, at left, Aryanna Southworth and Danielle Frank make a knotted fleece blanket during the annual MLK Jr. Day of Service on Monday in the University Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Fall 2022 Eastern Illinois University graduate Benjamin Ellison of Pekin tries on his graduation gown with the help of Herff Jones employee Mark Krevin in the Student Recreation Center before the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday in adjacent Lantz Arena. Eastern Illinois University graduate student Victoria Tegge is shown Friday night looking over stacks of knotted fleece blankets that student volunteers assembled in preparation for the annual One Stop Community Christmas on Saturday in Lake Land College's West Building in Mattoon. Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman, at left, and Lake Land College President Josh Bullock speak during the Community Update Breakfast held by the Charleston and Mattoon Chambers of Commerce on Friday at the Unique Suites Hotel in Charleston. The Eastern Illinois University College of Education covered its float Saturday morning with 1990s and 2000s pop culture imagery to go with the "Bring the Beat Back" theme of EIU's 2022 homecoming. Elise Warner and Taylor Sprenkle, freshmen at Eastern Illinois University, read stories about individuals who lost their lives to suicide. The stories came from loved ones who wanted to share information about those who died and were attached to bookbags spread around the Library Quad at EIU. Warner said the display was very impactful. The display, titled Send Silence Packing, was creating by the organization Active Minds and sponsored by Aetna and the State of Illinois Central Management Services. Grand-daughter of Zella Powell, Carla Wright, and Stephanie Wright-Griggs speak on Friday during a dedication and ribbon-cutting of Powell-Norton Hall on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. In this file photo, Eastern Illinois University student photographer Jessica Nantes takes a photo of Ceci Brinker, the university's director of student life. "EIU" letters and props were set up for students to mark their first day of the semester with a photo. Eastern Illinois University, 2022-2023 Eastern Illinois University's 2022-2023 academic year included the announcement of the next president, a faculty and academic support staff strike, a new partnership with Lake Land College, and more. Eastern Illinois University studio art master's students Lilly Lee of Toledo and Peyton Morrow of Mattoon stand on the "Art 13" exhibit floor Monday morning in the Lone Elm Room at the Mattoon train depot. The exhibit features the work of Lee, Morrow and 11 of their classmates in the studio art program. Lake Land College President Josh Bullock, at left, and Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman sign an agreement on Thursday to help students who have paused their education complete degrees. EIU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Jay Gatrell, who will become the university's next president this summer after Glassman's retirement, sits to the right watching the signing in the Foundation and Alumni Center at Lake Land's campus in Mattoon. English professor Jeannie Ludlow greets her students at the start of a Spanish literature class Friday afternoon in Coleman Hall as Eastern Illinois University's classes resumed after the faculty and academic support professionals union suspended its strike that morning. Economic professor Teshome Abebe, at left, elementary education major Joshua Doty, and mathematics and computer science professor Bogdan Petrenko get pizza as striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic support professionals, along with student supporters, shared a meal Wednesday afternoon at Morton Park in Charleston. Teaching, learning and foundations instructor Denise Reid serves as a pivot point in the picket line as striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic supporter professionals, along with student supporters, march Wednesday afternoon in front of EIU's Old Main in Charleston. Union members hold signs of support for striking Eastern Illinois University faculty and academic support professionals on Thursday in Charleston. Rocco, 14, is bundled up by his owner, Eastern Illinois University student Bella Manrique of Champaign, during the Charleston Parks and Recreation Department's Easter egg hunt for dogs Saturday morning at Morton Park. Eastern's chapter of University Professionals of Illinois (UPI), also held informational informational pickets Thursday morning and late afternoon in front of Old Main and its administrative offices. Eastern Illinois University professor of Spanish Carlos Amaya, left, prepares to cast a ballot Wednesday in Booth Library in the EIU University Professionals of Illinois' strike authorization vote. Eastern Illinois University beach volleyball player Emily Wilcox of Fort Wayne, Indiana, leaps for the ball alongside Panther teammate Ella Collins of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, during a match with Missouri Baptist on Monday afternoon at Sister City Park in Charleston. Eastern Illinois University students D'Ajanae Jackson, at left, Aryanna Southworth and Danielle Frank make a knotted fleece blanket during the annual MLK Jr. Day of Service on Monday in the University Ballroom in the Martin Luther King Jr. University Union. Fall 2022 Eastern Illinois University graduate Benjamin Ellison of Pekin tries on his graduation gown with the help of Herff Jones employee Mark Krevin in the Student Recreation Center before the commencement ceremony at 10 a.m. Saturday in adjacent Lantz Arena. Eastern Illinois University graduate student Victoria Tegge is shown Friday night looking over stacks of knotted fleece blankets that student volunteers assembled in preparation for the annual One Stop Community Christmas on Saturday in Lake Land College's West Building in Mattoon. Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman, at left, and Lake Land College President Josh Bullock speak during the Community Update Breakfast held by the Charleston and Mattoon Chambers of Commerce on Friday at the Unique Suites Hotel in Charleston. The Eastern Illinois University College of Education covered its float Saturday morning with 1990s and 2000s pop culture imagery to go with the "Bring the Beat Back" theme of EIU's 2022 homecoming. Elise Warner and Taylor Sprenkle, freshmen at Eastern Illinois University, read stories about individuals who lost their lives to suicide. The stories came from loved ones who wanted to share information about those who died and were attached to bookbags spread around the Library Quad at EIU. Warner said the display was very impactful. The display, titled Send Silence Packing, was creating by the organization Active Minds and sponsored by Aetna and the State of Illinois Central Management Services. Grand-daughter of Zella Powell, Carla Wright, and Stephanie Wright-Griggs speak on Friday during a dedication and ribbon-cutting of Powell-Norton Hall on the campus of Eastern Illinois University. In this file photo, Eastern Illinois University student photographer Jessica Nantes takes a photo of Ceci Brinker, the university's director of student life. "EIU" letters and props were set up for students to mark their first day of the semester with a photo.
Politics as usual. Thats how defense lawyers in the corruption trial of the so-called ComEd Four tried to explain away their clients conduct. Nothing to see here, in other words, its just the way things get done in Springfield.

Thankfully, a jury of seven women and five men said no, the actions of the four defendants  former ComEd contract lobbyist Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd executive John Hooker and Jay Doherty, another ComEd lobbyist  werent politics as usual.

Their conduct, jurors concluded, was criminal, corrupt and inextricably tethered to the powerful demands of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

In her post-verdict comments to reporters, juror Amanda Schnitker Sayers made that clear, calling Madigans role in the case key, and our perception was that he really did cause this all to happen. If it wouldnt have been for him, then these people would not be in the positionto commit the crimes in the first place.

Sayers frank, eloquent remarks should be music to the ears of Illinoisans numbed by decades of political corruption at every echelon of government in this state. They should also send a shudder through Madigan, who faces his own criminal trial in April on racketeering charges in part linked to the bribery allegations in the ComEd Four case.

Madigan has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and will get his day in court. Nevertheless, Sayers comments affirm what we have been saying for years  that Madigans corrosive, self-serving leadership inflicted enduring damage to the trust and confidence that Illinoisans have in state government.

The ComEd Four trial gave Illinoisans a lens into Madigans brand of governance.

The case against the four included allegations that they conspired to channel $1.3 million in payments to ghost subcontractors who in reality were Madigans allies. During the trial, prosecutors cited a comment McClain had made on tape about the subcontractors: We had to hire these guys because Mike Madigan came to us. Thats how simple it is.

Politics as usual? More like the Chicago Way. As usual.

In exchange for heeding his demands, Madigan rewarded ComEd by using his clout to steward legislation that translated into billion-dollar profits for the utility. In 2020, ComEd signed a deferred prosecution agreement in which the utility acknowledged its actions and agreed to pay a $200 million fine.

After Tuesdays verdict, ComEd issued a statement that it has now put in place lobbying, contracting and compliance reforms to ensure that the conduct at issue in the trial does not happen again.

ComEd, Illinois will hold you to that pledge.

Well also be watching closely how Springfield reforms, following the ComEd Four verdicts.

For years, candidates have campaigned on promises to enact stronger ethics reform, only to craft halfhearted measures once in office. Tuesdays convictions should send a chill through the General Assembly, and serve as a warning to both lawmakers and lobbyists alike that ethics reform shouldnt be seen solely as a campaign pamphlet bullet item, but as a mandate from voters demanding earnest, meaningful change.

We can understand if Illinoisans express skepticism about Springfields desire to reform. After all, the states history of corrupt pols is long and storied. The Wall of Shame includes Republican Gov. George Ryan, imprisoned on federal corruption charges, and of course Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was serving a 14-year prison term when then-President Donald Trump commuted his sentence. Then theres former Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell, who stashed in a shoe box wads of cash amassed from bribes he received in exchange for doling out sweetheart contracts to cronies. Powells credo: Theres only one thing worse than a defeated politician, and thats a broke politician.

The profound frustration that Illinoisans harbor with Springfields legacy of corruption came through in Sayers post-verdict remarks.

These verdicts represented more than convictions of lobbyists and executives. Sayers made it abundantly clear that they also were a message to politicians across the state, from Chicago to Carbondale, that citizens understand the toll political corruption takes on their state, and they wont tolerate it.

There are big reasons why this state and this city are deeply in debt, Sayers told reporters. And this should be a landmark where we start to do better for ourselves, for our children, and have pride in our city and our state and not make any shady dealings to get stuff done. Because we dont need to. Were amazing people. We can all do amazing things. We dont need to do things (in) a corrupt way to get things done in the proper fashion.

We find that statement to carry more heft than anything coming from a prosecutor, judge, politician, academic or editorial board member. Why? Because Sayers, a veterinarian from Chicago, gives voice to the millions of Illinois taxpayers and voters fed up with lawmakers, officeholders and their allies guided solely by self-interest and a ceaseless thirst for wealth and power.

Chicago Tribune
Two men pleaded guilty on Friday to voluntary manslaughter and armed robbery in the 2018 shooting death of Kenneth Kelly in Kernersville, the office of Forsyth County District Attorney Jim ONeill said.

Sajae Woodley, 22, and Justin Noland, 24, pleaded guilty to the charges and received active prison sentences of six to 10 years in state prison.

A third man charged in the case, Jacob Michael Townsend, remains in custody pending trial.

Prosecutors say the three men went to Kellys home in Kernersville on June 23, 2018, to buy illegal drugs from him, after Kelly had advertised the illegal drugs for sale on social media the prior summer.

Prosecutors said the drug deal escalated into a robbery, and that Kelly was shot in front of his fiancee and two teenage family members inside their home at Lake Park Apartments on Century Boulevard in Kernersville.

Kelly died of his injuries at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist.

The N.C. Highway Patrol arrested Woodley in Lincolnton on Aug. 1, 2018, while making a traffic stop. Noland was arrested Aug. 3, 2018 in Kernersville, while Townsend was arrested the same day in New York City.
Janet Materdo knew when she was a little girl growing up in South Carolina that she wanted to be an educator.

She saw examples of the impact that educators can have throughout her family, with three of her grandparents working in schools.

On Thursday, Materdo was named the Teacher of the Year in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools at the school district's annual Core Awards, which honors school employees in six categories.

A 24-year educator, Materdo teaches social studies in East Forsyth Middle School's dual-language immersion program.

"As the years have progressed, I've seen what we need to continue to do right to grow our children," said Materdo, who has been at East Forsyth Middle for two years.

This year, she said she has been able to make big strides in reaching Hispanic families.

Her husband, Fernando Vazquez, said Materdo works "long hours and long days. It's in her blood. It's not passion. It's something more."

Other winners were:

Assistant Principal of the Year: Patrick Saddler, Kimberley Park Elementary

Certified Instructional Support Personnel of the Year: Grace Campbell-Sheran, Petree Elementary

Classified Employee of the Year: Tiffani Cash, Diggs-Latham Elementary School

Principal of the Year: Nancy Martinez, Career Center

Judy Mountjoy Volunteer of the Year: Eurikca Felipe, Paisley Middle School.

PHOTOS: Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools Core Awards winners
Mexican authorities Thursday captured one of the inmates who escaped from Piedmont Regional Jail in Farmville over the weekend.

The FBI's Charlotte, N.C., field office confirmed via Twitter that Alder Marin Sotelo, 26, had been apprehended around 1:00 p.m. in the Mexican state of Guerrerro.

Alder Alfonso Marin Sotelo was taken into custody by Mexican authorities on May 4, 2023, after 13:00 EST, in the state of Guerrero. The investigation to determine his exact movements is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/1yUKyd9tgT  FBI Charlotte (@FBICharlotte) May 4, 2023

The investigation into Sotelo's movements since escaping from jail early in the morning of April 30 is ongoing, but his sister was arrested Tuesday and charged with helping him escape by paying someone to leave a car in the jail's parking lot.

Sotelo was being held on murder charges in the August 2022 death of a sheriff's deputy in Wake County, N.C.

Bruce Callahan, the other escapee, remains at large with the U.S. Marshals Service leading the search. He was being held on federal drug and weapons charges.

Sotelo being arrested in 2022
The last survivor of the historical horror widely known as the lynching of Emmett Till has died, leaving behind an infuriating number of unanswered questions.

Carolyn Bryant Donham died in hospice care last week in Louisiana at age 88.

She is remembered by history mostly as the 21-year-old woman who accused Till, then a 15-year-old Chicagoan visiting his Mississippi relatives, of behavior that violated the old Jim Crow Souths irrational but strictly enforced racial etiquette  and it cost him his life.

In short, she accused the teen of sexually suggestive whistling, grabbing her by the waist and asking her for a date.

Evidence indicates Donham later identified Till to her then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam. The two men then kidnapped the teen, tortured him and shot him once in the head.

Not surprisingly for that time and place, an all-white jury acquitted the two white men in the killing, but the men later confessed in an interview with Look magazine the following year.

But the saga did not end there. After the lynching in Money, Miss., Tills mother Mamie Till-Mobley, made his murder a rallying cry for the Civil Rights Movement, beginning with her brave decision to display her son, his face beaten beyond recognition, in an open casket to let the world see what they did to my boy.

A hundred days after Tills murder, Rosa Parks famously refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Ala., city bus. She later told fellow protesters that she was inspired to keep her seat by memories of Emmett Till.

In 2004, the FBI reopened the case, pressured by new evidence of conflicts in earlier testimony by Bryant and Milam, and reopened it in 2018 after Tim Tyson published a book called The Blood of Emmett Till, which raised new controversies and questions about Carolyn Dunhams account.

And more books will come. Chris Benson, a lawyer and Northwestern University journalism teacher, co-authored A Few Days Full of Trouble: Revelations on the Journey to Justice for My Cousin and Best Friend, Emmett Till with Tills cousin, the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., of Summit, Ill.

Released in January, the book chronicles Tills life and the investigations into Donhams part in his slaying.

They eventually gained access to documents that helped us connect the dots to link Carolyn Bryant to that horrible crime.

As Benson said in a telephone interview, Its too bad that Carolyn Bryant Donham died without ever taking responsibility for her role in the brutal lynching.

Yet, his case is more remembered than most. Emmett Till was one of more than 4,400 African American men, women, and children who were hanged, burned alive, shot, drowned or beaten to death by white mobs between 1877 and 1950, according to the Equal Justice Initiative.

Considering how most of those cases are barely remembered, it raises ones curiosity as to why the case of Emmett Till is so widely recalled and honored. Even his coffin is on display in a place of reverence in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington.

Taking the broad view, Benson observed that we Americans tend to see the story of Emmett Till as representative of the history of racial injustice and todays anxiety about racial change. What we are seeing now (in the racial and political news headlines) is a parallel between what was going on in the 1950s and whats going on in this contemporary moment.

In the 1950s, people were up in arms over what had just happened  school desegregation and other changes, he recalled. Now we see them reacting to what is about to happen  a dramatic change in what is about to become our demographic reality in this country.

By that, he explained, he meant the decline of white Americans as a percentage of the population unsettles some members of the shrinking white majority in much the same way that Southern segregationists had a tough time adjusting to the new reality of the civil rights era.

And just as in 1955, he said, some are reacting with violence.

He may be right. It has been said that todays political landscape increasingly is defined not by political parties or ideologies as much as by how we relate to change.

Weve been through countless changes since Emmett Tills day. We need to understand our troubled past, if only to build a better future.
OMAHA  When Amanda Shires strolled onto the Orpheum Theater stage along with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit Tuesday, my immediate thought was thats cool, this is going to be good.

Two hours later, that good changed to great as the band and Shires delivered a superb show that was enhanced by her fiddle and the harmony vocals she sang with her husband, Isbell.

Opening with a string of some of todays best songwriters best songs, including 24 Frames, Something More Than Free and Dreamsicle, Isbell and the band delivered entrancing concert renditions of each of them as Isbell switched guitars - from Gibson, Fender and acoustic  to get the right sound.

Shires, who Isbell referred to as a special guest sang only one song -- her jagged, raw, fiddle-driven version of Cat Powers Cross Bones Style.

Isbell made a couple local references, talking about how their daughter and some of the entourage went to the Henry Doorly Zoo Tuesday afternoon.

Ill dare to say it's a better zoo than the San Diego Zoo, Isbell said to the cheering crowd. Better zoo, better steaks. I call em as I see em.

The highlights of the show, at least for me, came about midway through the set, and on the first song of the encore, when Isbell debuted three songs from his forthcoming album Weathervanes.

Having immersed myself in the record to prepare for interviewing Isbell, I wanted to hear some of the songs which were recorded as a band record."

To say they translated well to the stage is an understatement. Death Wish, about a depressed, suicidal woman, was tautly intense. Middle of the Morning, which Isbell introed as this ones a little more laid back, was a high-voiced cry. Cast Iron Skillet, from which lines in the song provide the album title, was a captivating surprise on the encore.

Death Wish and Middle of the Morning were performed as the perfectly designed set went tumbling from the newest songs to a trio of numbers celebrating the 10th anniversary of the album Southeastern, including a heartfelt Stockholm and a touching Flying Over Water to the even older Last of My Kind.

Alabama Pines then provided one of the shows best moments, with Isbell, Shires and pianist Derrick DeBorja combining for a gorgeous acoustic introduction. Guitarist Sadler Vaden got his shot on lead vocals on a hard rockin take on his old band Drivin n Cryins Honeysuckle Blue.

The set closed with Isbell reclaiming Cover Me Up from Morgan Wallen, injecting the song with heart and passion as the audience sang along.

Isbells got so many great songs, and doesnt ever intend to play all the hits in any show. So some favorites, like Decoration Day and Dress Blues, didnt make the cut Tuesday.

But, with the surprise ender of Super 8, Isbell and company showed theyre as good as any rock n roll band going, perfectly rocking out a great show thats certain to be on my best of 2023 list come December.

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The 49-year-old Lincoln man who died Thursday morning of a self-inflicted gunshot wound amid an hourslong standoff with police was supposed to be barred from possessing the gun he used to shoot himself, according to court records.

Jamie Mitchell had been the subject of an emergency domestic abuse protection order issued in January that specifically prohibited him from possessing or purchasing firearms, according to civil court filings.

Authorities never seized Mitchells cache of firearms despite multiple court filings from the 34-year-old woman who sought the protection order warning police that Mitchell owned multiple guns, which she said were always loaded  often with a round in the chamber.

When the woman sought the protection order against Mitchell, a former city employee, in January, she did so in part because of his cache of firearms, she said in an affidavit seeking the order.

In her sworn affidavit, the woman told Judge Joseph Dalton that she had, at times, been afraid to enter Mitchells home to retrieve her children because of the guns in the house at 1535 N. 28th St.

And, she said, Mitchell had a gun within arms reach of both him and his preschool-aged children as they unwrapped presents on Christmas in December. The 34-year-old attached a photo of the scene to her court filings, along with a photo of at least four guns laid across a bed in what she alleged was Mitchells home.

Dalton signed the emergency protection order Jan. 5, ordering Mitchell to stay away from the 34-year-olds home and workplace, limiting his communications with her to only focus on arranging visits with his children and barring him from owning or buying guns, according to the order.

A Lancaster County Sheriffs deputy served Mitchell with the protection order at his house on Jan. 6, according to court filings.

Chief Deputy Ben Houchin said when serving protection orders deputies notify recipients that theyre no longer allowed to possess firearms, giving them an opportunity to get rid of their guns on their own accord.

We dont safe keep weapons, he said. We put it onto the individual that they have to get rid of them and have somebody else take them so they are not in possession of them anymore.

Houchin said deputies would only seize the weapons if the subjects of protection orders were found to be in violation of those orders after they are served.

Deputies served an amended protection order on Mitchell in April after the 34-year-old woman filed a request to modify the initial order to add her new home address among the list of locations that Mitchell was barred from.

Included in the womans April filing was a second reason for the request to modify the order:

Jamie still owns guns and has (them) in his possession, she wrote in the April 24 filing.

Dalton signed an amended protection order April 25, adding the womans new address and again barring Mitchell from possessing firearms.

A Lancaster County Sheriffs deputy served the updated protection order the same day, but did not seize the firearms that Mitchell had been ordered to get rid of more than three months prior.

Houchin, the office's chief deputy, maintained on Friday that the deputy who twice served Mitchell with the protection order did not know he was still in possession of the guns  despite the 34-year-old womans written warning.

At that time, there was no information  that said he had any (firearms), Houchin said. So we did not know of a violation.

And, he said, any report that Mitchell still had firearms  which would have been a violation of his protection order, which is a misdemeanor offense  would have been routed to the Lincoln Police Department since Mitchell lived within city limits.

The Police Department's public information office deferred questions on the case back to Houchin.

Mitchells weapons went unseized until the early hours of Thursday morning, when police breached his home after hearing a single gunshot at the end of an hourslong standoff.

The lead-up to the standoff started hours beforehand, when the 34-year-old woman reported to police that Mitchell had contacted her  violating the terms of the protection order  at around 4 p.m. Wednesday, Houchin said.

As police investigated that alleged violation, another acquaintance of Mitchell reported he had made verbal threats of violence toward nearby Clinton Elementary School and a city department.

"At that point in time  with the way the world is now and the threat of active shooters  (police) jumped all over it," Houchin said, emphasizing that the threat of violence had evolved from a single potential target to the community at large.

LPD's SWAT team converged on Mitchell's house, near 27th and Holdrege streets, at around midnight to arrest him, Houchin said, and breached Mitchell's front door but did not enter the house.

Police negotiated with Mitchell for more than four hours, according to the sheriffs office.

Then, at 4:49 a.m. Thursday, police rushed into the home after hearing a single gunshot and found Mitchell wounded, Houchin said.

Lincoln Fire and Rescue crews, who had been waiting at the scene, took the 49-year-old to a local hospital, where he died of his injuries, Houchin said.

Lancaster County Attorney Pat Condon ordered an autopsy to determine the cause of Mitchell's death.

Mitchell's death is considered to have happened in police custody, which means a grand jury will be convened to investigate the events that led up to his death and determine if police acted criminally in the standoff. The sheriffs office is investigating Mitchells death and the police departments actions in preparation to present evidence to the grand jury.

The 49-year-old had been an equipment operator for the city's Transportation and Utilities Department from 2002 until he resigned Feb. 10 without explanation, said Barb McIntyre, the citys human resources director.

Houchin indicated LTU was the city department Mitchell later made threats toward.

Mitchell's death comes amid a tumultuous session in Nebraska's Legislature, where senators last month approved an expansion of gun rights in the state while eschewing proposed gun reform.

The Legislature in April passed Sen. Tom Brewer's LB77, which will allow Nebraskans 21 and older to carry concealed weapons without a permit while invalidating any local ordinances limiting the carrying or storage of weapons.

The bill (LB482) would have allowed family members or law enforcement agencies to seek a protective order  similar to a domestic abuse order  in cases where gun owners experiencing mental health issues pose demonstrable danger to themselves or others.

If petitioners provided sufficient grounds showing that the gun owners posed a threat of harm  either in an evidentiary hearing or in an emergency affidavit  the bill would have allowed judges to order the person's firearms be seized and held by law enforcement for up to a year, or longer if extensions were sought or granted.

"In this case, law enforcement would have intervened," Raybould said in a phone interview Friday, referring to Mitchell's death amid Thursday's standoff.

Instead, the freshman senator's bill remains stalled in committee.

"It's heartbreaking. I mean, it's heartbreaking when you see that this individual was going through a mental health crisis and that  that's the treatment they need," Raybould said, before lamenting the limitations in the state law that serve as roadblocks in protecting ailing gun owners from themselves.

"That's really the tragedy of this all," she said.

Most dangerous cities in Nebraska Dangerous Cities in Nebraska 6. South Sioux City 5. Scottsbluff 4. North Platte 3. Lincoln 2. Grand Island 1. Omaha A note about the numbers
Investigators found 72 shell casings from five different guns following an early morning shootout near the Railyard in downtown Lincoln last month, police alleged in new court filings.

Police believe that many of those rounds  if not all of them  were fired by members of rival gangs with ties to Omaha and Clarksdale, Mississippi, whose alleged violence spilled into the Haymarket at around 2 a.m. April 2, according to the court filings.

Only one man  34-year-old Louis Benson  has been arrested for his alleged role in the shootout.

Prosecutors charged the Lincoln man with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person after police found a Glock semiautomatic handgun in his 2019 Dodge Charger, which was riddled with bullet holes in the 600 block of Canopy Street when police responded that morning, according to court filings.

In a search warrant filed Tuesday, Lincoln Police Investigator Jon Rennerfeldt said police reviewed surveillance footage that showed Benson entering the Railyard bar Longwells at 12:25 a.m. April 2 with a group of around 10 people.

On his way into the bar, Rennerfeldt said, the video showed Benson dapping up, or greeting, a man in a red hoodie  later identified as a member of the Jaynes Street Bloods in Omaha, according to the search warrant.

Benson left the bar just before 2 a.m. and walked south along Canopy Street toward his car, but stopped in front of a maroon Chevrolet Tahoe parked nearby, Rennerfeldt said.

Then came the shootout, which police believe involved Benson and the group inside the Tahoe, according to the search warrant.

Rennerfeldt said the videos framerate was too slow to show the gunfire exchange, but the footage showed Benson run onto the sidewalk to the east of Canopy Street just before the Tahoe sped north, crashing into vehicles parked near the Railyard.

In a crash report filed in the incident, police identified the owner of the Tahoe  which was damaged by gunfire in the shootout  as an Omaha woman, but listed the driver as unknown. The crash caused damage to five other cars parked along Canopy Street.

Two men got out of the SUV and ran north as Benson fled south on foot toward P Street, Rennerfeldt said.

One of them  the same Jaynes Street Blood member who had interacted with Benson at Longwells  was later seen on video throwing a Glock handgun into a nearby dumpster.

Benson returned to the scene as police converged on the Haymarket to retrieve his car, telling police he had been asleep in the backseat when the shootout occurred  a claim Rennerfeldt said is disputed by video evidence.

Gang investigators believe Benson, who moved to Lincoln from Mississippi, is a member of The Black Disciples and had been the subject of threats from a rival gang in Clarksdale, the Black P Stones, before he fled to Nebraska, Rennerfeldt said in the search warrant.

Police believe the P Stones had worked with members of the Jaynes Street Bloods to coordinate a hit on Benson, Rennerfeldt said.

A Lancaster County judge signed the search warrant sought by police for the contents of a phone found in Bensons car.

Benson  the only suspected shooter in custody  remains at the Lancaster County jail, where he is being held on a $500,000 percentage bond. He must pay $50,000 to be released.

Three of the guns used in the shooting remain unaccounted for, Rennerfeldt said.

When police arrested Benson in mid-April, the department said investigators were still searching for additional suspects.

Most dangerous cities in Nebraska Dangerous Cities in Nebraska 6. South Sioux City 5. Scottsbluff 4. North Platte 3. Lincoln 2. Grand Island 1. Omaha A note about the numbers
The Catholic Diocese of Lincoln and other faith-based organizations have backed out of this years Give to Lincoln Day over concerns about an anti-discrimination requirement officials say goes against their beliefs.

The diocese announced last month it was pulling out of the annual charitable giving day on May 24 because of a policy change that requires nonprofits to affirm they do not discriminate based on factors including sexual orientation in hiring matters.

In an April column posted to the dioceses website, Bishop James Conley said the policy change from the Lincoln Community Foundation, which puts on the event, does not align with the tenets of the Catholic faith.

Those requirements could also affect the right of Catholic schools to hire administrators and teachers who strive to live their lives in adherence to the Catholic faith, Conley wrote. In response, Conley said diocesan organizations would pursue their separate fundraising efforts, including a Lincoln Catholic Schools Day of Giving.

Alec Gorynski, president and CEO of the Lincoln Community Foundation, said the anti-discrimination policy  which he says is a best practice among community foundations  is not new. But last fall, he said, the foundations board required that the policy be applied more consistently when it comes to its discretionary grant-giving, which includes the foundations Give to Lincoln Day match funds.

Now, in addition to other requirements  like that nonprofits must be locally based  participating organizations must also sign off on the anti-discrimination affirmation statement.

Gorynski said the statement is not a religious or political expression or a criticism of any group, but an affirmation that everyone has the opportunity to benefit in necessary programs and services.

We stand behind that, he said. We stand behind inclusion. We stand behind everyone in our community (having) the opportunity to thrive.

The foundation does not review nonprofits internal practices and would not challenge an organization that wishes to take part, Gorynski said, emphasizing that the policy only asks nonprofits to attest they do not discriminate.

Gorynski also emphasized there are exemptions for faith-based organizations that consider religious affiliation when making hiring decisions per the Nebraska Fair Employment Practice Act.

 ... We celebrate and applaud all (the) faith-based organizations that do meaningful work in our community, and wanted to offer them every allowance possible, so we included the exemption to use faith as a factor in hiring, as allowed by law, Gorynski said.

The affirmation statement is similar to efforts by the Lincoln City Council to expand discrimination protections under city code to include sexual orientation and gender identity via the so-called Fairness Ordinance. The City Council passed the ordinance in February 2022, but it was rescinded following a successful referendum petition by the Nebraska Family Alliance, which would have put the question to voters.

Karen Bowling, executive director of the Nebraska Family Alliance, said nonprofits began reaching out to her group seeking advice about the policy when registration for Give to Lincoln Day began in March.

Bowling said the foundation was originally asking nonprofits to confirm they were not associated with any groups on the Southern Poverty Law Centers list of hate groups in addition to the anti-discrimination statement. After meeting with foundation officials, Bowling said the SPLC requirement was removed but not the anti-discrimination statement.

According to Bowlings count, 40 faith-based nonprofits  including schools, retreat centers and social services organizations  have withdrawn.

All of us have been grateful for having the opportunity to participate in Give to Lincoln Day, Bowling said. We affirm that everyone has intrinsic value and is created in the image of God, but ... we also want to be able to live out our values.

There are 460 nonprofits taking part in Give to Lincoln Day, which kicked off May 1 with an online and in-person giving campaign. Thats slightly down from a record of 479 organizations that raised more than $8 million last year. Gorynski said he did not know how many groups had opted out because of the policy.

In addition to the diocese and its schools, Lincoln Lutheran, Parkview Christian and Lincoln Christian also have opted out of the event. At Lincoln Christian and Lincoln Lutheran, officials are planning their own giving days.

Our programs and services are non-discriminatory, but the language in the LCF agreement could place our ministry at risk when it comes to our hiring practices where it is important for our educators and leaders to reflect the beliefs of our faith body, Lincoln Lutheran Chief Advancement Officer Scott Ernstmeyer said in a statement.

Lincoln Christian Superintendent Zach Kassebaum said the requirement amounts to imposing a social and political agenda on nonprofits.

We believe in the dignity and intrinsic value of every person as made in the image of God, Kassebaum said in an email. We are committed to not taking money from or participating in any program that restricts or adds unwarranted and unjust secular requirements or constraints to our biblically based mission and values.

Specific churches and other houses of worship are already excluded from Give to Lincoln Day, Gorynski said. Thats partly because of the sheer number that would qualify and because the event is intended for nonprofits that offer specific community programming or services, like Catholic Social Services, a diocesan organization.

Katie Patrick, executive director of Catholic Social Services, said that while Give to Lincoln Day has been instrumental for our goals, the organization is now putting on its own fundraising campaign centered around four initiatives.

Other Catholic organizations not affiliated with the diocese  like Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach and the local St. Vincent de Paul Society chapter  are still participating, as are other faith-based groups.

Dennis Kellogg, a spokesperson for the diocese, said officials from the Catholic Church and other faith-based organizations met with the Lincoln Community Foundation to share their concerns and said there was a good back and forth.

But neither side budged.

They were insistent that we sign the statement, Kellogg said. Its certainly their right to do that. Were not going to do anything thats going to compromise our right or our ability to adhere to the tenets of the Catholic Church in our charitable work.

Kellogg said the policy is too broad, goes beyond what is required by law and could jeopardize employee agreements.

We have a right, as a Catholic organization, to hire those Catholics ... who agree to teach the Catholic faith. Thats important to us as a faith-based organization, Kellogg said.

Give to Lincoln Day has typically been a big fundraising event for Catholic and other Christian organizations. In 2021, Catholic Social Services raised $195,000, the third most of any nonprofit. The Pius X Foundation was in the top 10. Now, the Pius X Foundation will host a Lincoln Catholic Schools Day of Giving, on May 16 instead.

The bottom line is our mission doesnt change, Kellogg said. We feel everyone should be treated with respect. ... Were called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless. Weve been doing that for 2,000 years and were not going to stop doing that.

Gorynski said he supports any act of generosity, adding that he hopes the other fundraising events are wildly successful. But at the end of the day, the foundation is there to serve the organizations signed up for Give to Lincoln Day, which has raised $50 million in the past 11 years.

Were focused on the 460 nonprofits that are still with us.

Top Journal Star photos for May 2023
Pat Sangimino Night editor Pat Sangimino is a San Francisco native who has been the Journal Stars night news editor since April 2018. Follow Pat Sangimino 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

In a perfect world  one where musical genres were inconsequential and people flocked to hear local bands no matter what they played  Nick Wertz would have started a jazz band.

He quickly came to his senses.

Jazz bands, he surmised, might be cool as hell, but they often "play to empty rooms."

So he and his friend Brandon Cure  both guitarists  set out to build a band that would focus on rock covers, while paying mindful attention to their jazz influences.

Somehow the stars aligned for them and inspired a weirdly entertaining story about how this band was built.

After all, how do an engineer that designs cattle pens and an electrical technician for an aviation company find the musicians needed to fill out a band?

That's one of the unique things about the Hafnicks, who were named when three of the original six members had the same first name (the number has since dropped by one).

The other was their instant synergy, Wertz said, and he recognized it immediately as the band jammed inside keyboardist Steve Mintie's garage.

"I'm not gonna call it fate, but we met in a spot and from the start and created some organic chemistry."

It's not often you find that kind of alignment  especially when two of the band members were added after answering a Craigslist ad.

The Hafnicks might be the only local garage bands to feature a restaurant server on vocals, a university biology professor on the bass, an engineer and an electrical technician on guitars, and a pediatric dentist on the drums.

But like most musical outfits, this group has flown below the radar since forming in the midst of the pandemic.

They got noticed a month ago during a Lincoln show at Frontier Harley-Davidson when, between sets, drummer Nick Woodward, the pediatric dentist by day, ran to the scene of a rollover accident outside the dealership, pulled a young woman from the vehicle and gave her CPR, which first-responders said saved her life.

Amazingly, the band performed a second set after Woodward got cleaned up.

"He's our hero," said Mike Herman, the band's third bassist in four years and a biology professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Woodward downplays his role in that moment, but his quick action saved the life of 19-year-old Nyakhan B. Rang.

He'd much rather focus on the band  and its eclectic assortment of characters from the professional world and just how it was that they came together.

He calls it a group without ego.

Even the band's face and voice, Karis Yanike -- someone with the talent to have her name in the band's name -- has no desire to see her name on the marquee.

"If anybody in the band should have an ego, it's her," Woodward said. "She's that good, but she doesn't care about that."

Her journey to the Hafnicks came courtesy of a karaoke audition while she was working at Big Sal's Pizza on 27th Street.

Wertz and Cure went to hear her, and all they needed was Yanike's rendition of Tracy Chapman's "Give Me One Reason" to be sold on her talent.

"Oh, my God, she blew it away," Wertz said. "She absolutely nailed it. It was ridiculous."

The band in its current configuration is its best version  albeit being one Nick short to make the band's name accurate  but definitely worth a listen.

They'll be in Blair on Friday for a Cinco de Mayo gig. As planned, it will be just their second show since the great Harley rescue in Lincoln.

That's because the Hafnicks are a group that takes the music seriously, but understands that each of them have real jobs and real families that take precedence.

That kind of prioritization is what attracted Woodward when he returned from Chicago to start his own dental practice in Elkhorn. He'd been Jonesing to play the skins again, but only on his terms and time frame.

"That's probably one of my favorite things about this group to be honest," Woodward said. "Having a day job that's fairly rigorous and fairly stressful it takes an awful lot of my time.  When you're dealing with pediatric dentistry, you gotta have your sleep and be on top of your game."

Wertz said doing such technical work makes it necessary for a creative release.

"You always need an artistic outlet whether it be drawing or music," he said. "When I was younger it was always the goal to do the Nashville thing. But you know, family life happens so I never got to do it."

But his passion for music never left him. Nor did it abandon his bandmates, who look forward to the next jam session, but only if their schedules allow.

Quality of life takes precedence above the music. There have been many potential gigs that have been turned down due to family events, vacations and prior commitments  either professional or social.

"That's the way we like it," Herman said.
Lincoln Fire and Rescue responded to a house fire in University Place on Thursday night.

At about 6 p.m., LFR received a call reporting flames at 4927 Leighton Ave. When crews arrived, they found the northwest corner of the building ablaze.

The sole occupant of the house was outside when the fire started, and was unharmed.

Crews were able to get water on the fire within 4 minutes, and Battalion Chief Jim Bopp said they had the blaze under control within 20 minutes from the time of the call.

Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be electrical. LFR estimated damage to be $50,000 to the structure and $10,000 to belongings.

Top Journal Star photos for May 2023
WASHINGTON  Former Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Connecticut Democrat-turned-Independent long known for his centrist views, voted for Joe Biden in 2020. But as Bidens reelection campaign begins, Lieberman is preparing to recruit a third-party candidate capable of defeating the Democratic president.

Centrists and moderates feel that hes governed more from the left than they hoped, Lieberman, a leader of the group No Labels, said of Biden in an interview. He hasnt been able to be the unifier that he promised to be.

Bidens political challenges are not confined to voters in the middle. In the days since he formally launched his 2024 campaign, key members of the sprawling political coalition that lifted him over former President Donald Trump in 2020 are far from excited about the prospect of four more years. That underscores the test confronting Biden as he aims to motivate the coalition of African Americans, Latinos, young people, suburban voters and independents to show up for him again.

John Paul Mejia, the 20-year-old spokesman for the progressive Sunrise Movement, says Biden has simply not done enough to ensure the young voters who rallied behind him in 2020 would do so again.

Young people are starving for more, Mejia said, pointing to Bidens recent decision to approve two controversial fossil fuel projects in Alaska. Biden has to demonstrate the extent to which hes willing to be a fighter. Weve seen this sort of two-step on the promises he made to young people.

Biden has also struggled to fulfill key promises to Black voters, perhaps the most loyal group in his political base. While he tapped Ketanji Brown Jackson to become the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, he has been unable to follow through on pledges to protect voting rights against a wave of Republican-backed restrictions or enact policing reform to help stop violence against people of color at the hands of law enforcement.

Theres work to be done, said Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, a 42-year-old African American former civil rights attorney who joined Congress in January. Im not going to sugar coat it.

Crockett recalled the palpable excitement among the Black community for Barack Obamas reelection. With Biden, theres a number of people who are concerned and scared largely because of his age, while others are indifferent and waiting, despite what she described as Bidens overall strong record of achievement.

Nearly 18 months before Election Day 2024, however, its unclear how much this lack of enthusiasm will weigh on Bidens reelection prospects. For all the concern, no high-profile Democratic primary challengers have emerged, and none are expected to. To date, only progressive author Marianne Williamson and anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are mounting symbolic challenges to Biden, who has the official support of the Democratic National Committee.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Bidens chief rival in the 2020 primary, told The Associated Press just hours after Biden announced that he was endorsing the president and encouraged other progressive leaders to do so as well.

I intend to do everything I can to see that he is reelected, Sanders said in an interview.

Instead of excitement for the 80-year-old presidents reelection, leaders from key factions in Bidens coalition report a serious sense of duty  and fear of the alternative. Trump is currently considered the favorite to claim the Republican presidential nomination, although hes facing opposition from a half dozen rivals.

It would be a mistake to underestimate Trump or whoever the Republican candidate might be, Sanders said. Theres a lot of discontent in this country. Theres a lot of anger in this country.

Indeed, 74% of U.S. adults believe the country is headed in the wrong direction, according to an AP-NORC poll conducted a week before Bidens announcement.

The poll found that only about half of Democrats think Biden should run again. Despite their reluctance, 81% of Democrats said they would probably support Biden in a general election if he is the nominee. That includes 41% who said they definitely would and 40% who said they probably would.

The warning signs in the Biden coalition are clear.

Just 41% of Black adults want the Democratic president to run again, and only 55% said they are likely to support him in the general election if he is the nominee. Among Latinos, only 27% want Biden to run again in 2024 and 43% said they would definitely or probably support him.

Younger Democrats also remain a reluctant part of Bidens coalition, the AP-NORC poll shows.

Just 25% of those under age 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats.

Still, an additional 51% of younger Democrats say they would probably vote for Biden in a 2024 general election.

Meanwhile, just 14% of independents  adults who dont lean toward either party, who represent a small percentage of the American electorate  want Biden to run again. And only 24% said theyd support him in the general election if he is the Democratic nominee.

Bidens team dismisses the numbers, yet acknowledges that in a party as diverse as the Democrats, some may have other preferred candidates for president. Its just that none of those other people can win, they say.

Meanwhile, Lieberman said he would likely soon begin interviewing potential candidates for No Labels third-party alternative, but he said the group would field a candidate only if polling suggested the so-called unity ticket had a viable path to the presidency.

If No Labels does not run a bipartisan unity ticket, and the two candidates are Trump and Biden, to me, its an easy choice, Lieberman said. I will vote for Biden.

How and why American workers disengaged from their jobs in 2022 How and why American workers disengaged from their jobs in 2022 Employees checked out after 2020 Drop in engagement comes as workers quit in droves Wanted: Engaged managers and clear expectations
Four Nebraskans will be honored during the 42nd National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

This years national tribute will honor 79 firefighters who died in the line of duty in 2022 and 65 firefighters who died in previous years. Ceremonies started Saturday and end Sunday.

Each firefighter's name will be inscribed on a bronze plaque and become a permanent part of the national memorial. The honorees will include these Nebraska firefighters:

* Firefighter James Bissonnette, 34, of the Broken Bow Fire Department. He died Sept. 23, 2021, due to complications of COVID-19.

* Fire Chief Darren Krull, 54, of the Elwood Volunteer Fire Department. He died as a passenger in a head-on collision while responding to a wildland fire April 7, 2022.

* Assistant Chief Michael Moody, 59, of the Purdum Rural Fire District. He died Oct. 2, 2002, after suffering a heart attack while fighting the Bovee Fire near Halsey, Nebraska.

* Capt. Christopher Parker, 41, of the Fairbury Rural Fire District No. 8. He died Nov. 16, 2021, due to complications of COVID-19.

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas is scheduled to address the attendees at the memorial service on Sunday. Families of the firefighters will receive an American flag that has flown over the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial and the U.S. Capitol, a badge, and a rose.

The ceremonies will be live streamed on the National Fallen Firefighters website and Facebook page.
It is amazing, but not surprising, that a community activist against gun violence, has been banned, for life from our state Capitol. Republican senators love the Constitution but seemingly only when it serves their purposes.

This activist rightfully called out "shame" as Republican senators passed LB77, a law that would allow concealed carry of firearms without a permit. In addition, the same Republicans repealed city gun ordinances, to the vocal opposition of our own police chiefs in Lincoln and Omaha.

As a reminder, gun violence -- homicide and suicide -- is the No. 1 cause of death for children in the United States. In 2023, so far, there have been over 160 mass shootings. People who have mistakenly pulled into driveways, including in Lincoln, have been shot and killed for their simple error.

Tom Brewer, John Lowe, Jim Pillen, and other Republicans should be ashamed for "protecting" the sacrosanct Second Amendment while having blatant and utter disregard for our Constitution, particularly the First Amendment.

Nebraskan Republicans want to use your tax dollars to quash free speech, particularly when it comes to education.

This trend of shredding our constitutional right to free speech is gaining steam across the country, shrouded in the language of protecting children. The governor, a veterinarian and livestock producer, thinks he knows what's best for Nebraska's children and is going after education to make his point. Shame on these Republicans for cherry-picking our Constitution.

Cynthia Douglas-Ybarra, Omaha
RACINE  Growing up first generation can mean many things. For Samantha Altamirano and Joshua Martinez, it meant seeing a lot of doors being closed in the faces of not only family members, but others like them.

That is what led the couple to create The Spanish Center, 2501 Douglas Ave, a resource center for the Spanish community in Racine, as well as anyone who needs assistance.

Martinez considers the center a one stop shop and a beacon of community resources.

There needs to be safe space created for the Latino community, so they know when they come they feel represented and they feel seen, Altamirano said.

The two were born, raised and met in Racine.

The Root City was a home they always knew they would come back to, and they also knew they wanted to help the Spanish community one day.

Altamirano is the director of community engagement for the center, while Martinez serves as the director of operations.

They both worked in the nonprofit sector in other parts of the country before returning to Racine.

For Altamirano, being first generation meant translating documents for her parents, but it also meant that her parents always feared being pulled over or questioned by police, not wanting to have their then-undocumented status questioned.

It took many years for her parents to finally receive the citizenship they had been working for since arriving in the United States.

I saw there was a lot of doors shut, Altamirano said.  A lot of nos, more than yeses.

The center plans to offer document translation, insurance brokering, on-site tax specialists and home lending services  and every person performing these services at the center will be bilingual.

We want them to be dual language, so they have that capability to help both communities, whether they are just English-speaking or just Spanish-speaking, Atamirano said.

The center also will host English and Spanish classes to help break down language barrier.

Its going both ways, Martinez said. We really want to bridge that gap, from the Spanish-speaking community to pretty much the whole other side of the community. From the employer side, if they want to learn more Spanish to maybe be able to communicate better with their employees that do speak Spanish, to just bring everyone together, linking them together.

The Spanish Center will be home to BI-Link Employment Agency, a staffing service started by the owners to help people find jobs.

Martinez said the agency will work with clients to determine long-term goals.

Were not going to throw you into some job just because, Martinez said. Lets use this job placement as a stepping stone for whatever dreams and goals you may have.

Martinez equated his mission at the center is to The Lorax: He wants to be voice of hope for the Latino people of Racine.

For me, its always been about whats right and whats fair and whats just. Thats the way that Ive always been, Martinez said.  Ive seen a lot of times where our community has been counted out. It can be because of lack of knowledge, which I think could be a big part of it, of not knowing or not being told or not learning. Thats what really drives me, the sense to help my community and to be that voice of hope.

Revenue from BI-Link will allow the The Spanish Center to be self-sufficient.

Altamirano said she wished a place like the center existed when she was growing up, having to be a translator and interpreter for her family since the age of 9.

I think it would have not just helped my family, but so many different families and friends that I know here that also come from immigrant families and undocumented parents, Altamirano said. We really hope that it makes an impact now.

But while the Spanish population is the focus of the center, anyone in need is welcome to benefit from the resources provided by the center and by BI-Link.

We have a focus on our Latino community, but our doors are open to anyone and everyone, Altamirano said. Were here to service absolutely everyone who may need a job or need resources. We would never exclude anyone. We would never push anyone to the side. Like in our culture, we always say Mi casa es tu casa, thats the vibe we wanna go with.

The Spanish Center will be holding a grand opening Saturday, May 6, starting at 4:30 p.m.

The event will include music, activities for children and families, food trucks and community resources.

Goods donated to the center from other businesses will be provided for the opening as well.

Altamirano said that she and Martinez were concerned about how the community would react to what they were trying to do, but after receiving support from not only Latino residents in Racine but also Latino-run businesses in the area, she knew this what they were always meant to do.

One of the couples favorite activities is meeting other Latino-run business owners, introducing themselves and explaining what they plan to do with the center, a plan that has been shown a lot of love.

This is why we came back to our community, Altamirano said.

Top 10 best Mexican restaurants in Racine County Javier's Cuisine Jose's Blue Sombrero Pico's Tacos and Cerveza La Tapatia Taqueria Arandas Los Mariachis Mi Tierra Mexican Restaurant Mi Jacalito La Taquiza Guadalajara Santa Fe Grocery & Liquor
RACINE  A small group of local business owners met with Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, on Tuesday to voice their concerns and express their needs.

Neubauer hosted the event at The Branch at 1501, 1501 Washington Ave., to gather information about childcare and general workforce support.

The goal of the discussion was to help lawmakers make decisions related to Gov. Tony Evers 2023-25 budget proposal.

This comes as the Legislatures Republican-controlled budget committee reshapes the nearly $104 billion two-year budget Evers submitted in February.

Tuesdays discussion ranged from challenges the business owners are facing to concerns they have about the future of their operations.

Those in attendance included Lorna Revere, owner of Lornacopia, 310 6th St., Dan Taivalkoski, owner of Beacon Tavern and Grill, 3113 Douglas Ave.; and Delmarie and Jamie Brands, owners of Almost Home Academy, 1401 N Main St.

Taivalkoski said one of his concerns is staffing.

Well put an ad out on Indeed and get 50 responses, Taivalkoski said. Out of those, we get two that show up.

Taivalkoski wondered if people are just applying so they can continue collecting unemployment.

Revere expressed concerns about a lack of tourism in Downtown Racine, as well as safety in the area.

Where Ive always thought Racine has this opportunity and has never taken advantage of it is branding, she said. This city has no branding. You can say this city is great on the lake, has the best beach. I go to other places and never see a commercial about Racine. I never see anything about Racine being a destination city. Money has never been spent on getting people here. That just blows my mind.

Once the Legislatures finance committee is done revising the budget proposal, it will be sent to the full Senate and Assembly for approval. Then the budget goes back to Evers, who can rewrite it with his partial veto powers.
1. Yes. Keep Fort Hood Street in recognition of the citys historic connections to the post.

2. Yes. Businesses should keep their current name if its familiar to their customers.

3. No. It would be confusing, especially to newcomers, to have two post names being used.

4. No. It is disrespectful to the memory of Gen. Cavazos to keep using the name Hood.

5. Unsure. It might make sense in some instances, but it could be confusing as well .

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Copperas Cove, TX (76522)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. High 81F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Cloudy skies this evening followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms overnight. Low near 65F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Photo: @VancouverPD/Twitter. A flipped vehicle has closed W 49th Ave. between Ontario and Columbia in Vancouver.

Vancouver police are warning drivers to stay away from West 49th Avenue between Ontario and Columbia streets after a single vehicle rolled over and into someone's yard.

In a tweet, VPD advise that buses are managing to get through but that the road is closed. The driver has been taken to hospital but the extent of their injuries remains unknown.

V.I.A. has reached out to the police for more information and will update this story as more information becomes available.
BERTRAND  In May 2022, there hadnt been a new house constructed in the community of Bertrand since 2008.

After South Central Economic Development District performed a housing survey in 2022, it became apparent to community members that something needed to be done to address the lack of available housing in their community.

Bertrand residents formed Bertrand Community Builders in August 2022. The organization's mission statement is to make investments in the Bertrand area which will be beneficial both to the membership and to the Bertrand area as a whole.

That was another driving force that people were looking for adequate housing in that community, said Beverly Hansen, a Bertrand resident and board member of BCB.

In order to be part of BCB, investors must provide an initial investment of $1,000 followed by a $100 monthly payment. The group set a goal to have 50 investors, and they currently have 64 residents involved in the organization.

The organization was able to acquire two properties at 213 Minor Ave. and 402 Knight St. Members of the group poured in over 300 volunteer hours to gut the dilapidated house at 402 Knight St.

To help with the costs, the members of the investment company have done a lot of volunteer work. Volunteers did all of the demolition for the small home. ... We have had four work days, and some individuals have devoted a lot of personal time other than the group work days for doing small projects in the house and helping. Weve cleaned up the yard. Its just unbelievable, Hansen said.

BCB reached out to local contractors to renovate the two-bedroom, one-bathroom home, and it is expected to be finished by the end of the month. They plan to place it on the market as soon as possible.

The home on Minor Avenue had been identified by the Village of Bertrand as a nuisance property, and BCB received a grant for the abatement and demolition of the home. Architect and former Bertrand resident Zeb Lund teaches an architecture class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He asked if his students could create designs for the new home on Minor Ave. The class submitted six different plans, and BCB has selected the final design. The new construction will feature two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a two-car garage and an unfinished basement.

As the group wraps up work on their initial project and begins on the next one, Hansen is hopeful that this will be the pattern for years to come.

The long-range goal is to keep Bertrand progressive and thriving and to not limit it just to housing, but to attract new businesses or help people, new businesses and entrepreneurs get started as well as other community projects that may come up," she said. "It may not be a construction or new business, but should there be something for the school or for the community as a whole that we would have funding available to assist in community-based projects."
KEARNEY  If you dreamed of attending a Chicago concert in the 1970s but were never able to make it, the Kearney Concert Association has your remedy.

KCA and its president, Angela Wright, are hoping you mark May 12 on your calendar because KCA is presenting a group that many say is like seeing a Chicago show 30 years ago.

Beginnings will perform for the Kearney Concert Association on May 12 in Kearney High SchoolConcert Hall and Theater. In addition, KHS students will enjoy a performance by Beginnings earlier that day. The student performance also will be in the KHS auditorium.

When the board found out that Beginnings was going to be touring in the area and we heard their playing, we just had to bring them to Kearney, Wright said. In 2015 Billboard ranked Chicago ninth on the list of the 100 greatest artists of all time. Chicago has sold more than 100 million records, and back in 1971 they were the first rock act to sell out Carnegie Hall for an entire week."

Beginnings is a must-see act, Wright said, because the group is extraordinarily true to the original sound of Chicago.

Beginnings manager, Pat Bush, said, Beginnings began in 2002 with a group of musicians that loved the music of Chicago. The guys who started the group were from the greater New York metro and Long Island areas, and they all knew of each other."

Some of them grew up together, others performed together, some went to school together, learned to play music and became lifelong friends, Bush said.

The bands performance approach is to replicate the music of Chicago in the original seven-piece ensemble that began in 1967. We try to do that as close to the recordings, configuration and musical makeup of the original band," Bush said. "We dont use any tracks or pre-recorded material. Its our musical interpretation of the amazing 55-plus year Chicago songbook performed as it was originally written and conceived with authenticity in performance and showmanship.

Bush said that even after more than 20 years Beginnings continues to reach new heights. This past November we did our first international show and then in February of this year we performed our first full symphonic performance with the Palm Desert Orchestra in California.

He said Beginnings' band members have won many accolades. The trumpet player, Doug Woolveryon, has been nominated for a Grammy, and all the members have performed with major acts, like the Temptations, Aretha Franklin and many others.

KCAs Wright said there is even a special way to attend this show. While its $26 for adults to attend the Beginnings concert, weve decided that any new person joining Kearney Concerts for our 2023-24 season will receive the Beginnings concert as a free bonus.

The Kearney Concert Endowment is also helping the KHS students end the school year in style by underwriting an afternoon performance of Beginnings.

If anyone would like to hear how well Beginnings plays the music of Chicago, you can go to the KCA website and watch samplings of their concerts. You can even check out a video of all six of the artists that will be featured in KCA's 2023-24 season.

Tickets to the 2023-24 season are $50 for adults, $25 for students and $110 for families and will include the May 12 Beginnings concert. The KCA website is www.KearneyConcerts.org, or you can call for information at 308-627-2717.
Photo: The Canadian Press Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly appears as a witness at a standing committee on foreign affairs and international development in Ottawa on Thursday, May 4, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

The Liberal government is assessing how painful China's retaliation would be if Canada decides to expel a diplomat accused of targeting Conservative MP Michael Chong and his relatives in Hong Kong.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said Thursday she requested that China's ambassador to Canada be summoned over the affair, saying that outright expulsion is an option on the table.

Chong, meanwhile, said he was told that when Canada's spy agency learned about threats against him and his family in 2021, it shared its intelligence with the prime minister's national security adviser and other departments.

That claim appears to contradict Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's assertion on Wednesdaythat the Canadian Security Intelligence Service chose not to elevate the information about unspecified threats following Chong's criticism of Beijing's human-rights record.

Trudeau's office maintains that he was left in the dark at the time.

At a parliamentary committee, Joly confirmed media reports that CSIS believes a diplomat working out of China's Toronto consulate had taken note of Chong's relatives abroad.

This happened after the MP sponsored a parliamentary motion condemning Beijings conduct in Xinjiang as genocide, which passed in the House of Commons.

In an interview that aired on CTV's "Power Play" on Thursday, Chong said he was told that the diplomat was trying to collect information about his family members in the People's Republic of China.

"I've been told that the Ministry of State Security in the People's Republic of China was also doing the same," he said.

"It's clear that they were trying to intimidate, by using the family of an MP, to intimidate an MP and other MPs to affect the course of debate in the House of Commons on foreign policy."

Joly called the targeting of Chong and his family "completely unacceptable."

"All options, including expulsion of diplomats, remain on the table as we consider the consequences for this behaviour," she said.

But in a heated exchange with Chong, she said Ottawa isn't sure whether it will follow demands by the Opposition Conservatives to expel the diplomat in question.

"We're assessing the consequences that we'll be facing in case of diplomatic expulsion, because there will be consequences," Joly warned.

"Economic interests, consular interests and also diplomatic interests will be affected."

The minister raised China's 2018 detention of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor, which was widely seen as retaliation for the arrest of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou. Beijing also limited Canadian imports such as canola at the time.

Joly also told reporters she would make a decision "very soon" as to whether one or more Chinese diplomats are sent home.

She informed MPs she had instructed her deputy minister on Thursday to tell Chinese Ambassador Cong Peiwu that Canada will not tolerate any form of foreign interference in its affairs.

Cong responded in a statement Thursday evening to say that China never interferes in the internal affairs of other countries. He accused some politicians and media outlets of manipulating China-related issues for their own gain.

"Once again, China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately stop this self-directed political farce, and not go further down the wrong and dangerous path. Should the Canadian side continue to make provocations, China will play along every step of the way until the very end," said Cong.

The question of what the Liberal government knew -- and when it knew -- is still not settled.

On Thursday afternoon, Chong told the House of Commons that Jody Thomas, the prime minister's national security adviser, had contacted him to say CSIS had provided her predecessor's office with a July 2021 intelligence assessment that said his family was being targeted by a Chinese diplomat.

He said Thomas told him that CSIS sent the intelligence to the national security adviser, the Privy Council Office and other relevant government departments.

Trudeau and several key ministers have saidthey only learned about the report from a Globe and Mail article published Monday, which cited a top-secret document and an unnamed security source. The prime minister said Wednesday that he ordered Canada's intelligence agencies to immediately inform MPs of any threats against them, regardless of whether those threats are considered credible.

When asked about Chong's allegations Thursday afternoon, Trudeauoffered only: "No comment."

Chong, speaking to reporters later in the day, added that Thomas told him neither Trudeau nor his top aide, Katie Telford, had received information about the threats.

Trudeau spokeswoman Alison Murphy said in a statement that Thomas told Chong "information from CSIS was not briefed up to the prime minister or his office."

The government has noted that in 2021, CSIS briefed Chong after China publicly said it would sanction him for criticizing Beijing's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China's Xinjiang province. The agency never told Chong about any threats.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is calling on MPs to vote in favour of a motion that calls on the government to take more aggressive steps, including to expel Chinese diplomats involved in foreign interference attempts.

Meanwhile, CSIS shed more light Thursday on other ways it sees China as attempting to meddle in Canadian affairs.

In its 2022 public report, CSIS noted reports that subnational affiliates of China's Ministry of Public Security had set up three overseas "police stations" in Canada without permission from Ottawa.

"CSIS has observed instances where representatives from various investigatory bodies in (China) have come to Canada, often without notifying local law enforcement agencies, and used threats and intimidation in attempting to force 'fugitive' Chinese Canadians and permanent residents to return."

Foreign interference directed at Canada's democratic institutions and processes, at all levels of government, can be an effective way for a foreign state to achieve its immediate and medium- and long-term strategic objectives, the CSIS report says.

"Foreign states  again, directly and via proxies  may seek to influence electoral nomination processes, shape public discourse or influence policy positions of elected officials using covert tactics. The purpose is to advance issues or policies that favour the foreign state, or quell dissent."

The report says these threat actors must be held accountable for their clandestine activities.

"We will also continue to inform national security stakeholders and all Canadians about foreign interference to the fullest extent possible under the CSIS Act, in order to build our national resilience to this pernicious threat," it says.

CSIS reiterates warnings that the Communist government has made plans aiming "to exploit the collaborative, transparent, and open nature of Canada's research and innovation sector in order to serve the PRC's economic, intelligence and military interests."
SPRINGDALE, Ark.  Tyson Foods has announced the company and individual plants, including the Tyson facility in Lexington, Nebraska, received 80 awards from the North American Meat Institute.

Tyson received the Community Wellness Award for its leadership in fighting hunger and food insecurity through protein donations to regional food banks and community pantry partners across the nation.

In fiscal year 2022, Tyson Foods donated more than 18 million pounds of protein, the equivalent of 72 million servings of protein, to food banks, pantries and hunger relief organizations in Tyson Foods' plant communities and across the nation.

NAMI commends Tyson Foods and its leadership for continuing to ensure their products contribute to a sustainable and healthy food system, said NAMI President and CEO Julie Anna Potts. Tyson Foods dedication to sustainably reducing the protein gap demonstrates why theyre a leader in the industry year after year.

NAMI awarded companies based on 2022 data shared for The Protein PACT, through which NAMI and its members are uniting in an industry-led effort to accelerate the animal protein sectors progress toward sustainable development goals. The Community Wellness award is the top honor in the Health and Wellness category.

NAMI also recognized Tyson Foods commitment to promoting and implementing a diversity, equity and inclusion strategy to celebrate the unique culture of team members and provide a collective voice in how the company does business. Criteria for the award included companies that placed priority on recruitment, retention, community engagement, values, leadership and accountability.

Seventy-eight plants and other facilities received recognition for their environmental management practices. The Environmental Recognition Award recognizes a companys dedication to continuous environmental compliance improvement, as witnessed by the development and implementation of Environmental Management Systems (EMS).

Its an honor to be recognized for the steps Tyson Foods is taking to continuously monitor and build upon its environmental compliance assurance initiatives, said Steve Patrick, vice president of environmental operations, Tyson Foods. The EMS model is designed to drive continual, measurable improvements in the environmental compliance performance of Tysons operations.
The Kenosha Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution recently honored six Kenosha County high school seniors with Good Citizen Awards.

An April luncheon at the Parkway Chateau recognized the 2023 honorees: Elizabeth Shatzer from Bradford High School, Erika Bando from Lakeview Technology Academy, Megan Grow from Shoreland Lutheran High School, Hannah Shibilski from St. Joseph Catholic Academy, Benjamin Wajerski from Tremper High School and Austin Dawson from Westosha Central High School.

According to the DAR, the award recognizes and rewards individuals who possess good citizenship qualities of dependability, service, leadership and patriotism in their homes, schools and communities. These students are selected by their teachers because they demonstrate these qualities to an outstanding degree. Selection was also based on the students activities and goals, academic success, two references and an essay focused on the question, How will the essential actions of a good citizen meet the challenges that America faces in this decade?

Each student received a certificate, pin and monetary award.

After their applications were evaluated, one student was selected to be the chapter overall winner: Austin Dawson from Salem, Wisconsin. His parents, Amy and Mike, were there to see him presented the additional recognition and monetary award.

We were happy to present them in-person, the organization said. Thank you to the families who supported these students and attended the luncheon.
President Yoon Suk-yeol of South Korea has just completed a six-day visit to Washington D.C. The relatively lengthy visit by the head of government underscores both the international influence of his nation and the high priority of the alliance with the United States.

The visit marks the seventieth anniversary of the vital alliance between South Korea and the United States.

This is the second summit, and fifth meeting in total, between President Joe Biden and President Yoon in less than a year. The packed itinerary included an address to a joint session of Congress, a visit to the Goddard Space Center of NASA, an important stop at the Pentagon, an assembly of South Korean and U.S. business representatives hosted by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and a state dinner at the White House.

The long-term increase in tensions with the surviving communist regime in North Korea, which includes Pyongyangs expanding nuclear weapons program, adds significance to the visit and the relationship.

As recently as the early 1960s, South Korea was one of the poorest economies in the world. Still a peasant society, the entire Korean peninsula was terribly devastated by the Korean War of 1950-53. Yet today, the Republic of Korea ranks among the top twenty economies in the world, holding leadership roles in the automobile, advanced electronics, shipbuilding and other industries.

Rapid industrialization and economic modernization have been complemented by striking transition from dictatorship to democracy. President and General Park Chung-hee, stifled incipient democracy and imposed extremely harsh military authoritarianism for nearly two decades. He was assassinated in 1979 by the head of the KCIA, the national intelligence agency. In Korean memory, he remains a respected symbol of strength and effectiveness for many, though with progress and the passage of time that fades.

General Park was succeeded as chief executive by two more generals, Chun Doo Hwan and Roe Tae Woo, but growing pressure for true democratic representation proved insurmountable.

The capstone of transition to democracy was the election of Kim Dae-jung as president in 1998. He completed his five-year term without interruption, and in 2000 received the Nobel Peace Prize.

A public symbol of opposition to Park dictatorship, he was imprisoned for several years. On another occasion, KCIA agents kidnapped him and planned to kill him. Only the intervention of senior U.S. CIA official Don Gregg saved his life.

South Koreas remarkable domestic accomplishments have unfolded while the country becomes increasingly influential in global arenas. In 2012, the Obama administration shrewdly nominated President Jim Yong Kim of Dartmouth College, who was born in Seoul Korea, as President of the World Bank.

The original vision of the United Nations combined competing goals of favoring the most powerful nations and inclusive global representation. Kim and former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon personify South Koreas significant expanding role as a bridge between developed and developing nations.

Market economies and reasonably representative governments now characterize a steadily increasing share of the worlds developing nations. In short, South Korea is positioned to lead developing nations toward prosperity.

The United Nations today is strong. UN and U.S. decisions in 1950 to defend South Korea were vital to this success.

President Yoon has the opportunity to develop a starring global leadership role, with noisy North Korea shunted off to stage left. At the state dinner, President Yoon sang lines from Don McLeans 1971 song American Pie.
Residents of French Island are divided, both physically and in opinion. Four lanes of rushing traffic from Interstate 90 cuts through the island, separating northside residents from southside residents.

Two vehicle bridges and one pedestrian bridge connect the divided Town of Campbell community. But the future of the pedestrian bridge is in question -- and a cause of division of thought among residents.

In 2025, the Department of Transportation plans to make $600,000 in repairs to the bridge, but an inspection report from 2021 details significant additional work that needs to be done.

Based on a 2020 agreement between the two, after the 2025 repairs the town is on the hook for future work. Town officials expressed concern that long-term ownership of the bridge is unclear.

Town residents gathered for a public hearing Thursday with the town board members to share input on the future of the Bainbridge Street Pedestrian Walkway.

Town supervisor Mitch Brohmer continued to state throughout the meeting that, in theory, the town owns the bridge due to the repair responsibility.

The town's police department installed a temporary trail camera to measure use of the bridge for two weeks starting April 22. The department reported an average of four people used the bridge daily.

When the information was presented Thursday, there was an uproar from the crowd. Numerous residents chimed in with personal experiences of using the bridge daily.

Residents who spoke in favor of the bridge said it unites the community, promotes walking and biking as forms of travel and many said it was a part of their regular walk.

North end resident Cindy Adams said she uses the walking bridge every day.

We need the bridge, Adams said. A lot of people dont think we do. But theres a lot of us over on the other side that like to come over here and visit you guys on the south end. And we want to be safe coming over.

Adams and many others said they wouldnt feel comfortable using or asking their children to use the vehicle road bridge on Lakeshore Drive.

Other residents expressed concern about costs to maintain the bridge, considering the town's plans for an expensive municipal water project.

Whos responsible?

The bridge was built in 1973 after a court order forced the state to construct the bridge because the interstate divided the community.

An agreement between the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and the town of Campbell signed in 2020 dictates the state maintains ownership of the bridge but the town is responsible for financing maintenance, rehabilitation and replacement of the path and bridge.

Town supervisor Lee Donahue said as of now the board is seeking clarity from the state Department of Transportation on what exactly the town is responsible for.

Residents and supervisors questioned what ownership means in the long-term for the town.

Department project manager Brian Meyer said the department will continue to perform regular inspections every two years. He also stated if the town is unable to perform maintenance on the bridge, the department can deem it unsafe, close the path and potentially remove it.

The town has always been responsible for some maintenance on the path, such as snow plowing, salting and repairing lighting.

The state has some maintenance scheduled for 2025. The repairs include repaving the entire deck, sandblasting rust off the support beams and repainting with an epoxy coating.

It doesnt add strength to (the bridge), but if you can cut out the rust and stop it from rusting further it extends the longevity of the structure, Meyer said. (The steel beams) are good enough that it doesnt need to be replaced or repaired, it just needs to be stopped from going any further.

Meyer said the project is expected to extend the life of the bridge an additional 30 years. It will cost the state department just under $600,000. Bidding is anticipated to begin in November 2024.

Based on the last inspection from 2021, the bridge needs many more repairs.

Inspector Craig Fisher recommended three maintenance items with high priority: Both expansion joints need replacement, the inspection report states, the north joint expansion material is missing and all that remains are the steel L-portions. The south joint expansion material is present but has gaps and is significantly deteriorated.

Fisher also noted repairs are needed for gullies of 2 feet deep or more  a large ditch created by running water or erosion  that have developed along the east and west wing walls of the structure.

The last maintenance item of high priority is bearing replacement as all four moveable bearing devices have significant corrosion and some have areas of section loss.

The town boards next regular meeting is Tuesday, May 9, when supervisors plan to continue the bridge discussion.
Members of the state Assembly elections committee have rolled out a series of bipartisan bills aimed at making a number of changes to Wisconsin elections, including added protections for election officials, restrictions on polling place closures and updates to military voting requirements.

Rep. Scott Krug, chair of the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections, said the proposals, which have been introduced over the last week but were formally announced Thursday, are meant to enhance the already safe and secure elections that we have here in the state of Wisconsin.

Having bipartisan, bicameral bills is going to be our biggest priority this session, Krug, R-Nekoosa, said. Were a committee thats going to be dedicated to more collegiality, more common sense and more problem-solving than problem creation.

Krug was appointed last year to replace former committee chair Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, who became one of the Assemblys most prominent election deniers and used the committee as a platform for conspiracy theorists and deniers of the results of Wisconsins 2020 presidential election. Citing a lack of trust in Brandtjen, Assembly Republicans voted in a closed meeting last year to no longer allow her to participate in the chambers GOP closed caucus.

The latest bills mark a considerable shift from election-related measures introduced last session, which added more restrictions on local clerks and were criticized by Democratic lawmakers as making it harder to vote. The new bills will need to pass both Republican-controlled chambers in the Legislature before going to the desk of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Among the proposals introduced Thursday, one would create additional protections for election workers, including prohibiting the disclosure of personally identifiable information of election officials, essentially shielding such information from public records requests.

The bill also would provide whistleblower protections for any election official who reports what they believe to be election irregularities.

It also would classify intentionally causing bodily harm to an election official acting in their official capacity as a Class I felony, which carries a maximum penalty of three-and-a-half years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.

(Election officials) deserve to do their job without fear for their personal safety or their job security, Rep. Joy Goeben, R-Hobart, told reporters Thursday.

One in six election officials nationwide reported being personally threatened, according to a 2022 report by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Military absentee ballots

Another bill would require military voters to provide their federal Department of Defense number when applying for an absentee ballot. Once verified, the voter would not need to have their identification number verified for six years.

Military voting caught statewide attention last year after a top Milwaukee election official allegedly ordered three military absentee ballots under fake names and had them sent to Brandtjens home. Military members dont have to register to vote in Wisconsin and arent required to verify their identity before being provided an absentee ballot, something to which the official allegedly wanted to draw attention.

Absentee military ballots make up 0.07% of total requested ballots, according to the Wisconsin Elections Commission. Before the November 2022 election, members of the military requested 2,747 absentee ballots; there were 2,700 requests ahead of the 2018 general election.

Polling place closures

Another proposal would bar cities from closing more than half of their polling places within 30 days before an election. City officials also would have to post public notices in advance of any planned closures.

Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee, said the measure relates to decisions by a handful of communities to close polling locations in the April 2020 election due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Milwaukee, all but five of its 182 polling places ultimately were closed.

Researchers from the Brennan Center for Justice say the closures  and subsequent lines at polling locations  dissuaded voters from participating in the election, particularly Black voters.

Special election reimbursements

Another bill would require the Wisconsin Elections Commission to reimburse counties and cities for certain costs associated with special elections, including rental payments for polling places, poll worker wages, ballot printing and postage and other related expenses.

Were talking tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars to individual Assembly or Senate districts, much less larger areas that could be impacted, Sen. Andre Jacque, R-De Pere, said.

Such costs only would be eligible for reimbursement if certain conditions are met, including that the elections commission determines the cost is reasonable and does not exceed the rate normally paid for similar elections.

Campaign finance

Another proposed bill would require that any individual found guilty of campaign finance or election fraud violations have their campaign account dissolved and any unencumbered funds be returned to donors or donated to the common school fund. The court also would appoint a new campaign treasurer to carry out the dissolution process.

Currently, a candidate who commits certain campaign finance or election fraud violations loses their ability to hold public office but is not required to close the campaign account.

Elections 101: Video series explains how elections are carried out in Wisconsin The Wisconsin Elections Commission put together the following series of instructional videos and accompanying lesson plans for use in high school civics classes and the general public. Elections overview An overview of elections administration in Wisconsin. Voting Security Let's take a look at how we maintain security and integrity with all of our elections. Nuts and bolts The ins-and-outs of voter processes like registering to vote and requesting a ballot to vote absentee. A Day at the Polls See what it is like to go to the polls and vote.
Lake Geneva officials are considering reducing the city's parking fine.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Council approved to increase the city's parking fine from $20 to $50 late last year to help offset a projected $1.8 million deficit for 2023.

The city council members also approved a parking rate that includes $2 an hour parking Monday through Thursday and $4 an hour parking Friday, Saturday and Sunday to help offset the deficit. The city's previous parking rate was $2 an hour daily.

Several Downtown business owners have reported that they have received complaints from customers regarding the increased weekend parking rate and fine.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Council discussed reducing the $50 parking fine during their April 24 meeting, with different amounts being proposed.

Alderwoman Shari Straube proposed reducing the fine from $50 to $30 with late fees.

Straube, who has owned a Downtown business and has worked at several Downtown businesses, said she has heard several people complain about the $50 fine and feels that it should be reduced.

"I care about the city's finances, but I also feel that if we don't have a strong and vibrant Downtown, even though we don't get sales tax dollars, it's going to impact us," Straube said. "It's a lot higher than what I feel it should be."

Alderwoman Cindy Yager said she also would be in favor of reducing the fine to $30 with gradual late fee increases.

"We do want to deter people from not paying for parking at all," Yager said. "But I do like the graduated ticket idea, so after $30 then we could either add $20 to that and $20 the next time and go from there to make it more of a penalty for them not to pay at all. But I think the $30 is more necessary to stop people from just not paying."

Alderwoman Linda Frame proposed returning to a $20 parking fine. She said several Downtown business owners are concerned that they are losing customers because of the $50 fine.

"They don't want to lose their customers because of the raised prices just so we can feed the piggybank for parking," Frame said. "We need to take care of our tourists or we're not going to have a town."

Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier said she also agrees with returning to the $20 parking fine with late fees.

"I really believe it's better going to $20 because then we're not going to be yo-yoing all over the place with $20, $30 and $50," Fesenmaier said. "I think the late fees would pick up some more money."

Alderman Ken Howell said he is in favor of decreasing the parking fine, because he feels the $50 fine is too much money. However, he would like to know how the city is going to overcome its budget deficit if the fine is reduced.

"I agree the $50 fine is too high. I'm thinking of $30 as well," Howell said. "But I do need to know how we're going to pay the difference and where it's going to come from before I vote 'yes' on this thing."

City Administrator Dave Nord said that if the city returns to a $20 fine every day, then the city would have about a $340,000 deficit in its budget, and if it returned to a $20 for only during the weekdays, then it would have about a $200,000 budget shortfall.

Comptroller Laura Pisarcik said she could present different budget scenarios for reducing the parking fine to the council members during a future meeting.

"I have no problem running different scenarios," Pisarcik said. "It will just take me a little bit of time to do, but I can get it done."

After some discussion, the council members unanimously approved to continue discussion on reducing the city's parking fine for either the next finance, licensing and regulation committee meeting, which was scheduled for May 2, or the next regular city council meeting, which set to be held May 8.

"I would like to continue this either for the next FLR meeting or council meeting, whatever comes first," Howell said.

Business owners express concern

Several Downtown business owners and representatives attended the April 24 meeting to express their concern about the $50 parking fine.

Beverly Leonard, co-owner of Delaney Street Mercantile, said she recently had a customer who was upset because she received a $50 ticket, and she and her friends walked out of her business.

"Two women were in line buying, which were her friends, and she said, 'I'm out of here.' Her friends dropped their items and left the store," Leonard said. "This is not a hobby. This is a livelihood. I have to say this has affected my livelihood. Please reduce this ticket. It's causing such ill will toward this community."

Roger Wolff, general manager for Jayne Boutique, said he also has had several customers who have complained about the $50 parking fine and the $4 an hour weekend parking rate.

"The $50 fine is unreasonable. It's punitive. It's the most unfriendly thing you can do in your community," Wolff said. "You guys made it very difficult for us. It's not right. It's just not fair."

Butch Nocek, general manager for Inspired Coffee, said he has had several customers tell him that they would not be returning because of the $50 parking fine.

"My story is the same, groups of people coming in telling me they're never coming back again because of the parking issue," Nocek said. "Every single day somebody gets a $50 ticket, and they come screaming to us about it."

This is the second time in about three months that city officials have reconsidered the $50 parking fine and $4 an hour weekend parking rate.

Members of the Lake Geneva City Council narrowly voted down a proposal to return to $2 an hour weekend parking and a $20 parking fine during their Feb. 13 meeting.

The vote ended in a 4-4 tie among city aldermen, but Mayor Charlene Klein casted the tie-breaking "no" vote to keep the $4 an hour weekend parking rate and $50 fine in place.
Ho-Chunk Traditional Chief Clayton Winneshiek fondly remembers the things his father taught him in his youth.

Centuries-old traditions, the Ho-Chunk language, and the uses of different plants are just a few of the lessons taught to him by his father, who often spoke to him in the language.

He also remembers taking his fathers wisdom for granted, allowing some of his teachings to go in one ear and out the other.

A few years ago, Winneshiek says, the Ho-Chunk Nation experienced a scare: They were losing their language.

My father spoke to me in Ho-Chunk all the time, and the first and last time I ever spoke (Ho-Chunk) to him was a few minutes before he left us, he said. I wish I could bring that back and start that all over, but we, you know, we have to go. We cant stand still.

In the spirit of progress, Winneshiek addressed the crowd gathering around a new set of sculptures at UW-Madison signifying the Ho-Chunk Nations historic presence on campus, as well as its future in the area.

Winneshieks hope is that the sculptures will encourage people within the Ho-Chunk Nation to learn more about their cultural history, while also educating people outside of the Nation who may not be aware of its history in the area.

In order for us to grow, we also have to grow within the Nation to put out educated people, he said. When I say educated, that means not only in the white mans world, but us as Ho-Chunk people.

The Ho-Chunk Clan Circle sculpture, designed by Ho-Chunk artist Ken Lewis and others associated with the 12 clans of the Ho-Chunk Nation, sits between the newly built Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center, the Lake Mendota shoreline and sacred effigy mounds created by Indigenous people generations ago.

The monument features 12 pillars positioned in a circle with nature-based figures honoring the two moieties of the Ho-Chunk Nation: The upper clans, represented by sky-based creatures and concepts including Thunder and Eagle, and the lower clans, consisting of those that are land- and water-based such as Bear, Buffalo and Water Spirit.

Behind the sculptures that stand today, Lewis said, are a couple years of work and about 48 versions of all the animals depicted, each with different modifications. Its his hope that those walking by the sculptures might stop to ponder a moment, that his work can help spread awareness of the Ho-Chunk Nations presence in Madison.

Were just not about casinos, any other things or mascot, he said. Were actually people that are still here.

Its the first permanent monument dedicated to the Ho-Chunk Nation, but not the first acknowledgement of the lands history: On Bascom Hill, UW-Madison has flown the Ho-Chunk Nation flag at times during the last two years, and a placard describes how the federal government forced the Ho-Chunk to cede their land, on which UW-Madison now sits.

UW-Madisons history with the Ho-Chunk Nation, and the land known to them as Teejop, is complicated as a result. The university destroyed effigy mounds and burial sites to construct North, Bascom and Agricultural halls; the land is considered home to the highest number of burial mounds of any U.S. university.

Ho-Chunk leaders rejected UW-Madisons previous efforts to recognize those effigy mounds with signage, saying they preferred the mounds blend into the landscape, Aaron Bird Bear, former UW-Madison tribal relations director, said.

Photos: UW-Madison's Bakke Recreation and Wellbeing Center
Photo: The Canadian Press A sign warns of a forest fire in the area as smoke haze from forest fires burning in Alberta and British Columbia hangs over Banff, Alta., in Banff National Park, Friday, July 21, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Evacuation orders have been issued for rural areas west and southwest of Edmonton due to wildfires.

Residents in areas southwest of the hamlet of Cherhill, west of the village of Warburg and north of the hamlet of Wildwood were told to leave today.

Southeast winds are pushing a fire toward a group of homes in the area of Warburg.

Those affected by the evacuation orders have been told to take pets, important documents and enough supplies to be away from home for three days.

There is a reception centre at the Sangudo Arena and one at the Edson Leisure centre for evacuees.

Most of central Alberta is under a fire ban after a period of windy and unseasonably hot conditions, with little chance of rain in the forecast.
This editorial appears in the May 5, 2023 issue of Executive Intelligence Review.

EDITORIAL

Time To Silence the Disinformation Industrial Complex

[Print version of this editorial]

April 29As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told an online conference April 29and ironically, the Washington Post agreed, in its front-page lead article April 30countries representing 85% of the worlds population are refusing to do the bidding of the neoliberal West. Even in those occupied nations of North America and Europe, the majority of the public is not in favor of risking the annihilation of civilization in a nuclear war in order to punish Russia. In America, support for President Joe Biden continues to drop.

This, of course, makes all the claims that Russia is isolated quite absurd. Yet NATO nations political classes lunge headlong into confrontation. Those not quite so enthusiastic about nuclear war with Russia want instead to move on to the far more important nuclear war with China! Clearly, what these leaders lack in intelligence, they make up for in fanaticism.

This, while their nations economies collapse. First Republic Banks takeover will mark the fourth U.S. bank to have failed in two months. Meanwhile in Europe, protests and strikes continue to ripple across the continent, as citizens revolt from policies that are literally causing them to lose the roof over their heads, as one German Member of Parliament recently stated.

The framework for this kind of dual reality was presented Saturday, April 29 at The LaRouche Organizations Manhattan Town Meeting, themed, What Is the Disinformation Industrial Complex? Thanks to a tightly woven web of media, the political class, the military, and the Five Eyes intelligence community, a narrative has been crafted and maintained to ensnare and blind those within its grasp, and quickly expel anyone who opposes it. This web is why, for example, journalists and news outlets that should have been fired years ago for their lies about Iraq, Libya, Syria, Russiagate, etc. continue to write stories today about Ukraines looming victory and Russias corruption.

The good news is that the holding power of this Disinformation Industrial Complex is cracking, and can be further broken by courageous voices speaking out, loudly and boldly. The growing discussion around a new world order based on the interests of all nations, as opposed to unipolar hegemony, cannot be stopped. If mankind can avoid going into a nuclear World War III, the only possible outcome will be a fundamentally different basis for relations among nations.

In actuality, this is more akin to the original intention of the United States than is todays our way or the highway. Americans would be wise to remember the words of John Quincy Adams in 1821he was soon to be Presidentspeaking of the young nation:

Wherever the standard of freedom and Independence has been or shall be unfurled, there will her heart, her benedictions and her prayers be. But she goes not abroad, in search of monsters to destroy. She is the well-wisher to the freedom and independence of all. She is the champion and vindicator only of her own. She will commend the general cause by the countenance of her voice, and the benignant sympathy of her example. She well knows that by once enlisting under other banners than her own, were they even the banners of foreign independence, she would involve herself beyond the power of extrication, in all the wars of interest and intrigue, of individual avarice, envy, and ambition, which assume the colors and usurp the standard of freedom. The fundamental maxims of her policy would insensibly change from liberty to force. She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the ruler of her own spirit. [Americas] glory is not dominion, but liberty. Her march is the march of the mind.

The march today is toward a new security and development architecture, which throws out the worlds financial speculators, and instead paves the way for the thorough development of all nations. The rest of the world is waiting to collaborate in this regard, once the nations of the West rediscover their true identities.
EIR LEAD EDITORIAL FOR FRIDAY MAY 5 , 2023

World at a New Danger Point

May 4, 2023, 2022 (EIRNS)The world watched in horror this week, at, first, the report of the two attack drones deployed against the Kremlin in the early morning of May 3, targetting the official residence of President Vladimir Putin; and secondly, soon afterward, the display of insane venality by U.S. leaders dissimulating and lying about the attack.

This evasive lying was blatant by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who asserted repeatedly yesterday morning that Ukraine has to defend itself, in a Washington Post webcast interview, ironically for World Press Freedom Day. The lying continued today, with U.S. officials speaking as if Russia were not a nuclear power, and an attack on its President merely ho-hum. They are in a state of mad other-worldliness which marks a new danger point, which could end with nuclear Armageddon.

The stream of U.S. spokesmen this morning included John Kirby, Communications Director for the National Security Council, who spoke on U.S. television; Avril Haines, Director of National Intelligence, who addressed the Senate Armed Services Committee; and a spokesman for the Department of Defense, and other agencies. Their uniform message was to play dumb and arrogant about the drone attacks. For example, Kirby asserted to MSNBC, We dont know what happened. Were still assessing that.... I can assure you, there was no involvement by the United States. Whatever it was, it didnt involve us.

From Moscow, a Foreign Ministry statement was issued at 12:01 p.m. today. It stated that Kiev was responsible for the drone attack, and that the Kiev regime enjoys the support of Western countries, which provide it with weapons, intelligence data, train its fighters and assign targets. The silence on behalf of the collective West demonstrates its connivance with the terrorist methods employed by the neo-Nazi extremist regime in Kiev, the Foreign Ministry pointed out.

The Ministry text was then followed by spokesmen for both the office of the Russian President and the Foreign Ministry speaking out specifically on the culpability of the United States, the U.K., and NATO in the drone attack.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, speaking to reporters this morning, said of the responsibility for the drone attack on the Kremlin, that such decisionschoice of targets, choice of means, etc.are dictated to Kiev from Washington, warning that the terrorist attack on the Kremlin could trigger an escalation. Such decisionsthe definition of goals, the definition of means, and so onall this is dictated to Kiev from Washington, and we are well aware of this. All denials by Ukrainian and U.S. officials that they had no involvement in this attack are laughable, Peskov added. We know full well that decisions to carry out such terrorist actions are made not in Kiev, but in Washington.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote (in Russian) on her Telegram channel, First and foremost, the creators and handlers of the Kiev regime, who hail from Washington, London and NATO, bear overall responsibility for everything that it is perpetrating.

This situation is a call for citizen mobilization everywhere to speak out for emergency action to denounce the drone attack, and to denounce the degenerate Western leadership behind it. We must take sane measures for de-escalating and ending the Global NATO confrontation in Ukraine and other confrontations.

In the U.S., The LaRouche Organization is using its weekly Fireside Chat broadcast tonight as an emergency venue for discussing the point, under the title, The People of the U.S. Must Take Back Their Government Now. Host Dennis Speed was joined by Diane Sare, U.S. Senate candidate for New York; Dennis Small, EIR Ibero-America editor; and Ray McGovern, former CIA analyst and strategic policy expert; and by organizers across the country.

In the invitation to this event, Speed provided the appropriate perspective for this emergency:

Yesterday the entire world, and everything you may have assumed about its future, changed. Ask yourself and everyone you know this question: If a Russia-backed, Russia-financed Cuba were fighting a U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs-style military force over a period of months, and if Cuba launched two drones against the White House, which were shot down; if, the next day, Russias Foreign Minister said, Its up to the Cubans to decide how they want to fight their war, what do you think the U.S. would do?

Dont wait until its too late. Speak out now for a new world framework for peace, based on economic development and respect for all. Join with the international Schiller Institute mobilization.


Today we tell a traditional American story called a tall tale. A tall tale is a story about a person who is larger than life. The descriptions in the story are exaggerated  much greater than in real life. This makes the story funny. Long ago, the people who settled in undeveloped areas in America first told tall tales. After a hard days work, people gathered to tell each other funny stories.

Each group of workers had its own tall tale hero. Paul Bunyan was a hero of North Americas lumberjacks, the workers who cut down trees. He was known for his strength, speed and skill. Tradition says he cleared forests from the northeastern United States to the Pacific Ocean.

Some people say Paul Bunyan was the creation of storytellers from the middle western Great Lakes area of the United States. Other people say the stories about him came from French Canada.

Early in the twentieth century, a writer prepared a collection of Paul Bunyan stories. They were included in a publication from the Red River Lumber Company in Minnesota. It is not known if the stories helped the companys sales, but they became extremely popular.

Here is Shep ONeal with our story about Paul Bunyan.

Many years ago, Paul Bunyan was born in the northeastern American state of Maine. His mother and father were shocked when they first saw the boy. Paul was so large at birth that five large birds had to carry him to his parents. When the boy was only a few weeks old, he weighed more than 45 kilograms.

As a child, Paul was always hungry. His parents needed 10 cows to supply milk for his meals. Before long, he ate 50 eggs and 10 containers of potatoes every day.



Young Paul grew so big that his parents did not know what to do with him. Once, Paul rolled over so much in his sleep that he caused an earthquake. This angered people in the town where his parents lived. So, the government told his mother and father they would have to move him somewhere else.

Pauls father built a wooden cradle -- a traditional bed for a baby. His parents put the cradle in waters along the coast of Maine. However, every time Paul rolled over, huge waves covered all the coastal towns. So his parents brought their son back on land. They took him into the woods. This is where he grew up.

As a boy, Paul helped his father cut down trees. Paul had the strength of many men. He also was extremely fast. He could turn off a light and then jump into his bed before the room got dark.

Maine is very cold for much of the year. One day, it started to snow. The snow covered Pauls home and a nearby forest. However, this snow was very unusual. It was blue. The blue snow kept falling until the forest was covered.

Paul put on his snowshoes and went out to see the unusual sight. As he walked, Paul discovered an animal stuck in the snow. It was a baby ox. Paul decided to take the ox home with him. He put the animal near the fireplace. After the ox got warmer, his hair remained blue.

Paul decided to keep the blue ox and named him Babe. Babe grew very quickly. One night, Paul left him in a small building with the other animals. The next morning, the barn was gone and so was Babe. Paul searched everywhere for the animal. He found Babe calmly eating grass in a valley, with the barn still on top of his back. Babe followed Paul and grew larger every day. Every time Paul looked, Babe seemed to grow taller.

In those days, much of North America was filled with thick, green forests. Paul Bunyan could clear large wooded areas with a single stroke of his large, sharp axe.

Paul taught Babe to help with his work. Babe was very useful. For example, Paul had trouble removing trees along a road that was not straight. He decided to tie one end of the road to what remained of a tree in the ground. Paul tied the other end to Babe. Babe dug his feet in the ground and pulled with all his strength until the road became straight.

In time, Paul and Babe the Blue Ox left Maine, and moved west to look for work in other forests. Along the way, Paul dug out the Great Lakes to provide drinking water for Babe. They settled in a camp near the Onion River in the state of Minnesota.

Paul decided to get other lumberjacks to help with the work. His work crew became known as the Seven Axemen. Each man was more than 2 meters tall and weighed more than 160 kilograms. All of the Axemen were named Elmer. That way, they all came running whenever Paul called them.

The man who cooked for the group was named Sourdough Sam. He made everything -- except coffee -- from sourdough, a substance used in making sourdough bread.

Every Sunday, Paul and his crew ate hot cakes. Each hot cake was so large that it took five men to eat one. Paul usually had 10 or more hot cakes, depending on how hungry he was. The table where the men ate was so long that a server usually drove to one end of the table and stayed the night. The server drove back in the morning, with a fresh load of food.

Paul needed someone to help with the camps finances. He gave the job to a man named Johnny Inkslinger. Johnny kept records of everything, including wages and the cost of feeding Babe. He sometimes used nine containers of writing fluid a day to keep such detailed records.

The camp also was home to Sport, the Reversible Dog. One of the workers accidentally cut Sport in two. The man hurried to put the dog back together, but made a mistake. He bent the animals back the wrong way. However, that was not a problem for Sport. He learned to run on his front legs until he was tired. Then, he turned the other way and ran on his back legs.

Big mosquitoes were a problem at the camp. The men attacked the insects with their axes and long sticks. Before long, the men put barriers around their living space. Then, Paul ordered them to get big bees to destroy the mosquitoes. But the bees married the mosquitoes, and the problem got worse. They began to produce young insects. One day, the insects love of sweets caused them to attack a ship that was bringing sugar to the camp. At last, the mosquitoes and bees were defeated. They ate so much sugar they could not move.

Paul always gave Babe the Blue Ox a 35-kilogram piece of sugar when he was good. But sometimes Babe liked to play tricks. At night, Babe would make noises and hit the ground with his feet. The men at the camp would run out of the buildings where they slept, thinking it was an earthquake.

When winter came, Babe had trouble finding enough food to eat. Snow covered everything. Ole the Blacksmith solved the problem. He made huge green sunglasses for Babe. When Babe wore the sunglasses, he thought the snow was grass. Before long, Babe was strong and healthy again.

One year, Pauls camp was especially cold. It was so cold that the men let their facial hair grow very long. When the men spoke, their words froze in the air. Everything they said remained frozen all winter long, and did not melt until spring.

Paul Bunyan and Babe left their mark on many areas. Some people say they were responsible for creating Puget Sound in the western state of Washington. Others say Paul Bunyan and Babe cleared the trees from the states of North Dakota and South Dakota. They prepared this area for farming.

Babe the Blue Ox died in South Dakota. One story says he ate too many hot cakes. Paul buried his old friend there. Today, the burial place is known as the Black Hills.

Whatever happened to Paul Bunyan? There are lots of stories. Some people say he was last seen in Alaska, or even the Arctic Circle. Another tradition says he still returns to Minnesota every summer. It says Paul moves in and out of the woods, so few people ever know that he is there.

You have just heard the story of Paul Bunyan. It was adapted by George Grow. Your narrator was Shep ONeal.

Now its your turn. Tell us in the comments section about a tall tale from your culture. Does the hero of the story have unusual size or strength? Visit our Facebook page, too, for more stories.

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For Teachers

This lesson plan, based on the CALLA Approach, teaches the strategy, visualize, to help students understand and remember the story.

Quiz

Quiz - Paul Bunyan, An American Folk Tale Start the Quiz to find out Start Quiz

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Words in This Story

reversible - adj. having two sides that can be used

blacksmith - n. a person who makes or repairs things made of iron (such as horseshoes)
Photo: The Canadian Press

A shooter killed at least eight people and wounded 13 in a drive-by attack near a town close to Belgrade late Thursday, the second such mass killing in Serbia in two days, state television reported.

The attacker shot randomly at people near the town of Mladenovac, some 50 kilometers (30 miles) south of the capital, the RTS report said early Friday. Police were looking for a 21-year-old suspect who fled after the attack, the report said.

The shooting came a day after a 13-year-old boy used his fathers guns in a rampage at a school in Belgrade that killed eight of his fellow students and a school guard.

The bloodshed sent shockwaves through a Balkan nation not used to mass murders.

Though Serbia is awash with weapons left over from the wars of the 1990s, mass shootings are extremely rare. Wednesday's school shooting was the first in the country's modern history. The last mass shooting before this week was in 2013, when a war veteran killed 13 people in a central Serbian village.

Serbian Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic called Thursday's shooting a terrorist act, state media reported.

Special police and helicopter units have been sent to the region as well as ambulances, it added.

No other details were immediately available, and police had not issued any statements.

Earlier Thursday, Serbian students, many wearing black and carrying flowers, filled streets around the school in central Belgrade as they paid silent homage to peers killed a day earlier. Thousands lined up to lay flowers, light candles and leave toys to commemorate the nine people who were killed on Wednesday morning.

The tragedy also sparked a debate about the general state of the nation following decades of crises and conflicts whose aftermath have created a state of permanent insecurity and instability, along with deep political divisions.

Authorities on Thursday moved to boost gun control, as police urged citizens to lock up their guns and keep them away from children.

Police have said that the teen used his fathers guns to carry out the attack. He had planned it for a month, drawing sketches of classrooms and making lists of the children he planned to kill, police said on Wednesday.

The boy, who had visited shooting ranges with his father and apparently had the code to his fathers safe, took two guns from the safe where they were stored together with bullets, police said on Wednesday.

The shooting on Wednesday morning in Vladislav Ribnikar primary school also left seven people hospitalized  six children and a teacher. One girl who was shot in the head remains in a life-threatening condition, and a boy is in serious condition with spinal injuries, doctors said on Thursday morning.

To help people deal with the tragedy, authorities announced they were setting up a helpline. Hundreds answered a call to donate blood for the wounded victims. A three-day mourning period will begin Friday morning.

Serbian teachers unions announced protests and strikes to warn about a crisis in the school system and demand changes. Authorities shrugged off responsibility, with some officials blaming Western influence.

The shooter, whom the police identified as Kosta Kecmanovic, has not given any motive for his actions.

Upon entering his school, Kecmanovic first killed the guard and three students in the hallway. He then went to the history classroom where he shot a teacher before turning his gun on the students.

Kecmanovic then unloaded the gun in the school yard and called the police himself, although they had already received an alert from a school official. When he called, Kecmanovic told duty officers he was a psychopath who needs to calm down, police said.

The children killed Wednesday were seven girls and one boy. One of the girls was a French citizen, Frances foreign ministry said.

Authorities have said that Kecmanovic is too young to be charged and tried. He has been placed in a mental institution, while his father has been detained on suspicion of endangering public security because his son got hold of the guns.

I think we are all guilty. I think each one of us has some responsibility, that we allowed some things we should not allow, said Zoran Sefik, a Belgrade resident, during Wednesday evenings vigil near the school.

Jovan Lazovic, another Belgrade resident, said he was not surprised: It was a matter of days when something like this could happen, having in mind what is happening in the world and here, he said.

Gun culture is widespread in Serbia and elsewhere in the Balkans: The region has among the highest numbers of guns per capita in Europe. Guns are often fired into the air at celebrations and the cult of the warrior is part of national identities.

Experts have repeatedly warned of the danger posed by the number of weapons in a highly divided country like Serbia, where convicted war criminals are glorified and violence against minority groups often goes unpunished. They also note that decades of instability stemming from the conflicts of the 1990s, as well as ongoing economic hardship, could trigger such outbursts.

We have had too much violence for too long, psychologist Zarko Trebjesanin told N1 television. Children copy models. We need to eliminate negative models ... and create a different system of values."
In 1925, a male sled dog named Balto led a 13-dog team through an extreme snowstorm during the final part of a 1,088-kilometer trip. The trip brought lifesaving medicine to the Alaskan city of Nome during an outbreak of the disease diphtheria.

Sled dogs pull sleds, which are small vehicles with a flat bottom that are used for moving over snow or ice.

Balto was celebrated as a hero. He became the subject of books and movies. His preserved body still stands at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in the state of Ohio.

Recently, scientists took DNA from Baltos preserved body and studied it as part of a large project called Zoonomia. The massive study compares genetic information in different animals and humans.

Baltos genome, the scientists found, had certain genes that may have helped the dog deal with the extreme Alaskan environment and make it through the difficult trip.

Balto belonged to a population of working sled dogs in Alaska. The population was found to have greater genetic diversity and genetic health than modern dogs.

Diphtheria is a serious and sometimes deadly bacterial infection. When it spread among Nomes people, its port was blocked by ice. Sled dogs were the only way to get the important medicine to the city.

Balto was one of 150 dogs that pulled sleds for parts of the 127-hour trip. During the trip, temperatures reached minus-45 degrees Celsius.

The researchers examined Baltos genome as a part of a dataset of 682 genomes from modern dogs and their animal ancestors, the wolf. The research also included the genes of 240 mammals and genes from humans.

Baltos genome showed lower rates of inbreeding than almost all modern dog breeds. Inbreeding is when animals are born from closely related parents. His genome also showed a lower rate of rare and possibly damaging genetic differences.

Balto was found to share ancestry with breeds like modern Siberian huskies and Alaskan sled dogs. He also was found to share ancestry with Greenland sled dogs, Vietnamese village dogs and Tibetan mastiffs. There was little evidence of wolf ancestry.

Born in 1919, Balto was part of a population of sled dogs imported from Siberia, known as Siberian huskies. The study showed that these dogs greatly differed from modern Siberian huskies, however. Balto had a body built for strength and not speed, which his breeder did not necessarily like. The breeder had the dogs sex organs removed so he could not be used to produce young dogs.

Baltos life after that Alaska trip was a difficult one. He was mistreated by humans. Thankfully, a visiting Cleveland businessman saw Baltos mistreatment and bought the dogs for $1,500. The money was raised by the local community in Cleveland.

In 1927, Balto and his dog co-runners Alaska Slim, Billy, Fox, Old Moctoc, Sye, and Tillie were celebrated in Cleveland on their arrival. They then spent the rest of their lives cared for at the local Brookside Zoo. Balto died of natural causes in 1933.

Kathleen Morrill is the studys co-writer and a scientist at the biotech company Colossal Biosciences. She said of Baltos heroic mission, These specialized dogs dont know that what they do has such gravity in peoples lives.

She added that the sled dogs genetic makeup set them up to be the best animals for the job.

Im Gregory Stachel

Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English.

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Words in This Story

preserve v. to keep (something) in its original state or in good condition

diversity  n. the quality or state of having many different forms, types, ideas, etc.

mammal  n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

gravity  n. extreme importance; a very serious quality or condition

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The only Macau flag carrier, Air Macau, is about to lose its monopoly on air travel, as the Macau government is finally moving forward with the new air transport law that will liberalize the business and allow other players to operate air routes from Macau.

Although such a move had already been slated for November this year, confirmation that the government had finalized the bill was reported yesterday by TDM Radio. Without citing sources, the media outlet stated that discussions on the bill have already concluded, with the bill to be referred to the Legislative Assembly in the upcoming weeks.

The original agreement granted sole control to Air Macau over the transport of passengers, luggage, cargo, mail, and postal parcels to and from Macau via air. The contract was initially signed in 1995, with an expiration date set to 25 years and due to take place in 2020.

Amidst the pandemic crisis, in September 2020, the government granted Air Macau a three-year extension of the contract, which now has a deadline of November 9 this year.

The government mentioned the possibility of the contract being terminated earlier than the scheduled date in the contract extension, if the new legislation was completed and approved earlier.

The end of this exclusive arrangement is viewed as beneficial for the markets development and the competitiveness of Macau International Airport.

Gaming industry expert, Ben Lee, said to the Times that such a move is essential to diversifying our economic base, adding that, Monopolies are driven to maximize their profits and this usually conflicts with the interests of the wider community they exist in.

Lee, who is a managing partner of IGamiX Management & Consulting, also noted the example of the liberalization of the gaming industry in Macau to highlight the positive impacts perceived by the liberalization of air transport.

We saw what happened when Macaus gaming monopoly by STDM [Sociedade de Turismo e Diversoes de Macau] was broken up. Imagine the same for our international air access if we had many competing airlines fighting each other to maximize their passenger loads.

Former Air Macau captain, Vicente Serafim, said to TDM Radio that with the liberalization, it is certain that the prices of airfares will drop as a consequence of more offers and direct competition.

From the moment there are two or three airliners based in Macau, the offerings go up significantly in both destinations and routes as well as in the number of seats available, he remarked.

For Serafim, the loss of the monopoly in operations from Air Macau will force the company to adopt a change in strategy, which can also result in benefits for travelers.

Back in 2019, when the contract of Air Macau was originally due to expire, Asias largest low-cost air carrier  AirAsia  was said to be considering establishing an operations base in Macau to expand its services into mainland China, companys founder and CEO Tony Fernandes said on the sidelines of Credit Suisses Asia Investment Conference in Hong Kong.

According to Fernandes, the possibility was being seriously evaluated at that time, taking into account the end of Air Macaus contract.

Entering China could be done via Macau, Fernandes said, adding, We do not have to be in mainland China, but being in Macau is like being in China.

Fernandes added that if such an opportunity arose, AirAsia would be ready to take it, orienting its Macau base to serve mainly Chinese costumers.

Fernandes said that Macau has always been a goal as a home base for the company noting, Macau is very close to my heart. They believed in us when we were nothing.

At the same opportunity back in March 2019, Asian Business Aviation Association chairperson Jenny Lau said that AirAsia should not be alone in this idea to compete for the Macau market.

Several players like AirAsia or Cebu Pacific may consider expanding their services from Macau, or new players like HK Express, Lau said, adding that included among the new players could also be names such as Shun Tak Holdings as well as companies traditionally related to business aviation.
Under a bill currently receiving parliamentary consideration, financial institutions may be required to retain counterfeited money that they received for investigative purposes.

The bill for the Legal System for Currency Issuance is being discussed at the Second Standing Committee of the parliament. Following a recent meeting, Committee President Chan Chak Mo disclosed that consideration of the bill is nearly complete.

In addition, Chan also disclosed that the latest version of the bill proposes that financial institutions have the obligation to retain alleged counterfeit money, record the personal particulars of the holders, and notify the police as soon as possible.

This proposal is in contrast to an earlier version, which proposed to apply this obligation to a broader range of parties. In response to this initial proposal, the government explained that financial institutions are more equipped to identify and detect counterfeit money. However, small businesses will have the right to decline taking suspected counterfeit money.

The government has also proposed that damaged or defaced bank notes can be exchanged as long as they bear clearly visible serial numbers and the defacement or damage covers over 75% of the note. The industry, however, recommends clearer provisions in this respect.

It was also proposed that approval by the Monetary Authority of Macao should be obtained prior to replacing legal tender, and guidelines must be followed. The Committee suggested the government clarify the legitimate reasons for replacement to avoid falling afoul of any legal grey areas.

Moreover, the government explained that removing the proposal to prohibit anybody from accepting suspected counterfeit money is intended to avoid mass refusals or excessive anxiety over potential liability in this regard. However, the Committee worries that the absence of this proposal will imply an absence of the right to decline counterfeit money. The government pledged to further examine this.
Indias foreign minister held talks yesterday with counterparts from China and Russia ahead of a meeting of a Central Asian security forum.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had detailed discussions with Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on bilateral ties. Focus remains on resolving outstanding issues and ensuring peace and tranquility in the border areas, he tweeted after the meeting.

India and China are embroiled in an intense three-year standoff involving thousands of soldiers stationed along their disputed border in the eastern Ladakh region.

A meeting last week between their defense ministers gave a glimpse of just how differently the two countries view the situation along the border. While India accused its neighbor of eroding ties by violating bilateral agreements, China said the border conditions were stable overall.

A clash three years ago in Ladakh killed 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese.

Jaishankar also said he had a comprehensive review of bilateral, global and multilateral cooperation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Analysts say India is likely to be concerned over Russias growing reliance on China as its invasion of Ukraine drags on.

New Delhis relationship with Moscow, its Cold War ally, has remained strong. But Beijing gaining more sway over Moscow could prove frustrating for India.

Foreign ministers from the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a security pact dominated by Moscow and Beijing, arrived in the Indian tourist hotspot of Goa, where they are expected to discuss deepening economic and security cooperation in the region on Friday. A summit of SCO leaders is to be held in July.

Pakistan, Indias archrival, is also a member of SCO. Its foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is making the first visit by a high-ranking Pakistani official to India in nearly a decade. Zardaris attendance has triggered speculation of a thaw in strained relations between the two South Asian countries, though both ministers have dismissed speculation of a bilateral chat.

During my visit, which is focused exclusively on the SCO, I look forward to constructive discussions with my counterparts from friendly countries, Zardari tweeted before setting off for India.

The two countries have a history of bitter relations, mainly over Kashmir, a disputed Himalayan region that was split between them but is claimed by both in its entirety. India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from British colonial rule in 1947.

Jaishankar held talks with the SCOs secretary general, Zhang Ming, earlier yesterday and was also expected to speak with Uzbekistans foreign minister.

Russia and China founded the SCO in 2001 as a counterweight to U.S. alliances across East Asia to the Indian Ocean. The group includes the four Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, which Russia considers its backyard. In 2017, India and Pakistan became members and Iran is set to join later this year. KRUTIKA PATHI, PANAJI,, MDT/AP
Photo: Su Kim/NOAA Fisheries

A U.S. federal judge has ruled authorities vacate permits for a fishery in southeast Alaska that for decades has intercepted hundreds of thousands of chinook salmon  long before they can reach endangered southern resident killer whales in B.C.

U.S. District Judge Richard Jones vacated the permits after finding federal government plans to protect salmon from fishing were too vague and contributed to starving the southern resident killer whale population, violating laws protecting the endangered species. From a Seattle courtroom, Jones ordered the National Marine Fisheries Service to redo a biological opinion required for the fishery to take place.

The ruling effectively shuts down the summer and winter chinook troll fishery stretching off the coast of the Alaska panhandle  waters where roughly 97 per cent of the fish caught are bound for home rivers in B.C., Washington and Oregon, according to Wild Fish Conservancy, which filed the lawsuit.

"It's an enormous ruling," said executive director Emma Helverson. "We haven't seen any meaningful actions to address prey availability in decades."

Ranging from California to B.C., the southern residents' numbers have stagnated at 73 individuals in recent years. The most recent analysis from Fisheries and Oceans Canada shows they face a 24 per cent chance of functional extinction as early as 75 years from now.

The whales face several threats  from industrial toxins to collisions with boats and acoustic disturbances due to vessel traffic. But while port authorities and federal agencies on both sides of the border have moved to give the animals more space, little has been done to ensure they have enough chinook salmon, the animal's primary food source.

As a result of the ruling, 172,000 chinook that would have been harvested or indirectly killed in Alaska are expected to continue their journey south, where they will spawn in watersheds across Vancouver Island the B.C. Mainland and up the Columbia River in the U.S.

The arrival of the fish would represent roughly a five per cent boost in the availability of prey for the southern resident killer whales, just enough to allow the population to stabilize but not grow, according to an expert declaration to the court from Robert Lacy, a conservation scientist with the Chicago Zoological Society.

"That really shows just how that over-harvest that was being authorized for so long was impacting the whales," said Helverson.

Alaska, fishing group file appeals

On Wednesday, the State of Alaska issued a statement saying it would appeal the ruling and request a stay to allow the summer fishing season to go ahead.

Alaska governor Michael Dunleavy issued a statement saying Alaska "will not tolerate the suspension of its fisheries" while fisheries in other jurisdictions continue.

"If this decision sticks, we will be looking at having all fisheries that affect these killer whales being treated equally under the law," he said.

Reached in Juneau, Amy Daugherty, the Alaska Trollers Association executive director, confirmed to Glacier Media that the group had filed its own appeal.

"We are looking into whatever it takes to operate our fisheries this July," she said.

Daugherty says preventing the chinook fishery from going ahead this summer would stall the livelihoods of roughly 1,000 active permit holders, the crews that work on their boats, and several other jobs connected to processing fish.

Switching over to another kind of fishing is expensive and requires new permits  something Daugherty says few fishermen are ready to do.

"There's really no alternatives," she said. "It's definitely going to impact."

Helverson said she is sympathetic to the situation Alaskan fishers are facing.

"Those fishers should be compensated. The federal government needs to take responsibility for mismanaging that fishery," she said.

"But here are communities in British Columbia, in Washington and Oregon, who have already for decades had to sacrifice their own relationship with salmon, have lost fishing opportunities, have had to close fisheries...we need to look at this from a regional perspective."

One intercepted species among many

The Alaskan border is not the only gauntlet southbound chinook salmon have to cross. Greg Taylor, a longtime consultant with commercial and First Nations fisheries, worries that if the latest court ruling sticks, it could prompt the province's fishing industry to call for more openings, effectively creating another obstacle between the fish and hungry whales.

"They'll be a lot of pressure to expand our fisheries  our small, commercial troll fishery in the north coast, but more likely our large recreational harvest," he said. "So yeah, that is a valid argument, and it's one of the fights going on right now."

Still, Taylor says the latest ruling is "huge," as the interception of chinook in southeast Alaska has been their biggest single source of mortality.

Just under half the intercepted chinook are thought to originate in the Columbia River, which opens into the Pacific along the border between Washington State and Oregon. Many of the chinook head return to home rivers across the coast of Vancouver Island, said Taylor, who produced a report last year measuring the impact of salmon interceptions by Alaskan fishers.

Data shared with Glacier Media show southeast Alaskan fisheries took 70 per cent of sockeye stocks for the Nisga'a Nation in 2021, 64 per cent of chinook in watersheds around Bella Bella and Bella Coola, and 44 per cent of chinook stocks along a stretch of coast that includes the Quinsam area of Campbell River.

But the interception of chinook is just one of several salmon species  including sockeye, pink, chum, and coho  cut off by Alaskan fishers before they reach the border.

Commercial purse seine fishers haul their net while fishing for pink and chum salmon in Chatham Strait, Admiralty Island, Alaska. Submitted by Watershed Watch/SkeenaWild

In a March 2022 letter addressed to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, four salmon conservation groups presented Taylor's data. It showed, in 2021, more than 650,000 Canadian-origin sockeye salmon were caught in the waters of southeast Alaska. That is six times the 110,000 sockeye B.C. commercial fishers caught last year.

Taylor said many more fish that are killed or taken aren't counted.

"They call it a 'pink fishery.' That's why they want to be in that area. But we know that the real prize is the sockeye," Stu Barnes, operations manager of the Skeena Fisheries Commission, said at the time. "We could have survived for four years off of what they got [in 2021]."

Only months earlier, Ts?ilhqot'in tribal chair Joe Alphonse described the situation as "outrageous,"

"Our Nation has made huge sacrifices to conserve salmon over the years," he said.

B.C. salmon populations have plummeted to record lows in recent years. In response, the Canadian federal government closed 60 per cent of B.C.'s commercial salmon harvest in June 2021 and announced a fishing licence buy-back program under its $647-million Pacific Salmon Strategy Initiative.

Alaska fisheries managers have also taken big steps to create sustainable fisheries and, by many metrics, are ahead of other jurisdictions. But when it comes to fish migrating through Alaskan waters on their way to a home river outside the state, those measures fall short, said Taylor.

"The interesting part about Alaska is under their constitution, they're not allowed to do this for their own populations. They only do this for their southern U.S. neighbours and Canada," he said.

Salmon treaty needs overhaul, say critics

In going to the courts, Taylor says the Wild Fish Conservancy has shown solutions can be found outside the Pacific Salmon Treaty, a Canada-U.S. agreement in place since 1985 to settle international imbalances in fisheries, prevent over-fishing, and ensure both countries receive equal benefits from healthy salmon populations.

Over the last three decades, new agreements have been reached every 10 years. But the last agreement was signed in 2019, and the Pacific Salmon Treaty isn't up for renewal until 2028. In recent years, frustration has mounted on both sides.

"We're at less than half of our historical allocation, and we keep losing at just about every meeting," said Daugherty of the Alaska Trollers Association.

On the other side, growing calls to deal with other species of Canadian-bound salmon intercepted in Alaska have led to little movement at the negotiating table, says Taylor.

"Canada and British Columbia say they are bound by the treaty. And Alaska is not prepared to really negotiate any significant changes," said Taylor. "If you're working through the treaty, there's no expectation that Alaska is going to change their behaviour."

When asked to comment on the latest court decision, a spokesperson for Fisheries and Oceans Canada pointed to Canada's 2023 measures for Southern Resident killer whales, including localized fishing closures and the enforcement of sanctuary zones.

"[We] continue to work alongside our partners to protect Southern Resident killer whales," wrote DFO's Jeff Woodland in an email.

Helverson says while the Canadian and U.S. governments have made strong commitments to recover salmon and southern resident killer whale populations, those commitments haven't reached the international bargaining table. Since Helverson's group filed a lawsuit in 2020, the court proceedings have revealed negotiators working on the treaty agreed to harvests they knew would contribute to the decline of both species, she said.

"It's really broken from the top down," Helverson said. "Right now, the coast-wide harvest paradigm is to maximize extraction and not conservation, and those need to be flipped."

"We need to reopen and look at the Pacific Salmon Treaty."

Taylor, however, sees no current appetite to overhaul the treaty and introduce new sustainability models, such as tying fishing permits to local rivers, so harvesters have a vested interest in maintaining fish populations.

"The only way we're going to get them to change their behaviour is what these people did through the courts or through public and economic pressure," said Taylor. "Alaska markets their fish worldwide as being sustainable."

"Alaska, a brand of sustainability, should be challenged."
Training via online and offline channels has been provided to workers in the tourism industry to better prepare them for reopening after Covid-19 restrictions, the Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) has recently said.

In reply to lawmaker Leong Sun Ioks written inquiry dated Mar. 17, Ricky Hoi, deputy director of the MGTO, made the comment.

Hoi said that in the area of assisting industry to improve business skills and transformation, the MGTO had long gathered information on the relevant needs from industry leaders and associations.

Training courses were prepared as per the information and opinions collected from participants of previous courses.

Online and offline courses were opened to suit the needs of industry workers, who want to gain knowledge and improve their soft skills. Hoi underlined that industry workers had long been encouraged to move upwards on the career ladder.

The MGTOs plan for this year in the area of industry training is to organize 29 offline and six online courses, covering knowledge and skills in language, customer service, communication and management, food safety, culture, comprehensive tourism, barrier-free communication, and so on.

The bureau, meanwhile, will also assist trainees to obtain relevant internationally recognized qualifications.

Early this year, the government started a scheme to subsidize tour groups from mainland China. As of Apr. 3, 88 local travel agencies have so far qualified for the scheme, with a total of 1,796 groups applying for the subsidy, amounting to 51,978 tourists.

In mid-April, the government extended the scheme to tour groups from Taiwan and other overseas markets.

Meanwhile, Hoi also disclosed that luxury tours and the Middle East are the MGTOs focus and target source market.

On regional cooperation, Hoi recapped that tourism authorities across the Greater Bay Area joined together and formed a market supervisory entity in September 2020 for more efficient communication and better management of market order.
The Sands Shopping Carnival, organized by Sands China Ltd., is coming to The Venetian Macaos Cotai Expo for a fourth year between July 20 and 23, with over 580 booths across 11 exhibition zones, including booths run by MinM Plaza and Happy Reading. The free-admission event will be open from noon to 10 p.m. daily, with a special invitation-only preview session on the first day.

The carnival has attracted more than 310,000 visits over the past three years since its debut, helping to spur economic revival by taking advantage of the synergy between local SMEs and international retail brands.

This year, in addition to a kids-targeted cuisine workshop, the carnival will involve activities such as competitions in K-Pop dance and Karaoke.

Co-organized by the Macao Chamber of Commerce, with the support of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau, the Macao Government Tourism Office, and the Macao Trade and Investment Promotion Institute, the carnival supports the Macau SAR governments economic revival policies.

Sands hopes to show unwavering support to local SMEs and offer a joyful travel experience to visitors, said Wilfred Wong, president of Sands China Ltd. He also hopes that visitors will enjoy the food booths after the lifting of mask regulations.

The announcement for the 2023 Sands Shopping Carnival was made at a press conference yesterday at The Londoner Macao. The online exhibitor registration portal has opened for interested exhibitors to register for a free booth until 6 p.m. on May 17.

Regarding the conference, Wong also mentioned that all properties under Sands China Ltd. achieve high and even full occupancy rates during the May Golden Week. He expects the gaming revenue to continue to surge, but still with a gap compared to pre-pandemic levels. Staff Reporter
Taiwans chief trade representative says his countrys semiconductor makers will expand production in the U.S. as much as they can afford to do so, but he insists Taiwan remains an ideal place for that production and other U.S. trade, business and investment, despite tensions with China.

John Chen-Chung Deng spoke to The Associated Press on a visit this week to Washington, where he is leading a Taiwanese trade delegation and meeting with U.S. trade officials.

Dengs visit comes at a time of intensifying efforts to harden the U.S. and Taiwanese militaries and economies against any threat from rival China. As part of this, President Joe Biden and Congress are moving to boost semiconductor production on U.S. soil in the event of any conflict disrupting exports from Asia, especially from Taiwan.

Semiconductors make electronics ranging from phones to electric cars to advanced weapons run, and Taiwan produces more than 90% of the worlds more advanced semiconductors.

At the same time, Pentagon leaders have been touring the Indo-Pacific to rally regional allies in bolstering military defenses and deterrence. A House committee last month war-gamed a hypothetical attack by China on Taiwan and U.S. positions as part of a bipartisan congressional effort to find specific ways to boost deterrence.

Deng said Americans should see these efforts as ensuring that Chinese President Xi Jinping will never feel confident enough to invade Taiwan.

We should avoid any exaggeration or rhetoric which doesnt reflect the true situation, that creates fear  unnecessary fear, said Deng.

He said the U.S. business community in Taiwan assures him it is still expanding and hiring. He cited the experienced workforce and support industries that Taiwan offers for semiconductor producers and for Google, Amazon and other U.S. businesses on its soil.

Relations between the U.S. and China have hit dramatic peaks in tensions over the past two years as Xis government asserts Chinas growing strength economically, diplomatically and militarily. That includes China underscoring its broad territorial claims in the region.

China, for its part, accuses the U.S. of meddling in its internal affairs and pursuing a containment strategy against China to prevent its rise.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after a civil war and have no official relations. They are linked by billions of dollars in trade and investment.

The Biden administration and Republicans and Democrats in Congress broadly support strengthening the U.S. and Taiwanese positions in the region to discourage any Chinese invasion of the island.

For Taiwan, that swell in U.S. support overall has also brought renewed focus from Washington on the islands decades-old appeals to the U.S. to overhaul its tax and trade policies toward the island. Taiwanese leaders say the current U.S. policies make it hard for Taiwanese companies and workers operating in the United States, and could do more to help Taiwan strengthen trade relations with allies.

The U.S. switched its diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Without formal relations and the kind of a tax treaty that the U.S. has signed with friendly nations that it recognizes, Taiwanese workers in the U.S. have to pay taxes in both the U.S. and Taiwan. That makes the already more-expensive U.S. prohibitively expensive for many Taiwanese.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen in March called it an issue the U.S. needed to address. Senior members of Congress also have urged the U.S. to reach a tax agreement with Taiwan.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is promising tens of billions of dollars to support construction of U.S. chip foundries and reduce reliance on suppliers in Taiwan and elsewhere in Asia, which Washington sees as a security weakness.

Answering that U.S. call, Taiwanese chip giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp. is building a chip plant in Arizona and plans a second, for a total investment of $40 billion.

Deng said he hopes for resolution of the tax issue before that first Taiwanese plant starts operation in Arizona, given the double-tax burden the operation will face.

Once they start to produce, this is a real problem, the trade official said.

Taiwanese officials also hope in coming weeks to close an initial trade agreement with Washington, in a nod toward the free-trade pacts the U.S. has negotiated with South Korea and other allies.

U.S. worries about angering China have helped keep Washington from signing a free-trade pact with Taiwan in the past. Deng argued the hoped-for U.S. trade agreement would boost the confidence of Taiwan and encourage other allies to increase trade with Taiwan as well.

That would help Taiwan lessen its economic dependence on trade with China, now the customer for 35% to 40% of Taiwans products, Deng said.

He said Taiwan also sees the strategic point in Biden administration measures aimed at discouraging other countries from exporting semiconductors to China, to starve Chinas security forces of the advanced chips they need.

Integrated circuits alone account for about 25% of Taiwans GDP. When it comes to Chinas share of that, however, Taiwan realizes theres no sense in sending chips to them, to build up missiles aiming at us, Deng said.

ELLEN KNICKMEYER, WASHINGTON, MDT/AP
The Judiciary Police (PJ) has announced the arrest of five further people in relation to a brawl that took place in a local casino over the May 1 holidays. The new arrests raise the tally of those arrested on suspicion of their involvement in the fight to 13.

According to the PJ, 11 men and two women aged between 22 and 48 years old were involved.

Of those arrested, 10 men have been charged with assault causing bodily harm and will be banned from entering Macau for a period ranging between four to five years, while the two women and another man have been charged with inciting violence, and have been banned from reentering Macau for one year.

The Public Security Police Force and the Secretary for Security, Wong Sio Chak, previously stated that the actions of those involved were considered to pose a danger to public safety and order, and the consequent widespread footage of the fight across multiple online platforms also harmed the image of Macau.

The police authorities stated that the variance in ban periods results from the fact that those banned for more time (5 years) were also found to be overstaying in Macau at the time of the incident.

The PJ is also investigating the origin of footage of the brawl, which quickly spread across social media platforms, adding that they are also seeking to hold those who filmed and published the footage accountable under laws that forbid the collection of still or moving images inside casino venues in Macau.
Thai Basil is moving from Raymond Road to a bigger spot on University Avenue.

The takeout restaurant replaced the well-regarded Thai Orchid in a strip mall at 6714 Raymond 15 years ago and since 2019 has been owned by Krittaphol Kris Poticharoen.

Poticharoen, 46, said Thai Basils last day on Raymond Road will be May 13, and he hopes to be open for dinner in his new location, 3519 University Ave., by May 18. The restaurant will normally be open for lunch and dinner.

The space is next to Starbucks and was formerly Curry in the Box before it moved six blocks up, to 2907 University Ave., about a year ago.

The new place is bigger, Poticharoen said, so he can also offer dine-in service. It will seat 50 to 60 people.

And its close to the university, he said. Its really convenient.

Poticharoen said many of his customers are students who use ride-sharing services to get to the restaurant, and they have to take their food to go since theres no seating.

The new location will see heavier traffic, too, he said.

Poticharoen said the new restaurant will keep the same menu, with the addition of some Thai street food.

Poticharoens cousin, Peerapong Kieratirojwanij, who goes by Khun Lek, took over the original Thai Orchid, changed the name to Thai Basil, and ran it from 2008 to 2019.

When he retired, Poticharoen stepped in.

Poticharoen has made considerable changes to the University Avenue space since he took over the lease last July. The remodeling project started in mid-January, he said.

Poticharoen was born in Samutsongkram, Thailand, about 50 miles outside of Bangkok. He said his province, known for its canals and floating markets, is the smallest province in Thailand.

He graduated from college in Thailand and moved to California in 2000 for a masters degree. He lived in Las Vegas from 2005 to 2018 and was a supervisor at Aria Resort & Casino.

36 Madison-area restaurant, bar, bakery, coffee shop openings in 2022 Taqueria Los Atlantes Golden Nest Pancakes & Cafe Hot Lunch Zippy Lube Coffee, Donuts, and Fried Chicken Tacos El Capi Good Co. at Pioneer Pointe The Bubbling Teapot Sabores Fusion Grill Nori Sushi & Grill North Shore Pizza and Subs Sookie's Veggie Burgers Turn Key La Pollera Colombiana Restaurant Eno Vino Waunakee BigSur Cantina Amara SASS Sauce + Shells The Borough Beer Company & Kitchen Taza Swagat Sun Prairie Little John's Lunchbox AzTec Taqueria Mishqui Peruvian Cuisine Dirty Dog Taphouse Ollie's Forward Craft & Coffee Jacknife The Ready Set FreshFin Poke Hilldale Mom's Bar Prost! Tucuma Northstreet La Taguara Far Breton Bakery Dagu Rice Noodle
A Cottage Grove business shut down for the day Thursday after employees received threats directed at the business from a 35-year-old former co-worker, Cottage Grove police said.

About a dozen employees at PFS TECO at 1507 Matt Pass were sent home, and police found the former employee in Middleton. Police did not release his name but say hes been tentatively charged with making terrorist threats, disorderly conduct while armed, and unlawful use of communications systems.
Concurring with two previous committee decisions, the Dane County Board overwhelmingly voted against confirming state Rep. Shelia Stubbs as director of the Department of Human Services, sending County Executive Joe Parisi back to the drawing board on filling the role.

Thursdays vote brought to a close the most controversial confirmation process in recent memory.

Despite the support of many Black leaders in the community, board members rejected Stubbs nomination after three weeks of what they described as misinformation peddled by Stubbs, racial slurs and alleged threats hurled at Black supervisors by Stubbs supporters, and concerns that she lacked the experience for the job.

Stubbs and her supporters, including Parisi, decried the boards opposition as an unprecedented attack on a qualified Black female whose nomination faced more scrutiny than any other confirmation process.

There is a misnomer that our job as a County Board is to be a rubber stamp approval board, said Sup. Dana Pellebon, 33rd District, one of the three Black supervisors on the board.

As a supervisor, it is a part of my charge to be checks and balances of the executive branch, Pellebon said.

Only two supervisors voted in support of Stubbs: Sups. Tim Kiefer, 25th District, and Jeff Weigand, 20th District.

Five supervisors abstained from voting: Sups. Richelle Andrae, 11th District; Kate McGinnity, 37th District; Sarah Smith, 24th District; Michele Ritt, 18th District; and Rick Rose, 16th District.

Parisi will not be able to veto the boards decision.

In a statement released shortly after the vote, Parisi said the boards handling of the confirmation will damage the countys ability to recruit in the future.

After allowing a reset for healing, I will announce next steps to fill the position and minimize the impact of what has occurred on county operations, Parisi said.

Parisi has multiple paths forward to finding a permanent Human Services director. Parisi can select another finalist, state the recruitment process over or select a nominee without a formal process, said Greg Brockmeyer, the countys head of administration.

Apart from Stubbs, the other finalists for the job were the departments interim director, Astra Iheukumere; Madison City Council member Regina Vidaver; and April Heim, an official with the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

Parisi claimed board leaders immediately decided to oppose Stubbs nomination shortly after he announced it last month.

Correspondence released by Parisis office showed that Sup. Heidi Wegleitner requested information on every applicant, questions asked in the interview, notes on reference checks and other materials related to the hiring process.

That had not been done with past county department head confirmations, Parisi said.

Fierce debate

But even as supervisors expressed hesitation about Stubbs nomination behind the scenes, days after Parisi named her as the nominee Stubbs took to her churchs pulpit to blast supervisors, charging them with blocking her nomination and opposing her because of her race.

Some supervisors pointed to those comments as a disqualifying mischaracterization of the boards confirmation process. When Stubbs supporter Mattie Reese said parishioners should be storming the Capitol in support of her bid, board Chair Patrick Miles, 34th District, said that such rhetoric, paired with Stubbs mischaracterization of the boards plans, echoed the language that led up to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

Supervisors also took issue with Stubbs initial refusal to resign from the state Assembly if confirmed, though she eventually announced that she would step down as a legislator.

But it was another comment from Reese at Stubbs hearing with the Health and Human Needs Committee that brought the most intense criticism of Stubbs. Reese referred to Black supervisors with a racial epithet. When asked about it moments later, Stubbs said: People say what they want to say because this is a democracy.

In an interview on Tuesday, Reese stood by her comment.

This is a distraction, Reese said of the focus on her remark.

This is an attack on a Black woman and the Black community as a whole, Reese said.

Stubbs later condemned the remark at a second committee hearing, but by then the language had drawn criticism from top Democratic leaders in the state Senate and nearly the entire County Board.

Pellebon and Sup. April Kigeya, 15th District, another Black supervisor who was present during Reeses remark, have described the fallout from Stubbs confirmation as an attack on their humanity that has left them feeling unsafe.

One cannot on one hand manage a church and a staff and on the other hand not manage the people who are a part of the leadership of that church, Pellebon said before Thursdays vote, adding that she and other Black supervisors continue to face similar language from Stubbs supporters.

Where is the truth? That she can supervise or that she is not responsible for those in her circle? Pellebon said.

Job qualifications

Amid the bitter criticism, Parisi exhorted the board to focus on Stubbs qualifications to lead the countys largest department. With services ranging from protective services, a nursing home, youth justice programs, mental health services and more, Parisi and Stubbs maintained that her years as an elected official and community activist had prepared her to lead an 800-person agency with a budget of more than $242 million.

But supervisors saw it differently.

Even with Stubbs extensive experience with county and state budgets, some supervisors said she had not been in charge of anything close to the departments size and scope.

That and Stubbs handling of her supporters actions made her unqualified for the job, Pellebon said.

This lack of leadership is not reflective of what I want running our largest department who deals with our most vulnerable, Pellebon said.

This is not an issue of race. This is an issue of vetting for the right person for the job, Pellebon said.

States where small businesses have the highest rates of survival States where small businesses have the highest rates of survival States in the Midwest had the highest 10-year survival rates
A unanimous voice vote by the state Senate on legislation is rare. But thats what happened April 19, when senators approved a bill to undo a decision by the Wisconsin Supreme Court on public records.

Senate Bill 117, sponsored by Sen. Duey Stroebel, R-Saukville, and Rep. Todd Novak, R-Dodgeville, would allow a judge to decide if a records requester is entitled to attorney fees regardless of when a stalled request for public documents is finally fulfilled.

In an opinion issued last July in a case called Friends of Frame Park v. the City of Waukesha, the state Supreme Court held that if a governmental entity releases records after a suit has been filed but before a court has acted on the case, the requester is not entitled to recover attorney fees and costs.

The court based its decision on a narrow interpretation of the word prevail in the public records statute. It ruled that a judge must affirmatively order a unit of government to turn over public records for a requester to prevail. This effectively allows government actors to hold onto records until a requester files a lawsuit, knowing they face no penalty if they turn over the records before a judge has a chance to act.

Prior to the decision, a broader definition of prevail was used, allowing for fee recovery in cases where the filing of a lawsuit was deemed a substantial factor in securing the records release. By codifying the previously used broader definition of prevail in Wisconsin statutes, SB 117 will remove the perverse incentive for governments to hold on to records until a lawsuit is filed.

The Wisconsin Newspaper Association believes that transparency in government is essential to a democratic society. It helps ensure that government business is being conducted fairly and ethically. The new standard created by Friends of Frame Park threatens the ability of the public, including the media, to access information about the workings of government.

Newspapers are the eyes and the ears of the communities they serve, and accessing public records is an integral part of the reporting process. In most instances, public records are readily available. But in those cases when access is denied, newspapers often turn to the courts.

Litigation over wrongfully denied records can be expensive. Raising the bar on when requesters can recover attorney fees will have a tremendous chilling effect on the media and the publics ability to pursue public documents. If left to stand, this decision will make it financially difficult to keep government agencies accountable.

SB 117 now heads to the state Assembly, where it will be assigned to a committee for consideration. Citizens who support the publics right to access government information should urge their state representatives to support this bill. While theyre at it, they should also thank their state senators for helping ensure that Wisconsins rich history of transparency in government is upheld.
Public service in America is at a crossroads.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than a quarter of public employees are over 55. That number approaches 30% if you just look at the federal government.

And the situation is similar in Wisconsin: Retirements were up in the Wisconsin Retirement System in 2020 and 2021. Many more retirements are on the way.

Whatever your thoughts might be on the appropriate size of government, society cant function without our public sector workforce. After all, government policies need to be implemented, and programs must be administered. But what we all might be able to agree on is that society is better off when our government is more efficient, equitable and cost-effective.

We accomplish this by enhancing the skill level of the public sector workforce. This is our goal at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison, where I serve as the director.

The nature of a large portion of public sector work is rapidly shifting. Employees now entering the government workforce are increasingly required to use innovative technologies and analyze data to identify what works, and what doesnt, in policymaking and implementation. In short, its a new era for government work, and its a workforce development opportunity.

One encouraging change in the field is the bipartisan movement to remove college degree requirements from some government jobs where basic skills can be obtained through on-the-job training or trade schools. This is an important step toward democratizing government service  making select jobs more accessible to a larger swath of people.

On the other hand, a large portion of government work will require higher skills than in the past. And while recent technological developments have already had profound effects, artificial intelligence has the potential to reconfigure government work even further. Universities such as mine must develop new training programs in advanced skills to meet these challenges.

This is all to say that the current wave of public sector retirements taking place presents a tremendous societal opportunity to invigorate our government with a workforce that will be crucial to ensuring economic prosperity and security.

As the public sector evolves, so does public policy education. Students at schools such as La Follette are prepared for these roles through cutting-edge courses and hands-on experiences. La Follettes curriculum emphasizes advanced statistical methods, evidence-based policymaking, economic development and much more. Our courses are rooted in facts, data and nonpartisan analysis.

For example, last falls cost-benefit analysis seminar gave graduate students hands-on experience with clients as diverse as the Sauk County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, the state Public Service Commission and the UW-Madison Division of Extension Richland County. They helped these organizations identify what works and what doesnt in their own real-world programming  invaluable experience for when the students join the public sector.

They rigorously evaluated if policies were meeting goals, serving the public as intended and worth the cost. So these lessons will serve taxpayers well, too.

Across the country, 1 in 5 young adults say they would like to work for the government. To meet the growing demand, public policy programs are expanding at universities across the country. At La Follette, where we have been training graduate students in public policy and implementation for nearly four decades, we added an undergraduate certificate in public policy in 2019 and an undergraduate certificate in health policy in 2021. Like our graduate programs, these require hands-on training in classes such as Evidence-based policymaking and Discovering what works in health policy.

Since its inception, the number of students in the certificate program has grown sixfold. It is one of the fastest-growing programs on the UW-Madison campus. Demand is so high that we are exploring the creation of an undergraduate major in public policy  with classes offered as soon as fall of 2024. We view this program as an apprenticeship for impactful government employment.

In the public sector, massive retirements are an opportunity to fundamentally change the face of government, and our public policy challenges demand a highly skilled and nonpartisan workforce. Its critically important we meet this moment with the urgency it demands. How we respond at these crossroads will have huge implications for the future efficiency and quality of government.
Photo: @Atomos/Twitter. Purple street lights in Vancouver have been a problem since 2021. Why is it still happening?

In the fall of 2021, Vancouverites started to notice that the once orange and white street lights were turning purple. It wasn't an homage to Prince or some sort of new low-fi vibe the city was trying out but a mass malfunction and one that continues to this day.

"The purple street lights are a result of a failure with the coating on the LEDs," confirms a spokesperson for the City. "These failures are not unique to the City of Vancouver. The same phenomenon has been reported in major cities across Canada and North America."

Indeed, the busted bulbs have been a problem as far back as 2020 with reports coming out of California, Florida, New Mexico, and even as far as Ireland. According to a Business Insider report, "most of the wonky streetlights, it turns out, came from an Acuity sub-brand called American Electric Lighting."

Though the City hasn't named the manufacturer, the spokesperson tells V.I.A. that the company has completed "a root cause analysis" of the malfunction and has taken steps to change its manufacturing process to ensure it will not happen again.

The lights are reportedly under warranty and are being replaced at no cost to the City, however, the problem ones need to first be identified.

Not all of the bulbs have been deteriorating at the same rate and the city doesn't appear to be able to identify which ones will turn purple until it happens. However, they assure that "there is no health risk associated with the unintended colour."

Besides, they look cool.

If someone sees a defective streetlight the city asks that they submit a service request to 311.

Some lights in Vancouver are purple or blue on purpose

Certain public washrooms in Vancouver businesses have purple- or blue-tinted lights to dissuade drug use.

The reasoning behind the blue or purple-hued lighting is that it's harder to see superficial veins in these colours of light, explains The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) in a 2019 document.

However, its effectiveness is not absolute and the BCCDC actually advises against installing blue lights because they make it unsafe for people using the washroom for other uses. The weird lighting can make it difficult for people to see what they're doing or spot any hazardous waste. The light can obscure their own and any issues such as blood, bleeding, or changes in bodily fluids.

With files from Brendan Kergin
WAR INUKRAINE

THE HAGUE, Netherlands -Ukraine and Russia pressed their wartime rhetoric Thursday, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressing confidence that Vladimir Putin would be convicted of war crimes, and the Kremlin alleging that the U.S. was behind what it called an assassination attempt against the Russian president.

The countries' leaders have personally attacked each other multiple times during the war that Russia started by invading Ukraine in February 2022. The latest flare-up came Wednesday, with Russia's claim that Ukraine attacked the Kremlin in Moscow with drones meant to assassinate Putin.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces were not responsible for the purported drone attack. The Kremlin promised unspecified retaliation for what it termed a "terrorist" act, and pro -Kremlin figures called for the assassinations of senior Ukraine leaders.

Uncertainty still surrounds what happened in the alleged attack.

Putin's spokesman on Thursday accused the United States of involvement. To generate domestic support for the war, Moscow has often tried to blame Washington for trying to destroy Russia through its help for Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters during a daily conference call that the Kremlin was "well aware that the decision on such actions and terrorist attacks is not made in Kyiv, but in Washington."

"And then Kyiv does what it's told to do," Peskov said, without offering evidence for his claim.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council at the White House, described the claim as "ludicrous." Zelenskyy, in the Netherlands, said he was "not interested" in the Kremlin's opinion.

U.S. intelligence officials are still trying to determine who was behind the possible drone incident and are exploring various possibilities, including a false flag operation by Russia or that a fringe group with sympathies for Ukraine could have been involved, according to a U.S. official.

The official added that the Biden administration "certainly would not support the strike against Mr. Putin."

Zelenskyy's top adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, claimed Thursday that Russia "staged" the alleged drone attack.

The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War also saw evidence of staging. "Russia likely staged this attack in an attempt to bring the war home to a Russian domestic audience and set conditions for a wider societal mobilization," the think tank said.
TWIN FALLS  Since it was first observed in 1872, Arbor Day has grown into a national and international day to celebrate the benefits of trees.

This year, Twin Falls selected May 4 as the local Arbor Day, and held a tree planting event at Kenny Poe Park, located at Wendell Street and North College Road West.

To celebrate the day, members of city council joined city staff, Twin Falls Department of Parks and Recreation employees, and volunteers to plant 13 trees of several varieties.

Weve got a lot of trees to plant today, so everybody will get a little dirt under their fingernails, parks Director Wendy Davis told the group.

National Arbor Day traditionally has been the last Friday in April since its inception in 1872. In Idaho, cities are given the freedom to select a day that works best for them.

Mayor Ruth Pierce read from a proclamation signed earlier this week, declaring May 4 as Arbor Day.

The proclamation states that the planting of trees beautifies the community, increasing property values and enhancing economic vitality.

Trees, wherever planted, are a source of joy and spiritual renewal, Pierce read from the proclamation. I urge all citizens to plant trees to gladden the heart and promote the wellbeing of this and future generations.

Parks Superintendent Chance Munns said a variety of trees were chosen for planting at Kenny Poe Park.

We intend for these trees to last a long time and to be for future generations, Munns said. And so every year were going to try to do more and more of that.

Some trees, such as river birch, were selected because of their low water requirements and tolerance of a variety of conditions. Other trees, such as hackberry, were selected because they will grow into large shade trees, and will help screen the park from the surrounding houses.

On the corner, they planted some ornamental redbuds for visual appeal. Redbuds are among the first flowering trees in spring, and their bright pink petals can be seen around Twin Falls this week.

Twin Falls has been a Tree City U.S.A. since 1998. Now in its 25th year, the city continues to uphold a commitment by having a tree plan and a tree commission, and by dedicating money to tree infrastructure.

Council member Craig Hawkins, who serves as the liaison on the parks commission, pitched in and got some trees planted.

Vice Mayor Christopher Reid and two of his children, Mark and Sarah-Jane, also chipped in, getting their hands in the dirt to plant trees.

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When it comes to nominating our nations presidents, Idahoans want and deserve a voice. Both major political parties have seen the wisdom in moving from the arduous caucus system to a presidential primary election where Democratic and Republican voters can cast a ballot for their choice.

Quote Our democracy works best when more people can participate, not fewer.

This year, a major legislative blunder took away voters ability to cast these votes. Now, urgent legislative action is needed to give this power back to the people of Idaho.

Idaho Democrats supported legislation to consolidate Idahos presidential and state primary elections, saving public dollars while safeguarding voter participation. As the bill moved through the legislature this year, a drafting flaw was discovered. This technical error eliminated the March primary rather than move it to May.

A correction, in the form of a trailer bill, was introduced to uphold the intent of the original legislation. However, the correction was rejected by far-right Republicans as the Legislature was set to adjourn. Gov. Brad Little signed the flawed bill into law knowing the fix had been stalled.

Without a presidential primary comes an unwanted outcome for voters: We must revert to an outdated caucus system. While the original legislation was meant to increase participation, the opposite will now occur. Rather than heading to their normal polling location to cast a ballot, Idahoans will have to travel much farther, arrive at a set time, and sit through hours of deliberation.

For many voters  especially working people, the elderly, and families with young kids  these barriers will prevent them from having a say in the presidential nomination process.

Under a caucus, party bosses have near-unfettered control. They can decide where caucuses are held, how convenient they are, who gets to speak, and more  essentially putting their thumbs on the scale to skew results. This is not only deeply unfair, it is also undemocratic.

Consolidating power to engineer election results favoring the more extreme far-right has become the theme of todays Idaho Republican Party. They successfully locked up their primary election to keep out independents and anyone who chooses not to formally affiliate as a Republican for any reason. The result is increasingly extreme conservative politicians getting elected to positions of enormous power.

Republicans far-right party leadership is now ready to seize control of the presidential nominating process, taking away the rights of Idahos Republican voters. Democratic voters who lost their right to cast a ballot in the presidential primary are collateral damage.

Our democracy works best when more people can participate, not fewer. The way to ensure Idaho voters  of every party  have their say in our presidential nomination process is to hold a special legislative session and reinstate the presidential primary election.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. emphasized the need to forge stronger alliances and continue developing cooperation with different countries to address rising tensions in Taiwan.

In a conference hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, Marcos described the situation on the island as new, which requires solutions to also be new and that is why we are now formulating those partnerships between all the different countries.

We are continuing to strengthen our cooperation and partnership with other countries, not just our neighboring countries, but also countries that we rarely interact with because we didnt see the need to establish partnerships, Marcos said.

He said the Philippines arrangements and alliances with other countries should be fixed so that they conform to the needs of the day.

Not just Australia, not just the United States, also South Korea, also Japan, all of the ASEAN member states, and I think we can continue to do that and I know that the countries are already of the same mind, he added.

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Marcos said his campaign message of unity is beginning to extend not only to the local situation in the Philippines but also on the international scale.

They, too, are looking for companions to face the new world together, he said.

The President also reiterated his administrations foreign policy that the Philippines shall continue to be a friend to all and an enemy of none.

In a question-and-answer session, the President responded with an outright no when asked if the US has asked that Filipino soldiers be deployed to Taiwan if tensions escalate.

No. The short answer is no, President Marcos said.

The President said the US also never asked for the sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) to be used as staging points for any attacks against other nations. Vince Lopez

To be fair, the United States has never brought up the possibility that we will use, that the United States will use the EDCA sites as staging areas for any offensive actions against any countries, the President said.

The United States has never said that this is a possibility and weve also made it clear on our end that this is not the purpose of those sites, and this is not the way that they will be used, he added.

The President also said he personally guaranteed to Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang, who recently visited Malacanang, that these sites would not be used as military bases that will be used to attack other countries.

No, these are not intended to be military bases to attack, to move against anyone, any country, not China, not any country, he said.

President Marcos and United States President Joe Biden have expressed the need to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait in a joint statement after meeting at the White House, saying it was an indispensable element of global security and prosperity.

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President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday he doesnt feel alluded to by the latest statement of China opposing any interventions in the South China Sea after the Philippines and the United States announced new defense guidelines aimed at strengthening their alliance.

As a Filipino and representing the Philippines, I dont feel alluded to. How can we  how can anyone say that we are not a party to and [have no] interest in all these issues? Marcos said in response to a question at a press conference in Washington D.C.

I think that kind of statement was directed more towards the United States than it was [toward] the Philippines, he added as he wrapped up his five-day official visit to the US.

The Philippines and the US have established bilateral defense guidelines to modernize the alliance for a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The guidelines reaffirmed that an armed attack in the Pacific, including anywhere in the South China Sea, on either of their aircraft or armed forces  which includes their Coast Guards  would invoke mutual defense commitments under the 1951 PH-US Mutual Defense Treaty.

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The Philippines and the US, the guidelines state, will expand cooperation on maritime security through but not limited to joint patrols.

Beijing expressed opposition to what it called meddling in the South China Sea to harm its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights.

Beijing also said the region should not be used as a hunting ground.

Marcos said the new United States-Philippines Bilateral Defense Guidelines, which chart their vision for alliance cooperation across all operational domains, will be responsive to the security challenges faced by both countries.

During a question-and-answer session at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, Marcos said security and defense can no longer be isolated as one issue.

There are attendant and ancillary issues, he said, citing economic issues. We must be looking to adjust our relationship as we all are trying to adjust and to transform our economies.

In a meeting at Pentagon on Wednesday, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reaffirmed Washingtons commitment to bolstering the Philippines defense capabilities as the allies develop a Security Sector Assistance Roadmap to guide shared defense modernization investments over the next five to 10 years.

The new bilateral defense guidelines aim to direct a whole-of-government coordination as well as promote better coordination and bilateral planning to ensure the territorial integrity and security of both parties.

The guidelines would also institutionalize better interoperability and develop inter-agency capabilities of Philippine and American security establishments.

The President also stressed the need to focus on the new economy emerging from the post-pandemic world.

Asked about his takeaway from his meetings with US officials and lawmakers regarding international security, Mr. Marcos raised the need to protect the sovereignty of each nation in the face of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

I think we are in full agreement that we must continue to protect the sovereignty, not just sovereign rights, but the sovereignty of each nation, no matter where they are, and that the situation in Ukraine cannot continue and it is something that is really anachronistic in the modern world, he said.

The President said the Philippines had been straightforward in supporting the resolutions passed by the United Nations in the war in Ukraine.

We respect the sovereignty and territoriality of every single nation in the world. And that applies most certainly because they are in this incredibly critical situation where an outright war is going on, he said.

Mr. Marcos said nations should exert all possible efforts to bring peace to Ukraine.

Shortly after the bilateral meeting between Mr. Marcos and US President Joseph Biden, the Department of National Defense announced the finalization of the Philippines-United States Bilateral Defense Guidelines.

With both countries commitment to ensuring the Mutual Defense Treatys continued relevance to addressing contemporary and emerging security challenges, the Philippines and the United States established the Bilateral Defense Guidelines, which support a mutual understanding of roles, missions, and capabilities within the framework of the alliance, DND spokesperson Arsenio Andolong said in a statement Friday.

He added that its finalization is in line with the announcement of President Marcos to strengthen and redefine Philippines-United States relations and the roles of the two countries in the Asia-Pacific and Indo-Pacific regions.

The Bilateral Defense Guidelines intend to institutionalize key bilateral priorities, mechanisms, and processes to deepen alliance cooperation and interoperability across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace.

It also recalls alliance foundations to include the reaffirmation of both countries commitment to the MDT and the conclusion of defense agreements and mechanisms that demonstrate the adaptability and evolution of the alliance in responding to both conventional and non-conventional challenges through the years.

Based on the guidelines, the two defense establishments aim to strengthen the defense partnership through enhancing alliance coordination and bilateral planning; expanding information-sharing; modernizing defense capabilities; deepening interoperability and people-to-people ties, combating transnational and non-conventional threats, and contributing to global and regional peace and stability.

The release of the Bilateral Defense Guidelines marks an important milestone in the longstanding partnership between the Philippines and the United States. It serves as a testament to the strong and enduring partnership between the Philippines and the United States and reflects the shared commitment of both countries to uphold peace, stability, and the rule of law in the region, the statement said.

China opposed the new defense guidelines, saying countries surrounding the contested waterway have maintained peace and stability in the region.

Mao Ning, the spokesperson of Chinas Foreign Ministry, said Beijing firmly opposes any countrys move to meddle in the South China Sea issue to harm Chinas territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests by citing the guidelines.

The Chinese official assailed the need for such since the situation in the contested waterway has been characterized by overall stability with the concerted efforts of regional countries.

Chinas statement comes amid its own acts of aggression in the South China Sea, including conducting dangerous maneuvers against foreign vessels crew as well as fishermen, an incursion into others exclusive economic zone, and driving away fishermen from their local fishing grounds.

I would like to stress that the South China Sea is the shared home for countries in the region, not a hunting ground for forces outside the region, Mao said in her regular press briefing on Thursday night.

When regional countries are committed to mutual trust, solidarity, cooperation and properly handling differences, they have in their hand the key to peace and stability in the South China Sea, she said.

Former Department of Foreign Affairs secretary and current Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Teddy Boy Locsin defended the new defense guidelines between Manila and Washington.

Locsin posted on his Twitter account that the US is not moving to meddle in the South China Sea Arbitral Award issue.

But it must meddle if there is an attack on the public vessels of the only US military treaty ally in the world: the Philippines, he said.

Locsin said protecting the Philippines is the iron obligation of the US under the Mutual Defense Treaty. The Philippines also has the same obligation as the US, he added. It is a mutual defense treaty. Neither side gets a free ride.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte, meanwhile, said he hoped that joint maritime patrols in the West Philippine Sea would be undertaken not only with the United States but also with other allies such as Japan and Australia.

With Beijing ignoring time and again the hundreds of diplomatic protests that have been filed by Manila over the nonstop intrusions of Chinese vessels into the WPS, I believe the best approach we can take at this point to put an end to such bullying tactics is for us to double down on plans for joint patrols in the disputed waterway with the US and other allies like Japan and Australia that seem open to such a border security arrangement, Villafuerte said.

More than 200 diplomatic protests have reportedly been lodged by Manila against Beijing in recent years.

That the incessant harassment of Philippine vessels in our very own territory has been increasing despite the series of official engagements between Beijing and Manila, ostensibly in pursuit of a peaceful resolution to this territorial dispute only illustrates that the Philippine governments filing of diplomatic protests over and over against such Chinese bullying is a futile approach, he said.

China has repeatedly made a mockery of its diplomatic talks and avowed commitments with the Philippines on pursuing a peaceful settlement of the conflict, as such formal engagements this year have only become a prelude to more, instead of less, Chinese intrusions into our territorial waters and EEZ, Villafuerte said.

The asymmetry between Beijings rhetoric and action on this thorny territorial issue is as clear as day, he said, pointing out that the trio of Manila-Beijing diplomatic engagements this year had been followed by even more intense bullying tactics by China in the WPS.

On Thursday, Israel expressed interest in taking a major part in the Horizon 3 of the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization program.

During the Horizons 1 and 2 of the program, Israel successfully delivered artillery, howitzers, and armored personnel and mortar carriers to the Philippines.

Israeli companies are interested to continue whats started in the last few years where Israel has become, I think an important and reliable supplier of quality and reliable equipment, Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said during the 75th Israel Independence Day reception Thursday night.

Were looking into the future of the Horizon 3 modernization program. And obviously, we do hope that Israel will also take a major part in the Horizon, he added.

Fluss said the two more Israeli Shaldag Mark 5 ships  fast attack interdiction craft-missile (FAIC-Ms) in the Philippine Navy (PN)  would be formally turned over soon as part of the nine vessels that the country contracted from the Israel Shipyards Ltd.

These FAIC-Ms, which will form part of the Navys Acero-class patrol gunboats, are among the 2019 projects approved by former President Rodrigo Duterte under the Horizon 2 list of the modernization program.

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US Republicans subpoenaed the FBI Wednesday for a document they said details an alleged criminal scheme involving a foreign national and Joe Biden  although they made no specific allegations against the president.

The June 2020 record outlines a whistleblowers information on then-vice president Biden and a foreign national relating to the exchange of money for policy decisions, two senior lawmakers said in a letter to the bureau.

The Republicans in the House of Representatives, who have been criticized in the past for expensive investigations targeting top Democrats that ended up falling flat, are giving the FBI a week to turn over any relevant information.

The document they are seeking is an FBI-generated FD-1023 form, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley said in a joint statement.

It has been alleged that the document includes a precise description of how the alleged criminal scheme was employed as well as its purpose, they wrote to FBI director Christopher Wray and his boss, Attorney General Merrick Garland.

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Comer and other Republicans have been leading sprawling investigations into Biden and his family that have been criticized as lacking focus and failing to come up with a smoking gun to support corruption claims.

Wednesdays subpoena was their first to mention the president directly  marking an escalation in their attempts to link the 80-year-old Democrat to wrongdoing.

The American people need to know if President Biden sold out the United States of America to make money for himself, Comer said, without providing details of any accusations against the Democrat.

 Trafficking in innuendo 

The White House dismissed the probe as another example of Republicans improperly targeting the president for partisan ends.

For going on five years now, Republicans in Congress have been lobbing unfounded politically motivated attacks against (the president) without offering evidence for their claims. Or evidence of decisions influenced by anything other than US interests. They prefer trafficking in innuendo, Bidens spokesman Ian Sams said.

When it comes to President Bidens personal finances, anybody can take a look: he has offered an unprecedented level of transparency, releasing a total of 25 years of tax returns to the American public.

The House Republicans have long signaled plans to turn the tables on Democrats after years of criminal and civil investigations into former president Donald Trump.

Kevin McCarthy signposted sweeping plans to hold the Swamp accountable after winning the speakers gavel in January, launching probes on topics ranging from the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan to the weaponization of the FBI.

Democrats say the point is to undermine ongoing investigations into Trump misconduct, including around the 2021 assault on the US Capitol, and more broadly to muddy the waters ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Republicans spent two years and $7 million in taxpayer money investigating the deadly 2012 attack on the US mission in Benghazi, Libya, but fell short of concluding that then-secretary of state Hillary Clinton or then-president Barack Obama bore direct personal responsibility

McCarthy admitted in 2015 the Benghazi select committee was launched to damage Clintons credibility in advance of the 2016 presidential campaign, which she eventually lost to Trump.

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ANNIVERSARY

Progressive Prayer Temple, 64 Cameron Road, Martinsville, along with Bishop Milton D. Johnson Sr., pastor, will celebrate the church 31st anniversary on Sunday, May 7 at 2:30 p.m. with guest speaker Elder Gerald Kidd, pastor of Greater Faith Fellowship in Eden, North Carolina, accompanied by his church congregation.

COMMUNITY SHARE DAY

Meadow Christian Church, 1140 Meadowood Trail, Martinsville, will host a Community Share Day Saturday, May 6, from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. Available will be free clothes, shoes, household items, and hotdogs.

WOMENS DAY

Gethsemane Holiness Church, 2380 Blackberrry Road, will hold Womens Day on Sunday. The 10:30 a.m. speaker will be Minister Jane Warren, and the 2 p.m. service speaker will be Minister Dorothy Eccles, accompanied by the Church of New Beginnings.

BIBLE STUDY

Traditional Christian Church, 2630 Virginia Ave., Collinsville has begun holding a weekly non-denominational Bible study each Wednesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring their Bibles.

Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, 120 Old Bassett Heights Road, Bassett, hosts Community Bible Study, a gathering of Christians of various denominations for Bible study, every Wednesday from 11 a.m. to noon in the fellowship hall.

MUSIC

Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church holds Pickers and Fiddlers on the second Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon. Breakfast-type refreshments are served, and both the program and refreshments are free. Come to listen or bring your harmonica or stringed instrument and join in.

CLOTHES

Christ Church Community Clothes Closet is open on the fourth Saturday of each month.

FOOD PANTRY

The free food pantry at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church, 7174 Mountain Valley Road, Axton, will be open from 9-10:30 a.m. Saturday. There are no prerequisites. Come to the lower door at the cemetery side of the church.

MEALS

Smith Memorial United Methodist Church, corner of John Redd Boulevard and Daniels Creek Road, Collinsville, serves take-out community meals each month every other Wednesday from 5-6 p.m. Call 647-8150 before 3:30 on Wednesday to reserve meals. Next meals will be May 17 & 31.

Church Without Walls Kingdom Minded Believers has True Soup Kitchen on the first and third Fridays and Saturdays, at 6 p.m. on Fridays and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, serving hot food, rain or shine.

Pocahontas Bassett Baptist Church, 120 Old Bassett Heights Road, Bassett, holds its monthly community meals at 6 p.m. each third Thursday of the month, in the fellowship hall.

Starling Avenue Baptist Church, 932 Starling Ave., Martinsville, serves meals in the fellowship hall the last Tuesday of each month from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Doors open at 5:15 p.m. The next meal is May 30.

Christ Episcopal Church, 311 E. Church St., Martinsville, will serve a free community meal the last Wednesday of each month from 5-6 p.m. in the Undercroft with a sit-down community meal (and takeout will be available only at the end of the meal if there are any leftovers). There are limited parking spaces behind the church for people with mobility issues. Masks are required for unvaccinated adults. Hand sanitizer is available for use.

Publication of church events is free in the Bulletin. Announcements received by the newspaper by 3 p.m. Wednesday will qualify for publication the following Friday. Pictures are welcomed. Send information to accent@martinsville bulletin.com or Martinsville Bulletin, P.O. Box 3711, Martinsville, Va., 24115.
TODAYS WORD is repartee. Example: The dentist and the dental hygienist enjoyed working together because they regularly engaged in repartee which also entertained their patients.

THURSDAYS WORD was foray. It means an initial and often tentative attempt to do something in a new or different field or area of activity. Example: Asias foray into oil painting didnt go as she had expected, so eventually she switched over to acrylics.

Raffle

The Patrick Henry Volunteer Fire Department is selling raffle tickets for $5. Prizes are two grills, a smoker and a patio set. Get tickets from any member of on Monday nights at the station. Raffle tickets will be drawn during a hamburger steak fundraising dinner on Saturday, June 3, from 4-7 p.m.

Todays chuckle

Ray realized he needed to get hearing aids, but he didnt want to spend the money.

How much do they cost? he asked the audiologist.

That depends, the specialist replied. They run from $3 to $4,000.

Let me see the $3 model, Ray said.

The audiologist put a device around Rays neck and explained: You just stick this button in your ear and run this little string down to your pocket.

How does it work? Ray asked.

Oh, it doesnt do anything, the audiologist replied, but when people see it on you, theyll talk louder.

THURSDAYS TRIVIA ANSWER: A lot of people think that Cinco de Mayo (May 5) is the holiday Mexicans celebrate their independence, sort of like a Mexican Fourth of July, but its not. Cinco de Mayo in Mexico is a fairly minor holiday which just sort of got blown out of proportion in America (Thanks, television beer commercials!).

Cinco de Mayo honors just one single battle: the Battle of Puebla. In 1861, Benito Juarez was elected president of Mexico (he was a member of the indigenous Zapotec tribe and a lawyer). At that time Mexico was in financial ruin after years of troubles, and Juarez had no choice but to default on debt payments to European governments. That resulted in France, Britain and Spain sending naval forces to Veracruz, Mexico, to make Mexico pay up.

Spain and Britain negotiated with Mexico and worked out a deal, but France was after more. France was ruled at the time by Napoleon III, who attempted to make an empire out of Mexican territory. A strong French fleet stormed Veracruz in late 1861. The Mexican president and his government retreated.

They came back, though  with 2,000 men to fight off the 6,000 French soldiers who had set out to attack the small town of Puebla de Los Angeles in east-central Mexico. Most of Juarezs men were indigenous Mexicans or of mixed ancestry and were poorly supplied.

Nonetheless, the ragtag but determined Mexicans beat the much better equipped and larger force of French fighters.

TODAYS TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the actual date Mexican Independence?
Heres what happened locally on May 5 over the past century, as reported in this newspaper, which went from being called the Henry Bulletin to the Daily Bulletin to the Martinsville Bulletin:

1923: The April term of Circuit Court re-convened yesterday morning after a recess of twenty-two days. The case of Commonwealth vs. John Stone was the first case on the docket to be called. The court was informed that the county jail was in quarantine and that John Stone was broken out with a disease which was diagnosed by the jail physician as smallpox.

1948: Miss Fern Jennings, 15-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. M.B. Jennings, Oak Grove Ave., who is representing the Martinsville public school system in the third annual Winston-Salem Journal-Sentential Spelling Bee, is in the North Carolina city this afternoon for the finals event.  The spelling bee will be broadcast over two Winston-Salem stations, with the event beginning at 2 p.m.

1973: Frank D. Hairston explains to city planner Ben W. Via his proposal for building a garage on four lots off Fayette Street between Beaver and North streets. The planning commission set a public hearing for June 21 on Hairstons request to rezone the property from residential to commercial. The second floor of the garage will have four or five apartments, Hairston said.

Also 1973: The other night the Chapels of Chatham Heights were heading toward Rives Road Extension in their car and forgot they were low on gasoline. It gave out in the 500 block of Mulberry Road and they were stranded with their 6-month-old baby in their car. Donnie Chappel, an employee of Bob White Chevyland, knocked on the nearest front door rather apologetically but received a warm response. Herman Crayton, the householder, came to their rescue and it wasnt long before they were on their way.

1998: After learning of an incident in which a sleeping child was left on a school bus, Henry County school officials plan to institute a new policy to make sure that could not happen again. School Superintendent J. David Martin said the student, a kindergartener at Mt. Olivet Elementary School, fell asleep on the bus Monday morning and did not get off the vehicle when it arrived at the school.
Photo: Trans Mountain. Anticipated increases in energy exports expected thanks to projects like the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

Forestry, mining, energy and agriculture account for 45 per cent of B.C.s international exports, with services accounting for another 45 per cent, according to a new report by the Business Council of B.C. (BCBC).



Over the next five years, a steep decline in forestry export values can be expected, while energy exports can be expected to increase as much as 30 per cent, the study forecasts.



In 2022, B.C.'s international exports hit $83 billion  a $19 billion gain over a five-year period from 2017 to 2022.



Going forward, the export value of B.C.s forestry sector could shrink by $3.9 billion  29 per cent -- over the next five years, while the energy sector, notably LNG exports, is expected to account for up to 30 per cent of the growth in international exports over the next five years, adding at least $11.8 billion in value.



LNG is going to be so huge, said Ken Peacock, BCBCs chief economist and co-author of the report, The Foundations of Provincial Prosperity. Energy provides such a big lift.



The significance of the B.C. energy sector is inescapable, the report notes. Energy exports have risen by billions and are poised to rise by billions more when LNG production begins later in the decade. The energy sector is set to provide by far the biggest lift to B.C.s exports in the 2020s.



The study takes a deep dive on B.C.s economy, analyzing how much each sector is worth to the provincial economy in terms of export values. It illustrates just how diversified B.C.s economy has become, but also underscores just how important legacy resources industries still are to the B.C. economy.



The intent is to provide a sense for policymakers that resources are still 45 per cent of the base, Peacock said. Its important to grow the emerging (sectors), but lets also pay attention to what we currently export and grow those. Do not forget what our existing strengths are.



The resources sectors accounted for 60 per cent of the total increase in exports between 2017 and 2022, adding $11.6 billion in value.



This finding belies the often heard claim that natural resources are not a growth sector for an advanced economy jurisdiction like B.C. or Canada, the report states.



The energy sector stands out, owing to its massive $7 billion export gain. Record-high prices turbocharged exports of both coal and natural gas.



Note that strong advances in electricity, oil, biofuels, natural gas pipeline transportation services, and oil pipeline services also factored into the remarkable surge in provincial energy exports. Collectively, these latter industries rival the export revenues of the coal industry or the natural gas industry, underscoring the importance of energy-related transportation services and other smaller elements of the broad energy sector.



Services account for 45 per cent of B.C. international exports, which is a notably higher proportion than in other provinces.



This mainly reflects B.C.s larger transportation services, film and TV, tourism and education export sectors.



Services include tourism, education, professional services, film and TV and gateway industries (ports, railways, shipping, etc.)



Gateway services provide a kind of dual role  attracting foreign receipts for its services while also facilitating exports for other sectors.



This important and sometimes overlooked sector makes up 9 per cent of total provincial exports, the study says of gateway services. The gateway is unique in that it directly generates export revenues and also enables the shipping of B.C.s merchandise exports.



According to Duncan Wilson, vice president of environment and external affairs for the Vancouver Port Authority, $300 billion worth of trade flowed through the port in 2022  about $800 million per day.



All resource sectors in B.C., except forestry, are expected to see significant growth over the next five years.



Recognizing the B.C. forestry industry is facing at least a 20 per cent reduction in available fibre supply in the coming years, and that lumber prices will likely be lower in 2026/27 than in 2021/22, we estimate exports in the forestry sub-sector could decline by $3.9 billion (-29%) over the next five years, the report forecasts.



Because forestry is a high productivity industry, the contraction in what has been B.C.s largest export sector will weigh on per capita GDP growth and regional economic activity.



The BCBC report came out the same day the B.C. government announced its new trade strategy, which aims to grow export markets for B.C. companies, with a particular focus on Mexico, Taiwan and Vietnam.



According to the B.C. government, B.C. exports were valued at $65 billion in 2022  a 20 per cent increase over 2021, with much of the increase driven by increased exports to the U.S., Japan, South Korea and India. Energy accounted for 59 per cent of the increases between 2021 and 2022, machinery and equipment 24 per cent, and agriculture and food 24 per cent.



Tourism is one sector that has seen dramatic decreases, in recent years, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tourism exports are services offered in B.C. but which are paid for by non-residents.



Prior to the pandemic, tourism accounted for about 9 per cent of B.C.s international exports, with food services, accommodation services, and transportation services ranking as the largest industries within the overall tourism export sector, the report notes. During the pandemic, tourism export earnings plummeted and have yet to fully recover. International tourism exports plunged by as much as $5 billion during the pandemic and had only partly recovered by 2022.



The BCBC study organized more than 300 industries into ten conceptually aligned export sectors. Exports include services provided in the province, but which are purchased by non-Canadians, like the tuition and rent paid by foreign students studying in B.C., or the engineering or architectural services provided by B.C. companies but paid for by a non-Canadian customer.



Here are some sectoral shares of total B.C. exports, in percentages:


Due to continued animal illness, the Martinsville-Henry County SPCA will be closed until Tuesday.

Thursday afternoon the SPCA sent out a media release announcing the closure of the facility and the cancelation of a wellness clinic that had been scheduled on Saturday. They also are asking for donations of Clorox brand bleach as they continue to sanitize the shelter.

When the shelter reopens, the release stated they would be operating with normal hours Tuesday through Saturday from 12 p.m. until 6 p.m. and on Saturday from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. The shelter is closed on Sundays and Mondays.

The next public wellness clinic has been scheduled for Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The Martinsville-Henry County SPCA is also teaming up with North Shore Animal League America for the 29th Annual Global Pet Adoptathon, a yearly, month-long initiative that focuses on finding loving, responsible homes for animals and celebrating the devoted worldwide community that facilitates and supports animal rescue and adoption, the release stated.

The local SPCA has dogs, cats, puppies and kittens available for adoption and is looking for responsible, loving homes.

Global Pet Adoptathon continues through the month of May with over 2,000 animal shelters and rescue groups across the country and around the world joining Animal League America for this premiere global pet adoption event to help save the lives of thousands of homeless animals, the release stated.
One of the three men indicted earlier this year for wielding torches as part of a racist mob on the Grounds of the University of Virginia nearly six years ago, Will Zachary Smith of Nacona, Texas, has accepted a plea deal, according to Albemarle County court records.

Smith, who had been held at the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail since January, was freed May 3 on a $10,000 bond that requires him to go back to his home state of Texas but cooperate with Albemarle authorities.

Smith had also been indicted for discharging harmful gases. That indictment was made by another Albemarle grand jury meeting in 2018, less than a year after the infamous torch march on UVa Grounds.

There on Aug. 11, 2017, hundreds of white nationalists marched and shouted slogans including Blood and soil and Jews will not replace us.

Albemarle Circuit Court records suggest that the gas charge will be dropped in exchange for Smiths guilty plea on the charge of burning to intimidate, but Circuit Court Judge Cheryl Higgins ordered his plea to remain sealed.

Smith was arrested in early 2021 in Montague County, Texas, and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was bailed out on a $50,000 bond. That fall, he waived arraignment. However, a search of Texas records shows no conviction, and his attorney for the Charlottesville charges, Cody Villalon of Richmond, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Daily Progress.

Smith appears to be 38 years old according to the most recent court records. A prior report based on what may have been an erroneous court document listed him as several years older.

Higgins requested the creation of a presentence report on Smith and ordered him to return for sentencing on Aug. 7.
The Prime minister of Cape Verde is in Brazil and, after a meeting with Paddy Cosgrave (co-founder of Web Summit), admits the possibility of a smaller scale edition of the Web Summit taking place in the country.

The Prime minister of Cabo Verde, Ulisses Correia e Silva, admitted this Thursday the possibility of the archipelago hosting a Web Summit event, after meeting with Paddy Cosgrave in Rio de Janeiro.

I met with Paddy Cosgrave, co-founder of Web Summit, during Web Summit Rio. Paddy is a friend from Cape Verde and has visited our country before. We discussed the possibility of organizing a smaller-scale Web Summit on the island of Sal, taking advantage of its tourism and innovation potential, announced Ulisses Correia e Silva, through a message on his official Facebook social network account.

As Prime Minister, I have attended every edition of Web Summit and I believe that bringing this inspiring event to Cape Verde will help boost our entrepreneurial ecosystem and promote our nation on the global stage. We want to explore this opportunity and welcome technological and innovative leaders to Cape Verde, he added.

The head of the Cape Verdean government is in Brazil and participated on Wednesday in a talk at the Web Summit, in which he sought to demonstrate the qualities of the country for investors and digital nomads who want to settle on the island.
The European Union (EU) and Guinea-Bissau on Thursday signed two financing agreements in the education and urban development sectors worth 38 million.

This amount is divided into 17 million for education and vocational training and 21 million euros for green and inclusive cities, said EU Ambassador Artis Bertulis at the agreement signing ceremony, which took place at the Ministry of Finance in Bissau.

The financing agreements signed are part of the Multiannual Indicative Program of the European Union with Guinea-Bissau for the period 2021-2027, with a value of 112 million euros, which has as priority areas human development, green and inclusive economy and good governance and stability.

According to the ambassador, the agreement in the area of education and vocational training aims to strengthen the models of governance and strategic planning of the ministers of education and public administration, but also to promote the quality and access to vocational training, as well as employment opportunities for young people in various areas of socio-economic development.

Also at the level of technical-vocational training, Artis Bertulis explained that it is intended to support the implementation of a new policy and system of qualifications and simultaneously invest in the creation of new courses and development of life skills, especially for women and young girls in rural areas. The second agreement signed aims to contribute to improving urban living conditions by strengthening the governance of the sector, reducing the volume of solid waste in the Guinean capital, and improving access to drinking water and sanitation services in other cities in the country.

Finance Minister Ilidio Te highlighted the importance of the two signed agreements, which are based on key sectors of the country.
The Angolan President, Joao Lourenco, went to London, United Kingdom, to participate in the coronation ceremony of King Charles III, it was reported on Thursday.

The Angolan head of state is accompanied on this trip by the first lady, Ana Dias Lourenco, for the ceremony to be held on Saturday at Westminster Abbey, the Angolan press reported.

According to the spokesman of the Presidency of the Republic, Luis Fernando, the Angolan President will be part of the group of several entities invited, from different origins, to participate in the act.

Charles III, 74 years old, will be crowned on Saturday, despite having already been officially proclaimed on September 10, 2022, two days after the death of his mother Elizabeth II, at 96 years of age and after 70 years of reign.

The religious ceremony at Westminster Abbey involves a series of rituals, including anointing with a special oil and swearing an oath, the exchange of objects such as the royal sword, orb and scepter, and finally the coronation with the crown of St. Edward (St. Edward).

The Queen Consort, Camilla, will also be crowned, followed by a procession in a horse-drawn carriage to Buckingham Palace, where the royal family will make an appearance on the balcony to conclude the public celebrations.

The festivities will continue for two more days, including street parties across the country and a musical concert at Windsor Castle on Sunday and a national holiday on Monday, during which the King urged Britons to volunteer.
The dividends distributed to shareholders by Hidroelectrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) increased 11.6% over the last year, according to figures announced Thursday by the Mozambican state-owned company.

HCB approved in a general meeting the distribution of dividends in the order of 44.92% of the approximately 9.2 billion meticals (129 million euros) of the companys net results, reads a statement.

The value corresponds to 4.1 billion meticais (58 million euros), 11.6% more than the 3.7 billion meticais (52 million euros) distributed in 2022.

This year, the dividend per share will be 0.156 meticais, up from 0.14 meticais last year. Remember that part of the shareholders resulted from the public offering (IPO) of 4% of the capital, in 2019.

The remaining value of about five billion meticais of the companys net results will be transferred to retained earnings. The shareholders meeting also served to ratify the contracting of loans with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the French Development Agency (AFD), including the related guarantees, to finance the Capex Vital investment plan.

The European Union (EU) grant, in the form of a donation, provided through AFD, was also ratified.

HCB intends to invest in a renovation for an additional 25 years of useful life and increase production capacity by 5% (currently at 2075 MW).

The company obtained in 2022 the endorsement of the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the French Development Agency (AFD) to support these works, having financing lines that it can use up to 225 million euros, in a strategy in which the equity that the company has at its disposal will be prioritized, the management announced.
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:

While a lot of research has focused on autism in children, much less effort goes toward studying adults with autism.

Now, two new reports find this group is at substantial risk for age-related physical conditions and injuries, as well as being particularly susceptible to certain mental health issues including loneliness, social isolation and lower quality of life.

"There is accumulating evidence suggesting that when autistic individuals get older, they face considerable challenges from co-existing physical conditions," said researcher Shengxin Liu, a Ph.D. student at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. "For instance, there was evidence on obesity and epilepsy, but the research among older autistic adults remains scarce, accounting for less than 1% of published studies in autism research."

In the study on physical health, Liu and other researchers from two Swedish universities reviewed data on people born between 1932 and 1967 in Sweden, excluding those who died or emigrated before age 45.

The team followed them from age 45 through the end of 2013, looking at 39 physical conditions associated with age.

The investigators found that older adults with autism had higher risks of a range of conditions, including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), osteoarthritis, anemia, glucose dysregulation (a blood sugar level that fluctuates abnormally) and self-harm. Other conditions commonly seen were type 2 diabetes, falls, spinal issues and problems in the esophagus, stomach and small intestine.

The studies were presented Wednesday at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) annual meeting, in Stockholm. Such research is considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Reasons for the increases in the different health conditions among adults with autism vary, Liu said.

One example, anemia, could be more common because some people with autism are selective about food.

"With these restricted eating behaviors, they might lack, for instance, iron, which resulted in iron-deficiency anemia. This definitely persisted into older autistic adults," Liu said.

It may also be that disparities are either exacerbated or created by social determinants of health, said Lauren Bishop, an associate professor of social work and investigator at the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Bishop was not involved in this study.

Adults with autism are often unemployed or underemployed, have higher rates of poverty, housing instability and lower quality of medical care, Bishop noted.

"We also know that autistic adults experience high perceived stress and increased likelihood of feeling as though they have to camouflage their autistic traits to fit in with society," Bishop said.

This is an area where much more work is needed, she added.

"I'm really excited that there's so much more emphasis on research on autistic older adults at INSAR this year," Bishop said. "We're trying to make gains, but it's not something that a single research group can do. It requires collaboration internationally to be able to find out the things that we need to know to build high-quality interventions and services."

Pamela Feliciano, scientific director for the organization SPARK (Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research) in New York City, noted there is much more awareness, behavioral treatment and attention on autism for the younger generations than was available for those who are now older adults.

She has hope that these preventable physical health issues can be more readily addressed going forward.

"I think that the solutions are just providing more supports and services for families, and more emphasis in the school context on health and exercise, and helping people with autism succeed in establishing these healthy habits long before they graduate from high school," Feliciano said.

More attention also needs to be directed at leading healthy, active lifestyles for adults with autism, she said, acknowledging that this may not be prioritized because of other support needs in this group.

In the second study, on social connectedness among older adults with autism, researchers in London set out to study associations between quality of life, mental health problems, and the experience of loneliness among middle-aged and older adults with autism.

Using data from the AgeWellAutism study, the researchers examined answers from 428 adults aged 40 to 93 to both standardized and open-ended questions.

Before launching the study in 2019, researchers had interviewed middle-aged and older people with autism, who had raised issues of social support and connectedness.

"Our findings did align with what we expected, but I was surprised and saddened by how many of the middle-aged and older autistic participants experienced social isolation and loneliness," said researcher Gavin Stewart, a postdoctoral research fellow at University College London.

The study found that those with autism were particularly susceptible to lower quality of life, more mental health problems and less social connection. Women were lonelier than men.

The investigators found similar results when controlling for symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Better social connectedness was a strong predictor of having both fewer mental health problems and better quality of life for those with autism.

In open-text responses, some of those surveyed said they struggled with being autistic in a world designed for non-autistic people, Stewart said. They were living with stigma and barriers to accessing employment, education and more.

"Some also mention that they don't just lack social support from friends and family, but they also lack formal support from health care professionals, too. This means that, for some, their health care needs aren't being met," Stewart said.

He added that there are currently many seniors with autism in both the United States and the United Kingdom, so it's important to provide supports now.

In modern society in general, people are lonely, Feliciano noted.

"If you are a person with autism, these things can be compounded because the social connections are particularly difficult to establish," Feliciano said. "And in adulthood, people lose their caregivers or their parents or their primary people that keep them connected. When they lose that support network, it's very difficult to do that by themselves."

She said a solution could be strong social supports in communities.

"I think that these two studies highlight the challenges that are lifelong in autism. It's not just the young adults and the young kids that need services and supports," Feliciano said.

Liu suggested that one way to help could be if health care providers made their offices more autism-friendly.

Stewart said the big takeaway from the social connectedness study is that being connected is linked with better mental health and quality of life.

"So on a research level, I think we need more work around improving the accessibility for autistic people to get involved in existing socialization opportunities in their communities," Stewart said. "And the best way to do that is to work with autistic people as research partners, as they are experts in their own experiences."

More information: The Indiana Resource Center for Autism has more on autism in seniors.

Copyright  2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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 girl reacts as she receives a shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for COVID-19 in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Children above the age of 12 are now receiving the vaccine in Nepal. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha, File

The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. The action reverses a declaration that was first made on January 30, 2020, when the disease had not even been named COVID-19 and when there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

A look at what WHO's decision means:

Why end the global health emergency?

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic has been "on a downward trend for more than a year, with population immunity increasing from vaccination and infection." That, he said, has allowed most countries "to return to life as we knew it before COVID-19," meaning that the worst part of the pandemic is over.

Tedros said that for the past year, WHO and its emergency committee experts have been analyzing COVID-19 data to decide when the time would be right to lower its level of alarm. On Thursday, the experts recommended to Tedros that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency and the WHO chief said he accepted that advice.

What are the practical effects?

For the average person, nothing. The classification of a health threat as a global emergency is meant to warn political authorities that there is an "extraordinary" event that could constitute a health threat to other countries and requires a coordinated response to contain it. WHO's emergency declarations are typically used as an international SOS for countries who need help. They can also spur countries to introduce special measures to combat disease or release extra funds.

Many countries, including Britain, France, Germany and the U.S., have long dropped many of their pandemic-era restrictions. The U.S. is ending its national health emergency next Thursday.

Commuters wearing face masks ride bicycles along a street in the central business district in Beijing, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File

Is covid-19 still a pandemic?

Yes. Although WHO chief Tedros said the coronavirus emergency was over, he warned that the virus is here to stay and that thousands of people continue to die every week. "The risk remains of new variants emerging that cause new surges in cases and deaths," Tedros said. "What this news means is that it's time for countries to transition from emergency mode to managing COVID-19 alongside other infectious diseases."

In April, there were nearly 3 million cases and more than 17,000 deaths reported, including spikes in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, the United Nations agency noted.

So when will the covid-19 pandemic end?

It's unclear. WHO emergencies chief Dr. Michael Ryan said the coronavirus is still a public health threat and that its continued evolution could yet cause future problems. "It took decades...for the pandemic virus of 1918 to disappear," he said, referring to the Spanish flu that is thought to have killed at least 40 million people.

"Pandemics only truly end when the next pandemic begins," he said. Ryan said that while COVID-19 will continue to spread among people for a very long time, it is doing so at a much lower level of threat that does not require the extraordinary measures taken to try to curb the virus' spread.

Nurses perform timed breathing exercises on a COVID-19 patient on a ventilator in the COVID-19 intensive care unit at the la Timone hospital in Marseille, southern France, Friday, Dec. 31, 2021. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Daniel Cole, File

What else has been declared an emergency?

WHO has previously declared global emergencies for outbreaks of swine flu, Zika, Ebola, polio and mpox, formerly called monkeypox. Polio was declared nearly nine years ago. Its emergency status has persisted even as officials work to wipe out the disease from a shrinking number of countries.

Last July, WHO chief Tedros declared the explosive spread of mpox to dozens of countries to be a global emergency, overruling the emergency committee he had convened to assess the situation. The disease peaked in Europe and North America shortly after, but technically remains a global emergency.

Do we still need to take covid-19 precautions?

Yes. Health officials say the virus isn't going anywhere and advise people to get vaccinated, including getting booster doses if they qualify. Although many of the measures seen at the height of the pandemicincluding masks and social distancingaren't required except in certain settings, like hospitals or nursing homes, officials say people with other health conditions or compromised immune systems may still want to continue with some of those precautions.

A woman wearing a face mask and face shield, sits in a train in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File

Patients lie on hospital beds as they wait at a temporary makeshift treatment area outside Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong, Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File

A man gets his routine COVID-19 throat swab at a coronavirus testing site in Beijing, Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022. The World Health Organization downgraded its assessment of the coronavirus pandemic on Friday, May 5, 2023, saying it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. Credit: AP Photo/Andy Wong, File

Unlike in the early years of COVID-19, high immunization levels, both from vaccination and previous infection, have helped dramatically reduce disease spread.

Simon Clarke, an associate professor of microbiology at Britain's University of Reading, warned against people dropping all COVID-19 protections.

"The message to the public should still be to take care and think of others. If you're ill with a respiratory infection, like a bad cough, don't put others at risk, especially not those who are vulnerable," he said. "If you pass on a COVID infection, no one will thank you. If you're fit and young, COVID can still be nasty and if you're old and frail, it can kill you."

 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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Yuria Celidwen was born into a family of Indigenous mystics, healers, poets and explorers from the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico.

"I grew up with one foot in the wilderness and another in the magical realism of Indigenous culture," said Celdiwen, a native of Indigenous Nahua and Mayan descent. "My Elders' songs and stories enthralled my childhood. They enhanced my mythic imagination and emotional intuition, which became the fertile soil where the seeds of kindness, play and wonder dig their roots."

"[But] we carry intergenerational trauma, and also intergenerational bliss," she added. A result of Indigenous communities' historical colonial oppression, genocide and "the exploitation of our Lands and age-old traditions, and the resilient, Mother Earth-oriented and tightly weaved communities and traditions we preserve."

Those great disparities, Celidwen said, are formative to the research and work she has pursued for the last two decades, collaborating and building coalitions with Indigenous communities from around the world to create community spaces and policy that promote Indigenous Peoples' voices and their time-honored principles.

Today, as a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, Celidwen is exploring how Western institutions can ethically approach the growing research and use of psychedelics as viable medical therapies. She recently led a study published in the journal The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas.

The paper, "Ethical principles of traditional Indigenous medicine to guide western psychedelic research and practice," highlights how the new Western psychedelic movement can embrace and collaborate with the Indigenous plant medicine traditions that preceded it.

"The authority of the Indigenous Peoples must be recognized and respected as equal holders of sophisticated systems of contemplative insight," said Celidwen, who previously served as a liaison of Indigenous affairs at the United Nations. "Indigenous voices bring forth actions of reverence, kindness, and compassion. So, my research is committed to the reclamation, revitalization and transmission of our Indigenous wisdoms."

A burgeoning industry

Psychedelic medicineswhich are still federally criminalized in the U.S.have been engaged as "Spirit medicines" by Indigenous communities around the world for centuries. Sacred Indigenous traditions include ceremonies that practice these medicines not only to heal people, Celidwen said, "but to heal our planet by opening the spiritual gateways to the Ancestors (past and emerging) and promote transcendence through deep connections with Nature, the Universe, and Spirit."

Recently, in the West, these medicines have been used as therapies for depression, anxiety, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), creating a burgeoning multibillion-dollar industry. Recreational use of psychedelic plants, like psilocybe mushrooms, peyote cactus and ayahuasca, have also created a market for Western psychedelic practitioners to charge thousands of dollars for facilitation.

According to the study, there are currently an estimated 30 million people who use psychedelics in the U.S. alone. And as financial backing continues to proliferate in Western institutions for psychedelic research, which includes over 350 registered psychedelic clinical studies, Celidwen said there are serious concerns from Indigenous communities about how the research of their Spirit medicines is conducted, and how Indigenous participation will be incorporatedif at all.

How will the West transform the sacred use of psychedelics? And how can reparations be directed to Indigenous communities for the appropriation of their time-honored medicines?

Celidwen answers these questions through her research with Indigenous practitioners, activists, scholars and lawyers from around the worldall well-versed in Indigenous medicine practices. They have formulated a set of ethical guidelines concerning traditional Indigenous medicines' current use in the West.

"I see the lack of access to our own Indigenous medicine systems," said Celidwen, "which continue to be dismissed, persecuted, blatantly extracted, exploited, and capitalized upon.  It became evident to me that it was crucial to bring together the voices of the traditions that have been mostly impacted by the appropriation of these Spirit medicines." Credit: University of California - Berkeley

Centering the 'sacred act'

The group met virtually during the pandemic, and Celidwen said the panel discussed issues that have been deeply rooted in Indigenous communities. Such as the impact that cultural appropriation has had on their traditional medicines, and the lack of recognition these medicines have gotten for being sacred within Indigenous cultures.

Participants in the panel also addressed the various exclusionary policies their communities have faced in practicing their medicinal traditions, the rising carbon footprint to their Lands, and the impact Western "psychedelic tourism" has had on preventing Indigenous communities access to their own medicines.

The panel also repudiated any attempt at patenting Indigenous heritage.

Through her research, Celidwen said, it becomes apparent that Indigenous Peoples' voices and leadership are absent from Western psychedelic research and practice. When Indigenous voices have been engaged, it has been merely symbolic, not benefitting Indigenous communities.

"Even the term 'psychedelics' is a Western notion that Indigenous communities do not agree with," said Celidwen. "Western recreational use of our Spirit medicines have nothing to do with reflecting on the mind or spirit. It is not always a sacred act. The Western view says psychedelics manifest the human mind, but these medicines are not about the human mind alone, they reveal Spirit, the very animating principle of Life."

The research led to a consensus of ethical Indigenous principles that Celidwen said outline eight critical elements"Reverence, Respect, Responsibility, Relevance, Regulation, Reparation, Restoration and Reconciliation"for psychedelic researchers to consider in their trials and practice.

Those principles were then connected to specific problems Indigenous Peoples face because of the research and practice of psychedelics outside of Indigenous communities.

More importantly, Celidwen said, they present solutions.

And for Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute Director john powell, there is no better time than now for "the bridging of those solutions" to be considered.

"It is remarkable how rich Indigenous traditions have been largely ignored in the study of human flourishing, and the positive interventions that make it possible," powell said. "Dr. Celidwen's research stands out in how it centers relationality, interdependence, mutuality and the meaning inherent in all living phenomena."

From a place of 'fierce kindness'

While her own life has been marked by discrimination, exploitation, extraction and extreme forms of violence and abuse, Celidwen said those experiences also reflect the greater disparities that Indigenous Peoples experience.

"Not only do we carry historical harm," said Celidwen, "but the traumatic experiences keep being perpetuated by structures and systems of oppression and exploitation of our Lands, cultures and traditions, that end up ripping apart our hearts and tearing our bodies into pieces."

That trauma, Celidwen said, is linked to contemporary issues affecting Indigenous communities that include a lack of access to the minimum for dignified living, healthcare, education, safety and security, and housing.

Celidwen held a conference last fall that brought together Indigenous healers and Western psychedelic researchers to partake in Indigenous practices. Here, a table with rocks painted with positive and appreciative affirmations helped to lay the foundation for the conference. Credit: Sofia Liashcheva

According to the study, while the psychedelic industry will potentially become a multibillion-dollar trade, there has been little to no health or economic return to Indigenous communities, who make up 6% of the world population and 30% of the extremely poor.

Indigenous people also live, on average, 20 years less than their non-Indigenous counterparts.

Further economic disparities that Celidwen's research points to are the fact that Western psychedelic practitioners and facilitators can earn an average of $10,500 per service event, compared to Indigenous medicine practitioners, who earn between $2 and $150 for their services.

Indigenous women in particular, she said, lack access to platforms of influence in decision-making processes. But Celidwen said she has found that participating in the transmission of traditional Indigenous knowledge has helped her to preserve her Indigenous culture.

"It's a way of reclaiming our places, and at the same time, it's about love and a fierce kindness to guide people to realize and to wake up to our daily realities," she said. "We must be open to ethical collaborations to come to solutions together, and to create bridges between us."

Nourishing collaborations

To share these Indigenous perspectives, Celidwen has held several dialogs for academics, clinicians and Indigenous peoples from various backgrounds to gather and partake in, and to understand, traditional Indigenous ceremonies.

Last fall, Celidwen brought together Indigenous medicine practitioners from Mexico, Guatemala, Canada, Colombia, and El Salvador to meet with psychedelic researchers from Western institutions that included UC Berkeley, John Hopkins University, University of Wisconsin Madison, and UCSF.

The two-day event was held at Berkeley's Faculty Club and included Indigenous ceremonies that were deeply rooted in building connections with Indigenous conceptions of "Spirit, Creator, and the Universe." Self-discovery and reflection of "our Ancestors" was also incorporated into the conference, which promoted a free flow of ideas and discussions that addressed the absence of Indigenous Peoples in the Western psychedelic movement.

Dacher Keltner, a Berkeley psychology professor, attended the conference and said Celidwen's ability to provide a nourishing, collaborative space for people from starkly different communities to have tough conversations about psychedelic research is changemaking.

"Dr. Celidwen has begun the kind of dialogsand laid out the kind of principlesthat will ensure that this new movement is not another colonialist resource extraction, but instead can move toward more reverential and mutually nourishing collaboration," said Keltner, who is also director of Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center. "It is seminal and necessary."

For powell, Celidwen's mere presence on campus as an Indigenous scholar helps broaden the discourse of Berkeley's academic community. And her research, powell said, can transform culture, as evident in its integration into schools, health care settings, the judicial system, organizations and government agencies.

"Yuria's work on Indigenous traditions and what they teach us about creating a world where everyone belongs will be transformative," he said. "She has already had a significant impact on the way we think about bridging, an essential practice that helps deepen relationships across differences so we can jointly create structures that serve all of us."

Celidwen continues to bring her research to Western institutions across the country, speaking at universities and colleges about the ways Indigenous principles and values can help the greater humanity "access an ever-expansive unfolding of a path of meaning and participation rooted in honoring all life."

More recently, Celidwen spoke at the Bioneers Conference last month at Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, spreading her research and perspective of the "Ethics of Belonging of Indigenous Contemplative Traditions" with the hope, she says, that it will bridge and balance "an inequitable and separated world."

"It has become evident that when we pay attention to the world around us, all we hear is urgency. It is time for community reflection," she said. "We need to nourish a conscious social responsibility for the self, community and environment. And to be open to transcend beyond the individual and the material culture to embrace the Divine."

More information: Yuria Celidwen et al, Ethical principles of traditional Indigenous medicine to guide western psychedelic research and practice, The Lancet Regional HealthAmericas (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2022.100410